The Wind Beneath Her Wings

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Star Spokes stood to one side of the Chariot's mast. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and steady, matching the light pulsing of the magic flowing through his horn. The two frayed ends of the broken rope hovered in the air before him, slowly fusing back together as each strand was matched with its old partner. The ship swayed from side to side as he worked.

“'least the rain's stopped, eh?” The captain twisted the ship to the side, breaking Star Spokes's concentration and causing the two ends of rope to fall apart yet again.

He sighed. “Quite. Would you mind not doing that?” Star Spokes opened his eyes and looked around for the length of rope, and then began from the start again.

“Ship's gotta turn. Nothing stays still up here, not ever. You unicorns, sitting in your towers and castles, can't understand what it's like to be up here.” The captain turned the wheel again; the rope fell to the deck.

Star winced. “I assure you, I'm learned of aerodynamic theory. The enchantments on this very ship have components of my work in long-duration spells.”

The captain took his hooves from the wheel and walked over to where Star Spokes was standing. He adjusted his goggles with one hoof and stretched out a wing to feel the air. “I'm no slouch neither. I know who you are, and I ain't impressed with those credentials. I know your work, and I'll have you know I know this ship like the back of my wing—spells and all.”

Star Spokes snorted. “Magic is more than just equations and chanting. Whatever you know is nothing compared to feeling it flow through your body. It's a way of life, not a-” Star Spokes stumbled to the side as the ship turned once again. His hoof slipped on the side of the rope and he found his flank striking the deck. “Stop doing that!”

The captain extended a hoof. “Like you say, I ain't a unicorn. I can't steer the ship if I ain't at the wheel, then it's all for the wind. I can't get magic? You can't get the sky.” The ship violently tilted to the side, almost tipping Star Spokes over the edge. The captain grabbed his hoof and pulled him further onto the deck, before darting over to the wheel and wrestling it into submission.

Before the wind could throw the ship around again, it was back under control. The captain lowered his goggles. “Up this high, we go where the wind wants us to and if we got a destination, we just ask nicely. We give a good impression, but there ain't no pegasus that's a-”

“Master of the skies!” Dash screeched, rolling to the right and kicking off the side of one of the dark-armoured pegasi. She changed direction in an instant, heading straight towards another pursuer and striking it with her forehooves, before repeating with another set.

Twilight Sparkle hovered in the air some five hundred feet away, watching a thin streak of rainbow arch between distinct black spots silhouetted against an imposing moon. Her horn pulsed so quickly the average pony would have called it a solid glow, holding her exactly in place.

Twilight closed her eyes and tried to chew on the tip of her hooves. Her eyes followed Dash intently, knowing that if anything went wrong she was too far away to help.

A thin purple film covered the sky around them, holding the majority of the ensuing army away from them. Luna—Nightmare Moon—flew around it carefully inspecting the shield for imperfections. Twilight Sparkle knew she would find none. Unfortunately, by the time Twilight had managed to cast the spell, a few of the guards chasing them had caught up.

Rainbow Dash hugged her body with her wings and dived, before grabbing hold of the wing of one of the ponies attempting to strike her with his spear. She heard a crack as the bone sheared in two, and quickly pulled herself up to kick off the now-falling guard and land on another.

Dash froze, then stumbled to the side. A spear flew through the space where her outstretched wings would have been and embedded itself into the guard she stood atop. He groaned and began to fall freely, losing control of his wings. She turned to the pony who threw it, stuck her tongue out, and took to the skies once more.

Twilight's heartbeat slowly began to return to normal as the cloud of pony-shaped pinpricks around Dash's bright rainbow trail began to dwindle. She knew she could hold her shield indefinitely, so as soon as the ponies chasing them were unable to follow them she could shrink the shield and allow the rest of the army to retrieve them and ensure they got the medical attention they would need.

“She is not of this world, is she?” Luna asked, floating behind Twilight.

Twilight span around, lowering her head to point her horn towards the voice. “What?! How did you get in here?”

Luna smiled. The movement ripped throughout her armour, as if it were more of a second skin than a sheet of metal. The patterns that wrapped around its surface glowed a deep purple, and the black sheets that comprised the rest seemed to suck in any light that fell upon them. Her wings beat powerfully, but at a slow rate. “Breaking through the magic of a mere mortal is no challenge.”

Twilight gulped.

Nightmare Moon's mane drifted across the side of Twilight's face. Every time it brushed against her skin, Twilight recoiled in pain. It was closer to a cloud of magic night than hair, and every inch of it stung. “This world obeys my whim, and none can stand in my way. I control the stars, the sun, and the Elements of Harmony. The world is united under my rule, and yet I find myself interested.” Luna reached forward and pushed Twilight's chin up, forcing her to look into her eyes. “Who are you, little pony?”

Twilight stole a glance over towards Rainbow Dash, who was barely evading the last couple of guards. Whether she was in trouble, or toying with them, Twilight couldn't tell.

Luna's horn glowed and Twilight felt her eyeballs turn against her will. “Answer me,” she hissed. Her eyes glowed green and Twilight felt a powerful magic wash into her, reminiscent of the schools of magic utilised by Changelings or dark magicians. The sort of magic that could wipe a pony's mind clean.

Twilight thought quickly, and then subtly cast her own magic in response to give her eyes the thin green glow Nightmare Moon would be expecting. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, I am a unicorn from Ponyville. I grew up in Canterlot and I shall pose no threat to you.”

Nightmare Moon smiled.

“Hi-yah!” Dash yelled, bringing her hoof down on the final guard's armour. He spiralled down through the air to crash into the trees beneath, joining a sizeable pile of vanquished foes. She grinned, brushed the dirt from her mane, and then looked over to Twilight.

“Oh, horseapples.” Before Dash could react, the glow around Twilight's body was replaced by the dark blue glow of Nightmare Moon, and Dash felt her own body become surrounded by Twilight's familiar field. She strained, and pulled, but Twilight was too strong and she couldn't escape.

“Damnit, no!” Dash tried to pull away, but Twilight brought her closer and closer until she could finally hear the conversation between the two of them.

Nightmare Moon smiled, caressing Twilight's neck with an idle hoof. “Thank you, subject. Who is this?”

Twilight stuttered. “R- Rainbow Dash. She also lives in Ponyville, but grew up in Cloudsdale. She will be no threat to you, majesty.”

Dash seethed. “Twilight, fight her! Twilight!”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Will she be of use to me?”

Twilight opened her mouth, but nothing came out for several seconds while she thought. “I- She's- I love her.”

Luna's laugh filled the shield spell. “No, but seriously.”

“What will you do to her?” Twilight shook.

Luna raised an eyebrow. “She has single-hoofedly defeated a sizable chunk of my army. She will be put to death immediately.” Her horn glowed brighter.

“No!” Twilight shouted, and immediately dropped Rainbow Dash. The glow faded from her eyes as she kicked off Luna's embrace and floated under her own power once more. “I'm sorry, Luna, I gave you a chance to prove you were still you under all that, but this is just wrong.”

Nightmare Moon gasped. “Impossible! None can resist my power!”

Twilight snorted. “Please, mind control? I covered that in magic kindergarten, and I surpassed your level before I was even accepted into Celestia's academy.”

Luna snarled. “You keep mentioning things which do not exist! My sister has been dead for two thousand years, she has never had an academy! There has never been a town called Ponyville! Cloudsdale fled Equestria a thousand years past! How do you know of these things?!”

Dash laughed. “She lives in a library.”

Luna's head snapped around and she gripped Dash with all her might. “I do not know what you are, but I will have no threats to my rule. Goodbye.” Luna threw Rainbow Dash straight down, and shot a bolt of magical lightning straight into her.

“No!” Twilight yelled. Her hornglow grew, becoming so intense as to be too bright to look directly upon in a matter of microseconds. Time seemed to slow around her until it finally came to a stop. Nightmare Moon still faced Rainbow Dash, but her eyes stared unmoving at Twilight. Her wings were mid-beat, showing feathers misshapen by the air.

More importantly, the burning bright streak of magical energy hung in the sky between her and Dash. The black aura around Nightmare Moon seemed to drain all light from the world, becoming so dark it stung to view. The thin beam of glowing energy arched between her and Dash, punishing Twilight’s eyes even further as she traced its path to the burnt coat on Dash’s chest.

Princess Luna hobbled forward along a little-used dirt path leading towards the coast. On one side of her lay empty fields and rolling hills, and on the other was the same for a mile, or more, before it abruptly turned into the untamed wilds of the Everfree Forest.

“This is absurd.” Luna swore under her breath, wincing every time she placed pressure on her injured leg. She had been walking for hours, and her enhanced anatomy was only just beginning to heal in earnest. Even so, the bone stung.

She looked up into the sky. High above her, tickling the edge of the sky, flew the Chariot. Due to Ponyville's distinct lack of an airdock, and the damage done to the local train station, Luna was travelling to the nearest civilised town.

More importantly, both her and the airship so far above followed the same signpost. A trail of rainbow scarred the sky, many times too weak to be seen by the unaided eye. The magical residue of it was so great that even the mere unicorn guiding the ship above could sense it clearly.

Whatever they would find at its end would hopefully explain once and for all what happened to Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash.

“Dash!” Twilight shouted in slow motion, though of course the unmoving figures around her couldn't hear a thing. She closed her eyes and imagined herself by Dash's side, feeling the familiar sensation of momentarily being in two places at once that always accompanied teleportation.

Dash had twisted in the air, raising a foreleg to shield her body and wings and turning away from the blast. The very tip of it grazed the side of her body, burning a thin streak of coat along her side, but never going any deeper. Nightmare Moon had missed. Only just, but only just was all it needed.

Twilight let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, and looked back at Luna. Though the princess was undoubtably extremely powerful, she was weaker here than she was back in the real Equestria, and far less skilled. Twilight tilted her head and began to think, setting up an array of traps and barriers that would spring to lock Nightmare Moon inside as soon as time began to flow once again.

Several minutes later—or no time at all, depending on your viewpoint—Twilight lifted her spell.

Luna screamed a low, angry scream as she realised Dash had evaded her attack. She launched another, aiming for the center of Dash's chest; the easiest area to hit.

Rainbow Dash contorted, moving her centre of gravity to push her body out of the way. The bolt arched harmlessly between her wings, and she darted to the side. The next three bolts were avoided with effortless loops, and by the time Luna looked back towards Twilight, it was too late.

Luna's eyes twisted with hateful malice. Her armour shone with the darkest magic, with pitch-black tendrils tasting the air around her. The few chinks in the full covering of unholy metal glowed with a dark purple, and her mouth tore into an angry snarl. Her body shook as she fired bolt after bolt into Twilight Sparkle's body.

The first harmlessly impacted against a small pane of magic. The second ricocheted from a hastily conjured mirror. The third struck Twilight on the horn and was effortlessly absorbed, adding to Twilight's power. The fourth fizzled out of existence over a foot away, and the fifth simply ceased to be. The sixth never came, and by the seventh Luna's face had twisted into shock. Before the eighth, Luna's glow faded; her armour became a dull matte black and her eyes returned to how they used to be. “What are you? No mortal could do this.”

“My name is Twilight Sparkle. I hold the Element of Magic; I graduated from Celestia's school for gifted unicorns with a perfect grade; and I am so sorry for what I'm about to do to you.” Twilight triggered her spell. A cage of thick magic walls formed around Luna, inscribed with ancient runes from another world and extending down into the magic plane, ensuring that any kind of escape was completely impossible. Twilight watched for long enough for Luna to realise what was happening, and then time within the bubble ceased, locking her inside like a fly trapped in amber.

“Nice.” Dash landed proudly atop it and folded her wings back to her sides. “I'm uh- I'm gonna go take a…” She stumbled to the side and tripped, landing hard against the transparent structure and resting on her side.

“Dash!” Twilight teleported up to her side. “What's wrong? Are you okay?”

Dash coughed. She looked up at her and grinned. “You- You should see the other guys.” Her head struck the surface and she was soon shakily sleeping.

Twilight set herself down by Dash's side and sat down, watching the pegasus's chest rise and fall as she monitored every vital sign she could think of with her magic. Almost as an afterthought, she shrunk the shield around them to something easier to maintain, and then tried to make herself comfortable. It was to be a long night.

“Climb aboard, m'lady!” The Chariot's captain motioned for Princess Luna to walk along the thin wooden plank joining Manehatten's air dock with his ship. The dock itself was, much like most of the city, dirty and well-used. The gold-lace extravagance of the airship posed a stark contrast to the grey rectangles that composed most of Manehatten's distinct architecture.

Star Spokes walked into view and nodded to the captain. “The rope is secure, she should fly straight now.” He looked towards Luna. “Princess.”

“Spokes.” Luna took her first step onto the impromptu walkway and winced as it creaked. “This is safe, correct?”

“We are short on time, Princess. We do not have the luxury of Canterlot's royal staircase, nor Cloudsdale's accommodating nature. Were it not for my own earlier need to depart, you would be asked to fly.” Star Spokes shifted uneasily on his hooves. “An act which, I must admit, I am unsure why you did not take last night. Your journey did not look comfortable.”

Luna snorted. She strode across the rest of the walkway and onto the deck of the ship. “Your grasp of my anatomy is weak, Spokes. I expect better of my appointed magicians.” Star Spokes frowned. She turned towards the captain. “You, what is your name?”

“Air, ma'am. Air Haddock, at your service.” The captain tilted his goggles in reverence.

“We shall depart immediately. Prepare our course and ensure the afternoon meal is punctual.”

Princess Luna began to walk towards the ship's main cabin, knowing Celestia would have taken residence there and that it could be safely assumed to be habitable. Star Spokes hurried alongside. “Fascinating, you can't fly?”

Luna shook her head. “We can, but we shall not. Last night's storm left us drained and we shall not truly recover until the moon is with us tonight. We must allow our magic to rest so it can concentrate on healing.”

Star Spokes looked over at the crutch hugging her leg. “Surely it cannot be so important that you had to walk a journey that could be flown in half the time?”

Luna opened the thick wooden cabin door, and motioned with her uninjured leg for Star Spokes to enter. When he did, she followed, and then closed the door behind them.

The room was sizable for the aged unicorn, but best described as 'cozy' for an alicorn. Though it was rarely used, the room was well decorated with sol-themed memorabilia and items. At the edge of the room was a desk, which held a map.

Luna walked towards the desk. “It was indeed. We expect you to treat this information sensitively, but neither me nor my sister are well. Recent events have left us quite drained. Flight alone is a struggle now; flight and healing would leave me exhausted.”

“What are you saying, Princess?”

Luna rolled her eyes. “I'm saying, Spokes, that it would be unwise of you to expect great action from me on this day, and should you wish to complete the impossible task set before you, you shall have to do it on your own.”

“Actually, Princess, I do believe I know where Twilight Sparkle went.”

Pinkie Pie bounced along the path, each leap taking her on an arc higher than Celestia's head. Her forward progress was less impressive, and Celestia slowly trailed behind.

The princess paused to brush the sweat-soaked strands of her mane from her eyes, and looked past Pinkie's oscillating body to figure out where they were heading. “Pinkie Pie, would you be so kind as to take me somewhere I could have a drink of water?” She coughed to underscore the point.

Pinkie began doing forward flips, looking back towards the princess at the top of every jump. “Sure-” She landed and jumped again- “thing, Pri-” Her hooves touched the ground, and just as soon left it- “ncess!”

Pinkie Pie did not change course.

Twilight Sparkle gazed upon the softly slumbering body of her wife. Dash's chest slowly rose and fell to a particular rhythm Twilight had spent the past hour growing accustomed to.

Twilight reached out and brushed a hoof across the mare's chest, tracing the scorch mark that tarnished her otherwise perfect coat. It felt like a very long time since Twilight had had time to simply gaze upon Dash's sleeping body.

Twilight yawned, raising her hoof to cover her mouth and stifle the noise, taking care not to wake Dash.

“Hey,” Dash whispered. She brought a hoof to rest against the one pushing lightly into the burnt tissue on her chest and gingerly pulled it an inch or so up, then held it tight.

Twilight winced. “Sorry, I shouldn't have touched it. I didn't mean to wake you.”

Dash shook her head. “It's fine. Gonna take more than that to keep me down.”

Twilight closed her eyes and breathed in through her mouth. “No, I was stupid. I don't care how tough you think you are, any one of those spells would have killed you.”

Dash gave a weak laugh, taking care not to move her chest too much. “Like she could hit me. C'mon, Twi, you know me. They don't call me the fastest thing in the skies for nothing.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “They?”

“Uh… Me. But I still don't do it for nothing.” Dash grinned, squeezing Twilight's hoof.

The unicorn shook her head. “I can't believe you sometimes. Just look at your chest, Dash, that was way too close for comfort. I've just- I can't-”

Dash raised her hoof to Twilight's cheek. “Hey, Twi, shut up.” Dash brought her other hoof to the other cheek, and pulled herself up to lock her lips against Twilight's for a weak but passionate kiss. After a few moments—or several hours, to Twilight's battered senses—had passed, Dash pulled back and stared Twilight in the eyes. “Lightning travels instantly, right?”

Twilight nodded, taking care not to break eye contact.

“Then I'm faster.”

“Nothing is faster than instant, Dash.”

Dash's mouth widened into an even cockier grin. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”

“I- It's- No, Dash, that's the definition of the word.” Twilight frowned.

“Since when did I care about dictionaries? She took so long to cast those spells I could have flown circles around them.”

Twilight opened her mouth in disbelief, but found no words. She laughed and shook her head. “Will you ever stop surprising me, Rainbow?”

“Never mind me, what about you?” Dash tapped a hindleg against the sheet of glowing translucent magical cage beneath her. “You in the princess hunting business now?”

Twilight blushed. “Uh, no, I wouldn't ever-”

“Relax, egghead. I know you're a teacher's pet.” Dash grinned wider.

“I am not, I just don't think Celestia would be happy if she knew I trapped Luna in a magictime singularity, even if it is…”

“Evil Luna?” Dash offered.

Twilight shrugged. “I guess. She's certainly not the same pony we had dinner with on our wedding night.”

Dash nodded. “Yeah, she was better dressed. I think Rarity'd have a fit if she saw that armour.”

Twilight's hooves found grip on the slippery surface, and she stood up to get a better view of the surrounding area. “Since when did you think about fashion, Dash?”

Dash also struggled to her hooves, awkwardly holding a hoof up to her chest to cradle it. “Hey, I always dress in style.”

“You never wear clothes, Dash.”

“That's 'cos I'm always in style.” Dash staggered over to Twilight's side, and stretched out a wing to balance against her.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You don't look so good, Dash. How're you feeling?”

Dash blinked a few times and ran her tongue around her mouth. “Like I've been run over by Pinkie Pie, twice. I'm fast, but there were a lot of them. They-” Dash coughed- “They got a few hits in. Hey, if you're up to it, I think I could do with a checkup.”

Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, Dash, not an option. I still don't know what effect last time had on your anatomy, and everything feels off in this place. I don't want to do any fine magic until we get home.”

Dash looked beneath them. “That's not fine?”

Twilight shook her head. “That's just big. That's like you doing a Sonic Rainboom. Medical magic is like you flying through a hoop barely bigger than your head.”

“Okay, so, no magic. Jeez, this feels wrong to say, but I've gotta admit it Twi, I don't really feel up to carrying you.”

Twilight nodded. “I didn't think so, your wing muscles look pretty shot. We should be safe in here for a while until we figure out what to do. I should be able to hold Luna in there indefinitely, though she’ll escape eventually once we’re gone. Hopefully we’ll be somewhere she can’t get to us by then, though.”

Dash looked around the tiny walkable surface. “Any chance of a place to stretch my legs?”

Twilight thought for a moment, and then grinned. “Not really, but I can turn gravity off!” As she said it, Dash felt herself rise up off the bubble and into the air.

“Great.” Dash did a little pirouette in the air. “So we're back where we started, now.”

Princess Luna raised an eyebrow. “You think you know where Twilight Sparkle went?”

Star Spokes nodded, and trotted over to the table at the far side of the room. He pulled a few coloured pins out of a container to the side of the map, and affixed them along several points of a curve leading from Ponyville out to sea. “This is our course.” He pulled a piece of chalk out of another box and rubbed it against the end of that curve, creating an area of obscured sea. “And this is our destination.”

Luna looked down upon the parchment and frowned. “I'm afraid you're going to have to be more explicit.”

“The trail we're following now is Rainbow Dash's, correct?”

Luna nodded. “Correct.”

“I spent much of the journey to Ponyville attempting to locate you and Twilight Sparkle, and so I was watching when she vanished. I feel it is unlikely I would have missed it even were I not watching, such was the ferocity. I am surprised you do not know of what I speak?” Star Spokes brushed the chalk against the map a few more times, cleaning up the edges of his mark.

“Yes, well, we were otherwise occupied at the time.” Luna motioned down at her leg. “There were larger concerns afoot than magical anomalies.”

Star Spokes frowned, but continued. “Yes, well, this was a significant event. Far moreso than I would have expected had either of them simply perished. This was something quite unlike anything I have ever seen, and it appears to be the event which fixed the rest of the magic plane.”

Luna took a deep breath. “So what is your prediction?”

Star Spokes laughed. “I cannot, princess. All I know is that the problem was one I had never before seen, and this solution is the same way. What we will see when we arrive I cannot tell you.”

“So then we must wait?” As if in answer to Luna's question, the entire ship jolted as it broke free of the restraints of Manehatten's airdock and began to rise.

“We should not have to wait long, princess.” Star Spokes grinned. “This ship is among the best in our fleet, it is rare I get to see any of my enchantments stretched to their limits. If we are done, I would very much like to watch.”

Luna nodded and turned back to the map. “Of course, I shall summon you should I need you.”

Pinkie Pie landed on the doorstep of Sugarcube Corner, and bounced forward. She crashed through the door and landed sprawled in the middle of the room. A few moments later, princess Celestia followed her inside.

“Howdy, Princess.” Applejack lowered her hat in reverence. She stood with Rarity at one side, and Fluttershy at the other. “I guess Pinkie's gone told you why you're here, then?”

Celestia opened her mouth to reply and looked around. Her gaze drifted across the shop's kitchen. “I- She- Is that a kitchen? I would very much like a drink of water, if it's no issue.”

Applejack frowned. Fluttershy squeaked and started towards the kitchen. “Of course! One moment, princess.” A few steps later she stopped and looked back. “Um… Applejack, Rarity, would you please give me a hoof?”

The three ponies continued on into the kitchen, leaving Pinkie Pie to jump to her hooves and entertain the princess for a few moments.

“Fluttershy, darling?” Rarity closed the door behind her. “Are you quite feeling okay?”

“Yeah, ain't nopony needed my help to pour a glass of water before.”

Fluttershy scraped her hoof against the tiled floor. “I just wanted to speak to you privately.” She looked away.

Applejack frowned and tilted her head. “What about? There's nothing wrong with ya, right?”

“Oh no!” Fluttershy shook her head from side to side. “I'm fine, but um… Did Princess Celestia look okay to you?”

Rarity looked behind herself to check the door was still closed. “Well, now that you mention it, that outfit is a disaster. I realise she's a princess, but that does not mean she should be allowed to choose her own wardrobe.”

“I think she's got a lot on her mind, is all.” Applejack shot a glance at Rarity. “Like us all should, there ain't time for frilly dresses while our friends ain't here.”

Rarity gave an indignant snort. “Well we can hardly go looking for them ill-prepared, can we? Honestly, six ponies lost instead of just two would serve nopony at all.”

“Girls!” Fluttershy tapped her hoof against the floor. The two ponies looked towards her. “Um, sorry, but can we focus please? It's important, I think. Princess Celestia looks really tired, and she asked for a glass of water.”

Applejack adjusted her hat. “So? Ponies want water all the time. Ain't no substitute for a fresh apple cider, for sure, but wanting it ain't a sign of being ill.”

“Don't you remember last time she was here, Applejack? She didn't ask for a thing. She's never asked for a thing.”

Rarity tilted her head in thought. “Hm, I believe Fluttershy may be right. And perhaps we should get her that thing, rather than standing around talking about it, hm?” Rarity's horn glowed and brought a cup over to the sink. She poured a full glass of water and then turned to leave.

“Oh, thank you very much, Rarity.” Celestia pulled the water from Rarity's grip and gulped it down, before finally discarding the cup on a nearby surface. She gave a relieved sigh and rubbed around the base of her horn with a hoof. “That's better. Ah, no, Pinkie Pie has not filled me in to your plan.”

Applejack walked out of the kitchen, with Fluttershy shortly after her. Applejack walked before Celestia. “Princess, you feeling alright? Ya'll seem a bit tired, is all.”

Celestia nodded. “I have not been sleeping of late, it is starting to catch up with me, I fear.”

Pinkie Pie rolled onto her hooves and grabbed a clipboard with a crude drawing of two ponies scrawled on it between her lips. “Mmmph-mm! Mm-mmm mm!”

Celestia took the clipboard, and Pinkie immediately jumped onto her back and clung around her neck to point at it. “Look, it's Twilight and Dash!”

Celestia was silent for several moments. Her eyes skipped between the rough lines on the page as she took the image in. “It looks, ah… very abstract, but I'm afraid we already have an artist for the stained glass windows.”

Pinkie shook her head. “Nuh-uh, those are things that have happened! This picture hasn't happened yet!”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I was walking down the path to go see Rarity and make sure she was okay when suddenly I saw Twilight and Dash in trouble! They were floating around in the air and it was night and Luna was there but she wasn't moving, and they didn't know how to get home!” Pinkie stopped to breathe. “And I think they really need our help!”

Celestia took a deep breath. “Pinkie, if this hasn't happened yet, then how can you-”

“Princess-” Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy all spoke at once.

“Oh my! Sorry.” Fluttershy shrunk to hide behind Rarity, who nodded towards Applejack.

“Princess, just roll with it. It ain't easy to explain, but ya'll really shouldn't question it.”

Pinkie nodded. “Even Twilight couldn't figure it out, and she's the smartest pony I know!”

Celestia smiled. “The same with I, so I shall defer to her judgement. Very well, so say this is correct. What exactly can we do?”

Dash kicked off the side of the thick purple forcefield that surrounded a few hundred meters of land around where Twilight sat, eyes closed and deep in thought. She sailed through the air with the wind in her mane until she hit the other side, at which point she flipped around and kicked off again.

“Damnit Twilight, couldn't you have caught a cloud in here or something?” Dash looked towards the unicorn, but received no response. She rolled her eyes, and then aimed her next kick so that she would land next to the mare.

“Twilight?” Dash prodded her in the side. “Twilight?” Dash lowered her face to stare directly at Twilight's muzzle. On a whim, she kissed the side of it. Still no response. “Damnit, Twilight. I am so bored.”

Rainbow Dash looked down to where the last few members of the army that had been following them still waited, and kicked off to land against the forcefield barely a few meters from them. She sat there, completely still, until they noticed her.

Rainbow Dash began making faces.

Twilight Sparkle sat in the centre of nothing. Beneath her was nothing. She gazed off into nothing. Her nostrils expanded and contracted to aid the movement of nothing in and out of her body. For Twilight Sparkle, the world was her and thing else.

She felt out with thin tendrils of magic, testing and teasing the walls that held the world together. They wobbled, but held. She pushed against them with more force, but again they held. She struck out with beams of energy, but still the walls only shook.

The nothingness around Twilight Sparkle shattered, and was replaced by the reality she'd been ignoring. She opened her eyes and looked around. After a few moments, they were drawn to Rainbow Dash, sitting down near the bottom of the bubble taunting a few guards.

“Dash!” Twilight grabbed the pegasus's tail and pulled her upwards.

Dash yelped and spun around in the air. “Hey, Twi! I was just uh…”

Twilight giggled, then pulled Dash up beside her. “It's okay, I'm just surprised you weren't asleep.”

Dash nodded. “Yeah, there's nothing comfortable in here. No clouds, or enough moisture in the air to make any clouds, and you weren't lying down. C'mon, we out of here yet?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “We shouldn't be here. Nopony is strong enough to break through alone.”

Dash reached forward and rubbed her cheek against Twilight's neck. “Hey, cheer up, Twi, alright? It's okay if we're stuck here for a little while, we can just wait until you figure it out. I hate seeing you like this.”

Twilight gulped, but her throat still felt dry. “No, Dash, it's not a case of 'a little while'. We're stuck here. Permanently. Forever. I can't-” Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I'm not good enough. Not strong enough. I can't do it.”

Dash snorted and quickly brought her hoof up to Twilight's chin. She roughly forced the mare's head up and glared into her eyes. “Shut up, Twi.” Dash darted forward and locked her lips against Twilight's, letting what felt like minutes go by until the unicorn finally relaxed and reciprocated. Finally, she pulled back, leaving both of them panting.

“Dash, I-”

“I said shut up.” Dash raised her hoof to cover Twilight's lips. “I believe in you. I know you can do it. You-”

Twilight's hornglow surrounded Dash's hoof, pulling it away. “Dash, I can't. You can’t just rant about how you believe in me and make everything better. I can't do everything, I'm not… I'm not Celestia. I'm barely out of magic school, Dash. I can't- it won't work. I need to be stronger, but I'm not, and I can't be. Even if I was the most skilled unicorn in Equestria, it wouldn't be enough.”

Dash frowned and barked her response. “I said shut up, Twilight.” She pulled her hoof out of Twilight's loose grasp and held her head with it again. “Whatever, don't believe in yourself. Do you believe in me?”

Twilight nodded. “I know yo-”

“Shut up. I believe in you. If you believe in me, and I believe in you, then that's enough, right? Don't ever tell me you can't do something, because I don't believe it. You can do anything, Twilight. You have to be able to do anything.” Dash looked away, closed her eyes, and gritted her teeth. “I don’t know where I’d be without you now. What happened with the Wonderbolts, it kinda… hit me really hard. Gotta admit, I still don’t know what to do. If I hadn’t had you to draw me back I’d probably still be out there salting myself to death, and if you can save me from myself then you can do damn well anything. You know how pig-headed I can be.”

Dash relaxed and unclenched her jaw. “Look, even if you can't do it alone, you know how to get other ponies to help. We did it together once, and we can do it together again, and don't you dare disagree or I swear I'll drag you back home on my own, got it?”

They hung there in silence for a few moments. Finally, Twilight took Dash's hoof in her own and pulled it away from her face. “Okay.” She nodded, and pulled Dash towards her into a hug. “Okay, I'll try. I'm not making any promises, but I'll try.”

Dash grinned. “So what do we need? Just tell me what to do.”

Twilight shook her head. “It was different last time. I had more magic than I could control inside me, and you were…” Twilight froze, then grinned and kissed Dash on the nose. “Amazing. Your amazing self. Dash, you're incredible!”

“Uh, duh? What for this time?”

“We can't break through because it can't be done from one side, there just isn't enough power. There are…” Twilight conjured a small blackboard and chalk and began drawing diagrams. “There are limits on what we can all do, okay? Like… speed limits, but enforced across the whole world. Nobody can move faster than them.”

Dash brushed some imagined dirt from her shoulder. “You're on.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “That wasn't a challenge, Dash, but yes, I think you did. The rules of-” Twilight waved her hooves around- “everything get a bit messy when there's that much magic involved.”

Dash frowned, then nodded. “So just gotta fly that fast again, huh?”

Twilight smiled. “That would do it, but unfortunately that's not an option, at least not without seriously damaging this world's magic. I theorise that it might be possible to break back through if we try and do it in the already weakened area that we broke through the first time, so long as we had ponies on the other end helping.”

“But how do they know to help if we can't tell them?” Dash asked.

Twilight's grin faded away. “They don't.” She sighed. “But they've never failed us before, and it's the best shot we've got.”

The airship Chariot shuddered and rattled as it flew through the sky, approaching the speeds of all but the fastest pegasi. It flew high enough to avoid the clouds, but still left a thin trail of sparkling cloudstuff in its wake.

Star Spokes stood at the bow of the ship watching the clouds fly beneath. Every so often there was a gap in the cloud cover, and he could see the ground beneath as it slowly turned from well-toiled farmland to the untamed greens around Equestria's borders. Finally, it turned to ocean.

“We should go lower!” He yelled over the wind whistling through the ropes and wooden struts of the ship. Shortly after, he felt the deck begin to tip and the entire vessel slowly dived down towards the clouds.

Star Spokes nodded to the captain and began walking towards the princess's cabin. He knocked on the door with three strong raps of his hoof. “Princess? We're almost there.”

He received no reply. He tried knocking again, but still there was nothing. After a third attempt, his horn flared as he began concentrating on the locking mechanism inside the door. It was relatively simple, and the defensive enchantments were his own and therefore easily worked around. Within a few seconds, the door clicked open and swung in on its hinges. “Princess?”

He walked in, quietly shutting the door behind him. Luna lay sleeping at the desk. A thin layer of drool smudged the map's once-fine craftsmanship, and her wings occasionally fluttered at her sides. Star Spokes reached out and rested a hoof on her shoulder, lightly shaking her. “Princess, wake up.”

Luna's eye slowly fluttered open. “I said-” She yawned. “I said I would summon you.”

“We're here, princess.”

“Impossible, it is a several hour trip.” Luna pushed herself up and shook her head to clear the fog.

“Yes, it is. You appear to have fallen asleep.”

“No, we were merely resting our eyes. Sleep is needed only by the weak, we can function perfectly well without it.” Luna yawned again.

“I'm sure, now co-” The room seemed to invert as the ship fell from the sky. Both Star Spokes and Luna were pushed up against the ceiling. Star Spokes rolled to avoid the rain of free items that threatened them. Luna shielded herself with a wing, and then immediately jumped to her hooves.

“What is happening?” She pointed her horn towards the door and frowned.

“I- I'm not sure. We need to get out there, can you open the door?” Star Spokes struggled to his feet, finding footing against the ceiling, and pointed at the door.

Luna jabbed her horn in that direction yet again. “We- No. No we can not.”

“Oh.”

Just as suddenly as it had begun, the two ponies found themselves flung to the floor as the airship found traction once more. Star Spokes slammed down onto the wooden floorboards, embedding his horn a quarter inch into them. Luna managed to right herself in the air, but landed on all four hooves. She collapsed in pain an instant later.

“Princess, are you-”

“We are fine.” Luna winced, and gingerly moved her broken leg from beneath her. “We can walk, we simply cannot land with any great urgency.”

Star Spokes struggled to right himself, but finally managed to land on his hooves. He quickly turned and pulled the door open, then ran out onto the deck.

Luna hobbled after, but slowed to a stop as she left the cabin. Star Spokes looked behind him and watched her staring out into sea. “Princess? What is it?”

Luna turned to look at him. “Can you not see that?”

Star Spokes looked out across a featureless and unremarkable ocean. “See what, princess?”

Luna shook her head. “Your eyes are open, and yet you are blind. Look, Spokes. Truly look, with more than just your eyes.”

Star Spokes walked to the edge of the deck and slid his eyelids shut. His horn began to glow as he surveyed the sight before him. His jaw steadily dropped as he looked. “Oh Celestia,” he swore. “This is like nothing I have ever seen.”

Luna nodded breathlessly. “We also are not familiar.”

“What?” The captain ran over, leaving the wheel locked in place. “I can't see nothing out here but sea and sky.”

Luna joined Star Spokes at the edge of the ship. “It is… indescribable, I'm afraid. Almost humbling.”

Star Spokes snorted. “More than almost for some of us, princess.”

“Quite.”

The captain frowned. “Damn you snooty 'corns. I've watched griffon warships get smashed to pieces in goblin raids. I've seen lightning glitter in the sky near the crystal empire. I’ve flown through storms a hundred pegasi strong. Try me.”

Star Spokes and Princess Luna turned in unison. Star Spokes took a deep breath. “We know where Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash went.”

Luna pointed behind them with a wing. “They went into the realm of Magic, and as soon as my sister arrives we are following them.”

The captain shook his head. “No.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “You deny both me and my sister? Brave.”

“This ship is mine to command. You have your kingdom, and I have mine. She may be a bit smaller than Equestria, but the Chariot answers to me. We damn near fell out of the sky just getting near here, we're going no further.”

Star Spokes took a step forward and raised his hoof. “But we didn't fall. We must persevere! The things we could learn…”

The captain interrupted. “Look down, you dense-headed fool. I'd say you unicorns all have your heads in the clouds, but, well…”

Star Spokes turned back to the front of the ship and looked over the railing, straight down. The ship was embedded within a thick layer of cloud, slowly drifting throughout the sky. “I don't understand.”

The captain snarled. “Look at the wheel. It ain't turning, because we ain't moving. We're dead in the air: There's no wind, the enchantments on the balloon're completely drained, and there's an inch-wide crack down the hull. We ain't taking off again 'till we drift back to Canterlot and get some damned repairs.”

Luna softly nodded. “Well then, we're going to have a problem.”