“That insipid, uncouth knave!”

“Calm down, Rarity,” said Twilight, “I’m sure he didn’t mean to stand Fluttershy up.”

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash. “He was way too excited about hanging out with her. Besides, nopony could want to hurt Fluttershy.”

Pinkie Pie popped her head into the train cabin where the rest of them were sitting. “What about Angel?” she said. Then, without waiting for an answer, she popped right back out again.

“Angel…” said Rainbow Dash darkly, “yeah, sometimes I’d like to lob a Holy Hand Grenade at him.”

“Oh no,” said Fluttershy, “he’s actually a really good pet…”

“The point is,” said Twilight, “Nightshy wouldn’t have stood you up without a very good reason.”

“But Twilight…” whispered Fluttershy, “…that is even worse…because it means…it means…”

She didn’t have to say it. All of them knew what it meant. Nopony wanted to be the one to say it out loud, but they all knew. Nightshy had disappeared, just like the other star ponies.

It was almost sundown when the Friendship Express pulled into Canterlot Station. The sky above the white city was a fiery orange. A few brave stars had already come out. Silence hung over the group as the train came to a stop. Almost all of them felt it, a sense of foreboding, the nagging feeling things were going to get worse.

One train car over from the rest of the group, Pinkie Pie was unfazed. It was as if she lived in a bubble that none of the dark feelings could penetrate. Surprise envied her sister that.

“Are you sure about this, Pinkie? I mean, she’s a princess. And I’m…well, I’m nopony…”

“Don’t talk like that!” Pinkie put one hoof on Surprise’s shoulder. “You’re my sister. Wherever I go, you go!”

“But I’m not even one of the Guardians of Harmony. I should just wait outside while the rest of you guys meet with the princess…”

“Nonsense! You’ve got to meet Princess Luna. She’s, like, the most fun princess ever! You should have seen her last Nightmare Night, when she screamed at everypony in her really loud voice and used her magic to create a bunch of monster spiders that chased us all…”

“That…doesn’t sound like much fun…”

“It doesn’t? Oh, well, I thought it was fun. But trust me, she’s totally cool now that she doesn’t want to bring eternal darkness to all of Equestria.” Pinkie smiled happily.

Surprise fidgeted. She wasn’t sure about this…

As they stepped off the train, the Twilight and her friends were met by a group of royal guards, led by a unicorn. The ponies exchanged glances.

“Princess Luna has sent me to escort you to her straight away,” said the unicorn. She was white with a pink cloud for a mane.

“Twinkleshine!” said Twilight.

“Hi, Twilight,” she said weakly.

“What’s wrong?”

The white unicorn shook her head. “Nothing, it’s nothing. Just…all of Canterlot is on edge. With Princess Celestia gone and the…vanishings…we…I…”

Twilight nodded. “How is my family?”

“All still accounted for. Your brother tried to put up a protective shield over the city, but it didn’t work. Ponies still disappeared.”

“And nopony has any idea what is behind it?”

Twinkleshine shook her head. “Not that they are telling us.” There was the tiniest trace of bitterness in her voice. “We hope that whatever it is that Princess Luna wants to talk to you about, it helps. That’s the worst part, the not knowing anything. It’s almost like--”

But what it was almost like, Twilight and her friends never got to hear. At that moment, a pale light surrounded Twinkleshine, who had just enough time to realize what was happening to her, her eyes widening in terror, her mouth opening to scream, before she vanished right in front of them.

Nopony moved, the entire group stood in stunned silence.

“What…just happened?” Applejack asked.

The guards that had come with Twinkleshine whispered furtively among themselves. “Vanished.” “Gone.” “Another one.” “Not her, she was so…” “If it can happen to the Princess, it can happen to anypony.” “Nopony is safe.”

Twilight was stricken. She hadn’t even thought about how Twinkleshine was a star pony. All she had been thinking about was her own family, her mom and her brother. Selfish… she thought. And poor Twinkleshine, she looked so scared…

“Take us to Princess Luna,” she said. The guards looked around, then nodded, and led the friends to the castle.

As soon as everypony left the station, three colorful shapes emerged from their hiding places and hopped off the Friendship Express. They were three young ponies: a unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony. They wore matching capes adorned with a peculiar symbol: a young pony in a cape. It was childish and so were they.

[What follows came about because of their innocence. Remember that and try not to judge them too harshly, for these moments would be the last they spent carefree.]

“Do you have the letter?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Got it,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Well, what’s it say?”

“You know what it says.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “I don’t think ya understand how exposition works.”

“Just read it,” said Scootaloo. “And quit using words I don’t understand.” She was barely paying attention. A set of headphones were clapped over her ears, and the other little ponies could hear faint music coming out of them.

“Okay then,” said Sweetie Belle. She read: “If the three of you want your cutie marks, meet me in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden at Sundown.” A friend, was the only signature the writer had left on the note.

“Cause that don’t sound suspicious at all,” said Apple Bloom.

They all agreed it was.

That did not stop them from sneaking on board the Friendship Express and following Twilight Sparkle and her friends to Canterlot.

There was something magical about the Stone Garden. It was as if every statue were somehow alive, a menagerie of wondrous beings turned hard and grey, but waiting patiently for the moment when life and color would return to them.

There were statues of pony magicians and mythological creatures. Some wore expressions of happiness, others of surprise, a few of terror. In the fading light, the magic of the Garden took on a darker, more frightening tone.

One statue in particular caught Scootaloo’s eye. Distracted by it, she didn’t pay attention as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle went on ahead of her. A few firefly lamps hung around the statue, washing it in pale green light.

It was an alicorn. She was beautiful and terrible. Her mane was wild, as if it were made of angry flames that had been turned to stone. She cringed as if from some oncoming fury, defiant. On her head was a crown of stone. Scootaloo stood before the image and stared, transfixed.

“Scootaloo!” a voice broke through her trance. Somepony was shaking her. Her headphones came off and fell to the grass, spilling her music into the evening air: “…wanna be with you, and make believe with you, and live in harmony harmony…”

She picked them back up, blushing. “What…what happened?”

“You were just standing there, not even moving,” said Sweetie Belle.

“For a second there, I thought you’d been turned ta stone,” Apple Bloom said. “What were you doin’?”

“Nothing! I was just…this statue…”

The three of them looked at it.

“She looks like Princess Celestia,” whispered Sweetie Belle.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Apple Bloom.

The others nodded. It felt like the temperature had dropped in the last few minutes. On the horizon, the sun was sinking fast. The sky had gone from orange to deep red to violet. It was getting darker.

The Crusaders went to the part of the Sculpture Garden that they had visited on their class field trip. Even in the more familiar part of the Garden, the night made everything look sinister. Statues seemed to reach out with their stone hooves and claws, trying to grasp anypony who got close enough. Not knowing where else to go to look for whoever they were meeting, the Crusaders took a break under a familiar statue.

It was the draconequus, Discord. His face was frozen in an expression of disbelieving shock. Next to him stood the statue of a young pony with a cello. Her stone features were coolly carved, giving her a serious look.

“Strange place to wait,” observed Scootaloo.

“Aw, it’s ahright. Applejack and her friends whooped him.” Apple Bloom leaned against the statue confidently.

“But…he’s real. Not just a statue.”

“I think…” Sweetie Belle whispered. “I get the feeling all of them are real.”

All three Crusaders swallowed.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have come here,” said Scootaloo.

“At least not at night,” said Sweetie Belle.

“But you wanted your cutie marks, didn’t you?” said the pony statue.

“Yeah, but maybe there’s a less scary way ta get them,” said Apple Bloom.

“Yeah,” said Scootaloo.

“Yeah,” said Sweetie Belle.

A pause.

The hair stood up on all the Crusaders’ necks. They turned to look at the pony statue.

It was looking back at them.

“Y-You’re alive?” asked Apple Bloom.

“A talking statue!” said Scootaloo.

“I am not a statue,” said the pony. “I’m just grey.”

“You lost your colors,” said Apple Bloom.

“Discord got to you!” said Scootaloo.

“No,” said the pony. “I’ve always been grey.”

“Ohhh…” said all of the Crusaders in unison.

“I’m the one who sent you that letter,” said the grey pony. “The name is Octavia.”

“You said you could help us get our cutie marks,” said Apple Bloom.

Octavia nodded. “And not only that. You will get to be heroes, like your sisters and Rainbow Dash. Wouldn’t you like that?”

The three little ponies glanced at one another. A silent agreement passed between them.

“How?”

Octavia smiled a cold, sculpted smile.

“First, we need to rescue a certain somepony…”

She looked up. The Cutie Mark Crusaders followed her gaze.

In the faint light, the statue almost seemed to be grinning.

“Welcome, friends,” said Princess Luna.

“Princess,” said Twilight. “On the way…Twinkleshine, she…”

“She just kinda went poof,” said Pinkie. “And she was gone.”

Luna closed her eyes and gave a weary sigh. “I know. None of my spells seem to be able to protect my subjects.”

“D’you know what’s goin’ on?” asked Applejack.

Luna surveyed the faces of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, frowning. “I have an idea, but I cannot be certain. Come. Follow me.”

“Where are we going?”

“To the bat cave.”

Twilight and her friends blinked.

“Bat…cave?” asked Rarity.

“Oh…” said Luna, blushing a deep indigo. “That’s what I used to call it. (I like bats.) It’s where the Elements are kept in Canterlot Tower.”

“Ah,” said Rarity. “Makes sense, I suppose.”

“Um…I like bats, too,” said Fluttershy softly.

Princess Luna led them to the tower. The door stood shut, sealed with a lock decorated to look like the sun. The spells that protected the tower ensured that nopony could open it except Princess Celestia.

Luna dipped her head and pushed her horn into the lock. “Please,” she whispered, so faintly that none heard. “Accept this pale reflection of her light.”

Lines of cool blue light flowed out from the sun decoration, running along the grooves in the door. It worked! Luna had not attempted it since her return from the darkness. Did it mean that her sister had trusted her fully? Or had her friendship with her sister been enough magic to get through?

They entered the chamber and stood in a circle. There, in the center of the room was a pedestal upon which sat a jeweled case. Within that case were the most powerful magical artifacts in existence.

Once, two sisters had wielded their power to save their world.

But that was long ago.

“The Elements of Harmony,” breathed Twilight.

“You must wield them, use their power to save Equestria.”

“Save it from what? What’s going on?”

All of the ponies looked at Princess Luna. She looked up at the ceiling. They followed her gaze. The ceiling of the chamber was a dome, covered with a painting of swirling stars. Silver lines stretched between them, forming a geometrical pattern.

“I know what is happening, though I do not know who is behind it.”

“Princess…” Twilight urged.

Luna looked at them. “Our world is…protected by the stars. They are a kind of magic seal that keeps Equestria safe…from the worlds beyond.”

“Worlds beyond?” asked Surprise. “What are you talking about?”

“There are other worlds,” said Luna, making a wide upward gesture with her hoof. “The Outside. A thousand worlds. Ten thousand. More. All of them radiating out from Equestria like shadows cast by our world. All of them in darkness.”

“But, what does that have to do with Equestria?”

Luna smiled sadly. “Equestria is the light that casts the shadows. It stands at the center of…everything. Nopony realizes how important it is. There are entire races living in the darkness, thirsting for the light that our world gives them. There are worlds that have forgotten the power of friendship, beings whose hearts have grown cold. And in each of these places, our light takes some form. It shines in the darkness, giving hope.”

“It’s…kinda hard ta believe…” said Applejack.

“Sometimes they have a hard time believing in us, too. The darkness is strong. It bends the truth, like a warped mirror. To some, our world is only a story. They have forgotten what they once knew…” She began to walk around the room, looking each of them in the eyes. “That the truth is more real than the lie…that kindness is more real than cruelty…that generosity is more real than greed…that loyalty is more real than treachery…that joy is more real than despair…” She stopped at Twilight Sparkle. “And that magic is more real than the grey existence they have lived in.”

“But then…why do we need to be sealed away from them?” asked Twilight.

“Because there are…things out there in the darkness that would try to corrupt us, to let the darkness into our world. They would ruin us if they could, make our world something darker, less pure. Equestria stands like a lonely torch in a room of shadows. They would put out our light. And if that happens…”

“What?”

Luna shook her head. “You can’t have shadows without light. If our world falls, everything falls. The whole Outside, all those worlds that don’t even believe we are real. Everything.”

“But…it’s happening…” Fluttershy said weakly. “The stars are going out. And the star ponies.”

“Yes, the seal is weakening. Already I sense darkness slipping in. But the worst is still on the Outside. For now.”

“Death,” said Applejack, remembering her dream. Those dark wings…

Luna nodded. “Death does not belong in our world. Here love always wins, evil is always defeated, and nopony can ever be killed.”

“But…if this here seal breaks…”

“If Death comes to Equestria, all is lost.”

All will be lost. That’s what Granny Smith had said. All will be lost.

Rainbow Dash slapped the wall behind her with her hoof. “Who in Celestia’s name would do such a thing?”

“Let me tell you a story,” said Luna. “Once, the secrets of our world were entrusted to four sisters. The heavens marked each of them as their protectors. Stella, Astra, Celestia…and Luna. Four princesses born to stand against the Shadow. The eldest, Princess Stella, was the guardian of the stars. She was noblest and most beautiful of the four. And she was the one who betrayed us.

“Over a thousand years ago, she tried to break the seal between Equestria and the Outside, to let the darkness in. She tried to take a life.” Luna’s eyes flashed. “But she was defeated, at great cost. And nopony has tried to do what she did since then. Even I…at my darkest…I would not dare. Not even Discord…” She shook her head.

“What happened to her?” Surprise asked quietly.

Luna’s expression was unfathomable. “You can see her, even now, in the Sculpture Garden…I visit her sometimes…even now…”

Twilight shuddered. She never knew that Princess Celestia had another sister. Two other sisters.

“What about the other? Princess Astra?”

“Lost to Time,” said Luna. “She cannot help us now.”

“So…what do we do? How do we use the Elements of Harmony if we don’t even know where our enemy is?”

“I do not know. My sister might have. She knew much more than I…”

Twilight put a hoof on the princess’s shoulder. “We’ll find her,” she promised.

Luna grabbed her with a sudden ferocity. “Please, Twilight Sparkle. Bring her back to me. I can’t be alone again. I…”

“It’s okay, Princess,” said Twilight gently. “I’ll save everypony…”

Poof. A curl of blue flame flashed in the middle of the room, dropping a scroll to the floor.

Luna released Twilight and magicked the scroll into the air, unrolling it and reading it. Fear darkened her expression. She looked up from the scroll.

“Our enemy has made its first move,” she said.

“What? But where?” asked Rarity.

Luna looked at Rainbow Dash.

“No…” the pegasus whimpered.

“Cloudsdale is under attack.”

“Are we makin’ a huge mistake?”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Pinkie Pie says he’s not that bad…”

Apple Bloom was not reassured. “But Pinkie’s crazy.”

Scootaloo looked away. “If he can help us save the day, we could be heroes like Rainbow Dash. And maybe he shouldn’t be locked up in stone forever anyway. That’s kinda cruel, isn’t it?”

“Maybe…”

“What about you, Sweetie Belle? You’ve been as silent as one of those RPG heroes from your video games.”

“…” said Sweetie Belle.

“Have you decided?” asked Octavia.

The three ponies looked at her. There was something not quite right about her, of that they were certain. She seemed…

Cold. None of the Crusaders said so, but that is what they felt. Even though they knew she was a real live pony, she still looked like she had been carved out of cold stone. It was in the way she stood, far too still. It was in her voice, which was musical, but musical the way an icy wind sometimes is. Mostly it was in her eyes, that cool silver gaze that chilled anypony it fell upon.

Fear and wild hope mingled with their childish stupidity and daring.

“We’ll do it!” said Scootaloo.

Octavia smiled without any trace of warmth.

“Sing, my little ponies,” she said, and began to play her cello. A haunting melody floated from her instrument. It is impossible to describe in mere words, but it brought to mind long shadows shifting in flames, the emptiness between the stars, the cry of Windigos chained in darkness. If the ponies had known the word demonic, that is what they would have called Octavia’s music.

[Even as she played, that word crawled into dictionaries all over Equestria. A little bit of innocence went out of the world. A little more darkness crept in.]

Sweetie Belle began to sing. Then Apple Bloom and Scootaloo joined in:

A peal of thunder. Stone snapping. A crack running up the statue like a fork of black lightning. The statue shattering.

Dark laughter.

An oily voice poured itself out of the darkness. It spoke in sweet, syrupy tones, “How kind of you. I was getting rather bored in there.”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders gulped as Discord stretched out before them. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all. Too late.

“Discord…” Octavia’s voice was low, warning.

The draconequus looked down at her. There seemed to be some war of wills between them. Finally, unbelievably, it was Discord who looked away. “Fine, fine, have it your way. I suppose I owe you for letting me out anyway. But don’t get too full of yourself, Princess. Chaos is not so easily controlled.”

Octavia’s smile never wavered. “I am no princess. Not anymore.”

Discord sighed. “I’m sorry, my little Crusaders. I wanted to have a bit of fun with you before you went on your way, but somepony is a little too serious.” He bent low and whispered conspiratorially to Apple Bloom. “I think she envies my…personality.”

All of the Crusaders had gone very pale. “Wh-What are y-you gonna d-do?” asked Apple Bloom.

Discord’s lips curled. “Everything. But first, it’s time you brave fillies were rewarded. That One Thing you have all sought for so long. And so much more…”

He snapped his clawed fingers.

A cutie mark blossomed on each of the Crusaders’ flanks, identical black symbols that looked like the silhouette of a draconequus. The young ponies barely noticed. They were staring ahead, eyes gone dull and grey.

“And now to make you all the heroes you wished to be…”

A black collar appeared on each of their necks, including Octavia’s. Each was adorned with a single dark gem that dangled like a necklace over their chests.

“Behold the Elements of Ruin,” said Discord. “The power that can oppose even the Guardians of Harmony themselves…once their circle of friendship is broken.”

Octavia looked down at her Element. “Despair,” she said. “She would have hated that. Her music was meant to bring happiness to everypony.”

“Ah, but then, where’s the fun in that?”

Octavia paced in front of the Crusaders. “Deception,” she said to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom smirked. “Not at all.”

“Greed,” Octavia said to Sweetie Belle.

“All I ever wanted,” the little unicorn replied.

“Cruelty,” Octavia said to Scootaloo.

Scootaloo said nothing, but her colorless eyes sharpened and she smiled and licked her lips.

“Two remain,” said Discord.

“The unicorn is mine,” said Octavia.

“And the other is mine,” purred Discord. “Mine from the moment she was born.”

The sky had darkened to a deep asari blue. Silver starlight drooled down onto the Sculpture Garden, touching all. The curtain of night was fallen.

The Guardians of Harmony split up.

Twilight took Applejack and Fluttershy to the Canterlot Archives to see if they could find any information about their adversary. Rainbow Dash led the others to Cloudsdale to find out what was going on there. Twilight wasn’t sure about splitting up the group, but the Elements of Harmony were useless if they didn’t know who they were up against. Even apart, Twilight felt the presence of her friends pulse through her Element, comforting her.

The three of them raced through the halls of the castle. Royal guards wished them speed as they passed them.

“D’you know where it is we’re goin’?” asked Applejack as they ran.

“The Starswirl the Bearded wing. He lived at the same time as the Princess of the Stars. Maybe he left some record of what happened.

“But if Princess Luna didn’t know…” said Fluttershy.

“She was only a filly at the time. And then she was banished for a thousand years. If anypony could have told us who is behind this, it would have been Princess Celestia. But with her gone, all we can do is research!”

Applejack gave her a sidelong glance. “You’re lovin’ this, aintcha?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Twilight. The truth was, even with all her fear about the coming darkness, and their mysterious foe, and even the disappearance of the Princess and the other star ponies, part of Twilight was indeed loving this. A flame of curiosity had been ignited by Princess Luna’s revelations. What had happened all those centuries ago? What were they up against now? Twilight’s mind burned with questions. She threw open the doors to the Starswirl the Bearded wing with her magic, ready to dive into the scrolls and books with a student’s zeal.

As they flung open the doors to the Archive, three ponies who were already there were startled. One bolted as soon as she saw her, a blur of blue vanishing behind a bookcase. Twilight did not think much of her, because the other two ponies caught all of her attention.

“Twilight Sparkle, right on time,” said the pony who was leaning up against Starswirl’s giant Hourglass. He was a stallion, with a messy brown mane and an hourglass for a cutie mark.

Twilight pulled up short in front of him. She caught her breath. “Do I…know you…?”

“Of course you do!” said the stallion. “Well, not exactly. Not yet, anyway. Even though we actually met a long time ago. Before you were born.”

“Aw, he’s a nut,” said Applejack.

“No, I’m the Doctor, and I know you too, Applejack. Have you told any of your friends about your dreams?”

“Wha? How’d you know about…they’re just dreams is all…”

“Really? Can you tell me what this says?” The Doctor produced a piece of paper and passed it to Applejack.

“It’s blank.”

“No it’s not,” said Fluttershy. “It says Trust me, I’m a Doctor, and there’s a picture of him on it.”

“I see it too,” said Twilight.

“See? Magic and psychic ability have no apparent connection.”

“Sai-kick what now?” asked Applejack.

“We don’t have time for this!” said Twilight.

“Of course we do,” said the Doctor. “In fact, we have all the time in the world.”

Twilight felt herself getting angry. “Listen, you! Do you have any idea what’s going on out there?”

The Doctor’s companion stepped in front of Twilight. “Listen to him, Twilight,” she said. There was something in the way she said her name, with complete familiarity even though they had never met, that made her pause. Twilight took a good look at her for the first time. She was wearing some kind of silvery cloak with a hood. She was a grey pony, with a golden mane peeking out from under her hood. Her eyes were honey colored. They gleamed with an intelligence to rival Twilight’s own.

She looked awfully familiar.

“D-Ditzy Doo?” said Fluttershy.

The pony raised an eyebrow. “Ditzy?” She glanced at the Doctor.

“A descendent of yours, I believe,” said the Doctor. “Very sweet, from what I hear.”

“And they call her Ditzy? Why?”

The Doctor shrugged and looked away. “A term of endearment. No cause for offense, Princess.”

“Princess?” Applejack’s tone was skeptical.

The pony that looked like Ditzy Doo sighed and threw aside her cloak. She had a silver unicorn’s horn and…wings? She spread them. Suddenly she looked ten times as regal.

“Well I’ll be…you’re an alicorn!”

“In my day, we just call ourselves winged unicorns,” she said. “Call me Astra.”

“You’re…Princess Celestia’s sister!” Twilight said with awe.

“Oh, you know Celestia?”

“Know her? I’m her best student!”

Astra looked over at the Doctor. “I thought she was supposed to be Luna’s.”

The Doctor was gesturing wildly, trying to get her attention and making be quiet motions with his hooves. “Both of them, but that hasn’t happened yet.”

Princess Astra’s ears flattened sadly. “Oh. Right. Sorry, I do that all the time.”

“Do you know where the Princess is?” asked Twilight.

“Yes, but you can’t help her right now,” said the Doctor. “You came here for another reason, didn’t you?”

Twilight looked around at the shelves of dusty tomes, frowning. “We need to find out what Starswirl the Bearded might have known about who or what’s stealing the stars.”

“Exactly!” said the Doctor. “Because if the Star Seal breaks, that’s it for the whole universe. And I rather like the universe.”

“Are you here to help?”

The Doctor grinned. “That’s what I do. But first, we have to send the three of you back to Starswirl’s time so you can find out what it is you are up against.”

Silence greeted this statement.

“Back…in time?”

“Why so confused. You’ve already traveled through time once. I can tell.”

“You can? How?”

The Doctor smiled warmly. “It leaves a mark. It’s not something just anypony can see, but these eyes…” He pointed with his hoof to his eyes, and Twilight noticed for the first time how blue they were. The bluest blue ever. And they were old. Ancient. It was like looking into Celestia’s eyes, eyes that had drank in a thousand years worth of light.

Twilight looked away.

“I could only use that spell once, and it only took me back a week.”

“That spell was a prototype. Starswirl was trying to combine science and magic. It only half worked…”

“You…wait, did you know Starswirl the Bearded?”

“Of course. He’s only the noblest, most handsome pony I have ever met.”

“And so humble,” added Princess Astra, rolling her eyes.

“Cloudsdale’s in danger, we’ve gotta go now!” said Rainbow Dash. She was hovering like a hummingbird right next to Princess Luna.

“Patience, Rainbow Dash. Your will need your friends for this, and they can’t fly.”

“Yeah,” said Pinkie. “How are you gonna save Cloudsdale without me by your side?”

Rainbow Dash coughed.

“Stand still, Pinkie Pie,” commanded Princess Luna. Her horn shone with azure light. Pinkie was enveloped in it. She felt the familiar lightness. It made her even giddier than she normally was. It made her want to jump up into the air and do floating cartwheels.

So she did.

Surprise didn’t bother the princess. She was a pegasus, after all. She could fly when she needed to. And she still felt out of place in the presence of royalty. What am I doing here? she wondered again.

Luna started to cast the cloud-walking spell on Rarity, when she was interrupted.

“Excuse me. Oh, Princess, I do not mean to be a bother, but…well, you see, the last time I had to go to Cloudsdale, Twilight cast a wonderful spell to give me the most beautiful wings…and I was just wondering…if you don’t mind, that is…”

Luna cocked her head. “You want magical wings? Beautiful ones?”

Rarity nodded, smiling hopefully.

“I suppose I can manage that.”

Luna bowed her head and pointed her horn at Rarity. Blue energy swirled around the unicorn, wrapping her in a cocoon of light. She was lifted off the floor. When the spell’s energy dissipated, she floated before them.

“They are gorgeous!” said Princess Luna, admiring her own work.

Rarity beamed. “Thank you, Princess, oh thank you…”

Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Surprise just stared.

“What are you looking at?” Rarity asked, glancing at her new wings.

They were black, leathery things that flapped in the night.

She had given her bat’s wings!

Rarity gasped, eyes wide with shock. “What has magic done?!” she shrieked dramatically.

It was time to go.

Princess Luna summoned her chariot for the ponies. “Go now. Protect Cloudsdale if you can. But beware. You cannot wield the full power of the Elements of Harmony unless you are all together.”

“Goodbye, Princess,” said Surprise.

“See you later!” said Pinkie.

Rarity mumbled something about jeweled butterfly wings.

Rainbow Dash gave a salute.

Then they were off, Luna’s shadow guards carrying her chariot into the night, Rainbow Dash flying beside it. The princess watched them until they were a speck of darkness in the night sky. She hung her head, fought tears.

Where were her stars?

“Who are we looking for?” asked Sweetie Belle. There was an eager gleam in her eyes.

“A very special unicorn,” said Octavia. “She has resisted my power up to now, even though she has a star on her cutie mark. Her will is strong. But she will fall, just like everypony does eventually. Her magic will be mine.”

“Where is she?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Here,” said Discord, pulling a sheet of paper into existence and giving it to them. Sweetie Belle spelled it into the air in front of the three of them and they looked at what was drawn upon it.

It was a map.

“This is the Star Map,” said Discord. “It will lead you to the one who will bear the Element of Loneliness. Would you kindly follow it and recruit her to our noble cause.”

“Uh-huh!” the three said, nodding and smiling. There was no joy in their smiles anymore, just a savage glee.

“Now,” said Discord, fixing his red eyes on Octavia, “I believe I’ve fulfilled my part in this charade.”

Octavia nodded. “I think you can be excused for awhile. Go on. Have some fun.”

Discord chuckled. His body faded from his tail up to his head, vanishing until only his grin remained. “Oh, I will, Princess. Why don’t you?”

Then he was gone. The Crusaders looked down on their Star Map. It showed Canterlot Castle. A single dot of silver light shone in the part marked Starswirl the Bearded Archive. They grinned at each other and raced for the castle.

Octavia was alone. She picked up her bow and began to play Dancing Mad on her cello. On the horizon, red lightning flashed over the Everfree Forest. Discord was playing. In the sky above, the stars were winking out so fast you could watch them. And soon, very soon she would have the unicorn she sought. The one to whom the constellations would kneel.

Heart full of dark emotion, she played passionately for an audience of none.

“Are you ready, Twilight?” asked Princess Astra.

Twilight looked at the device in the middle of the room. The TARDIS it was called. There was something so alien about it, like it didn’t belong to this world. Like maybe it didn’t belong to any world. It looked like a big blue box, and it was supposed to be able to go anywhere in time or space.

“How did you and the Doctor…”

“Oh.” Astra blushed. “I met him in my own time. I knew there was something different about him right away. Nopony else saw it, but I’m…I was…the Princess of Space. Time and Space…we just seemed right together. So I started traveling with him…”

Twilight remembered what Luna said. Lost to Time. She cannot help us now. “Why didn’t you stay?” she asked, trying to keep the accusation out of her voice. “Princess Luna misses you.”

Astra looked away. “I…don’t know why I haven’t been seen in a thousand years. I can go back right to the moment I left, so why would I be missing? It makes no sense, unless I…”

“What?”

The grey princess looked in Twilight’s eyes. “Unless I just left…with him…for good.”

“Would you do that?” asked Twilight, horrified.

Astra did not answer.

Applejack examined the TARDIS with a critical eye.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” said the Doctor, who was behind her.

“I s’pose.”

“I like your hat.”

“Thanks.”

“The Element of Honesty…” the Doctor whistled. “I’ve never been very good about that one.”

“Well, we all got our flaws.”

“Yes…are you going to tell your friends about your dreams?”

No, she thought. “Probably not,” she said.

“Don’t you think they need to know?”

I don’t know. “If they do, why don’t you go ahead and tell them?”

“Death…she’s a vixen, isn’t she?”

Applejack’s heart pounded within her. She was beautiful. “She was terrifying,” she said. “Have you…I mean…d’you know Death?”

“Know her? No, I wouldn’t say that. You could say we have a…long running relationship. She has chased me for a long time. And I’ve kept on running.”

Fluttershy pointed to Astra’s flank. “Your cutie mark is a bunch of bubbles, just like Ditzy Doo’s.”

Astra sniffed. “These are not bubbles. They are quantum foam.”

“Oh…”

The princess frowned at the shy pegasus. “You’ve…lost somepony recently?”

Fluttershy looked down. “Kind of. We didn’t really know each other well. But we might have…”

Astra nodded. “It’s not how long you know somepony for that connects you. Love is stronger than time. Or space.”

“Is everypony ready?” asked the Doctor.

They were. Each pony was lost in her own thoughts as the doors of the TARDIS opened, spilling light into the dark chamber. Fluttershy was thinking about a certain dark pegasus with a constellation cutie mark. Her heart filled with a gentle bravery. She would cross the threshold of time itself to rescue him. Applejack was thinking about her premonitions. If they could travel into the past, did that mean they could change the future? She felt she would do anything, give anything to keep her friends safe. Twilight was nervous. She would actually get to meet Starswirl the Bearded. And…would she see Princess Celestia? She had studied several histories of Equestria, and thought she knew what life a thousand years ago was like. Princess Astra felt the joy of a homecoming, the same she felt whenever she and the Doctor returned to the Equestria of her time.

Each of them stepped into the light of the TARDIS. The Doctor came last. To describe his thoughts would require an alien language ten thousand times more complex than ours. His mind operated at a level far higher than any normal pony’s. However, as he turned around and looked backward, one thought stooped down from the heaven of his consciousness into words we can understand. He looked at the great Hourglass in the center of the archive, saw how little sand was left, and thought sadly: time is running out.

The caped Crusaders threw open the doors to the Starswirl the Bearded wing just in time to hear the whine of the TARDIS disappearing into the void of time. They stood in the middle of an empty library. They were alone.

“Are we too late?” asked Apple Bloom.

“I don’t think so,” said Sweetie Belle, pointing to the Star Map. The silver spot was still glowing. As they stared at the Map, it zoomed in to show the archive in greater detail. They could see the spot of shining silver right there, behind a bookshelf.

The three of them walked to the place the Star Map showed.

A unicorn was cowering there, hiding in a pile of scrolls. Realizing she was found out, and it was only a few fillies, she stood up and put on an air of confidence.

“Do you need some help, little ponies?” she asked.

“We’re looking for a very special unicorn,” said Sweetie Belle.

“One with a star on her cutie mark,” said Apple Bloom.

“Who can use magic,” said Scootaloo.

Recognition dawned in Apple Bloom’s grey eyes. “Trixie? Is that you?”

“That’s The Great and Powerful Trixie,” said the unicorn, with a smirk and a toss of her head. “Were you expecting somepony else?”