A royal Respite

Chapters

Journey to Coltonville
Getting to know you
Cleaning up
milkshakes, mane dye, and gossip
Babysitting and boys
rock and rhythm
confessions and secrets
Tender and loving care...
Holiday's end
Prom night!
final escape
epilouge

Journey to Coltonville

A royal Respite

chapter 1, journey to Coltonville

Year 250 A.R., two and a half centuries after Nightmre Moon's Defeat, Near the Equestrian Border

"You Hath got to be jesting us, right?" She asked her sister incredulously. "Please, please telleth us that thee are joking!"

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the Alicorn co-rulers of the Principality of Equestria, flew high in the skies over their domain. Carried by Celestia's royal chariot of light, they zoomed away from the capital they called home, towards the destination the solar sister had in mind for the two of them.

"I'm perfectly serious, Luna!" Celestia snorted, rolling her eyes. "We've both been working very hard to keep Equestria in order, and we haven't had a break in... what, two or three hundred years? It's time we simply relaxed, and had some time to ourselves!"

"You'll forgive my lack of enthusiasm, sister... but we just ended a thousand-year-long sabbatical a mere two and a half centuries past." Luna replied with a sigh. "Besides, what if some malady doth occur in Equestria in our absence?"

"The unicorn teams we specifically trained to raise the sun and moon in our place will keep things running smoothly, and Chancellor Sky Runner will keep things politically stable while we are gone. Don't worry sister, it'll be lots of fun!"

"But why Coltonville? Of all the nations on the continent of Ponyland, why the Pony Republic?" Luna shook her mane. "Thou knowest very well the earth ponies of the republic doth loath flying Pegasus and magic-wielding unicorns... and we, dear sister, are both!"

"That's why we'll be morphing ourselves into earth ponies, before we cross the border." Celestia told her sister with wry smile. "Now, we'll get to experience lives as normal earth ponies for a change. Not only will we not be flyers or mages, but we'll be able to experience the world as commoners, as well!"

"Methinks thou hast worn thy royal crown too tightly these few centuries past, sister." Luna whinnied skeptically. "For whilst we would agree with moving amongst our subjects in disguise... here we are traveling amongst hostile equines, in a region where the magical energies are diminished."

"So what if magic barely functions here, and the ponies may hate us... we'll be fine!" Celestia replied with a smile. "As long as we act the part, and keep the republic authorities from finding out we're here, that is."

Princess Luna simply couldn't believe her sister! Ever since the death of her beloved pupil Twilight Sparkle from old age, Celestia had been going through something of a mid millenia crisis- trying to cram as much living into each decade as possible. Her actions had become more and more erratic every year, and this was only the latest in a series of poorly thought out decisions.

As she stared at the ground below, Luna truly wondered in her sister was losing her mind. Oh, the Lunar princess had her own eccentricities -such as reverting to a butchered version of her old medieval Equestrian speech pattern- but she would never do something like this! Leaving their kingdom, their spouses, and their children behind to take a month long vacation- Celestia must have TRULY lost all reason!

"Hm, looks like we're here!" Celestia beamed, as the Pegasus guards lowered the chariot to the ground. "Remember, once we cross the border, our magic will be barely functional. So stay on guard!"

As they stepped off the chariot, both of their horns suddenly began to glow. As both unicorns slowly changed shape, Princess Luna looked down at her newly assumed form, and whinnied is surprise.

"Teenagers, Celestia? Really?" Luna asked her, staring back at her sister incredulously. "Now we knoweth thou wishest to return to thy youth far too much!"

...

Coltonville, first settled town in the Pony Republic of Ponyland-

As far as communities in the Pony Republic went, Coltonville was a nice enough town. It had a malt shop, a roller derby rink, and the Rainbow Beauty Salon. It was hometown of the world-famous actress and dancer, Medowlark Bloom-Cheval, and had a theater and radio station. Many middle class families, whose Stallions worked hard in the factories and mills, and brought home enough jangles (the republic's national currency) for thier families to live comfortably. These modern equine families lived in two story houses, and drove around in station wagons. The town was home to a generation of teens who listened to their walkmans, and watched music videos on PTV (Pony Television). Yes, as far as pony towns go, Coltonville was certainly the cream of the earth pony crop.

Within this modest little town, was Coltonville high school- a large pink building with many classrooms. It was here that the young colts and fillies of Coltonville learned to be good and productive citizens of the Pony republic, learning with the latest computers and tools of education that modern science could provide. It was early morning, as the school buses pulled up in front of the school. The herd of teenage ponies inside poured into the school building, gossiping as they trotted along. The students milled about the halls and got into thier lockers, until the bell rang.

"Now class! Please settle down!" Miss Hackney, the periwinkle colored old school mare with a lavender mane, whinnied. "Now, before we start the lesson, please pass yesterday's home work forward!"

As the class of earth ponies passed their papers forward, they began whispering among themselves.

"Hey Bright Eyes, you joining us at the malt shop tonight?" Starlight, the pink filly with the golden mane, asked. "Melody wants to tell us all about the next concert her band will be playing in!"

"Sure I'll be there!" The blue filly with the orange mane, replied with a laugh. "I wanted to talk to you guys about a project to clean up the litter in Paradise lake anyway!"

"Go to the malt shop and gossip, that's all we ever do!" Patch, the peach-colored pony with the orange mane, sighed. "Don't you girls wish something new or exciting would happen around here?"

"Aw, isn't there enough excitement in our lives already?" The white filly with a pink mane giggled sweetly. "Aren't our normal lives interesting enough?"

"You know how she can be, Sweetheart!" Clover, the purple pony with rose-colored hair, replied. "She's with excitement, like Bon Bon is with stuffing her face!"

"Huh?" The yellow mare asked, looking up from munching on a brownie. "Hey! I can cook just as well as I can eat, ya know!"

"Mellow out, Bon Bon, she's just teasing ya!" Melody, the yellow filly, replied. "Now, could you be a dear, and makes us some cookies for our next tea party club?"

"Ah-ahem! Students, would you please be so kind as to pay attention?" Miss Hackeney snorted. "Unless you would like to discuss whatever you are talking about in detention!"

All of the giggling and chattering from the desks fell silent, as the teenage fillies and colts turned attention to their lessons.

"Today we will review our geography and history." The elderly teacher whinnied. "Now, what can any of you tell me about the Princepality of Equestria?"

Bright Eyes raised her hoof. "The Princepality of Equestria is the largest kingdom on the continent of Ponyland. Ruled by the Pegasus unicorn sisters Celestia and Luna, it is home to all three of the known types of ponies."

"Very good, Bright Eyes." Miss Hackney replied. "And can anyone tell me what Coltonville's connection to Equestria is?"

"The first earth pony settlers in the republic, arrived at Coltonville from Equestria." Lancer, a blue colt with a Fleur de Lis cutie mark, replied. "They left Equestria to escape the oppression of the magic users and weather controllers."

"Wow, wouldn't it be amazing to live in a land of magic and enchantment?" Patch whispered to her friends. "Here the weather and the sun and moon run themselves."

"Really, Patch, you know better than that... there's no such thing as magic." Bright Eyes replied with a sigh. "Pony scientists believe that unicorns have psionic abilities projected through their horns, that allow them to generate those strange powers they have. It is thought Pegasus have a similar ability with the weather."

"Oh yeah?" Patch replied skeptically. "Then how do you explain the royal princesses being able to raise and lower the sun and the moon?"

"You really believe that old fairy tale they tell babies?" Teddy, a dark blue colt with sunglasses and an orange mane, snorted. "Geez Patch, you really are a loser!"

"Teddy, stop being mean to her!" Sweetheart whinnied at him. "Geez, you can be such a bully sometimes!"

At Sweetheart's chiding, the overgrown pony jerk with the crew cut and comb cutie mark fell silent. "Sorry, Sweetheart." He mumbled under his breath.

"I've heard Equestrian Ponies are strange." Bon Bon shivered, munching on a cookie from her bag. "I've heard their hooves can't flex to pick up stuff, and they cant stand and walk on two legs at all!"

"And I've heard they have diamond dogs! And big scary dragons!" Clover added. "What if you got burned up? Or even eaten by those horrible monsters?"

"Besides Patch... how would we even get to Equestria?" Starlight asked. "Follow the old pioneer trail through the Everfree forest? Retrace the footsteps of our settler ancestors back to Ponyville?"

"As clumsy as Clover is, she'd probably take a wrong turn, and get lost deeper in the woods!" Teddy started laughing again. "Heck, she'd probably end up in Dream Valley!"

"TEDDY!" All the girls yelled in unison, causing the bully to fall quiet with a groan.

"Girls, please be quiet!" Miss Hackney warned again. "Now, before I dismiss class for lunch, I would like to introduce all of you to two new transfer students from Equestria!"

As the students whispered among themselves, a tall white earth filly with a rainbow mane trotted into the room, followed by a dark blue filly with a dark blue mane. The two stood in front of the class, together. "I would like to introduce all of you to Celeste, and her sister Lunette. They will be spending a month here, so I want you to make them both feel welcome!"

"Whoah-OH! Lancer! Take a look over there!" Ace, the school's gold-colored jock, whispered to his friend. "Check out the flanks on those two fine fillies! We gotta get to know them a little better!"

"Be careful, Ace." The bookworm pony warned his friend. "Those two are from a different culture. You don't want to say anything stupid!"

"Hmm, those two look kinda cool!" Starlight whispered. "Maybe we should ask them to join our tea club!"

"That'd be great!" Sweetheart whinnied. "I always love making new friends!"

"Thank you for having us in your class, everypony!" Celeste bowed her head politely. "We're so happy to be here!"

"That's 'everybody', Celeste! And we call ourselves 'boys' and girls', as well as fillies and colts!" Bright Eyes replied with a laugh. "But anyway, my name's Bright Eyes! Welcome to Coltonville, both of you!"

"Thankest thou very much, Miss Bright Eyes." Lunette replied with a warm smile. The two fillies then took a seat, and class resumed.

But as Patch stared at the two new girls, she noticed there was something... familiar about them. Something from her foreign travel books that reminded her of someone, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. It was then that Lunette caught her gaze, and looked back at the filly in confusion.

It seemed like an eternity before the afternoon bell rang, signaling the end of class. As all the ponies galloped out of the classroom, Starlight trotted over towards the two sisters.

"Hey, why don't you come with us to the ice cream shop? You can get to know everyone!" The filly said with a smile. "Besides, I work there, and the first soda for each of you is on me!"

"That sounds defightful!" Celeste replied with a smile. "Please, lead the way!"

But as the Equestrian sisters trotted out of the school room, Patch and Lunette only stared at each other in suspicion...

Getting to know you

Getting to know you

School had ended none too soon, and the teenage ponies all galloped out of their classes as quickly as they could. Celeste and Lunette followed the six other fillies to the ice cream shop, trotting along the streets of Coltonville. As they walked along, Bright Eyes noticed that the two girls seemed to stare around at everything in wonder, as if they had never seen anything like Coltonville before.

"Hey, Starlight?" The uncertain mare asked the group's leader. "You see how those two are reacting to everything? It's like they've never seen a regular town before!"

"They probably never have, Bright Eyes." Starlight whispered back."Remember... Equestria is a backward, old world country. They've probably never seen indoor plumbing before, let alone modern conveniences!"

Bright Eyes shook her mane, well aware that her friend was oversimplifying things. Still, she followed her and the others towards the ice cream shop.

"Hey girls, I just remembered... I promised my mom I'd watch my sisters tonight!" Melody told the others. "I'm afraid I'll have to skip out on sundaes. See you all tomorrow!"

"I'm gonna have to take a rain check too, girls!" Clover agreed. "I have ballet practice tonight, and Madame Perjuant wouldn't be very happy if I missed again!"

"Well girls, looks like it'll just be us six!" Starlight replied, waving to the other two fillies and they trotted away. "Bye you two!, See you both tomorrow!"

The six remaining mares trotted into the ice cream shop, and Starlight changed into her work apron. Celeste and Lunette looked around at the shop in wonder- taking in the ice cream cone-shaped entrance, the checkered floor, and the round spinning stools at the counter.

"Wow, this place is so amazing!" Celeste replied, taking a seat by the others. "Do you and your friends really get to spend your free time here?"

"Yep, this is our number one hangout spot!" Bon Bon replied with a laugh. "Mostly cause Starlight works here.... that and the chocolate shakes are sooo delicious!"

Starlight put a chocolate sundae in front of each of them, and Bon Bon was the first to greedily dig in.

"Wow your friend doth certainly hath an appetite!" Lunette exclaimed, watching the filly devour the sundae.

"That's Bon Bon for ya!" Sweetheart said with a chuckle. "She wants to be a fashion model some day, yet she keeps eating like there's no tomorrow!"

"I'm sorry girls, I just can't help it!" The yellow filly replied with a grin. "This stuff tastes so good! I'll just have to diet a little extra harder tomorrow!"

"So tell me, Celeste." Bright Eyes asked, looking the siblings over curiously. "Where in Equestria are you two from? Manehatten? Los Pegasus?"

"Canterlot betih our place of dwelling." Lunette replied firmly, as Starlight put her sundae down in front of her.

"What my sister means is, we lived in Canterlot during our last school year." The white earth pony added with a nervous grin. "Our family actually is originally from Trottingham, and currently lives in Manehatten."

"I see." Bright Eyes replied skeptically. She had known that Equestria was a bit old fashioned and rustic, but the blue sister's accent was just a bit too much old world charm. "And what do your parents do for a living?"

"They were into politics, working for the Equestrian government's bureaucracy." Celeste replied, before her sister could. "But they passed away some time ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that!" Sweetheart replied sadly. as Sweetheart put her strawberry shake down. "That must be so hard for you!"

"We doth manage." Lunette replied, glaring at her sister.

"So what do you two do for fun?" Bon Bon asked curiously.

The two sisters thought quickly for a few moments, before one finally spoke up.

"My sister enjoys gazing at the stars." Celeste told them. "While I enjoy paining the morning sky!"

"So she's an astronomer, and you're a painter?" Starlight whinnied. "That's so cool! you'll have to paint a picture of all of us sometime!"

Lunette looked around at the four other fillies. "Tellest us, what dost thou enjoy doing with thy spare time?"

"Well, I want to be an environmentalist!" Bright Eyes declared. "I want to help protect our environment from pollution and development!"

"Such a noble cause, to devote oneself to!" Lunette replied approvingly."For this world is now being contaminated by ponykind's waste far too much than it was before!"

"You really think so?" Bright Eyes whinnied, dropping a bit of her suspicion. "Lunette, would you like to help Patch and Clover and I at the lake cleanup next week?"

"I would loveth to!" Lunette replied, smiling for the first time since she had met the girls. "Anything to help protect our beautiful planet!"

"So what do your parents do for a living, Starlight?" Celeste asked her, as the pink earth pony put a malt in front of her.

"Well, my mom owns the beauty salon next door, along with this malt shop.That's why I work here." Starlight's ears drooped. "As for my dad, well... he's not around here anymore."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that!" The white earth pony replied, looking over at Lunette. "It can be hard when a pony's loved ones are so far away."

At the other pony's words, Starlight thought for a moment. "Say, Celeste... if you're not doing anything, why don't you come over this Wednesday, and we can do each others manes next door at the salon!"

"What?" Celeste whinnied in surprise. "You really want me to come?"

"Sure! Bon Bon and Melody will be there!" Starlight replied with a grin. "We can do earth others manes, get facials, and gossip about boys!"

"It'll be a lot of fun!" Bon Bon replied.

"Okay... sure! I'd love to come!" The white earth pony agreed.

As the three fillies giggled at one end of the counter, Lunette, Bright Eyes, and Patch watched them from the other end, shaking their heads in disgust.

"Girly girls" Lunette sighed.

"Tell me about it!" Patch and Bright Eyes replied in unison, rolling their eyes.

...

"Okay, girls! Time for me to close up for the night!" Starlight told them. "See you all tomorrow at school!"

As Starlight closed up the shop, each of the girls said their goodbyes, and trotted off towards their houses. As the two Equestrian sister began to walk away, Sweetheart and Bon Bon came galloping up to them.

"Hey, girls? Didn't you two say you were staying over on the east side of town?" Bon Bon asked them.

"Yea, that beith correct." Lunette replied. "Why do ye asketh?"

"We live over in that part of town, too!" Sweetheart replied. "We'll walk over to your place with you!"

"Sure, we would love the company!" Celeste replied, as the four fillies trotted off together.

"So, Sweetheart... you said you wanted to be a doctor?" Celeste asked the filly.

"Oh, yeah! I always volunteer at the local hospital!" The gentle filly grinned. "I come from a family of nurses from Equestria, and I always love helping ponies!"

"Tis a noble calling, to be in the medical profession!" Lunette said admiringly. "Thou hast chosen well in thine profession, methinks!"

"Why thank you, Lunette!" Sweetheart replied. "If you two ever want to volunteer, let me know!"

"So, what's it like where you two are from?" Bon Bon asked curiously. "They have any good food there?"

"We doth hath many fine dishes, fair Bon Bon." Lunette told her. "Why dost thou asketh?"

"Well... just in case I ever, you know, model there!" Bon Bon asked nervously, munching on a cookie. "I'd like to know if I'd be eating anything weird!"

Both Lunette and Celeste burst out laughing at that. "We think you'll find the food there mostly similar to your own diet here, my friend." Celeste told her. "Except that odd substance you call 'meat'..."

"Hey, look what the mule dragged in!" A male voice called out, causing the four mares to look around in confusion. Behind them, they saw three of the colts from class earlier that day; Teddy, Lancer, and Ace- two of whom seemed to have their eyes on the two mares present.

"Ugh! You guys!" Sweetheart chided. "You shouldn't sneak up on us like that!"

"Aw come on, Sweetheart!" The blue pony put his hoof around her neck. "Ya know ya love it when I do that!"

The two laughed and giggled as they talked to each other, and the two Equestrian sisters could clearly tell they were a couple. They did wonder though, what such a gentle pony like Sweetheart, could see in such an uncouth brute such as Teddy...

The pony couple continued to tease each other, while Ace walked up towards Celeste. "Hello there, little filly! My name's Ace, the school's top sports pony." He threw his long, silky mane back over his shoulder.

"N-nice to meet you..." Celeste stammered out sheepishly, trying to hide her deep red blush. "I'm Celeste!"

"Sister... what art thou DOING!?!" Lunette asked in shock.

"Hey, I'm Lancer." The other one shyly said to Lunette. "You're really pretty."

Lunette nodded, desperately looking around for any means of escape.

"Say, would you two like to join us at the roller rink this Saturday?" Ace told them, as Celeste stared into his eyes dreamily. "We could teach you how to skate!"

"That would be lovely!" Celeste replied dreamily. "Pick us up at five!"

"SISTER!" Lunette replied scandalized, as Lancer smiled warmly at her. "You can't just-"

"Great!" Lancer replied, as the three colts trotted away. "See you there!"

"See ya later, Sweetheart!" Teddy called, following the other two away. "You get ready too on Saturday, we'll make it a triple date!"

"Sure, Teddy!" Sweetheart replied with a grin. "See you later!"

"Sweetheart, don't you think Starlight and Bright eyes will be jealous?" Bon Bon whispered to her friend. "The colts they like messing around with foreign fillies, and all."

"Well, they really aren't dating them right now, are they? " Sweetheart whispered back. "Those two couples are always breaking up and getting back together! And besides, it's not like they're marrying them or anything..."

....

"Well, this is where we are staying." Celeste told them, as they stopped in front of a two story townhouse. "We'll see the two of you tomorrow!"

"Have a good night, girls!" Bon Bon and Sweetheart whinnied. "See ya both tomorrow!"

After they had left, the two fillies trotted into the house, and Lunette slammed the door.

"Well, today went well, didn't it?" Celeste whinnied with a smile on her face. "We made a whole bunch of new friends, and I even got us both a date! Not bad for our first day in school, don't you think?"

"CELESTIA! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMNED MIND?!?" The younger sister yelled. "We both have life bond partners back home, you can't just lead those boys on like that!"

"As I recall, my dear sister, my lifemate cares more about his visions for Equestria than he does me. And yours has become something of a crabby old gnome." Getting a can of cola out of the fridge, Celestia popped the tab, and sat down on the couch. "Who says we can't have some fun in our old age?"

"But you... but I... but we..." Luna tried to sputter out.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to watch some PTV." Celestia picked up the remote. "Po-ny Hammer's new music video is supposed to be on tonight."

She turned the television on, as a pony in baggy pants blasted out. "Ya can't hoof this!" The solar princess tapped her hoof along with the beat.

"I can't believe this is my responsible older sister I'm talking to! I don't even know why I agreed to come along with you, on this journey into youthful folly!" Luna snorted, as she trotted her way up the stairs to bed. "Goodnight, my dear Celestia! I certainly hope thy head is clear by the time the morning cometh!"

Cleaning up

Cleaning up

It was after classes the next day, that four of the girls made there way towards Paradise Lake. Lunette was the last to arrive, and found the other fillies waiting for her.

"Hey, Lunette!" Bright Eyes said with a smile. "Glad you could make it!"

"I am truly glad to beith here, good Bright Eyes!" Lunette replied, totting up to her. "Verily, I hope that I shall be of assistance most valuable!"

It was mid afternoon when Lunette arrived at Paradise Lake, ready and eager to help the other ponies in the cleanup. Bright Eyes, Clover, and Patch were already there, joined by several other earth ponies of all ages (other volunteers to help clean up the lake, Luna realized) who were all carrying large canvas bags on straps. As the Equestrian filly trotted up, Patch handed one to her.

"This lake has gotten very cruddy since last year." Bright Eyes snorted, looking down at the filthy water. "So we'd better get started!"

The all of the ponies got quickly to work, digging and scooping the garbage out of the lake with gloved hooves, and filling their sacks. Old pop cans, crushed up fast food restaurant bags, and glass hard cider bottles all came up and out of the lake. Lunette, who had to fish the foul garbage out with her mouth, gagged and coughed at some of the noxious waste she had to pull out of the lake.

"What in the world is all this garbage doing in here?" The Equestrian Filly sputtered out. "How could such a beautiful lake become so polluted?"

"It's the product of a modern society, Lunette." Bright Eyes replied in disgust. "The Republic's industrialization and pony indifference has let to the dumping of garbage and filth into our environment, contaminating everything."

"Ponies toss their styrofoam cups out the window of their car, or chuck a disposable bowl away after they had a picnic." Patch shook her mane. "We used to think that all the pollution in the lakes and rivers came from the local factories... but much of it comes from a disposable society of uncaring equines "

"But I totally agree with you, Lunette!" Clover added in. "This mess is totally icky!"

Lunette stared down at the murky water in sadness. She remembered the large smokestacks on the factories she had seen around Coltonville, spewing poison into the air that could muck up a ponies lungs. And she remembered the green sludge she had seen, spewing out of a waste pipe on the other side of the lake. It was enough to make the Equestrian filly shiver.

"Is this how our lakes and rivers would look?" Lunette wondered to herself, as she fished out a broken CD case. "If we didn't have magic to handle our techno-industrial needs?"

It was then Lunette spotted a panicking baby duck in the lake, squawking and crying as it's helpless mother looked on. The poor thing had it's neck caught in a plastic pop can ring, and looked like it was being choked by it.

"Quack! Quack!"

"Eep!" Making sure no pony was looking, she lowered here head, and levitated the pop tab off from around the baby's neck, at which point the baby shook it head, and swam happily towards it's mother. Luna let out an exhausted sigh, as even such as small act of magic was tiring in this magic-poor region- especially as she had to constantly maintain her disguise.

"Hey Lunette, whtcha doing?" A voice surprised her, causing the filly to spin around quickly.

"Oh, Patch!" Lunette said with a sigh of relief. "It's only you!"

"Yeah, I noticed you had kind of drifted away from the group." Patch replied. "I wanted to make sure you were ok."

"Yes, I am faring well, thank you." Lunette looked back out at the lake. "Patch, how can thee live in such an environment most filthy?"

"We don't have much of a choice." The earth pony whinnied sadly. "This is a country of earth ponies, without magic. It's either industry and modernization, or we go medieval!"

"I'm starting to wonder, if that's not such a bad idea." Bright Eyes grumbled, as she fished an old magazine out of the river. "Then we'd have clear skies and clean water, just like Equestria!"

"That would be terrible! We'd have no electricity!" Clover whinnied in dismay, as she fished an empty water bottle out of the lake. "And it'd be terrible if I couldn't use my hairdryer on my mane, after I took a shower!"

"Yeah, I still don't think we should have to give up our modern conveniences." Patch argued, fishing an empty bun bag out of the lake. "If ponies would simply be more responsible, with what they throw away."

"Fair Patch is correct." Lunette agreed. "Thee doth not have magic to fix thine problems, so it is best that each pony do their part to dispose of waste responsibly!"

"How very insightful of you, Miss Lunette." Bright Eyes raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you are smarter than I previously thought."

"I shall take that as a compliment, good Bright Eyes." Lunette replied with a smile.

The three ponies continued to work in silence for several minutes, before Bright Eyes spoke up.

"So Lunette, I heard you and Lancer will be going out this weekend." Bright Eyes said coldly, blurting out what was on her mind.

"I... uh..." Lunette turned a deep shade of red, and looked as if she wanted to hide.

"Bright Eyes!" Patch snapped, looking over at the embarrassed Lunette. "That's none of your business!"

"Yeah, those two can do whatever they want!" Clover agreed. "Leave 'em alone!"

"It is all right, Patch." Lunette replied calmly, looking over at Bright Eyes. "Yes, my friend, Lancer did asketh me out. I was volunteered against my will to acom-pony him on one outing, nothing more. I am sorry if this upsets you, Bright Eyes."

"Upset? Me? Nope, it's really none of my business." Bright Eyes snorted, pulling another piece of litter out of Paradise lake. "Why should it matter if we won a roller dancing contest together, or we shared our first kiss together! We're not dating right now, so what business is it of mine if he sees other fillies?"

Taken aback, Lunette trotted over to Patch, and picked up littler while whispering. "Pardon me, good Patch... but what vexes thy friend so, about mine social outing?"

"Oh, pay Bright Eyes no mind!" Patch said with a chuckle. "She and Lancer have always been close, they are our group's two little bookworms! It'd just she's never had the full courage to tell him how she really feels!"

"Ah, I see!" Luna replied, smiling. "So all the two need a push to get together." Already , the filly's mind was turning over a way to kill two birds with one stone...

The time just flew as they worked, and it wasn't very long before the sun was setting over Paradise Lake. As the last gum wrapper was fished out of the lake, the three fillies wiped the sweat from thier manes in exhaustion.

"Good job, girls!" Bright Eyes congratulated them. "It looks like we got the whole lake clean!"

"The water is so shiny!" Clover agreed, as the sunset reflected off the surface of the water.

"Verily, we hath accomplished a great deal today!" Lunette replied with a smile. "Tis' only a shame that we must end the day now, and part ways!"

"Hey, maybe we don't have to!" Patch added, smiling at the other girls. ""Sweetheart said we could come over to her place tonight after we were finished! Why don't we have a sleepover?"

"Yeah! That'd be fun!" Clover agreed. "You want to come, Bright Eyes? How about you, Lunette?"

"Count me in!" Bright Eyes agreed. "I'd love to hang out some more!"

Lunette thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Indeed, I shall be most happy to join thee. I must, however, inform my sister of my whereabouts for the evening."

Lunette trotted over to the pay phone at the lake's picnic pavilion, lifted the receiver, and put a jangle into the slot.

...

Celestia was lying on the couch, having just come home and flopped over after school was done for the day. Turning the TV on, she lay her head down on the sofa's arm rest.

"And that was our latest hit by Ponydonna, the singing sensation!" Dazzle, the green-maned hostess of PTV, whinnied on the screen. "Now, don't touch that dial on your telly, cause up next we'll be covering the ongoing scandal of Milla Vanilla! The pony who allegedly lip-synched all of his greatest hit songs!"

"Get off the dammed screen, Dazzle!" The dishelved princess grumbled, taking another sip of Dr. Ponyper. "Put the music back on! I want to see those dancing stallion's flanks again!"

It was at this point that the phone rang. Scratching her flank with her hoof, Celestia levitated the cordless receiver over to her. "Celeste here, whaddya Want?"

"Sister, is that thou?" Lunette's concerned voice came over the phone. "Thou soundest awful!"

"Yeah, it's -BUUUUUURRRRRRRRP-me!" She belted out, the five sodas she had drank reacting all at once. "Make it quick, Luna. I've got two frozen burritos in the microwave!"

"All right I was just going to telleth thee, I am going to attend a sleepover at sweetheart's tonight, and-"

Luna heard the sound of a microwave buzzer going off in the background. "Okay sis, have fun, byeeee!" Celestia abruptly hung up on her.

...

"Microwave burritos?" Luna thought to herself. "It's a good thing I'm not returning home tonight, considering what happens whenever Celestia eats those things!"

"Verily girls, I shell be joining thee tonight!" Lunette told the others.

"Yaay! Sleepover!" The three fillies shouted into unison, before galloping back towards Bright Eyes's car in the Parking lot. Lunette trotted slowly after them, thinking to herself.

"From fighting the Changeling Queen, standing up to Discord, and Ruling Equestria with dignity... to lying on the couch watching PTV, getting smashed on Dr. Ponyper, and emitting various gasses from eating reheated microwave trash." Lunette shook her mane. "Oh sister, how the mighty have fallen."

....

The car ride was certainly a novel experience for Lunette, as she had never rode in one of the mechanical contraptions before. The other girls let her ride in the front seat, and she stuck her head out the window, letting the breeze blow through her mane.

"This is so amazing..." Lunette whispered under her breath in awe.

"Aww, come on, Lunette!" Clover said with a laugh. "It's only a car ride!"

It wasn't long before the four girl were back at Sweetheart's house, a blue, two-story cottage with a pink roof. Sweetheart's parents greeted them at the door, warm smiles on their faces.

"Hello girls, Come on in!" Her father, a white stallion with a cash register cutie mark, greeted them. "Please, make yourselves at home!"

"I've got the popcorn maker warmed up!" Her mother told them with a smile. “Give me about an hour, and we'll have a warm buttery bowl for each of you!"

The three of them trotted upstairs, and Sweetheart came out of her room.

"Hi everybody! Thanks for coming over!" The filly said with a smile.

"I hath never been to a party of slumber." Lunette told them nervously. "Tell us, what does one do?"

The three other fillies looked at each other in surprise, then all looked back towards her with ever smiles.

"Makeover time...." They all said in unison.

"Oh dear..." Lunette gulped, as the other girls went for the eye liner, lipstick, and hairbrush...

....

"That... was actually a pleasant experience!"

It wasn't long before Lunette was sitting on a pillow, with a face full of mud, and her hair up in curlers. She was shocked how much she enjoyed such a girly activity, and was currently listening to Bright Eyes talk about her time s a foreign exchange student.

"And I actually thought the Polynesian ponies were going to eat me!" Bright Eyes said with a laugh. "Either that, or feed me to a volcano!"

"My word!" Lunette replied. "Tis a wonder that did not cause a diplomatic crisis with Tropical Island!"

"Oh, that's nothing!" Patch said with a laugh. "Did you know Clover here almost ruined her sister's wedding? She was convinced the groom, Cheval, was cheating on her sister Meadowlark!"

"You just had to bring that up, didn't you?" Clover groaned. “I’d like to forget about that little fiasco, ya know!"

"Wait a second... Cheval? The famous stage actor from the island nation of Fansee?" Lunette's eyes went wide. "Then... your sister is Meadowlark Bloom, the ballerina!"

"Yep, that's her." Clover said with a sigh. "And I will never be as great a ballerina as my sister!"

""Verily! Thou should not be striving to be liketh unto thine sister. Rather, though shouldst try to be the best thee can be." Lunette told the filly, putting as hoof on hers. "Believest me, nothing good can come from jealously of thine sibling... an experience I know far too well!"

"So you have any funny stories, Lunette?" Sweetheart asked the Equestrian filly.

"Well...uh..." Lunette struggled to find an answer. "When I was being angry and unreasonable one time, my sister mooned me!"

The four other fillies sat there and stared at her for a moment, then suddenly all three burst out laughing.

"With the size of her flank?" Bright Eyes giggled. "That must've been a sight to see!"

"Cool story, Lunette!" Sweetheart told her, trying to control her laughter. "You're really fun to talk to!"

It was at that point, that there was a knock on Sweetheart's bedroom door, interrupting their little gossip session.

"Must be my parents with the popcorn!" Sweetheart whinnied. "Come in, it's open!"

It was then, that three little fillies armed with pillows, suddenly exploded into the room.

"Sugar! Cream! Peaches!" Sweetheart yelled at the three pink maned fillies. "What are you doing in here?"

"Crash big sis's slumber party!" Peaches yelled.

"Pillow fight!" The other one yelled.

Before Lunette even had time to react, she had a face full of pillow. She responded by smacking Bright Eyes with one, then dodging a return blow from her, which in turn hit Clover.

"Free for all!" Patch yelled, as the pillow started to fly all over the place.

The battle brutally raged across the room, as feathers were fling everywhere. Luna giggled as she was struck again and again, and there soon wasn't a pillow full of feathers anywhere in the room.

"What is going on in here?" An angry Sweetheart's father snorted, standing there with the bowl of popcorn he had brought up. "Okay, that's it! We're playing a new game, called 'clean up the feathers'!"

All four teen fillies- even Lunette- fell backwards and burst into laughter.

milkshakes, mane dye, and gossip

Milkshakes, mane dye, and Gossip

It was after school on Wednesday, that Celeste followed three fillies she had agreed to hang with today, back to the Rainbow Beauty Salon. The four Equines were sharing gossip, and laughing about the scool day's events.

"Can you believe that sun hat Moonglow was wearing today?" Melody giggled. "I've never seen anything so goofy!"

"You got that right!" Starlight laughed. "It looks like something my grandma would wear!"

"Now girls, that hat was a vintage Canterlot creation, from the Hoity Toity collection!" Bon Bon protested. "It was designed by the famous Equestrian designer Rarity, whose fashions are the foundation of modern pony styles!"

"Which means it's older than dirt, Bon Bon!" Melody whinnied. "Leave it to your freaky knowledge of Fashion to even know who this 'Rarity' even is!"

"Well who knows, girls! Maybe Rarity's designs will become popular again?" Celeste added, nervously thinking of her own collection of hats, shoes, and dresses the fashion mare had designed for her personally when she had still been alive.

"Yeah... you're right, Celeste!" Bon Bon agreed excitedly. "Retro looks from previous centuries do cycle back into fashion sooner or later!"

"Yeah... 'retro' looks..." Celeste hid her mild wince at the word. As if she needed something else to remind her of her true vintage.

It wasn't long, before the four fillies arrived at the beauty salon/malt shop combo. Starlight unlocked the door with her key and they trotted inside.

"Okay girls, my mom's away on a business trip today, and she said I could keep the shop closed while we hang out." She trotted behind the counter. "So why don't you all have a seat, and I'll make each of us an ice cream soda!"

"Say, where's your sister today, Celeste?" Melody asked the white filly, as they all sat down at the stools in front of the counter.

"Oh, she said something about helping Patch and Bright Eyes clean up a local park." Celeste shrugged. "It's just her trying to do her part and help out!"

"Just like our Bright Eyes does!" Bon Bon said with a laugh. "It seems the two of you are fitting in nicely with our little group!"

Starlight brought each of the three a chocolate milkshake, and then sat down beside them with her own she had poured.

"So Celeste, do you listen to the Cleveland Bays?" Starlight asked Celeste. "They are, after all, only the coolest band around!"

"Yeah! And their lead singer, Chain Link?" Melody gasped. "Oh man, he is sooo hot! I even got his autograph at their last concerthere in Coltonville!"

"Yeah, I attended one of their foreign tour concerts in Equestria!" Celeste remarked, sipping her milkshake. "My ears have never recovered from that... 'unique' experience!"

"So you don't like loud music? Awwww!" Bon Bon sighed. "Hey, did you know Melody has her own band?"

"Yeah, we're called the rockin' beats!" Melody exclaimed. "You should hear us play sometime!"

"I'm sure I'll get the chance." Celestia replied, eating some of her shake with a spoon. "So, do you girls listen to anything besides rock or rap?"

"WHAT ELSE IS THERE?!?" The other three fillies laughed in unison. "Everything else is old boring stuff the adults listen to!"

"Well, there is country music..." Celeste replied hopefully. "...and there are many good forms of music that other cultures-"

"BO-RING!" Melody snorted, rolling her eyes. "Honestly Celeste, you're starting to sound like Bright Eyes or Lunette!"

"Classical music soooo puts me to sleep!" Starlight gagged, sticking out her tounge. "How can anybody listen to that junk?"

"I remember when my parents tried to get me to play a classical harp for the school band, it was terrible!" Bon Bon snorted. "I swear I will hate lyras for the rest of my life!"

"You don't actually like that stuff, do you, Celeste?" Melody asked her.

"Yeah, you're right." Celeste whinnied sadly. "Who wants to listen to that dumb old boring stuff anyway?"

Seeing how down Celeste had become, the four girls finished thier milkshakes in silence. It wansn't until they were done that Melody finally chirped up;

"Hey! Come on, girls! We're here to have fun!" She galloped through the ice cream shop's gate to the beauty parlor next door. "Let's leave all this gloom and doom behind us, it's makeover time!"

The three other fillies nodded, galloped over to the salon. Celeste climbed into the chair first, while Bon Bon and Starlight put her mane up in bobby pins.

"Sooo, Celeste." Starlight asked. "What color do you want your mane and coat dyed?"

"Ohhh! Ohhh! Go for a green mane!" Melody squee'd. "Then you can look just like PTV host Dazzle!"

"How about a purple coat?" Bon Bon suggested, holding up the latest issue of pony fashion illustrated. "It's what all of the top models are going for this year!"

"Nice to hear they're going for something, besides being 20 pounds underweight!" Starlight quipped. An irate Bon Bon chucked the magazine at her, which the pink mare easily dodged.

After washing and drying Celeste's mane, Starlight got the dyes out, and began to go to work.

"Ohhh! I want yellow with a pink mane after she's done, Starlight!" Melody whinnied. "I want to go for the Princess Rosy look for this week!"

"Oh that's right! Celeste, we never told you!" Starlight exclaimed. "We just happen to know some royalty! Princess Rosy of the isle of Pony!"

"Y-you all know Princess Rosy?" Celeste asked nervously, as Starlight rubbed the dye through her mane. "You're actually firends with her?"

"Sure!" Bon Bon replied, munching on a cookie she had grabbed from the ice cream shop. "She grew up here in Coltonville, she was a friend of Patch's from the orphanage they were both in."

"After Patch was adopted out to a family, Rosy lived there until she was in her teens." Melody replied. "Her parents finally discovered their missing daughter, and she's been living the life of royalty ever since!"

"Come to think of it, isn't she coming back to visit next week?" Starlight asked. "We'll have to introduce you to our royal friend!"

Celeste felt her stomach tie in a knot. She had heard the long-missing Princess Rosy had been rediscovered at a Coltonville orphanage, but she had no idea she and her sister would meet her old commoner friends! Rosy was best friends with Princess Cadence, and visited the Canterlot royal court all the time.

"Oh dear, this is not good! If Rosy sees me, she'll know me on the spot!" Celestia thought to herself in a panic.

"You may have your royalty you wish to look like, Melody." Bon Bon whinnied. "But I'd rather dye just my mane pink, so I can look like Queen Sky Skimmer of Dream Valley!"

"Oh yeah! That unicorn is soooo gorgeous! Way younger and prettier than those old nags, Luna and Celestia!" Starlight agreed. "I'd just love to know her secret for keeping that glowing shine on her mane!"

Celeste bristled in anger, furious over the age crack, and also for being compared to that accursed queen from that accursed kingdom that was Equestria's greatest rival! The nerve of these fillies!

It was then That Bon Bon asked her; "Speaking of Celestia... Celeste, you're from Equestrian upper crust society. Have you ever met Princess Celestia or Princess Luna?"

"Yeah! What are they really like?" Melody chimed in.

The knot in Celeste's stomach tightened even worse. "I've Celestia her once or twice, at the summer sun celebration." She waved her hoof dismissively. "She's nothing Special."

"I'd love to meet one of the alicorn Princesses!" Starlight added dreamily. "Even if they don't raise the sun and moon, it'd be awesome to meet two such renowned and ancient ponies!"

Celeste again winced at the use of 'ancient' to describe her, but kept her cool. She then looked up at Starlight.

"Listen, I know that you and Ace are close... and I know you've heard about the fact that he asked me out. Starlight, I just wanted to say I'm-"

"Don't worry Celeste, it's okay." Starlight sighed, as she started to dye the white filly's coat. "Ace and I aren't joined at the hip, and he doesn't pay much attention to me anyway."

"Yeah, we all have trouble with our guys!" Melody quipped. "Clover and Patch are always having some problem or another with Dandy and Buddy!"

"Not me, though!" Bon Bon bragged, stuffing a hooffull of potato chips into her mouth. "My boyfriend Spinner and I never have any trouble!"

"Really, Starlight?" Celeste asked. "You don't mind I'm dating him?"

"Not at all!" Starlight replied sweetly. "His life is his own to live! If he chooses another filly over me... well, I just have to live with it, don't I?"

"Thanks, Starlight!" Celeste smiled at her. "You're the best!"

"Not a problem!" Starlight replied. "Anyway, looks like your mane and coat are done!"

The Pink filly took the towels off of Celeste, and the other fillies present gasped in shock.

"Oh my goodness!" Bon Bon whinnied. "That doesn't look like I imagined it would!"

"I don't think I want to dye my mane or coat anymore!" Melody gagged.

"Me neither!" Bon Bon agreed, dropping the doughnut she was eating in shock. "This makeover has officially become a fashion disaster!"

Seeing their reactions, Celeste spun around in the salon chair to look at herself in the mirror... and her eyes went wide.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

"I'm sure Ace will just love your new look!" Starlight thought to herself smugly, as the other three fillies in the room panicked. "That'll teach you to go after my colt, you foriegn temptress!"

...

"Sister! I am home!" Lunette called out, as she came in the door of the house. Silence met her as she closed the door, and trotted inside.

"In here." Celeste rasped out, hiding back in the shadows in the living room.

"What doth the solar princess skulk about in the dark?" The filly said with a laugh, as she turned the living room lights on. "I had a day most wonderful with the girls, we did clean six parks across town! So how was your- WHOA-OH-OH-OH-OH-OA!"

As soon as the light came on, Lunette saw the disaster that was her sister- a purple-coated, green-maned monstrosity. No single hair on her mane was going in the same direction, and the look of disgust on her face completed the picture.

"W-what happened to YOU!?!" Lunette asked, trying to stifle her laughter. "You doth resemble mare-do-well's comic book nemesis, the Jester!"

"Starlight's revenge for me dating Ace, I'm sure of it!" Celestia snorted. "I'm never letting that wily filly give me a makeover again!"

"Why doth you not simply shift thyself out of that look, back to your true coat colors?" Lunette asked her.

"I tried, my alicorn shift powers aren't working. I’m stuck like this!" Celestia whinnied in frustration. "They called the music and clothes that we like outdated! Can you believe their nerve, Luna?"

"Jealous fillies and changing fads... sounds like thou hast forgotten what it was like to be a filly, Celestia!" Lunette said with a chuckle. "Tis not as much fun reliving those years as thou thought it would be, is it?"

"Look, we have tomorrow off school, due to Republic founder's day." Celeste snorted, crashing on the couch, turning on the television. "Just give me that to rest up, and I'll be back in the game!"

"I am truly sorry sister, but I cannot givieth you that." Lunette replied sadly. "For I did agree that we would watch Melody's two younger sisters, Jing-a-ling and Ting-a-ling, tonight and tomorrow while their parents were busy."

It was at that moment that two little filly toddlers, who had quietly slipped in with Lunette, raced into the living room and began hopping up and down on Celestia's stomach.

"Yaaay! hop on Celeste!" The two little bundles of energy giggled, as they bounced on top of the exhausted filly.

"There are times sister... when I wish I had left you in the moon." Celeste grumbled under her breath.

Babysitting and boys

Babysitting and boys

“Yaaaay! Ride on Celeste! Ride on Celeste! Yaaaay!” Jing-a-Ling and Ting-a Ling hopped up on the frustrated filly’s back, digging their hooves in to get her to trot around the room in a circle.

“This is so humiliating!” The teenage mare cried in frustration. “I can’t believe I, of all ponies, have been reduced to giving foals ponyback rides!”

“Now, Celestia! This is the kind of experience thee wanted!” Lunette chuckled from the kitchen, while frying up a cheese casserole in the oven. “Thou must take the good with the bad, if thee wishest to experience a youthful life most fulfilling!” The dark blue filly pulled the casserole out of the oven. “Kids! Lunchtime!”

After having the exhausted white pony canter around the room several times, the two foals hopped off Celeste’s back, and galloped into the table.

“Ugh! Babysitting! Babysitting!” Celeste wailed. “How my aching head is splitting!”

“Caring for a cuddly tot takes a lot, Celeste!” Luna shook her head. “Your nerves get shot!”

“Foals cause all kinds of trouble!” Celeste agreed, pulling herself back up to her hooves. “And with twins, the trouble’s double!” As Jing-a-Ling and Ting-a-ling hungrily wolfed down the casserole, the frustrated filly reflected on the past few days.

Ever since their parents had dropped those troublemakers off yesterday, the twins had been wreaking havoc on Celeste’s ‘perfect’ life. She had spent her whole holiday off chasing the two around, tripping over scattered toys, and falling on her face. They had already knocked over and broke an expensive antique lamp, and had smashed the TV screen into a million pieces while playing ball!

“Taking care of our own foals was never this hard!” An exasperated Celeste gasped, when the twins were out of earshot.

“That beith because we had servants who handle the difficult tasks, sister!” Lunette reminded her. “They did take care of the discipline, while we and their fathers got to spoil the children!”

“I had never thought about that before.” Celeste replied sadly. It was at that point that they heard the sound of breaking plates, being tossed out of the china cabinet. “ Oh no! We’ve got to get these little bundles of energy out of the house, before they wreck every piece of furniture we have!”

“On that, we both doth agree.” Lunette replied with a nod, galloping over to where the two foals were messing around. “Young fillies, those plates doth certainly not beith Frisbees!”

“Say girls, how would you two like to go to the park?” Celeste asked the two fillies, as Lunette pulled them out of the cabinet.

“Park yaaay!” The two of them exclaimed, racing towards the door , before the two teen fillies could even start to get ready.

“Hey, you two!” Lunette yelled, as the two of them followed the twins down the road towards the community park.

…

Coltonville community park was a favorite gathering spot for all of the towns families and their foals. Built by volunteers for local orphan ponies a year ago, the new playground equipment was the perfect place for two troublemaking foals to hide from their babysitters,.

“Hey, where’d they go?” The rainbow-maned filly asked, looking around at the playground equipment and Picnic Pavillion.

"We hast best find them sister!" Luna replied nervously. "Before they can get themselves into any trouble most perilous!"

As the two looked around frantically, a frisbee suddenly flew over the two ponies' heads. It landed in the soft grass behind them.

"Hm, now this is odd." Celestia mused curiously, picking up the frisbee. "Where did this come from?"

"Excuse me, ladies." Three colts about there age came trotting up, and one pointed to the small red disc with his hoof. "I don't mean to bother you, but that happens to be our fris... Celeste?"

"Ace?" Celeste whinnied back in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Lunette!" A colt with a fluer-de-lis mark on his flank waved to her. "Good to see you again!"

"Lancer?" Lunette asked in shock. "W-what bringest thou here?"

"We were just playing some Frisbee toss, and we'd like to get back to it, if ya don't mind!" An impatient teddy snapped.

"Teddy, show some manners!" Ace snapped at him, before turning back towards the girls. "What're you girls doing here!"

"We were foalsitting Jing-a-Ling and Ting-a-Ling, and we lost them!" Celeste replied in a panic, remembering why they were out here. "Boys, could you please help us find them?"

"Melody’s baby sisters?" Teddy asked in shock. "You dorks! How could you just lose two little defenseless kids like that?!?"

"Calm down, Teddy!" Lancer chided him. He turned back to Celeste and Lunette. "Of course we'll help!"

"Excellent! Celeste, Ace, thee shall scour the playground." Lunette commanded. "Teddy, Lancer, thee shall scearch with me in yonder woods!" She then quickly galloped off.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Teddy yelled, as he and Lancer galloped quickly after her.

"Looks like it's just you and me..." Lancer replied nervously, scratching the back of his neck with his hoof.

"Yeah..." Celeste replied nervously back, her face going a deep red.

The two of them looked all over the jungle gym and swings finding no trace or clue of where the twins could possibly be. As the search continued , Celeste finally decided to say something to the colt helping her.

"So, Ace..." she started, while he was looking under the picnic tables. "You're really into sports, huh?"

" Huh? Oh!" He looked up in surprise. "That's why I've got this soccer ball for a cutie mark! It's my special talent, and I hope to play professionally someday!"

"I've seen you on the field... you're really good at it!" The white filly smiled at him. "Have you always liked sports so much?"

"Yeah, ever since I was little, kicking a ball around has always been my way of expressing myself, ya know?" He started looking through the lockers be the parks dug out. "Like Lancer with his poetry and brainy writing stuff, or Teddy with his mouth- it's how I tell ponies who I am!"

"That's so cool!" Celeste replied, trotting up to him, and nuzzling the athletic colt. "It's so sad everypony else thinks sports ponies are nothing but big muscle headed jocks!"

"Thanks, Celeste." The teenage colt replied, nuzzling her back "It's so nice to have somepony not see me as a big, dumb jock!"

"Oh, come on now! You, a big dumb jock?" Celeste snorted, sitting down on the teeter totter for a moment.. "You're the most popular boy in school!"

"Yeah, but none of the others see me for who I really am. Not even...." He stopped and stared at the ground. "Not even Starlight."

"It doesn't surprise me that little miss stuck up doesn't understand you." She invited him to sit down on the teeter totter beside her, then pulled off the wig she had been wearing over her 'fashion disaster mane. "She wasn't very friendly towards me, when she thought I was moving in on you."

"Wait, Starlight did that?!?" Ace snorted in shock. "I can't believe she'd.... I'm so sorry, Celeste!"

"She dyed my coat an off color, too... though my sister and I were able to dye that one back to it's normal color last night." The white filly sighed. "And don't worry about it, it's fine really."

"Celeste, let me make it up to you!" Ace stamped his hoof insistently. "I know of a nice restaurant near here that serves the best hay burgers in Coltonville! After we find the kids, we can go there!"

"I dunno, Ace-" She replied nervously. "Maybe we should-"

The impulsive young colt suddenly rushed forward, and planted his warm lips on Celeste's. A warm fire flushed though her body, and she staggered backward from him.

"I'm sure Lunette and the boys can search here." Celeste replied, her horn glimmering from the rush of her emotions. "Why don't we go check in town?"

"Uhhhh, Celeste?" Ace asked her, his jaw dropping in shock. "What was that glowing on you head?"

The white filly's eyes went wide, realizing what had happened. Rushing forward, she kissed the young colt, and her horn suddenly began to glow even brighter...

...

"Jing-a-Ling! Ting-a-Ling! are you up here?" Lunette yelled, as the three ponies climbed the tree-covered hill. "We wishest thou wouldst emerge from thy hiding spots!"

The only response was a soft pair of giggles that echoed through the trees.

""Hey you two, this isn't funny!" Teddy called out. "This isn't funny at all!"

"Really, Teddy?" Lunette asked sarcastically. "I thoughtest thou didst enjoy pranks most humorous, such as this one!"

"There are certain things that aren't funny, Lunette! Like a pair of little kids getting lost!" The angry colt snorted. "I might pull pranks and be mean to other ponies, but I'd never let anybody actually get hurt!"

"Yeah, Teddy's not totally bad!" Lancer protested. "Sure, can be a jerk sometimes, but he really means well!"

"Oh, sure he does!" Lunette teased, while looking up through the trees. "I've heard from the other girls that he used to beat up the other foals and take their lunch money back in elementary school! And he used to tease Sweetheart and knock her face into her own lunch tray!"

Teddy looked at the ground at Luna's accusations, while Lancer trotted up between the two ponies.

"Hey, now that's not fair, Lunette! Teddy bought those kids lunch later, and apologized for what he did!" The angry earth colt snorted defensively. "He did that to impress the other 'bullies', so they'd leave him alone! Sure, Teddy may be a bag of hot air, and he might be thoughtless, but he means well!"

"And Sweetheart and I have a special relationship!" Teddy snapped, responding to Lancer's defense of him. "One that you wouldn't understand, loony Lunette!"

"It pleases me to see two friends stand up for one another so well." Lunette replied with a chuckle. "Now, let us return to finding the children!"

It was then that the laughter echoed through the woods again.

"Jing-a-ling?" Lancer called out. "Ting-a-Ling! Come back!"

As the three equines followed the laughter deeper into the woods, everything around them started to get darker and creepier.

"You know, ponies have seen straaange things in these woods!" Lancer whispered to the other two. "Some say that aliens pop up here, and take little ponies away!"

"Knock it off, Lancer!" Teddy barked, snorting at the other colt. "Now's not the time for that junk!"

"Thou hast been reading far too much science fiction- hasn't thou, good Lancer?" Lunette asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, I do read the stuff a bit too much." Lancer replied with a nervous laugh. "I've always read sci-fi, ever since I was a foal- patch and I always loved stories about other planets and weird civilizations!"

"Yeah, two nerds reading nerdy things!" Teddy chuckled. Lunette batted him up alongside the back of the head. " Ow! Hey!"

"I find it most glorious that thou art such an intellectual pony, Lancer." Lunette complimented him. "I too, have a love for the pursuits of the mind!"

"Yep, being a nerd, studying,... that's me!” Lancer smiled. “That’s why I get along so well with Bright Eyes, too… we both love science!”

It was at that point, that a weird, glowing light suddenly appeared out of the trees. It hovered over the group for a few seconds, then slowly began descending towards the three equines.

"W-what the hay is that?!?" Teddy asked in a panic, as the light grew closer and brighter.

"I-it must be the aliens!" Lancer whinnied in terror. "Everypony run!"

The two colts galloped away in terror, leaving Lunette standing there, staring into the light. As the illuminated sphere came up beside the stunned Lunette, the light suddenly died down... revealing two Pegasus, two earth pony foals, and an Alicorn.

"Aunt Luna!" The Alicorn cried, smiling at the sight of the disguised princess.

"Dazzleglow?" Lunette asked, shocked at the sight of Cadence and shining armor's second daughter. "W-what are you doing here?" She saw the tow giggling earth foals on the alicorn's back. "And what're you doing with Jing-a-ling and Ting-a-ling?"

"We were flying over the pony republic, tricking earth ponies into thinking we were aliens!" The pony beside the alicorn giggled. "We found these two wandering in the woods near here!"

Lunette shook her mane in disgust. She knew the habits of the trickster alicorn, and Starglow and Happyglow-her two ladies in waiting. The three of them and an unnatural bio-luminescent glow to their bodies; a trait that earned the three the moniker 'the glow n' show ponies'.

"Wait until I tell your mother what thee and thy friends were up to, young lady!" Lunette whinnied in disgust. "Scaring these poor earth ponies have to death!"

"Awww, but we were just having some fun!" Happyglow protested, as Lunette took one of the foals from her.

"Yeah, and the kids could've gotten hurt if we hadn't swooped in and picked them up!" Starglow protested, as Lunette took the other foal from her.

"Not another word! Who knows what kind of diplomatic situation it would cause, if thine presence were discovered!" Lunette commanded. "Now, the three of thee fly themselves straight back towards the Crystal Kingdom, and cause no more trouble around Coltonville!"

"Yes, miss worry wart!" Happyglow grumbled.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to upset the cranky old mare!" Starglow added in.

"Say, why are you out here in Coltonville, Aunt Luna, acting half your age?" Dazzleglow teased her, getting a final jab in.

"BEGONE!" Lunette roared in the royal Canterlot voice, causing the three glow 'n shows to fly away.

"You two make no mention of this to anypony." She gently told the two twins. "Understand?"

"Whatever you say 'aunty Luna'!" Jing-a-ling and Ting- a-Ling giggled together.

"Children!" Lunette grumbled, rolling her eyes.

...

"Ohhh, my hoofs are so sore!" The dark blue filly grumbled. "I can't wait to soak in a nice warm bath!"

It was several hours later, that Lunette had gotten the two little troublemakers home and to bed, when she remebered she hadn't heard from her sister since before they had started searching. Noticing the door to her room ajar, Lunette trotted over to the open doorway.

"Ah, sister! I see you made it back before I did." Lunette said with a tired laugh. "Thou wouldn’t believe what I've been- AIEEEEEE!"

There, asleep beside Celeste on the bed... was Ace, gently nuzzling the white filly. Although the colt didn't stir, Celeste woke up at her sister's scream.

"Celestia, what is this madness?!?" Lunette screamed in a panic. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!"

"He saw my horn, so I really didn't have a choice." Celestia mumbled, hopping out of bed, and trotting over towards the door. "And could you be a dear, sister, and draw me some bath water? My flank is extremely sore for some reason.."

rock and rhythm

rock and rhythm

"Sister... surely you didn't-" Lunette stared at the sight in front of her, disbelieving. "Please, please telleth me you did not-"

"Of course I didn't! Don't be silly, Luna!" Celeste snorted, looking back at the unconscious form of ace on the bed. "After he saw me with my horn, I mere used a small burst of magic to render him unconscious. He should be waking up right about now, in fact!"

Ace opened his eyes, shaking his mane groggily "uggghhhh... where am I? What's going on?"

"Ace! Oh, I'm so glad you're awake!" Celeste raced over to the bed and hugged him tighly. "When you passed out back in the park, I was sooo worried!"

"I passed out, so that's what happened!" Ace climbed out of bed, and stood up. "You wouldn't believe the weird dream I had!"

"It took all of Celeste and I's strength to haulest thy backside here, and get thee into bed!" Lunette picked up on the deception, without missing a beat. "Teddy and Lance did run off, after they thoughtest they hath gazed upon a 'UFO'!"

"Those turkeys! I'm gonna have to have a word with them!" Ace snorted. "Anyway, I'd better get going... Melody's going to be worried about me if she calls my house, and I'm not there!"

A concerned Luna snorted at that. "Are you sure we can't getest thou something to eat, or-" But when she looked back up, the athletic young colt was already out of the room."

"No thanks, and I'll see myself out!" He called out, galloping down the stairs. "Thanks again, girls! And see you the day after tomorrow, Celeste!" The two sisters heard the door slam as he left.

"Oh, my gosh!" Celeste exclaimed, rushing over to her closet. "Our date is in two days, I totally forgot!"

"Celeste... I thought Starlight was his old school flame, not Melody..." Lunette commented, puzzled.

"Lunette, now's not the time to be talking about what pony used to date who!" Celeste snorted, throwing clothes this way and that. "Now why don't you trot down the hall and draw me that bath, while I see if I can find us some decent clothes to wear for Friday night!"

"As thou wishest, sister." Lunette replied with a sigh, trotting down the hall.

...

"Patch, may I ask thou something?" Lunette asked, looking up at her friend. "Didest Ace used to date Melody?"

Lunette, Patch, and Bright eyes were at the lunch table at school the following day, after Jing-a-Ling and Ting-a-Ling's parents had picked them up earlier that morning. At her question, the two friends looked at each other, and nodded.

"I'm not surprised you found out about that.... considering how loose lipped the pony gossips are around here." Patch replied with a sigh. "Yeah, those two used to be a couple, until thier egos got in the way."

"Their...egos?" Lunette asked, confused. "What happened?"

"Originally, Ace and Melody were a couple, their- 'larger then life' attitudes were perfect for each other." Bright Eyes explained. "She didn't like him at first, but his jock attitude finally won her over."

"Starlight was always in love with Ace, but she could never get his attention." Patch continued, sipping her milk through a straw. "She even tried joining the soccer team to find a common intrest with him, but that kinda blew up in her face."

"But Ace got tired of Melody and her ego, and decided he could only date the 'best' filly in our group." Bright eyes snorted in annoyance. "He finally took Starlight up on her crush, and traded one filly for another."

"And now he hath tired of Starlight, and wisheth to move on to mine sister!" Lunette snorted angrily. "Why, that foul knave! That creep of a colt!"

"And what's making it worse, is what you're sister is doing to get his attention." Bright Eyes leaned over the table, a smile on her face.

"W-what dost thou mean?" Lunette asked nervously.

"You mean you don't know?" Patch asked in a surprised tone. "Lunette, I play on the soccer team with Ace. I think you'd better come with me to practice, and see this for yourself."

"Very well." Lunette replied, taking her empty tray back to get washed. "I shall go with thee to thine practice."

...

Lunette saw Patch, Ace, and the others gallop out onto the field, and assume thier positions for soccer practice. As she stared across the large green field, she saw the ponies kick the ball back and forth. Luna was well familiar with this game of soccer- which the Equestria ponies called football- but the way these Coltonville Ponies played! Oh, the skill with which the two teams kicked, blocked, and moved! It was almost like watching artwork in motion!

"Go Patch! Thou canst do it!" Lunette yelled from the bleachers, cheering her friend on. Football was a remarkable sport, Lunette realized... refined and far more civilized than that barbaric sport the Dream Valley ponies call football! How could anypony enjoy a spectacle where helmet- clad stallions plowed into each other over a pigskin, and buried each other in a giant pile? Lunette simply didn't get it.

Patch kicked the ball to Ace, who knocked the ball into the net.

"Way to go, Ace! whoohoo!" A voice called out from the bleachers, where Lunette saw Starlight sitting. Poor girl, the filly still harbored feelings for the guy who had dumped her... even to the point that she was cheering him on at soccer practice.

"Well, at least Celestia would never fall to that-"

"Ace! Ace! Goooooooo Ace!" A familiar voice called out from among the cheerleaders, causing Lunette's eyes to go wide in shock. There, amongst the jumping floozies, was her own sister, degrading herself in one of those silly uniforms! Could it be the day princess of Equestria, the alicorn ruler who brought up the sun each day, that was out there prancing around like a fool?

"That does it!" Lunette thought to herself. "I have tolerated this folly as long as I am able! It is time to put and end to mine sister's insanity before this situation gets even worse!"

It was at that point, that Lunette saw three colts sitting over in the bleachers, talking amongst themselves. Two of the ponies - Lancer and Teddy- she knew, but the third one- a boy with a blue coat and purple mane- the filly had never seen before.

"Dude, ya gotta get over her!" Lancer told the unfamiliar colt. "She's totally gone on Ace now! Even if he doesn't care about her anymore!"

"There's more girls out there, Slipknot!" Teddy snorted at the depressed colt with the knot-tying cutie mark. "Don't let that loser filly get to you, man!"

"I-I don't know, guys!" Slipknot replied with a sigh. "The way we talk together, the way we performed at the roller dance competition... I always thought Starlight and I would make a perfect pair!"

"You can do better than her, man!" Teddy reassured him. "There's two many fillies in the corral for you to concentrate on just one!"

"Yeah, just forget about her!" Lance advised him. "Time to move on with your life!"

As she watched these three colts, Lunette began to scheme about not only about what to do with Bright Eyes and Lancer, but how to help out Bright Eyes and this Slipknot... as well as bring Celestia back to her senses.

...

"Man, this concert is gonna be so awesome!" Clover squealed, as the group trotted through the turnstile. "I just know Melody and her band will be a blast tonight!"

"Thanks for inviting us to the concert with you and patch, Clover!" Celeste exclaimed, as they fillies filed through to their seats. "Lunette and I would've just been sitting at home tonight if you hadn't!"

"Yes, and we couldn't have had that!" Lunette yelled sarcastically, trying to be heard over the screaming fans, and shielding her eyes from the flashing lights with her hoof.

"The guys are at a Cleveland Bays concert tonight- though we'd have been there too, if Melody didn't have a gig, too!" Patch said with a laugh. "So I guess we'll just make it a girl's night out!"

Lunette was about to say something in response, but it was then that the curtain opened, and the spotlight came on Melody.

"Ladies and gentleman, fillies and colts." The announcer's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Presenting..... Meldoy, and the Rockin Beats!"

"Hello out there, everybody!" Melody yelled out through the microphone. "I hope you're all having a good time, cause have we got a concert for you tonight! First up, a new take on a few classical favorites from the old country!"

The crowd erupted in a series of cheers, and the band began to play. Their first number was a rock remix of 'everypony, Smile, Smile, Smile!' the song made famous by a certain long-gone pink harmony bearer. This amused the two sisters to no end, as the original song's meaning was lost in this remixed mess.

"Personally, sister... I think the Ponyville ponies did a better job with this tune." Lunette whispered to her sister, and the Rockin beats did a remix of 'Winter wrap-up."

"On that, we can agree!" Celeste whispered back, nodding her head in agreement. "Though I am eager to see what they do with the "This day" aria."

"Celeste, why didn't you tellest me you had joined the cheerleading squad?" Lunette asked her sister in a low voice. "I did not need to discover it, by seeing you out there trapaising around in a silly dress and pom poms!"

"Oh, yeah, that..." Celeste replied with a nervous laugh. "Well, Bon Bon suggested it would be a good way to get closer to Ace- y'know, common interests and all!"

"Sister, I think it's time we brought an end to this charade of yours!" Lunette snapped angrily. "You're interfering in the lives of these filly and colts, and messing up one of the most important periods of there lives! And for what? So you can feel young again!"

"Lunette, chill! We're here to have fun!" Celeste whinnied, trying to pay attention to the concert. "My flirtations with Ace aren't going to ruin his life or anything!"

"Sister, thou needest to stop living in thine dreams and in the past, thou aren't a filly no longer!" Lunette shook her mane angrily. "This flashback to thy teen years won't give you your youth back, Celestia! It won't bring Twilight Sparkle back!"

Celeste''s eyes went wide at that remark, then she gave her sister an angry look, stood up, and trotted out of the stands. Lunette started to get up and follow her, but a hoof on her shoulder stopped her.

"Let your sister go." Patch whinnied, a knowing look on her face. "She just needs some time to cool off!"

Lunette nodded, and sighed. At least the sounds of the concert had been enough to drown out her conversation with Celeste, or these earth ponies might have actually realized who was among them! Sitting back down, she resigned herself to deal with these matters after the concert.

...

"Ohhhh, I can't believe that sister of mine! The nerve of her!" Celeste fumed, trotting away from the concert. How dare she tell me I'm not acting my age! How dare she-"

"Celeste?" A voice called out from across the street, causing the angry filly to look up. There, trotting up from the bus stop where they had been let off, was Teddy, Lancer, and Slipknot- a colt that Celste had seen at the practice.

"Celeste, why are you out here, babe?" Teddy asked in a confused tone. "I thought you went to the concert with the other Girls?"

"I left the concert early." Celeste whinnied, shaking her mane. "Where's Ace? I thought he was with you guys at the Bays concert!"

"Nah, he stayed at the concert, we decided to come back early!" Lance whinnied, noticing the look on the filly in front of his face. "Something wrong, Celeste? You look troubled!"

"It's a loooong story, boys!" Celeste snorted trotting up to them in frustration. "But if ya wanna go to the malt shop, I'll tell ya what I can!"

confessions and secrets

Confessions and secrets

"So let me get this straight...." Teddy snorted, trying to hold back his disgust. "You came here to try and forget about your problems at home and have fun, and your sister keep shoving your problems back home into your face over and over?"

"That's right, boys!" Celeste snorted, downing her fifth milkshake. "I've been tryin' ta enjoy my time here, but Lunette is giving nothing but grief!"

The three colts and distraught filly were sitting at the malt shop, while a fill-in filly served them milkshake after milkshake. As Celeste told them the sad events of her time in Coltonville (omitting certain details, of course), while Slipknot and the others proceeded to grow angrier and angrier.

"Wow, I can't believe your sister would do something like that." Lance snorted in disbelief. "I don't know, it just really doesn't seem like Lunette at all."

"Believe it, Lance!" Celeste told him shakily, getting a buzz from all the sugar in the shakes. "I know you don't want to think of your favorite filly as an angry complainer, but the truth can sometimes be hard to digest."

"Sounds like a very shallow pony, to me!" Slipknot snorted, downing the chocolate milkshake he had been nursing. "To turn a vacation like yours, into such an emotional disaster for you."

Celeste didn't know what to make of this young colt, who seemed very quiet and thoughtful. This is the pony who loved Starlight, who had turned her mane into a disaster out of jealousy over Ace. It was odd to think that this honest looking young colt, was after the filly who was 'competition' for a pony she wasn't even after.

"Slipknot... I haven't seen you around the school at all." Celeste snorted, downing another shake. "So what's your story?"

"I usually keep to myself, actually." The quiet colt was taken aback by the filly's sudden bluntness, but responded quickly. "My family moved to Coltonville a few years ago. I'm really good at looking at other pony's problems, and tying different things together to come up with a solution."

"Yeah, ol' slipknot here was Starlight's advisor, when she was class president!" Teddy chuckled. "He was there to solve her every problem."

"Oh, stop teasing him, Teddy!" Lance snorted. "But yeah, Slipknot here has always been here to help us out... but he's there even more for Starlight!"

"Wow, you really care about her!" Celeste whinnied, coming out of her painful haze. "Don't you, Slipknot?"

"I-I'd rather not talk about that, Miss Celeste." Slipknot snorted. "But perhaps I could help you with your problem with your sister, hm?"

"I very much doubt it!" The white filly snorted, crossing her hooves. "Lunette and I have been at each others throats longer than you can possibly imagine! And I don't think that is going to change anytine soon!"

"But Slipknot is really good at ending arguments." Lance pointed out. "He helped me make up with Teddy and Ace, after I, er- kind of betrayed them to the girls during a lemonade stand competition."

"And we woulda won, too! If you hadn't given that ice tea recipe to the girls." Teddy snorted angrily. "All so they could sell enough iced tea and lemonade to buy a new tea set."

"Oh, and I was suppose it was right of Ace to go and pretend he liked Bon Bon, to steal her lemonade recipe?" Lancer retorted. "He manipulated her feelings, and tried to run the girl's lemonade stand out of business!"

"Wait... Ace seduced Bon Bon to get a lemonade recipe, just to open a stand and stop the other fillies from raising enough money to buy a tea set?" Celeste's eyes narrowed. What kind of arrogant creep was this boy she had been flirting with?

"Guys, guys... that's all in the past now!" Slipknot pushed the two angry colts apart. "What did I tell you both about dredging up the past?"

"You're right, Slipknot." Teddy replied with a sigh. "Digging that junk up isn't gonna help right now."

"So, Celeste... what would you say is your biggest problem with Lunette?" Slipknot asked her.

"Well, I'd have to say it's on seeing eye to eye." The white filly replied, shaking her mane. "She thinks I don't concentrate on the present enough, and should act my age. While I think she should loosen up, and have some fun!"

"Sounds like the problem I had with my farm cousin, Corny." Teddy added. "He thought I should do more work, and I thought he should lighten up!"

"He also almost stole Sweetheart away from you!" Lancer added with a chuckle.

"Would you please SHUT UP!" Teddy snorted steam. "I have had about enough of your-"

"Both of you, COOL IT!" Slipknot yelled. "Now Celeste, have you tried talking to your sister? Seeing her point of view a bit, maybe?"

"Well, she seems like she's on a different wavelength than I am." Celeste looked thoughtful. "But, I guess I could give it a try..."

These kind you colts, going out of their way to help her and her sister. And here she was, doing so much to interfere with these ponies’ lives! As the four ponies continued to talk, Celeste began to think about how she could help both Slipknot and Starlight out…

...

As the concert let out, the small herd of fillies trotted out of the stands. Patch motioned for Lunette to follow her, then started to walk back behind the stands.

"Girls, you go back and talk to Melody!" Patch told the others. "Lunette and I need to talk for a bit!"

"Ok, Patch!" Starlight called back, as she and the others trotted on. You two catch up with us, as soon as you can."

"All right, Patch." Lunette snorted, crossing her hooves. "What dist thou wishest to talk to meet about?"

"Oh, just your relationship with your sister, Lunette..." Patch suddenly broke into a grin. "....or should I say, Princess Luna?"

"WHAT?!? How didst thou know?!?" Lunette sputtered, her eyes going wide. "How dist thou guess mine true identity?"

"A little Glow and Show Pony told me, during one of her regular visits!" Patch replied, pointing behind her. At that moment, a glowing Pegasus flew in and landed.

"Hello, you highness!" The glowing pony bowed to her. "It's good to see you again!"

"Brightglow, I might have known." Lunette snorted. "I figured thou wouldst be about, when I did meet the other glow 'n show ponies in the park a day past."

"I always visit my friend Patch here, when I'm in the Republic." The glowing Pegasus replied. "I saved her life once, when she was flying a hot air ballon!"

"I kind of suspected their was something off about you, but when I brought you up to Brightglow here, she all but confirmed it!" Patch told her excitedly. "Oh, this is so amazing! Being friends with an actual alicorn princess!"

"Patch, Listen..." Lunette told her nervously. "Thou canst not tell anyone about mine secret! If my sister and I were to be discovered here in disguise, the political ramifications would be most disastrous!"

"Don't worry about it, 'Lunette'!" Patch replied with smile. "Your secret is safe with me!"

"At least that's one thing I do not have to worry about!" A relieved Lunette sighed. "Be tellest me, how dost thou two think you can helpest me with mine sister?"

"Well, from what I've seen of you two's disagreements, you want her to stop living in the past, and take her life more seriously, correct?" Patch inquired.

"Yes, that is correct." Lunette replied simply. "Mine sister is feeling the loss of one she cared about deeply, and the pain of watching generation after generation of her students and friends pass doth weigh heavily on her heart and mind."

"I can understand that." Brightglow agreed sadly. "Watching generation after generation of your friends and loved ones pass away can be very depressing. Believe me, the other glow and shows and I know that pain firsthand."

"And to make things worse, my sister often wonders what happens to those ponies she cared so much for." Lunette continued. "Celestia often contemplates if they have passed on to some kind of afterlife, or if her dear ponies have perished utterly."

"Oh, trust me... there really is an afterlife." Patch shivered. "I've actually met the ghost of a pony from the pre-classical period once, and it was a very scary experience."

"Wait, thou hast actually met the shade of a deceased pony?" Lunette's eyes went wide again. If it were any other pony besides Patch had told her this, she wouldn't have believed it! "In all of my sister and I's three millennia of life, we were never able to confirm the posthumous survival of a pony's essence after death. And it's a humble filly from the republic who-"

"Look, I don't mean to seem so pushy, your highness..." Patch replied impatiently. "But we should really concentrate on the problem with your sister!"

"Thou art correct, good Patch!" Lunette replied, shaking her mane. "So what dost thou suggest I do about fair Celestia?"

"You should try to talk to her, tell her how you feel." Patch advised. "But also try to understand her grief about the loss of her dearest pupil."

"You know about Twilight Sparkle?" Brightglow asked in surprise. "But I thought the Republic discouraged it's youth from studying about Equestria?"

"I heard what Luna said to her sister at the concert. And yes, I know about Twilight Sparkle." Patch nodded. "There's a fairy tale book about the harmony bearers in the children's section at the Coltonville library."

"How ironic Twilight Sparkle would find it... a pony who was obsessed with facts, to discover she had been reduced to a mere fairy tale!" Lunette laughed ruefully.

"What I don't understand, is why you and your sister haven't used your magic more since you got here? Seeing as how powerful you two are supposed to be!" Patch asked her.

"We cannot use our Powers in the Republic, fair Patch." Lunette explained. "See, in the Pre-classical period, the lands of the Republic were the home of ponykind before they came to Equestria."

"I know that, Your Highness. The ruins of the unicorn royal palace stands near coltonville, and the tomb of Starswirl the Bearded is a popular tourist attraction near the capital." Patch replied. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"The hostility between the three tribes, did deplete the magic of this region." Lunette replied. "The Windigoes did absorb the last of that energy when they froze these lands, leaving it magic barren."

"Making it the perfect place for the earth pony settlers to return to, after the Windigoes ice age had thawed." Brightglow finished. "The inability to use much magic here, coupled with the tecnological weapons the earth ponies developed, serve as the perfect protection against Equestria's magic!"

"I get it now! No wonder we're all taught to hate Pegasi and unicorns!" Patch looked thoughtful. "Lunette, you know how I overheard you and your sister arguing during the loud music of the concert?"

"Yes, what of it?" Lunette asked nervously.

"Well, I just realized... there might be a chance some other pony might have heard you, too..."

...

"Patch... a tratior to the Republic... I just can't believe it...!"

Having overheard Part of Lunette's exclamation over the concert's music, Clover had excused herself from the others, and hid to listen in on the two other fillies’ conversation. Not only was she shocked to see a glowing Pegasus of all things appear, but she also learned that Lunette and her sister were actually the Alicron Princesses themselves! They were here spying on the Republic, no doubt, gathering intelligence on Coltonville for some sinister purpose!

Clover had been raised not to trust the two magic-using pony species. Had they not enslaved and oppressed earth ponies in the Pre-classical era, after all? It was their heretical magic that allowed them to dominate their ordinary brethren, and cost Ponykind their original homeland. And now, when the earth ponies had spent generations making that homeland livable once more, the fliers and horn heads had jealously returned to retake the Republic for themselves!

"Ohhhhh, what should I do? What should I do?" Clover thought to herself nervously. She didn't want to have Patch to get hurt in the crossfire. "They're probably using their magic to control her mind!" She thought to herself. It was at that moment, that Clover decided she would wait and spy on the two sisters for awhile longer, and see what she could learn about their plans. When the time was right, she would expose the two princesses, and let the Republic authorities take the sisters into custody.

"I'd better get going, I've got to get things ready, if I'm going to do my patriotic duty!" Clover galloped away, already forming plans in her mind.

Tender and loving care...

Tender and loving care...

"Gosh, Lunette! It's really great of you to volunteer to help at Coltonville hospital!" Melody exclaimed, smiling at the overly serious filly. "My mom works there as a nurse, and she needs all the help she can get!"

"Tis nothing, fair Melody!" Lunette waved a hoof dismissively. "Tis always my greatest joy, to bring aid and succor, to wounded ponies who are in the direst of need!"

"Cut the chatter, you two!" Clover snapped at them at them angrily. "We need to keep our eyes peeled for my sister!"

"Gee Clover, that's kind of mean!" Melody snorted. "And after we both came all the way down here with you!"

"Verily!" Lunette chuckled. "Methinks some pony dideth get up on the wrong side of the straw this morning!"

The filly only scowled at her two laughing friends.

The two had accompanied Clover to the train station, to welcome Medowlark and Cheval back from their recent tour of Equestria. Clover was especially worried about her sister, as the mare was already several months pregnant, and would be giving birth very, very soon.

"Have you spotted them yet?" Clover asked Melody, narrowing her eyes , and scanning the crowd coming off the train platform. "I know they've disguised themselves, to avoid the ponyparattzi!"

Lunette raised a hoof. "Perhaps I could assist in-"

"NO! I don't need your help!" Clover snorted. "I mean- you don't even know what my sister looks like!" Clover's face suddenly changed to a smile. "You wouldn't even be able to recognize her without a disguise, right?"

Lunette just stared at her, until Sweetheart suddenly called out. "Girls, look! There they are!"

The two fillies looked over, to see a pair of earth ponies coming in off the train. A purple mare with a bright yellow mane, and a white stallion with a red mane. They both were wearing trench coats and sunglasses, and seemed to be looking around nervously as they trotted forward.

"Hey you two!" Clover whinnied, as she and her two friends galloped up to them. "Long time, no see! How've you been?"

"Clover, so good to see you!" Meadowlark hugged her little sister, while talking in hushed tones. "And you brought two of your friends with you!"

"Hello, Meadowlark! Hi, Cheval! Good to see both of you again!" The cool Melody replied. "Allow me to introduce our friend, Lunette! She's from the Principality of Equestria!"

"Bonjour, mademoiselle Lunette!" He bowed to her. "Ve have just got done vith touring zee principality! It iz zee vonfderful and place to visit!"

"The only thing I wanted to do, was meet the royal sisters while we were there!" Meadowlark said with a sigh. "But they were away on a diplomatic visit. Such a pity!"

Lunette knew both of these ponies, of couse. The one of the most famous ballet couples in the world, Cheval and Meadowlark played in sold out performances from Fillydelphia to Applewood. Cheval was from the island nation of Fansee, part of the archipelago chain that also included the isle of Pony, and Tropical island.

"I thankest thou, good Cheval, and thou too, fair Meadowlark." Lunette replied, bowing to both of them politely. "Mayest thou giveth birth to a child most healthly and beautiful!"

"Why thank you, young lady!" Meadowlark replied, as Cheval helped her back to clover's car. "Such politeness reminds me of when we were back in Equestria!"

"You weren’t putting a spell of some sort on my sister, were you!?" Clover asked, after the couple were out of earshot.

Lunette's eyes went wide. "Well... er... that is.."

"Oh, stop teasing her, Clover!" Melody snorted, trotting towards the car. "C'mon, let's get your sister back home!"

Clover only scowled at Lunette, leaving the bewildered pony what the hay was going on....

....

"Hey, Luna! Take a look at this!" Celeste was laughing her flank off, looking at the newspaper, as Lunette came into the house. "Another UFO sighting over town! Boy, Dazzleglow and her handmaidens must be driving the republic authorities crazy!"

"Sister, listen..." Lunette replied, pulling the newspaper down, and looking Celeste in the eyes. " I am truly sorry about what I hath said at the concert. Verily, I did greatly speak out of turn!"

"And I am sorry, that I acted like a fool, and completely disregarded your wise advice!" Celeste looked up at her sister. "And I have to admit, I have been trying to relive my fillyhood a bit too much!" She shook her mane. "But being among such young, energetic ponies made me feel young again, myself!"

"I know sister, they beith truly wonderful friends!" Lunette agreed. "But our responsibilities as Princesses are important, and sooner or later, we must return thence!"

"I know, sister." The white filly sighed. "I've just been trying to ignore that for the longest time."

"But thou art also correct, we must take time off now and again, and not concentrate solely on work!" Lunette noted. "I believe we may havest some issues we need to sit down, and discuss most thoroughly!"

"I agree completely, Luna." Celeste replied with a sigh. "But first we have a dance to attend tomorrow night, where we have a lot of things to set right!"

"Tis wonderful that thou wishest to make amends for thy folly!" Lunette replied hopefully. "Art thou ready to go home then, sister?"

"No, I have not yet achieved the secondary goal that I had, in first coming to this place." Celeste looked at the paper again. "There's something I wish to discover here, Luna, and I have no yet done so!"

"Aha! Thou didst have another reason to infiltrate the republic!" Lunette's ears perked up. "I really wish thou would tellest me these things up front!"

"Luna... have you ever wondered why, in the history of the republic, why there were never any Pegasus or unicorns born to these earth ponies?" Celeste asked. "Their ancestors had married into the other two pony types as much as any other ponies had before they emigrated, so there must be some Pegasus and unicorn genes floating around in the republic's gene pool!"

"Tis rather odd, I'll give you that! Such statistics are truly most baffling!" Lunette agreed, considering the idea for the first time. "I suppose I could check around in the maternity ward, when I volunteer at the hospital tonight."

"Perhaps..." Celeste was cut off by a knock at the door, which Lunette opened to find Patch. The pony trotted inside, and sat down beside the two fillies.

"Hey Celestia, hey Luna!" She told them with a great big grin, taking a cookie from the jar on the counter. "How are things going in Princess land?"

"YOU TOLD HER?!? HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!?" Celestia roared in the Royal Canterlot voice. "Luna! Now the others won't treat us normally anymore!"

"Chill out, your royal loudness!" Patch chuckled. "I won't tell the other girls, I've been friends with royalty before!"

"Still, she shouldn't have blabbed!" Celestia scowled. "We're trying to keep a low profile!"

"Worry not sister, she is our most trusted friend!" Lunette reassured her sister. "Patch will faithfully protect our secret without fail!"

"The only thing I want... please, please let me go back and visit Equestria with you!" Patch pleaded.

"But why?" Lunette asked. "Art thou not happy here in the republic?"

"Well, I am happy here living with my friends." She replied, pawing at the ground, and looking down. "But I've always wanted to visit a magical land, and see magical creatures!" She got excited again. "All of my life, I've wanted to fly away, and go on a great adventure! Like there was a magic deep inside that is a part of me, and yet it is missing from my life!"

"Well, thou canst discuss these matters with Celestia!" Lunette replied with a sigh. "I doth need to get to the hospital, for my volunteer work most charitable!"

"Have a good time!" Patch called after her, as the Princess trotted out the door. After she was gone, Patch turned back to Celeste.

"So, you live in a castle? That's so cool! Can you control the weather? Have you ever met a dragon? What's a dragon look like? Does working magic hurt? Do you really raise the sun? Do the sun's flames burn you? Why does-"

"I'll get you for this, Luna!" Celestia grumbled to herself, as Patch rattled on and on...

...

"Lunette! Bedpan cleanup, room three!" A purple mare with a light purple mane and Nurse's cap snorted. "Then get back here, I need you to check a pony's blood pressure!"

"As thou wishest, Nurse Tyme!" Lunette sighed, trotting into room three to get to the gross task. While Nurse Tyme, Melody's mother and the head nurse on this floor, returned to her paperwork. "I shall complete the task thou has assinged to me with complete and utmost efficiency!"

She had received a little informal medical training back in Equestria, and had indicated as much in her fabricated paperwork for the republic. So when the understaffed Coltonville hospital discovered this, they wasted no time in putting the volunteering filly to work. Changing diapers, checking temperatures with a flank thermometer... all of the unpleasant tasks which the nurse's and nurse's aides did not want to dirty their hooves with.

After completing the unpleasant task, Lunette trotted back out into the hallway, trying to hide herself. This modern hospital was so different than anything they had in Equestria! White washed hallways, computerized monitoring equipment. Lunette decided right then and there they would have to import some of this life saving technology from the republic!

"N-E-E-E-E-I-G-H!" A whinny of pain came out of the nearby maternity ward. Curious, Lunette pushed through the double doors, and trotted quietly up to a room door, straining to cloak herself under an invisibility shield.

"Push, Meadowlark, Push!" An accented voice cried in a panic. "You can do do it! You're almost zhere!"

"It hurts Cheval! IT HURTS! AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The mare's voice cried out in agony. Her screams filled the hallway, reminding Lunette of a pain that she had once known herself.

"Meadowlark is giving birth to her baby!" Lunette realized in shock. "I hope the baby's going to be okay..."

"Congratulations, Miss Meadowlark!" The doctor's voice came out of the room. "You are the proud mother of- BY THE HORSEMATER!"

"SACRE BLEU!" Cheval's voice yelled in horror.

"What? What is it?" Meadowlark asked. "Where is my baby? Let me see my baby!"

It was at this point that Lunette trotted into the room, covered under the cloaking spell. It was at that moment, that she saw the baby. It was an adorable little brown colt, with the loveliest brown eyes...

... and a pair of tiny brown wings.

"A Pegasus!" Lunette nearly fell over in shock. "She gave birth to a Pegasus!"

The attending nurse quickly cleaned the baby up, and covered his wings by wrapping him in a blanket, before giving the newborn foal to it's mother. The doctor moved to prevent Cheval from telling his wife, then went over and hit a button on the intercom.

"Nurse Tyne? We have a code P!" He snorted. "Please bring the equipment, and get down here at once!"

"A code P?" The invisible Lunette thought to herself. "What in the world is-"

It was at that moment, that the invisible filly heard the approach of the squeaking wheels of a surgeon's cart. As Melody's mother passed Lunette, the filly noticed several scalpels and surgical tools laying on a tray...

..right next to a small disposable sanitation bag, about the size of a young foal's wings.

"No... it can't be..."

Everything in Luna's mind suddenly fell into place. No Pegasus or unicorns born in the republic... a society that hated everything but earth ponies.... Patch's dreams of flying and love of magic... Suddenly, a horrible picture formed in the princess's mind, causing her to gallop straight out of the hospital and into the cold, Coltonville night.

"SISTERRRR!" She wailed, as she galloped off into the night.

Holiday's end

Holiday's end

"So, you really think you can take me back with you?!?" Patch asked hopefully. "I can really go, and see Equestria?!?"

"I don't see why not!" Celeste replied, shaking her mane. "Simply return to your home and begin packing your things, and I shall send word to my courtiers to make arrangements with your government and parents. You shal visit us, under the guise of you traveling abroad as a foreign exchange student!"

"Yeah! Like Bright Eyes did at Tropical island!" Patch nodded. "And it is kinda the truth! "I am going to study another culture!"

The two were still sitting at the table, discussing the details of their upcoming departure, when Lunette came barreling through the door in a panic.

"Sister!" Celeste called out, as she and Patch stared at the filly desperately gasping for breath. "What on earth are you doing back from the hospital so early?"

"Pony hospital! Mutilated foals! republic conspiracy!" Lunette blurted out. "Sister, we have to get out of here, NOW!"

"Slow down, Lunette! We can't understand what you're saying!" Patch told her, as the two other fillies walked over to Lunette. "What do you mean a 'conspiracy'?"

"When I was at the hospital, I saw a Pegasus foal born!" Lunette told them, her eyes wild. "The doctors called for a 'code P', and they sheared the poor foal's wings off!"

"So that's how the republic eliminates unicorns and Pegasus!" Celeste's eyes went wide. "That was the missing piece of the puzzle!"

"What?!? Thant can't be right!" Patch snorted in disbelief, looking back and forth between the two sisters. "Melody's mother is involved in the medical industry! She would never-"

"Patch, let me see your back." Lunette trotted over, and began to examine along the lines of the filly's side.

"Wait, what are you-?" Patch started, looking back at where Celeste was staring.

"Here." The white filly noted, running her hoof along a small scar line running just below Patch's spine. The teenage filly saw it, then noticed a matching one on the other side of her back.

"The love of flying, the desire for adventure. Typical traits associated with Pegasus." Celeste shook her mane. "Why am I not surprised?"

"No... it can’t be true..." Patch backed up slowly, shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't be a- NO!!"

The terrified filly galloped out the door, running down the road. Lunette started after her, but Celeste quickly blocked her way.

"Let her go, sister!" The white filly told her. "She'll be back, when she comes to accept the truth!"

"Thou- thou knew about this, didn't thou, sister?" Lunette realized, the truth suddenly dawning on her. "That's why you came here, to see if the stories and rumors were true!"

"One of the ambassadors I sent to the republic- a Pegasus- had a pregnant wife when they arrived in the capital." Celeste explained to her sister. "When they were returning home through Coltonville, she gave birth at the local hospital. The doctors told her and her husband that there had been a miscarriage, and they came home believing their daughter had died."

"Ambassador Needle and his wife, Thread. Yes, I doth remember them both." Lunette nodded. "But thou didst not believe it, didst thou?"

"No more than I believe you cannot talk in a modern dialect, and you only started talking like this again after the harmony bearers died." Lunette winced at that, as Celeste continued. "In the sixteen years since that incident, my intelligence agents discovered there was no record of the child's death and burial. I did uncover that there was an earth pony sent to the orphanage out of the hospital the very next week... one who fit the physical description of the ambassador and his wife."

"Only it was an earth pony, so you didn't make the connection." Lunette finished, staring off into space. "And given that the republic only produces earth ponies, you began to have your suspicions."

"After hearing enough rumors floating around, and my intelligence agents unable to gather any information, I decided to investigate." Celeste finished. "And our little vacation gave me the perfect cover!"

"Sister, why didst thou not simply tell me?" The blue filly asked, dumbfounded. "I could have offered aid on your endeavor, instead of constantly bickering with you!"

"Because, I wasn't just here to investigate my suspicions." Celeste trotted over to the window, and stared out into the town. "You were right sister, I was trying to relive my fillyhood. And I have enjoyed it far too much!"

"But why, sister?" Lunette asked, trotting over to the window. "We are the rulers of an entire nation! Why should thou wishest to act like a youthful hoodlum?"

"It started with Twilight Sparkle's death. My best and brightest pupil... and, in later years, a very dear friend. I've seen generations of ponies come and go, but her death made me face the concept of mortality~" She closed her eyes. "We are not goddesses, Luna... nor are we immortal. Our deaths will come eventually, wither it's tomorrow, or a thousand years from now!"

"And you wanted to cram as much living in, before something happens to us!" Luna whinnied sympathetically. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I thought you would just think I was being foolish!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "A foolish old nag, trying to be a filly again!"

Luna trotted up to her sister, and wrapped her hooves around her in a big hug.

"I'm so sorry, Celestia. I never should have come down on you as hard as I have been!" She closed her eyes. "We may not see everything eye to eye, but we will always be sisters!"

The two pulled apart after several minutes, both smiling at each other. It was Lunette, who finally spoke up;

"So telleth me, sister!" The blue filly asked. "How do we get out of this barbaric land?"

...

"Mrs. Tyme!" Patch banged her hoof on the door to Melody's home. "Mrs. Tyme, please open up!"

"Just a minute! I'll be right there!" Melody's mother called out. Making some tea in the kitchen, she turned off the burner the tea kettle was on, and trotted to the door and opened it.

"Why, Patch! What are you doing here at this hour?" The mare asked, surprised. "I'm sorry, but Melody's not here right now!"

"Miss Tyme, do nurses and doctors cut the wings and horns off of young colts and fillies?" The terrified filly asked. "Please, tell me it isn't true!"

"WHAT?!? How did you kno-..." The mare's eyes went wide for a second, then she quickly regained her composure. "Of course not dear! Where would you get a ridiculous idea like that?"

But the look on the mare's face, tells Patch all she needs to know.

"....horsemaster, it's all true...." The filly stumbled backward, falling off the step as the truth sank in. "I-I've been mutilated... I-I don't belong here..."

"Patch, wait!" The nurse yelled after her, as the sobbing pony galloped away swiftly. "PATCH!"

"How could they do this to me?!?" She wept to herself, galloping away even faster. "How dare they do this to everybody!?!"

...

"As you know, Princess Rose will be visiting Coltonville during the dance tomorrow night!" Celeste told her sister. "This will give us the perfect opportunity to mix in with her entourage, and slip away!"

"Once we get back to Equestria, we can expose this twisted secret to the public, and begin putting pressure on the republic to change it's ways!" Lunette agreed. "But sister, if we were to be caught before our escape, our weakened magic would leave us at the mercy of republic scientists!"

"Put under microscopes... dissected and vivisected..." Celeste shuddered at the thought. "We need to make sure we get out of here, as soon as possible!"

"Whenever you girls are ready to go, I'm coming with you!" At that moment, patch opened the door, and came trotting back in. "And I'm never coming back here!"

"Patch, glad you came back, but..." Lunette looked at her with concern. "What about your friends, and your family?"

"Everything I've ever known here is a lie!" The filly snorted, trotting up the stairs to spend the night there. "I just want to get as far away from this stupid town as possible!"

After she had gone, Celeste simply shook her head. "She's very angry right now. I hope she does not make a mistake she will come to regret!"

"Verily sister, I doth agree with you." Lunette looked up the stairs. "Verily, I doth agree."

...

On the far side of town, five of the girls were meeting at their clubhouse. They were preparing for the dance tomorrow night, gossiping and talking of the good times to come.

"Well, girls, this is it!" Melody smiled, putting her makeup on. "Tomorrow night, we are so totally gonna shine!"

"Yep, the boys are gonna pick us up in their new cars, and everything!" Bon Bon giggled. "And my mum and dad even got me a new dress in my size!"

"I really wish Patch and Clover could've joined us tonight!" Starlight sighed. "I wanted to do some tuff with thier manes before tomorrow night!"

"Oh, don't worry so much, Starlight!" Bright Eyes rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you'll get your chance before the evening comes!"

"I really want to thank you for finding a date for me, Sweetheart!" Melody sighed. "Though I must say I was hoping to get a more romantic partner at the dance than a farmer!"

"Hey! Teddy's cousin Corny is a really nice guy!" Sweetheart snorted. "You should be glad to have a date half as nice as he is, Melody!"

"I'm just grateful that Slipknot asked me to the dance!" Starlight sighed. "It's really nice that such a good friend cares enough to ask me to the party!"

"Is that all he is?" Bright Eyes asked, looking over at her friend. "Really, Starlight... are you the only one who can't see it?"

"He likes you, girl! You really need to see that!" Bon Bon agreed. "You gotta stop pining for a colt who doesn't love you!"

"Girls, Slipknot is just a friend!" Starlight snorted. "Sure, Ace may only have eyes for that foreign filly, but sooner or later, she'll be going home!"

"Yeah, until he moves on to the next flavor of the week!" Sweetheart told her. "Face it, Starlight, that guy is waaaay too shallow for you!"

"Yeah, he needs a girl as superficial as he is!" Bright eyes snorted. "Though who know where you'll find a filly like that!"

"Ah-CHOO! Excuse me!" Melody sneezed. "Say girls, why don't we all go over, and Starlight can get us some milkshakes?"

"All right!" The other four replied in unison, as they all giggled, and trotted out the clubhouse door together.

...

"Miss Hackney! Miss Hackney!" Clover came galloping into the classroom, where her teacher was still there this late, grading papers. "I've got something important to tell you!"

"Clover? What in the world?" She looked up from her work, adjusting her glasses. "What are you doing here at this late hour?"

"Miss Hackney, I just found out! Celeste and Lunette aren't who they seem to be!" The filly told her excitedly. "They're spies from Equestria! They're really the alicorn princesses!"

"Now, Clover!" Miss Hackney admonished her, angrily stamping her hoof. "This is no time to be telling one of your wild and crazy stories! Those two are just sweet earth fillies, who don't really understand our customs and culture!"

"It's true, Miss Hackney! I swear! I overheard them talking about it, and everything!" Clover replied excitedly. "And they're mind controlling Patch, with their evil unicorn magic somehow! Who knows what sinister plans they have in store for her!"

"Child, you had better not be joking about this!" Miss Hackney stared at Clover for a moment, before replying solemnly. "You could ruin those young fillies lives with such slander!"

"I wouldn't lie about something like this, Miss Hackney!" The teen filly shook her mane. "Honest!"

With a sigh, Miss Hackney pulled out a chair. "Now sit down, and tell me everything you know...."

Prom night!

Prom night!

"Come on girls, hurry up!" Ace yelled into the house, frustrated. "You've been in there for over a half an hour!"

"Yeah, pick up the pace!" Lancer agreed, grumbling. "If you don't, we're gonna be late!"

"Hold on a second, boys!" Celeste yelled down to them, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. "We're almost ready."

The two colts had arrived at the royal sisters’ home early, and had been waiting outside for the two to finish getting ready. They were about to get up and trot back to the car they had driven here, until the front door suddenly swung open.

"About time!" Ace grumbled. "What took you to so-"

The young colt was struck speechless, as he and Lancer beheld two visions of loveliness descend the stairs. One wore a white satin gown, with her mane up in a bun, and crystal slippers and earrings. The other wore a matching outfit, but in a dark blue hue, with translucent onyx slippers and earrings. Lancer tried to form words, but they seemed to stick in his throat, and the two glittering angels descended the front porch steps.

"Well, knave?" Lunette asked impatiently, after several moments of silence. "Have you nothing to say on mine appearance?"

"I...uhhh..." He muttered, before Ace finally regained his composure.

"You both look wonderful!" The jock pony exclaimed, offering his hoof to Celeste. "It is an honor to escort both of you to the dance!"

"Yeah.... you're totally amazing..." Lancer blurted out, as he and Ace moved to pin the corsages on the two's dresses.

"Why thank you, my good stallions!" Celeste smiled, nodding her head towards the car the two colts had driven there. "Now, shouldn't we be off?"

"My ladies..." Lancer bowed, trotting over and opening the car door for them. "We are at your service!"

...

After a lengthy description of all she had experienced to her teacher, the over-excited finally finished her tale of Equestrian spies and conspiracies.

"And that's the whole truth, Miss Hackney!" Clover exclaimed, flailing her hooves around excitedly. "I don't know what those two alicorns are up to, but we have to stop their evil scheme!"

Miss Hackney sat in silence for a moment, staring at the filly before her in silence, before finally responding.

"I know exactly what you mean, my dear Clover!" The teacher stood up, and trotted over to the doorway. "We need to do something about this whole situation, at once!"

"I'm glad you agree, Miss Hackney!" Clover saluted, ready to do whatever her teacher ask to stop this terrible enemy. "What do you want me to do?"

"Get my jacket out of the back of the storage closet, and meet me out in the hallway." Miss hackney told her. "Then I will head down to gymnasium, to deal with these spies at the dace directly!"

"Right away, Miss Hackney!" Clover replied eagerly, galloping over to the closet, and throwing the door open. As the filly trotted to the back of the closet and rummaged around, the hinged door slowly slid closed again behind her. As the elderly teacher trotted out of the classroom, she turned the lock on the closet with a soft click.

"Miss Hackney? I can't seem to get this door open! I think it's stuck!" A filly's hoof banged on the door from the inside. "Miss Hackney, are you there?"

...

"Girls! I'm so glad you could make it!" Starlight called out to her friends, as she and Slipknot trotted into the room together. "Sorry we're so late, we had trouble finding a parking spot!"

"Starlight!" Sweetheart called out, as she and Teddy trotted over from the punch table. "I was afraid you weren’t going to make it!"

"Yeah, I'm amazed Slipknot didn't drive into a ditch!" Teddy chuckled, earning him a kick from Sweetheart. "Ow! What'd I say?"

"It's good to see you too, Teddy." Slipknot groaned, rolling his eyes. "I was missing your snarky remarks."

The two fillies looked their best, with Starlight in a lovely pink gown, and sweetheart in a blue one. The two colts were dressed in a bland grey coat and tie- not much different from what the other colts at the dance were wearing .

"Hey, where's Bon Ban and Spinner?" Slipknot asked, looking around the room. "Don't tell me those two didn't make it!"

"Where do ya think they are?" Teddy asked, pointing a hoof back towards the buffet table. "Running the catering bill through the roof, as usual!"

"Wow, this potato salad is amazing!" Spinner smiled, stuffing his face greedily.

"And this cake is to die for!" His date exclaimed, eating her third slice.

"Those two... I wonder if they'll even take the time to dance!" Sweetheart said with a sigh.

"Say, have either of you seen Ace?" Starlight asked, looking around for the colt. "I was hoping to get a dance with him, away from Celeste." Starlight was so wrapped up in her hopes, that she failed to noticed Slipknot's sigh and eye rolling at her comments.

"Good luck with that." Teddy Chuckled, pointing towards the center of the room. "Those two haven't been apart all night."

There, in the center of the dance floor, Celeste and Lunette glided across the dace floor with Ace and Lancer, both pairs moving in perfect unison. It seemed like nothing short of a catastrophe could tear the two couples apart.

"Greeeaaat." Starlight grumbled, yanking Slipknot out onto the dance floor. "C'mon, we might as well not waste our time just standing here!"

"O-okay-" The colt replied, as he and his date started moving to the music.

As Sweetheart and Teddy rejoined the dance, Patch trotted into the room unnoticed, and made her way over to the wallflower section. There, she saw Melody and Bright Eyes sitting by themselves, staring glumly at the two sisters dancing with their dates.

"Hey there, girls!" Patch trotted up to her friends. "I see you two decided to come to the dance stag. But why are you both over here?"

"Why should be out there dancing?" Bright Eyes grumbled, nodding towards the happy couples. "There the ones having all the fun."

"Now girls, I've had just about enough of this!" Patch snorted, stamping her hoof. "No matter how much you pretend otherwise, you two are in love with those colts out there!"

The two began to protest, then immediately slumped into their chairs.

"Okay, you got us there. But what can we do about it?" Melody grumbled. "First Ace ditches me for Starlight, and now this foreigner moves in on Ace!"

"Girls, I really shouldn't be telling you this, but... are you two aware that those sisters slunk into the group just to snag the guys?"

"W-what?" Bright Eyes asked. "You're joking, aren't you, Patch?"

"I'm afraid not, Bight Eyes." Patch snorted. "They only became our friends, just to get close to our colts."

"Why those miserable little tramps!" Melody snorted, standing up and scowling. "How dare they!"

"Melody, we can't just sit here and fell sorry for ourselves!" Bright Eyes growled. "We gotta go over and save our boys!"

"That's the spirit, girls!" Patch encouraged them. "If you want those colts, go after them!"

The two ponies galloped over to where the two couples were dancing together, and immediately shoved the sisters away from the two colts.

"Beat it, hussy!" Melody snorted, shoving Celeste aside with her hooves. "This boys mine!"

"Hit the road, tramp!" Bright eyes growled, head butting Lunette away from Lancer.

"Ow!" The white filly yelped.

"Whoah!" Lunette grunted, as she stumbled over.

"Hey! Bright Eyes!" Lancer whinnied in shock. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Melody! Have you gone crazy?!?" Ace snorted, glaring at the filly.

"These two tramps were playing you for fools!" Bright Eyes yelled, as every other pony couple stared at them. "They were using us to get to you!"

"They're gonna go home and break your hearts!" Melody exclaimed. "And there's no way we're going to let that happen!"

"What? That's crazy talk!" Ace snorted, looking at his date. "Isn't it, Celeste?"

"Good Grief, you colts are more gullible that we thought!" Celeste chuckled. "You actually thought we liked you?"

"W-what?" Lancer exclaimed. "But I thought-"

"Thou were goodest for a laugh, fool." Lunette sneered, trotting away from Lancer in disgust. "But this charade doth grow most boring!"

The two colts jaws nearly hit the floor, as every other pony in the gym gave Celeste and Lunette dark looks.

"I can't believe we fell for you two's good looks!" Ace snorted, as Melody trotted over and nuzzled him. "We were such fools!"

"I never shoulda asked a pony like you out, Lancer snorted, going over to Bright Eyes. "I think you two 'false friends' should just get out of here, right now!"

All of the other pony couples piped up in agreement.

"Yeah, get outta here, foreigner!"

"Who needs ya?"

"Well, we certainly don't need to waste any more time with low-class ponies like you!" Celeste snorted angrily. The two fillies trotted out of the gym, heads held high. Behind them, Starlight simply shook her mane in disgust.

"Great, now he's back with Melody again!" She whinnied sadly. "I guess I'll never get the boy of my dreams to like me."

"But I like you, Starlight!" Slipknot blurted out, unable to keep his silence any longer. "Why can't you ever see that?"

"Wait. you like me?" The pony asked in shock, staring at him. Lowering his head, the colt was ready for the rejection from the filly he had long feared, her telling him he wasn't good enough for her. But what he got instead, totally took him by surprise.

"Why the heck didn't you ever say something before?"

...

As the two fillies came trotting out of the school gym, Patch came galloping up behind them.

"That was really good, your highnesses!" The filly exclaimed. "You both played your parts really well!"

"And we fixed everything up nicely before we left!" Celeste agreed, shaking her mane. "All in a day's work!"

"All right, you two! The glow and shows should have are stuff all packed up back at the apartment for us!" Lunette noted, pointing her hoof down the street. "We had best getteth ourselves to the grand stallion hotel, where Princess Rosy's entourage doth wait for us!"

"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere, your highnesses." A voice called out, as several mares and stallions began to emerge from the shadows. "We really can't let you leave here!"

"It beith the Coltonville townsfolk!" Lunette called out, as she saw the adult ponies formed a circle around them. "But what do they want?"

"We not going to let you carry out whatever scheme you have planned!" A mare's voice called out angrily, as Melody's mother emerged from the mob. "It's a good thing I decided to follow Patch here when she ran from my house! We're not letting you spies get away!"

"Uh oh..." patch exclaimed, and the angry ponies closed in on them. "I think we're in trouble now..."

final escape

final escape

"Oh, Luna!" Patch wailed sadly, as the three of them were forced back into a huddle. "I think we're in trouble now!"

The crowd closed in on the three fillies, their angry eyes staring them down. An entire herd of adults from town- most of whom Celeste and Lunette did not know personally- looked ready and willing to drag the two sisters away and lock them up.

"Why are you all doing this?" Celeste asked, looking around at the angry mob. "What have we ever done to you?"

"You're obviously here as enemies of the republic!" One mare called out from the crowd. "You've come to enslave us earth ponies with your strange magic!"

"We're not gonna let you enslave our kind again!" A stallion from the other side of the crowd added. "We earth ponies will stay free!"

"But why dost thou mutilate young an innocent foals?" Lunette pleaded, looking around for a means of escape. "They hath done nothing to deserve a punishment so severe!"

"We make things equal for all ponies, by removing all extra advantages non-earth ponies would have over us!" One of the doctors called out from the back. "Thanks to our efforts, all ponies in the republic are truly equal!"

This is was the kind of foe Lunette feared facing- not an evil spell caster, or malevolent spirit Tartarus-bent on conquering Equestria, but the nameless and faceless masses, driven by their prejudices and biases to commit horrible atrocities to other ponies in the name of what was right. It was this narrow minded bigotry that had allowed so many foals to be mutilated... and this same bigotry that had taken a young Pegasus foal named Patch away from the Equestrian parents that loved her.

Lowering her head, Celeste tried to use her magic. But her power in this place had become so weakened, she could produce little more then a spark. Luna struggled to produce even a light, but nothing came from her invisible horn.

"Great, we don't have any juice left!" The white filly growled. "We're done for now!"

It was at that moment, that Patch looked around at the other two fillies, and suddenly broke into a run. Galloping straight at the surrounding ponies, they formed a gap through which the teenage filly was able to run away.

"Let her go." One of the stallions snorted. "It's these fiendish princesses we're after!"

"At least Patch will not share our fate!" Celeste sighed. "I fear was these ponies will do to us!"

"Hold it together, sister!" Lunette assured her. "We shall gettest ourselves out of this peril yet!"

...

"Ugh!" Starlight groaned, as she and the other ponies finished up their last dance for the night. "Can you believe the nerve of those two sisters?"

"I know, right?" Starlight snorted. "I just can't believe their nerve! Those no good tramps!"

It was then, that Miss Hackney came trotting into the gym, looking around at all of the ponies present.

"Miss Hackney, what are you doing here?" Bon Bon asked her, as the five fillies from the group trotted up to her. "Is something wrong?"

"Girls, have you seen Lunette and Celeste?" She asked them. "I really need to speak to them, about something important."

"Those two left after we found them out!" Melody snorted, stamping her hoof. "They only wanted to be friends with us, so they could trick the boys!"

"Oh dear, this is not good!" The elderly teacher whinnied, looking around to make sure all of the other students were out of earshot. "Girls, I have something to tell you. Celeste and Lunette aren't just normal exchange students at all, those two are actually the royal princess sisters of Equestria!"

"What?!?" Melody squeaked in shock. "I don't believe it!"

"I knew it!" Bright Eyes yelled, narrowing her eyes. "I knew something was off about those two!"

"All this time, we were harboring spies!" Starlight whinnied in disgust. "We're a disgrace to the republic!"

"Now, don't judge them too harshly!" Miss Hackney scolded them. "I'm certain Celestia and Luna had their reasons for-"

"Miss Hackney! Those two lied to us and tricked us!" Bright Eyes interrupted her. "They're just as bad as all of the legends say the magic users are!"

"No! That's not fair at all!" Patch came galloping into the gymnasium, almost out of breath. "Those two have been our friends, and now they need our help!"

"Patch, are you all right?" Bon Bon asked, trotting over to her friend. "What's going on?"

"The townsponies have Celestia and Luna trapped!" The filly replied, after catching her breath. "We gotta help them!"

"Why should we? Those alicorns tricked us into being their friends!" Bright Eyes complained.

"They used us, and hurt our feelings!" Sweetheart added.

"You ask me, they're getting exactly what they deserve!" Bon Bon finished angrily.

"How ca all of you say that? They're our friends!" Patch protested angrily, "That whole thing with the boys was an act, to try to get Melody, Bright Eyes, and Starlight together with the colts of dreams!"

"Really?" They were trying to help us?" Starlight asked, surprised.

"Big frickin' deal! That doesn't change what they are!" Melody snapped. "They're alicorns, and they're just waiting for the chance to oppress us earth ponies!"

"You honestly think those two were trying to oppress us?" Patch snorted indignantly, looking from friend to friend. "Bright Eyes, didn't you and Lunette make Coltonville a better place, by cleaning up Paradise lake?"

Bright Eyes nodded. "That's true, but..."

"And Bon Bon, didn't you girls have fun doing each others manes, and laughing together?"

"Yeah but-" Melody trailed off.

"Those girls have proven themselves to be true friends, even if you girls don't see it!" Patch stamped her hoof, staring each of her friends in the eye. "And I want to know if you're going to help me save them, or will you not?"

"I-I don't know..." Sweetheart whinnied nervously. "W-we could get in trouble for helping a couple of alicorn spies!"

"Girls, I cannot tell you what to do in this case." Miss Hackney advised the. "But whatever choice you make, make, remember all that both I, and life, has taught you."

It was also at that moment, that Ace, Lancer, and Teddy all came trotting up, smiling at the girls mischievously.

"Girls, we heard everything when we were cleaning in the other room." Lancer told the

girls." Whatever you five choose to do... we want to help."

The five girls looked between themselves for severl minutes, until Starlight finally trotted forward.

"All right, Patch." The earth pony told her friend. "What can we do to help?"

...

Celeste and Luna were still trapped at the center of the angry mob, who still stood as a solid wall cutting off thier escape.

"What are we waiting for?" An impatient mare asked the others. "Let's take care of them right now!"

"No! No! Stay back!" Another mare warned. "Who knows what they might do! I don't wanna risk 'em putting a spell on us!"

"Keep an eye on them." One of the nameless stallions in the mob called out. "Don't let them make any sudden moves until the authorities get here!"

"Whilst we wait for our jailers to come for us, I wishest to askest thou." Lunette called out to the doctor ponies she recognized in the mob. "Why didst thou takest away the wings of Patch, the Equestrian ambassador’s daughter?"

"So that's who Patch actually is. I had wondered." Melody's mother snorted. "We get a lot of dignitatries and foriegn diplomatic visitors through here, and our orders from higher up are to take, and equalize, thier newboarn foals whever we can."

"But why?" Celestia asked, curious. "Those ponies are going home, why take and mutilate their foals for a life in the Republic?"

"To raise ponies, who will eventually go back to their positions of power in their homelands, with loyalty to the republic and it's interests." A doctor sneered. "Look at the success we had with Princess Rosy, who has made the isle of Pony a strong ally of the republic!"

"Why do you think our town is so successful?" Another pony pointed out. "Ponies in industries from trasportation to retail are involved."

"You're-you're all part of this!" Lunette said in horror. "The whole town is one giant brainwashing factory!"

"Not the whole town!" A stallion corrected her. "There are many who are not aware!"

"Not that telling you will matter!" Another stallion goaded them. "In a few hours, you'll both be in the capital, lying on laboratory tables in several pieces!"

Suddenly, five fillies came galloping up to the mob of ponies at top speed, leaping clean over the circular crowds, and landing between the adults and the princesses.

"Leave our friends alone!" Starlight called out, snorting and stamping her hoof. "If you hurt one hair on their manes, we'll have to get rough!"

"We're not gonna let you turn them into experiments!" Bon Bon growled, staring down several of the ponies angrily. "So back off!"

"Melody, what on earth has gotten into you?" The filly's mother asked, horrified. "Whey are you protecting these monsters?"

"Why do Starlight and I have scars on our foreheads, mother?" The two ponies whipped thier manes back, revealing the spots where their horns had been. "Patch told us everything! They're not the monsters, mother! YOU ARE!"

"Now, let em' have it!" Ace, Lancer, and Teddy came galloping up behind the mob. The colts all plowed into several stallions, taking them by surprise, and sending them flying.

"Patch, NOW!" Sweetheart called out to the night air. "Hurry, while the mob is in disarray!"

There was several flashes of light in the sky, and a strong rush of wind. Suddenly, an alicorn and two Pegasus mares came swooping down from the clouds, with Patch riding on the lead alicorn's back.

"Yeehaw!" The excited filly called out, as the two Pegasus swooped in, and grabbed the two princesses with their hooves. "Ride 'em cowpony!"

"They're trying to rescue the alicorns!" One of the stallions screamed. "Don't let 'em get away!"

The mob rushed forward, eager to trap Celeste and Lunette. The three flying ponies emitted a bright flash from their bodies, blinding the surrounding equines. Spreading their wings, the three zoomed up into the sky, and flew away from Coltonville.

"Yeah, they got away!" Lancer exclaimed. "We did it!"

"And now, you're gonna get it!" One of the stallions snorted, as they mob seized the colts and fillies violently. "We're gonna tear you to pieces!"

"Wait! I say!" Miss Hackney called out, as she came trotting up. "Those children were under the control of the alicorns! And if you harm them, I'm afraid I shall have to report you to the authorities!"

Putting the teens down, the townsponies angrily dispersed. After several minutes, the five fillies and the teacher were left alone in the square.

"Is everybody ok?" Starlight asked, looking around at her friends.

"Yeah, we'll live." Bright Eyes exclaimed, shaking her mane. "I think the girls all got away, too!"

"Yeah! We did it!" Teddy exclaimed, picking up Sweetheart and hugging her. "Patch and the others should get back to Equestria home free!"

"I'm very proud of you, my little ponies!" Miss Hackney told them proudly. "You all let your friendships, overcome your prejudices!"

"Yeah, but I'm gonna miss Patch... and Celeste and Luna, too." Starlight exclaimed sadly. "I hope they'll be all right!"

"I'm sure they will be!" Bright Eyes assured her. "But now, it's up to us to make things better here in the republic!

"We'll have to work to get laws passed and stuff." Bon Bon told them with a laugh. "Well, once we grow up, of course."

"C'mon girls, it's late!" Starlight told her friends. "Let's all head for home."

As all of the girls turned to leave, Melody suddenly looked back at the other girls.

"Hey you guys..." She asked the others.

"What's up, Melody?" Ace asked taking her hoof in his.

She gave the colt beside her a troubled look. "Do any of you get the feeling we've forgotten something?"

....

"Miss Hackney? Anybody out there? Could somebody let me outta here?" A voice called out from the locked closet, as a hoof banged on the door from the inside. "C'mon, I need to use the bathroom!"

epilouge

Epilouge

"Wow, I just can't believe how incredible this place is!" Patch exclaimed, looking around Canterlot castle in awe. "It's like something out of a fairy tale!"

After the glow and show ponies had dropped them off at the isle of Pony's embassy, Princess Rosy had the three refugees kept under diplomatic immunity, until a steamer could carry them out beyond the republic's territorial waters. From there, a sky carriage delivered them back to Equestria, where the princesses quietly picked up their royal duties once more.

l along the journey, Patch had reacted to every new thing in wonderment, like a wide-eyed foal who had never been away from home. The whole sea voyage she sat on the deck, watching the ocean's waves roll by. And during the carriage ride she outstretched her hooves, and stood up on the chariot's rail, shouting "Look at me, I'm the queen of the world!" It wasn't until they were nearly home, however, that the filly made her most humble request.

"Celestia, Luna... I was wondering." The filly asked nervously. "Could... could I maybe see you in your regular forms... please?"

The two sisters looked at each other sadly- this was the moment they had been dreading.

"She'll never see us the same again, you know." Celeste had told her beforehand. "That's why we've held off changing back throughout the entire trip."

"Patch's friendship with us beith stronger that that, sister!" Lunette chided her. "Let us show our dear friend ourselves, in all of our glory!"

Shaking their manes, the two fillies bodies suddenly began to glow. Their bodies grew larger, shifting and changing as pairs of wings and a horn on each of their heads appeared. There, before the surprised fillies eyes, appeared the ancient and regal forms of the two of the most powerful ponies on the face of the world.

"Your- your majesties..." She stumbled over her words, a blank stare of awe covering her face. Even though she had known in her mind that these two were the royal princesses, it never really hit Patch on an emotional level until the two regal mares stood before her, in all of their alicorn glory. Being friends with Princess Rosy, who looked like the same old filly in fancy clothes, was one thing. But this....

After a few minutes, the filly bowed her head in reverence before them. "Oh, your majesties, please forgive my arrogance, I-I never meant to-"

"Patch, all doth be well, we-" But Celestia raised her hoof, shaking her mane. Things would never be the same between the Princesses and the filly again, and in a sense their friendship was gone forever. From this point onward, they would discover, Patch would treat them with no less awe an reverence than the rest of their subjects did.

What followed was a flurry of events... the royal announcement of the princesses' return from a long diplomatic trip, Patch's reunion with a teary-eyed pair of royal Pegasus at court, and a flurry of activity among the Eqiuestrian media over the remarkable tale the two sisters had told them about their visit to the republic.

"There has been an outcry, from both the populace and our allies, over the brutal ethnic cleansing practices of the republic." One of the princess's advisors told them. "The isle of Pony, the Crystal Empire, and even our enimies in Dream Valley -who would probably love destroying Equestria more than making friends with us- are calling for a trade embargo against the Ponyland Republic."

"And what of the Republic's response?" Celestia asked, concerned. "Are they angry we came in disguise amongst their populace? Are they planning some form of retaliation against us?"

"Quite the opposite, your highness." The advisor replied. "Under threat of their economy collapsing, and outrage from their own citizenry who were unaware, an entire sweep of arrests have been made throughout both the government and the medical industry. The republic has even offered to help diplomats and other foreign visitors locate the children that were taken from them, and pay the astronomical bill for the magical operations and surgeries, to restore lost limbs for Pegasus and unicorns."

"Very good, that will be all." Celestia told the diplomat, who bowed and trotted out of the throne room. The alicorn turned to her sister. "And how is our dear little Patch faring?"

"She hath bonded very strongly with her Pegasus parents these few weeks past." Luna replied. "But she hath stated her desire to remain an earth pony, and not have what was stolen from her restored."

"Even though she will not admit it, in truth she does miss her friends and family in Coltonville." Celestia replied with a sigh. "I hope we can get through all of this legal tape soon, so she may return and visit her homeland."

With a sigh, Luna trotted over to the window, and noticed the sun beginning to set. "Well, I beleveieth I shall go relieve the night crew of unicorns from the duties we set them on since we left, sister I feel like creating tonight's sky myself." She began flapping her wings, taking off into the sky. "It shall beith good to give some of our subjects pleasant dreams once more."

"I think I will wait on taking my solar duties back for a few days, myself." Celestia replied with a sigh, trotting over and resting her head on a windowsill. "I didn't spend a thousand years trapped on the moon, and could use a few more nights away from my duties."

"Then rest well, sister. Enjoy my beautiful night and pleasant dreams, just as our subjects do!" The princess of the night called back. "But lose not yourself in those dreams, dear sister! For such lapses doth not be the mistakes of alicorns, but rather a pony's folly of youth!"

-the end-