“Do we have to go?” Spike groaned, “Museums are so boring!”
Starlight scoffed, “You are just not sophisticated enough to appreciate the value of modern art.”
“You just want to see if there’s anything you can pick up on in the Starswirl section.”
“That too,” Starlight giggled as she skipped up to the museum, “Tell you what, if we get done fast, we’ll go find a nice ice cream parlor down town.”
Spike perked up, “Deal!” he ran up the stairs as fast as he could.
Starlight looked down to her grandpa, “Hurry up, slowpoke, you’re going to be late for bingo!”
“Late for bingo? NEVER!” Nightlight giggled to himself.
His grandkids moaned at the bad joke. He wasn’t that old. Nightlight was only a few years older than his daughter was… which is very strange when you say it like that.
Anyway…
At the entrance of the museum, the group walked in and headed to the first exhibit. That being; the hall of royal guards. A militaristic hall dedicated to all the important figures and inventions in Equestria’s history. Starting with Commander Hurricane and ending on Shining Armor.
“Ugh, How dull can one be?” a snotty stallion yawned, “All the other captains in history accomplished great things in their times. What has this peon accomplished? Marrying a princess. How trivial and cliche.”
“That’s my uncle,” Starlight growled with her horn radiating.
Spike put an arm on her. Starlight looked up to see a face telling her “he’s not worth it.”
The stallion turned his head, “Ah, then he’s a bigger disappointment than I thought. Being related to a dragon’s pet.”
“She’s my sister,” Spike snorted.
“And they’re both my grandkids, which also means the ‘dull cliche’ is my son,” Nightlight explained.
“And why should I care about the word of a pair of peasants and a dragon?”
“Oh I don’t know, maybe you should ask Prince Spike,” Spike stood up, “Adopted son of Princess Twilight Sparkle, alicorn of magic and friendship. Oh, I’m also the hero of the Crystal Empire and guardian of the Castle of Harmony.”
The snotty stallion began to sweat.
“Guardian of the Castle of Harmony?” Starlight gave Spike a questioning look before returning to yell at the stallion, “If you think my brother’s scary, wait until my mom hears how you insulted her BBBFF. That stands for big brother best friend forever.”
The stallion fell to the floor and started kissing Spikes feet, “I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY! PLEASE DON’T TELL PRINCESS TWILIGHT WHAT I DID! PLEASE!”
Spike gave Starlight a smug grin, “Ok, we won’t tell Twilight, but you have to tell everyone how cool Shining Armor is.”
The stallion nodded fiercely and ran off.
Starlight sighed, “I was this close to erasing his face!” she held a hoof a few inches from her snout.
“Don’t worry, Star, I had it under control. All nobel ponies are all the same, really,” Spike reassured her.
Starlight mumbled nothing as she walked up to a statue of Shining Armor in the pose he had when he threw his wife at Spike.
“All those years of javelin lessons payed off!” Nightlight shouted, “I told him they would help him someday.”
“Do you think uncle Shiny would be ok with my past?” Starlight whimpered.
Spike patted her head, “Course he would! Just cuz he’s captain of the guards and runs the Crystal Empire with Cadence doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about his family.”
“If I taught my boy anything, it’s that forgiving family makes the reunion better,” Nightlight smiled.
“You’re right, I’m probably worried about nothing.”
“I’m just worried about how he’s going to react to Twilight,” Nightlight stated.
Starlight tripped over herself.
“I was thinking about Cadence’s reaction,” Spike hummed.
“Oh yeah, she’s technically the same age as Twilight now,” Nightlight rubbed his chin, “Plus she’s going to be a mother soon too. Hope you play nice with your cousin, Starlight.”
“I’m going to be a cousin?!” Starlight beamed, “That’s so great! I can’t wait to visit the Crystal Empire now!”
“Wait… I thought Shiny didn’t write to you guys?” Spike wondered.
“After not getting invited to his wedding, he makes sure to write us every day,” Nightlight looked around suspiciously, “Hell hath no fury like Twilight Velvet.”
Spike looked at Starlight, “I’m starting to think that runs in the family.”
“HEY!”
Spike held his laughter as he walked over to an odd contraption next to Shiny’s statue. It was an odd looking crystal like device with a golden ring around it. There was a pulse of energy every now and then. This strange device felt alien yet familiar.
“That’s a pylon,” Starlight confirmed, “Originating from the Crystal Empire, the pylon would amplify teleportation and shield magic which made the crystal ponies perform incredible feats in battle as well as functioning as leisure transportation and protection.”
Nightlight blinked.
“Nice to know that minor in Arcane Artillery helped you with trivia,” Spike teased.
“I had to memorize that for a midterm! The Crystal Empire wasn’t exactly around at the time, remember?”
“Yeah, you got a point,” Spike stretched, “You already know all this stuff and I lost interest. Let’s move on.”
“You just want that ice cream.”
“You know it!”
As they took their tour around the museum, they came across several things they were familiar with. First was the mythic beast wing where Spike reminded everyone about the terrifying beasts Twilight faced and determined what monster she defeated in Starlight’s hometown. Next was the art gallery which bore them to tears. Admittedly, the pieces Fluttershy made were interesting. Who knew Fluttershy did fine art in her spare time? Then came the hall on foreign nations, surprising small with it only being a few displays with Zebras, Griffins, and Donkeys. Most of the stuff was boring and didn’t call for much pointing out. That is until they ran into the museum director.
“Omf!”
Which was literal.
“Oh, terribly sorry, sir, my grandson is just excited to see the last exhibit,” Nightlight apologized.
“Oh it’s no trouble at all,” the stallion said with a warm smile, “I should expect him to be excited about our new Princess Luna wing! We even have her here to cut the ribbon!”
“Starlight! My friend! How have you been?” Luna greeted Starlight.
“Oh hi Luna!” Starlight waved.
“Luna’s getting her own wing in the Equestrian Natural History Museum?” Spike asked, “Wow that’s a mouthful.”
“Indeed she it! And we’re all excited about it too!” the director squealed.
Luna rolled her eyes, “An entire wing is a bit much, is it not? My history is not that interesting.”
“On the contrary, Princess Luna,” the director adjusted his glasses, “All the information you provided for us is enough to fill a museum on its own! I already suggested writing new textbooks with what you provided for public schools.”
“Is it really that different from my sister’s history?” Luna grumbled.
“Well… yes and no. Specifically, many things were left out before your banishment and any mention of you falls under fairy tales and superstition. It is vital to preserve this information!”
“If you must,” Luna sighed.
“Come on, it can’t be all bad,” Starlight suggested.
“I honestly fail to see what difference it makes to include me alongside my sister. Alas, this is a history museum so,” she cut the ribbon, “Enjoy…”
“Alright! One last wing and we get ice cream!” Spike cheered as he ran into the wing.
“Want to check out the exhibit with us, Luna?” Starlight offered.
“Very well. I suppose company would make this trip to the past bearable.”
The small group wandered through the nightly themed wing. The exhibits were odd and unlike the previous exhibits they’ve seen. These were almost fantasy pieces rather than historical. Some were peaceful and beautiful while some were harsh and violent.
“Ah, I remember this one,” Luna stopped at a rather large clock, “This is a reminder of when the dawn bell would chime,” her eyes narrowed, “I’ve been curious as to why Celestia removed them.”
“They probably reminded her of how she put you into the moon,” Starlight said, “Considering dawn bells rang to expel the darkness of the night.”
Luna hummed, “I see…”
Starlight coughed, “So… I was wondering…”
“A favor?” Luna grinned.
Starlight levitated the books Moondancer gave her, “Yes.”
Luna examined the books, “These are Starswirls’ notes on time alteration!”
“They are?!” Luna gave Starlight a look, “Sorry, I sort of had a hard time believing Moondancer when she gave me them.”
“Understood,” Luna levitated the books in front of her, “I am familiar with this locking method as well. Tia would use the same spell, thinking I couldn’t unlock it. Really, if it doesn’t work the first time, what possessed her to think it would work the next fifty times?”
Luna activated her horn and focused her magic onto the lock. There was a click followed by another click. This shocked Luna.
“Hmm, seems she may have learned after all,” Luna whispered, “I’m sorry, Starlight, but there isn’t much I can do.”
“That’s ok. At least you tried.”
“However, there might be something Celestia can do for you.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Luna smirked, “Though she has difficulties saying it, she is quite jealous of your mother. For many reasons including raising a wonderful daughter and son, adopted or otherwise.”
“Mom told me about her encounter with her,” Starlight shifted uncomfortably, “Do you think Celestia would let me have those books?”
“In time, perhaps. I am assisting her in her current position,” Luna gave a light chuckle, “One could say I am experienced with what she’s going through. Tia will most likely give you each book one at a time when she feels you have earned it.”
“That seems fair,” Starlight raised an eyebrow, “Thank you Luna, you’ve been a good friend.”
The two bowed to each other before parting ways. Starlight went up to Nightlight and Spike, giving them the good news. Luna continued walking down the hall, reminiscing about the past.
“Does Celestia have her own wing in this museum?” she pondered to herself, “I should check with the director…”
“Alright! Time for ice cream!” Spike declared, jumping off of the museum staircase.
“Shame they were refurbishing the Hall of Celestia,” Nightlight sighed, “I enjoyed the Luna wing though. Such interesting things happened in her life time.”
Starlight gave a nervous glance at the museum they left.
“Don’t worry, dear,” Nightlight patted her back, “Celestia was Twilight’s teacher. I’m sure they can patch things up between themselves.”
Spike giggled under his breath, “Or she turns into Nightmare Sun over her jealousy of Twilight.”
“Oh please no,” Starlight rubbed her head, “I trusted Luna with those books and she’s giving them to Celestia!”
The three of them stepped inside a nearby ice cream shop. Spike ran to the counter, eager to pick the flavor(s) he wanted… and the toppings… and whether he wanted a waffle cone or sprinkled cone.
“It’ll work out, these things usually do,” Nightlight examined the flavors with the eyes of a hawk.
Starlight sighed, “Ok… I just hope to see those books again.”
Spike walked to a table with a four scoop cone topped with chocolate sauce. Nightlight carried a small bowl of mint chocolate-chip. Starlight decided to go for a simple strawberry sundae.
“Well we still have a few hours before dinner,” Starlight stirred her spoon around, “Think it’s your turn to pick, bro.”
Spike took a long lick of his ice cream and stopped to ponder. There wasn’t much he wanted to do at this time. He looked around to get ideas. He glanced outside the window and spotted a poster for competitive magic dueling. The time written on it was in 15 minutes.
“Wanna check that out?” Spike pointed to the poster.