//------------------------------// // Ponies X // Story: Integration // by Darth Link 22 //------------------------------// Unit 1: Pre-Unification Equestria Chapter 3: Star Swirl the Bearded Starswirl the Bearded is a Unicorn that was old when the Two Princesses were young. Because he ruled in the pre-Unification period, he was previously relegated to obscurity. However, following the return of Princess Luna and the ascension of Princess Twilight Sparkle, who has listed him as one of her favorite historical figures, his accomplishments are becoming more well known. Starswirl was born in 350 BNM, and disappeared in 10 ANM, and is widely believed by many magical scholars to have ascended to a higher plane after such a long life. This theory has been disputed, as he never was considered worthy to Ascend to Alicornhood. The other major theory is that he simply died after whatever process he discovered to expand his life wore out. In the modern day, he is best known for being the mentor to Clover the Clever, one of the original founders of Equestria, and for helping to guide Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in the early days on their rule. The fact that he was such a prominent mentor makes his fade into obscurity a bit puzzling. When asked following the return of her sister, Princess Celestia commented that several records from before Nightmare Moon have been lost. Starlight sat in school, trying hard and failing to follow what Cheerilee was teaching. It was a shame, because it was history, a subject she greatly enjoyed. She really should be taking notes, knowing she had a half-finished report sitting at home that needed touching up. But with what she had found out yesterday, she was drifting in and out of the lecture. “Starswirl the Bearded was born 350 BNM, and he quickly.... When he sealed away this great evil, using what became known as the five... The Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, currently wields.... Harmony is the only one that remains...” No matter what, her thoughts always drifted back to what she had discovered in the Princess’s files. That Sunburst was... gone. She wondered if she should be angry at the Princess of Friendship for keeping it from her, but she just felt numb. Almost like the fact that her friend was dead hadn’t sunk in. The bell rang, and it was time for recess. She didn’t feel like going out, but felt like keeping up appearances. Sunny Flare was patrolling around the school as usual, this time accompanied by Sour Sweet. When the pair saw their charge come out, they greeted her with a smile, then returned to their duty. Playtime wasn’t very playful. She didn’t join in the game of freeze tag. She went up and down the slide a few times, then sat on the swing, going at it haphazardly. “Starlight?” She perked her ears up. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed Diamond Tiara walk up to her. “Oh... hey.” Diamond sat on the swing next to her. “Is something wrong? You haven’t been very attentive lately.” Starlight was a bit surprised. She had been under the assumption that nopony had been noticing her. “I’m... fine.” “Are you?” “Why wouldn’t I be?” Diamond Tiara was quiet for a moment. “Starlight... trying to keep something to yourself isn’t healthy.” Starlight didn’t respond right away. So her friend went on. “My mother hurt me bad. She kept hurting me. She still is, even though she is getting better. I was always too afraid to tell anypony, even Silver Spoon. So I took out my aggression on everypony. And everypony hated me. But when the Cutie Mark Crusaders found out, my life got better.” Starlight sat there. Her mind was in such a jumble that Diamond’s words only slightly untangled them. She looked over at the two guards that had been sent to watch over her. Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet weren’t looking directly at her. They were scanning the area, keeping an eye out for any threats. After a few moments Sour Sweet started patrolling the perimeter, which meant that she’d come closer. “...Do you think you could come over tonight?” Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened. Whatever she had been expecting to hear, that wasn’t it. “What?” Sour Sweet had turned to their direction. “I don’t want anypony else knowing about this. Not yet.” “You’re worried about the other foals learning?” “No... I don’t want the guards learning.” Diamond Tiara was stunned once again. Sour Sweet came up to them. “Is everything alright, Starlight?” “Yes Miss Sweet,” Starlight answered. “And how are you, Diamond Tiara?” “Oh, I’m fine. Starlight and I were just talking about having a slumber party.” The guard brightened up quite a bit. “Oh, goody! Princess Twilight was hoping that you’d make a friend close enough to invite over! I’m sure she’d say yes!” Then, like a switch was pulled, she started to frown. “Which means more work for me.” The two fillies stared at her like she had grown another head. “...Sorry, that usually doesn’t come out anymore,” she said. Regaining her stoic presence, she continued her patrol. “...Anyway, yeah, I’ll come over as soon as I can,” Diamond Tiara said. “Knowing my mom, she’ll probably want to see me over there tonight and want me to butter Twilight up.” “Could you make it tonight?” That again caught Diamond Tiara off guard, but she nodded. “Sure, I’ll try. Just try to clear it with Twilight first.” “I really appreciate this,” Starlight said. And she meant it. The weight in her heart was still there, but Diamond Tiara’s words had propped it up a bit. Maybe things would be better after all. Starlight was pulled out of her thoughts by Diamond Tiara. But it wasn’t words that surprised her, but the hug that she received. “It’ll be okay,” Diamond Tiara said. “I can help you through it.” “I don’t know,” Starlight said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last few months, it’s that everypony has their own problems.” She pointed her hoof at the playground. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were playing with the other foals. “Apple Bloom lost her parents. Scootaloo’s parents are always working so she has to stay with her aunts. Sweetie’s parents are so clueless that her sister Rarity has to raise her.” She swept her foreleg across the yard. “Dinky’s father travels so much she barely sees him. Pipsqueak has always been bullied for being so small. Twist is so shy she hardly talks anymore, and Featherweight is so clumsy he’s always spilling ink on himself when he’s working at the school newspaper, and he’s not even working the press anymore.” “Why are you telling me all this?” “To prove a point. Everypony has problems, and they only get worse if you don’t ask anypony for help. It’s what happened to me. And I...” Starlight could tell there was a lump in her throat. “...I was a bad pony. I don’t want that to happen to you.” Starlight was quiet for a moment. “Okay. Come over tonight and I’ll tell you everything. Just don’t tell Princess Twilight, or the guards.” “You’re a fool, Princess.” Twilight sighed as Chancellor Neighsay went off on another one of his rants. The progress toward ending this ridiculous “Ponies First” policy was going slower than she had hoped. But then, if it was going to be that easy, Princess Celestia would have ended it long ago. She legally could end it at any time with a simple decree, but she remembered Princess Celestia’s words. ”This isn’t a change you can force, Twilight. If you want the other races to be accepted, they need to be changed through the system. There will only be increased hatred, maybe even a civil war, if the issue is changed any other way.” “By letting these other creatures get the same privileges, we’re taking resources away from the rightful inhabitants of these lands. It’s bad enough you’re letting those bison get the same privileges without taxation...” “As I’ve explained to you before, Chancellor, we’re working on a tax plan. Besides, they’re already trading in a good portion of their land for us to cultivate...” “Bah, that land is ours by ancient treaty! And they think they deserve it because of their ancestors...” “But we apparently own it because of our ancestors?” “Don’t change the subject!” Neighsay was starting to lose the composure he was famous for. “This town’s been bad enough. Donkeys and Zebras running around, and you’re letting that beast run around the castle...” Twilight lost her temper. Not to the extent that she lost it at the climax of her quest to understand “Pinkie Sense”, but it was a close second. Her eyes glowed white hot, and her mane began to fizzle. Still, she kept her voice at a calm level. “Are you insulting a member of the Royal Family?” Apparently, at that point Neighsay’s brain caught up to his mouth, and he realized what he had been saying. Shrinking back, he said, “Princess, I... I only meant...” “I hatched Spike the dragon myself. Princess Celestia helped me raise him in the early years. He was tutored by the finest teachers in Equestria, outside of a school, thanks to your policies. He’s the savior of the Crystal Empire, an Empire that increased our economy with trade and resources. Why is he considered a beast?” Neighsay clearly wanted to be anywhere but in front of the Princess he had offended. “Well... I suppose being raised by ponies helped him... but these are not creatures with any sort of pony upbringing! Can we really trust them?” Twilight felt her temper flare again. She was trying to hide it, but she apparently failed, as Neighsay shrank back a bit in fear. Twilight took a deep breath. “Perhaps we should reschedule the rest of this meeting,” Twilight said. “I’ll approve of the temporary budget for the next month.” “Yes, of course,” Neighsay said, a little too quickly. Twilight signed the pre-approved budget they had both agreed to follow if no agreement could be reached. Neighsay took it and nearly bolted out of the room. Flash Sentry, who had been watching from the doorway where he was standing guard, betrayed the slightest bit of emotion by looking relieved. As soon as Neighsay had left, Calibri came in. Before she could speak, Twilight asked her something. “Do you know where Spike is at the moment?” “He’s in the library, having his daily lessons. He couldn’t have heard the Chancellor’s opinions of him.” Twilight looked relieved. Rubbing her head, she wondered aloud, “How do we let ponies like him come into power?” “That’s a complicated answer, Your Highness,” Calibri said. “Shall I tell Duke Privilege that his appointment with you has been moved up?” “I suppose. Though tell him to wait five minutes for me.” Calibri nodded and left. Twilight took a few deep breaths and wondered if there was some other duty she needed to do that could give her a way out of the next meeting. But no. Mayor Mare had already met with her to approve construction around her castle, there was nothing else to do for the First Contact project at the moment, and her next appointment with Doctor Heart wasn’t until tomorrow. She was starting to wonder if she should start taking up drinking. Finally, five minutes passed, and the Duke entered the room. He reminded Twilight of Prince Blueblood in so many ways, a comparison that was not hampered by him being an Earth Pony. Same snobbish exterior, same fear of dirt, same cluelessness to what the “common pony” faced. So, of course, the purpose of the meeting turned out to be exactly what Twilight feared it would be. “My dear Princess, you told me in your previous letter that you didn’t accept marriage proposals by letter. I should have guessed a beautiful mare such as yourself wouldn’t do without a more personal proposition. So here I am, in person, with the proposition: marry me!” “...I thank you for the offer, but I’m afraid I must decline,” Twilight said simply. Privilege, despite his family name, knew he had to work for something you wanted, and wasn’t one to give up. He had clearly expected his initial offer to be turned down, so he kept going. “My dear, think of all that could come of our marriage! Why, we’d have a powerful political alliance...” “I’m already aligned with the other princesses.” “We could work to take down Chancellor Neighsay,” he countered. “I have my own plans, and I have other political goals beyond that that you wouldn’t approve of.” “We could bear strong foals that would do great good for Equestria.” “I’m already...” she started to say. She trailed off, and after considering a moment, she spoke again. “I already have a foal, and a whelp. I love them both, and they’re already more than I need right now.” There was a moment of silence, Privilege was looking at her as if he was trying to piece something together. “Are the rumors true? Do you already have a suitor?” Twilight tensed ever so slightly. “That’s none of your concern. I have given you my answer. You are dismissed.” Privilege didn't move. “So, it is true. A shame.” He cleared his throat. “I call the Lover’s Duel.” Twilight groaned. This was going to take longer than expected. “Fine fine. Being an Earth Pony, I suppose you choose Strength?” Privilege nodded. “Very well. Captain Flash, send out for...” She didn’t finish the sentence, because at that moment Calibri entered with two other guards, carrying the very item that she had been about to send for. It seemed that the Royal Secretary had been expecting this very thing. As the two guards set it up, Spike wandered into the room. Seeing the table, he whispered to Flash, “Another Lover’s Duel?” Flash nodded. “Why does Princess Celestia allow this?” Flash normally didn’t let himself get pulled into conversation while on duty. But this time, his pride in one of the Princesses he served got to him. “An ingenious system, really. Princess Celestia got so tired of suitors that she set up a law that only a pony that can surpass her in one of the three skills that the tribes are known for, they’ll win her hoof in marriage. Of course, no ordinary pony can defeat an Alicorn in terms of raw power, so it's been centuries before anypony has even dared to call one. Nopony was even sure it existed until that one Duke from the northern territories dug it up.” Spike had to laugh at the thought of anypony trying to take on Princess Celestia in any field. He thought for a moment. “And how can Rainbow Dash run the flying challenges for her?” Flash grinned. “Princess Celestia truly thought ahead. Raw strength like the Earth Ponies have can be wielded easily, if not precisely by a newcomer. But flight and magic? Their challenges require more... finesse. That’s why champions could be used in the early days.” Flash looked at the scene again. “One hundred years after the Ascension. Princess Twilight has until then to get good at her flying. I doubt anypony would be able to take her on by then.” As they spoke, the table was set up. The two ponies sat on either side, then placed their front knee joints on the cushions. Their hooves locked. “Twilight’s had three years. She’s not quite as strong as the Apples, but I doubt she’ll lose here,” Spike said. Calibri stepped forward. “I’ll be officiating this match of strength. The first one to push the other’s hoof off the table wins. Using the opposite hoof is strictly forbidden. Any sort of violent, aggressive action toward your opponent is forbidden. Does everypony understand the rules?” Both contestants nodded. “Then you are to begin... now!” It was no contest. While it took a bit of straining, Twilight had Privilege’s hoof pinned to the other side of the table in less than thirty seconds. “The winner is...” “No!” Privilege said, cutting off Calibri’s declaration. “I demand a rematch! That had to be fixed in some way!” “And what grounds do you base that on?” Twilight asked. “Even an Alicorn’s strength can’t grow that much in three years. You must have augmented yourself with a spell of some kind...” Twilight had been expecting this accusation, so it didn’t make her angry. Still, she had learned from Celestia that a certain flair from the dramatics was good in certain situations. She she lowered her voice to a careful calm. “Are you accusing me of cheating, Duke Privilege? Are you insulting my honor?” Privilege, like Neighsay before him, seemed to remember who he was talking to, and shrank back. “Uh... n-no, Your Highness. I was... I was merely...” Twilight softened her features. “You’ve lost the Lover’s Duel. As per the rules, you are now ineligible from proposing to me again for another five years. Take your leave, and I might forget this insult.” Duke Privilege started to take his leave. As he neared the exit, Twilight spoke again. “I hope I can count on your vote next month to end Chancellor Neighsay’s policies?” This was an even shot, whether or not the Duke would be petty enough to seek revenge, or maintain enough of a head to remember that he needed to keep up strong political ties. Fortunately, Privilege looked relieved at the out. “Of course, Your Highness.” “Excellent. Well then, you have a good day.” The Duke left. The guards went to work collecting up the table that they had just laid out. Twilight returned to her larger meeting table, sitting at it and taking a few deep breaths. Was this really politics? Pressuring ponies into voting with you, offering back-scratching in exchange for votes, even on something that so obviously needed to happen? She remembered as a filly, hearing about political debates and imagining two adults talking politely and logically until one of them convinced the other. She never imagined that filibusters, political alliances, and voting on popularity would ever be a thing. It seemed so childish, and yet it was so integrated into the system she had little choice but to go along with it. She was starting to see why Celestia was so intent on keeping her out of politics as long as possible. She was brought out of her thoughts by Spike, who had come up to her and wrapped his arms around her neck. Twilight returned the hug, pulling him up onto the chair with her. “Thank, Spike. I needed that.” “You still haven’t told anypony you’re dating Flash?” Twilight shook her head. “As soon as they find out, Flash is going to have a political target on his back. I want our first few months together to be at least sort of peaceful.” “Around here? Please.” “So, did your lesson go well?” Spike smiled. “I got a 97% on my last essay!” He proudly held it up for Twilight to see. Twilight looked it over. “Only a small spelling mistake and a misplaced punctuation mark. Very good. This is a new high score!” Spike beamed proudly. But his smile soon faded. “Did... did the meeting with Chancellor Neighsay go well?” Twilight had been expecting that question, but had still been hoping it wouldn’t be brought up. She could only put on a brave smile. “He still isn’t backing down. But I think the vote next month could really change things. A lot of the Dukes are getting pretty eager to butter the new princess up, so they will likely vote for me.” “Than I can go to school with everypony else?” “I promise, I’ll sign you up the day after.” Spike smiled, though Twilight could see a bit of sadness in it. Twilight could tell he knew there was a good chance that he would continue to be an outsider, even after the next meeting. “Calibri, isn’t it about time for lunch?” Twilight asked. “Yes, Princess.” “Good. Tell the kitchen staff to bake up a cake for Spike...” “Um, actually, Twilight... can I bake it? I miss doing that.” That rather surprised Twilight, who had never been under the impression that he missed doing any of the work that he used to do. “Of course, Spike. Just don’t get in any of the other workers’ way. They need to cook for the entire castle, not just us.” Spike nodded, then went out the door. Twilight watched him go, her mind wondering about the future of the dragon in her care. “Princess Twilight, while we wait for lunch, perhaps you should take a look at the budget proposal.” Twilight sighed. “I suppose.” Twilight was in the middle of a meeting with the other members of the Council of Friendship when Starlight got home. Seeing what was happening, Starlight gave her saddlebag to the servant who was waiting on her and took a seat in the small chair on the opposite side of Spike’s. Twilight ruffled her mane, but otherwise didn’t stop her meeting. It was understood that she would wait until the grown-ups were finished. “The humans will be here in a few days,” Twilight said. “I’ve passed out their lesson plan to all of you. I want you to teach them how to use their natural pony powers. It shouldn’t be too hard to make them comfortable. Can you accommodate them fine?” “Sure as shootin’,” Applejack said. “We got the guest room set up fer the other AJ, an’ Apple Bloom can share her room.” “Plenty of room in my cloud house,” Rainbow Dash said. “The other Dash and Scootaloo should be comfortable, and I had it lowered and put in a stairway to get back up.” “I have an extra apartment my counterpart can stay in, and Sweetie can share her room,” Rarity said. Pinkie was uncharacteristically quiet. “I’m... I’m so sorry, Twilight, but the Cakes told me they couldn’t take in even the other me, let alone the other three, it’s just too much!” “Don’t worry, Pinkie, I anticipated this.” She turned to a servant, who was approaching with a kettle of tea to refill cups. “As soon as you’re finished, tell the chambermaids to prepare guest rooms for four.” “Of course, Your Highness,” he said. “What about you, Fluttershy?” Twilight said. She was unusually quiet. “Um, I can make room for the other Fluttershy, but... maybe the other Zephyr Breeze should stay in the castle.” “Why? Because your cottage only has one bedroom?” “Oh, well, there’s that, but...” “But if this Zephyr Breeze is anything like the Zephyr Breeze in Equestria, then Fluttershy wants to be apart from him as much as possible,” Rainbow Dash said. That got a round of looks from around the table. “Fluttershy... this is your brother. Surely you love him?” “Well, yes, but he makes me so... so...” Much to everypony’s surprise, Rainbow Dash flew out of her seat, flew over to Starlight, and clamped her hooves down on her ears. Whatever Fluttershy said next, it went unheard by the little filly, but it brought the whole table to a stunned silence. When Rainbow Dash removed the hooves, it was in time for Starlight to hear her teacher say, “He can’t be that bad... can he?” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “Take every one of your suitors and roll them into one, then not have some way of getting rid of him. That’s what I’ve had to put up with the entire time I’ve known him.” “...Well, this will be challenging, but hopefully some time in Equestria will do him good. So that’s five permanent bedrooms then. Then you guys can come here to give them lessons in there new abilities.” “So we can start doing things again? That’s good. I was starting to feel like I wasn’t important anymore.” Pinkie said. “I’m sorry we haven’t been able to hang out much lately, but since I’ll be taking care of the humans soon, Princess Celestia is assigning some of my other duties among Cadance, Luna, and herself. So while we’re doing this, we’ll have more time together.” That got a round of appreciation from the table. The talk went on for ten more minutes before the meeting ended. As the other filed out, Twilight turned her attention to Starlight. “Thank you for being patient, sweetheart. Now, what is it you wanted to ask me?” “Um... can I have a friend sleep over tonight?” Twilight was stunned, but her smile crossed her face rather quickly. “You want to have a friend over? Of course, honey! Who is it?” “Um... Diamond Tiara?” Suddenly Twilight’s mood changed, as if a switch had been flipped. “That... might be a challenge.” She turned to Calibri. “Do you know if having her over here is a good idea while her mother is under investigation?” “It shouldn’t be a problem. You didn’t initiate the investigation, and you aren’t involved in it in any way. It should be okay to have her here.” “Alright then.” She turned back to Starlight. “She can stay. Do you want me to send her a carriage for her?” “Yes please,” Starlight said. “Do you have any homework tonight?” “No, Princess.” “Alright then. You can go play for right now. I’ll give you your magic lesson in thirty minutes, after I take care of a few other things.” Starlight thanked her and scampered off. Twilight entered her private office a few minutes later, relieved that something seemed to be going right for once. Starlight had made enough of a connection with a pony her own age... a peer, and one that had her own difficulties in life. That was good. That meant that Starlight would have somepony else to help her through her feelings when it was time for her to learn about Sunburst. She sighed. With how much her life was changing, it was good that at least something seemed to be for the better. She was finally getting more responsibilities, and she was starting to wish she didn’t have them. Before she had the position, she had envisioned politics as a group of civilized ponies debating politely until the most logical choice was found. But every meeting she had attended was full of shouting and filibusters, refusing to back down without some form of back-scratching, and so many ponies were treating the position as their way into riches. Her belief that politicians like this were voted out after one term went up in smoke. Interacting with these ponies made Twilight understand why it was so hard to avoid becoming a tyrant. Why were ponies like Neighsay holding on to such ridiculous fears and hampering progress? Why were they objecting to other races bringing their strengths into Equestria? Why couldn’t he have let Spike attend school normally? And that brought Twilight onto a new subject. Why did Spike ask for his schooling to resume at this point? Spike had been disappointed at not being allowed to attend school as a child. He had been allowed into the castle’s pre-school, which was out of the EEA’s jurisdiction. Some parents had been nervous about a dragon attending with their foals, some due to bigotry, other due to the more rational fear of Spike accidentally hurting someone with his claws. It had taken the application of a special spell to placate those worries. The first morning, he had been dropped off, he ended up screaming and begging for Twilight not to leave. It had been heartbreaking to hear his wails as she trotted out. When she came by to pick him up that afternoon, he had been happily playing blocks with the other children, and had neary pitched a fit at having to leave. Those few months had been happy ones for Spike, even with the occasional foal repeating their father’s rhetoric, but it was still happy. Then kindergarten came around, and with it the EEA’s rules. That had been the first time that she had ever had any disagreement with Princess Celestia on anything. She had angrily asked Celestia how she could have allowed something like this. She had immediately slapped her hooves over her muzzle and waited for Celestia’s wrath to descend on her. Instead her mentor took her gently in her forelegs and told her a lot about how governments worked, how even she couldn’t do everything, and how she needed to let ponies make their own mistakes. She wasn’t quite sure she understood it then. Celestia had made sure any non-pony citizen or guest in her border was afforded protection, and fair treatment. There was also equal opportunity for work in the laws, but it had been notoriously hard to enforce with how many ponies still didn’t want to back it. And even if the EEA could say public schools couldn’t be integrated, Celestia still made sure they had to allow them a chance to get an education. The schools that were set up had the bare minimum funding Chancellor Neighsay could get away with giving them. She wasn’t going to let Spike get that. She asked Celestia to set him up with a private tutor. For the primary school days, he had always brought home good grades, always showing them off to her with pride. Then came the end of primary school, and with no cutie mark to show him where his additional studies were, he was left wondering what to do next. Largely unsure and bored, he resorted to being Twilight’s assistant. She had wondered if it had been a good idea at first, but he had proven himself to be quite useful. Then the palace staff had come and robbed him of even that. While Twilight tried to keep giving him work, it was clear he had become redundant. Then, just a few days ago, he had asked Twilight if she could hire him a tutor. “What do you want to learn?” “...Could... could I get somepony to teach me about politics?” That had floored her. “Politics? Whatever for?” “I...” he was quiet for a moment. At first Twilight thought that Spike was too embarrassed by his choice, but she realized that he was trying to find the words to it. “Well... you’re always trying to help me. But I haven’t done anything about it. You’re always saying we should be trying our best. Well... maybe this is my best.” Twilight was silent for a moment. “You’re... you’re going to try and go into politics?” “I don’t know. But I can’t keep doing nothing.” She hugged her little dragon then, and kissed his face a few times. The first few lessons had gone well. Maybe this was his path. Maybe he hadn’t found it yet. Maybe he was jealous that her attention was being split for Starlight and just wanted to feel like he was equal. As she went through her thoughts, she fished the unfinished adoption forms out of her desk. One for Starlight, and several for Spike. Never finished, and never thrown out. What was stopping her? She had her hangups on Starlight, but what had been stopping her with Spike? There had always been a different excuse for herself. She was too young, she was too busy, Spike wouldn’t be happy here, he needed to return to his own kind eventually. But none of them stood up to scrutiny. Even while young, she had taken care of Spike effectively, even if she did have castle staff and her parents acting as a safety net. Even at her busiest, she always managed to make some time for Spike, her teachers had been accommodating. And Spike had shown that he was perfectly happy in Equestria. She laughed. In charge of two children, a significant amount of political power, and an entire First Contact plan, and she couldn’t even do this. Life sure was interesting sometimes. “Princess?” Twilight turned. Calibri had entered. She realized she had left the door open, otherwise she wouldn’t have intruded. “Yes?” “Miss Starlight’s guest has arrived. Dinner will be served in half an hour.” “Thank you, Calibri.” She bowed and left, leaving Twilight alone once more. She looked at the adoption forms again. Perhaps telling Starlight the truth wasn’t the only thing that should happen at the end of summer.