//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Luna's Daughter // by Baxter1984 //------------------------------// The six mares walked into the throne room of the Everfree Castle roughly five minutes later. “What do we do now, princess?” Applejack asked Twilight looked around the room for a moment before sighing in relief. “Good. They’re still here. To answer your question, Applejack, we’re here for them.” She levitated the stone Elements of Harmony to her side before gently setting them on the floor in front of her. “These are five of the Elements of Harmony. They are Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter and Generosity.” What happened to the Element of Magic? Luna asked Good question, little Luna. Nightmare Moon responded I wasn’t talking to you! Luna snapped “Unfortunately, the sixth element, Magic, disappeared a thousand years ago.” Twilight continued, unaware of the silent conversation going on nearby Luna gasped in horror. That means it’s impossible to use the Elements of Harmony! Nightmare Moon smiled That’s good to hear. “Is there a way to bring it back?” Rarity asked Twilight chewed her lip. “I haven’t had a chance to test my theory, but I think I can do it.” Sundance raised an eyebrow as she turned to her husband and their daughter. “How does she plan to do that?” Midnight Armor and Celestia shrugged. “I won’t let you do that.” Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie turned towards the voice. They gasped in a combination of shock and horror when they saw Nightmare Moon standing on the dais. Twilight glanced at the dark alicorn. “Hello, Nightmare Moon.” Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow. “You’re not afraid of me?” “Am I supposed to be?” Twilight responded, raising an eyebrow as well Nightmare Moon tilted her head. “Are you sure you know who I am?” “I know exactly who you are.” Twilight replied “However, things are different this time.” “What are you talking about?” Nightmare Moon asked “I’m not a two week old foal anymore.” Twilight answered Nightmare Moon gasped “T-then you really are Luna’s . . .” “That’s right.” Twilight responded “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” I-I can’t believe it. Luna said softly My little girl has gotten so big. “Isn’t Princess Luna a myth?” Rainbow asked, clearly confused Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia turned to each other. “How did this happen?” Midnight Armor asked quietly “I don’t know.” Sundance said softly “We made sure that the ponies of Equestria know about what happened to Luna, but . . .” “It’s obvious that the common pony believes that it’s all just a myth.” Celestia quietly finished Celestia, Sundance and Midnight Armor shook their heads before returning their attention to the events playing out in front of them. Luna gasped S-she thinks I’m a myth?! After a moment’s thought, she sighed. I suppose that makes sense. I don’t know how long I’ve been trapped on the moon, but it’s probably been a very long time. Sighing again, she returned her attention to her daughter. W-what?! Twilight turned around in time to see the rest of the girls nod. Shocked, she just stared at them for a moment. Then she narrowed her eyes. “My mother is not a myth!” Luna gasped again T-twilight . . . “I-I see.” Rarity stammered I suppose that means the part about Princess Luna being Princess Celestia’s younger sister isn’t a myth either. “I’m sorry, princess.” Rainbow said quietly “I didn’t mean to upset you.” Rolling her eyes, Twilight turned back to Nightmare Moon. “What are you doing here?” I thought she wanted to kill Aunt Celestia. That means she should be in Canterlot right now. Nightmare Moon laughed “I’ve already taken care of Celestia and her parents.” The girls gasped in horror. Twilight gasped in horror as well. W-what?! She defeated Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Celestia?! She narrowed her eyes again before unknowingly repeating her mother’s question. “What have you done to them?!” Nightmare Moon laughed harder. “Don’t worry. They haven’t been harmed . . . yet.” Luna and Twilight sighed in relief. Nightmare Moon looked at Twilight thoughtfully. “I had originally intended to make sure that you weren’t harmed by anypony, even me. However, I’m going to take over Equestria so I can create an Eternal Night. That means I need the Royal Family to conveniently disappear.” She tapped her chin with a forehoof as she thought. She returned her attention to Twilight little over a minute later. “I must say that you’ve impressed me. Therefore, if you agree to serve me, I will spare your life.” Twilight glared at the dark alicorn. “I will never serve you!” Midnight Armor smiled “Well said, Twilight.” Sighing, Nightmare Moon shook her head. “Oh well, I tried. Unfortunately, this means that you have to die. Once you’re out of the way, I’ll send Celestia and her parents to join you.” She glanced at the stones on the floor next to Twilight. “I have no intention of allowing you to use those.” Before Twilight could respond, she released a wave of magic that shattered all five of the stone Elements. “That takes care of that.” Sighing, Twilight shook her head as well. So much for doing this the peaceful way. She surrounded herself and the girls with her force field, making sure that the shattered stone Elements were also protected. Midnight Armor stared at his granddaughter’s magic in shock. “What is that?” Nightmare Moon launched a beam of magic at Twilight’s force field . . . and was shocked when her attack met the defensive technique and just stopped. She looked at Twilight. “What have you done?” “I cast my force field.” Twilight replied, walking through her force field Force field? Confused, Nightmare Moon asked “Why did you do that?” “Your fight is with me.” Twilight answered “Force field?” Midnight Armor repeated “When did she create that?” Sundance shook her head. “I have no idea.” “Same here.” Celestia commented “However, I’m very glad she did.” Sundance and Midnight Armor nodded. Nightmare Moon’s horn began to glow again. Here it comes. Twilight dodged the attack by spreading her wings and leaping into the air. “You’ll have to do better than that.” Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes. “If you insist.” Nightmare Moon used her wings to propel herself towards Twilight and growled when the smaller alicorn easily dodged her attack. Nopony has ever dodged my full speed attack before. “How did you dodge that?” “Grandpa has been giving me combat lessons since I turned fifteen.” Twilight answered “It was easy to dodge your attack because I’m used to dodging his . . . and he’s faster than you are.” Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia laughed. Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow. “Grandpa?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “King Midnight Armor? You know, my mother’s father? Grandpa is short for “grandfather”.” Luna laughed as well. Thank you, Father. “I see.” Nightmare Moon slowly replied That makes sense. Luna’s father was the only one who was able to put up a decent fight. In fact, I’m still surprised that I was able to capture him. “In that case . . .” She trailed off as her horn began to glow again. Before Twilight could ask, she launched an attack that was too fast for the little alicorn to dodge. She smiled when her attack pinned Twilight to the wall. Luna gasped in horror. Twilight! This is new. Twilight glanced at Nightmare Moon to see a smug smirk on the dark mare’s face. “How about that?” “Come on, Twilight.” Sundance said softly “You know what to do.” Rolling her eyes again, Twilight examined the spell that was holding her against the wall. This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I’ll be able to break out of this in less than a minute. Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow when Twilight’s horn began to glow. “You do know that your attacks will be easy to dodge, right?” She gasped when a flash of Twilight’s magic shattered her spell. Sundance smiled “Well done, Twilight.” Luna unknowingly echoed her mother. Well done! “How did you do that?!” Nightmare Moon demanded Twilight laughed “Grandma . . . that’s Queen Sundance, and my mother’s mother, to you . . . Anyway, she’s been teaching me about magic since I was old enough to talk.” She thought for a moment. “Aunt Celestia has been doing the same.” Luna laughed as well. I should have known. Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Sister. “Good” Nightmare Moon snarled “That means you’ll be able to entertain me for a while before I kill you.” She charged towards Twilight before pulling her into an intense, and fast-paced, session of hoof-to-hoof combat. Interesting. She’s doing much better than I expected. Her grandfather must have given her some special training. ­I-incredible! Luna stammered Twilight is even better at hoof-to-hoof combat than her father was . . . and Comet was Father’s sparring partner. Nightmare Moon smiled Let’s see how she deals with this. She used her weight to pin the smaller alicorn against the floor. Celestia laughed “Nightmare Moon is in for a painful surprise.” Sundance laughed as well. “You’re right, Celestia.” Nightmare Moon twitched an ear. What are they talking about? Midnight Armor watched his granddaughter’s movements carefully. “Come on, Twilight. I know you can do it.” Twilight shifted slightly before suddenly bucking upwards . . . thrusting both of her rear hooves deep into Nightmare Moon’s stomach. Luna laughed again, harder this time. That has to hurt. Nightmare Moon fell onto her side before clutching her stomach with both forehooves. Midnight Armor smiled “Well done!” Inside Twilight’s force field, all of the girls were cheering. “Go, Twilight!” Pinkie shouted “You mean “Princess Twilight”, Darling.” Rarity absently corrected, watching Twilight flip over before spreading her wings and jumping into the air. “Nope!” Pinkie replied “I don’t have to call her that because she’s my friend!” Applejack grinned “She’s much stronger than ah thought.” “S-she’s amazing!” Fluttershy said softly “You mean AWESOME!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flipping in the air a few times The rest of the girls nodded. Luna noticed that her daughter’s horn had begun to glow. Very good, Twilight. However, don’t let your guard down. You’re not done yet. Twilight launched a barrage of magic blasts at Nightmare Moon and smiled when all of them hit the dark mare. She backed up when Nightmare Moon staggered to her hooves. It seems that I’ve been taking her too lightly. She launched her own barrage of magic blasts and used that to cover the fact that she had taken flight. Then she teleported right above Twilight before pulling the smaller alicorn into another intense hoof-to-hoof combat session. Unfortunately, Twilight was caught off guard. She screamed in pain when one of Nightmare Moon’s blows dislocated her left wing. Realizing that she was falling, she used her good wing to move enough that she didn’t land on either wing. The pain of her wing, and hitting the floor, was enough to shatter her concentration. Her force field shattered as well. Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna gasped in horror. “Twilight!” Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes when she noticed that Twilight had already cast a healing spell on her wing. “She moves fast, that’s for sure. However, she’s crazy if she thinks I’m going to give her time to heal herself.” She dove towards the younger alicorn, intent on ending her life, but was forced to stop when a pair of orange hooves connected with her lower jaw. Applejack placed all four hooves on the floor, turned and charged the dark mare. That armor’s gonna hurt, but ah don’t care. She tackled Nightmare Moon, forcing her even further away from Twilight. Then she jumped backwards, placing herself between Twilight and Nightmare Moon. “Impressive.” Midnight Armor remarked While Nightmare Moon was still stunned, Rainbow Dash flew forward and used both forehooves to treat the dark mare’s head like a punching bag. She pulled back when one of Nightmare Moon’s forehooves swung towards her. “W-wow” Sundance said softly Nightmare Moon glared at Applejack and Rainbow Dash but, before she could say anything, she gasped when she was suddenly surrounded by dozens of birds. Spreading her wings, she jumped backwards into the air. The birds followed her and began to attack with their beaks and talons. W-what the-?! She gasped again, in shock this time. The yellow one! She was able to stop the Manticore, so this must be her doing! She glared down at Fluttershy. “What have you done?!” “I asked my animal friends to help me.” Fluttershy answered, narrowing her eyes “I won’t let you hurt her again!” “I knew that Fluttershy was good with animals.” Celestia said slowly “However, this is something else entirely.” Twilight staggered to her hooves and looked around in shock. W-wow. They’re actually doing rather well. She sighed in relief. My wing should be fully healed in a minute. Nightmare Moon growled as her horn began to glow. I’ll get her for that. She gasped in shock when a piece of fabric tightly wrapped itself around her horn. “I don’t think so, Darling.” Rarity said “A temporary respite!” Nightmare Moon snarled, easily removing the fabric. Before she could do anything else, she noticed that she wasn’t surrounded by birds anymore. BOOM!!! Nightmare Moon suddenly found herself covered in cupcakes. Everyone else instantly began to laugh. Growling, Nightmare Moon used her magic to remove the cupcakes, frosting and sprinkles from her wings and mane. She turned to the closest pony, Applejack, and launched a powerful beam of magic at her. Both of them gasped when Applejack was suddenly surrounded with what looked like a magenta bubble. Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened. That’s her defensive technique! She instantly turned towards Twilight. The first thing she noticed was that the younger alicorn was standing near Applejack. The second was that her wing was completely healed. Damn it! I missed the perfect chance to kill Twilight Sparkle! Twilight glared at Nightmare Moon. “I won’t let you do that.” Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna sighed in relief. Everypony was surprised when Twilight began to laugh. “What’s so funny?” Nightmare Moon demanded Twilight pointed at the shattered Elements of Harmony. They weren’t made of stone anymore. “I get it now. Applejack is the Bearer of the Element of Honesty.” Applejack gasped when the orange shards began to circle her. “Rainbow Dash is the Bearer of the Element of Loyalty.” Twilight continued Rainbow Dash grinned when she was suddenly surrounded by the red shards. Twilight smiled at Fluttershy. “You’re the Bearer of the Element of Kindness.” Fluttershy hesitantly returned the smile as the light pink shards began to circle her. Still smiling, Twilight turned to Rarity. “You’re the Bearer of the Element of Generosity.” Smiling as well, Rarity nodded as she was surrounded with the violet shards. “Who is the Bearer of the Element of Laughter?” Nightmare Moon hesitantly asked “I can’t believe you have to ask.” Twilight responded “That’s Pinkie, of course.” Pinkie laughed as the blue shards began to circle her. “Y-you’re still missing the Element of Magic!” Nightmare Moon pointed out. Twilight glanced up at the stone that had just appeared above her head. Her smile widened when it turned into a bright pink six-pointed star. “No, we’re not.” She turned back to Nightmare Moon. “It appears that I’m the Bearer of the Element of Magic.” Celestia, Luna, Midnight Armor, Sundance and Nightmare Moon gasped as they watched the Element of Magic slowly move towards Twilight. They looked on as it turned into a crown before settling on the top of her head. Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened. Do they really plan to use them on me? Twilight glared at the dark alicorn. “I won’t allow you to remain here for three reasons. One, an Eternal Night will kill every living thing in Equestria. Two, I want to free Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Celestia. However, the third reason is the most important.” Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes. “And that is?” Twilight’s glare deepened. “I want my mother back!” Luna gasped again T-twilight . . . Sundance and Midnight Armor smiled. Celestia smiled as well. “Do it, Twilight.” Twilight’s eyes turned white as a rainbow burst from her and her new friends. This rainbow swirled around Nightmare Moon, completely blocking her from view. When the light faded, Twilight and her friends were on the floor. After a few minutes, they began to stir. “Ooh.” Rainbow Dash groaned “My head hurts.” “Is everypony alright?” Rarity asked as they climbed to their hooves. “Ah was sure that you’d taken a pretty hard hit to the head, princess.” Applejack commented “Ah guess ah was wrong. It looks like we really are the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.” “That’s right.” As one, the girls turned towards the voice. They quickly noticed two things. One, the sun had risen. Two, they weren’t alone. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie gasped in shock before bowing to the three alicorns. “King Midnight Armor! Queen Sundance! Princess Celestia!” Twilight gasped as well. “Grandma! Grandpa! Aunt Celestia!” She ran forward before pulling all three of them into a hug. Smiling, Midnight Armor, Sundance and Celestia returned her hug. Twilight released her family. “Are you alright?!” Laughing softly, Sundance nuzzled her granddaughter. “Thanks to you, and your friends, we’re just fine.” She nuzzled Twilight again. “I’m very proud of you.” Midnight Armor nuzzled his granddaughter as well. “I am as well.” He sighed “Nightmare Moon caught us off guard by arriving well before we expected her to. As a result, she managed to capture your aunt and grandmother almost immediately.” Twilight’s eyes widened He nodded “I was able to fight her off for a while, but she managed to capture me as well.” Sundance nuzzled her husband. “She surrounded us with a sphere of magic that made us invisible, and inaudible, to everypony except her.” She narrowed her eyes. “She did this because she wanted to force us to watch you either submit to her or be killed by her. Then she planned to kill us.” Twilight gasped “Therefore,” Sundance continued “she kept us with her at all times.” Twilight gasped again “T-that means you . . .” Midnight Armor nodded again “We saw everything.” He nuzzled his granddaughter again. “Well done, Twilight.” Celestia nuzzled her niece as well. “Father’s right, Twilight. You did a very good job.” Twilight blushed Laughing softly, Celestia turned towards the spot where Nightmare Moon had been standing. She gasped when she saw an alicorn filly lying unconscious on the floor. She walked closer as her sister began to stir. “I haven’t seen you like this in over a thousand years, Luna.” Luna’s eyes flew open. “Celestia?!” D-did she say a thousand years?! Tears came to Celestia’s eyes as she leaned down to nuzzle Luna. “Welcome back, little sister.” Luna staggered to her hooves before reaching up to nuzzle her sister. Then she looked down at herself. My coat is several shades lighter than it should be, my mane and tail are supposed to resemble the night sky and I’m much shorter than I used to be. “W-what happened to me?!” Laughing, Sundance walked closer. “Your magic is weak right now, that’s all. It will take a few months for it to completely recover, but you should regain your proper form when it does.” She leaned down to nuzzle her daughter. “Welcome home, Luna.” Luna sighed in relief before reaching up to return Sundance’s nuzzle. “Thank you, Mother.” Smiling, Midnight Armor walked over to nuzzle his daughter as well. “It’s been a long time, Luna.” He said softly “I’m glad you’re back.” Luna pressed herself closer to Midnight Armor before returning his nuzzle. “Thank you, Father. It’s good to be back.” She suddenly realized that there was a voice missing from the conversation . . . and it was somepony that she really wanted to talk to. She looked up at her parents and sister. “Where is my daughter?” Laughing again, Sundance nodded towards Twilight. “It seems that she’s feeling a little shy at the moment.” Curious, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna followed Sundance’s gaze to see that Twilight was standing on the other side of the room with her friends. Celestia laughed as well. “What are you waiting for, Twilight? Come say hello to your mother.” Blushing, Twilight walked towards her family. She stopped a couple of feet in front of her mother. Not having any of that, Luna used her magic to bring her daughter closer before pulling her into a hug. “Thank you, Twilight.” Sundance, Celestia and Midnight Armor smiled when they saw the tears of happiness on Twilight’s face as she returned her mother’s hug. The girls smiled as well. “I’m not into mushy stuff,” Rainbow Dash said quietly “but I’ll let it slide this time.” Fluttershy smiled “They’re so happy.” Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie nodded Sundance smiled at her youngest and granddaughter. “I think we should get out of here.” “I agree.” Celestia replied “Besides, I believe we have an event to attend.” Nodding, Midnight Armor led everypony out of the castle. Once they were outside, Twilight glanced at the forest. “It will take a while to get back to Ponyville if we walk through that again. Besides, it’s dangerous.” Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna nodded. Twilight turned to Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie. “Ordinarily, I’d suggest that we fly, but that’s a problem for the three of you. I could teleport us, or levitate the three of you as the rest of us fly, but something tells me that you won’t like either of those options.” “I like being teleported!” Pinkie replied, bouncing in place “I’m not opposed to either option, princess.” Rarity responded “Ah’d rather walk, but ah agree that going through the forest again is a bad idea.” Applejack took a deep breath. “It’s alright if ya teleport me, princess, but ah don’t want to be levitated again.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure, Applejack?” Applejack nodded “In that case,” Sundance began “do you want to do the honors, Twilight?” Twilight smiled at her grandmother. “Sure.” She focused her magic for a moment before she, her family and her friends disappeared in a flash of magenta magic. In Ponyville, the citizens had gathered in the middle of town. “I know that we don’t know what’s going on.” Mayor Mare began “However, the fact that the sun has risen means that everything should be fine. We should wait a little longer to see if Princess Twilight comes back. I’m sure she’ll tell us what’s going on.” Everyone turned at a flash of magenta magic. They cheered when they saw the entire Royal Family. Mayor Mare stepped forward before bowing. “Good morning, King Midnight Armor, Queen Sundance, Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight . . .” She turned to Luna. I hope I’m not jumping to conclusions. “And Princess Luna.” Luna’s eyes widened while the rest of her family smiled. “D-did I get it wrong?” Mayor Mare nervously asked Luna was too shocked to say anything, so she shook her head. Midnight Armor chuckled “I think my daughter is surprised that you know who she is.” Luna nodded Everyone else laughed as well before turning at a shout. “Twilight!” Luna’s eyes widened even further when a young dragon ran towards her daughter. That’s the dragon from earlier. She was thoroughly confused when Twilight smiled, and pulled him into a hug, before levitating him onto her back. Spike glanced at Luna before turning back to Twilight. “Is that really your mother?” Smiling wider, Twilight nodded. “I have so many questions.” Spike continued “Like . . . What the hay happened?! I remember Nightmare Moon appearing . . . and that’s pretty much it.” He glanced at Luna again before turning back to Twilight. “I thought she was supposed to be bigger and . . . um, starrier.” Everyone, including Luna, laughed. “I’ll explain in a minute.” Twilight responded, turning to her mother. “Mom, this is Spike.” Luna opened and closed her mouth a few timed before settling on the most obvious question. “Why do you have a dragon on your back?” Twilight blushed “I, um, kind of hatched his egg thirteen years ago. I’ve been raising him ever since.” Luna’s jaw dropped. “Y-you hatched a dragon egg?!” Twilight’s blush deepened as she nodded. “I-I’m not sure where to begin.” Luna stammered “Perhaps you should answer his questions instead.” Nodding again, Twilight turned back to Spike. Instead of saying anything, she thought for a moment. “I’m sure that everypony else also wants to know what’s going on. In that case . . .” She used her magic to show everyone what had happened. The citizens of Ponyville stared at Twilight and her friends in shock for several minutes before erupting in cheers again. “W-well, that explains why your mother isn’t as starry as she should be.” Spike said slowly “On another note . . . remind me not to piss you off.” Everyone else laughed when Twilight blushed again. “He’s got a point, Twi.” Rainbow Dash paused “Can I call you Twi? I’m gonna call you Twi.” “Me too! Me too! Me too!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing around Twilight Everyone else laughed while Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie in shock. “You can’t call her that!” Rarity protested “She’s a princess!” “I-it’s alright.” Twilight said slowly, shaking herself out of her shock “However, in that case, I’m not calling you by your full names either.” Pinkie draped a foreleg over Twilight’s back. “That’s OK! I already told you to call me Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash shrugged “It’s cool. You can either call me “Rainbow” or “Dash”.” Twilight tilted her head. “I think I like Rainbow better.” Rainbow nodded “I-I’ll call you Twilight.” Fluttershy said softly “Um, if that’s alright with you.” Laughing, Twilight nodded “I suppose I’ll call you Twilight as well.” Rarity reluctantly responded “Ah think ah’ll go with Twi.” Applejack remarked Laughing, Celestia nuzzled her niece before turning to the crowd. “Now that that’s settled, I believe we have a celebration to get to.” Midnight Armor nodded “This year’s Summer Sun Celebration may be a little late, but that’s no reason not to celebrate.” Sundance laughed “You’re right, Midnight. In fact, we should celebrate.” She smiled at her daughters. “Nightmare Moon’s defeat is certainly worthy of a celebration, but there’s something else that I’d rather celebrate.” Smiling, Celestia nodded to her mother before nuzzling Luna. Then she turned to the crowd. “We are, of course, referring to my sister’s return.” The citizens of Ponyville cheered. “Let’s get to Town Hall!” Pinkie exclaimed Everyone laughed as they followed her towards the Town Hall. Blushing, Luna leaned closer to Twilight before whispering. “What’s going on?” Laughing softly, Twilight nuzzled her mother. “It’s alright, Mom. We’re going to a party. It’s called the “Summer Sun Celebration” now, but it used to be the “Summer Solstice Festival”. The celebration usually starts at sunrise, but it’s a little late this year . . . for obvious reasons.” “I see.” Luna responded Twilight instantly noticed the drop in her mother’s mood, and correctly guessed the reason behind it. “If I understand correctly, there used to be a “Winter Solstice Festival” as well. Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Celestia stopped it because they didn’t want to have it without you.” She tilted her head. “I guess it would be called the “Winter Moon Celebration” now. Anyway, now that you’re back, we can finally have it again.” Luna’s eyes widened but, before she could say anything, Sundance nuzzled her daughter and granddaughter. “I love that idea, Twilight.” Smiling, Celestia and Midnight Armor nodded. “Come on!” Pinkie shouted “We can’t start the party without the Royal Family!” Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Luna, Twilight and Spike looked up to see that she was standing in front of Town Hall. Twilight laughed “We’re coming, Pinkie.” Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna followed Twilight and Spike into the Town Hall. Confetti rained down as the Royal Family walked into the room. Celestia, Luna, Sundance, Midnight Armor, Twilight and Spike looked around to see that the entire population of Ponyville was waiting for them. Luna looked around in wonder. Twilight told me that this “Summer Sun Celebration” replaced the Summer Solstice Festival. Therefore, it makes sense that the room has been decorated like one of Celestia’s sunrises. However, I don’t recognize anything else. Sundance and Midnight Armor glanced at each other before smiling at their eldest. Celestia returned their smiles before turning to the crowd. “Under normal circumstances, I would raise the sun to begin the celebration.” She glanced out the window. “However, it’s almost noon.” Everyone laughed Celestia’s smile widened “I think I’ll do this instead.” Before anyone could ask, the sunlight brightened considerably for a couple of minutes before returning to normal. Pinkie pulled out another party cannon. “Let’s get this party started!” She yanked on the string coming out of the back of the cannon. Boom! Everyone looked up as dozens of fully frosted, and decorated, cupcakes rained down on them. Luna caught one in her magic before turning to her daughter. “How did she do that?” Twilight caught one in her magic as well. “I don’t know, Mom. She did something similar when I met her yesterday. The only difference is that it was a three tier cake.” Sundance stared at her granddaughter. “A three tier cake?” Nodding, Twilight used her magic to show her family what had happened when she walked into the bakery the day before. Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia and Luna stared at the image until it faded. “I’m not even going to ask.” Luna said slowly, shaking her head “Good.” Twilight replied “I can’t explain it anyway.” Luna laughed as she turned her attention to what she held in her magic. “What is this?” Sundance suppressed a sigh. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Cakes hadn’t been invented yet when Luna was sent to the moon. She nuzzled her youngest. “It’s called a cupcake.” “Cake is a type of dessert.” Midnight Armor explained “Cupcakes are just a smaller version.” He picked up a cupcake with his magic. “You unwrap the paper and eat the rest.” Luna watched her father for a moment before removing the paper from her cupcake and taking a small bite. Her eyes widened. “This is delicious.” She ate the rest of it before glancing at the one that Celestia was eating. “Why does yours look different than the one I just ate?” “There are several different flavors of cake.” Celestia answered “You ate a chocolate cupcake. I’m eating a vanilla one.” She broke what was left of her cupcake in half and levitated half of it to her sister. “Try it.” Curious, Luna took it in her magic before taking a small bite. “W-wow. This one is just as delicious as the first one.” She finished the rest of the cupcake before looked up at her sister. “Is it strange that I like both of them?” Laughing, Celestia nuzzled her sister. “Not at all. Many ponies have a favorite flavor, but there’s nothing wrong with liking all of them.” “Here, Mom.” Twilight said, levitating half of a cupcake to Luna “This one is made from a type of cake called Red Velvet.” Luna smiled at her daughter as she took it in her magic. “Thank you.” She took a couple of bites. “It’s good, but has an interesting . . .” “Aftertaste?” Twilight finished Luna nodded “That’s from the frosting.” Twilight explained “There are two types of cake that are frosted with cream cheese frosting. Red Velvet is one and Carrot Cake is the other.” “I see.” Luna replied “And this “frosting” is the stuff on the tops of the cupcakes?” Twilight nodded Luna looked around the room. “What are they doing?” Twilight smiled “I’ll show you.” Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia smiled as they watched Twilight lead her mother around the room. Four hours later Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Luna followed Twilight to the library. Spike was sitting on Twilight’s back. Twilight unlocked the door and walked inside, using her magic to turn on the lights. Sundance, Celestia and Luna walked in and sat down on the couches. Midnight Armor closed and locked the door before joining them. “What a day.” Sundance snuggled closer to her husband before laying her head on his shoulder. “Agreed.” Twilight and Spike walked out of the kitchen and over to join them. Spike was carrying a tray with six bottles of apple juice on in while Twilight levitated two bowls. Spike sat on an armchair and Twilight sat next to her mother. She levitated the smaller bowl, full of rubies, to Spike and set the larger bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. None of them said anything. They just enjoyed spending time with their family. Roughly half an hour later, Celestia and Luna raised their heads. Knowing what it meant, Sundance, Midnight Armor, Twilight and Spike followed them upstairs and onto the balcony. Celestia lowered the sun before smiling at her sister. “Do you think you’re up for raising the moon and stars, Luna?” Luna returned her sister’s smile. “Of course, sister.” She raised the moon before turning her attention to the stars. That’s strange. She looked up at Celestia. “T-the stars aren’t responding to me.” Celestia focused on the stars for a few minutes. Her eyes widened. “They’re not responding to me either.” Sundance, Midnight Armor and Spike gasped. “Ugh . . . I-I think something’s wrong.” Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Luna and Spike instantly turned towards the voice . . . and gasped again, in shock this time. Twilight’s eyes were closed and her left forehoof was pressed against her forehead. She was glowing with a pale silver light and the dark parts of her mane and tail were sparkling. Luna smiled “I see what’s going on.” She moved closer to her daughter, and draped a wing over her back, before whispering. “It’s alright, Twilight. Don’t fight it.” Listening to her mother, Twilight followed her new instincts. Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia, Luna and Spike watched Twilight place the stars in the night sky. “I-incredible!” Sundance said softly Midnight Armor, Celestia and Spike silently nodded. Twilight slowly opened her eyes as she lowered her hoof. She wasn’t glowing anymore, but her mane and tail continued to sparkle. “W-what just happened?” Luna nuzzled her daughter. “You took control of the stars.” “W-what?!” Twilight exclaimed, instantly beginning to panic “B-but they’re yours!” Luna shook her head. “I am the Princess of the Moon, Twilight. I was only able to control the stars because I am more attuned with the Night than Celestia is.” “B-but Aunt Celestia . . .” Twilight stammered Luna smiled at her sister before returning her attention to Twilight. “I don’t think she intended to do this, but my sister took control of my celestial magic while I was gone. That is why she was able to control the moon and stars.” Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Spike stared at Luna in shock. “Celestia is the Princess of the Sun.” Luna continued “As I said, I am the Princess of the Moon.” She nuzzled her daughter. “You are the Princess of the Stars.” Sundance shook herself from her shock. “If that is the case, why didn’t Twilight gain the ability to control the stars when she earned her Cutie Mark?” “Cutie Mark?” Luna repeated “T-that’s the current name for the “Soul Mark”.” Midnight Armor explained “I see.” Luna said slowly “Regardless, Twilight couldn’t take her place as Princess of the Stars because I was still in control of the stars at the time. Additionally, Celestia had control of my celestial powers. If I hadn’t been trapped on the moon, Twilight would have been the one to raise the stars that night.” “Why did Twilight gain control of the stars tonight?” Celestia asked “You must have unconsciously released your control of my celestial powers when you asked me to raise the moon.” Luna answered “As soon as you did, they immediately went to the pony who is supposed to wield them.” “That explains it.” Sundance said slowly Luna nodded “I immediately regained my ability to control the moon, but the stars didn’t respond to me because I’m not the one who is supposed to control them.” She smiled at her daughter. “You are.” Eyes wide, Twilight stared at her mother for several minutes. Then she shook herself out of her shock. “I-I need to lie down.” Laughing softly, Luna nuzzled her daughter again. “Good idea. It’s been a long day.” The six of them walked back inside. Once inside, they investigated the top floor. There were three bedrooms, three beds and a small basket. Sundance and Midnight Armor hugged Celestia, Luna and Twilight before walking into one of the rooms. Celestia hugged her sister and niece before walking into the second. Twilight, Luna and Spike walked into the third. Yawning, Spike lay down in the basket. “Good night.” He was asleep before either of them could respond. Twilight laughed softly. “He always does that.” Luna watched her daughter levitate the baby dragon into the air, pull the blanket from under him and gently lay him in the basket before tucking him in. Twilight turned to her mother. “There’s only one more bed. I-if you want, I can sleep on the couch downstairs. Its no-” She cut herself off with a gasp of surprise when her mother levitated her onto the bed. “Don’t even think about it.” Luna replied, settling next to her daughter Far too tired to argue, Twilight snuggled closer to her mother before closing her eyes. Luna smiled as she watched her daughter fall asleep. She spread a wing over Twilight, used her magic to pull the blankets over both of them and lay her head on a pillow before closing her eyes as well. It’s nice to be home.