The Once And Future Princess

Chapters

Beyond the Fields
The Princess's Shadow
How One Came, As Was Foretold

Beyond the Fields

Sunny Starscout looked round the living room of the rebuilt lighthouse with a smile. The rose-maned earth pony still found it mind-boggling. Her home looked almost good as new, thanks to her friends. Plus most of the ponies of Maretime Bay, pitching in. And the visiting pegasi and unicorns. And the return of magic, which meant a job that might have taken them weeks had been completed in under a day.

That was the most unbelievable part: earth ponies and unicorns and pegasi, working together willingly. Coordinating their skills and abilities and powers, as if it was all perfectly normal. That was a sight to see -- something that hadn't been seen for many, many moons...

And, after all that, Sunny thought, there's still a unicorn in my house.

Izzy Moonbow was sprawled on the floor, practicing drawing with crayons -- with her magic. The colorful wax sticks gleamed and sprang into action, then dropped again in a heartbeat, as the purple unicorn scribbled, then stared and pondered, then set to work again industriously, tongue in her teeth.

And, Sunny thought, I have pegasi in my belfry -- just like ponies sometimes said about me.

The pegasus siblings, Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals, were upstairs in the lighthouse's lamp room. The winged ponies were outfitting the room as a place for them to stay -- at least, until Queen Haven had managed to smooth things over, back home in the Heights.

And Sheriff Hitch, of course, was right back at work. The bright yellow stallion was down in the town, overseeing the removal of unicorn traps and splatterpults from Shore Street. Which reminded Sunny: she was going to have to check with Natural Flavors about the smoothie delivery job. And decide if it was still something she wanted to do, considering...

With an unsettled expression on her muzzle, Sunny turned back to the dining table. She'd been reviewing the notes she'd made in her journal, the brown leather one with Princess Twilight's double-star cutie mark on its cover. She flipped pages with her hoof, turning back to the map, the one showing the entire pony landscape, from Maretime Bay to Bridlewood to Zephyr Heights...

And she let out a shocked yelp.

"Oh! What is it, Sunny?" Izzy looked up eagerly. "Did you find out something about your magic?"

They'd all been discovering new things about their magic lately. About the three pony tribes' abilities, now that magic had returned in general. They'd spent an entire afternoon in fact, right after the repairs were completed, just experimenting and seeing what they could do.

Unicorns like Izzy had directed magic once more, and could cast spells with their horns. Though thankfully, not of the zappy laser or mind-reading kind. However, they'd still lost much of the knowledge of spellcraft that made it science rather than art, engineering rather than guesswork and practice.

But even so, Izzy had gotten the trick of levitation right away. As she explained it, you looked at something and imagined it having no weight at all. Then you wanted it to be a short distance away from where it was. Then you just led the levitated object around that way, like a moth chasing a candle flame, until it got to wherever you wanted to put it down again.

Izzy had also discovered, entirely by accident, that she could make her horn light up by smacking her forehooves together twice. She'd sat there for five straight minutes -- clop-clop, clop-clop -- her horn blinking on and off, seemingly entranced by what she admitted was really one of the most trivial of luminance spells. But that was Izzy, in a nutshell. To her anything new and interesting was a source of boundless, unashamed childlike joy.

Sunny had asked Izzy how she did the luminance spell, hoping it might be simple enough to try. "Hmmm, it's sort of like whistling?" Izzy had said. "Nopony can tell you what to do, exactly. You have to kinda figure it out yourself. But if we unicorns could learn spellcrafting again, then we could do magic the way we used to: think up a spell and write down exactly what to say or do to make it happen. Maybe I'll be a spellcrafter someday," she added cheerfully. "After all, I'm a whiz with macaroni art!"

Pegasi like Zipp and Pipp could walk on clouds again, and move them from place to place, just like Sunny had found in her notes on pony history. Zipp had been skeptical at first when Sunny pointed at a cloud and suggested she try bringing it down to where they were standing. Nevertheless the ivory-white pegasus had gamely bounced up from the ground, flown up, and grabbed hold of the cloud with her forehooves. And found she could indeed bring it with her, as she flapped down again.

"Huh, feels kind of sticky," she said, "like... I dunno, cotton candy?" Raising an eyebrow, she tried chomping a bite out of it. And immediately spat it out again. "Plah! More like wet cotton, really. Not gonna be snacking on these babies."

Hitch grinned. "I guess pegasi don't eat clouds after all, huh?"

Zipp eyed him aloofly. "No muck on your hooves either, I see."

"Uh, right..." Hitch looked uneasy. "No offense."

"Oh, none taken," Zipp replied. And then shoved the cloud over his head and gave it a sharp kick, drenching him.

Hitch wiped his eyes, nodding. "Yep. I guess I deserved that."

"Oh... wow!" gasped Pipp. The pink pegasus had snared her own cloud and flopped down on it, with every indication of sybaritic comfort. "It's like the finest down beds back home! I'm definitely sleeping on one of these tonight. If I can manage to cram it through the window without flooding the house. Or I'll just leave it outside," she added. "And try camping out, au naturale as it were."

"But what if the magic suddenly went away again?" Sunny asked. "And you fell right through?"

Zipp shrugged, flourishing her wings. "We still have these. We can just glide down like we did before. But I don't think the magic's going anywhere, Sunny. Do you?"

Earth ponies, it seemed, had increased strength. Hitch already had his hooves full chasing after the younger fillies and colts, who were gleefully chucking heavy rocks at signs -- and less invulnerable targets -- just for fun. "And we seem to have an increased affinity for the soil," he said, "and with growing things. I don't think the farm ponies will have much to worry about come harvest time. Plants just sorta spring up out of the ground like anything."

"Speaking of which..." Pipp said, pointing at his hooves.

Hitch looked down and saw that even as he'd been talking, small bluebell-like flowers had sprouted up around them.

"Ack," he said, inching back. "Wish they wouldn't do that."

"Aww..." Zipp feigned sympathy. "Big strong Sheriff doesn't like pretty flowers?"

Hitch snorted. "Big strong Sheriff is totally okay with flowers. Just... not underhoof, ya know? Makes it hard for ponies to take me seriously. I do have a reputation to uphold around here."

Sunny, to her surprise, apparently shared all their abilities to some extent. She could fly, and with some practice she'd even managed a few brief bursts of levitation, for small objects. And too, she felt connected to things in a way she never had before. To the earth underhoof, and to the air, and to the ethereal fields of magic itself, which apparently pervaded everything. When she shut her eyes, she could sense that, a web of forces and interactions invisibly underlying and influencing the entire world...

Yet it still wasn't quite clear to her what her own powers were. Apart from the glowing, translucent wings and horn. Those appeared readily enough whenever she willed them to, and seemed to glow brightest when her friends were near. Yet what they meant, and why she had them, she still hadn't figured out yet.

But that wasn't why she'd shouted -- not at all.

She was staring at the map in her journal. The map which, ever since Dad had given the book to her, had shown only the three pony cities and a bit of coastline.

It was showing quite a bit more now.

The three cities were still there, and the coastline. But these had shifted to one side of the map and gotten smaller. To the left there stretched a broad, open area, dotted with rivers and forests and hills and mountains. On the far side of the map, there was one peak in particular. By the scale it was immensely tall. It made even the coastal range on which Zephyr Heights stood look like a minor hilltop by comparison.

"Wow!" Izzy breathed, peering over Sunny's shoulder. "It's all different." She gently prodded the map with her hoof. "Maybe the paper's magic? Maybe it's got a spell on it that makes it show the land as it is, so you don't have to redraw it? That's helpful." She grinned at Sunny. "So... what do you think it means?"

"I think... it means we should go get the others."

Izzy's call up to the lamp room brought Zipp and Pipp winging down through the open lift hatch. And once the pegasi had been filled in, Zipp took off like a shot, straight across the bay toward the town. She returned in record time with Hitch, galloping up the seacoast road behind her. And together they all stared at the altered map, in particular at the tall, unmarked peak to the left.

"I think," Sunny said, "based on what I've read, and some of the old maps Dad had, this might be Mount Canterlot itself."

"Canterlot?" asked Zipp.

"The capitol of old Equestria," Sunny went on. "A grand city, built onto the peak of a very tall mountain, in the heart of the lands of Equestria. It was where Princess Twilight Sparkle ruled from."

"And..." Hitch asked cautiously, "you're sure the map didn't look like this before?"

"Positive." Sunny nodded. "I got this journal from Dad. It had lots of his own notes in it already, plus this map. But I think the journal itself might have originally belonged to Princess Twilight. It's why her mark is on the cover. So... maybe she put the map in here herself? And these changes in the map, maybe they're Twilight's way of giving us a hint, a nudge in the right direction?"

Zipp looked puzzled. "Uh, you lost me there, Sunny. How can a legendary Equestrian Princess be giving us hints today?"

Sunny gritted her teeth. She'd been dreading this. "I need to level with all of you. The night that magic came back, while all of you were down in the town, getting help to rebuild this place? I met Princess Twilight. She kind of appeared, out of the magic itself. She was sitting out there on the lawn, just as real as any of us. I think when the magic came back, so did she... sort of..."

She looked around at them all uncomfortably.

"You... don't believe a word of this, do you?"

Pipp blinked, surprised. "Are you kidding, Sunny? Of course we do!"

The others nodded, even Hitch. Sunny looked around at them all, amazed.

"Really? But..."

"We're used to crazy stuff happening around you." Zipp shrugged. "Just let me know when there's something I shouldn't believe, huh?"

Sunny smiled. "Thanks, everypony."

"So, what happened?" Izzy demanded. "What did Twilight say?"

"We talked a bit. About what happened before the magic went away, and what we should do now. I wrote it all down in here, so I wouldn't forget. And one thing Twilight said in particular was that it's up to us now. The magic has returned, and maybe Equestria is coming back too. And we made it happen. So it's on us to keep an eye on things, to decide what to do about it. And Canterlot..."

Sunny stared at the map, recalling all the wonderful things she'd read.

"If it's anything like it was in the stories, it may be the best place to do that from. It'll have books about history and magic. And maybe ponies who understand magic, way better than any of us. And it's smack in the middle of Equestria. So if the other lands of Equestria show up too, it'll be easy to get to them from there."

"All roads lead to Canterlot..." Pipp whispered, nodding.

"Huh?"

She shrugged. "Just something our history tutor used to say. I never really got it until now."

"So what do you all think?" Sunny asked. "About going there, I mean?" She tapped the mountain on the map with her hoof. "Seeing if this really is Canterlot?"

"That's a long ways," Zipp said. She didn't sound concerned, she was just stating it, as information. "Several days journey at least, there and back again. And we don't even know if it is Canterlot. It might be just some big mountain. We might trek all that way for nothing."

Pipp nodded in agreement. Izzy looked from her to Sunny -- and beamed. "You know me," Izzy said. "I'm always up for another cool adventure with my new friends. Where you go, I'll go. I just wish we could be sure first. Like, maybe if we wait, the name will appear on the map too. That'd prove it for sure, right?"

Hitch eyed Sunny carefully. He was used to how she thought and didn't want to sound overcautious. Because that would likely just send her haring off again. "It might be a good idea," he said, "not to rush off into the unknown just yet. We could let things settle here a bit first, until we know more. After all, Equestria has been gone such a long time. What's a day or two, more or less?"

Sunny stared at the map wistfully. Then she nodded.

"You're right. We'll wait a bit, see if the map changes again and tells us anything more. After all, there really isn't any hurry, is there?"

Next morning, Sunny's alarm clock went off too early. Or at least, it seemed to. It was still dark out as she sleepily got out of bed and stared at herself in the mirror.

Her mane, as usual, was a Gorgonesque fright.

"Huh... looks like the return of magic hasn't cured all problems -- especially not bed-mane."

Summoning her ethereal horn and wings, she tried using magic to pick up her brush and mane-clips. Then she gave it up, and did it the old-fashioned way. Time enough for that, she decided, after I've had a few more lessons on 'kinesis with Izzy.

Trotting downstairs to the ground floor Sunny headed for the kitchen area, to rustle up some breakfast. It was strange, having semi-permanent house guests to cook for now. Before, she'd generally just grab something quick, then slap on her inlines and roll out the door. But Sunny didn't mind. She enjoyed it actually, taking the time to make something nice for herself and her friends.

Yet she got only a few steps in that direction when there was a loud, anxious pounding at the door.

"Sunny! Sunny, wake up! This is an emergency!"

Trotting over to the door, she swung it open. And found Hitch, leaning against the door-frame and gasping for breath, like he'd run all the way here.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Behind her, she could hear the trotting of Izzy's hooves as she came out of the downstairs room she was using. And the wingbeats of Zipp and Pipp, as they flapped down from the lamp room overhead.

"It's the sun," Hitch said. "It hasn't come up yet. And yeah, I do know how crazy that sounds." He stumbled into the room, found a chair and collapsed in it. "I'm guessing it has something to do with the return of magic. But that's only because I have no idea what else to blame it on."

Sunny's eyes went wide. "Woah. This is bad." She darted across the room for her blue carryall. She pulled out the journal, and quickly found the page she was looking for. "Omigosh. Here it is. One of the Princess's duties was to use her affinity with the firmament of the heavens to raise and lower the Sun and Moon, since their movements were no longer simple evocations of physical law..."

"So you're saying," Pipp asked, "Princess Twilight had to move the Sun herself? With her magic?"

"Hey, no pressure, right?" Zipp looked uneasy. "And here I thought taking over from Mother was going to be a challenge."

"It's not clear from this." Sunny was paging through the journal, hoping for any other clues. "It might be she just needed to give it a push, to start the day. And another, to put it away at night."

"Well, whatever the explanation," Hitch said, "we need to do something now. It won't be long before ponies notice and start freaking out."

"Let's have a look," Sunny said. "Maybe, well... maybe there's something I can do." Shoving the journal back in her carryall she slung it over her shoulder, then trotted out through the open front door into the darkness, the others close behind her.

There was a hint of auroral glow in the sky, but aside from that it still felt like very early pre-dawn, with the purple, star-filled sky just barely beginning to lighten. Looking to the East, Sunny could see nothing but stars. Looking behind her, to the West, she could see the Moon, low in the sky over the treetops across the road.

Taking a breath, Sunny summoned her ethereal wings and horn, in hopes the heightened affinity with the sky might give her some kind of a clue. But nothing stood out to her.

"I'm not sure how to do this. I'm not even sure I can do it."

"Maybe it's like 'kinesis?" Izzy offered, trotting up beside her. "You have to focus on the thing you want to move first. You need to find the Sun."

"But how can she do that?" objected Hitch. "We can't even see it yet."

Izzy shook her head reprovingly. "Doesn't mean it's not still there. See if you can find it, Sunny."

Sunny stared out at the eastern horizon, far out across the ocean. Then she deliberately lowered her gaze, hunting around below it, in the direction she thought the Sun would be.

And she found it. She could feel the immense glowing orb, poised just below the rim of the world. Almost as if it was waiting for its cue...

... from her.

Sunny pointed a hoof. "There -- it's down there!"

"Okay..." Izzy nodded. "Now remember what I said: picture it moving, just a tiny bit at a time, the way you want it to go."

Sunny tried, fretfully. "It's not working!" She could sense the Sun, could feel her unusual magic grasping it. But it remained stubbornly immobile.

Izzy stared at Sunny, worried. Then looked over her own shoulder.

And smacked her forehead with a hoof.

"Duh! Of course, the Moon's in the way! We need to lower it first. Or maybe we need to do both at the same time?"

"Huh?" Zipp and Pipp looked up at the Moon, lurking over the treeline. "Seriously?" Zipp said. "We only need to make an impossible problem twice as hard?"

"It's like a see-saw," Izzy replied. "To raise one end, you lower the other. Here, lemme give ya a hoof." Izzy rested a forehoof on Sunny's withers, then pointed the other forehoof upwards, in the direction of the Moon. She squinted along it, one eye shut like a sharpshooter, her horn softly glowing.

"Okay, Sunny, on three. One, two, three..."

Straining with the effort, Sunny now felt the Sun shift ever so slightly, under her influence. Then it begin to move, slowly but surely.

"Yeah! Izzy, It's working!"

"Cool! Stay focused though, don't lose it," Izzy warned. "Uh huh. That's it. Don't look at the Moon, Sunny, I got my eye on it."

Sunny gently lifted her forehoof, as quickly as she dared. In response, she saw the sky over the bay lighten, then glow, then blaze alight. And then the Sun appeared, neat as you please, creeping upwards to stand just above the horizon, as in very early morning.

And there it stuck. Nothing Sunny tried could move it any further.

"It's no use," she finally said. "I can't lift it into the sky where it's supposed to be by now."

"Well..." Izzy said cheerfully, "you did make the Sun rise, at least. I'd say that's pretty darn good for a first attempt."

"No kidding..." Hitch breathed. "If I had the words, I'd be speechless."

"Way to go, Sunny!" Pipp cried.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Izzy. Thanks."

"Oh, I did nothing." Izzy waved a hoof. "That was all you!"

"But..."

"It was your magic, Sunny. You did all the heavy lifting. I just gave you an extra horn and set of eyes backing you up. With practice, I bet you could do it all by yourself."

"You mean..." Sunny said, aghast, "I'm going to have to do this every morning? And every evening, too?"

Pipp smiled sympathetically. "Noblesse oblige! Though I hear you, no question. I still get nerves going onstage, even for my favorite songs. I can't imagine what moving the Sun and Moon is like."

"You know we'd help you," Zipp added, "if we could. But this is kinda your department, Sunny. At least, that's how it seems."

"Aw, she'll do fine! You watch." Izzy gently punched Sunny's shoulder with a hoof. "You just need practice, that's all."

"Izzy..." Sunny asked, staring at her, "how did you know we needed to lower the Moon first?"

"Eh." The unicorn shrugged. "Isadora Moonbow. With a name like that, I gotta know something about the Moon, right? It's just family tradition. I'm what we unicorns call a Moon daughter."

"Huh. More like a moonchild, sometimes," Zipp smirked.

Izzy smiled back, unoffended. "My Nana did sometimes call me Moon Pie, actually."

"O-kay..." Hitch said. "Well, that at least gets us out of the dark. But we're not out of the woods yet, are we?"

Sunny shook her head. "We need to find out what it takes to keep the Sun moving, the way it ought to." She glanced around uneasily. "Looks like we may have to go see if that mountain is Canterlot, after all, huh?"

The others exchanged uneasy glances. Except for Izzy, who tossed her forehooves gleefully in the air.

"Woo! Magic-hunting road trip! I am so in!"

In a surprisingly short time, they were ready.

"... and that's where things stand," Hitch said, addressing the nervous townsponies. They were all gathered in the circle outside the Sheriff's office, under the strange, semi-dawn light. "We just need to go find this fabled pony city, and learn how to move the Sun... by magic. Instead of the usual way, where we didn't have to do anything at all. Ehem. No big deal, right? A few days, we'll have it sorted out. So everypony, stay calm, keep the home fires burning, that kind of thing. And we'll... be back in a few days."

"And try not to worry," Sunny added. "This is all so strange, I know. But strange is kinda the new normal. And we can handle this, all of us, I know we can. My friends and I will do everything possible -- I promise! Just stay safe, stay calm, and we'll be back as quick as we can."

Hitch nodded, impressed. With half as many words she'd calmed the entire crowd noticeably.

The glowing wings and horn seemed to be making an impression as well.

Then Hitch turned to his deputy. "Sprout. I'm leaving you in charge... what do you say?"

"Aw, c'mon, Hitch! Not in front of everypony."

"Sprout..." Hitch insisted. "I need to hear you say it."

The red, straw-maned stallion sighed, resignedly. And put up a hoof.

"I solemnly swear to serve and protect all ponies here in Maretime Bay."

"And...?"

"And not turn into a power-mad, authoritarian, tribalist, neofascistic dictator while you're gone." Sprout gave Hitch a pleading look. "Okay?"

Hitch patted him on the shoulder.

"Just keep thinking that way, bud. You'll get there."

As the group moved away from the Sheriff's office and headed through the crowd, up Main Street towards the Canterlogic campus, Zipp glanced back doubtfully at the dejected-looking deputy.

"You really think this is such a great idea?"

Hitch shrugged. "If you never trust somepony ever again, when they've made a big mistake, they'll never be able to learn from it, right?"

Sunny smiled at him.

"You don't have to come with us this time, Hitch. You could stay here, help to keep things calm."

He shook his head. "Like it or not, I'm part of this thing now. And like you said, it's up to us to keep an eye on things. Which... is a Sheriff's job, after all. And besides..." He shrugged. "I was your friend since before I became Sheriff. I want to make sure you get there and back safely."

"Thanks, Hitch."

"Yep! He's a keeper, all right!" Izzy said. And then she skipped on ahead of them, humming merrily to herself.

They left the town cross-country, first trotting over Canterlogic Hill and down its far side, then passing through the farming district. The fields of corn and wheat rippled gently in the semi-dawn light, peaceful and calming.

And then they passed the last farmhouses, and stood nervously on the western border. Of pretty much everything they knew. Up to now, there had been nowhere to go from here. And no reason to go there, either.

"Hey!" Izzy said. "Cheer up, everypony! Here there be dragons, right?"

She looked around at them, honestly puzzled by their uncomfortable reactions.

"What? Isn't that what they always put on maps to fill in those big spaces where you don't know what's there yet?"

The Princess's Shadow

Sunny wasn't quite certain what to expect, as the five of them tramped along seemingly for hours through the unfamiliar land, under the burnt-orange, slanting light from the sun. She was hoping there might be villages or small towns, where they could rest for a bit and talk to ponies, find out what lay ahead. Maybe fill in a few of those blanks in the map before they got there.

But they appeared to have picked the one totally uninhabited region of all of Equestria to trek through. There were rolling meadows, forest glens, an occasional creek to ford or a bog to skirt around. And no signs of habitation anywhere. No houses, no roads, no tracks or paths. It was like nopony had ever lived there.

In the distance, against the darker half of the sky, there were mountain ranges, high and snow-capped. But not the mountain they were looking for. That was still far off yet, lost amid the dusk to the West.

As an exploring party, the group was kind of disorganized. Zipp and Pipp darted back and forth overhead, nominally acting as lookouts but mostly just enjoying the open air and the freedom of flight. Izzy was all over the place, scampering this way and that, chasing butterflies and frogs, fieldmice and milk-blossom seeds, anything that caught her eye.

Sunny strode steadily ahead, occasionally glancing at her map to check for landmarks, and serving as a kind of tangible anchor for the group. And Hitch stuck close by her, ever-watchful and on guard, striding forwards with a bold, confident attitude. Which wasn't helped by the small gray rabbit that was following him around. It bounded through the tall grasses practically at his hooves. Whenever he stopped, it stopped too, staring up at him with its pink nose twitching.

"Go on," he said to it. "Shoo. Go way."

Sunny laughed. "Face it, Hitch. You're a critter magnet."

"Yeah, I guess," he sighed. "But like, what good is that, Sunny?"

They found out towards evening -- or what Sunny assumed to be evening, since the Sun hadn't moved all day. She was hesitant to try moving the Sun below the horizon for the night, for fear she might lose track of it altogether.

Some clouds had gathered, and a light sprinkling of rain had started to fall. It wasn't too bad, but it did mean Sunny couldn't consult the map in her journal. Magic or no, she was afraid the ink would smear.

"Hey, no problem!" Zipp said, "Pegasi are the weather experts, right? I'll just head on up there and clear some of the clouds away. Clear skies only, for my friends," she added with a wink.

Ten minutes later, they were huddled in a dark and chilly cave that they'd hurriedly found, drenched to the skin and shivering.

"In my defense," Zipp said tensely, "it's my first day on the job. And they should put warning labels or something on those things, so you know which ones are loaded."

Izzy was busily using her telekinesis, gathering a small bundle of branches and kindling from the trees outside the cave. These she piled on the cave floor, and then added some rocks around them. Then she sat making faces at the branches for a minute or two. Finally, her eyes suddenly went wide. She scowled and waved her forehooves, her horn blazing bright orange.

And the pile of sticks burst into flame.

"Yeah!" Izzy clapped her hooves. "That's three for three for me!" She smiled proudly. "One of Sunny's books said unicorns had a kind of spell that sets fire to things. And I figured it out! I'm gonna be a spellcrafter for sure!"

"Pyromancy..." Sunny whispered, impressed. "But Izzy, that book also said it was one of a branch of magic spells that might be dangerous if misused. Shadow magic, I think it said."

"Yeah..." The unicorn nodded. "I did kinda have to feel like I didn't want the branches around anymore, before they'd catch fire. Which I suppose makes sense if you're gonna burn something up. But don't worry, I don't feel like that about anypony. So it should be safe, right?"

"Just... don't start any forest fires, okay?" Hitch said.

"Absolutely not, Sheriff!" She saluted. "I'm a responsible pyromaniac!"

The rabbit, standing beside Hitch, also saluted. Hitch rolled his eyes, then got up to explore the back of the cave, now that they could actually see it. At the same time the other ponies clustered around the improvised campfire, trying to dry off.

"Hey," Hitch called. "This cave extends back here a ways, and..."

Things happened quickly then. The darkness at the rear of the cavern suddenly grew eyes and large teeth, and bellowed a challenge at him. The ponies all gasped, staring. Hitch backed away slowly, trying to keep his gaze focused ahead while also making sure he didn't back straight into the fire.

Before him, out of the darkness, loomed a very large, very hairy, and very disgruntled bear.

"Sunny," Hitch called over his shoulder. "Don't make any sudden moves. And when I say go, you and the others clear out of here, got it? I'll try to keep it distracted."

"Hitch!" Sunny called, as she and the others readied themselves to run.

Hitch cleared his throat, as professionally as he could. "So sorry to trouble you... uh, sir or madam, as the case may be." He motioned placatingly with a hoof. "We didn't realize this was your home, or that we were trespassing. Which... would be a violation of Code 692. Ahem. If we woke you up, we deeply apologize, and we'll gladly clear out of here."

The bear paused, as if surprised. Then it leaned closer, snuffling at him curiously.

"Sunny..." Hitch warned over his shoulder, wide-eyed.

And then the bear grabbed him up with its huge forepaws. The ponies all shrieked in terror...

... and then started laughing. The bear was hugging Hitch, like a long-lost cousin, rumbling and growling happily.

"Uh... right..." Hitch gasped. "Friendly bear. Good to know!" Then he looked a little strangled as the bear hugged him harder. "Uhhp... friendly pony needs to breathe, okay?"

Shortly afterward, they were all gathered around the campfire: the ponies, the bear, and two small cubs who were sitting to either side of Hitch. They were staring at the fire, and around at the unexpected house guests, as if trying to figure out what it all meant. The rabbit was sitting in Hitch's forehooves, so it wouldn't get stepped on.

And Hitch had a seriously put-upon look on his face.

"You tell anypony back home about this," Hitch warned Sunny, who was smiling at him. "And you," he snapped at Pipp. "Put that thing away!" He motioned at the gilt-edged slab in her hooves. "I don't want to end up in some kind of weird ad for a nature travel package, or something."

"It's all right," Pipp sighed. "I don't have any bars here."

"Bars?" Sunny asked, puzzled.

"There's no connectivity." She rolled her eyes, and held up the phone. It was displaying a large blinking "X" icon. "And everything's streamed through the cloud these days. So, no photos, no music, no texts, no live-chat... and no fans." She tucked the phone away again, looking crushed. Then she glanced at Zipp. "I know you think I'm a little too attached to this thing."

"It would be good for you, taking a break for a bit," Zipp allowed. "I try to avoid getting sucked into the cloud myself. It just eats up your life."

"But that's who you are." Pipp sighed. "For me, my phone is my life. It's how I define myself. Interacting with ponies, bringing happiness to as many of them as I can. And yeah, the views and plus-hoofs are solid gold to a performance artist. But at the end of the day... I am who I impress. And that's just what gives me the greatest pleasure."

"I think it sounds nice, actually," Sunny said.

"You do?" Pipp looked surprised.

Sunny nodded. "You know how to talk to a crowd, how to reach them. Me? I'm lucky if I walk out of a room with ponies just laughing at me." She shrugged. "Until all this happened, of course. And now everypony looks to me to tell them what to do. And I'm not always sure what to say."

"Well, don't worry about that," Pipp said. "You ever need a press agent, or just friendly advice, I'm here for you."

The ponies fell silent for a bit, listening to the crackling fire, the pattering of rain outside, and the gentle grunting of the bear and her cubs. "So..." Hitch finally said. "What should we do to pass the time?"

"Oooh! I know," Izzy said. "How about we sing a campfire song? Isn't that what you do, when you're out camping?"

"Eeeh, bad idea," Zipp said, shaking her head.

"No," Pipp said, holding up a hoof. "Better idea: how about a concert?"

She briefly tuned up her voice. And then, without preamble, dove right into an acapella solo of her latest pop single, the one she'd been singing at the Royal Jubilee.

And they all sat staring at her, in wonder.

Pipp was right. It was like an entire other side of her that they didn't even know was there suddenly sprang into view. It filled the cave with a warmth that had nothing to do with the fire. The rain outside was forgotten. The long, weary hike that day was just a fading memory.

It was, in a word... fabulous.

When she'd finished, the bear cubs looked at each other. And then began banging their paws together eagerly.

"Somehow," said Hitch, "I get the sense that's bear for 'encore'." And he put the rabbit down and started clapping his own hooves. Izzy was applauding with wild abandon, her horn flashing on and off like a paparazzi's camera strobe. And Zipp was smirking at her younger sister, evidently proud of her, though she'd be the last to admit it.

Sunny just smiled in quiet relief. For the first time that day, she felt like things were coming together, just a bit. Like she and her friends could handle this.

Pipp bowed graciously, clearly pleased at having even as small an audience as this. And then, after catching her breath, she soared right on into her back catalogue, picking and choosing whatever seemed to appeal most to her closest fans... the ones she called her friends.

Afterward, it took a while for them all to get to sleep. Adrenaline and catchy beats will do that...

They set out again, soon after everypony had woken up. The bear and her cubs waved good-bye to them from the cave entrance, a little wistfully it seemed. Hitch looked from them to the rabbit, which was still accompanying him.

"Why do critters like me so much?" he sighed.

Sunny grinned. "Authority and kindness -- it's a good combination."

"Thanks."

There followed another lengthy day of hiking through rolling, gorgeous and very uninhabited landscape. Without the movement of the Sun, hour blurred into hour and it was difficult to judge the passage of time, save by hunger and thirst and their tired wings and hooves. It wasn't unpleasant, but the silent landscape was becoming increasingly unnerving.

"The land may have come back," Hitch said as they paused on a hilltop, looking around in the dimly-lit valley below for a likely place to camp. "But nothing else has. Maybe the three settlements really are all that's left of pony kind -- of the old Equestria."

"I hope not," Sunny said. "I hope there's somepony out there, and places that existed back then. They might have answers that we don't."

"No question there." Hitch glanced around. "Maybe we should keep to the higher ground for a while. There's a ridge here, we can follow that. And we'll be able to see more potential campsites that way."

Sunny was about to follow him, then she came to a halt, staring down into the valley.

"Hold up a minute," she called.

"What is it?" Izzy bounded over, and peered down into the gloom with her. "Do you see something?"

"Depends what you mean by see." Sunny summoned her horn and wings, and looked again. "There's these... I don't know what you call them, lines in the magic, where it's more concentrated. Kind of like rivers, where it flows together."

"Oooh, leylines!" Izzy said. She squinted, her horn glowing. "Yeah, I can see 'em too, kinda. But not all of them at once. I have to switch between magic types to find 'em."

"They all intersect..." Sunny pointed a hoof. "Down there. It might be a clue of some kind."

"Well, let's check it out," said Zipp.

It took a while to reach the location Sunny had spotted, because the tree cover became ever more overgrown and tangled. They had to work their way through it, using only Sunny's sense of direction as a guide. Fortunately, Izzy turned out to be a natural at this kind of thing. She quickly found gaps in the overgrowth and clambered over and under roots and branches like a ferret.

"This is nothing compared to the mess out back of my house," she said. "Gonna have to bust out the old horn and clean up a bit when I visit there again."

Finally they pushed through the last line of shrubs, and into a broad clearing. And stopped, and stared.

Before them was a circle of six broken stone plinths. They might have once been standing stones, but some cataclysm long past had shattered the stones, leaving their crumbled fragments scattered everywhere. In the center of the circle was a broad, flat ring of stone. It too might have been a platform of some kind once, but it had been pulverized, its granite blocks scattered across the clearing.

"Whatever this place was," Zipp said dismissively, "there's hardly enough left to fill a teaspoon."

"I think I know what it is!" Sunny was paging rapidly through her journal. She held it up, showing a sketch: six stones in a circle, surrounding a platform. "It's Ponehenge!"

"Pone-what?" Hitch asked.

"It's an ancient monument. It focused magic energy, probably from the leylines that converge here. It was the site of an epic battle with powerful magic forces. And in the process, it was destroyed."

"Cool, I guess," Zipp allowed. "But so what? It's just gravel with a pedigree now."

"Don't you see?" Sunny replied. "This predates even Equestria itself! If this place has returned, then Equestria likely has too. And Canterlot! In fact, judging by the maps we have, and where this place must be..."

She turned slowly about, then pointed. "That line of mountains, just above the trees. That must be the Foal Mountains. Which, if we follow them along, would put Mount Canterlot..."

She turned, and pointed again.

"... that way, maybe another day's hike from here. If it wasn't for the tree-cover, we could probably see it by now."

"Well okay!" Izzy thunked down onto a handy patch of grass. "Let's set up camp and get some shut-eye. We'll be there tomorrow!"

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Hitch asked. "Hanging out in an ancient and powerful magic ruin? I mean, I wouldn't want to run into whatever turned this place into paving stones."

"That was a long time ago," Sunny said. "And it seems quiet now, as far as I can tell. Just the leylines, nothing else."

"Still... it might be a good idea to head back up to the ridge at least."

Zipp snorted. "You can fight your way back through those trees if you want. But my take is, anything tries to get through that mess, it'll be as worn out as I feel right now. Plus, we'd have plenty of warning, too."

"Sunny?" Izzy looked at her. "What do you think?"

Sunny glanced around, then reached for her journal. "As long as we're here, I probably should take a few notes and sketches at least, just to add to what we know. It might come in handy. But I promise, Hitch," she added, "we see anything that says this place isn't as dead as it looks, we're outta here."

"Okay..." he said resignedly.

"And you'll take first watch," Zipp said.

"And I'll take first... uhh..." Hitch frowned at her. "Can I just do my job, please?"

The two pegasi exchanged a smirk. Then they started helping Izzy gather wood for a fire.

Sunny wandered around the ruins, examining the stone plinths and making notes and drawings in her journal. And Hitch patrolled the perimeter, the gray rabbit marching right along behind him.

Sunny awoke, suddenly and alertly. It was late, long after she and her friends had turned in for the evening. She glanced around at the smoldering campfire, at her sleeping friends, at the ruined stone plinths of the circle, the encircling wall of the forest...

And let out the breath she'd been holding in. It all looked normal. Well, as normal as things could look, under the circumstances. She had to do something about that Sun. It was getting tedious, looking at the same near-dawn sky all day. Not being able to tell the time by looking at the sky just felt wrong...

She was about to put her head down, try to get to sleep, when she heard it again:

Princess...

It was a whisper, but only in the same way that a hurricane was a strong breeze. It was like the last, fading echo of a thunderclap directly overhead. It was soft, quiet, implacable... and all around her.

Getting to her hooves, Sunny peered around at the shadowy trees.

"Who's there?" she called, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

Shouldn't I be asking you that... Princess?

Sunny looked upwards again, at the circle of sky overhead. And drew in a terrified breath.

Eyes were staring down at her. Glowing, flame-orange eyes, surrounded by an outline, a shadowy suggestion of a pony head. It was massive, looming in the sky above her. Around it, wings spread wide with a span that could have touched a mountain peak to either side. Above the eyes, a spear-like horn stabbed the sky.

The apparition gazed down upon her. And chuckled, boomingly.

So, you're the new one, are you?

"Hitch! Izzy!" Sunny hissed through her teeth. "Wake up!"

Oh, let's not disturb them, the dark pony said languidly. This is between you... and me...

An immense forehoof waved, the sky-piercing horn blazed. In a whirl of darkness, the trees, the circle, her friends... everything vanished into shadow. Sunny found herself standing in a narrow circle of flame-orange light. And the titanic pony shape stood before her, gazing down upon her scornfully, pitilessly.

And Sunny suddenly recognized where she'd seen it before. On the posters that Canterlogic had put up, all over town, as warnings. The dark pony outline, fierce and threatening, with eyes of flame, looming over a small, terrified pony...

"I'm not afraid!" Sunny shouted at it. And then she winced. "Well... okay, I'm terrified, actually. If you really must know."

The dark pony tilted its head, amused.

Oh, goody... it said. Bravery and a sense of humor. I think I'm going to like you, Princess...

"Why do you keep calling me that? My name's Sunny! Sunny Starscout!"

Again there was the thunderous chuckle, like an amused avalanche. Is that all? Nothing more? You brought magic back, after all. You brought it all back. Hmph. I suppose I owe you one for that...

"I... I brought you back, too?" Sunny whispered, aghast.

Let's say you opened a door. And I walked through.

"This is bad," Sunny whispered to herself, glancing about fretfully. "This is really, really bad. What have I done now?"

What they needed you to. They needed somepony to bring them together, to lead them. A true Princess, unifying all the tribes under one banner of friendship. And that, it added coldly, is where I come in...

"Was it you?" Sunny demanded. "Did you drive us apart, make us hate one another? And now you want to do it again?" She summoned her ethereal wings and horn, set her hooves firmly on the ground. She had no idea if her new power would be enough to challenge this thing -- or even enough to defend herself at all.

But I'm darn well going to find out.

"We'll stand up to you!" she yelled. "We'll show you ponies can't be driven apart. Never again! I and my friends, we'll make sure! We'll fight you! We'll bring Equestria back, and we'll show them -- and you -- that ponies don't have to live in fear and hatred!"

The dark pony seemed mildly amused by her tirade.

Really? One day soon, Princess, you're going to have to make a choice. Between kindness, and keeping your subjects safe. You're going to have to realize that not everypony thinks the way you do...

It nodded, in apparent satisfaction.

Which is for the good. They need a new example, every now and again. Somepony to follow, even as they deny and reject you. Because they have no alternative, really...

The massive pony head lowered. The flaming eyes glowered at Sunny, like the headlights of an oncoming train.

And there's something else you need to realize, Princess...

It snickered sinisterly.

I'm not the one you should be worried about...

Its gaze shifted above her, past her. Look behind you.

Sunny stood her ground, shaking her head, unwilling to let the apparition out of her sight.

The dark pony snorted. Its breath was like a whirlwind of brimstone, all around her.

LOOK!

Gritting her teeth, Sunny whirled about, and stared.

Before her she saw the stone circle had reappeared. The ruined stones and the central ring were lit starkly by the flame-red glare of the huge eyes behind her. And from the central ring of the monument, a large, fulminating cloud was rising, lit with a sickly green glow. It towered above her, dark and mesmerizing. Something about it both fascinated her and disgusted her at the same time. She found it impossible to tear her gaze away, even as she felt it invading her thoughts, twisting her feelings, warping her very sense of who she was...

She felt the looming presence behind her lean close. She felt its hot breath whirl about her. It spoke softly... like a mountain whispering in her ear.

I could help you, Princess, it said silkily. Just say the word...

Sunny shivered. Something in the behemoth's tone suggested that, once asked, its help would be impossible to un-ask.

She felt herself freezing into immobility, caught between two horrid alternatives. She fought to speak, to even think. She was paralyzed, unable to do anything, as the cold green miasma in front of her steadily invaded her thoughts.

The dark pony behind her chuckled dryly.

Well, as I said, I owe you one. So we'll just call this a freebie... with absolutely no obligation...

Sunny felt her paralysis suddenly snap. She could think and move again. She looked up at the dark, flame-eyed shadow behind her, saw it raise one titanic armored forehoof...

... and slam it to the ground, with a thunderous crash...

In an instant, Sunny was back in the stone circle, surrounded by her still-sleeping friends, the smoldering fire, the surrounding trees, the dusky half-dawn sky overhead, as if she'd only just been startled awake.

But she knew somehow, it hadn't been a dream... it was a warning.

"Hitch! Izzy! Zipp! Pipp!" She rushed back and forth, shaking them awake. "Wake up -- we gotta get out of here!"

"Sunny?" Hitch squinted up at her, and then stared around in shock and mounting shame. "Aw, geez! I only shut my eyes for a second, honest!"

"That doesn't matter. We need to move! And --"

"And... what is that?" Hitch was staring past her, pointing a nervous hoof.

Sunny turned fearfully. And saw the dark, green-lit cloud, rising from the ruined center of the monument. It towered into the sky, glowing and fuming.

Izzy grabbed Sunny with a hoof, her blue mane-hairs practically standing on end. "Sunny! That's really powerful magic... and not the good kind!"

"I know!"

"You do?"

"We have to get away from here, right now!"

"No way! Are you kidding?" Zipp bounded into the air, and smacked her forehooves. "If it's made of cloud, it's time for pegasi to get loud. C'mon, Pipp!"

Uncertainly, the pink pegasus jumped into the air with her. Together they flapped higher, while Zipp sized up the challenge. Hitch worriedly darted forwards, putting himself between Sunny and the looming green thunderhead. And Izzy hid behind her, gritting her teeth, and wincing as pulsing, throbbing waves of magic energy washed over the clearing.

Sunny could feel that herself, like a tide of dark forces rising all around them. She thought desperately. She felt like she had seconds to make use of whatever chance she'd been given here. The dark pony had said it would help her -- but how?

Sunny stared at her own forehoof. And realized:

By example...

"Zipp! Pipp!" she called. "Get back down here! Everypony, stay close!"

Startled, her friends quickly complied, gathering around her. Sunny charged her wings and horn, raised a forehoof...

... and brought it down, hard.

And felt like she'd just stepped on a live electrical cable. The full force of the intersection of leylines flooded through her. Her eyes gleamed, her horn and wings blazed. Her teeth clattered uncontrollably.

"A-g-g-g-d-d-d-d-d...!"

The power welled up within her, reaching some kind of breaking point. There was an explosion of gleaming, shimmering energy, and a huge shield dome rose up. It encompassed her, her friends, the entire ruined stone circle. And cut off the looming dark cloud, forcing it up into the air overhead.

Momentarily thwarted, the gangrenous stormclouds settled around the dome, enclosing it, hiding the sky, the forest, everything except the ruins they were standing in.

"Okay," Zipp said, "that was an ace move. But now what? It can't get in... and we can't get out!"

Sunny looked around hurriedly. She wasn't sure how long she could keep channeling so much power. She was afraid that any second now she'd catch fire herself and fry to a crisp.

She shut her eyes for a moment, grunting in pain. And saw, in the darkness, the glowing intersection of three leylines that had led them here. Opening her eyes, she saw the ruined stone plinths, each positioned on one of the invisible lines of force.

"The stones," she cried. "Or what's left of them -- we can use those!"

"How?" Hitch shouted, over the thrumming of the field. "They're pulverized. This place is a wreck!"

"Doesn't mean it doesn't still work," Sunny replied. "Right, Izzy?"

"Oh, you betcha!" The unicorn grinned, apparently way ahead of her. Izzy darted ahead, bounding up onto the remnant of one of the destroyed standing stones.

"This thing needs foci -- which means us! Come on! We can fill in for the destroyed stones!"

The others followed uncertainly, arranging themselves on the other ruined plinths. Sunny looked around, checking they were in place. And then realized --

"We're one short! There are six stones! And only five of us!"

"Uh, wait for it..." Hitch pointed across the circle, at the empty stone plinth. The gray rabbit was hauling itself onto it. Then it turned to look at them, its nose twitching. And saluted proudly.

"Okay," Hitch called. "You just earned an extra carrot ration, my friend!"

"Hang on," Sunny warned. "I'm not sure what's gonna happen."

She gazed up at the shield, and the looming clouds above it. And then she willed the shield to come down, intending to reconnect it to the stones somehow, to let the circle itself power it.

But instead, the magic flowed back into her, then spread out through the monument to its six stone plinths. And to her friends, sitting on each of them. They all rose into the air, eyes blazing. Lines of shimmering force snapped into being between them, forming a hexagon. And in the center of it, a broad, swirling disc sprang open, like a hole in midair, poised above the stone circle at the monument's center.

The glowing stormclouds, which had just started to fall upon them all, were caught in a whirlwind, funneling vortex. The clouds were suctioned down into the hole, vanishing utterly.

The power cut out. The lines of force connecting them disappeared, their eyes returned to normal. And they dropped heavily onto the stone plinths. What little breath they had left was knocked out of them by the fall.

Hitch shook his head, staring around. "Wow... is everypony okay?"

"Woah-ho!" Zipp cried. "Now that is how we get things done!"

"Absolutely!" Pipp said, smiling. "That was amazing!"

"Yay, Sunny!" Izzy cheered. And then she stared worriedly. "Sunny? Are you all right?"

Sunny had sat up, wearily, and was staring down at her hooves, looking shocked and scared. Hitch trotted over to her and gently put a hoof on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, miserably. "I... I wanted to bring magic back," she gasped. "I thought it would help everypony. I didn't even think about what else might have come back with it. Hitch, what have I done?"

"But, we dealt with it, right?" Hitch said. "We sent that thing back to wherever it came from."

"Are we sure? And what if there's something... else still lurking out there? Something we can't get rid of so easily?" She shook her head. "We're in over our heads here. Way over! And it's my fault..."

She fell silent, looking both scared and ashamed. Hitch, not sure what else to do, stroked her shoulder comfortingly. "C'mon," he finally said. "Let's get out of here. Maybe try to find some other campsite, a little further on."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Pipp agreed.

"Yeah, might as well," said Zipp. "No way I'm getting back to sleep now."

"I got point!" said Izzy. She clapped her hooves twice, making her horn light up. Giggling, she bounded away towards the tangled wall of forest surrounding the clearing.

Sunny managed a small smile at that, then followed along after her friends, letting them lead the way for once.

And glanced back fearfully, every now and then, at the dusk-filled sky over the circle...

How One Came, As Was Foretold

Another long, tiring, timeless day of hiking cross-country brought them to the end of the Foal Mountain range. And long before they got there, their goal was in sight. It towered against the cloud-filled, dusky half of the sky, like a shadowy spire rising to the heavens -- Mount Canterlot.

As they ascended one of the hills surrounding the mountain itself, they finally came across a sign of habitation. It was a set of train tracks, reasonably well-maintained, that appeared to be heading that way. Following these, they quickly came to a well-appointed local train station.

And caught a train.

As they stood upon the station's platform, looking around in amazement, a horn sounded in the distance. A candy-colored train and set of passenger cars came into view, chuffing up the track. It pulled to a stop before them, and the doors to the front passenger car slid open. A mustachioed conductor looked out.

"You folks the only ones here? I don't suppose you have tickets, right? Never mind, forget I asked, force of habit. We've been told to pick up anypony looking for a ride, and bring them up to Canterlot. Climb aboard, if you're headed that way."

Sunny and her friends willingly trotted into the car, which turned out to be the First Class compartment. It was half-full of a mixture of earth-ponies in work clothes, and unicorns in richer, more expensive-looking garb. The two tribes of ponies were pointedly sitting on opposite sides of the car, each carefully pretending to ignore the other.

Finding seats by the windows, Sunny's group watched in amazement as the train car chuffed out of the station, then rattled up the track, swiftly beginning the ascent into the heights. And when the train had rounded a few turns and gotten out of the lower hills, it came around a bend and they saw, high in the distance...

"Canterlot..." Sunny whispered.

And she sounded heartbroken. For it was nothing at all like she'd expected.

The city was a wreck. There were the huge platforms, yes, with towers and spires built atop them. But the platforms were shattered, at least half their stone collapsed into the plains far below. The buildings remaining were crumbling and decrepit, looking gray and lifeless in the half-light from the Sun low in the East. And the sky all round the city itself was a mass of dark, gloomy rain-clouds.

"This place is supposed to be old, right?" Zipp asked, doubtfully. "Bit of a fixer-upper, if you ask me." And then she winced when Pipp fiercely elbowed her, nodding at Sunny.

"Well, we got here, at least," Izzy offered. "That's something. And you never know. There might still be books here, and ponies with answers. Right, Sunny?"

Sunny nodded, just to be agreeable. But she said nothing, and seemed to draw into herself, hunched against the back of her seat.

"Let's... just wait till we get there," Hitch said carefully. "See what we find."

The train made good time at least. Soon it had passed through the outer boroughs of the massive city, and rolled into what looked like a main terminus, not far from the ruins of a grand, regal palace.

Sunny thanked the conductor, who nodded agreeably to them all. And then she led the way off the train. And straight into pandemonium.

The streets of the city were thronged with ponies of every station and profession, milling about, some of them selling things, most shouting at one another. Taking care to stick close together, the group made their way up through town, following their snouts. They eventually arrived in what appeared to be a grand open pavilion or celebration area... if you ignored the broken, inexpertly barricaded far edge, where the platform had cracked and sheared off.

Off to the right, up a broad set of steps, were tall doors leading into what looked like an outer wing of the palace itself. A crude stage had been erected close to the stairs, and from this, ponies were loudly haranging the crowd. And the central topic of debate, it seemed, was who was entitled to rule the city now.

"... and it cannot be argued," declared a richly-robed unicorn mare with a jet-black mane, "that I, Sable Tress, am the rightful heir to the throne of Canterlot! My family has lived here for generations! Our investments practically built this place. You'll find the names of my illustrious ancestors adorning many a concert hall and shopping district in this great city!"

"Ha!" retorted a blond-maned unicorn wearing a top-hat and a spangled vest. "Money isn't everything. And it's incontestable that I, Gilt Wand, am the rightful heir to the throne. For it is I, and none other, who caused the Sun to rise again, thus saving all of us from the chill threat of endless Night!"

Izzy frowned. "Humph! He's got a lot of nerve," she grumbled. "We all know it was you, Sunny."

"Why, I've never heard such nonsense!" A portly, sandy-coated earth-pony dressed in overalls was climbing onto the stage, shaking a forehoof. "The name's Grain Bin, and I say who needs a bunch of nobles and fatcats lording it over us again, eh?" He swung to the crowd, gesturing fiercely. "What we need now is representation, for the hard-working ponies of the soil, the farmers and laborers who built and fed this monstrosity for generations! And I don't see why I've got any less claim to ruling this place than any of you well-hoofed parasites!"

"Well, I never!" Sable Tress lofted her snout, pouting. "A common pony, thinking to set himself up as equal to landed gentry?"

"You watch yourself, hayseed!" Gilt Wand said. "In a couple of shakes, I'll show you what true magic ability can do, in the right hooves!"

The crowd around the stage was growing tense. Ponies were glaring at each other, shouting over each other:

"Nobility and tradition should be our guide!"

"I say magic should lead! Might makes right!"

"No! It's time for a change! For equal representation under the law!"

"Peanuts? Popcorn? Anypony for a candy apple?"

This last came from an earth pony pushcart vendor, who was gamely struggling to maneuver his unstable, heavily-laden cart through the increasingly unruly crowd.

And then one of the cart's wheels accidentally rolled over someone's hoof.

"Hey! Watch it!"

The pushcart was shoved over, bowling over several angry ponies. Who got up and started pushing and shoving crossly. The crowd quickly turned violent, ponies throwing blows and shouting. And Sunny and her friends were in the midst of it all, hunched together for mutual protection.

Zipp bounced into the air, hovering and looking round. "That way!" she called, pointing. Hitch followed her, leading the others through the crowd, bodily throwing blocks and clearing a path for them. Together they all struggled across the celebration area, and then up the steps, coming to the tall doors. They pushed through these, then slammed the doors behind them.

And found themselves in a dilapidated entrance hall, with frayed red carpeting on the floor and a grand sweeping staircase beyond. The marble walls echoed with the sound of the doors closing, and the increasingly angry roar of the crowd outside.

"I may think twice before booking a tour here." Pipp reached up a shaking hoof to straighten her gilded headband. "Even the crowds at my concerts are more well-behaved than this."

"It's like there's nopony in charge here," Hitch said, amazed. "Nopony at all."

Sunny nodded sadly. "Magic has returned. Canterlot has returned. But not the Princess. And all ponies here can do is argue and fight about who gets to rule in her place." She shook her head. "I was hoping we'd find somepony, maybe even Princess Twilight herself, in charge of things. Somepony who could answer some of our questions..."

"May I help you, my dears?"

They all turned in surprise, and found a gray-maned, richly-cloaked dowager descending the staircase, calmly and regally. She was escorted by a pair of fierce-looking armored guards. And trotting at her hooves was a small brown colt, wearing a peaked blue hat with tiny bells around the brim.

"Come along, Cinnamon. Don't dawdle!" the elderly mare said to the colt. And then she smiled at Sunny and her friends. In that particular way that suggested an explanation was expected.

"We didn't mean to intrude," Sunny said. "The crowd was getting unruly outside, and we were looking for someplace safe."

"Of course, my dear. And you are...?"

"I'm Sunny Starscout, from Maretime Bay. And this is Hitch, our local Sheriff. And my friend Izzy Moonbow, from Bridlewood. And these are the pegasus Princesses, Zipp and Pipp, from Zephyr Heights."

"Charmed to make your acquaintances, all of you." The elderly unicorn dropped a carefully measured, arthritic curtsey. "And I," she said in return, "am Lady Da. And if you're looking for somepony in authority, I suppose I might do. I'm the closest thing to actual hereditary nobility left in this crumbling old ruin." She smiled mirthlessly. "They've even asked me to rule, more than once. But of course I don't want the job."

"Seriously?" Zipp looked amazed. "Why not?"

"My dear Princess," Lady Da replied, "they can't even get my latté order right at the café! So how am I expected to rule anypony?"

Trotting closer, she eyed the five ponies with varying shades of misgiving. Princesses or no, she seemed to regard any non-unicorn with lofty -- though not unkindly -- disdain. Even Izzy received little more than a raised eyebrow. To which the purple unicorn responded with her usual carefree, beaming smile.

"I imagine," Lady Da said, "you're all here to press your own claim to be the ones who should rule. The ones who caused the return of magic and so on."

"It's no claim, your Ladyship," Zipp retorted.

"Not a bit," Pipp agreed.

"Sunny here brought us all together," Izzy added. "Uh huh! And she brought back magic, and brought back Equestria... and she's even talked with Princess Twilight herself!"

"Izzy!" Sunny warned.

"What? Lead with your strong suit, I say."

But Lady Da merely looked amused. "My dears, everypony and their sister is here, making much the same claims. And it's going to take a lot more than a smile and a very charming personality for an earth pony to get noticed." She smiled at Sunny in a kindly way, despite her words. "And as for a unicorn from Bridlewood..." Lady Da's snout wrinkled slightly. "Well, it would be a challenge indeed for a forest unicorn, a tree-hugger, to make inroads in what's left of high society around here."

"Huh?" Izzy looked at Sunny, puzzled. "I've never hugged a tree in my life." She leaned closer and spoke behind a hoof. "Pro tip: if a tree ever tries to hug you back, run!"

"Still," Lady Da went on, a little wistfully, "if you could prove what you say, then I for one would back you in a heartbeat."

"Really?" Hitch said. "I mean, you hardly know us."

"Perforce, Sheriff, I've had to become a sharp judge of character." The dowager smiled thinly. "And what this city, and Equestria as a whole, needs in my view is a leader much like the Princesses once were: caring, and selfless, and singular in focus. Wanting only the best for us, all of us. A leader who leads by example, giving us reason to reach beyond ourselves. Who brings out the best in each of us, so we share our abilities and talents, instead of keeping them to ourselves. A Princess," she finished grandly, "who deserves our best, because she encourages us to seek the best in ourselves."

She chuckled lightly. "Oh listen to me, do. Rattling on, like the aged pensioner I am. Dreams like that are a-bit-the-bushel, trust me! Now, you are more than welcome to wait in here until things have quieted down outside. But I wouldn't get my hopes up about making an impression, not with this crowd. Honestly, it would take a miracle to bring this lot together!"

So saying, she nodded kindly, then trotted off down a side corridor accompanied by the colt and by the guard ponies. The guards eyed Sunny and their friends for a moment with disinterested sternness, then faced front, ignoring them.

"Sunny?" Pipp asked, surprised. "Why didn't you show her your magic? The wings and the horn?"

"And the fact that you can move the Sun?" Zipp added. "That's pretty hard to ignore, take it from me!"

"I tried," Sunny said, desperately. "All the time she was talking." She shook her head. "But the way I feel right now... I just don't have it in me. And what good would it do?" She tossed her forehooves in exasperation. "They wouldn't believe it. They'd just say it was an illusion, a trick of some sort." She sighed. "Lady Da was right. We're not going to convince anypony here. We might as well just turn around and head back home. Before the ponies back in Maretime Bay start to worry about us. We'll find some other way to move the Sun. Maybe Izzy was right and I just need more practice."

The group sat in unhappy silence for a moment, unsure what to say.

"Well," Zipp said quietly. "Having come all this way, I would like to see what kind of Audience Hall they had in this place."

"Really?" Pipp stared at her. "You've never shown much interest in the trappings of royalty back home."

"It's not that I'm not interested," Zipp retorted. "Someday I'm going to have to take over from Mother, I know that. But I have been sort of keeping it at wing's length until now. And well... I'd just like to see what kind of standard I'm going to have to live up to."

Izzy nodded readily. "I'd like to take the tour, if there is one. Just so we can tell the ponies back home about it. 'Cause you know they'll ask."

"Hey, I'm in," Hitch said, and his rabbit nodded in agreement. Then Hitch put a hoof on Sunny's shoulder. "But it's not up to us, is it? It's your call, Sunny. What do you say?"

She looked up at them, and managed a smile. "Sure, why not? Just so we can honestly say we've seen it all."

They met few guards as they trotted along the chilly, echoing marble corridors. What few they passed merely glanced their way then marched onwards, apparently seeing nothing that concerned them.

By process of elimination, working ever upwards through the palace, they came at last to the tall, ornately-carven doors of the Audience Hall. And found that the doors appeared to be locked. Hitch put his shoulder to one, and shoved hard, to no effect. Zipp and Pipp tried the other, with the same result.

Zipp glanced around, at the ceiling overhead. "There's more than enough holes in the roof around here," Zipp noted. "I could always try flying around, through a window or something, and see if I can open the doors from the far side." She spread her wings, readying herself to take off.

"No, wait!" Izzy's eyes were wide, the hairs of her mane standing on end. "Sunny... you give it a try."

Shrugging, Sunny reached up a hoof and gently shoved the doors.

And they clicked open and swung wide, as if they'd never been locked at all.

Hitch exchanged a glance with his rabbit. "Ahhh... I probably just loosened it up for you," he said.

"Izzy?" Sunny stared at her in amazement.

The unicorn shrugged. "The doors were magically sealed. I could feel the spell charging up, whenever you moved towards them."

"Me?"

Izzy beamed. "It takes a Princess!"

Sunny winced at that, and looked down, ashamed. "I'm not a Princess," she whispered. "I don't deserve to be. I don't know nearly enough. And I keep landing everypony in worse and worse trouble as a result. I'm an accident waiting to happen... not a Princess."

She felt Izzy's hoof touch her shoulder, and looked up.

"You are one to me," Izzy said, seriously. "And I don't need some dumb set of doors to tell me that. I know you, Sunny. The real you. I know how much this matters, how much you care. And I'd follow you in a heartbeat, wherever you led us. You know that."

"That goes for me, too," said Zipp. "And I am a Princess -- or will be, someday. But... if you ruled here, I think I could be happy being in charge back home. Knowing I'd have somepony like you to turn to, if things got tight."

"Hear, hear," Pipp added softly.

"You know how I feel," Hitch said. "You're my friend, Sunny. I'd back you all the way. You got my vote."

"So, c'mon!" Izzy waved a hoof. "What are we all waiting for? Let's go check out your throne room!" Laughing, she bounded away through the open doors.

With a grateful smile, Sunny followed her, the others right behind her.

And her momentarily feeling of warm happiness crashed back to cold reality again.

In the cavernous marble hall their hoofsteps echoed loudly, hollowly. Like everything else in the city, the chamber was old, disheveled, and apparently abandoned. Once-red carpeting was torn where it wasn't simply frayed. The curtains on the stained-glass windows were wispy rags. Atop the dais at the far end, the throne itself was toppled, its tall back snapped in half, the cushion leaking stuffing from multiple rips in the stained fabric. And the roof itself had collapsed in several places, revealing the looming gray rainclouds overhead.

Sunny came to a halt, midway up the central carpet. She sat down hard. She held her mouth tight shut, to keep from sobbing aloud.

"There's nothing here," she finally gasped. "No experts, no answers, and no Princesses." She glanced around at the others. "We did come all this way for nothing. I'm so sorry, gang!"

The others gathered around her, trying their best to console her.

Then voice rang out sharply behind them.

"Excuse me! Who opened this door? Quickly now, who was it?"

They looked round, guiltily. Lady Da and her guards were standing in the open doorway. The elderly pony was staring at them, with a look of stern astonishment.

Sunny winced. "I did, your Ladyship." She got up and turned to face the dowager as she strode towards them. "I'm so sorry. If we're trespassing, we'll leave. We just had to see..."

"Oh, my dear! You misunderstand me." Lady Da gestured to the open doors. "These doors have remained shut, ever since the magic was lost, many moons ago. Ever since Equestria itself began to slip away, bit by bit, into the mists of time. Nopony could open these doors, try as they might. Without magic, they simply could not be opened."

"Seriously?" Sunny asked. Her Ladyship nodded.

"And those with a more fanciful turn of mind," she went on, "started saying that one day a pony would arrive who could open these doors. And that pony would be..."

"... the Princess?" Izzy said, eagerly.

Lady Da gave her a flat look.

"That is how these urban legends tend to go."

Behind her, more ponies were appearing at the doorway, an entire crowd of them. In the lead were the ponies from the stage outside: Sable Tress, Gilt Wand, and Grain Bin. They were looking astonished, and more than a little put out. "Lady Da!" Sable huffed. "What is the meaning of this? Who opened these doors?"

Sunny was about to speak, but Pipp nudged her. "Let me take this, Sunny."

"Are you sure?" Sunny whispered back.

Pipp nodded, smiling. "Press agent, remember? Besides --" Her eyes narrowed. "I speak influencer."

Turning to the crowd, Pipp gestured grandly with a wing. "Look no further, citizens of Canterlot! For here she is, your new Princess, as promised in song and story: Her Royal Highness, Princess Sunny Starscout!"

Sunny tried a smile, hoping that she didn't look too demented.

The response was an uproarious laugh from the crowd. "An earth pony?" Sable Tress snorted. "Really! Is this somepony's idea of a joke?"

"I agree!" Gilt Wand snapped. "An earth pony could never have opened these doors! The most pure, noble, and powerful unicorns in the land have tried and failed!"

"And what's wrong, I'd like to know," Grain Bin growled, "with an earth pony succeeding where you wimpy ivory-tower toothpick-heads have failed? If all it takes is strength, we've got that in buckets!"

"It is simply not to be believed." Sable Tress sniffed. "Now who was it really. Lady Da? Was it you?"

"Oh, I know it seems impossible," Pipp went on. "I myself found it hard to believe, at first. But here you have before you, live and in person, the mare who brought back magic -- who brought back Canterlot itself. And has now arrived to claim her throne!"

She turned and gestured to the other members of the group.

"With her are her loyal Court, gathered from the far-flung domains of all the pony tribes. From Zephyr Heights, we have Crown Princess Zephyrina Storm, Mistress of Wind and Weather!"

Zipp didn't need coaching. She leapt up and took wing, arrowing through a gap in the roof. She began ping-ponging back and forth across the sky, clearing away the looming gray clouds, revealing the pale orange sky overhead.

"From the mysterious forests of Bridlewood," Pipp called, with sultry look, "we have Sunny's court Sorcerer and advisor on magic, Isadora Moonbow!"

"That's me!" Izzy excitedly waved a hoof. "I also do sparkle readings!"

"From Sunny's own home town of Maretime Bay," Pipp went on, "we have her bodyguard and Master of Beasts -- Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer!"

Hitch uncomfortably took a step forwards and bowed. Then turned to the rabbit. "Back, back I say, dangerous critter!"

The rabbit glanced around. And then got it, and looked fierce -- at least, as much as a long-eared gray ball of fluff could.

"And I," Pipp said, "have the great honor to be Her Highness's seneschal and Minister of Social Media -- Princess Pipsissewa Petals, at your service!"

She bowed grandly. And In the silence that followed, a pony at the back of the crowd bounded and waved frantically. "It is her! Pipp! Pipp! I'm your biggest fan! Pipp-pipp-hooray!"

Pipp smiled in return. "Pipp-pipp-hooray!" she called back lightly.

The rest of the crowd just stared at Sunny, who felt distinctly on the spot. And then they began grumbling amongst themselves.

"How do we know she's a Princess?" somepony yelled.

"Yeah! We need proof!"

"Geez," muttered Zipp, flapping down to rejoin them. "Like, the doors weren't enough for you?"

But Pipp smiled at Sunny. "Go on," she said. "Show them!"

Sunny took a breath, and nodded. And summoned her wings and horn. This time it worked, with her friends gathered close around her, their friendship and support adding to her magic somehow, making the gleaming, ethereal appendages glow brightly.

The crowd gasped, those in back craning their necks to see.

"And now, Sunny," Pipp breathed. "Show them what else you can do."

"I still can't raise the Sun," Sunny whispered back.

"Then lower it, just a bit," Pipp said. "Just to make the point."

Sunny nodded, and turned, feeling around with her heightened awareness. She found the Sun, hovering low over the eastern horizon, beyond the mountain's peak. Pointing a hoof in that direction, she concentrated, just as Izzy had taught her. She imagined the Sun and Moon on a see-saw, which she only had to... tilt slightly.

And was surprised: it was much easier this time, making the Sun set. The pale orange sky overhead, visible through the rents in the ceiling, faded to the color of burnt coals, then to the chill, star-filled purple of late evening.

That got the point across. The crowd gasped, a little fearfully.

Zipp nodded, with a smirk. "I say we hide it entirely," she muttered. "And threaten not to bring it back, unless they listen to reason."

"Absolutely not!" Sunny stared at her, shocked. "We're playing with fire as it is." And she immediately turned to raising the Sun again. And found that raising it was somehow much harder. She could barely move it at all. "Izzy! I need a little help here."

But Izzy shook her head, smiling. "You can do it, Sunny," she said. "It's all you, remember? And we're all behind you. Right, gang?"

The others nodded, smiling proudly. And with the warmth of their trust fueling her magic, Sunny felt the Sun shift, just a little. And then start moving again. With relief, she brought it back up to where it had been before, standing just above the horizon, in the pale half-light of early dawn.

"Well..." Sable Tress said uncomfortably. "That... certainly puts a different spin on things. But what happens now? Do you just... take over? Are we supposed to just bend knee to you, swear allegiance, follow your commands -- just like that?"

There were similar disgruntled murmurings from the rest of the crowd. And Pipp was about to reply, but Sunny put up a hoof. Her wings and horn still glowing, she turned to address the crowd herself.

"That's not what we're here for. We're not here to rule anypony. If anything, we're here to help keep an eye on things, if you'll let us. I'd say the pony tribes should continue to rule themselves, as they have done. My friends and I can act as, well... a kind of a higher court so to speak. Helping sort out differences between the tribes that can't be dealt with any other way."

There was murmuring among the crowd. Some of it sounded positive, almost relieved. Sunny pressed on.

"Because the magic is returning," she said. "And with it, the Equestria that ponies once knew. And that's okay! This is how ponies used to be. It's how ponies should be. Living and working together, just like me and my friends. I know it'll be strange, and hard to get used to. I know that from personal experience, believe me! And too, it may be a little frightening at first." She smiled down at Cinnamon. The small colt was peering nervously around Lady Da's forelegs. In return, he smiled back. "But strange is kind of the new normal now," Sunny went on. "And we're all going to have to get used to it. But I know we can do it. I know we can make this work. We can get there -- together."

She smiled hopefully, at her friends, and at the crowd before her.

Please, she thought. Let me help. Let me help bring it all back.

For a moment, nopony said a word.

Then Lady Da stepped forward. And curtseyed deeply.

"Princess Starscout," she said, simply.

The ponies behind her, nobles and commoners both, blinked in shock. And then hurriedly moved to follow her example.

"Princess!" they shouted, in rising eagerness. "Princess Starscout! Yeah! Long live the Princess!"

"Uh, Sunny?" Hitch said, staring at her. "What's happening?"

Sunny looked at her wings, her horn. They were blazing alight, gleaming with an unearthly radiance -- like the Sun itself, she thought hectically.

And then she was rising into the air, lifted by the growing allegiance of the crowd before her, as they stared up at her in awe. It was like drawing power from the leylines at the stone circle, but also different: this kind of magic she could handle. She felt it gathering, flowing all around her. Her eyes gleamed. Her mane and tail slipped free of the hair-clips and rippled on unseen winds.

And then there was an explosion, and the magic flooded outwards. With her heightened awareness, Sunny felt it reach out to the ruined city, repairing it and restoring it. The broken platforms rose from the plains below, reattaching and healing themselves. The aged, dilapidated towers and dwellings of the city were renewed, glittering and gleaming in the coruscating light. And the magic washed outwards, down the mountain, renewing the land. And upwards too, chasing away the dark clouds from the sky.

And then, then Sunny realized... she knew how to raise the Sun.

Turning gently in midair, she stretched out a forehoof towards it. And with the wishes and dreams of her new subjects supporting her, backing her, giving her the power she needed, she easily lifted the golden orb, up and up and up, until it stood high in the brilliantly blue, cloudless sky.

She had no idea what time it was supposed to be now. So she put the Sun at half-past eleven, because it seemed about right. And gave it just the gentlest push to get it moving on its own again, for the rest of the day at least.

Then she looked down at her friends. "What do you think, gang? Good enough for now?"

"Oh yeah!" Zipp called back, pumping a hoof.

"Yay, Sunny!" Pipp added.

Hitch landed on his rump, staring up open-mouthed.

"Magic!" he gasped.

Izzy glanced at him. "Bing-bong!" she said mischiveously. And then grinned. "Juuuust kidding..."

Later that day, after seemingly endless rounds of introductions to noble ponies and officials and staff and excited citizenry eager to get a glimpse of the new Princess and her court, Sunny and her friends managed to escape to the relative quiet of an upper tower balcony. There they stood, leaning on the stone parapet, looking out on the revitalized landscape.

Below them, Canterlot itself sparkled under the late afternoon sun. Beyond, rolling meadows and cliffs dropped away to the plains below, green with trees and pastureland. And in the distance, across the plains, they saw a small suburban center, with houses and farms, even a windmill.

"That looks like Ponyville," Sunny said, glancing at the map in her journal, which now showed the city of Canterlot by name. "And that," she added, pointing to a distant cloudbank bedecked with rainbows, "looks like Cloudsdale. It's coming back, just like we hoped it would."

"We'll need to go visit them," Pipp said. "See who's there, whether they need any help."

"Pipp and I could fly over to Cloudsdale," Zipp offered. "Be kind of an advance party, let them know we're coming."

Sunny shook her head. "We should all go, together. It'll be better if everypony sees us together as a group. Just like Princess Twilight and her friends. We need to be an example for everypony now."

"Can't just talk the talk," Hitch agreed. "Gotta walk the walk." He noticed the rabbit, standing beside him, striking a determined pose. "Aw geez," he said. Then he shrugged. "Eh, might as well roll with it, I guess." And he struck a pose too, looking sternly proud. The rabbit cheered excitedly, and then fell over backwards in a faint.

Sunny laughed. "You've still got it, Hitch." And then she suddenly looked wistful.

"What is it?" Pipp asked.

"I just realized. We need to let the ponies back home know what's happened. They'll be expecting us back soon."

"They've probably already guessed, from the Sun," Hitch said. "But we can head back, fill them in on the details."

"And I should probably stay here," Sunny said. "There's no end of things for a new Princess to do. Lady Da is kind enough to help, but..." She sighed. "I'm going to miss Maretime Bay. I wish I didn't have to be a Princess so far away from home."

"Then don't be," Zipp said.

"What?"

"Seriously." she shrugged. "Mother always says, a Princess is as a Princess does. If you want to rule Equestria from a lighthouse in Maretime Bay, I'd say that's your call. Let 'em come to you, if they have anything urgent that needs your attention."

"I agree!" Pipp said with a smile. "Somehow, the idea of a Princess ruling from a lighthouse just feels right. After all, we're supposed to be leading the way now, guiding Equestria out of the darkness."

"And," Izzy said, "it'll mean you're that much closer to all of us. When ponies from Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights want to come see you. After all," she added aggressively, "you're our Princess. We saw ya first, honey!"

Sunny smiled and nodded. "Absolutely!"

"Well then," Zipp said. "Who's up for a little exploring? I want to check out the rest of this palace, before we go anywhere else."

"Sunny's palace," Izzy corrected her.

"Our palace," Sunny re-corrected. And motioned for the others to go ahead. "I want to hang out up here for a bit, where nopony official can find me for a while."

The others trotted off willingly, chattering and laughing together. Hitch had finally given in and allowed the rabbit to ride on his back. And Sunny grinned, pleased that she had such wonderful friends.

Then she settled her chin on her hooves on the warm stone of the parapet in front of her.

"We did it," she murmured to herself. "We found Canterlot..."

Indeed... said a voice beside her. A very good first step. But there will be many more challenges ahead.

Sunny turned and stared at the tall, smiling lavender alicorn, suddenly sitting beside her.

"Princess Twilight?"

Twilight nodded. "Princess Starscout," she answered formally. And then settled a comforting forehoof around Sunny's shoulders. "I'm proud of you, Sunny," Twilight went on. "Very proud indeed. You know how to lead your friends, how to be there for them. You know how to reach ponies, in ways that even I had difficulty with at first. And you know how to take on challenges and deal with them. I couldn't have asked for a better successor."

"Thanks." Sunny bit her lip nervously. "Um, Princess Twilight? About that cloud of dark magic, at Ponehenge?"

"That is one of the challenges I mentioned." Twilight nodded. "And its influence will rarely be so obvious. You'll need to be on your guard, from here on."

"And... that other pony I met there? The dark pony? The one who helped us?"

Twilight smiled. "She's an old friend, actually."

"Really? Is she a Princess, like you?"

"In a way. I'm the Princess of Friendship. And she... well, she's the other sort. She calls herself the Princess of War, sometimes. And you can trust her, Sunny. Though she does have her own way of doing things. You'll just have to get used to it."

"But... you could stop her, couldn't you? Aren't you more powerful than she is?"

Twilight shook her head. "You don't understand. She looks after me. She always has. And I suspect right now, she's looking after you as well. Though it may be hard to see at times. It's just how she is."

"Oh. Well, that's a relief. I guess." Sunny sighed.

"What is it?" Twilight asked. Though the look on her face suggested she already knew.

"I'm just worried," Sunny said, "that one day I'll find things have gone too far. That I've landed us in a mess that even I can't find my way out of."

Twilight nodded understandingly. "That's why you have your friends. They can help you. And you'll have me as well, for those times when it all gets a little too much to cope with."

"Thanks." For a while, Sunny stared into the distance, considering.

Then she stared up at the Princess, puzzled.

"Princess Twilight, why do you only appear to me when I'm alone? And not when my friends are around?"

Twilight smiled, amused.

"Because sometimes you need somepony to talk to," she said gently. "And your friends, well..."

She leaned close, whispered in Sunny's ear:

"... they have you."

The End

My Little Pony: A New Generation, its characters and indicia are the property of Hasbro.
No infringement is intended. This story is a work of fan fiction, written by fans for fans of the series.