Chapter 14: Doors and Windows

”Yes Chance, I'm dead serious. It's time you start learning how to teleport." The downstairs of the library had been cleared for their magic lessons, which was even more advisable than usual when such high-level magic was being contemplated.

"But... Twilight, it's not possible. Maybe for an Alicorn bending the whole universe is something you can really do. But I'm not an Alicorn! Making holes in the universe takes enormous amounts of energy. I can barely even start fires with that ignition spell without getting migraines!"

Twilight nodded. "Of course you can't teleport yet. I was years older than you before I could move myself around. And it's only since becoming an Alicorn I could travel long distances, like all the way to Canterlot." She settled down into a comfortable sitting position, beside the chalkboard, and rapidly sketched out a unicorn's head on the board, complete with the internal anatomy. At least the magical organs, which were the only ones that mattered in this case. "See Chance, this little guy here is called the Carbuncle. Every time you cast a spell, this is where the power comes from. It's also why too much magic causes headaches."

"I don't expect you to be able to teleport yourself for a long time, Chance. But I do think you're ready to learn the theory. If you get started practicing now, then you will start putting lots of strain on your magic. You'll improve faster that way, don't you see? Eventually you will be ready for advanced magic, and that time will come much sooner because of all the exercise you've done to make your magic stronger."

Much to Twilight's satisfaction, her apprentice did not argue with her or try to get out of the difficult magical strain. Perhaps many young fillies might try to get out of work in whatever way they could, but Second Chance was not most fillies. Maybe Twilight had decided to call her an apprentice merely as a way to make the filly think that she was needed and give her a reason to go with Twilight instead of any other family that might take in a homeless foal.

For awhile, that had seemed like what was going on. Chance couldn't read, she fell over when she walked. She asked awkward questions and made messes. But those things were fixing themselves as the months went by. She could already read, nearly as well as a filly her age and getting better all the time. She was still awkward and uncoordinated, but not so much that she made messes wherever she went.

Just as important as her intelligence, little Chance was true and kind. She dealt with the strangeness of her present situation with grace, and treated the other ponies with respect. Almost daily somepony or another would compliment her on the filly's behavior. To think that only her friends had any idea what she really was. If more ponies ever found out about it, Chance would have done wonders to represent her people. Often Twilight found herself wondering what her conversion had been like, though she had no words to express the question and didn't ask. What was it like to permanently become something else? Had it merely been her body that had become a pony, or her spirit as well? And if her spirit hadn't changed, then could what happened to Chance's world happen here?

She did not think it would take even a year before Chance started pulling her own weight as a pony, to the point where she no longer took Twilight's time away from her own work but actually helped her be able to get more done. She could already be counted on for small things. But if things continued at their present rate, it wouldn't be long before she could start eliminating grunt-work for Twilight. It wasn't much of a stretch to imagine her being able to start some basic spells, and mix the base of most potions without Twilight's interference. She was already more responsible than Spike. Then again, she was older too. Or... had been older? It was hard to tell with transformation involved.

"Okay, Twilight. Just tell me what I need to do. I'll try."

She nodded, and lifted her chalk for another lecture. "We won't start you moving yourself around, since right now that would be dangerous for you. Instead, let's start with moving small objects. I would rather lose a pencil than an apprentice!" She reached out, resting a hoof briefly on one of Chance's shoulders. "One is far easier to come by than the other."

So she went about explaining the basics of the spell. The mental patterns one formed when performing it. The way one built up a sympathetic connection to the destination, and manipulated the space between those two points until...

"This is exactly like quantum tunneling!" Chance exclaimed, after a half hour of careful instruction and study of the diagrams. "The teleportation spell just makes it macroscopic! Somehow... but all you're doing is altering the probabilities at the entrance, and shaping them into a tunnel so that you have to come out at the exit! That's how you don't travel faster than light, because you actually skipped the distance in-between! It's brilliant!"

Rarely did Twilight see her apprentice this excited. Usually it was only when she had recognized some connection from her home. Complicated relationship with home that filly had, for sure. On the one hoof, the way she sometimes brightened made it seem like humans were her most cherished memories. But sometimes, everything she said made it sound like she didn't even want to think about what she had been before. So was she hurt by the memories, or was she homesick? How was Twilight supposed to tell? Pony emotions were rarely this complex, so that it was not usually so hard to figure them out. Maybe adult ponies could sometimes be this way, but it was very strange to see an innocent-looking filly torn up about them.

Almost as strange as it had been to see her waking up screaming every night after awful nightmares. "So your world had teleportation magic too?" Twilight asked, watching Chance's expression very carefully.

The filly shook her head. "Not like this. Our world had teleportation, but it was for very small things. Little bits of stuff, smaller than you could ever see even with a microscope... not even our microscopes could see them really, and they were much better than yours. But you could observe the effects if you had the right machines. The universe has teleportation all the time. Like... if you picture a hill. We have a ball, and we drop it from another hill nearby so it rolls down the hill and up the next hill. Because of friction and stuff, it won't roll quite as far up the hill as you dropped it from yours, right? Well, if it was very small, it might just keep going to the top of the hill anyway, because it "wants" to be on the other side of that hill, where it can roll down again. And sometimes, more often than you would think, it would go through the hill instead of over it. Spontaneously tunnel straight through it. Our scientists thought that after trillions and trillions of years, quantum tunneling was going to turn everything in the universe into iron. Of course, that's only if the cosmological constant is-" She stopped talking abruptly. "Sorry, Twilight. We didn't have any way of controlling tunneling outside of a laboratory, and never for something as large as a person. Equestria has us beat there."

Twilight Sparkle wasn't so sure about that, but she nodded all the same. Every time they got into this high-level theory, it seemed she was no longer talking to a modestly gifted filly, but to an expert in magical theory, an expert who understood things much better than many of her past teachers. Except Celestia, of course. "Well Chance, I think that's enough for today. Would you like to try and get that Core thing working before dinner? I could start the generator for you!"

It was like popping a balloon. The excitement vanished from the filly, and her ears suddenly pressed themselves flat to her head. "I... uh... maybe tomorrow, Twilight. Scootaloo offered to teach me how to ride a scooter, I'd rather do that. Do you... would it be okay if I went and found her instead?"

On the one hoof, Twilight was reminded of how much more diligent she had been as a young apprentice to Celestia. On the other hoof, she was reminded of how empty and lonely that life had been, and how Celestia had been forced to send her away to Ponyville to teach her those lessons about friendship she easily could've learned in Canterlot if she hadn't had her nose so far up her books. "Sure, Chance. You go right ahead. Just be back in an hour! You know how Spike gets when there's nobody around to appreciate his cooking."

The filly dropped her notebook onto the couch and shot toward the door as though Cerberus himself were nipping at her hooves. "And be careful!" Twilight shouted after her, before the door could close. "Don't crash into anypony!"

"I won't!" The door slammed shut behind her, magically of course, and the filly was gone from sight, leaving Twilight alone in the library. Why did it suddenly feel so empty in here? She'd never felt lonely at home with Spike around. She turned, and went into the kitchen, where her favorite dragon was already well started on what looked like egg-rolls of some kind. "Hey!" She said, as brightly as she could. "Need some help?"

"Sure, Twilight!" He responded, as cheerful as ever. "I'll handle the deep-frier, but you could help me with the dough if you want. And there's some cabbage that needs to be cut."

She nodded, and set to work beside her number one assistant. And of course, she was disappointed that Chance hadn't been able to get the core working yet. She had forgotten much of what her apprentice had said about it, but the fact it contained every Precursor book had never left her mind and probably never would. In the basement of her library was enough books to fill another royal library at least, and she couldn't even open them.

One day. Chance would figure it out eventually. It would just take time.

A universe away, there was a planet that had once been home to rich and varied life, so verdant and beautiful that no corner of the globe had not been teeming with living things. That planet had changed. Gray now covered the continents, gray and brown populated with the corpses of many cities and trees and little else. Nearly a third of the surface of the planet had once been home to the sprawling megalopolis, but now all that was left of them was twisted steel remains. Twisting rad-resistant lichens seemed to be the only visible life left on the surface, though occasionally a lone cockroach would skitter over the ruin searching for something organic to nibble on.

There was only one patch of the planet's surface where life appeared to go on, though in a strictly biological sense there was nothing living there either. Like most of humanity's creations, this apparent life was within the ruin of a city, one of the largest such ruins on the planet. Yet for miles around the rubble had been cleared, and only the largest ruins had not been torn down to make room for the new.

In the center of this cleared area was the largest single structure still standing. The gleaming metal tower had once been white and very beautiful, a tapering spire of impressive width and height. Its surface had once been a single unbroken sheet, so reflective that the pavement around it grew hot to the touch. This was the case no longer. Large sections had been broken, replaced with crude steel plates riveted into place, and the rest was dirty and a little warped by heat.

Still, when viewed from the air the area made for an impressive sight. Much labor had cleared a circular courtyard for miles around the structure, with all the rubble and detritus pushed together at the edges to form a crude wall over a hundred feet high. Smaller structures had begun to spread throughout the courtyard nearest to the tower, though they all seemed to be somewhat ramshackle. The beings that moved about the blackened earth grew no crops, though they did tend to growing fields of solar panels scavenged from hundreds of miles around, along with steady caravans of ruined electronics that flowed in on the backs of hovering scavenger drones. Every day the level of activity on the blackened soil began to grow, with more and more drones as well as apparent humans going about their daily labor.

The Steel Tower lacked for neither king nor throne. The two were rarely near to one another anymore, not since the Fall. Most of his current kingdom's concerns were digital, and few had bodies with which to address him. There were no servants in the Tower anymore, digital or otherwise. No cleaning staff, no butlers, and no cooks. Not that you needed cooks when you didn't eat.

But there were plenty of other things. Most of the physical population within the tower were either his Knights or Sages of the Technocratic Order. Few of his other subjects existed as anything other than digitally upon the Steel Tower's near infinite Quantum Matrix mainframe. Sometimes Richard wished he could join them there, and save himself from the constant political bickering between the Knights and the Sages who still had physical bodies. The mainframe was apparently quite nice this time of year.

The Sovereign of the Steel Tower had vacated his spacious suite near the top of the tower in favor of a smaller office near the base. Every drop of energy he could save by not using the elevator would make for more of his own people that could have bodies made for them, and the faster the Steel Tower could reclaim the broken earth.

His small office could scarcely contain the press of Sages that had come to him on this most important of days, with their most important of findings. They wore thick robes of silver and black, ceremonial gear as much as protection from the fierce dust-storms that sometimes raged outside. With hoods pulled down none of them looked old, though. Full-cybernetic bodies were always made to look in their prime, and it was impossible to guess if the mind inside the body was twenty or two-hundred. Male and female alike wore their hair long in the current popular style of the Tower.

Chairs were a luxury this office did not provide, since the only people that used it would have fully cybernetic bodies that did not tire and could stand in place for days if required. One of the Sages carried a glowing metallic cube in her arms, which projected a holographic display into the air in the center of the room for King Richard to see. Of course his counselors and attendants watched as well, but in digital form, as being a politician did not qualify as high enough priority to warrant a physical body.

"Report." He commanded, resting in the only chair in the room behind a fancy-looking wooden desk that had been somewhat scorched by the events of the Fall. "The windows. How near are we to stabilizing the Rift?"

The greatest of the Sages had taken for himself the nickname "Tesla" for so long that King Richard did not actually recall his proper name. There was even a little physical resemblance, if only because that model of cybernetic happened to have dark hair and almond-colored skin, along with being tall and thin. He did not have the Serbian accent to match, however. "Yes and no." While others were greatly intimidated by the king, Tesla had known him back when he had been just a CEO, and acted with only barely the honor befitting the office. "We have discovered the means to stretch and expand the Rift. Unfortunately, the energy required has proven itself to be beyond our present ability to generate. Our best estimates predict at least three decades before have anything stable enough to risk sending a human being through."

"Mhmm" The King knew better than to argue with Tesla. There was no point pressuring him to go faster, or arguing with his results. Tesla was the best, and always had been. If he said that it would take decades, then it would take decades. "We shall need to evaluate our expansion priorities, then. Focus more of our effort toward the Anti-Matter reactor." Richard made a mental note to examine the resource projections for the next two decades when this meeting was over, then returned his attention on the technicians. "Have we managed to get anything through in one piece?"

Everyone seemed to think Tesla was about to speak, but he deferred to the woman at his side. It was impossible to guess the ages of these people, but she acted far less confident than either of the other two who had spoken so far. "A-as the king will be aware." She squeaked, eyes on the ground. There were many who might have taken advantage of her weakness, but Richard was no such man. No, Richard would be a good king. So he merely waited patiently for her to collect herself enough to resume speaking. "We have discovered seven Rifts, each originating from the Luna-7 station in orbit. We have b-been "capturing" these Rifts for brief periods, but we have been unable to keep them for long. Only one of the seven Rifts is stable enough to send solid matter through. For the last two months, we have been sending automated drones of various sizes and complexity through the Rift, and we send radio signals to communicate with them whenever we can." She gulped, taking a step back. "We estimate about 5% of the automated drones are functional. Another 20% are intact, but damaged in minor ways from the transition. The remaining 75% are damaged beyond repair."

Tesla went on. "The power requirements would be insignificant if we had a stabilizer running on the other end. By your leave, I will transmit the orders to the drones to begin searching for raw materials to build such a platform. It might take years, but we can shorten the process by sending more drones as often as possible."

"No." Richard said, suddenly firm. "If there is no matching gateway on the other side it means that Leo was killed. Need I remind you that we aren't the only ones in desperate need of this new frontier. Perhaps our adversaries are at a disadvantage due to their biological limitations, but this will not contain them forever. Whatever you may think of their intelligence, you may be sure that given enough time they too will find a way to travel freely. I ask you then, do we wish to make ourselves known to the natives as polluters before we even arrive?" He shook his head. "No, I don't think that wise."

If the sages did not like his decision, they didn't argue with him. Thus was the respect between the king and those who served him. He would listen and treat with respect, but when it came time to render judgment, one did not argue with him unless there was no other choice. Even Tesla did not argue, only managing a disgruntled. "Then what would you have us do, Sire?"

The king was quiet for a moment, then rose. "Am I correct in assuming that once the gateway is constructed on the other side, the previous stability of the Rift will become meaningless?" At a few hasty nods, he went on. "Then waste no more energy growing the barrier. We do our enemy's work by it, making a bridge that any can cross. Rather, let your energy now be turned to discovering what about the 5% of probes that survived protected them, and designing more that survive even better. Do we have surveys of the land around the opening?" At another nod, he went right along. "Then find somewhere far away from the ponies with plenty of raw materials and get those probes replicating. Build an infrastructure. We can design a Gateway once everything else is in place for our arrival. If that means we must wait a few more years, then we will wait. At the very worst, our enemy will bridge the gap for us, and will arrive to find us firmly entrenched." Then he softened, relaxing gradually back into his chair.

"Is there... any sign of them? If the Rift is as unstable as you say, it would probably just be a corpse or something..."

"Just one." Tesla turned to glance meaningfully at his inferiors, who scowled before filing from the office one by one. This left only himself holding the projection-device, looking for the first time to be a little nervous about what he was going to tell the king. "We haven't seen any sign of the Rift being activated by the Federation since we managed to get a drone though to the other side to record."

"We have been watching that area ever since we had a single working drone. It seems to be just outside a pony settlement. Not many of them seem to come to the place. However, we've seen these three more than once." He waved a hand over the projector, which switched to a video recording, projected in three dimensions.

Even after watching every last recording of the alien unicorn "Clover", there was just no getting used to seeing these strange aliens, which was all the stranger considering how similar they were in many ways to earthly animals. Yet, there was little of true horses in these creatures. These four were plainly children of their kind, with youthful proportions. Was it strange that he could look at their faces and read their emotion as easily as reading a child's? So far as he knew, not even their most powerful computers had produced any idea of why these aliens were so similar. It was a statistical impossibility. Yet somehow, it was also a truth.

The recording had audio of course, and they conversed in their animal tongue laden with familiar emotions, growing louder as they crested a small hill and neared the edge of the clearing. They did not seem to see the done concealed in a tree on the furthest edge of the clearing, as it tracked their every movement. "Why isn't the translation program running?" Richard asked, watching the recording with some interest. The aliens were remarkable creatures, for all their physical disadvantages. Two of these had horns, and one had a set of wings.

"Just listen."

The king did just that, trying to follow their conversation without being able to understand any of the words. It was a good thing he was listening so closely, or else he might very well have missed as the little green one interjected the words "Hawking Rift" and "radiation" into conversation as she stood in the clearing and appeared to be explaining it to the other three.

Richard listened to the recording several more times before he was satisfied that his ears hadn't simply tricked him. Not that synthetic hearing ever tricked you. The words had been expressed through a thick accent, which was probably inevitable coming from such an alien mouth, but they had been plain for what they were. "Switch on the translation." He instructed, and rewound the playback to the point of interest to listen again.

"It's called a Hawking Rift. It's how you travel between worlds. When it first opens, it releases a huge burst of radiation that can poison anything nearby. It's a good thing nopony was here when it appeared, or they could've been really sick."

"The green one. She knows what she is talking about. Do you think our enemy were the ones to teach her?"

Tesla shrugged. "It is the most likely possibility." He frowned, taking the projector back into his arms. "Unfortunately, we can detect no sign of Leo anywhere. His UT implant is dead, which does not imply anything positive."

Richard nodded gravely. "That implant was nuclear, it should have lasted for thousands of years. Something must have killed him."

"That was my conclusion. Perhaps our enemy managed to send a coherent nanoswarm through the opening."

Richard remained silent for a long time. He got to his feet and turned, looking out the window at the gray waste that was the center of his domain. This was his kingdom. Without resources from new lands, this was all his kingdom would be for hundreds of years to come, maybe thousands. "Once the drones have a stable microfab, I want the green one found and followed. If she is in contact with the enemy, then observing her is the key to learning how we have been bested."

Days turned into weeks in Ponyville. The OMICRON Core refused to work despite successive attempts, and soon it ended up shoved against the wall and began accumulating dust. It seemed quite a shame to have spent so much on the generator that did them no good, but Twilight assured her it hadn't been a problem. "The bits came from the crown anyway Chance, so don't worry. We're doing official research on behalf of all Equestria. This isn't the first time research has hit a dead end. Besides, think of all you learned! Give it some time. Maybe something will come to you eventually." Maybe it would, but she had her doubts. The Omicron Core had been tampered with, given new programming she did not understand. Worse, that programming had come from one of the enemy. The technology of her own people, beautiful, had been twisted to who knew what end.

Of course, the fact it had been teaching Equestrians things about math and science as long as its internal batteries had lasted called her theories about evil into question. Perhaps teaching was too strong a word. Guiding the Equestrians, so that they would discover those innovations on their own. Humanity had learned all too well the dangers of being given knowledge they had not earned. It had cost them their planet. It seemed even the enemy understood this lesson too. But why? What was the point? Maybe this ancient hero, Leo the Bold, really had loved Equestria the way she did. She wouldn't ever know. Second Chance had not told Twilight Sparkle that, if he had been full cybernetic, the human's cortical recorder had probably survived his death. If she ever got the Omicron core running again, it might be used to repair the body and revive him. She hadn't told her, nor did she have any plan to do so. Her own world had been torn apart by conflict between her own people and theirs, and she was not about to bring that conflict here. Equestria deserved better. Let the old hero rest, if hero he had been.

Chance had more than enough to occupy her attention with school on and her magic lessons resumed in earnest. It would never be said she wasn't a proper unicorn, that was for sure. Now that she had a taste for magic, she soaked up every drop of instruction Twilight gave her like a thirsty sponge, to the point where she sometimes did not join her friends the Crusaders on adventures so she could get in some extra study time. Besides, it wasn't as though anything they did together actually worked. There might be one more Crusader, but that had not improved their ability to get Cutie Marks. Of course, it was still great fun. That never changed. Besides, the Crusaders needed somepony to be a voice of reason, and shoot down ideas that made less than good sense.

It came near the middle of spring, perhaps the most important night in a long time. It was the first time she dreamed of Equestria.

There were no more distant memories, no more ruined cities and nuclear fire. No more humans. Just her, and the library, and her studying. As close to actual studying as she could actually manage while asleep, in any case. The books were just nonsense, random smattering of Equestrian and English. But she didn't notice. That was the way of dreams; she had no reason to question anything.

Until Luna walked in. Each time the princess tried to blend into the scenery of her dream, yet each time the presence of another mind immediately alerted her to the fact she was no longer alone. Not even the comfort of the library would be enough to conceal her visitor from her. This was her mind, and welcome or not, she noticed. "Oh, Luna!" She sat up, returning the book to the shelf with a careful pressure of her magic. It wasn't making any sense to her anyway. "It's been so long. I thought you forgot about me."

It seemed strange to see the Alicorn in such familiar circumstances. There was nothing strange here. She almost felt she ought to summon some human artifact into being to make her visitor more comfortable. "Nay, filly. We doth not forget any of our beloved subjects." She sat down on her haunches across from Second Chance, in a regal and relaxed sort of way. "We came unto thee to say goodbye, however. None other that we so often visited. Yet, our work is almost done." She gestured around them, approvingly. "The whole need no physician."

Chance frowned, and gestured a table into being between them. Perhaps she was not so good at manipulating the conditions in dreams as Luna, but Chance knew the game of being a disembodied mind. Manipulating the simulation had not become any harder for her few months having a body again. On the table she put the most delicious thing she could remember. It was a German chocolate cake she had had for her twelfth birthday. She had been saving fabricator rations for a month to have that cake. Considering how little sugar she had enjoyed on Luna-7, the cake had tasted like heaven. Besides, being made for humans meant it would be bigger compared to ponies. At least, that was how her imagination saw it. In a dream, that was all that mattered. She served Luna a slice on a compressed silicon plate, mostly because that was what she had eaten the cake on all those years ago.

"You're saying you aren't coming back then, Princess?" Chance waited for the princess to take a bite before she did. It wasn't just a cake she was eating, but a precious and treasured memory. That probably made it taste much better than it had any right to. Even her royal guest seemed to approve.

"Unless I am needed again. Thou art healing, Chance. It will be years yet until thy wounds have closed. But love and friendship hast sped thy recovery. Thou art not the bruised and broken creature who wandered into Equestria's skies those months ago. In time, it may be thou art one of us completely. The sad things shall fade, until they are but distant echoes."

Chance nodded. It wasn't as though she had any mind to argue with Luna. The princess had seen things with her she hadn't dared to tell Twilight about. She had seen almost all of her worst memories. Seen her ruined planet and the slaughter that had been there. The loss of so many lives that most brains could not even conceive of so large the numbers. The near extinction of what had been a noble and proud people. She had listened. She had been here through it all. Chance owed her almost as much as she owed Twilight. And maybe Luna was right. It had been so long since she had a nightmare. It wasn't as though the princess could use powerful dream-travel magic just to make casual social calls.

"One of us is healing, Princess." Chance said quietly, as she took a large bite of the recreated cake. Maybe she should give the recipe to Pinkie Pie. Did Equestria have coconuts? It seemed quite comparable in climate to North America. Heck, some of the cities were even named (almost) the same. "I think you're right about that. But not about leaving. I don't think that's so good an idea."

"Really?" Luna raised her eyebrows, watching her with a curious grin. It was clear to Chance that most of her subjects were not this bold. And perhaps she wouldn't have been this bold with the princess either, were it not for how often they had spent time together. It was likely she had been with Luna more than any other mortal pony in Equestria. Luna wasn't an imposing and distant princess to her.

She gulped. This might not go well. Then again, she cared too much about Luna not to try. "I think I know why you work so hard to heal all of us. Even me, the stranger." Her eyes were close to tears, but she fought it to maintain eye contact. The princess was impossible to read, her face a frozen mask. She was far too ancient a being for Chance to make out what might be going on behind those eyes when she wanted to hide it. "I don't think you could've helped me get better without knowing pain like mine, first. You would never understand otherwise."

The Princess, Luna, Diarch of the Moon, Dreamweaver, Crafter of Stars, was frozen, unable to respond. She just started, blinking.

So Chance went on. "I think it's not a good idea for you to go, because you need friends too. Because... just because the Elements of Harmony got rid of Nightmare Moon, I don't think they healed the hurt inside. I think the guilt was still there. There was no way you could've just forgotten, or else Nightmare Moon would've come back eventually. No, you would have to remember. Maybe I hurt because I come from a world that was suffering. But I think you're hurt worse, because you remember making the world suffer. You've helped me, and you probably help hundreds of Equestrians every night. I think someone ought to help you. The Princess of the Night shouldn't have to run into other ponies' dreams to get away from her nightmares."

She was more than a little afraid to see what the princess might be doing. She expected anger. She might've expected Luna to chastise her for going well out of her place. This was steadying the ark territory here. Ordinary ponies weren't supposed to talk to princesses like that. From another world or no, she was just a unicorn filly now. She had not expected to see Luna crying, a few silent tears streaming down her face.

Chance squeezed around the table and embraced her, clinging to the regal shape to give her what feeble support she could offer. That was why she had picked the cake memory. Luna could use some happy memories. She had a feeling the princess was in desperate lack of them. "We-..." Luna squeaked. "you can't imagine. After what we did. We don't deserve-" She shoved weakly at Chance with one hoof, though she was clearly too emotional to push very hard.

"No, I can't." Chance admitted. "And from what Twilight told me, you did some awful things as Nightmare Moon. Like waging a war against your own people." She pushed Luna's hoof away, and pressed herself to her side. Such a gesture might have seemed awkward and strange if she were a human adult. But Chance wasn't human anymore, nor was she an adult. What could a little filly do when somepony she cared about was sad? A big hug, obviously. That was all she could do. "I don't care, Luna. I think you suffered enough. Your sister's forgiven you. Equestria's forgiven you. I'm not even from here, but on behalf of the human race, I forgive you too." She whimpered, clinging tighter. "P-please... please don't stop coming."

The princess held her close, clinging to Chance for a moment like someone who was drowning might cling to a flotation device thrown to them. Then, rather abruptly, the crying stopped. The princess released her, inhaled sharply, and seemed to collect herself. "You are a conundrum, Second Chance." She smiled softly. "If thou spoke truly that thy people have not nobility to rule them, then they are remiss. There are many ponies who could learn much from thy compassion."

Chance stretched, rubbing the top of her head briefly on Luna's chin in animal affection. "I learned from the best. Twilight Sparkle, taking me in the way she did... and you, Princess. But I'm getting better, so now it's time to help you." She crawled free, standing on her hooves and looking up bravely. "We've seen lots of my memories. Why don't we go see some of yours?"

Author's Notes:

And that's another chapter done. It's hard for me to say if we're nearly the halfway point here or the two-thirds point (is that a thing?), but we are making progress either way. Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to read along with this adventure, and even more to those who take the time to say something about the chapters as they come. I know I wouldn't keep writing if it wasn't for all the feedback and friendly responses I get from everyone here. And the critical ones too, of course. Even if most of them are just a word or two that I mistyped. Fixing all of that crap does leave a better story for those who come after.

I plan on continuing the current release schedule until the story is finished, which should take about another month or so at my best prediction. After that, probably a break, then a short story, and then the sequel. That's the way I see it, anyway. Assuming the story ends in such a way to allow the short story I have planned. Honestly I'm not sure, because it's already taken some turns I didn't expect. I planned on writing the story about REDACTED'S adventures on REDACTED , but I don't know if there will actually be any of those at this point. (shrugs) Suppose there's nothing for it but to power through.