Starlight walked in just as her four servants greeted her. She spoke to them, "I trust everything is spic and span?"
"Yes, milady." they responded.
"Hmm…" she looked around and she was amazed at how the manor looked so presentable and clean. "I see my punishment has kept you on your hooves. You seem to be more efficient when disciplined."
"Yes, milady." they replied.
"And more cooperative, I see. Consider your sentence lifted and your pay to be resumed by the end of the week."
They bowed, "Thank you, milady."
"You're quite welcome. But don't think this means Sunset's off the hook as well. She's going to be spending a lot of time in that tower until she's learned to be more obedient towards me."
They kept their heads down as they said, "Yes, milady…"
"Sugar Belle, I expect my tea in nine minutes." She headed towards the stairs.
"At once, milady."
"Very good." She gave off a smug look as she walked up the steps and went to her room.
They gave off a big sigh of relief as they headed back to kitchen, only they were surprised to see Princess Twilight by the doorway.
"You were supposed to be down there!" Sugar pointed to the secret staircase.
"I know, but I was careful. I had to see who this Starlight Glimmer was… She didn't seem that powerful to me…"
"She is. Don't be fooled by her appearance." warned Double Diamond.
Twilight nodded, "I'll remember that."
"If you'll excuse me, Princess, I have to take Starlight her tea." Sugar Belle got the kettle and poured the liquid into a teapot.
"Of course."
"Just stay down there until Starlight goes to sleep." Party Favor motioned.
Twilight nodded once more as she headed down to the secret room where she saw her sisters already exploring around it.
"Look at this old chapeau," Rarity exclaimed with disgust. "This went out of style since before we were born!"
"Just a bunch of old scrolls over here," Apple Bloom said as she looked into a trunk.
"There sure are a lot of antiques here…" said Applejack.
"Look what I found!" Pinkie bounced and holded out seven pink stones. "Pretty stones!"
"Those are memory stones." explained Twilight.
"Pinkie, put those back!" Rainbow declared. "Those don't belong to you."
"Oh, alright…" She set them back in a trunk, the same one where Sunset found the music box.
"Alright, girls, see if we can find anything that might have to do with that spell surrounding Sunset's tower."
They kept looking around, but couldn't seem to find anything useful. By then, Night Gilder and Double Diamond came down.
"Starlight's down for the count," said Night Gilder. "You can come back up now."
They did so and Party Favor took them to meet Troubleshoes outside.
The girls were astonished to meet this giant. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo managed to gain a kinship with him as they related their travels to his day of traveling. He told them his deepest wish was to be in the rodeo, but when he met Starlight, she told him his cutie mark was bad luck. He believed her because he always seemed to accidentally destroy things that crossed his path. It was why he joined Starlight, so he couldn't have those problems anymore.
While Troubleshoes was talking with the princesses, Party Favor took Twilight aside.
"Sunset wants to talk to you."
She nodded as she flapped her wings to go to the tower window.
"Starlight won't be asleep for long. Every day, she goes on her outing and comes back to take a nap. Then, she wakes up for dinner and goes back to sleep."
"I was in the secret room and so far, I couldn't find anything to lift this spell."
"You need to stay in the woods until you do."
"Right. Don't give up. We will get you out of there."
"I believe you…"
"Sunset… I can't begin to tell you how happy it makes me to be near you again…"
"I know… I felt it too when I saw you were here…" she smiled.
"I still don't know what the connection between our dreams is about, but I just know they mean something and that we should never be apart again…"
"You got it."
"We'll be back tomorrow. I've already sent Owlowiscious back home with a message to our husbands and kids that we made it and that we'll be here for quite a while. Well, good night."
"Good night," she waved her hoof as Twilight turned to go.
Sunset turned back to her nightstand and opened the music box to hear its tune and took out the necklace, still feeling puzzled over it and where it came from.
Twilight was a few feet away, but when she heard the music, she stopped in midair and wondered where it was coming from. Then she decided she just imagined it. She shook her head and kept going. She then took out the necklace she brought with her. She was perplexed by its form and why she had it to begin with.
Over the next couple of days, the girls watched as Starlight left with Troubleshoes and helped the others with their chores while Twilight searched the secret room, looking to find the way to help Sunset escape from her tower prison.
On the third day, Starlight was greeted by her servants after her outing. As usual, she found the place once more perfect, but the problem was… it was too perfect… Her servants, not even when Sunset was working, had managed to keep the house like this in perfect order before. It seemed to her that her servants were looking… chipper as well… Something had lifted their spirits for some reason, and Starlight was determined to find out.
When she received her tea, Sugar Belle closed the curtains so her mistress could rest. Starlight closed her eyes as she waited for her servant to leave. Once she waited about half an hour, she cast an invisibility spell on herself and headed to the stairs when she heard some pony talking. She looked to the stairs that led to Sunset's tower, slowly went up, and was surprised to find an alicorn by the door! Starlight felt her heart racing as she stood still to listen to all the alicorn had to say to Sunset's locked door.
"…So far, it's been nothing, but I will get rid of that spell. I promise you that."
"I appreciate all that you and your sisters have been doing for us…" Sunset's voice could be heard through the door.
"It's our duty to help those in need, but we wanted to do it all the same. Ever since we met back in Canterlot, we have made an everlasting friendship…"
Starlight was shaking her head, thinking, No… No… NO! I have worked too hard to let this happen! I've had made sure this would never occur! Sunset cannot know the truth! I have to do something… to make her turn away from this so-called friend…
"…I have to go now, but don't worry. I'll figure something out soon."
"Hey, I got all the time in the world."
"Just bear with me, we will get through this…" She turned to leave.
Starlight quickly backed away so she could follow after the alicorn.
Twilight made it back to their campsite in the woods not far off from the manor. There were six tents pitched up and one of them was bigger than the rest. Rarity was on a lawn chair in front of the tent as Sweetie Belle served her a cool drink.
Rainbow saw that as she and Scootaloo gathered firewood. "You know, Sweetie, it should be Rarity serving you since you are the Queen of Marendelle now. You outrank her."
"Oh, I don't mind, just as long as I get to spend some quality time with the pony who took me in."
Rarity touched her heart, "Aw! That is so sweet!" She wrapped her arm around Sweetie's neck.
"Soup's on!" Applejack called out as she stirred the stew in the stew pot on the campfire.
The girls gathered for the food and chatted away about how their days were and how they missed their families back home.
After they had their dinner, Twilight gave them the progress report on lifting the lock-down spell. "I haven't quite figured it out yet, but it's getting there."
"Think you'll get it before your birthday in a few days?" Rainbow asked.
That question made Starlight's blood run cold, knowing that was the same birthday as Sunset's.
"Honestly, I don't know, but personally, I don't care. Sunset's freedom is more important right now, and if I have to skip my birthday to accomplish that, so be it."
Scootaloo then yawned, "I'm beat. I think I'll go hit the hay…" She went into the tent that she and Rainbow were sharing.
Apple Bloom then got up and said, "I think I will, too. Helping Party Favor with his chores took a lot out of me." She headed to the tent where she and Applejack slept.
Even though she was invisible, Starlight could tell she was boiling red at the moment, So that's it! They've been getting help on the outside! Well, we'll see about that…
One by one, everyone else said their good-nights and headed off to their tents for a good night's sleep. The only pony left was Twilight as she stared at the campfire and then took out her necklace.
"Hang in there, Sunset. We'll free you and your friends soon. No matter how long it takes…" She finally headed into her own tent, unaware of the unseen intruder who heard all.