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Splintershard by TheMajorTechie

MLP: FiMAdventureSci-FiHumanAlt. Universe

Story on Fimfiction

Whisked away by a voice in her head calling herself "Starlight Glimmer", Emily Anderson finds herself in a land far different from anything she'd ever expected.

If only getting back was going to be as easy.

Support this story by joining my Patreon! It doesn't cost much. :raritywink:

Based partially on lore hinted in The Old Collector. This is the first story taking place within the Splintershard Continuity.

This story is a cumulation of many, many previous works and tropes of mine. :twilightsmile:

Cover art by me. Preread by Thunderous, AnObliviousAuthor, ScopingLandscape, and last but not least, Babroniedad!

Updates Wednesdays.

Join Splintershard's discussion channel on my Discord server! I'm on the lookout for more prereaders as this story progresses, and I'll be picking those that give the best feedback! There's a group, too!

Incomplete

Published
10th Jun 2020

Last Modified
8th Jul 2020

Word Count
25,525

Time to Read
2.1 hours

Reading Ease
78.9

OCStarlight Glimmer

6 minutes1,260 words

Prologue ◈ The Voice

Author's Note:

Well, let's keep this little note short, shall we?

Splintershard is honestly a sort of 'return to form' for me. It's my way of saying that hey, maybe I can revisit some old ideas while mixing in some new ones. In particular, the titular character that this chapter is named after-- "The Voice". Obviously, the character won't be referred to as that for long, but... still. It honestly feels a little refreshing to be able to write full mental conversations again like I used to in parts of Pony-Me and some of my other previous stories.

Though, beyond the resurfacing of those old tropes of mine-- female leads, internal mental characters, dialogue-rich narratives-- there really isn't actually much that was carried over from previous stories for once. Unlike nearly every prior character I've used across my stories, Emily Anderson is appearing in this story for the very first time, with no ties whatsoever to any previous stories or incarnations. The world she lives in, too-- that's also new. I said in Into Equestria's final chapter before its hiatus that I was laying to rest the Pony-Me universe, and this story is a testament to that statement.

Now, without further ado, let's begin the story. :twilightsmile:

"...Hello?"

It started with a whisper.

"Can you hear me?"

It sounded... desparate.

"Do you know where I am?"

Lost.

"It's... it's dark in here..."

Scared, even.

"Hello?"

Somehow, it sounded... familiar.

"...Anyone?"

And yet it wasn't.

Emily Ashton stirred in her sleep. She pulled the blankets in, bundling them against her chest.

"Em...mily?"

She turned over. Did somebody call her name?

"Emily. That is your name, yes?"

Her eyes jerked open-- there was someone talking to her. She looked slowly across her room, her groggy eyes making out the shapes and shadows of the night.

"Please... just say something... anything... I'm so, so lonely..."

Emily jerked up in bed. Whatever creep it was that was spying on her tonight was about to get a piece of her mind and a fist.

"No, no, there's no need to be alarmed. I'm..." the voice paused for a moment. "I'm your conscience."

"Psh, sure," Emily snapped back with an eye-roll. "And I'm that dude from those insurance ads."

"...Jake? But I thought your name was Emily."

She groaned, laying down again. This was probably just some weird fever-dream or something. It'd be all gone by tomorrow, and--

"Sorry."

What did that... that voice have to be sorry for? Being annoying? It's been a long time since she'd been this self-aware in a dream.

"If you don't want me to talk anymore, then I'll remain quiet for the time being."

Good.

...

...

Emily flipped her pillow over, slamming her cheek against the cool fabric.

...

...

She sat up again and looked through the gaps in her window blinds. Was it the moon that was keeping her up? She'd heard from somewhere that a full moon made it harder to sleep sometimes. She widened the gap between the blinds and peeked out. No moon tonight.

"Hmf. So much for this lady getting her beauty sleep," Emily grumbled to herself, falling back. The bed creaked under her. "Hey, weird disembodied voice thing, you can come out again if you want. Heck, manifest yourself and slap me in the face while you're at it. Maybe I can get some rest outside of this dream still."

"Are..." the voice whispered. "Are you sure I can speak again? You didn't seem to like it before."

Emily crossed her arms. "Well, it's not like there's much else to do anyway. I'm not gonna risk jumping out the window to see if I can fly in this dream, though."

"O-okay. What... would you like to talk about?"

"'Dunno. Stars, maybe. I'm basically talking to myself anyway... though," she softened her voice. "yes, a whisper is probably gonna be a good choice right now. I don't want to wake my parents with sleep-talking."

"...Alright," the whisper seemed to almost hesitate for a moment. "Stars are a preferable topic."

"What, was there something you wanted to talk about?" Emily shook her head, burying her face in her pillow. "Gah, I can't believe I'm talking to myself like this! My friends are gonna think I'm going crazy!"

"...Friends?"

The voice almost sounded hopeful for a moment.

"What, am I saying that I don't have any friends?"

"I never said that we were one and the same."

"Well, you said that you were my conscience, did you not?"

"I... I do sometimes regret my words."

Emily snorted. "Well, what are you, then? Some monster under my bed? Do I need to run out crying and get my mommy and daddy to scare you away?"

"Please... don't make fun of me like that, I am scared enough already. Too much has happened in my life."

Scared? What did some voice inside her head have to be scared of? This dream was making less and less sense by the minute. Maybe it was time to try the ol' pinch herself trick.

...

It hurt a little, but nothing happened.

"Then you are not in a dream. Do you feel ill, Emily?"

"No-what? I'm not sick! Listen, I'm going to go to sleep right now, and in the morning, you will be gone, and everything will be back to normal. Capiche?"

"Capiche."

"Now be quiet again."

"As you wish, Emily..."

She closed her eyes again.

"Good morning, Emily. I hope you had a fine rest?"

"Ack!" Emily jerked awake, nearly batting several items off her desk with her flailing. "What the actual heck?"

"Emily," her mother's voice called behind the door. "You feeling alright in there? I heard some noise."

"Yeah, mom," she yelled back, "I'm fine."

Emily threw the covers over her head. "Okay, what's the deal here?" she seethed in a half-whisper. "I thought you were gone!"

"Well, as you can hear, I clearly am not 'gone', so I would appreciate if you were to be a little more considerate towards the notion of my existence."

Was that sass she just heard in that whispering voice? That was definitely sass there.

"Anyway, I believe I am due for an introduction, seeing as we will likely be together for an unspecified amount of time. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have been pitted together in this joint predicament. I do have a name, but I will accept whatever name you deem me worthy of."

Emily smirked. "Parasite."

"Except that."

"Fine, fine, whatever. I'll call you Whisper then, so you'll always know to be quiet and not bug me. At least that way, I can still feel like things are a little more normal."

"Then it is decided. You will call me 'Whisper'."

"Hhhh... I can't believe I'm doing this, but... Whisper, since this is obviously not a dream anymore, I want to ask you some things before I freak out over the fact that I apparently now have something living in my head."

"Yes? What is it?"

"You said something about unforeseen circumstances, right?"

"Yes."

"What happened? Like... what got you stuck in my head?"

It took a moment for Whisper to respond, almost as if she had to think about the question.

"Spell gone wrong."

A spell. So, apparently magic was being thrown into this mess as well, huh? When was she going to start running into orcs and elves? Or were they going to be showing up as voices in her head as well? Come to think of it, was Whisper some sort of mystical creature?

"Unicorn Arch-Mage. And before you press on with additional questions, yes, I have just read your thoughts."

...And there went any semblance of privacy Emily still had in her life. Also, more sass. This... this voice's personality seemed to be all over the place!

"I would prefer if you at least referred to me by either the name you chose or my real name."

From the looks of it, there probably wasn't going to be any harm in poking a little more into the life of this supposed 'Arch-Mage'. What was the worst Whisper could do? Plant a bad dream in her head?

"I heard that."

Right. And Whisper can mind-read too.

"I know, I know," Emily sighed, hopping off her bed. "Though, I am still wondering about something."

"What is it, Emily?"

"What's your name? Like, your real name? You said I could call you by it?"

Once again, the voice seemed to almost hesitate before answering.

"...My name is Starlight Glimmer."

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7 minutes1,385 words

Prologue ◈ The Mage

"Can somepony contact Twilight for me?"

At times, it asked of strange names and requests.

"Tell her that I'm lost. I'd... I'd really appreciate it if you can."

Sometimes, it had logical requests.

"Also, tell her that my teacup spell is in the top drawer of my filing cabinet."

...Other times, it did not.

"Starlight, huh? Sounds pretty fitting for a unicorn magus," Emily wandered into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. "You want me to call you Whisper or Starlight?"

"Either is fine."

Emily wet her toothbrush and squirted a blob of toothpaste onto the bristles. "So, what does a unicorn mage do, anyway?"

"Advise, primarily. My position as Arch-Mage of Equestria puts my expertise and skills at the helm of Princess Twilight Sparkle, a former rival and mentor of mine. You actually remind me quite a bit of one of the Princess' closest friends."

"Hrng? An who irshth thath?" Emily spoke through the toothpaste foam.

"Rainbow Dash-- your attitude is like hers."

"Hm," Emily spit out the foam and turned on the faucet again. "Maybe I could meet her someday then."

"I believe that you may eventually have to meet her. I--" Starlight cut herself off abruptly with a quiet whimper.

"I... what?"

"Er... nevermind about that." Starlight's voice seemed to waver. "She's gone now. They've... all been gone for a while. Actually, would you mind if I spoke a little more naturally? It's been ages since I've been able to properly speak my mind."

Speak her mind? What, had she been under some sort of restriction before?

"Heheh, noooo..." Starlight's voice forced a laugh. "No, it's just... Even though I was able to artificially slow my aging for the sake of Twilight when her friends began to pass, it didn't make their passing any less painful for her."

Emily snorted, wiping her mouth and exiting the bathroom. This Starlight Glimmer... voice? Presence? ...Whatever she was-- she was definitely turning out to be quite an interesting character. Come to think of it, she'd probably be a great character to play as the next time she played a D&D campaign.

Surprisingly, Starlight didn't respond to her thoughts this time around.

"Emily, your breakfast's getting cold! Are you coming down yet?"

"Yeah, mom!" the girl shouted down the stairs.

"I have to leave for work now. Don't forget, don't answer the door if anyone knocks besides your friends, okay?"

"I know, I know," Emily swung herself around the end post of the railings. "What do you think I am, five?"

"Just making sure. I'll be back around two, so make your own lunch. Love you!"

The familiar hum of the garage door opening rattled through the house.

"Would you like a teacup with your breakfast this morning, Emily?"

She blinked, not registering what Starlight said until she noticed the porcelain handle in her hand. "Wait, hold up," she pointed at the teacup with her other hand. "Did you just make this?"

"My mana stores are higher than they've been for ages, now that I do not have a physical body to maintain for myself."

Emily set the teacup on the table, sitting down in front of her plate of scrambled eggs. "What."

"I used to use an anti-aging spell before I was transported here."

That got a bit of a chuckle out of her. Apparently, even arch-mages still wanted to look as young as possible. Maybe Starlight was actually some old hag that lived in the middle of the woods!

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that second bit."

She absentmindedly shoveled a forkful of eggs into her mouth, scrolling through the notifications on her phone.

"Want another teacup?"

"Gah!" Emily couldn't catch the teacup in time before it tumbled into her lap. "Starlight, what was that for?"

She swore she heard a chuckle coming from the voice in her head. "Nothing, it's just been so long since I used that spell. An old friend of mine from way back was trying to learn a spell for her show, and so she started... well, turning things into teacups."

Turning things into teacups? Then, that meant...

"No, your fancy device is fine. I modified the spell for my own purposes into a general summoning spell. I'm just turning the energy of my mana into matter, that's all." Another teacup clattered onto the table. "Though, casting the spell without anything to channel the mana is certainly proving to be a little difficult."

What, was she going to need a wand or something for Starlight?

"Actually, a wand might be somewhat useful right about now. Something conductive should work pretty well from what I've heard."

Emily rose from her seat, walking to the cutlery drawer while Starlight continued on about conductive substances and magic. She took a spoon from the drawer, immediately silencing the voice for a moment.

"Are... are you suggesting that I use a spoon to channel my magic?"

"Yup."

"Why not a knife? At least it'd be straight."

Emily idly smacked the palm of her hand with the utensil, walking back to the table. "Nah, no knives or forks. We ran out of 'em two weeks ago."

"But they were in the drawer?"

The girl shrugged, sitting down and continuing her breakfast. "What drawer?"

"You mock me."

"Eh, I do that a lot."

The fork in her hand transformed into a teacup.

"Emily!" Starlight exclaimed, "Will you take me seriously just once?"

Emily rolled her eyes, placing the teacup on the table. "Fine, what do you wanna say?"

"I want to show you something."

"If it's another teacup, then I will give myself a brainfreeze."

Starlight took a moment to respond, but she soon broke through her hesitation. "Alright. I want you to pick up the spoon with the handle facing away from you."

"Okay..." Emily followed as she was instructed, clutching the head of the spoon between her fingers. "What next?"

She heard what almost sounded like a sigh of relief from Starlight. "That's all you need to do, thank you. I'll take it from here. Just... try to point it somewhere open."

"Wait, what are you--" a turquoise aura enveloped her hand, trickling down through the spoon and collecting at the tip of the handle. "HOLY HECK, WHAT THE CRAP IS HAPPENNI--"

Emily yelped, her entire body jerking back from the recoil of the spell's casting. A burst of pure mana shot from the tip of the spoon, narrowly missing one of the teacups on the table before freezing mid-air and balling up. Slowly, the blob of magical energy began to warp, taking on a vaguely quadrupedal form. A rough head emerged from the shimmering mass, followed by finer details-- ears, mane, tail-- and finally, a face. The figure remained still for a couple of seconds, gently pulsating in the morning sunlight.

"Sooo..." Emily pointed the spoon at the pony hovering behind the table. "Is that... yo--"

A final blast of light exploded from the pony, rattling the entire room and filling the place with the smell of ozone. Emily coughed, fanning the air in front of her face. She opened an eye, freezing in her place.

Starlight Glimmer blinked, lifting a hoof off the floor. "It... it worked," she sputtered, "Th-this spell has never worked before!"

Emily raised a brow.

"It must've been the rest I'd taken in your body! My mana reserves must've been full! I... I--"

"You're a pretty pastel pony that straight-up looks like a stuffed animal come to life."

Starlight snorted, cantering around the table. "Well, the main point is that now you know what I look like. Even with the extra kick the spell got, this body's only going to last at most a minute or two before it disintegrates again. Now do you understand what I can do?"

Emily sat back down with a new fork, stuffing another bite of scrambled eggs into her mouth. "Yeah, I guess. Could probably make for some pretty neat party tricks, to be honest."

She continued to thoughtfully chew her food, staring blankly into the distance. Starlight groaned.

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7 minutes1,409 words

Prologue ◈ The Magic

"Everything... everything's broken..."

The voice was lonely.

"I... I need to get out of here! Think, Starlight, think!

The voice was desperate.

"What would Twilight do, what would Twilight do... let's see..."

Sometimes, it seemed thoughtful.

"I mean, I could simply disappear forever like she did, but... no, that's an awful idea..."

...Just a little.

"So, you gonna make more teacups or something?" Emily yawned, picking up her plate. "Or are you gonna do something else now that you've got a body again?"

She walked past Starlight, ruffling the mare's mane before dumping her plate and utensils in the sink. "By the way, your mane is really soft. Did you know that?"

"It's going to be nothing but dust in about twenty seconds."

"Shame. Got any other tricks you can do?" she pointed the spoon at Starlight. "I've got the wand and everything for you to use!"

"You're not taking me seriously again, are you?"

Emily shrugged, watching the disintegrating mare. "Yeah? Anything else I already know?"

The last of Starlight's temporary body dispersed into the air, leaving her voice once again in the girl's head. "Y'know, if I were to write a story about my experiences thus far, then you'd be quite the unlikeable character."

"Eh."

Starlight's voice fell silent for a moment. "...If you don't act kinder towards me, then I'll stop showing you magiiiiic!"

"Oh, fine," Emily leaned back against the counter. "So... is there anything else you can do then? Besides the teacups and... uh, manifesting and all."

"Heh. Name something and I'll cast i--"

A giant grin spread across the girl's face. "Fire. I wanna see some sort of fire spell."

"Alright. Fire's what you want? You sure?"

"Yeah," Emily nodded. Though, maybe she should step outside for this.

"Don't worry about that. I'll keep the area of effect small."

A quiet click came from her finger, followed by a strange warmth that crept up her arm. Slowly, the girl raised her hand, her eyes widening at the sight of a tiny flame flickering on her fingertip.

"It... it's--"

"Small. Yes, I realize that," Starlight's voice sighed. "My mana's mostly exhausted for now because of that spell from before. It'll take some time to build it back up, so a finger-lighter's all you're gonna get. Even if I could make it bigger, I'd rather not. You don't exactly seem to be the type that'd show restraint."

Emily blew out the flame, leaning against the counter again. "So... what else do you know?"

She heard Starlight take a deep breath before beginning. "Well, most unicorns, myself included, tend to start at basic levitation spells. So that's one... let's see... personally, I know teleportation, advanced levitation-- including self-levitation, cutie mark snatching spells, cutie mark replacement spells, magical bolts and shields for offense and defense, respectively... oh, I've also dabbled in time travel and portals here and there as well. Though, with what was going on before I was sent here, a lot of what I can remember off the top of my head are offensive and defensive spells."

Emily raised a brow. "Cutie marks?"

"...Don't worry about it. That was in a past that I'd rather forget."

"Any reason why?"

"No, no, trust me--" Starlight's voice countered, "You do not need to know. It's... it's honestly from a pretty dark time in my life."

Emily rolled her eyes, stepping away from the counter. So much for prying into Starlight's life. Maybe there was something else she could do today... actually, come to think of it, did she even have anything to do in the first place? Homework wasn't anything to worry about this weekend, and most of her friends only really ever talked online, and--

"If it helps, my years of practice and experience have made me become accustomed to needing to quickly recharge my mana. A healthy diet is one of the simplest ways, in my opinion."

Emily wandered to the pantry and pulled out a bag of chips.

"No, I'm not talking junk food!"

"Too late," Emily hummed while chewing. She'd just eaten breakfast anyway, so what was a few chips on top of that?

"You are an absolute chore to deal with. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, and?"

"And, you should learn to respect those aroun--"

The girl shook the bag, peering inside. "Hm. These barbeque chips are pretty good for something that's been sitting on the shelf for months!"

"Fine. I still have enough mana lingering for a few more spells. Will that catch your attention, or are you going to continue pushing me aside?"

"Hm? Spells? I'm listening," Emily set the bag back on the shelf. "What spell are you going to do next?"

"Levitation," Starlight's voice deadpanned. "Lift your hand, and I'll handle the rest. Actually, what happened to the spoon you were using to channel my mana? It'd be rather useful right now as far as directing the flow goes."

"Left it in the sink with everything else. It got dirty."

"You didn't even use it!"

Emily smirked. "It got dirty when I put it in the sink."

Though Starlight didn't have a physical body anymore, Emily could feel the intensity of her facepalm. Or was it facehoof? Since... she was a small horse and all... actually, come to think of it, how does she even know about hands? Are there humans in her world too? Ooh-- maybe it was like a full-on fantasy world with like ogres and goblins and stuff, since she already mentioned--

"Ahem."

Right. Raise hand and let Starlight do the levitation thingy. No spoon needed.

"Alright, now focus on the object that you'd like to levitate. Don't just stare at it-- imagine it. Imagine where it is, and how it'll move. That should be enough to get the spell going... er--" Emily's hand pulsed with mana as a charge began to build. "--enough to let me know how you want the spell to be cast, I mean."

Emily nodded, her eyes wandering to the bag of chips from earlier. She closed her eyes, picturing where the bag currently was, and where it was going to go-- into her awaiting arms.

"Really? Chips again?"

She imagined some tasty barbeque chips floating out of the open bag into her mouth.

"HHhhhhfine. Chips it is."

The glow surrounding her hand dimmed, transferring some of itself away to envelop the bag. Slowly but surely, the chips began to shift, crinkling with every fraction of an inch that it moved along the shelf.

"Y'know, you should be glad that you don't need to learn all of this from scratch. Learning levitation for me was... well..."

Emily chuckled, still closing her eyes. "You sucked at it?"

"More or less. Though, the reason why I'm struggling right now is more due to straining my mana reserves. Not having a horn or a wand to channel my magic isn't exactly helping, either."

The bag began to tip over the shelf's edge. The aura surrounding it sputtered, flickering erratically before fading.

"Hm," Emily snatched the chips before they could fall. "Well, that's cool. Want me to eat some chips to restore that mana of yours, then?"

"Fine."

Someone seemed to be in a sour mood.

"And someone needs to be a little nicer!" Starlight's voice snapped. She paused, taking a moment to recompose herself. "...And I'm feeling drained, anyway. Just plain old rest at this point would help the most."

"Including your mood?"

"Maybe. Just let me be for now."

"Touché," Emily stuffed another handful of chips in her mouth before returning the bag to the shelf. "And to think that I told you that not too long ago."

She let out a quiet breath, chewing as she gazed blankly into the pantry. Today was a Sunday, and tomorrow was a Monday... Mondays were annoying. It meant she had to wake up early in the morning and go to school all over again, and keep on doing it for five days in a row!

Actually... she blinked, breaking out of her trance. Didn't Starlight say something before about portals?

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16 minutes3,231 words

Prologue ◈ The Mundane

Sometimes, life remains mundane.

Sometimes, it gets a little more interesting...

"Psst--" Emily muffled her words with the covers. "Starlight, you awake in there?"

"I am now, no thanks to you. Why did you wake me in the middle of the night? Shouldn't you be sleeping? You have schoo--"

"Portals. You said you worked with portals before, right?" Emily's voice grew into a giddy whisper. "That means you can open them, right? I've got a new spoon and everything so you can open one. I've been waiting all day for you to wake up!"

"No, no, you misunderstood. I only meant that I've traveled using a portal, not that I made a portal. There's a difference."

"C'mon, Starry! I know you've got it in you! You can levitate a whole bag of chips, so how much harder would it be to break physics just a little more?"

Emily smirked. If there was anything that could get her away from the mundaneness of her school life, a portal would definitely be the coolest way to do it. Even if Starlight couldn't pull off a portal, pretty much any kind of spell would still be enough to liven things up.

"I... don't know, Emily. Schooling is rather impor--"

"Eh, my grades are fine. I'm sure you've got the juice in you to make a portal to somewhere and back! We'll just spend the night somewhere fancy, and then I promise I'll go to school tomorrow."

Starlight's voice huffed. "I'll consider it. But first, you need to stop butting in while I'm talking."

"Fine."

"So, then..." Starlight paused in thought, mumbling quietly in Emily's mind about enchanted mirrors. "I think the best I can do is an unstable portal. I doubt you have the materials necessary for stabilization."

Stabilization? What, would the portal collapse on itself behind her or something?

Starlight hummed in agreement. "Precisely. And while I do have a rough idea of how Twilight's mirror portal worked from my time as arch-mage, this will actually be the first time that I've ever constructed one myself."

"Great. So there's also a chance that it could collapse while we're going through? Y'know, like in those shows and stuff where the main character uses a closing portal to cut a villain in half to kill them instantly. Actually... come to think of it, using a portal that opens and closes over and over could be a great way to slice materials in a factory."

"Emily, you scare me sometimes."

"Don't worry, I scare me sometimes, too!"

Though Starlight didn't have a physical body, Emily swore she could hear the pony equivalent to a facepalm. Again. Maybe it was a better idea to leave off on making a portal until tomorrow when she felt a little less loopy.

Starlight certainly seemed to agree.

"Em-ilyyy,"

"Emily, your alarm's blaring,"

The girl groaned, sitting up in her bed and rubbing an eye. What time was it again? Wait-- alarm. That question answered itself. She yawned, groggily crawling across her bed to shut off the noise. Mondays deserved a late start.

"Alright now, go brush your teeth and get ready. You'll miss the bus."

Emily paused, blinking in the dim light of her window. Bus? She didn't take the bus... did she?

"Oh... er, forget about that."

She hopped off her bed, scratching her side. Why did it feel like she had a spoon in her pocket?

"That, too."

Maybe staying up so late at night wasn't such a good idea. She was starting to hear things... maybe. Or... wasn't there something that happened recently? Voice... spoon...

Emily flicked on the lights, wincing at the sudden change in brightness. A single word escaped her lips that just about summed up her entire morning thus far:

"Ugh."

"Honestly, same."

There was that voice again! Think, Emi, think! What the heck did she do that put a random voice in her head?

"I'll... just stay quiet for now. You're waaaay too sleepy to be thinking about this."

"Yeah... sure... um... whispering voice thing... in my head..."

Emily set her toothbrush on the edge of the sink, holding a half-empty tube of toothpaste over the bristles. Still squinting in her bathroom lights, she missed the toothbrush entirely and proceeded to squirt the toothpaste directly into the sink.

"Gosh darnit."

She heard a snicker in the back of her head.

Crunch.

Emily chewed her cereal, staring at the dimmed screen of her phone.

"Feeling awake yet, Emily?"

"Yeah, Star--" she paused. "--oh. It was you."

"I'll continue to be quiet for now. I know you have a busy day ahead of you in school."

Emily rolled her eyes, stuffing another spoonful of cereal in her mouth. "Alright, Whisper. You do that."

...

...

Well, that was a morning well-wasted. A movie in first period, on top of her usual free-study second period? There was even less to say about third period as well. At least Starlight's been quiet enough to deserve the nickname 'Whisper' again. Just one less thing to bug her. But, now wasn't the time to be thinking about how pointless it was to stay awake in the first three periods of the day, it was time for lunch!

"...You're a foodie, aren't you?"

Aaaaand there's the mare.

"Sorry, I'll--"

"No, no, it's okay right now," Emily muttered under her breath. "I've been bored all morning, anyway. I'ma grab lunch and then we can head outside until the bell rings."

"Alright, you do that," Starlight's voice sighed. "I'll just... well... be here, I guess."

Ignoring the confused looks of a couple other students nearby, Emily stepped in line for a sandwich. Nothing fancy, just a good ol' ham sandwich, just like every day ever. She yawned, pulling her earbuds out of her pocket. It was a good time for some music, anyway. It's not like she was going to be relevant to the conversations around her.

One ham sandwich and an awkward fumbling for lunch money later, and Emily was out of the lunchroom. The second bonus of being out here, besides the whole fresh air and sunshine jazz, was that it'd feel less awkward talking out loud to Starlight. Speaking of which--

"Aren't you going to sit with your friends?"

"None of them have the same lunch schedule as me," Emily shook her head. "Last semester some of us had the same lunch, though. Anyway--" she set down her tray in the grass, sitting down beside it. "I was just thinking, what if I get you a real wand of sorts? Just as a friendly gesture and stuff, since I've... uh, kinda been a little rude since we first met."

"A... real wand?"

Emily nodded. "Uh-huh. There's some old trees that grow around campus. I could probably find a good-sized stick for you!"

"Were you even listening when I was talking about wand materials?"

"Wha-no-I mean yes! You said that metals conduct better, but I was just thinking... if we used something wooden, then wouldn't that take more effort to channel mana through?"

Emily smirked as her question was met with silence.

"I..." Starlight trailed off. "I... actually, you might be on to something there. Wood... wood... there was something I remember about wooden artifacts for channeling magic..."

Bingo. Score one for Emi!

"I'll ignore that. Going back to what you were saying about a nonmetallic wand, though-- I do vaguely remember something about wood once being a popular material for wands and staffs, in fact, I--" she froze for a moment. "I... once had experience with it. Granted, I enchanted the thing beforehand, but..."

Starlight's voice devolved into a rambling mutter. Once or twice, Emily could make out the phrase "cutie mark", but it really didn't make much sense regardless.

Emily stood up again. "Um..." she began, "I'll just get the stick for now." She glanced down at her unfinished lunch, then to the old oak trees towering beside the school. With so few people outside at the moment, it probably wouldn't be much of a risk to jog down and nab a stick from the ground, right?

"Seems like it."

Well, if Starlight agreed... Emily bolted, sprinting towards the worn patches of grass underneath the trees. Since Starlight didn't call her idea crazy or anything, a fancier stick would be her goal. Something with a neat little curl or something that she could use as a handle... or maybe the curl could be used to hold something? Then again, it wasn't all that common for a stick to be curled like that, anyway...

"Like that stick over there? Sorry, I was borrowing your eyes for a moment."

Wait, Starlight can do that?

"Seems like it to me, at least. Also, forget about what I was mumbling about. I'd rather not talk about it. The stick's a few steps to your left, under some dried leaves."

'Cutie mark' sounded too kiddy for her, anyway. Emily brushed the leaves away with her foot, leaning over to pick up the stick. To be honest, it looked more like a broken section of an entire branch than just a regular stick. Maybe that's why it had the curl to it? She turned over the stick in her hands. Judging by how splintered the wood was on one side, that seemed to be the case. A bit of sandpaper would probably be helpful right about now, though.

"Mind if I try something?"

"Er... sure?" Emily started walking back. "Just don't turn it into a teacup. I'm actually liking the look of this thing."

"'Kay, I want you to pick up a handful of the grittiest dirt you can find, then."

"O...kay?"

"I see a dry patch close to where you left your lunch. What I plan to do would probably work best with sand, but gritty dirt should do alright for the time being."

"Wait-- oooh," Emily gasped. "Are you about to sandblast the stick?"

"Heh. Was it that obvious?"

Emily scraped a handful of dirt from the ground, dumping it over the stick. "Kinda. I got the dirt, now what?"

A familiar teal aura formed over her hands again, enveloping the dirt-covered stick. She could faintly hear a quiet scraping sound coming from her palms as the dirt rapidly began to grind away at the splintered wood.

"This dirt's not gritty enough."

"Hmf--" Emily snorted. "--just show it a Batman movie. That'll fix the problem."

"I... don't follow."

"Don't worry, I didn't understand half of what was going on in the latest movie, either. Didn't even watch it, in fact. Anyway..." she squat down, combing through the grass. "How gritty do you need the dirt to be? Small pebbles? Gravel?"

"Small pebbles should be fine. Hey, by the way, I was just wondering, why are you acting so fri--"

"Got the dirt! What were you saying there?"

"...nevermind. I'll get to work."

The scraping sound resumed. Emily wandered back to her lunch tray, shifting the mana-enveloped stick and dirt to her other hand before reaching for her sandwich.

The end-of-lunch bell stole Emily's attention away from her phone. With a light sigh, the girl stood up with her tray and began making her way back inside.

"Hey Star," she half-whispered, "How's the wand going? I think you're gonna have to stop sanding it soon since we're going back to class. The next period I've got is math, so-- oh crap."

"Hm?" Starlight hummed. The cloud of mana coating her hand and the noticeably-smoother stick dissipated.

Emily clenched her fingers around the stick, stuffing it into her pocket as she broke into a sprint. "I've got a test next period! I almost entirely forgot about it!"

"I could help you cram study if you'd li--"

"No, I'm good!" She shook her head, dumping the tray on the tray counter as she ran past. Besides, the unit wasn't that hard.

And no, she was not going to let those words come back to bite her.

...Yeah.

"Yeah?"

Emily tapped the question on the page with her pencil. She meant yeah as in yeah, this is gonna be easy. What did Starlight think she was going to say?

"Honestly, with the way you said that in your head, it sounds more like you're just defending yourself."

She wasn't defending herself!

"Suit yourself," Starlight's voice grumbled. "I'll just be waiting... as always..."

That definitely didn't sound creepy.

"You should be just about finished with the first free-response question at this point," her teacher announced. "If you're not done yet, I'd recommend you move onto the next question and come back to it later."

OH CRA--

"Well, that wasn't quite as bad of a trainwreck as I'd expected out of you."

"Shut up, Starlight," Emily leaned against the wall of the school's entrance. "You know I aced that test. And it's the last class of the day anyway, so I had more than enough time to prepare myself."

She turned away from the few students that passed by with concerned glances. Maybe she should hold her phone up to her ear and pretend it was all a regular conversation... or at least, as 'regular' as talking to a powerful unicorn mage can get. It was still a little hard to wrap her head around that, to be honest.

Emily slipped her hands in her pockets, wincing as the stick she'd put in there earlier grazed her knuckles.

"Are you ready?"

Her eyes widened-- the portal! She'd almost forgotten entirely about it! Emily pulled the stick from her pocket, grinning.

"Yup."

Starlight's voice paused. "...I think we should probably open it somewhere a little more hidden. Also, isn't your mom supposed to pick you u--"

"Yup," Emily repeated, pushing herself away from the wall. "Anyway, how about a bathroom stall? It'll be pretty hidden away in there."

"Er... are you sure that'd be a good idea? I think I'd likely need a bit more space than that to get the spell going. Can't you just wai--"

"Nope! I've been waiting for this all day and night! Could you maybe try showing me the place where you came from using a portal?"

A long, drawn-out sigh came from Starlight as Emily retreated deeper into the school. "Fine. I... I guess I could try opening one. Though, I really don't have much of a clue as to how much time has passed since I... uh..."

"...Was whisked away by a spell that went south," Emily muttered. "Yeah, yeah, we'll figure out what day of the week it is when we get there, then. 'Kay?"

Strangely, Starlight didn't respond that time.

"Starlight?"

"I'm still here, just... thinking..."

Emily turned a corner, sprinting into the bathroom and shutting herself in a stall. "Okay!" she grinned, clutching tightly to the stick as she set her backpack on the floor. "Ready, Starlight?"

"Hold on," Starlight's voice was hardly above a low mutter. "O-okay... so, I think I remember that I'll need to make the destination as specific as possible. I... okay, I think I've got a place in mind. Emily, you might want to make some space in the stall. I have no idea how big the portal is going to be."

The girl nodded, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"Alright. Since this is a high-level spell, I think it'd probably be best if I handled everything from here on out. You don't know the destination, but I do."

Wait... handled everythi-- Emily felt her body convulse for a moment, slowly teetering towards the door before stopping herself. That is... before Starlight stopped her.

"Huh. That turned out better than I hoped," Starlight mumbled in Emily's voice, staring at her hands. "You alright in there, Emi?"

"HOLY CRAP," Emily's voice echoed all through her mind. "WHAT THE ACTUAL F--"

"I needed finer control," Starlight cut her off, inspecting the makeshift wand in her hands. "Only way I could really achieve that was to swap our mental states and possess your body."

"YOU CAN DO THAT?!"

Starlight chuckled, backing away and pointing the pointed end of the stick at the door. "Apparently, I can."

She closed her eyes, letting the image of Equestria fill her mind. Every little detail-- every patch of grass, the little puffs of clouds drifting overhead, the sounds of foals frolicking on a warm summer's day-- everything was crucial to pinpointing where the portal would lead to.

Just as before, a teal-blue aura formed around her hand, shimmering ever so slightly under the plain fluorescent lighting. Starlight grit her teeth, focusing all her effort into the spell. A trickle of mana fed into the base of the stick, channeling along the grain and through the little cracks before collecting at the end. The charge started out small first, being no bigger than a small grape in size. As the seconds passed, the swirling mana built up a larger and larger charge, even to the point of generating little sparks and fizzes of smoke shooting from it in every direction.

"Starlight--" Emily's voice cautioned, "I hope you know what you're doing."

She received only a dull grunt in response. Starlight's arm at this point was beginning to shudder as a few more wisps of her mana filtered into the charge. With a single flick of her wrist, the bowling ball-sized mana charge careened off the tip of the wand, hitting the stall door squarely in the center...

...And exploding...

...The door off.

"Ohhhh I'm gonna be in so much trouble--" Emily's voice muttered. "Starlight, did you really need to blow the door clean off its hinges? Like, the portal is there and all, but... Starlight?"

No response.

"Starlight?" Emily repeated. "Hey, you there still?"

She heard her own voice beginning to grow audible again. Emily faltered on her feet, pressing a hand against the wall for support as she regained control of her body.

"...Yeah, I'm..." Starlight groaned weakly. "I'm still here. Just took every bit of my power to pull off the spell, that's all..."

"Great!" Emily's grin immediately returned. "Alrighty, time to explore your world!"

"--Wait," Starlight's voice cut in. "I... I don't think I had enough mana to fully complete the spell. The portal might be u--"

Emily slipped her arm through one of her backpack's straps. "Unstable? Then I'd might as well hop through as quickly as possible, then! No use in wasting a perfectly good portal, amirite? Don't worry so much, Star! I'll make it quick!"

"WAI--"

A flash of light engulfed Emily as she sprinted head-on through the portal.

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18 minutes3,586 words

Prologue ◈ The Madness

Everything was silent, but time would progress.

The world moved on, and started anew.

The destruction was fierce, yet courage still stood.

But the madness set in, as she always knew it would.

...and it all begins here.

Emily groaned, slowly lifting her head. Dirt. There was dirt under her. She rolled over, blinking in the bright sunlight. She could barely spot her backpack nearby. It probably was thrown off her shoulders when she lunged through the portal.

Wait-- she sat up, taking in her surroundings-- this was decidedly not a high-school bathroom that she was in anymore. Starlight actually did it, that absolute madmare! She'd opened a portal back to her homeland! Speaking of Starlight--

"Hey," Emily muttered under her breath. She slipped the stick-wand thing back into a pocket. "Starlight, you recognize any of this?"

No response. She must've been knocked out or something by the strain of the spell. It looked like the portal closed behind them too, like what Starlight worried would happen. Though... it probably wasn't gonna be that big of a problem. Starlight did seem to suggest that opening portals was basically just a matter of getting a good picture of the place in her head, after all. No need to worry about that sorta stuff yet.

With a grunt, Emily hopped back to her feet. Another glance at her surroundings revealed the true enormity of her environment-- dark, ancient trees loomed on one side, clashing against the rolling hills and fields of the other. This place really did feel like some kind of fantasy world! Then again, all she'd really seen so far were trees and hills, so that might've been a bit of an overrea--

"Urrgh."

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," Emily smirked. "Guess what? You're home! We're in the land of pretty pastel ponies!"

"What? Wait--" Starlight's voice sputtered. "Where-- where's the portal? Emily-- where's the portal?"

"It... closed?"

"Oh, no no no... this isn't good! This really isn--"

Emily raised a brow. "Isn't good? C'mon, lighten up a little! We're back in your homeland! Maybe we could even get you a body again or something! What's the matter?"

"I don't know how to get back, that's the matter."

The words struck her like a slap in the face. Starlight didn't know how to get back? B-but the spell--

"Before you rushed in, I was trying to warn you that I likely wouldn't be able to get you back! Now we're stuck in the Everfree Forest! This isn't even the place I was trying to connect to!"

"So? Just take over my body again, and I can tell you what the place is like."

Starlight's annoyed groan only deepened her fear. "No... that's... that's not how it works, Emily. You need to have more than just a casual knowledge of the location. The portal spell relies on the caster's experience of the other side as well. If that isn't provided, then I cannot guarantee that the next portal will take you home."

Well, crap.

"HALT," a voice boomed behind her. "STRANGE TRESPASSER THAT SPEAKS OUR TONGUE, WHAT BRINGS YOU TO OUR LAND?"

"Oh, horseapples."

To be honest, getting thrown in a cage and carted deeper into the nearby woods was not what Emily was expecting to happen. In her mind, there were a little bit more fairies and witches, and a little less tribal forest horses.

"I really should've expected this," Starlight's voice sulked in the back of Emily's mind. "I... should've warned you about the world I came from. Do you want to hear the full story of how I got stuck in your head?"

Emily shrugged, grunting as the cage lurched for a moment. "Sure, I guess. Not like there's anything else I can do at the moment. Also, why do the tribe horses look so... uh, refined?"

"Exiled nobles. I fought in a war alongside them. I tried to defect at the last second, but... things weren't exactly working to my advantage, so to say. Kinda sorta maybe died, and that's why I'm stuck with you now."

"Oh."

"Also, that's pretty much the full story. I don't wish to go into the details. It's painful enough to think about them."

"OH."

A dull stick prodded Emily in the side. "SILENCE!" the stallion whispered fiercely. He signaled for the rest of his group to pause as he dropped the stick. "Creature, you must stop talking to yourself!"

Emily folded her arms, making a face. "And why should I do that? You're the ones that threw me in a cage, after all."

"Shhh!" the stallion hushed again, quieter this time. "Not only will your incessant blabbering put you in danger, but it will do the same for us as well!"

A distant half-roar helped convince Emily to follow their orders. Maybe it was time she started taking this place a little more seriously. Being dead wasn't exactly the best way to get back home, anyway.

The roar faded away. After a short period of absolute silence, the ponies surrounding her cage nodded to each other and continued their journey.

The forest around them seemed to steadily grow denser with every step-- the trees were bigger and closer than ever to the dirt path. In some places, the vines and shrubs touched, and at times even connected to one another, forming long, spindly pillars of green stretching from the ground to the canopy. Emily spotted one such pillar dangling just overhead, clearly slashed at some point by a traveler.

Strangely, Starlight remained largely silent throughout the entire journey. The most that'd been audible of her these past minutes were more or less only low mutters and murmurs too quiet to understand.

The guard trotting directly in front of the group gestured for them to make a turn. Emily's eyes widened at the new sight before her-- the looming walls of an overgrown fort.

"So they've persisted, then," Starlight commented. "Looks like they've expanded, too."

Persisted?

Another one of the guards-- a unicorn, this time-- stepped in front of an unassuming rotten tree trunk, lighting his horn. A soft, pale-green aura enveloped both his horn and the rotting wood, lingering for a moment before an abrupt crunch emanated from beneath. A low, drumming hum filled the air next, stopping at times for hisses of air to escape as the walls of the fort began to open themselves. Emily watched in awe at the sight; for a species without hands, their knowledge of mechanics was amazing!

A final puff of steam rose from somewhere behind the still-opening gates. The unicorn guard glanced back at his fellow ... tribe-horses? Er... band members? Comrades? Emily shook her head. What to call the guard's fellow ponies wasn't important right now.

Her cage began moving again, passing silently through the towering gates.

For a fort that looked like some long-forgotten temple on the outside, what Emily was seeing now was surpassing her expectations.

...Far-surpassing them, in fact. What fort in existence had a shopping district?

She grunted as the cage was parked in a stall near the gates. The wooden door swung open, setting her free. Of course, she was still surrounded on every side by the ponies that'd found her, but at the very least she was now outside of that cramped thing.

"Where are you taking me?" Emily asked, glancing about. "To be honest, I was half-thinking that I was going to be eaten or something."

The mare to her left raised a brow at that second part but nevertheless remained silent.

"I believe they may be taking you to their leader," Starlight's voice finally broke its silence. "It was standard procedure to capture and interrogate trespassers, last time I was here."

Their leader, huh? So this whole place was more of a kingdom than a fort, then.

"Hmmmore or less. I think. I've still yet to recognize any faces, though. I'm beginning to suspect that some amount of time must've passed since I departed."

The group stepped into a thinly-marked rectangle, surrounded by an outgrowth of plant life and crystal fragments. Immediately after the final pony stepped inside, even fainter rune lines lit up, shooting a coating of mana over all of them.

"Well, that's new," Starlight hummed.

Her surroundings immediately shifted as the teleportation completed, depositing her and the guardsponies at the entrance to some sort of palace.

"Is this new as well?" Emily whispered.

"Yup."

The guardsponies signaled for the doors to open, leading Emily into the sprawling structure.

...And just as it was with the fort, it was certainly not what she'd expected to see. Though totally overgrown with greenery like much of the surrounding city and forest, the palace had an overall more... refined look to it. Little details, like the spindly vines draping over the walls, clearly were being channeled through grooves to form patterns, for one, and the light fixtures looked decidedly high-tech compared to their environment.

Emily felt a nudge on her back, breaking her train of thought.

"Continue," the mare behind her deadpanned. "The walk's not that long."

The girl rolled her eyes but nevertheless complied. She was led a little deeper into the building before being faced with yet another set of mechanical doors.

One of her guards lightly rapped on the hardened wood. He stepped back to let the doors open, nodding to his fellow guards to lead her in.

This entire place was just surprise after surprise after surprise, wasn't it? This particular place was clearly a throne room, and yet...

A loud clang caught her attention as torches along the stone walls lit up, adding an orangeish hue to the already-sunlit room. A tattered flag unfurled above her, with an emblem of two... horned... winged... ponies?

"Alicorns," Starlight corrected. "I'd recognize that beat-up flag anywhere. Welcome to my old home away from home, Emily."

An off-green aura enveloped the flag, rolling it back into the ceiling to reveal the ruler of the place-- a plain-white unicorn stallion.

"Guards, who is this?" the pale stallion glared at Emily. "More importantly, what is this?"

"Emi, permission to take over? I might still be remembered around here, though I still have no idea how much time has passed."

No, not yet. In any other circumstance, letting Starlight take over might've made for another fun ride, but this?

"We believe she may be one of the long-mythologized 'humans' that Twilight Sparkle once claimed to have contacted, though she looks nothing like the old photographs we have seen."

...Yeah, it was time for serious Emi. She could feel the tension surrounding her.

"I see," the pale stallion nodded, looking over her again. "Human, do you speak?"

"I..." Emily hesitated. "...yes?"

"Search her," the pale stallion turned around. "I'd rather not have invited an Ashen spy into our hidden kingdom."

Hold up, she was not about to let them do that.

"Emil--"

"Not now, Starlight!" Emily snapped under her breath. "I might be a numbskull half the time, but I will not let a buncha horses do anything weird to me!"

The guard directly beside her lit her horn, tugging lightly at Emily's shirt.

"Oh no you don't!" Emily reached for her wand-thing, pulling out... a spoon?

Great. Well, this life was pretty heckin' fantastic while it lasted. A good 7.8/10-- too much weirdness in the past couple days, though.

The mare raised a brow, turning the focus of her telekinesis to the spoon as the others continued to search Emily's pockets.

"Hey--" Emily complained as the spoon was taken from her grasp. She felt the stick beginning to come out of her other pocket. "Hey!"

A heavy thud distracted her momentarily, as well as grabbing the attention of just about everyone in the room. The stallion looked down at the textbooks and binders he'd pulled from her backpack, then to Emily.

"What in the name of Celestia is this?" the mare who took the spoon exclaimed, turning Emily's phone around in her aura. "Some kind of glass slate?"

"That's it, I'm taking over for you," Starlight groaned. Just as before, Emily felt her entire body convulse, barely staying on her feet before the unicorn in her head took the reins.

"Listen," Starlight spoke in Emily's voice. "First off, that's a phone. Secondly--"

She reached over and snatched the stick from one of the guards, allowing mana to flow freely into it once it was firmly in her grasp. A bolt of mana shot from the tip, hitting one of the guards' weapons and turning it into a teacup-on-a-stick. "--I am Starlight Glimmer."

Thankfully, the pale stallion looked far less confused than his guards.

"Starlight Glimmer..." the pale stallion furrowed his brows, muttering to himself. "Starlight, Starlight... where did I hear that name before?"

"The fall of Old Canterlot," Starlight began, "I assume it must've taken place long ago by now. You likely study it now, don't you? The civil war that tore apart Old Equestria when Twilight disappeared off the face of the planet? The one against the Ashen Phoenix faction?"

The pale stallion nodded slowly. "Yes... yes, I do believe I am aware of it. It is a tragedy that we continue to be under constant threat of Ashen invasion in modern times. You still have not stated your significance, however."

"I was among those who vanished in-battle," Starlight added. "I don't know much else, unfortunately, given my disappearance shortly after Princess Cadance's own."

One could almost see the switch being flicked on in the stallion's head. "Ah!" he exclaimed, "Starlight Glimmer, Arch-Magus of Twilight Sparkle!" He toned his excitement down a notch, cocking his head. "I must ask, however-- how is it that you reappear now, centuries after your disappearance, in the form of a human girl?"

"To be honest, even I still don't know. I only manifested in this body around two and a half days ago, in fact."

"...Manifested?"

Starlight nodded. "This body isn't my own. It's only by pure chance that I woke up to find myself in it. Would you like to speak to the owner of this body?"

Emily mentally rolled her eyes.

"One last request, first--" the pale stallion stepped closer. "Starlight, I have heard stories of you having the capability to perform wild magicks on the levels of Alicorns. Please, demonstrate such a spell, and we will return your items and let you be."

"You'd better show 'em," Emily's voice grumbled. "My mom's gonna kill me if I break my phone. Also, again with turning things into teacups! One of these days, my parents are gonna notice the missing cutlery!"

Starlight pushed aside the complaints of the girl. "I-I'm sorry, but my mana reserves are almost entirely empty right now. I was able to return to Equestria via a portal, but it was unstable, and..." she took a deep breath, forcing the faint aura around herself to brighten. "Honestly, it would be ideal if I were to rest first before performing any more magic. Even maintaining control over this body is taking a toll on m-me...e."

Emily felt sensation beginning to return to her with Starlight's final, stuttering words. She teetered on her feet, slowly tipping backward. The stick fell from her grasp, hitting the floor as she too began to falter.

The sound of her single, forced footstep echoed throughout the entire room. Starlight's aura faded away.

"Very well then," the pale stallion nodded. "I will allow you a day's rest. Until then, however, you will remain in a monitored chamber, and your possessions shall be placed in a secured chest." He turned around again. "That is all, take her away!"

Emily flinched at the sudden touch of a foreign aura on her skin. The stallion it belonged to glanced back at her, gesturing to follow.

It was amazing to see just what kind of society existed within the fort. Starlight continued to comment on the progression of magic and technology as they were led down the streets, pointing out the little changes she'd noticed compared to the last time she'd been in the place. Even with the entire society having been designed to be obscured by the forest, there were apparently some ponies who were unafraid to travel by air between some of the farther regions of the city-state, taking hot-air balloons, and even at times rudimentary airplanes powered by sputtering engines.

Emily and her guards collectively ducked as one such plane narrowly glided overhead, coming in for a short landing in the middle of the street.

They took a route back through the towering gates of the fort, entering the dark wilderness of the Everfree. Though, rather than backtracking along the path she'd originally been taken in on, they circled around to a side-road.

"Starlight?" Emily whispered, "Where do you think they're taking us?"

"I'm not sure. A lot of this is new to me, like I said before."

Eventually, the caravan stopped in front of a massive, aging tree. One of the guards stepped forward, knocking some sort of code into the peeling bark of the trunk. It took a moment, but a faint aura began to materialize around the trunk, opening a drawbridge-like door into an interior elevator room.

"In," another guard gestured. "This will be your quarters for the night. The enchantments we've applied will deter you from escape if that is what you plan to do."

Emily blinked, watching the elevator's lights flicker to life. These ponies really weren't trying any chances with her, were they? She looked at the guards standing beside her. There probably wasn't going to be any way to escape anyway, even if she wanted to. She huffed. Maybe Starlight actually was good for something.

"Go on, it's not gonna hurt you."

She tentatively walked onto the elevator's platform, flanked by her guards. The trunk began to close itself again as the platform began to descend. Against the metallic sheen of the flooring, Emily watched the blurred reflections of the guards watching her.

The platform hit the bottom with a metallic clang. Another magically-sealed doorway opened up, this time leading into a short hallway lined with rooms.

"First corridor to your right," a guard ordered. "Don't mind the roots emerging from the ceiling. We are still waiting on the royal gardener to trim them."

Emily did as she was told, silently entering the doorless room. The open corridor began to seal itself behind her, leaving a narrow window in its place. She could see the heads of the guards bob in a series of nods before they left her view.

"So," Emily groaned, "I'm stuck in a weird tree dungeon, my stuff is locked away who knows where, and you are out of magic. What do we do now?!"

Starlight didn't respond. She was probably still knocked out cold from what happened earlier.

Emily let out a heavy sigh, turning her attention instead to her cell for the night. For what apparently was supposed to be some kind of high-security prison, it certainly didn't look the part; there was furniture, for one, and even a decently comfortable-looking bed. She walked over, pressing a hand into the mattress-- yup, it was a bed alright. And for a moment there, she'd been expecting a haybale with sheets!

The lighting in the room was a little odd, too. Sure, it came solely from a single lamp on a nightstand, but she couldn't see where the thing plugged in anywhere! Was the lamp battery powered? Wait... no, it was probably some kind of magical lamp thingy. The world she was in now was probably brimming with all kinds of enchanted objects like it.

A thought struck her mind: What the heck was even happening anymore? Literally only some thirty-odd minutes ago, she was still at school, shutting herself into a bathroom stall! How did things come to this? And she still had school tomorrow, too! And-and she was supposed to be home by now! What was going to happen now that she was just... gone?

"Sleep," a strange, half-giggle escaped from her lips. She turned back to the bed. "I'll just go to sleep, and tomorrow, everything will be normal again! No portal pony world, no enchanted lights..." a relaxed smile spread across her face. "...who are you kidding, Emily? That's not gonna happen. It didn't happen with Starlight, and it won't happen now."

Emily gave the bed a good kick. "STUPID!" she screamed, "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH THAT PORTAL?! NOW..." she heaved, balling her fists. "NOW YOU'RE STUCK, EMI! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?"

She fell to her knees, sinking a little into the soft bedding. A quiet sob escaped her lips.

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20 minutes4,000 words

1 ◈ A Kingdom

Author's Note:

It was peaceful.

Long after the clashes, long after the battles,

The land was once again at ease.

But the cost was great;

A nation shattered,

The ponies scattered,

And the time of healing never came.

Birds.

Birds and sunlight.

Wasn't her alarm clock supposed to go off by now?

Emily groaned, lifting her head off the tear-stained pillow. That's right-- it was. That is... if she was ever there to hear it in the first place. Where she was now, though, was an entirely different story.

Tuesday.

Today is Tuesday. Or at least, it's Tuesday back at home. How weeks worked, or whether there even were weeks here, was still beyond her.

"Starlight," she whispered, "You hangin' there?"

"Yes."

Emily breathed a sigh of relief. A thin smile began to surface. "Alright. When I'm asked to show off some high-level magic, I want you to take over, and absolutely blow their pants off."

"Will do. Also, I didn't see anypony wearing pa--"

"Shhh--" Emily hushed with mock-seriousness, "We do not speak of Shark Tank references here."

"Wha--"

"Joking!"

"Riiiiiight."

"HUMAN!" a guard's muffled voice emanated from beyond the door. "IF YOU ARE READY, PROCEED TO THE ROOM'S CORRIDOR, AND WE WILL ESCORT YOU BACK TO THE THRONE ROOM FOR YOUR PERFORMANCE."

Well, it was now or never at this point. Emily followed the guard's orders, stepping in front of the sealed doorway. There was a brief pause, but the wood blocking her in soon retracted into the walls and floor, freeing her from her confines. The same group of guards from yesterday stood in the hall, watching.

"Eheh... hey there," Emily forced a smile, waving as she emerged from the room. "So. Big day for me, isn't it?"

None of them appeared to be amused.

"Follow," one commented, turning. "Let us make haste."

The pale stallion looked like he'd been waiting for ages by the time she arrived, judging by the exasperation in his voice. "Ah, there's the girl," he yawned as Emily's caravan arrived. "Starlight Glimmer, I expect great things out of you."

Emily snorted, rolling her eyes. Starlight'd better be ready for this. She didn't have the stick or anything to channel mana, either, so whatever she had in mind would have to be cast without any focal point. At least... that's how it supposedly worked... right?

"Yeah, close enough," Starlight's voice responded. "Alright, lend me your hands. I'm gonna attempt a partial possession spell instead to save my energy for the show. I don't want to risk burning myself out, even if it's a simple spell."

"Wait--how--" Emily sputtered, watching her hands begin to move on their own accord. "Starlight," she whispered under her breath. "what the heck are you planning on doing that needs you to save your energy?"

"We are waiting, Starlight," the pale stallion grumbled, resting his face on a hoof. "It is best if you do not waste our time with this aimless rambling of yours."

Emily nodded, drawing a deep breath. Her hands balled into fists, gently glowing with Starlight's mana. Whatever it was that Starlight had in mind, she'd just have to follow along. Hopefully, she wouldn't need to explain anything mid-spell.

She turned her thoughts inward. It'd probably be helpful to check if Starlight had any directions for her to follow.

"Just keep your arms steady. I've got your hands under control. When you start lifting off the floor, do not panic."

Wait, lift off the flo--

A burst of Starlight's mana escaped from both fists, washing over her entire body. Slowly, Emily felt herself begin to float. It was a little hard to notice at first, given how close she still was to the floor, but it was only a matter of seconds before the spell reached its peak capability, shooting her straight up into the air. She shut her eyes, keeping her arms as stiff as possible.

"Hm. Magical self-levitation?" the pale stallion turned to one of his advisors. "We do have accounts of the late Starlight Glimmer performing such acts, do we not?"

A single nod answered his question.

"Very well then, continue," he cleared his throat. "Do you have any other spells to perform?"

Didn't he ask for a spell last time around?

Starlight seemed to take the stallion's words as a challenge. Emily felt another charge of mana rapidly build in her palms, releasing in a flash of light. She opened her eyes again, finding herself on the opposite side of the room-- still floating in the air, of course.

A warm sensation crept up her arm again, followed by a nonchalant click that signaled the casting of the 'fire spell' from before. Though, this time...

Both of the girl's hands burst into flames, protected only by the thin coating of mana that continued to flow from her palms. Another charge built up, and another, and another-- Emily shut her eyes again as Starlight fired off teleportation spells one after another.

"Sorry for making you feel ill, Emily. I need to make sure that we've earned the respect of this stallion. He seems like he'd be a dangerous foe if we were to be on bad terms."

What made Starlight think that? He was just a fluffy horse.

"...a fluffy horse that likely wields magic capable of things you could only imagine," Starlight's voice deadpanned. "And he's the leader of a city-state that from my experience, was absolutely ruthless when they needed to be! We can't risk anything on him!"

Emily opened an eye, tensing up when she once again teleported to the other side of the room. She could still feel the heat of the flame spell in her arms, so that was... what, three spells going all at once?

"Enough!" the pale stallion's voice boomed across the room. "I have seen enough. You provide convincing evidence that you are indeed the lost magus of Twilight Sparkle." he bowed his head slightly. "Welcome back to the Old Guard, Starlight Glimmer."

One final teleportation landed Emily back on her feet. She felt a sensation return to her fingertips as the volley of spells Starlight cast dissipate.

"I... uh... yes," she bowed in return. "Thank you for receiving me, mister..."

"King Blueblood," the pale stallion corrected. "I descend from a glorious lineage of my namesakes stretching to the nephew of Princess Celestia herself!"

"Right. So nothing's changed that much, then. Still got a Blueblood on the throne."

That remark didn't seem to make him seem any more likable.

"Come," Blueblood stepped down from his weird pedestal throne thingy that hardly even looked like a proper throne. "Allow me to provide you with a tour of our quaint kingdom in the woods. You'll find that we have advanced quite far in your absence."

"Wait," Emily paused, "My stuff-- you said that you'd return my items once I proved myself."

"Yes, and you shall receive them promptly. Please--" Blueblood gestured to follow. "--We shall collect your items on our way."

"'Kay."

Luckily, the guards that took her things the day before seemed to be pretty careful. Nothing was broken, scratched, or even really touched, from the looks of it-- nevermind the fact that the spoon had even been polished sometime during the night! Emily brought her phone a little closer to her face, rubbing at the fingerprint-coated screen.

"I expect that our handling of your strange items is sufficient?"

"Mm-hmm," Emily hummed, pocketing the device. She bent over and grabbed her backpack by a strap, swinging it around her shoulder. "Heck, it's better than the condition that some of my mail comes in back ho--"

"Is there something wrong?" Blueblood cocked his head

"Home. Blu--your... er..." Emily sputtered, catching herself before stumbling even more on her words. "Your Highness, do you have any way to open portals?"

"Emily, don't you dare suggest anything about my higher abilities," Starlight's voice scolded. "The Blueblood I worked with was always prodding me for high-level spells usable in combat. I don't expect this one to be any better. I more or less stopped with public displays of power back when Twilight ascended to the throne as a precaution. What I showed off back there is the most of what I'm willing to use in plain sight, and so long as you don't put any ideas in his head, it will sta--"

"Portals?" King Blueblood leaned closer to Emily. She could feel his horse-breath on her cheek. "Tell me, Starlight, about these... portals."

Starlight's voice groaned.

"Uh--" Emily forced a chuckle. "Portals? When did I say anything about portals, your Highness? I was talking about... um... fort hills! This city within a fort is mighty fine, but just imagine if you could open more forts, y'know? Just, like... pop one up on some random hill where there's nice open fields and stuff!"

"You're making it worse, Emi."

As for the King, he remained silent, a brow clearly raised at the girl's remarks.

"Ahem," he continued, turning away. "Indeed, yes. To win back some of our treasured territories would be ideal. Now then, have you finished collecting your items, yet?"

"Yeah."

"Very well, then. We shall begin your tour of the kingdom. Please, follow me."

...Did she just awkward her way out of the conversation?

The shopping district.

Again.

Emily rolled her eyes, tuning out King Blueberry or whatever his name was. All he'd been doing since they'd left the castle thingy was blabber on and on about this fort, and how amazing his bloodline was. To be honest, he was actually giving her a run for her money for who could be the most annoying!

"At least you're also an airhead. You've got that on him still."

"Shut it, Starlight."

"--And over here," Blueblood turned, gesturing at a storefront. "...is a vendor of some of our finest wares and apparel. Would you like to take a look at their offerings, Starlight Glimmer?"

"I... I guess, sure," Emily shrugged. Maybe there'd be something actually interesting inside. Like a food court.

The King nodded, leading her through the doors. A frown immediately grew on Emily's face-- it was just another random store, except with slightly fancier looking things for sale. She wandered over to a stand lined with what looked like hand(hoof?)-made stick-wolf-dog things.

"Ah," Blueblood was suddenly at her side again, peering over her shoulder. "The miniature timberwolf golems! A fine trinket by any standard! How many do you wish to purchase?"

"Wha-purchase?" Emily turned her head. "No, I was just loo--"

"THREE GOLEM PLAYTHINGS FOR THE HUMAN GIRL," Blueblood lit his horn, taking a trio of the toys in his pea-green aura.

Starlight's voice snorted. "Looks like somepony's trying to win you over."

"What? No!" Emily quietly countered, "I am not gonna be hooking up with a horse!"

"I'm talking about how he's still trying to drag a powerful spell out of you-- I mean, me."

"Oh."

She felt the toys slip into her backpack's main pocket.

"Is there anything else you would be interested in acquiring within this fine establishment?" Blueblood leaned closer, cocking his head.

"No!" Emily frantically shook her head. "The figurines were enough! Let's move on to the next place now!"

Her stomach grumbled. It'd be really nice if this place sold food right about now.

"Let us depart from here, then."

King Blueblood lit his horn.

...

...

Well, that was convenient.

"Welcome to our... farming district," Blueblood stepped up beside Emily. "As a civilized society, us ponies do not interact directly with the filthy soil that grows our crops. Please, observe."

Emily blinked, staring at the towering slabs of dirt stacked up like a pancake into the sky. Bits of greenery were barely visible in some places, draping past the edges of the dirt pancakes and hanging upside-down in the air. There... there was also some kind of short, bulky... figure standing at the edges of each one.

"The golems you see standing guard are the harvest automatons that we have constructed," Blueblood explained, "They work in conjunction with our other wooden golems to tend our crops every day from planting to harvest."

Far above, a bird soared near one of the golems. A long, spindly arm grew from the body of the automaton, waving in the open air to scare it away. On the second swat at the bird, the entire machination began to tip, teetering at the edge of the slab before plummeting down the side.

"King Blu--"

"Tut--" Blueblood quickly cut her off. "Observe."

Emily grumbled under her breath, turning her attention back to the falling golem. Or at least, what was left of it. The most she could see anymore was an off-brown cloud, slowly drifting to the ground.

"It... it's gone?"

Blueblood nodded. "And now, Starlight, turn your eyes back to the former station of the golem."

She squinted, shading her eyes as she gazed back to the tower. It was a little hard to find the exact floor that the wooden golem had fallen from, but she eventually spotted it. A little burst of dirt on that layer caught her eye.

"They grow back, you see. These designs are the very same ones that my ancestors created eons ago, when this fort was first built as an emergency stronghold. So long as the soil remains tended to by the other automatons, the spell to replenish the supply of golems remains set in stone."

"So..." Emily took her eyes off the vertical farm. "You're saying that these things are basically just wooden dolls filled with magic?"

"In a sense."

She shoved her hands in her pockets, turning her gaze back to the farm and its unmoving golems.

"Neat."

Wherever it was that King Blueblood was leading her to next, it was far. For whatever reason, he also turned down her idea of just teleporting there. Maybe he wanted her to see the scenery?

Her stomach growled again. They'd barely left an entire farming district, and never even once did she get anything to eat!

"Just be careful for now, Emi. I know we haven't had anything to eat since last night, but he's leading us to the magical research facility that I helped build long ago. I recognized the farm tower, but I have no idea whether or not the magical training grounds of this place have been changed over the years."

"Righto. What sorta stuff are you thinking there might be?" Emily whispered, "Magic snakes? Weird plants?"

"More just general contamination, most likely. I'm not sure whether or not your body would be able to resist any powerful spells lingering in the area."

"Oh."

Blueblood stopped at the entrance of some kind of castle. Though, this one didn't look anything like the structure he'd been ruling from.

He lit his horn, pulling open one of the heavy wooden doors. The interior was dark, but the torches lining the walls lit themselves the moment Emily set foot inside.

"You do remember this place, don't you?" Blueblood shut the door behind himself, stepping up to Emily. "The Castle of the Two Sisters?"

"Starlight!" Emily muttered, "Take over for me before I wreck the conversation again!"

"Probably would've been better if you asked while King Blueblood was turned away from us, but fine."

A shudder ran down her spine as she lost all feeling in her body. Hey, she was getting used to this back-and-forth switching!

Starlight cleared her throat, nodding. "Yes, I remember quite well, thank you. What of the Treehouse of Harmony? I remember hearing before I vanished that Princess Luna infiltrated the fort to retrieve the Elements. Has the tree perished again since then?"

"Indeed it has. However," Blueblood trotted deeper into the castle. "My best advisors on magic have been hard at work attempting to decipher its secrets. It is a shame that Princess Luna had to wield the Elements against her sister-- otherwise, we may even have had the Elements of Harmony to study!"

Was it just her, or did King Blueblood seem to be... geeking out?

"Oh--" Starlight cut in, still following close behind. "I assume Daybreaker was ultimately reformed, then?"

"Hmm... yes, yes she was," Blueblood nodded solemnly. "I am tempted to say that it may have been one of the few acts of the Ashen that we still view favorably to this day. Do you wish to see the remnants of the tree?"

Starlight's eyes lit up. "Yes!" she beamed, "I--" she froze up mid-sentence, unable to move another step.

"I'd love to see the remnants," Emily swooped in, taking control once more. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Starlight! What the heck just happened there?"

"Felt like an anti-magic spell. I don't think I'm capable of bypassing it in your body at the moment, so you're on your own until we leave."

Well, shoot. She'd better be a little more careful, then.

They entered another corridor of the castle. This room, however, was absolutely ginormous; even when looking straight up, it felt like she should've been seeing the open sky rather than a ceiling!

Of course, the centerpiece of the room was no less strange than the size of the place; the remains of some kind of stump sat in the very center, with pieces of long-destroyed architecture poking from the bare ground in some places. Crystalline shards littered the ground around the stump as if the rest of the tree had simply... shattered.

Emily treaded over the crystals, mentally thanking herself for wearing her sneakers as a noticeable crunch rose with every step. She turned, noticing Blueblood now standing off to the side, watching.

"Whatever destroyed the Treehouse of Harmony really did a number to it, didn't it?" Starlight's voice mused. "Even with its bigger size over the old Tree of Harmony, this thing looks like it didn't stand a chance."

She made her way deeper into the carnage. Here, the shards were far bigger, with some being nearly twice the size of the shoes she wore. It wasn't long, however, before she found herself standing at the center of the stump.

"Feel anything, Starlight?"

"Nope. Why?"

Emily shrugged. "I figured that you might have some kind of natural pull to this place or something. It definitely looks like the sorta place you'd be finding magical unicorns in."

She squat down, picking up one of the smaller crystals near her feet. Small, spindly cracks spiderwebbed through its center, betraying its fragility.

"King Blueblood--" the girl began, looking up from the gem, "--may I take one of these crystals with me?"

"WHAT?!" Starlight's voice roared in her head. "Are you out of your mind? That's a piece of the buckin' Treehouse of Harm--"

"E-excuse me?" Blueblood choked at the request, mirroring Starlight's shock. "You wish to... keep a piece of the Tree?"

Emily nodded, still cradling the crystal in her hand. "I'd like to study it for myself. Y'know, see the crystal structure, figure out what kind of materials it's made up of, stuff like that."

She breathed a mental sigh of relief for remembering at least some of last year's chemistry class.

"I... suppose you can," King Blueblood stepped a little closer, still remaining far from the majority of the shards littering the ground. "But what do you expect to find? My advisors and I have already amassed an extensive collection of research and findings on these shards."

A quiet groan came from Starlight's voice. "Emily, you have a death wish, don't you? Just... repeat after me: I wish to research the thaumatic capacity of the crystals in relation to their physical strength and structure."

Emily nodded, taking a deep breath. "I wish to research the traumatic capacity of the crystals in relation to their physical strength and structure."

"Thau-matic, not--" a sigh came from Starlight. "You know what, it was a load of gibberish anyway."

Blueblood blinked, cocking his head. His eyes turned to the crystals, then back to Emily. "Um... very well, then--" the stallion's eyes met hers. "I will permit it."

Wow, that worked?

"Throwing gibberish worked on his ancestors during my time advising Twilight, so I thought I'd might as well give it a go again."

So basically, Starlight just risked everything on the stupidity of the King. Neat.

"I can't tell if you're joking or being serious there."

"Both and neither," Emily grinned. "Anyway--" she stuffed the crystal into her pocket. "King Blueblood, what food do you recommend around this place?"

"I give up," Starlight's voice groaned again.

Short to say, hay-based food wasn't meant for human consumption. The salad was alright, though. At least now she didn't feel like she was going to starve to death. Also, having a chunk of crystal scraping against your leg for half an hour straight was not fun.

Emily sighed, falling onto the soft pillows of her new bed that was not inside a weird tree prison cell thing.

"So," Starlight's voice piped up. "The piece of the tree. What the actual buck were you thinking, Emi?! Those shards were once part of one of the most powerful structures in the world! You can't just selfishly take them!"

"Well, if you're saying that it's so powerful, then wouldn't it also be an amazing way to channel magic as well? C'mon, Starlight, lighten up a little!" Emily reached into her pocket, pulling out the crystal...s?

"Great, you broke it."

The girl frowned, setting the two faintly-violet halves on her bedsheets and reaching into her pocket again. This time, she pulled out a visibly-scuffed spoon.

"And there's your culprit," Starlight droned. "Well, I suppose that's one way to cut a crystal. What are you gonna do with two smaller crystals, then? I don't think there's enough left of either piece to shape it into anything all that usefu--"

"No, no..." Emily unzipped her backpack, rummaging inside it. The stick she'd used as a wand wasn't on the floor with her other things when she was picking them up, so the guards must've tossed it in with her books. "I've got a great idea for what to do with the smaller shards!" She overturned the bag, dumping everything onto the bedsheets. A grin spread across her face as the stick finally fell out. "I'll use it as a topper for the wand!"

"I--" Starlight's voice started. "I... actually, that's not too bad of an idea. I hate to say this, but that's actually some pretty sound logic coming from you. If the crystal works like any other magically-grown crystal that I've worked with, then it can hold a limited store of mana on top of what I already have myself. And... combined with the ability to direct a charge, it'd give the capability of amplifying every spe--"

"Okay, okay, I get it, I'm not as big of a doofus as you thought I was," Emily chuckled. "So, I think we should give our wand a name now, since we're making it stronger and stuff."

"O...kay? I mean--"

"Splinter."

"Huh?"

"Splinter," Emily repeated, holding up the stick. "That's a good name for a wooden wand, isn't it?"

"I guess."

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7 minutes1,340 words

1 ◈ A Spell

Through flame and ash, they would persist.

A tyrant would fall; a sister returned.

An era would begin, yet unstable it would remain.

And the embers still glow.

Emily's backpack thudded against a stump. The girl stood beside it, shading her eyes.

"You said this is the place? Looks pretty empty to me."

"Mhm," Starlight's voice hummed. "I'd chalk it up to Canterlot nobles just being Canterlot nobles. I doubt they ever put much use into these training grounds."

"Er... yes. Anyway--" Emily set a hand on the wand sticking from her pocket. "--You said that you were going to show off some more magic tricks and stuff?"

"Ye-What?" Starlight sputtered, "No! I said that I'd see if I could teach you some beginner spells!"

Emily made a face, rolling her eyes. "Fine, whatever. So, where do we start then? Fire? Water?" she pulled Splinter from her pocket, a wide grin on her face as she gripped the wand. "Wind?"

"Levitation."

"Oh."

"Now," Starlight's voice continued, "I'm not entirely sure if the same process will work for you as it did for me, but levitation is typically seen as a 'beginner' spell. My main concern is that ponies have an innate pool of mana that they're able to draw from, but... yeah. I just don't know if you can do magic."

So what? She might not have any magic juice sloshing around inside her, but Starlight definitely did still, given the whole predicament they were currently in. She could just tap into that instead!

"I don't think that's how things wor--"

"No no, lemme try--" Emily clenched her eyes shut, tightening her fingers around Splinter to the point of trembling. Her backpack would be an easy target for levitation, so she'd start with that. Think! The backpack by itself was already easy enough to visualize, so it was a matter of imagining how it'd move, right? All she'd need to do was gather the energy to make it move, and instead of using an external force, it'd be something inside her. That's how things seemed to work when Starlight was levitating things!

Now, to summon the magic to do it. What did magic even feel like? It'd be kinda like an electrical charge, wouldn't it? Or was it something a little more mental? Keep digging, keep digging... a spark?

That did it. She could feel the rough wood in her hand beginning to burn against her skin. Tentatively, Emily opened an eye, peeking at the faintly glowing crystal tied to the end of Splinter with a shoelace. She could feel the wand beginning to lighten as the light within the crystal pulsed.

"I..." she gasped at the sight. "I think I did it, Starlight! I was able to use your mana for my own spe--"

A jolt ran through her arm and up her spine. The crystal pulsed again, the light it emitted growing a little brighter.

"Emi, I don't think tha--"

A burst of mana exploded from the crystal, nearly sending the girl stumbling. The magic surged forward, wrapping itself around the rest of the wand and her hand before dissipating. All that remained of it was a faint, off-orange aura surrounding the crystal. Wide-eyed, Emily couldn't help but stare at the aura as it too began to fade.

"Emily?" Starlight's voice whispered, "Emi!"

She shook herself from her stupor, blinking. "W-huh?"

"What in the everloving name of Celestia was that?"

"'Dunno," Emily shrugged. She glanced at her now-overturned backpack. "Hey, I levitated a thing!"

"I--" A sigh came from the mare's voice. "You know what? Forget about it. Let's head back now."

One more time, first. She did it once, she could do it again! Just go through the same actions as before, gather some energy off Starlight's stash...

Emily grit her teeth, bracing for another explosion. She could feel the wooden surface of Splinter under her fingers, the still-lighter-than-before weight of the wand itself in her hand, the... lack of anything happening?

She lowered the wand, turning it slowly in her hands. Why didn't it work this time? Did she not concentrate hard enough?

"I'd say it's just you still being inexperienced. I still have absolutely no idea what it was that you did back there, but I know two things: one, you did not, in fact, draw any mana out of me, or else I would've felt it."

Emily raised a brow, pocketing Splinter. "And? You said you knew two--"

"--Secondly," Starlight cut her off, smugness radiating from her voice. "I think you might've just kick-started your magical career."

"Huh. Neat."

Frantic hoofsteps approached from behind. Panting, a guardspony stopped before Emily, staring first at the girl, then at her surroundings. "There--" the stallion gasped, "there's no damage?"

Emily shrugged.

"...Might I ask what it was that you were doing? I am aware that you are an incarnation of Arch-Magus Starlight Glimmer, but you cannot simply throw around your spells in such a reckless fashion!"

Wait, so the spell was powerful enough that he immediately thought that Starlight did it? A grin spread across Emily's face. "Okay then!" she chirped, "I'll try and tone things down a little the next time 'round."

The stallion nodded, walking away. He stopped at the entrance, apparently taking a post to monitor her.

"So then--" Emily whispered through her grin, "--Starlight, mind teaching me how to control my magic a little better?"

"No, not with a guard watching. The difference in proficiency between us would be evidence that you could just be an imposter. You do not want to see how these ponies treat creatures they see as criminals."

"Fine," Emily huffed, taking a step towards the stallion. "I'll tell him to leave."

"No no no bad idea--BAD IDEA!" Starlight's voice shouted in Emily's head. "All that would do is raise suspicion! Just step back from magic for now, and we can pick things up again another time. Just to follow through with what you said, I'll perform some basic spells that the guard would likely be familiar with himself."

Starlight's turquoise aura enveloped the girl's hand. "'Kay," she continued, "Unless you're going to pull out the spoon or the wand again, I'm gonna need you to raise your hand a little higher so it's easier for my mana to be channeled."

Emily nodded, following Starlight's instructions and lifting a hand. The aura around it strengthened, growing a little brighter before shooting out in a narrow beam.

"You can do lasers?!" she gasped. "Cool!"

"Shh! Don't let the guard hear you talking to me!"

"Fine," the girl whispered, "But still-- you can shoot lasers? Does that mean that the war you fought in was filled with lasers and big explosions and stuff?"

"No. It's incredibly draining on mana to constantly use this spell, so at most, it is only used in close-range, head-on battles. I..." Starlight's voice grew even quieter than it'd already been. "I know from personal experience."

"Do you wanna talk about it then? Lasers are still pretty cool anyway."

"I'd rather not."

All right then, she could keep her secrets. Was there anything else Starlight was willing to show off in the meantime? A bit more self-levitation like before would be pretty neat. Of course, lasers were still better, but--

"I'll just be performing some basic accuracy practice then. You'll get your lasers, and I'll get some much-needed work on targeting."

Wait, target practice? This was just an empty courtyard! Where the heck were they going to get ta--

"Borrowing your body now," Starlight butt in, forcing the girl's consciousness aside. "By the way, are you any good at throwing things?"

...Huh?

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11 minutes2,114 words

2|1 ◈ Of Mistakes

Author's Note:

It takes only a single mistake.

A slip of the tongue,

Or a grievous misdecision.

And all may come tumbling down.

Another piece of bark shattered mid-air. Starlight wiped her brow, bending down to pick up her next target.

"C'mon, Starlight, it's pretty obvious that you've already got amazing aim. Can we go now?"

Starlight shook her head, winding up to throw the chunk of wood. "Not yet. I'm still not all that great with my accuracy. If we wind up going through what I had to go through before I... y'know, died, then you'll need me to protect you."

"...Riiiiiiight. Says the mare who took over my body and obliterated over twenty targets in a row."

Starlight flung the bark, readying Splinter to fire another bolt. Seconds later, the target exploded, raining more ash over the slowly growing heap on the ground.

"Twenty-one," she smirked. "Here, if you really want to leave, then I'll just have a go at four more targets, 'kay? It's just... it's been so long since I've been able to truly do something!"

"Fine. But you gotta teach me how to shoot lasers later, then."

"Deal."

Emily strolled along the bustling streets of the shopping district. Now that she wasn't being dragged around by Mister Blueberry, she could actually see some interesting things among the piles of stuff being bought and sold; little wind-up toys, a model engine here and there-- she turned her head at the sound of a typewriter.

"You like mechanical trinkets, don't you? Your thoughts are occupied by them."

The girl nodded, continuing her browsing and ignoring the pressing question of how a pony could possibly use a typewriter. Then again, how were some of these ponies around her even able to hold things with their hooves?

"Don't think too hard about it. It's for the better," Starlight deadpanned. "A certain friend of mine told me how she learned that the hard way."

Alright. Don't think about the weird pony physics. Noted. Emily turned away from the typewriter noises. Maybe she'd finally have the opportunity to find someplace with some good food... Preferably something that wasn't hay-based this time around.

She wandered around a corner. More shops lined the sides of the street, stretching on to the edge of the fort's walls.

"See any restaurants around, Star?"

"Donuts. There's..." Starlight's voice was tinged with confusion. "There's a... donut shop near the walls. Why would the nobles want to keep something that they'd consider commoner food?"

Emily shrugged. "'Dunno, but donuts are donuts. Do... you know what the currency around here is?"

Starlight's facehoof echoed through her head.

"I mean, either way, I'll probably need to get an allowance from King Blueblood anyway..."

"Just..." Starlight let out a heavy sigh. "Listen, if you want something to eat, then we should head back to the palace. I think it'd be best if you don't attract too much attention to yourself."

Rapid hoofsteps approached from behind. The girl turned just in time to spot the edges of a cloak fly past her eyes.

"Hey..." Emily pointed after the cloaked pony. "Should we--"

"They're a returning spy. There used to be a formal intelligence agency that essentially sat around doing nothing, but the Old Guard made quick use of it once war broke out. Looks like things are still tense as ever."

"Wanna see what they're gonna say?"

Starlight hesitated. "I... sure, I guess? I mean, I was a trusted advisor and all before everything began to crumble, but--"

Emily broke into a sprint. She heard all that she needed to hear.

The girl stood with her back against the wall, silently listening to the report. She was a little late on account of trying to keep pace with a small horse, but that wasn't much of a problem. Being a little late never bothered her much anyway.

"--arswirl's time travel spell has been spotted within Ashen territory. Our attempts at retrieving the scroll were unsuccessful, as we are unable to track its movements within their borders. We believe it may be headed towards some kind of guarded facility within Canterlot for further analysis."

Starlight's voice gasped. Was it something the spy said? Something offending, or--

"No no, it's... I thought that spell was gone for good. If... if more copies of that scroll exist, then... oh, no no no... this is bad--"

Emily inched a little closer, tuning out Starlight's increasingly broken muttering.

"Understandable," Blueblood's voice hummed. "I assume you are making preparations to try again at retrieving this scroll?"

"Indeed, sire. My ponies and I are detailing plans to infiltrate this facility in search of the spell."

"And what if you fail?" Blueblood's voice growled a little with that last word.

The spy seemed unfazed by the King's hostility, droning on in a near-monotone. "It is for this reason that we shall be split into two groups. If one is stricken down, then the other shall rescue those who survive and return them to our territory."

"Hmph," Blueblood grunted. "Very well then. Ensure that your operations remain as covert as possible, and we will retain the element of surprise lest the Ashen attempt to strike. You are dismissed. Starlight!"

Emily shrunk back at the mentioning of the mare's name.

"Starlight, I know you have been eavesdropping. Please, show yourself, and we may discuss the spell openly. Perhaps we may even let you wield it for yourself once it has been retrieved."

"Star!" Emily whispered, stepping from her hiding place. "Starlight! You done rambling yet? We've got a sticky situation with the King to handle!"

"...Yes. If needed, I can give you pointers on what to say. Please don't mess things up this time."

Emily nodded, though that wasn't necessarily a promise. She stopped in front of King Blueblood, bowing slightly.

"Starlight," Blueblood's voice dripped with warmth as he smiled. "You remember using that spell, do you not? My historians have told me all about you. Your past, your old... obsessions-- I know it all."

"I... yes," the girl forced a grin. "I'll admit that some of my past... uh, hobbies were a little--"

"Controlling? Powerful?" Blueblood cut in, "Indeed, Starlight, I am quite aware of your magical prowess. My advisors have been over their heads in discussion of your potential in retaking Canterlot from the Ashen."

Bad idea bad idea bad idea-- where the heck was Starlight?! She said she'd be giving pointers! Letting the conversation turn towards war plans was not a good place to be headed!

King Blueblood cocked his head. "Do you feel ill? You do not appear to be very attentive to my words."

"No!-- I... I was just thinking, that's all. Why do you wanna ta--"

"Tut--" Starlight abruptly interjected, forcing her own words from Emily's mouth. "Ahem. Sorry about the stutter, your majesty. What I meant to ask was why you wish to attempt to retake your homeland now, of all times. After all these years spent growing your stronghold in the Everfree, what purpose would retaking Canterlot even serve?"

Emily sighed as she felt Starlight recede again to the depths of her mind. Even if it was a little... sudden of a save, she'd probably have to thank the mare later for that one. Though, why she didn't just keep on controlling her body was beyond her.

Blueblood, for his part, remained silent, staring deep into her eyes. She shifted on her feet, looking away.

"Unification."

Her attention immediately snapped back to the stallion. His eyes were still locked firmly on her.

"Unification," the King repeated, "The Ashen is a splinter group that formed solely to follow the will of the late Twilight Sparkle, even when it was obvious that their inexperience in leadership would lead to great strife across the fracturing nation. We of the Old Guard only wish to re-establish order within their anarchistic bounds, and bring peace back to the land. If the Ashen are intent on fabricating our undoing by tampering with the past, then we have no choice but to declare war and defeat them before it can happen."

That... actually sounded like a pretty decent idea. To be honest, she was expecting something more along the lines of 'GARRR, ME WANT LAND AND POWER, I AM BAD FLUFFY ROYAL PONY'... or something like that.

"You are an absolute child, Emi."

...Yes.

Blueblood took a deep breath, recomposing himself after his brief monologue. "Do you have any other questions?"

"Tell him no," Starlight's voice whispered. "Asking more may make him suspicious."

Emily shook her head.

"Then you are dismissed. You may return to your quarters, but please--" a smile formed at the edge of his lips. "--if you wish to listen to my conversations with my fellow ponies, feel free to come into the open. There is no need to hide."

"O...okay."

"Starlight, what the heck was that?"

"What?"

Emily rolled her eyes, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "That. Y'know, the whole thing where you said you'd be giving pointers?"

"I did give pointers," Starlight's voice countered, "It's just... I was a little lost in thought, that's all. It's really nothing important."

"You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"Hmf. You think?"

"Yup," the girl folded her arms. "It's in your voice. I might not be the greatest at reading people, but it's pretty obvious that something's up. Spill the beans, Star."

Starlight remained silent.

"C'mon, it can't be that bad, can it? Is it about your old friends again? I know you probably want to see them, but--"

"It's about a mistake. A very big, very bad mistake from a long time ago."

"Well, if it's from a long time ago, then why would it matter? You can't change the past. If you hurt anyone, then they're definitely long-gone by now. Why are you thinking about this stuff now? It's probably best to move on from it. You shouldn't be beating yourself up over things from ages ago."

"Heh. Can't change the past," Starlight scoffed. "Easy for you to say. I nearly destroyed it."

...Destroyed it? So, what, did Starlight screw around with ti--

"Yes. I broke what was more or less a sacred bond out of spite, and every time I returned to the present, things were worse than they'd been before. The time that finally broke me was the timeline where this-- all of this-- was nothing but an arid wasteland. I'm starting to think that maybe..." Starlight's voice paused for a breath, letting it all out in a heavy sigh before continuing. "...Maybe this world is one of those bad timelines, too."

"Oh," Emily mumbled. "I... don't really know what to say about that. I... wow, shattering the timeline... no wonder why the King keeps prodding us to do some fancy spe--" she gasped. That time travel spell thingy that the spy was talking to Blueberry about! Was that the spell Starlight used to--

"Yes."

Emily pushed herself back up, her hands balling into fists. "Well then," she began, "How 'bout this-- we steal the spell, and get rid of it before anyone else can possibly make the same mistake?"

"We'll need to get out of here first. King Blueblood, or 'Blueberry' as you keep calling him, seems to want me to go into battle again for him. If I'm going to have to fight, I want to fight against him and his cronies. The Old Equestria is long-gone, but they don't seem to be able to get that through their thick skulls."

"I don't know, Star, we've only just gotten settled. Do we really have to--"

"Yes."

Emily sighed. She glanced at the window, then to the floor beneath her and the bed.

"Fine. Let's get out of here tonight. You can probably just teleport us or somethi--"

"No magic. With how obsessed Blueblood seems to be with magical artifacts and spells, this place is probably swarming with magic detection and nullifying fields. I know some old passages from the days of this place's construction that we can try taking. Not sure if they're still around anymore, but..." Starlight huffed. "It's worth a shot."

Alright, sewer-crawling it is!

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12 minutes2,374 words

2|1 ◈ Of Escape

It was a rocky start, but it was all that they had.

A new nation, from ashes and flame,

Rose like a phoenix;

After which it was named.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Yup."

Emily stared at the old cracks that spindled across the rocky ceiling. "It's not exactly... uh, safe-looking, if you ask me."

"Yeah, yeah, just keep walking. We want out, we're taking the old construction pass. There's absolutely no way the guards are gonna let us out if we just waltz up to them."

The girl rolled her eyes, running her fingers along the dusty bricks lining the corridor. Starlight had a point, though; with how much King Blueblood knew about her, he'd absolutely despise the idea of them leaving Old Guard territory-- or for that matter, defecting.

She snorted. That's basically what they were doing at this point, wasn't it? Starlight did say something about trying to get out before she died in the war, and that's basically what they were doing again now. Also, that whole spiel she had about not using magic to escape. That was also pretty important.

"Left."

Emily peered down the long passage. Just like all the others she'd walked through, it was unlit. Not that it was much of a problem, though-- Starlight's little fire spell solved that problem handily. The flickering light from the flames at her fingertip also served to illuminate the still-red prints on her hands from lifting that trapdoor. She scratched at the light chafing on her fingers with her other hand. That was one heckuva rough handle she had to lift back there.

"C'mon, Emi. Stop letting your mind wander. You've been standing there for nearly half a minute now!"

Right. Left. Er... what? Emily blinked, taking her attention off her finger-candle spell thingy.

"Left..." Starlight's voice groaned, "I've already told you, walk down the left corridor. The right hall loops back to the training grounds last I remember. Now go, before I start forgetting the directions."

"Starlight, you've been pretty quiet this whole time we've been walking. Something on your mind?"

"No, not really. It's just--" Starlight paused. "The scroll. That time travel spell that we discussed earlier-- I thought it was the only copy in existence. I... I'm still trying to wrap my head around the thought of there being multiple. Here-- the next right should be the last one. If my memory is correct, you should find another trapdoor."

The mare fell back to idle muttering. As for Emily, she made the final turn, finding herself standing beneath a well-rusted square of metal. Her eyes flitted over the pitted surface, searching for a handle, or at the very least some indication on how the thing opened. Based on looks alone, this trapdoor was definitely not going to open the same way as the one she'd entered through.

"--Oh, um, here--" Starlight sputtered, "This one's reinforced since it isn't within the Old Guard's territory. I'll handle it."

Without warning, the familiar glow of Starlight's aura enveloped Emily's hands. The same soon went for the trapdoor, which promptly lifted.

Emily poked her head out of the hole, peering around at her new surroundings. From the looks of the largely-derelict buildings in the area, this place was probably some sort of town... though, given how dark it was outside, it wasn't easy to tell for sure. She grunted, heaving herself up over the edge and crawling onto the overgrown grass. Starlight's magic once again took hold of the trapdoor, shutting it quietly behind her. A quiet rustle was the only indication of their exit as the torn-up greenery fell back into place.

Brushing herself off, the girl turned her attention to the night-shrouded silhouettes of the buildings before her; broken beams and collapsed rooftops stood against the starry night sky in some buildings, while others seemed to fare a little better with their boarded-up windows and flickering glimpses of candlelight.

"Hey."

Emily jumped at the sound of the new voice, whirling around to find herself staring down the muzzle of a weary-looking mare.

"It's mighty late out," the mare rubbed an eye, squinting in the light of her torch and leaning closer to the girl. "It ain't safe at night bein' this close to the Everfree. Mah eyes ain't quite what they used to be, but you don't look like a guard or a soldier to me. What're ya doin' 'round these parts?"

"I... er--" Emily sputtered, her hands tightening around her backpack straps. "Honestly, I really still don't know. I just got here, and... well, it's really late at night, and--"

"Don't smell like one of them soldiers, either, though you're still mighty sweaty," the mare sniffed.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Well, it'd help quite a bit if I had a place to stay at for a little while. Maybe I'll even take a bath. Or a shower. Something."

The mare nodded, turning around and gesturing to follow.

"Hey Star," Emily muttered under her breath, "You think I should follow the creepy old mare?"

"I mean, based on her accent alone, I'm pretty sure she can be trusted."

"Wait, accent? You can't just judge someone by their accen--"

"Are ya comin', sugarcube? If you're lookin' for somewhere to get some shut-eye, Ah've got plenty of spare rooms in the house! It's been a looooong time since anypony's ever slept in 'em, though."

That only made things sound even worse!

"Just go already," Starlight's voice droned. "I'll fill you in later."

Fine then. If she died tonight, then she'd have Starlight to blame.

...Very... apple-y.

Like, this place not only smelled like apples, but was so saturated with apples that the air itself even tasted like apples. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing-- just... a little weird.

"It's less weird if you think about the fact that we're walking through Sweet Apple Acres, Emi."

Oh.

...

...

So like that one place in Pennsylvania, then!

"Your commentary never ceases to amaze me."

If only she could smack Starlight for that quip. Emily sped up a little, slowing down again at the side of the aging mare.

"So... what were you doing out so late when you came across me?"

"Just takin' a walk, that's all," the mare sighed. "Been a long while since I've had a good walk. The kids always tell me that Ah need to 'stay safe indoors' and such these days. Rumor has it that the Old Guard wants to cross our borders and nip at the Phoenix's behind."

Emily raised a brow. "Phoenix? Why would the Old Guard want to attack a phoeni--"

"She's talking about the Ashen Phoenix faction. Most ponies in the Old Guard call it Ashen for short, though."

"Well--" the old mare chuckled, "If you wanna ask somethin' like that, then you're gonna be in for one heckuva lecture, sugarcube. Perhaps you should've asked your ma and pa 'bout it before comin' to me. Ah'm just an old mare mindin' the farm, that's all. It's nice to have some company every now and then."

"So you don't mind me being a human then, I'm guessing?"

The mare paused, cocking her head. "Hoo-min? Well, Ah'd be darned! It's been quite some time since Ah've heard of a hoo-min 'round here!"

Emily's eyes lit up. "So you're saying that there's other humans like me here? I--"

"Mm-mmm--" the mare shook her head. "Just sayin' that Ah haven't heard of 'em since Ah was a filly."

"Oh."

"Well," the old mare stopped in front of a rickety-looking farmhouse. She pushed the door open. "Ah'm plum-tuckered out from tonight's rounds. You can pick any room you'd like-- Ah'm just in the room by the stairs."

Without another word, the mare retreated deeper into the house, disappearing down a short hall beside the stairwell. Emily glanced about, squinting in the dimly-lit foyer. Faded photographs dotted the walls, hiding the peeling wallpaper. She didn't dare take off her shoes in this place; just the look of the floorboards could give her a splinter.

"C'mon, Emi. We can stock up and leave in the morning. This mare's offering us housing for the night, so we might as well take it. Who knows when we'll get to sleep on a bed again?"

Emily nodded, climbing the stairs.

"I think I see a room to the right at the top. We can sleep in there."

Again, the girl nodded. A good night's rest, some directions, and food would all probably be important to have if she was gonna trek all the way over to some faraway place. Though, given how strong the smell of apples was even inside the house, she already had a creeping idea of what the food was going to be like around here.

At the very least, if she couldn't take anything with her, the smooshed granola bars at the bottom of her backpack would last her a day or two.

"Rise an' shine, sugarcube!" the old mare's muffled voice rung through the room.

Emily groaned. Was it morning already? She cracked an eye, peering lazily toward the bare window-- yup, it was morning alright.

"Eh--" she turned, throwing the covers over her head. "Mornings are overrated."

"Oh come on, Emi, we agreed to this! Now's not the time to lounge around!"

"Shush, Whisper. It's powernap time."

The old mare knocked on the door. "Ah made breakfast! There's some apple fritters down on the table if you want some. Ah'll be out mindin' the orchard if you need anythin'."

Emily's eyes shot open.

"Are you kidding me?" Starlight grumbled, "You won't wake up to get something done, but you'll wake up if there's--"

Fine, fine, whatever. Next time she'll wake up without breakfast then. See how Starlight's mana pool likes it.

"Wha-no! That's not the poi--"

Emily smirked, sitting up in bed.

"...Oh. You're messing with me."

"Yup," the girl chirped, hopping out of bed. "So, after breakfast, we should probably ask around about things we might need for the trip. Where are we heading again?"

"The Ashen Phoenix faction-- that's the place where the scroll supposedly is, according to Blueblood's spy. It's a pretty long distance from here, though, so if the train from here to there's still functional, then we are absolutely taking it."

Emily raised a brow. "...And where's here, exactly?"

"Ponyville."

Wow. So creative.

"Hey! I know what you're thinking, y'know!"

Yeah, yeah, mind-reading shenanigans and stuff. Still doesn't make the name 'Ponyville' any less weird. So, it's either walking there or taking a train, then?

Starlight grumbled an affirmation.

"'Kay then."

The old mare's shovel hit the ground. "Eh?" she turned to face Emily. "You want to travel up to Canterlot?"

"Catnerlot? No, I said that we're gonna go to--"

"Emi," Starlight whispered, "Ashen is the country. Canterlot is the capital."

"--er, nevermind. So... uh," Emily kicked at the dirt under her shoes. "What kind of supplies do you think we'd nee--"

"Didja like the pie?" the old mare cut in.

"Yeah, yeah, the pie's goo--"

"Wrong!" the mare burst, "You ain't listenin', young lady! Ah made fritters! Talkin' and conversin' is a two-part ordeal, and y'all only got one part nailed."

"Wha--"

A wide grin spread across the old mare's muzzle.

Emily blinked. "W-wait...Ohhhh--"

The old mare followed up with a hearty chuckle. "Oh, you remind me so much of mah grandchildren! They're a real chatty bunch-- and real fun to mess with, at that! Hoo-- it's been a long while since Ah've had the chance to do it again!"

Her laughter died down to a light wheeze. She leaned on her shovel, taking a moment to recompose herself.

"So, uh... Catnerlot!" Emily forced a grin. "Do you know how long it'd take to get there?"

"Hm, tough to say--" the old mare rasped, "--been a while since Ah've been travelin'. Prolly some... two? Two... three hours by train?"

"Gotcha," Emily clicked her pen, tucking the notepad into a pocket. "Catnerlot by train it is, then!"

"Canterlot," Starlight corrected. "Also, where the buck did that notepad come from?"

"My backpack."

"Your backpack what?" the old mare cocked her head. "Sorry if mah hearin's a bit dull these days, but I didn't quite catch that last part there."

Another one of Starlight's facehoofs (facehooves?) echoed through Emily's head. This entire exchange was getting a little awkward even for her now.

...

...

"My backpack!" Emily repeated, slipping the bag from her shoulders. "I was just wondering if... we could maybe have some food that we could bring with us along the way? I'm not completely sure about whether or not the train you mentioned is even working or not, so it'd probably be a good idea to bring some extra supplies and stuff in case--"

"Ya get lost? Ah understand," the old mare nodded. "But, ya gotta work for them stuffs! Us Apple family folk have never been the kind to raise slackers, and Ah ain't gonna start now with you, either!" she pointed a hoof at the ripe apples hanging from the nearby trees. "Ah know y'ain't the type suitable for apple-buckin', but you humans have your crafty lil' hands to do the pickin' instead. If you can pick me some baskets, Ah'll letcha keep half the pickings. Deal?"

Welp. Not like there was any other option from the looks of it.

Emily held out a hand. "Deal."

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24 minutes4,826 words

2|1 ◈ Of Journeys

Roads may be blocked, but they can always be cleared.

Bridges may still burn, but things don't have to be as they are feared.

Bonds broken,

Bonds made,

It isn't where you began, nor where you end--

But rather the journey, where you'll find your truest friends.

"Three baskets," Emily grinned, brushing leaves from her hair as she stood behind the heaps of apples. "That enough for you?"

"Hm. Ah think that'd be plenty enough for the time being," the old mare nodded. "Ya got anythin' to hold your share of the harvest?"

Emily nudged the backpack on the floor beside her.

"Emi, do you really think you can cram a basket and a half worth of apples in that thing?"

Emily nudged the backpack on the floor beside her harder.

"...Nevermind."

"Well," Emily half-mumbled, transferring an apple into her backpack, "I guess I should probably head out now. Thanks for letting me stay the night, Mrs..."

"Ambrosia Cider," the old mare finished. "Say, Ah never caught your name, either."

"Emily Ashton."

Ambrosia snorted. "Huh. Kids these days an' their strange names. Well, Ah'll certainly wish ya luck on your trek to Canterlot!"

Emily nodded, trying to cram another apple into her now-bulging backpack. Geez-- how many was she able to fit? Five? Six apples? Was that gonna be enough?

"You look like you need some help with that."

Gee, thanks for the insight, Clippy. Emily turned to Ambrosia. "Er... is there any way--"

"Eeyup."

She raised her brow. "Wha--"

Emily gingerly set another tin of candied apples in her backpack. Honestly, in hindsight, she should've figured that Ambrosia was planning on sending her off with some sort of apple-based recipe. At least it tasted good. And hey, the empty cans could probably make for some good projectiles if she ever needed to clobber someone at a distance.

"You take care now," Ambrosia set another tray of candy tins in front of Emily. "Don't eat all of 'em in one sitting, or else you're gonna catch the diabeetus!"

Ok.

"So..." Emily packed another tin in her bag. "Mrs. Ambrosia, do you know anything about the train to Canterlot?"

Ambrosia Cider shrugged. "Ah just know that it ain't in service, that's all. Most of the travel's been either on hoof or by balloon these days."

"Oh? A balloon?"

"Eyup," Ambrosia nodded. "Big ol' flyin' thingamabobber that lifts up into the sky. Though if you're so dead-set on a train, Ah'd say you'd best head off to find Aero Wrench. He's a retired engineer that set up shop 'round here not too long ago. Arrived by balloon, of course."

"What about the balloon, then? Would it be possible to take one to Canterlot instead of a train?"

The old mare snorted. "With the schedules they have? Ah'd bet three pies that they'd forget thatcha even paid for a ride! The balloons always arrive during the night, and even then they only come 'round once a month."

Emily's hopes dampened. "So... when's the next time it's gonna co--"

"Do you have the bits to pay your fare? If so, there's gonna be a launch leavin' in two weeks."

Oh. Right. She was broke in both this world and her own. Fun. Also, two weeks was probably a bit too long of a wait, what with the chance of war breaking out relying on her. Kind of.

...

...

"Yeah, I'll just take my chances with Mister Aero then." Emily shrugged. At the very least, if her luck fell through with him, she could probably make the trek on foot.

"Yeah, I doubt it, Emi. You fell off the ladder while we were picking apples earlier."

"We don't speak of that moment--" Emi shushed, "--Whisper." She stood up, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Well, I guess I'll be heading out now. Thanks for letting me stay the night!"

Ambrosia waved her off. "You're darn right, sugarcube! Come 'round again if y'all ever want more apples, and tell mah grandchildren Ah say hi!"

...This was a train station? Emily read the faded sign in front of her. Ponyville Station, the thing read-- again, a bit odd of a name, but whatever. At least there was already a train at the station. It definitely was gonna take a bit of work, though, given how much of a rustbucket it was.

Wait-- Emily shaded her eyes, squinting at the train. Were those solar panels on its roof?

...If an eye-roll could be audible, she definitely heard one come from Starlight just then.

"Well, it's been at least a hundred or more years since I was last alive, sooooo... yes, those are probably solar panels on its roof."

Ouch. Thanks for the snark, Star.

"You're welcome."

Emily wandered closer to the train. The once brightly-colored side panels were now pitted with rust, and based on the amount of dust and other gunk caked on in some places, this thing had been sitting around for ages. But, it's what they had, so it'd have to do.

"Just be glad it isn't steam-powered. The damage doesn't look too bad-- wanna try taking it for a spin?"

A wide grin spread across the girl's face. She'd be stupid not to try it out. Stepping onboard the cab, she was immediately hit with oil-scented air. And... air freshener? She picked up the spray canister, raising a brow. Somebody's been in here.

Her eyes turned to the controls. Surprisingly, there weren't nearly as many dials and gauges and stuff as she'd imagined there'd be. Heck, for the most part, the control panel was surprisingly simple; just a brake-looking thingy, a throttle, and a little dashboard with some stuff being measured. She set her hand on the throttle, pulling the brake lever into its 'disengaged' range.

She took a deep breath, shifting the throttle forward.

...

...

Emily blinked, taking her hands off the controls. "So, uh... was something supposed to happen?"

"Beats me. You're the one that decided to try driving."

"And you're the one who suggested i--"

The train groaned beneath her. It was slow at first, making more grinding noises than movement. Dust rained down on her head as the entire vehicle shuddered. Another groan rose from underneath, a little higher-pitched this time. One final jolt set it into motion.

"Look outside! We're moving!"

Slowly, they began to pull away from the station, inching ever so slightly further forward with every second.

And then they stopped.

"Wha--" Emily pushed the throttle again, craning her neck for a better view outside. "--why'd it stop?"

"Ay!" a voice shouted from outside. "What're you doing with that railcar?"

Emily almost jumped at the sudden noise that followed. A metallic screech echoed through the air as a nearby garage opened up to reveal a lanky-looking stallion.

"You'd better have a good explanation for yourself, missy," the stallion grumbled, trotting up to the open cab door. "I've seen my fair share of ridiculousness, but trainjacking is on a whole new level. What gives?"

"Oh, we..." Emily trailed off, taking her hands off the controls. "We're kinda in a rush to get to Canterlot. Mrs. Ambrosia told us that we could try taking the train there, but... well, it's not exactly in top shape." She forced a smile. "But, we're trying!"

Her smile was met with a deadpan glare.

"Uh-huh. And what business do you have, heading up to Canterlot in such a hurry? It's rare enough for a human to be out and about, let alone one trying to get into the capital."

Great. How was she supposed to explain it? He'd never believe it! Not only that, but--

"My apologies. My name is Starlight Glimmer--" Starlight cut in, forcing Emily's consciousness aside. "--and I've recently been reincarnated into this human body. It is of utmost importance that I travel to the capital city of the Ashen Phoenix, lest war may arise between them and the Old Guard."

...The heck was that mumbo-jumbo?

"'Diplomatic' talk," Starlight slipped back into her mental presence, leaving the girl control of her body once more. "Don't ask. I hate it just as much as you probably do."

The stallion's glare softened, making way for confusion. "Starlight Glimmer? Last I heard of that name was from the history books! Tell me, what's this all-important task that you gotta do up in Canterlot? How can I be sure that you're really Starlight Glimmer?"

Emily looked around. It seemed safe enough around here to spill the beans.

"Emi..."

Not now, Star.

She turned back to the stallion, stepping closer to him. "So, this is something that I probably shouldn't be telling anyone else, but there's this time travel scroll that's apparently been discovered over there, and sh--I've made it my duty to find and destroy it. The Old Guard wants to send a force over to take the scroll for themselves, and the Ashen want to use it to get rid of the Old Guard, so--"

"Emi!" Starlight scolded again, "How are we supposed to know that he'll be willing to help us? For all we know, he could be another Old Guard spy!"

The stallion cocked his head. "Continue? Is something wrong?"

Emily shook her head. "No, no. I'm just worried that you or someone else might try to get rid of me or something, given how what I'm trying to do would be damaging to both factions."

A defeated sigh rose from Starlight.

"I..." the stallion made a face, staring between Emily and the railcar's control panel. "I... here, come with me." He turned away, gesturing to follow.

"Coffee?" the stallion mumbled, emerging from a greasy-looking kitchen with a mug. "Or are you a tea kinda creature?"

Emily shrugged. "I'm fine with either. Though, why--"

He'd already disappeared into the kitchen again before she could finish, leaving his mug on the stout table in front of her. He wandered out again not long after with a second mug, setting it down beside the first.

"--I'm sorry, what were you saying earlier?" he yawned, lazily reaching for his mug. "Kinda walked out on you there, sorry 'bout that."

"Why did your attitude change so quickly? There's literally zero reason for either of us to trust each other!"

"Emi, please don't make things worse," Starlight groaned. "I'd rather have another pony on our side, please. We probably have an entire kingdom's worth of former Canterlot nobles out to get us by now."

Well, nothing about the whole exchange seemed to be signaling certain doom at the moment, so evidently something was working.

The stallion took a sip of his coffee. "Well, the feeling's mutual. But, I've always been a helpful sorta pony myself. If you need to get to Canterlot, I'll get you there. Just don't expect me to do any more than that."

Emily's eyes lit up. "Really? I... thanks!"

"Huh. So it worked out after all. Lucky."

Alright, Starlight.

"Hmf. Well, I suppose we should probably get along to introductions. The name's Aero Wrench--" he held out a hoof. "--what's yours?"

Oh, so this is the dude that Mrs. Ambrosia was talking about earlier. Nice.

"Emily Ashton," she took his hoof, shaking it. "So... when can we leave?"

Aero shrugged. "Now, I suppose. I'm assuming you're in a rush, so let's get going."

"But how are we gonna travel? The train doesn't work. You even saw me trying to drive it!"

"Psh, I was planning on fixing the darn thing anyway. The line was retired ages ago, and all the bigwigs ever did to replace it was to put another dot on the balloon routes. I bought the Ponyville line after I retired with the idea of bringing back some sane transportation, since nopony's ever listened to my petition to build an airport here. C'mon, I'm pretty sure it's just some corrosion to the wiring that's holding it back."

"Okay, try again!"

Emily pushed the throttle forward, but once again, only metallic screeching and the buzz of electricity arose in response. She pulled it back, stopping the noise.

"Aight, let's try wiping some more of this crud away-- see if any of it is shorting something out. I'm just glad that all the high-voltage and high-current stuff's still sealed off and clean. That'd be a nightmare to work with if there was as much gunk in there as there is here! Heck, it'd be even worse if something happened to the batteries!"

It was a few minutes before he gave the signal again.

"Alright, try backing it up again!"

Again, she pushed the throttle. The noise was absolutely still there, but surprisingly, the railcar moved. And not just inching along like it was the first time, but moving moving. He'd fixed it!

Emily pulled the brakes, sending the vehicle to a screeching stop. Just out the front windows, Aero slammed the hood shut, tossing aside some oily-looking wires. How he was able to work with electrical components with nothing more than hooves was beyond her. He didn't even have a horn or wings!

"We ready for a trip to Canterlot?" Aero grinned, hopping into the open cab. "I can take over from here if you'd like; I've conducted these sorta railcars before. You wanna head back into the passenger compartment?"

"Yup."

The stallion nodded, taking a position at the control panel. Emily pulled the door open to the dusty passenger area, picking a nice window seat right up front. Hopefully, the trip would at least be scenic, based on what she'd already seen of this world. The entire vehicle jolted, easing forward towards a turntable.

Emily blinked. Wait-- how were they supposed to operate the turntable when Aero's the only one around besides herself?

They halted on the turntable. She watched Aero exit the cab, scurrying into a nearby building. An even louder mechanical creak suddenly hit her ears as the train began to turn.

And turn.

And turn.

It took more than just a few minutes, and she'd already finished a tin of candied apples during that time, but eventually, the train had finally turned in the opposite direction. Aero hopped back into the cab, waving at Emily as he took his position at the controls.

Once again, the railcar jolted forward, steadily accelerating past the station.

"Whoa--" Aero blurted, pulling the brakes. Emily braced herself against the wall in front of her to avoid smashing her face against the paneling.

"What hooligan thought it was a good idea to leave a freight car in the middle of the track?" the stallion grumbled, exiting the cab again. His voice grew increasingly faint the further he walked. "Did they really think it'd be a good idea to dump abandoned cars on these tracks? Holy crap. These ponies-- I swear they're trying to cut Ponyville right off the map with the things they do!"

Emily opened a dusty window, sticking her head out. Sure enough, a boxcar sat in the way in front of them, backed up against some sort of makeshift barrier over the tracks.

"--Dangit, we'll probably have to push the darn thing with us if we wanna get past. Though, if the batteries give when we get to the more mountainous terrain, then we're absolutely fu--"

"I could probably levitate it out of the way, y'know," Starlight commented.

Aero knocked on the siding of the car. "Hey, you wanna at least take a look inside? There's some unmarked crates sitting around inside. Even found this weird book-- here, catch!"

Emily ducked. A small, hardcover book flew in through the open window, bouncing against the seat across from her and landing on the floor. She picked it up.

"How to Write a How to Write a Book Book, by Redundant Press Press?" Starlight's voice snorted, "What kind of book is that?"

A book on writing book-writing tutorials, apparently. Emily tossed the book aside, standing up. She'd might as well take a look around if there was gonna be stuff as interesting as that.

"Question is, how are we gonna open 'em," Aero mumbled, a hoof on one of the crates. "No crowbar, no saw-- I think we'll just have to brute-force these things."

"Hey Emi, it's been a little while since we've done some magic. Want me to take over?"

Before she could even respond, the girl felt all sensation leaving her body again. Starlight cleared her throat, pulling Splinter from her pocket. "Well," she smirked, stepping up beside Aero. "Being a unicorn in my past life definitely came with some benefits-- magic being one of them."

Emily watched Splinter begin to glow once more with Starlight's mana. A similarly-hued aura surrounded one of the crates, tearing its lid clean off.

"Oh heck, it's crystals," Aero whistled, peering inside. "Whew, got plenty of demand for those these days up in Canterlot, what with enchanted amulets and totems being used more and more each year. You could make a good deal of bits off of this." He picked up one of the crystals, holding it up to the stream of sunlight coming in from the doorway. "Daaaaang. High-grade quartz like this would absolutely be snatched up on the market."

...

...

...Okay. Apparently they're rich now. Thanks, random abandoned freight car that Aero decided to loot. Pretty heckin' convenient for you to be around.

"Well then," Aero sniffed, tossing the quartz back into the crate, "I suppose we could load these crates into the unused space behind you in the passenger car."

"Oh geez, he's actually following through with the looting."

"Shush, Emily," Starlight mumbled. "Let's just hope he doesn't get too greedy. We could probably make good use of some of those crystals ourselves."

Aero turned to Starlight. "Hey, you can do magic. Wanna help carry some?"

"Uhhh... sure!" Starlight lit Splinter again, grasping several crates in her aura and hopping out of the car. It'd be a little tough actually getting the crates in, but this was something she could manage.

"What, are you gonna crack open the roof like a can of sardines, or-- ohhhh, okay. You shrunk the crates."

"Yup," Starlight hummed, reversing the spell once the crates were inside. "It's useful, but I'm pretty sure it's deadly if used improperly."

Aero's muffled voice echoed from the boxcar. "Huh. Well, that's neat," he poked his head out the doorway. "Some of these crates came from the company I used to work for!"

Starlight cocked her head. "Oh? And what's that?"

"Whirlwind. They were founded years ago as a manufacturing powerhouse during the war. Given how I was employed by 'em not too long ago, I can definitely say that they're still alive and kickin'."

"Ohhhhh--" she nodded, taking another crate from the car. "That Whirlwind. Wasn't their main product line some sort of airplane?"

"Yup, the Whirlwind Whirlybird, if I recall. I don't know my history that well, but I remember seeing a replica of one up on display somewhere. Biiig machines, I'll tell ya that-- I'm pretty sure their wingspan is longer than both our railcar's and this boxcar's lengths combined!"

Starlight nodded again, chucking the crate into the back of the train and letting it expand. "Sure sounds interesting, Aero. Does Whirlwind still make planes today?"

"Can you two please hurry up?" Emily groaned, "Just get the crystals and knock the boxcar off the rails or something! Hearing about all this history is interesting and all, but we kinda have something to do."

"Come again?" Aero hopped out of the boxcar. "Didn't hear all that well there. Something about Whirlwind still making planes, right?"

Another nod.

"Ugh! Come o--"

"Yeah, yeah they do. These days it's mostly passenger jets and stuff, though."

"Star, if you don't hurry up, I'ma try forcing back control of myself!"

Starlight rolled her eyes at the girl's complaining. "Neat. Uh-- anyways, how many more crates are there? We're... kinda in a rush still."

Aero glanced back, craning his neck for a better view into the boxcar. "Ehhh some two, maybe three more crates? It's hard to tell from this angle, but I think you grabbed most of 'em already. How's space on our own train?"

"Still plenty," Starlight walked past, grabbing the last few crates. "What are you planning to do with these? Besides just selling them, I mean."

"Keep 'em. Though, I might sell a few just to get rid of the surplus, given... y'know, how much we've got. We could split the spoils if you'd like, to be honest. I can't imagine ever needing this many crystals in my lifetime."

Emily nodded, feeling control of her body beginning to seep back. Starlight's magic fizzled away with one final flick of the wrist, sending the final crates tumbling into the railcar. "Thanks! I don't think I can fit very many in my backpack, thou--"

"You don't have to bring all of your share with you!" Aero laughed. "I'll just store yours away somewhere, and if you ever need more, just swing by and grab some from storage."

Starlight breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's get going now," the stallion continued, walking past. "Canterlot's still a long way from here. Still need to figure out how we're gonna get around the freight car, though. Any ideas?"

"Any--" Emily paused, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Hey Star, can you explode things?"

"Making things explode is quite dangerous, Emi. I know what you're thinking. No."

"Whyyyyyy? C'mon, it doesn't have to be that destructive!"

"Ask Aero about it," Starlight grumbled. "See what he thinks about it. Though, I guess I'd best figure out the optimal way of removing the freight car myself in the meantime. Let's see..."

Starlight's words quickly devolved into a low muttering of ideas. As for Aero....

"Hey, you wanna go to Canterlot or not?" he called from the cab, waving a hoof. "Come on! We'll just shunt this thing for a bit 'till we have an idea."

Emily nodded, breaking into a sprint and leaping onboard. She poked her head through her open window, glancing at the freight car. Maybe they could float it off the tracks first, and then explode it!

"Riiiight. What's with you and being attracted to destruction? First, it was bugging me about fire spells, then it was the lasers, and now this?"

"Explosions are fun. Case closed."

"HHHhhhhhhfine. I'll explode the freight car. You happy now?"

"Yup!"

"I swear, Emi, you've got a thicker skull than even the worst of the nobles I've dealt with back in my day."

Emily grinned. "Hey, Aero--" she called, "How about we lift the freight car off the rails? I already moved a buncha heavy crates, so what's a few tons more of wood and steel?"

"Ar--" Aero sputtered, looking over his shoulder at the girl. "Are you sure about that? The weight difference between a crate of unpolished quartz crystals and the car that was carrying them is far more than just a few tons!"

"Sure I'm sure," Emily smirked. "Starlight Glimmer's got this handled."

"I... uh... okay then? Just be careful out there. It's a lot--"

"--heavier than I think it is? Yeah, I know," Emily brushed off the stallion's worries. "Again, S-I can handle it. Don't worry!"

"Emi, I'm worried for you."

Oh, be quiet, Star. This was a perfect opportunity for the mare to practice some high-level stuff, anyway! THere's really nobody else around save for Aero, and if needed, he could probably report the explosion as some kind of railway accident!

"Whatever. I hope you pay me back with enough of those crystals to make me a new body. Don't mind me while I steal your body again."

Wait, what?

If the previous times when Starlight took over felt like going numb all over, this time felt more like she was getting sucked out of her own body through a straw.

"'Kay, gimme an explosion size," Starlight deadpanned, "I'll have to move it further away if you want a big one."

"If you want a small boom then make a small boom, grumpyhead. I'll be quiet for you."

Small boom it is, then. Starlight took a deep breath, focusing on the presence of the freight car. She'd have to be wary about the location of Aero as well-- there'd always be the off-chance that he could get injured in the process. Slowly, her mana began to leech out of Splinter, snaking over the exterior surface of the looted car. The tendrils flattened out once they connected on the opposite end, fully enveloping the structure.

She closed her eyes. Now came the hard part: lifting it. With how long it'd been since she last put herself under such magical strain, she'd have to be extra careful about it. One slip-up and it'd be the end of everyone here.

The freight car groaned as the mare began to lift. Rusty wheels long-since fused to the tracks broke free for the first time in ages with an ear-splitting screech, with one wheel even breaking free of the rest of the vehicle entirely! But that wasn't something to be focused upon. Starlight concentrated harder, cutting her attention away from all sense apart from the temporary bond she had with the now-levitating car.

And now, the part Emi'd been waiting for; Starlight attached a secondary spell to the levitation, resulting in the surrounding aura of the freight car growing even brighter than before. Tentatively, she set it off to the side, away from the tracks. It'd be a complete disaster if the explosion was set off by any sudden movement. It'd probably be safer if she could find some sort of pit or valley to nestle it in... there.

The car lifted again, floating to the other side of the tracks and settling into a ditch. Starlight dispersed the levitation spell, letting the remaining aura of the secondary spell sink into the freight car's surface.

"That's an odd place to put an abandoned car," Aero shaded his eyes with a hoof. "Did you have a reason for--"

The explosion rocked the landscape, rattling Emily, Aero, and the train behind them to the core. If it weren't for Starlight's quick thinking and subsequent casting of a sound-dampening spell, they all probably would've gone deaf. Flaming pieces of steel lay scattered on the ground, with the airborne bits quickly being taken care of by a volley of lasers. A dark plume of smoke rose from what remained of the freight car at the center of the blast.

"--Oh."

"Anyway," Starlight hopped back onboard, setting the wooden buffer atop the tracks on fire as she passed. "We should probably get going now. Aero?"

"Y-yeah. Right."

The ride was pretty quiet from that point on. Aero hadn't uttered a single word since the explosion, and combined with the already-quiet hum of the electric motors carrying the railcar forward, the near-silence of the trip made for a nice break from everything that'd happened earlier. Emily sat in her seat, peering out the window at the passing scenery. Patches of farmland dotted the landscape, intertwined with empty grassland and rolling hills that seemed to alternate every few minutes in visibility.

Emily popped another candied apple piece in her mouth. "Admit it, Star. You enjoyed that."

"I did not!"

"That's a funny way of saying you liked blowing stuff up. C'mon, I know you loved the feeling of letting loose on that thing. You even set the buffer on fire afterward!"

"...Fine. I... I do admit I went a little overboard with the explosion itself."

Emily leaned back in her seat, folding her arms with a smirk. "There we go. Now then, are you satisfied with what you did?"

"...Yes."

Author's Note:

And so, we end off arc 2|1 of Splintershard. I'll be taking some time to update other stories of mine, as well as writing out the next arc!

And holy heck was this a doozy of a chapter. Oh well, time to visit Canterlot! :raritywink:

As always, thank you for reading. :twilightsmile:

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