Day and Night Regained Again

Chapters

Prologue
Getting Ready to Leave
Leaving and Arriving
Rarity and Applejack

Prologue

Sunset Shimmer looked up from her book, sighing softly. She could see the moon clearly, having made sure that the weather team had dispersed all the clouds in the sky for the past week. It was two days before the summer sun celebration, and the young queen had finished all the preparations to send Twilight Sparkle to Ponyville. All she could do now was hope she would succeed in saving the corrupted princess. Closing her eyes, she could feel the imminent ache of raising the sun.

Banishing Celestia- no. Banishing Daybreaker had been hard enough; she didn’t know the power it would take to restore Nightmare Moon to Princess Luna, as the elements hadn’t worked the last time she was in the old castle when she had been desperate to find a way to stop her old teacher.

She had used an old spell that the royal sisters had created as a fail-safe should the elements not work, and it had left its mark on her, ever-growing the more she manipulated the sun and moon. Quite literally.

It had been nearly two decades since she had banished her teacher to the sun, and she had been scouring books to undo the curse that had been cast upon the sisters. But, with Nightmare Moons release in just two days, she was running on borrowed time. The bonds had been weakening over the years, and the stars were moving to aid in her escape.
She glanced down beside the book, where she was finishing a letter.

My Dearest Twilight
I want to send you to Ponyville to oversee the organizing of the Summer Sun Celebration. I know it is very short notice, but I promise this was not a choice made lightly, and I will understand and accept if you do decline as it is such short notice. If you accept, I would be most grateful. It has been twenty years since I had to banish my teacher, so please make sure the event is tasteful and honors her so. And please,
Go to bed.
Queen Solaria

She signed the letter with a flourish of her quill, rolling it and tying a ribbon with Twilights sigil around it. The queen couldn’t tell her student the true reason for being sent to Ponyville. The elements needed a reason to come out; they chose the bearers, not the other way around.

Yes, Sunset was manipulating them a teeny bit, but Twilight would be ignorant until she realized they could save the cursed princess. Then, her intents would be pure, and she believed that her student would be able to find the other bearers.
It was all Sunset could do. She had spent years trying to find a way, and this was all she had to show for it.

Hope.

A quick burst of magic and the letter was gone, and she knew Spike would deliver it, her diligent student still up and reading. The faint light in her student’s tower went out a few minutes later, and she could just barely see the shadows moving in the lanterns.

With a sigh, she pushed herself up to her hooves. The hardest part of Celestia being gone was how out of wack the day and night had become. She did not have the strength to raise the sun and moon each day; it was simply not possible. She was an alicorn of fire and war. The sun nor moon was hers to command with ease, though her cutie mark showed otherwise. It was now week to week, and she could only thank the old gods and that there were enough unicorns that could support her every week and that they had been able to grow Sunflowers.

They captured the sun’s light to shine on the fields to help the plants grow and to help in keeping the ponies as happy as possible during the weekly nights. While many had criticized her and called her weak for her lack of magic to raise the sun and moon, she was able to keep power with her other strengths, easily defending the country from outside forces, and it had been enough to gain her citizens trust back.

She could only pray that Luna could be saved, that the world could get back to normal. So many of Equestria’s unicorns had tried to raise the sun on their own, and many had died or broken their horns doing so. Sunset had her specialized team to aid in raising and lowering the sun and moon, but she shouldered the bulk of it alone. The moon would remain high in the sky until the Summer Sun Celebration, where she would not have to raise the sun. Hopefully, it would be Princess Luna’s turn.

Hopefully, the pain could stop.

Author's Note

So, Sunset Shimmer will be referred to as Solaria in any other chapter that isn't her POV. I do apologize in advance, but don't expect any consistency in updates, between work-work and other literature works I'm doing this, which is more of a 'for fun and creativity' work!
you can check my tumblr, Instagram, and deviantart with the same username name for character refs and art, along with my tik-tok for a bit more lore.

Queen Solaria:
https://www.deviantart.com/pandorarama/art/Queen-Sunset-Solaria-Shimmer-897951032

Getting Ready to Leave

Twilight Sparkle hummed to herself as she sifted through her books, mumbling the titles to herself as she decided what she wanted to bring and what she would leave to read later. Spike was bustling behind her, packing the more essential things and finalizing the details for their trip.

He had given her an ‘i told you so’ expression when Queen Solaria’s letter had come through but had accepted her apology gracefully. He was so loyal that he had stayed up with her, and she had felt guilty at the bags under his eyes.
Spike was just a baby dragon after all, and he had cuddled up close to her when she finally turned off the lanterns, quickly finding their way through the dark tower to bed. With Equestria shrouded in darkness for half the weeks of the year, one had to learn how to maneuver in the dark. The SunFlowers were only to be used for food growing, and lanterns only lasted so long.

While packing, they were on now, and the Moonlamps were illuminating the streets as the ponies bustled along.

“Spike, have you seen my ‘Guide to lesser-known Everfree Creatures’? If we’re heading to Ponyville, we should have it on hand.”

“You let Starlight remember? She wanted to compare it to some old recon papers she found.” He tried dragging over one of their packed bags, and she levitated it over to the rest of the pile.

"Well, let's go say goodbye to her while grabbing the book."

He scampered over and hopped onto her back as she trotted down the stairs and out the door, letting the flowers guide her to the library. She nodded to the other passing students but glared at some who stared too long at Spike.

You’d think after ten years, everyone would be used to him, even if he was the only dragon here.

The trip to the library was quick, the doors wide open as many entered and left. She hummed another ditty as the pair passed by some more ponies.

“Hi Starlight!” The unicorn mare lifted her head and smiled, waving a hoof at the pair.

“Sorry this is such short notice, but Queen Solaria is sending to Ponyville for the uh… thingy that coming up.” Starlights Glimmer’s grin grew strained but was no less genuine. Anypony who lived in Canterlot knew Starlight Glimmer’s sad tale. Chosen as a young filly to become Queen Celestia’s newest student, she had been in the firing line when Celestia had turned to Daybreaker. They had been young friends at the time, and she remembered sitting by her friend’s bedside as she healed and watching her mane turn white as they walked the streets of Canterlot. Both her and Sunburst had warded of more than one less than well-meaning pony, and Queen Solaria had backed them up when others complained.

“Anyway, I was looking for the ‘Guide to lesser-known Everfree Creatures’ that I leant you since the Everfree forest is just outside of the town.” Starlight nodded, tilting her head behind the desk and walking off, Twilight following closely. As they moved further away from the crowd and towards Starlight’s office, she let out a sigh as the door closed.

“Just a sec Twi, I have your book here somewhere.” Books and papers flew around the office before settling into neat piles, an old book floating towards her.

“Here you go. I’ll be closing the library for the next few days to cope, so you can borrow any books that you need without signing them out; I trust you.” Warmth pooled in her chest as her younger friend beamed, adjusting her cloak, and carefully organizing her mane back over her scar.

“Perfect, I’ll make sure to write down what I borrowed and send you a check-up letter once I’m settled.” A pause. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?

Starlight shook her head, rearranging some of the moonlamps.

“Sunburst is going to check on me after the sun is risen, and I’ll wait for your letter.”

“All right Star. I’ll be on my way, but make sure to let me know how you’re feeling.” It was hard to gauge Starlight’s mood during the Summer Sun Celebration. Some years she was okay, others she needed to be left alone, and some years she couldn’t. She’d been better since she was a filly, but there were still bad years.

“Alrighty, I’ll see you later Star.” Twilight flicked her tail in goodbye, Spike waving as she trotted out of the office and towards where the royal carriage was waiting to take her to Ponyville.

Starlight Glimmer couldn’t help the frown that overtook her face. Of course, none of her friends were stupid, but between everyone preparing for… it, no one had remembered that it had been a thousand years since the banishment of princess Luna, and her spell would be wearing off, and Nightmare Moon would escape.

Queen Solaria was very clearly manipulating it so that Twilight and six other ponies could use the elements and save princess Luna. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure on how she felt about it, as the whole alicorn business had left a bad taste in her mouth.

But Equestria’s queen was weakening, and if Luna could be saved, then the lunar and solar cycles would return to normal. So much of the younger generation had lived like this for their entire lives. They never knew what it was like to have the sun and moon rise and lower each day.

Starlight Glimmer was tired and very scared at this time of year, and she just wanted to nap for a few days but smiled as Sunburst stood at the door as she locked them.

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired Sunburst. Twilights sending me a letter once she gets to Ponyville, and I’ll send word when the libraries open again,
okay?” Sunburst gently nudged against her with a gentle smile, and she gave one back.

She’d be okay.

Author's Note

I'm not super happy with it, but here it is.

Leaving and Arriving

“Sunburst!” The unicorn stallion stopped in his tracks, waiting for the purple mare to catch up. He could tell she had run through the streets from the library, not even winded from the trek she made frequently. Twilight Sparkle was one of the strongest unicorns he knew of, surpassing every student in the school and rivaling the Solar’s and Lunar’s magical capabilities. And that was her magical abilities, not even including her physical prowess.

Unlike the other top students, though, she could care less. All she cared about was getting strong enough to defend her friends and families from the threats that lingered along the borders.

He never understood why she didn’t join the royal guard until he finally asked.

“The royal guard doesn’t have access to the restricted records.”

“Neither do you.”

“Solaria gives me the books, so close enough.”

“Twilight, Spike.” The small dragon waived, shifting on the unicorn’s back. Sunburst tilted his head slightly, waiting for her to speak.

“I just wanted to give you a heads up; I’m leaving Canterlot to go help with the summer sun celebration in Ponyville.” That had Sunburst raising an eyebrow.

His sister had been devastated the most by Princess Celestia’s corruption and had taken the mantle of Queen with a heavy heart. He was the only one who still called her any version of her old name, and he knew it meant the world to her. The powerful unicorn Sunset Shimmer took her new name as Princess Solaria and was forced to banish her teacher a few days later.

But she had always presided over the ceremony, no matter where. She would carefully select a powerful group of guards to watch over Canterlot for the day or so she would be gone.

“Did she say why?” She probably hadn’t.

“She didn’t, but I think it’s because of last year….” Frowning, Sunburst couldn’t help the spark of ire. Last year had been bad for Starlight as some of the newer students had decided to play a prank on her, causing her to lash out and her magic to go out of control. While his older sister had yelled and disciplined the students, some of their parents had felt it was all Starlight’s fault and had threatened to pull funding. When they had, both he and Twilight had spent weeks getting enough funds to replace the loss and had secretly made a spell that would make bits.

Essentially, they had told the nobles fuck you with smug grins when they showed the Queen the funds.

“I don’t think it’s because of Starlight specifically, but more to keep the morons from doing anything stupid or some revenge by the parents.” He doubted it, but he’d let Twilight believe it for now.

“I just told visited her and told her we were leaving. Two Night Guards are all set to take us to Ponyville, and we’ll write you both once we get there. It’s only an hour or so by carriage, and I’ll make sure to send it before we get into the preparations, right Spike?” Thank Solaria for Spike. He had kept Twilight sane and focused on her studies, a reminder that she had to take breaks to care for someone and teach him how to read, write, and so much more.

“Well, as long as he’s with you, everything should go smoothly.” She scowled, and Spike giggled before she flicked her left ear just enough that he felt the meaning, and Sunburst laughed. The loud chiming of clock bells interrupted them, and they both looked towards the Wizards Tower.

“Ah, shi-oot. I’ve got to go Sunburst.” Always ever cautious with her cursing in front of the dragon.

“I’ll make sure she writes.” Sunburst stifled a snort, but Twilight ignored it, instead choosing to make sure Spike had a grip in her mane before galloping off towards the Airship Pier. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh as she left, shaking his head and changing his course towards the library.

Most of Canterlot knew to leave him alone when they saw him heading in that direction, aware he would be lost in thought.

While Starlight had suffered the most from Celestia’s corruption, Sunburst had also suffered in his own way. He missed his older sister, who would entertain a trio of foals with small party tricks while teaching him to levitate small objects and cast basic spells. He hated that he only saw her now was in royal meetings or the increasingly rare family visits.

He hated that she became an alicorn and a queen.

He hated Solaria.

Shaking off the thoughts, he picked up the pace. He would make sure his friend was okay before she closed up the library and see if Sunset could spare him a moment.

Oh, he guessed if Solaria could.

“… And we’ve arrived no problem thanks to Comet Fall and Fairy Light.” Both the Night Guards seemed a bit shocked that she remembered their names.

Please.

She could recite the entire History of Equestria, The Creation History of several high-class spells, and all the authors in the Canterlot library. She could remember the names of two Night Guards Solaria had assigned to her on multiple occasions.

“Eveningly yours, Twilight Sparkle.” The scratching of Spike quill stopped snd she levitated a ribbon with Starlights Cutie Mark over to him. Then, with a quick breath of flame, the smoke twirled towards Canterlot, and she bowed her head.

“Thank you for the safe travel. Please, have a lovely Summer Sun.” They bowed their heads in return.

“Of course, Lady Twilight.”

“You as well, Lady Twilight.” They charged down the dirt road; wings flared as they flapped and lifted them into the sky. She watched them go before turning to look down towards the purple dragon.

“Alrighty then Spike, where are we staying for the next few days?” She leaned down, and he hopped onto her back, settling himself.

“A place called the Golden Oakes Library, near the center of Ponyvillle. We’ll get settled in tonight and meet the party planner tomorrow. She’s a pink earth pony called Pinkie pie, and her cutie mark is three balloons.” Spike read from the list as she trotted her way to the tree that overlooked the town, lanterns lit and fireflies floating around it.

“Perfect. I’ll get some information on the town’s history and any other Summer Sun Celebrations they hosted and compare it to ones they hold in Canterlot. Anyplace you want to stop at while we’re here?” Spike shrugged his shoulders, curling further into her mane.

“Not really, but maybe I’ll find something in the books.” Twilight slowed her pace as she saw somepony standing by the library door and looked her over. The mare was light tan with a light grey mane and a necktie with glasses. The pony’s eyes widened before she smiled, and Twilight went over the spells she knew in her mind.

“You must be Lady Twilight Sparkle. My name is Mayor Mare, and I’m pleased to meet you.” She internally winced at the title and forced a smile onto her face.

“Please, call me Twilight. I have to deal with the Lady title in Canterlot enough as it is.” She tried to keep the conversation light while they both bowed their head.

“Alright…” The mayor seemed hesitant to do so but instead turned towards the door and pushed down on the doorknob, opening the entrance to the lit library.

“Wow…” She analyzed the whole building, eyeing the bedroom on the top floor, the doors leading to the balcony, and could feel the excitement building inside her. Spike hopped off her back, looking over his surroundings, albeit more relaxed and calmly. The floating bags were set on the floor, out of the way so that nopony would trip on them.

“I’m sorry it’s not the same as the one in Canterlot.” The earth pony rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, fidgeting in place the more the unicorn darted back and forth.

“No… this is perfect. This is paradise.” Twilight was starstruck with the library, nearly squealing and giggling in euphoria. Spike looked over to Mayor Mare, voice dry and deadpan, with the tiniest tilt of humor.

“She used to sleep in the library as a filly. Queen Solaria usually had to carry her to bed.” The unicorn sputtered, squawking out his name.

“Spike!” He giggled and climbed up the stairs to the bed, crawling along the ledges to Twilight’s fretting. Eventually, she levitated him back down to her side, relaxing as he huffed in annoyance.

“Well, I am glad you like this little slice of paradise. Your room is cordoned off from the main floor, and the keys are on the bedside table. Typically us ponies wandered in whenever we needed a book, but you can change that if needed, although I wouldn’t expect too much traffic while the Summer Sun Celebration is going on.” Twilight had to resist the urge to watch the curious purple dragon, trying to give him more freedom while in a safe building.

It was safe; hewas safe.

“Do you have a list of the books in the library?”

“There are some in the table over there.” Twilight couldn’t help but squeal, hopping from hoof to hoof while giggling. Spike looked over at the mayor from the aforementioned table.

“Don’t mind her. Books are her second favorite thing in the world.” That had Mayor Mare arching a brow, unable to contain her curiosity.

“What’s her favorite?” The purple dragon gave a bright smile, tilting his head slightly.

“Me.” Twilight cleared her throat, blushing softly as she relaxed.

“Sorry, just lost my composure for a moment there. Thank you, Mayor Mare, for your hospitality. I’ll make sure to the library justice while I’m here.” She stood tall and proud the same way her brother did, ears pricked forward and legs straight. The earth pony smiled, soft and kind despite the bags under her eyes.

“And thank you for helping to honor Celestia so. I know she isn’t the most well-loved pony she used to be, but as you can tell, she was my princess longer than Solaria was my Queen.” Twilight had very mixed feelings about Princess Celestia. On one hoof, she had physically and mentally scarred her and her best friend and had destroyed a large part of Canterlot.

On the other hoof, she remembered meeting her as a filly while visiting Sunburst’s older sister, when she was still a unicorn, and when Celestia chose Starlight to be her student. And that, honestly, it was Daybreaker that had hurt them.

Any jealousy she had felt had died the day Celestia had turned

Watching her raise the sun, the warm smiles she gave as she watched over them one sunny afternoon as they practiced magic in the Canterlot gardens, a younger Sunset Shimmer

“Daybreaker hurt my friend and me badly, as you can tell.” She flicked her tail towards the worst of her burns. “But Princess Celestia was someone I met who was kind and humored us as young fillies and colts trying to do magic. It’s… it’s complicated.” Mayor Mare blinked at her before sighing softly, something sad and nostalgic.

“I was glad when Solaria turned the celebration into Memoriam. Outside of Canterlot, none of the other areas in equestrian suffered at all. It was much harder for us to recognize her as Queen and deal with Celestia being gone, along with the obvious change in night and day cycles. Most, if not all of your generation and the youngers adjusted so easily, but… ah, I’m rambling. I just wanted to express my gratitude for your work. You must have more important things to attend to. Please visit City Hall if you need anything, and I’ll make sure Pinkie Pie meets you here. Does noon work?”

“Of course. And Mayor Mare, to be honest, what is the view of Queen Solaria here like?” But, first, she had to know how much would she have to watch her step?

“Some of the older folk don’t like her very much, but I have told them to watch their tongues while you’re here. They’ll treat you well, and everything should go smoothly.” Although Twilight had to admit, she was worried that they would try to make it challenging to try and honor the late princess and came to a realization that she should have had years ago.

Daybreaker had never made it out of Canterlot. All that the ponies outside of the city would have known was that their beloved Princess was banished to the sun a few days after a new alicorn was coronated. She had been too young to understand how far it all went, but she did know it had taken years to smooth things over.

“I won’t speak ill of Celestia.” At least while she was here.

“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. Well, that got a bit heavy there, but I’ll let you get settled in and rested up for tomorrow. Good night.” With a wave of her hoof goodbye, the earth pony left the unicorn to her devices, who was quick to levitate out their belongings for the few days they would be here.

“All right, Spike, let’s go through those lists and find anything relevant to Celestia and the Summer Sun Celebration. Just copy them down while I quickly check how organized the library is..” She pulled out a few random books to try and see how the previous librarian had organized them.

…which wasn’t very well.

Twilight began pulling them all out, sorting them into piles by genre and then by author. While there were quite a few books to go through, she recognized most of them and was able to sort them quickly within the hour, and then moved on the alphabetizing it all. They worked in silence for a few hours, as she glanced over at the clock every so often to make sure that it wasn’t too late for Spike.

“Um, Twilight? I think I found a book you might want to take a look at.” Twilight looked over her shoulder at the young dragon, who sat in front of a hefty open tome. She levitated the book over, reading over the page, and promptly dropped the book.

“Oh shit.” She gasped, covering her mouth with her hoof before pointing at him.

“Don’t repeat that word.” Spike nodded, glancing back down at the page titled Nightmare Moon.

…The Princess Serenia Luna Astoria mia Nova grew jealous of her older sister, turning into the corrupted alicorn and taking on the name Nightmare Moon. While Princess Dawnerri Celestia nora Suphera has told the populace that Nightmare Moon will never return, she has told me the truth. That in a thousand summer sun celebrations, she will return. I and the pillars will be long gone, and we can only pray that the new bearers of the elements of harmony will be enough to save her.

I hope that they will succeed where I have failed the youngest princess.

Starswirl the Beared

Author's Note

So some slight cursing, but we're getting some actual plot!

Rarity and Applejack

A bad habit Twilight never grew out of was pacing. As a filly, she would lose hours in her thoughts, wearing a trail into the hallway of their home, muttering to herself over and over about what she could have done better, what she couldn't do next time.

This wasn’t like that.

This was worse.

The book she found had her filled with pure cold terror. Everyone knew the story of Nightmare Moon, the unfeeling monster that had warped the beloved Princess Luna, had pulled her into the darkness she had stood against for all creatures.

Many wondered, had the same darkness warped their beloved queen?

She shook off the thoughts, glancing up at Spike where he lay sleeping in the massive bed, blankets tucked tight around him. He had started yawning a few hours ago, and she had herded him off to bed, promising only to be up just a little longer…

But she couldn't stop thinking.

And the stars will aid in her escape…

She couldn't be planning the Summer Sun Celebration now; she had to be researching! She had to go through every book she could find to track down a way to stop the evil alicorn.

But…

Twilight had seen the plans Queen Solaria had made in case of invasions or the return of enemies that the sisters had banished. She had known her teacher to be even worse than her in staying up late and planning, going days without sleep. Did her teacher not trust her? Or was there more going on at play? Was there a more elaborate plan relying on the celebration's success?

…All this thinking was giving her a headache.

The purple unicorn took a deep breath, trotting up the stairs to ease beside the snoozing dragon, pulling the blanket over herself with a sigh.

She would think it over more in the morning.

One thing she found odd about Spike was that he liked to bake.

Not that it was odd in a bad way! It was just that she knew that he had lost out on a lot of typical dragon experiences when Solaria had found his egg in her teacher's treasure room. She felt guilty, although it was something her therapist had told her was out of her control.

You were fifteen when you were given the egg Twilight. Even though you did act older than your age, you were still a child.
You didn’t know better. The adults should have.

Twilight could admit she had never really had much of a childhood. After Celestia’s fall, the discovery and her hatching of the egg, she was forced to grow up far too quickly. It was like a switch had flipped, and she was outpacing her peers and taking on more and more studies and tasks that she could barely keep up with. Some days, she wished she had a chance to have been a filly, but she couldn't bring herself to dwell on it too much. Even with all her trials, she was genuinely happy. She had a fantastic teacher, close friends and a wonderful son.

She wouldn't trade it for anything.

And as long as you are happy and healthy, that's what matters, Twilight.

Twilight blinked blearily at the tower of pancakes that tilted before her, looking around them to look at the happy dragon.

“... I don't think that's enough pancakes Spike.”

“Twi!” Hw whined, pouting.

“I'm teasing Spike.” She laughed, pulling him close with her tail. He cuddled up as she unevenly split the stack, sprinkling crushed gems over his own as they both dug in.

With her lifestyle, Twilight could pack away more food than most ponies expected, and as a growing dragon Spike almost came close enough to match her.

He would eventually, but for now, she won.

Of course, it was still dark when they left, early enough in the ‘day’ that only the shop owners were starting to get ready to open. The streets were empty as she trotted down them, heading towards an open field that overlooked the rest of Equestria, one that reviewers had written about in multiple tourism pamphlets. A temporary stadium had been built just for the raising of the sun, the area carefully constructed with grown trees.

That spoke of powerful magic.

And glancing around the outdoor setup, Twilight couldn’t help but feel impressed.

It was lavish but not overdone like some of the parties she had attended in Canterlot. Still fit for a Queen.

Bows and ribbons adorned the pillars, fabrics that glowed in the moonlight and would glimmer once the sun rose. Streamers connected the trees with delicate fabric flowers mixing with actual ones, the roots weaving into a strong stage. This was the Summer Sun Celebration, a thousand years since the banishment of Princess Luna.

Princess Luna…
Nightmare Moon…

Twilight could barely remember what it was like, when day and night were cycled; she knew that Starlight and Sunburst had younger siblings that had no idea what that was like, born after the fall of Celestia. Not to mention the little ones she had seen running around the town, who would fall into the same category.

She missed being able to wake up to the sun pouring through her windows, not having to close all the window shutters tight to get a decent night's rest, stumbling in the dark for a week.

Spike snoozed on her back, curled up close to the heating sigil tattooed on her back. It only warmed when the baby dragon was close to it, a way to keep him necessary as Equestria was not near as hot as the Dragon Lands.

Winter nights were brutal for him, and she always made sure to bundle him up nice and warm. However, the summer heat was lovely, so it wasn’t too bad for him.

“Oh, hello darlings!” She jerked at the voice, watching as a unicorn finished tying some ribbons. An earth pony stood just a few feet behind her, watching the two of them. She glanced at the dragon on her back, and Twilight turned herself slightly to hide him.

Unfortunately, the jostling woke him, and he stretched out along her back, spreading his wings and poking his head around. He squeaked and jerked his head back, and the unicorn waved, the earth pony arching a brow in evident amusement.

“Hello there. My name is Lady Twilight Sparkle, envoy of Queen Solaria.” The pair exchanged glances before they leaned into a bow, speaking in unison.

“Welcome, Lady Twilight Sparkle.”

“Thank you.” She bowed in response before glancing at the bannisters and the decorated balcony.

“Everything looks gorgeous; I can’t wait to see it all in the sunlight.”

“Ah, I’m sure it's not as extravagant as what you’re used to in Canterlot.” The unicorn spoke first, keeping her head high and proud as though she was waiting for mind games.

While Twilight could respect being prepared, she had no patience for it.

“That’s what makes it so gorgeous. Everything there is overdone to the point it's almost tasteless. You’ve exchanged quantity for quality, using spun dawn and moon shimmer to work day and night and several hypoallergenic flowers to keep everyone from sneezing. The pillows are of high quality and placed expertly for the younger ponies to rest on. It's perfect..”
The unicorn's grey muzzle had turned red, blushing as she glanced down shyly at the ground. The earth pony let out a laugh, loud and strong, as she approached.

“See, I told you Rarity, everything is great. You had nothing to worry about.” The earth pony grinned, nudging the still blushing Rarity.

“Names Applejack, Lady Twilight Sparkle.”

“Please, just Twilight. We all know the title is going to get old, fast. It’s a pleasure to meet the both of you, Applejack, Rarity.” The unicorn cleared her throat before shaking off her blush.

“Yes, the pleasure is all ours, Twilight. I, I must thank you for your compliments.” She felt Spike shift to peek out again and, while cautious, let him peek and let the two ponies look at him.

“This is Spike. He’s my son.” She could see the gears stop in their minds for a second before starting up again. She appreciated the way they took it in stride, both bowing their heads to the dragon.

“It’s nice to meet you Spike.” They spoke again in tandem, and she felt him perk up.

“H-hello, Rarity, Applejack.” Twilight could hear the start of a squeal that both ponies managed to choke down. Applejack leaned close to Rarity and whispered something Twilight couldn’t catch, and the unicorn nodded, heading back towards the stage with some of the fabrics. Twilight watched her walk away, feeling as though she had seen her somewhere before but turned back as the bigger mare cleared her throat. There was an odd look on her face, but a false smile covered it.
Twilight felt her ears prick back slightly.

“You must run the apple farm?”

“Only the best far this side of Equestria. I have to head back and grab some more supplies; I’ll take you there so you can look over the food preparations. I have to admit everyone’s been abuzz about your arrival.” Brushing off her hesitation, she followed Applejack along a well-worn path, feeling magic crackle in her horn gently and silently. If she needed to defend herself, she would.

“I know it's both good and bad. I won't try to pretend otherwise.” But it seemed talking was her best defence.

“Yeah, some of the older family have never really adapted to Queen Solaria, my grandmother included.” The road turned to an apple orchard.

“I figured. The same queen for thousands of years, and suddenly she’s been banished a few days after a new alicorn ascends? Some of our own elders still struggle, and they were there when she attacked.” That had Applejack stumbling slightly before she leaned in a little bit.

“Applejack!” An earth pony ran from the barn, nearly as tall as Twilight, and it startled her. She was a younger pony and did not yet quite have the build of the larger earth mare. She came to a sliding halt as she noticed the unicorn.

“Whossat?”

“This is Twilight Sparkle Apple Bloom, she’s come all the way from Canterlot, so I expect you to mind your manners. Don’t be overkill now, but don’t be rude; treat her like you do everyone else in Ponyville, you hear?” Her tone was firm but not cold, similar to how her brother would talk to her.

“Course I’ll be on my best behaviour; I ain’t a foal, you know.” She then cleared her throat and turned towards the purple mare.

“Tis a pleasure to meet ya, miss Twilight. Mah name’s Apple Bloom. I’m Applejack's little sister.”

“Hello Applebloom; it's a pleasure to meet you. This is Spike, my son.” Green eyes peek out from where he hid in her mane.

“H-hello.” Applebloom didn’t miss a beat.

“Hiya Spike, a pleasure to meet ya as well!” She looked back up at her sister.

“Want me to give the fam a little warnin?”

“Tell them to be nice and not overdo it, Spikes a little shy. We’ll show ‘em some honest apple family hospitality.” With a nod, she took off towards the farm, the pair she left behind making their way towards the farm.

“We’re a bit loud, but we all mean well. You meet the whole family, but Applebloom, Big Mac and Granny Smith are mine. You got any siblings?”

“An older brother, Shining Armour, he’s a teacher back home; he has taught any guard worth their salt. I don’t get to see him often, and my parents travel for work more now that we’re grown.”

“Must be a bit lonely.”

“Not really. If anything good came of the whole Daybreaker, it's that Canterlot is more united as a whole. Some nobles still try to cling to the division but more and more of ignoring it and being friends with whoever. Nothing brings a community together like trauma, Y’know?” It seemed she did, as Applejack hummed in agreement as they passed under the worn arch well that proudly stated

Apple Family Farm

“If ah may ask, what happened?”

Twilight stopped in her tracks, taking a deep breath and pointed at her eye.

“She killed several ponies in her rampage and nearly killed my best friend. I have so much unresolved trauma because she used to teach us silly little spells in the Canterlot garden. The next thing we know, we were attending the coronation ceremony of my friend's older sister, and then the day and night were weeks each, and I had to attend more funerals than I care to think of, and for a solid two days my parents didn’t know if I was dead or alive.” Taking a deep breath, she continued.

“I know Daybreaker did not make it out of Canterlot. However, it does not invalidate the suffering she caused us. Do you know that scars are now considered a fashion trend in Canterlot? You’d be hard-pressed to find any pony over 20 without several.” The taller mare let her head dip, ears pricked back.

“Sorry, that was a bit rude. I know she meant a lot to the outer cities and towns.”

“No, no, it's fair. It’s better to know this stuff now than misstep later.” She felt Spike press closer to her back, hiding in her mane.

“True. Anything I shouldn’t say at the farm.”

“Just don’t talk poorly of Celestia. I’ll keep granny in line with her comments, but the rest of the family is fairly easygoin.”

The sunflowers were softly glowing as it was still early morning, but they lit up the way well enough.

She had never been up close to the large flowers, never getting the chance while living in Canterlot, but she was in awe. The apple trees were enormous, nearly twice the size of Applejack, and the Sunflowers towered over them.

“You ain’t seen a Sunflower before?”

“Not ones these big. But we have some Moonlamps that almost get this big in the party district.”

An arched brow.

“The party district?”

“Yep, one week on, one week off. Just far enough not to be a noise-“ Something hit her in the face. It was mushy and tasted delicious. It fell off her face, and she looked down, seeing a smushed pie, and looked up to faces with varying degrees of horror.

“Oh, Celestia, I am so sorry, miss.” An accent she placed to be from Manehatten stuttered out, and she could see a younger pony’s hoofed finished it what she assumed to be a throw. Applebloom looked as though she had dodged out the way, and her expression was struck in terror.

Some fillings dripped from her horn to land on the ground with a plop.

“Oh Lordy Twilight, I am so sorry, I can’t even begin to apologize-“

“No, no, it's okay. If I missed dodging a pie thrown at me, I deserved it. My brother will laugh at me for ages once he hears this. But ah-,” she squinted her eye to avoid it dripping into it.

“Could I have a napkin?”

A pale golden-coloured stallion stepped forward quickly with a towel in hand, and she wiped off her face, handing it back as he reached out a hoof again.

“I would like to try a piece of it normally, though, as it was delicious.” She gave a closed-eye smile that she had been told on more than one occasion was great for getting ponies to relax, and she felt the tense atmosphere ease up.

“I am so sorry Miss Twilight,” The pie thrower approached with Applebloom in tow, both looking shamefully at the ground.

“It’s alright; it was an accident.”

“That bein said, the two of you should know better than to start throwing food around, especially when they’ve worked so hard to get everything ready for the summer sun celebration.” They both looked abashed, and voice soft, Twilight spoke up.

“May I ask your name?”

“Course ma'am, my names Babs Seed, all the way from Manehatten.”

“Oh, you Sugar Sap’s cousin! She always talks about you in our study groups, but I never got a chance to ask what you look like.”

Her eyes sparkled, and she perked up, stepping closer.

“She talks about me?”

“All the time. She says you got a talent for styling hair, says she can’t do it justice.” Those seemed to be the right words as she giggled softly to herself, and the whole relaxed, several of the adults coming a bit closer-

And then stopped, all eyes locked onto the tiny dragon perched on her back.

“This is Spike y’all. He’s around the same age as our younguns, so treat him nice ya hear?” It was clear who was in charge of the Apple Family, as they were all quick to adjust their expressions. Spike carefully lowered himself to the floor, twisting his claws together.

“H-hello”

A Squeal.

“Oh, sugar bits, he is just so cute!”

“Whoa, look at the wings!”

“He’s so cool!” They didn’t rush him, and he preened at the attention, occasionally glancing back at her as she tried a few of the desserts the family had prepared.

Throughout it all, she was aware of the green matriarch watching them.

She couldn’t please everyone, and so long as Applejack was fine with her, she was okay with that.

“Pinkie Pie mentioned meeting you at the library at noon; we’re almost past 11. I’ll take the supplies to Rarity and drop you off on the way.”Nodding, Twilight kneeled to let the dragon crawl onto her back. A larger red earth pony placed two newly filled buckets on the earth mare's back, Applejack not flinching under the weight. She turned back towards her family, eyeing the rambunctious youngsters.

“Alrighty, everyone, I’ll meet ya’ll at the celebration tonight, be on time, ya hear?”

“Eeyup,” and the family returned to their preparations like a well-oiled machine.

“C’mon, Twi; I’ll take you to Pinkie’s first.” It was two of Twilight's steps to each of Applejack’s, although the unicorn brushed off her offer to slow down. It seemed whatever had ticked off the earth pony before had passed, and she would leave it be.