Twilight Sparkle sat on a stool with her eyes closed. Her purple mane flowed around her head in a cloud of magic, her eyes glowing a bright purple as her horn’s light filled the room. All around her the world was blackness. Then... the blackness slowly receded and was replaced by a map of the sky.

Stars and galaxies twinkled and shone all around her, further illuminating the room. The young mare let out a small grunt and the scene shifted, turning to that of a grassy field on a starless night. The only light in the sky above was the moon, shining down on Equestria like a beacon of hope in an infinite sea of darkness.

Twilight grunted again, and the scene changed a final time.

This time the room was full of light, it wasn’t the blinding unforgiving light of the desert, nor was it the peaceful and idyllic sun of a spring morning. Instead it was the bright invigorating light of a summer day.

“Very good Twilight,” the smooth and refined voice of her secondary mentor said who was sitting across from her. Twilight smiled and looked at Archmage Sunset Shimmer with a look of bliss in her still glowing eyes. Being complemented by either the Archmage or Celestia always elicited that effect from the young mare, especially when it was a compliment pertaining to her magic.

“Thank you Archmage,” Twilight replied as her horn’s glow died and the illusion spell fell away while her mane slumped back down across her head. “That was becoming difficult to maintain.”

“It won’t with practice,” Shimmer assured her as she idly pushed a strand of her red and orange mane out of her eyes with her magic. “You’re just not used to holding up such powerful illusions for so long. You’re done for the day though. I don’t think you can do much more today.”

Twilight smiled and slumped a little on her stool. It was true, not only did she suddenly feel very tired but her mind which was normally focused solely on magic or learning... was not.

“Thank you Archmage,” she said as she hopped off of her stool and gave Shimmer a quick bow. The much older mare smiled and returned the gesture before her magic wrapped around the enchanted door handle and opened it.

“There you are Twilight. Have a lovely day,” Shimmer stated.

“I will,” Twilight replied energetically before she dashed out of the room, for the first time in the last eight hours she was free to do as she liked!

She took the upward stairs two at a time in great bounding strides. In another life, the lengthy journey upwards would have left her exhausted, out of breath, and wheezing if she was just walking it. However, thanks to her friendship with Rainbow Dash, Twilight had embraced a great deal of physical activity.

Speaking of Rainbow Dash...

Twilight burst out of the stairway and ran smack dab into her friend, both of them falling to the floor in a pile with Twilight on top.

“We’ve got to stop doing this,” Rainbow Dash grouched with a wry chuckle. “What is it, the seventh time this week?”

“It wouldn’t happen so much if you didn’t always wait right there for me,” the unicorn replied as she pushed herself off of her friend and gave Rainbow a slightly raised eyebrow. To tell the truth, neither of the teenaged mares really minded the tumbles.

“True,” Rainbow Dash agreed, though a grin appeared on her face. “So, what do you want to do today Twi?”

“Hmm...” Twilight trailed off. Just what did she want to do today?

It was Rainbow’s last one before she left for Wonderbolt Training and she wanted to make it one of the pegasus’s best.

“Hmm... we could go out in the city,” the unicorn suggested with a frown.

“And do what?” Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow. “It’s not like we haven’t seen absolutely everything there already or anything.”

“Well I didn’t hear any better suggestions out of you ‘Miss Awesome McCoolname’,” Twilight said with a matching raised eyebrow. “At least I’m being productive.”

“Hey, I’m being plenty productive,” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. “I’m just saying that there’s nothing cool, radical, awesome, extreme, or psychedelic going on in Canterlot.”

“Rainbow... that last one doesn’t denote to something being cool,” Twilight said.

“It doesn’t?” Rainbow asked before shaking her head. “Oh well, that’s not the point! There’s nothing interesting going on in this city.”

“Oh come on, it’s Canterlot,” Twilight said, stressing the last word. “There’s always something interesting going on! Somewhere out there a new art gallery is opening, or a history museum, or-”

“Something else boring,” Dash put in with a smirk.

Twilight glared at her for a moment before rolling her eyes. “Fine... we’ll go to the Wonderbolt museum,” she said with mock sourness. “At least the exhibits are well maintained and factual.”

“YES!” Rainbow exclaimed, leaping into the air and fisthoofing while Twilight watched her, her eyebrow gradually rising so high that it looked like it was about to jump off of her forehead. “Err... sorry Twi... I know that we’ve been there like eight hundred times-”

“-eight hundred thirty five,” Twilight corrected.

“Right; but it’s the only one I like,” Rainbow said with a blush.

“That’s just because you always ignore the cool exhibits and focus on how bored you are,” Twilight stated as she began the walk towards the entrance way.

“Oh please,” Rainbow stated, gesturing with a hoof as she flew after Twilight. “What could possibly be interesting in the ‘History of the Equestrian Economy’ museum?”’

“Maybe the parts about how the Xanthos rebellion impacted the overall Equestrian Economy via creating an atmosphere of fear and worry,” Twilight suggested.

“But that’s not about the rebellion, it’s about the effects of the rebellion. The boring effects too! Who cares about the new bit rates when there’s a war on?” Rainbow shot back, though she was enjoying the banter more then she let on. “Now the Wonderbolt museum, that place is awesome!”

“Look, I’ll admit that the Wonderbolts are pretty cool,” Twilight relented. “Any unit which specializes on Covert Ops, Shock and Awe, and Dragon Slaying is cool by necessity of existing. But still I can only see the head of Ozymandias Ironscales so many times before it begins to get old.”

“You just don’t have any sense of cool,” Dash complained. “Spitfire is awesome and that illusion of the battle against Ozymandias where she dives down his throat and tears him apart from the inside with her pegasus magic and wing blades is even more awesome!”

“I beg to differ,” Twilight replied, scrunching up her nose. “It’s way too visceral.”

“You’re just a pansy,” Dash stated as the pair nodded to the gate guards and the reinforced doors of the keep opened to allow them access to the rest of Canterlot.

“A pansy that can blast your blue flank sky high with a single beam of magic,” Twilight replied cockily.

“Oh please, you have to actually hit me first Twi,” Rainbow replied with a smirk. “And we both know that you could neve-”

Rainbow was interrupted as she ran face first into an invisible wall which she promptly slid down.

“You were saying?” Twilight asked over her shoulder with a smirk of her own.

“Cheating unicorn,” Dash grumbled as she pushed herself to her hooves and hurried after Twilight.

Queen Celestia sat on her golden throne with a practiced smile on her face as she listened to the current presenter. On her right sat Cadence, a quill and a piece of parchment held in her blue magical aura as she dutifully copied down each and every word that either Celestia or the current speaker said. On her left Spike was perched on his own smaller chair, simply there to observe and occasionally comment on the proceedings. Celestia had to admit, her little brother’s mind was sharp as his teeth even at the relatively young age of eight.

“I see,” Celestia said as the presenter finished his explanation for his wish for a grant to bolster the border defenses on the northernmost half of Equestria. “I can see no reason to refuse this grant, so long as you can provide proof of where each golden bit is going.”

“Of course your Majesty,” the stallion said, giving her a short bow. “You will receive a full accounting of each and every bit by the end of the month after the initial construction is complete.”

“Very good,” Celestia replied. “When you depart the city you will receive a note of credit from the royal treasury.”

With a final bow the stallion saw walked away from the golden throne and Celestia turned to Spike. “Did you observe all of that, little brother?” she asked the fit young dragon.

"Mhm,” Spike replied with a quick nod. “You’ve been hoping for somepony, or even a griffon, to further secure that border for years now. You’re going to be paying for it out of the Treasury and everything will have your name on it even though Lord Snow is building it. In other words, you gain both the public’s love for furthering the defense and you actually bolster the defense,” he summarized for her with a small smile.

“Additionally, should Lord Snow not spend the coin the way he should then he will end up in debt directly to the Crown,” Cadence added with a devious smile. “In other words, it’s a ‘no lose’ situation.”

“You’re both exactly right,” Celestia said, her heart soaring as they both flawlessly picked up on the nuances of her decision. She then glanced towards the door to the chamber where Tornado Kicker stood, ready to open the door the moment that she asked. “Tornado, please tell those awaiting an audience that I have called a half hour recess for lunch.”

“Aye Ma’am,” Tornado replied, giving her a swift nod. “I’ll have it sent to your private dining room.”

Celestia inclined her head and then turned to her two her two family members. “Permission to teleport?”

“Of course,” Cadence replied with a grin. “You know I trust you mother.”

“Go right ahead, sis,” Spike agreed.

Celestia smiled at her family and her horn glowed briefly. The three of them vanished as one and ended up in Celestia’s family dining room. It was a cozy little room, just big enough to hold a homey wooden table and four chairs. The one directly across from Celestia was large enough for a full grown alicorn while the ones on her right and left were suitable sizes for Spike and Cadence.

They quickly took up their seats and Celestia had a momentary stab of inner pain as she looked at Luna’s empty seat. Thankfully, she was spared any further thoughts of it by Cadence.

“So... Shining is going to be deployed soon,” her daughter said slowly.

“Ah yes, I seem to remember signing that order,” Celestia said, turning to address Cadence. “I’m sure he’ll be fine darling. You know that General Blueblood knows what he’s doing.”

“Well... yes... I still can’t help but worry about him,” Cadence replied with a frown. “What if something happens and he ends up getting hurt or killed?”

“He’s a soldier Cadence, he knows the risks and chose to accept them,” Spike commented with a small shrug. “I’m sure he’ll be fine though; he’s an Alpha+ unicorn. Those are almost never hurt.”

“Unless they have to save everypony with a really big spell and end up pumping all of their energy into it and then they end up killing themselves in a heroic sacrifice that’s amazing but ends up leaving his loved ones-”

Cadence’s babbling was cut off by Celestia gently putting a hoof over her lips.

“Cadence darling, he will be fine, I promise you that my dear one,” Celestia told her firmly in a reassuring tone. “He just has to make it through one deployment on the fringe and after that he’ll be right back here and he can find an assignment among the guard... possibly as your personal one.”

“Wouldn't that be an unethical conflict of interest?” Spike asked with a frown. “I mean... how can he guard her if he’s too busy kissing her?”

Cadence glared at her much younger uncle with venomous eyes.

“I’m sure that dear Shining could find a way,” Celestia said knowingly, keeping Cadence from saying anything she’d regret. “After all, I’ve always found it best to sleep beside someone capable of protecting me.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “As if you need it, sis,” he told her sarcastically.

Celestia was about to reply when there was a sudden knock on the door. Celestia frowned; Tornado was the one who would have brought their food... and he wouldn’t have bothered to knock.

“Yes; who is it?” Celestia called to the door.

“Ambassador Flora Strongwing, your Majesty,” a familiar female voice replied. “I hate to interrupt your luncheon but I’m afraid I must speak with you at once.”

Celestia frowned for a moment. Normally she didn’t allow her private lunch to be interrupted for any reason. But... Ambassador Flora had been in the Griffon Kingdom yesterday so she must have flown all night with whatever news she had.

“Go ahead mother,” Cadence said with a smile. “Spike and I can entertain each other while you two discuss whatever it is the Ambassador flew here to tell you.”

The elder alicorn gave her a thankful smile and got up from her seat, moving to the door and opening it to find a thoroughly disheveled looking Ambassador Flora standing there. The white feathers of her head and wings were out of place and the fur was covered in sweat beneath the coat of chainmail.

“Ambassador,” Celestia said with a small nod. “I take it that your information is sensitive?”

“Indeed, best not to discuss it in the middle of the hall,” Flora agreed before her eagle eyes looked at Celestia intensely. “It is a matter of utmost importance to your nation.”

Celestia nodded slowly. “Permission to teleport?”

“Granted,” Flora replied.

Celestia’s horn glowed and the two appeared in her private study, books lined the walls and a stained glass skylight cast a calming golden light down upon them. Flora barely noticed any of that and instead focused on Celestia herself.

“Your Majesty I’ve been sent to warn you of a threat,” the griffoness said seriously.

“What kind of threat?” Celestia asked her, the alicorn’s eyes narrowing slightly as she materialized a glass of water for the griffoness to drink. Flora did so in one rapid motion and then gave her a thankful smile before getting right to business.

“There has been a string of murders along our border, all of them the same,” the griffoness began with a dark frown. “The victims have been of all ages from the youngest cub to the oldest of our people. They were drained of their blood and their residual magic, their bodies left out to rot in the streets the morning after.”

Celestia’s face darkened at the news. “I see... how close to the border was this?” she asked carefully.

“That’s the thing Ma’am, each of the murders took place about three miles away from one another... nearing your borders every time,” Flora replied darkly.

“Troubling...” Celestia frowned and then looked at the griffoness. “Thank you for bringing this information to me Ambassador. Though... why did you not simply send a courier? While it is troubling to know that Equestria may soon be home to a murderer and I’m thankful for the advance warning... it does not seem like something you would be responsible for telling me.”

“Because this goes beyond simple murders,” Flora stated, shaking her white feathered head. The griffoness’s voice was dark and clearly angry now. “Not only have these murders been committed... but whoever it is has been robbing the graves of our honored war veterans.”

“While it is obviously regrettable that someone would be foul enough to do such a thing... I fail to see how it could be worse than the murders that you’ve described,” the mare said while frowning.

“Allow me to rephrase it then,” Flora said, her voice deadly serious. “They’ve stolen the bodies of our war veterans from their crypts.”

Celestia stared at her for a moment before she finally said. “Necromancy?”

“We believe so Your Majesty,” the Ambassador replied with a swift nod. “Which is why I was sent here directly and haven’t even stopped by to say hello to my cub yet.”

“I take it that it’s also your King’s belief is that the Stormbow is connected in some way?” Celestia asked, she and the King had exchanged several letters about the matter over the past years, neither having any luck tracking down the artifact.

“He seems to think so, yes,” Flora replied before letting out a sigh. “It appears that someone is gathering the means to challenge you with, Your Majesty.”

“I realize,” Celestia said, nodding her head with a frown. Then she smiled down at the griffoness. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention Ambassador; go see your son and husband.”

“You’re welcome Your Majesty,” the griffoness said, inclining her head and giving Celestia a short bow. Flora then turned and exited the room... she didn’t make it very far however before she was tackled by a ball of fluff and feathers.

“MOM!” an excited squeaky voice exclaimed. Celestia peered over at the griffon who was currently being hugged half to death by her young son who had his powerful scaled legs wrapped around her neck as his energetic dark haired tail waved back and forth rapidly.

Celestia smiled as Flora returned the hug and then closed the door on the two, she had much to think about... they were only a few years away from the return of her sister... and if someone wished to see her out of power...

“Twi... what’s going to happen to you and me?” Rainbow asked as she and Twilight leaned against the edge of the balcony overlooking the land below Canterlot. The pegasus had been thinking over it all day and she finally felt that she was ready to talk about it.

“Hmm?” Twilight asked with a frown as she looked over at her best friend.

“Well... I’m going to be a Wonderbolt... and I won’t get to see you all that often,” Rainbow said, keeping her eyes on the setting sun in the distance. “Are... are we still going to be friends when I get back from training? You know it takes two full years...”

“Of course we’ll still be friends Rainbow,” Twilight said, leaning over to give her friend an encouraging nuzzle. “I’ll be Archmage eventually and you’ll be the Captain of the Wonderbolts... we’ll both achieve our dreams and stay friends forever.”

Rainbow smiled, though she did wince a little internally at that phraze. “I hope so Twi... I hope so,” she said, looking over at her friend. Their gaze met and they stayed like that for a long moment, muzzles barely an inch away from each other. Then, the pegasus looked away. “Yeah... so yeah...”

“Yeah,” Twilight agreed with a nod before she put a foreleg around Rainbow’s back. “Thanks Dash.”

“For?”

“Being there for me all these years,” Twilight replied simply. “Without you... I probably would’ve ended up as a friendless introvert,” she said with a dry chuckle.

Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment before she put a wing over Twilight’s leg and pulled her closer. “Hey, even if you were one, I’d be your friend Twi.”

“Thanks Rainbow,” Twilight replied, leaning her head against Rainbow’s as the two watched the sunset.

Author's Notes:

Seeing as how we're nearing the end of the Fallout plot (thematically anyways) I figured I'd get this Equestria chapter out now. This is going to be the last look of Equestria we get for a while so there won't be anything interrupting Sarah and Luna's escapades