> Guide You Home
>  by Magical Trevor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter the First
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Brief A/N: While the Prologue is under edits, I've decided to take it down. Sorry to cause any potential confusion, but you shouldn't really miss out on TOO much if this is the first time you've stumbled across this story. Sorry for the inconvenience.)





“I'm sorry, sir,” the soldier guarding the gate replied stiffly. “I was told that the Night Court has been closed permanently, and that Princess Luna will only take audiences by appointment.”

Moonstone felt like he had just been stabbed, but tried not to show it as he thought of an alternative. “Well... Let one make an appointment then! Is she available tonight?”

“No, she is not. I'm sorry, sir, but you'll just have to come back in the morning,” the guard answered, returning to his station, immovable from the entrance.

The white unicorn sighed, mumbled, “Thank you for your time, sir,” before trudging away from the gate, not really looking where he was walking. After a moment, he realized that he was walking in a garden of some sorts, but he didn't really care. His heart was too heavy to feel lighter just by seeing a garden, no matter how beautiful. 

He glanced to the side, and saw a stone bench overlooking a pond of some sorts, and decided that the spot would be good enough to spend the night, waiting for the dawn when he'd be able to make an appointment. He sat down heavily, his body sagging in defeat. His light azure steel tail hung from the bench, only moving in the wind, like his mane.

As he gazed at his reflection in the pond, he was reminded of why he was there to begin with, and everything he had been put through. “Stupid eyes... Stupid curse,” he snarled quietly, glaring at the cherry crimson eyes shining out of the pond. 

His body shivered with a combination of anger and	 from the chill of the night. He drew his black cape a little closer, angling it to better ward off the wind. He looked back to the pond, but saw a reflection that caused his gaze to turn back upwards, a small, sad smile on his face as he stared at the moon. As he stared at the silver orb in the sky, he let his anger float away, calming himself as he gazed. After a moment, he closed his eyes for a moment, speaking softly, and with great reverence. “Luna, it's me again... I still don't know if it was just luck, or if you're really looking out for me, for whatever reason, but please... I need somepony, anypony that can help me... I don't know if you can hear me, but I need your help...”

“Wouldst her assistant suffice?” a pale blue unicorn inquired from behind him.

“GAH!” Moonstone jumped high in the air, before he stopped in mid-air, surrounded by a light blue glow. “Who are you?!” he gasped, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

The strange blue unicorn mare tiled her head to the side, looking up at him, as he was still floating in mid-air. “Thou must be fairly strong if thou canst levitate thyself like that. Is that perchance a shield spell? Thou must be a gifted mage, if thou has the ability to utilize both spells at once!”

“One will ask but once more: who are you?!” he growled in response, his adrenaline pumping.

“Oh? My apologies. My name is Moonlight Shimmer, personal assistant to her Highness, Princess Luna. And you would be?” the unicorn asked, tilting her head once more.

“O-oh,” Moonstone said simply, blinking stupidly. He released his spells, setting back down gently on the stone bench. After a moment, he replied slowly, “I'm Moonstone, a traveling minstrel. Wait a second... Did you say you're Luna's assistant? Wait, can you get me an appointment with Princess Luna?! I'll do whatever it takes!”

The mare took a step back, taken by surprise at the forcefulness. “U-uh, well, what do you need help with? I mean, doesn't Princess Celestia kinda specialize in helping ponies? Why do you want my mistress instead?”

“W-well,” Moonstone hesitated, before continuing, “it's because I uh... don't really trust Celestia... I mean, don't get me wrong, she's a good ruler from what I understand, but she just doesn't seem the type to know about what I want to request of her.”

“Uh-huh,” she replied, a little confused. “And the fact that Luna's been gone for a thousand years doesn't bother you? How could she know how to help you better than Celestia?” she asked sceptically.

Moonstone blinked, completely confused. What kind of assistant was she?! It was like she was trying to keep ponies away from her! “W-well, yeah, that's most of the reason why she'd be able to help me more than Celestia would. She'd be able to remember more about the ancient curses easily, wouldn't she? Don't charms and whatnot fall under her realm of knowledge?”

The pale blue unicorn seemed to hesitate for just a moment before nodding. “Yes, I suppose it does, though she would argue that she's still rusty from her uh...”

“Extended leave of absence?” Moonstone supplied helpfully, wincing slightly.

The unicorn seemed to relax slightly as she nodded, continuing, “Yes, that. However, before you take up her highness' time, perhaps you could tell me what it is you wish her to do for you? It is likely that one of the professors at Princess Celestia's school could help you, an-”

Moonstone shook his head firmly, his eyes seeming to bore into hers as he said simply, “They cannot. I've traveled across many lands, and nopony has been able to help me... I've been through Germaney, Prance, Mexicolt, Italhay... Nopony has been able to help me. Princess Luna is my last hope. If she doesn't know anything about my curse, or how to lift it, I-”

He was stopped when Shimmer put her hoof to his mouth, stopping his rapidly increasing in speed rant as she tried to calm him. “Okay, okay! Just calm down! I-I'll see what I can do. If you'll just let me go and talk to her Highness, I'll see when her next available appointm-EEK!”

The poor unicorn mare was scared out of her wits as a small, black, furry critter fell on her back, and started to swiftly climb up her back towards her mane. She screamed, her horn glowing as she tried to levitate the creature, but she couldn't seem to grasp it. “What is it?!” she shrieked, shaking her head back and forth rapidly, hoping to fling the abomination from her mane.

While he was laughing at Shimmer, Moonstone started to concentrate, and levitated her to prevent her from flailing around. “Hey, relax! She's not going to hurt you! Lex, stop scaring our host half to death! I promise, she's not going to hurt you, okay? She just likes to explore a lot.”

Shimmer watched in shock as a lithe, black, serpentine animal leaped from her head to Moonstone's, burying itself some in his mane. “W-what is that?!”

“She,” Moonstone replied cheerily, his grin stretching across his face, “is my familiar, Galexia! Galexia, apologize to the poor mare!”

The black creature chittered a moment, before biting Moonstone on the ear somewhat fiercely. Moonstone winced only slightly, growling a couple of curses too softly for Shimmer to make out. The black creature chittered back for just a second, but slowly made its way back to Shimmer on the ground, standing on its hind legs as it crossed its arms at her.

Shimmer blinked at the creature, before examining her carefully, curious. It wasn't an animal she was familiar with, but she knew it wasn't as rare a creature as a phoenix. It had a black coat, with streaks of silver in its fur, giving it a haunting beauty, though only because it seemed to shine in the night-time light. It had a small band of silver around its left ear, though without using magic, she couldn't tell what material of which it was composed. After bracing herself, Shimmer lowered herself to the ground, so that she was at head level to the creature. It had the brightest amethyst eyes she had seen in awhile, and while she stared, she asked, “What is she, exactly? I don't know many animals as I should, and I'm not familiar with one so... serpentine.”

Moonstone smiled, laying down next to the creature, allowing her to scamper back up to his mane, where it started making small, happy noises that almost sounded like purrs or actual talking. “She's a ferret, though one will admit that she doesn't entirely act like one at times! I can't count the times she's gotten me into trouble, but I also can't count the times she's saved me either! But then again, that's what familiars do, so I'm not complaining! If it wasn't for her, my life would have been pretty boring!”

Shimmer's expression became guarded as she tried to sort her thoughts. “A familiar, huh? Those are uh, pretty rare... When did you get her?”

“Hmm?” he looked up, questioning. “Oh, you mean Galexia? Well, I got Lex the same time everypony else who has gotten a familiar has: when I got my cutie mark!”

“Oh, that's um, interesting. Was she a present from your parents or something?” Shimmer inquired, eyes narrowing slightly. 

When Moonstone's eyes seemed to flinch ever so slightly as he looked away, she knew she had asked a bad question, but she couldn't take it back now. “N-no, she wasn't. She literally appeared on my flank when I got my cutie mark.”

Shimmer pawed at the ground, keeping her head down as she stammered, “S-sorry, I didn't mean to-”

“It's fine,” Moonstone said quietly, walking over to nudge her gently. “I never knew my parents, so it's not like I can miss what I never had, right?”

Shimmer hesitated for a moment, clearly able to hear how often he had practiced saying that line, but didn't pursue it, settling on a simple nod with a weak smile. “Y-yeah, I... I know how that is... C-come on, we shouldn't keep her Highness waiting,” she stammered, turning around abruptly.

“Huh? But one thought that you had to check with Luna before an appointment could be made?” the confused stallion commented, falling in behind the silvery mare.

“Y-yeah, well... I uhh,” she replied quietly, hanging her head a little. “I kinda lied. It's not like there's a lot of ponies wanting Luna's help, so when somepony comes along asking, it's my job to see if they really need help, if they're just trying to get her to say yes to something that Celestia said no to, or to see if they're sane or not.”

They walked in silence for a moment before Moonstone spoke. “I suppose that makes sense... Um, if you don't mind a personal question,” he continued as he followed her through the garden. “How did you get to be Princess Luna's assistant?”

“Oh. Uh...” she stammered, her mind blanking for a moment. “Well, you know, you hear about a position opening up, so I applied for the job! Nothing special at all! Nope! Just your average Equestrian civilian!”

Moonstone stared at her, watching her eyes shift around, looking at the flowers around them. After staring at the smile that seemed plastered to her face, he commented slowly, “Uh-huh... Wait, why are we going this way, and not through the front gates?”

Shimmer stared at the wall for a moment, before pushing a brick inwards, another part of the wall popping out. “That's because... Luna doesn't like a lot of pomp when guests arrive, you know? Celestia's guards tend to make a big deal out of everything, so Luna made some alternate entrances to the castle. She put in sensors that will let her know that somepony is on the way, and since only her attendants and guests know of these routes, she'll be expecting us.”

“Oh, that's rather um, cunning of her,” he replied, somewhat surprised. 'I guess the rumors of her quirks weren't exaggerated then...' he thought to himself.

He kept walking in silence as the unicorn mare led the through empty tunnels and hallways, eventually reaching a bare, white wall. Moonstone watched as the mare pushed against the left side of the wall, his eyes widening as it opened, spinning around the middle, showing an empty kitchen pantry. “Woah... A pantry? Awesome! Would anypony mind if I grabbed a snack?”

“Sure, go right ahead,” she replied absently, looking around. Moonstone took a small apple, setting it inside his saddlebags as he followed her outside to the massive hallway. He gaped, letting his eyes roam the many paintings and stained glass murals that lined the walls, each picture depicting a separate story or significant event in Equestria's history. 

Moonstone wandered slowly from picture to window, scrutinizing them all closely. In several of the  windows he saw what appeared to be six mares facing down various enemies. ~This must be a mural of how Nightmare Moon was defeated several years ago... Huh, I wonder what that strange creature is,~ he mused, tilting his head to the side slightly as he looked at tall, gangly monster. It was mostly brown in the body, with different animal parts for limbs and horns. 

Moonstone wasn't sure how long he stood there, trying to figure out the story behind the window, when he heard hooves clopping on the floor behind him. Without looking, he commented, “So Shimmer, mind explaining the story behind this window?”

“What?! But... How didst thou... When did... But I...” 

Moonstone turned around to see why she was stuttering so badly, when he got a shock himself. It was not Moonlight Shimmer standing there, but Princess Luna! At least, who he assumed was Princess Luna. He blinked a couple of times, trying to decide if he should bow first or apologize, when she continued to speak. “How didst thou know I was Moonlight Shimmer? Mine illusion spell was without fault!”

Moonstone blinked, his jaw dropping slightly, before catching himself swiftly, his posture relaxing instantly. “Well, your illusion spell, yes, but you forgot, first of all, to change your voice, and second, you forgot to walk differently, as everypony has a relatively unique trotting pattern that is made more apparent on floors such as these.”

He demonstrated briefly by walking in a circle, the steady 'clop-clop-clop' of his hooves on the marble echoing in the hall, before he stopped in front of her, bowing deeply. “It is a very great honor to finally meet you, Your Highness.”

“Err,” Luna hesitated, trying to keep from backing up, conflicted. On one hoof, it was rather gratifying to finally meet somepony who was treating her like they treated her sister Celestia, with love and respect, but on the other hoof, it also made her a bit uncomfortable. “It's Our pleasure?” she replied, hesitating in her reply. “Please get up, Moonstone. We... You're making me nervous, okay? I said I didn't like pomp, remember?”

Moonstone stood straight up swiftly, almost jerking back in his haste, afraid that he had offended her greatly. “O-one's apologies! I didn't... I mean I...”

Luna blushed slightly as he stammered how sorry he was, avoiding her gaze as he kept his head averted to the side, staring at the ground. “Thou art... We mean...” Growling to herself slightly, irritated that she kept slipping, she took her time as she said slowly, “Just relax, alright? What happened to the calm, collected stallion I was talking to not ten minutes ago?”

Opening his mouth in surprise, the white unicorn paused, before starting to chuckle, blushing as he stammered, “W-well... I didn't know then! R-right, calm, one can do that,” he repeated to himself, trying to refocus, but failing miserably. “One means, one is only talking to the ruler of the night! It isn't like this isn't a once in a life-time opportunity!”

“Moonstone!” Luna exclaimed, stomping her hoof on the ground.

Moonstone was cowed into silence, sinking down to the ground, his head between his forelegs with his stomach pressed to the stone tile beneath him. After a moment of silence, Luna continued, a little quieter, but her tone was harder. “Now, please tell me why you're really here.”

Moonstone opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times in confusion, before looking back up. “I beg your pardon? One already told you why one came to req-”

“Don't lie to me, Moonstone,” Luna snapped, her voice tinged with sadness, though her anger drowned it out. “I can detect no curses upon you, so tell me what it is you really came for.”

“B-but...” Moonstone gaped for several seconds, his mouth slowly opening and closing, before he stood up, backing up little by little, his head shaking slowly. “N-no, th-that's not... Y-you're lying! T-there has to be a curse! There has to be!”

Luna remained silent for a moment, before shaking her head, repeating herself, “What reason have I to lie? I searched you thoroughly, and there is no active curse placed upon you.”

“No...” Moonstone replied after a moment in shock, slowly shaking his head, gaining speed as he started to talk faster. “I refuse to believe that; it's not possible!”

Luna blinked, trying to puzzle out why he was pushing this facade when she clearly saw right through him. “Do not push your luck, Moonstone!” Luna ordered, becoming much more stern. “Any more from you and We will-”

“I did not go through 14 years of hell for nothing!” Moonstone snapped, his eyes going wild as he slammed his hoof on the ground. “I did not get thrown out of dozens of villages, fought off hundreds of bandits, and been discriminated against everywhere I go for nothing! Hundreds have told me that I'm cursed, and that if I stay near them they'd get cursed too!”

Moonstone started hyperventilating as he noticed that she hadn't moved, nor had her expression changed. “I didn't travel the world looking for a cure that doesn't exist! I.... I didn't put up with...”

Moonstone was cut off as Luna walked up to him, looking down at him with an unreadable expression. After blinking back some tears that threatened to fall, he whispered hoarsely, “T-there's really no curse at all? Are you sure it isn't just so powerful that-”

“No, there is not,” Luna replied quietly, analyzing his reaction. “And I am sure, I cast different spells half a dozen times while we were walking earlier. There are no malevolent curses placed upon thee.”

Luna immediately started to prepare some defensive spells as Moonstone surged to his hooves, his gaze hardening, filled with hate. His horn starting to fill with magic, before his chest heaved, collapsing to the ground as he started weeping like a foal, curled up as he tried to make himself as small as possible.

Luna balked, backing up a step as she watched a full-grown stallion crying right in front of her. While she was immortal, and had great general knowledge, knowing how to deal with a sobbing stallion was not within that realm of experience. She nearly screamed as the black ferret-like animal scurried from behind her, weaving between her hooves, coming to a stop in front of Moonstone.

Galexia had been exploring the halls, exploring as she always did whenever her master entered a new area or building, when she saw his magic starting to glow. When it cut out suddenly, she rushed to his aid, making sure he was alright before turning on the only possible perpetrator: Luna. The little familiar rushed up the the alicorn a couple dozen times larger than her fearlessly, before chittering away rapidly.

While Galexia was ranting and commanding Luna how to fix the situation, said alicorn was blinking, trying to understand what the little creature was saying, before giving up, walking around her towards Moonstone. She paused before the white unicorn, debating with herself internally for a moment, before clearing her throat, saying haltingly, “I... it appears I was mistaken when I called you a liar, Moonstone, and I, uh...” Looking around, she tried to apologize, before giving up, asking, “Err, are you going to be alight?”

Moonstone, whose cries had become much softer after the initial outburst, shook his head slowly, before rasping, “Just kill me.”

“W-what?! Art thou insane?! Why fore wouldst one...” snarling silently to herself, she shook her head, correcting herself, “why would you want me to kill you?!”

“Because if I'm not cursed,” he explained quietly, his voice filled with despair, “then it means that my life can't possibly get any better... I haven't been cursed by magic after all, but by fate... I can't... I can't take it anymore,” he finished, completely devoid of all emotion, barely audible. “My entire life, my pathetic, miserable, tormenting excuse of a life, has been spent traveling the world for a cure to the curse that doesn't exist. Do you even know what that's like? No matter where you go, no matter what you do, everypony is staring at you like you've killed their family, like you're Hell-spawn... I just... I just can't do it anymore... Please... Just have mercy on me and kill me.”
> Chapter the Second
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“... No, I am not going to kill you!” Luna exclaimed, drawing back a little. “What kind of monster doth thou think we are?! No, thou camest to us to ask for our help, and we are going to give it to you, whether you want it or not! Guards!” she shouted, drawing the attention of two patrolling guards from the throne room. “Take this stallion up to our bedroom! We are to have words with him in private in a few moments.”

The two guards saluted, helping Moonstone to his hooves, before marching him towards the night princess' room. Once out of earshot, one of the guards muttered to the other, “To her room, huh? You don't think...”

The second guard frowned in thought, before shrugging his wings, replying curtly, “I don't know, and it's not our business, private. You receive orders, you salute and nod, and you do them. It's as simple as that.”

“If you say so, sir,” the private replied, before returning to silence, leading the emotionless white unicorn to Luna's room.

.o.O.o.

Luna sighed softly, shaking her head sadly as she whispered to herself, “How am I supposed to help somepony who's so broken? Just what all has he had to deal with to make him this way?”

She looked down when she heard worried noises coming from the floor. Galexia was looking at Moonstone worriedly, before looking back up to Luna, stomping a diminutive paw, pointing at her master as her tone took a more commanding tone.

Luna chuckled, amused that such a small animal was trying to order her around, replied, “Worry not, little one, he shall be safe in our care. Come, let us tend to him, and discover why he doth wish to die so readily.”

Galexia nodded, chirping for a moment before jumping up onto Luna's back, causing her to squeal for just a second, freezing as she felt the animal's paws running up her back rapidly, before resting in her mane, snuggling down comfortably. Luna didn't even get any time to relax or get used to the feeling, before she received yet another shock, one much more terrifying...

“Lune, what are you screaming at?”

“GAH!” Luna jumped several feet into the air, wings shooting out in surprise as she turned around, putting on a fake smile. “C-Celes?! N-nothing! Why wouldst thou assume that we are shouting at anything? Canst we not chose to scream for inadequately explainable purposes?”

Celestia blinked, keeping a straight face as as observed her sister, with an animal in her mane, looking rather disheveled. Deciding to take matters into her own hooves, she tried to extract the animal with her magic, frowning slightly when she couldn't grab it. “Well, can you at least do it in your room, so that you aren't spooking the guards? “

Luna, puzzled as to why her sister wasn't pressing her further, tilted her head as she responded, “I was headed there now, but what art thou doing still awake? Doesn't thou have an important meeting on the morrow?”

Celestia scowled internally as the creature continued to refuse to be levitated. “Yes, but I felt like roaming the halls tonight to think of what you could possibly help with.”

Luna opened her mouth to speak, when she finally noticed her sister's horn glowing. “What art thou doing, sister?”

“Trying to... Why can't I grab that animal?!” Celestia snapped, thoroughly frustrated.

“Trying to,” Luna replied slowly, before breaking out into a peal of giggles. “Silly Celes, didn't you notice? It's got jewelry attached to it!”

“So?” the regal white alicorn retorted, slightly miffed that her spells weren't working. 

Luna shook her head, trying to hide her growing smile, but was failing spectacularly. “Hast thou already forgotten the old ways, Celes? I know that you wanted others to forget about rune etching, but thou hast forgotten about it thine-self?”

“What?” Celestia blinked, then trotted closer, looking at the black creature in her sister's flowing mane, who was hissing at her. Celestia pulled her head back ever so slightly, narrowing her eyes at the creature, but Galexia was not intimidated in the least. Analyzing the small piece of silver jewelry around the animal, she frowned in thought, searching her vast memory.

“That's... a Freedom rune?!” she exclaimed, taking a step back.

“I know!” Luna squealed excitedly, trotting in place for just a second. “Even when I made my armor, I couldn't get runes that small!”

“But where did it come from?”

“Oh, it's Moonstone's familiar!” Luna exclaimed proudly.

As Galexia posed proudly on Luna's head, Celesita only sighed, shaking her head slowly. “I don't know who this 'Moonstone' is, Luna, but Familiars don't exist.”

As Galexia started to chitter away angrily, Luna responded quickly, “But they do! Canst thou not see Galexia before you?”

Celestia sighed, and replied quietly, “If they exist, then why don't we have ones, to begin with? They were supposed to appear to anypony with great magic power, but then why do we not have ones? You're read at least some of the history you've missed, and not one great Unicorn in those thousand years had a familiar. Not even my dear student, Twilight Sparkle, has a familiar. Charles Darwhinny was able to prove that all of the 'familiars' that we had heard about in the past were all lies. They were either animals with greater than average intelligence, like this ferret seems to be, or they were merely illusions. I'm sorry, Lune, but this Moonstone, whoever he is, is a lia-”

Celestia reared back in shock, her eyes wide. “That... It scratched me?!”

Galexia had lunged at Celestia, swiping her claws at the sun princess, drawing a little bit of blood from her cheek. Luna lunged right after Galexia, catching her again with her forelegs, though the ferret was making a valiant effort to escape again, snarling. Luna looked back up at her sister, fearful for Galexia's health, but was flabbergasted when she heard laughing. “C-Celes? Art thou... alright?”

“Yes, I'm fine,” her sister replied, closing her eyes as she focused her magic, healing the shallow wound. “I just haven't seen that kind of dedication in a pet in a long t-”

She paused talking as Galexia attacked her again, turning to meet the glaring animal on the floor in front of her. Smiling sweetly, Celestia bent down, still smiling as she talked quietly. “So, I take it you're attacking me because I refuse to call you a familiar?”

After Galexia nodded firmly, Celestia's voice stayed quiet, but was noticeably more frost as she continued, “Then let us get one thing straight: you scratch me one more time, and familiar or not, I will banish your furry face straight to the sun.”

Galexia didn't look shaken, but when she turned to Luna, the dark alicorn shrugged, commenting, “Thou art on your own, little one, but Celes has never been known as one who breaks her promises.”

Galexia blinked, before huffing, crossing her short forearms, rolling her eyes to show that she wasn't impressed. Luna and Celestia weren't fooled for a second, of course, but Celestia allowed the small animal its 'victory'. “Now, who is this 'Moonstone' who says that this ferret is-”

“Galexia. Her name is Gale- Ah! Hey!” Luna exclaimed, having been bitten gently on the ear. “Watch it!I'll call you whatever I want to, Lex!”

Celestia smiled to herself as she watched her sister interact with the ferret, shaking her head in amusement. “Well... As I was saying, she sounds like an interesting-”

“He's a stallion,” Luna corrected absently, still in the middle of a glaring contest with Galexia. “He said he's cursed, so he came to me since I know all about curses, but when I told him he wasn't cursed, he had a mental breakdown, and asked me to kill him.”

Celestia gaped at her sister, before prodding, “And...”

“Hmm? Oh, so then I refused, called the guards, and now he's waiting in my room while I try to figure out what the heck to do with him.”

“Well, Lune dear, I could make a few suggestions as to what you could do with him...” Celestia answered suggestively, bouncing her eyebrows a couple times.

“C-Celes!” Luna exclaimed, blushing madly. “H-how could you suggest such a thing?! T'would be improper!”

Celestia turned around, taking a hurt expression. “Luna, you wound me! I was merely going to say you should cheer him up and find out more about his past to find out why he thinks he's cursed! I would never suggest that! “

“... Uh-huh,” Luna deadpanned, her half-lidded glance of annoyance showing she wasn't buying it. “Sure you weren't, Tia. How could I be so stupid? With how promiscuous you are, you were probably going to suggest that you 'cheer' him up.”

“So? You need to loosen up, Lune!” Celestia exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “How you ended up as the Princess of Night, in charge of romance, is beyond me!”

“Because there's nothing romantic about sleeping around with every single stallion you see like a-!” Luna retorted heatedly, before sighing. “... I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-”

Luna was cut off as her sister hugged her, surprising the dark blue alicorn. “I know,” Celestia murmured. 

They both held the hug for a minute, before Celestia let go, turning to walk away. Luna looked up to speak, when her sister's tail whipped up, flicking the end of her snout playfully as the owner of said tail commented cheekily, “Besides, it's fun! You should loosen up a little, sis. It would do ya some good!” she finished with a wink, before sauntering off.

“T-that Celes, always acting like she knows everything!” Luna fumed, her face still aflame from embarrassment. “I could have any stallion I wanted if I wanted! I just chose to wait for the right one, is that so wrong?!”

Still embarrassed and flustered, she made her way back up to her room, where she had to figure out how she was going to help Moonstone with his 'curse'.
> Chapter the Third
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna opened the doors to her bedroom, and immediately Galexia jumped through to run up to Moonstone, who was laying on the floor. While Moonstone had been immobile on the floor, he perked up noticeably when Galexia rushed up to him, nuzzling Moonstone happily as she chirped to him.

Luna smiled as she saw him cheer up as the ferret cuddled in his forelegs, curling up as it settled down to sleep. Moonstone sighed, lowering his head to cover most of Galexia's body to keep her warm.

Luna hopped onto her bed before curling up comfortably, turning to Moonstone on her plush carpeting. "So, Moonstone... That's an interesting name. Why do you want to kill yourself?"

"I never said I wanted to kill myself," the white unicorn replied softly, depressed. "I just... Don't know what I'm supposed to do now... My entire life's purpose, the one goal I had that kept me going against all odds, and now it's gone... What am I supposed to do now?"

Luna thought for a moment, before smiling a little, answering, "Whatever you want to do..."

"... How? Even if I knew what I wanted to do, how am I supposed to do that when I get thrown out of town every couple days or so?" Moonstone questioned bitterly, looking away.

Luna gave pause for a moment, before continuing her inquiries. "Was that because of your 'curse'? What, exactly, made you or others think that you were cursed?"

"Because I have red eyes," he sighed.

"... You're kidding... You're kidding, right? Please tell me that's a joke," Luna replied, disbelieving him.

Moonstone turned to look at the Moon Princess, his face reflecting his somber mood. "Does it look like I'm joking to you? Everywhere I've gone, Germaney, Italhay, everywhere, I'll be in a town for a couple of days, everything is going fine, but then somepony will come along, and start freaking out about how I've got red eyes, and that I'll curse them."

Luna opened her mouth to speak, when there was a knock at her door, followed by a soft voice. "Princess Luna? Princess Celestia asked my to bring your guest some pillows and blankets. May I come in?"

"Yes, thank you," Princess Luna answered, opening the door with her magic to allow the maid to enter. Moonstone nearly had a heart attack when he saw another white unicorn walk in with some pillows and a large blanket, but what surprised him was her red eyes, and pale lilac mane. He gaped at her for a moment, before Luna inquired, "Star, have you ever heard of a curse associated with red eyes?"

"You mean being albino? I-I don't think so, Your Highness," the maid stammered, looking down. "The doctors said that I can have troubles seeing sometimes, but that's not a curse, is it?"

"No, it's not. That will be all, thank you Star," Luna smiled warmly, watching as the timid maid quickly made her way back out of the room, blushing slightly since Moonstone was still staring at her.

When he finally regained his voice, he stammered, "B-but, but, but... She-"

"Has a medical condition called Albinism," Luna continued, interrupting him. "It took a long time to learn how to diagnose, but simply put, your coat, regardless of what color it was going to be, turns white, your eyes will be either a shade of blue, or sometimes red or purple, and your mane becomes very, very pale. So aside from some genetics, you're completely fine. She was made fun of as a child, sadly, but that is behind her now."

"You mean... There... Isn't anything wrong with me?" he asked quietly, almost not believing what he was hearing.

"That's right," Luna confirmed, nodding happily. "I don't know what other countries are like, but Equestria is fairly accepting, at least most of the time, so... Whatever it is you want to do, you're now free to do it! So," she prodded, curious, "what are you going to do?"

"I... don't know," Moonstone admitted quietly. "I never planned that far ahead..."

"Well, until you figure that out, I guess you can be my guest! Though there's a really boring meeting and Garden party that I have to attend, so I'm afraid that it will be rather boring."

"Well, I have nothing better to do anymore, so I'll take you up on that, thank you," Moonstone yawned, resting his head on the supplied pillow. "And sorry for... yelling at you... earlier," he murmured, already half-asleep.

After he fell asleep, Luna sighed, relaxing in her own bed as she thought, 'Well, that's one pony who wanted my help down. He may not have really had a problem, but at least I was still able to help, and he wanted me specifically, so... I'll take what I can get.'

.o.O.o.

Moonstone looked around uncomfortably, feeling nervous and out of place as he saw many ponies in suits and dresses starting to file in. He shuddered as he remembered how the morning had started, maids trying help him bathe, put on uncomfortable clothes, among other things. At every turn, he had to politely refuse to be helped, but with the clothes he steadfastly refused after trying on a tie, declaring it was an instrument of evil by preventing ponies to breathe properly. "It serves no purpose! It doesn't keep my neck warm, and it has no pockets to carry anything! There's no point in wearing it!"

Moonstone excused himself from the meeting before it could begin, explaining, "I don't feel well. Perhaps I should go get some fresh air... I'll be back later."

As he started to trot down the hall, however, he paused as he heard children's voices coming from a nearby room. Curious, he walked into the room, and saw a small group of fillies and colts standing around, bored. He stood there for a moment, before asking slowly, "So... What are all of you doing here? Got a birthday party or something going on?"

"No, we're here because our parents made us come. We're supposed to practice 'proper behavior', like we were adults," a colt sighed, scuffing a hoof on the ground disappointedly.

"I see... And you're left here all on your own, without any adult supervision? Wow, talk about irresponsible," he commented, surprised.

"We're not alone!" a little creame colored filly protested. "My sister will be here in just a few minutes!"

"Oh, okay then," Moonstone relaxed. "At least you're not on your own then. So... What do we do until she gets here?"

"We wait quietly," a red colt muttered, staring at the table. "We're not supposed to talk, or we'll get in trouble."

Moonstone stared at them in disbelief. "Wow. So... Would you get in trouble if I'm the one talking?"

The group of fillies and colts all shook their heads, bracing themselves for a boring lecture.

"Well alright then! Time to tell a story then! Now, let's see, what story to tell... I know! Have any of you heard the story of 'The Soldier and Death'?"

When all he received was a lot of blank stares, he smiled cheerfully, continuing, "Great! There's a moral to this story, so pay attention, deal? Now let's see, how does it start?"

(Originally, I WAS going to try to ponify the story 'The Soldier and Death', by Jim Henson's The Storyteller,  but I figured that A) that COULD lead to copyright law infringement stuff, even with claiming no credit, saying I took it form there, ect, so I won't bother with that. I'll just say the last line of the story after the break, and leave a link to the episode. (It's 22 minutes long, but seriously, it's WORTH it! Anyhoof, Enjoy!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8WQhitfMSs ))

.o.O.o.

"... And so my friend the soldier wanders the world to this day still, hoping to find death, so that he can be welcomes into his arms," Moonstone finished somberly, bowing his head. "To this day, when it's quiet out, I can still hear him whistle..."

"Wow..." The group of enthralled foals gasped, sitting in front of Moonstone with wide eyes. They remained quiet for just a moment more, before the room exploded in excitement as the fillies and colts proceeded to imitate the story, messing around, and all the other things that young ones do when they play.

"Woah, woah, hang on a second," Moonstone commanded, levitating most of them to keep them from moving for a second, before setting them down again. "You still haven't told me the moral of the story!"

"Oh, oh, pick me!" the creame colored unicorn filly exclaimed, jumping up and down. "It means that we should be generous to others in need, because we never know when we might need their help later, right?"

"Right," Moonstone chuckled, surprised that the filly had picked it up so easily. 

"Hey, Mr. Moonstone, what is this?" the red colt from before asked, holding up knapsack.

"What? Oh, that's just a burlap knapsack, nothing important," Moonstone dismissed it, turning away.

"Well, if it's just a bag, then get in it!" he shouted, commanding Moonstone as he opened the bag.

Moonstone smiled, taunting, "Do you really think that bag is the one form the story? The odds of that is l-WOAH!"

He shouted in surprise, using his magic to start dragging himself towards the bag, much to the surprise of all of the colts and fillies there. "No! It can't be! Help me! Don't let me get sucked in!"

The creame colored unicorn filly was the first to jump to his aide, pulling back on his forelegs, trying to keep him from being sucked into the bag. "Come on, help!" she cried, pulling futilely on his arms. 

At her insistence, the rest of the colts and fillies rushed to try to keep Moonstone out of the bag. Grinning to himself, Moonstone increased his magic, trying to make it look like he was trying to drag himself away, instead of in towards the bag. "I-it's hopeless! Save yourselves!"

"No!" the filly refused, grunting. "Hot Streak, close the bag, close the bag!"

The red colt leg go of the rest of the group, rushing to the bag to close it. Though he pushed with all of his might, it was only closing slowly, resisting his efforts thanks to Moonstone's magic. After several more tense moments, the red colt managed to close the bag triumphantly.

Moonstone immediately ceased his magic, adding a last second forward motion instead of reverse to send him forward into the group of colts and fillies to keep up the impression that he had been pulling away from the bag. He 'groaned' in pain, before backing up as quickly as he could, panting heavily. "T-thanks! That was a close one! So what are your names?"

"I'm Milky Way," the unicorn filly declared proudly, though she was still trying to regain her breath. "H-Hot Streak closed the bag, an-"

A sharp shriek pierced the room as several of the fillies in the back panicked, running towards Moonstone yelling, "It's a rat! Kill it, kill it!"

Moonstone stepped forward, ready to defend the group, when he started to laugh so hard tears came to his eyes. "Th-that's n-not a rat," he managed to choke out, falling over as he rolled on the floor. "That's my familiar!"

"Your whobewhaty?" Milky Way asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Familiar!" Moonstone repeated slowly getting back to his hooves as the ferret climbed up his cape. "It's a physical manifestation of the mystic energies permeating in the midst of-"

"Huh?" He was interrupted, looking down to see a crowd of confused faces before him.

"... S-sorry, I meant that she's just a... Physical being made from my magic. Like-"

"What's going on?!" a feminine voice roared behind him.

Moonstone turned around to see a purple-coated pegasus before him, her wings flared. She jerked her head to the side to get her cornflower-blue mane out of her face as she asked, "Who are you?! What did you do to make them scream?!"

"Hi sis!" Milky Way chirped happily, jumping up onto her sister without a care in the world.

While the pegasus mare struggled to get her sister off to deal with the threat before her, several of the other fillies exclaimed, "There's a rat! He said it was called a, a-a famine-lord!"

"A what?" the mare asked, pausing in confusion.

"A Familiar, miss," Moonstone corrected, blushing slightly. "You know, helps a mage with their magic and stuff? Made of a unicorn's own magic? Galexia kinda startled them, so they ran away, screaming. I was in the middle of explaining what she was when you came in."

"She? That... thing has a gender?"

"Well... Yeah. She- wait, where did she go?" he asked, looking around. "She was just on my back!" He sighed, "Lex, I swear to Luna, you get me in trouble, and there's going to be hell to pay!"

He looked around, freezing when he saw Galexia on the floor, playing with Milky, who had apparently gotten away form her sister. "How... But..."

The mare looked as well, surprised at what she was seeing. After a moment of stuttering, she growled, "That thing had better not do anything to my sister, or I'll kill you!"

Moonstone replied, still stunned, "It doesn't make sense... Galexia doesn't normally take to new ponies like this! First Luna, now Milky Way? What's going on?"

They both watched in silence as Galexia and Milky Way rolled on the floor, playing some game that only they could comprehend. After a moment, the filly hopped to her hooves, Galexia in her mane as she rushed to her sister, begging, "Sis, can I get a familiar?! They're awesome!"

"I-I don't even know where they would sell one, I've never heard of them before!" the mare protested automatically, backing up a step.

"You can't buy one!" Moonstone protested, trotting up. "It's a part of you, something you can't control! It's not like you can buy one at a... a Pet store!"

"Then teach me how to get one!" she declared suddenly, setting her face. 

"T-that's not exactly something you can just teach somepony how to-" he started to protest, backing up nervously.

"Please? Can't you at least tell me how you got yours?" she begged, her eyes seeming to swell to three times their normal size, threatening to let loose torrents of water.

As a last-ditch effort, he looked to the mare for help, but she only backed up quickly, saying, "Don't look at me!"

Moonstone sighed, muttering, "I didn't want to have to tell them this..."

Sitting down, he tried to gather his thoughts, and was surprised when the rest of the colts and fillies came back up to them, though more cautiously than before. "Are you going to tell us another story?"

"Y-yeah, I'm going to tell you another story," Moonstone nodded, trying to sound upbeat. "Though I'm sorry to say that this one won't be as... Cheerful as the last one..."
> Chapter the Fourth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moonstone watched as Milky Way cuddled up to her sister, tucking her under her wing as she settled down, though it was clear from how the mare held herself that she didn’t trust him for a second. Galexia, who had returned to Moonstone momentarily, abandoned him once more to go hopping over to the little filly, who happily accepted the ferret into her forelegs, cuddling her, much to her sister’s chagrin.

Moonstone sighed, before turning back to his audience, ignoring the ferret that had betrayed him. “A long time ago, when I was a bit younger than you, I wasn’t able to use magic, no matter how hard I tried. I asked many ponies as I traveled if they would teach me, but they all said that they were too busy.”

“Late one night, a full moon shining above me in the sky, that’s when I got her. I was asleep on the side of the rode, exhausted from traveling that day, an-”

“Excuse me,” Hot Streak spoke up, raising a hoof. “Why were you sleeping on the side of the rode? Were you and your parents going somewhere?”

Moonstone opened his mouth, but didn’t say anything, unable to think of how to answer the question. After thinking for a moment, he stammered, “W-well, I was too far away from an inn to stay for the night, and I... Don’t remember where my parents were that night,” he explained, avoiding their eyes. “A-anyway, I was asleep, when I was awoken by a rapidly moving bush, vibrating for a moment before the largest ferret I’ve ever seen in my life pops out, charging right at me with foam coming out of its mouth, its eyes wide with feral rage.”

The foals’ eyes grew wide, before scooting a little closer, paying complete attention to what he was saying. “I’m still not sure what happened to help me, but that night, in that instant, I used magic for the first time! There was a large stick right in front of me, and without thinking, I reacted, flinging the stick up in time to hit that animal right under the jaw, knocking it up into the air. Surprised that it had worked, I almost missed my chance, barely hitting it again on the side of the head when it came back down. It stumbled, before getting back to its paws, though I could tell it was thinking twice about attacking me again.”

“Seizing the initiative, I hit the ferret again, causing it to squeak out in pain. I quickly followed it up with another hit, and after a couple more hits, it had finally had enough, and retreated, probably off to go lick its wounds.”

A couple of the colts cheered, while several of the fillies looked sad that he had beaten up a ‘defenseless’ animal. “Afterwards, I was so exhausted that I fell down, lying on my stomach as I gasped for breath. After a moment, I turned around, because I felt something on my back, and I was afraid it was a spider. When I looked, I saw several things that easily made that the best night of my life. First of all, I got this,” he explained, using his magic to lift his cape to show off his flank. “My cutie mark! I can only assume that it means I’m good at magic, but to be honest, I didn’t care, and I still don’t care! I had it, and that’s all that had mattered to me. Not that I had much time to look at it, because there, sitting on my flank, looking first at my cutie mark, and then at me, was Galexia,” he continued, looking over to his Familiar. 

“She was barely a third the size, and her eyes looked huge at the time. She slowly padded up my back, looking me in the eyes, before climbing onto my mane, where she fell asleep. I had a hard time falling asleep in the grass that night, but it was still the best night’s rest I’ve ever had,” he finished, sighing happily.

“Wow...” the group gasped, before Hot Streak exclaimed, “So you got it when you got your cutie mark!”

“Nu-uh! Weren’t you listening?” one of the other colts argued. “He got it when he learned how to use magic!”

“But he said he didn’t know how to use magic, and that it was reflexes,” the red colt countered, getting ready to fight.

“Woah woah woah,” Moonstone interjected swiftly, jumping between them. “No fighting! For all I know, maybe you’re both right! Maybe familiars are so rare because both have to happen at once, who knows? But there’s no point in fighting about it! That’s not going to prove anything!”

The two colt stewed for a moment, before the consented, begrudgingly saying sorry to their opponent. The second after that, however, they both rushed right up to him, side by side, begging, “So can you teach us magic?! We want familiars too!”

“Uhh... H-help,” he squeaked, looking over to the mare to take over.

She, however, was giggling madly, laughing, “I don’t think so! Go ahead, teach them some magic,” she taunted, sticking her tongue out.

“W-what?! But, but they’re supposed to be learning manners or something,” he protested blindly, caught off-guard.

“Are you kidding? That’s just because that’s what all of the other nobles teach the kids! Every noble who has kids take turns watching the children to keep them from being a distraction to the meeting, and it’s up to them to tutor the foals. I was gonna teach them whatever they wanted to learn, and lo and behold, they want to learn magic, so go right ahead! Make my job easier,” she smirked, tossing her mane.

Moonstone swallowed, before looking back at the crowd of eager eyes, all silently begging him to teach them some magic. ‘Oh Frell me,’ he thought to himself, swallowing hard.

.o.O.o.

One hour later, and they had made some progress, though there were only a few, Milky Way included, who had actually managed to make anything happen to the small balls they were trying to levitate, though they mostly just twitched a little. Hot Streak tried one last time, when the colt next to him taunted, “Come on, Hot, can’t you feel it at all? I thought you were better than that!”

Before the fight could start, Moonstone had already levitated the two colts, holding them in front of him as he started to lecture, “No! If there’s one thing I won’t tolerate, it’s bullying! I will not have you making fun of somepony else just because you’re better at something than they are! How about trying to help them get as good as you are instead, huh? Why don’t y-”

“Umm, sir?” Milky Way interrupted, poking his foreleg gently. “They weren’t making fun of each other; they’re best friends. They were just joking around.”

Moonstone turned back to the colts, both of whom were looking around the room, rather unphased by the conversation. The purple colt looked at Hot Streak, before taunting, “I bet that it takes more energy to keep me floating than it does you!”

“Oh yeah?! You’re on! Hey mister, which one of us is it harder to keep floating, me or him?” the red colt asked, looking at Moonstone eagerly. 

“Umm...” Moonstone replied dumbly, caught off-guard. “You both weigh, like, nothing...”

“Woah, so could you keep us floating for hours?” both colts asked, their eyes wide. “Cool! Can we do that?!”

Moonstone set them back down gently, answering, “Yeah, if you practice a lot, and work really hard, then you’ll be able to do some amazing things when you grow up!”

“Like you?” Streak asked, his voice full of wonder.

“... No, not like me,” Moonstone corrected quietly, his voice soft. “You want to be much more amazing than me... A-anyways, just... Study hard, alright? You have no idea how many kids there are would would do anything to be able to have the opportunity to learn like you can. You kids have money, clothes, a family, a future...”

“Halt!” two guards shouted from the entrance of the room, each ready to attack. “Step away from the foals and nopony gets hurt!”

Moonstone blinked, then asked, “What? What for, and under whose orders?”

“There he is! Don’t just stand there, your morons! Arrest him!” a mare in a fancy dress shouted, pointing at Moonstone. “This commoner broke into the castle, threatened the servants, and forced Starlight Sonata to help him foalnap our children!”

The entire room went silent for just a moment, before Moonstone and the pegasus mare exclaimed at the same time, “What?!”

“Alright sir, come with us quietly, or we’ll have to resort to using force,” the first guard said, albeit reluctantly. 

Moonstone blinked, then chuckled quietly, smirking, “You really think you can just take me away quietly? First of all, I did absolutely nothing wrong. Secondly, you can ask the foals if I’ve done anything wrong, and they’ll prove you wrong. Thirdly, unless you have some unique magic that I’ve never seen before, there’s no way you’ll be able to even touch me, let alone restrain me and take me into custody.”

The guard looked nervously to the noble, who commanded him, “Arrest him, he’s lying!”

‘He’s new to this, isn’t he?’ Moonstone thought to himself, amongst making fun of the guard as he went over a mental checklist. ‘Let’s see, armor that doesn’t quite fit right? Check. Awkward movements associated with unfamiliar armor? Check. Nervousness? Check. Restless fidgeting? Check. Uncertain attitude? Check. Yeah, he’s a newbie. I don’t want him to feel bad, but there’s no way I’m getting thrown out for something I didn’t do!’

As the Pegasus guard rushed him, Moonstone easily side-stepped, then turned and used the pegasus’ back as a chair to jump up and over the table, landing on the other side with a flourish, using magic to idly straighten his cape so that he’d look his best. “Look, I promise I’m not making fun of you, kid, but you’re going to have to call backup if you want even a vague chance of catching me. And I don’t mean just a few. Speaking from personal experience, you’re going to need at least... Oh, I’d say a couple dozen guards to start with, and then we can go from there,” he taunted, dodging the guard’s attacks while he spoke.

Finally, just to make the guard feel better, Moonstone stood still, letting the guard ‘catch’ him, before being flung off, Moonstone’s magic flinging him up into the air with ease. “Sir, please, didn’t they teach you anything at training? You want to catch a pegasus, you send a pegasus. You wanna catch a unicorn, send a unicorn,” Moonstone smirked, popping his neck.

He jumped, however, when he heard Princess Luna shouting at the top of her lungs, “Halt, Criminals! Thou shall fall by Our... Umm, where are they?”

Princess Luna stood at the entrance to the hall, but now looked somewhat puzzled. “Ah, Moonstone! Thou hast already apprehended the culprits? Excellent!”

She started to trot forward, pausing when the group of fillies and colts bowed, waving for them to get back up with a smile. “Ah, Starlight Sonata, correct? Didst the young ones cause thee any troubles?”

“No, Your Highness. He, umm...” she looked over to Moonstone, frowning slightly.

Moonstone blushed, apologizing as he bowed deeply. “M-my apologies! One never introduced myself, did I? I am Moonstone, Miss Sonata.”

After nodding, she continued, “He was beginning to teach them how to use magic when we were so rudely interrupted by somepony screaming some sort of nonsense about a foalnapper, and then the guard came, an-”

“Princess Luna!” Milky Way exclaimed, rushing up to the princess, tripping on her hooves a little in her haste to make her way over to Luna, asking quickly, “Do you know how to get a Familiar?! Is there any way for me to get one? I’ll do anything it takes if you can help me, I promise!”

Luna looked down at the begging filly, unsure of how to answer, as she wasn’t used to little fillies rushing up to her with requests, when the unicorn mare from earlier rushed into the room, followed by a small number of guards, as well as Princess Celestia. “There he is!”

Princess Celestia strode forward, her face stern as she ordered, “Step away from the criminal, if you would please, Luna.”

Princess Luna, Moonstone, and Sonata blinked, looking around for a moment, before sighing as Luna replied, “Sister? What criminal art thou speaking of? Unless...” She turned to look at Moonstone, her face grim as she continued, “Of course, I should have seen through your disguise! You thought that thou could fool me, did you? Well no longer!”

Moonstone’s eyes widened as Luna’s horn began to glow, completely taken off-guard. He closed his eyes, remaining relaxed, thinking, ‘Well, whatever I did, at least I know she’ll judge me fairly...’

He snapped his eyes open when Luna exclaimed triumphantly, “Aha! Thou thought that thou couldst hide behind a uniform, did you? Do you even know what the punishment for impersonating a guard is?!”

“B-b-but I’m not-” the guard stammered, his eyes wide with fright as he was dragged out from behind Moonstone due to Luna’s magic.

“Luna, I wasn’t talking about him! I was talking about the one in the cape!” Celestia snapped, keeping her magic focused on the foals, in case he tried to use them as a shield.

Luna and Moonstone blinked, before looking at eachother slowly, confused. “And... What did he do, exactly?”

Celestia paused as the noble mare started ranting, “I’ll tell you what he did! That stupid mongrel broke into the castle, killed dozens of guards, hiding their bodies in the walls of the palace, before coming to foalnap the children to brainwash them into becoming assassins to kill for him and his evil organization, which is planning to take over Equestria from beyond the borders!” 

Silence reigned supreme in the hall for a moment, before everypony replied as one, like a big gospel choir, “What?!”

“Yeah! I know how you crazy cult types work, but I’m not crazy, no sir! I know you’re going to foalnap all of the virgins to sacrifice them in some sort of ritual to bring back that murdering psychopath Nightmare Moon, who’s gonna start murdering everypony because she’s a bit-”

“ENOUGH!” Celestia yelled, her eyes blazing in rage. “I will not hear any more of this... Nonsense! One more word out of you, and-”

“And that’s not all! Order today, and we’ll double your order! Two foalnappings for the price of one! But wait, order in the next five minutes, and we’ll include free shipping!” the mare continued, her eyes bugged out, her mane askance. As the foals backed up behind Moonstone and Sonata, scared of the strange mare who was walking about how they were going to be kidnapped, Celestia lifted her foreleg, before bringing it down sharply onto the mare’s head, knocking her out. 

After a moment of silence, one of the fillies piped up, asking timidly, “I-is the bad lady gone now?”

Celestia sighed, then smiled as her guards discreetly took the mare away, allowing her to reply with a smile. “Yes, the bad lady is gone now. She just needs some help, that’s all. Everypony needs help every once in awhile, and right now, she needs a lot. Don’t let her scare you, alright?” she asked the foals gently, smiling down at them.

The foals were quiet for a moment longer, before Milky Way asked, “So who helps you when you need help, Princess Celestia?”

Celestia blinked, caught off guard, before she smiled softly, replying swiftly, “Well, my sister Luna, of course!”

“But what about before she came back?” Hot Streak asked impulsively, tilting his head to the side.

Celestia blinked, her mouth hanging open a bit, not expecting that question from the young ones. After a moment of silence, Moonstone spoke up, chuckling, “All of you, of course! You’re going to be nobles when you grow up, aren’t you? When you grow up, you help her make very important decisions that impact ponies all over Equestria! That’s why it’s important to learn as much as you can, and to do your best, so that you can help the princesses make your home as great as possible for everypony. Understand?”

“Yes sir,” most of the foals chimed back happily, though there were a few in the back who rolled their eyes.

The nobles started filing into the room, intent on collecting their foals. What they didn’t expect was their children rushing to them as fast as they could, talking about how they were starting to learn magic.

“Dad, it was awesome!” Milky Way gushed, jumping up and down excitedly, not noticing Galexia holding on tight to her mane. “We were told this great story, and then he started teaching us how to use magic! I even got my rock to move!”

“My, that sounds like an exciting morning you’ve had, but I thought your sister was going to teach you all today. Who came in to teach you magic? And... Why do you have a ferret on your head?” her father asked, the blue unicorn stallion frowning slightly.

“I say! I don’t know who you think you are, but my son is certainly far too young to be learning how to use magic!” one parent complained, causing many others to protest as well, ignoring their children’s protests.

Moonstone just laughed, shaking his head, commenting to Luna, “You never said your nobles had a sense of humor! Too young to learn... Ha, that’s a good one,” he gasped, wiping a tear of laughter from his face as he tried to calm himself down.

“I say, remove this ruffian from the premises at once! He is clearly touched in the head!” the first parent commanded, waving his hoof in Moonstone’s direction.

Moonstone blinked, then deadpanned, “You were serious? You’re kidding... You’re kidding, right? They’re how old?! Ten, eleven? When I was their age, I had already been able to use magic for 4 years. If they can’t use magic now, then what the hell have you been teaching them?

“It’s just magic,” the unicorn sniffed dismissively. “It’s not like it’s anything special. Besides, they’re not old enough to handle that kind of responsibility.”

“Not any- Are you- I-” Moonstone sputtered, his eyes going wide. “Are you crazy?! Magic is everything to a unicorn! Next you’ll be saying that the only purpose Pegasi have wings for is to fly!”

“Exactly,” the noble replied pompously, smiling smugly as he cleaned his monocle on his vest.

Moonstone shook his head wordlessly for a moment, before mumbling, “I’m not even going to try to argue with him, it would be a waste of time...”

“Wise choice,” Luna agreed. “Besides, it cannot be helped that nobility as pompous as he seem to forget what maketh each pony special. A single random commoner off the streets carries a vastly higher sense on what maketh a pony special than several dozen of them combined."

Everypony gaped at her in shock, surprised at how bluntly she had insulted all of the nobles. In the stunned silence, there was but a single sound: a snort, which was quickly hidden, but everypony glanced towards Princess Celestia. She had already controlled herself again, but to be on the safe side, she said calmly, “Excuse me, I sense something I must take care of immediately for the safety of Equestria, or I fear that everypony may be in danger.”

She teleported away, landing on the very top of the castle, where there was a small balcony. Closing her eyes, she began to concentrate as best as she could.

Inside the hall, everypony was startled as they heard a low, rumbling sound, slowly growing louder and louder, before Moonstone yelled out in a panic, “Earthquake! Everypony get down! Under the table!”

Moonstone quickly gathered all of the frightened foals to himself, levitating all of them to keep them from running off. Several moments later, when the rumbling had died down a little, everypony heard a crack being formed in the ceiling. Looking up, they saw the large, crystal chandelier coming loose, before it started to fall. Reacting faster than some of the foals could even start screaming, it was wrapped in a silvery glow, completely halting the progress of the chandelier.

After a few moments, when the rumbling stopped, everypony started to get up, looking around for where the chandelier had fallen, when to their amazement, it was still high in the air, close to the ceiling. Moonstone observed it casually, setting the foals down as he frowned, looking around. “Uh, Luna? Where did you want this thing? Are some pegasi on the way to fix this thing, or is it okay if I just take care of it?”

“Ha! Excuse us, common mongrel, we have a chandelier to tend to,” one of the nobles sauntered past, a smug look on his face as he bumped into Moonstone, though it didn’t affect his magic at all, much to the noble’s surprise. Nodding to the rest of the nobles, he concentrated on the chandelier, and soon most of the nobles were doing the same. One of the only ones not helping was Milky Way’s father, who was helping to calm down the rest of the foals. The other nobles were struggling a little, before one of them snapped, “Let go of it already, you idiot!”

Moonstone released his grip on the light fixture begrudgingly, and for a moment, everything seemed fine.

That fineness lasted the whole of two seconds, before one after another, nobles started staggering, their magic used up from trying to keep such a heavy object in the air so high up individually, rather than as a group. With a creaking groan, the multi-colored aura around the chandelier collapsed, and it plummeted to the ground, falling directly for the foals. They started to scream as it plummeted towards them, ready to be crushed at any second as they clutched at each other, not wanting to die alone.

Digit Pi clutched Milky Way to his chest, covering his daughter’s eyes as he looked away, not able to look. After a moment, when he still heard the other foals screaming, he peeked open an eye, his mouth gaping as he saw the chandelier, frozen in the air once more, though that was because it was stuck in a large, black bubble that surrounded the foals and his other daughter, Sonata.

Moonstone lifted the crystal structure once more, dropping the shield around himself and the children. As he fixed the broken lighting, he smirked at the exhausted nobles, mocking, “Now I see why you don’t care about magic: you all suck at it! Seriously, your kids could have done a better job, and they only just started learning today!”

At that moment, Princess Celestia returned, smiling, though when she saw the chaos, she quickly ordered, “Somepony tell me what happened! Is everpony alright?”

“That was awesome!” Hot Streak shouted, his eyes wide from all of the adrenaline pumping through his system. He started gesturing with his forelegs as he continued, “First the ground was all like ‘I’m gonna shake all around and eat you alive!’ and then mister was all like ‘It’s an earthquake!’ and the adults were all like ‘Aughhhhhh!’ and we were all like ‘This is totally wicked!’ and then the light thingy started to fall, and we were all like ‘Augh, it’s going to fall and we’re all gonna die!’ and then mister was all like ‘Ragh, I can float the light thingy all by myself!’ and then the adults were all like ‘We can do better than you,’ and called mister names, and then when mister let go the light thingy collapsed again, and then the adults were like ‘Augh, we can’t carry this thing, it’s too heavy!’ and then it fell, and we were all like ‘Augh, we’re gonna die AGAIN!’ and them mister was all like ‘Not today, because I’m freaking epic,’ and then this bubble thingy appeared, and the light thingy just stopped when it hit, and then mister put it back into the roof, and the adults were all like ‘Woah, how did he do all of that,’ and then you showed up and asked us what happened, and then I told you!”

He took a much needed deep breath, before exploding, “That was totally wicked! ”

Princess Celestia blinked as the colt melted onto the floor, exhausted from his non-stop outburst. “O-okay... Luna, what happened in here?”

While Luna explained what happened to her sister, Milky Way rushed from her father’s embrace to see her sister, who was still somewhat shocked from nearly dying, having covered several of the fillies with her wings, not really expecting to shield them from harm so much as shield them from seeing how they were going to die. “Sona!”

Sonata was still recovering from the surprise that she was still alive when she was tackled by her younger sister. She fell to her side, shocked, before she recovered, wrapping her wings happily around her sister, nuzzling her.

“Is everypony alright?” Moonstone asked, still on high alert for potential disasters, though he was sagging to the ground some.

Sonata looked around, before answering, “They all look fine to me... You saved us, thank you. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Moonstone replied heavily, taking deep breaths. “I just need a minute to regenerate my magic, and then I’ll be fine.” He slowly stood back up, his breathing a little lighter as he continued, “I’ve never had to stop that much mass with such a large shield before... I’ve trained mostly for endurance and gaining my magic back as swiftly as possible, not burst magic like this took.”

“Oh good...” she answered, looking away, not sure what else to say.

The hall was strangely quiet, as the adults were still exhausted from using all of their magic, the foals were still slightly traumatized, though Hot Streak’s enthusiasm about what happened was starting to cheer everypony back up, looking on the bright side of things. “So mister, when are you going to teach us more about magic, huh, because that was awesome!”

“Oh! Tomorrow!” Milky Way exclaimed, jumping up and down quickly. “He has to come tomorrow, it’s my birthday! He has to come!” She turned to him, turning on the fabled ability of fillies all the worldwide, making her eyes huge as she started to beg, her eyes watering, “R-right? I-I mean, it’s my birthday... Y-you’ll come and tell us more stories, won’t you?”

Moonstone blinked, before his eyes widened in horror ever so slightly. ‘Oh, not the eyes, please not the big, soulful, Filly eyes...’

“Y-yeah, o-of course,” he stammered, looking away. “J-just stop looking at me like that!”

“Yes! Thank you,” Milky Way responded, turning off the waterworks and beaming happily at the white stallion. She rushed up to him, hugging one of his forelegs tightly, before rushing back to her father.

Moonstone watched as the parents were escorted out of the hall with the help of the guards, as they were still recovering. He yawned widely, bleary eyed as Digit Pi walked up to him, saying, “Thank you again, Mister?”

“Moonstone,” the white unicorn replied, barely suppressing another yawn. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I did anything special. So what’s happening tomorrow?”

“It appears that I’m hosting the Foals Forray tomorrow,” he replied, slightly uneasy. “You aren’t going to teach them anything dangerous, are you?”

Moonstone blinked tiredly, before laughing, shaking his head as he answered, “I don’t know anything inherently dangerous, no. Just levitation and shield spells, that’s about all I know.”

“Really? That’s it? I would have thought with how easily you handled the situation that you had a vast range of spells,” Digit Pi pondered, confused.

“Nope, just the two. I would have only had the Levitation spell if it wasn’t for a traveling couple that took pity on me when I was younger, teaching me the basics of the shield spell. I’ve made variations on the spell, of course, but it still has the same base. Anyway, don’t worry about that. Besides, they won’t be able to practice for more than an hour or two anyway, so I’ll just tell some stories.”

“Very well then. What time shall we expect you tomorrow?”

“I dunno. Whenever, I guess,” Moonstone dismissed, waving a hoof. “I don’t really care, since my sleep schedule is never the same.”

“I see... Well then, shall we get going? I shall need to show you to my house, if you’re going to find it tomorrow,” Digit Pi suggested.

Moonstone yawned again, looking around tiredly, when he saw Galexia preening herself atop of Starlight Sonata, who was observing her carefully. He walked over slowly, stopping several feet away from Sonata, trying to keep her from getting uncomfortable as he stared his familiar in the eye. “Lex, I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately, but if I find out that you’re bothering anypony in any way, I will take away your earring, got it?”

Galexia’s eyes widened slightly, before nodding in agreement. “Okay, now that we’re on the same level, am I to assume that you’re going to play with them today?” Another nod. “Pay attention to the route there, and come back to get me in time to come over, got it?” An additional nod. “Alright then. Play nice, mind your manners, and don’t cause them trouble, got it?! You’re reflecting me, and the last thing I need is for you to do something to get me thrown out, got it?” A final nod.

“Alright then,” Moonstone finished, holding back another yawn. “Ladies, I’ll see you tomorrow, and please let me know if that black furball does anything bad, alright? She normally behaves herself, but she’s been acting odd lately. She doesn’t take to other ponies, so watch out.”

Satisfied that he had taken care of the problem, Moonstone left the hall, looking around for somewhere to get some sleep.

.o.O.o.
> Chapter the Fifth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was very late at night when Moonstone finally woke up. He yawned, rolling to his hooves, shaking himself out to get rid of the grass blades that had attached themselves to his coat and his cape. He shook his head a little, getting his mane to move back to its normally wild state. It wasn’t that his mane was spiky so much as it was... Well, no, it was spiky, but it was on the shorter side, so if anything it made him appear a little daring, rather than unkempt or wild. 

He took a deep breath, enjoying the chill of the night air, judging from the angle of the moon that it was about five in the morning. He started to head out of the garden he had been sleeping in, when he discovered something disturbing. “The rest of the town is still asleep?! How late do they sleep?”

Trying to figure out what to do with his spare time, he decided to roam the gardens, but that only entertained him for a couple hours before he got restless. Luckily, Galexia decided to return, and was in high spirits. “Great, you’re back! So where are we headed?”

She chirped tiredly, pointing to a section of the city where the lesser nobles lived, before nestling down in his mane to get some sleep. Moonstone smiled to himself, rolling his eyes at his familiar’s actions, before starting to walk in the direction he was ordered.

Half an hour later found him wandering the streets aimlessly, looking around at the still-closed stores. While he knew what general area he was supposed to go, he didn’t know which house or street to go to, and with Galexia asleep, he didn’t have a way to find out. As he rounded the corner, he saw an establishment that was open, much to his surprise. “Well, so there is somepony who can get up at a proper hour,” he observed to himself, half grumbling.

He strode forward, opening the door with his magic, causing a small bell overhead to ring, alerting the proprietor that they had a customer. As Moonstone stepped in, he saw many tables and booths, all surrounding a long bar, with ovens and fryers behind that. Standing with his back to him was a large, brown unicorn, working on something that Moonstone couldn’t make out. “I’ll be with you in just a sec, Digit,” the unicorn said, his back still turned. “Gonna have the usual today, or wanna try something new? I think I almost have this new recipe figured out.”

The brown pony turned around after a moment, confused as to why he hadn’t received a reply. He saw Moonstone looking around, before turning to him, inquiring, “What manner of establishment is this?”

“It’s... a donut shop,” he replied dumbly, still a little surprised. After taking a second to gather his thoughts, the owner continued, “I’m sorry, I’m just not used to seeing many customers so early in the morning. My name is Pony Joe. What can I get you?”

Moonstone frowned slightly, thinking, before walking forward, asking, “What is a donut? One has not encountered such a thing in one’s travels before.”

Joe’s jaw dropped, before replying quickly, “You’ve never had a donut? I don’t know what kind of childhood you’ve had, but a donut is something that everypony should have had at least once! Here, the first one’s on the house!”

Moonstone backed up slightly, a puzzled look on his face. “Umm, alright? The roof sounds like an odd place to store something, but... What’s so funny?”

Pony Joe was laughing, though trying to hide it futilely. “N-nothing! You uh, don’t get out much, do you?”

Moonstone drew himself up indignantly, retorting, “One has traveled more lands than you could probably name, thank you very much!”

As the chuckling subsided, Joe responded calmly, trying to cool the strange white unicorn down. “No, I meant... Oh, you travel a lot? That explains it. No, those are just expressions that mean something else, like... Dang, what’re they called... Idiums? Idioms?” He thought for a moment, before shrugging. “Whatever. Anyway, ‘on the house’ is just another way of saying that it’s free, that it’s a gift from the ‘house’, which, in this case, is the owner of the shop.”

Moonstone stood there, blinking, lost in thought, before saying slowly, in a slightly tragic voice, “So you’re telling one that if, say, an innkeeper said that a room was on the house, that means that the room is free, not that it was on top of the building?”

Moonstone took a deep breath, before slowly releasing it, facehooving. ‘Well, that would explain all of the strange looks I got when that happened...’

Pony Joe, recognizing that look after years of reading ponies, set down a large plate of donuts and a small mug of coffee in front of Moonstone. “Hey, at least ya know now, yeah? Here, these’ll cheer you up.”

Moonstone stared at the place of circular... things, and started to analyze them as the door opened again, ignoring Pony Joe as he asked the newcomer, “Oh, there you are. The Usual, or just the order?”

“Just the order for today, sorry Joe. I don’t have the time to spare today, what with the sudden change of plans. Still, this should make my daughter happy enough! She wouldn’t stop talking about the pony who’s going to be coming to our house to teach the foals some more magic.”

“Alright, just let me know how that turns out, alright? And if you want to try the new recipe, I just gave a dozen to uh... That traveler guy over there. Hey, you realize that those are for eating, right? They’re not going to get any better just by staring at them.”

Moonstone jerked his head around, several donut levitating all around him, as he tried to examine them from all sides at the same time. “What? Y-yeah, I know that! I’m just trying to figure out why these things have holes in them!”

“They’re made like that,” Pony Joe laughed, shaking his head as he trotted over, levitating another box with him. “I punch out the holes of the donuts, and sell them separately, so that they’re more of a snack than a meal, like a full donut would be.”

Moonstone stared at him for a moment, before deadpanning, “So let me get this straight. You punch the holes out of the donuts here, and then you sell them.”

“You’ve got it!” Pony Joe laughed, rolling his eyes dismissively at him as he turned around. 

“Then perhaps you can explain to me how the hole is in the donut, when you’re selling them right there,” Moonstone replied, arching an eyebrow.

Digit Pi laughed, sitting across from Moonstone as Pony Joe struggled to come up with an answer. Digit was surprised to see that it was the same stallion that was going to be going to his house later, and commented, “You know, I’ve always wondered that myself! How about it, Joe?”

Digit Pi laughed as Joe just left the box of donut holes on the table, before stomping back behind the counter, muttering to himself. Moonstone frowned, muttering, “Great. Guess I have to figure this out on my own...”

He took a bite, crewing twice before pausing as the sugar from the donut finally registered on his tongue. He swallowed, his eyes wide as he glanced back down, before starting to shovel as many of them into his mouth as he could, smearing glaze and sprinkles all over his muzzle as his face was buried in the plate, taking bites as large as he dared.

Sadly, they were still bites too large, and he started choking. Digit rushed around the table, slamming his hoof onto Moonstone’s back, dislodging the offending morsel of food. Moonstone regained his breath, panting, “Thanks.”

As Digit Pi regained his seating, he admonished, “Really, that’s no way to eat! Surely you were taught better than that!”

Moonstone, regaining his breath, glanced to Digit, asking, “Taught? What’s there to teach about eating? You eat as fast as you can, so that nopony else can steal your food. What’s so complicated about that?”

Digit opened his mouth, before closing it again, choosing his words carefully. “I... Guess that’s different, but you’re in Canterlot. You don’t have to worry about anypony trying to steal your food of all things. Your bits, possibly, but not your food. The general populace would take it as a great insult that you eat so quickly and recklessly, without even using your magic.”

“What?! But if you use magic on your food too much, you’ll get poisoned!”

Digit Pi paused, before chuckling, asking, “And who taught you that? I’m sorry, but you seem to be rather misinformed. I’ve been doing it my whole life, and I’m just fine. Heck, ask Joe over there. He makes the donuts with his magic, and if it poisoned you, then I’m sure he and his customers would have noticed by now.” 

Moonstone just sat and stared, his brain trying to comprehend the new information. He blankly watched Digit eat, raising the napkin to wipe his mouth before taking another bite. Moonstone’s eyes tracked the progress of the napkin, as it was set back down on the table, now dirty from cleaning some glaze. “... THAT’S what those things are for?” he asked flatly, his face devoid of all emotion. “That...”

Digit swallowed, asking, “Well, what did you think they were for?”

With his head on the table in front of him, Moonstone’s answer was muffled. “I thought it was to carry the leftover food if you had any, tying the corners together...”

The two unicorns remained silent for a moment, one embarrassed enough about not knowing what seemed to be common knowledge, and the other digesting what he had been told. Digit Pi finally broke the silence, inquiring, “How long have you been adventuring for, Moonstone?”

“... My entire life,” came the eventual reply, muffled from the tabletop. 

The reply gave Digit pause. After swallowing, he thought silently for a moment, before asking Moonstone slowly, “So would you say that you don’t know as much as you’d like about how city ponies act on a day to day basis?”

“Yeah, I guess. Why?” Moonstone sighed, slowly raising his head from the table.

“Well... I guess I was thinking that, perhaps, with my family’s permission, you’d like to stay with us for a week or two. In exchange for teaching you what you want to know, maybe you could teach my daughter Milky Way more magic. I’m not good enough with magic past levitation to be able to teach her much, and I don’t really want to hire a tutor, since they all seem to bore her, but she’s taken a shine to you.” 

Moonstone blinked, his mouth gaping slightly as he thought about it. Misunderstanding his hesitation, Digit continued, “We’d also be able to give you room and board, if that helps.”

“Room and board? I appreciate that you’d give me personal space, but what am I supposed to do with a board?” Moonstone asked, tilting his head to the side, an ear twitching to hear better.

Pony Joe started laughing again from behind the counter, before answering, “Room and Board is just another term for a place to stay, and food to eat. He’s saying you can stay at his house, and you won’t have to worry about food either.”

“... Oh. Uhh... Yeah, sure, I guess. I’ve never really tried teaching before, but sure, I’ll try,” Moonstone stated, turning back to Digit Pi. 

“Alright then! Just follow me home whenever you’re done eating, alright?”

“Well...” Moonstone said slowly, looking down at the donuts still left to be eaten. “You said that magic doesn’t poison food, right?”

.o.O.o.

“This is awesome!” Moonstone exclaimed, following Digit happily. A large silver aura behind Moonstone contained the rest of the donuts that Moonstone hadn’t eaten yet. “Thanks for telling me that! Man, these donut things are great! Do they have some sort of magic energy or something in them because I don’t normally have this much energy or anything and it tastes great and I feel like I could run for like hours and hours without ever needing to stop and take a break and I don’t normally talk this much except to Galexia because Galexia is my familiar you know and she’s really awesome because she’s saved my life multiple times because her life force is tied to mine because she’s magic and she’s also really soft and fluffy because she’s really proud of her coat because it’s a cool pattern thing and-”

“Okay kids, who wants some donuts?!” Digit Pi shouted, half to interrupt the white unicorn that wouldn’t shut up, and hafly to get the attention of the various noble-ponies that were in his house.

“Yeah, donuts!” Moonstone cheered loudly, his eyes lighting up. “Have you had these things?! They’re amazing! They’re like, the best food invention in the world ever since... Ever! We’ve got Chocolate, and Vanilla, and Glazed, and Plain, and Donut holes, though I still haven’t figured out why they’re called holes when the holes are in the regular donuts, but they still taste good, so that’s all that matters! So who wants some donuts?!” Moonstone grinned excitedly, setting the boxes down.

He was then promptly run over by the excited foals, as they were colts and fillies on a mission: Donuts.

Moonstone watched with a smile as they ate for several minutes, before he frowned, sitting down uneasily. “I... Don’t feel well...”

Several more minutes found Moonstone lying on a couch lethargically, whimpering. “I told you that using magic to eat was bad for you...”

Digit Pi’s roaring laughter caught him off-guard, turning his head slowly to face the stallion. “Never had a sugar crash, have you?”

“A sugar what now?” Moonstone moaned, wanting nothing more than to just fall asleep on the wonderfully cushioned couch. 

“That ‘energy’ that you were talking about was just an ingredient called ‘sugar’. It’s really sweet and savory, and gives you a bit of energy right away, but it’s only temporary, and you end up burning even more energy than it gives you, so you feel tired afterwards. That’s why you don’t feel well right now. You’re feeling the ‘crash’ of all that sugar you ate.”

“... Oh. But I’ll get better again soon, right?” Moonstone lamented, his eyes pleading. 

Digit Pi sighed, nodding, “Yeah, though it might take a couple of hours. Here, have some real food, that should help your body deal with all of the sugar. Here, try this,” he offered, holding out a small, orange pepper.

Moonstone received it with his own aura, before sniffing it intently, turning it around and around. “What is it called?” he asked slowly, hesitant to eat the pepper blindly.

“It’s called a Habanero pepper,” Pi answered honestly, glancing away for just a second. “They’re good for you, and I promise it’ll have you off that couch and up on your hooves again in a jiffy.”

“You promise?” Moonstone moaned, looking over to the older stallion. After hesitating a moment longer, he tossed the pepper straight into his mouth, chewing away and swallowing. He rested his head back on the arm of the couch, closing his eyes for a nap.

Digit Pi stared at him in disbelief for just a moment, before popping another one into his mouth, unwilling to believe that it hadn’t worked. Immediately he rushed for the kitchen, downing a large glass of milk, before grabbing a yogurt from the fridge, spooning a large bite into his mouth. He barely started to register the relief when he heard a strangled cry from the other room, like somepony was about to die. He barely got to the living room in time to see Moonstone practically flying up the stairs to the restroom, since he had heard running water from that direction.

“Oh dear... I hope your sister is done with her shower, Milky...”
> Chapter the Sixth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What?! But she’s not crazy! I’ll prove it!” a green unicorn shouted madly, his eyes out of focus. “You have no right to throw my wife in an insane asylum!”

“She’s only being held for a short time, so that the doctors can ascertain if she’s mentally unstable, or if she just needs more rest or not. You heard about the panic she caused yesterday, did you not?” Celestia chided, trying not to lose her patience with the stallion that refused to listen.

“She’s not mentally unstable!” he shouted back, his eye twitching dangerously. “I’ll show you unstable, just you watch!”

Cackling gleefully, he ran from the throne room, leaving Celestia to slowly cradle her head in her hoof, before turning to her right, ordering, “Captain, please have some of the guards stand watch at his house, and let me know if he ever leaves. It seems that we need to keep an eye on him as well.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the white stallion saluted, his two-toned blue mane creating a fierce mohawk. “I have just the guards for the job. If you’ll excuse me.”

With that, he bowed, leaving Celestia to deal with the next request from the many nobles, wondering idly what was going to be served for lunch. ‘Maybe there will be some Cloudspire Cake...’

.o.O.o.

Galexia had long since woken up from her nap on Moonstone’s head, and once they had arrived at Digit Pi’s house,  hopped off, running straight for the kitchen, where Milky Way was happily eating donuts with the other colts and fillies, completely enjoying the attention and spectacle of it being her birthday, and being able to spend it at home, instead of at the palace, where they spent long day after boring day. Galexia ran over to the creame-colored unicorn, jumping up onto her back and onto her head, settling down on her mane, much to the filly’s excitement. 

“Lexie! You’re back! Does this mean we can play some more? Oh! Is Mr. Moonstone gonna teach us more magic now, is he is he is he?!” the filly shouted excitedly, trotting in place, before dashing towards the living room, now completely hyperactive. She was almost bowled over, however, when her father rushed into the kitchen, who then drank a large glass of milk, before eating some yogurt. 

“Woah! What’s the rush, daddy? Didn’t you get something to eat at Mr. Joe’s?” She questioned, tilting her head to the side, much to the annoyance of the ferret atop her head.

Still spooning yogurt, he replied between gulps, “I ate a spicy pepper, so I’m getting rid of the taste and heat.”

“Well why did you go and do a silly thing like that for, daddy?” she asked innocently, her eyes bright with curiosity.

Sighing, he replied, “Well, Moonstone ate one, and he didn’t react at all, so I ate one to make sure I gave him the right thing, an-”

He was interrupted in his explanation when he heard a strangled cry from the other room, like somepony was about to die. He barely got to the living room in time to see Moonstone practically flying up the stairs to the restroom, since he had heard running water from that direction. Milky Way followed right after her father, looking at him as he commented softly, “Oh dear... I hope your sister is done with her shower, Milky...”

Milky stayed silent for a moment, before her eyes brightened up, an idea forming in her young mind. “I know! I should take Sona and Moony some donuts! Come on, Lexie, let’s get them some food!”

Leaving her father to deal with the rest of their guests, some of whom were still just arriving, she gathered some donuts and juice on a tray, carefully making her way up the stairs slowly, so that she wouldn’t spill any of it.

.o.O.o.

Singing softly to herself, Starlight Sonata stepped out of the shower, deciding to air dry, as using a towel seemed to make her mane more on the fritzy side. She jumped back with a scream when Moonstone barreled into the room, his eyes searching frantically back and forth, before he dived for the shower, accidentally ripping the head off the shower. He was immediately soaked in a torrential downpour of water, completely oblivious to the ranting mare not five feet away as she screeched at him. “Haven’t you ever heard of this little thing called MANNERS?! You don’t barge in on a lady when she’s in the shower, you... Hey! Listen to me when I’m TALKING to you!”

The oil now at least mostly gone from his mouth, he was left shaking from the adrenaline still pumping in his bloodstream. ‘Well, at least he was right. I’ve got my energy back,’ he thought shakily, before he was pulled back into the real world by a slap from Sonata.

He jerked back, blinking rapidly as he turned to face her, prepared to fight, but all of his will was drained when he actually saw her. While he was vaguely aware of her speaking words as the steam poured out from the room due to all of the hot water, what he was very aware of, partially due to her close proximity, was her face. When he had seen her last time, her eyes were hard and suspicious, half hidden behind her mane. With her mane still rather soaked from her shower, it framed her face beautifully, though he couldn’t quite decide why. Her cheeks were a little red, standing out against her dark purple coat. 

It was her eyes, however, that captured his attention. As such close proximity, he felt like his very soul was being put on display for everyone to judge as her eyes bore into his. Her large, emerald eyes bordering on teal, while enrapturing, were also filled with anger. Moonstone felt completely helpless against her onslaught, not needing to hear the words she was saying when the emotions he saw in her eyes were enough.

His ears flattened against his head as he tried to back away from her, but he was already inside the bathtub, and thus had nowhere to go. Not aware that she was still talking, he looked down at his hooves, wishing nothing more than to melt through them to get away from the anger and disappointment that he had inadvertently caused in this mare. Murmuring so quietly that she didn’t quite manage to hear him, he stammered, “I-I’m sorry...”

Starlight paused, thinking that she had seen his mouth move, but no words had come out. “Excuse me?”

Clearing his throat as softly as possibly, he mumbled again, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know... I didn’t... Sorry.”

She opened and closed her muzzle a couple of times, before turning away sharply, huffing, “I should say so! Don’t let it happen again!”

Moonstone couldn’t even bring himself to look up as she sauntered away, too depressed and ashamed for upsetting the pegasus mare. Instead he sat in the still-spewing torrent of water coming from the broken shower head, his cape now twice as heavy, but he didn’t care. He lifted his head slowly, trying to relax as the water hit his face and ran down his body, but not even that lifted his spirits.

.o.O.o.

By the time Starlight made her way back to her room, she had mostly calmed down, though thanks to the broken showerhead, she was now freshly soaked, and she started to debate whether or not she wanted to towel dry or not. Bristling slightly, she brooded to herself, ‘I can not BELIEVE that... that... PERVERT tried to spy on me in the shower! After I get dressed, I oughta give that moron a piece of my mind! Assuming he’d even know what to do with it,’ she finished, slipping her hooves into the soft, black shoes she loved to wear.

“Hey sissy, I brought’cha some donuts!” Milky Way chirped, bouncing into her sister’s room happily, setting the tray on Sonata’s bed. When she turned to her sister, she noticed that she was still rather wet, and seemed to be fuming silently. “Sissy? Hey, Equestria to Sissy, come in, Sissy!”

Galexia hopped from her place atop Milky’s head, landing on Sonata’s wing. Now, while just about everypony knows that a pagasi’s wings are sensitive, partially to help them detect small changes in the wind, this was something that Galexia, apparently, did not know. Landing on the purple pegasi’s wing caused them to shoot straight out, sending Galexia straight up into the air. Luckily, on her way back down, Galexia managed to land on Starlight’s back, who was gasping for breath from being startled.

Milky Way collapsed on the floor, giggling madly at her sister’s frazzled stance, her eyes wide open with her wings out and trembling, her chest heaving as she tried to get her breath back. “Y-you’re so silly, sis!” Milky gasped out, trying to get her breath back, but failing from laughing so hard.

“Oh yeah? Well then deal with this!” the elder replied, grinning maliciously as she descended upon Milky, her hooves finding their way to the small unicorn’s sides as Sonata started tickling her sister relentlessly. “Who’s silly now?” she exclaimed, giggling along with her sister.


L-Le-Lexie, h-help-help me!” she giggled out pleadingly, looking to the black and silver ferret to help her. 

The ferret immediately jumped to her defense, anding on the filly’s chest, staring intently at Starlight, who stared right back. While they stared, Milky slowly calmed down, before stating simply, “Your mane looks pretty when it’s wet. Would mine look more pretty if it’s wet?”

Sonata paused, before sighing, “It’s not that pretty, Milly, and it wouldn’t still be wet if it wasn’t for that... Hmph!”

Milky Way tilted her head, confused, inquiring, “Wasn’t for what? And sure you are! You’re the prettiest-est mare I know! You’re even more prettier than mommy, and she’s SUPER pretty!” she protested, pouting at her older sister.

Choosing to ignore the complement, Sonata answered, “Moonstone barged in on me while I was in the shower, that’s what! I should have KNOWN that his ‘gentlecolt manners’ were just a front!”

Milky Way lay there for a moment, before she started laughing again, shaking in her mirth. Frowning at her younger sister, Sonata huffed, “I don’t know what’s so funny about being spied on, Milly!”

Giggling away, she explained, “Daddy gave him a Habby Nero Pepper! He probably just wanted a drink of water and panicked!” 

Sonata slowly mouthed the words ‘Habby Nero’ before her mind translated it properly. “Oh, a Habanero pepper... Wait, why would daddy-”

“Because he was in the middle of a sugar crash, and I thought it would give him some natural energy back,” Digit Pi answered, walking into the room as well, bringing milk for his daughters to drink, though they hadn’t started eating. “So tell me, what exactly happened?”

Starlight then proceeded to tell her father the story from her point of view, making it a point to stress just how rude and inappropriately he had acted. Her father’s response, however, caught her completely off-guard. “Well, at least he wasn’t lying then,” he said calmly.

“What?! Didn’t you just hear what I said?! He-”

“Knows next to nothing about how city ponies act, Star,” Digit interrupted her, gently rebuking her. “He’s traveled his whole life, and doesn’t know much about anything when it comes to manners or anything like it. I know you’re very embarrassed, Star, and you have every right to be, but you can’t very well blame somepony for doing something that they had no idea was wrong to do.”

Starlight Sonata squirmed ever so slightly where she sat, frowning as she thought. She flicked her mane, choosing to ignore her father while she thought. However, a small peck on her cheek brought her back as her father hugged her. After a moment she relented, hugging him back with her forelegs and her wings. Her father sighed after a moment, murmuring, “You are beautiful, Star, and I wish you would stop saying you’re not.”

Starlight pulled back, looking away again sharply. “I think I know how I look better than you do, dad,” she said shortly, snorting 

“Oh really? Sounds like your outvoted, right Lexie?” Milky giggled, looking over at the black ferret, who promptly raised her diminutive paw in the air before sticking her tongue out at the large pegasus pony.

Eyes lighting up with an idea, Digit suggested offhandedly, “Well then, sounds like we need somepony else’s opinion on this. We ARE opinionated, afterall, and clearly don’t know how to judge things objectively.”

“Dad, cut it with the sarcasm, alright? Besides, like I really care what some stupid nobles think. You know I’m moving away from here as soon as I can,” Sonata answered. “So yeah, good luck with finding somepony normal around here.”

“Oh, I don’t know, I seem to recall a certain stallion in our house just down the hall that seemed fairly normal. Or is my old age finally catching up to me?” Digit Pi sighed, lamenting, “It’s so hard, growing old...”

“I’m barely twenty-one, dad, I doubt you can really call yourself ‘old’,” Starlight retorted, shoving her father playfully. “Besides, if what you said was true, then he wasn’t paying attention to me anyways.”

“Were you yelling at him?” He asked, arching an eyebrow. When his daughter looked away primly, he started roaring with laughter, before catching himself, trying to stay somber, but the smile on his face ruined it. “You yelled at him. Trust me. A stallion NEVER forgets when a beautiful mare yells at them. They will, in the future, then do just about whatever it takes to prevent said mare from yelling at them. So...”

Arching an eyebrow once more, he held out his foreleg, motioning for his daughters to head towards the bathroom. Reluctantly, Sonata got off her haunches, rising to her hooves as she followed her father to the bathroom.

When they walked in, she expected that Moonstone would at least acknowledge their presence, but he seemed oblivious. The water was still running, surprisingly enough. The three ponies watched, amused and confused as they observed Moonstone.

He was sitting in the shower, stubbornly looking up at the broken shower through the torrents of water, trying to reattach the head with his magic, but the water prevented him from screwing it back in, that, and...

“He’s trying to put it on backwards!” Milky Way exclaimed, falling to the floor, laughing as she rolled around.

After staring for a minute, They watched as Moonstone finally gave up, flinging away the head recklessly, exclaiming, “How do you stop this infernal thing?! It has to run out of water eventually!”

Starlight cracked up as he then proceeded to glare at the broken piping, as if he could stare it into submission.

Digit Pi, managing to control his mirth, used his telekinesis to shut off the water, much to the amusement over ererypony, as Moonstone declared, “Ha! Take that, water! You have been defeated! Toldja you had to run out eventually!”

He smirked, then turned around, jerking back when he saw the other three ponies. He stood there for a moment, soaked to the bone, shivering slightly, unsure of what to say. After a moment, he cleared his throat, before saying nervously, his voice breaking slightly, “Sorry for breaking your water thingy. I tried to fix it, but...”

Having to bite his lips to prevent himself from laughing, Digit Pi walked forward slowly, taking the head from where it was thrown, and reattached it to the rest of the shower calmly, before turning back to Moonstone. “It’s alright, it was an accident. See? All fixed. Don’t worry about it.”

“I-if you s-say so, sir,” Moonstone replied, his teeth chattering slightly. 

Digit Pi laughed, before trying to calm the young stallion down. “You don’t need to call me ‘sir’, alright? That makes me feel... Well, okay, I AM old, what do I know,” he sighed, shaking his head. “Just... Call me Digit, or Pi, whatever you’re more comfortable with.”

“A-alright D-Digit,” Moonstone agreed, water dripping down his mane and his nose.

“Alright, thank you. Now, I have a question for you. Do you find my daughter, Starlight Sonata, attractive? Slightly attractive, very attractive, not at all attractive... Anything?”

Moonstone’s eyes widened, shifting back and forth between Starlight and Digit several times before he swallowed, stating as calmly as he could, “I have no opinion.”

“... You have no opinion,” Digit deadpanned, arching an eyebrow at Moonstone, unbelieving. 

He watched as Moonstone’s cheeks reddened, before the white stallion nodded, barely keeping from stumbling over his words. “T-that’s right. I have no opinions.”

“I don’t believe you,” Digit said flatly, narrowing his eyes. “Now you tell me the truth. Do you think Starlight is pretty, or not?”

“... I can’t tell you,” Moonstone muttered, looking down at the floor.

“Ha, see? Told ya so,” Starlight quipped, flipping her mane with a hoof, hiding the hurt in her eyes from practice.

Digit’s eye twitched, but restrained a sigh as he struggled to keep his tone even. “And why can’t you tell me, Moonstone? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Moonstone shuffled his hooves nervously, before saying softly, “Because the last time I called a mare beautiful I was run out of town, and I like this city... And besides!” he continued, a sudden heat in his voice as he leaned forward sharply, staring intently at Digit, wanting him to understand. “How was I supposed to know that she was engaged? It’s not like she had a ring or whatever! How was I supposed to know?! So no, after that, I learned that no matter what, no matter how cute or beautiful or... whatever a mare is, I don’t say anything, because I’ll just get run out of town again.”

"Alright, well then, Starlight come here,” Digit requested. Starlight complied, but rolled her eyes as she did so. “Now, Moonstone, you said you can't do that in case you get thrown out of town, right? Well then, do the opposite. Look her in the face and tell her that she's ugly."

Moonstone swallowed hard, his face starting to turn red, before turning to face Starlight, who was right in front of him, before looking at her hooves and blurting out very swiftly in a flat tone, "OkayIthinkyou'renotbeutifulandstuff." Turning back to Digit, he smiled nervously, asking, “C-can I go now?"

"No. I want you to look her in the eye, IN THE EYE,” he stressed, glaring at Moonstone intensely. “And I want you to tell her, deliberately and slowly, that you think she's ugly."

Moonstone swallowed, his eyes shifty as he slowly turned back to Starlight Sonata, trying to avoid looking her in the eyes. "... I... I think..." Moonstone stuttered, his face deep red as he slowly stared into her eyes, before he swallowed hard. He steeled himself, searching her eyes as he trying to find the power to say what Digit Pi wanted him to say, closed his eyes... And then bolted, trying to run from the room, but tripped on the edge of the tub, sprawling flat on the ground.

As Digit Pi walked over, Moonstone resigned himself to his fate, looking up at the older stallion fearfully as he stod over him, blocking off his only avenue of escape. Leaning down with a creepily wide grin, he asked, “So, that would be a 'you think she's really hot’, yes?”

Moonstone remained silent for a moment, before asking in a plaintive whisper, broken, "... Can you at least give me a head start out of town? Please?"
> Chapter the Seventh
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starlight Sonata and Milky Way were left to their own devices as Digit Pi took Moonstone away to his room to help the stallion dry off, explaining that, no, he was not going to get run out of town for what he said.

Starlight just stood there, blinking as she tried to process what just happened. Her sister’s dancing around her whilst singing, however, made it clear what her sister thought about it. “Starlight and Moonstone, sittin’ in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes the love, then comes the marriage, then comes th-oof! Hey, no fair!” Milky Way protested, her eyes watering ever so slightly as she picked herself back up, her sister having tripped her. “Why are you so mean to me?”

Starlight looked down at her sister’s watering eyes, before deadpanning, “Milly, you can’t use the watery filly eyes on me, okay? I invented that, remember?”

“Oh yeah...” Milky said slowly, her eyes returning to normal. “Well then... I’ll go tell daddy!”

“Yeah, you go ahead and do that,” Sonata replied. “Just stop making stuff up that isn’t going to happen, alright?”

“Aww... But why not? He said you were really, really pretty, so that means he really likes you!” Milky Way protested, sticking her lower lip out a little in a pout.

Starlight sighed, replying, “Well... Because... Alright, look, some things just aren’t that simple, alright? Come on, it’s your birthday! Do you really want to spend it here in the bathroom? Come on!”

“Yeah...” Milky Way agreed reluctantly, before her eyes lit up. “Oh! Can I brush your mane? Please?” she begged, giving her sister her best pouty face.

Starlight thought for a second, then smiled, swooping her up and setting her sister on her back between her wings. “I suppose that, since it’s your birthday, I could relent and let you brush it...”

“YAY! Super secret special brushie brushie time!” Milky squeed, hugging her sister’s neck tightly. “You’re the bestest big sissy ever, Sona!”

Starlight laughed, nuzzling her sister for a moment before saying gently, “I know, Milly, and don’t you forget it!”

.o.O.o.

While still somewhat twitchy and nervous, Moonstone greeted the foals and fillies with another story, while Milky Way gleefully brushed her sister’s mane and tail the entire time, over and over until they had a bright sheen, reflecting the light rather easily, and was silky-smooth to the touch. Finally, once she was satisfied with her sister’s mane, Milky Way settled herself in Starlight’s lap, forcing her sister to cover her with a wing, just like a blanket. 

“... And then the Prince swept the maiden off her hooves, setting her down gently in his carriage, wherefore they made off to his castle, and were wed that very day.” Moonstone finished, smiling widely.

A mixture of coos and cries of disgust filled the room from the fillies and colts respectively at the ending. Hot Streak piped, up, asking, “Mr. Moonstone, is dating really that gross? I thought it was supposed to be more awesome, like going to races and amusement parks, not sissy stuff like a picnic in a secret area!”

“Hey, that’s an awesome date!” the fillies protested, eager to defend their romance.

“Well, I wasn’t asking you, I was asking Mr. Moonstone, so blegh!” Hot Streak retorted, sticking his tongue out. He then turned to Moonstone, awaiting a response.

Moonstone shifted nervously, before admitting, “W-well... I don’t know... I’ve never been on a date, so I wouldn’t kn-”

“What?!” the group of colts and fillies shouted as one, feeling betrayed. Hot Streak continued to be the voice for the group, exclaiming, “But... But how?! You said you’ve traveled tons and tons of lands and stuff! How have you never had a date? You’re like, really strong with magic and stuff! You look awesome! How have you never been on a date?”

“W-well, I... Uh...” Moonstone stuttered, his ears falling flat against his head as he looked around, everyone looking surprised or disappointed to some degree. ‘It’s all the same... No matter how hard I try, or what I say, I’m never going to fit in, am I?’ he lamented to himself, swallowing. He unconsciously started to back up very slowly, his eyes watering slightly.

“That’s not right!” Milky Way shouted, stomping one of her small hooves on the ground in protest. “Everypony should have the chance to have a date when they’re big! Alright, Foal’s Forray Parley, right now!”

“What?” Moonstone asked dumbly, before all of the colts and fillies rushed away into another room, where they all started whispering together in a circle. They stopped when Moonstone tried to draw near, getting shooed away. 

Confused, he walked back slowly to Starlight, inquiring, “What’s a... Foal’s Forrey Parley?”

Starlight rolled her eyes, though she was smiling a little when she answered, “Well, it was something my peers and I came up with when we wanted to talk in private, away from the adults. It had a lot of ‘big pony words’, so the adults let us get away with it. It died off for awhile, until I told Milly about it one day. She decided to bring it back because ‘vintage things are so in right now’, or something like that. So I don’t know what they’re talking about, but odds are, you’re either going to love it, or hate it. So yeah, good luck,” she smirked at him.

“T-thanks,” Moonstone replied gratefully, missing the sarcasm in Starlight’s voice.

.o.O.o.

Luna trotted her way from her room to the dining hall for lunch, where her sister was awaiting her. “My apologies, Celes, I was going over the new tax reforms and lost track of time. Didst I keep you long?”

As the younger sister sat down, the elder shook her head, smiling, “Hardly, unless ordering a drink counts. So,” she continued, taking a sip of her iced tea, “are they coming along well, since you were so engrossed in them, or because they’re a headache?”

“Because they maketh no sense,” Luna retorted, snorting quietly. “What happened to the simple format I had in place when I... made my departure?”

“Well,” Celestia said, speaking slowly as she thought. “Things just got slowly more complicated, until it snowballed into what it has become now. That’s why I wanted you to look at it, since you did create the first version of the tax code.”

“It was so much more simple though!” Luna protested.

“Yes, but- Hello, Cadence,” Celestia greeted, interrupting herself as she turned to the new arrival. She was about to turn back to Luna, when she noticed something rather different. “Cadence dear, are you alright? You’re practically glowing! Did you use some new shampoo, get a coat bleach or something?”

“No, not exactly,” she replied, blushing. She looked around to make sure there weren’t any servants or soldiers nearby before making her way to Luna and Celestia, looking around one last time.

“What art thou looking for?” Luna asked, starting to look around as well.

“N-nothing!” Cadence exclaimed suddenly, jerking her head back forward. “Just... I-I haven’t told Shining yet, and I don’t know how he’s going to take the news, so even though I’m happy I’m also nervous because I don’t know what he’s going to say, or-”

“Cadence, are you alright?” Shining Armor interrupted from the double doors, trotting inside. “You look flustered! Is something wrong?”

“Did you get the guards in place like I requested, Captain Armor?” 

“Yes, Your Highness,” he replied swiftly, saluting. “I have two guards watching the front, two in the back, and another two in plainclothes wandering the streets nearby, just in case.”

“Excellent. Please wait in the throne room for further instructions. I’ll be along in just a bit,” Celestia ordered, turning back to Cadence.

Having no other choice, he saluted again, turning to head back to his post, but not before flashing his wife a quick smile, relaxing himself as she returned it, seeming to calm down. Once he left everyone breathed a sigh of relief, before Luna said, “Well... Now that he’s hath gone again... Congratulations. How art thou going to break the news to him?”

“I don’t know!” Cadence exclaimed, sighing. “I mean, I want to think that he’d be excited as well, but what if he... Wait a second, I haven’t said what the problem was yet!” 

Celestia frowned as well, looking back and forth between her confused niece and her smug sister, trying to work it out as well. “Yes, what is the problem?”

“More like problems plural, but yes, go ahead, Cadence, tell her! Or shall I?” the princess of the night inquired.

She grinned widely when Cadence’s telekinetic grip on her fresh cup of tea faltered, shattering on the table as she exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. “Plural?! What do you mean... oh gosh...” Her eye twitched involuntarily before she collapsed, struggling not to hyperventilate. her eyes were highly dilated, shifting from royal sister to sister.

After a moment of silence, filled only by Cadence struggling to regain her breath, Luna turned to her sister, saying calmly, “She could use a fresh cup of tea to help calm her down. I guess that’s something new about this age I have yet to learn about: why mares react so differently to being pregnant, and yet so simil-”

“What?!” Celestia gaped, blinking dumbly at her sister, before turning back to Cadence, helping her to her hooves, though she still looked spooked. 

Her nerves weren’t helped, however, when the doors slammed open, Shining Armor there once more as he rushed forward, asking, “What’s wrong?! C-Cadence? Are you okay? What’s wrong?!”

Wrapped in her husband’s hooves, she allowed herself to just melt into his embrace, burying her face in his chest while she tried to calm herself. After a moment of feeling her husband stroke her mane, she felt calm enough to talk again, though her voice still quivered ever so slightly as she spoke softly, “I-I have to tell you something... I... I think I’m pregnant.”

Armor digested the information for a moment, before asking calmly, “Okay, and what’s the problem?”

She blinked, before stammering, “P-problem? I... what?”

He chuckled nervously as he said, “I’d like to think I can tell when you’re afraid of something after all these years, Cadence. Your eyes refuse to look in one spot for more than a second, and you’re trembling a little. So what’s the problem? Are you afraid of a miscarriage? Are you afraid of the strange appetite you’re going to develop? Are you afraid of the cramps?” With each question asked, she only shook her head, until he asked a question she wasn’t expecting. 

“Are... are you afraid that I’m going to be a bad father?” he whispered, swallowing hard. “I know I don’t know anything, but I swear I’ll try my best!”

“I...” Cadence blinked, before frowning as she hit him on the head with her hoof, exclaiming, “Moron!”

“W-what?” Armor replied, stunned from the hit.

“Stop being so calm when I’m freaking out! Why aren’t you freaking out?!” she said, her eyes watering. “You’re making me feel like I made a big deal about nothing!”

“Because if I freak out, then that would only freak you out more, wouldn’t it?” he countered, noticing how she calmed down just a little, her feathers settling back down on her wings. “Now... Can you tell me what is bothering you, then?”

“W-well... I didn’t know how you would take the news,” she admitted, allowing her husband to hug her again, nuzzling him. “I... When you said we’d worry about it later, if it happened, you sounded like... Like you didn’t want any kids, so I just thought... I didn’t know-”

She was interrupted by a soft, passionate kiss, cutting her off abruptly. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to enjoy the sensation before she opened them again slowly. After looking into each other’s eyes for a moment, Armor started to laugh, slowly at first, but starting to grow.

“What’s so funny?” Cadence asked, trying not to worry that he was laughing at her.

“I was just thinking that I should get started on writing Twily a letter, that’s all,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “I was so busy last time that I didn’t tell her about the wedding, and she was rather... Put off with me, shall we say. So I was just thinking that if we’re going to make sure she has plenty of time to prepare for a foal shower or something, that we’d better tell her now, or she’ll never forgive us!”

“Alright,” Cadence agreed, turning to face the sisters to ask for their forgiveness, when she found that they were on the opposite side of the large table, eating. “What the... Hey, come on! You couldn’t wait for us?”

“Pancakes waiteth for no mortal!” Luna said through her stuffed cheeks, drenching another plate-full of the delicious food in blueberry syrup.

Celestia, for her part, swallowed guiltily, before looking around for a moment, offering weakly, “Cake? I saved a slice... I think.”

.o.O.o.

“SPIKE! Where’s Star Shimmer’s Supreme Start to Studying Sea Ponies?! I can’t find it anywhere!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, searching her shelves frantically as she pulled out book after book.

“Didn’t Lyra borrow that last week?” he shouted back from the other side of the room, deftly balancing a large stack of tomes he was attempting to re-shelf. He leaned forward to put another book back, when he felt a familiar rumbling in his stomach. “Uhhh...”

Panicking, he managed to set the stack of books on top of the bookshelves before belching green fire, a scroll appearing in front of him. While managing to catch the scroll with his claws, he lost his grip on the ladder, falling to the ground painfully. “L-letter, Twilight...” he commented, dazed.

Twilight huffed from the other side of the room, before teleporting over to Spike, trying not to be snarky. “How long to ponies need to borrow books for, anyway? The most I’ve ever needed a book for is a couple of hours! I know I read fast, but a week?”

“Beats me, Twilight,” Spike answered, dazed from his fall, but quickly recovering. “So what’s the letter say? Who’s it from?”

“It’s from Shining!” she exclaimed excitedly, quickly reading the rest, before the letter drifted to the ground, her eyes unfocused. 

“Umm... Twilight?” Spike asked, picking up the letter nervously, waving his free paw in front of her. “What did the letter say?”

“I’m going to be an aunt!” she screeched excitedly, her eyes expanding far more than seemed Equinely possible. “Cadence is pregnant! Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!”

Spike watched as Twilight jumped circles around him, before he found his chance to escape, dodging out of the way and to the table, while she kept ranting in Pinkie Pie style. “I’m going to be the best aunt ever! I’ll teach it how to use magic, and how to do research, and how to invent spells, and how to-”

“So when did Cadence get pregnant? You know, I keep asking where foals come from, and why only the mares get pregnant, but you always change the subject on me! Can you tell me now?” Spike interrupted, tilting his head to scratch at it idly. 

Twilight froze in midair, her eyes shifting from large, luminous orbs to tiny pinpricks, her irises barely visible. Her left eye twitched ever so slightly, her mane growing askance, before she blacked out entirely in a dead faint, crashing into the ground hard enough to shake the bookshelves.

Spike blinked, then sighed, muttering as he walked out of the Library, “Yeah yeah, I’ll go get the girls. Figures. Right when I finally cornered her about it, she goes and faints on me. Just my luck...”

.o.O.o.

It had been awhile since the ‘Foal’s Forray Parley’ started, and Moonstone was growing more nervous by the minute. It also didn’t help that the mare sitting next to him didn’t seem to be in a good mood. Swallowing his fear, he cleared his throat quietly, doing his best to look Starlight in the face as he got her attention. “U-umm... L-lady Starlight? A-about earlier?” he asked, doing his best to keep the nervousness out of his voice. “I-I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to barge in on you in the bathroom. I wasn’t trying to look at you in the shower, and I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Digit Pi told me about some more city pony rules and stuff, so now I know, and I won’t do it again. Sorry.”

Starlight watched as he looked back away, seeing how he was trying to keep from fidgeting, as well as trying not to look at her, lest he embarrass her further. She stared at him for a full minute before relenting, sighing, “Alright, I accept your apology... Just don’t even think of doing that again, got it?”

“Y-yes, Lady Starlight. Thank you,” he added, smiling slightly before turning back forward, though his eyes kept wandering the walls listlessly. 

After looking around for a minute, her curiosity got the better of her. “What are you looking for? The bathroom is upstairs,” she smirked, making fun of the stallion.

Moonstone jumped, snapping his head back to her, before forcing himself to look forward again, trying to relax, but failing. “Watching... Always watching for attacks,” he answered quietly, his eyes skipping from door to window, lingering momentarily on each one before rushing to the next.

“What, is something going to attack me if I leave the room?” she quipped, rolling her eyes, though he either didn’t notice, or chose not to comment.

His voice, however, gave her pause, as he sounded much older and venerable, taking on a softer, deeper tone than he normally spoke with. “It’s dangerous business, going out your front door,” he quoted softly. 

When he saw that he had her attention, he continued. “The outside world is... not a forgiving place to live... You live in constant fear, never knowing where your next meal is going to come from, or if you’ll be safe when you go to sleep, if you’ll wake up. The slightest distraction, show the tiniest bit of weakness on the road, and you’re begging every thief and brigand out there to come and steal what little you have, slit your throat, and dump you into a ditch... I know that Digit told me that the city is safe, that I don’t have to worry about being attacked, but... I can’t take that chance. Too many times I’ve lost something for not paying attention when I thought I was safe, too many... valuables,” he choked out, his eyes hard as he looked away adamantly, still glancing from door to window.

Starlight didn’t know how to respond to that, caught off-guard by his serious answer. She didn’t know what to make of it. Everyone else she knew would have heard the mocking in her voice, and either ignored her, or replied in kind, but instead he answered her calmly and honestly, choosing to ignore her tone, listening only to the words she used, rather than how they were used. Lost in thought at how different he was, neither she nor Moonstone realized that the foals were done talking, and were coming back...
> Chapter the Eighth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After spending awhile debating their options, the Foal’s Forray Parley was no closer to solving their dilemma than before. Frustrated, Hot Shot asked again, “Are you sure your sister is seeing somepony, Snowdrift?”

Another of the foals nodded firmly, squeaking, “Yeah, positive! She was puttin’ on make-up and perfumes and stuffs when left home, and she only ever does that when she’s got a date!”

The rest of the foals sighed, glancing to the ground as they thought once more. Milky Way frowned to herself, saying quietly, “We have to be overlooking somepony... There has to be someone we know who could take Mr. Moonstone for his first date! Who’re we missing?”

The room was silent for a moment, before she exclaimed, “I’ve got it!”

Waving the rest of the foals over to herself eagerly, she pointed into the next room, where Starlight and Moonstone were sitting. “I’ll get my sister to do it! He’s already said that he thinks she looks beautiful, so it’s gotta work! Come on, let’s get this date started!”

Leading the pack triumphantly, Milky Way made her way to the two older ponies, declaring, “Alright! We’ve figured out the problem, and we’re gonna get Mr. Moonstone a date!”

Moonstone looked away, his face turning a deep crimson as he mumbled, “N-no, it’s okay, you don’t have to worry about me. There’s lots of other things I’ve never done, so it’s not the end of the world if I’ve never been on a date.”

“Are you trying to tell a filly what she can or can’t do on her birthday? For shame, Moonstone,” Digit chastised, his moderately deep voice surprising them all, since nopony had seen him enter the room. “If the birthday girl has something in mind, then you have to do it. It’s tradition!”

Moonstone chose to stay silent, though his cheeks remained a bright red. Milky Way, having been backed up by her father, nodded firmly. “Yeah, so deal with it, because you’re going on a date!”

Moonstone’s eyes bulged, before he backed up, barely keeping from tripping on his own tail. “B-b-but I can’t! I can’t ask anyone out! I... I can barely talk to Lady Starlight for crying out loud! How am I supposed to ask out a complete stranger?”

“Because you’re gonna ask Sona out!” Milky chirped, grinning from ear to ear.

“What?!” two voices exclaimed at once, their owners blushing heavily.

“Yeah, isn’t it great?!” Milky Way explained as she glomped her sister. “See, ‘cause we didn’t know anyone who was single aside from you, and we knew that we couldn’t ask some stranger to go on a date, and we know that Mr. Moonstone thinks you’re hot, and you’ve dated before, so you can tell him what not to do on any future dates, and I can come along because it’s my birthday!” she finished in one breath, before gasping, her lungs trying to recover some much-needed oxygen after being deprived for so long.

“I... but... that,” Moonstone stuttered, his face putting some apples to shame from the brightness of his blush. “I... You can’t force somepony to go on a date with me! That’s wrong! Maybe I don’t want to go on a date with Lady Starlight!”

“What’s wrong with me?!” Starlight bristled, insulted. After half a second, she added hastily, “Maybe I don’t want to go on a date with you!”

“Exactly!” Moonstone agreed, nodding firmly.

Milky Way, however, merely stuck her tongue out, saying, “Well too bad, cause it’s my birthday, so you have to do what I say! It’s a rule!”

“Is not!” Starlight protested, stomping her shoe-clad hoof.

“Is too! Daddy said so!” Milky Way pointed to their father, who was, unsucessfully, trying not to laugh.

“Dad, come on, tell her that-”

“You have to do what she says, Star,” her father interrupted her, grinning widely. 

“What?!”

“We had a deal, Star! He teaches Milly how to use magic, and in return I said I’d help him learn more about how city ponies act, and, I’m sorry, but I certainly can’t take him on a date! What would your mother say?” Digit protested, his expression of mock horror causing the foals to giggle.

“I... But-”

“Nopony is saying you have to actually take him on a date, Starlight,” her father snapped. “Just act like you’re on a date, tell him what a normal date would be like, what questions you’d ask, and so on and so on! It’s not like your sister is asking that much of you.”

“... Fine,” she sighed, hanging her head, while all of the other foals cheered.

“Yay! Thank you sissy!” Milky said excitedly, giving her sister a kiss on the cheek, before jumping on Starlight’s back, gripping her mane to help keep balance. “Now let’s go! Alright Mr. Moonstone, I’ll tell you all about dating!” she declared, nodding wisely in the way of foals. 

“Y-you really don’t have to do this,” Moonstone protested weakly. Galexia, who had been lounging around, taking a nap, having had enough of their protests, jumped from her perch, landing on Moonstone’s muzzle, glaring him into submission. “A-alright, Lex, I-I’ll go...”

Having adequately dealt with her master, she jumped over to Starlight, before hopping to Milky Way, nestling between her and Starlight’s mane, purring as she dozed off once more.

.o.O.o.

“We hafta go to the-the florist’s to get flowers, ‘cause you should always always ALWAYS get flowers for the mare, cause that’s the right thing to do, and then we should, we should go to the park! ‘Cause the park is a great place for a date, because you can walk a lot and talk while you walk about how she’s more prettier than the flowers and stuff, and sometimes there might be like a musician or something in the park, and you should give them money ‘cause it shows that you’re, that you’re gemer... gender...” Milky Way stammered, growing frustrated that she couldn’t pronounce the correct word.

“Generous?” Moonstone inquired, looking at the filly riding on Starlight’s back.

“Yeah, that! And then you should get her something sweet, because by then you’ll both be tired from walking, and hungry, so then you go out for lunch or dinner or a snack, like ice cream, and then you walk her home, cause it might be dark, and you don’t know if some thieves or bad ponies are waiting for her to walk by an alley all by herself to steal her money or hurt her, and then when you get to her house, you tell her thank you for the date, and that she’s really pretty, and you hope she had a fun time, and then if you did a good job she kisses you! And that is how you date!” the creame-coated filly declared with her infinite wisdom, nodding sagely.

“That sounds... simple enough, I suppose. It sounded like it was more complicated than that, though,” Moonstone murmured, lost in thought.

“Well, if it’s that simple, then try it on me,” Starlight said cattily, still in a huff at being forced to go on a ‘date’ with Moonstone.

“Really?! You’d do that for me? Thanks! I thought we were just going to talk!” Moonstone replied, ignoring her condescending tone.

Starlight was silent for a minute, not having expected Moonstone to sound so eager. After composing herself, she said, “Alright, so let’s talk.”

“Alright... About what, exactly?” Moonstone asked nervously, lagging behind Starlight, not knowing the city.

“Don’t lag behind, you’re supposed to be leading me, Moonstone!” Starlight snapped, stopping in her tracks so that he overtook her again. 

However, her harsh tone earned her a hard bonk to the head from her younger sister, who reprimanded her. “Hey, don’t be a Meanie Head McMeany pants! Just cause he doesn’t know or forgot doesn’t mean you have to be all yelly about it! Give him some slacks!”

“I-it’s alright, Miss Milky, she can yell at me,” Moonstone stopped her, holding out a hoof. “I’ll remember better that way.” Turning to Starlight, he continued, “Don’t hold back or anything, alright? If that’s how you would normally act on a date, then please, go ahead. It’s not a real date, but this might be the closest thing I’ll ever have, so... Just act normally. So um... What do we talk about, exactly?”

She rolled her eyes, sighing, “Ourselves, alright? What your favourite color is, what you like, dislike, what your personality is, that kind of stuff.”

“Oh... So... What’s your favourite color and why?” Moonstone asked hesitantly, starting to lead the way through the park.

Starlight sighed to herself, muttering, “This is going to be a long, long day...”

.o.O.o.

After almost an entire hour of sarcastic answers and reprimands from the purple pegasus, Milky Way suggested that they go to get flowers, because ‘getting flowers for your special somepony is somethin’ ya have to do!’

Leaving Starlight Sonata outside all by her lonesome, Milky Way decided that ‘Mr. Moonstone had to have her help, since he didn’t know what flowers meant what’, and stuff like that.

As they walked into the fairly large store, Moonstone was assaulted with rows upon rows of different flowers, all with their own signs as to their meaning, how to grow them, and how much they cost. Moonstone looked around while Milky Way eagerly read all of the signs to him, though he paid them little attention. After several minutes, he asked, “So what flowers have you gotten before? Have you ever gotten any flowers? What was your first?”

Milky Way giggled, answering, “Weeeeeeeeeeell... Hot Streak got me some dandelions a couple of years ago when we were playing outside with everyone else...”

“Oh? So are you two-”

“N-no we’re not!” she protested, blushing madly as she looked away. 

“Oh, so you’re not yet, but you want to be?” Moonstone guessed, her blushing easy to see on her pale coat.

“N... I... J-just hurry up and pick out some flowers for my Sissy already! I want ice cream!” she said, flustered, trying to distract him.

“Eyes cream?! City ponies eat cream made from eyes?!” Moonstone shouted in shock, his mouth gaping.

“What? Eww, no, don’t be gross!” Milky gagged, sticking her tongue out in disgust. “Ice cream, not eyes! It’s like... frozen milk and sugar!”

“Sugar? You mean that energy stuff that was in the donuts this morning?” Moonstone questioned, turning back to the small unicorn.

“Yeah! Sugar is, like, the bestest best thing in the world!” she exclaimed, jumping high into the air. “I wanna eat it all day and all night and even while I’m sleeping! But,” she continued, her voice reflecting her depression, “Sissy said that if I eat too much of it, I won’t grow up to be big and strong and beautiful like she is, so I try not to eat too much, cause I wanna be pretty like she is.”

“Well, if you grow up to be half as pretty as your sister, then you’ll be positively stunning,” Moonstone reassured her, nodding. “And now that I’ve got the flowers, let’s get going! I want to try this... ice cream, you said?”

“But if I’d be positively stunning at half the prettiness of Sissy, then what would she ice cream?!” she shouted, her attention diverted from what he said about Starlight to a more pressing matter at hoof: namely, ice cream.

Pleased with herself, Milky Way led the way out of the store, before it occurred to her that she still didn’t know what flower he had gotten for her sister.

.o.O.o.

Starlight Sonata sat outside on a bench, preening a wing absently, feeling very pleased with herself. She had not only made it so that they weren’t on a real date, like her sister had wanted, but she was also allowed to, in essence, make fun of Moonstone and yell at him when he messed up on their ‘date’? Does it get any better than this? she pondered with a grin, before shaking her wing back into place.

 Now, let’s see, what kind of flower is he likely to get? I can see him getting me a rose, since that’s what most stories say, or, if he listens to the florist, he might get me lillies, or daisies, or “What? Dandelions?” she questioned, jerking her head back as she hadn’t noticed her sister’s arrival with Moonstone, the flowers suddenly before her.

“Yep! Dandelions,” Moonstone said proudly, smiling contentedly. “I thought they were appropriate, and they smelled lemony, and since you said you liked lemons...”

Starlight, her brain short-circuting, asked bluntly, “Why the hell did you get me these? They don’t have a meaning! I was wondering before if you were brain deficient or something, but really?”

Moonstone frowned, looking down at the flowers, before he asked simply, “You don’t know the meaning of dandelions?”

“They don’t have a meaning, moron! They’re a weed that stupid colts will give fillies when they’re small because they think it’ll impress them!”

Moonstone frowned, feeling very disappointed in the mare in front of him. “So what? If it does impress them when they’re small, then what’s the problem with that? And, actually, there is a meaning to dandelions! You just haven’t noticed.”

Starlight grew quiet, her mind almost shutting down, trying to process what she was being told. Is he... calling me stupid? What possible meaning could there be in-

“It’s a colt’s way of telling a filly that he thinks she’s pretty, and that he’d like to get to know her better and be her friend. A-and that-” he stumbled, swallowing nervously. “T-that’s what I wanted to say. I think you’re pretty, and I want you to be my friend, and I want to learn more about you...”

Starlight accepted the dandelions mutely, her brain still trying to process what was said. I... After all I’ve put him through, with all of the teasing and... How is he still so cheerful? Can’t he take a hint?

“Come on, Sissy! Time for ice creams, time for ice creams!” Milky Way cheered, glomping her sister, nestling herself between her sister’s wings.

“Y-yeah, right, ice cream,” Starlight replied numbly,

Moonstone, blushing, mumbled quietly, “Sorry, Lady Starlight, I kinda promised her some when we were in the store. Do you know where we might procure some?”

“We have some at the house, silly!” Milky replied, giggling.

“Oh, alright... So, Lady Starlight, I’m um, supposed to lead the way home, right?” Moonstone asked hesitantly, starting to take the lead, but looking over his shoulder questioningly. 

“You’re the stallion: you don’t ask, you decide, unless you’re asking where they want to go next,” Starlight replied automatically, her voice still snarky, though some of it had faded. “So yes, if you know the way, you should lead. Always.”

“R-right, sorry. Thank you,” Moonstone said simply, turning back to the front, starting to navigate his way back to her house.

.o.O.o.

Several silence-filled minutes later found them in front of the Starlight’s house, where Milky rushed inside to get her part of the arrangement fulfilled, leaving Moonstone and Starlight standing awkwardly next to each other, shuffling their hooves. After watching a bug fly past them slowly, Moonstone cleared his throat quietly, stuttering, “W-well, t-thanks again for all of the help, Lady Starlight. I... can’t explain to you how... nice this was. Being able to pretend, if only for a couple hours, that I was normal and not... cursed or whatever... I’m sorry that I annoyed you, and if there’s anything I can do to repay you later, I’ll do it. Um... T-thanks again.”

Starlight watched dumbly as he bowed deeply to her, before making his way to the door, before turning around, holding it open for her.

Starlight didn’t move, choosing to stand still, just staring at the white stallion. How can he just... Is he really that oblivious that he didn’t know I was insulting him, or is he simply ignoring that?

“It’s alright, Moonstone, head on in. I’d like a word alone with my daughter,” Digit Pi said quietly, his face and tone unreadable.

Moonstone hesitated for a moment, before nodding, heading inside. “If you say so, Sir. I’ll just tell them a story or something until you get back, unless it’s okay if I start trying to teach magic...”

“Go ahead. I’ve got stuff set up in the library for you. Just ask Milly to lead the way.” Digit said, still looking at his now-nervous daughter, who was trying not to shuffle her hooves.

Moonstone nodded, heading inside, leaving Digit Pi and his daughter alone in their small front garden. There was silence for a moment, before he slowly made his way to his daughter, asking quietly, “So, Star, is there something you wanted to tell me about the ‘date’ that you and Moonstone went on? Any troubles or anything?”

Starlight remained silent, thinking over her choices in her head, before shaking her head, answering, “No, no he was a gentlecolt... The few times he was aggravating was on accident, so there isn’t really much to say...”

“I didn’t mean what it was that he did. I’m talking about your poor attitude and all of your snide comments and answers,” Digit said quietly, his eyes hard.

“W-what?” Starlight gasped, her eyes growing wide for just a moment, before looking away, blustering. “I... who told you that?”

“Galexia did, for one,” he replied, sitting down in front of his daughter. “I have to admit, I didn’t really understand what she was saying, but then we received a guest who had come to warn us that you and Milly might be in danger.”

“Huh? W-why would we be in-”

“Because, from what she said, you must have been being harassed by a stallion, because he kept asking you questions, and every time you answered, you were either sarcastic, down-right rude and insulting, or both, and you don’t normally do either, so you must have been really bothered by him.” Digit Pi said matter-of-factly, looking up from the ground to look her in the eye. “Now, when I heard this, I just couldn’t believe it. You are, aside from your mother, one of the kindest ponies I know, and I know my little Star wouldn’t purposefully antagonize somepony she was trying to help, right?”

Starlight looked away from her father, ashamed, fighting to keep her eyes dry. When Digit Pi saw his daughter’s ear flatten against her head, he knew that he was right. He opened his mouth to start reprimanding her, when he gave pause, slowly closing his mouth. I hope you know, Starlight, just how disappointed I am in you... He dry-swallowed, then stood up slowly, his legs shaking slightly, though whether due to his age or something else, he wasn’t sure. What happened to you, Starlight? I don’t... He swallowed again, then said hoarsely, “I don’t even know what to say to you right now, Star... I...” What caused you to do that? I just don’t understand why you would want to do that... “Whatever reason you had, I hope it was worth it...” Do you even know what that stallion has been through to have made fun of him like that? Did you really become that heartless with my back turned? I just don’t understand...

Not knowing what else to say or think, he entered his house slowly, entered his study, and closed the door, before collapsing on the floor, his eyes watering. What happened to her? I just... want my beautiful, kind-hearted filly back...

.o.O.o.

Starlight cried softly, tears slowly forming, before beginning the long trek down her face and to the ground as she fought with herself. What did I even do? I was just... Being a rude, self-righteous jerk, to somepony who only wanted some help, all for my own amusement... Why? Was I still angry at him for barging in on me in the bathroom? Was I upset with Milly for setting me up on what she wanted to be a real date, even though it wasn’t real, and it made them both happy? I can’t even remember why I did that?

She turned around when she heard the front door open, expecting her father to have come back out to start the real lecture, when instead she was Moonstone. What is he doing here? Don’t be an idiot, it’s obvious. “W-what, coming out here so that you can yell at me for being such a rude bitch earlier?” Oh come on, like that’s what he’s really here to do, after how he’s acted so far.

“W-what?” Moonstone stuttered, confused. “Yell at you for... No, I came out to bring you some ice cream,” he said softly, holding out a bowl. He tilted his head to the side slightly, looking at her face for a moment, lost in thought. Was she... crying? But... “Why were you crying? What’s wrong, is there anything I can do?”

Oh great, and now he’s pitying me! “You think that you can help, Mr. ‘I don’t know anything about mares or dating’? Maybe I was being too subtle for your tiny brain to comprehend, but I was making fun of you the entire ‘date’, alright? I don’t like you!” Is that even true? Do I hate him?

She... She was? I... I had hoped that it was just my imagination; I didn’t think that she would ever be so mean like that... She must just be confused. “So? You don’t need a reason to help ponies! Let me help, there has to be something I can do!”

“No! Just leave me alone, alright? Is that so hard for you to understand?!” Why does he want to help me so badly for? Just stay away from me. I can’t rely on you!

“Yeah, it is! I know you city ponies are different, but out on the road, you learn to take what help you can get! You never know if I can help if you don’t ask!” Moonstone protested. What is so hard for this mare to understand?!

“I don’t need your help, alright?! You don’t know anything!” Starlight shouted, growing more and more frustrated. I want help... I do, but what could he do? Just... I don’t-

“I know I don’t know much, alright! That’s why I’m here: to learn! Please, for the love of Luna, just tell me what’s wrong so I can help! That’s all I want to do!” Why won’t she just let me help her?! Is there really something wrong with me?

“Just shut up and leave me alone!” Alright, that’s it, you stupid, moronic... That’s it! No more Mrs. Nice Mare! “You’re nothing, okay? NOTHING! You’re just a stupid, ignorant, talentless hack that thrives on others pity for you, as you wander from town to town, looking for hoof-outs! You’re nothing but a worthless orphan, with the maturity of a foal, because you’re just a  blood-eyed freak!” Yeah... Why did that feel so good, and so bad at the same time?

Thump Moonstone collapsed to his knees, his eyes wide open from shock, threatening to tear up as he struggled to breathe. I... She just... N-no, it can’t be true... It can’t...

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” she whispered weakly, fighting futilely against the tears forming in her eyes, leaking past her eyelids to fall down her cheeks. Yes I did... I wanted to hurt him. But why did I say that? I would never say that to anypony! I...

Moonstone struggled for breath, slowly rising to his hooves, his face hard. “Don’t say that. Don’t you dare say that you didn’t mean it. You meant every word.” Did she? She might have wanted to hurt me, but did she really want to hurt me? Then why... Why is she crying if...

“You meant it. Every single word,” he continued slowly, his voice soft but flat. “And now,” he said, walking towards her slowly, tall and proud, “it’s time for you to get what you deserve.” But what does she deserve? Does she even know what she’s saying?

Starlight squeaked, flinching away from the white stallion, clenching her eyes tightly as she tried to make herself as small as possible. This is it... You just had to go and... And you still don’t even know why you did it...

“Look at me!” he snapped, shocking her so badly she jumped, landing hard on her butt, her eyes open wide in shock and terror. He stared at her for what seemed an eternity, before he closed in, his eyes hard with resolve.

.o.O.o.

When Starlight landed again, Moonstone started to trot forward, when he was stopped in his tracks by her emerald eyes. He stared into them for a moment, lost in the past. Those eyes... Why do they look so much like... Oh you idiot... How didn’t you see this before?

He took one last step forward, balancing, spreading his forelegs wide, before leaning in towards her. Starlight wanted to flinch away, but she didn’t have the energy or strength to do so. She could only look on in horror as he leaned towards her, getting ready to beat the crap out of her, starting her thrashing with... A... Hug? W-wait, w-wh... W-what...

Her eyes burning from trying to keep the tears at bay, she let them loose, her body shaking from the force as she sobbed, “W-why are you-”

“Because,” he whispered, hugging her tightly to himself, “I... You reminded me of somepony else I used to know... who was lost and confused.” Please, let me know what I’m talking about, for once... I don’t want to have to leave town again, not now.

“I’m not lost or confused, you brain-deficient stallion!” she protested weakly, too exhausted to break free of his hug. Yes I am... Don’t listen to me, please... I need help. I don’t know what I’m doing, or why I’m saying such horrible things to someone who’s so nice... Please, don’t go. “I just want to be left alone!” No! That’s not...

Is she telling the truth? She sounds so sure... I-I am  an idiot... I should just shut up, get my things, and leave. It’s clear I’m not wanted here. “I... Fine. Just say the word, and I’ll go. I would never force myself on you, or anypony else if they don’t want me.” Please don’t ask me to leave, please... This is the first place that’s ever felt like... Like it could be home... Don’t

“I’m sure!” she said, her voice breaking. No, I’m not! I don’t mean it! Shut up, mouth! Stop working faster than my brain! “Go! Just...” Please stay! Don’t listen to me!

Moonstone flinched, backing away slowly, struggling to keep his face passive. “A-alright,” he whispered. I don’t get a chance? I’m here for a day and a half, and I’ve screwed up again... My first chance at being normal, and I... I blew it.

“Shut up... and...” No, I can’t! I refuse to let him just leave! Moonstone watched Starlight shake for a moment, afraid she was going to have a heart attack, when he heard her breathe, so softly that he thought he imagined it for a second, until she repeated herself.

“Hug me, you idiot,” she stammered, trying to speak as loudly as she could, but even in her own ears, she knew she was so timid, and so broken, that he couldn’t have possibly heard her. Her vision blurred once more as she gave up fighting, having lost all hope. No... I was too late... Why? Why did I have to say-

Her brain shut down as she was enfolded in Moonstone’s forelegs, his hooves pressing her head against his chest gently. “It’s okay, just let it out. We can talk in a minute,” Moonstone murmured, stroking her mane. Please let that be the right thing to say, please let that be the right thing to say, please let th-

“T-thank you,” Starlight muttered, squeezing Moonstone back as she hugged him tightly, burying her face in the space between his shoulder and neck. “I don’t... I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she hiccuped, ears flat against her head.

“I forgive you,” Moonstone soothed, continuing to stroke her mane. “I... I’m sorry too.”

“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong,” Starlight muttered, lowering her head more, her forehead now against his chest.

“Sure I did,” he muttered quietly, nudging her muzzle up with the side of his own. “I kept bugging you when you made it clear you wanted to be left alone. When I saw you crying, I knew I should have just left you alone, but I... Should never talk about seeing a mare cry?” Moonstone ended weakly, wincing back from Starlight.

Don’t get angry, don’t get angry... It’s true. You were crying. Don’t yell at him for not knowing. He didn’t know better. Starlight closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again, releasing the breath she had been holding. There, now all of the energy is gone, and... I feel like... Fighting her re-watering eyes, she settled with nodding, not wanting to trust her voice, lest it crack.

“O-okay, sorry...” Moonstone apologized meekly. “U-um... So I shouldn’t ask why you were... You know, either?” he asked nervously. I’m going to blow it again, aren’t I? How do I know so little about this stuff?

No, moron, you don’t... Well... I don’t know... And I can’t yell at him... Just look at him, he’s so nervous! He actually cares about not hurting you, right? Do I take the chance? “I... Dad and I... Were talking, and he... I... I’m sorry!”

What just happened? Moonstone blinked in confusion as Starlight buried her head in his chest once more, crying softly. He looked down at her, her arms wrapped around his torso, debating what to do. He gave up, resting the side of his head on her mane, figuring, S-she’ll say something if I’m doing something wrong... right? He wrapped his forelegs around her loosely, holding her to himself while he waited for her to calm down.

It took Starlight several moments to compose herself, her crying slowly coming to a stop. After a minute of silence, Moonstone dared to break it, asking softly, “Hey, are you alright? You feeling better now?”

Starlight nodded slowly, her voice muffled as she timidly replied. “I... I guess. I... The reason why,” she started to explain, but her voice cracked. Come on, Star, you can do this. It’s just two words. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “I’m... sorry.”

“Huh? Sorry for what? I thought we both already apologized for our... Umm... Whatever you want to call it.” What is she talking about? Did I mess up again somehow?

“Y-yeah, it’s not that... I’m... I’m sorry I’ve been so mean to you,” she choked out, wincing away from Moonstone’s embrace.

“Okay?”

“You know, for yelling at you when you didn’t know any better, and for making fun of you on the date, and... Why don’t you care?” What the heck? What’s wrong with him?

Moonstone shrugged, stating calmly, “Because most of what you said is true. I am stupid. I am a moron. I... at least to everypony else it seems, am a blood-eyed freak... Why should I get upset about something I am?”

“But... No, you’re not stupid! You’re just ignorant!” Starlight protested, stomping a hoof.

“... I’m a what now? I thought those meant the same thing?” Moonstone asked, completely flummoxed. 

“No, being ignorant means that you just don’t know what something is. Being dumb or stupid is where you should know something that everyone else knows, like falling down some stairs is going to hurt, or that you need to eat to survive, or when you act like you know something, but you don’t. Does that make sense?”

“Huh... Yeah, I guess it does,” Moonstone mused, thinking it over. “Still, I don’t see why you should apologize. I was being stupid on the date or whatever, so it’s fine.” Why is she trying to press something that doesn’t matter?

Gah, he’s so infuriating! How can he not see that I have to apologize for something like that?! He’s so... “No, it’s not fine! You...” Starlight searched for the right word, before giving up, deflating. “... Fine... But... If it doesn’t matter, then could you please forgive me anyway?”

“S-sure...” I didn’t know how important it was to her. Why is she so sad? I have to cheer her up, but how? Think! “U-umm... Do you want to...” Come on, you can do it! Just say something! “Maybe...” Maybe?! What kind of pansy are you asking is she might want to do something?! “Umm... Have some... Ice cream?” Crap, I’m just guessing! dive for cover, dive for cover!

Why does he look so terrified? Of course! He doesn’t know what he should do! Must... resist... “Y-yeah, some ice cream would be amazing,” she said gently, smiling a little.

I... suggested something good? Yes! I guessed correctly! This is, like, my best day ever! “A-alright then!” As he watched her gather her breath, starting to walk forward, he caught her as she stumbled on a loose rock, quick to help her. “Here, let me, Lady Starlight. Just lean on me.”

Wow, she’s smiling... Why can’t I think? How to make her smile more... Crap, she was talking! What did she say, what did she say?! “I uh, I’m sorry,” Moonstone mumbled, apologizing. “I missed that. What did you say?”

He’s almost cute when he blushes like that. He gets flustered so easily it’s funny! “I said please just call me Star. You don’t need to call me Lady.”

“I know,” Moonstone replied, bored again. “I wouldn’t call you Lady if you didn’t earn it.”

“But... It makes me feel like I’m something I’m not.”

“Howso? You’re kind, gentle, put foals and others ahead of yourself... You seem like a lady to me.” Moonstone said simply.

“But... I’m not special. I’m not especially beautiful, or talented, or-”

“Lady Starlight,” Moonstone interrupted, his voice deathly quiet. “I’m only going to say this once, and I never, ever want to have to repeat myself. Don’t you ever insult yourself like that again, or I will start to get angry. The world is already harsh enough. The second you start doubt yourself, the world will kick you down, and never bother to correct you. Don’t insult yourself. You’re too important to let yourself think that little of yourself. You stand tall, proud, and when the world kicks you down, you stand back up, spit in their eye, and keep moving forward to show them who’s boss.”

Starlight remained silent, continuing to allow Moonstone to assist her while she thought. I... But he... Wow, he must have gone through some really rough things... How can he still be so nice? I just... “Alright, Moonstone, I’ll try,” she agreed, smiling slightly. After everything he’s been through, he can still be so confident? I have to try, at least. I owe it to him. Maybe... he knows what he’s talking about. “Thanks, Moonstone... I... Have a request, if that’s okay.”

“Just name it, Lady Starlight.”

“Would you... Maybe be willing to go on another date with me, later?”
> Chapter the Ninth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A/N: Featuring guest writer Cerulean1313! He’s great at comedy, so as a favour he wrote the entire first scene with Twi and Co. If you like what you see, go and check him out! (His first story is going under modifications, so trust me when I say it gets better! Now, onto the chapter!)


~~~~~~~~~

Spike’s lavender friend had been nothing short of aggravatingly obstinate when it came to his inquiries regarding where foals come from, but after a little goading and a little begging, he received the discourse he had desired for so long, and when his mind finally did pick up the pieces some time later, he realized that Twilight may have been right; he wasn’t ready.

“So that’s, um, how babies are made.  Do you want to know how they come out?” Fluttershy offered, glancing behind her at the shell-shocked dragon whose irises were mere specks in a sea of white, being much too traumatized to respond.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Rarity cooed, levitating him onto her back and offering gentle words of support.

“Now look what ya did,” Applejack said with a sigh, giving the “I told you so” look to the gentle pegasus who had been disturbingly free with the closely guarded secrets of reproduction.  “How do you know so much about it, anyhow?  You ain’t been indulgin’ that kind o’ thing, ‘ave ya?”

“Oh, goodness, no!  I just, well, bunnies are very, well, active.  Poor Angel, he never can find a mate.”

“I bet that’s ‘cause he’s always so ‘grrr!’  He needs more ‘woohoo!’  You know?” Pinkie chortled, prancing along and unsurprisingly undisturbed by the subject matter.

“An’ she knows all about ‘woohoo,’ ah’m sure,” Applejack said with a sigh, wondering if she were the only clean-minded mare of the lot.  She took solace in the fact that Rainbow Dash wore much the same facial expression as Spike, merely continuing to walk, consuming all the bandwidth she had remaining.  “Ah can’t believe... you really didn’t know, Dash?”

“Well, I knew about, you know, rolling in the hay and stuff, but I didn’t know... that’s how...  Oh man, I’m so glad I never did that!  I’m not ready to be a mom!”

“Dash, dearie, how could somepony as elegant as yourself not know their way around a stallion?”

“What, like I’d pay attention in school?” she fired back.  “Besides, I haven’t even really gotten to speak to... I mean...”

“Well now, this just got right interestin’,” Applejack chuckled, teaming with Rarity and approaching from either side.  With her juicy gossip alarm blaring red alert, Rarity adopted an appropriate tone and eased into the subject, using her wiles to skillfully extract the information in the most painless way possible.  Or, at least, as painless as one can be without physically holding a pony down and bellowing in their face.

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Tell... me... everything!”

“There’s nothing to tell!  I’ve only been writing to him for a few weeks now, we haven’t even seen each other face to face since Shining Armor got married!”  Dang it, that was too much!  Indeed, her suspicions were quite founded, as Rarity’s interest in gossip and basically any information regarding relationships that wasn’t hers to know was approximately as exciting as Spike living out an ice cream dream which, judging by his stone-faced silence, he could probably use.

“You said ‘him,’ so it’s clearly a stallion.  Have we met him?  Is he single?  Married?  Oooh, now that would be delicious!  Come now, stop looking so coy and talk to me, Rainbow Dash!” Rarity pressed, eyes shining and decency cast aside.

“Oh ho, ah think ah’ve a fair idea now.  It’s...”  Applejack got no further as a frantic Rainbow Dash reallocated the brain power being spent placing one hoof in front of the other without tripping over herself and used it to forcefully gag her perceptive friend with a unadorned hoof sandwich.  The procession came to a halt as Rarity allowed a temporary breach of her abstinence from anything more strenuous than strutting and attempted to pry Rainbow Dash off of Applejack, the pair having fallen to the ground amongst that hideous substance known as “dirt.”  She was fortunately spared her foray into the mess as Fluttershy became the voice of reason and agitation all at once.

“Um, could you please, maybe, stop fighting?  Everypony knows it’s...”

“Fluttershy, you traitor!  Don’t say it!” Dash cried, yanking herself away and leaping to her hooves.  “We’re just pen pals, that’s all there is to it!  I haven’t even thought of dating him, much less rolling in...”

“Careful, Dash.  You ain’t that great of a liar, an’ ah could tell anyhow,” Applejack warned.  Taking the earth pony at her word, Dash prepped her wings to take flight, fleeing the scene only to nearly run smack into the library, the group having had their little interrogation just hoof-lengths away.  Still, expecting a few brief seconds of solace for questions she hadn’t even answered herself, Rainbow Dash entered ahead of the rest of her so-called friends and their prying words.  As she barreled through the door and slammed it behind her, it occurred to her to ask Twilight to cast some sort of group silencing spell, but as she actually took a moment to look around, she found her brainiac friend quite contentedly asleep where she had fallen.

“Twilight?  Hey, wake up,” Dash urged, shaking her lightly and nodding sagely as the unicorn stirred, groaning and instantly bringing both hooves to her head where a sizable lump at arisen from her unexpected meeting with her hardwood floor.  “Must have been a pretty big crash, Twilight.  What...”  Further inquiries were set aside as the rest of the mane six made their none-too-quiet entrance, much to Twilight’s chagrin and cranial discomfort.  Spike, who up until this point had been picking up the pieces of a once innocent mind, was jarred back to reality upon seeing Twilight struggle to her hooves, and with some reluctance slid from Rarity’s back and walked over.

“Your friends are here.  You were right.  I’m going to sleep.”  Without further explanation, he quietly excused himself and ascended the stairs, hoping that a nap would cleanse his mind and bring an immediate cessation of thoughts that shouldn’t be but were.

“Twilight?  That looks dreadful.  Oh, and painful, too,” Rarity commented, fretting over the cosmetic atrocity.

“Thank you for your concern, Rarity,” Twilight muttered, disinterested in her appearance and lamenting the loss of a few brain cells that would never again join the rest in intellectual revery.  Upon seeing Twilight was injured, Fluttershy had immediately left to fetch some ice to ease the swelling, and Twilight accepted the soothing cold with a grateful sigh while a much less intrusive mare made her inquiry.

“Um, Twilight?  What were you doing when you had your little ‘accident?’”

“I don’t know.  I got a letter from my brother, and it said I was going to be an aunt...  And then...”  And then physical discomfort took a backseat to let panic take charge, the ice quickly cast aside as Twilight began scrambling furiously around the room, checking shelves, tearing down books, and generally making a mess that guaranteed a very worn out dragon in the imminent future.

“Twilight’s going to be an aunt?  Well, now isn’t that wonderful!  That means that...”

“Don’t say it!” Twilight shrieked, doubling her efforts.  “There just has to be another way!  He just... it can’t... not my brother and my foalsitter!  It’s just too...”

“That’s got t’ be right awkward, thinkin’ ‘bout yer brother like that,” Applejack murmured, thankful that, to her knowledge, Big Mac was not currently courting anypony.  Twilight didn’t bother sympathizing with the mare, and Applejack glanced over in time to see a suppressed smile slowly spread across Rarity’s lips.  Oh dear Celestia, she’s in one of her moods again...

“So, Twilight, you wish that your dear foal-sitter conceived someway other than the traditional method?”

“Well, yeah!  Duh!  I don’t want to... to think about-”

“Oh, well that is a most trivial simplicity!”

“Really?!?” Twilight squealed, overjoyed for anything with which to ease her troubled mind.

“Why of course!  A unicorn’s horn isn’t just for show, I assure you.  There are other, more... how shall I say, ‘intimate’ uses?”  Twilight froze in place, her hoof hovering just inches from the tome in question, but her early answer was about as alleviating to her mind as mud would be to her empty stomach.

“Oh, so that’s what that shiny stuff is!  That’s so funny!” Pinkie quipped, adding a hoofful of sawdust to the mental meal Twilight was currently attempting to digest.  Everypony that didn’t fall under the category of “shell-shocked lavender unicorn” turned and stared at Pinkie with varying levels of trepidation or, in Fluttershy’s case, mimicking Twilight but with both hooves held over her mouth.

“Pinkie, how in Equestria do you know about that?” Rarity inquired, suddenly uncomfortable with the subject.

“I give ponies massages at Sugarcube Corner twice a week,” she mentioned casually, waving a hoof.  “I always start with their backs and stuff, but somehow it always ends up moving to the horns and wings.”  Her musing were met with stares, though the shock soon moved to embarrassment and obvious discomfort, to a point that even Pinkie noticed.  “What?  It makes ponies smile, so what’s the big deal?”

“Ah’ll bet it does...” Applejack muttered, not terribly surprised and yet unwilling to accept the information.

“Uh-huh!  It’s just like giving them cupcakes!”

“Pinkie Pie, rubbing somepony’s horn is not the same as cupcakes!” Rarity cried.  Her disparity only grew greater as Pinkie’s logic held her own in a stranglehold.

“It so is the same! There’s even frosting and everything!  Come on, Twilight, help me out here...  Twilight?”  Rather than letting her off easy and terminating consciousness as before, the revelation and subsequent conversation simply robbed her of the capacity for basic life support functions.  Her cheeks turned a rather becoming shade of blue, much like the night sky, before she teetered momentarily and fell back, blissfully unconscious and sporting a new lump.  “Wow, I think Twilight likes frosting almost as much as me?  See, she totally agrees with me!”  

.o.O.o.

Moonstone gaped at her for a moment, before turning away again, slowly making his way to the kitchen. Don’t stare, even if you’re confused, that’s what she said before. “A-are you sure? I wouldn’t want to impose or anything. You don’t owe me anyth-”

“I’m sure,” she interrupted quickly, looking up at him as they walked. “A date isn’t just something you want to do when you want to learn if you want to marry somepony. It’s a way to get to know others better! The actual definition of a date is a pre-arranged social gathering, and I... I want to get to know you better.” Do you have any idea just how different you are from all of the other nobles around here? Do you even know? What makes you different?

“O-oh, alright,” Moonstone replied, blushing slightly. “I want to learn more about you too, so I guess I’m fine with that. So... Umm...”

Starlight watched, amused as he looked around before asking, “So where do you store the ice cream? And while we’re talking about that, how does it stay cold? Is there some sort of magic that goes into it, like donuts?”

Like donuts? Starlight blinked, then shook her head to clear it, answering, “Well, we keep the ice cream in the freezer, which is right over there.”

Moonstone followed her pointing hoof, following it to a large, rectangular white box. He frowned at it for a moment, before seeing a metal bar protruding from it, attached to the box. This must be how you open it! As the door opened easily with his magic, he allowed himself a small smile at having figured it out all on his own, until his face made an unfortunate greeting with the door. “Ow!”

Starlight started to giggle as he sat down heavily, nursing his injured face, muttering under his breath. She walked over, grabbing a carton of ice cream, before deftly flicking it to a nearby countertop with one wing, while using the other to close the door. “Wow...”

Moonstone’s comment caught her off-guard, causing her to spin around to look at him, blushing. “W-what? Is your face okay?”

“That was amazing!” Moonstone gasped, staring at her. “I’ve never seen pegasuses do that before! Is everypony that dexterous?”

“I... That... W-we’re called Pagasi, not pegasuses,” She flustered, face growing darker from the complement. “And I don’t know... I never... I mean, I’ve always been able to... I don’t know!” she yelled. Oh no, I’m yelling again! Stop getting so flustered! Why does he make you so nervous?! “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“I-it’s okay, I think I understand what you mean,” Moonstone said quickly, cutting her off. No, I don’t know what you mean, but if it keeps you from apologizing to yourself for something you didn’t mean to do...

Starlight looked at him in silence for a moment, before smiling gently. “Thanks... N-now come on, let’s have our ice cream! Unless you wanted to get started on teaching magic first?”

Moonstone suddenly fidgeted, fiddling with his hooves as he murmured, “R-right, teaching magic... I have no idea what I’m doing, really... What if I can’t explain anything right? What if I’m a horrible teacher, and she doesn’t-”

“Then we’ll figure out what to do then,” Starlight snapped, her voice sharp. “There’s no point in worrying about something you can’t control! Just focus on the here and now, and what you can do, and we’ll go from there.”

Moonstone nodded meekly, chastised. “R-right, thanks...”

Buck, I yelled again, angrily... What... What’s wrong with me? Starlight’s wings drooped as she bowed her head, whispering, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.”

Her eyes snapped open in surprise as he nudged her face back up with his nose, chiding gently, “Now now, what did I tell you about apologizing? I... I needed that. If you had meant it in any other way but helping, then you wouldn’t have tried to apologize, so just drop it, alright? Now smile.”

“W-what?” Starlight asked, confused.

“I said to smile... ~Oh Lexie~” he sang, eyes burning with mischief.

“Lexie? You mean Galexia? What are you calling her fo-waha! Wh-whahat is she,” she started to laugh, trying to shake off the sudden black pest running on her coat, tickling every inch she could reach. “S-stop, it,” she giggled, falling to her side, fighting the ferret futilely.

Moonstone started to laugh as Starlight started to roll around on the floor, helpless before the ferret onslaught. Grinning to himself, Moonstone joined in as well, starting to tickle her sides, when Galexia decided to defect to Starlight, starting to help her tickle the stallion who had caused her such humiliation. I don’t know why you decided to help, but I’ll get my payback later, you little rat! Starlight thought to herself, launching her counter-attack.

“W-what? Ga-Galex-Exia, wh-what,” Moonstone gasped out, doing his best not to laugh, though he was failing miserably. “Y-you b... Be-trayed me?” Lex... Why would you do that to me? Traitor!

After a few minutes, both sides agreed to a temporary truce, allowing them both to catch their breath. Starlight lay on top of Moonstone, her wings spread helplessly to the sides, covering both of them. After a moment, still smiling, she looked down at Moonstone, who seemed strangely happy with himself. “And what... Are you so proud of? We were winning!”

“I got you to smile again,” he replied simply, staring up into her eyes.

“W-what? What... Why would you-”

“Because you were sad for a stupid reason,” Moonstone explained softly, smiling. “That, and you’re radiant when you smile...”

Starlight blinked, before a heavy blush crossed her face, causing her to duck behind her mane. I... What is he... Does he really like me, or is he just trying to cheer me up? That sounded like a line, but he looked and sounded like he really meant it... What do I do? How do I know?

~Ah-ah-ah, you’re frowning again~ Moonstone said in a singing voice, grinning evilly once more.

“N-no, you wouldn’t-” Not again!

While Moonstone had started out with the initiative, Galexia kept defecting every minute or so, keeping both sides fairly evenly matched, until they both heard a voice... A voice that spelled both of their dooms...

“Sissy, you’re having tickle time without me?!” Milky Way protested, her eyes wide and her jaw on the floor. As her left eyelid twitched, Moonstone knew that he was about to be in for a world of trouble. “No! That’s unacceptable! It’s my birthday! You don’t have tickle time without me! Hey everybody!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, surely alerting the entirety of Canterlot proper. “Tickle time in the kitchen right now!”

Moonstone and Starlight looked at each other for a moment, sharing the same thought. Oh Dear Sweet Celestia and Luna, what have we done...

.o.O.o.

“All right, time to take a break, Milky, we don’t want to strain what magic you have,” Moonstone cautioned, stopping the lesson short.

The filly complied, but complained, “Aww, do I have to? I can almost lift it now! Just five more minutes, please?”

The filly’s begging eyes made Moonstone pause, his eyes slowly growing wider as he felt his will crumbling. Well, could five minutes really matter much? I mean, she seems fairly dedicated, and wants to-

Slap!

Moonstone was snapped out of it as Galexia perched on his muzzle, having slapped him as hard as she could. He blinked, then frowned, lecturing as he refocused. “No, you need to take a break. We can practice more later, But you can’t use your magic all the time at such a young age. You have to let it rest, so it can rebuild itself.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but was stopped by her father, who shook his head sternly, ordering, “Now Milly, listen to Mr. Moonstone. He knows what he’s talking about, so you need to listen to him. I know you’re eager to learn magic, but you can’t rush things, just like you can’t rush getting a cutie mark. Now come on, it’s time for your reading hour.”

“Aww, but da-ad, reading is so boring!” she whined, folding her ears down. “I’m such a slow reader, and the words are always too big!”

“Well, you’re not going to learn how to read faster or bigger words if you never practice, now will you?” Digit Pi smiled, swooping his daughter up into his forelegs, nuzzling her.

“But I don’t like it,” she whimpered. “It makes me feel stupid...”

“You’re not stupid,” Starlight soothed, nuzzling her sister, before taking her from their father. “You have to have The Dumbs to be stupid! You don’t have The Dumbs now, do you? Because you know what we do to ponies around here who have The Dumbs...”

“N-no, not that!” Milky Way started to protest, but far too late.

“We... tickle them!” Starlight roared, using her size and her wings to her advantage, tickling her sister mercilessly, while preventing her sister from retaliating.

After a moment of helpless giggles, Star let up, asking, “Do you still have The Dumbs? ~I have more of the cure right here~”

“N-no! I-I’m not stupid!” Milky Way protested weakly, trying to shield her head with her forelegs.

“There, I thought not!” Starlight grinned triumphantly at her little sister. She then laid down, nuzzling her sister gently as she whispered, “I love you, Milly.”

Milky hugged her back tightly, replying, “I love you too, Sissy...”

Moonstone blinked, then looked away, puzzled. Why does my chest hurt? Aren’t I happy that they’re happy? Is that... what it’s like to have a family?

“Sissy, could you... Could you read with me? Please?” Milky Way asked quietly, begging her sister.

Starlight’s eyes softened, and she nodded, pushing her sister up to her legs with her head with a smile. “Yeah, I think I’d like that... Come on, Milly, let’s go find a good book. Moonstone? Would you like to find a book too, or did you want some time to yourself?”

“Hmm? U-uh...” Moonstone stammered for a second, collecting his thoughts. Book? Sure, how hard could it be? “Y-yeah, sure, I’ll come too, thanks.”

Following the two sisters to a bookshelf, he watched as Starlight looking among the books, before selecting a medium sized purple book. “There. How about Daring Doo and the Golden Scootaloo? You haven’t read that one yet, right?”

“Yeah! I love love love Daring Doo! She’s all ~woosh~, then ~pow~, then ~yeah, I’m awesome!~” she cheered, adding motions to go along with her sound effects.

Starlight laughed, before looking over to Moonstone, asking, “Do you need me to grab something? What do you want to read?”

“Umm...” Thinking quickly, he levitated out the book that was next to the one currently in Milky Way’s hooves. “I-I’ll do this one, I guess.”

“Daring Doo and the Everfree Emerald? You’re a fan of Daring Doo?” she questioned, shocked.

“Umm... Not really,” Moonstone admitted, looking away to hide the slight blush playing on his face. “But Milky made it sound so interesting, so...”

“Oh. Alright then! Hope you enjoy it!” She smiled warmly at him, before trotting over to where her sister had reclined on the floor, snuggled deep under a blanket on top of a large throw pillow. Milky looked up with a pouting frown as her sister took away the blanket, before squeeing in delight when she laid down next to her, covering her with a soft, caressing wing. Milky Way proceeded to snuggle closer to her sister, wrapping the wing tighter around herself.

Moonstone watched in silence, before looking away again, his chest hurting again in that strange way as before. Turning away, he settled down, opening the book idly, flipping through to the first page, before frowning, turning the page. And then the next one. And the next one. And the next one.

Starlight Sonata and her sister looked up, distracted from the somewhat swift page-turning of the white stallion, watching as he seemed to look at one page, then the other, before turning the page, glancing at both pages, then turning another page. “Wow...” Milky Way gasped in admiration. “Mr. Moonstone, where did you learn to read so fast?!”

Milky Way dragged her sister over, hoping to learn how to read as fast as Moonstone, when Starlight frowned. “You’re reading a book... Upside-down and backwards?”

Moonstone looked up, his eyes wide, before he stammered, ‘U-um, well, I... uh... yes?” he answered meekly, wilting underneath the accusatory glare of the mare in front of him.

“Moonstone, look at me,” Starlight ordered quietly, her voice commanding. He turned his head to her slowly, his ears flat against his skull as she asked, “Moonstone? Do you not know how to read?”

“I-I...” Moonstone whimpered, wincing away from the purple pegasus. “N-no?”

Starlight frowned in thought, trying to figure out what to make of it. How can he have made it this far without learning how to read? I never took reading as being a luxury, but... Oh no, I’m frightening him! Quick, say something, say something! “Why?” Noooooooo! Dammit! Stupid brain, work faster!

“I... I don’t know,” Moonstone mumbled, looking at the floor beside him, too afraid to face the stern mare in front of him.

“What’s this?” Digit Pi asked, poking his head back into the Library. He jumped to a conclusion, seeing Starlight in an aggressive stance, Moonstone lying on the floor, and Milky Way in shock. “Starlight, why are you terrorizing Moonstone again?!”

“He doesn’t know how to read?!” Milky Way gasped, her foal’s mind still caught onto that one fact. “But.... But... Everypony should know how to read!”

“Starlight, I’m disappointed in you,” Digit sighed, his eyes reflecting his sadness. “Come on, Moonstone, I’ll teach you how to r-”

“No!” Starlight snapped, whirling on her father in a rage. “I was not ‘terrorizing’ Moonstone, and if anypony is going to teach him how to read, it’s going to be me, got it?!”

Digit Pi’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the force of his daughter’s voice, before he gazed at her sternly, just observing her.

Starlight stood her ground, but she knew she was nervous, and she struggled to keep her touch exterior in front of her father. Please don’t look at me like that, I’m not trying to be rebellions! I just want to help him, I owe it to him! This is a chance to get to know more about him, why he doesn’t know...

So, she’s starting to finally show some independence, or is it just guilt? Either way, it seems like she means it... I can always test him later to see if she kept her word or not.

Starlight watched as her father left without another word, leaving her wondering if she did something right, or wrong. Sighing in relief, she turned back to Moonstone, calming herself down. Trying to understand what he could be feeling, she knelt down in front of him, asking gently, “Moonstone? I know you feel embarrassed, and... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel stupid, or that you were... Look, it’s not your fault you don’t know, alright? It’s not something that you can just pick up on, but... Would you like to learn how? I don’t want to force you, or make you feel like you have to, but if you do, I’m here for you, alright?”

Moonstone practically melted in relief, nodding firmly. “Please... I don’t want other ponies to... to...”

“I know,” Starlight murmured comfortingly, laying down next to him, tucking a wing around him. “It’s okay, I know... I know. It’s okay, we’ll take it one step at a time, alright?” Turning to her sister, she asked quietly, “Milly, could you get me that yellow book on the bottom shelf right over there?”

“Y-yeah, sure,” she agreed, slowly trotting over to the bookshelf in question, pulling out a small, yellow book. “Here you go, Sissy... I guess I’ll just read over there,” she stated quietly, depressed.

“Oh no you don’t,” Starlight chuckled, barely catching her sister’s tail with her teeth, and pulling her back slowly with a squeal. “You’re going to stay next to me, you little trouble-maker! I said I’d read with you, and I’m going to try! I know you don’t know all of the big words, but it’s good practice, alright? Just pretend that I’m not here, and if you’re certain that you can’t read the word, then you ask, alright? Mr. Moonstone was nice enough to help you with your magic, so now I get to help him learn to read.”

“Alright...” Milky Way sighed, before smiling as Starlight threatened to tickle her.

“That’s what I thought,” Starlight giggled, nuzzling her sister. “Now,” she continued, her voice growing more serious as she faced Moonstone. “Let’s get started...”

.o.O.o.

Several hours later found the white stallion reading the first Daring Doo book slowly, but with growing confidence. How did he learn to read so quickly? I barely told him more than the alphabet, and he just... “How did you learn to read so quickly? It takes us weeks, months to learn, but you picked it up in just a few hours? How?”

Moonstone chuckled nervously, glancing away for a moment, before looking back at Starlight. “Well, I... I mean, I already know all of the words, you know? I just... Didn’t know how to translate them into seeing them. I uh... I don’t talk about it, because it seems to really freak other ponies out, but if you really want to know, I...”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Starlight started, placing a hoof over his, squeezing it gently to reassure him. “But if you want to, I’m willing to listen... I said I wanted to learn more about you, and that hasn’t changed.”

“W-well... I... I remember... everything.”

Starlight blinked in surprise, before asking, “Everything? Really?”

Moonstone nodded slowly. “Well, I mean... Everything I hear. I only remember what I hear...”

“Wow,” Starlight breathed, her eyes wide. “That’s amazing... I wish I had that ability... Certainly would have made school a  lot easier...”

“Sissy? What’s this word mean?” Milky Way asked quietly, poking her sister on her hoof.

“Just a sec, Milly. Moonstone? Will you be fine reading on your own? Just ask me if there’s a word you don’t understand, alright?” Don’t be too stubborn, alright? I’m just trying to help...

“Uhuh,” Moonstone replied distractedly, absorbed in the book.

Starlight watched him for just a moment, surprised at how foal-like he was, his eyes wide open in fascination as he read of the adventures of the great treasure hunter Daring Doo.

“Sissy? Can you help me now? Sorry if I’m interrupting...” Milky Way apologized meekly, nudging her sister.

“Hmm? O-oh, right, sorry Milly. That word is ‘Exasperated’. It means that she’s... that she’s really, really upset and tired of what’s going on. Like...” Starlight sighed heavily, then said in a tougher, coltish voice, “Come on! Can’t you keep up? They’re gaining on us!”

Milky Way giggled at her sister’s impersonation, nodding as she understood. “Oh, okay... Thanks Sissy,” Milky Way murmured, nestling closer to her sister’s coat.

“You’re welcome, Milly,” she replied, kissing her sister on the top of the head. “You’ve been very good so far on reading on your own! Would you like me to read to you for a little bit?”

Milky’s eyes lit up as she nodded eagerly. “Yush! And will you please do your voices? I just love love love them! Pwease?” she sniffled, using her puppy eyes.

Starlight nuzzled her sister, laughing, “Of course! You really think I would offer if I wouldn’t do it? Alright, now let’s see...”

Starlight spent some time reading to her sister, reading first one chapter, then another, and another. Finally, it occurred to her that she hadn’t heard from Moonstone in awhile, so she turned to see how he was doing, when her breath caught in her throat. Moonstone was fast asleep, a smile on his face as he laid against her, covered in her soft, purple feathers. She shifted slightly, watching in surprise as he followed along with her, staying close to her side. Why is he... But he’s sleeping! How can... why...

After a minute of thinking, she finally sighed, using her wing to make sure he was tucked against her, before making sure that her wing was wrapped around him tightly, keeping him warm. She leaned over, making sure his mane was still tidy, before looking back to her sister, who was watching her with wide eyes. “W-what’s wrong, Milly? Why are you staring at me?”

“Hey Sissy? Why are you blushing?”

“W-what?! I-I am not blushing!” Star protested, her face becoming even brighter from the blood rushing to her face.

Milky’s gasp filed the library. “Ohmygosh, you are blushing! Why are you blushing, Sissy? Come on, you can tell me! I can keep a promise! I can!”

“S-shh, y-you’re going to wake up Moonstone!” Starlight stammered, trying to think of anything to get her sister to stop teasing her.

“Oh? Mr. Moonstone is asleep? But he was...” the unicorn filly trailed off, thinking hard for a moment, before her eyes lit up. “That’s it! Mr. Moonstone fell asleep under your wing... And you’re blushing... So...”

Her jaw dropped as the only logical conclusion her filly mind could come up with. “You have a crush on Moonstone!”

“W-what?! N-no I don’t!” Starlight protested, her face heating up.

~Sona and Moonstone sittin in a tree!~ Milky Way started to sing, grinning widely when she saw how flustered her sister was getting. “Ha! You do like him! So when are you going to ask him out? Is he going to become your special somepony?”

“I... He...” Starlight stammered, her face now as dark as equinely possible. “I-I don’t know,” she mumbled, staring at the ground. “I’m just trying to help him, alright? And I’m not going to ask him out.”

“Y-you’re not?”

Starlight thought her heart was going to break for just a moment, her sister’s voice was so small and pitiful... Until she remembered that it was just a ploy. “N-no, I’m not, okay?”

“But-but why?”

“B-because I already asked him out for another date later, alright?!” Starlight said quickly, flustered. “I don’t know if I like him, I don’t know if he’ll be my special somepony, and no, I don’t know if I want him to be my special somepony! I just want to find out more about him, to figure out why he’s so different! I want to like him, but I have to make sure he won’t-” Oh buck, I said too much...

“Won’t what, Sissy? What would Mr. Moonstone do, he’s nice!” Milky Way protested, stomping a small hoof on the floor.

“I...” I know he is, but what if... But...

Starlight was jarred from her thoughts, a small hoof connecting to her head. “No! You’re being stoopid! Daddy, daddy told us before that you can’t have a, a loving re-la-tion-ship without trust! Ei-either you trust him, or you don’t, so make up your mind already!”

Huffing at her sister, Milky Way turned her back on her sister, going back to her book, starting to read eagerly once more, leaving her sister alone to her thoughts.
> Chapter the Tenth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Sorry, trying not to make a habit of this, but there is an action scene later in the chapter, so, just to warn you, there will be blood, and the descriptions will suck. (I SUCK at fighting scenes. If anyone wants to volunteer to help me re-write this, or any later fight, I would GREAT appreciate it. Otherwise, I apologize for not being a great action writer. ~_~ Also, you will notice some poor attempts at accent and speaking styles by certain characters, so I also apologize if I offend anyone with a similar accent, butchered it, and/or portrayed it in a poor light.) And now that I’ve lowered your expectations... Enjoy! 



Starlight struggled valiantly not to succumb to sleep, but she was fighting an uphill battle. With her cutely snoring sister on one side of her, and... A... stallion on the other side of me... It’s not like that’s what’s keeping me awake at all... I trust him! It’s not like he’s going to do anything to me if I fall asleep and he wakes up. Right?

“Okay, who wants some pizz-ah! What-” Digit Pi started to say, before falling silent in mid-sentence. He blinked at he tried to register what it was that he was seeing. Alright, calm down. Your daughter just... has her wings around her sister! Nothing to worry about there! As for Moonstone... Wait a second.

He paused to carefully observe his eldest, choosing to ignore the stallion next to her. Let’s see, one thing at a time. Blushing brighter than a lamp? Check. Fussing over her already-asleep sister? Check. Ignoring Moonstone as best as she can? Check. Oh my goddess... She has a crush on Moonstone.

He blinked several more times, trying to think, but, sadly, kept getting the same message. Brain.exe has stopped working.  Brain.exe has stopped working. This program will now terminate in attempt to resolve the problem. Searching for solutions... Rebooting program.

Digit Pi took a moment to collect himself, while Starlight continued to ignore him, choosing to feign falling asleep, like she hadn’t heard him, giving him ample time to think. Okay, so... What am I going to do about this...

“Is it time for dinner yet? I’m hungry,” Milky Way yawned out, rubbing her eyes slowly with a small hoof. She blinked owlishly, before she saw her father and perked up. “Hai daddy! Is it time for dinner soon? I’m getting hungry! Can we please please please eat soon?” she asked as she rolled out of her sister’s wing, trotting over to her father to pout in front of him.

Digit Pi started to smile, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he replied, “I don’t know, Milly... I mean, your sister looks pretty comfortable over there with Moonstone, sleeping together. It wouldn’t really be fair to eat while your sister and her coltfriend are trying t-”

“W-what?!” Starlight shot up, her eyes wide in shock at her father’s statement, trying not to blush. “We are not... He isn’t...”

“Yeah-huh!” Milky Way protested, stomping a hoof. “You said that you had asked him out on a date already, so that would-”

“I-it is not a date!” she objected loudly, interjecting as her face burned brighter. Her feathers fluffed out on her wings as she shook them slightly, trying her best to look indignant instead of embarrassed.

“Huh? But you said it was,” Moonstone said groggily, waking up. “You said that a date was a pre-arranged social gathering. Did I misunderstand?” he asked innocently, his crimson eyes full of curiosity as he tried to wake up completely.

“Yes!” Starlight said, quickly continuing, “I didn’t mean a date date! I meant like a casual date, as friends, not to find out if I want to marry you!”

Moonstone nodded, though still confused. “Well how could we be? I didn’t ask for permission to date you.”

“Permission?” Digit Pi asked.

“Yeah. Milky said that when you go out on a proper date, you’re supposed to ask the mare’s father for permission first, right?” Moonstone replied, though his eyes reflected his doubt.

Milky Way sighed, exasperated, “No, you ask for permission before you get married, not before a date! If you asked the daddy before you’ve asked the mare then you might get off on the wrong hoof and then he won’t like you or the mare will say that she wasn’t interested after all of the work you went through to get permission from her daddy and then you’d be really depressed and it would be a waste of time when you can just ask her out on a date and if she says yes then you can go and talk to the daddy before the date and see if he has any rules about when she should be back home so that he doesn’t worry about how late she’ll be out an-”

“Breathe, Milly,” Starlight cautioned, though her own face was still a dark shade of violet.

Milky took a deep breath for second, let it out, calming herself down, before starting right where she left off. “And then he won’t have to worry about how late she’s out cause he’d know when she should be back and if she’s late then he could tell the royal guards to please look for them to make sure they aren’t hurt or something else cause mom said that stallions only have one thing on their mind and need reminding to get focused again but that doesn’t make any sense because nopony will ever tell me what it is that they’re after to know what to distract them from!” she finished, frustrated, before breathing heavily, trying to get her breath back.

Everyone sat in silence for a moment, their brains catching up to the filly’s barrage of words, when Moonstone commented, “What they’re after? Come on, everypony knows that!”

“What?!” three voices rang out in unison, various ranges of disbelief in everyone’s voice, though for different reasons.

“Well yeah,” Moonstone continued, confused. “Milky said that it’s to find out if the stallion is interested in marrying the mare, so isn’t he after that? And if he gets distracted, then it’s because he doesn’t want to make her happy, but to make himself happy?”

“I... suppose you could say that, yes,” Digit Pi answered slowly, trying to let his brain keep up. Does he really not know, or is he trying to be subtle because Milly is here?

“A-anyway, you said something about dinner?” Starlight said quickly, changing the subject abruptly.

Moonstone’s stomach growled at him, his face quickly resembling a tomato as he backed away, blushing. “S-sorry. I wouldn’t mind leaving to get a bite to eat, if-”

“I thought you were going to be eating with us,” Starlight asked, confused.

“Unless he really decides that he doesn’t want pizza, or whatever the birthday filly decides she wants,” Digit Pi answered, looking over to Milky Way.

“Pizza?! Yush, I love pizza!” the creame coated filly exclaimed, her eyes growing wide as she had another idea. “Oh! And can we make it a movie night?! Pwease?!”

“Oh, alright, I suppose,” Digit relented, grinning as he winced away from the excited squeals of his daughter.

“Oh! And we, we have to has popcorns! It won’t be movie nights wivout it!” Milky Way added, her eyes wide open in earnestness. 

“Popcorns? What’s that?” Moonstone inquired, turning to the filly for an answer.

Her eyes widened in horror, her young mind unable to comprehend not knowing about the wondrous sustenance known to all movie-lovers as ‘popcorn’. After a moment of silence, she finally chose a course of action, hugging his foreleg tightly. Moonstone blinked, looking down at the small filly, confused as to the reason for the affection. Umm... Popcorn is a hug? Well, okay, if that’s what you’re supposed to do, then I don’t want to ruin this moovee night of hers...

Moonstone was about to return the hug, when Milky Way immediately jumped back, ordering her father as cutely as she could, “Go get the pizzas! I need to go make the popcorns! DeFonzi!”

As the three adults watched the filly scamper away to the kitchen, Moonstone mouthed the last word again, completely confounded. When he turned to Digit Pi for help, the older stallion explained, “She’s been watching too much Doctor Whoof lately. She meant to say ‘allons-y’, but she seems to think he’s saying to, how does she put it,” he paused, thinking for a moment. “Ah yes, because it’s time to be awesome like ‘The Fonzi.’”

When he saw Moonstone’s continued confusion, he sighed again. “Nevermind. If you think you’ll be alright, I need to head out to go get the pizz-”

“We’ll get it!” Starlight blurted, surprising her father. “What? We’ve been cooped up all day in the Library, and while I’m sure that Moonstone found his nap to be refreshing, I’m sure he wants to stretch his limbs as much as I do.”

Moonstone blushed faintly, but hid it by raising his hoof to his face in a fake yawn. Milky Way chose to interrupt yet again, however, as she barrelled into the room, her eyes wide with fear. “Daddy, daddy! I-it’s horrible! It-it’s the worstestest fing ever!”

“What, what is it, what’s wrong?!” Digit asked quickly, scooping up his youngest, who was starting to burst into tears. “Did you hurt yourself?! Are you okay?”

“W-w-we... We dun have any popcornses!” she blubbered, burying her face into her father’s neck. 

Digit Pi blinked, looking to his elder daughter for a moment, before taking a deep breath, and releasing it slowly through his nose. He was about to reply, hoping to calm her down, when she continued, “I-it’s not fair! How can we has movie night without popcorns? Mr. Moony deserves popcorns!”

Trying not to chuckle, Digi set about to comfort the birthday filly. “Shh, it’s okay, Milly, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be all right. We’ll go order the pizza, and then go to the store to pick up some more popcorn while the pizza cooks, alright? Come on, the Birthday Filly isn’t allowed to be sad, remember? You know what we do to ponies around these parts who have The Sads?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” she quickly protested, jumping from her father’s grasp onto Moonstone’s back. “Hurry up, Mr. Moony, before they catches us!”

“W-why, what are they going to do?” Moonstone asked nervously, slowly backing away from the two madly-grinning ponies in front of him.

“They’s gonna ticklify us to deaths!” 

That was all the information that Moonstone needed. Whinnying, he quickly spun around and dashed out of the room before Starlight could catch up, forcing Milky Way to hang onto Moonstone’s mane as he dashed madly from the residence. He raced up the streets, snaking back and forth as best as he could, managing to make it all of the way to the nearby park. He slowed down to a canter, breathing lightly. He had just calmed down, starting to think that they were in the clear, when he was tackled by a large purple blur, sending both himself and the filly on his back tumbling to the grass.

“Ninja tickle attack!” 

Milky Way immediately found her sides assaulted by her older sister’s wings, sending her into a fit of giggles. Moonstone was already charging a magical reply, when he saw who it was that was ‘attacking’. As he allowed the magic to dissipate, he noticed a disoriented ferret stumbling her way back to her master, shaking slightly. Concerned, he knelt down, allowing Galexia to slowly claw her way up his cape and onto his head. “Lex, what happened to you?” he cooed worriedly, allowing her to settle in his mane.

Starlight and Milky both stopped their roughhousing as they heard a series of shaky squeaks and chirps from black familiar atop the stallion’s head. “Uh huh... uh-huh... Yeah... then what? And then she... well, you can’t complain, Lex. No, you can’t,” Moonstone exclaimed, stomping a hoof for emphasis as he argued with her. “You have no right to complain when you’ve always said you wanted to know what it was like to fly! No, j... Just relax, Lex, okay? We’re just getting some stuff for tonight, and then we’re eating pizza and this new stuff called popcorn and movie.”

“Wait, what? No, don’t be silly, Mr. Moony! You can’t eat a movie!” Milky Way chided, giggling. “You watches dem! You some sort of a weirdo!” 

Moonstone huffed, doing his best not to get insulted. “Well, I’m sorry I-”

“Fit right in!” Milky Way completed, interrupting him with a maddening grin.

Moonstone blinked, staring at the energetic filly, completely confused. After a moment of wracking his brain for the right word, he finally decided on the perfect question to his inquiry. “What?”

“Yeah! We’re a whole big family of weirdos cause mommy and daddy work and everypony says that nobles aren’t supposed to work even though that doesn’t make any sense because everypony is supposed to work to get food and stuffs so I don’t get how they’re weird but since everyone says so then I guess it’s true to some extent but even so Star also works sometimes by singing for other ponies at like restaurants or houses and stuff and sometimes I get to go along with is awesomebecause they usually let me eat cookies and ice cream and peanut butter and stuff cause it’s really really really yummy and I could eat it all day, so-”

“Breathe, Milly,” Starlight interrupted automatically. It was hard to tell while listening to Milky Way at the same time, but Moonstone would have sworn that she seemed to be paying more attention to how long Milky Way went without pausing rather than what she was actually saying.

“-and then some people say that I’m weird because I talk a whole big bunch but I don’t see whai that’s so odd because lots and lots of other ponies talk a lot and they don’t get called weird cause the-the princesses talk whole big lots and other ponies don’t call them weirdos so I’ve got this the... thory... Theo... Star, what’s that stupid word called?!” she begged her older sister, half whining half begging.

“Theory?” Starlight suggested, swooping her sister up into a hug, before depositing her onto her back.

Milky snuggled deep between her sister’s wings, wrapping the very end of Starlight’s mane in her hooves as she grinned away. “Yeah, that! So my theory is that... umm...”

She frowned, struggling to remember her train of thought, but eventually gave up. “That... err... Eye creames! I demand me eye creames! Yeah, that’s what I wa-”

“After we order the pizza, Milly,” Starlight interrupted, though she was smiling. Now, would the little birthday filly like a little Griffin-back ride?”

Moonstone watched in amazement as the filly’s eyes grew to be thrice their normal size, shining in amazement before bouncing up and down like a jackhammer, shouting ‘yush’ over and over again before leaping onto her sister’s back, holding on as tightly as she could.

“Just remember,” Starlight cautioned. “I’m only going to hovor. No fancy stuff without dad here to spot for you.”

“Aww, but Sissy-”

“I can spot for her,” Moonstone spoke up. Wait, I can what now? You don’t even know what spotting is, moron!

Starlight observed the stallion for a moment, lost in thought. Do I trust him? This isn’t just... It’s Milly for crying out loud! “I...”

“I swear she won’t get hurt, Lady Starlight; you have my word. My magic is matched by none. She will not come to harm so long as I am here.”

Starlight opened her mouth to protest, but the unicorn’s stance gave her pause. What... just happened? I thought he was serious before, but now he seems more... “A-alright... I swear to Luna, though, you’d better not take your eyes off of her for a second.”

Moonstone nodded solemnly, his eyes turning to Milky Way. “Okay then... Are you ready for the flight of your life? Better listen to everything your sister says, alright? Just like I know a lot about magic, your sister knows a lot about flying, so if she tells you not to do something, you had better listen to her, got it?”

“~Yes Mr. Moony~”

Moonstone stared her in the eye for a moment, before nodding. “Alright then. Have fun! You may start whenever you’re comfortable, Lady Starlight, though I advise for you not to stray too far off the path, as I need a clear sight to the sky in order to follow-”

He was forced to look away for the briefest of moments as the purple pegasus took off, the wind stinging his eyes and buffeting his mane and cape. He quickly snapped his head back to the small bundle of creame-colored fur on her back, doing his best to imitate a hawk, never allowing his eyes to falter from his target.

In the first few minutes, Starlight was still very hesitant about going to any height of consequence, but soon started loosening up, feeling more secure in her own abilities, as well as those of the unicorn beneath her, so she dared to start flying faster, higher, and more daringly. She started taking turns a little more tightly, even daring to do a corkscrew after giving her sister warning. She was worried that she had scared her sister when she heard the frightened squealing, when she realized that she was asking her to do that again, and that she wasn’t afraid.

“Again, again! Do it again, Sissy!” Milky Way squealed in excitement, her blood pounding in her ears, the adrenaline pumping through her small body, her eyes wide open, trying to take in as much as she could. “This is, oh-fish-a-Lee’s, by de-creep of a birfday filly, the, the bestestest griffin-back ride in, in all of fillydom evar!” she shouted, hugging her sister tightly by the neck.

“You’re welcome,” Starlight replied warmly, turning her head to nuzzle her sister carefully. “Now, we can fly more later, but we really should order the pizza and get the popcorn. So come on, time to glide down. You ready?” she asked, looking forward once more, basking in the night-time light, twilight now fading from sight.

“Yay! Glidey times!” Milky cheered enthusiastically, clapping her front hooves as her sister started the gentle flutter back to planet Equestria. “Look Sissy! No hooves!”

“Milly,” Starlight rebuked, turning her head back to her sister, “you get those hooves back where they belong, before y-AH!”

Her left wing exploded in pain, breaking any and all concentration she might have had. Something, though she didn’t know what, crashed right through her wing, breaking it easily. The last thing she remembered before blacking out from the pain, spinning out of control, was seeing her sister’s horrified face above her, screaming her name wordlessly.

.o.O.o.

“D-do you think she’s going to be alright? She’s not really moving,” one stallion asked nervously, looking at the rest of the gang, looking to them for leadership.

The apparent leader of the group, a grey unicorn, spat on the ground, commenting, “Pshaw, you worry too much, ya nimrod! It don’t matter if the tramp is dead or not, that’s not what matters. Oi, Graves, tell me if ‘awkeye ‘ere broke ‘er wing or not!”

A third unicorn, blue, lifted the wing with his magic, looking at it for a moment before releasing it, letting it fall back uselessly to Starlight’s side as he nodded. “Ya, chief, it’s broke. Seems the newbie here might live up to ‘is name. ‘E might actually be useful, if’n Hawker is dat good always.”

“So... I don’t do anything else? I’m in?” the first unicorn asked, looking back and forth between the other unicorns.

A fourth one spoke up. “Cummon, kill da bitch. Ya need ta prove dat ya won’t betray us or ‘esitate if we gets into a fight, yeah?”

It wasn’t long before they were bickering amongst themselves as to what they should do with Starlight, arguing and debating every option before them.

.o.O.o.

Moonstone galloped onto the scene, observing it all in a glance. He swiftly levitated the unconscious Starlight to himself, setting her down lightly on the grass, whilst also lifting Milky Way from his back to set her next to her sister. He could feel his heart pumping in his throat as he lightly pressed a hoof to the side of Starlight’s neck, and felt a weak, but steady, pulse. 

“M-Moony? I-is Sissy alright? Wh-whai isn’t she moving?” the small creame-coated filly stammered, her eyes wide and glistening as she latched onto her sister’s neck.

“She’s just taking a small nap, Milly,” Moonstone said quietly, glaring at the group of stallions ahead in the gloom. “She’s going to be fine, alright, but I need you to stay here, with her, to make sure nothing else happens, alright? I’ll put up a shield to protect you, so you don’t have to worry about anything. Now, I need you to be brave until help arrives, alright? Galexia is running to go get Princess Luna, so everything’s going to be okay. Alright? Can you be brave for your sister?”

Milky Way jerked her head up and down against her sister’s mane, too afraid to speak.

“Alright then... I’m putting up the shield now. Nothing’s going to hurt you, so just.... don’t more.” Having made sure that the small filly wasn’t going anywhere, Moonstone stood up, and created a barrier around the two sisters. He poked it with a hoof to make sure it was solid, before allowing himself to relax.

Alright, take time to analyze the situation. Facts: Starlight’s wing is broken. Two, both of them are safe inside the barrier. Three, there are four stallions, all of whom seem to be in the same gang. Four, they’re fighting, indicating short tempers and willingness to use aggression to solve their problems. Intelligence levels: appear to be lacking, but not enough evidence to show for sure how smart or stupid they are. Solution: attempt to reason with them first, to ascertain why they hurt Starlight, in case it was an accident, otherwise, engage and punish accordingly. Conclusion: act polite until in range, then buck their collective flanks so hard they’ll kiss the moon on the way to the sun. Prognosis: death.

.o.O.o.

“Crap, guys, it’s a guard! Chief, whadda we do?!”

“Dat ain’t no guard. Jus sum punk what don’t know ‘is place,” the leader said quietly. “Jus lemme handle it, ya gots it? Hawkers, maim ‘is leg the firs chance ya got. Don’t want th’ fishy ta swim away now, do we? We’re gonna have fun tanight, boyos!” 

Striding forward, the orange unicorn greeted Moonstone with a large smile, asking, “Greetings, Gov! What’cha doin round ‘ere? Shore yer not lost or somefin? I’d be ‘appy ta show ye round town, if it’s-”

“Which one of you hurt Starlight,” Moonstone interrupted. 

His voice was soft, but it still, if only for a second, the other unicorns shivered. Until they saw him stagger to his knees, crying out in pain.

“I-I did!” Hawkeye hesitantly shouted out, feeling braver after breaking the strange white unicorn’s leg. Indeed, it raised the entire gang’s morals significantly. A handicapped enemy that wouldn’t be able to run away? They were going to have some fun now! If a unicorn is in enough pain, then they can’t concentrate in casting spells, so they didn’t have to worry about attacks either.

“Well, looks like t’day jus i’in’t yer day,” the orange stallion sneered. “I suggest y’ just relax. It’ll be all o’re in a mo, Gov. Say goodnight,” he finished, grinning as he leaned his head back, getting ready to swing his horn down to slay Moonstone.

“Goodnight!” Moonstone roared ferally, showing the guard his now glowing eyes. He shot a ball of raw magic at the leader, sending him flying back dozens of hooves-lengths to the rest of his gang. Moonstone immediately composed himself, allowing his anger and rage to fuel his magic, but not take over. He felt an eerie wave of calm wash over him, but he didn’t pause to contemplate it.

The gang watched on with horror as the stallion surged to his hooves, walking towards them on three legs, holding the injured leg higher, so that it wouldn’t impede his walking. It was terrifying enough that the stallion could shrug off a broken leg enough to get up, let alone use any magic at all. What struck them with fear to their very core, however, was his appearance. His black cape billowed in the sharp wind that had been created, showing his silver moon and black wand cutie mark. His eyes, normally red, were glowing with a magic-fueled rage, and even his mane appeared to be alive. They could see small snowflakes beginning to form in his mane, which was being tugged to the side by the wind. 

They attempted to back away from the seemingly uninjured stallion, but found themselves trapped against an invisible barrier. They scattered, trying to run in any direction, but they were caged in. When they tried to punch through, they could see a large dome of light surround them for a second, before disappearing into invisibility once more. “Wha’s goin on?!”

“You’re going to die,” Moonstone said plainly, his calm, matter-of-fact tone chilling them far more than the wind could ever hope to achieve. “I’m going to kill you. All of you. I would kill you quickly, despite breaking my leg, but you did something unforgivable, and for that, you shall recieve no mercy from me. Prepare to die.”

“W-wait! W-wha was unfergivable?!” the leader shouted out desperately, trying to say anything that could stall the crazed stallion.

“You not only hurt a mare, intentionally, which alone is worthy of death, but you did one thing that is even worse: you hurt her in front of her baby sister, an innocent who is hardly more than a foal. I can forgive certain things. But those who tear apart families are the lowest of scum that crawl in the dirt. I don’t think I ever have, or ever will, take as much satisfaction in killing you than I have anypony else.”

“Wait, you can’t j-urk!” the gang members were cut off, unable to speak any more. Moonstone slowly levitated all of the gang members by their throats, watching with great satisfaction as they slowly choked to death.

It was Princess Luna and her guards, however, that saved their lives. Princess Luna leaped from her carriage, landing near Moonstone. Moonstone, whether out of respect, from shock, or deferment, Moonstone cut the flow of magic holding the gang members in place, allowing them to fall haphazardly, several of them breaking limbs of their own. He bowed deeply as he struggled to fight the rage within that was helping to fuel his magic.

“Calm thyself, Moonstone. We knowest naught of what hast transpired here, but We will decide their fate, not thee,” Luna reprimanded sharply, turning her attention to the rogues. “Now, what hast they done?”

Moonstone swayed as his magic started to leave him, replying faintly, “W-we were taking a trip through the park, heading to get pizza for dinner, when S... Starlight offered Milky Way a... a Griffin-back ride,” he panted heavily, falling to his knees. “I... was making sure that Milky wouldn’t fall... Then something hit Starlight, breaking her wing. Milky fell off, so I caught her with my magic, brought her to myself as I ran to where Starlight fell. When I arrived, her wing was broken, and she was badly beaten up, but she was alive. Put... her and Milly in a shield back there,” he continued, unaware that his head was swaying back and forth slowly. “Asked them who hurt Starlight. Y-yellow one broke my leg, bragging that he did it. I... snapped afterwards... T-they were going to hurt her more!” he protested weakly, spots slowly appearing in his vision. “Just... making sure they hurt... no one else...”

Luna was silent for a moment, before she turned to the gang members, using her Royal Canterlot Voice. “We give thee but one chance! Why hast thou acted hence?”

The gang leader gasped for breath, before his eyes seemed to twitch. He started chuckling, then laughing, throwing his head back as he let himself go, laughing madly. “You wouldn’t understand,” he smirked, his grin infuriating Luna. Moonstone was struggling to stay awake, but there was something about his tone that didn’t seem right. W-where did his... accent go? He doesn’t sound the same.

“You’re stupid, princess,” he sneered, using her title to mock her. “You want ponies to love your night? There’s no power in that! The only power is through fear! And as long as ponies fear the night, then they can never love it! You might be a princess, but you have far less power than I, since I can so easily make others love or hate the night, but you are powerless to do anything!”

Luna seethed while the unicorn continued to laugh. It was clear he was deranged, or not right in the head, but his words still hit home far closer than Luna wanted to admit. “So, you claim that you are the reason why ponies hate my night? Perhaps thou art correct. Thou hidest in the shadows like a rat, scurrying from hiding hole to hiding hole. Thou art not afraid of the moon, for it is thy ally, you say? Then thou shalt not be judged by the moon, but by the sun! If thou art the reason ponies are scared of the night, then let them fear it no longer! My sister hath been far too lenient towards thou. She wouldst say that We should throw thou in jail, in hopes of reforming you. But thou art a lost cause. It is imperfect. It would not protect ponies once you are released, and since the purpose of government is to protect life... Thou hast forsaken thy own government that protected you! Thou hast shaken off all semblance of loyalty, and therefore We, as the government, feel no need to protect you! We wouldst exile thou on the moon, but We will not have our moon desecrated by such as thou, who cling to shadows for safety.”

Luna’s eyes began to glow as she focused her magic that she had been slowly charging, her eyes slowly glowing pure white, and her astral mane and tail swirling swiftly. 

The glyph that appeared on the ground beneath her was massive. It covered the entire clearing, centralized beneath Luna. The barrier around the prisoners glowed bright white, and Luna’s voice echoed through the entire city as she chanted. Moonstone could feel the raw magic buffeting against him, threatening to do him damage should he lower his guard. “I call upon thee in the name of our sister; judge those who would abandon all that we call good, in order to cleanse their souls! Bathe in the light! CELESTIAL JUDGEMENT!”

A pillar of pure, white light lanced up from the ground, piercing the barrier Moonstone had in place around the prisoners, enveloping them instantly. It shot through the sky, seeming to disappear into space. After a moment, the light slowly faded from sight, leaving most everypony in the clearing blinded. Luna stumbled, drained from using a great amount of magic, but managed to look to her side, mumbling, “There, thou hast had thy revenge, Moonstone. They shall burn in the sun forever more for their sins. Ponies shall have no reason to fear the night in Canterlot anymore...”

When she received no reply, she turned to her side, and saw the white unicorn unconscious, his front leg broken, bleeding freely onto the grass beneath him. Her eyes widened as she remembered what he said earlier, looking behind her, where several of her guards were trying to carefully lift Starlight to a safer position, where she wouldn’t be hurt further, but Milky Way was making things rather difficult for them. “Get them both hence to the hospital, with all due haste! We cannot have them... Here! Bring them to me!”

Confused, they brought three ponies to her, only for her to disappear without a trace, taking the others with her. The guards looked around helplessly, wondering for a moment what they were supposed to do, when Princess Celestia arrived with her own guards, demanding, “Where is Luna? What did she do?!”
> Chapter the Eleventh
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike sat in the attic of the library, his new room ever since the dragon migration fiasco. Hoping to distract his brain from the traumatizing information he had received not an hour prior, he turned his attention back to the tiny phoenix fluttering around his head, before landing on his paw, chirping happily. However, when it noticed how out of it Spike was, it tilted its head to the side, cooing once in confusion.

“I... Y-yeah, I’ll be fine,” Spike reassured the avion, smiling nervously. At least, I hope I will... Note to self, listen to Twi the next time she says I’m not ready for something.

Interrupted by the bird’s chirp yet again, he allowed himself a smile as his companion rubbed a smooth beak against the palm of his claw. Laughing, Spike tried to grin and bear the tickling sensation as he continued his thoughts out loud. “What am I going to name you, anyways? Why did you have to go and mess everything up by being a girl? Gah! Sorry, sorry!” Spike added, nursing a bitten thumb. As he stuck said appendage into his mouth, he watched as the small chick fluffed its feathers in indignation, turning its back to him.

Spike thought back to when they had first found out, not a week prior. Princess Celestia had surprised everyone yet again with one of her sudden appearances, right as he was about to start writing the most recent friendship report. Fluttershy had been so excited that Celestia had decided to bring along Philomena with her, and Spike was as well. He rushed to show Princess Celestia his pet, Peewee, hoping to get some tips on how to raise the baby Phoenix. He, as well as Twilight and the rest of their friends, were surprised when Celestia laughed at them, informing them that ‘Mr. Peewee’ was a female! ‘Peewee’ spent a good deal of time chirping to the adult phoenix while Celestia instructed Spike and Twilight as to the proper care of raising a phoenix from a hatching, warning them of the fire dangers it would create, especially inside a tree. Then-

Spike was jarred from his thoughts when he heard the girls downstairs shout out. Worried, he rushed down the stairs to join them on the balcony, his jaw dropping at what he saw.

.o.O.o.

For some ponies, waking was a blissful occurrence. Waking up bristling with energy, bright and happy to face the coming day with joy was the curse of being a ‘morning pony’. Others, however, wake up slowly, groggily refusing to leave the warm, loving embrace that are bed-sheets and comforters. And then there are those poor, unfortunate souls that have consciousness thrust upon them. Like a punch to the face, Twilight was forced awake with a start, adrenaline pumping through her system as her body attempted to keep itself alive from what it believed to be danger. However, the ‘danger’ was merely some water dumped upon her, courtesy of one Rainbow Dash. 

As the cloud finished pouring out its contents, fading from a dark, stormy grey to a light, fluffy white, Rainbow Dash rolled on the floor, laughing uproariously, like it was the best prank in the world. 

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled, pulling her mane out of the way, starting to shiver from the water trickling down her mane and back. “Just what do you-”

“It was my suggestion, darling,” Rarity interrupted primly, levitating some towels to Twilight, aiding her in drying herself. “Although I would like to point out that I meant a glass of water, not a cloud,” she frowned primly, staring at Rainbow Dash.

“Psh, are you kidding me? What fun is that?” Dash retorted, brushing her coat off as she stood back up, grinning. “Like I always say, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth over-doing it! You wanted water, and I got water! Besides, if you had asked Pinkie Pie, she would have just used, like, some sort of water gun or cannon or something! Right?” she asked, looking over at Pinkie.

Pinkie shoved something back behind one of the potted plants in the room, smiling widely. “What? Don’t be silly, Dashie! I wouldn’t use a gun on Twilight! That would hurt! I would wake her up the best way!”

“And, um, what would that be,” Fluttershy asked timidly, before shrinking behind her mane just a tad. “Um, that is, if you could...”

Pinkie looked at all of them slowly, before grinning madly, pulling out a large tub filled to bursting with- “Water balloon fight!” Pinkie shouted, throwing water balloons with deadly accuracy, even though she wasn’t throwing them all that hard. Squealing in varying degrees of shock and annoyance, the other five mares ran out of the room, heading towards Twilight’s balcony, using the double doors to keep the mad-mare out.

“Surprise!” she shouted, popping out from behind them, pulling on a long, dangling rope. Everypony looked up in horror as they saw dozens of gallons of water falling down, crashing over all six of them, drenching them to their very cores. 

As they sat there, gasping for breath and shivering from the cold, Pinkie Pie started giggling once more, producing blankets from behind Twilight’s telescope, doling them out to all present. “There, all better, Twilight? Now we’re all wet! Oh, and sorry for interrupting earlier!”

“Interrupting what earlier?” Twilight asked, confused. “There wasn’t anyone speaking earlier, Pinkie.”

“Well there kinda was, if you think ab-wo-o-o-ah! Twitcha-twitch! Twitcha-twich!” Pinkie shouted, starting to vibrate slightly, her eyes wide open. “K-knee twitch, scratchy nose, gurgling stomach!”

“What does that mean?!” Twilight asked worriedly, surging to her hooves. “Is Equestria in danger? Is a comet going to crash into Canterlot?! Does it mean... Zombie ponies?!”

“Huh-wha? No, don’t be silly, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “It just means that a bunch of ponies lives were saved! Worrying is exactly the opposite thing we have to worry about! It’s not like- Woah! I-i-i-i-it-tit-tit’s-s-s a-a-a d-do-oo-oo-ozz-zz-zy!” Pinkie exclaimed, her voice vibrating as quickly as her body was.

“Well, do ya know what it is, sugarcube?!” AJ asked worriedly, shaking her hat out to get rid of the excess water.

“I-I don’t... Canterlot!” Pinkie suddenly shouted, pointing to the distant capital. 

“Quick, everypony, we have to get to the train stat...” Twilight’s voice died out as they all saw what was happening.

Though it was far off in the distance, they could clearly see a pillar of light shoot straight up from the castle, piercing the sky and into space.

For several minutes, nopony dared to breathe. They all sat there, stunned, waiting for some sort of sign, some sort of explosion, something that would explain to them what had just happened.

“T-Twilight? W-what just happened?” Spike stammered, his eyes wide open. The normally vocal baby phoenix was also stunned into silence, moving from Spike’s claw to his shoulder, where she would be able to huddle against Spike’s head for comfort.

“We... we don’t know, Spike,” Twilight admitted softly, still mostly terrorized, wondering what happened.

Silence reigned for another moment, before Spike belched loudly. He looked at everyone else, mortified. “T-that wasn’t me! I couldn’t-urp! Help it,” he groaned, hunching over. Before anypony could offer assistance, Spike belched loudly once more, a large plume of green fire flowing from his maw. A letter coalesced, and was quickly snatched from the air by Twilight’s magic. 

Everypony quickly gathered around Twilight as she began to read the letter swiftly, her eyes practically dancing as she sped-read the letter twice, before declaring, “Girls, get your things together! We have to get to Canterlot post-haste!”

“Post what now?” Rainbow Dash inquired, confused.

“It means that after we cast the level 3 Mage spell Haste to make us move faster, we have to send something via mail!” Pinkie explained, nodding wisely.

There was silence for just a moment, as nopony was stupid enough to even try to understand what Pinkie had just said, before they all split up, rushing to their respective houses to grab everything they would need to potentially save the world once more.

.o.O.o.

One mild sedation spell later, and Luna finally found herself to be in relative peace. Moonstone and Starlight had been taken care of, true, but the small filly had been in hysterics about her sister being hurt, and she knew of no other way to calm her. Currently, she was riding on the princess’ back, curled up into a tight ball, snoring cutely. 

Well, despite using up so much magic, We are feeling simply magnificent! We have vanquished those who openly confess to treasonous acts, and saved our most faithful subjects! Can this night get any better?

“LUNA! We would have words with you!” Celestia seethed, her eyes glaring daggers at her sister as she stomped forward, her guards nowhere in sight. 

Luna, however, was still feeling too jubilant to notice the obvious signs of her sister’s aggravation, and greeted her with great cheer. “Celes! What bringest thou so far out of the palace? Is this not thine normal relaxation time? What hath occurred that thou hast-”

”You frelling banished ponies to the sun without talking to me, that’s what happened, Luna!” Celestia hissed, her body tense.

Luna paused, frowning in thought as she tried to remember what had happened, still oblivious to her sister’s tone and word choice. “Oh... So? What’s the pr-”

“You didn’t ask! You don’t just use my power without permission, Luna! I don’t go banishing ponies to the moon all willy-nilly! Despite the movie I played in, I do NOT have a Banana Cannon! At least, as far as they know of...”

“But they deserved it!” Luna protested, trying to puzzle out why her sister was so upset with her.

“Because I’ve been waiting for decades to be able to banish somepony to the sun again! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a pony who has done something horrible enough to deserve that kind of punishment?! I’ve been waiting for forever to be able to do it again, and now, you’re saying that not only did you find said pony worthy of being banished, but then, then you had the audacity to send them to the sun... WITHOUT ME PRESENT!”

“It was not just one pony, though, it was an entire gang! If I had not hurried, then they would h-”

”What?!” Celestia gasped, her jaw dropping. “There was more than one of them?!”

“Well, yes, there were about fiv-”

“Shut up! That’s it! I’ve been trying to be patient with you, Luna, but this time, you have gone too far! Luna, consider yourself at war!” Celestia declared angrily, stomping a forehoof.

“W-what?! B-but We haven’t-”

“I don’t care! You’ve had plenty of time to catch up, and now it’s time for the war to begin anew! Prepare theyself, Lune, for on the morrow, you shall find yourself in such a world of pain in which you are not yet familiar!”

Luna gaped at her sister’s retreating form, stunned. “But... Last time, you...”

Luna snapped out of her musings when she felt small hooves on her back, shifting, before getting a hug. “Your coat is really soft and warm and pretty, Miss Princess Pony Lady! Thank you whole big bunches lots for letting me take a nap on you! Yous is so nice and soft, I’ll bet that you gets whole lots of ponies wanting to take naps on you! Did you want me to get off of you now, Miss Princess Pony?”

Luna just looked over her back, staring at the little filly, who was treating her like she would anypony else, and that thought... Luna smiled widely, nodding gently at the filly. “Thou may stayest as long as thou likest, little one.”

“Yush! Thankyou, Miss Best Pretty Princess Pony! You’ve, like, gotta be the bestest princess pony in the whole wide world, because your mane is all sprinkly and shiny, and it goes ‘woosh!’ in the wind, just like that, and you’re really pretty, but you’re not a meanie head Mcmeanieson like most of dose nobleses are, cause they can be really bad, but you’re not like them, because you let me sleep on you, and if I tried to do that with them then they would just yell at me to leave them all alone, but I don’t understand why they do that, because I get all saddened when I’m all aloneded, so why would they want to be left all alone, because that makes no sense, because everypony has lots moar fun when they’re with other ponies, which is why I’m liking to play with you, because you know that you don’t wanna be all alone, so will you like to be my friend?Pwease?! Me promises to be good! Frost my harp and poke two dies!”

Luna just watched as the filly made a couple of strange motions, before collapsing, gasping for breath. Luna was filled with a strange warmth as she watched the little filly look up at her, expectantly, her eyes growing wider and wider as she worried that the Princess wouldn’t want to be her friend. “Little one,” Luna started gently, making sure to keep her voice even. “I would... love to be your friend. So what’s your name?”

“Yush! ~I’m friends wivva princess! I’m friends wivva princess!~” the creame-coated filly chanted excitedly, jumping up and down on Luna’s back. “I’m Milky Way, but everypony calls me Milly!”

“M-Milky Way?! As in the galaxy that...” Oh my... Ponies... actually care about my night now? There are certainly enough names to suggest that, but...

She was jarred from her thoughts as Milly snuggled against the alicorn, cooing, “Yous is the bestest princess ever...”

Luna found her eyes starting to water a little as she watched the little filly snuggle against her, getting ready to fall back asleep. No wonder Celes... That’s why she tries so hard to make... She wants everypony to be able to feel as safe as Milly does...

When a scream pierced the tranquility of the night, Luna jumped, looking around to discern where it came from, only to see Milly streaking across the ground towards the tall white building much faster than she should have been able to, screaming, “Sissy!”

.o.O.o.

Darkness. Moonstone laid still, trying to force himself awake. He felt odd, heavy. Forcing himself to remain quiet, he focused, slowly forcing his eyelids open. It was oppressively dark in the room, though his ears were the next to recover their use. A slow, steady beep could be heard to his right. He blinked, then winced as he felt a sharp pain in his foreleg. Lifting it, he made out a small, metal stick poking into his leg. Using a short burst of magic, he gripped it and slowly dragged it out, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as it fell to the floor.

He looked back down when his other foreleg started to throb in dull pain. He was aghast at what he saw, struggling not to panic. There was this strange, hard, white... Thing covering his entire lower leg! It was a little heavy, too, he noted. He looked around the room quickly, discovering that he was, indeed, alone. There was a wide window to his right, a possible means of escape.  He took a few, hobbled steps forward, not noticing the heart monitor cease its beeping, when he noticed something horribly wrong. 

My cape! Those bastards stole my cape! Those stupid... My earring! Panicking, he sat on his haunches, lifting his uninjured hoof to his ear, melting in relief that it was still in place. Oh thank Luna... I can replace the cape, but... Wait, why do I get the feeling I’m forgetting...

He frowned in thought, stopping his advance towards the window. What happened before I... Starlight!

He whirled around, heading straight for the door with a new-found purpose. I have no idea where the hell I am, but if they’ve got me here, then they must have taken Lady Starlight here, and maybe even... No, they wouldn’t dare to capture a filly and stick things in her! If they hurt either of them, I swear they’ll wish they were never born!

He crept to the door, peeking out of the blinds covering it to look outside. It appeared that it was empty, but Moonstone wasn’t about to take any chances. He cracked open the door, ready to start sneaking his way down the hall, when he heard a high-pitched scream. Starlight!

He broke out into a fast gallop, wincing whenever his front foreleg hit the ground, but he pushed through the pain. It was only dull, so it wasn’t important. At least, it wasn’t important to him yet. He only made it a few yards when he heard the scream again, panicked, coming from the next room. Pushing himself faster, he burst into the room, seeing several ponies in white capes trying to hold Starlight down, and one of them had another one of those metal sticks, with some liquid in it! They’re trying to poison her!

Adrenaline aiding him, he used a burst of magic to push the evil captors away from Starlight. She quickly scrambled off of the bed and into the corner, her eyes wild. Moonstone ran between them, coming to a halt in front of Starlight, quickly erecting a barrier between themselves and their captors. Moonstone also noted that they had put a white restraint on Starlight’s wing, presumably to prevent her from flying away to escape. “Lady Starlight, are you okay?!”

“No!” she yelled hysterically, clutching him tightly. “T-they won’t tell me what’s going on, or where we are, or where Milly is!” Turning to face the ponies on the other side of the barrier, she screeched, “Where’s Milly?! Give her back to me!”

“M-ma’am, Sir, I need you both to calm down for just a moment-” the first captor said in a slow, condescending voice, before Starlight shouted at him again.

“I will not just calm down until you give me Milly back! What have you done to my sister?!”

“Miss, if you would just-”

“SISSY!”

Moonstone dropped the barrier mere inches before Milky Way would have impacted with it, creating a new barrier just for the captors, making it so that they wouldn’t be able to leave. 

“MILLY!”

Milky Way crashed headlong into Starlight, who caught her with her unbound wing. Starlight crushed Milly to herself, holding her tight with a foreleg and a wing, while the other stroked Milly’s mane swiftly. While her sister sobbed into her coat, Starlight murmured into her sister’s ear, trying to comfort her. “Shh, it’s okay now, it’s alright. We’re together again, and Moonstone is going to get us out of here, and then we’ll go home and have our popcorn, okay? We’re going to be just fine.”

“Y-y-you’re not betterer yet, though! T-the docers said that you need to rest, or your wing will, will never get betterer! Why are you fighting the docers? Did-did they wanna give you a shot?”

“D-doctors?” Starlight asked with a gasp, pulling her head up sharply to look at the ponies once more, just in time to see Luna walk into the room. “P-Princess Luna!”

Everypony but Moonstone bowed, staying low to the ground. Moonstone, however, felt his head throb when he looked at Princess Luna. His body throbbed next, sending him to his knees. His vision faded as he heard voices echoing in his head. Vaguely, he saw Starlight trying to speak to him, but no words came from her mouth. He turned his head towards Luna, his breathing labored. 

“Moonstone, are you alright? Thou shouldst not worry, thou art safe.”

’Are you alright? Don’t worry, kid, I’ll keep you safe,’ an elderly stallion said weakly, lying on the dirt road.

Moonstone’s vision continued to waver, no longer able to tell the difference between reality and memories. He was only vaguely aware of what Luna was saying, only catching the ending phrase. “... and then you shall be able to return home. Moonstone? Art thou alright?”

“H-home?” Moonstone mumbled. “W-where’s home?”

As Luna answered, her voice and the stallion’s voice he was hearing began overlapping and intermingling. “Home is-” ’where the heart is. Home is wherever-’ “thou wantest is to be.”

Moonstone, his senses overwhelmed, collapsed, his mind being blissfully sent to the realm of unconsciousness.

.o.O.o.

“Moonstone!” Starlight called out, watching in horror as he passed out against her. She scrambled to check his pulse, but calmed down ever so slightly when she saw his chest still moving. “What’s wrong with him?! Luna, tell me what’s wrong with him!”

Luna lifted Moonstone onto one of the available beds in the room, dragging the second bed over as well, motioning for Starlight to take the other bed, dismissing the doctors when they tried to protest. “Leave Us! If We have need of you, We will call. We thank you for your time, but We will take care of Mr. Moonstone now. And yes, the animal stays! We will send little Galexia for you if we need something.”

The doctors were upset about being dismissed, but could say nothing to contradict the princess of the night. Once they were alone, Luna turned back to Moonstone, her horn glowing as she started to examine Moonstone’s body. “P-Princess? Wh-what’s wrong with Moonstone? H-he’s going to be okay, right? W-what happened to him? Why are we here?”

Luna glanced over to the pegasus clutching Milly in fear, still stroking her mane soothingly. “We will do Our best to explain, but please, calm thyself. Thou art worrying thine sister.”

Starlight eased up on her hug, her heart breaking slightly when she saw the fear and uncertainty in Milky Way’s eyes. “I-it’s okay, Milly, I’ll be fine. I’m just a little... Shook up and disoriented. Can you give me a smile?”

Milly slowly gave a tentative smile, and Starlight felt a large weight lifted from her stomach, allowing herself to smile as well. After the two sisters shared a loving nuzzle, Luna started speaking quietly while she kept examining Moonstone. “We only know what Moonstone told us, so there may be more to the story than what he told Us. Moonstone was watching out for you, because you were giving Milky Way a- now what did he call it?”

“A Griffin-back ride!” Milly cheered, her eyes going wide. “Those are like the bestest things ever! If I was a pegasus, I would never ever ever ever ever come down!”

“Yes...” Luna nodded, agreeing with the filly. 

Luna continued to explain what happened while Starlight was unconscious, leaving Starlight shocked as to what Moonstone had done trying to protect her. “H-he did what?! H-he tried to kill them?”

“Oh, there’s no ‘try’ about it. I saw his eyes when he cut the spell. Then again, maybe it would have been better if I had allowed him to kill them. Even if the spell didn’t keep them trapped there forever, being banished to my sister’s sun is more than punishment enough. Although, it is impossible to know what exactly they were going to do to you. They could have ra-”

Luna paused in mid-sentence, her eyes having caught Milky Way’s. It occurred to her, almost belatedly, that she couldn’t say whatever she wanted to, not with such young ears listening. The little filly was clearly already traumatized enough just having her sister’s wing broken. To even suggest anything worse might send the little filly over the edge. And then there were Starlight’s eyes as well, her eyes wide open in fright and shock. It was clear she knew what Luna was about to say. Luna could see the panic starting to well inside, and tried to think quickly what she could say to calm the pegasus back down, but luckily, she didn’t have to do anything.

“Star!”

A sleek, elegant pegasus stood at the door, panting heavily, before jumping forward, spreading her wings for an additional boost to her height as she dove down on Starlight and Milky Way, wrapping them both tightly in a hug. Tears leaked from her eyes as she held them close, wings wrapped around them. 

“Mum! Oh mom, I-”

“Are you alright?! What happened?!” the deep violet pegasus mare asked, her eyes shimmering with both shed and unshed tears. 

“W-we... I’ll explain later... Right now, I just...” Starlight stopped talking, hugging her mother back as she and her sister were wrapped in their mother’s embrace. As she felt another pair of forelegs wrap around her, she knew that her father had joined them as well. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to start dozing in the safety of her family’s embrace, until Milky Way piped up with a question. “Sissy? Why is Moony shivering? Is he afraid of something? Is he cold?”

Her mother took Milky into her forelegs, holding her away from the strange stallion that was unconscious in the next bed, connected to Starlight’s. “W-who’s that?”

Starlight stretched her good wing over Moonstone, flinching for just a moment as she felt how cold he was. “T-this is Moonstone,” she stammered from both cold and nerves, knowing what it looked like. “He’s the one who saved us. He had agreed just this morning to help teach Milly how to use magic.”

Starlight’s mother just laid on the other side of her daughter, struggling to process why her daughter was lying next to a stallion she had only just met that day, when Luna jarred her from her thoughts, declaring, “We can find nothing wrong. We can only surmise that he passed out from shock or exhaustion. Sir... Digit, was it? We have needs to speak with you outside. If thou wouldst follow Us...”

Nodding, Pi followed Luna out of the room, leaving Starlight alone with her mother, sister, and Moonstone. Milky was, by then, asleep, curled under her mother’s wing, snuggled as close as she could, smiling happily in her sleep. Her mother, Serene Breeze, watched her daughters for a moment, trying to be content in the knowledge that they were both safe. Noticing her daughter’s cast again, though, she started to frown, wondering aloud, “What happened?”

Starlight jumped in surprise, turning to her mother, before glancing away guiltily, her face downcast. “I... That’s a long story, mom. You don’t want to-”

“Star,” her mother said quietly, cutting her off. “I need to know what happened. I’m not upset, I’m just...”

“I... I can’t,” Starlight said quietly, looking away. “You’d be so disappointed...”

She turned back to her mother when she felt Breeze nuzzling her. Starlight, trying to hold back tears, sighed heavily, leaning against her mother as she gave in to her request, her eyes watering. “D-don’t hate me,” she whispered, before starting to explain.

.o.O.o.

“Then you did what?!” Serene gasped, her eyes wide in shock.

Starlight couldn’t bring herself to answer, instead just burying her face in her mother’s coat, ashamed. Serene opened her mouth to lecture her daughter, hoping to get her to understand just how disappointed she was in her actions, when she paused for a moment to listen to Starlight’s sobbing. Her daughter wasn’t one to overly cry to get out of getting in trouble, but she couldn’t be sure. Well, in the past, if she was trying to get out of it... Well, first of all, she would be downplaying what she said and how he reacted. And if she’s just trying to avoid punishment, then a simple...

“How...” Starlight started to ask, pausing to try to regain her composure as her voice cracked. “How am I supposed to make it up to him? How am I supposed to help him, show him I’m sorry if-”

"If you’re only going to help him because you owe him, then stop right there,” Serene snapped, interrupting.

“W-what?” Starlight gasped, jerking her head back, allowing her mother a good look at her eyes.

Well, at least she isn’t faking it. Her eyes never got puffy like that when she faked it. Oh honey, what have you done... Taking a second to think, Serene leaned forward, nuzzling her distraught daughter, wiping away her tears before sighing, “Oh my eldest... What am I going to do with you?” she cooed, her voice laden with concern. “I raised you better than that. You help others because it’s the right thing to do, not because you feel guilty for what you did or said. Help in that manner is not done for their sake, but for your own, to soothe your own guilt. All that does it make it worse, not better, can’t you see?”

Her daughter nodded wordlessly, closing her eyes as she tried not to cry anymore. “B-but then...”

Serene shushed her, noticing that at the same time her daughter hugged her tighter, she also used her wing to pull Moonstone slightly closer to her as well. Serene opened her mouth, debating if she should say anything, before asking slowly, “Star, I... I don’t want to assume about something that might not be, or to embarrass you, but... Do you... like Moonstone?”

“Wh-I... Uh...” Starlight looked down, blushing slightly. “I don’t know,” she admitted in a whisper, feeling her face heat up. “I mean, he... I...”

“Shh,” Serene hushed, calming her daughter. “No need to get riled up! I shouldn’t have pried, and if you don’t know, that’s fine. I just saw your wing and jumped to conclusions.”

Soothed by her mother’s soft voice, she relaxed, suddenly feeling very much exhausted. Struggling to stay awake, she mumbled, “So what’s going to happen now? Are you going home to sleep?”

Serene pulled up the blankets, tucking her daughters and Moonstone in as best as she could. She leaned forward over the bed, kissing Starlight on the forehead, whispering, “Never. I’ll be here when you wake up, don’t worry. Sweet dreams, my shining Star.”

Thus encouraged, Starlight surrendered to dreamland, falling asleep, while her mother watched over them, protecting them from whatever might come their way.

.o.O.o.
> Chapter the Twelfth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a long night for Twilight Sparkle. They had made it to the train with only minutes to spare, though luckily there was still a car available just for them, allowing them to rest in peace. Or so she thought. Instead, she spent the entire night tossing and turning. She sighed, looking out of the train window next to her, looking out at the night sky rushing above. She idly tried to invent some new constellations, since that often helped her sleep when she slept outside in the summer. It was already late autumn, the Running of the Leaves having occurred several weeks ago in preparation for winter. 

Let’s see, new constellations... Wait, let’s try something new. How about... making my friends cutie marks? Sure, that sounds like fun, Twilight mused to herself, staring at the stars with half lidded eyes. 

Okay, challenge accepted! Who can I find first? Aha! There’s a butterfly to the east... I guess that could count as an apple to the north-east. Oh, there’s a lightning bolt for Dash! That just leaves Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

Twilight’s eyelids slowly fell further and further as she tried to find her last two friends cutie marks, but dreamland slowly stole the mare away from reality, allowing her body to finally rest.

.o.O.o. 

When the train arrived in Canterlot, Twilight was forced into the realm of the living by her friends, who forced her out of the car before the train could make a return trip. She stumbled a bit as she exited, a small pebble bouncing along the sidewalk just outside of the train station. Worried, the rest of the elements waited for Twilight to catch up, surrounding her for support. “Twi, there something wrong, sugarcube? Didn’t sleep well?”

“Yeah, I-” Twilight interrupted herself with a tired yawn, attempting to hide it behind a hoof, but failing. “I had the strangest dream last night, but I can’t remember it. I remember seeing all of your cutie marks, but-”

“Gee, that’s kind of funny you should say that, Twilight, cause that’s what I dreamed about too!” Pinkie giggled, trying to share her energy with the purple unicorn. “And then my cutie mark was all like ‘this is super important and stuffs, so I’m gonna talk really slow so that you will remember this, so listen carefully,’ and I was all like ‘Gee, this is kinda boring! Why is it talking so slowly? It should totally talk faster because the faster you talk the more you can say to other ponies and get to know them better because that’s the best part about talking to getting to know other ponies!’ And then I was so excited about meeting the pony that was speaking, but then I realized that it was still talking, so I listened again, and it was all ‘the end of peace and harmony as you now know it will soon be over if you do not tell them what I have said’ and I was like ‘Wait, what? Hey, what’s your name? My name’s Pinkie Pie! Wanna be friends?’ but then it woke up!”

Pinkie huffed in annoyance as everypony looked at her. She glanced around, then asked, “What? It’s true!” After a moment, comprehension dawned on her face. “Oh, the message! Right! Lemme think for a sec.”

“But, Pinkie dear, you were talking the entire time it was speaking,” Rarity protested. “How could you possibly remember what it was saying if you-”

“Everything that has a beginning, has an end, Laughter,” Pinkie said somberly, her hair becoming strangely straighter for a moment. 

Twilight felt a slight throb in her head, the beginnings of a headache, but she pushed it aside. She waited for Pinkie to continue, until she realized that there wasn’t anything else. “That’s it? Well gee, that’s annoyingly cryptic! And was it calling you laughter, or was it saying that laughter has a beginning and an end?”

“T-the nightmare,” Fluttershy whimpered, ducking behind Rarity. “T-that sounded just like my nightmare...”

“What?” Twilight then turned to Fluttershy, the group forced to stop walking as Fluttershy cowered behind Rarity. 

“I-I... I forgot about it once I woke up, but I had a really bad nightmare. N-Nightmare Moon was chasing me, and she was making fun of me, saying that kindness n-never got you ahead in life, and that she was going to come back to show me... I-it was really, really scary,” she squeaked, barely audible. 

“Okay... That... is an interesting coincidence,” Twilight laughed nervously, trying to ease the tension. “I mean, everypony is bound to have crazy dreams like that every once in awhile, right?”

Applejack nodded her agreement. “Ain’t that the truth! Ah mean, ah dreamed that ma pappy was lecturin me again for lyin about what happened to ‘is hat! Ah mean, ah didn’t even remember that having happened until ah woke up! Ah think that was actually the first time ah had lied about anything, too. But then he said somethin ah don’t ever remember hearin... Somethin about... work not bein’ complete, and he wanted me ta do it, but ah don’t remember what it was he said...”

“I guess that ‘when it rains, it pours’, so to speak, when it comes to strange dreams,” Rarity mused.

“W-what?” Twilight asked slowly, struggling to fight off the strange sensation she was feeling grow in the pit of her stomach.

“Indeed,” Rarity nodded, frowning. “I was making a dress-”

“Like that’s a surprise,” Rainbow Dash snorted, earning her one hoof bump from Applejack, and a glare from Rarity, who had been interrupted. 

“As I was saying,” Rarity continued, doing her best to ignore Rainbow Dash. “I was creating a dress. Nothing out of the ordinary, yes? It was bold, daring, and one of the best pieces I had ever created! When I turned around, however, I was confronted by this horrid, hideous shadow-like thing! It had the nerve to laugh at me, saying I had wasted my chance to become popular by being generous! Needless to say, I merely laughed at it, and it started to disappear, but as it did so, I woke in a cold sweat with a start, the words seeming to taunt me from the shadows, as if I were still dreaming, and not awake. It said, ‘Happy endings may be nice, but evil lasts forever! Don’t waste your time fighting the inevitable, foal!’ It... still makes me nauseous just thinking about it,” Rarity shuddered, looking away.

I-it’s nothing. It’s just coincidence... right? There’s no way that-

“Hey, that kinda sounds like my dream,” Rainbow Dash said shakily, before adding swiftly, “not that I was scared! Heck no! It started off great, you know? I was a filly again, and I was flying for the first time, but I was as fast as I am now! Well then this black thing was trying to chase me, so I started to fly faster, do barrel rolls, you know, try to get rid of it in general. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t shake it! Once it got close, it grabbed me, sneering ‘You can’t run from your problems forever, little pegasus! Unless you face it head on and kill it, it will always come back!’ At that point, it just let go of me, and then I woke up. It was a little freaky, yeah, but it’s not like... Hey, Twilight, are you alright? You look like you’re gonna-”

Twilight heard no more as she blacked out, falling unconscious to the ground as her friends rushed to her side, calling her name.

.o.O.o.

Darkness... At first Moonstone was simply unconscious, but as the night wore on, he slowly began to dream, if it could be called that. Moonstone, a strange voice declared, the voice echoing all around him. 

“What? Who’s there?! Show yourself!”

No, I don’t think so, the voice replied smugly. I don’t think that would be in my best interest. Besides, you’re in for a, shall we say, busy night? Have fun! the voice faded, insane laughter fading behind it.

Moonstone tried to take a step forward, but was immediately trapped by dark purple sludge on his hooves. Moonstone tried to pull it off with his natual strength, and then with his magic, but to no effect. It slowly grew, enveloping the stallion until there was nothing left.

Silence... Moonstone opened his eyes, but was, again, all alone on the strange black plane. He turned around, looking, hoping to see another pony, but there was nothing. “Hello?”

There was no respone, not even an echo of his question. He took a step forward into the darkness, but paused. Huh? But... Why wasn’t there a sound?

He took another step, but again heard nothing. Worried, he started trotting forward, but his hooves made not a noise. Panicking, he started galloping, but not even the pounding of his hooves could be registered, the heavy panting of his breath not reaching his ears. He slowed to a canter, then a trot, before finally stopping, trying not to panic. It-it’s okay... This is clearly just a dream. I have nothing to worry about...

“Hello, Moonstone,” a feminine voice came from the side, greeting him smoothly.

Moonstone whirled around, wanting to keep an eye on the new, strange pony. She seemed to be both formless and beautiful at the same time, though there was something about her presence... She was sitting, but everything about her, from her face, to her posture, to her tone, all conveyed her superiority over all other ponies, yet her voice still seemed to drip with honey nevertheless. “I’ve been waiting quite a long time for you, you know...”

“Who are you?! What is your name, and how do you know mine?” Moonstone demanded, taking a defensive posture.

“My my, so eager to fight, are we? I... have been called many things, but I suppose I shall allow you to know me simply as Night. As to who you are, why, that’s simple,” she laughed coyly, raising her foreleg to cover her laughing mouth. “I am you.”

“What? You are not me, you’re a mare!” Moonstone protested, backing away, but not daring to look from the mare. She was pure black in the coat, her mane and tail blood red, and her eyes were eerily white.

“Thank you for noticing,” she simpered with fake modesty. “I suppose, rather, that I am like you. Lonely. Special. Strong. Intelligent. Resourceful... However, I am also, sadly, alone... At least, until I met you.”

“W-what?” Moonstone asked, his guard lowered ever so slightly. “What are you talking about? I’m not lonely! I have Galexia, and all of the new friends I’ve made!”

“Ahh yes, I forgot one of the things you are that I am not,” she continued, ignoring his outburst. “Naive. Find me, and I will tell you all there is you could ever want to know.”

“Oh yeah, like what?!” Moonstone retorted, his guard going back up.

“Like where your family is, first of all,” the mare said casually, her tail curling around her hooves like a cat. 

“What!” Moonstone’s ears shot straight up in shock. The magic he had been starting to charge he allowed to dissipate. Regardless of whether or not she’s telling the truth, she knew enough to know that I’m looking for my family, and if she knows where they are, either she can lead me to them, or she’s holding them captive. Either way, keeping her talking would be in my best interests... “How do you-”

“It’s magic,” she replied simply, buffing a hoof on her chest fur. “I don’t have to explain anything to you... Though I suppose I might as well, if only a little bit. Your family is still alive. You have a younger sister, and despite everything her friends say, she still believes, like your mother, that you’re still alive.”

Moonstone sat in shock, his mind racing a million miles a second. Is... is it true? Can she really be telling the truth? How can I trust her? What if she’s jus-

Moonstone felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his back, causing him to collapse, but when he turned his head, there was no one there. The black mare surged to her hooves, her expression no longer idle, but hard, ready to fight. “Moonstone, on your guard! The Nightmare is trying to possess you! You must fight!”

Though a small, calculating part of his mind reminded him that this was ‘just’ a dream, the rest of his senses told him that the threat was very real. Closing his eyes, he focused his magic, trying to fight off the intruder, but not knowing where the attack was coming from, he had no idea how to fight it off...

.o.O.o.

Starlight had woken up in the early morning, feeling completely refreshed, but at a twinge from her still-broken wing, she contented herself with dozing, idly scooting slightly closer to Moonstone in the process. She twisted her head to the side, the weight on her back shifting as well. She heard a clicking sound, followed by her mother’s giggling. Groaning, Starlight mumbled, “Mum, what’re you doing? ‘M tryin t’ sleep...”

“Oh nothing, nothing at all, Star,” her mother said sweetly, leaning over the bed to peck her daughter in the snout. You’d better hope that he’s a gentlecolt, Star, or I swear I’m going to make him look and wish that he was born a mare...

All was peaceful in the room after that, but only for a few moments. As Luna walked into the room, the princess saw the two dozing ponies, gasping loudly. “W-what are th-”

Reacting instinctively, Serene Breeze shoved her hoof into Luna’s mouth, effectively silencing her as she hissed, “Shh, you’re going to wake them! You want to talk, you do your talking outside, Missy!”

There was silence for a moment as the two mares looked at each other in stunned silence. Luna was simply shocked that somepony had the audacity to tell her, the princess, to shush! 

Serene, however, only just noticed who it was she told to be quiet, and felt the color slowly drain from her face. She swallowed hard, before continuing, “M-my daughter needs her rest, and I won’t let anypony disturb her needlessly! W-what can I help you with, Your Highness?”

Luna blinked, then narrowed her eyes, glaring down at the hoof in her mouth, which was quickly withdrawn. Luna then walked stiffly out of the room, Serene following behind. She closed the door behind her, and turned to face the princess, very nervous, when the dark indigo alicorn fell to her haunches, laughing uproariously. “Thou hast some amount of bravery, telling Us to be quiet! What is thy name?”

“S-Serene Breeze,” the pegasus replied meekly, her ears folded back on her head. 

Luna noticed, and continued to giggle, mostly containing herself. “Thou shouldst not worry, Lady Breeze, We are not upset. We are most appreciative that thou carest so much for thine daughter and Moonstone, but...”

“B-but?” she asked hesitantly, nervously awaiting for the princess to continue.

“W-we were just... We were not expecting to see... A-are ponies today so open about their relationships? I-I mean I know...”

“What, their sleeping together?” Serene asked, confused. “They just fell asleep like that because of what happened last night. It’s not like they’re ‘sleeping together’. They’re just... sleeping together, you know? Didn’t you and Princess Celestia ever sleep together?”

“W-well, b-but that... it’s not... That is not the same thing!” Luna flustered, blushing heavily.

“But it is the same idea,” Serene continued, though she was blushing slightly as well. “I... won’t deny that I think they obviously like each other, but it might take some nudging on one or both sides to make anything happen.”

“Well, then it wouldst be best if we-”

“Mom?! T-there’s something wrong with Moonstone!” Starlight called out from behind the door, scrambling to get out of bed.

Serene and Luna rushed into the room to see Starlight backing into a corner, fear in her eyes as Moonstone had a miniature seizure attack on the bed. When Luna started to use her magic to restrain Moonstone, he snarled ferally, and everyone backed up in shock. His eyes were pitch-black, energy radiating through his entire body.

Luna narrowed her eyes, changing her spell. Moonstone tried to fight it off, his body still twitching as his horn glowed in response. Starlight, too worried to stand by any longer, rushed forward, throwing her body on top of Moonstone’s to help keep him from moving. She did her best to keep him from moving, but he was still larger and stronger than she was. Desperate, she looked to Luna, who grunted, “Surprise him... It might be enough to ruin his concentration.”

“Wah!” Serene Breeze shouted from behind Moonstone, but the only effect it has was starting her daughter, causing her to nearly lose her balance, before getting back on top of Moonstone.

“Get some water! Maybe that’ll work!” Starlight suggested quickly.

Serene grabbed a large pitcher of water from the nearby end-table, but it had no effect. Starlight continued to wrestle with Moonstone while Luna attempted her spell yet again. Starlight was just grateful that Moonstone was on his side, leaving him with less leverage than he would otherwise. She was constantly pushing forward, preventing him from getting right-side up, where he’d be able to get on all fours and run away. She looked to her mother and to Luna, but it was clear they were out of ideas. Starlight thought frantically for inspiration, but found nothing, save for a single idea...

Why do I get the feeling I’m going to regret this more than normal? Starlight took a deep breath, psyching herself, before leaning down, kissing Moonstone deeply.

Shock factor was what Starlight was aiming for, and by Luna that’s what she got. Her kiss not only stunned ‘Moonstone’, but also her mother and Princess Luna. Starlight did her best to ignore her surroundings, concentrating only on not freaking out, her eyes clamped shut. Okay, just stay calm. Luna will cast the spell any second now, and then I can stop kissing him. You had better be grateful! It's not like I'm kissing you because I like you or anything! You stupid, ignorant, infuriating, paranoid, quirky, handsome, kind, caring... Wait, what?

After several tense seconds, Luna was the first to finally recover, channeling the energy to her horn for the needed spell. Moonstone’s body radiated light for a moment, auras clashing briefly, before Luna finally won. Before Luna could even begin to give a rousing huzzah, however, another disaster struck.

Now, over the years, many rules and laws have been established. One such law was Maregan’s Law, which stated that if anything could go wrong, it would. However, it was a pony named Marephy who expanded upon that law,  stating that if anything could go wrong, it would, at the worst time. However, due to recent, and upcoming, events, Starlight was ready to go to whoever it was that made these laws well-known to present her findings upon a variation of Marephy’s Law, which she was going to call The Parent Law. If your parents can show up to humiliate you, they will, at the worst given opportunity. Sadly, that was the case as Moonstone’s possession came to an end.

“For not being your coltfriend, you sure are affectionate, Sonata.”

Starlight, who had just started to lift her head, froze, her brain threatening to crash on her. She slowly turned to her mother, glaring for all she was worth. “You couldn’t have warned me he was there?!”

Milky Way sat on her father’s back, her filly eyes wide open, yet unable to process what had just happened. “What?! B-but... You’re not in a tree! But...” 

Her filly mind left in shambles, trying to comprehend how she could have kissed Moonstone but not be in a tree, her father continued, not noticing that Moonstone was unconscious once more. “You know, Star, I think you would enjoy it a lot more if you weren’t so tense! You’ve got to relax! Here, try again and I’ll tell y-”

Thwack!

Digit Pi’s face rocked as he was punched quite hard in the head, snapping it to the a bit as Starlight started to rage. “Shut up! Just shut up! I’ve had it with you! What the buck have I done to get treated like this?! Is this supposed to be punishment for something, is that it?! All you ever do is tease me, and make fun of me, and order me around! Well you know what?! I’ve had it! You used to help me when I was a filly, encouraged me, and cheered me up when I needed it. What the buck happened?! I grew up?! Now that I’m an adult, all I’m good for is somepony for you to make fun of, to mock?! Well guess what, dad, I’ve had it! You want me gone so bad, I’ll go! I hate you!” she screamed, tears running down her cheeks. “If I never hear another word from you, it’ll be too soon! Goodbye!”

Shoving her father to the side as she ran away, Starlight tore down the hall, tears falling from her cheeks to the floor beneath. Where she went, she did not know nor care. She ran down the halls as she came upon them, until she finally came upon a room equipped with a television set, and several couches and chairs. Not caring if there were other ponies in the room, she quickly choose the closest chair she saw, curling up on the cushion as she started to weep in earnest.

.o.O.o.

Moonstone awoke with a pounding headache, barely making out somepony yelling. He opened his eyes with strain as the world slowly unblurred, coming into focus. He blinked, setting his eyes straight as he watched Starlight and Digit Pi talk. He couldn’t really make out what they were saying, due to an odd ringing in his ears, but he tried to ignore it as he struggled to remember what had just happened. I feel like I’ve been running for hours... What happened? I was dreaming, talking to that strange black mare, and then... Oh yeah, she told me that something was trying to possess me! I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?

He started to look around the room, noting that nopony seemed harmed, calming him, though only for a moment, as his eyes finally caught sight of Starlight, who was crying. I-I hurt her?!

He sat up quickly, opening his mouth to say something, anything to catch her attention so that he could apologize. He watched in horror as she stormed out of the room, her eyes full of tears. His body reacted faster than his brain could process, rolling off the side of the bed to land on his hooves, running and out the door the second his hooves touched the ground. He tried his best to keep up, but his injured leg slowed him down far more than he thought it would, forcing him to stop and catch his breath while he looked down the available hallways, trying to guess which direction Starlight went. He looked down at his forelegs, choosing to follow his uninjured leg to the right, hoping that was the right way.

.o.O.o.

Digit Pi sat down in shock, startled at where this was all coming from. I haven’t been that bad! Have I? I... Wait, what?!

He was barely aware of his daughter’s words as he watched her run off, sobbing. Oh dear Celestia... What did I do?

As he turned to face his wife, his head exploded in pain, forcing him to sag to his stomach, cradling his head in his forelegs as his wife started to talk in the once voice he dreaded the most: simpering. “Princess Luna, dear, would you mind being a sweet and watch little Milky Way for a bit? I need to have a few words with my  husband.”

Luna arched an eyebrow at the request, but quickly levitated the creame-coated filly onto her back, taking the fallen box of donuts as she left. “Come, little one, let Us find thy sister and break our fast with her.”

She did not make it far, however, before she had to stop in order to comfort the confused filly on her back, trying to figure out why her family was hurting and arguing with each other. Not knowing how to explain to the little filly what had happened, Luna simply decided to settle with comforting the filly, reassuring her that, no, it was not her fault, and that everything would be alright in the end.

“W-will you use your super special fantastical princess powers if it doesn’t?” Milly sniffed, trying to be a big filly and not cry.

While Luna was hesitant to make such an extravagant promise, she also knew she could not resist the little filly’s pleading eyes. “I promise, Milky Way. Now, art thou ready to share breakfast with thine sister?”

The small filly’s stomach started to rumble, answering her question for her as she was levitated back onto Luna’s back. “Yush! And I’m really ready for some super yummy donuts because they’re like the best food in the world, except for banana muffins, because those have both bananas and muffins, and those are like the two best things ever in the whole world, except for maybe pancakes and donuts, though now I wonder what banana pancakes would taste like, because that sounds kinda yummy, and I-”

Luna couldn’t help but smile a bit as she trot down the hallways, listening to the now-normal filly on her back, who was happy to ramble on about anything and everything, so long as she was with a friend who was willing to listen. Besides, her energy is infectious! She would make a good nurse, perhaps, or maybe a motivational speaker, though her name suggests something to do with astronomy, perhaps discovering distant galaxies or planets, or perhaps... And now she has me doing it! This filly... 

Luna laughed quietly to herself, shaking her head slightly as she kept up the search for Moonstone and Starlight, allowing the filly to cheer her up, feeling more refreshed after preventing Moonstone from being possessed. Oh buck... I need to tell Tia about that so she can get the elements here as soon as possible!

.o.O.o.

The doors to the hospital’s ER burst open, startling the receptionist as Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy rushed in, all of them trying to explain what happened at once. After several seconds, they were all cowed into silence when they heard Twilight yell at them from the spot on the floor they had left her. “Girls! I am fine! Stop harassing the poor nurse, she looks like she’s about to go into shock herself!”

Twilight was barely standing, swaying back and forth precariously. Fluttershy, however, was in full assertive mode, and was not about to take ‘no’ for an answer. She shoved Twilight towards the receptionist, explaining firmly, “Um, our friend passed out while we were walking, and we’re worried that she might be dehydrated, so, um, if you could check for that, that would be nice. I mean, if you’re not too busy. We don’t want to bother you...”

The receptionist, however, was already calling for a doctor to be paged, before directing Twilight to a nearby room. “Please wait here for the doctor to come, miss. She should be along in just a moment. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask everypony else to sit in the waiting area, however. I’m sure you’re concerned, but we don’t want to clutter the room! No go on, shoo, shoo!”

.o.O.o.

While Moonstone had not been walking long, he was feeling strangely winded and light-headed. Must be from being possessed or whatever Moonstone thought to himself tiredly. He shook his head, forcing himself onward to find Starlight so that he could apologize. 

However, when he saw he on a chair in the next room, sobbing, he felt crushed. I... I did that? You must be insane, Moonstone! You think she’s going to just forgive you for whatever you did if she’s crying that hard? You’re an idiot! But... I have to try... I can’t just sit here and do nothing!

He walked forward slowly, his hooves making no sound on the soft carpet of the relaxation room. He stopped just short of the chair, his guilt growing with every sob he heard. He wondered for a moment if she should be looking her in the eye when he apologized, or if that would be rude, since she was crying. After wrestling with the question for a moment, he finally settled on clearing his throat, asking hoarsely, “L-Lady Starlight? I-I’m sorry...”

Starlight buried her head further into the corner of the chair, mumbling, “For what? You didn’t do anything to me, you moron.”

“W-well... W-what happened then?” Moonstone inquired, confused. “I though I must have hurt you earlier somehow, when that... thing was happening! What’s wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?”

He was left stuck as she remained silent, save for the occasional shuddering sob or gasp for breath. Well... What do I do now? If it wasn’t my fault, then what happened? What could I possibly do to cheer her up? Milly said that flowers and chocolates help, and so do poems, but I can’t really write, so... what do I do?

Left with no other ideas, he decided that if he couldn’t give her anything to cheer her up, he could at least show that he was there, and was willing to share the pain, so that she wouldn’t be alone. Carefully, he leaned forward with his bad leg, laying his head over her neck, trying to hug her as tightly as his bad leg would allow.

Starlight froze for a moment, trying to decide if it was a gesture of affection or comfort, before deciding that, really, she didn’t care one bit which it was, grateful to have any kind of comfort given from him. 

After a minute, she finally decided to turn back around to face Moonstone,laughing faintly from nerves, “Don’t look at me. I know I’m a horrible mess...”

“At least you’re a beautiful mess though,” Moonstone said before he could think about what he said. 

They both sat in silence for a moment, Starlight from shock, and Moonstone because he was still processing what he just said. When his eyes widened slightly, Starlight knew he realized what he had just said, and before she could help herself, started to troll him. She sighed dramatically, lamenting, “What a shame. And just when I was starting to like you... I guess I’d better go tell everypony to kick you out of town. Oh well... I don’t suppose you have anything else to say, now that you’re going to be kicked out?”

Moonstone’s heart dropped to his stomach, ashamed that he had slipped up so badly, and so carelessly at that! His head dipped to the floor in shame, thinking for a moment, but there wasn’t anything else major he could think of. Sighing, he stated,  “Worth it?”

Starlight couldn’t help it. After all of the drama going on in her life, she just simply could not hold it in. She burst out laughing like a hyena, leaning on Moonstone for support as she tried to breathe. Unfortunately for her, the air did not appear to want to cooperate with her, leaving Moonstone completely perplexed. “I’m... glad my getting kicked out is funny?”

“N-no,” she said, desperately trying to get herself back under control. “I-I was just joking! You just... You surprised me with what you said, and then your face!” she gasped, starting to laugh again. “You should have seen your face when you realized what you said! It was just too priceless! I couldn’t help myself!”

After Starlight calmed down, she noticed that Moonstone was smiling as well, though she couldn’t figure out why. “Why are you smiling? You realize I was, well... making fun of you for being stupid, right?” she asked hesitantly, already feeling bad about doing it again.

“Yeah, I know!” Moonstone replied cheerfully, confusing her further.

“Wait, what? But... Why are you so happy about it?” Starlight questioned, struggling to understand his logic.

“You’re smiling,” he said, grinning innocently. “If I have to be stupid to make you smile, then I’ll just have to do my best to be the stupidest pony in Equestria!”

Huh? He’s happy he’s stupid because... it made me smile? I... I’m a horrible pony... How? How could he be so happy that I smiled when he was the one who got made fun of? Does... does he like me?

Starlight didn’t know if she should be excited or worried, but had no further time to think about it as she heard a feminine, cultured voice remark, “Oh my, how romantic... It’s not fair! Why can’t there be any charming stallions living in Ponyville?”

As Moonstone and Starlight looked to see who was talking, they saw a group of five mares trotting in, though one of them immediately took to the air once they made it into the room.

Rainbow Dash snarkily commented, “Because, like you said, it’s Ponyville. You can’t get much more plain than Ponyville! You wanna hook up with somepony, you go looking.”

Romantic? Moonstone questioned, confused. Who or what was romantic? These ity ponies are so confusing!

Applejack and Fluttershy shared a brief look, but it was lost in the confusion as Pinkie Pie bounded forward to meet the two new ponies who were sharing the relaxation room with them while they waited for Twilight’s checkup to be completed.

“Hi, my name’s Pinkie Pie! Why are you guys-” she started to ask, when she saw the white casts on their limbs, gasping, “oh no, you broke your leg and wing? How did that happen?! Did you mess up the massage or something, because I know that it’s hard to pick up how to do a proper wing massage, so I could maybe give you guys some tips for when you do it the next time, though now I’m all curious as to what you do, because a masseuse would know how to do a proper wing massage, so what were you two doing with-Ohmygosh! You’re a couple, how exciting! Come on, just follow Auntie Pinkie Pie and she’ll teach you everything there is to know about a proper massage!”

Moonstone and Starlight Sonata just sat still, though, stunned, though for different reasons. 

A wing massage? What’s that? Is that something I’m supposed to be giving Lady Starlight “Wait, you can teach me how to give a wing massage? Okay! What are they for?”

“What?!” Starlight exclaimed, jumping up, her uninjured wing snapping up. “I... you... that... We are not a couple!” she proclaimed with a blush, her heart starting to race. I... do we really look like a couple? That’s...

Rarity’s eyes lit up, taking a few light steps forward, introducing herself. “Oh, our apologies,” she said with a silkily. “My name is Rarity, and-”

“You sure? Cause ya don’t sound positive to me," Applejack interrupted, grinning slightly at Rarity’s shocked expression of outrage.

Starlight grew flustered, her face turning slightly darker as she struggled to regain her footing. “I... Oh, Milly!”

Exceedingly grateful for the distraction, she dropped all attempts attempts at being polite as she ran to her sister, pulling her into a tight hug. “Sissy, are you okay?” Milky Way asked worriedly, her voice sounding small even to Moonstone’s ears. “Why did you hit daddy?”

Starlight’s heart stopped for just a second, not having even considered the possibility that her sister had been there when she blew up at her father. She swallowed hard, her heart leaping to her chest while a stone fell into her stomach. What have I done? How am I possibly going to explain this to her? “I... he...”

“It’s complicated, Milly,” Moonstone interrupted gently, sitting next to the little filly. 

“But whai? He-he’s daddy! Why-”

“Sometimes... when you’re a big pony,” Moonstone explained slowly, trying to figure out how to best explain it. “You get confused... Sometimes, everything happens so fast, that you don’t know what you’re doing until you’ve already done it. you might not mean it, but you just get so afraid, or angry, or nervous that you just say or do the very first thing you can think of. Your sister...”

“I was just so scared, Milly,” Starlight murmured in her sister’s ear, hugging her as tightly as she could. “I didn’t mean it, I promise! I... I’ll apologize to daddy later, okay? I’m so sorry...”

.o.O.o.

While the others talked in hushed tones, Rarity trotted over to Applejack stiffly, her smile not reaching her eyes. “Applejack, darling, might I have a word with you?”

“Certainly,” Applejack grinned back cheekily. 

Leaving Pinkie Pie to chat with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy staring into the large fish tank nearby, Applejack headed towards the corner of the room where they could have a semblance of privacy. 

"I cannot BELIEVE that you would go and-"

“Yeah, ah did. He was already spoken for in her eyes, or 'ave you forgotten how to use yer own?" Applejack retorted, narrowing her eyes.

"Hmph! Remind me never to use you as a wing-mare!" Rarity huffed.

"Oh really? Then ah guess you don't want ta know if a guy is lyin to ya or not, is that it?" Applejack smirked, knowing she won the argument.

“But... you... Why?” Rarity finally asked, her eyes pleading to know the answer.

“Cause he’s already spoken for, or have you forgotten how to use your eyes?” She repeated, snorting. “She might not know it with her brain, but her heart has already made its decision. You, of all ponies, should know you have no right trying to break somepony up before they’ve even had a chance to start.”

Rarity opened her mouth, but no words came out for a moment. She sighed bitterly, her head sagging towards the floor. “You’re right, as usual, Applejack, as infuriating as you are... It’s just not fair,” she whimpered, growing depressed.

“It’s even more unfair trying to stop something before it has a chance to blossom... Come on, Rares, cheer up. You’ll find ‘im one day, ah know it.”

Rarity struggled for a moment, before sighing, smiling slightly. “You are right again, as usual. A lady never gives up, even when it seems impossible... Come, let us mingle again, shall we?”

.o.O.o.
> Chapter the Thirteenth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Author's Note: I know it's short, and possibly a bit sloppy, and I'm sorry, but I just don't have time to properly edit it at this time. Grandparents have been here for FOREVER now, and I just... Don't have the energy. So if you see a decrease in quality, I apologize. (Though, really, I'm not sure why I care about quality since nobody ever leaves comments! xD I don't even know if anyone is reading this dren anymore. Meh, whatever. Too lazy to care if others care.


Luna shifted uncomfortably in place, unsure of how to break into the now-silent conversation in front of her, the three ponies just sitting in a hug. Seeking something to distract herself, she considered talking to the elements, but they made her nervous, uncomfortable without Twilight there, like they were incomplete. Her nervousness got the better of her, old habits arising once more.

Everypony in the room turned towards Princess Luna to see her face stuffed with donut holes, shocked, allowing Fluttershy to slip out of the room undetected, mumbling an excuse about needing some water. Luna chewed a few times, slowly, before trying to grin sheepishly. “Whug? Uh eag when uh geg nerbush!”

“Ish donut timez?!” Milky Way shouted, her eyes wide open with happiness, her mood swinging from depressed to overly excited as only foals can. “Yush! I wuv donuts! I can haz some please, missus pretty princess pony Loony? I’ve been gud, I promises!”

“Loony? You must love that little filly if you’re letting her get away with calling you that, Loony,” Princess Celestia smirked as she walked regally into the room, enjoying the guilty jump that Luna gave as she swallowed something. Ignoring all of the ponies who bowed to her, absent Milky Way and Moonstone, she asked, “So what are you eating? Oh, you’ve discovered donuts? Yes, they are good, aren’t they. Now, little one, what might your name be, and what made you choose such a nickname for her?”

“Hai miss pretty princess pony! You look a lot like miss Loony, but she’s all dark and cool like the night and you’re all really bright and stuff like the day, so I guess that’s why you can go ‘woosh!’ and raise the-the sun way up into the sky, like how Loony makes the moon do that at night with all the stars and comets and me-me... Meat-oars! Yeah, those! Anyways, we-”

“Breathe, Milly,” Starlight and Moonstone said in stereo. After a second they looked at each other in shock, before looking away, blushing.

“Milly, that’s your name?” Celestia questioned gently, laying down on the floor to be closer to the little filly.

“No! You, yous ish a silly filly!” the filly in question giggled, shaking her head like it was the silliest question in Equestria. “Hai, my name’s Milky Way, but my friends call me Milly, cause they said that it’s easier to remember than Milky Way, so I letted them call me that, even though I don’t think it’s that hard a name to-to amember, but... Hay, missus pretty princess sun pony, why you so saddened? Stop being saded, ish donuts! There- there’s no reason to be saded when there ish donuts, so stop being sad!”

The room was silent as just about everypony tried not to notice their ruler, Princess Celestia, struggling not to cry, her facial expressions fighting back and forth, though her voice echoed how hard she was striving to keep control. “I... see... She... She’s just like her, down to her speech pattern and energy... What’re the odds...”

“P-Princess Celestia?”

Everypony turned to look at the new arrival, and most everypony was glad to see her. “Twilight!”

She was immediately swept up into a massive group hug from her four friends, hugging her tightly before letting her down again, swarming her with questions as to if she was alright or not.

“Y-yes, I’m fine, just... faint, that’s all,” Twilight reassured them, smiling.

“I heard you passed out, and came as quickly as I could, dear student,” Princess Celestia said, embracing her student briefly. “Are you sure you’re alright? Did you pass out trying to teleport everyone here or something?”

“No, that-that’s not it... I know this might sound crazy, but Nightmare Moon... She’s coming back,” Twilight whispered, her eyes pleading with Celestia to believe her.

“Nightmare Moon? Who’s that?” Moonstone asked, his face falling into a frown. And why does that sound so familiar? Come on, think about to what that black mare said...

Milky Way jumped up and down, excited as she shouted, “Oh, oh, pick me, I knows, I knows this one! Pick me, pretty pwease wiv cherries on the tops, an lotsa whippeded creame and surgary sprinkleses?”

Moonstone looked around the room to see if anypony else knew, but since the little filly seemed so eager, he nodded at her to explain.

“Yush! Okay, so here’s what the-the Might-dare-doom is! Pretty princess Loony had gone away for a loooooong vacation, right, and then a couple of summers ago, when I was really really littler, she came-ded back! But she gotted all sicks and stuff, and was being a miss meanie head Mcmeanie pants, saying that, that it was gonna be bed-time for forevers! So then some nice mares went to this scary forest to look for this cure potion thing to make Loony all betterer, and they did, and now Loony is back and nice again!”

“Oh, okay. Thanks Milly!” Moonstone smiled at her, understanding.

Beaming with pride at having told the entire story so well, she helped herself to another donut hole, attacking it voraciously, taking a large bite out of it before nodding sagely, her mouth full. Moonstone then frowned, confused. “Wait a second, there’s something that doesn’t make sense. If Nightmare Moon is coming back, how is Luna going to get sick again? And how does getting sick change who you are? She never said anything about getting sick, just that the Nightmare was coming back.”

“She? She who?” Celestia questioned quickly, noting how Moonstone’s voice had changed in the last part.

“Well, while I was asleep, I had the strangest dream. It was like I was inside my own head, you know? There was this strange, black mare, and-”

“What?! What did she say her name was?!” Princess Celestia demanded, surging to her hooves.

“Night,” Moonstone said shortly, turning back to Luna. “She claimed she was me, but she said that she had information about my family, where they were, and that they were still looking for me. She called me naive, and that if I wanted to find out more, I had to find her. Then she looked panicked, light she was about to die, yelling... ‘Moonstone, on your guard! The Nightmare is trying to possess you! You must fight!’”

When everypony stared at him in shock, he blinked, then continued cautiously, “Then I woke up... My head hurt like crazy, and my vision took a little while to come back, but aside from that... What?”

“If you were being possessed by the Nightmare, then how are you still you?” Twilight questioned, her eyes narrowing as she prepared to fight.

“Because I stopped it from doing so,” Luna supplied, her face calm. “It required a certain... resolve in Starlight, but she surprised the spirit trying to control Moonstone for long enough for me to finish the sealing spell without getting interrupted. I do not think it was the Nightmare, or else it would not have been so simple to defeat.”

“Still, sister, we can not afford to take that chance. Moonstone, can you still sense... Night, was it?” Celestia asked, gazing at Moonstone intently.

“Yeah, I can sense her, but I don’t know how to talk to her. I can tell she’s exhausted though. I think she helped fight off the invasion, whatever it was.”

“Or she was just cleverly manipulating everything to make it seem like it wasn’t her,” Celestia mused, starting to think on the matter.

“Wait, she’s still there?” Twilight interjected, her eyes lighting up. “Perfect! Princess Celestia, this is perfect! If she’s still there, then we can research her, find out what part of the brain she tries to inhabit! If we can figure that out, then we could create a spell that would prevent anypony from being able to be possessed ever again! We have to research this! For science!”

Milly nodded her agreement as well, spraying no small number of crumbs on the floor as she shouted along with Twilight Sparkle. “Yeah! For Sky Ants!”

Everypony paused to look at the little filly, staring at her donut glaze covered face, before laughing at her, leaving her to look to Moonstone for help. “What bees so funny? I want to know what the funnies are too! Did I say it wrong? Are we doing it for Shy Hens instead?”

While it could not be said that Celestia was not amused, she was showing self-restraint as she asked Twilight seriously, “And what would allow us to just research that without interruptions, Twilight?”

“Well, why couldn’t we? If we did it here in Canterlot, or back in Ponyville, we could just use the elements if it looks like things are getting even remotely out of control. Princess Luna, if The Nightmare tried to attack Moonstone in full force, would you be able to stall it long enough for us to use the elements?”

“In theory, yes, ‘tis simple enough so long as We... I was only trying to stall for time, though I wouldn’t be able to hold it off for more than a few minutes.”

“That’s plenty of time,” Twilight reassured her, grinning. “See? Come on, Princess Celestia! If this works, then we’ll never have to worry about the Nightmare coming back ever again!”

Princess Celestia looked to Moonstone, who was frowning slightly. “I wish I could say yes, but as it is, we can not proceed without Moonstone’s permission.”

“Huh? Why? Can’t you just order him to let us? It would only take a couple of hours, and it’s not like he could get hurt!” Twilight huffed, disappointed. “Besides, he needs our help to get rid of the Nightmare anyway!”

“Because I don’t have to listen to anything that Celes tells me that I don’t want to, so long as I’m not breaking any laws,” Moonstone replied, allowing himself a slight smirk.

Twilght’s jaw dropped at the scandalous information she was hearing. A pony that doesn’t have to listen to what the Princess says? That’s ridiculous! And how dare he call her such a name like that! He... No, he couldn’t be a consort! That’s just... She wouldn’t... I mean-

“What? Oh come on, he has to be lying!” Rainbow Dash protested, crossing her forelegs. “I mean, come on, she’s The Princess! Everypony has to do what she says! Come on, AJ, tell us he’s lying!”

Applejack frowned, supplying, “He ain’t lying, sugarcube. He’s tellin the truth, somehow...”

“You know, for the first time I’m grateful that have no home,” Moonstone smiled cheekily at Princess Celestia. “Makes it hard to be a citizen of a country when you don’t live anywhere. So, if you’ll excuse me, I have other things to be doing, like finding my familiar. You haven’t seen her around, have you? Black ferret, silver earring, silver specks in her coat?”

As he started to look around, however, instead of ponies trying to help him search, he saw them all staring at him. “What? It’s a simple request, nopony is making you help! Figured it couldn’t hurt to ask. Princess Luna? Have you seen her lately?” 

“Wait, you call Princess Luna by her title, but Princess Celestia you call nicknames?!” Twilight accused, aghast.

Moonstone stopped limping, slowly turning to face Twilight Sparkle, his entire body tense. “I owe Princess Celestia,” he practically sneered, “absolutely nothing! I have accepted the fact that she owed nothing to me when I was a colt, since I was not her subject, but the following principle applies. When I needed her most, she wasn’t there for me, ever. Any time I ever prayed to the sun for a blessing, or help, things just got worse. I give Princess Luna respect because she’s earned that respect.”

Twilight watched as he limped away slowly, momentarily stunned by the stallion’s rant. “What just happened?”

“A poor pony who has many scars happened, Twilight,” Celestia answered softly, hiding tears. “Unless he outright attacks me, leave him be. I don’t normally consider myself a vain pony, but I do not wish for my name to be tarnished in his mind any more than it already has... Luna, please fetch Mr. Moonstone once he’s had a chance to calm down, would you? If we’re going to allow Twilight to research the Nightmare, we may as well not waste time. He says she’s dormant, but I’d rather not take any chances. We use the elements tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest. I will not risk putting my little ponies in danger needlessly.”

Luna frowned for a moment, commenting to her sister, “And if he refuses? You can’t make him do something he doesn’t want to, you know.”

Celestia looked down, then said sternly, “Then make him want to. He may not be my subject, but if The Nightmare is inside him, I will take whatever actions I have to to protect my subjects, Luna. Please... make him understand if he refuses.”

“... I’ll do my best,” Luna said simply, turning to follow the hallway Moonstone had hobbled down.

Starlight got up to follow, when she noticed that Milky Way was busy playing a game with the excitable pink pony in the corner. Starlight was now badly conflicted. On one hoof, she wanted to follow Moonstone to make sure he was alright, but she also knew that she couldn’t just leave her sister all alone with complete strangers!

“Starlight?” Her mother said sweetly, trotting into the room after bowing respectfully to the Princesses. “Your father is ready to apologize now, if you’re willing to hear it. He’s waiting at the receptionist’s desk.”

“He... But I’m the one who-”

“I never said that you didn’t owe him an apology as well, Light,” her mother lectured, though she gave her daughter a hug as well. “Please, I know you’re upset, and so is your father. You know he doesn’t know his limits... Or do I need to tell you how he propo-”

“NO!” Starlight shouted in fear, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. “Not that story again!”

“That bad, huh?” Rainbow Dash chortled, hovering over the two pegasi. “Okay, now this I gotta hear!”

Serene Breeze and Rainbow Dash both laughed as Starlight ran away as quickly as she could, tearing down the hall after Luna, trying not to scream bloody murder. As they watched the purple pegasus run off, Rainbow Dash chortled, “Is the story really that bad?”

Serene Breeze paused for a moment, before smiling sweetly, turning to face Dash. “Oh no, of course not! She just overreacts a lot. Here, sit down and I’ll tell you all about it...”

Rainbow’s eyes widened before she shot out of the room, wings carrying her out of a window and into the sky in a heartbeat, leaving a room full of laughing ponies behind.

.o.O.o.

Moonstone strode down the hall to find himself at a receptionist’s desk, the pony behind the desk hard at work. While he didn’t want to disturb her, Moonstone had to find out what happened to his cape. As he trotted forward, the secretary looked up, inquiring, “Yes sir, can I help you?”

“Uh, yeah, at least, I hope so. I’m looking for my familiar. She’s a ferret, black fur, silver streaks, dangling earring on her left ear?” Moonstone inquired, still looking around the room.

“Sorry, sir, but we don’t allow pets inside the hospital,” the clerk said snootily, turning away from the unicorn in front of her.

Moonstone frowned, but turned away regardless, having spent enough time in the outside world to know not to waste his time talking to her. He trotted away to look for somepony else to ask, when he felt a familiar tingling sensation running up his back. “Oh, there you are. Been exploring again, have we?”

It took Moonstone a moment to realize that Galexia was, first of all, remaining silent, not responding. Secondly, she was choosing to stay on his back, instead of climbing up to his mane. This just isn’t my day, is it... Then again, when is it ever my week?

Steeling himself against what he was sure was bad news, he slowly turned around to face his nervously trembling familiar, who was trying to hide something behind her back. “Lex, don’t... it’s okay,” Moonstone sighed softly, blinking to stop his slowly misting eyes. “I think I already know. It wasn’t your fault, alright? I... We can...”

Moonstone was silenced as his suspicions were confirmed, allowing his vision to slowly blur. Galexia held out her tiny claws, clutching what he could tell was a piece of his cape, horribly shredded. Slowly turning to the corner of the room, Moonstone sat down heavily, using his forelegs to pick up Galexia, hugging her to his chest as the tears began to flow. Why did this have to happen? Of all the things that could have happened, this is...

.o.O.o. 

Starlight rushed along the hallway, her face completely flushed as she tried, and failed, to get the story that her mother was going to tell her out of her head. Note to self: when I have foals of my own, I will never tell them stories like that! Must get revenge on mom somehow... Huh, I wonder if Moonstone would be willing to help?

She slowed to a trot as she approached the front desk, seeing her father sitting down in one the the nearby chairs. Luckily, or so Starlight thought, he was facing away from her, allowing her to try to compose herself. She took a few steps forward before swallowing hard, her ears folding back against her head as she remembered everything she had screamed at her father.

In her moment of hesitation, Digit Pi turned, seeing his daughter standing behind him. Starlight flinched away when she saw her father rushing towards her, but relaxed when he hugged her tightly, tighter than he normally even held her. “D-dad, I-”

“I’m so sorry,” he interrupted, whispering as he struggled to keep his voice in check. “I deserved everything you said, and probably more...”

“B-but dad, I shouldn’t have-”

“Maybe not, but I needed to hear that to know how you really felt. Star, I never meant to make fun of you, I just...” Digit Pi sighed, struggling not to cry on his daughter’s shoulders. “I mean, I see you with him, and I don’t know what to think, so I-I didn’t know what to do, you know? So I just tried to laugh it off, hoping that if I joked about it, that it would somehow change reality or something.”

Starlight shook her head, crying silently as she whispered back, “I’m so sorry, dad, I didn’t mean it, I was just... Do you even know what we were trying to do, and what it took for me to do that? Luna said to surprise him, and nothing was working, so I panicked! Mom and Luna weren’t doing anything, and it was the only thing I could think of...”

“That’s what mom guessed,” Digit Pi admitted softly, being careful to avoid jarring his daughter’s still-broken wing. “I...”

“I forgive you, and I’m sorry too,” Starlight mumbled, shaking her head against her father’s coat in hopes of drying her face. 

They sat together, neither one relinquishing their hug until Princess Luna entering the room, clearly looking for somepony. Starlight hastily wiped her eyes with her foreleg, about to call out to the princess to ask if she needed help, when she started walking to the corner, but there was nopo- Moonstone? But... How did I- why does he look so...

Starlight gasped as she realized why he looked so different. His cape; it’s gone... No wonder he’s... Oh! That’s it! It’ll be my way to thank him for protecting me while helping him at the same time!

.o.O.o.

“You really want me to let them experiment on me?” Moonstone asked, shifting uncomfortably in place.

“Yes,” Luna nodded, speaking gently. “There is of nothing to be afraid. It would contribute most greatly to science, and you would even be compensated for your time! It would mean much to mine sister, and thus myself, if you would agree.”

Moonstone sighed, looking to the side, before he relented. “Fine, I shall acquiesce to your request, for the time being. I reserve the right to back out should I feel uncomfortable, though.”

“Fair enough!” Luna agreed, satisfied that she had gotten Moonstone to agree like her sister asked. “Now, let us be off and gather the rest of our party so that we may venture forth!”

“Right,” Moonstone answered shortly, standing up. Before he could start the trip back down the hall, however, Princess Celestia entered the room, followed by everypony else. 

Moonstone opened his mouth to talk, when Twilight asked, “Hey, have you seen Fluttershy anywhere, Princess Luna? She said something about getting a quick drink of water when she passed me in the hall, but she hasn’t come back yet.”

Luna shook her head, frowning as she answered, “No, we have not. We were just about to depart to find thee. Perhaps we should look for her together? Let us inquire at the front desk. Moonstone? Where art thou headed?”

“Outside,” Moonstone said simply, limping his way to the doors. 

“Why?” She pressed further for more information, confused.

Luckily, Milky Way came to the rescue as she ran over to Moonstone, agreeing with his decision as she answered for him. “Cause it bees too claustrophobics in here!”

“That means that you’re afraid of enclosed spaces, not that it’s too crowded,” Twilight corrected automatically, shifting to lecture mode.

“I’ve hearded it both ways before, so bleh,” the little filly replied cheekily, giggling as she bounced out the door with Moonstone and Starlight, both of whom were laughing with her.

“You tell her, Milly, it was far too claustrophobic in there for sure,” Moonstone encouraged, shaking his head.

“Yeah!” the filly agreed exhuberantly, turning back to yell at her parents. “Come on, mommy and daddy! We’s gonna play in the parks! Isn’t you coming?”

“In a bit,” her mother answered, smiling at her filly. “We have to take care of some paperwork first, so we’ll be out in a bit. Don’t wander too far away, though, alright?”

“Yush mommy!” Milly cooed, hugging her parents tightly before saluting. An impish grin was their only warning before she turned and took off at top speed out the door, rushing headlong into the wild outdoors.

“Milly, get back here!” Starlight called out, rushing after her hyperactive sister, Moonstone hot on her tail.

“Wow, I like that filly!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, starting to bounce down the hall to search for Fluttershy. “She reminds me of somepony, but I can’t remember who.”

.o.O.o.
> Chapter the Fourteenth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deciding it would be fastest to split up, Twilight suggested that she, Princess Celestia, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash check the park and the Canterlot Royal Gardens. The others quickly agreed, if only because Rainbow Dash was becoming harder and harder to manage while stuck indoors. 

After searching the hospital for several minutes, Rarity thought to ask the receptionist if they used any ‘therapy pets’ in the hospital, asking for directions when the clerk nodded an affirmative. While Rarity might have secretly revelled in the praise her friends lavished upon her for her idea, she accepted it with as much grace as she could, tittering, “Oh, it was nothing. If I know anypony, it’s Fluttershy. And, of course, there’s no guarantee that she will be there. It was just a hunch.”

Pinkie Pie, bouncing along as she rambled, “But hunches are the best things in the world when you’re trying to find somepony you know but you don’t know where they went to because they didn’t tell you or anything and they just don’t seem to be anywhere and everypony starts to get worried and then they look everywhere but can’t find that somepony so then-”

“Fluttershy, there you are, Darling!” Rarity interrupted smoothly as they entered the small animal ward in the hospital.

Fluttershy jumped in shock, emitting a soft ‘eep’ as her wings clamped to her side, her feathers vibrating. “O-oh, hi Rarity,” she said softly, struggling to calm herself again. “I was just, um, talking to the animals, thanking them for all the hard work they do trying to cheer up the sick ponies here.”

Fluttershy scuffed the floor with her hoof, gently, slightly embarrassed as Rarity hugged her tightly. “It’s alright, we were just wondering where you had wandered off to, since you never came back. Now, if I understand things correctly, we’re heading to the castle next?” Rarity asked Princess Luna, who had just walked into the room.

“Veeri-” Luna started to answer, before coughing into her hoof, attempting to cover her mistake. “That is, yes, that seems to be the plan. When thou art ready, please follow us outside, so that we can make our way to the castle.”

“Oh, um, alright, I guess,” Fluttershy agreed meekly, starting to follow them out of the ward. Turning to the animals, she encouraged them warmly, granting them a smile as she left the room hoping they knew how proud she was of them. 

Once she left the room, however, she found an unexpected surprise waiting for her.

.o.O.o.

“You-you guise ish too slow!” Milly complained from her sister’s back, pouting furiously. It has all started out so brilliantly, her plan... She had the element of surprise, nopony chasing her quickly enough... She was even going to get to escape to Pony Joe’s scot free, where she knew she could use her irresistible charm and cuteness to get a free donut! But then her sissy and Mr. Moonstone had to show up out of nowhere, using a, a thingy to stop her!

Rubbing her still-tender head, Milly grumbled, “Whai you hurted my head? My head didn’t do anyfing!”

“I said sorry...” Moonstone apologized again, staring at the ground as they trotted through the park at a sedate pace.

“Don’t be,” Starlight said, grinning slightly. “Milly knows better than to just go running off on her own, because she could get hurt, and that’s what happened! Of course, we never thought she’d get hurt because somepony put up a shield, but still.”

“Yous is both Meanie Heads,” Milly mumbled, holding onto her sister tighter.

“No, you just weren’t being considerate,” Starlight replied sternly, doing her best to ignore the obvious stares from passersby directed at her encased wing. “Moonstone can’t run as fast as you with a cast on his leg. It’s not nice to run off without your friends when you’re supposed to be having fun together. You were being selfish and reckless, Milly.”

Starlight and Moonstone trotted at a sedate pace for a moment longer before Milky Way whimpered from Starlight’s back, giving her pause. “I-I’m sorry,” she mumbled softly, burying her face in Starlight’s mane, trying to hold back tears. “I-I just wanted to goes to the park, so that Sissy could give me the rest of my Griffin-back ride...”

Starlight sighed heavily, slowing to a stop as she stepped off the path and onto the grass, laying down gently to let a misty-eyed Milky Way stumble off. Pulling her younger sister to herself, Starlight started the arduous task of informing Milky Way of the realities of the situation. “Milly, I... I can’t give you the rest of the ride for awhile,” she started to explain, her eyes avoiding her younger sister’s innocent gaze.

“Huh? But whai not?” the filly asked, her eyes bright with curiosity. “I-I was a good filly!” she protested earnestly, leaning forward. “Y-you can even ask Loony! W-whai I no can has anover ride?”

Starlight’s eyes misted slightly as she motioned to her broken wing, murmuring gently, “Milly, I can’t fly anymore. I got hurt when I took you flying last, so now I have to let it rest. If I tried to fly, it would make it hurt even worse, and maybe even make it so I’d never fly again...”

The foal tried to hold back the waterworks, but the seal to the dam had a leak, several stray tears escaping. “B-but you’re not allowed to get hurted! I-I told you you’re not allowed last week! You-you can’t get hurt, you’re my sissy! Sissies don’t get hurted!” she yelled, small rivulets slowly being created on her face as the tears began to fall. 

“Y-you can’t be hurt,” she pleaded, clinging to some small glimmer of hope that her sister was just trying to play a mean prank on her. “I-if yous be hurted, then... then it’s all my fault,” she wailed, throwing herself in her sister’s embrace. Her body was shaking as she started to sob. Her tiny voice becoming hoarse, she whimpered, “Please dun hate me, Sissy. I didn’t mean to get you hurted, I promises!”

“I was so scareded,” Milly whimpered, clutching her sister as if she might just disappear. “Y-you and Moony were taken away from me, an-an nopony would talk to me to tells me whut happeneded to you, and they didn’t tell me nothing, and I though, I thought that you, that you were... were...”

Starlight also started to cry softly, hugging her sister tightly to herself. She rested her head on Milky Way’s body gently as she started murmuring comfort to the sobbing, heart-broken filly. “Milly, it was not your fault, alright? You-you didn’t do anything wrong, nothing at all,” she shushed, slowly stroking the foal’s mane to calm her down. “If I had been paying closer attention to flying, then... But I’m fine, alright? I’m not going anywhere.”

“P-promise?” the foal whispered, barely audible as she fought her cracking voice.

Pulling back a little, Starlight licked her sister’s face gently, trying to cheer her back up. “I promise, Milly. I’m not going anywhere without your permission, alright? We still have a movie night to make up, remember?”

Starlight waited a moment for Milky Way to respond excitedly, but strangely enough, she remained where she was, laying down in Starlight’s embrace. “Milly?”

Starlight and Moonstone shared a confused look before Moonstone yawned widely, not bothering to look ashamed when Starlight just stared at him. “What? It was a long night.” he muttered, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

Starlight rolled her eyes, discreetly hiding a yawn of her own as she put an ear to her sister’s chest, counting to herself. Trying to keep her composure, she murmured, “She’s asleep... Must have fallen asleep because of the-the sun,” she yawned quietly, trying to keep her eyes open.

Her eyes shot open briefly when she felt Moonstone settle down on the other side of her, curling up neatly, though making sure to avoid jarring her already-injured wing. “Wh-what do you think you’re-”

“Just taking Milly’s lead,” Moonstone mumbled, already falling asleep as he felt the autumn breeze rustle his mane, the sun beating down on his coat. “Wouldn’t be fair to do something without her. Don’t worry, I put a shield up,” he said slowly, his weariness starting to overwhelm him. “L-Lex, go ‘n find Luna ‘n tell ‘er where we are,” he ordered as he finally fell unconscious, snoring lightly as he laid against Starlight, oblivious to her discomfort. After a minute, though, once she saw that there were no other ponies to pay them any heed, she allowed herself to also drift off to sleep, one last yawn escaping her mouth as she let her body start to recover from the previous evening’s injury.

.o.O.o.

“Fluttershy?! Oh my goodness, how you’ve grown!” Serene Breeze gasped as the butter-colored pegasus entered the hallway. “You were such an awkward little filly, but just look at you!”

Fluttershy squeaked, jumping slightly as she hid behind Rarity, peeking out to the side slightly, before relaxing a little bit. “M-Mrs. Breeze?”

“You know her, Darling?” Rarity asked, looking back and forth between the two pegasi.

“Oh, umm, yes,” Fluttershy admitted meekly, slowly pulling away from Rarity. “She and my mother were, um, very good friends.”

Serene Breeze fluttered her wings slightly, trying to hide the grin that was growing. “I’m flattered that you remember me, Fluttershy. You hardly ever talked to me whenever we visited. Such a shy little thing...”

Fluttershy squeaked, hiding behind her mane as she blushed, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Dear, it’s not my intention to make fun of you,” Serene apologized. She blushed slightly herself, though her tone shifted to that of a mother as she chided Fluttershy. “Come on, stop hiding, you’re a fully grown mare now! Now get over here so I can get a good look at you.”

“Y-yes ma’am,” Fluttershy mumbled, slowly trotting from behind Rarity, where she had been hiding.

“Thank you, dear,” Serene commented, watching Fluttershy closely, not wanting to believe what she saw. “Oh dear...”

“W-what’s wrong, Mrs. Breeze?” Fluttershy asked nervously, looking herself over in worry. 

“I’m old,” Breeze sighed heavily, head drooping slightly.

“W-what?!” Fluttershy gasped, her eyes growing wide. Rarity blinked, jaw gaping slightly, before she regained her composure, trying to look at Serene more carefully, wondering how old she really was. “How can you say that? You’re only... Umm...” Fluttershy’s voice died out as she tried to do the math.

“Age doesn’t matter, Fluttershy,” Serene sighed again, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “It’s more about perspective, and it’s just... As exciting as it is to see my friend’s little filly all grown up, a beautiful mare, it makes me feel old.”

“Oh don’t be a silly filly, Breeze, you’re not a day over gorgeous,” Digit interrupted cheekily, smiling warmly at his startled wife. I guess she wasn’t paying attention to where she was trotting. Time to seize the initiative! Following up his heart-felt comment to his wife, he quickly gave her a peck on the cheek.

Ignoring the slight blush playing across her muzzle, Serene pouted, complaining, “You missed...”

“I did? I could have sworn...” Digit Pi murmured in thought, before smiling once more. “My apologies, Miss, I suppose I mistook you for my wife. Have you seen her? She’s about your age, height, drop-dead gorgeous, and has a body that won’t quit, if you know what I-”

Serene, though blushing wildly, glared at her husband as her hoof occupied Digit’s open muzzle. “Dear,” she said, her calm, icy tone striking fear into Digit’s heart. “Finish that sentence, and your new bed will be the couch for a year. Understand?”

Digit Pi, while loving to tease and have fun, knew when not to push it, after having been married for as many years as he had. Wide-eyed, he did what every stallion who wished to live did when confronted by an irate mare: become manikin stallion and nod mutely. He did not want to leave his fate up to chance with his tongue, which had already gotten him into enough trouble. 

Serene continued to glare at him for a moment more, before she was satisfied that he was well cowed. Ruffling her feathers primly, she resettled them, before starting to trot towards the waiting room, where she saw the rest of Fluttershy’s friends. “Come along, Fluttershy, we shouldn’t keep your friends waiting, right?”

“O-oh, um... Right.”

Fluttershy followed after Digit Pi, who was following his wife, head bowed, keeping behind and to the side of her. Rarity strove to contain her blush as she quickly chased after Fluttershy, wondering, Did he... Was he about to suggest what I think he was? How scandalous!

.o.O.o.

“Good, we do not like to be kept waiting for long,” Princess Luna stated, smiling as Rarity caught back up. “Now, let us be going to the castle. We have little to do and much time to do it in!”

Luna paused a moment, before striving not to blush as she quickly corrected herself. “Err, strike that, reverse it, thank you, moving on!”

Luna turned around, about to start walking again, when she nearly tripped over Galexia. “Gah! Trip me not, little one, lest you incur undue damage to yourself!”

Galexia, obviously, was unimpressed with the night princess’ declaration, deciding to hop onto Luna’s muzzle, forcing her eyes to cross as Galexia chittered her message to Luna. Once completed, the ferret ran up Luna’s head to her mane, settling herself in it proudly, before laying down to nap.

Everypony turned to Luna expectantly, waiting to hear what she had to say. Luna frowned, before leaving the Hospital without a word, causing the other ponies to rush after her moments later, wondering what she was told. Worried for her daughters, Serene decided to fly, catching up more quickly to Luna, asking as she flapped her wings, “Princess Luna, with all due respect, what’s going on? Are my daughters alright?!”

“Hmm? Oh, yes,” Luna acknowledged absently, clearly distracted. “From what I could understand, they decided to take a nap in the park, and sent Galexia ahead to let us know so we could go collect them. While quite rude to be kept waiting like this, at least he thought to let us know. Still, we should have known that he wouldst not know proper etiquette. We shall have to educate him at a later date.”

“Erm, with all due respect, your highness, but I believe that’s our job,” Digit Pi interjected, trying his best to sound firm, while also respectful. “We promised him we’d teach him about those sorts of things in exchange for his teaching Milly magic. We uh, haven’t exactly had the chance to start lessons, what with the birthday party yesterday, and then th-”

“We were not made aware of Moonstone’s new intentions,” Luna mused, a frown upon her face. “We had expected him to remain as a guest with us at the palace.”

“Really? He’s, umm, special?” Fluttershy asked timidly, curious.

“That was something that we... I, was hoping to ascertain. I am most curious as to find out where his supposed curse originated, and what he has had to endure to push his magic to such dangerous limits.”

“D-dangerous? In what way, Princess Luna? Are you saying our daughters aren’t safe with him?!” Digit Pi asked quickly, trying not to sound too worried.

“Hmm...” Luna became lost in thought, considering it carefully for a moment, before answering slowly, “Well... Honestly... I am not sure. I will need to talk to him about his travels in private, to see how mentally stable he is, and if he has any dangerous tendencies.”

“You’re doing a bang up job on setting us at ease with our daughters being alone with Moonstone, Your Highness. Anything else you want to tell us that we should know about?” Serene asked, trying to balance sarcasm with respect.

Princess Luna walked in silence for a moment, thinking, before saying slowly, “We... cannot divulge much information freely, as it is not ours to give. All I can say is that he’s travelled a very long way to get here, and has had to face much adversity along the way.”

“I can add that while he has fairly strong magic, he... doesn’t know much about cities, or how ponies talk, or behave,” Digit Pi added, frowning slightly. “I mean, he thought he would get thrown out of town if he gave any compliments to a mare because of some experience in another country.”

He paused as the mares all fell silent for a moment, before Luna asked, “Art thou jesting us, Sir Digit?”

Shaking his head, the stallion had to hold back a chuckle as he answered. “I’m dead serious. That’s what Moonstone told me, anyways. He thought he was going to get thrown out of town if he called Starlight, or any other mare for that matter, beautiful, or something like that.”

“Well, he didn’t let that stop him from being romantic,” Rarity commented idly, her eyes on the path as she trotted around a small pool of ice cream that had fallen from some poor pony’s cone. 

“Oh? Do tell,” Serene Breeze requested silkily, her voice practically purring as she sauntered closer to Rarity, listening carefully as they walked along.

.o.O.o.

“I don’t know, guys, I’d think that Fluttershy would have told us if she was going all the way to the park, wouldn’t she?” Pinkie asked cheerfully, bouncing alongside Princess Celestia. 

“Ah don’t know, sugarcube, if she thought it would be bothering or interruptin’ us she mighta just left without tellin’ us,” Applejack commented.

“Well, I’ll admit that it’s not likely to be the very first place she would be, but that’s the point of splitting up,” Twilight explained, looking carefully in the bushes for a sign of their friend. “It increases the odds of finding her, and considering how things went at the gala last year, the park seemed more likely. Besides, I’m sure that Princess Luna will let us know if they find Fluttershy before us. Right, Princess Celestia?”

The Elder Princess smiled at her student, nodding. “Yes, I’m fairly sure she’d let us know. Luna is usually-”

“Hey Princess, I found this totally weird magic ball thing up ahead!” Rainbow Dash interrupted as she came to a halt in front of the group. “I don’t know if it has anything to do with Fluttershy, but there were royal guards there and everything!”

Princess Celestia frowned briefly, before nodding. “Right then, let’s make this brief. We still have a missing Element to find, after all.”

Following the rainbow contour trail in the air, they were led to the site in question by Rainbow Dash, who was too restless to wait for them. When they turned around a particularly large tree surrounded by bushes, they saw what Rainbow Dash had been talking about. In the middle of a small, clearing, surrounded by guards, was a black half-sphere that came up from the ground. 

“Captain Armor, report please,” Celestia ordered as she walked into the clearing.

“Princess!” Shining Armor saluted, turning swiftly to the princess. “Several reports came in primarily from our pegasi citizens about a dangerous black sphere that was growing dangerously, and worried it might be an explosive magical crea-”

“Like a bomb?! Cool!” Rainbow Dash darted forward, slipping past the guards to poke at the black sphere. 

“Dash, get back! We have to analyze this safely!” Twilight lectured, pulling Dash back with her magic. Just as fast as she dragged Dash back, however, she rushed up to it herself, eyes practically glowing as she got out a parchment and quill to start scribbling down notes about the sphere.

“What am I, mashed alfalfa?” Armor lamented, looking at the sister who had so clearly snubbed his existance.

“Later! I’ve got science to do!” Twilight declared absently over her shoulder, touching the barrier gently with her magic. “That’s odd... Princess Celestia, if there was a bomb here, then why would somepony put up a barrier around the bomb? Is there some way for a shield to amplify an explosion?”

“There shouldn’t be, why?” Princess Celestia asked, trotting closer to her student.

“Because this is just a shield. Albeit a shield of a type I’ve never seen before, but from what I can tell so far, it’s meant to keep things out, not to let something out, like an explosion. What I can’t figure out, though, it who would want a shield that wouldn’t let anything in that’s that small. If it’s protecting something, why didn’t they just use a warehouse, or something else?”

“Because whatever it’s protecting must be far too valuable for a warehouse,” Shining Armor answered, frowning at his younger sister for a moment. “I would have been able to tell you, if you had waited just a moment to say hi, that it’s a class five shield. Only Princess Celestia, Luna, or somepony very good with shield spells, like I am, could take it down.”

“Then why haven’t you taken it down already?” Applejack asked, confused. “If it’s protecting something, then ah would have thought-”

“Because we wanted to wait for Princess Celestia to arrive, Miss Applejack. It’s much more draining to remove a shield than to erect one, so we wanted to make sure we would have magical backup if I became too drained in removing the shield to see what it was protecting. This is a popular spot in the park for pegasi especially, so it’s possible that whoever put this shield here knew that they would tell the guard, who would come to investigate, that I would have to remove the spell, and then be able to do... something, while I would be incapacitated.”

“Ain’t that bein’ just a tad paranoid?” Applejack asked, trying not to be too disrespectful.

Smiling sardonically, he deadpanned, “Miss Applejack, it’s my job to be paranoid. It’s how we prevent crimes the most easily. With your permission, your highness?” Shining Armor looked to Celestia, preparing his magic.

“Certainly, but everypony, please stay alert. Twilight, if you would step back? I don’t you getting hurt.”

“Of course, Princess!” Twilight readily agreed with her mentor, quickly backing away as her brother charged his spell.

Applejack had to grasp her hat as Armor charged his spell, before releasing the magic in a sharp, concentrated burst, hitting and shattering the shield into pieces, the black shield slowly disappearing into nothingness, revealing-

“Pinkie Pie, what are you doing in there?!” Dash yelled, upset.

“How did she- but she- but that’s-” Shining Armor sputtered, trying to make sense of how the pink earth pony had been inside the shield before it was broken, not noticing the three ponies behind her.

“Well duh! I was listening to you guys talk, and you were all like ‘this is a shield, but we don’t know what’s behind it’, so I was like ‘Hey, I wonder what’s in there’, so then I was like ‘I’m going to find out’, and then I did, but when I did I realized that-”

“H-how-” Shining tried to protest weakly, leaning against a tree to regain his strength.

“Just drop it, BBBFF,” Twilight deadpanned, facehoofing. “It’s Pinkie Pie. You’re not going to figure it out, and even if you could, you wouldn’t want to know, as I’m convinced that understanding Pinkie Pie would lead to-”

“A PARTY!” Pinkie Pie continued to ramble happily, an almost crazy grin on her muzzle. “I mean, who knew that there were three brand new ponies hiding under it, taking a nap, and since they’re new ponies I don’t know, or rather two that I don’t know and one that I got to play with for, like, only a few minutes, but anyways that means I get to throw an awesome party, and now I’m going to need more than I usually do, because you can’t have a regular party when there’s more than one new pony, or else it’ll seem really boring, so Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Pony isn’t going to be enough, and the only answer I can think of to solve this particular dilemma is a Pinata, but I don’t even know where to start looking for a pinata in a place like Canterlot, since they don’t know how to party right, an-”

“We does too know to party!” Milky Way protested weakly from the ground, waking up. “Yous- yous is some sort of a- a weirdo! Yous gots to have cookies, an popcorns, an games, an-an pizza! It’s not a good party wivout pizza! Or mobies!”

While most of the ponies in the clearing were confused as to what a hyperactive filly was doing in the shield, Twilight just facehoofed again, while Princess Celestia shook her head, sighing, “I should have known...”

Pinkie Pie, however, was already chatting away happily with the little filly about what the perfect party was, why one item was better to have at a party, while Milly did her best to argue her own points. While everypony was still recovering, Starlight groaned, stirring as she started to wake up. Feeling Moonstone shift against her, she turned her head, blearily opening her eyes for just a moment. “Note to self, next lesson is teaching Moonstone about personal space and all that entails,” she mumbled to herself, closing her eyes once more, hoping to get some more rest. Sadly, fate had other, more sadistic plans in mind for her.

“Well well, what have we here?” Princess Celestia grinned widely, trotting around Pinkie Pie and Milly to see Moonstone still propping up Starlight’s cast with his body.

Starlight snapped her eyes open as she realized that she was no longer alone. She jerked her head up, noticing that she was surrounded by not only the royal guards, but Princess Celestia herself. I am so screwed... Okay, Star, calm down, calm down... It could always be worse, right? Yeah, it could! My parents could arrive, and then I-

“What is going on, Sister?” Princess Luna asked as she entered the clearing, looking around curiously. “The guard told Us that We were needed. Something about a bomb?”

... Yep, I’m screwed... Starlight realized, her heart dropping as her temperature rose, her face starting to darken in a particularly brilliant crimson hue.

As Celestia turned towards her sister with an almost-malicious grin, Moonstone woke, Galexia having reached him, waking him up by running around on his body. “Why nothing, dear sister. We have just found Moonstone here breaking the Public Code, Article 9, paragraph 3, sub-section 5.”

“What? Thou art lying! Galexia informed us that Moonstone had put a shield up, with would satisfy sub-section 5 with article 2!” Luna shot back, swift to defend the stallion who had wanted an audience with her.

“But he doesn’t have a permit to set up any form of permanent residence, so that contradicts-”

“A shield is not permanent, so that negates such an accusation of it being perm-”

“But it caused a public disturbance, which-”

“Gah! Would you both shut up?!” Both princesses paused as they turned to look at Moonstone, who was trying to stand up without straining his mending leg further. “Thank you! Now can you tell me who destroyed my shield?”

“Sounds like somepony needs an attitude check,” Rainbow Dash muttered, crossing her forelegs.

~Ring ring! Ring ring!~ Rarity whistled, imitating a phone before picking it up with a clicking sound effect from Applejack. “Hello darling, this is Miss Rarity... Oh yes, she’s right here, actually. Just a moment.”

She turned to Rainbow Dash, smiling sweetly as she announced, “Rainbow Dash? There’s a Mrs. Kettle on the line; something about having called one of her friends black, I think?”

Dash’s jaw hung open for a second as the vaguely veiled insult dawned on her, but right as she was about to start arguing, Pinkie Pie interrupted. “Oh, I get it! Dashie was talking about how Moony needs an attitude check, when Dashie herself has attitude problems!”

She giggled for just a second before frowning at Rarity, pouting. “That might be a little funny, Rarity, but that was kinda mean.”

Rarity sobered a little, sighing, “Yes, I... I suppose you’re right... I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash.”

“Ah am too,” Applejack blushed, rubbing the back of her head. “Ah shouldn’t have encouraged her. Can ya forgive us?”

Rainbow huffed, turning her head away, before muttering, “Yeah, yeah, whatever... Wait, what are they talking about anymore?” she asked, pointing to Moonstone, who was, apparently, being berated by Milly and Starlight, with Princess Luna listening intently.

“... And that’s why some words are bad,” Starlight concluded, striving to maintain a calm demeanor. 

Moonstone just sat there with a puzzled expression, blinking every few seconds or so. Starlight’s grin started to fade, asking, “W-what, did I-”

“How in Tartarus am I supposed to kn-”

Moonstone’s inquiry was interrupted by the swift hoof of justice and righteousness, also known as Milly, whacking him on the back of his head, hissing, “Bad word! Dun say the bad words or yous gets sended to bed wivout dinners! Or mobies!” she explained, starting to get worked up, her eyes growing ever wider in horror as she listed the punishments. “Or-or even poppycorns! You dun wanna miss the poppycorns! Dat’s the worstest thing eber! So stop bein’ a potty mouf!”

Moonstone, who had been staring at the ground, shaking slightly, finally exploded, raging, “Well how the hell am I supposed to know what words are bad if I’m not allowed to say any of them?! That’s not fair!”

Confused, Twilight turned to her friends, asking quietly, “How does he not know what-”

Rarity interrupted, whispering as quietly as she could, “From what Princess Luna told us, long story short, is that he’s an orphan who’s had to travel from town to town his whole life, so he doesn’t know much about what it means to be civilized.”

“Wait a sec there, Rares, you’re sayin’ that Moonstone don’t have any family at all? Not even any siblings or grandparents or nothin?” Applejack asked, glancing at the stallion in question.

“Sadly, yes,” Serene answered, looking to her husband to provide more details.

“I don’t actually know all that much more than you all do,” Digit Pi admitted, trying to think. “I mean, all I have are more examples of what he doesn’t know. I don’t actually know that much more about his past than you do. For instance, he clearly doesn’t understand marriage completely, or it’s just an idea he knows only the bare bones about, because he said he had to run away from an angry mob for calling a mare that was already engaged beautiful. Why he was run out of town instead of just got roughed up a little from her coltfriend, I don’t know. Maybe she was also a noble or something and he didn’t-”

“Fine! Whatever! Just tell me who broke my shield!” Moonstone said on the other side of the clearing, giving up on trying to understand how some words were ‘bad’.

“I did,” Shining Armor answered, having recovered his strength.

Moonstone blinked, frowning at the guard for several moments, before turning to Princess Luna, confused. “Umm, Princess Luna? What’s with this guy? How did he get into the guards if he’s stupid enough to challenge somepony to a duel when guards aren’t allowed to duel?”

Luna barely kept from snorting in laughter as the rest of the clearing fell silent, stunned at the audacity of the strange, white stallion. Shining Armor blinked, opening his mouth, before closing it, looking to Princess Celestia for an answer. The solar princess, however, wasn’t paying attention to her captain, as she was about to start lecturing Moonstone. Twilight, however, didn’t give her the chance. “What?! Hey, nopony speaks that way about my BBBFF! Take that back! I’ll challenge you to a duel myself!”

“You can’t,” Princess Celestia interrupted, slightly startled at Twilight’s reaction, reminding herself of just how closely-knit Twilight’s family was.

“Huh?” 

“Why not?” Moonstone asked at the same time as Twilight, both unicorns turning to Celestia. “I can tell she’s a very accomplished mage, maybe even as strong as me, bu-”

“As strong?! As if!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, swift to defend her friend. “She’s taken care of an Ursa Minor no problem, all by herself! She’s-”

“Wait, there’s Minor’s? I thought there were only Majors like the one I helped take care of!” Moonstone exclaimed, looking back and forth between the two ponies.

“What? No way, you couldn’t have beaten an Ursa MAJOR! How big was it?!” Rainbow Dash challenged, flying in Moonstone’s face.

“Umm, about... Several of Starlight’s house?” he guessed, scratching his head.

Twilight blinked, then deadpanned, “That was an Ursa Minor. Ursa Minors are baby Ursa Majors.”

Moonstone gaped, his mouth hanging open for a moment, before facehoofing. “Well, that would explain how that stupid plan actually worked, then,” he muttered, shaking his head.

“Stupid plan?”

“Yeah... A friend and I were travelling when we encountered a village that said it was suffering from an angry Ursa Major, so we came up with a plan to lure it away from the village by cooking large... somethings, don’t know what they were called, and placed them apart enough to make the line go from the town to the forest.”

“That’s... actually not that different from what I did, actually,” Twilight admitted. “But I knew it was a Minor from the research I had done earlier, so I already knew what to do. I just played it a simple song to make it tired, and then gave it some milk, and it went right to sleep, easily enough for us to get it back to its cave.”

“Oh... Well, that’s... Wait a second, you can’t change what we’re talking about like that! That’s cheating!” Moonstone argued. “You still haven’t told me why I can’t duel you!”

“Because,” Princess Celestia answered, her harsh tone betraying her feelings. “Twilight has no accolades that you can take from her, that’s why!”

“What?! How?” Moonstone asked heatedly, totally lost. “I know she’s at least as strong as me, unless somepony is messing up her aura, so how can... she... have...”

Moonstone fell silent from Princess Celestia’s gaze, understanding the mute message that she wasn’t going to tolerate his actions for much longer if he didn’t try harder to be more respectful and civil. “Her accolades are many, yes, but they cannot be won because they were earned, not fought for.”

“I have accolades?” Twilight questioned, tilting her head to the side. “Like what?”

“Element of Magic, for starters,” Celestia answered, smiling at her student. “The Faithful Student, naturally-”

“Wait, that’s a title? I thought it was just a compliment!” Twilight fretted, starting to worry that she had more work to do if she was going to live up to the titles she had earned and not been made aware.

“It is a great honor, Twilight Sparkle,” Princess Luna added, continuing what Celestia had said. “There is only ever one Faithful student in a generation, and not every generation has one. We used to have a student as well, though now we are so far behind the times that We are not sure we could take on an Apprentice or not, or if that is even possible.”

“Why wouldn’t it be possible?” Moonstone asked, beating Twilight by just a second.

“Because Rune Magiks were outlawed by Celes after Our, umm... Shall We say... temper tantrum,” Luna admitted, embarrassed.

“Rune Magic?”

“Wait, Equestria doesn’t have Rune Magic? Wow, and here I thought city ponies were more advanced in everything!” Moonstone exclaimed, shocked.

“What is Rune Magic?!” Twilight asked again, trying to figure out how Moonstone knew something she didn’t.

“It’s fairly straightforward, Twilight Sparkle. It is special magic that is created by a rune imbedded in enchanted metal to create an effect that would last indefinitely by feeding off of the owner’s own magical field,” Princess Luna explained, sitting down on the grass. “With different runes come different augments, such as increased strength, stamina, or even Ether regeneration.”

Twilight’s eyes grew large as she started thinking of the possibilities. “B-but... But why would you want that outlawed, Princess Celestia?! Think of all the-”

“-Things that could grow wrong, should the wrong ponies use those runes for evil,” Celestia interrupted softly. “Imagine if a unicorn used that knowledge to create a virtual army with enchanted armour that would help them take over Equestria? Yes, they could be used for good, but it was too easy for anypony to have access to them.”

“Indeed,” Luna agreed, blushing. “If We had not imbued our armour so thoroughly, We would not have lasted so long against Our sister, and thus caused more damage and pain. However, We would like to ask you reconsider, sister, annulling those magiks. We understand that certain tasks, such as farmers, could take great advantage of rune-enhanced equipment to grant them endurance for the long, summer days, or to keep equipment from breaking.”

“Wait wait wait,” Dash interrupted, hovering right in front of Princess Celestia. “Are you telling me that there’s ways for me to become even faster?! You have to let me try! Please! I’ll do, like, anything! I’ve been trying for awhile now to get this double sonic rainboom thing to work, but I can’t get nearly enough speed to do more than barely feel the resistance for the-”

“Easy there, Dashie,” Applejack admonished, yanking the pegasus back to the ground and out of Celestia’s face. “You’re gonna get all of the guards nervous.”

“Guards?” Dash looked around, noting that they had all left, save for Shining Armor. “Umm, they all left, like, forever ago, AJ.”

“If there’s nothing else, Your Highness, I-”

“There is something else, Captain Armor,” Princess Celestia interrupted, smiling. “We have some special guests arriving, and I’m sure they’d appreciate an escort.”

Twilight’s face fell, realizing that she wouldn’t get to spend time with her BBBFF, before her brother interrupted her thoughts. “It wouldn’t happen to be the Elements, would it, Princess?”

“What?! Oh come on, we don’t need a-”

Rainbow Dash was silenced as Applejack once again bit Rainbow’s tail and pulled her down, only for Rarity to place her hoof over Dash’s mouth as she hissed, “Quiet! We know our way around, but it’s an excuse for Celestia to let Twilight spend time with her brother without making it look like she’s showing favoritism to him or giving him time off.”

Dash blinked several times, processing the information, before nodding begrudgingly.

“Wait, Elements?” Moonstone asked, looking back at Twilight. “Does everypony have an Element or something?”

“The Elements of Harmony,” Luna explained, waving a hoof at Twilight and her friends. “Surely thou hast-”

“Them?” Moonstone questioned, looking at them curiously. “But only two of them are unicorns. How can they-”

“And what’s wrong with being an Earth Pony?!” Applejack exclaimed, insulted.

“Or a pegasus?!” Rainbow Dash added, pawing at the ground.

Moonstone gaped for a moment, before saying softly, “But if they don’t have magic, then how... That makes no sense!”

“How? Moonstone, all ponies have magic,” Starlight deadpanned, her eyes narrowing at the unicorn that had inadvertently insulted her. “How do you think Pegasi fly, or Earth Ponies grow plants?”

“... They don’t just flap their wings like a bird does?”

As everypony gaped at him, Twilight and Applejack turned to Rarity, saying, “Okay, I believe you. There’s no way he couldn’t not know that otherwise. All foals are taught that in school far too early for him to not know. Heck, I knew that before Magic Kindergarten!”

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re an egghead,” Rainbow Dash snickered, teasing Twilight.

“Says the mare who broke into the Library in the middle of the night to get at the new release of Daring Do’s latest book!” Twilight shot back, shutting up the laughing pegasus in a heartbeat.

“You what?! Dashie, ah can not believe you would-”

“Oh stuff it, AJ,” Dash muttered, turning away as she blushed. “I-I was just practicing some moves in the middle of the night and crashed into Twi’s house, so I figured while I was there, I might as well grab it!”

“Decked out in entirely black clothes?” Twilight asked, giggling.

“I... well it... I regret nothing!” Dash exclaimed, her blush darkening. “I still found out before you that Ahuizotl-”

“Nothing! You will say nothing about that book, Rainbow Dash, or I’ll tell all of Equestria you’re an egghead!” Twilight shouted, cutting Dash off before she could start spoiling the new book.

Rainbow Dash gaped at her friend, shocked that she would make such a claim, saying slowly, “You wouldn’t dare...”

Twilight was interrupted, however, as Moonstone stated innocently, “Her head isn’t shaped like an egg!”

“It’s an idiom,” Starlight explained, rolling her eyes. “It means that there’s a second meaning to the words that those outside of a particular culture wouldn’t understand it.”

Moonstone just blinked, not really comprehending it, when Princess Celestia interrupted everypony. “Where’s Pinkie Pie?”

As everypony started looking around, Digit Pi gasped, exclaiming, “Where’s Milly?!”

.o.O.o.
> Chapter the Fifteenth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“SURPRISE! You found us!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, giggling as she and Milky Way threw hooffuls of confetti into the air exuberantly. “I’m a little surprised it took you so long to find us because we weren't really trying to hide at all because we told you where we were going but no one was listening to us so I was about to bust out my party cannon when Milly suggested we get a head start on the movie party since it could take a really really long time to set it up and it would be a nice surprise if you guys showed up once we were done so that you could just relax and stop talking about stuff that she had no idea what you were talking about since it was boring adult stuff and she never gets to talk during adult stuff except at parties like this so-”

Everypony moaned internally, trying to tune out the pink mare that had gone missing, prompting a fairly large-scale search for the Element of Laughter and Milky Way. What was most frustrating, however, was that they were at the castle in a lesser used wing, preparing the movie party that Milly was convinced she was still owed for her birthday, since it got interrupted the night before. It was only thanks to a new recruit that had gotten lost in the castle that they were found as quickly as they were, having stumbled upon them by accident. He hardly got to send a message with his magic before he was dragooned into helping the two energetic ponies with setting up the party and baking goodies.

“So we can has party now, yush?” Milly asked, her eyes bright and wide open.  “We workeded really hard, so now we gets to has fun! That’s how the-the real world works, right?” the little foal asked Princess Celestia, bouncing excitedly.

“Do I get to invite my friends?” Celestia asked, humoring the little filly.

“Umm... Yush? Whai does you need permissions when you is a princess, any weights?” Milly asked, completely puzzled. “Dun you gets to do whateber you wants?”

While Celestia dealt with the small filly, Rainbow Dash was foolishly trying to question Pinkie’s logic. Needless to say, she was about as successful as bailing out a flooding boat with a holey bucket.

“Um, Pinkie? Aren’t movie parties supposed to, you know, happen at night? When it’s, you know, dark?”

“Well maybe normally, yeah, but I thought that since we’re in Canterlot, the city that never sleeps, then they never have night, so it’s alright to waive the night rule because nopony obeys it here!”

“Pinkie, the city that never sleeps is Manehatten, not Canterlot,”  Twilight corrected automatically. “Besides, our work isn’t done yet! We have lots of testing to do and not much time to do it in, so let’s get moving! FOR MAGIC!”

“Don’t you mean ‘for science’?” Pinkie questioned, tilting her head to the side.

“Same difference,” Dash yawned, bored. “Come on, can we get going already? The sooner Twi gets her experathingy done, the sooner we can blast Moony here with the elements, and then I can get back to training for the Wonderbolts!”

“Hey! Only I gets to call Mista Moony that!” the small creame filly protested, tripping as she rushed over to the pegasus. “You dun get to call him that! Make you own name!”

Starlight swept her younger sister up with her forelegs, chiding, “Milly, you can’t tell other ponies what they are and aren’t allowed to call others unless they’re calling other ponies names or something bad. If Moonstone has a problem with being called Moony, then he’ll say something.”

“But she-”

Applejack and Rarity watched as the little filly was taken by her parents and escorted a short distance away. “Do ya get the feeling we’re bein’ ignored a bit?” Applejack asked her friend.

“A lady never complains about such things,” Rarity answered, filing her hoof slowly, holding it out every few moments to look at it in a different angle to make sure it was perfect. “Besides, they’re more than entitled to worry about their daughter having run off, just like a certain pony I know said she did back when she was young, hmm?”

“What? Now that’s not fair, Rares! Ah told mah family where ah was goin’!” Applejack protested, “That’s not th’ same thing and ya kn-ah! What in tarnation-”

Galexia had run up Applejack’s back, only to knock off the farmer’s hat. The lithe familiar jumped from pony to pony, heading towards her master, only to be caught by Fluttershy, held in her grasp. “Ohmygoodness! You need to be more careful, or you’re going to get hurt, wandering around in buildings! You belong outside in the garden, where it’s safe,” Fluttershy admonished softly, carefully caressing the ferret’s body. 

Galexia gave Fluttershy a queer glance, trying to appraise her, before her eyes widened and started to chatter rapidly. Fluttershy was nearly overwhelmed from the sudden barrage of words, but slowly tried to follow her new friend as fast as she could talk. “Umm... Would you mind slowing down just a teensy bit? I mean, if you don’t mind, that is...”

Galexia sighed, before starting over, pantomiming as well to help convey her thoughts. “What’s goin’ on, Fluttershy? Why’d that varmint knock mah hat off?”

“Um, I think she’s confused, because she’s convinced she’s... um, I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re trying to say,” she interrupted herself, turning to Galexia. Answering Applejack, she continued, “I think she’s saying she’s like a special pet, but I don’t know exactly how-”

“Lex, I’ve been looking all over for you! What do you have to say for yourself?” Moonstone interrupted, not having heard Fluttershy’s quiet musings.

Galexia hopped swiftly from Fluttershy to Moonstone, chattering quickly. Moonstone nodded for a second before his entire body stiffened. “She’s what?!”

“I-I’m sorry!” Fluttershy apologized immediately, ducking her head down.

“You’re a druid?! I can’t believe it! I thought they had died out! What can you do? Do you still follow the old ways? How do you bless the animals? How do you use your healing magic if you’re a pegasus? What-”

“D-druid?” Fluttershy asked, timidly interupting.

“What in Equestria is a druid?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking to Twilight.

“A druid is somepony who, back in Starswirl’s time, supposedly had a special connection to the forest and its animals,” Twilight began to answer, looking to Princess Celestia to make sure she was correct.

“Yes, though we’re still not sure how much of that is true or not,” Celestia corrected, turning to Moonstone. “Back then, ponies were much more mystical, and willing to believe in the unusual. Luna and I... well, we encouraged them.”

“What? Why would you do something like that?” 

“... We... had our reasons,” Celestia answered vaguely. “Anyway, Starswirl was one of the first ponies to question and actively seek out the origins and truth behind such mysticism. He put to rest many myths, though not many ponies believed him at first. It took several generations before ponies started to realize that he was right, though those beyond the borders of Equestria believe the truth. Then again, it is hard to make them believe anything nowadays... They are so firmly set in their old ways that they refuse to believe anything can change.”

“But you promised that I gets ta have mobie night! Whai I no can has mobie night?” Milky Way exclaimed, fighting back tears. She was out in public, after all, and big ponies don’t cry in public! They wait until they get back home in their rooms to cry. Milly knew this to be true, because her sissy told her so, and sissy’s don’t lie! (4 out of 5 fillies have agreed that big sisters can’t lie. The fifth was hesitant to answer, and was thus put down as a no.)

“Oh! Oh! I know! Pick me, pick me!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing up and down excitedly, holding one foreleg straight up, propped up by the other foreleg. 

After swinging it back and forth for a moment, Twilight sighed, mono-toning, “Yes, Pinkie?”

“It’s because it’s not night! It can’t be a movie night if there’s no night, silly!” Pinkie giggled at the small filly. “We have to wait until it’s dark if we want to see the movie better!”

Milly frowned for a moment, before she had an idea. A brilliant idea, even if she thought so herself. Turning to Princess Luna, she threw herself at the princess’ hooves, using the best set of puppy eyes she could muster. “Princess Woona, can I has night-time early? Pretty pwease wiv sprinkles, an cream dat’s been whipped, an-”

“We cannot, little one. T’would make everypony fear that We... that I got sick again,” Luna finished, looking away. “Besides, We need to rest after last night if W... I am to partake in the party later. If you care not, sister?”

“Of course not... Oh! Could you send a note to Sally for me about tonight? I need to oversee the experiments done with Moonstone here, since you’re not going to be there.” 

Luna nodded, taking the note from her sister, before teleporting away. Moonstone blinked, staring at where Luna used to be, before asking, “Alright, how much do I have to pay who to learn that spell?”

“Pay? You just buy the right book, or go to school,” Twilight answered, confused. “Pay someone to teach spells? Who does that?”

Moonstone looked around awkwardly, before mumbling, “The... rest of the world?”

“Are you sure? That’s not how the old ones used to do it,” Princess Celestia commented, frowning.

“Y-yeah... I bought my barrier spell when I was a colt for all the money I had. Not sure how much it was, but it was enough, I remember that much. Pony said that spells that are worth teaching are worth buying. Every time I’ve tried to buy other spells, though, they either called me names and drove me off for being cursed, or they just ignored me.”

“Well I never! The nerve of those ponies!” Rarity exclaimed, stomping her hoof as hard as she dared, not wanting to chip her hoof. “Doesn’t anypony know how to be generous anymore? I might not be amazing at magic like Twilight, but I would still help anypony who came asking about magic!”

“Like how you taught Sweetie Belle that stupid mane-color changing spell? Yeah, that went great,” Applejack snickered quietly, earning her a glare from the fashionista. 

“Look, as interesting as this conversation is, can we get to testing, please?” Twilight requested. “While I’m sure Spike can handle himself at the library alone, I don’t want to leave him there longer than necessary.”

“Of course,” Celestia agreed, looking to the rest of the ponies. “If you’re ready, Moonstone? We can talk more about what spells you would like to learn once we get started. Is that acceptable?”

“I guess, but I doubt I can afford more than a couple,” Moonstone admitted, looking at the ground. “I’ve only got a couple of bars, so I don’t know-”

“Bars of what?” Starlight asked, puzzled. “We use bits, so what’s a bar worth?”

“A lot,” Digit answered, his eyes wide. “Do you even know what the price of gold is right now?”

“... A number?”

Digit Pi gaped, blinking as Starlight giggled, “You were asking for it, daddy. You know he wouldn’t know!”

“I... yes, you’re right,” Digit sighed, shaking his head. “And yes, Moonstone, it’s a number. A large number, though we should talk about it somewhere else.”

Moonstone kept silent as he followed the rest of the ponies, deciding to learn by listening, rather than opening his mouth and embarrassing himself with how little he knew about ‘the real world’.

“All right, a checklist, that’s what we need!” Twilight explained, smiling to herself as she started to write on a scroll, falling in line next to her mentor, allowing her body to go on auto-pilot while she focused on writing. “Let’s see, first of all, we have to test for any possible curses. If there’s a curse, then we need to examine it closely so we can deconstruct it and create a counter-spell, and find out what part of the brain it attacks to allow the Nightmare in. If there’s no curse, then we move on to testing his brainwaves and his Ether field to see if there’s any obvious anomalies. Then, if-”

“She’s... really thorough,” Starlight commented, blinking in shock as the lavender unicorn rambled on, scribbling furiously with her telekinesis to create an outline.

“But of course, darling. Twilight is very good at making checklists,” Rarity replied casually. “If magic weren’t her special talent, I’m sure that making checklists would have been it!”

“Huh... So, what are you good at? Making jewelry?” Starlight inquired, slowing down a little to trot next to Rarity.

“Oh, I suppose I could have, if I had chosen to,” Rarity remarked, a lady-like frown on her face as she thought. “My special talent is finding gems, but that is not where my passion lies, exactly. My true passion is designing!”

“W-wait... You’re... The Rarity? As in Rarity Filigree of Ponyville?” 

Rarity laughed nervously, looking around as she answered, “Aha, ah, yes, that is my full name, yes, but I prefer-”

“I’m such a huge fan!” Starlight exclaimed, cutting Rarity off. “I didn’t think that you’d... I mean, you don’t look...”

Starlight flushed, opening and closing her mouth, before deciding an embarrassed silence was the best option she had.

Rarity opened her mouth before closing it, waiting a moment before replying, “Take your time, it’s alright. I shan’t be insulted, if I can help it.”

“W-well... You aren’t... um... well, fat.”

Rarity stopped mid-trot, her body stiff and her face frozen as her brain tried to process what Starlight was trying to say. It was very hard to concentrate, however, with Rainbow Dash and Applejack both laughing at her, rolling on the ground breathlessly. 

“I... am afraid I don’t follow, darling,” Rarity said slowly, blinking.

“W-well... I mean, most of the designers in Canterlot are... They’ve... They’re not, exactly, the most...” Starlight floundered, embarrassed. She looked around, making sure they were mostly alone, before she sighed and kept it simple. “They’ve let themselves go.”

“So, you’re saying that,” Rarity said slowly, working it out aloud, “is that you’re surprised that I’m not fat, is that what you’re saying?”

“... Maybe a little bit?” Starlight admitted, staring at the floor.

“Oh. Well then, I am most glad that I am not to your expectations then,” Rarity smiled, privately sighing in relief.

“I-if you don’t mind my asking, why are you-”

“Have you been to Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash interrupted, raising an eyebrow. “It’s not Canterlot, where you can just send some snooty butler to go get all of your stuff for you. You actually have to go out of your house and walk to the market if you want to buy something.”

“The horror! The horror!” Starlight cried in mock fear. She reared to back legs, raising a foreleg to her head as she slowly swooned backwards onto a lounge chair generously summoned by Rarity, carefully avoiding hurting her injured wing. As the rest of the group started to giggle, Starlight moaned, her voice growing melodramatically soft. “I... I can see a light... it’s so... pretty... J-Jeeves, go fetch me that light... I must... I must have it...”

With that, she let her foreleg go limp, the limb falling to her side and over the couch, ‘dead’. She jumped off the couch with a bow, however, when she heard the other three laughing. “The sad thing is, that’s pretty much accurate!” Starlight giggled, brushing her chest fur back into position.

“At least you know how to laugh at yourself!” Dash chuckled, picking herself up from the floor. “So, are your friends like that too, or are they more like you?”

“Her? Have friends? Like, that’s the best joke I’ve heard all week,” a snooty unicorn mare snarked as she passed Starlight, grinning maliciously as Starlight shied away a step.

“Hey, come back here and say that again!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, ready to chase down the unicorn that had, in essence, insulted not only Starlight, but also Rainbow and her friends.

“Don’t bother,” Starlight mumbled, starting to walk again. “They’ve got a come-back for everything. The only things they care about are looks and status, and my title isn’t worth much these days...”

“What about your looks? Surely you don’t think you’re ugly or something!” Rarity laughed, hiding her mouth with a hoof.

Her laughter slowly died as she realized that Starlight was serious. “Wait... what? But-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Starlight interrupted tersely, continuing to walk down the hall. “I’m allowed to think whatever I want, and not even you can make me change my mind about that!”

The other three mares’ eyes widened, before Rainbow Dash gasped, “She did not just say that...”

Applejack looked at Rarity before opting to cover her ears, answering with a simple, “She did...”

“Oh, it. Is. On!” Rarity exclaimed, her eyes burning. 

Starlight jumped from the vehemence in Rarity’s voice, slowly backing away. “W-what’s on?” she asked, a nervous giggle escaping her lips.

“Race to see who gets her first?” Applejack asked, turning to Rainbow.

“Already won,” Dash answered, sticking out her tongue as she held Starlight above her.

“H-hey, put me down! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“You do not get to insult yourself like that, and then insult myself as well on top of that!” Rarity ranted, narrowing her eyes at the hapless pegasus. “Now you are going to come with us, and we’re going to prove you wrong! Then, of course, we’ll have tea so we can talk and you can apologize.”

“You can’t just take me prisoner! I have rights, you know! G-guard! Help!” Starlight cried out, waving frantically to a guard on patrol.

“The guard rushed towards them, before slowing down in confusion. “Yes, miss, what is it? Did something happen to the elements?”

“The what?”

“Oh, no, Starlight darling is just over-reacting, that’s all,” Rarity answered, fluttering her eyes at the guard. “Actually, we could use your help wi-”

Starlight gave out a startled yelp as Twilight appeared in a bright flash. “W-wh-how-” she stuttered, her mane and tail shocked stiff, her eyes wide open.

“Are you girls coming? Celestia’s waiting!”

“Ha! Ya owe me ten bits, Dashie,” Applejack hissed to Rainbow Dash triumphantly. “She didn’t say Princess!”

“Stupid bet,” Rainbow grumbled, hoofing over the money reluctantly. “You got lucky because she’s stressed, that’s all!”

“We’ll be along in a bit, darling. We were just going to give Starlight a makeover is all. We’ll be right down the hall, promise.” Rarity answered, doing her best to keep Starlight from talking.

“Be right back,” Twilight said after a second of thought, disappearing in a magenta flash. She reappeared seconds later wearing her tiara, the Elements of Loyalty, Generosity, and Honesty hovering next to her in a levitation field. “Put these on, girls. Just in case. I’ll be back for you if or when we need you, but this way we won’t have to waste time putting them on later. Oh, hey Shield. Was there something you needed?”

The guard blinked, then replied, “Iron Shield is my brother, Lady Twilight.”

“Oh... Wow, time flies,” Twilight blinked, staring at the guard for a moment.

“Ahem. Darling, don’t you have experiments and whatnot to do?” Rarity asked, glad that Starlight was still trying to follow what was being said.

“Oh, right, thanks! Sorry Greaves! Forgot you would have passed the exam a year ago or so. Hope the girls aren’t giving you trouble! Bye!”

Disappearing in a flash, Twilight teleported back to the princess, leaving the four mares alone with the guard. Thinking quickly, Rarity asked, “Where would the nearest source of fabric be, sir?”

“Just down the hall, on your left. Should be fairly empty this time of the week, as the new curtains were finished last week, and they won’t be starting on bedsheets until next month,” the guard replied, pointing the way.

“Thank you very much! So sorry for bothering you, Greaves. Come, girls, we have fabulosity to create!”

As the three elements ran off, Starlight called out, “Wait, don’t just let them take me! Help!”

Greaves blinked as the mares disappeared around the corner leaving he and his thoughts alone. “Save her? It’s her and three other mares...” His eyes glazed over for a second before shaking his head, chiding himself. “Nah, I doubt they swing that way... Although, that could explain why I’ve never seen her with a stallion. Cute mare...”

.o.O.o.

“But if nopony charges to teach spells, then why did that one stallion?” Moonstone asked, confused.

“Probably because he was a selfish, greedy stallion just trying to earn a quick bit from a poor, helpless colt. Now hold still!” Twilight chided him, concentrating on strapping him into the machines properly.

“... What are these going to do?”

“Well first, we’re going to measure your Ether levels, record what they are, how fast you can recharge per minute, stuff like that. It will help calibrate the machines to your brainwaves.”

“Oh... So what’s your level?” Moonstone asked, curious. “How do you make the levels? What’s the average? How did ponies figure out how to measure them? Why-”

“Moonstone, it’s rude to ask multiple questions like that,” Digit Pi corrected, trying to hide his irritation at constantly correcting the stallion. “You don’t give the pony you’re asking time to think, and end up flustering and confusing them.”

“... Then what’s your Ether level?”

“Last time it was measured, it was roughly ni-”

Twilight was interrupted with a hoof to the mouth as Pinkie cried out, “Wait!”

After a moment of silence, she smiled, wiping her head in relief. “Woo! Crisis averted!” Pinkie giggled, before hopping over to Moonstone, whispering in his ear.

His eyes grew wide as he tried to comprehend the number. “And that’s... really big, right?”

“Yepper peppers!” Pinkie smiled, bounding back to play with Milky Way.

Moonstone waited patiently for Twilight to read him his numbers, but instead of a number, all she said was, ‘Huh? That doesn’t make any sense! Princess, are you sure this is calibrated properly?”

“Yes, though I’ll admit, there seems to be something wrong here,” Princess Celestia agreed.

“What? What’s wrong? Is it not showing up, or...” Moonstone started to fret, wondering if his curse had managed to break the machines.

“No, it... showed up, but frankly, the number doesn’t make sense, from what we’ve been told and what we’ve seen... Your Ether Level is only 1337,” Twilight answered.

“... That’s it? That’s a ton lower than yours, though!” Moonstone exclaimed, scandalized. “How can I feel that we’re close in power if it’s only-”

“Holy buck!”

The room went silent as Digit Pi and Serene Breeze both gave Twilight glares, the princess equally shocked. She had never heard Twilight curse before, aside from the few times that Twilight had said or repeated what somepony else said, not knowing that they were curses.

Celestia looked at the screen to read the results to see what Twilight was freaking out about, when her own eyes widened in shock.

“What, what is it?” 

Ignoring Moonstone, Celestia slowly turned off the machine, ordering to the two guards on standby, “Please bring in the next machine. This one appears to be malfunctioning.”

“Oh... Wait, why do you say that?” Moonstone asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Because it said that your Ether recharge level was over one thousand, and the highest recorded level in history was barely over 600,” Celestia explained, waiting patiently for the new machine.

“Oh... If you say so,” Moonstone said, looking around again.

The doors boomed open, revealing Rainbow Dash as she flew forward, landing with a sigh. “Oh good, you’re here... Flutters, Rares says she needs your help. Something about a lot of stitching by hoof, or needing a second opinion or something.”

“Oh! Me! Pick me, I can has a pinion ‘bout stuffs, an I’m not even a peggyseuss!” Milly exclaimed, grinning widely. 

“Yeah! Wait for us, Fluttershy! Wee!”

Pinkie and Milly practically pounded on Fluttershy, escorting her down the hall where Rarity was, apparently, waiting for her. Moments later, Applejack came into the room, laying down with a sigh of relief. “Ah swear, that mare’s more secretive than a moonshiner during the prohibition.”

“More secretive than a what during a who?”

“You know, th... Oh, right, sorry,” Applejack apologized. “Um, it means... shoot, how to explain it...”

“I got wasted one night,” Celestia said bluntly, unembarrassed.

“Wasted?”

“Wasted is slang for when somepony has imbibed far too much alcohol,” Digit Pi explained, sitting down next to the white stallion. “Alcohol,” he continued, “is... Well, it does stuff to your brain when you drink a lot of it. It...”

“It’s friendship lubricant!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, smiling widely. “It helps ya relax, and make more friends! When you have a lot of it, though, it can make your brain all fuzzy, and stuff that would normally sound very stupid or dangerous sound funny. It makes you braver, not care about stuff. Not to mention it’s delicious! Especially cider!”

“Okay? So what’s a... prohibition, you said?”

“Well, one night, Princess Celestia had a little too much to drink, and-”

“Oh good, the new machines are here! Just place them over there, yes,” Celestia ordered, watching as they set the equipment up. 

Digit cleared his throat, continuing from before, but more mindful of the company. “... Suffice it to say that Celestia saw fit to ban alcohol for awhile, and it became known as the prohibition, because it prohibited the making of alcohol.”

“ Wouldn't that make ponies unhappy though?” Moonstone asked, allowing the new wires to be attached to his body and horn, trying to ignore the strange sensations.

“Yes, which is what moonshiners were. Moonshiners were the ponies who, despite the law, made and sold alcohol to other ponies. So, naturally, they were very secretive about how and where they made their alcohol, or else they would get into big trouble.”

“So how did the prohibition end? Is it still going?”

“No, it’s over. See, after a year or so, moonshiners started getting caught more and more often, and while Princess Celestia tried to be lenient at first, she was practically forced to issue worse and worse punishments until she felt so bad for creating a law that made so many ponies unhappy that she annulled it, adding a new law to help limit how much ponies could drink instead.”

“Why?”

“Well, when you drink too much alcohol, while it’s rare, it is possible to have so much that you poison your blood, and end up dying...”

“Oh. That makes sense, I suppose. So what does this alcohol taste like?”

“What?!” Rainbow Dash and Applejack both exclaimed, the former’s voice cracking slightly. “You’ve never had alcohol? How?”

“Well...” Moonstone thought for a moment, trying to remember. “I... remember asking for cider, once, when I was a colt, and was laughed out of tavern when they said I wasn’t old enough.”

Whatever Rainbow Dash was about to say was over-ridden by Twilight’s exclamations as she read the machines. “What?! That can’t be right! What in Tartarus is going on?!”
> Chapter the Sixteenth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And you talked me into this how, exactly?” Starlight asked, sighing as Rarity kept putting on and taking off various bits of clothing she had made over the course of several hours.

“Cause you bees a pushy-over!” Milky Way giggled, happily sitting on her sister’s back as she brushed her sister’s mane, following the quiet instructions of Rarity. “You dun knows how to say no!”

Turning to her left, the little filly spotted her new best friend, asking excitedly, “I can has muffen, Pinks? Is hard work using Mista Brushie-Brushies!”

“It’s Mister Brushie, dear, just one Brushie,” Rarity corrected idly, stepping back as she eyed Starlight critically. “Hmm, yes, that should do it... Though perhaps the shoes should be used for more formal events, this doesn’t look bad, but... What do you think, Milly dear?”

Using her magic, Rarity brought out a three-way mirror and set it in front of Milky Way and Starlight, leaving them both breathless. The first thing Starlight noticed was her mane. While it normally fell around and in front of her face to hide herself a bit, it was now more refined. Her bangs no did most of the hiding, which would allow a simple brush with a hoof to settle it above her eye, should she choose to. Her normally straight hair now had a slight curl at the end, making her think of an ocean wave starting to crest. 

Next noticed was her precious shoes gone, a whimper barely restrained. In their place were... Well, she wanted to call them socks, but if they didn’t cover the hoof, then what were they? She had one on each leg, a brilliant light blue the same shade as her mane. The dress, if it could even be called that, looked more like a love child between a cape and a trenchcoat. It started just below her withers, covering her back, her flanks, and even a small part of her tail, flaring out and falling to the sides the further it went back. To keep it straight, the top had two leg-holes , allowing it to be tied together across her chest with a small string bow, creating a diamond shape.

“Hmm... Spread your wing, darling, I need to make sure it won’t get in the way of you flying around,” Rarity instructed, still analyzing her latest masterpiece. 

Starlight complied absently, still staring at herself. Finally speaking up, she decided to ask her foal-hood friend, hoping she would be willing to tell her the truth without being prejudiced. “F-Fluttershy? What do you think?”

“O-oh, um, well,” Fluttershy murmured, wilting behind her mane a little bit. “I-I think that, um... Well, the hem could use some silver to make it not as plain, the stitching should have had twice as many if it’s expected to be worn while flying, and the material should have been from Haygyptian cotton to help keep her warm while flying at higher altitudes while keeping it light enough to fly with.” Having finished her piece, Fluttershy blinked, then hid behind her mane, mumbling, “But, um, I mean, it looks... nice.”

Starlight stared at the other pegasus, gaping for a moment, before saying, “Wow, that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at once...”

“But what do you think, darling? I didn’t want to use Haygyptian cotton because I didn’t want to use expensive materials on a first attempt. I would, of course, be using Haygyptian cotton for the final version, but I wanted to make sure I got the right sizes down.”

“I-I don’t know,” Starlight said, pawing at the ground. “I mean, I don’t-”

Starlight was interrupted when the doors to the room opened, Princess Celestia walking in, followed by everypony else. “Ah, so there you are. Are you nearly finished, Rarity?” 

“Ah, for the time being, yes, Princess,” Rarity answered with a bow, waiting a moment before standing again. 

“What are you wearing, Star?” Starlight’s mother asked, deftly stopping her younger filly from running out of the room by catching her with a wing.

“Miss Rary maded Sona a pretty dress! See Mista Moony? What’cha think?”

Starlight fidgeted under the scrutiny of Moonstone’s stare, though she noticed that his eyes seemed rather blank. She glanced to her parents, though they seemed to be rather amused at Moonstone for some reason. After a moment more, he finally spoke, though nopony would have guessed the words that were about to come from his mouth.

“What’s with the clothes?”

In the silence that followed, there was a quiet clop as Digit Pi facehoofed heavily, barely restraining a moan. Starlight gaped for a moment before storming quietly to the door, stopping only briefly to deck Moonstone as hard as she could, growling, “Pervert!”

As she stormed out of the room, Rarity exclaimed, “The nerve! Saying he prefers a mare to be naked! And here I thought he was a gentlecolt!”

“Aren’t we normally naked anyway, Rares?” Applejack deadpanned, unamused. 

“W-well, that’s not the point!” Rarity flustered, bouncing her coiffure with her hoof a few times.

“What... just happened?” Moonstone asked, absently holding a hoof to his face, his brain struggling to keep up with reality.

“Why is Sissy being such a meanie head to Mista Moony?” Milly asked, before turning to glare at the stallion. “Is you stupa or something? Yous supposta say she bees bootyful, not asking whai she gots clothses!”

“I... but... It was a perfectly valid question!” Moonstone protested, wilting under the glares of several mares. “Why is everypony so upset?!”

“You mean you weren’t implying that you thought my daughter looked better naked?” Serene Breeze asked, doing her best not to sound as upset as she was feeling.

“... Huh?”

Applejack frowned, walking over to stare into Moonstone’s eyes. As she stared at him, Moonstone felt more and more uncomfortable, until finally, he asked, “W-what?”

“Why did you ask why she had clothes?”

“Be... cause she hadn’t been wearing any before?” Moonstone answered, uncertain.

After another moment, Applejack smirked, trying and failing not to laugh. Turning to Digit Pi and Serene Breeze, she laughed, “Good luck teaching this one! He’s denser than Fluttershy is socially reclusive. Err, no offense, sugarcube.”

Fluttershy murmured her acceptance of the apology, her face a light pink. Moonstone looked around, ears flat against his skull. “W-what?”

After sighing, more to himself than anything, Digit Pi began to explain. “Clothes are... complicated to explain, Moonstone. When it’s something you grow up with, it’s difficult to explain what you said wrong. It... We don’t normally wear clothes, yes, but that’s why it’s ah... What I mean is, when you ask somepony to take their clothes off, it’s... suggesting that you want to... That is, well... roll in the hay.”

In the embarrassed silence that followed, a pin could have been heard dropped from a mile away. Moonstone looked around, before asking slowly, “And... what’s wrong with that?”

The mile extended all the way to Ponyville as he looked around, the others either embarrassed, outraged, or both. Everypony was silent until Milly piped up, admitting, “Milly bees confuzzled too. Rolling in hay ish fun! And it keeps the-the nasty bugses away! Whai is asking Sona to roll in hays a bad thing? She dun like to has fun?”

The facehoof was so loud, even Starlight, who was still fuming outside, heard it. As she slowly walked back, trying to make as little noise as possible, Digit Pi exclaimed, now with a hoof-mark across his face, “It’s an idium!”

“... Daddy, is not nice to call ponies idiots,” Milly pouted, crossing her forelegs as she looked up to her father with watering eyes. “Ish Milly an idiot too?”

“No, Milly, I said idiom, not idiot,” he said quickly, giving her a hug before looking to everypony else. “Look, how do you learn idioms?” He asked the rest of the room quickly, pointing to Milly. “You learn them based on when and where you hear them in society, right? Some phrases don’t have meaning until you’re older, because you don’t know it has a second meaning until someone tells you. So how would Moonstone know it, having travelled?”

Rarity was the first to recover, her reddened cheeks slowly returning to normal. “Ah, yes, well, I suppose that makes sense. So, Twilight, what all did you find out?” she continued, hoping to change the subject as smoothly as possible. 

“Hmm? What? Oh, right,” the lavender unicorn replied, shaking her head to wake up. “Well, first, we-”

“And please, Darling, not to be rude, but keep it to simple Equestrian, please and thank you!” Rarity added, simpering.

After a half-hearted glare, Twilight picked up again. “First, it seems that there was an age curse placed on Moonstone, so we can assume that either it was powerful enough for Luna to miss it without magical and technical enhancements, or else Moonstone’s birthday was in the past several days. We can’t know, because Moonstone only remembers from the time he was anywhere between five and seven. Because of the curse, there’s no way of knowing exactly how much it affects Moonstone’s mind, or how easily the Nightmare can control him. Next, w-”

“Miss Sparklight? What bees age curse?” Milky Way asked, growing tired of having her raised foreleg ignored.

“An age curse is a complex curse that had great potency, but is also more easily curable before it can take effect because of the time needed,” Twilight started to lecture. “It is, in essence, a curse that doesn’t take effect until a pony comes of age, or certain conditions are met. Now, normally, removing a curse like this would be nearly impossible to remove once it has gotten to this stage, but with the Elements of Harmony, it should be relatively easy. The only negative we walk away with is, since the curse has already grown to maturity, we cannot analyze it in its entirety, so we can’t recreate it, nor can we make a perfect anti-curse.”

After a moment of silence, Milly spoke up, giggling, “You talks funny. You should, should learn how to speak normals, like me!”

“Ah-huh... anyway, after several more experiments, we discovered that the Nightmare doesn’t exactly reside in the brain so much as merges with the pony’s Ether leyline. In short, there’s nothing we can do with magic or potions to keep the Nightmare from coming, aside from those who have already been infected lending support of what the Elements of Harmony did to them, or the Elements of Harmony themselves.”

“So what are we doing, darling?” Rarity asked, absently using her magic to straighten the element around her neck.

“Well, we promised Pinkie Pie we could have the movie party, so with Princess Luna on standby to make sure that the Nightmare doesn’t take over Moonstone while we sleep, we’ll use the elements in the morning, make sure that it worked, and then we’ll be heading back home in time for dinner!”

“Wee! Ish party times! C’mon, Moony!”

Moonstone, still confused as to what rolling in the hay was ‘supposed’ to mean, allowed himself to be dragged by the small, though energetic, unicorn filly. “Hai sissy! Bai sissy!”

“Hi Lady Starlight,” Moonstone said quickly as he was dragged past the purple pegasus. “Sorry for calling you an idi-ouch! W-watch the hoof, Milly!”

Starlight blinked, watching her sister drag Moonstone along, noticing that he was having a rough time due to his cast weighing his leg down, making it harder for him to balance. “Milly, stop abusing Moonstone, that’s my job!”

“Oh. Sorry sissy!”

.o.O.o.

“Wee! A Movie Party in Canterlot, that’s a first for me!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced along, leading the way back to the prepared party parlor. “Oh! I should totally write this down in my party diary to mark down the occasion, since I haven’t had a new party first for several weeks when we served brownies instead of muffins because we ran out somehow, and then officer Merry Wanna asked if-”

“Is she always this... energetic?” Serene asked Fluttershy.

“O-oh, um, yes, but it’s okay. You get used to it,” Fluttershy answered softly, smiling as the pink party pony kept talking energetically to Digit Pi, who was struggling to keep up with the conversation.

“... And then I said ‘Tacos? Are you crazy?! Pudding is a much better choice for’-”

“I see... Well, while I’m thinking about it, is there anything you want me to tell your mom tomorrow?”

Fluttershy looked down, scuffing a hoof as she tried to think of something to say, before settling on something simple. “I love her, and I hope she would come visit soon. Um, if she’s not too busy, that is. I wouldn’t want to impose...”

Milly, of course, was just as energetic, speaking as quickly as Pinkie Pie was. “Yay! Mobie times! Can we watch The Little Seapony? Please please please?! Ish the bestest mobie everer, aspecially when sissy sings wiv me!”

“O-oh, I don’t know about that, Milly, we’ve got guests,” Starlight said quickly, starting to imitate Fluttershy.

“So? That means more singing!” Pinkie shouted loudly, her eyes bright and her smile eerily wide. “Now come on, silly fillies! It’s time to get this party started!”

“And thou wilt not wait for all of the guests to appear, Miss Diane Pie?”

“Course not, silly filly!” Pinkie giggled, poking Princess Luna on the snout. “We didn’t have to wait because I knew exactly when you were going to get here and there’s no point in wasting time if you know when somepony is supposed to show up and when a party should be started so that you can get the most-”

Pinkie Pie, oddly enough, interrupted herself, her eyes going wide as she jumped forty-two hooves into the air, gasping dramatically. “Ohmygosh! New pony!

“Hi I’m Pinkie Pie and I know you probably don’t know me but I’m the happiest most friendliest party pony in all of Equestria and I’ve never seen you before which means that I’ve never meet you before which means that we’re not friends and that’s really sad because Granny Pie said you can never have enough friends so do you wanna be my newest friend, doyadoyadoya?! Oh wait, you can’t be friends with somepony if you don’t know anything about them! Do you like muffins or cupcakes more?”

“... Yes.” The black mare had a twinkle in her eye as she answered, her green mane and tail shimmering in the twilight.

Pinkie landed, a slight frown on her face as she thought on that answer, turning to Shining Armour and Princess Cadance, who had entered alongside Luna. “Hmm...” She leaned forward into the strange mare’s personal space, but to the stranger’s credit, she only leaned backwards an inch or two, just enough so that they weren’t nuzzling, or anything socially awkward. “... That’s correct! I like you!”

“Thanks. It’s nice knowing that the elements don’t harbor any hate for me,” the black mare tittered.

“Indeed. I thought that Cadance and Captain Armour would still be harboring hatred for you over the staged invasion, but I suppose I did not give their forgiveness enough credit-”

“Wait,” Princess Cadance interrupted Luna, blinking. “Staged invasion? Invasion of what? What are you talking about?”

“Thou knows, the staged Canterlot invasion? The one where you were ‘fillynapped’?” Luna asked.

The black mare laughed nervously, slowly edging her way towards Princess Celestia, before Cadance finally snapped out of her stupor, exploding, “The Canterlot Invasion was staged?!”

Princess Celestia had to restrain her giggling, having waited for this moment for months now. Putting on an overly-casual expression, she started to explain. “Well, yeah! Formal events at Canterlot are always really boring, right?”

She grinned widely, her foreleg looping around the black mare as she dragged her over, hugging her tight. “So we called up my girl Chrysalis to make things more memorable!”

Chrysalis had the decency to blush meekly. giving a small wave of her hoof.

“W-what?!” Cadance yelled, her her mane starting to fritz, her pupils shrinking. “I spent days in a dark, abandoned, underground cave!”

“Buuuut it was a memorable experience, wasn’t it?” Celestia egged on, her grin far wider than normal, the kind that said ‘Eh? Eh? Come on, you know you want to smile!’

“I-I...” Cadance began shaking, not noticing her husband’s attempts to console her. Her voice almost squeaking, she choked out, “I had to eat mice to survive!”

Ignoring Fluttershy’s horrified gasp, Celestia crossed her forelegs, smiling smuggly. “I’m not hearing a ‘no’...”

“How could you?!” Twilight and Fluttershy both exclaimed, scandalized, though for different reasons.

Noticing that her niece was still in the middle of her break-down, told the rest of the group in confidence, “Don’t tell her, but the mice weren’t real. I just enchanted some fruit to look and sound like mice to help add to the experience. Clever, right?”

“So... she...” Twilight pointed at a very nervous Chrysalis, who was trying to smile casually, but was failing horribly. 

“Yep! C’mon, Sally, you can change back to normal now.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack started to charge for the changeling, but were stopped by a midnight blue field holding them in place. “Thou shouldst not react so hastily,” Luna reprimanded, throwing her sister an irritated glare afterwards. “It was entirely Celes’ idea, and ‘tis most unjust to punish Chrysalis when it was Celes who is to blame.”

Celestia blinked, before she narrowed her eyes, saying, “You can’t do that! That’s against the rules!”

“All’s fair in love and war, Celes,” Luna replied cheekily, sticking her tongue out. “Celes and I are engaged to do battle in some number of days. Wouldst thou care to join The New Lunar Republic Pranking Squad?”

“A... Prank war?” Rainbow Dash asked, trying to clarify what the lunar princess was saying. “A prank war between the princesses? HECK YEAH!”

“What do ah get if we win, and what’s gonna happen if ah’m on the losing team?” Applejack countered, narrowing her eyes. 

“The other team becomes your personal servant for an entire day!” Luna cheered, enthused.

“Ah’m in!”

“Ha! Taketh that, Celes! Thy Celestial Queendom shall fall by our hoof, or die trying! Huzzah!”
> Chapter the Seventeenth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“No, no fighting, ish time for mobies!” Milky Way exclaimed, stomping a diminutive hoof on the ground. “Just cause you’s a pretty princess pony dun mean you gets to be a meanie head! We came here for a mobie, and if you dun wanna mobie, den you can go be meanies elsewhere!”

“I am so confused,” Moonstone sighed to himself, sitting down wearily. “What happened that’s got everypony so... crazy?”

Chrysalis snuck away from Celestia, sitting down nearby. “Well, I kidnapped Cay, impersonated her, and all in all, helped make her wedding day complete chaos...”

As Starlight and Moonstone looked at her, though, her face broke out into an impish grin. “It was fun, though! Nopony ever gets to be evil without getting in huge trouble, right? Well I got to be evil, and not get in trouble at all!”

“Wait, what was your name again?” Moonstone asked suddenly, his eyes widening.

“Chrysalis, but everyone calls me-”

While there were still several conversations going on, everypony paused when they heard the resounding smack from Moonstone’s good hoof hitting Chrysalis in a backslap. “That’s from Cocoon!”

“Moonstone, stop it this-”

Celestia was interrupted when Chrysalis interjected, “Wait, Cocoon? How do you know her?!” She rubbed her face with a hoof absently, even though the pain had already faded.

“Long story short, I saved Pupa from some slavers, so she took me to her hive so they could reward me. Didn’t learn much about ponies, but-”

“D-did they have a message for me?” Chrysalis asked excitedly.

“Yeah, lemme make sure I say it exactly how they said it, though...”

Moonstone frowned in deep thought, his eyes clouding over for a moment before beginning the message. “You moron! What were you thinking?!”

“W-what kind of message is that?! I just wanted to go see the world, and that’s what-”

“You left without saying goodbye?! Not even so much as a letter or anything? Pupa was worried sick for months, no thanks to you! You knew she looked up to you, so why did you leave without telling her?”

Chrysalis opened her mouth to answer, but Moonstone kept talking. “No, don’t even try to give us that ‘but she’d want to go with me’ crap! You know that mother had more than enough safety spells placed on Pupa’s room that she wouldn’t have been able to get out if she tried to follow you! You have no excuse, young changeling! Be glad it’s me giving the message, and not our mother, or you’d never hear the end of it! Now you get your fat, scaly butt to the nearest post office and write us a frelling letter! Dren,” Moonstone cursed, glaring at Chrysalis. “Of all the sisters in the world, we had to get the moron with lust for adventure...”

Everypony in the room stared at Moonstone, blinking as they tried to comprehend the conversation.

Crysalis blinked again, but was cut off  as Moonstone snuck in, “P.S, Pupa says she loves you very, very much, even if you’re a stinky plot-face, and get back here already so she can show you her new tricks. Love, Cocoon and Pupa.”

After several second of silence, Celestia asked softly, “You have sisters and you never told me?”

“I-I... W-well... I had to protect them,” she said softly, looking down. “Just because you took a shine to me didn’t mean you’d like my family as well, and wouldn’t...”

“Come on, Sally, you know me better than that,” Celestia said sadly, disappointed.

“I know that now,” Chrysalis snapped, not quite meeting Celestia’s gaze. “But I couldn’t tell you once I found out, because then you’d be disappointed in me for not trusting you before, and then this would happen, and I didn’t want it to happen, so I never said anything...”

“Ah’m more lost than an Apple at a Banana family reunion,” Applejack confessed, closing her eyes tightly as she massaged her head in an attempt to encourage her brain to work faster.

“Well, you’re doing better than the egg-head family is,” Rainbow Dash smirked, looking at Twilight, Shining Armour and his wife.

The lavender mare was frozen where she sat, her eyes glazed over. She blinked robotically, hardly-

“Are you guys kidding? This is super-duper-ultra-special-awesome-amazingness!” Pinkie Pie shouted suddenly, pulling all of the ponies, plus one changeling, into a massive group hug, snapping everyone out of their stupors. “Now we can have a ‘Woo-hoo, changelings aren’t really bad guys and we can be friends now!’ party, and they can tell us all about how to change shapes and colors, and we can teach them all about how not to be such meanie heads and crashing parties and stuff, and it’s going to be super duper huper levels of FUN! Quick, Dashie, I need a pinata STAT!”

Milly, being the smallest of the group, slid out of Pinkie’s grasp, objecting. “No! No pine a toss, ish time for mobie! Stop ignoring mobie time!”

“We agree,” Luna interjected, sitting her royal tush on a large throw pillow, laying down into a comfortable position. “We came to relax, not converse about Sally’s family.”

“Well that’s a bit blunt,” Digit muttered to his wife.

“So will my hoof to your head if you don’t watch what you say in front of the princesses and their guests,” his wife hissed through her smile, grateful that nopony had heard her husband.

Celestia noticed Shining Armor helping Cadance out of the room, who, frankly, looked as if she were having a breakdown similar to Twilight when late.

“Yayifications!” Milly cheered, ignorant of the couple leaving as she practically turned into a mini-tornado as she started pushing and shoving ponies to different seats, while forcing them away from several other cushions, protesting, “No, those bees for Sissy, you dun get to sit there!”

“Has she been taking lessons from Pinkie Pie or something?” Dash asked over her shoulder as the filly moved at speeds that shouldn’t have been possible. 

“Well of course, silly filly!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, grinning widely. “I told her, ‘Just listen to your aunt Pinkie, and I’ll show ya things you ain’t ever seen!’ She was really excited, so then we-”

“Pop-py-corns! Pop-py-corns!” Milly started to chant excitedly, her eyes growing wide as the watched the bags of popcorn begin to cook.

“Oh! I love this game!” Pinkie clapped her hooves excitedly as she watched next to the unicorn filly. “Do you ever try to guess how many popcorn kernels will pop and how many won’t?”

“Well duh,” Milly said with all the tact of an anvil. “Who doesn’t?!”

“Oo! I guess 16 won’t pop!” Pinkie said, watching her bag eagerly.

“I fink that eleventeen bees my number!” Milly countered, now determined.

“You’re both wrong,” Starlight said calmly, watching a third bag with a bored look on her face. “It’s nine.”

“Neigh, tis only six, We art most certain!” Luna guessed, teleporting in front of a fourth microwave, wishing to learn more about what games ‘modern’ ponies played.

“Can I play too?” Chrysalis asked, wandering over.

Milly’s eyes widened as she had a horrible, dangerous thought... “Miss pretty princess Woona? Can I bees on the-the ‘Public thingy?”

“You mean The New Lunar Republic? Art thou certain?”

“Yush! Now, Miss Sally? Yous can make youself look like anypony, right?”

.o.O.o.

“Yayifications! The poppycorns has been doubleded!” the two Milky Way’s voices echoed at the top of their lungs, running back to Princess Celestia, both grinning impishly. “See? Bet’cha can’t guess which one a us is the real Milly!”

Celestia blinked, looking at the two fillies in front of her, before smiling wryly. “Oh really? Because I seem to remember I promised Sally a certain something would happen if I ever caught her imitating one of my little ponies without my permission...”

“What did she promises?” the Milly on the left whispered to the one on the right.

“I dunno, I was gonna askify the same thing!” the second Milly hissed back, confused.

“Ha! Gotcha, Sally!” Celestia exclaimed, pouncing on the second Milly, pulling her close. “Now, the spell...”

“Hey! Wat you bees doing to Sally? Put her down, you big meanie!” the first Milly shouted, beating her hooves against the solar princess. “Woona’s gonna beat you up if you don’t put down Miss Sally!”

Celestia’s horn glowed a bright yellow, flashing over the Milly in her arms, revealing...

“Wait, what?”

Both of the Milky Ways collapsed, giggling helplessly as Princess Luna sang, ~You just got praaa-aaanked!~

“But... how did...” Celestia blinked, before allowing a smile to grow once more. “Very clever, Sally. Did you and Milky Way have time to plan that or something?”

“Yush! We bees super duper luper smart!” the ‘first’ Milly exclaimed, smiling happily.

“She has an incredibly quick mind,” Chrysalis admitted, changing into a black alicorn mare a bit smaller than Celestia. “She would have made an amazing changeling queen one day, if she were a changeling.”

Milly gasped, asking quickly, “I can bees a princess one day?!”

“Little one, didst thou not wish to watch a movie?” Luna asked, attempting to save her sister from the hyperactive filly. “What movie art thou going to pick for us to enjoy?”

Milly, still being a young filly with the attention span of a newt, was easily diverted onto the new topic, rushing off to grab one of the movies from inside her parent’s saddle-bags.

“Ha! Take that, Celes! Thou now owest us a favour, and We hath already struck the Queendom an early blow! Huzzah!” Luna taunted her sister, nimbly dodging the half-hearted swipe her sister swung at her.

As Chrysalis settled down next to Celestia, the latter grumbled, “You’re in trouble, missy.”

“Oh? But I thought you liked making your little ponies happy,” the changeling shot back, grinning. “I know you love a good prank, Tia, but you have to learn how to accept being pranked as well.”

Celestia muttered darkly as the lights dimmed, followed by Moonstone’s questioning of said darkening, before getting shushed by several ponies.

Moonstone had been forced to sit, by Milky Way, next to Starlight on her injured side, as Milly burrowed her way into her sister’s wing, wrapping it tightly around herself like a blanket. After several tense seconds, Moonstone started to stammer an apology about the clothes, only for Starlight to reply, “It’s fine, forget it.”

As Moonstone was about to speak again, he jumped when a projector started whirring, the movie starting to show on one of the large stone walls. As the movie began, a large lion head appeared, roaring ferociously. The lion was promptly silenced in the resounding explosion brought on by Moonstone’s magic blasting the stone behind, cursing, “What in Tartarus is a lion doing here?! Get back!”

Luckily, with Celestia in charge of the remote via her magic, the movie was instantaneously paused as half of the room burst into laughter at Moonstone’s response to the movie before it even began properly, the other half shying away from him as his magic was still fully charged, ready to shoot more raw magic at the lion.

“Erm, We think perhaps it might be wise to spend a few minutes explaining what a movie is and how they work,” Luna suggested awkwardly, fixing the scorch mark on the stone with a wave of her magic.

.o.O.o.

After an explanation that mostly went over Moonstone’s head, if his expression was anything to go by, and a promise from said stallion not to use his magic anymore so long as the princesses were there as well, the movie proper was able to start.

Milly joined in the opening number’s song enthusiastically. Starlight’s ear twitched as her sister did her best, though off-key notes made Starlight cringe ever so slightly. Moonstone watched with a quizzical expression, but tried to relax, despite the ponies on the screen being larger than life.

Starlight fidgeted where she lay, noting Moonstone’s expressions, unsure of what to do. With a sigh, she scooted over a little closer so she could whisper explanations to him as to what everything was, and what it was used for. Right away, she had to explain what Hoofywood was, and why everypony was dressed strangely. 

As the first real song started to play, Fluttershy’s wings buzzed slightly as she exclaimed softly, “I like this one!”

Moonstone’s ear twitched in time to the music as he watched the butter-colored pegasus clop her hooves on the floor quietly as she sang along with the song, noting that Milky Way was also singing along. After a moment of thought, he whispered to Starlight, inquiring, “Is it normal to sing along? Am I supposed-”

“Only if you already know the words,” Starlight interrupted him quietly, too caught up in the music to realize that her head was bobbing along.

Moonstone fell silent as he watched the two dancing stallions somehow managing to play the violin at the same time, stunned. ‘Is that even possible? Nopony else seems to be saying anything, so maybe it is...’

As the movie progressed, everypony began to relax, and Celestia even allowed them to pause the movie on occasion to explain something to Moonstone, as well as let everypony stay stocked on refreshments. Ironically, a musical about how the movie industry changed from silent to ‘talkies’ was possibly one of the best movies that could have been shown to Moonstone first, as it, to an extent, showed how and why movies were made. However, it did bring up some rather... awkward questions.

“So they were ‘wrestling’ behind the couch?” Moonstone questioned, eyes furrowed. 

“Y-yeah,” Starlight said, failing to hide her growing blush.

“And it’s... normal for mares and stallions to wrestle? Why did they hide it behind the couch, then?”

“It’s... normal when you’re married, sure,” Digit amended, trying to save his daughter some embarrassment. 

“... But they weren’t married. It was a stuffed pony thing,” Moonstone deadpanned, so confused.

The other mares were red in the face, from embarrassment or from trying not to laugh, it was hard to tell. Starlight’s face was getting darker and darker, her voice reduced to Fluttershy levels of quiet and stuttering.

“They bees stupid,” Milly declared firmly, reminding everypony that there was a filly in their midst, and should be more careful what they said or explained. “Anypony can, can wrestle wiv anypony! See? You just tries to be the one on the-the very tippy top, and you win!”

“A-anyway,” Starlight said quickly, her face still ablaze with a furious blush. “It’s time for you to pick the last movie before bed time, Milly.”

“But ~Sissy~, I isn’t tireded yet! I can watch moar mobies!” the little filly protested, using her puppy eyes futilely. 

“Well tough,” came the heartless reply. “We can watch more later, but for tonight, only one more.”

~Awww...~

Milly made her way slowly to her parents’ saddlebags to pick out a second movie, ruffling through them for a moment, before lighting up excitedly. “Yush! We’s gonna watch dis one!”

“The Little Seapony?” Moonstone read haltingly, trying to remember his lessons from earlier. 

“Yush! It’s the-the bestest mobie ever!” Milly exclaimed with wide eyes, stretching her forelegs to show just how awesome the movie was.

Moonstone blinked, and then shattered the poor filly’s mind with his statement. “That’s not what a Sea Pony looks like, though...”

“Wh-what?”

“It doesn’t... A Sea Pony doesn’t have all of... that,” the stallion waved vaguely at the cover-art. “They-”

“You’ve seen a Sea Pony before?!” half of the room exclaimed, getting up eagerly.

“... Hasn’t everypony?”

“But... they’re just a myth,” Twilight tried to reason out, struggling to understand. “They’re just legends, nothing more! Besides, they only supposedly appeared to virg... Ohhhhh...” Twilight blinked, her face slowly turning maroon. “A-anyway...”

“They only appear to what?” Moonstone inquired, his head tilting to the side. 

“Movie!” Starlight exclaimed, her face also turning a more delicate shade of pink. “If we don’t get started soon, then Milly won’t be able to watch all of it before she has to go to bed!”

“What?! No, not teh beds!” the little filly gasped, nearly breaking the movie as she tried to set a new record for inserting and starting a movie. “We gots ta watch mobie! All of you shushify! Ish singing times!”

The little filly bounced up and down eagerly as the lights were dimmed once more, the movie showing several different companies that helped create the cinematic, before several seagulls appeared from the darkness, a cloudy sky appearing behind them. Music began to play, several unseen stallions joining in song moments later. 

Moonstone watched in rapt attention as a fish a stallion was holding slipped overboard, swam as fast as it could towards the ocean floor, then heaved a sigh of relief as it realised it was safe. 

The movie continued, though with fewer questions from Moonstone as the previous movie had. As the camera zoomed in on a lonely undersea cavern, the title’s name-sake laying on a rock, depressed, as her fish-friend tried to cheer her up. 

As the music in the movie began to play for the main character to sing, Moonstone was startled when Starlight began to sing. He had noticed her singing earlier, but she had always been so soft he didn’t really notice. Now she was singing normally, though she wasn’t really paying attention to the movie, as she was playing with Milky Way.

One by one, everypony abandoned the screen in favour of watching and listening Starlight as she played with Milly, singing along to the movie, completely oblivious to her crowd. As the song ended, however, and she stopped playing with her sister, she looked up. 

”Meep!”

Starlight proceeded to hide behind Moonstone, as he was the nearest large obstacle between herself and the rest of the ponies with their judgmental stares and opinions.

“Well... I guess we know why her name is Sonata now,” Rarity commented, blinking.

“I know, right?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her eyes wide as she started bouncing around, waving her forelegs wildly as she gestured. “I mean first I was all like ‘Starlight. That must mean she’s really good at seeing in the dark, right?’ And then I was all ‘No, that doesn’t make much sense,’ and then I reminded myself that we don’t have cents, because we’ve been using bits for forever now, so that joke is so old by now, and then I started to wonder how old she was, because I need to start planning her birthday party already, since we don’t know when her last one was, and we can’t just wait until next year, because that’s a long time to wait for a birthday party! And then-”

“Idea!” Rarity sang, grinning as she stood up and trot over to Starlight. “When I was making your new outfit, you objected, saying that you didn’t have enough bits, yes? While I still stand by my word that it’s a gift, would you think about coming down to Ponyville to give my sister a singing lesson or two? She has great promise, but her, *ahem* volume control leaves much to be desired at times.” 

Starlight blinked, trying to process what had been said to her. “You... wait... Huh? You want me to give your sister singing lessons? Wouldn’t she be better off learning from a professional? I’m just... I’m not very good! I doubt I could teach her much, if anything, honestly.”

“Oh pish-tosh,” Rarity said dismissively, waving her hoof around. “I’m sure that you at least know the basics, and some beginner music terms, yes? Even teaching her what the notes are called would be a great help, and put her in a better position once she is ready for professional tutoring. Please? I’m not asking for a yes or no right now, I’d just like you to think about it. If it’s too much to ask, then I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like this.”

“O-okay...”

As Starlight’s blush began to diminish, Celestia cleared her throat, waving the remote around. “Now that everypony is done gawking at the impromptu solo... Shall I continue?”

Chrysalis bopped Celestia on the head, chiding, “Don’t be rude!”

When Celestia turned to the black mare, unamused, Chrysalis promptly turned into Celestia, and put on a pair of glasses she appeared to pull out of nowhere. “You wouldn’t hit yourself while wearing glasses, would you?”

Celestia blinked, frowned in thought for just a second, before grinning. Summoning a pair of reading glasses from her desk, she put them on, and then proceeded to bop Sally right back, sticking her tongue out impishly.

Sally, now with broken glasses, frowned as the movie began to play, sulking, “Well played...”

.o.O.o.

“She has to get him to kiss her, and she can’t speak? How is she supposed to do that?” Moonstone questioned quietly, musing to himself. “Oh! I know! Does she write it out?” he asked eagerly, proud of himself for having figured out such a simple solution to the problem. 

“Ah course not, Moony!” Milly chided, shaking her head at the uneducated stallion. “She liveded under the waters her whole long life! How she know how to write an stuffs? Now shushify, the bestest song is coming up!”

Pinkie Pie gasped, her eyes shining as she turned to her friends with a mischievous smile. Whispering quietly, she quickly explained her plan.

“I, um, I don’t know, Pinkie. Don’t you think that might be a little, well, intrusive and assuming?” Fluttershy mumbled, rubbing one foreleg against another. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Darling, it’s a brilliant, romantic idea!” Rarity sighed, her eyes sparkling. 

“I... guess I can go along with that, sure,” Twilight agreed softly, taking a quick drink of water.

“Ah’m game.”

“Okie Doki Poki! Just follow my lead, girls! We can do this!” Pinkie Pie said with conviction, her eyes burning brightly. 

Moonstone watched as the boat with the now non-sea pony and her love interest floated down the river, the sea pony’s seneschal lamented to himself that time for the kiss was running out, before he had an idea. He swam over to some turtles, starting to sing.

~Percussion~

Moonstone’s ear twitched, as he heard Pinkie Pie singing along, though instead of turtles, crickets, and reeds, she was ordering her different friends to the tasks. Moonstone blinked as the premier pink party pony from Ponyville began to pipe along, hopping near Moonstone, Starlight, and Milly, her eyelids lowered suggestively as she sang along. 

While Moonstone tried to process what was going on, Starlight was slowly piecing everything together, her eyes growing wider as her blush deepened. When she heard her father’s bass singing along behind her, her face turned completely red as she buried her muzzle under her forelegs, only to be dragged back out by Milly, who didn’t understand what was going on, and wanted her to sing as well. 

Celestia, Luna, and Sally all looked at each other, then back to the element, and then back to the heavily blushing Starlight and oblivious Moonstone. Luna looked back to her sister and grinned maliciously. Celestia cut her off quickly, lecturing, “No, no meddling in their personal lives!” As Luna opened her mouth again, Celestia added, “And no dragging or telling Cadance about this, either!”

Luna pouted for a moment, before she realized one tiny little loop hole. Just because she couldn’t tell or drag Cadance into this personally, that didn’t mean that Cadance wouldn’t see it for herself and do something about it. So all I have to do is get Cadance to be around them enough, and she’ll do it on her own! Huzzah!

Sally smiled to herself, singing along with the elements as she plotted a scheme, and schemed a plot.

Moonstone looked back and forth between the movie, the singing mares, and the madly blushing Starlight, trying to piece everything together. It was a slow process, but pieces were slowly coming together in the right order. Moonstone could practically see the answer dancing just out of reach. He slowly reached forward, metaphorically speaking, his hoof just about to grasp the answer.

CRASH

Several windows shattered instantly from the force of wind rushing against them, showering Moonstone’s hastily erected barrier. While everypony else shakily standing up, looking to the princesses for direction, Moonstone rushed outside, his magic charged. Everypony else joined him a moment later, as he didn’t know which direction to head first.

“Twilight, make sure the Elements of Harmony are ready for use,” Celestia ordered,  leading the way towards the garden. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but that magic felt like-”

“I command you to follow my orders! That was our deal!” a crazed voice yelled from around the corner.

“Ah ah ah, Lord Delirious Mynd, I said I would think about it,” a jovial voice replied, continuing, “and after thinking about it for all of one second, I highly doubt that killing somepony will put me back in Celestia’s good graces. I might be Chaotic, but stupid or reckless are not adjectives I would care much to associate myself with.”

“Discord?!”

“Ah, speak of the Angel, and she appears! Hello, Celestia, did you miss me?”
> Chapter the Eighteenth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You won’t get away with this, Discord!” Celestia exclaimed, hunkering her body down, getting ready to charge her magic. “You may have tricked somepony into releasing you, but-”

“I did nothing, honest!” Discord protested, holding his paw and claw up to show his peaceable intentions. “Lord Delirious asked if he released me, if I would think about granting his request; I said yes, he then released me. I thought about it, and then decided not to help him.”

“You promised!” the green unicorn protested, his eyes as wild as his mane and tail. “You-”

“Am not stupid enough to do something that would exasperate Princess Celestia the second I get out of my prison,” Discord interrupted, buffing his talons on his chest, smiling toothily when he saw his reflection appear. “Being turned to stone twice in a lifetime, even if eternal, is more than enough for me, thank you very much.”

Celestia snorted, pawing at the ground. “Don’t try to fool us into believing you’ve reformed yourself, Discord. You won’t trick us with your words this time!”

“Oh, but Celestia, you know me!” Discord protested, creating a glowing halo above his head as he created a chair from a nearby bush, sprawling out comfortably. “I’m not a liar! I might be clever, and mean one thing when I say another, but I don’t lie! It’s but one of my many wonderful characteristics.”

While the crazed stallion in the garden kept throwing a temper tantrum, Celestia thought, looking at the Elements of Harmony for a moment. After a minute, she asked tersely, “What is it you want, Discord?”

“Something for something, Celestia,” Discord grinned, snapping his fingers as he created a single pink cloud, and filled a chalice full of-

”Chocolate rain!” two voices echoed excitedly, their combined voices nearly piercing several pony’s eardrums. As Milly and Pinkie Pie happily flopped beneath the cloud with their mouths wide open, Discord smirked.

“Oho, what’s this? A second admirer already? I’m touched!” Turning to Celestia, he answered, “I would think it is obvious what I want, Celestia. I want to cause chaos, of course! It’s not like chaos is always bad, you know. I am sure you remember the time that you, Lulu and I all-”

“What, exactly, do you want to do, Discord,” Celestia commanded, her eyes hardening.

“Hey! Dun be such a-a meanie heads!” Milly piped up from the ground, her forehoof dragging her mane out of her eyes. “He bees a nice monster that gives chocolate rains! He trying to be nice, so don’t be all mean and yelly! It hurts my ears,” she finished, whimpering slightly. 

“Yes, it is so terribly rude to yell at guests, Celestia,” Discord nodded sagely, bending down to pick up Milky Way. “This little filly is clear-”

Discord saw stars for a moment as two hooves connected his his forehead, causing him to sag back against his bushy chair, nursing the side of his head in his paw. Milky Way was currently being shielded by Starlight with her one good wing. She was shaking slightly , her eyes flaming as she shouted, “Don’t you dare touch my sister, monster! If you even think of hurting her, I will rip you apart!!”

Discord blinked, staring blankly at the pegasus standing protectively over Milky Way, trying to think. He snapped his talons, taking care of the slight headache that was beginning to form, allowing him to think more clearly. “Hurt one of Celestia’s little ponies in front of her? I might be chaotic, brilliantly so even, at times, but I am not stupid, little pegasus! Wait, why... Oh, now that’s just rich!” Discord started to laugh, snickering behind his paw.

“What’s so funny, Discord? Answer my questions, or I’ll have the elements turn you back to stone right now!”

Discord chuckled a few more times, wiping a tear from his eye. “Oh, nothing, Celestia. I just found it amusing that a pegasus with a broken wing managed to hit me in the head, even though she can’t fly. As to what I plan to do, let’s see... I happen to be in a good mood. I am not quite sure if it was the sudden freedom from a prison that was supposed to last much longer, or the suddenly gaining a second fan of my fun, but-”

“I isn’t a fan!” Milly protested, poking her head out from behind her sister’s wing. “I’m Milly! And you, you’s better be nice, or else! If you try to hurt my sissy, I’ll, I’ll skewerify you!” she threatened, waving her tiny horn about.

Discord fell to the ground, beating the earth with a claw as he laughed, tears flowing from his eyes. After regaining his composure, he shrank himself, and floated closer to the small unicorn, but kept enough of a distance from the irate pegasus mare. “You really love your sister that much, hmm? What if I gave you all of the chocolate rain in the world?”

“No! I loves my sissy more than, than a bajillion worlds of chocolate rains!” Milly protested, hugging her sister as tightly as she could, as if it would protect them better.

“Ho hum... That’s such a shame, really it is, but I guess if there is nothing to do, then I shall simply have to do this!”

Celestia’s eyes widened, turning to order Twilight to use the elements, but she was too late. Discord snapped his fingers, an almost malicious smile gracing his face as a bright light flashed across the clearing. As everypony blinked rapidly to regain their sight, Starlight, Moonstone, and Milly all gasped in shock.

“What? Like I said, chaos is just that: chaos. I don’t like it when others associate chaos with pain and suffering. Chaos is supposed to be fun, funny, and most of all, random! It all depends on my mood, you know! I might decide to save your life! Then again, it might be pretty funny to steal your chariot instead...”

Starlight stretched out her wing, blinking blankly at it as she gave it a few experimental flaps, tried hovering for just a second, before settling back down to the ground, still regarding Discord warily. Moonstone merely blinked at his now cast-free hoof, put all of his weight onto it, and found it held firm. “Huh...”

Celestia blinked, trying to comprehend what just occurred. “Discord, what-”

“I meant what I said, Celestia. I have no intentions of taking over Equestria anymore. I did that last time, and, frankly, it was quite boring. Sure, I got to mess around with the elements, but that was more to spite you than to have fun. No, I was thinking of trying something a little more lucrative, which would benefit everyone. All I need is a teensy, weensy little loan, and your permission, of course,” he mocked, giving a bow to Celestia.

“Neigh! If thou wantest money so badly, thou hast to earn it like anypony else!” Luna objected quickly, narrowing her eyes.

Twilight blinked, glancing to Celestia, asking, “Um, Princess? What...”

As Twilight practiced her best fish impersonation, Discord started to pout, beginning the negotiations. “Oh come, now, don’t most businesses get to have a loan to start out? Whatever happened to pony’s ideals of equal opportunity, hmm? I’m beginning to think that you ponies are racist or something!”

Luna sputtered for just a second, before snorting dismissively. “Neigh, tis because a loan is built on trust and honesty, and while thou art, technically, truthful, you bend your words most easily to mean something else!”

“Oh come, come, Lulu,” Discord simpered, trying to annoy Luna. “Don’t be such a stick in the plot! I could just magic up whatever I wanted, but I’m trying to do things properly, to show you I mean you no harm! I don’t even need that much money, really.”

Luna narrowed her eyes further, her horn glowing as she teleported a rectangular box with beads in front of her, growling, “How much art thou requestiong?”

“Nothing extravagant, of course. How much does a couple hundred acres cost anymore?”

Luna’s eyes widened in horror as she stared at the wooden box. Sputtering, she managed to choke out, “How much?! Art thou mad?! Do you even comprehend how much land costs anymore?! We nearly had a heart attack when we arrived back and found out how much land doth cost in this modern world! Not even Abby can compute such large quantities!”

“Abby?” Half the ponies asked, confused.

“Mine abbacus, of course, what else?!” 

Moonstone blinked, then waved at the wooden box, mumbling, “Hello?”

Discord fell to the ground in laughter once more at Moonstone’s comment. “Fine! Seems ponies can’t take a joke anymore! So you’re saying there’s no land anywhere that ponies want to be rid of?”

Pinkie Pie, having had the chance to drink her fill of chocolate rain, spoke up. “You mean like the Everfree Forest? Or Ghastly Gorge? Or “

“And just what do you want to do with said land, Discord?” Celestia asked warily, though she was, albeit slowly, allowing her guard to be lowered. 

“Why, make an amusement park, of course!” Discord said with a grin, sweeping his arms wide. “Just imagine, ponies and griffons and what have you traveling for miles just to go to the most unique amusement park in the world, guaranteed to never be the same every day, or your money back! Everypony wins! Ponies who want something chaotic, memorable, and cheap, of course, would be able to indulge in some chaos, I get to do whatever I want to without fear of retaliation, and you would get taxes and safe, happy citizens!”

In the stupefied silence that followed as the princesses struggled to think of the flaws with Discord’s request, Chrysalis spoke up, suggesting, “What if you used Changelings as your employees? All they need to be paid is love, which ponies would be generating by having fun, and since they can shape-shift, they could keep changing what they looked like, so that they wouldn’t even get help from the same pony twice. Is that chaotic?”

“Sally!” Celestia exclaimed, scandalized. “You can’t tell me you’re actually siding with him, are you?”

“W-well, why not? He can’t help who he is! He’s trying to find a compromise that works for everyone, and it’s not fair that you aren’t even trying! What happened to equality for everypony?”

“What about safety laws?” Celestia retorted, waving a hoof at Discord. “He can’t promise to keep somepony from getting hurt, or from-”

“Healing them right afterwards?” Moonstone deadpanned, interrupting. When the two princesses stared at him, he shrugged. “What? He healed my hoof! If he can do that, even if he can’t keep ponies from getting hurt, why couldn’t he just heal them later? Part of the fun of adventure is the risk of getting hurt while getting a story worth telling. Any adventure you can manage to walk away from is a good adventure. Well, mostly...”

“Walk away from this!” a maniac voice shouted right behind Moonstone.

Moonstone dropped like a rock, barely turning the stagger into a roll as he struggled to create a barrier from the anonymous assailant. Discord, amused, snapped his talons, turning the stallion that had released him into a garden bush, chucking evilly. “What a shame there aren’t more, or else I could make a few new statues to take my place in the garden. Oh well.”

After everypony recovered from the shock, Celestia glared at Discord, stomping her hoof. “Discord, change him back!”

“Whatever for, Celestia? You saw him yourself, he was attacking Whitey over there, so I just protected him. No need to thank me.” Discord dismissed Celestia’s order, sprawling out on a fresh pink cloud, turning briefly to fluff the top into a more pillow-like shape, settling back comfortably. 

“Discord,” Celestia growled, her eyes beginning to burn. 

“Oh fine,” Discord sighed, snapping his talons half-heartedly. “You really need to get that stick out of your plot.”

Now prepared, Moonstone easily restrained the green stallion in a bubble. Taking a deep breath, Moonstone calmed himself, frowning crossly at the clearly insane stallion. “What do you want?”

“You took my wife away from me you son of a-”

Moonstone added a silencing barrier to the magical cage, looking over to Starlight. “So are what he was going to say curse words?”

Removing her hooves slowly from Milly’s ears, she nodded. 

“Oh... Okay, and those aren’t nice to say to other ponies?” Moonstone questioned, thinking about it for a second. “Ohh... Oh.”

Mis face darkened as he shook the ball around, silencing the stallion. Releasing the silencing barrier, Moonstone snarled, “What do you want, you worthless maggot?”

“Because of you my wife was taken away from me and falsely accused to be labeled insane!” the green stallion raved, his eyes dilated at different levels, his eye and ears twitching sporadically. “So now I’m going to kill you! I challenge you duel to the death!”

After a second of shocked silence, Moonstone asked calmly, “What are the rules, and what are you offering?”

“What?!”

“Moonstone, thou can not be serious! Just allow Us to-”

“Why not?” Moonstone interrupted everypony else’s interruptions. “I’m not going to just disregard his request when he’s got a legitimate reason to duel me. I’m not going to turn him down until I hear what he has to offer. It’s not like this is my first life or death duel, come on. Now, whatever your name was, what were you saying?”

“N-not your first,” Twilight stuttered as she started to understand the implications. “Y-y-you, you... You’ve killed a pony before?!”

“Huh? Well yeah, what kind of question is that?” Moonstone questioned, tilting his head to the side.

“W-why would you do that?!”

“... Because outside Equestria, things aren’t all nice and peaceful? Because, sometimes, it’s kill or be killed? Because, sometimes, somepony is going to die, and if you can’t heal them, then it’s a mercy to kill them quickly so they don’t suffer. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m trying to negotiate the conditions of the duel. Hush.”

While Twilight sputtered indignantly, trying to think of a rebuttal, the green stallion offered, “Everything. I offer my title.”

Moonstone blinked, then asked, disappointed, “That-that’s it? You only have one title? Well... What’s the title?”

The stallion blinked, then snarled, “I’m a noble, dumbass! I’m putting my property, money, my very name on the line, and that’s how you respond?!”

“Ohh, that kind of title... Oops. Well, in that case, I-”

“Wouldn’t advice you accept, Moonstone,” Celestia warned grimly.

“... And why not?”

Luna answered neutrally, “He has an Equestrian title, Moonstone. If you accept, when you win the duel, you will have to swear fealty to not only myself, but to Celes as well.”

Moonstone blinked, the blood slowly draining from his face. “W-what? B-but that’s not fair! Surely swearing fealty to just you would-”

“It would not. To swear fealty to only myself would be considered an act of treason against my sister, which is punished by death. On the other hoof, though, if you’re a noble, you won’t ever be forced to run away. You’d be able to live comfortably for the rest of your life. Tis not a light matter, it seems,” Luna mused, tapping her chin.

Moonstone sighed, sitting down heavily, trying to work out the pros and cons of accepting the duel, when Milky Way trotted over to him, scowling only in the way that little foals can: angry, but still cute. “Why you gonna be meanie head? You dun hurt other ponies unless dey bees hurtin you!”

“Shut up and stay out of this you little runt!” Lord Delirious snarled.

“Conditions?” Moonstone asked softly, narrowing his eyes.

“No! Dun be meanie head!” Milly protested, her eyes watering. “You dun-”

“None.”

The green stallion shot his foreleg out, his hoof catching Milly painfully on the side of her head, sending her sprawling out of the way.

Moonstone’s transformation was nearly instantaneous. Starlight hadn’t had the opportunity to see Moonstone when he had gone into a rage before, as she had been unconscious. Now, as she watched his mane and tail burst into blue flame, his red eyes now glowing in the fading twilight, she was beginning to wish she were unconscious once more. 

Digit Pi and Serene rushed to Milly’s side, cradling the sobbing filly as they ran away from the fighting. Starlight thought she was too stunned to move, but as Moonstone’s coat slowly darkened from white to grey, she grew worried enough to whimper, “I-is that normal?”

“Luna, spell! Girls, Elements, now!” Celestia ordered quickly, her own horn glowing to stop the duel before it could get messy.

“What a pity...” Moonstone monologued calmly, levitating the struggling green stallion towards himself, turning him around every which way, examining him as he continued in his bored voice. “I thought for a second, just for a second, that I would finally be able to duel an honorable opponent, who followed the rules. Too bad you broke on the most basic rules of dueling.” 

Moonstone brought the stallion close, using a barrier to keep the stallion from moving as he hissed into the other’s ear. “Nopony hurts foals, especially around me, and gets away with it.”

*Crack*

Moonstone scowled as the green stallion’s corpse fell from his magical grasp, the stallion’s neck broken. “... That’s it? That wasn’t even an illusion? He didn’t even try to dodge or block? He just let himself get captured? How arrogant...”

Luna released her spell, pouring all of her strength into her magic. Moonstone stumbled, his coat flickering colors slightly as he struggled for control in the magical battle in his mind. “Come on, Moonstone, snap out of it!”

Starlight slapped Moonstone, putting all of her pent-up anger and energy into the slap, hoping it would startle him badly enough for Luna to gain a better hold. Moonstone grabbed her with his magic roughly, shaking her a little as he growled, “Are you really trying to get in my way, Starlight? I’m going to purge this filthy world of any monsters that think that foals are just their punching bag. If you insist on getting in my way, I’ll have to, regretfully, eliminate you. Now, are you-”

Starlight’s eyes widened as she saw a rainbow burst from the ground some distance behind Moonstone, heading in their direction. Starlight closed her eyes, bracing herself for the attack, shivering as she prepared herself for the end.

Moonstone paused for a second, his form flickering for just a second, as a confused, “Star?” escaped his mouth as he saw how scared she was.

The world turned white from pain as the elements hit Moonstone. After several seconds. Moonstone felt the energy swirling around him carry a part of him away, leaving the rest to swirl around him, setting him back on the ground, unconscious.

.o.O.o.

Starlight laid on the grass, next to Moonstone, doing her best not to hyperventilate. After taking several deep breaths, she turned to Moonstone, tentatively poking him with her hoof. Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead, please be cured, please be cured...

Moonstone stirred, his eyes opening slowly. “L-lady Starlight? Wha...”

Starlight stiffened, her wings shooting out in alarm. Moonstone’s left eye had turned eerily pale, while his right eye was still a bright crimson. “I don’t think that worked!” she screamed to the others in a panic, flapping her wings rapidly to get away as quickly as she could, leaving a confused unicorn laying on the ground to fend for himself.

Moonstone tilted his head to the side, scratching his head absently as he noted how exhausted he was. Maybe a nap would be nice... Oh, she’s flying again... I wonder what it’s like to fly... Must be nice...

While Twilight and the others were beginning to get fatigued, Starlight’s panicked shout revitalized them. Adrenaline pumping once more, they charged the elements as quickly as they could, before Moonstone could move or attack again.

As the rainbow powered by the elements neared Moonstone, however, Starlight noticed Moonstone’s earring begin to glow unnaturally bright, forcing her to look away, shielding her face with her hooves.

Celestia and Luna’s eyes widened in horror as the elements hit Moonstone, brightening the area, before the elements exploded, surging back to Twilight and her friends. The bearers were bowled from the sky as the rainbow washed over them, slamming them into the ground, creating miniature craters. 

Luna and Celestia withdrew their wings from their faces, having covered themselves to protect their eyes from the explosions of dust, dirt and grass. As they teleported to where the elements lay, their eyes grew wide.

Luna was only able to open and close her mouth a few times before Shining Armour was running on the scene, several guards behind him. “Princess! I saw the elements being used; what’s... Twili!”




> Chapter the Nineteenth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say that there was chaos at the castle would not be surprising. What was surprising was that Discord wasn’t the cause of said chaos. Not that he didn’t enjoy himself, or add to the chaos here and there, but for the most part, he contented himself with watching the chaos take place, taking notes here and there as ideas for his amusement park. As he popped in and out of hallways and rooms, however, he saw a golden opportunity to both help Celestia, thus getting back into her good graces, as well as cause more panic and chaos of a different sort: answering journalists.

“Princess Celestia! Is it true that the Elements of Harmony are all currently bedridden from the explosion that occurred in the Royal Garden last night?”

“Princess, the public wants to know why Discord is free, and what his intentions are!”

“Celestia, with the elements injured, do you have a plan to seal Discord back into stone?”

“Princess, will you marry me?”

The group of reporters at the front gate paused as they turned as one to look at a pegasus stallion, who also had a pad of paper and a pencil. Celestia, gathering her patience, asked, “Beg pardon?”

The reporter flashed a grin, asking calmly, “Princess, do you have any statements to make at this time?”

Princess Celestia blinked, unsure of whether she should be facehooving or laughing at the ingenuity of the journalist’s ability to get her attention. “Like I said earlier-”

“Oh, my dear little ponies,” Discord said slowly as he popped next to Celestia, startling all of the ponies present. “Of course you could bother her with all of your questions, but she’s very busy right now, so I’m afraid you’ll have to settle with little old me... Now, as to how I got free, that seems to be a rather moot point at this point. As to what I intend to do? Why, I’m insulted that you have to ask!”

He snapped his talons, creating a tiny pink cloud to refill his glass. After taking a long drought, he answered, “I’m going to make some chaos!”

“When and where do you intend to start, and how far do you intend to spread your influence?” the stallion asked quickly, managing to get to the front of the pack of reporters. 

“My, my, such inquisitiveness! While it wouldn’t do to spoil details about negotiations that are still ongoing, Princess Celestia has agreed to let me had a modest amount of land over in the Everfree Forest and Ghastly Gorge, where I will be building an amusement park!”

Princess Celestia stood still for a moment, taking several seconds to register that the reporters attention was now on Discord. Following the better part of valor, she quickly retreated back into the castle proper, making her way down the halls to the first infirmary room, where most of the elements were located. As she entered, her vision was filled with pink.

“Hi Princess Celestia, this is so exciting, are you excited, I’ve never been so excited, except for this one time when Nightmare Moon was all Rawr, and we were all hi-ya with the elements, and then she was all noooooooo, and we were all like yes, and then she was all hey, I’m really Princess Luna, sorry, forgive me please, and then we were all like-”

Princess Celestia had long since backed up from the pink party pony, allowing Fluttershy to tackle Pinkie from the air, panting, “Doctors... said... you’re going to rest now!”

“Okie Doki Moki!” Pinkie slipped from Fluttershy’s grasp easily, bounding over to her bed, where she proceeded to start bouncing up and down. Celestia mouthed wordlessly for a moment, gathering her nerves. 

“Ah’m done for! Mah family’s gonna disown me, and then Applebloom is gonna try to get her cutie mark in being disowned, and then she’s going to mess up, and then she’ll get disowned, and then-”

“Darling, please, do try not to be so dramatic,” Rarity said primly from her bed, where she was curled up with a pad of note-paper and quill. She frowned slightly as she crumpled her latest idea and tossed it neatly into the garbage. “It’s not lady-like to be-”

“Ah’ve got wings, Rarity! Ah’ll act however I gosh-darn want to, miss drama queen! You aren’t going to get disowned by your family for sprouting wings, now are ya? No, you’re not!”

Rainbow Dash was oddly silent as she sat on her bed, until she saw Princess Celestia still standing in the doorway, apparently waiting to be acknowledged. “Princess!” Rainbow shot eagerly from her bed to hovering in front of Celestia, asking questions at one hundred words a minute. “Where’s Twilight? Is she okay? What’s going on? How did they suddenly sprout wings?! Why did they-”

“Doctor Scalpel, is everypony checked out yet?” Celestia asked the doctor near Applejack.

“Hmm? Oh, yes, quite,” the brown unicorn stallion said softly, nodding. “Everything checks out. They have full range of motion, proper blood flow, nervous system, ether flow... The only thing they’re lacking is muscles, but they haven’t been flying their whole lives, like Miss Fluttershy or Miss Rainbow Dash, so that’s to be expected. I cannot recommend allowing them to fly for more than half an hour at a time before resting. While they need to build their muscles, over-taxing them could lead to a cramp mid-flight.”

“Don’t worry, Doc, I got this,” Dash replied, patting the doctor on the head. “Now... Tell me what happened to Twilight before I wring your scrawny little neck!”

“Rainbow Dash, you will stop harassing that doctor immediately!” Celestia ordered, hardening her voice as her eyes narrowed. As Dash slowly complied, Celestia said, “Good! Now apologize! He’s just doing his job, and patient confidentiality is a part of their oath!”

Rainbow Dash grumbled an inaudible apology, to which the doctor replied, “Oh, no, it’s fine, Miss Dash. No harm done that a cup of tea won’t solve. Now, you’re all given a clean bill of health, but no strenuous exercising for more than an hour at a time for the next few days, just to make sure that everything is alright, okay? Have a great day!”

“I will, once I get to take a shower,” Rarity replied, jumping down from her bed gracefully. “Well, and once we find out where Twilight disappeared to. The dear probably teleported to the library to research how this happened to us. Gah, not again!”

As Rarity struggled to put her traitorous wing back into its proper place at her side, Rainbow Dash worked on dragging the panicking Applejack. “Yeag, hayjay, yu can stok freagn out nw,” Rainbow suggested through her friend’s tail. “Ur still a Nerf Poni.”

“No, I’m not!” Applejack screamed, her eye twitching slightly. “That’s the point! I’m-”

Rainbow Dash spat out Applejack’s tail, and deadpanned, “You’re still as heavy as Tartarus, AJ.” Ignoring the gasp from Rarity, she continued, “If you changed from an Earth Pony to a full-blooded Pegasus, you wouldn’t still be so damned heavy.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity exclaimed, scandalized. “Language! What will Princess Celestia-”

“Rares, she’s as old as heck,” Rainbow deadpanned. “If she cared about cursing, she would have said something by now. Heck, she’s probably invented half of the curse words out there!”

“No, only-” Celestia caught herself, clearing her throat. “As I was saying-”

“So we’re finally going to find out how this happened?” Rainbow Dash asked excitedly, before wilting under Celestia’s gaze.

“... As I was saying, no, we’re going to Twilight now. I am not going to explain something as... complicated and personal as this more than once,” Celestia sighed, leading the way down the hall.

“Wee! Let’s go!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing excitedly, before her eyes widened, looking at her back. “Oh yeah! I’d bet it would be a lot faster if fly there! Wee!”

Pinkie jumped forward, spreading her new wings, only to crash straight back to the ground, nursing her head. Rainbow Dash collapsed to the ground, laughing at Pinkie Pie.

“H-hey, that’s not funny! It hurt!” Pinkie sulked, crossing her forelegs. 

“You guys can’t just fly right off the bat! You have to learn how to channel your ether into your wings!” Rainbow Dash gasped, struggling to contain her giggles. “Heck, Rares is probably going to be the first to manage it because... of... Oh come on!”

“What, darling? You said to just channel your ether into your wings, yes?” Rarity simpered, flapping her wings slowly, barely hovering above the ground. Her eyes widened, however, as she practically jumped back to the ground, exclaiming, “My mane! Oh no... I can’t fly with my current mane-style, it would get completely ruined! My life is over!”

Celestia, having been awake for far longer than was ever intended for a pony to be awake, snapped. Her horn glowed yellow, casting a large-scale teleport spell. “Oh, look, we’re here,” Celestia sighed, taking a few steps to lean against her sister, who was watching over the remaining two ponies.

“Ah, there you are, Celes,” Luna exclaimed softly, wrapping her sister in her wing. “We think that Twilight will make it through, though she’s been in the trial for hours now...”

“Trial? I-Is that what Moonstone is stuck in?”

Luna turned to Starlight, who was sitting next to an unconscious Moonstone. “Neigh. Moonstone is not... That is... ‘tis very complicated,” Luna deflected, turning back to the elements. “Twilight is still unconscious because she’s only partially here. Her spirit is being judged to see if she is worthy of becoming an Alicorn...”

“... What.”

“Wait, so you’re saying that Rares here isn’t an Alicorn? But she’s got wings and a horn!” Rainbow Dash protested, confused.

“Neigh, for she has no Earth Pony in her. Twilight bore the brunt of the Elements when you were all struck, being the Element of Magic. It... We shall explain as best as we can, for now. Celes was always better at explaining how the ancient magics worked... Long ago, Celes and I used to wield the Elements of Harmony. Celes had the elements of Loyalty, Honesty, and Kindness. I wielded the elements of Generosity and Laughter. Back then, Celes was a unicorn, while I was a pega-”

“Wait, what?!” the party exclaimed, shocked. 

Luna ignored them. “-pegasus. One day, we wondered idly what it would be like to have the other’s ability, so we used the elements on each other, hoping that, in harmony, we would be allowed to willfully switch bodies, or something, so that we could understand each other better. The Elements... regardless, when we woke, we were as you see us now.”

“But... Does that mean Moonstone is going to-”

Luna chuckled sadly, shaking her head. “Moonstone... will be lucky if he still lives. Since he isn’t an element of harmony, if the elements had released their full force on him, they would have overloaded his ether lay-lines and killed him. The only thing that saved his life, ironically enough, was something so small I didn’t even consider it to be possible.”

“Wait, we have increased ether from being elements?” Rarity asked, her interest piqued. 

“In short, yes. Now...” Luna levitated a small object from the nightstand between the two beds, showing a tarnished silver earring, the silver encasing a broken stone. “We never thought his earring would actually be his name. A Moonstone is a very, very rare stone. It-”

“Only exists in legends, and is said that anypony who finds a piece would...” Pinkie broke off, looking around as everypony stared at her. “What?! I grew up on a rock farm, okay? I know my rocks! Oh, and cupcakes! And pancakes, and chocolate cakes, and-”

“Yes, Darling, we... get the idea,” Rarity said slowly, backing up a little.

“Ugh, I’m more confused than the snake that fell in love with the spaghetti,” Applejack moaned, messaging her head.

“As We were saying, only three pieces of Moonstone have been known to exist, though even we aren’t sure if it wasn’t one or two pieces that got handed down to descendants. According to legend, Moonstone is the most magical of all gems. It naturally restores a pony’s ether, and if a spell is cast upon it directly, it could supposedly absorb the spell, or even reflect it.”

“But it’s broken! How could a broken stone do anything?” Rainbow Dash pointed out, hovering closer to take a better look at the fracture in the gem.

“We saw this stone not several days ago, when Moonstone first came to us, err, me, to ask about curses. It was not broken then. I can only hypothesize that when the elements hit Moonstone the second time, as The Nightmare would have been driven away, the elements began to use their energy in the only other way they knew how, in starting to turn Moonstone into an alicorn. However, the stone, not being sentient, repelled the elements, increasing their power as they hit all of you. Twilight, both because she was in the front, and because she is the Element of Magic, bore the main brunt of the ‘attack’, if you will. We can only pray that Twilight pulls through.”

In the silence that followed, Fluttershy mumbled, “S-so is Twilight going to become immortal, then? A-are we going-”

“Neigh,” Luna shook her head tiredly. “At least, as far as we know of. Twilight, should she pass the trial... perhaps, though there is no real way of knowing. You, however, have merely been granted extra ether permanently, in the form of wings. Applejack and Pinkie Pie, having been behind Twilight in the circle, gained more power than the others. The doctors estimated that your wing power could be anywhere between 6 and 12, depending on how much you work with them. You are still full-blooded Earth Ponies, though, so you will notice an increased air-resistance, and you won’t be able to fly as fast. However, being full-blooded, you still have your bond to the earth, and your natural strength and resilience, so they should not impact you in your normal lives.”

“R-really?!” Applejack exclaimed, her eyes wide. “Ah-ah’m...” Speechless, she rushed over to heavy, wooden door, reared back, and then bucked it open, smashing the door to splinters. Applejack whimpered slightly as she felt the recoil, before melting to the floor in relief as it faded. “Oh thank Faust...”

“Rainbow Dash, with you and Fluttershy already having been Pegasi, you won’t notice a large difference, though your wings will likely grow slightly larger, and your wing power should also increase.”

“Awww yeah! I’ll bet I can get off two sonic rainbooms in a row now!” Rainbow Dash hoof-pumped, already starting to plan the awesomeness that would be her new and improved routine to impress the Wonderbolts.

“What about me?” Rarity asked after a moment of silence, looking at Twilight. “What makes me different from Twilight?”

“Well... Uh...”

Celestia sighed, tired, and answered for Luna, having been used to giving bad news over the years. “It isn’t necessarily you, Rarity. Since you were in the back of the group, the magic from the elements was at its weakest, having passed through Twilight, and then everyone else. Twilight, Twilight just happened to get most of the power, and was already the Element of Magic.”

Celestia was about to continue, when Twilight moaned in her sleep, a bright light shining in the room in increasing intensity. When everypony opened their eyes, the first thing they noticed was Twilight. She blinked slowly, her eyes working on focusing. She found herself suddenly surrounded by her friends, who were all hugging her tightly. “Twi!”

“Wha? Girls? Why are you in my bedroom? And... when did you all get... Oh, I’m dreaming,” Twilight said, dismissing her friends as she closed her eyes again. She started to curl up, bringing her legs and tail closer to her body, when she felt something strange on her sides. “Wha? Wings?”

“Erm, Twilight, Darling?” Rarity said, trying to get Twilight’s attention without freaking her out. “You aren’t exactly dreaming per se. The elements just might have given us a tinsey bit of power, which was turned into wings...”

Twilight blinked dumbly at Rarity, waiting for her to continue. “Also... Dibs on making her regalia!” she exclaimed, stars appearing in her eyes.

Twilight yawned, then rolled out out bed, still disoriented. “Look, dream Rarity, first of all, real Rarity would never say ‘dibs’. Secondly, you all got short. Thirdly, I know that Moonstone’s ether level couldn’t have dropped from 1337 all the way to 733, and his recharging ability dropping to, and I still can’t believe I’m saying ‘only’, 742. It’s just not possible for that to happen that quickly. And, finally, I can tell this is a dream, because nopony can tell ether levels just by looking at other ponies!”

Twilight finished her lecture, closing her eyes with a definitive nod, very pleased with herself and her arguments towards her dream friends. At least, she was until Rainbow Dash snorted and deadpanned, “Yeah, dream through this, egghead!”

Twilight’s pained screech echoed for several seconds as Dash grabbed several feathers from Twilight’s wing, and yanked on them as hard as she could. “Ow! Dash, what the manure?! Why would you-”

Twilight blinked dumbly at the triumphant Rainbow Dash, still holding the feathers in her maw, her face betraying how smug she felt. She blinked again, noticing that she was bleeding ever so slightly from her wing, feeling the throbbing of her heartbeat.

The elements waited patiently for their friend to reboot, as she struggled to decipher the new information flooding her noggin. “Ten bits says she faints,” Rainbow Dash whispered, after spitting out Twi’s feathers.

“Yer on,” Applejack countered, giving Dash’s hoof a solid bump to seal the deal. 

Twilight rocked back and forward in her hooves, looking at the two princesses. “... So... That dream thing with Faust appearing to me wasn’t a dream?”

Luna and Celestia shook their heads.

“Oh...”

Twilight blinked again, still trying to think of questions to ask, but coming up surprisingly empty. “Well... in that case... I... uh...”

“Moonstone?” Starlight shook Moonstone as he moaned fitfully in his sleep, growing increasingly restless for several moments before he woke up. 

His eyes shot open as his horn charged with magic, wings flaring as he breathed heavily. He looked around wildly, panting, “Where is she?! Is she dead?”

“S-she who?” Starlight whimpered, getting ready to duck behind Princess Luna should Moonstone decide he meant her.

“The... The Nightmare...” Moonstone said, looking around the room more calmly, allowing his magic to dissipate. His left ear flicked as he took another look at the elements. “Wait... when did everypony start having wings?”

“Thou needest to lay back down, Moonstone,” Luna lectured, using her magic to push the stallion back down, his ear still twitching. “Tho-I mean, you almost died. You need to rest and allow your ether to recharge, and to let your body heal.”

“What happened?” Moonstone inquired as his ear flicked. “We were watching a movie, and then...”

“Okay, that’s it! That is annoying the heck out of me!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “What the heck is with your ear?! It’s flipping out like no tomorrow!”

“Huh?” Moonstone blinked, then raised a hoof to his ear. “My earring must be kinda loose or som... Where’s my earring?!”

“Err... We tried to fix it, but...” Luna slowly levitated the broken earring back to Moonstone. “Its magics are lost... The runes are still active, but the gem itself has lost its ether restoration powers.”

“... The gem was magical?”

“I... you... that... How the heck did you even survive long enough to get here?!” Twilight shouted, scandalized. “How can you not know anything about any of these things?!”

“Hey, I’m just like any other stallion!” Moonstone objected, grumbling. “I just start my journeys breaking one leg at a time.”

Everypony stared at Moonstone as he reattached his earring, before Twilight facehoofed, then started to chuckle. As she started to laugh, the others slowly joined her until everypony was laughing at Moonstone’s failed attempt at using an idiom. “Okay, it’s official; this can’t be a dream,” Twilight giggled, leaning against Pinkie Pie for support.

“Of course not, silly filly! You’re an alicorn now, which means that I get to throw a ‘Woo-hoo, we all got wings and now Twilight’s an Alicorn’ party!” Pinkie screamed, her eyes growing to abnormal sizes. “I mean, come on, I’ve been planning and waiting for this day for, like, ever, and-”

“Sissy!”

An overly energetic filly barreled her way into the room, followed by Chrysalis, who appeared to be doing her best to tune out Discord, who was singing the one song that Celestia hated above all others, with Milly singing his backup. ~This is the song that doesn’t end! Yes it goes on and on my friend!~

Pinkie Pie perked up, grinning from ear to ear, joining in. ~Some ponies started singing it not knowing what it was! And they’ll continue singing it forever just because~

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Starlight joined in as well, grinning impishly at each other as the infectious song bid them sing. ~This is the song that doesn’t end! Yes it goes on and on~

“Why me?” Celestia whimpered, sagging against her sister, drained after having stayed up all night trying to keep what happened to the elements under wraps, while still running the day court, and everything else that required her attention. 

Luna just bobbed her head along, singing under her breath. Moonstone blinked as he looked between the different singing ponies, listening carefully to the words, taking a couple loops before he realized that is was the same few lines over and over again. He joined in on the next chorus, singing enthusiastically, bobbing his head along to the song, still not paying his wings any attention.

Celestia, finally having had enough, thundered, “That’s it! Enough singing that frelling song!”

The sudden outburst made everypony stop singing, though Moonstone was too caught up in the song to realize it for just a few more words, noticing when he was singing alone. ~It just goes on and on... my...~

He looked back and forth, then wilted, folding his ears against his skull. However, as he tried to make himself smaller, his wings flared again, catching him by surprise. As his wings started flapping erratically from his panicking, he was tacked by a hyperactive filly whose eyes were wide open with amazement. “Moony! You’s finally wakened! You gots wings now! Can you take Milly on a griffon-back ride, pretty please? Sissy’s been too tireded to-”

“Milly, stop harrassing him, he just woke up!” Starlight lectured, pulling her hyperactive sister from Moonstone, who was still struggling with his flailing wings, though they had lost most of their strength by now.

“That, but how did I get wings?” Moonstone grumbled, sweat starting to form from his struggles.

Rainbow Dash hovered nearby, waving a hoof dismissively. “Eh, long story short, you got zapped by the elements a second time when you were fine, so the elements started trying to make you an alicorn, but since you’re not an Element of Harmony, it would have ended up killing you, but your earring thingamabobber saved your life, sending the spell back at us. Or something like that. Colt, what kind of crap spell does that?” Rainbow Dash grumbled, still pouting that she hadn’t really gained any powers aside from increasing her already impressive wing power. 

Moonstone blinked, doing his best to process what just happened. After a moment, he finally shrugged. “Okay.”

Everypony gaped at him for a moment, before Rainbow Dash exclaimed, “What? Okay? That’s it?! You just grew some buc-”

Milly suddenly found herself bereft of her sense of hearing as Starlight covered her ears in a heartbeat. She blinked, then grinned, figuring that it was a new game, where she had to make up the lines that everypony said, like in the really really old movies!

“-Buccaneer Blaze wings that can make you fly at a billion miles an hour!” Milly finished for Rainbow Dash, giggling as Rainbow Dash froze, hovering in place as her cheeks started to redden. 

As Rainbow Dash started to apologize, Milly did her best to keep up, but it was clear that Rainbow Dash was new to the game, as she kept mumbling, making it hard to Milly to read her lips. “‘I’m a soggy fur butt?’ Why would you say a fing like dat?” Milly asked, tilting her head to the side.

Starlight looked back and forth, a slight blush on her face as well. Hesitantly, she lifted her hooves up from Milly’s ears, breathing a sigh of relief. Moonstone, confused as heck, looked back and forth between ponies, before asking slowly, “So what was that back then, about my earring being magic?”

.o.O.o.

“... So is this the part where I get to say I told you so?” Moonstone whimpered, resting his head on his forehooves.

Luna frowned, not following what Moonstone meant. “We do not understand what you mean, Moonstone. Told us so about what?”

“... I’m cursed. Ever since I got here, it’s been one catastrophe after another. I make a foal of myself for several days, trying to learn what it means to be a city pony, then my cape, which was a very special gift, got torn to shreds in the fight when those ponies were attacking Starlight, I broke my leg, I got infected by The Nightmare, I find out I’m really weak, and that I’ve just got a good recharge rate, I made a foal of myself again during the movie, and then I get into yet another duel, letting The Nightmare take over, and then I get hit by the Elements to get rid of The Nightmare! Then, then, right as things are starting to look up, I get blasted again, breaking the only other important thing I’ve ever owned! I get knocked unconscious for I don’t know how long, and when I wake up, I find out that I’m now about as weak as a foal, and that my recharging ability has also gotten worse! So yes, I told you so! I’m cursed!”

“Were,” Luna corrected, unphased by the stallion’s rantings, aside from getting slightly annoyed. “The Elements lifted said curse, remember? Yes, your magic is weaker because you have wings, and you can’t use magic while flying like Rarity or Twilight can, but that doesn’t mean you can’t train your magic to get better. Your Ether level was only so low because you could recharge it too fast to really improve. Now, with lowered abilities, you have a chance to become even stronger than before.”

“... Still won’t let me find home,” Moonstone nickered softly, laying on the bed, defeated. “Face it, I’ll never find my parents because I don’t even know what they look like... I could have passed them by years ago, and I’ll never know... I’ll... never get my dream, will I?” he asked softly.

“I don’t know,” Luna admitted softly. “But is it really worth giving up? Are you really willing to just give up on... whatever your dream is?”

Moonstone sighed, then started to sing softly, unaware of Discord providing support. 
“I have often dreamed... 
Of a far-off place...
Where a great, warm welcome would be waiting for me...”

As Moonstone sang, he slowly followed Princess Luna as she left the room, wandering down various hallways and stairways. 

Twilight blinked, looking at everypony else awkwardly, mumbling, “So... Are we supposed to follow, or...”

“Heck if I know anything anymore,” Starlight sighed, trotting after the princess. “Ever since he came along, everything’s been all messed up...”

“But at least ish fun!” Milly exclaimed from her back, grinning widely at Pinkie Pie. “Right, Miss Pink-Pink?”

“Yepper peppers!” Pinkie giggled, bouncing along. “So, how long till we get to learn how to fly, huh Dashie?”

“Well...” Dash drawled, taking her time thinking. “Normally, unless you’re the squirt, I charge a lot. I mean, come on, I am the best flier in Equestria!” Rainbow Dash boasted, buffing a hoof on her coat. “Buuuuuuut, since you’re my best friends, and being the Element of Loyalty and all, I’m willing to cut you a deal, Pinks. All I want from you, for the rest of your life, is one single, simple thing. And with how much you have every year, I’m sure you can afford to spare just one, teeny, tiny, little thing for me...”

“What, you mean like the first mug of apple cider every season?” Pinkie guessed, pausing for just a second in her funny face competition with Milky Way. “Yeah, sure, whatever. I was gonna bump up my order from twelve to an even baker’s dozen anyhoof.”

“H-how... Y-you...” Rainbow Dash gaped for a moment, before remembering who it was she was talking to. “Deal!”

After shaking hooves with Pinkie Pie, Dash turned to everypony else. “AJ... Meh, same as Pinks. Everypony else... Rares, you got nothing I want, so I guess I’ll teach you for free.”

Rarity rolled her eyes, simpering sarcastically. “Thank you oh-so-much for your generosity, Rainbow Darling. Surely you are an example to us all.”

“Yes, yes, I know, it’s all true! Finally, Twi... Alright girl, I know you’ve been holding out on me! I know you have connections! You gotta get me the next Daring Do book the second it gets out, alright?! Autographed!”

“Ha! Joke’s on you, Dash,” Twilight exclaimed triumphantly. “I was already getting that for your birthday next week, so I’ve already got my part covered! Ha!”

Rainbow Dash blinked, then grinned wickedly. “Oh yeah? Well that means that I won the bet, because now I know what you’re getting me for my birthday, and you owe me a VIP season pass for the Wonderbolts!”

“W-what?!” Twilight yelled, her jaw dropping in shock. “I do not! You had to figure it out yourself! Just because I told you doesn’t mean that-”

“Does too! You never said how I had to find out, all you said was I had to tell you I knew what it was before my birthday, and I found out because you told me, so that’s your fault! Besides,” Dash added, hovering next to Twilight, not noticing that she had grown a few inches. “Think of it this way. The book is your payment for having me, the great Dash, teach you how to fly, and the pass is my Birthday present!”

Twilight opened and closed her mouth a few times, before nodding. “Fine...”

As they caught up to Luna, they caught the tail end of Moonstone’s song. As he finished, he heaved a sigh, then nodded as Luna began instructing him on what to say for his oaths. While it only took a minute, Rainbow Dash was already getting restless, but did her best to refrain herself as the excitement of getting to teach all of her friends how to fly started to become real.

“Good!” Luna said, nodding happily. “All that’s left is for you to sign your name, and then... Oh wait, do you know how... Er, We mean...”

Starlight stepped forward, standing next to Moonstone, trying to calm him down. “Come on, it’s fine, just relax. Remember your lesson? Just calm down... First an m... then an o...”

Rarity sighed, watching as Starlight instructed Moonstone, who was struggling with keeping the quill absolutely as still as possible to try to help his poor calligraphy skills. After a moment, she squinted ever so slightly, leaning forward a couple inches, before huffing as she turned to Applejack. “Ah,” Rarity cut her off, holding her hoof up. “Don’t even say it...”

“Ah didn’t need to,” Applejack smirked, tugging her cowpony hat down an inch, resettling it on her mane. 

“And there we go!” Luna smiled, rolling up the parchment. She levitated one over to Moonstone, continuing, “Here’s what you need to keep, and... I guess that’s everything! You’ll have to look at the houses and decide which one you want to be your main mailing address, though.”

“... Main house? Mailing address?”

Luna’s smile faltered a bit, before she sighed. “Well, so much for keeping this simple...”













> Chapter the Twentieth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I still don’t get why somepony needs more than one house,” Moonstone grumbled, bashing his head against the desk.

“Have ya ever done something ta show off, Moonstone?” Applejack asked, arching an eyebrow. “It’s the same thing. Noble ponies have more money than they know what ta do with. They’re as wasteful as a pony waterin’ a lily pad.”

“But how am I supposed to know where I want to live? There’s too many options!” Moonstone complained.

“Neigh, there’s not,” Luna shook her head. “Because th... you look like an alicorn, you have two choices. Either you can stay here in Canterlot-”

“*cough* “Stupid idea!” *cough*

Luna glared at Discord, who had decided to interrupt the conversation. Discord shrugged innocently. “Who, me? What, that, I didn’t do that! You must be hearing things!”

Luna rolled her eyes as a halo appeared above Discord’s head. “Uh-huh... As we were saying, we’d like you to either stay here in Canterlot, where we can keep an eye on you, just in case of complications, or in Ponyville, with the rest of the elements.”

“Pfft, as if the moron’s got a choice,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, rolling her eyes. All eyes turned to the proud pegasus, who was casually leaning against a wall, her legs crossed. Rainbow Dash smirked as she flared her wings, striking an impressive pose. “What, as if anypony else would be able to teach him how to fly! If not for him, I wouldn’t be able to prove to my best friends that being a pegasus is the best thing in the world! Besides, he still owes us the rest of a movie party!”

“Nu-uh!” Milky Way protested, peaking out angrily from beneath her sister’s wing. “Moony’s gotta stay here! He maded a promise to teach me magics! And-and he still owes sissy a date!”

Starlight blushed wildly as all attention in the room was focused, if only for a moment, on her. “I-it, I, that... It’s just a mock date, don’t look at me like that!” she stammered, her wings fluttering as she tried to compose herself.

“That’s true,” Moonstone nodded, though the effect was lost on the table he rested upon. “I did promise...”

“Why do you want Moonstone in Ponyville so badly, Discord?” Luna asked warily, her mane hiding an eye. 

“What, I can’t want to save somepony from a fate worse than death?” Discord asked, clutching his talons to his chest. “You wound me!”

“A fate worse than death? Seriously? Discord, aren’t you being just a little melodramat-”

“If I had to choose between living with the Canterlot nobility, and being a lawn ornament,” Discord deadpanned seriously, “then I’d wait in Ponyville for the elements to turn me back. The worst part of my ‘punishment’ wasn’t being stuck as a statue, not being able to do anything. The worst part was being stuck around the ‘nobles’. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy!

“Besides, Ponyville is much more chaotic!” Discord grinned, floating around the room. “As much as I’m sure mister... Moony, was it? As much as he said that he wants to settle down, a traveller like him would grow bored of Canterlot in days. Ponyville might be smaller, but at least something interesting is always happening there.”

“But I still promised Digit Pi I’d teach Milly magic,” Moonstone pointed out. “How can I teach her if I’m in Ponyville?”

.o.O.o.

“Yayifications! I’ve never eber been on a train ride!” Milky Way bounced around the cabin, her eyes wide and bright, full of excitement. 

“Milly, you stop bouncing around this instant, you’re going to tip the car over!” her sister lectured, taking wing briefly to jump over Fluttershy as she dove for her sister.

“I still can’t believe ponies made this!” Moonstone gaped, looking around the car in wonder. 

“What, you’ve never been on a train before?” Rainbow Dash asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“No,” Moonstone admitted, staring at the electric lighting in the ceiling. “And definitely not one run on magic! How many unicorns does it take to run this thing?”

While Moonstone discovered the intricacies that was the modern steam-powered engine train, Twilight looked at her checklist once more, trying to push past the distractions and rabbit holes her brain wanted to take her. “Come on, Twilight, just concentrate,” she muttered softly to herself, using her magic to carefully levitate a scroll of parchment to herself, remembering how she had accidentally made the tea set explode earlier that day when she tried to levitate it.

Stupid alicorn powers... I know I wanted them secretly a few times... I mean, what filly didn’t want to be like the princess at some point? But this is-

Twilight shook her head sharply, refocusing. She looked over the checklist, reading it to herself. “Let’s see... Head to Town Hall to take care of paperwork for Moonstone, and to file the new paperwork on the deed to his house. Step two, figure out where Moonstone’s house is. Step three, send Pinkie and the others ahead so they can get the ‘Welcome to Your New Home in Ponyville’ party set up. Step four, visit the Library to comfort Spike. Step five... is still a work in progress... And then step six, go to the party and enjoy!”

“However did you talk your parents into letting you and Milky Way come to Ponyville all by yourselves, Darling?” Rarity questioned Starlight, curious. “Aren’t they afraid of you and Milly staying with a strange stallion in a new town? I mean, I know you’ve known him for a few days, dear, but that’s not a very long time to have known him.”

Starlight flushed, glancing out the window to watch the countryside. Rarity watched as Star chewed on her cheek, deep in thought, before the purple pegasus finally answered. “W-well... Princess Luna trusted him, firstly. Secondly, he helped protect both myself and Milly when some thugs broke my wing while I was taking Milly on a griffin-back ride.”

“And?” Rarity questioned, her wings fluttering a little. Rarity cursed her wings mentally for a second. She resolved to talk to Rainbow Dash as soon as possible about controlling her wings better. As a socialite, Rarity knew the importance of schooling her face, but now that she had wings, they seemed to respond where she had trained her face not to show anything. Showing excitement at the worst possible time could make certain ponies quiet themselves if they realized that they were saying too much.

Luckily, Starlight was too flustered to be paying attention to Rarity’s new appendages. “... And... a lady always knows how to... deter unwanted advances.”

Rarity hummed to herself for a second, before sliding up next to Starlight with a sly grin, asking softly, “And is Moonstone an unwanted advance?”

Starlight blinked, shocked that Rarity would suggest at something like... that! As she struggled to retort, however, the train whistle blew, followed by a loud stallion yelling through the cars, “Next stop is Ponyville! All off who are getting off!”

“Milly, be careful, you’re going to make somepony trip!” Starlight chided Milky Way, quickly winging her way to her sister, who was bouncing up and down and all around the other passengers waiting to disembark. 

Rarity’s wings fluttered in agitation, but the snowy mare choked down a frustrated grunt, schooling her face, as a true lady should. As she waited next to Twilight to disembark, she inquired, “So what’s the plan, Twilight?”

“In short, Town Hall, get Moonstone’s paperwork, find the location of Operation Surprise, reassure Spike that everything is going to be alright, keep Moonstone distracted somehow, then head to O.S.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Rarity agreed, nodding. “Though I think you’re forgetting about-”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Welcoming Committee! Yay!”

*KABOOOOOOM*

The entire train station platform found itself engulfed in tons of confetti, plumes of billowing smoke, and the sounds of coughing and gasping for breath. ”Bernardo, no!”

Pinkie dashed forward, her mane going flat as she shed a tear, holding the remains of one of her beloved party cannons. The barrel was horribly disfigured, as if it had been overstuffed, the bottom charred, and the end cracked into pieces, all of which splayed outwards like a flower. Pinkie stroked her cannon tenderly, her voice broken. “I-it’s okay, Bernardo, momma’s here... E-every-everything’s going to be alright, okay? Just, just hang in there until momma can make you better, alright? Just try to relax, and don’t... N-no, don’t go to sleep, don’t- no! Y-you can’t leave me, Bernardo! You can’t leave me! Bernardo! No!”

Pinkie threw herself onto her destroyed party cannon, sobbing her heart out, only fragmented words being understood. Milly was right next to Pinkie Pie, trying to comfort her new best friend, nuzzling her. While several of the passengers were stunned that a mare would be crying over a destroyed piece of machinery, everypony else kept moving on, familiar with Pinkie’s antics, and Lyra even offered Pinkie Pie a quick hug before moving on herself. Applejack took her hat off for a moment out of respect for her friend, all of them bowing their heads, leaving behind a confused Moonstone and Starlight.

Right as Moonstone opened his mouth, two spotlights appeared out of nowhere, centering on Pinkie Pie as applause and upbeat music began to play as two fashionably dressed ponies made their way onto the platform, smiling widely, carrying a large, golden statue between them. “Congratulations to a miss Pinkamena Diane Pie, for her heartbreaking performance on the passing of Bernardo the Party Cannon! Pinkie Pie, do you have anything to say to all of the ponies out there watching?”

Pinkie Pie bounced to her hooves, her eyes still shimmering with tears, but she was grinning ear to ear. “Oh thank you! You don’t know what this means to me! I, I want to thank my mom and dad, for encouraging me when I got my cutie mark in partyology, and my sisters Inkie and Blinkie, for loving me when I call them silly nicknames, and my bestest best friends, for helping me when I really need it, and for M-”

“And that’s all the time we have for today, folks!” the mare cut Pinkie off, somehow managing to smile and talk through her teeth at the same time. “Remember, the drawing for the book publisher sweepstakes is just next week, so submit your letters to the address below today for your chance to win 500 bits a week for the rest of your life! And now, a word from our sponsors!”

As quick as a flash, the mare and stallion disappeared, leaving behind a group of confused ponies. “I... what... they... but... What just even happened?!” Moonstone exclaimed, his brain short-circuiting.

Starlight let out a strangled cry as she also tried to give voice to her muddled mind, but nothing comprehensible could be made out. As she and Moonstone slowly made their way after Milly, they both came to one conclusion: life in Ponyville? It was certainly going to be an interesting and educating experience...












> Chapter the Twenty-First
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“A-ah, P-Princess Twilight! To what do we owe the unexpected pleasure?” Mayor Mare stammered, caught off-guard to the Elements of Harmony arriving at her office in Town Hall.

Twilight blinked, then face-hooved. “Mayor, I’m not a princess. This is just, um... A side-effect! Yeah, this is just a side-effect from the elements, that’s all. Nothing special!”

Applejack facehooved at Twilight’s smile, which was overly wide, not to mention her shifty eyes. If there was any pony that was an easier read on when they were lying than Applejack, it was Twilight Sparkle.

“Oh. Well then,” Mayor Mare said slowly, quirking an eyebrow at the town’s librarian. “I suppose that still leaves the question of what all of you need, unless it’s a request for transfer of address.”

Twilight shook her head, levitating some papers to the mayor. “No, madam mayor, it’s a transfer of ownership for the Whitecap Mansion. Everything is already signed and sorted out in Canterlot. All we need is the master key. Oh, and um... About seven o’clock?” Twilight questioned, looking to Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie glanced at the clock, before grinning widely. “Yepper peppers! Seven o’clock for sure! Maybe a little earlier if you want dinner, but I don’t know what I’m working with.”

“Ah, alright then,” Mayor Mare agreed, smiling. “But where are the ponies-”

“Hai! I’m Milky Way! Who are you? I gets to be a, a transformation student!”

“Transfer student, Milly,” Starlight corrected, pulling her sister down from a set of cabinets she was trying to climb.

“Oh, a couple? Very nice to meet you! Welcome to Ponyville,” the mayor greeted, shaking Moonstone’s hoof.

“We’re not a couple,” Starlight said flatly, setting her sister onto her back. “Milly is my sister. Moonstone is her magic tutor, that’s all.”

“Ah, my apologies. You know what they say about assuming, I suppose... Well then, umm... Yes, well, everything’s all sorted, so I shall see you all later!” Mayor Mare stammered, embarrassed from her earlier blunder.

“Okie Doki Noki! Okay girls, Plan White Wishes, go!” Pinkie shouted, snatching Milky Way from Starlight’s back before running out the door.

“Bai sissy! See you laters!” Milky Way shouted, giggling from Pinkie Pie’s back. 

“Later Starligh’,” Applejack added, running after Pinkie Pie. “We got, uh, things ta get done!”

“Hey, what about me? Don’t you guys want it done in one minute flat?!” Rainbow Dash flew after them, yelling, “Come on, use those wings! Flap ‘em harder, we’ve got muscles to burn!”

“Y-yes, and I have, um, my animals to check on, so I’ll see you girls later, if that’s alright,” Fluttershy mumbled, making her way home as quickly as she could.

“Alright ponies, come on,” Twilight said briskly, ushering Rarity, Starlight, and Moonstone alone. “We have so little of Ponyville to see and so much time to do it in!”

After Rarity cleared her throat gently, Twilight amended with a blush, “Err, forget that, reverse the order, thank you very much moving right along then!”

.o.O.o.

“Wait, so the creepy mansion we use every year for our haunted house in Nightmare Night is Moonstone’s new home? That’s awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pulling eagerly on the rope attached to the manor’s door-chime.

“You mean there’s gonna be ghostses an’ skelly tons an scary bats? Woah...” Milky Way’s eyes went wide with wonder, her eyes shining with stars. “Mista Moony gets the most coolest stuffs...”

“Coming,” a voice sang from inside, opening the door. The door opened, causing the mares to gasp.

Pinkie Pie giggled, shaking her head at the changeling that appeared at the door. “Alto, you silly filly, it’s not Nightmare Night! I didn’t plan on this being a costume party, so you can take it off now!”

“What?” the black creature asked, looking at its hooves and translucent wings. “... Are you sure? Because I was told that-”

“Noper roper! Just a regular ‘Welcome to Your New Home in Ponyville!’ party, that’s all!” Pinkie grinned, awaiting a response.

“O-oh... W-well, if you’ll excuse me to go change for just a moment,” the mare said, picking at her leg, causing several small pieces of chitin to fall to the ground. “I’ll be right back.”

As they waited inside the main foyer, which was quite spacious, Milky Way bounced on Pinkie Pie’s back, inquiring, “So whai did we make Miss Pretty Changeling turn into a pony? You didn’t make Miss Sally turn into a pony! Dat’s not fair.”

The three mares blinked, before Rainbow Dash exclaimed, “That was a real changeling? There’s been one in Ponyville this whole time?!”

“Um, Dash, they aren’t evil anymore, remember?” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow as Rainbow Dash started stretching her wings.

“I know that! I’m ticked at all the training time I’ve missed because of it! I could have been racing against myself this whole time!”

Milky Way, having wandered into the next room already, called out to the changeling, “Miss Pretty Changeling Bug Pony? Is okays to come back out again, cause we know yous isn’t meanie heads anymore!”

“You thought we were mean?” the changeling asked, poking her head out from around the corner. “Since when?”

“Because there was a mega-huge wedding party at the castle, an lotsa bugs started showing up an poofed into fire, and there was lotsa yelling and running and screaming, and it was a bunch a fun, and everypony was all ‘Eek! Ish changelings an we bees scareded of dem cause they bees nevil and stuff and we needs ta be saveded!’ An den-”

“I missed the party? Aww, colt! It sucks being a servant sometimes,” the changeling sighed sadly, scuffing at the floor. “It’s always ‘do this’ and ‘do that’ and ‘polish the silver’ and... It’s not fair! If I had known being a servant was going to be so boring, I wouldn’t have taken the job! I mean, you’d think that being a servant you’d meet lotsa new ponies, right?! Well how the heck am I supposed to get enough research done for my thesis if I never get any pony interaction?”

“Threes? Whai you need three whats?” Milky Way questioned, confused.

“No, little one, a thesis. It’s a...” the changeling struggled for a way to simplify the explanation as much as possible. “It’s a really, really big paper that says something about stuff you’ve figured out by watching stuff happen. Then a bunch of bigger ch-ponies look over your work, and ask you questions, and then you answer them, and then you get to become a teacher for other ponies!”

“What you wanna teach? Oh, oh! You-you wanna teach me? I’m good at being teached! You can practicify on me!”

“Look, as great as it is that you’re bonding with Moonstone’s new servant, do you think you could help us, you know, set up the party we came here for?” Rainbow Dash asked, soaring from room to room, setting up banners and confetti with practiced ease.

Milly frowned for a moment, before bouncing up and down excitedly, a wide grin on her face. “Hey! I knows! Wanna help us wiv the party?! Do ya, do ya, do ya? Ish gonna be super awesome fantastical! There’s gonna bees cake, an-an punch, an pin a tail onna pony, an-”

“Oh come on! I just freaking asked that!” Rainbow Dash complained as the changeling nodded, following a hyper-active Milky Way.

“Oh, an I’m Milky Way, but everypony calls me Milly, except for my sissy, because she’s my sissy, and she gets to call me whateber she wants, an I’m going to grow up to be just as pretty and smart as she is, and you’re going to love her, but you can’t love her as much as me, because I’m her sissy, and you can’t lover her more than Mister Moony, or else dey won’t fall in love, an dat would be, be horrible, and what’s your name, Miss Pretty Changeling Pony? Why are your eyes all blue? Does you wings go buzz when you flap them really fast? What kinda magics can you do? Why is you hooves all holey? Is your horn sick? Is that why it isn’t straight? Is it because you never eated your spinaches? Are-”

*Squeak*

“Lexxy! You’s back to help wiv teh party!” Milky Way cheered, snuggling the black ferret now between her forelegs. “I missed you! Where have you been, young lady, you’ve had me worried to sickness!”

“You have a pet?”

Milly looked up at the changeling not much bigger than herself, answering indignantly, “No, she bees a family year! She’s Mister Moony’s magic and stuff! Lexxy, meet... Umm, what’s your name, Miss Changeling?”

“Altornia, but everyling calls me Alto!” the changeling practically chirped, excited that she finally got to talk to somepony after weeks of isolation. “Nice to meet you, Lexxy! She must be a really smart family year if she’s got emotions as strong as you do, Milly! So what do we need to set up first?”

“Well, there’s food, and drinks, and balloons, and banners, and-”

“But what do we start with?” Alto asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Umm,” Milly thought, changing her mind before exclaiming, “Oh wait, I know! Streamers! We gots ta start wiv the streamers, ‘cause they hang from the-the ceilings, and we don’t want the balloons to lose their he leaning too soon, so we should start with that! Wait, no, not like dat, silly filly! Like this!” 

.o.O.o.

“Heyya Rarity! Finally found yourself a coltfriend?” Lyra called teasingly from her bench, twisting a peg ever so slightly as she tuned her instrument. 

“A-ha,” Rarity laughed nervously, a light blush showing through her white fur with ease. “Sorry to say not, Lyra. This is Moonstone, the new owner of Whitecap Manor, and Starlight Sonata, who’s helping Moonstone learn more about Equestria.”

“So when’s the you-know-what?” Bonbon asked. “I’m guessing... Eight o’clock?”

“Nice guess, but Pinkie’s estimating seven, if you could help spread the word.” Twilight said hopefully, ignoring the confused Moonstone and Starlight.

“Sure, of course we-”

“Look out mommy!” a young voice called out worriedly from above, interrupting Twilight’s conversation as the ponies above crashed into Twilight, flattening her on the ground, dazing her for a moment.

The gray pegasus mare shook her head, her eye slowly returning back to its proper position. “Look out for what, Muffin? That landing was softer than normal!”

“Good evening, Derpy,” Rarity said with a smile, offering her hoof as she subtly lifted Derpy and her daughter from Twilight’s back with her magic as she did so. “You and Dinky doing alright?”

“Yeah!” Dinky chirped from her mother’s back, her eyes bright. “There was a new colt in class today, but he was really sad, so I gave him a muffin, and he got all happy again, and said I reminded him of a friend from home, and-”

Rarity giggled, doing her best to refrain from making any jokes, teasing, or encouraging the filly about something that more than likely did not exist. Starlight blinked, then facehooved with both her hooves, groaning dramatically. “Two of them... There’s two of them... Equestria is so doomed!”

“Quit ‘yer whining, young whippersnapper!” a donkey hollered from down the path, his eyes half-lidded. “Yer still young! You haven’t seen enough to be complainin’ so loudly!”

“We were just about to leave, Mr. Doodle, so sorry for bothering you!” Rarity called after the donkey batting her eyes for just a second, knowing it would appease the old donkey. “Right, Twilight?”

An exceptionally large white pegasus appeared, his eyes and muscles bulging as he pumped a hoof into the air with as much enthusiasm as Billy Hays selling a new product. ”Yeeeeeaaaahhhhhhh!” 

Moonstone and Starlight blinked, looking to each other for help, only to find the same confused expression. “Are... is-”

“Yes, Moonstone,” Starlight sighed, messaging her temple with her forehooves. “So far, everypony in this town is crazy!”

“Oh... I was going to say I think I like them,” he said casually. “They’re wierd... Like me.”

Starlight blinked, then sighed as she started to follow the party, shaking her head. “If you say so. I just get the feeling that being in Ponyville is going to be anything but a vacation for me... I can’t shake the feeling that of all the crazy things that happen in Equestria, most of them happen in Ponyville.”

“I sure hope so!” Moonstone agreed happily, his spirits rising. “Life would be really boring otherwise! So what’s next?”

.o.O.o.

“Spiiiike! I’m h-”

Twilight barely managed to open the door to her library before a small green and purple object tackled Twilight at speeds rivaling Mach two, smashing her to her side as Spike hugged her for all he was worth.

While Twilight and Spike hugged, Rarity smiled and levitated a hoofkerchief to her face. Moonstone, caught off guard, tried to create a shield from habit, but winced as he gained a headache, as his ether levels were no longer large enough to support a shield the size and quality he had attempted. While he tried to conquer the new pain, he and Starlight watched the baby dragon with amazement.

He was certainly taller than Milky Way, but not quite as tall as a pony. Where were his wings, and his razor sharp teeth and claws? He looked about as dangerous as an Earth Pony with half of their limbs broken! “So... what are you? Some kind of overgrown salamander?” Moonstone asked, tilting his head to the side.

Resounding silence followed his statement. “... What? It’s a perfectly good question!”

Starlight, regaining her voice first, asked incredulously, “How the heck... You’ve travelled the world. You’ve seen and fought monsters, ponies, plus who knows what else; you’ve talked to sea ponies, lured an Ursa Minor using giant cupcakes, but you don’t know what a dragon looks like?!”

Moonstone blinked, then said in a matter-of-fact tone, “Because he’s not big. He has no claws, spiky tail, or gnashing teeth, so-”

“Hey! I might be a baby, but I’ll still kick your flank into next week if you don’t give me a bit of respect!” Spike protested, storming up to the larger stallion, poking him threateningly in the chest.

“Come on, Spike, be the bigger pony,” Twilight said, dragging Spike backwards using her magic, setting him on her back. “Besides, I thought I made sure my number one assistant knew better than to go picking fights over insults or ignorance! You either ignore them, or educate them in a calm, collected manner. Moonstone, this is Spike, my assistant. Spike, this is Moonstone, the reason I have to learn how to deal with wings,” she sighed. Not to mention that I might be immortal now, and see all of my best friends die, and... No, not thinking about that! Think about... Umm... Apples! Yes, apples. Apple seeds. Apple cores. Apple trees. Applejacks. Apple... wait a second... that sounds like some sort of cheesy cereal brand name... There! Totally forgot what I worried about before! Mission success!

“Wow, you’re my age and you already have a slave? That’s pretty impressive.” Moonstone commented neutrally. She’s already got a slave? And a baby dragon at that? She didn’t strike me as the type to have a slave... Then again, he doesn’t look like he’s been beaten much, so maybe she’s one of the few good ones? It’s not like she’s a slaver or something.

“Woah, hey, take that back!” Spike shouted, genuinely upset. “I’m nopony’s slave! I’m her assistant! Don’t you dare accuse Twilight of braking the law! The only things she ever breaks are ceramics, mysteries, and puzzles!”

“Spike, you can’t ‘break’ a mystery or puzzle. You can ‘crack’ a mystery or puzzle, but that’s different! Besides, I do not break that many plates!” Twilight huffed, levitating the dragon back to her back, glaring at him for a second to make sure he didn’t move.

“But still, why would you accuse Twilight of Spike being her slave?” Rarity asked, aghast. 

“... Made sense to me,” Moonstone answered, shrugging. “So slavery is illegal in Equestria, huh? Good to know... Say, what’s the penalty for having a slave, or being a slaver?”

Starlight blinked, her face going pale. “D-don’t tell me that you’re-”

“Nope. Just figured I’d ask,” Moonstone interrupted, trying to sound casual. “Don’t know the law, remember? Just trying to find out what I can do, that’s all.”

“Well, as far as I remember,” Twilight began, entering the library, “slavery was eradicated in Equestria roughly nine-hundred years ago. Princess Celestia recognized that it was impossible for everypony to be equal if there were slaves, especially since the rich could then, in theory, just buy dozens of slaves to do all of their work, and get richer and richer every year.” 

Twilight levitated a book from her shelves, looking at the index before flipping to the proper page. Lighting the fireplace absently, she continued, “The punishment started out small, just some jail time and a fine. However, sterner measures had to be taken several months later, as the wealthy were able to mostly ignore the law. It was increased to the death penalty to indicate that type of thinking... The last case of slavery was close to eight-hundred years ago, and that’s the last time the death penalty has been used since...”







> Chapter the Twenty-Second
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Books. Piles and heaps and mountains of books... Moonstone nearly had an aneurysm when he saw just how many books there were on law. Moonstone whimpered. “Just kill me now... There’s no way I’ll ever be able to read that many books! I can barely read as it is!”

“You only just started learning, though, and you are doing well,” Starlight encouraged, internally wincing as well. “Besides, most of these are the... Well, the long and boring, technical kind that the actual law ponies look at. I’m sure that Twilight has a condensed, simple book that Moonstone would be able to understand... Right?”

“I... I suppose,” Twilight grumbled, distressed that somepony wouldn’t enjoy reading everything about law that books had to offer.

“Twilight, Darling, they’re not saying they won’t need them eventually,” Rarity stressed, trying to diffuse the situation. “But Moonstone doesn’t need to every single detail about every single law right off the bat! I would think it’s more important for him to know that trespassing and breaking & entering are two different crimes than to know that trespassing occurs under situations one, two, and three, yes?”

Twilight thought for a moment, before nodding. “Yes, I, I suppose you’re right,” Twilight admitted sheepishly. “You don’t learn to teleport before you can levitate, after all.”

“Exactly!” Rarity smiled, knowing that, if given the situation, Twilight could get on a soapbox and lecture about the benefits of reading books.

“Well, I suppose that this one book would... Oh no! Spike! What time is it?!” Twilight exclaimed frantically, trotting in place anxiously.

“Huh? It’s three ‘til, why?” Spike asked innocently, poking his head from around the stack of books he was trying to put away.

“We’re late!” Twilight wailed, searching frantically through her house, picking up random items, only to set them back down again moments later as she searched for something else.

“Um, late for what?” Moonstone questioned hesitantly, trying to follow what she was freaking out about.

“For a very important date,” Rarity answered cheekily, giggling at her friend. “Twilight, I have what you need in my saddles already. All we need you to do is take us there.”

“But we can’t walk that far in just two minutes!” Twilight exclaimed, her mane starting to get fritzy. 

“Breathe, Twilight!” Spike warned, reaching up to tweak her ear.

While Twilight began her breathing exercise she had learned from her foalsitter, Cadance, Rarity suggested calmly, “Then what about Teleporting? Now stay still, Darling, I need to fix your mane.”

“Teleporting?” Twilight asked, blinking as if it was the first time she had ever heard the word. “I... Rarity, that’s brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?!”

“Because you were too busy freaking out like the time Celestia caught you with your hoof in the cookie jar, and you were stuck,” Spike snickered.

“Oh shut up, Spike,” Twilight ordered, blushing.

Rarity rapped Twilight on the head, chiding, “Stop moving your head! Mr. Brushie will have your mane fixed in a jiffy, but only if you stay still! Now I just need one... more...”

Moonstone blinked as he watched the mares fix Twilight’s mane, tilting his head to the side. “Is it normal to fix other pony’s manes? Is there anything wrong with mine?”

Starlight thought for a moment, before settling on a simple answer. “It’s complicated.”

“Oh...”

Starlight marveled at her genius. That was it? He was going to leave it at that? Awesome! That’s a great way to dodge the harder questions! Leave those for after the simpler questions have been answered.

“So what’s the simple version?” Moonstone questioned, thinking. “I know it wouldn’t be anything, but isn’t there a simple version, like the laws?”

Well crap. So much for dodging the bullet. Starlight sighed, then thought for a moment. “Well... In some situations, if you trust them, then... sometimes it’s normal for a friend to fix your mane for you, sure.”

“Alright... Do you know what it is that we’re late for?”

Starlight kept herself from sighing, noting idly that she was doing that far too often as of late. “No, Moonstone, I don’t have the slightest idea what we’re late for. Dinner, perhaps? I know that I’m starting to get hungry.”

“Oh, well I can fix that!” Moonstone exclaimed cheerfully, grinning. “Heck, I know twenty different recipes for cooking grass, and eleven for tree leaves, so I’m sure that I... could..”

Moonstone wilted a little at the stares he received, but defended himself, mumbling, “What? I know cooking isn’t my special talent, but I thought that was still-”

“We’re not... I mean, Moonstone, that... We’re just surprised you know that many, that’s all,” Starlight said weakly, her eyes wide.

“Oh. For a minute there, I thought you all hated grass or something,” Moonstone laughed nervously.

“Wow, seriously? Where have you come from that you had to learn so many recipes for something like grass?” Spike asked, ignorant of the stallion’s history.

Ding... Ding... Ding...

“No! We’re late! Teleport!” Twilight cried out, closing her eyes as she charged her spell, lighting up the whole room.

.o.O.o.

“Quiet everypony! They’re going to be here any second!” Pinkie shouted over the noise, quieting many of the ponies that were waiting to surprise the new residents to Ponyville.

“Yeah, hush you beaks!” Milky Way piped up from Alto’s back. “We is tryin to be sneaky sneaky, not talkie talkie!”

“Oh yeah? Who died and made you queen, blank-flank?” a small, pink filly snorted, rolling her eyes. 

She and a small, silver filly screamed as Galexia appeared in front of them, hissing. The two fillies ran off swiftly, tails tucked between their legs as they ran for their parent’s protection from the ‘monster’ that appeared out of the dark.

Milly giggled, giving Galexia a brief kiss on her forehead. “Thank you Miss Lexie! But, uh, I totally could have handled dem myself!”

Galexia rolled her eyes and stuck her tiny tongue out at Milly before retreating into the shadows, leaving Milky Way alone as she failed to encourage Alto the changeling to give chase.

.o.O.o.

“Figures that a blank-flank like her would have such a rude pet,” Diamond Tiara snorted, stomping her small hooves as she paced.

“Like, I know, right? That was totally horrible,” Silver Spoon agreed, trying to calm her best friend, her only friend, down. “Still, things are, like, going to get a lot better and, like, really fast, too.”

“Oh yeah? How do you figure?” 

“Because,” Silver Spoon giggled, blushing, “that new colt that was in class today? He’s here now. He just showed up!”

Diamond Tiara gasped dramatically before frantically pawing at her mane, asking, “Is my mane alright? Is my tiara straight? There’s nothing stuck in my teeth, is there?!”

“Nope, nope, and... nope! You’re good to go!” Silver Spoon grinned, tossing her braid over to her other shoulder. “Now come on! It’s time for your wingmare to do what she does best!”

“Right! Thanks Silvy, you’re the best!” Diamond exclaimed, hugging her best friend.

“N-no problem,” Silver Spoon blushed, unused to such open thanks coming from somepony like Tiara.

.o.O.o.

Hot Streak sighed as he glanced to his sister, Lyra, asking plaintively, “Do I have to be here? Can’t we just stay home and watch movies together or something?”

Lyra sighed, hugging the red unicorn colt. “Later, okay? I promised I’d at least come, and besides, maybe you’ll make a new friend!”

“I don’t want a new friend,” he grumbled, hanging his head. “I want to be back in Canterlot, where my old friends are... Stupid mom and dad... I said it was an accident!”

Lyra hid a grin, saying as nonchelantly as she could, “Oh, I’m sure they’ll be fine in just a few days. They just need some time to cool off from the epic way you got your cutie mark...”

“Oh, ha ha, very funny, Ly,” Hot Streak grumbled, his face turning an even darker shade of red. “That’s easy for you to say. Mom and dad didn’t kick you out when you got your cutie mark...”

“Yeah, well, that’s because I earned mine calmly,” Lyra retorted playfully, sticking her tongue out.

Something bumped gently into Hot Streak, barely causing him to lose his balance at all. “Oh dear, please do forgive me! Are you alright, handsome?”

Ignoring his sister’s snickering, Hot Streak turned to see who was talking to him, only to groan inwardly when he saw who it was. He had only been in Ponyville for 24 hours, and he hated them already. “Yeah, sure, I’ll be just- oof!”

Hot Streak gasped in shock as he was suddenly tackled, having been ninja glomped by a certain hyper-active filly who looked like she had just received her Hearth’s Warming Eve presents a week early. “Hot Streak! You’re here?! How did you find out about the-the party so quickly? We only gotted here a few hours ago!”

“Yeah, well, I’ve kind of already been here for an entire day now,” Hot Streak laughed, getting up as Milly helped dust him off.

“Like, what are you doing hanging around a blank-flank? I thought you were a noble!”

“Yeah, so? What does that have to do with anything?” Hot Streak snorted. “I’ll hang out with whoever I want to hang out with! It’s one of the perks of being a noble!”

“Yeah!” Milly agreed, joining Hot Streak in their personal rendition of ‘Stick Your Snout Up in the Air, or so Help Me!’, by Mic Wazowskhoof.

“How do you two even know each other?” Diamond Tiara asked, scandalized.

“Because we sit next to each other in Etiquette class,” Milky Way said with a sigh, shaking her head. “Dun be such silly fillies! Hot Streak an I bees bestest friends! We’re the leaders of the Foal’s Forray Parlay!”

“The who what? That sounds lame!” Diamond Tiara replied on autopilot, forgetting that the colt she was trying to impress was a part of what she was insulting.

“Oh yeah? Well my dad said that only lame ponies find other things to be lame, so bleh!” Milly retorted, sticking her tongue out

“What?! I... you... No! I cannot believe that you managed to get him as your special somepony!”

Milly giggled, snorting as she tried to regain her breath. “We-we’re not together like dat! At least, I dun think we are, is we?”

“I dunno... Do you wanna be?” Hot Streak asked, tilting his head to the side.

“Do you, like, even know what being each other’s special ponies means?” Silver Spoon questioned, sweating bullets.

“Umm... Oh! I knows! It means, um, that we wanna live togetherer, an has foals when we bees older, and do stuff for each other!”

“So... Do you wanna?” Hot Streak asked again, confused. “I don’t know what’s going on anymore.”

“Umm...” Milky Way thought for a moment, the two bullies gaping at Milly and Streak. There was no way that they could get married this young, right? They didn’t even seem to understand what it meant to get married!

“Sure! If I is your, your special somepony, den dat means we gets ta get married and stuffs when we’s older, right?”

“Pretty sure,” Hot Streak agreed, trying to think it through. “I remember dad saying something about waiting until I’m, like... old though.”

“All the way until you’s old?!” Milky Way gasped, bringing both hooves to her mouth. “Dat... Dat’s mean! We’s supposta wait until we’re, like, seventeen?!”

“Uh-huh...”

Milky Way’s eyes grew large. “Wow... That bees a long time... Can we wait that long?”

“Hmm... I think so... I think I’m also supposed to give you presents and stuff until then to keep you distracted from how long forever is, if I remember what my dad said correctly.”

“Oh noes! Is a balloon losing its breath?!” Milky Way gasped, looking around for the source of the hissing air. 

The four foals turned to look at Lyra, who had turned purple in the face trying to breathe as she rolled on the floor, gasping for oxygen.

Concerned, Hot Streak questioned his older sister slowly, “Err, Ly? Are you okay? Do I need to go and get a nurse or-”

“N-no, no,” Lyra gasped, trying to compose herself. “No, I’m fine, Go ahead with your pfft... *Snerk* I mean, *gasp* yeah, I’m fine... Just... keep talking, so I can tell mom and dad if you’re going to be needing an engagement ring or not,” Lyra joked, the air slowly turning her face back to its normal hue.

"Dang, I knew I forgot something about all this engagement stuff!” Hot Streak moaned, facehooving.

“What, wes can’t be special someponies wivvout a ring?” Milky Way questioned, sad.

“No, I think we can... We just can’t be engaged to marry, which tells other ponies we’re gonna get married in the future.”

“Like when the space ponies are gonna come an visit us in their, their space chariots?” Milly asked.

“Uh-huh... Well, dad said you can propose without the ring, but it looks really sloppy and stuffs to the mare if you don’t have the ring and ask all romantic and stuff, and-”

“Ish okay! I’ll still marry you!” Milky Way said with a bounce, smiling. “I like you, and you dun need that stuffs anyways! You can just gimme a call some other time, since we’re in the same room and stuff, okay?”

“Alright!” Hot Streak agreed, meeting Milky Way’s hoof with his own. “We are now officially special someponies engaged to be married when we’re old!”

In the stunned silence that followed, aside from Lyra’s increased volume in her wheezing, Milly asked, “So... Want some cakes now?”

“Sure!”

As the two friends bounded off to find some sweets to inhale, not really knowing what they had decided, left two stunned fillies behind, who could only stare at the two new ponies from Canterlot, trying to comprehend exactly what the buck just happened.










> Chapter the Twenty-Third
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moonstone and Starlight both flinched as a large manor suddenly appeared in front of them, appearing quite dark and ominous in the gloom. As they gasped for breath, Moonstone looked at Twilight in amazement, knowing that a spell like that must have taken a lot of magic to accomplish, but she was fine, standing firm. “I have got to learn more spells,” Moonstone promised to himself. 

“You’ll have time for that later, once you’ve built your Ether levels back up,” Twilight lectured, taking a moment to gather her bearings. “Right now you’d be doing well to levitate more than your own body weight, so don’t go pushing yourself without proper supervision, got it?”

“No, not really,” Moonstone answered, confused. “Supervision? How do you supervise magic?”

Twilight blinked, opening her mouth, but was interrupted by the front door opening with a bang, Milky Way and Hot Streak jumping out of the dark house screaming, “Surprise!”

Moonstone, still not used to his new, lower Ether levels, only caused himself a minor headache as his horn began to glow, then faltered, cutting out. Starlight jumped only slightly, a testament to the length of exposure she had to her younger, more energetic, sister and her antics. 

“Is you surprised? We did our best to, to surprise you, cause you was just standin there, instead of comin’ in like you was supposed to, so me an Streaky thought to ourselves, and we thought that, that you might have known that this was a surprise party, so then you wouldn’t get surprised when we tried to surprise you, so we thought that, that if we came to surprise you before you were supposed to be surprised, you’d be surprised for sure, and so then we opened the door and jumped out to surprise you, and now we’re waiting to see if you’s surprised!” Milly said in one breath, looking eagerly from pony to pony. “So... Is you surpriseded? ‘Cause I dun think that it’s gonna work if we try a second time...”

Looking at the other ponies, Star nodded to her sister, smiling slightly. “I would say it’s safe to say that, yes, you surprised them, Milly.”

*Bang!*

“Augh!”

Everypony jumped into the air as a cannon shot from behind them, in the field of the manor. “Surprise!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing forward excitedly from behind three large party cannons that had all been fired at once. “Holey moley foaly! That worked out even better than I thought it would! I thought you wouldn’t be surprised, because Milly surprised you guys, and then you’d already be all surprised out, or that you’d turn around and see my cannons, but Milly did a great job distracting you, and so now we can have the party outside, since the inside is still a little spookyish, and-”

“Er, yes, thanks for that, Pinkie dear, but I do think that you could have given Twilight and I a warning of some kind, to say the least,” Rarity said, doing her best to gasp for oxygen more discreetly than her friends.

“Aw, come on, Rares, y’all enjoyed it an ya know it!” Applejack snickered, nudging her friend as she came from the house.

“Heck yeah! ‘Sides, you shoulda seen the looks on your faces!” Rainbow Dash chortled, carrying a large bowl of punch to the table.

“Yeah!” Alto said as she levitated several large tables outside through the doorway. “You guys were like-” Green fire engulfed Alto for less than a second, revealing a pristine copy of Rarity, leaving the newcomers gaping. ‘Rarity’ then gave a faint shriek as she practically hovered in the air, her mane becoming frizzled as she landed, her eyes wide open, though that changed as her right eye started to twitch ever so slightly.

“I do not look that frazzled!” Rarity objected, narrowing her eyes as a hoof stomped the ground. “I demand that you correct your appearance at once to one befitting of a lady such as... Wait, what?”

“Another changeling?” Moonstone asked, blinking as he glanced to Twilight. “Wow, Equestria sure is popular for-”

“A changeling! Everypony run!”

Moonstone blinked as three mares appeared out of seemingly nowhere and started screaming bloody murder. As other ponies started to panic, Twilight sighed, her face greeting her forehoof quite eagerly. “Ugh, I swear, those three...”

Taking a deep breath, Twilight’s horn lit with a lavender aura, and then began to speak. “Alright everypony, quiet down!”

Everyone froze as they stared at the lavender alicorn yelling at them with the Royal Canterlot Voice. Several ponies fell over on their faces, as they had frozen in mid-step. Twilight, lavender unicorn, librarian of Great Oaks Library, and all-around causer, then subsequent savior, of Ponyville catastrophes, had wings. In the brief silence that followed Twilight’s exclamation, Daisy shouted, “Twilight’s a Princess?!”

Changeling completely forgotten, everypony quickly bowed, much to Twilight’s annoyance. “Everypony cut it out! I’m not a princess!”

“It’s a trick!” Lily hissed to everypony else, staying bowed. “Don’t listen! She’s trying to figure out who’s not a real, loyal Equestrian to weed out the other changelings!”

“Yeah, because other changelings would totally ignore what you just said,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes.

Alto looked around, then changed back to her natural form, inquiring, “Did I do something wrong?”

Rarity shrieked, jumping into the air before rushing the changeling, eyes wide with horror. “Oh my stars! What have you been doing to your mane? It’s atrocious! No, no-no, absolutely not! You can not continue to treat your hair this way!”

“Treat it what way?” Alto asked, confused. 

“Umm, your... I mean, er, Twilight?” Roseluck asked, confused. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you capturing the changeling? How did you and your friends get wings? Did you or Celestia figure out a new spell or something?”

“Er, not quite,” Twilight laughed, her eyes shifting side to side as she lightly tapped her forehooves together. “There may or may not have been some, ah, shall we say, unexpected side effects to the Elements of Harmony?”

Roseluck blinked, opening her mouth, but then she paused for a moment as she, as well as the rest of Ponyville, watched as Rarity, with wings, was berating Alto about proper mane care. Alto appeared a bit shell-shocked, but nodded along with Rarity, trying to take notes as Rarity ranted about the difference between conditioners with aloe and conditioners without. 

“Oh. Right, changelings. Um, this is going to sound crazy, but uh, turns out that the whole invasion thing was just a joke that Princess Celestia played on her niece to help make the wedding more... how did she put it...”

“‘Formal events at Canterlot are always really boring, right? So we called up my girl Chrysalis to make things more memorable!’” Moonstone said, speaking up from a nearby refreshment table, prodding at a muffin slowly with his hoof. 

Roseluck blinked, mouth opening and closing several times before she found her voice. “I... guess that makes sense... So who’re the new ponies?”

Pinkie Pie started the party proper, doing her best with the other Elements to calm down the residents of Ponyville. Due to the recurrence of catastrophes in Ponyville, it wasn’t long before the ponies were laughing and having fun once more.

Milky Way bounced forward, eager to meet new ponies like her new bestest best friend Pinkie Pie. “Hai! I’s Milly, and that’s my sissy Star, and that bees Mister Moony! He bees really good at, at magics,” the little filly said authoritatively, nodding several times as she finished.

“Oh, well, it’s very nice to me-wahaahh! W-what the heck is wrong with your eyes?!” Roseluck exclaimed, jumping back from Moonstone. She blushed from her outburst, but was still too shocked to really apologise.

“Woah, cool!”

Moonstone suddenly found his personal space invaded as a grey pegasus mare hovered in front of him. “Err, can I-”

“How did you get your eyes different colors? Did you do it with a spell? Does it let you see in the dark? Could you show me?”

Blinking several times, Moonstone replied slowly, “Uh, kinda? I was cursed.”

The pegasus’ brow furrowed as one of her eyes began moving on its own. “What kind of curse? What color were your eyes originally?”

“I don’t know,” Moonstone said, shrugging his wings unintentionally. After wrestling a wing back into position at his side, he huffed, “I’ve had red eye for as long as I can remember, but  guess they were silver before. Why?”

“Nevermind,” the mare replied, wings drooping to the ground as she trotted off with a muffin.

“So, if the wing thing was an ‘Element’ thing,” Roseluck asked, scratching the back of her mane, “then why does, um, Moony? Why does Moony have wings too? Is he an alicorn, or...”

“No, it-” Twilight stopped herself, sighing heavily. “It’s complicated, okay? Yeah, he got wings, but his Ether levels are practically a joke now. He has the knowledge to cast the spells, but not the power.”

“Ether? What’s that?”

Roseluck, to her credit, only twitched slightly as the ‘newly’ discovered resident changeling walked forward, her wings buzzing. Twilight answered instantly, her closed eyes indicating recital from rote memory. “Ether is the term that has been given to the energies of this world that we know and manipulate as ‘magic’. Ether Level is how we determine how much Ether it takes to complete a certain spell or job. It-”

“We don’t use Ether,” Alto interrupted, tilting her head. 

“Wh... What?”

“Yeah, we use love, not... whatever you’re talking about,” Alto said, before stuffing a bright blue cupcake in her mouth.

As the changeling hummed in apparent satisfaction, Twilight’s eyes widened. “Wait, you mean to tell me that... Wait, why are you eating if you need love to survive?”

“Huh? No, no, no, that’s not... Is that what you ponies think?” Alto asked, interested.

“I guess so,” Moonstone answered, taking a bite of cupcake. “I know better, but I guess not everypony has had the chance to visit a hive.”

“Would you be interested in answering a few questions?” Alto and Twilight asked each other at the same time, both wide-eyed with excitement.

Milly blinked as the changeling and alicorn both bounded off eagerly, confusion written across her muzzle. “They, they’s kinda weird...”

Rainbow Dash, having been snacking at the food table nearby, swallowed before chuckling, “Yeah they are, kid. That’s egg-heads for ya.”