Luna's Daughter

by Baxter1984

Chapter 5

Thirty Minutes Later

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Spike, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, Solae, Bern and Cadance lifted their heads when they heard hoofsteps. They turned to see that Blueberry was walking towards them with a cart of food.

He stopped a couple of feet away from them and bowed. “I have two lettuce, tomato and cucumber sandwiches for each of the ponies. I also have two sandwiches for Spike. However, his have small pieces of blue sapphires in them as well.” He looked at Solae and Bern. “I have a bowl of sapphires for each of you.”

Solae smiled when she saw that the sapphires were a mix of dark blue and bright pink. I know it sounds strange, but I think the pink ones taste better. “Thank you.”

Sundance waited until everyone had finished eating before turning to Twilight. “Would you mind showing us what happened this morning again?”

Curious, Twilight nodded to her grandmother before doing as she was told.

Sundance waited for the memory to end before turning to her husband. “We should ask Shining Armor to tell Marble that he needs to come to court tomorrow.”

“I don’t intend to wait that long.” Midnight Armor replied “I’m going to ask him to bring Marble, Rose, Lavender and Ruby here this afternoon.”

“I thought you were going to say that, King Midnight Armor.”

Surprised, Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia, Twilight, Luna, Spike, Solae, Cadance and Bern turned towards the voice. Each of them raised an eyebrow when they saw that Shining Armor, Marble, Lavender, Ruby and Rose were standing a few feet away.

Marble glared at Cadance. I will find a way to punish her for what she has done to me.

Cadance suppressed a shudder. H-he has never glared at me like that before.

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow when he saw Cadance’s expression. Is something wrong? Confused, he followed her gaze to Marble. He narrowed his eyes when he saw that the earth pony was glaring at her. “Marble.”

Startled, Marble jumped slightly before turning to Shining Armor. “Yes?”

“I suggest you focus on the Royal Family.” Shining Armor quietly replied “You are not here to speak to Cadance.”

Damn, I didn’t realize I was so obvious. Marble nodded to Shining Armor before turning to Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia, Twilight and Luna. The pony with the dark blue coat must be Princess Twilight’s mother. If the stories are true, her name is Princess Luna.

Cadance suppressed a sigh of relief. I’ll thank Shining Armor later.

Shining Armor bowed to both Royal Families. “I apologize for the interruption.” He lifted his head and turned to Midnight Armor. “I know it may be a bit presumptuous of me, but I thought this would be a good time to bring all four of them here.”

Midnight Armor laughed “It isn’t presumptuous at all, Shining Armor. You have been serving the Royal Family for a long time. As such, you are able to predict some of my actions.”

Sundance and Celestia laughed as well.

“I wish he could train a few of the defenders of the Dragon Lands.” Bern said softly

“That’s not a bad idea.” Solae quietly replied “I’ll discuss it with Sundance later.”

Bern nodded to his mate before both of them turned back to the ponies in front of them.

Midnight Armor turned to Marble, Lavender, Rose and Ruby. “Twilight has already shown us her memory of what happened this morning.”

Lavender, Rose and Ruby smiled at Twilight and Cadance before nodding to Midnight Armor.

Marble gulped This is bad.

Sundance exchanged glances with her husband before turning to Marble. “Our first question is simple.” It is also obvious.

I think I know what it is. Marble nervously waited for one of them to continue.

“Why have you been treating Cadance like that?” Celestia asked

I thought so. Trying to stall for time, Marble glanced at the dragons before turning back to Sundance and Midnight Armor. “Should we be discussing this in front of your guests?”

“There is no reason that Solae and Bern can’t hear this.” Midnight Armor answered

Sundance nodded “They are already aware of the situation.” She glanced at their guests. “Additionally, I’m sure that they would also like to know the answer to Celestia’s question.”

Solae and Bern smiled at Sundance and Midnight Armor before turning back to Marble.

So much for that. “I see.” Marble slowly replied

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Do I need to repeat Aunt Celestia’s question?”

Luna glanced at her daughter before turning back to Marble. I wonder how they are going to handle this situation.

Marble suppressed a shudder when he heard her tone. “T-that’s not necessary, princess.”

No one said anything for several minutes.

“Perhaps you would prefer to answer a different question first.” Twilight commented

Marble suppressed a sigh of relief as he nodded.

Twilight used her magic to open her saddlebags and pull out the folders that contained the evidence that she had gathered. She took a few minutes to re-read one of the papers before turning back to Marble. “I am aware of the fact that you didn’t always treat Cadance like that. According to this, you began doing so a little over a year ago.” She raised an eyebrow. “What caused such a sudden, and dramatic, change?”

Sundance glanced at her granddaughter. That is a very good question.

Marble gulped “I-I’d rather answer Princess Celestia’s question, Princess Twilight.”

“I would like you to answer Twilight’s question first.” Celestia replied

Marble shuddered I really don’t answer that question.

“I can answer that question.” Cadance slowly replied I really don’t want to talk about this, but Twilight, King Midnight Armor, Queen Sundance and Princess Celestia need to know what happened . . . and I doubt Marble will tell them the truth.

Everyone immediately turned to her.

“I had just gone into heat.” Cadance said softly “Marble asked me if I would let him . . .” She trailed off. I hope they don’t ask me to finish that sentence.

Fortunately, almost everyone instantly understood what she was talking about. Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Twilight, Shining Armor, Spike, Lavender, Rose and Ruby gasped in shock.

Confused, Luna turned to her sister. “What did Cadance mean when she said that she was “in heat”?”

“That is the current term for when a mare is in season.” Celestia answered

I believe Celestia said that Cadance is currently fifteen years old. If this happened a year ago . . . Luna’s eyes widened as she turned back to Cadance. “You’re telling us that he wanted to breed a fourteen year old?!”

Cadance nodded

Solae and Bern gasped in shock as well.

Luna glanced at her sister and their parents. A thousand years ago, there was a law that stated that a pony had to be at least eighteen years old before they could legally engage in marital relations.

Ruby glared at Marble. “You know that it is illegal to have intercourse with a pony that is under the age of eighteen.”

Luna suppressed a sigh of relief. Good. I’m glad that law is still in place.

Lavender glared at Marble as well. “This is made worse by the fact that you were responsible for her wellbeing at the time.”

Everyone else nodded

Marble sighed “I wasn’t thinking straight at the time. This is because her scent had gotten to me.”

Everyone stared at Marble for a couple of minutes before shaking their heads and turning back to Cadance.

“As I’m sure you’ve guessed, I said “No”. That was when he tried to use his weight to pin me to my bed.” Cadance shook her head when she saw Twilight’s expression. “I was able to use my wings to get enough leverage to flip him off of me. Then I flew out the open window.”

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Solae, Bern, Celestia, Luna, Spike, Shining Armor, Lavender, Rose and Ruby sighed in relief.

“I flew to this garden because it’s always open to the public.” Cadance nodded to a large oak tree off to the left. “I was planning to spend the night in that tree.”

“That’s where I found you.” Twilight commented “I was taking a walk after a long day in the library. I chose this garden because I thought there wouldn’t be anypony back here.”

“I was very surprised to see you.” Cadance responded “I knew who you were, but had never actually met you before.” She laughed “I panicked because I thought you were going to tell me that I had to leave.”

Sundance smiled at Cadance. “Twilight never would have done that. She brought you inside the castle and asked Midnight and I if it would be alright if you joined us for dinner.”

Midnight Armor nodded to his wife before turning back to Cadance. “We didn’t have a problem with that. In fact, we allowed you to spend that night in the castle.”

“I didn’t want Marble to try again when I went back to the orphanage.” Cadance explained “I knew that my heat cycle would end in a couple of days. That’s why I asked if I could spend the weekend here.”

“We didn’t know that that was the reason.” Sundance responded “Even so, we didn’t have a problem with your request. We sent a message to the orphanage telling them that you would return there the following Monday.”

“What does this have to do with the way that Marble has been treating you, Cadance?” Luna asked I hope I’m wrong, but I think I already know the answer.

“He refused to believe that Twilight had accepted me as her friend.” Cadance explained “Instead, he accused me of telling King Midnight Armor, Queen Sundance, Princess Celestia and Twilight about what he had done.”

“You should have told us right away.” Celestia responded

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Luna, Twilight, Spike, Shining Armor, Ruby, Lavender and Rose nodded.

Cadance lowered her head. “I’m sorry, princess. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to cause problems.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I knew that I would get in trouble at the orphanage if I told anypony.” Cadance replied

Lavender, Rose and Ruby glared at Marble for a moment before allowing their glares to fade as they turned back to Cadance.

“When did he start ridiculing you about the fact that you don’t have a Cutie Mark?” Rose asked

“A few weeks later.” Cadance answered “I had just come back to the orphanage after spending another weekend at the castle. The only other orphan without a Cutie Mark had earned theirs that weekend.”

“I see.” Ruby slowly replied

Cadance glanced at Marble before hesitantly continuing. “That was also when he started giving me those chores. He did so because he was still angry that I wouldn’t let him . . . you know.”

“I assume that was also when you started encouraging the other orphans to join you in ridiculing her.” Lavender commented

Marble reluctantly nodded

“When did he start ridiculing you about the fact that you have sensory abilities?” Shining Armor asked

“That is a good question.” Rose said slowly “I wasn’t aware of the fact that you have sensory abilities until our meeting with Princess Twilight this morning.”

“Same here.” Lavender commented

Ruby nodded

“Twilight and I were walking through Canterlot about three months ago.” Cadance responded

Twilight nodded “Our conversation eventually turned to the research that I was conducting about her sensory abilities.”

Cadance nodded as well. “I didn’t know that Sky Armor, Twister and Swift Bolt were following us until I got back to the orphanage. Marble called me into his office later that afternoon. He wanted me to tell him what I was able to sense and how I was able to do it.” She sighed “I told him that I couldn’t answer his questions because I didn’t understand it myself.”

Lavender turned to Marble. “Why have you been ridiculing Cadance about her sensory abilities?”

“How many pegasi have sensory abilities . . . that don’t have to do with the weather?” Marble responded

“Cadance is the only one that I know of.” Lavender answered

“That’s my point.” Marble replied “It’s just weird.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “What are you . . . five?”

Marble gasped in shock as he turned to her. “P-princess?”

Everyone else began to laugh.

Luna smiled at her daughter before turning back to Marble. “She has a point. The only ones who ridicule others are either children . . . or jealous.”

Marble winced I hate to admit it, but she’s right. I would love to have any kind of sensory abilities.

Additionally, I thought it was strange that Princess Twilight would bother associating with the likes of Cadance. I told Sky Armor, Twister and Swift Bolt to follow Princess Twilight and Cadance that day because I thought it would allow me to prove that Cadance had told the Royal Family about what I had done.

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia, Solae, Bern and Shining Armor nodded.

“I believe we have enough information.” Celestia commented

“You’re right, Celestia.” Midnight Armor turned to Marble. “You are under arrest for Sexual Assault, Attempted Rape and Emotional Abuse. These charges may change when we conduct a more detailed investigation into your actions.”

“You can’t arrest me!” Marble exclaimed “You have no evidence that would be admissible in court.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I have plenty of evidence to prove the Emotional Abuse charge.”

“As for the rest . . .” Sundance paused when she heard the scratching of a quill on a scroll. Confused, she turned towards the source to see that Spike was writing something. Her eyes widened as she counted over a dozen rolled up scrolls neatly stacked next to him. “Spike” She said slowly “Are you doing what I think you are?”

Spike finished his notes before looking up at Sundance. “I have been writing down everything that was said since Shining Armor, Marble, Rose, Lavender and Ruby walked into the garden.”

Marble’s jaw dropped. W-what?!

Twilight laughed “That explains why you haven’t said anything until now.”

Spike nodded to Twilight as he rolled up the final scroll. Standing, he gathered all of the scrolls before walking over to Sundance. “Here is the evidence you need.”

Sundance smiled at Spike as she took the pile of scrolls in her magic. “Thank you, Spike.” She teleported them to her desk in the office that she shared with her husband.

Solae and Bern smiled at each other before turning to Sundance as well.

Sundance turned back to Marble. “If more evidence is required . . . well, I’m sure that everyone present would be willing to testify in court.”

Everyone, except Marble, quickly nodded.

“That means we have more than enough evidence to arrest you.” Midnight Armor remarked In fact, we have enough to convict him. Even so, I will personally conduct an investigation to ensure that we haven’t missed anything.

Sundance nodded to her husband before turning to Lavender, Rose and Ruby. “I would like the three of you to work together to care for the orphans in the orphanage until Midnight and I can find a suitable replacement for Marble.”

Lavender bowed “Of course, Queen Sundance.”

Rose and Ruby bowed we well. “We would be honored.”

Rose lifted her head and turned to Cadance. “Lavender, Ruby and I will give you a while to settle in.”

Also lifting her head, Lavender glanced at Rose before turning to Cadance as well. “We will visit you next Friday afternoon. We will also bring any personal items that you left in your room at the orphanage.”

Cadance smiled slightly “Thank you.”

Ruby lifted her head before turning to Twilight. “We have discovered that the students in the public school in Canterlot have also been ridiculing Cadance. Therefore, Lavender will fill out the necessary paperwork to pull Cadance out of that school tomorrow morning.”

Lavender turned to Twilight as well. “Unfortunately, that poses a problem.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Twilight replied “I’ll ask Grandma and Aunt Celestia to help me come up with lesson plans.”

Celestia nodded “Twilight will continue to teach Cadance about her sensory abilities. Mother, Twilight and I will work together to teach Cadance everything else that she needs to know.”

Sundance nodded as well.

Cadance’s eyes widened W-what?!

Rose and Lavender sighed in relief.

Ruby bowed to Sundance, Celestia and Twilight. “That is perfect. Thank you, your highnesses.”

Midnight Armor turned to Shining Armor. “Please bring Marble to the Royal Dungeons.”

Shining Armor bowed “Yes, King Midnight Armor.” He lifted his head before turning to Marble. “Let’s go.”

Marble glared at Cadance. I don’t know how, but I will make sure that she is punished for this.

Shaking his head, Shining Armor led Marble out of the garden. I’ll come back after my shift ends. Hopefully, Cadance will be free tonight.

Ruby, Rose and Lavender bowed to both Royal Families before heading to the orphanage.

Everyone else sighed in relief.

“I think that is enough for one day.” Sundance commented

Midnight Armor, Celestia, Twilight, Luna, Cadance, Spike, Solae and Bern nodded.

“How about a flight?” Midnight Armor asked

Smiling, everyone nodded before standing.

Solae thought for a moment before glancing at her son. “What about Spike? It wouldn’t be right to leave him behind.”

“Who says I’m staying behind?” Spike asked

Confused, Solae and Bern turned in time to see their son jump onto Twilight’s back.

Sundance smiled at Spike and Twilight before turning to Solae and Bern. “They began doing that a couple of days after Twilight hatched Spike.”

“Why?” Solae and Bern asked together

“Spike used to cry, and breathe fire, anytime that he couldn’t see Twilight.” Celestia explained “The easiest way to avoid that was for her to carry him on her back wherever she went.”

Solae laughed softly I should have seen that coming. “That makes sense.”

Bern laughed as well. “In that case, both of you should enjoy it while you can.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked

“You should be going through your first molt soon.” Bern replied “You will probably gain your wings at that time.”

Spike’s eyes widened “I-I’ll get wings?!”

Laughing again, Bern nodded “I’m sure you have noticed that your mother and I have wings. This means that you are sure to get them as well.” He glanced at his mate before turning back to their son. “Additionally, you won’t be that small forever.”

“You’re right, Bern.” Solae commented “Spike should double in size over the next three to five years. Then he’ll stay that size for a few years before going through a second molt.”

“Spike will probably triple in size over the next five to ten years before going through his third, and final, molt. Then he will go through his final growth spurt.” Bern looked at his son thoughtfully before turning back to Solae. “I think he will eventually be larger than I am, but smaller than you.”

Solae nodded “You’re probably right.”

Spike stared at his parents for a couple of minutes before turning to Twilight. “That means I’ll be able to carry you around.”

Laughing, everyone else spread their wings before taking flight.

We would attract too much attention if we stayed above the castle. In that case . . . Midnight Armor led everyone away from the city.

No one spoke. Instead, everyone simply enjoyed the thrill of flying and the scenery.

Two Hours Later

Shining Armor smiled when Midnight Armor, Sundance, Solae, Bern, Twilight, Luna, Celestia and Cadance landed in the middle of the garden behind the castle. “Welcome back, your highnesses.”

“Thank you, Shining Armor.” Celestia replied

Midnight Armor exchanged glances with his wife before turning back to Shining Armor. “Is something wrong?”

Sundance nodded “I thought your shift ended a couple of hours ago.”

“Everything is fine.” Shining Armor replied “I just wanted to ask Cadance if she would like to join me for a while.” He turned to Twilight. “I assure you that I will keep her safe. Additionally, I will only keep her out for a couple of hours.”

Cadance stared at him in shock.

I can’t let her miss this chance. Twilight hid a smile. “I don’t have a problem with that. Just don’t take her out of the city.”

Shining Armor bowed “Yes, princess.”

Twilight gently nudged her friend towards Shining Armor. “The two of you should get going.”

“R-right.” Cadance slowly replied “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

Luna watched Cadance and Shining Armor walk away before turning to her daughter. “Why did you do that?”

Twilight giggled “Cadance has a massive crush on Shining Armor.”

“What is a “crush”?” Luna whispered to her sister.

“It means that she has feelings for him.” Celestia quietly replied

“Ah” Luna said softly “I see.”

Sundance giggled as well. “I thought so. Are they dating yet?”

“Dating?” Luna whispered to Celestia

“That is the current term for “Courting”.” Celestia quietly answered

Luna nodded to her sister before turning back to the rest of their family.

“She asked him out on a date, but he told her no.” Twilight answered

Spike gasped “Do you know why?” What’s wrong with him?! Why can’t he see that they are perfect for each other?!

Twilight showed everyone her memory of the conversation that she had had with Cadance the night before.

“I see.” Midnight Armor said slowly “I have noticed that Shining Armor refuses to allow himself to enter a relationship.”

“I’ve noticed that as well.” Sundance turned to her granddaughter. “If Cadance’s theory is correct, it answers a lot of questions. However, it also makes me wonder why he decided to take her out tonight.”

Twilight shrugged “I know that he genuinely cares for her. He refused to go on a date with her because he is trying to avoid entering a relationship.”

“Good point.” Celestia commented “I noticed that he was carefully watching Cadance during our discussion with Marble. Perhaps that has something to do with it.”

Sundance nodded “You’re probably right.”

Everyone looked up when Blueberry brought another cart of food out to them.

“I have a mix of emeralds and amethysts for Queen Solae and Bern.” Blueberry explained “I have individual servings of Fettuccini Alfredo for the ponies. I also have a serving of Fettuccini Alfredo for Spike. However, his has been cooked with pieces of emerald for a pop of color.”

Spike licked his lips before picking up his fork. Everyone else began to eat their dinners as well. They were just finishing their food when Twilight, Celestia and Luna looked at each other and nodded.

Celestia lowered the sun before Luna raised the moon. Everyone turned their attention to the sky in time to see Twilight place the stars alongside her mother’s moon.

“I just realized something.” Twilight said slowly

“What is it?” Sundance asked

“There is supposed to be a meteor shower tomorrow night.” Twilight turned to her mother. “Unfortunately, I don’t know how to do that.”

Laughing softly, Luna nuzzled her daughter. “Don’t worry. I will teach you how to do it tomorrow.”

Twilight sighed in relief. “Thanks, Mom.”

Midnight Armor smiled at his youngest and granddaughter before turning to everyone else. “I think we should retire for the night.”

Sundance looked at Solae and Bern. “A new fire has already been started in the center of the courtyard that you slept in last night.” She turned to Spike. “A pillow and a couple of blankets have been placed not far from the fire for you.”

Spike sighed in relief. “Thanks. I woke up a couple of times last night because I was cold.” He was about to say something else, but paused when he noticed that he was suspended in Twilight’s magic. Curious, he looked at her.

Solae and Bern exchanged glances when their son didn’t struggle.

Twilight gently set him on the ground in front of her before releasing her magic. “I created a spell to help you when it’s cold out. I think this would be a good time to test it.”

Spike’s eyes widened “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Twilight laughed “I did. Remember when you told me that I was crazy for creating a heat spell in the middle of the summer?”

“Yes.” Spike’s eyes widened even further. “Wait a minute. Y-you’re saying that you were creating that spell for me?”

Still laughing, Twilight nodded

Everyone else stared at Twilight in shock.

Twilight raised an eyebrow when she noticed this. “What? He had a hard time when we took that trip last winter. I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a way to avoid that in case we do it again this year. This spell works by creating a layer of heat between whoever I cast the spell on, Spike in this case, and the surrounding air. It only lasts about twelve hours, but it should be very effective during that time.”

Spike looked up at Twilight. “Go ahead.”

Nodding, Twilight closed her eyes and focused her magic for a moment before casting her new spell on Spike.

Spike looked down at himself for a moment before turning back to Twilight. “I don’t feel anything unusual. How will we know if it worked?”

Twilight responded by creating a block of ice and dropping it in his hands.

Spike stared at it in wonder. “I-it isn’t cold . . .”

Twilight laughed “That means my new spell worked.”

Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight’s neck. “Thanks, Twi!”

“You’re welcome.” Twilight replied, returning the hug “Let me know if you get too warm. If so, I’ll just alter the spell a little.”

Spike nodded

Eyes wide, Solae and Bern stared at Twilight and Spike for a moment before turning to each other.

“I think it’s more accurate to say that Spike has two mothers . . .” Bern said slowly “You and Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Solae nodded “Y-you’re right.”

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia and Luna silently nodded

Twilight’s eyes widened as she turned to Solae and Bern. “What?! N-no . . . I’m not his mother. I’m just the one who hatched him.”

Solae laughed softly as she turned to Twilight. “That’s not true. You also raised him.”

“That may be true, but it doesn’t mean . . .” Twilight trailed off when she felt a gentle nuzzle. Surprised, she turned to Sundance. “Grandma?”

Sundance smiled at Twilight before turning to Solae and Bern. “There is something that I think both of you should see.”

Curious, Bern turned to her. “What are you talking about?”

Sundance glanced at her husband before turning back to Solae and Bern. “We used to have a noble in our court named Steel.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “You’re talking about the idiot that foal napped Spike.”

Solae and Bern gasped in a combination of shock and horror. “What?!”

“I’ll show you what happened.” Sundance promised I was already planning to do that at some point during their visit. This is as good a time as any.

Everyone immediately turned to her.

“This took place a couple of days after Solae returned to the Dragon Lands.” Sundance explained

Everyone nodded

- - - Sundance’s Flashback - - -

Sundance walked into Twilight’s office. “How are things going?”

“Shh!” Twilight nodded to the crib in the corner. “I finally got him to sleep.”

Sundance quietly walked over to see a ball of blankets in the middle of the crib. She laughed softly when she saw the tip of Spike’s tail poking out of the ball before turning back to her granddaughter. “How did you get him to take his afternoon nap?”

Twilight laughed softly as well. “I gave him one of my feathers. He immediately curled around it and went to sleep. Then I wrapped him in a couple of blankets before gently setting him in his crib.” She looked at Spike for a moment before turning back to Sundance. “I call it the “Dragon Ball”.”

Sundance stuffed a forehoof in her mouth to stifle her laughter so she wouldn’t wake Spike. She lowered her hoof a couple of minutes later. “That is a very appropriate name.”

Twilight giggled “Is there something I can help you with?”

Nodding, Sundance walked over to her granddaughter’s desk. Then she summoned a scroll and levitated it to Twilight. “Steel submitted this petition to court a couple of minutes ago. Your grandfather, Celestia and I noticed something unusual about it, but can’t devote any more time to it because of the number of other petitioners in court.”

Curious, Twilight took it in her magic and unrolled it. She took a moment to read it before raising an eyebrow. “Why would he want that tract of land? It’s three hours away from . . . anything . . . if you travel by land.”

Sundance nodded “Midnight, Celestia and I were wondering about that as well. I believe something happened there, but can’t remember exactly what it was at the moment.” She raised an eyebrow when she saw her granddaughter’s expression. “Twilight?”

“If I remember right, that location is . . .” She looked up at Sundance. “Can you watch Spike for a minute? I need to get a couple of books.”

Equally curious, Sundance nodded. She watched Twilight walked out of her office. Her eyes widened when her granddaughter returned a couple of minutes later with a dozen books suspended in her magic. “A couple of books?”

Twilight shrugged “There’s a two in the number twelve.”

Sundance laughed softly She has a point. “Unfortunately, I need to get back to court.”

Twilight didn’t respond because she was busy reading. Shaking her head, Sundance walked out of the office and quietly closed the door behind her.

Three Hours Later

Sundance looked up when Twilight walked into the courtroom. That’s unusual. She doesn’t come to court very often because she is the best researcher we have. This means that the best place for her is the library. Besides, Spike is . . . She smiled when a pair of emerald eyes peeked around Twilight’s neck. Of course she wouldn’t have left him behind.

Twilight walked over to her aunt and grandparents. “I apologize for the interruption. However, I made a discovery about the petition that Grandma asked me to look into. I thought you should know about it as soon as possible.”

Sundance’s smile widened. I knew it was a good idea to ask her. “It’s alright, Twilight. What did you discover?”

“I’ll answer that in a minute.” Twilight turned to one of the unicorns in the crowd. “Please come closer, Steel.”

“Of course, Princess Twilight.” A unicorn stallion with a beige coat walked closer. He used his magic to move his brown mane out of his yellow eyes.

“I would like you to explain your petition.” Twilight commented

“Yes, princess.” Steel replied “It has been determined that the city of Canterlot no longer has enough space to support the growing population.”

Sundance resisted the urge to shake her head. Of course it does. In fact . . . She was pulled from her thoughts by her husband’s voice.

“Canterlot is currently at forty-five percent of its capacity. This means that there is no reason to seek land for an expansion.”

Celestia read the scroll that was suspended in her niece’s magic before turning to Steel. “Even if you did need to acquire additional land to expand the city, it would make more sense to start with the land at the base of the mountain.” She raised an eyebrow. “Why are you seeking that particular tract of land?”

Steel’s eyes widened “Princess Celestia, I . . .”

“I think I can answer that question, Aunt Celestia.” Twilight replied “That was the location of the small town that was created for . . .”

“The emerald mines.” Sundance finished I knew I recognized that location!

Twilight nodded

Midnight Armor nodded as well. “I remember now. It was the subject, and location, of an intense battle that essentially wiped it off the map before we could do anything about it. Your grandmother and I decided to close the mine. We had the ponies who had died buried where they were.”

Sundance glanced at her husband. “We decided to leave the rest of the town as it was. It is now a memorial to those who had lost their lives.”

Midnight Armor nodded to his wife before turning back to Steel. “I would like you to answer my daughter’s question.”

“I would like to reopen the mines so that we can meet the increased demand for emeralds.” Steel immediately replied

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you hear Grandma say that the entire town has been turned into a memorial? This means that you would be literally trampling on the graves of ponies if you go anywhere near that mine.”

Steel turned to her. “Princess Twilight, I . . .” He paused when Twilight shook her head.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that your petition has been denied.”

Sundance nodded “Twilight is correct. I refuse to allow you to disturb the graves of those ponies.”

Twilight turned to Midnight Armor. “I thought that was the reason behind his petition. Therefore, I also looked into our emerald production. You authorized the creation of a new mine in the mountains a few years ago.”

Midnight Armor nodded “We needed a way to meet the demand for emeralds without using the original mine.”

Twilight nodded as well. “Thanks to that, Equestria actually exceeds its demand for emeralds . . . as well as pink and dark blue sapphires.”

Midnight Armor smiled at his granddaughter. I’m glad she decided to look into that. “Thank you, Twilight.” He turned to Steel. “I agree with Twilight. Your petition has been denied. That town, and it’s mine, will remain undisturbed.”

Steel bowed “Yes, King Midnight Armor.” Lifting his head, he glanced at Spike before settling his gaze on Twilight. He glared at her for a couple of minutes before walking out of the throne room.

Midnight Armor shook his head before turning to his granddaughter. “Thank you for your help.”

Nodding, Sundance nuzzled Twilight. “I’m sorry I pulled you away from your research.”

Twilight returned her grandmother’s nuzzle. “It’s alright. It was a nice break.”

Celestia shook her head. “You are the only pony I know of who would consider taking three hours to research a petition a break.”

Everyone else in the throne room laughed when Twilight blushed.

- - - End Flashback - - -

Spike laughed “Dragon Ball.”

Everyone else laughed as well.

Solae smiled at her son before turning back to Sundance. “What happened next?”

- - - Sundance’s Flashback - - -

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia sighed in relief as they walked out of the throne room.

“I’m glad that’s over.” Sundance commented

Midnight Armor and Celestia nodded.

All three of them turned towards the sound of approaching hoofsteps. They raised an eyebrow when they saw Twilight galloping towards them.

“Something must be very wrong.” Celestia commented “I have never seen her run that fast.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor nodded

Twilight skidded to a stop in front of them. “S-spike is gone!”

Midnight Armor, Sundance and Celestia gasped in shock. “What?!”

“I-I needed to put several books away.” Twilight panted “I left him in his crib because he was asleep . . . and the library isn’t dangerous, so I thought it would be alright to leave him alone for a minute.”

“Calm down, Twilight.” Sundance responded “We’ll figure this out.”

Celestia nodded “Let’s start with what you have in your magic.”

Twilight levitated a scroll to her aunt. “I found it on my desk when I got back to my office. I haven’t opened it yet because that was when I noticed that Spike wasn’t in his crib. I searched my office and the library before coming here.”

Celestia unrolled the scroll. Everyone leaned closer so they could read the short message.

If you want to see your pet again, you will give me what I want.

The four of them looked at each other in confusion.

“It doesn’t say what they want . . . or who we’re supposed to give it to.” Celestia commented

Twilight took the scroll from her aunt and examined it closely. “This doesn’t make any sense.” She thought for a moment before casting a magic scan on the scroll. Her eyes widened when she got the results. “T-that’s his magic signature!” She gasped “Could he have taken Spike there?!” She teleported out of the castle before anyone could ask her what she was talking about.

Confused, Sundance lifted the scroll with her magic before casting another magic scan on it. Her eyes widened when she got the results. “This is Steel’s magic signature!”

Midnight Armor’s eyes widened as well. “The petition! Do you think Twilight is headed for the old emerald mine?”

Sundance nodded “We should hurry.” She teleported the three of them outside in time to see that Twilight was already roughly three hundred feet away from them.

“When did she get that fast?” Celestia asked

Midnight Armor chuckled “It seems that the changes I made to her training regimen are working.”

Sundance and Celestia nodded

Midnight Armor glanced at both of them. “Let’s go.”

The three of them quickly followed Twilight. They caught up with her just as she arrived in the air above the old emerald mines.

“There is no way that he could have gotten here this quickly.” Twilight looked around for a moment before turning to the left. “Let’s see . . . He’ll probably approach from the west.”

“Good point.” Midnight Armor cast a Camouflage Spell on his family. “Let’s wait here for them.” They landed on a large hill just outside of the old mining town.

Sundance nodded I hope we’re right.

Just Under Three Hours Later

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia and Twilight turned when they heard a loud cry followed by an even louder shout. All four of them immediately spread their wings and took flight.

“Stop squirming, you little bag of scales!” Steel snapped “I swear . . . if you burn me one more time, I will kill you before Princess Twilight gets here.”

Spike responded by letting out a blast of uncontrolled fire.

Steel yelled in pain.

“Good boy, Spike.” Twilight dove towards the green flame. “I’m crushing the largest ruby I can find for your dinner tonight.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia silently followed.

Steel gasped in shock when Spike was suddenly suspended in a field of magenta magic. “What’s going on?! There shouldn’t be anypony else here yet!”

Twilight narrowed her eyes when Steel tried to take Spike back. “I don’t think so.”

Sundance shook her head as she watched Twilight easily overpower Steel’s magic. I am the only one who has a chance of overpowering Twilight’s magic . . . and that would be extremely difficult.

“W-who is that?! I have never felt magic this powerful!” Steel could only look on as Spike was levitated into the air.

Midnight Armor released his Camouflage Spell.

Spike immediately stopped his flame when he saw Twilight. Laughing, he reached out for her as she levitated him closer.

“I should have known.” Steel glared up at Twilight. “How did you discover our location so quickly?!”

Ignoring him, Twilight nuzzled Spike as she cast a magic scan on him. She sighed in relief when she got the results. “He’s not hurt.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia sighed in relief as well.

Twilight nuzzled Spike again before setting him on her back and using her magic to ensure that he would stay there.

Steel gasped in surprise when he suddenly noticed that he was suspended in a field of golden magic.

Celestia levitated him into the air and placed him in front of her father.

Midnight Armor narrowed his eyes. “Steel. You are hereby stripped of your position and any power that came with it. You are also under arrest for foal-napping.”

“Why do you care?!” Steel responded “He’s just a baby dragon! You will find dozens just like him if you go to the Dragon Lands.”

“That is where you are wrong.” Twilight replied

Steel glared at her. “What are you talking about?”

“Spike is the son of Solae, Queen of the Dragon Lands.” Twilight responded “She placed him in my care because he imprinted on me when I hatched him. This means that he is a member of the Royal Family of Equestria and the Royal Family of the Dragon Lands.”

Steel gasped in shock. “W-what?! I-I didn’t know that!”

Sundance came to a stop next to her granddaughter. “We heard you threaten to kill Spike. Therefore, you are also charged with Conspiring to Commit a Murder.”

“I-I didn’t mean it like that, Queen Sundance!” Steel insisted “I-it was just that he wouldn’t stop releasing fire.” He nodded to his left side. “Look at what he did to me!”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you put up a fight if you were being taken somewhere against your will by a stranger?”

“That dragon is just a baby!” Steel protested “There is no way that he has the ability to think like that.”

“You made the mistake of taking a baby dragon away from the one that he has imprinted on.” Twilight explained “Spike cries and breathes fire whenever he can’t see me. Additionally, he isn't even a week old. This means that he doesn’t have the ability to control his fire yet.”

“P-perhaps taking him wasn’t the wisest decision I’ve ever made.” Steel stammered

“You could say that.” Sundance replied “I will see to it that your wounds are taken care of when we return to Canterlot.”

Steel sighed in relief. “Thank you, Queen Sundance.”

“Then you will be placed in the Royal Dungeons while you await trial.” Midnight Armor added

- - - End Flashback - - -

Solae, Bern and Luna stared at Sundance in stunned silence for several minutes before turning to Twilight and Spike.

“W-wow” Luna said softly

Bern nodded

“Were you able to determine why he took Spike?” Solae asked

“Steel was planning to demand a large ransom for Spike’s safe return.” Twilight answered “He was going to use the money to relocate the bodies of the ponies who were buried in that small town before reopening the mine.”

Celestia nodded “It turned out that he was planning to sell the emeralds at a lower price than the ones that came out of the legal mine in the mountains.” She resisted the urge to shake her head. He was good at his work, but allowed his greed to get the better of him. That was what caused him to lose everything.

Solae turned to Twilight. “That just proves Bern’s point.”

Surprised, Twilight asked “What do you mean?”

Solae laughed “You went out of your way to find Spike as soon as possible. Then you made sure that he wasn’t harmed as soon as you found him . . . before calming and protecting him.”

“What did you think I was going to do?!” Twilight immediately responded “He was just a baby!”

Solae laughed harder “That is exactly what I’m talking about. You are his mother as well.”

“B-but I . . .” Twilight stammered

Laughing softly, Sundance nuzzled her granddaughter. “She’s right.”

Twilight and Spike turned to each other.

After a moment, Spike asked “Do I have to call you “Mom”?”

Twilight slowly shook her head.

Spike sighed in relief. “Good. I like Twi better. Besides, calling you “Mom” would be weird.”

Everyone else laughed

“I think we should retire for the evening.” Sundance waited for everyone to nod before teleporting everyone to where they would be spending the night.

Sundance and Midnight Armor appeared in the middle of their room. He closed and locked the door while she used her magic to pull the curtains over the windows and pull the blanket on their bed back.

Sundance climbed into their bed and rolled onto her side. He lay down next to her and pulled her closer before using his magic to pull the blanket over both of them.

Sighing in pleasure, Sundance nuzzled her husband before laying her head on a pillow and closing her eyes. Laughing softly, Midnight Armor returned her nuzzle before doing the same. Both of them were asleep within a few minutes.

Twilight appeared in the middle of her room. “I think I’ll read a little before going to bed. Maybe I . . .” She cut herself off with a yawn. “On second thought, I think I’ll go to sleep now.”

She used her magic to close the curtains as she walked over to the large four poster bed against the back wall. Yawning again, she lay down and pulled the covers over herself. She was asleep within a minute.

Celestia and Luna appeared in the middle of Celestia’s room.

Luna looked around. “It looks like Father forgot to have another bed brought in here again.”

Celestia laughed “Perhaps we should just plan on sharing my bed until your room is ready.”

Also laughing, Luna walked over to her sister’s bed and climbed under the covers. “You’re probably right.”

Celestia used her magic to close the curtains and turn off the lights before joining her sister. “Good night, Luna.”

Luna smiled “Good night, Celestia.”

In the courtyard, Solae and Bern were lying next to each other in front of the fire. Spike was laying on a blanket in between them. They glanced at each other before turning back to their son.

Spike had laid his head on the pillow and wrapped the second blanket around himself before curling into a ball. Then he had quickly fallen asleep.

Solae laughed softly “Twilight and Sundance were correct. “Dragon Ball” is definitely an appropriate name for this.”

Smiling, Bern nodded “Seeing this in Queen Sundance’s memories was one thing, but I’m glad we got the chance to really see this.”

Solae smiled at him. “I am as well.”

Bern turned back to his son. “He didn’t do this last night because he was so cold that he placed himself right in front of the fire.”

Solae nodded “He is still small enough that he is affected by cold temperatures. I’m glad that Sundance provided the pillow and blankets for him tonight.”

“I am as well.” Bern replied “That has obviously made him more comfortable.”

Both of them lay their heads on the ground and closed their eyes and allowing themselves to fall asleep.

The Next Morning

Twilight, Luna and Celestia opened their eyes at the same time. Luna lowered the moon and Twilight lowered the stars. The Celestia raised the sun.

Twilight teleported to the door to her grandparents’ room. She was about to open it, but paused when she heard another teleportation spell. Surprised, she turned to see that Celestia and Luna were standing next to her.

Smiling, Luna took a couple of steps forward and nuzzled her daughter. “Good morning, Twilight.”

Twilight returned her mother’s nuzzle. “Good morning, Mom.” She turned to Celestia. “Good morning, Aunt Celestia.”

Celestia laughed “Good morning, Twilight.” She looked at the door to her parents’ room. “Are you ready to wake Mother and Father?”

Luna and Twilight nodded as Celestia opened the door.

Midnight Armor woke to a gentle nuzzle. He slowly opened his eyes and looked to his left . . . and smiled when he saw his youngest standing next to the bed. “Good morning, Luna.” It’s going to be a while before I get used to the fact that she’s really back.

Luna returned her father’s smile. “Good morning, Father.”

Midnight Armor’s smile widened when he saw that Celestia and Twilight were standing near the foot of the bed. “Give me a moment to wake Sundance.” He gently nuzzled his wife.

Celestia, Luna and Twilight laughed when Sundance buried her face in her husband’s shoulder.

“Some things never change.” Luna commented “Mother always hated waking up in the morning.” She teleported onto the bed before leaning down to nuzzle her mother. “It’s time to wake up, Mother.”

Sundance slowly opened an eye. “Luna?”

Luna laughed softly “Yes, Mother.” She was about to say something else, but paused when she realized that Sundance was whispering something. Curious, she leaned closer.

“I-it wasn’t a dream. My little girl is really back.”

Tears came to her eyes as Luna stared at Sundance. M-mother . . . She lay down before nuzzling her mother again. “That’s right, Mother.” She said softly “It wasn’t a dream. I’m really back.”

Sundance responded by pulling her youngest into a tight hug. “I want you to tell me if something is bothering you . . . or if you feel anything unusual. I-I don’t think I can bear to lose you again.”

Luna buried her face in her mother’s neck. “I promise.”

Midnight Armor smiled I don’t know what they’re discussing, but it doesn’t matter. I refuse to interrupt them. Luna has always been closer to me than she was to her mother. Therefore, it has been a very long time since I last saw them like this.

Sundance nuzzled her youngest before releasing her so she could stretch. Then she teleported to the bathroom that was attached to the room that she shared with her husband.

Midnight Armor used his magic to pull his youngest closer before whispering in her ear. “I know that you were never very close to your mother, but there is something that I think you should know.”

Curious, Luna nodded.

“She was devastated when we lost you.” Midnight Armor said softly “In fact, it was over a month before I saw her smile . . . and at least three before I heard her laugh. Additionally, she still believes that it was partially her fault that you were taken over by the Nightmare.”

Luna gasped I-I had no idea . . .

“That is part of the reason that she tried so hard with Twilight.” Midnight Armor quietly continued “She wanted to ensure that your daughter didn’t go through the same thing that you did.”

Lifting her head, Luna stared at her father in shock. She was about to say something, but paused when the door to the bathroom opened. I’ll talk to Mother later.

Sundance smiled at Celestia and Twilight as she walked into the room. “We should wake Cadance before heading to the dining room.”

Celestia and Twilight nodded while Midnight Armor and Luna climbed off of them bed.

Twilight teleported everyone to just outside Cadance’s room. “I’ll be right back.” She opened the door and walked inside before anyone could respond. She paused just inside the door and looked around. After taking a moment to let her eyes adjust, she walked over to the bed and gently nuzzled her friend.

After a second nuzzle, Cadance stirred slightly “Hmm?”

“It’s time for breakfast.” Twilight said softly

“Okay.” Cadance mumbled

Twilight waited for her friend to roll out of bed and stretch before the two of them walked into the hall.

Sundance smiled at Cadance before teleporting everyone to the dining room.

Blueberry looked up when he heard the teleportation spell. “Good morning, your highnesses.” He nodded to the cart next to him. “I have a large platter of waffles with butter and maple syrup for the ponies to share. There is a plate of waffles that have ruby pieces baked into each one for Spike and two large bowls of rubies for Queen Solae and Bern. There is a large pitcher of milk and another of orange juice for everyone to share.”

Celestia surrounded the cart with her magic before smiling at Blueberry. “Thank you.”

Sundance teleported everyone to the center courtyard.

Solae, Bern and Spike looked up at the sound of a teleportation spell. They smiled when they saw the Royal Family and Cadance.

Twilight took a couple of steps forward before leaning down to nuzzle Spike. “Good morning, Spike. Did the spell work properly?”

Spike nodded “It wore off about ten minutes ago . . . and I’m still warm.”

Twilight laughed “Good.”

Standing, Spike walked over to the left side of the courtyard. “Watch this.”

Twilight’s eyes widened when Spike let out a large blast of dragon fire. “W-wow. That’s at least three times larger than the last time I saw you do that.”

Bern laughed “I gave him a couple of lessons.”

Solae smiled at her son before turning to Twilight. “You have done well, but there are some things that Spike can only learn from another dragon.”

Twilight nodded “That makes sense.”

Bern tilted his head. “There is something that confuses me.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked

Bern nodded to his son. “He tried to describe a type of training that you do with him.”

Spike turned to Twilight. “Target practice.”

“Oh.” Twilight turned back to Bern. “I think it would be easier if we show you.” She glanced at Spike. “Are you up for that?”

Spike immediately nodded

Twilight giggled as her horn began to glow. “Stationary, moving or random mix?”

“The last one.” Spike replied

“Alright.” Twilight responded

Everyone looked up in time to see several spheres of magenta magic appear in the air above them.

“Are you ready?” Twilight asked

Spike nodded

Some of the spheres stayed still, but the rest began to move in random directions and at random speeds. Twilight created three new ones for each one that Spike destroyed.

This continued for fifteen minutes before Twilight allowed Spike to destroy the last moving target. Then she turned to Bern. “We usually train like that for an hour at a time . . . up to three times a week. I stopped this session early because I don’t want our breakfast to get too cold.”

“I-I see.” Bern stammered

Solae just stared at Twilight and Spike in shock. W-wow. I wonder if they will teach Bern and I how to do that. There are a couple of enemies in the Dragon Lands that that technique would be very effective against.

Celestia levitated the bowls of gems to Solae and Bern while Luna poured a glass of milk. Then she levitated that and Spike’s waffles to him. Sundance poured glasses of milk for everyone else while Midnight Armor distributed the waffles. Everyone sat down and began to eat.

Sundance waited until everyone had finished eating before teleporting the cart and empty dishes to the kitchen. Then she stood. “Unfortunately, Midnight, Celestia, Luna and I need to get going.”

Also standing, Midnight Armor nodded “Court will be starting soon.”

Celestia stood as well. “We will see you around noon when we take our lunch break.”

Solae and Bern nodded.

Midnight Armor teleported himself, his wife and their children to the throne room.

Twilight stood as well. “Unfortunately, Cadance and I need to get going as well.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Spike asked

“It’s alright.” Twilight replied “You can stay here. I’m just going to be testing Cadance and creating lesson plans.”

Cadance glanced at Twilight. Testing?

Nodding, Spike walked over to his parents and sat down in front of them.

Twilight teleported herself and Cadance to her office.

Cadance looked around for a minute before turning to Twilight. “You said you were going to test me. What kind of test?”

Twilight smiled at her friend. “I spoke to the principal and a couple of your teachers in the public school you used to attend not long after I officially became your teacher. I discovered that they were considering moving you up a couple of grades, but couldn’t tell me exactly which grade you belong in.”

“I-I see.” Cadance slowly replied I didn’t know about that.

“There is no way for you to fail this test.” Twilight set a thick stack of paper, a quill and some ink in front of Cadance. “This is because it is used determine where a student is in their studies. As such, some of these questions are going to be too easy and others will be too hard. Don’t worry about the ones that you can’t answer and just do your best.”

Nodding, Cadance sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

“Grandma, Aunt Celestia and I will use the information this tests provides to create the appropriate lesson plans for you.” Twilight continued “Let me know if you need anything.”

Nodding again, Cadance picked up the quill and got to work.

Twilight watched her for a moment before walking over to her desk. I’d better get back to my research. Let’s see. I think I left off . . . here we go.

Meanwhile, Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia and Luna appeared in the middle of the throne room.

Luna looked around for a moment. She noticed that there was a dais at the other end of the room with four thrones. Father and Mother’s thrones are in the middle. Celestia’s is next to Father’s and Twilight’s is next to Mother’s. She turned to her sister and their parents. “There’s no one here.”

“Father hasn’t opened the doors yet.” Celestia explained

Sundance nodded “We like to enjoy a couple minutes of peace and quiet before letting the petitioners in.”

“I wish we had thought of that a thousand years ago.” Luna commented

Midnight Armor, Sundance and Celestia laughed

“There are currently only four thrones in here.” Midnight Armor walked over to the dais and sat down on his throne. “Yours is being built so that you will be comfortable sitting on it when you regain your proper form.”

Sundance sat on her throne before smiling at her youngest. “For now, you can sit on Twilight’s. It’s the right size . . . and I’m sure that she won’t mind.”

Luna returned her mother’s smile as she walked over to the throne with her daughter’s Cutie Mark at the top. She sat down before looking up in time to see Celestia sit on her throne.

Midnight Armor used his magic to open the doors to the throne room a little over a minute later.

A large group of ponies immediately began to file into the throne room.

Luna’s eyes widened “Do you usually have this many petitioners?”

“No.” Sundance quietly replied “However, I’m not surprised that there are so many today.”

Luna glanced at her mother. “Why not?”

Sundance smiled at her daughter. “I’m sure that most of Equestria has heard that you have returned. This means that many of these ponies have come to meet you.”

Luna turned back to the crowd of ponies. “I see.” She instantly noticed that many of them were staring at her. Many others were whispering to each other as they gestured to her. She suppressed a sigh. This is probably going to be a long day.

Midnight Armor cleared his throat. “Court is now open.” He nodded to his wife.

Sundance returned his nod before turning to the ponies in front of her. She was about to say something, but paused when one of the ponies spoke up.

“That isn’t Princess Twilight.”

“You’re right.” Another pony replied. “Who is she and why is she on Princess Twilight’s throne?”

“Didn’t you hear?” A third one asked “Princess Luna has returned!”

“Oh yeah.” The first pony responded “You’re right. I bet that’s who she is.”

“Shh!” A fourth pony hissed. “Can’t you see that Queen Sundance wants to say something?!”

Sundance resisted the urge to laugh when the petitioners immediately stopped speaking and turned to her. “Good morning.”

All of the petitioners bowed. “Good morning, Queen Sundance.”

“I’m sure that some of you have already heard about this." Sundance began "However, I would like to make it official. Nightmare Moon returned three days ago.”

The petitioners gasped in shock before beginning to whisper amongst themselves.

Sundance waited for them to quiet down. “Twilight traveled to Ponyville and gathered a team of ponies before heading to the old castle in the Everfree Forest. That is where they engaged Nightmare Moon in battle.”

All of the petitioners gasped

“The ponies that Twilight gathered each connected with one of the existing Elements of Harmony.” Sundance continued “Then Twilight managed to bring the Element of Magic back before unleashing the full power of the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon. This allowed her to destroy Nightmare Moon.”

All of the petitioners gasped again.

The first pony who had spoken earlier, an earth pony stallion, took a couple of steps forward and bowed. Then he lifted his head. “D-does this mean that the pony next to you is . . .”

Smiling, Sundance nodded “This is the youngest of my daughters, Luna. She is the Princess of the Moon and Twilight’s mother.”

Luna was startled when the petitioners let out a thunderous cheer. Her eyes widened when she was suddenly bombarded with questions.

“What was the moon like?”

“You can’t ask her that! It’s insensitive! Don’t mind him, princess. He’s just an idiot.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“What do you think of Equestria now, princess?”

“How are you settling in, princess?”

“Are you going to be joining King Midnight Armor, Queen Sundance and Princess Celestia in court, Princess Luna?”

“I read about an interesting ability called “Dream Walking” yesterday. The book said that you are the only one with that ability, Princess Luna. Is that true?”

W-which one should I answer first? Luna was pulled from her thoughts when Sundance cleared her throat.

“I understand that all of you have questions. However, I ask that you take turns and be respectful. Additionally, my daughter will not be answering any questions about her time on the moon. In fact, I believe it would be best if we avoid that topic for the time being.”

All of the petitioners nodded “Yes, Queen Sundance.”

Comments

[Dr Mysterious Shade]

You know what, this is an awesome story so I'm just going to ignore the 'dragonball' pun.

[Ebonysdagger]

Midnight Armor, Sundance, Solae, Bern, Celestia, Luna, Spike, Shining Armor, Lavender, Rose and Ruby sighed in relief.

Are you trying to pad out your story or is something else going on here? You list every individual name over and over when you could have just said everyone or some other grouping phrase. I've noticed that in past chapters too. The story is enjoyable but that padding is somewhat irritating.

[Edguy0009]

9493687
I'm amused by it enough to smile.
Well my first guess as to the fate of Marble WAS correct.

[Viper Pit]

This was nice chapter =w=

[lillytheomegawolf]

Enjoyable.
The dragonball made me lol and I rather enjoyed the flashbacks.

Funny how twiluna shipping can be bent to be mother / daughter and still work. Cause here it’s torally working very well

The bits with cadence makes me keen to see more of her and shining armour like how their lil date went.

[Legatus]

Twilight rolled her eyes. “What are you . . . five?”

ROASTED! WOOOO! STUCK IN THE HOSPITAL WITH A 99999999 DEGREE BURN!

I think this calls for a celebration!

[Bryan Luna]

9527819
Well that just saved me from yet another spelling error. Also I have seen this used

barer

a lot.

[Edguy0009]

Solae just stared at Twilight and Spike in shock. W-wow. I wonder if they will teach Bern and I how to do that. There are a couple of enemies in the Dragon Lands that that technique would be very effective against.

Anyone else want to see this happen?

9529576
Oh okay and your welcome.

[Edguy0009]

Marble glared at Cadance. I will find a way to punish her for what she has done to me.

Good luck with that.

[thedarkalicorn]

any idea when we can expect an update and new chapter?

[Baxter1984]

9681785
I'm sorry. I've been working between 40 and 48 hour weeks lately. Fortunately, I have tomorrow off. I can't make any promises, but I will try to post something then.

[Silent_Knight]

9529576
I think the use of barer is used alot cause it takes that little bit more to remember that extra "e" in the word to make it the correct spelling

Bare

adjective, bar·er, bar·est.

without covering or clothing; naked;nude:
bare legs.

without the usual furnishings, contents,etc.:
bare walls.

his bare dislike of neckties.

unadorned; bald; plain:
the bare facts.

(of cloth) napless or threadbare.

verb (used with object), bared, bar·ing.

to open to view; reveal or divulge:
to bare one's arms; to bare damaging newfacts.

So ya barer is and adj. of bare meaning more neked

[Bryan Luna]

9748594
Yeah, that makes sense. Such mistakes tend to be the result of generally small oversights.

[Silent_Knight]

9748864
Yup also english is weird with too many same sounding words with different meanings

I.e there, their, they're and your, you're also to, too, two(I MEAN COMON ONE OF THOSE IS A NUMBER IN WORD FORM lol) i bucking love english... Except in anime i actuall prefer subbed over dubbed

[Bryan Luna]

9748882

Yup also english is weird with too many same sounding words with different meanings

That is actually something of an understatement actually. It's totally true though.

As for dubbed or subbed anime, it depends on the voice work.

[Baxter1984]

9956820
What part of that is racist?

[Brian Core]

This is a long comment and its critiquing issues I found within this story. The tl;dr is that this story has potential but it's being squandered by poor writing decisions with some instances going nowhere and feeling shallow while others had a lack of or repetitive reactions to the same situations.

I usually tend to get excited when I see stories have a low chapter count but high word count. I was looking forward to seeing some more fluff considering how this fanfic diverges from the source material. While it had a strong start, there eventually came repetitious responses to situations for one after another and it felt like the mini splits in focus on characters were really forced.

The lack of paragraping reminds me of off the cuff roleplay you may do with your friends over a chatroom medium like Discord or Steam and what is shown here is basically the chat logs cleaned up from each of the participants. In chapter 5 of this fanfic petitioners gasped three times in what could be the span of one paragraph over Princess Luna's return. First time was alright but the consecutive occurrences quickly became redundant and left me asking if there isn't a better way to convey how these ponies felt.

This story has the potential of being a beautiful fluff piece and what I had expected once NMM had been defeated there would be more segments at length telling how in this story Twilight would be bonding with her returned mother and making up more on lost time than what there really was given. Perhaps with Princess Luna's power over dreams she could've conjured up memories in the dreamscape to share with Twilight when the former was carrying the latter in the womb which could also give more insight into the stallion whom sired Twilight and Luna had married.

[KingChaos]

For a first book this is a wonderful start. Certainly better than my own first which I took down for rewrites

[Baxter1984]

Don't worry People and Ponies. The next chapter is coming soon. In fact, I am working on it now. I should be able to post in the next day or two.