“Alright, you guys look ready.” Twilight said, opening her door to find her friends and the guards trying on the armor she couldn’t use.

“Starswirl said we were welcome to them.” Spike said.

“You are, keep them. They were just cluttering my armory anyways. I’ve got a relatively clear route. We need to be quick and silent because after yesterday everything seems to be more alert.” Twilight said, slipping into a serious tone.

“I’ll fly above you, I’ll be an owl. I’ll alert you if I see anything coming and Twilight can do a scan.” Starswirl said.

“What happens if we get into a fight with something?” The lieutenant asked.

“If we can’t avoid them then I’ll do my best to take whatever’s coming out before they reach us or can alert anything else. If I can’t then we fight our way to the lake.” Twilight said as she leaned on the doorway.

“Anything else?” One of the guards asked.

“Yeah, good luck. If they find us when I’m doing my thing at the lake you guys will be on your own except for Starswirl. Celestia will be here with reinforcements sometime tomorrow, but until then it’d be just you guys.” Twilight said.

“It’s not that she won’t help you in favor of finishing quickly, it’s the fact that she’ll be draining her blood at a pace that will barely allow her to be conscious let alone fight.” Starswirl cut in.

“We understand, we won’t let anything touch you.” Dash said. Twilight smiled and motioned for them to follow.
---
Twilight looked up as she heard Starswirl’s owl-like hoot. She pulled her visor down and switched it to a setting she had invented to find ghasts and the like. She saw two of them slowly foraging their way towards them. Twilight turned to her group and made a ‘Shh’ motion as she silently leapt up to a rooftop.

“Whoa what is that?” Dash asked as Starswirl landed next to them. Twilight had taken the steam rifle off her back and had seemingly unfolded it. It was a long curve nearly as tall as she was with pulleys on the ends. With a touch of magic she created a string and an arrow.

“She got tired of launching steam into the rifle and modified it to create a longbow. Much more silent, much more efficient.” Starswirl whispered back.

Twilight released the arrow and it split into two mid-air. Unseen by the group, the arrows went through the eyes of the two Ghasts. She folded the bow back up and let the arrows’ power return to her as she hopped back down.

“How much further do we need to go?” Spike asked.

“We’re three fourths of the way there, Either I picked a really good route or something doesn’t add up with how quiet it is.” Twilight said.

“Let’s hope it’s just a good route.” Starswirl said, taking off again.
---
“Oh I see... For brainless zombies these things are kind of smart.” Twilight said when they reached the lake at the tip of the mountain. It was pale with the toxin, but she could see to the bottom.

“What is it?” Starswirl asked.

“They’re waiting underwater until I am weak I am guessing. What they don’t realize is that with my blood going into the water it will burn them.” Twilight said, using her magic to turn small valves on each of her shoulders. She put her hands slightly below the surface as blood started pumping out of her hands.

“Are you sure you can stay conscious for 36 hours straight like that?” Starswirl asked.

“I’ve tested it before... I could go for 48 if need be, but I’ll need a nap and some food after the nap.” Twilight answered as her blood slowly made it’s way to the bottom of the small lake. After about ten minutes bubbles started to come up, signifying drowned screams of dissolving ghasts.

“So how does this lake and river work? Wouldn’t we need to keep filling it?” One of the guards asked.

“No, there’s an underground channel that feeds half of the runoff back into the lake using lots of heat to turn it to steam to go up the mountain while the cool air up here naturally cools it. If you were to go to the opposite base you’d find some steam coming out ever so slightly.” Twilight answered.

“How do you know this?” Dash asked.

“Because I helped build it during the dry season, Rain just wasn’t enough to keep the river going.” Twilight replied.

“So, what shall we do for the next 36 hours?” Starswirl asked.

“Make it something I can be a part of, this is already boring...” Twilight said.

“Alright I got one, This is an old kid’s game but I have nothing better.” The female guard with Spike started. “Basically it’s twenty questions, but it’s goal isn’t to find out what the other person is, but who they have a crush on or who they’re in a relationship with.” She continued.

“Will you be going first Ruby?” The lieutenant asked with a grin.

“Of course.” She replied.

“Is it Spike?” The lieutenant asked.

“Alright I guess we’re that obvious. Alright, new rule. If you already know it don’t give it away right off the bat. We’re passing the time here.” Ruby said.

“Well we’d have to skip me, the only person here who would know where my affections once were is Twilight since that particular woman has been long dead.” Starswirl said.

“Alright, well let’s get you Twilight while you’re still fresh.” Ruby said.

“Alright, try me.” Twilight smiled, having created a seat of magic on the water for her to sit and face the group.

“First question, do we know him?” Dash asked.

“That’s a wasted question Dash.” Twilight giggled.

“Oh I see, is it a she?” Dash mended.

“Yep.” Twilight replied.

“Shoot girl, didn’t know you quite swung that way. Second question, do we know her?” Applejack asked.

“Yes.” Twilight answered.

“Have you kissed?” Rarity asked.

“Oh yeah.” Twilight replied.

“Have you slept in the same bed?” Pinkie asked.

“Yep.” Twilight answered.

“Did you bump uglies?” Dash asked.

“Nope. let’s have the others get some questions in, that was five. Fifteen more to go.” Twilight said.

“Was she in canterlot during the incident?” One of them asked.

“She was.” Twilight replied.

“She survived, right?” Ruby asked.

“Of course.” Twilight said.

“When was the last time you saw her?” The Lieutenant asked

“Yesterday” Twilight responded.

“Wait, so she’s a guard?” Ruby asked.

“Nope.” Twilight replied.

“You said you already kissed and stuff and slept in the same- OH! Is it fluttershy?!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“No, we’ve never kissed.” Twilight said, almost giggling at Fluttershy’s flustered reaction.

“So if’n it’s all that stuff and it ain't one of us and it wasn’t a guard... Wait, is it one of the princesses?” Applejack asked.

“Mhm.” Twilight hummed.

“Wait, you and Celestia are dating?” Spike asked.

“Yep. Apparently she’s been wanting to talk to me about it since i turned twenty, but we kinda got together the first time we saw each other after you left, Spike.” Twilight explained.

“The nobility’s gonna get a kick outta this.” Blue Steel said with a grin.

“Not that I’m against you guys or anything, but isn’t that kinda weird?” Dash asked.

“I don’t see why you’d think it’s weird, you and Pinkie are pretty damn close.” Twilight retorted. Dash opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself halfway through a syllable.

“That’s not the weird part... I mean, she’s like a thousand years old... and you’re Twenty-five...” Dash said with a blush as Pinkie giggled.

“Well you seem to be able to spot these things from a mile away.” Starswirl said to Twilight.

“What do you mean?” Spike asked.

“I had only barely noticed how close Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were and I didn’t know it was like that, and in my youth I was known as quite the matchmaker.” Starswirl said.

“Well, if’n she’s so good at seein’ that stuff why don’t you try us all?” Applejack suggested, giving a smirk to Twilight.

“Hm... Applejack and Rarity. As I mentioned earlier, Pinkie and Dash. Obviously Spike and Ruby. Blue Steel and the rest of the guards are with people I don’t know, if at all, and I remember Celestia telling me about Fluttershy and Luna.” Twilight said.

Everyone who wasn’t already exposed or didn’t have a relationship froze.

“I kinda guessed at AJ and Rares, but Flutters and Princess Luna?!” Dash exclaimed.

“W-Well um... We’ve only kissed once... And it was only a tiny peck...” Fluttershy stuttered.

“I get how Twilight and Celestia are together, but how did you and Luna get together?” Blue Steel asked the shy woman. “That is, if it’s not too much to ask.” He added as an afterthought.

“Oh um... It’s fine. Well, that first Nightmare Night we spent a bit more time together afterwards... She wanted to thank me for helping her tame her volume.” Fluttershy started.

“I think all of Equestria would want to thank you.” Ruby chuckled, earning a tiny giggle form the shy woman.

“Well, we quickly became friends and she came back about a week later and told me she was a bit jealous of Celestia because she had a unique pet like Philomina. I was so excited that the princess wanted a pet picked with my help I could barely contain my joy!” She continued happily.

“So that’s where Midnight came from.” Twilight mumbled. Fluttershy nodded and went on.

“Well, earlier that week I had come across a strange injured thing. It looked like an adult dragon, but the size of a garden snake and it had feathers instead of scales. It had a broken wing so I helped it and it helped me out calming the nocturnal animals for feeding. I showed the thing to Luna and she fell in love with it.” She said.

“What exactly was it?” Dash asked.

“I didn’t know at the time, but Luna called it a Vampire Serpent. I wouldn’t have believed it was a vampire animal but it bit me one time. It didn’t hurt and it wasn’t being mean, it just clamped onto my forearm for about ten second and I swear it was drinking some of my blood.” Fluttershy replied.

“They’re very rare but there are some Vampire Birds out there. A Phoenix is born when a special type of bird called a firebird is touched with solar energy or magic. When it’s touched by Lunar magic though, it becomes a Vampire Bird.” Twilight recited.

“That’s waht Luna said, apparently some high level mages can use Lunar or Solar magic in tiny amounts.” Fluttershy said.

“For my Twenty-first birthday, Celestia took me out drinking and she was too drunk to raise the sun herself so I had to help her.” Twilight accounted thoughtfully with a smile.

“I didn’t know it was possible to help.” Blue Steel said.

“Neither did I until she explained the spell to me. I can’t talk about it though.” Twilight said.

“That’s understandable. Hey purple, shouldn’t you be on the lookout?” Dash said.

“I am. I’ve grounded the sphere and set up a grid of sensory magics around the are. If anything gets within range I’ll know immediately.” Starswirl explained.

“Why do you ask?” Twilight asked.

“I dunno, I get this feeling that something’s watching us.” Dash replied.

“Are you psychic or something? It must be an instinct or something, I’ve got some ghosts on the edge of the grid and a few spectres lumbering over.” Starswirl said, popping up from the hole in the ground he was residing in and taking a humanoid form.

“Instinct?” Dash asked as the group stood and readied for a fight.

“You used to be in the Wonderbolts and captain of the weather patrol no? Naturally you’d develop instincts for detecting things, bullying storms isn’t exactly a safe occupation.” Starswirl explained as Twilight fidgeted on her little magic platform that had now solidified and turned into a lily pad.