On the early mornings in Equestria before her sister raised the sun, Princess Luna could usually be found sitting in her room dream watching. One of the duties of the princess of the night was assuring that no pony in the kingdom slept restless nights due to their heavy emotion induced dreams. However, at that moment, Luna was far too distracted with her own thoughts. The long chat with her sister gave her a lot to think about. She ran over the extraterrestrial theory multiple times in her head, trying to make sense of it. There were a few things that didn't add up. Luna was an expert when it came to the stars and constellations. Surely if this item had come from the stars, Luna would have been able to connect the magic of the artifact with the magic of one of the stars. She too had felt the magical energy emanating from the object in question. Just like it was for Celestia, the feeling and power of the magic was completely foreign to Luna. She could not trace it back to any type of magic she had ever experienced, and a thousand years on the moon studying the magic in space meant she had a lot of references to work with. There had to be a better explanation for the artifact and its appearance. A light knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts.

"You may enter!" she called. She looked over the door and saw her sister walking in. Celestia smiled at Luna.

"Shift's over dear sister, it is time for me to raise the sun." Luna looked at her in slight surprise.

"Oh, already? I must have lost track of the time." She looked at the clock and let out a yawn. It was indeed the end of her shift, and now she would be able to finally sleep. "Thank you, 'Tia. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get some sleep."

"Well, don't sleep for too long. Princess Twilight and her friends are coming to meet us." Luna gave her sister a questioning look.

"We were not informed of this," Luna spoke her formal tone.

"I only found out myself a few minutes ago when Twilight sent a response. They will be arriving in the afternoon, and I expect you to be there." Luna held back a scowl. She always hated it when her sister talked to her like that. It felt a bit demeaning. It was as if Celestia still considered her a filly.

"There is no need to talk to us in that way, sister. We will be at the meeting." Celestia balked at Luna's reaction.

"Right," Celestia said. "Sorry Luna. I suppose I'm just a bit on edge." She gave a weary sigh. "I did not sleep well." Luna's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Surely you are not still thinking about this whole extraterrestrial nonsense, are you?" Celestia held her hoof to her face in frustration.

"Luna, I really do not wish to have this debate once more. I am not saying that Haakim's theory is fact, I am merely suggesting that we do not throw away the possibility." Celestia paused to collect herself before heading towards the door. "I need to raise the sun. Sleep if you must, but please be ready for when Princess Twilight comes." Celestia walked out of her sister's room and closed the door. Luna rolled her eyes and moved towards her bed, eager to get a few hours of shut-eye before the meeting.

---

“Ahh, Canterlot Castle.” Rarity scanned the halls of the castle’s entrance, taking in the sights of the stained glass windows and the lavish banners. “It never ceases to impress me,” she said.

The train ride from Ponyville was uneventful. Most of that was due to the early hour of the departure. Twilight never had problems waking up so early in the morning, but the same could not be said for some of her friends. She glanced over at Rarity, noticing her chipper attitude as she trotted through the Castle. Twilight knew Rarity had a tendency to avoid sleep thanks to her work, but somehow the fashionista always had a bounce in her step. Applejack had quite an alert demeanor as well, which Twilight assumed was due to the early hours she spent working on the farm. The others lagged behind, though. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy begrudgingly trudged on, forcing themselves to keep their eyes from closing for too long. Even Pinkie Pie’s happy skipping seemed a bit subdued. Spike had it easy, snoring loudly as he slept on Twilight’s back.

“How are you so damn awake, Rares?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I feel like I’m gonna fall asleep while walking!” She let out a loud yawn.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity exclaimed incredulously. “There is no need for such vulgar language!” Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Whatever, can we just get this over with? I don’t usually have to wake up four hours before my shift starts.” Twilight let out a small sigh.

“Rainbow,” the princess said, “I already told you. You’re not working today. I informed the Ponyville Weather Department that you would be missing work for royal duties. They didn’t even ask questions!”

“Yeah, the perks of being a princess, right?” Twilight shot a glare towards Rainbow Dash, who seemed to shrink slightly in response. “Eheh, sorry Twi. That’s just the sleepiness talking.”

“Sleepiness?” Applejack said with a grin. “With all the nappin’ you do in mah trees Ah sorta figured y'all would always be well rested.”

“Yeah well, this is about the time I’d start my first nap.” Applejack planted a hoof into her face.

“Yer really unbelievable Dash.”

“Um,” Fluttershy began cautiously. “Can we stop fighting please?”

“Flutters is right!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. “We shouldn’t be acting like a bunch of negative nancies! I mean, we’re here to meet with the princesses! Well, except we already met with one of the princesses. She’s right here after all! Only these princesses have been princesses for like a million billion years! They probably won’t like it if we barge in with frownies on our faces! Not that Twilight likes it when we have frownies on our faces bu-“ Rainbow was quick to cut Pinkie off before she could continue.

“Alright, alright, I get it Pinkie. We’ll play nice.”

Twilight sighed as she continued to walk towards the grand staircase leading up to Celestia’s throne room. Pinkie was right; Twilight hated it whenever her friends fought. It made her feel like she was failing as the Princess of Friendship. Of course, she knew that wasn’t the case. One thing she learned about friendship in her years of study was that friends fought with each other every once in a while. The trick to it was knowing when to stop a fight before it went too far. She had firsthand experience with that, thinking back to the slumber party with Applejack and Rarity. Her friends arguing with each other was the last thing that she needed right now. Her mind was still reeling from the letter she was sent yesterday.

“Is everything alright, Twilight?” Rarity said as she followed up the staircase. “You’ve been unusually quiet ever since we got on the train.”

“I’m fine,” she replied a little too quickly. “I guess I’m just worried about this meeting.”

“For what reason?” the fashion pony asked. “You’ve met with the princesses countless times! What makes this meeting any different?” Twilight paused in thought before responding. She had told her friends about the meeting yesterday, explaining that it had to do with magic. Of course, the exact nature of the meeting was still unknown to Twilight, making it hard to explain why everyone needed to be there. No one really complained about it, though. Well, except for maybe Rainbow Dash.

“I dunno,” she finally replied. “Just a hunch.” They reached the throne room doors, and Twilight gestured to the two guards on either side of the entrance. “Princess Twilight Sparkle and friends, here to meet with the princesses.” The guards nodded and broke their stance, opening the doors. Twilight walked in and saw the Princesses Celestia and Luna sitting on their thrones, with guards flanking either side. Something was off though, and Twilight couldn’t quite put her hoof on it. Then, as she got closer she realized that she could feel something. Something magical. Her eyes widened.

What is that magic I feel? Is this why they brought us here?

The power of the magic grew stronger as they got closer to the princesses. It was completely different to anything Twilight had ever felt. It was pulsating slightly, and it had an uncomfortable feeling to it. The taste was bitter, like a mixture of dirt and metal. Twilight decided to ignore it for the time being as she reached the royal alicorns. Out of habit, she bowed towards them. Her friends followed suit.

“Greetings Princess Celestia,” she said. “Princess Luna.” Celestia waved her hoof at Twilight and her friends.

“Please, there is no need to be so formal around me,” Celestia said softly. “We are all friends here and we should be acting like it.” Spike took that moment to finally awake from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes.

“Are we there yet?” he asked groggily. Twilight giggled and let Spike down onto the floor.

“Yes Spike, we’re here.”

“Ah, Spike,” Celestia gestured towards the baby dragon. “It is good to see you again. Now that you’re awake I think you might enjoy a little snack.” She turned to one of her guards. “Please escort Spike to our gemstone stash.” Spike’s eyes widened with glee. He ran forward towards the guards before looking back towards the ponies.

“Welp, guess I’ll leave you guys to the boring talking! I’m off to put myself into a food coma!” He walked off with one of the guards and out of the throne room. Celestia looked back towards Twilight.

“I hope you don’t mind, Twilight. This meeting is a bit… sensitive in nature. I did not want him worrying too much.” Twilight raised her eyebrow in response. So, there really was more to the letter than what was actually written. “Besides,” Celestia continued. “I doubt he would be able to stay awake for most of it.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Of course, princess, but if you didn’t want him being here for the meeting then why did you want him to come in the first place?”

“I did not want him feeling left out.” Twilight supposed that made sense, thinking back to the first gala she attended. She looked up at the two princesses with a questioning glance.

“So, the magic that I’m sensing in this room.” Celestia and Luna gasped slightly at that. “I’m assuming that’s why you called us?” There was a brief moment of silence as the princesses considered their responses. Twilight continued to stare up at them, eagerly anticipating an explanation.

“I’m impressed Twilight,” Celestia said, beaming. “When I first came across it, the magic did not even register with me. I had to wait for an explanation before I even felt it.”

“Sister, please,” Luna finally spoke up. “Can we stop beating around the bush and get on with it?” Celestia nodded.

“Very well.” She flared her magic and floated a small chest from behind her throne. She placed it on the floor in front of Twilight, who knew that whatever was in the chest was the source of the magic she felt. “Open it.”

Twilight stared down at the chest and did as she was told. Inside she found a strangely shaped looking rock of some sort, grey and cracked with a strange purple energy imprinted on the sides. A bright purple light pulsated in sync with the magic that Twilight sensed. She stared at it and considered the magic that she was feeling. Now that the object was directly in front of her, the magic blocked out all her other senses. She began to conjure up magic in her horn to grab the item. She floated it in front of her face to further inspect it.

“So, um,” she said hesitantly, “what is it?”

“We do not know what it is,” Luna answered. “Obviously this artifact holds great magical power. A power that is unknown to Equestria. This concerns us. It is something we have not felt in our lifetimes. We know neither its purpose, nor its reason for being here.” She stepped off her throne and walked towards the object. She stared at it for a moment then looked towards her sister. “We also do not know for sure where it came from,” she said loudly. Twilight wasn’t sure if Luna was talking to her or Celestia.

“Luna, please.” Celestia turned back to Twilight. “It is true. We do not know anything about it other than the strange magical energy that it holds. Even that knowledge does not help us, considering the type of magic is unknown.” Twilight held her hoof to her chin in thought. She placed the artifact back in the chest.

“Where was it found?” she asked.

“In the deserts bordering the nation of Saddle Arabia,” Celestia replied. “Their people found this artifact after sensing a large magical imbalance outside their nation. They too did not know what to make of what they found. They left it in our hooves in hopes that we would be able to figure out what it is. In turn, considering your magical sensing skills far exceed that of my own, we felt this was a task that was best suited to you, Twilight." Twilight blushed at what she considered the highest form of a compliment.

---

“So then why are we here?” Rainbow Dash asked, motioning towards her non-alicorn friends. She had been impatiently tapping her hoof ever since the exchange between the three princesses had begun. The entire trip she had been racking her brain in hopes of figuring out why the princesses wanted everyone to be here, not just Twilight. Now that the nature of the meeting had been revealed, she was still confused. Maybe it would make sense for Rarity to be there, but not everyone else. Plus, as the conversation between the princesses went on, she almost felt like the alicorns had forgotten that the other ponies were also present. “I mean, if this thing is magical, why didn’t you just bring Twilight? Maybe Rarity too I guess, but it’s not like she’s an all-powerful alicorn.”

“Hmph! You don’t have to be an alicorn to be good with magic!” Rarity scoffed.

“Whatever,” Rainbow replied, “the question still stands!”

“Considering that this could involve the very fate of Equestria, we felt it necessary to inform the former Elements of Harmony,” Luna told her. “Would you have rather us kept you in the dark?” Rainbow backed down slightly.

“Well, no. I guess not.” She trotted over to the open box that held the artifact. To her, it just looked like a rock. She couldn’t fathom how something as dingy and dirty looking as this could possibly hold some kind of great power. She chalked that up to not being a unicorn. “I guess I’m confused what we’re supposed to do about it.”

“I admit that this is more of a task I wish to assign directly to Princess Twilight,” Celestia said. Twilight looked up at her, ready to receive her instructions. “I must admit, I am not quite sure where you should start. The only thing I can advise you to do at the moment is to take some time to study and sense the object. Do as much research as you can to see if you can find some sort of connection.”

“Alright then,” Twilight said. “I’ll do my best Celestia.”

“And that is all that I ask of you, Twilight.” The princess of the sun turned to the other ponies beside Twilight. “As for the rest of you, well I mostly wanted to inform you of the situation. I also would like to ask that you assist Princess Twilight in any way she requires, if at all. And make sure she doesn’t… well, overdo it on the research,” Celestia finished with a grin. Twilight giggled nervously.

“Right,” Rainbow said. “You can count on us!” She flashed the princesses a determined grin before turning her attention back to the object. Despite not knowing anything about magic, the artifact was beginning to intrigue her. She could not put her hoof on why. Maybe it was that cool purple light that glowed on the side of it. She reached her hoof out to grab the object. Suddenly, she saw a bright flash and closed her eyes tightly.

A vast open desert, clouded by dust in the wind. Strange mechanical devices race across the sands, frantic shouting being heard from within them.

A cave, covered in light blue crystals. Inside was a large circular room, with statues on either side of the path depicting alien like creatures holding blades in each hand. The end of the path holds a chest lodged inside an oddly shaped crystal structure, its contents unknown.

A small city being bombarded by powerful strikes from the sky. Screams of the dying pierce the area. A large purple aura surrounds the city as it begins to float in the sky. The city suddenly vanishes.

A bi-pedal furless creature, except for his head, sitting in the center of an altar. Bloodied and beaten. Lava flows all around the structure. He is kneeeled down beside a similar creature covered with strange markings on her body. More of these creatures crowd around them, holding weird looking devices all aimed on the dying man.

A strange symbol, like an upside-down V with a circle around it, scribbled on a wall.

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight said suddenly. “Are you okay?”

Rainbow opened her eyes to see everyone shooting her a curious look. How much time had passed since she closed her eyes anyways? She honestly couldn’t tell. The strange vision completely knocked her senses out of whack. She was overwhelmed by confusion and, though she would never admit it, fear. All that death. All that screaming. Whether it lasted for a few hours or a few seconds, it was too much. She was desperately trying to keep her emotions inside her, not wanting to worry her friends.

What the hell was that?

She could figure that out later. Hopefully.

“Y-yeah,” Rainbow said, unassured of herself. “I’m fine. Just had a headache is all.” She faked a yawn. “Man, missing naps really takes it out of you.” If anyone else had noticed her change in demeanor, they said nothing about it. Rainbow was thankful for that.

“Well, do not allow us to keep you from your much needed sleep,” Luna said gleefully. She lowered her voice greatly before mumbling to herself, “You’re not the only one who needs a nap.” No one other than Princess Celestia seemed to hear her.

“Very well,” Celestia said, quicky firing off a warning glare to her sister. “I suppose that makes this meeting adjourned. Thank you all for coming. Good luck to you Princess Twilight, though I know you won’t need it.” She flashed a smile at her former student.

“Thank you Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. The ponies made their way out the castle and onto the streets of Canterlot.

---

Twilight was no fool. She was one of the brightest beings in Equestria, and everybody knew it. Years ago, the only thing you could say Twilight didn’t know how to do was make friends. However, now that she had spent all those years in Ponyville, she now felt she was an expert in that topic. And she was. In fact, she was the Princess of Friendship. You can’t go much higher than that. Being the Princess of Friendship meant that she had to be an expert in reading her friends.

And she was definitely an expert in reading Rainbow Dash.

Ever since they left the meeting, the usually brash and loud Pegasus kept to herself. She would only speak when spoken to, and would not add her thoughts to a conversation unless asked directly. Now that the six ponies and one dragon were on the train, Rainbow found an excuse to break off from the rest of the group. She told them she wanted to take a nap. It made sense, as she had been complaining about that throughout the day. But Twilight knew that was just an excuse to get away from the group.

It all stemmed back to the artifact. The moment Rainbow Dash had touched it, she seemed to change. It was subtle, but Twilight could see the small twitches in her eyes and face. Plus, again, Rainbow was abnormally quiet once they left the castle. And now, she used the first excuse she found to shack herself up in the sleeping compartment of the train away from the others. It was at that point that Twilight’s resolve broke. She didn’t want to talk to Dash about it at first, as she felt her pegasus friend would want some time to sort out whatever was going through her head. However, it seemed to already be at the point where Rainbow was beginning to push her frriends away. She walked up to the door to the sleeping compartment and began to open it. She could see Rainbow's bed through the window of the door.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t napping. In fact, she seemed to be wide awake reading a Daring Do novel. Twilight watched her friend’s head turn towards the door as she opened it. Rainbow Dash put the book down to address her friend.

“Oh, hey Twilight,” she said.

“What happened to taking a nap?” Twilight asked, hoping she didn’t sound too accusatory. She didn’t want to force Rainbow into talking. That would likely just scare her away.

“Ehh, headache kept me up.”

“You know reading would likely only make your headache worse, don’t you?”

“Oh.”

There was an awkward silence permeating the compartment. Neither mare wanted to be the one to break it. It was as if they were afraid breaking the tension would be strong enough to blow up the train. Twilight used this moment to walk up to the foot of Rainbow’s bed. Finally, she spoke.

“Rainbow, is anything bothering you?” Twilight decided to be blunt. It didn’t work. Rainbow was quick to shake her head.

“Nah, I’m fine Twi. Really.”

“No offence, but I don’t really believe you.” Rainbow Dash shrugged at that. Twilight started to feel a light twinge of frustration, but she bit it down. Now was not the time to start an argument, now was the time to help a friend who was obviously troubled by something. Plus, if this something had anything to do with the artifact, Twilight needed to know. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right? It’s not like I’m going to look down upon you for any reason. You’re my friend.” Rainbow nodded.

“I know Twi.”

“Is it about the artifact?”

Twilight watched Rainbow’s face turn from stoic to almost fearful.

“…Yes.”

Another bout of silence. Twilight’s frustration she felt earlier turned to worry. What happened? Did Dash sense the magic too? That didn’t make sense though, she wasn’t a unicorn.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Twilight asked.

“Yes,” Rainbow said. “But not right now. Can it wait until we get back to Ponyville?”

“Sure, but why?” Rainbow Dash turned away.

“I don’t want to talk about it while the others are around. It’s… it’s not something I want them to hear. Especially Fluttershy.”

Twilight raised her eyebrows. Whatever was bothering Rainbow must have been either embarrassing or traumatizing. Plus, it was about the artifact. She decided not to completely dismiss the theory that Dash had sensed the magic. It could explain why she was acting the way she was. After all, magic was something relatively unfamiliar to Rainbow Dash. Perhaps she had sensed the magic and was scared by how it felt? But if she really did sense the magic of the object, how did she do so? Can ponies other than unicorns and alicorns sense magic? It wasn't something that anyone in Equestria had ever heard of. As much as she wanted answers to her questions, it would have to wait. Twilight did not want to force it, especially since Rainbow was willing to talk. Just not right now.

“Okay Rainbow, I understand.” Though, she didn’t really understand, she figured she would tomorrow when they got to Ponyville. “Are you going to be okay?” Rainbow nodded.

“Yeah, don’t worry about me Twilight. Like I said, I’m a tough pony.” She flashed Twilight a genuine smile.

“Alright Rainbow. I’m heading back to the girls. Do you want to come?” Twilight knew the answer before she even asked.

“No thanks, Twi. I’ve got some serious Daring Do to catch up on.” She picked her book back up and continued reading. Twilight nodded, slightly disappointed but not surprised. She exited the compartment and trotted back over to her friends who were sitting on benches. Fluttershy looked over to Twilight and waved her over. Twilight sat down next to her animal loving friend.

“Is she okay?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight fought the urge to cringe, remembering what Rainbow had told her earlier.

It’s not something I want them to hear. Especially Fluttershy.

“She’s fine,” Twilight said with a smile. “She’s a tough pony.”

Author's Notes:

A bit of a shorter chapter this time around. Took me quite a while to actually trudge through this chapter. All this time writing it, and I'm still not 100% satisfied with how it turned out. Oh well, I suppose I didn't want to keep this chapter waiting for too long.

By the way, I really enjoyed the (admittedly) few comments that I've gotten on this story so far. If you haven't already, please give a like (or dislike) and a comment if you've read this story. I'd really like to see how well this story is being received so far. Constructive criticism is always welcome as well!

I don't want to spoil too much, but I do want to say that for those who are itching to see the actual crossover I will say that it will be happening very soon. So keep an eye out for that.