The train glided smoothly into the station, all gleaming brass and bright colors.

A hustle and bustle of activity began as ponies and goods began to disembark in a small storm of motion. Canterlot Central Station was no place to dilly-dally, after all. Ponies had places to be, things to do. This attitude was reflected even in the simple acts of going from place to place.

Amidst the hissing release of steam and fumes, a unicorn mare paused for a moment at the steps of her car, taking a deep, shuddering breath, before she stepped off of her coach and plunged into the crowd. She was nervous, understandably, the big city was somewhat intimidating after the tranquility of Ponyville. Well. Sometimes tranquil, she thought to herself with a wry grin.

Though there was something else on her mind, giving her a pep in her step and a simultaneous shiver. It wasn’t everyday that one was summoned to Court, after all.

Her longtime marefriend had thought it a hoax, at first, when the letter had arrived at their doorstep, delivered by a rather out of breath baby dragon. But the official seal of the Royal Pony Sisters adorning the message was legitimate. As much as the pair had been surprised, her marefriend had known that something like this might happen eventually, it was part of the job description.

A job that nopony else had wanted. How Canterlot had mocked her! “Useless,” her title was often called. “Head Crackpot,” she was sometimes addressed. But no longer. Oh, how she had waited for this moment.

The strange summons had been made even stranger by the fact that it had not been signed by Princess Celestia. Rather, the signature at the bottom was penned in the elaborate, ancient penmareship of Princess Luna.

What in Equestria did Luna want with her? Perhaps she was merely brushing up on the changes her sister had wrought on the Diarchy during her thousand year absence, meeting with the new members of the ruling body? Or perhaps, as the mare’s gut told her, it was finally time to bring about one of the single greatest moments in Equestrian history.

As the letter had instructed, one of Luna’s Moongard was waiting for her by the exit to the station, a simple sign hanging around his neck with her cutie mark emblazoned upon it.

The stallion peered at her with half-lidded eyes. “Miss Lyra Heartstrings?” he drawled in an deep, oddly familiar accent.

Lyra nodded politely. “Yes, that’s me,” she said quietly. “And you are?”

The stallion shook off the sign and offered her a massive, armored hoof. “Knight-Commander Starbuck Apple, at yer service, ma’am. If’in ya’d follow me, there’s a chariot waitin’ that’ll be takin’ us to tha keep.”

The hoofshake left her dazed and staggering, but she followed him out with as much dignity as she could muster, determined to prove her worth to the Princess.

Lyra caught herself second-glancing at the Knight-Commander out of the corner of her eye as the chariot continued streaking through the sky, two pegasi members of the Sunguard carrying them onwards with powerful wings.

He was quite possibly one of the biggest ponies she had ever seen in her life. The color of smoke, his gargantuan frame was sheathed in the dark purple and black barding that the Moongard were known for wearing, over which a curiously crooked scabbard was slung across his back. His wings were thin, batlike and leathery, yet looked strong and powerful enough to lift his armored bulk off the ground with ease. His long, tufted ears poked out from underneath a battered old cowpony hat worn in place of a helmet. Underneath the barding, she could see he was wearing a faded yellow bandanna around his neck. The stallion sported frightening golden eyes, with the slitted pupils of one who had been given the Night’s Blessing.

“You mentioned your name was Apple, before?” she asked him curiously.

“Ayep.”

Walked right into that one... Lyra resisted the urge to facehoof. “Any relation to a pony by the name of Macintosh, by any chance?”

Starbuck nodded, looking thoughtful. “Ayep. Cousin. Ah’m from tha Austailian branch of tha Apple tree.”

Well, that explained the eerie resemblance to Ponyville’s resident workhorse. Lyra mused on this for a moment. Applejack had once boasted to her that there was an Apple in every town in Equestria. Apparently they could be found across the ocean, as well.

The silence was awkward on her end, though he seemed comfortable with the lapse. Lyra decided to fill the void with another topic. “I’m curious, what’s it like in the Moongard? Nopony knows much about them.”

He shrugged. “‘Xactly how Luna likes it. She’s a bastard for secrets ‘n such.”

“A what?”

He looked at her oddly. “Err...she likes her secrets.” He rubbed a hoof on the back of his neck awkwardly, blushing. Lyra thought it looked somewhat endearing. “Sorry. Bit new to the country. Ponies keep lookin’ at me funny when Ah talk.”

“That’s perfectly alright , Mr. Apple. Can I call you Starbuck?” He nodded. “So, what can you tell me about the Moongard that Princess Luna wouldn’t mind me knowing?”

“Welp. Ain’t many of us. Just sixteen. Always been like that, since back ’fore the Long Night, when the order was disbanded.”

“Sixteen ponies to protect a Princess?” Lyra asked incredulously. Celestia's Sunguard, her personal army, was kept at a staunch thousand stallions and guardsmares. And even then, they had been utterly steamrolled when the Queen Chrysalis and her swarm had struck the city.

“Ayep. Best o’ tha best, mate, every one a right ripper when it comes down to it. 'Specially with tha blessin’ we get.” Lyra was more than aware of that. Legends of the Knights of Moongard achieving incredible feats of heroism were often told to her as bedtimes stories when she was a little filly. With the advent of Luna’s return, the order had been reformed, a new generation of knights cultivated and endowed with the power of the night, taking the ‘star’ into their name and undergoing the metamorphosis into the somewhat unsettling appearance of the stallion next to her.

Their chariot continued its way across the Canterlot skyline, the two ponies chatting idly about Canterlot, life about the Castle, or Luna and her Moongard. Starbuck usually kept his responses to a simple “Ayep,” or “Anope.” Lyra found that she could learn quite a lot from carefully phrasing her questions.

The sun reached a zenith as they finally touched down in the courtyard of Harmony Castle’s inner keep. Lyra stretched before disembarking, the flight had taken longer than expected. She followed closely behind the Knight-Commander as he made his way to the imposing double doors that barred entry to the castle itself.

The two guards on duty crossed their spears to bar entry. “Who approaches?” The one on the right challenged.

The knight looked up for a moment, shook his head, and with sigh, responded, “Er, sorry 'bout this, mates. Knock-knock.”

The guards exchanged a glance. “...Who’s there?”

“ME!“ The doors suddenly blasted outward, sending them both into a spectacular arc, before each splashed down in the castle moat.

Princess Luna stepped through the now-open doorway, her starry mane waving in a phantom breeze, the peytral plate across the midnight-blue alicorn’s breast glinting in the sunlight. She looked preposterously out-of place in the direct sunlight. “Sir Starbuck!” she greeted warmly, if a bit too loud. “And company!” she added, throwing Lyra a smile. “We have much to speak of, Ambassador! Come, let us depart from this scene with most haste. Mine sister’s armor-clad pansies lack a certain sense of humor, we have noted, unlike our rambunctious fellows in the Midnight Tower!” With that, she spun about and trotted off into the castle.

“She seems...a little...” Lyra began.

“Much?” Starbuck finished for her.

“That’s the word.”

The knight simply smiled a small smile. “Should see ‘er in a bad mood. Downright terror.”

Lyra found herself struggling to keep up with the enormous stallion’s easy pace as they ventured in after the retreating figure of the Princess of the Night. The castle was truly magnificent on the inside, decorated with pristine white marble, plush burgundy carpeting, and stained glass windows, depicting fables and real events alike.

Occasionally, the trio would receive odd looks. “Our subjects are not used to us roaming these halls during sunlit times,” Luna explained. “We and our Court tend to keep a more sensible, normal schedule.”

“Nocturnal ain’t ‘xactly normal,” Starbuck rumbled.

At this, Luna bopped him firmly on his head, the knight wincing despite himself. “Silence thyself, traitorous swine, lest me pummel thee again like we held practice in the field!” she said jovially.

Starbuck grumbled something about tyranny and abuse before another look from the Princess silenced the giant.

Lyra, for her part, simply tried to keep her chuckles to herself.

The personal quarters of the Princess of the Night were spacious, and kept to a strangely appealing spartan asceticism. The walls and ceiling were dark, studded with softly flickering gems that made Lyra feel as though she were amongst the stars. The carpet was a deep, dusky blue, and the elegant wooden furniture was stained and varnished stark black.

It was unusually cooler in this part of the castle than any other, and a soft breeze blowing in from some unknown direction pushed a few errant strands of Lyra’s dual-hued mane across her face. The mare brushed these away as she sat down on a cushion, her back against the wall.

Luna was giving her an odd look. “Pray tell, Ambassador, why dost thou recline in such an unusual mannerism?”

“It feels comfortable for me.” Lyra shrugged and sipped at her tea, held in a telekinetic grip by her magic.

“Indeed. I presume thou must be in wonderment as to why we have sent out a summons?”

Lyra felt a surge of excitement in her stomach. She carefully kept it down. No sense in getting her hopes up, after all. “Yes, Princess. My station has been treated as something of a joke among the others here at Canterlot.”

Luna sorted. “‘Tis the nature of the fool to mock that which they dost not comprehend. The Outlander Ambassador was a position created by mine sister and ourselves ages ago, for a very specific and necessary role. One that seems to have not had much use in recent years...until now.”

“Until...now?” Lyra squeaked. Her heart began to race. One of her rear hooves began to softly tap out an almost frantic rhythm on the carpeting. “So...it’s all true then? There really is other life out there?”

“Aye, Lady Heartstrings. We are not alone in this cosmos.” Princess Luna said it so casually, and with such certainty. She treated a bombshell like that as if were merely light small talk.

Lyra slumped against the wall. “Wow...” she breathed. “That’s just...wow.”

“‘Tis a simple truth, one that has been buried under centuries of dust until it shapes itself into myth.” Princess Luna leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “Mine sister has not helped in preserving the past...though we suspect she hast her own reasoning for this. Regardless, we have determined to bring the truths of the olden days forward once again. Celestia will not interfere with our endeavour, though we concede that she will not offer her assistance, either.”

Lyra nodded blankly, still dazed from the world shaking revelation. “So...what do you need me for?”

“To fulfill thy role, Ambassador. ‘Tis your duty to act as an envoy to all those visitors who come from elsewhere, from Outlands, as they were called in our time.”

“Have you...met one, before?” Lyra asked.

“We have had the pleasure to know hundreds, Ambassador. Equestria is visited more often than some would think. Though, some arrivals are not mere visitations. There are some who find themselves forced to remain in our land from accident, necessity, or simple ill luck. It was explained to us by one of their number, long ago. Equestria sits herself near the borders of this reality. The boundaries between dimensions art thin, here. It is easy for one to push through this barrier if one has the knowledge.”

“Wait, wait, wait. You said this reality?”

“Aye. We did. All realities are one, and yet separate. It is made of...layers...so to speak.”

Lyra rubbed her jaw with a hoof. It was somewhat sore from being dropped so much, so recently. “Like a cake?”

“Nay. More like...an onion. Aye, that fits. ‘Tis an onion! Sir Apple, agree with mine metaphor!”

"Ayep. Onion."

“So, the universe is an onion.” Lyra scratched at the base of her horn, trying to wrap her mind around it all.

Luna nodded energetically. “Of colossal scale! Every layer of this onion is a reality unto itself.”

“And every once and awhile, aliens get through these...layers, and end up here?”

Luna nodded again. “Aye. And ‘tis thine duty to treat with these visitors, to determine their purpose --nefarious, benevolent, or indifferent-- and origin, to manage records of their identities and, if necessary, their capture, should they prove to be incapable of existing amongst us.”

“...So, basically an immigration bureau...for aliens.”

Luna merely smirked and dipped her head in confirmation.

“And I’m in charge of this why?”

“Because thou art the one mine sister chose for the role, Ambassador Heartstrings. She is most adept at recognizing the hidden qualities of our subjects. Tell us, have thou not always wanted to experience something like this?”

“No! I mean -- yes. I’ve...” Lyra trailed off, momentarily paused. How could she describe what it felt for a lifetime of hope to be realized? To be mocked since foalhood for her fascination of aliens? To harbor doubts of her convictions at every turn, even when she had been at her most adamant of her beliefs? To finally have Princess Celestia herself take her aside after the Royal Wedding and offer her the role of which she’d never thought even existed? “...I’ve waited for so long...wishing that one day, I’d be able to know whether or not there was something...else...out there besides your moon and stars.” She trailed off again, looking down at her hooves, a tear threatening to well up in her eye, brought about by some emotion that she couldn’t quite place.

“And?” Luna prompted her.

Lyra looked up at the Princess of the Night and stared at her hard, her golden eyes meeting Luna’s own dark teal orbs. Luna held the gaze firmly, waiting to see what would come next.

“...And its about damn time,” Lyra finally said, surprising herself with her boldness.

Princess Luna leapt to her hooves, a brilliant smile adorning her face. “My sister was right indeed! Thou hast great spirit! I believe we shall get along just fine. Come, Ambassador, for we have much work to accomplish together! Onwards!”

Lyra staggered to her hooves and attempted to keep pace with the alicorn, who had promptly rushed out of the chambers, knocking the heavy door open like a runaway train.

“Where are we going?” Lyra panted as they tore through the hallways of Canterlot castle, Luna scattering servants and nobles alike as the seafoam green unicorn attempted to follow in her path.

“To the Royal Vaults!” Luna replied cheerily. “Where we shall crack open the bindings of your first three assignments!” Above, a gigantic dark blur whizzed by. Lyra caught the sight of Starbuck tipping his hat to her before the stallion flew around a hairpin corner and was lost to sight.

Lyra almost took down a small page, staggering in surprise. “I get to meet them? Aliens? Now?” She tingled with excitement.

“Of course! We must begin work immediately, we have centuries of unaccounted Outlanders to work through! These three we go to are the oldest, the first we ever encountered! No doubt they will be most pleased to be released from their stasis.”

“Stasis? Are they imprisoned or something?”

“Aye!” Luna responded, plowing through a contingent of nobles and scattering them like bowling pins. To Lyra’s amusement, the collision made a sound that was eerily similar to just such a thing. “For they art also the most dangerous! They nearly succeeded in bringing about Eternal Night, alongside ourself! ‘Twas a glorious battle, indeed!” She roared with laughter and plunged onward.

Lyra was as stupefied as the ponies left in the Princess’ destructive wake, falling silent until the pair skidded to a halt at the hall containing the Royal Vault.

It was a long, cathedral-like place, with a singular, narrow carpet running the length of the hall, and more stained-glass windows adorning the walls. At the end, she could see Knight-Commander Starbuck and another two ponies of the Moongard standing by the doors to the Vault itself. Lyra glanced at the pictures adorning the windows as she followed Princess Luna down the hallway.

She spotted a window containing Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna herself, surrounded by the current Bearers of the Elements as they unleashed the power of friendship upon her, cleansing the parasitic evil from her soul. Another window nearby held the form of Discord suffering a familiar fate. Lyra slowed to a halt when she saw yet another window with Discord, but instead of looking ferocious or malevolent, he looked...content.

Lyra slowed to halt and approached the image. The draconequus was perched atop the tallest tower of the glass-stained version of the former castle, now locked away, deep in the Everfree. He was not alone. Also standing atop the tower was Princess Celestia. In between them was...another draconequus? Discord has his arm wrapped around him. She peered intently at the figure, at his strange, mismatched parts, trying to-

The figure abrupt moved, turning to face her and crossing his arms almost irritatedly. “It's considered rude to stare. You don’t have to gawk at me, after all. I can tell that I’m attractive. I work out. I’m sexy and I know it.” The stained-glass draconequus began to do a strange, vulgar dance as techno music blared out of nowhere. “Wiggle-wiggle-wiggle-wiggle-wiggle, yeah!”

Lyra screamed, instinctively flaring her magic out and punching a hole straight the window, shattering it into a dozen pieces.

“That wasn’t very nice. You broke one of the few shards of proof I have that I was actually loved, once upon a time,” came the draconequus’ voice from the window next to it. He was reclining easily upon the back of a great turtle.

“What-who-where-huh!?” Lyra sputtered.

“Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just here for shits and giggles, as they say.” The image of the creature stepped out of the side of the window, only reappear in the one to the other side of the shattered picture, now inside the one of Discord being defeated. He paused for a moment, before pulling a marker out of somewhere, drawing a mustache across the face of the other draconnequus.

Princess Luna bounded next to her, bouncing with glee. “Disarray! Er , Entropy! Ach! Damnation, nephew - whatever you call yourself these days! It hast been too long! Thou hast not visited us in weeks! Well met!”

The draconequus shrugged. “Forgive me if this place is a little bittersweet. I was supposed to rule here, after all.”

Lyra simply stared.

“I think thou hast broken her,” Luna said, poking her on the horn. “Shame on thou! We only just met this one! We can never have any nice things without them getting broken sooner or later.” She stomped her hoof and pouted.

“Mainly because you’re so fond of pummeling everything you encounter.” The draconequus waved to Lyra. “Ah, hello there! You’re the new Ambassador, aren’t you?”

“Wh- I...yes?” Lyra hesitantly confirmed. “How did you know that?”

“Internet.”

Lyra leaned over and whispered in Princess Luna’s ear, “What’s an...’Internet?’”

“We are not sure, but from the stories he tells, ‘tis a dark and frightening thing, indeed,” Luna said. “Introduce thyself, nephew! Where are thy manners? Thou hast been rude to mine guest!”

He shrugged, before bowing deeply. “Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a draconequus of wealth and taste. Those who know their obscure history call me Prince Entropy, the first of his name, the son of Celestia, and formerly the next in line for the throne...until I decided politics weren’t for me. Those who read their fanfiction tend to call me Disarray, the Bringer of da Lulz and Almighty Refrencer.”

Lyra gaped. “Celestia has a son!?”

“No, I’m actually a female, trapped in a male’s body,” Disarray dryly quipped.

Luna spoke up. “Those of the Royal Blood are not above the callings of nature, Ambassador Heartstrings. We are ponies above all else, despite our power and appearance, and answer to the same needs as our subjects, no matter how base. Dost thou find it truly surprising that mine sister whelped a single foal in the three-thousand years of her life? Can thou blame her for succumbing to her desires just once, knowing that she is only as pony as thyself?”

“Well...no...I mean, three thousand years is a very, very long time. But...why doesn’t anypony know about him?” Lyra asked. “And why is he...um, a draconequus?”

Disarray shrugged his mismatched shoulders. “Blame it on my dear old Daddy, Ambassador. Discord had a bit of a wild side to him, in case you hadn’t noticed. I simply inherited a bloodline of half-alicorn, half-draconequus. Which is ironic, considering both are hybrids in their own right. I’m a giant collection of species, all melded into one. They called me the Patchwork Prince for a reason, you know. As for why nopony knows about me...well, let's just say I've no desire to stick myself in the limelight.”

“P-princess Celestia..and Discord?”

A new voice spoke up over the sound of muted hoofsteps on the carpet. “Yes, Ambassador. It was a long, long time ago...things were much different, then. We were different, as well.” Princess Celestia strode forth, gracefully tall and clad in her golden royal raiment of yoke, tiara, and horseshoes. Her eyes were focused on the image of her son in the window. “Hello, my little colt. It is good to see you again,” she said, softly.

“Err...'sup.” Disarray merely inclined his head in greeting, cooly distancing himself. There was an awkward silence for a moment, and then he strode out of the frame, calling, “If you, uh, need me, I’ll be watching from the sidelines, as usual.”

“Well! That went better than last time!” Princess Luna announced to nopony in particular.

“What happened last time?” Lyra wondered.

“He transfigured the tallest tower of Canterlot Castle into an enormous artificial stallionhood!” Luna roared with laughter. “‘Twas a truly hilarious sight to behold! The joking amongst the guards that day was that mine sister was in heat, and had finally found a male that could satisfy!” Lyra suppressed her giggles with a well-practiced poker face.

Celestia merely sighed and gestured towards the vault. “I don't know why it is everypony sees fit to make light of my private affairs. Could we please continue with what you are here, for, sister? I must return to court, soon.”

Luna grumbled, but nevertheless trotted over to the door, followed closely by Celestia and Lyra. “Bah! ‘Tis thou who rules thy subjects, not thy subjects ruling thee! Thou could be better off without the pompous nobles thou hast surrounded thyself with in mine absence. They could do with a good pummeling, we think.”

Celestia gave her a look. “Luna, please don’t try to beat up the nobility.”

“We would not have to try, ‘twould be a slice of pie!”

“You mean, piece of cake?”

“What? Nay! We speak'st of delicious, hearty pie! Sister, what is it with ponies and cake, recently? We thinks thou maybe hast a problem.”

Lyra watched as one of the veins in Celestia’s temple twitched. “Let’s just get this door open, shall we?” the Princess pleasantly said.

As one, the two sisters lowered their horns and inserted them into the dual keyholes embedded right into the leviathan vault door. The security guarding the precious Royal Relics had been doubled, literally. Ever since Discord had easily broken in and taken them, it had been determined that the shielding spells be strengthened, and the requirements for entry increased to two members of the Royal Family, instead of just one. There was a pause, a faint click, and a magical hum filled the air.

Luna withdrew her horn, Celestia following suit. “Starlight, Starbright,” she addressed the two other Moongard mares standing at attention by their Knight-Commander. “Watch this entrance with thine lives. Let nothing pass save ourselves, the Ambassador, and Sir Apple.”

The two mares saluted crisply and took up post on either side of the now-open doorway, unfurling their bat-like wings threateningly before becoming still as statues. Celestia remained where she was. “Go, sister,” she said. “Make sure they haven’t been too uncomfortable...and that they are forgiven.”

Luna proceeded into the portal, a poorly- lit tunnel with bare, unornamented rock walls, closely followed by Starbuck, who if anything seemed to relax in the darkness. Lyra hesitated at the entrance. Just what have I gotten myself into? she wondered. Day one on the job, and I learned that Celestia had a son, aliens exist, and I’m in charge of them all...

Despite her misgivings, she found herself strangely eager to continue. Down in the Vaults were three of the very things she had always desired to encounter. “Aliens,” she breathed. It was a curious mix of a dream come true and a gentle nightmare.

Lyra shook her head and smiled, before running in after the Princess and her escort.

The tunnel was winding and narrow, seemingly carved out of solid rock itself. Here and there faint, phosphorescent fungus grew, lighting the way ahead with an eerie, pale blue glow. Lyra all but sprinted out of the last turn and into the Vault itself, colliding with the back of Starbuck, who was standing still, gazing ahead. “D’oof!” It was comparative to running into a brick wall at full speed.

Starbuck grinned and peeled her off of his backside. “Sorry, sheila. Didn’t mean ta get in tha way.” The gentle giant brushed away the stars that were comically floating around her head, while Lyra regained her senses, looking around.

It was a tall circular chamber, that reminded her of being in the inside of a silo. Various barred doorways led off in different directions. The floor she was stadning on was gilded gold, inscribed with hundreds of pictures and designs. At the center of the floor was a large lever sticking out of the ground, standing by this was Princess Luna. “Ah, there thou art, Ambassador! We were thinking thou hast stayed behind to partake in mine sister’s diabolical cake!”

“A good thing she didn’t. The cake is a lie, after all.” Came Disarray‘s voice from below Lyra’s hoof. She lifted it, seeing the image of a golden draconequus relaxing amongst the floor carvings. He waved to her. “Welcome to the elevator. No, it is not named Otis, and no, you cannot live in here. Going down?”

“Down indeed!” cried Princess Luna, spinning and bucking the lever violently.

With a mighty screech, the floor dropped out from underneath Lyra’s hooves. “Aaaaaaaagh!” she screamed, plummeting helplessly...right above the floor? She looked around, seeing that the floor was falling at the same speed as she was, doorways on the walls flashing by at a blinding rate. Some ways away, Starbuck was floating gracefully still, his powerful wings outstretched to their impressive full span, maintaining his seemingly immobile position, while one hoof atop his head was keeping his cowpony hat secured.

“Ayep. Ah remember my first time droppin’, too,” he calmly said over the rush of wind.

“We dost recall that incident as well!” Luna jeered from where she was doing somersaults and twists. “Thou landed right on thy face! Thine eye was a splendid black-and-blue for an entire month!”

Lyra rolled around uncontrollably, struggling to right herself. Her legs swished at thin air, though, her mane and tail flapping about her face almost violently. “How do we stop this thing?” she cried.

“We hit the bottom!” Luna replied cheerfully. “In about...-”

A terrible, grinding of metal and rock suddenly issued from below. Lyra was smacked straight down onto her back as the floor rapidly slowed and the fall was halted. Starbuck landed solidly on all four hooves, causing the platform to shake a bit with the impact, and Luna merely braced herself as if she were dealing with an irritating breeze.

“-...Now!” she finished with the same enthusiasm. Lyra groaned from where she lay spread-eagled on the floor of the elevator platform, her eyes spinning in circles within their sockets.

“I’m going to have to get used to being knocked around on this job, aren’t I?” she pondered out loud.

Luna pranced over to her and looked down imperiously at the fallen mare. “Aye! The Outlander Ambassador is a title that falls under our jurisdiction! Cheer thyself upwards, Lady Heaertstrings! We art fun, unlike the stuffy nobles mine sister utilizes. A little pain is all in good sport!”

“You’re a masochist, you realize this, right?”

“Aye, and a fun one at that! ‘Tis this not correct, Sir Apple?”

“Ayep. Maso-whatsit.”

“See? Now, Ambassador! On your hooves! Stop being stuffy. We have some Outlanders to awaken and treat with! No doubt they will have much to reveal to you!” Luna turned and promptly rammed open the only door on the level, disappearing down another hallway.

“Does she ever, like, stop?” Lyra asked.

Starbuck pondered this for a minute, before shrugging. “Amaybe.”

“Excuse me, by all means, just keep lying here,” came a voice from between Lyra’s flanks. “It’s not hard to breathe or anything, I’m just enjoying the view.” Lyra squeaked and rolled off the image of the draconequus, who’s two-dimensional image had mysteriously donned a pair of sunglasses. “Dat plot,” he said, sucking in his lower lip.

Lyra mashed her hoof into his face. “Pervert.”

“Tomato, to-mah-to,” came his muffled voice.

Lyra harrumphed and stalked away after the Princess, Starbuck right on her tail, chuckling deeply to himself as they entered the darkness of the tunnel.

They emerged into a vast, open chamber that was made up of merely a walkway suspended over a bottomless pit, ending at a raised platform in the middle, upon which a shaft of sunlight fell like a spotlight, revealing the figure of Princess Luna and three other, smaller figures, absolutely still. She felt her pulse race at the sight of them. Lyra could not make out chamber’s walls or ceiling, everything obscured by the darkness. It gave her the odd sensation of the structures being suspended over total nothingness. Though, given their depth, that might not be far off from the truth.

“Where are we, Princess Luna?” Lyra asked nervously as she hopped onto the central platform.

“We are in the first, and top layer of Tartarus, Ambassador. We are also in the lowest point of the Royal Vault, at the very bottom of Canterlot Mountain. These beings before us deserve the honor of remaining in our Vault, though art highly dangerous, and for that reason they remain on the edges of the Pit itself.”

“Tartarus...” Lyra spoke the word delicately, peering over the edge into the abyss. She shuddered, before turning her attention to the three figures frozen on the pedastal. “They don’t look like aliens,” she said after a few minutes of observation. “They look like, well, normal ponies. If a bit eccentric with their taste in clothing.”

"Many Outlanders find themselves transformed into familiar species upon emergence into our realm, Ambassador. 'Tis a bizarre phenomenon, indeed."

The first figure, petrified in a magical stasis, appeared to be a pegasus stallion, deep brown with a shaggy untidy mane. He wore square-rim spectacles and sported an impressive goatee and mustache. His cutie mark was hidden under a faded blue duster, pockets stuffed with unknown items. What really drew her eye was his right foreleg, which was missing up to his shoulder, instead replaced by a rugged robotic prosthetic, bristling with valves and gears. Upon his metal pauldron was the image of a crescent moon. He was standing straight and tall, head bowed in submission, seemingly at peace.

Luna strode forward and fondly patted the frozen figure on the head. “Omnius, called the Guardian, for his steadfast defense of all things righteous and noble,” she said. “The first of the Travelers...three beings from all across the cosmos who voyage the stars themselves. They crash-landed here eons ago, bearing terrible secrets and power that they hid away in the forgotten places of the world.”

Lyra looked at the other two figures. “Why are they imprisoned, exactly?”

“Because they declared themselves mine servants, champions of the Princess of the Night, Steward of the Stars.” Luna said it bitterly, as if she were tasting something she found unpleasant. “Gallant fools. And when we fell to our own darkness, and became Nightmare Moon, they too, followed in our hoofsteps and did our bidding, no matter what was asked.

“Mine sister was unwilling to destroy them, out of respect for their past deeds and inability to banish them using the Elements of Harmony, which failed her after she used them to seal us in the moon. Now that we have returned, and mastered our shadows, it is time to redeem our fallen servants, who were faithful even to the end. They were more than subjects...they were...friends. We will not have them remain forgotten.”

Lyra approached the final two figures, who seemed to have been frozen together. One, a scarred, rusty-orange unicorn stallion, horn and ears poking out from under a sun-bleached bandanna wrapped around his skull. He was clad in an ancient admiral’s greatcloak, frozen bracing himself defiantly over the fallen figure of an earth pony mare, single, brilliant green, gold-rimmed eye glaring furiously forwards, the other hidden by an eyepatch branded with a silver crescent moon.

The mare lay limply on the floor. She was an earth pony, with a curiously long, shaggy white coat, stained a light chocolate in her mane and tail, around her closed eyes, nose, flanks, and hooves. She wore icy-blue combat barding, a thin necklace dangling around her neck, from which held the emblem of a crescent moon. Her cutie-mark, the only exposed one of the three, was the black pawprint of a large cat.

“Why do these two look like they were frozen during something?”

“As mine sister tells it, only Omnius went quietly into his fate. His fellows were...never so accepting of destiny. A great battle was fought to subdue yonder two Outlanders: Captain Ferros Oxhide, called the Reaver, for his ferocity and his...ahem...piratical tendencies. And his beloved sibling, Ragdoll, called the Sage, for her uncanny knowledge of things yet to come.” Princess Luna announced from somewhere behind her. “The first a loose cannon in every respect, the second wiser than any in Equestria. We will be freeing them one at a time, one a day, that thou might better manage them. They art thine wards, and thou art responsible for them,” Luna said seriously.

Lyra nodded eagerly, ready and raring to begin. Finally! This is it! She resisted the urge to squee in delight.

“To begin, we shall chose the most placid out of the three. Ragdoll, called the Sage, will be your first assignment as Ambassador. Art thou ready to begin thy role, Lyra Heartstrings of Ponyville?”

“Yes. Let’s begin.”

Luna closed her eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Lyra felt it. A faint, rumbling buzz as the Princess of the Night gathered her energies. Luna’s horn was wrapped in a sparkling, midnight-blue sheath, pulsing and crackling with power. Luna opened her eyes, now glowing a blindingly hot white, and dipped her horn, pressing it to the frozen mare’s wither. There was a thunderous crack! of release, the prone body flashed, and all fell still and silent. Luna drew back, anxiously watching.

Lyra took a step forward, peering at the mare’s face. She could have been dead, for all Lyra knew. Then...the shaggy coat rose and fell as Ragdoll, called the Sage, the pony who was not a pony, took her first breath in over a thousand years.

The Outlander opened her eyes, revealing the palest blue irises Lyra had ever seen, her pupils slitted like the Moongard but intensely feline. Lyra watched as the eyes shifted and focused to the light. Ragdoll blinked, and looked at her.

“Hello, Ragdoll. My name is Lyra Heartstrings,” the Ambassador told her gently. “And we have a lot to talk about.”

Achievement Earned: "My Second Basement is Hell."

Character Unlocked: Ambassador Lyra Heartstrings

-Perk: Conspiracy Theorist (+5 spirit, +5 intellect, -2 sociability) Whatever it is they're up to, you're sure to find out. Your keen senses perceive the truth in any situation, much to the chagrin of your friends, who tend to find your obviously-briliant ideas embarrassing.

-Perk: Blind Faith (+3 strength, +3 stamina) Your single-minded devotion to a belief is commendable, you zealot. I find it a bit creepy, honestly. There are therapists in Equestria, right? You might want to see one.

Ally Gained: Luna, Princess of the Night

-Perk: Warrior Princess (+100 all stats, -10 social skills) Holy fuck, you're Princess Luna! Oh god, I'm such a fan! Will you sign your name on my face!?
Ally Gained: Knight-Commander Starbuck Apple

-Perk: Far From the Tree (+10 black sheep, +10 funny accent) Your willingness to carve out your own path has left you with an indomitable sense of independence. You lead your ponies with confidence and skill. But I still can't understand a word he says...

Location(s) Discovered!: The City of Canterlot, Harmony Castle, and the Royal Vault