How Moonstruck Got Her Groove Back

Finite Sledgehammer

Disclaimer: Hasbro's toybox, I'm just playing in it.

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Chapter 3

It occurred to her belatedly that someone had been trying to wake her for some time. Possibly several someones. Moonstruck groaned and curled into a tighter ball, unwilling to let go of slumberland just yet, despite the nagging sensation that she should wake up at once, and that whomever was speaking to her was kind of important somehow, even though she couldn't place the voice.

Or, wait, actually she could place that voice. The part of her mind that was somewhat ware of the situation realized she simply hadn't heard it in a long time. It was at that moment she remembered she was not in her own bed. Another moments thought made her realize that she was, in fact, outside, and it smelled quite foreign beyond her blanket.

With an irate sigh, curiosity finally managed to rouse her, and she opened her eyes to sunlight streaming through her purple blanket. She blinked a few times, then worked her head out from under the blanket to squint up at the pony who belonged to the quasi-familiar voice. A tall, elegant white alicorn stood over Moonstruck, her pastel rainbow mane billowing gently in some supernatural breeze.

Moonstrucks sleep addled brain came to a complete standstill. This was certainly a familiar, unfamiliar place. It was unfamiliar in that it didn't belong to anyone she knew personally, but familiar because she knew it all the same.

"G-good morning, High Princess Celestia!" Moonstruck croaked as she popped up into a seated position.

"I suppose that greeting still technically applies." Celestia chuckled. "You're a hard sleeper, Princess Moonstruck."

"Er… yeah." Moonstruck laughed nervously as she hastily tried to fix her mane, which was likely even messier than usual. "Did the stallions make it okay? Are they - "

"They're all fine. They've eaten and are asleep in their quarters." Celestia nodded slightly.

"Oh good."

"Your sisters letter explained the situation. I am sorry your mother chose to leave at such a time." Celestia dipped her head elegantly.

"Letter?"

"Yes," Celestia smirked, and magicked a scroll up in front of yourself. "It seems you sister suspected you would be asleep when you arrived, and left a letter with Captain Windwake as a precaution."

Moonstruck ducked her head and blushed. "Ah, ha ha… yeah I'm something of a night owl."

"My sister is the same way." Celestia chuckled. "Well, come along. There's still breakfast if you would like it. We won't be having our big meeting until this evening, as my sister will be asleep most of the day as well, and it is vital that she attends."

Moonstruck grinned sheepishly and climbed out of the carriage. "I should maybe look into some kinda nighttime job back home, so I have a legit excuse to sleep all day."

"That may be wise." Celestia agreed.

Moonstruck followed the elder alicorn across the courtyard they'd parked the carriage in, her mind racing to find a way to make up for her complete lack of decorum. This was not a good way to impress the High Princess – even though she didn't seem to mind. Seem; the key word here was seem. It was highly likely Celestia had the best poker face in the world.

Ornate double doors opened silently before them, allowing them to step inside a vast hall lined with stained glass windows.

"I am afraid I have a few affairs to attend to before the meeting tonight, so I shall leave you with Princess Cadance and my protege for the day." Celestia said as they turned down a less vast, but still airy corridor. "They will show you around, as you will likely be here for a few days, at least."

Moonstruck nodded.

Celestia magicked a door open, and poked her head inside. "Ah, she's finally awake. This is Princess Moonstruck."

Moonstruck stepped into the doorway and grinned awkwardly, feeling like the new foal in class. "Hello!"

"Hello Princess Moonstruck!" A pink alicorn around her own age, whom could only be Princess Cadance beamed, letting out a bubbly laugh.

"Hi Princess!" Echoed around the room. Six common ponies and what appeared to be a baby dragon accompanied the princess; a board game was set up on a large table between them. A foals board game. Moonstruck was intrigued.

"Moonstruck, this is my protege Princess Twilight Sparkle, and her friends Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike. They also wield the Elements of Harmony – well except for Spike."

"I polish the Elements of Harmony!" Spike declared, prompting the ponies to giggle.

"I'll see you all at the meeting later." Celestia smiled softly, nodded, and left as the rest of the ponies said their respectful goodbyes.

Moonstruck stepped into the room, the door shut softly behind her. She stared at Twilight Sparkle, she hadn't noticed her wings at first, and honestly, if Celestia hadn't mentioned the title, she wouldn't have thought to look. She vaguely recalled somepony being crowned princess recently, but she couldn't remember the details.

"Wow! So many princesses are running around today!" Said the pink earth pony, suddenly appearing in front of her, bouncing excitedly.

"I thought that Celestia and Luna were the only princesses, but then a couple of years ago we met Cadance! Then Twilight was turned into an alicorn! And before all of THAT I only knew about Princess Celestia! But now you're here, and we've been learning about other queendoms all over the place, and all of the alicorns out there! Isn't it crazy!? I'm Pinkie Pie, by the way!"

Pinkie Pie somehow managed to get through all of that without pausing for breath, or well, pausing in general. She was still bouncing.

"Yeah, there's a few of us running around." Moonstruck took a small step back.

"Pinkie, take it easy!" Twilight Sparkle laughed. "You're scaring her!"

"Sorry!" Pinkie Pie chirped, then bounced back over to her seat at the table. "We're playing Candy Land, wanna play?"

"Ah, no that's okay, Candy Land isn't really my game." Moonstruck said. "And I'm kinda hungry…."

"Not your game? What games do you play?"

"Card games, mostly."

"Neat! Do you know any card tricks?"

"A few." Moonstruck had placed her favorite deck in a velvet pouch around her neck for just such an occasion. She whipped it out now, magicking the cards into the air in a dizzying display of telekenetic coordination, then brought them all whizzing back neatly into their box, then into the pouch.

"COOL!" Pinkie Pie lead the chorus of admiration.

"They call me Maverick Moonstruck for a reason." She winked. "But anyway, Princess Celestia said something about a late breakfast…?"

"Oh yes, you haven't eaten yet." Cadance said. "I think I can go for some brunch."

There was general agreement around the table, so they cleaned up their game, and headed down to the palace kitchens to see what they could make off with. A short while later they had an impromptu picnic in the palace gardens. With a bit of good food in her belly, and a pleasant breeze ruffling her mane, Moonstruck felt much more awake, and at home. She, of course, had some knowledge of the Elements of Harmony, and knew the tale of Princess Lunas liberation from the clutches of the dark powers, but she'd never expected to be plopped down in the grass with the wielders of such elements, nor Equestrias newest Princess.

"So, Princess Moonstruck, where are you from again?" The orange earth pony – Applejack – asked after a few minutes of idle chatter.

"Trot."

"Trottingham?" The white unicorn – Rarity, asked, perking up a tad.

"Just Trot. It's pretty small. Off the coast of Vanhoover."

"Trot's chief exports are hazelnuts, pumpkins, high quality obsidian, and a particular type of seaweed that is widely used in dyes and pigments." Twilight Sparkle said, sitting up straighter. "Your country is also known for being the only kingdom other than Equestria to have two alicorns born in one generation."

Moonstruck blinked back her surprise. "Yes, that's right!"

"I've been reading." Twilight Sparkle beamed.

"Is that unusual? To have more than two alicorns to a family?" Applejack asked, furrowing her brow.

"Extremely rare." Twilight sparkle nodded. "I couldn't find out anything as to why. Perhaps Princess Moonstruck can explain it?"

"Eh, no one really knows for sure." Moonstruck shrugged. "It's just kinda hit and miss. It is true that we don't have foals very often, but most of those foals are one of the three tribes of pony – not all three at once. Most alicorn foals are fillies, colts are extremely rare."

"Ah, that must be why Princess Celestia has unicorn and pegasus relatives." Rarity mused. "I have often wondered about that."

"So how did alicorns get started? Did a unicorn marry a pegasus a long time ago, and end up with an alicorn?" Rainbow Dash scowled. "Or are they all like Twilight and unlocked a special achievement?"

Moonstruck snorted a laugh, and hoof bumped the rainbow maned pegasus. She had never heard of anyone becoming an alicorn before she met Twilight Sparkle. As far as she knew you were either born one, or you weren't. She made a mental note to ask Celestia later.

"Nope, my third cousin Honeycrisp knew a unicorn and pegasus family. She said they had two pegasus and a unicorn." Applejack shook her head.

"And remember Mr. and Mrs. Cake are earth ponies, but they had a pegasus and a unicorn." Fluttershy piped up. Or whispered up, rather.

"According to the lore, alicorns were the original race of pony, but over time, pegasus, unicorns and earth ponies born of those alicorns split off and formed their own tribes." Princess Cadance said, then took a sip of tea.

"Really? I've never read that anywhere! Twilight Sparkle perked her ears up curiously.

"It's an old story. Very old." Cadance shrugged. "No one's been able to prove or disprove it, but it could explain our grab-bag genetics." She chuckled. "And our capacity to become alicorns, under the right conditions."

"So, where could I read this lore?" Twilight Sparkle pressed.

Cadance stared up at the tree they were sitting under. "Oh dear, um, probably in the folklore section of the library. I don't remember what book I read it in, to be honest."

"Hmmmmm..." Twilight eyed the castle, clearly inclined to go take a look through the library.

"We don't have time," Spike sighed. "It could take you ages to find the right book, and we leave tomorrow morning."

"Just a few hours wouldn't hurt!"

"But once you get looking, you won't want to stop! I'm the same way when I go shopping in Canterlot." Rarity chuckled.

"And we're already overdue to be back in Ponyville." Applejack shook her head. "Remember? The only reason we're still here is because Princess Celestia asked us to stick around for some big important meeting tonight. Otherwise we woulda gone home three days ago."

Twilight Sparkle slumped, crestfallen.

"Tell ya what; I'll see if I can find the book, and I'll send it to your library in Ponyville." Cadance offered. "I suppose it's my fault I brought it up. And it might have been in the Crystal Empire palace library, anyway."

"Really? Thanks!" Twilight beamed.

"Hey, that reminds me, does anyone know what the meeting is about?" Applejack asked.

"All I know is that I was summoned here because they need an alicorn to go on some kinda quest, and I was the only one who's available." Moonstruck shrugged.

"I'm available." Twilight Sparkle muttered under her breath.

"I heard they found something really weird way out past Griffonstone." Pinkie Pie chirped.

"What kind of weird?" Fluttershy squeaked, ducking her head.

"I dunno, but I overheard some nurses talking about it yesterday. They seemed pretty confused."

"Nurses?" Applejack lifted a brow.

"Yeah! I think they work in the palace hospital wing."

"Now that you mention it, I saw an ambulance carriage fly in the morning after we got here, and they were coming in outta the north." Rainbow Dash mused. "They took a weird route in though; if I hadn't taken my morning fly around the north side of the mountain I never would have seen 'em."

"It doesn't have anything to do with the Crystal Empire, does it Cadance?" Rarity asked, eagerly looking to the princess in question.

She started. "What? No. Not that I've heard."

"But you have heard something." Moonstruck pointed out.

"What makes you say that?" Cadance gave her a curious look.

"The way you almost choked on your tea." Moonstruck eyed her cooly. "I don't think it was about the Crystal Empire, but that she asked you specifically."

"Well, the Crystal Empire is north of here."

"It is, and I heard what happened. Doesn't explain why asking you would be startling."

Now everyone was looking at Cadance. Her eyes darted around the group, then she heaved a sigh and slumped. "Yes, I know something, but I've been sworn to secrecy."

"Ooooooooooo! A secret!" Pinkie Pie bounced to her hooves. "What if we guess!?"

"Heh, you can try. This one's pretty out there!" Cadance chortled.

"Does Shining Armor know?" Twilight asked slyly.

Cadance opened her mouth to reply, then paused and tilted her head to the side. "I don't know. He's been busy lately, so we've hardly spoken the last couple of days."

"Hmmm."

"This has really got you curious, hasn't it?" Applejack noted.

"Well, yeah! I mean, there's a quest only an alicorn can go on, something mysterious happening in the north, and we've been asked to attend a top secret meeting. Something big is happening – and if my brother knows about it, I can totally twist his leg into telling me!" Twilight laughed.

"I prefer to noogie." Moonstruck nodded. "Noogies always work."

"He's my older brother, so not so much, no." Twilight Sparkle giggled.

"Heh, yeah that makes a difference. I guess it helps that Acorn is terrible at keeping secrets, anyway. If you want the whole Queendom to know something, just tell him; everypony'll know by the end of the day." Moonstruck laughed.

Everyone giggled. A few moments later, a tired gray and green pegasus sauntered over and plopped down next to Moonstruck.

"Hey." Windwake grunted, then grabbed a small bunch of grapes off the nearest plate.

"Ah, finally, no more Professional Captain Windwake." Moonstruck smirked. "Shouldn't you still be passed out somewhere?"

"Meh, I'm off duty. And I couldn't sleep anymore. So what're you gals up to?" Windwake gulped down a grape.

"Trying to figure out what the super secret important meeting is about later!" Pinkie Pie blurted. "Princess Cadance knows, but she won't tell us!"

"Isn't that kind of her job?" Windwake rolled his eyes.

"Trust me, I really want to tell you, but I can't."

Windwake started and sat up abruptly, staring at the pink alicorn in horror. He bounded to his hooves, then dropped into a low, wide winged bow. A grape fell out of his mouth as he did so, which effectively ruined the gesture.

"Forgive me, Your Highness! I am afraid in my fatigued state I did not notice your most noble presence!"

"Eh, everyone this is Windwake. Windwake, this is everyone." Moonstruck said into the awkward silence that followed. "He's one of my besties, and also very formal and professional – even when he doesn't need to be."

"That's enough, Captain. No need to be so formal." Cadance sighed after everyone had introduced themselves. "Just Cadance is fine."

Out of the corner of her eye, Moonstruck could just see Twilight carefully tuck her wings tight against her flanks.

Windwake twitched slightly then sat down next to Moonstruck. "They spend years and years drilling manners and decorum into you, and what happens? Oh don't worry about that, we're all friends here!" He snorted. Everyone laughed.

"You should feel lucky that even in Canterlot formality is just a formality." Moonstruck rolled her eyes. "You'd be in a heck of a lotta trouble right now if it wasn't."

"She's got a point there." Applejack agreed.

Windwake shrugged. "So, what's this about a secret meeting?"

"Not so secret anymore." Cadance shook her head.

"I probably woulda heard it from Mooney at some point." Windwake smirked. "She's the worst gossip in the queendom."

"I am not! Acorn wears that crown." Moonstruck snorted.

"Right. Correction, you're the worst unintentional gossip in the queendom." He grinned.

Moonstruck sighed wearily as everyone giggled. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, have you heard about anything weird?"

"Nope, been asleep most the day." Windwake helped himself to some pudding.

The speculation didn't go far, and soon the conversation moved on to more day to day topics over a round of cards. Mostly Black Jack, since there were too many ponies and not enough cards to play an effective game of anything else. After a while they decided to head down into the city for a while – except for Windwake, whom had grown sleepy again and gone back to his bunk.

Moonstruck hadn't been to Canterlot since a trip the family took when she was a little foal. She couldn't remember much of it, but what she could recall had seemed much larger in her memories. Of course, she was much larger now, so everything would seem smaller. The city was no less grand, just not as monumentally huge as her skewed foalhood memory. She enjoyed spending time with Princess Cadance, and the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, but as the afternoon wore on, she began to miss Breezy and Patch. They would have loved this. She also wished Windwake was with her; she hadn't gotten much time to hang out with him since he had made captain. Really, since he graduated from the academy. That was… how long ago? Five or six years? It was amazing how time had gotten away from her. It seemed like only yesterday she, Windwake, Breezy and Patch were foals.

"Princess Moonstruck…?"

Moonstruck shook herself and turned around. Applejack was giving her a funny look

"Huh? Sorry, zoned out there."

"C'mon, it's almost dinner time; we need to get back to the palace."

"Right, right. Early dinner, then the meeting." Moonstruck nodded and followed Applejack back to the rest of the mares, whom were gathered on the street corner. How long had she been staring off into space?

"Thinkin' 'bout home?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, my friends would love it here. They've never been to Canterlot." Moonstruck said. "I couldn't bring them along this time."

"Maybe next time they can come." Applejack beamed.

Moonstruck recalled all of the secrecy surrounding the reason she'd been summoned and forced a smile.

---

Dinner was a casual affair, served on a terrace with a view of the valleys below the mountains Canterlot was perched on. They could see Ponyville in the distance, the common ponies were quick to point out. It looked like a cute little berg, as near as Moonstruck could tell. They were summoned a short while after finishing their meal, and led up to an ornate conference room somewhere in the upper levels of the palace.

Princess Luna fluttered in to a landing out on the balcony and stepped into the room as they were finding their seats.

"Am I early?"

"On time as far as I know." Cadance said, sitting down daintily on a cushion to the left of the head of the oval table. Luna sat on the right, leaving the center cushion free for Princess Celestia. Moonstruck took the cushion two cushions down from Cadance, allowing Twilight Sparkle to sit between she and Cadance, since they seemed very close. A unicorn stallion trotted in a few moments later, looking a bit out of breath.

"Shining Armor!" Twilight Sparkle grinned and bounced over to greet her older brother.

"Hey! 'Bout time I got to see my little sister. And you've been here, what, a week?" He ambled around to nuzzle Cadance.

"You've been busy." Twilight Sparkle shrugged. "You can take my seat if you want. I didn't know you were going to be here."

Moonstruck hastily moved down another cushion so that Twilight Sparkle could sit next to her brother and sister-in-law.

"I didn't know I was going to be here, either. Just got he message." Shining armor said as he sat down between his wife and sister.

"Hi princess Luna!" Pinkie Pie chirped, plopping down next to the alicorn in question. "Are you gonna come back to Ponyvill this Nightmare Night and scare everyone again?"

A ghost of the smirk tugged at Lunas lips. "Perhaps."

She turned her gaze to Moonstruck and lifted a brow. "Princess Moonstruck, I presume."

"Yes, well met, Princess Luna." Moonstruck dipped her head respectfully, remembering her manners for once.

"You wear no crown." It wasn't a question.

Moosntruck blinked a few times then looked up – not that she the stop of her own head.

"Ah… no, crown's aren't really my style. I probably should have brought it with me, now that you mention it…."

Princess Luna smirked openly this time, but said no more.

A small troupe of unicorns trotted in, and began pulling curtains shut. Princess Celestia walked in after them with no fanfare. A large screen was drawn down from the ceiling, prompting Spike to hop up and help set up the projector.

"This will not be a formal meeting, Celestia said as she sat down at the head of the table. "In case you were wondering."

"Oh good!" Pinkie Pie beamed, then let out a loud burp. Everyone laughed. Rainbow Dash bumped hooves with the pink pony.

"However, what you will learn here does not leave the room, understand?"

The troupe of unicorns finished their work, bowed and left. As soon as the doors shut, Princess Celestia dimmed the lights. Spike fired up the projector.

"I am afraid there is much more to this, but time is of the essence, so I will only discuss what is absolutely vital now. Don't worry Twilight, I've already had the books sent to your library in Ponyville. They should be waiting for you when you get home." Princess Celestia said, smiling fondly at her student.

Twilight Sparkle grinned.

Celestia cleared her throat. "Roughly a thousand years ago, a massive conflict shook our world, and shattered the tenuous peace that we had gained after Discord's defeat. First slide, please."

An old map of the world appeared on the screen, not looking much different than it did now; albeit with a few name changes, and a lack of railroad routes. Moonstruck had to stare hard at it to spot the differences. Last she knew the area east of the BugBear Mountains, and the Griffon Territories was largely unexplored, except for the area east of the Rosalia Sea that split the Przwalski Steppes in two, but this map showed a country nestled on the eastern slopes of the BugBear range north east of Griffonstone, and bordered on the east by the Rosalia Sea.

"The nature of the conflict was..." Celestia grimaced slightly. "Complex. Far from here, east of the BugBear Mountains, there once was a mighty kingdom. In those days it was known as Roanamia, but today they are called the Broken Lands." She gestured to Spike. The next slide appeared.

This was a modern map, and did indeed depict that mysterious blank space that Moonstruck was more familiar with as being unexplored. Here, the southern spar of the BugBear mountains that swept east across the steppe, which had formed the southern border of this Roanamia was labeled The Broken Mountains. The area north of those hills was blank.

Spike moved on to the next slide, which was another old map of the lost country. This map was far more detailed, and notes scribbled here and there indicated that his was the most recent map before whatever happened, happened. The wayward spur of the Bugbear Mountains was not a solid mass, as the larger map had depicted; it was actually separated from the rest of the range by a large, deep gorge. The spur was labeled as the Rosaceae Range. The country was nestled in a vast, wide plain north of those mountains, and the Unexplored Glaciers formed the northern border. The interior of the valley appeared to be mostly steppe, as it was on the western portion of the Przwalski Region, although detached from the rest of the steppes by the Rosalia sea, and labeled as the Plains of Roanham.

"These maps are not widely available to the public, because Roanamia both is, and is not there."

Moonstruck looked back just in time to see Celestia scowl at the screen.

"The country is likely still there, but most ponies cannot reach it. The mountain range and the lands beyond are completely inaccessible to anypony whom cannot fly, nor use magic. In that way, it may as well not be there."

Moonstruck bit her lip. Something only an alicorn could do, right.

"The closest settlement is a tiny frontier town a mere twenty miles from the southern foothills. That is the closest anypony has come to these mountains in some time, and the residents have not seen anything enter or exit the area since the town was founded some three hundred years ago. Even animals do not attempt to scale the mountains."

The slide changed to reveal a rather lovely shot of massive, snow capped crags that were both dazzling and foreboding. The foothills leading up to the mountains seemed normal enough, but the peaks themselves were steep walls of stone; likely very near vertical and difficult to pass from the ground. Moonstruck suspected the wind was strong, and unpredictable up there as well.

"Nothing, that is until two weeks ago."

The slide changed again. It was taken from a different location, but the jagged peaks were easily recognizable. There, drifting serenely above them, visible through a semi-circular gap in one peak in particular, was a massive zeppelin of a design Moonstruck had never seen before. She suspected nopony else had either.

"We do not know what became of the Broken Lands since the conflict," Celestia continued, "the cataclysm that caused the country to disappear has a memory of sorts; no elder alicorns may approach without the fear of… well, we just don't know. I suspect if I were to come within sight of the mountains my magic may well trigger another cataclysm. Princess Luna may be able to get through the mountains themselves but she had a, ah, different relationship with the event."

Luna didn't flinch, stared at the slide without looking at the ponies whom were all looking questioningly at her.

"Princess Cadance, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and Princess Moonstruck are all young enough to pass through these mountains without causing alarm, but Cadances magic is not suited for this kind of journey. Twilight Sparkle, I fear is simply too inexperienced to navigate the situation, and you work best with your friends, who will not be able to pass through the mountains. Which leaves Princess Moonstruck."

"What makes you think I'm suited for it!?" Moonstruck blurted, then ducked her head, pulling her ears back.

Celestia gave her an amused look. "If I recall correctly, your special ability is combat related. You're also a bit of a prankster, good at illusions and sleight of hoof, yes?"

"Ye-yeah." Moonstruck scowled. It wasn't surprising that Celestia knew about the dragon slaying thing, the pranks though….

"And your father was responsible for much of Trots unique use of gems and nodestones in espionage, was he not?"

"He was..." Moonstruck swallowed hard, "and I do know how to set up and use a lot of 'em… though I don't use them to do the one thing."

"What do you do?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Lets just say dragons don't like to venture into Trot anymore." Moonstruck smirked.

"Anyway, back on topic." Celestia interjected. "The zeppelin was certainly interesting; what was found several days later was highly concerning."

She brought the lights up in the room as the door opened slowly. A nurse stepped in, and beckoned a pony to follow. A lean, brown and white pegasus pony with a number of bandaged limbs limped cautiously into the room. She looked around, spotted the alicorns, then threw herself on the ground, shaking like a leaf, and muttering apologies and praises. Moonstruck couldn't place her accent.

Moonstruck got up and moved cautiously around the table as the others craned their necks to see. There was something off about this pony. Something… almost… feral. She was smaller than average for a pegasus, but her wings were much larger; folded, her wrists rested past her withers, and her primaries stretched past her haunches. Unfurled, Moonstruck Suspected, she would have an impressive wingspan – perhaps as large as Celestia, whom was over twice the size of an average pegasus. If she had a cutie mark her wings were covering it. The pony was also very lanky and muscular, with a barrel chest, slim waist, and short mane and tail. Her head was almost more dog-like, with a larger mouth and long canines that were clearly visible due to the grimace she wore.

"It's alright, little one, we mean you no harm." Celestia cooed soothingly as Cadance trotted over and touched her horn to the mares forehead.

The pony squeaked, shuddered, then let out a shaky breath. She climbed to her hooves, but would not look up at them. The common ponies moved in a little closer. Fluttershy stepped out in front of them slightly.

"It's okay, I was a little afraid of the princesses at first too, but they're all very nice."

The strange pegasus looked up at Fluttershy. Seeing her face in profile truly highlighted the differences between the ponies. Fluttershy, like all of the common pony mares, had a round head, short muzzle and large eyes. This pegasus had a triangular, more streamlined head with a longer, squarer muzzle that was more akin to a stallions head, but with a more delicate structure.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, what's your name?" Twilight asked.

The pegasus flinched when Twilight spoke. She bit her lip. "Sarah."

"That's… an odd name. Pretty, I suppose. In a way." Rarity said after an awkward silence.

"What kind of name is Twilight Sparkle?" The pegasus snorted softly, then cringed again. "Forgive me, I… I am not used to friendly unicorns. Much less," she gulped, "alicorns."

Everyone exchanged glances.

"Well, you don't have to worry, everypony's pretty nice 'round these parts!" Applejack beamed. "Where ya from, sugarcube?"

"I am of the Waterfall Castle Clan." Sarah hesitated. "Out of the prying eyes of the Watchers."

"Watchers? Like, bird watchers?" Pinkie Pie scowled.

"You… I have been told that you do not have a godqueen here. Nor watchers who search for you, or catchers that take you down to the valleys to pull flying carriages until you die from exhaustion." Sara said slowly, as if speaking to a small foal.

Everypony took a step back.

"Goodness no!" Twilight Sparkle gasped.

"Yeah, some pegasus ponies pull flying carriages, but that's their job! They get paid for it!" Rainbow Dash added. The others nodded.

Sarah gave them an incredulous look. "So I have been told."

"How did you end up here?" Moonstruck asked.

Sarah flinched, wouldn't look up at her. "I got lost during a raid. The Catchers fell upon our hunting party without warning. We scattered. I flew deep into the mountains to escape." She bit her lip. "I don't know what happened to my family. If they were able to find our hunting party…."

She closed her eyes and hung her head. "I flew for as long as I could. Somehow, eventually I ended up on the other side of the mountains. I don't know how; no one has ever done it before."

She gritted her teeth, baring her unusually long fangs. "We would have left long ago if we could, but the way is always blocked. We would always be sent in circles."

She took a deep breath, then continued. "The airship chased me over the crest of the mountains. I escaped, but at a price." She frowned back at her bandaged wing.

There were a few murmurs of sympathy from the gathered ponies.

"How did the airship get there?" Moonstruck asked, furrowing her brow. "If it's impossible to cross the mountains, how did it find you?"

"I don't know." Sarah shook her head slowly, eyes wide and haunted. "I ended up out there by accident. The mountains are always changing, never the same twice. They… I guess they were close enough to come through too."

"Princess Celestia said the nearest town was twenty miles from the foothills." Applejack furrowed her brow. "Did you crash near the town?"

"No." At this the pony scowled contemplatively. "There was a dragon. He brought me to safety. Dragons are not friendly where I come from."

"Dragons aren't typically friendly here, either." Rarity noted. "Except for Spikey Wikey."

Spike beamed.

Sarah looked up at the little dragon perched on a tall stool by the projector, stared at him for a long moment. Spike waved.

"This is a strange place." She muttered.

"I think your place is stranger." Pinkie Pie quipped.

"If what you say is true, and most of the world is like this," Sarah gestured with her good wing, "you may be right."

Moonstruck scowled and took note of the way Sarah had moved her wing. It was less like a hand, and more like a bird; just a quick flick, opening it very briefly.

"Hey, um, just out of curiosity," Moonstruck opened one wing, rotated the limb forward and up, then wiggled her wing-fingers. "Can you do this?"

Sarah glanced up at her in a sideways manner, then gaped at her wing. "Of course not! How are you doing that!?"

"Huh." Moonstruck stared down at her wing, slowly curled and uncurled the fingers, then folded it back at her flank. Pegasus ponies actually had more bat-like wings, but instead of membranes stretched between the wing fingers, they had specialized feathers. This allowed them to use their wings as hands in some instances, not to mention alter the shape of their wings in ways birds, and bats could never dream of. Sarah seemed to have more birdlike wings.

It meant something. Everything about this pony meant something, but Moonstruck couldn't put her hoof on what. She looked over at Twilight Sparkle, who shrugged helplessly. She was stuck as well. They turned to gaze up at Celestia, whom had remained mostly silent through all of this. She shook her head.

"All we can discern is that magic seems to function differently in Roanamia." Celestia said. "And if the magic that has kept the region separate from the rest of the world is weakening, we need to know."

"What lies beyond the mountains may be a dire threat to all of pony kind." Luna said gravely. "Beyond the injustices that Sarah has told us, there is an ancient evil there that cannot be defeated – even by the Elements of Harmony."

"What will you have us do, Princess?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"You and your friends will remain in Ponyville for now," Celestia inclined her head towards Twilight Sparkle. "Until or unless we know more, I dare not send you too far from home. I believe I will send Miss Sarah with you to finish her recovery in a relaxed setting."

"Ponyville is GREAT for relaxing!" Pinkie Pie chirped, starting to pounce. "There's lots of rivers, and ponds, and forests, and good food, and nice ponies, and the weather's always nice, and -"

"Princess Moonstruck will go to the Broken Mountains, and attempt to enter Roanamia." Celestia cut in before Pinkie Pie could really get going. "What she learns there will decide our next move."

---

Moonstruck did not sleep well; was disturbed by vague, foreboding dreams of impossibly tall mountains, and shadowy creatures lurking around every corner. She never had any sort of ability to predict the future, but she couldn't help but feel that the dreams were uncomfortably close to being prophetic. She wished her mother was still around; these sorts of things were her territory.

When morning finally came, she dragged herself out of bed for a light breakfast with the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, Princess Cadance, and Sarah before they all trotted over to the train station.

Cadance held court with the common ponies, Moonstruck remained politely to the side. She was glad she'd gotten to meet the six mares; they were a fun bunch. If she'd had more time, she would have happily gone to explore Ponyville with them, but she sensed she needed to get moving as soon as possible.

"Forgive me your highness, but I… I… you are going willingly into my homeland?"

Moonstruck started and looked down; Sarah was crouched a polite distance away, staring at the ground beneath her hooves.

"You really don't have to grovel." Moonstruck said. "I'm probably the least formal of all the alicorns 'round these parts, and even they don't want anyone to grovel."

Sarah grimaced, then slowly stood up. She still held her head low, and would not look directly at Moonstruck.

"F-forgive me. W-without Princess Cadances magic, it is taking all of my courage to speak with you."

"I noticed." Moonstruck sighed. "To answer your question, yeah, I guess I am."

"You are foolish." Sarah said with surprising bluntness.

"Usually." Moonstruck smirked.

Sarah did finally glance up to give her an odd look. The conductor gave the all-aboard a moment later, and the common ponies herded Sarah on to the train, chattering excitedly at Sarah, who looked quite overwhelmed.

"She'll settle in quickly." Cadance noted as the train pulled out of the station. "They're a very good bunch."

"Mmm." Moonstruck grunted.

"Twilight will probably be able to glean a lot of information from her." Cadance added.

"Most likely." Moonstruck agreed, and turned back towards the terminal. "Probably not enough to help me out before I go." She frowned.

"No, probably not." Cadance frowned as well. "Did you get a chance to read what she told the nurses."

"I did. It doesn't sound good in there."

"No, no it does not." Cadance shuddered.

Moonstruck glanced up at the main clock above the train schedule. "

Well, I have a meeting with Celestia in a few minutes."

"Okay, I'll catch you later, then." Cadance took a step back to give Moonstruck enough room to take off.

Moonstruck crouched low, then leapt into the air, beating her wings as hard as she could. She managed to clear the train station, but not the weather vane on top. She cursed under her breath as she righted it with magic before gaining speed and altitude. Oh yes, that was super graceful. One day, she promised herself; one day I'll be able to get airborne without any real effort.

She made her way up to the palace, nodded to the pegasus guards gliding lazy circuits around the restricted airspace directly around the castle. She alighted gracefully on a mid-level balcony she had been informed was an acceptable landing space for a guest such as herself, shook out her mane to fix it a little then trotted inside. Celestia was in her office, going over a few scrolls, it seemed. Moonstruck was surprised that the office strongly resembled the royal offices back home; albeit much neater than her sisters desk generally was. Then again, Starshine liked to micromanage a lot of things, so her stacks of paperwork were much taller, and generally arranged into something of a haphazard city of paper skyscrapers.

"Excellent timing!" Celestia signed the scroll she'd been reading with a flourish, then set it in a small box of similar scrolls. She looked up and smiled. "Care for a game of cards?"

"Sure?" Moonstruck was not expecting that.

"Splendid!" Celestia magicked a plush stool over for Moonstruck to sit on, then pulled a deck of cards out of one of the drawers of her desk. She shuffled them expertly, then dealt as Moonstruck took her seat opposite the elder alicorn.

Moonstruck stared impassively down at her cards, her mind racing. What was Celestia up to? Did she just want to play cards, or was she testing her somehow? And for that matter, should she play to the best of her abilities, or let the most powerful alicorn in the world win a few rounds? Wait, was she even better than Celestia? Sure, she was the best player in Trot, but this was Equestria, and she was playing against an ancient alicorn at the height of her power. She resisted the urge to shake her head and shoved those thoughts aside. Worrying about it wouldn't help, and she'd find out soon enough, anyway.

At first they played in silence. Moonstruck was surprised to loose the first few hands, but she settled into an easy groove once she shook off the last of her nervousness and focused on the cards.

The cards told stories; sometimes they were short and simple; like how the ace of spades gained a slight rip in one corner that was only visible if you were holding it in a particular way; or that the six of diamonds had a printing error on the back so that it was easy to tell when your opponent had it if you knew where to look. Sometimes they were long and complex, like the wrinkled and slightly faded half of a jack of clubs that seemed to have had something spilled on it in the distant past. Players told stories too; not the idle chatter, and rambling that can happen over a card game - no, player stories were all reaction, emotion, and truths carefully or clumsily hidden from the other players, or broadcast to misdirect.

For the most part, Celestia was a good storyteller. She could keep her narrative pretty minimal, a sniff here, or a lazy blink every so often. But sometimes she would crack and twitch an ear in a particular way; or shift a wing, swish her tail as the hand neared it's climax. Over the course of a half an hour, Moonstruck had learned much of Celestias unconscious language. Or so she thought - this could all be a clever ruse, of course; simple misdirection to lull her into a false sense of security. She'd certainly done the same herself countless times.

"Your cutie mark." Celestia said into the silence a short while later. She didn't look up from her cards. "It is unusual."

"Oh?" Moonstruck grunted, startled slightly by the sudden conversation, but disciplined enough not to show it.

"It doesn't seem to have anything to do with your special ability," Celestia drew a card.

"Oh, that." Moonstruck eyed the elder alicorn over the top of her cards. "It still confuses me too, to be honest. My dad seemed to understand what it meant."

"Oh?"

"Call." Moonstruck straightened up, and tried to remember what exactly her father had said so many years ago that seemed to make the most sense.

Celestia smiled faintly and let her cards fall face up. A pair of twos.

Moonstruck smirked and let her cards fall face up. Aces and eights; dead mares hand. Second one in two days. She had never ascribed much to omens, but that couldn't be a good sign.

She glanced back at her cutie mark and frowned. It was a weird one, to be honest. Alicorns usually had something to do with the sky, or an element, or something. Hers was a familiar set of symbols; a black club, in which was a red diamond, which surrounded a black spade, at the center of which was a white heart. The cutie mark was highlighted from behind by a faint star burst of lighter fur.

"Dad used to say I'm a wild card." She said, turning back to Celestia. "That my cutie mark represents my resourcefulness and unpredictability. Although to be honest, my friends can usually predict what I'm gonna do pretty well."

Celestia chuckled softly, then grew more serious. "You don't think that's what it means?"

"I... I don't know." She stared down at her reflection on the polished desktop. "It makes sense, but then again it doesn't. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with how I actually got my cutie mark, and I've been playing cards since I was a foal. And... well, my special ability isn't really something unique to me. Any alicorn can do it. Heck, Rainbow Dash can do most of it, and probably do it better." Moonstruck shrugged uncomfortably.

"And if it really was my unpredictability, I probably would have gotten my cutie mark around the same age as my friends."

Celestia tilted her head slightly to the side. "Ah, yes, I do recall hearing that you were something of a late bloomer."

"I wasn't much younger than Twilight Sparkle is now." Moonstruck said flatly.

"Hmm. Well, alicorns tend to take longer to get their cutie marks, since our power is greater and somewhat tied to the fate of pony kind"

Moonstruck nodded and fiddled with her cards a little, mind racing, feeling more sure of what she was about to say than she was earlier in the morning.

"I... I don't think I'm really cut out for this."

"For what?"

"The quest." Moonstruck sighed.

"Oh?" Celestia calmly raised an eyebrow.

Moonstruck grumbled under her breath and got up, began to pace back and forth. "Well, for one thing, I don't know why I really decided to come. For another, the thing with the dragon? Yeah, I've only really done that twice. TWICE. The first time was just this wild idea I had because I was young and stupid and it was the only thing I could think of. Sure, I practiced and got pretty good at it, and it was useful when another dragon tried to take over a corner of Trot, but I haven't used it since. Seriously, not even once. I haven't needed to."

"I read the reports. Very impressive - and clever." Celestia nodded.

"Yeah, and you know what I've been doing since then? Playing cards. Seriously, I've pretty much just been playing cards. Poker, rummy, blackjack, go-fish, old maid - you name it, I play it. I have one job - one job in the entire queendom, and it's so absurdly specific that I don't have anything to do 99.9% of the time." She stamped a hoof especially hard and tossed her head.

"I was never good at the princess stuff, which is for the best because Starshine would flip her lid if I ever tried to lessen her workload. Acorn's got his own stuff going on, will probably end up trimming everyone's hedges for free 'cause he's crazy like that."

"Two? Am I on two? Oh whatever - this quest is dangerous. Like, really really really dangerous. So dangerous it's asinine to send one pony in - alicorn or not! Even if I was in shape it'd be stupid to go alone."

"Which brings me to three - I AM NOT IN SHAPE! I can barely even get off the ground half the time! How am I supposed to even get over the mountains if I can't even take off!?"

Celestia have her an expectant stare. "Go on."

"Huh?"

"You were going to tell me why you weren't cut out for this."

Moonstruck gaped at her for a few moments. "I just did!"

"Those sounded more like reasons to, go, than not to." Celestia smiled. "You're tenacious and clever, you're bored, you have nothing to do at home, and you need exercise. Although it is exceedingly dangerous, I will give you that one."

Moonstruck felt her jaw hit the floor. After a few seconds she snapped her mouth shut, only to flap it open and closed a few times, trying to find some argument against Celestia's assessment of the situation.

"I... guess... that could be interpreted that way!" She scowled. "You totally let me win, just now. Didn't you?"

Celestia laughed. "I wish! Moonstruck, when you focus, you are impossible to read, and you really are impossible to predict. In fact, after playing cards with you, and from what Cadance has told me, I think you're really quite suited for this."

Moonstruck sat down abruptly. "You had me spend time with Cadance and the Ponyville mares on purpose."

"Yes." Celestia nodded, grinning. "Yes, I did. I knew you'd be too nervous to get an accurate read on you if I were to interview you personally, so I had Cadance observe your interactions with Twilight Sparkle and her friends." She shook her head. "I was never very good at cards; Chess is my game."

"I'm seeing this now." Moonstruck nodded, wide eyed, as Celestia let out a hearty chuckle.

The elder alicorn pulled a few scrolls out of a pile and spread them out on her desk. "I should really brief you properly on your mission."

"That might be helpful." Moonstruck gulped. She stood up and shuffled back over to her stool.

"I am afraid I don't have much more to tell you than what you learned last night, and what Sarah has supplied us. The events leading up to the cataclysm are complex, and... " She frowned, "well, a bit personal."

"Princess Luna wasn't Princess Luna for long afterwords, I assume." Moonstruck said softly, glancing over the scrolls.

"No. No she was not." Celestia said softly. "But that will likely not come into play. The pony you need to worry about is Lucena. She was one of the most powerful alicorns of her day, and, from what Sarah has told us, is still just as twisted - if not more so - than the day Roanamia was lost to us."

On the scroll Celestia indicated was a drawing of an especially tall, lean alicorn mare. It was an official portrait, so she wore a calm, haughty expression, but there was still something kind of off about her; Moonstruck couldn't place what. Beneath her portrait was a detailed depiction of her cutie mark; it was a simple, four pointed star surrounded by a wreath of twinning roses. It seemed... somehow lacking.

"Yes, she has an unusual cutie mark as well." Celestia noted, apparently following Moonstruck's gaze. "We suspect this may have actually been a fake."

"You can fake a cutie mark?" Moonstruck lifted an eyebrow.

"You can. It's actually fairly simple; a low level illusion, or a little make-up will do the trick. Most ponies are not expecting it, so it's really more a matter of misdirection. Luna caught a glimpse of her true mark once; it seemed to be a green eye with a slitted pupil."

"I think I'd hide that too." Moonstruck grunted.

"She is extremely calculating and cunning. She trusts no one, and her special ability is linked to dragons. She can control them, but not indefinitely. If she keeps them under her hold for too long it drains their power. She is power mad, but she was never foolish enough to drain too much of a dragons power - doing so only weakens herself in the long run."

"During the final conflict... or perhaps before, we have never been able to discern exactly when it happened - she managed to bring one of the most powerful dragons of the time under her control. This is partially how she was able to repel every attack on her tower we could mount; and expand her magic shield out to engulf the entire country. Sarah seems to believe that the dragon is still connected to her; but this is unlikely."

"Partially?" Moonstruck asked, intrigued that her ability seemed to naturally counter this Lucenas, in a way.

Celestia frowned. "Lucena was ever mysterious in her ways. No one has ever been able to figure out how she was able to erect such a powerful shield; nor why the land broke around it as it did. Either she discovered some new way to warp space and time, or she managed to tap into an immense power source beyond anything we have encountered before. Possibly both."

"Oh goodie." Moonstruck grumbled, moving a stray piece of paper aside to stare at an ancient map. "Is the shield still there?"

"Not as near as we can tell." Celestia frowned. "The barrier that is left is likely the magical distortion itself, and not a true shield spell, otherwise, I cannot fathom a way for Sarah to have broken through without powerful magic of her own."

Moonstruck nodded. "So, this is what it's like inside the barrier?"

"This was the most current map we have." Celestia nodded. "Lucenas tower lies in the heart of Bridle-Dur, the capitol city of Roanamia. Sarah tells us that Lucena still resides in the tower, and that the city is densely populated by unicorns. You would be wise to avoid it."

"Right." Moonstrucks eyes traveled around the map. "I think I'll try to stick to the mountains, do a little poking around in any outlying villages."

"I would advise against that as well. Lucena will have spies in every village. If you are discovered, it could spell doom for both yourself, and anyone you come in contact with." Celestia shook her head. "You must use the utmost caution, and stay in the wilds as much as possible. If you are discovered, hide, and if you cannot hide, fight. But always, always seek to escape. Any information you bring back is invaluable."

Moonstruck frowned. "What about the dragon?"

Celestia scowled and sifted through some of the papers, finding a crude sketch of a massive, ugly wyrm that was one of the largest ever documented, going by the size scale the artist had provided. "I doubt the dragon will be an issue; Sarah believes he is still in league with Lucena, but this is extremely doubtful. Dragons are not known for their loyalty, and Lucena would not be able to control him for long. It is more likely that Lucena has simply convinced the denizens that the dragon is still a threat."

Moonstruck had an inkling that this was not the case, but kept it to herself. "What else?"

"I fear that is about it. Unicorns will be your biggest threat for they are largely allied with Lucena (willingly or not); pegasus ponies are either scattered in small bands in the mountains or enslaved, and earth ponies are in a similar state, although they likely inhabit the vast plains of Roanham north of Bridle-Dur. It was a desolate place a thousand years ago, and we suspect that has not changed."

"From the sounds of it, pegasus ponies have either lost the knowledge, or ability to walk on clouds and control the weather. We shall know for sure once Sarah has recovered. It is entirely possible that unicorns have gained or lost some abilities as well."

Celestia sighed and stared off into the distance. "If only we had more time..." she shook her head. "The lands outside the Broken Mountains are wild, and untamed. Nopony controls the weather there, and animals tend to themselves. There is another such place nearby that is the same, but I do not have time for you to explore it, and grow accustomed to such conditions. I strongly suspect that the Broken Lands are similarly unregulated."

"I can deal with that, Trots weather is only semi-managed." Moonstruck wrinkled her nose. She was fairly certain that Celestia was talking about the Everfree Forest; a place known for being a strange patch of wild, untamed magic. There were a few such stretches of land here and there; remnants of a bygone era, many suspected.

Ponies hadn't always been around, of course; and even though Celestia had done so for eons, and pegasus ponies had been managing the weather for at least as long, the sun had to have risen on its own at some point. Alicorns were powerful and nearly immortal, but they were not gods, as many believed. Moonstruck had often wondered if the sun was actually supposed to rise on its own, and that, for whatever reason, it was no longer able to do so, which is why Celestia was charged with doing it. Or maybe Celestia didn't raise the sun at all, but pretend to do so for some reason. She was sorely tempted to ask, but sensed that now was not the time.

"Oh that's right, I forgot your storms come in naturally from the ocean." Celestia drifted over to a window, stared out over the castle for a few moments.

"I do wish I could send a whole team. I can, at least send a small party with you on the journey up to the Broken Lands."

"Oh, really?" Moonstruck perked up.

"Yes. Princess Luna has volunteered to be your guide to Stirrup Springs - the frontier town just outside the Broken Mountains." Celestia nodded, then she smirked slightly. "Captain Windwake is also on board to both accompany you to Stirrup Springs, and remain in town to await your return."

Moonstruck blinked back her surprise. "Wow, really? And ha! Windwake didn't hear it from me for once!"

Celestia chuckled and shook her head. "He hasn't been fully briefed yet. How are you at illusory disguises?"

"Pretty good." Moonstruck grunted. "What kind of illusions are we talking? Just visual? Solid? Fully automated dopplegangers?"

"It would be best if you could conceal the fact that you are an alicorn." Celestia scowled. "Three pegasus on a long journey is far less interesting than two alicorns and a pegasus guard on a long journey."

"Gotcha." Moonstruck nodded. She scowled, and mulled over all of the illusion spells she knew. Most of them were fairly simple and relied on sleight of hoof, instead of a straight up projection, but she was fairly certain she could alter her appearance so that she appeared to be a common pegasus. Selecting a more powerful spell, she closed her eyes, and focused all of her energy on a mental image of herself sans horn, and with a shorter stature and smaller wings. The magic washed over her like a gentle wave, and in a few moments, Princess Moonstruck was replaced by an entirely unremarkable gray pegasus.

Celestia dipped her muzzle. "Very nice. I'm sure if anyone knew you they'd recognize you, but you likely won't be recognized where you're going."

"'S what I figured." Moonstruck shrugged, allowing the illusion to dissipate. "So, when are we leaving?"

"Four days from now, the morning after the new moon."

---

A/N: I didn't write this out with chapters in mind, so the story doesn't really have chapters, for the most part. But I have broken it up more for easier online reading, though some of those chunks can get pretty long.

This was one of the odd spots the canon messed up my fanon here, mostly the alicorns not being born in Equestria thing. Having a bunch of other places with other alicorns circumvented that pretty well, I think. I wish they'd state whether Equestria is the name of the planet, or just the country, or more of a catch-all term for pony controlled nations, 'cause that would explain a lot.