Rarity Belle, teen fashionista, Wondercolt, and member of the Rainbooms, walked down the corridor of the recently filled guest quarters where many of their otherworldly guests had made themselves at home for the moment. She’d never seen so many unusual beings before, only ever having heard about them in stories and folklore. Dragons, griffons, changelings…beings she’d only ever heard mention of from students who played Dungeons and Dragons.

However, she was focused on visiting one particular being. A certain white unicorn mare with purple mane and tail. There was a lot on the troubled teen girls’s mind that she wanted to speak to her pony counterpart about, and she was having trouble organizing her thoughts.

She eventually came to the room where her counterpart was placed. She clenched her fists, trying to psych herself up, as Rainbow Dash would call it, but finding her resolve slipping. She tried smacking her cheeks to get it back, but her mind was getting the better of her, just like it had when she’d assumed that her friends had ditched her when in fact they’d been preparing her surprise birthday party.

She stood at the door, still trying to think about what to do when she heard the clopping of hooves walking down the corridor towards her. She stopped and turned, only to see an unfamiliar pony unicorn standing in front of her. Rarity had seen her a couple of times, and she’d always seemed a bit distant from the rest. She was a dark blue unicorn mare with a cloudy gray mane and tail and dark green eyes. Eyes which were looking at Rarity with a hint of confusion.

The two stared at each other for a long while. Rarity was so completely caught off guard by this sudden encounter that she couldn’t form any words. Finally, the unicorn said, “So…any reason why you’re outside my new room?” There wasn’t any hint of annoyance there or anything that Rarity assumed would come from a race that she assumed had some sort of vendetta against humans.

“Ah, well, truth be told, I was hoping to speak to a Miss Rarity Belle,” Rarity said, still feeling a bit weird saying her own name like it belonged to someone else, which it did.

The unicorn shrugged. “Last I saw her, she was at the bow looking out at the ocean.”

“Got it, thanks,” Rarity said automatically before walking past her. She then stopped, realizing that she had no idea what the bow of a ship was. She turned back to the unicorn who was using her magic to stick the card key into the slot on her door. “Where’s the bow again?”

The unicorn turned back with a neutral expression. “Front of the ship.”

“Thank you again,” Rarity said as she walked down the corridor back the way she came, reaching the deck.

The sun shone down on her as it began its descent towards the west. She walked towards the bow, passing several of her classmates, including Lyra and Bon Bon, the former of whom was talking excitedly to Sunset Shimmer along with a light purple unicorn mare and zebra while Bon Bon sat and listened with a smile on her face. As she came up to the bow, she paused when she caught sight of her pony counterpart. She was standing on her hindlegs, her front hooves grasping the rails. Her ears were flattened, which from Rarity’s time riding horses at Applejack’s farm let her know that this pony version of her was not exactly in the best of moods. She paused, wondering if what she wanted to talk with her about was the right thing to do, but she remembered Sunset’s description of what had happened.

Rarity straightened and approached the other her until she was within speaking distance. The ocean wind blew through her purple hair and through the other Rarity’s purple mane, which Rarity noticed was styled in a way similar to her own. The markings on the pony’s flanks matched the style of gems sewn onto much of her clothing, including the dress she currently wore. “Ahem, pardon me,” Rarity said.

The pony version of her jumped and nickered a bit before turning back towards Rarity. Her eyes widened a bit, then she relaxed. “Ah, hello there,” she replied.

Despite Sunset having already explained that Equestria had copies of themselves everywhere, It was still a bit jarring for Rarity to hear her own voice coming out of the muzzle of a unicorn. Rarity ran through several ways of approaching what she wanted to say, but then noticed an in. She saw that the other Rarity seemed to have some pieces of her mane that were being damaged by the story. Quickly reaching into her purse, she pulled out a brush. “You…have some pieces of your mane out of place. May I?”

The other Rarity looked at the brush, then at her mane. “Well…please.”

Rarity nodded and began to brush the pony’s mane. She’d had a little bit of experience brushing horse manes, but Equestrian pony manes seemed to feel more like human hair than anything. She pulled out a small spray bottle full of untangling liquid and sprayed while she began fixing the loose strands. The two stood there in silence as the cruise ship slowly moved around them. After a while, the unicorn version of her looked good as new. “And there we are,” Rarity said, putting her products away, “good as new.” She handed the pony a handheld mirror.

The unicorn’s horn glowed, and a small bit of magic encased the mirror. The other Rarity looked into the floating mirror, getting a good look at it through every angle. Rarity watched, this being the first time she’d seen a pony use magic. In a way, this telekinesis reminded her of Twilight’s own special magic. “You did a marvelous job,” the pony said as she floated the mirror back to Rarity. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, but I just did what I know best,” Rarity said as she grabbed the mirror and put it back in her purse.

“Fashion?” the pony Rarity asked.

“Fashion,” Rarity confirmed.

The two stood in silence for a bit, the human and pony standing next to each other as they looked out at the ocean in front of them. The Luxe Deluxe had moved away from the island, but it was still visible. They were currently anchored while Captain Iron Will and his staff talked with the various other leaders to determine how best to proceed. In the meantime, everyone except for the large dragonlike creature named Daenerys had been given rooms and were being fed. The ship had plenty of food for all, and if not, the dragons and griffons had promised to go hunting on the nearby islands for anything extra to eat.

“So…did you come here to fix my mane?” the other Rarity asked after a while.

Rarity, startled out of her reverie, looked down at her counterpart. She could see some sort of melancholy in the pony’s eyes. She probably missed home, something Rarity could understand. Still, she had to get this out because ever since that time in the diner it was eating her up inside. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. She had thought a lot about how to start this conversation, but in the moment, all she could get out was one word: “Why?” There was no accusation in her tone, nor was there disappointment despite her feeling so after having digested everything Sunset had told her and her friends. She simply wanted to know. It was a grim curiosity that drove the young fashionista.

The pony looked at her in confusion, then her eyes widened in realization. She looked down at the ocean, ears flat and tears forming in her eyes. “Jason Wright, you mean…”

“Of course that’s who I mean,” Rarity said in a tone a bit more snippy than she intended. She took a deep breath, calmed herself, then continued. “Just…why?”

There was silence between the two. The pony was holding back tears, tears which Rarity couldn’t exactly believe at the moment. But the moment soon passed. She knew herself well enough that she could sense the tears from this pony counterpart were more genuine than the various times she had been a bit…dramatic…to say the least. No, these tears were of genuine sorrow, but of what she couldn’t say. “I…have no excuse for what I did to Jason,” the pony finally said.

That surprised Rarity. She wasn’t expecting such maturity from her pony counterpart, especially after what Sunset had told her. She realized then that she’d done the exact same thing the pony version of her had done. Feeling guilty about that, Rarity looked down at the white pony. “I didn’t ask for excuses, I simply wanted an explanation. Sunset told us the excuses. She told us about how some monster named Discord clouded your mind to abuse Jason. All I asked was why? What did humans do to you?”

The pony Rarity looked down at the water again, once more shedding a tear. Rarity, despite herself, pulled a handkerchief out and handed it to the pony. The other Rarity gratefully took it and dabbed at her eyes before floating it back to the young woman. “You…might want to talk with somepony else about the explanations,” she said. “Maybe Twilight. She could have a better idea why we did what we did-”

“I don’t want some general explanation, I want your personal explanation for why you did it,” Rarity interrupted her.

The unicorn Rarity stopped, looking thoughtful. After a bit, she said, “When I…first saw Jason, he was filthy. His clothes were torn and he was covered in sap, dried mud, brambles, you name it. My first thought was ‘He’s going to ruin my shop’ and then I thought ‘Filthy, dangerous beast’. I then just chased him out of my shop without a second thought.” She shuddered.

Rarity looked down in complete shock as she tried to digest what she’d been told. Her mind was in a whirl. How could those thoughts be inside me? How could I have fallen so far?

Rarity paused. Me? I? She realized she’d been subconsciously replacing the pony Rarity with herself. She looked down at the water with her pony counterpart, trying to reflect on how she might have reacted in the same situation. She tried hard to put herself in her counterpart’s shoes. She tried her best to remember everything that Sunset had told her about Equestria, but she realized that aside from Sunset’s discussions about fashion and some other areas, all she knew was that Equestria was a little behind in technology, some sort of strange mix of medieval tech and tech from decades ago. They had no internet, no television, no computers, no smartphones and no cars, just to name a few, but they did have a form of electricity, albeit powered by magic as well as landline phones of a sort and a railway system. Still, they were a monarchy ruled by two immortal versions of Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna.

Shaking her head, she refocused her thoughts. If she had been raised in a place like Equestria as a member of a species that Twilight called a prey species, would she have done the same? She tried to place herself as much in the other Rarity’s shoes, or hooves, as she could. After a bit, she stopped and sighed. It was no use. She couldn’t fully comprehend what it must be like. She finally spoke. “I see.”

The pony Rarity looked down further. “…You don’t understand, do you?” she finally asked.

Rarity sighed and shook her head. “I’m trying hard to see things from your perspective. I really am. But I can’t.”

“I know,” the pony beside her said, “and I’ve tried to imagine what it’s like being a human, but…I don’t know anything about your kind.”

“Because you didn’t think to ask,” Rarity said a bit bitterly, “and neither did your Twilight. Now I know why she seemed so stand-offish…”

“Don’t blame her for our misdeeds,” the pony Rarity said, “she didn’t tell us much about her time in this world. She was very tight-lipped about it.”

“Oh, I’m blaming her for her own misdeeds, as you say,” Rarity said, letting her frustration get the better of her in the moment, “and I’m blaming you for yours. I don’t care if this Discord monster did something to you, you all nearly caused the death of someone.” She paused and cleared her throat, trying to recover her sense of decorum. “Well, um…this has been quite…informative. I’ll…leave you to your musings.”

As Rarity was about to leave, she felt something wrap around her wrist. Looking down, she saw a small bit of glowing magic there in the shape of a hand. Looking down, she saw the other Rarity looking up at her. “Please wait,” she said.

Rarity was about to try pulling away, but something in her counterpart’s expression made her pause. Maybe it was because these ponies had intelligence like humans did here, but despite having an equine face, the unicorn Rarity was more expressive. As if the tears weren’t an indicator of that already. “What is it?” Rarity asked.

The unicorn let go, then turned to face the human. “Do you think there’s anything we can do to make things right with him?”

Rarity frowned a bit, but thought about it. She’d actually met Jason, albeit a bit briefly. She’d been appalled by the state he was in. Putting the nearly all black he wore aside, his face was damaged, a jagged lightning scar running down one side of his face and across a milky white blind eye. His hair was starting to go gray and he had some stubble. Not only that, but he looked…tired. Gaunt. Perhaps even hopeless. Still, she had to admire his status as a leader. Aside from the bitter look she saw him spare Lady Serenity and her pony counterpart, he seemed at least somewhat calm. Then again, if Sunset was correct, this human had launched a successful invasion of the capital of an entire kingdom and razed an entire town to the ground, so she wasn’t sure how to answer.

“Well, if I’m honest,” Rarity began, “I don’t know. I know I’ve forgiven people like Sunset, my Twilight, Wallflower, the Canterlot Movie Club for that whole Anon-A-Miss debacle, and even Gloriosa for what she did at Camp Everfree, but I’m me. I’m not Jason. I don’t know him that well, so I can’t say. I know some people can hold grudges for a long time, so don’t be surprised if this Jason does the same. Do you regret what you did? Are you sorry for it?”

“Every damn day,” her counterpart replied.

Rarity winced to hear such language used with her own voice, but said nothing. “Something Sunset once told me is that forgiveness isn’t necessarily for the one who wronged you, but instead it’s for the one who was wronged. If he doesn’t forgive you, which is his right, then there’s really nothing you can do but accept it.”

Pony Rarity slowly nodded. “I hope it doesn’t come to that…”

“It may have to come to that,” Rarity reiterated. “You ponies did some truly heinous things to him, so he may never forgive you. If that happens, you need to learn and move on.” Rarity felt silly for lecturing her pony self. After all, this version of her actually owned, or had owned, a successful boutique while she simply worked as a part timer at Carousel Boutique back in Canterlot City. She hoped one day she’d be able to own a shop of her own like this Rarity had.

Pony Rarity simply nodded again. “It’s hard to accept…but you’re right.”

“I may still be in high school, but my experiences have taught me that much,” Rarity said as she hoisted her purse over her shoulder. “Well anyway, thanks for talking to me and letting me say what I needed to say. I’ll leave you to your musings.”

Just as Rarity was turning to leave, her counterpart asked, “Did you make your outfit by hoof?”

Rarity paused, then looked over her shoulder. She couldn’t help herself. She gestured to her dress and gave a big smile. “This is a Rarity Belle original,” she said proudly.

The other Rarity looked it over, then nodded. Locking eyes with Rarity, the pony said, with a smile of her own, “It’s simply divine…darling. You do fantastic work.”

Rarity wasn’t sure how to respond initially to this. However, after a few seconds, she nodded and said, “Thank you. Maybe someday I can see some of your work. If that’s possible.”

“I’d be more than happy to show you,” the pony said.

“Yes…well, enjoy the rest of your evening…darling,” Rarity said with a courteous nod before turning and finally walking away. She wasn’t initially conscious of it, but she had a bit more pep in her step.

When she passed by the shade where Lyra, Bon Bon, Sunset, and the pony and zebra were talking, Rarity saw that Sunset had separated from them and was watching her with some curiosity. Sunset pushed herself off of the wall where she’d been leaning and walked up to Rarity. “I won’t ask what you talked to your pony self about,” she said before Rarity could say anything, “but I’ll only ask if you’re feeling alright after what had to be a stressful talk?”

Rarity’s heart swelled. Sunset had been looking out for her, and that made the bond between them only stronger. She was truly an amazing friend. Rarity hugged Sunset, surprising the pony turned human. As she felt Sunset’s arms wrapping around her, Rarity replied, “I’m alright, dear. Thanks for checking up on me.”

Sunset chuckled. “That’s what friends do. You did leagues better than when I confronted Twilight about it.”

Rarity laughed. “I still can’t believe you threw hands at a princess,” she said in amusement.

“Part of me regrets the physical assault,” Sunset said, “but I don’t regret the words. I’ve actually spoken to Twilight and the other Spike through the journal lately.”

“Have you told the other Twilight about what happened today?” Rarity asked.

“I wrote what happened, but we seem to only be able to speak in the morning or evening,” Sunset said. “When it’s evening in our world, it’s morning there, and the reverse is true.”

“Curious…I wonder why that is,” Rarity pondered.

“I’m chalking that up to it just being the way our worlds work,” Sunset said. “Annoying, but something we can’t change.”

Rarity nodded, understanding little about Equestrian magic but trusting that Sunset knew more than enough for both of them. “Well, I’m off to the dining room for a somewhat late dinner. Would you and your new companions care to join me?”

Sunset held her stomach as it rumbled a bit. She smiled. “I could go for some sushi, or for something with even more meat in it. A steak, perhaps. If they still have any left. I’ll get the others.”

“I’ll go save us a table,” Rarity said. And with that, the two split. Rarity went to the galley, a bit more pep in her step. However, she couldn’t help but pause and look back at her pony counterpart. She was still standing at the bow and looking over at the ocean in front of her. She creased her eyebrows. Despite her mixed feelings on her counterpart, she knew that she had to be the better person. While kindness was more Fluttershy’s thing, that didn’t mean she couldn’t try and extend an olive branch to her.

With a sigh, Rarity turned and walked back to the unicorn. Clearing her throat, she said, “Hey…have you eaten any dinner yet? The galley has some divine dishes I’m sure you can eat.”

The pony looked back with some confusion. “No, I haven’t eaten yet,” she admitted.

“Well, I’m inviting you to join me, my friends, and some of your group to eat with us,” Rarity said.

The pony looked a bit shocked by this, but then a small smile formed on her muzzle. She turned away from the bow. “That’s quite a generous offer, but it might be nice to eat with new creatures for a change.”

Rarity inwardly cringed at the use of the word ‘creatures’ but shrugged it off and turned around towards the direction of the dining area. “Then follow me. Delectable food awaits!” And with that, both Raritys walked side by side to the dining area.

When Gregory woke, the first thing he noticed was that he felt much better and much more rested than he had the night before. He felt lighter as well. The second thing he noticed was the lack of a dark cobalt griffoness next to him. He slowly looked around and saw a note on the table next to him. Slowly, he reached over and picked it up.

Dear Gregory,

I was asked to sit at the captain’s table for breakfast for a meeting with the other leaders. I’ll come back when I’m done. I love you.

Yours, Gabby

He smiled a little bit as he slowly sat up, stretching. Looking to his right, he saw that Celeste was still sleeping. He got out of bed, noticing that he was shirtless. Nearby, he saw that his clothes had been cleaned and some of the damage had been sewn. He wondered which Rarity had done it for him, because he couldn’t tell that there was any damage done. He quickly got dressed, his stomach growling in anticipation. The clothes even felt softer.

He was about to leave when he heard moaning from behind him. Turning, he saw Celeste slowly turning in her sleep. Her brows were furled as if she was having some kind of nightmare. Without thinking, he rushed to her side and tried to wake her, but she wasn’t waking. She was tossing harder now, her arms moving about slowly at first, but as time went on she began saying nonsensical things until she suddenly shot up, eyes wide as she called out “Star Swirl!” Her hand was outstretched, almost as if she was reaching out for something, or someone.

Gregory waited there, tensing up as he wasn’t sure what Celeste was thinking. She was panting heavily for a bit before she fell back into her bed, her arm falling to her side. He took a stool from nearby and sat next to her bed. “Celeste? Are you okay?”

She looked over at him with a wide eyed stare before seeming to recognize him. She took a couple deep gulps of air before relaxing a bit. “Yeah…sorry, just had a nightmare,” she said. “Or a memory…I don’t know yet.”

He pursed his lips. He couldn’t even imagine what having all of those thousand years of memories suddenly being remembered felt like, but he couldn’t imagine it being pleasant. “You gonna be alright?” he asked.

She nodded. “Star Swirl said that when the spell wore off, it would be a painful couple of days, but that we’d pull through.” She chuckled a bit. “At least we won’t need to undergo de-aging again after this, I guess.”

He winced. “Damn…”

“Damn indeed,” Celeste said as she looked over at him. “Could you help me up?”

He nodded and gently helped her up to a sitting position. He looked around and wondered where the nurse was, but figured that perhaps she’d gone to get some breakfast or was in the bathroom or something. He looked back at Celeste, who was looking a bit better. “Well, you certainly look like you’re recovering quickly,” he said.

She chuckled a bit. “I’ll be alright,” she said before looking past him. She lifted her arm and pointed behind him. “Could you bring me that?”

Gregory turned and saw that she was pointing at the Gjallarhorn. Looking back at her, he asked, “What for?”

“I want to look at it a bit more closely,” she said. “I want to test if some of these new memories can help me with…something.”

Sensing that she wouldn’t tell him much more than that, he nodded and retrieved the horn, bringing it back to her. She took it in her slender hands, examining the ruby red runic writing on it. He watched her lips moving, and he caught the occasional vocalization of whatever she was saying. Her fingers traced the letters, and he saw that she was having trouble with half of the words. However, when she was finished, her eyes were wide as saucers.

At that moment, the nurse came back carrying a small tray of food. She was humming a bit, but when she saw the scene before her, she quickly put her tray down at a desk and rushed over to them. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here,” she apologized profusely, “I was getting some breakfast. I didn’t think you two would be waking up so early!”

“It’s alright,” Celeste said with a wave of her hand, “but do you have a piece of paper and a pen we could borrow?”

“Of course!” the nurse said, running back to her desk and grabbing a pen and a yellow paper pad, which she promptly brought back to them. “Here you are,” she said, putting the objects next to Celeste.

“Thanks.” Celeste grabbed pen and paper and began writing on them with intensity. The nurse returned to her desk to eat, sending curious glances their way every so often, but Gregory sat next to Celeste and watched.

As he read what she was writing, his eyes went wide. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. However, he didn’t say a word as Celeste continued writing. He was shocked at how much she was writing down since the number of runes on the horn seemed to only consist of a few sentences. When he looked closer at Celeste, he saw that her purple eyes were glowing a little, her irises moving ever so slightly.

When she finished writing some five or so minutes later, she had seven pages worth of script, and despite the speed at which she wrote it, the handwriting was impeccable. She put the pen and paper down, her eyes stopped glowing, and she looked up at Gregory. The look of realization in her eyes matched his own. They both looked down at the horn, their eyes wide. Neither of them spoke. Slowly, the two reached over and touched the horn, their hands interlocking around it.

They had a possible solution to a few major problems but the question was, would they be able to make the decision for two separate worlds? A decision that would irrevocably change things for both worlds forever…

“While I understand your concerns, everyone,” Selene said from her seat while facing the various national rulers sitting at the same table, “you have to understand that the humans of this time have forgotten their origins. We regressed pretty far technologically after we made landfall and found Somnium Vale. They don’t believe in beings like unicorns, dragons, griffons or changelings.”

“Seeing them waltzing through the streets would be…well, I’ll just say it, incredibly chaotic,” Kane added in agreement.

It was nearly nine thirty the next morning. Unlike the day before, the morning started out with heavy fog, but the forecast called for clearer skies later that afternoon. Around the captain’s table sat Selene, Kane, Captain Iron Will, First Officer Strawberry Swirl, Dragon Lord Ember, Emperor Jason Wright, Duchess Chrysalis, and some of the group closest to Chancellor Graystone, which included Gabby, Gilda, Starlight Glimmer and Zecora. The Chancellor wasn’t there because he was still recovering in the medical bay.

“I know you all want to get back to Gaia,” Selene continued, “but there must be another way aside from marching through Canterlot City and going through the portal in front of the high school. For all we know, the moment you step through the portal you could turn into humans. And Emperor Wright, you might even be turned into something else. A pony, perhaps.”

Jason scowled at the thought, but said nothing as Chrysalis leaned forward. “So what do you propose we do then?” the duchess asked. “Should we spend the rest of our lives in this miserable world?”

“We could try and find a way back through the doorway we came through that the novans sent us through,” Gilda mentioned.

“I doubt that’ll work as easily as you think,” Kane said. “That key you mentioned can only be used on one side. We can’t open it the other way.”

“Not to mention the fact that there is no feasible way to escape Tartarus unless you are released through a door,” Selene added.

Captain Iron Will, a burly man wearing a white captain’s uniform that looked like it barely fit him, waved his hands to bring attention back to him. “We can’t keep everyone here forever,” he said. Iron Will was a deep grayish-blue human with a dark cobalt blue fauxhawk underneath his captain’s hat. He stroked his goatee as he added, “We don’t have the food necessary to keep everyone here fed forever.”

“My dragons and I can hunt for game on those islands,” Dragon Lord Ember said.

“And how long will that last us?” Kane asked. “As I recall, there were only a handful of islands, half of which were lifeless when passed by them.”

“Don’t forget that we do have herbivores on board,” Selene added, gesturing to Starlight and Zecora.

“You needn’t worry about me,” Zecora said, “for I can fast for a day or three.”

“I got used to not eating a lot when I was running from my last village,” Starlight added, “so I can eat a little bit less.”

“That aside, I doubt there are fields of grain or anything like that in these islands,” Kane added. “Fruits are either not ripe enough for eating or could be poisoned. There’s a hint of Equestrian magic on those islands, and we don’t know what the effects could be.”

Jason leaned forward and looked at Kane. “You’re Discord’s counterpart, how could you of all people not know?” he asked incredulously.

“I don’t have any of his memories,” Kane said apologetically.

“I may have my pony counterpart’s memories,” Selene said, “but I think because of her thousand-year banishment, I’m only seeing bits and pieces of her memories right now. My sister Celeste may be able to help us more, but she’s currently resting and I don’t wish to wake her yet. Still, what memories I have about this world and Gaia contradict each other. Gaia is geocentric, while our world is heliocentric. Magic, until recently, didn’t exist here, and Gaia is full of magic. I don’t know exactly how magic could have affected the plants there, not to mention the animals.”

“You won’t have to worry about us,” Chrysalis said. “We can eat normal food, but we treat it more like a snack than nutrition. We feed off of love, and we have enough reserves with us to last for a little while at least.”

“Dragons can eat just about anything that other meat eaters can’t,” Ember said, “even something poisonous. We can survive.”

“That leaves you humans, us griffons and a pony and zebra,” Gabby said.

“We still won’t be able to feed even that amount,” the captain said, “not to mention the available water needed for drinking and bathing. We may need to forbid showers or baths. And we won’t be able to wash bedding or anything like that. Too much water.”

“We can use a limited amount of water per person per day for cleaning,” Selene said. “Not to mention that we do have a rather powerful unicorn we can ask to help. Miss Starlight Glimmer here is an accomplished pony from what I’ve been told, and if she is willing to help, we can make do for, how long?” She turned to Iron Will.

He looked over at his first officer, a pink woman with mauve hair. “Strawberry?”

Strawberry Swirl pushed her glasses up and picked up a paper pad. “If we relied on food stores from the cruise alone to feed us and the new arrivals, we have more than enough to last us for, say, a week. If we take away…the…dragons and changelings…” she said, quickly writing down something on the pad, “…we’d get…maybe another two weeks or so…more if we stretched what we have and rationed it.”

“A month at the least,” Selene said.

“I may be able to help,” Starlight said. “Besides, I know that the young Sunset Shimmer is also a pony turned human. We can discuss things to do.”

“Not to mention that six of her friends have magic of their own,” Gabby added.

“Indeed.” Selene leaned back and sighed, looking over at Kane. “I don’t know, Kane, maybe we should try and find help from Canterlot City. I know the mayor personally. Ivory Scroll could be helpful in pushing for some kind of refugee status for everyone here. The continent is large and there are many places where you all can live until we find a way to return you to your world.”

“Or, perhaps, there’s another way,” a new feminine voice called out from the door. Everyone turned to see Celeste and Gregory, the latter holding the former other up, both standing in the doorway. Celeste held a yellow paper pad in her hands.

Gabby was instantly out of her seat, running to their side. “What are you doing up?” she asked Gregory in alarm, “you should be resting.”

He shook his head as he and Celeste walked in with Gabby flying in front of them. Selene and Gabby both grabbed seats for them, placing them next to each other. As they sat, Gregory took a gold chain off from around his neck and placed it on the table. Attached to the chain was a small horn covered in gold plating with a gold chain with ruby red lettering carved into it. Selene’s eyes went wide as she saw the object. “The Gjallarhorn…”

“Correct,” the chancellor said, “the Gjallarhorn.”

“Why did you bring that here, may I ask?” Kane asked.

“Wait a moment, wait a moment,” the changeling emperor asked, looking at the ancient looking relic, “what exactly is this…horn? What does it do?”

Gregory looked over at Celeste, who stood, grabbed the horn, and lifted it up. “It’s a powerful magical artifact,” she explained, “created during an ancient time of war on Gaia. It was meant to separate the warring factions until such a time that they could be brought back together after both sides had cooled off. When that happened, the horn would reappear to one side or another. The horn would be blown, and then the two sides would come together and attempt to make peace.” She sighed, then looked down at the pad on the table in front of her. “It’s what the humans used to get to Somnium Vale, their paradise away from Tartarus.”

“I don’t quite get it,” Iron Will said.

“It’s a long story, Captain,” Selene said, “but suffice to say that your ancestors came here from another world and settled in Somnium Vale before spreading to other cities around the continent.”

Strawberry raised an eyebrow. “Another world? What on God’s green Earth do you mean?”

“Exactly that,” Celeste said. “The horn was only used twice, and we were the second people to use it. Apparently, the first time it was used it wasn’t used to reconnect the two warring factions. But if we use it…”

Selene’s eyes widened in realization, “Then we would…return to Gaia?”

“There’s more,” Celeste explained to the dumbstruck crowd at the table. “When the horn is first blown, it sends one faction from the world into another, but when it’s blown again, both worlds would be connected in some way. It’s very vague on what that means.”

So, if we did blow this horn,” Selene began, “it would help return our otherworldly guests back to Gaia…but…”

“But it would permanently fuse our two worlds together in some way,” Jason finished for her.

“The question is,” Kane said, leaning forward and folding his hands, leaning on them and looking at the leaders at the table, “can we make this decision for everyone here or is there some other way?”

The table went silent as everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Each of them thinking the same thing, more or less: Is this the only solution?