[It's been a few days since her ascension, and while Nephenee was happily distracted by so many loved ones returning, her subconscious has still been at work, and with that and that one mob that keeps trying to follow her and reactions...well, suffice to say, she's still Nephenee, and that meant a tendency towards worry. Especially over relationships...]

[Of course, she's also worrying about the fact she keeps accidentally blasting things. The less said about some of those occasions, the better. There's at once excitement and nerves at the fact that she can tap that magic Patchouli once told her of, and considering she's never tapped it before on less of a passive scale...]

[Let's not even go into her worrying over everything else about being a princess.]

[...She could use some help. Which is one reason she comes onto the scroll, struggling to hold the scroll up with her new magic, as a light, bright green glow surrounds her new appendage.]

Uh, hey, everypony! Wow, been a heckuva week, huh? It's been real great seein' so many folks back!

[...Sigh, okay, she can't fake being fine. The uneasy grin drops a bit.]

Ah..Ah know Ah'm an alicorn now...but Ah don't want y'all gettin' ideas an' thinkin' ya gotta treat me different than before. No title or lil' horn can change me bein' me...so, promise y'all don't gotta bow or nothin'. Ah'm still Nephenee...

...On the other hoof, Ah...kinda gotta learn to do that princess thing. An' learn to stop breakin' things with my magic. They're gonna start callin' me the Princess o' Breakin' Things at this rate. Can Ah get help learnin' to control it? Ah've...never used magic like this before...an' learnin' to be more proper when Ah hafta be, or...whatever princesses do?

[Still, she shakes her head, scroll going along with the movements, as she tries to brighten more.]

Now that t-that's done, Ah want to hang out with folks, 'specially all the folks Ah know that've come back! We should do tea! O-or maybe a picnic for that! Or whatever y'all'd like to do!

[Yeah she's nervous. Somepony needs to hug this girl.]

~~~~
( Private visuals to NPC princesses, and Princess Twilight )
~~~~
( Private visual to Shanks )

~~~~
( Private to Zetta )
~~~~
[Action at the Dojo:]

[It's been awhile since Neph's had a chance to get to the Dojo easily, now that there seems to be at least one group of ponies that flock to her. And in need of training to relax and help Flash and Minato out again, and a million other things, she disguises herself so she can actually get there easier. Somehow, it actually works, and she makes it there okay. Right, let's find her friends and relax...]

Hello, Ponyvillians. I am Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings. With my Changeling hoard, I am unstoppable and there's nothing you can do to ever stop me. I suggest you surrender now, but first, I have quite a list of demands.

1. The Princesses and its citizens will immediately vacate Canterlot. It will become a Changeling-only city.

2. Any and all books glorifying Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, or any of the Element bearers will be completely burned.

[And the list goes on, listing more and more generic oppressive demands. But... as the list goes on, the demands start to become a little odd. As even more demands are made, they get... odder and stranger and more ridiculous and goofy. This goes on for quite some time, with Queen Chrysalis keeping a straight face through all of it.]

475. Every thursday, Princess Cadance and Shining armor are to present themselves to me so I may boop there noses.

And finally, 476. The color orange will now be known as Razzamoni Chartreuse and a ritual will be held every third of the month praising Razzamoli Chartreuse.

That is all.

[The Changeling queen now awaits the confused responses of all who have been pranked by this list of demands.]

I'm baaaaaack!

[There's a flourish of materialized confetti, and marachi music plays just off-screen as Discord's mug appears. He seems pretty energetic today, for whatever reason.]

And you would not believe what has happened to me. First, Tirek appears and tries to get me to help him, and then Twilight's treehouse blows up...

[Context was for the weak, in Discord's opinion. He continues to ramble for a moment, before pausing.]

...Oh, yes, right. [cough cough.] So, I'm hoping to be brought up to speed on what has happened in my absence? I assume Celestia is no longer some rude teenager?

[Private to the Mane 6 and All their Variations]

Hi. Uh. I usually don't answer a lot of these when you girls private them to us because a lot of the time I'm not sure it includes me but I've got some serious shit I need to ask you all about.

You probably know me but if you don't I'm Jappleack, the Danny Devito twin to Applejack's Arnold Schwarzenegger, and pretending you all get that joke and moving on, you probably know me from my smash hit "Jumping into the Pale Pony", a tune so great I've done it three times now. In a little bit, I think I'm going to be doing it a fourth.

So here's the deal. If you can, you really think you can? I want any of you to come with me.

See, I think talking can work with her. Last time myself and a few others tried it and it...didn't go great, but she reacted. And if there's anything we can do, not just to stop this but to help her, it's going to be by confronting her with words. Of showing we care.

So I wan't to take a group of us, at least one of each of us, in to her to talk with her. I'm not going to push for this; if you don't think you could do it, don't. I don't want to put anypony in more danger than they think they can deal with. But I think it'd have a pretty damn good chance of working.

That's all I got.

[Private/Team Dandy]

Yo mofos I'm checking in to make sure all of you are still alive and kicking here. It's been a while since we dove into our host here. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to try again soon, and I've got a proposition about our next trip when y'all are ready.

I don't want to do it before Hearts and Hooves Day, she seems kind of...active during holidays. I'm thinking maybe near the end of February or beginning of March, whichever you nerds want to do. Either way, I kind of get the feeling we should move soon. I dunno.

I feel like something big might happen soon.

Dear Tom Shanks,

I'd like to begin by apologizing for missing your film festival. Whatever method you chose to get an invitation to me doesn't seem to have worked, because I never received an invitation, nor was I aware such an event was taking place until after it had already ended. I am unsure whether the other Princesses received theirs as well, or why the media are under the impression that we declined - had I received the invitation, I would certainly have attended.

That being said, I'd like to congratulate you on the release of Quest to Canterlot, which I look forward to viewing when I have the opportunity to, and on the announcement that accompanied its initial screening. I had been reading Hoovesweek for quite some time even before my coronation and am curious to see whether the direction it has taken since then will continue or whether it will achieve something greater under your leadership as Quarterhorse Quarterly. I believe the existence of ponies from out of this world is more serious than the magazine formerly known as Hoovesweek has been making it out to be, as are they. I am proud to call some of them my friends, and if your magazine continues to treat them as a spectacle I will continue to not purchase a copy for myself. The library in Ponyville will continue to under my supervision.

Also, a word of advice: Many of the off-world ponies are mistrustful of you not only because of the way the publication you now own has been treating them for nearly two years, but also because they believe you are conspiring with the pony that both they and I presume is the one responsible for their presence. You might remember her as the one that interrupted the Equestrian Games last summer. While I do not know whether or not this is the truth, I would recommend that you make that point clear as soon as you can, as I will not be taking responsibility for any action they take against you, Quarterhorse Quarterly, or its parent company Placetone Inc. except under very unusual circumstances, and while I believe that they are for the most part good ponies, I also believe it is best to be prepared should some of them choose to react with hostility.

- Princess Twilight Sparkle

[Oh, look! It's Twilight! It's not the winged one, so it has to be the Mayfield one! But, wait, what's with the pendent around her neck? Oh, no, we got another one? She obviously looks annoyed, though.]

Okay, I think I've ended up in the wrong world. Or something. I know this because I've been called "Princess" and "the other one". There's two of me? Seriously? Can't I have a break after what I've been through recently?

[A sigh and shaking her head.]

Anyway... girls? You there? How about you, Fate? Princesses? Anypony?

[Sometime just before Q's winter wonderland lights up, the scroll goes to static. Or what counts as static on paper. And then cuts to near-complete darkness, a silhouette outlined by a window. If one looks closely, they'll see Canterlot Castle in the distance. Wherever this is, its in the capital city.

The figure - which has to be a pony - takes a moment for the image to sink in, before speaking. The tone is female, no-nonsense, blunt, yet soft. Low. Prim. Its not a voice many on the scrolls will have heard. In fact, of the off-worlders, only one pony may even have any inkling of who this poiny even is.

No matter.]

Good evening.

In the next week, Hoovesweek will be hitting stands in time for the holiday. It goes without saying that the content of this issue will be less than flattering to you. Which should come as no surprise. If it does, well, welcome. Whatever sediment you've parked yourselves under must have been exceedingly cozy the past year and a half, hm?

Of course, that won't be the end of it. Let's just say that the...boss of Hoovesweek...

[The slightest, slightest, sliiiiightest growl at that word. Boss. How...hm.]

...has something prepared for you in the next few weeks. You'll all be receiving something in the mail. An invitation. And when you get it? I suggest you be on your best behavior regarding it. I know some of you have difficulty in doing so, but that is exactly what the...boss is counting on.

I suggest you show otherwise, when the time comes.

[A pause.]

Oh...and you didn't hear of any of this before you received your invite. This must be seen as a surprise to you all, lest I be potentially found out. There are more than a few livelihoods at stake. But I felt that I should warn you, just the same.

That's all.

[And she...whoever she is...is out. She...whoever she is...may or may not respond to various inquiries from characters. You'll just have to see how much more generous she...well, you get the idea.]

[Hey, everypony, its Princess Celestia! She looks quiet, almost solemn, as she sits by her fireplace.]

Hello.

Recently, it came to my attention that there is...another secret, so to speak, that I must indulge to you all. However, this revelation was one that the existence of which was unknown to me, my sister, or the other princesses of this world.

[She looks down at this.]

During Discord's recent prank during Nightmare Night, several of us were switched with normal ponies. When they did, they found themselves at the mercy of a voice. A voice that constantly spoke to them, sounding like us, encouraging them to do...things. Where this voice comes from, we don't know. None of us even knew this voice existed, until now.

[Closing her eyes.]

I realize this might be important information, so I apologize for delaying in reporting this. It wasn't intentional on my part to do so - I wanted to confirm and see if this was just in myself and Luna, or if Princess Cadance and Princess Twilight Sparkle also had this problem. While I couldn't confirm Cadance realizing it, I would like to speak with whoever switched with Princess Twilight Sparkle about this.

Again, I apologize for the delay on this. And also...

[A little smile plays on her face.]

I hope you all are having a lovely time with the Maze Trotter. Has anyone gotten to the end?

visual

[ Harvest season's coming along, and apples are being bucked down at a healthy rate. The amount of ripe apples on the trees has caused Flutterbat to surface more frequently; perhaps, late at night in the orchard, you've witnessed a shadow flitting around the trees? But now that only a few of them are left, the batpony has grown hungrier. Fluttershy has to take care of her.

When Fluttershy opens up her scroll (at the entrance to the Everfree Forest), she's out of breath, and the fangs are receding into her gums. Flutterbat is particularly grumpy today, and Shy's having some difficulty keeping her under wraps long enough to make a message for the Apple family.

Well, she intended it to be just for the Apple family, anyway. ]

A-A-Applejack? It's, um... well, it's me. And... and I know Fl-Flutterbat's caused a little bit of... of trouble this season, but... well, she's running low on apples, and I know it's a lot to ask, but I was wondering if we could, um... just- set aside a tiny bit of the harvest for her, so she has something to munch on through the colder months? She's been a little, um... upset, lately, and... I-I know it is your harvest, so you don't have to, but... if there's any way to-

[ She's been nervously rubbing at her ear as it shrinks back to normal, only now she freezes, a look of panic in her eyes. ] Did I...

[ Examining the scroll, she realizes her mistake. The message is broadcasting to everyone. Everyone. All she can do is stare at the scroll in horror for several seconds, before snapping it shut. ]

[Tonight, like on many nights, the deep and usually reassuring voice of everyone's favorite community radio host has something to say!]

In case you were wondering whether or not any of the native Princesses escaped waking up as someone else this week... well, I can't say for sure but if any of them did, it was Cadence. She is very far away, after all.

Given that, it may not be a surprise for you to learn that I am not actually Cecil Palmer. I am Twilight Sparkle - the one not from Mayfield, of course - and I did not think I had been an alicorn long enough to be missing my wings already. Granted, I also feel kind of sick and am currently also accessing senses I didn't know it was possible for a pony to have, so there's more going on than that aside from even the most obvious thing.

If he is hearing this, I will ask that you please use my power responsibly, and that I will also be avoiding my own home out of respect for you, because you probably won't be staying there.

In other news, I am still considering whether to ban or mandate the showing of that movie York mentioned at the upcoming film festival, if anyone should happen to have it.

[Looks like Luna has finally taken her leave from Zetta's castle now that he's slowly but surely starting to regain his power. As of such, she's once again in her "office" at the Night Market radio station, though thankfully this time there are much fewer plushies. Unlike last month, as well, her attire is much more obvious - a nebula-patterned miniskirt that accentuates her hips and draws a decent amount of attention to that region. She doesn't seem as bothered as she would have been beforem though that might be partially because her mind is elsewhere right now.

As expected, she speaks.]

And so another Nightmare Night approaches rapidly. I am sure those of you that were here last year heard my tale of how the holiday came to be in my own Equestria, and those newer have been able to hear the story from natives, or the unique slant Surprise had in her own land. Either way... the story of Nightmare Moon is very clear and present in all your minds. Thus, I would like to speak of another.

I would like to tell you all of the one they called the Black Crystal King, the Tyrant of the Crystal Empire. The one who steered myself, at least, down the path of Nightmares, and the pony whom I once loved.

[Luna takes a deep breath. Talking about her fall helped her let that go, a year ago... and it was time to let this go.]

( appropriate time for a commercial break )

It is now a matter of public record that magic powers from other worlds, particularly battle-magic and most particularly the powers of artifacts from the dungeons, are contributing to the decay of the stars.

I wish to study this phenomena. We need a safe way to defend ourselves, one that will not hasten the end of this world.

To this end I seek volunteers at the Proving Grounds recently set up for us to test our prowess, so that I may make comprehensive measures of the energies they shape. I will also need mages from this world; pegasi storm-shapers, earth pony healers and farmers, and unicorn evokers alike. I need to discover why magic from this world doesn't have the same effect, and why.

Yours against the Starless Night,
Lucia Bolido

( Private message to the other Twilight Sparkles )

As the scroll turns on, it reveals a pink unicorn, her green mane pulled back in a ponytail and her ears lowered. She doesn't appear to be aware of the scroll, looking around in an extremely confused fashion.

"I...I don't understand...I was supposed to be at the Sealed Gate..."

She shrinks in on herself before continuing, calling out for her friends.

"Where are you, everyone? Edgar? Sabin? ...Locke?"

Something occurs to her then, and she stands a bit straighter as she raises her voice.

"I-is this the Esper World? My name is Terra! I was born here! Please, if you can hear my voice, answer me!"

Twilight. Twilight. Uh, Twilights plural.

You did what you believed was best, and I believe in you.

I don't forgive you, because there's nothing to forgive.

You're still my best friends.

I was in on Zetta's plan the whole time. I let myself be captured to play the role needed of me...and while I'm not proud of it, I still lied to all of you. I made you worry and I deceived you. I couldn't tell anyone, but that doesn't excuse what I did.

My word might not mean much, if anything, anymore, but...I'm sorry.

I've already told a few of you this. Some others may already have been suspecting what I'm about to say, as well, but I want to come out with it completely.

I knew that whole thing was a setup from almost the beginning, and didn't tell anyone. I was asked not to; by whom should be obvious at this point.

Hello, everypony. Some of you may not recognize me from around town, which is fair... I only just got one of these scrolls. My name is Bon Bon, and yes, that means I'm the one who runs the candy shop downtown. Either way, I've got a few announcements to make, now that the nasty business with the eclipses is over.

Firstly: Since it's only a month until Nightmare Night, I'm accepting suggestions for varieties of candy to make for the big day-before sale. Last year's celebrations being cut short by the actual Nightmare Moon I entirely blame on my stocking of way too much black licorice, so I want to know if you all can help make the holiday not a catastrophic failure this year.

Secondly: thanks to that eclipse, I actually do have a bit of a surplus here, so until the end of the month, all taffy is 75% off. Something to chew on for a while. [The mare chuckles, quietly, at her own joke.]

Finally: Until further notice, Zetta and all of those who collaborated with him are blacklisted from the Sugar Shack. I understand that it was apparently some super-secret plan to lure out the evil mastermind keeping all of the offworlders here, but you caused Lyra and Fluttershy to work themselves into exhaustion, made one of my employees sick, and turned the other into a bear! [Yes, Zetta, she's blaming you for that too even if it happened after the fact. And was technically Teddie's fault.] If you want me to lift the ban, then I'm expecting a pretty big apology. Yes, your majesties, that includes you two, too. I'm a businessmare, not a politician, and you hurt my bottom line, so I have to take action.

Thank you all for your time.


( [Private to Dame Trixie] )


( [Private to Kyouko and Teddie] )


( [Private to Lyra and OU!Fluttershy] )

As an addendum to my previous announcement, I have...

[Zetta pauses to heave an immense sigh.]

I have also captured Melissa, queen of the changelings, and one of the Pinkie Pies. Blah blah rot in my dungeon forever something something evil and somebody get these two psychological help, please.

"Okay, no. No. Non non non. Uh-uh. I'm not embarrassing myself, again, the way I did LAST time I went to another world."

Hey, is that Trixie Lulamoon? She looks... good. She has more muscle and seems to have been eating better than - just say this can't be the native Trix, the one who spent time starving and farming rocks. Her cloak and wizard hat is still gaudy, but seems to be made of higher grade material, real silk and velvet.

The effect is ruined by her ranting with her back to a scroll, of course.

"This time, I'm going to ask who's in charge and who bears the Elements, I'm going to tell them exactly where I'm from and that I need to get back to my Ponyville, and I'm going to go home. No blinding a Princess! No kissing Lyra, Derpy, Carrot Top and Raindrops! No freaking out and attacking Twilight! Just - figuring - out - what's -"

She notices the scroll, and sort of... dumbly... stares at what she now knows is a two-way video transmitter.

"Merde. So much for not embarrassing myself. Okay, okay. Okay! I am Dame Trixie Lulamoon, I am emphatically not the Trixie you know if you know one, and could someone tell me where in Tartarus I am and who is in charge here, merci boucoup?"