Dreams of Forever

Somnia Temporus, you must get up and warn Twilight Sparkle!

The princesses have been captured, and my power is waning. Isirilas is doing their best to hold back the forest but something powerful is acting against them!

The Elements of Harmony must be returned to me! Hurry!

Shooting up in her bed, every part of her ached, but she didn't have time for that. Quite literally falling off her bed, she crawled her way over to her mother's bed. "MOM! GET UP!"

"Huh? What?" Twilight got up, stretching. "What time is it?" Her eyes found the filly on the floor. "Somnia? What are you doing down there?"

"No time!" She shakily got to her hooves. "The princesses have been foalnapped!"

"What?!" Twilight threw the sheets off of her. "When? How?"

"I don't know! I had a dream about it! And Isirilas is having trouble containing the Everfree Forest! Something told me that the elements need to be returned to it, but I don't know anything else!" She got up onto the bed, turning to her mother hoping she would have a plan.

"What are you two yelling about?" Spike moaned from his own bed. "Better not be another nightmare."

"Spike! We need to get down to the throne room!" Twilight got up from her bed to quickly brush her mane before addressing the castle. "Somnia, was that everything?"

"Yeah, that's all I was told." She grabbed her saddlebags. "Are we heading back to Ponyville?"

"Probably. If the Everfree Forest and the elements are involved, we should get my friends together." She took one last look into the mirror before trotting out. "Spike! Get up!"

"What time is it?" He asked groggily. Taking a quick look at the clock, Twilight could see it was just before sunrise. But why was it so bright outside?

Going to the window, she saw both sun and moon. Picking up Spike and putting him on her back, the three left for the throne room. Halfway to their destination, Captain Shattershield approached them.

"Princess Twilight! We haven't been able to find Princess Celestia anywhere!"

"I know. They've been foalnapped. I'm headed to Ponyville to sort this whole mess out."

"Princess, there are going to be a lot of anxious ponies arriving in the next couple of hours. Equestria needs somepony to reassure them that everything is fine. I'm afraid with the recent threats made over the past week, the guard's word will only go so far."

Twilight considered it for a moment. If she left to rescue the princesses, the nobility would certainly panic, causing who-knows-what to happen. However, she needed to assemble the other elements to mount a rescue mission. Somnia couldn't deal with them, she was still an unknown to most ponies.

But she did want to learn how to rule...

"Captain, I will be entrusting you with the safety of Princess Somnia." The captain nodded understanding what she was asking. Turning to Somnia, Twilight asked the question: "Can you hold court for the day? I'll be back with the princesses later tonight, I promise."

"But I don't know how to do that! I was barely listening to Celestia!" She admitted.

"There isn't much of an option." Twilight smiled to her. "I have to save the princesses. If I don't return--"

"You promised!"

"IF I don't, at least one princess will be around to take control of the nation. Do your best, I'm confident you can do it. I love you!" She kissed the filly on the forehead, rushing off with a waking up Spike on her back.

Somnia stood silently watching her mother go around the corner. Alone again...

"Princess, we should make our way to the throne room." Shattershield motioned with a hoof down the hall.

"Y-Yeah. I got this, right?"

"The nobles have assembled, your majesty." Raven called out as she got back into position next to the throne. "Most of the Noble's Council is waiting outside. I would recommend simply assuaging their concerns. They need to know that we have the situation under control."

"R-Right. Under control." Somnia nervously chuckled, not entirely confident that she could manage a mob of anxious nobles.

"Don't worry, you have us to help you." Shattershield whispered next to her.

"Um, send them in!" Somnia called out. The guards at the large double doors at the other end of the hall opened them up, letting in the group of confused nobles. Her heart sank as she saw them, there must have been at least a hundred.

"Captain? What is going on?" A white unicorn with blue hair and a fancy looking suit approached the throne. "Where are the princesses?"

Somnia cleared her throat. "The princesses are no--"

"And who is this filly?" He pointed a hoof to Somnia.

The captain stepped forward. "Lord Fancy Pants, other members of the Noble's Council, I would like to introduce you to Princess Somnia Temporus, daughter of Princess Twilight Sparkle. She is filling in for the princesses while they are away."

"And where are the princesses? It isn't like them to take a leave of absence without at least leaving a note as to where." Lord Fancy Pants raised a suspicious brow.

"The princesses aren't here. My mom is looking for them." Somnia spoke up, although probably only half the nobles heard what she said.

"They are missing? Captain, how in Celestia's golden sun did they go missing?" Fancy Pants stepped forward, the two guards at the base of the throne crossing their spears to prevent him from getting any closer.

"We are launching an investigation, however I don't believe it will be finished until after the princesses' return." He simply stated.

"Everypony! Celestia, Luna, and my mom will be back later today!" Somnia called out to the hall. "I'm here in case there is any urgent business that needs to be handled!"

A few grumbles came from the nobles, a mixture of annoyance and confusion. Fancy Pants looked between Raven and Shattershield trying to understand what exactly was going on.

"Ms.Inkwell, do you know where Princess Celestia was last seen?"

"I'm afraid not. Nopony saw what happened." She responded. "Princess Luna was last seen on her balcony but there was no trace of where she could have gone."

The doors burst open to the throne room, a white stallion with golden hair trotted forward through the crowd. Once at the front of the crowd, he turned to Fancy Pants: "What is the meaning of this? Where is Auntie Celestia?"

"We were just discussing that." Fancy Pants said. "It appears the princesses have gone missing."

"I wasn't told they were going on a trip!" His frown turned to a smug grin. "I guess that means I am in charge until their return."

"Sorry, Prince Blueblood, but Princess Twilight assigned Princess Somnia as the regent." Shattershield stated, donning his own smug grin.

"There is no 'Princess Somnia', I would have heard about one if there was!" He stepped up to the guards. "Move out of the way. And remove that foal from the throne!"

Shattershield just straightened himself out, staring down at the white unicorn. Savoring the moment. "No."

"No?! You follo--"

"I follow the orders of Equestria's princesses. Since there is a princess on the throne, I follow her orders." The captain relished the refusal, casting a glance to Somnia.

"Captain, when was she made a Princess of Equestria? The last coronation was for Princess Twilight, and I haven't heard of Princess Somnia before." Fancy Pants curiously looked between the filly and captain.

"A week ago." He smoothly answered.

"A week?!" Fancy Pants exclaimed. "You can't be serious? Why wasn't the Noble's Council informed?"

"I do not know the princess' reasons, merely the reality." The captain shrugged. "If you wish to file a complaint, you are free to do so and it will be reviewed upon the return of the regal sisters."

"This is ridiculous! She's not a princess! My auntie would have told me!" Blueblood obstinately rebutted. "Captain, apprehend her or I will be left with no choice but to consider this a treasonous coup!"

"Prince Blueblood, are you sure its--" Fancy Pants tried talking sense into the prince.

"Of course I do! I am the regent when they are away!"

"Prince, I would reconsider." Shattershield raised a brow. "Declaring one of the princesses illegitimate is most unbecoming of somepony of your status."

"Guards! Step aside!" He commanded, the two guards at the base glancing between each other uncertain. Briefly igniting their horns, Shattershield and Blueblood sent out signals to unknown recipients.

"You are the daughter of Princess Twilight?" Fancy Pants tried stalling. "I didn't know she had a daughter, let alone one that was an alicorn."

"Yup! My mom didn't know either until a bit over a week ago." Somnia cheerfully replied, finally feeling a bit better about finding somepony friendly.

"How is that?" He asked.

"Doesn't matter! She will be dealt with as soon as the Solar Guard arrives." Blueblood proudly declared. "And captain, you will be put on trial for treason against the crown!"

"What in Luna's blue moon is going on in here?!" Captain Broken Dawn flew into the room. "Shattershield, why did you call me? Isn't there more important things to do than call me whenever you need your diaper changed?"

The nobles whispered among themselves at the crass language. Shattershield stood tall. "Captain, do you know who this filly is?" He gestured to Somnia.

"Yeah, that's Princess Somnia. Is that what this is about?" He looked around at the nobles. "Seriously?"

"Captain, you know who she is?" Fancy Pants turned up to the captain hovering about the crowd.

"Of course I do! All the local captains were introduced to her two days ago!" He flew down next to the throne. "I can confirm that she is indeed a Princess of Equestria."

The door burst open, several armored guards bearing the solar emblem entering headed by an all too familiar captain. Pushing their way through the crowd, they reached the front where the captain looked between the gathered ponies.

"Stampede, glad you could join us." Shattershield smugly grinned. "Would you kindly explain to the prince the memorandum we received yesterday morning?"

Captain Stampede grumbled to Blueblood: "What are you doing? You said there was a coup happening right now?"

"There is! She can't possibly be a princess!"

"She is, and you should know that already." He growled back.

"I was never informed, meaning that whatever declaration must have been a fabrication!"

"Quit wasting my time." The captain turned to his troops. "Another false alarm! Back to the barracks!" He commanded, leading his troops back out of the room much to Blueblood's shock.

"I failed to mention that the captains received the notice yesterday morning, officially declaring Princess Somnia as a Princess of Equestria." Shattershield added. "Oops."

"I'm going back to bed." Captain Broken Dawn flew up. "Don't call me again unless it is serious."

"No problem, Dawn." Shattershield chuckled as their companion left the room.

Somnia sat up again. "Now that you know who I am, I would like to say again that the princesses will be back later tonight. If anypony asks, tell them there was a small issue with Luna's horn."

Raven groaned and at least one guard laughed out loud, Shattershield himself barely contained a laugh by biting his lip.

"That isn't very helpful." Fancy Pants frowned, clearly unamused by the lack of tact.

"It's an excuse?" The filly shrugged. "Better than 'they were foalnapped'."

"I'll... talk to the press. Tell them there has been a logistics problem with lowering the moon." Fancy Pants trotted away, the rest of the nobles following behind, some still having no clue what was going on. Blueblood remained at the base of the throne, glaring at the filly.

"Blueblood--"

"It's Prince Blueblood to you, captain!"

"Prince Blueblood, there is nothing more to be done. The princesses will be back later if you want to bitch to them." Somnia hopped down from the throne and followed the captain. "Have fun staring at an empty throne."

"You'll regret this!" He called out after the guard as they went through the back exit. Once out of earshot, Somnia burst into laughter.

"That- That was awesome!" She leaned on Shattershield for support. "T-The look on his face!"

"It's good to see ol' Blueballs get a taste of his own medicine." The captain chuckled. "Come on, I got something to show you."

Taking Somnia out to the guard compound, he led her into a room with rows of desks facing a blackboard. Somnia took a seat in the front row, excitedly waiting.

"Princess Twilight spoke to me last night before I turned in. You wanted to learn about the Equestrian military, eh?" The filly nodded. "While you can't go through regular training, I can at least teach you about the Royal Guard. If you want to learn more, a few of the instructors would be willing to teach you more about the different branches of the E.U.P." He started sketching on the board. "Need any papers to take notes?"

"Nope!" She watched intensely as he drew an organizational chart.

"Alright, I guess we should start with the chain of command..."

"It's good to be home." Luna stretched, falling a bit behind her sister and Twilight who continued to walk forward.

"I couldn't agree more." Celestia added with a sigh. "I just wish the Elements of Harmony didn't need to be sacrificed. Losing our primary defense against the forces of darkness will encourage others to challenge us."

"I'm sure it will be fine as long as nopony knows." Twilight mused. "After-all, I didn't even know about the Tree of Harmony until today. I doubt other ponies will find out what happened."

"I hope you're right, for all our sake." Celestia opened the door to the throne room with her magic. Sat atop the throne was Prince Blueblood, dozing off. Approaching the sleepy prince, the regal sisters snickered at the sight, Twilight barely holding back her own response.

"Aunties!" He tiredly called down to them. "It's good to see you back! How was your trip?"

"Lovely." Luna held her tongue. "I must say, you look positively regal, nephew."

"Thank you, Aunt Luna." He slowly got up from the throne. "I kept it occupied in case that pretender showed up again."

"I'm sure she already did." Twilight giggled.

"Yeah." He yawned, "I'm going to bed." The prince marched past them proudly. Celestia shook her head as she watched the rainbow maned prince with a girly pink bow tied to his tail march straight from the room.

"She's going to be the death of the kingdom." Luna laughed. "At this rate, she'll side with Discord against us just to make the world a little sillier!"

"I'm sure she would." Twilight walked over to the throne, where Somnia had been sleeping right behind Blueblood. "Hopefully it is the good kind of silly."

"Looks like she has had a busy day." Celestia commented, leaning down next to the filly. "Somnia?"

She's asleep.

"Was, asleep." She groaned out. "Buck you, Grar."

"Hey! Language!" Twilight picked her up in her magic. "Let's get you to bed. I'm sure you're going to get a good night's sleep."

"Unlike me." Luna sighed, taking her place on the throne. "Goodnight you three. See you in the morning!"

"You should get some rest, Lulu. It's been a long day for..." Twilight turned the corner, walking back towards her room. Spike decided to head directly to bed, but at least the Summer Sun Celebration was delayed by a day so that he wouldn't miss it. Entering into the room and tucking Somnia into bed, she went over to her desk to take one last look over the checklist.

A small knock at the window grabbed her attention. Just outside the window, the crow hovered staring at her with its single, massive eye. Getting up from her chair, she went over to the window and whispered: "Hello?"

It blinked its massive eye, flying closer to where the window would open, clearly wanting to be let in. Opening the window just enough so that it could fly in, the crow landed next to Somnia in bed. Twilight walked over, watching with an unnatural fascination as the crow used its wing to brush the filly's hair. After a minute of observation, it turned to Twilight.

Within a single blink, the crow was gone. Was it ever there? The window was still open slightly, and Somnia's hair had been patted into something less chaotic, so it couldn't have been a hallucination. A single black feather was also left lodged in Somnia's mane. Carefully picking the feather out, she noticed it wasn't just a feather, but a quill with a golden tip.

A small engravings on the quill and the magical glow suggested it was enchanted. Twilight tried bending it, but it wouldn't break. It was magically reinforced to be stronger than Trotanium, essentially unbreakable for anything it would be used for. Then Twilight remembered, when Somnia found her in the market, she was buying more quills because they kept breaking. The questions she had about the crow still didn't have any clear answers, but whoever it was, they clearly cared about both of them.

"Thank you." Twilight whispered to her mysterious watcher, receiving only the cold silence of the nightly winds in response.

This is nice. Twilight thought as she took in the warmth of her bed. The sheets were as soft as clouds, the mattress itself was clouds, but her upper chest felt a bit itchy. Trying to move her foreleg, she realized something, or somepony, was laying on it. Opening her eyes, she spotted the dark purple mess that was her daughter's mane.

Lightly petting it with her other hoof, she finally heard the sobs. Adjusting a bit in bed, she nudged Somnia to see if she was awake. The filly sniffled before looking up at Twilight. "H-Heyy."

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked, freeing her hoof from under the filly to bring her into a hug.

"I-I... I just had a nightmare." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Y-You were killed by s-somepony."

"It's okay, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you." Twilight brought her up closer to her head. "Your dreams aren't always true, right?"

"N-No. I-I can change the future i-if I can catch it." She snuggled under Twilight's neck.

"You've had nightmares like that before, what's so bad about this one?"

She buried her face into Twilight's fur, taking a moment to collect herself. "Y-You spent so little time with me back w-when I grew up. I-I don't want you to go."

"I'm here, and I'll be here for a long time." She nuzzled the filly. "I promise, I'll be with you so long that you'll get sick of me. Sound good?"

The filly giggled. "Y-Yeah. Sounds good."

"Then let's go get breakfast. I'm starving!"

"Finally!" Spike put down the magazine he was reading at the desk. "She's been crying for the past hour!"

"Not like you were any help!" Somnia spat back at him.

"Do you want me to get a boner?" He deadpanned, getting a shake of the head from both the occupants of the bed. "Thought as much. Now let's go!" He hopped from the chair followed by Twilight and Somnia.

Breakfast was fairly uneventful, mostly Princess Celestia talking about the mountain of complaints filed by the nobles in attendance at court the previous day and Princess Luna briefly showed up to stack her plate with food before heading to her room, receiving the disapproving stare of her sister behind her back.

It would still be half a day before her friends arrived in Canterlot for the Summer Sun Celebration party, and there wasn't much left to do in preparation before she returned to bed. Perhaps this lull is a blessing in disguise...

"No, looks boring." Somnia took another look around. "Can't we go somewhere quick? I would like to try a hayburger."

"Are you sure? The cost isn't a conce--"

"I vote hayburgers." Spike raised his claw. "Anything to get out of this rain."

Twilight sighed, feeling like she was a mother being dragged along by two grumpy foals. She wasn't too far off, considering Spike was technically a baby dragon. Moving away from Restaurant Row, they walked for a couple of minutes until they spotted a McDonehay's. Closing her umbrella as they entered, Twilight could see a few other ponies chatting over coffee at the tables, whispering among themselves.

"Hello?" Twilight approached the tired employee behind the counter that was too engrossed in the newspaper to bother looking up at her. "I would like to order four--"

"Five!"

"Five hayburgers and two large fries." She turned back to the two impatient children. "What do you two want to drink?"

"Soda." Spike answered simply while the filly looked at the menu above.

"Ooo! Can I change my order?" Somnia asked excited.

"I don't see why not."

"I want the chicken bites!" The attendant finally cast a glance away from their newspaper to the ordering ponies.

"Sweet Cele--"

"Somnia! I told you that you can't have griffon food!" Twilight glared down at her.

"Why not? It tastes so gooooood." Her smile drifted as she reminisced the last time she had meat. The succulent steak cooked rare, dripping its scrumptious red fluids. It made her mouth water just thinking of it.

Twilight turned back to the attendant who finally was paying attention, a nervous smile on their face. "Five hayburgers, two large fries, one soda, and two juices."

"O-Of course, princess!" She scurried off in the back. Twilight waved a hoof in front of Somnia's face to bring her back to reality.

"You're going to put on weight if you keep eating like you are."

Somnia stood defiantly. "I'm an alicorn! We have fast metabolisms! And I'm a growing pony!"

"I don't know, Twi. Have you seen yourself at The Hay Burger?" Spike stood alongside Somnia, hoofbumping with her.

Twilight playfully eyed each of them. "You win this round." The attendant came back out with a tray in her mouth. While Twilight paid for their meal, Spike and Somnia took the tray over to an empty table. Joining up with them, she took note of the looks the other patrons were giving her. Curiosity, annoyance, disgust.

Floating her own burger over to her mouth, she could still feel the uncomfortable gazes from afar. She didn't know how or when Somnia had meat, she couldn't have stopped it. Yet that didn't matter to the other ponies, only that she failed to prevent her own daughter from turning into a meat-eater.

"Hey, Twi? You okay?" Spike asked taking an entire pack of fries.

"Huh? Oh, I'm alright." She took a bite of her burger, letting its flavors mingle on her tongue while she tried to block out the other patrons from her mind.

Spike glared to one of the other tables, getting the patrons to turn back to their own business. "Right."

The three ate in an awkward silence for another minute. Somnia was about to start on her second burger when Twilight whispered: "What's meat like?"

"Describe the color green." She responded with a coy smile. "You can't. You have to experience it."

"Didn't you get a stomach ache, or sick?"

"Nope!" Somnia took a big bite of her burger. "Spoke can eat meat." She mumbled out, mouth partially full.

"He's a dragon, he can eat gemstones." Twilight rolled her eyes over to Spike. "I've never considered giving you something like that before."

"I'd rather eat what you eat. Unless its gemstones, I'll take those." Spike took a clawfull of hayfries, stuffing them into his mouth.

"Yeah, 'cause you're probably going to be the one to make it. But you are free to order it if we go out anywhere. You're not a pony, you can eat it if you want to." Twilight played a bit with his top spikes. "I won't mind."

"But I--"

"No, Somnia! None for you." Twilight preempted, hoping to deter this habit of hers.

"Not even fish?"

"Not even fish." She smiled sweetly to her daughter.

Finishing their lunch, they headed back towards the castle. The rain scheduled was short, given the planned celebration the next morning, just enough to water the plants around Canterlot until the next large rainfall. The plants looked beautiful having the droplets of water shimmer in the summer sun. Ponies were heading out to begin their day, many of which waved to Twilight as they trotted by.

Being a Princess of Equestria gave her a bit more stress around strangers, but something new caused her concern. She was concerned for her daughter in the same way she was when Spike was younger. Are other ponies a potential threat? Should they stay closer to her? Should she let them have their independence?

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, a royal guard approached them from the opposite direction. They didn't seem particularly happy to see them, more so just eyeing them from their side of the street. This brought another layer of anxiety for the princess. Does she need to worry about the royal guard? Can even ponies hoof-picked by Celestia be trusted? Would a pony attack them or try to foalnap them? So many questions, not many answers.

"I know that look. Don't worry, Twilight." Spike reassured her.

"I know, Spike. I'm still getting used to all the attention. It's new for all these ponies to recognize who I am." She spotted a couple excitedly whispering to each other at the side of the street as they passed by, the occasional glance from them over to her.

"If you want, Rarity would prob- UGPH!" Spike burped out a letter, one which Twilight took into her magical grasp to read. It had an official royal seal, meaning it must have come from Princess Celestia. Reading it over, she sighed. More work for the Summer Sun Celebration.

So much for the day of fun.

"Plllleeeeeeaaaasssseeee?" The filly pleaded, hoping to prevent another boring day in the court. Her mother wanted to put her with Celestia while she did her duties, but she wanted to do anything but more of that.

"Princess, is there anything else she could do?" Twilight turned to Celestia. "Some other royal duty she could learn?"

Celestia put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Not that I know of. However, if she would like to go to the barracks to learn more about the Royal Guard and E.U.P. then I would allow it."

"Yes!" Somnia hopped off triumphantly. "Thanks, mom! Thanks, Celestia! I'll be back around dinner!" She called back as she galloped from the room.

"I don't mean to question your decisions, but are you sure it is fine for her to be spending so much time not learning about royal duties? We're only going to be in Canterlot on occasion, so it really would be best if she spent time with you in order to learn." Twilight questioned her mentor.

"I'm certain." Celestia smiled down to her. "Luna and I have discussed this extensively. Letting her follow her own path on occasion will make her more receptive to our lessons." Getting up from her throne, she walked down to Twilight. "And she is learning royal duties. I've instructed Captain Shattershield to teach her regal procedures. Trust me, we've planned ahead for this."

Twilight nodded. "Thank you, princess. Teaching her has been difficult, I haven't had much success with my other lessons." The princesses exited the throne room, headed for the delegate meeting room that was repurposed for the celebration's organization. "She's worse than Spike when he was young."

"I resemble that remark." Her dragon companion commented from behind.

"Sorry, Spike. But you were so well behaved growing up, at least when you weren't hungry." She turned back to Celestia. "It just feels like I'm making no progress with her."

"On occasion I've adopted ponies. You are planting the seeds to grow, even if you do not see them sprouting, they will grow. You need to have faith in yourself." Celestia opened the door to the organization room, a few ponies were gathered around the table waiting for them.

"Luna and I both have faith in you. Trust in your abilities. In due time, your hard work will pay off."

"You're late, maggot!" The sergeant chastised the filly. "Get marching! I want to see you in formation and marching like a royal guard yesterday! Move it!" The filly rushed off for the rest of the recruits while the sergeant and captain watched from the middle of the compound. "I mean no disrespect, sir, but weren't we ordered to not train her?"

"We're not." He smiled to the sergeant. "She's learning discipline. We're not making her run laps, we're only teaching her how to march."

"That... doesn't make much sense." She raised her brow. "Teaching her is still training her." Turning back to the recruits: "Heartache! Somnia! Straighten yourselves up! Shaft, get your rhythm back in order!"

"In a way. Princess Celestia gave the okay for me to teach her. This helps her focus on the in-class lessons."

"She's not becoming on officer, is she?" The sergeant winced. "'Cause yikes, she would only be accepted with the Lunar Guard at this rate."

The captain chuckled. "No, she's a princess. I'm trying to teach her about delegating responsibilities to her subordinates. This will help. Seeing you taking my orders, carrying them out without question. Her taking your orders, carrying them out. Hopefully it will get through to her."

"Hopefully." The sergeant trotted to intercept the group. "Straighten up, maggots! This isn't a Sunday stroll through the park!"

Shattershield returned to his office, leaving the sergeant to do her work. He had a meeting with a changeling.

"Wake up, Somnia. We need to get to the train station." Twilight nuzzled her. "I know you're tired, but I want to be there when my friends arrive."

"Ugh..." She slowly got up. "What time is it?"

"Almost sunset. Let's go!" She picked up the filly in her magical grasp, carrying her out to their waiting carriage. The filly used the ride over to wake up from her nap, inadvertently falling asleep again. By the time Somnia awoke again, the carriage came to stop in front of the train station.

The three of them waited on the platform for a few minutes before the train arrived. Steam rolled over the platform as the train pulled in, flattening Somnia's coat against her body. The doors opened and the five familiar mares trotted from inside, greeting their friend before returning to the carriage.

Somnia looked out the carriage window at the streets. They were more lively than they had been the past two nights, at least from what she had seen, with ponies chatting away or walking to whatever party they planned to go to. For Somnia, she had a different set of plans. There weren't going to be many fillies or colts around to talk with, so she made alternative arrangements.

Pulling into the castle, she waved her tail at the sight of her entourage for the night. She was first to the door, excitedly waiting for the carriage to come to a halt.

"My, you seem to be excited for your first Summer Sun Celebration party." Rarity commented.

Pinkie Pie leaned close. "Who are you hanging out with tonight? Got a special somepony in mind?"

"She's too young for that, Pinkie." Fluttershy countered, turning to Twilight worried. "Isn't she?"

"I hope she isn't going to be getting into that sort of trouble." Twilight giggled. "She's hanging out with the Lunar Guards on patrol. Not many others her age to hang out with at the party after-all."

"Good thing too. Won't be drinking the punch, more for me." Rainbow leaned back in her seat grinning.

"Woah there, pony-girl. Don't wanna miss the mornin' sunrise, do ya?" Rainbow got a jab from Applejack.

"Like I would miss it!" The carriage came to a halt, briefly tumbling the standing filly over. Quickly getting back up, she unlocked the door and hopped out, the others following behind.

Waiting patiently was Captain Broken Dawn and a few other Lunar Guards chatting idly behind him. Twilight approached the captain, hoping to have a word before their patrol while her friends went to get setup with their rooms.

"Princess Twilight." He bowed to her. "You wished to speak with me before I began my rounds?"

"You are correct." She playfully glared down to the filly saddled up into the captain's side. "A certain filly didn't want to hang out at the party. I was hoping you could keep an eye on her while you patrolled tonight."

"We weren't planning to have guests." He nudged the filly from him a bit. "But it couldn't hurt."

"Thank you, captain. Make sure she's back in her room an hour before sunrise." Twilight sighed, looking to her daughter. "And please try to not get in trouble tonight."

"I promise!"

"Thank you. Both of you." Twilight walked back towards the castle entrance while the captain turned to his troops.

"Alright, guards! Form up!" They all assembled into two lines, Somnia rushing over to join them. "Tonight our duties are to keep an eye out for trespassers as usual, but we are also to be watching for excessively inebriated ponies. Take them back to their rooms if they are falling down or causing a scene. Most of you were on duty the previous celebration in Canterlot, so I have no doubt that everything will go smoothly.

"I've already given you your pairings and routes. Princess Somnia, you will be with me and Corporal Pilot Light in the Castle Gardens. Dismissed!" The corporal and princess formed up with the captain as they made their way over to the gardens. Other than practicing her marching, Somnia anticipated having time to chat with the captain. There was so much she wanted to ask him about the thestrals in modern Equestria.

The corporal broke off into a different area of the garden, leaving the two alone to patrol the northern section. Once they had gotten far enough away, Somnia took her shot: "I haven't seen many batponies so far. I've only seem your kind serving in the guard."

"Yeah, makes sense. We prefer to move around at night." The captain's eyes kept passively scanning the gardens while they walked. "And other ponies tend not to like seeing us. Bad reputation, ya know?"

"Bad reputation? But batponies are one of the eight kinds!"

"I don't know about eight, but certainly not among the three tribes that formed Equestria." He stopped at an intersection, looking down each of the paths carefully listening. "Just have to live with it best we can."

They continued straight. "Why do the other ponies not like to see you though?"

"Me? Nah, ponies respect the guard. They don't like seeing us in general."

"But why?"

"The Lunar Civil War, not being there for the founding of Equestria, rumors of criminality, meat-eating, you name it. They look down on us for one reason for another." His voice carried a tinge of sadness, one that Somnia couldn't help but feel angry at.

"That's not fair! You are ponies like the rest of us!"

The captain chuckled halfheartedly. "Glad you see it that way, princess."

"Don't the other princesses treat you fairly?" Somnia rushed to in-front of him, bringing them to a halt.

"Princess Luna does." He sighed. "The others either don't care, or see us the same way as everypony else. Bloodsuckers, foalnappers, meat-eaters, undesirables essentially."

He walked around the filly who followed behind in thought. Her mom really didn't seem to like ponies eating meat. Is that why? Did she hate thestrals? Was history repeating itself? Did that mean other things would repeat along with it?

"Nothing can be done about it though. We don't interact with other ponies enough to change their minds and the nobles here in Canterlot like to keep it that way."

"Why doesn't Luna do something?"

"She does, but she doesn't succeed." He stopped at the next intersection. "Look, I don't want to disappoint you, but things aren't going to change. Not enough thestrals care enough to do anything about it. There simply isn't the political power to do so."

The filly stood defiantly. "I'll do something about it! All ponies should be treated with respect!"

The captain smiled, shaking his head. "You do you, filly. Maybe one day you can do something if you really do care that much. I'm not going to hold out hope anything will change in my lifetime."

"No!" She stamped on the ground. "It's my duty as a member of the royal family to serve all ponies! I won't let it go! My dad wouldn't let go!"

"And just who's your dad?" He asked curiously. "I only heard about you through rumors before Shatterbrains brought you along in-pony. Your dad? Completely unheard of."

"He was the Duke of the Thestrals back in Excalicorn! He wouldn't let you to be mistreated by the other ponies!"

The captain rolled his eyes. "Whatever, kid. Let's get back to our patrol."

The two moved along in silence for another hour, the winds tonight being warmer than Somnia expected. Corporeal Pilot Light came by once to tell the captain about a possible rowdy noble in the main hall before heading back to patrol. Moving their way over to the hall, Somnia looked for her mom, seeing her gathered at a table with her friends laughing away freely. A particular table had two nobles yelling at each other, likely being the cause of concern.

"Why don't you get something to eat while I deal with this?" The captain motioned towards the banquet tables, receiving a nod from the filly. She wished she could float things with her horn as she looked up at the table. Taking bits from the different foods on offer, she grazed over the tables. The extra heat made her a bit thirsty, so she went for the punch.

It was too high up to pour for herself, looking under the table she grabbed a box of spare cups to stand on while she poured. The attendee next to her looked like she wanted to say something, but kept silent as Somnia poured herself a cup of punch. She pushed the box back under the table and took her drink, meeting up with the captain at the door.

They set out into the gardens once more. The filly finally took a sip of her drink, slightly recoiling at the taste. It felt like it was burning the back of her mouth. Hey, Grar, is this safe to drink?

Of course. They wouldn't try poisoning everypony who went for the punch. I would recommend you take your time with it though.

And so she did. They patrolled for another hour or two, her vision slowly getting less and less clear as they went. She even went back for seconds when there was a loud crash from the gala hall. Something about a table being flipped? She wasn't really paying attention. All she knew was that the punch was really good.

She even took a third cup on their way back into the garden. Extending her wings and lifting her tail in the warm summer night wind, she enjoyed the feel of it run over her. Her body craved attention, but she was still a bit nervous about approaching the captain. Meanwhile, the captain was getting more and more antsy as they patrolled.

Hiccuping, she finally asked the question racing in her mind. "Capt'n, do you have a maaarefriend?"

"Uhh..." He looked down at her. "Are you alright, princess?"

"An-sir my question? Hat's a order!"

"No, I don't." He knelt down to get down to her eye level. "Are you drunk?"

"Naaah." She approached, swaying her hips like she had seen in some of her dreams. "Your pretty good lookin' for a stallion."

His breathing became less regular. "Princess, I-I think we should--"

"Shhhh..." She put a hoof to his lips. "Bet yer better than Spike. Wanna be my sompony fer tonight?"

He pulled back a bit. "P-Princess! I-I'm sworn to--" The captain recoiled at the feeling of lips on his own as the filly lunged forward to kiss him. He could smell the alcohol on her, removing any ambiguity about it. Pulling her back, he picked her up and put the fussy filly on his back. He shook his head to remove the thoughts from his mind. Right now, he had a job to do.

Entering back into the party, he made his way straight for the table with the purple and white mares idly chatting. "Cooommmmeee ooonnnnn..." The filly whined loudly. "I wanna buck a reeeeeeaaaaal stallion!"

Princess Twilight scrambled from her seat over to the captain, teleporting all three of them back to her room. She took the filly from the captain's back and straight into the shower while the captain opened the door, commanding the guard in the hallway to bring water and food up to the room. He walked back over to the bathroom, seeing the mother trying and failing to hold onto the filly in the shower.

"You can join too~" The filly rubbed all along her body, getting a frustrated growl out of her mother.

"Somnia! Stay still!"

"Need help?" Dawn asked from the doorway.

An embarrassed Twilight looked back. "If it wouldn't be too much of a problem?"

"Get her in your lap, I'll soak her." He commanded.

"Why my lap?"

"Because I know exactly what she would do in mine." He chuckled, getting a blush from the princess.

"Hehe... You know it~" Twilight groaned at the filly's flirtation, wrapping her legs around the filly to hold her in place as the captain took the shower-head to soak the filly and princess in cold water.

"Heyy!" Somnia whined. "That's cold! I wanna be hot!" She giggled, bursting into a laugh. "I am hot, ain't I?"

Both adults kept their mouths shut while they tried to get her under control. Once she had shriveled up enough in the cold water, they took her back out into the main area, wrapping her in the blanket to keep her from moving. The guard came back with the water and food, which Twilight fed to Somnia before Dawn left them be.

He shook his head once out of sight of anypony else, thoughts still racing about that kiss. He hoped the guard would rarely ever interact with fillies, a convenient occupation to avoid dealing with those feelings. Hopefully nopony saw the kiss happen, otherwise he would never live it down.

Slowly opening her eyes, she immediately closed them at the first light. Her brain pounded against the walls of her skull, the rest of her body weak and her stomach queasy. She moaned as she tried a second time, pushing through the pain.

"Welcome back." A soothing motherly voice whispered from next to her. "I saved you some breakfast."

"I don't feel like it." She put her head under her pillow, pushing it to her aching head to hopefully relieve some pain.

"You did this to yourself, now you have to face it." Twilight pulled to pillow from Somnia's head. "Eat. You'll start feeling better."

Reluctantly sitting up, Somnia opened her eyes to see the dim glow coming from the mostly closed curtains in the room. But it wasn't the castle room, it was much smaller. Twilight hoofed over the tray she kept, taking off the towel to reveal a salad. Somnia ate straight from the bowl without bothering with the utensils.

"The captain told me what happened last night." Twilight got up, opening the curtains a bit more.

"Did- E-Everything?" The filly nervously asked between bites of her salad.

Twilight sighed, moving back over to her. "You haven't been taking the pills, have you?"

The filly shook her head, going back to finish her meal.

Last night was fun, we should do it again sometime.

Buck you, Grar. You knew that was going to happen didn't you?

Absolutely, and it was glorious!