Chapter One

Luna teleported to the hallway in front of the Throne Room. She wondered what could have happened that required her immediate presence in it. Perhaps another overly zealous cult member spouting nonsense about Celestia being a monster trying to take over Equus? Honestly, some ponies just took things way too seriously. It clearly said "Fiction" as its genre! There was also another time where a would-be assassin had tried to harm Luna during Night Court, but that had been a complete failure, and was actually pretty comical, as Luna looked back on it. She would never quite understood how that crazed stallion had gotten the idea that a combination of baking soda and vinegar would kill her.

She yawned one last time, before opening the large doors of the Throne Room, and stepping inside. She was slightly confused by what lay before her. The room was completely empty, except for a shocked looking pegasus (Silver Quick, if she remembered correctly), an equally shocked-looking guard, a gray unicorn filly who looked confused, and a surprised Celestia.

That got Luna's attention. Her sister was almost never surprised. She trotted over to Celestia, Silver Quick, the guard, and the filly to find out what had happened.

"Sister? What has happened? Why do you n- oh. Ohhhhhh. What???"

Luna stared dumbfoundedly at the unicorn filly in front of her. Except that she was an alicorn. How is this possible, Luna thought incredulously. I am completely certain that no other alicorns live except for me, Tia, Cadence, and Twilight!

Celestia must have seen the look on her face, because she said, "Luna, it is possible that she was born to a non-alicorn couple." This was true, but it was extremely rare. It usually happened to very powerful unicorn couples, or ponies who had a mixed heritage. "Little filly," Celestia continued, "what is your name, and where do you live?"

The alicorn filly raised her shining turquoise eyes to meet Celestia's. "It's Lily Note, your Royal Highness." She bowed her head respectively for her ruler, but Celestia waved a hoof impatiently.

"Now, now, Lily. There is no need for bowing to me, or to my sister, Princess Luna."

Lily suddenly whipped her head around to face Luna. She let out a small gasp, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with the youthful admiration that only a child could possess when meeting their idol. Lily bowed to Luna.

"I'm really excited to meet you," Lily exclaimed once she had gotten up. "You're my favorite princess! I was really jealous of Pipsqueak when he told me that he got to meet you on Nightmare Night!"

Luna smiled smugly at Celestia, who had an annoyed look on her face.

"Why does every single foal like you better," she grumbled to herself.

"Well," said Luna, "it could be that I just have so much charm and beauty."

"Pfft. They should see you when you wake up in the morning, and when your favorite Neighponese shows don't air an episode on time."

"And they should see you when the kitchen runs out of cake."

The two sisters glared at each other, before they both broke out into laughter. Silver Quick joined in as well, but she was soon stopped when the guard angrily elbowed her.

"Silver Quick," he said, "it is not in your place to laugh at your princesses."

Celestia and Luna stopped laughing.

"Lieutenant Steel Grip, correct?" Celestia peered down at the guard, who nodded in reply. "Well, Lieutenant, it is not in your place to tell a Royal Mail Courier what they can and cannot do. Silver here actually outranks you, like it or not."

"Owned, bitch," said Luna to herself.

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that."

Lieutenant Steel Grip, obviously embarrassed, mumbled an apology. Celestia dismissed him, and he galloped out of the Throne Room.

Luna turned back to Lily, who looked like she was enjoying the events around her. "So you know Pipsqueak, Lily?"

Lily nodded. "Oh, yes, Princess! I met him a while back when his family was staying in Canterlot."

Luna smiled. "Ah. He was a very nice colt, although he didn't exactly help with all of the mayhem, at first."

"By the way, Lily, where do you live? And where on Equus are your parents? Silver told me that you never exactly answered her." Celestia gestured to Silver Quick, who nodded in agreement.

Lily's smiled slipped off of her face. "Um... I kinda don't have any parents, or family, Princess... I live at High Hopes Orphanage, near the big park. It's run by Miss Sunny Smiles."

Celestia, Luna, and Silver Quick also stopped smiling. "How unfortunate," Celestia said. "Strange, though, I don't remember seeing you when Luna and I visited there last Hearth's Warming season."

Luna nodded. "Indeed, I think that I would remember seeing you, especially since you are an alicorn."

"Miss Sunny always has me working in either the kitchen or with the little fillies and colts. She told me that she was sorry that I couldn't meet you, but you two would detect the illusion spell I always had on me."

"Illusion spell?" asked Luna.

Lily nodded. "It would confuse everypony else, so she put an illusion on me so that I looked like a unicorn pony. I didn't really mind, but I was sad, because I never got to fly around."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Yes," agreed Celestia. "We would have easily detected such a spell."

"Lily, just to make absolute sure, were you happy at the High Hopes Orphanage?" Luna looked down at Lily with concern. "And please don't lie. Tia and I like to try our best to help everypony in need."

Lily shook her head. "Oh, no! Miss Sunny Smiles was really nice! I mean, there were some mean foals there, but we were still treated kindly. It was fine, except for, well, it's an orphanage. The worst thing Miss Sunny ever did was that she just never introduced me to any grown-ups looking for a foal, because they would see that I'm an alicorn. She was going to pay me as an employee when I turned 18, but I don't really know what she would have done about my being an alicorn."

"If you were happy there, why would you run away?" Luna was slightly confused, now.

"I had a bad day. These fillies that I don't like were giving me a hard time about 'never being wanted' by the grown-ups who visit. I had been thinking about how Miss Sunny wanted me to work for her, and I kinda snapped inside. I was never really let out of the orphanage without a unicorn with me who could perform the illusion spell, so I hid my wings with an old cloak that I found. I tried to teleport, like how Miss Sunny had taught me, but I accidentally had a magic surge and landed way too far away from where I had meant to land. I got lost, so I tried to find the castle. Miss Silver Quick-" she looked at Silver, who smiled at her "-found me, and now I'm here." Lily stopped to catch her breath.

"It makes sense that you could have a magic surge trying to teleport at a small age," Celestia remarked. "Alicorn foals can often lose control of their magic if they try to perform a spell that they don't know completely. It can even happen to adults!" She smiled slightly, while internally pushing away a particular memory. "You should also be careful with your emotions, Lily," she warned. "If you lose control of yourself, you can go into a bad magic surge, one that is hard to get out of."

Lily nodded gravely, but her expression soon turned to sadness. "I suppose that I'll have to go back to the orphanage, won't I?"

"If you don't want to go back there," Luna blurted out, "you could always stay here." She suddenly realized what she said when Celestia gave her a look, but she was interrupted by Lily speaking up.

"Y-you mean it? I dont h-have to go back there?" She started to tear up. Lily rubbed her eyes with a hoof. "'M sorry, Your Highnesses. I-it's just..." Her voice broke, and Luna walked closer to her. She draped a wing across her body, and held her as the filly cried. Celestia smiled sadly at the sight, while Silver thought she would just about die from the cuteness.

Once Lily had calmed down, Celestia put a motherly hoof upon her shoulder. "Of course you don't have to. Anypony who is living unhappily should be able to find their happiness elsewhere, as soon as they can." She looked over to Luna.

"One of us will have to adopt her, Lulu," Celestia told Luna telepathically. "After all, it is our own law that any foal without a legal guardian must stay in an orphanage until they are adopted, or until they turn eighteen."

"Yes," Luna replied. "Tia, perhaps I could?"

"And I should let you because?" Celestia's voice had a tone of teasing in it

"Tia, I know that you are busier than I. Besides, you know that I love children. I just don't want to actually have any yet. Besides, I want my first foal to be a filly."

Luna could tell that Celestia was rolling her eyes internally. "Fine, fine. I'll send Silver over to High Hopes soon."

"Lily," Luna said aloud, "you cannot leave the orphanage without being adopted. No, we insist that you are not going back," she said quickly as she saw Lily's face fall slightly. "Instead, I shall adopt you as my daughter."

It took a minute for this to register in Lily's mind.  When it did, she let out a high pitched "eeeeee" of delight, her wings fluttering and her eyes shining.

"Wait until Pips hears THIS!"

Silver Quick flitted above the streets of Canterlot - not so high that she was above the buildings, but high enough so that she flew over the ponies in the streets, and the normal mail pegasi. Royal Mail Couriers were the only pegasi allowed to fly at this height, so that any mail or messages that the Princesses sent in Canterlot could reach their destination as quickly as possible. Only the swiftest and most agile pegasi could ever hope to achieve this job.

All while flying, Silver's eyes deftly searched the buildings below for her destination. She soon arrived at High Hopes orphanage, and landed expertly on the sidewalk in front of it. The ponies who had been walking there quickly moved out of the way, knowing that Royal Mail Couriers must be treated with respect, and must always have a clear path. Silver smiled and nodded in greeting at several ponies, before walking up the steps of the orphanage. She knocked thrice at the large wooden doors, taking in the appearance of the building.

It was large, and made mostly out of weathered, gray building stone. It looked cozy and old, but not in a dilapidated sort of sense - more like a "well lived in" sort of building. It had a garden on the side of it, which seemed as if the orphaned foals were allowed to help. It was a bit messy, but added to the feeling of welcome that the building seemed to expel.

Soon, a middle-aged housekeeper opened the door. She was a pale pink unicorn with a straight light blue mane and tail tied into loose buns. Her lilac eyes widened when she saw who was waiting outside.

"Come in, come in, Miss!" She ushered Silver into the front hallway. As she got into the brightly lit room, she saw the mare's cutie mark, a group of purple and light teal flower petals that appeared to be falling. "What is your business here, Miss...?"

"Silver, ma'am. Silver Quick." She smiled at the mare. "And yours is?"

"Oh, it's Petal Shower, Miss Silver. I'm the housekeeper around here, and I take over when my boss, Sunny Smiles is incapacitated or away on business and such."

"As for why I am here," Silver continued, "Princesses Celestia and Luna have sent me here to call on the head of this orphanage, Miss Sunny Smiles. Is she in today?"

Petal smiled. "Yes, you've actually come just in time! She got back from a visit to her sister in Manehatten yesterday. I'll take you up to her office. Just give me a moment." She walked over into an office, and spoke over a loudspeaker system. Silver didn't hear what she had said, but reminded herself that it was not any of her business. Petal soon returned from the office. "I was just letting Sunny know that you're here," she explained. Silver nodded in comprehension.

Petal led her past what must have been the cafeteria, as she saw rows of tables with benches on either side of them. An old stallion, who must have been a janitor, was mopping the floor. He looked up from his work, through the open doors, and nodded in greeting to the two. Petal smiled in return, and continued walking.

As they walked, a young pegasus filly who couldn't have been older than five stared at SIlver. A pegasus colt (about ten, give or take a year), who looked like he was probably her brother, scolded her gently for staring. Silver stopped, and smiled at the little filly.

"Hello, little one," Silver said kindly to her. "What's your name?"

The filly, slightly startled, looked up at Silver. "A-a-a-ah'm D-d-desert R-r-r-r-rose, M-miss."

The colt looked sadly at her. "Sorry, m'um, but she 'as a stutterin' problem. My name's Oasis." Silver took note of his Trottingham accent. She opened her saddlebag, and pulled out two sweets that she remembered were popular in that particular town. Oasis' eyes widened. "W-where didje get these, m'um?"

"Ah'm a Royal Mail Courier. Ah've been ta many places, young suh." Silver said it all in a perfect a Trottingham accent, winked at the two foals, and ruffled the mane of Desert Rose, who giggled. Oasis smiled, his eyes watering as he looked at the little sweet in his fore hooves.

"Thank ye kindly, m'um!" He and Desert Rose waved to her, and they both popped the candies into their mouths.

Silver smiled, and trotted over to Petal, who had stopped for her. She smiled at Silver. "That was a very kind thing you did, Miss Silver."

"Oh it was nothing," said Silver humbly.

"No it wasn't. Those two used to live in Trottingham, but their parents were killed in a horrible fire at a theatre that they were performing in. Oasis and Desert Rose got out unharmed, thank Celestia. However, an aunt of their's took them in, and she lives here in Canterlot. She, well, she didn't like them very much. Eventually, a judge ordered that they had to be brought here. Poor Rosie was only three when they arrived, and Oasis was eight. He misses his parents terribly, but I'm certain that they'll be adopted soon. The last couple we had in here seemed interested in the two of them, and they're coming back tomorrow."

"Well, I hope that they choose them," said Silver. "They seem like very nice foals."

Petal led her up a flight of stairs, and down a hallway with a few more offices. She stopped at the last door, at the end of the hallway, and rapped at the door.

"Sunny? It's me, Petal, and a Royal Mail Courier."

"Come in, the door's open!"

Petal and Silver stepped into Sunny Smiles' office. It was a nice, big one, with a large, open window facing the street in front of the building. Sunny's desk was made of oak, and it looked simple, but practical. On the desk was a work lamp that was not turned on at the moment, a neat stack of paper, some paperwork on the desk that looked like it was being filled out, a pot of ink, and a framed picture facing the window. The office was simply decorated, with portraits of the previous heads of the orphanage. There was also a portrait of Sunny at the very end of them all. There was a large filing cabinet on one side of the room, marked A-F, G-L, M-N, O-T, and U-Z. On the other side was a bookcase. Sitting behind the desk was Miss Sunny Smiles herself, head of High Hopes Orphanage.

Sunny Smiles was a young unicorn mare, which was an uncommon age in orphanages. She had a yellow body, and a wavy orange mane and tail with streaks of yellow. Both were cut razor-straight up to her chin and fetlock. She had kind, reddish brown eyes, and her smile was as well. She looked up from her work, and put down her quill.

"So, what brings you here, to our humble establishment?" Sunny walked out in front of her desk, revealing a cutie mark of two smiling suns - one with a blue bow tie, and one with a pink bow.

"The princesses would like to ask if you could come to the castle, as soon as possible."

Sunny paused. "Whatever for?"

"They will explain when you get there."

"Well, alright." She smiled once more, and turned to Petal. "Petal?"

"Yes, Sunny?" Petal stepped forward.

"You know what to do."

"Sure thing, Sunny!" Petal trotted to the desk, and sat behind it. She looked over the paperwork on it, and was soon busily writing.

"I'm sorry," Sunny said to Silver, "but I never introduced myself. I am Sunny Smiles, head of High Hopes Orphanage. What is your name?"

"I'm Silver Quick, Miss Smiles. Shall we go, then?"

Sunny smiled. "Lead the way!"