//------------------------------//
// Chapter 38 - Moving On Home 
// Story: Twilight Daylight: Psera, The Legend of Legends 
// by thedarktome 
//------------------------------//

After the memorial service, the three Princesses of Equestria were invited back to the suite for tea and to reminisce after the honoring of the late Queen. They quickly accepted the invitation. They've only been in Twilight's home twice. Before the Trial of Blueblood, and after the Trial of Blueblood. Speaking of which...

After the trek through the quiet castle and Dawn was put to bed, and the Princesses were all holding tea cups sitting at their glass kitchen table, Madun sat down in his seat in between them and the kitchen with a glowing gem and a photo album. The atmosphere was calm. The spells Queen Arcadia put on the walls allowed them to see the outside world. Lunchtime, around one o'clock.

Madun sighed and relaxed his body for a second. "Blueballs is going back with you as well," he stated.

Okay, Luna had to ask. She placed her hoof on the table to lean on and smirked at Madun. "Is it an accident when you replace our nephew's name with that term?"

Accident? Puh. Madun shook his red mane and answered, "Nope, I do it because each time I looked at that scar on my wife's chest, and that hole in my daughter's ear, I just want to go down to Lavender Hall and kill that pony. But it's not in my powers to do so. Which means name calling is my next best thing. He's lucky he's getting just that shooting at his back and not a bullet. Here." He placed the glowing gem in the middle of the table and held on it for a second. Then moved back when a violet mist poured out and made shapes all around them. Changing their environment to Dawn's playroom.

Colorful toys littered the floor complete with her play mat. A small changing bed on the right side of the room next to a wooden play bin stuffed with more toys. The ceiling was bright as the sun, the air as warm as a rising spring. The walls had been painted with cute images of animals and other elements. With Twilight rocking in a chair in a corner holding Dawn in her hooves while she drank from a small bottle. Dawn was much younger at this time. She was so small, it was concerning.

It was all a spell. A contained memory. Leave it to Queen Arcadia to make the best ones.

Cadance calmly stood up from her seat and walked over to get a closer look. Twilight was singing a small tune in Old Pseratopian down to Dawn with the brightest smile on her face. "Mala chee chora too, rafaree masa dee..."

Cadance looked up to Madun with a pleasant smile and whispered, "I never understood Old Pseratopian. It's amazing how Twilight was able to pick it up so fast. Then again I'm not really surprised by anything she would do anymore that was more than amazing."

He smiled and walked from the table over to them with a smile on his face and tears in his suddenly lively eyes. Each time he saw her, Madun's heart would pulse. A feeling he wouldn't trade for the world.

Dawn popped the bottle out of her mouth and threw it to the side to squeal and flail her hooves around. Twilight caught it effortlessly in her magic before it could spill out on the mat and set it down properly. Then securely held Dawn up with both of her hooves.

She blew a Raspberry into her stomach and asked, "Who's my Veola? Huh? Is it you?" Dawn squealed and received another Raspberry in delight. "That's right, you are!" She held Dawn up to her front and allowed her to wrap her hooves around her neck. Then started the burping process.

Celestia sighed and whispered with tears in her eyes, "She was such a great mother." She wiped away those things and sniffled through anything else threatening to spill out.

Dawn burped and made a tired mew that immediately flipped into flapping wings hitting Twilight in the muzzle. She sighed and spat out a feather. Then set Dawn down to ask, "Wanna play? Or do you wanna mess with Daddy?"

Luna glanced across to Madun and queried an unspoken question with her blue eyes. He sighed and answered, "Twilight and Fresh Dawn were a duo of trouble whenever I came home in the afternoon. They would play a harmless prank from time to time. Dawn's idea. One time I walked through the door at nearly five in the afternoon and a toy hit me in my face just like that. I never had the chance to actually close the door. Twilight said she was 'waiting for me.' I absolutely believe that."

"That is so adorable," Celestia whispered. Then redirected her attention to the special moment.

Dawn pointed to the door and made a shout in the form of her answer. Twilight nodded and answered, "Okay, well come on." Twilight was about to pick Dawn back up. But she started rising on her own hooves.

Twilight gasped and stepped closer to lean down into her daughter's face. Adorned with a toothless grin that could make the sun look like it was black and white. "Dawn, you're standing!" Dawn eventually made it to shaking hooves and slowly took one step to Twilight. "Ohhh, now you're walking!! Holy stars, oh you're growing up! Come here, Dawn! Come to mommy!"

Dawn took her very first steps and successfully walked into Twilight's hooves. She reared up and flapped her large wings with her foal. "Oh my baby took her first steps!!!" She yelled. Celestia was sure the whole castle heard her.

Twilight shifted mewing Dawn up with one hoof and walked out of the room with the biggest grin she could muster. "We're showing your father right now! He needs to see his filly's first steps!"

"Bwah!"

"Oh right, your toy." Sky Blue was levitated out of the toy bin and out the door behind them before the scene changed like flowing sand to the hallway outside of the throne room. Full of the statued versions of the past rulers of Psera and guards.

Madun explained, "I was actually on my way to my second meeting that day with a few ponies in Rayray."

The throne doors opened and a beardless Madun walked out with his advisors and assistants. Speaking of something involving energies when Twilight quickly trotted into view from a distant hallway ahead of him with Fresh Dawn to her chest.

"Madun, wait! Sweetie!" Madun stopped walking and talking when Twilight stopped in front of him holding that grin. He knew immediately something spectacular had happened. Otherwise, she would save it for the afternoon when he came back home and received a stuffed toy to the face.

His advisors bowed when Twilight stopped. "Yes, what is it?" Madun greeted.

"Watch this." Twilight looked down to Fresh Dawn in her hoof and asked, "Are you ready to show Daddy?" Dawn locked eyes with her father and raised her hooves out to him screaming in a toothless glee. "Yeah, you are! I'll be right behind you." Twilight softly set Dawn on the floor and stepped closer so she could have some "security". Then Dawn stood up on her hooves and slowly walked to her father with Twilight above her.

Madun gasped and got down on his hooves to spread his hooves out in an inviting gesture. "My filly's walking, oh look at you go!" Dawn walked into her father's face and wrapped her hooves around his neck squealing before the image fizzled out and replaced once more with the King's quiet living room.

Madun sighed and said, "Dawn wouldn't stop walking since then. Then she started talking. Her first word after Mama was 'Tarda'. Ball. She wanted to play ball. So we gave her a ball to play with and then after a few days she said 'Daddy.'"

Madun dropped back down into his seat like the Princesses and took a sip of his tea. The smell was satisfactory to his nerves, let alone the taste. He exhaled a relieving sigh and stated, "We will not stop looking for that room," he said. "If we can find that room, we can find everything."

Celestia inquired, "Any estimated timeframe?"

"None. And knowing Twilight, she didn't make it easy for us. I'd be surprised if she did. Those spellbooks would be worth a fortune if someone found them. It would be cruel to sell them, but that's just the world we live in now."

He looked behind him towards the hallway for the rooms after scuffling reached their ears. Fresh Dawn walked out with her eyes to the floor and head held low. Destination for the front door. She was wearing a gray hoodie with some bottoms. Free of her hoofshoes, but maintaining her crown. She opened the door swiftly and walked out. She could take care of herself. And if she couldn't the Guards would. Everyone in the castle was a huge family.

Madun took a sip of his tea again and said, "She won't be the same after this. I fear she's lost her playful personality. Whenever Dawn was sad, mommy was always there. I was there too, all the time. But... She always looked up to mommy."

Celestia reached over and tapped his hoof lovingly with a warming gaze piercing into his. "I know it doesn't seem like it now," she whispered. "But she will smile again. I guarantee it. Maybe this will cheer you up."

Luna reached into her wing and pulled out a folded up sheet of paper she passed to Celestia. She swiftly unfolded it in front of her face, but kept a calm eye on Madun. "These are the results from the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Now before you say anything, let me make it clear. These mares are professionals, and have been helping fillies and colts find their cutie marks and their meanings when they themselves were fillies many many years ago. The chances of them getting a prediction wrong are one out of a hundred."

Madun had a feeling he wasn't going to like this. Or if it was even going to cheer him up. Maybe distract him. He eyed the sheet in suspicion before Celestia cleared her throat and read it out to him. "'The results for the Cutie Mark of Princess Fresh Veola Dawn are as such...'"



When her mother was alive, the Garden was always the place Fresh Dawn and she would snuggle up together and sunbathe under the sky when she had free time. Enjoying the nature her father's garden brought them. The butterflies that would land on her muzzle, the birds that would tweet and land on her mother's head. The closeness they felt next to each other.

Now, sitting in front of the stream in the flower patch alone in this heat made Dawn feel... Cold. The flowing pond did little to soothe her tears. The endless rivers of pain that flowed from her eyes. She felt alone now. With mom there, Dawn felt like she could conquer the world. The only Alicorn-Pserateps in existence.

Now? She was completely alone. Dawn wiped her eyes and took a deep calming breath.

"Hey." Dawn's folded down ears shot up and she turned her head to face the speaker. A foal obviously based on the pitch. The foal whom's name though was unwanted. Kia. The filly from her class that's always mean. She has a completely white coat with a white mane and tail, and bright yellow eyes. Those evil bright yellow eyes. At least she wasn't grinning today. Last Dawn checked, that was a terrible omen.

The Guards were out here this time. Dawn could easily shoo her away. But something in her mind was telling her not to. She just turned back to the water and greeted, "Hello, Kia. What are you doing here?"

Kia walked next to her and sat down to follow Dawn's gaze into the clear water. Silently rushing by without so much as a disturbance. "I wanted to come say I'm sorry about your mom. I know we're not the best of friends... But I don't hate you. I can't hate you."

Dawn took a page out of her mother's book and pushed, "Get to the point, Kia. Or I'll have you thrown out."

Kia gestured between Fresh Dawn and herself with a hoof. "You and I? We're the same ponies living in different worlds. I... Lost both of my parents." Fresh Dawn's ears slowly rose back up. Then she slowly turned to give Kia a look of sadness. "I'm at an institution a mile or something from school now. My parents... They were in the tower."

"Oh Kia," Dawn whispered. She honestly felt sorry for her. At least she had her dad. Kia had no one. She shook her head and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, well... I'm going to miss them." She wiped her eyes and chortled sadly. "I feel like we should be shedding more tears right now... Right?"

"Yeah... Maybe."

They focused their eyes on the water flowing beneath their hooves for a little while. Letting the silence pass over them. Kia looked back up to Dawn shortly after and said, "Well look, Princess. I know we're not the best of friends..."

"For some unknown reason," Dawn muttered under her breath.

"But how about this... We'll be frenemies."

"Frenemies?" Dawn repeated. She cocked her head in clear confusion and asked, "What are frenemies?"

"Friendly enemies."

"...so rivals?"

"What are rivals?"

"Ponies who compete all the time."

"So like who can run the fastest?"

"Yeah, like—" A wave of water suddenly splashed Dawn in the face from below. "Ack! Kia!"

Kia laughed loud and proud. She fell on her back and pointed a hoof at Fresh Dawn's disbelieving soaked face. "Holy Narmeelah!" She cackled. "You look ridiculous! Like—ack, puh, ugggh!" Dawn returned the favor in kind. But instead of using her hooves, she decided to scoop the water up with a wing and dump it on her. Then did it again. And again. Until Kia was running back to the castle soaking.

Dawn was already enjoying this rivalry. She darted after her and yelled, "Get back here, Kia! This isn't over!"



The entire castle was silent. Coworkers, friends, and family silently mourning. Twilight Velvet was a lot more open with her tears. The cafeteria seemed to be the only place in this Castle that held privacy. The throne room was off-limits and "going through renovations", the halls were decorated with flags bearing Twilight's cutie mark. The entire building was silent. Except here in the lounge.

Anyone mourning could not top Twilight Velvet. Her eyes were bloodshot, face wet with her own tears like the clothed table below she was crying over. It was making the rest of Twilight's friends and family feel even worse.

With a wing placed around her from Fluttershy, Twilight Velvet blubbered up to Night Light, "Sh-She was so happy when she told us... She told us she was pregnant! Remember, Nighty? H-how happy she was?"

He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Yes I do, sweetheart."

Applejack shook her own head solemnly between Rainbow Dash and Rarity. She dabbed at her eyes, trained on the table and whispered, "I can't believe she's really gone."

"I sort of don't," Rainbow admitted. She looked to the rest of her friends and stated, "It's unlike Twilight to not have a backup plan or even plan ahead. She can't be that easily taken out."

Rarity sighed and replied, "I know, Rainbow Dash. But what other explanation is there?"

Rainbow crossed her hooves and deadpanned, "Anything but being trapped in a magical tube with no exit. That's not like her, guys. I think the Pserateps gave up too easy."

Fluttershy glanced up to them from the side and whispered, "Rainbow Dash has a point. I think Twilight is still alive somewhere out there. Maybe lost even."

Sunset shook her head and said, "I doubt she'd be lost, and I see where you guys are getting at. But we can't do anything without that spell library. The very big important question here is... Why would she hide all of her spells? I think we're missing something. Something big. But what?"

None of them had an honest answer. Or even a serious answer. It was the puzzling mystery that ate away at their minds and fed their thoughts with something to think about.

Something slapping onto the floor spooked the table out of the quiet atmosphere and interrupted those thoughts rather rudely. They directed their eyes to the source at the single white ceiling panel on the right in the middle of this marble floor next to their table.

Rainbow Dash and Sunset glanced at each other from across then slowly tilted their heads back to look to the ceiling. There was a visible hole that a single rope rolled down from. Dancing from weight and impact.

And that Fresh Dawn slid down in her sweatshirt. Hidden by a hood. She held a hoof over her eyes and smoldered at her surroundings in the middle of it. Then jumped down and pushed her hood back to show her red mane. Yep, definitely Fresh Dawn. She ignored the ponies in the room and grabbed the rope that she pulled down and out. Then levitated the tiny slab back up into the ceiling.

Target? Kia. Location? Anywhere. But she knew she was coming this way. Dawn wrapped her rope up and ran for a table that held a cover over it next to the empty buffet line. Unknowingly with eyes following her. She slid underneath it and kept herself hidden, and silent. As if she never arrived.

Twilight Velvet sniffled and turned back to the table sniffling. "She's just playing," she whispered.

Shining Armor said, "You know she got her cutie mark."

Cutie Mark?! Only a few of them knew about this. Fluttershy, Sunset, and Starlight gasped with Twilight Velvet and Night Light. Then yelled at the same time, "What?! When?!" Rainbow seething through her teeth with Applejack and Rarity attracted their attention. "You knew about this?!"

Rarity quickly apologized, "It completely slipped our minds, darlings. But yes, she got her cutie mark today. It's a beautiful rendition of Twilight's own with an added crown."

Applejack quietly explained, "She got it today after she fixed a bird's broken wing with magic somehow. The Princesses said that shouldn't even be possible. But that it happened. I have no idea what it means, but the Crusaders do."

They were once more interrupted when Celestia and the rest of the rulers from overseas trotted urgently into the cafeteria with anxious eyes on them. "We're leaving," she announced.

The entire table stood up and repeated, "Leaving?!"

Applejack clarified, "As in leavin' Psera? Back to Equestria?"

Celestia stopped with Luna and Cadance on one end of the table with sad eyes looking into all of theirs. She confirmed their fears with a nod. "Yes. We're heading out to inform the camps to begin packing. We leave tomorrow morning by Aquata for another three day trip."

Rainbow Dash zipped into the air and hovered above. Her eyes displayed her emotions of disbelief. "But what about... Everything there?!" She exclaimed. "There's nothing to live in!"

Luna answered her with, "King Madun has assured us they will give us tents and living areas to rest in. And have also agreed in helping us restore land by using a device invented by Twilight herself hosting the very first spell she's used on this land. Along with other tools all hosted on Aquata Eighty-Seven. The Pserateps call it a Natural Rejuvenation Spell. Novo and the rest of IHT have agreed to offer as much space as they can since we all decided Equestria is the worst out of all of them. The Pserateps will help us get settled in for a few hours from the port in Las Pegasus. Then..."

Cadance said it for her. The news she was sure none of them wanted to hear. "That will be the last time we ever see or hear from Psera. They've decided they're going back underground."

Twilight Velvet gasped and stuttered, "B-But wh-what about—"

"They'll be looking into Twilight's disappearance as much as they can with zero leads. And said they would let us know if they found something. Apart from that, Psera seas are cut off and all communications are ceased. This will be our goodbye to Psera for years to come."

Luna turned to the shocked rulers of the foreign lands and said, "We leave early tomorrow morning. So we must tell everypony to check their bags twice and be ready to depart. Because the Pserateps are going off the map once more."

Twilight Velvet couldn't believe this! "But... B-But what about Fresh Dawn?!" She pointed to the table Fresh Dawn hid under a few minutes ago. Completely frozen with no movement. Was she still under there? The conversation got so intense they sort of forgot about her.

The princesses stared at it for a few silent seconds. Then shared a worried glance with each other before focusing on Twilight Velvet. Cadance cleared her throat and gently asked, "How are you doing, Mrs. Velvet? Your loss must be burning in you." The pain over the loss of her daughter must be immense. They could practically feel her sadness all over the castle.

When another snow white filly walked into the room, Rainbow Dash had to wonder if they were loud. Because she stopped to look around briefly then left.

The cloth covering the table Dawn hid under shifted before she poked her head out and eyed her walk away. Then raised her hoof and rolled a bag of marbles her way. They rolled loudly across the floor in clear earnest for their target: Mean ol' Kia. They were almost there. Almost—

The marbles were suddenly enveloped in a blue glow and stopped. Then rose into the air and arched over to stop in front of Night Light's unamused face. He shook his head at her and said, "No throwing marbles at anypony, young lady."

Dawn rolled her eyes in annoyance. She was so close to watching Kia dance. "Awww, Grandpa~!" She whined. Then trotted out and dragged her long wings his way. "I was so close!"

"Sorry, kiddo!" Uncle Armor apologized. He reached down and scuffled Dawn's mane. She made a sound similar to a growling Toad and slapped his hoof away. "Oh! Tough little filly, huh?"

Fresh Dawn jumped and got into a playful stance. "I can take you down easy Uncle Armor!" She bragged.

Cadance rolled her eyes from the table and said, "Shining, stop teasing her before she really does hurt you."

Fresh Dawn ran underneath Shining's hooves and in between Thorax's. With a destination for—wait, whoaaa! Dawn skidded to a stop and looked back up to Thorax with a shocked face. He was watching her race by trying not to step on her because she was so small. It was much harder now because she was circling him. Admiring his coat, his tail-wing thing, and his gossamer wings.

"Whoooa!" She fawned. Then stopped in front of him and pointed up to his face. "What are you? You're really pretty and sparkling!"

Novo fawned and held a hoof over her warming heart at Dawn's innocent praise. Thorax grinned at her and stammered, "I-I-I'm King Thorax. Of the Changelings. It's nice to meet you, ummm... Princess."

Dawn grabbed his outstretched hoof and quickly shook it. "Hi! I'm Fresh Dawn! Can you read to me? I want you to read to me because you're pretty!" She pulled Thorax over to a wall that she scuffed at with a hoof. A specific area of it magically slid to the side revealing its internals. Or the small library of books behind it. Along with candy and toys. Someone's been setting up stashes.

Dawn reached in and grabbed a specific book with her mouth. It had a smiling ladybug on the cover under a blazing sun with a Rainbow text reading, "The Shining of Nature."

She turned to Thorax and placed the book on the shiny floor to look up to him with cute purple eyes.

"Gardeen made this book for me. It's my favorite, but I'm not good at reading umm... Ponish yet," she said. She set her hoof on the book and asked, "Can you read this to me? Please?

"Of course I can," Thorax eagerly replied. He trotted around Fresh Dawn and sat down next to her. He picked the book up and opened it to the first page. A title page with the little ladybug on the front.

Before he could start, Kia popped out of nowhere and jumped on Dawn's back. "Ha! Gotcha!"

"Ow! Kia! It's break time! The Change-a-ming is going to read to us!"

Reading? Kia liked reading! She adjusted herself on Dawn's back and faced the book Thorax was holding in front of them. It looked like they were ready so he went ahead and started reading.

Twilight Velvet directed her eyes back up to Princess Celestia and pleaded, "But what about Fresh Dawn? She won't be able to learn any magic without at least another unicorn here!"

Celestia could easily tell Velvet didn't want to leave Fresh Dawn here alone. At all. She didn't want to leave any part of her daughter behind. Celestia didn't want to either, but it wasn't their call.

She shook her head in sadness and answered, "I'm sorry, Velvet. But we all have to leave. Fresh Dawn has to stay here with her father and home country. She is a Pseratep after all. She won't really connect with other ponies in Equestria anyway if she's not good at reading Ponish. So it is better she stay here. And... I'm sure her mother would want her to as well."

Twilight Velvet lowered her head under Celestia's wing. "I know losing your daughter is hard. But it will get better over time. Come on, let's get packed."

She started to leave with Twilight Velvet whimpering under her wing and the rest of the ponies behind them. Destination for the door. Novo looked behind her at Thorax and instructed, "Be ready by this evening, Thorax!"

He looked up from his reading and waved to Novo happily. "Alright! Now where were we?"



Not many brought suitcases. But King Madun was really kind enough to gift Cadance one of theirs. Shining was out doing something for food, leaving Cadance and Flurry Heart to pack. With the bag opened on their bed, all of their belongings were tossed inside and zipped up. Hopefully they could get the Crystal Heart back in place.

Flurry's expression next to the suitcase was solemn. Her eyes burned holes into the fabric until she shifted them up to her mother's face. "I miss Aunt Twilight," she whispered.

Cadance stopped packing and sighed the reality out of her own mind. "I do too," she replied sadly. "I never thought she would go so early." She reached in and grabbed one of the many photos she brought. Her treasured memories of when she herself was a filly foalsitting Twilight and their family.

They included her into it, way before Shining and she were married. When Twilight herself was just a regular unicorn that loved books more than pictures, magic, and little baby Spike sucking on his tail. Nothing could have prepared them for this.

The door handle jiggling pulled them out of their shared funk. Then it twisted and slowly creaked open. Fresh Dawn was hanging onto the handle the entire time until it lightly bumped into the wall.

Cadance directed her eyes to her Cutie Mark. The one with Twilight's and her silver crown. A beautiful rendition she didn't want but didn't seem to be complaining about either. Maybe she was used to it now.

Fresh Dawn dropped down onto the floor and ran over to the bed. She jumped up and grabbed the edges, then pulled herself onto the comforter. It was always a challenge just to reach a much higher elevation. But she always managed to get through.

Once she was good and comfortable with Flurry, she eyed the stuff inside of Aunt Caddy's suitcase. "Whoa, you have a lot of stuff!!" She exclaimed.

Cadance laughed and said, "Well we couldn't just leave all of our things to burn. Most if this stuff means a lot to me and my family. So we grabbed as much of it as we could." She levitated the picture in front of her and pointed out Twilight when she was a filly. "This is your mother."

Dawn pushed her face into the image and gasped. Then looked up to Cadance and asked, "Wait, where's her wings?! Mommy has wings!"

Cadance giggled and shook her head with a smile. "Not back then she didn't," she quickly clarified. "Your mother gained those wings because of her knowledge and ability to finish a spell. Your mother has always been a mage in magic even when she was your age. She was doing all sorts of elementary spells. Much more harder to do for foals. Yet she managed to do them."

Dawn's eyes were sparkling in admiration before they dropped into sadness. Her mom could've taught her some of these spells. But now... She never will. Cadance seemed to know what she was thinking.

She swept her up in her hooves and said, "I'm sure you'll have great magical skills like your mother someday. Don't be sad, I know you'll figure it out. We all believe in you. Can you read Ponish?"

Dawn shook her head and said in her little filly voice, "I can... I can talk in it, but I can't read it."

"Hopefully your father can change that. We all love you, Dawn. Remember that." Cadance leaned down and kissed Dawn on the forehead. Then pulled her into a deep hug. There wasn't another aunt like Aunt Cadance. That was the reason she kissed her back and hugged her hard.

"I'm..." Dawn mumbled into her chest. "I'm going to miss you a lot."

"We're going to miss you too." It was unfair that Twilight's country was sectioning off every country in the world because of this tragedy. It was keeping her own daughter from learning what she needed to get a base for being her successor like she wanted. But they sadly couldn't do anything about it. It was Madun's daughter. And their country.

The last time they would see each other would be in a few hours the next morning.

This morning. The crickets were still chirping. The air was cool and humid. The sun had barely risen. But Lavender was busy.

The trail of Ponies, Dragons, Hippogriffs, Changedlings and Changelings—who mysteriously have no memory of all that has happened—started from the refugee camps Queen Arcadia made for them. Trailing through the cool atmosphere. Psera Skies Extra was in the process of being moved from the orange sky back to wherever it came from, glowing from the rising sun in the distance.

The engine of the Aquatas were off, but the stairwell up to the familiar hangars were open. And they were filling up fast for the three day trip back. This time, there would be no queen escorting them.

Celestia would be looking out for her own ponies from one of these Aquatas. Literally looking down on them from the walkways hosting controls above. Along with the other four currently being loaded. She paid no mind to the soldiers passing her. No mind to the rising volume of her tired ponies below the steel walkway in the dark cool atmosphere. No mind to anything. They were three days away from worrying. Worst case two.

But right now it was time to face the future. A nudge on her right pulled her attention from directly below to her right into the face of King Madun. Fresh Dawn was asleep on his back holding Sky Blue to her chest. Her favorite toy. He was following her line of sight to the ponies below him.

"I'm going to miss you all," he said. "But this is for the good of my country. Like I promised, if we ever find something—and I'm really hoping we do sometime soon—you will be the first few to know. Her mother especially."

Celestia didn't have to look at him to tell that all of this was tearing him up inside. But that he was keeping it contained for Dawn's sake. She sighed and said, "You don't have to keep it all in Madun."

"When Dawn goes to sleep is when I let it out, Princess. Other than that, I keep the face of the king Psera needs. Blueballs is being pushed into this Aquata as we speak, and the Front Lawn is approaching. I'll let the Guard handle it from here."

Celestia nodded and placed her wing over both him and Fresh Dawn in an embrace they both seeked. "If there is anything you need," she whispered. "We are all available."

"Thank you, Celestia."

Celestia leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Dawn's horn. The only reaction she got was a small ear flick. "She looks so much like her mother."

Madun laughed silently and commented, "She looks entirely like her mother."

"Ehhh, Twilight doesn't have any sort of red on her. I should know, I have watched her grow. Take care of yourself too, Madun. You can't raise a child sick. Just because Dawn doesn't seem to get sick doesn't mean you can't."

"I will. Have a safe trip, Celestia." Madun quickly turned around and made his way back into the Aquatas innards to get off safely with Fresh Dawn on his back. He looked so wrong alone without Twilight hanging onto his every word. His every step. His hoofsteps were so... Off beat. They were normal when Twilight was still around.

But either way, they weren't going to see each other anymore. The ship rumbling and blaring the alarm let Celestia know they were preparing to depart. Then something purple slammed into her face.

She yelped and stepped back. But whatever it was... It was hugging her muzzle? Soft, fuzzy... "Bye, Grandma Celestia."

Fresh Dawn. There was literally no other pony or creature who called her Grandma. And honestly, she was honored Fresh Dawn looked to her as her mother's mother. Celestia sat down and gave Fresh Dawn the warmest hug she could. The smell of her grandmother's weird colorful mane warmed Dawn. But saddened her that this would be the last time she got to smell it. "So long, Fresh Dawn," she replied. "This will not be the last time we see each other, I guarantee you."

"What does guarantee mean?"

"It's a promise."

"Then I guarantee to know Magic when I do see you." Dawn dropped from Celestia's face onto the steel below and waved up to her in such a cute manner. "Bye, Grandma! Bye!" Then she jumped up on the rail behind her and waved down to the creatures below. "GOODBYE, EVERYONE!!! BYE, BYE!!!"

They waved and said their own returns while one of them was jumping up and down waving their hooves. The one pony who didn't want to go. "Fresh Dawn!!! Come here, sweetie, come here!!!" Dawn swooped from the railing into her real Grandmother's hooves down below to receive a packed on hug from the rest of her family.

Twilight Velvet held her so tight it was making Dawn hot. "Ooohhhh, I'm going to miss you, baby!" She planted so many loving kisses on her it was beginning to make Dawn squirm.

"Grandma~, stop," she whined. Then squeezed her way free onto the floor between them.

Shining Armor patted Fresh Dawn's head and said, "Don't grow up too fast, squirt."

"Watch how you go, Darling!"

"Be safe!"

"Follow the example of your mother!"

Fresh Dawn waved up to them one last time. Then lifted her large wings and zoomed out through the hangar doors down to the port where her father and other notable figures stood to watch.

The Aquata shifted when all four ships were pushed out to port by the same machines that brought them into it. They moved over the waters off of Psera's land. Then deposited inside of it. Less than ten seconds later they were on the move. Leaving the port of Lavender and zooming for the path that would see them home.

Dawn's eyes never left those Aquatas. Those big ships that were holding all she'd ever know of Equestria. Her mother's homeland. The land of all of her mother's relatives and magic. If there was any chance of her knowing magic, it was there with them. But with her own home being "sectioned off"—as her father called it—from the rest of the world, it was next to impossible.

She didn't want to be sectioned off from the rest of the world. She wanted to go out and see it. With eyes on the departing Aquatas, she said, "Daddy?"

"...yeah, Sugar Plum?"

"We... We need to find mommy's spells."

"I think you meant, 'I need sleep.' You're going back to bed when we get home, okay? Mommy's spells can wait until you wake up after your nap."

Fresh Dawn couldn't argue with that. She was tired. Very tired. A good nap was needed right about now. She jumped onto her father's hard but warm back and settled down for a good rest while she was safely strapped in. Daddy's flying was nothing like mommy's. Maybe when she woke up, mommy's spells would be there.

Maybe. Dawn gently closed her deep violet eyes and allowed her world to turn dark. It was time for a nap.