//------------------------------// // A Baum Dinner Party // Story: The Visiting Team -- Part I // by Lets Do This //------------------------------// It was a rare occasion for Sugarcube Corner to be completely booked for a private dinner party. And it was a good thing too: there was just enough space at the long table Pinkie Pie had set up in the bakery's front room. The guest list included Twilight and her team from Canterlot, the five ponies from Ponyville, Granny Smith and Big Mac from the farm, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and a few other relatives and guests besides. Twilight as nominal guest of honor sat at one end of the long table. Granny Smith, as senior pony present, was seated at the other. And everypony else filled in wherever they wanted. "Has anypony seen Discord?" Fluttershy glanced around in puzzlement. "He said he'd be here." Rainbow waved a hoof. "He'll be along, whenever he feels like it. Probably at the worst possible moment, too." "I suppose," Fluttershy said, disappointed. Once everypony had been seated, and they'd all been served, Twilight looked around the crowded table in some amusement. "This looks like a Baum dinner party," she said. "A what now?" asked Applejack. "Yeah!" Pinkie added. "I've thrown loads of parties but hadn't heard of that kind before." "L. Flank Baum," Twilight explained, "the author of the Aus series of books, about the Golden Realm of Aus. They were books for foals, and Baum kept introducing wonderfully fantastic and loveable characters in each one. But of course, since they were books for foals, none of the characters could ever die or be killed off, or even just leave. So by the end of the series, it was getting really crowded. In one of the last books the Princess of Aus holds a birthday feast in the Crystal City. And the entire guest-list at the table consists of favorite characters from the series. There simply wasn't room for anypony else at that point." She smiled sheepishly. "Even though I knew how unlikely that was, I thought it was a wonderful scene." Trixie nodded reminiscently. "I did like those books myself. Ahem, when I was a filly, of course," she added quickly. "And they're also where I get my stage-name from." She lofted her hooves majestically. "Behold! The Great and Powerful Sorceror of Aus!" "Pay no attention to that pony behind the curtain," Starlight added mischievously. She exchanged a smile and an elbow bump with Trixie. "Hey, Sis?" said a younger voice down the table. "Before y'all get caught up in the grown-up talk, is it okay if we ask them now?" Applejack rolled her eyes. "All right, Apple Bloom. But you and your friends are only here as guests, so remember --" "I know, I know!" the red-ribboned filly replied testily. "Remember what?" Twilight asked. Apple Bloom sighed. "We're not supposed to be a nuisance and pester y'all. But we weren't gonna, honest! We just wanted to ask --" "If it's all right?" put in a unicorn filly sitting next to Rarity. "I mean, if you don't mind us asking? And if..." "Aw, for pony's sake, Sweetie Belle!" said an orange pegasus filly sitting next to Rainbow Dash. "Cut to the chase!" She turned to Twilight. "We wanted to know how you and your friends all got your cutie marks." "Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom scolded. Then she quickly added, "Um, because we figured if we can hear how y'all got yours, it might help us come up with some new ideas in our quest to find our own." "That's an unusual quest," Twilight said. "Not for us!" Apple Bloom said. "We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, on a crusade to find our cutie marks. All for one --" "-- and one for all!" the others chorused with her. "See, we got the idea," Apple Bloom explained, "from hearin' about y'all, the Heroes of Equestria..." "And we figured," said Sweetie Belle, "if the seven of you could team up and save Equestria from Nightmare Moon, then the three of us could do the same and come up with a way to get our cutie marks." "Though to be honest," Scootaloo added sourly, "we're running out of ideas. Even the best we've come up with tend to leave us covered in tree-sap." "Sounds like a determined bunch," Tempest said, approvingly. "Oh my word, Tempest!" said Rarity. "You have no idea..." Applejack nodded. "As determined as they are indestructible, bless 'em." "Well," Twilight said, "I certainly don't mind. Though I'm not certain how much it'll help..." "Oh, please, please, please..." begged Scootaloo. Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement, but nodded agreeably. "All right. So who should go first? Cheese, you said you got your cutie mark right here in Ponyville, didn't you?" "I sure did!" He nodded. "I wandered into town as a colt, not sure what I wanted to do with my life. But I was determined to find out, much like the three of you. And who did I find here, throwing a party and making everypony laugh, but Pinkie Pie!" He grinned at her. "And I knew right there and then, that's what I wanted to do: to sing and dance and make ponies happy." "But when did you get your cutie mark?" Scootaloo demanded. "You know, I'm not sure," Cheese said. "I think it was right after the rubber chicken hit me in the face. Or... was it right after I discovered Pinkie had made all the cheese sandwiches with mozzarella?" She shrugged. "It was all I could find at the store." The Crusaders looked at each other. "Huh. That sounds kinda random," said Scootaloo. "Not to mention painful," Sweetie Belle agreed. "No kidding," Cheese Sandwich replied. "That mozzarella was really snappy." "What about you, Moondancer?" Twilight asked. Moondancer smiled nervously. "I think I may win the award for getting my mark the earliest. It was when I was very young, or so my parents tell me. I suffered from really bad night terrors. And after one particularly bad episode..." She shrugged. "There was my cutie-mark. It just suddenly appeared." "Woah..." Scootaloo was wide-eyed. "I've heard of being scared awake, but being scared into getting your cutie mark?" "That must've been some nightmare," Apple Bloom said. Moondancer nodded. "Must have, though I don't recall it. It must also have had something to do with Nightmare Moon, since my mark is so similar to hers. I grew up to be an expert on her, and on the Nightmare in general. And also as a result of that, on doing research, since in the process I wound up spending a lot of my time reading." Sweetie Belle looked ill. "Not sure I want my cutie mark that badly, if you have to have nightmares to get it!" "Or do a whole bunch of reading," Scootaloo agreed. "Yick!" "Everypony's different," Sunset reminded them. "Take me, for instance. The way I got my mark, it was even more mane-raising. It was at the Summer Sun Celebration, when Celestia had just raised the sun. And I was watching her, all excited and wishing like anything I had her kind of magic. I wanted to be just like her, you know?" "I can only imagine!" Apple Bloom nodded eagerly. "Then what happened?" "I'm not exactly sure." Sunset shrugged. "I think the backwash from Celestia's magic somehow tripped my own into overload. My magic started running wild, blazing like a corona all around me. And believe me, girls, I was scared as everypony else there, maybe more so! But Princess Celestia, she wasn't worried at all. She helped me get my magic under control. And then she took me on as her student." Sunset sighed, smiling. "I don't think I ever loved anypony as much as did right then. She was so kind and understanding, even though I'd disrupted the entire Celebration..." "So..." Sweetie Belle asked, puzzled, "your cutie mark is for having really powerful magic?" "Maybe." Sunset nodded. "Though I wonder if it also has something to do with my trip through Star Swirl's mirror. See, my mark has two halves, in two different colors. And I did pick up a different, empathic talent on the other side of the mirror." She shrugged. "But you never know with cutie marks. You rediscover what they mean, over and over, your whole life long." "No offense," Scootaloo said. "but we were kinda hopin' there'd be something we could actually do, right now, rather than just waiting for stuff to happen." "Well!" Trixie flourished a hoof. "Then you've come to just the right pony. For the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie got her mark by being the greatest, most puissant stage magician in all Equestria!" "And the personal protégé of a certain powerful alicorn?" Tempest reminded her. Trixie's face fell. "Yes. Well." She lofted her snout. "Trixie prefers to think it was because of her dedication to her calling, as practitioner of the subtle arts of legerdesabot." She gestured mystically with her hooves, then lifted her hat, revealing a small white rabbit sitting on her mane. It was Angel, who stared around at everypony in surprise, and then bounded down onto the table and scampered across it to get back to Fluttershy. There was general applause, and Trixie bowed appreciatively. And then she smiled encouragingly at Starlight, who was looking a little uncomfortable. "Wish I could say how I got my mark," Starlight said. "But I'm not sure myself. I was talking with Trixie about the different approaches we take to magic. You know, stage magic vs. thaumic magic, and hoof-worked illusions vs. structured-magic spells. And suddenly, my mark was just there. I didn't even feel it appear. I didn't notice it until Trixie pointed it out." "As I recall," Trixie said, "you were saying how different our approaches were. Au contraire, says I, they're really a lot alike. You constantly improvise spells, doing things on the fly. And Trixie does the same -- I have to! When a trick isn't working right on stage, you can't let the audience down. You have to keep right on going, come what may. If you're smooth enough about it they may not even notice. Our techniques may differ, bestie, but we both do our magic on the fly, very much in the moment." "That we do," Starlight agreed. "Must be why we're such good friends, huh?" "That," Trixie said, "and we can try stuff out on each other without worrying about getting it wrong." "Urghh!" Scootaloo groaned. "This is getting us nowhere! You all simply got your marks? You didn't have to do anything? What about you, Tempest?" She grunted. "Afraid I'm not going to be much help. I don't even have my mark yet. Unless you count this." She gestured to the double-bolt mark on her armor. "And this is just a hoof-me-down from, well... some old sorceror," she said uneasily, waving a hoof vaguely. Apple Bloom looked at Twilight forlornly. "I s'pose it's the same for you? Your cutie-mark just appeared?" Twilight smiled sympathetically. "I told you our stories might not help. But yes, I got my mark when I was taking my entrance exam for Celestia's school. They'd asked me to hatch a dragon's egg." "It was my egg, too!" Spike piped up. "I mean, I was in it at the time," he added quickly. "I'm not sure they knew that, Spike," Twilight said. "Maybe they were just testing me, handing me an impossible task to see if I knew my limits. Either way it didn't matter, because I was having the hardest time just casting a spell. See, from a real early age, I'd had to teach myself to hold in my power, to not let it run loose. So when I actually wanted to use it, it was an effort. And plus, I was under time-pressure and nervous, and... well, let's just say I came this close to failing." "You?" Apple Bloom asked, surprised. Twilight nodded. "Nopony's perfect. But then, just when I'd almost given up, there was this huge explosion outside. And a weird wash of magic across the sky, like a huge rainbow. And the explosion spooked me so badly, I broke through my own mental block. I not only could cast spells, but I couldn't stop myself! My magic started running wild, creating all kinds of havok." "That sounds familiar..." Sunset said. "Yeah," Twilight agreed. "And just like with you, Princess Celestia rescued me from my own runaway magic. She helped me get control of it, and then took me on as her student. And that was the real turning point for me. At her School I met Tempest, and then all of my other friends here." She gestured around at the other ponies from Canterlot. "And the rest as they say, is history. Well," she added quickly, "in this timeline, at least..." "Wait a sec," Applejack said. "An explosion? And some kind of rainbow in the sky? That sounds just like what happened to me, when I got my cutie-mark. See, I was living in Manehattan at the time..." "You, Applejack?" Rarity stared in disbelief. "I didn't realize." "Believe it or don't." The farm-pony nodded. "When I was a filly I was a mite dazzled by how cultured and influential my Aunt and Uncle Orange were. And I decided I wanted to go live with them, and learn how to be a real socialite myself. But it was harder than I thought and I got powerful homesick. And just when it was at its worst -- BAM! There was this big explosion, and a rainbow in the sky, in the direction of Ponyville. And suddenly I knew that's where I belonged. I went a-runnin' back here as fast as I could, and soon as I set hoof on the farm, my mark appeared. I've been happily livin' and workin' the farm ever since." "Oh, my!" said Fluttershy. "Something like that happened to me, too. At junior flight camp, I was teased for my shyness and weak flying. And Rainbow Dash, who was there as well, took on the bullies and challenged them to a race. In the rush to get off from the starting line, they knocked me off the cloud I was standing on, and I fell all the way to the ground. Luckily a flight of butterflies caught me at the last moment. And then I met all the other little animal friends that I love so much. And just when I thought I couldn't be any happier, there was this big explosion, which scared them all into hiding. In coaxing them out afterwards I discovered my talent for caring and kindness, and then, well... my cutie-mark just appeared. I moved to Ponyville, to my cottage near the Forest, and I've been living here happily ever since." "How strange," said Rarity. "For me, it was designing costumes for a school play, soon after I'd set up shop here in town. I was struggling to find a way to make the costumes truly, exceptionally fabulous. Then all of a sudden my horn flared up, all on its own. It felt like it was leading me somewhere -- practically dragging me. I followed its influence, thinking maybe it would be the answer to my dilemma, the solution to all my problems in design, the lifting of all my burdens..." "The point, Rarity?" Applejack gently hinted. "Yes. Well, it led me a lengthy chase, over hill and dale. And eventually led me to... a rock." "A rock?" Pinkie asked. "Are you sure you're not telling my story by mistake, Rarity?" "Hush, Pinkamena," Rarity replied. "Well, I was just as surprised myself. A rock, I thought? What kind of foolishness was this? But then, just when I was about to walk away in disgust, thinking it was all for nothing, there was this explosion of magic and a rainbow of color in the sky. The magic overload set up sympathetic vibrations in the rock, causing it to fracture and split open... and it turned out it was actually a huge geode. Its inside cavity was loaded to the brim with gemstones, all colors, all sparkling and beautiful. And I knew right then, here was the fabulousness I was seeking. I immediately wanted to share that richness and color with everypony. I added the gems to the costumes, the play was a smash hit, and I got my cutie mark. And well... it's just been onwards and upwards ever since." "Yeah." Pinkie nodded. "That makes more sense. Because for me, it was all about rocks. My family owns a rock farm, see, which is just as drab and blah as it sounds. No talking, no smiling -- just work, all day long. Then one day there was this huge explosion, and a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. The sight of it made me feel so full of joy and laughter, I just had to find a way to share it! I started doing parties, to bring that joy to other ponies. And it worked! Along the way I got my cutie mark for party-planning. Which makes sense, because I'm a party pony!" "That she is," Cheese agreed. "If it wasn't for her, I'd never have known that I was a party pony either." "Aww! Thanks Cheese!" "Okay," said Rainbow, "those were interesting stories, I'll grant you. But wait'll you hear mine! I'm gonna tell you fillies how to really get a cutie mark!" "Oooh, yeah!" Scootaloo said. "Tell us, Rainbow! This is gonna be good!" "It all started at the race Fluttershy told you about. And I was winning it, tearing up the skies! That is, until one of the bullies got a lead on me. I wasn't having that, not with Fluttershy's honor at stake. I tore off after him, and went into this screaming mad power-dive. When I blew past him, I don't think I even noticed it, I was so obsessed with speed and with winning the race for Fluttershy. And then, BLAMMO! I hit the speed of sound, my magic overloaded, and there was this huge rainbow ring in the sky. I had pulled off a sonic rainboom! I'd only heard about them in legends, from way back during the Mage Wars or somethin'. But I'd managed to do it myself. You could hear and see it for miles! Well, after that nopony could beat me at anything. I kept right on going and became the awesome flyer I am today!" "Woah!" Scootaloo's mouth hung open. "That's so cool, Rainbow!" "Natch," Rainbow said, smirking. "This is me we're talkin' about." "Wait a moment..." Twilight said. "Rainbow, you caused that explosion, and that rainbow in the sky?" "Sure did," Rainbow looked smug. "But..." Applejack stared. "That's the rainbow what led me back home." "And the explosion that helped my connect with my animal friends," Fluttershy said. Rarity gasped. "I wouldn't have known those gems were in that geode without the magic surge breaking it open." "And I wouldn't have realized how much I like making ponies happy!" Pinkie said, bouncing excitedly. "And I..." Twilight was shocked. "I wouldn't have discovered my talent for magic. I wouldn't have gotten into Celestia's School. Or met any of my friends..." "Rainbow!" Fluttershy said, "you brought all of us together." "Me?" Rainbow looked shocked. "It's astounding," Rarity said, "but I do believe she's right." "We've always had that connection," Applejack said, "even before we met. And we never realized it. All of us, living right here in Ponyville!" "Including me," Twilight said, quietly. Then she looked downcast. "Even though I wasn't living here..." After that, Twilight was quiet for the rest for the dinner, smiling politely when anypony spoke to her, but saying little on her own. She'd never felt so out of place... ------------------------------ Late that evening, most of Ponyville was gathered at the town's performance stage across from the schoolhouse, beneath a deep purple sky dotted with stars and a brilliant full Moon. Onstage was Trixie, standing behind a long wooden box, grimly working a large bandsaw, with her hooves holding one end and her magic the other. Starlight had her head poking out of one end of the box, a worried look on her face. There were a large number of fillies and colts in the audience, overjoyed at being allowed to stay up late to attend the show on account of it being a special occasion. They cheered excitedly and unreservedly as Trixie ran through the final trick of the evening, and it was difficult for their elders not to follow their example. "Fear not, friends!" Trixie called determinedly. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has done this trick many times before..." The bandsaw suddenly jammed. Trixie tugged and yanked at it in increasing frustration, while Starlight winced and made pained expressions, and the children howled with laughter. Trixie finally mimed getting the saw unstuck, then brushed imaginary sweat from her forehead. "Hmph! May need to oil this thing, huh?" Then she got back to work. On a small hilltop nearby, with a good view of the stage but well back from the crowd, Twilight and Sunset were looking on as the impromptu show neared its end. "It's nice to see Trixie's found her comfort zone," Twilight said. "I was worried about her earlier." "Well, the same could be said for you, Twilight." Sunset grinned. "But it's been a while since I've seen you looking this relaxed." Twilight shrugged. "I'm just happy to be here, among such kind and friendly ponies. And to not be the center of attention for once. Thanks, by the way." "For what?" "Come on! I'm pretty sure you and Applejack planned this. And I'm glad you did. It was just the break I needed, to spend some time with my friends here, away from it all. And I'm glad I have friends like you who notice that sort of thing and do something about it." "I have no idea what you're talking about," Sunset said, smiling. "And you're very welcome." On the stage, Trixie was just wrapping up the trick. She shoved the two halves of the box together, moved to open it. And then froze in shock, dropping the lid shut again. "Uh oh..." she called portentously. "The Great and Powerful Trixie might have gotten something slightly wrong this time..." The children gasped, staring as Trixie hesitantly reopened the box. She helped Starlight climb out of the left end, completely unharmed. And then she moved to the right end, and helped a surprised-looking Moondancer, wearing lavender socks on her hind hooves, climb out of that end of the box. "Well... what do you know?" Trixie called dramatically, sounding as surprised as her assistants. "Two ponies for the price of one! Trixie may just have to start calling this the Duplicating Pony trick, eh?" The children in the audience laughed delightedly. Their parents likewise cheered and applauded with abandon. And Trixie bowed deeply, gratified by the unstinting applause. "I gotta admit it," Sunset said. "That pony knows how to work a crowd. Only Trixie could bald-facedly show how the trick works and still get applause for it." "It's her talent," Twilight agreed. "And it's nice seeing her turning it to good use, unlike..." "Yeah," Sunset agreed. "Unlike before..." Then she glanced around, and lowered her voice. "So, do we tell her?" "Tell her what?" Twilight asked. She tossed her hooves. "What do we even know, really? That there seems to be some weird connection between Ponyville and the Everfree? Which might have something to do with Nightmare Moon? And with five ponies who were drawn here, and oh by the way just happen to have a special association with the Elements of Harmony?" "Nothing at all like six other ponies," Sunset said with a grin, "who came to Canterlot and wound up with associated with a certain Acting Princess?" "The point is," Twilight replied, "I don't think we should say anything, not until we know more. You know how Trixie feels about Princess Luna, and about her own past. What if she winds up feeling... responsible, somehow? Who knows what that would do to her?" Twilight shook her head. "I think we should just table it for now, chalk it up as one more weird remnant of that other timeline. We'll deal with it when we have to." "Okay." Sunset shrugged. "If you can stand not knowing the answer, so can I." "Well..." Twilight made a face. "I didn't say that exactly..." She looked around at the crowd down below, at the ponies young and old, taking in the performance. There was a misty-eyed look on her face. "Because you know, Sunset," she said, "as much as all of you are my friends, as much as our group matters to me... this place matters to me, too. These ponies matter to me. I'd never want to see them come to harm." Sunset nodded. "A.J. was right about you, Twilight." "How so?" "You are a natural at this." "Thank you! Thank you, Ponyville!" Trixie called to the watching crowd. "You've been a wonderful audience. And a round of applause please, for Trixie's helpful and hard-working assistants! Without whom, this show might not have been possible." Trixie gestured indulgently at Applejack, Starlight, and Moondancer, who sheepishly took a bow, to cheers from the crowd. "Ya know," Sunset said, "Trixie can be a bit much to take at times. But when she's like this, working so hard to take ponies' minds off their troubles... somehow, I don't mind at all." "I just wonder where she gets it from." Twilight shook her head in amazement. "The ability to present a whole show like this, practically single-hoofed? And not be an exhausted wreck afterwards, like I know I'd be?" Sunset nodded. "A good magician never reveals her secrets, huh?" On the stage, Trixie allowed the applause to continue for a while. Then she silenced it with a brisk wave of her hoof. All eyes were on her. She felt totally swept up in the moment. "Once again," she called, "the Great and Powerful Trixie has proven herself to be, not merely the greatest stage magician in Ponyville, but the most amazing unicorn in all Equestria! Thank you, and good night!" She trotted haughtily down the stage steps, to the thunderous clapping and stamping of hooves, which was music to her ears. "Huh!" she added smugly to herself. "Was there ever any doubt?" Then Trixie came to an abrupt halt, an uncomfortable look on her face. She was recalling the last time she'd said something like that... in the other timeline. She gazed up at the Moon. The blank, empty Moon, quietly shining down upon the stage, the town, upon all of Equestria. Trixie suddenly wished she had her wagon here. So she could go to it, shut the door, climb into her hammock. And cry herself to sleep. For a moment, a very brief moment... she'd almost managed to forget. ------------------------------ Later that evening, Twilight snuggled down in the soft, cozy bed on the window loft of the Library's bedroom. Spike was already tucked up in his basket, on the loft floor next to the bed. And Twilight's Canterlot friends were all in beds of their own, which had been brought in and set up on the bedroom's lower floor. With the exception of Tempest, of course. The Commander, as was her habit, was doing a final patrol, checking the wards they'd set on doors and windows, making certain everypony was accounted for, before she settled down on her own cot near the stairs leading down to the ground floor. Finally satisfied all was in order, Tempest climbed the steps to the loft platform, then sat down next to Twilight's bed. Beside her, Grubber peered over the edge of the bed, looking from Twilight to Tempest and back again in case he was needed. "Comfortable?" Tempest asked. "Anything else you need?" "Nothing, not a thing," Twilight said, gazing around. "You know, I think this is what I'd been wanting, all those years I spent in that tower at the School? A bed by a window, my friends close at hoof, plenty of room for them all to sleep comfortably. And books of course, for times when I can't get to sleep." She sighed. "I feel like I'm home here. I love it, but it's the weirdest feeling..." "I know what you mean," Tempest said. "I'd never felt at home anywhere, before I came to Celestia's school. It was difficult for me, then, getting used to it. But, like Cheese Sandwich says, so long as you're happy, I'm happy." Twilight smiled up her. "Tempest, you don't have to act like my personal hoof-servant all the time." Tempest shrugged. "Like I always say, I've never minded. Without you, I'm not sure what I'd be right now..." She glanced uneasily at her iron-black armor, with its glowing, brand-like lightning-bolt marks. "Do you think... do you think maybe I should get rid of this old relic? Find something a little less fraught with dark magic to wear? It's nice having the compensation for my unstable horn. And being able to put Discord in his place is definitely a bonus. But now I'm worried. Like maybe it's a bad influence on me?" Twilight shook her head. "I don't think so. You wouldn't be the same without it. It suits you, Tempest, it really does. I'd miss the pony you are, wearing it. And you don't need to worry, not with us around. We'll let you know if you're going off the deep end, and help deal with it, like we always do." Tempest shrugged off an armored shoe, then put her hoof on the covers, smiling. "How is it," she asked, "whenever I try to comfort you, I always end up finding you comforting me instead?" Twilight shrugged. "Element of Friendship, I guess. It's hard to avoid it." She sighed uneasily, and stared around at the Library, and by extension Ponyville itself. "It's astounding, Tempest... I always had a connection with them. With Applejack and the others, I mean. And I never even knew it. We were always meant to find the Elements together. And then Nightmare Moon intervened, and changed all that..." "Who's to say that's a bad thing?" Tempest shrugged. "We still won. We brought Luna home and kept Equestria safe -- without the Elements. And if you'll pardon a somewhat violent metaphor, it's not the weapon so much as the pony wielding it that matters. It's why I spend so much time practicing hoof-to-hoof fighting. When you know how to do it properly, it's the one weapon nopony can take from you." Twilight smiled. "You can take a pony off the street..." "... but you can't take the street off the pony." Tempest nodded. "Yeah, I know. Anyway, the point is that with or without the Elements, we did what we needed to keep Equestria safe. And we're justly famous for it. Don't ever forget that." "True," Twilight said. "I'm just glad I have a chance to spend time with the Ponyville gang. To catch up on everything I missed here. Because they're such good friends, Tempest, I feel like I owe them that. But, for right now," she added, snuggling down under the covers, "I'm just going to enjoy being here. Being home, wherever home happens to be." She smiled. "Maybe it's like Pinkie Pie said? Maybe home is just a state of mind?" "Maybe." Tempest nodded. "I'll see you in the morning, then. Oh, and by the way, Twilight," she added, looking disgusted, "do I have to go fishing tomorrow, like Applejack suggested? It's so boring!" "Not if you don't want to." Twilight said. "We'll find some other way to help you unwind. Now go to sleep, Commander." Tempest reshod her hoof, gave a half-serious salute with it. "Yes, Ma'am, your Acting-Princess-ship!" They both laughed at that. Then Tempest turned, and headed back downstairs, with Grubber at her hooves. And Twilight turned to look upward, through the broad oval window near her bed. She gazed up at the night sky, at Luna's moon, which after a thousand years had finally been freed of its dark, portentous Mare shadow... ... by Twilight and her friends. All of them, right here in this room. "The stars will aid in her escape," Twilight whispered to herself, recalling the legend. "And she will bring about everlasting night..." And then she rolled over, snuggled down, and shut her eyes. At least we don't have that to worry about any longer... ------------------------------ Far away, in the Royal City, from a balcony atop one of the highest towers, a pale-blue alicorn with a flowing blue mane was also staring up at the Moon, a saddened look on her face. "It is difficult still, Sister," Luna said. "Even with thy assistance." Beside her, Celestia put out a wing and curled it about her, comfortingly. "You are improving, Luna. I barely had to help at all this time. Soon, you'll be raising the Moon yourself again, just you always did. It will come back to you." Luna looked up at her, woefully. "And will the rest of it also return? Will I... remember?" "In time," Celestia said. "If you truly want to." Luna shook her head. "I am not certain I do. I have hurt so many. You, most of all." Celestia held her close, rested her chin comfortingly on Luna's mane. "None of that matters now, Luna. You are returned. And we shall find a way through this time, together. Now, would you like me to tuck you in?" Luna sat up, a disapproving look on her face. "We are not a foal, Sister," she said crossly. "We can manage." And then she allowed herself a brief, vanishing smile. "But if we do need anything, thou wilt be the first to know." "Very well, then. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Lulu." "Good night... Tia." With a fond smile, Celestia rose, and then spread her wings and bounded lightly into the air. She swept away in a long arc, heading for the balcony of her own tower across the way. And with a sigh, Luna got up and turned through the archway of her balcony, slipping quietly into the shadows of the Lunar Suite. Across the way, Celestia landed on her balcony, stepped into her own quarters. There was a brief gasp, then a smothered shriek. And it was the last that anypony saw of either of them that evening.