"Now you three step out." Celestia stepped aside to let her faithful student and family walk into position at the front of the stairs leading down into the entrance hall. While the announcement was planned to be held on the stage in the main hall, workers were still setting up for the gala. "Then it's time for your speech."

"Ahem, citizens of Equestria..." Twilight smiled up to Celestia. "Sounds simple enough."

"Once your speech is finished, you proceed down the stairs to the left for interviews with anypony who wants to ask questions. Please try to answer a few of the more pressing ones before dispersing to have your fun."

"I'll try to answer honestly, but no guarantees." Duskwing chuckled, getting cut-off by a yawn. "Where's the snack table being set up?"

"Twilight, would you mind showing him to the main hall for this year's gala?"

"No problem." She trotted off with her fiance giving Celestia and Somnia an opportunity to talk alone.

"What is on your hoof?" Celestia leaned down to the filly, examining the small metal device.

"I'm not going anywhere without some form of protection, even if I have my Queen's Guard around." She defiantly proclaimed.

"You're going to be safe here, there's been no threats since the Equestria Games, and there are going to be nearly half the castle guard in addition to your own." Celestia shook her head, straightening back up. "At least it blends in well enough with your gala dress."

"I'm not taking chances." She reiterated, casting her vision around the spacious entrance hall of the castle. The floor had a checkerboard pattern interrupted by the red carpet that stretched from the entrance to fork to either side and up the stairs they currently stood on, a golden star present at the crossing. "Who's coming tonight?"

"Nobles, prominent ponies who ordered ahead of time, a few former students of mine, the Wonderbolts. Pretty much everypony who's available and of note near to Canterlot." The regal sister sighed. "I've been wondering. What happened between you and Discord?"

"He hurt ponies close to me. I'm going to tell you this now so it doesn't come as a surprise," she turned up to Celestia, a serious frown on her face, "I'm going to kill him when I'm older."

"Discord has assisted us dealing with threats in the past, I'm certain that won't be necessary. My mother believed that even a soul as irredeemable as him could be redeemed with enough effort." Celestia glared back.

"You don't understand what is necessary. I took an oath to serve Life and Reality, and he is a threat to both. There's no room for monsters like him. Maybe Fae subscribed to our grandma's perspective, but I don't."

"Just try not to make a scene tonight." Celestia stood tall, casting her own view of the entrance hall. "I don't want to have to explain why Equestria's youngest princess holds a grudge with a reformed villain. Try to act cordially, if only for Equestria's sake."

"I make no promises."

"Oh, your first Grand Galloping Gala! The excitement, the anticipation!" Rarity gave a contented sigh as she finished up with Sweetie Belle's mane. "I wouldn't miss this for all the jewels in Equestria!"

"We're going to the Gala! We're going to the Gala! We're going to the Gala!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hopped up and down while they chanted next to Rarity, the fashionista finishing her work on Scootaloo after she managed to mess up her mane, getting frustrated by their movement that only worsened it.

"Come on, Apple Bloom. I wanna see it!" Nightwind moaned against the wall next to the changing area. He had already been dressed in his suit, mane combed and gelled into something formal, ready for the train ride to Canterlot. Carousel Boutique was a bit too fancy for his liking, and his own suit matched his gripes about events like the Grand Galloping Gala: Too formal. Still, he was going to support his marefriend, and she IS excited for it.

"Alright, y'all, keep it down." Applejack turned her attention from the card game against Rainbow Dash across the room from the viewing stage. "It ain't like it's a life-changin' experience of nothiiiiing..." Her words trailed off as Apple Bloom pushed open the curtains, revealing herself in her gala dress of varying shades of orange, sporting an orange flower in her mane and on her front.

"Whadda think?" The yellow and red earth pony asked her date as she stood in front of the changing room curtains.

"You look nice." Nightwind trotted over to her, circling around her as he checked her out. "Really nice!"

"Thanks, ya ol' charmer." She playfully booped him on the pass back before heading over to her friends atop the viewing stage.

"This is gonna be the best night ever!" The three crusaders declared, shortly before noticing one of the mirrors changing to a large yellow eye. Each hopped down screaming, huddling at their respective sister.

The mirror shrunk to reveal a mismatched creature of different parts. They slithered through the air over to Applejack and Apple Bloom, but not before Nightwind jumped in front. "D-Don't get any c-closer!"

"Move aside, Prince Moonbell." He easily pushed the colt to the side, moving up to Applejack. "I don't suppose that, uh, these adorable little cutie pies have their own tickets to the Gross Gruesome Gala, do they?" He smiled to Applejack while Apple Bloom blew her tongue out at him.

"Ahem!" Rarity got his attention. "To answer your rather rude question, they're going as our dates, our plus-ones."

"We're plus-ones!" Sweetie gathered up with the rest of the crusaders who kept the chanting going. "We're plus ones! We're plus ones!"

"Yes, yes, yes, I believe I got that." The creature annoyedly responded, snapping their fingers and disappearing with a flash.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash declared absently slamming down her cards.

From against the wall next to the changing room, Nightwind blinked a few times, his heart racing as fast as his mind. "W-Who was t-that?"

"It's just Discord, prob'ly lookin' to get an invite." Applejack began collecting the cards that had been scattered with Rainbow Dash's outburst.

"He's not dangerous, nothing you need to worry about." Rainbow ruffled up Nightwind's mane a bit. Her face scrunched a bit at the nearly hyperventilating colt. "You alright?"

Nightwind closed his eyes and tried taking long, deep breaths. That creature... Why does his chest feel like its going to implode? Why is his mind falling back into fight-or-flight mode? Why does thinking about it bring up such fear, such terrible sadness and hatred? Deep within the pit of his stomach, knots threatened to make him throw up on himself then and there.

His anxiety settled a bit as a pony embraced him. "It's okay, Nightwind. It's alright, he ain't here anymore." Apple Bloom ran her hoof through his styled mane, doing her best to calm him down. Biting her lip, she kept him close as he slowly readjusted.

He opened back up his teary eyes and halfheartedly smiled to her, his heart still beating hard but far more manageable. "T-Thanks."

"Apple Bloom! His mane was already done up!" Rarity trotted over with a comb to restyle it, Nightwind's heart pounding a bit harder with the incoming mare.

"Before we open the gates to the grounds, I would like to introduce you to the ponies in charge of security." Celestia led them down a hallway, opening into a room filled with a bunch of activity. Over a dozen ponies were either sitting around or talking, two of which in the signature captains armor. "Captain Pansy, Captain Angel Scythe!"

The two captains stepped forward, the latter casting an amused grin to the Queen's Guard following along as Celestia continued. "Captain Pansy will be handling security matters around the gala grounds for tonight. Most of the royal guards you see tonight will be under her command."

"Nice to meet you, captain." Duskwing stepped forward, shaking her hoof. "I'm Duskwing."

"So we've heard." Angel Scythe snickered. "Didn't know you were a daddy."

"This is Captain Angel Scythe. She is leading the Lunar Guard to protect the remainder of the castle while the gala takes place. You probably won't be seeing much of them." Celestia finished, flicking her eyes between the smug captain and the unamused lieutenant that stood just behind the royal party. "I trust there won't be any issues with the former captain?"

"No objections from me." Angel Scythe shrugged. "He did it to himself."

"Thanks for the reassurance." Dawn rolled his eyes playfully.

"Then we are all set to start the gala. Captains, you have your orders." She nodded to them, getting salutes in return before turning and leading the group back to the entrance hall. Duskwing and Somnia broke off to the main hall for refreshments while Celestia and Twilight greeted the incoming guests.

"Got any plans for the night?" Duskwing asked while they walked.

"A little. I would like to make some alone time for Nightwind and Apple Bloom. Maybe even some for myself." She giggled, getting playful eye roll from her father. "But other than that, I want to talk to Discord."

"Is that another friend of yours?"

"Not exactly..." She rubbed the back of her neck. Until she could destroy him completely, a direct confrontation wouldn't be feasible. Maybe Celestia was right. Maybe it would be best to get on his good side until she could make her move. Something strategic, like with Pinkie Pie.

Atop the concessions table was Excalion with a cute pink bow-tie around her neck, pecking at the different foods they had on offer. The entire gala hall had been overhauled to include a stage for the announcement after the guests arrived and a dance floor for afterwards. Streamers were strung up around the room, running from column to column circling the room or over the main floor. It was going to be far more lively than the previous years if Twilight was to be believed.

Both of them stacked plates full of snacks to take over to their table before returning for drinks. Somnia filled an extra plate on the third trip for Excalion as two familiar noble ponies wandered in from the entrance hall. She took her seat and carefully watched them move to the concessions table to get a few drinks before making their way over to her.

"Princess Somnia, we weren't expecting you to be attending the gala this evening." The stallion frowned at her.

"Why wouldn't I be here?" Somnia popped another veggie chip into her mouth. "I had a lot of fun getting drunk at the last party I went to."

"My goodness." The mare covered her mouth, turning to her companion concerned.

"Hey, no getting drunk this time. I don't want to have to soak you down in cold water later, and your mom certainly won't appreciate it." Duskwing grinned to his daughter.

"It's not my fault for being horny. I wasn't on anti-heat stuff back then!" She countered, satisfied with the two nobles slinking away from the table at her proclamation. "Nice, they're gone."

"Y'know, you should probably be schmoozing up to ponies like that." Duskwing sat back. "They're kinda a big deal around Canterlot."

"They may be noble in title, but that means nothing to me." She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to treat them like anypony else, and if they can't deal with it, then that's on them."

"Your mother would disagree with that sentiment."

"She's not here, now is she?" Somnia slyly tilted her head. "These aristocrats are a temporary annoyance. Once I'm queen, they'll lose what unfair privileges they have been granted. Why should I treat them any different than other ponies when their power is dependent on the idea that they deserve power?"

"Hmm..." Duskwing moved his chair a bit closer to hers to wrap a wing around her. "Well, I don't know about that, but I'm sure that you'll have to deal with ponies you dislike. There will be a lot of ponies that you will talk to that are rude, arrogant, or just unreasonable. It's a good idea to get on their good side to get things done, even if you really don't want to."

Somnia hummed into her dad's fur, thinking about it for a few seconds real-time. "And when I'm queen?"

"When you're queen, things will be different. If ponies respect you, they'll be more willing to put up with your more eccentric qualities." He booped her on the nose. "But you're not queen yet. When you are, I'll be sure to stay on your good side."

"Yet..." She repeated, sighing into his fur. She wasn't super thrilled about ruling Equestria. There was so much to do to make the nation into something more similar to Excalicorn. Thousands of years of false propaganda, institutions of questionable loyalty, a dysfunctional military, and her own family concerns.

It was going to take much longer than she felt comfortable with before change could come to her new home. She needed to plan ahead.

Somnia, where are you? The speech is about to begin! Twilight's voice came over the neural link.

On my way. The filly trotted down the hallway back toward the gala hall. She had been tracking down both of the captains on duty, only managing to find Captain Angel Scythe. The discussion about loyalties and the state of the royal guard was the seed toward bringing her on-side.

Things weren't as clear cut as the princesses would like to present. The Lunar Guard itself was already showing strain between the Lunar Loyalists and the Reformists, with the northern thestal members taking a near universal Reformist perspective. The main bulk of the Royal Guard was already wary of the changes being done by the princesses, meaning a few appropriate pushes could send it tumbling into a majority position. That left the E.U.P. high command to determine the position of.

While the captain didn't admit it outright, her emotions told a completely different story. She was worried. Not just about the state of the guard, but of the safety of Equestria at large. It made sense from Somnia's knowledge of the current happenings. The newspapers were still running with the 'thestrals bad' narrative, although they dropped the claims about tensions between the princesses after the press conference from a while back, and Equestria's neighbors were still on edge after the magical bursts.

Trotting back into the gala hall, she kept to the edge as she made her way over to the back of the stage. One last thought crossed her mind. While the tensions within the guard weren't enough to break it, they could be exacerbated over time until the difference in loyalties are severe enough to only have one solution. She would have to play the next couple of years carefully to prevent creating too much strain between herself and Celestia. A civil war wouldn't turn out well for the citizens of Equestria.

I wish I could tell what you are thinking about. Are you still coming up with a plan for later tonight? Grar spoke up in her mind.

Nah, just thinking about the future.

"Somnia! Where were you? We've been waiting the past few minutes on you!" Twilight glared at her annoyed as she trotted up the steps into the backstage area.

"Sorry, I was talking to somepony." She lightly smiled to her mother, positioning herself between her parents.

Celestia sighed and shook her head. "I probably don't want to know." Before walking through the curtains out onto the stage to make her speech to the gala attendees. With a few taps on the microphone, the room quieted down and turned their attention over to the finely dressed princess.

"Good evening, everypony, and welcome to this year's Grand Galloping Gala!" A few cheers came from the crowd for the princess. "I see most of you are regulars to the gala but I recognize a few new faces in the crowd tonight."

"Yeah!" The crusaders hollered out from across the room, Somnia giggling quietly backstage.

"This year is a little different than previous years. I hope you will enjoy the change of pace for the gala from now on as much as I will." A few ponies from the crowd voiced approval, including a few of the nobles. "Without further delay, I would like to introduce for the very first time: Princess Twilight Sparkle and her fiance, Duskwing of Hollow Shades!"

The three stepped out from the curtain to the shocked gasps and cheers from crowd. The mixed reaction shifted a bit when the element bearers began cheering loudly from their respective locations among the crowd.

"Hello, everypony!" Twilight began after the crowd quieted down a bit. "I'm sure some of you have heard the rumors about me having a coltfriend as far back as the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange, then later hearing about being due to be married from my daughter." She ruffled up Somnia's perpetually messy mane. "While the announcement for the marriage was a bit premature, the truth is that it is only appropriate. Duskwing is Somnia's father and my former husband from the time of Excalicorn. We may not remember much of each other, but what little we do remember is enough for the two of us to firmly believe this is the best option for our daughter's sake, and for the integration of Equestria's thestrals as an official fourth tribe!"

There were some murmurs among the nobles within the crowd, but the commoners at largely seemed to cheer their support. "We don't have a date planned for the wedding, but I'm certain it will come before our daughter's coronation as Queen of Equestria." Then came the shocked gasps. Celestia smiled on in approval from the side, nodding for Twilight to continue.

"A few of the nobles in the crowd I recognize as belonging to the former Noble's Council. You've already been made aware of the reform the princesses unanimously signed following the attack at the Equestria Games. To make a long story short, my daughter, Princess Somnia, is due to be crowned as Queen of Equestria when she's old enough to take on the responsibility of ruling the nation. And I have no doubts that she will be a great leader for every creature that calls Equestria their home!"

Twilight turned to Duskwing, whispering a question to which he nodded. "My fiance would like to say a few words."

"Hey, everypony. You'll probably not be seeing much of me attending formal events outside of accompanying my bride." He winked to Twilight. "I'm not one for all this formal stuff. I would like to ask that me and my nephew be left out of the news as much as possible so that we may live normal lives. Well, as normal as we can get."

Celestia stepped forward to conclude the speech. "The full decree will be made available by tomorrow morning for everypony to view. We hope you will all respect the decisions of the princesses to secure the future prosperity of Equestria and the ponies who call our wonderful land home." She adopted a slightly lighter tone. "Now that the formalities are out of the way, let's get to making this a gala to remember!"

The music started back up with a far more lively tone and lights lit up the dancing floor in front of the stage. The Sparkle family made their way down the side to a few waiting ponies while Celestia went the other way to get onto the dance floor.

The noble couple Somnia had encountered earlier were some of the first to step forward. "Princess Twilight, all of this seems a little sudden. Nopony even knew you had a coltfriend until a few weeks ago!" The stallion protested. "What about the royal waiting period?"

"The old Treaty of Unicornia is gone, so there is no waiting period anymore." Twilight simply answered. "And given the unique circumstances, I would say that it is perfectly reasonable. I had been married to Duskwing for over three thousand years." She nuzzled her fiance. "It's not like we didn't get along back in those days, so I don't see why we wouldn't now."

Somnia bit her lip and closed her eyes. Her soul sight examined the emotions between them in depth. They were... No. She shifted her vision to examine Twilight's abdomen. That small feeling she got from a few days ago was bearing fruit, in a way greater than she could have possibly imagined.

Opening back up her eyes, she couldn't keep the smile off her face as she hugged her mom while she continued talking to the nobles. "And for our daughter's sake, having both of us around is only appropriate."

"Didn't you call him a monster at the Equestria Games tryouts?" The mare pointed out. "What's really changed since then?"

"We learned who we were." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "That's what's changed. If you don't like our choice to be together, I'd kindly ask you keep it to yourself."

The two nobles looked to each other before giving one last glare at Twilight and Duskwing as they made their leave. The next pony was a familiar unicorn stallion Somnia recognized from the press conferences.

"Name's Dandy Dispatch, Princess Twilight. It's a pleasure to meet you outside of formal events." He shook hooves with Twilight and Duskwing. "Off the record, I would like to know a bit more about how your relationship came about. Didn't seem like you got along at the tryouts, but two weeks later you were a couple?" He raised a curious brow.

"You're with the Canterlot Chronicle, right?" Twilight asked, to which he nodded. "Well, for the record..." She waited as he summoned a pencil and pad of paper in front of him, returning the knowing smile. "We had met before the tryouts, but only got a good chance to talk in Rainbow Falls. Duskwing came to Celestia's day court to seek an audience about getting support for thestral communities."

"We also weren't terribly friendly with each other either." Duskwing chuckled. "I essentially called her a tribalist."

"Yeah, well, I pretty much was in regards to batponies until we had a chance to talk in private." Twilight pawed at him, turning back to the reporter. "Anyway, at the tryouts I spotted Somnia eating meat and misunderstood why she enjoyed eating it so much. The news picked up the rest of what happened in the argument that followed, but what they didn't really catch was how I spent the rest of the day making amends with the Hollow Shades team. I admit, I was wrong about batponies. They aren't monsters, they really are just like any other pony."

"Ponies of Night, as they were referred to in old Excalicorn texts." Somnia added. "Compared to pegasi, the Ponies of Day."

"Interesting..." The reporter uttered while finishing his notes, looking to Twilight to continue.

"I found out the night after our argument he was my long lost husband." She faced him, locking eyes with her fiance. "And every moment I spent with him reminded me of why I would have fallen for him so long ago. He cares deeply about batponies, as much as I care about fostering friendships. I guess I let my preconceived notions of who can and can't form friendships get in the way of actually trying."

"It was quite the surprise when she came to me the next morning to tell me I was her husband and a dad." Duskwing laid a foreleg around Twilight's withers as they both turned back to the reporter. "I'm not going to abandon a foal of mine. Even if that means moving away from Hollow Shades and getting hitched to the fourth--" Twilight roughly nudged him in the side, forcing some air from his lungs. "My first and only favorite formerly single mare in Equestria."

"We hadn't planned on getting married so soon, but after Somnia announced it, we really didn't want to contradict her." Twilight giggled. "I am happy with Duskwing though. He's going to be a great dad."

"Already was!" Somnia added happily.

"Aww." The reported cooed. "Thanks for telling me all of this, princess. I'm sure the ponies of Equestria will appreciate knowing that the two of you are loving couple devoted to each other's and your foal's happiness. I'll leave you be to spend this wonderful night together." They bowed and left to let the last few ponies and dragon approach.

"Sooo, when were you gonna tell us?" Rainbow asked with a huge grin stuck to her face.

"We only decided a few days ago." Twilight admitted, her mind wandering back to their discussion. Could Somnia... Twilight briefly glanced to her still smiling daughter. An early pregnancy test would work... No, that medical device Somnia used might be able to detect it even earlier since Excalicorn was that much further ahead. But from Somnia's smile...

"It's fine, Twi. We support the two of ya." Applejack added.

"Absolutely. You two are a lovely couple. Almost like you are already married." Rarity winked.

Throughout all of this, Pinkie was barely holding in her excitement. She was nearly bursting at the seams to throw a wedding for the two right then and there. Meanwhile, Somnia was too excited to even think straight. There was so much to plan for, so much to anticipate. She hadn't foreseen this probability. It was overwhelming.

The group gave one last round of congratulation hugs to Twilight and Duskwing before they all went back off to their respective corners, Twilight turning to Somnia. "If you want, you can go hang out with the crusaders. I'm sure this party is going to be a lot more entertaining than the previous ones."

"Yeah, sure!" She gave her mom and dad one last big hug before trotting off in pursuit of her friends.

Before she could get over to where Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were hanging out, Somnia spotted a latent slime trail along the ground, hastily cleaned up. Bending down to it, she took a long sniff. Industrial waste water, and sawdust? Is that a hint of lavender too? No, it can't be!

Well, I think we know who Discord brought. Grar commented while Somnia turned to either side, spotting the pile of green slime with a bow-tie and top-hat. Let's go over an say hi. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you again.

Somnia trotted over to the 'Smooze', as they were lovingly called. They were slowly making their way toward two elderly ponies, likely hungry for gems and gold. "Smoozie!" Somnia trotted up to them, keeping a short distance so she wouldn't get slimed. "Long time no see!"

It turned back toward her, opening its mouth in a smile as it slowly moved toward her. Hold up, child. Don't want to make a mess on the queen again, now do you? The pile stopped and bobbed a bit in happiness at the sound of their creator.

"Aww, I missed you too." Somnia picked a gem from her necklace and tossed it to them to eat, the stone being absorbed and dissolved within the green slime.

Where have you been living all this time? Have you been-- Grar stopped as a chaotic presence loomed near them.

Somnia didn't even need to turn to know he was right behind her, the hairs on her back standing up by his mere existence. "You go by Discord now, Entropis?"

"That isn't a name I hoped to ever hear again." He slithered around her side, watching her closely. "I've changed, your highness. Maybe it's difficult to believe, but I'm not the same pony I was before."

I'll believe it when you no longer have the taint of chaos!

"You know I can't help what I am, Grogar." He wrapped around Somnia, bringing his face close to hers. "I've anticipated speaking to you. I'm being honest, I'm not the same pony I was before. You may not be able to trust me, so trust your mother then. She will vouch that I'm not the same pony I once was."

"Lies come naturally for malevolent entities like you!" She sneered back. "My mom--"

"Discord!" Twilight trotted over angrily. "I thought I told you to keep your friend under control!" She pointed off to where Rarity was laying on the ground, recently covered in green slime, the Smooze seeking the next unfortunate pony to slime. "And what are you two talking about?"

"I was just telling your daughter that she can trust me." Discord uncoiled and stood before Twilight. "And I have better things to do than to watch that thing all night." He waved his claw dismissively.

"Well, clean up after them! I don't want to have to keep telling you!" She tapped her hoof as he slithered through the air back toward his 'friend'. Sighing, she turned to her nearly shaking daughter. "Somnia? Are you alright?"

"One day, I will be." She mumbled, stomping off out of the gala hall.

Closing the door gently behind her, Somnia leaned up against it and took a moment to collect her breath.

"Oh, um..." Somnia turned her head to Apple Bloom and Nightwind, both staring embarrassed to the third addition to the room. "W-We were just, uh..."

"I don't really care if you were conceiving a foal." Somnia sighed, walking over to them. "I just needed some time alone."

Both looked between each other then back to Somnia. "Ya alright?"

"No, but I never will be." She sat next to Apple Bloom, hoping to change the topic. "You two kissed yet?"

"We were just about to." Nightwind rolled his eyes. "Why do you always have to butt in when we're about to?"

"I didn't mean to! I wasn't expecting to find two ponies kissing in an unused meeting room!" She raised her hooves in defeat. "I chose this room because it was out of the way!"

"So did we." Apple Bloom nervously chuckled. Somnia flickered her eyes between them, seeing both of their embarrassed blushes.

"Sorry for the interruption." She mumbled, getting down and leaving without a goodbye. She didn't even get halfway to the gala hall when Dawn and Dusty galloped up to her.

"Somnia! Thank the heavens you're alright!" Dawn hugged her, getting a light blush in response. "The entire gala hall has been covered in a magic resistant goo!"

"Seriously?" She groaned, continuing her march toward the hall at a slightly quicker pace. "Set your pistols to a medium-power beam and follow my lead."

"You know how to deal with it?" Dusty asked as she adjusted the pistol she had equipped on her hoof.

"It's probably the Smooze, which means our energy weapons can vaporize its slime. Avoid the face and other ponies, we'll clean them up afterwards."

Opening to door to the hall, they spotted that the Smooze had been corralled into a single large pile with the pony Fluttershy brought making weird noises. Somnia bit her lip. "Alright, change of plans. Reduce it to about the size of Luna."

The three stepped forward to the Smooze, each preparing their pistols as Twilight trotted over. "There you are, Somnia! What are you--"

She froze in place as all three pointed hooves toward the blob and a beams of light began boiling away the goo in the large pile, the Smooze writhing under the assault. Their goo turned to hardened flakes that fell from it in sheets, coating the floor next to them in dark green sand.

"Somnia! What are you doing?!" Fluttershy flew over, hoping to put a stop to the attack. "They're not hurting anypony!"

"Can't keep them this large." She simply said as the blob was reduced to half its height. "They need to stay at a certain size to prevent being a problem."

"You're hurting them!" She tried moving closer but Shield stepped in from the side to block her.

"Either this one time annoyance to remove the excess, or they will be starving for the next few months." The filly shrugged as she motioned her other guards to stop. Finishing the last boiling to slightly smaller than their previous size, she released the beam and checked the power level. Not even a percent depleted from where it was last, exactly as good as she expected the cells to be.

Despite being upset during the boil, the blob went immediately right back to being happy as it glided in pursuit of its next meal. "See?" Somnia gently smiled to Fluttershy. "They aren't actually feeling pain. They are a decentralized intelligence with minimal thinking skills. You don't complain when washing your hooves with soap and water or crushing grass under your hoof, so why should I when I help them?"

"That's just- just- cruel!" She shouted back. "They are an intelligent creature! They don't deserve to be hurt!"

"Yeah, totally not chill." Tree Hugger walked over to back up Fluttershy. Somnia pushed Shield out of the way and put a hoof to the green pony's chest.

"What the buck would you even know about the Smooze? I've known them since I was a little filly and this is how we dealt with them when they got into their food reserves. I was there when Og made them, and I cared for them for years! They can't sustain being that big, and nopony wants to deal with them when they are that large! It's better they are miserable for a minute or two at most rather than for months on end!"

"Somnia? You know the Smooze?" Twilight walked around Fluttershy to stand next to her daughter.

"They were my pet! Of course I know them!" She threw her hoof up. "I know how to take care of them because Og and Grar told me how! I'm not going to put up with their whining about how I 'hurt' my own pet because it was necessary."

"Somnia!" Fluttershy angrily turned on the filly. "How could you say something like that? The Smooze is a living creature too!"

"As much as bacteria is!" Somnia snapped, stepping toward Fluttershy, both of their wings extending. "They were designed to be a benign threat to others! That's why ponies float on the goo! That's why I was allowed them when I was still in diapers! They eat five things: Gold, gemstones, pearls, food that's gone bad, and biological waste! Their literal purpose was to be as simple of a pet as possible to take care of! You have a problem with it? Tough shit! I know more about them than either of you combined with your baseless assumptions of what they can and can't feel!"

"Somnia! Watch your language, missy!" Twilight frowned to her, turning back to her hurt friend. "She didn't mean to insult your--"

"I did, because she isn't as benevolent as she believes she is!" Somnia interrupted, the very air around her starting to create a light breeze. "She 'helps' animals by giving them safe places to sleep and eat, but in reality she is only hurting their chances of survival! Wanna know what I think of that wolf, Sandra? She's a pathetic welp! Normal wolves keep their distance from us ponies, normal wolves don't expect us to be friendly, because they are natural predators and we are supposed to be prey! It took centuries of constantly being repulsed with the utmost efficiency before the predators of Equus understood that there was only one truth to ponies: We are the most dangerous lifeforms on the planet, and they should fear us!"

From behind the crying mare, Discord stood with his claw and paw over his mouth. He slowly walked over to Fluttershy to place a comforting paw on her shoulder at which she turned and cried into his embrace. Tree Hugger stepped back. "Woah, not groo--"

"Shut your mouth, you drug-addled weakling!"

"That's it!" Twilight picked up Somnia in her magic, taking the filly who made no fuss out into the hallway while Celestia dealt with damage control. Bringing Somnia off to a distant room, she floated her in quickly before closing it.

When she turned her head she saw Apple Bloom and Nightwind making out on-top of the meeting table, feeling each other up. "Hey! Both of you, get out!" Twilight commanded, shocking them from their embrace. Neither argued as they galloped for the door without comment or a single look.

She set her daughter down, the filly still standing defiantly. "What is wrong with you?! Fluttershy is my friend and Tree Hugger helped calm the Smooze down after they flooded the entire room! You didn't have to go all tyrannical on them!"

"I'm not apologizing." Somnia growled back. "I'm right, and I'll never apologize for being right, no matter how much it hurts to hear the truth!"

"What makes you think you're right anyway? Just because you cared for them for years doesn't make you a good caretaker!"

"Because I studied their biology extensively and know their ins-and-outs! I'm as close to a professional when it comes to caring for the Smooze other than Og and Grar! What they were saying about the Smooze feeling pain is blatantly wrong at a biological level. They don't feel pain, they feel discomfort! It's a mere inconvenience for them, and your friend and her druggie tag-along refused to listen when I told them that! I did what I needed to for the Smooze's benefit, like a responsible owner!"

Twilight mulled it over. If Somnia really did know what to do, then letting the Smooze starve would have been...

"You didn't have to call Tree Hugger names and say Fluttershy was hurting her own animals." Twilight countered.

"You have a problem with that?" She stepped forward, Twilight backing up a step. "Everything I said about Fluttershy was correct. She isn't helping them in the long term, she's only weakening their ability to survive on their own by making them dependent on her. By giving them free handouts, they won't grow up to be strong and independent creatures capable of handling themselves without ponies. It's as much abuse as a parent who keeps their foal inside all the time for their own safety. As for Tree Hugger..."

Somnia sighed, shaking her head. "I may have gone too far with her. I was always told that using recreational drugs for serious conditions isn't right. I guess I just... lashed out."

Twilight pulled a chair out from the meeting table, sitting down along with her daughter. "You didn't need to be so mean about it. Ponies don't listen all that well when you are yelling at them, telling them they're wrong."

"They suggest I'm hurting my pet, even after I tell them I'm not, and I'm the unreasonable one? Where's the sense in that?" Somnia looked back up, the anger fading. "Wouldn't you get mad if somepony said you were abusing Spike because you let him eat gemstones? Or how about abusing me because you have to go off so often to deal with things outside of Ponyville? How about when I saw you at your desk fuming because of that summons you got to discuss 'potential foal abuse' after I was rescued? You were mad, you didn't stay calm when you stomped from the house to go to town hall. You weren't calm when you threatened the mayor with legal action against the complainant."

"Y-You..." She facehoofed. Of course she would know about that! "Can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"No..." The filly sighed. "No, you can't. Being mad is sometimes good. Emotions can be used for good and bad, it's up to us to determine the proper times they are appropriate and in what amounts." She swallowed, remembering the time Grar told her exactly that. "I-I'm willing to apologize to Tree Hugger for calling her a drug addict, but I'm not going to apologize to Fluttershy for what I said or did."

"I wish you would, but I know that I can't convince you that you were in the wrong." Twilight swallowed her own feelings on the matter as well. She didn't want to admit it, but Somnia's logic made sense outside of current Equestrian philosophy. It was consistent with reality, it was consistent with her experiences, and it was more than a valid interpretation.

And that was more worrying than she felt comfortable with.

"I'm sorry for calling you a 'drug-addled weakling'. It was too far, I was out of line, and I hope you can forgive me." Somnia lowered her head to the green and red earth pony. They looked wearily to her friend next to her before giving her response.

"Wasn't groovy what you said, but your energy says you're honest. I can forgive you." She replied. "What about Flutters? You were pretty hurtful to her flow too."

"We'll deal with that later." Twilight petted her daughter's mane. "Let's try getting back to making this a good night."

Fluttershy gave one last hurt glare at Twilight before heading back over to the table with Discord waiting patiently. Sighing, Twilight brought Somnia over to a table she had picked out for herself and Duskwing, the latter already there setting up a clean sheet over it.

"How'd it go?" He asked as all three took their seats.

"Not good... but not bad either." Twilight admitted. "I'll need to invite Fluttershy over to the castle after the gala to make sure she's feeling alright and to explain Somnia's position."

"Why can't I explain it to her?" The filly asked.

"Because Fluttershy probably won't want to talk to you and it would be a good idea for a friend to speak to her." Twilight sighed. "It's going to be a hard conversation, but hopefully she'll understand."

"I'm sure she will. Seems like the accepting sort of pony." Duskwing added.

"Wanna go dance? I've been kinda looking forward to it tonight." Twilight half-smiled to her husband-to-be.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Duskwing got up and the two made their way back to the dance floor while Somnia sat and watched. Excalion flew down from the ceiling to land in front of her, carefully eyeing her over.

That bad, huh? The crow cawed uncharacteristically, getting groan from the filly. Discord was right, he has changed. I was there when Faustinia performed her ritual on him. He's still a chaotic entity, but there's more heart than malevolence nowadays. He really does care about others.

"Thanks for making me feel sooo much better." Somnia sarcastically mumbled, her head staying on the table.

Never meant to. You are wrong and you have to accept that. Would you like me to call them over so we may discuss? He probably won't be too happy that you refused to apologize to his lover.

"They're a thing?"

No, but I would hazard a guess that is where they are headed. She turned her head to look over at the three. She's a kind soul, one that would be willing to overlook his worse characteristics. He's chaotic, but willing to do what he must to stay on her good side, even making amends with the fact he has to share her affections with another.

"She'll be heartbroken when he's gone."

So will I. Excalion hopped a bit closer to her, resting next to her cheek. They've been a good friend whenever they weren't under their chaotic tendencies. Doubt they would claim they feel the same way toward me, but they would be saddened to hear of my death.

"They have changed. And so have you." Somnia flicked her eyes over to the bird in her peripheral vision.

I know I can't convince you, but the least I could do would be to ask you to make sure they are erased completely. I don't want to suffer knowing I'll never see them again after they're gone. She took off back toward her perch at the top of the room, leaving the filly to stew in her thoughts.

Somnia brushed her teeth and spat out the water, checking them briefly in the mirror. She decided to turn in earlier than her mom and dad, not that it would have mattered since they had been given separate rooms. Her dreams were... interesting, to say the least. She confirmed what would happen later on, giving her an eleven month timeline for the guard armor. She wants her guards to be able to face down an army by the time her sibling comes along.

There was still the issue of the tenth-month irregularities, something that needed to be dealt with closer to the date. She checked a few specific points in the timeline, but much of it was still blurry. Her birthday was a complete mess, giving nothing helpful on the day of and seemingly being the point where everything became even worse, clarity-wise. Same with around the time her sibling was due to be born.

"You're awake already?" Spike groaned from the main room. "It's not even sunrise."

"Couldn't sleep." She wiped her mouth with a towel and trotting out, switching the light in the bathroom off before going to the door and quietly leaving.

"Couldn't sleep?" Scuttle asked, raising a brow as she turned to him.

"There's something I need from the archives." She whispered, trotting past him in the direction of the castle exit. The actual archives themselves were just outside of the castle, meaning she would be off castle grounds, which prompted Scuttle to briefly leave a note for the others at their room.

They trotted out and around to the archive grounds, a few guards nodding to them as they went. Entering into the archives, she made her way toward the one spot she wanted to check.

"You!" She pointed at a guard as she went. "Follow us."

The three came to the entrance for the Star Swirl the Bearded wing, the guard unlocking it for her to enter with Scuttle. "What are we looking for here?"

"You are guarding, I'm looking." She went along the different shelves, checking the various items. An instruction text for Grogar's Bell, a universal key-book, a time travel spell...

Picking at the shelves, she found one written in Equinish script, taking it out to have a look at.

'The End of Eras'. An unusual title, and an even more unusual location, being located under the section for temporal magic. Bringing it to the reading table, she opened it up and began reading.

The book was filled with all sorts of pictures and diagrams, symbols, and sigils, each of which she began to understand what they meant based on the provided context. Apparently Star Swirl had gone to Excalicorn at some point, moreover, they had traveled into Excalion's Tower. They found these symbols in a book left in--

Somnia closed her eyes, dragging up memories as far back as she could go. There it was. 'The End of Eras', the original data-tablet, kept in her room when she was still just a young foal. Her mother said it was just a story text when she was older, that she put it back where it belonged when Somnia got old enough. It wasn't just a story text.

Through her soul-sight, Somnia could see the sigils as clear as day along with what lay beneath. Carefully examining each page, she made her way through the book, making sure not to leave anything out. This is what she dreamt of. It wasn't an ordinary book, it was this. Drawings of the Councilor's Orb with exquisite notes to describe the various functions that might have been possible according to Star Swirl, a condensed family tree going all the way to the first pair Excalion and Grogar chose, Sombra Balisic being recorded as the first alicorn, and at the very back of the book her name written onto--

Opening her eyes, she saw the book disintegrate in front of her, it's essence turning into a representation of Star Swirl the Bearded, exactly like the enchantment she did for her mother but far clearer and with its own magical charge.

"Sombra, please excuse the crude method by which I am contacting you." The figure spoke in Equinish script. "There is much I must divulge regarding the text I found within your room. Contained within the text were stories written by your mother while she carried you within her, each one containing codes I was able to partially decipher. After this message is over, the original tablet will be reassembled for you to read. Search within the book on Grogar's Bell for my notes on the deciphered text.

"I wish I could live to see you return, but there is a threat I must make the ultimate sacrifice for. The safety and prosperity of Equestria depends on it. Take your time reading through the text. I have already seen some of the written stories come to pass within my own lifetime, and have no doubts more would have come to pass since. My father also wanted to give you a gift for your ninth birthday, one I will now provide. Happy birthday, Sombra Temperii."

The figure reformed into a hard-copy data-tablet with a small, red ribbon on top. Examining the tablet, Somnia saw the original text in an unknown language before picking up the ribbon. She closed her eyes and beheld the intricate markings along it. While on the outside it looked like an ordinary ribbon, within was a highly complicated web of thaumaturgic matrices. She pushed back her mane and tied it with the ribbon, taking care to keep her eyes closed.

Once completed, she could see different symbols within her vision that told her of various things. Room temperature, number of significant soul signatures nearby, body function warnings, etc. Opening her eyes, the display faded, but would reappear if she focused on it.

Grabbing the data-tablet, she went over to the book Star Swirl mentioned and used the universal key-book to unlock the chains around it. She quickly flipped through the book, grabbing the notes before putting the book back and locking it up.

With a sigh of relief, she made her way back toward her room.

Author's Note

I'm probably going to get some comments about Somnia's position, so I ended up writing paragraphs of stuff that outlined it in detail. Long story made much shorter: She has an opinion.