> Generational Talk Show
>  by qiley
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Portal to Another Generation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, hey, hey,” a pink mare repeated as she tapped on the mic, “is this thing on?”

“Not yet Pinkie,” replied Twilight, sitting down in her respective chair. Floating over a tea set, Twilight began placing the cups and saucers in front of each chair. Pouring Pinkie and herself a cup, she got comfortable in the seat.

“Thanks!” Pinkie chirped, bouncing into her chair. As they sipped their tea, the door opened, revealing another earth pony and a pegasus. 

“Sorry y'all, got caught up finishin’ some chores. The farm sure is busy around this time of year,” Applejack grinned as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“Honestly! If it wasn’t for my help, we’d have to reschedule this whole thing,” Rainbow sighed, slouching into the chair. 

“Thank you, Rainbow,” Twilight nodded towards the cyan pegasus. 

“It’s what friends do,” Rainbow replied with a shrug.

Twilight smiled, turning her attention to the orange mare, “Sorry if this inconvenienced you AJ, but this was the only time where most of us were open.” 

“It’s alright Twi,” Applejack smiled, “plus I was lookin’ forward to being here today.”

“I think we all are, we get to make new friends after all!” exclaimed Pinkie as she took a bite of cake.

“Wait what? Where did that cake come from?” Twilight questioned, tilting her head.

“You’re seriously asking where Pinkie got the cake from?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “This is Pinkie we’re talking about.”

“I guess you’re right…” Twilight sighed, watching as Pinkie devoured the treat. 

“I hope I’m not too late,” Fluttershy’s quiet voice filled the room. She was peeking her head through the doorway.

“You’re fine Fluttershy,” Twilight smiled, motioning her to take a seat. 

“Oh thank goodness,” Fluttershy sighed in relief, “Angel was being so fussy I didn’t know if I’d make it in time.” 

“Now all we’re missing is Rarity,” Twilight nodded her head.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who are the other seats for?” Fluttershy asked, looking at the six remaining seats.

“Yeah, I was wondering the same thing,” Rainbow chimed in.

“Same here,” the two earth ponies added.

“It’s a surprise,” is all Twilight said to them, leaving them with no answer.

“I love surprises!” Pinkie shouted gleefully. 

“We know, Pinkie,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

“Sorry for being late, girls,” the last mare said upon entering the room. 

“It’s alright Rarity, we wouldn’t have started without you anyways,” Twilight nodded at her. The other girls agreed with nods. “Now that everypony is here, we can finally start!”

“So what exactly did you need us for? I know the basic gist but I was never told who we were meeting,” Rarity questioned, pouring herself a cup of tea.

“Well, as you all know, our era has come to an end!” Twilight said nonchalantly, eliciting a gasp from the other five.

“Now what in tarnation do you mean by that Twilight?” Applejack gave her a quizzical look.

“Yeah Twilight, does that mean like we’re going to die or something?” Pinkie questioned. Another gasp from them, plunging the room into complete chaos. Things along the lines of “I don’t want to die” and “I still have so much I want to do” being thrown around. Fluttershy trembled while Rarity fainted on a couch that suddenly appeared. 

“Girls!” Twilight shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice, garnering their attention. “What I mean is that our generation is over, and a new one will be coming in to take our place.” The mares sighed in relief, knowing that they were not going to meet their deaths.

“But that still doesn’t explain anything. Do you mean our students are going to take over?” Rainbow inquired.

“Yeah, now that I think about it, those six seem to represent us!” Pinkie pondered, “except they’re not, you know, all ponies.”

“Are you referring to Sandbar and company?” Twilight decided to humor them. 

“Yup!” Pinkie replied cheerily.

“But then why are there only five extra seats instead of six?” Fluttershy tilted her head. Twilight smiled at this observation.

“Fluttershy is right, there are only five seats,” Twilight agreed, “which means I do not mean those six.” 

“Then who are they for?” Rarity asked.

“You’ll see!” Twilight said, smiling. Twilight called for Spike as the five chatted amongst themselves, trying to figure out who they could be meeting. As they speculated, Spike and Starlight made their way into the room.

“Hello Starlight, hello Spike,” Fluttershy greeted.

“Hiya Fluttershy!” Spike replied, making his way towards Twilight.

“So we’re going to be talking to Spike and Starlight?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“There’s still three more seats, dear.” Rarity motioned to the empty seats.

“Oh no, we won’t be here long,” Starlight assured, “we’re just bringing the guests in.”

Pinkie appeared behind Starlight, looking in every direction. “So where are they? Did you bring in invisible ponies? That would be awesome!” 

Starlight chuckled. “No Pinkie, there are no invisible ponies, although that would be cool.” 

“Then where are they?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head.
 
“There in here,” Starlight answered, teleporting in some sort of door. A sign hung above it, reading “Generation Five”.

“Ooo… A magical door!” Pinkie wore a wide grin as she bounced towards the door. “Where does it lead to?” 

“Just step right in, Pinkie, we’ll be right behind you. Right girls?” Twilight motioned the rest to the door.

“Are you sure it's safe?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m with Fluttershy here, Twi,” Applejack looked at the door cautiously.

“Nothing bad will happen, I promise,” Twilight assured. 

The five looked at each other, and with a shrug they lined up at the door. Starlight opened the door and a portal appeared in the door. It was reminiscent of a certain mirror they know of. The six mares stepped in, and with a bright light they disappeared from the room. Closing the door, Starlight and Spike looked at each other and shrugged.





“Argh, my head…” Rainbow rubbed her temple. “I thought you promised nothing bad will happen Twi. I have a bad headache, that’s for sure.” The rest of the girls agreed, rubbing their heads as well. That blinding  light had not been pleasant at all.

“I meant nothing life threatening. Maybe I should’ve been more specific.” Rubbing the back of her head, Twilight gave a sheepish grin.

“Where are we?” Fluttershy and the girls looked around. They seemed to be on a cliff of some sort, overseeing a town nearby. Luscious grass surrounded a small dirt path, grooves of trees spread around. A salty breeze flowed through their manes and noses. In front of them lay a destroyed lighthouse in the midst of being rebuilt. Peering over the cliff, the sun was just rising, causing the water to sparkle.

“What a view…” Rarity smiled as she took it all in.

“That’s exactly what I said when I first arrived,” Twilight stood beside her, placing a hoof on her. 

“You've been here before Twi?” Applejack said, sitting down on the edge of the cliff. 

“How else would I get the guests?” Twilight smiled.

Applejack gave a little laugh. “I guess you’re right.” 

“So where are the new friends?” Pinkie asked, popping all over the place. “Are they here? Or in here? Or there?” Pinkie appeared in bushes, behind trees, and such. 

“Are they in that there town?” Applejack looked over to the town standing far off from the lighthouse. 

“Nope, and nope. We’re just going to wait for them here.” Twilight walked over to the lighthouse, motiong the girls to follow her. So they waited. They sat there, taking in the sunrise. 

“Celestia’s sunrises are always so beautiful,” Twilight commented.

“Celestia?! Like the legendary sun-rising leader from moons ago?” a voice called out from behind them. The six turned around to see five ponies approaching them. The voice belonged to an orange mare. She was followed by two pegasus, one light pink and the other a smooth white. The light purple unicorn smiled widely. Lastly, the amber stallion followed behind. 

“So are these the guests you were talking about?” Rainbow looked at the group. Twilight nodded, still looking at the group in front of her. Although she had already contacted them beforehand, it was through a letter, not through person. She knew virtually nothing about them. 

“New friends?” the purple unicorn tilted her head, looking at the orange mare. 

“Yup! I got a letter the other day asking for us to be here. Something along the lines of learning and making new friends,” the orange one replied.

“Hello new friends! I’m Izzy Moonbow,” the unicorn looked back at them, smiling. Following suit, the rest of them introduced themselves. 

“I’m Sunny Starscout!” the orange mare said.

“I’m Pipp Petals, and this is my sister Zipp Storm,” the pink pegasus motioned towards the white one.

“And I’m Hitch Trailblazer,” the stallion flashed a bright smile. 

Twilight stepped forward, revealing both her horn and wings to the crew. A small gasp escaped Sunny’s mouth. 

“You’re Twilight Sparkle!” Sunny eyes went wide, her jaw hanging open.

“That’s me!” Twilight replied. 

Looking at the other five, a realization hit Sunny. “You’re the Elements of Harmony!”

“Yup! That’s right. Heroes Of Equestria, the best of the best.” Rainbow swooped in, flashing a mighty grin. 

“Rainbow, remember to be a little modest,” Rarity rolled her eyes, stepping forward. “Yes dears, that is us.” The rest of the elements walked up to greet them, shaking hooves and exchanging nods, or in Pinkie's case, giving hugs. Introductions were given, and lots of questions.

“So… what exactly are the Elements of Harmony?” Zipp examined the six mares with a careful eye. 

“I remember Sunny mentioning them, but I never really paid attention,” Hitch rubbed the back of his neck, earning him a smack on the back of his the head from Sunny.

“They’re the ones who saved Equestria from all those villains. You know, Discord, Triek, Chrysalis, Sombra. All those bad guys,” Sunny explained. “When I read the sender of the letter I thought it was some sort of prank, but I can’t believe you guys are actually here! You’re like my idols.”

“Those are our bigger achievements,” Twilight waved her hoof in the air, “but we really just help spread friendship throughout Equestria.” 

“Oh so you’re kind of like us!” Izzy concluded.

“What do you mean by that dear?” Rarity’s eyebrow raised.

“Wait!” Twilight interrupted, “before we continue with any more questions, I think we should go back to the table. I sort of want to record our conversations.” Looking at one another, Sunny and crew decided that would be fine. Twilight's horn lit up, making another door appear. This one read “Generation Four”. 

“Just a heads up, you might get a little headache going through,” Rainbow said with a wink. The eleven ponies walked through the portal, and with a bright light, them and the door disappeared. 
> Meeting Everypony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Around a table sat eleven ponies, enjoying tea, eating sweet treats, and most importantly, talking amongst themselves. On one side sat the Elements, and on the other side sat the new generation. 

“So… you’re telling me that the three tribes basically hated each other, and everyone lived in fear and paranoia of each other?” A baffled Twilight asked.

“Yup! That is until our friend Sunny here showed them the true power of friendship!” Izzy replied, sipping on her tea. The Elements looked at one another, a swirl of emotions filling them.

“So everything we worked so hard to achieve is gone, just like that,” Twilight sighed. Fluttershy placed her hooves on the unicorn’s shoulder.

“I'm sure we tried everything we could.” 

“Yeah Twilight! I’m sure it’s not your fault anyways,” Rainbow added on.

“But it is! I was, well, still am, the Princess of Friendship. I was supposed to show everypony just how wonderful it is to be friends with everyone. But I failed…” Twilight sulked.

“Twilight dear, I am sure you did a wonderful job ruling, don’t dwell on it too much. Just be glad that these five are there to spread friendship once again,” Rarity gave her a smile. 

“Yeah! And isn’t this like, a bazillion moons later? How are we supposed to help?” Pinkie rubbed her chin.

“Pinkie, a bazillion isn’t a number,” Applejack chuckled, followed by the other elements. The New Generation looked at them as they consoled the princess, noticing how different their generation is. Not that long ago, the three tribes wouldn’t even speak a word to one another. To see these very different ponies comfort Twilight was refreshing. 

“I’m sure you tried your hardest Princess Twilight!” Sunny decided to add in. “My dad told me you were a wonderful ruler who spread friendship throughout Equestria. Although I’m not sure he was alive during your rule,” Sunny giggled.

“Sunny always talked about you, Princess. She said you were a kind ruler who loved everypony, so if she says so, I’m sure it's true,” Hitch added. The Princess smiled slightly.

“Thank you everypony. Also, you don’t have to talk to me Princess. Just Twilight is fine.” With Twilight calming down, the air was filled with a more positive vibe.

“So y’all are the new lights of friendship, huh,” Applejack looked at the five. 

“That’s us, although, we haven’t been together for that long to be honest,” Sunny said sheepishly. “We only just recently reunited the tribes, and then I got both wings and a horn!” She flared her wings out.

“So you became an alicorn by uniting the tribes. That’s awesome!” Rainbow flew above her, observing her wings. “You know how to fly yet?”

Sunny shook her head. “No not yet. I haven’t really gotten around to it yet.”

“Didn’t you hear her dear? She only just recently got them,” Rarity commented, “it’s probably a similar case to when Twilight got her wings.”

“Wait, you weren’t originally an alicorn?” Pipp scratched her head. “I was told that you were always an alicorn.”

“Nope! I was originally a unicorn,” Twilight pointed at her horn, “but then when I completed Starswirl’s spell I became an alicorn.” The Elements nodded, recalling their friend's transformation. It was quite the shock.

“That’s so awesome! You’re just like Sunny,” Izzy beamed.

“Didn’t Sunny get both wings and a horn though?” Zipp mentioned.

“She did mention that,” Applejack scratched her chin.

“So you’re telling me that you were originally an earth pony?” Twilight stood up from her chair, earning her a nod from Sunny. “That’s crazy! You’d be the first earth pony, I know of, that became an alicorn. Cadence was a pegasus and I was a unicorn. I think Celestia and Luna were born alicorns. That’s an amazing feat!”

“Who are Celestia and Luna?” Izzy asked, tilting her head.

“Well they were the rulers of Equestria for thousands of moons. Celestia raised the sun, and Luna the moon,” Twilight answered.

“Never heard of them,” Izzy shrugged.

“Neither have we,” Pipp chirped, hooking her arm around Zipp. “They sound important though.”

“Well, duh!” Pinkie popped up behind the pair. “They are like, super duper important! They ruled Equestria for who knows how many moons.” 

“Wh- Huh? How did she get behind us?” Zipp was baffled.

“Don’t mind her sugarcube, it’s just Pinkie things,” Applejack chuckled, the other elements humming in agreement.

“Oooookay…” Zipp just decided to accept it. 





“So what else do you guys do? I know you defend Equestria and spread friendship and all, but what else do you do?” Sunny asked.

“Well when we’re not saving the world from villains, we just live normal lives,” Twilight shrugged.

“I’m the most awesome of course,” Rainbow interrupted. “I’m a Wonderbolt!” The New Generation were just staring at her.

“Uhhhh… What's a Wonderbolt?” Izzy smiled. 

Rainbow eyes went wide. “W-What? How do you not know about the legendary Wonderbolts?”

“Maybe because they’re like a gazillion moons in the future silly,” Pinkie chirped.

“Well that makes a bit of sense.” Rainbow said as she rubbed her chin. “Well, the Wonderbolts are an amazing awesome crew of pegasi. They perform daring tricks, spinning around and having kicks!”

“Wow they sound like quite the crew. I take it you’re a good flyer then?” Hitch assumed. 

“Only the best of the best!” Rainbow placed her hoof on her chest proudly. 

 Applejack rolled her eyes, “Real humble Rainbow.”

“I know,” the rainbow pegasus smirked. 





Twilight raised her hoof. “Moving right on, I’m the ruler of Equestria.”

“Ruler of Equestria? Like all of Equestria?” Izzy asked, tilting her head. 

“Yup, all of Equestria. Why?” Twilight replied.

“Well it’s just that kind of odd to hear that. Our Equestria has been split up for who knows how long.” Izzy recalled the separation and fear of their home. It didn’t sound anything like Twilight’s Equestria.

“Ah yes, that makes sense. I’m sure you all will unite them fully again,” Twilight nodded, a hopeful smile appearing on her face. 

“That’s for sure!” Izzy pulled Sunny and Pipp into a side hug.

“For sure!” Hitch crossed his arms and nodded.

“We’ll make sure it happens, Twilight,” Zipp concluded. 





“How about you, Applejack and Pinkie? What do you two do?” Hitch looked at the earth ponies, interested in their work. 

“Well I’m a farmer,” Applejack spoke first.

“I work at a bakery, but I also plan lots and lots of fun parties!” Pinkie said quickly after.

“Do earth ponies have any magic?” A curious Sunny asked. 

“They in fact do. Earth ponies have a magical connection to the ground, allowing them to grow crops in even the most barren places. They also have a connection to animals,” Twilight stated. 

 “So that’s why there were three crystals,” Sunny mumbled. 

“What are these crystals you’re talking about, dear?” Rarity asked.

“Well, we thought in order to reunite the tribes and get our magic back that we’d have to combine these crystals that represented each tribe. But when we put them together, nothing happened. But after the three tribes came together again, they magically came together. That’s how I got these” Sunny explained, pointing to her horn and wings.

“It was probably the magic of friendship. We all know how powerful that is,” Twilight said, smiling as she looked at all her friends. They all smiled back, nodding in agreement.

“Wait a minute… Did you say get your magic back.” Rarity pointed out. 

“No one had magic. Peagasai couldn’t fly and unicorns couldn’t use magic.. I don’t really know how it affected the earth ponies though,” Sunny answered, stroking her chin.

“They probably affected the least. Earth ponies were always resourceful of the land anyways,” Twilight concluded. 

“That makes sense,” Sunny said, nodding. Everyone hummed in agreement, understanding that earth ponies don’t really have any outstanding magical abilities like the other two tribes.





“So how about you Fluttershy? What do you do?” A curious Hitch asked. 

“I take care of animals,” The soft-spoken mare answered.

“So you’re a vet?” Hitch continued.

“I work at an animal sanctuary where we take care of creatures in need,” Fluttershy explained.

“I take it animals like you?” Hitch asked.

“Oh yes they are very fond of me.” Fluttershy pointed at her flank where the three butterflies sat. “I got my cutie mark when I figured out I could communicate with animals.”

Izzy’s eyes went wide. “You can talk to animals?” 

“Oh yes. They tell me all kinds of things and I enjoy their company,” Fluttershy smiled.

“That’s awesome! You’re kind of like Hitch ” Sunny looked at her childhood friend, “except he can’t really talk to them, they just seem to gather around him.” 

“For some odd reason they seem to like me,” Hitch shrugged.

“Maybe you’re kinda like Fluttershy?” Rainbow suggested.  

“I’ll try talking to them when I get back,” Hitch half-jokingly said.

“Yeah that would be hilarious to watch,” Zipp smirked.





“So what about you five?” Twilight scanned the new generation, “What do you guys do?”

“I sold smoothies in Maritime Bae!” Sunny answered.

“And I’m the sheriff there,” Hitch was smiling proudly. Sunny rolled her eyes.

“Whatever you say Mr. Sheriff.”

“You two seem close,” Rarity pointed out.

“We’re childhood friends,” Sunny hugged him.

“Yup, someone’s gotta keep an eye out on Sunny the troublemaker,” Hitch smirked, giving her a noogie.

“Hey stop that!” Sunny playfully tried to break out of the head lock.

“Awww you two are so cute!” Pinkie cooed. The two stopped, realizing what they were doing in front of everyone. Realizing what they were doing in front of everyone, they bolted up and sat up straight. Hitch forced out a cough while Sunny sat there in silence.

“Aw shucks look what you did Pinkie,” Applejack smirked as the pair’s face reddened.

“We aren’t like that,” Sunny mumbled. Hitch silently nodded.

“I always thought you two were a little suspicious,” Izzy said playfully, squinting at the two. “No wonder Hitch chased after you…”

“Oh c’mon not you too Izzy,” Sunny groaned, hiding behind her hooves.

“Sorry darling, we’re just having fun,” Rarity suppressed a giggle. The others were smiling and nodding, pretending to feel bad for the two. Sunny sighed, wishing to just disappear.





“So are you two related?” Rainbow examined Zipp and Pipp. “I mean your names do sound the same.”

“We’re sisters,” Zipp answered.

“Royal ones at that,” Pipp chimed in, “at least, I think we still are.” 

“You two are royalty?” Rarity suddenly perked up.

“We’re the princesses of the pegsai tribe,” Pipp happily answered.

“At least I think we still are. A lot happened so we don’t really know,” Zipp shrugged.

“What exactly happened?” Rarity’s eyebrow raised.

“Well let’s just say that ponies don’t really like being lied to… by their leaders…” Zipp laughed while Pipp wore a grouchy face.

“And who’s fault is it that they found out we couldn’t fly!” 

Zipp rolled her eyes. “Pipp, no need to be so petty.” 

“Wait so you guys faked flying? How?” Rainbow was baffled. 

“You’d be amazed of what wires and proper lighting could do,” Zipp smirked. 

“That’s awesome!” Rainbow praised.

“Zipp is pretty awesome,” Izzy beamed, “She did let us out of our prison cell.”

“You were in prison? With who? For what?” Twilight asked in concern. 

“Well Sunny and I adventured to Zephyr Heights, the pegasus capital, trying to gather clues on how to get our magic back,” Izzy started, “but then we were captured by some guards. They put a tennis ball on my horn for some reason.”

“A tennis ball? On your horn?” Twilight looked confused.

“We thought it stopped them from using magic,” Zipp shrugged. 

“Then we were questioned and put in a jail cell. It didn’t really feel like a jail cell though. There was a massage chair and even a comfy bed!” Izzy recalled the room.

“Well we didn’t really have a need for a dungeon so we had to improvise,” Pipp grinned sheepishly. 

“Yeah we don’t normally get prisoners,” Zipp added.

“And then Zipp freed us and even came up with a plan to get the crystal from her mothers crown! What a fun day it was,” Izzy concluded. 

“Now that I think about it, I remember seeing your cutie mark on the stained glass, Twilight,” Izzy recalled. The purple six pointed star stood out to her. 

“My cutie mark on stained glass? The only place that has that is the throne room in Canterlot,” Twilight pondered.

“Canterlot? Where is that exactly?” Sunny asked.

“It’s right in the center of Equestria,” Twilight said, pulling out a map of their Equestria. The New Generation examined the map, trying to find differences from their own. There were a lot of places they didn’t even know of. 

“Wow…” Hitch whistled, “your Equestria is a lot bigger than ours.” 

“We don’t really hear stories of anywhere else besides Bridlewood, Zephyr Heights, and Maritime Bay to be honest,” Sunny scanned all the other places. Griffonstone, The Crystal Empire, Appaloosa, and Ponyville were a few that caught her eye. 

“I really want to explore some of these places!” Izzy’s eyes were glued to The Crystal Empire. 

“One day, Izzy, one day.” Sunny placed her hoof on Izzy’s shoulder, a hopeful smile on her face.

“Someplace catch your eye?” Twilight asked Izzy, noticing her stare.

“This ‘Crystal Empire Place’ sounds fun! There’s like a gazillion crystals in Bridlewood.”

“The Crystal Empire is just dazzling darling,” Rarity praised, recalling her experiences there. “The ponies there are sparkling and there are beautiful crystals scattered about.”

“That sounds fabulous,” Pipp squealed. 

“It’s a very beautiful place. Maybe we can take you there to see it,” Twilight smiled.

“Please!” Pipp and Izzy pleaded in unison, causing laughter to erupt and fill the room. 





“Izzy, what did you do in Bridlewood? I never really asked,” Sunny questioned her friend.

“Well I didn’t really do anything,” Izzy thought back to her past,  “most unicorns in Bridlewood didn’t. We kind of just relaxed in town, scavenging food from the forest when needed.” 

“Sounds boring~” Pinkie commented.

“It was,” Izzy nodded, “but I was a bit different from everypony there. I made a lot of things, like friendship bracelets, arts and crafts, you name it!” Izzy stated proudly.

“Quite the creative gal, aren’t ya?” Applejack chuckled.

“You should see her house. It's gorgeous~” Pipp sang

“Maybe one day,” Twilight said.

“I’d love to see your abode,” Rarity chimed in. The other four Elements hummed in agreement.

“I’d love to have you all over. I have a tea set and everything. We didn’t get to try it last time because we were on a mission!” Izzy chirped. 

“We’ll use it once we get back,” Sunny grinned.

“Yay!” Izzy cheered, a beaming smile on her face.





As introductions were finished, the sun was already setting. The ponies decided that they would continue their talks another time, concluding this session. The Elements returned to their respective houses while Twilight showed the New Generation to their rooms. Things were just getting started.
> Generational Differences Part 1: Species
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The rising of the sun signified the start of another day. Beams of lights shone over all of Equestria, waking up the early birds. The residents of Twilight's castle were a part of these early birds. The castle was already bustling with the six ponies. An early start means more time to talk!

“So how’d you all sleep?” Twilight sat down at the table, smiling. 

“Like a log,” Hitch said while stretching. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he also took a seat at the table.

“Logs can sleep?” An already seated Izzy asked, tilting her head.

“No Izzy, it’s just an expression,” Sunny explained upon entering the room.

“Morning Sunny,” Hitch greeted with a smile.

“Morning Hitch,” she smiled back at Hitch, “morning everyone.”

“Flirting so early in the morning?” Pipp teased, a mischievous grin on her face. 

“It sure looks like it,” Zipp added fuel to the fire.

“Not this again guys…” Sunny sighed, slumping down in her chair. Hitch, on the other hand, sat there in silence. 

“Sorry but you guys make it so easy” Pipp giggled. The rest of them nodded in agreement.

“Spike’s cooking breakfast right now,” Twilight announced, “so just sit tight for a bit.”

“Who’s Spike?” Hitch raised an eyebrow.

“That’s right, you haven’t met him yet. He’s my assistant,” The alicorn answered. 

“What’s he like?” Izzy asked.

“Well he’s like my cute little brother, that’s for sure. Don’t tell him I said that though, he’ll probably get mad,” Twilight grinned. “He’s also very dependable, also being there when we need him most.”

“Sounds like a great pony,” Hitch nodded.

“Spike is great,” Twilight giggled a bit, “though can be quite the handful at times. Also, he’s not a pony, he’s a-”

“DRAGON!!!” Hitch screamed. 

“Exactly! He is a dragon Hitch,” Twilight tilted her head.  “How did you know?” 

“That’s Spike?” Zipp asked, pointing at the dragon who was bringing in breakfast.

“The one and only!” Spike grinned as he waddled over to the table. “Here you all go, pancakes! Made by yours truly.” He finished with a little bow.

“Ooo a dragon! I’ve never seen one before,” Izzy said as she walked up, examining him. “They’re a lot smaller than I thought they’d be.” 

“They’re usually a lot bigger than Spike here but that’s because he’s young. Dragons come in all kinds of shapes and sizes,” Twilight explained.

“I’ll be a full-grown dragon soon enough,” Spike grumbled as he took a seat next to Twilight.

“But you’ll always be my baby,” Twilight cooed, rubbing her cheek against his. 

“Jeez, stop that! Not in front of everyone,” Spike tried pushing her away, a tint of red on his cheeks.

Twilight finally let up with a smile. “Sorry but you know it’s true.”

“Let’s just eat already,” Spike said as he cut into his pancakes. 

“He’s so cute,” Izzy chirped with a mouthful of pancakes.

“And a great cook!” Pipp added. The rest of the ponies hummed in agreement. Spike groaned, but he didn’t mind it at all. It was good having company.

“Yup! Spike usually does all the cooking,” Twilight smiled sheepishly, “I’m not the best at it.”

“Oh you should see the kitchen after she’s done! It’s hilarious,” Spike chuckled, still chowing down on pancakes. Twilight slapped his arm, a blush appearing on her face. 

“A-Anyways… Are you excited to talk again today? We still have so much to learn,” Twilight changed the subject.

“I can’t wait,” Izzy sang. The other ponies agreed, continuing on with their breakfast.





The sun was fully risen, shining down on Ponyville. Inside of the residence princess’s castle were eleven ponies, all sitting around a table.

“Hey y’all, sleep well?” Applejack greeted, getting comfortable in her chair. 

“Yup! The beds were nice and soft,” Izzy answered. Agreements from the other ponies came out as well.

“So what are we talking about today?” Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down in her chair. 

“Today we will be talking about,” Twilight pulled out a board, “differences in our Equestrias!”

“Sounds interesting,” Zipp commented, looking at the venn diagram.

“Our discussion yesterday got me thinking,” Twilight started, writing down some things on the board. “Why are our Equestrians so different? What could have happened to cause a huge divide between the tribes? Also what technological advances and changes had to be made due to magic being gone? And-”

“We get it Twilight, we get it,” Rainbow interrupted, stopping her before she took up the whole day. 

“Heh… just got a little into it, sorry,” Twilight apologized, a slight blush on her face. 

“It’s alright sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled, “you’re just being you.” 

“Hey what’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight got defensive.

“Applejack just means you often go on tangents, darling,” Rarity said, wearing a polite smile. 

“You know it’s trueeeee~” Pinkie said in a singsong voice. 

“I guess it is,” Twilight sighed, “Anyways, let's start I guess,” Twilight looked over at the New Generation, “do any of you have any questions about our Equestria first?” 

“Pick me! Me! Me!” Izzy raised her hoof high up.

“Yes Izzy?” Twilight smiled.

“Are there any other non-pony species besides dragons?” Izzy stroked her chin. “'I've heard stories of other creatures besides ponies in Equestria, but I was told they’re just foals tales.”

“Good question!” Twilight clapped her hooves together. “To answer, there are all kinds of other species in Equestria. '' Teleporting in another board and uncapping a marker. “Let’s start out with something closer to ponies,” she started writing a name on the board, “zebras and donkeys!”

“I’ve heard of zebras before,” Sunny said, “they’re like us ponies except they’re white with black stripes. They have cutie marks just like us though!”

“Exactly Sunny,” Twilight started drawing a picture of a zebra, “Zebras come from a distant land and speak in rhymes. They look very similar to us ponies, minus the coloring.” On the board was a very simple picture of a zebra.

“Why do they speak in rhymes?” Pipp asked.

“We don’t really know why,” Twilight shrugged. “I’ll have to ask Zecora next time I see her.” 

“So donkeys? What are they like?” Sunny asked. 

“Well, they’re both very similar to us besides their long ears, color, and legs. They also don’t have cutie marks, but besides that they’re basically like us ponies!” Twilight said, drawing a picture of a donkey.

“They look kind of… bland?” Pipp commented.

“Mhm…” Izzy nodded her head.





“Are there any other pony-like species?” Zipp questioned.

“Indeed there are! There are sea ponies, hippogriffs, and kirins.” Twilight started erasing the marker. “Sea ponies and hippogriffs are very closely related. Sea ponies are, as their name suggests, ponies that live in the sea. They have features similar to us ponies but the main difference is their fish-like tails and fins.” Drawing the sea ponies, she continued. “Hippogriffs, on the other hand, live on land and have heads, claws, and wings like eagles, but hind legs that are similar to ours.” 

“How are those two closely related if one lives on land and one lives in the ocean?” Hitch titled his head.

“Well, the sea ponies were once hippogriffs!” Twilight said, shocking the New Generation.

“How is that even possible?” Zipp gave a skeptical look.

“Well, they have an artifact that can do so. The hippogriffs hid in the ocean because of the Storm King. Upon his defeat, some decided to live on land and some decided to stay under water.” Twilight explained. 

“The Storm King huh? That brings back memories,” Rainbow reminisced, shooting a look at Twilight

“Okay I get it,” Twilight sighed, “I didn’t make the best choice back then. But that’s in the past, right?” Twilight smiled at her friends.

“Yup! Water under the bridge,” Pinkie patted Twilight’s back. The other Elements nodded in agreement. 

“Wait, who's the Storm King? And what happened?” Sunny, alongside the others, had a long look of confusion on their faces. 

“That’s a story for another time,” Twilight and the Elements laughed.

“Okay,” Sunny nodded, “What about the kirin? What are they like?”

“The kirin are very similar to ponies as well. They have a body like a pony, but have bushier manes around their whole head, curved horns, and cloven hooves,” Twilight explained. “They’re known for their kindness and truth-speaking. I heard from Fluttershy and Applejack that once they lose their temper, they turn into beasts of flame and anger.” 

“So don’t piss one off is what I’m hearing?” Hitch grinned, causing some giggles.

“Mhm,” Twilight nodded. Clapping her hooves again, Twilight erased the board fully. “Well, that's it for pony-like species! Let's move onto some other ones.”

“Ooo I can’t wait,” Pinkie sat up in her chair. 

“Pinkie, you’ve already met all of them before,” Rainbow shook her head.

“Oh yeah...” Pinkie started stroking her chin, “I have, haven’t I.”

“Ooookay…” Twilight said, raising her eyebrow at the pink mare, “anyways, there are all kinds of different species that aren’t pony-like. You have changelings, breezies, griffons, buffalos, yaks, and dragons!”

One of those caught Hitch’s attention. “Changelings? What are those?” 

“Changelings were a once hostile species who fed off love,” Twilight started drawing their original forms. Their spikey and hole riddled appearance confused the New Generation. 

“They look kinda evil,” Izzy tilted her head.

“They were at first. They even tried to ruin my brother’s wedding and take over Equestria!” Twilight huffed, crossing her arms.

“So they are evil?” Izzy’s eyes widened.

“Well, not anymore.” Twilight snapped back into it. “They were under the rule of Queen Chrysalis, who led them to raid Equestria and try to rob it of love. We defeated her before she could though.” 

“So what happened to them afterwards?” Zipp asked.

“Our friends Starlight and Thorax showed them they didn’t need to take love forcefully, but rather share it with one another,” Fluttershy smiled. “Now they’re peaceful and look much more approachable!” Twilight drew the post-metamorphosis changelings on the board as well.

“They’re much more fabulous that way,” Pipp commented.

“So they were once evil but then you guys reformed them?” Sunny summarized.

“Pretty much,” Pinkie nodded, “except it wasn’t really used, it was more of Starlight and Thorax!” The other Elements nodded and hummed, agreeing with her. 

Twilight went on and explained the rest of the species. The New Generation were interested primarily in griffins and dragons. There were all kinds of tales about those two species, but never actually met one. Hearing how they were all on friendly terms surprised them.

“So you’re telling me you guys not only spread friendship to ponies, but to every species as well?” Sunny’s eyes were wide. “That’s amazing!”

“I’m guessing you guys haven’t encountered any one of them before?” Twilight asked, her eyebrow cocked, causing them to shake their heads. 

“They seem to have just disappeared, like a lot of the places on the map you showed us yesterday,” Zipp recalled.

“I’ve only heard tales of a few of them. There are books written but a lot of ponies don’t really believe they really existed,” Sunny said, a hint of sadness lingering in her voice.

“Well you’ll just have to make them believe,” Rainbow smirked.

“And I’m sure you will,” Twilight added, smiling at them. “There will be lots of hardships in your journey. There may be times you want to give up, but believe in your friends. They’ll always be there for you.” Walking over to Sunny, she placed a hoof on Sunny’s shoulder. “Reunite all of Equestria for us okay?” Twilight looked at the five. “We believe in all of you. We know you can do it.” The Elements nodded, encouraging smiles on all their faces. 

The New Generation looked at each other, nodding, silently promising to bring Equestria back to its former glory. Even if they reunited the tribes, there was still a lot of work to be done. A look of determination burned in their eyes. They want their Equestria to be like this one: united.

“How about we eat before continuing?” Twilight suggested after glancing at the clock. It was already noon, and all they discussed was species! The other ponies nodded, deciding to take a break before continuing.
> Generational Differences Part 2: Villains! Villains! Villains!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the ponies enjoyed their meals, they piled back into the castle's throne room. Getting comfortable, the ponies opened up with discussion again.

“So what kind of villains did you come across in your adventure?” Rainbow’s eyes glistened, staring intently at the New Generation. “Was it a terrible monster with fangs and wings and-”

“Nope, it was nothing like that!” Izzy shone her signature smile.

“Wha- Huh?” Rainbow was baffled! “So you’re telling me you guys didn’t fight some terrible villain to reunite all of ponykind?”

“Not really!” Izzy sang.

“Well then what did you guys have to do then?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. 

“Well we travelled to each tribe’s town and gathered the crystals,” Sunny explained, “simple as that!” 

“Did you come across any hardships or feel like giving up?” Twilight inquired.

“Well there was this moment where I almost gave up,” Sunny rubbed her chin. “After combining the pegasus and unicorn crystal, nothing happened, and after seeing a foal be so disappointed in the magic not returning I lost hope. I even packed up all of your figurines!” Sunny looked over at the Mane 6.

“There's figurines of us?” Rarity giggled.

“Indeed there are, my dad gave them to me,” Sunny smiled solemnly. “But after I cleared a lot of my childhood belongings and drawings, I saw some sort of mechanism in my table. Then I figured out there were three crystals, to represent the three tribes.”

“What a nice story,” Fluttershy said, smiling at Sunny.

“Then the crystals didn’t work, even when we put them together in the mechanism,” Sunny sighed.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy smile faltered, “what happened after?” 

Sunny smiled. “That’s when I realized that it wasn’t the crystals that were meant to be together, it was the ponies. Then I became an alicorn!” 

“So what I’m hearing is that you didn’t really have anyone terrorizing you?” Rainbow was resting her head on one hoof.

“Well there was Sprout,” Hitch mentioned.

“Who’s Sprout?” Pinkie tilted her head.

“He’s a friend of Hitch and I,” Sunny waved her hoof in the air, “he’s the deputy.”

“And he may or may not have almost started a war and destroyed Sunny’s house…” Hitch mumbled.

“Run that by me again darling,” Rarity said, cocking her eyebrow.

“Sprout kind of sort of went on a power-trip after I left him in charge of Maretime Bay to go after Sunny and built a giant robot to fight the other tribes, ” Hitch shrugged.

“Uh huh…” The Mane 6 looked at him funnily.

“I’m sure Sprout regretted doing so as long as he learned his lesson. He’s a good guy for sure, just a bit odd,” Sunny said.

“He was a little crazy,” Izzy giggled.

“Just a bit,” Zipp smirked.

“So that’s your whole journey? No monster? No evil beings? No explosions?” Rainbow egged on.

“Nope, none at all,” Sunny shook her head. 

“I’m sure there’ll be danger in the future,” Twilight said, caution in her voice. “Since magic returned, there are bound to be those who abuse it. Who knows what creature or even pony is lurking in the shadows. You should all stay vigilant.” 

“Roger that Princess!” Izzy saluted playfully, causing Twilight to giggle.

“Your adventure sounded kind of lame,” Rainbow slouched in her chair. 

“Rainbow!” Applejack said, glaring at her. 

“C’mon you gotta admit that we’ve had some exciting adventures that theirs couldn’t even compare to!” Rainbow defended herself.

“Not everything needs to be action packed darling,” Rarity said.

“Rarity is right, Rainbow,” Twilight said, going into lecture mode, “although their journey may not have been the most exciting, the result is comparable to what we’ve done. They reunited the pony tribes and showed them the power of friendship.”

“Yeah, yeah I get it,” Rainbow crossed her arms.

“Don’t mind her,” Twilight turned attention back to the New Generation, “she’s an action fiend.” Twilight finished with a smile. 

“We don’t really mind,” Sunny shrugged, the others agreeing. Their journey was good enough for them. Not only did they reunite the tribes, they also made some good friends along the way. That’s more than a pony could ask for.

“How many villains have you guys fought?” Zipp asked. She remembers Sunny mentioning some villains before they came here but she didn’t really explain.

“There were a bunch!” Pinkie chirped, laying upside down on her chair.

“Yes there were,” Twilight nodded at the party mare, “first off there was Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon is the corrupted form of Princess Luna, who was consumed by her jealousy,” Twilight explained. “But using the Elements of Harmony, we were able to return Luna back to her original form!”

“That was a while ago,” Fluttershy mentioned.

“Indeed it was,” Rarity smiled, “it was also the first time we all came together.”

“Ah shucks, ain’t that a memory,” Applejack reminisced. The Elements smiled at one another, remembering that fateful night. It felt like it was just yesterday.

“Using the Elements of Harmony?” Izzy looked confused, “But aren’t you guys the Elements?”

“Maybe we should’ve explained that a little better,” Twilight wore a sheepish smile. “To simply put it, we are the embodiment of what the Elements represent,” Twilight nodded at each of her friends while listing off their attributes, “loyalty, generosity, kindness, honesty, laughter,” then placed a hoof on her chest, “and me being magic. Basically, the Elements of Harmony are artifacts that represent each of those attributes. We are called the ‘Elements of Harmony’ because we possess that specific trait.” 

 “Wow…” Izzy’s eyes were glowing, “That. Is. AWESOME!”

“I know we are,” Rainbow pulled her sunglasses down.

“So how did you figure out you represented those attributes?” Zipp asked. 

“While we were chasing Nightmare Moon into the Everfree forest we encountered all kinds of challenges that showcased the attributes,” Twilight explained, “but then when we tried to use the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon, it didn’t work. That’s when I realized that my friends, who do mind I just met that day, were the answer.” With a prideful and joyful look in her eyes, she scanned her five friends. “That’s when I learned that friendship really is magic.”

“What a wonderful story!” Sunny clapped, the others following in suit. 

“And this is just one of the villains you’ve defeated?!” Pipp’s eyes were wide. The Mane 6 nodded.

“Can you tell us more stories please!” Izzy pleaded with the Mane 6. 

“Uh okay!” Twilight was a bit thrown off but was not unwilling to do so. “You guys already heard of Chrysalis, so I guess Discord is next.”

With a sudden poof, the draconequus appeared next to Twilight. “You called, Princess?” He greeted her while bowing.

“Why am I not surprised,” Twilight rolled her eyes, a slight grin on her face.

Discord looked over at the Mane 6“Hello there friends,” then turned his attention to the five new ponies, “hello there ponies I’ve never met before.”

“Hi there! You look a little funny,” Izzy commented.

“So this is Discord?” Hitch examined the draconequus. “Didn’t you say he’s a villain? Doesn’t that mean he’s evil?”

“Me? Evil?” Discord placed a paw on his chest, ”Now who would say such a thing about me. I’m an angel!” With a snap of his fingers, a halo hovered above his head.

“Woah… how’d you do that?” Sunny blinked rapidly, assuring herself the halo was there.

“With magic of course my dear… alicorn?” Discord’s face morphed with confusion. Teleporting next to Sunny, he examined the new alicorn. “I could’ve sworn there were only five alicorns.”

“Well there are only five alicorns,” Twilight answered, Discord still looking confused, “In this generation, at least,” she added.

“So you’re telling me these five are from the future?” Discord asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yup!” Pinkie chirped.

“Wow, that’s new,” Discord shook his head.

“Anyways, this is Discord if you couldn’t tell already,” Twilight introduced the draconequus.

“The one and only,” Discord smuggly smiled.

“So I’m guessing he isn’t evil?” Hitch circled back to his question. 

“Indeed I am not. Who told you such lies,” Discord hissed.

“Sorry Dissy!” Pinkie apologized energetically, “We were just talking about all the villains we've encountered!”

“If that is the case I guess I could overlook it,” Discord stroked a beard that was magically placed on his face.

“So what did Discord do?” Zipp inquired, “He doesn’t seem that bad.” 

“Oh dear if you saw what he did before his reformation, you wouldn’t be saying that” Rarity shuddered. 

“It wasn’t that bad right?” Discord looked at the Mane 6, seeing their disapproving frowns, “Okay fine I was a little unbearable before. Just a little though.”

“A ‘little’ might be an understatement, Discord,” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Fluttershy this can’t be true, right?” Discord used his puppy eyes.

“I’m sorry Discord, but what you did before your reformation was mean,” Fluttershy shut him down, “but just know that you’re all our friend now and we forgave you a long time ago,” she finished with a smile.

“Okay fine!” Discord threw his hands in the air, slouching in a jair he popped into reality. 

“Back to your question Zipp,” Twilight turned attention back to the pegasus, “Discord basically created chaos with his magic. He is the spirit of chaos and disharmony after all,” Twilight motioned at the draconequus. “His magic was so powerful he once ruled all of Equestria, bringing it into a state of unrest and unhappiness.”

“I’ll have you know that I was having a great time though,” Discord interrupted quickly.

“Don’t mind him,” Twilight nudged him, “but going on, he was eventually defeated by Celestia and Luna and was turned into stone for a thousand years. Eventually he broke out and caused chaos again, but we stopped him with the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight looked over at Discord. “Eventually he came around tough, after a lot of convincing,” she finished with a genuine smile. 

“Why thank you, purple pony princess Twilight,” he returned with a smug grin.

“Purple pony princess? What?” Twilight cocked her eyebrow.

“Just having fun my dear princess,” Discord winked, earning him an eye roll.

“So you were evil, now you’re not?” Sunny summarized. 

“Exactamundo!” Discord pulled out a giant green check mark. “You are correct!” 

“That’s cool!” Izzy clapped her hooves. “What can you do with your chaos magic thingy?”

“I can do lots, things such as this,” he summoned a cotton candy cloud that was, obviously, raining chocolate milk, “and I can do this,” he then turned Twilight into a sentient book,” and things like this,” he finished it off by filling the room with popcorn.

“Discord!” The draconequus heard Twilight’s muffled, angry yell.

“Whoops, sorry!” The mischievous draconequus snickered, snapping everything back out of existence.

“That was whacky!” Izzy said, tilting her head. “What even happened?”

“I don’t know,” Discord acted oblivious, “maybe somepony abused their magic.” He eyed Twilight.

“Whatever you say Discord,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Anyways, that’s a gist of what Discord can do.”

“Just the tip of the iceberg my dear,” Discord said, summoning a tiny iceberg into his palm.

“I’m guessing he’s really powerful?” Sunny gulped.

“Indeed he is, but he isn’t so bad once you get to know him,” Twilight shrugged.

“Why thank you!” Discord smirked.

“Well that’s about all you really need to know about Discord,” Twilight looked over at him, “you can leave now if you want to.”

“As reluctant as I am to leave my dear friends, I have some errands to run,” Discord said. Snapping, he summoned papers with legs that ran around. “Too-da-loo!” Discord called out before disappearing with another snap.

“Well that was weird,” Zipp commented.

“He’s an interesting character,” Pipp said.

Izzy smiled. “I like him!” 

“Me too!” Pinkie joined in.

“Pinkie, you’ve known Discord for a while,” Twilight mentioned.

“Still doesn’t mean I can’t like him,” Pinkie retorted playfully. 

“Uh huh…” Twilight nodded slowly.

“Anyways,” Sunny interrupted, “Are there any other villains you’ve reformed?” 

“Well there’s Starlight and  Fizzlepop,” Twilight pondered, “who are both ponies.” 

Sunny gasped. “Wait, there were ponies that were villains?” 

“They were just a little misunderstood,” Fluttershy chimed in. 

“Indeed they were Fluttershy,” Twilight nodded to the pegasus then turned her attention back to the New Generation. “Starting off with Starlight, she’s a powerful unicorn who tried to make everypony to be the same..”

“But wouldn’t everyone being the same be a good thing?” A confused Hitch asked. 

“Yes everypony should be equal, but not the same. Everypony should have their own special talent that they thrive in,” Twilight smiled.

“So how’d you defeat her?” Izzy sure was invested into the villains.

“I didn’t,” Twilight simply said.

“What do you mean you didn't?” Sunny tilted her head. 

“I mean what I said, I couldn’t defeat Starlight. I mentioned she was powerful, powerful enough to force a stalemate between me and her,” Twilight frowned at the memory. Those alternate futures sure were grim.

Sunny was in disbelief. A unicorn as strong as an alicorn? “So what did you do then? Did you just let her go?” 

“I talked to her, trying to figure out why she wanted everypony to be the same. That’s when she told me that those differences only tore her friendship apart,” Twilight sighed. “Knowing I wouldn’t be able to win through force, I decided to just talk to her. I comforted her, telling her that friendship can be difficult, but you’ll always be able to work through those difficulties. Essentially, I told her how important friendships were, and somehow I got to her.” Twilight smiled at that memory.

“Wow…” an awed Sunny just sat there.

“I guess that shows how awesome friendship is!” Izzy beamed.

“So what happened to her after that?” Zipp asked, wanting a conclusion.

“She became my student  and we all taught her the power of friendship,” Twilight answered cheerfully. “She’s in this castle if you want to meet her.”

 “She is?!” Sunny smiled at the opportunity. 

“Yup, let me go get her” Twilight said with a flash of light, she poofed away. After just a few minutes, Twilight appeared back in her seat next to a lilac unicorn. “Here’s Starlight!”

“Hi everypony!” She waved with an awkward smile. 

“Hello there!” Izzy waved frantically.

“This is Starlight?” Hitch asked, examining the mare.

“That’s me,” Starlight still wore her smile.

“Oh. My. Gosh!” Sunny gasped, trotting up to Starlight. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” Sunny stood next to her.

“Hello there…” Starlight looked at her

“Oh sorry, I’m Sunny,” She smiled sheepishly. “Twilight told us a lot about you!”


“She has now, has she?” Starlight eyed the purple unicorn. 

“We were just talking about the villains we’ve come across Starlight,” Twilight confirmed, “and that includes you too.” 

“Oh that makes sense,” Starlight nodded. “I was kind of evil, but Twilight showed me the right path to take,” she gave Twilight a thankful smile.

“You know I would have never given up on you Starlight,” she returned the smile, “even if I could’ve beaten you in the battle.”

“Not that would’ve happened,” Starlight said smugly.

“Yeah yeah whatever Starlight,” Twilight rolled her eyes.

After their playful banter, Starlight looked at the clock and jumped a bit. “Anyways, it was nice meeting you and I’d love to talk, but I’ve got a school to run.” With a flash, she disappeared.

“Oh yeah she’s headmare now,” Rainbow said mindlessly. 

“Sorry everypony, I forgot to look at her schedule,” Twilight sighed.

“It’s alright Twi,” Applejack assured her, “She can always come talk to them another time.”

“She seemed cool,” Izzy said.

“So who’s this Fizzlepop you mentioned?” Hitch asked, “They have an um... interesting name.”

“Fizzlepop, formerly known as Tempest Shadow, was an ally of the Storm King who we mentioned earlier. After losing her horn in a tragic event, she became resentful of ponies,” Twilight summarized.

“Sounds pretty villinaily to me,” Pipp concluded.

“She was just misunderstood as I mentioned earlier,” Twilight said, “After being betrayed by the Storm King, she decided to help us. She turned a new leaf afterwards.”

“Pretty tame stuff if you ask me,” Rainbow shrugged, “at least compared to some of the other villains.”

“Such as?” Rarity cocked an eyebrow.

“The ones she forgot: Triek, Sombra and Cozyglow. Duh!” Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Who, who, and who?” Hitch asked.

“They’re the rest of the villains we were going to discuss,” Twilight said. “Guess we’ll start with Sombra. Remember the Crystal Empire you saw on the map?”

“Uh huh,” Izzy nodded.

“Well, Sombra was once the tyrannical ruler of the Crystal Empire. He controlled the crystal ponies with fear,” Twilight explained, “but before he was banished he placed a curse on an artifact called the Crystal Heart.”

“The Crystal Heart? That sounds fabulous!” Pipp commented.

“Indeed it is,” Twilight nodded. “It protects the Crystal Ponies. After Sombra cursed the heart the Crystal Empire would disappear and periodically reappear, with Sombra trying to take over again.”

“That’s one stubborn pony,” Zipp chuckled.

“Indeed he was. I was tasked with protecting the Crystal Empire from Sombra’s return, and so I did, with everypony else of course. Spike and I had to find the Crystal Heart which was hidden in the castle, and by presenting it to the crystal ponies, their love cast Sombra out,” Twilight ended her explanation there, not wanting to go into every detail. 

“So with the power of love you defeated Sombra and saved a whole empire?” Sunny asked slowly.

“Yup!” Pinkie grinned goofily.

“Now I really want to go to the Crystal Empire!” Izzy bounced in her chair.

“We’ll take you to see it sometime,” Rainbow waved her hoof.

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” Izzy kept bouncing.

“Don’t forget that I want to go too!” Pipp chirped.

“Okie dokie artichokie!” Pinkie agreed.

Twilight looked at her pink friend funnily, deciding to continue on. “We’re almost done with all the villains, so let’s finish this up,” she said, glancing outside, “it’s getting kind of late.”

“Sounds good,” Sunny yawned.

“Tirek is a centaur who stole ponies magic. Fighting him was a royal pain,” Twilight groaned, “no pun intended. Anyways, I was having an identity crisis as the newest princess of Equestria at this time, so I was a little off my game per se. Tirek wasn’t all that powerful before he sucked up the majority of the ponies’ magic, but the real issue was when he took Discord’s problem.”

“How’d he do that? Isn’t he super powerful?” Sunny tilted her head. 

“He tricked Discord and took his magic after gathering all the magic from the ponies of Equestria,” Twilight looked a little grim. “I was given all the Alicorn magic, but that wasn’t even enough to defeat him. It ended up with a stalemate and then I threatened my friends.” The New Generation gasped in shock. 

“So how did you defeat him then?!” Hitch asked, concerned in his voice. 

“Well, we used the power of friendship and shot with a rainbow lazer of course!” Pinkie grinned.

“That’s what happened. That’s how I got this castle and learned who I was meant to be,” Twilight proudly put a hoof on her chest, “the princess of friendship.”

“A rainbow lazer? We saw something like that when Sunny became an alicorn,” Zipp rubbed her chin, thinking back to that time.”

“Except it was more of a circle that spread across the lands,” Hitch added. 

“Wait, a sonic rainboom!?” Rainbow jumped out of her chair, hovering in the air.

“What’s that?” Zipp asked.

“Oh, it’s just the coolest trick that I invented,” Rainbow smugly smirked.

“Wait, you can make that beautiful thing? How?” Pipp was interested. 

“Just gotta go really fast and break the sound barrier, that’s all,” Rainbow shrugged.

“Yeah, that sure sounds easy,” Zipp rolled her eyes, “breaking the sound barrier and all.”

“It is,” Rainbow said, noticing all of them looking at her funny, “at least for me.”

“Once again, very modest Rainbow,” Applejack scoffed.

Twilight clapped her hooves together. “Okay girls, let's finish it up.” 

“Continue on dear,” Rarity ushered her. 

“Last up is Cozy Glow, a filly pegasus who, simply put, tried to destroy all the magic in Equestria,” Twilight briefly explained.

“A filly villain you say? That’s quite odd,” Hitch frowned, “who would’ve thought that a child could have that much malice intent.”

“I don't know. Even after imprisoning her and Tirek in Tartarus, they came back stronger than ever,” Twilight sighed. 

“They came back?” Sunny asked, worried.

“Indeed they did. Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow banded together to try and defeat us, and they put up quite the battle,” Twilight frowned, “even I almost lost my way at one point. But then my friends showed me the light, and by banding together with all the races whom we taught friendship at the school, we defeated them and entrapped them in stone. The magic of friendship truly is powerful.”

“As you’ve said,” Discord suddenly appeared next to her, “multiple times.”

“Discord?!” Twilight jumped in surprise. “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to know about how much you babbled about the power of friendship,” Discord grinned, earning him an eye roll from the princess.

“You know it’s true Discord,” Twilight jabbed him with her hoof.

“Yes, yes of course I do Princess Twilight,” Discord mocked.

“Whatever you say,” she replied back.

“You two seem to get along quite well,” Hitch mentioned.

“We do, don’t we?” Discord wrapped his arm around the pony princess, flashing a grin.

“Yup," she said simply as she returned the gesture, "I guess we do." The ponies (and draconequus) laughed together, the noise echoing throughout the room.

The rest of the time was spent bantering with one another and discussing some non-important things. Wrapping up the discussion for the day, each pony went to rest in preparation of their next discussion.
> Generational Differences Part 3: Governments, Families, and Fillyhood Albums
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the routine morning tasks were done, the eleven ponies once again piled into the room to start their discussion. They had dedicated the whole week to gathering here, this marking their third day. Now what are the ponies discussing today?

“What’s the governing system like in your time?” Twilight asked the new generation. “Considering that the alicorns of our time are gone and the tribes were divided, I’m curious on how each tribe governed their people.”

Sunny was the first to answer. “Well we didn’t really have any ‘rulers’ per se, it was more of just a community of earth ponies living together.”

“We have an awesome sheriff to keep order though,” Hitch added with a smirk.

“Unhealthy power dynamic,” Izzy whispered playfully to him, causing his ears to flop back.

“Ahem,” Hitch cleared his throat, “but besides that no one really ruled over Maretime Bay. The closest thing we had to some sort of ‘leader’ was Phyllis Cloverleaf, owner of Canterlogic.”

“What’s Canterlogic?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s a company that created products to keep earth ponies safe from the other tribes,” Sunny explained, “not that we’ll be needing it anymore.” 

“Phyllis was usually the one to give speeches to the masses, so I guess she could be considered a leader,” Hitch shrugged.

“So there wasn’t really any government structure set in place for the earth ponies?” Twilight noted down, looking at the two.

“Uh huh,” Sunny and Hitch hummed, nodding their heads.

“Interesting, interesting…” Twilight tapped her chin, turning her attention to Zipp and Pipp. “So how about you two? I recall you two saying you're royalty.”

“Yup!” Pipp cheerfully answered, “we’re the daughters of Queen Haven, the ruler of the pegasai!”

“Pretty much what she said,” Zipp shrugged.

“So the pegasi have something similar to our current governing system,” Twilight mumbled to herself as she jotted that down. 

“What’s it like being royalty?” Rarity asked, her eyes beaming with curiosity. 

“It’s super tiring,” Zipp groaned, earning her a smack for her sister.

“You’re just not sociable,” Pipp rolled her eyes.

“And you’re a little too sociable,” Zipp shot back.

“That’s because I want to be connected to our people! It’s anything a good leader would do,” Pipp defended herself.

“Yeah whatever you say shorty,” Zipp didn’t feel like arguing about this for like the five-hundreth time. Pipp looked like she wanted to retort, but just “hmped” and looked away from her sister.

“Y’all sure think differently about bein’ royalty,” Applejack chuckled.

“Just some sisterly banter, I’m sure,” Rarity giggled, “I’m sure you know how it is Applejack.”

“Same goes for you,” Applejack smirked.

“I poke fun at her often, but she knows I still love her,” Zipp smirked slyly, causing Pipp’s face to slightly flush.

“Yes, I do know that,” she whispered. 

“Awww,” the other ponies cooed, causing the pegasus’ face to redden even more.

“Sibling dynamics sure are interesting,” Twilight grinned.

“Indeed,” Rarity agreed.

“Can we just move onto the unicorns?” Pipp pleaded, looking at her group's resident unicorn. 

“Okie dokie!” Izzy nodded her head happily. “The unicorns didn’t really do much so there wasn’t a need for any rulers or government,” Izzy tapped her chin, “but I guess there was Alphabittle. We did have a bunch of superstitions though.” 

“So if there was no ruler or government, what was your village like?” Twilight asked, a tad bit confused.

“Boring!” Izzy answered truthfully. “Ever since magic disappeared, the unicorns just kind of trudged around sadly. It was a depressing place,” Izzy frowned.

“I second that one,” Hitch nodded.

“Mhm,” Zipp added on. A silence struck the room.

“You mentioned superstitions,” Twilight said after the brief silence, “if you don’t mind, would you tell us some of them?”  

“Well there were certain words that we were forbidden to say such as ‘magic, wing, feather, and mayonnaise,’” Izzy listed off, “and if you do say them, you have to do some ritual to ward off the jinxies.” 

“What are jinxies?” Fluttershy tilted her head.

“Bad luck,” Izzy answered. 

“Those unicorns sound kind of crazy,” Rainbow snickered, “no offense.” 

“None taken! They were a little cuckoo,” Izzy circled her hooves next to her head.

“Sure sounds like it,” Rarity says, half-smiling.

“So the unicorns just let the days go by, not doing anything?” Twilight tried to piece together what she was told.

“Yup!” Izzy confirmed.

“Well this sure was informative,” Twilight finished up her notes.





“How about you guys? What’s the government like here?” Sunny asked.

“Before Twilight became the ruler of Equestria the two sisters, Celestia and Luna, ruled over the realm,” Rarity explained.

“There was a diarchy, as well as other smaller branches of government to help them,” Twilight added. 

“In town we have a mayor,” Fluttershy mentioned.

“And there are royals and other important ponies that have a say in certain matters,” Rarity finished.

“Sounds complicated,” Hitch said.

“Although it can be at times, it helps keep order and the powers in check,” Twilight smiled. “But now instead of a diarchy we have a monarchy. I don’t rule by myself though,” Twilight looked at her friends.

“We’ve always got your back, sugarcube,” Applejack grinned.

“And we’ve got your front too!” Pinkie appeared in front of the purple alicorn. 

“Thanks girls,” Twilight said.

“So about Celestia and Luna, what made them so special to be the rulers of all of Equestria?” Zipp inquired. 

“Well they were here for thousands of years,” Twilight started to explain. “They also raised the sun and moon, and defended the realm from threats.”

“They did what now?” and “How old are they?” came out simultaneously from Sunny and Hitch.

“Don’t you know it's rude to ask how old a lady is?” Rarity poked fun at Hitch.
 
“Sorry, but thousands of years? Isn’t that, like, physically impossible?” Hitch said in disbelief. 

“For a normal pony it is,” Twilight nodded, “but it seems that alicorns have longer lifespans than normal ponies,” Twilight explained. 

“Wait does that mean...” Sunny’s voice trailed off, a grim realization washing over her. 

“Yes Sunny, it means that there will come a day when you have to watch your loved ones move on,” Twilight’s expression darkened. “I remember when I first realized this, it wasn’t pretty,” Twilight sighed, the other Elements nodding. “I didn’t want to believe it was true but I’ve learned to live with that thought. I try my best to make memories that will last my whole lifetime, even if they are not here with me to do so.” Twilight walked over to the young alicorn, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Just remember to enjoy their company while you still can,” Twilight finished with a weak smile.

With the shocking news fully settling in, the New Generations huddled around Sunny, giving hugs and words of comfort, accompanied by sniffles. Although they were all still young, they couldn't bear the thought of Sunny’s suffering after their times came. It weighed heavily in both their hearts and minds. Twilight and the Elements looked at the five with smiles, knowing that they too had been through this. All they could do now is offer their sympathy and comfort. 





The sun was directly above Equestria, signifying it was already noon. After recomposing themselves during a short break, they decided to continue on with their conversation.

“So where’d we leave off?” Twilight started.

“We were talking about Celestia and Luna I believe,” Zipp answered. 

“Ah yes,” Twilight coughed, her mind still lingering on the previous topic. “If I recall correctly, Sunny asked about them controlling the sun and moon.” 

“Oh yeah!” Sunny half-laughed, “I guess we got a little caught up that we never addressed that.”

“Essentially, Celestia raised the sun and Luna raised the moon during their rule,” Twilight explained. “They are revered as deities by many and are even worshiped by some ponies.”

“You’re telling me they have the ability to raise the sun and moon just like that?” Sunny was shocked to say the least.

“Although they still have the ability to do so, they entrusted me to take over that for them,” Twilight said with a sigh, “I’m still not used to it however.”

“But that’s so awesome,” Izzy said, smiling. “Maybe one day Sunny could do that!”

Then it struck Twilight. “No one is raising the sun or moon for you, correct?” The New Generation nodded. “So that leads to my question: how is there a day/night cycle?”

“Huh, I didn't think of that,” Applejack rubbed her chin.

“I guess it’s just automatic now?” Hitch offered.

“Maybe it had something to do with magic disappearing?” Rarity added in. 

“I guess that would be the only reasonable explanation,” Twilight sighed, frustrated with not having a concrete answer. “Guess time really does change things.”  

“Truly,” Hitch nodded.

“So, any other questions about our governing?” Twilight asked.

“What about the Crystal Empire? Are they ruled by Celestia and Luna too?” Izzy’s curiosity of the Crystal Empire never ceased. 

“Good question,” Twilight nodded her head at the unicorn. “To answer it, the Crystal Empire is not ruled by them but rather by Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.”

“They sound fun!” Izzy nodded her head happily.

“Of course they are!” Twilight confirmed. “Cadence and Shiny are married, making Cadence my sister-in-law!”

“So that means Shining Armor is your brother?” Hitch concluded.

“Indeed he is,” Twilight nodded.

“So you’re basically double royalty!” Pipp said.

Twilight giggled. “In a sense.”

“That’s so cool!” Sunny complimented.

Rarity nodded. “I never thought about it like that.”

“They also have an adorable foal who I have the honor of being an aunt of,” Twilight decided to brag a bit, taking out a picture of Flurry Heart.

“Awwwww!” The New Generation cooed as they gathered around the picture. 

“She’s soooo cute!” Pipp grinned from ear to ear.

“Look at her little wings and horn,” Sunny pointed at them.

“A baby alicorn?! ADORABLE!” Izzy yelled.

As the girls fawned over the picture, Hitch spoke to Twilight. “That reminds me, is Spike your adopted son or something? He seems awfully young and you yourself don’t seem too old.”

“I like to think of him as my son,” Twilight pondered, “I mean I did raise him since he was a baby.”

“Wait, if you raised him when he was a baby, I’m assuming that means you have had him since you were a foal?” Hitch asked.

Twilight nodded. “He’s been with me ever since my entrance exam into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.” 

“Wow… I can’t imagine taking care of any creature when I was that young,” Hitch smiled. “It must’ve been quite the challenge.”

“It wasn’t so bad, I had my family and Celestia to help me along the way. Even so, there were some screw ups,” Twilight waved her hoof around, giggling.

“What are y’all chatting about?” Applejack noticed the giggling alicorn over the cooing of New Generation. 

“Just talking about Twilight’s childhood a bit,” Hitch answered.

“Twilight was adorable as a foal,” Fluttershy mentioned quietly. 

“Wait, how do you know what I looked like?” Twilight looked at the pegasus funnily.

“Your parents may have shown me your fillyhood album…” Fluttershy confessed. Twilight’s face twisted with both shock and horror. “And they may still be here in the castle.” That was the icing on the cake.

“Noooooo!!!” The purple alicorn yelled out, garnering the attention of everyone in the room.

“What’s Twilight yelling about?” Rainbow asked. 

“Oh she was just yelling about how excited she was to show us her fillyhood album,” Hitch smirked.

“No! Why would you say that,” Twilight hissed.

“Oh her fillyhood album? That sounds fun!” Pinkie bounced over. 

“A tiny Twilight! That sounds adorable,” Pipp said.

“I sure would like to see this too,” Rarity pranced towards the mare. All eyes were on Twilight, pressuring her into bringing it out. She knows what was in those albums, and boy were they embarrassing. Giving in, she left for a brief moment and returned with the album. 

“Fine,” Twilight agreed unwillingly, “no laughing and no telling ANYONE about this. Pinkie promise!”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” the Elements all said in unison, performing the whole ritual. 

“That looked fun,” Izzy whispered to Zipp.

“It was interesting,” Zipp said slowly.

“I thought it was adorable,” Pipp threw in her two cents.

“Let's get started, shall we?” Twilight opened the album to the first page. The first page was rather tame, being home to pictures of Twilight as a foal. In one picture she was wrapped in a bundle of blankets. Another depicted her during bath time, splishing and splashing the water. The last picture on the page was her yawning while being cradled by Shining Armor. Twilight’s cheeks flushed a bit as everypony looked at the picture

“Twilight you were absolutely adorable darling,” Rarity commented.

“I especially like the bath time one,” Rainbow snickered.

“Well ain’t Shining Armor just the dandiest,” Applejack smiled. 

“So cute!” Was all Pipp could say, her cheeks sore from smiling so much. 

“Look at her little horn!” Izzy pointed out.

“Yes yes I know I was an adorable foal,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “I heard it all the time from my parents.” 

“Turn the page!” Pinkie hopped in excitement. “I can’t wait to see you as a child!” Following Pinkie’s suggestion, Twilight turned the page. That’s when she remembered why she didn’t want to show them the album.

Right in the center of one of the pages was another bath picture. That’s when it hit her. Every single page had a bath picture, from when she was a baby to the present. Every visit to her parents, they somehow snapped a picture of her taking a bubble bath, regardless of her consent or not. She really needed to talk to her parents about this. 

“Uhhh m-maybe we could stop here! I-It sure is getting late,” Twilight stuttered out embarrassingly. 

“Nuh-uh! This is just getting better and better,” Rainbow stumbled out, holding in her laughter. Besides the bathing picture, there were pictures of her covered in cake, being noogied by Shining Armor, and of her holding what seemed to be a test. She had a look of fear on her face for some odd reason.

“Dear, why are you covered in cake here?” Rarity raised an eyebrow at the purple mare.

“Well I may or may not have exploded my birthday cake in excitement,” Twilight said quietly.

“That’s golden,” Rainbow was rolling on the floor, laughing.

“Hey!” Twilight smacked her pegasus friend, “I was still having magical surges, can you blame me?”

“Don’t worry bout’ her Twi,” Applejack smiled. “I think it's just plain adorable, regardless of what happened.” 

“Uh huh!” Pipp and Izzy nodded their heads.

“You and your brother seem close,” Hitch noticed. 

“Oh we are,” Twilight nodded to Hitch. “He’s my BBBFF!”

“Your what now?” Hitch looked baffled

“My big brother best friend forever, duh,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Why does no one know what that means?”
 
“Yeah, like anyone would know what that means,” Zipp laughed.

“And why do you look so scared here?” Fluttershy pointed at the test picture..

“Oh that brings back memories,” Twilight sighed. “I thought I was going to have to repeat magical kindergarten because I got an A- on that test. Most horrifying moment in my life.”

“How about when you faced off with Nightmare Night? Or Discord? Or Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, and Tierk?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow.

Twilight pondered it for a second, then shook her head. “Nope, still not as scary as that test grade.”

“Wow…” Hitch sat there in disbelief. 

“Anyways…” Twilight awkwardly smiled. “How about we stop here?”

“Nope!” Everypony said in unison as Rainbow flipped the page. The next page was some more childhood years. 

There was, of course, her bath picture once again. Everypony seemed to just glaze over it and looked at the other four pictures on the page. A picture of Twilight pointing at her cutie mark with a large grin, a picture in front of Celestia’s school, a picture of a sleeping Twilight curled around a baby Spike, a picture of Twilight playing with Cadence in a park, and a picture of her in glasses.

“This page is a little more tame than the others,” Rainbow frowned.

“I think it's very endearing,” Fluttershy smiled as she examined the pictures.

“I love your silly grin here,” Sunny giggled, pointing at the cutie mark picture.

“That’s when I got my cutie mark,” Twilight smiled, placing her hoof on the picture. “It was a very special day for all of us.” Twilight looked at her friends, all of them nodding and smiling. “That’s a story for another time though.” 

“Awwww,” Izzy and Pipp complained.

“Sorry but it would take too long to explain everything,” Twilight let out a small laugh.

“Yeah there’s no way I could explain how awesome I am that fast,” Rainbow smirked. 

“Is that baby Spike?!” Fluttershy said in a louder voice than usual, attracting everyone’s attention. “Baby dragons are sooooo cute. I really wanted to bring all of them home when we helped Ember hatch the eggs.” 

“This page sure brings back memories,” Twilight started remisciening. “This was the day after he hatched. Raising Spike was hard, especially since I was just a foal, but it was worth it,” Twilight sighed, a content look on her face. “He was so adorable.”

“I just want to pinch his cute, little cheeks,” Fluttershy cooed.

“Who’s this pink alicorn here?” Sunny asked.

“That’s Cadence! She used to babysit me,” Twilight replied.

“Cadence, as in the ruler of the Crystal Empire? Who is married to your big brother? She was your babysitter?” A surprised Hitch listed off.

“Exactly! I couldn’t believe it either when I first learned they were getting married,” Twilight smiled. “She’s the best!”

“Huh, what an odd coincidence that must’ve been,” Zipp smirked, earning a nod from Twilight.

“I didn’t know you wore glasses dear,” Rarity pointed at the last picture. “You look adorable!”

“I don’t wear them anymore,” Twilight shuddered, “not after the ‘incident’.”

“What happened Twi?”Applejack cocked an eyebrow.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Twilight mumbled.

“Oookay,” Rainbow said.

“Let's move onto the next page I guess,” Hitch shrugged.

The next page was her pubescent years, aka the awkward years. The classic bath picture, once again, which was a little odd to see this time around. There were three more pictures. There was a picture of Twilight next to her brother who was in his guard uniform, a picture of her dressed up, standing awkwardly next to an orange pegasus, and a picture of her eating cake with Princess Celestia.

 “Your brother’s quite handsome,” Pipp said casually. 

“Sorry Pipp but you know he’s married, right?” Twilight giggled.

“I know I know,” Pipp winked. “Doesn’t mean you can’t compliment him.” Zipp rolled her eyes at her sister.

“I do agree with Pipp,” Rarity nodded.

“Can we just move on from this one,” Twilight groaned. 

“Just teasing dear,” Rarity smirked. 

“Who’s this pegasus next to you? And why are you all dressed up?” Sunny tilted her head. 

“I have to hear the story behind this one,” Rainbow laughed.

“Just when I thought I tucked this memory away,” Twilight sighed, mentally preparing herself. 
“At the School of Magic, Celestia hosted this dance every year for the students. I usually didn’t go but after Cadence, Shining, and my parents nagged me for days I hesitantly went. Back then I thought you needed a date to go to something like this, so I decided to find one.”

“But isn’t this a school for unicorns? Why is your date a pegasus?” Rarity asked, especially interested in this story.

“Well your date didn’t have to be from the school, they just needed to fill out a form if they weren’t,” Twilight explained. 

“So where’d you meet…” Rainbow’s voice trailed off, not knowing what to call the orange pegasus.

“It’s Flash Sentry,” Twilight finished her sentence. “You girls have met him before. He works for my brother.” 

“I knew he looked familiar,” Rainbow rubbed her chin.

“Didn’t you meet him when you went through the magical mirror?” Pinkie chirped.

“Indeed I did,” Twilight nodded, “It was kind of odd but I knew they were two separate people.”

“How was he here?” Applejack inquired. “I’m assumin’ he was a gentlecolt?” 

“Indeed he was,” Twilight giggled. “If he wasn’t I dont think Shiny would’ve even let him near me. You know how big brothers are.”

“Why do you look so awkward then?” Hitch pointed at the Twilight in the picture. 

“I didn’t know how to deal with colts and I didn’t have many friends either, so it was kind of new to me,” Twilight recalled. “Don’t get me wrong though, it was a fun night, albeit a little tiring. Flash followed my pace which I am grateful for.” 

“You two didn’t start dating, did you?” Fluttershy asked.

“O-Of course not! It was only for the dance, plus I wasn’t really thinking of that at the time…” Twilight stammered out, her face flushing.

“Of course you weren’t dear,” Rarity winked, “all you thought of back then was books and knowledge.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Applejack nodded.

“I guess you’re right,” Twilight slowly said. “That pretty much sums up that picture.”

“Is that Celestia?” Sunny pointed at the alabaster alicorn, causing Twilight to nod. “Does she usually eat that much cake?”

The picture in question was Twilight and Celestia eating cake together, but Celestia was eating cake straight from the source while Twilight enjoyed a smaller slice.

“That’s her usual amount,” Twilight gave a funny smile. “Now that I think about it, the amount of cake she eats is abysmal. Next time I see her I’ll have to ask how she never gained weight.” 

“Probably the same reason you don’t gain much weight either,” Pinkie assumed.

“I feel like I’ve been looking a little pudgy lately though,” Twilight frowned, pinching her stomach.

“You look fine to me,” Hitch eyed the alicorn unknowingly.

Twilight covered herself with her hooves and wings. “What are you looking at?!” 

“Are you flirting with another princess now?” Zipp said.

“No!” Hitch replied hastily. “Wait, who was the first princess?”

“It was obviously Pipp, silly!” Izzy pointed to the pegasus in question. Pipp just sat there with a sly smirk.

“What did I do to deserve this teasing…” Hitch sighed, giving up on trying to defend himself. 

“Nothing at all,” Sunny giggled, the other girls laughing as well.

“Can we just move onto the last page?” Hitch pleaded.

“Fine, fine,” Twilight tried to suppress her smile, flipping the page. The last page had a lot more pictures than the last. Totaling to eight smaller photos, the left side was before she became an alicorn while the right side was after. The photos were shot to be almost exactly the same except some small details. Those being Twilight's wings and her overall size, and Cadence being next to Shining Armor with Flurry Heart. They were just normal family pictures.

“Wow, this page is boring,” Rainbow coughed, earning her a punch on the shoulder from Applejack.

“What a wonderful family you have,” Sunny smiled. “I’m assuming this is Cadence and Shining’s child?” She asked, pointing at Flurry Heart

“You are correct!” Twilight beamed. “Isn’t my niece just adorable!” 

“Is she an alicorn?” Hitch examined closely.

“She’s the first natural born alicorn,” Twilight proudly stated.

“Maybe you could have an alicorn baby too,” Rainbow snickered. “That is if you can get with someone first.” 

“Rainbow! Not necessary,” Twilight glared at the rainbow pegasus. 

“Hey, just poking fun,” Rainbow shrugged innocently, causing Twilight to roll her eyes. 

“Hey wait a minute… Where’s the bath picture on this page?” Hitch asked, causing Twilight to flush and hide her face.

“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” Zipp snickered, high-hoofing Rainbow.

“I was just pointing out a trend!” Hitch retaliated.

“Sure you were bud,” Zipp said.

“I’ll never hear the end of this, will I?” Hitch frowned. The girls all shook their heads, laughing and joking the rest of the night away. As everything died down, the ponies all returned to their respective resting places. By the time they finished it was already midnight! Today was productive and fun, but there was still much to be talked about.
> Crushes and Love Lives Part 1: Rarity, Hitch, and Sunny
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning dawned upon Equestria as Twilight rose the sun and set the moon. As the sun rose, ponies got up and went about their mornings. Drinking coffee and eating breakfast, getting to their jobs, or just relaxing before the exciting day. In Twilight’s castle, eleven ponies gathered around a large table to eat breakfast!

“Thanks for breakfast again Spike!” Izzy said with a mouthful of pancakes.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you Spike,” Twilight nuzzled the small dragon.

“What did I say last time!” Spike lightly pushed Twilight away. “Not in front of everypony!” Spike added shyly, blushing. 

“Sorry Spike! Just showing my appreciation,” Twilight gave a sheepish smile as she stopped.

“Yeah yeah I know,” Spike sighed as walked out with his pancakes.

“So what’s the topic for today?” Zipp asked.

“Rarity suggested we talk about our love lifes,” Twilight hesitantly said.

“Bleh! Love?” Rainbow stuck her tongue out in disgust. “Why would we talk about that?”

“I think it’s a lovely idea,” Pipp said in a singsong voice, supporting the idea. “Love is exciting!”

“I don’t know about this…” Fluttershy said, barely audible.

“I don’t care what we talk about,” Hitch shrugged, “but I don’t have much of a love life. The love of my life is the sheriff medal.” 

“Uh huh… keep telling yourself that lover boy,” Zipp rolled her eyes.

“Oh no not this again,” Hitch groaned, slamming his head onto the table. The others giggled while Sunny sat there shaking her head.

“This is gonna be a long morning,” Sunny said, sighing as she took a bite of her pancakes.





After breakfast (and a bit of cooling down) the ponies put away their plates and silverware, making their way to the meeting room. Taking their seats, they sat there in silence.

“So… we’re discussing our love lives huh?” Twilight said very quietly.

“I guess so,” Zipp shrugged.

“I guess I’m sitting out then,” Twilight smiled, trying to get out of it.

“Me too,” Fluttershy nodded to Twilight.

“Same goes for me,” Zipp smirked.

“No that simply won’t do!” Rarity finally broke the chain. “There has to be something you girls can talk about,” Rarity smiled, trapping them in the conversation. “Especially you Twilight.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight puffed her cheeks with a pout.

“Flash Sentry, dear,” Rarity cocked an eyebrow. “Both in Equestria and beyond the mirror?”

“Oh yeah,” Twilight blushed slightly, rubbing the back of her head. 

Izzy tilted her head. “What about a mirror?” 

“A story for another time,” Rarity dismissed with a wave of her hoof.

“You really wanna talk about love huh,” Applejack said.

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to have a girl talk with just the five of you,” Rarity chirped, “but the more the merrier!”

“But Hitch isn’t a girl?” Sunny looked at the stallion.

“It’s fine if he’s here. I mean he’s already taken, right?” Rarity assured them, wearing a devious smile. 

“He is?” Sunny’s ears perked up

“I am?” Hitch looked around at the mares.

“Just teasing dear,” Rarity giggled.

“So we’re just going to keep going with this?” Hitch sighed. 

“I guess so,” Sunny frowned.

“Well I for one don’t really care about all this mushy love stuff.” Rainbow crossed her forelegs, slouching in her chair. 

“Come on Dashy! It sounds fun,” Pinkie beamed at her rainbow friend,

“Nuh uh!” Rainbow shook her head.

“What, too scared to tell us you can’t get with nopony?” Applejack chuckled.

“What was that!?” Rainbow flew out of her seat. “I’ll have you know that I can get whoever I want, whenever I want!”

“Sure ya can,” Applejack wore a smug smile.

“Just you wait till I share my story,” Rainbow rubbed her hooves together, “you’ll be speechless!”

“Guess we’re starting now then!” Rarity smiled. “So who wants to start?” 

“I think we should start with you Rarity,” Twilight gave a slight smile, “since you suggested it.”

Zipp nodded. “I think that’s fair.”

“Mhm!” Pinkie hummed.

“If I must then I will begin,” Rarity agreed, “but I get to choose who goes next.” Rarity looked at the girls for confirmation. They hesitantly nodded, deciding that it was only fair.

“I guess that settles it,” Twilight smiled, “go ahead Rarity, start us out.”

“Believe it or not, my love life is quite stale,” Rarity huffed. “I do wish for companionship but I am just too busy!”

“Uh whatever you say Rarity,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes, “I see you ogling stallions all the time.”

“How dare you accuse me of doing something so uncouth!” Rarity placed a hoof on her chest.

“Rainbow’s got a point, Rares,” Applejack chuckled.

“Yeah! I remember there was this one time you were just staring at Fancy Pants’ flank!” Pinkie giggled. 

“You weren’t even trying to be discreet about it either,” Twilight finished.

Zipp snickered. “How bold.”

“But have you seen his flank? It’s so toned!” Rarity smiled sheepishly. 

“I don’t really stare at ponies’ flanks,” Twilight said with a straight face.

“You really should,” Rarity urged her friend. “You know what they say, the flank makes the stallion.”

“Who says that?” Hitch tilted his head.

“Oh you know,” Rarity awkwardly laughed. “Some ponies.” 

“So you’re just too busy for anything?” Twilight led the conversation back to the topic at hand.

“Exactly,” Rarity nodded thankfully to her friend. “It’s not that I’m not looking for somepony, it’s more that my standards are a little high.”

“A little?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. 

“Okay maybe my standards are a tad high,” Rarity coughed into her hooves, “but you must understand that I don’t want just any stallion.”

“As you should,” Twilight nodded. “You’re a wonderful pony!”

“Thank you Twilight,” Rarity hugged the alicorn. “I knew you would understand.”

“Are there any stallions you’ve had your eyes on?” Rainbow wiggled her eyebrows.

“No not currently,” Rarity sighed as she pulled back from her hug. “I just don’t have the time with all the fashion shows and my shops.” 

Fluttershy nodded.  “That makes sense.”

“I guess that wraps up Rarity’s love life,” Twilight announced. 

“That was a little bland, not going to lie,” Pipp slouched.

“I’m sorry darling but that’s just how it is,” Rarity smirked. She knew her love life was boring so she wasn’t worried about going first.

“It’s okay Rarity, you were brave enough to go first,” Fluttershy smiled.

“Thank you Fluttershy,” Rarity said “Now who’s going next?” 

“I think Hitch should go next,” Pipp said, a devious smirk on her face.

“Why me?! Why not somepony else?” Hitch shouted in protest.

“Hitch isn’t a bad choice,” Twilight smiled. 

“Agreed!” Rarity nodded. “I choose you Hitch.”

“Ugh fine,” Hitch hesitantly agreed, “but don’t expect much from me.”

“And why is that?” Rarity asked.

“Because as I said before, I only love my job. I haven’t really thought about having a marefriend before,” Hitch explained.

“Even when Sunny’s been with you for your whole life?” Izzy asked innocently. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sunny interjected.

“You know exactly what she means by that,” Pipp chirped.

“So you’re telling all of us that you and Sunny have no romantic feelings for one another, whatsoever?” Rarity cocked an eyebrow. “I think not.” 

“Sure we grew up together but I never really looked at Sunny in that way,” Hitch said nonchalantly

“Wait really?” Sunny tilted her head.

“I was just too focused on becoming sheriff and keeping the town peaceful, ya know?” Hitch shrugged.

“So you don’t even see me as a mare?” Sunny asked dejectedly. 

“Uh that’s not exactly it,” Hitch said, treading lightly in his next words. “It’s more that I was too busy, like Rarity!” He laughed awkwardly.

“So you like her?” Rainbow bluntly asked.

“Uhhhhh…” Hitch sat there, dumbfounded. “Maybe?”

“Is that a ‘yes maybe’ or a ‘maybe maybe’ or a ‘no maybe’?” Pinkie popped up behind the stallion.

“A maybe maybe?” Hitch said unconfidently. 

“So you maybe like Sunny? Why not go on a date with her then and find out,”  Rarity clapped her hooves together. “You two are so cute together.”

“Don’t I get a voice in this too?” Sunny asked

“Of course you do, darling!” Rarity said. “Do you want to go on a date with Hitch when you go back home?”

“Uhhh…” Sunny repeated what Hitch had done earlier. “Maybe?”

“That settles it then!” Rarity nodded contently.

“So this is why ya wanted to talk about love Rares,” Applejack rolled her eyes. “So you can set us up.” 

“There may or may not be an ulterior motive,” Rarity giggled. “I will say no more about it though.”

“Definitely did not see this coming,” Rainbow sarcastically remarked.

“Details, details,” Rarity waved her hoof around. “Anyways,” Rarity said, leaning in and resting her chin on her hoof, “Sunny, Hitch, what do you two say?” 

“I don’t know,” Hitch muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, “It just seems kind of sudden, and weird.” 

“Weird in what way?” Rarity pressed on.

“Uh, I don’t know, maybe because she’s my foalhood friend and all,” Hitch said flatly.

“Agreed,” Sunny nodded, “Just doing something like that out of the blue would be awkward.”

Rarity frowned. “You’re telling me you don’t even want to try?” 

“We’ll think it over,” Hitch said, looking at Sunny, “but we’re not promising anything will happen.” 

“Fineeeee,” Rarity sighed. 

“To be honest I thought Pipp and Hitch would make a cute couple,” Pinkie said mindlessly. 

Pipp sat up from her chair. “What!? Why would you even think that?” She looked over at the stallion,“No offense Hitch.”

“None taken,” Hitch shrugged.

“I just think you two look cute together,” Pinkie said, “there isn’t really anything else.”

“I could see it,” Rarity mumbled to herself.

“I know we reunited Equestria together and all, but we’ve barely even known each other,” Pipp shook her head. “There’s no way that’s happening right now.”

“Right now huh?” Rainbow smirked.

“You never know,” Pipp said nonchalantly.

“So you’re saying it could happen in the future?” Zipp cocked an eyebrow at her sister.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Pipp winked.

“I don’t even know what to say to you,” Hitch shook his head, his cheeks a faint tint of red.

“Can we just move on from Hitch?” Sunny said with a weak smile.

“Could it be that you don’t want to hear of Hitch being with another pony?” Rarity teased.

“N-No…” Sunny said, averting her gaze from everypony.

Rarity giggled. “Just teasing darling.” The room was filled with laughter, causing Sunny to blush hard.

Sighing, Sunny slammed her head onto the table. “Maybe I should’ve just slept in today,” the poor alicorn mumbled to herself.
> Crushes and Love Lives Part 2: Twilight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After recovering from the minor concussion Sunny gave herself from slamming her head on the table, twice, the ponies continued on with their love talk.

“Who should we pick on next?” Rainbow snickered.

“I don’t think that’s what we’re doing,” Twilight said flatly.

“Whatever,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. Then a devious idea popped into her head. “How about we talk about your love life, Twilight,” the rainbow pegasus smirked.

“W-Why me?” Twilight stuttered, surprised by the sudden call out.

“Just because,” Rainbow shrugged. The girls (and Hitch) all looked at Twilight with nods and smiles.

“Fine…” Twilight caved in. “But I don’t know where to start.”

“How about we start with Flash Sentry?” Rarity suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Flash is that orange pegasus from your photo album, right?” Izzy asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “That’s him.”

“I guess we could start there,” Twilight whispered to herself. “What would you like to know about Flash and I?” 

“How far have you guys gone? Have you done the dirty yet?” Pinkie asked.

“Wha- Wha- WHAT?!” Twilight yelled, her face completely reddening. Fluttershy fully sank into her chair, while a loud laugh came from Rainbow. The rest of the ponies were just sitting in silence, shocked at the sudden question. “Isn’t that a little too personal?” Twilight squeaked. 

“Pinkie!” Rarity gasped. “How could you ask such a question?”

“She asked,” Pinkie shrugged.

“But to start out with something so, so, so…” Twilight stuttered, looking for the right word.

“Uncouth?” Rarity suggested

“Exactly!” Twilight nodded.

“I’m a little curious now too,” Pipp said quietly. 

“We all know she’s still a virgin,” Rainbow stated bluntly, rolling her eyes. “No way an egghead like Twilight got any further than holding hooves.”
 
“That’s not very nice Rainbow,” Fluttershy frowned, causing the rainbow pegasus to shrug.

“I’m not a virgin…” Twilight mumbled quietly.

“I didn’t quite catch that darling,” Rarity smiled. “What did you say?”

“I said I’m not a virgin,” The purple alicron said again, still barely audible.

“A little louder sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“I said…” Twilight started with a normal volume, the other ponies nodding.“I’M NOT A VIRGIN!” Twilight shouted, her face the color of a tomato. Everypony sat in silence, pure shock written on their faces. 

“Looks like somepony owes me a hundred bits,” Rarity said under her breath, a smirk forming on her face.

“No way!” Rainbow grumbled. “Please say you’re joking Twilight…”

“I’m not joking,” Twilight wore a sheepish smile. “Sorry Rainbow.”

“I’m waiting, Rainbow,” Rarity giggled.

“Fine! Here’s your money,” Rainbow growled, tossing her a bag of bits.

“Wait, you were betting on my virginity?!” Twilight shouted angrily. 

“Hey it wasn’t just us!” Rainbow defended herself. “The other girls were in on it too.”

“Not cool Dashie,” Pinkie shook her head. 

“No at all,” Applejack glared at Rainbow.

“I told you girls it wasn’t a good idea,” Fluttershy squeaked. The New Generation just sat in silence, watching everything unfold. It was quite the show. 

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Rainbow frowned, slumping into her chair.

“Ahem,” Rarity cleared her throat, gathering everyone’s attention. “Mind sharing about your experience?” Rarity winked at Twilight

“Do I have to?” Twilight protested. “Weren’t you the one to say it was, and I quote, ‘uncouth’?”

“Details, darling, details,” Rarity waved her hoof, dismissing that.

“Fine,” Twilight groaned. “Just know that I won’t reveal who it is for privacy sake. I don’t want you bothering him.”

“That’s fair,” Rainbow said, answering for the whole group.

“Should Hitch be in here still?” Sunny asked, looking cautiously at the stallion.

“If he wants to stay he can,” Twilight answered. “I won’t be going into too much detail and I’m sure he can handle it.”

“I am an adult after all,” Hitch shrugged.

“On with it now Twilight,” Rarity smiled.

“Alright, alright,” Twilight sighed. She was totally going to regret this later. “It was back when I was still living in Canterlot. Celestia practically kicked me out of my study, telling me to go socialize. Keep in mind that I wasn’t too keen on making friends back then.”

“But at least you are now!” Pinkie said cheerfully.

“And I’m thankful for that,” Twilight smiled at the party pony. “Although I was hesitant at first, I headed to a nearby pub.”

“Don’t tell me you did it with some stranger while you were drunk!” Rarity gasped in horror.

“No, Rarity,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “I have standards, you know.”

“O-Of course you do darling,” Rarity awkwardly smiled, avoiding Twilight’s eyes.

Twilight chuckled. “Anyways, the pub was crowded and the only seat left was at the bar. I decided that I’d have a little drink that night, thinking that it would get me out of my shell. Boy was I right.” 

“What happened?” Sunny asked, intrigued. 

“Well after a few drinks I got a wee bit tipsy and maybe, sort of flirted with a couple stallions,” Twilight smiled sheepishly.

 Rainbow broke out laughing. “You? Flirting? No way!” 

“Even I can do it if I try!” Twilight protested, frowning. “It would just take a little time and some reading. Then maybe some preparations, lists, lists for those lis-”

“We all know you can do anything if you put your mind to it,” Rarity interrupted her friend’s little tangent. “But if you wouldn’t mind, could you continue on with your story? It’s starting to get good.”

“Yes of course,” Twilight awkwardly laughed. “After flirting for a bit with some stallions, I noticed somepony I already knew! We’ll call him ‘Sen’ for now. Anyways, I decided that since I was there to have fun, I might as well have fun with someone I was familiar with.” Twilight blushed a little, rubbing the back of her neck. “And for the record, when I thought of having fun I was not thinking of sex.” 

“Really? Then how did it get there?” Zipp snickered. 

“Well after chatting with Sen for a bit, we decided that it was about time we got home. It was getting kind of late if I remember correctly, so he walked me to my study.” Twilight goofily grinned, making her little crush obvious.

“I take it you still somewhat have feelings for this stallion?” Rarity smirked.

“A bit,” Twilight nodded. “It’s not that he was my first though. I’ve just kind of always liked him. He’s kind of a foalhood crush I guess.” 

“That’s so cute!” Izzy and Pipp cooed.

“First time we’ve heard this,” Applejack said.

“We don’t usually talk about our love lives so it just didn’t come up,” Twilight shrugged.

“That’s why we’re talking about it now,” Rarity concluded. “So we can learn even more about everypony!”

“So what happened after he took you home?” Hitch asked nonchalantly.

“What do you think happened, Hitch?” Sunny cocked an eyebrow.

“She brought him into her house and they…” Hitch stopped, his face turned tomato red, not wanting to finish it.

“I thought you were an adult,” Rainbow teased the stallion.

“Well, that’s basically the gist of it,” Twilight chuckled. “After inviting him in I offered that he stay over since it was already late. He accepted, of course, and I decided to be a little bold. Those drinks really helped.” Twilight's sheepish smile told it all. “We were just snuggling at first, but it quickly evolved into something more… intimate, to say the least. He was very gentle, and made sure I was okay with everything. He was truly a gentlecolt.”

“That sounds amazing darling,” Rarity nodded, content with the story.

“Mhm!” Pinkie agreed.

“It was alright,” Rainbow shrugged.

“To think that he got to take a future princess’ flower,” Zipp chuckled. “What a lucky guy.”

“I think I was the lucky one to have met him,” Twilight offered with a smile.

“Uhm, Twilight, If you don’t mind me asking, is the stallion you’re talking about Flash Sentry?” Fluttershy asked, causing the purple alicorn to freeze up for a little.

“What? How? No…” Twilight finally squeaked out, which was not very convincing. 

“It was totally Flash,” Rainbow said flatly.

“Eeyup,” Applejack nodded.

“I’m so so sorry!” Fluttershy frantically apologized to the alicorn.

“How’d you even figure that out?” Twilight spoke from under her wings.

“Well the name ‘Sen’ is kind of similar to Sentry, so I just assumed that. Also because you said someone you were acquainted with, and you didn’t know many ponies too well back then,” Fluttershy explained.

Twilight sighed, finally calming herself down. “Well I guess I’m at fault for making it obvious. Sorry for overreacting.”

“It’s alright Twi,” Applejack assured her. “We ain’t got nothin’ against Flash. He’s a good stallion for sure.”

“Can I please plan your wedding? Foal shower? PLEASE!” Pinkie begged her friend.

“What are you talking about Pinkie!” Twilight blushed again. “Flash and I aren’t like that. I haven’t talked to him in forever.”

“Aww pooie!” Pinkie frowned, slouching into her chair.

“What’s this about a wedding and foal showers?” a sudden voice came from the teapot in the middle.

“Did that teapot just talk?” Hitch said, pointing his hoof at it.

“Why yes, yes I did,” the teapot turned to Hitch, a pair of familiar yellow eyes appearing on it. Suddenly a mouth with a singular fang sticking out popped up.

“Creepy!” Izzy chirped.

“Is that you, Discord?” Sunny asked, still not familiar with the draconequus.

“Indeed!” Discord announced, changing back to his original appearance, “It is I, Discord!” 

“Welcome back Dissy!” Pinkie waved frantically at him.

“Hello to you too, Pinkie,” Discord nodded to the party pony. “Now back to my original inquiry, who is getting married and who is having a foal?” Discord looked around at the ponies around him.

“Twilight’s getting married, and she even has a foal coming!” Rainbow lied.

“Oh?” Discord looked at the princess, looking a little uneasy.. “This is news to me. Why didn’t you tell me? Now I have such little time to find you a present.” 

“No one is getting married, nor is anyone having a baby!” Twilight yelled in embarrassment.

“Twi’s right,” Applejack backed her up. “Rainbow was just pullin’ your tail.” 

“That’s good to hear,” Discord sighed. 

“Why did you sound relieved to hear that?” Rainbow asked. Then it hit her. A devious smirk formed on her face. “Do you like Tw-” 

Before she could finish, a snap was heard and her mouth suddenly disappeared from her face. “Well if you look at the time,” Discord said uneasily, looking down at his non-existent watch. “It’s time for me to have tea with Smooze!” He snapped again, disappearing while making Rainbow’s mouth appear again.

“Well that was odd,” Zipp commented.

“Indeed it was,” Hitch nodded.

“I like Discord! He’s funny,” Izzy finished.

“What were you going to say Rainbow?” Rarity eyed the pegasus, a knowing look on her face. 

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Rainbow said, whistling.

“I think we all know what Rainbow was about to say,” Twilight said flatly.

“Well this got a bit awkward,” Hitch commented.

“Let’s just pretend we didn’t hear that?” Fluttershy suggested quietly. 

“Eeyup,” Applejack agreed.

“Yeah lets go with that," Twilight said, nodding slowly. “I’ll make sure to talk to him later.”

“I think it’s about time we move on from Twilight,” Rarity said. “She has told us quite a lot.” The ponies all agreed. Twilight had been the one to share the most details, so it was only fair.

“Who's going next?” Izzy asked.

“How about we take a little break before moving on to somepony else? Twilight looks like she could use one,” Sunny asked everypony.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Twilight sighed. “Meet back here in half an hour?” Twilight asked, already standing by the doorway. The others agreed and nodded, all going off to do their own things for a little bit. 

As Twilight walked out of the room, she sighed, whispering to herself. “I’m never talking about love again with the girls again. Only with Cadence.” 
> Crushes and Love Lives Part 3: Fluttershy and Izzy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I think that’s everypony,” Twilight said as Pinkie Pie bounced towards her seat.

“So who’s the next victim,” Zipp smirked.

“Please don’t be me, please don’t be me,” Fluttershy whispered to herself. This, however, caught the attention of a certain rainbow pegasus.

“Guess Fluttershy is next then,” Rainbow said nonchalantly. 

“Eep!” The shy pegasus hid behind her forehooves. “Why me?”

“It’s like when a teacher calls out that student that obviously doesn’t want to do it,” Twilight shrugged. “Not that it has ever happened to me.”

“Egghead,” Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Do I really have to? Can’t I just sit out?” Fluttershy smiled awkwardly, trying to get herself out of this horrible situation.

“C’mon Fluttershy!” Rainbow urged her on. “It’s not like it will be as bad as Twilight’s. Unless, you know, you want to talk about that kind of stuff.” Rainbow finished with a shrug.

“Everything will be fine darling,” Rarity encouraged the yellow pegasus. “Just think of it like one of our spa days.”

“F-Fine…” Fluttershy hesitantly agreed. 

“Yay!” Pinkie cheered.

“So where are you starting from? Fillyhood? Adolescence?” Sunny bombarded the poor pony with questions. 

“I guess I can talk about that…'' Fluttershy mumbled to herself. She just wanted to be done as soon as possible.

“What was that sugarcube?” Applejack looked at her friend cautiously.

“Nothing,” Fluttershy flushed. “Is it fine if I just tell a story?”

“That’s perfectly fine,” Twilight nodded. 

“Taking the Twilight route I see,” Hitch chuckled.

“It’s the safest option,” Zipp said. “And probably the best one at that.”

“I love stories!” Izzy clapped her forehooves together.

“Alright everypony” Applejack said, all the other ponies quieting down. “Let Fluttershy talk.” 

“Ahem,” Fluttershy cleared her throat (quietly). Looking at everypony around her, she hesitated a bit. “So a few years after I got my cutie mark, I decided to come down and stay in Ponyville. It just felt like I was at home when I was on the ground.”

“That makes sense,” Twilight said. “Ponies always want to be in a place where they are most comfortable.” 

“Eeyup,” Applejack nodded.

“But the problem was that I didn’t really have a place to stay,” Fluttershy smiled sheepishly.

 “Didn’t you go down during winter too?” Rainbow rubbed her chin. “If I remember correctly it was an oddly snowy one too.” 

“Unfortunately I did decide to move down during the winter when a lot of the animals were hibirtaniting,” Fluttershy sulked. 

“No place to stay and during a harsh winter?” Rarity gasped. “Darling, that must have been awful!”

“It wasn’t so bad. I slept in a cave for the first couple days next to Harry,” Fluttershy giggled at the memory. “He’s such a deep sleeper.”

“But how about food, baths, and other things?” Rarity egged on. 

“I would still go into town and buy food and supplies, but bathing wasn’t really a priority at the time,” Fluttershy said. This caused Rarity to gasp.

“No bathing?!” Rarity said, falling onto a couch she moved into the room.

“Rarity, what did I say about moving around the furniture?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow.

“Ah, sorry darling,” the alabaster unicorn awkwardly laughed, moving the couch back into the adjacent room. “But no bathing? I could not imagine how awful it must’ve been.”

“I didn’t mind it too much,” Fluttershy said, tapping her chin. “Although it was a little uncomfortable.”

“So when does love come into this?” Izzy tilted her head.

“Well it happened a week or two after I arrived,” Fluttershy started to explain. “I was running low on bits and food. I was feeling a little hungry and went into town to buy something cheap. That’s when I spotted your brother running the stand, Applejack.” 

“I think I know where this is going,” Rainbow smirked.

“I think I do too,” Applejack dryly chuckled, causing Fluttershy to flush a bit. “It’s alright sugarcube, go on.” 

After a bit of silence, Fluttershy continued on. “As I approached the stand, my hunger finally caught up to me,” Fluttershy blushed. “Then my stomach rumbled right in front of Big Mac.”

“Oh dear,” Pipp said.

“That must’ve been awkward,” Hitch chuckled.

“It was so horrifying I froze on the spot.” Fluttershy frowned. 

“I sure hope he didn’t say nothin’ embarrassing to you afterwards,” Applejack huffed. “If he did he’ll be gettin’ an earful from me later.”

“Oh no he was very kind. He didn’t even laugh,” Fluttershy explained. “He offered me a couple apples and when I went to pull out my bits he just shook his head.” 

“We all know Big Mac is a real gentlecolt,” Rarity nodded.

“Still not really seeing where love comes into this,” Hitch said, a little dense.

“Oh Hitch, what are we going to do with you,” Sunny chuckled, shaking her head.

“I wouldn’t say it was really love, It was more of a teensy crush at the time.” Fluttershy giggled a bit.“But I’m over it now. Sugar Belle and him make an adorable couple.” Flushing a bit, Fluttershy quickly added.

“Ohhhh I see,” Hitch nodded, finally understanding what happened.

“I’ve never heard about this before,” Rainbow said, looking at Fluttershy.

“No one has,” Fluttershy smiled. “I like to keep my love life private.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Twilight nodded. “There’s no need to go around flaunting it around if you’re not comfortable with that.” 

“Uh huh!” Pinkie chirped. 

“So true,” Pipp nodded

“Is that all Fluttershy? Nothing else to add on?” Rainbow asked.

“Nothing at all.” Fluttershy replied, shaking her head. “It was just the most relevant story that came to mind.”

“I take it your love life isn’t the most exciting,” Sunny said. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Fluttershy smiled at the orange alicorn. “I like things the way they are, calm and slow.”

“That’s oddly adorable,” Zipp commented.

“Taking things slow is probably the best,” Twilight concluded.

“Heh, like you could say anything about taking it slow,” Rainbow snickered.

“IT WAS ONE TIME!” Twilight huffed, slouching in her chair while crossing her hooves. 

“And ain’t nothing wrong with experiencing it at least once,” Applejack comforted Twilight.

“So now that we’re done with Fluttershy’s story, who’s next?” Rarity said, looking around the room. Silence filled the room as the ponies looked at one another.

“I guess I’ll go next!” Izzy chirped. “All this love talk is exciting.”

“I’m glad someone volunteered,” Rarity wore a gleeful smile. “Next one is getting picked though!” She sang.

“When in tarnation did that become a thing?” Applejack cocked an eyebrow.

“Just now,” Rarity smirked. “Any objections?” A silence filled the room again. “I’ll take that as  no.”

“Guess you’re up Izzy,” Sunny nodded to the unicorn.

“Don’t get too excited now,” Izzy started. “Remember how I said my town was boring? Well, the dating scene was just as boring. I’m talking as dull as rocks!”

Pinkie gasped, horrified. “Don’t let my sisters hear you say that,” Pinkie whispered to Izzy.

“Okay!” Izzy nodded without question. 

“So I’m guessing your love life is pretty boring too,” Rainbow concluded.

“Yup! The only stallion that I would consider hooking up with as of now is,” Izzy pointed at the only stallion in the room. “Hitch!”

It took a bit for Hitch to process what his unicorn friend just said. Sitting there with a blank stare, it finally clicked. “Wait, what?!”

“Hooking up sounds a bit too casual, darling,” Rarity coughed, taking a sip of tea.

“We do it all the time in Bridlewood!” Izzy chirped.

“By hook up you mean…” Twilight eyed the unicorn cautiously.

“Pfft you know, sex!” Izzy chirped, causing Rarity to spit out her tea all over Applejack’s face. Twilight's eyes went wide while Fluttershy sunk into her chair. Rainbow and Pinkie sat there, mouths agape, while the New Generation just looked in shock at their friend.

“Thanks Rarity,” Applejack huffed.

“I’m sorry Applejack,” Rarity apologized to the farmer, “but did you just hear what I just heard?” 

“Eeyup,” Applejack nodded, wiping her face.

“You're joking, right?” Pipp asked. 

“Please say you’re joking,” Zipp added on.

“Nope!” Izzy said cheerfully.

“Oh dear…” Fluttershy said.

“You know what,” Hitch said, awkwardly laughing. “You learn something new everyday.”

“This is something I could’ve gone without knowing though,” Pipp said bluntly.

“Same here,” Sunny sighed.

“What’s the big deal everypony?” Izzy tilted her head. “Don’t you all have a roll in the mud every once in a while too?”

“To put it as politely as possible,” Rainbow inhaled deeply. “BUCK NO!”

“No need to get so aggressive Dashie,” Pinkie shook her head in disappointment. 

“Sorry,” Rainbow grumbled.

“What’s so wrong with it though?” Izzy said, obviously oblivious. 

“Well let’s just say that most ponies regard sex as something private and intimate,” Twilight explained. “Doing it casually seems almost taboo, even if it’s a somewhat common practice nowadays.”

“Not common among us it seems,”Applejack chuckled.

“As it seems,” Twilight nodded. “But Izzy, don’t feel that you need to do what we do to be friends. Differences between friends is what makes those bonds strong.”

“Hey... that sounds familiar,” Pinkie rubbed her chin. 

“Probably a lesson one of us learned,” Rainbow waved her hoof in the air.

“That was the first lesson Starlight learned,” Twilight smiled. 

“Sounds like it,” Rainbow laughed. 

“You guys had friendship lessons?” Zipp tilted her head.

“We used to write them down all the lessons we learned about friendship in a journal that we all kept together. There was this one time we even made it into a book,” Twilight said, sighing. “That didn’t go too well.”

“Why’s that?” Sunny asked.

“Let's just say that some ponies went a little overboard with their reactions to the stories,” Twilight smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. “They still sell some copies in bookstores, they’re just not as popular anymore.”

“Interesting…” Hitch nodded. 

“So we’re just going to move on from what Izzy said?” Rarity asked out of the blue.

“I didn’t really see a need for her to elaborate anymore,” Twilight shrugged.

“To be honest I’d rather just kind of move on from it as well,” Fluttershy smiled. The rest of the ponies (sans Rarity) nodded in unison. It had been an awfully awkward talk. 

“I think that we should just wrap up today,” Twilight suggested.

“Seriously?”  Rarity’s face deadpanned.  “We’re seriously going to end it there?”

“Eeyup.”
> Crushes and Love Lives Part 4: Rainbow and Zipp
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Another day, another talk, and another victim,” Rainbow said upon entering the room.

“And that victim is you today, Rainbow,” Applejack smirked.

“Wha- WHY?” Rainbow shouted, her mouth agape.

“Well Twilight spun a wheel while you were arriving and it landed on you!” Sunny explained, pointing at the wheel of misfortune. As she said, it was pointing right at a drawing of her cutie mark.

“No way, that’s not fair,” Rainbow groaned. “I wasn’t even here!”

“Don’t worry, the rest of us saw it land on you fair and square!” Izzy chirped.

“This really blows,” Rainbow sighed.

“C’mon Dashie it’s not so bad!” Pinkie encouraged her pegasus friend.

“Yeah c’mon Rainbow,” Applejack chuckled. 

“I’ll do it okay? Just let me get comfortable,” Rainbow finally agreed, settling into her chair. 

“Now what do you have in store for us,” Twilight smiled. Rainbow sat in silence, looking deep in thought. She was searching the many archives of amazingly awesome stories in her mind, finding one that suited the situation.

Perking up, Rainbow finally found one. “I’ll go with that one!” She shouted to herself.

“Ooo sounds like it's going to be good!” Pinkie bounced in her chair.

“It’s going to be better than good,” Rainbow smirked, “It's going to be AWESOME!”

“Of course it is,” Twilight rolled her eyes. 

“On with it darling, enough stalling,” Rarity ushered the rainbow pegasus to start.

“We’re going back all the way back to flight camp,” Rainbow explained. Hearing this, Fluttershy perked up, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. “It was my last year when I had my first, let's say, roll in the hay.” Rainbow finished with a snicker.

“Oh no...” Fluttershy flushed a bit.

“Was it a stallion or mare?” Applejack asked bluntly.

“We all know it was a mare,” Pinkie smiled.

“Wait what?” Sunny tilted her head.

“We all know Rainbow swings that way,” Rarity waved her hoof around. “It’s pretty obvious, the way she looks at Spitfire.” 

“And Applejack,” Twilight mumbled under her breath.

“And who?” Rarity cocked an eyebrow at the purple alicorn.

“No one,” Twilight said quickly, awkwardly smiling.

“I don’t just like mares though,” Rainbow confirmed, “I swing both ways.” She finished with a shrug. 

“Huh,” Zipp nodded slowly. “That's interesting.”

“There aren’t that many same sex couples,” Pipp explained. “Or at least we don’t see that many.” 

“That’s odd. There’s tons of them here,” Twilight said, looking a little perplexed.

“Guess that’s another difference,” Sunny said.

“I hate to interrupt but Rainbow still has a story to tell,” Rarity smiled.

“Oh right,” Twilight said, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry. Go ahead, Rainbow.”

“Where did I leave off?” Rainbow pondered. “Oh right! My first roll in the hay. It was with a pegasus mare, obviously. She was worried and stressed about not passing the final flying exam because she was a weak flyer.” Rainbow shot a quick glance at a certain yellow pegasus in the room. Fortunately for said pegasus, no one noticed. “She even got picked on because of it.”

“How horrible!” Rarity frowned. The ponies nodded in agreement. 

“I feel like we know the other pegasus in this story,” Pinkie rubbed chin. “I just can’t put my hoof on it though.”

“There’s a high chance you do,” Rainbow smirked. 

Pinkie shrugged. “Whatever! On with the story Dashie.” 

“Well lets just say that a little heart-to-heart and comforting quickly turned into something a bit more… steamy, we’ll say,” Rainbow chuckled, wiggling her eyebrows at Fluttershy.

“Oh dear,” was all Fluttershy could squeak out before blushing hard.

“I think I figured out who the pony was!” Pinkie chirped.

Rarity gasped. “You’re telling me you and Fluttershy were each other’s first?” 

“I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” Rainbow admitted nonchalantly. We were each other’s first mares, yes. I’m not sure if Fluttershy is still a virgin though.”

“Eep!” Fluttershy yelped as she dove under the table. 

“Well I was not expecting that,” Twilight said with a blank look.

“Don’t knock it till you try it Twilight,” Rainbow winked at her. “It’s definitely something you should try at least once in life.”

“Duly noted,” Twilight nodded slowly. “Maybe I’ll ask Cadence,” she mumbled to herself.

“I heard that darling,” Rarity coughed, causing the purple alicorn to flush. 

“Heh, sorry,” Twilight smiled sheepishly.

“So you and Flutershy, huh?” Zipp looked at the two pegasi.

“It wasn’t just a one time thing either,” Rainbow admitted. 

“Rainbow, do you have to tell them that?” Fluttershy said quietly, pouting. 

“C’mon Flutters, it’s not like we did anything forbidden,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “We just relieved some stress, ya know?”

“Dash is right Fluttershy,” Applejack patted the poor pegasus. “It’s not like we see you two any differently because of it.”

“If you say so,” Fluttershy sighed, giving up.

“We’re learning all kinds of new things about each other!” Rarity clapped her forehooves together. 

“I’d rather have kept that one a secret,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“I think it’s cool you and Dashie did that!” Pinkie grinned. 

“Exploring one’s self is always a good idea,” Twilight nodded. “The more you learn about yourself, the more powerful you are.” 

“I guess so…” Fluttershy gave a weak smile. 

“So like, are you and Fluttershy a thing or…?” Pipp asked with a smile.

“Really close friends,” Rainbow said slowly.

“Rainbow and I are only friends,” Fluttershy nodded, glaring at Rainbow.

“You know you enjoyed it,” Rainbow smirked. Fluttershy just stared at the wonderbolt in shock and disappointment.

“Well that sure was interesting,” Hitch half smiled. 

“Sure was,” Applejack agreed, nodding.

“Just spin the wheel please,” Fluttershy pleaded.

“Okie dokie!” Pinkie said, giving the wheel a big pull towards herself. The cutie marks spun and spun, slowing down and finally landing on a thunderbolt with a crown above it.

“Look like it’s your turn Zipp!” Pipp giggled, earning her an elbow to the side from Zipp.

“I hope you all don’t mind a boring story, because I for one don’t have much experience with anything,” Zipp said.

“Don’t worry, every story would be boring if it was told after mine,” Rainbow jokingly said.

“Good one Rainbow,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes.

“How many times has she done this already?” Twilight shook her head, unamused. 

“At least five times already,” Sunny answered.

“C’mon guys, it was a joke, a joke!” Rainbow quickly said, seeing the agitation on some ponies’ faces. 

“Let’s move onto Zipp, shall we?” Fluttershy offered with a smile.

“Y-Yeah,” Rainbow said, whistling. 

“What are you even going to talk about Zipp?” Pipp said to her sister, cocking an eyebrow.

Zipp shrugged. “I don’t really know. That’s why I said it was going to be boring.”

“Maybe you can talk about that one time I caught you fooling around with a guard!” Pipp mindlessly suggested.

“Pipp! That was supposed to be a secret,” Zipp hissed, punching her sister’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” Pipp muttered, rubbing her shoulder. “I was just trying to help.”

“You did help, Pipp,” Rarity smirked. “So Zipp, what’s this about messing around with guards?”

“You can’t tell anyone about this, ever,” Zipp looked at Sunny, Hitch, and Izzy. “If anyone finds out about this, it might become a huge scandal.”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Izzy recited, causing the Elements to giggle.

“Well would ya look at that,” Applejack smiled. “She learned the Pinkie Promise.”

“We promise Zipp,” Sunny and Hitch said in unison.

“Guess that means I have to tell you now,” Zipp sighed. “So basically, it was that time of year again.”

“By ‘that time’ you mean estrus, right?” Twilight asked.

“Yes,” Zipp clarified. “Or ‘heat’ as it is more commonly referred to as.”

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy’s face colored.

“Ah yes, heat,” Rarity sighed. “Truly an annoyance.”

“Agreed,” Sunny nodded. “I usually just hole up in my house when I feel it coming.”

“I used to just find the nearest stallion and rut him till I'm satisfied,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “It’s not like they don’t enjoy it.”

“Rainbow, that could land you in jail you know,” Twilight face deadpanned as she looked at her pegasus friend.

“And you’re saying you haven’t done that before?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow.

“No, no I haven’t actually,” Twilight frowned. “I usually ask them for permission first.”

“I probably should've done that,” Rainbow said. “But hey, at least I don’t do that anymore. I like doing it with people I’m comfortable with now.”

“Wait a minute Twilight, you just ask random stallions to help you?” Rarity gasped. “B-But you’re a princess dear!”

“A princess with needs, Rarity,” Twilight stared at Rarity blankly. “I make sure they sign an agreement though so they can’t tell anyone. Also I make sure everything is safe and I won’t get pregnant.”

“Well that’s one way to do it,” Applejack chuckled.

“Maybe we can talk about this another time?” Fluttershy offered. “Zipp still has to continue on with her story.”

“No, no,” Zipp quickly shook her head. “We can keep going with this if you all want to.” 

“You’re just trying to get out of telling the story, aren’t you?” Pipp said, causing Zipp to glare at her. 

“I mean it sounds like a pretty normal story,” Hitch shrugged. 

“Yeah she probably just lost control of herself because she was in heat and screwed a guard! Simple as that,” Pinkie said, smiling cheerfully.

“Well, that was the basic gist of it,” Zipp half-smiled.

“Well if that’s the case maybe we talk about our estrus experiences a bit more,” Twilight nodded.

“I would like that very much,” Zipp had a grateful look on her face. 
> Estrus Experiences
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Estrus. 

It is something every mare had to go through in their lifetime. Now what exactly is it? It’s essentially when mares have an almost uncontrollable urge to breed. They are in heat, to put it plainly. It can last up to ten days if the mare is unlucky. How do they deal with it? Well, let’s find out!





“So… estrus huh,” Hitch said, pouring himself some tea.

“Yup! Estrus is super duper annoying,” Pinkie huffed. “It gets in the way of me baking or throwing parties or doing anything fun!” 

“And there’s always that smell in the air,” Rarity said with a disgusted look on her face. “It’s very unladylike if I do say so myself.”

“Ah yes, the smell,” Hitch awkwardly chuckled. 

Sunny smirked. “Hitch, we all know you enjoy it.”

“Can you really blame me? It’s just nature!” Hitch complained.

“Just teasing again,” Sunny giggled.

“I bet you two do more than that when it’s that time of year,” Zipp said with a smirk.

“Nooo….” Sunny’s voice trailed off.

“Yeah, we don’t do that,” Hitch said, not so convincingly. 

“It’s nothin’ to be ashamed of. You have to scratch that itch some way or another,” Applejack said.

 Twilight nodded. “We all have our way of dealing with heat. No one’s going to judge you on how you do it. It’s just nature, as Hitch mentioned.”

“If there’s no shame, that means we’re all going to share our ways we deal with heat, right?” Rainbow smirked.

“If Hitch is comfortable with it, then I don’t see why not,” Twilight calmly replied.

“I mean I’m cool with anything,” Hitch shrugged. “Just try not to go into too much detail, alright?”

“Well that settles it then,” Twilight said, nodding. “Some of us already explained how they deal with estrus, so who wants to go next?”

“Ooo, pick me! Pick me!” Pinkie exclaimed, waving her hoof in the air frantically. 

“Okay Pinkie, you got the floor,” Twilight said.

“Well, to keep it sweet and simple, I would basically do what Twilight did!” Pinkie said with no shame.

“Huh, why am I not surprised,” Zipp said with a blank look.

“So that’s how you got super close with everypony in town,” Rainbow put the pieces together. 

“I can’t imagine ever doing that,” Rarity sighed.

“Well, then what do you do, Rarity?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow

“Well, I relieve myself through more proper and private means,” Rarity put on a dignified smile.

“So you mastrubate?” Applejack said bluntly, causing Fluttershy to squeak.

“If you must put it in such crude terms, then yes,” Rarity said with no shame. “I prefer the phrase, ‘pleasuring oneself,’ though.”

“I could’ve gone without knowing that,” Hitch sighed.

“Don’t be complaining now Hitch,” Sunny nudged the stallion. “You did say you were ‘cool with anything’.” Sunny said with air quotes.

“I know, I know,” Hitch smiled weakly. “It’s just that it’s a bit odd to hear somepony say that. Especially if it's a mare.”

“I’m sure everypony does it,” Rainbow shrugged. “Especially mares.” 

“I guess you’re right,” Hitch shrugged. 

“How about you Pipp?” Rarity asked. “How do you deal with it?”

“Well, most of the time I just do what Twilight does,” Pipp answered. “Except it’s more with the castle’s staff rather than some random pony on the street.”

“Hey, it’s not just a random pony!” Twilight protested. “I choose based on a whole chart I’ve drawn out. Care to take a look?” Twilight finished, pulling out the chart.

 Applejack shook her head. “No thanks sugarcube.”

“The chart would probably confuse most of us anyways,” Rainbow tagged in. Twilight pouted but complied, putting it away.

“I’d like to see the chart later,” Fluttershy whispered to Twilight, unknown to everypony in the room.

“So you basically do what Zipp does,” Sunny asked Pipp.

“Zipp usually doesn’t do anything,” Pipp said. “She just holes up in her room most of the time.”

“That’s exactly what I do,” Zipp nodded. “That thing with the guard was just a fling.” 

“There’s some years where it's so unbearable that even if you try and hole up, you just can’t resist it,” Sunny sighed.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Applejack agreed. 

“Uh-huh!” Pinkie nodded energetically. 

“So what do you usually do for those years?” Hitch asked.

“I just always ask one of the stallions in town!” Izzy smiled. “They’re always happy to do it. I wonder why.” She finished, tapping her chin.

“Yeah… I wonder why,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

“I have no idea!” Izzy shrugged.

“How about you Dashie? What do you do?” Pinkie called her out.

“I already told you all, but I mess around here and there with some ponies I’m comfortable with,” Rainbow answered. “Doing it with a stranger just seems kind of strange now.”

“I can agree with that,” Applejack said, while Rarity nodded in agreement.

“It’s comforting when it’s someone you know well,” Fluttershy smiled.

“And who is that ‘someone you know well,’ Fluttershy?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, well, he’s, uh…” Fluttershy tensed, blushing as she stumbled over her words.

“Just teasing darling,” Rarity winked, causing Fluttershy to relax a bit.

“You’re so mean Rarity,” Fluttershy complained, pouting.

“Sorry, sorry,” Rarity said with sincerity. “Your reactions are just so adorable that I can’t resist teasing you a little.”

“She’s right,” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“I alway wondered how you dealt with heat Flutters,” Rainbow said, tapping her chin. “I always thought you just locked yourself in till it was over since you were so shy.” 

“You aren’t wrong Rainbow,” Fluttershy said. “I used to just hole up in the cottage before and bear with it. I eventually grew a little bolder though, even if it’s not as bold as Twilight or Pipp.”

“That’s wonderful Fluttershy,” Twilight smiled. “That must have been hard to do.”

“It was,” Fluttershy nodded. “I’m more comfortable now than ever, and it’s all thanks to you girls.” 

“Aw shucks,” Applejack tipped her hat over her face. “You’re making me blush.”

“We’re glad we could help you,” Twilight said.

“Yeah! We are all bestest of friends after all!” Pinkie chirped.

“Indeed we are,” Rarity nodded.

“Y-Yeah!” Rainbow finished, trying not to be mushy





“Did everyone share already?” Twilight asked, scanning everypony.

“I don’t think Applejack shared yet,” Rainbow called out the farmer, earning her an elbow to her side.

“Now why did you have to out me like that?” Applejack shook her head, scowling.

“That’s not very honest of you,” Rainbow snickered.

“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes at the comment.

“It’s only fair, Applejack,” Twilight commented. “Everyone else shared already.

“I know,” Applejack weakly smiled. “You know how I am.”

“A little stubborn?” Rainbow said bluntly.

“Exactly,” Applejack nodded happily. 

“So how do you deal with heat?” Rarity tilted her head. 

“Believe it or not, I just power through it with cold showers and hard work,” Applejack proudly said.

“H-How?” Sunny asked, mouth agape.

“Is that even physically possible?” Pipp asked.

“I wish I could do that,” Twilight huffed. “But I do know it’s possible that if you're focused on something that the effects of estrus can be weaker.”

“You aren’t able to work through it, Twilight?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You’re one of the few ponies I thought could. You know, with all your bookworm stuff.”

“There are some years where I just can’t. It takes a strong will to suppress estrus every year,” Twilight nodded her head to Applejack. “That’s very impressive.”

“So you’re telling me that it’s possible to just ignore it?” Zipp shook her head in disbelief.

“Applejack here is living proof,” Twilight said.

“I always wondered why you were always working the fields during that time of year,” Rainbow added. “Now I know.”

“I think I might have to try that,” Zipp tapped her chin.

“Me too!” Sunny agreed.

“I don’t mind it at all! It’s fun being in heat,” Izzy smiled gleefully.

“I don’t really mind it either. There’s some pleasure in it,” Pipp said suggestively.

“Well I for one would appreciate it not existing in the first place,” Rarity frowned. “It gets in the way of dress-making.”

“Same here. Wonderbolt work and all,” Rainbow agreed.

“It’s just impossible to get anything done, especially reading,” Twilight sighed. 

“W-Well I don’t really mind it too much either,” Fluttershy surprisingly said. 

“Me too! I get to get  closer to everypony!” Pinkie bounced in her chair. Everypony decided  to talk amongst themselves about their future exploits during estrus. Some planned to try Applejack’s fix, while others decided that it wasn’t for them. 





“Would you look at the time,” Twilight said, looking at the clock on the wall. “I think it’s time to wrap up girls.”

“Alrighty!” Pinkie and Izzy nodded. They were sitting next to each other. They talked about their estrus exploits throughout the evening.

“See y'all tomorrow,” Applejack waved to everypony before making her way to the door. The room slowly emptied out, leaving Hitch just sitting there in the room. 

“Well that was an interesting experience…” Hitch said to himself in the empty room. “Very, very interesting."
> Crushes and Love Lives Part 5: Pinkie and Applejack
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“There’s only two ponies left who need to share!” Twilight happily announced as everypony got comfortable in their chairs.

“And who are those two ponies, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“It’s me and Applejack!” Pinkie answered in steed.

“That’s correct Pinkie, it is you two,” Twilight confirmed.

“Ah phooey,” Applejack said, frowning.

“C’mon Applejack, it’s not that bad,” Rainbow smirked. “Unless, you have something you’re hiding from us?”

“Ain’t nothin’ like that Rainbow,'' Applejack admitted. “Just like keepin’ these things private.”

“You don’t have to share if you’re not comfortable, Applejack,” Twilight said, smiling. 

“That wouldn’t be fair, now would it?” Rarity grinned.

“I’m fine with sharin’. It wouldn’t be fair, as Rarity said. Just don’t expect too much detail for me,” Applejack said.

“I want to share first!” Pinkie bounced in her seat while waving one of her hooves in the iar.

“Well that settles it,” Sunny said, looking at Applejack and Pinkie.

“Indeed it does,” Twilight nodded. “Pinkie, the floor’s all yours.”

“Yipee!” Pinkie cheered in joy. After composing herself a little, she started. “You all remember Cheese Sandwich right?” 

“Uhhhh… no?” Hitch said slowly. 

“Oh right, another generation, my bad,” Pinkie said very casually. “Well in short, he’s another party pony like me!” She finished, pulling out a picture of him with his hoof wrapped around her shoulder.

“Awww, how adorable!” Pipp cooed.

“Man, imagine having two Pinkie’s around,” Zipp chuckled. “That would be exhausting.” 

“You have no idea,” Twilight sighed, the rest of the girls nodding.

 Zipp cocked an eyebrow. “Am I missing something here?”

“Magical pond, tons of Pinkie clones, who is the real Pinkie Pie contest,” Rainbow summarised in brief bursts.

“Ooookay…” Zipp nodded her head slowly.

“It was quite the hassle,” Applejack sighed. “I’m pretty sure there’s still a Pinkie roamin’ around in Manehattan.” 

“I vaguely remember seeing one there as well,” Twilight tapped her chin.

“Eh, whatever,” Pinkie said, shrugging.

“So what about this Cheese Sandwich guy?” Pipp asked, steering the conversation back to the original topic.

“Oh right!” Pinkie said, laughing.. “I don’t know if I told all of you yet, but  Cheese and I have gone on a few dates in the past few weeks!”

“Wait, WHAT?!” Rarity yelled, spitting out her tea. “Y-You and Cheese Sandwich?”

“Yup!” Pinkie smiled cheerfully. 

“Why are you surprised, Rarity?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. “I mean, they're perfect for each other.”

“It’s just that we haven’t heard or seen anything, that’s all,” Rarity coughed.

“So the first person to get hitched might be Pinkie,” Applejack said.

Rainbow shook her head. “Did not see that coming.”

“Do you think you two will get married?” Fluttershy asked.

“Of course!” Pinkie giggled. “Him and I just have this connection, you know?” 

“You two looked like you’re made for each other,” Sunny commented. 

“Uh-huh!” Izzy nodded energetically. 

“He’s amazing,” Pinkie said dreamily. “He just gets me, ya know?”

Twilight clapped her forehooves together. “That’s wonderful, Pinkie! I wish I could find somepony like that.” She sighed wishfully.

“We all do darling,” Rarity said, weakly smiling.

“So uh Pinkie,” Rainbow whispered to Pinkie. “How far have you and Cheese gone?”

“Oh Rainbow, that’s a silly question!” Pinkie giggled. “We’ve gone all the way, of course!”

“Huh, why am I not surprised,” Rainbow said.

“Maybe because she’s ‘familiar’ with almost everypony in Ponyville?” Applejack suggested bluntly.

“That could be it,” Rainbow tapped her chin. 

“Man I can’t imagine what their kids would be like,” Twilight shuddered. “Imagine little Pinkie Pies running around.”

“Sounds like a fun time,” Zipp chuckled. 

“Also a major headache,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes.

“They’d be adorable though,” Fluttershly quietly added. 

“I’m never babysitting for you Pinkie,” Rarity said, causing the rest of the Elements to nod in agreement.

“Fair enough,” Pinkie shrugged. “It’ll be impossible finding a babysitter with a sense of humor like Cheese and I!”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Applejack chuckled.

“Your wedding is going to be wild,” Hitch said. “Assuming that both you and Cheese plan it.

“Of course we’ll plan it!” Pinkie giggled. “It’s going to be the biggest, most amazing and spectacular wedding ever!” 

“I wouldn’t expect less from you Pinkie,” Twilight said, nodding.

“So when can we expect little Pinkies?” Rainbow snickered. 

“Maybe in a couple moons!” Pinkie announced to everypony, causing some to gasp, others to tilt their heads.

“Wait, seriously?” Rainbow’s face was contorted with confusion. 

“I’m joking silly!” Pinkie slapped the rainbow pegasus’ back. “Maybe,” she whispered quietly.

“Did you just say ‘maybe’?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nope!” Pinkie smiled innocently. 

“Okay then…” Zipp said slowly.

“I still can’t believe Pinkie’s the first one of us to have a serious relationship,” Rarity muttered.

“You should expect the unexpected from her,” Rainbow said. 

“And then sometimes you can’t even expect the unexpected,” Twilight added on. “You can’t really expect with Pinkie. She’s an anomaly.” 

“Ain’t that the truth,” Applejack nodded, agreeing.

“Uh-huh!” Pinkie nodded frantically, causing the girls (and Hitch) to giggle. 

“Whew,” Applejack smiled. “Pinkie’s love life sure is exciting.”

“More exciting than yours?” Rainbow smirked.

“Of course,” Applejack rolled her eyes. “The only love in my life is the love for the farm.”

“Touche,” Rainbow frowned, causing Applejack to grin.

“Do you seriously not have anypony you don’t at least enjoy being with?” Rarity urged the farmer on.

“I’m bein’ dead serious Rares,” Applejack said, with a deadpan face. 

“So the only thing you love is the farm?” Hitch tilted his head. 

“Of course not,” Applejack frowned. “I love my family and friends of course.”

“Do you love any of your friends more than the others?” Rarity tried to egg her on. 

“Rarity, I don’t like anypony romantically,” the farmer finalized. 

“B-But you’re going to be alone all your life!” Rarity whined.

“I won’t be alone, you’re just being dramatic,” Applejack chuckled, rolling her eyes. “I have y’all, Big Mac, Applebloom, Granny Smith, and Sugar Belle.”

“She seems pretty content to me,” Izzy chirped. “As long as one is content with themselves, that’s all that matters!”

“Wasn’t really expecting you to say something like that, Izzy,” Pipp giggled, looking at the unicorn. 

“She’s right though,” Twilight smiled. “If you’re able to love yourself before you get into a relationship, then when you do get into a relationship it’ll just be that much better.”

“Uh-huh!” Pinkie nodded. 

“So you’re saying you should be content with yourself before you step into romance?” Sunny tilted her head. 

“Exactly!” Twilight smiled. “You should love yourself before trying to get into a relationship,” Twilight started to lecture. “If you don’t then it will just cause more problems than good.”

“For example, you’ll know how you want to be treated,” Rarity added. 

“That’s a good point,” Sunny said, tapping her chin. 

“I didn’t think we’d turn this into a lesson as well,” Rainbow laughed. 

“Should’ve seen it coming,” Twilight smirked. “Everything can be made into a lesson you know.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Zipp smiled.

“We’re finally done with this topic, huh?” Hitch sighed.

“It sure was fun!” Izzy giggled.

 Rarity nodded. “And we learned a lot about each other.”

“It sure was fun,” Twilight said, smiling. “I can’t wait for our next talk.”
> Meet The Princesses Part 1: Celestia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So what’s up with the extra chair?” Zipp asked as she settled down in her spot. “And why is it so big?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Twilight clapped her forehooves together happily, smiling. “Today we have a very special guest.”

“I think we all know who it is,” Rainbow whispered to Applejack, causing both of them to start snickering. 

“Ooo a special guest!” Izzy chirped happily. “I love new friends.”

“Me too!” Sunny cheered.

“Are they famous?” Pipp asked.

 Twilight nodded her head.  “In a sense they are. They’re a very important pony to me as well.”

“Well now we know for sure who it is,” Rarity giggled. “The guest is her idol.”

“I don’t idolize her!” Twilight tried to protest, earning her looks from her friends. “Okay, maybe I idolize her just a tiny bit.” She admitted smiling sheepishly.

“A tiny bit?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow.

“Ok ok!” Twilight gave up, throwing her hooves up in the air.  “I idolized her alot. Especially when I was a filly.”

“So when is this guest going to arrive?” Hitch looked at the still empty chair.

“She’ll be here soon,” Twilight answered. “Just finishing something up with her sister.”

“Will her sister be here too?” Izzy asked, smiling.

Twilight shook her head. “She’ll be here another day. Unfortunately she couldn’t come today. I think she had something planned with another friend.”

“Awww,” Izzy looked down, pouting. 

“Don’t worry Izzy,” Sunny patted her back. “You’ll still get to meet her eventually.”

“I know I know,” Izzy giggled. “Just messing with ya!”

“Oh Izzy, always joking around,” Hitch shook his head, smiling.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, but why is there a giant cake in the middle of the table?” Zipp stared at the massive five story cake.

“Oh that’s for our guest of course!” Pinkie said very nonchalantly. 

“All of it?” Zipp asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Not all of it silly,” Pinkie giggled. “Only half of it!”

“Only half?” Pipp tilted her head

Twilight awkwardly laughed. “She really likes cake.”

“No really,” Zipp chuckled, smirking. With that, they heard a knock at the door.

“Here she is!” Twilight trotted over to the door, opening it. Behind it stood a large, white alicorn. Her colorful mane was flowing majestically, a warm smile on her face. The large sun on her flank stood out to the New Generation. 

“Woah! She’s huge!” Izzy examined the alicorn.

“Hello my little ponies,” the white alicorn greeted. “I’m Celestia, former ruler of Equestria. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.” 

“You’re Celestia?!” Sunny gasped. “Your highness,” she said, quickly bowing. Seeing this, the other New Generation ponies followed in suit.

“No need for such formalities,” Celestia laughed gracefully. “I’m no longer a ruler after all.”

Sunny and her friends rose from their bows. “Sorry,” Sunny apologized, smiling sheepishly. 

“It is quite alright,” Celestia giggled.

“Question!” Izzy raised her hoof in the air.

“And what is it…” Celestia eyed the unicorn.

“I’m Izzy! Nice to meet you,” she introduced herself.

“Ah, Izzy. What a wonderful name,” Celestia nodded. “Now what is your question?”

“Why are you so much bigger compared to everypony else?” Izzy asked.

“Izzy! You can’t call Celestia fat!” Twilight panicked.

“Twilight, it’s alright,” Celestia calmed down the purple alicorn. “I’m asked this question quite a lot actually, especially if they’re foals. If I recall, you also asked me why when you were younger.”

“Ah, I did, didn’t I?” Twilight awkwardly laughed.

“Now to answer your question Izzy,” Celestia returned her attention to the unicorn. “I do not know exactly why alicorns grow larger than everypony else, but I assume it has to do with our power and our magical capabilities. Do keep in mind I am also thousands of years old, so that could have something to do with it,” Celestia finished, giggling.

“That’s another thing I’ll have to study,” Twilight mumbled to herself, jotting down something on a notepad. 

“Why is your mane flowing like that as well? There’s no wind in here. Or is there?” Izzy tilted her head. 

“There is indeed no wind in here.” Celestia giggled. “It comes with the immense power both my sister and I have,” she explained. “We do raise the sun and moon afterall.”

“Does that mean Twilight’s mane is going to be flowy as well?” Rarity asked, a sparkle in her eyes.

“There is a very high possibility that as she grows older and taps into her alicorn power more, her mane will be very similar to mine,” Celestia said, smiling at Twilight.

“Will she also grow as tall as you?” Rainbow snickered at the thought of a tall Twilight.

“We’ll just have to see for that,” Celestia laughed along with the wonderbolt. “Any other questions?”

“Is it true you’re going to eat half of this massive cake?” Hitch asked bluntly.

“I could easily eat the whole cake,” Celestia said, gracefully smiling. “I’d love to, but I do restrain myself from overindulgence. I’ll have maybe a slice or two.”

Sunny’s eyes went wide. “You could eat this whole thing easily?!” 

“I do enjoy cake quite a bit,” Celestia held her smile.

“Just a bit?” Zipp cocked an eyebrow.

Celestia nodded. “Indeed. I even had a vault made for special cakes.”

“What kind of special cakes?” Pinkie asked, grinning widely.

“Just some cakes I used for when other species visited,” Celestia answered, tapping her chin. “There are some of my favorites there as well.”

“Can I please see it?” Pinkie begged, falling on her knees. “Pleaseeeeee!!!”

Celestia giggled at the display. “Well it’s no longer my castle, so feel free to ask Twilight.” At this, Pinkie shot puppy eyes towards Twilight.

Twilight nodded her head. “Of course you can Pinkie.”

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” The party pony chirped while bouncing towards Twilight, pulling her into a rib-crushing hug.

“No problem,” Twilight squeake. “Too. Hard. Let. Go.” she managed to get out. 

“Sorry Twilight, I’m just so excited to see it,” Pinkie giggled, letting go of the purple alicorn.

“Pinkie sure likes desserts, huh,” Hitch said.

“Her name is Pinkie Pie after all,” Sunny teased.

“Point taken,” Hitch laughed awkwardly, nodding. 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Zipp looked started,“what makes a great leader? Pipp and I are royalty, and I’m next in line for the throne, so any advice helps,” she finished, looking at the once great ruler. 

“That is indeed a good question,” Celestia nodded. “When I first became ruler of Equestria with my sister, I did not pay attention to the little things.” Celestia’s expression darkened. “There were problems that went right under my nose, one being the pain my sister experienced. I believe that having a keen eye and being aware of what’s happening in both your kingdom and personal life is a good trait.”

“Do you blame yourself for what happened to your sister?” Sunny asked. 

“While I don’t blame myself completely, I do bear a lot of it. If I had paid a little more attention to Luna and her problems, then things could’ve ended up differently.” Celestia answered truthfully. “Although I wish I didn’t make such a grave mistake, I am thankful for the lesson it has taught me.”

“Foresight huh…” Zipp whispered to herself. “Thank you Celestia,” Zipp nodded to the alicorn.

“It is something every great leader should have,” Twilight said, following up. “Being able to see how something will affect both you and your kingdom, not only short-term but also long-term, is an amazing feat.” 

“Spoken like a true leader, Twilight,” Applejack tipped her hat. 

“It’s only because I learned from the best,” Twilight smiled sheepishly, a small blush on her face.

“No need to be humble Twilight,” Celestia giggled. “You faced lots of challenges in the past and I’m sure you learned a lot from them.” 

“I guess so…” Twilight rubbed the back of her neck.

“You don’t have to guess so. I know so,” Celestia wore a warm smile.

“She's right, you know,” Rainbow agreed.

“Can’t really disagree,” Pinkie added, the rest of the Elements nodding.

“Thanks girls,” Twilight said, wearing a more confident smile.





“Celestia, what was your fillyhood like?” Sunny asked, sipping on some tea.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Celestia smiled. “My fillyhood was very fun but also very stressful.”

“Why is that?” Izzy tilted her head. “If it was fun, how could it be stressful?”

“It was fun because I had my sister with me, but it was stressful because we had responsibilities that were greater than what a filly could handle,” Celestia explained. “Luna and I would constantly play pranks on our parents and the castle staff. Those were the good days. Then there were days where we would have to sit in a classroom for hours, being taught how to be great leaders. Our parents expected a lot from us.”

“That sounds like a lot of pressure,” Sunny frowned. 

“It was,” Celestia said, nodding. “Being born an alicorn was something nopony had ever seen before. Of course they knew what alicorns were, but they were only said to be myths.”

“You’re telling me you were the first alicorns to be seen?” Twilight asked, mouth slightly agape.

“Indeed we were,” Celestia giggled. “I can’t imagine what my parent’s faces were like when they saw that their firstborn had both wings and a horn.” 

“I can’t imagine how shocked they were when they saw their second had wings and a horn as well,” Hitch chuckled.

“Their reaction was probably similar to my brother’s when Flurry Heart was born,” Twilight said. “Cadence told me that he fainted in the hospital.”

“Sounds like something he’d do,” Rainbow snickered. 

“Indeed it does,” Celestia agreed, smiling. “He never took surprises too well.”

“You think he would,” Twilight giggled. “Him being the capital of the royal guard and all.”

“He was quite cute when he got flustered,” Celestia said. “Particularly when Cadence was around.” 

“You’re telling me that the captain of the royal guard got shy around somepony he liked?” Rainbow grinned evilly. “I’m so going to tease him the next time he’s here.”

“Just don’t tell him I told you,” Celestia smiled.

Rainbow nodded. “My lips are sealed.”

“What was Equstria like back then?” Izzy asked. 

“It was a lot smaller than it is today,” Celestia answered. “Ponies lived very close to one another, barely venturing out of Canterlot. Ponies thought it was too dangerous to leave the city, claiming that there were monsters and such lurking about.”


“Were there monsters?” Izzy tilted her head.

“There were of course some monsters, but not as many as ponies assumed. Once ponies started figuring out it was safe, they started settling all over.” 

“And that’s how all the other cities were created?” Rainbow asked.

“Exactly,” Celestia nodded. “We all know how Ponyville came to be.” 

“Well we don’t,” Sunny said.

“Guess it’s time for a little history lesson,” Celestia said, smiling. “Many moons ago, Applejack’s grandmother, Granny Smith, came to Canterlot with her family. So was just a filly back then,” Celestia giggled at the memory. “They were pilgrims who collected many seeds. Looking for a place to plant said seeds, I granted them the land which was right next to the Everfree Forest.”

“Ah shucks, and we’re eternally grateful for you because of that,” Applejack said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Celestia nodded to the farm pony. “I felt it was the right thing to do, and turns out, it was.”

“So they set up a farm there and the rest is history?” Sunny asked.

“There’s a small detail missing,” Celestia explained. “Although they were able to plant their seeds, they were running low on food due to them not being able to grow overnight. That’s when Granny Smith ventured into the Everfree Forest, where she found a special type of apple named the Zap apple. Collecting some of the apples, they planted their seeds and they grew.”

“What’s a Zap apple? Sounds cool,” Izzy asked, tilting her head.

“They’re magical, rainbow colored apples. They have a special time frame they grow in, and there are signs that they are comin’,'' Applejack explained. “They pop onto a tree fully grown. It’s quite the sight.”

“Woah… that sounds awesome!” Izzy chirped.

“What do magical apples have to do with founding Ponyville though?” Zipp said, a skeptical look on her face

“Well, after gathering some of the Zap apples, Granny Smith made some jam which became a huge sensation. Ponies started coming to the small town of Ponyville just to taste some of the delicious jam, myself included,” Celestia giggled. “Stinkin’ Rich really solidified the town by setting up a small market that sold the Zap Apple Jam.”

“You’re telling me that the town that all the Elements of Harmony lived in was created because of jam?” Sunny asked in disbelief, her mouth agape. 

“Precisely!” Celestia said calmly, gracefully smiling. “Nature works in many different ways.”

“So Applejack’s family essentially founded Ponyville?” Hitch asked, looking at the farmer. 

“Eeyup,” Applejack smiled proudly. 

“That’s so cool! Do you guys still have any of that Zap Apple Jam?” Izzy said, licking her lips.

“Unfortunately not sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled. 

Izzy frowned. “Aww man, it sounds so good though.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll save you a jar when the time does come around,” Applejack said with a wink.

“Thank you!” Izzy chirped, a large smile on her face.

“Anythin’ for a friend,” Applejack nodded. 





“I believe I still haven’t been introduced to everypony,” Celestia said, looking at the New Generation.

“Oh right! We got too caught up in Izzy’s questions that we totally forgot,” Sunny giggled.

“I also meant to bring this up earlier but we got a little sidetracked,” Celestia started, looking at Sunny. “I noticed that you’re an alicorn…”

“Sunny. My name’s Sunny,” the newest alicorn replied.

“Sunny, what a wonderful name,” Celestia smiled. “Were you born an alicorn, or did you become an alicorn?” 

“I actually became an alicorn!” Sunny chirped.

“And how did that happen, my little pony?” Celestia asked, tilting her head.

“Well after reuniting the three tribes, a surge of magic lifted me into the air and then I became an alicorn,” Sunny answered.

“That’s wonderful,” Celestia smiled weakly. “But what’s this about reuniting the three tribes again?”

“That’s right! You weren't here for our earlier discussions,” Twilight said. 

“The three tribes were slowly split up, until they were basically strangers or even enemies to one another,” Sunny said, a small hint of sadness on her face.

“It got so bad that even magic seemed to have disappeared from Equestria,” Twilight added.

“No magic?” Celestia said.

“There was no magic at all. Pegasi couldn’t fly and unicorns couldn’t do any magic at all,” Izzy chirped. 

Celestia sighed. “I can’t imagine what could’ve happened in the many moons between our times to have caused such an awful thing.”

“Twilight was blaming herself the other day,” Pinkie mentioned.

“Pinkie!” Twilight exclaimed, her face flushing.

Celestia cocked an eyebrow. “Now why would you blame yourself after all you’ve done?” 

“It’s just that I thought I failed,” Twilight sighed. “It feels like everything I-” Twilight stopped, looking at her friends. “No, what we did was for nothing.”

“You can’t change the future Twilight,” Celestia wore a warm smile. “Regardless of what happened, you still did what you could”

“It’s thanks to you and your friends that I still believed in friendship between the tribes,” Sunny comforted Twilight. “You played your part for sure!”

“Uh-huh!” Izzy hummed, the rest of the New Generation nodding,





“So, I know Izzy and Sunny,” Celestia said, sipping on a cup of tea, her eyes focusing on Hitch. “Who’s the stallion?” 

“I’m Hitch! Sunny’s foalhood friend, as well as the sheriff of our town,” Hitch introduced himself.

“Foalhood friend, huh,” Celestia smiled.

“Yup! We’ve been friends for our whole lives basically,” Sunny explained. 

“Is there a chance you’re more than friends?” Celestia cocked an eyebrow.

“Not you too!” Sunny groaned, facehoofing. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Celestia giggled. “Twilight wrote about you two in recent letters, so I thought I’d tease you a bit.”

“You didn't tell us you’d be writing about us to a princess!” Pipp pouted. “I wouldn’t have said anything about… wait, did you tell her everything?!”

“Pretty much everything, minus a few minor details like what your Equestria was like,” Twilight said, nodding.

“Those are minor details?” Hitch asked.

“I didn’t want to spoil it for her!” Twilight said, trying to defend herself. 

“So you told her about our, ahem, experiences?” Pipp asked quietly, blushing a bit.

“Don’t worry Pipp, she isn’t one to judge,” Twilight reassured the pegasus.

“Ah, so you’re Pipp,” Celestia smiled, looking at Pipp. “Don’t be embarrassed, estrus is something that all mares have to deal with, me included.”

“I know, it’s just weird to think that another pony of royalty knows about it,” Pipp sighed. 

“Ah yes, I do recall Twilight saying that you and your sister were royalty in your Equestria,” Celestia nodded. “If it makes you feel any better, I do what both you and Twilight do to deal with my heat,” she finished with a wink.

“I don’t even want to think about that,” Twilight groaned, the rest of the ponies laughing.

“I’m assuming the other pegasus who has some sort of a resemblance to your sister,” Celestia guessed, looking right at Zipp.

“Yup! She’s my sister and the heir to the throne,” Pipp said, motioning to Zipp.

“Nice to meet you,” Zipp nodded towards Celestia. 

“Nice to meet you as well,” Celestia smiled warmly. “How do you two like being royalty?”

“You can say it's a royal pain,” Zipp smirked.

Pipp rolled her eyes. “That was cheesy, Zipp.”

“I know, that was the goal,” Zipp chuckled.

“Being royalty is most definitely a pain at times,” Celestia agreed. “Dealing with ponies trying to please you just for their benefit and boring meetings really wears a pony down.”

“I’m glad I haven't had to do that yet, but we’re in the room when our mom does hearings,” Zipp said. 

“And it doesn’t sound like she’s having fun,” Pipp joined in. “She wears a smile but we both know it’s just a show.” 

“She hides it pretty well though,” Zipp finished.

“Sounds like something a good ruler does,” Celestia said, sipping some tea. “I remember my early days of ruling. One has to learn how to hide their emotions, especially fear and sadness.”

“Why those two especially?” Pipp tilted her head.

“Because it will affect everypony around you, since they all look up to you,” Celestia explained. “Everypony views you as their leader, so when they see you’re worried, they’ll be worried as well.”

“That makes sense,” Zipp slowly said, nodding.

“You don’t want to make ponies nervous,” Twilight added on. “Whenever ponies are nervous, they become irrational depending on the situation.”

“I’m pretty sure we have a rough idea of what can happen,” Hitch laughed.

“Uh-huh,” Izzy nodded. “Sprout sure was a guy!”

Celestia giggled. “Ah yes, I remember hearing about Sprout. Something about fear mongering?”

“He was able to capitalize off of the nervousness and fear of everypony in Maretime Bay and almost led an army of earth ponies to the other tribes,” Sunny explained. “He kind of went on a power trip.”

“Ah yes, sounds like somepony would do if given the opportunity,” Celestia said with a nod. 

“He’s a good guy for sure, just a little power hungry,” Hitch chuckled. “He’s my trusty deputy though, that’s for sure.”

“His sparkle was a bit off when I first met him, but it changed a lot!” Izzy said.

“His sparkle you say?” Celestia tilted her head.

“Yup! I can see ponies sparkle, or luminescence! It gives me an idea of what they’re like,” Izzy explained.

“That’s very interesting Izzy,” Celestia commented. “What is my sparkle looking like, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“You have a bright, whitish-pink sparkle!” Izzy said with a smile.

“And what does that mean exactly?” Celestia asked, smiling.

“It means that you’re very tender and affectionate! Sympathetic and loving in other words,” Izzy chirped.

“Huh, that does describe her pretty well,” Twilight said, a little shocked.

“Yeah, a little too well,” Rarity nodded.

“That’s a very interesting and useful ability, Izzy,” Celestia nodded at the unicorn.

“Thanks! Most of the other unicorns thought I was a wee bit odd because of it,” Izzy shrugged. “I didn't really mind though. I always thought it was cool.”

“As you should. I think it's a wonderful thing to have,” Celestia nodded, smiling warmly. 





“So what do you do now that you’re retired?” Zipp asked.

“I do a lot of things,” Celestia answered. “I like to adventure to new cities, sightseeing and such. Try out some of the exciting things I missed out on since I became a princess. There’s a lot you miss when you’re busy ruling you know.” 

“I can imagine,” Pipp sighed. 

“You still had free time even when you were ruling, right?” Zipp frowned.

“Of course I did, but not often. I would often spend my free time just resting though, not doing much because you never know when something could pop up,” Celestia smiled weakly. 

“If that’s the case, then I don’t know if I can be a good leader,” Zipp said. 

“Don’t doubt yourself, Zipp,” Celestia said. “Even Twilight thought she wasn’t ready to rule Equestria. She was unbelievably stressed and didn’t believe she would make a good leader. She thought she wasn’t prepared.”

“Really?” Sunny asked, looking at Twilight. “I thought that you were always prepared for what came.”

“I try to be,” Twilight sighed. “But as Celestia said, you don’t know what’s going to pop up. You can only be prepared for so much,” Twilight sighed. “If you have reliable friends though, it makes those things a lot easier to handle.”

“Twilight is far from perfect,” Celestia giggled. “She’s made a lot of mistakes, but she made sure to learn from them. Humility is something all leaders should practice. If you make a mistake, own up to it.”

“It’s nice to hear that even the princesses of Equestria make mistakes,” Zipp smiled, a little more confident. “There’s still a lot for me to learn I guess.”

“Plus, you still have a lot of time to learn it!” Pipp said, cheering up her sister. “It’s not like mother is going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Thanks Pipp,” Zipp said, giving her a hug.

“You can always count on me,” Pipp hugged back, a smile on her face. Everypony watched the two, smiles on their faces.





“I had a wonderful time chatting with you all,” Celestia said as she levitated her saucer and teacup, sipping down the rest of her tea. “But it’s getting quite dark, and I don’t want to be late to dinner with Luna.”

“Awww, can’t you stay a little longer?” Izzy frowned. “It was so much fun talking to you!”

“I too regret having to leave, but Luna and I always have dinner together. Most of the time we’re out doing our own things, so this is our time to fill each other in,” Celestia smiled. 

“We understand,” Sunny nodded. 

“Thank you for the advice Celestia,” Zipp said. 

“Thank you for the wonderful time,” Celestia said, getting out of her chair. “I hope we can talk again another time,” Celestia finished before exiting the room.

“Well, guess that means talk time is over!” Pinkie said.

“We barely even got a word in,” Rarity frowned.

“Eh, I don’t really care,” Rainbow shrugged.

“It was their first time meetin’ Celestia after all,” Applejack reasoned. “Anypony would be curious with her around.” Fluttershy nodded, agreeing with Applejack.

“Well be ready for tomorrow, we’re having another guest!” Twilight said, getting out of her seat, the rest of the ponies following suit.

“Ooo, who is it?” Izzy asked.

“You’ll find out tomorrow,” Twilight smiled.

“I’m so excited,” Izzy chirped. “See you tomorrow!” Izzy said before galloping out the door.
Slowly, the rest of the crew piled out of the door, bidding each other goodbye. Another day, another talk.
> Meet The Princesses Part 2: Luna
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I know you said that we have to wait to find out who it is, but can you please give us a hint or something?” Izzy pouted. “I just love making new friends.”

 Twilight giggled. “Don’t worry Izzy, they’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Okay!” Izzy said, smiling. 

“I hope they’re another princess,” Pipp commented.

“You said there were four other princesses besides yourself, right Twilight?” Sunny asked.

“Correct! There’s Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Flurry Heart,” Twilight answered. 

“Celestia and Luna are sisters, right?” Sunny tapped her chin. “And Cadence is Flurry Heart’s mom.”

“Exactly,” Twilight nodded her head. 

“It’s cool how the two rulers were sisters. It reminds me of Pipp and Zipp,” Hitch said. “Minus you know, the unicorn horns.” As Hitch finished his comment, there was a knock at the door.

“It’s open, come on in!” Twilight said. With that, a bluish-violet alicorn walked into the room. 

“Hello everypony!” The alicorn yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “It is I, Luna!”

“Hello new friend!” Izzy waved her hoof rapidly.

“Hello there unicorn who I don’t know the name of,” Luna greeted.

“That was quite the yell,” Zipp smirked. 

“It’s the Royal Canterlot Voice,” Luna smiled proudly.

“Does that mean only royals can use it?” Sunny asked

“Indeed young… alicorn?” Luna said, tilting her head. “There’s another alicorn? Why have I not received such news?”

“She’s not really from our generation Luna,” Twilight explained. “She’s from the future.”

“The future you say,” Luna said. “Very interesting indeed. Say, what is your name, new alicorn?”

“My name is Sunny.”

“Sunny huh,” Luna nodded in content. “By chance do you raise the sun just like my sister?”

“Although that would be cool, I unfortunately can’t,” Sunny replied.

“Oh that’s right! Your Celestia sister,” Hitch put two and two together.

“Yes, she is my sister,” Luna nodded. “I heard she was here yesterday.”

“Yup! We talked with her yesterday about all kinds of cool stuff,” Izzy smiled.

“Well, let us talk about some cool stuff as well,” Luna said. 

“You raise the moon, right?” Pipp asked. “I’ve been wondering but I never got the chance to ask Celestia. Is it hard to raise it?” 

“It takes a little bit of practice, but it becomes second nature,” Luna answered. “The first time I did it, the moon and stars were a little out of place. I remember my parents got questions from the town about it the next day.” Luna finished with a chuckle.

“Celestia told us that there was a lot of pressure on you two at an early age,” Zipp mentioned. “Was it really as bad as she made it seem?”

“My sister likes to over-dramatize things,” Luna said, rolling her eyes. “Although there were classes and meetings we had to attend, they weren’t bad at all. Sometimes we would even ditch them.”

“Celstia, ditching classes?” Twilight gasped. “Really?”

“She’s not as majestic as she shows, Twilight,” Luna reminded her. “You’ve been around her long enough to know that.”

“I know,” Twilight sighed. “It’s just hard when I’ve looked up to her for so long.”

“So she’s not always so graceful?” Pipp asked.

“Not at all,” Luna said with a chuckle. “Whenever we’re alone together, she’s pretty lazy. She stuffs her face with cake sometimes and lays around all day. Sometimes she even talks with her mouth full.”

“I can’t imagine her doing that at all,” Pipp said.

“I don’t want to imagine her doing that,” Twilight added.

“Everypony is different when they’re alone,” Fluttershy said.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Applejack nodded.

“Except me,” Rainbow snickered. “I’m awesome 100% all the time .”

“And I’m Pinkie Pie 100% of the time!” Pinkie grinned widely, causing the other ponies to start to laugh.

“You’re not wrong,” Twilight said while laughing.

“Pinkie, you’re always so random,” Hitch commented. 

“That’s just how she is,” Twilight shrugged. “There was this one time I tried to make sense of the things she does, and let’s just say it didn’t end so well.” 

“I think I remember that day,” Luna said with a giggle. “Celestia and I laughed quite a bit.”

“I don’t remember writing anything down that was too funny in that letter,” Twilight tapped her chin.

“The letter itself was not funny,” Luna said. “Rather, it was what befell upon you.”

“How do you know what happened? I didn’t write anything besides the friendship lesson,” Twilight asked, a bit shocked.

“Let’s just say Celestia and I were out on a little stroll that day,” Luna said. “And we’ll just leave it at that,” She finished with a smile.

Twilight gasped. “So you’re telling me that you saw everything that happened to me that day, and you didn’t say anything to me?” 

“Guess we’ll never know,” Luna said with a shrug.

“What happened that day?” Sunny asked, curiosity taking over.

“I was trying to figure out how Pinkie’s ‘Pinkie Sense’ worked, and let's just say I got injured a lot during the process,” Twilight sighed.

“Pinkie sense?” Hitch tilted his head. “What’s that?”

“I remember you mentioning this Pinkie Sense one time Twilight,” Luna chimed in. “You never really did explain what it was to my sister and I.”

“Somehow Pinkie can predict events that are going to occur in the near future,” Twilight said, sighing. “It still doesn’t make much sense to me, but after observing her for a whole day and not finding any other conclusion, I just have to believe it.” 

“So you can predict the future Pinkie?!” Sunny gasped. “That’s awesome!”

“How does it work?” Zipp asked, a little unconvinced. 

“When I randomly twitch or my body moves on it’s on, I just seem to know,” Pinkie giggled. “Like when my tail twitches, it means that something is going to fall!”

“That’s quite an odd way to see the future,” Luna commented.

“She's right one hundred percent of the time, so we just choose to believe it,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Most of Ponyville are wary of her twitches.”

“So you can’t see into the future, but rather you can predict what’s going to happen nearby?” Luna concluded. 

“Yup!” Pinkie nodded.

“She’s saved a couple ponies because of it too,” Twilight smiled. “Remember when we dressed up as Mare Do Well?

“I don’t really want to,” Rainbow huffed.

“You learned a valuable lesson that day,” Applejack snickered with a wink.

“Yeah, yeah I know,” Rainbow grumbled. “You should be humble even when you’re as awesome as me.”

“Something that you still don’t always do,” Rarity commented.

“Hey, we all have our quirks and flaws,” Rainbow shrugged. “Still something I’m working on.”

“It’s just a part of your personality darling, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Rarity giggled. “Remember that song we sang?”

“You do realize we sang a lot of songs, right?” Rainbow said.

“Are you referencing that one about not being perfect when we sold our friendship journal?” Fluttershy asked.

“That’s the song,” Rarity answered.

“Do you all also just burst into song sometimes too?” Zipp asked.

“Yeah it happened like every other episode for some reason” Pinkie tapped her chin. “They’re fun though!”

“Episode?” Twilight tilted her head, being completely ignored by Pinkie Pie.

“We broke into song a couple times during our adventure,” Hitch recalled.

“It happened with me and my sister once,” Luna added.

“Did Pinkie just say episode guys?” Twilight tried to get their attention to no avail.

“I guess it’s just something that happens,” Rainbow shrugged.

“I hope it doesn’t happen too much because it was kind of weird,” Hitch said.

“I thought it was fun!” Izzy chirped. “Especially that song during our makeovers.”

“It was fun,” Sunny agreed.

“I don’t get how we changed locations so much,” Hitch commented. “I swear we were everywhere but your cottage.”

“My house is a little magical,” Izzy giggled.

“I’d say it's very magical now,” Hitch chuckled. “You know, cause you got your magic back.”

“Very funny Hitch,” Zipp said, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, I thought it was funny,” Hitch defended himself.

“It wasn’t that funny,” Pinkie shrugged. 

“Pinkie’s kind of a right Hitch,” Sunny agreed, patting him on the back.

Hitch sighed. “Is it ‘National Tease Hitch Day’ or something?” 

“Everyday is ‘Tease Hitch Day’,” Zipp smirked.

“How is it that everyday can be that holiday?” Luna tilted her head. “That is impossible, is it not?”

“She’s just saying that we tease him everyday,” Sunny explained. 

“Ah, I see,” Luna nodded. “I too would like to participate in this activity.”

“Not you too!” Hitch frowned. “Please spare me.”

“Did Celestia tease him as well?” Luna asked, completely ignoring Hitch’s pleas.

“She did just once, and she teased Hitch and Sunny,” Twilight answered.

“Do tell what she said about the two,” Luna smirked.

“She was teasing them about being more than friends,” Twilight said. “It’s kind of like a running joke now. Everypony in the group does it.”

“Everypony except us,” Sunny sighed. 

“It just wouldn’t be the same if you guys did it too,” Zipp chuckled. 

 Rainbow nodded in agreement. “Yeah, your reactions are hilarious!”

“I had a small feeling that there was something more going on with those two,” Luna rubbed her chin.

Hitch sighed. “We’re just never going to get out of this huh.”

“Nope!” Pinkie chirped. 

“So is there really nothing going on?” Luna tilted her head. “I’m genuinely curious.”

“There were a lot of ‘maybes’ thrown around when we asked them so we don’t really know,” Twilight said.

Sunny nodded. “Yeah, we’re still kind of trying to figure it out.”

“You denied it at first but now you’re questioning it?” Rarity said with a smirk.

“Well after that little push you gave the both of us, we really started thinking about it,” Sunny explained while Hitch nodded.

“We never really thought about each other like that, probably because we were both very busy,” Hitch added on. 

“So you’re going to give it a try?” Rarity asked with an optimistic smile.

“We’re still discussing it,” Sunny stated.

“I think you two make would make a splendid couple,” Luna commented. “Being foalhood friends can lead to many things you know.”

“It sounds like you have some experience with that,” Zipp said.

“I have a lot of experience with a lot of things,” Luna chuckled. “My sister and I are some of the oldest ponies still around as much as I don’t like admitting my age.”

“I wish you were here a couple days ago,” Rainbow grinned. “We could’ve heard some legendary stories about your heat experiences.” 

“I too wish I was here for that, I have all kinds of experiences,” Luna nodded her head. “I remember Celestia reading that letter to me. It was quite an enjoyable listen.” 

“If you don’t mind, you could share them right now,” Twilight suggested. “I’m a little curious myself now.”

“Me too,” Pipp said. “Hearing about how royalty deals with it is always reassuring.”

“If you all are fine with me sharing, then I’ll be glad to,” Luna smiled.

“I don’t really have any objections,” Sunny said.

“I’m sure it won’t be as bad as a couple days ago,” Hitch continued.

“It would be super-duper if you shared!” Pinkie grinned.

Rainbow smirked. “That would be awesome!”

“I’m good with it if y'all are,” Applejack nodded.

“Uhm, I don’t really mind either,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Zipp and I are cool with it!” Pipp said. 

“Well, guess that settles it. You have the floor Luna,” Twilight concluded. 

“Alright, where should I start,” Luna grinned.

“I didn’t really expect you to be so open about this,” Twilight said. “To be honest I’m still a little shocked about what Celestia said.”

“She told you she did the deed with the guards, didn’t she,” Luna assumed.

“That’s exactly what she told us,” Izzy confirmed.

“That’s one of the more milder things she’s done,” Luna casually said.

“You’re saying that’s mild?” Pipp asked, surprise all over her face.

“She and I have done many things that aren’t the most graceful,” Luna admitted. “We’ve held orgies before.”

“Um, I must have misheard you,” Rarity said. “Did you say orgies?”

Luna nodded. “That is exactly what I said Rarity.”

“Stallions and mares?” Izzy asked innocently.

“We didn’t discriminate,” Luna said with a shrug.

“That’s good to hear,” Twilight awkwardly said. “I think?”

“That’s still mild though,” Luna said.

“That’s your definition of mild?” Fluttershy squeaked. 

“Yes that is on the more tame side to be honest,” Luna tapped her chin, pondering. “Although, that was our main way to combat estrus.”

“And the guards didn’t care?” Rainbow asked.

“They enjoyed it quite a bit, actually,” Luna smiled.

“I think anypony would enjoy getting with a princess,” Hitch shrugged. “I definitely would.”

“Ew Hitch, don’t say that,” Pipp said while Zipp shook her head.

“What? Huh?” Hitch looked dumbfounded, then it finally clicked. “No! I didn’t mean it like that. I was just saying… Well, uhhhh…” Hitch trailed off, causing Luna and Rainbow to snicker as he got even more flustered.

“I don’t think you can really save yourself here friend,” Izzy offered a weak smile and a pat on the back.

Hitch frowned. “It’s just never my day.”

“It hasn’t be your day ever since we stepped through the portal,” Sunny smiled.

“It’s all good,” Hitch sighed, accepting his fate.

“I can attest that some ponies would be ecstatic to get with a princess,” Twilight said. 

“Ah yes, you also use that method for estrus,” Rarity recalled. 

“We went over this before Rarity,” Twilight shrugged. “Every mare has her needs.”

“Ah yes, I remember when I thought it was taboo,” Luna reminiscenced.

“So how did you deal with it before then?” Rainbow asked. “Don’t tell me…”

“My sister and I did a little experimenting, to say the least,” Luna giggled. “Those were fun days. She hasn’t been as open to it in recent years though.”

“Huh, can’t say I’m too surprised,” Rarity nodded. 

“And why is that?” Applejack looked at her funnily.

“There’s a lot of books about it,” Rarity nonchalantly said.

“You’re tellin’ me you read adult novels about Celestia and Luna?” Applejack looked in disbelief.

“I’ve read a couple of them myself,” Twilight admitted.

“Same here,” Fluttershy whispered to herself.

“I too have read some,” Luna said.

“Seems like we’re the odd ones out,” Applejack said, looking at Pinkie and Rainbow.

“Y-Yeah… I totally haven’t read anything like that,” Rainbow’s eyes dashed around.

“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me,'' Applejack sighed. “Pinkie?”

“I haven’t read anything like that!” The part pony admitted. 

“Thank goodness I’m not the only one,” Applejack smiled weakly. 

“You’re telling me there’s smut novels about the two oldest princesses?” Sunny asked.

“They range from romance to straight up smut,” Twilight answered. 

“Some are a lot more saucier than others,” Rarity added.

“A hoofful of them get some details scarily accurate,” Luna tapped her chin. “But I did thoroughly enjoy them all.”

“Jeez, I wonder if my fans wrote anything like that about me,” Pipp said.

“I’m sure they have,” Zipp chuckled. “Maybe there’s even one with me in there.” 

“I don’t even want to think about that,” Pipp groaned.

“I was like that at first too, Pipp,” Luna said. “But don’t knock it till you try it.”

“You want me to read books about my sister and I doing lewd stuff?” Pipp frowned. “I think I’ll have to pass.”

Luna shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“Well this most definitely took a turn I was not expecting,” Twilight laughed. 

“Indeed,” Luna nodded. “I do welcome it though. This is very fun.”

“A little spicier than Celestia’s session,” Izzy added.

“Luna always seemed like the wilder one,” Rarity said.

“Believe it or not, Celestia is crazier than I am,” Luna snickered. “Remember when we went on vacation that one time?”

“When I had trouble raising the sun and moon?” Twilight groaned. “How could I forget?”

“You two had time for vacation? How?” Sunny asked.

“Long story short, Celestia and I were craving some sort of action, and we may have gone a little overboard,” Luna awkwardly laughed. “Then Twilight and her friends convinced Celestia and I that there is more to life than just being heroes, so we compiled a bucket list while they ruled.”

“So it was kind of like a practice run for Twilight?” Zipp concluded. 

“More or less,” Luna said.

“So what’s that have to do with Celestia being the wilder one?” Hitch asked.

“Well, she wanted to do way more adventurous stuff than me. She wanted to do a lot, like zip lining, skydiving, and other things like that,” Luna shuddered. “I just wanted to relax to be honest.”

Hearing this, Twilight’s ears perked up. “I didn’t hear about this.”

“We just kind of silently agreed that we wouldn’t talk about it,” Luna shrugged. “Though, I guess I’m talking about it now.”

“She’s not going to get mad at you, is she?” Izzy worried for the princess.

“Her wrath is nothing I can't handle,” Luna chuckled. “She doesn’t need to know that we discussed this anyways,” she finished with a wink.

“Our lips are sealed, right everypony?” Twilight asked, causing them all to nod in agreement.

“So Celestia is more adventurous than you? That’s weird to think about,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, I always thought you’d be way~ more adventurous, considering you travel into people’s dreams and stuff,” Pinkie commented.

“Wait, you go into people’s dreams?” Sunny said, a little shocked.

“Isn’t that like an invasion of privacy?” Zipp cocked an eyebrow.

“They usually don’t know I’m there,” Luna said. “I usually help settle nightmares discreetly.” 

“Have you ever gone into a more, ahem, mature dream?” Pipp said, curiosity lacing her voice.

“Of course I have,” Luna chuckled. “I never bring it up to the ponies though, as that would just be plain rude. That being said, there have been some real wild ones.”

“Like?” Rainbow grinned, intrigued.

“I’ve been into some ponies’ dreams about my sister and I,” Luna chuckled. “Or better yet, themselves and my sister or I.”

“That doesn’t bother you at all?” Twilight frowned. “I wouldn't want to see myself like that.”

 Luna shrugged. “Once you’ve seen it thousands of times, you seem to get used to it.”

“So you’re saying that it happens often?” Sunny was a bit taken back.

“There’s at least one a night,” Luna said very nonchalantly.

“You still dream-watch even if you’re retired, right?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t do it every night,” Luna waved her hoof around. “Maybe a couple times a week. Celestia and I switch off.”

“That’s an interesting dynamic,” Zipp commented.

Luna nodded. “It’s not fair for just me to be doing it, so we decided it’s best that way.”

“What other kind of dreams have you seen?” Sunny asked, still curious about what other spicy things she’s seen.

“Well I’ve seen dreams about you six,” Luna smirked as she looked at the Elements. “Some of them are quite the watch.”

“Seems we have some secret admirers,” Rarity giggled.

“I’d say they’re more than admirers,” Twilight offered.

“Whatever floats their boat I guess,” Rainbow shrugged.

“I don’t really mind!” Pinkie chirped.

“I don’t want to think about that,” Fltutershy squeaked.

“I’m with Flutters on this one,” Applejack frowned. “That’s just plain weird.”

“No one can really control what they dream of,” Luna said in their defense. “Dreams are based around our desires or recent activities.”

“I wonder if anyone dreams about us like that,” Pipp looked at Zipp.

“Plenty do I bet,” Zipp chuckled. “I’m sure you’re more popular though.”

“Who’s the most popular princess for these dreams?” Twilight asked, curiosity taking over her. 

Luna tapped her chin. “I have to say it’s you, Twilight.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow asked, a little shocked. “The egghead is the most popular?”

“Well, Cadence is married while Celstia and I seem a little out of reach for the common pony,” Luna explained. “Twilight, on the other hand, is a little more in tune with everypony. Her being the princess of friendship and all.”

“I guess that does make sense,” Twilight said. “Still, to think ponies really dream about me. Maybe I will find my special somepony some day.”

“I’m sure you will,” Luna smiled. “Be sure to write to my sister and I if you ever get with anypony. I’m sure Celestia would be ecstatic.”

“How about among the elements?” Hitch asked. “Who’s the most popular?”

“It’s between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash,” Luna answered. 

“Seriously? That’s awesome!” Rainbow pumped her hoof into the air while Fluttershy sunk into her chair.

“Why me?” she squeaked. 

“Maybe it’s because of your shy demeanor,” Rarity offered.

“Dreams with Fluttershy show her as a more, ahem, dominant lady,” Luna smiled awkwardly. 

“Mistress Fluttershy?” Rainbow smirked, snickering. “I like it!”

“I hope you're not hinting at anything with that, Rainbow,” Rarity frowned. 

“Pfft, what? Why would I do something like that,” Rainbow said, winking at Fluttershy.

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “You know we all saw that, right?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I mean, you all already know we fool around sometimes, no need to hide it.”

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy whispered-shouted.

“Sorry, sorry,” Rainbow chuckled. “Too much.

“You sure are a hoofful sometimes,” Applejack frowned.

“Sometimes? More like all the time,” Fluttershy sighed, causing everypony (besides Rainbow) to giggle. 

“What’s so funny?” Rainbow tilted her head.





“As much as I would love to stay and chat some more, I have to get going. Dinner with Celestia calls,” Luna announced, getting out of her seat. “We’ll have to do this again another day.”

“Sure, if everypony is good with it,” Twilight’s gaze swept over the group. They all nodded.

“It’d be awesome if you came again!” Sunny chirped.

“Yeah! I’m sure you have more stories to tell us,” Izzy said with a smile.

“It’d be cool,” Zipp said.

“You're always welcome,” Rarity finished.

“Hooray!” Luna cheered. “It is time I go though, Celestia might get mad if I’m late. Farewell!” Luna finished, walking out the door.

“Well, guess that means it's time to disband for today! Have a good night everypony,” Twilight announced. With that, everypony except Fluttershy and Rainbow left the room.

Getting closer to Rainbows ear, Fluttershy whispered deviously, a smirk on her face. “So… about that mistress thing.”
 
“Well, I, uh,” Rainbow gulped. “Be gentle?” She squeaked.

“I’ll try,” Fluttershy giggled, the door slamming shut.
> Meet The Princessess Part 3: Cadance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This time we have two special ponies coming,” Twilight announced as everypony got comfortable in their seats. “I just can’t wait for you to meet them.”

“I think we all know who it is,” Rainbow said.

“You girls may know, but they don’t!” Twilight smiled, looking at the New Generation.

“I hope we don’t,” Hitch said. “It’d be weird if we saw somepony we knew here. Maybe they followed us through the portal?”

“Stop being so paranoid Hitch,” Zipp chuckled. “Twilight was just stating the obvious.”

“Two guests today?! That’s awesome,” Izzy chirped.

“Basing it off of our last two guests, I’m going to say they’re princesses as well,” Pipp guessed.

“You’re right there,” Twilight said, her excitement still showing. “They’re awesome! Not to say that Celestia and Luna aren't, I’m just saying tha-”

“We know Twilight, you don’t have to explain yourself,” Applejack chuckled, cutting her off.

“There are only four other princesses, so I guess we know who it is,” Zipp said.

“So it's going to be…” Hitch started, but was interrupted by the door opening. 

“Sorry we’re late,” a light pink alicorn apologized, trotting into the room. “Flurry Heart just wouldn’t stop flying around Ponyville.”

“Cadence!” Twilight rushed over to her sister-in-law. Cadence put Flurry on her back, and recited their greeting.

“Sunshine, sunshine ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!” The two sang while hopping around. They giggled like fillies when they finished, giving each other a hug.

“Everypony, this is Cadence,” Twilight introduced the alicorn. “She’s my sister-in-law, and this is Flurry Heart!” Twilight said, nuzzling her niece. “Isn’t she just the cutest?”

There were a couple of aww’s from the New Generation. After settling down a bit, they were all seated around the table.

“What’s that all about,” Zipp whispered to Rainbow Dash.

“To be honest, I still don’t really get it myself,” Dash whispered back. “They never really told us the story behind it.”

“What was that little chant?” Izzy grinned. “It was so cool and adorable!”

“It’s just a little greeting Twilight and I have,” Cadence chuckled. “We’ve been doing it ever since she was a filly.”

“So it's kind of like a secret hoofshake?” Sunny said. “Hitch and I have one.”

“Oooo,” Pinkie grinned. “Can you do it? Please, please, please!”

“Sure!” Sunny was happy to oblige. Looking over to Hitch. “Hitch?”

Hitch shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

The two of them got up, standing next to each other. Everypony looked at them as they stood there. 

“Alright, let's do this!” Sunny said, lifting her hoof up.

“Up high, down low, hitch it to post, flip it sunny side up and on a piece of toast!” The two said together, hoof movements and all.

“Woah…” Pinkie said. “That. Was. AWESOME!” 

Sunny rubbed the back of her neck. “Heh, it’s just something Hitch and I made up when we were foals.”

“It was adorable,” Pipp said, the rest of the crew nodding in agreement.

“So you two are childhood friends, huh?” Cadence aske, cradling Flurry Heart. Sunny and Hitch had already taken a seat next to each other.

“Yup,” Sunny nodded, pulling Hitch into a side hug. “We’ve been friends for basically our whole lives!”

“You two would make an adorable couple,” Cadence bluntly said, causing the two to groan.

“So does everypony think we’re a good couple?” Sunny frowned. “I mean I get it, we’re childhood friends and maybe a little more affectionate than others but does that really make a difference?”

“Yes it does,” Cadence nodded. “And plus, I’m the Princess of Love.”

“Wait, you are?” Hitch stared at Cadence.

“Why else would I have a giant crystal heart on my flank?” Cadence chuckled.

Hitch shrugged. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Now that you two were deemed an ‘adorable couple’ by the Princess of Love, there's no getting out of it,” Rarity smirked.

Sunny’s face deadpanned. “I don’t think we were going to get out of it anyway.”

“You’re right,” Rarity giggled with a wink.

“Anyways…” Sunny mumbled. “What exactly does the Princess of Love do? Do you help ponies with their relationships or something?”

“Kind of like a counselor?” Zipp added on.

“Although that would make sense, that isn’t really my job,” Cadence answered. “I do help ponies with relationship problems and things like that, but I mainly just rule the Crystal Empire with Shiny.”

“Shiny? Who’s that?” Izzy tilted her head.

“That’s my husband's nickname,” Cadence giggled. “I’m sure Twilight told you about her brother, Shining Armor.”

“She did mention that before,” Hitch tapped his chin.

“I remember Twilight calling him Shiny at one point,” Zipp said.

“I got that nickname from Twilight,” Cadence smiled, looking at her sister-in-law. “Apparently she called him Shiny and he called her Twily. I thought it was so adorable so I kind of just started doing that too!”

“Twily?” Pipp smiled. “That is adorable!”

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck, blushing slightly. “Shiny’s been using that nickname for as long as I remember.”

“So what’s it like being married?” Sunny asked.

“Curious now, are we?” Cadence smirked. “Thinking of getting hitched yourself?” she asked, giggling slightly. The rest of the group (besides Sunny and Hitch) joined in laughing. 

“That was a good one!” Rainbow wheezed. “Hitched? You get it? Cause his name’s hitch?” She said in between her laughs.

“It was good but not that good,” Hitch frowned. 

“It was pretty good,” Pinkie said, her laughter dying down. 

“Sorry you two,” Cadence winked at them. “It’s hard not to tease ponies like that when you’re the Princess of Love. I do it to Twilight all the time too, so don’t feel like I’m singling you out.”

“Hey!” Twilight pouted. “You weren’t supposed to bring that up.”

“It’s not like I’m the only person who teases you,” Cadence giggled. “I’m sure the girls do it all the time.”

Twilight sighed. “You’re not wrong. And to be honest, it’s only been getting worse since we started doing this.”

“It’s all in love, darling,” Rarity smiled. “Teasing is what friends do!”

“I don’t really mind it to be clear,” Twilight said. 

“Good, cause there’s more to come,” Rarity said, winking.

“Anyway, to get back to your question,” Cadence turned her attention back to Sunny. “It’s wonderful being married.”

“I’m sure there’s a lot of factors on why it’s wonderful though,” Zipp said. “Not every marriage is perfect.”

“That’s true,” Cadence nodded. “But my marriage isn’t perfect. It’s only wonderful because Shiny and I both truly love each other. We step on each other’s hooves sometimes, but that’s to be expected.”

“What do you mean that it’s to be expected? I thought marriages were always lovey-dovey with no problems,” Izzy asked innocently.

“No marriage is without problems and no marriage is perfect,” Cadence explained. “For example, Shiny and I argue about chores around the castle all the time. Sometimes it gets heated, sometimes it doesn't.”

“What do you do if it gets heated?” Sunny asked.

“Well we go our own ways first, clearing our heads and cooling down a bit,” Cadence said. “Once our heads are clear, we sit down and just talk it out. Clear communication is key in any relationship.”

“You really sound like a counselor right now,” Rarity smirked.

“Well, I guess I do dabble in counseling every now and then,” Cadence giggled. “Being the Princess of Love has its perks.”

“I think being a princess in general has its perks,” Twilight said.

“That is very true,” Pipp said, Zipp nodding in agreement. 

“Although, I try my best not to take advantage of it too much,” Zipp added. 

Twilight nodded. “No pony likes a snobby princess after all.”

“I don’t think any of the princesses are snobby at all. In fact, they’re a lot more humble than most royalty.” Rarity huffed, obviously mentioning Blueblood.

“I don’t think Blueblood is a fair representation of royalty,” Applejack chuckled. “But he sure was a jerk.”

“Blueblood? Who’s that?” Hitch asked.

“He’s just the worst pony ever!” Rarity quickly answered. “He’s just so… bleh! I can’t even describe how horrible he is with words.” Rarity let out a ‘hmph’ and crossed her forehooves.

“Blueblood is a distant nephew of Princess Celestia. He’s also my cousin,” Cadence sighed. “I grew up with him so I know how much of a pain he could be.”

“He’s rude and pretentious. He most definitely thinks he’s all that when he isn’t,” Rainbow added. “At least that’s what Rarity said about him.”

“I think she called him a brute,” Fluttershy said.

“He wasn’t a gentlecolt at all,” Rarity frowned. 

“He sounds awful,” Zipp said.

“And spoiled,” Pipp added.

“He’s your stereotypical spoiled prince,” Cadence giggled. “He always got what he wanted no matter what. He also treats mares quite badly if I recall correctly.”

“That he does!” Rarity growled. “First he didn’t hold the door for me, made me use my jacket for a puddle, then had the audacity to use me as a shield from incoming food!”

“Wow, he really does just sound like an awful pony now,” Sunny frowned. “I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt but I can’t even do that now.”

“I’m sure he’s not all bad, he just doesn’t show his good side,” Fluttershy tried to defend him. “I like to give everypony a chance.”

“Well I for one won’t give him a chance ever again,” Rarity huffed, crossing her forehooves.

“Anyways…” Twilight said. “How about we go back to Cadence? How about you tell them about how you met Shiny?”

“We’ve never heard this story before!” Rarity clapped her hooves together. “Please, do tell.”

“Really? I haven’t told you girls how I met Shiny?” Cadence tilted her head. “That’s a bit surprising.”

“I don’t recall you ever telling them,” Twilight said. “You only really talked about it when we went out for drinks.”

“Oh yeah, with Celestia and Luna?” Cadence recalled that.

“Wait, you had a princess night out?” Rarity gasped. “How did I not hear about that?!”

Cadence waved her hoof around. “We put on disguises with magic so ponies wouldn't recognize us. We wouldn’t have gotten anything done if we were constantly swarmed by ponies.”

“You have to tell us about that,” Rainbow said. “That sounds awesome!”

“So do you want to hear about how I met Shiny or that?” Cadence asked.

“I want to know  how you met Shining Armor!” Izzy said.

“Me too!” Pipp nodded.

“I guess we could start with that,” rarity said. “But we have to know what you four did that night as well.”

“Alright alright,” Cadence chuckled. “I guess we’ll start with Shiny.”

“Shining and I didn't meet until the last year of magic school,” Cadence started. “I remember it clearly, him nervously walking up to me, wanting to ask me to the annual dance.”

“Wait, so you two didn’t know each other till then?” Rarity tilted her head. “I was sure you had met him when you were foalsitting Twilight.”

“He wasn’t there most of the time when I foalsat Twilight,” Cadence said. “I think the Royal Guard training took up a lot of his time. I heard that he would spend most of his nights at the barracks.” 

“Interesting…” Rarity simply said.

“So going back to magic school,” Cadence said. “It was the day before the annual dance when he approached me in the hall. I’m pretty sure I was getting some books for my next class when he awkwardly shuffled up to me. I found it adorable and wanted to hug him on the spot, but I kept a calm demeanor and smiled at him.”

“Wait, so did you like him before he even approached you?” Pipp asked.

Cadence shrugged. “I thought he was cute and I knew he was Twilight’s brother so I assumed he would be just as awesome as her.”

“So he got extra brownie points for being Twilight’s brother, huh,” Rainbow chuckled. “What a lucky guy.”

“I mean I did kind of watch him too sometimes,” Cadence added. “Not in a weird way, but I noticed some of the things he did for other ponies.”

“What did he do for other ponies?” Sunny asked.

 “Well I remember seeing him take care of Twilight a couple times,” Cadence smiled. “They flew kites together and he even split his apple with her.”

“Wait, you saw those?” Twilight tilted her head. 

“Yup!” Cadence nodded. “He’s so caring.”

“That sounds like something a good brother would do,” Rarity said. “Anything else?”

“Well at school he would often carry books for students. I also heard rumors that he tutored some students who were struggling,” Cadence continued.

“Those rumors were true,” Twilight confirmed. “I remember him telling me all about that. If I recall correctly, he said it was fulfilling helping other ponies when they needed it.”

“Sounds like him,” Rainbow added.

“He was humble and very kind,” Cadence nodded. “He also tried his best to stop bullying when he saw it. Sometimes it ended poorly for him, often being on the receiving end of beatings, but he didn't care.”

“Wait, he took the beating? I thought he would give them a flank-whooping,” Rainbow frowned.

“He would now, but back then he wasn’t the strongest,” Cadence giggled.

“I remember he would come home with bruises and cuts sometimes,” Twilight frowned. “Mom and dad always scolded him for it, thinking he got into fights and stuff.”

“He never told them where they came from?” Cadence asked, confused. “I thought for sure he would.”

“He eventually explained where he got them, but the first couple of times he just kept silent for some reason,” Twilight explained. 

“What a doofus,” Cadence giggled, Twilight nodding in agreement.

“I can see why you fell for him,” Sunny said. 

“Not only was his personality great, he’s quite handsome,” Cadence smirked. “You girls have seen him, right?”

“Just in pictures,” Pipp confirmed. 

“So, what did you think?” Cadence urged her on.

“Is it right for me to even say?” Pipp flushed a bit. “I mean, you are married to him.”

“Pfft, don’t worry about that,” Cadence chuckled. “Just because a pony’s married doesn’t mean you can’t compliment them!”

“I guess so…” Pipp said, still hesitant.

“C’mon, I promise that I won’t do anything,” Cadence winked. “Twilight even called him handsome at one point!”

“I meant it in a sisterly way! It was at his wedding,” Twilight frowned.

“Just teasing!” Cadence sang. “I don’t mind when a mare compliments him at all. Instead, I feel lucky that I’m married to such a great stallion!”

“I guess he was quite the handsome stallion,” Pipp mumbled. 

Cadence smiled. “See? It wasn’t that hard!” 

“Is she going to make all of us say it,” Rainbow whispered to Applejack.

“I hope not,” Applejack whispered back.

“How about you Rainbow? What do you think of Shining Armor?” Cadence said with a knowing smile.

“I think she heard us,” Rainbow mumbled, causing Applejack to nod her head. 

“What was that Rainbow?” Cadence asked, still wearing the same smile.

“Nothing,” Rainbow quickly said. “What was the question again?”

“What do you think of Shining Armor?”

“I mean yeah, he’s pretty handsome,” Rainbow shrugged. “Not really my type though to be honest.”

“Respectable,” Cadence nodded. 

“Cadence, I think you’re going a little crazy again,” Twilight awkwardly chuckled. 

“Don’t worry Twilight, I was just picking on her,” Cadence winked.

“Uh huh…” Twilight nodded slowly. “Anyways, what were we talking about again?”

“How she met Shining Armor,” Izzy answered.

“There’s not much else for me to talk about,” Cadence shrugged. “After going to the dance with him, we started to date. Simple as that!”

“Seriously? That’s it?” Rarity frowned. “No grand gesture, no romantic rivalry? Just a simple date and you two were hitched?”

“Not everything is like a romance novel, Rarity,” Cadence giggled. “I mean do they ever have children in those novels?” Cadence asked, holding up Flurry Heart.

“I guess not,” Rarity shrugged. “Just expected something grand because you’re a princess.”

“That’s why I love Shiny,” Cadence grinned goofily. “He loves me for being, well, me! Not because I’m a princess or give him the status of prince. He doesn’t love me because I have money or power. No, he genuinely loves me, which is why I love him.”

“How sweet!” Izzyt cooed. “I’d love to find a pony who loves me for me.”

Twilight sighed. “Don’t we all.”

“I’m sure you’ll find your special somepony soon,” Cadence winked. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight looked suspiciously at her sister-in-all.

“Nothing,” Cadence simply said. “Nothing at all.”

“You tease me way too much,” Twilight frowned.

Cadence embraced Twilight, nuzzling her. “It’s because I love you too much.”

“Aww…” Pipp grinned. “Adorable! We should be like that Zipp.”

“Eh, I’m good with how we are now,” Zipp shrugged.





“We don’t have much time left,” Cadence peered at the clock. “We got time for one more good discussion, so make it count!”

“Why do you have to leave so soon?” Twilight pouted. 

“You know just as much as I do how busy you get ruling a kingdom,” Cadence weakly smiled. “I’m glad to get any vacation time. I don’t know how you got all these days off.”

“I’ll let you in on a secret later,” Twilight winked.

“Please do,” Cadence winked back. 

“I have a question!” Izzy raised her hoof. 

Sunny giggled. “Always the curious one.”

“What is it, Izzy?” Cadence asked.

“Can I hold Flurry Heart?”

“That’s not really a discussion question,” Cadence chuckled. “But sure.”

“We haven’t really talked about her much, huh,” Twilight realized.

“Now that you mention it, we haven’t,” Applejack tapped her chin. “Guess we got too caught up in the other things.”

“So what do you all want to know about Flurry Heart?” Cadence asked as she handed her over to Izzy.

“There’s not really much to talk about a baby,” Pipp said, trying to find a question.

“How was giving birth?” Pipp suddenly asked, causing some gasps from some ponies. “What? We’re all grown ponies here.”

“It was just a little sudden,” Rarity weakly laughed.

“Y-Yeah…” Fluttershy squeaked.

“I’m a little curious now too,” Twilight said. “I’ve read a lot about giving birth, whether it be scientific books or stories. Both of them made it sound like a truly awful experience.”

“I’m not going to lie and say it was alright,” Cadence giggled. “But I will say it was one of the best moments in my whole entire life.”

“Seriously?” Zipp tilted her head, looking at Pipp. “Our mom said she hated every moment of it.”

“Even after you popped out of her?” Cadence questioned.

Zipp pondered for a bit, thinking of what her mother said exactly. Then it came to her. “I guess she did say it was all worth it after seeing us.”

“Exactly,” Cadence winked. “That’s the thing. Those long, awful months of pregnancy and those hours of labor are totally worth seeing the beautiful baby you and your special somepony made.”

“I never really thought about it like that,” Twilight said. “It makes sense though.”

“So you’re saying that the reward is far greater than the pain and suffering you go through?” Sunny summarized.

“Essentially!” Cadence nodded. Looking over the Izzy and Flurry Heart, she smiled. Izzy was bouncing Flurry Heart on her knee, the baby laughing and cooing. “It’s so worth it.” Cadence said under her breath.

“She’s so cute!” Izzy chirped. 

“I know right!” Pipp agreed. 

The New Generation gathered around the foal, playing with her. Her giant eyes seemed to just suck them in. 

“I remember when you girls did this,” Cadence chuckled, looking at the Mane Six.

“No pony could resist such an adorable foal,'' Rarity giggled. “I was like this when Sweetie Belle was first born as well.”

“You’re telling me,” Applejack said. “I didn't want to leave Applebloms side when she was first born. She was so darn cute.”

“Foals just draw you in,” Cadence sighed. “They’re just too cute, it hurts.”

“I guess foals are cute,” Rainbow Dash said.. “But you didn’t hear me say that!”

“C’mon Rainbow, we’re all friends here,” Fluttershy smiled. “We’re not going to judge you for liking something cute.”

“I know that,” Rainbow mumbled. 

“I just want to squish her cheeks all day!” Sunny said, playing with Flurry Heart’s face.

“Unfortunately we don’t have all day,” Cadence giggled. “On that note, I probably should get going.”

“Aww, do you have to leave?” Izzy pouted, hugging Flurry Heart.

“Unfortunately,” Cadence sighed. “I had a wonderful time chatting with you all though. However, there are some things I have to attend to.”

“We understand,” Sunny nodded. 

“I mean, you are the ruler of the crystal empire,” Hitch added. “It’s to be expected.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you all,” Cadence smiled as Izzy gave Flurry Heart back to her. Flurry Heart babbled a bit, sucking on her hoof.

“I don’t ever want her to leave,” Izzy said. “She’s too cute.”

“You should visit the Crystal Empire one day,” Cadence suggested. 

“We were planning to take them there eventually,” Twilight said. “Just have to make a schedule and all that.”

“Classic Twilight,” Cadence grinned, everypony laughing at the remark.

“Guess I’ll get going now,” Cadence said. “Don’t want to miss the train!”

Everypony said their goodbyes, waving and such. With that, Cadence exited the room, the door closing behind her.

“Another wonderful talk,” Rarity smiled. “So, what now?”

“Guess we’ll just go our separate ways again,” Sunny suggested. 

“There’s still some light out so I’m gonna go stretch my wings!” Rainbow said, dashing out the door. 

“I’m gonna join her,” Zipp said, following the pegasus.

“Well that’s that,” Twilight chuckled. “Feel free to go about your days everypony. I’ll be here if you all need anything.”

And with that, everypony went their own ways to do their own things. Hitch and Sunny went with Fluttershy to her cottage while Rarity took Pipp to her boutique. Zipp and Rainbow were flying about, zipping around town while Pinkie Pie, Izzy, and Applejack strolled around town, talking about who knows what. Twilight stayed in her castle, sitting in her favorite seat reading one of her favorite books.

Everypony’s day was fulfilling and fun.
> Exploring Equestria Part 1: Train to Canterlot and The Castle’s Garden
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Today we’re going to do something a little different,” Twilight announced to everypony around the table. “I recall some of you saying you wanted to explore our Equestria a bit, so I decided that we should!”

“A field trip!” Pinkie clapped her hooves together. “I love field trips.”

“My dad told me some stories about Canterlot,” Sunny said. “He said it was the city of unicorns and nobility.”

“Well you’re right about the nobility part,” Twilight nodded. “That’s where I reside as the ruler of Equestria after all. It was the city of unicorns before as well, not anymore.”

“What do you mean ‘anymore’?” Zipp asked.

“Well it was only inhabited by unicorns at one point, but that changed with each tribe coming together to stop the windigos,” Twilight explained.”After that, more and more ponies of all races came and settled in Canterlot!”

“History? Boring!” Rainbow chuckled.

“Some find it interesting,” Twilight huffed. “And expect some more history lessons because I’m the one giving them a tour.”

“Do I have to go on the tour?” Rainbow groaned. “I’ve been to Canterlot like, a billion times!”

“If you can say one fact about Canterlot’s history besides the one I just told you, then by all means you’re free to roam around,” Twilight smirked.

“Fine!” Rainbow threw her hooves up before crossing them. “I’ll go on your stupid tour.”

“Great!” Twilight nodded contently. “Guess we should start heading to the train station.”






Arriving at the train station, they all stood on the platform, waiting for the first train of the day to arrive. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly but there was a nice, cool breeze. 

“So what’s first on our tour, tour guide Twilight?” Izzy asked, hopping in place. “I’m so excited to see Canterlot.”

“Well first we’ll visit the royal gardens and look at all the statues there then we’ll tour the castle,” Twilight said. “Then, we’ll take a look around the main streets of the city as well as some places I’ve been as a child!”

“Sounds like a fun day,” Sunny said. 

“I can’t wait to see the castle. I wonder if it’ll be like ours,” Pipp said, looking at ZIpp.

“It’ll probably be way cooler,” Zipp replied.

They continued to chat until the train arrived. They got their own train car due to their status, being the Elements of Harmony as well as Twilight being the ruler of Equestria. Outside their car were two guards, guarding the door.

“Just precaution,” Twilight sighed. “Never know what could happen.”

“But aren’t you one of the strongest ponies alive? Who could really hurt you?” Hitch asked.

“You’d be surprised what some fans would do,” Twilight chuckled. “Also, the villains we defeated were quite strong, especially Discord and Tirek. 

“Did somepony call me?” a familiar voice asked.

“Discord? Is that you?” Twilight called out, looking around the train car. 

“You are correct dear,” Discord replied, squeezing out of one of the luggage compartments overhead. “Jeez, it sure is a tight fit in there.”

“How did you even fit in there?” Hitch tilted his head.

“Cause he’s Discord,” Rainbow chuckled.

“You got that right!” Discord laughed alongside Rainbow. Taking a seat next to Twilight, he crossed one leg over the other. “Now, where are we going this fine morning?” 

“We’re going to tour Canterlot!” Izzy said.

“Pfft, boring!” Discord leaned back into the chair. “Why don’t you bring them somewhere fun Twilight? Like the Dragonlands, or my place!”

Twilight rolled her eyes, smiling. “Maybe one day, but we’ll start out with a calmer, safer place.”

“C’mon, my realm is calm and safe,” Discord grinned. 

“I’m sure you could make it safe, but as it is right now, I’m not too sure,” Twilight frowned.

“It’s quite cozy over there, actually,” Fluttershy mentioned. Suddenly, a bunch of signs with  “Fluttershy Approved“ appeared all around her.

“See? Fluttershy likes it, so I’m sure you all could too!” Discord said.

“Maybe one day Discord,” Twilight entertained the thought. “Maybe one day.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Discord smirked, nodding contently. “Now, would you all mind if I joined you on your tour of Canterlot?”

“We’d love to have you Dissy!” Pinkie chirped. “It’s always a fun time with you around.”

“Aww stop, you’re making me blush,” Discord hid his face behind a large fan that appeared out of nowhere.

“And as long as you behave,” Twilight added.

“You got it, Princess,” Discord winked at her, grinning. “I will be on my best behavior.”

“It’s so weird to think he used to be evil,” Hitch whispered to Sunny. “He seems so normal.”

“Excuse me, that is quite offensive!” Discord said, his head popping out between the two of them. “I am anything but normal.”

“Were you listening the whole time?” Hitch said, staring at Discord’s head attached to the chair. 

“I hear and see everything,” Discord hissed. 

“Everything?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow.

“Okay, maybe not everything because that would be gross,” Discord replied, his head now in his hand. 

“Can you put our head back on please?” Rainbow frowned. “It’s giving me the chills.”

“Okay fine,” Discord rolled his eyes, twisting his head back on.

“I think you put it on wrong,” Izzy said. “You’re facing backwards!”

“Ah, it seems that I am,” Discord chuckled, twisting his head back to place. “Much better.”

“How much longer till we reach Canterlot?” Zipp asked, staring out the window. “It looks so far away.”

“We have about an hour left,” Twilight answered. 

“That’s much shorter than I thought,” Zipp said. 

“It’s not a long train ride at all,” Twilight chuckled. “I think it’s two hours at most, and that’s if there are delays on the way.”

“It just looks so far from Ponyville,” Hitch said. 

“If you asked me, I could’ve just teleported us all there,” Discord offered. 

“No thank you,” Twilight rejected the offer. “It feels more natural taking a train if you’re going to get a tour of the place.”

“If you say so,” Discord shrugged, taking a seat next to Twilight. “I believe you could’ve teleported them as well.”

“Large-scale teleportation with multiple ponies does not sound like a good idea, even for an alicorn,” Twilight replied. “The only reason you can do it is, well, because you’re you!”

“You flatter me Twilight,” he winked, grinning. 

“Don’t let it get to your head, Discord,” Rainbow stuck her tongue out at him.

“Out of all the ponies to say that, it had to be you,” Discord chuckled. “How ironic.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean!” Rainbow frowned.

“I mean absolutely nothing by it,” Discord whistled. “Nothing at all.”

“If you want a butt-kicking just tell me that!” Rainbow growled.

“No need to resort to violence Rainbow Dash,” Discord smirked. “Don’t friends usually just talk it out?”

“Stop picking on Rainbow,” Twilight reprimanded the draconequus. “I know you like targeting her because it’s easy to provoke her, but that isn’t right.”

“Yes ma’am…” Discord huffed. 

“Why do you only listen to Twilight?” Sunny asked.

“I don’t listen to anypony,” Discord hissed. “Well, maybe except Fluttershy.”

“But you literally just listened to Twilight if I’m not mistaken,” Zipp tilted her head. 

“I thought we already knew why,” Hitch said. “It’s because he likes her!”

Discord froze on the spot while Twilight blushed. Everypony’s eyes were on them, silence filling the room.

Hitting the back of his neck, Sunny broke the silence.“Did you have to be blunt about it?” she frowned.

“We were all thinking it!” Hitch threw his hooves up to defend himself. “Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say.”

“Now why would you say I like this prissy princess?” Discord asked, his eyes wandering around the train.

“Because it’s very obvious?” Pipp smiled. 

“Oh phooey,” Discord frowned. “Twilight and I have already discussed this, so it doesn’t matter.”

Twilight awkwardly chuckled. “We can discuss it when we get back. Let’s just enjoy Canterlot for now.”

“You don’t have to tell us anything, sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled. “If you’re not comfortable tellin’, then don’t feel like you have to.”

“Yes darling, don’t feel pressured into doing anything,” Rarity said, winking at her. “Though, I would like to know.”

Applejack glared at her. “Can it, Rarity.”

“Thanks you two,” Twilight smiled weakly. “It’s not uncomfortable for me, but I don’t know about Discord over here.”

“Worrying about little ol’ me?” Discord smirked, causing Twilight to elbow his side. “I mean, thank you for your kindness.”

“So there’s something going on between you two?” Hitch asked, still confused.

“Eh… I wouldn’t say there's something, but there’s definitely not nothing,” Twilight answered ambiguously.

“What a royal thing to say,,” Pipp smiled. “Being ambiguous is the best way to answer anything.”

“Being the ruler of Equestria has its perks,” Twilight giggled. “I learned quite a bit from Celestia and Luna.”

“So there’s something going on?” Hitch tilted his head. “I'm confused…”

“There’s definitely something between them,” Zipp concluded.

“I’ll let you girls know about it when we get back, I promise,” Twilight smiled. “I think I’m comfortable enough to do that. How about you Discord?”

“Fine by me,” Discord shrugged. “Just don’t forget to leave out the juicy details,” Discord winked, smirking.

 “I think you should leave out the ‘juicy’ details,” Applejack’s face deadpanned.

“No no no! You must tell us everything,” Rarity interjected, a large grin on her face.

“I’ll tell you everything that I’m comfortable telling you girls,” Twilight smiled. “And boy,” she added, looking at Hitch.

“You know after what I’ve heard from every one of you, I kind of don’t care anymore,” Hitch shrugged. “Girl talk sure is interesting.”

“You didn't say that when we had a sleepover at Sunny’s place,” Zipp teased. “You said it was boring and too girly for you.” 

“What did you four talk about again?” Hitch cocked an eyebrow. “If I recall, it wasn’t as interesting as what I’ve heard here.”

“Tsk tsk, well played Hitch, well played,” Zipp chuckled.

“That gives me an idea! What if we have a sleepover one night!” Izzy chirped. “It’d be so fun!”

“We’re basically always having a sleepover with Twilight,” Sunny said. “You know, since we’re staying at her castle.”

“But a sleepover is different from just sleeping there silly,” Izzy rolled her eyes. “We could all sleep in the throne room and tell scary stories, play fun games, stuff like that!”

“That sounds fun,” Sunny said.

“And then we could have makeovers!” Rarity and Pipp said in unison. 

“Eh… Makeovers might be a little much,” Applejack chucked weakly.

“I’m with Applejack on this one,” Rainbow said. “Makeovers aren’t really my thing.”

“C’mon it’ll be so fun!” Rarity smiled. “Please?”

 Applejack frowned. “No means no Rares.”

“I’m not too fond of makeovers either,” Hitch added. “I gave it another try at one of our sleepovers and I still have nightmares about it.”

“It wasn’t that bad Hitch,” Pipp rolled her eyes.

“I beg to differ,” He replied with a shrug. 

“This sounds like a wonderful idea,” Twilight clapped her forehovoes together, smiling. “We’ll just have to work out some kinks and we have ourselves another thing to do!” 

“Is Discord invited?” Hitch asked, looking at the draconequus. 

“If he wants to come, he can,” Twilight shrugged. “Up to him.”

“Why that’s very sweet of you Twilight,” Discord smiled. “I would love to come.”

“You only want to come so you can flirt with Twilight and chat with Fluttershy,” Rainbow smirked. 

“Those are some of the reasons, yes,” Discord calmly said. 

“Oh, we could invite Starlight and Trixie too!” Pinkie suggested. “It’ll be like a sleepover and party mixed into one!”

“That’s not a bad idea!” Twilight nodded. “It’s been awhile since I’ve got to talk to Starlight.”

“I’d like to talk to her too,” Sunny said. “Maybe learn more about her. She seems like a nice pony.”

“Besides the fact she enslaved an entire village and almost ended Equestria,” Hitch added.

“That’s all behind her now, the past is the past, ” Twilight smiled. “Even if she tried to steal our cutie marks and convert her to her cult.” She added quickly under her breath.

“What was that?” Sunny asked.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” Twilight whistled. “Anyways, we should be arriving soon. You can see Canterlot just ahead!”

They were approaching the beautiful city of Canterlot. The tall white walls surrounded by flowing rivers and streams was a sight to behold. The clouds floating around the elevated city just added to the already majestic feeling. Entering the large gate into the city, the train came to a stop in the train station. The buildings around them were very pretty, sporting white walls, gold details, and purple roofs.

“Wow… this place looks way cooler than Zephyr Heights,” Zipp said as they stepped out of their train car. 

“It’s beautiful,” Pipp sang. “Love the colors. It’s just wonderful!”

“You can thank Celestia for the color scheme,” Twilight laughed. “She has a knack for making things beautiful.”

“You don’t want to change anything?” Zipp asked. 

“Nope, nothing at all,” Twilight said, looking around. “Everypony seems happy with it right now, so I don’t see a reason to. No need to make changes if everything is fine.”

“That’s actually really smart,” Fluttershy said. 

“Aww, thanks Fluttershy,” Twilight smiled. “I just don’t want to create any problems I could easily avoid.”

“What kind of problems would change with some decoration or color changes?” Hitch asked.

“Mainly construction and funding,” Twilight said. “We’d have to take some funds from other things, which is a lot of paperwork and a lot of headaches. Moving bits around isn’t a fun thing to do. Spike can attest.”

“Next is the public’s opinion,” Twilight continued. “I don’t know if they’d like it or not. I could put a survey out on what ponies don’t like about the city, but I won’t go making changes just because I want to see them.”

“Lastly, it’s just not super important. There’s way more other duties I have to do, so I just don’t see a point in doing it if I don’t have to.”

“Wow, you really thought about this, haven’t you?” Sunny laughed. 

“You have to think a lot if you want to be a good ruler,” Twilight smiled. 

“You hear that Pipp?” Zipp snickered as she elbowed her sister’s side. 

“You do know that you’ll be queen first, right?” Pipp cocked an eyebrow, blowing a raspberry at her.

“Not like mom is going anywhere,” Zipp grumbled, crossing her hooves. 

“Hah! I got you,” Pipp grinned widely, victorious. 

“Wouldn’t Sunny also be a ruler of some sort now?” Pinkie asked, appearing behind her. “I mean, she is an alicorn!”

“Woah!” Sunny jumped in surprise. “Pinkie, you have to stop doing that!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Pinkie giggled. “Force a habit, ya know?”

“I don’t know,” Sunny weakly laughed. “And what would me being an alicorn have to do with me being a ruler?”

“Well if you haven’t noticed already, every ruler of Equestria so far has been an alicorn!” Pinkie said. “From Celstia and Luna, to now Twilight!”

“You did also reunite all of the tribes,” Rainbow added. “Everypony is probably going to look at you like royalty!”

“Or look at her like a celebrity,” Rarity added.

“I never really thought about it like that,” Sunny tapped her chin. “To be honest, I’d be fine if everypony just treated me like good ol’ Sunny.”

“Good luck with that,” Rainbow mumbled.

“What do you mean by that Rainbow?” Sunny frowned. 

“Well since ponies know how awesome you are, they’re going to look up to you. Some ponies might even idolize you,” Rainbow explained. “I know because of how awesome I am.”

“I mean you did save Equestria multiple times,” Zipp said. “I don’t know what pony wouldn’t think you’re awesome.”

“You’d be surprised,” Rainbow chuckled. “There’s haters everywhere no matter how cool you are.”

“I hope ponies don’t idolize me,” Sunny shook her head. “That would be weird.”

“Well darling, you’ll just have to get used to it,” Rarity said. “I sure have!”

“What Rarity and Rainbow are trying to say is that ponies are going to look at you differently, whether it be positive or negative. It could be extreme as well, like idolization,” Twilight smiled weakly. 

“Huh… I never thought about it like that,” Sunny face furrowed. “Guess I’ll keep that in mind when we go back.”

“Good,” Twilight smiled.

“Enough chit chat, I want to see the castle!” Pipp said. 

“Yeah, let's go!” Izzy chimed in.

“Alright alright, let's get going,” Twilight chuckled.





The group made their way out of the train station towards their first stop, the castle. The walk to the castle was very peaceful. The birds were chirping, a gentle breeze flowing through their manes as they walked up the paved road. Surrounded by beautiful greenery and colorful flowers, they walked slowly.

“Wow, whoever the gardener is, give them a raise!” Hitch said. 

“They get paid very well,” Twilight nodded. “Celestia enjoyed having all kinds of plants around the castle as well as inside, so she hired the best of the best.”

As they approached the gate, the bridge was already down, the river flowing right below it. Guards were stationed on both the wall and on the ground, surveying the area. The group walked through the garden, Twilight nodding to a couple of the guards. Izzy, on the other hand, waved her hoof in front of two guards who were staring off into the distance.”

“Hello? Anypony in there?” Izzy giggled, messing with the guards. The guards, however, didn’t flinch at all. “Wow, they’re trained really well!”

“They don’t react to anything,” Rainbow sighed. “Even when I fly super fast at them, they just stand there! It’s kind of annoying.”

“They look stoic when they’re guarding some place, but you should see them whenever they’re not,” Twilight giggled. 

“I’m curious, what are they like?” Rarity asked, examining the guards. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the flustered or embarrassed or, well, anything to be honest.”

“Well they’re quite rowdy,” Twilight said. “They like to play card games, board games, and things like that. They’re quite competitive so they start shouting and cheering.”

The guards on duty flinched very slightly as she mentioned that.

“Oh and apparently there was this one time a guard accidentally called Celestia ‘mom.’ Celestia didn’t really mind it so more and more guards started calling her mom as well, even treating her kind of like a mother,” Twilight chuckled. 

One of the guards cringed, closing his eyes. 

“It was you, wasn’t it,” Rainbow snickered. The guard remained silent, trying his best to remain still. Rainbow started poking him gently. “C’mon, everypony has called some other pony their mom before, no need to be embarrassed.”

“Rainbow, don’t bully the guards,” Twilight rolled her eyes. 

“Ok mom,” Rainbow winked at her. “Do they call you that now?”

“They call me sister actually,” Twilight frowned. “I don’t really know why though.”

“Huh, I have no idea why,” Rainbow said sarcastically.

“Anyways, let’s make our way to the garden,” Twilight urged the group to continue on. As everypony else made their way towards the garden, Twilight stayed back a bit, the guards looking at her. “Sorry about that guys. Just so you know, I think it’s cool you see me as your sister.”

The guards smiled, nodding contently before assuming their normal positions. Satisfied with that, Twilight quickly made her way back to the group who were just outside the royal garden.

“Where were you?” Rainbow asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be the tour guide?”

“Sorry, I just had to do something really quick,” Twilight said. “Forgot some paperwork that I needed to send out.”

“How did you get it that quickly?” Hitch asked, looking around the garden entrance. “I know I don’t really know the place, but I’m sure there aren’t any personal rooms around here.”

Twilight chuckled awkwardly.  “Teleportation sure is useful.”

“Yeah…” Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “Real useful.”

“Ahem,” Twilight cleared her throat, teleporting in front of the group. “Getting back to it, here we have the royal gardens!”

Behind Twilight was a large garden, covered with beautiful and colorful plants, trees, and shrubs. The greenery was something to behold. Everything was neatly trimmed and decorated. It was as if they got the best of every plant and put it here.

“And I thought outside was pretty,” Pipp said. “This is on a different level!”

“I know right,” Twilight smiled. “I remember the first time I saw the garden back when I first became Celestia’s student. It became my favorite place to study.”

“Wait, you went outside to study?” Rainbow snickered. “That’s kind of sad. Ponies usually play outside, especially when they’re younger.”

“Dash, not everypony is like you,” Twilight rolled her eyes. 

“Don’t worry Twilight, I liked reading outside too!” Izzy said. “The forest always calmed me.”

“Thank you Izzy,” Twilight smiled. 

Walking into the garden, they stopped at a familiar stone statue. A pegasus, a centaur, and a changeling all with different emotions on their face. The pegasus shocked, the centaur cowering, and the changeling lashing out at something.

“Woah, who are they?” Zipp asked, examining the statue. “Villains I’m assuming.”

“And you assumed right!” Twilight said. “Their names are Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis. We talked about them before.”

“These are the three ponies who almost took over Equestria together?” Hitch asked, poking them. “How scary.”

“It was scary,” Fluttershy mumbled. 

“They were quite the barbarians,” Rarity hmphed. “They had absolutely no class.”

“You would expect that from a villain,” Applejack’s face deadpanned.

“Why, if I was a villain, I’d be as classy as I am now!” Rarity said.

“Uh huh…” Hitch nodded his head slowly. 

“Anyways, after we turned them to stone, we kept them here so we can keep an eye on them,” Twilight said. “They’re constantly watched by guards, just in case they somehow break out.”

“Just like I did?” Discord asked, suddenly appearing in the middle of the group.

“Dissy! I thought you left,” Pinkie chirped.

“Just had a few errands to run,” Discord winked. “Didn’t want to miss this amazing tour by the one and only Twilight Sparkle.”

“Har har, very funny Discord,” Twilight rolled her eyes. 

“Wait, did you say you broke out of your stone prison?” Sunny asked. 

“I did indeed!” Discord smirked. “You should’ve seen Celestia’s face when she found I was gone. It was hilarious!”

“So there’s a possibility for these three to break out as well?” Sunny asked.

“There is a small chance they can, but I don’t think they’d get very far,” Rainbow shrugged. “We’d just beat them again.”

“What makes you so confident?” Zipp asked.

“Well, they used the power of an ancient talisman that held evil magic,” Twilight explained. “That’s how they were able to almost defeat us.” 

Zipp looked a little concerned. “And this ancient talisman is…”

“Locked up somewhere far away,” Twilight smiled. “And that’s all I can say about it. Legally at least.”

“It’s like a national secret,” Pinkie grinned. “We all Pinkie promised that we wouldn’t let anypony know, even if we were on the verge of death.”

“That’s a little grim, don’t you think?” Hitch chuckled awkwardly.

“Nopony ever breaks a Pinkie promise,” Rainbow muttered. “Apparently the fate is worse than death.”

“You’re exaggerating, right?” Zipp asked, met with silence from everypony except Rainbow who started whistling. “Right?!”


“Anyways!” Twilight clapped her forehooves together. “Let’s keep going, shall we?”

“Wait, I want to know now too,” Sunny said.

The Mane 6 continued walking into the garden as the New Generation stood there.

“I don’t think you’re going to get an answer out of them my dears,” Discord said before running after the Mane 6. “Hey wait up!”

“That’s kind of scary,” Izzy said.

“I think we’ll just leave it at that then,” Sunny sighed. “C’mon everypony, let’s go catch up to them.”

Catching up to the Mane 6, they found them stopped at what seemed to be the base of a statute. The top part, however, was missing. 

“What’s going on here?” Hitch asked. “Where’s the statue?”

“Well this guy was supposed to be up there, but he’s good now,” Twilight jabbed at Discord. “Aren’t you?”

“Well I wouldn’t say good, I would just say not bad,” Discord huffed.

“Nah, he’s a big softie now,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Especially for Twilight and Fluttershy.”

“This is why no one likes you Rainbow,” Discord glared at her. “Well, at least why I don’t like you.”

“I was about to say,” Rainbow snickered. “Everypony loves me! Make that every creature, except you of course.”

“So Discord used to be right here?” Sunny examined the stone. 

“Can we see what you used to look like up there?” Izzy asked, shining puppy eyes at Discord.

“Bleh, you didn’t have to use the puppy eyes,” Discord rolled his eyes literally. He had his eyes in his hands, rolling them around on the ground. “I would’ve done it if you just asked. Well, I guess you did.”

“Ew!” Pipp frowned.

Discord, ignoring Pipp’s cries of disgust, climbed onto the stone and turned himself into stone willingly, the same exact pose as the first time.

“Wow, this would’ve scared me half to death as a filly,” Hitch chuckled. “I mean he looks so scary!”

“I can still hear you, you know,” Discord’s voice emanated from the stone.

“Discord, stop teasing them,” Twilight giggled. “They’re not used to it.”

“Can you two stop flirting?” Rainbow stuck her tongue out. “Making me shiver.”

Discord shrugged. “Rainbow, don’t be mad because you can’t flirt with anypony.”

“I can!” Rainbow glared at Discord. “Ask Fluttershy,” she finished with a smirk.

Fluttershy blushed, slowly sinking into a nearby bush.

“What’s going on between those two,” Discord whispered to Twilight.

“They’re basically friends with benefits,” Twilight whispered back.

“I’m surprised you haven’t told me that yet Fluttershy,” Discord snickered.

“Why would I,” Fluttershy mumbled, peeking out of the bush.

“Just teasing dear,” Discord toothily grinned. 

“You’re ruthless,” Zipp chuckled. “You’re starting to grow on me.”

“Seems to happen to everypony,” Discord winked.

“So, let’s continue then?” Twilight smiled, looking at everypony (and Discord).

The group nodded, and they made their garden, stopping at the more important statues like Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Commander Hurricane shaking hooves. Right next to that one was a statue of Private Pansy, Smart Cookie, and Clover the Clever hugging each other. 

“What’s the history behind these two?” Izzy asked, reading the plaques with their names. “Heh, Puddinghead.”

“You don’t celebrate Hearths Warming?” Rainbow gasped. “Whatever future you are from, I don’t want to be there.”

“We don’t really have many holidays,” Sunny sighed. “Only thing we celebrated was our town’s founding day, the transition from summer to fall, and birthdays.”

“What do you do for your summer to fall transition celebration?” Twilight asked curiously.

“We do a race through the streets and there’s a huge festival!” Sunny grinned. “Hitch doesn’t really like it because people usually litter.”

“Which is against the law!” Hitch frowned. 

“We have something similar to that,” Applejack said. “We run through a forest, causing a lot of the leaves to fall as we stampede by.” 

“That sounds better than running through town,” Sunny chuckled. 

“So what’s this Hearth’s Warming you were talking about, Rainbow?” Zipp asked.

“Well it’s only the best holiday ever!” Rainbow flew up slightly in the air enthusiastically. “You get together with friends and family, eat lots of good food, sing songs, and open presents! What could be better than that?”

“Wow that sounds fun!” Izzy chirped. “Now that I think about it, Briddlewood was always so boring so a lot of things sound like fun.”

“That’s kind of depressing,” Discord commented.

“Eh, Briddlewood was just depressing in general,” Izzy shrugged. “It didn’t really get to me though.”

“Uh huh…” Discord nodded slowly. “Anyways…”

“Yup, anyways,” Twilight weakly laughed. “Hearth’s Warming isn’t just about presents, songs, and food. You see, these two statues are in honor of the ponies who unified the three tribes. Back then, they didn’t get along at all, which caused the windigos to almost freeze all of Equestria.”

“What’s a windigo?” Hitch titled his head. 

“They’re mythical creatures who feed off of the hatred and fighting of creatures,” Twilight explained. “If they get strong enough, they can create horrible blizzards.”

“So how did they stop them?” Izzy asked. “An epic magical battle?”


“Not quite dear,” Rarity giggled. 

“Then how did they do it?” Zipp asked, staring at the statues.

“Just as they were about to freeze to death, Clover the Clever, Smart Cookie, and Private Pansy created the Fire of Friendship by becoming friends, which melted away all the ice and drove the windigos away,” Twilight smiled up at their statue.

“Wait, so just because they became friends they were able to defeat an ancient creature?” Sunny said. “Is friendship really that powerful?”

“Well I’m sure you can attest to that,” Twilight smirked, winking at Sunny. 

“She’s right you know,” Hitch chuckled. “You kind of did restore all the magic through friendship.”

“We restored all the magic,'' Sunny corrected him, putting emphasis on “we”.

“And that’s just one of many things I’m sure you’ll do with the magic of friendship,” Twilight smiled.

“Bleh, so cheesy,” Discord stuck his tongue out. “Friendship this, friendship that. Why not cause a little chaos instead? You know, balance is what keeps Equestria going.”

“Discord, you like friendship and you know it,” Twilight said.

“Okay maybe I do like friendship, but it doesn’t mean I’ll go around preaching it,” Discord huffed, crossing his arms.

“But you can go spreading love?” Rainbow smirked, winking at Twilight.

“Very funny Rainbow,” Discord glared at her. “That’s different.”

Twilight fake coughed. “Anyways, shall we  tour inside the castle now?”

“I can’t wait!” Pipp squealed. “It looks amazing from the outside, so I can’t imagine what it’s like inside.”

“Well, you're about to find out!” Twilight grinned, opening the doors for them. 

The group made their way into the castle’s halls, leaving behind the beautiful royal garden.
> Exploring Equestria Part 2: Inside Canterlot Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Your throne room is FABULOUS!” Pipp squealed, flying around to each of the stained glass murals. “I mean, it’s so simple but so stylish.”

“How do you have waterfalls in doors?” Hitch poked at the water. “Where does this even run to?”

“You know, I always questioned that too,” Applejack chuckled. 

“Wait, this mural is of all of you!” Sunny looked up the beautiful stained glass of all of them with Twilight in the middle.

“And this is one of those three villains getting turned to stone,” Izzy grinned. 

“Who makes all these?” Zipp asked. “They’re quite the artist.”

“They kind of just appear on the stained glass,” Twilight said. “These used to be just regular windows but they just started appearing one after another.”

“It’s because they’re enchanted, my dear Twilight,” Discord said as a 2d version of himself on the glass panels. “Celestia put the enchantments on them a long, long time ago.”

“Thanks for the history lesson,” Twilight smiled.

“These stained glass are beautiful though,” Pipp said. 

“Why is there a small seat next to your throne?” Zipp looked towards the end of the room. 

“Oh you know, for Spike!” Twilight chirped. “Sometimes he likes to hang around during my hearings, so I had a seat made especially for him.”

“Spike likes to listen to royal hearings? Aren’t they boring?” Zipp asked. “I know my mother’s are.”

“Yeah, it’s usually just a bunch of ponies complaining about some sort of law or asking for favors,” Pipp said.

“I mean he usually just sleeps when he’s here,” Twilight chuckled, patting the seat. “So I made it extra comfy. Sometimes it’s comforting having some company, even if he’s not talking.”

“That’s so cute,” Pipp grinned.

“So I’m guessing there used to be two thrones here?” Hitch looked at the large, single throne. “You know, because of Celestia and Luna.”

“Yup! Although it took a little bit for Luna to get her own throne oddly enough,” Twilight tapped her chin. 

“Luna told me that Celestia procrastinated on getting it for her while we were having tea one day,” Fluttershy said. 

“Huh, wouldn’t expect that from Celestia,” Applejack chuckled. 

“Every ruler has their flaws,” Twilight said. 

“Ah yes, they do indeed,” Discord nodded. “Like how Celestia ate too much cake and how you eat too many hayburgers.”

“Hey! I’ve been trying to cut back on them,” Twilight frowned. “I try not to have more than three a sitting.”

“Not a day?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. “I knew you were getting a little pudgy.”

“I blame my alicorn metabolism!” Twilight huffed. “I’m a growing alicorn so I need more food than normal ponies.”

“Okay princess,” Discord rolled his eyes. “Don’t come crying to me when you're unable to fit your gala dresses.”

“I already outgrew my old ones. I’m a few inches taller already,” Twilight shot back. “Celestia said I’d be as big as her soon enough.”

“I can’t imagine you being that tall,” Rainbow examined Twilight. “I mean, it just wouldn’t look right.”

“Are you going to get wavy hair as well?” Pipp asked. “That makes them so majestic.”

“Apparently I will eventually,” Twilight answered.

“It would look wonderful on you darling,” Rarity smiled. 

“I’m trying to imagine you looking like Tia,” Discord stroked his goatee. “I just can’t imagine you being so tall.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Rainbow said. “Finally something we agree on.”

“Indeed…” Discord mindlessly said, still staring at Twilight.

“Why are you looking at me so intently?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow, smirking. 

“Oh, no reason at all,” Discord smirked back.

“Ew…” Rainbow frowned.

“You two really need to stop flirting,” Applejack chuckled. “Rainbow just can’t handle it.”

“It’s just weird seeing one of my friends flirt,” Rainbow mumbled. “Especially with someone like Discord.”

“Heh, sorry,” Twilight grinned sheepishly.





“So… Where to next?” Hitch asked.

“Want to visit the vault?” Twilight asked. “Or would you like to see where I stayed when I became Celestia’ student?”

“What’s in the vault?” Hitch asked. “Is it bits or something?”

“Pinkie should know,” Twilight smirked.

“CAKES!” Pinkie cheered. “Let's go to the vault.”

 Rainbow Dash shrugged.  “Well, guess it’d be cool seeing all the special cakes Celestia had.”

“It sounds fun,” Fluttershy agreed.

“Cakes? Sounds yummy,” Zipp smirked. 

“Alright, let's go everypony!” Pinkie chirped, jumping in a random direction. 

“Uh, Pinkie,” Twilight called out to her. “The vault is this way.”

“Oh, okay!”

Making their way through the castle, they first arrived at the kitchen, where they were greeted by chefs, pâtissier, and maids. They seemed quite busy, moving around all over the place very quickly and efficiently. 

“Princess Twilight,” The pâtissier greeted her, bowing.

“No need for all that, Sweet Treats,” Twilight smiled. “We’re just here to look at the cakes in the vault.”

“We?” Sweet Treats tilted his head, looking behind her. “Ah, I see we have some company.”

“Yup!” Twilight continued smiling. 

“It’d be an honor!” Sweet Treats quickly said. 

“Thank you,” Twilight said. “You heard him everypony, let’s go take a look.”

“Woohoo!” They all cheered, following behind Twilight into the vault.

As they walked through the giant vault door, the sweet aroma of all kinds of cakes hit their nose. Pound cakes, sponge cakes, butter cakes, chiffon cakes, chocolate cakes, vanilla cakes, fruit cakes. Surrounding them was pretty much every cake ever baked inside this vault. 

“This. Is. AWESOME!” Rainbow said, flying up in the very spacious and tall room. “There’s like, a zillion cakes in here!”

“Are you okay Pinkie?” Sunny asked, seeing that party pony shed a tear.

“I’m more than okay…” Pinkie sniffled. “It’s just so… beautiful…” 

“Just let her have her moment,” Twilight giggled. “She’s probably overwhelmed right now.”

“How does anypony pick a cake here? There has to be at least a thousand kinds,” Rarity frowned.

“Well, that’s why we have this handy-dandy catalog!” Twilight said, pulling out the large book. “Or, we could just go to that area over there where the best of the best cake is stored.”

Twilight pointed towards a smaller room with another vault door. Above it was a sign that read “Speciality Cakes”.

“How convenient,” Zipp smirked. 

Entering the smaller vault, they were greeted with glass cases. Displayed inside the glass cases were cakes. A golden plaque had the name of the cake, as well as the main ingredients. The cakes were very beautifully decorated. 

There were a total of twenty cakes, all of different colors, sizes, and shapes. 

“Woah… This is even better than outside,” Hitch said. “They even have special names for the cakes! How cool.”

“This cake is called ‘Death and Destruction’,” Zipp chuckled. “What a peculiar name.”

“Although that’s the name, the cake itself is quite soft and mellow,” Sweet Treats said. “The  pâtissier who baked it was going through a juxtaposition phase.”

“Huh, interesting…” Pinkie stared at it seriously, jotting down notes. “Very, very interesting…”

“Let’s look around the vault some more!” Izzy suggested. “I want to see all the cakes.”

“What about Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight chuckled. “She seems a little distracted, so let’s leave her here for now.”

The crew walked out of the smaller vault back to the larger area. There were a couple ponies walking around, some taking cakes out while some carted some new ones in. 

“What are they up to?” Zipp asked, looking towards the ponies.

“They’re replacing some of the older cakes,” Twilight answered.

“What do they do with the old ones?” Sunny joined the conversation.

“They give them mainly to orphanages, charities, and food drives,” Twilight smiled. “Celestia started doing that a while back when there was a food shortage.”

“They still made cakes during a food shortage?” Zipp frowned. “

“You know how royalty is,” Twilight chuckled. “Celestia told me that she didn’t want to bake cakes, but the royals demanded it.”

“Huh, what an odd demand,” Rarity said. “You think they’d want actual food.”

“Have you seen our diet, Rarity?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow. 

Rarity frowned. “What’s wrong with it? I think our diet’s pretty balanced.”

“Have you ever noticed the amount of sweets we eat compared to the amount of fruits or vegetables we eat?” Twilight asked. 

“Huh, now that you mention it, we really do eat a lot of sweets,” Rainbow said. 

“Apparently eating too many sweets in the human world could be deadly,” Twilight said. “For some reason, though, it doesn’t affect us ponies.”

“Hooman?” Sunny tilted her head. “What’s that?”

“We’ll explain it another time,” Twilight said. “And I think we’re getting a little off course here. Let’s keep looking at cakes!”

“Alrighty…” Sunny nodded. 

The crew continued walking around the oddly large cake vault, watching the pâtissiers do their work or looking at all the different kinds of cakes. Eventually, they made their way back to Pinkie, who was still just staring at all the cakes. 

“Pinkie, you there?” Twilight waved her hoof in front of her. Pinkie shook her head quickly, turning to Twilight.

“Where am I?” Pinkie tilted her head. “Why are there so many cakes everywhere?”

“Pinkie, we’re in the cake vault in Canterlot Castle,” Twilight explained. “Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m feeling great,” Pinkie grinned. “Especially because of all these cakes!”

“I think we should get her out of here,” Rainbow whispered to Twilight. 

“I think you’re right,” Twilight whispered back. “She might be having a cake-sensory overload, causing her to short circuit.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Rainbow said in a very convincing tone. “Totally…”

“Okay Pinkie, let’s go explore more of the castle,” Twilight patted her on the back.

“Okie!” Pinkie simply agreed, hopping out of the vault.

“She was weirder than usual,” Hitch said. 

“She gets like that sometimes,” Rainbow shrugged. “Just Pinkie being random as always.” 

“Alrighty then…” Hitch said. 

“So, where to next?” Sunny asked, changing the topic. 

“I guess we can check out where I stayed when I was attending Celestia’s school!” Twilight grinned. “That place has so many memories.”

“Cool!” Izzy chirped. 

“I bet it’s filled with books,” Zipp chuckled. 

“You know me too well,” Twilight chuckled. “It is filled with books!”

“Heh, egghead,” Rainbow smirked.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Har har, very funny Rainbow.”

Rainbow snickered as she followed behind Twilight. The group walked through the castle, passing by paintings, furniture, and other decorations. Guards would often pass by them, greeting their princess and the Elements. 

“There’s still a lot we have to see, so we’ll backtrack later,” Twilight said.

“Roger that, Princess!” Izzy playfully mimicked the guards, grinning.

Eventually they made it to the tower where Twilight stayed before coming to Ponyville. The ivory tower stood tall.

“This is where you stayed?” Pipp gasped. “It’s beautiful!”

“I always thought it was kind of a pain to be honest,” Twilight chuckled. “Having to climb all these steps just to get to my room was annoying. I did, however, like how spacious it is inside. That meant more books!”

“Guess we should start climbing the stairs then,” Applejack suggested. 

“Or fly up!” Rainbow smirked before making a bee-line to the top.

“Not all of us can fly, Rainbow,” Applejack frowned.

“Oh yeah…” Rainbow realized. “My bad!”

Making their way up the stairs, they eventually all made it to the top. They stood in front of the entrance. Twilight turned the knob, and it was surprisingly unlocked!

“W-Who’s there?” a voice called out as they walked in.

“There’s another pony here?” Rainbow asked. “Isn’t this your place though, Twilight?”

Twilight smacked her forehead. “It completely slipped my mind! I let Moondancer use the place as she pleased because of all the books here.”

“Who’s Moondancer?” Izzy asked. “A new friend?”

“I guess she would be a new friend to you,” Twilight chuckled. “She’s an old friend for me, though.”

“I said who’s there?” Moondancer called out, peeking her head down the stairs. Her eyes went towards the ponies standing in the doorway, then towards the more familiar face. “Twilight?”

“Hi Moondancer!” Twilight waved, smiling, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Y-Yeah,” Moondancer said, trotting down the stairs. Looking at the ponies surrounding her, she smiled awkwardly at them. “Hello everypony, I’m Moondancer, an old friend of Twilight.”

“Hello!” Izzy waved. “I’m Izzy!”

Pinkie also waved. “And I’m Pinkie!”

“I know who you are, Pinkie,” Moondancer laughed quietly. “Everypony knows who the Elements are.”

She started naming off the Elements, starting with Fluttershy and ending with Rainbow Dash. 

“I guess it’s common knowledge,” Applejack said. 

“Well everypony would’ve known who I was even if I wasn’t an element,” Rainbow Dash smirked. 

“Of course,” Applejack rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know the other five though,” Moondancer looked at the New Generation.

“You can’t tell any other pony, but these five are from the future,” Twilight said.

“Wait, really?!” Moondancer asked excitedly. 

“It’s true,” Izzy smirked.

“How is this even possible?” Moondancer asked, examining the unicorn. “I mean, how did you end up here in our time?”

“Well Twilight somehow sent us a letter,” Sunny said. “Then we used some magical mirror to travel back in time!”

“You have to show me everything about it later, Twilight,” Moondancer said.

“You’re welcome anytime to stop by anytime,” Twilight giggled. 

Moondancer took her eyes off Izzy and looked at the remaining four. “I’ve met Izzy, so who are the rest of you?”

“I’m Zipp, and this is my sister Pipp,” Zipp introduced herself, side hugging her sister.

“I’m Hitch,” the only stallion said.

“And I’m Sunny!”

“So we have Sunny, Hitch, Zipp, Pipp, and Izzy,” Moondancer mumbled to herself. “Alright, another question. What is Equestria like in the future?”

“You promise not to try and do anything about it?” Twilight said in their stead.

“Of course,” Moondancer rolled her eyes. “I know the consequences of trying to mess with time, and it’s definitely something I’m trying to avoid.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” Rainbow said. “Guess you can tell her now!”

“Well, what’s the future look like for Equestria?” Moondancer asked, eagerly awaiting an answer as she stared at the New Generation. “Oh wait, let me guess!”

“So do you want the answer or do you want an answer?” Zipp cocked an eyebrow.

“Let me answer first!” Moondancer said. “I always therosized what would happen in the future…”

“Wait, why would you do that?” Applejack asked. “Isn’t it better to just live in the present?”

“Eh, I have a lot of time,” Moondancer shrugged. “Well, one theory I thought of was that after the unfortunate passing of the Elements, harmony was shattered and the windigos came back.” 

“That’s rather dark, don’t you think?” Rarity awkwardly chuckled.

“Everypony has to die eventually,'' Moondancer shrugged. “Well, expect maybe Twilight.”

“Oookay…” Rainbow slowly said. 

“Was I right?” Moondancer grinned.

“Somewhat?” Hitch said. “You got  the harmony being shattered. At least the tribes weren’t in harmony anymore.” 

“Yes! “ Moondancer celebrated for a second, before awkwardly chuckling. “I mean, that sounds awful… How did it happen?”

Sunny explained how friendship slowly faded and the tribes separated, having their own civilizations and how they were scared of the other tribes, causing magic to fade. She also told Moondancer about their journey to reunite the tribes as well.

“So you’re telling me that the tribes were all paranoid of one another and magic wasn’t present?” Moondancer cocked an eyebrow. “Even after all that the Elements have done?”

“That’s what we said!” Rainbow exclaimed. 

“We also said that we can’t do anything to stop it, and that our future selves probably did all they could to stop it from happening,” Applejack added.

“Or that we were all dead when it happened!” Pinkie said very nonchalantly.

Everypony paused for a moment.

“Or that,” Rainbow shrugged. “I mean, it’s possible.”

“Wow, I didn’t think that friendship would ever fade after everything that’s happened,” Moondancer’s face furrowed. “I wonder what caused it all.”


“We still have no idea,” Sunny sighed. “I guess it happened a while ago, because our history books barely mention Twilight, much less the Elements of Harmony.”

“Ponies probably started suppressing information and history then,” Moondancer theorized. “I mean, how could ponies just forget about some of the most influential ponies in history?”

“The same way they hid the fact Nightmare Moon was Celestia’s sister,” Twilight said. “I mean, nopony knew that somehow.”

“Now that I think about it, there’s probably a lot of things we don’t know about Equestria's history…” Moondancer tapped her chin. “Definitely something I have to look into.”

“Careful going down that rabbit hole,” Twilight warned. “I’ve been down it a couple times and there is some dark stuff to be discovered.”

“Do you suggest any books or things to look at first?” Moondancer smiled.

“I’ll send them to you later,” Twilight winked.

“Sounds good to me!”





“So, this is where you stayed when you were studying in Canterlot?” Sunny asked, looking around the first story of the tower. “It’s very spacious.”

“I never really liked how big it was,” Twilight sighed. “It made me feel lonely sometimes.”

“That’s because you were, remember?” Moondancer cocked an eyebrow. 

“Heh, I guess I did shut myself in often,” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Though, I remember my first nights here. I think I cried myself to sleep because I missed my family…”

Fluttershy frowned.  “You poor thing.”

“How old were you when you entered Celestia’s school?” Zipp asked.

“I was around six when I got accepted,” Twilight rubbed her chin. “But I didn't move here till I was seven.”

“You were that young and you lived by yourself?!” Pipp gasped. “It must’ve been hard.”

“Not really,” Twilight smiled slightly. “I had Celestia and Spike. Shiny would also visit me often, so it wasn’t too bad. Just the first couple days.”

“Woah… there’s a lot of books up here guys!” Izzy yelled from the top of the stairs. “Like, a lot!”

“What else would you expect from Twilight?” Rainbow called back, snickering. Twilight proceeded to smack the back of her head. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Nothing,” Twilight rolled her eyes, walking up the stairs.

They followed Twilight up, revealing a large open study area with a bunch of bookshelves. There wasn't any extra space for more books, even with some stacked up on the ground. The bookshelves were tall, requiring a twelve foot ladder for some of them. There was even a small set of stairs leading up to a lounge area and balcony, even more bookshelves up there.

“Are those bookshelves built into the wall?” Hitch asked, looking up at them.

“Yup!” Twilight grinned. “Celestia said this place would be perfect for me, and boy was it.”

“I think it could use more bookshelves,” Moondancer said. “I already ran out of space.”

“Feel free to get some more,” Twilight said. “It’s not like I use this place anymore. It’s basically yours.”

“Great!” Moondancer smiled contently.

“You read all of these?” Zipp asked, looking at Moondancer.

“All the ones on the shelves at least,” Moondancer shrugged. “It didn’t take too long.”

Zipp chuckled dryly. “I don’t think I’ve even read this many books in my lifetime…”

Moondancer chuckled. “What can I say? I like reading.”

“Like is an understatement,” Rainbow muttered. 

“Imagine filly Twilight climbing this ladder,” Izzy giggled.

“That would be adorable,” Pipp said. 

“Shiny would usually get the book for me, but sometimes I did it myself,'' Twilight said. “I only fell off a few times.”

“That must’ve hurt,” Fluttershy frowned. 

“It does hurt,” Moondancer sighed. “I’ve fallen off countless times now. I just can’t seem to keep my balance up there.”

“Can’t you just use your magic to grab it?” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow.

“There’s just something about grabbing the book off the shelf yourself,” Moondancer said. 

“I know what you mean,” Twilight chuckled. “It just feels different if you use magic. It doesn't feel right.”

“I can’t say I really understand,” Rarity shrugged. “I pretty much carry everything with magic.”

“I still use my hooves for a lot of things,” Izzy looked down at her forehooves. “Still not used to levitating stuff around.”

“It’ll become second nature soon enough,” Twilight said. “Since you’re still learning magic, it probably just feels awkward to use.”

“Probably!” Izzy simply chirped.

The group continued to look around the tower, but there wasn’t much else besides books and random furniture. Another interesting thing was the telescope, but other than that, they had pretty much explored all of Twilight’s use-to-be room.





“Well, that’s pretty much all there is to the tower,” Twilight said as they gathered around the front door. “Where else do you all want to go?”

“How about we show 'em’ the ceremonial hall and ballroom?” Applejack suggested. “We’ve been there mighty often.”

“You did get crowned there the first time,” Rarity added.

“And you defeated Chrysalis and saw your brother get married there,” Pinkie chirped.

“Sounds like a place filled with memories,” Sunny said.

“It is,” Twilight smiled. “Alright, let’s go!”

 The group, besides Twilight, all excitedly started their descent of the tower.

“We should really catch up sometime,” Twilight said, looking at the only pony left.

“Easier said than done,” Moondancer chuckled. “You being the ruler of Equestria and all.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to make time for you,” Twilight smiled. 

“Awesome,” Moondancer smiled back.





The group of ponies once again made their way through the halls of the castle, eventually ending up at a beautifully decorated room, a long red carpet right in the middle. The carpet led up to stairs and an elevated part of the room, an arch covered with flowers and greenery set in the middle.

“Woah…” Pipp looked around the room, awestruck.

“Pretty!” Izzy said, walking up the stairs.

“I remember the wedding just like it was yesterday,” Pinkie grinned. “Because I threw the best reception ever!”

“You sure did sugarcube,” Applejack heartily chuckled.

“So this is where Twilight’s coronation happened?” Sunny asked, looking around the giant room. There weren’t any chairs in place, so it was empty and spacious.

“My first coronation,” Twilight smiled, looking at the stage. “When I first became an alicorn.”

“Wait, you had more than one coronation?” Zipp tilted her head. “Why?”

“Because she became the Princess of Equestria, duh,” Rainbow said. 

“One coronation for becoming an alicorn, and one for becoming the princess of Equestria,” Twilight explained. 

“I guess that makes sense,” Hitch said, rubbing his chin. 

“It makes total sense,” Pipp chimed in. “She was the Princess of Friendship first, remember?” 

“Well I actually got that title a little while after my ascension to alicornhood,” Twilight said. “I was just an alicorn and crowned a princess, but I didn’t really have a title.”

“Wait, then how did you become the Princess of Friendship?” Sunny tilted her head. 

“After my battle with Tirek, I was given that title,” Twilight answered. “Well, I guess I wasn’t really given the title, but rather I found it.”

“What does that mean?” Zipp cocked an eyebrow.

“I was questioning what I was supposed to do as a princess because Cadance, Celestia, and Luna all had their specialities, while I was still the same except I had wings as well,” Twilight explained. “I was kind of going through an identity crisis.” She added, slightly blushing.

“That’s something that wasn’t even in the history books!” Sunny grinned. 

“Uh Sunny, I don’t think they mentioned Twilight at all in our history books,” Hitch whispered.

“I meant the history books my dad had,” Sunny rolled her eyes. “Duh!”

“I don’t get why somepony would alter history like that,” Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “It still baffles me.”

“Well because some ponies are big meanies!” Pinkie giggled. “We fought a lot of meanies before, so it wouldn’t be that surprising if something related to them wanted to erase our existence.”

Zipp dryly chuckled. “That's quite ominous.”

“Pinkie’s right though,” Twilight sighed. “I just hope whatever or whoever it is doesn’t stir up too much trouble for you five.”

“They’re bound to run into trouble,” Rainbow said.“I’m sure they’ll be able to handle it. With the power of friendship of course.”

“We sure can!” Izzy grinned, the rest of the New Generation nodding in agreement.





“You mentioned this is where your brother got married?” Hitch said, looking around. 

“It’s also where we first met Chrissy,” Pinkie said, the New Generation looking at her with confused looks.

“She means queen Chrysalis,” Twilight said. 

“Well duh, who else would it be?” Pinkie tilted her head.

Ignoring the party pony, they all walked onto the elevated platform.

“Man, this place really does bring back memories,” Rainbow grinned, looking at the large, empty room. 

“Some of them are not the best…” Applejack frowned. 

“Water under the bridge guys,” Twilight said. “I admit I was acting a little obsessive.”

“Still was no excuse to throw you under the bus like that,” Applejack mumbled.

“It’s all in the past,” Twilight smiled, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Friends make mistakes, but that’s what makes them stronger.”

“Wait, what happened?” Sunny asked.

“Well we basically didn’t believe Twilight when she went all crazy saying that Cadance was actually evil and trying to steal her brother away, and basically got her kicked out of the wedding instead of actually listening to her.”

Pinkie took a deep breath.

“But then it turned out that the Cadance that was helping plan everything was actually Chrissy, who had trapped both the real Cadance and Twilight underneath the Canterlot Castle and was planning to take over all of Canterlot!”

“So it turned out that Twilight was actually right and we were being horrible friends, not even listening to anything she said, even though she had known Cadance longer than we have!”

The New Generation stared at Pinkie, who was happily smiling after the whole explanation.

“That’s basically the gist of it,” Rarity said, awkwardly laughing.

“No friendship is perfect,” Twilight stepped in. “And I already forgave them all for that, because as I said earlier, I was acting a little crazy and obsessive.”

“We were still being bad friends,” Applejack sighed, hanging her head. 

“I said it’s okay!” Twilight shouted. Everypony was now staring at her. She gave a sheepish smile, clearing her throat. “You guys don’t have to keep bringing it up. It’s in the past, and we learned from it. That’s all that matters.”

“If Twilight thinks that’s what is best, then I think we should just go on with the tour,” Fluttershy intervened before anypony said anything else.

“Let’s just get back to the tour,” Rainbow smiled weakly. “I think that would be for the best, right?”

All nodding in agreement, they walked out of the hall towards their last destination, the ballroom. It wasn’t too far of a trot as most of the event rooms were close to one another. They arrived at the somewhat empty ballroom, only a couple tables and the alicorn statue out at the time. The whole room was basically surrounded by large windows that looked into the courtyard.

“Now that I think about it, the Gala’s coming up, huh?” Rainbow said, looking around. Nudging Fluttershy, she grinned.“ Remember our first gala? It was a mess.”

“I don’t want to remember it,” Fluttershy cringed. 

“It could’ve been worse,” Applejack offered. 

“Celestia did say we made it more fun,” Twilight added. “I guess they’re pretty boring without us around.”

“Well, duh!” Rainbow rolled her eyes “We’re like the coolest ponies in Equestria.” 

“Did you just say we? I’m surprised! ?” Applejack snickered. 

Rainbow glared at her “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What’s this gala you’re all talking about?” Hitch asked.

“You don’t know what a gala is?” Zipp cocked an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“It’s a social gathering essentially. Mainly high-class ponies attend it, so there’s a lot of mingling rather than partying,” Twilight explained, Pinkie quietly booing in the back.. “Our gala, the Grand Galloping Gala, is an event that celebrates the building of Canterlot, though a lot of ponies use it now to make connections with royalty.”

“We have something like that too, right sis?” Pipp rubbed her chin. “I think?”

“If you don’t know, how would I?” Zipp chuckled. “You know I don’t fancy events like that.”

“You’re going to have to,” Twilight said. “If you become the queen, that is.”

“I know…” Zipp sighed. “Definitely don’t look forward to dealing with all those snobby royals.”

“They’re a pain, but you get used to them,” Twilight chuckled. “Kind of.”

“Or just get some ponies to help spice it up,” Pinkie grinned. “Like us! Or, well, not us exactly, but ponies like us I guess? You know what I mean?”

“Yup,” Zipp slowly nodded.

“I’m guessing you six go to almost all the galas?” Sunny asked.

“Oh of course darling,” Rarity answered. 

“That means you must have all kinds of fun stories!” Izzy clapped her foreehoves together, grinning. “Right?”

“We have a lot, but unfortunately we don’t have much time for them right now,” Twilight said. “If we want to tour all of Canterlot, we’re going to have to leave the castle soon.”

“Awww…” Izzy sighed. 

“Completely forgot we still have all of Canterlot to look at,” Zipp said. “Guess that means we should start heading out then?”

Twilight nodded. “You got that right.”

“Well then what are we waiting for?” Rainbow asked. “Let’s go!”

The group trotted out of the ballroom, making their way through the castle and towards the front entrance. As they walked through the halls, they were greeted by guards and staff members and occasionally stopped to peek into some of the more interesting rooms. Eventually reaching the front, they bid the castle farewell.

The sun was still surprisingly high above head, shining down over all of Equestria. The group started the trot down to the town, ready to explore and see what Canterlot was all about.