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Diplomacy through schooling

by Evilhumour

Chapter 15: Epilogue

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Epilogue

After reassuring her friends that she was indeed feeling better, and a quick breakfast for all of them, they boarded their airskimmer and headed towards the mainland.

As they made their approach, a flight of airskimmers began rising up towards them, bearing the colours of Laronda, and their skimmer’s comm system crackled. “Approaching skimmer, please identify yourself.”

Twilight activated the response button. “This is Princess Twilight Sparkle and companions, of Equestria, here on an official diplomatic visit to the Royal Family of Laronda,” she said. “You were expecting us?”

“Indeed we were, Princess,” the lead skimmer answered. “We’re your escort. Please set your course to match ours, and we’ll have you at the capital in no time.”

Spike was already setting the controls, and Twilight sat back to let him work.

The flight lasted just a short while, and soon enough, they’d landed at the airfield near the Larondan royal palace, which Twilight informed her friends was standard procedure for such a visit. “This is the exact same place we landed the last time,” she told them.

When they’d all emerged, they found themselves greeted by the pilots of the escorting airskimmer flight. “Colonel Korak,” the lead pilot, a male centaur, said by way of greetings. “Good to see you again, Princess. Spike. And to meet your friends too,” he added once Twilight had introduced all of them.

Twilight smiled. “It’s a pleasure to see you again,” she said. “How is your husband? Did he manage to get that promotion at the bakery?”

“Sure did,” the colonel said. “Come on, the King and Queen are eager to see you.”

The pilots led them across the airfield, towards the palace.

“The King is an experienced pilot himself,” Twilight explained to her friends as they went. “He first learned when he was still Prince; he was a former pilot in their air force as well as a racer, and he keeps his personal airskimmer near the palace so he can go out whenever he’s in the mood.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Cool!” she said happily. “Wish I could see one of those races.”

“We’ve got recorded memories of them stored in special crystals, so they can be replayed for people who want to watch them,” Colonel Korak said. “They’re really something spectacular to see.”

Rainbow Dash’s grin was even bigger now, and Twilight could tell she was just barely holding in her excitement. She began eagerly asking about some of the maneuvers they were capable of, which Colonel Korak happily answered. That talk lasted all the way to the entrance to the throne room, where they were led in and to the thrones where a regal-looking gargoyle and centaur sat.

After bowing to the king and queen, Twilight turned to her friends. “Everyone,” she said. "May I present, King Scorpan and Queen Annick."

There were several startled gasps, before Rarity spoke. “Goodness,” she said. “You mean, the same Scorpan who once visited Equestria and befriended Starswirl the Bearded?”

"Scorpan the third, actually," the king said, looking rather amused. "My father and grandfather both retired long ago, though they still serve as royal advisors when I need them."

Rarity blushed, clearly embarrassed, before the king spoke again. “So, Princess Twilight. It’s been a long time, and it’s good to see you again. But let’s not beat around the bush, shall we? I understand one of our people was… the source of trouble, shall we say, for Equestria recently.”

Twilight nodded. “It is my great regret to inform you that Tirek the Terrible had escaped from his imprisonment in Tartarus some time ago, and has been responsible for the abduction of many of our people, though they have since been freed.” She took a deep breath. “Less than a week ago, having acquired enough magic for his plans, he sent his allies to perform a vicious assault against our capital city of Canterlot while personally invading my home of Ponyville, where he caused a great deal of destruction and, were it not for a certain timely intervention, would have killed a number of people who are very important to me. In my fury, I unleashed powers far beyond anything that he expected and badly injured him before returning him to Tartarus. He now resides in his former prison cell there, his mind and body permanently broken.”

She paused to catch her breath, before continuing. “I know he was a renegade, but… he was one of your people. While we do not blame Laronda for his actions, we, the ruling family of Equestria, felt you deserved to know what had happened to him.”

For a few minutes, the king and queen sat silently, and Twilight kept her head low, before the king finally spoke.

“You are, as always, forthright and honest, Princess,” he said. “So shall I be. And I say unto you now that I, and Laronda as a whole, do not blame you in the least for what has happened. You were defending your land against an aggressor, and acted with justified intent.”

“Nor do I,” a much older voice rang out, with people muttering in surprise as a very old gargoyle walked into the room. His wings were threadbare and pulled behind him and he was being aided by several attendants to walk along with the cane in his hand but there was a strength in his eyes. “My brother was a monster and forfeited any right to my compassion when he learned those dark arts and planned to attack your nation, dear Princess.”

Twilight bowed. “King Emeritus Scorpan,” she said respectfully. “It is an honor to see you once more.”

“The honor is all mine, young Princess,” Scorpan told her with a smile. “It’s good to see you so well, and Sir Spike too.”

Spike blushed.

“And these must be the friends you told me about, Twilight,” he said. “Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Rarity Belle. A pleasure to meet you all at last.”

The five all smiled and bowed as he approached, and he laughed. “Oh, you don’t have to bow to me,” he said. “My time as ruler is long since done, and while I do appreciate the respect, I have learned so much of you from Twilight that I feel as if we are already all old friends.” He beckoned to them as he settled his way into a suitable resting spot of his own. “Come, sit.”

There was some hesitation, but soon all seven of the Equestrian visitors had settled in, and the retired king’s attendants had been dismissed for the time being.

“So tell me,” he said. “What do you think of our homeland?”

Fluttershy’s face lit up. “Oh, it’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “The places we flew over were so… vibrant!”

“And I could hear the humming those plants were making, even from the air!” Pinkie said happily. “The hills were alive with the sound of music!” She elbowed Applejack. “Bet you wish you had those kinds of things back home.”

Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, they sound like they’d be fun,” she said.

Rarity nodded, smiling. “Laronda is indeed a spectacular place to experience,” she said.

“And your racers sound really, really cool!” Rainbow Dash said eagerly.

The younger King Scorpan smiled from his own seat. “Colonel Vorak and his people told you about my time as pilot of the Golden Yoke, I take it?”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash said. “It was awesome!”

“I quite agree,” King Scorpan said. “It’s good to get out and stretch the wings every now and then, but there’s nothing quite like the feel of that motor humming.”

Queen Annick nodded. “I might not be a pilot myself, but flying makes my husband happy,” she said.

“Flying is a very unique experience, my dear,” the former king said. “There’s little like it and I do miss flying under my own power myself. Though some of these skimmers do help to make up for it.”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “It’s one of the best experiences ever,” she said.

Both Scorpans smiled in agreement.

“Switching to a slightly different topic,” Queen Annick said. “Princess Twilight, how is Caplan doing? His letters home always say he’s enjoying his time teaching at your school, but I’d like your personal and professional opinion.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Oh, he’s really happy!” she said. “The students always enjoy his classes and the histories he teaches them, and he’s made a lot of friends among the teaching staff and the citizens of Ponyville. I’ve sat in on a few classes myself, and the way he can tell the old stories… it’s so easy to feel as if you were really there. And the students enjoy the group participation activities that he does too.”

Queen Annick smiled. “That’s wonderful,” she said. “Our boy’s always dreamed of being a teacher, and to hear that his students enjoy his lessons is delightful news.”

Fluttershy looked wide-eyed at this. “Your… Twilight?” She turned to her friend. “You have a prince teaching at your school?”

“I am a princess running a school, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “But I had no idea he was a member of the royal family!”

"That was the idea," King Scorpan said. "Beginning with my father's generation, it was decided that when we were young, we should go out and experience the world as civilians, without the populace being aware of their identities so they would to learn how others live without the benefits of being royalty, and could make their own achievements without having to deal with… suck-ups, shall we say. We do keep careful watch on our children during these times of their lives, but for the most part, we let them be and don't interfere unless they absolutely need it." He smiled. "Prince Caplan, for his part, has always preferred a quiet life of learning and teaching to staying in the palace, and is quite willing to let his older brother take the throne when the time comes."

“Wow.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Never would have thought it. He’s a nice guy, and so… humble.”

“That’s another thing we hope for our children to learn when they spend their time out in the world,” King Scorpan said. “Some are more successful than others.”

Scorpan the First raised a hand. “One of the reasons my brother turned out so poorly is because he let his position go to his head,” he said. “That’s a part of why, when I became a father, I instituted this policy of encouraging our royal sons and daughters to go among the populace rather than spend all their time among the royal court. It helps keep their egos deflated.”

Rainbow Dash gave a nervous chuckle at that.

Talk soon turned to other things, and in this way the day passed. Almost before Twilight knew it, it was dinner time, and then bedtime. She would have loved to stay longer, and could tell that her friends, including the Larondan royal family, would have wanted it as well. But they were all needed back home, and would be leaving in the morning.

Though somewhat restless, she turned the light off and rolled over, trying to get to sleep. They would have a long flight back in the morning.


“Seriously, how did you not get all these weak spots in Canterlot’s defenses filled in sooner?” Pharynx asked his wife. “This city has more holes in it than a fishing net!”

“Tread carefully,” Luna growled as she lay out on her cushion, wincing. “Your spawn is in a kicking mood which puts me in a sore spot; in any case, I was not here as long as my sister, so go ask her.”

Pharynx shook his head with a sigh. “I meant you Canterlotians in general, not you specifically. In any case…” He went over and began rubbing her stomach, helping soothe her pains. “How’s this?”

“Much better, thank you,” Luna said after a few minutes. “And getting back to your question, having just one alicorn to concentrate on matters for most of those long years meant a few things slipped through the cracks. Much as I love my sister and niece, security is not one of their strong areas, and as you well know, their guards were somewhat lacking in certain aspects of that area as well. They tried, but...”

“Right.” Pharynx continued his administrations. “Under Chrysalis, we managed to sneak in with no issue and if it weren’t for my brother making us see sense, I doubt you’d have had a chance in spotting us before it was too late.”

“Quite.” Luna rolled a bit. “And of course, while Twilight is very strong when it comes to administration and diplomacy, and is personally capable of defending herself and others, she is lacking in military training.”

“Think we could ask Tempest to try and remedy that for her?” Pharynx asked.

Luna made something of a shrug. “Possibly. I know Celestia is thinking about asking her to lead a prospective Twilight Guard when she has completed her magic training.” She grimaced. “Whether Twilight will accept having her own personal guard is another thing entirely; having gotten the chance to know her as I have, I doubt she would want any kind of personal servants, bodyguards included, around her on a regular basis. She prefers to take care of what she can on her own, and ask Spike for help with what she can’t.”

“She is pretty self-sufficient, isn’t she?” Pharynx mused.

“Verily.” Luna smiled. “And I know Celestia views this as a good thing for her. But given what Twilight has expressed previously, I highly doubt she will take it well if my sister suggests that she take a more direct role in ruling.”

“Then why not pressure your sister to go ahead with the rotation idea that was mentioned before?” Pharynx said, nuzzling her ear. “It did seem like the best idea for all involved as I know you hate to lay about at times.”

“Because my sister, as you know, loves to be in the spotlight, indirectly at best,” Celestia chided gently as she walked in. “And rest assured, I am not going to push Twilight to take on any more responsibilities than she has already. She is learning well in how to rule and lead but I know how she feels about taking a more official place in our government. She is not ready for that and I will not force it on her, nor more than you will force your own child to follow a path they do not care for.” Celestia said as she placed her head on her sister’s stomach. “I would love nothing more than to retire one day and go back to how it once was before we ended up in this place, Luna, back when we were young and had not a care beyond each other. But I am not that young mare anymore and I have grown up and gained so many duties and responsibilities that I would be spitting on all that I have accomplished to just toss it all to Twilight to handle on her own.” She sighed, nuzzling Luna’s stomach before reaching up to nuzzle her sister’s face. “I waited a thousand years for your return. If I must wait another thousand years before we can retire properly, then that’s what it will be.”

“You’d still be handling your Duties, right?” Pharynx asked, and she knew what he meant.

“Barring some unfortunate accident, yes,” Celestia said. “And Luna as well, for Night and Dreams, unless she chooses otherwise.”

“Rest assured, I have no such plans,” Luna replied. “I am quite satisfied with where I stand with my Mantles now.” Then she fixed her sister with a look. “And what if Twilight feels she never wants to take over ruling from Canterlot, or any other place she would want to establish as a capital for Equestria?”

“Then I will support her in that decision,” Celestia said. “As I told you once before, I hoped, after she achieved her Element, that she would become an alicorn as well one day. Not because it meant she would be crowned, that was just part of Equestria’s traditions.” She looked wistful. “But the largest part was because I… well, let’s just say I had my fantasies of a certain rather harmless variety. Something that we, as alicorns, can readily do together now.”

Luna raised an eyebrow at her. “And what fantasies might those be?”

“For she and I to go flying together, side by side, as you and I once did,” Celestia said. “Soaring through the clouds, just enjoying the wind on our faces. I so rarely get a chance to go flying off by myself, let alone with a friend to keep me company, but… well, I dreamed of doing it with her, and of Twilight enjoying herself just as much as I did.”

“And nothing to rebuilding our tribe?” Luna asked pointedly with Celestia flinching as if she had been struck. Already, she leaned in to console her sister. “That war took a lot from everyone everywhere, Celestia, even if we have the Valley of the Alicorns. You do not need to pretend that you are not still grieving from the loss and hope to one day see our kind return.”

“That would be… a bonus,” Celestia admitted. “Cadance and you already promise to give birth to a new generation of alicorns in this dimension, and who knows what can lead from that. But what I wanted most from and for Twilight was her happiness.”

“I know you better than anyone else, the Mantles included, Celestia and I know as much as you care for Twilight as your own daughter and wish her all the best, you have also dreamed to see many more alicorns than just us two for far longer,” Luna replied through tears. “So when your daughter comes by to visit, reaffirm the agreement we made with her but make no mention of your desire to retire. You know that she still aims to please you and she might take it that shouldering our burden could achieve that goal, even at her own misery.”

Celestia nodded her head. “I know,” she said. “I know.”

Pharynx looked up at his sister-in-law. “Hey,” he said. “I had a thought.”

“Oh?” Celestia asked.

“Well… if Twilight’s friends are also Powers, what’s stopping them from becoming alicorns too some day?”

The sisters exchanged glances, and Celestia looked at him. “Some of their Others have,” she said slowly as if she were pulling together a plan in her mind. “It all depends on how things go. But no matter the dimension, neither I nor any other alicorn can induce such a change - they have to achieve it on their own. Who knows, maybe they will some day.” She looked at her sister. “Perhaps I should start making contingencies for if they do.”

“You mean you haven’t already?” Luna asked, giving her sister a look.

Celestia blushed. “Well… maybe,” she admitted. “I have contingencies for a lot of things, no matter how out there and unexpected they may be.” She looked away for a moment, her face even redder than before. “I actually have contingencies for the event that a resident of Ponyville suddenly ascends.”

A resident?” Luna asked, arching her eyebrow even more.

“Well… individual contingencies for most of them, actually,” Celestia confessed. “It was one of those days when I just needed to take some time off and stretch my imagination for a while.”

“Of course.” Luna shook her head. “Care to share them with me, dear sister?”

“Well…” Celestia started as she lay next to her sister with Pharynx rolling his eyes but joining them, pulling the paperwork alongside him.


It was the middle of the afternoon, and school had since closed for the day, when Moondancer sat at a desk and frowned as she studied her book again. “Where was it…” she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, a pair of hooves cupped themselves across her eyes, and she smirked. “Hello, Trixie.”

Trixie giggled as she let go. “Hello, love.”

Moondancer smiled as she turned to face her marefriend and hugged her. “Hey.”

“So, almost ready for the big trip?” Trixie asked.

“I will be.” Moondancer looked down. “But I’m going to miss seeing Twilight like we have been.”

Trixie had a slight frown, before she looked at her marefriend. “You really do care for her, don’t you?”

Moondancer nodded. “I love you, Trixie, and these last months getting to know one another have been wonderful, but… there’s just something about Twilight, you know? She’s just… I’m not sure I can put it into words. Sure, she’s not perfect - she’s had those times when she didn’t seem to notice other ponies around her and how much she affected them. But at her heart, she is good, and I can’t help but wish that she saw me the way I’ve always seen her.”

Trixie leaned in and nuzzled her. “For what it’s worth, Trixie admits she is attractive, and once Trixie got over her envy of Twilight’s abilities, she knows Twilight makes for a good friend,” she said. “And she… she thinks that when you told her about… well, us, that she heard Twilight’s heart break a little, and a bit of that old envy cropped back up.”

Moondancer looked at her, startled, and Trixie continued. “I think she was really at the point where she was getting ready to give you a serious try as a romantic partner,” she said.

Moondancer looked even more shocked. “But… but she said…”

“That she wants you to be happy,” Trixie said. “That is the kind of person she is. In all her time living with Twilight, Trixie has learned that she tends to put others’ happiness above her own.” She reached out a hoof and laid it on her marefriend’s shoulder. “Trixie is not quite there yet,” she said. “But knowing what she does after seeing the look in her eyes that day, and having had time to reflect on it, she is willing, once we have had a while to ourselves and are certain of how we feel on the matter, to invite Twilight to share in our happiness. If that’s what you still want by then.”

Moondancer smiled. “Thank you, Trixie,” she said. “I really appreciate that.”

“And if a unicorn and an alicorn can make a life together without worrying about it, surely two unicorns and an alicorn should have no problem either!” Trixie’s confident smile made Moondancer laugh.

“We’ll see,” she said. “Now… I still have some books to pack before we go on our night studies and prestidigitation tour. Mind helping me?”

“You never have to ask,” Trixie told her, before hugging her marefriend again.

As the two headed upstairs, Moondancer had one more question. “Trixie… what do you think of all this Powers business?” she asked. “I mean, knowing that Twilight represents a fundamental aspect of reality?”

Trixie shrugged. “Princess Celestia has been representing a fundamental aspect of reality since long before any of our great-grandparents were born,” she said. “This is just another side of it. It is what she does, not who she is.”

“Right.” Moondancer shook her head. “I was just wondering… how can she take it, handling that kind of responsibility on her own?”

“From what Trixie has heard from the others, the majority of it is simply being true to yourself,” Trixie said. “Celestia and Luna may have to be more active in their Duties, but that is simply one aspect of them.” She looked curiously at Moondancer. “Why, were you wondering what it might be like to have to do those kinds of things?”

Moondancer blushed. “Maybe,” she said. “If only because it would let me be there for Twilight when she’s… well, a lot older than she is now. Not that it wouldn’t be interesting to become a part of something so much bigger than myself,” she added, “but supporting Twilight and her friends would be a part of it too. I… I kind of get the impression, from what Luna and Pharynx said to me once, that monitoring the dream realm takes a lot of time and effort, even with the two of them working together.”

“Yes, it would,” Trixie said thoughtfully. “Perhaps that is something more that we should ask Princess Luna about when we see her next.”

Moondancer smiled. “You know, she still says that she’s really, really grateful for all I told her about my interest - and others’ - in night magic, and even with her hormones settling, it makes her want to spend more time talking about it with me and hearing about it from me.”

“That does not surprise Trixie in the least,” Trixie said with a smile as she leaned in to kiss her neck. “You are a very smart and clever mare, after all.” Moondancer giggled as Trixie kissed more of her neck. “Anyone would be lucky to have you interested in them.” Moondancer giggled again as Trixie continued to kiss her more.

“Come on,” she said happily as she kissed Trixie on the forehead. “Let’s go get those books.” she said, swishing her tail in her marefriend’s face.

“Right with you,” Trixie said. “Better our room than a place where Twilight can complain, right?”

“Yeah… right.” Moondancer smiled. “Or where Spike might find the evidence - he’s still underage, after all.”

“True.”


Night eventually fell, as it always did, and soon enough, Moondancer was sound asleep in her room with Trixie snuggled into her.

Suddenly, she found herself in one of the libraries she’d frequented, and looked around in surprise. “Where-”

“Hello, Moondancer,” Luna’s voice came before she materialized next to the younger mare. Her pregnancy bulge was still visible, and she had a smile on her face. “How are you tonight?”

“Doing well,” Moondancer replied. “Is this… a dream?”

Luna nodded. “You’ve expressed interest in my talents before, and I felt it was about time to give you a little instruction in them.” She looked around. “I must confess, some of my Others have an entire Dream Guard to aid them, augmented by the Mantle of Dreams, and while I’ve hesitated somewhat… I’m going to have a lot of other responsibilities coming up shortly, and Pharynx and I could use the help - though he’ll still be the one weaving the nightmares when we find a person who needs one.” She smiled. “And where better than to start with a trusted friend?”

Moondancer’s eyes widened, before she bowed. “You honor me, Princess.”

“Please, it’s just Luna, I’ve told you that before,” Luna told her. “Now, this way.”

The library gave way to a starry sky, and to bubbles that gradually floated around as they walked.

“This, my dear friend, is the dreamscape,” Luna said as a row of different colours expanded before them. “Where dreamers are incredibly close yet galaxies apart, where everything is possible and yet nothing is real. If one knows how to shape their dream, one can conjure anything they wish.” Luna said as she created an array of different scenes. Moondancer found herself crossing the entirety of the Saddle Arabian Desert in seconds, walking under the Southern Celestial sea which was above her, saw the stars themselves be rendered into marbles that foals played with before finding herself in Trixie’s wagon in a nameless field laying next to the mare she loved. “But take heed for there are dangers too. Travel too close to another’s dream and you might be pulled into their nightmare, woven into their terror and become banished into nothingness when they awaken.” Moondancer paused in terror as a giant glowing centipede-like creature appeared before them, staring at the two with clear malicious intent in its eyes.

“And there are other beings that call this plane home,” Pharynx said as he appeared behind the creature, slicing it in half with a gleaming blade. “Dangerous if you stray too far into places without dreams and delve into places that mortals were never meant to be. That’s why, until we say you’re ready, you are never to exit your own dream and enter the greater dreamscape without one of us there. You do not wish to know what these creatures can do to you, let alone the true dream monsters that exist.”

Moondancer nodded nervously. “I promise,” she said.

Luna smiled. “Good,” she said. “Now, let’s see…” She brought around a few bubbles. “The majority of these are clearly calm, peaceful dreams,” she said. “We who protect the dreamscape have sworn oaths never to reveal their contents except to those who experienced them and already know them; as a prospective Dreamguard, you will be required to swear the same oaths.”

“Of course, but what if I see something that should be reported?” Moondancer asked.

“Then you tell us,” Pharynx said. “Dreams and nightmares are very difficult at the best of times, for me at least, to tell what has really occurred or is just their minds imagining odd stuff that one night. I have had run ins when I found some normally worrying dreams that turned out to belong to authors of more adult based adventures that have actual battles in them.” He grumbled with Luna rolling her eyes.

“Over time, with practice, you will begin to discern what is a normal dream and what is a cry for help,” Luna said, nuzzling her husband. “But first, we begin with the oath.” And she began to whisper the words into Moondancer’s ear, before standing back and letting her repeat them, her body glowing as she did so.

When she’d finished, Luna smiled. “Now… let’s show you one of the more harmless ones. Ah, here.” She beckoned, and one of the dream bubbles approached. “Feel this one,” she said.

Moondancer nodded, and concentrated. “It feels… happy,” she said. “And… amusement?”

Luna nodded, and waved a hoof at it, causing it to clear. Then, as the trio saw what was being dreamed, and broke out into laughter as they saw Rainbow Dash tossing papers into a grill, shutting the lid over it, and watching fire come from its underside to propel it into and beyond the planet’s outer atmosphere.

“This is Dash’s dream?” she asked with the couple smiling at her which made Moondancer frown and look at the dream more. There was more of Dash in the dream but also lettuce and the sound of a propeller. “Wait, this is Tank’s dream.”

“Exactly,” Luna said. “Though given Rainbow Dash’s history, I wouldn’t be surprised if she dreamed of the former scene herself from time to time.”

“Yeah, Queen Tegmina told us about what she heard at the Gathering about Rainbow Dash and her grilling habits with those pamphlets,” Pharynx said. “I still think that’s funny.”

“I know what you mean,” Moondancer agreed before blinking. “What about their dreams?”

“As much as we do not support their actions, I do not allow rogue nightmares to bother them,” Luna said eyeing her husband. “That is not to say my dear changeling here does not give them pointed dreams in the hopes that they will see the error of their ways.”

“It’s what I’m supposed to do,” Pharynx said. “But even as the Nightmare, I have to be careful not to go too far.”

Luna nodded solemnly. “During the years that Umbrea controlled my body, I was able to learn many… uncomfortable truths from her,” she said. “She was one of the more ruthless Nightmares that I know of, and as I recall, she once gave a particularly… unpleasant individual such severe nightmares that eventually, during one such incident, his heart rate increased to a level he could not safely sustain. He died in his sleep from an overdose of fear and the toll it took on his body.”

“One of the other things we keep an eye out for,” Pharynx added. “Dreams that get to the point where they can affect the dreamer’s physical health have to be handled right away.”

Moondancer nodded, a serious look on her face, and then began studying the other dreams that were floating around.

One by one, she examined them, determining that they were harmless before sending them on, with Luna and Pharynx approving or pointing out certain aspects as they went. One of them was particularly confusing with the aura it gave off before Luna identified it as belonging to a creature that was rather… different from most of the sapient species that lived in Equuis.

“Despite its oddities, the Smooze tends to have happy dreams most of the time,” she said. “Now you know how to recognize its dream aura though.”

Moondancer nodded before she went back to work. She blushed at a couple of dreams that were clearly giving off certain emotions, but quickly shook it off and went on with the dreams she had been provided.

Another one almost startled her when she felt it though, causing her to almost stagger back, and for a completely different reason.

“What’s wrong?” Luna asked.

Moondancer shook her head, an almost goofy grin on her face. “That was… wow.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure who’s having that dream, but that was…” She looked at Luna. “No offense to my friends, but I think that if whomever’s having this dream had come up to you, they wouldn’t have needed the Elements to purge Umbrea. What I just felt was such… pure, concentrated love and trust, and I’ve never felt anything like it before in my life.”

Luna and Pharynx exchanged glances, then leaned their heads against the dream bubble, and their eyes went wide.

“You weren’t kidding,” Pharynx said slowly. “That’s enough love to feed an entire hive for a month, if not longer.”

Luna’s face, meanwhile, had tears of happiness streaming down it. “And I know why,” she said. “This isn’t just any dream, husband mine. It’s coming from our foal.”

Pharynx’s eyes went wide, as did Moondancer’s. Then they both smiled, even wider than before.

“That’s wonderful news,” Moondancer said to the couple.

Luna beamed. “Yes, it is,” she said happily. “And I am proud I could share it with you.”

“They will be a very unique foal,” Pharynx said. “Part changeling, part alicorn, conceived partially in the dreamscape and the real world.”

“Excuse me?” Moondancer asked, ears tilting at his words.

“The Lord or Lady of Dreams and the Lord or Lady of Nightmares are able to… divide their attention equally between the real world and the dreamscape,” Luna explained with a blush. “For instance, when my sister has one of her rare precognitive dreams, I was able to detect it and come running to her room in the physical world to be there as she was waking up, while still checking dreams in the dreamscape. During our honeymoon, Pharynx and I… er… used this ability and were able to synchronize our motions in the material world with our movements in the dreamscape.” She blushed deeper. “That was the night we… well, you know.”

Moondancer nodded, her own face somewhat red. “I understand.” she said. “So what does this mean for your foal, Luna?”

“Very likely that they may end up naturally sharing one or the other of our Mantles, like you do now,” Pharynx said. “Lus and I will have to be very careful that they don’t go wandering off into the dreamscape without supervision until they’re old enough and have had the proper training.”

“Though that might be all that occurs if we are lucky, I have my feelings that my foal will be very special,” Luna said, rubbing her belly. “I might be the mother, or foremother, of a whole new tribe of ponies. Ponies born to the dreamscape instead of the waking world, made of thoughts and emotions instead of flesh and blood.”

“Or something in between the two, who can naturally switch between the two worlds as one would would walk from one room to another,” Pharynx said, nuzzling his wife. “We are entering uncharted waters and we have yet to tell Celestia or my brother about this. Save for Lus’ doctors, you are the only one who knows.”

Moondancer nodded. “Your secret is safe with me. And once I’ve gotten enough of the proper training, if you need someone to watch over them here, you know how to find me,” she said.

Luna smiled proudly. “That means a lot to both of us,” she said. “Thank you.”

Then she gave the dream bubble one more fond smile before looking around again. “Well! We still have a lot of dreams to check up on,” she said. “If you’ll walk this way.”

As she turned and led them off towards another cluster of dream bubbles, Moondancer noticed Pharynx walking side by side with Luna and copying her movements exactly, and barely stifled a snicker, though from the flick of her ears and turn of her face, she could tell Luna had heard it and was now giving her husband a wry look while he smirked back at her.

She was going to enjoy working with them, Moondancer thought with a smile.


Twilight smiled as she stared at the rising sun as they flew towards Equestria when she flicked her ear as her son walked by her side.

“It looks just like last time, doesn’t it?” he asked with Twilight knowing exactly what he was talking about.

“It does,” she said, placing a hoof on his back. “As much as I love seeing the world, coming home will always have a special magic to me.”

“Not as magical as we are, right Twi?” Rainbow Dash said she joined them on the deck, giving the controls a glance but restraining herself from going into Spike’s seat.

“Ain’t nothing like you in da whole world, Rainbow Dash; not countin’ yer Others,” Applejack said as she joined them on the deck, fixing her hat while smiling warmly. “And that goes fer you too, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded, though as she looked at her two friends standing side by side, she barely hid a blush, remembering what Magic had told her. “I wish I could meet some of them,” she said. “Imagine all the magic we could research together!”

“Egghead,” Rainbow Dash said teasingly. “I’m sure you’ll do it some day. Wish I could meet my Other that you know.” She tilted her head. “Wonder which of us is faster?”

“Maybe we can arrange to go through that portal Twilight knows of to meet our human selves?” Pinkie asked, causing everyone to turn to her in surprise. Blinking in surprise more at her words and less than her sudden appearance, the party mare shrugged. “Laughter told me about it last night. So can we Twilight?”

“You can talk to her?” Twilight asked happily. “That’s great!”

“Yeah, Laughter is great,” she smiled happily. “Got me thinking about a few things, how I can work on some of my stuff so I can give better parties and stuff. Among other stuff...” she trailed off, looking unnaturally serious. “But it was still a great talk last night!” Her smile returned in full force.

“Good for you, Pinkie darling,” Rarity said as she and Fluttershy joined them. “Though… I thought Twilight said the initial connection for speaking required us to tap our Mantle’s full potential?”

Pinkie shrugged. “Laughter doesn’t always follow the same rules as Magic,” she said. “She’s special that way. Besides, Twilight has been tapping Magic’s mantle for a very long time, like the rest of us. I guess me focusing on trying to reach out to Laughter clicked last night, and she could tell I wanted to talk to her for her, not just trying to force a connection. So she reached back, and here we are.”

“Um, everyone…” Fluttershy suddenly spoke up nervously. “I don’t mean to be a downer, but… if we’re all out here… who is driving?”

“I’ve got it on autopilot for the moment,” Spike said. “I’ll go back to it when we’re back in more populated areas, but for here, it’s safe.”

Fluttershy looked relieved. "Sorry about that but Kindness recommended that I try to be more confident and speak up," she said, smiling at her friends. "He is right that I do need to try and be more assertive, just without being rude." She looked up in thought. "What was it he said… meekness is not weakness, it is strength under control."

“Truer words were never spoken,” Applejack said thoughtfully. “An’ Ah wish Ah could have that kind of talk with Honesty, but Ah haven’t heard from ‘em yet.” She glanced at the others. “You, Dash? Rarity?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head, while Rarity considered. “I think I might have heard them, but I am not sure,” she said. “I have been listening for them though.”

“I wonder,” Twilight said. “Why you two haven’t made the connection yet… I suppose there is a reason for it.”

“Ah’m sure we’ll figure it out when the time is right,” Applejack said. “Like Magic told you, ya can’t force these things.”

Twilight nodded, and then went back to looking out over the deck’s railing and at the landscape below as they flew towards home.

I wonder if Celestia, or Luna, or Cadance… or even Discord, for that matter, ever have talks with their Mantles like we do, she thought. And what they talk about, if they do.

It was a question she expected she would not get an answer to for a while, but in the meantime, it was an interesting thing to think about.

For now, she was content to enjoy the time she had with her friends.

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