The Inn of the Midnight Pony

by Emerald Harp

Everything is Going to Be Fine

Twenty four hours earlier. . .

* * * * * * * * * * *

Twilight Sparkle paced the floor of the library. Whenever Twilight was thinking hard about something, she liked to move her hooves to keep pace with her thoughts. But right now she wasn’t trying to solve an equation or trying to memorize a new spell. On this particular morning, she was just nervous.

“Calm down, Twilight. You have nothing to be worried about,” Spike chided.

Twilight stopped her pacing, her thoughts interrupted, and turned toward her companion. The baby lavender dragon was busying himself reshelving books that Twilight had carelessly left on the floor again. He always joked that it was a good thing that hardly anypony came to the Ponyville Library to check out books. Twilight was notorious for pulling countless books off the shelves at a time but was too absentminded to put them back in their proper place. That task usually was left to Spike. Even though he constantly helped Twilight manage books, he never had much interest in the knowledge that lay inside the covers.

Spike stood precariously on the rolling library ladder, reaching to place a tome on the highest shelf. “I mean,” he grunted, “it’s just your brother coming to visit.”

Twilight focused her magical energy to lift the book from Spike’s claws and put it on the shelf. Spike gave her a grateful smile and slid down the ladder to the floor.

The unicorn sighed anxiously as the dragon padded over to her. “But Shining Armor is a prince now, Spike. And this is the first time ever that he’s visiting Ponyville. What if he doesn’t like my home? What if he thinks badly of me for living in a library? I mean, he lives in a palace. What if he doesn’t like my friends? He’s never had a chance to actually sit down and talk with my friends.”

Twilight bit her lip. She desperately wanted to impress her big brother best friend forever. He meant the world to her. Even when they were little, they had always dreamed big. He had wanted to become captain of the Royal Guard. And Twilight’s dream was to become as great a magician as Starswirl the Bearded. She hadn’t achieved her dream. Sure, she was the Element of Magic and Princess Celestia’s personal student, but Twilight didn’t feel she could claim that she was Starswirl’s equal in magic. However, Shining Armor had achieved his dream and more. Not only had he become head of the Royal Guard, he had married the love of his life and was now ruling an empire with her by his side. How could living in a small town like Ponyville and having friends that weren’t exactly Canterlot uppercrust possibly measure up to all that Shining Armor had accomplished? What if he thought less of her for that?

Spike frowned and seemed to know Twilight’s thoughts. For one so young, he could be very perceptive at times, especially when it came to knowing Twilight’s feelings.

“Wait a second,” he said holding up a claw. “You were worried about these kinds of things when Celestia came to meet your friends for the first time. And how did that turn out?”

Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. “Well, other than Fluttershy stealing the Princesses’ pet and nearly giving me a heart attack, I guess it went all right for a first time visit.”

“All right?” Spike asked incredulously. “Twilight, she loves your friends and Ponyville. You worried all day long that she wouldn’t like them, and then everything turned out great in the end. Do you really think your own brother wouldn’t like the ponies who are the most important to you? Besides,” he added picking up a stray textbook by her hoof, “they’re the Elements of Harmony. Without them he wouldn’t even have a Crystal Empire, not to mention his marriage. Shining Armor is going to love the ponies, just like Celestia does.”

Twilight gave him a weak smile, “And when did you become so persuasive?”

Spike beamed at the unicorn and held up the book. The title read How to Reassure an Anxious Pony 101.

“I may not read books like you do,” Spike explained. “But on occasion, I flip through the ones that are the most important.”

Twilight blushed, pleased that Spike had taken up her suggestion to read more and touched that he had chosen a book that he knew would help him help her. He could be a very thoughtful dragon at times.

Twilight sat down on the tree floor and traced the ring lines with her hoof. “The truth is . . . I’m not that worried about whether Shining Armor will like my friends. You’re right. Of course he’ll like them. And, I’m not even too worried about impressing him. What my real big worry is,” she took a shaky breath and looked at her concerned friend, “every time I see Shining Armor, something bad happens or is happening. Like the wedding. He almost married the Changeling Queen, and she nearly took over all of Canterlot. And then Sombra almost reclaimed the Crystal Empire. And just a few weeks ago, my friends and I almost ruined the Equestria Games by getting the games’ inspector mixed up with some other pony!” She finished in a rush.

Spike reshelved the anxiety book. “I’m pretty sure that Equestria Games mishap was pretty minor.”

“About as minor as Fluttershy petnapping,” Twilight muttered under her breath. She hung her head, “For once, I just want everything to go well without any villains, catastrophes, mishaps, or misunderstandings. I want to show Shining Armor my home and then take him to meet my friends at Sugarcube Corner. We’ll all have cake and a really good time and my BBBFF will be impressed.”

Twilight felt the dragon’s scaly arms around her foreleg. The scales were still soft and leathery; it would be many years before they started to turn rigid and sharp, and for that Twilight was grateful. She raised her head and met his green eyes.

“Everything will be okay, Twilight, you’ll see.”

She hugged the dragon back, “Thanks, Spike.”

A knock on the door startled them both. Twilight stood up abruptly, knocking Spike to the floor. “Oh my goodness! That’s got to be Shining Armor! How’s my mane? Did you wash the windows like I asked? Oh, this place looks like a disaster!”

Spike got up from the floor. “What are you talking about? The library is spotless, and your mane is fine. You need to relax.”

He walked over to the door. Twilight followed him, glancing around the room to make sure that the library was squeaky clean. Fresh flowers were in the vase on the table. The books were in order—none were lying about on the floor, thanks to Spike. The windows had been washed and sparkled in the sunlight, the floor shone due to all the mopping, and the shelves were dust free.

Twilight took a deep breath. Spike was right. She really did need to calm down. She shouldn’t be worrying about whether the day would be perfect or whether she’d impress her brother. Instead, she should focus on enjoying her time with Shining Armor. After all, they hadn’t been able to see each other much.

The now reassured unicorn used her magic to open the door. Standing on the door mat was a moon-white unicorn looking very regal. Shining Armor had dressed up for the occasion; he was wearing his official red coat with blue sash. The golden cuff links and buttons shone to perfection. Behind him, Twilight could see that he had brought two crystal pony guardsman with him. They stationed themselves on either side of the front door. She guessed that these two armored pegasi must have been pulling the royal crystal chariot parked on her front lawn. It was made from blue crystal and emblazoned with Shining Armor’s cutie mark on the spoked wheels. Twilight noted that while Celestia’s chariot exuded femininity and appeared intricately delicate, Shining Armor’s vehicle showed masculinity and strength with sharp angles and bold shield images.

It was all so very official and formal. When had her brother become so . . . royal? She expected this sort of thing from Celestia, but seeing her prince brother on her doorstep was something else entirely. Twilight stood stiffly, a smile plastered on her face. She only remembered to breathe when Spike placed his paw on her foreleg.

Shining Armor broke into a huge grin and wrapped Twlight in a loving embrace. “Little sister! I missed you so much!”

The startled unicorn told herself to not think about the way he was rumpling his immaculate coat as she hugged him back. “I missed you too, BBBFF.”

She took a step back when he let go. “Come on in.”

Shining Armor turned to look at his guards. “Wait out here, guys.” Then he came inside, turning his attention to Spike.

“Good to see you, Spike,” he smiled. “You’ve been keeping an eye on Twilight?”

Spike saluted, “Both of them, your majesty.”

Shining laughed good naturedly. “Please, Spike. Just Shining, okay? We don’t have to be formal here. Or anywhere actually. You’re a friend.”

The dragon nodded and smiled happily. His eyes widened as if he had an idea, and he glanced from Shining Armor to the chariot outside. “Um . . . and since we’re such good friends,” he said slowly, “Would you mind if I checked out your ride?”

“Spike!” Twilight warned, appalled at his behavior.

She glanced at her brother to check his reaction. His sapphire eyes twinkled with amusement. He seemed pleased that Spike had taken such an interest in his transportation.

Shining chuckled at his sister’s chiding. “It’s no problem, Twilight,” he assured her. To Spike he said, “Yeah, go take a look. It’s pretty cool. You can climb up and sit on it if you want to.”

“Wow! Thanks!” Spike said excitedly and hurried out the door.

Worried that the dragon’s appetite might get the best of him, Twilight called out, “Don’t eat it, Spike!”

“I eat gemstones, not rock crystal. Jeez,” he corrected, annoyed.

Twlight noticed Shining Armor’s guards stiffen at the sight of Spike making a beeline for the official royal transportation. The pegasi must have heard Shining give Spike the go ahead for “examining” his princely vehicle because they allowed the dragon to walk right up to the chariot without questioning him. Still the guards tensed as Spike clambered up a wheel to sink into the velvet cushion platform where the prince rode. Twilight rolled her eyes as she shut the library door. Spike could get oddly eager over the strangest things. No doubt he was going to pretend that he was royalty and possibly try to get the guard ponies to bow down to him or something. She hoped Spike didn’t cause them too much trouble.

“Sorry about that,” Twilight said.

Shining waved his hoof dismissively. “It’s no big deal, really. I was the same way when I first saw the chariot. I was bouncing up and down asking Cadence if I could go for my first ride . . . in a completely princely manner, of course.”

Twilight snickered, “Of course.”

Shining Armor looked around the room, “Woah!”

He walked to the middle of the floor and took in the library. Worried that he didn’t approve of her home, Twilight came up to him. The stallion walked in a slow circle, taking in the many books and the space.

“This is so cool!” he said. “I’ve seen pictures of tree homes, but I’ve never actually been in one before.” He tapped the floor affectionately. “It’s like bringing nature inside. Your home is in a living, breathing tree surrounded by all of Ponyville’s knowledge.”

Twilight blushed, “Well, it’s not as impressive as the Canterlot Library, and it can’t compare to the Crystal Empire’s collection.”

“It’s not about the number of books, Twilight. These were volumes gathered and written by Earth ponies for years. It’s a tribute to Ponyville’s history. Plus, have I mentioned that it’s in a tree?”

She smiled, “I think you have.”

Shining Armor inspected some of the books, tilting his head to the side to read the titles on their spines. Twilight was happy that her brother was able to appreciate her library. She didn’t know many ponies that did. Shining Armor had never taken to reading books as much as Twilight did, but he shared her love of learning.

“So do you get many Ponyville citizens coming in and out for books?” the prince asked.

She shook her head. “No. Usually it’s just Spike and me in here. The Earth ponies may have collected all this knowledge in the past, but now they don’t seem to have an interest in it.”

Shining Armor frowned and picked up a book using his magic. He flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning the flowing words. “Well, that’s a shame. But I bet that allows you to get a lot of research done. You probably pull all kinds of books off the shelves at once because no pony comes in asking for them. You always were a messy reader, Twily.”

“Eh, heh. I assure you I am much neater now,” she said. Under her breath she muttered, “Only because Spike is around to pick up after me.”

The prince set the book back. “Cadence would love this,” he said softly. “She’ll have to come with me to visit next time.”

The lavender unicorn smiled at the thought that he liked the visit enough already to mention another.

“How is she?” Twilight asked.

“Fine. I mean, ruling the Empire is a bit taxing for her . . . for us both, actually. But she handles it so much better than I, Twily. She knows what to do, what to say, and how to act. She’s really great at this stuff,” he replied sounding sad.

“And you’re not?” Twilight asked in disbelief. “But you’re the best prince ever.”

She said this with utter certainty that comes with saying facts like “the sky is blue,” and “fillies will get their cutie marks when they’re ready.”

“Heh. Well, I wish I could believe that. Protecting others is my destiny. But I can’t even protect my own people.”

Shining Armor leaned heavily against the bookcase. He looked so sad and forlorn; Twilight put a hoof on his back. His shoulders sagged as if the weight of the world had been set upon him. She could tell he had a lot on his mind and waited for him to speak his thoughts.

“When I became captain of the royal guard, I was so happy and proud,” he began. “I was in my element there. It was all I ever dreamed. I was protecting the princesses. But when a real threat actually happened, I couldn’t protect anyone. Not even the one I loved most. I fell for Chrysalis’ trap and let Cadence be locked away in some cave all alone. I couldn’t keep the shield up, and I couldn’t even lead and organize the guard in fighting against the changelings.”

He sighed, “Now I have an entire empire that looks up to me. An empire that I failed to protect when Sombra was fighting against Cadence’s magic. All I could do was be there for Cadence. I couldn’t leave her side after the attack in Canterlot. I couldn’t rally the crystal ponies, and I couldn’t protect them either. Now I have guards to protect me. How can I help Cadence protect the Crystal Empire when I failed each time a crisis occurred?”

“You couldn’t have known what Chrysallis was up to, Shining,” Twilight said quietly. “You were under a spell. And when Sombra attacked, you were there for Cadence when she needed you most. You did the best you could.”

“And what happens if my best isn’t good enough? What if I can’t protect everyone?” he asked worriedly.

Twilight smiled, “You know big brother, you don’t have to do everything alone. My friends and I, Cadence, Celestia and Luna, and your own subjects will all help you. You’re not on your own. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine.”

With a jolt she realized that a particular baby dragon had said the same words to her that very morning. Maybe she should take a look at that reassuring ponies book herself.

“Thanks, Twily,” Shining Armor said, nuzzling her affectionately. He didn’t seem nearly as worried now.

“No problem,” Twilight said brightly. “You, um, wanna come check out the upstairs?”

He nodded, and she directed him to the staircase carved from the trunk of the tree. They had a small argument over who should go up the stairs first. Twilight insisted that Shining should go up first since he was royalty. Shining Armor maintained that since this was Twilight’s home, she should go first. The argument was good-natured and laughing; they went up the stairs together to compromise. Twilight had forgotten how good it was just to be with her brother. It was nice to have this reminder.

They came out of the winding staircase into Twilight’s bedroom. Shining Armor looked around appreciatively. Twilight felt a bit nervous. There was something a little intimate about letting her big brother into her home. The only other ponies that had come up here were her friends.

“Cool carvings,” he said, nodding at the embellishments on the walls.

“Yeah, those were here when I got here. I’m actually not sure who lived in this tree before I came. I don’t think anypony has lived in the library for a long time until now.”

Shining Armor nodded, “I dig the room. It’s totally you, Twilight. Do you like it?”

He went over to her book shelves and began examining the titles. The books in her room were a mixture of tomes she owned and books she had checked out from the library. She was thrilled that he was interested in what she was currently reading.

She smiled, “I love it. This library is way cooler than the Canterlot dormitories.”

Shining Armor chuckled, “It’s way cooler than the Crystal palace, too. Sure it’s fancy, but the bigness can be kind of daunting at times. Sometimes I get lost in the throne room.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and giggled, “No, you don’t.”

“Sure I do. I have to yell for Cadence to find my way back out,” he winked at Twilight.

Shining trotted up the stairs to the loft with Twilight following him. He glanced around at yet another bookcase, Twilight’s moon and star bedspread, and Spike’s bed basket before he spotted a familiar object outside the window.

“Hey, is that the telescope I gave you?”

Twilight smiled, “It surely is.”

She nudged the window open and stepped onto the balcony. Shining Armor stood beside her. It was a sunny, nearly cloudless day. The sky was a cerulean hue, and the two ponies could see most of Ponyville spread out before them.

“Wow. Cool view,” He looked up at the sky. “This is a great spot to stargaze.”

“Mm-hmm. Here and the hills just outside of Ponyville. I watched the meteor shower last summer from there.”

“Yeah, I saw the same one with Cadence,” he said enthusiastically. “It was great!”

“Great because of the meteor shower or great because you were able to be romantic with Cadence?” Twilight asked slyly.

Shining Armor playfully stuck his tongue out at her. He ran a hoof tenderly over the metal casing of the telescope, now engrossed in memories.

“Remember when you got this?” he asked.

“Of course I do. How could I forget?”

“You were pretty little.”

She shook her head. “You weren’t that big yourself. It was before my fifth birthday, and all I wanted was that telescope. When I saw it in the store, I just,” she sighed wistfully, “fell in love. It was so beautiful. I knew that it was the one.”

Shining Armor laughed, “You sound like me when I talk about Cadence.”

Twilight nudged him playfully, “Hey, Starswirl the Bearded had dozens of telescopes. If I was going to become as great a magician as he is . . .”

“. . . You just had to have one for yourself,” Shining Armor finished, reciting a reason that Twilight had used over and over again to convince her parents before her brother had given her the telescope.

The little filly Twilight had gone on and on about the beautiful telescope she had seen on the way home from magic Kindergarten. Shining Armor had been walking her home, and that day he had to practically pry her away from the shop window. Every day for nearly a week, Twilight begged Shining Armor to take the long way home so she could see the telescope in the window again. And then the day before her birthday, the telescope was gone.

“When it wasn’t there, I felt like crying. I knew somepony had bought it and that it was gone forever,” Twlight said.

“You did cry. A lot. All over my coat,” Shining Armor nuzzled her. “It was almost enough to make me confess that mom and dad had given me the bits to get it for you. It was a really popular model; the telescope on display was the only one the storekeeper had left.”

“You told me to be happy for the pony that had bought the telescope.”

“I did. I just happened to leave out the fact that it had been bought for you. You have no idea how hard it was for me to walk home with such a sad little filly. I wanted so badly to tell you the truth, but then, it would’ve ruined the surprise. You know, I thought for sure your clever head would put two and two together and realize what had happened.”

Twilight giggled, “I should’ve, but I didn’t. And as a result, you had to stay up and read me The Magic of Starswirl the Bearded.”

“Twice, I might add,” Shining Armor stated. “It was the only way to get you to stop moping and go to sleep.”

“And then the next morning, I woke up to you levitating a box covered with star wrapping paper,” Twilight said.

“Mom, Dad, and I couldn’t wait any longer. We all shouted “Happy Birthday” to a sniffling unicorn. Still choked up over a telescope, even though it was her birthday.”

“Hey, it was special,” Twilight defended. “And then there it was. Inside the box just for me.”

“I never knew a filly’s eyes could get so big. And then you leaped out of bed and hopped around us in circles yelling “Thank You” over and over. You could barely sit still as Dad and I put the parts together for you that night. And then,” he started laughing, so Twilight finished for him.

“I fell asleep before the stars even came out. I was so tired from the night before. I’ve become more of a night owl since then. The night is just too good to miss. I love reading by candlelight, having Owlousious as company, and of course getting to use my telescope.”

“Maybe we can stargaze later tonight. Just like old times,” Shining Armor suggested.

“Wow! Really? You want to?”

He nodded, “Sure. It’ll be fun.”

Twilight happily threw her hooves around her older brother. Spike had been right all along. There was nothing to worry about. She and her brother were having a wonderful time together. She couldn’t have asked for a better day.

The unicorn felt her brother stiffen suddenly. “Twilight, look at the sky!” He exclaimed excitedly.

Twilight let go of Shining Armor and turned to face the sky. She couldn’t find what he was seeing at first. It was an ordinary cloudless day to her. But then she saw it. A green glimmer up above.

“What is that?” Twilight wondered.

The glimmering speck grew larger as the two ponies watched. It was falling out of the sky in an arc, leaving a flaming green trail behind it.

“Oh, my gosh!” Twilight gasped, “A meteorite!”

But it was unlike any meteor she had seen before. Twilight eagerly stood up on her hind legs and placed her hooves on top of the railing. The meteorite drew closer to them. It was difficult for the studious unicorn to judge how large the meteor really was. It was hard to look at with the sun shining down on them and the meteor’s strange hue gleaming brightly. Twilight felt a twinge of fear and fleetingly wondered if it was going to land in Ponyville. Shining Armor would have to cast a shield spell very quickly to protect the town. But the emerald rock arced away and headed straight for the Everfree Forest. It dove into the tall trees, and they heard a loud boom from the impact. For a moment the brother and sister stood frozen in awe of what they had seen. Then Twilight abruptly turned away from the railing and began jumping up and down.

“Can you believe it, Shining Armor? A meteorite touched down here! Near Ponyville! I bet that hasn’t happened in centuries!” She stopped bouncing and said, “And it was so strange. I’ve never seen such a color or flames on a meteor. Do you know what this means? This could be the astronomical event of the century! And I could be the first unicorn to record the data!”

In an excited panic she raced into her room with Shining Armor at her heels.

“I need my quills, some scrolls . . .” Twilight muttered as objects whizzed dangerously close to Shining Armor.

The prince watched as his sister levitated blank scrolls, quills, an ink jar, and several books on astronomy around the room. A floating feather scribbled her thoughts on parchment while Twilight furiously flipped through pages of a book. Her eyes scanned the text in a blur; reading the words unbelievably fast for information to explain the phenomenon that had taken place. Shining Armor smiled to himself. It had been a while since he had seen his sister so caught up in her studies. It was good to see.

“Need any help?” he asked politely.

Startled, the young unicorn lost her concentration on the spell. Her supplies and books thudded to the floor around her. Twilight turned toward her brother and felt guilty.

“I’m so sorry, Shining Armor,” she began. “Here I am going on about meteors when we’re supposed to be spending time together. I’ll just, um . . .”

She hesitantly levitated the mess around her into the air and was unsure of what to do next. Twilight knew that what she had witnessed outside was important to scientific astronomical research. She yearned to write down more of her thoughts and theories. The studious unicorn wanted to gather her materials into her saddlebags and race into the Everfree Forest to see the meteorite up close. She wanted to take samples and see if she could determine what the meteor was made of and what had caused the strange green flaming glow.

But she couldn’t just ignore Shining Armor. This was his first visit to Ponyville. He was going with her to Sugarcube Corner to meet her friends. She couldn’t just ruin his day by spending it in the forest trudging after some rock. It was important to her to spend time with her brother today.

But it was a very special rock. The rock of the century. She just knew it. Plus, Twilight had never seen a meteor fall in Equestria, much less touch the stone of one. This was an opportunity of a lifetime for her. She could become a very distinguished mare in the astronomical community if she could publish a paper on her findings. Maybe even have the meteorite named after her.

“Twilight,” Shining Armor said sensing her dilemma, “it’s okay. If you want to check out this meteorite, than let’s go.”

Twilight gaped at him, “You mean it?”

He grinned, “Of course! That was really cool! And I want to go see the meteorite with you. It’s not every day that something as awesome as a big space rock crashing down happens.” Taking a more serious tone he added, “I also want to see how much damage was done to the forest. No pony lived in that direction, right?”

Twilight shook her head, “No, Zecora’s place isn’t in that region. Everything should be fine. It wasn’t that large a rock,” She did some quick calculations in her head. “The impact site shouldn’t have done much damage to the forest.”

Twilight magically opened the trunk by her bed and levitated her saddlebags. “What about going to Sugarcube Corner though? I wanted us to be with my friends today as well.”

“We still will be. We’ll swing by Sugarcube Corner, and your friends can come, too. It’ll be an adventure!” he declared.

Twilight giggled happily as she levitated writing materials and astronomy books into her saddlebags. He was as excited as she was about this. She buckled her bags to her stomach and nodded. “Allright. Let’s go find this meteor.”

Shining Armor let out a happy whoop in an unprincely manner and raced down the stairs with Twilight galloping after him. They burst out of the library and skidded to a halt in front of the chariot. Somehow Spike had managed to convince the pegasi guards to strap themselves to the front of the chariot. Upon seeing the royal prince dash out of the tree, the guards hurriedly tried to undo the buckles around their middles and bow at the same time. They only ended up comically knocking their heads together and stumbling. The guilty baby dragon stood atop the platform, holding the reins loosely in his claws.

“My liege,” Morning Star said and began rubbing his sore skull, “we can explain . . .”

“Don’t worry about it,” Shining Armor said leaping onto the chariot. He turned and offered a hoof to Twilight. “Did you see the meteor?” he asked the pegasi and Spike while he pulled his sister up.

“We all saw it,” Spike said. “It was amazing!”

Twilight sat down beside Spike and began skimming her textbooks.

“We were just about to get you, Prince . . .” Bright Shield stammered.

Shining Armor shook his head. “Never mind that. Take us to Sugarcube Corner. Quickly now.”

The pegasi hurriedly began trotting down the road. Ponyville residents scurried out of the way of the rumbling chariot. Normally the country ponies would’ve stopped and stared at the entourage in awe and curiosity, but they seemed preoccupied this morning. Twilight noticed many of the ponies checking the sky and talking animatedly in small groups. The unicorn was relieved none of them had overreacted and started running through the streets screaming. Sadly that was the norm most of the time when something new and unexpected happened in the small town. This morning most of the ponies seemed only mildly surprised by the odd green meteor, and only a few were glancing up at the sky with worry.

“What’s going on?” Spike asked. “What’s the rush?”

Twilight smiled at him over the pages of her book. “We’re getting the girls and going to the Everfree Forest to see the meteor.”

“The Eh-Everfree F-Fuh-Forest?” Spike stuttered, grabbing his tail.

“Oh, Spike,” Twilight said rolling her eyes. “It’s not like we haven’t been there before. Besides, with all of us going, it will be much safer.”

“You can stay at Sugarcube Corner if you want,” said Shining Armor. “But I think it would be a shame. Twilight here is going to be the first pony to discover the meteor.”

Spike looked up at the blushing Twilight. He curled his little claws into fists and steeled himself. “I changed my mind. I’ll come. I want to be there for Twilight, too.”

The lavender unicorn nuzzled Spike. “Thank you. It means a lot to me, Spike.”

The chariot came to a halt in front of the gingerbread cottage decorated with icing and a few gumdrops along the dormer. Twilight reminded herself that it wasn’t actually made out of gingerbread though. The cottage was just well-designed and crafted that way. Pinkie Pie and Mr. and Mrs. Cake had worked with the builders to meet their specifications. Mr. and Mrs. Cake had originally wanted a plain cottage for their business. It had been Pinkie Pie who decided that the Cake Shop needed extra “pizzazz” to attract customers. She had come up with a crazy, over-the-top gingerbread mansion with three stacked cupcake towers and a vanilla pudding moat. The Cakes were able to good-naturedly talk with Pinkie Pie about the shop design. Surprisingly they liked the idea of making the sweet shop look like actual sweets; they just didn’t want a mansion. However, they did allow Pinkie Pie one cupcake tower for her bedroom. Pinkie Pie absolutely loved the thing.

Twilight broke from her reverie as Pinkie Pie herself came bounding out of the cottage wearing a striped party hat, with Applejack trotting behind her. She could see Fluttershy peeking out of the window and Rarity and Rainbow Dash from the doorway mixing punch on one of the tables.

Pinkie Pie threw her front hooves onto the chariot platform near Twilight’s feet. “Oh, my gosh, Twilight! Did you see that big rock thingie? I saw it from the window, and I went. . . .” She made her famous surprised gasping noise and continued to talk rapidly. “I told the girls I saw a rock from the sky! And nopony believed me until they all heard this loud BOOM!”

She shouted “Boom” in Twilight’s ear, leaped up into the air, and landed on her stomach, face down on the pavement for dramatic effect. Twilight marveled at how the pink pony never managed to hurt herself by her own antics. She assumed it was part of the magic of Pinkie.

Pinkie Pie looked up from her spot on the cobblestones. “Oh, Hi, Shining Armor! Hi, crystal pony guards!”

The guards offered the hyperactive pony a kind smile, much to Twilight’s surprise. Shining Armor must have given them a heads up that this particular pony posed no threat by her extreme amount of energy.

Shining Armor waved a hoof, “Hi, Pinkie Pie.”

Applejack trotted up to the chariot. “Ah told her to wait inside like a normal pony. But she didn’t listen,” she explained, looking up at Shining Armor and Twilight. “Everything okay? That noise from the rock gave us all a mighty scare.”

She scuffed her hoof on the cobblestones. “Ah wish all of us could’ve seen it together. Pinkie Pie was the only one at the window.”

“Everything’s fine, Applejack. And you can see it. Shining Armor and I are going to the Everfree Forest to find the meteor,” Twilight explained.

Applejack reared back on her hooves. “Hot diggitey! Sounds like fun!” She turned toward the cottage. “Y’all git on out here! We’re going to see the meteor!”

Twilight heard murmurs of questions from inside as her three other friends came out onto the steps. Rainbow Dash flew up above Shining Armor and Twilight.

“All right!” The blue pegasus shouted. “This is way cooler than cake and punch! Um . . .” she cast a hasty glance at a doe-eyed Pinkie Pie. “Not that I don’t like cake and punch,” she added. “But I wanna check out this green rock too!”

Rainbow Dash hovered over the prince. “Oh, by the way, sweet ride.”

She bumped hooves with Shining Armor approvingly. Twilight was surprised that her friends were so relaxed around the Crystal Empire prince. But then, she reasoned that her friends saw Shining Armor as her brother first and as a prince second.

Rarity stepped forward and ran a hoof admiringly over the glinting chariot, “Oh, yes. Your chariot is simply divine, darling. And such charming guard ponies to pull it,” she added blinking flirtatiously at the crystal pegasi.

The two guards puffed out their chests a little more than necessary. Twilight didn’t have the heart to tell them that Rarity was far more interested in their crystal coats and manes than their charm. It was a well-known fact among her friends that ever since Rarity had laid eyes on the looks of the crystal ponies, she wished she had been born a crystal pony instead of a “boring plain white mare.” Twilight highly doubted that any stallion or mare saw Rarity in that sort of light. Certainly Spike didn’t. Rarity noticed Spike leaning over the side of the chariot, rubbed the spines on top of his head affectionately, and then turned her attention back to admiring the crystal embellishments on the wheels. The poor lovesick dragon immediately fell over onto the cobblestones from her touch. Rarity didn’t even notice. Sharing a smirk with Shining Armor, Twilight silently levitated her friend back onto the cushions.

Fluttershy tentatively came up to the chariot. “Um, Twilight, I know that the meteor is supposed to be really amazing and all . . . . Pinkie Pie said it looked like a flaming green potato, but, um, do we really have to go to the Everfree Forest?”

The yellow pegasus let her pink hair fall forward, covering the side of her face, a telltale sign that she was nervous.

“That’s what I said!” Spike said indignantly. Twilight raised an eyebrow at her reptilian companion. “I mean, that’s what I thought. In my head . . . . You didn’t hear it.”

Ignoring Spike’s rambling, Twilight rested a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Hey, we’ve faced way worse than a walk through the Everfree Forest. Besides, I really think you should come. Some of the animals might be scared by the meteor falling and could really use your help to calm down. We need to make sure that the animals are okay in there.”

Hearing the mention of scared animals, Fluttershy stood up a little straighter and tucked her mane to the side. “Oh, okay. I’ll come.”

Twilight smiled, “That’s the spirit.” She looked around at the eager faces of her friends below her and then at the chariot, “Um . . . I know there’s not enough room for everyone. Do any of you want to ride up here instead?”

The girls protested and insisted that Twilight continue to ride with her brother. The prince offered his spot instead, but no pony would allow him to do that. Shining Armor shrugged and told his guards to head toward the forest. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew overhead while Applejack and Rarity trotted alongside the chariot. Pinkie Pie bounced after them at the rear.

Fluttershy giggled, “This is like being in a parade.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, “Yeah, a really cool one!”

This time the ponies in the streets did stop and stare at the chariot and the girls trotting and flying beside it. The girls waved back at their friends and neighbors, giggling and smiling. Even Fluttershy and Spike had cheered up about their fears of the forest. Shining Armor sat beside Twilight. It was clear that he had mastered the regal royal wave to the crowd. The unicorn once again turned to her books and flipped through pages.

“Do you ever get tired of this?” she asked Shining Armor absentmindedly.

He looked at her, surprised but didn’t stop waving at the excited ponies. “What do you mean?”

Twilight looked up from the text embarrassed. She hadn’t realized she had said her thoughts aloud, but she couldn’t take it back now.

“Like . . . tired of this?” she gestured to the ponies on the streets abandoning their chores and routines to watch the chariot go by. “Ponies practically fall at your feet wherever you go. Doesn’t that get tiresome?”

She watched as his face fell and mentally kicked herself. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business really. It was just something I always wondered about.”

“It’s not tiring, little sis. It’s actually a little lonely,” he sighed and looked out at the crowd and continued to wave gently. “I meet and see ponies every single day. And they see me. But rarely do we actually get to know each other. To be honest, I don’t even know Morning Star and Bright Shield that well. I can be surrounded by crowds of my subjects and still feel like I’m all alone. That’s what this feels like.”

Twilight thought about his words. Was this what life was like for Cadence, Luna, and Celestia? They had been royalty for far longer than Shining Armor. Did they lead a life of loneliness as well? Surrounded by ponies but never truly feeling connected to them? Twilight couldn’t wrap her mind around such a feeling.

Shining Armor nudged her. “Don’t look so serious, Twily. It’s not all gloomy. So what if I don’t get to know very many ponies? I know you and Cadence really well. And I’m learning more about your friends. Like you said, it’s not like I’m on my own in this prince business.”

Twilight nodded. The chariot rolled out of Ponyville and approached the Everfree Forest. Twilight returned to her texts with newfound vigor, only to set the books aside moments later.

“What’s wrong Twilight?” Shining Armor asked.

“I can’t find anything in the texts about this,” she replied a little sadly. “No bright green rocks. No green flame. Nothing. I have no clue on what the meteor is made of or what caused it to have that strange glow.”

“Maybe you can run some tests when we get there,” Spike suggested, trying to be helpful.

“I will,” the unicorn nodded, but her mind was already working through possibilities. The meteor had seemed so unnatural and strange. Perhaps there was something magical about the stone. But what? And if it was magical, what sort of properties did it possess?

Her theory didn’t have enough facts to support it yet, so she pushed this thought to the back of her mind. She’d find out soon enough.