Twilight relaxed her focus as her spell’s energy faded. “Hey, Rarity!” she called. “How does this look?” She took a step back from her creation to look about her. From her vantage atop Rarity’s tower, she could see everything. Zecora’s clearing was barely recognizable. Crabapple had built himself a neat wooden cabin, Angel Cake had a small stone house, and Rainbow Dash’s new cloud home floated just above the treetops. Rarity’s tower of marble and crystal, half-finished as it was, outstripped all of them put together. Twilight was amazed at how much their spells had built in four short days. She was the only one who had access to the full power of alicorn magic so far, but even Angel Cake was a match for any unicorn archmage.

Their numbers had grown, as well. Three more ponies had joined them, two from Trottingham and one from Holstallion. All had been strangers, and none were younger than forty-five. In the time it took Twilight to turn the first of them into an alicorn, Rarity had transformed both of the other two and added a stairwell to her tower. That had been yesterday, and already the stairwell was hidden behind a wall of translucent crystal.

Rarity flew through the open space where an outer wall would soon be built. She landed and examined the brass doorframe Twilight had just finished weaving into existence. It would become the entrance to the drawing room, Rarity had told her. “Well done,” said Rarity. “It’s positively wonderful. Although if you could make it less of a bronze shade and more of a gold, that would be lovely.”

“The detail work can wait,” said Twilight. “The new arrivals don’t have their own places yet.” They were sharing Zecora’s hut with Twilight in the meantime, and Cornflower snored.

“You’re right enough,” said Rarity, “although that reminds me. Rainbow Dash and I were talking about settling the next batch of ponies in the Everfree Castle, if they arrive before we have somewhere to put them. It’s quite close by wing, and I can quickly make it habitable.”

“You mean the castle where we fought Nightmare Moon?” Twilight managed to keep her incredulity out of her voice. “I don’t know. That used to be Celestia’s castle, and she might not want us moving in. We don’t need to make her any angrier than she already is.” She paused. “Besides, that place is creepy.”

“I suppose you’re right, but I hate to see you work yourself to the bone this way.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

“I create because I love to create. That’s not you. If you were studying some dusty book, I wouldn’t think twice, but this… why are you doing this?”

Twilight sucked air through her teeth. “If I stop working, then I start thinking.”

“Thinking?”

“I let Fluttershy die,” said Twilight. “I really don’t want to dwell on that.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Rarity said firmly.

“Of course it’s my fault. I had power over life and death, and I chose death.”

“Fluttershy chose death. She never asked you to save her, did she?”

Twilight looked away. “You know, you’re not really helping with the ‘not dwelling on it’ part.”

“You can’t bury your feelings in work forever.” Rarity stepped closer. “You have to talk about it sometime.”

“By which you mean now,” said Twilight.

“Quite. Because you’re being silly. Fluttershy would have told you if she thought she needed saving.”

“Well, I didn’t save her, and now she’s dead. Maybe she would’ve thought differently, if I’d offered her the choice. Maybe I could’ve talked her into coming with us. Or maybe she still would’ve died. We’ll never know because I never even tried.”

“Excuse me.” Center Stage poked his head out from the stairwell. “Somepony’s coming.”

“What?” said Rarity. “Who is it?”

“Looks like a new one. I was over the forest, practicing my flying, when I saw. Some pegasus is headed our way, and fast. I figured you’d want to say hi.”

“Alright,” said Twilight. “Thanks.” So far, all of the newcomers had asked to see Twilight as soon as they arrived. Twilight had never questioned her abilities as a leader before, but now that she was the de facto head of the exiles, she had found a task big enough to give her pause. It was too late to turn back, however. She couldn’t reveal her doubts to anypony but Rarity. Twilight leaped from the edge of the tower, just ahead of Rarity and Center Stage.

The pegasus was arcing down for a landing, spreading her wings to catch the air and bleed off her excess speed. Even so, she was moving fast when she touched down by the base of the tower. She tried to canter along with the momentum, but quickly stumbled to her knees and skidded in the grass. By the time Twilight landed beside her, the pegasus was back on her hooves and shouting for help.

Twilight put on her problem-solving face. “It’s okay,” she said. “You’re here. You made it. Take deep breaths. What’s your name?”

The pony paced back and forth, shaking blades of grass loose from her legs. “I’m Breezybye. Look, we have to hurry. I don’t know how much time there is.”

“Perhaps you’d better explain,” Rarity said as she landed alongside Center Stage. “Start from the beginning.”

“Right,” said Breezybye. “It’s straightforward enough. My uncle Cobalt is dying, and he wants to become one of you. He’s old and sick and he can’t make it here on his own. Please, you have to go save him!”

“Where is he?” said Twilight.

“The hospital at Cloudsdale.”

Rarity frowned. “Princess Celestia did tell us to stay out of her domain. Perhaps it would be best if you had him carried here.”

“But he’ll die!” said Breezybye. “The doctors said not to move him.”

“Okay, then,” said Twilight. “I’ll send a message to Celestia first and ask her. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours to sort everything out.”

“He might not have hours. He’s fading fast.”

Twilight suppressed a grumble. “You know, this would’ve been a lot easier if you hadn’t come at the last minute.”

“I came as soon as he asked me to. Until he was about to die, I don’t think he wanted to do this.”

“Are you sure this is really what he wants?” said Twilight. “Maybe he’s just scared. This is a big decision.”

“He sounded sure! You can talk to him, if you want.”

“Perhaps we should argue later,” said Rarity. “It sounds as though time is of the essence.”

“You’re right,” said Twilight. “Rarity, Breezybye, I’ll teleport you two to Cloudsdale to save Cobalt, then I’m coming back here to write to Celestia. I guess I’ll be asking for her forgiveness instead of her permission.”

Sunstone looked up as the bell on the front door tinkled. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique,” he said automatically. “What can I—” He cut himself off and rushed around the counter. “Goldie! How long has it been?”

“Too long,” said Golden Apple. “I’ve been in town twice in the last year, but I couldn’t make time to drop by. Family matters, and all that.”

“I know how it is. Family can be a real hornful.”

Golden Apple raised an eyebrow. “And how has your own family fared, since their… change?”

“I don’t know.” Sunstone felt a twinge deep inside. “Princess Celestia has forbidden communication with them.”

Golden Apple blinked. “I’d heard that, but… you’re their son! How can Celestia do that to you, too?”

“She told me this is too important to make any exceptions. I have to admit, I do see her point.”

“Why? If they want to go off and leave Equestria alone, whyever should we care?”

“Leave us alone, huh? I guess you haven’t heard about Cobalt.”

Golden Apple shook her head. “Was that recent? I’ve been on the train. I haven’t been getting news.”

“Mom went and plucked this Cobalt character right out of Cloudsdale. I have to say, I never expected this out of her.”

“But what’s wrong with what they’re doing?” said Golden Apple.

“Princess Celestia says it’s not a good idea, and that’s more than enough for me.”

Golden Apple raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And you don’t trust your mom?”

“She’s a good pony, and wise,” said Sunstone, “but Celestia is something else entirely. Everything Equestria is, is because of her.”

“Be that as it may. I don’t think it’s so wrong, letting ponies choose what to do.”

“Oh, I agree. We should have the choice. Still, that means being able to choose wrong. Ignoring Celestia seems like a bad plan.”

“I’m not convinced of that,” said Golden Apple. “This is Twilight Sparkle’s work. She was my first friend after I moved to Canterlot, and I’ve never met a better pony. I can’t imagine her being wrong about something like this. That’s why I came to Ponyville, truth be told. I hoped to speak with her.”

Sunstone frowned. “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”

“Of course I am. I’d be a fool not to consider it, at the least.”

“Well, that’s as far as you’re likely to get. Celestia’s not letting Breezybye back into Equestria, not after her role in this Cobalt thing. If you want to go talk to Twilight, it’s a one-way trip. I know you’re not going to leave your kids behind.”

“Not now, of course. But in ten years or so, when they’re grown… well, I think it would be worth it.”

Rainbow Dash was hard at work, summoning and shaping cloudstuff into finished structures. She had always been a skilled cloudworker, but now that Twilight had taught her a couple of weather spells, Rainbow could scarcely believe how quickly she built. Twilight herself was down below, helping Royal Ribbon with her transformation.

Up here, the cloud that had begun its existence as Rainbow’s house had been expanded over and over. It was already a small village, home to a dozen new alicorns, with more trickling in by the day. Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only pony building up here.

A hush fell over the construction crew. Ponies were staring at something. Rainbow Dash followed their gaze upward, squinting against the sun’s glare. Celestia was descending in a flawless arc. Other ponies backed away, but not Rainbow Dash. The two of them met alone on the half-finished cloud settlement.

“Rainbow Dash. You know why I’ve come.”

“I guess you’re mad about Cobalt.”

“I sent Twilight into exile. She returned days later. This is unacceptable.”

“Hey, a pony was gonna die if we didn’t!” Rainbow kept speaking as Twilight landed beside them. “Maybe you don’t think that’s a big deal, but I’m never gonna sit back and let that happen to anyone if I can help it.”

Twilight cleared her throat. Rainbow frowned. Twilight must have interrupted the transformation spell. “Princess,” she said with forced calm.

“Twilight.”

The two of them locked eyes. Twilight’s mouth worked soundlessly. Celestia was impassive as a stone.

“Princess, we…” Twilight trailed off, looked away, started again. “You have a point,” she said. “We can’t just wander into Equestria whenever we feel like it. Still, sometimes we might have to go in, if something like Cobalt’s situation happens again. We need to set up some kind of system.”

Celestia stared at Twilight with an unreadable expression. It was a long time before she spoke. “Did you have something in mind?”

“Not yet. I need to think about it and talk to the other ponies here. I guess I can come to Canterlot to figure things out in… let’s say three days.”

“Very well. This system of yours had better not allow any more double-dealing.” She spread her wings.

Twilight Sparkle visibly drew herself together. “Celestia. Can we go somewhere less public? I wanted to have a word about—”

“We have nothing to talk about,” said Princess Celestia. A beat of her wings carried her aloft. The wind of her passage played through Rainbow Dash’s mane.

Rainbow looked to Twilight, who was watching Celestia fly away with her jaw clenched. Rainbow Dash could see the tendons sticking out from her throat.

Ponies were starting to come closer. Angel Cake stepped forward, looking like she had something to say. Rainbow Dash shot her a look, and the filly backed off.

Rainbow draped a wing across Twilight’s withers and guided her towards Zecora’s hut. Twilight craned her neck to watch Celestia’s shrinking form until Rainbow Dash pulled her inside and shut the door. “Hey,” she said. “You wanna talk about it?”

An unintelligible sound rose from Twilight’s throat.

“You’ll be okay, Twilight. If she wants to keep being a butt, that’s on her.”

The noise Twilight made might have been a laugh or a sob. “Like when you were doing the same thing to me.”

“Yeah.” The blow struck home. “Like that.”

Rarity held her head high as she walked the length of Celestia’s throne room, surrounded by familiar faces. Fleur de Lis and Baron Primrose and several dozen other courtiers lined the hall on either side. Seneschal Checkerboard led her down the red carpet to the dais at the far end, where Celestia and Luna ruled. Four ceremonial guards lined the bottom of the dais. Rarity remembered fighting to defend Coltsdam alongside Nova Burst and Stoneskin of the Solar Guard. They stood shoulder to shoulder with handsome Spur and wise old Snake of the Lunar Guard, who had helped Pinkie Pie solve the mystery of the Star Scrolls. Every pony in the room had once been Rarity’s friend or ally, but now they all watched her with a mixture of awe and naked fear.

All but the Sisters themselves. Princess Luna seemed distant, while Princess Celestia appeared her usual serene self.

The seneschal stopped before the dais. “Princess Rarity,” he announced, “of the Everfree Forest.”

Rarity suppressed a frown. The title was respectful on the surface, yet he labeled her a foreigner.

Celestia spoke first. “I thought Twilight would come herself.”

“We considered it,” said Rarity. “We decided this way would be less emotionally fraught.”

“Wise. Twilight always was a sensitive pony.”

Rarity let that pass. It was true enough, even if Twilight wasn’t the only pony whose reaction they feared. “In any case, I speak with her voice. Twilight and the others agreed to abide by what we decide here.” She took a moment to compose herself. “As you established before, we need some method by which we can induct those Equestrians who wish to join us but cannot make the journey, while at the same time honoring the separation you have imposed. We have a proposal.”

“I’m not convinced I should do anything to help my ponies run to your village.”

“With respect, Princess,” said Rarity, “that’s not your decision to make, nor mine. The ponies themselves must decide. You and I should do no more than honor their wishes as best we can.”

“You’re not honoring their wishes,” said Celestia. “You’re invading Equestria. Your path will destroy this land as surely as Nightmare Moon would have. I won’t let that happen.”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “Say what you mean, Princess.”

“Either your ponies will respect Equestria’s borders,” said Celestia, “or I will stop you with magic and flame.”

“And you accuse us of following in Nightmare Moon’s path?”

Celestia bristled. “This is nothing like that.”

Luna spoke for the first time. “It is,” she said. “The Nightmare turned to force when persuasion failed. I will not help thee do the same, sister.”

“Then what?” snapped Celestia. “We tried being reasonable. It’s not working. If we give in now, then we’ll give in next time. You know that, and so does Twilight Sparkle. Her followers will devour our realm to feed their own. Force has always been our last resort, but we have always used it when there was no other way to protect Equestria. You fought against Discord and Lord Bronze. You convinced me to imprison Sombra. This is no different.”

“Those foes were using force themselves,” said Luna. “I will not strike first. If we cannot persuade ponies that we are right, then perhaps we should ask ourselves why.”

Celestia tossed her head and turned back to Rarity. “You said you have a proposal.”

“Quite. We would like to set up an embassy in each major city. Nothing grand, just a place where one or two of us can live and where ponies can find us, if need be. That way, ponies such as Cobalt can freely choose whether to join us or no, and we can stay out of the way of the rest of your society. Ponies who do not seek us out need never see us in the streets or, indeed, think of us at all.”

“It will not work,” said Luna. “While I have no doubt that thy ponies intend to shut themselves away, they will not find it so easy. They may be able to conjure their own food, but all your newfound power is no defense against solitude. Some will succumb and leave their cloister. I will not have these ambassadors wandering the cities, and I will not have you in our streets every day as you change shifts.”

“Then how do you propose we solve this?”

“With the example Twilight Sparkle provided us. When ponies have need of thy kind, they will call you. We will permit you to enter, perform your magics, and leave with your new convert, just as Twilight did with Cobalt. You will not linger. You will not come for any other reason. You will take your quarry and go. We will even permit the messenger to return.”

“Not every pony will get a message to us in time,” said Rarity. “If Breezybye had been an earth pony rather than a pegasus, Cobalt would be dead. Your proposal is unacceptable, Princess.”

“As is yours,” said Celestia.

“Perhaps a compromise,” said Rarity. “Not only will we stay within our embassies, but we will also come and go only by teleporting. That way, we need never set hoof or wing in Equestria and show your followers what they’re missing.”

“Very well,” said Luna. “That should be adequate.”

“Fine,” said Celestia. “Fine. We’ll get something in writing. We’ll have no more of these emergency changes.”

“There is one other thing,” said Rarity. Twilight had wanted to wait before bringing up their other request, but Rainbow Dash had helped Rarity convince her to relent. “I have not seen my son since you banished me. I ask that you let him visit us in Everfree and return to Equestria, along with any others who wish to. I will not argue against our own banishment, but please, don’t exile anypony who merely sets hoof in our land.”

Celestia’s face was flat. “You chose to turn your tail on Equestria. This is your own doing.”

“Sunstone should not suffer for her foolishness,” said Luna. “It is a cruel thing to separate a family.”

Celestia glanced at her sister for the briefest moment before looking away. “Then ponies can visit your kind in these embassies you’ve insisted upon. I won’t have ponies moving between your realm and ours at a whim, but small, short visits won’t hurt too much.”

“Thank you,” said Rarity.

“Do you have any further demands?” said Luna.

“No,” said Rarity. “That is all.”

“Then go,” said Celestia.

Rarity left, fighting down an impolitic grin. She had called Celestia’s bluff, and won.

“Twilight! Come check this out!” Rainbow’s voice was pure glee.

Twilight turned. “What is it now?” Since they left Equestria, Rainbow Dash had been constantly trying to buddy up to Twilight. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Part of her was still hurting, but part was grateful to have one piece of her old life back.

“So I was trying out some tricks, now that I’ve finally got time to see what this new body can do. You’re never gonna believe this.”

“Alright. Let’s see it.”

Rainbow grinned. She spread her wings, crouched low, and—

Rainbow Dash exploded into a momentary trail of prismatic light, searingly bright, but gone before Twilight even finished blinking. Rainbow stood in the grass several hundred yards away. She turned, then another flash, and Rainbow was in front of Twilight once again.

Twilight gaped. “What was…”

“That’s speed! I though the sonic rainboom was fast, but that was nothing next to this!”

“You mean you’re just flying fast?”

Rainbow grinned. “Just flying fast?”

Twilight bit her lip. “I wonder if… hm. I want to try something.” She shifted her focus, bringing her cosmic awareness to the fore for the first time since Celestia had banished her. “Okay, try that again.”

The words had barely left her mouth before Rainbow Dash blazed off again. The rainbow trail was a wide circle, a mile across or more, as she pulled to a halt a couple of hornlengths from where she had started. Again, she moved too fast for Twilight to see. One moment Rainbow Dash was there, the next she was somewhere else.

Twilight’s astronomical senses confirmed her suspicions. “You were flying at the speed of light, just now.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“And that’s fast?”

“That’s the fastest speed there is. Even teleportation doesn’t go half that fast.”

“Hah! Awesome! Just think how fast I’ll be able to go with some more practice.”

Twilight shook her head. “You can’t go faster than light. That’s not how speed works.”

“Come on! I do impossible things all the time. And now I actually have all the time!”

“Hold on.” Something was tickling the edge of Twilight’s awareness. Now that she was paying attention to the cosmos, she sensed something new in the sky. The moon radiated Luna’s familiar presence, but something else as well…

“Well?” said Rainbow. “What is it?”

“I said hold on.” Twilight focused. The new presence was coming from the sky but was not of the sky, which meant... “There’s somepony on the moon.”

“What? Who? Luna?”

“I don’t know who. Not Luna.”

“Then it’s one of us, right? I mean, I don’t know how a pony would even get there, but it’d have to be an alicorn.”

“I think you’re right. But I don’t know who it is, or why they’re there, or… anything, really.”

Rainbow Dash grimaced. “I don’t like it. Could’ve been one of us getting banished. We oughta go check it out.”

“I think I can teleport there,” said Twilight, “but I don’t know if I’m strong enough to take both of us.”

“Alright, then. Do your thing.”

Twilight did. It was not the most powerful spell she had ever cast, nor the most complicated, but it was close. She arrived in a daze, with barely enough presence of mind to conjure a globe of air around herself. It was dark and silent and cold, even with her magic warming her. All she saw was pale dust and jagged boulders and deep shadows and pinpoint stars in the boundless sky.

“H-hello?” Twilight called. “Is someone here?”

A shadow stirred. She caught a glimpse of washed-out color. “Twilight? Is that you?”

She knew that voice. “Cadence? What are you doing on the moon?”

Cadence stepped into the dim light. Her coat was dulled by gray dust. “I wanted to find somewhere I could be alone.”

“Huh?”

“Equestria is dying, Twilight. You killed it. Now it’s just a matter of time. Your society will keep getting bigger. You’ll grow, but you’ll never lose a member. Sooner or later, there won’t be any room for regular ponies. What are we supposed to do once they’re gone?”

“I don’t see a problem. We are regular ponies.”

“Did you come here to argue?”

“No, I didn’t. Sorry. I came here to find out what’s going on.”

“Okay.” Cadence turned away. “Now you know. You can go.”

“What? But I don’t understand at all! Why are you hiding up here? I’ve never known you to run from a fight.”

Cadence eyed her. “Are you trying to convince me to stop you?”

“I just want to know what’s wrong! I care about you, Cadence. You’re the only family I have left.”

The look Cadence gave her could have turned a cockatrice to stone. “You’re my only family, too, because I let the rest die. Five husbands and eight children. Now all I have left is a bunch of great-great-grandchildren who barely know who I am. And you. And Equestria. Equestria is the most beautiful thing that ever was or will be, more important than me or Shining Armor or Nocturne Sonata, and everything I went through was worth it because Equestria would go on forever. Except now you killed it, and I watched my children die for nothing. I won’t stay and watch Equestria die, too. I can’t.”

“If you—”

“I came here to find peace and solitude,” said Cadence. “Are you going to take that away, too?”

Twilight started to speak, then stopped herself. Wordlessly, she teleported away.

The Ponyville embassy was a small building, two rooms of cozy timber. They told Crabapple it was near the heart of town, but he wouldn’t know. He’d never seen it from outside.

“Look, Pa,” he said, “I really wish you’d come and join us. You’re still in one piece, but with ponies your age, that’s no guarantee. If there’s a heart attack or something, you might not be able to make it to the embassy in time.”

Macintosh shook his head. “Don’t plan on being an alicorn.”

“What? You’re joking.”

“Reckon I lived long enough. Did everything I want to do.” Macintosh’s voice was as steady as ever.

“You’re talking about suicide.”

“Dying ain’t suicide.”

“Hey, when you get to choose between living and dying, and you pick dying, they have a word for that.”

Macintosh shrugged. “Ever since your ma died, reckon I’ve just been waiting to go. Ain’t got nothing left to live for.”

“Right, right. It’s not like you have any children who might want you around.”

“You don’t need me no more. You’re a grown pony. You know how to be decent folk, when it suits you. I did alright when my folks passed on, and you will too. Me, I just wanna be with your ma again.”

Crabapple rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. If you actually believed that, you wouldn’t have to wait around. You could go and actually kill yourself.”

Macintosh leaned forward a fraction of an inch. “Ain’t funny.”

“That’s debatable, but I wasn’t joking. I’m actually curious, here. If you’re in such a hurry to die, then why don’t you?”

“I’ll get there when I get there. She’ll wait.”

“What if she’s not? What if you’re wrong about what happens?”

“Then I’m wrong.” Macintosh shrugged. “I’ll take the chance, for her.”

“Augh.” Crabapple turned away for a moment before he could face his father again. “So, what, she’s more important than we are? You’d throw away an eternity with me and Sprout for just a chance at seeing her again? Is that really what I’m hearing?”

Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup.”

“Auntie Dash! Hey, Auntie Dash!”

“Sprout!” Rainbow Dash banked and dove towards Apple Sprout. He was rising with the now-familiar awkwardness of a pony unaccustomed to having wings. Rainbow Dash plowed into him, wrapping him in a four-legged hug. Apple Sprout forgot to keep flying as he returned the embrace, laughing, but Rainbow Dash was more than strong enough to ease them both to the ground.

“When did you show up?” said Rainbow. “I had no idea you were even here.”

Apple Sprout shrugged. “I’m not sure. Dad transformed me right when I got here, and we finished that maybe half an hour ago, but I have no idea how long we were out.”

“Twenty-two hours,” said Honey Pie as she walked to her husband’s side, “and ten minutes.” She was visibly pregnant now, Rainbow Dash noticed. It took her another moment to realize she was looking at an earth pony; it had been some time since she had seen one.

“You couldn’t find somepony to do the princess thing for you?” Rainbow Dash said. “I can handle it.”

Honey Pie swallowed. “I don’t want to be an alicorn.”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” said Rainbow Dash. “I’ve got no idea if that would do anything to the foal. Good call. Well, after the little guy’s born, you should find Rarity. She managed to transform a pony in less than an hour, once.”

“No,” said Honey Pie. “I mean I don’t want to be an alicorn.”

“Sure, then—wait. What? But, I mean, why are you here?”

Sprout cleared his throat. “I wanted to become this. She didn’t. If we stayed in Equestria, we couldn’t do that and still be together.”

“I guess. But really, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you could fly, you’d see pretty—”

“Auntie Dash,” said Apple Sprout.

Rainbow sighed. “Right. Okay. Sorry. But this won’t be easy, and I don’t just mean the whole ‘getting old and dying’ thing. We’re trying to move everypony up to the cloud village.” She frowned thoughtfully. “You’d better learn that cloudwalking spell, kiddo.”

Twilight read the letter. She read it a second time, and a third. The words stubbornly refused to change.

She glanced to the side, where Rainbow Dash was reading over her withers, looking as stricken as Twilight felt. “Where did you get this?” said Rainbow.

“Ponyville,” said Rarity. She hovered above them, unable to keep still. “Sunstone brought it to me at the embassy. I came looking for you two as soon as I got back.”

“Stars and stones,” said Rainbow Dash. “How are we gonna tell Crabapple?”

“I don’t know,” said Twilight. “There he goes.” She pointed off the edge of the cloud city they stood upon. Not far below, Crabapple drifted on the breeze. Soon enough, he returned their stare, then flew up to join them.

He scowled. “Well? What is it?”

Silence. Twilight shuffled her hooves.

Crabapple glowered. “Something’s going on.”

“Oh, Crabapple,” said Rarity. “I suppose there’s no good way to say this.”

Twilight saw the confusion fade in his eyes, saw the hurt grow in its place. “Oh.” His voice was soft, almost a whimper. “How did it happen?”

“A stroke,” said Twilight. “The letter says there wasn’t any pain.”

“Pa, you stubborn old fool,” Crabapple whispered. “I told you.”

Rainbow Dash looked up. “It’s not—” she said, then choked off.

“Your father is perfectly healthy,” said Rarity.

Crabapple frowned. “Then what…”

“Your sister,” said Twilight. “I’m sorry. Golden Apple is dead.”

Crabapple made a low, strangled sound. Rainbow Dash reached out to him, but he was already flying away.

They watched him leave. “We should go after him,” said Twilight.

“Give him some time,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I don’t know,” said Rarity. “No one should be alone at a time like this.”

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “We’ll be here when he’s ready. Give him a little while. This is Crabapple, not Pinkie Pie.”

“We’ll have to write to the princesses about the funeral,” said Twilight. “Crabapple should be there.”

Rarity frowned. “Do you think Celestia will allow it?”

“Oh, come on,” said Rainbow Dash. “This is Celestia. She tries to be a good pony. No way is she gonna say no. I mean, his own sister.”

“Then I’d better go write that letter,” said Rarity, horn glowing. “Pardon me, girls.” She teleported away, leaving a fog of sparkling motes.

“I can’t believe she’s dead,” said Twilight.

Rainbow Dash said nothing. She wheezed, once.

“This is my fault,” said Twilight. “If I’d started all this earlier, maybe we could’ve saved her in time.”

“Whoa, hey!” said Rainbow. “This one’s not on you.”

“You don’t know that. Everything would have been different if—”

“Twilight. If this were your fault, I’m the one who’d call you on it. This? Not your fault.”

“It, it isn’t fair,” said Twilight. “I destroyed everything, I tore apart Equestria and Celestia hates me and, and ponies are still dying. She wasn’t supposed to die.”

“It’s okay.” Rainbow Dash wrapped a wing around Twilight and pulled her close. “It’s okay.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Twilight’s voice was muffled by Rainbow’s feathers.

“You’re doing everything a pony can. No one could ask for more.”

“I guess.” Twilight forced her breathing under control. “I really should’ve started earlier, though.”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Rainbow Dash.

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter? Ponies are dead!”

“Okay. Look. You were wrong, then. I mean, really wrong. But now you’re not, and thinking about what happened isn’t gonna help anypony. Now you gotta get past it.”

Twilight blinked. “What, you mean just decide to move on?”

“Uh. Pretty much, yeah.”

“I wish. But it’s not that simple.”

“It kind of is? I mean it’s hard, but so what? You’re good at hard things. I guess it takes patience, but yeah, that’s you.”

“Right,” said Twilight. “Patience.”

The moon was dark and cold. Worse was the silence. Twilight stood on the gray plain, trying to ignore the chill seeping into her hooves. Cadence sprawled limp several lengths away.

The silence had been constant since her arrival two, maybe three hours ago. The first time Twilight had returned, Cadence fled. Twilight had followed her rapid-fire teleporting in a queer staccato race. The second time, Cadence had glowered in silence for hours until Twilight left. Now Cadence was ignoring her entirely, which was somehow the hardest of all.

Twilight wasn’t about to give up, though. She said nothing, for there was nothing to say. Her presence was all she could provide. She remembered Luna’s lecture on the horrors of isolation. Twilight would not let Cadence suffer that fate, self-inflicted or no.

And so she waited. She would leave without hearing a word, she knew. She would be back. Again and again, maybe for weeks, maybe for decades. When Cadence finally needed her, Twilight would be there.

Twilight was watching the sunrise when Rarity arrived. Spears of red-gold sunlight pierced the city beneath her wings—and now it really was becoming a city. Spires of cloud and gold and glass mingled together like an artist’s fever dream.

Rarity teleported in so smoothly, blending her form with the surrounding air, that it took several seconds before Twilight even noticed.

“Oh!” said Twilight. “You’re getting good at that.” She paused at the grin on Rarity’s face. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“Twilight, darling, it’s wonderful news! You’ll never guess who I ran into at the embassy! Oh, I am positively delighted.”

“Do you mind if we skip the guessing game? This sounds important.”

“Oh, very well. Some ponies have no flair for the dramatic. Follow me.”

Rarity teleported away, but slowly, leaving an obvious ethereal trail for Twilight to follow. An eyeblink later, they were within Rarity’s tower beneath the city, along with—

Twilight went down under the weight of a full-grown pony. “Did you miss me? Did you did you did you?”

“Pinkie!” Twilight extracted herself from the tackle-hug. “I was starting to worry you weren’t coming.”

Pinkie giggled. “Well that was silly. I came as soon as I could. I just had to get the foster stable set up so it could keep working without me, first.”

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Twilight brushed her mane out of her face. “After Applejack and Fluttershy… it would’ve been hard to lose you, too.”

“Well, now we’re all together! You don’t have to worry about that ever again.”

Ponyville’s cemetery was crowded. The funeral was a short affair, and tense. Crabapple didn’t linger, but took to the air as soon as Golden Apple was in the ground, before even his father could speak to him. Luna’s eyes never left Crabapple as he flew. In spite of the few mourners who summoned the courage to approach her, Luna kept her gaze on Crabapple’s shrinking form. His passage left tiny whirlwinds in the snowflakes drifting to the ground.

Macintosh planted a sapling atop the grave, and ponies began to trickle away. By the time afternoon slunk into evening, Luna was alone in the cemetery.

“Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “I know thou art here.”

Twilight’s image wavered into view as she dropped the illusion spell about her. “I, um, hi.” She stood beside Applejack’s grave, a stone’s throw from Luna and Golden Apple. “Please don’t be mad.”

Luna took a breath and looked at the setting sun. “Thy presence here is foolish.”

“I know! But Golden Apple was my friend.”

“You are fortunate my sister sent me to watch Crabapple in her stead. Had she come herself, this would have gone poorly.”

“Oh, come on.” Twilight’s breath steamed in the winter air. “She won’t actually do anything. She’s backed down how many times, now?”

“It would have gone poorly for her. She is hurting terribly. There is no call to make it worse than you already have.”

Twilight shrank in on herself. “I’m sorry.”

“I am not the one who needs thy apology.”

Twilight paused. She took a deep breath, gathered herself, and strode forward. “No, actually, you know what? You don’t get to ask for that.” She tapped Golden Apple’s tree with a forehoof. “She’s the one who’s been wronged, but because of you two, this will keep happening.”

Luna was silent for long seconds. “Perhaps not for as long as thou thinkst. Golden Apple’s children are already traveling to thy city. There are dozens more who had been waiting to make the journey, but who will delay no longer, after this. Can you support so many?”

“Oh, we can. The others are getting better at magic, so we’re building faster and conjuring more food with every day that goes by.”

“Good,” said Luna. “That is good. Thy civilization cannot be stopped, now. All that remains is to make the best of it.”

“Can you tell that to your sister?” Twilight said quickly.

“I have tried. Some day, I may persuade her, but I do not think she will forgive thee, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh,” said Twilight. “Oh.” She hesitated. “What about you?”

Luna sighed. “Perhaps a pact is in order. I will forgive thee for tearing down the old order, if thou wilt forgive me for upholding it.”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah. Let’s. I’m not blameless in maintaining the old order, either. And Rainbow would say we need to move on.” She cleared her throat. “Speaking of which, I ought to go. I don’t really belong here.”

“True enough.” Luna looked at the tombstones around her. “Thou art everything this place is not. Even so, I would have thee stay for a while.”

“Thank you.” Twilight settled on her haunches. “I need this.”

Luna stretched a wing towards Twilight, stopped herself, refolded the wing at her side. “The hurt will fade, in time.”

“Yes.” Twilight reached out her own wing and pulled Luna close. The two ponies leaned into each other. “We have a lot of time.”

Author's Notes:

That's a wrap, folks. Thanks for sticking with me through all these words.

UPDATE: There is also a sequel now, if you want to see what becomes of Twilight and Celestia's relationship.