The morning sun woke Twilight. She groaned and tried to resist its tempting warmth, instead choosing to bury her head under one of the many, many pillows on her bed. With the light blotted out and darkness once more reigning, Twilight sighed and let the cool feel of silk sheets and griffon down pillows slowly lull her back towards oblivion.

She opened her eyes and sat up with a yelp. She didn’t own silk sheets or griffon down pillows. Bewildered, she pawed at the pillow in front of her and snapped her head left and right before her senses finally came back to her. She recognized this room. It was her old room in Canterlot Castle; the one she used to stay at when she was Celestia’s full-time apprentice in her studies. It felt like it’d been years since she’d last seen the inside of this room.

The violet mare rolled out of bed and blinked away the last vestiges of sleep. She couldn’t even remember when she went to bed, but the weights pulling at her eyelids told her it must’ve been really late at night… or really early in the morning. So it wasn’t too much of a surprise to her when she looked out the window and saw that it was almost eleven based on the sun’s position in the blue sky.

Groaning, she trotted to the private bathroom and shut the door behind her. Her weary reflection greeted her in the mirror, and she silently grabbed a brush and smoothed the wrinkles in her mane out and shaped it into its usual squared-off shape. She briefly entertained taking a shower, but ultimately decided against it; Celestia was probably waiting for her anyway, and she definitely didn’t want her mentor to think she’d made a habit of sleeping in until noon while in Ponyville. So, stifling one last yawn, she left the bathroom and opened the door to her bedroom, intent on finding some food for her growling stomach.

As fate would have it, the first two ponies she saw upon entering the banquet hall were none other than the princesses themselves. Celestia and Luna shared idle conversation as they worked on their meals; Celestia with her garden salad, and Luna muzzle-deep in some sort of colorful and sugary cereal. Upon seeing Twilight, Celestia smiled and beckoned her over. Luna only glanced up long enough to lick her lips before her ravenous hunger fell back upon the sugary food like a starving lion on its prey.

Twilight trotted over, and as soon as she was within earshot, she began apologizing. “I’m sorry Princess, I didn’t mean to sleep in so late, I was tired and—”

Celestia chuckled. “Oh, Twilight, it’s more than alright. I figured you’d need your sleep after all we read last night. I asked the castle staff not to disturb you this morning.” She glanced to her right, where a servant had wheeled a cart to their table, and lifted a plate and some utensils off with her magic. She set them before Twilight, who stared wide-eyed at the plate. “I had the cooks whip up your favorite for when you woke up.”

Twilight salivated at the plate of pancakes, whipped cream, and strawberries laid out before her. Almost as soon as the golden glow of Celestia’s magic faded from the china, Twilight’s Arcana snatched up her utensils and tore into the meal. Only after she’d stuffed three mouthfuls of pancake down her gullet did she smile and trill her delight. “Oh, it’s been forever since I had these! Spike and I have tried to make our own in Ponyville, but they never turn out as good as these pancakes!” She noticed the faint smile on Celestia’s face, and she blushed slightly. “Erm, excuse my manners, Princess.”

“It’s quite alright, Twilight,” Celestia said, and the teasing glint in her eyes fell on her sister. “I’m already used to it.”

Feeling all eyes on her, Luna looked up, a bit of milk hanging from her lower lip. “What?”

Twilight giggled. “Gee, Princess Luna, I didn’t know you liked cereal that much.”

“Hast thou not indulged thineself in this sugary treat?!” Luna asked, incredulous. “Tis truly a miracle of modern cuisine! Oh, Loopy Fruits, where were thou when We needed thine sugary energy boost in the days of yore?!”

“Uh, I used to eat those all the time when I was a filly… or when I was studying for finals,” Twilight admitted. “I didn’t think you’d really eat them when you have access to the castle’s cooking staff whenever you want.”

Luna scoffed. “Nonsense! We—I require a much greater caloric intake than the average pony. Having such a sweet treat on hoof is precisely what I desire during the quiet hours of the night and the long hours of the day.”

Twilight blinked. “Wait… Princess Luna, do you ever sleep?”

“I trance for twelve hours a week,” Luna answered her. “Between Our nightly vigil and the duties of the day court, I simply do not have the time to sleep as you or Celestia would. The trance requires I only incapacitate myself when I am absolutely sure that the castle is safe or Our services will not be required. It is much more restorative and refreshing than the ‘sleep’ I used to have in my mortal days. Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to rouse me from such a state until it has run its course.”

Twilight stared at her, slack-jawed. “You only sleep for twelve hours a week?” The young mare could already see the amount of research and studying she’d be able to finish if she cut out something as pesky as sleep from her schedule.

“Twilight....” Celestia shook her head, already aware of what her student must have been thinking. Then she turned back to her sister. “I’ve told you, Luna, that you don’t have to attend the day court. You can rest then if you want; I’ll handle it myself.”

“Nonsense!” Luna exclaimed. “We—I need these experiences to reacclimatize myself to Equestrian society. Missing out on interacting with my subjects would only stunt my recovery, not foster it.” She paused only to stuff several more spoonfuls of cereal into her maw. “I’m certain you can understand, sister.”

The white alicorn frowned. “I’ve told you that you can hold a night court if you want…”

“Ponies are not interested,” Luna replied dismissively. “It’d be a waste of my time when I could be holding Vigil instead.”

Twilight, who had been sitting quietly up until this point, cocked her head to the side. “What’s so important about this ‘Vigil’? You’re just keeping watch over Equestria, aren’t you? Or is it something more?”

A pained expression took hold of Luna’s face. “It is… yes, it is something more. It is remembrance. For those who were unjustly damned by the actions of few.” Her gaze hardened on something on the table, and following it, Twilight noticed the journal tucked against Celestia’s salad plate. “Wintershimmer…”

“Wintershimmer?” Twilight echoed. “You mean Star Swirl’s rival? Did he actually do something while he was in Everfree?”

“No,” Celestia interjected. Her magic took hold of the journal and opened it to where they’d left off the night before. “Wintershimmer did nothing while he was in Everfree. But it was something he knew… something he discovered, rather, and refused to tell us, that really damned those who died because of it.”

Twilight stared at her mentor, shocked.

Luna set her spoon aside, her features dark with the simmering anger of a wrong inflicted many thousands of years ago. “Read on, sister. The information will surface in due course.”

Twister sighed, letting the warm water soak her face and run down her neck. Her tawny wings hung loose at her sides, the water slowly working its way into their feathers before running in rivulets along her wingtips to the tiled floor. Steam rose all around her, and she greedily sucked down the moist and warm air, feeling it revitalize her limbs and soothe her aching body.

She grabbed a comb in her teeth and, cradling her mane in a foreleg, began to slowly brush the long black hair. It’d been an exhausting day; not only did she have to organize the pegasi’s contribution to the formal dinner, but she’d also been stuck trying to deal with the fallout of Wintershimmer’s rather memorable arrival. Insulted senators and offended centurions had entered her office one after the other, demanding that the foreign archmage pay for everything he’d said the day prior. It took all of Twister’s willpower, but she calmly and firmly reminded them that rude or not, the archmage was still a guest, and he’d be treated with the proper amount of respect. She’d received quite a few angry glares in response, but it was nothing she wasn’t already used to.

The front door opened and closed, and Twister’s ears perked at the sound of hoofsteps. Sighing, she finished combing out her mane and twisted the valve on the showerhead shut. She took some fresh towels in her teeth and wrapped them around her dripping body, and after taking a few more moments to comb the excess water out of her mane and tail, she stepped out of the shower and trotted towards her bedroom.

“Twister?” a stallion’s voice asked from downstairs. “You’re home?”

“Just got out of the shower, Echo,” she replied. “There’s still wood in the boiler if you want a hot one.”

A faint grunt of acknowledgement was her husband’s response. Once inside her bedroom, Twister dropped her towels on the floor and slid open the door to her walk-in closet. More dresses than she could possibly count lined both sides of the little room, and Twister allowed herself a small smirk as she began nosing through the various fabrics and colors. While she generally considered herself a prude like her brother, dresses were her guilty pleasure. She’d never been able to afford dresses when she was a filly; being a farmer didn’t bring in all that much money, even if her father was a decorated war veteran who knew Haysar personally. As such, she’d only ever owned one nice dress, and even that was a hand-me-down from her mother. When she became Legatus, however, and she suddenly had money at her disposal, she purchased all the finest dresses and wares she could find with foalish glee. While she’d gotten better in the twenty-five years since then, she still couldn’t help herself if she saw a dress that she really liked.

Two large wings wrapped around her shoulders, making her squeak in surprise as she felt herself drawn towards a warm body. She felt hot breath on her neck before a stallion’s lips brushed her cheek. “You’re back early today.”

Twister giggled and twisted around in Echo’s embrace. “Parliament wasn’t in session,” she said, wrapping her forelegs around the off-white stallion’s neck and hanging from his shoulders. “Figured I’d take the chance to relax while I could.”

Echo Wing smiled and leaned forward so his lips could meet with Twister’s. The mare moaned and fluttered her wings while it lasted, tightening her grip on Echo’s shoulders to pull herself closer. When the kiss finally ended, the two pegasi rested their foreheads against each other’s, and Twister smiled flirtatiously. “Seems like somepony missed me.”

“And you didn’t?” Echo teased, letting Twister drop to her hooves again. “If I’d known you were coming back early, I would’ve met you in the shower.”

Twister tittered and tapped Echo’s nose with a hoof. “I’m sure you would.” Turning around, she hooked two stolae out of the closet on her wings and held them before Echo. “What do you think? White and gold or blue and black?”

“White and gold, obviously,” Echo answered without a moment’s hesitation. “You going somewhere?”

“Formal dinner,” Twister answered. Setting aside the blue and black stola, she quickly donned the white and gold one. “We’re holding it for the envoy. Figured we’d treat them to some real Cirran cooking.”

“Don’t you mean Equestrian?” Echo asked, following Twister out of the closet.

“No, I mean Cirran,” Twister said, sitting down in front of a mirror and grabbing some brushes and combs for her mane. “Everypony knows we have the best food.”

“Hmm, true enough,” Echo replied. While Twister fooled with her mane, he trotted to the side of the room and stared at the pile of armor in the corner for a moment before shaking his head and bending over to pick it up. “I take it the reception went well?”

Twister immediately scowled at her reflection. “No. It was a nightmare.”

Echo’s ears perked up. “Really?” he asked, speaking around the leather strap of a bracer held between his teeth. “What happened?”

“Everything was fine at first. Queen Jade made her appearance, treated the Triumvirate with respect, and bowed before Celeste and Lūn. It was even nice to see Smart Cookie again.”

She paused abruptly, and Echo raised an eyebrow at her. “Then what happened?”

The Legatus shuddered. “I had the fortune to watch two old stallions measure their withered dicks against each other.”

Echo blinked in surprise and silently mouthed the words. “Eww…”

“Not literally, thankfully,” Twister said. Using a combination of her wings and hooves, she began to pin back her mane so it hung over her right shoulder. “Star Swirl and the Union’s archmage, Wintershimmer the Complacent, had a bit of a spat. Things got messy, fast.”

She inspected her reflection to make sure her mane was done up to her liking, and she began to apply eyeliner. “Jade stepped in before it got too much worse, but the delegation didn’t leave the castle in a good mood. And now I have to go to this stupid dinner and entertain them.”

“Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Echo said. He placed a hoof on Twister’s exposed shoulder and pecked her on the cheek. “I hope it goes well.”

“Please don’t get coal dust in my coat, I just washed it,” she said, flashing Echo a flirty smile. “All I’m hoping is that there isn’t a brawl in the courtyard. Especially since my brother’s going to be in attendance. Fights don’t end well for other ponies when he’s involved.”

Echo scoffed and backed away as Twister stood up. “Sounds stressful. Maybe I can help you unwind when you get back.” He flashed Twister a knowing smile, which she gratefully returned.

“Hmmm… I’d like that,” she purred, rubbing cheeks with her husband. Then, pressing a hoof against her chest, she let out a deep breath and took on the air of a Cirran senator. “I should be back by midnight. Make sure that Squall practices before dinner, her teacher said she’s getting really good at the flute. And make sure Gust doesn’t spend too much time at the academy tonight, she needs to get some rest. I’ve heard that the Legion’s medical exam is a doozy.”

Echo smiled at her as she trotted past. “Okay, Mrs. Mom, is there anything else you want to tell me?”

“Actually there is,” Twister said, pivoting on a hoof. A playful smirk graced her lips as she jabbed a hoof into Echo’s chest. “Brunello di Montalcino from the cellar and red candles for when I get back. Make sure the kids are in bed.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” Leaning forward, she hugged Echo one last time, squeezing his muscular shoulders before finally parting. “Well, I better get going. Diplomatic incidents don’t incur themselves!”

Music filled the courtyard, soft, elegant, and relaxing. Under the amber glow of the setting sun, the spacious courtyard nestled between the arms and halls of Everfree Castle looked perfectly peaceful and inviting. Long banquet tables filled nearly two-thirds of the open, grassy space, with the remaining third empty for ponies to mingle. Candles nestled in intricate and colorful glass holders lit up the tables with a wan glow, and the songbirds overhead sang their last songs to one another before nestling down for the night.

Already, ponies were milling around the courtyard or holding idle conversation at the tables. Nobles, senators, representatives, and anypony who was anypony stood around in their finest dresses and robes, moving between conversations as much to see as to be seen and admired. Merry and haughty laughter echoed off of the castle’s stone walls in equal measure, creating ghostly noises that could be heard from blocks away.

At the fringes of the courtyard, five figures stood in the shadows of the stone halls. There the Equestrian Triumvirate and the alicorn sisters watched the guests and politicians filter into the courtyard with passing interest. Their eyes were vigilant for the glittering ensemble of the Crystal Union delegation, which had thus far remained absent.

Queen Platinum leaned over the balustrade with one hoof on her chin. She wore an entirely different dress and jewelry from the day before, and the usual coils of her mane had seemingly been multiplied tenfold to the point where two small twirls hung past either of her temples. She huffed her annoyance and tapped a hoof against her chin. “Why do I feel like I’m the only pony in the world that bothers being punctual to formal events?” she muttered.

“What are you talking about?!” Puddinghead exclaimed. The brown earth pony was practically jumping in place, his eyes trained on the kitchen windows across the way. “I was here a whole hour early just trying to get some of that food! I’m starving! Hay, even just some horse durves would be awesome right about now!”

“Hors d'oeuvres, Chancellor,” Platinum corrected. “I would’ve thought you’d at least know how to say it correctly, seeing how it is an earth pony word, after all.”

“Pffft! As if! That’s from the Prenchies in the east. My dad tried to teach Prench to me when I was a colt, but the only thing I remember how to say is ‘omlette du fromage’.” Puddinghead snorted and shook his head, his hat swaying dangerously at the sharp motion. “Oh, what a silly language.”

“I fathom that they are not a widespread cultural group, as I have not heard anypony speak in their tongue,” Luna said, striding up towards the two leaders. Unlike her previous two formal appearances, her ensemble was considerably toned down. A translucent blue silk dress hung from her shoulders with a low cut around the neck, and the hem of the train rested barely an inch above her fetlocks. “Pity; they have a beautiful language.”

“You speak Prench?” Platinum asked, a surprised look in her eyes.

“Pas tois?” Luna responded, a coy smile on her face. “Just because my sister and I were not physically present in the affairs of ponies for countless years doesn’t mean that we never kept an eye on you all; or, well, as best as we could, with the pegasi living a continent away. I know all the common equine tongues, and even a few less common ones.”

The fluttering of wings turned the three ponies’ heads to where Twister gently touched down in the grass. “Your Highness,” Twister said, bowing before Platinum. “My Lady,” she continued, nodding towards Luna.

“Legatus,” Platinum greeted, nodding curtly towards Hurricane’s younger sibling. “Lovely dress. I adore the coloration.”

Twister flashed a small smile. “Thank you, Your Highness. Occasions to wear any of my nice stolae are unfortunately rare. You’re lucky that you don’t have to wear armor whenever Parliament is in session like myself or my brother.”

“Oh! Sun and Stars, I can only imagine what that’s like.” She wrinkled her nose at some memory. “The summer days are by far the worst, too. All the sweat just sticks to your coat and makes you smell absolutely terrible.”

“Heh. Yeah, my husband won’t even let me in bed with him until I’ve cleaned myself off after a hot day.” Twister shook her head. “And he’s the one that works at a forge.”

Platinum allowed herself a small smile of sympathy. “Well, I don’t blame him. I’ve sat next to your brother for hours before. It’s not a pleasant smell.”

“Oh, don’t get me started about the smell…” Twister muttered. Her brow furrowed, and she quickly scanned the immediate area. “Speaking of my brother, where is he? Gods forbid he’s actually mingling with the guests and dignitaries.”

Chancellor Puddinghead broke off the tune he was humming to himself. “Who, Ricky? Yeah, he’s hanging out back there with Celly. Somepony doesn’t like his robes.”

Robes? Twister cocked her head to the side. “Huh. Well, thank you, Chancellor. I’m going to speak to him for a minute.” She turned back to Luna and Platinum and nodded to each in turn. “For your time.”

Platinum simply waved a hoof, dismissing Twister to resume her conversation with Luna. The brown pegasus fluttered towards two figures, one unnaturally tall and radiant in the sunlight, and the other…

Only three of Twister’s hooves touched the ground, for the fourth was trying to help her lips stifle a laugh. Hurricane turned to her, and the scowl that was already present on his face further engrained itself. “Get it out now.”

With her brother’s permission, Twister released the laughter building in her throat until she was nearly doubled over. Wiping a tear from her eye, she touched her brother’s nearly naked shoulder with a hoof. “What’s this, Cane? Somepony finally got you to ditch your second coat?”

“Yes, and it’s quite lovely, don’t you think?” Celestia said, standing by Hurricane’s side. Her wingtips took hold of some of the loose fabric and held it up for Twister to see, and Hurricane folded his ears against his head.

“There’s nothing special about it,” he grumbled, pulling the purple fabric away from Celestia. He tugged on the gold embroidery and tried to smooth it out as much as possible. “It’s just a toga picta.”

“‘Just a toga picta,’ he says,” Twister muttered, shaking her head. “Oh, you know, just the emperor’s special garments. No big deal.”

Hurricane frowned at her. “You know I wanted to wear my armor tonight.”

“Of course you did,” Twister said, and she rolled her eyes. “You always want to wear your armor.”

“I told him it’d be better for tonight’s occasion to wear something nice, formal…” Celestia eyed Hurricane with a teasing glint. “…something less threatening.” The alicorn shook her head with a small laugh. “You should have seen it when we dug it out of the back of his wardrobe. I doubt it’s been worn in years.”

“Knowing my brother, probably twenty-five.” Twister leaned in and gave her brother a quick hug, pecking him on the cheek as well. “You look good, Cane. You should wear your robes more often.”

“That’s what she said, too,” Hurricane muttered, shooting Celestia a glance. His wings fidgeted at his sides, and his upper lip drew back in disgust. “I feel naked like this. A single dagger between the ribs, a crossbow from behind, and I’ll be dead before I even knew I was in danger.”

Twister lightly smacked Hurricane’s cheek. “Why do you always think like that? Nopony’s trying to kill you, Cane. Can’t you just relax for one night?”

Hurricane looked his sister in the eyes with a sad look. “You don’t even know, Twister. When you’ve seen the things I’ve seen…”

The three ponies stood in awkward silence, only saved by Platinum’s voice calling back to them. “The delegation’s here… finally. Come along, everypony, and please do put on your civil faces.”

The three ponies looked at each other, and Hurricane smiled at Twister. “I guess I’ll see you after this is all over?”

Twister laughed. “You won’t see me without a wine glass tonight, so you’ll find me one way or another before the night’s through. I could use a good drink.” She crossed in front of Hurricane and flicked his nose with a wingtip. “You two be good now.”

“We’ll be—what?” Hurricane asked as Twister’s words finally registered, but by then the mare had already trotted into the midst of a gaggle of senators. Furrowing his brow, Hurricane ultimately sighed and shook his head. Fussing with the loose fabric around his shoulders and across his chest one more time, he quickly caught up to the Sisters and the rest of the triumvirate, who had already started towards the center of the courtyard without him.

A quartet of Crystal soldiers escorted Queen Jade, Smart Cookie, and Archmage Wintershimmer into the courtyard, while several more Crystal soldiers made their way around the perimeter to stand between the legionaries on duty. Equestrians quickly parted to let the Crystals pass, with some having the courtesy to bow and smile at the Union delegation. The Triumvirate and alicorn sisters arranged themselves identical to their positioning at the previous day’s reception, and each nodded in turn towards Jade when she finally stood before them.

“Queen Jade, lovely to have you in attendance tonight,” Platinum said, bowing her head to the mortal alicorn. “We do hope that you enjoy yourself tonight, and that you find Equestrian cuisine to your liking.”

Jade smiled and returned the bow, her nearly clear dress rippling and shimmering over her crystal coat like colored glass. “Thank you for your hospitality,” Jade replied, brushing the long and loose curtain of her mane back into place against the side of her neck. “I do apologize for yesterday’s break of formalities,” she said, shooting an angry glare towards the bored-looking Wintershimmer by her side. “I assure you that it won’t happen again tonight.”

Wintershimmer rolled his eyes and scratched at his neatly trimmed chin. “I doubt I shall have much to share with any of you, perhaps with the exception of the spirits. If my senses do not deceive me, and I do hope they aren’t, my only ‘peer’ is absent.”

“I suppose you mean Star Swirl the Bearded,” Luna responded, narrowing her eyes at Wintershimmer.

“Why? Do you see him?” Wintershimmer fixed Luna with an irritated stare, one the alicorn met with perfect neutrality. “I admit my eyes aren’t as sharp as they used to be, but it’s been nearly twenty minutes since I left my chamber, and I haven’t been wrongly accused of murder yet.”

“Star Swirl is not here,” Hurricane stated. “He said that he’d rather eat his dinner in peace and quiet. I don’t blame him.”

“Of course,” Wintershimmer muttered. Sighing, he adjusted his robes with his magic, which were the same he wore during the reception. “A shame. Not that I miss his accusations, mind you, but I now tragically lack any sort of a peer worth speaking with.”

“Archmage.” Jade’s flat tone of voice caught Wintershimmer’s attention and silenced him, at least for the time being, and not without an irritated huff. Nodding once more to Platinum, she donned an apologetic smile. “Forgive him. Now, where will we be seated?”

Platinum stomped her hoof on the ground, and immediately a pair of finely clothed earth ponies trotted up to the side of the congregation. “Our servants will show you to your seats and bring out the first course. You will be seated at the raised table with us; a show of solidarity is expected, after all.”

“But of course,” Jade replied, and she held out her hoof, which Smart Cookie took. “Lead on,” she called to the two servants, and together the four of them departed, leaving only Wintershimmer to trail in their wake.

Luna stepped forward as Wintershimmer passed by her side and fixed the gray unicorn with her teal eyes. “A word of advice, Archmage,” she warned. A small, deadly smile traced her lips. “A pony’s words can be as dangerous to himself as they are to others.”

Wintershimmer stopped and regarded Luna with casual interest. “You threaten me, spirit? Do you think you have the freedom to act against me for speaking my mind? I’m sure that a civilization that prides itself on being ‘ever free’ will look positively stunning when it hangs foreign dignitaries for speaking the ugly truth about its diamond latrine of lies.”

“You misunderstand me,” Luna said. A challenging glint appeared in her eyes. “A fool will make himself known to all around him, given enough time. Sometimes all it takes is somepony with greater wit to draw him out.”

Wintershimmer calmly smiled back at Luna. “And sometimes the fool is the one who oversteps her boundaries, through jealousy or idiocy. It matters not. But she is already drawing herself out, and all I need to do is wait.”

“We’ll see about that,” Luna said, and with a curt nod, Wintershimmer left to join the rest of his delegation.

Celestia nudged her sister, and the triumvirate turned to face her. “Luna, control yourself,” Celestia warned. “There’s no need to get yourself involved.”

“Of course there’s no need,” Luna said, waving her wing. “I’m doing it because it’s fun. You should try it sometime.” Luna paused for a moment to let the jibe find its mark. “That idiot is all pomp and flair. I will end him before the night is through.”

Puddinghead, who looked mostly confused, simply shrugged his shoulders and began walking away. “Whatever, I don’t know what you ponies are playing at, but I’m getting me some of those house dives!”

High above the castle, wispy clouds hovered, seemingly resisting the winds that blew their compatriots away. The reason, impossible to determine from the ground, were the pegasi that clung to its surface and slowly beat their wings, keeping the clouds oriented above the castle. From their vantage point up high, and with the setting sun to their backs, they watched the events unfolding below with a keen interest.

Green eyes narrowed at the indescript black blob standing between two larger ponies, and Typhoon clenched and unclenched her jaw. Her hooves pulled and squashed the springy cloud beneath her, and her wings fluttered restlessly at her sides.

“Looks like a formal gathering,” one of the pegasi on her right commented, drawing Typhoon’s focus back towards the bigger picture. Furrowing her brow, Typhoon noted all the colorful ponies and outfits making their way from opposite ends of the courtyard and back again in some never-ending cycle of movement. Five banquet tables, four parallel to the long side of the courtyard and the short one arranged across the others like a crown, slowly filled up with party guests and government officials. Silver platters entered the courtyard full of food and left empty, but never once did the hypnotizing flow of ponies cease moving.

“Yeah… but for what?” Typhoon murmured. She leaned even further off the edge of the cloud, but wrinkled her nose as the smell of sweet cedar smoke rose up to meet them. The chimneys from the castle kitchen were a hundred yards upwind, and the smoke from their massive ovens was starting to make Typhoon’s eyes water and obscure her vision. Growling, she spat at the ground and stood up. “I can’t see who all’s down there or what the occasion is. We need to get lower.”

“If we go any lower we have a chance of being spotted,” another pegasus warned her. “The castle has fliers on patrol around its perimeter. Look.” His speckled hoof pointed towards four pegasi flying in a tight wedge formation making slow rounds about the exterior of the castle, with groups flying in the opposite direction passing above and below them. “There’s only four of us; we can’t outfly an entire centuria forever.”

“No… we can’t.” Her eyes followed several of the patrol groups, trying to trace their patterns, until they settled on one in particular which flew low around the castle walls, almost level with the surrounding rooftops. “But we can certainly outfly four.”

One of the pegasi raised his eyebrow at her. “Commander?”

Typhoon turned about and inspected the streets and buildings closest to the castle, mapping their layout and committing it to memory. “Come with me, and ready your weapons.”

“But Abaddon said we’re just supposed to observe guard patrols tonight for the raid,” one of her companions protested. “We’re not supposed to endanger the mission.”

“The mission’s changed,” Typhoon stated bluntly. “I have a feeling that whatever this celebration’s about is important, and I want to know what it is. So, one way or another, we’re going to find out.” She took a deep breath and her eyes pulsed green once more. “Let’s see who’s home, shall we?”

Clover sighed and absentmindedly nudged her spoon around the edge of her soup bowl. Sure, she had been excited at the prospect of attending a formal dinner on the castle grounds, and sure, she’d been thrilled to wear one of her new dresses Platinum had bought for her just for the occasion, but for some reason, reality wasn’t living up to her expectations. She was bored and uncomfortable. Part of that had to do with Star Swirl refusing to attend on principle as Wintershimmer would be present, and the other part had to do with the pony she was sitting next to.

Mayor Greenleaf, with his usual deft political clout, easily and expertly bounced back and forth between several conversations with high-ranking senators, old-family nobles, and other ponies of wealth and influence. His slimming suit was both simple and elegant, and Clover figured it was made specifically for the occasion. In his magic hovered a champagne glass that he continually took sips from between sentences, yet somehow never seemed to empty. The servants tonight were too attentive for the Mayor’s own good.

As the night wore on, meals arrived one after the other, and Greenleaf’s conversational partners would excuse themselves to commune with other powerful friends or to take a spouse or mistress—or several, in some cases—for a dance. Between the third and fourth courses, which Clover felt were ridiculously small, she suddenly found herself alone at the table with her father. Greenleaf seemed to pay her no mind, instead keeping his eyes focused on the leaders sitting at the head table while he worked on emptying his bowl of tomato soup.

Sighing, Clover dropped her spoon in her soup and pushed the bowl away from her. Her head dropped into her crossed forelegs and her nose touched the table beneath them. She didn’t care that she was crumpling her elaborately curled mane beneath her forelegs. She was bored, irritated, and frustrated, at Star Swirl and Wintershimmer, at the elaborate dinner about nothing, and at her father’s distant demeanor. All she wanted to do was go back to her study and pick away at high level mana theory and drafting her papers on the dangers of bloodletting and the four humours in general as a basis for medical treatment.

“What’s the matter, Clover?” Greenleaf asked, finally taking his eyes away from the nations’ leaders long enough to notice his daughter’s boredom. The question, however, was spoken without any real concern or emotion in general, and was delivered like it was something obligatory.

“Bored,” Clover mumbled into her forelegs. Sitting upright, she groaned and rubbed her temple. “This is all so boring.”

Greenleaf regarded her with a cool purple eye for a moment before shaking his head and turning back to his meal. “Then leave if this bores you so much. I’m sure you’ll be much happier working on your studies.”

Clover gritted her teeth and rested her temple in her forehooves. She’d had enough. “You don’t get it, do you?” she hissed, shooting an angry glare at her father. Greenleaf regarded her with his usual political mask of neutrality as she practically seethed at him. “What’s with you, lately?”

The stallion raised an eyebrow. “Whatever do you mean?”

“This!” Clover hissed, throwing her hooves wide. “Why are you so cold? Judgmental? Disinterested? What’s with you?”

Greenleaf shrugged and stared across the courtyard. “I’ve been busy with politics. The Legatus and the Cirran senate—”

“I don’t give a buck about your politics!” Clover shouted. A few nearby ponies turned towards her, but she didn’t care. She was too angry now. This had been a long time coming, and now there wasn’t anything that was going to stem the avalanche of rage and indignation.“That’s all it’s been for the past year. Politics, politics, politics. Busy with this and dealing with that and the Choke this and the Legatus that! What about your daughter? What about me?!” She stomped her hoof, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “Don’t I mean anything to you anymore?”

Greenleaf blinked, and he tentatively reached out a hoof before drawing it back. “Clover, I—”

“That! That right there! ‘I’, that’s your problem! All you ever care about is yourself. You don’t care about me!” Clover cried, blinking rapidly to try and hold back the tears in her eyes. The edge of her pent up emotion now blunted, her tone softened, tinged with sadness. “I was so happy when I found you back in Onyx Ridge. I thought you were gone forever, but there you were, and I remembered what it was like to have a father again. And for a time, I was happy. We spent so much time together, just you and me. No politics, none of this… this bullshit.” She grabbed Greenleaf’s shoulder with a hoof and gently shook it. “Don’t you remember all the picnics we used to have, Daddy? We used to go down to the river every week and eat lunch on the shores. I… I loved that. It meant so much to me, and then you stopped. I’ve been trying to drown it all out with work, but it’s not enough. It’ll never be enough.”

She let go and sat back down, her forelegs shaking. Several ponies at nearby tables were muttering to each other, but the courtyard was too big and the music too loud for everypony to notice. Sniffling, Clover wiped a fetlock across one teary eye and looked at Greenleaf with the other. “I… I miss you.”

The archmage stood up so rapidly her chair toppled over behind her, and with a sob, turned around and stormed out the nearest door, leaving a very ill-looking and concerned Greenleaf behind at the table.

Queen Platinum narrowed her eyes at the far side of the courtyard as Clover disappeared down the halls, tears streaming from her face. At his seat, Mayor Greenleaf swallowed hard and tugged at the collar of his robes with his magic. Equestria’s queen sighed and shook her head. She’d have to have a talk with the unicorn later… both of them.

It was just the latest development in what’d been an extremely dry and stiff formal dinner. Platinum had spent much of the dinner conversing with Queen Jade, who sat immediately to her left, and Hurricane, who sat to her right. Puddinghead and Celestia rounded off the end of the right side of the table, while Smart Cookie, Wintershimmer, and Luna filled out the left. While Platinum originally wanted to keep both Celestia and Luna on Equestria’s side of the table as a show that the gods were on their side, Luna insisted that the entire party be flanked between the two alicorns. The dark alicorn claimed it represented that nopony was outside the influence of the gods, but Platinum really knew why Luna wanted to sit at the far end of the table. It put her right next to Wintershimmer.

For the most part, the two had behaved themselves. Occasionally, Luna would make some small noise or ‘accidentally’ bump Wintershimmer’s side, earning an irate glare in response which Platinum could tell the alicorn absolutely reveled in. For his part, Wintershimmer acted bitter and uncharacteristically silent, allowing Platinum and Jade to lay down some preliminary talks for further border policies with respect to their growing nations, the placement of Hurricane’s legions, and trade deals involving the Horseatic League and Union ports under ‘Legion protection’ such as the Crystal Shores. Platinum wasn’t going to complain much about that; any progress was good, and if the Union’s archmage was going to be silent during the whole of it, so much the better.

The arrival of dessert changed everything.

Just like the previous three courses, dessert was served on silver platters edged with gold. Mountains of sweet fruits such as apricots, pears, and lemons sat alongside shellfish that’d been flown in that morning from the shores, chilled on ice, then split open to be consumed. It was truly a Cirran meal; the pegasi around the courtyard immediately dug in, while the earth ponies and unicorns looked on with apprehension. Platinum herself felt a little sick to her stomach, seeing the large shrimp head seemingly staring back at her. She wordlessly took her platter in her magic and dumped the shellfish onto Hurricane’s plate. The pegasus rolled his eyes and began peeling the shells away with his pinions.

At the other end of the table, Luna crunched straight through the shell of a prawn, seemingly oblivious that it needed to be removed first, and let out a satisfied hum as she swallowed. She turned her teal eyes toward Wintershimmer, who’d promptly stuck his nose up at the meal and nudged it farther away from himself, and made a show of licking her lips. The corner of her mouth twitched as she nodded towards the archmage’s plate. “I would strongly recommend at least finishing dessert, archmage. You’ve hardly eaten anything all night; I know that the elderly tend to become grouchy if they go to bed on an empty stomach.” She cocked her head to the side and tapped her chin with the tail of a prawn held in her magic. “Although that would explain much.”

Platinum instinctively cringed as the Crystal Union’s archmage gently set both hooves down on the table and turned to his left. Even Queen Jade looked on in mute horror as Wintershimmer looked Luna in the eye and began to speak. “Have you ever heard of a ‘palette’, spirit? Or is that something which your conjurors failed to define for you?”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Spirit, hmm? Tell me, Archmage, why are you so convinced that my sister and I are nothing more than summoned spirits? Is it because you’re jealous that the gods favor Equestria enough to physically manifest themselves and walk in their presence? Or are you so blinded by your arrogance that you cannot see what sits next to you, inches from your face?”

Wintershimmer narrowed his eyes at her and quickly swiped away the few meagre crumbs that stuck to his jacket. “My own ‘arrogance’, you say?” His lips slowly widened into a wide and uncomfortable grin. “I am confident in my power, yes. I have mastered it and wielded it enough that ponies offer me the respect I deserve. But I am never arrogant, spirit. I know my limits, what is true and what is not. And the uncomfortable truth for many in this room is that my own limits are impossibly high. So they spread lies about me to make themselves feel better about the fact that they will never be me.

“And… Luna, was it you called yourself?” The archmage dismissively waved his hoof without waiting for the midnight alicorn’s answer. “It matters little. I’ve already gleaned enough about your character over the lovely dinner we’ve had together.” He sat up straighter, like a grandmaster reciting to his pupil all the ways she failed to impress him. “You are the one who is proud. Haughty. Arrogant. Spirit or not, you are so entrenched in the belief that you are immortal that you think you can get away with whatever you desire. All you want to do is run the peasants of Equestria around you like some sort of faithful rabble and be praised for your every action. You wish to build up the illusion that somehow you’re important and then let the false songs rock you to sleep so you can forget your own fragility. Because, goddess or shade, mortal or not…”

Wintershimmer’s horn lit up in its pale glow, and he likewise turned up his nose to somehow look down on the taller alicorn sitting next to him. “…I can tear your soul from your mortal shell and be done with you in an instant.”

The glow from his horn extinguished and, satisfied, the gray unicorn turned away from Luna. The mare was silent for a few moments, her face an indecipherable mask of neutrality, before she asked in a calm voice, “You seek power, don’t you, archmage?” Her teal eyes hardened with a sharp glint, and she leaned forward. “That’s why you want to open a portal to the Summer Lands.”

The archmage stiffened, and the hoof which he’d been boredly massaging his temple with quivered. “You are coming dangerously close to being worth the time it would take to end you, spirit,” the archmage replied with unveiled spite. “I tried such magic once. It is impossible.”

Luna’s lips curved into a smile, like a predator that’d finally cornered its prey after a long and winding chase. “Do not lie to me, Wintershimmer” she said, keeping her voice calm and neutral. “You know that it can be done. You’ve spent the last six years developing the theory and the appropriate sigils and circles you’ll need to do it. You’ve invested millions of gem shards in gathering materials that you think you’ll need and performing experiments to rule out what you don’t to make it happen. This is your life’s work, and you won’t let death take you until you prove it’s possible. Or perhaps… perhaps you think you can cheat death?”

The rest of the table looked on in shock. Wintershimmer himself shook in silent rage. When he broke the silence, it first came in a whisper. “I’ve finished the ritual. The research is done. But the spell is impossible. It takes two living necromancers. And even Star Swirl lacks the talent such magic would take.” Then, looking up, he let his voice rise. “You can’t possibly know this,” he seethed, baring his teeth at the alicorn. “I keep my mind warded against jealous idiots who would try to steal my brilliance. This is… this is all some kind of trick!”

Luna leaned forward and poked Wintershimmer right under the horn with a hoof. “Tell me, archmage, do you ward your dreams?”

The gray pony shook his head. “I don’t need to. Every mage worth his title knows you can’t read another pony’s dreams. The lawless land of the subconscious is too fickle… and too dangerous. You could no more catch a river with your hooves.”

“Wintershimmer, surely you know that that isn’t entirely true.” Luna sat back in her chair and curved her body to display its full regality. “You know, at least, that it is possible. A being with a sufficiently strong mind and an even stronger will can plunge the depths of the dreamscape. She can walk among a pony’s dreams like a ghost, watching from just beyond the edges of the dream world’s reality. There is only one being in the world who can do this. You know who she is.”

As Wintershimmer looked on in horror, Luna picked up another prawn and again crunched it between her teeth. “Do you still doubt me, archmage? I’ve visited your dreams many times since you arrived in Everfree. Your secrets are plain to me. I know about your rivalry with Star Swirl. The mare that you loved, only to lose her to your closest friend. Starburst, was it?”

Wintershimmer, stunned as he was, gave no reply.

“I thought so,” Luna said rather smugly. She levitated over a few pieces of fruit and popped them into her mouth, clearly enjoying herself. Then her gaze turned thoughtful for a moment. “She married Star Swirl, but you never stopped loving her, did you? That’s what really pushed you two apart. And then she died in childbirth…” Her eyes widened by the tiniest bit, and she cocked her head at Wintershimmer. “Now I think I understand.”

“I lost her?” Wintershimmer shouted, standing up so harshly he knocked over his chair. “She was stolen from me. Not by skill; not by magic; by slander and lies. The only way Star Swirl ever beat me! And then she passed so quickly…” He sat back down, panting, and stared at the plate in front of him. His sorrow quickly turned to seething anger, and he bared his teeth. “I was the better wizard. I was the better pony! And if I wanted to, I could have ripped his soul out that day in River Rock. I would never have been ‘the Complacent’. They would have called me Wintershimmer the Ruthless, but what difference does it make? I would have had what I deserved!” The archmage of the Crystal Union panted, his aged lungs wheezing and his taut cheeks flushing in and out as his ancient body struggled to contain his regrets. “That’s what I lost. I lost my destiny to a pony I pitied, because I thought he was my friend.You don’t understand, goddess; you could never understand what I’ve lost!”

This time, Hurricane stood up. With smoke trailing from his wingtips, he looked at the fuming archmage from across the table. “Lost? What do you know about loss?” he snarled. “You’ve never watched the life drain from a loved one’s eyes as she lies helpless in your forelegs and you can’t do anything to save her. You don’t know what it’s like to have to abandon your son and watch your daughter deal with being raped and tortured. You know nothing about loss.” Without a second’s delay, he turned away from the table, kicked his chair back under it, and stormed away from the courtyard.

Platinum watched him go, her jaw hanging open. Even in the courtyard, the noise from the dinner had all but died down, and everypony was watching what was transpiring at the leaders’ table. As the uncomfortable silence settled over the courtyard, Celestia coughed lightly into her wing and pushed her seat back. “I should… see if Hurricane’s alright,” she mumbled, standing up and following the pegasus away from the dinner.

As the alicorn left, Platinum felt whatever last vestiges of control she had over the situation slipping away from her. Gritting her teeth, she looked to Puddinghead with a desperate plea for help. The brown stallion blinked once, then literally jumped onto the table and waved a hoof. “Hey, what are you ponies doing down there? Let’s get some music going? How about ‘Blue River’? That’s a good one!”

The musicians glanced at each other but soon started playing, and slowly, ever so slowly, the spirit of the dinner returned to the courtyard. Satisfied, Puddinghead hopped back into his seat and immediately devoured the remnants of Hurricane’s and Celestia’s desserts, once more consumed in his own little world. At the left side of the table, Luna looked away uncomfortably from the shaking Wintershimmer, and Smart Cookie and Jade conversed in hushed and worried tones.

Platinum felt a pit open up in her gut, and she rested her forelegs on the table and pressed her hooves to her temples. Everything was going so wrong, so horribly wrong. She didn’t have control of the situation anymore. As Equestria’s queen, she was supposed to be the one who held the nation together.

So why was it that no matter how hard she tried, Equestria was splitting at the seams before her very eyes?

The stone halls of the castle echoed with Commander Hurricane’s angry hooffalls. The dark pegasus’ face was an inscrutable frown, and his purple robes fluttered after him in his wake. Servants and legionaries unfortunate enough to cross his path quickly jumped to the sides of the hallways, not wanting to become the target of the pegasus’ wrath. They only turned their heads when he passed, trying to decipher what it was that’d angered the normally level headed pegasus so.

The door to Hurricane’s room never stopped moving when the pegasus entered; it rocketed open, struck the opposite wall, and was immediately bucked shut. Growling, the pegasus took the folds of his robes in his teeth and stripped them from his frame. He only took a second to roughly bundle them up before tossing them into the corner. Hurricane’s eyes then wandered over to his large bed, its single pillow adorning a space entirely too large for one pony. It was plain. Barren. Empty.

The pegasus felt like he was looking into his heart.

A knock on the door drew Hurricane out of his somber reflection. Gritting his teeth, he turned away, determined to ignore it. The voice that followed, however, he couldn’t ignore.

“Hurricane?” Celestia asked from the other side of the door. “Hurricane, are you alright?”

Instead of answering, Hurricane flexed and relaxed his wings as he walked towards the door. He paused briefly before it, eyes wandering over the splintered wood where he’d struck it, before he pulled it open. There standing before him was Celestia, her dinner gown ruffled softly across her form, and her face etched with concern. Hurricane looked her dead in the eye and, without budging from the doorframe, asked, “My Lady?”

Celestia seemed surprised that Hurricane had actually opened the door for her. She blinked once, then peeked around the corner. “Ah… H-Hurricane.” The pegasus stared at her coolly, unflinchingly, and she shuffled her feathers. “May I come in?”

The pegasus turned away from the door without a word, but he did nudge it open a bit more with a wing. With an even stride, he wandered over to the balcony doors, which were still open, and paused at the balustrade. Celestia entered after him, her eyes briefly noting the balled-up robes lying on the floor. When it was clear that Hurricane wasn’t interested in starting a conversation, Celestia cleared her throat and sat down on the edge of his bed. “Hurricane?”

The pegasus turned one ear back towards her but didn’t move.

Celestia waited a bit longer, then in the gentlest voice she could manage, spoke to him. “What was she like?”

Silence greeted her. The pegasus remained unmoving, his eyes fixed on the glow from the dinner party happening below, despite the fact that he was clearly looking at something else entirely. Celestia uneasily flicked a feather back and forth across the sheets of Hurricane’s bed. A part of her even considered leaving before she happened to glance Hurricane’s shoulders move and something almost like sorrowful laughter left his lungs. “You know… you’re the second pony to ask me that this month.”

Hurricane turned around, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears. Slowly, so slowly, he left the balcony behind and moved towards Celestia. When he was a few feet away, he looked the mare in the eyes, and then the tears flowed, silent, gentle. “She was beautiful, that’s what she was. Not just how she looked. How she acted. How she spoke. How she thought. How she… loved.”

Celestia opened her wing and gestured for Hurricane to sit. The stallion regarded the invitation for a moment but ultimately sighed and sat down next to her. With a gentle, downy white wing, Celestia carefully hugged Hurricane’s shoulders. “She meant the world to you.” It wasn’t a question; the mare didn’t need to ask to know as much.

“Yes…” Hurricane took a shaky breath. He twiddled his hooves and looked at them in silence. Celestia patiently waited for him to go on, not once shifting position or making a sound. Eventually, the pegasus did continue, his voice so low it barely carried the few inches to her ears. “She’s been gone five years now. I thought I’d have come to terms with it by now. But I don’t know how you get over something like that.”

He turned his head to the side, where the painting of his family hung on the wall. One corner of Swift’s muzzle still curved upwards, despite Hurricane’s request for a formal and stiff depiction of the Stormblades. Even the artist knew that underneath the armor and military discipline there was a mare who loved life, a personable pony who served as the perfect counterpoint to temper her husband’s militant gruffness and chokehold diplomacy.

How he missed that smile.

“I… Something broke inside me when Swift died,” Hurricane said, his head falling again. “I was consumed with grief and anger. I swore I was going to make my son pay for what he did. I think… I-I think if it hadn’t been for her, I would have killed him that day in River Rock.”

Hurricane sighed and fanned out the silver-tipped feathers of his wing just for something to look at besides the floor. “Even after that, when Typhoon finally told me everything that happened to her in River Rock—and by then you could see it in how she looked—when she finally told me, and we realized exactly what that meant… I wish Swift would’ve been there to talk to her. I couldn’t think of what to say. I c-couldn’t…”

The pegasus began to shake and tremble, and Celestia gently held him closer as icicles began to form on his wings. “She was scared and she felt so alone,” Hurricane whispered, “and I couldn’t do anything for her. Twister was the one that had to talk to her. I didn’t even know how to begin. My sister was the one who helped my daughter when she needed me the most.” He laughed bitterly. “I don’t know why she doesn’t hate me. I failed her. I was never around for her when she was a child… and I couldn’t help her when it mattered.”

From the floor to the ceiling the pegasus’ eyes traveled, but he still couldn’t bring himself to settle them on Celestia. “Why?” he asked, almost as if he was begging the heavens themselves for an answer. “Why does everypony I love have to suffer? My parents, my wife, my children, even Pan Sea! Him, I’ve been so busy trying to prepare for tonight’s waste of time and trying to find my daughter that I still haven’t seen him yet!” The pegasus screwed up his muzzle and pressed his forehooves to his brow. “I should have died in Stratopolis. Then none of them would’ve had to suffer.”

Celestia was taken aback. The mare sat with her jaw hanging open, seeing the pegasus next to her for the first time in an entirely new light. She’d seen glimpses through the cracks in the armor before, but now, as Hurricane sat next to her completely naked of rank and title, she saw just how fragile and frail he was without the armor, without the façade of being the Commander. A stallion broken time and time again by tragedy after tragedy, until separation and impartiality were the only things that kept him going so the weight of the world would not undo him.

But… no, that wasn’t quite right. The stallion sitting beside her wasn’t broken. Not yet, at least. Despite everything that’d happened, he still tried to do his job and to protect those he cared about. Not broken, no, but definitely bent. Like a bridge that had lost its supports in a storm, Hurricane’s will bowed and flexed as it tried to support all the ponies who relied on him. And even though it was strong, amazingly strong, it would eventually break. His family and his wife had once been the supports that’d held that bridge up, and without them, the stallion was driving himself towards oblivion.

Without love and something to live for, that bridge would finally break, and so too would the legend of Commander Hurricane.

“I… I understand how you feel,” Celestia began. She curled her wing a little more to draw the stallion against her downy side. “I’m very old, Hurricane. Thousands of years old. Before my sister and I distanced ourselves from ponies, I used to love, too.” Her pink eyes wandered around the room, but all Celestia saw were memories long since passed. “I’ve had many husbands. A hoofful of wives. Dozens of children, countless grandchildren. Earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi, one or two Crystals, even, and once a zebra. I married, loved… then watched them die while I remained frozen in time.” She bowed her head. “Immortality is a tough life. Those who seek it don’t truly understand what they’re asking for.”

Hurricane looked at her through the tears in his own eyes. “How do you keep going?”

Celestia sighed and looked Hurricane in the eye. “You learn to love again. Times may change and the ponies may come and go, but you’ll never forget those you loved. And when you remember them, you’ll remember that they loved you because they wanted you to be happy. And then you’ll understand that nopony wants to watch their spouse wallow in misery for the rest of their lives after they’re gone.

“That’s how I keep going, Hurricane,” Celestia said, smiling mournfully at the pegasus. “The only thing that makes life worth living is love. And if you’re not ready to follow those you love to the Summer Lands, then learn to love again. They’ll be waiting for you when you finally do arrive.”

Hurricane didn’t say anything. Instead, he withdrew into the seclusion of his own thoughts. Even in his silence, though, Celestia could tell her words had some effect. The pegasus was no longer trembling at least, and he leaned against the warmth of her side.

With a small smile on her face, Celestia nuzzled the top of Hurricane’s head, content to sit there in the silence and the flutterings in her chest.

Typhoon walked down the halls of Everfree Castle in stolen armor and a body that was not hers. Behind her walked the other Founders that’d flown with her above the city. Each one was disguised as a member of the patrol they’d ambushed, and Typhoon felt a little uncomfortable about how well of a job the unicorns helping them did. Instead of her usual lithe and blond body, Typhoon looked and felt like a taller brown stallion. It was a little unsettling, especially considering how it raised her eyesight by a few inches. Not to mention the sound of her stolen voice or the feeling she tried to ignore between her legs.

Those illusionists were too damn good at their job.

Still, the disguise was able to get them past the legionaries guarding the castle, as Typhoon was disguised as the unit’s centurion and knew how to talk her way through. As she walked the halls towards the courtyard, however, she had to wonder how the Founders hadn’t managed to infiltrate deeper into the castle before. With disguises like these, getting anywhere within wouldn’t have been a challenge. She could only assume that Abaddon knew what he was doing and was waiting for the perfect moment to strike. His seemingly endless patience unnerved her.

Occasionally, Typhoon would have to stop her unit and salute to a Praetorian or other officer wandering the halls, and every time they approached, her heart skipped a beat. The last thing she wanted was to get cornered, questioned, and found out right in the middle of the castle. It’d only end in the deaths of her companions, the failure of Abaddon’s plans, and, most terrifying to her, her recapture at the hooves of Star Swirl. And there was no way in hell she was going to let the archmage torture her again.

The sounds of the courtyard drew her onwards. Past wait staff and servants she trotted, being careful to stick to the shadows and corners of the castle interior as much as she could. Every legionary patrol had a designated portion of the castle they were supposed to monitor, and under no circumstances were they supposed to be anywhere else. Typhoon knew that she was encroaching on another patrol’s route the closer and closer to the courtyard she traveled. She only hoped that they wouldn’t run into that patrol, or if they did, she’d be able to talk her way out of it.

Luck, for the moment, was on her side. As she rounded a corner she just barely caught the tail end of the patrol travelling down a hall to her right when she needed to go to the left. With the coast clear, she beckoned for her cohorts to follow her, and once more led the way to the courtyard, making faces at her elongated and masculine muzzle the whole time. How did stallions see past these things?

She was so caught up in the oddities of her appearance that she nearly blundered right into the courtyard; only a timely tug on her short tail stopped her. Nodding a quick thanks, she slowly stalked her way counterclockwise around the covered edges of the courtyard. Nobles talked and danced in the open grassy area, and the nearby legionaries didn’t even spare her a second glance as they stood motionless by the columns supporting the overhang. Soon enough, the head table was in Typhoon’s sights, and she understood what the big celebration was about.

Queen Jade, in all her crystalline radiance, sat at the center of the table alongside Queen Platinum. On Jade’s left was Representative Smart Cookie, which Typhoon found odd, and even further left was a unicorn she didn’t recognize. Stranger still was the absence of Celeste, Star Swirl, and her father’s corpse. Perhaps the damned wizard was doing something in his tower. Still, Jade’s presence was all she really needed to see; if the leaders of the Crystal Union were here in Everfree, what would that mean for the castle raid?

Typhoon didn’t dare stay longer and try to figure that out herself. She motioned with a brown wing, and the false legionaries behind her turned around and began to make their way back into the castle. Typhoon marched after them and quickly made her way to the front. As soon as she found an unguarded window, she would fly back to the slums and let Abaddon know what she’d found. Plans would need to be adjusted accordingly, and Abaddon would want her right at his side for all of it. She had a feeling that there were a few sleepless nights ahead of her.

She couldn’t help but look once more over her shoulder as her unit finally left the castle behind. Her eyes wandered up to her father’s room just in time to see the candles blow out. Anger welled up inside her, and she turned to fly back to the hideout faster. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but sometime soon she was going to end Star Swirl’s curse, and then, only then, could her father have the rest he deserved. All she had to do was stick her sword between the archmage’s ribs and twist.

Yes… the mere thought of it made Typhoon smile as she flew into the darkness of the city.

Author's Notes:

Well this chapter was a bitch and a half to get done. At least it's finally over now. Sorry for the delay, everyone.