Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The halls of Canterlot Castle were no stranger to silence.

Silence had reigned after Luna’s banishment, and the silence would resurface tenfold when the Pillars of Equestria fell. It had become routine, in a way, for long periods of quiet to occur in the aftermath of any great tragedies Equestria faced. The castle staff would always make themselves scarce, as if a mere reminder of their existence in the palace would be a crime worthy of expulsion. Even the stoic composure of the royal guards was broken during these times, allowing once unreadable masks to emote as friendly faces, each offering softer words of comfort or kindness.

They all adored her. Celestia would be a fool if she hadn’t known that from the start. The ponies of Equestria would follow her to the ends of the earth with unyielding devotion in their little hearts. Unfortunately, it was a favor she would never be able to repay, doomed to watch generations of her subjects come and go with every passing century. They knew this, yet they loved her all the same.

Was love the right word for it? Celestia wasn’t sure. As an alicorn, she was immortal, and Celestia had lived for hundreds of years. She could never experience the world the same way as her loyal subjects, who each came into her world with painfully fleeting lifespans and a dangerous measure of hope in their hearts. When one of her beloved ponies passed, others would mourn, and Celestia would grieve beside them. Still, part of her had grown numb to the feeling at one point or another. If asked on the spot, Celestia would wager it happened about five hundred years ago, give or take an extra decade. There were only so many losses the goddess could oversee before it became another item on a mundane list of yearly tasks.

She had never known an alicorn who could truly feel regret. The feeling would be far too small in the grand scheme of things.

As time came to pass, she learned to keep herself withdrawn. This made it easier to avoid further heartbreak. Celestia still felt emotions, of course, but she now experienced them differently than most ponies would. The alicorn knew sorrow, but she kept the feeling at a distance; detached and cold. She would not let herself love Equestria as it had always loved her, for she knew that doing so would certainly be the end of the long life she’s lived.

Celestia knew that nothing in Equestria was meant for her. Thus, nothing in this land was built with the intention of staying at her side.

Skyros was a pantheon; ethereal and everlasting, just as immortal as the alicorns who lived within the grand city’s walls. She had settled down in Equestria with her sister at the request of their mentor, Starswirl, who urgently needed the goddesses’ aid. Raising the sun and moon was not a task for anyone, Celestia knew. If she could have handed down the mantle to another mage, she would have returned home in an instant. Alas, that day never came, so Celestia soon rose through the ranks of Equestrian nobility. First she was their student, then a sorcerer, and, finally, a princess. She had wanted to leave Skyros to free herself from the restrictions the higher alicorns put on her divine magic, but now she may never return to her homeland. Celestia had traded one set of chains for another.

Neither sister would ever know their mother or father. It was as though the world itself had swallowed them up, erasing any fragments of lives no longer lived.

She had fancied the idea of having suitors once, but it was a short lived dream. Whenever Celestia had found herself taking fondly to someone, she would outlive them and their children before she could recognize the feeling as love. It seemed like an impossibility to think that there was anyone in this world who could ever truly know her enough to call it love. In a way, she had been right…

Celestia found herself standing before the frame of an enchanted mirror, hidden away in the deepest pit of the catacombs beneath Canterlot. She studied her reflection, as if staring for long enough would force the image to change into one more desirable. Alas, no change would come, and the mirror’s surface remained still.

The mirror had been a portal, once, before it was damaged beyond repair.

Life had not been kind to Celestia, no matter how long she seemed to endure it. Her younger sister, Luna, had grown bitter after they began to rule Equestria. She was angry that the ponies spent each day playing and basking in the light of the sun that Celestia raised each day, yet they would all hide away to sleep through the precious night. Luna had done all that she could to make her domain special. She painted the sky with stars, she created shadows that would form patterns over the moon, and she even spoke to ponies in their dreams. Despite her efforts, no novelty would ever be enough to shield Luna from the dark shadow Celestia had cast. Thus, she simply let that very same shadow consume her.

Nightmare Moon had not been created as a result of Celestia’s failings as a princess, but rather her failings as a sister. Once Luna was corrupted beyond repair, Celestia had no choice but to banish her to the moon. All of Equestria celebrated that day. They rejoiced and sang her praise, plastering the entire city of Canterlot with gaudy flags and twinkling lights.

That was the very first time Starswirl had commissioned a stained glass portrait in the throne room. He saw it as a way to remember Luna and ensure that her story, both the good and bad of it, would always live on. Celestia saw it as a constant reminder of her failure, one that she would now pass by each and every day she entered the throne room. The mural of her sister’s banishment may have been the first, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Soon enough, Starswirl had decorated every window in the main hall with artistic renditions of stories from her reign. If she had to pick a favorite, it would certainly be the window where she defeated Discord with her sister. That was a much nicer portrait of Luna than the first.

Celestia didn’t know what to do. For the first time in hundreds of years, she could feel true sorrow, and she had come to feel it just as well as the mortal ponies below. She missed her sister. She missed Luna.

Starswirl did his best to keep Celestia occupied. He taught her every spell he knew, took her on grand adventures to explore faraway places, and even offered to let her join him alongside the other Pillars of Equestria. She declined the offer, knowing that it would only bring her to another bout of heart ache when each hero met their end.

Starswirl had said that it would take a miracle to bring Celesia out of her grief.

Luckily, the world was kind enough to give them one.

A magical portal in the frame of a mirror. By stepping through the gateway, you could travel to another realm; another world. It was a world different from her own in more ways than one. For instance, this place still had a Princess Luna, since Celestia herself had been the wicked one banished to the skies above.

It was here that Celestia had met King Sombra, but not the one she’d known before. In her world, Sombra had been a ruthless tyrant enslaving the Crystal Empire, forcing the royal sisters to fight against the dark mage in a fierce war. In the world of the mirror portal, Sombra ruled as a benevolent king. Just as Celestia once had, Sombra moved from his homelands up North to settle in Equestria, bringing peace and prosperity to the nation. He was immortal as well, having lived a life just as long as her own.

They had forged an instant connection, as if it was meant to be. Celestia felt like a little filly again, sneaking off from her royal studies all for a romantic fling. But it was so much more than a fling, wasn’t it? They made promises to each other.

Regardless, it was never going to last. In a very literal sense, they were countless worlds apart, and it worried her mentor greatly. With a heavy heart, he forbade Celestia from using the portal, afraid of what may happen if their world became too involved with the other. Starswirl placed the mirror under a spell, ensuring that no one would ever cross into the other world ever again.

Starswirl was gone now, as were the rest of Equestria’s Pillars. Just as she always had before, Celestia stood alone, and the castle was silent.

It had been nearly one thousand years since she lost Luna. Starswirl had vanished only a few years after. Celestia’s only companion throughout history was the silence that remained in the absence of her fallen friends. She had grown to despise the silence, although she’d never admit that, for fear of losing yet another familiar face.

It was quiet. It was late. There would be plenty of work to be done at dawn, when her daily agenda of royal duties always began. With a heavy sigh and a heavier heart, Celestia turned to leave the dark chamber.

She stopped when she heard a faint click behind her.

Turning, Celestia saw the portal ignite, bursting to life in an array of colorful fire. As flames ate away at the enchantments shielding her from the gateway, Celestia could hardly believe what she saw. She didn’t have the words to express the surge of emotions that washed through her body at the sight of him. He was here. How could he possibly be here, after all this time?

Without a second thought, Celestia leapt through the portal, leaving nothing but an empty cave behind.
____________________

"And that’s how Prince Sonder was born?"

The voice of a young foal interrupted the cosmic tale, drawing attention to the three small foals gathered in the starlit expanse of her domain. Queen Galaxia, an ivory alicorn of sunset and stardust, smiled down at the little ones with ancient, knowing eyes.

"Of course she did, young one." She hummed softly, her voice carrying the gentle warmth of distant stars. "But that is a story for another time."

The dream realm stretched endlessly around them, a place where reality bent to will and wonder. Wisps of silver cloud drifted past constellations that pulsed with living light, while aurora streams painted the sky in impossible colors. Here, in this space between worlds, spirits could manifest and watch over those they loved most.

Three young alicorns sat in a circle before the cosmic queen, each clutching a doll that bore a striking resemblance to their respective mothers. The smallest of the three, a pale pink filly with a curly crystal mane, held her Princess Cadance doll protectively against her chest.

"But what about the other world?" Little Flurry Heart asked, her eyes shimmering with emotion. "What happened to their family after Celestia went back home? What about Sombra? Please, you’ve got to tell us what happens next!" Beside her, a white colt with a magnificent blue mane shifted restlessly. Young Sonder's green eyes burned with an intensity unusual for one so small, lanky hooves gripping his Princess Celestia doll tighter as he mustered a scoff.

"Stories are for foals," He declared with all the haughty dignity a child could muster. "I want to learn magic. Important magic. The kind that makes ponies listen to you."

The third foal, a dull navy colt with an indigo mane that mirrored the night sky, couldn’t help but laugh at that. Little Oberon's red eyes danced with mischief as he nudged his Princess Luna doll forward, using the toy to perform a theatrical bow.

"Stories are magic!" Oberon chirped, a pair of small fangs peeking out as he grinned. "Besides, Queen Galaxia's stories always come true eventually. Don't they?"

He looked up towards the cosmic alicorn with boundless curiosity, his question carrying more weight than any of the foals yet understood.

Queen Galaxia's expression grew thoughtful, ancient wisdom flickering behind her stellar gaze. In the distance, another figure approached—King Cosmos, whose presence brought with it the deep, steady pulse of creation itself. The royal spirits exchanged a glance that spoke of eons shared, of watching and waiting, of love that transcended death itself.

"Some stories are not just tales of what was, but prophecies of what will be. The threads of fate are already spinning, little ones. Each choice, each moment of love or pain, weaves the tapestry of tomorrow." Young Sonder's grip on his doll tightened.

"Then I'll make sure my story is different. I'll make sure I'm not forgotten."

The cosmic queen's heart ached with the knowledge of what was to come, but she simply smiled and gathered the three foals closer. "Rest now, children. There will be time enough for your stories to unfold when you wake."

As the dream realm began to fade around them, the three young alicorns curled up together, their dolls vanishing into stardust as they were carefully returned to the world’s embrace. Above them, Queen Galaxia and King Cosmos watched the realm cradle their descendants, just as the stars had once held them before their time was spent.

That very same world had forgotten them now. It was a sacrifice known only by the echo of a world that had once been. Even so, they stood vigil over Equestria from the astral plane’s edge, clouds of stardust and memory stirring in their wake.

The silence that followed was not empty, but full of promise, laced with the gravity of an unspoken vow.

A vow that those who came after them would not need to suffer such a cruel fate.

Chapter Text

Beautiful, crystalline columns loomed impossibly high around her as Princess Celestia made her way through the castle. While she had spent most of her life in Canterlot, this version of the city was completely foreign to her, uncharted territory under the facade of familiar cityscapes and towers. She was exploring the impossible, winding halls of a castle that both mirrored and mocked her own. Here, in these endless corridors of portraits she didn’t recognize and historical murals she did not know, she had found something she never thought possible; peace.

The Sombra of this world bore little resemblance to the tyrant she had once known. Where her Sombra had been cruel and grasping, a merciless tyrant, this one was gentle and thoughtful. His dark coat caught the light like polished obsidian, and when he smiled, it was of genuine warmth rather than unbridled malice.

"You seem troubled, my love. The king spoke up when she caught his eye, approaching her on one of the castle's many balconies. The sunset here painted everything in shades of gold and red, a perfect inversion of her own world's dawn.

"I was thinking about home. About Luna." Celestia leaned into his embrace, feeling the weight of a thousand years in solitude finally beginning to lift. She paused, her voice growing soft. "About the foal we might have someday." Sombra's eyes brightened with hope and fear in equal measure.

"Do you truly think it’s possible? A child born of two worlds?"

"Magic finds a way." Celestia whispered, placing a hoof over her heart where she could feel the faint flutter of new life growing. "Love finds a way."

Neither spoke of the growing instability they both sensed. The way the mirror portal trembled when they touched, how the very air seemed to shimmer with tension as their magics intertwined. Neither wanted to acknowledge that their happiness might be borrowed time.

But in that moment, watching her sisters’ stars light up an alien sky, Celestia allowed herself to believe in an eternity of happiness just as bright.
____________________
Many years later…

As soon as the sun had set that evening, all of Equestria became overrun with infectious glee. It didn't seem like anyone would be sleeping tonight, especially not those who planned on seeing the annual solstice event up close. The Summer Sun Celebration was a highly anticipated event each and every year. For one day, ponies from across the land would travel to their nation's capital, crowding together around a grand stage in front of Canterlot Castle. There, they would see Celestia raise the sun to its highest point of the year, cheering and showering their beloved princess with praise.

To the ponies of Equestria, Celestia was more than just a princess. She was an elegant goddess, one who had outlived all of the land's greatest heroes after fighting bravely by their side for generations. There were ponies with stories passed down from their great great grandparents, telling of times when Celestia had helped her subjects decades before; just as radiant and beautiful as she always had been. To stand beside such a legend was an honor that few could claim. Only the best of the best were given the chance to hear her wisdom or train to protect her. Today, there was a bright eyed unicorn hoping to earn that chance. In fact, she wanted to accomplish something bigger. Rather than become a member of her court or one of the royal guards, this filly longed for a station higher than that.
She wanted to become Princess Celestia's heir.

As the young unicorn navigated through the streets of Canterlot, casual pleasantries and fluff were woven through the air. She ignored each and every one of them, quickening her pace into a swift trot. She was a mare on a mission. There was no distraction that could throw her off course.

"Hello, young lady! May I interest you in a more fashionable saddlebag for the celebration?"

Subconsciously, she used her magic to tug on the strap of her own leather satchel, keeping the contents of the bag close to her side. No, she just needed the opportune moment to strike. A chance to prove herself as a powerful mage with unbridled passion and spectacular potential.

"You must be from out of town! Will you be needing a map?"

She already knew where the castle was. It was the tallest eyesore in the entire city. The unicorn pressed onwards, considering all of the items she'd brought from home. Nothing but old books and scrolls. They were useless now, but they would serve her well later.

The castle was finally in view. She was almost there, just a few more blocks to cross. What would she do when she arrived? Would the princess be waiting for visitors in the throne room, or hidden away in an office doing paperwork for the ceremony? What if she was too busy to see anyone? What if her schedule had already been fully booked?

What if she wasn't here?

The filly stopped in her tracks, finding herself unable to move forward. The castle was looming ahead now, less than a mile away, and yet…

She couldn't do it. Quietly, she let her head fall. What was she doing here? She had run away from home and traveled across the nation to come here, but the princess was probably too busy to see some excitable little upstart, especially with the Summer Sun Celebration starting at dawn. With her head hung in defeat, she began to think of the quickest train route home…

"You know, most ponies tend to avoid standing in the middle of the street."

When she lifted her head, there was a strange colt standing next to her. He was a white unicorn, clearly around her age, with vibrant green eyes and a blue mane neatly styled to his shoulders. The majority of his body was bundled up and hidden beneath a black cloak. If she wore it, the length cape would probably drag against the floor, but this strange colt seemed to have oddly lanky limbs, so it suited him well. He studied her with a curious expression, continuing to speak before she could reply.

"It seems like quite the hazard."

"What? As if most ponies wander the streets in dark hooded robes?" She prodded his side with a hoof, snorting sarcastically. She knew what the garment was, of course, but the look of utter offense on his face was well worth the trivial misnaming on her part.

"It is not a robe, it's a cloak." He began, scoffing and waving her away from him. "Besides, it's an ancient tradition for great sorcerers to wear cloaks. They used to be considered royal attire, before the era of peace began." Now her interest was peaked.

"What? Are you supposed to be some kind of magician?"

"Hardly. I do know my way around advanced spellcasting, though, and I feel as though you might say the same. Unless those aren't your books, of course…" He trailed off, eyeing the books and scrolls poking from within her satchel. She tugged it shut, shooting him a glare.

"They're mine."

"So you do study magic?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Who wants to know?" Equestria was notorious for being a land of harmony. Low crime rates and even lower taxes to pay. The cost of living was so inexpensive that there was hardly ever a need for petty theft. Still, she didn't want to take her chances, even if it was against another kid her age. The colt regarded her for a moment, as if mentally weighing his options. Then, he must have made a choice, because he smiled slightly.

"Sonder." She raised an eyebrow, and he cleared his throat. "That's my name. I am Sonder, and you are…" He held out a hoof, waiting for her to continue. Finally, the filly lowered her guard, lifting an amber hoof to meet his own.

"My name is Sunset Shimmer." He shook her hoof, allowing her to continue once they stepped apart. "I was just weighing my options, I guess. I'm not sure why I'm telling you any of this, since we hardly just met and you probably don't care, but…" She looked back towards the castle, noticing Sonder follow her gaze as well. "I traveled a long way to come here. I had wanted to use my magic to impress the princess, but… I guess I didn't really think it through. Ambition can be a pretty nasty vice, you know?"

Sonder hummed, looking back towards her after watching the castle for another moment. There was something in his expression. A flicker of understanding, maybe, or perhaps recognition of a kindred spirit.

"...So, if you can't see the princess, what are you going to do now?" She hadn't really gotten that far yet, even if she didn't want to admit it outright.

"I'll stick around until sunrise, I guess. See the sights, follow a flock of tourists, and then I'll probably just go back home." She faltered, yet the sorrowful response was only met with an indignant huff.

"That's a stupid plan."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." He stomped his hoof on the ground, using a fierce glare to pin her in place. "Did you really come all this way just to go home empty hoofed? You should hear yourself! That's dumb!"

"Well, if my plan is so dumb, what exactly do you suggest I do?" When she snapped back at the colt, she hadn't expected him to immediately turn away from her and begin to storm off. Sunset winced, opening her mouth to protest, only to pause when he called back to her.

"Follow me."

Oh. Well, today has certainly just become much more interesting.

Thus, she followed Sonder away from the castle, watching him expertly navigate the complex rows of streets with ease. As they began to trot through a series of dimly lit alleys, Sunset found herself questioning what she'd just gotten into.

"Are you from here?" Sunset curiously watched Sonder stop to investigate an odd pile of stone slabs at the dead end of an alley. "You seem to know your way around."

"I grew up here, but my parents live in different places, so I travel a lot." He furrowed his brow thoughtfully, beginning to rearrange the slabs with his magic. She was perplexed by this bold method of sightseeing, but she certainly didn't have anything better to do now, and they were too deep in this maze of alleyways for Sunset to protest his method. "My mom lives here."

"What about your dad?"

"He's in another city."

"Really? Which one?"

"Does it matter?" He stopped whatever he was doing with the slabs, giving her a skeptical look. Socializing had never been one of her strong suits.

"I guess not." She decided, watching Sonder hesitate slightly, as if he saw her falter. Begrudgingly, he turned away again to continue his work.

"...Another fancy place with lots of castles." Her ears perked up when she heard that.

"Another place with castles?! Really? Is it in Equestria?”

"Do I get to ask any questions here, or is this interrogation completely one sided?" Sonder glared again, but there was no real heat behind his gaze. Only mild frustration. She smirked.

"Fine, we can take turns. You go next." Sunset smiled, watching the taller unicorn hum thoughtfully, furrowing his brow in concentration as his magic sparked.
"Do you have any family around here?"

"No, I came here alone. My parents live in Sire's Hollow." It was her turn again now. "What were you doing at the festival? Were you out wandering because you live here, or did you have a specific goal in mind?"

"Well, I've never actually seen it." He confessed, quietly placing a hoof against the bricks of the stone wall ahead. "I've lived here for half of my life, but I've never been able to see the Summer Sun Celebration. Strict parents and all. I'm usually not allowed to leave the castle…"

"You live in the castle?" Sunset finally stepped up to stand at his side, squinting at him incredulously. "Wait, what do you mean 'half of your life'? Where do you spend the other half? Is that when you're with your dad?"

"I thought you said we were taking turns."

"It's hard to take turns when everything you say just gives me more questions to ask–!" Sunset was interrupted by a low rumble beneath their hooves. As Sonder put the final slab into place, the walls around them began to move and shift. Before she could fully process what was happening, a door had appeared. Sonder held the door open, nodding for her to go inside. She squinted at him again. "Is this a dungeon?"

"What? No!"

"Is that why you're wearing the cloak? You're trying to kidnap ponies?!"

"I already told you why! All great sorcerers have cloaks."

"No, you said they USED to wear cloaks!" Sonder opened his mouth to argue, sputtering angrily when he realized she was right. He groaned, dramatically rolling his eyes at her petty bickering.

"Okay, fine. I'll show you the real reason why I wear it, but only if you're following me inside the tunnel." She hesitated, glancing down through the doorway that laid before them. It was a dark, endless cavern with sprawling walls and eerily high ceilings. She involuntarily shuddered, but she was already in too deep to turn back now.

With a dignified huff, she held her head high and trotted into the dark corridor. Teal magic engulfed her horn, lighting up the dim hallway as she heard the door shut behind them. Sonder was quick to join her, using the green glow of his own horn to help lead them both ahead. She put a hoof on his back, stopping him. He gave her a confused look, yet when Sunset cleared her throat and nodded towards his cloak, he sighed in defeat.

"I know, I'll take it off in a few minutes. There's a doorway upstairs with a closet ahead, and it'll be a lot easier to discard it so we aren't carrying it around. Besides, we need our magic focused on lighting the way. Trust me, you do not want to trip down here." That response seemed reasonable enough for now, so Sunset decided to let it slide. As the unlikely pair made their way through the catacombs, the conversation took a much more casual turn. She learned that Sonder liked to read, he was an avid fan of studying ancient history, and he also shared her affinity for researching magical artifacts.

She had become so enamored by their conversation that it quickly became easy to forget where they were. Thus, she eventually got one of her hooves caught behind a larger stone, stumbling in surprise. With a shout, she braced herself to hit the floor, but the impact never came. Instead, she felt something feathery and soft cushion her fall. Wincing, she cautiously opened her eyes. Sonder had caught her after she tripped, using one of his wings to hold her above the floor. She let the colt help her back up, regaining her composure and–

Wings. Sonder had caught her with his wings. Sonder had wings.

She gasped, whirling around to face him.

"You're an alicorn?!"

____________________

The revelation of Sonder's true nature had changed everything and nothing at all. In the quiet moments they shared in the castle's hidden chambers, he was still simply the colt who made her laugh. The one who challenged her thinking, who saw potential in her that even she sometimes doubted was there.

But in other moments, she understood the true cost of loving someone who belonged to the world in ways she never could. She began to notice the careful way the castle staff avoided mentioning his existence, the way he’d try to make himself taller when he stood at his mother’s side, and all felt the weight of royal secrets finally made itself known. It was a heavy secret to keep, one that hung overhead like a dormant trap waiting to snap shut…

"You're brooding again," Sonder said, settling beside her on the familiar cushions of their study. They'd grown taller over the years, but the space still felt like theirs alone.

"I'm thinking," Sunset corrected, though she leaned into his warmth when he spread a wing around her shoulders. "About the mirror."

Sonder stiffened slightly. The mirror, that mysterious portal Princess Celestia kept locked away in the deepest parts of the castle, had become a source of fascination for them both. More than that, it represented something larger. Answers to questions that even Sonder himself could not answer.

"Mother won't speak of it." Sonder paused, considering his words for a moment. "But I've seen how she looks at it. Like it contains everything she's ever lost…”

"What if it's not about the loss of something?" Sunset turned to meet his gaze. "What if it's about possibility? Worlds where things are different, where rules don't apply the same way?"

"You think there are other worlds where alicorns aren't hidden away? Where ambition isn't treated like a disease?" There was a bitter edge to his voice that had grown sharper over the years.

"I think there might be worlds where we don't have to choose between love and destiny." Sunset said softly. "Where being powerful doesn't mean being alone."

Sonder's wing tightened around her, and she felt the familiar flutter of magic that always surrounded him when his emotions ran high. They were balanced on the edge of something, a decision that would change everything, though they couldn’t fathom how much of Equestria’s future hung in the balance.

"Whatever happens… Whatever I become–"

"You won't face it alone." Sunset finished. "I promise."

It was a promise that would be tested sooner than either of them knew. In the distance, they could hear the faint sound of approaching hoofsteps. Guards, perhaps, or Princess Celestia herself, coming to separate them once again.
But for now, in their shared sanctuary, they held each other close and pretended that love could conquer the weight of worlds.

____________________

“Now, Sunset Shimmer… For your final test, you shall need to wow us. Give us the best you’ve got.”

The professors had all lined up in a row, clipboards and quills at the ready, each with their inquisitive eyes trained on the amber unicorn standing before them today. Sunset Shimmer smirked, waving a hoof in dismissal. She let them drone on with another series of trivial comments, but she was hardly listening. No, today was far too important for her to be bogged down by some midterm exam. After all, it was Prince Sonder’s birthday today, and she wanted to bring him a gift before he left Canterlot for another trip to see his dad.

It had been a few years since they first met as children, but Sunset still didn’t know all that much about her friend’s origins. He told her that Celestia had fallen in love with another immortal pony, some sort of king, but he was forbidden to say who it was. He couldn’t even tell her where his father lived, so whenever he left Canterlot to visit him, Sunset would spend the following month alone, anxiously waiting for her other half to return.

She knew that Sonder was something special from the very first time they laid eyes on each other, but she certainly hadn’t expected him to be a prince, let alone Princess Celestia’s son. In fact, it seemed like the rest of the world must be just as clueless as she once was, since she’d never heard anybody else talking about Sonder. Whenever she asked, he just said that Celestia wanted to keep him a secret until it was time for his coronation. Something about young alicorns needing more time for their magic to mature? She personally thought it was ridiculous, but Sonder wasn’t very keen on disobeying his mother, so she went along with it anyway. In fact, she became quite good at helping keep the prince hidden, especially from more recent additions to castle staff.

It turns out, on the night that they’d met, Sonder had taken Sunset through the catacombs of Canterlot to bring her directly to Celestia herself. Needless to say, the princess was baffled at first, but she quickly took a liking to Sunset once they were properly introduced. The three of them must have spent hours speaking about magical history together before it was time for the sun to rise. As Celestia left the castle for the celebration, it was then that she offered to make Sunset her personal protege. Her student.

It wasn’t exactly being the princess’ heir, but since she now knew that Sonder had that base covered, royal protege was a role Sunset was more than happy to accept.

The entire classroom had been uprooted from the earth after Sunset cast her spell; magic engineered to make a potted plant grow into the size of a mountain. Needless to say, she passed her midterm with flying colors, and Sonder was waiting for her in their private study shortly after.

“You know, growing it to the size of a tree would have been enough to pass the exam.” Sonder smirked, watching her fondly as she trot across the room to toss her saddlebag on the desk.

“Of course, but where’s the fun in that?” He laughed, lighting up in surprise as she levitated a beautiful emerald from her saddlebags. It had been carved into the shape of a diamond, polished to perfection. “It’s enchanted, too. Enhances the magic of whoever wears it!”

“You’re spoiling me more than my mother.” Sonder chuckled, accepting the gift with the soft glow of his own magical aura. “It’s wonderful. Thank you, Sunset.” He smiled, practically glowing as he beamed with joy. “You’re a wonderful friend.”

____________________

“Sunset Shimmer, I have heard that you’re not getting along well with the other students–” Oh no, not this again. “We’ve talked about the fact that personal relationships…”

“Personal relationships?” Sunset scoffed, easily keeping pace with the taller mare walking beside her. “Who needs anypony? The most important thing in life is to be the best.” Princess Celestia regarded her with wary eyes, disapproval clear in her voice as she spoke.

“We’ve talked about friendship and its importance before, and we’ve discussed that you need to start opening yourself up to new friends.” It went unsaid that Sonder was the only pony Sunset ever bothered speaking to, aside from Celestia herself. He had been there for her from the start, of course she enjoyed his company. All of the other ponies at this school were too shallow for her taste; always gossiping about the social scandal of the week or giggling about some ridiculous trend. She didn’t need to fake a smile for ponies who were only going to waste her time. No, she’d rather focus on her studies, and she can devote her time to the few who will actually help her advance them. “And remember that talk we had about humility?”

“I remember how boring it was…” She muttered, bitterly turning her head to avoid Celestia’s gaze. When you’ve been personally mentored by a goddess for nearly a decade, the whimsy and wonder of her reputation is quickly replaced by mundane irritation in the midst of a common argument.

When she lifted her head again, Sunset found that Celestia had brought her to a mirror. It shone and glimmered with magical properties, but Sunset couldn’t yet place what the enchantment was.

“Look into this mirror and tell me what you see.” Sunset studied herself for a moment, chuckling as she fixed a strand of her fiery hair.

“A beautiful pony that has nothing but power and potential.” Celestia rolled her eyes.

“Care to try that again with our talk about humility taken into account?” Sunset Shimmer scowled, pressing her ears back as she considered her reflection once again. Next to Celestia, she really did look small, didn’t she? It didn’t help that Sonder had gone through a very impressive growth spurt since their first encounter. Now, he was almost an entire foot taller than Sunset Shimmer. She narrowed her eyes, disappointed by the figure staring back at her from the mirror.

“I see a pony who isn’t powerful enough. Someone who could be great, powerful…” The mirror’s surface flickered, giving her a glimpse of its magic. For a brief moment, Sunset swore that she saw herself with wings. “Someone that could rule Equestria.” She paused, quickly shaking her head and gazing back into the mirror. Sure enough, her reflection had wings, accompanied by a crown to match. She did a double take, blinking. Just as soon as it appeared, the vision was gone. “Wait? What was that? I thought I saw…” As Sunset stammered in confusion, Celestia began to lead her away.

“Maybe we better move on…” Sunset gave her mentor a pleading look, and Celestia sighed. “Oh, it was probably a trick of the light. Our lesson is over for today. For tomorrow, I want you to reflect on the discussion we’ve just had.” As Celestia led her away, Sunset found herself glancing back towards the mirror. What had she seen? Was the mirror enchanted, or had she been seeing things?

With all of her questions unanswered, she was escorted back to her chambers in the castle, left to spend another night lost in thought.

____________________

The private study had become their sanctuary. A place where Prince Sonder could drop his careful mask and Sunset Shimmer could simply exist as herself. Books had been meticulously scattered across every surface, a remnant of their long discussions of magic, history, and the weight of legacy itself.

Sunset sat on the floor, levitating three objects in a complex pattern while Sonder watched from the windowsill. The late afternoon sun caught the firey highlights in her mane, and for a moment, the young prince forgot about the suffocating expectations that followed him everywhere.

"You make it look effortless." He spoke with genuine admiration in his voice.

"Only because you taught me the stabilization technique," Sunset replied, letting the objects settle gently back onto the crimson carpet. "I was about to give up on advanced levitation before you showed me that trick." Sonder jumped down from his perch to join her.

"Mother says I have a gift for instruction. Though I suspect she's only being kind."

"Princess Celestia doesn't strike me as the type to offer false flattery, especially not to family. After all, we both know exactly what she thinks of her new nephew."

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

“Blueblood, right?”

“He’s going to be a stain on our bloodline.” Sunset chuckled, tilting her head with an amused smile.

“Hey, anything for family. Right?”

The word 'family' hung in the air between them. Sonder rarely spoke of his parentage, and when he did, it was always with a careful distance that Sunset had learned not to push against. But sometimes, in moments like this, she caught glimpses of something deeper. A loneliness that matched her own.

"You know, I used to think being special meant I didn’t need anybody else. That if I was powerful enough, smart enough, I’d be better off on my own." Sonder settled beside her, close enough that their shoulders almost touched.

"And now?"

"Now I think maybe the best magic happens when you're not alone." She met his eyes, seeing her own reflection in their green depths. "When you have someone who understands what it's like to carry more than you can hold."
For a moment, Sonder's carefully constructed walls crumbled completely. Here was someone who didn't see him as the secret prince or the Equestria’s best kept secret. Instead, she saw him as Sonder. She saw him for who he truly was.

"I've been waiting for someone who would understand. Someone who wouldn't fear me for what I am."

"And I've been waiting for someone who wouldn't try to dim my light." Sunset smiled, leaning in closer with a more confident smile. "Someone who would help me burn brighter instead."

The setting sun painted their shared space in a warm amber hue, as if to capture that moment in perfect lighting and treasure it forever. For that perfect moment, neither of them felt alone in the vastness of the world or the ambitions that threatened to consume them.

____________________

Sunset Shimmer had tried to be patient, she really had. But the question simply wouldn’t go away, eating away at the back of her mind like a determined parasite. The next morning, she was sorting through books in the royal library with Sonder and Celestia. While the prince took some time to rearrange a shelf up above, Sunset’s eyes wandered back to her mentor. She asked about the mirror but she was denied the information she sought.
Day after day, she would ask, and the princess would refuse each of her questions without fail. She said that Sunset wasn’t ready to learn about the mirror yet. The mere notion made her scoff. She was ready, and now she was going to prove it.

Celestia had caught her breaking into the restricted section of the library. The mirror was a portal that could take you to other worlds. She found a book with the answers she needed, but it had cost her everything. Once the guards finished packing her bags, she would never be able to step foot on castle grounds again. Princess Celestia would be here to personally oversee the packing, if she weren’t being occupied by Sonder. Even from across the entire castle, Sunset could hear his screaming shake the halls. Just as he had been her only friend, she was his only company in the life of Equestria’s best kept secret. She imagined that he must be furious with her for going behind their backs, but he seemed even more upset by the thought of her leaving. Normally, she would want to console him and find a way to comfort her friend, but she didn’t have that luxury now. She was running out of time.
Casting a final glance back towards the throne room, she winced.

“I’m sorry, Sonder…”

She bolted down the hallway, racing down to the basement where she knew the mirror would be. The two guards who had been tasked with escorting her from the castle both shouted in protest, chasing after her and calling for backup. Rearing back onto her hind legs, she unleashed a powerful blast of magic, knocking both guards to the floor. She could already hear Princess Celestia approaching the doorway. There was no time to reconsider. She had made her choice.

By the time that Princess Celestia arrived, Sunset Shimmer was gone. She had the guards help her relocate the portal to a safer location, hoping to enter it with her son once Sonder had calmed down enough to make the trip.
Unfortunately, the portal had become shut, closed off like it had been all those years ago. Whatever magic Sunset Shimmer used to attack the guards must have been so powerful that the portal recognized her as a threat. Thus, Starswirl’s ancient enchantments had been awoken from their centuries of slumber, sealing the gateway once more. Sonder left without another word, but his mother couldn’t blame him. In one day, he’d lost his best friend and his father, who were both in another world that he couldn’t reach. With a heavy heart, Celestia turned her gaze to the sky, eyes set on the familiar face that looked down on her from the moon each night. She couldn’t give up. There was still a chance. Sunset Shimmer had been the wrong pony, but that didn’t mean the right one wouldn’t come along.

She could only hope that her next student wouldn't be so blind…

Chapter Text

The silence in Canterlot Castle had taken on a different quality since Sunset Shimmer vanished through the mirror portal. Where once it had been a comfortable quiet, now it hung heavy with unspoken grief and carefully avoided topics. Prince Sonder had grown taller as the years went by, his lanky frame filling out into something more regal, but his green eyes had gained a hardness that made even the castle staff step more carefully around him.

Princess Celestia found herself walking the halls more frequently, as if constant movement could somehow outpace the weight of her crown. The morning sun was more difficult to raise with each passing day, as if the dawn itself were burdened with the knowledge that her lost student might be watching a different sky entirely.

"Mother." Sonder's voice cut through her reverie as she passed the throne room. He stood before the grand stained glass windows, studying the mural that depicted her banishment of Nightmare Moon. "Have you given any thought to my coronation ceremony?"

Celestia paused, choosing her words carefully. "You know that such decisions cannot be made lightly, my son. The right time will present itself."

"Will it?" Sonder turned, his expression was unreadable beneath the rainbow of light cast upon him from the window’s glow. "Or will you simply continue to wait for another 'promising student' to prove themselves worthy of what should be mine by birthright?"

"Sonder–"

"I've been patient, Mother. Patient while you grieved for Luna. Patient while you mourned Starswirl and the Pillars. Patient while you trained Sunset Shimmer to be everything I could never be in Equestria’s eyes." His voice remained level, controlled, but something dangerous had begun to brew underneath. "How much longer must I wait in the shadows while you search for a replacement heir?"

Before Celestia could respond, the great doors of the throne room burst open. Raven Inkwell stumbled through, her silver coat glimmering with magical residue, followed closely by a gaggle of equally disgruntled instructors from the Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.

"Princess Celestia!" The young scribe gasped. "Something happened during the entrance exams! One of the students’ magic… it just exploded!"

____________________

Many years ago…

“Cadance! You look lovely. Are you looking forward to tonight?” From around the corner, Sonder could spot his mother speaking to three mares standing in the entrance hall. Despite the guards standing by at attention, he wasn’t allowed to get too close, lest he risk being seen without a disguise. One of the three mares was his cousin, Cadance, who had gotten dolled up for some sort of fancy event. He suspected that it must be a political meeting, if even the princess was dressed so nicely.

According to Equestria, there were only two alicorns in the nation; Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance. Prince Sonder was still young now, but he’d already been erased from history in both worlds he’d grown up in. When his mother took in the pink alicorn as an apprentice, he’d grown fearful of being replaced, even more so when Cadance began to grow much faster than him.

Still, Cadance was kind to him. He struggled to return the favor, knowing all too well that Celestia had only taken in a new student because Sunset Shimmer was gone. In fact, Cadance moved into the castle less than a month after Sunset had left. Celestia called it a formality; something to help ease cadance into her new life as an alicorn princess.

Sonder called it a poorly disguised rebound.

“Now Cadance, it’s important to fulfill our obligations…” His mother was still talking to the younger alicorn about the event. Preparing her for all sorts of political discussions, no doubt.

“Hello, Princess Celestia!” The palace doors slammed open, nearly giving Sonder a heart attack in the process. He looked on in shock and awe as a violet stallion stormed in through the doorway, moving with all the grace and tact of a raging storm. “Can I call you Celestia? We’re practically family now that I’m dating Cadance!” She was taking a plus one to a political meeting? That was unheard of. Sonder winced, pressing his ears back as he watched the scene play out from afar. Besides, didn’t Cadance tell him that she liked Shining Armor? He’d seen the buffoon stumble his way through Canterlot with his dorky sister plenty of times. He fell apart around the pink mare, of course, but he certainly wasn’t the stallion blabbering in their castle entryway now.

As the cocky stallion continued to run his mouth, Cadance let her eyes wander the scenery around them, eventually spotting Sonder watching from the shadows of the hall. She tilted her head, a discreet sign of acknowledgement. He knew they’d be speaking about this later. Scowling, he bowed his head and trudged off, vanishing around the corner. He’d always wanted to attend one of these meetings, aspiring to learn about the history of neighboring cities and towns. How was he supposed to rule a kingdom when he couldn’t even leave the castle?

“Sonder, wait up!” He stopped midstep, turning to see Cadance had run after him down the hall. He raised a brow, letting her catch up to where he now stood. “Hey, I saw you were watching us from the doorway.” She smiled, hopeful and eager. “Did you see Celestia’s face when Buck lounged against her side? I thought she was going to banish him!” She laughed, but Sonder could only roll his eyes at the bubbly sound.

“Your plus one is an utter buffoon, Cadance. Why in Equestria are you taking that poor excuse for a stallion to a political engagement? I thought Shining Armor was the one who caught your eye, was he not?” Sonder watched the mare’s face turn a darker shade of rosy pink.

“Ah, yes, well… Shining Armor is the one I’d like to accompany me to the dance, but I have to… Wait, did you say political engagement?”

“Did you say dance?” Sonder squinted at the shorter alicorn, who blinked owlishly in response.

“Yes, it’s my high school dance. All of my classmates are attending, and I’ll be going with some of my friends. I was hoping to find Shining Armor there, and…” She trailed off, noticing his eye began to twitch. “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”

“You attend a public highschool? The one other ponies go to?” Cadance nodded.

“Of course! Don’t y– oh, I…” She winced, ears falling back as she suddenly shrunk at the revelation. “That’s why you thought it was a… Oh, no. Sonder, I’m so sorry– I wasn’t thinking, I… I didn’t mean to–” She reached a hoof towards him, but the prince slapped it away.

“Save your breath. I don’t need pity from my mother’s favorite little figurehead.” Turning his back to the princess, Sonder grumbled angrily. “Dance with whoever you want, your highness. Just make sure you keep the kingdom’s best interest at heart…”

____________________

Sonder watched from the shadows of the castle's upper gallery as his mother stood before a purple unicorn, doting upon her with a patient smile. The intimacy of the proposal was sacred, he knew what she meant to offer this filly and it was supposed to be his. He gripped the nearest railing until his hooves began to crack the marble, trembling with barely suppressed fury.

"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia's voice carried clearly through the vast space, easily dismissing any lingering doubt that had been woven through the air by wild spellcasting or magical outbursts. The young filly began to stammer, babbling too quietly for Sonder to hear, but his mother continued. "You have a very special gift. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities.”

“Hardly…” The prince was beside himself, scoffing in disapproval at the blatant lie. This was not the first time his mother had tried to replace Sunset after her abrupt departure. First it was his cousin Blueblood, though the selfish brat hardly had a magical bone in his burly body. Then a more unruly mage from the lower districts of Canterlot, Mac Encaudeus. For someone with such an interesting name, she was cold, distant, relentlessly boring, and, as it would turn out, somewhat insane behind that cool facade. It seemed that Celestia had wanted to find someone that shared Sunset’s ambition and drive, but had nearly lost half the library to one of Mac’s more dangerous experiments as a result.

The only interesting thing about her was her interest in studying the dark arts, harnessing dark magic for Equestrian spellcasting and enchantments. That had actually caught Sonder’s eye very early on…

Once returned to the present moment, the prince glowered down at the scene below, watching in disdain as the little unicorn filly stared up at his mother, gawking and staring with owlish eyes.

"Twilight Sparkle, I’d like to make you my own personal protege here at the school.” Celestia smiled, and Sonder felt something cold twist in his chest. "I believe you may be destined for greatness beyond anything Equestria has seen." It was only a matter of moments before the filly began to prance in circles around his mother, excitedly agreeing to her proposal all the while. Sonder wrinkled his snout.

Destined for greatness. The words echoed in Sonder's mind as he turned away from the scene below. He had heard those same words applied to Sunset Shimmer, had watched his mother pour her attention and hope into another promising student while he remained hidden, forgotten, denied even the basic acknowledgment of his existence.

As he walked through the darkened corridors toward his chambers, the shadows seemed to move strangely around him. From the corner of his eye, he caught glimpses of a tall, dark figure. Someone familiar yet wrong, like a memory viewed through a warped glass.

"Another student…" A voice whispered, though the hallway was empty save for himself. "Another chance for her to ignore what stands before her." Sonder stopped, his heart skipping a beat.

"Who's there?"

The shadows shifted, and, for a moment, he swore he saw the outline of a crystal helm, the gleam of green eyes igniting in the darkness. It was his father's voice, but twisted. Bitter. Wrong.

"You were meant to rule, my son. Not hide in the corners while lesser ponies take what is yours."

"You're not real," Sonder whispered, pressing himself against the wall. "Father is still trapped on the other side of the portal, busy ruling his own world. You can’t be here."

"Can’t I?" The shadow seemed to circle him now. "Or have I simply been waiting for you to understand what she has done to us? What she continues to do?"

The darkness pressed closer and Sonder felt an unfamiliar magic pulse through his horn. Not the warm solar energy he'd inherited from his mother, but something colder, more crystalline. Dark.
"She chooses peasants over princes. Students over sons. Tell me, Sonder—how many more will she elevate before she remembers you exist?"

When the vision faded, Sonder found himself alone in the corridor, trembling and confused. But the voice's words remained, settling into his mind like seeds planted in fertile soil.

____________________

"I can't begin to describe how proud I am. Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student, you have proven to us all that harmony and magic will overcome any challenge we may face. Sonder, my son, my heir, you have helped me grow as a princess and a mother more than anyone. You've both come so far… but, in the end, Equestria only needs one pony to rule it… Congratulations, Twilight Sparkle. Your royal duties as queen will begin at once."

Celestia's words seemed to echo in the prince's mind, forever ingrained in his memory, no matter how hard he wished to forget it.

This was it. After all these years, it finally happened.

For a nation as ancient as this one, any transfer of power was bound to be a messy process. After all, Princess Celestia and Luna had been ruling for as long as anyone could remember. They were immortal, all-knowing goddesses who oversaw the kingdom through centuries of hardship, as well as centuries of peace. Sonder had always known that his mother couldn't rule forever. Even Celestia had her limits. He just hadn't expected to be kept waiting this long.

Prince Sonder; bastard son of the sun, heir to the throne, and best kept secret of Equestria.

The princeling was not an ignorant child by any means. Sonder was grown, and he knew the dangers of the world he longed to rule. He was even taller than his Aunt Luna, who had returned from her banishment many years ago by now. Upon returning from her time as Nightmare Moon, Luna sought to explore the world she had missed for so long. Sonder had chuckled at the prospect, thinking that his mother would have urged the younger alicorn to stay cooped up in the castle alongside him, but he was shocked to find that Luna had been allowed to go. In fact, Celestia actively encouraged her to do it.

If that offense hadn't been grave enough, the existence of a particular pink alicorn certainly was. Imagine Sonder's surprise when he returned to his private study, hoping to get some rest after a long day of archiving spells, only to find a brand new princess going through all of his things. Celestia had introduced the alicorn as "Princess Cadance", her newly adopted niece. It seemed a bit early to be giving out any royal titles, especially in Sonder's eyes, but he wasn't in any place to question her judgment.

The mare wasn't exactly unwelcoming by any means. In fact, she was rather kind. That wasn't what irked him. Rather, he was irked by the stupid smile she would always give him, as if she were completely unaware of how much she'd be taking from him.

She was hardly any older than he was. In fact, Sonder would later learn that they were about the same age, but that didn't make it any better. Aunt Luna had been sent away after becoming corrupted by dark magic. He had always known that she would return someday.

Luna always had a place here.

Cadance did not.

Sonder would glare daggers in the mare's direction, irritated by every subtle movement she made. It was the first time he had anyone else know of his existence since Sunset Shimmer. He paused, moving his gaze away from the empty desk across the room from his.

He tried not to think about her too much, but it was difficult.

Needless to say, Luna had quite the reaction when she returned to Equestria, absolutely shell shocked to learn that her sister had a niece. If you thought her response may have been a bit extreme, you should have seen the face she made when she heard Celestia had a son.

Aunt Luna was probably the only friend that he had, now that Sunset was gone, and he was very grateful for her companionship. Unlike Cadance, who had ascended to godhood as a mortal pegasus pony, Luna had divinity in her blood. She had been born an alicorn just as Sonder was. Thus, she was immortal, and her body aged the same as his. Celestia described the process to them both, after Luna returned, to ensure that they would both be aware of what was to come. Ponies who ascended to godhood would live a normal lifespan, the same as any other pony in Equestria. However, if you were born an alicorn, your body would stop aging once you hit a certain height. Celestia had been a teenager when it happened for her. One day, she was aging normally like her mortal peers. The next, she'd have to wait an entire century to age the equivalent of one year to other ponies.

Prince Sonder was not eager to be in his early twenties for the next few hundred years, but since his body had already stopped growing, they all knew he didn't have much of a choice.

At least Luna was stuck in the same boat. Life on the moon had not been kind to Luna, and since she had been Nightmare Moon during the thousand years she spent imprisoned, her real body had not aged a day since she left. Thus, she was only a few years older than he was, but he was actually quite thankful for that. It was nice to have another constant in life; someone familiar who could watch the world change and grow without them
Cadance, who had once been a student studying at Celestia's school beside him, was now a grown mare. She'd gotten married to Shining Armor, captain of the royal guard. Their wedding date marked the return of Luna, who had finally gotten back from her journey across Equestria. He heard a rumor that she may have stopped in Ponyville during her travels, hoping to celebrate some sort of holiday? He tossed it up to rumors, nothing more. The real highlight of the wedding, aside from a literal changeling invasion, had certainly been the face Shining Armor made when he found his wife speaking to a mysterious alicorn he'd never heard of. Once the initial shock wore off, he bowed to Sonder and offered a proper greeting. It was meant to be an olive branch, yet it only made the prince grimace. He didn't mind the stallion, really. He seemed nice and reasonable enough, but Sonder couldn't help but despise him.

The reason why? His spoiled brat of a sister.

Years ago, Sonder had been searching for his mother in the castle when he recognized the filly. That same little purple unicorn, far too young to be wandering the schoolgrounds unsupervised, yet she roamed the halls as if she owned the place. The prince had been too tired to worry about concealing his identity at the time, so he threw on an old cloak to hide his wings before he approached the filly.
"Who exactly are you supposed to be, little filly? You seem to be lost."

Twilight Sparkle. She was visiting the castle so her babysitter, Princess Cadance, could run a few errands for Celestia. It was more than enough to make Sonder raise an eyebrow at the odd filly's reply. Despite his hopes for otherwise, it seemed that Celestia had ensured Twilight’s position as her protege was quickly set in stone. The little brat must be deemed pretty important if she was being babysat by royalty, even more so if Celestia trusted the unicorn enough to let her freely roam the castle. If he disliked the odd filly before, it all got much worse after he saw how Celestia treated her.

He hadn't seen his mother glow like that since he was a colt. It made his heart sink.

____________________

It was Twilight Sparkle’s first year at the school of magic when it went wrong. Everything had quickly gone from bad to worse in a mere matter of years. In fact, it all started on her very first day of class…

“Come on! We’re gonna be late!” A purple unicorn filly raced through the streets of Canterlot, excitedly galloping ahead of her parents with a heavy school bag saddled over her back. Shining Armor quickly followed suit, easily keeping pace with his sister’s enthusiastic sprint.

“Welcome to the school for gifted unicorns!” Twilight looked ahead as Celestia greeted each student, smiling with the warmth of the sun she had raised each morning. However, when those warm eyes turned to focus on her, Twilight suddenly felt very small. “Twilight Sparkle! How wonderful to see you!”

“Hello, Princess! I mean– Your majesty! I mean–”

“I’m glad you’re here, Twilight. I have a special task I need to tell you about.” As Twilight followed Celestia into the grand building, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. It was almost like she was being watched, but by who, she wasn’t sure. The filly almost swore she noticed someone watching them from the shadows as they passed the library, but the green eyes she’d seen were gone in an instant. With that, the princess had taken Twilight through the school’s endless hallways, leading her to a room with none other than–

“A baby dragon?!” Twilight stammered in shock, staring at the crib in nothing short of pure terror. In the crib, which Celestia had kept tucked away in one of her private study rooms, there sat a violet dragon with green spines. He reached towards her, cooing excitedly.

“Yes! The dragon that you hatched as part of your entrance exam!” Celestia smiled, endlessly patient and fond. “I’ve been taking care of him ever since, but now that you’re here, I thought that you should help!” Twilight still couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them- watching her- but she quickly looked up at Celestia in alarm.

“Take care of him?!” Twilight watched as Celestia began to rattle on with a lengthy response, but her words seemed to become muffled by an overbearing pressure threatening to seize Twilight’s entire chest. Raise a baby dragon? Here? Now?! She hadn’t even begun class yet! The princess insisted she would help, as if that would make it better somehow. Before she knew it, Celestia had left to greet other students, and Twilight was suddenly alone with the dragon.

It took less than a minute for her to get a face full of soot and flames.

Twilight spent the next week tirelessly scouring the school library, reading everything she could find about raising a baby. Unfortunately, nobody had ever written a book on raising dragons, so she was at a bit of a loss on that front. Regardless, she did the best she could.

Juggling her classwork and raising a dragon was by no means an easy feat. She was still only a filly herself, and Celestia’s school was the most advanced magic academy in the nation. The workload was starting to make her hair fall out. It didn’t take long for Twilight to start falling behind in all of her classes, especially Professor Inkwell’s spellcasting lectures.

“Who exactly are you supposed to be, little filly? You seem to be lost.”

Twilight had been wandering the halls of Canterlot Castle when a new pony suddenly spoke from behind her, shifting her attention towards the strange stallion now standing beside her. He was tall, like the princess, and his hair shimmered like hers as well. Yet he seemed to be a unicorn, just like Twilight herself, clothed by a dark cloak covering his back.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m a student at Princess Celestia’s school.” She smiled, trying her best to be polite. “I’m looking for books about raising a baby dragon. I haven’t been able to find any at the school library, so the princess said I could look here. Plus, Cadance needed a break from babysitting me.”

“Princess Cadance?” When she bobbed her head into a nod, the stallion squinted incredulously. “Odd. I didn’t take princesses as the sort to babysit little ponies.”

“Me neither. I guess they just have lots of free time.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it…” Now it was Twilight’s turn to look confused. Still, when they both heard a guard call from downstairs, Twilight knew that Cadance had come back to pick her up. Before she left, she turned back towards the stallion.

“Wait, I don’t think I got your… name?” The mysterious stranger was already gone. Shrugging it off as a strange social custom, Twilight trotted downstairs to greet the castle staff waiting for her.

Everything came to a head at the annual royal high tea ceremony. All school teachers would attend, as well as the students and their parents. Once her parents went to mingle, Celestia suggested that Twilight join her fellow students, where she was… very unpopular.

In fact, Twilight hadn’t managed to make a single friend.

Celestia seemed to notice her distress, because she abruptly changed her mind, instead sending Twilight to mingle with the parents and introduce them to her dragon. With the baby dragon strapped to her side in a harness, she reluctantly trudged into the parents’ room at the event. At her family’s table, Celestia herself soon sat with them, accompanying Twilight and her parents as they discussed her first month attending the school.

“So, Twilight! Why don’t you tell us about your classes? Your letters home have been a little… short.” Twilight’s mother, Velvet, politely smiled, but there was thinly veiled concern clear in her gaze. Twilight tried not to cringe.

“Um… They’re good…”

“Can you be more specific?” Her father, Night, tilted his head in obvious confusion.

“Well… History of magic with professor Abra is, um, very interesting…” Twilight could feel herself begin to sweat. The baby dragon stirred at her side, impatiently fidgeting while they sat together at the table. He’d never been great at staying still for too long. Thankfully, the night seemed to drastically improve as soon as Twilight actually got the chance to speak about her classes, happily rambling on about each subject in great detail. It only took a sour turn when she mentioned that she needed to retake one of Professor Inkwell’s classes, since she had been struggling with the class’ basic spells. Despite all of her enthusiasm for studying the field of magic, passion could only get you so far, and Twilight was running herself ragged trying to multitask. “I’ve just been so stressed taking care of the dragon, I haven’t had time to study! And I’m so worried about not studying that I can’t take care of the dragon!”

A loud crash resounded from across the room. Twilight felt something inside herself snap.

“And then I couldn’t levitate the flowerpot even though I know how to do levitation and I just know I’m going to fail the transformation exam next week and I haven’t even started studying for my history of magic test–!”

She suddenly realized why the rest of the room had gone silent. Turning to follow everyone’s gaze, Twilight saw the baby dragon, happily playing in the mess he’d made by knocking over a table of dessert dishes. Within minutes, Twilight was carrying the dragon out of the party, fuming with unbridled rage. Her horn violently crackled as she levitated the baby with her.

“I can’t believe you did that! You caused all that mess! And you annoyed the princess!” Twilight plopped the baby dragon onto her dorm room’s bed, gasping angrily. “And you made me look like a bad caretaker! A bad student! A bad DAUGHTER!” Tears began to quickly flood her eyes as she struggled to clean up the frosting smeared across his face. Choking on a sob, she began to shout at the dragon, too blinded by her emotions to think past the current moment. Whenever she looked at the dragon, it only made her stressed heart feel heavy and worse. Looking to her bedside, she spotted a familiar comfort; her stuffed pony, Smarty Pants. Hiccuping, she let out an agonized cry. “Why can’t you be like Smarty Pants?!” She buried her face into her hooves, overwhelmed beyond belief. She’d been about to give up, when suddenly…

The dragon spoke. He mimicked her, copying her words and echoing them back. Suddenly, Twilight felt something in her mind click.

“You… You’re not like Smarty Pants. You’re not a doll. You’re not a nuisance.” Twilight smiled, letting the dragon prod at her curiously. “I thought Princess Celestia was trying to give me a responsibility, but… she was trying to give me a friend, wasn’t she?”

By the time that Twilight’s parents found their way to her dorm room, she’d already given her new friend a proper name. Spike. It was fitting for a dragon!

As the years went by and her time as a student progressed, Twilight found herself quickly advancing in the field of magic. In fact, she quickly rose to become the princess’ prized pupil and personal protege, a title that not many had the honor to achieve. Whenever she roamed the castle halls, she’d still feel the occasional chill she’d never been able to shake; the feeling of someone watching where she couldn’t see. Still, she pressed onwards, eager to advance her studies farther.

With her first friend at her side, she’d be prepared for any challenges they face.

And when she grew to become Equestria’s next princess, Spike would remain at her side and continue to grow with her…

____________________

As he mulled through these thoughts, he lifted his gaze towards the sky above him. Tonight, the young alicorn stood on the balcony of Canterlot Castle, anxiously waiting for the dawn to begin. All of Equestria would be watching, and that had to include their forgotten heir as well.

Today, the sun would rise, just as it always had. The ponies of Equestria would rise to find a beautiful morning, free to go about their day without a care in the world. What could anybody possibly worry about now, anyway? Equestria had just crowned its newest princess, and her name was Twilight Sparkle.

The name felt like poison in his mouth; rotten and bitter.

He hadn't always hated her. In fact, when he first met her, he'd actually been very intrigued. He saw potential in her passion. He saw potential in her power.
If things had gone differently, he might've spoken more fondly of his sister…

Mind you, Prince Sonder fancied himself a patient stallion. Patience was a virtue, after all, and a very desirable one at that. When his father refused to teach him magic, he waited until the king would be ready. When his mother asked him to let her continue raising the sun, he stepped down from his duty and waited again. When Sunset Shimmer asked for him to stay in this world with her, he sacrificed his time in the mirror world to wait for her. Time after time again, he waited, only to get nothing in return.

The prince was starting to get tired of waiting.

In the darkness of his private chambers, the shadows stirred once more. His father's voice echoed from corners where no pony stood. "The time for waiting is over, my son. The time for taking what is yours has begun." Sonder closed his eyes, but the voice followed him even there.

"She was meant to rule." He whispered to himself, trying to hold onto the last threads of loyalty to his mother. Perhaps this was a test of his humility? Or what little remained of his patience?
"Was she? Or is that simply what you've been told by the mare who stole your throne?"

As dawn approached and Twilight Sparkle prepared for her first morning as Equestria's princess, Prince Sonder stood alone on his balcony, caught between the light of his mother's legacy and the growing darkness within himself.

Finally, the time had come for Princess Twilight Sparkle's very first sunrise. As Equestria's newest ruler, she would use the power gifted to her to raise the sun, just as she would continue to do for the rest of her reign. Sonder could already hear the guards begin their route, starting off in the direction of the royal advisor's chambers.

Sighing, the prince didn't hesitate to follow behind. Celestia had asked him to ensure that Twilight's first sunrise went well. He should hate his mother, he really should, but… he couldn't find the strength. Thus, he would make it his duty to keep everyone in line.

Today would go off without a hitch. It had to.

But as he walked through the castle halls, the shadows seemed to whisper that perhaps it was time for things to go wrong. Perhaps it was time for the forgotten prince to step out of the darkness and claim his place in the light.
The coronation was over. The die was cast. And in the depths of his heart, something that had been patient for far too long began to stir with hunger for recognition, for power, for the destiny that had been promised to him before he was even born.

The shadows smiled, and Sonder felt himself smile back.

____________________

“Pardon me? Mister Spike?” A knock woke Spike from his slumber. The dragon stirred begrudgingly, stuttering and slurring out a semi-coherent response. Yawning, he finally rubbed his eyes and peered towards the bedroom doorway.

“What time is it?” A royal guard’s head popped in through the doorway to chime in reply.

“It’s two hours until sunrise, sir. You asked me to wake you now.”

“Give me another hour, okay?”

“Sir, you said you’d say that, and that I was not to listen to you.”

“I… I did?” Spike blinked a few times, taken aback by this response.

“Yes, sir. You said that today was Princess Twilight’s first sunrise and that she would absolutely need your help.”

“Her first…” Spike shot up, suddenly more awake than he’d ever been. “Her first sunrise!” Scampering out to join the guards gathered in the hallway, Spike made quick work of making the preparations he’d been asked for.

Today was going to be something special. There wasn’t a moment to waste.

Chapter Text

It had been one week since her sudden return. The world had changed in ways that Princess Luna could never have imagined.

A thousand years was not merely time. It was entire civilizations rising and falling, languages evolving beyond recognition, customs shifting like sand dunes in an endless desert. Luna stood on the balcony of Canterlot Castle, watching ponies move through the streets below with banter and mannerisms that felt utterly alien to her. She was a stranger to her own kingdom.

"Sister," Celestia's voice carried from the doorway behind her, gentle but weary. "You've been standing there for hours. The moon rose on its own tonight." Luna didn't turn around.

"It knows I have returned. The celestial bodies remember their mistress, even when their mistress feels lost among the stars." Her voice carried the formal cadence of the old court, another relic of a bygone era. "Tell me, Celestia… Do you ever feel as though you are merely haunting the halls of your own life?" Celestia approached slowly, her hoofsteps measured and careful.

"Every day since you left."

"The ponies look at me with such... curiosity. As though I am a legend come to life, rather than a mare who once ruled beside you." Luna's laugh was hollow, echoing strangely in the crisp evening air. "Perhaps that is all I am now… A story they tell their foals about the dangers of jealousy and pride." Celestia placed a hoof upon Luna’s shoulder, steady and certain.

"You are my sister. You are the Princess of the Night, guardian of dreams, and protector of those who find solace in darkness. That has not changed."

"Hasn’t it?" Luna finally turned, and in the moonlight, her ethereal mane was reduced to the plain blue mane she had during her younger years, weakened by her banishment. "Yesterday evening, I tried to visit the dreams of a young colt. His nightmare was of metal beasts that moved on wheels, creatures I had never seen before. How can I guard against fears I do not understand? How can I guide ponies through a world that no longer includes me?" Celestia’s expression softened with understanding. She knew what she must suggest, though it pained her to do so after they’d been together such a short time.

"Perhaps…” Celestia hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Perhaps you need time to rediscover the world. To walk among our subjects not as their princess, but as simply Luna."

"You would have me abandon my duties?" There was a sharp edge to Luna's voice.

"I would have you find yourself again." Celestia gently clarified. "The Luna I knew was curious about everything. Every flower in the garden, every book in the library, every pony's story. When was the last time you felt true wonder instead of alienation?"

Luna was quiet for a long moment, considering this. In truth, she could not remember the last time she had felt anything resembling joy or curiosity. The world seemed too bright, too fast, too different from everything she had once known.

"If I were to... explore… Would you manage the night in my absence?"

"For as long as you need."

"And if I discover I no longer belong anywhere?"

"Then we will build you a new place to belong. But Luna, you must try. For both our sakes."

That night, Luna packed a simple traveling bag with none of the royal regalia that marked her station. As dawn approached, she stood at the castle gates, looking out at a world that both was and wasn't her home. With a tentative step, she began her journey into the unknown.

____________________

The Peaks of Peril lived up to their name.

Luna had been traveling for months now, exploring the changed landscape of Equestria with the wonder she had thought lost forever. She had seen crystal cities that sang with harmonious magic, forests where the trees grew in impossible spirals, and villages where earth ponies had learned to cultivate flowers that bloomed with a new light of their own. Each discovery felt like reclaiming a piece of herself she hadn't known was missing.

But the Peaks of Peril were different. Here, in these jagged mountaintops of elemental magic and ancient winds, she had found silence.

Not the oppressive silence of loneliness, but the profound quiet of the world holding its breath. It was in this silence that she first saw a figure moving through the mist, shrouded by the mist and navigating steep valleys with the fluid grace of living flame.

The kirin was unlike any creature she had encountered in her travels. His coat shifted between deep lavendar and amethyst hues, his unruly black mane flickering like dark fire. Most striking were his eyes, ancient ruby irises that seemed to hold the wisdom of seasons long past.

Luna watched from a ridge above as he tended to a garden carved into the mountainside. But these were no ordinary plants. They grew in patterns that suggested runic significance, their bioluminescent petals creating complex mandalas that pulsed with life.

"You may approach, Princess of the Night." He spoke without looking up from his work. "I do not bite, though I confess I was not expecting royalty in such a remote place." Startled but intrigued, Luna descended the rocky slope.
"How did you know I was watching?"

"The shadows spoke of your presence." He replied simply, finally turning to face her. "They are chattier when a goddess of darkness graces their realm. I am Orion, though I suspect you already knew that." Luna blinked, taken aback by the stranger’s words.

"I know nothing about you. Should I?" Orion's expression grew thoughtful.

"Huh. Perhaps not. I am but a rogue, after all. Exiled from my village for refusing their vow of silence." He gestured to the garden around them. "Here, I tend to darkness given form. Plants that grow from sleeping thoughts, flowers that bloom with the hopes of those who have forgotten how to dream." Luna stepped closer, studying the impossible flora.

"This magic... It's similar to dreamwalking, but different. More... tangible."

"Dreams and reality are closer than most realize," Orion said. "In the old times, before the kirin chose silence over expression, we were gardeners of possibility. We cultivated the spaces between what is and what could be."

"And now you do this alone?"

"Now I do this alone." He confirmed, though his voice held no resentment. "However, I must confess, the work grows lonely. It is one thing to tend gardens of hope. It is another to have someone to share in their beauty."

Luna found herself drawn to a particular flower—deep purple petals that seemed to contain tiny stars, swirling in endless constellation patterns. "What dream grew this one?"

"A child's wish to understand the night sky," Orion said softly. "She feared the darkness until she realized it was the dark that made light shine so beautifully. After all, the luster and radiance of the sun would be nothing without the absence of light in the evening skies." The words hit Luna like a physical blow. How many ponies had she failed to comfort during her banishment? How many fears had gone unguarded, how many nightmares unanswered?

"I have spent a thousand years as that darkness… The thing to be feared rather than the one who protects from fear." Orion moved to stand beside her, his presence warm without being overwhelming.

"The night is not diminished by what it has been, only by what it chooses to remain. You are here now, learning to see light in darkness once again."

"How can you speak so wisely of redemption? You said yourself you are an exile."

"Because redemption is not about erasing the past. It is about choosing to plant new seeds in soil that has been burned." He gestured to his garden. "Every flower here grows from earth that was once barren. The beauty is not despite the desolation, but because of what was learned from it."

Luna spent that night in Orion's simple mountain home, talking until dawn about dreams and reality, silence and expression, the weight of power and the freedom found in exile. She felt understood. Not as the legendary Princess Luna, but as a soul seeking to rediscover her place in a changed world.

When morning came, she found herself reluctant to leave.

"You could stay," Orion offered quietly as she prepared to resume her journey. "Not forever, but... for as long as you need to tend your own garden." Luna looked back at the impossible flowers, at this strange kirin who had shown her that exile could be so transformative.

"Would you show me how to grow dreams into reality?"

"I would be honored, Princess."

"Just Luna." She corrected. "Here, I am simply Luna."

For the first time in well over a thousand years, that felt like enough.

____________________

Many years later...

The first thing she could see was a throne room, a building far more grand than her humble little village had ever seen. A young unicorn mare rose to her hooves, looking around the space with a soft gasp of awe. Tentatively, she trot around the room’s perimeter, taking in every detail she possibly could.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” She placed one of her hooves on the stairs of the front stage, gazing up towards the pair of dueling thrones against the front wall. One gold, one blue. She had read about Equestrian history whenever she visited the town library. The lime unicorn winced, gingerly backing away from the two thrones. She now understood why this place looked so familiar. This was the Castle of the Two Sisters, except… It was new. Everything looked just as she’d imagined it would before the appearance of Nightmare Moon.

“Not another step.” Speak of the devil…

“Princess Luna?” The young unicorn looked on in awe, quickly stooping down to bow before the moon goddess. She hesitated when she remembered the recent news, clearing her throat and standing back upright. “Or, should I not call you that, since you’ve retired? Sorry, news doesn’t travel quickly to Hollow Shades, so I’m always a bit–”

“Did you really expect me to stand idly by while they all basked in your precious light?” The lime green mare blinked, startled by the interruption.

“What? But, I’ve never even left my village! What light?” She frowned, watching the alicorn stride across the stage and rise to stand on a podium up above.

“There can only be one princess in Equestria, and that princess WILL BE ME!” With a horrible roar, Luna’s hooves came crashing down, shattering the stone balcony as if it were nothing more than a twig beneath her. The unicorn winced, anxiously cowering from the frightful display. Darkness swept across the ancient castle walls, quickly enveloping the room in a matter of moments. Cracks broke through the wall behind her, shattering the stone to pebbles, letting a blinding view into the sunny skies to shower the throne room. Then, the princess began to rise up into the air. Raising the moon high into the sky, it quickly eclipsed the morning sun. The frightened unicorn watched darkness consume Luna’s eyes, looking on with baited breath.

Then, it happened.

Before her eyes, Princess Luna had been corrupted, transforming into Nightmare Moon. The wicked alicorn cackled, howling with awful laughter as the sky was quickly overtaken by shadows and magic of a violet hue. The castle began to crumble around her, torn to shreds by the monster’s powerful magic. The mare narrowly dodged falling debris, stumbling right into none other than Princess Celestia, who arrived at the scene with a grim expression.

“Princess Celestia?!” The unicorn stammered, frantically reaching up to the ethereal alicorn. “My name is Bubble Brew! Please, I don’t understand! Why am I here? Why me?! I’m just a humble shopkeeper!” When Celestia said nothing in response, the mare gawked. “Really, what do you think I can do?! Your highness, with all due respect, I make potions, not miracles!”

“Luna, I won’t fight you.”

“Didn’t you hear me?! I said–”

“You must lower the moon! It is your duty!” Bubble blinked, nervously glancing back towards the dark alicorn on the other end of the ruined hall.

“Your highness, I don’t think that’s Luna…”

“Luna?” As if to prove her point, the wicked alicorn snarled. “I am Nightmare Moon. I have but one royal duty now… To destroy you!” Bubble ducked down as a powerful beam of magic shot through the air above her. Princess Celestia quickly dove out of the way, fleeing up into the skies after. “And where do you think you’re going?!” With wide eyes, Bubble watched Nightmare Moon climb into the skies after her, pursuing the former princess. She could hear a fight breaking out up above, but something felt off.

This all seemed too familiar. It was wrong somehow, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“This… This has already happened before.” Quietly, Bubble glanced back to the center of the throne room. If the books she read were right about anything, then there was something important in the room’s center. Igniting her horn with a scarlet glow, she began to tug against the hidden panel, struggling to lift the heavy slab of stone. The Elements of Harmony were there, beneath the floor. If she could just reach them, then maybe she could fix something. Maybe she could help! Maybe…

“You know, that trap door is supposed to be secret.”

“What?!” Bubble dropped the slab with a resounding crash, looking at the stallion suddenly standing beside her. She sighed, relaxing as soon as she recognized the familiar face. “Oberon! You startled me!”

“My bad.” He raised his wings in surrender, chuckling at her flustered expression. She took a moment to consider his appearance. Oberon was a dark alicorn with a nebula of deep blue hair, twinkling with stars that made his mane resemble the night sky. His eyes were red, as was the spiked kirin horn on his head and the tips of the feathers on his wings. Bubble subconsciously ran a hoof through the side of her own split-dyed mane, black and blonde, before shaking her head.

“Who’s dream is this? I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Ever since they were kids, Bubble and Oberon have traveled through the realm of dreams together, exploring Equestria one night at a time. They would help other ponies face their fears and conquer nightmares, yet they did so from the sidelines, where they could both stay out of view. Bubble had originally been shocked that Princess Luna never found them, but Oberon explained that it was because she passed on her role of dream guardian to someone new; her son, Oberon himself.

Technically, it would be Prince Oberon, but he insisted they liked to keep that under wraps.

“That’s the thing… This isn’t anyone’s dream. I think you’re having a vision.”

“What, like an oracle or a seer?”

“Yeah!” Oberon flashed her a toothy grin that made his fangs poke out the corners of his mouth. She had to stifle a laugh at the ridiculous sight.

“But I thought that visionary magic hadn’t existed since the ancient era before Equestria? Why would I be having a vision now?”

“It’s not that far-fetched, is it? You’ve already been able to travel the dream realm, which is something no unicorn has ever accomplished before.” Oberon hummed thoughtfully as he glanced around the room, distant blasts continuing as the ancient battle was replayed in the skies above. “What we should be asking is how you’re seeing a vision of the past. Isn’t that something you can only make with potions?” Suddenly, Oberon’s face lit up. “Potions! Bubble, you make those!”

“Oberon, potion making is literally my cutie mark. I’m well aware of that fact.” She smirked, amused as she watched the taller pony roll his eyes dramatically.

“Ouch, the sarcasm! The snide remark! You’ve wounded me, Bubble, you really have.”

“I’m such a witch, I know.” Snickering, she playfully nudged his side. “Enough of this place. Let’s go explore another dream, shall we?”

“But of course, my fair lady~” With a sly smile, he took her hoof into his own, effortlessly leaping through the fabric of reality and into the dream realm. The endless blue void stretched on for miles around them, a flurry of beautiful stars quickly forming a bridge to cushion their fall and catch their hooves. Bubble was already preparing to set off on their usual course, but she could see her friend hesitate.

“Oberon? What’s wrong?” The alicorn shuffled in place for a moment, ruffling the feathers on his wings. She knew that he only did that when he was nervous about something.

“...Remember when we said that we weren’t going to tell anyone that you could visit the dream realm? Especially not my aunt or my mom?” Bubble’s eyes went wide.

“Oberon, tell me you didn’t.”

“I did.”

“Then lie about it! Just tell me that you didn’t instead!”

“Why would I lie about that?! Bubble–”

“Because I don’t want it to be true!” She groaned, sinking to her stomach and laying atop the star bridge with a miserable sigh. Oberon followed her as she sank, sitting beside her with a patient smile, albeit a worried one.

“Maybe it won’t be as bad as you think?”

“Oberon, they’re going to learn that a random unicorn can travel through ponies’ dreams! What if they want me to live in the castle? What about my potion shop?!” She anxiously whined, frantically drumming her hooves over the stars with a rapid rhythm. “Why did you have to tell Celestia and Luna about this?! Whyyyyy?! I don’t understand! We’ve kept this secret between us since we were only six! What has changed since then?! We’re thirteen, but that’s still not–”

“I have a cousin, Bubble.” She immediately went still, hooves frozen in place. She looked at him in shock.

“I thought they said you didn’t have any family.”

“Yeah? They… lied about that. About a lot of things, actually…”

“Oh, Oberon…” Slowly, Bubble scooted closer and leaned against her friend’s side. She felt both of their expressions soften, a quiet sense of understanding washing over the scene. Then, Bubble reached up to cup a hoof under his chin, turning his head towards her. “I understand now. This… This is big.”

“Really big.” He nodded, awkwardly muffled by her hoof still holding his chin.

“What do you need me to do?”

____________________

Many years ago…

The nightmare should have been simple to navigate.

Young Bubble Brew had been wandering the dream realm for months now, learning to slip through sleeping minds like the water that trickled between cupped hooves. Tonight, she was helping a merchant in Hollow Shades overcome his fear of thunderstorms. A straightforward task that involved replacing the crash of thunder with the gentle patter of rain.

But something was wrong.

The dreamscape kept shifting, fracturing at the edges like a broken glass. Where there should have been rolling green hills beneath a peaceful sky, shadows writhed and twisted, reaching out with dark tendrils that seemed to devour the light itself. The merchant's dream had transformed from simple anxiety into something far more primal, a terror that spoke of ancient darkness and cosmic dread.

"This isn't right…" Bubble whispered to herself, her small horn igniting with scarlet magic as she tried to stabilize the collapsing dream. "This isn’t how nightmares work."

That's when she saw him.

At first, she thought it was just another manifestation of fear. A shadow given form, wreathed in a halo of crimson magic that felt sickly and wrong. But as the figure moved closer, she realized with a start that it wasn't part of the dream at all. It was another dreamer, but unlike any she'd ever encountered.

The creature, for she couldn't think of it as a pony, appeared to be made of living darkness. Its inky form flickered between solid and ethereal, an almost equine face held upon a serpentine body and framed by an unruly mane of captured starlight. Most disturbing were its eyes, all four of them, engulfed by a haunting red glow. As she met the creature’s gaze, she paused. She had not expected to be met with fear from such a grand beast.

"Please…" The shadow-thing gasped, its voice echoing strangely in the dream space as the dark serpent’s body unwound before her. "I can't... I can't control it. It hurts so much."

Bubble should have run. Every instinct screamed at her to flee back to her own sleeping mind and wake up safely in her bed. But something in that voice… Young, desperate, terrified… It made her step forward instead.
"Who are you?" She called out, fighting to keep her voice steady. "What's happening to you?"

The shadow turned toward her, and she saw something that made her heart clench. The beast’s equine face was undoubtedly very young. Beneath this writhing darkness, beneath the frightening display of uncontrolled magic, was a colt. Maybe her age, maybe a little older, with features that would have been handsome if not for the obvious agony etched across them.

"I'm not supposed to be here. I'm making everything wrong. The dreams, they're all... they're all becoming nightmares because of me." Bubble looked around at the deteriorating dreamscape and realized he was right. His presence was poisoning the peaceful dream, turning it into something dark and twisted. But it wasn't malicious, far from it. No, it was like watching someone drowning, their struggles only making the situation worse.

"You're not doing it on purpose," Despite every instinct telling her not to, she found herself moving closer. "You're just scared. Fear makes magic do strange things."

"You can see me?" The colt's four eyes widened. "Really see me? Not just... the nightmare?"

"I can see both. The nightmare and the pony underneath it. I'm Bubble Brew. What's your name?"

"Oberon." He whispered, and the darkness around him seemed to pulse with each syllable. "I'm... I think I'm dreaming wrong. Every time I try to sleep, I end up here, and everything I touch turns dark."

Bubble studied him very carefully. She'd never encountered another pony who could consciously enter the dream realm, so she'd assumed she was the only one able to do so. But this colt's magic was different, wilder, touched with something that felt ancient, powerful, and completely out of control. She blinked.

"Have you ever tried not fighting it?"

"What?"

"The darkness. You're pushing against it, trying to make it go away. But what if you just... let it be part of you? Dreams aren't about controlling everything, they're about understanding what your mind is trying to tell you." Oberon stared at her like she'd suggested he swallow fire.

"But the darkness is wrong.”

“No it’s not.”

“It's… scary. It makes ponies have bad dreams."

"Only because you're scared of it." Bubble said gently. "Watch."

She closed her eyes and reached out with her magic, not to fight the encroaching shadows but to embrace them. The darkness wasn't malevolent, it was protective. A young mind trying desperately to shield itself from the unknown, wrapping layer after layer of shadow around a core of bright, beautiful magic that was too afraid to shine.

"You're not making nightmares." She realized aloud. "You're trying to hide from something that hurt you. The darkness isn't the problem, it's trying to keep you safe." Oberon's form shuddered, and for a moment, the shadows seemed to thin.
"How did you... how do you know that?"

"Because I can see the real you underneath all this scary stuff. You're not scary at all! You're just lonely." Bubble opened her eyes and smiled up towards the dark serpent’s startled expression. "I'm lonely too. Maybe we could be lonely together?"

For the first time since she'd encountered him, Oberon smiled back. It was tentative and shaky, but real nonetheless. As he did, the darkness around him began to shift, becoming less chaotic and more orderly. Beautiful, like living paintings of starry skies and winding shadow.

"You're not afraid of me?" Bubble let out a bark of laughter.

"Oh, no. I'm terrified! But that doesn't mean I'm going to leave you alone in here. Besides, if we're both going to be wandering around in ponies' dreams, we should probably stick together. It's safer that way."

"I... I'd like that." Oberon said softly. "But I don't know how to make the darkness stop hurting. Every time I try, I can feel myself slipping away, losing my anchor in this realm…"

"Then we'll figure it out together." Bubble decided. "I'm good with magic theory, and you obviously have more raw power than anypony I've ever met. Between the two of us, we should be able to work something out."
"Really?"

"Really. But first, we need to fix this poor merchant's dream before he wakes up thinking thunderstorms are going to eat him." Oberon looked around at the chaos his presence had caused and winced.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin everything."

"You didn't ruin anything," Bubble assured him. "If anything, you just made it more interesting. Now, can you help me turn all this shadow-stuff into something less terrifying? Maybe... We could make it look like a really dramatic sunset?"

Working together, the two young dreamwalkers began to reshape the fractured nightmare. Bubble's precise control balanced Oberon's raw power, while his instinctive understanding of shadows complemented her natural affinity for light magic. It was clumsy and imperfect, but by the time they finished, the merchant was dreaming of the most beautiful sky he'd ever seen.

"Not bad for a first try." Bubble said, admiring their work with satisfaction.

"We make a good team." Oberon agreed, his form now stable and solid. Still dark, undeniably touched by shadow, but no longer frightening. He looked like what he was; a young alicorn learning to control extraordinary gifts. Bubble grinned.

"Same time tomorrow night? I know a baker in Ponyville who's been having stress dreams about burnt cupcakes. Should be good practice."

"I'll be there."

____________________

Ancient slabs of stone passed beneath his hooves as he scampered through the temple corridors, racing past pillars and monuments that had stood since before Equestria was founded. By age five, the young alicorn prince had already claimed every hidden passage, secret chamber, and crumbling statue as his personal playground. The jungle temple wasn't just his home, it was his entire world.

"Pequeño príncipe!" Ahuizotl's booming voice echoed through the grand hall as Oberon came sliding down a carved banister, his dark wings spread for balance as he banked down to make a sharp right. "How many times must I tell you? The Altar of the Eternal Moon is not a slide!"

"And how many times must I tell you that it definitely is?" A second colt came tumbling down behind Oberon, one larger than the alicorn with the same canine features as Ahuizotl. From his longer ears to his winding tail, even the tips of his caloused hands, he was the spitting image of a mythical temple guardian… if one of said guardians had a rowdy rebellious phase, that is. His brass coat was marked with dapples of blue and teal ink that shimmered in the sunlight along his back, a blur of color that shone as he lept down from the bannister.

Oberon landed in a graceful tumble alongside his companion, both grinning up at the imposing guardian. Ahuizotl stood nearly twice as tall as Princess Celestia, his imposing features decorated with rose colored silk and golden jewlery, hands shaped with the power to move mountains. To most ponies, he would be terrifying. To Oberon, he was simply Tío Ahui, the closest thing to an uncle he'd ever known.

"Tezcatl…" Ahuizotl sighed, though his tone held more affection than proper exasperation as he looked towards his son. "You are supposed to be setting a good example for our princeling, not encouraging his acrobatics."

"But Papa, he needs to learn proper temple navigation techniques!" Tezcatl replied with mock seriousness, his lime eyes dancing with mischief. "What if there's ever an emergency and he needs to slide to safety?" Oberon snickered, bumping his friend's shoulder with his wing.

"See? Tez gets it. Everything in the temple is multi-purpose!"

"Your mother also said you were to practice your studies, not perfect your sliding techniques." Ahuizotl reached down and gently ruffled both youngsters' manes. "The cats have been looking for you two. Something about missing fish from the offering pools?" Oberon and Tezcatl exchanged a knowing glance.

"We may have... shared breakfast with them," Oberon offered a sheepish grin as Tezcatl sat upon his hind hooves to gesticulate with his hands wildly.

"They gave us the eyes, Papa! You know the eyes, all big and sad and 'we're starving temple guardians who haven't eaten in forever’!”

"Even though they just caught three mice an hour earlier." Oberon chimed in. "But they looked so convincing!"

"The temple cats are always hungry, niños. If you fed them every time they gave you those eyes, they would be too fat to catch the mice that threaten my scrolls." Ahuizotl chuckled, a sound that rumbled like distant thunder.

"Come along now, both of you. Prince Oberon's parents will return from their travels soon, and Princess Luna will want to see progress in his studies. And Tezcatl, your mother expects you to have mastered the third Seal of Binding by week's end." Tezcatl groaned dramatically, rising to follow his father’s lumbering strides towards the main hall.

"Ugh, the third Seal. Why can't temple magic be more like dream magic? Oberon just thinks happy thoughts and suddenly everyone's sleeping better."

"It's not that simple!" Oberon protested in mock offense, though he was grinning all the while. "You try maintaining a corporeal anchor while reshaping someone's subconscious fears. Yesterday, I almost got stuck in a nightmare about flying parchment."

"Flying parchment? Please tell me you're making that up."

"I wish I was. Bubble had to help me fold them into paper airplanes before the dreamer would wake up."

Tezcatl's eyes lit up. Every morning, Oberon would regale his friend with tales of his adventures in the dream realm with that mysterious unicorn filly from Hollow Shades. Tezcatl lived vicariously through these stories, fascinated by a world he could never visit himself.

The temple's main hall opened into a vast library where countless scrolls and tablets recorded the history of civilizations that had risen and fallen long before Equestria's founding. Here, among the accumulated wisdom of ages, both youngsters had learned to read in a dozen dead languages, to identify magical artifacts by their aura alone, and to understand the delicate balance between protecting ancient knowledge and allowing the world to grow beyond it.

"Today, we work on collaborative magic," Ahuizotl announced, settling his massive frame before a carved stone table. "Oberon, your dream-weaving. Tezcatl, your seal-binding. Together."

Several temple cats, from panthers to tigers, padded into the chamber to arrange themselves in a circle around them. Tezcatl immediately knelt to scratch behind the ears of his favorite, a particularly large jaguar named Itzamna.
"But Papa, our magic works completely differently," Tezcatl pointed out. "His is all flowing and intuitive, while mine is all geometric and precise."

"Which is exactly why you must learn to work together." Ahuizotl replied with a knowing smile. "Tell me, Oberon, what did you learn from your friend in the dream realm last night?" Oberon perked up immediately, as he always did when discussing his adventures with Bubble.

"Bubble taught me how to make dream rain take on different flavors and forms! We helped a pegasus who was scared of flying by making clouds that tasted like cotton candy."
"And she's really just a regular unicorn?" Tezcatl raised a brow. "Not, like, a secret princess or anything?"

"Nope, just a regular unicorn from Hollow Shades." Oberon chuckled. "She’s always been able to dreamwalk, but she never knew her parents so we aren’t sure how. Regardless, she's way better at the technical stuff than I am. She’s the one who actually understands the theory behind what we're doing."

"I still can't believe there's another pony our age who can do impossible magic." Tezcatl marveled. "Do you think she'd want to meet me someday?" Despite his best efforts, Oberon’s smile faltered.
"Maybe when we're older? When all the secret stuff isn't so... secret."

"Ingenious work with the sensory manipulation." Ahuizotl interrupted, though he looked pleased by the boys' banter. "Your friend is quite gifted, Oberon. But did you remember to maintain your corporeal anchor?" The question made Oberon shift from hoof to hoof, and Tezcatl immediately noticed his friend's discomfort. The temple guardian's son may not have any dream magic himself, but he had an uncanny ability to read Oberon's moods.

"You got floaty again, didn't you?" Tezcatl asked with a frown. "I can always tell when you've had a close call. You get this distant look in your eyes for hours afterward, like you’re haunted or possessed."
"Only a little floaty! Bubble helped anchor me back. She's getting really good at that."

"Floaty is dangerous, pequeño." Ahuizotl's expression grew serious. "Both of you know this. Your magic is tied to realms that exist between life and death, between waking and sleeping realms. Without proper anchoring, you could become lost between worlds."

"Which is why I keep telling you to let me help!" Tezcatl huffed, his coat bristling in frustration and concern. "My binding seals could create a tether between your consciousness and your physical body. It’s like a magic safety rope."

"But you've never tried binding something that complex before."

"And you've never tried dream magic with a temple seal anchor," Tezcatl countered. "That's why Papa wants us to practice collaborative magic, right?" Ahuizotl nodded.

"Very astute, mijo. Yes, this is precisely why you must learn to combine your abilities. Oberon's power needs Tezcatl's precision, and Tezcatl's powerful magic needs Oberon's intuitive understanding of liminal spaces." The guardian gestured to the temple cats, who began to purr in a synchronized rhythm that seemed to resonate with the ancient temple stone. The sound was hypnotic, rumbling and deep.

"Now, show me how you work together. Tezcatl, prepare a binding seal around Oberon. Something that will keep his essence tethered to this realm. Oberon, enter the liminal space while maintaining that connection."

This was new territory for both of them. Tezcatl knelt beside his friend, hands weaving a geometric pattern of golden light as around Oberon's dark form. The magic felt different from the flowing, ethereal energy Oberon was used to. It was more structured, like a mathematical equation made manifest.

"Ready?" Tezcatl met his gaze for a moment, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. Even so, Oberon nodded, no such uncertainty in his mind.

"Ready."

The transition that followed was remarkable. Instead of the usual drifting feeling that accompanied his dreamwalking, he felt solidly anchored to his physical form. Tezcatl's binding seal created a lifeline he could feel like a warm current running through his consciousness.

"This is incredible… I can go farther than ever before, but I feel completely safe. My body isn’t being consumed by the darkness, I’m just… here.”

"I can feel what you're experiencing," Tezcatl’s voice echoed from the back of his mind. "It's like I'm seeing everything through your eyes. The dream realm looks so beautiful…"

Together, they reached out to the dream of the howler monkey in the eastern canopy. The collaboration was seamless. Where there had once been the terror of endless falling, they built a magical framework of safety that would prevent similar nightmares from recurring. It was more effective than anything either could have accomplished alone.

"You have created something entirely new! Dream magic with structural permanence. Your powers complement each other perfectly." Ahuizotl praised both boys as they opened their eyes, still connected by the fading golden threads of Tezcatl's binding seal.

"That was amazing!" Oberon exclaimed, his eyes wild with excitement. "Tez, did you see how the dream responded to your seals? It was like building architecture out of pure emotion!"

"Did you feel how your magic guided mine?" Tezcatl replied with equal enthusiasm. "I never could have understood the monkey's fear patterns without your empathic connection. We make a really good team!"

"The best team." Oberon agreed, bumping his friend's shoulder affectionately. Then, he lit up. “With magic like that, I bet we could enter anyone’s dream. Even an Ursa Major!” Ahuizotl chuckled.

"Patience, príncipes. First, you must master what you have been taught. Besides, I believe you’ll have plenty to share with your parents before supper this evening."

Oberon's head shot up. As if summoned by his words, the young prince could hear the familiar sound of elegant hoofsteps approaching the temple. His heart lept in excitement. It had been nearly two months since Luna and Orion had left on their respective journeys, each led away by the call of duty.

"Mama! Papa!" Oberon raced toward the temple's main entrance, Tezcatl bounding close behind.

"Hurry up!" Tezcatl urged. "I want to tell them about our new technique!"

____________________

"Tío Ahu, why can't I go with them this time?"

Oberon sat on the temple steps, watching his parents prepare for another journey. His dark wings drooped with disappointment, and even his cosmic mane seemed dimmer than usual. Beside him, Tezcatl offered what comfort he could by sharing his breakfast of tropical fruit.

"Because you'd miss me too much," Tezcatl decided, trying to lighten his friend's mood. "Who else would I practice magic with? The temple cats? They're terrible at weaving seals."
Despite his melancholy, Oberon cracked a small smile.

"Didn’t one of the cats try to help with your new enchantments last week?"

"Papa's still finding scorch marks on the ceiling." Tezcatl snorted, amused by the memory of it. "But really, Oberon, you know why you have to stay. It’s the same reason I can't leave the temple grounds yet."
Across the mossy steps, temple cats arranged themselves in a sympathetic circle around the pair as Ahuizotl settled beside them.

"Because your education here is not yet complete, and the world is not yet ready for a prince of both shadow and star, or for a guardian who can bind the very fabric of existence."

"But we're getting stronger." Oberon protested. "Last night, Bubble, Tez, and I worked together to settle an entire village's bout of nightmares during a thunderstorm. We barely got tired!"

"Wait, I helped with that?" Tezcatl looked confused. "I was asleep."

"Your binding seal on me stayed active even while you were unconscious. Bubble noticed the difference immediately. She thinks we might have accidentally created a permanent magical connection."

Tezcatl's eyes went wide. "Is that... good or bad?"

"That is yet to be seen. However, this is precisely why you must both stay and learn more," Ahuizotl interjected with gentle firmness. "Power without wisdom is dangerous, especially power like yours. Here, in this place where the barriers between worlds are thin, you can learn to understand your gifts without the complications of politics or public scrutiny." Oberon kicked at a loose stone with one hoof.

"Sometimes I feel like we're the only ponies in the world who have to stay hidden all the time."

"You are not alone in that feeling, niños." Ahuizotl hummed softly. “Your primo Sonder faces the same isolation in his golden castle. The difference is that you are learning to find joy and purpose despite the hiding, while he... struggles more with the burden."

"That's because Oberon has me!" Tezcatl puffed out his chest. "And Bubble, even if she's only there in dreams. Sonder doesn't have anyone his age, does he?"

This was the first time Ahuizotl had spoken directly about Sonder, and both boys' ears perked up with interest. They'd heard whispers about Oberon’s cousin. Another hidden prince, another alicorn kept secret from the world, but their parents had always been vague about the details.

"Is that why Mama looks sad sometimes when she talks about Aunt Celestia?" Oberon asked.

"Your mother carries many sorrows, young princeling, and the weight of these secrets is one of them. But she also carries hope… Hope that the next generation of alicorns will find ways to break the cycle."
"Is that what we're supposed to do? Break cycles?" Tezcatl tilted his head.

"You are supposed to grow into whoever you choose to become." Ahuizotl replied before considering this "But yes, I suspect you will play roles in healing old wounds. Your magic, your perspectives, your ability to bridge different worlds. These gifts were not given to you randomly. One day, you may be the key to bridging our world with others, creating unity among the magic of different realms, both asleep and awake."

As they spoke, Luna and Orion approached, their saddlebags heavy with scrolls and supplies. Oberon could see the grief in their eyes, the guilt of parents who must choose duty over presence. He rose to greet them as they approached, knowing he could never bring himself to fault them for such a sacrifice. Their hooves were tied. Behind him, Tezcatl quietly began to retreat, but Oberon caught his arm.

"Stay. You're family too."

"We will only be gone for three weeks this time. I must help stabilize a volcanic region where elemental magic has gone wild, and Luna needs to investigate some concerning dreams in the northern provinces." As the kirin rogue spoke, he instinctively bowed his head to signify his respect. Oberon mirrored the gesture, placing his front hooves farther apart to more properly bow. Luna smiled, looking between the two boys with unbridled fondness.

"I'm so proud of you both." Luna said, her voice thick with emotion. "You're learning to support each other in ways that even your father and I are still mastering."

"Indeed." Ahuizotl agreed. "We will be working on more advanced spellwork in your absence. By the time you return, Oberon should be able to construct pocket dimensions within the dream realm, ones that can exist independently of any single dreamer."

"Really?!" Both boys asked simultaneously, paused, and then grinned at their synchronized response. Orion hummed, gingerly stepping forward to rest a hoof upon their son’s shoulder.

"Remember what we've taught you about balance, little stars. Your power is a gift, but it can also be a burden if you let it consume you. Stay grounded in this world even as you explore others."

"We will, Papa. We promise." Oberon smiled as Tezcatl nodded earnestly beside him.

"And Tezcatl?" Luna brushed one of her wings over the taller colt’s side. "Thank you for being such a good friend to our son. The bond you two share... it's something special. Something that will serve you both well in the years to come."

Tezcatl ducked his head shyly, but his smile was radiant. "He's the best friend anyone could ask for, Aunt Luna. We take care of each other."

As his parents disappeared into the jungle treeline, Oberon felt the familiar pang of emptiness that came with their departures. But this time, it was tempered by a deeper sense of understanding. He had begun to realize that his parents' travels weren't just about duty or adventure. They were about maintaining the delicate balance that kept their family safe and hidden while still serving a world that desperately needed their help.

"Come, príncipe," Ahuizotl said, rising to his full imposing height. "The cats have discovered something interesting in the lower chambers. An ancient dreaming stone that may be perfect for your next lesson."

As they descended into the temple's depths, Oberon reflected on the strange life he led. By day, he studied forgotten magics and ancient wisdom under the guidance of mythical guardians. By night, he wandered through dreams with his best friend, learning to heal fears and nightmares. He was simultaneously the most isolated and most connected pony in Equestria.

It was a paradox that would shape him for the rest of his life.

____________________

“What do you need me to do?”

“I… I need you to come find me.”

“Find you?” Bubble raised her brow, a bit surprised. “When I asked what you needed me to do, I wasn’t expecting something so straightforward. You’re usually more cryptic.” Oberon chuckled.

“What can I say? My family has a flair for the dramatics.”

“Right, of course. Hm… Is it dangerous to travel so far by myself?”

“You won’t be alone! You can go with my cousin, Celestia’s son. They… Now that Princess Twilight’s reign has begun, they want us to train under her. I’ve been kept a secret from Equestria since the day I was born, and so has he… I think they’re going to let us out.” Bubble’s eyes widened in surprise, leaning in closer as Oberon lit up. “They’re going to send me to Canterlot to live at the castle. They think the nation is ready to know who I am…” He gently nudged her hoof with his own. “I told them about you because I want you to come with me. Come find me, Bubble- save me from the exile my birthright has plagued me with, and then stay with me. It doesn’t have to be forever, not if you don’t want that- but just- just for a little while!” She didn’t know what to say.

“The princesses… What if they make me stay? What if they put us both in a new cage after finally freeing you from the first?”

“They won’t. I won’t let them do that to you, Bubble.”

“But then who would save you, moron?!”

“You, obviously.” He gave her another goofy smile. Any of her remaining doubts melted in an instant. Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I guess I have to take a train to Canterlot in the morning. I hope it doesn’t take too long for one of the routes to remember that Hollow Shades was rebuilt.” Her ear twitched when Oberon chuckled softly.

“Oh, trust me. You’ll have a train directly to Canterlot.” She gave him a look. A very long, silent, pained look.

“...Please don’t tell me that Princess Twilight sent out the guards.”

“Princess Twilight sent out the guards.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me–!”

____________________

“Okay, you ponies, listen up and listen well.” Sonder watched Spike lead a troop of guards through the castle, briefing them on the objectives they’d need to complete this morning. The little dragon spoke with such an authoritative voice for someone of such a small stature. Under any other circumstances, Sonder would be impressed. “Twilight can do anything, but she always overthinks it, and then she freaks out. With Celestia and Luna leaving yesterday, today is the first day Twilight is going to have to lower the moon and raise the sun. She’ll need our support.”

Of course, how could he forget? His mother had left for her retirement yesterday, moving to Silver Shoals with Aunt Luna. Sonder had been affronted when Celestia told him he wouldn’t be going with her, instead continuing to stay in the castle to keep his identity secret. Quietly, the prince ran a hand through his long locks of hair, frowning slightly. He’d stopped cutting his hair ever since Twilight’s alicornhood was announced, and now it was far too long for him to style.

More than before, the prince was alone, trapped in the walls of a castle where nobody was allowed to see him. Except for Princess Twilight, obviously, but he despised her, so that didn’t really count.

As the guards dispersed, the castle staff ran with them. Sonder waited for everyone to pass, keeping an eye on Spike as the chaos broke out. After making a final shout of commands, the little dragon had fled to the kitchens, going to check on the catering. Sonder nearly chuckled at the sight. He hadn’t seen the castle so panicked since Cadance first moved in as a young filly.

It had been even more hectic after Luna returned from banishment…

Shaking his head, Sonder was pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of nearby doors closing. By the time he’d got his eyes on the royal chambers once more, he saw none other than Princess Twilight herself, frantically sneaking out of her bedroom with a wingful of scrolls. Where could she be going at this hour? Her unicorn friend may throw a fit if she didn’t let the guards escort her to the spa for her beauty routine. The spa visit had initially seemed quite impractical, but the princess was starting to look like she really needed it; her hair was disheveled and there were bags forming under her eyes. It looked like she’d been up all night taking notes.

Reluctantly, Sonder decided to follow the princess, stalking her through the secret passageways hidden behind each castle wall. He’d learned to navigate this castle better than anyone during all the years he spent here. There was a completely hidden side of every room and hall, so much so that even the guards didn’t know half the size of their own castle interior.

He found Twilight Sparkle in the library, laying out all of her notes and writing all over a chalkboard. Of course Celestia’s precious little pupil found a way to make her very first sunrise full of calculations and notes.

“Twilight Sparkle, do not tell me you’ve already begun avoiding your duties as Equestria’s princess?” The purple alicorn jumped, looking at Sonder with a startled expression as he emerged from the hidden passageway of the library. “My mother would be most displeased.”

“Prince Sonder, good evening!” She greeted him with a smile that he refused to return.

“It is nearly morning.” As Sonder frowned, Twilight deflated slightly, but still kept her friendly composure relatively well. Celestia had entrusted Twilight with Canterlot Castle, including the secret prince dwelling inside of it. No doubt, Twilight felt obligated to keep Sonder happy at all costs, especially since he was the son of her teacher.

“Indeed, it is! Sorry, I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking.”

“I’d hope that’s normal for you.”

It is- Of course it is! I was just–” She sighed, defeated. “I’m afraid that I won’t be a good ruler.” She went quiet after that, and the resulting silence hung heavy in the air. Twilight wilted under Sonder’s icy gaze, agitated and fierce. “...I’m worried about my reign–”

“It should never have been your reign to begin with.” Ouch, that one hurt. Twilight’s eyes softened, sympathetic and kind.

“I know, Sonder–”

“Prince Sonder, to you, Twilight Sparkle. My mother may be retired but I am not, and my power outranks you tenfold.” He loomed over the shorter alicorn, wings spread wide as he looked down at her with a fierce glare. “Know your place, princess.”

“Yeah?” Twilight, for once, didn’t back down. She stepped forward, meeting Sonder’s challenge. “And what place is that?”

“You tell me.” Igniting his horn with a blaze of brilliant green light, he began to levitate various books off the shelves, expertly stacking them upon the table where Twilight’s notes were placed. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were both legendary goddesses trained by the great Pillars of Equestria. They have lived longer than any other creature in this nation and their raw power moves the sun and moon. They may not have founded Equestria, but once they began to rule it, they saved the kingdom from countless monsters and tyrants.”

He added another book to the pile. “Princess Amore created the Crystal Heart to protect her empire, and Princess Cadance inherited that power after she ascended fighting to protect the ponies of her hometown. Princess Platinum was a founder of Equestria who brought prosperity and wealth to all of ponykind when she discovered magic could be harnessed from jewels. King Thorax led a revolution that freed all of the changelings from Queen Chrysalis, reinventing the ideology and biology of changeling-kind. Queen Novo and Princess Skystar saved their entire civilization from the reign of the Storm King, only to help your miserable team of so-called heroes save Equestria as well.”

Twilight tried to interrupt, but Sonder refused to relent. “Before Equestria was even founded, Queen Parabola discovered long lost treasures and magical artifacts, Princess Sterling was a kind-hearted botanist who created flowers that advanced modern medicine, and Princess Gold Lily invented the earliest concept of annual holiday celebrations. So, Twilight Sparkle, I would like you to tell me what your place is? Do you really believe that Equestria needs you? Because I think we’ve been doing just fine on our own.” Twilight looked on with a solemn expression on her face, but his glare only hardened.

“Sonder, please…”

“Nobody needs you, Twilight. One day, everything you’ve built with your friends is going to fall apart, because you’re building an empire over a flawed foundation. You banish or imprison any problem that you can’t solve with a sappy speech. You learned it from my mother, and I’m wise enough to admit that she had been wrong, too. Tell me, Twilight, did you ever care to wonder why so many of the foes you faced were all ancient villains returning from Celestia’s reign? You’re not saving anyone, Twilight, you’re only repeating her mistakes. The next princess will have to face off against the very same foes you’ve banished, and then the next one, and so on and so forth, until the kingdom falls!” Green light crackled and sparked around his horn, which had become burnt from years of bottling up such powerful magic.

“We didn’t have any other choice.”

“You did, but you chose to follow Celestia. Speaking as someone who lived his whole life in her shadow, I can tell you that this peace will not last… I’d wager Equestria won’t even last one thousand years, as it did for my mother’s reign. I’d guess it’ll fall by the next generation.” He glared, watching Twilight sputter anxiously in response.

“Twilight, are you in here?” Spike’s voice could be heard across the library, accompanied by the sound of shuffling guards opening each door. Twilight gave him an apologetic look, motioning for him to leave before he’d be spotted. Sonder mustered a sharp glare before he left the room, slipping back into his secret pathways out of sight.

“Oh, hi Spike! Did you come to help?” Through the walls of the library, Sonder could hear Twilight trot out into view, welcoming the dragon. “What’s with all the guards?”

“You weren’t in your room. They were worried something happened to you… It’s okay, guys, I got this. You can wait outside.” Sonder listened to the guards leave, trotting out of the room with diligence and devotion. Once the doors had been shut, Twilight led Spike back over to her table of notes.

“Well, here’s the thing. I had this thought last night, right? Now that Celestia and Luna are gone, it’s really my reign.” The words made Sonder see red begin to form in the corners of his vision, but he dared not give his position away. “And I was thinking about their reign, and other notable monarchs and what they’re known for. That got me thinking. What is MY reign about? What am I going to be known for? When ponies learn about this time in history, they’re going to call me Princess Twilight the… what?”

The red slowly dimmed, clearing from Sonder’s vision. He hesitantly sat down on the marble floors of the hidden hall, listening in to the princess recounting her doubts.

“Evil? Cunning? Mad? Happy? Booksmart? I never thought I would be in charge of Equestria, but Celestia and Luna trained me for this. Now that they’re gone, I can’t depend on them to tell me what to do. Who am I gonna be, Spike?”

“You’re Twilight Sparkle. You’re the princess of friendship.”

“Yeah, that was great when I was running a school, but now I’m running a whole country.”” Twilight sighed, frowning at Spike with a worried expression. “What good is that? I don’t want to be forgotten.”

“Nobody’s going to forget you. You’re going to be amazing at this. And, if you were asking me, I’d say that friendship is a great thing to be known for.”

It was insulting. Here he sat, the long lost prince and heir to Equestria, forgotten by two entire worlds. Forgotten by history that would never know him. Forgotten by his own mother. Yet here she was, his most recent replacement, lamenting her fear of meeting the very same fate that she’d doomed him to?

Was she trying to inherit Celestia’s vice of speaking hypocritically, or was she really that naive?

“I almost forgot!” Sonder looked back towards the wall, catching a glimpse of magenta light between the cracks of the old library’s wood. This room was one of the few that hadn’t yet been remodeled. Something about preserving its history? That sounded right. Spike shouted in protest, but the dragon already knew that Twilight was gone, teleporting off to wherever she’d be needed next. The princess nearly forgot her first sunrise? This reign is off to a great start.

Before he left, the prince cast a glance towards the little dragon pacing across the library. If he revealed himself now, what harm would it do? What would it change? Spike seemed to be a very competent advisor, and if the dragon could reassure Twilight of her own purpose…

…maybe he could help Sonder find his?

“Little dragon, wait a moment.” The advisor in question paused mid-stride, whirling around in confusion and alarm. Sonder hesitated, almost frozen in place. Ever since Sunset Shimmer left, the only ones to know about Sonder’s existence were the alicorns of Equestria and Shining Armor. Maybe Spike could keep the secret as well? Surely, Twilight wouldn’t mind?

Yet, even so…

“Hello? Who said that?” No matter how long Spike scoured each shelf of the library, he would never find the owner of that voice he heard. Eventually, he was running late for the ceremony, given no choice but to drop the investigation and join the princess. Sonder let him go. After all, secrets really shouldn’t be running their mouths, anyway…

____________________

After the ceremonies had finally ended, Prince Sonder was on his way to enter the library, which had finally been closed off from public entry. He’d been dying to find something new to read; he felt like he'd already read every book in the catacombs surrounding Canterlot at least twelve times by now. However, as he entered the library, the last thing he expected to see was a lime green unicorn busily shuffling through all of the shelves. His first instinct was to retreat into the nearest secret passage, but something made him pause.

The way she carried herself with so much confidence, sure of every action and every spell… It haunted him for a moment. He couldn’t place it, but it was a familiar scene for the prince, who was suddenly speechless where he stood in the doorway. He watched her put every book back in its proper place, humming happily and trotting off to review the nearest section of scrolls. Her hair, a mess of blonde and black, almost resembles a darker variant of a flame. Even her eyes were beautiful and sharp. When those scarlet orbs were suddenly focused on the prince, Sonder forgot that he was supposed to be hiding.

“You know, most ponies tend to avoid standing in the middle of the hallway, especially in such a busy castle.” From afar, she studied him with a curious expression, continuing to speak before he could reply. “It seems like quite the hazard.”

“I… I am well aware of that, yes.” Why was it suddenly so hard to talk?

“You must be Prince Sonder!” She quickly approached him, a bright smile matching the twinkle in her eyes. “I’m Bubble Brew! Humble potion seller and makeshift guardian of the dream realm! Your cousin Oberon has told me lots about you.”

Sonder blinked, taken out of the fantastical moment he’d found himself in. His rosy gaze was broken in favor of a much more startled one.

“My what?!”

Chapter Text

Across the nation, there stood an empire more ancient than Equestria itself. A powerful city built of crystals and magic, surrounded by an eternal winter.

Beneath the snow lies a great darkness, foreboding and limitless.

Despite this, the empire was happy. In fact, a certain little alicorn had just been put to bed for her nap, tuckered out by the morning spent traveling back home from Princess Twilight’s coronation the day prior. Today had been the first sunrise of her reign, but it was a historical event that the crystal princess slept through. After all, Flurry Heart was hardly a filly. With what would come in the years to follow, she would need all the rest she could get…

____________________

If Bubble had been nervous before, she was absolutely terrified now.

She’d always been worried what would happen if the royals of Equestria discovered she could enter the dream realm, yet here she was, standing in the throne of Canterlot Castle to face her greatest fear. Before her was Princess Twilight Sparkle, the mare that had just begun her reign this very morning. At least she seemed to be just as alarmed as Bubble was, if not more so.

“Princess Luna has a son?!” Twilight paced the width of the throne room, practically hyperventilating as she spoke. “How?! When?! Why didn’t she tell us?!”

“In all fairness, your highness, Princess Celestia hadn’t told anyone about her own son, either.”

“You know about Prince Sonder?!” Twilight wheezed, quickly summoning a paper bag with a small flash of magenta magic. Bubble watched the alicorn freak out with a puzzled, baffled expression. This was Equestria’s newest princess? Between this and Oberon’s secrecy, Bubble was very quickly losing faith in the retired royal sisters.

“Yes, I do. Oberon- er- Prince Oberon told me about his cousin before he sent me here.” Bubble watched Twilight send the paper bag away with another spell, rising to stand with a frantic gasp. The alicorn placed a hoof on her chest and took a deep breath, held it in for a few seconds, and then let out a heavy sigh.

“What do you need from the castle before this journey?”

“I only need Prince Sonder to tag along. With him by my side, traveling to the jungle should be easy.” She smiled, using her own magic to pass on a scroll to Twilight, who accepted it with grace. “Once we find Luna’s son, we will return to the castle at once, where the princes will stay under your guidance.” Bubble smiled, quickly turning to exit the throne room when–

“Wait! What about you?” Uh oh.

“...What about me?”

“Bubble, you can enter the dream realm! Only alicorns can wield magic that powerful. It wouldn’t feel right to send you back home after… you know…” Bubble forced a strained smile, glancing over her shoulder to meet the worried princess’ gaze.

“With all due respect, I don’t think I’ll be moving into the castle. I’m just a potion maker.”

“I know, but before I became the Princess of Equestria, I was just a librarian.” Bubble blinked in surprise as Twilight smiled. “Just think about it, alright?”

“Of course.” Bubble lied, smiling before she turned her back to the princess once more. Trotting out of the throne room, the unicorn quickly realized that she didn’t know how to navigate the castle, let alone find a sulking prince who hid in the walls. Oberon had said something about a library, so Bubble asked a guard for directions and made her way there. Maybe one of the books would have a map of the kingdom?

While this had been her initial objective, Bubble quickly found herself lost in a maze of towering shelves and endless rabbit holes. Magic danced through the air as she went though each title, eagerly browsing the entire range of what this library had to offer. It wasn’t until she noticed a new alicorn in the doorway that she finally stopped.

“You know, most ponies tend to avoid standing in the middle of the hallway, especially in such a busy castle.” From afar, Bubble studied the odd stallion with intrigued eyes, continuing to speak before he could reply. “It seems like quite the hazard.”

“I… I am well aware of that, yes.” He seemed like the quiet type.

“You must be Prince Sonder!” She quickly approached him, a bright smile matching the twinkle in her eyes. “I’m Bubble Brew! Humble potion seller and makeshift guardian of the dream realm! Your cousin Oberon has told me lots about you.”

It took the prince a few moments to process what she’d said to him.

“My what?!”

____________________

The journey from Canterlot to the Forbidden Jungle was a long one, but it was definitely a destination that would be worth their time. Bubble was taking a train to Dodge City, the farthest the tracks would allow, with her unlikely travel partner. Princess Twilight had booked them a private train car to keep civilians from snooping or listening in on their conversation, something that Bubble was very grateful for.

“So, Miss Brew…” The prince finally spoke up as the train left Canterlot, steadily climbing down the winding mountains the city was built on.

“Please, just call me Bubble!” She snorted, amused by the alicorn’s flustered expression that appeared in response.

“Yes, um- Bubble, have you met my cousin before? I assume you have, since you told me that you spoke to him, but we seem to be on this trip to bring him back from a lengthy exile. How did you two converse?” His ear twitched as he leaned closer slightly, intrigued. “Did you exchange letters of some sort?”

“No, we’ve actually been seeing each other in the dream realm. That’s how we first met when we were kids.”

“I see…” After a brief pause, Sonder met Bubble’s gaze again. “I’m afraid that I’m still rather confused. How did Luna have a son in secrecy? Hadn’t she only returned from her banishment in recent years?”

“Sorry, that’s not my story to tell.” Bubble chuckled softly, waving a hoof. “I’m sure Oberon will answer all of your questions when we get to the temple.” Sonder eyed her with a skeptical expression, slightly put off by her referral.

“Is he not a prince?”

“He is!”

“You don’t speak of him like one.”

“No, I speak of him as a friend. That’s a much nicer way to talk about someone, don’t you think?” She smirked, watching the feathers stir on Sonder’s ruffled wings.

“Is that not disrespectful of his status? Speaking of him as if he were no more important than anyone else?”

“But in my eyes, he is more important than anyone else. He’s my best friend, and that’s a status I hold higher than anything some noble title could bestow.” As Bubble smiled, the prince regarded her in disbelief. Then, his stuffy posture seemed to soften, replacing his skeptical frown with a fond smile.

“Well, then I certainly hope that I will reach the same honor someday.”

“If you help me carry all of our scrolls off the train, maybe you will!”

They would reside in this train car together for three days, sharing stories and making the most of the time they had. Once the train stopped in Dodge Junction, Sonder fastened a cloak over his back and they set off into the unknown. They rode in a caravan wagon down a dirt road to the East end of Macintosh Hills, where they were forced to dismount and travel through the Badlands by foot. King Thorax was kind enough to send them an escort, practically cutting their travel time in half. He also offered to have them escorted back once they returned from the jungle, more than happy to do a favor on Princess Twilight’s first day ruling.

Finally, they entered the Forbidden Jungle. Prince Sonder carried a saddlebag of scrolls over his cloak while Bubble kept the rest in a bag of her own. Studying a map of Equestria, Bubble peered into the darkness ahead.

“I think we just have to go South from here. The temple should be very easy to find.” Upon arriving in the jungle, the pair had been lucky enough to come across the cabin of a famous writer. She let them stay the night and begin the last leg of their trip in the morning, helping them plan the safest route to the temple when they set off.

“Agreed, I can feel powerful magic similar to my own.” Sonder stepped forward, eyes ablaze with determination she’d never seen during their long journey here. “There should be a bridge up ahead that takes us across a ravine. Once we pass that, there’s only a short hike uphill to reach the temple.” Small beads of sweat had begun to form on the alicorn’s brow. That was enough to give Bubble pause. After they traversed the rickety wooden bridge, she finally spoke up about it.

“Sonder?” The alicorn tensed, oddly surprised when she addressed him. “Do you need to take a break? You’re sweating a lot.”

“I am immortal. This journey has been one of the easier challenges I’ve faced.”

“Then why are you sweating?” Sonder opened his mouth to reply, then promptly shut it. He looked away, nearly turning pink. Bubble gasped in surprise.

“Sonder! Are you nervous to meet Oberon?!”

“What?! No, of course not! I mean–” He stumbled, “Perhaps… the slightest bit nervous…”

“I promise, you have nothing to be worried about. He’s going to love you! I’ve been giving him updates while we sleep every night. Oberon is already expecting us to arrive today.” She smirked, playfully nudging his side. “He said that there’s a surprise for you waiting at the temple.” Sonder had gone quiet. Then, he kept his eyes trained ahead as he spoke.

“...You called me by my name.”

“Yeah?” Bubble didn’t follow.

“You didn’t use my noble title.” Oops.

“I- I didn’t mean anything by it! It was an honest mistake–” He pressed one of his wings onto her mouth, muffling the terrified rant that she’d nearly spiraled into.

“It was no mistake. Do not lie. Besides, I… quite liked it.” He folded his wing with a huff. “I expect you to only address me by name from now on.” Sonder was speaking as if he’d given her a royal decree or an order, but that wasn’t how Bubble saw it. She smiled, giggling at the prince’s stuffy posture when he held his head up high.

“Oh, but of course, your highness! Anything for you~”

They laughed all the way up to the temple’s doorstep. Climbing an ancient row of stairs, they soon arrived in a grand chamber full of sand and historical carvings. Torches lit the walls in a powerful row of flames. The pair jumped when the ground began to shake, accompanied by the entrance of a giant beast. Sonder quickly lurched forward, standing in front of Bubble with his wings open wide. The beast gave pause when it saw their alarmed state, quickly reaching to the towering ceiling above. With a heavy click, the stone roof of the temple was moved aside, allowing sunlight to pour in and flood the dimly lit chamber.

“Welcome, my friends, to the Tenochtitlan basin!” The beast before them resembled some sort of strange canine decorated with golden jewelry and ancient splendor. Sonder let his defensive stance falter as the guardian offered a blue hand in greeting. “I am Ahuizotl, protector of this domain and keeper of the temples. I have been told that you were here to take Luna’s son home with you.”

“Yes, that’s correct.” Sonder nodded, curiously watching Bubble step forward to accept the guardian’s handshake. Her hoof was hardly the size of his palm, but she certainly didn’t mind. After exchanging greetings, Ahuizotl led the pair to where Oberon would be waiting; a smaller room at the end of the temple.

“Please, allow me to say my goodbyes before the prince joins you. I have kept his secret here since he was a child, and I am going to miss his company…” The guardian paused, gesturing toward an ornate doorway carved with intricate symbols. "But first, there is someone else who wishes to meet you both. My son has been quite eager to make your acquaintance, especially since he has heard so much about Prince Sonder through young Oberon's stories."

As if summoned by his father's words, a smaller figure emerged from the shadows of the temple corridor. Tezcatl moved with the same fluid grace as his father, his brass-colored coat marked with those distinctive blue and teal dapples that shimmered in the torchlight. His lime green eyes were bright with curiosity as he approached the visitors.

"So you're the famous Prince Sonder." Tezcatl said with a grin that was both respectful and mischievous. "Oberon's been talking about meeting you for weeks. I'm Tezcatl, but everyone calls me Tez." He offered one of his hands in greeting, much like his father had done.

Sonder blinked in surprise, not quite sure how to respond to such casual friendliness from someone he'd never met. "I... yes, I am Prince Sonder. It's... a pleasure to meet you, Tezcatl."

"Oh, don't be so formal," Tez laughed, his tail swishing with amusement. "Anyone who's Oberon's family is family to me too. Besides, we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other now that you're both coming to Canterlot, right?"

Bubble watched the interaction with growing warmth. It was clear that Tezcatl possessed the same genuine, open nature that had drawn her to Oberon in the first place. "You know about the move to Canterlot?"

"Of course! Oberon tells me everything. We've been best friends since we were little." Tezcatl's expression grew slightly more serious. "He's really nervous about leaving the temple, you know. This place has been his whole world for so long. But he's also excited, especially about finally meeting his cousin properly."

"Where is he now?" Sonder asked, and Bubble noticed his voice had lost some of its usual stiffness.

"Probably in the dream grove, trying to calm his nerves," Tezcatl replied with an understanding smile. "He always goes there when he needs to think. Papa and I have been helping him pack, but there's only so much you can take from a place like this, you know?"

Ahuizotl nodded approvingly at his son's words. "Tezcatl speaks truly. The transition will not be easy for any of us, but it is time. The young prince has grown beyond what this sanctuary can teach him, and the world has need of his gifts."

"Actually," Tezcatl spoke up, his eyes lighting with an idea, "would you like me to show you around while Papa talks to Oberon? The temple has some pretty amazing things to see, and I bet Prince Sonder would be interested in the Hall of Mirrors—it's where Oberon practices his more advanced dream magic."

Sonder found himself nodding before he quite realized it. There was something about Tezcatl's easy confidence that made it impossible to maintain his usual royal distance. "I... would like that, yes."

As Tezcatl began leading them deeper into the temple, chattering about its history and the various magical phenomena they housed there, Bubble caught Sonder's eye and smiled. Perhaps this meeting wouldn't be as difficult as either of them had feared. In fact, it was already becoming clear that the bonds formed in this ancient place ran deeper than mere friendship. They were family, chosen and cherished, exactly the kind of connection that Sonder had been missing in his more isolated life.

After an extensive tour of the temple, perhaps twice as long as any reasonable tour ought to be, Tezcatl had finally led them into the main hall, a grand room with various painted murals and carvings on each door that lined the walls.

"Hurry up, then! Papa and I will say our goodbyes while you two get settled and explore the chamber." Tezcatl called back to them, his voice echoing off the carved stone walls. “You haven’t seen anything yet!”

“Take all the time that you need.” With a smile, the guardian ducked and vanished from the doorway. Bubble took the time to explore the chamber, studying each intricate carving with fascination and awe. The room seemed to be framed by a series of colorful doors on each wall, each with a unique design carved on top. Two of a unicorn, two of a pegasus, two of an earth pony, and one of an… “Sonder! This door has an alicorn on it!”

“Really?” He came to stand by her side, glancing up towards the door. “Do you think it’s my mother, or perhaps another ancient ruler?”

“Actually, it kinda looks like… you.” Bubble’s eyes went wide as she placed a hoof against the carving. “See? It has your headpiece, your necklace, and it also has one of your bracelets! Even the hair looks an awful lot like yours.”

“I’d really hope it looks like him.” A new voice joined them, and both heads turned to find Oberon striding through the doorway. “Otherwise, all of my hard work would’ve been for nothing.”

“Oberon!” Bubble leapt into his arms with a joyous cry, embracing her friend with all the enthusiasm anyone could muster. He met her with a cheery grin, wrapping his dark wings around the overjoyed unicorn. “I can’t believe it! We really found you!”

“You did find me, yeah!” Oberon laughed, glancing over to Sonder with a friendly smile. “Hey! Sonder, right? Good to finally meet you!” Sonder was a bit taken aback by his cousin’s laid back persona, especially when he lazily strode over to give the older alicorn a hug as well. “Never thought I’d see the day we met face to face. Two of the world’s biggest secrets, aye?”

“I… I suppose that I had never thought I would meet another like myself, no.” He smiled, gently nodding his head to the darker stallion. “It is an honor to make your acquaintance.”

“Same here, cuz! We’re gonna have loads of fun when we get to Canterlot.” He tapped a hoof against the door’s carving. “Do you like the mural? I’ve been carving tons of designs all over the jungle ever since I was a colt, so I thought it would be fitting to make my last piece one about you and the new chapter that’s beginning.”

“It’s rather peculiar, but it is very well crafted. I admire your work and your devotion to it.” Oberon lit up, beaming with pride as Sonder continued. “I am also no stranger to receiving strange murals in my image, some of which present Equestria with a variety of historical inaccuracies… I am happy to see one that was not commissioned by my mother.”

“There are other murals of you?” Bubble tilted her head as Sonder nodded.

“Yes, of course. Celestia is a fanatic of the arts, and she had made many oddities in attempts to capture my image while simultaneously keeping it secret. For instance, in artwork, my mother’s hair is depicted as pink or green, since these are the most dominant colors of her mane and Aunt Luna was already known for the color blue. However, in the throne room’s mural of the royal sisters defeating discord, the hair on Celestia was later revised to be blue. This was the closest she could get to having an image of me in the throne room, so she decided to pick the only window with a positive depiction of her sister, who had been banished for centuries before I was born… There’s also a statue of me in her old castle, but it hardly looks anything like me. It was gifted to Celestia by the founders of Cloudsdale.” Sonder rolled his eyes. “You see, Cloudsdale was one of the last nations to officially join Equestria, not too long before Ponyville was founded. The founders of the city had been young and ambitious, but they were facing lots of difficulty maintaining a city in the clouds. Thus, when I was a colt, I snuck out of the castle to bring them an enchanted item from my father’s realm.”

“Historians always said that the founders of Cloudsdale were gifted the Good Fortune Garnet by a mysterious and powerful alicorn. That was you?” Oberon’s eyebrows shot up as he whistled, impressed. “And you did it by sneaking out, too?! Maybe we aren’t so different after all.”

“You said it was from your father’s world?” Bubble continued the conversation as they left the temple, helping Oberon carry his small amount of luggage. “Who was he?”

“My father was King Sombra, yet not the Sombra of this world. Centuries ago, the Pillars of Equestria had discovered that mirrors could be turned into portals that led to other worlds. Starswirl had been studying the subject in great detail before the royal sisters were kidnapped, forcing the pillars to cross dimensions to save them.” Sonder scoffed slightly. “Needless to say, every mirror was meant to be destroyed after that… Yet Starswirl’s curiosity had always been his greatest vice, so he would create a new mirror portal many years later. Celestia doubted him at first, thinking that it would now be impossible to travel to other worlds, but he certainly proved her wrong.”

“So, Celestia fell in love with the King Sombra from another world?” Bubble gasped.

“The mirror world, yes.”

“If your parents are from different worlds, what does that mean for you?” Oberon pondered aloud. “In fact, now that you’re living here, what does this mean for the Sombra of our world?”

“...I do not know.” Sonder then noticed the regalia Oberon was wearing, immediately cringing in distress. “Oh no. Please, don’t tell me your father was this world’s Sombra–”

“What?! No! When would that have ever happened?!” Oberon sputtered in shock. “King Sombra was only freed when the Crystal Empire returned, and he was banished again in less than a day. He came back to try taking over Equestria again, but he failed, and then he returned a third time with the help of Radiant Hope.” Oberon paused, furrowing his brow. “I could have sworn that he ran away with her on some sort of quest, but some ponies have said that he was simply banished again… In fact, some ponies don’t even seem to recall who Radiant Hope was… Do you think this may be a consequence of mingling between worlds?”

“Wait, if Sombra wasn’t your father, why do you look like him?”

“I look like him?”

“Yes!” Sonder watched Oberon tap his chin thoughtfully.

“I think that’s just a coincidence. My father was a kirin named Orion, a stallion who had left the Peaks of Peril before the vow of silence was set in place. He’d met Princess Luna when she was travelling Equestria. You know, that period after Nightmare Moon was defeated, but we still only ever saw Celestia making public appearances? That was when Luna and Orion met, exploring Equestria together.” Oberon smiled as he recounted the story to his friends. “In fact, Luna was actually pretty upset when she had to return to Canterlot and join her sister in ruling. That may be part of the reason she was so eager to retire alongside Celestia, despite their age gap. She wanted to explore and return to the adventure she’d missed.”

“Wait! No more history-changing stories until we get to the Badlands!” Bubble exclaimed dramatically, scribbling away with a quill on one of her scrolls. “It’s impossible to write all of this down when you keep talking so much! I need to make sure I remember all of this!” The two alicorns laughed, amused by her antics.

“What do you suppose we should talk about in the meantime?”

“Why don’t we use this as a chance to get to know each other better?” Sonder nodded in agreement to his cousin’s offer.

“Certainly. What’s the rush? We’ve got all the time in the world.”

____________________

The hidden doorway opened with the grinding of ancient stone mechanisms, revealing a passage that led directly into the heart of Canterlot Castle. Bubble stood at the threshold beside her two companions, her lime green coat dusty from their long journey and her split-dyed mane slightly disheveled from the mountain winds.

"Well," she said, trying to keep her voice light despite the weight of the moment, "I guess this is where we part ways."

Sonder stood rigidly beside her, his white coat pristine despite their travels, every inch the perfect prince even in his travel cloak. His green eyes were fixed on the darkened passage ahead with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Oberon, by contrast, seemed to vibrate with nervous energy, his cosmic mane flowing with barely contained starlight as his red eyes darted between the passage and his friends.

"You're sure you won't stay?" Oberon asked, his voice carrying a note of pleading that made Sonder's ear twitch with irritation. "Just for the night? You could meet Twilight properly, see the castle—"

"I'm sure," Bubble replied firmly, though her smile was warm. "This is your moment, Oberon. Both of yours," she added, glancing at Sonder. "Besides, someone needs to let Tezcatl and Ahuizotl know you arrived safely."

Sonder watched this exchange with growing impatience. The informal way Bubble and Oberon spoke to each other, the easy affection, the complete disregard for proper protocol. It grated against every lesson in royal etiquette he'd ever received.

"If we're going to do this," Sonder said coolly, "we should do it now. Princess Twilight is expecting us."

"Right, of course." Bubble stepped forward and, to Sonder's absolute horror, pulled Oberon into an embrace that was entirely too casual for someone speaking to a prince. "Take care of yourself in there. And remember, you're not alone anymore."

Oberon hugged her back tightly, his wings folding around her in a protective gesture that made something uncomfortable twist in Sonder's chest. "Thank you, Bubble. For everything."

When she turned to Sonder, he stiffened, expecting- and dreading- similar familiarity. Instead, she offered him a small bow that was neither mocking nor obsequious, just... respectful.

"Take care of him," she said quietly. "And let him take care of you."

Before Sonder could formulate a response to that presumptuous statement, Bubble had stepped back into the mountain path and was walking away, her figure quickly swallowed by the evening shadows.

"Well," Oberon said, his voice overly bright. "Shall we?"

Sonder looked at his cousin, this stranger who was supposed to be family, and felt a familiar cold settle in his chest. This wasn’t the fellow prince he’d hoped to meet. In place of kinsmanship or comradery, there was only a growing culture clash and ever present divide. "Indeed. Let's get this over with."

The passage led them through a maze of secret corridors that Sonder knew by heart. He moved with practiced silence, every hoofstep placed with precision, while behind him Oberon seemed to stumble over every loose stone and breathe too loudly in the echoing tunnels.

"Could you possibly make more noise?" Sonder hissed over his shoulder. "I'm sure there are a few guards in the outer baileys who didn't hear you."

"Sorry," Oberon whispered back, but there was an edge to his voice that suggested he wasn't actually sorry at all. "Some of us weren't raised to sneak around like criminals."

Sonder's wings ruffled before he could stop them. "Some of us understand the necessity of discretion."

"Some of us understand the necessity of not being ashamed of who we are."

They had stopped walking, facing each other in the narrow corridor, and Sonder could see the reflection of his own green magic in Oberon's red eyes. For a moment, the air between them crackled with barely restrained power.
Then a new voice cut through the tension.

"Gentlemen."

Both princes turned to see Princess Twilight Sparkle standing at the end of the corridor, her horn glowing with soft magenta light. She looked every inch the ruler she had become that morning. Composed, regal, but with warmth in her violet eyes that seemed carefully calculated rather than genuine.

"Your Highness," Sonder said, his voice perfectly neutral as he offered a precise bow. There was no warmth in his greeting, no acknowledgment of anything beyond basic protocol. "We have arrived as you commanded." The word choice was deliberate. Not 'requested,' not 'arranged.' Commanded. As if this were another imposition from the mare who had stolen his birthright.

Oberon's bow was less formal but no less respectful. "Princess Twilight. Thank you for inviting me here to join your ranks of Equestrian nobility."

Twilight's smile seemed to falter slightly at Sonder's coldness, but she pressed on. "Please, just Twilight when we're in private. We're family, after all."

"Are we?" Sonder's tone was politely skeptical, as if he were questioning a mildly interesting historical claim rather than acknowledging family bonds. The uncomfortable silence that followed was broken by Twilight gesturing for them to follow her.

"Come. There's someone I'd like you both to meet."

They emerged into a more familiar part of the castle, one of the private study rooms that Sonder knew well. Sitting at a small desk, organizing scrolls with the efficiency of a seasoned bureaucrat despite his small stature, was a purple dragon. It was the very same dragon that Sonder had nearly introduced himself to days ago, though he failed to recognize exactly what station such a small creature held beyond providing Twilight with companionship. Perhaps he was some sort of messenger or a guard. That, or maybe his presence was just another instance of Celestia’s heinous nepotism at play. If Twilight liked the dragon, the dragon would stay. How dreadfully predictable.
"Spike, I'd like you to meet Prince Sonder and Prince Oberon." The dragon looked up, his green eyes taking in both alicorns with undisguised curiosity.

"So you're the mysterious cousins I've been hearing whispers about." He hopped down from his chair and offered them a small bow. "Spike, Number One Assistant to Princess Twilight and general keeper of castle chaos."

Sonder blinked. He had expected many things, but not this level of... informality from someone who clearly held an important position. "The dragon serves as your advisor?" The question was directed at Twilight, but his tone suggested he found the arrangement questionable at best.

"The dragon," Spike began with mock offense, "is standing right here and has a name."

"My apologies," Sonder replied, though his tone suggested he wasn't particularly sorry. "I simply find it... unusual for a dragon to hold such a position in an Equestrian court."

"Spike has been my assistant and friend since I was a filly," Twilight said, a slight edge creeping into her voice. "He's earned his position through years of dedicated service."

Unlike some ponies… Instead of voicing this thought, Sonder simply nodded. "I see. How... progressive of you." Oberon, clearly sensing the tension, stepped in.

"I think it's cool! I've never met a dragon before. Well, except for the ancient gargoyles in the temple, but they don't really count. Stone statues and all that.” Oberon snickered and offered a hoof, to which Spike replied by bumping his own clawed fist against it. Whatever modern handshake or social ritual this was, Sonder was for once grateful he’d been isolated from such. It was a plain display of disregard for status and protocol.

"Temple dragons?" Spike's eyes lit up with interest, clearly grateful for the change in topic. "You have got to tell me about those sometime! I’ve seen tons of monsters like that in my comic books, but I bet it’s nothing like the real thing.”

“Comic books? As in comedic stories, or…?”

“You’ve never read a comic before?!” Spike leaned against one of Oberon’s legs, patting the tall stallion’s shoulder with theatrical sympathy. “Oh, buddy. I’ll get you hooked on them within a week.”

Twilight watched this exchange with obvious relief, but Sonder could see the way she kept glancing at him nervously. Good. She should be nervous.

"Spike will be helping you both adjust to castle life," Twilight continued, her tone carefully diplomatic. "He knows every secret passage, every staff member, and every protocol worth knowing." She paused, her expression growing more serious. "The guards and staff will be briefed tomorrow morning, and we'll have a formal introduction gala tomorrow evening. But tonight, you can rest and... get acquainted."

Something in her tone suggested she was well aware that 'getting acquainted' might not be the smooth process she was hoping for.

"Prince Sonder, I've arranged for temporary quarters for Prince Oberon adjacent to your chambers. Permanent rooms will be prepared by tomorrow afternoon."

Sonder felt his eye twitch. She was forcing them together, controlling their living arrangements just like she controlled everything else in this castle. "How... thoughtful of you to make such arrangements without consulting me first."

Twilight's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "I apologize if the arrangements are inconvenient. I thought family would want to be close together."

"Did you?" Sonder's smile was razor-thin. "How presumptuous."

"That sounds perfect," Oberon said quickly, apparently oblivious to the undercurrent of hostility. "I'm sure we'll manage just fine."

Sonder's smile felt like it might crack his face. "Absolutely. Just fine."

"This is... cozy."

Oberon stood in the center of Sonder's meticulously organized bedroom, looking around at the dark wood furniture, perfectly arranged books, and astronomical instruments placed with mathematical precision on their designated shelves. Everything was pristine, orderly, and absolutely devoid of personality.

"It's organized." Sonder replied stiffly, watching in horror as Oberon casually tossed his travel bag onto the spare bed that had been hastily moved into the room. "Everything has its place."

"Right, right. Yeah, I get that." Oberon picked up one of Sonder's crystal paperweights, examining it with mild interest. "Do you actually read these books, or are they just for show?"

Sonder's magic flared, and the paperweight was yanked from Oberon's grasp and returned to its exact position on the desk. "Those books contain the accumulated wisdom of centuries. Of course I read them."

"All of them?" Oberon gestured at the towering shelves. "Even the one about... let's see... 'Proper Hoof Placement During Formal Court Presentations'?"

"Especially that one." Sonder's voice was arctic. "Some of us take our royal responsibilities seriously."

"Okay, okay. Geez, relax." Oberon moved to the window, gazing out at the moonlit city below. "When was the last time you actually left this castle? Talked to a pony who wasn't nobility?"

"I don't need to leave the castle to understand my duties."

"No, I suppose you wouldn't." Oberon's tone was light, almost conversational, but there was something sharp underneath. "After all, why bother with actual subjects when you can just read about them?"

Sonder turned slowly, his green eyes glittering dangerously. "What would you know about royal duty? You've spent your entire life playing in the jungle, eating fruit and chatting with temple cats."

"At least I know what it feels like to help someone." Oberon's red eyes flashed. "When did you last use your magic for anything other than organizing books and scaring off servants?"

"When did you last use yours for anything more significant than giving someone pleasant dreams?"

They were facing each other across the small room now, both sets of wings partially spread in instinctive territorial displays. The air between them shimmered with barely controlled magic. Brilliant green energy meeting red shadow and flame.

"You know what I think?" Oberon said, his voice deceptively calm. "I think you're not angry at me for being informal. I think you're angry because someone else got the childhood you never had."

Sonder's horn blazed brighter. "I think you're not as carefree as you pretend to be. I think you're terrified that, now that you're here, you'll have to actually live up to being a prince instead of just playing at it."

The silence that followed was thick with tension and uncomfortable truths. Finally, Oberon turned away, beginning to unpack his few belongings with sharp, angry movements.

"Well," he said, his voice carefully controlled, "I suppose we'll find out tomorrow night at this gala, won't we? Should be interesting to see which one of us actually knows how to handle royal responsibility."

Sonder began preparing for bed with rigid, mechanical precision. "Indeed. I'm sure it will be... illuminating."

As they settled into their respective beds, the darkness between them felt charged with mutual resentment and the weight of everything left unsaid. Neither of them slept well that night, but neither would admit it in the morning.

____________________

"Everypony, may I present Prince Sonder, son of Princess Celestia, and Prince Oberon, son of Princess Luna."

The assembled castle staff and guards stood in perfect formation in the main courtyard, their expressions carefully neutral as Twilight made the formal introduction. Sonder stood with flawless posture, every inch the perfect prince, while Oberon managed to look both regal and approachable. A balance that made Sonder's jaw clench with irritation.

"Prince Sonder has been a valued member of our castle family for many years," Twilight continued, and Sonder almost snorted at the description. Valued. Hidden away like a shameful secret, more like. "And Prince Oberon brings with him extensive knowledge of magical theory and navigation of the dream realm."

A murmur of interest went through the crowd at that last bit. Sonder noted with annoyance that several of the younger guards looked distinctly impressed.

"Both princes will be taking on increased responsibilities as we transition into this new era of Equestrian leadership," Twilight said. "I trust you will all extend them the respect and support they deserve."

The staff bowed in unison, a gesture of acceptance that should have felt like validation. Instead, Sonder found himself watching how easily Oberon smiled at the assembled ponies, how naturally he seemed to connect with them even in this formal setting.

"Thank you all," Oberon said when Twilight indicated they should address the crowd. "I'm looking forward to working with each of you and learning more about how Canterlot operates."

Learning more. As if he were a student rather than a prince. Sonder stepped forward, his voice carrying the authority he'd been trained to project.

"The royal family appreciates your continued service and discretion," he said formally. "We trust that you understand the sensitive nature of this transition."

The difference in their approaches was stark. Several staff members exchanged glances that Sonder definitely noticed and didn't appreciate.

As the crowd dispersed, Spike bounded up to them with a scroll in his claws.

"That went well," he said cheerfully. "Now, about tonight's gala. We've got the guest list finalized, the menu approved, and the protocol briefings ready for both of you."

"Protocol briefings?" Oberon looked puzzled. "Is it that complicated?"

Sonder couldn't help the small, superior smile that crossed his face. "You'll find that proper court etiquette is somewhat more complex than jungle informality."

"Oh, it's not that bad," Spike said quickly, clearly sensing the tension. "Just the usual. Proper forms of address, precedence for introductions, dining etiquette, dance protocols..."

"Dance protocols?" Oberon looked genuinely alarmed now.

"Nothing too formal," Spike assured him. "Though Princess Flurry Heart will be attending, so there will be some Crystal Empire ceremonial elements..."

Both princes immediately stopped.

"Princess who?" Sonder's voice was dangerously quiet.

"Flurry Heart," Spike repeated, suddenly realizing he might have said something significant. "Princess Cadance's daughter? Your cousin?"

Sonder and Oberon stared at each other, then at Spike, then at Twilight, who had just approached and caught the tail end of the conversation.

"Oh," Twilight said, her expression carefully neutral. "I thought you both knew about Flurry Heart. She’s been out in the public eye since her Crystalling ceremony at the Crystal Empire."

"We have ANOTHER cousin?" Oberon's voice climbed an octave.

"Who's been a public princess since birth?" Sonder's voice went in the opposite direction, becoming deadly calm.

"Well," Twilight began, clearly wishing she were anywhere else, "It's... complicated."

"Complicated how?" Both princes spoke in unison, paused, and then glared at each other.

Spike looked between them nervously. "Should I... should I maybe explain this later? After you've both had some time to..."

"No," Sonder said, his green eyes blazing. "Please. Do enlighten us about how our cousin has been living as a public princess while we've been hidden away like shameful secrets."

"It's really not that simple–" Twilight began, but Oberon cut her off.

"Let me guess," He said, his usual warmth replaced by something much sharper. "She's more convenient than we are. Easier to explain. Less politically complicated." The accuracy of that assessment hit a little too close to home, and Twilight's slight wince confirmed what both princes were thinking. Oberon angrily stomped his hoof, unable to deny how deeply this hurt him.

“It must be such a blessing to be born of crystals and light in place of darkness and shadow.”

“Or to be born as the bastard child of two worlds never meant to meet.”

“Yes! Stars forbid Equestria is ruled by somepony who isn’t sparkly and pleasant.”

"Well," Sonder said, his voice dripping with false pleasantry, "I'm sure this evening will be absolutely delightful. Meeting the cousin who got everything we never did."

"Should be super fascinating." Oberon agreed, his tone matching Sonder's exactly.

For the first time since meeting, they were in complete agreement about something. Unfortunately, what they agreed on was that they were both very, VERY angry.

As they stalked off in opposite directions to prepare for the gala, Spike turned to Twilight with an expression of deep concern.

"I feel like I just made this a whole lot worse."

Twilight watched the two princes disappear around separate corners, both radiating barely contained anger and resentment.

"I don't think it was going to get better on its own," She said with a sigh. "But tonight is definitely going to be... interesting."

In the distance, they could hear the sound of doors slamming. First one, then another, as both princes retreated to whatever private spaces they could find to nurse their wounded pride and burning anger.

The gala, Twilight realized, was going to be a very long evening indeed.

____________________

Many years ago…

“The baby is an alicorn?!”

Twilight stammered in shock as she gazed upon her niece, the pale pink filly giggling and babbling softly as she reached towards the purple pony with clumsy hooves.

“It looks that way…” Cadance replied, sending an uneasy glance towards her aunts. Celestia and Luna had arrived extremely quickly, once news of Cadance’s birth reached Equestrian soil. It seemed that they might have travelled independently from their respective unit of guards, arriving in a magical flash that nearly gave half of Shining Armor’s troops a heart attack. Cadance suspected it was because her filly was an alicorn, just as their own children had been.

However, news of Cadance’s pregnancy had been buzzing throughout the entire empire long before Celestia or Luna first caught wind of it. By then, it was too late for them to keep the child secret, though Celestia had offered to use a transformative enchantment if the child were born… wrong. Cadance hadn’t spoken to her for a month after that remark, though Celestia did later come to the empire to apologize and make amends. It wasn’t that she feared that the world wasn’t ready for another alicorn. No, she was afraid of what would happen if a natural born alicorn had been raised in Equestria.

Skyros was the kingdom of the alicorns, an ancient city far from Equestria and long forgotten by the pony tribes below. When Celestia and Luna had migrated to live in Equestria, they were both young fillies on the cusp of their teenage years. Even so, it was plain to see the damage had been done. Instead of growing up with fellow alicorns as regular residents, the two fillies were regarded as goddesses, worshipped as queens before their princess titles had been bestowed. Celestia had seen how it changed them both for the worse. In her younger years, she had become selfish and vain, far too frustrated to see that her sister had been left behind, growing resentful and bitter. It was because of Equestria’s influence that she nearly lost her sister, a mistake she would never forgive herself for.

When Sonder was born, Celestia’s first instinct was to have him raised in the mirror world, a place where he may be openly embraced and beloved. However, this solution didn’t last. Sonder’s body would become weak, fatigued and unwell if he stayed in one world for too long. He belonged to both worlds, not just one. Thus, he had to live in both worlds, spending time in each and travelling through the portal in Canterlot’s archive. It was only after the loss of Sombra that Sonder was able to remain physically anchored to her world alone.

He had sacrificed himself to save her, embracing the darkness that once corrupted her own world’s Sombra as well…

After Luna’s return, she would eventually want to raise Oberon to be humble and kind, free from the shackles of nobility that once poisoned her mind. The two sisters each had their reasons to keep the young colts secret from the rest of the world. It was just going to be very unfortunate when they’d finally meet, especially with a third alicorn in a mix.

An alicorn who had been a princess to the public since her birth.

“But... But... But I thought Alicorn wings had to be earned by accomplishing some great, princess-worthy deed!”

“Yeah. How can you just be born with 'em?”

Celestia and Luna exchanged a glance. They knew what they’d have to do.

“...The birth of an Alicorn is something Equestria has never seen.”

“It is beyond even our understanding.”

They lied. As the commotion went on, Cadance couldn’t hide her glare, coldly dismissing her aunts as soon as the opportunity later arose. Once she had a moment alone in the nursery, Cadance sat beside the cradle and gently placed her hoof upon the little filly’s chest.

“Don’t worry, Flurry… I’m not going to let anything hurt you. Not now, not ever…”

____________________

Many, many years later…

“Do you have any clue why Twilight summoned us to Canterlot?” Princess Flurry Heart, heir to the Crystal Empire and daughter of Princess Cadance, watched buildings pass through the train window. They were entering the city and would arrive at the train station soon.

“I’m afraid not, but I’m hoping it isn’t anything bad. Twilight never calls us for a casual visit, especially not with a formal invitation.” Cadance replied, trying to keep a calm tone to her voice. Despite her best efforts to keep their fellow passengers at ease, her wings remained tucked close to her sides, and her body was unnaturally tense. Flurry Heart nodded and glanced towards their travel companions as her mother wandered off, stationing herself on the other side of the aisle to confide in her guards.

The train car had been privately reserved as a royal escort, so most other passengers were crystal guards or Canterlot soldiers. The stallion seated at her side was probably the only exception to this rule, and his eyes were trained on her own. Golden Glimpse was an interesting character, to say the least. He had arrived in the Crystal Empire with no knowledge of Equestria, and he sought out the princesses to help him acclimate to their culture. He was a pegasus from Timbucktu, and his family had been among the few survivors of a changeling invasion centuries ago. Golden had hopes of helping his family rejoin the rest of Equestria, so he became the official ambassador between the two kingdoms.

“Princess, I thought that your customs claimed it was rude to stare.” Golden’s sudden comment kept Flurry Heart from being lost in thought for too long. His golden eyes were trained on her own, the amber gemstones twinkling in the light of the window.

“I wasn’t staring!” The princess waved a hoof in dismissal, ignoring the darker shade of pink that was quickly dusting her cheeks. “I’m just nervous. I haven’t left the empire for a while… I wonder how much Canterlot has changed.” Golden Glimpse raised an eyebrow in skepticism.

“I highly doubt that Princess Twilight has made many changes. After all, it hasn’t even been twenty years since Celestia and Luna retired.” That was a good point. Twilight had always been very adamant about maintaining the legacy of her mentor, and she still looked to the royal sisters for advice, despite rising to a higher status as their true equals. Flurry Heart frowned.

“She really shouldn’t look up to them so much. She’s the ruler of Equestria, but she still worships the ground they walk on! It’s… I don’t know… Weird.” Flurry decided that was the best way to put it. Weird. Twilight Sparkle had always been strange, though, so this was just one of her many quirks that had become more prominent over the years.

“Isn’t she your aunt?” Golden kept his eyes glued to the crystal princess, who had just taken a sudden interest in the train car’s floor beneath her hooves. “Princess.” Was the carpet on the train always such a dull shade of green? What a fascinating color– “Flurry Heart.”

“It’s a touchy subject.” If it had been anyone else to ask, the young alicorn would have lashed out and snapped at them for bothering her with such a personal inquiry. Golden Glimpse seemed to be an exception to her strict rules about privacy. The ONLY exception.

“Understood.” The stallion gave a quiet nod. “If it’s any consolation, I didn’t have a great relationship with my aunt either. Or any of my family, for that matter…” If Golden previously had her interest, he now had her undivided attention. “My father in particular was very hard on me. He was absent for most of my upbringing. Running away from home probably didn’t help.” Flurry felt her body relax as her eyes softened. Gently, she allowed one of her wings to brush against his own, patiently waiting for him to meet her gaze before she replied.

“...Ever since she was crowned as the ruler of Equestria, Twilight seemed to become much more distant. I guess I shouldn’t blame her, since she’s always so busy fighting ancient villains and recovering magical relics, but… I guess it’s just hard to put my own personal bias aside.” Flurry Heart frowned, voice growing quiet as memories filled her mind. “She used to spend so much time with me, but now she hardly ever visits for any reason other than work. Last time she was at the Crystal Empire, I practically had to beg to seek an audience with her. You know, my aunt, who seems to be far too busy with her special little magic students to spend any time with me.” Golden’s expression became a look of understanding.

“You’re jealous.”

“What?”

“You wish that Princess Twilight would treat you the way she treats the two princes.”

“I… I guess I can’t really deny it…” Flurry Heart felt her ears press back. “She was supposed to be my mentor first. She was supposed to teach me all about magic and guide me through alicornhood. It feels like she left me behind…” When Golden’s hoof moved to rest next to her own, she didn’t pull away. “What if I hardly recognize her? I haven’t seen her for years, not since my coronation.”

“It seems like the city of Canterlot isn’t what you’re afraid of seeing change.” The crystal princess opened her mouth to argue, but a familiar train whistle quickly brought their conversation to an end. Looking out the window, Flurry could see the marble platform outside bustling with busy city ponies and nobles. They had arrived in Canterlot.

“Come on, Flurry Heart. We don’t want to leave Twilight waiting.”

Chapter Text

Equestria’s princess stood alone on the Canterlot Castle balcony. An enchanted medallion laid forgotten at her hooves, motionless and eerily quiet. The floor was no place for such a powerful conduit of magic, especially a medallion with as much importance as this one, yet the princess made no move to retrieve it. Her eyes were instead trained up on the sky, with the sort of gaze one would show when they find themself lost in thought. The stars. She stared at the stars, as if a stern glare would be enough to command their obedience. Despite all of her best efforts, her wordless prayer would not be answered tonight. The stars remained the same.

The evening’s silence was breached by the familiar chime of a music box, one that sang with the beauty of any morning bird’s song. It was time to raise the sun. The princess knew this, yet the music box’s melody never seemed to reach her ears. She remained entranced by the suffocating silence that had already consumed all of her mind.

Princess Twilight Sparkle was a mare of logic. She always had been, and ever since she was a filly, there was a way to the world that she sought to understand. Within each legend and every textbook of Equestria, there were few facts that would always remain the same, yet the consistency of those facts is what many ponies relied on to keep themselves sane. The sky was up, the earth was down. Grass was green, as were the leaves, and their colors would only change as seasons came to pass. Every morning, the moon would set. Every dawn, the sun would rise. This had to be true. It always has been.

One could argue that Nightmare Moon had stopped the sun from rising, but the fact of the matter was that her appearances throughout history have never lasted for more than a day. Some would claim that grass can change colors as well, with the use of illusion spells or sorcery, but this is just as false as a changeling’s own disguise. Underneath the facade, the grass will be green. After Nightmare Moon is gone, the sun will rise again. These facts must remain consistent, as they were the only parts of this magical world that never seemed to change. Yet as centuries come to pass, Princess Twilight learned a thing or two about the land she now ruled.

You see, ponies of all kinds have very special connections to their natural element. Earth ponies can connect to nature, the pegasi control the skies, and unicorns can wield all powers of magic itself. Alicorns were no different, yet while being gifted with the three connections of ponykind, there was a fourth powerful bond that was unique to each one. Alicorns had a special link to the domain that they were destined to rule. Celestia can channel the warmth of the sun, Luna can enter the world of dreams, and Cadance can perceive love in its truest form. Twilight’s bond was one with the stars. She could feel the stars as they felt her, magic entwined with the celestial bodies above. Her link was so powerful that, on any given day, Twilight Sparkle would feel the stars moving across the sky. Her magic would sense it, and she would be at peace with the knowledge that Equestria’s status quo had remained consistent for another day.

This is the princess now stared at the sky, eyes trained on the twinkling lights up among the clouds. This is why the music box went unheard and the medallion lay forgotten on the floor. This is why she hesitated to raise the sun, too fixated on the alarming realization that had shaken her to her core.

The stars had stopped moving.

The Elements of Harmony would soon be in danger…

____________________

Princess Cadance smiled at her daughter, waving a hoof to beckon her towards the train car’s doors. Flurry Heart let out a breath she didn’t know she'd been holding. She rose from her seat and trotted to her mother’s side as they exited the train together. Flurry didn’t have to look back to know that Golden was following close behind, along with the various crystal guards scanning the crowds around them. Through the crowds, Flurry Heart could already spot their escort up ahead. It was the one pony she had dreaded interacting with ever since this trip had begun.

“Princess Cadance! Princess Flurry Heart!” A lime green unicorn mare waved her hoof, practically bouncing in place as she eagerly awaited their arrival. “I’m so glad that you made it! Princess Twilight asked me to escort you to the castle. I’m sure you know where it is by now, but who am I to question royal formalities and tradition?” She offered a friendly smile and laughed. While Cadance lit up with delight in response to the greeting, Flurry Heart could hardly suppress an irritated scoff. She was happy to see her friends again, but knowing that Princess Twilight would be there only ruined her mood.

“Bubble! It’s so lovely to see you again. How have your studies been since you moved to Canterlot?” Bubble Brew, the incredibly gifted student of Princess Luna. She had been Prince Oberon’s childhood friend, and the alicorn’s mother had decided to take Bubble in as her personal protege after learning she was able to roam the dream realm. The mare had been very hesitant at first, but she had taken a few years to mull over the decision while she worked from Hollow Shades. She’d only recently moved into the castle to live with the royals. Bubble was one of the only friends that Flurry Heart had, aside from the pegasus standing dutifully at her side. If it weren’t for the witch’s presence, this visit would be a vacation for her.

The witch in question was Princess Twilight Sparkle, ruler of Equestria and embodiment of friendship. Flurry Heart couldn’t think of a friendly face that sent more shudders through her body. She hated her.

“It’s been wonderful! Thank you for asking!” Bubble smiled and began to trot alongside Cadance, allowing the group to follow her through the streets of Canterlot. “Luckily, we won’t have to deal with too many crowds. I know a shortcut!” Flurry quickly tuned out of the conversation as Bubble continued to talk her mother’s ear off. She had no clue how Cadance could be so calm around the energetic mare, especially since Flurry Heart would usually be smiling along by now. Her enthusiasm was infectious. When she felt soft feathers brush against her side, she noticed Golden giving her a look of empathy. His eyes were always so warm and kind, brimming with unconditional compassion that he would offer to no other mare. If Flurry Heart began to blush, nobody went out of their way to mention it.

The throne room was just as grand and spacious as Flurry remembered it being. Bubble continued to make small talk with Princess Cadance until they came to a stop a few paces ahead of the throne. The royal guards were dismissed, silently retreating to the hallway to wait outside and guard the door. Golden Glimpse made no move to follow them, and a cold glare from Flurry Heart stopped any castle staff from ordering him to do so. Thus, the stoic pegasus stayed by her side as Bubble gleefully exchanged pleasantries with Equestria’s princes.

“Cadance, Flurry Heart, welcome back to Canterlot!” Prince Oberon grinned, happily trotting across the room to greet his cousin and her entourage. Prince Sonder followed suit, carrying himself in a much more regal and stoic manner. “Bubble, you too! I didn’t know you got back from your lessons so early.” Bubble giggled and dismissed his concern.

“It’s alright, I’ve been too busy to let you know! I would have greeted you at the gates, but Princess Twilight wanted me to escort Princess Cadance and Princess Flurry Heart from the train station.” Flurry Heart rolled her eyes. She was starting to get sick of hearing the word “princess” listed as a title every other minute. The repetitive nature of every greeting was growing rather obnoxious, and it was something that she wished could be banished from the conversation entirely.

“Flurry Heart, you have grown a lot since we last spoke.” The alicorn in question lifted her head, quickly snapping back to reality with a jolt of surprise. It seemed that her mother had already engaged in a friendly conversation with her two cousins, both of whom were now looking down at her expectantly. Sonder, who no had never truly ruled the kingdom before, still held himself with such poise and grace that anyone could be fooled to believe otherwise. Oberon was no different, quietly watching Flurry Heart with an intrigued gaze and a playful smile.

“Thank you all for coming so quickly.” All heads turned towards the doors of the throne room as Princess Twilight entered, allowing Bubble to slip away and join the guards in the hallway. Her hair was majestic, far more so than Flurry Heart remembered from their last meeting. Just as Celestia and Luna’s once had, Twilight’s mane was flowing through the air, as if some sort of magical wind was moving it around in ethereal slow motion. Stars and sparkles twinkled in the glow of her magical mane, and her body seemed to have grown in height to contain her large reserves of power. The violet alicorn smiled as she stood before the other rulers in the throne room. “It’s been far too long since we’ve all met together like this. We really need to find time to do this more often, preferably when Equestria isn’t in some sort of danger.” Despite giving a good humored laugh, there was worry in Twilight’s eyes. She looked exhausted.

“What is the danger that threatens Equestria? It can’t possibly be another ancient bad guy we have to banish, right? The kingdom has been at peace for many years now.” Oberon frowned, clearly unhappy with the thought of another one of their mothers’ old rivals returning for revenge. From what Flurry Heart could gather, ancient Equestria was a very hectic time.

“It’s nothing like that, Oberon.” Twilight quickly put his worries to rest.

“Then what is it?” Sonder spoke cooly, giving the taller alicorn a sharp glare. The only reason that Cadance and Twilight were now just as tall as Celestia was because they weren’t immortal, so they still aged as any other pony would. Flurry Heart and her cousins would instead stop growing in their teen years, similar to Princess Luna, and would thus take centuries to become as tall. Flurry could imagine that Sonder resented this fact, given their shared disdain for Equestria’s newest princess. Twilight sighed.

“The stars have stopped moving.” A series of frightened and startled gasps cut through the quiet throne room. Golden Glimpse was taken aback, growing tense where he stood at Flurry Heart’s side. He remained silent out of respect for the alicorns, but Flurry could tell that his mind must be racing.

“How could that happen?” Princess Cadance anxiously paced the length of the room. “Celestia and Luna gave you the enchanted medallion! You should be able to use that to control the sun and moon, along with the stars. Why would they suddenly stop?!”

“I already know why.” Twilight interrupted Cadance’s panicked pacing by resting a hoof on her shoulder. All eyes were now on Equestria’s princess. Twilight, aware that she had everyone’s attention, trotted over to her throne as she spoke. “Back in the era of the three tribes, every part of the world shared a strong connection with a different type of pony. Earth ponies could control the plantlife, pegasi controlled the weather, and unicorns controlled the celestial bodies of the sky. In more scholarly terms, these bonds are called magical links. The world needed these three magical links to maintain balance and harmony within nature itself. Ponies were all born with magic, even non-unicorns, and the magic inside of their bodies is essential to bringing prosperity to the world, which has no innate magic of its own.” Twilight frowned, now standing in front of the throne as she faced the others. “Without earth pony magic, the plants won’t grow. Without pegasus magic, the weather won’t change. Without unicorn magic, the celestial bodies won’t move. Yes, there are anomalies to this logic, such as the Everfree Forest, but those are locations with cursed soil and magical roots. The majority of Equestria has no such magic…”

“But what happened after Celestia and Luna took the unicorns’ job?” Cadance was confused. Thankfully, Twilight was more than eager to explain.

“Once the royal sisters took the throne, they were able to move the sun and moon with the unicorn magic in their bodies. Alicorns have the magic of all three tribes, after all, yet those very same powers are greatly amplified. One alicorn can cast spells that would usually require a group of ten unicorns, and the same rules apply to weather control or growing plant life. When Celestia and Luna began to move the sun and moon respectively, the unicorns had no reason to continue their connection with the sky… Thus, the unicorn tribe’s magical link was severed. In recent generations, a new magical link was formed, yet it is one between unicorns and light itself. This is why one of the most simple spells to cast is illumination. Unicorns now wield the power to manipulate and control light, but they cannot move the celestial bodies anymore.” Twilight sighed, igniting her own horn with a soft pink glow. “Celestia and Luna were the ones maintaining a magical link with the stars. Now that they have both retired and stopped moving the celestial bodies, their connection is growing weak. Without any magic being shared with the sky, the stars don’t have the power they need to continue moving. Soon enough, even if I use the medallion to cast the spell, the sun and moon will stop moving as well… I do not have enough innate magic to create a similar bond between the sky and myself. I have already tried.”

“I had no idea that our mothers’ bonds were so sacred…” Oberon muttered, quietly looking towards the stained window that depicted the royal sisters’ retirement. Sonder looked on with wide eyes, too shocked to speak.

“But if Celestia and Luna are losing their connection to the stars, and you don’t have the power to form a magical link like they once had…” Flurry Heart felt herself grow pale. “What will happen to Equestria? Unicorns can’t move the celestial bodies anymore, so we can’t even bring back the council to perform the task!”

“Don’t worry, Flurry Heart. I wouldn’t have invited you all here if I didn’t have a solution.” Twilight smiled, using her magic to levitate over a set of six crystals; the Elements of Harmony. Flurry Heart immediately recognized the powerful relics, yet she was surprised to see them in their crystalized forms once again. “The world would fall apart if ponykind’s magical links are lost. Since unicorns have formed a different bond, the royal sisters were the only ones who shared a connection with the celestial bodies. Thus, now that their magical link is fading, we need to create new ponies to inherit their bond.”

“What does this have to do with the Elements of Harmony?” Oberon raised an eyebrow.

“The Elements of Harmony had been discovered by Princesses Celestia and Luna during the reign of Discord. When the elements were used to defeat him, they created a special bond with the royal sisters, allowing the gems to inherit all of their magic. This includes their connection to the skies above…” The group of nobles watched Twilight levitate the elemental gems to her side. “When my friends and I became elemental bearers, we were given access to that divine magic as well, but it would only work when we actively used the elements. If we wanted someone to wield that power constantly, they would have to inherit it from the elements, but there’s only one way to pass down ancient magic like this…”

“You can’t possibly be suggesting…” It was the first time that Golden had spoken up, unable to stop himself from interrupting. Twilight’s eyes seemed to light up with a small spark of excitement.

“I have crafted a very powerful scroll by combining my knowledge of all arcane magic and ancient alicorn spells. If my calculations are correct, I can take the Elements of Harmony and turn them into ponies who will be able to protect Equestria for many generations. Once I cast the spell on these gemstones, their magic will be given a new life of its own, creating young heirs that will be able to restore their magic’s fading bond with the sky.”

“You… discovered how to create living ponies… from magic?” Princess Cadance was in shock.

“I know that it’s a lot to ask,” Twilight began, trotting back to where the others stood with a determined look on her face. “But it is Equestria’s last hope. The world needs living ponies to have a magical link with the sky. Without that magic, the stars will remain frozen in place, and I’m afraid that Equestria would fall apart once the sun and moon follow suit. The medallion that the princesses gave me is not enough. It has to be a living pony harnessing this magic. We need to create heirs to set the stars in motion and revive the Elements of Harmony.” The room fell silent for a moment. Flurry Heart felt fatigued at the thought. Creating ponies from magic? Was that even possible? What would happen to the elements once their magic was taken away? Would they be left completely powerless, or would they disappear altogether? Before she could process all of these questions, Cadance stepped forward.

“Twilight Sparkle, I have never once doubted your ability to do what is right for Equestria, and I certainly don’t intend on starting now.” She bowed her head, igniting her horn with a brilliant blue glow. “My magic is yours. Whatever you need to cast the spell, take it.” Twilight smiled, brimming with pride as she stood before the bowing alicorn.

“I have already infused these crystals with the magic of our most powerful unicorn sorcerers. While they will be born as the living embodiments of harmony, they will also have the DNA of Equestria’s greatest heroes. Starswirl gave his power to the element of magic, Stygian to the element of honesty, and Starlight Glimmer the element of generosity. I have also been gifted an artifact with the ancient magic of Princess Amore, which was woven into the element of laughter. Tempest Shadow gave her strength for the element of loyalty and, last but not least, Rockhoof lended his own might for the element of kindness.” Twilight smiled at the six gems, endlessly fond. “Celestia and Luna have given me their magic to enhance each element's strength. I have everything I need to cast the spell now, I only need one more alicorn’s magic to help me perform it.”

“I’m ready. Let’s do it now.” Cadance nodded with a determined huff.

“Sonder, Oberon, Flurry Heart, I suggest that you step back. You too, Golden Glimpse. I don’t know how casting this spell will go…” As Princess Twilight began to harness Celestia and Luna’s magic, Sonder brought Flurry Heart and Golden back towards the doors, using his wings to shield them from the blinding glow emitting from the center of the throne room. Oberon stood beside them, looking on in awe. There was a powerful blast that shook the castle. Suddenly, after a brilliant burst of light, it was done.

When Sonder lowered his wings, Flurry Heart took a moment to study the scene before them. Her mother still stood with Princess Twilight, yet she had a hoof to her mouth in shock. Slowly, Flurry Heart shifted her gaze to observe the reason why.

Two young colts were being held above the ground in the soft pink aura of Princess Twilight’s magic. The first was an orange unicorn with brilliant purple eyes. His mane sparkled, and it faded from indigo to a royal blue, along with orange and green stripes to accent it. His brother, a pale grey unicorn with green eyes, had a similar magic in his own mane, which was white with stripes of lime green and violet. Twilight smiled at the two colts, who stared back at her with wide eyes.

“Twilight, you did it!” Princess Cadance stepped forward to greet the two young colts, beaming happily as Twilight looked over her successors. Oberon and Sonder had already gathered as well, both eager to see what the elements had created.

“Why are there only two of them? Aren’t there six elements?” Sonder looked to where the magical crystals had once been, tensing when he realized the gems were now gone.

“The rest will be born more gradually. It is a lot of magic to exhaust at once, and Equestria is a very big place… I’m sure that the others will be brought into existence in due time, and when they’re ready to be found, we will find them.” Flurry Heart finally trotted up to join the others, tilting her head curiously as Golden Glimpse followed closely behind.

“What are their names?” After a moment of thought, Princess Twilight smiled.

“I think it’s obvious that Celestia and Luna’s magic played a big role in the creation of the first two. After all, they’re practically the spitting image of the day and night. Thus, they will be henceforth known as… Atlas Sun and Violet Moon.”

____________________

The years passed like pages turning in a well-loved book, each season bringing new stories with it.

In the castle courtyard, spring sunshine filtered through ancient oak trees as Princess Twilight watched her sons with quiet pride. Prince Vi had discovered his talent for transmutation magic earlier than most foals learned to levitate a scroll. Now, he danced through the flower beds with pure joy, his horn lighting up as roses shifted from red to blue. His laughter rang out through the palace courtyard as he transformed an entire patch of daisies into a rainbow of wildflowers and color.

Prince Atlas stood at Twilight's side, trying his best to mirror her regal posture. His small shoulders were pulled back, his chin lifted in imitation of royal bearing, but he couldn't quite manage the effortless grace that came so naturally to his mother. Every few moments, his violet eyes would dart up to study Twilight's expression, searching for approval or guidance in the subtle tilt of her ears or the gentle curve of her smile.

When a particularly spectacular burst of Vi's magic turned the fountain water into liquid silver, Atlas shifted his weight nervously. Part of him longed to join his brother's play, but another part whispered that princes should be composed, serious, worthy of the responsibility they would one day inherit. Besides, he would never share his brother’s natural talents. Try as he might, Atlas’ magic had been stunted from the start, often struggling to manifest into even the most basic of spells. When they had been created as a pair, the magic itself seemed to understand that more time was needed to forge the elements into physical forms. But it was too late to reverse what had been done, so the second colt was simply left as he was. Unfinished. Incomplete. Twilight would never say such a horrible thing, but the orange colt knew it was true. He subconsciously tugged on his magenta scarf, desperate to hide beneath its shelter from the world.

Vi noticed his brother's stillness and bounded over, magic still sparkling around his horn like captured starlight. "Atlas! Come see what I can do with the morning glories! I think I can make them sing!"

Atlas glanced up at Twilight, anxiety creasing his young features. What if he wasn't supposed to play? What if abandoning his studies disappointed her? But Twilight only smiled, her eyes soft with understanding, and nodded toward the gardens.

When Vi extended his hoof, Atlas felt something loosen in his chest. His brother's touch was warm and steady, grounding him in a way that nothing else could. The tension bled from his shoulders, a proper warmth settling in its stead. Together, they ran toward the singing flowers, and for a moment, Atlas forgot to worry about being perfect.

____________________

The forest stretched around them like a living cathedral, ancient trees creating a canopy so thick that afternoon felt more like twilight. Atlas and Vi, now several years older and taller, raced through the undergrowth with saddlebags bouncing against their sides. The leather bags were stuffed with scrolls and tomes, research materials for their advanced studies in magical theory and elemental harmony.

"Come on!" Vi called over his shoulder, his purple coat dappled with shadows as he leaped over a fallen log. His voice carried the same infectious enthusiasm it always had, undiminished by the weight of expectations looming overhead.

But Atlas had stopped running. His golden sides heaved with exhaustion that went deeper than physical strain, and his saddlebag slipped from his shoulder with a heavy thud. Ancient scrolls spilled out across the moss, their careful organization lost to his moment of collapse.

"I'm tired." The words came out sharper than he'd intended. They cut through the forest air like a blade, stopping Vi in his tracks.

The sky above them had grown overcast while they ran, matching the storm clouds that seemed to perpetually gather in Atlas's mind these days. Everything felt overwhelming. The lessons that came so easily to Vi, the constant pressure to prove himself worthy of Twilight's legacy, the fear that he would somehow fail the ponies who would one day depend on him.

"I'm sorry," Atlas whispered, sinking down beside his scattered belongings. The grief in his voice was raw and unexpected, years of carefully contained anxiety finally breaking free. "I'm worried we'll fail her, Vi. I'm worried I'll fail her. What if I'm not strong enough? What if I can't live up to what she needs me to be?"

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with the weight of fears Atlas had never dared speak aloud.

Vi approached slowly, his earlier playfulness replaced by gentle concern. Without hesitation, he settled down beside his brother, close enough that their sides touched. The warmth of Vi's presence was like sunlight breaking through storm clouds, steady and unconditional.

"Atlas," Vi slowly moved to stand at his brother’s side, once again offering his hoof. The grand city of Canterlot sprawled out beyond these woods, the palace bustling with ambassadors and aristocrats who were searching for the two runaways with restless vigor. But in that moment, they were just two young brothers finding solace in each other's company, the way they had since their very first breath.

Atlas looked at Vi's extended hoof, seeing not judgment or impatience, but the same unwavering support that had carried him through every previous doubt and fear. Slowly, carefully, he reached out and took his brother's hoof into his own.

As the two unicorns stood out in the dappled field, this touch became their anchor. A promise that whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them together.

____________________

Vi's cutie mark came to him on a night when the castle slept deeply, wrapped in the evening’s stillness and quiet. He had been seven years old, still small enough to slip through corridors unnoticed, when something had drawn him from his bed toward the castle's highest tower. The pull was irresistible, like invisible threads tugging at his very soul, and he followed without question or fear.

The observatory was forbidden to them without supervision, its ancient instruments too delicate and valuable for young hooves to handle. But Vi could feel magic calling to him like a siren song, promising secrets that textbooks could never contain. Ancient telescopes gleamed in the moonlight, their brass surfaces reflecting the celestial dance above.

Through the great domed windows, Luna's moon hung full and radiant, casting everything in silver light. He had seen Prince Oberon up here many times, often charting the stars or designing new constellations upon his mother’s sky. The dark alicorn had frightened him when he was young, his presence unyieldingly dark, but the chills that ran down his spine were soon chased away by the genuine warmth of his cousin’s voice. Oberon was one of the few nobles that seemed to understand him, possibly because he was so much younger than Twilight and Sonder. He was still new to Equestria, always exploring their culture and letting the two younger princes teach him about whatever they’d been studying that week. Atlas would gladly take any opportunity to lecture someone on the pages of history he’d rigorously memorized, but Vi just liked having someone more laid back to talk to. As much as he loved his brother, the amber unicorn was very high-stress, and Oberon was always relaxed, friendly. It was refreshing.

Vi had been practicing elemental magic in secret for months, fascinated by the way liquid could shift and flow at his command. Other ponies saw water as simple, mundane, useful only for drinking and washing. But Vi understood its deeper nature. Water was an embodiment of change itself, a force that carved mountains and nurtured life. It could be gentle as morning dew or devastating as a tsunami. It was the element of transformation, and tonight, something about that transformation called to him.

The moon's pull felt stronger than ever before, more insistent, and his horn began to glow without conscious thought. Magic flowed through him like liquid starlight, and he realized that he was about to attempt something he'd only dreamed of. With a flash of teal light, his horn would ignite and begin to glow, the cool light calling for the elements outside to join him in the lonely observatory tower.
Two streams of water rose from the ornamental fountains far below, spiraling up through the open windows like living ribbons. They responded not just to his call but to something deeper, something that resonated with the very core of his being. The water sang as it moved, a crystalline melody that harmonized with the distant hum of his horn’s magical glow. Vi blinked rapidly, tears of joy beginning to bubble in his eyes as he understood what was happening.

This was his calling. This perfect fusion of lunar magic and elemental power, this dance between mystical forces and the natural world. The water obeyed him not because he commanded it, but because he understood its deepest nature. He could feel its desires, its dreams of becoming something more than an element.

As the streams reached their crescendo, Vi's magic flared brighter than it ever had before. The water ignited, not with destructive fire but with cool cerulean flames that burned without consuming the water below. From the observatory windows above, moonlight shone down upon that same ethereal fire that appeared between the dancing streams, casting its otherworldly light across Vi's starstruck expression.

The mark that appeared on his flank was beautiful and complex. Twin streams of water flowing beneath a flaming cerulean crescent. In the evening’s hazy luster, the young unicorn looked upon his mark with unbridled glee, for he understood it meant far more than mere elemental mastery. The crescent moon represented his connection to the hidden, mystical aspects of magic, the secrets that dwelt in shadows and dreams just as Luna once had. Just as Oberon and Bubble would continue to do. The cool flame spoke of his ability to transform the impossible into reality, to burn away the barriers between what was and what could be. The flowing water beneath symbolized change itself, the endless potential for growth and evolution. He was meant to be a bridge between worlds, a keeper of secrets, a master of the magic that others feared to touch.

When Princess Twilight found him there hours later, she simply smiled and wrapped him in her wings, recognizing that her son had discovered something profound about himself beneath the moon's watchful gaze. But there was something else in her expression, something that looked almost like concern. Vi's magic was beautiful, yes, but it was also dangerous in ways that a child could not yet comprehend.

As they walked back through the castle corridors, Vi noticed how the shadows seemed to reach toward him, how the very stones whispered secrets in languages he almost understood. His cutie mark shimmered quietly upon his flank, and he realized with growing excitement that this was only the beginning. There were depths to magic that he had barely begun to explore, mysteries that called to him from the spaces between dusk and dawn.
He wondered if Atlas would understand. His brother was always so focused on doing the right thing, on being the perfect prince that Twilight wanted them to be. But tonight, Vi had tasted something beyond perfection. He had touched the wild magic that existed beyond mere rules or curriculum, and he knew with absolute certainty that he would never be content with anything less.

The thought troubled him, just for a moment. Atlas was his anchor, his constant companion, the other half of his soul. But what if his brother couldn't follow him into the shadows where his truest magic dwelt? What if the path his cutie mark had revealed would lead him away from everything he had always known? He shook his head and carried onward, trotting towards their bedrooms.

That would never happen. They loved each other far too much.

____________________

Atlas's cutie mark came not in a moment of joy, but in one of desperate necessity, forged in fire and fear and the terrible weight of responsibility.

He was nine years old when the dragon attacked the outer villages, a great crimson wyrm whose hunger had driven it from the Dragonlands to terrorize the peaceful farming communities that supplied Canterlot. The creature was massive, its scales shimmering like burnished ruby shields, with a roar loud enough to shatter the glass of windows three miles away. The royal guards had been dispatched at dawn, but as the hours passed, reports grew increasingly grim. They were outnumbered and struggling against the creature's size and fury, their careful formations dissolving under the onslaught of claws and flame. Not even the dragons’ ruler, Lord Ember, knew what had caused such a violent, savage attack from one of her own.

Atlas had begged to accompany the rescue mission, his young heart burning with the need to prove himself capable of protecting others. He felt useless, watching Vi master increasingly complex magic while his own powers remained frustratingly unfocused. He could create light, yes, and warmth, but none of it felt meaningful.

None of it felt like the kind of magic that could change the world.

Princess Twilight had initially refused his request, her maternal instincts warring with her recognition of his determination. But something in her son's eyes, a fierce resolve that reminded her painfully of her own mentor, had made her reconsider. She allowed him to join, but only as an observer, safely positioned on a distant hilltop with strict instructions not to interfere.

However, Atlas could not simply watch when the dragon's claws raked across the village rooftops, as families fled screaming from their burning homes, nor as foals cried for parents who might never answer. Each moment of inaction felt like a betrayal of everything he was supposed to be. He was a prince, an Element of Harmony, born from the magic of four of the most powerful ponies in Equestrian history. How could he stand idly by while others suffered?

His magic had always been weak, that he knew all too well. No matter how hard he tried, the magic never felt focused, never felt like it belonged entirely to him. It was borrowed power, the pale shadow of lights far greater than his own. Even Prince Sonder saw what Twilight was too kind to admit. He was failing. He had failed the most basic of spells and he would fail all of Equestria next. Maybe that was why the elder prince resented him so. Maybe the alicorn was simply too tired not to say what they’d all been thinking. When Atlas tried to cast spells, he found himself unconsciously mimicking Twilight's careful precision or Celestia's radiant warmth, never discovering what his own magic truly felt like.

Until now.

The sun was setting as Atlas bowed down his head, brought to his knees as he struggled and strained. He had to do something. He had to. He could not fail, not when so many innocent lives needed him to be better, to be stronger. He squeezed his eyes shut, channeling everything he had into his horn. His entire body was screaming, his veins lit ablaze by a horrible fire that threatened to consume his very being. Then, his eyes opened, flooded with an all powerful white light.

As he rose to his hooves, the young unicorn felt himself become weightless, a searing pain bearing into his back as the grass burnt beneath him. Wordlessly, he spread the flaming wings that his magic had given him, setting his sights onto the monster above. He threw himself up into the sky, his horn blazing with power harnessed from the dying light of Celestia’s setting sun. This was not mere solar magic, not the simple manipulation of light that he had practiced in countless lessons before. As he reached out to the flames consuming the village, something extraordinary happened.

Instead of fighting the fire, Atlas embraced it. His magic wrapped around the destructive flames and began to spiral them inward, transforming their very nature. Changing it. Controlling it. He could feel the fire's hunger, its desperate need to consume and grow, and instead of denying that nature, he gave it purpose. And the flames gladly obeyed.

The spiral of flame that erupted from his horn was unlike anything the gathered ponies had ever seen. It was both sun and fire, destruction and creation, chaos given form and meaning. The dragon, faced with this impossible display of elemental mastery, found its own flames turned against it, spiraling around its massive form in patterns that spoke of ancient magic.

As he charged towards his writhing foe, Atlas felt something else stirring within him as he wielded this newfound power. The fire called to him, whispering of how easy it would be to let the spiral expand, to let the flames consume everything in their path. For a terrifying moment, he understood the seductive appeal of destruction, the intoxicating rush of power without restraint.

The battle was short, swift and decisively brutal. In the end, the dragon retreated into the mountains, its appetite for destruction thoroughly quelled in face of such cosmic strength. Atlas collapsed, gracelessly crashing from his place in the sky once the fighting was done. His flaming wings dissolved into nothing but wisps of smoke, blown away by the wind, but Atlas remained on the ground, staring at his trembling hooves. The fire still sang in his veins, promising greater power if he would only embrace its darker impulses.

When the smoke cleared and the village was safe, Atlas looked down at his flank to see his mark. A red and yellow sun with a spiral at its center. He understood its meaning immediately and felt the chill of recognition. The sun represented his connection to order, light, and protection, everything that a good prince should embody. Yet the spiral at its heart spoke of deeper truths, of his ability to find patterns within chaos, to harness destruction in service of creating something new.

It was a beautiful mark, but it was also a warning. The spiral could turn either way, could bring order from chaos or chaos from order. Atlas had faced both possibilities tonight, the intoxicating potential for both salvation and destruction that lived within his magic.

Princess Twilight found him standing among the grateful villagers, exhaustion and pride warring in his young features. She said nothing about the way the surviving flames that still danced around his hooves, obeying his unconscious will with disturbing eagerness. Her smile told him that she was proud, but there was something else in her expression, something that looked like the same concern she sometimes showed when watching Vi disappear into his esoteric studies.

As they flew home through the gathering darkness, Atlas found himself thinking about his brother. Vi's magic was mysterious and beautiful, touching on secrets that existed beyond normal understanding. But Vi had never felt the terrible weight of destructive power, had never faced the choice between salvation and devastation. Would his brother understand the burden that came with such great strength? Did he see their marks as a blessing or recognize the darker truth for what it was? After all, the spiral could turn either way. Someday, he might have to choose which direction to follow.

The thought should have terrified him. Instead, as they passed over the restored village below, Atlas saw the grateful faces of the ponies he had saved. At their praise, he felt only a growing hunger for affirmation and acceptance.

He would become worthy of his title and his rank. No matter what it takes, he would keep Equestria safe.

____________________

It had been many years since both princes earned their respective mark. Last month, Twilight had held a coronation ceremony to have them officially crowned before all the realm. It was at this ceremony that each brother was bestowed with a title and a purpose, a role to fulfill in Equestria’s future. As she addressed the crowd, Twilight revealed two gifts, each from the legendary scholars that had been assigned to have one of the princes as their magical descendant. An heir.

On that fateful day, Atlas was presented with a maroon cloak. It had been woven with enchanted fabric, decorated by a sun emblem on the center of its back and a pale orange trim along the cape’s border. It was a gift from Starswirl the Bearded, a great mage he would study to inherit the role of. The cloak had been made with Celestia in mind, a token of his place as the four alicorns’ creation and his own cutiemark’s affinity for light magic. The warmth that stirred in his chest was truly unlike anything he’d ever felt, the cozy embrace of purpose and certainty. For the first time in his life, he looked upon his mark not with reluctance but with price…

…and then his brother was announced to become Stygian’s heir.

Stygian. The Pony of Shadows. Outside of his descent into darkness and his betrayal against the pillars themselves, he was best known for their one thousand year banishment to limbo, not to mention all the havoc he wrought when the pillars all returned to the modern era. That, and writing a half-decent autobiography. Atlas read it for one of his mother’s lectures, though it was hard to focus on the compelling speeches of redemption and remorse in face of such a long history of destruction that had plagued Equestria for generations as the result of his hate.

His gift came in the form of crystal spectacles, a much smaller token of his place as a scholar and a beacon of magical progress. He would become an innovator, an inventor and a great mage. However, Atlas could see the way ponies shifted with uncertainty and unspoken doubt.

Princess Luna was one thing, but The Pony of Shadows was another…

However, these were the scholars that Twilight chose.

“Atlas, we need to talk.” The two heirs were created to put the stars back in motion. It has been well over eighteen years since that fateful day, and Equestria has been in a state of harmony ever since.

“About what?” Atlas lifted his head to meet her gaze. They had been in the midst of a weekly training session, something that all heirs were required to have. Atlas even more so, since he was the Element of Magic. He had been excelling in his studies, though he had been much more reluctant to begin than his brother.

“About the future. There is still much more that I have yet to discuss with you, but I believe that this is a good place to start.” Equestria’s ruler stood in the throne room with Starswirl’s heir at her side. Her hooves were only a few inches from where Atlas stood, yet despite that fact, he still looked to her as if she were an untouchable goddess. “You are the successor to the greatest conjurer history has ever known. Equestria needs you to make the right choices to protect the kingdom. It is your responsibility.” She smiled softly. Her eyes were patient and fond, though the lingering shadow of doubt still lingered underneath. The very same doubt that ponies had shared on the day of their coronation. Atlas winced.

“But I don’t understand… Why are we talking about this now? Shouldn’t we be practicing spells?” Twilight’s smile faltered, but only for a moment.

“You remind me of myself sometimes.” Atlas followed her gaze, surprised to see that she was currently staring at one of the stained glass windows that decorated the throne room. It was the window depicting the defeat of Nightmare Moon. “Did I ever tell you about the origins of Nightmare Moon?”

“No, Princess, I don’t believe you did.” Atlas looked back towards Twilight, but she didn’t do the same for him, keeping her eyes trained on the window above.

“It’s a fairly lengthy story. I’ll tell you both the entirety of it later, but for now, I’ll give you the basic gist… For generations, history has been repeated by those too ignorant to learn from the past. When Luna felt like she was overshadowed, she became envious of Celestia and transformed into Nightmare Moon, a wicked monster with darkness in her heart. They banished her, but in a thousand years, she would return.” Twilight frowned, looking away from the window. “You’d think the heroes of Equestria would learn not to be so vain, but it happened again. Stygian was consumed by darkness, overcome with jealousy when Starswirl failed to treat him well. Sunset Shimmer, Sombra, and even Starlight Glimmer… Whenever someone longs for something they don’t have, they seek it out. Greed leads you to dangerous places, especially when you’re a powerful unicorn with a vast library of magic at your disposal. Do not let anyone else follow in the footsteps of their predecessor, Atlas. Do not let any of the elements become consumed by that same darkness…”

Atlas watched the sky grow dark as Prince Sonder lowered the sun, the elder prince flying through the skies above Canterlot. As the years came to pass, it had become apparent that the celestial bodies were not bound to the rest of the stars in the sky. While the Elements of Harmony were needed to keep the world in motion, to sync with the stars and provide balance to the natural world, the sun and moon quickly began to lag behind the rest of the sky. It wasn’t until Oberon began trying to help lower the moon that Twilight realized her lapse in judgement. Within days, Sonder and Oberon had taken charge of their mother’s respective celestial body. With this change, harmony was restored once more, another crisis averted by a quick decision and worldly change. It seemed his mother solved everything that way, always eager to find the fastest route towards any solution. He didn’t blame her, especially not with Equestria’s track record. Back during her days as the Element of Magic, there was a new villain threatening Equestria every other week. Now, it has been peaceful and quiet for many years.

…Well, maybe not peaceful, but at least it was quiet.

Atlas watched the sunset’s warm light spread over the polished castle floors. Prince Oberon would be taking flight shortly after his cousin, raising the moon and painting the night sky with stars. Twilight had been right when she said the amulet wasn’t enough to move celestial bodies for very long. While the princess still ruled all of Equestria, the two younger alicorns had taken charge of their respective mothers’ duty. The thought of so much responsibility made his ears fall back as a heavy pain formed in his chest. This was a lot. A lot of weight, a lot of pressure–

“I’m counting on you to keep your siblings in check, especially Violet. After our lesson today, I’m sure that we must be on the same page about everything.” Pulled from his thoughts, Atlas fully turned his attention to Twilight, who was eyeing him with an alarming level of intensity. “Just as I told you before, history is doomed to repeat by those who don’t learn from it. I’m not worried about Eliza, since she’s far too young to be using any dark magic or covering the kingdom in snow, but your brother seems to have a habit of wandering off… Whenever I find him, he’s always buried in books about black magic and ancient spells. He seems to be taking a liking to the dark arts… I don’t believe I’ll need to tell you why this is completely unacceptable behavior.” Atlas nervously looked back towards the stained glass mural, eyes glued to the villainous depiction of Nightmare Moon.

Did they have any murals about the Pony of Shadows?

“Don’t let him go too far into darkness, Atlas. I’m counting on you and you alone to keep our secret, as well as keep your siblings on the right track.”

With a heavy heart, Atlas bowed to the princess before standing back up. Twilight smiled and turned away, walking off towards the throne as Atlas returned his focus to the colorful window. His eyes became engulfed with a blaze of determination.

He would not fail Equestria.

____________________

Prince Violet Moon sighed as he found himself lost, staring off into the starry sky with a longing gaze. He’d had to leave Eliza alone in the library to fetch the scroll he needed for his studies, but he was lingering on the balcony for longer than he should be. With his eyes locked on the beautiful stars above, the young prince frowned. The citizens had been avoiding him for weeks, yet he hadn’t the slightest clue why he was so feared. After all, he wasn’t nearly as grouchy as his strict brother, but everyone seemed to like Atlas just fine. Eliza was still young, but everyone already adored her, so at least he knew she’d never face the same scrutiny that plagued him now. Still…

Vi turned and trot back into the castle, glancing over to a painting as he made his way down the hall. A family portrait. Front and center was Princess Eliza Magpie, heir of the late Princess Amore and the third Element of Harmony to be discovered. She had appeared at the Crystal Empire a few years ago, but she was the only other element that had been found since their birth. Twilight began to worry that they’d never find the other three, but Cadance consoled her, claiming that the other elements had probably been born in smaller villages or towns. It would only be a matter of time now…

Even so, Eliza’s arrival had been a mystery. A team of royal guards found the filly lost in the snow surrounding the empire, where she was promptly warmed up and brought to Twilight. Beyond that, they had no clue where she may have come from before that. The guards found her as a filly, not an infant. She’d either been born that way or her previous caretaker abandoned her in the storm, potentially after learning the young unicorn’s true origins. Nowadays, she would prance through the halls of Canterlot Castle, singing to herself or playing with her imaginary friends.She said that they were fairies, real fairies, and her best friend was the ruler of their homeland. Vi could only nod along and pretend he knew what that meant.

Looking at her smiling face in the portrait now, he still couldn’t help but smile back. He could still remember the day they’d gotten it painted. It was after Eliza’s very first public appearance as a princess. They all had such a hard time standing still that the painter had to create two pictures to truly “capture the royal family’s essence”, as he put it so elegantly. One portrait showed the family as the public ought to see them. Professional, powerful, emotionless and firm. The second showed a much kinder side to their group, playful and cheery with smiles all around. Vi studied the two paintings, uncertain as to why they made his throat close up. Everything was going to be fine. He was fine.

Except he wasn’t fine.

The prince was becoming overwhelmed with the impossible goal he’d been tasked with. He wasn’t even fully grown, yet he was still expected to somehow live up to the legacy of his predecessor, an ancient mage who had transformed into the Pony of Shadows. Princess Twilight said that he’d inherited his powers from the four great alicorns of Equestria, yet even with some of Luna’s influence, he was unable to access any dark magic of his own. He felt utterly useless here in this stuffy castle. Despite all of its grand halls and high ceilings, the palace was unbearably suffocating.

Was it his magic? Were ponies really still afraid of the dark after so many years of peace?

Was that why they avoided Oberon as well? Why had they looked so concerned during their coronation last month?

Did they think he looked like the Pony of Shadows?

No, of course not. Vi shook his head and sighed. There were far more important things to worry about than all of these ridiculous fears. After giving the portraits a final look, Vi made his way back downstairs, eager to return to his siblings in the library. Yet he could only sit and study with his siblings for so long. His heart was racing. His ears were full of static. He was the Element of Honesty, why was he trying to lie to himself?

He had to get out of here.

____________________

Fighting.

Why were her brothers always fighting?

Princess Eliza Magpie may be young, but she wasn’t completely oblivious. As she stood in the castle library, flipping through all of the photographs she’d gathered for her scrapbook, she struggled to find any pictures that didn’t make her cringe. In every single shot, her brothers were at odds with one another in the background of the scene. It seemed like an impossible task to find an image where both of them were smiling.

“Ow!” The filly yelped, anxiously looking down towards her hooves when a chill ran down her spine. Bright red crystals had begun to form on the floor beneath her, creeping up her hooves and trapping her to the ground. With a harsh tug, she yanked herself free and shattered the crystals with ease. She’d just gotten her cutie mark for discovering her ability to wield this powerful magic, but the crystals were quickly becoming more trouble than they were worth. Magical or not, they were getting on her nerves.

Eliza stood, setting her scrapbook aside as she trotted towards the doors. Her brothers had both been gone for too long, and if she didn’t find them soon, they’d probably start to fight again. All she wanted was to show Twilight her new cutie mark! That shouldn’t be so hard, right? She paused when she reached the doors, looking around the empty library.

It was empty, right?

She knew that it was, but it still felt like someone was watching her. A trick of the eye could make a pile of books look like a newcomer’s shadow, and her various crystal outbursts weren’t helping her paranoia very much at all. Eliza rolled her eyes and began to pout, listening to her brother return and bring his new book over to her side. Vi settled and sat down, leaning back to read with her once more, but she could tell that he’d been upset. His body was awkward and tense, too stressed to really focus.

“Vi? Are you alright?” The young princess frowned, watching her brother make a soft sound of acknowledgement.

“Hm? Yes, of course, I’m alright. Just have lots of reading to do.” It was a lie and they both knew it. Vi was practically trembling by the time that Atlas joined them too, quietly sitting down and skimming through a book of his own. It was quiet in a way that Eliza didn’t quite like.

“So… What did you get from your latest magic lesson with Twilight?” Eliza grinned, leaning towards Atlas with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. The scholarly unicorn met her gaze, but he remained cool and calm.

“It was more of a history lesson, really.”

“That sounds fun! What did she talk about?”

“The Pony of Shadows–” Just like that, Vi had thrown down his book and begun to gallop out of the castle.

What she wouldn’t give for one normal day.

Unfortunately, less than an hour later, Eliza would find herself out in the castle gardens with a front row seat to yet another argument between Atlas and Vi. They were bickering about power and responsibility again, but this time something was different. Atlas was much more intense, hackles raised like a cornered animal as he shrieked and shouted at their brother. Vi had tried to run off to flee Canterlot, so of course Eliza was also upset with him, but she was completely caught off guard by Atlas’ sudden outburst.

This was going to be a long night…

____________________

Many years ago…

In the frozen wastes of the arctic north, where the wind carved spires from ice and the aurora painted the skies with impossible beauty, something extraordinary was born from a fallen star.

Princess Eliza Magpie had not been created in a castle chamber surrounded by loving hooves and gentle magic. Instead, she materialized in the heart of a blizzard, her tiny crystal horn glowing softly as snow swirled around her newborn form. The final element of Twilight's ambitious spell had found its way to the most desolate corner of Equestria, as if drawn by the grief and longing that permeated these forgotten lands.

She might have died there, a scrawny little filly no larger than a doll, if not for the mare who found her.

Radiant Hope had been wandering this wasteland for weeks, her heart heavy with a loss that no amount of time could heal. The King Sombra of our world was gone, truly and forever this time, destroyed in the final confrontation that had preceded Twilight’s ascension to Equestria’s throne. The stallion she had loved since childhood, the friend she had sacrificed everything to save, had crumbled to shadow and dust before her very eyes. All that remained of their life together was their son, Erebos Azure, a young colt whose dark coat and serious demeanor echoed everything they’d lost.

When Hope heard the filly's cries cutting through the howling wind, her first instinct was to ignore them. She had learned to be wary of voices in the storm, knowing how the arctic wastes and umbrum specters could play tricks on a grieving mind. But something about this particular sound drew her forward, step by careful step, until she found herself standing over a bundle of crystalline magic that should not exist.

The filly was perfect in the way that only magical creations could be, her coat shimmering with an inner light that reminded Hope achingly of her own childhood, of the beautiful princess that had taught her all that she knows. Crystal unicorns were rare, precious, and this little one bore the unmistakable mark of Amore’s powerful magic, just as she herself once had. The filly’s mane was the color of a midnight sky decorated by the aurora borealis, a head of purple and indigo curls decorated by brilliant strands of pink, yellow, and blue. It was enough to give Hope pause, gazing down upon the filly’s sparkling features in shock and awe. The young unicorn’s scarlet eyes held depths that seemed far too wise for such a young face.

Hope knelt in the snow, her healing magic automatically reaching out to warm the shivering foal. As her power touched the filly's crystal horn, memories flooded through the connection. She saw the spell's creation, the three princesses weaving starlight into life, the way this final piece of their magic had been drawn to the place where love and loss intersected most powerfully.

"It’s alright, little one. I’ll keep you safe and warm…" Hope whispered, gathering the filly into her cloak. The words came unbidden, a fragment of a lullaby her own mother had sung centuries ago.

Hope named her Eliza, after the crystal formations that grew in the deepest caves beneath the wasteland, and for a time, they were almost happy. Erebos Azure, initially suspicious of this strange addition to their small family, gradually warmed to his adopted sister. The three of them lived in hidden caves and forgotten ruins, Hope using her magic to keep them warm and fed while the children played games that echoed with innocence lost.

But Eliza was never meant for hiding.

Her magic manifested early and spectacularly, crystal formations erupting from the ground wherever her emotions ran high. When she laughed, flowers of impossible gemstones bloomed in the snow. When she cried, the very air around her crystallized into beautiful, impossible fragments. Hope watched with growing unease as the filly's power grew stronger each day, recognizing the signs of magic that could not be contained forever.

The crisis came when Eliza was only three years old. Hope had taken the children to a market town on the edge of the empire's influence, desperate for supplies they could not magic into existence. She had instructed them to stay hidden, to remain silent, to avoid drawing attention to themselves. But children, even magical children, were still children.

Eliza saw a crystal vendor selling beautiful geodes and gems, and her excitement overrode every careful instruction Hope had given her. The filly's magic erupted in a display of pure crystalline joy, transforming the entire market square into a garden of living crystal. Ponies gasped and pointed as impossible formations spiraled toward the sky, each one singing with harmonic frequencies that made the very air shimmer.

It was beautiful. It was unmistakable. It was exactly the kind of display that would bring the Crystal Empire's attention down upon them like a thunderbolt.

Princess Cadance arrived within hours, her alicorn magic cutting through the storm as she searched for the source of such powerful crystal resonance. Hope fought with everything she had, her magic clashing against Cadance's love-infused power in a battle that lit up the northern sky. But she was outnumbered, exhausted, and protecting two children rather than fighting for herself alone.

When Cadance's magic struck her across the face, leaving a scar that would never fully heal, Hope made the most painful decision of her life. She grabbed Erebos and fled, her son's safety taking precedence over everything else. Behind them, she could hear Eliza's terrified cries, but she did not turn back. She could not turn back.

Cadance found the filly alone in the frozen cave where Hope had sheltered them, tears of liquid crystal freezing on her cheeks as she clutched a small doll that Erebos had made for her. The princess's heart broke as she looked down at this abandoned child, recognizing immediately that whatever sins Hope had committed, Eliza herself was innocent.

"You're coming home with me," Cadance whispered, wrapping the shivering filly in her wings. "You're a child of Equestria, and you belong with ponies who will love you as you are."

Eliza's cutie mark appeared that very day, as Cadance's love magic resonated with her own crystalline power. A crystalline snowflake appeared on her flank, representing her innate ability to transform emotions into a beacon powerful enough to surpass any storm. It was a mark of incredible potential and equally incredible responsibility.

Years passed. Eliza grew up in Canterlot Castle, officially recognized as one of Princess Twilight's magical heirs despite the mysterious circumstances of her arrival. She learned to control her crystal magic, to channel her emotions into productive spells rather than spectacular outbursts. She became friends with Atlas and Vi, the three of them forming the foundation of what Twilight hoped to be the next generation of harmony.

But sometimes, as she walked through the castle corridors, Eliza would catch glimpses of shadows that seemed too familiar. A flash of dark blue mane, a pair of eyes that she once knew, the echo of a voice that called to memories she was too young to fully understand.

One afternoon, as she followed Atlas and Vi through Canterlot's grand hallways, all three of them trailing after Princess Twilight like eager ducklings, Eliza stopped suddenly. There, around the corner of the hall, stood a figure that made her heart race with recognition she could not name.

Erebos Azure had grown tall and lean, his dark violet coat and stern expression unmistakably familiar. But his eyes held the same patient kindness that Eliza remembered from her earliest dreams, the same gentle protection that had once kept her safe in the frozen wastes.

Their gazes met across the distance, the star-crossed pair recognizing each other despite all the years that had passed. Erebos raised one hoof in a subtle greeting, and Eliza felt tears she could not explain gathering in her amber eyes. Then Atlas called her name, breaking the spell, and when she looked back, the shadow was gone.

But the knowledge remained, buried deep in her heart like a flower waiting for the right moment to bloom. She was not just Twilight's heir or her daughter. She was also the crystal child born in the frozen wastes, the bridge between the world of light and the shadows that dwelt beyond its borders.

And someday, when the time was right, she would have to choose which world she truly belonged to.

Chapter Text

THE FIC IS ALIVE!!

Not only is it alive, but it has been REVAMPED and is on track to be COMPLETED!

I suggest re-reading the story from the beginning, if you plan on reading any of the new chapters I'll be posting throughout the week. While many passages remain the same, I've added a LOT of new stuff! I also changed some pretty fundamental parts of the narrative to build upon each character, now that I know how this story is going to end.

Hope the ending is worth the wait!