Luna's Daughter

by Baxter1984

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6

Prologue

Celestia raced through the halls of the castle in the Everfree Forest. Where is she?! She skidded to a stop at the end of the hall. She could have opened the door in front of her but chose to look out the window instead. Something is clearly wrong. It’s the middle of the afternoon . . . Why in Equestria did Luna raise the moon? She was torn from her thoughts by a shout from the other end of the hall.

“Celestia!”

Celestia turned to see that her parents were galloping towards her.

Midnight Armor, a dark blue alicorn stallion, came to a stop in front of his daughter. His mane and tail were black with a dark blue stripe running through them.

Sundance, a white alicorn mare with a light blue mane and tail, did the same before glancing at her husband. He’s been so focused on getting home that he hasn’t even noticed that he’s a mess. She used her magic to fix his mane.

Midnight Armor didn’t pay any attention to what his wife had done. Instead, he focused on their daughter. “What’s going on?!”

Celestia shook her head. “I don’t know, Father.”

Sundance glanced out at the sky. “The moon isn’t supposed to be up yet.” She turned to her daughter. “Where is your sister?”

Celestia shook her head again. “I don’t know, Mother. I’ve been searching for her ever since the moon rose, but . . .”

“You haven’t been able to find her?” Midnight Armor finished

Sighing, Celestia shook her head a third time. “I-” She cut herself off with a gasp. “I think I know where she is!” Without waiting for a response, she teleported out of the castle.

Sundance and Midnight Armor looked at each other in confusion. However, before either of them could say anything, both of them jumped when they heard a loud cry.

Midnight Armor laughed softly “It sounds like somepony just woke up from her afternoon nap.”

Nodding, Sundance opened the door to their daughter’s room. She and her husband walked inside together. As usual, the room was dark. Sundance used her magic to light the candle on a nearby table. With the light it provided, they were able to see the source of the cries.

A sturdy wooden cradle stood next to the large bed that took up most of the room. A small lavender alicorn filly was laying inside.

Sundance carefully levitated the filly into the air before bringing her closer. “Shh, it’s alright.” She nuzzled her granddaughter. “You don’t need to cry, Twilight.”

Soothed by her grandmother’s voice, and gentle touch, Twilight stopped crying. She giggled as she grabbed Sundance’s muzzle with her tiny forehooves.

Laughing softly, Sundance nuzzled her granddaughter again before levitating the filly onto her back. “I’m sure you’re hungry. Let’s see if we can find your mother.”

Squealing in delight, Twilight grabbed Sundance’s mane and held on while she made other baby noises.

Midnight Armor shook his head in wonder. “I will never understand how you do that.”

Sundance laughed again “I guess I just have the magic touch.” She followed her husband out of their daughter’s room. “Where do you think Celestia went? More importantly, where do you think Luna is?”

“I have no idea.” Midnight Armor replied as they walked down the hall. Both of them jumped when they heard a loud thud. Annoyed, he asked “What now?”

Sundance shook her head when she heard another one. “Should we follow them?”

Midnight Armor nodded before glancing at his granddaughter. “Perhaps we should leave Twilight here.”

I’m not leaving her alone. Sundance shook her head again. “We don’t know what’s going on. That means the safest place for our granddaughter is with us.”

Midnight Armor smiled at his wife. “You’re right.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor followed the sounds towards the throne room.

Confused, Sundance turned to her husband. “There’s no court today. Why would either of our daughters have gone there?”

“I’m not sure.” He responded “Regardless, we’ll find out soon enough.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor walked into the throne room. The first thing they noticed was that there were dozens of ponies present. None of them noticed their King and Queen. Instead, they were shouting as they gathered in front of the dais with a pair of thrones. Surprised, they stopped in the doorway.

Sundance glanced at her husband in confusion. “There shouldn’t be anypony in here.”

“You’re right." Midnight Armor responded "I wonder what the fuss is about.”

An earth pony stallion stepped forward and turned to the crowed. “If we can kill the evil bringer of the moon, the honored Princess of the Sun will be able to constantly bring the light of the sun into our lives.”

“Don’t forget about the spawn of the moon!” A unicorn mare shouted “We need to get rid of her as well!”

Sundance and Midnight Armor gasped in horror. W-what?!

“That won’t be hard.” The earth pony responded “She’s only two weeks old.”

“He’s right.” A pegasus stallion remarked, leveling a lance towards the middle of the group. “We’ll take care of her after we deal with her mother.”

Nodding, the other ponies in the group followed suit.

Sundance and Midnight Armor stepped forward, but paused when they heard a shout. Neither of them noticed Celestia enter the room.

Sighing, Celestia stopped next to her parents. “The garden has always been Luna’s favorite place to relax, so I thought she may have gone there. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find her.” She looked up when she heard a shout. “What’s going on?”

- - *Warning* Death Scene Ahead - - -

“Get away from her!”

Everyone in the group stepped back to reveal a dark gray unicorn stallion with a sword in his magic.

Luna stood behind this stallion with a horrified expression on her face. “No, Comet! You can’t face that many ponies by yourself!”

“I don’t care, Luna.” Comet responded “I won’t allow them to harm you!” He glared at the ponies in the crowd. “And they won’t be allowed to get their hooves on our daughter!”

Three of the ponies in the crowd threw their spears at him. They growled when Comet easily knocked them aside.

Luna looked at the ponies around her. This is bad. Perhaps I should- She was torn from her thoughts when most of the ponies in the room let out an enraged shout. Her eyes widened when all of them launched their weapons, and offensive spells, at her husband.

Comet knocked as many of them as he could aside before the sheer number of them overwhelmed him. When the dust settled, everypony immediately noticed that Comet now looked more like a pin cushion than a pony.

Comet slowly turned towards his wife. “L-luna, t-take care of . . .” He collapsed before he could finish his sentence.

Horrified, Luna watched her husband draw his last breath. She collapsed next to her husband’s body as tears streamed down her face. “COMET!”

- - End of Scene - - -

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia gasped in horror.

The earth pony stallion chuckled “That was easy.” He turned to the crowd. “In fact, that gives me an idea. Let’s make her watch her daughter’s death as well. Then we’ll kill her.”

“No”

Surprised, everypony turned towards Luna as she stood.

Tears continued to stream down her face as she glared at all of them. “I WILL NOT allow you to harm my daughter.”

The earth pony stallion actually laughed at her. “What can you do to stop us? It is well known that your parents won’t allow you to use offensive magic on other ponies.”

Before Luna could respond, a black cloud appeared behind her. Everypony in the crowd backed up a couple of feet. Confused, Luna glanced behind her . . . just as the cloud enveloped her completely. She screamed in a combination of horror and pain when the dark magic forced itself into her body.

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia gasped in horror as Luna was taken over. All three of them shouted the same thing. “Luna!”

The ponies in the crowd turned at the shout . . . and instantly turned several shades paler when they saw the Royal Family.

“K-king Midnight Armor!” The earth pony stammered.

“Q-queen Sundance!” The pegasus exclaimed.

“P-princess Celestia!” The unicorn stammered.

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia ignored them. Instead, the three of them stared at the sphere of darkness around Luna. They, and everypony else in the throne room, could only wait for the darkness around Luna to fade. A little over a minute later, it did. What they saw left everypony stunned.

The mare in front of them was as tall as Celestia . . . and her coat was jet black. When she opened her eyes, they noticed that they were a steely blue and the pupils were dragon-like slits. She looked down at herself for a moment before letting out an evil laugh as she lifted her head again. Finally!

Everyone flinched when that laugh echoed around the throne room.

The earth pony stallion trembled as he took a cautious step towards the black-coated mare. “P-princess Luna?”

The dark mare glanced down at her armor before looking at the pony in front of her. “Come now. Even you should be able to tell that I am not your princess.”

He shrank back. “W-what do you mean?”

“I’m not Princess Luna.” The mare repeated.

“T-then who are you?” The pegasus stallion nervously asked.

“If you must know, my name is Nightmare Moon.” Nightmare Moon grinned, showing her fangs. “I really must thank you.”

“W-why?” The unicorn mare hesitantly asked.

Nightmare Moon turned to her. “I have been trying to take over little Luna for over a year now. I spent most of that time whispering lies, and promises of power, to her. Unfortunately, she refused to listen to me. Instead, she clung to the happiness that she got from her family . . . specifically, her husband and their daughter.”

The earth pony stallion gasped in shock. “T-that means . . .”

An evil smile appeared on Nightmare Moon's face. “That is correct. The despair she felt when you killed her husband gave me the opportunity I needed.” Allowing her smile to fade, she looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before opening her mouth again. “That said, you did kill her husband. I believe I will do her a favor and return the gesture.” She struck each of the ponies in the crowd down with bolts of lightning before anypony could respond.

Celestia cautiously took a couple of steps forward. “L-Luna?”

Nightmare Moon turned to her. “You really are slow, aren’t you? I am not your sister.” She gave Celestia a look before turning to Sundance and Midnight Armor. “I was originally planning to kill all three of you.”

Celestia, Sundance and Midnight Armor gasped in shock.

“However, I have changed my mind.” Nightmare Moon allowed her gaze to linger on the filly on Sundance’s back for a moment. “I have no intention of killing her daughter, but I also have no intention of caring for her myself.” She lifted her head slightly so that she could look Sundance and Midnight Armor in the eye. “That task falls to the two of you.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor were too stunned to respond.

Nightmare Moon used that as an opportunity to surround Sundance, Midnight Armor and Twilight with a powerful shield. “You just sit tight and watch.” She gave them a look. “Make sure you take care of that filly.” She narrowed her eyes as turned to Celestia. “However, you will be dying today.”

Celestia's eyes widened when Nightmare Moon’s horn began to glow. That was the only warning she got before a powerful beam of magic was launched at her. She dodged it by taking to the air. She glanced over her left shoulder in time to see the wall turn to dust. That was close. I need to take this battle outside.

Inside the shield, Midnight Armor shook himself from his shock and began to examine the shield. “I have to get us out of here.”

Sundance was about to say something, but paused when another blast made Twilight cry. She reached back to nuzzle the filly. “Please don’t cry, Twilight.”

Twilight kept crying.

Sighing, Sundance nuzzled her granddaughter again before turning to her husband. “Well?”

Midnight Armor shook his head as he allowed his magic to fade. “I have never seen anything like this, so I don’t have a way to break us out of it.” He levitated Twilight onto his back.

Sundance turned her attention to the shield. “I’ll take a look.”

Midnight Armor looked up in time to see Celestia lead Nightmare Moon out of the throne room. Good idea, Celestia. I have no doubt that Sundance will be able to break the magic and get us out of this. When she does . . . He was pulled from his thoughts when Sundance sighed in relief.

Sundance glanced at her husband. “I know how to disable the magic. Unfortunately, it will take a few minutes.”

“That’s alright.” Midnight Armor replied

Sundance nodded to her husband before returning her attention to the magic. Four minutes later, she gave him a small smile. “Done.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor waited until the shield faded entirely before spreading their wings and taking flight. They flew through the hole that Nightmare Moon had created in one of the walls. Once outside, they stopped and just stared at the damage.

“T-the castle . . .” Sundance said softly

“We will worry about that later.” Midnight Armor responded “Right now, we need to help our daughter.”

Sundance nodded “Both of them.”

Midnight Armor and Sundance glanced around for a moment before heading towards the sound of shattering rock.

“Give Twilight to me." Sundance told her husband. "I will keep her safe while you focus on the battle.”

"Good idea." Midnight Armor levitated his granddaughter onto his wife’s back.

The wall behind them suddenly exploded. Startled, Sundance and Midnight Armor immediately flew straight up to avoid being hit by pieces of stone. Then they stopped and looked below them. At first, they couldn't see anything through the dust . . . until a beam of black colored magic shot through the new hole in the wall.

Celestia flew through the dust and out into the open air where she had more room to maneuver. Unaware of the presences of her parents and niece, she stopped and looked down at the newest hole in the castle. “I know you’re in there, Luna! Stop this!”

Nightmare Moon flew through the dust as well. “You’re wasting your time. Your sister is gone . . . and you’re about to follow her.” She launched another beam of magic at Celestia.

Midnight Armor placed himself between the attack and his eldest before raising a barrier. “Stop this, Luna. We can help you.”

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. “How many times to I have to tell you that Luna is gone? You’re lucky that I’m not interested in killing you.” She shattered the barrier before turning to Celestia. “Those ponies were part of a sun-worshiping cult that wanted you to take over as Queen of Equestria . . . and create an Eternal Day.”

Celestia gasped before dodging another of Nightmare Moon’s attacks. “I would never do that! For one thing, Mother is the Queen. Then there is the fact that an Eternal Day would kill all of Equestria!”

“That doesn’t matter.” Nightmare Moon snarled “This happened because of you. Therefore, you will have to die so that it doesn’t happen again. In fact, I am going to create an Eternal Night as soon as I am certain that you are dead.” She launched another powerful beam of magic at Celestia before she could respond.

Caught off guard, Celestia was struck in the chest. She screamed in pain as she fell through the ceiling and onto the floor of the throne room.

Midnight Armor and Sundance gasped in a combination of shock and horror before shouting the same thing. “Celestia!”

Sundance flew towards Celestia, but was forced to stop when Nightmare Moon moved in front of her. That’s fine. I’m close enough. She cast a healing spell on her eldest.

Nightmare Moon instantly realized what Sundance had done, but there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it. She growled when Celestia rose into the air.

“Luna,” Celestia said sadly “don’t make me do this.”

“I will kill you!” Nightmare Moon launched another beam of magic.

Celestia dodged it as her horn began to glow. Midnight Armor and Sundance gasped in surprise when six objects flew towards their eldest.

Sundance's eyes widened when she took a closer look at those objects. “T-those are the Elements of Harmony!” Her eyes widened even further when the Elements began to circle her eldest.

Midnight Armor moved closer to his wife. “Did you know that she could do that?”

Sundance refused to take her eyes off of her eldest. Instead, she slowly shook her head. “The last time I checked, Celestia and Luna each wielded three of the Elements of Harmony. I had no idea that Celestia could wield all six.”

“Last chance, Luna.” Celestia said “I really don’t want to do this, but I will if I have to.”

Nightmare Moon opened her mouth, but her body froze before she could utter a sound.

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia stared at her in shock. All three of them asked the same question. “What’s going on?”

“D-do it, Celestia!”

Celestia gasped in shock. “I-is that you, Luna?!”

“H-hurry! I-I won’t be able to control my body for long!”

Horrified, Celestia stammered “B-but if I use the Elements of Harmony, you’ll . . .”

“I-it doesn’t matter!” Luna interrupted “You can’t allow this thing to take over Equestria!” She choked back a sob. “P-please take care of Twilight . . .”

Tears streamed down Celestia’s face as the glow around her horn doubled in strength. “I-I promise.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor had tears in their eyes as they joined their eldest. “Don’t worry, Luna. We’ll take care of her.”

“T-thank you. I-” Luna gasped in shock when Nightmare Moon’s horn began to glow as well. “N-now, Celestia!”

Celestia’s eyes turned white as she unleashed the Elements of Harmony.

Sundance and Midnight Armor landed on the ground as they watched the rainbow created by Elements carry Nightmare Moon to the moon. A few minutes later, an image of a mare with a long horn appeared on the surface of the moon.

Celestia fell to the ground as the Element of Magic vanished. Sundance and Midnight Armor watched the other five turn to stone before falling to the ground as well.

Chapter 1

A Thousand Years Later

A lavender alicorn raced through the halls of Canterlot Castle. A few minutes later, she burst through the door of Celestia’s room. The first thing she noticed was that her aunt was seated at her desk, apparently working through the petitions from that day’s court. “I’m sorry, Aunt Celestia! I was reading and just lost track of time!”

Thank goodness. I would much rather focus on Twilight than all of this paperwork. Celestia smiled at her niece. “I thought that’s what happened.”

Twilight lowered her head “I’m sorry.”

Laughing softly, Celestia stood and stretched before walking over to nuzzle the younger alicorn. “It’s alright, Twilight. It allowed me to get some of my paperwork done.” Her smile faded as she let out a resigned sigh. “Unfortunately, this is important. I’m afraid that means I won’t be able to teach you tonight.”

Twilight’s ears drooped slightly. “I understand.”

Celestia nuzzled her niece again. “I never said that you wouldn’t be having your lessons.”

Confused, Twilight tilted her head slightly. “What do you mean?”

Celestia giggled at Twilight’s expression. “You should go find your grandmother.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Grandma’s teaching me tonight?”

Celestia nodded “There’s no court tomorrow, so I’ll be teaching you all day.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Okay!” She thought for a moment. “At this time of night, Grandma should be in the hospital wing. Thanks, Aunt Celestia!”

Celestia laughed a little harder as she watched her niece run off. As soon as Twilight was out of sight, she allowed her smile to fade as she looked through the window at the moon. “You don’t need to worry about your daughter, sister. I have kept my promise. Mother and Father have as well.” Sighing, she turned back to the mountain of paperwork on her desk.

In The Hospital Wing

Sundance looked up at the sound of rapid hoofsteps. Who could that be? She smiled when the door opened to reveal her granddaughter. “Good evening, Twilight.”

Twilight closed the door behind her before walking over to nuzzle her grandmother. “Hi, Grandma.” She looked at the scroll on the table. “Are you working on that spell again?”

Sundance was unable to suppress an irritated sigh as she nodded. “I would probably make more progress if I didn’t have to wait until court was over before working on it. Unfortunately, I have trouble focusing on anything after long days in the throne room.”

Twilight giggled “Isn’t that why Grandpa always goes outside to fly or train?”

Sundance allowed a small smile onto her face. “Yes.”

Twilight sat down next to her grandmother before clapping her forehooves in excitement. “I have a surprise for you, Grandma!”

Sundance raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Twilight summoned a scroll and lay it on the table next to the spell that Sundance was working on. “See?”

Curious, Sundance took a closer look at the scroll. Its a spell . . . wait a minute. I recognize this spell . . . She looked at her scroll for a moment before returning her attention to Twilight’s. Shocked, she read the spell a few times before looking up at her granddaughter. “Y-you were able to restore the spell?”

Twilight nodded as well.

“H-how?!” Sundance asked

Twilight let out another giggle as she summoned a very old book and set it on the table in front of her. “You told me to read this, remember?”

“Yes." Sundance slowly replied "What does that have to do with . . .” She trailed off when Twilight opened the book to a chapter near the end.

“I read this chapter last night.” Twilight pointed at a spell. “This spell is similar to the one that you were working on, and . . .” She blushed “I was able to restore it. That’s when I remembered the spell that you were working on. I decided to see if I could restore that one as well.”

Sundance gasped in surprise. “What?!”

Twilight nodded again. “I haven’t told anypony else yet.”

“Why not?” Sundance asked

“I wanted you to be the first to know.” Twilight’s blush deepened “I know that you, Grandpa and Aunt Celestia don’t let me help with court because you want me to focus on the library, but . . .”

Sundance raised an eyebrow. “But what?”

Twilight looked down “I-I was hoping that you would let me help you restore other spells . . . W-we could work together!”

Sundance gently nuzzled her granddaughter. “I’d love that.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as her head snapped up. “R-really?!”

Sundance laughed “Of course”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, Grandma!”

Sundance laughed again. Twilight may have just celebrated her one thousandth birthday, but there are times when she acts like she’s ten years old. Her ears drooped slightly as she suppressed a sigh. Don’t worry, Luna. Your daughter has grown into a lovely mare, both inside and out. I just wish there was a way for you to see her.

Twilight instantly noticed the drop in Sundance’s mood. “Grandma?”

Startled, Sundance jumped slightly before turning back to Twilight. “Y-yes?”

“You were thinking about Mom, weren’t you?” Twilight quietly asked.

Sighing, Sundance nodded. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I always get sad at this time of year.”

Twilight nuzzled her grandmother. “I know.” She paused for a moment before hesitantly opening her mouth again. I hope this doesn’t offend her. “I read another really old book today.”

Sundance raised an eyebrow. Why does she sound nervous? “Which book would that be?”

Twilight summoned another book and gently set it on the table next to the first book.

Sundance instantly recognized it. Eyes wide, she just stared at it for a moment before looking up at her granddaughter. “H-how did you find this?!” I know we hid that from her!

Twilight’s ears drooped. “Promise you won’t think I’m crazy?”

"Of course." Sundance assured her granddaughter.

Twilight took a deep breath. “I had a really strange dream last night.”

Sundance tilted her head in confusion. “What was so strange about it?”

“I was standing on the moon.” Twilight answered

Sundance’s eyes widened a little further. W-what?!

“I heard two voices.” Twilight continued “Both of them belonged to mares. One of them sounded evil, but the other was really nice. The second one said that she was very happy to finally be able to speak with me. We talked for a while before she said that it was almost time. I asked her what she was talking about, but she said that I had to figure it out for myself. Instead, she told me where to find this book and said that I had to read it before bringing it to you.” She looked at her grandmother in confusion. “She also told me that you would know what she was talking about.”

Sundance nodded again. “I know exactly what she was talking about.” She made sure that she had Twilight’s full attention. “I need you to tell me everything you remember about that dream. Don’t leave any detail out.”

Surprised, Twilight just stared at her grandmother for a moment before nodding as well. "Okay." It took almost half an hour, but she did as her grandmother asked.

Sundance turned to look out the window. Instead of saying anything, she just stared at the image of her daughter on surface of the moon. As strange as it sounds, this is actually a good thing because it means that Luna is still alive inside that thing. It also means that we have another chance to free her. However, we have to be very careful about how we do this. Perhaps we should . . . She was torn from her thoughts by Twilight’s voice.

“Do you know who those mares were?” Twilight asked softly.

“Yes.” Sundance turned back to her granddaughter. “The first one was Nightmare Moon.”

Twilight's eyes widened. “D-does that mean the second one was . . .?” She trailed off, unwilling to finish her sentence . . . just in case she was wrong. Instead, she nervously waited for her grandmother to respond.

I was wondering how long it would take her to figure that out. “Yes, Twilight.” Sundance whispered “That was your mother.”

Twilight's eyes widened a little further as she let out a soft gasp of surprise. “What?!” I-I was talking to Mom?!

Sundance lowered her gaze to the second book that her granddaughter had summoned. I am not surprised that Luna was able to contact her daughter in the Dream Realm. She does have the ability to Dream Walk. However, the fact that she was able to do so means that the seal keeping her on the moon is weakening. She narrowed her eyes slightly. I need to discuss this with Midnight and Celestia.

Twilight looked at the book as well. “If my calculations are correct, the seal will break in roughly three days.”

Sundance’s eyes widened as she turned back to her granddaughter. T-three days?!

Taking a deep breath, Twilight lifted her head so that she could look her grandmother in the eye. “What are we going to do about this?”

Sundance took a deep breath as well. “I need to discuss this with your grandfather and aunt.”

Worried, Twilight just nodded.

Noticing this, Sundance nuzzled Twilight. “It’s alright. We’ll come up with something.”

Twilight took another deep breath. “A-alright.” She looked at the books on the table for a moment before turning back to Sundance. “Aunt Celestia told me that you would be teaching me tonight.”

I can’t believe I forgot about that! I don’t have a lesson prepared! “I think you should chose this time.” Sundance responded “Is there anything in particular that you want to learn?” Knowing Twilight, it will probably be another ancient spell.

Twilight tilted her head slightly as she considered her options. “Hmm, let's see . . . What about . . ." She slowly shook her head. "No, you’re too tired for that. What about . . ." She and Sundance looked up when Celestia and Midnight Armor walked into the hospital wing.

Midnight Armor and Celestia looked around for a moment before smiling when they saw that Sundance and Twilight were looking at them. Their smiles widened as they joined their family at the table.

“Are you ready for bed?” Celestia asked

“It can’t be time for bed yet!” Twilight protested “We didn’t have our lesson!”

Celestia raised an eyebrow as she turned to her mother.

Sundance shook her head. “We were just talking.” She turned back to Twilight. “Don't worry, Twilight. Celestia and I will work together to teach you tomorrow.”

Ears drooping slightly, Twilight nodded to her grandmother before silently turned towards the door.

Midnight Armor’s ears drooped as well. There must be something I can do. He looked at his granddaughter thoughtfully for a moment before smiling as his horn began to glow. That might work. Levitating his granddaughter to his side, he draped a wing over her back before nuzzling her. “We’ll spend tomorrow outside. Sundance and Celestia will teach you in the morning and I’ll continue your combat training in the afternoon.”

Twilight smiled “Okay.” I still don’t understand why I need combat lessons. Equestria hasn't been to war in centuries. Even so, training with Grandpa is really fun.

Midnight Armor smiled as well. I’m glad that worked. “Bring Spike outside as well.”

Spike doesn’t like combat training . . . and the lessons that I have with Grandma and Aunt Celestia bore him. I think I’ll give him the new comic book I bought for him today. That should keep him occupied. “Yes, Grandpa.” Twilight nuzzled her aunt and grandparents before teleporting to her room, taking the book that her mother had asked her to find with her.

Sundance turned to her husband and their daughter. She opened her mouth, but paused when she heard her daughter's voice.

“I finally finished all of that paperwork.” Celestia barely managed to stifle a yawn. “I don’t know about the two of you, but I am ready for bed.”

“Ordinarily, I would agree.” Sundance responded “However, there is an important matter that we need to discuss.”

Midnight Armor raised an eyebrow when he saw his wife’s expression. “What’s wrong?”

Sundance told them about her conversation with Twilight.

Midnight Armor and Celestia let out matching gasps of shock.

“W-well.” Midnight Armor said slowly “I suppose it is a good thing that I am going to continue her combat training tomorrow.”

“You’re right, Midnight.” Sundance replied “There is no guarantee that Twilight will face Nightmare Moon. However, she needs to be prepared . . . just in case she does.”

“I knew that the seal would be breaking soon, but I thought we had another month.” Celestia sighed “Unfortunately, I can’t use the Elements of Harmony anymore.” I have a few other ideas, but the Elements of Harmony are the best way of dealing with this particular threat.

Sundance reluctantly nodded. “For one thing, five of them have been turned to stone.”

“Then there is the fact that the Element of Magic vanished a thousand years ago.” Midnight Armor added “We still have no idea where it went . . . or how to bring it back.”

Celestia teleported the three of them to her room before casting a soundproofing spell on the room.

“Good idea.” Sundance climbed onto her daughter’s bed. "This discussion is probably going to be a long one."

Midnight Armor settled next to his wife. “You're right, honey.” He thought for a moment. “The first thing we need to do is decide what we’re going to do with Twilight.”

Celestia lay down on her mother's other side before turning to her father. “What do you mean?”

“I know that Twilight can handle herself in combat.” Midnight Armor responded I made sure of it. “However . . ."

“There is no guarantee that she will be able to force herself to fight her mother.” Sundance finished

“Good point.” Celestia thought for a few minutes before looking back up at her parents. “I will send her to Ponyville.”

Sundance blinked “Ponyville?” Why would she send Twilight there?

“They are hosting the Summer Sun Celebration this year.” Celestia reminded her mother. “We need somepony to ensure that the preparations have been completed. If they haven’t, we need somepony to make sure that everything is ready in time.”

“I see.” Midnight Armor said slowly “You plan to ask her to handle that.”

“Good idea.” Sundance commented “I have no doubt that she can handle the task. Additionally, it should keep her well out of harm’s way because Nightmare Moon will probably come after us.”

“You mean me.” Celestia responded

Sundance and Midnight Armor reluctantly nodded.

Celestia looked outside for a moment before turning back to her parents. “Now that that has been settled, we need to figure out what we’re going to do when Nightmare Moon arrives.”

Midnight Armor and Sundance nodded again. The three of them spent the next several hours coming up with a plan.

The Next Morning

Celestia woke to the pull of the sun and moon. Yawning, she slowly opened her eyes. Instead of moving, she looked outside as she lowered the moon and stars before raising the sun. Her task complete, she lifted her head and turned to her parents. Perhaps I should wake Mother and Father. She slowly shook her head before returning it to the bed. No. I will let them sleep a little longer. In fact, I will get some more sleep as well. Closing her eyes, she snuggled closer to her mother before allowing herself to fall asleep again.

Three hours later

Twilight quietly opened the door to her aunt’s room. The first thing she noticed was that her aunt and grandparents were still asleep.

“That’s weird.” Spike commented “They never sleep this late.”

Twilight glanced at the baby dragon sitting on her back. “Grandma did tell me that she, Grandpa and Aunt Celestia were going to come up with a plan. Maybe they stayed up late doing that.”

“Plan?” Spike repeated “Plan for what?”

“I’ll tell you later.” Twilight answered “For now, we should wake them.”

Spike glanced at the three trays that Twilight had suspended in her magic before turning back to Twilight. “You’re right. They need to eat before we head outside.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “By the way, why am I going outside with you?”

Twilight shrugged “Grandpa told me to bring you with me.”

Spike shrugged as well. “Alright.” I guess I can't argue with that.

Twilight nuzzled her aunt and grandparents.

“What’s going on?” Midnight Armor mumbled

“It’s time to wake up.” Twilight answered

Sundance buried her face in her husband’s shoulder. “The sun isn’t even up yet.”

Twilight laughed softly. “Aunt Celestia took care of that three hours ago.”

That got Sundance’s attention. Lifting her head, she opened her eyes and turned to Twilight. “What?!”

Twilight nodded to her grandmother. She was about to say something else, but paused when she heard Celestia’s voice.

“I thought we should sleep in because we were up most of the night.”

I thought so. Twilight levitated the trays onto the bed. “I brought your breakfast.”

Midnight Armor smiled “Thank you.”

Twilight returned the smile as she climbed onto her aunt’s bed and lay down before levitating Spike onto the bed next to her. Instead of saying anything, Twilight and Spike relaxed while the rest of their family ate their food.

When they had finished eating, Celestia teleported the trays to the kitchen before teleporting all of them to the garden behind the castle.

In The Garden

The five of them lay down in the shade of a large tree. Twilight summoned something before levitating it to Spike.

Curious, Spike grabbed it and pulled it closer. It didn’t take him long to figure out what it was. Stunned, he stared at it for a moment before looking up at Twilight. “T-this is . . .”

Twilight giggled “The comic you wanted.”

Eyes wide, Spike nodded.

Twilight’s giggles turned to laughter. “It came out yesterday, so I decided to buy it for you. I was planning to wait until your birthday to give it to you, but didn’t want you to be bored today.” She nuzzled the dragon. “Do you think that will be enough to keep you occupied?”

Spike nodded several times before snuggling closer to Twilight, opening the comic and beginning to read.

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Twilight laughed.

When she was calm enough to speak, Sundance turned to Twilight. “Today’s lesson is going to be a little different. In light of your recent discovery, we’ve decided to show you exactly what happened a thousand years ago.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Y-you think I’m going to have to fight Nightmare Moon?!”

Spike looked up from his comic. Nightmare Moon? Isn’t she a myth?

Celestia shook her head. “A thousand years ago, she explicitly stated that she had no intention of killing you. In fact, out of all of the members of our family, I was the only one that she tried to kill.”

Spike’s eyes widened as well. W-what?

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “What?! Why?!”

Sundance sighed as her horn began to glow. “I am going to show you what happened.” She used her magic to show everyone her memory of that evening.

When the memory ended, Spike stared at Sundance in shock. “N-nightmare Moon is real?! A-and she’s Twi’s mother?!”

Midnight Armor sighed as well. I am not surprised that he jumped to that conclusion. “Yes, Nightmare Moon is real.” He used his magic to show them a side-by-side comparison of Luna and Nightmare Moon. “The mare with the sapphire coat is Luna. She is Twilight’s mother. The other mare is Nightmare Moon. She may be using Luna’s body, but that is not my daughter.”

“I-I understand” Spike stammered

Twilight stared at the image of her mother. “T-this is the first time I’ve seen what Mom looks like . . . Dad, too.” She tilted her head slightly. "Well, other than their images on the tapestries hanging on the castle walls."

Sundance gently nuzzled Twilight. “I’m sorry. That was the best that we could do because cameras hadn’t been invented at the time.” She sighed “As you know, we don’t talk about it very often because that topic is painful for your grandfather, aunt and myself.”

“I understand.” Twilight said softly.

Celestia used a wing to pull her niece into a tight hug. “We are developing a plan to get rid of Nightmare Moon . . . for good this time. If possible, we will rescue my sister as well.”

Twilight gasped in shock as she shifted so that she could look Celestia in the eye. “I-is that possible?!”

“We’re not sure.” Sundance reluctantly admitted. “Before you ask, we didn’t tell you about this because we’re didn’t want to get your hopes up.”

Twilight’s logic finally overrode the sentimental part of her. “I guess that makes sense.”

The five of them looked up when the head chef, a unicorn stallion named Blueberry, walked up to them with five trays suspended in his magic.

Blueberry bowed “I apologize for the interruption, your highnesses. I have your lunch.”

Midnight Armor forced a smile. “Thank you.”

After they had eaten, they relaxed for half an hour to allow their food to settle. Then Midnight Armor turned to his granddaughter. “It’s time for your combat training.”

Nodding, Twilight stood. If Nightmare Moon does try to kill Aunt Celestia again, I want to be able to stop her.

Four Hours Later

Midnight Armor finally called a halt to their training. That’s strange. Twilight usually asks to stop after an hour and a half. I was planning to stop at that point, but she insisted on continuing. He allowed a small smile onto his face. She must be taking the situation very seriously.

Twilight and Midnight Armor landed next to Sundance. Midnight Armor lay down next to his wife. Sundance and Midnight Armor exchanged glances when they noticed that Twilight was wobbling.

Sundance used a wing to gently pull her granddaughter down next to her. “Well done, Twilight.”

Panting softly, Twilight lay her head on Sundance’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

Celestia stared at her niece for a moment before slowly shaking her head. If Nightmare Moon does end up facing Twilight . . . well, she’ll be in for a surprise. “I think we should head back inside.”

Sundance nodded “We should take a long hot bath before dinner.”

Nodding as well, Midnight Armor teleported the five of them to the room that he shared with his wife. They walked into the bathroom together.

Sundance used her magic to set the temperature and start the water. The five of them walked into the tub as soon as it was full. No one said anything. Instead, Sundance, Celestia and Spike allowed Twilight and Midnight Armor to rest.

After relaxing for half an hour, the five of them washed the dirt off of themselves before climbing out of the tub and drying off.

Naturally, their next step was to head to the dining room. All of them smiled when they saw that Blueberry had individual servings of Fettuccini Alfredo waiting for them. Sundance, Celestia and Spike laughed when Midnight Armor and Twilight immediately began to eat. After everyone had eaten their fill, Sundance teleported the five of them back to the room that she shared with her husband.

Celestia waited until everyone was settled on the bed before turning to her niece. “Don’t worry about the library tomorrow.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I need you to go to Ponyville.” Celestia answered

“Ponyville?” Twilight repeated “Why do you need me to go there?”

“They’re supposed to host the Summer Sun Celebration.” Celestia reminded her niece. “Unfortunately, they have a history of not being ready on time. To avoid that, I’d like someone to oversee the preparations. Mother, Father and I can’t go because we need to focus on creating our plan.”

Twilight stared at her aunt. “B-but . . .”

Celestia nuzzled her niece. “Don’t worry. If your theory is correct, Nightmare Moon shouldn't return until the day after tomorrow.”

Twilight sighed in relief. “Alright, Aunt Celestia. I’ll travel to Ponyville tomorrow.”

“I’ll go with her.” Spike added “I can help Twi with her checklists.”

Sundance laughed “Good idea, Spike.” That should keep him out of harm's way as well.

Celestia smiled “Thank you, Twilight." Her smile widened a little. "Tomorrow is probably going to be tiring for you . . . and that’s before the party starts. Therefore, I will arrange for the two of you to spend the night in the village’s library.”

Sundance smiled “In fact, your grandfather, aunt and I will probably be joining you.”

Twilight nodded

Knowing that they needed to get up early, Twilight and Spike lay their heads on pillows and allowed themselves to fall asleep.

Once she was sure that her granddaughter was asleep, Sundance turned to Celestia. “If Twilight finishes early enough, she’ll probably come back so she can help us create our plan.” She glanced at her granddaughter before returning her attention to her daughter. “You do know that Nightmare Moon will probably arrive around midnight tomorrow night, right? If Twilight is here when she arrives . . .”

“There is no guarantee that Nightmare Moon will recognize Twilight.” Midnight Armor reluctantly remarked “If she doesn’t, she will probably try to kill her.”

Celestia nuzzled Sundance. “I am aware of that, Mother.” She looked from one of her parents to the other. “I am also aware of the fact that Ponyville is nowhere near ready to host the celebration. Then there is the fact that the citizens of Ponyville are a little . . . unique.” She laughed softly. “I’m sure that Twilight will have her hooves full tomorrow.”

Midnight Armor laughed softly as well. “So that’s your plan.”

Celestia nodded

Sundance giggled “Good idea.”

The Next Morning

As usual, Celestia woke to the pull of the sun and moon. She performed her celestial duties before waking the rest of her family.

Yawning, Sundance slowly opened her eyes. “Good morning.”

Laughing softly, Midnight Armor nuzzled his wife before smiling at everyone else. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Celestia, Twilight and Spike responded

“We should eat breakfast.” Celestia commented

Nodding, everyone else followed her out of her room. They arrived in the dining room a few minutes later. The first thing they noticed was that there was a large platter of waffles for them to share.

After she had finished eating, Twilight turned to her family. “I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for a response, she teleported to her room. A few minutes later, she reappeared in the dining room wearing her saddlebags.

The five of them walked out the main entrance of the castle.

Sundance nuzzled her granddaughter. “Have a safe flight.”

Midnight Armor smiled “We’ll see you tonight.”

Celestia levitated a checklist to Twilight. “I am well aware of the fact that you usually make your own checklists. However, I felt it necessary to make this one.”

Twilight put it in her saddlebags as Spike jumped onto her back. “Thanks, Aunt Celestia.” She smiled at her family as she spread her wings. “We’ll see you later.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia sighed in relief as they watched Twilight fly towards Ponyville.

“We should head back inside.” Midnight Armor remarked

Sundance nodded “We have a lot of work to do.”

Half An Hour Later

Twilight and Spike landed in Ponyville and looked around. The first thing they saw was an earth pony mare with a bright pink coat. She took one look at Twilight, jumped at least three feet in the air and ran away as soon as her hooves hit the ground.

Twilight blinked “That was weird.”

“Which part?” Spike asked “The fact that she jumped so high, the fact that she ran away from you or the fact that she did so without bowing first?”

“All of the above.” Twilight replied

Shrugging, Spike reached into Twilight’s saddlebags and pulled out the checklist. "Let's see . . . It looks like the Apple Family is supposed to be providing the food.”

That’s good to hear. Their food is really good. Additionally, I heard that one of the mares of the current generation is very talented. I can’t wait to meet her. Twilight smiled “Our first stop is Town Hall so that we can let Mayor Mare know that we have arrived. The Apple Family's farm will be our next stop.”

Spike nodded “Good idea.”

“Let’s see.” Twilight looked around again. “The library is the large tree over there, so that means the Town Hall is . . . that way.” She started walking in the aforementioned direction but, before she had taken more than two steps, a shout echoed through the town.

“Look out below!”

Twilight barely had time to turn towards the voice before something crashed into her. When the dust had settled, she saw a blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane hovering above her. She glared up at the mare. “Watch where you’re going!”

The pegasus scratched the back of her head. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I just-” She gasped in shock when she took a closer look at who she had crashed into. “P-princess Twilight Sparkle?! Ohmygosh, I am so sorry! I was practicing a new trick and . . . I kinda crashed.”

“I noticed.” Twilight grumbled

The pegasus snickered.

“What’s so funny?” Twilight asked

“Y-your coat and wings are a mess.” The pegasus rose into the air. “Here, let me help you, princess.”

“No, thank you.” Twilight responded “You’ve helped enough.”

“I insist.” The mare replied “I’m the one who got you dirty, so I should be the one to clean you up.” She looked around. “I’ll be right back.” She flew off and returned a few seconds later with a rain cloud. She jumped on it a few times to get the rain started.

Twilight suddenly found herself under what felt like a waterfall.

Rainbow peeked over the cloud . . . and immediately stuffed a hoof in her mouth to stifle her laughter. She waited until she was certain that the danger had passed before removing her hoof and looking at Twilight again. “Oops. Let me fix that for you, princess.”

Twilight struggled to keep her irritation out of her voice. “I think you’ve done enough!”

“It’s cool.” The pegasus responded “I’ll have this fixed in a few seconds, or my name isn’t Rainbow Dash!”

Twilight stared up at the pegasus. Did she say “Rainbow Dash”? Before she could say anything, she found herself in the center of a rainbow-colored whirlwind. When it faded, she found that she was clean and dry. Not my favorite way to get clean, but at least it worked. Twilight was torn from her thoughts by Spike’s laughter. “What’s so funny, Spike?”

Spike pointed at Twilight’s mane.

Curious, Twilight used her magic to examine her reflection. She barely managed to suppress an irritated sigh at what she saw. Great. Oh well. I’ll deal with that later. She looked up at the pegasus. “Did you say that your name is Rainbow Dash? I don’t believe I’ve met you before.”

Rainbow Dash nodded “I heard that Ponyville needed another pegasus to join their Weather Team, so I moved here last month.”

Twilight looked at the checklist. “According to this, you’re the one who is supposed to clear the skies.” She looked around at the clouds before returning her attention to Rainbow Dash. “Why are there so many clouds in the sky?”

“I’ll get right on that, princess! Give me ten seconds!” Rainbow Dash flew off before Twilight could respond.

Curious, Twilight timed her. Exactly ten seconds later, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Wow. She might be faster than Grandpa. “Good job. I hate to run, but I need to head to the Town Hall.” She walked off before Rainbow Dash could respond.

Spike ran after Twilight. When he was close enough, he jumped onto her back. “What are you going to do about your mane?”

Twilight sighed as she walked into the Town Hall. “I’ll deal with it later. Taking care of the items on Aunt Celestia’s checklist is more important right now.”

Twilight and Spike turned when they heard a loud gasp. They saw a white unicorn mare staring at them in shock.

“Princess Twilight! W-what in Equestria happened to your mane?!”

Twilight sighed again. “Rainbow Dash happened. Regardless, I have a lot to do today, so taking care of my mane will have to wait.”

The unicorn gasped in horror. “You have a royal appearance to maintain! That means we simply can’t leave your mane like that! Come with me!”

Twilight found herself being pulled out of the Town Hall and into a nearby building. Are all of the ponies who live here like this? She looked around to see that they were in a boutique of some kind. Wait a minute. “Are you Rarity?”

Rarity’s eyes widened. “You know my name?!”

Twilight nodded “I read a newspaper article about your boutique.” She tilted her head slightly. “If I recall correctly, they were raving about your clothes and wondering why you don’t have a store in Canterlot.”

Rarity fainted.

“Why did you do that, Twi?!” Spike demanded as he rushed forward to lift Rarity onto a nearby couch.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Twilight protested “All I did was tell her why I know her name.”

Spike turned to Twilight but, before he could say anything, he and Twilight looked over when Rarity moaned softly. Concerned, he turned back to her. “Are you alright?”

“Of course, Darling.” Rarity absently answered as she turned back to Twilight. “I had no idea that my clothes were so popular in Canterlot.”

“If I understand correctly, you have one of your customers to thank for that." Twilight said slowly. "She wore one of your dresses to a party and several members of the upper nobility noticed.”

Rarity's eyes widened slightly. I have to figure out who that is so I can thank her, but I’ll do that later. Right now, I need to take care of Princess Twilight’s mane. She climbed off of the couch and walked over to the desk before pulling out several brushes and a few bottles of liquid.

Curious, Twilight looked on as Rarity began to spray water on her mane from every angle.

Once Twilight's mane was wet enough, Rarity attacked it with a combination of combs and brushes.

A few minutes later, Twilight sighed in relief when her mane was returned to normal. “Thank you, Rarity. That’s much better.”

Rarity bowed “Of course, princess. If you don’t mind me asking, what brings you to Ponyville?”

“Aunt Celestia asked me to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.” Twilight answered, looking at the checklist “According to this, you’re in charge of the decorations.”

Aunt Celestia? That implies that Princess Celestia has a sibling. Like everypony else in Equestria, I have heard the story. However, Princess Luna as just a myth . . . right? Rarity nodded “Yes, princess.”

“How are things going?” Twilight asked

“The decorations aren’t finished yet.” Rarity responded “However, I assure you that things are proceeding smoothly.”

“Will you be able to finish everything today?” Twilight asked

“I will do my best, princess.” Rarity replied

“Thank you.” Twilight replied “I’ll check back later. However, right now, I need to head back to the Town Hall.”

Rarity bowed again. “I’ll see you later, princess.”

Twilight nodded before noticing that Spike was staring at Rarity. “Come on, Casanova. We’re going to the Town Hall . . . again.”

Spike didn’t move.

Sighing, Twilight levitated the little dragon onto her back as she walked out of Rarity’s Boutique. I’d better hurry before something else happens. She sighed again, in relief this time, when she made it to the Town Hall without anything else going wrong.

“Good afternoon, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Surprised, Twilight turned towards the voice to see that an elderly earth pony mare standing in front of her. It’s afternoon already?! I’m not sure which annoys me more. One, today is going much faster than I hoped it would . . . with not nearly enough results. Two, Spike and I haven’t eaten lunch yet. “Good afternoon, Mayor Mare. I’m sorry I was late. I tried to come see you as soon as I arrived, but ran into a few issues on the way.”

“That’s alright, princess.” Mayor Mare responded “Princess Celestia informed me that the two of you would be coming. She also told me that you might be in need of a place to spend the night.” She pulled a key off her back. “This is the key to the town’s library.”

“Thank you.” Twilight placed the key in her saddlebags

“How are things going so far?” Mayor Mare asked

“The skies have been cleared.” Twilight responded “Additionally, the decorations are well underway.”

Mayor Mare sighed in relief. “That’s good to hear.” This means that we aren't as far behind as I feared.

“I’d better get going.” Twilight commented “The Apple Family is my next stop.”

“Very well.” Mayor Mare responded “Please let me know if you need anything.”

“I will.” Twilight walked outside before pausing and looking around again. “If I recall correctly, Sweet Apple Acres is this way.”

Ten Minutes Later

Twilight and Spike jumped slightly when they heard a shout.

“Yee-haw!”

Curious, both of them turned in time to see an orange earth pony mare run towards an apple tree. At the last moment, she turned and bucked the tree. Surprised, Twilight and Spike watched the apples fall into baskets that had been placed at the base of the tree.

Twilight walked towards the house. I think Granny Smith is still in charge. I’ll see her before going to talk to the mare I saw earlier. As she got closer to the house, she saw a small filly exiting the barn. Before she could say anything, the filly gasped and ran closer.

The filly skidded to a stop in front of Twilight and bowed. “Good afternoon, princess!”

She’s a cute filly. Twilight giggled “What’s your name?”

The filly raised her head. “Apple Bloom!”

“Good afternoon, Apple Bloom.” Twilight replied “Do you know where I can find Granny Smith?”

Apple Bloom nodded “She’s in the kitchen making food for the Summer Sun Celebration.” She leaned closer. “She told me not to bother her unless it’s an emergency.”

Twilight giggled again. “In that case, we’d better not interrupt her.”

“Can ah help ya with something else?” Apple Bloom asked

Twilight nodded as well. “As I walked towards your house, I saw a mare with an orange coat. Do you know who that is?”

“That’s my big sister.” Apple Bloom responded “Her name is Applejack.”

“I see.” Twilight replied “Can you take me to her?”

Apple Bloom nodded again. “This way, princess.”

Twilight followed Apple Bloom into the orchards. Both of them stopped when they saw that Applejack was walking towards them.

“What are ya doing out here, Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked “You’re supposed to be helping Big Mac in the barn.”

“The princess asked me to bring her to ya.” Apple Boom answered

“The princess?” Applejack repeated “Princess Celestia shouldn’t be here yet.” Her eyes widened when she noticed Twilight. “Princess Twilight?!”

Twilight smiled “Thank you for your help, Apple Bloom.”

Apple Bloom bowed again. “You’re welcome, princess.”

Twilight watched Apple Bloom walk away before turning to Applejack. “It’s nice to meet you, Applejack.”

Applejack bowed “Same here, princess.” Lifting her head, she led the way back to the house. “So, what brings ya to Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Aunt Celestia asked me to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.” Twilight fell into step next to Applejack. “I have been told that your family is in charge of the food. Therefore, I came to see how everything is going.”

“Ah see.” Applejack responded “If ya don’t mind me asking, why didn’t ya go into the house?”

“Your sister told me that Granny Smith doesn’t want to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency.” Twilight replied “That’s why I asked her to bring me to you instead. I’d never met you before and I didn’t want to miss this chance to do so.”

“That’s just silly.” Applejack responded “Ah’m glad ah got to meet ya, but Granny Smith will be upset if ah don’t bring ya to see her right away.”

Twilight laughed “We don’t want to upset her. If you’re sure that it’s alright, I’d love to see her.”

Nodding, Applejack lead the way into the house. Twilight waited in the hall while Applejack went into the kitchen.

“Granny, there’s somepony here to see ya.”

“Now, Applejack, ah know ah told ya not to interrupt me.”

“Unless it was something important.” Applejack corrected

“This better be important, whippersnapper. Ah still got a lot of baking to do.”

“It is.” Applejack replied “Princess Twilight is here to see ya. She’s waiting in the hall.”

“What? We can’t keep the princess waiting. Call her in.”

Twilight laughed as she walked into the kitchen. “It’s alright, Granny Smith. Spike and I heard what you said.”

The elderly earth pony mare bowed. “Ah’m terribly sorry, princess. Ah wasn’t expecting a Royal Visit.”

“It’s alright.” Twilight replied “Aunt Celestia sent me to Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.”

Granny Smith smiled “Ah see. My family is responsible for the food, so ya know that it’ll be the best you’ve ever tasted.”

“I can’t wait.” Twilight paused when her stomach growled. Spike’s quickly followed suit. Blushing, Twilight glanced at Spike before turning back to Granny Smith and Applejack. “I’m sorry. We ran into a few issues when we arrived in town, so we didn’t have time for lunch.”

Applejack laughed “That’s perfect, princess. That means both of ya have plenty of room to sample the food that we’ll be serving at the party tonight.”

Twilight smiled “We’d love to.”

Two Hours Later

Twilight and Spike walked back into town.

“Ooh.” Twilight groaned “I ate way too much.”

Spike was holding his stomach with one hand and the checklist in the other. “Me too.” He checked the checklist. “The next stop is Sugarcube Corner.”

“The bakery?” Twilight asked “Why are we going there?”

Spike shrugged “I’m not sure, but it’s on the list.”

“Alright.” Twilight replied “I just hope they don’t ask us to eat anything.”

“That makes two of us.” Spike responded

They walked into the bakery a few minutes later . . . and jumped when they heard a loud boom. Thinking quickly, Twilight levitated Spike onto her back and jumped into the air as a three tier cake sailed under them.

“Sorry!”

Twilight and Spike looked towards the voice to see the pink earth pony mare from before.

The mare bounced over to them as Twilight landed on the floor. “I was just testing my party cannon because I needed to make sure that it will work at the party tonight and decided to use the cake that I’d just baked because, if it can handle that, a bunch of cupcakes will be no problem!”

Twilight just stared at her. H-how did she say all of that in a single breath? After a moment, she slowly shook her head. It's probably best if I don't ask that one out loud. She turned back to the mare in front of her. “I remember you.”

“That’s right!” The pink mare replied “I saw you earlier and was so excited that I just couldn’t help myself. I mean, I’ve met Princess Celestia, but I’ve never seen you before! You’re Princess Twilight Sparkle, right?” She didn't give Twilight a chance to respond. “Of course you are. I mean, you’re famous, you know? You live in a castle . . . and it’s in Canterlot . . . and you’re an alicorn . . . and you hatched a dragon!”

Spike stared at the pink mare for a moment before tapping the right side of Twilight's neck. “Does she breathe?” I haven't seen her take one yet, but has to breathe, right? I mean, she is a pony . . . He glanced at the earth pony mare again. I think.

Good question. Twilight was about to respond, but the pink mare beat her to it.

“Of course I breathe, silly! I mean, I have to right? I don’t want to die! I’m Pinkie Pie, by the way. This is so cool! I almost hit a princess with my party cannon! I’ve never done that before!”

Twilight blinked I’m pretty sure she said her name in there somewhere. Unless I’m mistaken, it’s Pinkie Pie. Her parents definitely got the “pink” part right. “Good afternoon, Pinkie Pie.”

“No need to be so formal!” Pinkie Pie chirped “Call me Pinkie. That’s what all my friends call me.”

“Friends?” Twilight repeated

“Of course, silly filly!” Pinkie replied, suddenly draping a foreleg around Twilight “We’re going to be best friends and have so much fun!”

Spike tilted his head. “You do know that Twi is a thousand years old, right? She’s one of the last ponies that you should be calling a “filly”.”

Pinkie stared at Twilight. “A thousand years old?”

Twilight nodded

“That’s a lot of candles!” Pinkie responded

“Candles?” Twilight repeated I’m beginning to feel like a broken record.

“For your birthday cake, silly!” Pinkie paused when something occurred to her. “When is your birthday, anyway?”

“I-it was two weeks ago.” Twilight answered

Pinkie pouted “That means I can’t make your birthday cake.” After thinking for a moment, she brightened again. “That’s okay! I’ll just have to make the cake for your next birthday!”

Trying to clear her head, Twilight slowly shook it again. “I-I’m here to check on the preparations for the party tonight.”

Pinkie pulled Twilight into the kitchen. “Everything’s done! All I have to do is get it to the Town Hall!”

Twilight slowly looked around the room in shock. Every available surface was piled high with every kind of baked good imaginable. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before turning back to Pinkie. “You made all of this?”

“Of course!" Pinkie replied "Mr. and Mrs. Cake are out buying more ingredients, so they left me here to take care of the baking.”

“W-wow.” Spike responded

“In that case, we’ll leave you to your work." Twilight said slowly "We have two more stops to make anyway.”

“Okie Dokie!” Pinkie chirped “I’ll see you at the party!”

“Y-yeah.” Twilight slowly replied. “See you there.” She and Spike walked out of the bakery.

“That was interesting.” Spike remarked

“You’re right.” Twilight slowly shook her head. “I am not even going to pretend that I understood all of that. What’s next on the list?”

“Music.” Spike looked at Celestia’s checklist. “This says that we should look for a pegasus named Fluttershy.”

“I’ve heard of her.” Twilight commented “She’s very shy, but really good with animals. According to Aunt Celestia, she trains songbirds to perform at events.”

Spike listened for a moment. “I think I hear birds. Should we take a look?”

Twilight looked up at the sky. “It looks like Aunt Celestia set the sun, and placed the moon in the sky, a while ago. That means she, Grandma and Grandpa should be here soon.” She glanced back at Spike. “Let’s find Fluttershy.”

Spike pointed towards the edge of town. “The music is coming from that direction.”

Twilight smiled “Thanks, Spike.” She began to walk in the direction that he had indicated.

They found themselves at the edge of town a few minutes later. After looking around for a moment, they saw a yellow pegasus with a light pink mane. The mare was standing next to a tree that was full of songbirds.

“Um, excuse me, Mr. Songbird.” She said softly “Could you maybe pay a little more attention, please? You’re a tiny bit off key. Princess Celestia is really nice, so I don’t think she’ll complain, but we want to make sure we get it right.”

The bird she was looking at nodded to her before looking past her.

Curious, the yellow mare turned to see Twilight. She spread her wings in shock when she immediately recognized the alicorn. “P-princess Twilight?!”

Smiling, Twilight nodded as she walked closer. “Good evening, Fluttershy. It’s nice to meet you.”

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she squeaked out a short sentence. “Y-you know my name?!”

Twilight nodded again. “Aunt Celestia told me about you.”

“S-she did?!” Fluttershy asked “A-am I in trouble?”

Giggling, Twilight shook her head. “She told me that you’re very good with animals and that you trained your songbirds to sing at the last celebration she attended. She was very impressed and, after what I just heard, I am as well.”

Fluttershy’s eyes became the size of dinner plates, but she was too stunned to say anything. I-I impressed Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight?!

“Ordinarily, I’d ask how the music for tonight was coming along.” Twilight continued “However, I don’t believe that’s necessary.”

Finally getting over her shock, Fluttershy nodded as she folded her wings.

“In that case, the only thing left is to go back to the Town Hall and see if Rarity has finished the decorations.” Spike responded

Twilight nodded again.

Surprised, Fluttershy looked around. “W-who said that?” That was when she spotted Spike on Twilight’s back. Eyes wide, she darted closer to Twilight. “Ohmygosh, you have a baby dragon?! I heard a rumor that you had hatched a dragon, but didn’t believe it because dragon eggs are really hard to hatch. He’s so cute! What’s his name? How old is he?”

Twilight blinked a couple of times. W-wow. That’s quite a change. “His name is Spike and he’s thirteen years old.”

Fluttershy suddenly realized what she had done. She scrambled back several feet as her face turned bright red. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do that!”

Twilight laughed “It’s alright. Unfortunately, we need to get going. We’ll see you at the party.”

“O-okay” Fluttershy stammered

Twilight walked into the Town Hall a little over ten minutes later. She looked around for a moment before noticing a light coming from a room off to her right. Curious, she walked over and opened the door. Her eyes widened slightly as she slowly looked around the room. I don’t know how Rarity did it, but everything looks great!

“What do you think, princess?”

Startled, Twilight jumped before turning to see that Rarity was walking towards her. She smiled at the unicorn. “It looks great. I’m sure that Aunt Celestia will love it.”

Sighing in relief, Rarity pointed at the balcony. “That’s where Princess Celestia will arrive and raise the sun. The party will start as soon as she has finished.”

“I see.” Twilight glanced out the window. Aunt Celestia, Grandma and Grandpa should be here soon.

Twenty Minutes Later

The citizens of Ponyville had gathered in the Town Hall as well. Spike was still sitting on Twilight’s back. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity had gathered around Twilight.

Everyone looked up as Mayor Mare walked onto the balcony. “Good morning, citizens of Ponyville and honored guests! Here to raise the sun, and get this party started, is Princess Celestia!”

Everyone turned to the door leading outside, waiting for Celestia to appear. After a couple of minutes, Mayor Mare poked her head outside. “Princess Celestia?”

Everyone gasped when a cloud of stars flew in through to open balcony door before turning into a large alicorn mare with a black coat.

A large sphere of magic hovered above Nightmare Moon. Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia were trapped inside this sphere. No one reacted to this sphere, or the fact that most of the Royal Family was trapped inside it, because Nightmare Moon was the only one who could see it. She was also the only one who could hear anything that her prisoners said. The four of them looked around the room.

Celestia sighed in relief when she saw Twilight. “There she is.”

“Good.” Sundance sighed in relief as well. “I was hoping that we would be able to handle this ourselves, but it seems that we have no choice but to rely on her.”

Midnight Armor nodded “I have no doubt that she can do it. I just wish there was a way to inform her of the situation.”

Nightmare Moon tilted her head slightly as she took a closer look at the ponies in front of her. It sounds like they are relying on one of the ponies here to stop me. She let out a sinister chuckle. As soon as I figure out who it is, I’ll make them watch me kill her. “I’m afraid your princess won’t be joining you.”

Twilight gasped I-isn’t that-? She’s not supposed to be here yet! She was torn from her thoughts by a shout.

“Who are you?!” Rainbow Dash demanded as she flew towards Nightmare Moon. “What have you done to our princess?!” She came to an abrupt stop when Applejack grabbed her rainbow colored tail with her teeth.

“Ya don’t want to do that, Sugarcube!” Applejack managed to say.

Surprised, Nightmare Moon spared a glance at Applejack before turning to Rainbow Dash. “You really don’t know who I am?”

Twilight levitated Spike onto the floor before spreading her wings and rising into the air. “I do. You are Nightmare Moon.”

Everyone else gasped in a combination of shock and horror. Spike fainted, falling to the floor.

Nightmare Moon turned to Twilight. “Well, well, well. I see that somepony has done her homework.” She took a closer look at the mare in front of her. Wait a minute. She’s a lavender alicorn . . .

That got Luna’s attention. Did she say Lavender Alicorn?! Perhaps I can . . . She managed to look out of her eyes. She gasped in shock when she saw the mare in front of her. I-is that . . . She was pulled from her thoughts by Nightmare Moon’s voice.

I see that you’re finally awake, little Luna. Nightmare Moon suppressed a chuckle. It’s a shame that you missed my battle with your sister and parents.

Luna gasped in horror. What have you done to them?!

Nightmare Moon was about to respond, but was distracted when she heard Twilight’s voice.

“Leave these ponies alone, Nightmare Moon. They have done nothing to you.”

Midnight Armor glanced at his wife. “She’s doing well so far.”

Sundance and Celestia nodded.

Nightmare Moon stared at Twilight. So this is the pony that they’ve pinned their hopes on. If this mare is who I think she is, she might actually be able to defeat me. She glanced around the room. This isn’t the right location for our battle. I’ll have to lead her somewhere else. She turned back to Twilight. “Very well. I will do as you’ve asked . . . but only because you’re the one who asked.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna sighed in relief.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but Nightmare Moon turned into a cloud of stars and left the building the same way she came in. That was weird.

Nightmare Moon hovered in the air above the Town Hall. Come on, little princess. Chase after me.

Twilight levitated Spike, and her saddlebags, onto her back before flying out the open balcony door. She paused in midair and glanced around.

That it. Nightmare Moon took a closer look. Wait a minute. Is that a dragon on her back?

That is a good question. Luna commented

Twilight flew to the library, landed in front of it, unlocked the front door and walked inside. She gently placed Spike on one of the beds and set her saddlebags on the floor next to the bed. Then she walked back outside and locked the library again. The fact that Nightmare Moon is here means that, as impossible as this sounds, she must have defeated Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Celestia. Either that, or she came here first. Regardless, I can’t let her get away. I’m not sure where she went, but she can’t have gotten far. According to the dream I had a few nights ago, the Elements of Harmony are our best chance of defeating Nightmare Moon.

I know that the Element of Magic is missing and the other five have been turned to stone. Even so, I don’t want Nightmare Moon to find them because she may try to use them against us. That means I need to find them first. Twilight was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of several rapid hoofsteps. She looked towards the sound to see Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Rarity running towards her. They skidded to a stop in front of Twilight.

“What are we going to do, princess?” Rarity asked

Twilight glanced at the Everfree Forest before turning back to the mares in front of her. “I need to get to the old castle. That is where five of the Elements of Harmony are. I need to find them before Nightmare Moon does.”

Applejack walked towards the forest. “Let’s go then.”

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie nodded as they followed her.

W-what?! Twilight hurried after them. “I was planning to do this myself.”

Applejack snorted “No friend of ours is going into that forest alone.”

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Rarity nodded again as they walked into the forest.

Sighing, Twilight followed them. Spike will be safe in the library. Now I need to make sure that those girls don’t get into something that they can’t get themselves out of.

As they walked, Twilight looked at the forest around them. “I haven’t been here in centuries. What’s the forest like now?”

Rainbow Dash turned towards the group. “Nopony goes inside because it’s haunted. They say that, if you go in, you can NEVER. COME. OUT!”

Fluttershy screamed so loud that everyone missed the loud crack before the ground fell out from under them.

None of them noticed that a cloud of stars was watching their every move. Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna gasped in horror.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy instinctively spread their wings, but Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack weren’t so lucky. They slid towards a steep cliff. Rainbow Dash dove down and caught Pinkie as she fell off the edge.

Pinkie giggled “Thanks, Rainbow!”

Rainbow Dash grinned “No problem, Pinkie.”

Applejack had grabbed a root with her teeth, but she let go of it when she heard Rarity scream. She slid towards the cliff, grabbed another root with one forehoof and one of Rarity’s forehooves with the other. Darn it! Ah’m not strong enough to pull her back up. She looked below them when she saw a flash of lavender and smiled slightly when she saw what Twilight was doing.

Rarity gasped in horror when Applejack let go of her. She grabbed onto the edge of the cliff before looking up when she heard her friend’s voice.

“It’s gonna be okay, Rarity. Ya just need to let go.”

Rarity let out another gasp of horror. “I can’t!”

Applejack smile widened a little. “Trust me.”

Closing her eyes, Rarity took a deep breath before doing as she was told. She anxiously waited a couple of seconds before suddenly realizing something. That’s strange. I don’t feel anything. She opened her eyes to find that she was suspended in a field of magenta magic. What?!

Twilight levitated Rarity closer to her. “Are you alright?”

Sighing in relief, Rarity nodded. “Thank you, princess.”

“Good.” Twilight levitated Applejack into the air as well before turning to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “Follow me.”

Nodding, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy followed Twilight to the solid ground at the base of the cliff.

Nightmare Moon silently followed them. Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna sighed in relief.

Sundance smiled as well. Well done, Twilight.

Nightmare Moon sent several challenges to block the girls’ path. She became increasingly irritated, and impressed, when they easily passed all of them. They’re obviously heading for the castle. I’ll be waiting for them. She headed for the old castle, bringing Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia with her.

Chapter 2

The six mares walked into the throne room of the Everfree Castle roughly five minutes later.

“What do we do now, princess?” Applejack asked

Twilight looked around the room for a moment before sighing in relief. “Good. They’re still here. To answer your question, Applejack, we’re here for them.” She levitated the stone Elements of Harmony to her side before gently setting them on the floor in front of her. “These are five of the Elements of Harmony. They are Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter and Generosity.”

What happened to the Element of Magic? Luna asked

Good question, little Luna. Nightmare Moon responded

I wasn’t talking to you! Luna snapped

“Unfortunately, the sixth element, Magic, disappeared a thousand years ago.” Twilight continued, unaware of the silent conversation going on nearby

Luna gasped in horror. That means it’s impossible to use the Elements of Harmony!

Nightmare Moon smiled That’s good to hear.

“Is there a way to bring it back?” Rarity asked

Twilight chewed her lip. “I haven’t had a chance to test my theory, but I think I can do it.”

Sundance raised an eyebrow as she turned to her husband and their daughter. “How does she plan to do that?”

Midnight Armor and Celestia shrugged.

“I won’t let you do that.”

Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie turned towards the voice. They gasped in a combination of shock and horror when they saw Nightmare Moon standing on the dais.

Twilight glanced at the dark alicorn. “Hello, Nightmare Moon.”

Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow. “You’re not afraid of me?”

“Am I supposed to be?” Twilight responded, raising an eyebrow as well

Nightmare Moon tilted her head. “Are you sure you know who I am?”

“I know exactly who you are.” Twilight replied “However, things are different this time.”

“What are you talking about?” Nightmare Moon asked

“I’m not a two week old foal anymore.” Twilight answered

Nightmare Moon gasped “T-then you really are Luna’s . . .”

“That’s right.” Twilight responded “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

I-I can’t believe it. Luna said softly My little girl has gotten so big.

“Isn’t Princess Luna a myth?” Rainbow asked, clearly confused

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia turned to each other.

“How did this happen?” Midnight Armor asked quietly

“I don’t know.” Sundance said softly “We made sure that the ponies of Equestria know about what happened to Luna, but . . .”

“It’s obvious that the common pony believes that it’s all just a myth.” Celestia quietly finished

Celestia, Sundance and Midnight Armor shook their heads before returning their attention to the events playing out in front of them.

Luna gasped S-she thinks I’m a myth?! After a moment’s thought, she sighed. I suppose that makes sense. I don’t know how long I’ve been trapped on the moon, but it’s probably been a very long time. Sighing again, she returned her attention to her daughter.

W-what?! Twilight turned around in time to see the rest of the girls nod. Shocked, she just stared at them for a moment. Then she narrowed her eyes. “My mother is not a myth!”

Luna gasped again T-twilight . . .

“I-I see.” Rarity stammered I suppose that means the part about Princess Luna being Princess Celestia’s younger sister isn’t a myth either.

“I’m sorry, princess.” Rainbow said quietly “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Rolling her eyes, Twilight turned back to Nightmare Moon. “What are you doing here?” I thought she wanted to kill Aunt Celestia. That means she should be in Canterlot right now.

Nightmare Moon laughed “I’ve already taken care of Celestia and her parents.”

The girls gasped in horror.

Twilight gasped in horror as well. W-what?! She defeated Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Celestia?! She narrowed her eyes again before unknowingly repeating her mother’s question. “What have you done to them?!”

Nightmare Moon laughed harder. “Don’t worry. They haven’t been harmed . . . yet.”

Luna and Twilight sighed in relief.

Nightmare Moon looked at Twilight thoughtfully. “I had originally intended to make sure that you weren’t harmed by anypony, even me. However, I’m going to take over Equestria so I can create an Eternal Night. That means I need the Royal Family to conveniently disappear.” She tapped her chin with a forehoof as she thought. She returned her attention to Twilight little over a minute later. “I must say that you’ve impressed me. Therefore, if you agree to serve me, I will spare your life.”

Twilight glared at the dark alicorn. “I will never serve you!”

Midnight Armor smiled “Well said, Twilight.”

Sighing, Nightmare Moon shook her head. “Oh well, I tried. Unfortunately, this means that you have to die. Once you’re out of the way, I’ll send Celestia and her parents to join you.” She glanced at the stones on the floor next to Twilight. “I have no intention of allowing you to use those.” Before Twilight could respond, she released a wave of magic that shattered all five of the stone Elements. “That takes care of that.”

Sighing, Twilight shook her head as well. So much for doing this the peaceful way. She surrounded herself and the girls with her force field, making sure that the shattered stone Elements were also protected.

Midnight Armor stared at his granddaughter’s magic in shock. “What is that?”

Nightmare Moon launched a beam of magic at Twilight’s force field . . . and was shocked when her attack met the defensive technique and just stopped. She looked at Twilight. “What have you done?”

“I cast my force field.” Twilight replied, walking through her force field

Force field? Confused, Nightmare Moon asked “Why did you do that?”

“Your fight is with me.” Twilight answered

“Force field?” Midnight Armor repeated “When did she create that?”

Sundance shook her head. “I have no idea.”

“Same here.” Celestia commented “However, I’m very glad she did.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor nodded.

Nightmare Moon’s horn began to glow again.

Here it comes. Twilight dodged the attack by spreading her wings and leaping into the air. “You’ll have to do better than that.”

Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes. “If you insist.”

Nightmare Moon used her wings to propel herself towards Twilight and growled when the smaller alicorn easily dodged her attack. Nopony has ever dodged my full speed attack before. “How did you dodge that?”

“Grandpa has been giving me combat lessons since I turned fifteen.” Twilight answered “It was easy to dodge your attack because I’m used to dodging his . . . and he’s faster than you are.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia laughed.

Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow. “Grandpa?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “King Midnight Armor? You know, my mother’s father? Grandpa is short for “grandfather”.”

Luna laughed as well. Thank you, Father.

“I see.” Nightmare Moon slowly replied That makes sense. Luna’s father was the only one who was able to put up a decent fight. In fact, I’m still surprised that I was able to capture him. “In that case . . .” She trailed off as her horn began to glow again. Before Twilight could ask, she launched an attack that was too fast for the little alicorn to dodge. She smiled when her attack pinned Twilight to the wall.

Luna gasped in horror. Twilight!

This is new. Twilight glanced at Nightmare Moon to see a smug smirk on the dark mare’s face.

“How about that?”

“Come on, Twilight.” Sundance said softly “You know what to do.”

Rolling her eyes again, Twilight examined the spell that was holding her against the wall. This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I’ll be able to break out of this in less than a minute.

Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow when Twilight’s horn began to glow. “You do know that your attacks will be easy to dodge, right?” She gasped when a flash of Twilight’s magic shattered her spell.

Sundance smiled “Well done, Twilight.”

Luna unknowingly echoed her mother. Well done!

“How did you do that?!” Nightmare Moon demanded

Twilight laughed “Grandma . . . that’s Queen Sundance, and my mother’s mother, to you . . . Anyway, she’s been teaching me about magic since I was old enough to talk.” She thought for a moment. “Aunt Celestia has been doing the same.”

Luna laughed as well. I should have known. Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Sister.

“Good” Nightmare Moon snarled “That means you’ll be able to entertain me for a while before I kill you.” She charged towards Twilight before pulling her into an intense, and fast-paced, session of hoof-to-hoof combat. Interesting. She’s doing much better than I expected. Her grandfather must have given her some special training.

I-incredible! Luna stammered Twilight is even better at hoof-to-hoof combat than her father was . . . and Comet was Father’s sparring partner.

Nightmare Moon smiled Let’s see how she deals with this. She used her weight to pin the smaller alicorn against the floor.

Celestia laughed “Nightmare Moon is in for a painful surprise.”

Sundance laughed as well. “You’re right, Celestia.”

Nightmare Moon twitched an ear. What are they talking about?

Midnight Armor watched his granddaughter’s movements carefully. “Come on, Twilight. I know you can do it.”

Twilight shifted slightly before suddenly bucking upwards . . . thrusting both of her rear hooves deep into Nightmare Moon’s stomach.

Luna laughed again, harder this time. That has to hurt.

Nightmare Moon fell onto her side before clutching her stomach with both forehooves.

Midnight Armor smiled “Well done!”

Inside Twilight’s force field, all of the girls were cheering.

“Go, Twilight!” Pinkie shouted

“You mean “Princess Twilight”, Darling.” Rarity absently corrected, watching Twilight flip over before spreading her wings and jumping into the air.

“Nope!” Pinkie replied “I don’t have to call her that because she’s my friend!”

Applejack grinned “She’s much stronger than ah thought.”

“S-she’s amazing!” Fluttershy said softly

“You mean AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flipping in the air a few times

The rest of the girls nodded.

Luna noticed that her daughter’s horn had begun to glow. Very good, Twilight. However, don’t let your guard down. You’re not done yet.

Twilight launched a barrage of magic blasts at Nightmare Moon and smiled when all of them hit the dark mare. She backed up when Nightmare Moon staggered to her hooves.

It seems that I’ve been taking her too lightly. She launched her own barrage of magic blasts and used that to cover the fact that she had taken flight. Then she teleported right above Twilight before pulling the smaller alicorn into another intense hoof-to-hoof combat session.

Unfortunately, Twilight was caught off guard. She screamed in pain when one of Nightmare Moon’s blows dislocated her left wing. Realizing that she was falling, she used her good wing to move enough that she didn’t land on either wing. The pain of her wing, and hitting the floor, was enough to shatter her concentration. Her force field shattered as well.

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna gasped in horror. “Twilight!”

Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes when she noticed that Twilight had already cast a healing spell on her wing. “She moves fast, that’s for sure. However, she’s crazy if she thinks I’m going to give her time to heal herself.” She dove towards the younger alicorn, intent on ending her life, but was forced to stop when a pair of orange hooves connected with her lower jaw.

Applejack placed all four hooves on the floor, turned and charged the dark mare. That armor’s gonna hurt, but ah don’t care. She tackled Nightmare Moon, forcing her even further away from Twilight. Then she jumped backwards, placing herself between Twilight and Nightmare Moon.

“Impressive.” Midnight Armor remarked

While Nightmare Moon was still stunned, Rainbow Dash flew forward and used both forehooves to treat the dark mare’s head like a punching bag. She pulled back when one of Nightmare Moon’s forehooves swung towards her.

“W-wow” Sundance said softly

Nightmare Moon glared at Applejack and Rainbow Dash but, before she could say anything, she gasped when she was suddenly surrounded by dozens of birds. Spreading her wings, she jumped backwards into the air. The birds followed her and began to attack with their beaks and talons. W-what the-?! She gasped again, in shock this time. The yellow one! She was able to stop the Manticore, so this must be her doing! She glared down at Fluttershy. “What have you done?!”

“I asked my animal friends to help me.” Fluttershy answered, narrowing her eyes “I won’t let you hurt her again!”

“I knew that Fluttershy was good with animals.” Celestia said slowly “However, this is something else entirely.”

Twilight staggered to her hooves and looked around in shock. W-wow. They’re actually doing rather well. She sighed in relief. My wing should be fully healed in a minute.

Nightmare Moon growled as her horn began to glow. I’ll get her for that. She gasped in shock when a piece of fabric tightly wrapped itself around her horn.

“I don’t think so, Darling.” Rarity said

“A temporary respite!” Nightmare Moon snarled, easily removing the fabric. Before she could do anything else, she noticed that she wasn’t surrounded by birds anymore.

BOOM!!!

Nightmare Moon suddenly found herself covered in cupcakes.

Everyone else instantly began to laugh.

Growling, Nightmare Moon used her magic to remove the cupcakes, frosting and sprinkles from her wings and mane. She turned to the closest pony, Applejack, and launched a powerful beam of magic at her. Both of them gasped when Applejack was suddenly surrounded with what looked like a magenta bubble.

Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened. That’s her defensive technique! She instantly turned towards Twilight. The first thing she noticed was that the younger alicorn was standing near Applejack. The second was that her wing was completely healed. Damn it! I missed the perfect chance to kill Twilight Sparkle!

Twilight glared at Nightmare Moon. “I won’t let you do that.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna sighed in relief.

Everypony was surprised when Twilight began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Nightmare Moon demanded

Twilight pointed at the shattered Elements of Harmony. They weren’t made of stone anymore. “I get it now. Applejack is the Bearer of the Element of Honesty.”

Applejack gasped when the orange shards began to circle her.

“Rainbow Dash is the Bearer of the Element of Loyalty.” Twilight continued

Rainbow Dash grinned when she was suddenly surrounded by the red shards.

Twilight smiled at Fluttershy. “You’re the Bearer of the Element of Kindness.”

Fluttershy hesitantly returned the smile as the light pink shards began to circle her.

Still smiling, Twilight turned to Rarity. “You’re the Bearer of the Element of Generosity.”

Smiling as well, Rarity nodded as she was surrounded with the violet shards.

“Who is the Bearer of the Element of Laughter?” Nightmare Moon hesitantly asked

“I can’t believe you have to ask.” Twilight responded “That’s Pinkie, of course.”

Pinkie laughed as the blue shards began to circle her.

“Y-you’re still missing the Element of Magic!” Nightmare Moon pointed out.

Twilight glanced up at the stone that had just appeared above her head. Her smile widened when it turned into a bright pink six-pointed star. “No, we’re not.” She turned back to Nightmare Moon. “It appears that I’m the Bearer of the Element of Magic.”

Celestia, Luna, Midnight Armor, Sundance and Nightmare Moon gasped as they watched the Element of Magic slowly move towards Twilight. They looked on as it turned into a crown before settling on the top of her head.

Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened. Do they really plan to use them on me?

Twilight glared at the dark alicorn. “I won’t allow you to remain here for three reasons. One, an Eternal Night will kill every living thing in Equestria. Two, I want to free Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Celestia. However, the third reason is the most important.”

Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes. “And that is?”

Twilight’s glare deepened. “I want my mother back!”

Luna gasped again T-twilight . . .

Sundance and Midnight Armor smiled.

Celestia smiled as well. “Do it, Twilight.”

Twilight’s eyes turned white as a rainbow burst from her and her new friends. This rainbow swirled around Nightmare Moon, completely blocking her from view.

When the light faded, Twilight and her friends were on the floor. After a few minutes, they began to stir.

“Ooh.” Rainbow Dash groaned “My head hurts.”

“Is everypony alright?” Rarity asked as they climbed to their hooves.

“Ah was sure that you’d taken a pretty hard hit to the head, princess.” Applejack commented “Ah guess ah was wrong. It looks like we really are the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.”

“That’s right.”

As one, the girls turned towards the voice. They quickly noticed two things. One, the sun had risen. Two, they weren’t alone. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie gasped in shock before bowing to the three alicorns. “King Midnight Armor! Queen Sundance! Princess Celestia!”

Twilight gasped as well. “Grandma! Grandpa! Aunt Celestia!” She ran forward before pulling all three of them into a hug.

Smiling, Midnight Armor, Sundance and Celestia returned her hug.

Twilight released her family. “Are you alright?!”

Laughing softly, Sundance nuzzled her granddaughter. “Thanks to you, and your friends, we’re just fine.” She nuzzled Twilight again. “I’m very proud of you.”

Midnight Armor nuzzled his granddaughter as well. “I am as well.” He sighed “Nightmare Moon caught us off guard by arriving well before we expected her to. As a result, she managed to capture your aunt and grandmother almost immediately.”

Twilight’s eyes widened

He nodded “I was able to fight her off for a while, but she managed to capture me as well.”

Sundance nuzzled her husband. “She surrounded us with a sphere of magic that made us invisible, and inaudible, to everypony except her.” She narrowed her eyes. “She did this because she wanted to force us to watch you either submit to her or be killed by her. Then she planned to kill us.”

Twilight gasped

“Therefore,” Sundance continued “she kept us with her at all times.”

Twilight gasped again “T-that means you . . .”

Midnight Armor nodded again “We saw everything.” He nuzzled his granddaughter again. “Well done, Twilight.”

Celestia nuzzled her niece as well. “Father’s right, Twilight. You did a very good job.”

Twilight blushed

Laughing softly, Celestia turned towards the spot where Nightmare Moon had been standing. She gasped when she saw an alicorn filly lying unconscious on the floor. She walked closer as her sister began to stir. “I haven’t seen you like this in over a thousand years, Luna.”

Luna’s eyes flew open. “Celestia?!” D-did she say a thousand years?!

Tears came to Celestia’s eyes as she leaned down to nuzzle Luna. “Welcome back, little sister.”

Luna staggered to her hooves before reaching up to nuzzle her sister. Then she looked down at herself. My coat is several shades lighter than it should be, my mane and tail are supposed to resemble the night sky and I’m much shorter than I used to be. “W-what happened to me?!”

Laughing, Sundance walked closer. “Your magic is weak right now, that’s all. It will take a few months for it to completely recover, but you should regain your proper form when it does.” She leaned down to nuzzle her daughter. “Welcome home, Luna.”

Luna sighed in relief before reaching up to return Sundance’s nuzzle. “Thank you, Mother.”

Smiling, Midnight Armor walked over to nuzzle his daughter as well. “It’s been a long time, Luna.” He said softly “I’m glad you’re back.”

Luna pressed herself closer to Midnight Armor before returning his nuzzle. “Thank you, Father. It’s good to be back.” She suddenly realized that there was a voice missing from the conversation . . . and it was somepony that she really wanted to talk to. She looked up at her parents and sister. “Where is my daughter?”

Laughing again, Sundance nodded towards Twilight. “It seems that she’s feeling a little shy at the moment.”

Curious, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna followed Sundance’s gaze to see that Twilight was standing on the other side of the room with her friends.

Celestia laughed as well. “What are you waiting for, Twilight? Come say hello to your mother.”

Blushing, Twilight walked towards her family. She stopped a couple of feet in front of her mother.

Not having any of that, Luna used her magic to bring her daughter closer before pulling her into a hug. “Thank you, Twilight.”

Sundance, Celestia and Midnight Armor smiled when they saw the tears of happiness on Twilight’s face as she returned her mother’s hug.

The girls smiled as well.

“I’m not into mushy stuff,” Rainbow Dash said quietly “but I’ll let it slide this time.”

Fluttershy smiled “They’re so happy.”

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie nodded

Sundance smiled at her youngest and granddaughter. “I think we should get out of here.”

“I agree.” Celestia replied “Besides, I believe we have an event to attend.”

Nodding, Midnight Armor led everypony out of the castle.

Once they were outside, Twilight glanced at the forest. “It will take a while to get back to Ponyville if we walk through that again. Besides, it’s dangerous.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna nodded.

Twilight turned to Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie. “Ordinarily, I’d suggest that we fly, but that’s a problem for the three of you. I could teleport us, or levitate the three of you as the rest of us fly, but something tells me that you won’t like either of those options.”

“I like being teleported!” Pinkie replied, bouncing in place

“I’m not opposed to either option, princess.” Rarity responded

“Ah’d rather walk, but ah agree that going through the forest again is a bad idea.” Applejack took a deep breath. “It’s alright if ya teleport me, princess, but ah don’t want to be levitated again.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure, Applejack?”

Applejack nodded

“In that case,” Sundance began “do you want to do the honors, Twilight?”

Twilight smiled at her grandmother. “Sure.” She focused her magic for a moment before she, her family and her friends disappeared in a flash of magenta magic.

In Ponyville, the citizens had gathered in the middle of town.

“I know that we don’t know what’s going on.” Mayor Mare began “However, the fact that the sun has risen means that everything should be fine. We should wait a little longer to see if Princess Twilight comes back. I’m sure she’ll tell us what’s going on.”

Everyone turned at a flash of magenta magic. They cheered when they saw the entire Royal Family.

Mayor Mare stepped forward before bowing. “Good morning, King Midnight Armor, Queen Sundance, Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight . . .” She turned to Luna. I hope I’m not jumping to conclusions. “And Princess Luna.”

Luna’s eyes widened while the rest of her family smiled.

“D-did I get it wrong?” Mayor Mare nervously asked

Luna was too shocked to say anything, so she shook her head.

Midnight Armor chuckled “I think my daughter is surprised that you know who she is.”

Luna nodded

Everyone else laughed as well before turning at a shout.

“Twilight!”

Luna’s eyes widened even further when a young dragon ran towards her daughter. That’s the dragon from earlier. She was thoroughly confused when Twilight smiled, and pulled him into a hug, before levitating him onto her back.

Spike glanced at Luna before turning back to Twilight. “Is that really your mother?”

Smiling wider, Twilight nodded.

“I have so many questions.” Spike continued “Like . . . What the hay happened?! I remember Nightmare Moon appearing . . . and that’s pretty much it.” He glanced at Luna again before turning back to Twilight. “I thought she was supposed to be bigger and . . . um, starrier.”

Everyone, including Luna, laughed.

“I’ll explain in a minute.” Twilight responded, turning to her mother. “Mom, this is Spike.”

Luna opened and closed her mouth a few timed before settling on the most obvious question. “Why do you have a dragon on your back?”

Twilight blushed “I, um, kind of hatched his egg thirteen years ago. I’ve been raising him ever since.”

Luna’s jaw dropped. “Y-you hatched a dragon egg?!”

Twilight’s blush deepened as she nodded.

“I-I’m not sure where to begin.” Luna stammered “Perhaps you should answer his questions instead.”

Nodding again, Twilight turned back to Spike. Instead of saying anything, she thought for a moment. “I’m sure that everypony else also wants to know what’s going on. In that case . . .” She used her magic to show everyone what had happened.

The citizens of Ponyville stared at Twilight and her friends in shock for several minutes before erupting in cheers again.

“W-well, that explains why your mother isn’t as starry as she should be.” Spike said slowly “On another note . . . remind me not to piss you off.”

Everyone else laughed when Twilight blushed again.

“He’s got a point, Twi.” Rainbow Dash paused “Can I call you Twi? I’m gonna call you Twi.”

“Me too! Me too! Me too!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing around Twilight

Everyone else laughed while Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie in shock.

“You can’t call her that!” Rarity protested “She’s a princess!”

“I-it’s alright.” Twilight said slowly, shaking herself out of her shock “However, in that case, I’m not calling you by your full names either.”

Pinkie draped a foreleg over Twilight’s back. “That’s OK! I already told you to call me Pinkie!”

Rainbow Dash shrugged “It’s cool. You can either call me “Rainbow” or “Dash”.”

Twilight tilted her head. “I think I like Rainbow better.”

Rainbow nodded

“I-I’ll call you Twilight.” Fluttershy said softly “Um, if that’s alright with you.”

Laughing, Twilight nodded

“I suppose I’ll call you Twilight as well.” Rarity reluctantly responded

“Ah think ah’ll go with Twi.” Applejack remarked

Laughing, Celestia nuzzled her niece before turning to the crowd. “Now that that’s settled, I believe we have a celebration to get to.”

Midnight Armor nodded “This year’s Summer Sun Celebration may be a little late, but that’s no reason not to celebrate.”

Sundance laughed “You’re right, Midnight. In fact, we should celebrate.” She smiled at her daughters. “Nightmare Moon’s defeat is certainly worthy of a celebration, but there’s something else that I’d rather celebrate.”

Smiling, Celestia nodded to her mother before nuzzling Luna. Then she turned to the crowd. “We are, of course, referring to my sister’s return.”

The citizens of Ponyville cheered.

“Let’s get to Town Hall!” Pinkie exclaimed

Everyone laughed as they followed her towards the Town Hall.

Blushing, Luna leaned closer to Twilight before whispering. “What’s going on?”

Laughing softly, Twilight nuzzled her mother. “It’s alright, Mom. We’re going to a party. It’s called the “Summer Sun Celebration” now, but it used to be the “Summer Solstice Festival”. The celebration usually starts at sunrise, but it’s a little late this year . . . for obvious reasons.”

“I see.” Luna responded

Twilight instantly noticed the drop in her mother’s mood, and correctly guessed the reason behind it. “If I understand correctly, there used to be a “Winter Solstice Festival” as well. Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Celestia stopped it because they didn’t want to have it without you.” She tilted her head. “I guess it would be called the “Winter Moon Celebration” now. Anyway, now that you’re back, we can finally have it again.”

Luna’s eyes widened but, before she could say anything, Sundance nuzzled her daughter and granddaughter. “I love that idea, Twilight.”

Smiling, Celestia and Midnight Armor nodded.

“Come on!” Pinkie shouted “We can’t start the party without the Royal Family!”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Luna, Twilight and Spike looked up to see that she was standing in front of Town Hall.

Twilight laughed “We’re coming, Pinkie.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna followed Twilight and Spike into the Town Hall.

Confetti rained down as the Royal Family walked into the room. Celestia, Luna, Sundance, Midnight Armor, Twilight and Spike looked around to see that the entire population of Ponyville was waiting for them.

Luna looked around in wonder. Twilight told me that this “Summer Sun Celebration” replaced the Summer Solstice Festival. Therefore, it makes sense that the room has been decorated like one of Celestia’s sunrises. However, I don’t recognize anything else.

Sundance and Midnight Armor glanced at each other before smiling at their eldest.

Celestia returned their smiles before turning to the crowd. “Under normal circumstances, I would raise the sun to begin the celebration.” She glanced out the window. “However, it’s almost noon.”

Everyone laughed

Celestia’s smile widened “I think I’ll do this instead.” Before anyone could ask, the sunlight brightened considerably for a couple of minutes before returning to normal.

Pinkie pulled out another party cannon. “Let’s get this party started!” She yanked on the string coming out of the back of the cannon.

Boom!

Everyone looked up as dozens of fully frosted, and decorated, cupcakes rained down on them.

Luna caught one in her magic before turning to her daughter. “How did she do that?”

Twilight caught one in her magic as well. “I don’t know, Mom. She did something similar when I met her yesterday. The only difference is that it was a three tier cake.”

Sundance stared at her granddaughter. “A three tier cake?”

Nodding, Twilight used her magic to show her family what had happened when she walked into the bakery the day before.

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia and Luna stared at the image until it faded.

“I’m not even going to ask.” Luna said slowly, shaking her head

“Good.” Twilight replied “I can’t explain it anyway.”

Luna laughed as she turned her attention to what she held in her magic. “What is this?”

Sundance suppressed a sigh. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Cakes hadn’t been invented yet when Luna was sent to the moon. She nuzzled her youngest. “It’s called a cupcake.”

“Cake is a type of dessert.” Midnight Armor explained “Cupcakes are just a smaller version.” He picked up a cupcake with his magic. “You unwrap the paper and eat the rest.”

Luna watched her father for a moment before removing the paper from her cupcake and taking a small bite. Her eyes widened. “This is delicious.” She ate the rest of it before glancing at the one that Celestia was eating. “Why does yours look different than the one I just ate?”

“There are several different flavors of cake.” Celestia answered “You ate a chocolate cupcake. I’m eating a vanilla one.” She broke what was left of her cupcake in half and levitated half of it to her sister. “Try it.”

Curious, Luna took it in her magic before taking a small bite. “W-wow. This one is just as delicious as the first one.” She finished the rest of the cupcake before looked up at her sister. “Is it strange that I like both of them?”

Laughing, Celestia nuzzled her sister. “Not at all. Many ponies have a favorite flavor, but there’s nothing wrong with liking all of them.”

“Here, Mom.” Twilight said, levitating half of a cupcake to Luna “This one is made from a type of cake called Red Velvet.”

Luna smiled at her daughter as she took it in her magic. “Thank you.” She took a couple of bites. “It’s good, but has an interesting . . .”

“Aftertaste?” Twilight finished

Luna nodded

“That’s from the frosting.” Twilight explained “There are two types of cake that are frosted with cream cheese frosting. Red Velvet is one and Carrot Cake is the other.”

“I see.” Luna replied “And this “frosting” is the stuff on the tops of the cupcakes?”

Twilight nodded

Luna looked around the room. “What are they doing?”

Twilight smiled “I’ll show you.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia smiled as they watched Twilight lead her mother around the room.

Four hours later

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna followed Twilight to the library. Spike was sitting on Twilight’s back.

Twilight unlocked the door and walked inside, using her magic to turn on the lights. Sundance, Celestia and Luna walked in and sat down on the couches.

Midnight Armor closed and locked the door before joining them. “What a day.”

Sundance snuggled closer to her husband before laying her head on his shoulder. “Agreed.”

Twilight and Spike walked out of the kitchen and over to join them. Spike was carrying a tray with six bottles of apple juice on in while Twilight levitated two bowls. Spike sat on an armchair and Twilight sat next to her mother. She levitated the smaller bowl, full of rubies, to Spike and set the larger bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. None of them said anything. They just enjoyed spending time with their family.

Roughly half an hour later, Celestia and Luna raised their heads. Knowing what it meant, Sundance, Midnight Armor, Twilight and Spike followed them upstairs and onto the balcony.

Celestia lowered the sun before smiling at her sister. “Do you think you’re up for raising the moon and stars, Luna?”

Luna returned her sister’s smile. “Of course, sister.” She raised the moon before turning her attention to the stars. That’s strange. She looked up at Celestia. “T-the stars aren’t responding to me.”

Celestia focused on the stars for a few minutes. Her eyes widened. “They’re not responding to me either.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Spike gasped.

“Ugh . . . I-I think something’s wrong.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Luna and Spike instantly turned towards the voice . . . and gasped again, in shock this time.

Twilight’s eyes were closed and her left forehoof was pressed against her forehead. She was glowing with a pale silver light and the dark parts of her mane and tail were sparkling.

Luna smiled “I see what’s going on.” She moved closer to her daughter, and draped a wing over her back, before whispering. “It’s alright, Twilight. Don’t fight it.”

Listening to her mother, Twilight followed her new instincts.

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia, Luna and Spike watched Twilight place the stars in the night sky.

“I-incredible!” Sundance said softly

Midnight Armor, Celestia and Spike silently nodded.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes as she lowered her hoof. She wasn’t glowing anymore, but her mane and tail continued to sparkle. “W-what just happened?”

Luna nuzzled her daughter. “You took control of the stars.”

“W-what?!” Twilight exclaimed, instantly beginning to panic “B-but they’re yours!”

Luna shook her head. “I am the Princess of the Moon, Twilight. I was only able to control the stars because I am more attuned with the Night than Celestia is.”

“B-but Aunt Celestia . . .” Twilight stammered

Luna smiled at her sister before returning her attention to Twilight. “I don’t think she intended to do this, but my sister took control of my celestial magic while I was gone. That is why she was able to control the moon and stars.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Spike stared at Luna in shock.

“Celestia is the Princess of the Sun.” Luna continued “As I said, I am the Princess of the Moon.” She nuzzled her daughter. “You are the Princess of the Stars.”

Sundance shook herself from her shock. “If that is the case, why didn’t Twilight gain the ability to control the stars when she earned her Cutie Mark?”

“Cutie Mark?” Luna repeated

“T-that’s the current name for the “Soul Mark”.” Midnight Armor explained

“I see.” Luna said slowly “Regardless, Twilight couldn’t take her place as Princess of the Stars because I was still in control of the stars at the time. Additionally, Celestia had control of my celestial powers. If I hadn’t been trapped on the moon, Twilight would have been the one to raise the stars that night.”

“Why did Twilight gain control of the stars tonight?” Celestia asked

“You must have unconsciously released your control of my celestial powers when you asked me to raise the moon.” Luna answered “As soon as you did, they immediately went to the pony who is supposed to wield them.”

“That explains it.” Sundance said slowly

Luna nodded “I immediately regained my ability to control the moon, but the stars didn’t respond to me because I’m not the one who is supposed to control them.” She smiled at her daughter. “You are.”

Eyes wide, Twilight stared at her mother for several minutes. Then she shook herself out of her shock. “I-I need to lie down.”

Laughing softly, Luna nuzzled her daughter again. “Good idea. It’s been a long day.”

The six of them walked back inside.

Once inside, they investigated the top floor. There were three bedrooms, three beds and a small basket.

Sundance and Midnight Armor hugged Celestia, Luna and Twilight before walking into one of the rooms. Celestia hugged her sister and niece before walking into the second. Twilight, Luna and Spike walked into the third.

Yawning, Spike lay down in the basket. “Good night.” He was asleep before either of them could respond.

Twilight laughed softly. “He always does that.”

Luna watched her daughter levitate the baby dragon into the air, pull the blanket from under him and gently lay him in the basket before tucking him in.

Twilight turned to her mother. “There’s only one more bed. I-if you want, I can sleep on the couch downstairs. Its no-” She cut herself off with a gasp of surprise when her mother levitated her onto the bed.

“Don’t even think about it.” Luna replied, settling next to her daughter

Far too tired to argue, Twilight snuggled closer to her mother before closing her eyes.

Luna smiled as she watched her daughter fall asleep. She spread a wing over Twilight, used her magic to pull the blankets over both of them and lay her head on a pillow before closing her eyes as well. It’s nice to be home.

Chapter 3

In the Dream Realm, Twilight opened her eyes and looked around to see that she was in the library in the castle in Canterlot. However, her surroundings changed before she could do anything else. Surprised, she looked around to see that she was standing next to a large bed.

Curious, she used her magic to light a candle that was sitting on a table that stood next to the bed. She used the light it provided to take a closer look at her new surroundings. “I recognize this.” She said softly “According to the memory that Grandma showed me, this used to be Mom and Dad’s room.” She walked over to the cradle that stood on the other side of the bed. “I used to fit in this.” She jumped when she heard laughter. Her horn began to glow as she took a fighting stance. “Who’s there?!”

I suppose I should have expected that. Luna materialized on the other side of the bed. “Calm down, Twilight. It’s me.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she allowed her magic to fade. “Mom?!”

Nodding, Luna levitated her daughter onto the bed before settling next to her.

Twilight took several deep breaths before shifting so she could face her mother. “I-I’m sorry. I just-”

Luna smiled at her daughter. “It’s alright. You probably didn’t know that I have the ability to Dream Walk.”

Twilight gasped “I’ve read about that ability, but I didn’t think anypony could actually do it.”

Luna laughed softly “It’s an extremely rare ability. In fact, I’ve never met another pony with the ability to enter the dreams of others.” She tilted her head. “Perhaps it’s because of my ties to the Night.” Shrugging, she returned her attention to her daughter to see a thoughtful expression on her face.

“If you have the ability to Dream Walk, then that means you’re in my dream right now.” Twilight said slowly

Luna nodded again

“Is there a reason that you’re in my dream?” Twilight asked

Luna hesitated “Is that a problem?”

Twilight quickly shook her head. “I was just wondering why you decided to enter my dream.”

Luna sighed in relief. “I just wanted to spend time with you.” She smiled at her daughter. “We have a thousand years to catch up on.”

Twilight laughed “I knew we’d get to that sooner or later. I just wasn’t expecting to do that in my dreams.”

Luna laughed as well. “Don’t worry. We’ll spend time together in the Waking World as well.”

Twilight shifted nervously “What do you want to talk about?”

Luna thought for a moment before turning back to her daughter. “There are many things that I’d like to ask you, but I think I’ll start with that dragon.”

“You mean Spike?” Twilight asked

Luna nodded

Twilight raised an eyebrow “What about him?”

“How in Equestria did you manage to hatch a dragon egg?” Luna responded

I knew she was going to ask about that sooner or later. Twilight giggled “I’ll show you what happened.”

- - Twilight’s Flashback - - -

Thirteen Years Ago

Twilight looked up at the clock on the wall. “I can’t believe it’s gotten so late already. It’s almost time for dinner.” She turned back to the massive pile of books on the table in front of her. “Fortunately, I’m at a good place to stop for the day. I’ll pick up where I left off tomorrow morning.” She stood and stretched before walking around the table and over to the door. Opening it, she walked into the main part of the library before closing and locking the door to her office.

“Are you done for the day, princess?”

Twilight turned towards the voice to see a unicorn mare walking towards her. “Yes, Crystal Rose. It’s time for dinner.”

Crystal Rose laughed “I see. I don’t think King Midnight Armor and Queen Sundance would be too happy if you missed dinner.”

Twilight laughed as well. “You’re probably right. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Crystal Rose bowed “Have a good night, princess.”

“You too.” Twilight replied, turning towards the door that lead to the rest of the castle.

Twilight walked down the hall towards the dining room. “I’d better hurry. Dessert tonight is supposed to be chocolate cake . . . I don’t want Aunt Celestia to eat all of it this time.”

A loud thud shook the castle. Startled, Twilight paused and just looked around for a moment. “W-what was that?!” That was when she heard a loud roar. She immediately began running towards the sound.

Roughly five minutes later, Twilight ran into the courtyard behind the castle. The first thing she noticed was that Sundance was standing nearby. She ran over to her grandmother. “What’s going on?!”

Sundance glanced at her granddaughter. “It seems that we have an unexpected visitor.”

Twilight stared at Sundance. What kind of visitor roars like that?! It shook the entire castle! She was pulled from her thoughts by a voice that she didn’t recognize.

“Ah. This must be the one that you were telling me about, Sundance.”

Twilight turned towards the voice to see that a massive dragon was sitting on the other side of the courtyard. W-well, that explains the roar. She tilted her head slightly. I’ve met several dragons over the years, but none of them were as large as this one. She’d never fit inside the castle!

The dragon looked at Twilight for a moment before returning her attention to Sundance.

Twilight took a closer look at the dragon. She’s beautiful. Her amber eyes are glowing softly . . . and her scales are emerald. Additionally, it looks like her wings are the same shade of emerald as her scales. Twilight was pulled from her thoughts by her grandmother’s voice.

“That’s right.” Sundance smiled at Twilight before turning back to the dragon. “This is my granddaughter, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, this is Solae.”

Twilight gasped “T-the Dragon Queen?!” The pictures in the books don’t do her justice.

"I don't blame you for being surprised." Sundance said softly "I haven't been able to introduce you to Solae because she rarely leaves the Dragon Lands."

I guess that makes sense. Twilight thought for a moment. Grandma always travels to the Dragon Lands whenever she needs to meet with Solae. Grandpa, Aunt Celestia and I don't go with her because Solae prefers to deal with Grandma. I think it has something to do with the fact that both of them are queens.

Sundance and Twilight looked up when they heard Solae laugh.

“Yes, young one. However, there is no need to stand on ceremony. You may call me Solae.”

Twilight resisted the urge to shake her head. I haven’t been called “young one” in a very long time. I mean, I am almost a thousand years old. She thought for a moment. If the books are correct, Solae is five thousand years old. That means everypony is a “young one” to her. “V-very well.” She bowed slightly “In that case, you can call me Twilight.” She glanced at her grandmother but, before she could say anything, Solae laughed again.

“Very well. Please come closer, Twilight. There is something that I want you to see.”

Curious, Twilight did as she was told. She stopped a couple of feet in front of Solae and looked up at her. W-wow. She looks even bigger up close.

Solae gently set something on the ground in front of her.

Twilight took a closer look at the object before gasping in shock. “It’s a dragon egg!” I’ve never seen one up close.

Solae laughed again, softer this time.

Twilight looked up at her. Why does she sound sad? “Is something wrong?”

Solae gave her a sad smile. “I laid this egg a few years ago.”

Twilight gasped again “Three years ago?!” Don’t dragon eggs usually take seven months to hatch?!

Solae nodded “I’ve been told that you are very studious, so I’m certain that you already know this. Even so, I’d like explain it anyway.”

Nodding, Twilight sat down.

“Dragon eggs normally take roughly seven months to hatch . . . if the heat in their environment is properly monitored.” Solae looked down at her egg. “I’ve laid thousands of eggs in my life. This is the only one that hasn’t hatched.” She sighed “I’ve finally accepted the fact that my young has died. I brought the egg here so that you can study it for your records. When you’re done, I will see to it that it is destroyed.”

Eyes wide, Twilight stared at the egg for a couple of minutes before something occurred to her. I hope this doesn’t anger her. She lifted her head so she could look Solae in the eye before hesitantly asking. “I-is it possible that the baby dragon inside this egg is simply dormant?”

Sundance’s eyes widened “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. Twilight is correct, Solae. That is a possibility.”

Stunned, Solae just stared at Twilight and Sundance for several minutes. Finally shaking herself out of her shock, she repeated the one word that had obviously caught her attention. “Dormant?”

Nodding, Sundance walked forward until she was standing next to Twilight. “Dragon eggs are usually hatched using the method that you have just described. However, while it is rare, there are some eggs that don’t respond to that particular method. Those eggs can stay dormant for decades.” She tilted her head. “There is one other known method of hatching a dragon egg.”

“A-and that is?” Solae asked

“Magic” Sundance and Twilight answered together.

“It takes an incredible amount of magic to accomplish this.” Twilight explained “Therefore, to my knowledge, it has only been done once in the history of Equestria.”

Solae stared at Twilight in shock.

“According to my research,” Twilight continued “the dragon was a male named Bern. It took thirty unicorns working together to hatch his egg. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything else about him because he supposedly journeyed to the Dragon Lands soon after he was hatched.”

Solae began to laugh. “I know him very well.” Seeing Sundance and Twilight’s confusion, she explained “Bern is my mate.”

Sundance and Twilight gasped.

“He never talks about his family, so I simply assumed that they were dead.” Solae commented “Now I know that he can’t tell me about them because he has no idea who they are.” She took a closer look at Sundance and Twilight. “Is something wrong?”

Sundance and Twilight glanced at each other before turning back to Solae.

“I see.” Solae said softly “You must be thinking about Voth.”

Sundance and Twilight nodded

“It’s true that he was killed in battle two hundred and fifty years ago.” Solae said sadly “That was when I decided that there would never be another King of the Dragon Lands. However, I decided to take another mate roughly fifty years ago.” She smiled “Fortunately, Bern doesn’t want that title anyway.”

Sundance laughed softly “I can’t imagine why.”

Solae laughed as well. “Indeed, Queen of Equestria.”

Sundance laughed harder.

Solae looked at her egg again before returning her attention to Twilight and Sundance. “Do either of you know how to use magic to hatch a dragon egg?”

Sundance nodded “I spoke to the ponies that hatched Bern shortly after he left Equestria. Unfortunately, I didn’t arrive in time to see them accomplish the feat. Therefore, I only know the theory.”

“That’s alright.” Solae responded “Will you please try?”

Nodding again, Sundance surrounded the egg with her magic.

Twilight carefully watched her grandmother’s every move. I wonder what she’s going to do.

Twenty minutes later, Sundance allowed her magic to fade. “I-I’m sorry.” She panted “After the kind of day I’ve had, I can’t keep the flow of magic strong, and steady, enough.”

There is only one way to finish the spell that Grandma just tried. I’ve never cast it myself but, now that I’ve seen it in action, I’m sure that I can cast it as well. Twilight chewed her bottom lip for a moment before looking from Sundance to Solae and back again. “Is it alright if I try? I think I have enough available magic.”

Solae gasped “Y-you’re willing to try?”

Twilight nodded “If you’ll let me.”

“Of course.” Solae immediately replied

Sundance smiled

I’d better make sure that the dragon inside this egg is still alive before I cast that spell. Twilight cast a magic scan on the egg. A few minutes later, she sighed in relief before looking up at Solae. “It’s really soft, and very slow, but there is a heartbeat.”

Solae gasped softly “My baby is alive?”

Twilight nodded again “Now that I’m sure that this dragon is alive, I’d like to get started.”

“Please do.” Solae quickly responded

Standing, Twilight spread her wings as her horn began to glow. Closing her eyes, she focused all of her magic on the egg. Then she cast the spell that Sundance had cast moments before.

Sundance carefully watched her granddaughter.

Solae watched Twilight as well. It was a couple of minutes before she remembered to breathe.

Twenty Minutes Later

Twilight wobbled slightly from the strain of maintaining the spell. It seems that I don’t have enough magic after all . . . No! I am not giving up after coming this far! Her eyes flew open, and turned white, as she poured more magic into the spell.

Solae gasped “Is she alright?!”

“Yes” Sundance replied, still carefully watching her granddaughter “This is what happens when an alicorn uses an extremely large amount of magic at once.”

“I-I see.” Solae stammered

Sundance and Solae gasped when the egg began to shake. They looked on as cracks began to appear in the shell.

“It’s finally happening.” Solae whispered

A bright flash of magenta magic later, the egg split in half as the baby dragon suddenly grew. It was as large as Solae within a couple of seconds.

Solae gasped again “What’s going on?!”

“I was afraid this might happen.” Sundance pulled her granddaughter into a tight hug. “Calm down, Twilight.”

Startled, Twilight shook her head as her eyes returned to their normal violet. The dragon immediately shrank to the size of the egg.

Panting, Twilight fell to the ground. “D-did it work?”

Sundance leaned down to nuzzle her granddaughter. “See for yourself.”

Twilight lifted her head to see that a purple baby dragon with emerald eyes was staring at her. “W-wow. His eyes are the same color as his mother’s scales.”

Solae laughed “And his scales are the same color as the coat of the mare that hatched him.”

“What about the scales on his stomach?” Twilight asked

Curious, Solae gently picked up her son. She gasped when she looked at his stomach. “The scales on his underside are the same color as the ones that cover his father’s body.”

Sundance and Twilight smiled

“Your father and I decided what we were going to name you long before your egg was even laid.” Solae smiled at the baby dragon. “Your name is Spike.”

Spike began to squirm and cry. Solae gently set him on the ground in front of Twilight. Spike calmed down as soon as he saw her.

Solae laughed softly “I thought so.”

Confused, Twilight looked up at her. “What do you mean?”

“Dragon hatchlings imprint on the first creature that they see.” Solae explained “In this case, you were the first creature that Spike saw. Therefore, he has imprinted on you.”

Twilight gasped in horror. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean for that to happen!”

Smiling, Solae shook her head. “Don’t worry, Twilight. I’m not upset at all.”

“B-but-!”

Solae began to laugh. “This is simply how dragons are. It has been like that for as long as I’ve been alive.”

Sighing in relief, Twilight sat up and folded her wings.

Solae bowed her head. “I can’t thank you enough for what you have done, Twilight. Bern and I were certain that our son was dead.” She glanced at her son before turning back to Twilight. “I would like you to raise Spike.”

Twilight gasped “Are you sure?!”

Solae nodded “I would never separate him from the one that he has imprinted on.”

Twilight stared at Spike for a couple of minutes before looking back up at Solae. “Very well. I will do as you have asked . . . but only on one condition.”

“What is that?” Solae asked, clearly curious

“I want you, and Bern, to come back to Equestria when Spike is a little older.” Twilight answered “I say this because I want to make sure that he meets his parents when he’s old enough to remember them.”

Sundance gasped “Twilight . . .”

Solae watched Sundance spread her wings before lifting into the air and flying closer. Confused, and slightly worried, she quietly asked “What’s going on?”

Speaking softly, Sundance explained what had happened to Luna and Comet.

Solae’s eyes widened “Those are Twilight’s parents?”

Sundance nodded

“I see.” Solae said softly “No wonder she made such a request.” She turned back to Twilight. “Very well. Bern and I will return to Equestria at a later date.”

Twilight sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

- - End Flashback - - -

“Incredible!” Luna said softly I’m not sure which surprises me more. The fact that Twilight was able to hatch Spike’s egg by herself, the fact that Spike is Dragon Royalty, or the request that Twilight made of the Dragon Queen. She thought for a moment before turning back to her daughter. “Mother used to be well-known for her abilities with magic.”

“She still is.” Twilight replied

“Then why wasn’t she able to hatch Spike’s egg?” Luna asked

“Grandma spends a couple of days a week in the hospital wing.” Twilight responded

Luna tilted her head. “What is a “hospital wing”?”

Twilight thought for a moment. “It’s a place where ponies that are sick or injured are treated by ponies that used to be called “healers”. Those ponies are now called “doctors”.”

Luna gasped “Is she alright?!”

Twilight nodded “Grandma doesn’t go there because she’s hurt or sick. She goes there to treat those who need it.” Seeing her mother’s confusion, she continued “Grandma is really good with magic scans. She’s also one of the best at healing spells.”

Luna nodded “That was true even before I was sent to the moon. What does that have to do with her spending time in the hospital wing?”

“Grandma only takes the most difficult cases.” Twilight explained “She casts magic scans on those who need it. Additionally, she personally handles the most complicated medical procedures.”

“That makes sense.” Luna said slowly “What does that have to do with the reason she wasn’t able to hatch Spike’s egg?”

“That is the reason she wasn’t able to hatch Spike’s egg.” Twilight answered “She had spent that day in the hospital wing.”

“I see.” Luna responded “Mother must have used a lot of magic healing other ponies that day. That would explain why she wasn’t able to keep the flow of magic strong enough to hatch the egg.”

Twilight nodded

“Why were you able to hatch Spike’s egg?” Luna asked

Twilight shrugged “I’ve always been really good with magic. In fact, my specialty is magic.”

Luna gasped “Just like Mother!”

Twilight nodded again. “That’s one of the reasons that Grandma was the one to teach me. Aunt Celestia helped, but Grandma did most of it . . . especially when I was younger.”

Luna thought for a moment. “Does Spike know about his lineage?”

“Of course.” Twilight answered “He wasn’t surprised to find out that he is royalty because he grew up in Equestria’s Royal Family.”

Luna laughed

“He also knows that his parents have promised to return so that he can meet them.” Twilight added “That hasn’t happened yet, but it should be soon.”

Luna smiled “Good.” She was about to say something else, but paused when she felt the pull of the moon.

Twilight lifted her head. “I sense . . . something.”

Luna laughed “That’s a good thing. You’re sensing the pull of the stars.”

“Pull of the stars?” Twilight repeated

“That’s right.” Luna responded “It’s time for me to lower the moon. Additionally, you need to lower the stars so that Celestia can raise the sun.” She nuzzled her daughter. “I’ll wake both of us.”

In Ponyville, Celestia, Twilight and Luna opened their eyes at the same time. Luna pulled her daughter closer before lowering the moon.

Closing her eyes, Twilight followed her new instincts and lowered the stars. Opening her eyes again, she glanced at her mother before following her gaze outside. They watched the sunrise together.

Smiling, Luna nuzzled her daughter.

Yawning, Twilight returned her mother’s nuzzle before laying her head on the bed. “I am not used to waking up this early.”

Luna laughed “You’ll get used to it.”

Closing her eyes again, Twilight mumbled “I may have to wake up at dawn, but there is nothing that says that I can’t go back to sleep after lowering the stars.”

Luna laughed again as she watched her daughter return to the Dream Realm. She was about to do the same, but paused when she heard the door to the room quietly open. Surprised, she turned towards the door in time to see Celestia poke her head into the room.

“May I come in?”

Luna smiled “Of course, sister. However, I ask that you do so quietly because Twilight has gone back to sleep.”

Celestia laughed softly “I’m not surprised.” She walked over to the bed before sitting next to it. “She does enjoy her sleep.”

Luna raised an eyebrow when she saw the expression on her sister’s face. “I know that look. You want to discuss something that you know I won’t like.”

Celestia reluctantly nodded

I might as well get it over with. “What is it?” Luna asked

Neither of them noticed that the door to the room had quietly opened again. They also didn’t notice that their parents were standing just inside the room. Sundance and Midnight Armor exchanged glances before turning back to their daughters.

“It’s about the day that you were taken over by Nightmare Moon.” Celestia paused when her sister flinched. “We were able to figure out most of what happened, but there is one thing that has always bothered me.”

Luna silently waited for her sister to continue.

“Why did you raise the moon in the middle of the afternoon?” Celestia asked

I knew she was going to ask about that sooner or later. “I didn’t have a choice.” Luna said softly

What does she mean by that? Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”

Luna sighed “Comet and I had gone on a walk while Twilight took her afternoon nap. We decided to walk through the small part of the forest in front of the castle. That was where we were approached by that group of ponies. They apologized for doing so on the weekend, but stated that they had an important petition to submit. Mother and Father hadn’t returned yet, and we didn’t know where you were, so we decided to take care of it ourselves.”

Celestia gasped “Is that why you went to the throne room?”

Luna nodded

“What did they want?” Celestia slowly asked

“They wanted me to agree to never raise the moon again.” Luna growled

Sundance and Midnight Armor’s eyes widened.

Celestia’s eyes widened as well. “What?”

Luna looked up at her sister. “Nightmare Moon was correct when she told you that those ponies were part of a sun worshiping cult.”

“I know.” Celestia quietly replied “What about their petition?”

“Their petition was the first step in their plan to institute Eternal Day.” Luna responded “Of course, I refused to accept it. I told them that an Eternal Day would kill every living thing in Equestria. That’s when the unicorns pooled their magic to before casting a spell that created a giant magic lens in the sky above the castle. This lens focused, and magnified, the sunlight.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor each suppressed a gasp of shock.

Celestia didn’t bother suppressing hers. “What?!”

Luna nodded “They used this to start a fire in the part of the forest that stood between the castle and that small village. I managed to put it out by draining the lake in the garden.”

“How did that help?” Celestia asked

“I used the water to put out the fire.” Luna answered “Then I raised the moon so they wouldn’t be able to use sunlight to power their weapon. They tried to use moonlight for their next attack, but quickly realized that it wasn’t strong enough. The unicorns released their spell before focusing their attention on me.”

“I-I see.” Celestia stammered “Is that when they attacked you?”

“Yes.” Luna quietly replied “T-that’s also when C-comet . . .” She trailed off as tears began to stream down her face.

Sundance and Midnight Armor were horrified. It took them a couple of minutes to shake themselves out of their shock enough to move. Then they walked over to the bed. Sundance stopped on Celestia’s right while Midnight Armor stood on her left.

“Oh Luna” Sundance whispered, leaning down to nuzzle her youngest “I am so sorry.” If only Midnight and I had gotten home earlier. We should have been the ones to deal with that.

Midnight Armor blinked away tears as he leaned down to nuzzle Luna as well. “I am as well.”

Luna silently returned her parents’ nuzzles.

“We were never able to figure out why you raised the moon because all of the ponies who could have answered that question were either dead or sealed in the moon.” Midnight Armor said softly

“You saved the lives of countless ponies by raising the moon when you did.” Sundance quietly added

Luna forced a smile. “That’s a small consolation.” Especially when I consider what we lost. Her smile faded as she turned to her sister. “What happened to the rest of the ponies who belonged to that cult?”

“It took me a couple of months, but I was able to locate all of the members.” Celestia scowled “None of them were even remotely remorseful for what had happened.”

Luna was shocked when she saw how angry her sister was. “W-what did you do to them?”

“I gave them what they wanted.” Celestia answered

Sundance and Midnight Armor winced

Noticing this, Luna looked from one of her parents to the other. “What is she talking about?”

“We gathered all of the members of the cult and brought them to the courtyard behind the castle.” Sundance responded

“They demanded that your sister bring about Eternal Day . . . and replace your mother as Queen of Equestria.” Midnight Armor said slowly “Of course, Celestia immediately refused. Instead, she asked them why they wanted an Eternal Day.”

“They stated that the sun was the bringer of life.” Celestia shook her head. “I told them that it was true that the sun was necessary for life, but that too much sun would kill every living thing in Equestria.”

Midnight Armor shook his head as well. “They refused to believe that the sun could harm anypony and demanded that she prove it.”

“I showed them an image of the desert to the south.” Celestia responded “I explained that there was no life there because it was so hot that there was no water.” She snorted “They accused me of making it up.”

Sundance scowled “They even claimed that you had brainwashed your sister before you were taken over by the Nightmare and sent to the moon.”

Eyes wide, Luna quickly sat up. “WHAT?!”

None of them noticed that Twilight had opened her eyes.

Clearly furious, Celestia nodded “They demanded that I “give them the sun”.”

Midnight Armor glanced at his eldest before turning back to his youngest. “Your mother and I immediately told your sister not to do anything rash.”

“That was the first time in centuries that your sister disobeyed us.” Sundance commented

Luna’s eyes widened even further as she turned to her sister. “W-what did you do?”

“I gave them the sun.” Celestia answered

What does she mean by that? Luna was about to ask her question aloud, but paused when she heard her daughter’s voice.

“I was too young to remember it, but Grandpa told me what happened.”

Surprised, Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia and Luna turned to Twilight.

Twilight nuzzled each of them before turning back to her mother. “Aunt Celestia used solar fire to burn all of them alive.”

Luna gasped in shock. “What?!”

Sighing, Celestia nodded. “I so angry that I wasn’t thinking clearly. As I said, this was only two months after I was forced to . . . well, you know.”

Sundance nodded “As I’m sure you can imagine, it was an extremely sensitive subject for all three of us.”

Nodding slowly, Luna glanced at Twilight before turning back to Sundance. “Twilight said that she was too young to remember it.”

Sundance nodded again

“This implies that she was there as well.” Luna commented

“That’s right.” Midnight Armor replied “At the time, your mother kept Twilight with her at all times.”

Luna tilted her head. “Why?”

“I had two reasons for that.” Sundance answered “The first was that Twilight was still nursing.”

Luna gasped “Of course! At that point, Twilight was only two and a half months old!” She paused when something occurred to her. “Who provided milk for her?” I hope she wasn’t nursing from some random stranger.

Sundance blushed “I did. I created a Lactation Spell and cast it on myself.” She laughed softly. “She had quite the appetite. At the time, Twilight was nursing every six to eight hours.”

Luna sighed in relief. Mother and Celestia are the only ponies that I would have trusted to nurse my daughter. “I’m glad you did that, Mother.”

Sundance sighed in relief as well. I’m glad she isn’t angry about that.

“What was the second reason?” Luna asked

“The members of the cult were still threatening to kill Twilight.” Midnight Armor replied

Luna gasped “What?”

Midnight Armor nodded “They called her the “Spawn of the Moon” until the end.” He sighed “They thought that she was keeping them from getting the Eternal Day that they desired.”

Luna gasped again

“I had to be present for the punishment of the cult members, but refused to let Twilight out of my sight.” Sundance continued “Therefore, Midnight decided to place a bed in the courtyard. I nursed Twilight, and kept her safe, while your father and Celestia focused on the cult members.”

“That makes sense.” Luna replied

Twilight was about to say something, but paused when her stomach growled.

“I think we should get some breakfast.”

Surprised, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Sundance and Midnight Armor turned to see that Spike was standing near the foot of the bed.

“You’re right, Spike.” Sundance replied

Celestia, Midnight Armor, Twilight and Luna nodded

Celestia stood before moving over so that Twilight and Luna could get out of bed. Luna and Twilight stood, and stretched, before joining their family as they walked out of the room.

After a quick inspection of the pantry, Sundance turned to her family. “There isn’t enough food here for me to make breakfast for all of us.

“That’s alright, Grandma.” Twilight responded “Pinkie invited Spike and I to Sugarcube Corner for breakfast. Apparently, the rest of the girls are going to be there as well.” She smiled “I don’t think they’ll mind if the rest of you come as well.”

Sundance returned her granddaughter’s smile. “Good idea, Twilight.”

Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack looked up when the door opened.

Pinkie grinned when she saw the Royal Family. “See?” She asked, turning back to her friends “I told you that all of them would be here soon!”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Luna, Twilight and Spike laughed. Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack laughed as well.

Luna looked around for a moment before noticing a long table against the left wall. Curious, she walked over to it. There are so many bottles . . . judging from the pictures on the labels, the contents have something to do with apples and oranges. As for the rest . . . She turned to her family.

Sundance immediately noticed her daughter’s confusion. “Some of the bottles contain apple juice and others contain orange juice. You can tell which is which by looking at the labels.”

“The rest of the items on the table are various breakfast dishes.” Midnight Armor added “If I were you, I’d start with this one.” He levitated a plate of French Toast with maple syrup and powdered sugar to his daughter.

“Thank you, Father.” Luna took the plate that her father offered her in her magic.

Applejack smiled when Luna grabbed a bottle of apple juice before sitting at the table. Ah like her already.

Twilight, Celestia, Sundance, Midnight Armor and Spike chose their food and drink before joining everyone else.

Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack waited for the members of the Royal Family to finish their food.

“What should we do now?” Rarity asked

Twilight sighed “Unfortunately, we need to head back to Canterlot.”

Luna turned to her daughter. “Canterlot?”

Midnight Armor nodded “Unfortunately, the damage done by Nightmare Moon was rather extensive. Your mother and I decided that it would be easier to build a new castle than try to repair the old one.”

Luna lowered her head. “I-I’m sorry.”

Sundance nuzzled her youngest. “Don’t apologize, Luna. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Mother is right, Luna.” Celestia commented “To answer your question, Canterlot is the name of the city that surrounds the castle.”

“I see.” Luna slowly replied

“Aww” Pinkie pouted “That means we won’t see you for a long time.”

Applejack nodded “It takes a few hours to get to Canterlot by train.”

Twilight giggled “I can fly, remember? That means Ponyville is only half an hour away.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia laughed as well. Everyone else followed the Royal Family outside.

Twilight turned to her family and friends. “I’ll be right back.” She teleported to the library before anyone could respond. She walked upstairs and into the room that she had shared with her mother and Spike. “They should be right over . . . here they are.” She levitated her saddlebags onto her back before pausing when she looked at the desk. “I can’t believe I almost forgot about this.” The crown with the Element of Magic set in it floated over to her side before she teleported back outside.

Everyone looked up at a flash of magenta magic.

Twilight immediately noticed that Sundance had the other Elements of Harmony suspended in her magic. She levitated the Element of Magic over to her grandmother. “Good. I was about to ask you what I should do with this.”

Sundance took the crown from Twilight before levitating it onto her granddaughter’s head.

“Why did you do that?” Twilight asked

Midnight Armor laughed “That’s where it belongs.”

“Father is right, Twilight.” Celestia commented, laughing as well “We’ll be keeping the Elements of Harmony in the vault unless they’re needed. However, until we get to Canterlot, the safest place for the Element of Magic is with you.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Luna nodded.

Twilight turned to her friends. “I’ll try to come visit you next weekend.”

“In that case, you should keep the key to the library, Princess Twilight.”

Surprised, everyone turned to see Mayor Mare standing not far from them.

“That way, you can stay in the town’s library whenever you’re in Ponyville.” Mayor Mare explained

“V-very well.” Twilight said slowly “Thank you.”

Smiling, Celestia nuzzled her niece before looking at her sister and their parents. “We should get going.”

Nodding, Spike jumped onto Twilight’s back.

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Luna and Twilight said their farewells before spreading their wings and taking to the air.

Thirty Minutes Later

“What is that?” Sundance asked

Midnight Armor glanced at his wife. “What are you talking about?”

She nodded at something ahead of them. “Look.”

Midnight Armor, Celestia, Luna, Twilight and Spike followed her gaze in time to see a powerful beam of magic shoot from somewhere in the city.

“That looks like one of Captain Shining Armor’s attacks.” Midnight Armor remarked, watching another one leave the city “I wonder what he’s attacking.”

“I’m not sure.” Sundance replied “Regardless, we should hurry.”

Nodding, everyone began to fly faster.

Twilight’s eyes widened when she saw that two large dragons were trying to approach the castle. “Are those what I think they are?”

Sundance nodded “Dragons” That’s strange. It doesn’t look like the dragons are attacking the city. If so, why is Captain Shining Armor attacking them?

Twilight stared at the dragons. Something is familiar about one of them. Her eyes widened when she caught the glint off of the scales of the larger one. “Oh no! He better not hit her!”

Confused, Sundance was about to ask Twilight what she was talking about when she saw the same thing. Her eyes widened as well. This is not good! If one of his attacks hits her . . . “We need to move faster!”

All of them immediately sped up. They quickly approached the castle, with Sundance and Twilight in the lead.

In Canterlot, Shining Armor cursed when the dragons dodged another of his attacks. “Why won’t they hold still?!”

“Would you hold still if somepony was attacking you?”

Shining Armor, the captain of the Canterlot branch of the Equestrian Army, turned towards the voice to see that a light pink pegasus mare was standing behind him. “I suppose you’re right, Cadance. Regardless, I have to protect the castle and ponies of Canterlot.”

With a flick of her head, Cadance shoved her purple, pink and yellow mane out of her purple eyes. “Why don’t you just put up your shield? That would allow you to protect the castle and the citizens of Canterlot without attacking the dragons.”

Shining Armor rolled his eyes. “Do you have any idea how much magic it takes to cast that?” He shook his head as he examined the dragons again. “The strangest part is that they’re not attacking.” They may not be attacking now, but there’s no guarantee that they won’t start at any moment. I have to make sure that Canterlot is safe until the Royal Family returns. He smiled when he realized that the larger of the two was in range. “I’ve got you now!” He launched another powerful beam of magic.

Cadance and Shining Armor’s eyes widened when the dragon was suddenly surrounded with what looked like a giant magenta bubble. They gasped when it easily blocked his attack.

Both dragons gasped as well. They stared at each other in confusion for a moment before looking up when a voice echoed around them.

“Stand down, Captain Shining Armor!”

Surprised, Shining Armor turned to see that the entire Royal Family was flying towards him. “Queen Sundance! These dragons are . . .”

Thank goodness. I am very glad that Twilight was close enough to place her force field around Solae. Sundance raised an eyebrow. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

Shining Armor shuddered “N-no, your majesty.”

Midnight Armor landed in front of Shining Armor. “I appreciate your dedication to protect the citizens of Canterlot and the castle, Captain. Regardless, my wife is correct. There is no need to take offensive action.”

Sundance nodded “These dragons are our guests.”

Shining Armor bowed “Yes, your majesties.”

Sundance landed next to her husband before looking up at the visiting dragons. “I’m sorry, Solae. My family and I had to travel to Ponyville. I assure you that we would have returned sooner if we had known that you were coming.”

Shining Armor gasped in shock. “D-did she say Solae?! Does this mean that the larger dragon is the Queen of the Dragon Lands?!”

“Yes, Captain.” Midnight Armor replied “That is exactly who she is.”

“I-I see.” Shining Armor stammered I’m suddenly very glad that Princess Twilight blocked my attack.

Solae sighed in relief as she landed in front Sundance and folded her wings. “There was no harm done, Sundance.” She glanced at Shining Armor before returning her attention to Sundance. “I must say, I wish the defenders of the Dragon Lands were as dedicated as your captain.”

The second dragon nodded as he landed next to Solae. “Solae is correct. This unicorn is obviously very powerful and extremely loyal.” He glanced at Twilight. This must be the mare that hatched my son’s egg. He was pulled from his thoughts by Midnight Armor’s voice.

Midnight Armor laughed “Indeed. We are lucky to have him.”

Solae noticed that Twilight was still in the air. Smiling, she turned to the younger alicorn. “Thank you, Twilight.” That was an interesting, unique and very powerful defense.

Twilight returned the smile. “You’re welcome.”

Solae smiled wider as she turned to the alicorn next to Twilight. “You must be Princess Luna. Welcome back.”

Luna stared at Solae in shock for a moment before bowing slightly. “Thank you.”

Celestia glanced at the crowd that had gathered around them. “I think we should move this meeting to the courtyard behind the castle.”

Sundance nodded “You’re right, Celestia.” She turned to Twilight. “You should take a moment to speak with your friend.” Hopefully things have gone well for her in our absence.

Twilight nodded

Solae, the unknown dragon, Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna flew around the castle.

Twilight landed next to Cadance. “Are you alright, Cadance?”

Cadance nodded “I knew that Shining Armor would keep me safe.”

Shining Armor nodded as well.

“That’s not what I meant.” Twilight replied

“Oh.” Cadance’s ears drooped. “You’re talking about them.”

Twilight nodded but, before she could say anything, all of them turned when they heard a few voices.

“Over there!”

“There’s the freak.”

“Yeah. Let’s have some fun.”

Cadance sighed “Here we go again.” Why can’t they just leave me alone? It’s not my fault that I don’t have a Cutie Mark!

Twilight moved in front of Cadance.

All three of the pegasus stallions gasped. As one, they stammered “P-princess Twilight?!”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Is there a problem, gentlecolts?”

The leader of the group hurriedly shook his head. “No, princess. We just wanted to speak to the little . . .”

Another nudged him with a wing.

“Cadance” The first one finished lamely.

“I bet.” Spike remarked “Can I burn them this time, Twi? I promise I’ll stop before I really hurt them.”

All three of the stallions immediately backed up a couple of feet.

“Don’t worry.” Twilight told them “I’m not going to let Spike burn you.” She smirked “This time. However, if I catch you harassing her again . . . well, I might change my mind.”

All three of them bowed. “Y-yes, princess.”

The leader lifted his head. “W-we should get going.”

I don’t want them to try this again after I leave. Twilight waited until they were out of earshot before turning to Shining Armor. “Please inform the orphanage that Cadance will be spending the rest of the week at the castle.”

Smiling, Shining Armor bowed. “Yes, princess.” He began to walk in the direction of the Canterlot Orphanage.

Cadance sighed in relief. “T-thanks, Twilight.”

Twilight smiled “No problem, Cadance. You should head inside. I’m sure you would like to relax for a while. Just ask any member of the castle staff to show you to your usual room. If you’d rather read, you can go to the library.” She nuzzled her friend. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

Cadance returned her nuzzle before turning towards the castle.

Twilight waited until her friend had entered the castle before spreading her wings and taking flight. She flew over to castle towards the courtyard.

Sundance looked up when she sensed her granddaughter’s presence. “Here she comes.”

Midnight Armor, Luna and Celestia followed her gaze to see that Twilight was flying towards them.

“What happened?” Celestia asked

Frowning, Twilight showed them what had happened.

Midnight Armor shook his head. “Well done, Twilight.”

All of them looked up when they heard two sets of heavy footsteps. They smiled when they saw Solae and the unknown dragon walking towards them.

Spike tapped the back of Twilight’s neck. “The one with the emerald scales . . . Is that who I think it is?”

Surprised, Solae looked around for the owner of the voice. Her eyes widened when Twilight turned so that she could see who was sitting on her back. She gasped softly before echoing her son. “I-is that who I think it is?”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna smiled.

Laughing softly, Twilight nodded to Solae before reaching back to nuzzle Spike. “Yes, Spike. This is your mother.” I’m fairly certain that the other dragon is Bern, but I’ll wait until someone introduces him before I say anything.

Solae gasped again

The other dragon stared at Spike as well. T-this is my son.

Eyes wide, Spike just stared at Solae for a couple of minutes.

Solae slowly lay down where she stood. “Hello, Spike.” She said softly I-I can’t believe it. This is the one that I thought would never hatch. She gestured to her companion as he lay down next to her. “I’m sure you’ve figured this out already, but this is Bern.”

Spike’s eyes widened T-that means this is . . .

Bern smiled at his son. “Hello, Spike.” By the looks of things, he’ll be experiencing his first molt very soon.

W-wait a minute . . . Solae turned back to Twilight. “Y-you told Spike that I’m . . .”

“His mother?” Twilight finished

Solae slowly nodded “Why did you do that?”

Twilight smiled at her. “I promised you that I would raise Spike, but I never said that I would take your place.”

Solae stared at Twilight in stunned silence for a couple of minutes before lowering her head. “T-thank you.”

“Of course.” Twilight replied

Spike jumped off of Twilight’s back before looking up at his parents. W-wow. They’re both so big. Will I get that big as well? He glanced at Twilight before turning back to his parents. “H-hello” What am I supposed to do now?

Twilight lay down next to Spike before leaning over so she could whisper in his ear. “Do you remember the book that we read about dragons and dragon greetings?”

Spike nodded

“I think you should use that greeting for your father.” Twilight said softly “As for your mother, why don’t you show her what you’ve been practicing?”

That’s a good idea. Nodding again, Spike turned back to his father before opening his mouth.

Bern tilted his head. Is he going to do what I think he is? His eyes widened when his son released a green flame that was almost twice as large as he was. Impressive . . . especially for one so young. He smiled “Well done, Spike.”

Spike sighed in relief. “Thanks . . . Dad.”

Bern gasped I-I never thought I’d get to hear him call me that.

I hope she likes this. Spike turned to his mother. “I-is it alright if I try something?”

Curious, Solae nodded “Of course.”

Spike glanced at Twilight.

Nodding, Twilight levitated him onto his mother’s back.

Solae held very still. What does he have planned? Her eyes widened when she felt the warmth of a carefully controlled flame in between her wings. Closing her eyes, she let out a soft sigh of pleasure. It is impossible for a dragon of my size to reach that spot. There are several dragons of the right size in the Dragon Lands, but I don’t trust any of them enough to allow them on my back. Therefore, it has been a couple of decades since the last time that I felt this. She opened her eyes. “Thank you, Spike.”

Spike let out one last blast of flame before jumping off of his mother’s back and smiling up at her. “You’re welcome, Mom.”

Solae’s breath caught as she stared at her son.

Sundance and Midnight Armor lay down across from Solae and Bern. Celestia lay down next to her mother while Luna lay down next to her father. Twilight lay down next to her mother. Spike nervously looked between Twilight and Solae a couple of times.

Solae was about to suggest that her son lay down next to the one who had hatched him, but paused when Twilight made a sudden move.

Twilight smiled at Spike before gently nudging him towards his parents.

Thank goodness. That’s what I wanted to do, but I didn’t want to offend Twi. Sighing in relief, Spike walked over to his parents. Before anyone could ask, he curled up in between his father’s left hand and his mother’s right.

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Luna and Twilight smiled.

Solae and Bern stared at their son in shock for a moment before looking at each other. After a couple of minutes, they turned back to the alicorns.

“I apologize for not informing you that Bern and I were going to be visiting.” Solae began

“We initially planned to wait until Spike was twenty years old before coming to Equestria.” Bern continued “However, recent events changed our minds.”

“What do you mean?” Midnight Armor asked

“Bern and I decided to learn as much as we could about Equestrian culture.” Solae responded “Somewhere along the way, our attention was drawn to a story that was considered a myth.”

Luna winced I think I know what they’re going to say next.

Instantly noticing this, Bern quickly shook his head. “You misunderstand, Princess Luna. Solae is referring to the prediction at the end of the story.”

Solae nodded “We knew that Nightmare Moon would return soon. Unfortunately, we didn’t know exactly when that would happen.”

“You said that you didn’t know exactly when Nightmare Moon was going to return.” Sundance said slowly “If so, why did you chose now to travel to Equestria?”

“We noticed that the sun failed to rise on time yesterday morning.” Bern answered

Solae glanced at Celestia before turning back to Sundance. “There is only one being with the power to control the sun. Therefore, we knew that something had happened in Equestria.”

“I see.” Celestia said slowly “Is that why the two of you have journeyed to Equestria?”

Solae nodded “We quickly made the necessary preparations to be out of the Dragon Lands for a couple of weeks and left as soon as we could.”

“The sun rose roughly an hour and a half into our journey.” Bern continued “We decided to head to Canterlot in hopes of getting an explanation.” He smiled at his son. “Getting to meet Spike seven years early was a pleasant surprise.”

Nodding, Solae smiled at her son as well before turning back to the alicorns. “Will one of you please explain what happened?”

Midnight Armor showed them his memory of Nightmare Moon’s arrival.

Solae and Bern gasped in shock.

“W-what happened next?” Solae slowly asked

Celestia smiled at her niece. “You should show them that part.”

Blushing, Twilight did as she was told.

Bern and Solae laughed as they watched Twilight’s arrival in Ponyville. They laughed harder as they watched her meet each of her new friends. The two of them had finally stopped laughing by the time that she got to Nightmare Moon’s arrival.

Solae sighed in relief. I’m glad that Twilight decided to leave Spike somewhere safe.

Bern tilted his head I wonder Princess Twilight did after that. Was she the one who stopped Nightmare Moon?

I wonder how Solae and Bern will react when they see my battle with Nightmare Moon. Twilight looked up when she heard laughter. “Grandpa?”

“Don’t stop there.” Midnight Armor replied “I’m sure they would like to see your battle with Nightmare Moon.”

Gasping in shock, Solae turned to Twilight. “Y-you fought Nightmare Moon?!”

Nodding, Twilight showed everyone what happened in the castle in the Everfree Forest.

Bern waited until the memory had ended before turning to stare at Twilight. “I-incredible!” She is even more powerful than I thought.

Solae turned to Twilight as well. She was about to say something, but paused when something caught her attention. W-wait a minute. “Twilight.” She said slowly “Is that what I think it is?”

Confused, Twilight looked up at her. “What are you talking about?”

Solae pointed at the crown on her head.

Blushing again, Twilight responded “This is the Element of Magic.”

“I-I see” Solae replied

Everyone’s attention was drawn by the sound of hoofsteps. They looked up to see that Blueberry was walking up with a large cart that was loaded down with food.

The alicorns were given individual servings of Eggplant Parmesan and glasses of milk.

Spike sat up as a serving of Eggplant Parmesan was placed in front of him as well. He licked his lips when he noticed that there were chunks of rubies scattered throughout his meal. He also had a glass of milk.

Solae and Bern were each served a large bowl of sapphires. They were about to start eating, but paused when they saw what their son eating.

Confused, Solae turned to Twilight. “I am aware of the fact that ponies don’t eat meat. Therefore, it stands to reason that Spike doesn’t eat meat either. However, I would like to know why you don’t give him gems.”

Twilight laughed “Take a closer look at what he’s eating.”

Bern and Solae looked down in time to see Spike pop a chuck of ruby into his mouth. They were even more confused when they looked back at Twilight to see that she was smiling at Spike.

Twilight looked up at Solae. “He eats gems as a part of every meal.”

Spike ate a piece of eggplant before popping another piece of ruby into his mouth. He swallowed his food before looking up at his parents. “There are times when I just eat a bowl of gems. However, most of the time, I like to have gem pieces added to other food.”

“What do you mean?” Solae asked

Sundance laughed as well. “We break gems into smaller pieces before either cooking them with his food or simply adding them to the finished dish.”

Twilight nodded “Gems are incredibly heat resistant. This means that they can also be baked into Spike’s favorite desserts.”

“I see.” Solae commented “I never would have thought of doing that.”

“Agreed” Bern replied “However, it’s clear that this provides enough nutrition for him.”

Bern and Solae watched their son eat while they worked their way through their gems.

Everyone looked up when Blueberry returned to gather their empty plates.

Smiling, Twilight stood before walking over to the unicorn. She spent a couple of minutes talking to him before returning to lay down in the spot that she had left.

“What was that about?” Luna asked

“I have a surprise planned.” Twilight answered, snuggling closer to her mother

Sundance turned to Spike, Solae and Bern. “What would you like to do now?”

Solae opened her mouth but, before she could say anything, everyone looked up when they heard a voice.

“Twilight?”

Cadance paused when she noticed that everyone was looking at her. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll come back later.”

Sundance smiled “It’s alright, Cadance. You may join us if you want.”

Cadance hesitated “A-are you sure?”

“Of course.” Midnight Armor replied, smiling as well

“Alright” Cadance replied, slowly walking towards the group

Solae and Bern stared at Cadance for a moment before turning to each other.

“There is something special about this one.” Solae said softly And I’m not referring to the fact that she hasn’t earned her mark yet.

“You’re right, Solae.” Bern quietly replied “I can sense her power. She just hasn’t realized her full potential yet.”

Solae nodded “It will be interesting to see what happens when she does.”

Confused, Spike looked from one of his parents to the other. What are they talking about?

Solae noticed her son’s confusion. Laughing softly, she leaned down before whispering “I doubt she realizes this, but this mare has a great deal of magic locked inside her.”

“I know.” Spike replied “She can sense something that nopony else can.”

Surprised, Bern looked down at his son. “Really?”

Spike nodded “It would be understandable if she was a unicorn, but she’s a pegasus. That’s what makes it weird.”

“What is she able to sense?” Solae quietly asked

“I’m not sure.” Spike said slowly “She keeps talking about “connections”.”

“Connections?” Bern repeated

Spike nodded again

Cadance lay down next to Twilight before turning to the visiting dragons. She resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow when she focused her senses on Solae and Bern. There is a strong connection between them, but she has a second connection . . . actually, I think it’s the first one. Anyway, the strange part is that the first connection has been broken. I’ve never sensed that before, so I’m not sure what it means. She was pulled from her thoughts by a gentle nuzzle. Surprised, she turned to see that Twilight was looking at her.

“Are you feeling better?”

Cadance nodded “Thank you.” She leaned closer so she could whisper into Twilight’s ear. “I need to speak with you . . . privately.”

“Alright.” Twilight replied “We should be able to talk after dinner.” She paused “Can it wait until then?”

Cadance nodded again

Midnight Armor drew everyone’s attention by clearing his throat.

Sundance raised an eyebrow. “Midnight?”

Midnight Armor glanced at his wife before returning his gaze to Cadance. “Have you given any more thought to our offer?”

Cadance glanced at Solae and Bern. Should we be discussing this around their guests? She returned her attention to Midnight Armor before nodding.

“Have you come to a conclusion?” Sundance asked

Cadance nervously looked from Midnight Armor to Sundance and back again. I hope this doesn’t offend them. “I appreciate the offer . . .” She said slowly “but I don’t want to be adopted.”

Thoroughly confused, Solae stared at Cadence for a moment before turning to Bern. “What pony wouldn’t want to be adopted by the King and Queen of Equestria?”

Equally confused, Bern nodded to Solae before both of them turned to Cadance.

Cadance winced “It’s not that I don’t want to be adopted by them.” She explained “It’s just that I don’t want to be adopted by anypony.” I hope they don’t ask me to explain that.

“That’s what I thought she was going to say.” Midnight Armor whispered to Sundance.

Nodding, Sundance quietly replied “Same here.” She turned to Cadance. “It’s alright, we understand. To be honest, we didn’t expect you to accept that offer.”

W-what?! Shocked, Cadance stared at Sundance for a moment before stammering. “I-if you expected me to refuse . . . why did you make the offer in the first place?”

Midnight Armor laughed softly “The legal team for the orphanage informed us that we could only offer you the next option if you refused to be adopted by a qualified pair of interested ponies. Sundance and I knew that you would probably refuse, but offered to adopt you in order to move the process along.”

“I-I see.” Cadance slowly responded

“An orphan is only allowed to move out of the orphanage under one of four conditions.” Celestia began “The first is that an adult member of their family comes to claim them.”

Already aware of this, Cadance simply nodded and waited for her to continue.

“The second is that they can leave when they reach the legal age of eighteen.” Celestia continued “Unfortunately, that option isn’t available to you at the moment because you are fifteen years old.”

Cadance nodded again

Midnight Armor turned to Cadance. “As you know, the third option is adoption. You had to be offered this opportunity before we could move onto the fourth option.”

“A-and that is?” Cadance asked

“If you find someone to teach you, they can offer you lodging in a location of their choice.” Sundance explained

Eyes wide, Cadance turned to Twilight. “T-that means . . .”

“I became your teacher when you asked me to teach you about your sensory abilities.” Twilight smiled at her friend. “As your teacher, I have the authority to move you out of the orphanage and into any lodging that I deem suitable.” Her smile faded as she shook her head. “Unfortunately, that authority comes with a catch.”

“W-what is the catch?” Cadance hesitantly asked

Midnight Armor sighed “Twilight couldn’t move you out of the orphanage simply because she wanted to. This is because the orphanage is fairly close to the castle. This means that you can easily make it to your lessons and still make it back to the orphanage before dark.”

Sundance nodded “That means she had to find proof that your current living situation is harmful to either your physical or psychological health.”

“My first step was to visit the orphanage myself.” Twilight explained “Unfortunately, those visits were seen as “Royal Inspections”. As such, everypony made sure that everything was perfect during each of my visits.”

Cadance gasped “Y-you mean that’s why . . .”

Twilight nodded “I asked Shining Armor to escort you to and from your lessons for a few reasons. The first was simply that it was for your protection.”

“Protection?” Cadance repeated

Twilight nodded again. “The student of Royalty is a tempting target. I had to make sure that you would be safe.”

“T-thank you” Cadance said softly

“You’re welcome.” Twilight nuzzled her friend. “The second reason was that I could tell that you liked him.” She giggled when Cadance blushed. “That actually leads to the third reason. Eventually, Shining Armor was no longer seen as your escort. Those at the orphanage simply treated him as your friend.”

“This means that he got to see how they really treat you.” Midnight Armor smiled “Of course, he was reporting this back to Twilight.”

Cadance gasped “T-that means you . . .”

“Finally have the evidence that I need.” Twilight finished “I will be going to the orphanage tomorrow and filling out the necessary paperwork. This means that you will be living at the castle until you turn eighteen.”

“Twilight insisted that you stay at the castle for the rest of the week for two reasons.” Sundance commented “The first is that she wanted to get you out of that situation as soon as possible. The second is that the paperwork usually takes between three and four days to process.” I’m sure that Midnight and I can convince them to make that process go a little faster.

“T-that means I won’t have to go back to the orphanage.” Cadance said softly

Midnight Armor’s smile widened “That’s right. You’re home now.”

Chapter 4

“T-thank you” Cadance whispered

Smiling, Twilight nuzzled her friend. “You’re welcome.”

Cadance thought for a moment before turning back to Twilight. “What will happen after I turn eighteen?” I hope she doesn’t tell me that I will have to leave.

Twilight shook her head when she saw the expression on Cadance’s face. “Don’t worry. We won’t force you to leave after that.”

Sundance nodded “Twilight is correct. You are welcome to stay as long as you want.”

Cadance smiled at Sundance. “Thank you.”

“Your usual room has been set aside for you.” Midnight Armor added

“Thank you.” Cadance replied

Midnight Armor smiled at her before turning to his youngest. “Unfortunately, your mother and I didn’t have enough time to get a room ready for you.”

Sundance turned to Luna as well. “This leaves you with two options. The first is that you can use a guest room while we prepare yours.”

“The second is that you can move into mine until yours is ready.” Celestia smiled at her sister. “We haven’t shared a room since we were fillies.”

Luna returned her sister’s smile. “I think I’ll go with the second option.”

Celestia’s smile widened “I was hoping you would say that. We have a lot of time to catch up on.”

“You’re right.” Luna replied

Sundance and Midnight Armor smiled at each other before turning to their daughters.

Midnight Armor nuzzled his youngest. “We’ll move another bed into your sister’s room after dinner.”

Luna returned her father’s nuzzle. “Thank you, Father.”

Twilight suddenly realized that she hadn’t heard anything from Spike, Solae or Bern in several minutes. Concerned, she turned to the dragons. She noticed that Bern and Spike were quietly discussing something. Solae was smiling as she watched Spike interact with his father.

Twilight turned to her grandfather to see that he was also quietly discussing something with his children. She suppressed a sigh as her ears drooped. I know I shouldn’t feel like this, but I can’t help it. She tried in vain to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes as she turned back to Spike, Solae and Bern.

Bern suddenly sensed that someone was watching him. He glanced around for a moment before noticing that Twilight was looking at him, Spike and Solae. His eyes widened when he saw the tears streaming down her face. What’s wrong?

I-I can’t take it anymore. I have to go see him. Twilight suppressed a sob as she stood before walking away from everyone.

Bern was about to say something, but paused when he heard Cadance’s voice.

“Twilight?”

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia, Luna, Spike and Solae looked at her before following her gaze to Twilight. Their eyes widened when she vanished in a flash of magenta magic.

“She was crying.” Cadance said softly

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Spike, Solae, Celestia and Luna gasped. “What?!”

Concerned, Sundance turned to her husband. “Where do you think she went?”

“I’m not sure.” Midnight Armor replied “Perhaps one of us should check her room.”

Solae was about to say something, but paused when Spike gasped again. She looked down in time to see him stand. “Spike?”

It is around that time of year. “I think I know where she went.” Spike began to run around the right side of the castle.

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Solae and Bern stood before following him. They found themselves in a quiet garden on the right side of the castle.

Cadance looked around. “I’ve never been here before.”

“That’s because this is a special place.” Sundance quietly explained

Midnight Armor nodded “Under normal circumstances, only members of the Royal Family of Equestria are allowed to enter this garden.”

“What makes it so special?” Solae asked softly

“An important member of our family is buried here.” Celestia quietly answered

Luna’s eyes widened as she turned to her parents and sister. “D-do you mean . . .”

“Yes.” Midnight Armor draped a wing over Luna’s back. “Comet is buried in the center of this garden.”

Luna gasped softly “I-I see.”

Solae looked around the small garden. All of the flowers are different shades of blue and white. Those must have been his favorite colors. “It’s beautiful.”

Sundance looked around the garden for a moment before noticing that her granddaughter was laying down in front of the gravestone in the center of the garden. Twilight didn’t seem upset until she saw the way that Midnight and Bern were interacting with their children. However, I’m confused. Why would that have upset her? She gasped softly when she finally understood. “That must be why she is so upset.”

Midnight Armor turned to his wife. “What do you mean?”

Sundance’s ears drooped slightly as she turned to face him. “It’s clear that Twilight is genuinely happy for everyone. However, watching you and Bern interact with Celestia, Luna and Spike has undoubtedly reminded her of the fact that she will never get to meet her father.”

Everyone else gasped

Midnight Armor’s ears drooped as well. “I see.” Sundance has a good point. I have done my best to help raise Comet’s daughter, but I have never tried to take his place. He looked up when Luna silently walked towards her daughter.

Spike started to walk towards Twilight as well, but paused when he noticed that he was suspended in light blue magic. He turned to Sundance. “What are you doing? Let me go!”

Smiling sadly, Sundance shook her head as she levitated the baby dragon onto her back. “You can speak to Twilight later.”

Spike sighed “Okay”

Luna lay down next to Twilight before spreading a wing over her daughter.

Twilight’s body shook as she sobbed.

Luna nuzzled her daughter before looking at the gravestone in front of them. “Hello, Comet.” She said softly “I’m sorry that it took me so long to return.” She glanced at her daughter before returning her attention to her husband’s gravestone. “I’m also sorry that I wasn’t able to fulfill your last wish.”

Twilight lifted her head. “W-what are you talking about?”

“Your father’s final words were a request for me to take care of you.” Luna gave her daughter a sad smile. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do so because I was taken over by Nightmare Forces a couple of minutes after he died.”

Celestia, Spike, Midnight Armor and Sundance winced. Solae and Bern’s eyes widened while Cadance suppressed a gasp of surprise.

“That wasn’t your fault.” Twilight quietly replied

“That’s not true.” Luna shook her head when she saw her daughter’s expression. “You don’t know what happened.”

“Yes, I do.” Twilight said softly, using her magic to dry her eyes “Grandma showed me her memory of that day.”

Luna gasped W-what?! “Why did she do that?!”

“She wanted me to know what happened in case I ended up facing Nightmare Moon.” Twilight answered

“I see.” Luna slowly replied I suppose that was a good idea. Twilight probably gained valuable information that she used when she faced Nightmare Moon.

No one noticed that Celestia’s horn had begun to glow.

Now is the time for that spell. I initially created this spell for Twilight, but I believe Luna will benefit from it as well. Celestia suppressed a sigh. I just hope this doesn’t upset them even further. She closed her eyes before casting her spell.

Twilight shifted so that she could look her mother in the eye. “Like I said, it wasn’t your fault.”

Luna opened her mouth to argue, but paused when she felt a gentle nuzzle. Surprised, she turned to see that Sundance was standing behind them. Spike jumped off of her back before laying down next to Twilight.

“Your daughter is correct.” Sundance said softly

Midnight Armor lay down next to Luna before spreading a wing over his daughter and granddaughter. Then he glanced at the gravestone. “Hello, Comet. I apologize for the fact that our conversation is going to be shorter than usual. I need to set your wife straight.”

Everyone, except for Celestia, looked up when a gentle breeze rustled the tops of the trees.

Sundance turned back to her husband. “I’m sure that, if he could, Comet would be doing that himself.”

“You are correct, Sundance.”

Luna froze. I-it can’t be . . . “T-that voice . . .” She looked up to see that the spirit of a unicorn stallion with a dark gray coat was floating above the gravestone. Her eyes widened. “C-comet?! I-is that really you?”

Twilight’s eyes were wide as she stared up at the spirit of her father.

Spike stared up at the spirit in shock. T-that is Twi’s father . . .

Sundance and Midnight Armor glanced at each other for a moment before turning back to the spirit of their son-in-law. Both of them were thinking the same thing. What’s going on?!

Solae, Bern and Cadance exchanged confused glances before turning back to Comet’s spirit as well.

Comet smiled at his wife as he floated down to stand in front of her. “Yes, Luna. It’s me.”

“H-how . . .” Luna stammered

Comet nodded at Celestia. “Your sister has created a truly powerful spell.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Luna, Twilight, Solae, Bern, Spike and Cadance immediately turned to Celestia. Their eyes widened when they noticed that her eyes were closed and her horn was glowing brightly.

S-she was able to call a soul from the Realm of the Dead?! “That must be a very powerful spell.” Solae whispered

Bern silently nodded I can’t even imagine how much magic it takes to accomplish something like that. H-how powerful is she?!

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Luna, Twilight, Solae, Bern, Spike and Cadance turned back to Comet.

“Celestia has already informed me of the situation.” Comet explained “I realize that this is going to sound insensitive, but I don’t have time to be gentle.”

Everyone silently waited for him to continue.

“What happened wasn’t your fault.” Comet told his wife. “It’s time to move on.”

Midnight Armor nuzzled his youngest. “Comet is correct. You’ve suffered enough.”

“I . . .” Sighing, Luna looked down. “I don’t think I can.”

“I know that you can.” Comet replied “Fortunately, you won’t be doing it alone. I am certain that the rest of our family will do whatever they can to help you.”

Luna sighed again “I-I’ll try, Comet. I can’t promise anything beyond that.”

Comet smiled “Thank you.” He glanced at something on the ground next to his right forehoof. I wonder if Celestia was able to find a way to allow me to use my magic. His horn began to glow. As a test, he caught a leaf that was floating nearby. It looks like she did. He released the leaf before returning his attention to the object that had caught his attention. Curious, he levitated it into the air before bringing it closer. I thought so. The Element of Magic has been set in this crown.

Twilight gasped It must have fallen off of my head when I lay down. “T-that’s . . .”

Comet turned towards the voice. I still can’t believe it. Twilight was only two weeks old when I died. My little girl has grown into a beautiful mare. He gently set the crown with the Element of Magic set in it on top of his daughter’s head. “I am extremely proud of you, Twilight. You were able to do what nopony else could. You saved your mother.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Luna, Solae, Bern, Spike and Cadance smiled at Twilight.

Twilight’s eyes widened “I . . . uh . . .”

Comet raised an eyebrow. “You fought Nightmare Moon . . . and you’re afraid to talk to your father?”

Twilight slowly shook her head. “N-no. It’s just that . . .” She trailed off when Sundance laughed softly.

“She had a similar reaction when Luna returned.” Sundance explained

Twilight blushed “Grandma! Did you have to say that?”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Luna began to laugh. Solae and Bern smiled at each other before turning back to Sundance, Midnight Armor, Twilight, Luna and Comet.

Comet began to laugh as well. “Probably not. Even so, I’m glad that she did.” He turned to Sundance and Midnight Armor. “Thank you for raising my daughter.”

“Of course.” Sundance and Midnight Armor replied

“Speaking of the fight with Nightmare Moon . . .” Luna said slowly

Everyone turned to her.

“I was watching the entire thing.” Luna finished

Solae, Bern, Spike and Cadance’s eyes widened.

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Comet and Twilight gasped “What?”

Luna nodded to them before smiling at her husband. “Our daughter is even better at hoof-to-hoof combat than you were.”

Comet raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Luna nodded again

Comet glanced at Twilight before turning back to Luna. “I’d really like to see that.”

“That can be arranged.” Midnight Armor responded

Midnight Armor and Luna folded their wings. Then Twilight and Midnight Armor stood before spreading their wings.

Comet, Luna, Sundance, Bern, Solae, Spike and Cadance watched Twilight and Midnight Armor take to the air.

Midnight Armor turned to face his granddaughter. “I won’t be holding back this time.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow when Midnight Armor’s horn began to glow. What is he doing? We don’t use magic during hoof-to-hoof combat.

Midnight Armor launched a powerful beam of magic at his granddaughter. Come on, Twilight. Show your father your force field.

Twilight glanced at those still on the ground. I can’t dodge the attack because it would hit Mom, Dad’s spirit, Aunt Celestia, Grandma, Solae, Spike, Bern and Cadance. In that case . . . She surrounded herself with her force field.

Midnight Armor smiled. Perfect.

Comet’s eyes widened when it easily blocked Midnight Armor’s attack. “What is that?”

Sundance laughed “Twilight calls it her force field.”

“I see.” Comet slowly replied That didn’t look like a shield or a barrier. Did Twilight create a new type of defense?

Midnight Armor used magic to boost his speed. He used this increased speed to propel himself at Twilight. He smiled when she easily blocked his first blow. Well done, Twilight. Now it’s time to show your father what you can really do. He pulled Twilight into a session of hoof-to-hoof combat that was far more intense than either of the ones that she had had with Nightmare Moon.

Comet watched in wonder. “You’re right, Luna. She is far better at hoof-to-hoof combat than I was.”

Sundance and Luna nodded

If this is what she can do without magic . . . Bern glanced at his mate. “Remind me not to anger that one.”

Solae laughed softly “Only if you do the same for me.”

Midnight Armor and Twilight landed on the ground a few minutes later.

Comet stared at Twilight for a moment before looking at Midnight Armor. “I assume you taught her that.”

Chuckling, Midnight Armor nodded. “I wanted to make sure that she could handle herself in combat.”

“Thank you, Midnight.” Comet turned to his daughter. “Where did you get the idea for your force field?”

“I wanted to create a defensive technique that was a combination of a barrier and a shield.” Twilight frowned “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that. My force field has the effects of both, but doesn’t contain either of them.”

I can’t believe it. She is actually annoyed. Comet smiled at his daughter. “You may have failed to accomplish your goal, but you succeeded in creating something far more impressive.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor nodded

Laughing softly, Luna nuzzled her daughter. “Your father is correct.” I never thought I would get to say that. She turned back to her husband . . . and sighed when she saw that he was beginning to fade. “It appears that we are out of time.”

“It looks like you’re right.” Comet turned to Luna. “I’m glad that I was able to see both of you. Please thank Celestia for me.”

“I will.” Luna promised

Comet smiled at his wife and their daughter. “I love you.” He vanished before they could respond.

Even so, both of them said “We love you, too.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor nuzzled Luna and Twilight. All four of them turned when they heard Bern’s voice.

“Are you alright, Princess Celestia?”

Panting softly, Celestia wobbled a little as she opened her eyes. “I-I’m alright.”

Sundance teleported to her daughter’s side. “Are you sure?”

Celestia nodded as she leaned into her mother’s side. “That spell took more magic to maintain than I thought it would.”

Luna walked over to her sister. “Thank you.” She leaned into Celestia’s other side before nuzzling into her sister’s shoulder. “Comet asked me to thank you as well.”

Smiling, Celestia leaned down to nuzzle her sister. “You’re welcome, Luna.” She looked up when she heard hoofsteps. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the expression on her niece’s face. “Twilight?”

Twilight walked over to Celestia before using her magic to lower her aunt’s head. She made sure that her horn was touching Celestia’s before giving her aunt a large portion of her available magic.

Celestia couldn’t hold back a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

Twilight shook her head before nuzzling her aunt. “I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

Celestia laughed softly “In that case, thank you and you’re welcome.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Luna, Twilight, Spike, Cadance, Solae and Bern laughed as well.

Celestia returned her niece’s nuzzle before sighing. “Unfortunately, that spell only allows a soul to travel to this realm from the Realm of the Dead once. This means that Comet won’t be able to visit again.”

Luna smiled “That’s alright. I’m glad that he was able to visit.”

Midnight Armor smiled at his family. “I think we should return to the main garden.”

Nodding, everyone else followed him to the main garden.

Twilight looked towards the sound of hoofsteps to see that Blueberry was walking towards them with another cart full of food. “It is time for dinner already?”

Celestia followed her niece’s gaze. “I guess so.”

They lay down as he walked up to them. “For dinner, Queen Solae and her mate, Bern, will each be eating large bowls of jade. The ponies will be eating Fettuccini Alfredo. Spike will be eating the same dish. However, his has been prepared with several pieces of jade that were cooked with the pasta. All of you have been provided with bottles of apple juice.” He turned to Twilight. “The surprise is almost ready, princess. I will bring both of them out when they are.”

Twilight smiled “Thank you.”

Blueberry bowed to the two Royal Families before heading back to the castle.

Everyone else looked at Twilight.

Twilight shook her head before taking a bite of her dinner. “You’ll see soon enough.”

Everyone laughed as they began to eat their dinners.

They had just finished when they noticed that Blueberry was walking towards them with another cart.

Blueberry stopped at a respectful distance before bowing. “As you have requested, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight smiled “Thank you”

Blueberry lifted his head. “Please let me know how they turned out.”

“I will.” Twilight replied

Blueberry bowed again before heading back to the castle.

Spike stared at the cakes for a moment before turning to Twilight. “A-are those what I think they are?”

“Yes, Spike.” Twilight answered “Those are geode cakes.”

Spike gasped “B-but you told me that nopony knew how to make them!”

Twilight giggled “That was true at the time that I said that. However, after a lot of research, I was able to figure it out. Then I gave Blueberry the recipe.” She turned to the cakes. “The one with what appears to be amethysts is for the ponies.”

Solae raised an eyebrow. “What appears to be?”

“Those aren’t really gemstones.” Twilight explained “It’s actually sugar that has been colored and melted so that it looks like gems.”

“I see.” Bern replied “And the larger one?”

“That one is for you, Solae and Spike to share.” Twilight responded “It really is made with emeralds.” She used her magic to cut that cake into three pieces before serving them to the dragons.

Spike gasped again when he took a closer look at his slice. “There are emeralds inside the cake, too!”

Twilight giggled again “Do you like the surprise? I was originally planning to keep this a secret until your birthday.” She glanced at Solae and Bern before turning back to Spike. “However, I thought it would be a nice “Welcome to Equestria” treat for your parents.”

Spike nodded repeatedly before running to Twilight, jumping onto her back and giving her a hug. “Thanks, Twi!”

Solae tilted her head. “Twi?”

“Spike had trouble saying “Twilight” when he was very young.” Sundance explained “That was when he began calling her “Twi”. It has become her nickname.”

Solae laughed “I see.”

Celestia, Luna and Twilight raised their heads and looked at each other. All three of them said the same thing. “It’s time.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Spike smiled while Solae, Bern and Cadance tilted their heads in confusion. None of them noticed that Blueberry had returned to check on them.

Celestia lowered the sun before smiling at her sister. “It’s your turn.”

Luna returned her sister’s smile before raising the moon.

“I-incredible.” Bern said softly I knew that Princess Celestia could control the sun, but I never thought I’d actually get to see her do it. As for Princess Luna, it appears that the legends about her are correct. She really is the Princess of the Moon.

Solae didn’t respond because she was staring at Twilight.

Noticing this, Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”

“My apologies.” Solae replied, shaking her head “I didn’t mean to stare. I noticed this earlier, but wasn’t sure how to approach the topic.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked

“I can’t quite place it, but I have noticed that there is something different about you.” Solae answered Part of it is obvious. The darker parts of her mane and tail sparkle now. However, I have no idea what caused this change.

Additionally, I sense that she has more power now than she did when she hatched Spike’s egg.

“My daughter has a new role.” Luna smiled at Twilight before turning back to Solae. “That new role has come with a new title and a couple of new abilities.”

Solae and Bern exchanged confused glances before turning back to Twilight.

“What is your mother talking about?” Solae asked

Twilight blushed

Spike’s smile turned into a grin. “Why don’t you show them . . . Princess of the Stars?”

Confused, Cadance looked at Spike for a moment before turning back to Twilight. What is he talking about?

Blueberry tilted his head on confusion. I know that Princess Celestia is the Princess of the Sun. Princess Luna just proved that the legends about her are correct. She really is the Princess of the Moon. However, I thought she also had the ability to control the stars. Why did Spike call Princess Twilight the “Princess of the Stars”? He was torn from his thoughts by Solae’s voice.

“Princess of the Stars?” Solae repeated

Twilight’s blush deepened as she nodded. She took a couple of deep breaths before closing her eyes as her horn began to glow.

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Solae, Bern, Cadance, Blueberry and Spike looked on as Twilight placed the stars in the night sky.

“W-wow!” Cadance whispered I’ve never seen her do that before.

Blueberry stared at Twilight in shock. I-incredible!

T-that certainly answers that question. Solae stared up at the stars for a moment before returning her gaze to Twilight. “T-that was incredible!” She said softly “When did you gain the ability to do that?”

“Last night.” Twilight answered, opening her eyes

Solae stared at Twilight in stunned silence for a couple of minutes. Then she stammered “Y-you gained the ability to control the stars . . . last night?!”

Twilight nodded

Bern opened and closed his mouth a few times before stammering. “H-how did that happen?”

Cadance glanced at Bern before turning back to the Royal Family. That is a very good question. I hope one of them is going to answer it.

Sundance showed everyone her memory of what had happened the night before.

“I-I see.” Solae said slowly T-this means that Twilight was the Princess of the Stars all along. It’s just that no one knew about it until now. She was pulled from her thoughts by her son’s voice.

“You have to try this cake! It’s delicious!”

Blueberry smiled “That’s good to hear.”

Laughing, Solae picked up her slice. She took moment to examine it before pulling one of the emeralds off of the cake. She used the emerald to remove a small piece of her slice before putting it in her mouth. Her eyes widened as she chewed. “You’re right, Spike.” She quickly ate the rest of her slice. She looked up when she heard laughter. “Bern?”

Bern smiled at his mate. “I had the same reaction.”

Solae returned his smile before turning to Twilight. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Twilight replied “I’m glad you like it.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Luna, Twilight and Cadance finished their slices before placing their plates on the cart. Blueberry pushed the cart back into the castle.

Twilight turned to Cadance. “I think we should head to your room.”

“Why?” Cadance asked

“You told me that you wanted to speak to me privately.” Twilight reminded her.

I can’t believe I forgot about that. Cadance nodded “You’re right.”

Twilight turned to everyone else. “We’ll probably be up late.”

Sundance laughed “That’s alright. We’ll see both of you in the morning.”

Twilight nodded to her grandmother before turning to everyone else. “Have a good night.”

“Good Night.” Sundance, Solae, Midnight Armor, Bern, Celestia, Luna and Spike replied.

Twilight teleported Cadance and herself to Cadance’s room.

Bern turned to Solae. “I think we should find a safe space to build a fire so we can get some sleep.”

Solae nodded “Good idea.”

“In that case, both of you should follow me.” Midnight Armor stood before spreading his wings.

Curious, Solae and Bern did the same. Also standing, Sundance levitated Spike onto her back as she spread her wings as well. Celestia and Luna glanced at each other for a moment before standing and spreading their wings. The six of them took flight. They arrived in the air above the center courtyard of the castle a couple of minutes later.

“It’s certainly large enough.” Solae commented “However . . .” She trailed off when one of the doors opened.

A unicorn stallion levitated a dozen large logs over to the center of the courtyard and stacked them in a large pile before using his magic to set them on fire. Then he headed back inside. He returned to the courtyard less than a minute later with two dozen more logs suspended in his magic. He stacked these logs not far from the fire before bowing to the alicorns. “As you have requested, King Midnight Armor.”

“Thank you.” Midnight Armor waited until the unicorn had gone back inside before turning to Solae and Bern. “Will this suffice?”

Bern nodded “This is perfect. Thank you.”

Celestia glanced at the clouds in the sky. “It looks like it’s going to rain tonight. In that case . . .” She created a roof for the courtyard that was made entirely of magic before turning to Solae. “This will allow the smoke to leave while keeping the rain out.”

Solae smiled “Thank you, Princess Celestia.”

Celestia returned the smile. “You’re welcome.”

Sundance turned to Spike. “You can sleep out here if you want. This will allow you can spend more time with your parents.”

Spike immediately nodded. “Yes, please.”

Solae and Bern smiled at each other before turning back to everyone else.

Nodding as well, Sundance levitated Spike onto the ground. “Do you think the fire will keep you warm enough?”

Spike glanced at the fire. “I’m not sure.” He shrugged “I can always go inside if I get cold.”

Celestia leaned down to nuzzle Spike before turning to Bern and Solae. “We’ll see the three of you in the morning.”

Sundance turned to Solae. “If you need anything, all you have to do is knock on the door over there.”

Solae’s smile widened “Thank you, Sundance.”

Sundance returned the smile. “Enjoy your evening.”

“I hope you do the same.” Bern replied

“We’ll see you in the morning.” Midnight Armor smiled at the dragons before teleporting himself, Sundance, Celestia and Luna to a living room that was only used by the Royal Family.

Solae and Bern lay down side by side in front of the fire. Spike hesitated for a moment before laying down in between his parents.

Twilight and Cadance appeared in the middle of Cadance’s room. Twilight started to walk over to the couch, but paused when she heard Cadance’s voice.

“I think we’ll be more comfortable over here.”

Surprised, Twilight turned to see that her friend was laying on her bed. “Are you sure?”

She’s trying to hide it, but I can tell that she’s still sad. Cadance nodded “I was hoping that we could have a sleep over after we’re done.”

Twilight laughed as she walked over to the bed. “I don’t have a problem with that.” She lay down before turning to her friend and student. “What did you want to talk about?”

“A couple of things.” Cadance answered “The first is something that I noticed about the Queen of the Dragon Lands.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked

“It has to do with my sensory abilities.” Cadance explained “I noticed that she has two connections.”

“Two?” Twilight repeated

Cadance nodded “One is to Bern, but the other one . . . actually, I think it’s the first . . . anyway, the other one has been cut.”

“In a way, that kind of makes sense.” Twilight said slowly

Cadance raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve been doing some more research into what you’ve told me about your sensory abilities.” Twilight responded

I’m not surprised. “Did you discover anything?” Cadance asked

“You told me that you can only sense these “connections” from individuals who are either married or dating.” Twilight reminded her.

Cadance shook her head. “That’s not true. I sensed a second broken connection today.”

“Who was it?” Twilight asked

Cadance hesitated for a moment before slowly answering the question. “Your mother.”

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. “That convinces me that I’m right.” She noticed the confused expression on her friend’s face. “I don’t think you’re sensing the connections between other ponies . . . well, individuals.”

Cadance raised the other eyebrow. “If I’m not sensing connections . . . what am I sensing?”

“Love” Twilight answered

Cadance’s eyes widened “Why do you think I can sense love?”

“There are two reasons.” Twilight responded “The first is that, as I said, you are only able to sense these “connections” between those who are in a relationship. The second is that Mom and Solae were both married to someone that has died.”

Cadance gasped “That must be why the connections have been cut!”

Twilight nodded “You must be able to sense the cut “connections” because Mom and Solae still love Dad and Voth respectively.”

“I-I see.” Cadance stammered “I guess that makes sense.”

“I still have no idea why you are able to do this.” Twilight commented

Cadance shrugged “I don’t know why either. There aren’t any unicorns in either side of my family.”

“I’ll look into that later.” Twilight thought for a moment before turning back to her friend. “You said there were two things that you wanted to discuss with me.” She waited until Cadance nodded. “What is the second?”

Cadance blushed “I-it’s Shining Armor.”

“What about him?” Twilight asked

“I made sure that he didn’t have any connections before asking him if he wanted to go out to dinner.” Cadance replied

Twilight stared at her friend for a moment before slowly stating. “You asked him out on a date.”

Cadance’s blush deepened as she nodded.

“Well?” Twilight asked “What did he say?”

“He said no.” Cadance answered

Twilight gasped “Did he say why?”

“He told me that he doesn’t have anything against me.” Cadance responded “It’s just that he doesn’t have any interest in dating. In fact, he’s so against dating that I’m starting to think that he doesn’t believe in love.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Twilight said slowly “Shining Armor is extremely dedicated to Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Celestia and I. Additionally, he probably believes that a relationship would interfere with his ability to perform his duties as Commander of the Canterlot branch of the Equestrian Army.”

“That makes sense.” Cadance commented “Is there a way to convince him that he’s wrong?”

Twilight giggled “We’ll think of something.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna appeared in the middle of the living room. Sundance and Midnight Armor walked over to a comfortable couch before laying down side by side.

Celestia lay down on the couch that sat on the other side of a wooden coffee table before noticing that her sister was still standing in the middle of the room. “Luna?”

Luna had been looking around the room. Startled, she jumped before turning to her sister. “Y-yes?”

Laughing softly, Celestia levitated her sister to her side before covering her with a wing. Blushing, Luna snuggled closer to her sister.

Midnight Armor laughed as well. “It’s alright, Luna. I don’t blame you for wanting to get a better look at your surroundings.”

Celestia nodded “Father is correct. However, it’s more comfortable to do that while lying down.”

Sundance sighed in pleasure as she lay her head on her husband’s shoulder. The four of us haven’t been able to do this in a very long time.

“A-are you going to ask more questions about what happened a thousand years ago?” Luna hesitantly asked

Midnight Armor shook his head. “Your mother and I would like to relax for a while.”

Luna sighed in relief. “I see.”

They lay like that for almost an hour before Midnight Armor noticed that Sundance was almost asleep and Luna was struggling to keep her eyes open. Laughing softly, he gently nuzzled his wife.

Startled, Sundance’s eyes flew open. “Y-yes?”

“It’s alright, Honey.” Midnight Armor said softly. “I was just going to suggest that we retire to our rooms for the night.”

“Good idea, Father.” Celestia replied “I’ll take Luna to my room.”

Sundance smiled at her children. “Sleep well.”

Midnight Armor nodded “We’ll see both of you in the morning.” He waited until Celestia had teleported herself and Luna to her room before teleporting himself and his wife to theirs.

Sundance walked over to their bed as she used her magic to pull back the covers. She yawned as she climbed into bed.

Smiling, Midnight Armor joined his wife before using his magic to pull the blankets over both of them.

Sundance rolled over to face her husband. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she whispered “It’s finally over.”

He nuzzled his wife as he used a wing to wipe the tears from her eyes. “You’re right, Honey. Our little girl has finally come home.”

She returned his nuzzle before laying her head on a pillow and closing her eyes. “Good night, Midnight.”

He pulled her close before doing the same. “Good night, Sundance.”

Both of them were asleep within a few minutes.

Meanwhile, Celestia and Luna appeared in the middle of Celestia’s bathroom.

Luna looked around in confusion for a moment before turning to her sister. “Where are we?”

“My bathroom.” Celestia answered

“What is a “bathroom”?” Luna asked

Celestia suppressed a giggle. I suppose I should have expected that. “It is a room that is used for a couple of different things.” She led the way over to the toilet. “This is called a toilet. When a pony needs to relieve themselves, they sit on this part and do what comes naturally. When they are finished, they wipe themselves with some of that paper over there and push that lever. Water caries the waste away.”

“That’s much better than what we used to use.” Luna glanced around the room before nodding towards the large square tub that had been sunk into the floor. “What is that?”

Smiling, Celestia used her magic to start the water and set the temperature. “This is a bathtub. I thought you would enjoy a bath.”

Luna immediately nodded “I haven’t taken a bath in a thousand years.”

Celestia’s smile widened “I think it’s time to change that.” She levitated a couple of towels, a bottle of body wash, another of shampoo, a brush and a comb over to the tub.

Luna walked into the bathtub as soon as it was full. She raised an eyebrow when Celestia walked in as well. “Sister?”

I have really missed hearing that. Celestia nuzzled her sister. “I know you’re not a filly anymore, but I was hoping that you would allow me to wash your mane . . . like I used to do when we were younger.”

Smiling, Luna nodded “I like that idea.”

Celestia sighed in relief as she opened the bottle of shampoo. “Unfortunately, I only have my favorite scent in here at the moment.”

“Is it still vanilla?” Luna asked

Celestia’s eyes widened “Y-you remember my favorite scent?”

Luna laughed “Obviously”

Celestia nuzzled her sister again. “I believe yours was lavender.”

“That’s right.” Luna replied

Celestia laughed “Its Twilight’s favorite as well.”

Luna’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Celestia nodded “She doesn’t know that it’s your favorite scent. Instead, it’s her favorite because she likes the flower.”

“T-that is one of my favorites as well.” Luna said softly “In fact, it’s second only to the moonflower.”

Celestia giggled when Luna yawned. “Let’s get you clean so we can get some sleep.”

Luna laughed as well. “Good idea.”

They worked together to clean Luna’s mane, tail, coat and wings before climbing out of the tub and drying off. Celestia led the way into her room as soon as they were done.

Luna glanced around the room. “Didn’t Father say that he was going to have another bed brought in here?”

Celestia shrugged “Perhaps he got distracted and forgot. No matter. My bed is large enough for both of us.”

Curious, Luna turned to the bed. Her eyes widened when she saw how large it was. “You’re right.”

“Let’s get some sleep.” Celestia used her magic to pull the covers back before laying down. She smiled when Luna joined her. “Good night, Luna.”

Luna yawned again before laying her head on a pillow. “Good night, sister.”

Celestia gently nuzzled her sister before laying her head on a pillow as well. Both of them were asleep within a couple of minutes.

The next morning, Celestia, Luna and Twilight woke to the pull of their respective celestial bodies. Twilight and Luna lowered the stars and moon. Then Celestia raised the sun.

Twilight walked out of Cadance’s room and quietly closed the door behind her before teleporting to her grandparents’ room. She laughed softly when she saw that both of them were still asleep.

Sundance woke to a gentle nuzzle. “What is it?”

“Aunt Celestia, Mom and I have just completed our celestial duties.” Twilight answered “I was hoping we could eat breakfast together before waking Cadance, Spike, Solae and Bern.”

Midnight Armor chuckled “It’s going to be a while before I get used to the fact that you wake up this early on your own.”

Twilight made a face. “I wish I could sleep in, but . . .”

“You are the only one who can control the stars.” Sundance finished

Twilight nodded

Sundance and Midnight Armor stood and stretched. Then Midnight Armor teleported the three of them to his daughter’s room.

Celestia and Luna looked up when they heard the telltale sound of a teleportation spell. They smiled when they saw their parents and Twilight.

Celestia and Luna stood and stretched before turning to the rest of their family.

“Is it time for breakfast?” Luna asked We used to eat breakfast as soon as Celestia had raised the sun, but that may have changed.

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Twilight nodded. They waited for Celestia and Luna to join them before walking into the hall.

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia and Twilight gave Luna a tour of the castle as they made their way to the dining room. They found Blueberry waiting for them with a large pile of waffles and glasses of milk for each of them.

They continued the tour of the castle when they had finished eating. They walked into the hospital wing roughly twenty minutes later.

“Good morning, your highnesses.”

Surprised, Midnight Armor, Twilight, Luna and Celestia turned to see that a pegasus stallion was standing behind them.

Sundance smiled “Good morning, Frost Wing.”

Frost Wing bowed to Luna. “Welcome back to Equestria, Princess Luna.”

Luna smiled “Thank you.”

Frost Wing raised his head. “I would like to conduct a full physical exam on you, princess.” He paused when he saw her confused expression. “We need to create a medical file for you so that we can track your health.”

I suppose that makes sense. Luna nodded “What do you need me to do?”

“Nothing.” Frost Wing replied “We will do all of the work.” He gestured to the unicorn stallion next to him. “This is my assistant, Moondust.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. Moondust? “It’s nice to meet you.”

Moondust bowed “It is nice to meet you as well, princess.”

Frost Wing and Moondust spent the next hour or so conducting the physical exam and taking careful notes about Luna’s health.

Frost Wing turned to Moondust. “Please prepare the vaccines.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. This is bad. “No! Don’t give her any shots!”

Confused, Frost Wing turned to Twilight. “Why do you say that, princess?”

Twilight was about to answer the question, but paused when she heard her grandmother’s voice.

“Twilight is correct.” Sundance glanced at her youngest before turning back to Frost Wing and Moondust. “Luna hasn’t had time to adjust to the medical advances of the modern era. Unfortunately, this means that she will get very sick if you give her any modern medicine right now.”

Moondust’s eyes widened I am very glad that Princess Twilight stopped me.

“I-I see.” Frost Wing stammered “Very well. We will wait until you tell us that it is safe before we administer the necessary vaccines.”

“Thank you.” Sundance responded

Twilight sighed in relief. “That was close.”

“Thank you, Twilight.” Luna nuzzled her daughter before whispering. “Please tell me what “vaccines” are later.”

“I will.” Twilight promised

Everyone looked up when Cadance walked into the hospital wing with Spike sitting on her back.

Cadance smiled at everyone. “Good morning.”

“We thought you would be giving Luna . . .” He paused for a moment before turning to Luna. “Am I allowed to call you that?”

Laughing softly, Luna nodded “Yes, Spike.”

Spike sighed in relief. “Anyway, we thought you would be giving her a tour of the castle.” He turned to Sundance and Midnight Armor. “Mom and Dad are eating breakfast.”

Midnight Armor raised an eyebrow. “We were planning to let them sleep a little longer.”

Spike laughed “It seems that they like to wake up at sunrise.”

Sundance laughed “In that case, we should go see them.”

Everyone else nodded as they followed her out of the hospital wing.

In the courtyard, Solae and Bern were just finishing their breakfasts when the door opened. They smiled when the Royal Family and Cadance walked outside.

Solae’s smile widened as she turned to Sundance. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Sundance replied “I’m sorry that we didn’t come out to greet you sooner.”

“As am I.” Midnight Armor remarked “We had intended to allow the two of you to sleep a little longer.”

Bern laughed “I appreciate the thought. However, Solae and I usually wake up around dawn.”

Sundance laughed as well. “That is what Spike just told us.”

Everyone turned to Twilight when she cleared her throat. “Unfortunately, I have to leave now.”

“It’s alright.” Celestia replied “We understand.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Spike asked

“That is up to you.” Twilight answered “You can come with me if you want. Or you can stay here and spend time with your parents.”

Spike thought for a moment before turning back to her. “I’ll come with you.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

Spike nodded “You’re going to the orphanage, right?”

Twilight nodded as well. “Today should be . . . um, interesting.”

“What do you mean?” Cadance asked

Twilight smirked “I haven’t told them that I’m coming.”

Spike stared at her for a moment before beginning to laugh. He waited until he was calm enough to speak before saying. “Now I’m definitely coming with you.”

Everyone else laughed as well.

Luna turned to Twilight and Spike. “Please let us know how it goes.”

“Don’t worry.” Spike replied “We will.”

Twilight smiled at everyone. “We’ll see you later.” She levitated Spike onto her back before teleporting both of them to her room.

Spike watched Twilight levitate a couple of quills, some ink and a notepad into one side of her saddlebags. Then she used her magic to place three thick folders in the other. “Why are you bringing that with us?”

Twilight glanced back at him. “Why do you ask?”

“If the manager is able to get his hooves on those papers . . .” He trailed off when Twilight giggled. “What’s so funny?”

“Do you really think these are the originals?” She replied

“I did, but I guess I was wrong.” Spike glanced at Twilight’s saddlebags before turning back to her. “Where are the originals?”

Twilight’s giggles turned to laughter. “I asked Aunt Celestia to keep them in her office until everything has been settled.”

Spike began to laugh as well. “Good idea.”

Twilight placed a couple of sapphires in her saddlebags before levitating her saddlebags onto her back. Then she walked into the hall. They arrived at the castle’s main entrance a couple of minutes later.

Shining Armor turned when the door opened. “Good morning, Princess Twilight. Are you ready to go?”

Surprised, Twilight stopped in the doorway. “Good morning, Shining Armor. I wasn’t expecting an escort.”

“King Midnight Armor and Queen Sundance asked me to be your escort during your trip into the city today.” Shining Armor explained

“I see.” Twilight slowly replied as she walked past him. “That might actually be a good thing.”

Shining Armor fell into step slightly behind Twilight, walking on her left. “What do you mean, princess?”

“We are going to the orphanage.” Twilight answered

“Is it finally time to move Cadance out of that horrible place?” Shining Armor asked

“Yes.” Twilight replied “I will be filling out the necessary paperwork today. She will be living in the castle from now on.”

Shining Armor sighed in relief. “Good.” I hope Cadance wasn’t too upset when I told her that I didn’t want to go out with her. She is a very nice mare, and I enjoy spending time with her, but I can’t allow myself to enter a relationship. Even if I didn’t believe that relationships are a waste of time . . . He was pulled from his thoughts by a familiar voice.

“Princess Twilight?”

Twilight turned towards the voice to see that the three stallions from the day before were walking towards her. She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Good morning, Sky Armor, Swift Bolt and Twister.”

All three of them bowed.

Sky Armor raised his head so he could look Twilight in the eye. “Good morning, princess. Do you know where I can find Cadance?”

Shining Armor narrowed his eyes as well. That poor excuse for a stallion is an insult to those with the word “Armor” in their names.

“Why do you ask?” Twilight responded

“Marble needs to speak with her.” Twister explained

Twilight turned to Shining Armor. “Didn’t you tell him that Cadance would be spending the rest of the week at the castle?”

“Yes, princess.” Shining Armor answered “I managed to catch him before he left the orphanage for the day.”

“Good.” Twilight turned back to the three pegasi. “What does he want to discuss with Cadance?”

“We’re not sure, princess.” Swift Bolt replied “He simply told us to bring her to him. That is why we need to find her.”

Spike smirked “I’d like to see you get past my parents . . . as well as most of the Royal Family of Equestria.”

Shining Armor’s body shook slightly as he struggled to suppress his laughter. That makes two of us.

“W-what do you mean?” Twister asked

“Cadance is currently with my mother, Aunt Celestia, Grandma, Grandpa and the leaders of the Dragon Lands.” Twilight informed them.

All three of the pegasi gasped in shock before turning to each other.

“What should we do?” Swift Bolt asked

“The three of you are coming with us.” Twilight answered

As one the pegasi turned to her. “Y-yes, princess.”

Twilight, Spike and Shining Armor resumed their trip to the orphanage with the three pegasi in tow.

They stopped in front of the main entrance a few minutes later.

Twilight turned to Shining Armor. “I’d like you to come inside as well.”

Shining Armor bowed “Yes, princess.” He used his magic to open the door for Twilight and Spike before following them inside. Sky Armor, Swift Bolt and Twister silently followed them.

All six of them turned when they heard a voice from the manager’s office. “It took you long enough. Sky Armor, Swift Bolt and Twister, you can spend the rest of the day in the city. Just make sure that you are back before it gets dark.”

The three pegasi immediately looked at Twilight.

Shaking her head, Twilight whispered. “Stay here and be silent. There is something that I would like to discuss with the three of you after I’m done with Marble.”

The three of them shuddered before quietly replying “Y-yes, princess.”

Unaware of this, Marble kept speaking. “Get your lazy tail in here, you worthless piece of trash. You need to do your chores. You can start by cleaning my office.” He laughed “Unfortunately for you, you won’t be going back to the castle. I’ll find some excuse to give Princess Twilight.”

Twilight, Spike and Shining Armor narrowed their eyes as they silently headed for the office.

“I know you can move faster than that, you little . . .” He cut himself off with a gasp of shock when Twilight and Shining Armor walked into his office. “P-princess Twilight?! I . . .” He trailed off when he saw the expression on her face.

“Is that how you treat my student, Marble?!” She demanded I already know the answer to that question, but I want to see if he’ll tell me the truth.

Shining Armor glanced at Twilight before returning his attention to the trembling earth pony in front of him. I wonder what she plans to do with this poor excuse for a stallion.

“O-of course not, princess!” Marble hastily replied “It was merely a slip of the tongue!”

“I highly doubt that.” Twilight responded

Marble suppressed a shudder when he heard her tone. “I-I’m sorry, princess. I didn’t know that you would be visiting today. If I had known of the impending Royal Inspection, I would have . . .” He trailed off when Twilight narrowed her eyes even further.

“That is why you are apologizing?!”

Marble took a couple of steps backwards. “I . . .” He glanced around for a moment before turning back to Twilight. “Where is Cadance?”

“At the castle.” Twilight answered “And that is where she is going to stay.”

“D-does that mean she will be returning to the orphanage on Monday?” Marble hesitantly asked

Twilight levitated the quill, ink and pad of paper out of her saddlebags.

Marble nervously waited for her to finish taking her notes. “P-princess?”

Twilight finally looked up at him. “I meant what I said, Marble. Cadance will be staying at the castle.”

“W-what do you mean, princess?” Marble hesitantly asked

I guess I’m going to have to spell it out for him. “I am here to fill out the necessary paperwork to move my student out of the orphanage.” Twilight told him.

I can’t allow her to do that. Who would clean the orphanage? Marble lifted his head so that he could look her in the eye. “I mean no disrespect, princess, but you can’t do that. My conduct today aside, there is no reason for you to move her out of the orphanage.”

“I disagree.” Twilight responded “Living in the orphanage is harmful to my student’s psychological health. That gives me the right to move her into any lodgings that I deem suitable.”

“Do you have any evidence of this?” Marble raised an eyebrow when Spike laughed. “Why are you laughing?”

“You should probably go get the legal team.” Spike answered “Now.”

“Spike is correct.” Twilight commented. “Don’t worry. We’ll wait right here.”

“Very well.” Marble walked out of his office before pausing when he saw who was standing in the hall. “What are the three of you still doing here? I told you that you could spend the day in the city.”

“Princess Twilight told us that she wants to talk to us after her meeting with you is over.” Twister answered

“V-very well.” Marble stammered This day just keeps getting worse.

Marble returned roughly five minutes later. Three mares followed him into his office. “These are the only members of the legal team that were in their office today, princess."

“That makes sense.” Twilight responded “I am aware of the fact that there is a major trial taking place in Cloudsdale today. If I recall correctly, it is part of the custody battle over young Lucky Wing.”

The members of the legal team nodded.

Marble raised an eyebrow. How does she know about that?! I didn’t even know about that until a couple of minutes ago.

Twilight turned to the mares. “Good morning, Lavender, Rose and Ruby.”

As one, the mares bowed. “Good morning, Princess Twilight.”

Ruby lifted her head. “Marble informed us that you would like to move Cadance out of the orphanage.”

“That is correct.” Twilight replied “I believe that living here is harmful to her psychological health.”

“That is a serious claim, princess.” Lavender commented, also raising her head “Are you able to provide evidence of this?”

Twilight levitated her notepad over to Rose. “I would like the three of you to read this.”

Curious, Rose took it in her magic and held it so that Lavender and Ruby could also read it. All three of them gasped as they read her notes on what had happened when Twilight, Spike, Shining Armor, Sky Armor, Swift Bolt and Twister walked into the orphanage.

“I am willing to show you my memory of this morning.” Twilight commented

“That is not necessary, princess.” Lavender slowly replied

Ruby glanced at Marble. “We will be discussing your actions later.”

Lavender and Rose nodded.

Marble shuddered “I understand.”

Rose levitated the notepad back to Twilight.

Twilight used her magic to create a copy of her notes and levitated it to Rose. “This is for your records.”

Rose took it in her magic. “Thank you, princess.”

“There is more.” Twilight pulled the three folders out of her saddlebags. “I have spent the last several months collecting this evidence.”

Marble’s eyes widened. W-what?!

Rose, Ruby and Lavender walked over to the desk. They spent the next half hour reading the papers that Twilight had laid out for them.

Lavender’s eyes narrowed as she turned to Marble. “It appears that “Piece of Trash” is the nicest thing that you have called Cadance whenever she was not in the presence of a member of the legal team or the Royal Family.”

Marble winced

“You force her to clean your office, the bedrooms of the other orphans and all of the bathrooms . . . alone?!” Ruby asked

I was hoping that they wouldn’t find out about that. Marble silently nodded

“It seems that he does this every day.” Rose said through gritted teeth. “It also seems that she is forced to clean the kitchen on a daily basis . . . by herself.”

“Additionally, it seems that you have been constantly ridiculing her.” Lavender shook her head. “It is not her fault that the poor dear has yet to earn her Cutie Mark.”

Shining Armor took a couple of steps forward. “May I say something?”

Lavender, Rose and Ruby turned to him.

“I’m sure you know Shining Armor.” Twilight waited for the three mares to nod. “I asked him to escort Cadance to and from her lessons because I was concerned for her safety.”

Rose smiled at Twilight. “I’m glad that you thought of that, princess.”

Twilight returned Rose’s smile before turning to Shining Armor. “You have my permission to speak freely, Shining Armor.”

“Thank you, princess.” Shining Armor turned to the members of the legal team. “I have observed Marble encouraging the other orphans to join him in mocking Cadance for the fact that she doesn’t have a Cutie Mark. He also encourages them to ridicule her because she has sensory abilities. Unfortunately, it has gotten to the point that they are comfortable doing so in public.”

Rose, Lavender and Ruby gasped

“The three ponies in the hall were obviously about to do that when we saw them yesterday.” Spike explained

“I-I see.” Lavender stammered

Rose glanced at Ruby and Lavender. “We will have to speak to the three of them.”

Ruby nodded “We should speak to the other orphans as well.”

Lavender nodded “Good idea. We need to make sure that they understand that that type of behavior is not acceptable.”

“Agreed.” Rose and Ruby replied

Lavender, Rose and Ruby had a quiet discussion amongst themselves before turning to Twilight.

“After carefully reviewing the evidence, we have decided that living in the orphanage is harmful to Cadance’s psychological health.” Rose commented

“We believe that she should be moved out of the orphanage as soon as possible.” Ruby added

Lavender turned to Twilight. “We are aware of the fact that you are her teacher. Therefore, we would appreciate it if you would find more suitable lodgings for her as soon as possible.”

“I have already provided her with lodgings befitting her position as the student of a member of the Royal Family of Equestria.” Twilight answered “Cadance will be living in the castle until she turns eighteen. Then she will be allowed to decide if she wants to continue living in the castle or move out on her own.”

Rose, Ruby and Lavender smiled at each other before turning back to Twilight.

“That is perfect, princess.” Lavender responded

“I will be right back.” Rose walked out of the room before anyone could respond.

“She is going to get the necessary paperwork.” Ruby explained

“I see.” Twilight replied

Rose returned to Marble’s office ten minutes later with a thick stack of paper suspended in her magic.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I was expecting paperwork, but not that much.”

Laughing, Rose, Ruby and Lavender began to go through the paperwork with Twilight.

Half an Hour Later

Twilight spread her wings, sighing in pleasure when a couple of joints popped, before folding them again.

Lavender carefully examined the forms before looking up at Twilight. “It looks like everything is in order, princess. We will begin processing these as soon as we get back to our office.”

Rose nodded to Lavender before smiling at Twilight. “Cadance is a very special young mare. Please take care of her.”

Twilight returned the smile. “I will.”

“Good.” Ruby responded “The three of us will visit her in the castle in a week or so.”

“That’s fine.” Twilight replied “However, I ask that you let us know ahead of time so that you don’t catch us in the middle of something important.”

Lavender nodded “Yes, princess.”

Spike, Twilight and Shining Armor walked into the hall before pausing at the sight of the three pegasi.

Twilight suppressed a sigh. I can’t believe I forgot about them. “I believe that Lavender, Rose and Ruby would like to speak to the three of you. Therefore, I will keep this brief.”

“It’s alright, princess.”

Surprised, Twilight turned to see that Rose, Ruby and Lavender had followed her out of Marble’s office.

Lavender nodded “I’m sure that you are busy. We can take it from here.”

Twilight smiled “Thank you. I need to get back to the castle so that I can let Cadance know what happened.” She paused “I’m sure that Cadance has personal objects in her room. Should I bring her here so that she can pack them?”

“That is not necessary.” Rose replied “We will bring her belongings with us when we visit next week.”

Ruby nodded “Additionally, we will pack them ourselves.”

“Thank you.” Twilight nodded to each of them before she and Shining Armor walked outside. The three of them arrived in front of the castle fifteen minutes later.

Twilight turned to Shining Armor. “Thank you for escorting me.”

Shining Armor bowed “You’re welcome, princess.”

Twilight spread her wings. “I should go check on everyone else.” She lifted into the air before flying towards the courtyard. “That’s weird. No one is here.” She thought for a moment. “Maybe they’re in the garden behind the castle.”

“Good point.” Spike commented

Sundance, Solae, Midnight Armor, Bern, Celestia, Luna and Cadance looked up when Twilight landed in front of them. Twilight set her saddlebags on the ground as she lay down next to her mother. Spike jumped off of Twilight’s back and lay down next to her.

“How did it go?” Sundance asked

Twilight exchanged glances with Spike before showing everyone else her memory of what happened that morning.

They stared at her in stunned silence for several minutes.

Midnight Armor shook his head. “Well done, Twilight.”

“Thanks, Grandpa.” Twilight replied

“We will discuss what happened in greater detail later.” Sundance commented “For now, I think both of you should relax.”

Chapter 5

Thirty Minutes Later

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Spike, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Solae, Bern and Cadance lifted their heads when they heard hoofsteps. They turned to see that Blueberry was walking towards them with a cart of food.

He stopped a couple of feet away from them and bowed. “I have two lettuce, tomato and cucumber sandwiches for each of the ponies. I also have two sandwiches for Spike. However, his have small pieces of blue sapphires in them as well.” He looked at Solae and Bern. “I have a bowl of sapphires for each of you.”

Solae smiled when she saw that the sapphires were a mix of dark blue and bright pink. I know it sounds strange, but I think the pink ones taste better. “Thank you.”

Sundance waited until everyone had finished eating before turning to Twilight. “Would you mind showing us what happened this morning again?”

Curious, Twilight nodded to her grandmother before doing as she was told.

Sundance waited for the memory to end before turning to her husband. “We should ask Shining Armor to tell Marble that he needs to come to court tomorrow.”

“I don’t intend to wait that long.” Midnight Armor replied “I’m going to ask him to bring Marble, Rose, Lavender and Ruby here this afternoon.”

“I thought you were going to say that, King Midnight Armor.”

Surprised, Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia, Twilight, Luna, Spike, Solae, Cadance and Bern turned towards the voice. Each of them raised an eyebrow when they saw that Shining Armor, Marble, Lavender, Ruby and Rose were standing a few feet away.

Marble glared at Cadance. I will find a way to punish her for what she has done to me.

Cadance suppressed a shudder. H-he has never glared at me like that before.

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow when he saw Cadance’s expression. Is something wrong? Confused, he followed her gaze to Marble. He narrowed his eyes when he saw that the earth pony was glaring at her. “Marble.”

Startled, Marble jumped slightly before turning to Shining Armor. “Yes?”

“I suggest you focus on the Royal Family.” Shining Armor quietly replied “You are not here to speak to Cadance.”

Damn, I didn’t realize I was so obvious. Marble nodded to Shining Armor before turning to Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia, Twilight and Luna. The pony with the dark blue coat must be Princess Twilight’s mother. If the stories are true, her name is Princess Luna.

Cadance suppressed a sigh of relief. I’ll thank Shining Armor later.

Shining Armor bowed to both Royal Families. “I apologize for the interruption.” He lifted his head and turned to Midnight Armor. “I know it may be a bit presumptuous of me, but I thought this would be a good time to bring all four of them here.”

Midnight Armor laughed “It isn’t presumptuous at all, Shining Armor. You have been serving the Royal Family for a long time. As such, you are able to predict some of my actions.”

Sundance and Celestia laughed as well.

“I wish he could train a few of the defenders of the Dragon Lands.” Bern said softly

“That’s not a bad idea.” Solae quietly replied “I’ll discuss it with Sundance later.”

Bern nodded to his mate before both of them turned back to the ponies in front of them.

Midnight Armor turned to Marble, Lavender, Rose and Ruby. “Twilight has already shown us her memory of what happened this morning.”

Lavender, Rose and Ruby smiled at Twilight and Cadance before nodding to Midnight Armor.

Marble gulped This is bad.

Sundance exchanged glances with her husband before turning to Marble. “Our first question is simple.” It is also obvious.

I think I know what it is. Marble nervously waited for one of them to continue.

“Why have you been treating Cadance like that?” Celestia asked

I thought so. Trying to stall for time, Marble glanced at the dragons before turning back to Sundance and Midnight Armor. “Should we be discussing this in front of your guests?”

“There is no reason that Solae and Bern can’t hear this.” Midnight Armor answered

Sundance nodded “They are already aware of the situation.” She glanced at their guests. “Additionally, I’m sure that they would also like to know the answer to Celestia’s question.”

Solae and Bern smiled at Sundance and Midnight Armor before turning back to Marble.

So much for that. “I see.” Marble slowly replied

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Do I need to repeat Aunt Celestia’s question?”

Luna glanced at her daughter before turning back to Marble. I wonder how they are going to handle this situation.

Marble suppressed a shudder when he heard her tone. “T-that’s not necessary, princess.”

No one said anything for several minutes.

“Perhaps you would prefer to answer a different question first.” Twilight commented

Marble suppressed a sigh of relief as he nodded.

Twilight used her magic to open her saddlebags and pull out the folders that contained the evidence that she had gathered. She took a few minutes to re-read one of the papers before turning back to Marble. “I am aware of the fact that you didn’t always treat Cadance like that. According to this, you began doing so a little over a year ago.” She raised an eyebrow. “What caused such a sudden, and dramatic, change?”

Sundance glanced at her granddaughter. That is a very good question.

Marble gulped “I-I’d rather answer Princess Celestia’s question, Princess Twilight.”

“I would like you to answer Twilight’s question first.” Celestia replied

Marble shuddered I really don’t answer that question.

“I can answer that question.” Cadance slowly replied I really don’t want to talk about this, but Twilight, King Midnight Armor, Queen Sundance and Princess Celestia need to know what happened . . . and I doubt Marble will tell them the truth.

Everyone immediately turned to her.

“I had just gone into heat.” Cadance said softly “Marble asked me if I would let him . . .” She trailed off. I hope they don’t ask me to finish that sentence.

Fortunately, almost everyone instantly understood what she was talking about. Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Twilight, Shining Armor, Spike, Lavender, Rose and Ruby gasped in shock.

Confused, Luna turned to her sister. “What did Cadance mean when she said that she was “in heat”?”

“That is the current term for when a mare is in season.” Celestia answered

I believe Celestia said that Cadance is currently fifteen years old. If this happened a year ago . . . Luna’s eyes widened as she turned back to Cadance. “You’re telling us that he wanted to breed a fourteen year old?!”

Cadance nodded

Solae and Bern gasped in shock as well.

Luna glanced at her sister and their parents. A thousand years ago, there was a law that stated that a pony had to be at least eighteen years old before they could legally engage in marital relations.

Ruby glared at Marble. “You know that it is illegal to have intercourse with a pony that is under the age of eighteen.”

Luna suppressed a sigh of relief. Good. I’m glad that law is still in place.

Lavender glared at Marble as well. “This is made worse by the fact that you were responsible for her wellbeing at the time.”

Everyone else nodded

Marble sighed “I wasn’t thinking straight at the time. This is because her scent had gotten to me.”

Everyone stared at Marble for a couple of minutes before shaking their heads and turning back to Cadance.

“As I’m sure you’ve guessed, I said “No”. That was when he tried to use his weight to pin me to my bed.” Cadance shook her head when she saw Twilight’s expression. “I was able to use my wings to get enough leverage to flip him off of me. Then I flew out the open window.”

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Solae, Bern, Celestia, Luna, Spike, Shining Armor, Lavender, Rose and Ruby sighed in relief.

“I flew to this garden because it’s always open to the public.” Cadance nodded to a large oak tree off to the left. “I was planning to spend the night in that tree.”

“That’s where I found you.” Twilight commented “I was taking a walk after a long day in the library. I chose this garden because I thought there wouldn’t be anypony back here.”

“I was very surprised to see you.” Cadance responded “I knew who you were, but had never actually met you before.” She laughed “I panicked because I thought you were going to tell me that I had to leave.”

Sundance smiled at Cadance. “Twilight never would have done that. She brought you inside the castle and asked Midnight and I if it would be alright if you joined us for dinner.”

Midnight Armor nodded to his wife before turning back to Cadance. “We didn’t have a problem with that. In fact, we allowed you to spend that night in the castle.”

“I didn’t want Marble to try again when I went back to the orphanage.” Cadance explained “I knew that my heat cycle would end in a couple of days. That’s why I asked if I could spend the weekend here.”

“We didn’t know that that was the reason.” Sundance responded “Even so, we didn’t have a problem with your request. We sent a message to the orphanage telling them that you would return there the following Monday.”

“What does this have to do with the way that Marble has been treating you, Cadance?” Luna asked I hope I’m wrong, but I think I already know the answer.

“He refused to believe that Twilight had accepted me as her friend.” Cadance explained “Instead, he accused me of telling King Midnight Armor, Queen Sundance, Princess Celestia and Twilight about what he had done.”

“You should have told us right away.” Celestia responded

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Luna, Twilight, Spike, Shining Armor, Ruby, Lavender and Rose nodded.

Cadance lowered her head. “I’m sorry, princess. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to cause problems.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I knew that I would get in trouble at the orphanage if I told anypony.” Cadance replied

Lavender, Rose and Ruby glared at Marble for a moment before allowing their glares to fade as they turned back to Cadance.

“When did he start ridiculing you about the fact that you don’t have a Cutie Mark?” Rose asked

“A few weeks later.” Cadance answered “I had just come back to the orphanage after spending another weekend at the castle. The only other orphan without a Cutie Mark had earned theirs that weekend.”

“I see.” Ruby slowly replied

Cadance glanced at Marble before hesitantly continuing. “That was also when he started giving me those chores. He did so because he was still angry that I wouldn’t let him . . . you know.”

“I assume that was also when you started encouraging the other orphans to join you in ridiculing her.” Lavender commented

Marble reluctantly nodded

“When did he start ridiculing you about the fact that you have sensory abilities?” Shining Armor asked

“That is a good question.” Rose said slowly “I wasn’t aware of the fact that you have sensory abilities until our meeting with Princess Twilight this morning.”

“Same here.” Lavender commented

Ruby nodded

“Twilight and I were walking through Canterlot about three months ago.” Cadance responded

Twilight nodded “Our conversation eventually turned to the research that I was conducting about her sensory abilities.”

Cadance nodded as well. “I didn’t know that Sky Armor, Twister and Swift Bolt were following us until I got back to the orphanage. Marble called me into his office later that afternoon. He wanted me to tell him what I was able to sense and how I was able to do it.” She sighed “I told him that I couldn’t answer his questions because I didn’t understand it myself.”

Lavender turned to Marble. “Why have you been ridiculing Cadance about her sensory abilities?”

“How many pegasi have sensory abilities . . . that don’t have to do with the weather?” Marble responded

“Cadance is the only one that I know of.” Lavender answered

“That’s my point.” Marble replied “It’s just weird.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “What are you . . . five?”

Marble gasped in shock as he turned to her. “P-princess?”

Everyone else began to laugh.

Luna smiled at her daughter before turning back to Marble. “She has a point. The only ones who ridicule others are either children . . . or jealous.”

Marble winced I hate to admit it, but she’s right. I would love to have any kind of sensory abilities.

Additionally, I thought it was strange that Princess Twilight would bother associating with the likes of Cadance. I told Sky Armor, Twister and Swift Bolt to follow Princess Twilight and Cadance that day because I thought it would allow me to prove that Cadance had told the Royal Family about what I had done.

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia, Solae, Bern and Shining Armor nodded.

“I believe we have enough information.” Celestia commented

“You’re right, Celestia.” Midnight Armor turned to Marble. “You are under arrest for Sexual Assault, Attempted Rape and Emotional Abuse. These charges may change when we conduct a more detailed investigation into your actions.”

“You can’t arrest me!” Marble exclaimed “You have no evidence that would be admissible in court.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I have plenty of evidence to prove the Emotional Abuse charge.”

“As for the rest . . .” Sundance paused when she heard the scratching of a quill on a scroll. Confused, she turned towards the source to see that Spike was writing something. Her eyes widened as she counted over a dozen rolled up scrolls neatly stacked next to him. “Spike” She said slowly “Are you doing what I think you are?”

Spike finished his notes before looking up at Sundance. “I have been writing down everything that was said since Shining Armor, Marble, Rose, Lavender and Ruby walked into the garden.”

Marble’s jaw dropped. W-what?!

Twilight laughed “That explains why you haven’t said anything until now.”

Spike nodded to Twilight as he rolled up the final scroll. Standing, he gathered all of the scrolls before walking over to Sundance. “Here is the evidence you need.”

Sundance smiled at Spike as she took the pile of scrolls in her magic. “Thank you, Spike.” She teleported them to her desk in the office that she shared with her husband.

Solae and Bern smiled at each other before turning to Sundance as well.

Sundance turned back to Marble. “If more evidence is required . . . well, I’m sure that everyone present would be willing to testify in court.”

Everyone, except Marble, quickly nodded.

“That means we have more than enough evidence to arrest you.” Midnight Armor remarked In fact, we have enough to convict him. Even so, I will personally conduct an investigation to ensure that we haven’t missed anything.

Sundance nodded to her husband before turning to Lavender, Rose and Ruby. “I would like the three of you to work together to care for the orphans in the orphanage until Midnight and I can find a suitable replacement for Marble.”

Lavender bowed “Of course, Queen Sundance.”

Rose and Ruby bowed we well. “We would be honored.”

Rose lifted her head and turned to Cadance. “Lavender, Ruby and I will give you a while to settle in.”

Also lifting her head, Lavender glanced at Rose before turning to Cadance as well. “We will visit you next Friday afternoon. We will also bring any personal items that you left in your room at the orphanage.”

Cadance smiled slightly “Thank you.”

Ruby lifted her head before turning to Twilight. “We have discovered that the students in the public school in Canterlot have also been ridiculing Cadance. Therefore, Lavender will fill out the necessary paperwork to pull Cadance out of that school tomorrow morning.”

Lavender turned to Twilight as well. “Unfortunately, that poses a problem.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Twilight replied “I’ll ask Grandma and Aunt Celestia to help me come up with lesson plans.”

Celestia nodded “Twilight will continue to teach Cadance about her sensory abilities. Mother, Twilight and I will work together to teach Cadance everything else that she needs to know.”

Sundance nodded as well.

Cadance’s eyes widened W-what?!

Rose and Lavender sighed in relief.

Ruby bowed to Sundance, Celestia and Twilight. “That is perfect. Thank you, your highnesses.”

Midnight Armor turned to Shining Armor. “Please bring Marble to the Royal Dungeons.”

Shining Armor bowed “Yes, King Midnight Armor.” He lifted his head before turning to Marble. “Let’s go.”

Marble glared at Cadance. I don’t know how, but I will make sure that she is punished for this.

Shaking his head, Shining Armor led Marble out of the garden. I’ll come back after my shift ends. Hopefully, Cadance will be free tonight.

Ruby, Rose and Lavender bowed to both Royal Families before heading to the orphanage.

Everyone else sighed in relief.

“I think that is enough for one day.” Sundance commented

Midnight Armor, Celestia, Twilight, Luna, Cadance, Spike, Solae and Bern nodded.

“How about a flight?” Midnight Armor asked

Smiling, everyone nodded before standing.

Solae thought for a moment before glancing at her son. “What about Spike? It wouldn’t be right to leave him behind.”

“Who says I’m staying behind?” Spike asked

Confused, Solae and Bern turned in time to see their son jump onto Twilight’s back.

Sundance smiled at Spike and Twilight before turning to Solae and Bern. “They began doing that a couple of days after Twilight hatched Spike.”

“Why?” Solae and Bern asked together

“Spike used to cry, and breathe fire, anytime that he couldn’t see Twilight.” Celestia explained “The easiest way to avoid that was for her to carry him on her back wherever she went.”

Solae laughed softly I should have seen that coming. “That makes sense.”

Bern laughed as well. “In that case, both of you should enjoy it while you can.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked

“You should be going through your first molt soon.” Bern replied “You will probably gain your wings at that time.”

Spike’s eyes widened “I-I’ll get wings?!”

Laughing again, Bern nodded “I’m sure you have noticed that your mother and I have wings. This means that you are sure to get them as well.” He glanced at his mate before turning back to their son. “Additionally, you won’t be that small forever.”

“You’re right, Bern.” Solae commented “Spike should double in size over the next three to five years. Then he’ll stay that size for a few years before going through a second molt.”

“Spike will probably triple in size over the next five to ten years before going through his third, and final, molt. Then he will go through his final growth spurt.” Bern looked at his son thoughtfully before turning back to Solae. “I think he will eventually be larger than I am, but smaller than you.”

Solae nodded “You’re probably right.”

Spike stared at his parents for a couple of minutes before turning to Twilight. “That means I’ll be able to carry you around.”

Laughing, everyone else spread their wings before taking flight.

We would attract too much attention if we stayed above the castle. In that case . . . Midnight Armor led everyone away from the city.

No one spoke. Instead, everyone simply enjoyed the thrill of flying and the scenery.

Two Hours Later

Shining Armor smiled when Midnight Armor, Sundance, Solae, Bern, Twilight, Luna, Celestia and Cadance landed in the middle of the garden behind the castle. “Welcome back, your highnesses.”

“Thank you, Shining Armor.” Celestia replied

Midnight Armor exchanged glances with his wife before turning back to Shining Armor. “Is something wrong?”

Sundance nodded “I thought your shift ended a couple of hours ago.”

“Everything is fine.” Shining Armor replied “I just wanted to ask Cadance if she would like to join me for a while.” He turned to Twilight. “I assure you that I will keep her safe. Additionally, I will only keep her out for a couple of hours.”

Cadance stared at him in shock.

I can’t let her miss this chance. Twilight hid a smile. “I don’t have a problem with that. Just don’t take her out of the city.”

Shining Armor bowed “Yes, princess.”

Twilight gently nudged her friend towards Shining Armor. “The two of you should get going.”

“R-right.” Cadance slowly replied “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

Luna watched Cadance and Shining Armor walk away before turning to her daughter. “Why did you do that?”

Twilight giggled “Cadance has a massive crush on Shining Armor.”

“What is a “crush”?” Luna whispered to her sister.

“It means that she has feelings for him.” Celestia quietly replied

“Ah” Luna said softly “I see.”

Sundance giggled as well. “I thought so. Are they dating yet?”

“Dating?” Luna whispered to Celestia

“That is the current term for “Courting”.” Celestia quietly answered

Luna nodded to her sister before turning back to the rest of their family.

“She asked him out on a date, but he told her no.” Twilight answered

Spike gasped “Do you know why?” What’s wrong with him?! Why can’t he see that they are perfect for each other?!

Twilight showed everyone her memory of the conversation that she had had with Cadance the night before.

“I see.” Midnight Armor said slowly “I have noticed that Shining Armor refuses to allow himself to enter a relationship.”

“I’ve noticed that as well.” Sundance turned to her granddaughter. “If Cadance’s theory is correct, it answers a lot of questions. However, it also makes me wonder why he decided to take her out tonight.”

Twilight shrugged “I know that he genuinely cares for her. He refused to go on a date with her because he is trying to avoid entering a relationship.”

“Good point.” Celestia commented “I noticed that he was carefully watching Cadance during our discussion with Marble. Perhaps that has something to do with it.”

Sundance nodded “You’re probably right.”

Everyone looked up when Blueberry brought another cart of food out to them.

“I have a mix of emeralds and amethysts for Queen Solae and Bern.” Blueberry explained “I have individual servings of Fettuccini Alfredo for the ponies. I also have a serving of Fettuccini Alfredo for Spike. However, his has been cooked with pieces of emerald for a pop of color.”

Spike licked his lips before picking up his fork. Everyone else began to eat their dinners as well. They were just finishing their food when Twilight, Celestia and Luna looked at each other and nodded.

Celestia lowered the sun before Luna raised the moon. Everyone turned their attention to the sky in time to see Twilight place the stars alongside her mother’s moon.

“I just realized something.” Twilight said slowly

“What is it?” Sundance asked

“There is supposed to be a meteor shower tomorrow night.” Twilight turned to her mother. “Unfortunately, I don’t know how to do that.”

Laughing softly, Luna nuzzled her daughter. “Don’t worry. I will teach you how to do it tomorrow.”

Twilight sighed in relief. “Thanks, Mom.”

Midnight Armor smiled at his youngest and granddaughter before turning to everyone else. “I think we should retire for the night.”

Sundance looked at Solae and Bern. “A new fire has already been started in the center of the courtyard that you slept in last night.” She turned to Spike. “A pillow and a couple of blankets have been placed not far from the fire for you.”

Spike sighed in relief. “Thanks. I woke up a couple of times last night because I was cold.” He was about to say something else, but paused when he noticed that he was suspended in Twilight’s magic. Curious, he looked at her.

Solae and Bern exchanged glances when their son didn’t struggle.

Twilight gently set him on the ground in front of her before releasing her magic. “I created a spell to help you when it’s cold out. I think this would be a good time to test it.”

Spike’s eyes widened “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Twilight laughed “I did. Remember when you told me that I was crazy for creating a heat spell in the middle of the summer?”

“Yes.” Spike’s eyes widened even further. “Wait a minute. Y-you’re saying that you were creating that spell for me?”

Still laughing, Twilight nodded

Everyone else stared at Twilight in shock.

Twilight raised an eyebrow when she noticed this. “What? He had a hard time when we took that trip last winter. I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a way to avoid that in case we do it again this year. This spell works by creating a layer of heat between whoever I cast the spell on, Spike in this case, and the surrounding air. It only lasts about twelve hours, but it should be very effective during that time.”

Spike looked up at Twilight. “Go ahead.”

Nodding, Twilight closed her eyes and focused her magic for a moment before casting her new spell on Spike.

Spike looked down at himself for a moment before turning back to Twilight. “I don’t feel anything unusual. How will we know if it worked?”

Twilight responded by creating a block of ice and dropping it in his hands.

Spike stared at it in wonder. “I-it isn’t cold . . .”

Twilight laughed “That means my new spell worked.”

Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight’s neck. “Thanks, Twi!”

“You’re welcome.” Twilight replied, returning the hug “Let me know if you get too warm. If so, I’ll just alter the spell a little.”

Spike nodded

Eyes wide, Solae and Bern stared at Twilight and Spike for a moment before turning to each other.

“I think it’s more accurate to say that Spike has two mothers . . .” Bern said slowly “You and Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Solae nodded “Y-you’re right.”

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia and Luna silently nodded

Twilight’s eyes widened as she turned to Solae and Bern. “What?! N-no . . . I’m not his mother. I’m just the one who hatched him.”

Solae laughed softly as she turned to Twilight. “That’s not true. You also raised him.”

“That may be true, but it doesn’t mean . . .” Twilight trailed off when she felt a gentle nuzzle. Surprised, she turned to Sundance. “Grandma?”

Sundance smiled at Twilight before turning to Solae and Bern. “There is something that I think both of you should see.”

Curious, Bern turned to her. “What are you talking about?”

Sundance glanced at her husband before turning back to Solae and Bern. “We used to have a noble in our court named Steel.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “You’re talking about the idiot that foal napped Spike.”

Solae and Bern gasped in a combination of shock and horror. “What?!”

“I’ll show you what happened.” Sundance promised I was already planning to do that at some point during their visit. This is as good a time as any.

Everyone immediately turned to her.

“This took place a couple of days after Solae returned to the Dragon Lands.” Sundance explained

Everyone nodded

- - Sundance’s Flashback - - -

Sundance walked into Twilight’s office. “How are things going?”

“Shh!” Twilight nodded to the crib in the corner. “I finally got him to sleep.”

Sundance quietly walked over to see a ball of blankets in the middle of the crib. She laughed softly when she saw the tip of Spike’s tail poking out of the ball before turning back to her granddaughter. “How did you get him to take his afternoon nap?”

Twilight laughed softly as well. “I gave him one of my feathers. He immediately curled around it and went to sleep. Then I wrapped him in a couple of blankets before gently setting him in his crib.” She looked at Spike for a moment before turning back to Sundance. “I call it the “Dragon Ball”.”

Sundance stuffed a forehoof in her mouth to stifle her laughter so she wouldn’t wake Spike. She lowered her hoof a couple of minutes later. “That is a very appropriate name.”

Twilight giggled “Is there something I can help you with?”

Nodding, Sundance walked over to her granddaughter’s desk. Then she summoned a scroll and levitated it to Twilight. “Steel submitted this petition to court a couple of minutes ago. Your grandfather, Celestia and I noticed something unusual about it, but can’t devote any more time to it because of the number of other petitioners in court.”

Curious, Twilight took it in her magic and unrolled it. She took a moment to read it before raising an eyebrow. “Why would he want that tract of land? It’s three hours away from . . . anything . . . if you travel by land.”

Sundance nodded “Midnight, Celestia and I were wondering about that as well. I believe something happened there, but can’t remember exactly what it was at the moment.” She raised an eyebrow when she saw her granddaughter’s expression. “Twilight?”

“If I remember right, that location is . . .” She looked up at Sundance. “Can you watch Spike for a minute? I need to get a couple of books.”

Equally curious, Sundance nodded. She watched Twilight walked out of her office. Her eyes widened when her granddaughter returned a couple of minutes later with a dozen books suspended in her magic. “A couple of books?”

Twilight shrugged “There’s a two in the number twelve.”

Sundance laughed softly She has a point. “Unfortunately, I need to get back to court.”

Twilight didn’t respond because she was busy reading. Shaking her head, Sundance walked out of the office and quietly closed the door behind her.

Three Hours Later

Sundance looked up when Twilight walked into the courtroom. That’s unusual. She doesn’t come to court very often because she is the best researcher we have. This means that the best place for her is the library. Besides, Spike is . . . She smiled when a pair of emerald eyes peeked around Twilight’s neck. Of course she wouldn’t have left him behind.

Twilight walked over to her aunt and grandparents. “I apologize for the interruption. However, I made a discovery about the petition that Grandma asked me to look into. I thought you should know about it as soon as possible.”

Sundance’s smile widened. I knew it was a good idea to ask her. “It’s alright, Twilight. What did you discover?”

“I’ll answer that in a minute.” Twilight turned to one of the unicorns in the crowd. “Please come closer, Steel.”

“Of course, Princess Twilight.” A unicorn stallion with a beige coat walked closer. He used his magic to move his brown mane out of his yellow eyes.

“I would like you to explain your petition.” Twilight commented

“Yes, princess.” Steel replied “It has been determined that the city of Canterlot no longer has enough space to support the growing population.”

Sundance resisted the urge to shake her head. Of course it does. In fact . . . She was pulled from her thoughts by her husband’s voice.

“Canterlot is currently at forty-five percent of its capacity. This means that there is no reason to seek land for an expansion.”

Celestia read the scroll that was suspended in her niece’s magic before turning to Steel. “Even if you did need to acquire additional land to expand the city, it would make more sense to start with the land at the base of the mountain.” She raised an eyebrow. “Why are you seeking that particular tract of land?”

Steel’s eyes widened “Princess Celestia, I . . .”

“I think I can answer that question, Aunt Celestia.” Twilight replied “That was the location of the small town that was created for . . .”

“The emerald mines.” Sundance finished I knew I recognized that location!

Twilight nodded

Midnight Armor nodded as well. “I remember now. It was the subject, and location, of an intense battle that essentially wiped it off the map before we could do anything about it. Your grandmother and I decided to close the mine. We had the ponies who had died buried where they were.”

Sundance glanced at her husband. “We decided to leave the rest of the town as it was. It is now a memorial to those who had lost their lives.”

Midnight Armor nodded to his wife before turning back to Steel. “I would like you to answer my daughter’s question.”

“I would like to reopen the mines so that we can meet the increased demand for emeralds.” Steel immediately replied

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you hear Grandma say that the entire town has been turned into a memorial? This means that you would be literally trampling on the graves of ponies if you go anywhere near that mine.”

Steel turned to her. “Princess Twilight, I . . .” He paused when Twilight shook her head.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that your petition has been denied.”

Sundance nodded “Twilight is correct. I refuse to allow you to disturb the graves of those ponies.”

Twilight turned to Midnight Armor. “I thought that was the reason behind his petition. Therefore, I also looked into our emerald production. You authorized the creation of a new mine in the mountains a few years ago.”

Midnight Armor nodded “We needed a way to meet the demand for emeralds without using the original mine.”

Twilight nodded as well. “Thanks to that, Equestria actually exceeds its demand for emeralds . . . as well as pink and dark blue sapphires.”

Midnight Armor smiled at his granddaughter. I’m glad she decided to look into that. “Thank you, Twilight.” He turned to Steel. “I agree with Twilight. Your petition has been denied. That town, and it’s mine, will remain undisturbed.”

Steel bowed “Yes, King Midnight Armor.” Lifting his head, he glanced at Spike before settling his gaze on Twilight. He glared at her for a couple of minutes before walking out of the throne room.

Midnight Armor shook his head before turning to his granddaughter. “Thank you for your help.”

Nodding, Sundance nuzzled Twilight. “I’m sorry I pulled you away from your research.”

Twilight returned her grandmother’s nuzzle. “It’s alright. It was a nice break.”

Celestia shook her head. “You are the only pony I know of who would consider taking three hours to research a petition a break.”

Everyone else in the throne room laughed when Twilight blushed.

- - End Flashback - - -

Spike laughed “Dragon Ball.”

Everyone else laughed as well.

Solae smiled at her son before turning back to Sundance. “What happened next?”

- - Sundance’s Flashback - - -

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia sighed in relief as they walked out of the throne room.

“I’m glad that’s over.” Sundance commented

Midnight Armor and Celestia nodded.

All three of them turned towards the sound of approaching hoofsteps. They raised an eyebrow when they saw Twilight galloping towards them.

“Something must be very wrong.” Celestia commented “I have never seen her run that fast.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor nodded

Twilight skidded to a stop in front of them. “S-spike is gone!”

Midnight Armor, Sundance and Celestia gasped in shock. “What?!”

“I-I needed to put several books away.” Twilight panted “I left him in his crib because he was asleep . . . and the library isn’t dangerous, so I thought it would be alright to leave him alone for a minute.”

“Calm down, Twilight.” Sundance responded “We’ll figure this out.”

Celestia nodded “Let’s start with what you have in your magic.”

Twilight levitated a scroll to her aunt. “I found it on my desk when I got back to my office. I haven’t opened it yet because that was when I noticed that Spike wasn’t in his crib. I searched my office and the library before coming here.”

Celestia unrolled the scroll. Everyone leaned closer so they could read the short message.

If you want to see your pet again, you will give me what I want.

The four of them looked at each other in confusion.

“It doesn’t say what they want . . . or who we’re supposed to give it to.” Celestia commented

Twilight took the scroll from her aunt and examined it closely. “This doesn’t make any sense.” She thought for a moment before casting a magic scan on the scroll. Her eyes widened when she got the results. “T-that’s his magic signature!” She gasped “Could he have taken Spike there?!” She teleported out of the castle before anyone could ask her what she was talking about.

Confused, Sundance lifted the scroll with her magic before casting another magic scan on it. Her eyes widened when she got the results. “This is Steel’s magic signature!”

Midnight Armor’s eyes widened as well. “The petition! Do you think Twilight is headed for the old emerald mine?”

Sundance nodded “We should hurry.” She teleported the three of them outside in time to see that Twilight was already roughly three hundred feet away from them.

“When did she get that fast?” Celestia asked

Midnight Armor chuckled “It seems that the changes I made to her training regimen are working.”

Sundance and Celestia nodded

Midnight Armor glanced at both of them. “Let’s go.”

The three of them quickly followed Twilight. They caught up with her just as she arrived in the air above the old emerald mines.

“There is no way that he could have gotten here this quickly.” Twilight looked around for a moment before turning to the left. “Let’s see . . . He’ll probably approach from the west.”

“Good point.” Midnight Armor cast a Camouflage Spell on his family. “Let’s wait here for them.” They landed on a large hill just outside of the old mining town.

Sundance nodded I hope we’re right.

Just Under Three Hours Later

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia and Twilight turned when they heard a loud cry followed by an even louder shout. All four of them immediately spread their wings and took flight.

“Stop squirming, you little bag of scales!” Steel snapped “I swear . . . if you burn me one more time, I will kill you before Princess Twilight gets here.”

Spike responded by letting out a blast of uncontrolled fire.

Steel yelled in pain.

“Good boy, Spike.” Twilight dove towards the green flame. “I’m crushing the largest ruby I can find for your dinner tonight.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia silently followed.

Steel gasped in shock when Spike was suddenly suspended in a field of magenta magic. “What’s going on?! There shouldn’t be anypony else here yet!”

Twilight narrowed her eyes when Steel tried to take Spike back. “I don’t think so.”

Sundance shook her head as she watched Twilight easily overpower Steel’s magic. I am the only one who has a chance of overpowering Twilight’s magic . . . and that would be extremely difficult.

“W-who is that?! I have never felt magic this powerful!” Steel could only look on as Spike was levitated into the air.

Midnight Armor released his Camouflage Spell.

Spike immediately stopped his flame when he saw Twilight. Laughing, he reached out for her as she levitated him closer.

“I should have known.” Steel glared up at Twilight. “How did you discover our location so quickly?!”

Ignoring him, Twilight nuzzled Spike as she cast a magic scan on him. She sighed in relief when she got the results. “He’s not hurt.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia sighed in relief as well.

Twilight nuzzled Spike again before setting him on her back and using her magic to ensure that he would stay there.

Steel gasped in surprise when he suddenly noticed that he was suspended in a field of golden magic.

Celestia levitated him into the air and placed him in front of her father.

Midnight Armor narrowed his eyes. “Steel. You are hereby stripped of your position and any power that came with it. You are also under arrest for foal-napping.”

“Why do you care?!” Steel responded “He’s just a baby dragon! You will find dozens just like him if you go to the Dragon Lands.”

“That is where you are wrong.” Twilight replied

Steel glared at her. “What are you talking about?”

“Spike is the son of Solae, Queen of the Dragon Lands.” Twilight responded “She placed him in my care because he imprinted on me when I hatched him. This means that he is a member of the Royal Family of Equestria and the Royal Family of the Dragon Lands.”

Steel gasped in shock. “W-what?! I-I didn’t know that!”

Sundance came to a stop next to her granddaughter. “We heard you threaten to kill Spike. Therefore, you are also charged with Conspiring to Commit a Murder.”

“I-I didn’t mean it like that, Queen Sundance!” Steel insisted “I-it was just that he wouldn’t stop releasing fire.” He nodded to his left side. “Look at what he did to me!”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you put up a fight if you were being taken somewhere against your will by a stranger?”

“That dragon is just a baby!” Steel protested “There is no way that he has the ability to think like that.”

“You made the mistake of taking a baby dragon away from the one that he has imprinted on.” Twilight explained “Spike cries and breathes fire whenever he can’t see me. Additionally, he isn't even a week old. This means that he doesn’t have the ability to control his fire yet.”

“P-perhaps taking him wasn’t the wisest decision I’ve ever made.” Steel stammered

“You could say that.” Sundance replied “I will see to it that your wounds are taken care of when we return to Canterlot.”

Steel sighed in relief. “Thank you, Queen Sundance.”

“Then you will be placed in the Royal Dungeons while you await trial.” Midnight Armor added

- - End Flashback - - -

Solae, Bern and Luna stared at Sundance in stunned silence for several minutes before turning to Twilight and Spike.

“W-wow” Luna said softly

Bern nodded

“Were you able to determine why he took Spike?” Solae asked

“Steel was planning to demand a large ransom for Spike’s safe return.” Twilight answered “He was going to use the money to relocate the bodies of the ponies who were buried in that small town before reopening the mine.”

Celestia nodded “It turned out that he was planning to sell the emeralds at a lower price than the ones that came out of the legal mine in the mountains.” She resisted the urge to shake her head. He was good at his work, but allowed his greed to get the better of him. That was what caused him to lose everything.

Solae turned to Twilight. “That just proves Bern’s point.”

Surprised, Twilight asked “What do you mean?”

Solae laughed “You went out of your way to find Spike as soon as possible. Then you made sure that he wasn’t harmed as soon as you found him . . . before calming and protecting him.”

“What did you think I was going to do?!” Twilight immediately responded “He was just a baby!”

Solae laughed harder “That is exactly what I’m talking about. You are his mother as well.”

“B-but I . . .” Twilight stammered

Laughing softly, Sundance nuzzled her granddaughter. “She’s right.”

Twilight and Spike turned to each other.

After a moment, Spike asked “Do I have to call you “Mom”?”

Twilight slowly shook her head.

Spike sighed in relief. “Good. I like Twi better. Besides, calling you “Mom” would be weird.”

Everyone else laughed

“I think we should retire for the evening.” Sundance waited for everyone to nod before teleporting everyone to where they would be spending the night.

Sundance and Midnight Armor appeared in the middle of their room. He closed and locked the door while she used her magic to pull the curtains over the windows and pull the blanket on their bed back.

Sundance climbed into their bed and rolled onto her side. He lay down next to her and pulled her closer before using his magic to pull the blanket over both of them.

Sighing in pleasure, Sundance nuzzled her husband before laying her head on a pillow and closing her eyes. Laughing softly, Midnight Armor returned her nuzzle before doing the same. Both of them were asleep within a few minutes.

Twilight appeared in the middle of her room. “I think I’ll read a little before going to bed. Maybe I . . .” She cut herself off with a yawn. “On second thought, I think I’ll go to sleep now.”

She used her magic to close the curtains as she walked over to the large four poster bed against the back wall. Yawning again, she lay down and pulled the covers over herself. She was asleep within a minute.

Celestia and Luna appeared in the middle of Celestia’s room.

Luna looked around. “It looks like Father forgot to have another bed brought in here again.”

Celestia laughed “Perhaps we should just plan on sharing my bed until your room is ready.”

Also laughing, Luna walked over to her sister’s bed and climbed under the covers. “You’re probably right.”

Celestia used her magic to close the curtains and turn off the lights before joining her sister. “Good night, Luna.”

Luna smiled “Good night, Celestia.”

In the courtyard, Solae and Bern were lying next to each other in front of the fire. Spike was laying on a blanket in between them. They glanced at each other before turning back to their son.

Spike had laid his head on the pillow and wrapped the second blanket around himself before curling into a ball. Then he had quickly fallen asleep.

Solae laughed softly “Twilight and Sundance were correct. “Dragon Ball” is definitely an appropriate name for this.”

Smiling, Bern nodded “Seeing this in Queen Sundance’s memories was one thing, but I’m glad we got the chance to really see this.”

Solae smiled at him. “I am as well.”

Bern turned back to his son. “He didn’t do this last night because he was so cold that he placed himself right in front of the fire.”

Solae nodded “He is still small enough that he is affected by cold temperatures. I’m glad that Sundance provided the pillow and blankets for him tonight.”

“I am as well.” Bern replied “That has obviously made him more comfortable.”

Both of them lay their heads on the ground and closed their eyes and allowing themselves to fall asleep.

The Next Morning

Twilight, Luna and Celestia opened their eyes at the same time. Luna lowered the moon and Twilight lowered the stars. The Celestia raised the sun.

Twilight teleported to the door to her grandparents’ room. She was about to open it, but paused when she heard another teleportation spell. Surprised, she turned to see that Celestia and Luna were standing next to her.

Smiling, Luna took a couple of steps forward and nuzzled her daughter. “Good morning, Twilight.”

Twilight returned her mother’s nuzzle. “Good morning, Mom.” She turned to Celestia. “Good morning, Aunt Celestia.”

Celestia laughed “Good morning, Twilight.” She looked at the door to her parents’ room. “Are you ready to wake Mother and Father?”

Luna and Twilight nodded as Celestia opened the door.

Midnight Armor woke to a gentle nuzzle. He slowly opened his eyes and looked to his left . . . and smiled when he saw his youngest standing next to the bed. “Good morning, Luna.” It’s going to be a while before I get used to the fact that she’s really back.

Luna returned her father’s smile. “Good morning, Father.”

Midnight Armor’s smile widened when he saw that Celestia and Twilight were standing near the foot of the bed. “Give me a moment to wake Sundance.” He gently nuzzled his wife.

Celestia, Luna and Twilight laughed when Sundance buried her face in her husband’s shoulder.

“Some things never change.” Luna commented “Mother always hated waking up in the morning.” She teleported onto the bed before leaning down to nuzzle her mother. “It’s time to wake up, Mother.”

Sundance slowly opened an eye. “Luna?”

Luna laughed softly “Yes, Mother.” She was about to say something else, but paused when she realized that Sundance was whispering something. Curious, she leaned closer.

“I-it wasn’t a dream. My little girl is really back.”

Tears came to her eyes as Luna stared at Sundance. M-mother . . . She lay down before nuzzling her mother again. “That’s right, Mother.” She said softly “It wasn’t a dream. I’m really back.”

Sundance responded by pulling her youngest into a tight hug. “I want you to tell me if something is bothering you . . . or if you feel anything unusual. I-I don’t think I can bear to lose you again.”

Luna buried her face in her mother’s neck. “I promise.”

Midnight Armor smiled I don’t know what they’re discussing, but it doesn’t matter. I refuse to interrupt them. Luna has always been closer to me than she was to her mother. Therefore, it has been a very long time since I last saw them like this.

Sundance nuzzled her youngest before releasing her so she could stretch. Then she teleported to the bathroom that was attached to the room that she shared with her husband.

Midnight Armor used his magic to pull his youngest closer before whispering in her ear. “I know that you were never very close to your mother, but there is something that I think you should know.”

Curious, Luna nodded.

“She was devastated when we lost you.” Midnight Armor said softly “In fact, it was over a month before I saw her smile . . . and at least three before I heard her laugh. Additionally, she still believes that it was partially her fault that you were taken over by the Nightmare.”

Luna gasped I-I had no idea . . .

“That is part of the reason that she tried so hard with Twilight.” Midnight Armor quietly continued “She wanted to ensure that your daughter didn’t go through the same thing that you did.”

Lifting her head, Luna stared at her father in shock. She was about to say something, but paused when the door to the bathroom opened. I’ll talk to Mother later.

Sundance smiled at Celestia and Twilight as she walked into the room. “We should wake Cadance before heading to the dining room.”

Celestia and Twilight nodded while Midnight Armor and Luna climbed off of them bed.

Twilight teleported everyone to just outside Cadance’s room. “I’ll be right back.” She opened the door and walked inside before anyone could respond. She paused just inside the door and looked around. After taking a moment to let her eyes adjust, she walked over to the bed and gently nuzzled her friend.

After a second nuzzle, Cadance stirred slightly “Hmm?”

“It’s time for breakfast.” Twilight said softly

“Okay.” Cadance mumbled

Twilight waited for her friend to roll out of bed and stretch before the two of them walked into the hall.

Sundance smiled at Cadance before teleporting everyone to the dining room.

Blueberry looked up when he heard the teleportation spell. “Good morning, your highnesses.” He nodded to the cart next to him. “I have a large platter of waffles with butter and maple syrup for the ponies to share. There is a plate of waffles that have ruby pieces baked into each one for Spike and two large bowls of rubies for Queen Solae and Bern. There is a large pitcher of milk and another of orange juice for everyone to share.”

Celestia surrounded the cart with her magic before smiling at Blueberry. “Thank you.”

Sundance teleported everyone to the center courtyard.

Solae, Bern and Spike looked up at the sound of a teleportation spell. They smiled when they saw the Royal Family and Cadance.

Twilight took a couple of steps forward before leaning down to nuzzle Spike. “Good morning, Spike. Did the spell work properly?”

Spike nodded “It wore off about ten minutes ago . . . and I’m still warm.”

Twilight laughed “Good.”

Standing, Spike walked over to the left side of the courtyard. “Watch this.”

Twilight’s eyes widened when Spike let out a large blast of dragon fire. “W-wow. That’s at least three times larger than the last time I saw you do that.”

Bern laughed “I gave him a couple of lessons.”

Solae smiled at her son before turning to Twilight. “You have done well, but there are some things that Spike can only learn from another dragon.”

Twilight nodded “That makes sense.”

Bern tilted his head. “There is something that confuses me.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked

Bern nodded to his son. “He tried to describe a type of training that you do with him.”

Spike turned to Twilight. “Target practice.”

“Oh.” Twilight turned back to Bern. “I think it would be easier if we show you.” She glanced at Spike. “Are you up for that?”

Spike immediately nodded

Twilight giggled as her horn began to glow. “Stationary, moving or random mix?”

“The last one.” Spike replied

“Alright.” Twilight responded

Everyone looked up in time to see several spheres of magenta magic appear in the air above them.

“Are you ready?” Twilight asked

Spike nodded

Some of the spheres stayed still, but the rest began to move in random directions and at random speeds. Twilight created three new ones for each one that Spike destroyed.

This continued for fifteen minutes before Twilight allowed Spike to destroy the last moving target. Then she turned to Bern. “We usually train like that for an hour at a time . . . up to three times a week. I stopped this session early because I don’t want our breakfast to get too cold.”

“I-I see.” Bern stammered

Solae just stared at Twilight and Spike in shock. W-wow. I wonder if they will teach Bern and I how to do that. There are a couple of enemies in the Dragon Lands that that technique would be very effective against.

Celestia levitated the bowls of gems to Solae and Bern while Luna poured a glass of milk. Then she levitated that and Spike’s waffles to him. Sundance poured glasses of milk for everyone else while Midnight Armor distributed the waffles. Everyone sat down and began to eat.

Sundance waited until everyone had finished eating before teleporting the cart and empty dishes to the kitchen. Then she stood. “Unfortunately, Midnight, Celestia, Luna and I need to get going.”

Also standing, Midnight Armor nodded “Court will be starting soon.”

Celestia stood as well. “We will see you around noon when we take our lunch break.”

Solae and Bern nodded.

Midnight Armor teleported himself, his wife and their children to the throne room.

Twilight stood as well. “Unfortunately, Cadance and I need to get going as well.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Spike asked

“It’s alright.” Twilight replied “You can stay here. I’m just going to be testing Cadance and creating lesson plans.”

Cadance glanced at Twilight. Testing?

Nodding, Spike walked over to his parents and sat down in front of them.

Twilight teleported herself and Cadance to her office.

Cadance looked around for a minute before turning to Twilight. “You said you were going to test me. What kind of test?”

Twilight smiled at her friend. “I spoke to the principal and a couple of your teachers in the public school you used to attend not long after I officially became your teacher. I discovered that they were considering moving you up a couple of grades, but couldn’t tell me exactly which grade you belong in.”

“I-I see.” Cadance slowly replied I didn’t know about that.

“There is no way for you to fail this test.” Twilight set a thick stack of paper, a quill and some ink in front of Cadance. “This is because it is used determine where a student is in their studies. As such, some of these questions are going to be too easy and others will be too hard. Don’t worry about the ones that you can’t answer and just do your best.”

Nodding, Cadance sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

“Grandma, Aunt Celestia and I will use the information this tests provides to create the appropriate lesson plans for you.” Twilight continued “Let me know if you need anything.”

Nodding again, Cadance picked up the quill and got to work.

Twilight watched her for a moment before walking over to her desk. I’d better get back to my research. Let’s see. I think I left off . . . here we go.

Meanwhile, Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia and Luna appeared in the middle of the throne room.

Luna looked around for a moment. She noticed that there was a dais at the other end of the room with four thrones. Father and Mother’s thrones are in the middle. Celestia’s is next to Father’s and Twilight’s is next to Mother’s. She turned to her sister and their parents. “There’s no one here.”

“Father hasn’t opened the doors yet.” Celestia explained

Sundance nodded “We like to enjoy a couple minutes of peace and quiet before letting the petitioners in.”

“I wish we had thought of that a thousand years ago.” Luna commented

Midnight Armor, Sundance and Celestia laughed

“There are currently only four thrones in here.” Midnight Armor walked over to the dais and sat down on his throne. “Yours is being built so that you will be comfortable sitting on it when you regain your proper form.”

Sundance sat on her throne before smiling at her youngest. “For now, you can sit on Twilight’s. It’s the right size . . . and I’m sure that she won’t mind.”

Luna returned her mother’s smile as she walked over to the throne with her daughter’s Cutie Mark at the top. She sat down before looking up in time to see Celestia sit on her throne.

Midnight Armor used his magic to open the doors to the throne room a little over a minute later.

A large group of ponies immediately began to file into the throne room.

Luna’s eyes widened “Do you usually have this many petitioners?”

“No.” Sundance quietly replied “However, I’m not surprised that there are so many today.”

Luna glanced at her mother. “Why not?”

Sundance smiled at her daughter. “I’m sure that most of Equestria has heard that you have returned. This means that many of these ponies have come to meet you.”

Luna turned back to the crowd of ponies. “I see.” She instantly noticed that many of them were staring at her. Many others were whispering to each other as they gestured to her. She suppressed a sigh. This is probably going to be a long day.

Midnight Armor cleared his throat. “Court is now open.” He nodded to his wife.

Sundance returned his nod before turning to the ponies in front of her. She was about to say something, but paused when one of the ponies spoke up.

“That isn’t Princess Twilight.”

“You’re right.” Another pony replied. “Who is she and why is she on Princess Twilight’s throne?”

“Didn’t you hear?” A third one asked “Princess Luna has returned!”

“Oh yeah.” The first pony responded “You’re right. I bet that’s who she is.”

“Shh!” A fourth pony hissed. “Can’t you see that Queen Sundance wants to say something?!”

Sundance resisted the urge to laugh when the petitioners immediately stopped speaking and turned to her. “Good morning.”

All of the petitioners bowed. “Good morning, Queen Sundance.”

“I’m sure that some of you have already heard about this." Sundance began "However, I would like to make it official. Nightmare Moon returned three days ago.”

The petitioners gasped in shock before beginning to whisper amongst themselves.

Sundance waited for them to quiet down. “Twilight traveled to Ponyville and gathered a team of ponies before heading to the old castle in the Everfree Forest. That is where they engaged Nightmare Moon in battle.”

All of the petitioners gasped

“The ponies that Twilight gathered each connected with one of the existing Elements of Harmony.” Sundance continued “Then Twilight managed to bring the Element of Magic back before unleashing the full power of the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon. This allowed her to destroy Nightmare Moon.”

All of the petitioners gasped again.

The first pony who had spoken earlier, an earth pony stallion, took a couple of steps forward and bowed. Then he lifted his head. “D-does this mean that the pony next to you is . . .”

Smiling, Sundance nodded “This is the youngest of my daughters, Luna. She is the Princess of the Moon and Twilight’s mother.”

Luna was startled when the petitioners let out a thunderous cheer. Her eyes widened when she was suddenly bombarded with questions.

“What was the moon like?”

“You can’t ask her that! It’s insensitive! Don’t mind him, princess. He’s just an idiot.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“What do you think of Equestria now, princess?”

“How are you settling in, princess?”

“Are you going to be joining King Midnight Armor, Queen Sundance and Princess Celestia in court, Princess Luna?”

“I read about an interesting ability called “Dream Walking” yesterday. The book said that you are the only one with that ability, Princess Luna. Is that true?”

W-which one should I answer first? Luna was pulled from her thoughts when Sundance cleared her throat.

“I understand that all of you have questions. However, I ask that you take turns and be respectful. Additionally, my daughter will not be answering any questions about her time on the moon. In fact, I believe it would be best if we avoid that topic for the time being.”

All of the petitioners nodded “Yes, Queen Sundance.”

Chapter 6

Luna suppressed a sigh of relief. Thank you, Mother. She looked at the petitioners in front of her. “It is difficult for me to say what I think about Equestria as it is today because I returned three days ago. However, I can say that it is a very different place than the Equestria that I remember. I can also assure you that my sister, our parents and my daughter are doing their best to help me adjust.”

All of the petitioners nodded again.

Luna turned to the pony that had asked about Dream Walking. “I don’t know what you read, but I do know that I have never met another pony with the ability to Dream Walk.” She took a deep breath before adding. “I have the power to enter the dreams of sleeping ponies and affect them.”

“Does this mean that you are watching our dreams every night?” One of the petitioners asked

Luna shook her head. “I can’t see anything specific about a pony’s dream unless I enter it . . . and I only enter the dreams of those who are having nightmares.” With the exception of Mother, Father, Celestia and Twilight. “I stop the nightmare and turn the dream of the affected pony into something more pleasant. I leave their dream as soon as they have returned to a peaceful slumber. Most ponies don’t even know that I was there.” She was surprised when the petitioners let out another thunderous cheer.

“That’s amazing!”

“Are you sure that you are only the Princess of the Moon?”

“W-well, I do have another title.” Luna slowly replied

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia smiled.

“Do you mind if I ask what it is?” One of the petitioners asked

Luna blushed slightly. “Princess of the Night”

“That’s very appropriate.” Another responded

The rest of them nodded.

Sundance glanced at her husband. “I haven’t heard that title in a long time.”

“You’re right.” Midnight Armor replied “However, I believe we have a second Princess of the Night now.”

Sundance stared at her husband in confusion for a moment before laughing when she suddenly understood what he meant. “Good point.”

Celestia laughed as well. “You’re right, Father.”

The petitioners looked at each other in confusion for a moment before turning to Midnight Armor.

“What do you mean, King Midnight Armor?” One of them asked

Midnight Armor smiled at his youngest. “I think you should answer that question, Luna.”

Luna laughed softly when all of the petitioners immediately turned back to her. “I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but I used to control the stars in the night sky in addition to my moon.”

Most of the petitioners nodded.

“Used to?” One of the petitioners in front of her repeated.

Luna nodded as well. “I lost the ability to control the stars three days ago.”

The petitioners turned to each other.

“I saw the stars last night.”

“I did too.” Another replied “In fact, my husband and I had a picnic under the stars to celebrate our wedding anniversary.” She blushed slightly. We did something else under the stars as well . . . but they don’t need to know about that.

Luna’s eyes widened W-what?!

The petitioners turned back to Luna.

“This means that someone has the ability to control them.” One of them commented.

“Do you know who controls the stars now, princess?” Another one asked

“Yes.” Luna answered “Twilight is the Princess of the Stars. This means that she has the power to control the stars. She has been raising and lowering them for the last three days.”

All of the petitioners stared at her in stunned silence for several minutes before letting out another thunderous cheer.

The petitioners spent the next four hours asking the Royal Family questions about the events of the last few days.

Four Hours Later

“Is everything alright?”

Surprised, everyone turned to see that Twilight and Cadance were standing in the door to the throne room. The petitioners watched both of them walk towards the dais. Cadance stopped a couple of feet in front of the dais while Twilight walked over to nuzzle her mother.

Lifting her head, Twilight smiled at her mother before turning to Sundance and Midnight Armor. “I apologize for the interruption. I just wanted to tell you that it is time for lunch.”

Confused, Celestia focused on the sun for a moment. Her eyes widened. “I can’t believe it’s already twelve-thirty.”

Sundance’s eyes widened as well. “I didn’t realize it was that late.”

“I have already checked on Solae, Bern and Spike. The three of them are in the garden behind the castle.” Twilight looked at Sundance. “Solae asked me to tell you that she has something that she wants to discuss with you.”

Sundance smiled at her granddaughter. “Thank you.”

Midnight Armor stood “Court will resume in one hour.”

The petitioners bowed before filing out of the throne room.

Sundance teleported her family, and Cadance, to the dining room.

Blueberry poked his head out of the kitchen. “I thought I heard something.” He walked into the dining room and bowed. “I have prepared two vegetable subs for each of you. Spike has two vegetable subs as well, but his has ruby pieces in place of the tomatoes. I have prepared two bowls of opals for Queen Solae and Bern.”

Midnight Armor smiled “Thank you.”

Celestia teleported everyone, and their food, to the garden behind the castle.

Solae, Bern and Spike smiled when they saw everyone. Luna levitated the bowls of opals to Solae and Bern while Celestia levitated Spike’s lunch to him. Sundance distributed the rest of the food while the ponies sat down across from the dragons.

Everyone was silent for the next fifteen minutes because they were focused on filling their stomachs.

Sundance waited until everyone had finished eating before turning to Solae. “Twilight told me that you wish to discuss something with me.”

Solae smiled at Twilight before nodding to Sundance. “There are a couple of things that I would like to discuss with you.”

I am sure that Sundance can handle this. Midnight Armor stood “Please excuse me. I need to discuss a few things with Captain Shining Armor.” I also intend to look into Marble’s actions.

Sundance nodded “We will meet back here after court ends.”

Midnight Armor returned his wife’s nod before teleporting out of the garden.

Sundance turned back to Solae. “Is everything alright?”

Solae nodded “The first concerns Captain Shining Armor.”

Sundance raised an eyebrow. “What about him?”

“We are very impressed with what we have seen so far.” Bern responded

Solae nodded again “We would like him to train a few of the defenders of the Dragon Lands.”

Cadance’s eyes widened W-what?!

“Midnight oversees, and personally trains, every member of the Canterlot branch of the Equestrian Army.” Sundance replied “This means that I need to discuss this with him before I can give you an answer.”

Bern’s eyes widened. Perhaps Solae and I should discuss this with King Midnight Armor as well.

“I see.” Solae turned to Twilight and Spike. “The second concerns the two of you.”

Twilight and Spike exchanged confused glances before turning back to Solae. Both of them asked the same question. “What is it?”

Bern laughed “Solae and I would like to know if you would mind teaching us what you showed us this morning.”

Twilight blinked “You mean target practice?”

Solae and Bern nodded

“I don’t have a problem with that.” Twilight thought for a moment before turning to Spike. “You should start by explaining the necessary fire control to them.”

Spike nodded as well. “Good idea.”

Twilight smiled when she noticed Solae and Bern’s confused expressions. “I’m sure that both of you are extremely powerful. However, this type of training isn’t about power. Instead, it focuses on the speed and accuracy of carefully controlled fire-based breath attacks.”

“I see.” Solae said slowly

Bern glanced at his mate. “Our training usually focuses on raw power.”

Solae nodded to him. “Regardless, I believe the skills gained from this type of training will allow us to finally defeat Cavel and Urin.”

“You’re right.” Bern replied

“Who are Cavel and Urin?” Spike asked

Solae sighed “Cavel is a dragon that is challenging my rule. Urin is his son.”

“They aren’t as large, or powerful, as Solae.” Bern explained In fact, Spike might be stronger than they are. “However, they are members of a species of dragon that is extremely fast. This allows them to dodge even Solae’s most powerful attacks. Additionally, they are able to attack her directly and get out of the way before she can retaliate.”

Solae was about to say something, but paused when she saw the thoughtful expression on Twilight’s face. “Twilight?”

Everyone else turned to Twilight as well.

Twilight chewed her bottom lip as she thought. After a couple of minutes, she summoned a book and opened it to a page somewhere in the middle. “I think it was over here . . . Found it.” She used her magic to enlarge the image. “Is this the type of dragon that you are referring to?”

Surprised, Solae stared at the image for a moment before turning back to Twilight. “Yes. How did you figure that out so quickly?”

Twilight blushed “I did a lot of research on dragons after I hatched Spike.”

Luna smiled at her daughter. I’m not surprised.

Solae laughed “I should have expected that.”

Twilight returned her attention to the book. “According to this, they move so fast that most attacks miss them entirely. Additionally, while they are in motion, their speed creates a thin layer of wind around their bodies. This deflects most of the attacks that do hit them. The few attacks that make it through the wind are weakened to the point that the dragon isn’t harmed. This means that they are capable of taking on dragons that are far more powerful than they are.”

Shocked, Solae stared at Twilight for a moment before slowly turning to Bern. “She knows as much about them as we do.”

Bern silently nodded

Everyone else laughed

Spike turned to Twilight. “Should we teach Mom and Dad the Multiple Blast, Fire Barrage, or Flame Burst?” Any one of them should do the trick.

“All three.” Twilight thought for a moment. “Once they have mastered them, I will teach your mother the Fireball Blast.”

Celestia smiled “Good idea.”

Sundance nodded “I have no doubt that she will be able to use it properly.”

Luna tilted her head slightly. Fireball Blast? It sounds powerful, but I have never heard of it.

Solae stared at Twilight in shock. She actually knows that attack?! I have been trying to learn that attack for years. Unfortunately, most dragons have never even heard of it.

Spike gasped “T-that’s your most powerful fire-based attack! Do you really think she’ll be able to use it?”

Twilight nodded as well. “She shouldn’t have any trouble once she masters the proper fire control.” I’ll try to teach it to Bern as well, but I don’t know if he will be able to master it.

Bern slowly turned to Solae. “T-that is more than we were hoping for.”

Bern is correct. Even so, I am certainly not complaining. Solae nodded to her mate before turning back to Twilight. “Do you really know the Fireball Blast?”

Sundance smiled at her granddaughter before turning back to Solae. “Twilight created that attack roughly three hundred years ago.”

Luna’s eyes widened. That explains why I have never heard of it.

“Y-you created that attack?!” Bern repeated

Twilight nodded again “I was trying to create a more powerful fireball attack, but it kept exploding. I spent a while trying to correct the issue before eventually deciding to use it to my advantage.”

Solae and Bern stared at her in stunned silence.

Celestia glanced at the sun before standing. “Unfortunately, Mother, Luna and I need to head back to the throne room.”

Sundance, Luna, Cadance and Twilight stood as well.

“Cadance and I need to get back to the library.” Twilight commented

“We will return here once court has ended for the day.” Sundance told Solae.

Solae nodded

“You should use this time to teach them the necessary fire control.” Twilight told Spike.

“I will.” Spike promised

Twilight turned back to Solae. “I believe it would be best if you learn that part from another dragon . . . and your son is the only dragon that I know of that has mastered it.”

Spike smiled

Solae and Bern smiled as well. “Thank you.”

The dragons watched the ponies return to the castle before turning to each other.

Standing, Spike walked a few feet in front of his parents before turning to face them. “I’m going to teach you the proper fire control the same way that Twi taught me.”

Solae and Bern immediately gave their son their full attention.

Four Hours Later

Twilight, Sundance, Luna, Celestia and Cadance returned to the garden behind the castle. All five of them jumped when a dark green flame met Spike’s light green one.

Sundance watched both of them closely. “It looks like she’s close to mastering the basics.”

Celestia nodded to her mother as both of them lay down side by side in the shade of a large tree. Cadance and Luna exchanged confused glances before joining them. Then the four of them turned back to Twilight, Solae, Bern and Spike.

Spike growled in frustration. Mom isn’t getting any better! What would Twilight do? He was pulled from his thoughts by a familiar voice.

“Good job, Spike.” Spreading her wings, Twilight took to the air. “You should take a break. I’ll take it from here.”

Spike sighed in relief. “Thanks, Twi.” He sat on the ground. I wonder what she is going to do about this.

Solae and Bern smiled at their son before looking up at the lavender alicorn that was now hovering in front of them.

“Spike also had trouble with the final part.” Twilight commented “I’ll show you how I got him to master the necessary level of control.”

Solae and Bern nodded

Twilight turned to Solae. “From what I saw, you have enough control to hit relatively small targets now. Hit this one.” She created a medium sized sphere of magic.

Solae easily hit it with a single blast of her dark green fire.

“Good.” Twilight replied “Try this one.” She created a slightly smaller sphere of magic.

Solae growled when her blast of fire missed Twilight’s magic. Narrowing her eyes, she took a moment to carefully examine the sphere. It’s slightly smaller, but that shouldn’t make a difference . . . wait a minute. Is it moving? She smiled slightly I see what she’s doing. In that case . . . She aimed another blast of fire at a point a little above the sphere.

Twilight smiled when that attack hit its mark. “It took Spike almost a week to figure that out.” She tilted her head. “Then again, he was only five.”

Solae’s eyes widened “You taught him this when he was five?!”

Twilight nodded “I was trying to help him increase the amount of control he had over his fire. I started with fine control before teaching him how to increase the strength of his attacks.”

“That makes sense.” Solae watched Twilight do the same thing with Bern. Now that he knew what to do, he mastered it in less than a minute. This means that Bern and I are doing this in reverse. It also explains why we are having trouble.

“Alright.” Twilight looked from Solae to Bern and back again. “I am going to make the spheres of magic smaller. They will also be moving a little faster.”

Solae and Bern nodded

Two Hours Later

Sundance stood “I think that’s enough for today. We should find Midnight and get something to eat.”

Surprised, Celestia glanced at the sun before turning to her mother. “I thought Father would have been here by now.”

Sundance laughed “Knowing him, he started training and forgot about the time.”

Luna laughed as well. “Some things never change.”

Celestia nodded to her sister before turning to their mother. “I don’t sense his presence in the castle. We should check his training course.”

Twilight levitated Spike onto her back and took flight. Everyone else did the same.

As they flew, Luna moved closer to Sundance. “Why are we heading to the old castle?”

“The training course in the city is for the soldiers in the Canterlot Branch of the Equestrian Army.” Sundance explained “Your father prefers the type that was used a thousand years ago. There isn’t enough room in Canterlot for both.”

“Grandpa maintains the one behind the old castle himself.” Twilight added “He only goes there when he wants time to himself . . . or is really angry.”

“I see.” Luna replied

“Why do you think he went there?” Solae asked

“Last night, Midnight told me that he was planning to personally conduct an investigation into Marble’s actions today.” Sundance answered “I am fairly certain that he is not happy with what he learned.”

“That makes sense.” Cadance slowly responded

Bern was about to say something, but paused when he heard a loud thud. Confused, he lowered his gaze to the forest below them. “What was that?”

“That was Midnight.” Sundance carefully examined the forest below them. She raised an eyebrow when she saw a flash of dark blue out of the corner of her eye. “There he is.” She dove towards the larger clearing in the forest behind the old castle.

Everyone else followed her. All of them landed next to the tree line.

Luna looked around in wonder. “It’s exactly the same as it was a thousand years ago.”

There was a large track that took up the entire clearing. However, it wasn’t a plain circular track. Instead, it looked more like a giant figure eight. There were large boulders and even larger pillars scattered in seemingly random locations around the clearing.

Solae raised an eyebrow when she took a closer look at the course. Everything is moving in random directions . . . and at random speeds.

Bern gasped when Midnight Armor raced past them. He is much faster than I thought.

Sundance sighed when she took a closer look at her husband. I don’t know what he discovered, but he is furious. Unfortunately, it will take him several hours to rid himself of his anger at this rate. She levitated Spike onto her back. “Will you please help him, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded to her grandmother before galloping towards her grandfather.

Spike smiled “This is going to be good.”

Confused, Solae turned to her son. “What do you mean?”

Spike nodded to Midnight Armor and Twilight. “Just watch them.”

Even more confused, Solae turned back to Twilight and Midnight Armor. Everyone else did the same.

Midnight Armor raised an eyebrow when he noticed someone approaching him from behind on his left side. There is only one pony who can catch up to me at this speed. He slowed down slightly and looked to the left. “What are you doing here, Twilight?”

Twilight waited until she was next to her grandfather before aiming a blow at his side.

Narrowing his eyes, Midnight Armor dodged her attack by spreading his wings and jumping into the air. “You don’t want to do that.”

Twilight teleported above Midnight Armor. Then she tackled her grandfather from above and watched him fall a couple of feet.

With a powerful flap of his wings, Midnight Armor ascended until he was level with his granddaughter. “I’m serious, Twilight. I am not in a good mood.”

Undeterred, Twilight launched a beam of magic at her grandfather.

“If you insist.” Midnight Armor raised a barrier that easily blocked her attack. He waited for her attack to fade before allowing his barrier to fade as well. Then he pulled her into a session of hoof-to-hoof combat that was similar in intensity to the one that they had shown Comet. However, this one lasted almost half an hour before they landed in the middle of the clearing.

Twilight narrowed her eyes when she took a closer look at her grandfather. Not yet. Her horn began to glow as she charged him.

Midnight Armor raised an eyebrow. I know I taught her better than that. That kind of charge will actually harm her because I am a little over twice her size. His eyes widened when she vanished. What?! He braced himself and waited for her to make her move.

Twilight appeared above him and launched a barrage of magic blasts. Then she vanished again.

Midnight Armor dodged the attack before looking up to find the space that his granddaughter had occupied was empty. “Where is she now?”

Twilight reappeared right in front of him and pulled him into another intense session of hoof-to-hoof combat.

“I-incredible!” Luna whispered H-how strong is she?!

Everyone else, except Twilight and Midnight Armor, nodded.

Midnight Armor skidded to a stop on the ground in the center of the clearing a little over twenty minutes later. Panting, he smiled slightly when Twilight came to a stop next to him.

“I . . . assume . . . you feel . . . better now.” Twilight panted

Midnight Armor caught his breath before nuzzling his granddaughter. “Yes. Thank you, Twilight.”

Smiling, Sundance walked over to them with Spike still sitting on her back. “Well done, Twilight.” She turned to her husband. “I think we should head back to the castle for dinner.” I will wait until tomorrow night before asking him what he discovered.

Nodding, Midnight Armor and Twilight spread their wings and took flight. Everyone else followed suit. They landed in the garden behind the castle in Canterlot a little over thirty minutes later.

“Welcome back, your highnesses.”

Surprised, everyone turned to see that Blueberry was standing near the rear entrance with a large cart of food.

Blueberry smiled “I have two bowls of amethysts for Queen Solae and Bern. The ponies will be eating a vegetable casserole and drinking milk.” He turned to Spike. “I have a serving of vegetable casserole for you as well. However, I cooked yours with amethyst pieces. Then I crushed more amethysts into smaller pieces and sprinkled them on top. You will also be drinking milk.”

Spike licked his lips as his dinner was placed in front of him. “Thanks.”

Twilight waited until everyone had finished eating before turning to Cadance. “Alright. Spill the beans.”

Luna stared at her daughter for a moment before turning to her sister.

Seeing this, Celestia lowered her head. “What is it?”

“What does that mean?” Luna whispered

Celestia laughed softly “Twilight believes that Cadance is hiding something from us.”

“I see.” Luna quietly replied “She wants Cadance to tell us what it is.”

Celestia nodded to her sister before lifting her head and looking at her niece.

“What are you talking about?” Cadance asked

Twilight gave her friend an amused look. “Did you really think that you were going to get out of telling us about your date with Shining Armor?”

Smiling, Sundance snuggled closer to her husband before turning to Cadance. “Twilight is correct.”

Cadance’s face turned bright red. “I . . . um.”

“Where did you go?” Twilight asked

Cadance’s blush deepened as she mumbled the name of a nearby restaurant.

Spike grinned “He took you out to dinner.” It’s about time.

Cadance nodded

“Did you go anywhere else?” Celestia asked

Cadance nodded again

“Where?” Twilight asked

“W-we went on a long walk around the city before heading to the park.” Cadance replied

Almost everyone tilted their heads in confusion.

“Why did he take you there?” Spike asked

Twilight thought for a moment before gasping when she realized something. “Of course! Last night was the last night of the carnival!”

Cadance nodded a third time. “We spent a little over an hour there before he brought me back to the castle.”

“Please tell me that he took you on the Ferris Wheel.” Spike responded

Cadance’s blush returned “We rode it twice.”

Spike smiled “Good.”

Everyone else laughed

Solae smiled at her mate. “We read about those.” Ferris Wheels sound like fun . . . especially for creatures who can’t fly. It’s just a shame that we would never fit on one of those things.

Bern nodded “You’re right.”

Twilight nudged her friend. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

Cadance’s blush deepened as she nodded again. “I . . . um . . . it’s . . .” She trailed off when her friend laughed.

“It’s alright. We won’t make you tell us everything.” Twilight giggled when Cadance sighed in relief. “However, you will answer one more question.”

“What is it?” Cadance nervously asked

“Is he taking you out again?” Twilight responded

I should have known that she would ask that. Cadance nodded again “H-he told me not to plan anything for Saturday afternoon. Before you ask, I don’t know what he has planned.”

Midnight Armor chuckled “That’s good to hear.” I don’t think it will be another date in the traditional sense. However, I am glad that Shining Armor is spending time with Cadance.

Sundance smiled If this keeps up, he will probably fall in love with her.

Twilight was about to say something, but paused when she suddenly sensed something. She, Luna and Celestia said the same two words at the same time. “It’s time.”

Celestia lowered the sun before turning to her sister. “It’s your turn.”

Laughing softly, Luna raised the moon before turning to her daughter. Twilight smiled at her mother before closing her eyes and focusing on the stars. Everyone else smiled when the stars joined the moon in the night sky.

Opening her eyes, Twilight looked up at the stars for a moment before turning to her mother. “It’s almost time for the meteor shower.”

“You need to visit a special location so that you can learn the basics.” Luna replied “Once you have mastered that, you will be able to create a meteor shower from any location.” She smiled when her daughter nodded. “Close your eyes and focus on the stars. Do you see anything?”

Confused, Cadance turned to Celestia. “Why did Princess Luna ask her that? Twilight can’t see anything with her eyes closed.”

“Luna isn’t talking about the kind of sight that uses one’s eyes.” Celestia laughed softly when that confused Cadance even more. “This kind of sight relies on magic.” I would go into more detail, but that will probably confuse her even further.

“I see.” Cadance turned back to Twilight. I don’t understand that at all. I’ll just ask Twilight to explain it later.

Everyone else did the same.

Closing her eyes, Twilight took a couple of deep breaths before doing as she was told. “I don’t see or sense anything . . . wait . . . is that . . . a path?”

Luna’s smile widened. Thank goodness. This would have been much more difficult if she wasn’t able to find the path on her own. “That’s right. You need to follow it.”

Twilight didn’t bother opening her eyes. Instead, she nodded to her mother.

Everyone, except for Celestia, Luna, Midnight Armor and Sundance, gasped when Twilight suddenly vanished.

Celestia turned to her sister. “You should go as well. She will need somepony to guide her.” I could guide Twilight, but I think Luna should do it.

“I was planning to do that anyway.” Luna replied There are a couple of reasons for that. The first is that I promised Twilight that I would teach her. The second is there is someone that I need to speak to. She closed her eyes. I haven’t done this in a very long time.

Midnight Armor, Celestia and Sundance smiled when Luna vanished as well. Everyone else gasped in shock.

Eyes wide, Spike stared at the space that Twilight had occupied for a moment before turning to Celestia. “W-where did they go?! What did Twi mean when she said that she saw a path?”

Solae glanced at her son before turning back to Celestia. Those are very good questions.

“Luna, Twilight and I have access to a special path that we can use to visit our respective celestial bodies.” Celestia answered “I am certain that this will sound strange, but they are not inatimate objects. Additionally, they have a connection with the individuals that control their power. As such, I am able to telepathically communicate with the sun while Luna can do the same with the moon.” I am fairly certain that Luna has not done so since her return. She resisted the urge to shake her head. She is probably nervous. She turned back to everyone else. “The same applies to Twilight.”

Spike’s eyes widened “She can talk to the stars?”

Celestia nodded “She hasn’t told you about it because she doesn’t know that she has the ability to do so.”

Sundance smiled her husband before turning back to everyone else. “There are four very special stars who will be more vocal than the others. I am certain that they will welcome the chance to finally meet her.”

Midnight Armor smiled as well. “In fact, she should be hearing from them shortly.”

“Incredible.” Solae said softly

Bern and Cadance silently nodded

“There is something about this that I find strange.” Spike said slowly

Everyone else turned to him.

“What is it?” Sundance asked

“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” Spike responded “The sun and moon being alive, I mean. I have been living here since Twi hatched me and I didn’t know about any of this.”

“That is a good question, Spike.” Solae commented He is much smarter than most dragons his age. She smiled slightly Twilight taught him well.

“I’m sorry, Spike.” Sundance replied “We didn’t intentionally hide anything from you. It is simply that we don’t discuss it.”

“Why not?” Spike asked “This is kind of important.”

Solae and Bern laughed softly before saying the same two words. “Good point.”

“Luna and I discovered that the celestial bodies are alive just over a thousand years ago.” Celestia responded “We immediately told our parents. They suggested that we tell the citizens of Equestria as well.” She sighed “We followed their advice, but the citizens didn’t believe it.”

“We spent a couple of years trying to convince them otherwise, but it didn’t make a difference.” Sundance’s ears drooped slightly. “Then there was the attack, Comet’s death, the dark force that suddenly appeared and took over Luna, Nightmare Moon’s appearance, the fight and Nightmare Moon’s banishment.”

Midnight Armor gently nuzzled his wife before turning back to Spike. “As I am sure you can imagine, we suddenly had several pressing matters to attend to.”

Sundance gave her husband a small smile before turning back to Spike as well. “We had to calm the situation, address the concerns of the citizens and build the new castle so that we had somewhere to live.” She sighed “Of course, we had the additional strain of dealing with the events that had rocked our family while also caring for Twilight. By the time we had reached some level of normalcy, convincing the citizens that the sun and moon were alive seemed like a trivial matter.”

I don't blame them for that. “How old was Princess Twilight Sparkle at the time?” Bern hesitantly asked

“Two weeks old.” Midnight Armor answered

Solae gasped in shock. “What?” I knew that she had lost her parents when she was very young, but this is the first I have heard about the rest of it. She turned to Sundance. “Why didn’t you tell me about this at the time?”

“Can you honestly say that you blame me?” Sundance gave Solae a sad smile. “Midnight and I had just lost one of our daughters and son in law. To make matters worse, we were caring for their newborn daughter while struggling to keep our family and country together.”

“Then there is the fact that the relationship between our countries was in its infancy at the time.” Midnight Armor remarked “In fact, that is why we postponed our initial meeting. It is also the reason that Sundance was the only one who made the first trip to meet you.”

“What do you mean?” Solae asked

“I was needed here in Equestria.” Midnight Armor responded “Celestia stayed here to help me with court. Additionally, the two of us worked together to care for Twilight . . . who was two years old by that point.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Solae tilted her head slightly. Voth was extremely offended because he thought Midnight Armor was avoiding him. In fact, he believed that Sundance was the only one with the courage to face us. It was then that he decided that I would handle all negotiations between our countries. I chose to deal exclusively with Sundance because she had earned my respect.

Sundance snuggled a little closer to her husband.

Solae looked up at the stars. Over the years, Sundance has told me several stories about her family . . . well, she told me very little about Luna. I suppose that topic was considered too sensitive for outsiders. Regardless, the real reason I came to Equestria thirteen years ago was that I wanted to meet Twilight. Having her study Spike’s egg was just a convenient excuse to make the trip. She glanced at her son. I was thoroughly surprised, but extremely happy, when she hatched Spike.

I think we should get back to the original topic. Celestia turned back to Spike. “To answer one of your earlier questions, Luna and Twilight took a path that leads to what Luna and I call “The Stars”.” She closed her eyes and focused on her connection to the sun. How are things going up there?

There is no need to worry. Everything is going according to plan. In fact, Selene just asked me for the necessary magic. I know that this was your plan, but I still need to ask. Do you give your permission for me to take the next step?

Of course. Celestia opened her eyes and looked up.

Confused, Spike looked up as well. “Why are we looking at the moon?”

“You will see soon enough.” Celestia smiled when the moonlight suddenly got brighter. “Good.” That is exactly what I wanted to see.

The moonlight faded a few moments later.

Sundance turned to her daughter. “Did you do what I think you did?”

It is done.

Thank you, Solara. Celestia smiled at her mother. “I asked Solara to give Selene extra magic tonight. Selene used that magic to restore Luna to her proper form.”

Midnight Armor smiled as well. “Good idea.”

“Who are Solara and Selene?” Bern asked

“Solara is sun’s name and Selene is the moon’s name.” Celestia answered

Cadance’s eyes widened. “What?!” I didn’t know that they have names!

Sundance smiled at the young pegasus. “As Celestia said earlier, the sun and moon are not merely objects that move through the sky. Therefore, it is only natural that they have names.”

“They didn’t always have names.” Midnight Armor laughed softly when he saw Cadance, Solae, Bern and Spike’s confused expressions. “In fact, they were rather upset when they realized that. They tried to come up with their own names, but didn’t know where to start. As such, they asked Celestia and Luna to name them.”

Sundance nodded. “Celestia and Luna considered several names before finally settling on Solara and Selene.”

“If that is the case, why does everypony call them the sun and moon?” Cadance asked

“Good question.” Spike remarked “That would be like ponies calling me “the dragon”.”

Solae laughed “Good point.”

“Luna and I gave Selene and Solara their names not long after we discovered that the sun and moon were alive.” Celestia explained In fact, we did that only a couple of weeks before the first fight with Nightmare Moon. “We told the citizens about the new names soon after we came up with them. Unfortunately, they refused to use them.”

Midnight Armor shook his head as well. “Sundance and I waited until the chaos surrounding the first fight with Nightmare Moon had settled before asking them why. They stated that the sun and moon were the only things that they could rely on to never change. As a result, they couldn’t accept the fact that the celestial bodies were alive . . . or the fact that they had names. We spent a few more years trying to convince them before deciding that it wasn't worth the struggle.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Spike slowly replied

Meanwhile, In the Stars

Twilight and Luna had just reached the end of the path. Neither of them noticed that the sun and moon were silently watching them.

Smiling slightly, Luna looked at the stars for a moment before turning to Twilight. I wonder how she is going to react.

Twilight didn’t notice because she was staring around her in shock. “W-wow. If I didn’t know better, I would swear that we are . . .”

“Standing among the stars that you now control?” Luna laughed softly when Twilight nodded. “That is exactly where we are.”

Twilight immediately turned to her mother. “What?!”

Four stars had been calmly looking at the rest of the night sky. Startled, they turned at Twilight’s shout.

“Well, now.” The first one said slowly. “This is unexpected.”

“Agreed.” The second replied “It appears that we have visitors.”

“That hasn’t happened in almost a thousand years.” The third commented

“If memory serves, our visitor at the time was Celestia.” The fourth remarked

“You are correct.” The second star responded “She brought an adorable surprise . . . and grave news.” The surprise was a little alicorn filly. Celestia told us that the filly was Luna’s daughter. Now that I think about it, that filly is a grown mare now. I wonder how she turned out. Her star flickered as she suppressed a sigh. The grave news was that Comet was dead . . . and Luna had been taken over by an evil force. To make matters worse, she had been forced to seal Luna in her own moon. Celestia was devastated by the fact that her sister was gone. She suppressed another sigh. Solara told us that Celestia was too upset to visit at first. Now she is simply too busy . . . or too exhausted after long days in court.

Twilight tilted her head slightly as she looked around. Okay, this is weird. I hear voices. Please tell me that I am not going crazy.

Luna watched her daughter carefully. It looks like she hears something. She smiled That is a very good sign.

Twilight took a couple of steps forward and looked up. As strange as this sounds, I am pretty sure that the voices are coming from those stars.

“S-she is looking directly at us.” The fourth star said softly

“You’re right.” The third quietly replied “Can she hear us?”

“Perhaps we should ask her.” The first star turned to Twilight. “Can you hear us, young one?”

All four of them gasped in shock when Twilight nodded.

“This is most unusual.” The second star remarked

“Agreed.” The first star responded H-how is this possible? Who is that mare?!

The third star took a closer look at the ponies in front of them. The one with the blue coat looks familiar, but I can’t quite place her. I don’t recognize the lavender one at all.

Twilight flicked an ear in their direction before turning back to Luna. “What is going on, Mom?”

“That is a good question.” The fourth star remarked

Luna laughed “I will answer your question in a moment.” She turned to the moon. “It has been a long time, Selene. I know that my appearance has changed, but I trust that you recognize me.”

“Of course, Luna.” Selene said softly “It has been far too long. I am relieved to see that you have been restored to your true self. You must tell me what happened when the seal broke.”

The stars gasped in shock.

“D-did she say Luna?!” The first star stammered

“That is correct.” Selene responded “I can’t believe none of you recognized your granddaughter.” I can understand why they don’t recognize Twilight Sparkle. They haven’t seen her in a thousand years . . . and she was just a foal at the time. However, they have seen Luna in that form before.

It was Twilight’s turn to gasp in shock. “W-what?!”

I will answer Selene’s question before addressing my grandparents. “As you know, the seal that kept me on your physical surface broke three days ago.” Luna replied

“Nightmare Moon immediately returned to Equestria.” Selene commented

Sighing, Luna nodded “Unfortunately, she was able to defeat Mother, Father and Celestia relatively quickly.”

The stars gasped in shock again.

“How was Nightmare Moon defeated?” Selene hesitantly asked It couldn’t have been Luna. Nightmare Moon was in control of her body when the seal broke.

“The pony standing next to me took care of that.” Luna smiled at Twilight before turning back to the moon. “I would like to introduce all of you to my daughter, Twilight Sparkle.”

The second star gasped in shock again. That is the filly that Celestia brought here a thousand years ago?!

The third star took a closer look at Twilight. She must be extremely powerful if she defeated Nightmare Moon.

The other stars gasped in shock as well.

“Twilight gathered the new wielders of five of the Elements of Harmony together before somehow managing to bring back the Element of Magic . . . which she now wields.” Luna’s smile widened “She faced Nightmare Moon in combat before using the Elements of Harmony to free me.”

“Incredible!” Selene said softly

Luna turned so that she was facing the four stars directly. “That night, my daughter was finally able to claim her birthright. She is the Princess of the Stars. In fact, she has been raising and lowering them for the last three days.”

“T-that must be why she is able to hear us.” The third star slowly replied

Selene turned back to Twilight. “Well done, Twilight.”

The second star laughed softly. “I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. She is our great granddaughter.”

The other stars laughed as well. All three of them said the same thing. “Agreed.”

“I am sure that there is more to your tale, but we will get to that in a moment. There is an important task that needs to be taken care of first.” Selene turned to the sun. “If you would be so kind, Solara?”

Solara spoke with Celestia for a moment before turning back to the moon. “Of course, Selene.” The light from the sun brightened for a couple of moments before returning to normal. “That should be enough.”

“Thank you.” Selene focused her magic on Luna.

Everyone else looked on as Luna was surrounded in a sphere of pure moonlight. When the light faded, Twilight gasped in shock.

Luna was now only a foot shorter than Celestia. The color of her coat had deepened to a deep, soothing sapphire. Her mane and tail looked like the stars in the night sky and gently flowed like her sister’s.

Luna slowly opened her eyes. “Thank you, Selene. That is much better.” She turned to the sun. “Thank you as well, Solara.”

“You are most welcome, Luna.” Solara laughed softly “You should thank your sister as well. This was her idea.”

Also laughing softly, Luna shook her head. “I should have known that she would do something like this.”

Even her voice is different. It is deeper . . . and more powerful. Eyes wide, Twilight took a couple of steps towards her mother. “M-mom? I-is that really you?”

Luna turned back to her daughter. “Yes, Twilight.” She smiled “I have regained my proper form.”

“W-wow.” Twilight carefully examined Luna’s new form. “It’s different, but I like this form better.” She made a face. “It felt really weird to be bigger than you.”

Shocked, Luna stared at her daughter for a moment before beginning to laugh.

Everyone else immediately joined her.

When she had finished laughing, Luna draped a wing over her daughter’s back and pulled her closer. She nuzzled Twilight before looking up at the stars. “It has been a long time, Grandmothers and Grandfathers.”

All four of them brightened significantly.

“Welcome back, Luna.” The first star replied. I know that she can’t hear me anymore, but it feels rude to not respond.

The second star flickered slightly before turning back to Twilight. “Please step forward, young one.”

All four stars brightened a little more.

Smiling, Luna folded her wing. It is time.

She must be talking to me. Twilight took a couple of steps forward. “Y-yes?”

“First, I would like to introduce myself.” The second star replied “My name is Emerald and I am Sundance’s mother.”

“It is nice to meet you.” Twilight slowly replied Am I supposed to use her name or call her Grandma? Calling her Great Grandma would just be weird.

Emerald laughed softly “Close your eyes and use your magic to examine your surroundings.” I could simply tell her what she needs to do, but I want to see if she can figure it out herself. That should show me how in tune with the stars she really is.

“O-okay . . .” I don’t know what I expected her to say, but that wasn’t it. Twilight did as she was told.

At first, Twilight didn’t sense anything unusual. Then she noticed a trace of magic. That’s Aunt Celestia’s magic. What was she doing to the stars? She carefully examined her aunt’s magic. I get it. It is left over magic from when she controlled them. She tilted her head thoughtfully. That’s weird. I don’t know how I know this, but those stars aren’t in their proper places. Opening her eyes, she looked around for a moment before settling her gaze on an empty patch of space next to the moon. They should be over there. She closed her eyes again as she spread her wings. Let’s see if I can fix that.

Luna’s smile widened. That’s it.

Twilight’s horn began to glow. I need to move them carefully. She thought for a moment. Hmm. Just to be on the safe side, I will move them one at a time.

Emerald looked on as her star was surrounded with Twilight’s magenta magic. Impressive. Her magic is much stronger than I expected. In fact, Twilight’s magic appears to be even stronger than Sundance’s. Her star flickered I didn’t think it was possible for anypony’s magic to be stronger than my daughter’s.

“Are you alright, Emerald?” The first star nervously asked

“Don’t worry, Ocean.” Emerald replied “I am unharmed. Our great granddaughter is being extremely careful.”

“Ocean?” Twilight quietly repeated That name hasn’t been used in centuries.

Luna laughed softly “That is Mother’s father’s name.”

I guess that explains why he is worried. Twilight carefully moved Emerald’s star to its proper place next to the moon and released her magic.

Emerald’s star brightened considerably. “Well done, Twilight. This is where my star was supposed to be all along.”

“Why were you in the wrong spot?” Twilight asked

Ocean chuckled “I love Celestia, but she doesn’t know much about the night sky.”

It is clear that Mom can’t hear them, but I think she should be the one to respond to that. Twilight repeated what Ocean had just said.

Thank you, Twilight. Luna laughed as well. “I am not surprised. She is the Princess of the Day.”

Ocean laughed a little harder. “Good point.” I am glad that Twilight did that.

“At first, she was careful to place us in our proper places when she raised our stars at night.” Emerald explained

“However, as the years passed, she slowly moved us to our current locations.” Ocean finished

Twilight giggled “That must be why Grandpa was the one to teach me about the stars.”

“Grandpa?” Ocean repeated

“I’m sorry.” Twilight replied “That is what I call my grandfather. Grandpa is short for Grandfather. Before you ask, Grandma is short for Grandmother.”

“That makes sense.” Emerald commented

Twilight carefully moved Ocean’s star to its proper place before turning to the two remaining stars.

“My name is Dark Flame.” The third star remarked “I am sure that you have already figured this out, but I will say it anyway. Midnight Armor is my son.”

I saw that coming. Twilight smiled at his star as she surrounded it with her magic. She carefully moved Dark Flame’s star to its proper position across from Ocean’s. That leaves one place left in the diamond. She turned back to the fourth star. I don’t know her name yet, but I am pretty sure that she is Grandpa’s mother.

That star brightened. “It is nice to finally meet you, Twilight. My name is Honey. This probably won’t come as a surprise, but I am Midnight Armor’s mother.”

I thought so. Twilight carefully moved Honey’s star to the empty spot across from Emerald’s and allowed her magic to fade. That completes the diamond, but I wonder why Mom placed them like that. I’ll ask her about that later. “That takes care of that.”

Luna gently nuzzled her daughter. “Well done.” I am surprised that she was able to move stars on her first try. It took me several months to reach that level.

Twilight was about to respond, but paused when she suddenly sensed something. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was. “I forgot about the meteor shower!” She turned to her mother. “It’s supposed to start any minute . . . and I still don’t know what to do!”

Ocean, Emerald, Dark Flame and Luna laughed.

“Calm down, Twilight.” Honey said softly “We will help you.”

In Canterlot

The other members of both Royal Families, and Cadance, were still in the garden behind the castle. All of them were looking up at the beautiful night sky.

Sundance smiled when she saw the first shooting star. “She did it.”

Also smiling, Midnight Armor spread a wing over his wife’ back as more stars moved across the sky. “Well done, Twilight.”

“Its beautiful.” Solae said softly

Everyone else nodded. They made an unspoken decision to watch the rest of the meteor shower in silence.

In the Stars

Just over an hour had passed since the meteor shower had started. Luna and Twilight were lying side by side on a cloud that Luna had created for them to relax on. Most of that time had passed in silence as most of them watched Twilight work.

Twilight didn’t know this because her eyes were closed. She carefully guided the last few meteors across the sky before allowing her magic to fade. She let out a sigh of relief as she opened her eyes. I’m glad that’s over. I am also glad that I don’t have to do that very often. “That took more magic than I expected.”

“Even so, you did a wonderful job.” Emerald commented

“Emerald is correct.” Dark Flame remarked “Especially when you consider the fact that this was your first meteor shower.”

Laughing softly, Luna gently nuzzled her daughter. “Don’t worry. It gets easier with practice.”

“I hope so.” Twilight replied

“There is one thing that puzzles me.” Ocean said slowly

Twilight looked up at his star. “What is it?”

Ocean spoke slowly as he tried to put his thoughts into words. “It is rare for a pony to be able to control the stars with such ease. I understand that you are the Princess of the Stars, but there has to be another reason.”

“Good point.” Honey said thoughtfully “It took Luna several months of practice to reach the level that Twilight has achieved in less than two hours.”

“Hmm.” Dark Flame thought for a couple of minutes before turning back to Twilight. “What is your specialty?”

“Magic.” Twilight answered

Ocean barely managed to suppress a gasp of surprise. That is Sundance’s specialty!

Emerald gasped when she suddenly remembered something. Wait a minute. “I seem to recall hearing that you wield the Element of Magic as well. Is that true?”

Twilight nodded

“This means that she has the necessary affinity with the stars and the necessary control over magic in general.” Dark Flame slowly responded

“You’re right, Flame.” Honey replied “That has to be it.”

Twilight leaned closer to Luna before whispering her question. “I thought his name was Dark Flame. Why did she call him Flame?”

Fortunately, I don’t need to hear them to answer that question. “For the same reason that Mother calls Father by the first part of his name.” Luna quietly responded

I guess that makes sense. Twilight lifted her head and turned her attention back to the stars. “What do you want me to call you? Just calling you “great grandmother and great grandfather” would get confusing because there are two of each. It wouldn’t be right to use your names, but . . .” She trailed off when all four of her great grandparents laughed. Why are they laughing?

“I believe I speak for all of us when I say that you may address us the same way that you address Sundance and Midnight Armor.” Ocean answered

“Didn’t you say that you call them Grandma and Grandpa respectively?” Honey asked

Twilight nodded again

“That will take some getting used to, but I believe it is the best option.” Dark Flame remarked

“Agreed.” Ocean replied “You may use those titles for us as well. Then add our names after the title so that everypony knows who you are speaking to.”

“I would like you to use the last part of my name.” Dark Flame added

“Alright.” Twilight replied

Luna stood. “I believe we should head back to Equestria before Mother and Father get too worried.”

“Good idea.” Twilight stood as well.

Luna turned back to the stars. “Grandmothers and Grandfathers. I know that I no longer possess the ability to hear you. Even so, I just wanted to wish the four of you a good night.” She raised an eyebrow when Twilight stared at the stars for a moment before beginning to laugh. “Why are you laughing, Twilight?”

“G-grandpa Ocean j-just said . . .” She paused to get her laughter under control. Then she used a forehoof to wipe the tears from her eyes. “T-that was funny.” She turned back to her mother. “He said that that isn’t what he asked to be called.”

Luna gave Ocean’s star an amused look. “Nice try, Grandfather. It will be a while before I get accustomed to calling you that.” She shook her head. “I am still getting used to being called “Mom”.”

Twilight immediately began to laugh again. Everyone else quickly joined her. When they had finished laughing, Luna and Twilight turned toward the path that led back to Equestria.

“Twilight.”

Pausing, Twilight looked over her shoulder. “Yes, Grandma Emerald?”

Emerald levitated something to Twilight. “Please give this to my daughter.”

Curious, Twilight turned to face the stars again as she took the object in her magic. She gasped softly when she realized what it was. “It’s a white diamond . . . and it has already been cut into a six-pointed star.”

“I thought Mother already had one of those.” Luna commented

She did, but Nightmare Moon shattered it when she destroyed part of the old castle. Selene quietly explained Solara told us that Celestia spent hours looking for it in an attempt to cheer her mother up. Sundance was already devastated by the fact that she had just lost you, but she was even more so when Celestia found it in pieces. Apparently, your mother refused to replace it because that diamond was the last thing that her mother had given her before she died.

Luna’s ears drooped. “I see.”

Emerald was determined to make her a new one. It took her a long time to find a suitable replacement. Then she took her time carefully cutting it into its current shape. Selene laughed softly In fact, she went through dozens of diamonds before settling on the one that she gave Twilight.

Thank you for telling me, Selene. Luna said softly

Twilight thought for a moment before smiling. “I’ll ask the Royal Jewelers for a gold chain and turn this into a necklace. I will give it to Grandma as soon as it is ready.”

Emerald gasped softly “Thank you, Twilight. I am certain that she will love it.”

“I have a better idea.” Honey turned to her husband. “Would you mind helping me?”

“Of course.” Dark Flame replied

Twilight looked on as they focused their magic on a particular part of space. What are they doing?

Dark Flame and Honey finished their task almost twenty minutes later.

Honey levitated a gold chain to Twilight. “Use this for Sundance’s necklace.”

Taking the chain in her magic, Twilight sat down where she stood and focused her magic on the objects that she held in her magic. “The spell that Grandma taught me a few decades ago should do the trick.” She used her magic to carefully attach the diamond to the small gold loop and complete the necklace. “There.”

Luna’s eyes widened “It’s beautiful.”

“Take this as well, Twilight.” Dark Flame levitated something to Twilight. “Please give it to my son.”

Twilight’s eyes widened when she saw what it was. “A dark blue topaz.”

Dark Flame chuckled “Solara told us that Celestia told her that he has been looking for one, but is unsatisfied with the ones that those “Royal Jewelers” tried to give him.”

Twilight nodded “He’ll love this one.”

“That is good to hear.” Honey and Dark Flame responded

Luna smiled at the stars. “It was nice to spend time with all of you, but we really must be going.”

“Have a good night.” Twilight added

Everyone else watched them until they were out of sight before turning to each other.

“That was a very nice visit.” Honey commented

“Agreed.” Emerald replied “It was nice to see Luna again. Additionally, our great granddaughter has grown into a lovely mare.”

“And an extremely powerful one.” Ocean added

Dark Flame laughed softly “That is the understatement of the century.”

All of them went back to looking at the night sky.

In Canterlot

Everyone smiled when Luna and Twilight suddenly appeared.

Midnight Armor folded his wing as he stood. “Well done, Twilight. That was a beautiful meteor shower.”

Sundance stood as well. “Midnight is right.”

Solae smiled at Luna. “Congratulations on being restored to your proper form. It looks very good on you.”

Luna returned the smile. “Thank you.”

Spike nodded “I like your starry version much better.”

Everyone immediately began to laugh.

Sundance waiting until she had finished laughing before turning back to Twilight. Her eyes widened when she saw what her granddaughter had suspended in her magic. “T-twilight . . . w-where did you get that?”

Solae exchanged confused glances with Bern before turning to Spike. “Do you know why Sundance looks so shocked?”

Equally confused, Spike shook his head.

Twilight followed her grandmother’s gaze to the necklace. “Grandma Emerald gave me the diamond and asked me to give it to you.”

Sundance gasped softly “R-really?”

Midnight Armor tilted his head slightly. I wonder why Twilight called Emerald that.

Twilight nodded “I told her that I wanted to put it on a chain so that you could wear it. Grandma Honey and Grandpa Flame created the chain and gave that to me as well.” She shrugged “I just had to put them together.” She levitated the necklace to Sundance. “Here you go.”

Midnight Armor suppressed a chuckle. She did the same for my parents.

Sundance carefully took it in her magic. “T-thank you, Twilight.” She stared at the necklace for a moment before turning back to Twilight. “How did Mother know that I needed a new one?”

Bern raised an eyebrow. Mother? He leaned closer to his mate. “What are we missing?”

“I’m not sure.” Solae quietly replied “I will ask her later.”

Bern nodded to her before turning back to the alicorns.

“Solara told her.” Luna gave her mother a sad smile. “Additionally, Selene told me what happened to the other one.”

“I see.” Sundance slowly replied

Midnight Armor gently took the necklace from Sundance. “Allow me.” He placed the necklace around his wife’s neck. After a moment’s thought, he cast a Protection Spell on it. “That should keep you and your necklace safe.”

Too choked up to speak, Sundance just nuzzled her husband.

Solae smiled I have never seen her like this. She looked at the necklace. It is beautiful, but there must be another reason for her reaction. She was pulled from her thoughts by Twilight’s voice.

“Grandpa Flame asked me to give you this.” Twilight levitated the topaz to her grandfather.

Midnight Armor’s eyes widened slightly “How did he know . . .” He trailed off when Twilight giggled.

“Solara told them that you were looking for one.” Twilight explained

“I see.” Midnight Armor carefully examined the gemstone that he held in his magic. It’s perfect. “Please thank him the next time you see him.”

“I will.” Twilight promised

The alicorns lifted their heads when they heard someone clear their throat. Surprised, all of them jumped slightly before turning to Solae.

“My apologies.” Solae said softly “I did not mean to startle you.”

Regaining her composure, Sundance smiled at her friend. “It’s alright. Is there something that I can help you with?”

“Bern and I have a couple of questions.” Solae replied “The first is more of a statement.”

“What is it?” Sundance asked

“This is the first time that I have heard you mention your mother.” Solae commented

I should have known that she would catch that. Sundance’s smile faded slightly “That is because both of my parents died almost eleven hundred years ago.”

Solae winced “I see.”

Midnight Armor’s ears drooped slightly. “My parents died around the same time.” He smiled at his youngest before turning back to the dragons. “Luna found a way to attach their souls to stars that she had just created.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she turned to her mother. “You can create stars?!”

“Not anymore.” Luna laughed softly when she saw her daughter’s confused expression. “I lost that ability when I lost the ability to control the stars.”

Twilight’s eyes widened even further. “Y-you mean that I have the ability to create stars in addition to moving them?!”

Laughing harder, Luna nodded “You need to master several other skills first, but you will eventually reach that level.”