A few days had passed since Sol and Twilight began their first day of ruling together in Celestia and Luna's stead. Since then, they'd dealt with nobles, a few businessponies asking for loans, and many other ponies wanting to see and ask them for one thing or another. There were even a few times where they had to settle a dispute between two or more ponies, and even a settlement. But that was just for court. Afterwards, more into the day and afternoon, Sol and Twilight had to sit through a few different meetings, and by the end of the day, had to go through and fill out whatever paperwork was left for them. By that time, Helping was there to provide them both with some of Celestia's favorite tea, which she would drink to help relieve her of her stress after a long day of work. Thankfully for the two young rulers, the tea had helped them a lot with relieving the stress and headaches they'd received.
Now on the dawn of Friday morning, the two had just finished eating their breakfast together and were making their way to the throne room with Sol grunting as his stomach grumbled in protest of something that he ate, but quickly dismissed it, knowing that his draconic stomach could handle whatever it was that wasn't agreeing with him. Along the way, they met up with Helping, who accompanied them as she began going over their itinerary for the day. As these last few days, it sounded pretty much the same as usual, expect for a few ponies who'd scheduled a meeting with them during court, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony that they would need to attend later in the day. Upon closer inspection, and much to Twilight's delight, the ceremony was for a new wing that was opening up in the Canterlot Museum.
"I say that it's about time," Twilight commented as they walked into the throne room. "As much as I like the museum, I've heard that there have been less ponies coming to visit, so hopefully a new wing with a brand new exhibit will help bring the ponies back."
"Speaking of the museum and ponies," Sol began, "do you think we'll see Miss Yearling there?"
Twilight, knowing what Sol was hoping for, shot him a hopeful look. "Maybe. It can be a little difficult trying to track that pony down at times."
"Actually," Helping piped up, looking at her clipboard, "as it turns out, it just so happens that she's one of the scheduled ponies that you'll be seeing today."
Sol immediately brightened up. "That's great! And hopefully it's with good news. I haven't heard anything from her for a while now in regards to father and the others."
"I'm sure she will," Twilight reassured. "After all, I don't think that she would schedule a meeting with us if she didn't have some sort of update."
"When is she scheduled to meet with us, Miss Hoof?"
"Hmmm. Looks like she booked a morning time with you two for 10:30."
"Alright."
With something to look forward to, Sol and Twilight took their spots on the throne and were ready for their day to begin. As time passed and ponies came and went, Sol's eagerness to see A.K. again steadily grew. By the time it was time for her appointment, Sol was beginning to absentmindedly tap his claw against the ground. Thankfully, he found his relief when the doors opened, revealing the anticipated mare. Barely withholding his enthusiasm, Sol waited for her to approach the throne before he spoke.
"Welcome, Miss Yearling," he greeted her as he stepped down from the throne and met A.K. with a surprise hug. "It's been a while."
Unused to receiving such a gesture, and from a male no less, A.K. tentatively put a hoof on Sol and gently put some distance between them.
"Hey, Sol. And yeah, it has," she said, feeling a bit more comfortable now that her personal bubble wasn't being violated. "Hello, Princess Twilight."
Finding the exchange somewhat amusing, Twilight walked down to join them. "Hello, A.K. So, what brings you here? We have a pretty good idea already, but we just want to make sure."
A.K. nodded. "Then you're probably right. The research team that's been working on the petrification spell has made a sort of breakthrough."
Sol's eyes sparked with hope. "You mean they can revive father?"
A.K. winced. "Well... yes and no. You see, they managed to find a way to reverse the petrification with the tissue samples still alive, but it's only temporary."
"Temporary how?" Twilight questioned. "Do they become petrified all over again?"
"Not quite. You see, while they have figured out how to cure the petrification, the tissues are alive for only a few moments before they die. Seven seconds if you're wanting to be specific."
The spark on Sol's eyes faded as his eyes downcast. "Oh."
Seeing his dampened spirit, Twilight placed an assured hoof on his back.
"Hey, it's going to be alright. It's just going to take some more time, is all."
"I know," he sighed.
A.K. looked between the two. "I'm not one hundred percent sure, but if your dad and aunts and uncles are as powerful as you and the Princesses have told me, then won't seven seconds be enough for them to halt them from dying?"
"... to be honest, I don't know. I mean, they could, but for all we know, they could also be in too much pain when they're released to focus, or they could even be knocked out. More specifically, Aunt Aurora and Uncle Nocturne."
"They're Life and Death, right?"
"Yes, and those two together could keep themselves and the others alive, maybe even individually, but at this point? I think that the risk is too great."
"Yeah, that is too bad." A.K. let out a sigh. "So yeah, sorry it's not the news you were hoping for."
Sol shook his head. "While it may not be quite what I had hoped, it's still news, and better than what we last heard."
A.K. nodded. "Well, hopefully it won't take them too much longer. They said that the hard part was trying to undo the petrification spell, so hopefully they'll have the rest figured out within the next few months to year."
"I hope so too."
With their exchange over with, Twilight stepped in. "Thank you for updating us on this, A.K."
"Meh. Figured that he should know as soon as he could."
"Still, it would seem like a shame for you to just come and then leave immediately after telling us. Would you care to stay and join us today for lunch?"
A.K. grinned. "Thanks for the offer, Princess, but I've got a train to catch at noon. Now that we're on good terms with the dragons, I'm gonna head on over to the Dragon Lands and see what kind of lost ancient ruins they've got hidden there."
"In that case, when you get there, tell Dragon Lord Ember and her father, Torch, that Sunspot says 'hi'. I'm sure they'll give you a warm welcome then," Sol said, earning him a curious look from Twilight. "... Sunspot was what Torch called me when we first met."
"You never told me that you had a nickname."
"I never thought about it before to bring it up."
"Even during our trip to the Dragon Lands last year?"
"It slipped my mind." Sol turned his attention back to A.K., who'd been watching their exchange with interest. "Anyways, I'm an old friend of the current Dragon Lord's father, so you should be fine. They might even respect you more if you also tell them about how you're trying to help revive my family as well."
"I'll keep that in mind," A.K. said. "Well, I better head back to the hotel and finish packing. Thank you two for seeing me, and I'll see ya later."
"Goodbye, Miss Yearling," Sol said, waving her goodbye.
"Be safe," Twilight added.
Waving goodbye, Sol and Twilight remained as they watched A.K. leaving for yet another adventure. Once she was out of sight, the two turned back and headed back to the throne.
"I'm sorry things weren't what you were expecting, Sol."
Sol let out a small sigh. "It's alright. Guess I should've known that they wouldn't have figured it out so soon... but still, it is nice to hear that they did make some progress, at least."
Nodding in agreement, Twilight led Sol back to the throne and retook their spots as they waited for the next pony in line to enter. While the next four weren't much to note about, the fifth one was, as this one was a collective of three ponies. The first was an elderly mare with a tan coat and white mane, the second was a middle-aged mare with a light-blue coat and pink mane, and the third was a tall stallion with a peach coat and green mane and beard.
"Hello. How may we help you three today?" Twilight asked.
The three shared a look of uncertainty between one another until the elderly one came forward.
"Our apologies, Your Highness," she began with a bow, "but we didn't know who else to turn to."
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"Yes, Princess, there is. You see, we've been having a bit of trouble with some timberwolves lately."
Sol's ears perked. "I'm sorry, did you just say timberwolves?"
The elder nodded. "I did. We've had the same problem once before and went to Princess Luna about it some time ago, and was resolved later by Princess Celestia, but it appears that they have returned again."
Sol frowned at the news. "Where are they and how many?"
"I'm afraid that I cannot say how many-"
"Four."
The elderly mare looked back at the younger mare that had accompanied her. "... four. And they were last seen near the borders of the White Tail Woods. We've tried to ward them off, but they just keep coming back, and have even started to enter the borders of our village."
Recalling what happened during Nightmare Night, Twilight looked over to Sol. "Do you think it's the same ones from Nightmare Night?"
"Maybe. Hmmm..." Sol looked up at the three. "Excuse me, did these timberwolves seem unusual in any way?"
The there delegates huddled for a moment while they discussed it with each other.
"Well, they did look a little smaller from the ones that I've seen over my lifetime," the elderly mare replied.
"I see. From the sounds of it, they're probably a group of younger timberwolves then. Most likely in their adolescence."
"So these aren't the same ones as before?" Twilight asked.
"No, they're not. These ones are probably either the beginning of a new pack, or are on their first solo hunts for a larger pack. Either way, I can't let this continue."
At this point, and judging by his body language, Twilight had a feeling as to what Sol was thinking.
"You're thinking about going after them yourself, aren't you?" she figured.
"Yes, but just to give them a talking to and send them away... and if need be, ruff them up a little."
"Alright, but what about lunch? If you leave now, it'll be almost sunset by the time you get back."
"I'll find myself some gems along the way." Sol got up to leave, but not before looking at Twilight. "That is, if you're alright with me going. I'm not going to leave you here to rule alone if you're not comfortable with it."
Twilight shook her head with a smile. "I think I can handle myself for an afternoon... but on one condition."
"Anything."
Twilight's smile softened. "Be back in time for dinner?"
Sol chuckled and was about to move to kiss Twilight, but stopped himself when he remembered that there were currently others present. So instead, Sol had to settle for a small bow.
"If that is what you wish, then so it shall be."
With a teasing smile, Sol leaped off of the throne and dove into the marble floor, disappearing into the stone as he burrowed his way through the earth towards White Tail Woods. Never having seen such an act before, the three delegates stared at the spot with wide eyes, wondering how somepony like him could just dive into the stone floor as though it were nothing more than a pool of water.
"I believe it's safe to say that your timberwolf problem will soon be resolved," Twilight said, regaining their attention.
"Forgive me, Your Highness," the stallion spoke, "but are you sure? He's just one stallion."
"Yes, but Sol's dealt with timberwolves before, and has a... a certain knack for dealing with things like this. I can assure you that he'll be perfectly fine, and by the time he's done, you shouldn't have anymore timberwolf issues."
There was a collective sigh of relief.
"That's wonderful to hear, Princess," the elderly mare said, thankful and relieved that their town would no longer have to worry about timberwolves again.
Glad that their problem was taken seriously and was being resolved so quickly, the three each gave Twilight their thanks for her help, and requested to pass their thanks along to Sol as well, which Twilight was more than happy to do for them. With one last bow, they left the throne room, leaving Twilight along on the throne as she looked up at the clock.
"Guess I better break for lunch," she said to herself, letting out a sigh soon after. "Gonna be quiet without him there."
Nearly an hour later after her lunch break, Twilight returned to the throne and sat down with a content sigh. While she did feel a little lonely without Sol eating with her, the lunch that the kitchen staff had prepared was delicious, and quickly changed her mood.
"So," Twilight began, looking down towards Helping as she spoke, "up next is the other scheduled meeting, correct?"
Helping nodded, smiling knowingly as she did. "Yes, Princess. They should be here any minute now."
"Anything that I should know about them before they get here?"
"I don't think so. After all, aside from your brother, I doubt that anypony knows them better than you do."
Twilight gave Helping a confusing look. "Really?"
Helping opened her mouth to speak, but as she did, a very familiar pair of ponies walked through the door. Seeing who they were, Twilight's face immediately brightened.
"Mom! Dad!"
In a burst of light, Twilight teleported from the throne down to her parents, where she immediately hugged the both of them.
"Oooh. I'm so happy to see you two!" she gushed.
"So are we, Twilight," Velvet said, hugging her daughter.
Giving them another squeeze, Twilight let her parents go. "Wait, are you two the ponies I'm supposed to meet?"
"Yes, dear, we are."
"But why? You're my parents. You shouldn't need to make an appointment just to see me."
"We know, but we didn't know what your schedule would be like with you and Sol." Velvet then took a look around when she noticed Sol was missing. "Speaking of Sol, where is he?"
Meanwhile, over in the White Tail Woods, Sol stood in the middle of the forest with his eyes closed. Using his power over the earth, he communicated with the trees of the forest to try and find out where the small pack of timberwolves he was tracking were. After several minutes of listening to each of them, he finally opened his eyes and looked in the direction the trees had directed him towards. With his path laid out before him, Sol thanked the trees and began burrowing after them.
"Sol got called away for a timberwolf problem that was brought to us earlier today," Twilight explained.
"And left you here to rule all by yourself?" Velvet questioned.
"We talked about it briefly before he left. The agreement is that he could go as long as he's back by dinner."
"Well, that's good then. And speaking of dinner." Velvet turned to her husband. "Night, would you like to tell her?"
"Huh? Tell me what?"
Night, having not said a thing during their entire visit, finally locked eyes with his daughter and spoke.
"I... wanted to apologize to you, Twilight... and to Sol," he admitted with a hint of hesitation. "And we were hoping... well, I was hoping, that you and Sol would come over to our place and join us for dinner tonight?"
Twilight blinked. "You want both of us to come?"
Night gave a single nod. "I want to apologize to Sol for how I was acting before, and figured that the best time would be while he's over for dinner."
Though she didn't quite expect this, Twilight smiled at the thought. "I think we can do that." She blinked and turned her attention back to Helping. "We can do that, right? It won't throw off our schedule or anything, will it?"
Helping chuckled. "No, Princess. You two should be perfectly fine to spend the evening with your parents."
"Sounds like it's decided, then," Velvet happily said with a clop of her hooves. "So, when should we expect you and Sol to come over?"
Twilight tapped her chin as she thought. "I should be finished around sunset. After that, it'll depend on when Sol will get back."
"So around seven or eight, then?"
"I would say so."
"In that case, we'll be looking forward to seeing you two later tonight," Night said, offering a hug to Twilight, which she readily accepted.
After hugging her dad, Twilight went over and gave her mom one more hug before they bid Twilight goodbye and left to get ready for tonight, leaving Twilight alone in the throne room with Helping.
"Sooo," Twilight began with a small smirk, "did you know they were coming?"
"Of course I did," Helping said with a small smirk. "Nopony makes an appointment without my knowing about it."
"And you didn't tell me why?"
"I thought that it would make for a nice surprise. Of course, they didn't tell me what they wanted to talk to you about." Helping adjusted her glasses. "By the way, I'm surprised that they invited Sol to dinner as well. I thought that the invitation would have only been for you. You know, since they are your parents and all."
Twilight blinked. Does she not know about us?
"Did Sol and the Princesses not tell you?"
Helping cocked her head to the side. "Tell me what?"
"... that Sol and I are dating?"
Slowly, Helping's jaw fell agape. "No, they didn't."
Though now that I think about it, she began thinking, it would explain why Sol asked me to clear their schedule for Sunday night... and why he was so vague about why.
The two turned back and made their way back to the throne.
"This is truly a surprise. If you don't mind my asking, Princess, how did that happen?"
Retaking her seat, Twilight smiled as she recalled the memory. "I suppose we have some time before the next pony comes in," she said before directing her attention down to Helping. "So, remember the old library in Ponyville...?"
Several hours had passed since her parents had come to visit. During that time, Twilight had to deal two dozen more ponies, before she had to leave for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which Twilight found to be relieving as it gave her a chance to get up and stretch her stiff legs. After playing her part in the ceremony, she was approached by a pony from the Canterlot Chronicle, who began to interview her before she could leave. As the reporter asked Twilight her questions, she eventually asked why Sol was nowhere to be seen, to which Twilight stated that a timberwolf issue was brought to them, and that he had volunteered to go and personally see to it. Seeing that the reporter was seemingly surprised and content with her answer, Twilight returned to the castle with the escort of six guards who'd accompanied her.
Now lounging on the throne, Twilight began to wonder when Sol would get back. The sun would begin to set any minute now, and he had yet to return. But, even though her dinner date with her parents was still about an hour away, Twilight couldn't help but wonder if Sol would get back in time.
Hopefully he'll be back soon.
A few minutes later of lounging and waiting, Twilight yelped in surprise as Sol burst up out of the ground, the hole sealing itself up behind him. Glad to see him back, Twilight walked down the dais to him, but slowed her walking as she saw just how scuffed and dirtied his coat was, along with a few twigs and rocks sticking out of his fur. Thankfully, she didn't spot any traces of red on him, indicating that he wasn't wounded at least.
"Welcome back, Sol," Twilight said, nuzzling him as she did.
"Thank you. It's good to be back," Sol returned, looking around to see that they were alone before he shared a kiss with Twilight. "I would've been back sooner, but I had to go to that town they'd been harassing and report to the mayor."
"That's alright."
"By the way, where's Miss Hoof? Usually she's still around this time of day."
"Yes, but since I didn't need her anymore, she went home for the evening," she replied before parting from him and eyeing him again. "So, I know how it went, but how exactly did it go?"
Sol shrugged. "Turns out that it was a pack of adolescent timberwolves, like I figured. They apparently didn't hear about me from the other timberwolves, so they believed that the ponies and I were food for them."
"And how did you stop them?"
"After they refused to listen to me, I had to get a little physical with them. They're all okay, but after I finally got their full attention and talked with them, they gave me their word that they won't cause anymore problems for anypony, and that they would stay out of the White Tail Woods."
Twilight gave a nod. "And your coat?"
"Like I said, I had to get physical with them. I didn't get hurt, though, and am perfectly alright. My coat did get a little dirty from them, but most of it is from all of that burrowing I did."
Thought she saw it for herself already, it still helped Twilight to hear from Sol that he wasn't hurt.
"That's a relief to hear," she said before planting a kiss on his cheek a moment later. "Well then, since you're alright, you'd better go get yourself cleaned up."
Sol chuckled. "Yes, I suppose I should before we have dinner together."
"Actually, mom and dad came over while you were gone."
Sol blinked. "They did?"
"Yep. Turns out that they were that other scheduled appointment we had. They were hoping that we would come over and have dinner with them at their place tonight, so you better go get yourself cleaned up and ready. We're supposed to be there in about forty-five minutes, so as soon as you're done, I'm going to teleport us straight there."
"... what?"