Author's Note

After I rewrote the 2017 movie within my "What If?" universe earlier this year, a lot of people really started asking to see Twilight and Tempest's apologies to Queen Novo be fleshed out and explored more in depth. And so, I decided to write in this rewrite volume, taking the place of "The Point of No Return" even though I'd already rewritten it to be an Ocellus episode. Having given Ocellus her own episode back in my rewrite of "The Break Up Break Down", giving her her own episode no longer seemed as necessary now that she did have one. "Sweet and Smoky" was also a candidate for replacement, but having rewritten that episode to have Garble consider joining Grogar, that felt more important to the overall narrative of Season 9.

I know that this sort of episode probably never could've taken place in actual show canon, because they would've had to either lure back the movie voice actors or find suitable show replacements for Queen Novo and Tempest Shadow (ironic given that "Make Your Mark" and "Tell Your Tale" replaced the entire voice cast from "A New Generation" just a few years later). But this is what could be said to be a dream episode, as in something that if they could've done it just once it would've been cool to see.

I also have yodajax10 to thank for the idea to have a flashback within the flashback story, it being related to the headcanon of Princess Luna being Spike's dragonsitter. It is a headcanon I've already worked into a few other rewrites and rewrite volumes.

And as for Diamond Tiara, I should clarify that her being Twilight's student is an idea I ran with ever since my rewrite of "Celestial Advice", making it into a two parter. Around the time I started getting ready to write it, I saw a comment on Equestria Daily saying Diamond Tiara could've been Twilight's student in Season 7, and the idea stuck with me.

~~Stare Master~~
~~Pinkie Apple Pie~~
~~The Cutie Map, Parts 1 and 2~~
~~The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone~~
~~Hard to Say Anything (Bonus Chapter)~~
~~A Health of Information~~
~~Uprooted~~
~~The Royal Apologies (The Point of No Return)~~
The Big Mac Question (Bonus Chapter)

S9 E5: The Royal Apologies (The Point of No Return) (What If?)

Ever since turning over a new leaf, Diamond Tiara had been trying her hardest not to look back on who she used to be. She really wanted to keep moving forward, to be better than she had been during the years when she'd only ever thought of herself and had convinced herself that acting the way her mother told her to would bring her happiness.

And Diamond knew she had made a considerable amount of progress since that day. Sure, she wasn't perfect, sometimes she could still make mistakes. But she really felt like she was trying.

Even so, the headgear wearing filly could still sometimes feel downhearted and dismayed when presented with reminders of what she used to be like. Not everypony had so easily forgiven her. As Silver Spoon alone could attest, it took a lot more than an apology or two and a few acts of kindness to convince ponies that Diamond Tiara was in fact a changed pony (one that had changed for the better at that).

Today was one of those days as the earth pony filly with a dazzling magenta coat had her head hung low as she trotted up to the School of Friendship and made her way to the headmare's office. Being a student of the princess of friendship meant that Diamond had easy access to the alicorn whenever she wanted it (or needed it).

Without even bothering to knock on the office doors, Diamond Tiara trotted inside. If nothing else, a pep talk with the princess would take the filly's mind off her troubles.

So imagine Tiara's surprise when she found that Twilight was currently occupied talking with Silverstream, the hippogriff appearing to hang on every word her headmare said.

"So, do you understand now, Silverstream?" Twilight asked the pink feathered hippogriff. "It's okay to still be afraid of the Storm King sometimes, or to be afraid of other things. No one's brave all the time. What's important is that you don't let that fear control you or hold you back. Whenever you feel afraid or scared, talk to your friends or to someone you trust. And know that sometimes, even when it can be the most difficult thing to do, we must face our fears head on."

Silverstream nodded. "Thanks a ton, Headmare Twilight. I'm so lucky I get to talk to you all the time," She giggled and remarked. "I still remember how my Aunt Novo originally had to be convinced to even let you appear before her. Now, it's like the two of you never had that disagreement in the first place."

Twilight sheepishy blushed, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. "Well... time can ease most wounds. But it certainly took a lot of apologizing on my part before your aunt could trust me again. And I'm not the only pony who had to work hard to regain that trust."

"Ooh! I know, you're talking about that pony without a horn!" Silverstream excitedly exclaimed! "What was her name again? I think Cousin Skystar said something about her once, but I can't remember 'cause it's been so long."

The alicorn princess replied. "She was a different story, Silvertream. The things she did were a lot worse than me simply trying to steal a magical pearl."

Just then, Diamond Tiara opted to clear her throat, announcing to all that she was also in the room and that she wished to be noticed.

"Oh, Diamond Tiara," Twilight Sparkle blinked as she turned her attention to the headgear wearing filly. "What an unexpected surprise. I know you're not here for another lesson. You've been very good at keeping up with my lessons when we have scheduled them," She saw fit to question. "Did you get into another argument with your mother?"

Tiara looked down at the ground and hung her head in shame. "Unfortunately, yes. I've tried to give her space, like you said. Tried to hold out hope that maybe she can change the way I have. But it seems like she's too set in her ways. She keeps claiming that when I get to be her age, I'll understand. That's not the problem, though."

Hesitantly, the alicorn inquired. "Then what is?"

The earth pony filly with a lovely magenta coat let out a long, unhappy sigh. "Be honest, Princess Twilight. Do you think I really have changed?"

Twilight blinked in surprise. "What makes you think otherwise, Diamond? Everypony can see it for themselves, can't they?"

Diamond glumly confessed. "It's just... I was talking with Silver Spoon earlier. And it made me realize something: There's a lot of other ponies besides just the CMC that I wronged when I acted like a bully. I was a terrible, horrible pony. I do so many bad things that I can't even keep track of them all. I've tried to make amends as best I could but..." Her lips quivered in spite of her best efforts to the contrary. "Some ponies are still afraid of me. And I don't blame them. I was a bully for so long, it's hard for them to see me as anything else. Sure, lots of ponies will say I've changed. But what if they're wrong? What if I haven't really changed and deep down I've just been going through the motions because I felt sorry for myself?" She looked up to the princess. "How do you do it, Twilight? How do you convince not just other ponies but also yourself that you are a good pony?"

At that, Twilight Sparkle seemed to get an idea. "Well, Diamond Tiara, your timing actually couldn't be better. My talk with Silverstream here," She gestured to the hippogriff sitting in front of her desk. "Has reminded me of something very important that happened in my life not too long ago. And it's an experience that taught me a lot about what it means to truly forgive and be forgiven. By the time I'm done telling it, maybe you'll come to understand yourself just a little bit better." And so she prepared to begin her story, one that was directly related to Queen Novo, the hippogriffs, and a pony who had once helped bring the kingdom of Mount Aris to ruin.

Without hesitation, Twilight gathered her thoughts and began to speak. "Like all stories, I'll start at the beginning. Shortly after the Storm King was defeated, I found that the map in my castle had expanded."

"Oh, I remember that. Pinkie Pie started talking about it," Diamond Tiara spoke up. "Almost nothing stays secret for long with her, unless she wants it to stay secret."

"Yes. Well, anyway," Twilight continued as she began picturing the events in her head. "That led me to decide to create my own School of Friendship. The way I saw it: Instead of traveling to the ends of Equestria and beyond whenever there was a friendship problem, what if there was a way to bring friendship to the problems and stop them before they could start? And of course, what good would any school be if it didn't have students?"

Silverstream excitedly interrupted! "That's what led you to invite me, and all my friends! I remember my cousin Skystar really wanted to go, but my Aunt Novo said she was too old to attend. The first time I came back to Mount Aris and Seaquestria after the school opened, she insisted on having me tell her everything about it so that it was like she was there herself."

"You're so lucky to be able to attend a school like this," Diamond couldn't help but chime in as she looked to the hippogriff. "No offense to Miss. Cheerilee, but she just can't compete with something as amazing as this!"

The young alicorn then cleared her throat quite suddenly, attracting the attention of both the hippogriff and the earth pony filly. "I appreciate that you both have your own senitments and opinions about my school, but I'm the one telling the story. School may not be in session right now, but that doesn't mean I can keep you both all day. So please, try to keep the commentary to a minimum," She waited a moment for the silence to settle, then resumed. "You're quite right, Silverstream. Opening my school's doors to other creatures meant that inevitably I was drawn to your kingdom. Or kingdoms, I should say. But of the two, Mount Aris was the one that most commanded my attention when I visited it," Putting a hoof to her chin, she began to recall. "If I remember correctly, it wasn't even half a year after the Storm King's defeat that I came to Mount Aris. And what I say blew me away."

Just like that, the memories came flooding back to the alicorn. Memories of a time and an experience she would not soon forget.

"Wow!" Twilight happily exclaimed as she gazed out of the window of her train car. Just from her limited viewpoint, she could see that Mount Aris was much brighter and full of life compared to the hollowed out shell it had been when she had visited it with her friends. "I can't believe how fast they've turned everything around here! I probably won't even recognize the kingdom now!" And she turned to Spike, jokingly asking him. "Tell me, Spike. Are you sure we got on the right train? Because this doesn't look like the Mount Aris I know."

Spike sighed, folding up the newspaper he'd been reading. "Yes, Twilight, this is the place," And he couldn't help but remark. "I know you're nervous about meeting Queen Novo again for an official apology, but you need to relax."

The alicorn princess' happy mood faded, causing her to frown ever so slightly. "I can't help it, Spike. I did a terrible thing to Queen Novo while we were down in Seaquestria. I tricked her and used my friends as a distraction. I wish more than anything I could take it back," She hung her head in shame. "But I can't. I've had to live with that guilt."

The little dragon could only retort. "Well, you're not the only one who's living with that kind of guilt. And something tells me you're not going to be the only pony coming to apologize to Queen Novo."

"At least if she was here now, I'd feel just that little bit better about having go through it," Twilight admitted. "I wonder if she's as nervous as I am."

Spike shrugged his claws. "Your guess is as good as mine," And he then went on. "But let's not worry about that. We may be here to apologize to Queen Novo, but we're also here on official School of Friendship recruiting business. You insisted on being the one to talk to the hippogriffs and the seaponies, even though any one of your friends could've done it for you."

Stepping off the train, the studious alicorn swallowed hard. "This is something I have to do, Spike! I can't keep putting it off forever! If I keep waiting for a better time, a better time may never come. Like it or not, coming here means I can't run away from the issue. And when all is said and done, I just hope Queen Novo isn't the kind of creature who holds a grudge. From the way she talked about the Storm King," She shut her eyes and shuddered, remembering the conversation she'd had with the queen of both the seaponies and the hippogriffs. "It seems like she can hold on to bad feelings for a really long time, maybe even forever."

Waving a claw, the little dragon protested. "That's absurd, Twilight. You're part of the reason the Storm King is no more. Queen Novo would have to be a fool not to see that. Now come on: You already scheduled your apology, didn't you?"

Gulping ever so slightly, the princess nodded. "Yes."

"So, let's just pass the time until then taking in the sights. And while we're at it, maybe we can see if there's any hippogriffs who might be in need of what your school has to offer." Spike proposed. And just like that, he and Twilight left the train station and began to ascend the long, winding staircase that led up to the summit of Mount Aris. It was there that the newly refurbished kingdom of the hippogriffs resided, now bearing no signs that it had ever once been attacked and abandoned.

Pony and dragon eventually reached the outskirts of Mount Aris proper. And they were utterly astounded by how vibrant and full of life it was. Hippogriffs of all colors and sizes, from all walks of life were roaming about within the kingdom. Some were flying overhead, others were walking on their paws, and some were standing by stands or tents and talking to other hippogriffs.

Yet almost as soon as Twilight Sparkle had stepped hoof into their kingdom, every hippogriff stopped what they had been doing and turned to look at her.

For a moment, everything was silent. Then, as if the proverbial floodgates had been opened, every hippogriff there was seemed to be rushing towards her. "It's her, the slayer of the Storm King!" One male hippogriff could be heard exclaiming with great joy! "Thanks to her, our kingdoms can thrive again!"

Twilight had to fight back the urge to blush. Being showered with such affection would normally be nice, but right now it just made her feel awkward and uncomfortable. Had they all forgotten what she'd done in Seaquestria on her last visit?

Suddenly, a very familiar regal voice could be heard saying about the noise of the crowd. "So, you've come back after all, princess. I must admit, I had my doubts. But it seems you were indeed sincere about wanting to make amends." And sure enough, who should emerge from the crowd of hippogriffs but a tall, slender looking hippogriff wearing a golden crown? She had a coat white as snow, eyes a strong shade of magenta, and a mane and tail consisting of two shades of light to medium purple. There was no mistaking her identity: It was Queen Novo.

An awwed hush fell over the crowd as they all parted ways, allowing for their queen to approach the alicorn. Twilight, for her part, tried not to show outwardly how intimidated she was. She stood as firm as she could, even though every part of her body screamed at her to run away.

Queen Novo had a very stern expression upon her face, a very harsh glare that seemed almost judgemental. Even though it had been a few months since the incident in Seaquestria, it seemed that time had not altered her overall impression of the event. It was the sort of look that could easily kill if looks were capable of doing so.

Twilight and Novo spoke not a word as they sized each other up. The tension was so thick you could've cut it with a knife.

At last, it was Novo who spoke up, grabbing Twilight by the hoof and pulling her close. "Well, princess, it would be a shame for you not to see how far Mount Aris has come since you saw it last. And I'm quite curious as to why you have sought me out again so soon. Didn't I make it specifically clear that I would need time before I saw you again?"

Twilight Sparkle swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, your majesty. If circumstances weren't what they were, I wouldn't have come here just yet. But I knew I couldn't put this off any longer, because I couldn't get away with coming here and not seeing you," She bowed her head. "Whatever you decide to do to me as punishment, I will not run from it. I will accept it."

Queen Novo seemed to smile ever so faintly. "We can discuss that later in a more personal setting. I'd rather not make a public scene out of it, especially since you're not the only one who has come here to make amends."

A gasp escaped the alicorn princess' lips! "Tempest is here too?!"

"Yes," Queen Novo explained. "Much to my surprise: It would seem that my daughter is far more forgiving than I am, perhaps because she mostly remembers Tempest as a playmate rather than an intruder," She put a claw up to her face. "Sometimes, I really admire that free spirited nature of hers. But at times like these, it just gives me a headache."

"I'm sorry if this is a bad time," Twilight apologized and hesitated. "I could come back some other day. My visit here isn't urgent urgent."

The queen would hear nothing of such an argument. "Nonsense, Princess Twilight. You're here now. We've put this off long enough. One way or another, our... past disagreement must be resolved," And she led Twilight away. "But for right now, it's only fair for you to see how far we've come in so short an amount of time."

With the hippogriff queen leading the way, Twilight and Spike walked around Mount Aris, taking notice of spacious a kingdom it appeared to be. Lush, green hills stretched on all the way to the horizon, or so it seemed. Sea breezes whistled past huts and tents that looked to be as good as new. And all the ruined, abandoned structures from before had been demolished. You never would've guessed that the Storm King had attacked it, or that it had ever been abandoned.

"As you can clearly see, princess," Queen Novo explained to her guest. "We hippogriffs have rebuilt Mount Aris up to tis former glory. Our first step was demolishing all traces of the ruins the Storm King left in his destructive wake. We wish to move forward and not dwell on the past."

"I see." Was all Twilight could bring herself to say. She wanted to say more, but she couldn't work up the courage or the nerve.

"Did you really manage to rebuild everything so quickly?" Spike questioned as he looked around. "When Twilight and I were here last, it looked to us like Mount Aris had been abandoned for years."

Novo smiled. "Even I'm impressed by how quickly we were able to restore the kingdom of old. Aside from my still under repair palace, all of the structures in which my subjects and I dwelled needed very little work done before they could be made safe for living again. And once my subjects started living on the land once more, many of our previous traditions and customs returned: Including of course the annual 'Glad To Be a Hippogriff' festival," She gestured a paw to a flagpole nearby. "And our pride and joy: The Harmonizing Heights," Off in the distance, one could see a stone path that led to a set of secluded hills from which beautiful music seemed to echo. She also added. "And before you ask, yes, we fully restored our electricial and water lines. The latter especially was a top priority for us during the first few weeks up on Mount Aris."

The studious alicorn blinked and commented. "It's amazing you could all do this without magic. Back in Equestria, even with magic, it can sometimes take half a year or more for construction projects to be completed. I haven't seen a kingdom turn things around so quickly since Thorax became king of the changelings."

"Interesting," Novo couldn't help but remark. "We've only just begun making contact with the nations and kingdoms Equestria has allied itself with. We had no idea there existed such places as Yakyakistan or the dragon lands. Much has changed since we were forced to abandon Mount Aris years ago."

Spike chuckled a bit. "I guess time really does make all things possible."

The hippogriff queen nodded. "Indeed it does. And hopefully, this time Mount Aris will remain beautiful and peaceful forever," She briefly moved a paw over her heart. "If nothing else, it would be the best way to honor the memory of those who gave their lives to protect this land."

"I'm sorry." Twilight sincerely apologized.

Novo only shook her head from side to side. "Don't be. You weren't here when the Storm King attacked, you had nothing to do with my husband's decision to scarifice himself so that the rest of us could escape," She sighed. "And try as I might, I can't bring myself to hold it against Tempest either. She may have brought the Storm King to our very doorstep, but she took no part in the invasion itself. No doubt, the Storm King did so to punish her for failing to retrieve the Pearl of Transformation."

"Speaking of Tempest," The little dragon saw fit to reluctantly inquire. "Where is she right now? Is she up here on Mount Aris somewhere? Or is she down in Seaquestria?"

The queen coldly remarked. "The crimes she committted on behalf of the Storm King were crimes against Mount Aris, not Seaquestria. Therefore, I have her under heavy guard within the ruins of my old palace. I was just about to have a talk with her about her punishment, when I got word that you were here for an unannounced visit. So I saw fit to take care of both of my outstanding problems in one day."

The young alicorn could only sigh and sorrowful look at the ground while bowing to the hippogriff queen. "If it's come to that, your majesty, then I'm ready to discuss and debate with you about what sort of punishment you wish to inflict. I know it's not my place to advise you. And I know that nothing I say or do can make up for what Tempest did, or what I did. All I ask is that you think carefully about the matter."

"Oh believe me, I've had a lot of time to think about this," Queen Novo remarked in a very ominous, somber tone of voice. "Niceties are over with, princess. It's time we get to the heart of the matter."

And just like that, Twilight found herself being ushered away as several of Novo's hippogriff guards appeared and pushed her along at near spearpoint.

"Wait a minute, Princess Twilight!" Diamond Tiara spoke up, abruptly cancelling out the flashback. "Whatever it was that Queen Novo ended up doing to you and to... er... Tempest or whatever her name was, obviously she still gave permission for Silverstream," She gestured to the hippogriff seated next to her. "To come to your school. And didn't you say that Tempest took out an entire army of scale traders all on her own?"

The alicorn princess nodded, not the least bit upset about having her story interrupted for the time being. "I did, yes. Queen Novo may have had authority to punish us, but she couldn't have kept us prisoner or held us against our will. Princess Celestia would never have let her get away with it. She most certainly knows a thing or two about forgiving others."

"You're talking about how Princess Luna used to be Nightmare Moon, aren't you?" Diamond blinked. "But I thought that was all just an act, like she does every nightmare night. She wasn't actually banished to the moon for a thousand years just because she was jealous of Princess Celestia, right?"

"Wait, you can actually banish someone to the moon?!" Silverstream exclaimed in horror! "You'd never do that to me if I did something bad, would you, Headmare Twilight?!"

Twilight quickly moved to calm down the easily frightened hippogriff. "Of course not, Silverstream. And I couldn't even if I wanted to. The power to banish anyone to the moon is a power that only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna possess. It's not one that they wield lightly," Turning to the headgear wearing earthpony, she then explained. "And I'm afraid that all of what you just said is true, Diamond Tiara. Even if Nightmare Moon was a separate pony from Princess Luna, Princess Luna still chose to give herself over to the darkness and allowed Nightmare Moon to take control. We're still responsible for the actions others take if we give them the chance."

Tiara's ears fell flat against her face as the realization struck her. "Oh."

A smile crept onto the book loving alicorn's face as she continued. "But that's all in the past. Princess Luna came back, was purged of her darker self, and made amends with Princess Celestia. All's well. She has accepted her responsibility for her past mistakes, and has become a better pony as a result."

Spike began to smile too as he fondly recalled. "Yeah! Don't forget, she became my dragonsitter after that first Nightmare Night! And I couldn't be happier to know I have her watching over me."

"Wait, when did that happen?" Diamond asked. "I think I was out of town on that Nightmare Night. I only heard stories about it after the fact."

Suppressing a grin, Twilight explained. "It was just after Princess Luna had stopped posing as Nightmare Moon." And now her mind began flashing back to a very different set of events from the one she had been focusing on before.

Having returned the fake fangs she'd used as part of her "costume", Princess Luna had the biggest smile she had ever known upon her face. "Well, Twilight Sparkle," She said to the pony who was then just a unicorn. "Much as I have enjoyed myself on this Nightmare Night, I cannot stay any longer. My sister will surely be worried if I'm not back in time for the lowering of the moon. I've only been back for about a year now, no reason to start filling her head with terrible thoughts unnecessarily."

Twilight nodded to the alicorn princess with a dark blue coat. "Yes, we wouldn't want that. But I hope you'll come back to Ponyville before next Nightmare Night. I think there are many ponies would like to get to know you better now that they understand you're not really Nightmare Moon anymore."

The moon princess snickered a bit. "Indeed. Besides, I wouldn't want them to keep showering me with candy. I'll have to be careful not to eat too much of the candy stash I've already accquired."

"Yes," Twilight agreed. "Now if I can just get Spike to write down that friendship lesson for you to deliver..." But she trailed off as her wandering eyes noticed that the little dragon was nowhere in sight! "Oh no! Where did he go?!"

"Is something wrong, Twilight?" Luna asked upon noticing the unicorn mare's fast growing concern.

Hastily, the studious unicorn explained. "It's Spike... he's not here, and I thought he was. He must've wandered off somehow while I wasn't looking. He's like family to me," She frantically pleaded in desperation! "Please, you must help me look for him! There's a lot of dangerous things that lurk in the Everfree Forest, especially at night! I have to make sure he's not in any danger!"

The princess of the night quickly lifted a hoof, pulling Twilight close and looking firmly into her eyes. "You have my word, I will not hesitate to join the search party. Go and inform your friends so that they can join in too. The more ponies we have looking for him, the sooner we can find him."

"Great idea!" Twilight agreed and ran off to do just that! As she did so, however, she kept scanning her surroundings and calling out! "Spike?! Spike?! Spike, where are you?!"

"Amazing how she can have so much attachement to a creature she hatched unintentionally," Princess Luna thought to herself as she unfolded her wings and took to the skies, believing that it would be easier to spot Spike from above rather than by wondering aimlessly through the forest. "Perhaps I should ask my sister if she knows how that egg ended up in Twilight's test. There must be a fascinating story about it."

And quite soon, the alicorn mare with a beautiful dark blue coat spotted the very dragon she had been tasked with helping to locate. She swooped down towards him, finding him as he appeared to be stumbling and wandering near the forest's entrance, still wearing that dragon costume of his. As she got closer, she could see that he wasn't merely wandering, he was in fact sleep walking and appeared to be muttering to himself. "No! No! Please don't send me away, Twilight! It was just an accident, I swear! I won't hurt you again!"

Princess Luna knew the signs of a nightmare when she saw it. And she was grateful that she had managed to regain her ability to enter the dream realm and help others when they were struggling with nightmares. If only she had made better use of that power a thousand years ago. So she lit up her horn, casting its soft, blue glow. Within seconds and with her eyes glowing, she entered the dream realm. It took her only slightly longer to find Spike's dream and enter it. "Fear not, dragon youngling," She spoke in a warm, comforting tone. "This is but a dream. It will not come to pass."

A short time later, a very frantic Twilight had returned to the Golden Oak Library! She only intended to stay long enough to shed her Starswirl the Bearded costume before going back out to continue looking for Spike. But what she saw when she flicked on the lights made her change her mind.

There was Spike, still clothed in his dragon costume, and curled up entirely within the hooves of Princess Luna. His eyes were shut and he was snoozing happily, completely at peace and completely unharmed.

Seeing the sight made the book loving unicorn breathe a much needed sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness, he's okay," She whispered as she approached the heartwarming scene. "Where was he?"

"I found him sleepwalking near the forest's entrance," Princess Luna explained, taking care to keep her tone of voice low so as to avoid waking Spike. "He was suffering from a nightmare. Fortunately, I was able to purge it from his mind. But I was hoping I could stay the night here."

"Are you sure that's wise, Luna?" Twilight Sparkle questioned with concern. "Princess Celestia will worry if you're not back by morning."

The night princess reassured Twilight. "I'll inform my sister when I visit her dreams tonight. I am in no rush to return to Canterlot tonight, not with this young dragon I've taken such a strong liking to," She smiled, reflecting. "I've always felt more at peace around young ones, even though they are often the ones who miss out on most of what my night has to offer," Then, suddenly, she let out a light gasp and turned to the unicorn. "Say, Twilight, I've just had a brilliant idea."

The book loving unicorn mare questioned. "What is it, Princess Luna?"

The princess of the night sweetly and softly explained. "Would it be alright with you if I became Spike's dragonsitter on a go-to basis? He is very much still a child himself, his nightmares come from a place of deep concern and regret from what I can tell. But if you let me, I can stay and comfort him, and ensure he's safe and loved when he can't go with you on your journeys."

Twilight smiled. "I'll have to talk it over with Spike in the morning. But I'm sure he'll say yes." And so it would be arranged. From that night onward, Princess Luna was officially made Spike's dragonsitter.

"Wow!" Silverstream exclaimed with wide-eyed wonder as Twilight finished the explanation. "That's absolutely incredible! I never knew there was a princess who had power over dreams!" Even so, she happily stated. "But you'll always be the best princess in my heart, Headmare Twilight. If it wasn't for you, I would've never come to learn just how fascinating life on the surface really is, or made so many incredible friends I never could've made on my own."

"Don't thank me, thank your aunt," Twilight pointed out. "I obviously had to get her permission to let you attend. Even if you're not the heir to the throne, you are still technically royalty."

The pink feathered hippogriff giggled. "Hey, that's never stopped me! I don't care if others know that or not! All I care about is doing the best I can to make you and my Aunt Novo proud!"

Diamond Tiara, meanwhile, began to ask the alicorn princess. "So, how did your apology with Queen Novo play out exactly? Did you have to really beg her to forgive you? Even before I turned over a new leaf, I always thought begging was beneath me. The only time I even thought about doing it was when I tried to convince Mother to let me attend this school."

Twilight informed the filly. "I didn't have to beg, I can tell you that much. But Novo's forgiveness was anything but easy to earn. And keep in mind, this was all happening less than a year after the Storm King's defeat. If it had been happening just recently, after all the time that has passed, I think things could've gone a little bit more smoothly."

"Why? What did my Aunt Novo do to you?" Silverstream asked with renewed concern. "She didn't turn you into a newt or something, did she? I heard a rumor that she did to somecreature once, a long time ago."

The studious alicorn replied. "She didn't turn me into a newt, and she didn't do it to Tempest either," She put a hoof to her chin, recalling. "I was ultimately able to apologize to her, and the same was true for Tempest. I still can't believe it all played out the way it did. I really didn't plan for things to unfold the way they did." And just like that, she was once again picturing those events from a little over a year ago in her mind.

Compared to all the other buildings atop Mount Aris and within the hippogriffs' kingdom, the royal palace (or rather, what was left of it) was a drab, scorched, neglected, and ultimately forelorn mess of weathered pillars, missing bricks, and crumbling wood. The air was musty and dusty, and almost no natural light shone through it even though the sun was by now directly overhead.

"Don't worry, this place is safe. It's been stablized," Queen Novo reassured Twilight as she ushered the trembling alicorn princess into the palace courtyard. "As we speak, I'm having a brand new castle built to reflect the joint nature of my two kingdoms. Mount Aris and Seaquestria are two sides of the same coin."

The princess pondered aloud. "So if you're here, who's in charge of Seaquestria?"

"Technically, I run them both," Novo proudly boasted, before adding in a more serious and matter of fact tone. "But for emergencies where I can't be there, my sister serves as the queen. She almost never goes up to Mount Aris, except for special occasions. Meanwhile, my brother-in-law leads my armies up here on Mount Aris, and rarely goes down to Seaquestria."

"Is that why all of your subjects were wearing those funny necklaces?" Spike inquired, taking notice of a similar necklace that hung around the queen's neck.

Novo nodded, holding up the necklace and gesturing to the tiny silver object hanging from a chain. "Yes indeed: A bit of clever thinking on my part. I was able to break the Pearl of Transformation into small shards. With it, all my subjects can change back and forth at will. Some of them even go back and forth between the two kingdoms on the same day," Then she climbed up onto what appeared to be a worn out, tattered throne and sat down. "Now, enough beating around the bush. We both know why you've come here."

Twilight breathed deeply, kneeling and bowing before the queen as best she could. "I know there's nothing I can say and nothing I can do that can make up for how badly I misused your trust in me, your majesty." She began in a sorrowful, regretful tone of voice.

"That's putting it mildly." The queen coldly replied.

The alicorn princess swallowed hard and continued. "You said back at the Festival of Friendship that you wanted to be alone, to be allowed to rebuild your kingdoms in peace. I granted you that request."

Queen Novo humphed, shifting the paw on which her face rested while questioning quite bluntly. "Then why did you come back to see me so soon? It's only been about three months at best. And I find it hard to believe it's not coincidence that Tempest Shadow showed up here just a day before you did. It seems you're both intent on forcing the issue."

"Please, your majesty," Twilight firmly and desperately protested. "I have no control over Tempest's actions! I wasn't aware she was coming here! You can't keep her here against her will! If you do, you're as bad as the Storm King!"

Yet it was then that a regretful, somber toned voice spoke up from the distance. "Thank you, Princess Twilight, but I don't need you to fight my battles for me. This is what I deserve. I should be treated no less after all the pain and suffering I inflicted onto the hippogriffs." And sure enough, who should come trotting up on the scene but Tempest Shadow herself? She was still clad in that black full body armor that covered up her cutie mark, much to Twilight's shock and surprise!

"So, you still have the courage to show your face in my presence even after your surrender to me yesterday," Novo remarked in a noticeably bitter tone of voice. "I can't tell if you're really brave, or just really stubborn."

Twilight's eyes went wide in disbelief as she turned to the hornless unicorn now standing next to her! "Tempest, I can't believe you're doing this! I know you want to make amends as badly as I do, but this is not the way to achieve it!"

Tempest frowned and turned her head. "Spare me the prepared friendship speeches, Twilight. The magic of friendship can't help us here. We've both done wrong, and must accept whatever fate awaits us. That's the only way we can hope to atone for the mistakes of our past. Besides, if it hadn't been for me, you'd never have felt the need to lie to Queen Novo in the first place. You were only doing what you thought you had to do to protect Equestria," She looked down at the ground and in a low tone of voice she confessed. "I have no defense. I knew the Storm King's orders were wrong, but I followed them anyway. And innocent creatures paid the price."

The alicorn princess desperately pleaded! "Tempest, please! You can't dwell on the pain of the past! It won't change anything!"

"Maybe not, but at least it means I won't repeat those mistakes," The hornless unicorn said while refusing to raise her head. To Queen Novo she then declared. "Do whatever you want to me, I don't care. But let Princess Twilight go in peace."

"No, Tempest! I'm not leaving here until I've formally and properly apologized!" Twilight firmly insisted! "You didn't force me to do anything I didn't already decide to do! When I tried to steal the Pearl of Transformation, I was just as bad as you were. Both of us misplaced and misused the trust Queen Novo placed in us."

"So you admit it," Queen Novo remarked even as her tone of voice and overall expression did not change in the slightest. "To be honest, I've been thinking a lot since the Storm King's defeat. It's funny how it only takes one small thing to change your entire world," She paused for a considerable length of time, blinking only occasionally as the two ponies who had so wronged her stood there, hanging on her every word and waiting to hear what she would say next. "I was hoping to put this off a lot longer: Like a year or two. There's no easy answer I can come to. Everything I've considered comes with risks and drawbacks."

Twilight glumly apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't know this was a bad time! I originally only wanted to come here to see about recruiting one of your younger subjects to be a student for my new School of Friendship. I'm planning to open it up in a few months to help teach other nations and other creatures more about the magic of friendship."

The queen's eyes went wide as she exclaimed! "So you didn't come here just because you wanted to apologize to me?!"

Nodding, the alicorn continued. "Yes. But I quickly realized that I wouldn't be able to do that without your permission. And if I was going to come all the way out here, then there was no way I could get away with not apologizing to you," She let out a sigh of regret. "Once again, it seems that I've visited you at a very bad time."

"Twilight." Spike commented with concern.

With a nervous, the book loving princess proclaimed. "It's funny: I've gotten so used to giving speeches about friendship and forgiveness. Lately, it's whenever I've been trying to defend forgiving someone that others say doesn't deserve to be forgiven. Never thought I'd end up on the other end of it, having to ask for forgiveness rather than granting it to someone else."

"Funny's not the word I'd use to describe it." Queen Novo protested with a slight snarl.

Twilight swallowed hard once again, forcing back a gulp. "What I keep coming back to in the end is that this situation is mostly out of my hooves," She looked Novo in the eyes very slowly. "If you still wish to punish Tempest and I for our actions, that's your right. However, I would like to point out that Tempest and I have, at the very least, shown remorse and regret for what we did. We know now how our actions hurt you and your subjects. Maybe we'll never be able to completely make up for what we did. Some hurts never truly go away."

Tempest wanted to speak up further, to say something herself about how she felt. But when she looked at the hippogriff queen, she found that the words wouldn't come out. It was as if she were intimidated into silence.

So it was that Twilight Sparkle was left to conclude as she slowly lifted her head. "But just because we can't change the past doesn't mean we can't change how we let it affect us. Dwelling too long on the past can be a bad thing, because it means we're not focused on the future that we can change. Maybe it's too much to ask you to forgive us right now. All I ask for is that you understand how much Tempest and I have been willing to atone for what we did."

Once Twilight had finished speaking, silence fell. No one said a word. And Novo, for her part, just eyed the two ponies before her with suspicion. She appeared to be deep in thought, though her face gave no indication of what she was thinking.

At last, the hippogriff queen opened her mouth. The words were slow to leave her lips. "I suppose...." There was a considerable pause. "You have a point, princess. I'd have to be a fool to pretend not to notice the lengths you and Tempest have gone to show how sorry you are. They do appear to be from a place of sincerity."

Hesitantly and against her better judgement, Tempest Shadow questioned. "So, does this mean you forgive us? There's no punishment you wish to inflict on us?"

"A publicly apology, perhaps. But Twilight is right," Queen Novon admitted and said with a smile. "It's not good to dwell forever on the past. Things have changed, you're not the same ponies you were the last time I saw you," She was quick to add. "If you ever betray my trust again though, I will never forgive you. So I hope, for your sakes, it never has to come to that."

Twilight gave a firm nod. "Don't worry, your majesty. We've learned our lesson. And thank you for being willing to grant us this second chance."

Stepping down from her throne, the hippogriff queen smiled again. "You don't have to thank me. I'm doing what I believe is best for all of my subjects," Then she approached the alicorn princess and asked her. "Now then, you wished to speak to me about letting one of my subjects be one of your students? I happen to know a hippogriff who would be the perfect candidate."

"And that is how I was able to obtain your Aunt Novo's permission to let you come here, Silverstream," Twilight explained as she finished her story. "And of course, it's also how Tempest Shadow was able to bury her troubled past and make amends."

Silverstream sat straight up, her eyes filled with wide eyed wonder. "Wow! That was such a great story, Headmare Twilight! Almost as good as all those history lectures you give that I totally was paying attention during."

The princess chuckled a bit. "You don't have to lie, Silverstream. Remember, honesty is an important part of friendship too. I admit that some of my lectures can get a little long and can seem a little boring. You're not the only student who's struggled with them. All the same, you're one of the best students I've ever known. You've taken to friendship like a duck takes to water."

Diamond Tiara then questioned. "But what does this all have to do with me, Princess Twilight? It was a good story, but I don't see how it helps me."

With a smile, Twilight turned her attention to the headgear wearing filly. "The point I was trying to make, Diamond Tiara, is that redemption and forgiveness are an ongoing process. Every day is a chance to better than who you were before, a chance to make a fresh start. But it's up to you to take advantage of those chances. In the end, you are the only one who allow yourself to change. Unless you're willing to take that first step, there's nothing anyone can do to get you to improve. You have to be willing to better yourself."

Diamond put a hoof to her chin, contemplating what the princess had said. "...I think I get it, sort of," She said sheepishly. "Even if I'll be reminded of who I used to be, I have to remember that I don't want to be that pony anymore. And as long as I think that, I can change."

"Exactly!" Twilight Sparkle beamed with pride. "I'm pleased to see that all my time spent giving you those friendship lessons has been paying off. I'm proud of how far you've come in so short an amount of time, Diamond Tiara. And I know you'll continue to impress me and everypony else as long as you continue to strive to better yourself."

With newfound confidence, Tiara leapt from the chair she had been sitting in! "I won't let you down, Princess Twilight! You'll see: I'll be the best I can be, and nothing and nopony can stop me from being my best self!" And with a look of firey determination in her eyes, she trotted out of the headmare's office, ready and eager to spend the rest of the day trying to be the very best that she could be!

Twilight watched the filly with a lovely magenta coat trot away and couldn't help but smile. "As long as you believe in yourself, Diamond Tiara, there's nothing you can't do. You'll go far, I'm sure of it!" She thought happily to herself.