Act 1: Mommy Fearest

"Urrrrgh...come on..."

In the recesses of her personal trailer, the azure showmare's horn glowed and faded as she panted in front of her vanity mirror. Furrowing her brow and squinting her eyes, she dug deep into her magic and attempted the spell again.
Several luminescent ribbons of light slowly emerged from the tip of her horn, wrapped their way down the withers of her body like silk bandages and began to condense along her back.
A bead of sweat ran down her cheek as her magical font strained, but a gritted, toothy grin started to creep up as she looked upon the transparent and colorful shape starting to form.

Yes...yes...that's it...urrrm...just a little more...j-just a little more...just...a little...

"Trixie?"

"EEEP!!"

Hopping back on one leg in a mortified state, as if she had just been caught naughtily divulging in a very guilty pleasure, her spell shattered into a million particles of multicolored droplets before the librarian and her assistant at her open door. Collecting herself as much as possible, Trixie drained the flush from her cheeks and magicked on her trademark hat and cape that were hanging from her rack.

"Have you heard of knocking, Twilight?"

"We did...three times," Spike deadpanned.

Twilight closed the distance between them. "Was...that the butterfly wing spell I used on you back there?"

Trixie scratched her foreleg, a telltale sign of a slightly defensive position. "Well, what if it was?"

Spike couldn't help but give a little chuckle at her expense. "You really miss those wings, don't you?"

"No!" Trixie took a moment to realize even she didn't believe that remark. "Okay, yes. But that's not the only reason!"

"But is it the biggest?" Spike playfully teased.

An undignified and scrunchy frown said it all, no comment.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie, magnificent as she is, is always looking to expand on her artistry, and you all saw how everypony in Cloudsdale loved her fanciful wings..."

"Until they burned up."
A heavy nudge from Twilight told Spike this was his first warning.

"So she thought maybe she could add it to her list of awe inspiring and jaw dropping performances. At ground level of course! No higher than twenty hooves! You see what Trixie's saying?"

Twilight cocked an eyebrow, and then gave a friendly smile. "Well, I suppose that would be a pretty flashy spell to use on stage. But using it even once took a significant drain on my own magic. How long have you been trying to replicate it?"

Trixie shuffled a hoof on the floorboards. "Since we got back from Cloudsdale..."

"What? That was six weeks ago!" Twilight slowly circled around her friend. "Is that why you've asked me for research on increasing the depth of your natural magic font?"

Trixie nodded. "Not that the Great and Powerful Trixie needs to be more magical, but you...are the Element of Magic, so perhaps...you could be the only unicorn worthy enough that...maybe...could give Trixie a little help?"

Twilight smirked. "If you say please..." she answered with her head held high.

Trixie rolled her eyes as Twilight broke down in a giggle. "Seriously though," she continued, "I'm afraid the easiest way to increase your reserves is to simply keep practicing your spells. There may be some lifestyle or dietary factors to consider too, but all in all, it's basically just a long term regime of daily spell casting. And even then, some unicorns just grow faster than others. I'm sorry to say, but it may be a few more months of practicing that spell before you can build enough magic to make those wings Trixie."

"Wonderful..." Trixie groused. "Only you, Twilight Sparkle, would think hours of spell practice would be fun."

"Well, if you really want to try some costlier spells there might be a faster way of doing it," Twilight said with an offering hoof.

Her number one assistant reeled in feign horror. "Gasp! No! Twilight, of all ponies, taking shortcuts?"

"It's not a shortcut as opposed to a different direction Spike," Twilight unamusedly lectured. "Trixie, are you familiar with the concept of setting a casting grid? It's an arcanist spell class technique frequently used by the unicorn tribes during the pre-classical era. Back then, the unicorns were the ones that raised the sun and moon, so they needed to pool large amounts of magic all at once periodically. A casting grid creates a temporary link between multiple unicorns, creating a focal point for their energies. A grid can be structured several ways, each pony could cast into point, strengthening the effect of a singular spell, or the ley conduits could be centralized over a smaller portion of the casters, increasing their parameters by at least n-fold to the number of spellcasters in the grid."

Twilight realized she was going to have to tone it down a grade when all she received was a blank stare from the both of them. "Basically, you create a magic circle that allows you to access my magic as well as yours."

"Ohhhh..." her two lecture students chorused in dawning realization. Spike then rubbed a finger under his chin for a moment. "Doesn't that seem like cheating?"

Twilight shook her head. "It's not cheating. It's a spell technique that allows a unicorn to cast a spell using the power of other nearby unicorns."

"So it is cheating."

Twilight's ears flicked downwards in annoyance. "No! Trixie would still be doing all the work, she'd just be using me as an extra supply of power, focus, and stamina."

"So you're saying that she'd be using your magic to cast her spell?"
"Exactly!"

Spike spread his arms out in a smug, telltale presentation. "Cheating!"

Twilight gave an exasperated groan and ran a hoof down her face. The little dragon just didn't understand the higher concepts that went into magical theory sometimes. "Anyways, if you were to make a micro-grid between the two of us that could share our magic in the same pool, there'd certainly be more than enough to allow you to cast any spell you wanted so long as you knew it."

"Trixie is sensing a big 'but' here..." the magician said with a raised eyebrow.

Twilight's smile drew a slight wince. "Well...the strain on your magic font would be considerably less, but more complex."
"Explain."
"Well you see, creating and maintaining the casting grid is a spell in and of itself. So in actuality, you'd have to be simultaneously casting at least two different spells in order to utilize the grid. Multitasking and chaining spells, or spellweaving as it's called, is a very advanced unicorn skill that relies almost completely on control and not power, and is difficult to acquire for most unicorns. Even I'm a little shaky with it sometimes."

A dead silence followed.

"B-but of course, you're well above the average unicorn too! And transmuters and conjurors are the most intricate among spell professions anyway! So you should have no problem with it! You'll have the twice the spellwork, but five times the pony power to do it!"

She quickly went to fishing in her saddlebags for a book. "Here!" She flipped through the pages like a wind blowing across the cover. "I'm sure this volume contained some basics on circle casting...yes!" She slipped in a bookmark and levitated it over onto Trixie's drawer. "That chapter should tell you all you need know. You can come talk to me when you're ready to practice."

Trixie still looked like she had some doubts about Twilight's suggestion, but she seemed to brush it off effortlessly as usual as her mind shifted to other things. "Perhaps, but that will have to wait until later. Tonight is after all, her debut primetime performance at the Latigo!"

"That's right...it's up and coming week at the Latigo. That theater has been booked solid for months! You finally got a slot?"

"Indeed! Trixie was hoping to break out in a true flair of passion with that butterfly spell." She adjusted her hat before continuing. "But, seeing as that mastering it isn't going to be an overnight thing, she might as well take the time to prepare a different act to wow and amaze. It's not as if she needs wings to prove she's already magnificent and flawless as she is already!"

"Flawless? I should hardly think so. If anything, you are a disappointment at best, and disgrace at worst."

Trixie was taken aback at the new voice, well, new in a sense...she couldn't help but feel it sounded vaguely familiar. Regardless, she answered it the way she would towards any heckler, with indignant and haughty aplomb.
"Well! Trixie will have you know this is a private studio, invitation only! And if you've so rudely barged in to simply try and denounce her, she can only wonder what personal shortcomings you're trying to cover up for-"

"Beatrix Midsummer Lulamoon the Second! That is no way to address your elders!"

Trixie's hat fell right off as her pupils shrunk. That...that name...

She suddenly realized where she recognized that voice from. Turing on the spot, she got a good look at the newcomer standing before the open entrance. An aged near-black oxford blue unicorn mare with a cutie mark of a diadem and peacock feather and had a shimmering misty blue mane much like her own that was excellently curled and conditioned without a single stray hair in sight, wearing an expensive spider-silk dress that held many expensive gems and metals sewn into the fabric along with a sparkling silver crescent moon locket, who looked directly into Trixie's eyes with her icy shimmering magenta ones. A pony whom Trixie knew none other as...

"M-m-mother?"

My Little Pony, My Little Pony

Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahhh…

(My Little Pony)

I used to wonder what friendship could be

(My Little Pony)

Until you all shared its magic with me

Great discoveries!

Tricks galore!

A rich slice of life,

And a heartfelt score.

Budding courage

It's an easy feat

And magic makes it all complete!

You have my little ponies

Do you know you're all my very best friends?

"Please, please, do make yourself at home," Orange Sherbet said as she beckoned the maitre d'hotel with the Trottingham Darjeeling on hoof over. "May I say it is both a privilege and a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss-"

"Moonlight. Lady Moonlight Meridian Lulamoon."

They sat in the luxurious lounge lobby of the Orange hotel. Moonlight, alone to one side with nothing but the company of the twin velvet pillows beside her chair. Across from her, the six Elements of Harmony, who were sharing a long lounge sofa, minus Trixie who was standing to its side. Spike chose the carpeted floor.

Moonlight levitated up her filled teacup and took a delicate sip as Sherbet continued. "Yes, Miss Moonlight. Charmed. I certainly hope you find my staff's service to your liking."

"It is gratifying," Moonlight replied with a dull monotone. Everypony shuffled a bit in their seats. The mare before them seemed to protrude an air of regal intimidation, as if she was judging their every move and word. The fact that Trixie was obviously avoiding eye contact with her seemed to make the tension heavier.

"So..." Twilight dared to break the ice. "You're Trixie's mother?"

"Beatrix."

"Huh?"

Moonlight's head turned not to Twilight but towards Trixie, as if she was talking to her instead. "It is proper etiquette to address a noble by their correct name."

"Noble? You're royalty?" Blossomforth asked incredulously.

"No Blossom, there's a difference between the two," Honey corrected. "Nobles don't have to have a relation to the crown. They're just ponies who're entrusted with land and power directly by the Princesses or a higher ranking noble."

Moonlight took another slow sip of her tea. "Your statement is true, in a technical sense."

Honey's brow furrowed. It was the way that mare said it and the tone and posture she carried it with that seemed to make her feel she was actually saying 'yes, you are correct, but you are also completely and absolutely wrong'. Whether this was the imposition she was going for or not, it was already quite clear to Honey she was not going to be on the friendliest terms with this mare.

"Oh...OHHH!" Blossomforth's face lit up in realization. "You must be pretty important then! And this must be a really special occasion to visit too! Being a noble sounds like a lot of responsibility, a real lot of responsibility. And if I know anything from my seniors on the weather team, more responsibility equals more work. So it's probably been a long time since you've seen your daughter!"

The clink of Moonlight's tea plate being set on the table was no louder than a click of the tongue, yet from her, it seemed to create a deafening silence.
"Indeed, far too long it seems."

"Um...? I'm sorry?" Twilight looked to Trixie, but saw her friend was still reluctant to join in on the conversation. "Is there something wrong?"

Moonlight got up from her seat, and walked over to stand directly in front of her daughter. After several moments waiting for her to meet her eyes, she discarded her patience and spoke with authority.

"Beatrix Midsummer Lulamoon the Second, fifteen years has been long enough for you to outgrow your senseless pursuit of tricks and tomfoolery. You are to come back with me to Canterlot immediately."

"WHAT?!?" everypony shouted, but none more louder than Trixie.

Moonlight continued regardless, unperturbed. "Princess Luna's return has prompted a need for a series of political reforms, to which many of the noble families are vying for their say in the redistribution of influential sovereignty, including ours. This is perhaps the most opportune moment for the house of Lulamoon to regain all their original prestige and more. To that end, every member of the current household must be exemplified to their peers at their best, especially the household's next of kin. Therefore, it is in both our best interests that you cease your travels, return to the main household, and fulfill your duties as the heir to our name and title under my direct tutelage."

She now had her daughter's full attention as she stamped the floor in front of her.

"How dare you! OUR best interests?! As if! All these years and you still don't ask for what I want! I'm not going anywhere with you! And I'll have you know for a fact that I'm already at my best! My name is famous across the lands far and wide!"

"So I've heard."

The Lulamoon matriarch levitated and placed two stacks of papers before all of them. One was a recently dated issue of the Neigh York Times with a center column picture of the fruit smeared magician running away in disgrace from her unmasked Mare-Do-Well friends. The other was a volume of the Cloudsdale Quarterly, that had a flailing, falling, butterfly wingless Trixie screaming not so gracefully as its cover picture.

Trixie suddenly shrank back in abasement while everyone else rubbed their necks in shame.

"This clearly isn't the kind nor amount of attention I expected you to garner and reflect upon the Lulamoon name when I allowed you this freedom years ago. Had I known such derision to our heritage would come from my neglect, I would have collected you the moment that street performer keeled over-"

"DON'T YOU DARE WRITE HIM OFF AS IF HE'S DEAD! OR AS SOME COMMON STREET PERFORMER!!" Trixie all but shrieked. The entire lobby guests and staff while staring at the scene now, but neither Trixie nor Moonlight seemed to take heed as the magician continued her rant. "Hoofdini took care of me better than you ever did! He actually supported with more than just expectations, he took time for me, gave me hope! He was-"

"A performer," Moonlight coldly cut off. "An entertainer, and above all, inconsequential. His name held no authority or responsibility over others. His abilities had no influence on any policies. His accomplishments provided no lasting impact in the mechanisms of our society. In consequence, it would not matter if he had been born or not."

"And yet you let me go with him!" Trixie hotly argued.

"Precisely," Moonlight stated as if she had just moved a chess piece into checkmate position. "I let you go with him. You only left Canterlot because I permitted you to. And now I am here to say I take. It. Back."

"I'm...I'm a grown mare now! You can't tell me what I can and can't do!" Trixie's words came out bold, but some reason there was uncertainly in their statement.

"As long as I am matriarch, yes I can." Moonlight's voice continued to carry at the same pitch and volume, betraying no emotion. "Remember the rules of our ancestry, the decision of the head is final."

"What? That's ridiculous, she can't possibly mean her word is actual law to Trixie-" Twilight started.

But Honey cut her off with a nudge and a whisper. "Actually Twilight, she might very well be within every right to force Trixie to obey if she's invoking what I think she's invoking."

"Huh?"

Honey drew from her near limitless well of historical knowledge to explain. "During the classical era, the difference in power between the nobles and the commons was much more drastic, and therefore their names carried more weight and power. To maintain order among the limited number in power and prevent radical shifts in policy making, the stable lords made a consensus to establish a hierarchy for family members of each noble house, with the eldest female on top."

Twilight was flabbergasted that such rules had actually been validated back then. "But that was thousands of years ago, that kind of absurd law can't possibly still exist!"

"Technically speaking, it was never officially interdicted. As power continued to decentralize, allowing for the rise of the bureaucratic class, the nobles' controlling influence shifted towards mayors, district attorneys, and federal unions rather than lesser members of the family, rendering the matriarchal rules virtually obsolete. So the nobles just stopped enforcing them at some point. I'm pretty sure almost nopony even knows they still exist anymore."

"Apparently Moonlight isn't one of them," Octavia plainly noted.

Twilight looked from Moonlight's strict impassive face to Trixie's increasingly distressed one. The implications fully sunk in then.
She's not kidding. She really can force Trixie to do as she says. She can take Trixie away from Manehattan, away from us!

"Wait!" She suddenly blurted out. "Maybe Trixie isn't a political savant or proper noble here, but she still makes a difference! She's very important to this city! You can't take her away!"

Moonlight shifted her gaze to the lavender unicorn for only a moment. "You are...Twilight Sparkle, correct?"

"Y-yes?"

And then Moonlight's gaze was off. "Then you out of everyone here should know the significance of upbringing. You will have your own affairs to attend to soon regardless, and would be wise to address them instead."

"Huh?" Twilight was finding this to be her word of the day for some reason.

"Miss Moonlight, if I may speak from experience, perhaps you're being a bit hasty in your judgement to believe this sudden change is most prudent course of action," Sherbet suggested. "Perhaps it would be best if you ascertained our dear companion's acumen personally before reaching any absolute decisions."

"Yeah! There's gotta be something here she can do to prove she's good enough to stay in Manehattan!" Blossomforth encouraged. "Like, uh, maybe..."

"The Latigo!" Spike exclaimed.

Twilight's eyes lit up. "That's right! The Latigo! It's one of Manehattan's biggest and renowned theaters, and Trixie has a performance there tonight! If you come to the Latigo tonight, you can see how much of an accomplished mare she really is!"

"W-what?" Trixie nervously asked.

The others eagerly clamored and and insisted alongside Twilight's declaration to Moonlight. And amongst the chatter and pleas defending their showmare friend, Moonlight raised a solitary hoof to shush them all.

"Very well. At your insistence, as her most current acquaintances, I will observe firsthoof exactly what my daughter has made of herself since our last exchange."

She then proceeded to canter to the exit, pausing only one last time to turn her ever expressionless face to the group. "If you will excuse me until this evening."

Everyone let out a huge collective sigh of relief the moment she was gone. "Celestia's mane, that was sure close!" Blossomforth breathed.

"Still might be," Honey warned. "She's only going to let Trixie stay if she likes what she sees tonight."

"Come on girls, it's in the bag," Spike reassured. "We've all seen her shows. There isn't a pony in Equestria Trixie couldn't wow with the magic she does! You'll show that old mare of yours who wears the cape in this city, right?"

But the only response he got when he turned to Trixie for an answer was a puff of blue smoke, followed by the azure mare tripping over herself out the door.

Act 2: Now you see her...

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Twilight approached the lone caravan wagon with a cautionary gait. She knew this was the one place her friend would run off to, she knew Trixie was clearly feeling upset to have left so abruptly, and she knew the magician need some friendly support more than ever now but had to approach it delicately or she could hurt her pride...again.

What she didn't know was that the floor would be strewn with crumbs and lots of empty packages of peanut butter crackers.

"Uh...Trixie?" Stepping over the discarded wrappers, Twilight made her way to the bedside where she found the azure mare sitting backside on the mattress munching with her sheets halfway over her head.

A gentle prod on her back prompted a yelp and a glare soon after. "You still haven't learned to knock," Trixie grumpily greeted.

"You left the door open," her bookish friend dryly countered. "Trixie, what is all this about?"

"What?" Trixie asked innocently. "I like peanut butter crackers. They're my comfort food."

"I mean why did you suddenly run off and start binging on processed legumes and baked wafers?"

Trixie stared, half lidded into Twilight's eyes, and stuffed another morsel into her frown. "Did you really have to invite her of all ponies to attend my big night?"

"Trixie, she was going to force you to leave Manehattan! We had to do something to try and convince her to give you a chance."

"But did it have to be that? Now I'm going to have to go up on that stage knowing...she's watching me."

Trixie slumped down on her side, rolling the sheets over her, and Twilight gentling pulled them back a bit so Trixie's head could turn back to her.

"Trixie? What exactly is the issue between you and Moonlight?"
"It's not such a big deal, really."
"Oh, I seriously doubt that."
"And just what makes you so sure?"
"Well for starters, you've been using I, my, and me instead of Trixie ever since she arrived."

Trixie started, and then gave Twilight a less than menacing growl. When Twilight didn't flinch, she gave a relenting sigh as her eyes took a more somber slant.

"I...could never please mother. No matter what I did, what I accomplished, it was just never good enough for her. Not once did she ever praise me with a smile, a 'well done', or even a 'you did your best, and I'm proud of you', nothing I did was 'Lulamoon' worthy. I was a failure to my great, great, grandmother's name in her eyes."

"I know this much, that's why you tried to run away-"

But Trixie shook her head at Twilight. "No, Twilight Sparkle. Me running away was just the last straw I took. My mother's disappointment goes much further back than that. Ever since I could light my horn, she drilled me with expectations. 'A Lulamoon never falters, those in the right present themselves with the utmost confidence'. Yet no matter how high I held my head, or how assured I came on, I was met with the same look of disapproval by her. 'I had mastered this spell by your age', 'You should be able to do at least this much', 'Practice this, not that', 'Do not waste my time'. She was always comparing me to herself, and whenever I tried to do any of her spells, they were never as good.

I wanted nothing more than to impress her, and if I couldn't do it with her magic, then maybe I could with some other kind. I started experimenting with other types, I actually found a lot of the things mother wasn't teaching me to be quite fun. When she found out I was playing with illusions and transformations, she admonished me, saying they were pointless and had no use for unicorns of our stature. Still, I had never been so skilled at anything else before. Maybe they weren't as standard as the spells used by archmages, but I just knew these tricks and tinkerings could be made into something grand, something that would live up to our family name. So against her wishes, I continued to play with my 'stage magic'. I was sure she would change her mind once she saw how good I was with it.

Then one day, after months into my practice, I was able to transmute my first firework. I went to show mother and...nearly burned down her bedroom after that. And then...that's when she just gave up. She didn't yell at me, she didn't send me to my room, she just walked out without a word and left me all alone with the ashen remains of my work. The lessons stopped completely, her office was always locked all of a sudden, she wouldn't even look my way at the dinner table. At first I didn't know what was going on, but as the days progressed, I slowly began to realize...my mother had dumped me, me and my magical talents. I could live in her house, I could eat her meals, but I would never be the mare she wanted."

Trixie stroked the edge of her horn as she took a breath to continue. "Do you know why I tried to run away after failing the entrance exam? It wasn't ambition or defiance, it was denial. My mother graduated from Celestia's school for gifted unicorns, valedictorian to boot. It was the most prestigious and difficult of magic schools to get into, every unicorn who was somepony in Canterlot had come from there. If I could have been approved, if I could get in with my talents, it would have no doubt proved to everyone in Canterlot that my magic was not a waste of time, and I would finally be worthy to mother.

...But I didn't. All I proved that day...was that my mother was right. Her mind and skill set got her in, while mine didn't. My talent didn't belong in her world, I didn't belong. That's why I wanted to leave, I wanted to forget it all. The stables, the mages who were deemed better than me..." her tone soured a bit at the next part, "...trying to make my mom happy."

She then sat upright, pounding her mattress occasionally as she started to vent. "And it worked, by Faust, it worked! Out here I became the mare that pleased all with my skills, I became the Great and Powerful Trixie! I was finally happy to be myself! So why?! Why does she have to come and ruin things now? It took me years to put all those unpleasant memories behind me, and never once did she give a chipped hoof to what I did from then on! She wanted me out of her life just as much as I wanted to be out of hers, so why drag me back into it now? WHY?!"

"Because you're an Element of Harmony now."

Twilight and Trixie turned their heads to see the rest of their friends gathered inside the entrance. It actually made Trixie's wagon seem a little crowded and small with this many inside. Honey, the pony in front, stepped forward.

"You're a pony that saved the world, and can solely wield one of the most powerful artifacts in all of Equestria. Moonlight can't afford not to pay attention to you anymore. In the eyes of many ponies higher up, any of us being on their side would be a huge boon to them."

"It is ironic in a cosmic sense," Octavia mused. "Power attracts power."

"Quite," Sherbet agreed. "It's affected all of us to some degree. Did you know that my company's value has tripled ever since the Summer sun celebration? Mosely and I have ten times as many clients and investors than before, it's why he's taking trips every other week overseas. Everyone wants to do business with the Element of Generosity."

Honey gave a pretend wipe of her brow. "Believe me, I am so lucky the world saw Daring Do become the Element of Honesty instead of Honey Do or my museum would be mobbed day in and out. I've heard the whispers almost at least once every day in my halls. 'Daring Do, where is she now? And what world saving discovery is she going to find next?'. Not to mention all the richies wanting to buy any of my exhibits having been labeled 'Discovered by Daring Do', lowest offer I've heard went for ten million bits alone. And I'm doubly lucky Sandy is the type of mare who would never sell the rights to my character to any writer."

"I've had concert listing offers backlogged to as far as five years ahead," Octavia added. "Of course, I do recommend others to those I don't choose."

"Are you sure this isn't just a series of coincidences? I mean, growing up in the palace, I've seen my share of adulation and cajolery, but I think the whole of ponykind better than to treat us like chess pieces in games of power, wealth, and fame. After all, no one's tried to curry favor with me, a simple librarian."

Her friends stared incredulously at her.
"Which was given to you by Princess Celestia-"
"-as per royal decree to her personal student-"
"-with monthly stipend and everything-"
"-so I'm pretty sure everypony knows-"
"-Princess Celestia already called dibs on you!" Spike finished.

Twilight's face scrunched in a scowl of indignant annoyance at the ribbed gang-up on her.

"Hey, what about me?" asked Blossomforth all of a sudden. "I don't think I've gotten any special treatment since I became an Element."

"You sure about that?" Spike asked, knowing all too well Blossomforth's track record.

"Hmmmmm..."

"Thanks for the extra sunflower seeds, Mr. Sprout!"
"Oh, no problem at all for my most loyal of customers. On the house of course!"
"Really? Nice! I'll be sure to tell everyone what great service your seed shop has!"
"Ohhh yes. That would be lovely, and do mention my hours are 6 am to 8 pm Mondays through Fridays...*ca-ching*"

"Hey Blossomforth."
"Oh, hey Stormwatcher. What's up?"
"Well I...thought you might like these..."
"Oh wow! Chrysanthemums! Thank you! I love these!"
"Yeah, uh. I got them from the shop at the Hooflyn Gardens. They're opening a new cherry blossom addition this Saturday. I'm thinking of checking it out, wanna come?"
"You know, you're the tenth stallion today that's asked me about going to that exhibit. I had no idea there were so many guys on this campus that were as interested in botany as I am!"
"Yeah...botany...right..."

"Wow free tickets to the upcoming premiere I've been dying to see and complimentary popcorn?"
"Indeed, congratulations on being our one millionth movie patron!"
"Uh, manager, sir? Our theater doesn't have a millionth customer giveaw-"
*smack*
"Ow! My neck!"
"Oh, and would you like to sign up for our lifetime slushie sweepstakes? Just fill out this sheet, rating what you liked about today's movie experience, and we'll let you know in six weeks if you've won."
"Cool! I'm definitely going to give you five stars at this rate!"
"Sir? That form there is for reputable movie critics only, and we also don't have a sweep-"
*smack*
"OW! My jaw and neck!"

"Mmmm...nope! Mind's drawing a blank!" the flower loving pegasus shrugged.

"The point is Trixie," Honey reiterated, "your name now carries a lot of weight and attention as an element bearer, even more so to those with authority in Equestria. Anything you do is going to inadvertently affect those related to you. It's been long enough for news to spread worldwide by now, and our names are being whispered in every place, especially Canterlot I'll bet. That's probably why your mother wants you back home. Many of her peers are most likely expecting her to come back with you."

Trixie sulked, badly. "So that's it? The only reason she wants me back is because everypony she knows sees me as an asset to her? I don't want this kind of attention, I don't want to go back to Canterlot, I don't want to be a noble, and I certainly don't want to be under my mother's hoof again! She doesn't want Trixie, she wants the Element of Laughter! ...All the more reason I don't want to go back."

"Then don't go back! Is this ancient family rule really so absolute that you have to follow your mother's every word?" Twilight waved her hoof in conjecture. "I mean, what's the worse that could happen if you say no? She can't really make the police or royal guards come here and force you to do as she says, can she?"

"It's not so much as making the authorities enforce that law, but rather what that law's existence makes them can't enforce," Honey stated.

"What the law's what now?" Spike scratched his noggin, not even sure if what the archeologist said was a coherent sentence.

"It's true Twilight, that most guards and cops won't so much as lift a hoof to help Moonlight coerce Trixie, but the old matriarchy rules also stop them from preventing Moonlight to enforce them on her own. She could tie Trixie in shackles, inflict corporeal punishment, even place her under house arrest, and she'd still be within legal rights because one, she's a noble, and two, she's her mother."

Twilight felt sick to her stomach. "That's despicable! How could anypony allow a law like that to even exist?!"

"Like I said, everypony pretty much forgot about it!" Honey hastily tried to calm the upset scholar. "Times were different back then, order was more difficult to keep. I'm not saying any noble actually did go so far as to beat their children within an inch of their life, nopony EVER did anything extreme like that in the entire history of Equestria, I doubt Moonlight would try anything like that. But that's the kind of authority matriarchal rule implies. Yes, it's flawed and is way too open ended, but that's how isolated and disorganized governing systems were back then. Ponies didn't know enough lawmaking to realize the full potential of each rule, and today too few know about what lawmaking did go down to do something about it."

Blossomforth flicked her wings in confusion. "This is getting complicated."

"That's politics for you," Octavia said. "'Tis the art of doing nothing to do everything, and doing everything to do nothing."

"It more than just some silly family law," Trixie said at last, lying flat against her sheets. "The traditions are actually only a pretense she's using as a front. I know the real message she's trying to portray for me."

"And what message would that be?" Twilight asked.

"That she's right again, and knows what's best for me. She knew it was best for me to practice magic her way in order to fit in at Canterlot, she knew I wouldn't be accepted at her school with my razzle-dazzle routine......and now she thinks going back to Canterlot is the right thing for me to do."

"Then prove her wrong!"

Trixie's head turned with mild surprise to the little dragon with a claw on his hip and a finger pointed straight at her muzzle. "That's all you have to do! Prove for the first time in life, that she is wrong, and you are right!"

At first the showmare was at loss for words. "Do...do you even know what you're saying right now-"

"Do YOU know how strange you sound right now?" Spike pulled Trixie down by the cheeks to meet him at eye level. "Tell me, who are you?"

"I-I'm Trixie..."

"You are the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie! You're proud, you're fantastic, and you are not that same filly from fifteen years ago she could boss around!"

"Spike!" Twilight whispered under her breath, "What are you doing?"

"Back me up Twilight," her number one assistant whispered back, "I'm on a roll here."

He clambered up on her back and then leapt onto the drawer chest. "You've battled flying foxes, conquered ancient traps in the Soluna ruins, stopped an astral beast's warpath with nothing but some warm milk and a mobile! You think of new spell variations every other week, leave not a single face you meet without a smile at the end of every day, you even got your own fanclub that's comprised of almost every foal in the city. And this all happened because you came to Manehattan!"

With a flick of his wrist he reached inside and donned a top hat, cape, and handlebar mustache. Pointing a white-tipped wand at her, he raised his other claw high above his head in proclamation. "You ARE the greatest magician on the face of Equestria! And you became that all on your own! Your mother says you're better off in Canterlot? We say you're better off here! We don't need Beatrix Lulamoon, we need the Great and Powerful Trixie! Manehattan needs the Great and Powerful Trixie! The WORLD needs the Great and Powerful Trixie! And tonight, you're going to prove to your mother that SHE needs the Great and Powerful Trixie! Because there isn't a pony in the universe that can't be awestruck by the magical, stupendous feats of wonder by the Great and Powerful Trixie!!"

Taking a wave of Spike's claw as a cue, the magician's friends began to stomp in applause. And above the small din, the baby dragon's voice called out, "So let me ask you again, who are you?"

"I-I'm...the great and powerful Trixie."

"Who are you?" her audience chorused.

She sat up straight, covers off her head. "The Great and Powerful Trixie."

"Who are you?!" they practically shouted.

With a whip of her cape and tip of her hat, the showmare reared up proclaimed with a grin. "THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRRRRRIXIE!!!"

The room exploded in a multi-flash of neon colors as she leapt from her bed. "And tonight, she will show Moonlight Lulamoon she is a unicorn of the highest caliber in her most stunning and magnificent performance yet! She will dazzle and amaze with so many magics unheard of, and make her admit how wrong she was to underestimate her daughter's spellcraft. And above all, she will stay in Manehattan!!"

With that, she paraded out, her cheering squad right behind, minus Twilight who lingered to wait for Spike to take off his inspirational getup.

"You certainly know how to ham a girl up," Twilight thanked with a smirk as he hopped on her back. "Did you practice that all night or what?"

"Eh, just took most of it from your annual final exams panic attacks back at the palace."

And just like that, her smirk was gone. "Gee, nice to know I played such a pivotal role in your skill as a motivational speaker."

"And I say, that's no pitbull, that's my wife!"

The theater seats of the Latigo burst with laughter at the maize earth pony stallion with the conic hat and polka dot bowtie. Among those in the front row were five of the most renowned mares in the city, plus their dragon.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Blossomforth laughed the loudest, then turned to Orange Sherbet. "I don't get it."

"The punchline is that he's implying his spouse barks a lot," her older friend explained.

"Oh, I see." Blossomforth rubbed her chin for a moment. "She should probably check herself into a hospital then, ponies aren't normally supposed to bark."

The Orange matron stifled a titter with her hoof as the comedian took a bow.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, Mr. Comedy Gold!" the voice over the emcee speakers bellowed. The ponies took a moment to clap as the entertainer exited stage right.

Twilight looked at the program for the evening's lineup. "It looks like Trixie's on next," she observed.

Honey took a moment to scan the seats behind her. "Funny, I don't see that Moonlight mare anywhere in the audience."

"Maybe she gave up?" Blossomforth suggested hopefully.

"Shucks," Spike said. "If she did, then I'm really bummed out. This was one Trixie act I was actually looking forward to being cocky and conceited. Won't be the same to not see that stick-in-the-mud's jaw drop to the floor."

"I'm sure she's here somewhere," Twilight reasoned. "Either way, we've got to do our best to cheer Trixie on tonight."

"Fillies and gentlecolts, ponies of all ages, prepare to be dazzled by the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!" The backstage curtain drew back, letting the echoing voice resonance even louder as the azure magician appeared out of the blue mist that enveloped the stage. "For you are about to be privy to the prowess of the greatest magician in Equestria, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!"

She raised her hooves to spell her name in a burst of fireworks. The audience clapped and oooh'd at her presence. Trixie gave an over the top bow and furl of her cape as she grinned at her spectators. "Now for my first act, can I get a volunteer from the crowd?"

"I shall oblige that request."

The audience fell silent with the exception of the five mares and a dragon gasping and Trixie's jaw went slack as a deep, dark oxford blue unicorn shimmered into visible appearance at the base of the stage.

"S-she was right in front of us the whole time?" Twilight exclaimed. "But I couldn't even sense an invisibility spell!"

Ignoring her, Moonlight's horn blinked to warp the stage's edge into a ramp for her to walk up and meet Trixie eye to eye. "Well, Great and Powerful Trixie? You have your volunteer, shall we begin already?"

Trixie stammered, but only for a second. "Ah...ah, of course. Yes! The Great and Powerful Trixie thanks you for your assistance!" Wiping all dumbfoundedness from her face, she turned to her audience and waved a demonstrating hoof over to her stage guest. "Watch closely everypony, for this mare will soon be completely disassembled and rearranged!"

With a glow of her horn, her magic enveloped Moonlight. The crowd gasped in amazement as they saw the volunteer's limb's split off as if they were parts of a doll, leaving her body hanging in mid-air. The tail, horn and head then also came off, and all of them started to loop around Trixie as if she was juggling them. With a few waggles of her hooves, the unicorn was stacked like a tower of building blocks. "Voila!" she proclaimed.

The audience started to applaud, but then Moonlight gave a condescending sigh. "Abysmal..."

With a zapping flash, she was suddenly back to normal. The ponies watching were befuddled, and apparently so was the Great and Powerful Trixie.

"W-what? How-"

"An image distortion field with added sensory deprivation for the target's perspective. You never pulled me to pieces, you only made it seem that way. A simple injection of spatial rendering would easily dispel it."

Moonlight's horn then glowed in counter to Trixie's. "If you really wanted to physically detach my leg, you would bend the space around it, not the light, as so..."

Trixie's front legs began to quiver as the joints around them disappeared. Unbalanced, she fell to the ground as her legs circled around Moonlight in an orbit.

"As you can see, the air around your limb has been folded to create a pocket dimension for it, isolating it from your body. Once the magic holding the fold closed ends of course, the affected airspace will return to normal. But for now, your legs are, in all aspects, apart from the rest of you."

Trixie's two back legs then came off now and floated over. "In addition," Moonlight continued, "The altered space also gives me the ability to reshape the objects within as well as reposition." To demonstrate, the legs before her began to twist and loop like they were being made into balloon animals. With a flash of the horn, Trixie found herself with all four legs again, but they were knotted together like a pretzel, making her look like she was in some funny looking yoga pose.

A few fits of giggles could not be held back as the showmare painfully untangled herself. Moonlight's face, however, remained impassive. "A parlor trick at best, now why don't you show us something real?"

Trixie collected herself with a shake of the head. "Alright neighsayer, you dare challenge the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie? You want something real?" She reared up her legs before bringing them down on the hardwood floor. "Here's real!"

With a groan of wood, and a surge of magic, a huge wooden statue of Trixie's figure rose up out of the floor, towering well over five pony heights in a dramatic pose and flashy smile.

The ponies oooh'd and ahhh'd as Trixie knocked on the base of the imposing figure. "How's that? No slight of hoof here! Solid enough proof of the Great and Powerful Trixie's abilities?"

"C-."

"What?" Trixie took a step back as her mother circled around the wooden model, eyeing every detail.

"A class epsilon metamorphose spell, used on the wood of the stage for a base. Designed for similar, homogenous substances primarily. It reshapes the material, but provides no enhancement or change to the material. It is the third lowest transformation spell by standards and I mastered this level by age eight."

An even larger wooden statue of Moonlight rose up against Trixie's, but the older mare didn't stop there.

"By age nine, I was able to alter the elemental properties of the regents." The light brown wood of the statue suddenly changed to a sleek grey sheen of iron.

"By my tenth birthday, I could inspire dynamic movement by imbuing ambient energy into the product." Creaking and groaning, the iron figure shifted its legs as if it were alive, dismounted its pedestal, raised a solidarity hoof, and smashed the smaller and weaker wooden mare.

Trixie ducked to avoid her hat getting covered in splinters. "Oh...oh yeah? Well here's something the Great and Powerful Trixie invented when she reached eleven!"

Her horn glowed brightly, and the entire pine floor began flourish in green. In a matter of seconds the entire stage had turned into a field of grass and flowers.

"Revitalization spell. You've tapped the latent life force of the organic matter to galvanize a temporary growth. However, the size and quality of the life shown here tells me the spell's strength only reaches the second tier level." Her horn counter-glowed yet again. "Mine can go up to five."

The floor beneath Trixie shook, and without any more warning a trio of tall pine trees sprouted out from right underneath her. Before she realized it, the showmare was suddenly clinging for her life thirty hooves high from the top of a full grown coniferous.

The ponies watching clamored in awe and clapped at the sight.

"They're cheering for Moonlight?" Twilight wondered in disbelief.

"They think it's part of the act," Octavia realized.

"Well at least it beats the alternative," Honey surmised. "Though I can't say this not doing much for Trixie's confidence."

Falling against the many branches, Trixie landed at the base of the trunk with a thud. Getting up, she spat out the pine cone in her mouth, her aggressive face holding a twinge more nervousness in the backs of her eyes.

"Well, how about this then?!" A rainbow fiery serpentine dragon erupted from her horn.

"Unimpressive." It shrank into a tiny implosive dot and with a bang decorated the air as a larger golden hydra that breathed a silver flame.

"Oooo...shocking!!" A thundercloud condensed and shot out wand shaped lightning bolts.

"Mediocre." The cloud darkened, tripled in size, and sent an entire payload of snow on top of Trixie.

"What's this?!" Trixie stuck an egg into her hat and out came a flock of doves.

"Childish." The doves morphed into a quartet of majestic eagles.

"Behold and be amazed!!" A pair of trumpets, an accordion, bass drum, and trombone appeared and began to play a jovial tune all on their own.

"Feeble." An entire autonomous symphony string orchestra drowned them out.

The entire Latigo was in a delighted uproar at the spectacle, but the five mares and baby dragon in the front seats could only grimace as they watched their friend's desperation grow with each passing magical salvo.

"She's throwing everything she's got at her, but she just keeps dishing it back even harder!" Twilight panicked.

After several more rounds, Moonlight raised a stopping hoof. "I've shown a better spell for each one of your tricks thus far. This time, let's see you best one of mine."

"Wha-? Hey! Woah!" Trixie's white and tan pegasi friends were hoisted from their seats and levitated in front of them both. With a beam from the Lulamoon matriarch's horn, a wizened, elderly archeologist and bawling white foal sat where they once were.

Twilight stared, mouth agape. "An age spell? But...how could you do an age spell? That's only for the highest level unicorns!"

"A level I achieved..." Moonlight declared, "through thirty long years of discipline, exercise, and dedication to the teachings and methods of the Lulamoon stable that have been passed down by generations since it first stood." She then stared deep into Trixie's soul, or at least it felt like that on the receiving end. "And what of you? Can this Great and Powerful Trixie say the same?"

"Ah...uh..." Visible beads of sweat could clearly be seen trickling down her cheeks and muzzle.

"Come on Trixie..." Spike breathed as he shook his fists in a chanting motion. "Come on..."

Trixie gulped, gritted her teeth, and blasted her horn at the age changed duo. Her aura enveloped them brightly, but it wasn't long before her magic began to sputter. With a final grunt, she collapsed on all fours, her spell fading and leaving the couple unchanged.

"Hmph." Moonlight pointed her horn again, and within moments Honey Do was unhunching her no longer gray haired back and Blossomforth was wiping away the spittle from the hoof she had been suckling on.

The audience all stood up and gave a walloping round of applause the curtain closed on the stage and the emcee's voice rang out.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

"Trixie!" Twilight had been the first to leave her seat and gallop around backstage as soon as curtain dropped, but the others had soon followed. They all found the unicorn in question sitting near a corner among some unused backdrops, leaning against the side of a sandbag in stunned silence.

"Trixie, are you okay?" Twilight gently asked.

"I...couldn't beat her...again," Trixie emptily murmured. "And even at my own specialty..."

Her friends looked at each other for a minute, then Honey rubbed a consoling hoof over her back.

"Well we think this was your most spectacular performance yet. You did everything right by our book."

"Yes," Twilight affirmed. "What Moonlight did back there wasn't even fair, turning your act into some kind of...magic duel, and then even going so far as to use something as powerful as an age spell. I can't even do an age spell yet. You shouldn't have to be ashamed of anything that stacked against you."

Octavia nodded. "Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory."

"All too true," Sherbet agreed. "Don't fret dearie, we'll work this out together. It's alright."

"It is most certainly not alright."

Everypony turned to witness the approach of the dark blue Lulamoon leader, making a beeline for her daughter. Instinctively, they all scampered in front, forming a wall between the two. But a simple glow of her horn parted the sea of mares and held them back as she continued to walk closer.

"There is no word or action that can fully express how disappointed I am to see that you have not progressed in your abilities even the slightest since you were a filly. If you had stayed under my house, and under my guidelines, even with your ineptitude you would have been able to do at least half of what I demonstrated by now."

"No!" Twilight frantically protested. "Just because your way works for you, it doesn't mean it'll work for Trixie! Every unicorn has their own way of acquiring magic, it's what makes their spells unique!"

Moonlight's icy glare was all it took stop Twilight dead cold. "I have already taken more than enough recommendation from your circle. Your opinion, while noted, is no longer a deterministic variable in my judgement as of right now."

Spike pointed an accusatory claw at her. "Now you see here, Gloomlight-"

His lips were instantly and literally zipped shut with a blink of her magic. "I've seen all that I have needed to see," the elder unicorn mare proclaimed as she loomed over her daughter, looking down upon her shadowed face. "Beatrix Midsummer Lulamoon the Second, gather your belongings. You are leaving Manehattan immediately...

...and you are not coming back."

Act 3: Now you don't!

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A melancholy tune played over the radio on an open windowsill as Blossomforth drearily hovered by, her legs hanging freely as she looked down on the small grass clearing near the city's outskirts she passed by. The small, empty clearing that seemed so much bigger nowadays, especially that large barren rectangular piece of dirt in the middle, an indication that particular spot had been frequented by some cart or wagon of sorts.

The music carried over into the Bridleway area, where Honey was passing by on the way to her museum. She paused for a moment to look up at the grey, overcast sky, then to the side of a decommissioned performance hall. It was all run down and boarded up, but some of the old showing posters, faded and ripped as they were, still hung from cracked and rotting frames. One in particular showed a mystical azure unicorn, surrounded by flashy lights and sparkling objects. The archeologist continued to glumly stare at the advertisement until a stray gust of wind finally managed to peel it off the wall and send it sailing off out of sight.

The song continued to echo throughout the busy streets, right up to a quaint corner avenue outdoor cafe, where Orange Sherbet and Octavia sat at one of the tables. The Orange matron had a cheek deeply pressed into her hoof as she banally stirred her served tea, while the cellist had her hooves folded over the table, just staring down at the plate of sugared biscuits, stale from not having been touched for hours. Simultaneously, they both looked over to the side, where there was nothing but a vacant seat, a bottle of fizzy soda pop, and a packet of peanut butter crackers. They sighed.

Twilight lay on her backside, staring up blankly at the penthouse ceiling of the Orange apartment, a stray leg hanging over the edge of the couch. Next to her, hunched on the ottoman, was her assistant Spike. In fact, every one of her friends were strewn about the living room, lazily slouched over a piece of furniture.

Honey finally lifted a leg off the armrest, reached blindly out to the coffee table in the middle and smacked her hoof on the radio's off button, ending the sad montage.

"This sucks," Blossomforth broke the dull silence that seemed to hang over everypony.

It had been a full week since that night at the Latigo, where they had seen the Great and Powerful Trixie for the last time before vanishing without a trace on the morning after. They all knew it was the only thing on their minds at the moment.

"You never know what you truly have until it's gone," Octavia murmured.

"I miss her third pony references," said Honey.

"I miss her whimsical, superfluous nature and anecdotes," added Twilight.

"I miss her hat."

Everypony looked at little purple dragon with an expression that could only be interpreted as 'Say what?' He retaliated in kind with a shrug. "What? It's a really cool hat she's got."

Mosely walked in, placing a bowl of peeled oranges on the table edge closest to his wife. "Here you go sweetums, a little pick-me-up from our kitchens."

"Thank you darling." As Sherbet pulled a slice off and chewed slowly. As she pulled another one apart, she stopped and looked at the slice, turned it over in her hoof, and then gave a quiet chuckle.

"What is it, Auntie?" Twilight asked, curiosity piqued.

"Oh, just thinking back..." she rambled, staring longingly at the slice she held up like a little smile. "Remember Babs' birthday two months ago? At her family's new orchard? She was the special entertainment and," she chuckled a few more times before continuing, "for one of her tricks she took the fruit platter I brought and rearranged it into a bunch of funny faces? It was so simple, and yet it was my little filly's favorite. Even I laughed when she decorated Redwell's mouth with a banana smile."

Blossomforth giggled. "Heh, you know what my favorite one was? That one time in Central Park, during a picnic, when you, Daring, said I talk so much about flowers you could swear they were practically growing out of my ears. She made a pair of tulips sprout out of them!"

"And then you said you prefer jonquils," Honey snickered. "Yeah, and how about that time when I unveiled that new fifth century tapestry exhibit from Tapiria? She practically scared all the visitors out of their coats when she got the embroidery of Uchchaihshravas* to start dancing across the scenery. Boy, what a crazy day that was."

Octavia smirked. "And there was the Harvest Day parade..."

"The library's book fair..." Twilight reminisced. "She livened up almost everything in this city...and our lives..."

"And now she's gone..." Honey grumbled.

Twilight blinked, and a steely visage of resolve hardened across her face. "No...NO!" She leapt straight from her backside to all fours as she rolled off the couch. "It's not going to end like this! I won't let it! Trixie is our friend, and friends are worth fighting for! I refuse to just lay down and die anymore! We've just got to show Moonlight and the rest of the Lulamoons that Trixie is not their property!"

Honey pulled herself upright, then gave a little smirk. "When you're right, you're right, Twilight. We're not gonna accomplish anything by just sitting around like a pile of sad sacks. It's time for action!"

Blossomforth piped up next. "Yeah! I'm done moping around! I want to have fun again...with ALL my buddies!"

Octavia curtly nodded alongside Sherbet, who spoke foxily. "So Twilight, I presume this calls for a little business trip?"

"Yes!" Twilight declared. "We're going to Canterlot, and bring Trixie home!"

If they hadn't cheered when they did, they might have been able to hear the faintest sounds of tiny hoofsteps galloping away from the room and down the hall.

"This blows."

Babs lay on top of Tangerine's bed, blowing her forelock our her eyes for tenth time since she got there for their crusaders meeting. "I haven't been able to come up with a single thing to crusade for ever since Trixie left! All I can think about is her and that dumb Moonlight mook who stole her from us!"

"It is rather depressing," Tangerine agreed. "I was at Cutup and Spec's fanclub meeting the other day. They could not even find an appropriate comic analogy for how unhappy they were."

The streetwise filly rolled over onto her stomach to better converse with her cousin. "You think they got it bad? Take a look at Firecracker over there, she's crushed!"

The two looked over to the corner, where their newest member, a thin legged, light orange unicorn with a slightly long horn sat huddled against a pair of teddy bears her size. They had met the filly at school a few weeks ago, and had almost given up trying to recruit her when she walked away without a word. It wasn't until they met again at one of Trixie's shows did they find out just how open she could be, and that she was an even bigger fan of her work than the comic reading duo. One thing led to another, and after helping them hunt down a rogue fire starting phoenix, it was clear she was crusader material. Of course, that was an entirely different story for another time.

"Poor girl hasn't said a peep in days. It's like a piece of her got ripped out or something! I've tried everything to perk her up, the pizza parlor, the sundae shop, half price day at the arcade, nuthin' works!"

"It did not cheer me up either," Tangerine reasoned.

Babs sighed. "Yeah, I guess youse right. But beans and cheese, there's gotta be something we can do ta get everypony outta this slump! I'm tried of being miserable and sulky!"

"I am sure if we all put our heads together, we can figure a way to return things to normal."

"Yeah? Well we better think of it soon, cause it's not like an idea's going to come barreling in the room or anything."

Just then, the door flew open and the Manehattan pegasus member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders came stumbling in. "Girls! You'll never guess what I just overheard in the living room!" Featherweight exclaimed.

"I have a possible pink poofy maned sugar loving cousin?" Tangerine asked.

"There's a lost kingdom that's just reappeared after a thousand year curse?" Babs guessed.

"No!" the camera wielding colt shook his head fervently. "The grown ups are all heading to Canterlot to rescue Trixie!"

Firecracker's head shot up, eyes wide and lit up.

"Really?" Tangerine asked. "That is wonderful news!"

"Yeah! I'll bet they'll give those no good noble punks the ol' one two and-"

"WE'RE GOING TOO!!"

The three of them jumped back at the sudden outburst of their unicorn friend, who was stuffing as many items and supplies as she could into her bulging saddlebags. "We're going to Canterlot too, and we're going to help them save the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

The foals were at a loss for a few moments there. Firecracker was never the idea pony nor the pointmare for any activity, even during their crusading. Babs however, soon mirrored Firecracker's gusto.

"Hey yeah! We could totally help 'em get Trixie away from those chumps, we may even get our cutie marks for pony rescuing!"

"That does sound like a wonderful cutie mark to get," Tangerine bubbled, now in full foal mode. "And even if we don't, I'll bet there's a ton of things over there to crusade for that we couldn't do here! Octavia's told me about so many amazing things ponies did there while she was growing up."

"Yeah, like...castle building!"
"Croquet playing!"
"Palace guarding!"
"Opera singing!"

"Uh, girls? Are you sure the grown ups are going to let us go with them to Canterlot?" Featherweight interrupted.

The four of them stopped and pondered for a moment.

"Oh yeah..." Babs muttered. "There's no way sis is going to let me go anywhere outta Manehattan without her, and she and mom are gonna be busy all weekend pruning."

"Mother has said I am not old enough yet to accompany her on any of her business trips," Tangerine added.

"I'm pretty sure my parents are going to say no too if we ask them," Featherweight agreed.

"Then we don't ask them!" Firecracker firmly stated. "We'll just go!"

Again, they were surprised how bold Firecracker was being. Then again, it was her lifetime hero and idol they were talking about here.

"Firecracker, you haven't been on as long as I have so you probably don't realize this yet but...things we don't ask the grown ups about, we usually get in trouble with afterwards."

The unicorn filly stared intensely at the pegasus colt and emphasized every word in her sentence. "We. are. going. to. Canterlot. to. save. the. Great. and. Powerful. Trixie. end. of. discussion."

Babs brushed her forelegs. "Okay, let's say we beg for forgiveness later. But then how're we gonna get all the way to Canterlot by ourselves?"

The unicorn pulled the crusaders together in a huddle. "Don't you worry, Babs. I already got a plan. It involves this trick I once saw the Great and Powerful Trixie do..."

Act 4: Meet the Parents

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The Friendship Express chugged merrily along, up and around the tunneled mountainside. Ahead lay its final destination at the end of the line, the white marbled tower walls of Canterlot station. Pulling into a braking halt, the train let out a mighty whistle for all passengers to disembark.

"Woaaaah..." was all Blossomforth could say to all the decorative glass paneling, bejeweled cone rooftops, and colorful flag banners. "Fancy."

"Manehattan may be one of the most cosmopolitan cities in my book, but this place takes high society to a whole 'nother level!" Honey agreed.

"No time for touring now," Twilight called back to her friends who were staring around the station interior. Throughout the entire train ride, her plucky determination had not diminished in the least. In fact, given that all she could do was sit and think on the way, it had actually intensified. "We are mares on a mission. First things first, we're heading straight for Moonlight's house!"

As she began to gallop off, Orange Sherbet called after her. "Twilight, dearie. Do you know where the Lulamoon estate is in Canterlot?"

That sent all fours screeching to a halt. Plodding back with her head low and ears flat, Twilight gave a half-sheepish pout. "Ah heh heh...no."

The full implications of that fact slowly sunk in. "I...don't know where she lives, I don't know how to find out, who to ask, what to say, anything! I-I came here without a plan! I didn't think things through! W-what am I going to do? What am I going to do?! I have to do something now that I'm here but I have no idea what! How could I just charge in blindly like this? And-and this is such a critical task! I can't afford to make mistakes or waste time! I-"

A firm grey hoof pressed against her chest before she could make her tenth circle in place. "A mind that is always thinking can never stop to think about what needs to thought of. You have to stop worrying what will be Twilight, and concentrate on what we have right now."

Twilight stiffened, then relaxed. "Right...right! Yeah, you're right. It's not like Canterlot is going anywhere. We can work with what we know and go from there."

"We did count on staying in Canterlot for an extended time," Sherbet lead off. "Perhaps we can find proper lodging first so as to get our heads straight on later."

A thought hit Canterlot born unicorn then. "Perfect! I know just where to go for rest and a lead!"

She lead the group off the station steps with rekindled vigor. "Come on, Spike. We're going home!"

"Yeah yeah," groaned the tower of suitcases from the top of the steps. "Hold your horses for a sec, could you?"

Marching up to the palish periwinkle two-story residence, three if you counted attics, Twilight stopped before the red double doors and ran a hoof over their gold painted frames.

Since the whole reunion event with Auntie Sherbet's family, she had acquired a longing to see hers again, and Princess Celestia had given her permission*. Still, she hadn't gotten to arranging it specifically between then and now. So of course at this very moment the unicorn mare would suddenly be a rush of dozens of emotions, nostalgia, happiness, nervousness, curiosity, impatience, hesitation...

Her assistant decided to skip ahead a few frames as he rapped the mahogany for her.

Her whole body tensed as the steady clop of hoofsteps signaled the opening of the door, and an older blue stallion with a darker navy mane filled her vision.

"Yes? How may I help-?" The stallion stopped as he took in the little purple unicorn filly that he saw from his perspective. "Twilight?"

"Dad..." Twilight shifted her hoof ever so slightly. "Hi. I've been...uh, meaning to write and all, and I know this is completely without warning but...uh, I'm here for a visit?"

The response she received was a warm smile only a father could give to his daughter. "Welcome home, punkin." He stepped back to give room to enter. "Come on in, and give your old stallion a hug."

Twilight then let go of all restraint and decorum and lunged forward in a happy-happy tackle hug. She could not help but giggle as he squeezed back. "Oh daddy, I missed you so much!"

"As I did you, punkin," was all he needed to say back. "As I did you."

"Can we move this along?" Spike slightly groaned under the weight of everypony's luggage. "Some of us are carrying more than emotional baggage here."

A golden moon yellow aura wrapped around the tower of carry-ons, freeing the little purple dragon from his burden. "Let me get those for you, little guy." As he brought them in, he ruffled the frills of his daughter's number one companion. "Ah, you look taller since I last saw you. Grown an inch, perhaps?"

"Three and a half to be precise," Spike protruded his chest as if he were trying to do a pectoral flex.

"Oh yes," the stallion humored him. "You're certainly not a baby dragon anymore."

He then took note of the quartet of mares walking in behind him. Twilight took his nonplussed smile as her cue to began introductions.

"Dad, I'd like you to meet some of my friends from Manehattan. This is Honey Do, Octavia Melody, Blossomforth, and Orange Sherbet. Girls, this is my father Night Light."

The two parties shook hooves respectively. "It's so good to see my daughter finally going out and getting to know ponies," Night Light greeted. "You have this stallion's gratitude for looking after her."

"The pleasure is all ours," Sherbet thanked in return.

"Do come in and make yourselves at home, the living room is in the back. I'm sure you'd all like to sit down in a real seat after that long train ride." The blue unicorn guided the group further in, then turned back to stairwell near the entrance as they got settled. "Velvet, honey, we've got guests."

A rummaging of papers could be heard from upstairs, and after a few moments a thumping of steps grew steadily louder on the wooden steps. Soon Twilight mimicked her earlier actions minutes before around another pony, a white, middle aged unicorn mare with a faded purple and white mane and a cutie mark comprised of three stars.

“Mom,” Twilight said as she squeezed the older mare tightly. It was but a single simple word, but one that carried so much weight in her heart that the other longed to hear.

"Twilight!" The mare nuzzled her daughter passionately. "Oh, it's so good to see you again!" She lifted her chin up, sizing up her little filly dotingly. "Have you been eating well? How're your studies going? Have you made a coltfriend yet?"

"Mom!" Twilight half whined at her. "Do you have to start with the questions every time?"

"Well maybe if you wrote back to me more, I wouldn't have to," she primly fussed. "But I suppose it can wait until we at least get some lunch in you. I'll have some nice cucumber sandwiches prepared in no time."

Twilight grumped a bit. What was it about mothers that had to have them smother their children in one form or another? Still, a cucumber sandwich did sound good right about now. Plus, catching up would be the quickest way to explain her situation.

"All right, all right." She followed her mother into the kitchen to help. "By the way, can our guest room accommodate four ponies? I have some friends that may need a place to sleep while I'm here..."

Meanwhile, half a hallway away, the Manehattan mares settled down upon semi-circular sofa beside a garden window as their host stacked their travel bags next to the coat closet.

"Nice place Twilight has here," Blossomforth broached. "Almost like your apartment Auntie, but roomier...and with a fireplace."

"Yes, there are a few building regulations that put a hamper on that particular addition," Sherbet quipped.

"So, tell me..." Night Light began as he joined them from across the table. "How exactly did you all become acquainted with Twilight? You may or may not know this already, but she tends to keep us out of the loop when she gets wrapped up in her work."

"Oh, well, we became friends when we helped her defeat an eons old vengeful goddess bent on covering the world in eternal darkness after breaking out of her thousand year old prison."

A moment of awkward silence passed until the white pegasus scratched her forehead. "Wow, that sounded a lot more believable in my head."

*thump*

Everypony's attention turned to the stack of luggage in the corner, where the topmost piece had fallen off onto the floor. Their unicorn host was just about to get up to put it back, when it wiggled just the ever so slightest.

"Auntie..." Honey said unsurely, "your trunk is moving."

"Yes Honey," the said owner answered in a similar manner. "I think we can all see that."

Spike gripped his lower chin as it spasmed a second time. "Holy smokes! It's haunted!"

"Spike, use your head for a moment. Ghosts aren't real," Honey argued. "And even if they were, which they aren't, why would a ghost want to possess a trunk of all things?"

"When a suitcase just won't do?" Blossomforth nervously joked.

"Let's be realistic here," Daring said as she crept up to the large piece of luggage. "More likely a small creature ended up getting inside while you were packing, like a squirrel or a rat."

The archeologist tensed up as she undid the latch, ready to defend against any small city rodent that lashed out at her. What she got however, was a bit bigger than a rodent.

"Air!" gasped Babs.
"Water!" wheezed Featherweight.
"Trixie!" panted Firecracker.

Dead silence filled the air.

"Babs?!"
"Firecracker?!"
"Featherweight!?"
"Tangerine?!"

"Hello mother!" the orange filly brightly responded, a pair of socks adorned on top of her ears. Her smile withered along with the rest of the foals as all they were greeted by were menacing scowls.

"Told you we'd get in trouble," Featherweight whimpered.

"Of all the absurd, ill-conceived notions...Tangerine, I am so disappointed in you!"

The four sat huddled together on the sofa, guarded from both sides by the two pegasi while the unicorns hung back from behind. The filly in question squirmed in her seat, fully abashed. Her mother rarely carried such a hysterical tone, and though she kept a controlled volume even at the most maddening of times, Tangerine could clearly see the sheer fright and outrage behind her mother's blue irises.

"I can't even imagine what your father must be going through right now, he's probably worried half to death to know you're missing."

"We left him a note..." she meekly squeaked.

"That doesn't change the fact he has no idea what's happening to you right now, and that goes for all of you! Firecracker, I know your parents. They're probably tearing up half the neighborhood looking for you. And Babs, your sister wouldn't let you go ten hooves from the city line without dragging you back home by the ears. What do you think she's going to do when she finds out you stole away to Canterlot?"

"Come on, Auntie!" the scrappy little redhead protested. "We just wanted to do our part to get Trixie back home! We all love her just as much as youse guys do, so why can't we help?"

The Orange matriarch finally collected herself enough to approach the colt and fillies with a smile, a disapproving one, but a smile nonetheless.

"Babs, sweetie," she ran a hoof over her niece's locks, "We know you all meant well, but problems like these often require a more experienced hoof. Running off and causing more ponies to worry needlessly isn't going to help anypony. So, do we understand what we did wrong and why?"

Her lectured disciplinee shuffled a hoof across the velvet casing. "Yes, Auntie Orange..." she answered dejectedly.

"Good." Sherbet glanced left to right from one crusader to the next. "Since we're all already here together, I suppose there's no helping it. We can decide the consequences of your actions after we get back. For now, it would probably be easiest if you stayed with us in Canterlot for the time being."

"Yay!" the crusaders cheered.

"But you're not leaving this house."

"Awww..." they groaned.

"Well, nothing to it but to help you get settled. Let's show you the bedrooms upstairs where you'll be sleeping," Velvet suggested.

"The little ones can sleep in Twilight's old room. And there should be a spare cot in there as well."

The white unicorn mare opened the door before them to unveil the cool blue decor that comprised of her little filly's bedroom. A large bookshelf stood right to side, crammed to the max with a wide spectrum of books on magic. A small work desk with the telltale signs of slight warping from the many loads of books it carried at times filled the spot to the right of her bed, along with a closet and old toy chest. Lined up against the wall of the windowed terrace off a ways was a telescope array and stargazing chart, and a circular decorative rug filled the empty space in the center.

Twilight could not help but feel more nostalgia wash over her as she took a step inside. "It always seemed a little fuzzy when I thought back to it. But now that I'm here, it's coming back all so clearly."

"You clearly went for the intellectual look when growing up," Honey said as she skimmed over the shelves.

The crusaders, being as full as energy and curious as youngsters could be, rushed ahead and decided first thing to inspect the chest to see what goodies it held.

"Hey, check out this jigsaw puzzle," Featherweight commented. "All the pieces are triangles, weird."

"What's weirder is this funny lookin' flute," Babs added. "Looks like a potato with a straw in it."

"Say, what's this?" Firecracker pulled out a ragged gray plushie from the pile.

"Smartypants!" Twilight bounded over and squeezed the doll against her cheek. "Oh, she was my favorite playmate when I was your age! I used to pretend she was doing her homework all the time. See? Here's the notebook and quill she comes with!"

The quartet seemed to give the reminiscing mare an odd look. Homework was not exactly the first thing that came to mind when they thought of playtime.

"Hey, this doesn't look like a magic book!"

Twilight turned to see Blossomforth pull a rather large cover out from the bottom shelf. Octavia gave it a discerning lookover.

"I believe it appears to be a photo album of sorts."

"Oh, yes. We keep old family pictures in that shelf as well." Velvet walked over to pick the album up. "Why, this is perfect timing. Since we're going down memory lane anyways, why don't I show you some of our more memorable moments of our little prodigy growing up?"

Warning bells lit up all over inside Twilight's head as she dropped her doll, running over. "Wait, mom! I don't think that's such a-"

Too late. The book was open and her mother was already gushing. "Oh, look how adorable you were!"

Everypony crowded around Velvet to take in sugary-cute, scandalous filly photos of their adorkable bookworm.

"Oh! Look at this one!" Blossomforth laughed. "She's chewing on the hardcover!"

Twilight grew redder with every giggle. "MOM!" she practically screeched.

"Awwww...is wittle Twiwight feewing embarwassed?" Spike teased.

Twilight steamed, but then her flush faded as she suddenly remembered something. "I wouldn't be so quick to put one over if I were you, Spike." With a glow of her horn, the pages flipped ahead a few years. "Awww...look how adorable you were!"

Spike's face lost all color as his eyes fell on the many mortifying baby photos of a certain purplish dragon.

"Holy heliography, is there one photo in here where you're not drooling?" Honey asked with a smirk.

"Ewww...is he molting in this one?" Babs asked.

Octavia practically sputtered at his first Nightmare Night costume, a little lion cub with a big black nose. It was all Spike could do at that point to raise his clawed fists to the heavens, and scream like no tomorrow.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"Oh boy, that was priceless," Honey said as she joined Twilight's mother in her study across the hall from the bedroom while the others continued to assuage said unicorn's indignity. "You knew she'd react that way, didn't you?"

"Well, it is sort of an unwritten rule in parenthood to have one expense in front of their child's friends. Though I'm fairly sure you have plenty of stories for me as well." She continued to converse with Honey as she tidied up the huge stack of papers around her desk. "Tell me, is my Twilight still the most neurotic fussbudget anypony's ever met in their lifetime?"

"You kidding? Last week she almost went ballistic when she noticed my exhibits in the reneighsance hall weren't lined up by chronological age dating." The pegasus then took a moment to survey the workstation around her. There were a couple bulletin board with some scraps on them, an entire wallspace solely for ink jars and quill holders, and the entire floor was littered with looseleafs and softcover binders. "Maid taking the day off, huh? Whatcha do in here?"

"Oh, I'm a home editor for a living." Velvet made a few marks on the current article she was reviewing. "You might say it was my day job that got my daughter so interesting in reading in the first place. She was always nosing around in my clients' drafts that were lying around back in the day."

"Really?" Honey chuckled to herself as she picked a random carbon copy out of the corner, picturing the little filly, tushie up, digging waist deep into mountain of papers in front of her. "What kind of stuff you finalize? Technical manuals on list making-?"

She trailed off as her eyes read the title on the cover she was holding.

"Daring Do and the Wendigo Shrine? Wait, this is Sandy's latest manuscript of my expedition with Jackhammer three years back. What are you doing with it? How'd you even get this?"

"Oh, Sandy Shores happens to be one of my more prolific authors. We've done so much writing together, we're practically penpals now. Do you know that she actually bases her stories on a real friend of hers-? Wait, your expedition?"

Both mares pointed at each other with the exact stupefied expression.

"YOU'RE Sandy's editor?"
"YOU'RE Daring Do?"

Quick as a wink, Velvet whisked a pith helm from out of the drawers with her magic and placed it upon Honey's head. "My goodness! You are her! It's so great to finally meet you after hearing so much from Sandy!"

Great, here we go again... Honey thought to herself as she resisted the urge to facehoof. Of all the places she hoped she wouldn't be exposed involuntarily, Canterlot had to be on the top of her list. Before she was able to open her own museum in Manehattan, she worked as a grad student in Canterlot University's equinology department. A lot of her early research was done in those halls, so here her name wasn't just celebratory, it was legendary. The fact that this city hosted some of the most uppity ponies ever only made it worst. Big egos and big fanaticism did not make a winning combination.

To top it all off, this particular pony that had unmasked her was a writer at profession and an avid reader at heart. She could all but guess where this was going to lead up to. "All right, let's get this over with. What do you want? An autograph? Personal memoir? Clip of the hair?"

"What I want is to thank you."

"Come again?" Honey dug a hoof into her ear to check to see if there had been some wax obscuring her hearing.

Velvet waved a dismissive hoof nonchalantly. "Sandy may have been one of my best associates, but she was also one of the most outrageous. It's an editor's job to trim and rewrite an author's work so it's in a presentable format. And Sandy...oh ho ho...there's absolutely no way Sandy would have been able to get her books past the publishers if I didn't tone at least every other page down an octave and a half."

A knowing smirk crept up Honey's face as she pieced together the kind of mare she was conversing with. "They're still pretty out of character, you know."

"You think the public releases are a stretch? You should've seen her uncut first draft of Daring Do and the Mermare's Tear. She turned you into a seapony halfway through it and stirred a love interest with the Antlertean prince, Atoll."

"Dear Celestia, that wasn't even remotely close," Honey snorted an uncharacteristic giggle. "I just got the ick from a sick parrotfish and Atoll was just the native island's medic who gave me mouth-to-mouth when I crashed ashore after swimming against a riptide."

Velvet brought the topic back to where she left off after a quick laugh. "So, when I got Daring Do and the Soluna Stone, imagine my surprise when I open it up to find almost nothing that needed a total rewrite. The traps were believable, the characters were well rounded, and the pretense of the expedition wasn't a fate of Equestria hung in the balance escalation for once! The letter she sent with it told me you had personally set her straight and she wasn't going to let personal feelings dictate her writings anymore. I tell you, whatever you did or said to her, I no longer have to pull all nighters to get her stuff ready by the publisher's deadline. So you have my thanks for making my job a little easier."

Honey flipped the pith helm off and playfully topped it on Velvet. "And you have my thanks too. I probably would have had to reach out a lot further to Sandy if you hadn't kept her fantasies reigned in for so long. And it's certainly a relief to know she's got a mare like you looking after her work."

"The pleasure's all mine." Velvet smiled cheerily before pulling up a stack with her horn. "Say, would you like to have a sneak peek at her most recent issue before dinner? It'd be a great boon to have some third party input, Miss Do."

Honey nodded to her newest friend. "You can call me Daring."

"Huh. That's quite a pickle you've got there," Night Light finally said after listening to his daughter disclose the events leading up to her group's arrival in Canterlot. It had taken a few hours to get everypony's living arrangements in order, and the sun was now beginning to paint the sky a golden evening glow.

"You don't know the half of it," Spike said as he helped set the table. He tossed the plates across in a manner like a professional waiter. He overshot the last one though, but Twilight caught it with her magic before it could shatter on the floor.

"I was hoping you could help me out," Twilight continued. "You work in the castle as a scribe for the royal archives, right? Could you get me in so I could find some genealogy records and maps of the city? I need to find the Lulamoon stable's estate."

"I can do you one better, punkin. I can just tell you where she lives."

"You can?!" Twilight pulled herself into her dad's complete field of vision. "You know the Lulamoons?"

The blue stallion gave a low chuckle. "I've come to know just about every other noble in Canterlot within the past few weeks. Every duke, count, and baron that's crossed my path in the castle has asked for my ear and opinion regarding the current state of affairs surrounding Princess Luna's return."

"Moonlight had mentioned something like that when she came to Manehattan, what exactly is this all about?"

Night Light adjusted the ornamental star ceramics on the table as if to make an analogy with them. "Well, how can I put it like this? For as long as anyone can remember, our Princess Celestia has been the only one absolute authority everypony has had to ultimately answer to whenever an issue of welfare, safety, or other situation regarding our nation is addressed." He then moved a large moon plate next to the sun plate that was surrounded by a lot of other small plates and silverware. "Then, all of a sudden, another powerful princess comes out of nowhere, claiming to be Celestia's long lost sister, and she is given the exact same level of authority Princess Celestia has."

"Well of course, that's what Princess Celestia wanted. For them to rule as equals, right?"

Night Light started shifting the smaller plates into various groups, placing them behind of, in front of, and some in between the two plates at various distances. "Unfortunately, not everypony can see the situation as simply as you or the Princesses do. For quite a few nobles, they see the situation as now there is another power that can veto previous decisions made by Celestia, and hope to gain her favor by forcing Celestia to give her more reign. Others believe that making the Princesses equalize their power even further will open a gap of political power that they can fill and in turn, gain more leverage in court policies. And others still are opposed to the sudden change in power, believing Luna's sudden elevation as an injustice to the hierarchy system's machinations to those who've had to work to climb the ladder, or fear she can't be completely trusted yet." He raised the moon plate right in front of his daughter. "I could go on all evening about this as there are over a dozen splintered factions at the moment and still growing, but the bottom line is this: Every noble, and I mean every noble, is arguing about what to do with Princess Luna."

Twilight was so confused. This was just simple transition from a constitutional monarchy to a constitutional diarchy, wasn't it? In principle, everything stayed the same with the exception that there were now two blocks on the top of the pyramid instead of one. Nothing else had to change, no one had to step down or step up, so the question just had to be...

"Why?"

Night Light could only answer with a shrug. "Because they have the opportunity to. You have to understand, punkin. The noble class has a different way of thinking about things. To them, every argument is a chance to make themselves look good while making others look bad in comparison. And this whole thing with having two princesses instead of one after so long, is the argument of the millennium. In fact, I'm going to be heading to an emergency consensus of the stable lords that Celestia herself is arranging to settle the disputes before they can escalate further by the end of the week."

Twilight nearly dropped the plate she was holding. "You're going to take part in this senseless debate?"

"I pretty much have to," Night Light explained with a wry grin. "The Princess has made it quite clear that it's mandatory for a representative from every house to attend. Keep in mind punkin, we may be minor, have no land besides our own home, and haven't made a political decision in generations, but the family title of Twilight is still a stable of Canterlot in name. It's actually funny in a way when I think about it now. Every noble is thinking this meeting to be the final deciding vote on the whole issue, and my say on the reform issues may actually be a key player in this game. It all makes sense now with your story lining up with my sudden attention with every important pony in Canterlot. Luna is basically a total enigma to all sides for and against her, so most will probably lean towards the families most relevant to the situation. Not that cozying up to me is going to help them much. If anything, you're the one that knows better on this issue than anyone. After all, Princess Luna's only back because of you and your friends."

Twilight took a moment to add it up. So that's what Moonlight meant when she said I'd have my own affairs to tend to soon enough. With every noble in Canterlot up in hooves over Luna's return to the throne, they're all looking for a perfect leader among them to spearhead their arguments. And who better than the very ones who've been in contact with her true self the most? My family's going to end up having as much influence on this deliberation as Trixie's is.

Twilight knew this train of thought was diverting from her original goal, but something this serious couldn't be ignored entirely and had to be weighed upon, especially if this was a family decision. "So...what is your stance on this issue?" she pried.

Night Light leaned over and gave Twilight a playful nuzzle. "Well, any mare that my daughter risked life and limb for to save can't be all bad, now can she? I personally would rather this whole mess just be dropped and done with so I can get back to my midnight archiving in peace. And I'm pretty sure Celestia wants it that way too." He then deftly changed the subject without so much as a breath. "But enough about politics for tonight. It's your first night back, so let's celebrate! How about we get dinner started, perhaps your favorite, sweet peas and a dandelion salad?"

"Sweet peas and dandelion salad? Is Twily back?"

Twilight's head swiveled so sharply she could almost feel her neck snap at the sound of the closing door from the entrance foyer. She scrambled and skidded into the hardwood corridor, launching herself towards the tall white unicorn that had just arrived.

"Shiny!" she squealed, clinging to him tighter than she had her mother and father.

“Easy on the neck there, Twily,” laughed the stallion, telekinetically plucking her off and setting her down lightly. “It’s good to see you too!”

"Woah hoah, woof." Twilight turned to the stairs to see her friends looking down from the railing.

"Who's the hunk of burning stallion you've got wrapped around your hooves?" asked Blossomforth.

Twilight blushed at the implications, shaking her head vigorously. "Oh no no no no no no! This is Shining Armor. He's my B.B.B.F.F!"

Everypony paused.

"Big Brother Best Friend Forever?" she clarified.

"Ohhh!"

Spike just shook his head knowingly. "I told you no one would ever get that acronym..."

The mares met at ground floor, each one shaking hooves.

"Pleasure to meet you."
"Charmed."
"A fine how do you do."
"Twilight never told us she had a brother!"

Shining put up a face of mock hurt, doing his best to stifle a bout of laughter. "Really? Not even once? Oh, Twily, you wound me! Did all those years together mean nothing to you?"

Honey stifled a laugh of her own. "Twily? Really?"

Twilight removed the white hoof that was mussing up her mane. "Oh come on Shiny! It just never came up! You know I'll always love you!"

"Yeah, I know." Shining nodded over to the other mares then. "It's good to see my lil’ sis is finally making some friends. You can't imagine how many times I walked into the palace to see her in a makeshift book fort instead of out and about with the other university students."

"Oooo...book forts? Do tell," Blossomforth inquired, she and the others already smelling juiciness.

Shining shared a knowing grin, he could tell exactly what they were expecting. "Well, there was one time where she was in the middle of learning her come to life spell and-"

"Shiny," Twilight growled, with warning dripping from her words. "Mom already showed them the album, so think your next words over very very carefully."

Shining took that as a signal that his sister had been embarrassed enough times for one day. "Alright, alright. Another time then. By the way, I brought back dessert from Pony Joe's!"

Spike pointed with glee at the box his surrogate big brother brought out from behind his back. "Doughnuts!"

Twilight snuck a peek inside the box and squeed. "Chocolate blueberry sprinkles, my favorite!"

"I got the baker's dozen, so there should be enough for all of us."

"Did somepony say doughnuts?!"

Shining took note of the four excitable foals thumping down the stairs, hungry looks in their eyes. "On second thought, I may need to make a second trip."

"Is it time to make dinner already?" Velvet was the last to descend from the second floor. "Oh, Shining! Welcome home dearie. How was my big, strong, captain of the royal guard's day?"

"Same old, same old," he answered nonchalantly, all the while keeping the box high out of reach from the four bouncing balls of energy circling around him. "Broke in some new recruits, patrolled the grounds, did my daily training, the usual."

Velvet chuckled at the sight, remembering how it wasn't so long ago a certain purple filly bounced around him every time he brought home doughnuts. "I see you've already acquainted yourself with Twilight's new entourage. Let's get that precious cargo in the kitchen before the temptation gets the better of the littler ones."

Auntie Orange took charge of rounding up the foals. "Now, now, Tangerine, everypony. Let the stallion through and you all can have one treat after dinner, okay?"

"Yes mother..."
"Yes Auntie..."

And so the children broke away, but they still followed their quarry closely into the kitchen, leaving Twilight alone with her friend for the first time since she arrived home.

"So, any other siblings we should know about?" Honey asked.

"No, only Shining," Twilight happily dismissed. "Once you have a brother like him, you'll never need to ask for another!"

"You sound like you're awfully close to him," Octavia noted.

"Well of course! Before I came to Manehattan and learned the importance of friendship, Shining Armor was the only pony I ever really accepted as a friend." Twilight's gaze drifted off as fond memories of her first and only fillyhood friend resurfaced.

When I was just a filly, I found it rather silly
To see how many other ponies I could meet
I had my books to read, didn't know that I would ever need
Other ponies to make my life complete

But there was one colt that I cared for
I knew he would be there for me

My big brother, best friend forever!
Like two peas in a pod, we did-
"Twilight! Supper's ready! Come to the table already!"

Her thought bubble popped mid-verse at the sound of her mother calling. Her ears folded at yet another attempt to wax nostalgia ruined by the very family she was trying to reminisce about.

"Should we tell your mother to hold off serving you until the second stanza?" Octavia joked.

"Har har," Twilight snarked. "Let's just eat. Mom's just lucky I love her cooking so much, and I'm pretty sure you will too."

Honey marched ahead, her grin widening. "Whatever you say...Twily."

"Only Shiny can call me that!"

"Are you sure your dad knew where to go?" Honey asked.

The five Manehattan mares trotted down the busy market road that connected the private residential districts to upper Canterlot. The Victorian style showcase displays on the shop fronts made walking through a bit of stop and go, as Blossomforth could not help but window shop every other outlet stand.

"Positive," Twilight answered, not even bothering to look up from the hoof drawn map with instructions written on it. "It shouldn't be much farther."

"Saying that five times in the course of this morning since we set off from your house isn't that reassuring," her curator friend remarked.

"Look, dad said, word for word, once we reach the end Clobbers Road, turn left onto Midnight Way, and it'll be impossible to miss it."

"Yeah, that's another thing. Impossible to miss it kinda implies we already know what to be looking for in the Lulamoon decor, when we clearly don't."

Sherbet was the first to turn the aforementioned corner and stopped, eyes wide. "Maybe not, but I'm guessing that would be a good start."

Everypony pulled their head up from Twilight's map and gawked. Head was a gated community of large finely constructed stone villas, many decorated in gold and silver, and quite a few with fountain gardens, with various marks and banners symbolizing owners. This was clearly a noble's district seeing as each estate was meant to draw the feeling of not only wealth, but power too.

But distinctly set apart from the row of custom villas, sitting alone and across, taking up almost an entire block, stood what seemed to be more like a miniature castle than a mansion. The symbol of the Lunar Princess decorated the front gate in pure silver, glowing in the broad daylight. Similar regalia and emblems were imprinted all over the black marble of the building's walls. The limestone path leading up the slight slope to the tall imposing structure winded over a small stream that bisected a pair of old weeping willows, and was lined with moonlily bushes, their flowers fully grown but closed to the bright sunlight, waiting for much cooler and silvery moonlight that would come later to awake them. The black stone gave the dwelling a much more ancient feel to it than the neighbors that lay warily away from it.

They were not even within a hundred hooves of the castle, and already its shadow eclipsed them. There was no doubt, in each of their minds, that this was their destination.

Lulamoon manor, home to one of the oldest...and most powerful families in all of Canterlot.

Act 5: The Lulamoon Legacy

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The mares just stood at the base of the five step slate front porch for awhile. No one seemed to dare take a step closer towards the imposing poplar doors that stood five ponies tall. That was, until, four sets of hooves pushed Twilight's flank forward. She looked back at them with a 'why me?' face. They all answered in kind with the 'this was your idea' look, plus one 'do you think their garden has any morning glories?' look aways.

Gulping down her anxiety, the lead pony approached the entryway. She took note of the thick, white corded bell rope that hung over the side of the frame, reached a tentative hoof out, and slowly pulled down the ringer. The series of chimes that followed felt more like cathedral's peal than a door bell. After a long drawn out twenty seconds, the sliding of a steel latch could be heard, and the wall-like entrypoint creaked open several cracks.

A stoic grey earth pony with a well cut coiffure that was only beginning to recede answered. He had a black and white suit specially tailored, well kept and ironed on, and his cutie mark was a crossed hoof that had a white dust cloth with a rose folded neatly over it. There was no hiding his age, he was clearly old enough to be a grandfather, but unlike most elderly ponies Twilight met, his back remained straight, leaving no hunched posture most his age would carry. His eyes were slightly bagged, but held no glaze. His green irises retained their steely focus of alertness. His wrinkles weren't shallow, but compassed more muscle than fat underneath the skin, making his features much less pliant and soft, like the grooves of a weathered mountain ridge. Heck, if wasn't for his suit, he'd probably look more like a retired guardspony than a domestic servant.

"Yes, can I be of service to you?" he calmly addressed her in the same passive tone that Twilight had experienced from Moonlight.

"Um, uh, yes. Is this where the Lulamoon family lives?" Twilight asked with as much politeness she could muster.

"It is indeed," the stallion replied, never once moving the door he held further open or closed by even a smidgen. "I am Silver Platter, chamberlain of the Lulamoon stable. What can I do for you?"

Twilight plucked up her nerve as the first moment of truth came. "We'd like to speak with Lady Moonlight, if you please."

Without even raising an eyebrow, the butler cast a discerning eye over the five mares. "And who is it that I will be announcing to her Ladyship?"

Twilight chose her next words carefully. "Twilight Sparkle, of stable Twilight, and her friends Honey Do, Orange Sherbet, Blossomforth, and Octavia Melody."

Again, a deep silence hung over them all as he seemingly judged every aspect of their characters. "Very well," he said at last. It was only then did the doors creak widely open, finally beckoning them into the dimly lit darkness.

The group took a better view of their surroundings as their eyes adjusted to the halved brightness. The interior was certainly more modern looking than the outside, but there was still a large impression of antiquity to the decor. Twilight noted the self lighting magic candle lamps that hung symmetrically from the walls, these were the old kind, used by high ranking mages of the classical era. A flight of twin stairs from either side of the central corridor led the way up from the wide antechamber to the second floor balcony, where a large paladian window provided the only opening for sunlight to enter. There was not a speck of hardwood or linoleum covering the ground floor, but polished onyx tiles with long silver trimmed rugs that acted like a path from one hall to the next. A mighty brass chandelier completed the entrance hall, its holders curved in the shape of crescent moons.

"Please wait here while I inform the mistress of your arrival."

With that, Silver Platter ascended the left staircase and was gone, leaving the five of them alone in the big empty chambers of the Lulamoon mansion.

"...I'm guessing they don't entertain much for guests," Sherbet finally ventured as she took note of the most decorative object in the room to be a lone stand against the archway into the west hall too small to hold anything but a single Chineighse ceramic vase.

"I'm guessing they don't have many guests," Honey said. "Take a look at all these portraits."

Everypony looked to the sides of each flight of stairs. Pictures of various unicorns, posed regal and majestic, gazed down on their admirers impassively. Honey lifted off the ground to inspect the framework. "There's definitely an age difference in the pastel coloring. Some of these have only hung for a few decades, while others here are...centuries old!"

"These...these must be all the household predecessors..." Twilight deduced. "Incredible, this entire hallway must be like one giant genealogy tree."

She stopped at one with an elderly royal blue mare with a long smoke white mane. This one seemed different than all the others. She held a genuine smile, it was one of pride and grace like most of the others, but it also seemed to project warmth, as if she wanted to like everyone that would look at her picture in the future. What really set her apart though to Twilight and the others as they gathered around, was her cutie mark. While many of the others displayed cosmic bodies, symbols of power and magic, or even legislative parchment and tomes, hers was a pair of split color comedy and tragedy theater masks, comedy overlapping tragedy.

It was a cutie mark that no doubtedly related to the performing arts.

"This one...seems different from the rest," Blossomforth stated the obvious as usual.

"I wonder who this particular pony was to the Lulamoons..." Octavia thought out loud.

"That would be the stable's most previous matriarch, the late Helena Quartermoon Lulamoon."

"AHH!" The mares all jumped a step back from Silver Platter, who had seemingly returned and gotten into the center of their circle without anypony noticing.

The butler continued regardless. "Mistress Moonlight is attending to some important work within her study. She says she will finish within the hour and speak with you then. In the meantime, you have her permission to wander about the mansion freely so long as you do not disturb anything. Will there be anything else?"

"Um, no. That'll be fine," Twilight said, still unsure as to how this earth pony was able to sneak up this close on all of them unnoticed.

"Very well. I have household duties to attend to, but if you have need of assistance, please do not hesitate to call." Silver Platter then briskly exited into the main corridor.

"Permission to wander about freely...that had to be the most abstract term of make yourselves at home I've ever heard," Honey surmised. She then looked to Twilight. "So, now what?"

"Well, we have about an hour. I guess we could look for Trixie."

"Ooh, ooh! I got an idea, let's split up gang!" Blossomforth exclaimed.

"Why would we do that?" Sherbet asked.

"Cause that's what the heroes are supposed to do in all the movies I've seen. Big, spooky, old-timey house, pictures that seem to watch you, a gaggle of family members and staff that have varying degrees of mystery and creepiness, a group of five in search for a pony, all we're missing is some specter haunting the place that needs to be unmasked!"

"Do we have to use hackneyed catchphrases such as 'Jinkies' or 'Zoinks'?" Honey deadpanned dryly.

"Joking aside, perhaps there is some merit to Blossomforth's proposal," Octavia suggested. "Sometimes it is cliché because it is practical. This is a rather large place for one pony to cover. In addition, one of our objectives is to learn as much about the Lulamoons as possible, which we could do more individually than as a group. Plus, on a personal note," she trailed off to glance back at Helena's portrait from the corners of her eyes, "there are some mysteries that I think need solving."

Twilight thought for a bit, then nodded. "Okay. Octavia, Auntie, you take the east wing. Daring, Blossomforth, check out the other end. I'll look around upstairs. If we don't run into each other before the hour's up, we meet back here and trade notes."

"Tell me Octavia," Sherbet asked her partner as they marched down a long hallway with doors on one side, paned windows on the other, and decorative suits of armor in the gaps between, "what exactly did you mean there were some mysteries surrounding the Lulamoons?"

"When we first met Moonlight, she made it quite clear to us her disdain in using magic for thespian purposes," the cellist explained. "And yet, her mother, the only authority that was above her, bore a talent that seemingly falls under those lines at first glance. There is undoubtedly a connection there we do not know of yet."

"That is rather peculiar," Sherbet agreed. "But how do you suggest we go about finding out? I can only assume it is a sensitive issue for the mare involved."

"Which is why we look for another family member to ask." Octavia opened one of the doors and entered what appeared to be a hobby room. There was a shelf with a few scrapbooks for coins, stamps, and other memorabilia. On scattered tables were various train sets and model buildings. The windowsill was cluttered with bonsai and mini-ships in bottles. And over a slanted desk, observing some scriptures on a stone tablet with a magnifying glass, was a unicorn stallion of deep turquoise and pale silver, his body wrapped in a red bedrobe. "And it appears our search is over."

The pair approached the stallion from behind, though if they came from any other direction it probably wouldn't have mattered. He was clearly so engrossed in his business that he wasn't aware of his surroundings.

Orange Sherbet decided to make the first move. "Pardon me, good sir-"

"Huh? What-" The started stallion jerked up, almost dropping his lens. "Silver, you know I don't like it when you sneak up on me here of all place-" He then took notice of the two mares standing before him as opposed to his dutiful servant. "Oh...oh! Hello there. Wasn't expecting company, but you probably already guessed that from my attire."

"It's quite alright, this is your home after all," Sherbet replied. "Are you the father of this household?"

"That I am." He placed his magnifying glass aside and flicked a stray hair down. "You may call me Starshine."

"Delighted, I am Orange Sherbet."
"And I am Octavia."

Starshine seemed to scrutinize the latter for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Ah, a von Clef! How charming! Haven't socialized with one since the last Canterlot garden party!"

Octavia thought back. "Did she have a viola by her side?" Her question was answered with a nod. "That was most likely my sister, Symphony. We alternate between soirées."

"Well met. So tell me, what's the occasion of your visit?"

"We are close friends of your daughter," Sherbet explained. "And we had some concerns considering recent events that have surrounded her. Perhaps you could answer a few questions regarding them?"

"By all means. Let's make ourselves a bit more comfortable, shall we?" He guided the two over to quartet of lounge chairs. As the pair seated themselves, he took the liberty of extending his back legs over an ottoman as he pulled out a pipe and a fez.

"Before we begin," he started, "might I ask you a question first? To which of my daughters are you referring to?"

Octavia and Sherbet looked to each other in great surprise.

"Which?"

"Trixie?"

Twilight roamed the darkened corridors that sported small marble pedestals of lionesse-like figurines. So far, her investigation had proved fruitless. The first three rooms she had tried had been a locked vault, a cleaning closet, and an empty one with nothing but mirrors for some reason, all void of any clues or ponies of vital importance.

"There has to be something up here that can help me understand this family better, or at least help me find Trixie..."

Another door down the hall came up, and she hoped there would be at least somepony behind it. What she found however, was better.

"They have their own library?!"

Twilight's face lit up in a squeeish grin as she trotted around the five shelves of textbooks. A personal library, perfect! There had to be something here that could give her insight to the machinations of this clan. Deciding to start with a particularly large green one on the top, she gripped it with her magic, only to find it was wedged pretty tightly into the rows. Anchoring the shelf against the inertia with her hooves, she gave it a little mana grease, and it popped out...with the entire row like a coiled spring.

Twilight yelped and covered her head against the book avalanche that buried her. Digging out, her ears twitched to hear the sound of a mocking laugh.

"A fan of heavy reading much?"

Craning her neck around, Twilight saw an azure unicorn mare walk out from a silhouetted corner in the shadows.

"Trixie?" But Twilight's elated grin quickly faded as the mare came into the light.

Yes, this mare bore a very striking resemblance to her friend, but her coat was slightly darker, and her mane slightly lighter and a bit more wavy, combed back from behind her head. She wore a dark grey vest, resembling a business suit, although there were some alterations and ornamentations to give it a more higher class uniqueness, and had on black horseshoes that gleamed in the reading light. But the biggest difference Twilight could ascertain were her eyes. The two purple orbs fixated on her were completely unlike the mirthful and teasing ones of her friend. There was no glimmer of playfulness or tint of compassion. These cold, calculating, condescending eyes were like Moonlight's, analyzing anything and everything about them, undressing their target to its soul, reading them, and seeing what could be used towards the mare's advantage and hers alone.

Twilight couldn't help but instinctively shuffle a scoot back from within her pile. As the mare got closer, Twilight could make out her cutie mark, a red heart with three chess pieces in it, two pawns and a queen. "You're...you're not Trixie..."

The Trixie lookalike did not answer her directly, but circled around her instead like a prowling cat. "So...you are Twilight Sparkle, firstborn mare of the stable of Twilight, personal protégé to Princess Celestia, and holder of the Element of Magic."

"H-how do you know who I am?" Twilight's head twisted around, following the circling mare, not daring to ever break contact as if she would pounce the moment she looked away.

"I make it my business to know everything that goes on and about my family," the other unicorn stated know-it-all-factly, "friends, allies, adversaries..." She leaned in close, bearing a smile of thinly veiled conceit. "After all, that's why you're here, isn't it? To find out about us. What role does each of them play? And what rules do they play by? What skill sets to they have? What do they like, what do they hate, what do they want? What are they planning, and what are their motives? Because if you know what they know, you can act on it to see that things go your way in the great scheme of things." She finally broke away, a smug sense of satisfaction on her face as her deep violet aura unearthed her guest and reshelved the entire row. "Knowledge is power, you know."

Twilight could not help but feel a chill down her spine, as if that last sentence had been emphasized just for her. "W-who are you?"

Her haughty converser turned about. "See? I know you, but you don't know me. Therefore, I possess an asset over you in which you can only have if I so allow it. Advantage, Checker Monarch Lulamoon, second daughter of Moonlight and Starshine Lulamoon."

Twilight seemed a tad vexed at how this Checker introduced herself. It was clear she had very intention of doing so, but had to do so in a fashion that seemed as if she won a game or something. She attempted to diffuse the situation by pushing the subject along. "Oh, so you're Trixie's little sister."

"Only by about eleven months," Checker remarked. "A rather negligent amount when you consider the accomplishments performed within that frame of time...for any of her time."

"Well I- wait, what?" Twilight suddenly got a feeling that that particular turn of phrase was meant as a slight. "Are you insinuating something about Trixie?"

"It's not so much as implication as it is a fact. I've always been the better sister, regardless of age." Checker held herself up vainly. "I actually graduated Canterlot's school for gifted unicorns for one, plus I pretty much run everything that my mother doesn't. The only real reason Trixie's back at all is to be mother's little figurehead, not that she's ever done any real responsibilities before she left either. I was balancing dad's checkbooks and sweet talking foreign dignitaries while she was out playing with her glitters and glamors."

Now Twilight was riled. "Trixie may not be important to you, but she is to us! And just because she's not a super powerful mage like you or your mother doesn't make her magic any less special! Her spells may seem easy and childish to you, but I'll bet every book in my personal collection you could never make them the same way she does."

Checker didn't even try to feign shame. "I don't doubt that. And I never said she wasn't important to me, I simply said my role is greater than hers. It's always good to have a lesser to compare yourself to. And of course, you can't win a game unless you have all the pieces in play."

"P-pieces?!" Twilight nearly drove a hoof through the floor. "I can't believe you! At least Moonlight had the decency not to declare her intentions in the most demeaning and obnoxious manner! All you other Lulamoons seem to care about is power, because that's the only thing you seem think the world revolves around! Friendship is not some bargaining chip or capital investment, magic is more than just power and prestige, and ponies are not pieces or tokens that you can use as you please in some sick, twisted design you nobles think is nothing but a game!!"

Checker flung a devious gleam Twilight's way as she moved to a small table offside. "Oh, but it is a game, Twilight Sparkle. Life is game filled with winners and losers, and unless you start learning how to play this one and fast, you're going to be of the latter." A checker board then appeared on said table, along with two small boxes containing a set of white and black chess pieces. "But, I digress, arguing here and now isn't going to accomplish anything for either of us. Let's not have our first encounter end on the wrong hoof shall we? I know you're waiting for mother, so how about a little friendly game of strategy to pass the time, hmm? It's been quite a while since I've had an intellectual challenge."

Twilight was smart enough to know in this situation that if she chose to sat down and play Checker, it would become much more than a game to both of them. Even so, she would not back down, not when Trixie was on the line. And judging by the smile Checker wore, she knew it too.

"That's odd..." Twilight observed as Checker sorted the pieces on the board before her. "You're giving me the white set? I thought you said you take every advantage available to you."

"Hmm? Oh..." Checker seemed mildly amused. "You believe in the first-move advantage, do you?"

"It's a valid gain based on statistics. White win counts have been recorded to be about 6% more than black wins."

Checker rested the tips of her hooves together at the level of her mouth. "So the books say, Twilight Sparkle. If indeed you do think your first move will decide the match, then go ahead...make...your move..."

Trying to psyche me out already? For somepony who claims to be a master manipulator, you sure are transparent a lot...

"Pawn to d4."

"Trixie? Triiiixie? Olly olly oxen free!"

Blossomforth's voice echoed across the candlelit hallway. Maybe it was the fact that this was the fifth time she called in a row, or the fact she had a small grin on her face, but Honey was pretty sure Blossomforth was more interested in the reverberating noise that accompanied her every call than actually looking for their friend at the moment. Frankly, in her defense, it was the most entertaining thing to found in this narrow hall. All that could be found throughout the long and winding corridors so far was creepy portrait after another, and the occasional dresser or cabinet that was used to decorate the place.

Finally they found another door to the side as the path before them split.

"Hmmm...what could be behind door number one?" The archeologist thought out loud, and pressed the door open. Her companion oooooh'd at the several large basins built into the granite before them.

"Wow! They have their own swimming pool!"

Honey felt the floor and tapped the rock beneath them. "Actually Blossom, given the slight warmth of the stone beneath us, it stands to reason there's a furnace directly below that's meant to heat them when there's water in there. I believe we've found the family bathhouse." She looked over the side to confirm her theory by finding a small changing room with various toiletries.

Blossomforth's awe apparently hadn't diminished. "They have all this for their bathroom? All I've got is a showerhead, some lavender body wash and a rubber ducky."

"It's not a common practice except in Neighpon these days, but in the olden days bathing was considered a group activity, so baths had to be built big enough to accommodate all members of a family at once," Honey began to go off on another of her historical tangents. "These units were more costly to build and more work to maintain than single ones, so only the richer ones pursued this particular eccentricity. Still, nopony in Equestria builds these things anymore. This place must be older than I thought if it has one of these, and in working condition too it appears."

Having finished her lesson, she pulled Blossomforth away from the fancy mermare faucet over the bath's side. "Well, nothing else of interest here. Let's double back and try the other corridor."

The two pegasi peeked into another room that made almost entirely of domed glass and had a perfect view of the gardens outside.

"Huh, a solarium. Must be a recent addition to this building since they weren't conceived until the turn of the last century."

Another door presented downward steps leading into darkness and protruding faint wisps of various stimulating smells.

"Whoops, this must be path to the wine cellar."

Blossomforth sniffed the air with deep breaths. "And judging by the nutmeg to black pepper ratio, that's Old Bay I'm smelling. So they must have a spice kitchen down there too."

Honey blinked. "One day, we're going to have to get that nose tested to see what kind of plant you can't smell."

Two long galleries later, they chanced upon a room on the northwest corner. After turning the glass knob, Honey and Blossomforth found themselves in a somewhat small circular room that had more curtains than wall. A shelf for horseshoes, a shelf for jewelry, and a dress hangar guarded the sides of a canopy bed with silken sheets.

"Huh, looks like somepony's boudoir."
"Boudoir?"

Honey turned her head to Blossomforth. "It's a Prench term, basically a mix of a dressing room and a bedroom."

"Who's there?"

Both heads turned to see a shadow behind the dressing screen near the window.

"Jinkies! Somepony else is here with us!"

Honey glared at Blossomforth. "What?" she asked in return. "You suggested I say it."

The figure stepped out from behind the screen, and the pony behind it widened her eyes at the two intruders. "Blossomforth? Daring?"

Confusion struck the pegasi, who was this dolled up mare and how did she know-? Wait...Honey stared past the layers of lace and frills that decorated the hoopskirt, the braided tresses topped with a veiled headress that looked like a butterfly was sitting on top of the mane, the ridiculously poofy sleeves and chest of the silken jeweled bodice, the ribbon tied hooves, and the pearled visage of eyeshadow and blush...

"Trixie?"

Honey's mouth gaped at the conclusion she drew from the almost unrecognizable mare. Blossomforth reacted in a different manner though.

"*PFFFFFFFTT* BWA HA HA HA HA!!" Her bitten lip could hold it in no longer. "What's with that ridiculous getup, Trixie? Don't get me wrong, your old hat and cape was already flashy and gaudy to a point, but this...is just gaudy! Ha ha ha! You look like a wedding cake with legs!"

"Actually, that is a pretty traditional Canterlot style for mares of the upper class to wear," Honey analyzed. "6th, no...7th century design I presume?"

"You were correct the first time Daring," Trixie said. She tugged a bit around the waistline as she grunted in discomfort. "And Blossomforth is correct all over. This garish excuse for dress couldn't appeal to even the most esoteric of fashionistas!"

Blossomforth cocked her head. "You don't like wearing that outfit?"

"I loathe it with every fiber of my being. Plus, this corset is killing me!"

"Then why are you wearing it?" Honey asked.

Trixie's eyes seemed to somber up and dull as she looked to Honey, her mouth not carrying even the faintest of a smile. "Because Daring, it's as you said. It's what I'm supposed to wear as a noble." She then turned to Blossomforth. "More to the point, why are you here in the manor, let alone Canterlot?"

"Oh yeah!" The white pegasus grabbed her azure friend by the hooves and tried to drag her out. "We're here to spring ya Trixie!"

"What?" Trixie then found her posterior being pushed along by the other pegasus.

"Yeah, we're going to have another chit-chat with your mom, and this time she's going to listen to us! So come on, ditch the duds and meet the others in the foyer. We'll have you back in Manehattan by sundown!"

"Daring, Blossomforth, stop!"

The pegasi pair lost their footing and fell forward at the sudden rooting of their friend's hooves. Pulling themselves back up, they looked to Trixie with confused expressions.

"I'm sorry you came here for nothing, but I'm staying here in Canterlot. I...choose this."

"HUH?!" Their mouths opened even further from this second shock. "Wha- but...how did-? Who...don't-? You-?"

"Why?" Blossomforth finished for Honey.

Trixie turned away down the hall and started to distance herself from the two. "Because there's no point in leaving..."

Honey and Blossomforth looked to each other with worried faces, then back at the azure bundle of melancholy they thought was their friend sauntering away from them. They immediately ran after her as she disappeared around a corner.

"Hey Trixie, wait!"
"Hold up, Trixie!"

"Well, that does sound like my Moonlight, never one to resist going all out on even the simplest of tasks." Starshine pulled his pipe away from his mouth for the moment to chew a hoofful of cashews he plucked from the bowl next to him one by one.

"You seem quite unperturbed to know your wife has forcefully abused near non-existent contracts with your kin and uprooted her from a livelihood she was more than content to be with." Orange Sherbet seemed rather inquisitive with her host's continuous docile demeanor throughout her and Octavia's explanation. Starshine seemed pleasant enough, there was certainly nothing cold or stiff about his quaint smile. On the contrary, it was actually a bit inviting. But if he really was as amiable as he seemed, how could he not show that much concern over something so serious happening amongst his family? "As a married mare, it actually baffles me to some point that any stallion could find enough common ground with a lady like her to even hold a decent conversation with her, let alone start a family."

"Oh, you just don't know my dearest the same way I do," he replied in kind with a knowing smile and a slow shake of the head. "Almost nopony does, but there's an entirely different side to Moonlight's face that she never shows. I can see it's there though, after so many years of being with her I'd be blind not to know it."

He put his pipe back in, blowing a slow, solitary bubble from it. "You may not realize it yet, but family is by far the greatest thing my wife treasures above all else. She does love our daughters with all her heart, she just...has a very difficult and different way of showing it."

His horn lit up, expanding the bubble and placing the image of a memory inside. "But I've seen it. From the day I was betrothed to her to her first pregnancy, I've witnessed hints that prove to me beyond the shadow of a doubt that she is the most compassionate mare I've ever met."

"Betrothed?" That raised an eyebrow from both mares.

"Well, yes." The bubble showed a younger version of himself and Moonlight, almost as young as foals, facing each other in the palace's grand ballroom on a moonlit eve in front of their respective elders. "The ponies of my family were the Galaxies, owners of one of the most prominent magitechnology firms in the capital, Star Industries. It was the usual beneficiary arrangement between the business and nobility class. My side would gain their peerage and title, and hers would replenish their coffers of old money with our new money."

Octavia nodded knowingly. The von Clefs had been long standing members of Canterlot's mercantile clan as well, so she knew all too well about the unspoken traditions of arranged marriages here. In fact, it brought back a memory of a coupling her parents tried with her during her fillyhood with one of the Dreams.

Of course, that had been before she met Vinyl so...well thankfully it had only lasted three weeks before both sides agreed to break it off.

"But doesn't that mean you wed out of obligation, not out of love?" Sherbet asked. "It's just that...how should I say it...Mosely chose me to be his wife."

"And I chose Moonlight," Starshine returned simply. "Well, I guess you could say she chose me since she was the one with the list of suitors, but I was only one who tried to get her to pick. Other stallions soon turned to other, easier ladies to woo in the coming years, but I courted only her...because I did indeed fall in love with her."

The scene in the bubble shifted to a moonlit night where the two children exited a large amphitheater with an orange-red stallion leading them to a carriage. "It was perhaps two months after we were first introduced when it started. We had just finished seeing a midnight performance of The Glass Otter."

The image hazed violently as the stallion fell out onto the cobblestones with a blackened eye as the carriage was pulled off into the darkened streets and deterred off into the unlit alleyways. "When all of a sudden, the driver threw my father off as he finished buckling us in and sped off into the undertown of the city. It was then I got a good look at the ponies pulling our carriage and realized these were not the same ones that had brought us to the theater earlier that night. We had been hijacked!"

The colt quaked in his seat, eyes nothing more than pinpricks. "Apparently, we were going to be ransomed to our families for half a fortune. And if they didn't pay...well I had heard stories from places like Detrot, but I never thought they would happen here! Needless to say, I was a ball of nerves. And the fact that our horns and legs were bound only furthered my panic. But Moonlight, when I looked to her, she was a rock. Not a twitch, not a tear, not a heart in her throat, only a stone cold line on her lips. And with what little movement she could do, she clasped my hoof with hers, making my shivers stop." The memory continued on in a softer light. "I don't know what it was in those rose tipped eyes of her, but keeping in contact with them kept me calm. It kept me calm when we stopped at the abandoned air lots on the most isolated west edge of the city. It kept me calm when they threw us into the brig of a rickety old airship bound for parts unknown. It kept me calm when the hull rocked like there was an earthquake in the sky, and I could hear blasts of gunpowder and shots of arbalests outside."

It finally changed to a clearing at the base of Canterlot mountain, where the airship was downed and swarming with pegasi clad in the golden barding of the Royal Guard. "The foalnappers never had a chance to succeed, not in Canterlot at least. As fast and convert as they were, they severely underestimated how quickly the guards could be rallied, or how heavily armed they would be. All it took was a single sentry seeing their airship making an unscheduled takeoff across the outer wall, and they were done." A brown and black squadron led the thugs out of the wreckage in chains, while a white pair carefully carried the now unbound foals out from the other side on their backs. As they set them down by the side of the road to await the chariots that could be seen coming down the mountain in the distance for them, the filly leaned into the colt's side, eyes squeezed shut.

"It was then I realized as I felt her against my withers, she was shaking. She had refused to give our captors the benefit of her fear, her pride would not allow herself to show weakness to those that didn't deserve to see it. And now that it was over, she let it all out. She seemed so strong back there, and now I was seeing she had been just as helpless and scared as I was. That one moment, she was a filly like any other her age, one that needed me to lean on."

The bubble began to hopscotch through rapidly progressing ages. "It intrigued me, it did. How a lady like her could be so strong and so weak all at once. It made me watch her more closely, and because of that, I saw things about her no other suitor of hers did. How she would take the weakest moon lily out of her garden and pot it by itself so it could grow without competition, then replant it in the exact same spot when it was healthy enough to compete. How she always dueled at the academy on the outside grounds, facing away from the school walls to minimize damage. How she had her servants shop for her only from vendors with families.

She was a night-blooming cereus. Stiff, guarded, and indomitable, yet only at the loneliest of times, for a rare fleeting moment, blooming like any other flower. And every flower has its frailty, its kindness, its love. She would need a special somepony to confide in those soft moments, so matter how brief." The young mare that was Moonlight reached out a hoof to lift a black witch moth, too soaked from the rain to fly from the street to a covered windowsill where it wouldn't get trampled on, she touched the hoof of another, cradling an equally drenched luna moth. Her eyes then locked on the silvery ones that gazed back at her softly.

"As the only stallion that ever waited long enough to see her bloom in tenderness, how could I ever let it be anypony else but me?"

Octavia and Sherbet could only stare in wonder at the bubble as it faded back into its clear complexion. The way Starshine had portrayed his life getting to know Moonlight, it almost made her seem...well, normal. But then why? Why did it seem that she was the center of such archaic dysfunction in this family? How was forcing such inflexible and intolerant ideals onto her children any way of expressing how deeply she cared for them?

"A puzzle cannot be solved so long as there's a missing piece..." Octavia muttered to herself. And she had a sneaking suspicion what that piece was.

Meanwhile, the stallion reached into the bowl for another nut. "Hmm? Oh, empty. Well, at least I get to change my selection now." He levitated several jars out from mini pantry on the wall's bottom corner. "What do think? Walnuts or chestnuts?"

"Walnuts sound good," suggested Sherbet.

"I was thinking that too," Starshine said as he refilled the bowl. "But I will need my cracker for those."

"Right away, sir."

"AHHH!" The mares nearly leapt out of their chairs when they noticed Silver Platter suddenly standing right between their individual seats with said appliance in hoof.

"Where did you come from?" Octavia asked.

"The room's entrance of course," he aloofly replied with indifference.

"But..." Octavia looked back at the now open doors. "Not a sound..." she whispered.

"Yes, it's a little bit of a talent that Silver Platter of ours has," Starshine affirmed heartily. "Always good for a surprise." He then took the desired tool and waved him off. "That'll be all for now."

"Very well, sir." And he was gone.

Blinking back into their conversation, Octavia and Sherbet resumed pressing their next issue their host. "Perhaps you could tell us about another individual of this family we'd like to know more about."

A noisy crack shattered the room's tranquility for a brief moment before Starshine addressed them with the edible seed nestled tastily between his molars. "Certainly, who did you have in mind?"

"Her mother, Helena Lulamoon."

"Knight to b4."
"Rook to e6."
"Pawn to c7."
"Queen takes bishop at a3."
"Bishop takes rook at f5."
"Pawn to e3."

The war was at a fever pitch as decisions were made within seconds between the two strategists. Both Twilight and Checker had units immersed deep within enemy lines, and a constant sway of offense and defense had a piece falling almost every five turns.

But the game's conversation wasn't just a set of commands each turn. No, each move reflected a bigger debate between the mares.

"Knight takes pawn at e3. You're out of pawns now."

Checker arched an eyebrow at Twilight. "So? They're only pawns. Queen to a4."

"Pawns are the body of the army. The fact that I have all of them means I have over half your forces, you've only managed to capture three of mine. Rook to d1."

"A ton of weaklings are still weaklings. Pawns aren't meant to battle. The only role the lesser skilled have is to make the greater skilled roles easier. Knight takes knight at e3. I still have all the pieces I need, whereas you, Twilight, lost your queen within the first ten rounds."

Twilight hid her little smirk. "Just because someone starts weak, doesn't mean they stay weak. All they need is a little help, a friend to guide them along and support their endeavors. Pawn promotes at c8." She then replaced her pawn at the end of the board with her more powerful unit. "Every pawn has the potential to become a queen. Check."

Checker did not hide her returning smirk. "Ah, but not every situation is so ideal and rewarding for the little hard worker. Just because she makes it to the top doesn't mean there will be room at the top. What happens then? She will be robbed of her prosperity and knocked back to the bottom before she even has a chance. Rook to f8. Check."

Huh? Wait, how was that check? All she did was block her-

Then Twilight saw it. Right behind where the black castle had been sat Checker's bishop, and moving it to guard her king had given it a right shot at Twilight's king. In fact, that piece had been poised to check her king for almost fifteen turns when she did the math. Why hadn't she moved it earlier? She could have easily forced Twilight to reel back and fortify her formations instead of clearing a line for her pawn to-

That was it. She was waiting for her pawn to reach the end of the board. The bishop was never meant to trap her king, it was meant to trap her pawn, her pawn that she gave up three other pawns and a rook to guard, that had just become a queen and was about to corner the enemy king. If she moved the king out the bishop's way, in the next turn the rook would take her new queen. She could easily take the rook first, but not while her king was in check! Wait, she had a pawn positioned at the right end in range. She could take out the bishop and then...no! That still wouldn't work! Checker's rook would still take her queen!

There was no way out of it, her queen was pinned. All that work to get it and...now it was gone.

"If she gets knocked down," she finally admitted, "we can just help her get back up again. Pawn takes bishop at g6."

Checker's grin widened "As long as I'm playing, with the same result. Rook takes queen at c8."

"Trixie, wait a moment!"

Blossomforth finally managed to catch sight of her overdressed friend who had come to a stop in a wide hall full of pedestals and various objects mounted on them, several were even hanging from the wall next to the occasional picture.

The white pegasus skidded across the marble tiles as she overshot her target and nearly knocked over a vial of some kind of liquid gold on the white column she crashed into. "Staff around here does not go light on the waxing," she said to herself as she turned over off her back and moved more cautiously towards Trixie. "Ooh, look at all the knick knacks. What is this place?"

Honey, who had been taking it a little less rushed than her friend, took in the artifacts on display without the additional benefit of getting to know the floor better. "A gallery, I should have known. Every noble house has to have at least one of these. I know it's perfectly legal, but I still can't help but be a bit miffed that titled mares and stallions would pay millions of bits to have priceless relics added to some private collection where nopony can look at and learn from them."

"Actually, none of these artifacts were bought," Trixie said. "Each and every one of these items have belonged to my family the moment they were made."

"Wha-wha-what?" Honey reeled back a bit in surprise.

Trixie proceeded to clarify. "This room is to showcase the works and accomplishments every proficient mage in the lineage has done."

Honey inspected the magical tools displayed more closely, and as she did, her eyes lit up with wonder. "An Eye of the Abyss...a World-Tree charm...is that a flask of living silver? By Faust, these are some of the most potent magical objects in the known history of ponykind! That is, if any of them still had any power left inside. Heck, no one knows how to craft over half these things anymore! Trixie, your ancestors were complete wizzes at wizardry!"

Her enthusiasm trailed off when she noticed Trixie was staring glumly at one of the empty glass casings. "Whenever I came in here, I always thought I'd get to place some mystic item of my own among these someday. I had it all pictured out, the Big Boomer. It would be the ultimate pyrotech. A full fledged spectacle of every color that could fill the entire sky and last for hours, and you could light it as many times as you wanted.

...I was so stupid back then, to think that such a thing could ever be allowed to share a room with these."

Blossomforth scooted over to Trixie's side, leaning over it in mild apprehension. "Gee Trixie, don't you have any happy memories in this house?"

Trixie lulled her head down, then pulled it back up with the weakest of smiles. "Well, there were the stories..."

"What stories?" both pegasi asked at the same time.

"My grandmother's stories...back when she was still alive."

"My grandmother...she was a kind mare, a mirthful mare. Her eyes had the kind of zeal you would usually find in a foal, and yet her tone was always so mature. Whenever I walked the halls with her, she would always regale me with fantastic stories of my ancestors, old plays and folklore, and especially her exploits of her globetrotting days when she was young."

The little azure filly eyed a ruby ring with edges curved circular like a ram's horn on a pillow pedestal, just barely able to peek over the edge on her tippy hooves. "Ooh, that's a pretty one."

"That's the ring of Aries," the elderly mare spoke from beside her. "It belonged to your great-great-great grand uncle Comet Light. He used it to beat a minotaur in a duel of strength where they literally butted heads with one another."

"He beat a minotaur with this? Neat! Does it still work?"

Helena's horn glowed as she darkened the room and painted out the tale in glimmering light. "Only for him. You see, the ring is as ordinary as any other one, it holds no special power. For him though, it served as a symbolic vessel for his pact with the zodiac warrior Aries."

"Zodiac warriors, those were the Princess' twelve immortal champions, right?"

"Indeed, but they dwelled in a realm apart from ours, their constellations in the sky serving as the doorway between our worlds. Comet Light was a skilled astral wizard, and he used his mastery to open Aries' door for but the tiniest moment. In that brief meeting between pony and celestial spirit, Comet Light asked for a contract with Aries, and this ring was physical object that binded said contract. So long as he wore it, and the conditions of the pact were met, he could tap into Aries' unstoppable charging power."

"What conditions?"

Helena gave a chuckle as she painted their ancestor in a more vibrant light. "Well...there were certain promises he had to fulfill in the zodiac's name, some of which were...a tad silly. For example, he had to have at least one garment of wool on whenever he went out, and he couldn't eat any sort of bread unless it was left out in the sun for over thirty minutes."

Trixie giggled in tandem with her grandmother at the sight of the stallion sweating in the summer heat with a wool cap on his head.

"Beatrix, you don't really believe that nonsense story, do you?"

Trixie lowered herself from the platform to look square in the eye with her sister. "Why is it nonsense?"

"Because the zodiac warriors don't exist, that's why. After all, what would the Princess need with twelve all powerful heroes when she's already all powerful?"

"They do too exist!"

"No they don't!"

"Yes they do, because grandma says so!"

"And no they don't, because mother says so!"

"Now, now." Helena stuck a hoof between their puffed up faces. "There's no need to get all hostile over a story, that's not what they're meant for."

Trixie's pout lingered long enough to ask a question. "But who's right? You or mom?"

Her mane was stroked gently twice over. "Trixie, Checker, does it really matter who's right and who's wrong here? Your mother is a very wise mare and if she has ample reason not to agree with me on everything, then it's perfectly fine to let her choose her own beliefs, just like you can choose to think my tale fact or fiction. But none of that takes away from the appeal of my story, does it?"

Trixie nodded dutifully while Checker shuffled a hoof. "I guess not..."

Helena smiled at her youngest granddaughter. "Tell you what, why don't you pick out an item in the gallery you want to know about this time, and I'll see that it becomes a fable you'll both like?"

Checker smiled, her argument largely behind her all of a sudden. "Okay, howwww abouuuut that one!"

"Ah, Autumn Glow's epoch orb. Quite an adventure behind that one. She was a seer, and while most seers use their magic to gaze glimpses of the future, she was only interested in looking to the past..."

"And when I felt down, especially after failing another lesson from mother, I could always count on her to put a smile back on my face."

In the confines of her bedchamber, the retired matriarch snoozed her daily siesta within her luxurious canopy bed. She stirred however, when her door creaked open and a sniveling little filly shuffled in as quietly as she could.

"Mmm...hm? Trixie, is that you?"

She just shuffled against the bedside without a word, scooting underneath miserably. Helena just smiled as she levitated her up and onto her sheets. "Come on now, a growing lady like yourself shouldn't bury herself in self-pity. Tell me what's wrong."

Trixie lowered her head level to the mattress and her grandmother's stroking hoof. "Checker beat me at mote casting again."

Helena chuckled. "Oh, Trixie, you know your mother's magic lessons aren't a competition."

"It is to her," she grumped back. "And mom knows I haven't won even once. She let her leave early while I had to do it five more times! Why doesn't she like me?"

"Oh, Trixie. She loves you to pieces. She just has a different way of showing it."

"No she doesn't, all she does is scold me for trying! Why can't you just teach me instead? You'd never nag me."

"Hmm hmm, my little trickster. I could never deprive my daughter the opportunity to pass on all she has learned and enjoyed to her own daughter. Teaching is a learning experience in and of itself, the success and the mistakes."

"But I'm just a failure to her," Trixie continued to whine.

"And what is wrong with that?" Helena's horn began to light up again as she began to paint another story. Some of the greatest things in history are failures. Did you know that aether, one of Starswirl's greatest discoveries, was a failure?"

"It was?"

"Oh yes. According to the scriptures, aether's discovery was Starswirl's attempt to combine the four basic elements to create a superelement that held all four of their properties. But aether wasn't hot like fire, solid as earth, soluble like water or light as air. It held none of their characteristics, intangible to change and completely useless for what he had planned. But it was because this mysterious fifth element behaved differently from the other four that made it do things none of them could. It defied the physical law the other four elements were bound to, opening an entirely new branch of magic that could be studied called celestial magic. It's that very same failure that allows Princess Celestia to raise the sun and moon each day, you know?"

She twirled her fetlock around her granddaughter's horn. "I suppose what I'm saying is, if you can't get the results you want with Moonlight's magic this way, maybe you should try finding a new way to use her spells."

Trixie furrowed her brow in confusion. "I...I don't know how."

"That's the thing when making new spells, you never know what will happen. But that's a magic of its own too, of course." Studying the expression on her the filly's face, the elder mare could tell she had lost her. "Tell you what. I can't tell Moonlight to stop or change her lessons with you, but if you want, I can show you how to do a few tricks she never bothered to learn from me. Would you like that?"

Trixie started to nod vigorously. "Can you show me how you make those pretty neon lights to tell your stories?"

"Why certainly, my little trickster. It's just a little trick with colors that actually involves conjuring some light motes..."

"She certainly sounded like quite the affectionate mare." Orange Sherbet sipped from a glass of iced tea.

"Quite," Starshine looked fondly at the bubbled image of his mother-in-law. "She was perhaps the only pony in all of Equestria that could bring out that elusive smile from Moonlight better than I."

"Curious, there was no animosity of any kind between the two?" Octavia asked.

"Far from it, Helena was the light of her life. She could never be cross at her."

"Yet she deplores the life she represented. The mystery deepens ever further. Just what is the causal link we are missing?"

Starshine's face grimaced slowly and quietly. "That, I'm afraid, is one of the more somber stories of the Lulamoons. She did not always think the theater and shows trivial and insignificant. Helena had a long standing love for the performing arts, and throughout her life as head of the Lulamoon stable, she used her status to endorse quite a few successful playwrights and amphitheaters. Like how she entertained our daughters, she did so with her daughter the same way. As you might have guessed, presentation and glamour spells were her forte, a prestigious skill set for any thespian. But the problem was, she was among the innermost circles of nobility too. And any lord or lady who dedicated more time to anything other than affairs of the court...were considered easy targets."

The pair of mares looked at each other with uncertainty. "Easy targets...for what?" Sherbet finally ventured, though she feared she already knew the answer.

The unicorn stallion hardened his face into the most serious expression they'd seen so far on him as his pipe's bubble darkened over the glow of his horn, ready to project another memory.

"Scandal."

"It was only a year and a half since our official ceremony of matrimony, and Moonlight was just barely pregnant with our first daughter. She had taken us to the newly built Vanner auditorium to see the premiere one of her favorite plays, Flight of the Spring Breezie. It was actually a performance that was very growing in popularity at that time, add it to christening a brand new performance hall and you had quite a few of the higher houses attending just for the sake of appearances."

The aged mare in the memory was talking to a distressed stallion in a private corner of the reception lobby.

"She was close friends with the stage manager, and that night he confided in her that both one of the acting leads and her understudy had taken ill. The show was in danger of being canceled."

Nodding understandingly, Helena gestured to herself and her friend lit up, hugging her. The scene then switched over to her coming out of a dressing room in a fancy costume with antenna and transparent wings.

"Helena knew the play by heart, and volunteered to fill in. It wasn't the first time she helped in such a direct matter. She'd often assist struggling newcomers rehearse lines or stagehoofs set up. The theater community often considered her their godmother for it."

She stood on the stage with the other cast members, while her daughter and Starshine sat in the front rows with the other dignitaries.

"The performance went flawlessly with her at the helm, she even covered several mistakes the other actors made. Then came the final song..."

As she stood on top of the grove stump, a rope snapped and a sandbag came crashing down on her, bathing her in tomato paste. The Breezie queen Changing Seasons now looked like the psychotic high school filly from Shetland King's novel. And like the character, she was met with raucous laughter from the audience.

"She fell victim to a trap from the lead's jealous understudy, a very poor and mortifying circumstance for any performer, but for a noble, in front of other nobles no less, it was even worse."

Helena however, smiled through the mocking laughter and finished the song as if nothing had happened. As the curtain closed, Starshine was among the few who applauded weakly. Moonlight, however, looked at the amused and smug faces of her peers, the dilation of her pupils the only thing betraying her stone cold expression to shock.

"Helena was a plucky mare though. She shrugged it off with a laugh of her own, knowing full well the ponies she really cared about and who cared about her wouldn't mind. Sadly, my dear Moonlight did not share that insight. I saw her look among her privileged peers, the same peers that she would one way consult and exchange ideas with as successor to her stable, who seemed to respect her mother for her long standing peerage and title for so long and in turn respect her, and how they now reacted with glee to such humiliation that came with the performance. She could already hear their whispers, 'a senile, old mare more suited to wear grease paint at children's parties than handle tax reformations'. Helena had become a joke to the other nobles. She was all but shut out of any serious decisions, unable to weigh in or have her opinion taken seriously. The hearsay that buzzed around the ears of every upper class pony in Canterlot months afterwards only furthered her contempt for what she believed ruined her mother.

When Helena's life as a reputable noble died, her daughter's love for the arts died with it."

The bubble finally popped as the last image faded to black.

"How horrible," Sherbet murmured.

"It wasn't long after that when Moonlight pressed to have her succession date moved up and retire her mother, allowing her to live the rest of her days away from the den of snakes that were her rival stables as much as possible," Starshine finished. "Helena didn't mind. In fact, it freed up her time to help raise her grandchildren while Moonlight was in the courts, establishing her own name. Shamefully, she could never convince her to go or allow her children to go to a theatrical, musical or any sort of entertaining performance ever again."

"It all makes sense now," the Orange matron surmised. "Any daughter would think the world of her mother. And when that world came crashing down, she blamed the cause of it. That's why she dislikes non-practical applications of magic and was so against Trixie's pursuits of showmareship. She fears her child following the same hoofsteps her grandmother took, and it's ostracized end. Celestia knows I'd do anything to keep my Tangerine from falling in with the wrong herd."

"Suspicion and worry are the most potent poisons of the mind," Octavia cited. "We cannot fault Moonlight for doing what she thinks will bring the least anguish to her progeny, no matter how unparalleled her apprehension of the catalyst."

"Yes," Sherbet agreed. "It's only natural she'd think the path of any entertainer would inevitably end in shame. But Helena held her head high regardless, it seems the only one who truly felt shame that day...was Moonlight. What could we possibly do to make her think otherwise, that whether or not Trixie shares the same fate as her grandmother, it won't be as devastating as she's led herself to believe?"

"That, ladies, is a conundrum I've wanted to answer for years. But, having seen no solution before me after so long, the best I myself can do is stay by her side and weather her concerns together." Starshine tapped his hooves together at the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps though...Beatrix's return could change things."

"I can see you're perplexed," he added, taking note of the mares expressions. "You see, Helena traveled the world in her early years, absorbing the experiences of many things not found in Canterlot. It's those globetrotting experiences that allowed her to give her daughter that inner smile in the first place. And our firstborn daughter is the only pony in our family that has ever stepped hoof outside of Canterlot extensively in fifteen years. A wild card just may be the only thing that can be a game changer at this point. After all, she brought you here, what other surprise may come to us through her?"

Octavia and Orange Sherbet nodded at each other, the hidden message clear to them. It was Trixie that had to change Moonlight's view, she was probably the only one who could.

It was just then that the grandfather clock across from them rang upon the hour.

"Hm, well. It would appear the work day for my wife is over." Starshine moved to get up. "She's always stops at four on the dot, no matter what the issue is. So she should be ready for you momentarily. Why don't I save you the rush of scrambling around and lead you to her office?"

"Much obliged," the pair said in unison.

"Well, enough reminiscing. Let's get back to getting you back to Manehattan."

Trixie just hung her head away from Honey. "I already told you, there's no point..."

"What do you mean there's no point?" the archeologist exclaimed. "Don't you want your life back?"

The overdressed unicorn then stared steely into her tan friend's eyes. "Was it ever really my life?"

She waved a hoof to the many once powerful artifacts adorned in the hallway behind them. "Look at those magiworks!"

She whipped around to point the other way, towards a line of regal profile paintings. "Look at these portraits!"

She reared up to free her front hooves to gesture widely. "Every single one of them has led the exact same kind of lifestyle with the exact same kind of magics, here, in Canterlot. Why? Because it was what they were meant to do! It was what was best for them. Every Lulamoon ever born was an aristocrat, traditional in magic, and traditional in manner."

Her eyes fell upon an empty frame that had not been mounted yet. "Why should I have been any different? How could I have been any different? Fifteen long years, I've thought every choice I've made was my own. But it was all an illusion, it was the will of my mother that let me go...it was the will of house Lulamoon. That's the true curse of nobility. You're not defined by your individuality but by your stable. That's why she was always right, because it wasn't best for her, or me, or any one pony, it was best for the family."

Her head drooped down in resignation. "So even if I could leave without her say, even if she couldn't control me, it still wouldn't matter. Staying here, and supporting mother, is what's best for the Lulamoons, so it's what's best for me too."

The pair just stood there, expressions blank, as if they just shut down. This was not the Trixie they had been expecting to find. They were staring, for the first time in their lives, at a pony that had truly and completely given up. How could they possibly save a pony, that didn't even want to be saved?

Did...did she even need saving? This thought had not crossed their minds until now. Trixie was the legal heir to everything here, so one day...she would have to take over all this stuff anyways, right? Could Moonlight taking her back under her hoof actually be what was best for her in the long run? And if so, should they succeed in their original goal, wouldn't that make them the kidnappers?

"Will...will you at least just let all of us talk with her first? Maybe we can work something different out entirely," Blossomforth suggested. "Or...at least let the rest of us talk to you."

"You're free guests in this house..." Trixie relented.

Honey nodded over at Blossomforth. "Right, let's regroup with the others before we think of anything else."

"Okay, so did Twilight say to meet with her upstairs or back at the entrance again?"

Blossomforth's last sentence suddenly galvanized their downtrodden friend into a panic. "Twilight's upstairs?!"

The pegasus gave a hop back to pull her muzzle away from the unicorn's. "Huh? Y-yeah...why? Is there something up there she shouldn't mess with?"

Trixie's mouth shrank into a dot, whispering a single word. "Checker..." And then she was off.

The pegasi took that cue to resume their chase.

"Hey! Trixie, wait!"
"Not again..."

"Queen takes pawn at d5. You're going to lose Sparkle, you do know you're not going to succeed in your mission here, don't you?"

She was toying with her, Twilight just knew it. She had been using only the queen for the last 12 turns and 3 captures. Not that she had much left aside from that, a rook, and a knight. But Checker hadn't moved either in so long! They weren't even guarding or being guarded.

I just have to get rid of that queen, then I have a chance.

"How do you figure that? It's not over yet. Pawn to a4."

"Because you're still not playing the game right. The minute you walked in you haven't been playing it right. Queen to a5."

Twilight was too engrossed in setting up her trap to retort. "Knight to f3."

"You think it'll all be over and you'll have your precious Trixie back the minute you win over mother," Checker continued. "But that's never going to happen since you've got the wrong order of things. It's not her you have to convince, but all of Canterlot. Queen takes pawn at a4."

"Bishop to d3. What are you talking about? Only Moonlight has power over Trixie, I know there's no ancient rule that can give absolute authority over somepony else's child, noble or not."

"There's more to every rule than what is simply written on parchment. Queen to d1. Especially to those who make them."

"Knight to e5. That's fundamentally impossible. Every rule has the exact same restrictions and privileges to everypony regardless of status, otherwise it wouldn't be a rule."

Checker simply grinned. "Ever heard of following the letter of the law, but not the spirit? The rules many serve as the great equalizer for the game, but they're only as equal as every pony's understanding of them. Just because the rest of the stables can't influence your friend, doesn't mean they can't influence those who can, or influence those who influence her influencers. Queen takes bishop at d3."

"What are you saying? That my friends and family can be convinced to keep Trixie here? I think you'll find our friendship to be stronger than any bribe or threat any of you nobles can make. Knight takes queen at d3."

Gotcha!

"One perhaps, but what about ten? Or twenty? Or a hundred? Did you know that while the Manehattan's weather department is a university funded organization, the financial distribution of its budget is handled by the city's federal committee, which answers to the Cloudsdale council, who address the needs of each of the shareholders of their industries, where three of the major ones happen to be families right here in Canterlot? Oh, and if I recall, all museums are considered public property, meaning no one else can own it except our national government or trustee of it. I suppose that also means most of the money for its exhibits comes out of the pockets of its policymakers too. And concert halls, I do believe three-fourths of all their endorsers and critics are also lobbyists for our country's policymakers, though I'm sure they'd be happy to provide something other than their hard earned bits to push their ideas forward. Speaking of bits, the Orange Conglomerate today seems to be in violation of several anti-trust laws that were repealed half a century ago, but I'm certain enough votes from the inner court could have those rules reinstated. There would be massive layoffs and corporate buyouts that follow, but that's the price one pays for regulation of competition.

You see Twilight Sparkle, when you fight one noble, you fight them all. That's the irrefutable truth, a truth you and your companions clearly aren't prepared for. You're the minority here, and that's because you haven't convinced the majority what you want is what they want. What they don't want, they don't like, and when the majority doesn't like your notions, you make more enemies than you do friends here. And those enemies can make their friends your enemies, and they can make their friends your enemies too. And before you know it..."

She swung her rook in a defining arc against the knight, a malicious gleam across her eyes. "...you're all alone. Rook takes knight at d3. Checkmate."

"What? No, that's not checkmate!"

Checker's smile only widened. "It might as well be. Take a closer look at the board, Sparkle."

Twilight scanned the board, stupefied as to her opponent's statement. It wasn't checkmate, it wasn't even check. Her king was safety out of reach from any of Checker's pieces at the edge of the board, and-

And then it dawned on her. Her king was the only remaining piece on the board. Yes, she had managed to finally end the queen's reign of terror on the board, but as long as Checker had at least one other piece on the field, she would be able to eventually corner and mate Twilight's helpless king. It was one against the rest, and a king couldn't win by itself.

Checker was right, there was no way Twilight could beat her now. Her opponent had won through sheer dominance of the board.

"I...lost..."

The thoughts still swam sporadically through Twilight's head. How could she have let such a neophyte way to lose come to pass? In retrospect, her memory recalled a ton of different famous strategies that could have easily countered the ones Checker played out, but why hadn't she done them?

Then she recalled her arguments with Checker while she played. Their words ended up reflecting their movements on the board. Checker had psychologically affected her judgement in playing, the more control she had gained in the conversation the more control she had gained over the board.

This...this is how nobles operate, she realized. Their biggest weapon isn't their wealth or their titles, it's their words.

"Twilight! Get away from her!"

The beaten mare snapped out of her humbled stupor to regard the trio that bounded into the room, the lead one more frantic than the others.

Twilight immediately rekindled her smile when she recognized who it was. "Trixie?!"

Her urge to glomp her was quickly overwhelmed when she did it instead, pulling her away from the table and bringing the two sisters face to face.

"Checker, I swear if you did anything to her..."

"Oh my dear Beatrix, why must you assume I'm always out to get you?"

"Because you are!" Trixie spat back at her smugly grinning face. "It's always been that way! And it hasn't stopped being that way the minute I walked back in here, so why should it stop now?"

"Touché," Checker simply said with a shrug. "But in this case I was actually helping miss Sparkle by giving her a taste of what she was planning to go up against. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy milking it though."

"I take it you wanted to avoid any of us meeting this one," Honey inferred.

The moment she drew attention from the conversation, Checker breezed past her sister as if she was air and circled the two pegasi the same way she did with Twilight.

"So, these are your other friends... Blossomforth, bearer of loyalty. Manehattan junior weather cadet, third division. Graduated Cloudsdale Technical with a Bachelor's in Weather Engineering, and a double minor in mechanics and botany. And Honey Do, bearer of Honesty. Archaeology major at Canterlot University, ten year excavator, five year curator at the Equestrian Museum of Supernatural History. Of course, that's not what your friends call you by."

"Oooh, can you guess my weight too?" Blossomforth asked.

Checker eyed the oblivious grin the pegasus held, then chuckled. "Yes, I can definitely see why my sister would make friends with you."

"I thought I heard voices coming from this room."

The personal library was starting to get a little crowded as another trio walked in.

"My, it's a regular soirée," Sherbet said before she noted who was amongst the crowd. "Trixie! Darling, so good to see you and...Trixie?"

"No Auntie, I believe that is the other daughter Starshine said he had," Octavia corrected.

"Hello father," the pair greeted automatically as he walked up to them.

"Well, it seems I wasn't the only one entertaining guests today," he surmised, looking at the pieces on the board. "Another one of your famous chess matches, Checkmate?"

"Yes father," the haughty mare politely beamed. "And as always, I won."

"I suppose this means you'll be wanting your usual victory snack?" he asked.

Checker tapped her chin, as if pretending to decide. "Indeed, nothing compliments the thrill of triumph than the victor's spoils. I'm thinking artichoke bites with goat cheese dipping this time."

"Exquisite choice, young mistress."

"AAAH!" Every non-Lulamoon jumped back from the empty space that was now filled by the stoic Silver Platter, presenting a serving dish with the aforementioned treat.

"Punctual as always Silver," Trixie said with a roll of the eyes.

"Thank you Jeeves," Checker quipped as she took one, only one, piece from the tray and motioned her hoof for him to take the rest away.

The others, meanwhile, were still trying to process on how the enigmatic butler snuck up on them yet again. The fact that his appearance was from the other end of the only doorway made it even more difficult to wrap around.

"What the heck did he do?" Honey whispered out loud. "Crawl out from under the bookshelves?"

It was at that moment the stallion turned to address them. "In addition, Mistress Moonlight is ready for you. If you would please follow me to the training hall."

It was only a two corners and a corridor down from where they had gathered, but in the dimly lit halls, it felt longer. The room they entered at the end of the walk could be best be described as a mix between a classroom and a dojo. A chalkboard with an accompanying rack of scrolls hung against the royal blue wallpaper. A line of fencing rapiers, archery equipment, and channeling rods stacked neatly against a mirrored wall. Posture weights and braces complimented the vacant space between an alchemist cauldron and a runestone array.

And at the center, imposing and regal as always, stood the matriarch of house Lulamoon.

Silver Platter was the first to break the silence. "I have brought them as requested, mistress."

"You are dismissed, Silver," Moonlight ordered with equal straightforwardness.

"By your leave."

And the room was soon one stallion less.

Twilight looked back at her friends. As usual they nodded the silent you first. Twilight raised a hoof, but before she could set it down in a step forward, Moonlight raised one of her own by the knee.

"Beatrix, Checkmate. Lesson review."

The two Lulamoon daughters walked forward past a stunned Twilight, across the room until they stood in a perfect triangle from their mother.

The mares spectating at the edge of the line didn't have an inkling of what to make of this, until Moonlight's horn began to glow. A shield barrier enveloped the trio.

"Vulcanism's Pyre."
The pair immediately lit up their horns as well, and two mini volcanoes erupted in front of them.

"Sublime’s Scintillating Sparks."
A graceful chain of lightning loops from their horns in a spiral, striking the targets Moonlight materialized.

"Holly's Breath."
Green vapors caused the potted ferns summoned to go completely limp.

"Damascus Skin."
Patterned, grooved, steel hides encompassed them as several darts thrown bounced off.

Twilight recognized the range of spells she was seeing. These are from the 4th century school of Macto. Class A dueling spells! Moonlight...was able to initiate these spells into Trixie in only a week?

Or perhaps...Trixie already knew these spells, and just never practiced them...

As the last spell faded, Moonlight's horn winked, and the damage to the room winked away just as fast.

"Checkmate, laudable spell strength from last time. Beatrix, your casting time has only shown a 0.2 millisecond improvement, lower it by 0.5 next time."

The two mares bowed to their mother gracefully. It was then Moonlight finally acknowledged the others presence.

"What you saw," she began as she walked towards the Manehattanettes, "is the standard of magic every Lulamoon is brought up to uphold. Magic of grace, power, and dignity. For unicorns, the exercise and utilization of spells is the very core of their being. As such, how they learn and practice their magic extends outward and reflects upon all other aspects of their existence. Talents, poise, mannerisms, respect, all are a mirror of our command in magic."

Without so much as giving a pause to breathe, she glided out into the hall, ushering for them to follow. The hallways seemed to darken more in the direction she led them. Finally stopping in front of two large midnight blue double doors rimmed with real silver trimming, Moonlight dropped the other horseshoe.

"Who else could be the pinnacle of such virtuous force, than our Princesses?"

Twilight and the others gasped at the sight they saw as the doorway opened before them. A darkened grand hall welcomed them, with walls and ceiling that could easily be mistaken for a night's sky, glimmering with beautiful constellations. And standing at the far end, was a statue of obsidian, features adorned with black onyx and gold beryl. It was a statue of Princess Luna, not the yearling form they first saw her as when they freed her from Nightmare Moon, but her true, majestic, shape, in full power and beauty. Very old paintings complimented the midnight tapestry on the sides, paintings of her, in the regality of her old castle, a vast untarnished difference from the ruins they were now, accompanied by the various mares and stallions, each one in each painting bearing the same crescent moon emblem on their robes.

"The Lulamoons were more than just noble servants to Princess Luna, we were her right hoof at one point. Among her advisers, her confidants, we were the surrogate children of the night. We few of her stables held the night, both its mysteries and magic, sacred. Even when she fell to darkness, we did not descend to the same madness like the Astrals, nor did we abandon her doctrines and love as did the Tides! We held true to her blessings, loyal not to her ideals, but what they represented. When Celestia ended the era of darkness, only three families of the lunar's inner circle remained. We were of those three. We consented to keep our heads low to end the fear of night. We agreed to let time heal the wounds, to let the name of Luna fade into obscurity for the greater good.
But we would not forget. We acted not as erasers of her existence but as her keepers. We took the records, the depictions, the secrets, and hid them all away safely. For like her sister, we knew there would be a time when it would be needed again, a time when the Princess of the Night's name could be spoken again freely, a time when our shepherdess of dreams would return to her rightful place, wise, benevolent, and guiding."

She then turned abruptly to face Twilight.

"And now that time has finally come! One thousand years of absence, and our loyalty and dedication to her has remained as steadfast and unwavering as ever. Princess Luna is about retake her place on the throne of Equestria, by her sister's side. And the Lulamoons will soon be by her side once more as well, guiding her into this new age as she guided us for so many a generation. And I will not allow anyone save the Princess herself, to deny the reward our family has waited so long for: Recognition of our legacy, not just as a stable, but the stable...of the moon."

She then turned away, proceeding to leave hall behind her. "This is what I need my family for. This is what I will have my family for, all of it."

She passed by her respective members one by one, calling them to follow behind her.
"Come Starshine."
"Yes, dear."
"Checkmate."
"At once, mother."
"Beatrix, have Silver Platter see our guests out."

As the rest of the family disappeared out into the hall, Trixie stopped at the edge of the doorway to look at Twilight with sad, resigned eyes.

"Go back to Manehattan, Twilight Sparkle. There is nothing left for you here."

"But...but Trixie-"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is gone!" she painfully spat. "Now...there's only Beatrix Midsummer Lulamoon the second, heir to house of Lulamoon, scion of the original lunar stables..."

She then turned away, head hung low.
"...and that's all that ever will be there from now on..."

And so Twilight and her friends could do nothing but watch in despair, as Beatrix Lulamoon disappeared from their sights and into the shadows after her mother.

Shining Armor trotted up the steps to his home, sports cap on his head and pennant sticking behind his ears. His saddlebag also contained a model train set plus conductor's cap as well as a leftovers box from a Private Pansy's Pizzeria. A little baby dragon sat on his back, foam finger in one claw, and a huge waffle cone in the other.

"That was definitely some long overdue bonding between bros," Spike said, his lips richly decorated in rocky road.

"You can say that again. Best day off ever," his adoptive big brother concurred, remembering to wipe his hooves before entering. "Wonder if Twily had as good a day as we did getting her friend back."

He stopped short of the living room though. Peaking over his head, Spike soon saw why.

"Well isn't this a familiar sight," he groaned to himself as he took note of the five mares draped over the living room furniture on their stomachs and backs with pathetic, half dead looks on their faces.

"I take it things didn't go as well as previously hoped?" Twilight's B.B.B.F.F. ventured.

"Not even close," his L.S.B.F.F. mumbled, not even bothering to lift her face up from the couch cushion.

Night Light and Twilight Velvet came from out of the kitchen, a pitcher of iced tea and glasses on hoof.

"Sorry punkin, it was long shot at best anyways. The Lulamoons have been one of the most traditional of stables since the construction of Canterlot. I actually doubt anything less than a royal decree could convince Moonlight to let go of Trixie what with the current situation surrounding Princess Luna."

"This really sucks now," Blossomforth grumbled, her hooves wrapped around a throw pillow. "The Lulamoons don't want Trixie to leave, the other nobles don't want Trixie to leave, even Trixie doesn't want Trixie to leave now! It's like this whole city's against us for some odd reason!"

"It seems there's nothing we can do at this point," Orange Sherbet surmised. "As long as Princess Luna remains a hot topic for the nation, I doubt anypony here is going to want to keep their hooves off nobles with even the slightest relation to her."

"And to think, this all got started from some dumb, archaic, almost non-existent law," Honey groused.

Twilight's head turned to the side, gears beginning to turn in her head.

"It's not her you have to convince, but all of Canterlot..."
"Princess Luna...nobles with even the slightest relation to her..."
"...the family title of Twilight is still a stable of Canterlot in name..."

"THAT'S IT!" She suddenly exclaimed at the top of her lungs.

Everypony jumped, their hearts nearly beating out of their chests.

"Goodness, Twilight. What's it?" Octavia asked.

"Checker was right, I have been going about this all wrong! If I'm ever going to have equal hoofing against Moonlight, I have to beat her at her own game!" She turned to her father. "Dad, the stable lords meeting, it's tomorrow evening at the palace, right?"

"That's right, punkin. Tomorrow at seven pm."
"And every stable of Equestria will be in attendance?"
"As far as I know, yes."
"Then I'm going with you."

Everypony looked to one another, not entirely sure where Twilight was going with this.

"What are you hoping to do, Twily?" Shining Armor asked at last.

Twilight looked to her friends and family with a scheming grin, full of determination. "If the Lulamoons won't budge on this issue, then I'm taking this case to court. The royal court!"

"This blows big time."

Babs rolled around on Twilight's old bed, bored out of her skull. "A new city to explore, with tons of new cutie mark earning opportunities, and we's stuck, cooped up here like a buncha jailbirds!"

"Well, it's not a total loss. Twilight's mom was nice enough to let us tag along on her errands today," Firecracker said.

"That is true," Tangerine agreed, crossing out a list of items she wrote on Smartypants' notebook with her quill. "We got to try being cutie mark crusader greengrocers, jewel appraisers, printing pressers, bank tellers, dust busters...and we did get fruit smoothies afterwards."

"Yeah yeah yeah. I'm talking about the neat stuff we should be doing 'ere. Moat digging, gem mining, cannon testing! But no, we's gotta be punished for trying to do something good. I mean, how can they be for sure we won't be able to help Trixie?"

"I do still want to do something to save her," Firecracker admitted. "If only we knew something about those mean nobles' plans..."

"Hey girls!" Featherweight skidded into the room, excitement plastered all over his face. "You'll never guess what I just overheard in the living room!"

Act 6: Hassle in the Castle

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Twilight and her father stepped out into the orange red glow of the twilight hour. The young mare's saddlebags were filled to the brim with notes, historical documents, and law books.

"Ready, dad?"

Night Light smiled at his eager daughter. He knew it wasn't the right thing to go for in this situation, but he could not help but think how adorable his little filly looked with that scrunched pout of determination plastered on her face. "As I'll ever be. You're planning to do all the talking anyway it seems, so I doubt I really need much preparation."

"Not at all!" she said to the contrary. "Every advocate needs an associate to make sure there are no holes in their iron-clad arguments, feed legal precedents, and provide a confidant to even out the resolve of the opposing parties. It's essential fact number 86 in the 101 must knows for combating courtroom drama."

Her father turned away for a brief second to hide the smirk on his face. "Okay then, punkin. Let's get you on over to the castle before your mane bursts from enthusiasm."

"I just can't help it," Twilight said as the father-daughter pair began to canter up the road to the overlying palace visible in the distance. "I've gone over every argument I can think of, every argument she'll think of, reviewed every underlying factoid and neighboring topics. even made a list of potential allies I can use to help force my issues. There is no way Moonlight is going to have the upper hoof tonight."

"There is no way mother is going to lose tonight," Checker gloated to herself and her complacent sister in the grand foyer. "Not as long as she has your word to back hers up. Luna's going back to full power under her say so, and with it, ourselves. Makes you quiver with anticipation, does it not?"

"Yes..." her elder sister catatonically replied.

Moonlight soon descended the stairs, her evening gown attire matching the darkening sky outside. "Beatrix, it is time."

Silently following her mother's lead, Beatrix marched alongside her to the doors.

"Oh, mother?"

Moonlight stopped halfway out the mansion and turned her head to acknowledge her other daughter. "Checkmate. You have something to say?"

"This is to be our family's crowning achievement, is it not? Would it not make sense for all the members to be present for our lunar princess' re-ascension?"

Moonlight arched an eyebrow ever so slightly, as if her perfect daughter had said something completely out of character. Returning to her stoic state of mind, she replied in kind. "My daughter, you know the arrangement of the stable's caste as well as I do. Only the eldest stallion and mare of each line's generation are allowed to represent the family as a whole in the presence of the noble court, whereas protection of their integrity, proprietary, and honor fall to their youngers."

"Yes, but surely the magnitude of this occasion-"

"There will be other opportunities to revel in the glory of our princess, do not be concerned over that. Until then, keep to your duties as chevalier of our clan as you exceptionally always have." Moonlight spared a glance up at the family crest imprinted over the archway. "Remember, a dynasty is strongest when all members fulfill their designated roles, each important as parts of a whole. It is why the Lulamoon bloodline has remained standing for so long whilst other esteemed lineages have formed and dissolved to the passages of time."

Checker opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. She then repeated the motion a second time, and finally pronounced, "Of course, mother. Good fortune to you and Beatrix this evening." She nodded down with a sincere smile. "I understand what needs to be done of me."

Satisfied with her response, Moonlight returned her focus on her eldest charge, and ushered her to follow again with a wordless command.

As the door shut with finality, leaving Checker alone in the grand foyer, witness only to herself, the smile quickly curdled into a glowering sneer.

"I definitely understand what needs to be done..."

Upon the drawbridge that lead into the inner keep of the palace, Twilight and her father joined the single file line of aristocrats being announced and escorted inside, some accompanied by spouse or brood. All held their heads high as they passed the archway up the white castle steps.

"Not a friendly face to be found..." Twilight said to herself, briefly remembering her isolated youth in the castle. Silent servants, impassive guards, pretentious highborns...was it any wonder the royal library and its books were the warmest source of comfort back then?

"Really? How about those two?" Night Light ventured.

Twilight looked, and sure enough, apart from the line, near the end of the overpass stood two two earth ponies who waved to her as she grew steadily closer.

"Octavia! Auntie!" Twilight sprang from her position in line while her father held her place. "What are you doing here?"

"Well you certainly didn't think we were going to simply sit around doing nothing and not offer our support, did you?" Sherbet wittily retorted.

Octavia smiled back too. "We ourselves may not be allowed audience in tonight's assembly, but you of all ponies should know the rest of the castle is open to the public at all times."

"It certainly is an exotic cup of tea to see the palace up close at this hour," Sherbet admitted. "Especially when seeing one of them up close for the first time."

Twilight took notice from where Sherbet was directing her attention and found what she was referring to, the pair of guards that stood over the entrance. Unlike the usual white-coated and gold-plated pegasi she had seen almost all the time at the gates and on the lookouts, these two bore a sleeker uniform of black and indigo-violet.

But what truly set these gatekeepers out were their yellow cat eyes, slightly elongated and tufted ears, and their leathery wings.

Twilight was stuck in awe for a moment. "Ahhh...real live thestrals!"
She had known about their existence for years of course, she had read about them. But never had she seen an actual one up close and in pony, not even here in the castle. According to her books, these bat-like ponies were supposed to be the most reclusive of the pegasi. Most of their kind had supposedly migrated outside of Equestria centuries ago, and those that had remained kept to small isolated communities that rarely had contact with anypony else save for the occasional trader.

Come to think of it, according to her research, the so called 'great exodus' of this group was predicted to have been about-
One thousand years ago...

Twilight then remembered the kirin re-emergence that happened in the city some time ago. And all at once it made sense to as why she would suddenly see this particular species of pony that preferred to hide in the night.
Because the night isn't for hiding behind anymore. Princess Luna's return has prompted them to come back out in the open too.

The longer she studied their features, the more her inner scholar was fascinated. These were ponies born for the night, ponies born for Luna. This was the true night guard.

A dismissive sniff caught her attention, and she glanced to the side of the guard to see a grey and pale olive unicorn pair eye their sentries warily with disdain, then whisper among each other as if nopony else could hear them after they passed.

"Did you get a good look at that stallion's teeth? I'm positive those were fangs!"
"And the way they've been flaunting about these past few weeks. It's like they suddenly think they own the city when the sun goes down."
"I remember a time when we could get a proper sleep without being awoken in the dead of night to such rowdy and unruly antics coming from those taverns and clubs and, whatever lowbrow establishments the more common folk enjoy, which are seemingly open 24-7 now."
"What is our princess thinking? Suddenly entrusting almost half of our entire order and security to these...batpony barbarians?"

Twilight felt her nose wrinkle. Not that she wasn't surprised some of these high society ponies didn't see the new and slightly scarier looking night guard for what they really represented. Heck, some ponies here looked down on others simply because they weren't even born in Canterlot.

It did, however, give Twilight a better understanding to the gravity of this emergency conference. Whatever reflected upon Luna tonight would ultimately reflect upon the thestrals, the kirin, and any other nocturnal denizen that was popping up more frequently under the moon princess' grace. She made a mental note that once she had secured Trixie's freedom from her stable, she'd dedicate the rest of the meeting to assuring the fair treatment of Equestria's newest nighttime demographic.

Taking her place back in line with her father, who was now only three ponies away from the front of the queue, Twilight cleared a gap in the line large enough for her two friends to be escorted in by her. "So, have you seen Trixie in this line yet?"

Octavia shook her head. "It's likely Moonlight had arrived and taken her inside before we even got here. The first to act are the first with passion, as they say."

"Oh, so did Daring and Blossomforth go ahead in too?"

Sherbet regarded Twilight's question with a peculiar tap on the chin. "Oddest thing, when we left the house, Daring actually took Blossomforth in another direction, telling us this was an opportune time to do some digging up."

"Digging?" Twilight tried to think back. There were no recent excavation sites or discoveries anywhere near Canterlot, none that she had heard about anyways. "Where could she possibly be digging?"

"Lulamoon Manor..." Blossomforth looked up at the imposing behemoth of a mansion that seemed to bolt out the starlit sky. "It looks even creepier at night. So why are we here again, Daring?"

Honey, instead of sporting her usual pith helm, now wore a detective's deerstalker cap, motioned for Blossomforth to follow her over the locked gate. "It's elementary, my dear Blossom. We're looking for clues."

The pegasi pair rounded the second story until they found an unlatched window before her assistant spoke up again. "Clues for what?"

"Remember what Twilight told us about her conversation with Checker? And how that mare knew so much about us? There's something about it all that makes me think either she knows more about this situation than she lets on or, there's something about this situation she's hiding from us." Sliding the pane open as quietly as possible, she swooped into the hallway. "And I wouldn't be much of a friend to Trixie if I didn't find out the truth!"

"Okay! I'm with you!" Blossomforth pulled herself in with enthusiasm. She stood there for a few seconds before making a cursory look from one end to the next. "So, where do we look?"

"Checker's room might be a good start."
"And where would that be?"
"Three doors down and to the left of the next corridor."

"AHH!" Honey and Blossomforth jumped into each other's hooves before the steely gray visage of Silver Platter.

"Will you stop DOING that?!" Honey exclaimed. And then there was an unsettling pause as the two trespassers' heart rates regulated. It was one of those rare circumstances in which Blossomforth was actually the first to draw the conclusion.

"Uh oh, busted."

The butler stood squarely in front of them, the dim moonlight casting a shadow over his stature. "As servant of Lulamoon stable, it is my sworn duty to protect all it members from anyone who seeks to harm or do wrong by them with every inch of my life."

Honey could feel a bead of nervous sweat form on the back of her neck. Fighting their way through the family butler certainly hadn't been on the itinerary for tonight. Could they even take him? Granted, she was an ace adventurer who tackled more traps in her life than there were days in a year, and Silver Platter did look old, no doubt. But she had met a lot of elderly in her historical treks, and she could tell this was the kind of buck-fu master old she was dealing with, much stronger and faster than at glance, and definitely not the kind you could out experience in a brawl. Plus, two-on-one, Blossomforth would likely be more of a liability than a help.

"Well...uh..."

They stiffened as he took a solidary step forward. "That said, it is also my first and foremost task to act to my mistress' most well being at hoof, even if they do not follow it themselves."

Blossomforth and Daring blinked as he walked past them. "Huh?" They turned around to him, and gave a glancing look back.

"I have served the stable since the days of the late Helena Lulamoon, and if there is something she has taught me, it is that true servitude requires more than obedience. It requires discipline, integrity, and devotion. If my mistress needs help but does not want it, it is my duty to refuse her command, not obey. If she does wrong it is my role to correct, not comply. If there is a way to guide her to becoming a better mare, conventional or otherwise, I do not impede it...I welcome it."

"Waaaaait a minute..." Honey started. "Are you saying you know-?"

"Whatever it is you hope to find, I wish you the best for all our sakes." He then disappeared from sight into the darkened corridors with the parting words, "It has been so long since I've heard actual laughter within these walls."

As Tangerine watched the last glow of maroon disappear over the horizon, she leapt from her place on the bedside windowsill to the huddled group around the rug. "Okay Crusaders, it is time. Is everyone ready?"

Featherweight held up his camera. "Polished the lens, changed the bulb, and reloaded the film!"

Firecracker stuffed one last smoke bomb into her already bulging sacks. "I've got rope, shovels, covers, night goggles, and all the sparklers I can carry!"

Babs fitted an oversized hoofball helmet over her noggin. "I'm suited up cuz, let's roll 'em out!"

The four high hoofed in excitement.
"To the castle!"
"To save Trixie!"
"Cutie Mark Crusader Castle Crashers are a go!"

The fillies and colt then sprinted for the door.
"Not so fast!"
Only to ground their hooves to a skidding halt when a little purple dragon jumped in front and barred the way.

"We all had a feeling you might try something like this. So I've been left in charge of you four! You're staying put here, and that's that."

Firecracker took point, her eyes blazing with idol worship. "There is no way, no how, we're going to be sitting here knowing the Great and Powerful Trixie is up there being pushed around willy-nilly!"

Spike backed against the doorway, slamming it shut and blocking it with arms outstretched. "Nopony's gonna get past this dragon!"

Babs cracked a mischievous smile, ushering the other three to surround their opponent on all sides. "Is that a challenge?"

"Just try it! I've handled the girls when they got foalified, and they did far worst than anything you four could think of!"

"Oh yeah?" Babs plucked a feather from Featherweight's wings. "Did they think of this?"

"You wouldn't dare..." Spike warned.

But she did. Spike dug his claws deep into the frame to avoid losing his footing as the peals of laughter erupted from his mouth from the filly's tickle torture. The struggle didn't last long as Featherweight introduced another game changer into the mix.

*click* *FLASH*

"AHH! MY EYES!"

Spike fell backward, his arms now crossed in a makeshift face guard. His backside barely had time to touch the floor when Firecracker pulled the rope from her bags and jumped on top of him.

"Get him!"

The other three jumped into the fray without hesitation. And though the cloud of dust that soon kicked up obscured the view, the cacophony alone could tell you which side was winning, and how one-sided it was.

"Ack! No! Ow! Leggo! Stop! That doesn't bend that way! HEEEEEEELP!! MRS. TWILIIIIIIGHT!!!"

Twilight looked from the second row, fifth seat on the left, around huge circular ring of court benches that encompassed the royal courtroom. It was actually the very fist time in her life she had been in this part of the castle. Despite its imposing size, the room seemed quite plain. Aside from any personal belongings the various nobles brought to their own seats like plush cushions or table matting, there were no decorations whatsoever. A clean white wall with marbled corner columns and only two small circular windows on each side, with the exception of the large tall one behind the stand in the back where the princesses would sit were all that could be ascertained from the many benches.

While she suspected that the majority of the delegation would be unicorns, she took note that ratio to pegasi and earth ponies was not as lopsided as she thought. Apparently many of the provinces outside of Canterlot weren't heavily unicorn populated. And was that a griffon she saw in one of the seats above Cloudsdale's? It must have been a ruling representative from one of the territorial colonies. Every inch of Equestria and then some was turning out for this meeting.

Then she saw who she was looking for, across the room, third row, and seven right from the central stand. Her eyes locked with Moonlight's as she gazed back differently in expression, already sizing each other up. Twilight knew she already figured out why she was here, and knew what she would try to do.

She may think that I only think I'm ready, but she's going to be thinking again soon enough!

The clamoring came to a dying fade as the doors to the back opened. All eyes focused to the two that strode in. Princess Celestia took her place upon the high white seat at the center. Trailing behind her came Luna, who took the second seat in black. Both seemed professionally composed, but an expert could see the shy anxiety Luna hid, and the disheartening concern it gave Celestia. As she gave a surveying look over the parliament assembled before her, Twilight could see the faintest smile from the corner of her mouth be directed at her.

I'm glad I'm here too Princess. she thought back.

The cream unicorn stallion in red near the base of the bristled his mustache as he prepared a long scroll for the meeting notes. A white bespectacled unicorn with a matching tie and collar, and her mane and tail tied in a bun accompanied him with a quill and numerous blank parchments on hoof. "*Ahem* All rise for our benevolent rulers of Equestria, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

Everypony rose from their seat in customary reverence. "You may be seated," Celestia answered in turn, she then addressed the attendant who announced her. "Kibitz, you may continue the proceedings."

Clearing his throat yet again, the stallion read from his scroll once more. "This evening's emergency council under the pronouncement of her majesty, Princess Celestia of Equestria, shall now commence. As tonight's clerk of the court for the proceedings, I ask all manner of conversation and ruling to be civil and unequivocal. Her majesty shall now begin with her opening."

Celestia stood up to address the nobility. "My little ponies, as you all know, there has been much strife as of late regarding the speculation and determination of my sister's role ever since her return from exile to our lands. As ruling class, our actions set the example for those who follow and look to us for guidance. Unrest of this level will surely project negative influence upon the denizens of our nation, and breed disharmony among ourselves if this continues on. For that matter, I have convened you all here tonight so that a resolution will be agreed upon by the end of this court. I sincerely wish for Luna's resumption as ruler of our night to be as peaceful as possible."

A short silence reigned as the ponies of the council waited for who would have the boldness to speak first. Twilight saw Moonlight look from the corner of her eye to a light grey unicorn and moderate tangelo earth pony pair, both wearing some exotic headdress that set them apart. The mare noticed Moonlight looking to her too and rose to speak.

"The court recognizes Duchess Ice Mirror of Maretonia," Kibitz announced.

Of course, thought Twilight. Moonlight isn't going to exhaust herself trying to fight the whole court from the very get go. She'll have her allies throw the opening salvos and take the brunt of the opposition to begin with.

"Princess Celestia," the duchess began, "you say that you wish to place Princess Luna in a position equal to yours, but the duties of night and day are vastly different. To what order can you guarantee the balance of importance in these tasks you plan to delegate? We have discerned that an imbalance of power is what drove your sister to rebel against Equestria and, in turn, our world to begin with. I know I speak for all of us when I say we do not wish to bear witness to a second Lunar Rebellion."

Almost everypony could see Luna irrevocably stiffen. Celestia wordlessly consoled her with a look, and nodded politely to the duchess. "Your concerns are understandable, but I assure you Luna and I have spent much time these past months reconciling and discussing our objectives in the best manner possible."

She looked to Luna, knowing the rest would best come from her. Her sister did not disappoint. "Celestia and I have long since come to an agreement, for which I am grateful and elated in. We only ask that you as our confidants and proxies to agree as well."

Mutters and murmurs were already starting to circulate around the members of the court as a second official raised his hoof to speak.

"The court recognizes Sir Shooting Star of Stable Orion."

"Perhaps a more relevant matter, if the question of your sister's stability is moot. If I am to understand your reasoning, you two alone have already made a ruling of the plan at hoof without conferring to even one of us in the entirety of your judgement. Does that not make this assembly a mere formality at this point? The Stable Lords exist for this very reason your majesties. To circumvent their collective assessment as whole by bringing them this late into such a world shaking decision can be interpreted as a clear attempt to undermine the very authoritative system you created to preserve our nation's integrity and equality."

A young, light pastel blue mare rose three seats over from Twilight to contend with the white stallion.

"The court recognizes baroness Diamond Mint of household Brilliant-"

Kibitz barely finished his sentence when she spoke up. "Your statement is completely derogatory and presumptuous, Shooting Star. It's because Princess Celestia called this council together in the first place that she is not trying to subvert our voices in this decision. Lest you forget, all legislation, including the bestowal of peerage, can only be finalized by her majesty's personal seal. We would know if such actions were performed beforehoof. The fact that she has asked us to weigh in prior to it only signifies if we want additional changes to be made, they can be made. This doctrine is not yet ironclad and she wants us to be just as satisfied with it as she and her sister are."

Twilight nodded to herself. Diamond Mint had been on her list of potential allies. Recently titled from her father Brilliant Cut, only three generations running, she had a long standing preposition for social programs as one of her best friends, Lemony Gems, was only able to make it into Canterlot Academy on a scholarship.

In fact, going over the information she was able to dig up from the royal archives with her father, Twilight realized most of the nobles she would likely be able to rally behind her without difficulty were fairly new and young to the political circle. An unfortunate minority in this case, but battles like these were won with strategy, not size.

"Oh, really?" a brown earth pony with curly cream hair of lighter coloration spoke up immediately. "I was unaware a complete overhaul to our armed forces and homestead security, including its financial distribution and funding, was no longer considered within legislation's purview. Because I certainly didn't hear of any decree allowing the conscription of foreign immigrant batponies into our armies! Last I checked, only Equestrians were legally allowed to enlist."

"Sealed Scroll, please wait until you're acknowle-"

Kibitz didn't even get to finish that time when a grey, leathery winged mare Twilight could only conclude was the elusive Countess of Gallopvania shot to her hooves.

"The thestrals, Baron of Connecticolt, have, are, and always will be rightful citizens of this nation. And as for integration into the guard, such matters require the consent of the court's military officials only, which Princess Celestia and Princess Luna arranged at the last Cloudsdale summit. Am I not correct, Governor-General Bora?"

The grizzled and aged brick yellow pegasus sitting in one of the seats at the Cloudsdale bench did not even turn the slightest in the direction of the icy, accented voice directed at him, but simply nodded with a stone-faced expression. "I can attest that the words Countess Nightshade speaks to be true. All Four Winds of the Cloudsdale Congress signed their consent to make the aforementioned changes to the Night Guard on the Nineteenth of February, shortly after the annual Young Best Fliers competition."

A muscular older stallion with a gray coat and midnight blue mane, every bit Bora's size, then took the stand. "That may be well and all for these so called ponies of the night that suddenly decided to return along with their Princess, but what of the other inequine monsters that decided to follow as well? I've been receiving numerous reports from my squires of statues coming to life, strange glowing lights in the nearby woodlands and harbors, mass vivid dreams with strange amalgamated creatures suddenly appearing before my residents, sightings of green, ruby eyed cats and white rodents with hammers wandering the edges of towns at night! My provinces are on the edge of hysteria, worrying what new thing is going to pop out at them in dark next!"

This prompted a series of agreements as others began to try and voice their concerns over what a few them even started to claim as a 'nighttime invasion'.

"Calm yourself, Earl Blue Wave of Baltimare."

The room grew deathly silent again as the stoic, controlled tone rang clear through the murmurs and killed the rising volume of the courtroom. The only thing that could be distinguishable was the smoking quill of the stenographer next to Kibitz who was taking advantage of the lull in the arguments to catch up. First to recover, Kibitz took full advantage reigning in the proceedings.

"The court recognizes Duchess Moonlight of Stable Lulamoon."

All ears and eyes were trained on the one mare they had been waiting for to speak, especially Twilight.

"I know of all the creatures you speak of, and if you bothered to simply observe their behaviors even without prior knowledge, you would know none of them hold reason to sow needless panic among your denizens. The living statues you depicted are either gargoyles or kirin, sentinels of stone born from pony hooves. Their presence, if anything, is actually an additional security to your cities. The balls of lights you've seen are will-o-wisps, a nocturnal type of fay that, like all of their species, love to play harmless tricks on passing travelers. The put-together 'monsters' in your subjects dreams are baku, denizens of the astral plane. They actually eat the real nightmares that haunt ponies' dreams. And the cats and rodents you speak of are undoubtedly carbuncles and moon rabbits, creatures that actually represent fortune and charity respectively, and therefore can only be good luck if sighted.

Regardless, their reemergence was inevitable along with Princess Luna's, for her powers act like a beacon to these creatures, guiding them back like a moth to a lantern. We can only hope to gain from the night now that its steward has retaken her place, but that will not happen until we stop putting our doubts in front of each other and help her to help us."

She looked to her daughter as if to direct a cue, that she had saved the most important part for the Element of Laughter to say.

Beatrix stood up from her seat, monotone eyes staring straight ahead. "Much has transpired in the wake of our Lunar Princess' absence, so as we must learn again from her, she must learn from us. Therefore we would like to propose an addendum to this evening's intended purpose, the reinstatement of the Lunar cabinet, and its officials appointed through nomination from the Stable of Lords and decided by Princess Luna."

The room suddenly erupted with fervent exclamations and varying degrees of shock, both for and against the audacious political reformation proposed.

A royal cabinet solely for Luna, so that's her plan. Twilight couldn't help but give kudos to how well timed and cunning Moonlight implemented her tactics. A ministry of several nobles that carried extra titles and duties already existed under Celestia's sovereignty, but it was mainly nonfunctional as she shouldered most of the final decisions and they handled the paperwork. The hierarchy of it however, was not properly structured to cater to two Princesses, and it was too soon for implemented adjustments to include Luna to take effect.

At this point, it would actually be smoother and easier to duplicate the existing administration and form a separate second one altogether. Two Ministers of State, two Attorney Generals, two Grand Veneurs, two Ministers of Defense, and of course, two Chancellors. There's no doubt that was the position Moonlight aimed for her family to take, especially if the final decision was Luna's and she was using Trixie to advocate it. Plus, with more than just one extra position of power made available through this proposal, it was likely she would be able to rally other members of the court eager for a piece of the pie to her cause.

But given the phrasing used to back up this proposal, Twilight could use Moonlight's own words as ammo for her own goals.

Celestia rapped her hoof like a gavel on her stand. "Order! My little ponies, please. Let there be order." It took a full two minutes of her pounding to quiet the agitated court, but she finally managed to calm the atmosphere to a point where she could personally address Moonlight. "Duchess Lulamoon, this is a very radical proposal your family brings to our state of affairs, and is not to be taken lightly. There may be unintended consequences to such a dramatic change if not fully thought out."

"I am glad you express caution, your majesty. Introducing new ideas often meets resistance and backlash of some form, but that is why we're here now. Princess Luna needs to reintegrate into our society after an absence of 1000 years, such a transition cannot possibly be achieved alone. A ministry of aides individual to her needs, a direct line of communication and buffer to her as she comes to terms and adapts to the changes that have occurred within this immense gap of time, will ensure her restoration to the throne brings as little upheaval to our working government."

"And I suppose you expect us to nominate you as head of this so called private Luna committee?" a Canterlot earl Twilight recognized as Black Marble stood to point an accusatory hoof. "Making it so that if any of us here want anything to do with Luna, we have to go through you first?"

Moonlight didn't even raise an eyebrow in retort. "I seek only the safest and wisest course of action to keep order for the sake of our Princesses, both of them. Princess Luna would be overwhelmed if she were to be fully immersed in a millennium's worth of revised dogma, magical and technological advances, and evolved social customs. Somepony must be there to act as her confidant and counselor when Princess Celestia cannot. I simply ask that pony most suited for the job be that one."

Twilight judged this to be prime time to make her first move. She stood up to address the court.

"Moonlight is absolutely right."

That bought the silence of everypony in the room, and Celestia raised an eyebrow at her faithful student, wondering what Twilight could be planning by going along with Moonlight.

"We shouldn't be looking at this as a scale of power and influence that's being tipped, but as a chance to make some long overdue updates to how we do things. Princess Luna is entering our world with a fresh start, what better time could there be to make a fresh start of our own? There's a lot of outdated concepts and archaic systems in our bureaucracy that have been put aside, but not updated. Ancient traditions that while forgotten by all but parchment today, were the norm for Princess Luna. If we're to make this process as smooth as possible, we have to remove the clutter from our governing body so there is no ambiguity for our Princess as she becomes more actively involved in the affairs of the modern world. Which is why I would like to propose an addendum of my own to the proceedings, the official annulment of all unused, outmoded, and retired laws of this nation's constitution."

She looked directly at Trixie and Moonlight as she spoke her next words. "Starting with noble matriarchy rules!"

"Anything yet?"

Blossomforth crawled out from under Checker's bed to answer Honey. "The only things she hides here are dust bunnies and empty potion bottles."

Honey slammed another dresser drawer shut. "Nothing! Not even a stationary! She's got to have some place for keeping papers and notes. How else would she know so much about us?"

After fishing through her closet for a fifth time, she sighed in defeat. "Maybe she really isn't implying anything by her attitude after all. Maybe she's just that arrogant and obnoxious."

She made a motion towards the door. "Come on Blossomforth, let's try the study next."

As Blossomforth scooted out to join her friend though, her hoof clicked a particular spot on the hardwood floor.

"Huh. I didn't know wood could make that sound."

Honey quickly pushed her aside to feel the area beneath. "That's cause it's not wood! It's petrified carbon!" Rubbing it carefully, she peeled off the flooring to reveal a circular ring with strange markings. "A rune lock! This is definitely some kind of safe!"

"Can you crack it?" Blossomforth asked.

"Well...it appears to be Mareabian sigil sequence code," Honey then gave scoffing 'puh-leeze' laugh, "from the 5th century! This will be just a sec."

With a series of taps and tones, the circular lock widened to give access to a small compartment. Honey reached her hoof in to feel. "Hmmm...traces of pigmented crystals, a dust outline, cellulose residue...no doubt about it. This is where she kept her secret info! Huh, but it looks like she cleaned it out just recently, must have taken it with her for something."

"What about that one in the nook just above the hatch?"

Honey reached behind where Blossomforth specified, and sure enough, she felt a solitary piece of parchment there. Pulling it out, she scanned the contents of the paper. Upon finishing it, she lowered it to chest level, a perplexed frown growing on her face.

"Huh? But this doesn't make sense."

Blossomforth squeezed her head in under Honey's foreleg, trying to look at the paper too. "What is it? What does it say?"

"This is an acceptance letter for Princess Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns."

Now Blossomforth seemed confused. "How's that not make sense? Didn't Checker say she graduated from there at the top of her class?"

"What doesn't make sense is that this letter is addressed to Trixie!"

"HUH?!" Blossomforth jerked forward, completely flipping over her friend from above as she read out loud.

"To Beatrix Lulamoon,

It will please you to know that after heavy consultation with our superiors, we have decided to rescind our initial notice of rejection and extend an invitation to our prestigious academy under the direct recommendation of Princess Celestia. We look forward to hearing back from you on your decision to accept or decline our gracious invitation.

Sage Whitehoof
Headmaster of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns."

She pursed her lips as she tried to make sense of the impossible document. "But...Trixie always said she never got into Princess Celestia's school."

The gears in Honey's head finished turning, and her eyes narrowed in grim realization. "Yeah, and Moonlight thinks the same thing..."

"Why would this letter even be in Checker's room anyway, locked in a secret compartment nopony but she probably knows about?"

Removing her hoof from her face, Honey snatched the letter back from Blossomforth. "Because she is the only pony who knows about this! Come on!"

".........Ohhh! Checker knew Trixie got in by reading this letter, but she hid it away so no one else could read it, so no one else could know. I get it now!" Blossomforth then noticed her more intuitive partner was no longer in the room, but out the window and shrinking into the night sky. "Huh? Hey Daring, wait!"

It wasn't until she was halfway across the uptown area and had the palace coming up in her vision that she was able to get back within earshot. "Daring, where are we going now?"

"To tell Trixie she's been living a lie within a lie since she was age six!"

Off in a little corner of the eastern edge of the castle gardens, a hedge rustled as three fillies and a colt head popped out from underneath the leafy shrubbery, their faces slightly smeared with dirt and tiny shovels and picks in their mouths.

"See? I toldja we could dig in through under the walls!" Babs proudly proclaimed.

"I just do not understand why we could not go through the front gate," Tangerine said.

"What, and be noticed by the guards? We don't want to lose the element of surprise!" Firecracker hissed.

"Snappy! What a view!" Featherweight took the moment to get snapshot keepsake of the brilliant topiary and marble statues that decorated the gardens.

"This isn't a field trip, Featherweight," Firecracker fussed at her camera happy friend. "This is an S-class cutie mark search and rescue mission to save the greatest magician in all the land!" She stuffed the shovels back in her bags and took the lead. "Now come on, we've got to find that royal hall and get the Great and Powerful Trixie out of there!"

She then hugged the edge of a stone pedestal, shimmying on her back hooves. "And remember, use the utmost stealth. A patrol or sentry could be right around every corner!"

"Really? Every corner?" Tangerine wondered.

"Hey, these are the royal guards we's talkin' about," Babs stated. "They only choose the best, brightest, and most serious to serve in their ranks!"

Positioned at the east tower, just a few hedges off, a snow white pegasus stallion in gold plated barding stood at attention, vigilant for any danger, at least that's how he considered it.

His name was Hoplite, a newly inducted private of the royal guard, and tonight was his first night of active duty. Half his inner self was practically giddy with excitement at the chance to prove himself, while the other half was half anxious to death his so called assigned partner was over an hour late for their shift.

Still, he kept his wings folded and his visage neutral. Remember your training. The royal guard is the symbol of our nation's security. Our actions reflect upon the citizen's well being and trust. To preserve your dignity is to preserve your-

"Hey statue boy."

And gone was all his poise as he yelped at the upside-down gray smiling face that suddenly obscured his entire field of vision. practically muzzle to muzzle with his.

The grinning thestral mare donned in black and purple barding flipped over in the air and landed right beside him. "Ah, so that expression isn't painted on! Good to know I'm not dealing with a complete stick-in-the-mud."

Hoplite remained stunned for just a second longer at the blatant frivolity this soldier was displaying. He had been informed by his captain that he was likely to be paired with a newly integrated rookie of the new night guard, and that there may be some cultural differences at first, but he didn't didn't expect something as foalish as this attitude!

Straighten up again, he poised to address her. "Are you my assigned partner for this round?"

"Yepper doonie roonie," she answered with a flick of the hoof.

"Private Hoplite of the regimental 106th day guard," he greeted with rank, name, and unit in standard order as per regulation. "And you are an hour late."

"Ooooh, we got ourselves a fancy-pantsy Westhoof Academy cadet, don't we?" the mare replied with a bobbing of her neck. "Well you can just call me Lethe, and I'm so sorry I missed out on 60 minutes worth of watching grass grow with you."

"What? That is not all that happened!"
"Yeah, Sergent Stickler? What happened while I wasn't here?"
"Um, uh, one of the rabbits in the gardens passed by."
"Oh no...you think he might have been an assassin sent by the lords of Tartarus to annihilate our Princesses?"

Hoplite could feel his cheeks starting to warm from indignation despite his best efforts to stem it. "That is besides the point! A true soldier always considers the what ifs."

Lethe just responded by ribbing him gently. "Get that stick out of your rear and chill, newbie. No need to get all strung up on your night on the job."

"This is your first night too. And this kind of behavior is completely unprofessional, regardless of rank and experience!"

"You want me to be serious? Alright, here's a serious topic for you." Lethe leaned in close as she pulled a flask out from her armor and waved it in front of him. "You seriously need to loosen up. How about I lend you some of my happy juice?"

"You're actually thinking of drinking on the job?!"

Lethe chuckled at her flabbergasted rookie counterpart. "It's just cherry fizz, workaholic! Whajya think was in here? Fyi, I already took a sip earlier this evening so..." she gave a little lick on her lips, "you might get a little bit of an aftertaste, if you know what I mean."

Hoplite sputtered, took a deep breath, and gently pushed her foreleg away. "I wonder if Comet Burst is having as much trouble with his new partner as well..." he muttered.

"Aw, come onnnn," Lethe draped a wing over his withers as she leaned into him playfully. "We're friends now, right? Bosom buddies, comrades in arms? We can enjoy each other's company, have a few laughs, party on the weekends, say it's all in good fun?"

"This is not supposed to be fun, this is supposed to be a matter of national security!" Hoplite argued, pulling out from her playful embrace. "And tonight of all nights, when the entire Stable of Lords is convening here to ultimately decide the fate of our newly returned Princess Luna, who, I may add, is responsible for you even having this job in the first place! Aren't you concerned at all how your performance will reflect upon her as a whole?"

Lethe put on her first serious expression Hoplite had seen all night. "Hey, if there's anything I do know, it's how much Luna being back means to the thestrals. Believe me, the whole reason I signed up for her night guard is the same as why you signed up for Celestia's day guard, I'd do anything for my Princess." And then it was instantly gone as she switched her gears of thought back to joking. "Of course, unlike you, marrying her would probably be where I draw the line..."

"I do not want to marry Princess Celestia!"

Lethe's sultry smirk only widened as she pressed harder. "Don't you? Every armored stallion I've met here so far looks her way out the corners of their eyes, with the occasional mare too." She then winked as she wiggled her hips. "Or perhaps you wanted something more down to earth and a bit more exotic?"

"Private Lethe!"

The thestral guard fell on her rump in a fit of giggles at her partner's more red than white face. "Oh, you are just too easy, Hoplite! Yeah, I'm going to enjoy working with you. Secondly, that big assembly thing you're going on about? It's all the way in the central hall, nowhere near our post. We're pretty much stationed in Uneventfulville, population: you and me."

"All the more reason to remain vigilant and take this duty seriously. If somepony were to try and infiltrate the castle and disrupt the proceedings, it would most likely be through the least guarded and unexpected of areas!" Hoplite huffed.

"Yeah? And you expect one to come waltzing out of say...that shrub right there any minute now?"

A sudden rustle from the bush she pointed at had the teasing Lethe jump back with a start. Hoplite tensed, gripping his spear tightly. And out from the foliage popped...a little light orange unicorn?

"I keep telling youse guys, we passed that bush three times already!" Another filly entered the clearing, this one a brownish, robust earth pony. "How're we ever gonna get in the castle and get to that super important meeting, if we can't even get outta these gardens?"

"Maybe we could ask somepony for directions?" another earth pony filly, this one pale orange, came out and suggested to the other one.

"Swell cuz, are you forgetting we're supposed to be in-cog...whachacallit now?"

"And besides," the unicorn said, "who would we ask out here?"

"We could try asking them."

Filly and guard eyes met each other in silent showdown.

"Uh oh."
"Caught already."

Hoplite took a step forward. "What are you doing here? This area is off limits to all unauthorized personal."

Lethe put a hoof ahead of her comrade, obviously riled up by her antics and about to misdirect some of that tension to the wrong ponies. "Easy there, big guy. They're likely just some noble's foals who obviously wandered off bored and are lost."

"They're trespassing in restricted territory."
"The gardens are public at all times."
"They're trying to crash the assembly, they just said so!"
"Probably looking for their parents!"

Babs leaned over to Firecracker and whispered, "Looks like they're arguing, this could be our chance to slip away!"

Firecracker nodded and oh-so-subtly fished into her saddlebags. "Where's that smoke bomb? Ah! Here!"

Unfortunately, the white pegasus guard's eye was still slightly trained on them. And while its focus wasn't enough to see the objects dug up detail, he could definitely tell the shape of the object, as well as the red ones with the fuses underneath.

"BOMB!" he suddenly exclaimed. "They ARE assassins!" He fumbled with his spear to ready defensive positions.

The thestral beside him was able to get a better look though. "Huh? Hoplite, that's just a fire-"

That's when a fourth assailant popped his head out of the bush. "Oh, wow! A real bat pony!"
*click* *FLASH*

Lethe's nighttime sensitive eyes saw pure white as she cried out while a dazed Hoplite dropped his spear.

"Now Firecracker!"
"Cutie Mark Crusader escape artists!"
*POOF*
"Come on, Featherweight!"
"Hey, wait for me!"

Coughing through the smoke, Hoplite tripped two times in the direction of scampering hooves. By the time he was fully reoriented, the smoke cloud was gone and so were the mini-sized hit ponies.

"Lethe! Hurry! After them! We can't let them get to the royal court!"

Lethe, finally done rubbing her eyes out, lifted a hoof to protest, stopped, pulled her eyes to the corner to have a little brainstorm, grinned like an imp, then plastered a sense of alarm on her muzzle.

"Right! Who knows who those four hoodlums are trying to attack in the dead of this sacred night? Only we can stop them now!"

Maybe I had her pegged all wrong, Hoplite thought to himself as the pair began their pursuit. When the situation calls for it, she does take her duties seriously.

Lethe on the other hoof, had a completely different thought on her mind as she followed from behind.

Oh, this is going to be so much fun...

Moonlight regarded Twilight with a detached look of skepticism. "And how, Twilight Sparkle, would such omission on an indefinite scale be contributory to the objective of this court?"

Twilight tensed herself, preparing for a long, drawn out argument as she expected Moonlight to usher her associates to join in the debate. So Twilight would mount an assault first. "As you stated earlier, and as I affirmed afterwards, Princess Luna is still mired in an outdated law system due to her absence. Helping her to adjust to the changing times at a steady pace is an ideal strategy, but ineffectual if we do not remove the old while introducing the new. In fact, this sort of reform will prove to be beneficial to all ponies of Equestria, not just Princess Luna."

Twilight pulled out a stack of reports from her bags. "I have done research prior to this session, and the findings back my claim. Ignorance of the old customs have made ponies unaware to newer changes in the legislation. Census Bureau Survey #13847, taken by Clear Counter in year 965, C.R., clearly states that 82% of the current Equestrian population did not know about the Regency Subsidiary act, which allows residents to waive a total of 10% off their federal tax in favor of a 5% increase to their state tax in order to promote infrastructural growth in smaller towns and proportional maintenance in larger ones."

There were perhaps more relevant examples Twilight could have selected from her findings, but she needed a strong opening that would appeal to everyone in this room. And every noble knew the federal tax went straight to the royal treasury whilst state/providence taxes were handled in joint decision by the local bureaucrats and governors(i.e. themselves). Twilight was basically translating to them that their citizens weren't even aware there was a tax bylaw that could give their own coffers more money that would otherwise be filling the already overstuffed royal treasury.

"What I'm suggesting isn't just a reformation, it's an enlightenment. The average pony needs to be educated on what rules there are to follow and what shouldn't be considered law anymore just as much as Princess Luna does now, so why not include them while we're at it? It would certainly do the public good to know their Lords and Ladies have their best interests at heart as much as the Princesses and can be trusted."

There were murmurs and whispers among the court again. More seemed to leaning towards Twilight's notion than before now. Moonlight was far from done though as she shifted gaze to another of her close compatriots.

"Well then, answer us this," the pink-magenta unicorn mare accompanied by a bluish-gray earth pony stallion started. "Sir Pony Moore and I were wondering, why the emphasis on the matriarchy laws that mainly apply to the nobility when you say it is the common pony you use as the basis for your approach? Surely there are other obscure mandates that could take higher priority to this annulment clause of yours, like the gemstone tariffs in intercontinental trade? They haven't been utilized in centuries ever since Zebrica discovered their own diamond mines. In fact, the removal of such export/import limitations would draw incentives from other nations to practice more free trade with us. Everypony in Equestria would benefit financially from that."

Twilight inwardly frowned. It made sense any strategy she could up with, Moonlight could mirror. Now she was trying to use her words against herself like she had done. Under the circumstances, if she managed to make her movement appear personalized, which to an extent it was, it would draw out a flurry of more arguments from the rest of the court that would ultimately leave her issue deadlocked.

Fortunately, Twilight knew the best way to counter this tactic. She had to get others to speak up so this wouldn't appear to be a stand alone issue. This is where more of her research came in.

"If you wish to speak of trade, then look no further than the peers of your court, who possess more than three-fourths of the economic market's influence, yet none of its holdings. Not a single one of you here can make make a capital venture without first using a licensed business owner as a middlepony. This is because the Commerce Coalition Amendment that first formed the mercantile class clearly states a titled mare or stallion is forbidden to practice a professional trade. Do you realize, however, as long as those matriarchal rules exist, that same restriction will apply to all extended members of the nobility? Removal of them could create hundreds of fresh jobs for ponies who can do nothing but live off their family's money!"

She counted backward from ten, and by the time she got to six, a golden brown, ginger maned, earth pony rose to agree with her. "She has a much valid point. Before the Harvest clan gained their Stable, we were once the most prominent growers and sellers of wheat, oats, and barley. Now, for five generations, we could do nothing but watch the other farmers of our hamlets tend to the fields we used cultivate ourselves, hooves tied to even lift one to help. "My own daughter from Ponyville writes to me often, telling how she grows the most amazing carrots in her garden, and wishes she could sell them from a stall of her own instead of having to trade or give them away on a daily basis."

A dark blue stallion with an combed orange mane interrupted her from going any further. "Great Harvest, you're quibbling on trifling matters personal to you, and furthermore, diluting the topic on hoof. I'm fairly sure none of the inner circles of our court here have any problems with family pulling their own weight."

A white stallion with a wavy blue coif and monocle answered him in kind. "Now now, Perfect Pace. The frontier nobles have a voice too. And to address your other argument, I myself have had thoughts that there are other among my group that could prosper better without such hidden limitations weighing them down."

Twilight couldn't help but smile. That was Fancy Pants, one of the few senior members of the court that she knew would sympathize best with her. Despite being only a viscount, or perhaps it was because he was as low as a viscount, he garnered much positive attention to both the Canterlot public and nobility. What further set him apart was that his wife belonged neither to a noble or merchant class, meaning he either married for beauty or for love. And as gorgeous a mare as Fleur-de-lis was on the covers of those model magazines Twilight saw, she suspected a pony of his personality focused more on the latter.

"You, Fancy Pants? But you have no brothers, sisters, or children!"

"But I do have a wife. A wife whose modeling career was put into early retirement when we shared our vows on the altar. She's also quite the storywriter too, mind you. And it certainly disheartens me to see her sacrifice one passion for another when she could just as easily have both. In addition, as perhaps the most active investor in Canterlot, I perhaps know what Dame Twilight speaks of better than most here. While it's true that any successful company I give my money to returns it to me tenfold, any licenses, credits, or rights to the finished product are kept by them. Call it whimsy, but I would like a revolutionary idea I thought of to actually have my name on it just once."

"So there are additional benefits to a more loose nobility, but that also means there more additional problems," Sir Pony Moore commented. "The corporate unions we do our investments with would soon turn on us, claiming we are trying to use our relatives to monopolize their markets. New regulations to the nation's business sector would have to be drawn up, outdating more laws in the end. It's a vicious cycle that only wastes time and money. There are always going to be rules that don't fit in some way or form, so why focus on them when the solution could be just as problematic as the issue?"

"Because that's our job," a petite, older pegasus mare answered beside a tall gentle blue to almost white earth pony stallion with a muzzled, square jaw.

Lady Providence, and her husband Lord Snow Drift. Twilight thought. Another one of her few potential powerhouse allies. They were one of the governors of the Neigh York area, e.g. the Baron and Baroness of Manehattan.

"You're quick to forget the body of governance, like all machines, is in a state of constant change. That is why rules and rulemakers like us exist, to maintain the change so that it does not become stagnant and brittle when new cogs and pieces try to fit into the mechanism, like Princess Luna here."

"That's right. Let's not forget, in the end, this policy is ultimately for helping to create a setting in which Princess Luna can readjust to life as a ruler of Equestria."

Moonlight slid her eyelids down half an inch at Twilight. "The setting you suggest is ultimately a limitation on the number of representatives and advocates from the peasantry to the Princesses. Given that scope, it is actually your family that would hope to gain more than even Princess Luna, what with your brother's betrothal to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza."

"Yes, well your idea would also-"

Twilight's train of thought suddenly jumped the tracks as it hit the proverbial coin. "WAIT, WHAT?! SHINY'S ENGAGED!?!?"

"What marvelous architecture," Sherbet noted as she and Octavia wandered down the east wing of the palace. "They certainly don't make them like this back in Manehattan."

"When it comes to functionality, individuality is usually the first to be sacrificed," Octavia quoted. "It's sad in a sense, but practical that our apartments are built squarely into a grid."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean you're limited to uniformity. There are other ways to-"

Sherbet suddenly found her lips being held shut by Octavia's hoof. She noticed the intense, far off gaze her friend held, and the occasional twitch of her finely tuned ears.

"...there's somepony there." Her ears swiveled in the direction of an unmarked hall. The cellist had performed directly at the castle enough times to know the general layout of the area. The only thing that lay down that direction were a portion of the archives, along with an administration room for ledgers and bills in the middle of processing. Like all areas of the castle, it was unrestricted. But at this time of night, the notaries and commissioners that normally worked there would be at home. In fact, it was a weekend, that office shouldn't have even been open all day. Which meant...
"...where somepony shouldn't be."

She made a silent motion for Sherbet to stay put, then slyly slunk across to the last door on the right, where her gifted sense of hearing was trained on. The door was open just a crack, and she could now see a faint incandescent glow. Squeezing through without a sound, she found a hooded figure rummaging around the cabinets, pulling out select folders and papers into her bags.

Fortunately, her back was turned towards the entrance, so Octavia could easily approach her without being noticed. When she was within a hoof's reach, the figure stopped and perked its head up, as if it sensed something. Too late! With a flick of her hoof, Octavia grabbed the cowl by the scruff of the collar and yanked it off to reveal-

"Checker?"

The deep azure unicorn whirled around on her, her forelegs tensed low in a defensive crouch. "What the hay are you doing here?" she curtly demanded.

"That's what I should be saying," Octavia calmly countered, but with force. "Last I checked, only authorized notaries were allowed to freely redistribute administrative records. What exactly have you been looking for here?"

"It's none of your concern!" she snapped. Octavia noted the pitch her voice, and the vividness her eyes held. This was not the omniscient, always in control chessmaster demeanor Checker so often boasted and loved to portray, but more like a wild eyed foal ready to break another one's favorite toy out of spite. "And furthermore, you're lucky I don't have you reported for unsanctioned meddling in the affairs of-"

Octavia knew she'd only have one chance to catch her by surprise, so she took it. With a swift sweep of the leg, she knocked Checker over and sent her bags up into the air. Without a moment's hesitation, she scanned the contents of the sacks before Checker could regain her footing.

There weren't just documents from this office, but notations from banks, various companies and establishments, even unpublished journalist records and personal excerpts. Octavia then noticed they all had something in common, somewhere along each of them there was a noble's name or two mentioned or signed on them. Alone, each of these papers would mean nothing by themselves, they were simple monetary transfers, articles, and conversations. But together, they would connect some transactions, imply circumstances and prior knowledge, and ultimately draw the conclusion of...

"Bribery, extortion, blackmail, prejudice, espionage, sabotage, embezzlement, falsification, even affairs! Checker, this collective information could incriminate just about every member of the royal court!"

"Exactly, and just what do you think is going to happen when I bring it before the Princesses, with every one of those nobles gathered there tonight, and then tomorrow the public?"

Octavia did not even want to imagine, although she could see it all too well. Almost every little thing these documents were trivial at best, but it would give a greater underlying message: Every pony under the Princesses direct trust and supervision had done something worthy of gaining a criminal record. A scandal of such proportion would turn their entire society upside down. Every lord and lady would literally be at each other's throats, trying to drag them under the proverbial chopping block first. And the other ponies, they'd be in a complete frenzy, believing they'd been lied to about everything from their superiors, and robbed by the very industries they worked for. It would be a domino effect of one accusation after another, most of them greatly exaggerated. The entire noble hierarchy would collapse from both within and without, and everypony would suffer the rippling effects afterwards.

"How did you even get all these secrets? Surely many of these notes have been kept safely by the others..."

Checker only grinned a wicked smile at the cellist. "You'd be surprised how loose the tongues of kowtowing nobles can be to a Lulamoon ever since the return of Princess Luna. So long as they think we'll be giving them a slice of the metaphorical cake in the end, they'd be willing to divulge as many small tidbits as possible."

Octavia then noticed one parchment in particular, a letter of sanction that prevented a certain company on another lord's territory from obtaining the required materials for a certain project that was also in the works for an industry in Canterlot. Granted, the business in name was well known for their worker safety inadequacies and shoddy production, but it was still an indirect violation coercing suppliers to be choosy. And this particular letter was signed by-

"Your own mother? Even her?" Octavia just looked at Checker in disbelief before asking her the only word she could think of. "Why?"

"Why? Why?! Why else?!" Checker suddenly shouted. "It was supposed to be me! I was the worthy one! I was the better one! All I ever did, all I ever accomplished, was so that she would acknowledge me...ME! As the true heir to the Lulamoon Stable, the one to take her place.

But she just HAD to be stubborn! Not willing to bend even a SINGLE rule! Just because that...nag of a sister was born before me, because I wasn't the bucking firstborn, it had to be her! I thought I finally had a chance when she was gone, that mother would finally see I was the only one who could fill her horseshoes. Fifteen years I waited, excelling spell after spell, beating adversary after adversary, making connection after connection, waiting for her to look my way. But no, she STILL wouldn't choose me, all because of her stupid, antiquated traditions! And then she just had to become an Element of Harmony, she just had to save our Princess Luna, she just HAD TO COME BACK!!!"

With that final yell, she forcibly yanked her bag of evidence out of Octavia's hooves. "Well fine. Mommy dearest wants to keep the captain's hat out of my reach? She can have it, as she and Beatrix pilot the S.S. Lulamoon to the bottom of the ocean! Let's see what kind of court my sister gets to inherit when this one bursts into flames!"

"The noble class may not be the most scrupulous herd ponykind has to offer, but the governing system we live by depends on them to act as a medium for the Princesses' guidance. Destroying Equestria's trust in the gentry would destroy their trust in them!" Octavia protested. "It will be anarchy, total chaos!"

"Sometimes in order to win, one has to clear the board..." the maniacal chessmaster philosophized.

Octavia stood her ground, closing the door behind her and blocking it. "If you think I'm going to just let you ruin everything everypony has worked so hard to achieve just to satisfy your own ego, I suggest you think again."

"Oh, how droll..." Checker smirked as her horn began to light up. "You actually believe there's still a chance you can beat me."

Before Octavia could stop her, the malicious mare melted through the wall and into the hall, breaking into a sprint. Quick as a whip, but still losing precious seconds reopening the door, Octavia was hot on her tail. At the intersection where the passage fed into the main corridor, Orange Sherbet turned her head in surprise towards the sound of galloping hooves.

"Checker? What on Equus is going-"

"Auntie! Stop her!" Octavia came barreling in sight right behind the unicorn. "She's going to sabotage the talks!"

Still a little confused to what was going on, but nevertheless clear on the big picture, the Orange matriarch ran to tackle the incoming mare. Checker was more nimble for a unicorn than she appeared though, as with a quick feint to the left, she darted right around her incoming interceptor. And as she turned into the main passageway, she lit her horn again, creating a dark blue barrier that sealed off the way she came from, trapping the two earth ponies inside.

She laughed at the pair, who were pounding as hard as they could against the wall of magic. "As I said before, it's my job to know everything about my opponents, their strengths, their behaviors, and their limitations. Ta ta, little pawns. I've got a legacy to destr-"

*CRASH*

Papers went flying as Checker suddenly found herself the victim of a high speed collision with two pegasi. With her concentration disrupted, the barrier soon went down, leaving Octavia and Sherbet to help up Honey and Blossomforth.

"Ugh, anypony get the number of that chariot?" Blossomforth moaned.

"Huh? Octavia? Auntie?" Honey shook her bearings straight. "What's going on here?"

"Never mind that, grab as many of those papers you can and run!" Octavia cried, bundling up the scandalizing documents.

Checker, flat on her stomach and sporting a lovely bruise on the side of her right cheek, blearily blinked her eyes open to find a scrolled up letter dropped right in front of her muzzle.

It will please you to know that after heavy consultation with our superiors, we have decided...
"Hey! That's MY letter! You little thieves!"

Honey then finally noticed Checker was in front of them. "You mean Trixie's letter you thief AND liar!" She threw an accusatory hoof at her while Blossomforth made a nab at it.

Checker however, already had a good grip on it with her magic though, and a childish tug-of-war was soon underway.

"Give it back, you big bully!"
"No, you give it back, meddlesome scamps!"
"GANGWAY!"

Checker went flying up in the air as a quartet of little foals smashed through her legs. The sudden change in momentum had both sides lose their grip and the letter went sailing across the room.

"Children?!" Sherbet exclaimed at the Crusaders in surprise.
"Trixie's letter!" Honey exclaimed at the free-falling acceptance letter.
"TRIXIE?!" Firecracker exclaimed, and by instinct jumped a meter high to catch the object in question.

"Everypony run!" Octavia and Babs simultaneously cried as the last of the scattered documents were snatched up and more hooves could be heard approaching.

But nopony managed to scatter far before a burst of wild and dark violet aura lifted them all up helplessly into the air. Checker stood beneath them, her eyes white and her mane completely frazzled, several bruised patches on her body and rips in her suit could be seen as the result from multiple crashes.

But worse of all was her heavily breathing, teeth fully bared, evil eyed look of pure rage. "Insolent plebeians!! I will not sit idly by and be made a fool of! Has it not sunk into your thick skulls yet? It doesn't matter how many you try to impede me! I am CHECKMATE MONARCH LULAMOON!! And I...never...LOS-"

A turkey was scored in the bowling for Lulamoons tourney by Hoplite and Lethe, mostly Hoplite as Lethe managed to brake with her wings beforehoof, and soon there was a crushing ponypile on top of the 'unbeatable' Checker.

"Cleanup on aisle ten," Lethe sniggered.

The crusaders were the first to wriggle out of the mess. "Oh, dear. This doesn't look good," Tangerine said looking back at the pileup. Her legs trotted in place as panic set her into full filly mode. "We're in big trouble now, what do we do?"

"Split up!" Firecracker exclaimed. "They can't catch us all!"

With that they scattered, each pausing just a second to grab one or two of the scrambled papers. "These look important!" Featherweight remarked.

"Oh great, the foals on the loose in the castle. Like we need more problems right now!" Honey groaned as she watched them disappear around the corner.

"They do have one thing right though," Octavia said as she nabbed the remaining papers and flung divided portions among the four of them. "Split up!"

Scrambling in both pursuit and retreat, the four mares followed their youngsters' example. Throwing the remaining guardspony off her back, the completely disheveled Checker roared after them, all subtlety and decorum long since used up. "GET BACK HERE WITH MY PLANS YOU CROOKS!!!"

"Crooks?" Hoplite sat up out of his dazed complexion.
"Yeah, looks like we got burglars and spies too," Lethe struggled not to snicker between breaths. "Better sound the alarm..."

Hoplite was off like a shot, rounding only once to call back to his lax, annoying, but eager to fend off villainy, partner. "Lethe, get to the barracks and rally whoever you can find! we've got to stop this invasion!"

Lethe rubbed her hooves together as her hilariously misled meatsack of a personal butt monkey sprinted off to apprehend his 'criminals'. "Oh, I'm definitely getting the other guards all right. They're not gonna want to miss a moment of this!"

***Begin Chase Sequence***

Featherweight fled the near psychotic Checker as she pursued him around a corner, only to find him nowhere to be found in an empty hall with suits of armor lining the walls. As she passed one, she stopped as a tiny epiphany struck her, and she opened up the helm of the armor closet to her.

*Click* *FLASH*

Down she went as well as the entire suit of armor. As she crawled out from under the metal, she could see a metal helmet with four skinny legs galloping out of her sight.

Hoplite ran through the marble pavilion in the courtyard, passing by a glorious fountain with pony statues pouring water into it. Had he bothered to look closer at it as he ran by he would have noticed one of the figures had a hot pink and green mane, and had he bothered to double back, he would have seen that particular statue put its pot down, wipe its brow, and fly off in the opposite direction.

Firecracker popped her head out of particularly large vase to see if the cost was clear. Seeing that it was, she gingerly attempted to pull herself out...and ended up wobbling a bit too much.

Lethe's highly trained and tufted ears picked up the crash, and she decided to take a detour on her way to barracks finally get to straightening this thing out. After all, it was all fun and games until property damage was taken out of her stipend!

Seeing the incoming guard, Firecracker rushed up the stairs next to her and into a private bedchamber. Uh, oh. No way out except the balcony, and she wasn't a pegasus! Thinking fast, she grabbed the bedsheets and tied them to the nearest post to the window, then jumped off with her mouth gripping the other end.

In her rush, Firecracker failed to notice that the post she tied the sheets too wasn't a post at all, but a stand for a gilded birdcage. Lethe entered the room just in time to see the makeshift rope pull taut and bring the stand crashing to the ground. She grimaced as the flaming inhabitant emerged from its broken doors, gave her foxy grin and a catty wink, and vanished over the balcony with a flap of its wings.

Oooooh boy, now we have a real problem. Last time Philomena got out without her majesty knowing, every bun in the northwest neighborhood got hot and crossed. And the bakeries got their rolls well done too.

Octavia and Sherbet galloped in a circular pattern from the left entrance of the grand ballroom to the right and back again from the hallway as Checker dogged their heels.

At some point around the fifth repetition, the cellist broke away with her back to the grandfather clock in the hall, and the chase continued on without her. After watching the chase a few more times, she reached for the pitcher on the serving tray next to her. Raising it up high over her head, she waited for Sherbet to by her once more, counted to two and then-

*SMASH*

Spinning stars went quite well with the fresh limeade scent and broken porcelain in Checker's mane as she went down for the count yet again tonight while the two Manehattan mares wasted no time opting out for the second round.

"Awful, awful, AWFUL! Ah wouldnae e’en scrub th' outhouses wi' this slop!"

The corn chowder the teary eyed mare had worked for the last half hour on was knocked out of her hooves by the cloven foot of the head chef. Oh, if only she had known who was in charge of the fabled Tartarus' Kitchen, she would have never jumped at the chance to become a royal chef. Not if she knew her new boss would be...Chef Ram Sea.

"B-bu...but-but-"
"Are fo' wipin'! Which Ah wouldnae be doing wi' it either! Now clean'up 'at mess an' do it all over again!!"

She very well near dashed out in tears right then and there had not the hotheaded Coltish sheep walked past her to address the rest of his mediocre by his standards staff.

"Dinna' is within th' 'our, you half baaaaaked swine! We 'ave th' entire royal court ta' feed, an' not one a ye stock pot maggots 'ave given meh som'thin that wonnae make 'heir stomachs churn bile an' flip 'ike a little circus poodle!!"

With that said, he approached the station of one of his more seasoned chefs, Copper Kettle. The burnt orange unicorn had taken the brunt of many of his head chef's slings before, so he didn't naturally flinch at the sudden pair of eyes boring in from over his shoulder.

But of course, with a temper like Ram Sea's, levels of immunity could only take a pony so far.

"Copper Kettle, might Ah ask whit you are doin'?"
"Stir-Frying the vegetable medley, head chef."

Ram Sea took a look at the ingredients laid out across the stove. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, red peppers, onions, vegetable oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds.

"Flame is at medium-high, veggies have been properly cut into half-inch portions, and seasoning has been applied five minutes after allowing the dish to cook. I am doing everything flawlessly this time."

But the steely smile of the sheep was all Copper Kettle needed to know he said the exact wrong thing at the end.

"Yes, you are doin' it acceptable so far, which is why Ah have tae ask ye, when are ye plannin' tae add th' noodles?"
"The...noodles?"
"Oh, are ye goin' tae be usin' rice instead?"
"Uh, well...no. This all that I'm-"
"IMBAAAAACILE!!"

Copper Kettle nearly flipped the skillet on himself at his boss' sudden outburst.

"You are usin' soy sauce as a seasonin' baaaase! That alone will make a dish of pure vegetables far too salty 'less ye add a starch component tah the mix tah absorb th' excess!!"
"Well, Silver Whisk said I could serve it alongside his dinner rolls."

"Hey!" the light grey unicorn at the neighboring station exclaimed at his coworker, "Don't you go throwing me under the carriage!"

Too late, as Ram Sea paraded over to have a look in the oven.

"Top shelf..." he muttered. "You're usin' the top shelf again...'ow many times must Ah tell ye!? Top shelf is fah brownin', not bakin'!! Put yer racks in the center slot fer th' love o' yeast!!"

A tap on his woolen shoulder was felt as he furiously watched Silver Whisk try to save his bread from being unevenly heated. Whirling around, he came into contact with the smiling, freckled face of his current exchange chef, Beignet.

"This had better be good," he demanded.
"But o' course dearie!" she lightly answered with her southern accent. "Just wanted to let ya know my desserts are ready!"

The youthful, tan earth pony pulled a trolly up with her namesake pastry on the serving dishes. Ram Sea gave the latest cooking prospect a thorough examination. Dough consistently, levels of powdered sugar, eating temperature, things seemed to fit into his judging so far. Then came the final test. Pulling a flake off one of them, the critical sheep inserted it into his mouth.

A moment later he turned to the rest of the kitchen and bellowed out to them. "Take a note, simpletons! It speaks volumes 'bout the quality of food 'ere if'n a wee lass from the backwater boonies of Neigh Orleans can cook better than the lot o' ye combined!"

"Great," Copper Kettle muttered to Silver Whisk. "Now the temp is outshining us on what's perhaps our most hectic dinner this year. Can it possibly get any more degrading?"
"Has our current streak of luck ever taught you never to say something like that?"

As if on cue, the doors burst open to make way for two earth pony fillies being chased by a white pegasus.
"Stop! In the name of the crown!"
"He's gaining Babs! What do we do?"
"There're ponies ahead! Duck and weave, cuz!"

The pair whisked right under the legs of a unicorn holding a souffle. Hoplite attempted to leap over her, only to get a face full of baked egg whites. Without being able to see where he was landing, collision with the pegasus carrying the cherries jubilee was inevitable. Flaming fruit filled the air and landed in the toques of several chefs. It didn't take long to guess what happened next. Heads ablaze, the cooks abandoned their stations in a panic, desperately looking for a source of water.

"My hair is on fire! My hair is on fire!" one in particular yelled at the top of his lungs.

Meanwhile, Tangerine and Babs continued to scamper with no particular direction in mind except away from the pursuing guard. Cutting a corner around a sink, they were forced to split when a large earth pony lugging a pot as big as him suddenly came into view. Babs veered left, and Tangerine went right, which was also right into cleaning lockers. Bouncing back the other way, she accidentally tipped over a bucket of soapy mop water all over the area. Another unicorn chef levitating a stack of dishes happened to step on a wet patch, and was sent careening into the wall that hung the knife rack. Dishes smashed and clattered everywhere as an outline of falling knives pinned the unicorn down.

With the increasing amount of pandemonium taking everypony, more and more stations were left unattended, leaving more and more dishes to burn or boil over. Needless to say, Ram Sea's wool would have taken a shade of red if it could after he got over the initial shock.

"Not in my kitchen! Git a'hold of yerselves lambs, and-"

A lemon custard pie cut him off. Silver Whisk looked at his cream-stained boss and then glared at Copper Kettle. "You do realize he's going to somehow find a way to blame us for this?"

Babs hopped on to the lower rung of the dessert trolly and waved to Tangerine, who was busy dodging a series of falling cooking sheets. "Cuz! Over here!"

Tangerine ran over to the vehicle her cousin had commandeered and jumped to her side. The force of the landing caused them to propel across the kitchen with the treats in tow.

"My beignets!" cried Beignet.

Like a battering ram out of control, the cart knocked aside any unsuspecting cook who didn't get out of the way in time or any crate of fruit that just happened to be placed there, until it finally whisked itself out the rear entrance with the fillies screaming in tandem. Hoplite finally managed to pull the bowl off his face to see the little invaders make their impromptu escape.

"You won't get away so eas-"

That's when he reached the wet floor area. Forgetting he had wings in the heat of the moment, he skidded headfirst into head chef Ram Sea. Grunting in discomfort as he untangled himself from the mess of wool, Hoplite's eyes widened to see his crash associate lift a large skillet and aim it squarely at his head.

"You...MUTTONHEADED LUMMOX! Out! OUT! OUT!! GIT OUTTAE MEH KITCHEN!!!"

A series of six doors lay at the end of the hallway Honey, Blossomforth, Octavia, and Orange Sherbet ran down, three on each side. They immediately went through one as Checker came up right behind them in pursuit. The following sequences happened next in the order as shown:

Honey went from left 1 to right 1.
Blossomforth went from right 3 to left 2.
Octavia and Sherbet went from right 1 and left 2 separately to right 3 simultaneously.
Checker went from right 2 to right 1.
Babs and Tangerine went from right 2 to left 2 while Octavia went from left 3 to right 3.
Firecracker went from left 1 to right 3, only to double back when Checker came out after her, and Hoplite coming out of left 3 saw them and trailed after.
Tangerine rode atop Blossomforth's head as she looped from right 2 to left 3.
Lethe chased Honey from right 2 to left 2 while a band of angry chefs chased Sherbet from left 1 to right 3.
Checker ran, her tail ablaze from Philomena, right 1 to left 1 while Firecracker came from right 3 to left 3.
A galloping helmet with a camera careened from right 2 into the wall, and then into left 1.
Checker went from left 3 into the speeding desert cart Babs drove in from right 3 back to left 3.
Philomena evaded Lethe from left 1 to right 2 while the chef mob ran after Hoplite who ran after Blossomforth from right 3 to left 2.
Featherweight, riding atop of Octavia's back from right 1 to left 1, snapped a blinding shot behind them into the pursuing Checker's eyes as she then tripped and rolled into left 2.
A cross-eyed mailmare?...loop-de-looped from left 3 to right 2.
A parade in the progression of the CMC, Checker, Philomena, the Manehattan mares, the two privates, and Chef Ram Sea with his entourage went from left 1 to right 1, right 2 to left 2, and then left 3 to right 3.
Honey, Octavia, Blossomforth, and Sherbet all came out of separate doors and crashed into each other in transit, and barely had enough time to get their bearing together when Checker came out the far end door and ran them all out of the corridor.
The Crusaders had a mirrored action with the Hoplite and Lethe.
The chefs and phoenix came out from opposite ends, stopped at each other, looked around to find only themselves left in the hallway, shrugged at each other, and then raced out of the corridor as well.

***End Chase Sequence***

"Auntie," the white unicorn dandy whispered from his seat which was closest to the center dais, "how much longer is going to take? I'm already late for my own dinner party..."

Celestia regarded her nephew Blueblood with a subtle smile. "Considering all your guests are too, I would say you're right on time," she whispered back. Her main focus, however, was on her faithful student, who had been struggling to regain control of the argument for awhile ever since she temporarily lost her composure over the apparently new news of her brother's engagement.

And I was so sure she would've been the first one they told...

Twilight, doing her best not to make an accusatory look towards her father, continued to rally against Moonlight's latest argument. "Even with my brother's engagement to one of the Princesses...to which I'm only now being made aware of...it would not place the Stable of Twilight in any more favorable a position. In fact, annulment of the matriarchy rules would negate the potential benefits you imply, seeing as that it would render every member of the household independent of one another. Having a Princess in the family line would not matter!"

"That seems to raise a question for all ponies marrying into our class," Moonlight countered. "If the ties of peerage remain independent to in-laws, would not their prestige remain the same as well, to both the peasantry and the gentry, whether they are entitled or not?"

More murmurs circled the court as Twilight tried to piece together the meaning behind her statement. Of course, she realized. It all comes back to the money. With extended family being nobles mostly in name only, the nouveau riche would have less motivation to marry into their ranks, and bring along their huge bank accounts as dowries.

It was starting to get complicated to rebut as Twilight was beginning to run out of coherent reasons to pursue her targeted goal. But she still had a few more cards up her sleeve, albeit it took a little longer now to pan them out. There was more than one way to get money from the corporations and industries, after all.

She could fall back to her previous explanation of increased professions among the existing families, and imply their connections would influence more lobbying to their local mayors and city executives, whose money would be budgeted by none other than them. Why benefit from one rich family when you could be receiving bits from hundreds? It might end up causing more problems later on, letting the policy-making become more money influenced by implication, but Twilight was sure she could also trick them into passing strict regulations on their statesponies' campaigning by playing them against each other in a competition to see who could get the most money if it came to that.

But before Twilight could speak, Moonlight calculatingly shifted her gaze to her daughter, who spoke up instantly. "Twilight Sparkle, your logic shows merit, but there are too many unknowns to be accounted for when you think of the number of ponies to be directly involved. I would highly suggest retracting your amendment until a later date, when the state of affairs surrounding this court are less volatile."

"Trixie, why are you purposely siding against me on this!? Can't you see I'm trying to help you?" The words flew from Twilight's mouth before she could bite her tongue.

"You seem to be on rather informal terms with my daughter, Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps you can enlighten this court as to what your plans to reintegrate Princess Luna will accomplish for Beatrix, specifically."

"I-I well-"

Moonlight clearly seemed to know Twilight's mind was still partially confuddled, and just how to provoke her further into losing her cool. Celestia wanted nothing more than to speak up and try to guide Twilight's words, helping her collect herself. Not to mention the debate was beginning to steer itself in a direction she didn't want to be pursued. She knew though, if Moonlight didn't call her out on favoritism in this equal ruling, somepony else would. All she could hope for was a chance to use her authority to quiet the court and create a lull in the conversation, buying precious time to level the playing field for Twilight and perhaps even herself. It would have to be something that could force an escalation of the nobility's tension, an interruption of sorts that would send the court into near chaos.

The reason chaos is called what it is though, is because it always comes in a way you never expect it to.

The doors burst open with an echoing bang as the other Bearers of Harmony barreled in, skidding to a halt when they saw what was up ahead. The entire royal court's eyes fell on the intruders.

"Daring? Blossomforth? Octavia? Auntie?" the other two of the Elements spoke in synchronization.

"Uh oh, the one place we didn't want to end up running to!" Blossomforth exclaimed.

"Double back! On the double!" Honey ordered in a panic. But a burst of teleportation had them trip over each other as well as send a magical shockwave that overturned the nearest desks at the entrance.

"YOU LOSE!" screeched the ragged and heaving Checker. "YOU ALL LOSE!!! YOU PRECIOUS ELEMENTS OF HARMONY HAVE FAILED! YOUR CRIMES ARE EXPOSED ROYALS! AND ABOVE ALL-" she whirled on her Stable's bench, hoof pointed in fanatical triumph. "I BEAT YOU AGAI-"

The beignet cart came rocketing right up from behind, and sent her flying across the room, and smashing out the window above the Princesses. The four foals sitting on top screamed at the top of their lungs, obviously not about to get their cutie marks in driving as they inadvertently steered the rogue pastry wagon directly into the side of the court benches. Startled nobleponies shouted and shrieked as they fumbled over and collided with each other to get out of the way of both the incoming cart, and the flying debris of broken chairs and tables that followed in its path.

As it then wheeled in at full speed towards the stand where the Princesses were seated, Celestia prepared to catch it with her magic. As she probably would have stopped it then and there and not another interruption come into the room. The two rookie guards bounded in, one making a direct beeline for the center podium, the other chasing a fiery phoenix into the other side of the stands with a huge net.

"Protect the Princess!!" Hoplite cried as he lunched himself in a saving tackle at Celestia. With an oomph and a thud, Celestia was knocked flat on her rump off the dais, where the fervent stallion took her place just as the cart smashed into his side, painfully. The impact sent sugar powdered treats, foals, photos, papers, and firecrackers from a certain filly's saddlebag flying all over the room.

"Gotcha!" Lethe knocked over a hairpiece with her lunge as she cast her swing directly over the mischievous bird on the fly. Her victory was short lived though, as a little colt landed directly on her face with camera unintentionally exposed.
*click* *FLASH*
"GAH! Not in the eyes again!" Lethe reeled back as she let go of the net, her catch taking the opportunity to flap out, and give a teasing raspberry right before she flew out of the broken window.

Everypony was now running around as the firecrackers began to go off in a series of mini explosions. The final blow came in the form of a cherry bomb that landed right between the four Manehattanettes, sending them, and the rest of the documents flying.

With the last of crashes and banging done with, the members of the royal court began to take note of all the papers scattered before them and on them. It only took a few moments of skimming the contents before a new series of explosions of an entirely different type began to go off.

"I KNEW IT! Frazzleberry, you unscrupulous cur! You did rig the Coltcinnati elections in favor of that wretch you call a niece! Land thief!"
"Oh, and you had no hoof in that as well, Huffy? This requisition paper about your so called required dam you forced onto her council's budget clearly shows your private investors were the ones who were supposed to foot that hundred thousand bit bill! I only took back what you stole in the first place!"

"Rook, who is this Fine Line?!"
"I-it was a fleeting relationship dearest, I hadn't met you yet!"
"And yet this hotel reservation is dated two months before our wedding!"

"You framed my cousin?! Rosary, I thought we were friends!"
"It was his fault! He was about to expose my sister's sea salt addiction during her first role as an ambassador just because I wouldn't help push his logging project past those tree hugging moose in Antlerta! If anything, it was you who failed to keep him in line!"
"I testified against my own flesh and blood because of you! He's under five years of house arrest for some privateering scam that never even happened! Why, why I ought to-"

"Ponies, please, please! This is not how we conduct ourselves in-"
A powdered pastry smacked Kibitz right on the muzzle.
"Afph! No, my allergies! Processed sugar makes me break out in a rash!"
With a snort and an undignified sneeze that blew off his spectacles, he blindly felt around the floor for his missing eyewear, only to hear a crack after the fourth step.
"Mother of- #@&%!"
He then turned to the other court assistant, he face slightly flushed. "Uh, Raven? Please strike that last comment off tonight's record, could you?"
The white unicorn secretary wiped the pastry flakes off her glasses, her quill and parchments lying dead on the ground. "In all honesty, I stopped trying to keep up ten minutes ago."

Some of the more incensed nobles were already beginning to resort to hooficuffs as schemes, backstabs, and accusations were revealed and flung at each other, one after another. Luna helped Celestia back onto her hooves, and the sisters only balked, taking the entire scene in before them. The courtroom was in shambles, not a single table or chair lay unturned. The most dignified and respectable of their ponies were squabbling and scuffling with each other immaturely like a group of schoolyard foals.

Celestia gave an inwardly sigh. As much as she hoped against it, it would seem it would have to come to her throwing some weight around after all in order to settle this whole dispute about her sister, among a few other things. Hoping her Royal Canterlot voice wasn't too rusty, she straightened up, unfurled her wings, and opened her mouth.

"This is an outrage!!!"

The booming voice drove everypony to freeze in place, including Celestia. She looked to her left at Luna. No, that had not been her either, the equally stunned composure confirmed that. Then who...?

She quickly found the answer, standing atop her bench's table. Moonlight Meridian Lulamoon, matriarch of the Lulamoon stable, and a duchess of Canterlot, looked down upon the masses that had shamefully reduced themselves to petty insults and accusations wearing the first genuine expression other than her stone-faced mask of indifference that night, and it wasn't a pleasent one.

"Disgraceful, the lot of you! Falling apart over frivolous feuds and scandals! It is little wonder that many of the citizens we reside over fail to show the proper adoration and respect befitting our station to us if our reactions to conflict are as base and abject as theirs! We are supposed to be leaders, the best and brightest among our species, treating every situation that arises with the utmost dignity and wisdom. I see none of that here now, and hold nothing but disappointment for every single one of you here tonight!"

Like a child that had been caught by his mother breaking her favorite vase for playing ball in the house, every mare and stallion started to wither under her icy glare, deep grimace, and domineering voice. Only her daughter seemed to be spared the brunt of her admonishment as she watched from behind, her eyes never drifting away from her mother as she stepped down and then marched across to the foals in the room.

"Undisciplined, unsupervised, and unruly. These children are the perfect example of what happens when there is no structured order for a nation, a clan, or even a family! Leaving them to run about with no idea of their role or place in society will only lead them to impede and mar the work of others. Tell me, little ones, do you think you are supposed to be here?"

The four crusaders huddled together shakily, and shook their heads.

"And do you think that this calamity and disarray you see before you would have befallen this court if you weren't here?"

Guiltily, and halfway to tears, they shook again. Beatrix started to feel an aching in her chest as she continued to watch in silence.

Moonlight approached the Manehattan mares next. "And you, you call yourselves the Elements of Harmony. What harmony do you bring to this court, interrupting our proceedings, defacing the decorum of this forum, and unnecessarily igniting tempers amongst ourselves with your antics! You clearly do not realize just how important an example you are to our nation, how heavily your actions weigh upon us and the Princesses and influence the public! If anything, your actions must be reprimanded and perhaps even supervised lest you cause detrimental damage to our order and render the very elements that define you useless!"

A fiery sensation bubbled in the pit of Beatrix's belly as she looked at the ashamed faces of Honey, Octavia, Blossomforth, and Orange Sherbet.

Moonlight then towered over Twilight, who literally backed herself into a corner. "And you...you should be the most shameful of them all, being the root of this mayhem! These are your friends, they are your responsibility! Are you not the link that holds them all together? Do you think you can do as you please and in turn, let them do as they please because so many special circumstances surround you? Not in here, where even the Princesses themselves must remain impartial and give favor to those who have earned it! If you, the next head of stable, fail to realize that, then perhaps the stable of Twilight would be better off no longer participating in the affairs of the royal court!"

Beatrix's hooves clenched as she saw Twilight's lip trembling before Moonlight's indignant might. Then she a whisper or two from the back of the room, from the some of the less notable nobles. "Yeah, it's not our fault." "We can blame her." "Princess Celestia would go much easier on her than us." "Let's blame Twilight Sparkle for what happened tonight."
"Blame Twilight..."
"Blame Twilight..."
"Blame Twilight..."

Then something inside snapped.

"This night," Moonlight directed her statement to Twilight Sparkle solely, "was meant to symbolize Luna's glorious return to power along with her followers. Do not expect me to inactively stand idly by while you have your companions turn this courtroom into a three ring circus!"

"Oh, it's not a circus yet."

Moonlight then expressed her first look of actual surprise tonight as she saw her daughter take a place in the center of the room for all to see.

"Everypony knows the real show doesn't start until-"

With a tremendous rip and a smokescreen poof, her noble ensemble was torn off to reveal a purple star studded cape and hat.

"-the MAGIC act!"

A collective gasp filled the room, some much more happy than others.

"Beatrix," Moonlight nearly hissed. "WHAT. ARE YOU. DOING?"

"The one thing no one in this entire kingdom but grandmother has ever had the nerve to do. Stand up to you, and just say 'NO'." She then whirled about giving her cape a flourish. "And for future reference, while performing, call me by my stage name...the GREAT and POWERFUL TRRRRRRRIXIE!"

Her name flashed in neon lighting at the mini-fireworks she poofed up under her cape. The foals cheered and applauded, as the did the rest of the Manehattanettes, whilst the rest of the room just stared on in a state of confused shock.

Moonlight march straight at her, her eyes glazed in an icy fury. "Beatrix Midsummer Lulamoon the Second, I order you to-" She suddenly stopped three steps away from her, hoof catching her neck as she started to gag.

"Sorry, couldn't hear that last part. You must have a frog in your throat!" Trixie forced her hoof into her mother's mouth and pulled out a green amphibian that gave a deep ribbit. "There it is!"

"BWA HA HA HA HA HAAAA!"

The jaws of the nobles dropped even lower as they looked to see who was laughing. There, trying to keep herself from rolling off onto the floor in full belly laughs, was a clapping Princess Luna. "Brava, brava! Oh, Tia, and here you told us the court jester was an outdated profession!"

"Not outdated," Celestia said, clapping along more mildly with a shrewd, yet approving, smile. "Merely...redefined. Brava indeed, Great and Powerful Trixie. Show us more."

"Yaaaay! Yeeeeah! Yaaay!" shouted the foals. "Show us more Trixie!"

Twilight and her friends clapped for Trixie too, then Night Light joined in and, to Twilight's delight, some of her more friendlier nobles like Fancy Pants and Great Harvest were smiling and clapping too.
A domino effect soon followed. More and more nobles who weren't cheering with the Princesses, the children and their peers started to feel like the odd one out. A lot of weak claps and still confused smiles soon filled the room.

"Um, uh...yes! Bravo!"
"Y-yay...show us...more?"
"Please, more magic...tricks?"
"Great and Powerful Trixie..."

"Excuse me, but this is completely unorthodox!" Kibitz started. "As this court's clerk, I feel it my duty to remind you ah-ah-ahckpth!" he sneezed on some remaining powder on his muzzle.

"Goodness me, sir! You sound like you could use a good hoofkerchief. Let's just see if you've got one in that coat pocket of yours." Trixie reached underneath his red coat and pulled out and equally red square piece of cloth...tied to purple one that was tied to a green one that was tied to a blue one...

"My you certainly are wary of hayfever season, aren't you?"

With a long drawn out plucking sound, she finally came to the end of the chain, which was not a sheet, but a bright red pair of flannel pajamas!

"Whoopsie! One layer too many! Hope you don't mind being a little chilly when you go to bed tonight!"

Kibitz sputtered, his face growing a shade of pink as Raven giggled uncontrollably behind him. The rest of the hall also seemed to be sporting a few more real chuckles.

"Don't fret, good sir. For being such a good sport, allow the Great and Powerful Trixie to make it up to you." Trixie whisked up the pair of stepped on spectacles and covered it with one of the cloths in her hoof. "And presto, chango, rearrango!"

She lifted the cloth up to show it had disappeared. Her unwilling volunteer was clearly not amused. "What the-? THAT was my great-grandfather's! How is vanishing it doing me a favor?"

"Check your back pocket."

Kibitz did as he was told, and paused when he felt something other than the satin lining. What he pulled out were a pair of glasses in the very likeness of his own, with one key difference...

"Why, they look just like new! But that's impossible! The material of this frame and lens would have cost at least a thousand bits to restore! How-?"

"A magician never reveals her secrets," Octavia recited the old proverb on cue.

"Well said Octavia. By the way, the Great and Powerful Trixie's could do with a little music accompaniment to spice things up. Perhaps you could provide for her?"

"But, my cello is back at the Twilights..."

"Oh don't worry about that. I'm sure we can scrape up something for an expert like you so long as you-" Trixie reached into the musician's ear. "-play it by ear!" With a sucking and pop, Trixie produced Octavia's almost as big as her trademark instrument from the pinhole sized canal.

Octavia blinked, then grinned, then without so much as an instruction of direction, raised her bow and began to fill the room with an awe inspiring atmosphere.

"And now the Great and Powerful Trixie will need another volunteer. How aboooooooooout...you!" She pointed to a random mare in the noble audience.

"M-me?" the pale and light gray purplish earth pony with the rose sash and pearls asked. Before she or anypony else could say anything she was whisked directly in front of the the magician with her aura.

"It's easy-peasy," Trixie explained as she poofed up a large circular board. "All you need to do is stand perfectly still while strapped against this. Simple, no?"

Uneasily and unsurely, the volunteer was locked into place by the metal straps as Trixie walked some distance away.

"And now, fillies and gentlecolts. The Great and Powerful Trixie shall display a feat of dexterity unheard of by any pony." She lifted up her hat, give a few tap on it, and it conjured out a blindfold and a set of throwing knives. Needless to say, the mare strapped in suddenly found herself sweating bullets at what the implications were.

"With nothing but her hoof, Trixie shall strike the board with her knives, a guarantee not to miss a mark, nor hurt the mare in question. What's that you say? Blindfold not challenging enough? Then how about a moving target as well?"

With that her magic sent the board into a spin. A whimpering could be heard from the spinning mare as Trixie engaged her blindfold, and raised the first of many knives.

*THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK*

And with the last one thrown, the wheel came to a slowing halt, and there was a collective gasp. Not only had the mare been untouched, but the knives formed a perfect outline just a centimeter around her. Genuine clapping resounded as the noble mare opened her squeezed eyes and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
There was then a quick turnaround to laughter as while being unstrapped, it became apparent her tall, fancy curled mane was caught against one of the knives when she came down...and it didn't! Feeling a little breezier then usual, she reached up and felt her bare scalp, and with a beat red 'EEP!' she immediately retrieved her not-so-natural hair and clamped it on tightly. Surprisingly though, her embarrassment quickly dissipated into laughs of her own before she retook her seat.

"Next up, the mystery box!" Trixie announced as her knife set disappeared in a cloud of smoke and a large windowless booth took its place. "Would you like to try, little filly?" She motioned for Firecracker to step up.

"Would I!" the little filly exclaimed at her hero. She scampered right through the door Trixie held open and into the empty room.

"As you can see, there is only single solitary foal in this empty box. Now watch closely!" Trixie slammed the door shut and with forelegs raised, waving in a mystical motion, she lit up her horn and spun the box in place. "Round and round and round it goes, what comes out, NOPONY KNOWS!!"

With a sudden halt she tapped the box lightly and the door swung open to reveal...a house of cards.
"Ooooohh..." everypony awed.
She spun it again.
The head of a giant red dragon popped out and roared loudly.
*GRRRrrOOooOOAAaRR*
Everypony jumped back a step in a surprised panic.
Another spin.
"Huh? What the-?" Honey looked around the four blue starred walls that surrounded her. "But...I was just over there!"
Round and round once more!
"Ta daaa!" a second Trixie posed behind the open door.
"HUH?" The audience looked from one Trixie to the next.
A wink and one last spin later...
Firecracker stumbled out, her eyes spinning and her mouth in a goofy grin. "That was fun, can I ride again?"

With each passing act, the ponies in the room smiled wider and brighter. With the Linking Rings, Trixie had the Czar of Stalliongrad cheering for more. One Endless Bottle later, and the delegates from Saddle Arabia expressed the utmost enjoyment. Even the no-nonsense Germaneic Baroness of Mareseilles cracked a smile after seeing the Sands of the Neighal.

All the while, Moonlight sat in the obscurity of the shadows of the benches, wordless, motionless, and watching.

"And now for my final act, I will require the assistance of my friend, Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight stood at attention by her side. "And what do you need me to do, Great and Powerful Trixie?"

"Just stand riiiight over there, and look pretty for her, will you?"

Twilight moved to where Trixie pointed, and the magician gave a quick whirl around to the audience. "For your brilliant adoration tonight, let this finale be a gift to you all!"

As she closed her eyes and concentrated, Twilight took notice of a faint circular etching expand from her friend's hooves. As the edges lined up with her, she felt a slight tingling sensation draw from her horn to her hooves. Trixie opened her eyes for a moment to wink at Twilight, and she smiled in tandem.

The arcane circle, you read my book after all.

Wordlessly knowing what to do next, she let loose a deep breath and opened her reservoir of power up, letting it pool into the outlet like a cascading waterfall. As she did the circle filled with a white glow. Trixie started to hover just a bit as she began her second spell. Ribbons of white light flooded from her horn as they began to wrap themselves around her. Twilight however, felt the circle's pool starting to ebb.

The spell, it's consuming more mana than both Trixie and I can put out. What kind of variation is Trixie doing to require such a high rate of flow? It wasn't an issue of magic reserve now, but rather a rate of magical output. A single river could only feed an ocean so much at a time. We need a second conduit, fast! Or whatever Trixie's trying to do is going to peter out before it's finished...

She suddenly felt another presence in the circle, and it was powerful. Powerful, and warm. Somepony else had joined the grid and was helping Trixie. Instinctively, she looked to the side. Princess Celestia? No, even somepony as mighty as her would still need to be in direct contact with the circle to transfer any of her magic into it, and she was still in her stand with Luna watching. Her father? No, he was out of reach behind her, plus she knew his magic wasn't nearly this strong. Then who-?

Her gaze fell to the opposite side of the circle past Trixie. There on the edge, stood Moonlight, her eyes fixed solely on her daughter floating just above her. It was her, it was Moonlight. She was the extra source of magic.

Moonlight was helping Trixie cast her spell.

The ribbons of light suddenly burst forth from the cocoon encasing Trixie, enveloping the whole room. When the light finally faded and everypony's vision cleared, Trixie could be seen fluttering in place with the glistening swallowtail wings she once wore back in Cloudsdale. But it was not just her as Twilight soon saw. Standing plain in her line of sight, Moonlight was adorned in a pair of majestic monarch butterfly wings. She then looked to her own backside to find a pair of beautiful blue morpho wings.

Everypony in the room had pair of beautiful gossamer wings! Auntie Sherbet donned an aged viceroy, Octavia had a pair of great southern whites, Honey and Blossomforth sported a western and eastern tiger swallowtail respectively, even the foals had a collection of four different metalmarks.

The entire noble ensemble marveled at each others various and colorful new accessories, and then at their own with ooohs, ahhhs, and smiles. There was no doubt each and every one of them thought they looked lovely with their new wings.

It started with one voice, but the effect soon crescendoed.

"Bravo!"
"Good show!"
"Encore!"
"Trixie!" "Trixie!" "TRIXIE! TRIXIE! TRIXIE!"

The applause was deafening. And Celestia could only smile as she watched her court come together, in one harmonious voice.

Act 7: The Great and Powerful Return

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Luna had begun to set the moon when the castle gates opened to have the mass of nobles finally flock out to depart for their homes, all in seemingly good spirits. The stuffy olive and grey unicorn pair even gave a tip of their designer fashion sweaters off to the thestral guards as they left.

Following the end of Trixie's performance, the members of the royal council had fallen into a lighthearted series of pleasantries such as 'what were we arguing about again?' and 'you know what? It doesn't matter' and even 'maybe we can start over on the right hoof this time'. Celestia had wasted no time in using this good mood to her advantage and steered the topic of discussion back to Luna's position. With a few more careful choice words, a unanimous agreement to follow the two Princesses' initial plan to share the duties of the throne and cycles amongst the both of them as they saw fit, no more or less, was reached instantly.

Now the court room was, albeit more messy, completely cleared and empty save for a few key players that lingered to tie some loose ends.

Hoplite grumbled to himself as he finished sweeping up the last of the shredded papers into the trash bag. Assassins, thieves, and spies my hoof! "This is all your fault Lethe..."

"Really? How so, big guy?"

The day guard recruit turned to his night guard companion with an indignant scowl. "You knew I misread the situation, yet you still egged me on!"

"Exactly, you misread the situation. How's that my fault?"

"Guards are paired for a reason, private Lethe. It's so that one can correct the other when they do something wrong, not make it worse for their own amusement!"

"Hey, relax. Nopony got hurt in the end."

Hoplite gaped, his face a pure look of exasperation as he then struggled to keep his voice indoor level. "I assaulted the Princess because of you!"

"And got to see coolest magic show in history. Gotta say, those Northern Blues made you quite the knockout."

Hoplite just groaned. Forget any earlier positive thoughts he had about his assigned partner, Lethe was the worst! Not an ounce of seriousness in her body! That magic act hadn't been an entertainment, it had been a miracle. If the Princesses hadn't been in such good spirits afterwards, their jobs probably would have been the least of their worries. They were only doubly lucky that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna suddenly needed an operative on hoof for a special secret assignment of getting rid of all these classified documents.

Miracles don't happen on a regular basis though. He had to find a way soon to keep Lethe in line, or at least wise up to her tricks, otherwise he'd never make it to Princess Celestia's personal escort.

A slight rumble in his gut reminded him that in all the confusion of the night, he had missed dinner when his shift was supposed to have ended two hours ago.

"Want one?"

Hoplite turned to see Lethe munching on a flaky powdered pastry she had fetched from the overturned cart. She dangled another one on the tip of her hoof. "Last one of the batch..." she teased with her mouth full, "Mmm, lemon filling."

"Lethe, those weren't meant for...oh, forget it." Hoplite was just too tired and hungry to care about Lethe's minor infringements anymore for the night. If anything, I should at least be glad she saved me one...

But as he reached for it, she moved the treat out of his reach. "Ah ah ah ah..." she wagged her other hoof, "you gotta beg for it!"

"Lethe, please. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I've been degraded more times than I can count tonight. I just want to toss these sacks in the furnace like the Princesses asked, get this over with and go to bed without any more hassle. Please, no more antics tonight."

His partner just grinned. "You gotta do better than that. On your knees and pant like a dog, or a lip quiver, that'll look so cute on you..."

"Lethe..."

"Too bad! Guess you didn't really want it then." Lethe swallowed her portion and then opened her mouth wide.

"No, wait!" Lethe looked expectantly at Hoplite as he knelt down, resigning himself to her whim as he figured it was the fastest way to get through this at this point. "Please, just give me this one bit of relief and no more funny business for the rest of this night and I'll do anything."

"Anything?" Lethe wagged her eyebrows.

Hoplite already had a feeling he was going to regret this, but he was desperate to end this shift with her. "I swear to Celestia..."

"I'll hold you to that," Lethe said she booped him on the nose. "One big juicy you owe me for anything that I can call on at any time or place, no ifs, ands, or buts. And what kind of guard would you be if you didn't keep your word?"

Hoplite solemnly nodded, and then Lethe put on the most angelic face, gave him the pastry, and then patted him on the head. "Good boy! Now was that so difficult?"

He chose not to answer as they made their way out of the court room and into the hallway that led to the basements. Still, the flavor explosion he got when he took his first bite made him think that somehow, it was all worth it. Lethe was finally behaving like a proper soldier for at least the rest of the night and this baked good was pretty darn tasty. I'd give my compliments to the chefs if I wasn't pretty sure I need to steer clear of them for a few weeks.

And as they turned the corner, a line of brandished wooden spoons awaited them. Hoplite nearly chocked on his next bite as Ram Sea towered over him with a smirk.

"Believe it or no, Ah actually ain't the one ye shoulda be fearin' most right now."

He stepped aside to let a tan mare slowly approach with daggers in her eyes. "Where're. my. beignets?" she lowly drawled.

"Beignets?" Hoplite muttered with specks of crumbs leaving his mouth. His eyes then rolled down to his left hoof, which still had a half eaten aforementioned pastry in it's grip, then back to the scowling exchange chef who did not take kindly to dessert thieves.

Yep, it looked like KP duty for the next month or so.

Lethe on the other hoof, took the moment to look innocent and glance away out the nearby window, where she saw a red, orange, and yellow fiery bird swoop by, pausing only to give her a feathery 'nyah nyah nyah nyah boo boo' before disappearing out of sight again.

"Hey, Hoplite? Remember that favor you owe me? I just thought of it."

"That was totally wicked!" Honey said as the group was assembled at the castle entrance. "It had to have been your best performance yet!"

"But of course!" Trixie crowed. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"Verily, it is good to have you back to your old self Trixie," Sherbet said.

"It's good to be back auntie," Trixie agreed.

The only one who seemed mopey out of the six of them was Twilight, which Blossomforth soon noticed.

"Hey, cheer up Twilight. It's all good," she encouraged. "Trixie's back to normal, we're not in trouble, and the nobles are no longer arguing over Princess Luna. Plus, she's back sharing the throne with Princess Celestia just as they both wanted."

"But I wasn't able to repeal the old matriarchy laws," Twilight pointed out with dismay. "Don't you see? After all this, the fact hasn't changed that Moonlight can keep her trapped here in Canterlot so long as she says so."

"Twilight Sparkle is absolutely correct."

The six mares froze as Moonlight Meridian Lulamoon descended the front steps to approach them.

"Beatrix is still a part of the Lulamoon family. And as head of the family, I maintain absolute authority over each and every one of its members."

Honey began to flare her wings as she and Octavia flanked Trixie's sides, almost ready to physically bar the elder mare's way to her daughter, but Trixie gently eased them aside.

"It's alright. I can do this on my own this time."

She then walked forward and met her mother in the middle. Eyes never falling away from contact, she took a deep breath and spoke up to her. "Mother, this evening I acted against your orders, and therefore you are fit to punish me as you see fit without objection. You have every right to keep me here and force me to take up the mantle of a noble. And there is nothing preventing you from criticizing me and being disappointed in my past, present, and future actions."

She then turned her cheek proudly. "But there is nothing you can say or do that will stop me from being who I am. I am a magician, a lover of performance and a practitioner of tricks. I will always prefer to seek the adoration and applause of an audience than to command over them with admonishment and power. Most importantly, I am these ponies' friend. And while you can push me around however you like, I will never let you do the same to any of them."

She waited for sharp and cold reprimand that would follow, but as a minute passed and none came, she turned back to meet her mother's gaze, which suddenly looked distant and thoughtful.

"You are correct Beatrix. No law or rule can ever subjugate another pony's individual will. You presume much, however, to believe I will be punishing you for your actions."

Puzzlement washed over her and the rest of the Manehattanettes as Moonlight slowly broke away to walk over to a statue of Princess Celestia standing proudly in the courtyard.

"Do you know, Beatrix? What the role of a leader is? We strive to act as a guide to those who look to us as one. The average everyday questions ponies ask themselves hold more uncertainty than there are grains within an hourglass. Listening and clearing that uncertainty is what will turn inaction to decision, and thus it is the role of a leader to be an answer figure to those with questions of their own roles, that we know the most correct choice they must take."

She looked up wistfully at Celestia's graceful smile. "There are times, however, when we ourselves find ourselves asking the very same questions our followers come to us with. We are confronted with the unknown and perhaps even challenged against long standing points of view by the new and the extraordinary. It is in situations like those a true leader must judge their own character first, reflect upon the actions that have led to this situation and those were involved, and perhaps even challenge the new with something new of their own. Throughout the course of this evening's events, I have inevitably found myself placed in such a situation."

When she turned back to Trixie, a small conceding smile could be seen on her face. "Beatrix, in all my years of experience with politics and hegemony of the royal court, I have never seen a unanimous decision amongst my peers made so quickly and decisively. Nor have I seen a single pony, save for Princess Celestia herself, gain such control over the movement of the court as swiftly and deftly as you have. And I have especially never even once seen such joviality and high spirits inspired into the disposition of the entire Stable of Lords. I cannot say that I fully comprehend how your methods accomplished such a feat, but what I do know is this; what you managed tonight was a different kind of magic, unbound by spell or power, and a feat worthy of the Lulamoon name. Perhaps...no, there is certainly more to a magus' abilities than what their magic can do...and my views on them have been more narrow than I realized."

Trixie's mouth went up and down a few times before her voice could out, hesitant, soft, and hopeful. "Mother? Are you saying...you admit you were...wrong?"

Moonlight's smile seemed to grow ever so slightly. "Beatrix Midsummer Lulamoon the second, I hereby give you a new directive. As I wish to understand more of your ways in magic, I relinquish all hold of my dominion over your position in the family. You are now free to choose how to live your life anyway and anywhere you please."

A happy tear almost broke away from Trixie's eye as she gripped her hat close to her chest. "I choose...I choose to go back to Manehattan, with all my friends!"

She very well nearly collapsed under the weight of the group hug that pounced over her a second later.

"Hey, wait a minute..." Blossomforth pondered after the hugs and laughter died down. "When your mother eventually does retire, how're you going to run your stable from Manehattan?"

"She's not. Since she's free to make her own decisions now, Trixie hereby decides not to be the next matriarch," Trixie primly stated matter-of-factly.

"I suppose I will have to choose another successor then," Moonlight reasoned. "Checkmate will be appointed to your position."

"Me?!"

Everypony turned to see the filthy, bedraggled, and exhausted mare in question crawling out of the gardens, her front hooves gripping a broken branch like it was a walking stick. Her expression was of pure disbelief. "You're...you're actually...officially...naming me the Lulamoon heir?"

"Congratulations Checker," Trixie said. "It's what you've always wanted."

With a new found burst of energy, the little sister went into a complete mood swing. "YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!" She bounced and bounded in circles around the mares like a gleeful little filly, ending with a grateful glomp and nuzzle of her big sister.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Trixie! If I only knew I simply had to ask, I would have never tormented you for all those years. I take back every mean thing I ever said or did to you and promise to make it all up!"

Honey pried the two apart. "Hold on to that thought," she said as she pulled a certain letter out that she managed to retrieve from Firecracker before Night Light went to escort her and the other Crusaders back to his home.

Checker's pupils suddenly went pinprick tiny as Honey flashed the paper in front of Trixie and whispered into her ear. Trixie's eyes soon widened to an equal degree.

"SHE DID WHAT!?!"

"Again, I am so very very sorry," Twilight Velvet profusely apologized in front of Orange Sherbet. She had returned that night from her publisher's office after a last minute submission to find the house completely deserted save for a certain little dragon on the floor, more rope covering him than scales. "I was gone for thirty minutes, tops! I couldn't possibly have fathomed they'd do something like this."

"It's quite alright dearie. I don't hold it against you," Sherbet replied. "I've had some wild ideas myself when I was a foal and I'm sure you've had too. If it's a mother's job to worry, then it's their children's job to make them worry."

"I suppose that's true." Velvet reminisced a thought off the top of her head. "My little Sparkle did think she could literally live in the royal library for the rest of her life the week she got access to it. She laid out a sleeping bag and was missing from the house for three days before Night Light found her in the biography section. I was at my wit's end the whole time."

The mothers giggled with one another. "Kids," Sherbet figured, "they hit a certain age and think they know everything."

Meanwhile, outside at the front, Night Light lifted the last trunk onto the taxi carriage and Honey tied them down. "That should do it," he said. He then looked his daughter and her dragon. "Sure you want to head out so soon? We'd be more than happy to keep your friend for another night just to recuperate."

"Thanks dad. But considering the crazy stuff that's happened ever since we got here, I think my friends had their fill of Canterlot for a while. Besides..." she looked to the four foals bouncing in their seats inside the carriage. "We need to get these rambunctious tykes home as soon as possible."

"That's an understatement," Spike grumbled. "By the way, I am not sitting next to any of them on the train back."

Twilight chuckled to herself, although she did feel some sympathy for her assistant. She made a mental note to get him a nice big sapphire at the jewelers when they got back. She then walked back to the porch steps to address the only other friend who was in a sour mood, and was still looking disdainfully at her letter of acceptance in a slumped position.

"It's...not that bad Trixie," Twilight tried.

"Fifteen years..." Trixie muttered to herself. "A big one-five of my life...do you know what I could have managed to accomplish at the school in that time?"

"Well, look at it this way. You never would have gone to Manehattan, became our friend and an Element of Harmony. Maybe if you had managed to go all those years ago, you would have been the star student you wanted to prove yourself to be, but you wouldn't have us. I kinda think this was a pretty fair trade. I mean, I'm certainly grateful Princess Celestia didn't let me keep shutting myself in with my studies."

"I'm glad you think so, my faithful student."

Twilight and Trixie immediately looked up to see the descent of not only Princess Celestia, but Princess Luna as well. All other heads knelt low to the ground as they touched down and approached.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight excitedly rushed up to her side. "What are you doing here?"

Celestia answered in kind with a quick motherly nuzzle down the back of her student's neck. "Now Twilight, it certainly wouldn't sit well with me if I didn't see my prized pupil off at the very least after coming so far to visit. In addition, both Luna and I feel the need to thank you and your friends for your efforts last night. We have a strong suspicion the council proceedings would have been much more mundane and unequivocal were it not for you."

"Verily," Luna agreed. "We owe much to you six, not only restoring our state of mind, but also our status alongside our sister's. There is still much to be done, however. Last night's topics have brought to both our minds that the constitutional archives are well overdue for some through reviewing. There are also a few minor difficulties that have come to light that require some time and effort to clean up. It is fortunate then, that we now have the full backing of our court to make things easier. Their better mood from your actions seems to have also given them a better mindset, as we have never seen them so friendly and cooperative with each other since our return in months. We probably never would have been able to have them all reconcile their pasts with each other if not for you. Although, perhaps it might be wise to try and not make a daily habit of such, unconventional methods."

There was a small unison of 'uh huh' and 'you said it' from everypony while Celestia walked closer to Trixie. She took a good look at the letter she was holding before passing it back to her. "Hmmm," she pondered with a smile, "I was wondering where that particular recommendation ended up."

"Trixie's sorry your favor wasn't put to good use, your majesty," Trixie muttered disappointingly.

"Who says it still can't be?" Celestia pointed to the royal insignia imprinted on the bottom of the paper. "I believe as long as that seal of my approval remains authentic, the invitation to my school still stands."

"Really?!" Trixie's eyes widened at the prospects, but her head turned away in a fluster instantly. "Oh no...I couldn't. I mean...*ahem* Trixie would be honored to but...she can't just stay here locked up in a dorm with nothing but spellbooks and potions. She has a life outside of Canterlot now, a life she just got back! She just doesn't have time for classes and lectures anymore."

"Then perhaps we can offer an alternative solution," Luna said as she joined Celestia's side. "Having much to relearn, we have been immersing ourselves in field of education quite thoroughly. And through our involvement, we have had many major institutions adopt some more flexible policies and program in teaching in recent months under our name, including the extension of self study and intercontinental written exchange."

"Inter...written...what?" Trixie confoundedly asked.

"It's called a correspondence course," Celestia continued. "The university will mail lesson plans, materials, and assignments to your location on a weekly basis. All you need to do is complete the lesson tasks and mail back your work in return. Other than providing a current address, you will be able to earn your degree at your leisure, no matter where you are. Would you like to be signed up for the next semester?"

Trixie's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh, yes! Yes yes yes!! *Ahem* I mean...the Great and Powerful Trixie graciously accepts your offer."

Twilight found herself a little less unable to rein in her excitement. "Oh my gosh! You're going to be studying advanced magic just like me! *GASP* Maybe we could work on our lessons together. We can be study buddies! Oh, I've never had a study buddy before! There's so much we can do together, make flash cards, quiz each other on alchemical facts and figures, organize overnight tutoring sessions. Wait, would that last one count as a sleepover? I've never had a sleepover before! I've always wanted one! I should reread my Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask."

Celestia let her little giddy student have a moment to prance and bounce in place around her friend before talking again. "Speaking of studies, I'm sure you have a friendship report ready to give us considering all that's happened."

Twilight stopped and gave a deep nod to her Princesses. "I certainly do your highnesses, perhaps one of the biggest ones I've learned yet.

Sometimes it's easy for a pony to lose confidence in who they are and what they do, especially when they take it to heart from somepony else who plays a big part in their lives. And when that happens, it can affect their friends too, making them sad and depressed as well. It can be hard getting back on your hooves and back in the proverbial saddle, even harder when other ponies around you don't approve of it."

Trixie stood right by Twilight, continuing where she left off.

"But that just means that pony needs a friend to stand by their side more than ever. A friend who knows them, is there to support them and won't give up, to show they're not alone in this struggle and that's there's something there worth the effort, win or lose. Sometimes, the only thing you really need to make a difference in life is to pass a good cheer on to somepony else, and no one spreads cheer better than a friend who genuinely cares about you. As long as you have that, you can weather any storm that comes your way."

"A very good lesson I think we could all commit to memory," Celestia approved. She draped a wing over her own sister's backside in a warm gesture. "One I expect many others to take examples from for years to come. Now, Luna and I do need to be returning to the castle very soon, so we won't be accompanying you to the station, I'm afraid. But I have made certain arrangements for a small royal escort to see that you won't miss your train."

With that said, Shining Armor and a pair of brown unicorn guards flanked at his sides marched in past the front gate. The captain gave his princess the customary salute before she nodded for him to be at ease.

"Hey Twily!" he said, dropping his serious facade. "Looks like I'm going to be able to wait for the train with you after all! I was hoping we'd get some time to talk before you left."

Twilight's smile instantly disappeared as she she slowly marched up to him, eyes narrowed and brow furrowed.

"Yes, you certainly do have much to discuss with me."

As her head leaned dangerously close into his, Shining suddenly got the feeling his sister wasn't all too pleased to see him. "Uh, Twily? Did I do something wrong?" He took a step back to regain some personal space.

"It's more like what you didn't do mister I'm letting everypony know I'm engaged except my sister!"
"Huh?"

Celestia could not hide the wry smirk at what she knew was going to unfold. Shining looked over to his father for guidance, but he just gave a shrug that said 'don't pull me into the fire too'.

Twilight poked a hoof smack dab into his chest. "This is a big, big deal! And I have to chance upon this information by coincidence from some random pony before I hear it from you? Am I not that important to you any more?"

"Hey. You're my little sister. Of course you're important to me-"
"Really? And just when were you planning on telling your so important sister you were getting married?"
"Well, uh..."
"And just who is this Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, anyway? When were you going to tell me about her?"
"Twily, Mi Amore Cadenza is-"
"How long have you been seeing this mare without me knowing?"
"Well, we've been dating for about five years now, but-"
"FIVE YEARS!?"

Shining took another instinctive step backwards as Twilight went from annoyed to outraged. "You've been dating some stranger I know nothing about for five years and never once said ANYTHING?!"

"But Twily, you DO know her!" Shining finally got a word in edgewise.

"That's impossible! I've never even heard the name of this Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, let alone know her!"

Shining took the moment to put on that winning an argument smile. "But you do know her as Cadance, your old foalsitter."

And the emotional roller coaster that was Twilight Sparkle did another loop-de-loop flip. "Cadance? As in the Cadance? As in the greatest foalsitter in all the history of foalsitters?!"

Shinning chuckled. "You tell me. She was your foalsitter."

"You had a foalsitter?" Blossomforth asked.

Celestia chuckled too. "Well, I needed someone to look after my faithful student while I was busy with my royal responsibilities, and my niece did love children even more so than I."

Honey nodded. "Yeah, makers forbid what kind of mischief a foal could get into inside a big busy castle, completely unsupervised..."

Everypony knowingly made a glance out of the corner of their eyes to four tiny angelic smiles looking outside their carriage window.

"You're marrying Cadance! You're marrying Cadance!"

Shining could not help but start to feel a little embarrassed. Twilight had been singsong bouncing around him when they left the house, she had been singsong bouncing around him when they arrived at the station, and now she was still singsong bouncing around him as they waited on the platform.

He had counted a total of 52 ponies that had passed them by during that time, and 52 strange looks given to him. It certainly didn't help him that his adorkable sister's endless giddiness had been contagious to the younger minds of the group.

"He's marrying Cadance! He's marrying Cadance!" The Manehattan CMC paraded behind Twilight.

Thankfully, salvation came in the form of two mothers and a baby dragon.

"Geez, Twilight, give it a rest already. She foalsat me too, you know. And you don't see me going all 'brain on vacation' here," Spike comically gestured.

Twilight Sparkle finally stopped bouncing to give Spike her usual annoyed at his snarky witticisms look, and Twilight Velvet patted her daughter's back reassuringly.

"What Spike means Twilight dear, is that there's no need to burn out all your excitement so soon when there's lots more to be done beforehoof. The wedding's still not going to be for another year at least."

"So let's not give Mr. Shining Armor here any more bother for the time being, shall we?" Sherbet told the rest of the foals. "Let's have him and his family see Twilight off properly, shall we?"

"Yes Auntie."
"Yes Mom."

As the rabble calmed down and the other soon to be passengers stopped staring, Octavia spied somepony over her shoulder that prompted her to give Trixie a bit of a nudge.

"It looks like the Twilights aren't the only ones who value a proper family send off."

Trixie looked over in the direction Octavia pointed. Cantering towards her was the entire Lulamoon household, butler included.

"Good to see we aren't too late," Starshine said as he approached first, a top hat and silver blue vest composing of his outdoor attire.

"What are you all doing here?" Trixie asked.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Starshine patted his daughter's head before giving her a quick squeeze. "Our little trickster is about to go chasing her dreams in the big wide world. It's standard protocol for those who care to wish her luck at the departure." He then leaned in close and whispered into her ear. "You did your grandmother proud today, girl. You finally brought that elusive smile back."

Silver Platter approached next. He politely bowed to her and spoke. "If there is anything you need, do not hesitate to call. The doors of Lulamoon manor will always be open for you and your friends."

"Thank you, Silver."

"I should be thanking you. Servitude to a family that could beget a mare like you brings fulfillment to my choice of profession. You truly have a special gift worthy of the field of magic."

A black eyed Checker took the next spot in the queue. "So, Bea- er...Trixie...best of luck and no hard feelings?" She gave a wide toothy smile and outstretched her hoof.

"I hope that shiner I gave you scars," Trixie answered bluntly.

"Oh come on!" Checker stamped her hoof with a whine. "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry here?! Besides, you got the correspondence course! It's not like anything I did made you permanently lose out!"

"How do you know about my correspondence course?" Trixie eyed her little sister suspiciously.

"I...have my resources," Checker sheepishly admitted. She then quickly added, "Which I'm no longer going to use! Besides, I'm going to be a full time court representative under mother's guidance now. I won't even have time to scheme and manipulate ponies anymore."

Trixie just raised an eyebrow, which cued Checker to pull her hooves up to her chest in a repentant position. "Okay, okay! But seriously, I'm a changed mare now! No more dirty tricks, underhoofed methods, or personal agendas! I swear I'm no longer going to hurt ponies to get what I want, promise! Believe me, I've already gotten more than enough taste of that medicine thanks to your friends there..."

"But you're still going to try to get what you want regardless, am I right?"
"Well, that's a given! I'm in politics, of course."

Trixie just stared at her sister, then she relented a small smile. "Can't argue there." She took her hoof and gave it a shake. "We're always going to find some way to not get along, aren't we?"

"Again, you state the obvious. We're sisters." Another paused moment of just looking at each other passed before Checker gave her big sister a very rushed hug. "Take care, Trixie. I mean it."

"You too, Checker." The incoming train whistle sounded as Trixie turned to the last member of her family. "Well..." she said at last, "I'm not sure what else there is to say between us, given all that's happened."

"I suppose that is true," Moonlight agreed. "We have already communicated our issues quite thoroughly, come to an agreement on all matters related, and know each other's plans for the foreseeable future. There perhaps isn't anything further I can tell you that hasn't already been expressed at some point during your time here. Except this..."

That is when Moonlight Meridian Lulamoon leaned forward, and gave her daughter an uncharacteristically deep embrace.

"You've become such a strong, beautiful mare."

Trixie could only stand stiff at first, but her eyes soon watered as she found herself squeezing back. "M-mother..."

The train's whistle sounded again. "All aboard!" came the yell of the conductor.

No further words were said as they pulled apart. With the rest of the Manehattanettes already on board, Trixie was the last to set foot in the final car in the rear. And as she looked out her window seat to the family that had seemed no more like a group of forgotten memories just a week ago, again nothing was spoken. She just smiled and waved until the train pulled her out of the station and them out of sight.

"Ahhh, never thought I'd miss the sight of towering skyscrapers!" Blossomforth proclaimed as they stepped out into the Manehattan station. "Boy, could I ever use a little R&R after all this out-of-town adventure."

"Yes, hopefully we can all get a little peace and quiet to ourselves for a while," Twilight agreed. "I've got a lot of reading to catch up on."

"Peace and quiet in this city? Have you paid attention even once since we moved here?" Spike questioned rhetorically under the stack of baggage.

"Come on, Spike. It's not like there's a wild party at every other turn-"

"SURPRISE!!!"

Twilight had barely opened the station's doors when a flurry of confetti bombarded her and a brass band started to play. After loosening her grip on the top of the framework, Twilight joined the others in taking in the sight of what had to be at least a third of the entire city gathered around the station. A huge banner stretched across the street from one building to the next that read the words 'WELCOME BACK GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!'.

"W-what's all this?" Trixie asked.

"Oh, just a little something Mayor Tux and I managed to whip up at the last minute." A pair of well dressed stallions stepped in from the side.

"Mosely!" Sherbet exclaimed. "Oh, you gallant steed, you! All this just to welcome her back?"

"Well, it didn't really take much actually," her husband admitted. "You see, he and I told a few of our friends, and then they told a few of their friends, and then they told a few of their friends, and before you know it we all came here to show how much we all missed Manehattan's favorite magician being here!"

"Oh boy! Another Trixie celebration! This is going to be so cool!" Babs jittered with the rest of the CMC before Mosely leaned down to address them.

"We also got together a few ponies to show how much we missed you..."

Each one of the foals smiles disappeared as they saw several adults they knew well step out from behind Mosely, every one of them either hysterically frantic, or deeply scowling.

"H-hey sis," Babs meekly smiled.
"Hi mom...hi dad..." Featherweight and Firecracker whimpered in chorus.

Mosely then looked to Sherbet, who then joined him at looking at Tangerine. "And we are going to have a talk later tonight, young lady." All the little filly could do was look down at her hooves abashed.

The others, meanwhile, continued down the steps where the crowd parted ways and continued to applaud from either side.

"Trixie!"
"Welcome back, Trixie!"
"We missed you, Trixie!"

"Talk about your turnouts," Honey said. "Really make you feel like you're a lasting part of the community. Bet you'll never find another welcome party like this in your name in any other town within a thousand lifetimes."

"Home is where they understand you," Octavia said.

Trixie looked out to the cheering crowds, all happy to see her back, and to the festive air all around her that screamed color and music. She gave a deep laugh to herself and reared up for audience to see.

"Yes! Rejoice citizens of Manehattan! The Great and Powerful Trixie is home!"

Silver Platter walked the dimly lit corridors of the Canterlot archives, making his way into a sealed off tower at the end of the east wing. Making his way to the lone unicorn statue in the only empty room, he pressed the parts in a certain sequence. The sealed wall behind the statue glowed in a golden aura, and he casually stepped through it into another room that held a stairway that led up the tower.

Climbing to the top, he reached a set of ornamental doors lined by ebony. Pushing through, he made his way to the center of a semicircle room, with an entrance at the straight wall and the large, colorful windows all around. A trio of unicorns sat in their chairs to greet him.

"Agent Silver, is your report ready?" the middle one asked.

"Yes, Councilor Stormcoat. Though I suspect news of this magnitude has already reached your ears. An entire courtroom of the most stubborn minds in our country successfully misdirected, along with a class gamma spellweaving technique, customized no less. I would say she's proven herself more than qualified."

"Well then, it would seem our efforts with Hoofdini were not wasted after all," the mare on the right said. "Shall we induct her then?"

"No Councilor Firehoof, I would like to request that an invitation be withheld in her case. She already belongs to another group. One that I believe she will function much better in than ours."

"Agent Silver, I do hope you're not letting your closeness to this candidate impair your judgement. We've already lost one potential by waiting too long, and considering the ursa minor incident in the last report-"

Silver chuckled to the mare on the left. "Lost? Councilor Icemane, you are mistaken. You haven't lost anyone yet."

"But Hoofdini-"

"Hoofdini will wake up. That much I can assure you. And when he does, you may extend your invitation to him at any time you see fit. But his prodigy is to be left alone. Perhaps another time, another place, I would have consented her admission. But here and now I cannot stress enough that she and her friends will be more useful protecting the magics of this world outside our organization than inside."

"And just what evidence supports your claim that withholding Beatrix Lulamoon's invitation will do her more good when it is that same notion that will deny her any support whatsoever from our network of knowledge, resources, and agents?"

"The same one that Princess Celestia gave you when she said you could not have Twilight Sparkle."

The room was silent for a good long time before the stallion in the center spoke up again. "Very well, Agent Silver. In your many years in our service as an observer of the magic aristocracy, you have never given us reason to doubt your judgement. So we will drop the matter at your request."

Silver nodded his thanks, and then turned to go, but not before his three superiors addressed him one last time.

"But make no mistake, the Conclave will be watching her. We'll see if your theory holds true soon enough."

Mother shows Best

by Skyeheart

Act 1: Mommy Fearest

Act 2: Now you see her...

Act 3: Now you don't!

Act 4: Meet the Parents

Act 5: The Lulamoon Legacy

Act 6: Hassle in the Castle

Act 7: The Great and Powerful Return