---

“Vinyl, are you sure we should be doing this now?” Octavia asked as the DJ pony began setting up her equipment in the center of town. Beside her, Bon Bon and Lyra were watching the blue maned unicorn work her magic like it was second nature to her. Nearby, a few ponies were walking by, looking at the group with a look of confusion. “The weather ponies said that there’s snow coming in an hour.”

“I know what I’m doing, girls,” Vinyl said. At the moment, her shades were on her forehead being held in place by her horn. She had a fiercely determined look on her face as she placed a large speaker on the temporary raised platform that had served as a place where ponies would congregate during town meetings held by the mayor and sometimes Princess Twilight, although the latter hadn’t made her presence known as much lately. “I’m sick and tired of the obstinance of the ponies in town.”

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Obstinance, Vinyl? When did you become so articulate?” she asked in a teasing tone.

The unicorn DJ rolled her eyes and smirked. “We’re roommates, Tavi. I pick up a lot from you. More than you know.”

“Bitchin,” Octavia replied with a grin and a wink.

Vinyl chuckled. “Touché,” she said as she finally plugged the last cord in. “And that’s the last of them.” She stood in front of the microphone and performed a few tests. “Check, check, one two three, one two three.” She adjusted a few dials on a mixer panel until she was satisfied. “Girls, cover your ears.” Octavia flattened her ears as Vinyl used her magic to move a few of the dials once again. A piercing screech came out of the speakers, catching the attention of a few of the nearby ponies who winced at the sound, covering their ears with their hooves. Finally, the screeching stopped. Vinyl walked backed over to the mic and took a deep breath. “Ponyville! Impromptu town meeting! Everypony who can hear me come to the town square and pass on the message!”

When Vinyl stepped back, she gestured towards Octavia, Lyra and Bon Bon to join her. There were small stools on the raised platform which they all sat in. Lyra looked up at Vinyl. “I know we keep asking, but are you really sure this is a good idea?” she asked.

Vinyl turned back to face the bright green unicorn. Octavia saw her eyes flashing with a dangerous blood red glow before returning to their purple hue. She looked angry now. “It’s time we all grew up.”

Slowly, the large patch of frozen snowy ground began to become filled with other ponies. One of the first was a familiar pony made with larger hints of pink in her gray mane. “What in the wide, wide world of Equestria is going on here?” Mayor Mare asked as she stepped onto the stage and looked at Vinyl with a disapproving frown. “I never called for a town meeting.”

“No, but I did,” Vinyl replied, startling the mayor by actually talking. “I didn’t have time to talk to you, but we need this right now.”

Mayor Mare looked at the equipment that had been set up, then back at the unicorn DJ. “Alright, so what is it about?”

“About the attitudes of ponies in town regarding one Jason Wright,” Octavia said, stepping forward and facing the mayor herself.

At the mention of his name, the mayor’s expression faltered. Rumors had been going around town that the mayor had been one of the first to turn Jason away five years ago when it was learned that Twilight had turned the human away. The earth pony mare’s ears flattened a bit as she looked out at the crowd then back at Octavia. “What do you mean?”

Bon Bon was the next pony to step forward. “Miss Mare,” she started, “you know how attitudes against Jason have been divided for the past three months. We really need to hammer it in that we’re the ones who started this. His actions aside, can we say we wouldn’t do the same if we had been in his position? I’m not saying what he did was right, but it was understandable.”

Lyra stepped forward next. “Besides, there’s another human in this world now. Not here, but somewhere else on Equus and he’s in danger from ponies out for blood. What if he decides he wants to come here to visit, like Jason did?”

Mayor Mare’s eyes widened in alarm at the news of another human. “Where is this human now?” she asked worriedly.

“Griffonstone, but that’s not the point,” Lyra said. “We really need to get our act together here. We can’t really claim to stand for harmony if we can easily chase out somecreature for just being different, can we?”

Mayor Mare seemed to deflate at this, but she slowly nodded. “I understand what you’re trying to do,” she said. Octavia saw a light flash in her eyes as she looked down at the ground. “I’m pretty sure I know the answer, but if you need my help, I’ll gladly do so.”

“You can sit up here and if you have anything to say, please say it,” Vinyl said, pulling another stool out from behind her equipment and placed it on the stage next to the others. “We’re going first, though.”

The mayor nodded as Octavia walked over and took her seat. Lyra sat on her left, Bon Bon next to Lyra, and the mayor on Octavia’s right. As more and more ponies began arriving, the mayor leaned over towards Octavia. “Is this some sort of concert?”

Octavia was about as confused as the mayor was. Vinyl had only mentioned setting up a little bit of her sound equipment so she could better talk to the others in town. She hadn’t mentioned setting up as much as she had. She shook her head and shrugged as Vinyl stood at the microphone, staring out at the gathering crowd. Nopony else might have noticed it, but Octavia could see Vinyl’s legs trembling a little bit. She might have been a DJ, but Vinyl didn’t particularly like using her voice if she could help it. She preferred to express herself by her music. Octavia gained a whole new respect for Vinyl at that moment.

When the trickling of ponies began to ebb, Vinyl took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and straightened herself. “Citizens of Ponyville!” she shouted into the mic, causing the crowd to flinch in alarm at the loud noise. “You all know me. I don’t do a whole lot of talking. But I asked you here because I have a few things to say that a lot of you really have got to hear. First, I’ve heard a lot of you talking about what happened to the town and throwing shade at the Princess of Friendship and her friends and especially Jason Wright! Their part in what happened is none of our business! But OUR part is!”

“What are you talking about?” a familiar voice shouted out. Octavia scanned the crowd only to see the former owner of Sugarcube Corner, Carrot Cake, looking up at Vinyl.

Vinyl shook her head. “That right there!” she pointed at him with her hoof, “that’s what I mean! We keep on blaming everypony else! Their guilt isn’t our business! Do I really need to remind you what happened during those three years, Mr. Cake?? I’ve heard stories about what you did to Jason that would piss anybody off!” The crowd shrank back from her language. Mr. Cake looked around, his bottom lip trembling. Vinyl turned to the crowd again. “Who was it that would hurl abuse and garbage at Jason whenever he came into town to try and get help or food or raid our garbages just for a morsel we could have easily given him?! Do I really need to remind everypony what happened!? Do we really have memory loss!? We’re equally as responsible for this! We destroyed our town just as much as Jason and the changelings did! We let petty judgements rule our actions! Who here remembers Zecora? Didn’t we learn from this? Did you know that she left the Everfree after some ponies attacked her and beat her nearly to death not once, not twice, but three times?!”

The crowd all gasped at that. Octavia still couldn’t believe that anypony could be so cruel. Then again, she had to remind herself of all the times she’d been equally cruel to Jason Wright. She and Vinyl had heard about the attack on Zecora from Lyra earlier that morning before Vinyl had gathered her things to call this meeting. “Is that why her house is empty now?” a random pony asked.

“Who’d stick around after that?!” Vinyl shouted. Octavia felt concern for her friend. She hadn’t seen Vinyl this angry in years, and it frightened her. “Would you?!” She stepped back, took a deep breath, exhaled, and continued in a calmer tone. “Lots of ponies here are looking for somepony to blame, and I can’t blame you. It’s easier to hate outwards than inwards for many ponies.”

“Are you saying what that Jason freak did was right?!” a very familiar mare’s voice shouted from the crowd. Octavia groaned inwardly. Spoiled Rich, one of the cruelest ponies in town, stepped forward. She pointed up at Vinyl and grit her teeth. “Freak defending freak! We all know you have a soft spot for them! Especially since your ancestor was a bigger freak!”

Vinyl looked at Spoiled with narrowed eyes. “Choose your next words very, very carefully,” she said darkly.

“Why, because you won’t like what I have to say?” Spoiled said with a victorious grin.

“Because you might not know of what you speak,” Vinyl replied.

Spoiled grinned wider and turned to the crowd. Pointing up at the unicorn, she shouted, “She’s got vampire blood in her!”

Octavia frowned. Vinyl had shared this with her once a few years ago. Apparently, some time about eight hundred years ago she had a distant ancestor of hers named Countess Scarlet Fury. She governed over a portion of land where Manehattan would eventually be founded. She was known throughout her own domain as a harsh ruler, raising taxes and using the profits to make her castle, now supposedly a haunted a ruin, a castle of opulence and riches while the common ponies suffered. One of the darker rumors was that she had made a pact with some demons to gain eternal life, but only if a sacrifice was made. During the latter ten years of her reign twenty young mares would vanish in the middle of the night every six months and eventually rumors spread that the countess was taking them as her sacrifices.

In the end, the common peasants revolted and stormed the castle, dragging the countess out and in an act of brutal revenge beheaded her. It was discovered that she had a number of foals hidden away, all looking similar to her. Many of the common ponies, still high off of revenge, almost executed the young foals but at that moment Princess Celestia and her royal guards arrived. They rescued the young foals and took them away, giving them to loving families. Vinyl was one of her descendants. As the years passed, Scarlet became known as a vampire.

Vinyl glared down at Spoiled Rich. “Yes, my ancestor was known as a vampire,” she said, “but if you’re judging anypony by their past and their blood, why stop there? Why don’t we judge Princess Luna for her past actions? Or perhaps you want to blame Princess Celestia for her neglect against her sister! Or perhaps we should look at your past, too? Wasn’t your great grandfather responsible for one of the worst mistreatment of cows on his milk farm, huh?! Didn’t he treat them like less than slaves and do unspeakable things to the cows? Things I’ll gladly share with everypony else here!”

Spoiled clamped her mouth shut, face red with barely repressed rage as Vinyl faced the crowd. “We are all responsible for the destruction of our town! We turned our backs on harmony! We let our fears and xenophobic behavior dictate our behavior towards Jason! It’s time we grew up!”

Octavia then felt something flashing over her. Quickly, she turned to the crowd and a large majority of them looked unsure of themselves now. One after another, their eyes seemed to flash with something that the cello playing mare couldn’t really explain. She’d seen it a couple of times, the first time during the broadcasted trial when the same type of eye flash had appeared in Roseluck’s eyes, and subsequently a few other times afterwards in town during arguments she’d been unfortunate enough to witness. She’d seen it most notably in Cheerilee when the teacher had a breakdown two months back and she’d finally come to realize that she had not been the pony she’d hoped to be. Feeling emboldened, Octavia stood and walked over to the microphone. Vinyl saw her approaching and stepped aside. The gray mare took the mic in her hoof and took a deep breath. “She’d right,” Octavia said. “I, for one, am growing tired of all of the arguments sprouting up. It’s time we actually did something about it.”

“What can we do?” a younger teenage filly asked. Octavia looked down and saw that it was Diamond Tiara looking up with a pleading expression.

Beside her, Filthy Rich also looked contrite. He had been particularly cruel when it came to the abuse thrown against Jason. He’d used his money to hire bodyguards to protect his home during a period when Jason had been more commonly spotted earlier on. Said bodyguards had done a great deal of bodily harm to Jason during those early days. Now, the guilt on his face was telling. “My daughter raises a good point. What do we do?”

“Learn from this tragedy,” Lyra said, stepping forward with Bon Bon by her side. “We can’t keep on wallowing in self pity. Yes, we lost our homes and all stuff, but we’re lucky that’s ALL we lost! We can rebuild the town, but we should also rebuild ourselves. Yeah, that sounds corny, but it’s true. We’ve learned to fear anything other than ponykind.”

“Who here remembers Cranky Doodle?” Bon Bon asked. Everyone nodded and raised their hooves at that. “His wife almost died because of our treatment of other races here. Thankfully, an anonymous pony donated the funds necessary for her to buy her medication to help. Still, she and Cranky left after Ponyville was destroyed. The two lived on the edge of town near the Everfree. It’s still there if you want to see how ruined it is.”

Vinyl stepped forward again. “If we want to change, that change has to come from within. I’m surprised Windigos haven’t come here yet after what happened.” She reached up and touched her chest. “Equestria shouldn’t just be a haven for ponies, but for all creatures. Let’s rebuild our town and ourselves along with it!”

The crowd all began cheering and applauding. For the first time in three months, Octavia felt like things would get better for the ponies in town. She looked at her roommate proudly, only to once again catch her eyes appearing to be dark red for a brief moment before returning to their natural hue. Despite everything, the brown earth pony mare wondered if there was indeed any truth to the rumors of Vinyl’s ancestor really being a vampire.

---

---

Rarity woke a few hours later to the feeling of warmth wrapped all around her. She had no idea when she’d fallen asleep, but she found a small book lying open where she’d dropped it during her time trying to help keep Gregory from getting too cold.

Slowly, she turned around to see what the human’s current state was. Or tried to at any rate. She found that he had wrapped his arms around her after she’d fallen asleep and had pulled her close like some stuffed animal. His grip was secure, but not too tight. Blushing a bit, she used her magic to gently remove his arms from her barrel so she could turn and get a better look at him. She saw that he was lying on his side facing her, still fast asleep. Reaching up a hoof, she felt his forehead. He was still very warm to the touch, but it didn’t seem like he was as warm as before.

Earlier, before the demons-or novans as she had to keep reminding herself-left, they had given him some sort of medication that seemed to have eased his slight tossing and turning that had started five minutes after he’d passed out. Back then, Gregory had been extremely hot. One of the novans had explained that, according to old stories, humans had a lower normal body temperature than horses, which they had assumed passed over to ponies. If what the novan doctor had said was true, then Gregory was still feverish.

Rarity slipped into her caretaker mode; the same one she fell into whenever Sweetie Belle had gotten sick over the years since she’d moved in with her at her old boutique. Slowly, she moved out of the bed. She tucked him in with her magic, which unlike in Griffonstone felt much stronger here. In fact, she felt like her magic was even stronger here than in Equestria.

Brushing the thought aside, as she wasn’t the magical genius Twilight was, she walked into the nearby bathroom and got a towel from a rack. She got it wet with water from a nearby bucket, chilled it a bit with some of her magic. After that, she walked back into the bedroom and placed the towel on his forehead. She saw him wincing a bit, but soon his body relaxed a bit. Grabbing another towel, she began dabbing at the sweat on what little bits of his skin were exposed.

As she was doing that, there was a knock at the door. She almost called out at them to come in, but stopped as she didn’t want to wake up Gregory. Slowly, she climbed off of the bed, walked over to the door and slowly opened it. There, she saw two figures standing outside in the hall. One of them was one of the Pinkie Pie clones dressed in the same light blue shade of clothes that many of the medical staff here wore. This Pinkie seemed to have the same type of body style as a certain Fleur De Lis she’d seen, albeit with curlier hair. Beside her, an older novan male in the same light blue clothes stood. “Miss Belle? Sorry to disturb you and the patient. My name’s Doctor Kenneth Riley. This is Nurse Diane Pie.”

Rarity looked at the Pinkie clone. “You’re…a nurse?”

Diane giggled and nodded. “Sure am,” she said in that same Pinkie voice that she remembered from before the events with Jason. “Dr. Riley trained me himself!” Her smile slowly disappeared as she looked inside. “Is he okay?”

Rarity brushed aside the absurdity of any kind of Pinkie becoming a doctor and stepped aside. “I believe his fever went down a bit, but he’s still very warm.”

The two walked in and over to the bed. Dr. Riley put his hand to Gregory’s cheek since his forehead was still covered with a cool towel. He frowned. “Even for a novan, he’d be very warm.” He turned to Diane. “Now listen closely, nurse.”

Diane nodded and pulled out a pen and paper pad from her mane. Rarity giggled slightly at that. Even for a clone, she was still a lot like the Pinkie she knew. “Righty-Tighty, Doc!”

Dr. Riley grinned and turned back to Gregory. “I studied some medicine from ancient human medical books. I also studied a journal of a human turned novan. He discovered that after his transformation, his body temperature had gone up. He thought he had a fever at first, but when he began giving others medical examinations, he found their temperatures were more or less the same. So normally, if I were to touch this human here, my hands should feel cool. And the same for you, since your body temperature is more or less the same as ours.”

“Got it!” Diane said as she wrote down on the pad.

Dr. Riley chuckled as he put two fingers on Gregory’s neck. “Hmm…his pulse is pretty stable for now. You brought the fever suppressant?”

“Right here!” Diane pulled a small vial full of red liquid out from her mane and gave it to Dr. Riley. “Here you are!”

The novan doctor took it and nodded. “Thank you. Could you help me sit him up.”

Rarity watched as novan and pony propped the sleeping Gregory to a sitting position. She was surprised he didn’t wake up for it. The novan popped the cork, gently opened the human’s mouth, and poured the liquid into his mouth. He did it slowly so that Gregory would unconsciously register the liquid in his mouth and swallow. It took a while, but eventually the medicine was down. He looked at the vial in astonishment then turned back to Diane. “Wow, who knew adding flavor would make an unconscious patient receptive to drinking it in their sleep?”

“I told you, doc, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!” Diane giggled.

“Duly noted,” the doctor said with a chuckle. He turned back to Rarity. “One of my other nurses said that you have been staying here to keep him warm, Miss Belle?”

Rarity smiled a bit sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck. “I’ve been…a real cad to him lately,” she said, “and I wanted to make things right with him. Besides, I’ve done this with my sister whenever she was sick.”

“Thanks for helping, Miss Belle,” he said with a smile. “If you want, you can go and spend time in the city. The two others who arrived with you are receiving a grand tour.”

“As delightful as that sounds, I would like to try and help here, if I can,” Rarity replied. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

The novan doctor looked down at Gregory, then back at Rarity. “For the moment, what he needs is rest. Nobody ever went wrong with rest.”

“Whatever does he have, doctor? Do you have any idea?” she asked.

Dr. Riley shook his head. “I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this before,” he admitted. “It appears to be a typical fever, but at the same time, not. If the medicine I gave him works, we’ll know soon. If it doesn’t, I have a few other ideas I can try to bring down the fever.”

Rarity nodded in understanding. “If it’s quite alright with you, Doctor, I would much like to stay with him. I believe I was a comforting presence to him.” She blushed a bit, remembering how he’d held her in his arms like some sort of plush toy. It had made her feel strangely secure, especially when he had run his hands through her mane right before she’d fallen asleep. It had felt amazing and nothing else could really compare to it.

The doctor looked back at Gregory, appearing to mull things over, then turned back to Rarity. “Are you sure? You can go exploring the city with your companions, you know?”

“I’m quite sure,” Rarity said. “As much as I would be honored to explore this magnificent city, I want to make sure he’s looked after.”

“I can leave Diane here, if that’d make you feel better,” he replied.

“I don’t mind looking after him!” Diane said with a smile.

Rarity smiled. “Having somepony to talk to might not be so bad, but I insist.”

The doctor smiled kindly down at her. “Well, if you’re sure, then I guess it’s alright. Diane, you want to stay behind anyway?”

“Roger, roger!” the clone nurse said with a salute before she put down her bag on a nearby table and began pulling out a few objects.

Dr. Riley chuckled at her antics, then looked down at Gregory once more. He performed some other examinations, such as looking into his mouth, nose, ears and eyes. While he was doing that, Diane continued preparing some of the objects that Rarity assumed were medicinal in nature. Finally, Dr. Riley finished his examination, stood back up, and looked over at Diane. “Nurse, be sure to keep an eye on the patient. If he wakes up, give him as much fluids as he can stomach. I can have the staff chefs make him some chicken soup broth.”

“I’ll look after him, Doc! Me and Rarity here!” Diane said with a salute.

“I know I can count on you, Di,” he said as he began gathering up the things he brought. “If anything changes, the two guards outside know where I am. Have one of them fetch me immediately.”

“Okie dokie lokie!”

As the doctor left, Rarity felt her heart sink a bit. Hearing Pinkie Pie’s signature catchphrase again after so many months had brought back happier times to her mind. Times she missed dreadfully. Times that would likely never come back due to the actions of her and her friends. With her tail and ears drooping a bit, she walked back over to the bed and climbed back up into it. She pressed her back against Gregory’s chest, hoping that this sensation brought him more comfort than she was feeling emotionally.

Diane, meanwhile, was watching this with a glowing smile. “You look like a plush toy next to him,” she said with a giggle.

Rarity felt color come to her cheeks, but she said nothing to rebut the clone of her friend. “I-It’s the least I could do after all I’ve done to him…”

Diane’s smile faltered at Rarity’s tone. “What you’ve done to him? What are you talking about?”

Rarity looked away. Despite everything, she still found it hard to face what she’d done. It had gone against everything she stood for as a pony. Still, she knew she had to face it. She looked back at Diane. “I…I did something awful to another human who came to Equestria…and to Spike as well…”

Diane’s expression softened a bit, much to Rarity’s surprise. She approached and sat next to the bed where Rarity now lay. “I might not be Pinkie Pie anymore,” she said in a surprisingly more mature sounding tone which reminded her slightly of Nurse Redheart, “but I hate seeing my friend’s upset. You’re still my friend, Rarity, even if we never interacted before we came here. I have all of her memories of the fun times we had together. So, for now, you can talk to me about it.”

With that, the floodgates opened. Rarity softly cried as she told Diane, in halting tones, just what she had done to Jason upon his arrival to her store. How she had not only shunned him, but had actively participated in a few of the times when he had come into town desperate for help.

Next, she told of how she’d been incredibly rude to Gregory from day one of meeting him. She recalled every insult and the inevitable confrontation between him and her.

She finally told of her actions against Spike, how she had used him for her own personal benefit, even going so far as to use him as a pin cushion a few times or as manual labor for carrying gems back from the caves just outside of Ponyville. The tears wouldn’t stop flowing as she lamented her actions and how much she wished she could make it up to Jason, Rarity, and everyone else she’d wronged over the years.

Diane listened quietly, not interrupting her at all. Finally, Rarity finished by saying, “…I’m a damn mess, Pink-Diane. I don’t know how to make things right. I want to apologize properly to Jason. I’ve done it with Spike and Gregory already, but I feel that those were still not enough.”

With that, she stopped. Diane looked at Rarity with an unreadable expression, something that seemed a bit out of place on a face that looked like Pinkie Pie’s but wasn’t quite the same. Slowly, Diane reached out her hoof and touched Rarity’s cheek gently. A small, but reassuring smile formed on her lips. “Dr. Riley has a saying,” she began. “Every journey starts with a single step. You’ve already apologized to Gregory and Spike, and that’s a good start. But now, you should regain their trust. How you do that is up to you, but it’s not impossible. I don’t know what to say about this Jason character, but if he doesn’t forgive you, then you’ll have to accept that.”

Rarity nodded solemnly. “I…I’m beginning to realize that,” she said. “I want things to become better. I want things back to the way they were.”

“Change happens all the time,” Diane said. “I mean, look at me! I look like some fancy-schmancy Canterlot pony now! I’m all slim and I could get all the stallions I wanted if I were back in Equestria! And then there’s Pinkie Pie.” She tapped her head. “I remember clearly what happened on the day she got her cutie mark. Change can be a good thing. I dunno if things will be the same, but that’s not a bad thing.”

Rarity smiled. “Pinkie Pie clone or not, when did you get so smart?”

“By hanging around with Dr. Riley,” Diane giggled as she stood. “He has a lot of nice smart things to say. I just wish I could get him to notice me…”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Darling…do you fancy him?”

Diane smiled nervously, and Rarity could have sworn she saw some color come to those cheeks of hers. “Ahaha…I guess I do like him.”

Rarity looked back at Gregory. At the moment, he was sleeping and looked peaceful. Slowly, she turned back to Diane. “Well…why don’t I help with that?”

“Help? How?” Diane looked puzzled.

Rarity came out of the bed. “First, I think you should think about restyling your mane. May I try some things and you can tell me what you like?”

Diane looked a bit uncertain, but then she brightened. “Just as long as I’m watching Greggy over there, go ahead!”

Rarity grabbed a nearby stool with her magic, set it down next to the bed, gestured for Diane to sit, and then she began giving Diane a perfect makeover. “Novan or pony, he won’t know what hit him when he sees you next, darling…”

---

---

Nictis was growing tired. He and the rest of the group he’d been with had been flying for hours, scouring the landscape below them after exiting whatever forest they had come out of. However, as far as the eye and magic senses could see, all he and others could see was barren wasteland with the occasional plant or animal. But they hadn’t seen any sign of Gregory or the others who had been with him. They had to land at one point to avoid a brief rainstorm that drenched them, something that had really confused the changeling general. They used the opportunity to replenish their water supply from the storm before heading out again.

As they continued to fly, Nictis began detecting something unusual with his horn. At first, he wasn’t sure if he was experiencing magical hallucinations, so he kept it to himself since whatever he was detecting would appear briefly for a few seconds before disappearing, although it always seemed to come from the same direction they were heading. However, as they continued flying, the sensation he was detecting would start lasting for longer periods of time until it lasted for a full minute.

Unable to put this off for any longer, he flew over to where Chrysalis, in her female human form, was still carrying Jason as they flew. “My emperor,” he began, “I’ve been detecting some strange magic coming from ahead of us for a while now.”

Jason looked back at him, his eyes narrowing behind the goggles he wore. “And you’re just now telling me this?”

“This is Tartarus, my Emperor,” he replied. “Everything feels strange to my magical detection. It’s as if we’re not even on Gaia anymore.”

“What is it you have to report?” Chrysalis asked.

“Just this, my lady,” he replied. He turned and pointed ahead. “I’ve been feeling some unusual but very constant magic from ahead of us. It’s massive. I don’t know what it is, but we’re getting closer to it.”

Jason looked ahead. There wasn’t much to see, just a range of mountains approaching them. They’d probably reach the mountains in an hour or so at their current speed. “Can you describe this magic with any more detail?” he asked.

Nictis shook his head. “I wish I could. It has a strange familiarity to it, though. Nothing in this place feels familiar, but that magic does.”

Jason nodded. “It could be a focal point for the magic that banished the Chancellor. Since we’re already heading there, we’ll keep our present course and speed. Let me or Chrysalis know if anything changes.”

Nictis saluted and returned to his place in the search pattern. He continued scanning the ground below, keeping a particular eye out for a bipedal shaped creature. However, the only creatures he saw were small animals of unusual configurations and magical signatures.

As they began approaching the large mountain range, Nictis stole a few glances upwards, noticing that same magical signature now blazing from a massive formation of mountains laid out in a circle. It was on his third glance upward that he began detecting a second familiar magical aura. Only this was one he immediately recognized as belonging to creatures from Gaia. He flew over to Jason and Chrysalis once more. “My Emperor, I’m detecting several different species of creatures approaching. I’m sensing a group of dragons and griffons…and a couple of others I can’t pin down.”

“Where are they?” Jason asked.

Nictis pointed to the right. “They’re coming up towards that circular mountain range same as us, but from that direction.”

Jason frowned. “Whoever they are might have the same idea as we did: trying to rescue Gregory. Raise our alert status to yellow.”

Nodding, Nictis raised his horn and shot off a yellow flare of magic. It was brighter and lasted longer than he’d anticipated, something else that he’d noticed since coming to this strange underground land. The magic might have been strange, but it was still compatible with the changelings’ own spellcasting. He returned to his place in formation. Soon, they reached the first line of mountains. Once they crossed over, they continued heading towards the large circular mountain range, with Nictis observing that the land below them just seemed to be more of the same.

A few minutes later, a red flare went up at the right end of the formation, meaning contact with an enemy had been made. Nictis flew immediately to Jason’s side, taking on a guard formation and holding out his rifle with his magic. He waited as a few other changelings joined him while others made their way towards the direction of the flare, their own weapons and magic at the ready.

However, Jason had other plans. “General, go with the others and see who and what we made contact with,” he ordered.

Nictis was about to protest, but thought better of it as he saluted, spread his wings and flew over in the same direction as the others. As he flew, he spotted multiple multicolored dots in the sky, so he was especially on his guard, especially when he realized due to their proximity that they were dragons and griffons. However, when he saw one particular blue dragon, he grew confused. He flew ahead of the other changelings and faced the group of assorted creatures from Gaia. He opened a telepathic link through the hive mind back to Duchess Chrysalis so that she could see and hear everything that he saw and heard.

As the Dragon Lord hovered within shouting distance of the changeling general, he raised his voice and shouted, “What are you doing here??”

The Dragon Lord raised her scepter and pointed it at Nictis. A frown formed on her face as she replied, “What’s it to you, changeling?! It’s none of your business!”

Nictis was about to reply when a griffoness flew up to the Dragon Lord’s side. “Hold on,” she said, looking at Nictis with a discerning eye. She looked like she was trying to figure something out as she stared at him. Finally, a look of realization passed over her. “Hey, are you General Nictis?”

Nictis narrowed his eyes at the griffoness. He recognized her from the broadcasts sent back to headquarters by Agent O. She was one of the closest friends to the Chancellor and had feelings for the human. Her name was Gabriella. “I am,” he finally replied, “why do you ask?”

“You’re probably here for the same thing we are, then,” another female voice called out. Nictis turned and saw a pony, of all creatures, floating up to Gabriella’s side. Nictis recognized this mare as Starlight Glimmer, the librarian at Griffonstone’s library. She was another close friend of Gregory’s. “I doubt you’d come here for anything else. I’m talking about the rescue of Gregory Graystone.”

Nictis took a few seconds to digest this. Agent O had said that dragons had a high respect for humans, so it would make sense that they would launch a rescue mission of their own, although teaming up with griffons was something he hadn’t heard about from his network. “We are under orders to search for and rescue the Chancellor if possible.”

Dragon Lord Ember glared suspiciously at Nictis as she, too, digested this new information. “If that’s true, I take it you did so under the orders of your new emperor? Another dragonrider?”

Nictis had heard about this dragon nickname for humans as well. He’d considered suggesting to the Emperor that the changelings attempt to enter into a non-aggression pact with the dragons at some point, but hadn’t gotten the chance to tell Jason. “If you mean if our Emperor is a human, then yes he is.”

“He’s the same human who was abused by Ponyville for three years?” Starlight Glimmer asked. Nictis could only nod at this. “Then maybe we can work together.”

Dragon Lord Ember turned on Starlight with a flash of anger in her eyes. “You can’t be serious!”

Starlight turned to Ember. “What wouldn’t we? We could combine our forces and we’d have a better chance of finding Gregory.”

Nictis was about to speak, when a voice from behind him silenced him. “You said you’re here to find the Chancellor, too?” Jason’s voice called out.

Nictis bowed out of the conversation and cut off the telepathic link as Jason and Chrysalis flew up to look at the group of miscellaneous creatures hovering above the desolate landscape. There was silence as the other creatures took in Jason’s sudden appearance. Ember’s eyes were wide with shock as she drank in Jason’s facial features. She quickly recovered, flew forward slowly, and nodded. “That’s right,” she said. “We’re here to find the Chancellor and bring him home.”

Jason looked at the varied assortment of creatures. He seemed to pause as he saw a zebra who Nictis recognized as Zecora, another of Gregory’s best friends. She was being carried by a younger griffon named Gallus, yet another of Gregory’s inner circle. Nictis felt a sense of recognition come from Jason upon seeing the zebra shamaness. Finally, he spoke. “In the interest of finding Chancellor Graystone, perhaps we should join forces. Many hands make light work, after all.”

“Our friend is in danger, yes that is quite true. It’s a good idea to join forces with you,” Zecora added, looking at Jason with a look and emotions full of sympathy mixed with remorse and guilt.

Nictis felt a surge of familiarity emanating from Jason directed towards the zebra, but unlike his feelings towards ponies, there wasn’t any hostility mixed in. Nictis then remembered that Jason had mentioned a zebra who had once lived in the Everfree Forest. Jason nodded and pointed down to the land below. “We shouldn’t waste too much time, but let’s talk strategy on how we’re going to do this.”

The Dragon Lord looked at the others around her, then back at Jason. Nictis didn’t need to read her emotions to know she was debating whether or not she could trust the group. Finally, she nodded. “Alright, we’ll at least listen to what you have to say, dragonrider,” she said. “See that strange tree down in that valley?” she asked as she pointed down at the ground.

Nictis followed her finger and saw a large red tree sitting seemingly out in the open with nothing else standing around it. From his vantage point, it was massive and could provide shade for a good number of creatures. Jason looked as well, then nodded. “That’s where you want to meet?”

“Yes, and the fruits on those trees are quite delicious,” she said.

Jason looked up at Chrysalis, who nodded in agreement. He then looked over at Nictis expectantly. The changeling general looked down at the tree once again. He hadn’t seen any large predator-like animals during their flight, but even now he wasn’t too sure. Still, the prospect of help even if from other races who the changelings were on neutral terms with at the best of times was tempting.

Nictis turned to a few nearby changeling drones. “Set up a perimeter around that tree and raise the alarm if you see any creature approaching that might be dangerous.”

Jason nodded in approval, then turned back to Ember. “Alright then, Dragon Lord. Let’s talk.”

---

---

Spike, who along with Lady Serenity was being shown around the city by the Pinkie Pie clone named Fluffle Puff and a novan named Jeremy Grayson, still couldn’t believe how much this fantastical city put Griffonstone and even Canterlot to shame. Everything was made of seemingly seamless stone, even the houses.

According to Jeremy, a younger novan male, novans didn’t build this city but instead inhabited it once they found it in this protected mountain haven. There were no signs that anyone had lived in the city for a very long time. Any statues or depictions of whoever or whatever had lived in this city were nonexistent. There weren’t even places where statues might have been placed. Many theories had sprung up over the years about the nature of the beings who built this city but all that remained of their legacy aside from the city itself was a vast library with magically enchanted books that would automatically translate for anyone reading it. It was from these books that the novans had learned how to use the magic their transformation had granted them.

They were heading down a larger street at that moment, the sun shining high in the western portion of the sky. Spike could smell the delicious scent of roasting meat and various fruits and vegetables mixed together. His stomach rumbled at that and he held it, blushing. Fluffle Puff, who had let him ride on her back, turned back and smiled. “Somepony’s hungryyy,” she said. “You want to stop and get something to eat? Either of you?”

“But I don’t have any money to spend,” Spike said, pulling his pants pockets inside out to emphasize his point.

“We can cover you,” Jeremy said, pulling out a brown leather sack that jingled with the sound of coins. “You’re our guests, after all?”

“Are you sure?” Spike asked.

“Of course, silly boy,” Fluffle said. “Now, you’re a dragon, so you probably have to eat meat. Jeremy? What would you say he should get?”

The novan looked around thoughtfully, then pointed at one particular stand. “Roast meat and potatoes on a stick,” he said, “and then some greens to go along with it. To drink, we can get you some delicious cherry juice. And for Miss Serenity, there’s a roast corn on the cob you might enjoy.”

“Whatever you think will work,” Lady Serenity said softly. She’d hardly talked during their grand tour and hadn’t really looked around much.

Jeremy, however, always seemed to take this in stride, much like Fluffle did. “Alright, I’ll go get everything for us.”

“Oh no, you don’t,” Fluffle said with a grin. She reached into her fluff and pulled out a small green change purse made of some sort of fabric. “I’m helping, and don’t say no.”

Jeremy shook his head and smiled back. “I know better,” he said. “I’ll get the meat, you get the greens?”

“Deal!” Fluffle looked back at Spike. “Why don’t you and Lady head over to those picnic tables in the town green and grab us some seats? We won’t take long, but those seats go fast!”

Spike jumped off of Fluffle. “Thanks for getting us lunch,” he said gratefully.

“Anything for a friend!” Fluffle said as she turned and began bounding away, mouth open in a happy-go-lucky smile. Jeremy headed off after her.

Spike turned and headed to the town green with Lady in tow. She didn’t say anything or move her head much as they took a seat at the cool wood benches. Spike stretched a bit and looked up at the sky. If he didn’t know any better, he’d have guessed that they were back above ground and the sunshine was from a real sun and not from some strange magical illusion or whatever it was.

For the moment, though, the sun felt real. It felt like a warm summer sun which Spike thoroughly enjoyed. He hated winter, even more so ever since he got a cold during his first winter in Ponyville thanks to the neglect of the ponies around him. He always felt extra sleepy during those months. Here, however, his sleepiness felt like it had evaporated. The summer-like sun above felt amazing on his scales and made him sleepy for an entirely different reason.

Just then, he heard Lady Serenity sigh heavily. He looked up and saw the unicorn staring off into space with a blank expression on her face. She’d been like this for their entire tour, and it was getting a bit grating. Still, he took a breath and tried to be diplomatic and kind about this. He had no idea what was going through her mind, after all. “Miss Serenity? Are you alright? You haven’t really said much.”

The unicorn sighed. “It’s…nothing you’d understand, young one,” she said in a tone that sounded like she’d lost a game badly.

Spike frowned. “Try me,” he said.

Spike suddenly found himself under an intense stare from the unicorn mare. “You asked for it,” she growled. “Be me. Be somepony who has to follow her damn baser instincts all her life. Be a part of not one, but two secret organizations for Equestria, both of which shut down! Go and become an exotic dancer. Finally rejoin up with two agents you worked with and become mercenaries to scratch that itch you can’t scratch. Then get assigned to keep an eye on this second human on Equus by some anonymous client, then slowly realize he isn’t a monster like other ponies are saying humans are, then get ordered to blast him to Tartarus, only to have an attack of conscience and get sent here for your trouble. And the worst part is, your conscience is working overtime to tell you what a fucking slutty bitch you’ve been like it’s trying to make up for the last few years of slutty bitchiness! Aaagh!”

Spike was speechless as he watched her slam her head against the table and cover her eyes with her front hooves. He honestly had no idea how to deal with something like this. Sure, she was responsible for them being in Tartarus, but for the entire trip, she had appeared to be pretty remorseful. He was a teenager in pony years, so he knew what a slut was, but he had no idea what to say. He scratched the slight itch that had been bugging him on the side of his face for the past few days now, trying to look thoughtful. What could he say to someone as distraught as this mare? He sat up straighter. “Um, alright…I don’t know what that’s like,” he admitted.

She sat up and glared at him. “I’ve spent my whole adult life as a mare fucking or getting fucked! And not always in the fun way! I’ve suppressed that still small voice telling me what I was doing was wrong! I’ve broken apart families because I was too busy thinking with my marehood! Maker above, what kind of whore does that make me?!”

“Nopony’s perfect,” a third voice said from behind Spike. He turned and saw Fluffle carrying a large tray of various vegetable dishes on her back. Beside her Jeremy had a platter in his hands full of different types of meat products which caused Spike to begin salivating. As the two placed the trays on the table, Fluffle took a seat next to Spike while Jeremy took one next to the unicorn.

“I’m the farthest thing from perfect as they come,” Lady said bitterly as she looked down at the table. “I deserve to be in the deepest pits of Tartarus for what I’ve done…”

“That’s not for you to decide, is it?” Jeremy asked. “Whatever you’ve done, I’m sure you can turn yourself around and be a better person.”

“It’s really too late for me,” Lady said somberly.

Jeremy was about to say something, but Fluffle looked at him and shook her head. He nodded and began serving up the late lunch for them. He gave Spike a few of the skewers along with what looked like some kind of deep fried fish on a stick. Spike also took a little bit of the salad and a half bit of grilled corn on the cob that was drenched in what smelled like butter.

As they ate, the topic changed to the subject of the Pinkie Pie clones. Spike learned that there were a total of fifty three clones. Fluffle mentioned that each of them had undergone some sort of change after being banished through the mirror pool. Some were very small, such as one Pinkie having a different set of rules for her Pinkie Sense, while others were like Fluffle Puff, who had her entire mane and tail disappear and her fur replaced with thick fluffy coat. Her voice had also changed as well. In the case of Aurora Night and a few others, it had even changed their species. There was even a dragon Pinkie. Spike almost snorted at the thought of a bright pink dragoness with Pinkie’s old attitude.

When he asked how that was possible, Fluffle shrugged. “Aurora’s the magical expert here, and even she doesn’t know. I’ve asked, believe me.”

“I wonder if Twilight would be able to figure that out?” Spike said.

Fluffle’s eyes brightened. “If she’s the magical genius that I have from Pinkie’s memories, then yes. Aurora tries, but there’s still a decent chunk of Pinkie still inside her. We’ve had to tell her to take breaks to have fun.”

“Sounds a lot like Twilight,” Spike said.

Fluffle giggled as she took another bite of her vegetable soup. “Well, she wants to make everyone here happy in her own way, and I think she views learning about magic and making everyone’s lives easier.”

“Sounds like she’s a blend of Twilight and Pinkie then,” Spike replied.

“She was the first Twilight blasted,” Fluffle said.

Spike winced. He’d been the one who’d found the book that had helped Twilight banish the Pinkie clones. “Hey, I’m sorry about-”

“Stop right there,” Fluffle said with a gentle tone. She put a hoof on his back and rubbed it gently. “We don’t blame you. None of us do. We’ve made our peace with it, believe me.” Leaning in, she closed her eyes, nuzzled his cheek and began making a cute raspberry noise with her tongue.

Spike felt a lot of his worry soothed away by the noise. It had been the same noise she’d used when she was with Daenerys. He took a bite of the juicy meat as he let Fluttle pamper him.

The pampering didn’t last long, however. Spike heard some sounds of alarm coming from nearby. He looked towards the sounds where he saw a few novans who were sitting on blankets on the green. They were pointing up at the sky. Spike followed their gaze and his jaw dropped.

His draconic vision picked up a number of flying creatures overhead, all heading towards the castle. His eyes widened when he saw not only novans, but dragons and griffons and even changelings.

And being carried by a strange looking bipedal being, Spike saw the unmistakable form of one Jason Wright.

---

---

Luna was sitting at the private table where she and her sister would sit and enjoy breakfast/dinner whenever the two of them met during the morning and evening before one or the other would go to bed. She was eating three cheese omelets, heavy on the cheese, along with some buttered toast and a cup of the best coffee she could get her hooves on. Outside, the sun had yet to rise, but there was still thirty-two minutes before her sister was set to raise the sun.

She took a bite of the omelet and enjoyed the salty goodness that was the delectable mixture of egg and cheese before lifting the coffee to her lips and swallowing the black bitter but bracing beverage. Ever since she’d come back to the modern world, she had fallen in love with the bitter drink. It was a gift from the Maker herself, she decided.

As her brain continued to start, she thought back to what her nephew had brought to her the day before. Adopted or not, Blueblood was a much better actor than her sister was. She remembered the first time Celestia had introduced him to her about six months after her initial return. She’d been honored to meet his true self, a smart young man who could maneuver the political world with a practiced ease. He cared about the nation, and despite his name being pretty much honorary, he had used it to his advantage. He had developed a persona to perfectly fit in with the aristocracy of Canterlot. A persona that he’d had to use on one Rarity Belle at the Grand Galloping Gala. She’d spoken with him afterwards about it, and while he had regretted his actions, he stood by them because, in his own words, “She could do a whole lot better than some spoiled rich brat like me.”

Who would have guessed from the way he acted in public that Prince Blueblood thought so little of himself?

The aforementioned unicorn stallion sat on her right, looking at her with a bemused expression on his admittedly handsome face. He definitely had his looks going for him, at least according to all the magazines. He’d been in the top ten most eligible bachelor list for years. “Slow down, Auntie,” he said with amusement. “Coffee can go right through you. It wouldn’t do for the current Princess at court to spend half her morning in the lavatory.”

Luna, still only about half awake, swatted him with her wings. “It is unbecoming of a stallion to discuss a princess’ bodily functions in such a crude manner,” she chastised him with a frown.

He laughed as he took a bite of his own breakfast, a healthy spread of many different foods. He had toast with strawberry jam, hay bacon, a small helping of beans prepared in the same way as a traditional Great Britmane breakfast, sunny side up eggs, and, to Luna’s continued confusion, a bowl of gruel. He had a cup of coffee beside that and some water, the former not black but with cream and sugar. “I still cannot fathom why you insist on eating that,” she said, pointing to the bowl of gruel. “I, for one, am glad never to touch the stuff ever again.”

“I guess I’m just the odd pony out,” he said as he took a bite of the gruel. “Besides,” he added after swallowing his own coffee, “it makes me feel like I’m back in time. At a simpler time.”

Luna reached over and put a gentle wing on his back. “There is much to appreciate in this day and age, dear nephew,” she said with a smile. “Indoor plumbing, modern medicine, higher standard of living, and more.”

“I know,” he said as he took a sip of his water, “but you both have told me a lot about the past. Makes me yearn for it, and I wasn’t even there.”

“Mayhaps sometime soon, I can show you what it was really like in the dream realm,” Luna suggested. “My memories of that time are much more recent than your Aunt Cellie’s.”

“Oh, that would be nice, but aren’t you busy with the nightmares of the ponies from Ponyville?” Blueblood asked. Luna’s ears drooped, and Blueblood winced. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said-”

She wrapped her wing tighter around her nephew. “Hush now, dear nephew,” she said, “it’s not your fault. True, these past three months have been taxing for me and your Aunt Cellie, but even we need a break. We’re just as much a pony as the next one.”

“Don’t let anypony else hear you say that,” Blueblood said with a small smirk.

And with that, the mood lifted again as Luna swatted the back of her nephew’s head. “Silence,” she ordered without any bite to it. She returned to her omelet and took yet another bite. “So…what plans have you made for today?”

“Well, some more investigation into the matter from last night,” he replied quietly. “Something about it just rubs me the wrong way. Yes, those two houses have some disreputable history behind them, but it seems way too convenient. I want to be absolutely sure they’re behind this.”

Luna nodded. “A wise precaution, dear nephew.”

“Quite wise indeed,” a new voice said from behind Luna. “You’ve grown a lot, Bluey.”

Luna’s eyes widened as she turned around in her chair. There, looking tired and with a number of bags by her side, stood Celestia. She had a smile on her radiant face as Luna jumped out of her chair and rushed over to hug her sister. “Tia!”

“Lulu,” Celestia said warmly as she put her forelegs around Luna and hugged her close. “I’m home.”

“It’s good to see you again, Auntie,” Blueblood said as he stood and walked over to her, “We’ve both missed you terribly.”

Celestia opened the hug, grabbing Blueblood in her wings and pulling him in for a group hug between her and Luna. “I missed you two as well,” she said as she gave both of them an affectionate nuzzle. The three stood like that for a minute before they broke the hug. Celestia looked down at Luna with an amused expression. “I see you’ve been getting comfortable in my dining room chair,” she smirked. “Are you getting comfy in my throne, too?”

“What can I say?” Luna retorted, “yours is bigger and much more comfortable than the one you made for me.”

Celestia’s smile faltered a bit, and slowly she nodded. “Yes…I’ve actually been thinking about having the thrones from our old castle brought back and refurbished. Those were much better for sitting. But that can wait.” She turned to Blueblood. “Nephew, your aunt told me about your endeavors. I’m really proud of you.”

Luna saw Blueblood smile warmly up at Celestia. “I-It was nothing, really,” he said, somewhat slipping into the royal persona he’d developed. “I did it for my princess and my nation, after all.”

Celestia rolled her eyes and smirked. “Oh, Bluey, what am I gonna do with you?” she asked. She walked over to one of the spare seats, pulled it out and sat down with a heavy thud. “Phew…I am exhausted.” When Luna moved to pull out the chair she herself had been sitting in, Celestia waved her hoof. “No no, stay there. I’ll be fine here.”

Luna nodded. “Sister, have you been traveling all night long?”

Celestia nodded. “Flying and teleporting all night is really taxing on somepony who hasn’t flown for so long in ages,” she said. Luna then saw Celestia’s eyes flash a dangerous bright yellow before returning to their normal magenta hue. That didn’t stop the expression on her face to darken with barely restrained rage. “But I still have more than enough magic to raise the sun and rip those fucking nobles a new one.”

Blueblood looked at Luna with a look of fear. Luna gave her nephew a reassuring look, but inside she was about as scared as he felt, perhaps more so. The eyes reminded her of the eyes of another pony she’d seen once upon a time. Before Celestia could say anything else, Luna picked up the breakfast bell and rang it. Immediately, one of the servant ponies rushed in, a young pegasus maid whose jaw dropped at the sight of a tired Celestia sitting at the table. “P-Princess?! You’re back?”

“Please bring my sister a stack of your fluffiest pancakes,” Luna said. “Dripping with syrup and whipped cream and topped with fruit. Oh, and another pot of coffee, please.”

“I…yes, of course,” the maid said as she flew into the kitchen to tell the staff about the new order.

Luna looked down at Celestia. “We were not expecting you back so soon, if I’m honest,” she said. “Was there not a fierce storm in Griffonstone at the moment?”

“This was too important to leave alone,” Celestia said. “If we don’t root out the weeds infesting our kingdom, things will begin going to Tartarus in a hoofbasket. Even worse than they are now.” She looked over at Luna and scowled. “I’ve been far too lenient with them. I’ve let them become too powerful.”

“But don’t we need the aristocracy?” Blueblood asked.

“Not as much as they need the crown,” Celestia said darkly.

Luna had never seen her sister this angry before, and it worried her. Celestia had always been the more rational of the two. She would think things out before doing them. Of course, that being her greatest strength could also become her greatest flaw. Celestia was always the type who tried to work more from behind the scenes for the betterment of Equestria. She put her hoof over Celestia’s own. “Tia…what’s going on? What happened over there?”

Celestia took a deep breath and exhaled. Luna waited as she collected her thoughts. Finally, Celestia looked at both Luna and Blueblood. “I had an encounter with the griffon’s new chancellor. We spoke one on one, and he made some poignant points. And when he was attacked by members of my own kingdom, I suppose I just…”

“Snapped? I know that feeling all too well, sister,” Luna replied.

Blueblood, looking between the two sisters, slowly stood. “Um…I think I’ll finish my breakfast in the sunroom,” he said. “Sounds like you need a moment.”

Luna nodded, not taking her eyes off of Celestia. She heard the sound of magic being cast as well as plates being lifted up. A few moments later, Blueblood’s retreating steps were followed by the closing of a door, leaving the two alone in the private dining room. Luna focused all of her attention on Celestia, who was still staring at the table, her bare hooves touching as she sat in a contemplative position. Luna waited patiently for Celestia to finish whatever thought gathering she was doing. The maid brought her pancakes and the freshly brewed pot of coffee in and left, but not before Luna ordered that the two of them be left alone until called upon.

Finally, a few minutes after the maid and Blueblood left, Celestia sighed. “I feel a bit better now. But you’re right. I’ve never felt this angry before. And I’m angry at myself mostly for letting things get this bad.”

“Tia…”

“No, Luna, this is my fault,” Celestia said, looking up sharply at her sister. “I made too many compromises. I made too many mistakes. I suppose a part of me always knew that, and I was considering retiring, but now…?” A determined look appeared on her face, but thankfully lacking any more trace of Daybreaker. “Now it’s time I stopped acting like a mother to my little ponies-no, to my subjects,” she corrected herself. “It’s high time I act like a princess.”

---

---

Celestia was lying in her bed an hour later. After raising the sun, she and Luna had a long heart to heart before Luna insisted she take time to clean herself up and get some rest before appearing in day court. Now that Celestia was clean and refreshed, she had gotten into her bed to catch some sleep. After setting an alarm for some time in the afternoon, she lay down and closed her eyes.

She thought back to the heart to heart she’d had with Luna at breakfast. As it turned out, there was a reason that both of them had been chosen to rule over Equestria. The more they discussed things, the more they realized that they were two sides of the same coin. Sure, they’d been chosen to rule partly because of their ability to move the sun and moon, but Star Swirl had told them once that there was more to it than that. At the time, he and the other Pillars had been going out to deal with some vague threat.

With that last thought in her mind, she fell asleep. And dreamed…

---

Celestia was seated in her throne as she looked down at the pillars of Old Equestria. Beside her, Luna’s throne remained empty as she was currently asleep. Rockhoof was sharpening his battle axe on one of the stone pillars of the newly built throne room of the Castle of the Two Sisters while Flash Magus tried to stop him. Mistmane, who had regained her youthful appearance only recently, was sitting next to Stygian and fussing over the young pillar who wore a golden necklace around his neck with six gemstones attached to it. She couldn’t be sure, but Celestia was half sure that the two were becoming closer than just friends. Mage Meadowbrook and Somnambula were standing near the door talking about something while Star Swirl was standing in front of the two princesses of Equestria.

“Dost thou have to depart so suddenly?” Celestia asked worriedly. “Thee and thine hast only just traversed the northern wastes. Why take on yet another perilous journey into the unknown?”

Star Swirl looked at Celestia with amusement in those old but still strong blue eyes. “Oh, my dear Sunspot, your worry is most appreciated, but my friends and I have to do this.” He looked at her with a warm smile. “We have much to deal with to protect our new nation and its citizens. Stygian thinks that he’s found evidence of a new threat and we must investigate.”

“Art thou all prepared? Food, bedding, weaponry, a map?” Celestia tried thinking more about what they might need.

“Sunspot, take a deep breath,” Star Swirl said with a smile. “Stygian and I went over everything we could hope to need already. We leave as soon as I say what I came here to say.”

Celestia tried not to lean forward too anxiously, but at that point in time she hadn’t quite mastered the art of hiding one’s emotions. Star Swirl looked at her and laughed hard. “You are a pretty anxious pony, aren’t you? Alright, I’ll say what I have to say.” Clearing his throat, he stepped back and gave them a stern look, the same look he had when he was in his professorial persona. “Princess Celestia, you and your sister are the best leaders Equestria could have ever hoped for. The two of you together are what Equestria has needed. I don’t say this to put undue pressure on you. But Equestria has prospered a great deal under your rule. I’m very proud of you and all you’ve accomplished and I can’t wait to see what great things you’ll do in the future. When I get back, I want to sit down with the two of you and talk about this more in detail, but I just wanted to let you know this.”

Celestia felt her jaw tighten. “Dost thou expect to never return?”

Star Swirl shook his head. “No, I just wanted to tell you this before I left. I do have more to say, but I want to say it when I come back. But…just in case I don’t come back, I would ask a boon of you.”

“Name it, and it shall be thine!” Celestia replied immediately.

“Everything in my study I want to donate for the betterment of ponykind, but everything in my personal room I would like to have stored in a secure location where nop-nobody can get at any of what’s in there. Especially the mirror.”

“What lies beyond that mirror of thine?” Celestia asked. “Thou hast been traversing through it for many moons.”

He smiled a bit. “Tell you what, when my friends and I come back, I’ll tell you and Lu all about it. Oh, and promise me one more thing?”

“Anything.”

He sighed, reached into his nearby bag with his magic and retrieved a small box and a letter. “If I don’t make it back, the next time the mirror opens I would ask that you put these through.”

Celestia took them in her magic and looked them over. The box was a bit hefty in her magic. “What is this?” she asked.

“Oh…they’re gifts I created…for some new friends on the other side.”

---

At that moment, her alarm she’d set went off and she opened her eyes blearily. The beds at The Green Dragon might have been comfortable enough, but there was no place like ones own bed to make one feel refreshed.

As she sat up, she thought back to the dream she had. That had been the last time that she had seen the Pillars of Equestria before they had mysteriously vanished. The conversation had also been the starting point of Celestia’s rising pride. She had taken Star Swirl’s words to heart a bit too well to the detriment of her sister’s involvement. She had not remembered that it took two of them to rule the most effectively. Now she realized that her sister had qualities that she was lacking in. But that was all about to change.

She stood and walked over to the mirror. As she used her magic to place her royal regalia on her person, she stood up straighter. Her eyebrows narrowed. Princess Celestia, mother to her ponies, was on vacation. Princess Celestia, monarch of Equestria, was now here.

It was time to take off the training horseshoes.

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