Princess Preparatory

by Melody Song

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Romance, Adventure, Tempest Shadow, Daring Do
Length: 38152

Human Alternate Universe where Twilight Sparkle and Mane 6 attend a Princess School. They get past obstacles while falling in love with certain boys.

This story takes place in an alternate universe (they are humans, not ponies).

Twilight Sparkle is given a Scholarship to attend Headmistress Celestia and Vice Headmistress Luna's Princess Preparatory, a school for young Princesses in the making. This is because her brother, Shining Armor, is attending the school's "brother school"; Prince and Knight Academy. Which is led by Headmaster Thorax and Vice Headmaster Pharynx. Shining attends because he is courting Princess Cadence, who is like Twilight's sister. Her brother, Spike, is with Shining at Prince Academy. Twilight Sparkle meets six other girls, who are born Princesses. They help her to succeed in the Royal School. But there are many obstacles they must face.

Meanwhile, at Prince and Knight Academy, Shining Armor and Spike have made friends with five certain boys. When they are asked to have a joint class with the ladies of Princess Prepratory, they fall in love with certain girls. Together the boys and girls strive to complete their years and graduate, working together to solve problems (and fall in love while they're at it)

(boys are in the story a medium amount but there's not enough number of tags to include them)

Important Ships in story:
Soarindash
Shining x Cadence
AppleSpike
Rarity x Fashion Plate
CheesePie
Twilight x Star Tracker
Fluttercord
Starburst (Starlight x Sunburst)
Sunset Shimmer x Flash Sentry
Spitfire x Fleetfoot

Published 2019-11-11 02:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2020-12-06 19:45:08 UTC

First Day of School

"Ohhh, where are all my pencils? Spike! Have you seen my schoolbooks? Where's my uniform?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, rushing around her room, frantically pushing things aside to find the what she needed. Her violet eyes shone with anxiety and her deep purple hair swing around her shoulders.

"Chillax sis, it's my first day too, we're gonna be great." Spike replied, coming into her room "Here, the uniform's in your suitcase, pencils and schoolbooks are in the backpack." he tossed the backpack to her and she caught it.

"Spike, I doubt that a Royal School has backpacks. And why are you so calm? We're both about to go to new schools, where we won't know anyone! Worst of all..." Twilight hugged her brother tightly, hand in his messy green hair "We won't be together."

"I know. But you'll make new friends." Spike replied, pulling away.

"It took me fifteen years to make the friends I already have, I don't want to have to start over!" Twilight cried, pacing around.

"Twi, you're sixteen, you can handle a little friend-making. It probably won't take long." Spike said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And don't worry about me, I'll have Shining." their brother had gone ahead a year earlier, the boy's school had asked that he come the previous year to get more used to the role of a Prince before his wedding

"You know, for a little brother, you're smarter than you look." Twilight ruffled his hair playfully as she grabbed her bags and headed out to the living room.

"Hey! I'm only younger than you by a couple months! Wait up!" Spike ran after her, grabbing his bags from the hallway.

They slowed to a halt in the living room, looking around at the place they had lived all their lives. Flashbacks of times spent together as a family flickered through Twilight's mind. Memories of birthday parties with Shining Armor, and her friends. Moondancer, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and Minuette. She was going to miss them so much.

"Don't worry Twilight, you'll get to see them this winter." Twilight swore Spike could read her mind.

"I guess you're right. They won't forget me, I'll text them weekly." Twilight sighed, smiling.

"Think mom and dad will be lonely?" Spike asked.

"Maybe. We'll probably have to promise them weekly calls too." Twilight said, smiling. Their parents were working, and were unable to see them off. Though they did say goodbye before leaving for their jobs.

"Yeah." Spike laughed. The carriages were waiting outside.

"I guess this is goodbye then." Twilight sighed.

"Yeah. Bye sis. I'll miss you." Spike and Twilight hugged one more time before they each sat down in the separate carriages, which took them in opposite directions. Twilight leaned over the back of the carriage and waved to Spike, who did the same.

"Goodbye, brother." Twilight murmured, sitting back into her seat and viewing the scenery passing by.

Twilight stepped off the carriage two hours later, lifting up her suitcase and pulling her backpack onto her shoulder. Twilight sighed and headed inside the school. It was a literal castle, with a school inside. Twilight headed inside, where the Headmistresses were standing.

"You must be Twilight Sparkle." the woman had pale skin, pink-purple eyes, and flowing hair striped with blue, green, pink, and light purple. "I am Headmistress Celestia, this is my sister, Vice Headmistress Luna."

"It is an honor, thank you for allowing me to come here." Twilight said, trying to curtsy, but she wobbled and nearly fell forward.

"It's no trouble Twilight. Since your brother is attending our brother school to educate him on how to rule when he marries Cadence, my niece, it seems only fitting that you and your other brother are educated as well." Headmistress Celestia replied.

"And don't worry, we'll have you curtsying in no time." Vice Headmistress Luna added, smiling kindly at Twilight.

"Come, my sister and I will show you to your locker." Headmistress Celestia said, and they headed into the hallway.

"Wow. I knew this was a royal school, but I didn't think it would actually be so...big, and majestic." Twilight gasped in wonder.

"Yes, this castle is actually where my sister and I grew up. When we came to own it, the original location of Princess Preparatory that we attended was run down and in danger of collapsing. We decided to buy the school and moved the location here. Through the years new classes have been added, as well as wings to the castle. Your classes will be held in the original building, the dorms, lockers, and spa are in the newer wings." Headmistress Celestia replied.

They walked through a library and entered a hallway that was sleek, more modern-looking. The other building at the end of the hallway started with a row of lockers.

"Your room key." Vice Headmistress Luna handed Twilight a keycard. "This is your locker, which has a built-in supply of everything a Princess Preparatory student will require. Other than, of course, the schoolbooks and uniform you're required to bring." she gestured to a pale purple locker.

"Thank you." Twilight said, taking it from the Vice Headmistress.

"Take some time to find your room. Every dorm room has three occupants. Your roommates are aware that you'll be needing some assistance finding your way around. The crowning ceremony starts in two hours." Headmistress Celestia told her.

The two Headmistresses left her standing at her locker, heading back into the original castle. Twilight opened her locker and reached in, pulling out some perfume and a purse.

"I don't think I need these." Twilight murmured, stowing them in the back of the locker and placing her backpack on the hook.

"Oh, look everyone, it's the new girl." Twilight turned to see a girl her age with purple-white hair, and purple eyes. She was holding a cup in one hand.

"Oh, um, hi. I'm Twilight Sparkle, who are-"

"Uppercrust. This is Fleur De Lis, Sassy Saddles, Photo Finish, Sapphire Shores, Trixie Lulamoon, Babs Seed, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Suri Polomare, and Rarity." the girl responded, pointing to each one.

"Um, can I go?" Babs Seed asked.

"Same, Silver and I don't need to be part of some silly popular group. Let's go find the others." Diamond Tiara left, followed by Silver Spoon and Babs Seed.

"Ugh, what is this?" Fleur asked, pointing at Twilight, who looked down in confusion.

"My...clothes? What about them?" Twilight rather liked her blue button up shirt and purple skirt.

"They're so...last century." Sassy Saddles replied, rolling her eyes.

"Oh." Twilight sighed, scuffing her purple boots on the tiled floor.

"I know what will help. A smoothie." Uppercrust held out the cup and poured the contents on Twilight's head. The girls began laughing evilly.

"Come on girls, it's just some loser from the village, she's not even a real Princess." Trixie said, sashaying away with the others. Twilight picked herself up and suppressed a sob.

"I guess you were wrong Spike. They think I'm a loser." Twilight murmured, beginning to cry.

"Oh, dear, are you alright?" it was the girl named Rarity. "Poor thing, come on, I'll help you change, where's your room?"

Twilight held out her key silently, and Rarity glanced at it.

"Oh, that's right next door to my room. I'll show you." Rarity took her by the hand and pulled her along, taking up Twilight's suitcase with one hand.

"Why are you being so nice? I thought you were one of them?" Twilight asked as Rarity dragged her and her things away.

"Oh, they're not my friends, I just wanted to hang out with them, like Diamond, Silver, and Babs. But this isn't what I signed up for." Rarity said, bringing them to a hallway of rooms.

"Thanks." Twilight said as Rarity pushed open the door to a room.

"No trouble darling. Things will get better, you know. My friends and I, and your roommates of course, will be happy to be friends with you."

Meeting New Friends

"Hi Rarity." a girl with light pink hair and ocean blue eyes said, she was sitting with a bunch of animals, while another girl with bright pink hair and sky blue eyes bounced around, blowing balloons

"Hello girls. I need your help, the newest student is in need of a double-plus makeover, stat!" Rarity said

"Oh no, another smoothie incident? Don't worry, Uppercrust does this all the time, I'm sure it's nothing personal." the lighter haired girl said

"Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie, that's Fluttershy!" the bright pink-haired girl said

The three girls pulled Twilight over to their closet, and Rarity pulled an outfit out

"You're the new student who got a scholarship, right?" Pinkie asked

"Um, yes. My brother's attending the Prince and Knight Academy, to get ready for his marriage to Princess Cadence. So our little brother and myself got scholarships to the schools." Twilight said

"Wait, your brother is the soon-to-be King Shining Armor?" Rarity squealed

"Yeah." Twilight said

"There, pretty as a Princess." Rarity said, as she helped Twilight change. Twilight spun a little in the royal purple skirt and lavender blouse. The blouse's sleeves were short, but edged with purple lining

"Thank you." Twilight breathed, stroking the skirt "But this...I can't possibly accept it, it's much to fine for me."

"Please darling, take it, I made it myself and I've been simply dying for the right person to come along and wear it. It looks beautiful, does it not?" Rarity asked

"It really does, thank you so much." Twilight said, as Fluttershy came over, stroking a bunny's ears

"I didn't know Prince Shining Armor had a brother." Fluttershy whispered

"Yes, Spike, my family adopted him when I was five, he's sixteen too." Twilight replied

"Aww, that's so sweet." Pinkie said, bouncing on her bed

"Yes, um, you said my room was next to yours?" Twilight asked

"Yes darling, we know your roommates, you will love them, though I must say you might not enjoy a few of their habits. They are Princesses, of course, but...well, every Princess is a little different, wouldn't you say?" Rarity asked

"Yes, I guess that is true. Is it true a few of you aren't real Princesses?" Twilight asked

"Well, we were all either born into royal families, or we are to be Royal Assistants. Silver Spoon and Babs Seed are actually Royal Assistants, and will be chosen by Princesses at graduation. The three of us are Princesses, as are your roommates." Rarity said

"Oh, well, I'd better go meet them. Thanks again for the dress Rarity, I'll see you later." Twilight took her suitcase and left their room, they all waved goodbye.

Twilight swiped her keycard on the door and entered. Two girls were lazing on beds, one had multicolored rainbow hair and was bouncing a soccer ball on her head. The second was eating an apple, her orange skirt spread around her

"Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle, the new student. Who are you?" Twilight asked, and they looked up

"Rainbow Dash, 'sup?" The girl with the soccer ball said. She was wearing a blue sports jacket with yellow streaks on it. her skirt was more of a sports skirt, not too constricting

"Applejack. Pleasure ta meet ya." the other girl tipped her stetson hat to Twilight "Hey, I recognize that, it's one of Rarity's designs."

"Oh, yes. This girl, Uppercrust, poured her smoothie on me, Rarity gave me this to wear." Twilight said

"Oh, I've had it with that brat! She thinks she's soo much better than us, well wait until I give her some of this! And this!" Rainbow Dash began kicking and punching. Applejack stopped her fist with a hand

"Relax Rainbow, she'll get what's coming to 'er." Applejack said

"So, you know her?" Twilight asked

"Who doesn't? Uppercrust and her gang of friends are the worst. I'm just glad my friends are cooler. You met Pinks and Flutters, right? They're Rarity's roommates." Rainbow asked, and Twilight nodded "They're our friends. So are a few other girls, plus my sister, Scootaloo."

"An' my sis, Apple Bloom, Rarity's got a sister too, her name's Sweetie Belle." Applejack added

"There are some girls who are kinda in the gray area, they're Sunset Shimmer, and Starlight Glimmer. They're usually nice, but whenever our teachers come along, they try to be the best. They're kind of trapped because their parents want them to succeed and think friends are a waste of time. But they're still like, our semi-friends, because whenever we're alone they're great." Rainbow said

"Okay." Twilight said

"Attention, all Princesses and Royal Assistants report to the gardens for the Tiara Ceremony in ten minutes." Headmistress Celestia came onto the announcements

"Come, on, we've got to go!" Rainbow said, the three of them rushing to change into uniform, then running out the door

They made it to the gardens just in time, sitting down politely next to two other girls in uniform. They had short hair, one fire orange, and the other snowy white.

"Hey Spit, Fleet." Rainbow murmured, and they smiled at her

"Hey Rainbow." the girl with white hair whispered

"Hi guys." the other said

"This is Spitfire and Fleetfoot, they're from the Fire and Ice Kingdoms, respectively. My kingdom, the Light Kingdom, is between theirs, so we've known each other since we were kids." Rainbow explained

"Hi, it's nice to meet you, I'm Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said

"You too." Spitfire said in a low voice, then took Fleetfoot's hand, looking straight ahead

"Do you all know each other from outside of school? This is your first year here too, right?" Twilight asked

"All the royal families and Royal Assistants to-be are introduced to each other at young ages, but kept away from the opposite genders. That way we can get to bond when Prince and Knight Academy has joint classes with Princess Prep." Spitfire explained, and Fleetfoot smiled

"It worked out in thome wayth." she then clapped a hand over her mouth "Dang it, thtupid Fleet, thtupid." Fleetfoot muttered

"She's not supposed to talk with her lisp, parent's orders." Rainbow explained, as Spitfire kissed Fleetfoot's cheek and lifted her chin, whispering to her softly

"It's okay, I don't care. You don't need to hide who you are." Twilight said gently, and Fleetfoot smiled

"Anyway, Fleet meant that she and Spit have been secretly dating. Good thing they're roomies, huh?" Rainbow teased, and they blushed. Rarity, Pinkie, and Flutterhsy took seats nearby, smiling at them, and the group waved. Headmistress Celestia stepped onto the stage in front of the seats, Vice Headmistress Luna behind her

"Hello students, it is my sister and I's great pleasure to welcome you all to Princess Preparatory. Through the course of the year you will be shown what it really means to be a Princess or Royal Assistant. Professor Inkwell and Professor Raven are passing out your tiaras. These will be your practice tiaras until your graduation." Headmistress Celestia said

Twilight placed the tiara on her head gently, tucking it behind her hair. She knew how to place it, when Shining Armor first introduced them to Cadence, Twilight and Cadence had spent hours playing that they were Princesses, along with Twilight's friends. Cadence was attending the school too, Twilight could just see her over the crowd. Cadence would be in more advanced classes, as she was older, and engaged.

"Hey, can you help me?" Rainbow asked, her tiara kept falling. Twilight nodded and helped to adjust it "Thanks. My parents never forced me to wear these things."

"Now, everyone here is expected to attend all classes, be on time, and be in uniform during all classes. You are here because you all have Princess potential. Again, a reminder that Princesses must choose a Royal Assistant by graduation, if they need one. Now, I bid you goodnight, remember to be up bright and early for classes tomorrow." Headmistress Celestia said

"You'll be mine, right?" Diamond Tiara asked Silver Spoon, who linked arms with her

"Totally." she agreed, and they headed off

"Come on guys, let's head to bed." Rainbow said, and they went back to their rooms for the night

Author's Note

Next chapter will be about the boys

Prince and Knight Academy

Spike ran up to his brother, who was standing with some other students

"Shining!" he said

"Spike! Good to see ya buddy, how's Twilight?" Shining asked

"She was totally freaked about going to Princess School, but I think she's okay." Spike said

"Good to hear. Guys, this is Spike, my little brother. He and our sister, Twilight Sparkle, are going to be attending the Royal Schools because of my, you know..." Shining blushed, and one boy with blue hair chuckled

"Engagement?" he supplied

"Yeah, thanks Flash. Spike, these are some of my new friends. They came early and got to know me." Shining Armor said, then pointed to the guys. "This is Flash Sentry, Cheese Sandwich, Fashion Plate, Soarin Skies, Discord, Sunburst, and this guy showed up a few minutes before you, we were about to show him around. He's Star Tracker." Shining introduced

"Hi." Spike said

"You don't look like Shining." Fashion Plate commented

"Yeah, I'm adopted." Spike explained

"How about we show you both around. Then we can head to our dorms." Sunburst suggested

"Cool." Soarin replied, he was bouncing a soccer ball on his knees "Wish you guys were interested in sports, we could have a match."

"I think there are some other boys who play." Flash Sentry said

"Well, yeah, but they're mean. You know, those big dummies that look like they'd be bullies? The Royal Assistants." Soarin replied, catching the ball with a hand.

"Come on, maybe you can show us a few rules later, for now let's get my brother and Star Tracker settled." Shining Armor said, leading them inside.

The school was built in a fortress, which was designed by Vice Headmaster Pharynx, who had taken over his kingdom as Head Knight, while his younger brother, Headmaster Thorax, became the King. The brothers later took over the school as joint leaders. Royal Assistants trained with Princes, while Knights took royal courses and additional training.

"The Princes share rooms with Knights, while Royal Assistants share with each other." Shining explained

"So, are you all Princes in training?" Spike asked

"No, Flash Sentry is a Knight, Sunburst is Prince of the Sunlands, Fashion Plate is Prince of the Chic Kingdom-" Shining was interrupted.

"There's a Style Kingdom too, but those always get confused by people" Fashion Plate butted in, adjusting his sunglasses

"Star Tracker's Prince of the Star Kingdom, Discord is a Knight, Soarin is Prince of the Air Kingdom, but-"

"But I'm also training to be a Knight. That means if I marry, I don't have to rule my kingdom by default, which is good, I'd rather fight." Soarin interrupted Shining, throwing a punch at a fake enemy.

"Yes. Now, Cheese Sandwich is a villager from the Laugh Kingdom, but the Princess of his Kingdom granted one citizen a scholarship to train as her Royal Assistant, so when he graduates, he will serve her, instead of one of the other Princes."

"I consider myself a pretty lucky guy." Cheese said, winking "Especially since I've seen the Princess before, Princess Pinkie, she's amazing." Cheese looked into the distance in a trance.

"We think he's got a crush on her." Discord told Spike, who laughed. Cheese smiled and shrugged.

"Well, at least I don't have to stay with the other Royal Assistants, since it's a scholarship and since I'm training to be Royal Assistant to a Princess instead of a Prince. So I'm with these guys." he pulled Fashion Plate and Sunburst in for a hug, since they were closest to him.

"Spike, this is the dorm you'll be sharing with Soarin and Star Tracker. Fashion Plate, Cheese, and Discord are in the room down the hall, Sunburst, Flash, you two are with me in that room across the hall." Shining Armor said

The boys headed into their rooms, and Spike sighed as he sat down. He started unpacking while Soarin kicked his soccer ball at the wall, hitting it back every time it rolled back to him. Star Tracker went to the window and pulled the blinds closed.

"Sorry, I like it dark." Star Tracker said

"No problem." Soarin replied

"Classes start tomorrow, right?" Spike asked

"Yeah, and I heard that during the year, we'll get to have joint classes with the Princess school." Soarin told him without breaking his concentration.

"Really? Then I can check in on Twilight, she was really nervous about making friends, it took her fifteen years to make friends with some girls from our village."

"That's kinda sad, but I bet there's tons of nice girls there." Soarin commented.

"Yeah. You said something earlier about marriage and being a knight?" Spike asked

"I want to be a Knight because if Knights marry royalty, it doesn't force the Princess to leave her Kingdom, the Knight goes to her Kingdom instead. I always thought it was unfair that when Royals marry, the Princess has to go to the Prince's Kingdom. It's especially unfair if the Princess is the sole heir to the throne in their Kingdom. So, I'll always be a Prince, and have to marry a Royal, but being an official Knight would prevent the Princess I marry from having to leave her home." Soarin explained, picking up the soccer ball, grabbing his phone.

"I guess that makes since. I've always wanted to be a Knight, can I still sign up?" Spike asked

"Yeah, sure. But they might not let you since you're here to learn how to be a Prince solely for the purpose of Shining's marriage. He's going to be a Knight/Prince like me, because Princess Cadence is the only heir to the unclaimed Throne of the Crystal Kingdom. So then he can start an army there for protection." Soarin told Spike, unlocking his phone.

"What about you Star Tracker?" Spike asked

"Sunburst and I have sisters in our Kingdoms, they're attending Princess Preparatory. We'll probably marry and take over our Kingdoms, unless our sisters want to take over." Star Tracker replied softly

"So, when does the first joint class start?" Spike asked

"In a month, I think." Soarin replied

"What are you doing anyway?" Spike asked Soarin, who showed him a group chat.

"Just talking with the guys. We're supposed to be at the Crown Ceremony soon." As Soarin said this, the P.A system turned on.

"All students report to the common area in five minutes, in uniform."

Spike jumped up and grabbed his uniform, running into the bathroom to change. They then rushed out of the room and down to where the common area was. They all sat down in the seats, when Vice Headmaster Pharynx came onto the stage in front.

"Attention! Rise for Headmaster Thorax." Vice Headmaster Pharynx called, and they stood obediently. Headmaster Thorax, King of the Shape-Shifter Kingdom, walked out.

"Hello, you all may be seated. I am King Thorax, your Headmaster for the next year. The year will revolve around making sure you are the best you can be. We will be teaching you all there is to know about being Royal, a Knight, or both. Those of you here on Scholarships must be warned that very few can make it through a year and Graduate with the others. Now, you must show up on time, and be in uniform. Classes will start first thing tomorrow morning. Note that the gym is open all hours of the day, dismissed." Headmaster Thorax said, he and Vice Headmaster Pharynx leaving. The boys stood and left quietly, heading back to their rooms to prepare for the next day.

Princess Classes

Twilight stepped into the classroom with the rest of her class to find Headmistress Celestia waiting for the girls.

"Good morning students. Please, form a line." she gestured to the space in front of her.

They stood as instructed, and Headmistress Celestia revealed a stack of books.

"Today we will be practicing our posture. Take a book and place it on your head." Headmistress Celestia passed each of them a book. "Then, imagine there is a string running up your back. Pull the string tight, stomach in, chin up."

Twilight placed the book carefully on her head, settling it as she hoped it didn't fall. It had seemed interesting, she might want to read it later. Twilight raised her chin, held herself as though the string was tight, and waited.

"Now walk, heel-to-toe, around the classroom. Try not to look down at your feet, trust that they will land the right way. If done properly, you will almost seem to glide."

Headmistress Celestia stood still as they 'glided' around her, many were wobbling as they tried to keep the book from falling.

"It's alright if the book falls girls, this is not a test. If it does, simply pick it back up. Do be careful though, I doubt our librarian, Miss Cheerilee, would be pleased if the books come back with footprints on the spines and ripped pages." Headmistress Celestia told them, and a few relaxed.

Rarity was gliding, as instructed, shoulders back, one hand on hip, other held up as though she held a glass in her palm. Rainbow, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot began walking easily, it seemed as though they had plenty of practice balancing things. Twilight remembered Rainbow saying they played soccer together, so they must be using the techniques they did when balancing soccer balls on their heads.

"Good job Rarity. Rainbow Dash, Spitfire Flare, Fleetfoot Frost, please use the heel-to-toe walking style, you are wearing heels after all." Headmistress Celestia pointed out, and the three corrected themselves.

Fluttershy walked carefully, taking slow, tentative steps, while Applejack hunched over, trying to balance the book. Pinkie jumped up and down, the book bouncing as she did. Twilight was approached by Rainbow, who leaned in to whisper to her.

"See those two? The one on the right's Sunset Shimmer, the other is Starlight Glimmer." Rainbow whispered. The two indicated girls seemed to be doing very well.

"Sonata Dusk, you must balance the book, not hold it above your head with your hands. Sweetie Belle, don't look at your feet. Scootaloo, remember, invisible string." Headmistress Celestia corrected, and the students adressed adjusted their posture.

Twilight walked easily across the room, in step with Rarity. Rainbow, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot joined them, then Fluttershy and Pinkie. Applejack stumbled over, tripping a little.

"Here darling, loosen up your arms, they're too tense." Rarity said

"What does that do with anything?" Applejack asked, as the book slipped off her head. Twilight caught it and held it back out to her.

"If your arms are too tense, then your spine gets too firm, and you can't walk right. Relax your arms and you'll get it right." Twilight replied, as Applejack put the book back on her head.

"Try putting your hands in a position like mine." Rarity suggested, and Applejack put her hand at her hip, then moved her other hand up in the air.

"Maybe try it my way, hands on hips, with a saucy saunter." It was the girl Rainbow had said was Sunset Shimmer.

"Huh, worth a shot." Applejack put both her hands on her hips, easily walking forward. "Thanks Sunset."

"No problem, happy to help." Sunset smiled at her, Starlight Glimmer coming up behind her. "You're the new girl, right? I'm Sunset Shimmer, Princess of the Sunlands. This is Starlight Glimmer, Princess of the Star Kingdom."

"Hello, I am Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said, trying to curtsy but fell forward. Rainbow and Spitfire grabbed her by the arms and pulled her upright again, her book falling to the floor.

"No need to bow, you're one of us now. Or, you will be, when you graduate." Starlight said, laughing a little as she bent to pick up Twilight's book for her. "So, are the rest of you up for a study hall sometime soon? We should put in some practice if we want to pass manners class."

"We'll be there." Pinkie agreed cheerfully as Twilight took the book back from Starlight.

"Hello class, please, take your seats." Vice Headmistress Luna said as they entered, and they sat down at the tables. The tables looked like dining tables, not school desks.

"This in Manners Class, today we will be discussing the utensils and the proper order to use them in." Vice Headmistress Luna said, pointing at the place setting in front of her. "This is a salad fork. This is a butter knife, and this is your dinner fork. Now, there are three drinking glasses, the Wine glass; which you will not be using; the Water glass, and the Cider Glass; for, of course, non-alcoholic Cider."

"Cider?" Rainbow and Pinkie breathed excitedly

"Mah kingdom, the Apple Kingdom, supplies both the Royal Schools' supply of Cider." Applejack whispered to Twilight.

"Pinks and I have been waiting for years to taste the sweet delight of Apple Kingdom Cider. And now we finally might." Rainbow murmured, licking her lips.

"You'll all get the chance to demonstrate what you've been taught this semester during a formal banquet with Prince and Knight Academy. They will also attend our Winter Ball." Vice Headmistress Luna finished.

"I'll get to see my brothers again!" Twilight whispered excitedly to her friends.

"Cool." Spitfire murmured back, as Vice Headmistress Luna beckoned them forward to try for themselves. After class it was lunchtime, and the girls chose seats next to each other. The girls from earlier, Sunset and Starlight, sat nearby.

"After lunch we have Defense training with Professor Tempest Shadow and then Authority class with Professor Ember." Rainbow reported

"Super excited for that, I can't wait to learn how to defend myself from boys who want my body." Spitfire said, throwing some punches

"Profeththor Tempetht ith the Head Knight of the Shadow Realm, and Profeththor Ember ith the Lorddethth of Dragonia." Fleetfoot added

"I didn't think this school trained us to be Knights." Twilight said

"They offer extra courses in Defense if you're interested. Spit, Fleet, and I signed up for it. I was talking to them. You guys just have Authority with us directly after lunch and then Spa Time. Unless you want to keep us company...?" Rainbow suggested

"We'll see." Twilight replied

"So, how amazing is your brother?" Rarity asked Twilight, trying to change the subject.

"Shining? Well, he's the best big brother ever. He knows pretty much everything, and Cadence is a great match for him. She's so sweet and he's really tough. Cadence is graceful, and he's a little clumsy." Twilight said

"You know a lot about Princess Cadence too." Fluttershy whispered, pushing her fork into her salad.

"Well, she and Shining were friends before they started dating. He met her when she used to sneak out of the palace. Shining would bring her over to our home. My old friends and I used to spend hours playing with her. She was like my unofficial babysitter. So of course I know a lot about Cadence as well as my brother. You know..." Twilight trailed off and they leaned closer to hear. "I helped set them up."

"You did not!" Rarity squealed

"I did." Twilight smiled "I knew both their secrets. Shining confided in me that he had a crush on Cadence, but he thought she was out of his league. And as my friend, Cadence told me that she had a crush on him, but she thought he wouldn't be into a girl like her. I mean, she was a very hard worker, and always acted kind and gracious, but she didn't think he'd like that she could have everything given to her on a silver platter. Cadence thought he would prefer a girl who made a living with her own two hands."

"So how did you help set them up?" Starlight had come over after Rarity squealed, Sunset behind her.

"Well, I told my friends what I knew, and they helped. We told Shining that Cadence wanted to talk to him. And we told Cadence that Shining had set up a picnic for the both of them in a meadow near the town. We took them both there, and waited. Shining and Cadence were both really nervous, but they ended up talking and having fun together. Finally, they kissed. And the rest is history." Twilight explained

"That's so romantic." Rarity swooned

"Who are your other friends?" Starlight asked, putting her elbows on the table in a very un-ladylike fashion.

"Lemon Hearts, Moondancer, Twinkleshine, and Minuette. They're girls from my village, you don't know them." Twilight replied.

"They sound nice. Do they like princesses?" Fluttershy asked

"Yes, of course. Cadence used to let us play dress up in her outfits and wear her tiaras. We'd pretend to be Princesses of faraway kingdoms, like you." Twilight answered "Then we'd always go with Spike to get donuts from the bakery. We were determined to try every flavor in the store."

"Did you?" Pinkie asked

"No. Even now we still keep track, and we were getting so close, but then Cadence and Shining got engaged, and Spike and I came here."

"Do they know that you might make new friends?"

"I'm sure they do. Spike said I would, and he was right."

"Who's Spike?" Sunset asked

"Shining and I's little brother. He's adopted. He always tried to hang out with us, because he was younger than Shining but the same age as me. He would eat donuts with me and my friends, and he'd play Ogres and Oubliettes with Shining and his friends. Spike loves that game."

"Ogres and Oubliettes? Isn't that some kind of role playing game?" Spitfire asked

"Yes. My brother plays it all the time." Sunset answered "He's tried to get me into it, but it's not that exciting."

"It's kind of interesting, actually. It's all about creating your own world to adventure in. I like it because you can be whoever you want." Twilight said

"So I could be a protector of the world?" Rainbow asked

"Probably. It's a little more complicated than that, but it's still very fun." Twilight replied

"The Hydra bears down on the band of heroes. Captain Wuzz, roll for attack." Spike said

"For the hundredth time, I was kidding!" Discord cried, but he rolled the dice anyway.

Spike and Shining had introduced them all to Ogres and Oubliettes, and were explaining the game as they went. It was lunchtime, so they had two hours to play the game. Shining introduced Spike to Big Macintosh, a boy Shining's age who also played Ogres and Oubliettes.

"A four. The attack fails. Captain Wuzz is thrown backwards. Highflyer, your turn." Spike turned to Soarin

"I jump over the Hydra and use my Sword of Solaris to slice off a head."

"You have to roll a six or higher to complete that action." Spike warned

"I do it anyway." Soarin grabbed the dice and rolled them "Yes!"

"A seven. You sucessfully slice off a head. However, another five heads sprout in its place."

"I forgot that Hydras could do that." Soarin said sheepishly

"It's okay, it's my turn." Sunburst replied

"Alright. Sun Ray, what is your move?" Spike asked

"I cast a spell on Sir Micbiggin, granting him super strength." Sunburst said

"You need at least 11 intelligence points for that." Spike said

"Oh, I've only got 10 intelligence points." Sunburst sighed

"Oh for Headmaster Thorax's sake." Discord reached across, grabbed Sunburst's character chart, picked up a marker, did something, then showed it to them. "There."

"Discord!" they all exclaimed. He had drawn two extra zeros next to the 10 that had been written there. It now read 1000

"What?" he asked, tossing it back to Sunburst "Just let him cast the spell. Or better, let him defeat the Hydra now."

"You're not allowed to do that, it's against the rules!" Shining objected

"Who needs rules anyway?" Discord asked, crossing his arms

"Oh no, who wrote on the character chart?" Headmaster Thorax burst in, and they all pointed to Discord.

"What happened to not ratting each other out?" Discord asked, crossing his arms

"You play Ogres and Oubliettes Headmaster Thorax?" Shining Armor asked

"Of course, it's only the best game ever." Headmaster Thorax cried, picking up the character chart and trying to remove the extra zeros.

"We both play." Vice Headmaster Pharynx added, coming in behind them "Thorax is more invested in it than I am."

"This is so cool." Spike said, picking up the dice "Would you like to join us?"

"Sure." Headmaster Thorax sat down next to them eagerly. "Come on Pharynx!"

"As long as this never leaves this room." Vice Headmaster Pharynx said to the others, and they all nodded in agreement.

"What are your characters names'?" Sunburst asked

"I play as Changeling King Thorne. I started playing when I was a young boy wishing there was a nicer ruler. So I decided to pretend to be one myself."

"I always liked the story of how you overpowered the evil Empress Chrysalis of the Shape-Shifter Kingdom. Is it true that you and your brother were just her subjects and you defeated her?" Shining Armor asked

"Yes, it's true. Pharynx and I were about you two's age when we defeated her." Headmaster Thorax replied, gesturing to Spike and Shining "I was Spike's age, Pharynx was Shining's."

"So what character are you playing as Vice Headmaster?" Star Tracker asked

"First General Phantom of the Changeling Army. I always dreamed of being a knight and defeating the Empress." Pharynx replied

"You're actually the King and First Knight outside of teaching, right?" Soarin asked

"Yes. Although my official title is Prince-General."

"Enough of that, it's time to enter the realm of Ogres and Oubliettes!" Headmaster Thorax cried, and they cheered

Author's Note

As you noticed, I included Discord's Ogre and Oubliettes character name. Next chapter there will be a time skip, just to warn you.

Meeting the Boys

Months passed, and all the students at Princess Preparatory grew excited for the grand banquet they would be having with the students from Prince and Knight Academy. Out of Twilight's friends, Rarity in particular seemed the most excited for it.

"Oh, just think! A whole night with the charming Princes and Knights from the Academy!" Rarity cried as she did her nails. They were having a sleepover four days before the big banquet.

"It's not supposed to be a simple dinner, it's to show off what both schools have taught their students." Twilight objected

"Yes darling, I know that. But I'll still be in the same room as all those charming young men. I do hope they're handsome."

"I don't see what the big deal is." Spitfire said from where she was sitting with Fleetfoot and Rainbow Dash. Sunset and Starlight were nearby.

"Well, I don't mean to be offensive, but you wouldn't, really. Considering your preferences." Rarity said

"Hey! Rare, I'm not taking offense, but get your facts straight. I'm Bi, not Lesbian. That's Fleety." Spitfire said, kissing her girlfriend's cheek. "I like girls and guys, there's no problem with that."

"Sorry darling, I won't mix it up again, I promise." Rarity said, and Spitfire nodded in thanks.

"Anyway, what's the schedule for the day of the Banquet?" Sunset asked

"The regular morning classes, but the afternoon classes are canceled so we can focus on getting ourselves ready." Twilight replied

"And then...?" Fluttershy asked

"Party Time!" Pinkie answered, falling backwards onto Twilight's bed with a laugh. The other girls joined in, thinking about the night to come.

"Why is this banquet happening again?" Discord asked

"To show how we've progressed with decorum." Sunburst replied

"So you'd better behave yourself." Flash Sentry warned

"Relax, I promise I won't mess up the party."

"Good, 'cause in exactly three days, it's Party Time!" Cheese cried

"We'll get to see Twily again." Shining said to Spike, and he nodded eagerly

"I can't wait to meet the new friends she texted about."

"Time for the Banquet!" Rarity called in a sing-song voice, skipping down the hallway

"We have two hours." Spitfire replied, sticking her head out of her dorm room

"I know, not nearly enough time! We've got to hurry!" Rarity cried. Spitfire rolled her eyes and shut the door to her and Fleet's room

"I'm excited too Rarity, but two hours is plenty of time to get ready." Twilight said, coming out into the hall.

"True, but a lady must always be prepared." Rarity said, before going into her room.

Two hours later the group of girls headed to the grand dining room, where the Banquet would be held. They were in School Uniform, as required, and stood in line with the other Princesses and Royal Assistants to wait for the arrival of their guests. Their teachers stood in front of them.

"Listen." Applejack breathed, and they heard it. Whinnies and neighs. The carriages from Prince and Knight Academy had arrived. Two people strode in after the doors opened.

"Headmaster Thorax." Headmistress Celestia greeted the one with green hair

"Headmistress Celestia." He returned the greeting

"Vice Headmaster Pharynx." Vice Headmistress Luna said to the man with black hair

"Vice Headmistress Luna." he bowed formally to her, unlike the first man. Behind the Headmaster and Vice Headmaster, boys were entering and standing in a line, like them.

"Oh, I've never seen so many charming boys." Rarity breathed. Twilight was searching the line and spotted her brothers, but she wasn't supposed to be moving until given permission. It seemed the boys had been given similar instructions.

"Princesses and Royal Assistants, please welcome the Princes, Knights-in-Training, and Royal Assistants of Prince and Knight Academy." Headmistress Celestia said, and they all curtsied. The boys bowed back politely, and Vice Headmistress Luna clapped her hands.

"The feast will begin in an hour, for now there are Hors D'oeuvres and refreshments. Please take this time to mingle." she announced, before following her sister down a hallway. Their teachers, Professor Tempest and Professor Ember, were walking beside the Headmaster and Vice Headmaster of the Prince school. The two groups of students shifted uncomfortably for a moment. It was their first time meeting.

"Shiny!" Twilight couldn't help herself, as soon as the doors closed behind them, Twilight ran over to her brothers

"Twily! I missed you sis!" Shining hugged her back. Spike hugged Twilight too, as Twilight's friends came over too. Shining was standing next to some other boys, who were looking at him

"Guys, this is Twilight, our sister." Spike said to them

"Hi." Twilight said shyly to them "These are my friends." she gestured to them.

"And you were worried you wouldn't make any friends." Spike teased, and Twilight smiled back.

"And to think I wouldn't have made friends if Uppercrust hadn't been mean to me."

"Who was mean to you?" It was Cadence

"Princess Cadence!" Rarity gasped, curtsying. Sunset and Starlight did the same. Pinkie and Fluttershy followed their lead, while Rainbow, Applejack, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot didn't move until the other girls jerked them down.

"Hey Cadence." Shining brought her in for a one armed hug and she smiled

"Uppercrust, she dumped her smoothie on me my first day." Twilight explained in answer to Cadence's question, and Rarity jumped up from her curtsy.

"But, thankfully I had been nearby, and gave her a new dress. The fashion crisis was avoided." Rarity said, and Rainbow rolled her eyes simultaneously with Spitfire.

"Ah think we were talkin' about how we met, not her outfit." Applejack said

"Well, yes. But if I hadn't offered to help, she'd never have met us."

"Well, Rainbow 'n I are her roommates..." Applejack was drowned out by one of Shining's friends.

"You gave her a new dress? Was it yours?" The boy had gray-blue hair and blue eyes, which were covered by white rimmed sunglasses with pink lenses.

"Yes, technically. I made it." Rarity said, and he took her hand

"I've always wanted to talk with another fashion lover! I'm Fashion Plate, Prince of the Chic Kingdom."

"Rarity, Eldest Princess of the Style Kingdom." Rarity said, and the two walked away, talking excitedly to each other.

"Ah think we should all introduce ourselves." Applejack suggested "I'm Applejack, Princess of the Apple Kingdom."

"I'm Fluttershy, Princess of the Nature Kingdom." Fluttershy said shyly

"Pinkie Pie, Princess of the Laugh Kingdom!" Pinkie said

"I'm the one you picked to be your Royal Assistant, Cheese Sandwich." the boy with curly brown hair said

"Really? Oh, that's amazing! Would you like to come talk with me about confetti preferences while we go try some of those snacks?!"

"Sure! M'lady." Cheese bowed jokingly and stuck out his elbow. Pinkie giggled and linked arms with him, and the two bounced off

"I'm Sunset Shimmer, Princess of the Sunlands. I see you know my brother, Sunburst." Sunset said

"Hey sis." he greeted

"I'm Starlight Glimmer, Princess of the Star Kingdom. You know my brother too, Star Tracker." She nodded to the boy, who waved shyly.

"I am Discord, of Chaotica, Knight-in-training." The boy with messy black and white hair said

"Flash Sentry, also a Knight." this boy had blue hair that swept back over his eyes.

"Spitfire Flare, Princess of the Fire Kingdom." Spitfire said, one hand on her hip.

"Fleetfoot, Ice Kingdom." Fleetfoot said, then looked away, muttering under her breath.

"Rainbow Dash, Princess of the Light Kingdom." Rainbow said

"Soarin Skies, Prince of the Air Kingdom, also Knight." Soarin said

"You're both?" Twilight asked

"Yeah, I'm training to be a Knight but I'm a Prince." Soarin replied

"What do you guys want to do?" Spitfire asked Fleetfoot and Rainbow Dash "Since Professor Tempest left we can't ask her about her class."

"What does she teach?" Spike asked

"Self Defense." Spitfire replied "It's an elective, Rainbow, Fleet, and I signed up."

"We're like, the only students in her class. Well, there were other girls, but they dropped out or are on the verge of dropping out. We're her best students." Rainbow said

"I'm gonna check out the snacks." Applejack said, turning and leaving.

"I know what we can do." Fleetfoot said, pointing at Uppercrust, who was flirting with one of the boys, surrounded, as usual, by her cronies.

"Oh yes." Rainbow said, clenching a fist "Come on." she started forward, but Spitfire held her back

"Perimeter check first Rainbow."

"Why does that matter? Also, how do you know that term, it's for Knights." Discord asked

"For your first question, the teachers don't know Uppercrust and her goons are bullies, if they spot us attacking them, we'll get in trouble. For your second question, Professor Tempest teaches the skills of a Knight as a part of her class, as she is Head Knight in the Shadow Realm. Fleet, we clear?"

"All good."

"Okay, now we can go." Spitfire released Rainbow Dash, who tore across the room, Spitfire and Fleetfoot following. Uppercrust saw them coming and huffed, turning to them, glass of punch in hand.

"This won't end well." Fluttershy murmured, ducking behind Sunset and Starlight.

"What do you want to bet Uppercrust gets the jump on them?" Sunset asked calmly

"I'll bet...my collection of star-shaped barrettes on the Wonderbolts winning. You?"

"The Wonderbolts?" Soarin asked

"It's their group term for themselves, because they like going fast and when they play sports they leave everyone in wonder." Sunset replied "Anyway, I'll bet my favorite leather jacket on Uppercrust, not that I want her to win."

They could see Uppercrust, she was talking to them as Sonata, Adagio, and Aria came up behind them. Uppercrust snapped her fingers and the three mean girls grabbed Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Rainbow. The three were pinned against the bullies, though they struggled, they couldn't get their arms free. Uppercrust said something to each one of them, then poured her drink on Spitfire's head, getting her slicked back hair wet, making it fall around her shoulders. The boy Uppercrust was with joined in, pouring his own drink on Rainbow's head, then Uppercrust sneered at Fleetfoot, saying something else. Sonata, Aria, and Adagio dropped them with another snap of Uppercrust's fingers, and followed their leader away.

"Looks like I owe you my barrettes." Starlight sighed

"I'd would rather have had to give you my jacket, Uppercrust is such a pain." Sunset said

"That little brat!" Rainbow snapped, coming over with Spitfire, who had an arm around Fleetfoot. She looked like she was going to cry.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked, and Fleetfoot mumbled something

"What?" Spike asked

"Sh-she called me pathetic, a-and she made fun of my...you know." Fleetfoot trailed off

"Your what?" Soarin asked

"Promise you won't laugh at her?" Spitfire asked, and they nodded

"My...lithp." Fleetfoot said "She called me a lethbian freak and thaid my thtupid lithp made me thound like a thnake."

"Now she's gone too far." Starlight cried, and Rainbow sighed

"Well yeah, but she's got way too many cronies, and us three are the only ones who know how to fight."

"Oh."

"My hair is gonna take hours to dry, and I liked it in that style." Spitfire sighed, and Rainbow touched her own, very wet, hair.

"It's not so bad. At least no one will notice it in mine." she reasoned

"You don't care?" Flash Sentry asked

"Not really. I just don't want my hair to be down, it's really long." Spitfire said

"You said something about being lesbian?" Star Tracker asked

"Yeah, that'th me, the gay little freak."

"You're not a freak, and if you are, so am I." Spitfire said to her, and Fleetfoot smiled softly, hugging her.

"Huh?" Discord asked, and Star Tracker leaned in, whispering something. "Oh, got it." Just then, the teachers came back, and Vice Headmistress Luna clapped her hands again to get their attention.

"It is time to adjourn to the dining room. Princesses and Lady Royals, if you would so kindly escort the students of Prince and Knight Academy?" Vice Headmistress Luna's suggestion was more of an order.

"Come on, we'll take you there." Twilight said, leading them into another room with long tables arranged in a circle around what was clearly the ballroom.

They all sat down and began to eat. Soarin talked with Rainbow, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot. Star Tracker talked about the constellations with Twilight, while his sister and Sunset talked with her brother and Flash Sentry. Discord and Spike made small talk with Fluttershy and Applejack, while Rarity and Pinkie talked with Fashion Plate and Cheese Sandwich.

"I'm not really good with this whole table setting thing." Soarin admitted to the three girls.

"Don't worry, I'm not good at it either." Rainbow replied, stabbing her steak with one of the forks.

"Rainbow, you need to work your way in from the outside." Rarity commented helpfully.

"Oh, okay. Thanks Rare." Rainbow took her other fork and kept eating.

"Such a slob, aren't you Rainbow Crash." Lightning Dust commented, smirking. The boys nearby laughed.

"Rainbow Crash!" they echoed.

"Who are they?" Spitfire asked, clutching her fork tightly.

"Those are some Royal Assistants from my school, Hoops, Score, and Dumbbell." Soarin replied, glaring at the boys.

"Just ignore them guyth, they'll thtop." Fleetfoot murmured.

"Yeah, you're right, they're just dumb bullies anyway." Rainbow spat.

Author's Note

Sorry, it was going to be too long so I split it into two chapters (it might stretch to three) the next chapter will come soon!

Dances

"It's nice to have these joint events." Luna commented, Ember nodding.

"Yes, it's very nice Lulu. Right Thor?" she asked.

"R-right." Thorax blushed and kept eating.

"Ugh." Tempest and Pharynx rolled their eyes at the two. Luna chuckled knowingly. She and her sister both thought that Ember and Thorax would make a cute couple. Their friends however, didn't like the idea of love.

"I ship it." Luna and Celestia whispered to each other.

"And I, dear sister, have an idea." Luna added

"By all means continue Lulu." Celestia grinned, and Luna leaned over to Thorax.

"Thorax, would you mind if we took this time to show off the dances taught at each school? And perhaps demonstrating to both our student groups how to slow dance?" Luna asked

"W-with you?" Thorax asked, startled

"No, not with me, you and Ember can dance together. Tia and I will watch."

"And we'll watch too, I assume." Tempest leaned back in her chair, smirking.

"No. You two will be dancing as well." Celestia added. Luna snickered as Tempest sprang forward and Pharynx spat out his water.

"As long as they're equally as embarrassed." Pharynx agreed with a sigh, jabbing his fork at Thorax and Ember, who were blushing and looking at each other.

"But of course." Celestia said, grinning.

"Tia, would you like me to announce it after or before dessert?"

"Oh, before Lulu, so that the students can join in while it's being served."

Rainbow and Soarin were laughing and talking. Meanwhile Spitfire and Fleetfoot whispered under their breath, casting sidelong glances at the two.

"So, favorite drink?" Soarin asked

"Apple cider, definitely. What about you?" Rainbow replied, as Soarin took a sip of the cider, smiling.

"Apple cider too! Okay, favorite soccer play?"

"Sonic Rainboom."

"What's that?"

"A move I made up, I go so fast I literally break the sound barrier, I'm not kidding."

"Cool, that might be my new favorite." Soarin chuckled

"Favorite pastime?" Rainbow prompted

"Playing soccer, what else."

"Soccer for me too."

"What about favorite dessert? Mine's apple pie."

"Um, no offense but I can't stand pie. Never understood why, but every time I eat it I have to throw up." Rainbow said, gagging. Soarin put a hand on her shoulder, smiling gently.

"That's okay, you don't have to like it. I'm just glad we found something we don't have in common, it was getting freaky."

"Heh, yeah." Rainbow blushed, smiling at him shyly. Just then, Vice Headmistress Luna stood and clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.

"Students, during the dessert, we will have a formal dance between our two schools. To demonstrate, Professors Tempest Shadow and Ember will dance with the Headmaster and Vice Headmaster of Prince and Knight Academy. You may all join if you wish, it is not mandatory." Vice Headmistress Luna said, sitting back down.

"Well, I guess we'd better go. Come on Phar." Tempest grabbed Pharynx's hand and dragged him onto the ballroom floor. Pharynx quickly took control of the situation and twirled Tempest.

"Sorry m'lady, but this needs to look natural." he whispered

"As the first female Knight in over a century, I understand. But do that again without permission and you die." Tempest muttered, and Pharynx nodded.

"Of course. There's no love in this situation, I assure you."

"That's what you think. So, should we do a waltz or something more...invigorating?" Tempest asked

"How about a salsa, there's no way I'm slow dancing." Pharynx suggested

"At least that's something we agree on. Now let's start, you might not find romance ideal but one of us seems to." Tempest said

"Wait, did you just imply-" Pharynx was cut off as Tempest started them off, moving across the room at a swift pace. Ember was nearby with Thorax.

"Thor, stop shaking, you're making me nervous." Ember murmured, blushing as she put a hand on his shoulder and grasped his hand with her free one. Thorax had his other hand at Ember's waist, in the proper position.

"I-I'm sorry Em, I shouldn't be doing this, I haven't danced in years. Especially not with a woman as beautiful as you." Thorax whispered

"Thank you." Ember blushed and rested her head on his shoulder, making him blush in turn. "I think you're handsome too."

"R-really?" Thorax was bright red now.

"Of course. Now, just relax and let the rhythm of the music guide you." Ember replied, and Thorax nodded, trying to do as she told him.

"This was a great idea." Celestia whispered

"I told you." Luna agreed

Tempest and Pharynx were doing the simple step forward and back of the Salsa, until Pharynx dipped Tempest and pulled her back up.

"What did I tell you?" Tempest hissed

"I forgot. Remind me." Pharynx whispered slyly, grabbing her hand and twirling her fast four times. Tempest fell into him, unable to catch herself.

"Oh, so you want to play that game? Well, mind if I cut in?" Tempest pulled away and grabbed Pharynx by the waist, pulling him up against her and leading him.

The two moved energetically around, each trying to outdo the other though they were dancing together. Meanwhile, Thorax and Ember were talking together and blushing as they waltzed. The students were looking at each couple interestedly

"Do they realize there's an audience?" Luna murmured, and Celestia chuckled

"I don't believe so."

Author's Note

So yeah, it's in three parts. The students will dance next chapter

~Melody Song

Goodbye For Now

"Care to dance?" Shining Armor asked Cadence, who nodded and took his offered hand. They joined the teachers on the dance floor, which started a chain reaction.

Flash Sentry asked Sunset, and she stood with him. Discord and Cheese asked Fluttershy and Pinkie to do a group dance with them. Sunburst and Star Tracker asked Starlight and Twilight to dance. The other students of both schools eagerly followed their fellow students.

"So, um..." Spike said slowly

"Ya wanna dance too?" Applejack asked, holding out a hand to him.

"Uh, yeah." Spike smiled and took her hand. The two went to the ballroom floor and joined in.

"Would you like to dance Fleety?" Spitfire asked

"R-really? What will my parentth thay if they find out?" Fleetfoot asked, and Spitfire leaned over, kissing her cheek.

"They don't have to know, as long as we don't get too carried away, it should be fine."

"Okay then. Lead the way." Fleetfoot said, and giggled as Spitfire pulled her up and spun her once before they joined in with the others.

"So, Rainbow..." Soarin began

"I'm gonna stop you right there Soar. No offense, you're a great guy, I just..." Rainbow sighed and pushed her plate out of the way so she could put her elbows on the table.

"What's wrong?" Soarin asked

"I-I don't know how to dance." Rainbow admitted "Well, I mean, I know how to, but...I'm bad at it."

"Is that the problem? Don't worry Rainbow, I can teach you." Soarin said, and she looked up.

"Really?"

"Of course, come on."

Soarin smiled at her, and they stood up. They made their way out onto the dance floor, where Soarin and Rainbow took each other by the hand and began to dance.

"See, just take one step this way, there, you're getting it." Soarin told her, and Rainbow smiled.

"Thank you Soar. You're a really sweet guy to do this." she whispered

"It's no problem Rainbow, you're so funny, and nice, and sporty." Soarin said, blushing.

"Well, you're cute, and sporty too." Rainbow whispered, and they both leaned in, closing their eyes.

"No you don't!" Lightning Dust grabbed Rainbow Dash and pulled her away from Soarin, promptly dropping the girl. "This cutie is mine!" She flung herself at Soarin, who pushed her away.

Lightning Dust stumbled backwards and tripped over her own feet, falling to the floor. Soarin reached a hand out to Rainbow, concerned.

"Are you okay Rainbow?"

"Yeah, fine. But the moment's ruined." Rainbow said, taking his offered hand and pulling herself up. Soarin smiled and kissed her cheek gently.

"We'll just have to meet again. In the meantime, that kiss should help." Soarin replied, and Rainbow giggled, blushing.

"Thor, I don't know what you were talking about, you're an amazing dancer." Ember said, as he waltzed with her.

"Thank you Em, I think you're a fantastic dancer too." Thorax said, and Ember leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. Thorax froze in place, and Ember smiled. She put her hand on his chest and looked down at the ground.

"How long have we known each other Thor?"

"Well, since I took over my Kingdom with Phar, and a little after you became Lorddess of Dragonia. Then we met Temp, Tia, and Lulu." Thorax replied, and Ember pulled him over to the side of the room, where the students weren't looking.

"Thor, you know I'm just like Temp, I'm not good at saying these things but..." Ember sighed

"What is it Em? Come on, you can tell me." Ember looked up into Thorax's dark purple eyes, and sighed.

"Nevermind, why tell you when I can show you?" she asked

"What do you mea-" Ember interrupted Thorax by wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. Pharynx and Tempest picked that moment to find them.

"Em! Thor!" Tempest cried, and they broke apart.

"H-hey guys." Ember said, blushing.

"Um, we-we were just..." Thorax stammered

"No explanation needed." Pharynx rolled his eyes and nudged Thorax "Someone's a lady's man, eh little bro?"

"I kissed him. But are you guys thinking what I am?" Ember looked to the table where Celestia and Lulu sat, watching and giggling.

"Yes." Tempest said. All four headed over to Celestia and Luna

"This was your doing wasn't it?" Ember asked, and Luna snickered

"Well, it worked, didn't it? How's the new couple?" she asked, and Thorax and Ember blushed.

"I think it's time we left." Pharynx said, and Tempest sighed.

"But I wanted to talk to you." The others stared at her, and she turned red. "A-about his thoughts on training in harsh weather conditions."

"I can answer that, he likes it hot." Thorax emphasized, and both blushed

"Thorax, stop." Pharynx said

"Come on, she practically gift wrapped it for him." Ember retorted

"Still, he makes me sound..." Pharynx trailed off as Tempest hugged him. Pharynx stiffened, but then relaxed and hugged her back.

"I suppose this is goodbye then. See you at the Winter Ball." Celestia said, and Thorax nodded

"See you then."

"Students, it is time to say goodbye!" Luna called, clapping her hands to make them stop dancing.

The boys and girls gathered into their friend groups.

"Bye BBBFFs, until next time." Twilight said, hugging her brothers. Shining and Spike hugged back. The boys all said goodbye to the girls, some of them exchanging numbers. The friends waved as the boys left with the rest of their school.

"Goodbye for now." Twilight whispered.

New Girl

Author's Note

Okay, so the movie they were watching was [drumroll please]....

It Takes Two!!

It's a movie on Netflix starring the Olsen twins. You should check it out if you haven't, it's really great.

Now, it's time to meet the newbie.

~Melody Song

New Girl

Rainbow, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot were hard at work in Self Defense. Professor Tempest Shadow was sparring with Spitfire while Rainbow and Fleetfoot went at each other. Professor Tempest had finally allowed them to use weapons. Spitfire and Fleetfoot had selected swords, while Rainbow had picked a staff. Professor Tempest's weapon was a spear.

All the blades were covered with sheaths, so that if anyone was accidentally hit, it wouldn't hurt them.

"Nice parry Fleetfoot, now try a thrust. Spitfire, use the flat side of the sword to block my attacks." Professor Tempest was saying, when Vice Headmistress Luna entered.

"Professor Tempest, may I speak to you?"

"Okay then. Girls, take a break." Professor Tempest set the spear to the side. She then left the room with Vice Headmistress Luna.

"What do you think's going on?" Spitfire asked

"Don't know." Fleetfoot replied

"She was outside, wearing this cloak. Claims to be related to one of our Princesses in your class." Luna nodded to the strange girl.

"Oh? Which one?" Tempest asked the girl. She had the hood pulled over her head so that her face was masked.

"Princess Dash, she's my sister." she replied

"Princess Dash only has one sister, Princess Scootaloo." Luna objected

"She knows who I am, she was instructed not to say anything." the girl raised her hand and flipped back her hood. "But try to tell me we're not twins."

They both gasped. She had the exact same magenta eyes as Rainbow Dash. Her hair fell in the same natural style, though it was grayscaled instead of multicolored.

"But, your hair..." Tempest breathed

"I remember when we were younger our mother used to say that since Rainbow was born first, she took all the color of our hair with her." Daring chuckled. "Anyway, can I see my sister?"

"I suppose you can, yes. You've arrived rather late for school." Luna chuckled

"Sorry about the holdup. I meant to be here sooner but my last mission ran long." Daring then pulled her hood back up and entered the classroom.

The three girls turned to see a strange girl step into the classroom. She was wearing a hooded cloak.

"Who are you?" Rainbow asked, and the girl laughed.

"Come on Rainbow, don't tell me you three have already forgotten-"

"Daring!" the three girls raced across the room and hugged the hooded girl, knocking her hood off her face.

"I missed you." Rainbow said, hugging her tight, and Daring returned it. Rainbow let go and glared at her sister. "You said you'd be back in time for the first day!"

"Sorry sis. Caballeron proved trickier to capture than I thought. But I'm here now. And I rescued the Sphere of Secrets too, so that was a bonus." Daring replied, smiling.

"The Sphere of Secrets? It's an ancient artifact. Who are you, exactly?" Vice Headmistress Luna asked, coming in with Professor Tempest. Rainbow gave her sister a look.

"Daring, don't tell me you haven't even told our teachers who you are yet?"

"I had to find you first sis." Daring turned and smiled at them "Daring Do, Princess of the Light Kingdom and best adventurer in the world. I also write books, but that's just a hobby. I travel around the world and find ancient treasures. Then I return them to where they belong: museums in their native Kingdom or Territory. Better in there than in the wrong hands, I say." Daring explained

"Why don't you stay in my class with your sister. Then tonight we can give you a room. I believe Miss Flare and Miss Frost have an extra bed, the rooms are for three each but they have a room to themselves." Professor Tempest suggested.

"That'll be fine." Daring agreed, then whispered to the girls. "As long as you two don't do it, I won't say a word." they nodded gratefully.

"So, you and Scootaloo have another sister?" Twilight asked at dinner. Rainbow had introduced Daring to them.

"Yeah. Spit, Fleet, and I grew up with her. We were super close." Rainbow said, and Daring shrugged, more focused on her food.

"Why don't you stay in your kingdom darling?" Rarity asked, and Daring sighed, putting her utensils down.

"Well, I first left because I wasn't very respected. I was a Princess of the Light Kingdom who's hair wasn't colorful. Our parents did their best to protect me but I was harassed a lot. Eventually I left for the night, to get some peace and quiet. Rainbow went with me. We ended up...kind of saving the whole Kingdom from a monster named Ahuizotil, who was trying to doom it to a hundred years of unrelenting heat. In the aftermath, I discovered that everybody would respect me if I saved them. Now, I let my sisters be in the public eye while I save the day. I occasionally show up to represent the family-and visit my sisters, of course. But my home has never been the Light Kingdom. It's the land outside it. Our subjects still know who I am, but they respect me a lot more as their savior than their Princess." Daring explained

"Oh. I see." Rarity didn't know how to respond to that.

"Daring's still my sister, no matter what. She just protects the Kingdom in a different way." Rainbow put an arm around her sister and hugged her. Daring smiled back.

"Love you too sis. So, what's been going on?" Daring asked

"Well, there was a Banquet a few weeks ago, with the boys school." Twilight said

"And your sister was charmed by a boy." Rarity added, and Rainbow blushed.

"Oh, really?" Daring asked, looking at Rainbow with a grin.

"I-it's nothing, really. It's not important." she stammered

"Judging by the blush on your face, as well as my Twintuition, I know that's not the case." Daring replied cheekily. "What's his name?"

"S-Soarin Skies. He's the Prince of the Air Kingdom, and he's training to be a knight." Rainbow replied.

"He sounds great. Is he cute?"

"Y-yeah. He kissed me on the cheek when he had to leave."

"You know the next time we see the boys for the Winter Ball I'm going to tease you relentlessly, right?"

"I expected it." Rainbow sighed, glaring at Rarity.

"So, I hear there's a new girl." Uppercrust had come over to their table.

"What do you want Uppercrust?" Rainbow asked

"To talk with her." Uppercrust leaned down and whispered into Daring's ear for a long moment. Daring's eyes narrowed and she glared at the girl.

"Leave. Now."

"Or what? You know I'm right." Uppercrust laughed. It happened too fast for the others to see. Uppercrust lay on the ground, clutching at her skirt, now shredded. Daring had stood, she was holding a handle that was attached to a long rope.

"I didn't miss. Try me again and my aim will strike closer to your face." Daring snarled, and the girl ran off.

"What is that?" Pinkie asked eagerly as Daring coiled the rope back up.

"Whip. Never thought it would come in handy at a Royal School but here we are." Daring said, stashing it back in her cloak.

"What did she say to you?" Twilight asked

"She told me that I had better join her crew. That there was no use for a colorless Princess in my kingdom. That I would never amount to anything more than a Royal Adviser to my own sisters." Daring replied

"But...didn't you say that yourself?" Sunset reminded her.

"I said I was never meant to rule the kingdom. There's a difference." Daring replied, going back to her food.

"It doesn't matter what Daring said." Rainbow added "I've learned that just because you already know something about yourself is true, it doesn't stop it from hurting when others tell you."

A Gift

"So your mom and dad would joke that Rainbow took all the color with her when she was born?" Applejack laughed

"How else would you explain her hair?" Daring asked

"Genetics." Twilight replied. Daring was sitting in her sister's room with her and her roommates.

"No, actually. Our mother has orange hair, and our father does have rainbow hair, but it doesn't explain my hair." Daring responded

"Yeah, but you make up for i-" Rainbow broke off and covered her mouth.

"What?" Applejack asked

"Nothing." Rainbow said quickly.

"You said she 'makes up for it' what does that mean?" Twilight asked

"Just tell them Daring, they won't tell anyone." Rainbow sighed

"Alright." Daring shifted and looked down at the ground. "Do you ever...see colors?"

"Of course, the bedsheets on ma bed are orange, Twilight's are purple, Rainbow's is blue."

"I mean, besides them."

"Huh?"

"You're not making this any easier to understand Daring." Rainbow said, just as Twilight's phone went off.

"Oh, sorry, I made an alarm to tell me when to meet Rarity for her dress fitting."

"The Winter Ball's two months away!" Applejack cried

"Try telling her that." Twilight sighed, then glanced over. "Daring, are you alright?"

Daring was hunched over, covering her ears. She straightened up nervously.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Daring said, giving them a small smile.

"No, she's not." Rainbow said

"What's wrong?" Applejack asked

"Medically, nothing. I meant she's shaken up because of something. I'll show you." Rainbow went to the door, opened it wide, then slammed it closed. Daring flinched and closed her eyes, covering her ears as well.

"What-?" Twilight asked

"Rainbow, no!" Daring moaned

"Tell them the truth or I'll do it again." Rainbow warned, pulling the door back open. Just in time for Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Sunset, and Starlight to run in. They all began talking over each other.

"Why did you slam the door?" Sunset asked

"Is something wrong?" Fluttershy worried

"Do it again! It was so loud!" Pinkie shrieked

"You messed up my stitches! Now my seam is all crooked!"

"What's going on?" Spitfire asked, loudest of all.

"Quiet!" Daring yelled, covering her ears. They all fell silent.

"Daring, what's wrong?" Starlight asked

"I-you were being too loud." Daring said

"What's that got to do with anything?" Sunset asked. Rainbow shut the door very softly.

"She was just about to tell AJ and Twi. Might as well tell everyone." Rainbow said.

Daring shook her head and stood up, running to the door. She yanked it open and left, running to the door that led outside. She ran straight past Vice Headmistress Luna. Daring slowed down in the gardens, the one place where there was no noise. She breathed a sigh of relief and touched a flower gently.

"Miss Do?" Vice Headmistress Luna came up behind her. Daring turned at her voice.

"Yes Professor Luna?" Daring asked

"Is everything alright?"

"Fine. I just...needed a break. My new friends were being pretty loud and it was-disturbing me." Daring said

"You know, people say I am not like my sister in the way that I like to connect with my students. If you need to talk to me-as a friend, not a teacher-then I am more than happy to oblige." Vice Headmistress Luna said

"It's just..." Daring tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm worried that people will think I'm a freak if I say something."

"I won't. I have a tendency to accept and understand everyone." Vice Headmistress Luna assured her

"It's because you were evil once right? What did everyone call you? Night-something?" Daring asked

"Nightmare Moon. I admit, it did help me to see people in a different way. I began to understand the reasons people do what they do and make the mistakes they do."

"I just...no one would understand what I'm going through. It's very rare." Daring said, then gasped, covering her mouth as she realized she might have revealed everything.

"Daring!" Rainbow ran to her, and Daring lowered her hand.

"Hey sis."

"What happened darling? Why did you run off?" Rarity asked

"We want to help." Twilight added

"Okay." Daring looked to Vice Headmistress Luna, who gave her a small nod of encouragement. She didn't understand either, but she still was supportive.

"Well?" Pinkie asked impatiently

"Will you promise not to think I'm weird?" Daring asked

"Of course." they all said together.

"Alright. Well, the thing is-"

"Wait, are you colorblind?" Twilight asked

"No!" Daring exclaimed

"Oh, sorry. I thought maybe that's why you asked if we could see colors. And that you kept running away because it was a sensitive topic for you. It also seemed pretty logical considering your hair." Twilight apologized

"So what is wrong?" Sunset asked

"I-I have...Synesthesia." Daring admitted

"Syna-whata-who-huh?" Applejack asked, while Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight gasped. Vice Headmistress Luna's eyes widened.

"Sin-es-thee-ja is a condition where a person can see colors that others can't. I've only read about it in medical books, it's extremely rare." Twilight explained to Applejack, then turned to Daring. "So, what type do you have?"

"Two different types. Grapheme-Color Synesthesia and Chromesthesia." Daring replied

"So that is...?" Spitfire asked

"Rainbow, can you help me explain?" Daring asked, and her sister nodded immediately, going to Daring's side.

"Okay, so Synesthesia is a rare condition where...well, it's kinda technical, so I don't completely understand it. But basically, it's like two wires are crossed in your head, so you see things differently." Rainbow said

"Grapheme-Color Synesthesia is one type of the condition that I have. It's a little weird." Daring said

"Could you explain?" Fleetfoot asked

"Okay. Let's take the number three, for example. Three is the same color as rose petals, and has the same, silky texture to it. The letter "Z" is the color of the sky at midnight, a blend of blue and purple. It even glows like it's made of stars." Daring explained

"To sum up, numbers and letters have colors for her." Rainbow added

"And the second one you mentioned? Chromo-what was it again?" Fluttershy asked

"Chromesthesia. It's a bit easier to explain. Whenever I hear sounds, or listen to music, I see colors. It's different for normal sounds. I saw large red rings of color when Rainbow slammed the door shut, and when you talked over each other earlier, colors were exploding in my eyes. I rarely see voices as having color, but when people are shouting or whispering, then I see colors for each person. Talking at a normal tone doesn't affect me." Daring explained

"So, you can see specific colors for numbers and letters, and also colors for certain sounds." Starlight summed up

"Yes. Please don't think I'm weird." Daring said

"What? That's amazing!" Pinkie cried

"Yeah, it's awesome." Spitfire added

"I do have a question." Sunset said, and Daring looked to her. "If you can see colors, and Synesthesia is a rare condition, then why not tell your kingdom? Surely they would respect you more if they knew."

"I have thought about it. There are times when I want to tell the whole kingdom 'I'm like the rest of you, I have color too!' But, I'm also scared. I don't want to be seen as a freak. Barely anyone knows what Synesthesia is, and those who do are doctors or scientists. Besides, if I explained, then people would harass me about what color their names are, or what color I see when they make a noise. I don't want people to see me differently, and I don't want people to love me for a medical condition. I want them to love me for what I contribute to the kingdom." Daring explained

"I understand." Sunset said

"Well, we don't think you're different. You're a normal girl who just happens to have a condition." Twilight said

"It's not a condition, that makes it sound like she's sick." Rainbow draped an arm around her sister

"Then what is it?" Applejack asked, and Rainbow made a face

"I...don't know." Vice Headmistress Luna stepped forward, smiling.

"It's a gift."

Author's Note

I wrote this chapter because I have a friend who has Synesthesia (of course, I'm not going to say their name). I wanted to bring awareness to this condition. Which it shouldn't even be called, personally I think it's a gift. I made Daring the person with Synesthesia because it seemed like such a good contrast: a girl with grayscale hair seeing the world with more color than anyone else.

And yes, I am aware that Synesthesia is actually more common than mentioned here. But in their world, it's a rare "condition". I think I explained it pretty well in this chapter but if you're still confused, I got the information from this website:

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/synesthesia/the-many-types-of-synesthesia-explained/

~Melody Song

Stand Up

Fluttershy was walking to her class. The others had gone ahead to ask Professor Ember something. Professor Ember's class was her least favorite, so she liked walking slowly.

"It's nothing against you Professor Ember, you're very nice. But...I just will never be that assertive. I'm sorry. Fluttershy was reciting what she was going to say when Professor Ember pulled her aside after class. She was sure it was going to happen today.

"Oh, I hope she's not mad." Fluttershy gripped her school bag, nervous. She suddenly tripped and fell on the floor. She sat up and backed into the wall. "U-Uppercrust." she gasped as she saw the bully and her gang.

"Hey loser, we're trying to walk here." Trixie said, flipping her hair as she passed. Fluttershy whimpered and picked up her things.

"I wish I could stand up to them, I was just minding my own business." Fluttershy whispered. Fleetfoot and Spitfire were standing outside the class when she arrived.

"Hey Flutters." Spitfire said as they walked in.

"H-hi." Fluttershy sighed

"What'th wrong?" Fleetfoot asked, voice low.

"Uppercrust and her gang were picking on me again, no big deal." Fluttershy sighed.

"Flutters, you have to be more assertive, you can't let them push you around like this." Rainbow murmured as she took her seat.

"Oh, I couldn't. I'm not brave like you three and Daring. I would never be able to speak up like that." Fluttershy protested as the class began.

After class, Fluttershy was at her locker. She had told Professor Ember exactly what she had wanted to. The teacher hadn't excused her from class, but advised that she take the extra time to study with Spitfire, a natural at authority. Fluttershy was suddenly shoved into her locker. Fluttershy squealed and turned to see Trixie's sneering face before the door slammed shut.

"Help!" Fluttershy said, banging on the door. She wasn't that strong though, so it was barely audible through the metal. Fluttershy whimpered and began crying, sinking down and putting her head in her hands. "Help me." she whispered

After about twenty minutes, the door opened. Fluttershy looked up to see Daring and Sunset standing over her.

"Oh, thank goodness." Flutetrshy stepped out and wiped her eyes.

"What happened to you?" Daring asked

"Uppercrust trapped me in there. I wanted to scream but...but I can't. I'm not brave enough and I never will be." Fluttershy sighed. Daring closed her locker door and put a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"Flutters, just because you can't speak up for yourself doesn't mean you aren't brave. I'm scared of things too when I go on adventures. But I'm still brave, because I do things anyway."

"Yeah, standing up for yourself can be as simple as not letting them get to you. You just need to be a little more strong-willed. Don't let them push you around, ignore them. If Uppercrust puts you in a locker again, ram the door with all your strength. Someone will hear it." Sunset added

"Thanks girls, but I don't know how I can do that. I've never been very brave, no one in my family is. Well, except maybe my brother." Fluttershy objected.

"Shy, the only problem that I see; is your lack of confidence. Just give it your all every time something bad happens. You're much stronger than you know." Daring said. Fluttershy smiled.

Fluttershy was heading to class, walking beside Rainbow, who was dribbling a soccer ball.

"Hey, losers! Out of the way! The Great and Powerful Princess Trixie is late for class!"

Trixie pushed Fluttershy a little. She staggered, but recovered. Trixie then elbowed Rainbow in the side. Rainbow fell backwards against the wall. Adagio walked behind Trixie and stepped on Rainbow's ball with her heeled shoes. The spikes on them dug into the ball and made it deflate.

"Oops." Adagio sneered, then kept walking.

Fluttershy reached down, picked up the flat soccer ball, and tossed it at Adagio. It hit her square in the back of her head. Adagio turned, eyes flaring in anger.

"Oops." Fluttershy said, eyes narrowing. Adagio snarled, then headed away.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed, hugging Fluttershy. "I knew you could do it Flutters! You're amazing!"

"Oh, uh-well..." Fluttershy stammered as they went the rest of the way to class.

"And then she was all, 'you did not just do that!'" Rainbow was saying, sitting on her desk and telling their other friends about Fluttershy's deed.

"Maybe next time you can actually go head-to-head with her." Spitfire commented. Fluttershy chuckled nervously and rubbed her arm.

"I don't think I'm quite ready for that. I was so nervous. But...I think I'll stop letting them push me around from now on."

Author's Note

I have writers block for this, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out, but it will eventually.

~Melody Song

Princesses Don't Cry

Fleetfoot trudged slowly to class, holding her backpack at her side so it dragged. She'd gotten another letter from her parents. Spitfire took her hand gently as they made their way down the hall.

"Don't listen to them Fleet. You're perfect the way you are." Spitfire assured her.

"I'm not." Fleetfoot mumbled.

The group headed back to their dorm rooms after class, Fleetfoot had gone ahead. Spitfire followed, and the other girls found Spitfire lying in her bed, holding Fleetfoot against her. Fleetfoot was crying softly, and Spitfire was comforting her.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"Can...can you guys leave us alone for now?" Spitfire asked. Most of them left, but Twilight, Rainbow, and Daring stayed.

"Sorry, but getting rid of us ain't gonna be that easy." Rainbow flopped down onto the bed beside them. "You okay Fleet?"

"N-no. M-my parentth are going to kill me."

"They will not. I won't let them get close to you." Spitfire promised.

"They will. D-Dark Shooter can't hold them off forever."

"Who?" Twilight asked.

"Fleet's older brother." Rainbow explained.

"I don't like boys very much, but Fleet's brother is an exception." Spitfire added, stroking Fleetfoot's hair.

"Why don't you like boys that much?" Twilight asked.

"Boys are handsome and strong, but always the first to tell me I'm wrong." Spitfire started, humming the words softly.

"They try to tame me, I know, they tell me I'm weird and won't let it go." Fleetfoot added to her song.

The next day, Vice-Headmistress Luna tried to talk with Fleetfoot, she noticed she was upset.

"N-No, I'm fine." Fleetfoot assured her, but Spitfire stopped Fleetfoot from leaving.

"You're lying on the floor again."

"Cracked door, I always wanna let you in." Fleetfoot replied. "Even after all of this I'm resilient."

Somehow, when she sang, her lisp disappeared. Fleetfoot managed to get away, making it to Self Defense class.

"Fleet..." Rainbow and Daring came up to them, followed by Twilight.

"Miss Sparkle what are you doing here?" Professor Tempest asked.

"I'm worried about Fleetfoot."

"Why?" Professor Tempest looked at Fleetfoot.

"Cause a Princess Doesn't Cry." Fleetfoot wiped her eyes, which were watering. "A Princess doesn't cry over monsters in the night, don't waste our precious time on boys with pretty eyes."

"She does have a point." Daring shrugged, joining in gently. "A Princess doesn't cry."

"A Princess doesn't cry." Rainbow agreed.

"Burn it like a fire, feel it all inside, but wipe those teary eyes." Spitfire joined in.

"Cause Princesses don't cry, don't cry, don't cry." Fleetfoot sang. "Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Cause Princesses don't cry."

"Is something wrong?" Professor Tempest asked.

"I think so." Twilight took Fleetfoot's arm. "Fleetfoot?"

"Girls, so pretty and poised, and soft to the touch, but I was made rough." Fleetfoot said crying softly. "Girls, so heavy the crown, they carry it tall, but it's weighing me down."

"Are you okay Fleetfoot?" Professor Tempest asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"You're lying on the floor again, cracked door, you're only gonna let them in." Spitfire replied, looking at Fleetfoot.

"Once, and I won't come undone." Fleetfoot added, wiping her eyes. "Cause a Princess Doesn't Cry, a Princess doesn't cry."

Vice-Headmistress Luna came in, still concerned.

"Over monsters in the night, don't waste our precious time, on boys with pretty eyes. A Princess doesn't cry, no, a Princess doesn't cry."

"Burn it like a fire feel it all inside, but wipe those teary eyes, cause Princesses don't cry." Spitfire added.

"Don't cry, don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry, oh. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Cause Princesses don't cry." Fleetfoot sang, wiping her eyes.

"You aren't okay Fleetfoot, please tell us what's wrong." Professor Tempest urged.

"I'm fine, won't waste my time. Keep it in a jar, leave it for the next one. Yeah, I'm fine, won't waste my time. Keep it in a jar, leave it for the next one." Fleetfoot sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "I'm fine."

"You're lying on the floor again." Spitfire objected.

"Cause a Princess Doesn't Cry. A Princess doesn't cry. Over monsters in the night, don't waste our precious time on boys with pretty eyes."

"We get it Fleetfoot, you don't want to show you're upset." Twilight soothed.

"Well, duh. It's like, the first rule of being a royal." Rainbow said, "A Princess Doesn't Cry."

"A Princess doesn't cry." Daring echoed.

"Burn it like a fire, feel it all inside, but wipe those teary eyes, cause Princesses don't cry." Spitfire looked at Fleetfoot.

"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Don't cry, oh. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry." Fleetfoot seemed to be telling herself not to cry. "Cause Princesses don't cry. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Don't cry, oh. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Cause Princesses don't cry."

"What is she talking about?" Vice-Headmistress Luna asked.

"She got a letter from her parents a few days ago." Rainbow replied. "That's pretty much all we know."

"Th-they hurt me, a-all the time, becauthe of my thtupid lithp, and-and they were threatening it again." Fleetfoot explained.

"It's alright Fleetfoot, we will help you." Vice-Headmistress Luna said

"Really?"

Vice-Headmistress Luna smiled and put her hand lightly on Fleetfoot's shoulder, then looked around at Twilight, Rainbow, Daring, and Spitfire.

"Really. In fact, we are going to meet up with some friends of ours this evening. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you came along. We should get their opinion on the matter anyway. Would you five like to accompany us?"

"These friends...you said they'd need to know. Are they royal?" Twilight asked. Vice-Headmistress Luna's eyes sparkled.

"Oh yes, very royal. I believe you've seen them before."

Author's Note

The song is Princesses Don't Cry by Aviva Mongillo.

Also, I edited some parts in Prince and Knight Academy and Meeting the Boys, so something in the next chapter makes sense. Just look for the parts in the chapters when Pharynx and Thorax are first mentioned or first enter the scene.

~Melody Song

Meanwhile

Author's Note

Strange. I thought I'd published this last week. Oh well. Here ya go.

~Melody Song

Meanwhile

Thorax sighed and rolled over in his private chambers. He couldn't understand it but something was bugging him.

"Thor!" Pharynx burst into the room, and Thorax sat up swiftly.

"Y-yes?" Thorax asked quickly.

"Shining Armor wants to know if we want to join them for an after class Ogres and Oubliettes tournament. You in?" Pharynx asked.

"You disturbed me for that?" Thorax asked, swinging his legs off the bed.

"Oh come on, I thought you'd be excited." Pharynx leaned on the doorway, eyeing Thorax. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing's wrong." Thorax said, and Pharynx smirked, violet eyes shining.

"Come on baby bro, I think I can tell if you're upset. What's bugging you?" Pharynx stepped forward and held out his hand.

"I-I don't want to be the Headmaster."

"You what? You're kidding, right?"

"Look at me Pharynx. I can barely run a kingdom without help. My general is my older brother because I can't defend myself to save my life. And now I've started playing Ogres and Oubliettes with my own students to get away from it all. That has to be some kind of, I don't know, misdemeanor for the school board." Thorax groaned.

"You mean the EEA? Those cows don't know squat about schools, we've established this. Besides, Tia and Lulu are there to help you, you know. And so am I."

"I know you're all here for me, but...I just..."

Thorax went over to his dresser and took his crown from where it hung off the mirror, balanced precariously. He took it in both hands, staring at it. The crown was orange with purple filigree, and two orange spikes curved upward, forming a shape that resembled antlers. It had been made for him for his coronation. Pharynx had a similar one, only it was red with black filigree and boasted smaller antler-like curves.

"I can't...This crown keeps holding me down. Why do I feel so much younger than I really am?"

Arms wrapped around his shoulders as his brother set his head on Thorax's shoulder.

"You sound like you're trying to mash two problems together. An Identity Crisis and Needing a Break."

"A break?" Thorax turned to Pharynx, who pulled away from him.

"Yeah. Tell you what? Let's call Temp, Em, Tia, and Lulu. We can go out for the night. I hear there's a good doughnut place near the girls' school." Pharynx said, pulling out his phone.

"What?! Phar, we're Headmasters and teachers, we can't just go running off and leave the schools unsupervised! You're the Prince-General of our kingdom, how do you not see that's a bad idea?" Thorax yelped. Pharnyx sighed and put a hand on Thorax's shoulder, smiling.

"Thorax, I may be a general, but I'm also your brother. You need a break, and frankly, so do I. Curfew's about to start, the students will be in their rooms. Our Ogres and Oubliettes gang will likely crash in one of their rooms anyway. And the knights-in-training have excelled so much I have no doubt they can defend the school if needed."

Thorax sighed, and Pharynx pulled the crown from Thorax's hands. He grinned cockily before placing the crown on his own head.

"Come on baby bro. Your big brother's here to look out for you."

"Yes, yes you are." Thorax smiled, then snatched his crown back. "Wear your own crown Phar."

Thorax and Pharynx were heading out when they heard footsteps.

"Headmaster Thorax?" Spike was standing behind them, holding a bunch of figurines in his arms. "Where are you going?"

"Sorry Spike, but we're going to have to skip this tournament. We're going out with a few friends."

Pharynx suddenly turned on his phone as it vibrated, making a small glow of light in the dark hall.

"Thor, Tia says Lulu just invited a few of their students along."

"Why?"

"Says a few of 'em needed a break too. Also they needed to discuss a serious matter concerning one of their students that has a brother here."

"Is it Twilight?" Spike asked, concern for his sister obvious.

"Nah, some kid named Fleetfoot."

"Oh, we met her. During the dinner. She's friends with Twilight. Wait...if they're that person's students...is 'Tia' Headmistress Celestia?"

"Yeah. Oh, and apparently Lulu-er, Luna-asked three other girls along as well as your sister and this Fleetfoot kid." Pharynx added as another text came in. He rolled his eyes. "Why doesn't she just invite the whole school while she's at it?"

"Actually, that gives me an idea..." Thorax turned to Spike. "Would you and Shining like to see your sister again? I'm sure they wouldn't mind. And we should bring this girl's brother, who's he-?"

"Oh no. It'll be bad enough with giggling girls there, we don't need boys for them to fawn over. You're supposed to be taking a break Thor, not solving more kid's problems!"

"We'll only take the three. Can you go get your brother Spike?"

"Yeah, sure. We've met Fleet's brother actually, he's in Soarin's knight training class, and he's roommates with Sunburst and Flash. By the way Vice-Headmaster, you shouldn't have to worry about the girls fawning over us. At least Fleetfoot, anyway." Spike then left.

"Thorax..."

"You can kill me later Pharynx. I want to help these kids."

"Fine." Pharynx sighed, and stood near him so his hand grazed Thorax's. "You're ridiculous Thor."

"And yet, for some reason you keep going along with it." Thorax retorted, smiling playfully. Pharynx shook his head.

"I taught you too well, even my comebacks don't faze you anymore."

"So?" Thorax asked, and Pharynx smirked, giving Thorax a small hug.

"I'm so proud of you!" he teased, and Thorax laughed, pushing Pharynx off.

"Here we are." Spike arrived with Shining Armor and a boy Thorax recalled seeing from time to time. "This is Dark Shooter."

"Right." Thorax turned to the boy. "My fellows at Princess Preparatory have told me something's wrong with your sister. They're bringing her and a few of her friends along to a meet-up we scheduled. Do you want to come with us to see her?"

"Fleet? Yes, if she's in trouble." Dark Shooter agreed

"How will we get there Headmaster?" Shining asked, and Pharynx sighed. He'd been texting Celestia to alert her of the recent development.

"Thorax and I were going to take a carriage, but since he's now insisting on taking you three, we-"

"Will just take a bigger carriage." Thorax interrupted.

Pharynx looked affronted. Thorax rolled his eyes, stepping to his brother and leaning in to whisper to him.

"Don't even try to use this as an excuse to get out the car."

"If you're going to bring them I might as well get something out of it."

"Pharnyx, impressing Tempest with the car is not the point of bringing the kids along."

"Well it's either that or I 'kill you later' like you offered."

"I'll take that risk, that's not why we're bringing the kids."

Thorax finished, putting a stop to the argument.

"Fine." Pharynx muttered, crossing his arms.

"Come on kids." Thorax led them outside, where a carriage waited.

The Meet-Up

Author's Note

I don't really like this chapter, I think it moves too fast, but it's important anyway, so enjoy.

The Meet-Up

Thorax and Pharynx stepped off their carriage followed by the three students. Celestia, Luna, Ember, and Tempest waited outside, standing with five girls. Four of the five wore simple shirts and jeans, one wearing a blue and yellow patterned jacket. The last wore a skirt and polo top.

"Twily!" Spike and Shining ran for the girl in the skirt, who laughed and hugged them.

"Hi guys."

"Fleetfoot!" Dark Shooter ran to her, and the girl with white-ice blue hair gasped.

"Dark?!" she was pulled into a hug by the boy.

"Hey." Pharynx greeted their friends.

"Hello Phar." Tempest said, giving him a half-smile. This, by Tempest's standards, was equal to a full smile.

"Sorry about the sudden invite of the students, but Fleetfoot seemed very upset, and I couldn't deny her close friends a chance to comfort her." Luna apologized.

"Not a problem Lulu. I figured Shining and Spike would like to see their sister anyway." Thorax replied.

"This guy. Even when we're supposed to be taking a break he finds a way to drag work into it." Pharynx added.

"Hmm. Reminds me of Em and Tia." Lulu teased.

"Hey!" all three exclaimed together, drawing the attention of the kids.

"I'm not that big of a workaholic, not nearly as much as Tia." Ember objected.

"And I was only trying to help, Pharynx. I didn't offer to bring them on a whim." Thorax added.

"Oh, sure." Pharynx rolled his eyes, making Tempest laugh.

"I don't know what you're talking about Em, I am not a workaholic." Celestia objected, crossing her arms.

"Mm. Pouting's not a good look for you Tia. Just accept it and move on." Luna said, smiling at her sister.

"Um, Professors, are-are we going in?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, Twilight. Thank you." Celestia walked past her friends and held open the door.

"We should introduce the girls to you two." Luna said, then gestured to each one. "Spitfire Flare, Princess of the Fire Kingdom, Fleetfoot Frost, Princess of the Ice Kingdom. Rainbow Dash and Daring Do, Princesses of the Light Kingdom. Twilight, like her brothers, is from this village."

They took their seats at the tables.

"Hey Twi, remember how we used to come here and get a new doughnut each time?" Shining asked.

"Oh, she told us about that. You were trying to eat them all at least once, right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah. Should we keep up the tradition?" Shining Armor asked, and Thorax noticed him pull out his wallet.

"I don't know, it doesn't feel the same without Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and Moondancer." Twilight sighed.

"Nevermind then." Shining shrugged.

"Shining, you don't have to pay." Thorax said gently as Shining set his wallet on the table.

"So, you two are on first-name terms with your students?" Ember asked.

"They are?" Twilight glanced at her brothers.

"Not me." Dark Shooter corrected, staying by his sister and her three friends. They noticed his sister had tear streaks running down her face.

"We play-" Thorax was suddenly jabbed in the ribs by Pharnyx. "We've...talked before."

"Mm-hmm." Luna hummed disbelievingly. The group got their doughnuts and began talking. Shining and Spike were telling Twilight about what was going on with them.

"What about you Twily?" Shining asked, while the adults had their own conversation.

"Well, Fluttershy's being more assertive now. And Rainbow, Spit, and Fleet invited Daring to join their soccer club."

"I can't see myself being very useful. Adventures are more my speed. Soccer's a whole other thing." Daring added, taking a bite of the doughnut.

"Adventures?" Pharynx asked, and Daring looked up, nodding.

"Yeah. I'm an adventurer, I protect my kingdom from threats while my sisters stay in the public eye. Kind of works out since with this hair no one really thinks I belong in the light kingdom." Daring ran a hand through her black and gray hair.

"Which is just a load of baloney. You're as much their Princess as me." Rainbow added.

"Those four are the only students in my self-defense class. Quite good too, if they weren't poised to take over their kingdoms I'd recommend them for knight training."

"I'd accept that recommendation." Fleetfoot murmured, breaking her doughnut in half. "I'm not taking over my kingdom anyway."

"Why not?" Thorax asked.

"Our parents want me to." Dark Shooter explained.

"That's the thing we needed to discuss with you two." Luna said, and Pharynx leaned in. "It appears that Fleetfoot and Dark Shooter's parents have been abusive to their daughter."

"Why one child and not the other?" Pharynx asked.

"That's what I said." Spitfire remarked, reaching to put her hand over Fleetfoot's.

"They think Fleetfoot is less important, that just because she's not a girly type of princess she's in some way less than perfect." Dark Shooter explained.

"It's not just that." Luna added, looking softly at Fleetfoot. "Daring has told me a secret, surely you have learned that I won't speak of it if you do not wish me to."

"I'll tell them." Fleetfoot sighed, then looked away.

"How exactly do you 'tell' it?" Rainbow asked, getting elbowed by Daring.

"I have a lithp." Fleetfoot stated.

"And?" Pharynx asked. "I mean, that doesn't mean anything."

"We keep telling her." Spitfire said, smiling at Fleetfoot.

"Our parents don't like it, they told her not to talk in front of other royals. Or pretty much anyone else. They don't know she talks while at school." Dark Shooter filled them in.

"What should we do about this?" Celestia asked them.

"All I know is this was supposed to be a break for Thorax's sake and now we're solving some family's relationship problem."

"Pharynx..." Thorax warned, gritting his teeth.

"What? It's true."

"Not. Right. Now." Thorax emphazised. Luna and Celestia glanced between the two, then Luna looked at the kids. However, before Luna could open her mouth, Twilight spoke.

"Um...Headmistress Celestia, would it be alright for Shining, Spike, and I to show them around the village? We'll come back soon."

"Of course, go ahead. We'll take care of the food." Luna allowed.

"Come on." Twilight stood up, and they followed.

"Where will you show us first?" Rainbow asked.

"How about the park?" Shining suggested.

"Yeah, great idea. I told them all about how you and Cadence had your first kiss there..."

"You...what?!" Shining's spluttering could be heard as they left the shop.

"Okay, now please fill us in on what you were talking about." Luna said, and Pharynx began to explain.

"Thorax is overworked from running the school and a kingdom, and I figured this was the best way to take a much-needed break." Pharynx explained.

"Oh, Thor, why didn't you tell anyone?" Ember took his hand gently.

"S-sorry." Thorax ducked his head and Ember leaned on his shoulder.

"Yes, sorry Thorax, we shouldn't have made you feel like you needed to help." Celestia said.

"I-I just was having one of those days. To be honest, I thought helping you would remind me of my role." Thorax admitted.

"Thor, next time just tell us." Pharynx emphasized.

"Heh. Sorry." Thorax chuckled, and they all stood up, and hugged him.

"Stop apologizing Thor." Ember murmured, kissing his cheek lightly.

They finished eating, paid for the food, then left to find the kids. They first found Rainbow Dash and Daring Do, who were skipping stones across the lake.

"Ha! Longest yet!" Rainbow pumped her fist in excitement.

"Sorry, but calculating wind, weight of the stone, angle thrown, and the distance of the lake..." Daring flung her stone, which skidded across the lake before sinking. "I win."

"Aw come on!" Rainbow kicked the grass angrily.

"And that is why it pays to have brains along with the brawn." Daring tapped the side of her head, grinning.

"Where are the others?" Celestia asked

"They got bored of watching us. They went over there." Rainbow pointed to the trees, where they found the siblings and Dark Shooter.

"So then, Shining and Cadence were so close and I mean, like, this close-"

"Stop." Shining moaned. "How do you even know about that?"

"I'm your sister." Twilight responded.

"Where are Spitfire and Fleetfoot?" Luna asked, and Spike pointed a few feet away.

"They went over there."

"I think they're busy." Rainbow joked, and Daring snorted in laughter.

"What-?" Thorax went forward and pushed the branches aside.

Spitfire and Fleetfoot were sitting under a tree, Fleetfoot resting in Spitfire's arms. Spitfire had put her jacket over Fleetfoot's shoulders, and was talking in a low voice to her. Pharynx barged right past Thorax and froze at the sight of the two, realizing he just interrupted something. Spitfire and Fleetfoot jumped apart from each other and Fleetfoot let the jacket fall.

"Sorry." Spitfire mumbled, walking past them, Fleetfoot following after picking up the jacket.

"This could have been avoided if you just told everyone the truth from the start." Twilight remarked.

"Shut up." Spitfire snarled, and Twilight backed away.

"It's okay." Celestia assured her. "Although I suppose this explains why you two were so eager to have a room to yourselves."

Spitfire and Fleetfoot blushed, and Daring cleared her throat.

"I-uh, when I moved in with them I promised I wouldn't bring it up as long as they didn't try to...you know..." Daring trailed off.

"Well, let's go back then." Celestia sighed.

"Alright you three, back to your dorms before anyone catches you and wonders where we took you." Pharynx ordered. The boys thanked them, said goodnight, then headed up the stairs to their dorms.

"Phar, why did you stop me from telling the others that we play Ogres and Oubliettes?"

"Because I know Temp would have laughed at me. Come on little bro, let's go to bed."

"She wouldn't have." Thorax insisted.

"How do you know?"

"Because she likes you. She wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"She does, doesn't she..." Pharynx then realized what Thorax was implying and turned. "Now I'm really gonna kill you."

"Eh, worth it. I needed this. Thanks Phar."

Thorax hugged Pharynx, expecting him to struggle and break away. Pharynx only hugged Thorax when he felt like it, not the other way around. But surprisingly, Pharynx hugged back, and Thorax smiled.

"Okay, you survive, for now. But don't think I'll forget this mister." Pharynx warned, breaking the hug.

"I'm confident you won't." Thorax laughed, then headed to his room, hearing Pharynx retire to his own chambers.

First Frost

As winter loomed on the horizon the weather became colder and colder. Rarity made Twilight a winter coat, to help keep her warm.

"Thanks Rarity. I didn't go out much in winter so I didn't really have many cold-weather outfits." Twilight remarked, turning to see the back of the jacket in the mirror.

"No problem darling. Now, we need to discuss the Winter Ball-"

"First Frost! First Frost!" Pinkie came running into the room, followed by the others.

"Oh, yes, I'd nearly forgotten!" Rarity cried, dropping her pincushion on the bed.

"What's First Frost?" Twilight asked, at least glad Daring seemed equally confused.

"A celebration we made up. Every year, when the first frost of the winter season sets in, we all have a sleepover at one of our castles. We switch each year. Though we haven't figured out what we're gonna do this year." Applejack explained.

"We can have it in our room." Spitfire suggested.

"Good idea." Rainbow said.

"Yeah, considering we were s'posed to have it at your place anyway!" Pinkie added

"Fleetfoot never wanted to host, and we respected her wishes. Though I suppose now we know why she never did." Fluttershy remarked, and Pinkie nodded.

"Well, count me in. I enjoy having sleepovers with you all." Twilight said.

"Twilight, darling, it's not a mere sleepover. We also do each others hair, paint our nails, laugh and play games, and tell stories to pass the time." Rarity objected.

"Oh. It actually doesn't sound all that different from the holiday parties in the village. Minus the sleeping over part." Twilight led them out to the dormitory hallways, and into the library. "Your library has a few books on the old traditions. See? Right here:"

Twilight pulled a book off the shelf and showed it to them.

"Every year, citizens and royals alike would gather together in friendship, seeing each other not as of different status, but one in the same. They would exchange greetings and gifts, as well as stories. At midnight, they would all gather together around the ceremonial candle and hold a single flame to it. If the wick caught fire, it would mean a good harvest and fair treatment for the whole year. If not, then still the people would remain ever hopeful for the coming spring." Twilight read.

"That tradition has not been celebrated in some time." Vice-Headmistress Luna appeared behind them.

"But we still light candles and sing in the village." Twilight objected.

"I meant the idea of royals and citizens coming together. Of course, since the kingdoms have grown over the years, it is much more difficult to promote to everyone the idea of being together during the holidays."

"It used to just be a few kingdoms, right?" Daring asked for confirmation.

"Yes. When my sister and I were young, it was merely a few kingdoms. The Alicornia Kingdom, for one, where my sister and I hail from. Dragonia was merely a small settlement at the time. The Shadow Lands had yet to be discovered and the Shape-Shifter Kingdom was still under the rule of Chrysalis."

"Right. I remember the boys saying something about their Headmasters not being born royal, they rose up against her and then took over the kingdom." Sunset added.

"Precisely. Of course, they do not rule alone, neither do my sister and I, or Ember. We rule our kingdoms as separate colonies but we will always seek guidance and help from each other." Vice-Headmistress Luna explained.

"So, what are your plans after school lets out for the winter?" Twilight asked.

"We're all going to spend the holidays visiting each other. But we do still have our kingdoms to rule over. And you?"

"Some of us will be visiting Twilight's village, to meet her village friends. Others will return home." Rarity said.

"Fleet's coming with me back to the Fire Kingdom." Spitfire added, putting her arm around Fleetfoot gently.

"I wonder what plans our brothers are making." Starlight commented to Sunset, who laughed, shaking her head.

"Knowing those two nerds, probably dragging their friends to a Ogres and Oubliettes thing or something."

"Blankets?" Spike asked.

"Check." Sunburst said.

"Snacks?"

"Check."

"Board and gaming pieces?"

"Check and check."

"Friends?"

"They'll be here in a minute, so check."

"What are we missing? Oh, pillows!"

"Soarin is getting them with Shining."

"Pillow fight!" Soarin ran into the room, brandishing the pillow like a sword. Shining ran in with another in his grasp.

"Aw yeah!" Flash cheered.

"Oh no." Sunburst and Spike sighed, before Soarin knocked Sunburst in the chest with a pillow.

"You guys were just supposed to be getting the pillows, not ruining our setup." Spike protested, gesturing to the carefully arranged items.

"Sorry, but it's more fun this way." Soarin pulled another pillow from where it was tucked under his arm, tossed it, then threw himself into the air. He shifted and came down on Sunburst's bed, the pillow falling under his head so he could lie down on it.

"Impressive." Dark Shooter commented from his bed. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys. Though I'm not sure how to play this game."

"No problem, you'll pick up on it fast, I'm sure." Spike replied, as Shining set the other pillows down.

"We're here, sorry we're late." Fashion Plate came in, smiling.

"Ooh, snacks." Cheese selected a cupcake from a platter and ate it cheerily.

"Do you know if the Headmasters are joining us?" Discord asked.

"I don't for sure-" Spike started to say.

"Oh, fantastic, so I can make up rules again?"

"Just because they may or may not be joining us doesn't mean you can do things like add extra zeros to a character chart and say that gravity is optional in the game." Star Tracker objected.

"Fine, kill the fun, will you?" Discord slumped down and crossed his arms.

"So, are you ready to enter the realm of Ogres and Oubliettes?" Spike asked, waving his hands eerily as the other boys went to join them.

"Yes." They all replied, save Discord. The group looked at him expectantly.

"Fine, yes." Discord gave in, throwing is hands up in defeat.

"We aren't too late, I hope?" Headmaster Thorax entered the room, and Spike looked up.

"Not at all Headmaster, is Vice-Headmaster Pharynx with you?"

"He's in a call with one of the Professors of the girls school, but he'll be here soon." Headmaster Thorax sat by Spike as Vice-Headmaster Pharynx entered.

"Yeah, okay, talk to you later. Bye." Pharynx hung up and stowed the phone in his pocket.

"How'd it go?" Headmaster Thorax asked, looking at his brother with a knowing grin.

"Good, we talked about nunya."

"What's nunya?"

"None ya' business." Vice-Headmaster Pharynx snapped.

Headmaster Thorax blinked, then seemed to get the joke and nodded, looking back to the others.

"Um, so, ready to play?" Spike asked.

"Yep." Headmaster Thorax said eagerly. Pharynx rolled his eyes at his brother, but sat by him.

"Yeah, I'm ready." He sighed. And the game began.

The Winter Ball, Part 1

Author's Note

No, I did not forget about the Winter Ball! Read on, my friends! And I'm sorry about the wait, and that there's not a lot of plot in this part. That will change next chapter.

~Melody Song

The Winter Ball, Part 1

Rarity was helping them put on their dresses for the ball, which would take place in the evening of that very day.

"Wait until the boys see us!" Rarity squealed. "It's so good we get to wear what we want for the ball!"

"I don't really like dresses..." Daring said as she tugged on hers.

"Pshaw, you'll be fine darling. Just stop pulling on it, you'll stretch out the fabric."

"I don't like dresses either." Rainbow told her sister.

"Or me." Spitfire added.

"Me too." Fleetfoot agreed.

"But we've learned by now that it's better to just do what Rarity says." Rainbow finished, and Daring sighed.

"Can I at least wear my pith helmet?"

"No!" Rarity snapped, before turning her attention to Fluttershy.

"Girls, I have some exciting news..." Cadence said, she was twirling around in her dress, admiring the work Rarity had done.

"What is it?!" Pinkie asked eagerly.

"Headmistress Celestia says that you guys can stand up front with me, as a sort of display to show off Rarity's handiwork." Cadence said.

"Really?!" They all cried, and began cheering when Cadence nodded, Rarity, Pinkie, and Twilight jumping up and down.

"Alright boys, the countdown to the Winter Ball is at five hours, fourty-five minutes, and six seconds. Are we all ready?" Fashion Plate asked, straightening his tie.

"We've got time for a quick round of Ogres and Oubliettes before we have to meet at the carriages." Spike suggested.

"No, you don't."

The boys whipped around to see Vice Headmaster Pharynx leaning against the doorway.

"V-Vice Headmaster. Is something wrong?" Star Tracker asked nervously.

"No, but you won't have time for a game..." Vice Headmaster Pharynx straightened up and stepped into the room. "Because Headmaster Thorax and I can't join you, so you'll be missing two key players."

"Oh. Why can't you join us?" Shining asked.

"That's personal business, but it's basically something to do with our kingdom, nothing important." Vice Headmaster Pharynx replied, before turning to leave. "I want you boys down by the carriages ten minutes early, am I understood?"

"Yes sir." they all chorused, as the door closed.

"So...you want to crush each other in FK?" Soarin asked, grabbing his gaming consle.

"Fallout Kingdoms? That game takes way too long to play." Sunburst shook his head.

"Okay, how about Knights of the Round Table? We have time to slay a dragon or two."

"Better."

The boys played for four hours, then went down to wait outside the school. Soarin, Flash, and Discord played a racing game on Soarin's tablet. Spike, Shining, and Sunburst, meanwhile, were talking about O&O stats. Cheese was leaning back on the steps, munching on some chips he'd gotten from the cafeteria. Fashion, Star Tracker, and Dark Shooter began talking about what to expect when they got to the girls' school. They figured it would be a bit less formal than the Banquet, considering this was meant to be part of the Winter celebration.

"Hey, you're all early, great!" Headmaster Thorax said, coming outside.

"We were bored so we thought we'd hang out here." Flash explained, as Vice Headmaster Pharynx came outside next.

"Also, Vice Headmaster Pharynx told us to be ten minutes early." Discord added, then reached across Flash and grabbed the tablet from Soarin. "Watch it, you nearly made it crash!"

"True, I did tell you that. Between us, it was so you guys could have first pick of the carriages." Vice Headmaster Pharynx winked.

The boys smiled back at him and headed over to pick.

They were all dressed in their finest attire. Spike wore a green top with a purple cloak pinned up to one side of his outfit, and emerald green pants. Fashion Plate wore a classic black suit with a red tie. Sunburst wore a similar orange top with a blue, star-sprinkled cape and dark blue pants. Dark Shooter wore a dark purple vest with gray pants and a black belt. Flash Sentry had chosen a navy blue suit.

Star Tracker was wearing a simple purple shirt with white pants. Shining Armor wore a blue suit that resembled that of a King or Prince's-the role he would one day occupy. It had golden epaulettes, along with gold lining. He was wearing navy blue pants with the same gold stripes down them. Cheese Sandwich was wearing a dark yellow button-up shirt with black jeans. Discord and Soarin had chosen to strap armor plates to their sleeves. They both wore jackets with pants, boots, and belts. Discord's jacket was tawny yellow, his pants were red, and his boots light brown. Soarin's jacket was navy blue, his pants pale blue, and his boots black. Each had belts with harnesses on them that had knives strapped there.

Vice Headmaster Pharynx was wearing a lavender undershirt, with dark cyan chestplate armor, unlike the cyan jacket he typically wore. He had a violet cape tied by his neck. The Vice Headmaster had on equally dark cyan pants and a sword strapped to his waist by a red belt, boots the same violet color as his cape. His sleeves were in a similar style as Discord and Soarin's, though that was most likely to display his position as Head Knight. Headmaster Thorax was wearing a green shirt with a violet belt, and a darker magenta cape than Pharynx's. His pants too, were lime green, and his boots a dark orange.

Once the other students had arrived, Headmaster Thorax and Vice Headmaster Pharynx got into the front carriage and they were off.

The boys arrived to an empty entry hall. Vice Headmaster Pharynx rolled his eyes.

"Tia 'n Lulu 're probably planning some kinda big entrance." he muttered to his brother, who nodded slightly in agreement.

The door opened and Headmistress Celestia entered, along with Vice Headmistress Luna. The Headmistress wore a white, regal gown with gold tints and her signature gleaming gold crown perched on her hair. Luna wore a dark blue gown with silver tints that fitted her slim form. Her own black crown was resting on her head.

"Welcome, Headmaster Thorax, Vice Headmaster Pharynx. Our students are waiting in the ballroom." Headmistress Celestia said, gesturing with her hand to the hallway.

The boys followed the Headmistress and Vice Headmistress down the hall, and they opened the doors to reveal the girls. As their Headmaster and Vice Headmaster went to join the Professors alongside the girls' Headmistress, the boys all held back gasps of surprise and wonder.

Cadence stood in the front, wearing a beautiful dress that had facets to it, as though it were made of crystals. She wore sparkling silver shoes and a crown that was made of real gems. Lined up on either side of her were Twilight and her friends.

Twilight wore a blue dress with white stars sewn onto the skirt, and dark purple, velvet shoes. She stood to the right of Cadence, and on the older girl's left was Rarity, dressed in a white gown with purple and blue trims. To Twilight's left was Fluttershy, who wore a gorgeous leaf green, slim gown. The dress had embroideries of vines and butterflies moving around the skirt, and fabric made to look like ivy went around her arms, like gloves. On Rarity's right stood Applejack, who was dressed in a simplistic orange gown with brown, ruffled hems. She wore a more decorative version of her usual stetson hat, this one having apple designs embroidered on, as well as gold thread accenting a few places.

Beside Applejack was Pinkie, who was wearing a pink puffy gown that had candy designs stitched in. Her poofy hair had been tucked back into a ponytail, that bounced merrily on her shoulders. Starlight and Sunset stood next to Fluttershy. Starlight wore a purple bodice held up by a teal colored beaded string around her neck. The skirt was a lavender color made of translucent fabric with more teal beads trailed around the top of the skirt. Sunset's was a mainly purple, but it had sashes around the skirt. One was light purple, the other was magenta and faded to yellow, like a sunset. The one sash on the top that wrapped around her neck bore a red and yellow swirled sun symbol pinned to the side, over one of the short sleeves.

Spitfire and Fleetfoot stood beside Rainbow Dash, who was by Pinkie. Spitfire's dress was layered, each one a different shade of orange. But it had been pressed flat against her, rather than puffing out. It's top consisted of just one sleeve to hold it up, a sleeve that had armor plates on the shoulder, and an armored glove-like part that wrapped around her hand. Fleetfoot's dress was ice blue, with white shapes that spiraled around the skirt, like snow flurries. Her sleeves were plated in armor as well, showing her tough interior. Rainbow's dress had a blue bodice, however the skirt was a sparkling silver. Somehow, the creator had managed to make the fabric so that a rainbow tint shone through the silver. Rainbow's sleeves didn't have armor, instead it had lightning bolts streaking through the blue fabric.

Daring stood by Sunset, her dress was slim fitting and the same olive green as her adventurer outfit. The dress had gold pieces that wrapped around the skirt, the bodice had a compass symbol pinned to the waist. The sleeves were laced with golden fragments that covered her hands like fingerless gloves, but they looked fierce.

"Wow." Shining breathed, as the girls walked up to them. The other boys and girls made their way towards each other as well, but no one in the group noticed.

"You all look fabulous!" Fashion Plate cried.

"We should, Rarity made the dresses!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"You guys look pretty good too." Rainbow said.

"Fashion made our outfits, well, parts of them." Spike explained.

"Ready to dance?" Sunset asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"Of course." Flash agreed.

"Sure." Discord shrugged

"Obviously." Shining said, taking Cadence by the arm.

"Well, then let's go!" Pinkie cheered

The Winter Ball Part 2

"They look happy." Luna remarked as they took their seats at the table.

"Mmhmm." Tempest hummed, not really paying attention. She was tapping her fingers on the table and looking away.

"Something wrong Temp?" Pharynx asked

Luna and Celestia shared a look with Ember. They too, had noticed Tempest seemed upset, but had decided to wait and see if Pharynx noticed and brought it up.

"I'm fine. Just something going on in the Shadow Realm...honestly..." Tempest sighed and turned to face them. "...I don't know if I'm going to be able to visit you guys this year."

"What?!" Pharynx asked, which sounded more like a yelp. He blushed and cleared his throat. "I mean, uh, why not?"

"My boss wants me to help him with some top-secret project. He's been very closed-off about it for years. Looks like he finally trusts me enough to show me."

"Well, that's good, right?" Thorax asked, and Tempest nodded.

"Yeah, it is. But it means I might not see you guys this winter."

"We'll miss you sorely Tempest, but we understand." Celestia said, placing a hand on hers.

"Now can we talk about how nice you two look in your dresses?" Luna asked, changing the subject abruptly. Tempest cracked a small smile.

Tempest was wearing a deep magenta dress that matched her hair. It was simplistic from a first glance, but if you looked closer, you could see stormclouds woven into the skirt. Her sleeves were made of a silver-gray fabric that reminded everyone of rain. Black thread accented the whole thing. A silver circlet was on Tempest's head, with the image of a lightning bolt on it.

Ember, meanwhile, was wearing a golden dress that resembled the armor she typically wore. Parts of it were made of genuine armor that had been turned into a skirt. She wore fingerless gloves made of a purple-blue fabric. The crown on her head was the same shade of purple-blue, with a bright red gem in the center.

"She's not wrong. You look beautiful." Thorax said, looking straight at Ember.

"You look even better Temp." Pharynx added, making the female knight blush.

"Please. No one ever thinks I look beautiful. Back...home, they always complain that I don't dress right, and this..." Tempest reached up to graze the scar running over her eye.

"Temp, that's just a sign of strength. And honestly, you look even more attractive in your armor then you ever would in a dress. Not that this one doesn't look good on you." Pharynx said

"Will you two stop flirting and just kiss already?" Celestia asked abruptly, and they both blushed.

"Shut up Tia." Tempest muttered

"Yeah, no one needs to hear your nonsense." Pharynx added

"I believe what my sister is trying to say..." Luna leaned closer so the group of friends could all hear. "Is that the mistletoe we had hidden around the school grounds wasn't simply for the students' pleasure..."

Pharynx coughed and blushed while Tempest shrank back in her seat. Ember and Thorax shared knowing looks with each other, beaming.

Rainbow Dash stood with Daring, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot. Soarin walked up to them, carrying drinks. He offered one to Rainbow, who blushed and thanked him, taking it.

"So, this is the guy?" Daring asked, and Rainbow ignored her, taking a gulp of the cider.

"Yes." Spitfire responded and Daring leaned in to whisper to her twin.

"Hey, you two should kiss."

Rainbow turned bright read and choked on her drink. Soarin reached out, touching her shoulder gently.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned

"Fine." Rainbow said, glaring at Daring, who laughed and turned to leave.

"What did she say?" Spitfire asked

"Not important." Rainbow muttered, looking up at Soarin. "That was my twin sister, Daring Do, by the way. Ignore her, she's a writer so she likes making stuff up."

"Oh, tho she thaid thomething about how you two are made for each other." Fleetfoot teased

"A writer?" Soarin asked

"Daring writes about some of the adventures she goes on and gets a little money out of it. But Daring always says she only does it because she feels the stories are so amazing she shouldn't keep them to herself."

"That's pretty cool." Soarin took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah." Rainbow said "But she's being annoying now."

"Just ignore it. I'm sure she doesn't mean to annoy you."

"Rainbow and Soarin, sitting in a tree~" Spitfire started

"But they do." Rainbow muttered, blushing. "Come on Soar, I know somewhere quiet we can go."

In another section of the room, Twilight, Spike, Star Tracker, Sunburst, Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, and Flash Sentry were talking.

"So then, we realized that if we organized the group so the Cleric was in the back, and the Wizards in the center, we'd stand a better chance." Sunburst was saying to Starlight, who nodded interestedly.

"I kind of want to try that. Think one day during the break we could get together for a round?"

"Well...the thing is...we're in the middle of a story and we need all the players..." Sunburst began apologetically.

"It's fine." Starlight smiled at him. "But definitely let me know when you start a new 'story'. It sounds fun."

Fluttershy, Discord, Pinkie, and Cheese were near the food, snacking on treats while they talked.

"So you really almost made chocolate milk rain?" Pinkie asked

"Well, let's just say if Sunburst and Shining weren't such sticklers for the rules our science project would have...rained on everyone's parade."

"Wow." Pinkie gasped

"Yeah. I wish I'd been in his group instead of Shining, we'd have had tons more fun." Cheese said

Shining was twirling Cadence around on the dance floor, and nearby, Rarity and Fashion Plate were also dancing.

"You're quite the dancer Fashion."

"As are you, Ms. Rarity."

Rarity giggled and leaned up against him. Fashion slipped his arm around her waist and kept hold of her other hand.

"Having fun?" Cadence asked as she and Shining passed by, done for the time being.

"Yes." Rarity said, pulling away so she and Fashion could resume their dance.

"Nice. We're gonna go find Twily."

"I think I saw her over there with Flash, Spike, Star Tracker, Sunburst, and those two's sisters."

"Thanks." Shining said, before heading off, holding Cadence's hand.

Daring had slipped away so that Spitfire and Fleetfoot could finish the job-and so Rainbow wouldn't kill her. She headed for the buffet, then bumped into someone and stepped back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you." Daring said

"No, it's my fault." the person-it was a boy by his voice-insisted.

Daring looked up to see who it was. "Oh, Dark Shooter, right? Fleetfoot's brother?"

"Yeah." Dark Shooter nodded "And you're Daring, right? Rainbow's twin?"

"Yep."

"She mentioned you were an author and adventurer, right?"

"Uh, yeah. How do you remember that?"

"It seemed cool." Dark Shooter shrugged. Daring laughed softly.

"I was just heading over to the buffet-would you like to join me?"

"Oh, sure. I see some of my friends over there anyway." Dark Shooter said, holding out his arm. "M'lady?"

"Heh, funny. But I'm sure you're aware that an adventurer doesn't need to walk in on the arm of a man."

"I am." Dark Shooter said, not missing a beat. "It was a joke."

"If you did want to make up for bumping into me, you could hold my food." Daring suggested

"Now hold on, you said you bumped into me!"

"And you apologized anyway." Daring teased as she headed over, and Dark Shooter sped up to keep pace with her.

"I'll still hold your food if you want."

"Nah, I've got it."

"The students certainly seem to be enjoying themselves." Celestia remarked, and Luna nodded. Tempest's phone suddenly rang, and she stood up to take the call.

"What?" Tempest growled

"When are you going to be done with the mission of yours? I'm worried you may be too invested in the role."

"I told you, I'll be back in the army by the end of the week."

"Good, because I may get impatient. And if I do I guarantee it will be Grubber I tell my plan to and dictate what I want him to do to complete it."

"What?" Tempest put a hand to her forehead. "I-okay. I'll...see if I can get back earlier."

"You better. Remember Tempest, I'm the only one who can give you what you really want...your freedom, and the respect you wish you had-"

"Yes, I know."

"Ah, I was rambling again wasn't I? Very bad habit, thank you Tempest. I really must break it. What kind of villain goes around telling the hero their plans? I'm just glad you're not a hero, right Tempest?"

Tempest turned to glance at her friends, smiling and laughing together, then back to the shadows she was hiding in. She looked downcast, and mumbled her answer. "...Yes, your highness."

Home For the Holidays

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

The Shadow Lands

After they got their food, Tempest and Pharynx switched with Ember and Thorax, who took the wheel. As they ate, Tempest looked out for the familiar landmarks that proved they were nearing her home.

Tempest had never let her friends see how much of a wasteland the Shadow Lands were. So, as usual, she had Thorax stop the car at the train station, insisting she could walk from there.

"I don't like how you won't let us drive you in." Pharynx said as he grabbed her bag for her-the classic chivalrous knight, no matter how much he protested against fitting into the archetype.

"I just don't want to trouble you guys any more, you're already late getting to Tia and Lulu's, and after that you still need to head back to your own kingdoms. Besides, I could use the exercise, without my students-or you-to keep me on my toes."

Pharynx chuckled softly and nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, okay. But promise to call this time? I don't get how you just suddenly drop off the grid while here."

"I have a lot of work to do." Tempest said, avoiding his gaze.

This was true, her King did give her a lot of work whenever she returned. But the Kingdom didn't exactly have good internet, so she used her devices sparingly.

"I guess not all of us are lucky enough to be employed by our brother, huh?" Pharynx joked, and Tempest smiled halfheartedly.

"No, I guess not. I'll try to call if I can, but I wouldn't get my hopes up Phar. For now, I'd better go."

"Okay then..." Pharynx scuffed his foot on the ground. "...I'll miss you..." Tempest finally gave him a real smile.

"I'll miss you too, bug." she punched him lightly in the shoulder, then turned. "See you guys next semester!"

"Bye!" Thorax and Celestia called cheerily, waving.

"Goofballs." Ember teased them, then waved. "See ya Temp!"

"Good luck with your duties!" Luna called out.

"Bye, Tempest." Pharynx murmured, holding still, until something hit him in the back of his head. It was the keys, which he caught before they could fall.

"Get in the car lover boy. We've still got a ways to go." Ember said, having been the one to throw the keys.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Pharynx responded, going back around to the driver's side and looking up, watching Tempest walk into the distance.

Tempest pushed open the gates of her kingdom, saluting to her fellow guards, two big brutes with shaggy black hair. She then walked through the dingy, dark streets, past the homeless peeking out from alleys. Tempest stopped at one point and dug out half a loaf of bread and some cheese that she'd nicked from the school kitchens. She walked towards one of the alleys and found, as expected, a girl with long, white-pink hair, and blue eyes, wearing a tattered brown outfit. A smaller boy with purple hair with white tips lay beside her.

"Commander Tempest!" the girl said, rising on trembling legs.

"Laibah. How's Siamen?" Tempest kneeled down and nudged the boy.

"He's okay. He was up late gathering wood." she replied "And I'm not Laibah."

"Why not?"

"Because Laibah is the name my father gave me."

"You should be proud he gave you such a beautiful name." Tempest told her, sitting down and setting the bread and cheese on a napkin, drawing a blade from her bag. "It means he loves you. My parents must've hated me because they gave me such an awful name."

"Hehe, yeah, your real name's awful." Laibah giggled, accepting the bread and cheese Tempest sliced for her.

"Huh? Tempest!" Siamen cried, sitting up, his blue eyes gleaming.

"Hey buddy. Brought you some food." Tempest held out another slice.

"Are you staying long?" he asked, accepting the bread and shoving it in his mouth.

"Sorry guys, but I just got back. Need to report to the castle. You know how much the King hates being kept waiting."

"Okay..." Laibah reached and hugged her. "We missed you. Scavenging is hard."

"I know." Tempest said, a little too knowingly. "Tell you what, if I can manage it, I'll get you some more food once the King's done talking with me."

"Yay! You're the best Tempest!" Laibah cried

Tempest laughed softly.

"Okay. Make sure to share that food with the other people."

"We will." the two chorused, and Tempest nodded, standing and collecting her things.

"I'll see you again-come by the palace gates in a few hours and wait for me there."

"Yes ma'am!" they jokingly saluted her.

As Tempest left, she reflected on what her friends said.

"I can't really be evil if I help those two, can I?" Tempest shook her head. "I can and I am. Even villains aren't completely heartless to two cute kids like them. The King is right, I'm not a hero...I'm just a bad person living a lie..."

"Cadence!" Night Light and Twilight Velvet eagerly welcomed the Princess as she walked into the home, followed by Shining, Spike, and Twilight.

"Hello Mr and Mrs Sparkle, it's good to see you again." Cadence greeted politely.

"Oh none of that Cadence, you're family now!" Velvet cried, pulling her in for a hug.

"So, how was royal school kids?" Night Light asked

"Great dad, I made a lot of new friends, so did Spike and Shiny."

"Yes," Cadence agreed, prying herself free from her soon-to-be mother in-law at last. "Twilight has a number of great friends now. Speaking of friends, are we going to go say hello to your other friends Twilight?"

"Oh, Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lyra, Moondancer, and Lemon Hearts? Of course!" Twilight agreed

"You can do that after some food. I made fritters!" Velvet called as she headed into the kitchen.

"Yes!" Spike and Shining cried, running after her. Twilight and Cadence walked after them, Night Light following.

"It's nice to have you three home again." Night Light told Twilight, who smiled.

"It's good to be home dad."

Author's Note

I'm back! Next chapter you'll get to find out (sort of) what the King has in store for Tempest. And those two cuties Tempest helped? Just thought I should clarify: Siamen is pronounced sigh-AH-men. Don't worry about those two, you'll see them again, I didn't just add in two extra characters for no reason.

~Melody Song

You Want To What?!

Tempest stood at attention as she waited for her King. He entered the room with a short man beside him-Grubber.

"Ah, Tempest! You're here! Good, we can begin discussing this. It's very hush-hush, you know. Grubber, please leave us."

"Y-yes your majesty!" Grubber ran past Tempest, who pressed a coin into his hand.

"Go get yourself some cake-but be quiet about it." Tempest hissed to him as he passed her. She knew he heard her.

"Now that this riff-raff has left, I can finally tell you my genius plan."

"All of your plans are genius, King Storm." Tempest bowed to him.

"Ah, thank you Tempest. It's funny, you know, your name. 'Tempest Shadow'. It has a nice ring to it. Oftentimes I do wonder if your parents named you after the Kingdom! But you never lived her as a child so I suppose that's off the table, isn't it..."

"...Your majesty..."

"Ah, right! The plan. Now listen close..." King Storm beckoned her forward and she stepped closer. "Are you knowledgeable about...The Staff of Sacanas?"

"I miss Tempest." Pharynx sighed

"There's a shock." Ember muttered out of the corner of her mouth, laying a card facedown on the table.

The group had gone to Celestia and Luna's castle in the Alicornia Kingdom. The servants of the castle having been excused for the day by Luna and Celestia to both give the royals some time to themselves and ensure the servants could spend time with their families. They were seated at the dining room table, playing cards. Except Celestia, who was facetiming Cadence in the other room.

"What? Is my saccharine brother wrong to say we need to share our feelings?" Pharynx asked, shuffling his cards.

"No, but Tempest only left an hour ago." Ember replied

"I think it's sweet you care for her so much." Luna remarked

"Me too." Thorax agreed

"I-I don't! I mean, I do, but...we're just friends!"

"Sure." Luna raised an eyebrow teasingly, then turned to Ember. "Do you have any Kings?"

"Yes Luna, but I'm keeping them, because we're playing Poker, not Go Fish." Ember sighed

"She's got Kings!" Luna announced loudly, causing both Pharynx and Thorax to immediately fold.

"Dang it!" Ember slammed her cards on the table. "Why Luna?"

"Because I am the master of pranks."

"Fair enough. But if you'd let us keep playing, I'd have blown you all out of the water. There is none more deceitful than a person of the Shifter Kingdom!" Pharynx said, laughing.

"Alright, well, you kids have fun, and we'll see you in a while." Celestia said as she walked in, holding out her phone.

"Who are we seeing in a while?" Thorax asked curiously.

"Bye Auntie! Say hi to the others for me!" Cadence called from the phone, before Celestia waved and hung up.

"Cadence said that once she, Twilight, Shining, and Spike greet some old friends, they would like to see the palace where she grew up."

"So you invited them over, of course." Pharynx rolled his eyes. "Pass me the deck-Luna, no cheating this time. Clever as it was, I'd actually like to have a chance to win this round."

As Pharynx shuffled the deck, Ember and Luna turned to Celestia.

"So, Cadence and her soon-to-be siblings and husband will be arriving when exactly?" Luna asked

"Two hours, at most."

"So we have a two hours to play Poker." Pharynx dished out the cards.

"Oh come on guys! You three always want to play mind games and always drag Thorax and I into it!" Celestia cried

"Sister, I believe this is one of the only times I've ever heard you whining."

"Well, it's true." Celestia huffed, crossing her arms and trying to drop her lips in a pout.

"Leave that to Lulu, Tia. You just look silly." Ember laughed

"Anyway, if we don't play mind games how will we stay calm and focused?" Pharynx asked

"You realize you're the only one here that ever goes onto a battlefield, correct?" Celestia asked "Well...one of three, but Tempest isn't here and Ember going onto a battlefield isn't advised..."

"I meant for teaching. Teenagers are monsters."

"Get that all out now before there are four of them in this castle." Ember joked

"You are correct, there's this one big group of girls in our school that are downright brats. The classic 'spoiled too much for their own good' type. Honestly we hardly ever see girls that have been spoiled that remain humble. The only exceptions I can recall are Miss Rarity-and that's a stretch-Miss Tiara, and Miss Spoon. The only reason the last two are humble is they actually don't want to be spoiled." Luna remarked

"And you know this how?" Celestia asked as she sat down with them.

"The students trust me." Luna shrugged

"Of course." Celestia sighed "Anyway, we have time to watch a movie...?"

"No." Pharynx immediately replied.

"You're just saying that because Tempest won't be here to be your cuddle buddy." Thorax teased, and Pharynx punched him in the side. "Ow!"

"Serves you right. You may enjoy being Ember's snugglebug, but Tempest and I have no kind of relationship-despite whatever delusions you might have."

"So then was I dreaming that one time you overslept and I found you hugging your pillow and nuzzling into it and saying her name over and over again?" Thorax asked, making the three women whip their heads around, growing smiles appearing on their faces.

"Uh-I-I was obviously just putting the pillow in a chokehold! I was dreaming that it was the Empress!"

"So you definitely weren't saying: Oh Tempest, my queen, you're so soft and snuggly-" Thorax was cut off abruptly as Pharynx lunged at him, clapping a hand over his younger brother's mouth.

"Shut up!" he roared, turning red.

Ember, Celestia, and Luna were laughing and "aww"ing at him. Pharynx turned and growled at them, but the blush on his face lessened the ferocity of his glare in that moment. Thorax's shoulders were moving, showing he was laughing too, and Pharynx released him, evidently deciding the damage was already done.

"Will you guys stop? I don't tease you about your love lives."

"That's because we don't have any." Luna said, gesturing to herself and Celestia.

"Come on, let's just watch your stupid movie then." Pharynx spat, leaving the room.

They gathered in a room Luna had decorated to be a sort of living room. It had three large couches pushed up together like half of a box. In the front of the room was a TV with a gaming console by it. Celestia grabbed snacks from the kitchens and carried them up. The group of friends sat down, and Celestia grabbed the remote.

"Let's try watching The Conjuring." Luna said

"You want us to watch what?!" Thorax asked, grabbing a nearby pillow and hugging it, eyes widening.

"Come on Thorax, it's still light outside, you shouldn't get too scared." Pharynx urged.

"O-okay..." Thorax said softly, but he wrapped his arms around Ember and pulled her against him.

"Great." Luna cried eagerly as she selected it. "Let's get this horror started."

Thorax squeaked and buried himself in between Pharynx and Ember, drawing her closer and hiding his face behind his brother.

"The movie hasn't even started yet." Pharynx groaned, at which Thorax merely whimpered.

"You want to what?!"

Author's Note

Yeah, I know. "King Storm" instead of "Storm King." But I'm trying to keep this set in modern times, except the land is made up of Kingdoms. In reality, monarchs would typically have their title come before their name, not the other way around-we don't even know the Storm King's real name. So he's "King Storm" here. Same character, just different name.

Credit goes to Bezier Ballad for suggesting they watch "The Conjuring" as I have no knowledge of horror movies.

~Melody Song

Escape

Author's Note

This chapter's a bit long, but I promise it's worth it.

~Melody Song

Escape

"You want to what?!"

"You already said that my dear Commander." King Storm said

"I just...you want to..."

"To take over the surrounding Kingdoms, yes Tempest, I already said that."

"My apologies your highness, only...are you sure it's right? The other Kingdoms are peaceful with us and there's no need to create such chaos and distrust."

"But that's what I live for Tempest!" King Storm said.

"But your majesty-"

"And besides Tempest," King Storm leaned closer to her from his throne, "Surely you're aware of the fact the Shadow Land is hardly the most modern Kingdom? We need the resources they can supply and all your little 'undercover scouting missions' have done nothing to improve it."

Tempest looked away, arms stiff at her sides.

"...In fact, I'm beginning to question whether that was even your true intent of these little missions. But a worry for another day. You see the poverty around you, don't you?"

"...Yes, your highness."

"I need the power of these Kingdoms to provide for my people."

"Yeah, right. Like we both don't know whatever's in those Kingdoms is just going right to you, and your soldiers." Tempest thought, then stood up and cleared her throat.

"Of course your majesty. Only I fail to see how channeling the magic of these kingdoms into the Staff of Sanacas would help."

"Tempest, that was in step seventeen-A of my plan! Without their magic, the rest of the nearby Kingdoms will be forced to bow to me!" King Storm rose and let out a stream of maniacal laughter.

"And, those Kingdoms you wish to target specifically..." Tempest glanced to the map King Storm had showed her.

"Yes, please recite them Tempest, it's about time for your mission report anyway."

Tempest took a breath to steady her fast-beating heart.

"...Alicornia, home of Celestia and Luna, a Princess diarchy led Kingdom that encompasses much of the land, including the town of Canterlot and the Princess Academy you sent me to. It also temporarily includes the Crystal Empire until it's rightful heir-her majesty Princess Cadence-can ascend to the throne. Second is the Shifter Kingdom, which is ruled by a monarchy under King Thorax and his elder brother, Prince-General Pharynx. It has no towns, instead only one city surrounding the castle, like our own, but outside it's territory lies the Prince and Knight Academy that is the brother school to the Princess one. Last is Dragonia, a land ruled under a Lordess, Ember, and contains a series of small settlements."

"Indeed, and where are they on the map?"

"Dragonia lies to the east, Alicornia is large and encompasses the north and west areas, while the Shifter Kingdom takes up the south."

"Correct. Now, about your...scout missions."

"Yes?"

"Now that I have all the information I won't need you to continue them."

"...You...won't?"

"Of course not, you've done your duty. Besides, I need you here to keep an eye on Grubber."

"So, I'm..."

"Yes, dismissed." King Storm turned to observe his plan. Tempest turned and headed for the door. "Oh, and Tempest?"

"Yes your majesty?"

King Storm turned back to her. "You weren't getting...attached to those pesky leaders we're going to overthrow, were you?"

"N-no your highness, of course not." Tempest replied

"...Good."

"I don't know why I let you talk me into this..." Thorax moaned.

He was clutching Ember tightly against him, hiding his head in her hair. Ember herself was also burrowed into him, arms around his waist, but was watching the screen in awe. Pharynx was curled up by their side, pressed against his brother and resting with his head on Thorax's shoulder. The group had turned off the lights, so now it was extra scary.

"Pass me the popcorn Lulu." Pharynx said, extending a hand.

Luna passed him the bowl from her spot on the couch, curled up with Celestia. Her older sister was holding her against her, eyes wide.

"That can't actually happen, can it?" Celestia asked

"Of course it could!" Luna cried, staring eagerly at the screen.

"B-but it's almost o-over, r-right?" Thorax asked, trembling.

"Shh, they're about to perform the exorcism." Ember hushed him, tightening her grip on his waist.

The group watched silently as Ed crouched over Carolyn, ready to preform the ritual. Just as he was rounded on, they heard a door open with a bang. Thorax, Luna, and Celestia screamed, while Ember and Pharynx jumped and gripped onto Thorax.

"Um...are we interrupting something?"

The group of adults turned to see Cadence standing with a key in her hands, Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor, and Spike standing behind her.

"Cadence!" Celestia leapt up and turned, as Thorax pried Ember and Pharynx off him, reaching for the light switch.

"What are you doing...?" Twilight trailed off as she saw the screen, and clapped a hand over Spike's eyes. "He's not allowed to watch horror movies!"

"H-here..." Thorax, still trembling, grabbed for the remote and turned it off. He then rounded on his friends. "I told you we shouldn't have watched that!"

"Aw, come on, you're just a big scaredy-cat."

"Says the one who was gripping me so tight I think I have marks on my arm." Thorax said

"Th-that was Ember!"

"No it wasn't!" Ember defended, then crossed her arms and looked away. "...I was holding onto his waist." she muttered

"I hope you weren't waiting for us." Celestia apologized

"No, we just got here. I was going to show them around now." Cadence said

"I'll join you." Luna said, smiling as she walked forwards.

"The rest of us will get some snacks for you and meet in the dining room when you've finished." Celestia added, smiling warmly. "Come on you three."

"Right behind you Tia." Thorax said, following her, Pharynx and Ember fast behind.

"Wait...where's Tempest?" Cadence asked

"She had urgent business to take care of in the Shadow Lands, she is the leader of their army, after all. She must follow any orders given by her ruler." Luna explained "Now come, I think you'll like this place..."

"I can't believe him!" Tempest spat under her breath as she walked through the castle after stopping by her room.

Tempest was livid that King Storm was doing this so he could have more land! Honestly, he was going to harm more of his subjects than he ever would bother helping them. If he sent them into battle...even without the magic the Kingdoms possessed-whether they knew it or not-knowing Pharynx and Ember, there would definitely be losses. However, she composed herself before reaching the guards to the kitchen. With a nod and salute, she walked through. They completely disregarded the satchel she wore, and she passed without a second glance.

Tempest had not forgotten her promise to Laibah and Siamen, despite all that had occurred since then. She walked casually by where the chefs were preparing ingredients. She reached a hand and slipped a carrot out of a stack of them, followed by two apples. Placing them in her satchel, Tempest whisked a few muffins off a plate, pretending to take a bite of one. At least one of the benefits of being close to the King was the chefs wouldn't stop her from eating whatever she liked when she liked.

"Commander Tempest, we do need those..." one chef said

"Sorry, but the King ordered me to check these." Tempest replied shortly, knowing she'd have to make her leave soon. She couldn't take too much in one go or else they'd ask the King to confirm her claims.

"But...the King ordered our new recruit to do that not thirty minutes ago, we heard from Grubber." one chef said

"He must have been worried something would slip past them." Tempest lied easily, turning to leave.

"Not so fast...guards!" one of the chefs called, and Tempest sped up. "Commander Tempest, stop! Gaurds! She's taking our food!"

Tempest broke into a run and made it out of the castle. Unfortunately, her running alerted the other guards. Tempest saw a white-pink glint of hair and ran for it. Before she could reach it, something whizzed past her arm. Tempest winced as blood trickled out of the new wound, an arrow on the ground showing what had happened.

"Tempest?" Grubber wandered up, half a cake in his hands.

"Grubber! Get out of here, it isn't safe!" Tempest shouted at him, as another arrow flashed by.

Tempest barged through the bushes, seeing Laibah and Siamen crouching behind it.

"Tempest?" Laibah asked, holding Siamen.

Tempest ignored them, not even fully hearing Laibah, and continued to run. A spear scraped her leg and she stumbled, leg buckling. She pulled herself up again and continued running, staggering on occasion.

"Lai, what do we do?"

"...Come on Sia!" she pulled him up and ran after Tempest, ducking behind trees and bushes to stay hidden-they technically shouldn't be on the grounds.

They followed Tempest slowly, watching her run past the castle gates. Laibah dragged Siamen after her, and they ducked into an alley. Laibah and Siamen knew the streets as well as Tempest knew the palace.

"We've got to help her." Siamen told his sister, who nodded and ran along, peeking at Tempest.

"Got an idea!" Laibah announced, taking her brother's hand again. "Come on!"

Tempest ran, blood still coming from the wound in her arm and the injury to her leg making it hard to run. She looked back to see the guards still chasing her. King Storm must have heard by now.

"Commander!" Tempest turned and saw Laibah standing in an alley, pointing at something. When Tempest glanced that way she grinned.

Siamen was standing among barrels, and had his hands on one in the back. Tempest raced past the alley and stopped, turning.

"Tell King Storm I refuse to fight my friends!" Tempest yelled to them, as Siamen pushed the barrel, causing a domino affect that sent the barrels crashing onto the street. Better, it seemed they had been filled with tar, and the guards that didn't stop ended up getting stuck.

"For once the gangs that tar and feather us come in handy." Laibah remarked, rushing to Tempest and taking her hand as Siamen joined them. "We're sorry if this is 'cause of us."

"No, it's not...I needed to leave." Tempest wiped a brow, sighing. "I need to go, before they find me."

"We know the alleys, better than you. We can take you to the gates." Laibah suggested. "But we're coming with you."

"I can't let you do that." Tempest argued.

"Why not? There's nothing left for us here." Siamen said

"We're better off with you. You feed us." Laibah wrapped her arms around Tempest's waist, and the woman smiled at them, gaze full of understanding.

"Then let's go...I guess." Tempest reached and lifted Siamen, holding him against her waist and taking Laibah's hand. "Where's the gates?"

Laibah led her the rest of the way, and when they left, Tempest left the gates wide open to show she'd left.

"Where are we going anyway?" Siamen asked

"Alicornia."

Arrival

Tempest walked along a dusty path. She could see faint tire tracks from the limo, knowing only a few people ever actually used it for driving-there were more modern roads a few miles west of her. Laibah had stopped walking and was now hanging off Tempest's back, arms hooked around her neck, sleeping. Siamen was curled between her arm and her side, also asleep.

"Don't worry you two..." Tempest murmured, shifting her grip on the boy. "I'm gonna...get you safe...you deserve to know what it's like..."

"But are you doing this for them because you want them to have a good life? Or because they remind you so much of yourself you want to live through them?" the thought had crossed Tempest's mind. "Because you're not a hero. You wouldn't really do that..."

Tempest eventually sighed, stopped, and sat down off to the side of the road. Siamen and Laibah woke from the sudden shift and looked at her.

"Tempest?" Laibah asked

"Sorry kids, just had to rest for a second." Tempest grabbed her satchel-the only thing she'd had during her escape from the castle.

Tempest withdrew the apples and passed them to Laibah and Siamen, then grabbed her phone. She thought it essential to have with her at all times, mostly because King Storm would have found it otherwise. The guards had a habit of raiding each other's things, and while Tempest had earned respect from the King, some of the other guards still thought she belonged in a kitchen rather than a table of knights.

The phone seemed to be picking up a little reception, but it wasn't enough for a call. Tempest uttered a swear under her breath, Laibah and Siamen too distracted with eating to hear her. Instead, she pulled up a map and estimated how much longer they'd take to reach the castle. They were already in Alicornia, just at the border.

"Alright kids, you're walking for now." Tempest said.

"Why?" Siamen asked, and Tempest stood, her leg promptly buckling under her.

"...That's why." Tempest winced, reaching a hand to graze the cut and feel how bad it was. She drew in a pained breath as her fingers made contact. "I'm okay, but I can't carry you anymore. If you get tired we'll have to stop and rest, or I could maybe carry you a little while, but I'm not sure I want to risk that..."

"That's okay Tempest, we understand." Laibah assured her, taking Siamen by the hand.

"Thanks Lai. Now come on. We've still got a few hours of walking to go." Tempest said, starting to walk forwards. Laibah and Siamen scampered after her.

"So, how are the people of Canterlot?" Celestia asked

"They're doing well. Twilight's friends were very excited to see both of us-and Spike and Shining, of course." Cadence said

"That's wonderful." Celestia said

"We're sorry if we scared you coming in." Twilight added

"It's quite alright. It added to the drama of the movie." Luna said, smiling.

"So, how long do you four plan on staying?" Pharynx asked, promptly being jabbed in the ribs by Thorax.

"Well, we were thinking of heading back tomorrow morning, the weather report said it was going to snow and it's going to be dark soon-we don't want to be out in those conditions." Shining said

"Good idea. We're staying for the night too." Ember told him.

"Of course we are." Pharynx sighed, crossing his arms.

"Pharynx, if the snow's going to be bad then we can't risk it." Thorax said

"I know, I know."

"So, would you four like to do anything specifically?" Celestia asked

"Maybe watch a movie that's not as scary as the one you were watching?" Twilight suggested softly.

"I like that idea." Thorax agreed

"If you're going to watch something like that-" Pharynx began

"What about Lady and the Tramp?" Cadence suggested

Thorax looked at Pharynx, eyebrows raised as if in challenge.

"I...well, I...ugh, fine." Pharynx huffed, standing and heading into the living room.

"How...?" Spike began

"I grew up here, remember? Thorax and Pharynx visited quite often once taking over the rule of their Kingdom-though mostly to seek advice on ruling-and we introduced them to movies." Cadence replied

"Introduced them?" Twilight asked

"The Shifter Kingdom was not as technologically advanced as Alicornia, but it is now." Thorax explained.

"Exactly. Pharynx really liked Lady and the Tramp the first time they watched it. I don't know why-"

"No one does. The man is an enigma." Luna teased.

"Well, he really likes that movie. If he's going to agree to any one, it's that one." Cadence finished with a smile.

"That gives me an idea. In order to encourage the others to do their homework, we should have weekend movie nights at school." Twilight said

"Others?" Celestia asked

"Rainbow, Daring, Spitfire, Fleetfoot. Occasionally AJ, Rarity, or Pinkie."

"We'd do the same if we didn't already have weekend plans." Spike said

"Ogres and Oubliettes?" Twilight and Cadence asked as one.

"Uh...no...." Shining said

"It's cute." Cadence hugged his arm. "You're such a sweet little nerd."

"Geez, if only someone would say that to me." Spike joked.

"Are you guys coming or not?!" Pharynx called from the living room.

Celestia, Luna, Thorax, and Ember laughed, leading the way into the living room. As they entered the room, Luna and Ember went to turn off the lights and close the blinds. This time, however, it was not to make it scary but to make sure the screen would illuminate the whole room. As Luna drew the curtains closed, the first snowflakes of the holidays began to fall.

They had had to rearrange their seating a little to make room for the kids. Cadence and Shining curled up together beside Spike and Twilight, the former lying with his head on his sister's side, watching with tired eyes. They were on one of the side couches. Shining and Cadence seemed to like cuddling, and were taking up half the space.

Thorax was back to being trapped between Pharynx and Ember, but it was a nice kind of trapped. Ember was snuggled against his side like before, but she had no need to wrap her arms snugly around his waist this time. Pharynx had settled near Thorax and gradually shifted little by little during the movie to come to rest beside him, head lying on his younger brother's shoulder. Celestia and Luna were cuddled up together next to Thorax, Ember, and Pharynx. Luna was resting by her sister's side, and Celestia had an arm over her. They occupied the center couch.

At the end of the movie, the group all stood up, yawning and stretching.

"I think we'd better head to bed." Celestia advised

"Indeed." Luna yawned

"Cadence, please show the boys the guest room they are welcome to use-Twilight can share a room with you."

"Like sisters!" Twilight hugged Cadence, who hugged back.

"I assume that means we're heading to our usual rooms?" Pharynx asked as the kids left the room.

"Of course." Celestia nodded

The adults and kids all headed to bed, and slept peacefully for most of the night. Thorax and Pharynx shared a room, and Ember slept in her own guest room. Pharynx got up later that night, restless. He slipped on his boots, disregarding the socks nearby, he wouldn't need them. Pharynx picked up the cyan jacket he'd discarded at the end of his bed. Pulling it on, he headed for the door.

"Mmm...Phar?" Thorax mumbled from the bed on the other side of the room, sitting up slightly. "Where're you going...?"

"I'm just gonna talk a lap 'round the castle, I can't sleep." Pharynx replied, noting that while Thorax was awake, he was clearly half-asleep, meaning he wouldn't ask to join him. "Go back to sleep bro."

"Mm-kay...g'night." Thorax burrowed under the sheets again, and the room was silent as Pharynx left.

"Now that I think about it I kinda would like Thorax here...or maybe Luna, she mentioned liking nighttime walks...but she always starts going on about how beautiful the night is..." Pharynx chuckled at the thought. "Anyway, too late now. And I wouldn't want to wake Thorax up either, he wouldn't like that...Temp would come with me..." He sighed as he thought of this.

As Pharynx walked, he glanced out the windows. He may be off-duty while not in his Kingdom, but as Head Knight, he felt it his duty to make some sort of "rounds" around the castle. Though the staff had all been sent home there were still some guards patrolling the outside of the castle, simply for protection. As he passed by the front of the castle he looked outside and saw something moving.

"Who could that be...? The guards are positioned by the gates." Pharynx muttered, reaching for the door handle, then looking up at the staircase he'd come down and thinking better of it. "That cold air'd wake them up...and Tia mentioned an alarm system."

Pharynx let go of the handle and turned away, leaning against the wall.

"What am I supposed to do? Wait for them to knock?" he muttered

"Pharynx?" Thorax was walking down the stairs, wrapped in a blanket that covered his lime green shirt and purple sweatpants, wearing only some slip-on shoes to protect his feet from the cold floors. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing'? I told you I was talking a walk!" he hissed

"I know but I woke up and it'd been forty minutes and you weren't back yet..."

"Yeah well, it's a big castle. Just go back to bed, I'll join you later."

"Can't I stay with you?"

"You're wearing a blanket like a shawl, clearly you're cold." Pharynx retorted

"Well...I still want to walk with you."

"It's late. Go to bed Thorax, I'm not a child."

"...Remember when we were little and I followed you everywhere?"

"You're pushing your luck here."

"What? How?"

"You're being that same clingy little boy right now."

"Sorry...so why were you just hanging around here?"

"I thought I saw something outside. I was about to check it out but I remembered what Tia said about alarms."

"The guards will probably deal with it."

"Uh-huh." Pharynx scuffed his feet. "Are you going to leave?"

"Nope."

"Perfect." Pharynx sighed, walking towards him. "Come on then. I'll take you to bed myse-"

Pharynx was cut off by a loud thud from behind them. The doors. Pharynx spun around and headed for them. Footsteps could be heard and Celestia and Luna came running down.

"The alarm went off!" Celestia told them

"I didn't hear anything." Thorax said

"It's rigged to go straight to our rooms." Luna replied. Pharynx reached the doors and grabbed them. With a forceful tug they opened.

"Tempest?!" they all exclaimed when they saw who it was.

Explain Yourself

Tempest opened her eyes slowly, and blinked a few times. She brought her hand up to rub her eyes, then sat up. The pain shooting through her body told her the escape hadn't been a dream. As Tempest propped herself up on the pillow she'd been resting on, she got a good look at her surroundings.

"...Obviously in a guest room...but where are Laibah and Siamen...?" as Tempest glanced to her side she laughed softly.

Pharynx was slumped back in a chair, sleeping. Thorax was leaning against him, head on his shoulder, almost falling off the chair. Tempest reached over and poked Thorax-he was closer-gently on the shoulder. Thorax moaned and sat up, then saw her.

"Pharynx!" Thorax shook his brother and Pharynx grunted. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Then...

"Temp!" Pharynx leaned forward and hugged her. Tempest rested against him. "You scared me." Pharynx admitted.

"I'm okay Phar." Tempest whispered, looking around. "Where are the others? What time is it?"

"They went back to bed, and early morning, by the looks of it." Thorax replied, he had his phone out.

"Yeah, and we all have questions." Pharynx added, looking down at her.

Tempest sighed. "I expected as much. What do you need to know?"

"Tempest." they looked up to see Celestia, Luna, and Ember walking in. "You have a lot of explaining to do." Celestia said coldly.

Tempest nodded, then leaned into Pharynx's arms, closing her eyes. "Okay Tia, I'll tell you whatever you want."

"...Well, that was easier than expected." Luna said

"Yeah, cut the cheesy stuff, let's dive right in." Ember pushed past them, stalking up to Tempest. "Are you a spy?"

"No." Tempest said simply.

"Don't try to lie-"

"Ember." Thorax stood up and pulled Ember in, hugging her. "Calm down."

"Fine." Ember spat, though she still turned to glare at Tempest.

"Tempest, let's try this again." Celestia motioned for Pharynx to stop hugging Tempest, and he complied, though he sat by her side. "Are you a spy? I want the truth, or I will use magic."

"...I'm not a spy, no."

"Then how come the two children who arrived with you said you disappeared for the exact length of our school years?"

"...At first, they were just supposed to be scouting missions, plain and simple." Tempest crossed her arms as though hugging herself and looked away.

"At first?" Luna echoed

"Yes. But...when I got there...you all showed me kindness, respect, and loyalty. Things I had only begun to think of as dreams. So I kept making up things-reasons-to my leader why I needed to go back. He bought them. And he never suspected that..."

"Spit it out." Ember growled

"...That I'd become attached to you. So no, I'm not a spy. That may have been the original intent of my missions but since I never followed through...it doesn't count...right?"

Celestia hummed under her breath. "You said it was your leader, correct? Why would he send you on this kind of expedition?"

"That's why I'm here, Tia." Tempest took the blankets in her hands and twisted them, nervous. "The King, he...he decided that this last 'mission' was going to be my last. He had no reason for me to return next semester, and...I was never going to get to see you all again."

"Temp..." Pharynx reached and took her hand, but Tempest pulled it away.

"Why didn't he need you to return?" Luna asked

"...Because he had everything he needed. He obtained it without my help, I only provided knowledge I deemed safe or insignificant enough to not pose a threat towards you. I did this by pretending each time I came, you were untrusting and didn't accept me as one of your own. That you only disclosed so much information. However, it seems he's grown impatient. When I returned, I was called to him, and...he told me his master plan."

"Which was?" Thorax asked softly. Tempest swallowed a lump in her throat and continued.

"In short...stealing the magic of the surrounding Kingdoms, and forcing you to bow to his will."

"What?!" they all cried. Ember jumped up and stepped towards her.

"And you supported that?!"

"No!" Tempest moved away from her. "I didn't know, I promise! You have to believe me!"

"Ember, think logically. If Tempest only heard of this...I would assume yesterday, then she couldn't have supported it." Luna said "Besides, if she's here, how exactly could she support it?"

Ember sighed and sat back down. Once everyone had relaxed again, Tempest continued.

"I had no idea what he was planning to do, or else I would have warned you the second we became friends. When I heard what he was planning, he told me to name the kingdoms, the territory they occupy, and where they were on the map-by cardinal direction. After I did as he asked, he told me he'd have no need for me to continue my missions. I think he was starting to figure out my true intentions."

"Is that when you were attacked?" Pharynx asked, reaching and touching the bandage on her arm.

"This...was due to a foolish mistake." Tempest touched the bandage too. "I take it you met Laibah and Siamen?"

"Yes, they told us about your 'missions' and your role in helping them."

"Yesterday, when I returned, I found them and gave them some food I'd taken from the school kitchens-just some bread and cheese. I told them to meet me in the castle gardens a few hours after my arrival home. After the 'briefing' my King decided to give me, I went down to the kitchens to take some things. As one of the King's most trusted knights, I had grown accustomed to being able to take what I wanted. I slipped up, and one of the chefs saw through my lie. He called for the guards, and since I'd already grabbed food, he accused me of stealing."

"That's why we found food in your bag." Pharynx said

"Yes. The guards chased me, and when it was clear I was betraying the King, they began to fire. I'm sure they just thought I was stealing food to take with me-as a deserter. They hit me in the leg and the arm...they got my cheek too, but that was less critical. Those guards are really bad at their jobs and for once I was grateful."

"So where did you find the kids?" Thorax asked

"In the chase, I forgot all about Laibah and Siamen. I glimpsed them hiding behind a bush in the gardens but I knew I should lead the chase away from them. But they apparently followed me, because as I was running down the street, Laibah called for me and pointed to where Siamen was waiting behind some barrels. I ran past them, yelled out one last stand of defiance, then Siamen pushed the barrels."

"How could he have known that would work?" Celestia asked

"...The Shadow Lands aren't the friendliest place. Some gangs enjoy tarring and feathering poor people. Siamen and Laibah were lucky enough to be spared, but they've witnessed it happening before. They've also aided those who weren't so lucky, bringing the person water and trying to help get the tar off them. Siamen knew those barrels would help because they're the barrels the tar is in."

"The poor things..." Luna whispered

Tempest nodded, then continued. "I thanked them and was about to leave, but Laibah stopped me. She said they wanted to come with me, and I couldn't exactly deny them. They deserve a chance to grow up loved and protected. And they were too sweet to stay in the Shadow Lands. Criminals belong there, not children. Besides, there was nothing left for them there. Their father had abandoned them a long time ago and three years ago their mother died."

"How do you...?"

"They told me. Well, Siamen told me. He's so little, but he's seen so much already."

"So you came here." Celestia said

"I knew you probably wouldn't help me after I explained but I needed to warn you. The Shadow Lands doesn't have good internet, so I couldn't call. But I knew you were all coming here. But it got cold fast, and with the injury to my leg I couldn't walk right. Laibah had to help me at some points."

"Don't worry Temp, you're safe now." Thorax said, looking at the others.

"Yes, we can't exactly blame you for anything. You knew nothing of your King's plans before now and you did seem genuine when you told us of your missions." Luna agreed

"...Tempest...what did you mean that 'we showed you respect'?" Pharynx asked suddenly.

"That you didn't mock me for being a female and that you allowed me to be myself. You also respected my position as a Head Knight."

"Alright Tempest, we believe you. Now, Ember, Thorax, I think you should arrange transportation home to your Kingdoms, to be safe. Tempest, you should rest."

"I wouldn't be too concerned about my leader just yet Tia. He's a bit...crazy...not in the mental sense, but...he has this habit of stewing over things for a while. I'd give him about three weeks just to calm down about my escape, and two more to continue his plans. I only meant to warn you to be ready when the time comes. He is nowhere near ready to attack yet, he still needs an artifact to finish his plan."

"He needs an artifact?" Ember asked

"Yes, the Staff of Sacanas. He was unclear about it's abilities, but he was very frustrated he hadn't managed to locate it."

"Strange that he needs an artifact and it just so happens the greatest treasure hunter we've met attends our school..." Luna said

"I didn't tell him about the students-he doesn't care about their kingdoms anyway. I'm under the impression he thinks they will be more compliant once the three most powerful kingdoms are under his rule."

"Very well." Celestia said, turning to the other leaders. "You may stay if you wish, but tell your subjects to be on guard."

"Of course I'm staying. Now that we know she's not a spy we need to make sure Temp's okay." Ember said

"I agree. Besides, Pharynx probably wouldn't leave anyway." Thorax said

"Hey!" Pharynx cried, and the others shared a small laugh

Tempest giggled, then leaned up and kissed Pharynx on the cheek. He froze and turned to look at her. Tempest smiled and hugged him around the neck. Celestia and Luna, with knowing grins on their faces, ushered the others out to give the two some privacy.

"Well...this is new." Pharynx said

"I know. Just...thank you for believing me." Tempest murmured

"Of course. You're a good person Temp. You'd never do something like that without reason, I know it."

Tempest hesitated, the words coming back again. "You're not a hero."

"No."

You're Perfect

"What?" Pharynx asked, and Tempest pulled away from him.

The others had come back, both to get Pharynx so they could eat with the kids and ask Tempest if she was feeling up to joining them. Celestia held out her hand when they saw the two talking and halted them. Tempest crossed her arms and glared down at the bedsheets.

"I said no. I-I'm not a good person, Pharynx."

"Temp..."

"A-A good person wouldn't work for a tyrant King just for a false promise and a good person wouldn't spy on the only people who considered her a friend." Tempest said

"Wait, back up. 'False promise'?" Pharynx laid a hand on hers. Tempest looked down.

"...The reason I worked for King Storm was that he promised me the freedom to leave. Before then I was only allowed out of the kingdom for missions. He also promised to get me anything I could ever want. But I only wanted respect."

"And the friend part?" Pharynx prompted

"...The Shadow Lands aren't a good place to live. Ever since I got there the only way people would pay attention to me was when they disrespected me because of my gender." Tempest mumbled. "And back in my old town, before I ended up in the Shadow Lands... well, the friends I had there abandoned me when times got hard."

"Temp, I may be the only one besides you that's not all touchy-feely like the others." Pharynx said, squeezing her hand gently. "But I do know that we all care about you. We all feel your anger, your sadness..."

Pharynx put a hand on the wound on her arm. She looked up at him. He smiled softly.

"Your pain. We know you're not perfect, Temp. But we also know you're kind, strong, brave, and loyal. And that's what matters."

Tempest opened her mouth to respond, but Pharynx cut her off.

"I can tell you don't think you have any friends. That you don't deserve them." Pharynx reached and stroked her cheek, smiling. "But you've got five great friends with me and the others."

"Phar..." Tempest sighed.

"Tempest?"

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm still not a good person." Tempest pulled her hand away, looking at the wall. "And I never will be."

"Temp, who told you you weren't a good person?" Pharynx asked, seeming concerned.

"Remember when I stepped away to take a call during the winter ball...?"

"Yes... wait, was that-?" Pharynx asked, beginning to piece things together.

"It was King Storm, yes."

"Temp, why didn't you say any-"

"It was before he unveiled his plan, Phar. I still believed him at the time. But... during the call, he told me that he was 'glad I wasn't a hero'. It wasn't meant in that context but I know in another situation he would have said the same." Tempest mumbled, hanging her head.

"Temp, you shouldn't believe anything he says, not if he did this." Pharynx gestured to her injuries. Tempest clenched her fists.

"But he's right, Pharynx! It doesn't matter who said it, what matters is it's true!" Tempest leaned forwards and buried her head in her hands. "I'm a bad person, Pharynx..."

"Of course you aren't..." Pharynx bit his bottom lip and rubbed his arm nervously.

"Come on, where'd Romeo go?" Luna muttered from the doorway, making Ember snort in amusement.

Tempest sighed and looked away from Pharynx, who leaned over. He reached and touched the scar that ran down her eye, fingers grazing the base of it. The touch made Tempest look up, startled.

"You see this?" he asked her in a low voice, and she rolled her eyes.

"How could I not?"

"Well, it may look intimidating, but it's the best part about you, Temp. It shows me that you're tough, and that you can come back from a tragedy twice as strong. And that what makes you so great in my eyes." Pharynx gave her a small smile. "Tempest, you spent so much time worrying if you were good, but you were already good enough. You just have to look past the outer appearance and see inside... see what I see."

Tempest turned red and reached up, then punched him in the shoulder. They both began laughing.

"Aw come on!!!" Luna cried out, stomping a foot on the floor.

"Guys!" Pharynx yelled blushing as he realized they were there.

"Can you really complain? I wanna see you kiss!" Luna whined

"...Fine." Tempest said, shrugging.

"What?!" Pharynx turned to her. "Tempest, we're seriously just going to-"

Tempest put a hand over his mouth, then leaned over and whispered something to him.

"...Oh, okay." he smiled at her. "Fine guys, you can see us kiss."

"Really?" Thorax asked eagerly.

"Yeah... you can watch us make you kiss the dust." Tempest grinned

"Uh-oh." Luna said, as they all turned to glare at her. "What?"

"This is your fault Lulu..." Celestia hissed

"And?"

"And..." Celestia hesitated, then took off running. "Everyone for themselves!"

"Eek!" Thorax squealed and took off in the other direction, grabbing Ember's hand and pulling her along with him.

Luna looked around, then turned and ran after Celestia, and down the stairs.

"Ha! We've got to do that more often!" Pharynx laughed

"Yeah." Tempest agreed, snickering. "But... would you really have kissed me if you had to? Y-You know, hypothetically?"

"...In this hypothetical situation, would they still be standing there?"

"Say they weren't, hypothetically speaking, of course."

"Of course. But, in that case..." Pharynx shifted and looked over at her. "If nothing were stopping me, hypothetically... I might..."

"There's the answer I was looking for." Tempest breathed.

Tempest leaned over, tilting her head up slightly to reach his eye level. Pharynx closed his eyes, pulling her in with one hand. Their lips met, and Pharynx wrapped his arms around her. They broke apart after a minute, and Pharynx smiled at her.

"That was perfect."

"Mm-hmm." Tempest hummed, glancing around. "They probably won't be back for a while, y'know."

"Hypothetically, if there were no one else around... would you do that again sometime?" Pharynx asked

"I think you know the answer to that." Tempest whispered, smiling as their lips met again.

Goodbyes

"Well, we'd better find the others." Pharynx sighed, standing. "Can you walk?"

"I think so. I might limp but I'll be okay." Tempest said

"I'll wait outside so you can change." Pharynx said, blushing.

"Thanks." Tempest said, also blushing.

Pharynx waited for Tempest. Luna had put some of her clothes aside for Tempest for when she woke up. She decided to change in the bathroom, and came out wearing jeans to cover the bandage on her leg, and a short sleeved shirt. The shirt, having been borrowed from Luna, was of course blue, rather than the magenta Tempest liked to wear. But still, it was a clean shirt. Pharynx was just admiring how nice she looked in clothes other than her usual style, but noticed her limp over to him.

"C'mere Temp." Pharynx held out a hand and she took it. Tempest leaned against him as they walked.

"Tempest?" they heard Shining's voice behind them and turned. He, Spike, and Twilight had come out.

"You look okay...mostly...but Celestia said you were hurt." Spike said

"Lucky for me the King's guards aren't the best at their job." Tempest tried to smile. "Where are Laibah and Siamen?"

"Cadence is waking them up." Twilight replied, as Cadence exited her room, Laibah and Siamen behind her.

Cadence had dressed Laibah in one of her old shirts, a white one, and a small-enough pink skirt. Siamen was wearing what was clearly one of Spike's purple shirts. It hung down around him. But it was the best they could do, anyway. And the clothes were better than the rags they'd worn the night before.

"Tempest! You're awake!" Laibah ran to her, and Tempest smiled, holding out her free arm.

"Hey Lai, I'm okay."

"We were worried..." Siamen mumbled, going up to Tempest and hugging her.

"Come on kids, we don't want to be late to breakfast." Pharynx said, shifting to steady himself and Tempest with the added weight of the two children.

"Yes, you two cuties need to be fed." Cadence added

"How is Tempest supposed to get down the stairs if she can't walk?" Laibah asked "She was having trouble yesterday before she fainted."

"Good point..." Shining said, bringing his hand to his chin.

"Well, I could always...carry you..." Pharynx mumbled the last part, making them both blush.

"That won't be necessary, we don't want to embarrass you two in front of Aunt Celestia and the others. They'll just tease you. And as adorable as you two are together, especially when being teased, I don't think it'd be a good thing for your students to see. Besides, walking down these stairs while carrying someone may not be the best idea." Cadence gestured to the large stairway.

"Cadence is right, factoring in the slope, added weight that would counterbalance you, and ability to see the next step, there's about a...fifty-four percent chance of you falling. Which could hurt you both, not to mention anyone walking in front of you." Twilight added

"Then how's she sp'osed to get down?" Siamen asked, and Cadence grinned.

"I have an idea." Cadence went over to the railing and ran a hand along it. "When I was little, Auntie Luna showed me how to get down the stairs quickly, in case of 'emergency'."

"Why did you do air quotes around the word emergency?" Spike asked

"Well, it's what she told me to say if Aunt Celestia ever caught me practicing...but really I think she just showed me because it was fun."

"What do you do?" Twilight asked

"I'll show you." Cadence hopped onto the railing and situated herself sideways on it, skirt folding underneath her. "In one...two...whoo-hoo!"

Cadence slid all the way down the railing, leaning forward on the curve so as not to fall. She straightened back up and jumped lightly off, landing with her long pink skirt swirling around her.

"Woah...." Spike said "I can't wait for her to be our sister-in-law!"

"Me next! Me next!" Laibah cried, trying to hoist herself onto the railing.

"Hold on Laibah!"

Cadence ran back up the stairs and picked Laibah up. She set her down on the railing, situating her.

"I should go beside you, okay? Just hold onto my hand, and I'll go first. So if you need to, you can scramble onto my lap. Now follow my lead."

Cadence pushed off and Laibah was tugged along after her, squealing in delight. When they reached the bottom, Cadence jumped off with practiced ease, pulling Laibah into her arms as she fell to the floor. They were both laughing.

"That was amazing! Come on Siamen!"

"I-is it okay if I just w-walk?" he asked

"Of course, come on." Twilight took his hand and walked down the stairs with him.

"Well, I wanna try it too!" Spike leapt onto the railing. "We used to do this on the poles at the skate park, this should be easy."

"Famous last words." Shining joked, walking down. "Here, I'll run beside you, just in case."

"Suit yourself. Whee!" Spike slid down after them, but unlike Cadence, was unable to land properly. He stumbled and fell, landing on his stomach. "Still worth it." he grunted

"Well, it's worth a shot. Should be easy with my training." Tempest said, limping over and sitting down on the rail. Pharynx, grinning, jumped on beside her.

"What, like I'm going to let you have all the fun." Pharynx smirked as she looked at him.

The two of them slid down the railing, a bit more steadily than the others. Their knight training enabled their balance to be better and they jumped off easily, though Tempest's leg buckled. Pharynx was right beside her to steady her, however.

"What's going on here?" Celestia asked as Shining, Twilight, and Siamen walked down the stairs.

"Er...just finding a way to help Tempest get down the stairs...?" Cadence said

"What...Cadence did you slide down the banister?!"

"...Yes Aunt Tia..."

"Who taught you to do this?" Celestia asked, putting on her Headmistress voice.

"...Auntie Lulu..."

"Luna!!!" Celestia turned and stormed off.

"Are we in trouble?" Laibah asked

"No, don't worry, Celestia and Luna just fight sometimes." Cadence assured her.

"That was still fun!" Laibah said, bouncing.

"What was fun?" Thorax and Ember had appeared.

"We slid down the railing." Spike shrugged

"You what?" Thorax looked up. "Wasn't that dangerous?"

"Not all of them did it." Pharynx replied.

"Did you?"

"...Uh..."

"I thought we're supposed to be setting a good example for the students Pharynx." Thorax said

"Technically, we're on holiday so we're not your students." Spike replied

"...I'll consent to that." Thorax sighed.

They headed into the dining room, where Laibah and Siamen raced forwards, gazing at the table.

"It's so big!" Laibah squealed, as Cadence lifted her up and set her on a chair, Twilight helping Siamen.

The others took their seats as Luna entered, closing the doors behind her.

"Hiding from Tia?" Tempest asked

"I don't care what she says, sliding down the railings is a necessary skill in life. She's just mad because when we used to do it as kids she'd always fall off at the end."

"Aunt Celestia used to do that?" Cadence asked

"Mm-hmm." Luna nodded. "I was going to help her make breakfast but now I think I'll just sit back and watch her struggle."

"Luna, that's not very nice." Thorax protested

"Fine." Luna huffed "But if she kills me it's on you." she glared pointedly at Thorax, before dropping the act, laughing, and turning to leave the room.

After breakfast, Twilight, Shining, Spike, and Cadence had to go.

"We're sorry, but their parents are expecting us." Cadence said as she hugged her aunts.

"It's quite alright Cadence, you kids have fun during the break, alright?" Luna said

"Yes, and stay safe." Celestia added

"We will!" Cadence said, smiling before heading out with her soon to be husband and siblings.

"The rest of you stay safe as well." Celestia said to her friends.

"Of course Tia." Thorax said "Come on Pharynx. Temp, will you be going with us?"

"I would, Thorax, but..."

Tempest looked over at Laibah and Siamen, who were watching a TV show in the living room. Laibah was holding Siamen, the two cuddled up together.

"We can look after them Tempest." Celestia said, smiling softly.

"I would love to have more kids to look after, things aren't the same now that Cadence is older, I've taught her everything."

"Luna!"

"What?"

"Thank you both, but I think they're the most comfortable around me..." Tempest said, as the kids looked over at them.

"Temp, we could always take them to the Shifter kingdom..." Pharynx said

"I think they should stay here." Celestia said "They're malnourished and need to be cared for in a secure place."

"Are you saying my army isn't up to the task?" Pharynx growled

"Pharynx..." Tempest put a hand on his shoulder. "...Can you give me a minute to talk with them?"

"Of course." Luna said, and Tempest walked over.

"Tempest!" Laibah and Siamen said together, and she kneeled down to look them in the eye.

"Hey kids." Tempest smiled "You like it here, huh?"

"It's great!" Laibah said

"What if...you stayed here? For the time being."

"Yay!" Siamen said, and Tempest laughed softly.

"Well, what if...you stayed without me here?"

"We'd miss you!" Laibah protested

"I know you would. But Celestia and Luna will take care of you-and Luna will teach you more stuff like sliding down the banister." Tempest winked.

"Will you come visit?" Siamen asked

"You couldn't keep me away." Tempest assured him, and the two kids rushed to hug her. "Oh, I'm gonna miss you two." Tempest murmured, hugging them.

"Come visit soon?" Siamen asked "All the time?"

"I'll be back during the winter celebration, okay?" Tempest said, then stood up. She waved to them before heading back to the other adults.

"Temp?" Pharynx asked, and Tempest leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. He blushed.

"Okay, let's go." Tempest said, the girls giggling and Thorax smiling knowingly.

Author's Note

Please don't check my math on Twilight's calculation about the stairs, it's not going to be correct because it's just to provide a reason for the next scene. The next chapter will be a time skip to the first day of the new school semester.

~Melody Song

Return

Soon, the winter holidays were over, and it was time to return to the school. Tempest had stayed at the Shifter Kingdom for the remainder of the break. The three friends had fun in the brothers' kingdom. The Shifter Kingdom's holiday was known as the Longest Night. Tempest had enjoyed staying up all night with Thorax and Pharynx. Ember joined them for the night.

But now, the holidays were over, and Tempest arrived back at the Princess Academy with Pharynx, who had offered to drop her off.

"Thanks for driving me here Phar." Tempest said, smiling at him.

"Heh, anything to get away from my brother for a bit." Pharynx said, grumbling slightly. "He catches us cuddling one time and suddenly he thinks he can tease me..."

Tempest chuckled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. She smirked as he blushed.

"Heh, it wasn't to spend time with me?"

"Well, it was a bit of both." Pharynx slipped his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "Mostly this. Have a good school year, alright? I'll call you every night."

"Heh, good to know. And I will." Tempest opened the car door, smiling at him. "Just don't call too often. Wouldn't want to interfere with your O&O campaigns."

Pharynx froze. "H-How did you-"

"A little green haired birdy told me." Tempest winked before sliding out of the car. "Have fun, General Phantom!"

Pharynx turned red and closed the door, growling. "THORAAAAX!"

Twilight and the others entered the preparatory, smiling.

"It's so good to be back and see you all again!" Pinkie cheered, hugging them each tightly.

"How was everyone's break?" Starlight asked

"Great, mom and dad loved having us back. I think they might've missed us too much." Rainbow said, and Daring and Scootaloo chuckled.

"Shiny, Spike, Cadence, and I had a great time too." Twilight agreed.

"So, should we head to our dorms to unpack our things?" Spitfire suggested

"Good idea darling, if I could just get a teensy bit of help with my bags?" Rarity asked, standing beside a mountain of bags, just as Sweetie Belle dragged another one over and tossed it onto the pile.

"Uh... hey AJ, last one to the dorm is a rotten fish!" Rainbow said, taking off. Applejack tore after her.

"Wait for us!" Spitfire shouted, she, Fleetfoot, and Daring following the two at top speed.

"Uh... hey Sweetie, let's go find 'Bloom and head to our dorm." Scootaloo suggested

"Right behind you!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo then rushed off.

"Girls?" Rarity turned to them.

"Sorry...Sun Kingdom, sun-only magic, kind of how it works...bye!" Sunset ran off.

"Y-Yeah, what she said-only about star-whatever-my-kingdom-is-again seeyoulater!" Starlight waved before following Sunset.

"I-I have to go put Angel in the dorm." Fluttershy followed them as quickly as she could.

"I just don't want to!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing off after Fluttershy.

Rarity groaned and looked at Twilight. She sighed and held out her hand.

"Here Rarity, this should make them lighter." Twilight said, her hand and the suitcases glowing magenta for a minute. "Now I should probably go help Rainbow and Applejack, something tells me their race is going to end in another tie."

"Oh very well, I suppose this will have to do." Rarity sighed, stooping to pick up the bags as Twilight left.

"Glad to see you all got back safely." Shining said as he and Spike walked into the library.

"Of course. You all enjoy the holidays?" Sunburst asked, receiving nods and murmurs of assent.

"Well, I for one am glad we're expanding our O&O to the library, the dorm rooms were getting crowded." Spike said, setting down the game box. "You guys ready to face the evil Squizard again?"

"Hold on, we're still missing the Headmaster and Vice Headmaster." Soarin pointed out.

"We're here." Thorax smiled at them as he walked over, though it seemed forced. "By the way, Pharynx is a bit on edge-"

"Thorax I'm going to kill you for this!" Pharynx shouted, completely ignoring the library's silence rules and storming up to his brother. "I swear, you will burn in the nine levels of Tartarus for what you did!"

"W-What d-did you do Headmaster?" Star Tracker asked

"I told Tempest about Pharynx playing O&O with us." Thorax replied simply, sitting down.

"You mean one of the Professors at the girl's school?" Cheese Sandwich asked

"Yep. Let's just say she and Phar didn't need any mistletoe during the holidays to get some sugar." Thorax said, grinning at his brother.

"I. Am going. To end you." Pharynx snarled as the boys began laughing. Pharynx was blushing considerably now.

"A-Anyway, on with the game!" Thorax said quickly.

"Right." Spike snickered, spreading out the game map. "We're starting a new campaign today, so is everyone prepared to enter the realm of Ogres and Oubliettes?"

"Yes!" they all cheered, except Pharynx, who grumbled.

"Then welcome, my friends." Spike ducked behind the Gamemaster's setup and opened the book. "To The Everfree Quest."

Meanwhile, outside of the Princess Preparatory, two figures were moving through the trees.

"Grubber, are you sure this is the place? You better not be wrong you miserable little beast. You're like a hedgehog, but without the quills." a rough, gravelly voice spoke from the woods.

"I'm positive your stom-edness, Tempest Shadow's assignment was in this building."

"Good, because the last time you were 'positive' about that we ended up in the Shifter Kingdom."

"A-Again, I'm sorry my liege."

"Yes, well, you're forgiven or whatever." the figure's storm cold eyes glowed in the darkness of the forest as a dark black staff with a blue gem was raised up, grasped in his hand. "Now, to bring on the storms."

"But your highness, I thought you still needed time."

"Oh, I do. But until then, Tempest and her new... ugh, allies must never be far from our sight. So this is where we and our top soldiers will make our new camp."

"B-But what about the kingdom, King Storm?"

"Let the subjects starve for all I care." the figure, King Storm, walked out of the undergrowth, Grubber following behind nervously. "It's revenge I want. Nothing else matters to me, only the taking of Tempest Shadow's life."

Coronation Day-Part 1

Author's Note

Another time skip. Sorry, the rest would've just been easily skippable filler chapters, which aren't important to the plot. So we get a time skip. Yay!

~Melody Song

Coronation Day-Part 1

"I can't believe after all this time, Coronation Day is finally here!" Rarity cheered, bouncing down the hallway eagerly.

"What I don't understand is why we're graduating when kids like Scootaloo, Sweetie, and Apple Bloom still have to attend school for another year." Twilight remarked as Rarity entered her, Rainbow, and Applejack's dorm room.

"It's because they're in the younger class darling. They'll get their crowns though, just like us." Rarity explained

"Well, I can't wait to get my real crown." Rainbow said, twirling her practice tiara on her finger. "This one was about to fuse to my head."

"I simply can't wait to meet up with those charming boys again for the coronation." Rarity sighed, falling onto Twilight's bed in a trancelike state.

Applejack rolled her eyes, then stared out the window. Her eyes narrowed.

"Huh, who's that figure flittin' 'round the trees?"

"What?" Twilight went over to the window in concern, looking out. "I don't see anyone-wait, that's-"

Twilight broke off and rushed out of the room. Rarity sat up, looking after her.

"Where is she off to in such a hurry?"

"Eh, beats me." Rainbow shrugged.

Twilight rushed down the hall, Cadence joining her somewhere along the way.

"You saw the car too?" Twilight asked her, panting.

"Yep! I can't wait to see how much the two will have-woah!"

Cadence and Twilight were suddenly knocked into each other from the force of someone much stronger than them rushed by.

"Tempest." they said as one, continuing to run down the hall.

"I guess we aren't the only ones excited to see them." Cadence giggled

"Of... course... not!" Twilight panted as they ran. "Tempest... looked after them!"

"Fair enough!"

They reached the outside of the school just as the limo both had seen coming up the driveway pulled up. Tempest was already there, and rushed over as the door opened. Pharynx got out of the driver's side, Thorax at the passenger's side. Celestia and Luna then got out of the limo, leading two familiar kids.

"Laibah! Siamen!" Tempest rushed over and picked up Laibah, swinging her around.

"Tempest!" both kids hugged her tightly. Cadence and Twilight walked over, smiling.

"It's nice to see those two are looking better, they're clearly not going hungry." Cadence said

"Of course. The castle staff have been making sure of that, they said they're such angles." Luna remarked

"Not that I don't love to see you two, but what are you doing here?" Tempest asked the kids, balancing Laibah on her hip as Pharynx walked up to them. "Same goes for you, Phar."

"Well, since Laibah and Siamen will be growing up in a royal household, we thought it might be proper for them to see what a coronation is like." Celestia said, smiling. "They'll be helping us to pass out the official royal crowns."

"And since we have a limo, Thorax and I offered to get them here in style." Pharynx added, taking Tempest's free hand. She blushed, and Twilight and Cadence shared silent giggles.

"So, are the boys looking forward to the coronation?" Cadence asked once recovering from her stifled laughter.

"Mhm. Shining especially." Thorax told her, smiling.

"Well, we should get these kids inside." Tempest said, setting Laibah down. "Cadence, Twilight, could you give them a tour?"

"Of course! Come on little ones, we'll introduce you to our friends!" Cadence said, smiling kindly at them.

Laibah and Siamen eagerly followed the girls inside. Tempest looked at Luna and Celestia, who shared grins of amusement before joining the girls.

"Hey Thor, why don't you go say hello to Em? She should be on her break by now." Tempest suggested

"Really? Good idea!" Thorax beamed and headed inside. Tempest chuckled, shaking her head.

"He's too easy-" she broke off as she turned around to see Pharynx nose to nose with her. "U-Uh..."

"What? I assume you didn't chase them off for nothing." Pharynx slipped his arm around her waste and kissed her. Tempest closed her eyes and kissed back, smiling.

When the two pulled away, Tempest smiled and hugged him. Pharynx hugged back, chuckling. Neither noticed a shadowy figure peeking out from around the side of the building.

"I missed you Temp."

"Missed you too." Tempest said, smiling. "Can't wait until the coronation dance."

"Me neither." Pharynx ran a hand through her hair, then laughed. "Can't believe you got me excited about dancing."

"We could always sneak out and spar. The kids are almost adults, they don't need too many chaperones." Tempest suggested

"Heh, I'll take you up on that sparring match. And I'll win." Pharynx said, smirking.

"You will not." Tempest shoved him lightly, chuckling. "I better get inside before Laibah and Siamen get too overwhelmed."

"And I better go grab my brother so we can get ready for tonight." Pharynx smiled, holding out his hand. "May I escort you in, my lady?"

"No, but you can walk beside me." Tempest said, grabbing his hand and tugging him into the school.

"Heh, worth a shot." Pharynx chuckled, letting her pull him away.

The shadowy figure disappeared as they entered the building. It made it's way into the forest, where it stopped in front of a larger figure sitting on a makeshift throne. After the two murmured to each other for a bit, the second figure rose, clutching a staff and grinning widely.

Soon, the sun had set, and just as the moon was rising, the coronation began. The leaders of all the kingdoms arrived to watch their children graduate. Celestia, Luna, Thorax, and Pharynx were seated in chairs on a stage. Once everyone had gathered before them, Celestia rose.

"Welcome, everyone, to the joint coronation of Princess Preparatory and Prince and Knight Academy." Celestia said, then paused, waiting for the applause to die down. "Each of the students you see before you have worked and trained hard through this year, and have proven without a doubt they are ready to be crowned."

As the other heads of the schools rose, Laibah and Siamen walked onto the stage. They were carrying a glass case containing a few crowns. More were carried on by Ember and Tempest. Celestia and Thorax removed the first crowns from the cases, and Pharynx and Luna took one each as well.

They began to call up the princesses and princes. Finally, Twilight's friend group was called up. Starlight and Star Tracker, Sunset and Sunburst, Applejack and Big Macintosh, Fluttershy and Discord, Rainbow and her sisters, and so on. Then, Twilight and Spike were called up.

Twilight felt so proud as she curtsied as practiced, and the gold crown set with a purple gem was placed on her head. She looked up to see Spike being crowned with a silver one with emeralds in it. She took her little brother's hand and together they went back to their friends.

Pinkie and Cheese received their crowns last, Cheese getting a smaller crown than his friends due to only being a Royal Assistant.

"And now, for the final crowns of the night." Celestia began, lifting up a crown that seemed to be made completely of crystals with a pink gem in the center. Thorax picked up a similar one, with a dark blue gem in the center. "The crowns of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and soon to be Prince Shining Armor."

The crowd all fell into silence as the named royals made their way to the stage. However, just as the crowns were about to be set on the bowing girl and boy's heads, there was a strangled gasp from offstage.

"Not so fast."

Everyone turned to see who had spoken, and their eyes widened in shock. A large, burly man with a wild look in his eyes and a crown with jagged black antlers was standing there. Celestia and Thorax, surprised, nearly dropped the crowns. Because being held against the man in an arm chokehold... was Tempest. And the man had a dagger against her throat.

"If you want your precious friend to live, then no one's getting crowned." the man said, laughing loudly.

"Who are you?!" Pharynx asked, hand reaching for the sword at his waist.

"Oh, that's right, I nearly forgot. Hello to all, from your new emperor, King Storm!"

Coronation Day-Part 2

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Epilogue: New Semester

It was a bright, sunny day that started the new school year. Celestia and Luna were standing beside Thorax and Pharynx, in front of a building that was bordering the Shifter Kingdom and Alicornia. Ember and Tempest walked over to join them, standing by Thorax and Pharynx. The two men linked their arms with their respective girlfriends, and together they looked out to the road leading to the building. Students, boy and girl alike, were entering the new royal school.

Celestia was holding Laibah's hand, and Luna was holding Siamen's. The little kids were waving at the new students, wearing small crowns on their heads. Laibah was wearing a pink dress and Siamen a purple shirt and blue jeans.

"Welcome, everyone!" Celestia greeted the new students, as a group of familiar girls wearing crowns approached. "And hello Miss Sparkle."

"Twilight, good to see you and your friends." Luna said, smiling at them.

"Good to see you too, Luna, Celestia." Twilight said, bowing. "We're sorry Cady couldn't come, she and Shiny are still getting used to ruling the Crystal Empire."

"Like us!" Laibah bounced up, smiling. "Celestia and Luna said we get to be Princess and Prince too!"

"Really?" Fluttershy looked up at them.

"We had originally planned on Cadence one day ruling Alicornia. But as she and Shining will have their hands full with the Crystal Empire, we will need new heirs." Celestia explained.

"And that means one day, they'll get to attend Royal Prep themselves." Tempest added, nodding to the school.

"Oh yeah, you guys formed a new co-ed school! Awesome!" Rainbow pumped a fist. "So I take it this isn't like the original two?"

"Heh, Royal Prep is not, no. We welcome any royal, and they are welcome to take whatever course they please. Knight or Royal, Advisor or Lady In Waiting." Celestia told her.

"Sweet." Spitfire smiled, then they turned at the sound of running.

"Coming through!" A girl with spiky purple hair and sapphire blue eyes ran up. She was wearing jeans and an orange shirt. "Hey Ember!"

"Hey Smolder." Ember smiled at her, glancing at the others. "Everyone, this is my younger cousin, Smolder Dragonwing."

"U-Um, are we late?" a shy looking girl with pink hair in a ponytail wandered up. Thorax walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.

"No, you're not." he assured her, then introduced her. "This is Ocellus Iris, she's training to be Phar and I's advisor."

"Yona here!" a girl with braided dark brown hair and a green shawl around her shoulders walked up. "Greetings! I am Princess Yona, of Yakyakistan."

"Nice to meet you young one, please come in." Celestia said kindly, and the girl walked in. Ocellus and Smolder joined her.

"Hi! Princess Silverstream of The Aries Kingdom, nice to meet you!" a girl with messy blue hair said, skipping over. "My brother's on his way too, he's Terramar. Our cousin Skystar wanted to come too but her mom wouldn't let her, she got grounded. Her mom's the queen."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Silverstream." Luna said, smiling. "Please, come inside."

Two boys walked up next, one of them had feathery styled green hair and the other had messy blue and yellow hair. Pharynx stepped forwards.

"And you two are?"

"I'm Gallus, one of the Griffstonia representatives." Gallus replied, taking the other boy's hand. "And this is Sandbar, my advisor. He's from a town in Alicornia. My sister, Gilda, and her advisor Gabby are coming soon."

"Your advisor's from Alicornia and you're from Griffstonia?" Rainbow asked. "How does that work?"

"We met when my family came to Griffstonia to sell some of my mom's seagrass oils." Sandbar explained. "When Gruff picked Gallus and his sister to come, Gallus picked me to join him."

"Do you have any proof?" Pharynx asked Gallus, raising a questioning brow. "You don't look like a prince."

"Here." Gallus pulled out a scroll and gave it to him. "Gruff is our usual representative, but he's just been taking care of democratic stuff until Gilda and I came of age. He signed this so we could get into the school. I'm not sure why he picked us."

"It's because of your hair colors." Tempest said, walking over and taking the scroll, reading it. "Griffstonia's subjects are typically very dull-colored in hair and eyes. Browns, grays, blacks, and the occasional reds. But you have bright hair and eye colors, and I take it your sister has hints of it too. That's the mark of a member of the royal family."

"Huh, cool." Gallus smiled at Sandbar. "Guess that means we are royal after all."

"And that means you're welcome here." Tempest told him, and Gallus smiled, leading Sandbar into the building.

"Looks like the new school year is in for a whole new group of students." Twilight said, smiling

"And we can't wait to teach them." Celestia said, as a boy and two more girls entered the school, the boy joining Silverstream and the girls walking over to Gallus and Sandbar. "I'm sure they'll give us just as much excitement as you and your friends did."

"And tell Spike not to worry, we're starting an O&O club." Thorax whispered to Twilight, who giggled and nodded.

"Meanwhile, we're preparing to lead our kingdoms, our parents are going on a cruise together, so we can get the hang of it." Spitfire said

"I hope Dark and I'th parentth don't come back." Fleetfoot muttered, and Spitfire chuckled.

"It seems like we're all moving on. But I really hope we'll stay together." Twilight said, and the girls hugged her.

"Of course!"

"Yeah!"

"We should meet up once a month." Twilight suggested. "So we can catch up."

"It's a date! I'll put it on all my calendars!" Pinkie agreed

"Heh, we'll have to invite the boys too darling." Rarity said, pulling up a calendar on her phone.

"Of course." Twilight smiled as she looked at the new building. "It looks like this is the beginning of a new era."

Author's Note

The end! I hope you enjoyed Princess Preparatory

~Melody Song

Romance In the Air

"Did you see how he looked at me?" Rarity asked, falling onto her bed, hugging her pillow.

"Who? Fashion Plate?" Spitfire asked, ignoring her as she lay beside Fleetfoot on Pinkie's bed.

The group was sitting in Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy's room on the Saturday night after the school's Banquet, in their pajamas. They were watching a movie-they were supposed to be, anyway. Rarity kept interrupting with comments on the outfits, and now about this.

"Who else? We're made for each other, I just know it." Rarity sighed, and Fleetfoot shrugged.

"To each their own, I guethth. I didn't notice you two, Thpit and I were looking at Rainbow and her guy."

"Her guy? Which one?!" Rarity demanded, sitting up eagerly. Twilight sighed and grabbed the remote, pausing the movie.

"The prince/knight, Soarin." Spitfire replied

"Ooh, what was he like?" Rarity asked, and Rainbow blushed. She was sitting cross-legged beside Spitfire and Fleetfoot, and blushed, twisting the blanket in her hands.

"H-he was nice. A-and he was going to-" Rainbow broke off, suddenly shy.

"What?" Pinkie asked

"He-he was going to-to kiss me." Rainbow admitted, and Rarity, Pinkie, and Starlight squealed.

"Wait, going to? Why didn't he?" Sunset asked, and Rainbow sighed.

"Dust pushed me away from him and ruined the moment. Soarin helped me back up though, and-and he kinda...kissed my cheek." she reached up a hand and grazed the place where his lips had touched her cheek.

"That's so romantic." Fluttershy sighed. She was sitting on her bed beside Starlight, who was doing her hair.

"Thanks for letting me practice my french braids in your hair Fluttershy."

"You're welcome Starlight, I was happy to do it." Fluttershy replied. Twilight was curled up nearby, she had gotten her book and was reading.

"What about the rest of you?" Rarity asked "Did you find anyone special at the banquet?"

"Discord was nice."

"So was Flash."

"I loved talking with Cheese Sandwich, he made me laugh!"

"Well, I guess dancin' with Twilight's brother was kinda nice. I mean Spike, not Shining."

"I...I liked hanging out with your brother Sunset." Starlight said softly, and Twilight looked up.

"And I had fun with your brother Starlight, Star Tracker knows so much about Astronomy." Twilight added

"I think that's everyone. I did notice you two dancing, but I suppose that was obvious." Rarity commented, looking at Spitfire and Fleetfoot. Spitfire nodded, blushing a little.

"Still, it was nice to dance with my girlfriend." Spitfire said, and Fleetfoot smiled.

"I had fun too." Fleetfoot told her, then yawned and shifted closer to Spitfire, closing her eyes.

"Let's press play, I need to find out if the people get together!" Pinkie cried, diving for the remote. Twilight yelped in surprise and dropped it.

"Pinkie, you know it's a semi-modern retelling of the Prince and the Pauper, right?" Twilight asked

"Well, duh! But there's no couple in that story!"

"Well, true. And there's no look-alikes that are played by twin actresses, either. But it's still a rendition of the classic story."

"Shh!" Pinkie hissed as she hit play. They continued to watch the movie until most of them fell asleep.

Author's Note

For anyone who's interested, the movie they were watching is...

You know what?

I'm gonna let you guess! I look forward to seeing what you think it is. I'll tell you at the beginning of the next chapter. If you guess right, you get a shoutout!

~Melody Song

P.S, I'm sure you've noticed the character tags have changed. You'll see why in the next chapter.

Safe

Tempest was wearing the same clothes she'd had on earlier, when they dropped her off outside the Shadow Lands. A satchel was hanging from her shoulder and she had cuts on her body in certain places. What was the most surprising was not her appearance, but clutching onto her legs were two little kids. One, a girl, had pale skin and white-pink hair falling over blue eyes. The other, a boy, had tan skin, short purple hair with white tips, and the same blue eyes. They wore tattered clothes and had dirt all over their bodies.

"Tempest!" Pharynx reached and pulled Tempest against him. Tempest's leg buckled underneath her and she collapsed into him, arms around Pharynx's neck.

"Ph-Pharynx..." Tempest pressed against him.

"Commander Tempest!" the kids squealed. The use of her title, Pharynx noted, meant they were not related to her.

"Who are you?" Luna asked

"Laibah, that's my brother, Siamen." the girl pointed to the boy.

"Come here little one." Celestia picked the boy, Siamen, up and carried him inside. Luna beckoned Laibah in.

"What happened to Tempest?" Pharynx asked

"She ran away, but we don't know why. We were helping her escape and since there's nothing left for us in the Shadow Lands we convinced Tempest to take us with her." Laibah replied

"You two must be freezing, poor things." Thorax pulled the blanket off himself and kneeled down, draping it over Laibah's shoulders. Celestia set Siamen down and Laibah pulled him into the blanket too.

"Tempest..." Pharynx said, and Tempest looked up. She tried to stand on her own, but her leg buckled again and she fell once more. "Easy, I've got you." he said, holding her steady.

"What happened to you Tempest?" Celestia asked

"...King Storm..." Tempest replied, closing her eyes.

"Guys? What's going on-Tempest!" Ember had appeared, drawn to the commotion.

"She's breathing, but just barely." Pharynx reported.

"Come, let's lie her down. Ember, have the kids woken up?"

"I thought I heard Twilight and Cadence talking but I think they're just up late-that whole 'sister' thing."

"That shouldn't matter." Pharynx reached down and lifted up Tempest's legs, holding her bridal style against him.

"Oh, you're Pharynx!" Laibah suddenly exclaimed

"...Yes...how do you...?"

"Tempest said you were the Prince-Knight." Laibah explained "And you look like she said you did."

"This way Pharynx." Celestia said, beckoning.

Pharynx carried Tempest to a guest room and laid her down. When he pulled his hand away he looked at it and his eyes widened. His fingertips had blood on them.

"What...?" Thorax gasped, reached, and lifted Tempest's leg. "She's bleeding here."

"There's a cut on her arm, and on the side of her cheek. They were shooting arrows at her." Siamen put in.

"Luna, get the first aid kit." Celestia waved her off.

"Alright, the second she wakes up we need to get her to tell us what happened." Ember said, as Luna ran back in.

Luna began wrapping Tempest's wounds, while Pharynx removed the satchel and opened it.

"Why is there food in here?"

"Tempest was gonna sneak us food from the kitchens..." Laibah said

"How exactly do you know her?" Celestia asked

"We've known her since about three years ago. She was coming back from a scouting mission and found us crying over mama. She wasn't waking up. Tempest gave us some food and promised we'd be okay, that mama was in a better place. When we told her our dad left us behind she told us she'd give us food when she could. Every time she went for a scouting mission she'd give us food from the castle, and when she came back she'd give us new food she brought from wherever she went." Laibah explained

"But those missions always took her like four months." Siamen added "So we had to scavenge."

"Four...months..." Ember repeated. "What time of the year did she leave?"

"Starting in August, she'd come back in the late weeks of December. Then she'd leave again two weeks into January until the end of May."

"Those are the times of the school year." Thorax said

"Is Tempest...a spy...?" Ember asked

"She'd never!" Laibah let the blanket fall and climbed onto the bed, pushing her dirty white-pink hair out of the way and hugging Tempest around the neck. "Tempest is the best."

"She must have taken good care of you when she could." Luna said.

"Yeah." Laibah replied

"Auntie? What's going on?" Cadence walked in, seeing the scene before her.

"Cadence, Tempest has been injured, we'll get the full story from her when she wakes. These two children arrived with her. Take them to your room to rest, they are very cold and have clearly been living on the streets for a while."

"All our lives." Laibah replied helpfully.

"Oh, you poor things. Come here, my friend and I can help you bathe, if you like." Cadence said, holding out her hand.

"You're nice, I like you." Siamen said, hugging her. Cadence laughed and waited for Laibah to take her offered hand, then she led them out.

"I'll sit with Tempest." Pharynx said

"But what if she really is...a..." Thorax apparently couldn't bring himself to say it.

"She can't be. There's more to the story, I know it." Pharynx put a hand on Tempest's and looked down at her. "I'll stay here and text you when she wakes up."

"Alright." Celestia sighed "I had best go tell Shining and Spike, something tells me Cadence and Twilight will be too busy fussing over those two kids to bother waking them up and telling them."

"Can't say I'd blame them, they're adorable. And the fact they've had such a hard life just makes them even more so." Luna remarked "I see why Tempest tried to look after them."

Celestia, Luna, and Ember left the room, leaving Thorax and Pharynx beside the unconscious woman. Pharynx pulled a chair over from the writing desk in the room, sitting down.

"You don't need to stay Thor." Pharynx said. He heard Thorax drag a second chair over and sit beside him.

"I know." Thorax took Pharynx's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "But I'm your brother, and I know you're worried. So I'm staying with you until you're okay. Which will only happen when she wakes up."

Pharynx sighed, but glanced over and smiled at him softly, the moonlight from the window making his eyes shine. "What did I do to deserve such a great brother?"

Thorax smiled and leaned his head on Pharynx's shoulder. "Doesn't matter. I'm here, aren't I? That's all that matters bro."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Author's Note

Just something short and with a sweet ending. Tempest will explain herself next chapter.

~Melody Song