“What's bullshit Mr. Quaid? Afraid to admit that you're having a schizo paranoid episode, or are you really an invincible secret agent from Mars, who is in the middle of an interplanetary conspiracy to make him think that he's a lonely construction worker. Stop punishing yourself Doug, you're a fine upstanding man you have a beautiful wife who loves you, you have a whole life ahead of you. But you gotta want to return to reality.”
Dr. Edgemar, “Total Recall”

“You still don't know, do you? What you are. Why you're here. What's the first thing you remember?”
Paxton Fettel, “F.E.A.R.”

***

High Commander Twilight Sparkle stood outside the room of the young mare that she had found recently in the Castle of the Two Sisters, one Shining Starlight, waiting for permission to enter from the duty Nurse.

The rather odd dream she had last night was still prevalent on her mind: she had dreamed of an entirely different life, a life very different from her own... and a life that this mare had featured very prominently in despite Twilight having only met her yesterday. While such things were not impossible… it was one heck of a coincidence, and if Twilight believed in anything, she believed that there was no such thing as coincidence - only providence.

Nurse Redheart exited from Starlight’s room.

"High Commander Sparkle, she’s ready to see you now," the Nurse said politely. She motioned her hoof for Twilight to enter the room - visiting hours were still a thing, regardless of if you were a high ranking official.

Twilight nodded to Redheart and moved to enter the room. It was time to find answers.

***

Starlight simply sat in bed, watching the Element of Magic trot in - a look of surprise was present; she wasn’t expecting a visit from High Commander Twilight Sparkle so soon.

“Ummm… hello," she said, trying to (and failing to) start a conversation. “How are you doing… Commander?”

“I’d be doing better if I had more answers to troubling questions,” Sparkle replied bluntly, not interested in small talk. “I want to know how you got to the castle of the two sisters.”

“I don’t know,” Starlight replied simply. “I just… woke up there to see you, and… the Castle’s throne room. I swear, I wasn’t even on Equus the night before.”

“Where were you?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

“In my apartment, in New Manehatten,” Starlight stated. “It has a view of the Hudson and everything.”

“Tell me about it,” Twilight said, leaning forward slightly. “Could there be... anything unusual? Anything perhaps related to unknown magicks that might explain your presence at the Castle?”

“Uh no,” she blinked. “It was just an apartment.”

“Now, be very thoughtful for me, Miss Starlight,” Sparkle said, narrowing her eyes at the young mare, a dangerous undertone entering her voice. “We know Earth had magic at its disposal. That magic has been deployed against us before. Are you sure nothing of that sort could explain your appearance at the castle?”

“… no.” Starlight responded. “I’m just an actress that won two Pony awards, went to bed, and woke up in Equus… for some reason.”

“I see,” Sparkle said, frowning. She turned away from Starlight for a moment, thinking about what she had heard so far. “Tell me, Miss Starlight. Are you familiar with the so-called Equestrian Resistance?”

Starlight’s expression turned to a horrified one, before going red at the apparent accusation.

“Commander Sparkle, with all due respect - I am not corrupted by those humans; I am loyal to the Empire and Empress Solamina," she said, her tone full of indignation.

“Indeed?” Sparkle asked, turning back to her with a slight smile. “Tell me then, how do you think a pony gets transported all the way from the New Manehatten colony to the Castle of the Two Sisters? How does that happen, if not by some new spell being developed to grant access to Equestria and circumvent the Barrier? Hm?”

“Uh I dunno, magic maybe?” Starlight said plainly, her expression turning into confusion. “I’m telling you, I’m not a traitor, I have no idea how I got in the Castle of Two Sisters; I swear on Solamina’s name.”

“You might not be a traitor,” Sparkle said, though her tone sounded dubious, “but you are an anomaly, aren’t you Miss Starlight?”

“A… what, now?” Starlight asked, confused by this sudden change of tack.

“Tell me, Miss Starlight,” Sparkle asked, with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. “What were your parents? Pegasi? Unicorns? Mixed race?”

“Well, my mom was from Saddle Arabia - something over her parents deciding to go distant I guess. Her name is Arclight, she’s a Unicorn like me. My dad is a Pegasus born in Cloudsdale - he came from Manehatten, the original Equus one, and was a mail carrier. His name is Stormy Wind,” Starlight explained, still not certain what any of this meant. "What does that have to do with anything though?”

“Interesting,” Sparkle said with a cold smile, ignoring Starlight’s question. “So, you couldn’t possibly have Alicornial genetics?”

“… is that a joke?” Starlight asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh no,” Sparkle said with a wide smile. “It is not a joke, not at all.”

“I… don’t…” Starlight said, frowning.

“Analysis of your blood, Miss Starlight,” Twilight said slowly, “reveals the perfect balance of traits from all three races, a trait only found in Alicorn blood. Now, isn’t that interesting?”

“…What’s next? Empress Solamina is going to come in, tell me that I’m destined to become the new Princess of the Night and end the war with what remains of Humanity?” Starlight said in a deadpan fashion. “Because that would be every filly’s dream… outside of the war with a bunch of hairless apes, that is.”

“Oh, well I’m afraid that isn’t what’s going to happen,” Sparkle said with an almost too-sweet smile. “But you are scheduled to come with me to my laboratories for… some experiments.”

For some reason, the young mare didn’t like the look in Twilight’s eyes and paled… a lot.

***

Twilight wrote on a notepad as she watched readouts on her machines relating to her surveys and test on Starlight. So far she hadn’t gotten much luck with the young mare… although there was the fact that her magical signature seemed, for lack of a better term, familiar, and she had a very unique reading on her - showing that she didn’t come to Equus via any traditional kind of Portal spell.

What was especially interesting was the fact that there seemed to be something going on with the left side of her brain - the memory parts to be specific: there was some kind of energy around them; they were of a kind Twilight had never seen before. It was really quite fascinating.

“Ummm, Commander Sparkle,” Starlight said, a tad worried and in a chair that held a helmet on her head. “How long is this gonna take? I’d like to go back to New Manehatten soon.”

“Interesting,” Sparkle said to herself, ignoring the Unicorn. “There’s definitely something strange about all of this.”

“About what?” Starlight asked, but she was again ignored.

“And then there’s the dream recorder,” Sparkle added with a slight frown. “There’s far more here than should be possible. Like… decades… no, hundreds of years worth of dream data.”

“What?!” Starlight shouted in outrage. “I haven’t dreamed for that long! I haven't even lived that long.”

“Huh,” Sparkle murmured, once again ignoring Starlight. She tapped a button on her desk and a moment later an Archmagi entered, bowing her head. “Miss Gentle Flower, could you please get me my dissection kit? I’m going to need the skull drill and the bonesaw for this one.”

Starlight’s eyes practically bugged out of her skull in response to that. “Oh no! No bucking way you are going to cut my head open!”

“Now, now, don’t panic,” Sparkle said to her, her voice faux-soothing. “I am going to split your skull open, but you’ll remain alive and perfectly safe thanks to a stasis spell we’ve perfected up here. We’ll remove parts of your brain, and then be able to study them to find out exactly what it is about you that has caused these anomalies. The worst possible side effects that’ll happen are… some minor lobotomization.”

“Get me out!” she shouted, trying to free herself, struggling against her bonds.

“Please don’t struggle,” Sparkle said. “It makes a horrible mess when we start cutting."

However, it would be at that moment that Starlight’s eyes and horn glowed rather brightly as her snout started to bleed once again.

“Get. ME. OUT!” she shouted, her voice going into something not altogether unlike the Royal Canterlot Voice, before her glowing horn flared out; blasting Twilight and Gentle Flower into the wall - had anypony been paying enough attention, they would have realised that this was a display of some powerful Alicorn-leveled magic.

When Twilight recovered, she saw Starlight freeing herself and galloping out of the lab, though her eyes were still glowing like she was operating on instinct or something.

“Buck,” Sparkle swore. She shot a spell into the air, a red spell that split into a dozen different versions that travelled all throughout the complex - the alarm spell. Her Archmagi would be alerted - although she wasn’t sure how effective they would be.

However… there was an itch in the back of her head, there was something… about this - what was it?

“Hey, you!” she heard somepony hiss at the fleeing mare as she ran through the complex. There was no response from Starlight, save for blasting the Guard into a wall, and continuing her mad gallop out of the complex.

“This is intolerable,” Sparkle said with a scowl. “Simply intolerable.”

***

Starlight galloped throughout the night laden streets of Ponyville, her eyes no longer glowing and neither her horn… thankfully her snout had stopped bleeding, and she was left with a simple fact.

She had just attacked High Commander Twilight Sparkle and her Archmagi… they were going to kill her just because she apparently had Alicorn genetics…

Why? And what was she going to do now? And when… when did she get so powerful at magic?

“Hey, you there!” she heard a pony hiss from somewhere.

Starlight turned, her face full of fear and on fight-or-flight mode - her heart beating in her chest. Her horn glowed.

“Who's there?!” she shouted.

A pale grey Pegasus with a black mane appeared in the faint light. The mare shushed Starlight and motioned for her to follow her into a nearby alleyway.

Unsure, Starlight followed silently - she didn’t like where this was going, but it was better than waiting for the Archmagi to catch up and do Faust knows to her.

“You were running from Sparkle’s Archmagi, right?” the mare said gruffly. “I saw you gallop from that pile of horseapples like the proverbial fruit bat outta Tartarus.”

“She wants to cut my head open because I apparently have a lot of years in dreams,” Starlight began to explain.

“I didn’t ask for your life story, sister,” the mare muttered. “Just answer me - you want out of the Empire, yeah?”

“…Yes. Please,” Starlight said, her voice tired and drained, but behind that she was full of relief - hopefully this meant she would be safe.

“Great, cool,” the mare said, looking somewhat uninterested. “We got word three days ago that the Freedom Caravan was comin’ this way. We’ve got the pass-phrase for it, so you hook up with us and we’ll be outta this place in no time flat.”

Starlight frowned. “Freedom Caravan?”

“The Exodus’ best escape route,” the mare clarified. Starlight paled visibly.

“Who are you?” she asked, though a part of he knew already.

“Name’s Dew Drop,” the mare said gruffly. “Technically, part of the Resistance.”

Starlight groaned, this was just perfect - in the span of a few hours she had her life thrown away… great.

“Please tell me you can just drop me off in New Manehatten,” she asked, a pleading note entering her tone of voice.

“No joy there, sister,” Dew Drop said, looking back at Starlight with a slight grin. “We’ve got one destination - merry old England.”

“But… that’s where -” Starlight began. “I mean, isn’t that where the war is?”

“Well, duh,” Dew Drop said, rolling her eyes. “We’re already at war, sister. Either we fight for Solamina or we fight for the humans. Pick one. I take it you don’t wanna fight for Solamina?”

“…No, I… I’m still in shock over all this.” She held her head low. “I mean, a few days ago I was in New Manehatten practicing for a production of a new show and now… I’m running for my life.”

“Get used to this, sister,” Dew Drop said with a grim expression. “It’s only gonna get worse from here.”

***

That night, Starlight found herself sharing a room with a half dozen other ponies. Most of them were quiet, keeping to themselves: they were a motley collection, no doubt - Earth Ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns of all descriptions, each one of them looking battered, like they had all been through their own personal Tartarus.

The room itself was small and cramped, damp and rot on the walls and dust was everywhere, like it hadn’t been used in years. Dew Drop had tossed her a filthy blanket the moment they had gotten into the room, and then promptly gone to sleep, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

‘How could everything go so wrong?’ Starlight mentally pondered, surveying the room and the other ponies amongst her. ‘Where did we go wrong?’

It was a good question to ask - did things go wrong the moment they made contact with Earth all those years ago? Or was it Celestia deciding to use the potion instead of trying to actively destroy the Barrier with Luna? Or was there something else to it?

Could it be the fact that they simply didn’t leave what remained of humanity alone, allowed them to remain in their final moments before the barrier destroyed what remained of them… perhaps if she did she would not see Jeremy’s last moments? Dying in such a horrific way, cursing the name of Celestia; the name of her mentor that trusted her…

Starlight’s head shot up; where did that line of thought come from? Also… why was her snout bleeding again? It’d been doing that a lot lately since she’d appeared in Equus.

‘Could what Commander Sparkle said is true?’ the mare wondered. ‘Is there something I don’t know of, or remember? Some memory...?’

“Hey, you!” she heard a voice say. She looked up to see Dew Drop frowning at her, almost concerned. “You alright, sister?”

“I… I don’t know,” Starlight said, a hoof to her barrel to cover her snout in an attempt to stop it from bleeding any further. “I’ve had a very stressful three days… what with my life falling apart and nothing making any sense anymore.” She looked down, mind suddenly drifting to the ponies she cared about. “Celestia knows if my parents are alright.”

“Don’t say that name, plotwipe,” Dew Drop snapped with a scowl. “I ain’t got no love for it, and nopony else in the Resistance will either. Swear by Luna or the Pony God.”

“…You’re talking about Faust right?” Starlight asked bluntly.

“Who?” Dew Drop asked with a bemused expression. “I ain’t never heard of no ‘Faust’ sister - but if it ain’t the Tyrant I don’t care if you swear by Sally the Space Squid.”

“…I’m sorry, Dew Drop was it? Didn’t you learn anything in school?” the theatrical actress asked, shooting the Pegasus mare a confused look. “Faust is the one that created Equus, all of it… even Celestia and Luna themselves. Legend has it that they were actually raised by her.”

Dew Drop raised an eyebrow, and actually started chuckling. “That’s a right fairy tale you’ve cooked up, there, sister. I’ve heard plenty of myths from the bad old days - the Starswirl conflict, the Sombran wars, the Unification era - but I've never heard of ‘Faust’. But whatever helps you sleep at night, I suppose.” She paused. “Anyway, I was waking you up to tell you - it’s time to move.”

“Again?” Starlight asked, sighing; didn’t they just get here?

“Aw, don’t worry, sister, we’ll give those dainty legs o’ yours a rest soon,” Dew Drop said with a smirk. “We’re gettin’ ourselves a caravan.”

***

The small group headed toward a large blue caravan that was waiting near a secluded alleyway. Outside it was a light blue Unicorn, who was looking around furtively, apparently concerned about being in Ponyville.

“Can you hurry up?” she hissed to the group. “Trixie does not want to be here over-long! We're too near the Archmagi headquarters!"

Oddly enough, Starlight looked at the Unicorn and a flash of recognition appeared on her face.

“Trixie? Trixie Lulamoon?” she muttered in confusion

“No, Trixie is actually Starswirl the Bearded,” Trixie Lulamoon muttered with a frown. “She just had a sex change and a shave. Can we move quicker, please?”

“Yeah, dainty, let’s go,” Dew Drop growled with a scowl. “I don’t wanna get caught.”

However, Starlight remained standing in her spot.

"Didn’t you… didn’t you once run a show in Ponyville and caused two colts to bring about an Ursa Minor, though unintentionally?” Starlight inquired, frowning slightly.

“Yes, yes, that was me,” Trixie said irritably. “It was a long time ago, and Trixie does not like thinking about it. Now, if we are done with memory lane, Guards might be nearby so get on the bucking caravan!”

Without much prompting Starlight got on, though she still had a confused look on her face due to the fact that she had no idea how she could have known that about a mare she had suddenly met.

“Secret compartment is in the floor!” Trixie hissed to her. Dew Drop got the door and motioned for Starlight to go in first.

She did so, not a word given while her mind tried to figure out how she knew about the Ursa Minor incident, Twilight had informed her… it was a good thing that she did. Future precautions were able to have been made to prevent any colts or fillies to accidentally causing such a thing again.

Hopefully Trixie Lulamoon’s career can be fixed by her public statement, though she may need to fix her pride a touch, also it’s best that Twilight should know the difference between being a complete and utter loon and-

… her snout was bleeding again, her head suddenly feeling like somepony had smashed a hammer into it.

‘Why does this keep happening to me!?’ Starlight silently asked her herself while trying to stop her bleeding snout… again.

“Hey, dainty, what the buck is with the bleeding?” Dew Drop asked.

“I don’t know!” Starlight responded, frustrated over the fact that she apparently is suffering from ‘Chronic Snout Bleeds’ - she stopped having those back when she got her cutie mark, why was it happening again after all these years?

“Well, don’t worry too much about it,” Drop said, looking like she was almost trying to be sympathetic. “We’ll be out of Equestria soon enough.”

“I… I…” Starlight then groaned as her head throbbed, what was wrong with her?

“Hey, chill out, dainty,” Dew Drop said, frowning in concern. “We’re ‘bout as safe as we’re gonna be.”

Instead of responding, Starlight collapses there and then - her hoof no longer trying to cover her snout and blood leaking out like water from a faucet.

“Buck!” Dew Drop yelled as Starlight lost consciousness. “Hey, is anypony here a doctor…?!”

***

High Commander Twilight Sparkle stood before a small crystal contraption in her office, frowning as she considered what she was about to do. On the one hoof, this was necessary. On the other… she had no desire at all to inform the Empress of what had occurred. It was embarrassing to say the least.

But, despite her desire to keep this embarrassment away from the Empress, duty overrode personal feelings, always.

"Sparkle, Commander Twilight," she said shortly. "Request contact."

A moment later, the crystal shone with a bright inner light, and an image was projected above it. The image was that of a regal white Alicorn with a flowing multi-coloured mane, staring down at Twilight with narrow eyes and a smile at once warm and inviting, and yet at the same time terrifying.

"High Commander," Empress Astra Solamina Maxima began. "You are looking well. Oddly well, considering - have you been experimenting with youth spells, my student?"

Sparkle blushed. "No, your majesty… but…"

"But that is not why you called, of course," Solamina said. "Forgive me - I wished to engage in pleasantries before business, we get such little time."

"It is regrettable, your majesty," Sparkle said honestly.

"Indeed," the Empress said, though it was slightly lacklustre. "You wished to speak with me, Commander?"

"About a matter of some urgency, your Majesty," Sparkle replied. "It concerns a discovery I made two days ago. This discovery... may have dire consequences."

Solamina's eyes narrowed even further. "Then by all means, my most faithful student - begin."