The Day that Lasted Forever

by Homeshine

1:This is your Home

"I think there's something wrong with this clock." Homeshine, Matron of the Home for Wayward Youngsters stared incredulously at the clock reading 10 PM in the middle of the day. "Lewis Carroll would be pleased."

"Who?" Pink Punch walked into the kitchen, currently the only other occupant of the Home.

"It's a poem: 'The sun was shining on the sea, /Shining with all his might ...
And this was odd, because it was/ The middle of the night." Homeshine continued, "Maybe it needs to be rewound? I'll try to find the key. Of course, there also could be something wrong with the Limbo spell. I'll need to check with Princess Platinum before we do anything drastic to it. In the meantime, are you hungry? We have a full icebox again."

"No. I just wanted to find you. There are unicorns at the door who won't talk to an 'air-headed pegasus' ."

"Oh for- I thought we were over this by now; but then again, I still get weird looks whenever I go outside into Unicornia. Almost makes me want to go back to Pegasopolis. Hello, dearies. I'm mistress of this Home; what can I give you?"

"Oh!" The two unicorn guards looked surprised. "We were under orders to escort Mistress Homeshine to the palace for Princess Platinum. Can you prove you are she?"

She pointed to her cutie mark with one wing, turning sideways to flank the guards. "See? A sign pointing the way home, which gives off the shining light of Homeshine."

"But she could have made that up," responded one guard, facing the other.

Homeshine gave a deep sigh and stomped back through the open door, "Punch, can you go outside please? I'm told this will work even with ponies inside, but I don't want to chance it just yet."

Homeshine returned with what appeared to be a key held in one wing, but it wasn't a normal key. For one thing, it was comically oversized, with a ring the size of a baseball, and a brass replica of a unicorn horn sticking straight out from it as the key itself. Homeshine tapped it to the similarly-shaped keyhole that was obviously meant for it, but instead of locking as a normal door would...

the entire building disappeared.

Homeshine, Pink Punch, and two even further surprised unicorn guards were suddenly standing in a grassy clearing just off the marketplace square.

"I trust that is enough evidence. Shall we be trotting on now?"

* * *

"Homeshine!" Filly Celestia and Luna ran up to Homeshine and glomped her in a hug. "We missed you!" "did you get us anything?" "Did the spell work?" "Are you here to see Auntie Platinum?" "You brought Pink Punch!" "Are you settling in good, Punch?"

Regal Princess Platinum exquisitely descended the stairwell proper. "Girls, thank you. I have things to discuss with our guest here."

"Can we watch?" "Can we stay?" "We'll be quiet." "Very quiet."

"Of course, I want you to hear this; it involves the spell you two authored, after all. But first, does the Limbo spell still work on your Home? We tested it mightily, but..."

"Oh yes, as these two guards can attest, it works brilliantly; thank you, again! And thank Starswirl again for me. It's made The Mission a LOT easier! Whenever we hear about a child displaced from the war, we can pop over there immediately. Although the only one I've collected so far is Punch, though I'm sure there will be more to come."

"And us! Oops, we're supposed to be quiet!"

Princess Platinum smiled at that. "Well, isn't your home here now? It's quite exquisite?"

As the fillies looked down at the ground and shuffled a bit, Homeshine consoled them, "Of course, Home will also be a home for you as well; it always will be. It has that certain effect on everyone." Homeshine gave them a warm smile, which seemed to rekindle their spirits.

"I also want to thank you especially for taking care of my little darlings during the war, after what happened to their parents. I don't know what else we could have done."

"I want to thank you and Starswirl for the Limbo spell, putting Home outside of space; it allowed me to help so many. I don't know what else that we could have done. It's what I've always wanted to do."

"... But that's not why I called you here. We're having a bit of trouble with the spell that resets the cosmic clock. You may have noticed it by now. The Sun is sort of ... stuck.

"What do you mean?"

"You may have noticed, but it's further after ten at night right now and ... well... it's not, night that is. It's still day."

Celestia and Luna snickered at that, "Do you want us to help you?"

Princess Platinum smiled down at them, "If you could, please." Then she looked up at Homeshine. "We may have to pause the Limbo spell, in case it has something to do with this, somehow. Although I don't see how it would, we need to try. You can pop your Home down in the castle courtyard while Starswirl and I run some tests. Although you can stay in the palace proper for tonight, if you want."

Homeshine started to answer, "Well, I feel more comfortable in my-", before Pink Punch interrupted.

"Oh, can we?! I've always wanted to! Please?"

Homeshine grinned and backpedaled, "Very well. I guess we have no choice but to accept."

"Oh Good, I was wondering if I should insist. The castle chef is making us a wondrous dinner soiree celebrating the reuniting of the three tribes. I think you'll see a few friends there."

"Oh no, not Commander Hurricane."

"Oh, I thought you'd be pleased. But you are my guest at the occasion. For once, you will outrank him."

Oh. Oh. Oh, yes.

"Oh, that does please me." Homeshine rubbed her front hooves together, "That pleases me a great deal."

* * *

"Why does everyone think I'm a girl just because I'm pink?" Pink Punch refused a hair ribbon some troubadour was trying to stick in his hair.

"At least they realize you're a pegasus. They keep thinking I'm a unicorn. Princess Platinum kept trying to give me dresses that didn't have any wing slits. You need to realize that they mean well; they're simply trying to give us something because they like us. Take it as a compliment."

Punch huffed in a corner.

"You can go to bed, instead, if you want. I think it's finally nighttime outs-"

Pink Punch interrupted, "No! I want to stay here with you!"

Finally, a guard opened the double-doors to the great hall, "Mademoiselles, dinner is served."

Homeshine and Punch strolled in and sat next to Princess Platinum at the head of the table, across from Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead.

Homeshine game them the biggest cheesy grin, "Why hello there. Fancy running into you again, Commander. I haven't seen you since the day you burned down my orphanage. How have you been since then?".

And she said it right into his big, surprised face.