As usual, it is another bright day in Ponyville. The ponies go out their usual way of business, activities, whatever. Some of them are still psyched of the wedding of Shining Armor to Princess Cadance. Of course, Twilight was bugged about this as she is now related to her mentor, Princess Celestia, through her niece; Kinda annoying.
Speaking of which, her friends decided to hang out and relax in the park like they do whenever the ponies aren't going on adventures and such. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are there doing what they always do: thinking up ways of looking for cutie marks.
"Ah got an idea." Apple Bloom said thoughtfully. "We could tried fer shape shifting!"
"'Shape shifting'," Scootaloo ask Apple Bloom with a scoff. "We don't have the magic for that! Anyway, didn't shapeshifters give us and the others ponies a hard time back in Canterlot a while ago?"
"Well, pardon me fer tryin' 'ta use a power fer good, Chickenloo!"
"Don't call me that."
"Girls, come on." Sweetie said to her friends with a smile. "We don't need to fight over stuff like this. We just need a hobby and such that works."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Scootaloo said with a sigh. "Say, where's Nyx?"
"Don't worry, she, Spike and Twilight are on their way right now!"
"Okay, let's see...get 'de apple fritters, applesauce, applejack...heh heh heh..." Applejack said while going through her basket of the food that she brought to the picnic.
"Anything in there not related to apples?" Rarity asks Applejack curiously.
"Nope; 'Dat's all Ah done got."
"Fine; obviously, it's like you have apples on the brain."
Applejack grunts a bit. Why is she not surprised to hear 'Miss Picky' to act like that? Glancing at Rainbow, who is resting nearby, the Earth pony said, "Ay, Rainbow! Mind giving me a hoof here?"
"Why? Don't you have four to use?" Rainbow asks Applejack with a sly grin.
"Hardly har har; Yew could at least help me out here instead o' sitting on yer lazy flank!"
"Come on, I am not lazy! I just need some rest."
"Rainbow, when did you get to bed last night?" Fluttershy ask Rainbow curiously while feeding her pet bunny Angel.
"2, 3, I forget the times." Rainbow remarks before getting up to help Applejack. "Anyway, if it makes you feel better, AJ, I will help you out."
"Thanks, appreciate it there." Applejack said as she and Rainbow help set up the picnic. "Say, where's Twilight, Nyx an' Spike? They should be here by now."
Pinkie, bouncing in with cupcakes on her back, happily eat a cupcake while saying, "I came by the library earlier. They should be here by now though I think I heard groaning noises. I guess Twilight must be getting tired or something."
"The poor dear has been having sleeping problems ever since the wedding was over." Rarity said in concern. It's true, even though the wedding is now over with the incident with the Changelings resolved, Twilight is still having trouble seeing. "Perhaps we should ask the princess or Megan about this."
"Celestia, maybe," Applejack remarks before thinking about the ponies' human friend Megan, whom they met ever since Twilight and Rainbow made a rainbow like bridge to her world of Earth. "Not sure about Megan. Not like we wanted 'ta bug her wit' every problem 'dat we have."
"I like Megan, she's nice, she's the Mag'ne or whatever she's called! Megan helps take care of the princesses before the Rainbow Bridge collapses and..."
"Oh, there they are." Fluttershy said. The group spots Twilight coming their way, with Spike and Nyx riding on her back with picnic stuff in saddlebags around her. Weird, the unicorn's usual mane looks messed up. Twilight looks grumpy, "Hey Twilight."
"Yeah, hey Fluttershy," Twilight groans a bit.
"Hey Nyx," Sweetie greets Nyx who flies down to the ground to greet her friends. "We were wondering where you were."
"We have trouble getting around this morning." Nyx said in concern. "Mommy's a bit grumpy for some reason."
"I am not grumpy, Nyx! Just having trouble sleeping last night," Twilight snaps to Nyx, trying to keep herself under control.
"Yeah, we noticed that you were having sleeping problems lately." Rainbow said in concern, flying around Twilight. "What, is it about your brother or Cadance again?"
"No, it isn't that, Rainbow and let's dropped it!"
"Ah dunno; sugarcube." Applejack said in concern. "Can yew tell us about it? We ignored yer concerns before twice an'..."
"Look, Applejack, I'm fine, forget about it!" Twilight snaps in annoyance as she sets up for the picnic.
"Were you having bad dreams, Twi?" Rarity asks curiously. "Is it about you worried that you may end up disappointing the princess again?"
"No! I don't worry about that anymore."
"Yes she does, Twilight just doesn't want to admit it." Spike whispers to Rarity. Unfortunately, the unicorn gave him one angry glare. "What?"
"Uh, is it because you are anxious because you are now related to the royal family?" Fluttershy ask Twilight meekly. "That is...if you want to tell us."
"No, no, I am not telling you, just drop it!" Twilight said in annoyance.
"Err; you may want to cool it." Scootaloo said with a gulp of worry. She can sense that Twilight is getting a bit edgy by the questions.
"Yeah, it looks like Twilight is losing it." Apple Bloom said in agreement.
"I am NOT losing it!" Twilight snaps while grinding her teeth. "I am in total control here!"
"Oooh, ooh, I know!" Pinkie exclaims, waving a hoof in the air like she doesn't care. Actually, the Earth pony does but you get the idea. "It is because of how you have a lot of paperwork to do and..."
"BLAST IT, PINKIE PIE! I AM FINE! I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP OR ANYONE ELSE'S!!!"
"Ahh! Fake, fake," Rainbow exclaims as she pounces onto Twilight, knocking her to the floor. "Okay, Changeling, what gives here? Where's the real Twilight? She wouldn't act like that!"
"Rainbow, I am Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight snaps to Rainbow in annoyance. "Now get your flank off me!"
"Not until you tell me if you're Twilight or not!"
"She's Twilight all right." Spike said a bit worried. "I would know if this one is a fake or not...but Twi, you're scaring the others."
Twilight turns and saw the truth: her friends are indeed getting scared, worried about her behavior. This isn't like her. The purple unicorn calms down, looking down in sadness. That's enough for Rainbow to see that she's the real deal: regretting what her friend has said.
After Rainbow got off of Twilight, the unicorn got off, hugging Nyx while saying, "I'm sorry, everypony...it's just...my nightmare has been giving me the edge lately and...I'm sorry."
"Its okay, Twilight," Rarity said with a smile. "We're your friends and understand. Though honestly, you should calm down when you're on the edge like this."
"I...I'll help finish the picnic, if that's all right. You all take a break if you want...."
Twilight begins working on finishing the picnic all by herself to make up for her grumpy behavior. Pinkie smiles while saying, "Yay; Let me help! I love helping, do you Twilight? Come on; let me help, please please please?"
Pinkie bounces around, helping the sighing Twilight out. The purple unicorn has gotten used to her friend's weird behavior ever since she first met her.
"Actually, I tend to get on her nerves sometimes but Twilight got used to my behavior!" Pinkie exclaims to me happily, breaking the 4th wall of course.
Yeah, let's go with that. Anyway, Apple Bloom blinks a bit while asking, "Nyx, what's wrong wit' Twilight?"
"I don't know." Nyx said with a sigh. "Mommy has been having the same dream lately. I don't know what it's about. She would never tell me."
"Has this been going on?" Fluttershy ask Nyx in concern.
"Who knows? It must be keeping her up at night, even enough for her to take naps during the day like Rainbow does. One time, I went into her bedroom, wanting to ask mommy if I could have my friends over. But as I enter, she would scream out, 'No, don't leave me! Not again'!
"At first, I thought she was worried about me being taken away...but then I saw that mommy was sleeping in her bed, having that nightmare." Nyx said with a sigh.
"What was she dreaming about? Do you know?" Rainbow asks Nyx in concern. The rest of the Mane Six wanted to at least tell them so they can help Twilight with her problem.
"Twilight would never tell me either. Ever since I have known her as a filly, she tends to have these nightmares, though only two are common." Spike explains, worried about his mother/sister's concern. "The dream that Nyx mentioned was the one. I tried to ask her but Twilight would never tell me. I think she's dreaming of a special somepony whom she knows as a filly."
"I think mommy misses that colt... the one in her dreams." Nyx said in sadness.
"You mean Twilight used to have a special somepony?" Rarity gasped in surprise.
"Heck if I know. Twilight never tells me a lot about her past." Spike remarks with a sigh.
The others look down in sadness and pity. They haven't known much about Twilight's life in Canterlot before she met them in Ponyville. Sometimes the purple unicorn would talk about it, sometimes she doesn't. Whatever happened to her as a filly has been haunting her even to this day.
Suddenly Spike gulps as if about to throw up... but then he spits out a flame, making most of the ponies jump a bit. Fluttershy exclaims, "Oh my. It must be a letter from the princess." Sure enough, a scroll appears with Spike taking it.
"Hey, Twilight." Sweetie calling over to Twilight who just finished setting up with Pinkie. "The princess just send us a message."
"Oh, I wondered what she has to say." Twilight said as she and Pinkie came over. A message from Princess Celestia is always important. "Uh, you may sure that's the only one, right? I don't want another surprise like with the marriage of Shining and Cadance."
"Let's see..." Spike pauses to wait a minute then shrugs. "Nope, this is the only one. Ahem..." The dragon clears his throat as he begins to read, "'To Twilight Sparkle, you are invited to celebrate Equestria's founding in Canterlot. If you wish to attend it, please send a reply ASAP.'"
"ASAP; Ape Sad Apparently Problem," Pinkie Pie ask puzzled.
"'Dat means 'As Soon As Possible, Pinkie." Applejack explains to Pinkie who blinks at her, still not getting it.
"'If you wish to attend, I will send a chariot to you then. You can bring whoever you want with you. I hope to see you soon, your brother and his wife will be attending."' Spike said, finishing the letter up.
"The annual founding of Equestria," Twilight exclaims, squealing happily much to the surprise of her friends. "I haven't attended it since I was a filly! Oh, I can't wait to go again!"
"Uh, Twilight; what exactly is the founding of Equestria?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yeah, we don't know a thing about it." Scootaloo said with Nyx and Apple Bloom nodding in agreement.
Twilight smiled to the fillies as she explained, "I'm glad you asked, my little ponies. The founding of Equestria shows how Equestria was officially founded a while after the first Hearth's Warming Eve and how Megan, Danny and Molly helped Celestia and Luna out a while before they left for their home on Earth."
"So wait, you mean the humans we first met before the Gala, right?" Rainbow asks in amazement.
"Right; Of course, back then, I knew Megan as only the 'Mag'ne' and didn't know her real name, along with that of Danny's and Molly's, but you get the idea."
"Ah think Ah get it now." Applejack commented.
"We want to go to the founding with you, Twilight!" Pinkie exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh, please take us with you, Twilight!" Rarity begged.
"Yeah, I bet it'll be cooler if we're with you!" Rainbow commented.
"Please, Twilight," Fluttershy asked in her sweet tone.
"Well, that's the idea." Twilight said with a chuckle. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you girls out."
"Can my friends and I go too, mommy?" Nyx ask Twilight, the fillies show those little "puppy dog" eyes look. Dang, it's hard for them to ignore.
"Oh, shucks, why not? Better git the parents' permission first," Applejack exclaims with a smile.
"Yay," The CMC cheers wildly along with the other ponies. Another great event in Canterlot! Hopefully this one will be less disruptive than what happened at the wedding.
But then, Twilight looked worried as she said, "I just hope things don't go bad in Canterlot like the last time..."
"Don't worry, Twi." Rainbow said as she put a reassuring hoof on her friend's back, "This time, we'll be by your side to face whatever problem that comes to you."
"She's right, dear." Rarity agreed, "After all, us, Shining and Celestia apologized to you for not believing you, and we want to make it up to you."
"To be honest, I was on mommy's side the whole time because I thought something was off with that foalsitter." Nyx admits. "Of course, I gotta admit, I wanted to hit somepony for what happened...but..."
"Yes, yes, Nyx, we get it." Sweetie remarks while rolling her eyes.
"Spike, send a reply to the princess! Tell he me, my friends and Nyx are coming!" Twilight exclaims to Spike with a grin.
"You got it, Twilight!" Spike said with a salute, and then, he breathed fire onto a new scroll, which evaporated into thin air.
"Oh boy, oh boy; A huge party in Canterlot," Pinkie squeals, bouncing up and down as always when it comes to parties, "I hope I get to be in charge to make the decorations, the streamers and..."
"Pinkie Pie, I can imagine that Princess Celestia has got that covered." Rainbow said to Pinkie Pie in amusement.
"Really; Weird, so how come I don't see one of those bubbles that shows you imagining stuff?" Pinkie asks looking around Rainbow like mad. "Where's the bubble, Dashie? Huh, huh? Where is it?"
"Pinkie Pie, you are so random." Rainbow remarks with a sigh.
The ponies quickly get to work on getting what they want to get for their time in Canterlot, food, supplies, the works. And of course, Pinkie Pie brought her usual party cannon, despite what Rainbow told her about earlier. After all, when it comes to parties, she wants to be prepared!
-----------------
Soon, most of the girls are waiting outside the library as that is where they are going to be picked up by the chariot. They saw Twilight with Nyx on her back with Spike carrying what they need. The alicorn, of course, is bringing a familiar doll.
"Nyx, where did yew get Miss Smartypants?" Apple Bloom asks Nyx curiously while leaning her head down a bit. "Ah done thought Big Mac has it."
"He gave it back to me because Big Mac felt like it was mine." Twilight explains to Apple Bloom. "I wanted to give something to my daughter and, well...he was embarrassed by the whole Gabby Gums incident."
"We said we were sorry! What does Big Mac want; A written apology?"
"Yew did 'dat, Apple Bloom, remember?" Applejack remarks to her little sister making her smile sheepishly.
The ponies then saw something flying their way: a chariot big enough for them all and by Pegasus ponies no less. They land right near the library as gracefully and swiftly as those ponies can.
"Miss Sparkle and friends, a pleasure to see you all again," One of the Pegasus guards, one of which Twilight recognizes as the one who dropped her off on the day that she first arrived in Ponyville, said with a bow. "Your brother has sent us. Are you all preparing to go?"
"You betcha," Rainbow remarks, "Though why a chariot instead of a train?"
"Princess Celestia felt like that since Twilight is a member of the royal member due to her connection to Princess Cadance, it's safer this way."
"Yeah, having a brother being your nephew-in-law now can do that." Twilight chuckles a bit. After a while, the girls got themselves and their stuff in. Once they are all secured, the Pegasus guards then flew off, carrying them in the chariot itself.
"I can't wait to see Uncle Shiny again, Mommy!" Nyx said to Twilight excitedly.
"Yay; I love to travel this way!" Pinkie Pie squeals like a girl on her wave to a concert. "No, JusSonic, you mean filly on her way to a concert." Oh yeah, sorry. Some of the other ponies wonder whom she was talking to.
"I do hope that Canterlot looks better on arrival the last time." Rarity said with a sigh. "Seeing it behind a shield doesn't feel right."
"Man, I'm so lucky to be coming to this big time event thing." Spike remarks with a shrug. "Before the wedding thing, two times that I didn't go was to Twilight's birthday party and to the cake competition!"
"Spike, I apologized for uninviting you to my birthday because of our argument, remember? I'm starting to see how similar that is to Shining uninviting me." Twilight said, feeling guilty about uninviting Spike to her birthday, comparing that to Shining uninviting her to the wedding. "As for the cake competition, you couldn't go because of the stomach flu, remember?"
-----------
"Oooh, I got a bad stomach ache." Spike groans, lying in bed while Twilight and Nyx checks up on him.
"I told you that those crystals that I dug up for study for not for eating." Twilight said with a sigh. "Well, this stomach flu will only last a few days."
"But is Spike coming with you to the cake competition with Pinkie Pie?" Nyx ask Twilight in concern. She doesn't want her brother to miss out on the whole thing.
"I'm sorry Nyx but Spike will have to stay home. I don't want his stomach flu to get worse."
"But I want to go!" Spike protests to Twilight like a pouty little foal. He doesn't want to miss out on going to Canterlot!
"I'm sorry, Spike, but you will have to stay home for the time being." Twilight said with a sigh of regret while preparing to leave. She gotta meet Pinkie Pie to help her escort the cake safely to the train. "Nyx will watch you. Again, I'm sorry."
------------------
"Yeah, I haven't forgotten that...maybe I did when we have our little argument." Spike said, rubbing the back of his scaly head sheepishly. "Somehow, I feel like a brat every time we argue."
"Spike, you aren't that bad." Twilight points out to Spike with a sigh. "Honestly, I don't know why I sometimes keep you out of things like this."
"Because the writers of our episodes don't tend to bring our baby dragon along at times! Maybe JusSonic wants to make up right here and now!" Pinkie exclaims happily, making some of the others a bit confused. "Oh, we're there!"
The gang saw that they are indeed approaching the wonderful and graceful city that is Canterlot. The whole capital was fixed and better than the problem with the Changelings. No shield in sight. Guess Shining Armor didn't need to put it up this time.
"It's good to be back, right Twilight?" Fluttershy ask Twilight meekly.
"As usual, always good to be back to my first home," Twilight said with a smile. Even though Ponyville is now her newest and better as home, Canterlot will always be her first home.
The Pegasus guards flew around in the sky until they land right on a platform used for landings. The girls came out of the charot while Rainbow is checking out Spike's camera and some equipment.
"Uh, Rainbow; Why are yew bringing camera stuff? We ain't filming Dasheresque 4...though yew said 'dat yew ain't going 'ta make another film." Applejack points out to Rainbow puzzled, "Especially after 'de trouble wit' 'de third one."
"I thought that we could have something to remember this trip by." Rainbow said with a smirk. "I figure if we documented everything, we could look back at this and enjoy ourselves. I also brought this."
"A flower," Rarity asks Rainbow puzzled as she notes a flower being held by the Pegasus pony via her teeth. "Granted, Rainbow Darling, I am a fan of that stuff but shouldn't you have brought more than one?"
"Ain't no original flower! This is a hidden camera on which will film while one wears it! Here's Twi, you can wear it if you want to do some filming."
"Uh, thanks." Twilight said as Rainbow puts the flower camera right on Twilight's chest. "Don't really need it but it's the gift that counts, right? It's filming already, right?"
"Yep," Rainbow exclaims with a smirk. "Pretty cool, eh? Having my own e-mail show allows me access to some cool devices."
"If you called what you do a show anyway."
"If you called what you do a show anyway."
The ponies and her friends walk through town, greeting the ponies that come along. Some of them looks nervously as Nyx, obviously haven't forgotten when she was Nightmare Moon, threatening to put all of Equestria in Eternal Night and how she once trapped the princesses in the sun and moon (minus Cadance of course but that's because Nyx didn't know whom she was at the time).
Some of them of course just wave to the filly as if forgiving Twilight's adopted foal for what happened. Whatever the case maybe, there was mixed emotions to Nyx being in Canterlot today like there was before the last time she was in town.
Twilight suspects that there's mixed emotions upon arrival at Canterlot Castle. The guards are at front, as if expecting a bit of trouble. When the ponies got closer, they jump as the guards raised their weapons at them.
"Well, that sounds like a nice welcome." Scootaloo remarks sarcastically.
"I thought we wouldn't have to worry about this after the Changeling incident." Sweetie said in worry. The ponies wonder what is this all about.
"Lower the weapons, boys. It's just Twilight and her friends." A familiar voice remarks with a chuckle. A familiar unicorn in armor appears, smiling as he takes his helmet off, "Hey, Twiley!"
"Shining!" Twilight giggles as she comes over to hug her big brother. "It's so good to see you again!"
"Same here, sis!"
"Hey, Uncle Shine!" Nyx giggles as she shows herself. Shining grins to give her adopted niece a hug.
"Hey, Nyxie; Welcome back to Canterlot," Shining exclaims with a smile.
The big brother, a few days ago, was a bit surprised when it turns out that Twilight really did adopt a filly... home whose was once the corruption known as Nightmare Moon. He thought that it was a joke! But once Shining got to know her, he realized that she isn't really bad. After all, the filly did regret what she has done and even sacrifice herself to save those that she herself has cared for.
"Shining, you remember my friends, as well as Spike and the CMC." Twilight said while motioning to her friends, some of them wave though one did a bit meekly.
"Hi, good to see you again, Shining," Fluttershy said meekly. "Uh, what…"
"What's with the guards pointing the weapons at us?" Rainbow asks Shining with a frown. "What; Some sort of dumb joke?"
"Sorry, but with an event like this so darn important, we don't wanna take any chances of anypony or anything ruining it." Shining said though looks a bit dumb. "It almost happened when that Changeling Queen deceived us...even used me in her plot."
"It's okay, Shining," Apple Bloom said with a grin. "'Dat Changeling witch pulled off one heck o' a good trick there."
"Yeah, but I still feel bad by how it tricked me into turning against my little sister like that."
"To be honest, I kinda deserve it for making a spectacle without evidence to prove my point." Twilight said, blushing a bit in embarrassment. "Perhaps if I had..."
"But if you had, we wouldn't have found Cadance. Perhaps it was for the best," Shining remarks with a chuckle. Yeah, he and Twilight regrets their actions, but at least Cadance was found, the Changelings are stopped and the wedding had gone on. "Still, our new aunt in law thought it to be best to take precautions. Not wanting anything to get dangerous."
"You mean... Dasheresque!" Rainbow booms while now wearing a pair of sunglasses from her Dasheresque films, making Twilight slaps her head with a hoof.
"Rainbow, not now," Applejack said to Rainbow with a sigh. "We ain't going into 'dat here."
"What? I can't make any jokes now? Man, that's so darn dull!"
"Come on, Princess Celestia and Cadance is waiting for us." Shining said with a grin. "And they want me to escort you both all the way."
"Speaking of which, how is your honeymoon to Cadance?" Twilight ask Shining as the group follows the Captain of the Royal Guard into the palace. The big sister is dying to know how the honeymoon went.
"Doing fine, Cadance and I have some... fun."
"What kind of fun? What kind?" Pinkie asks bouncing around hopefully. "Is it party fun; Candy fun; Video game fun?"
"I think he means the fun that isn't appropriate to mention around little fillies." Rarity said to Pinkie Pie as if urging the Earth pony not to go further into details. "After all, a lady shouldn't mention that stuff to ones who shouldn't know yet."
"Know what, Rarity?" Sweetie asks Rarity curiously, making the big sister chuckles sheepishly at that.
"Let's say, just wait until you're older, okay; Hee hee hee!"
"Sounds like you two have some fun." Twilight said to her big brother with a grin. Somehow in her heart, she knew that they make the perfect match, regardless of her misgivings before thanks to the evil Changeling Queen.
"Yep; Someday, you will have the same thing with your own stallion, sis!" Shining exclaims to Twilight; Hearing that made the poor mare look down in sadness.
"Yeah, someday...yeah."
Twilight's friends look a bit worried at her emotions, even Spike and Nyx is. Whoever that colt in her dreams was must be important. One of these days, they're going to have to find out what happened years ago... and who that colt was.