Twilight watched as her brother and mentor flew off toward the castle. I know you will be... She turned to her friends and said, "Okay girls, I know the spell won't wear off for another few hours, but I'd like to get my hooves on the ground as soon as possible." In no particular order, they all agreed in their own way. Twilight led the way back to their balloon and piled in, followed by her friends. Dash was the only one not in attendance, since she became occupied by cheering fans. Once all found their place in the balloon, they set off for Ponyville.

Along the way, Rarity felt she had to say something, anything, to make up for her errors. "I truly am sorry for how I acted. I should have known better," she admitted.

"Yes, you should have. She wanted support, not another competitor. And her friend at that." Twilight frowned at Rarity. "I regret giving you wings in the first place."

"I don't regret getting wings. If you think about it, had you not made wings for me, I would not have entered the competition. Since I wouldn't have entered, Rainbow wouldn't have needed to save my life. And, correct me if I'm wrong, she would not have had the necessary motivation to perform her trick successfully." Rarity paused a moment and smiled. "She very well could have lost."

"Hold on just a minute," Aj argued, "If y'all're sorry fer yer actions, why ain't you regrettin' wings?"

"Simply because I'm sorry for how I acted, does not make me sorry for why I acted that way. The wings were gorgeous, indeed, but my desire for attention led me to compete. For that, I apologized," Rarity clarified.

Twilight stood up and paced a bit. "Then why does it sound like you're arguing? I know you're just agreeing in your own, strange way, but to me, it's like you're on two sides of the fence about it." She looked over the edge down at the coming town. "I know I'm a friend to all of you, but what about all of you to each other?"

"I'm a friend to everypony! That should go without saying, but I don't know how to translate that into body language without crushing everypony with hugs." Pinkie walked over to Twilight and gave her one, not crush-worthy in force.

Rarity looked at Fluttershy and began, "Fluttershy and I have a weekly meeting at the spa, so that makes us friends. And Pinkie too, by default." Fluttershy nodded, and stayed out of it.

"Which leaves Dash and Aj," Spike kept track. "What's your relationship?"

"We're always at odds with each other, always doin' side competitions 'n' such. What's the phrase? Vitriolic best buds?" Aj put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Yeah, that's it. As for Rarity-"

"I'm positive we established where we stand with each other, Applejack," Rarity interrupted. "But, I'm positive it's something that can be overcome. In time."

"It sounds to me, like the first actual contact you all had with each other was when we came to Ponyville to stop Nightmare Moon." Twilight sat down and turned to her friends. "I can hope that everything will get better, and we can all be friends with each other."

"We'll need to get a picture when that happens." Pinkie looked over the edge, then back to Twilight. "Looks like we're here."

The balloon landed safely in town, as the owner stood in wait. After retrieval of her balloon, Twilight stood in town square with her friends. Spike had climbed onto her back, for tired reasons.

"So, who wants to help me reorganize the library? I left it in disarray when we left." Twilight smiled and awaited a favorable response.

"As much as I'd like to, again, my little sister needs dinner. I would trust her to fend for herself, were it not for how young she is. Another time, perhaps?" Rarity spent no time waiting for a reply, and turned for her home.

Fluttershy spoke up, rather quietly. "In my case, it's animals. They just get so lonely when I'm not around." She flew off for her cottage near the forest.

"And in my case, I need to make a cake. Since the other one ... isn't going to happen. Later Twilight~" Pinkie bounced off toward Sugarcube Corner, leaving Twilight in a state of slight shock. Nonetheless, she turned her gaze to Applejack.

"Ah don't think the family'll miss me if Ah stay for a littlewhile." Aj looked toward the town. "It's still a might early. Ah'm gonna see if Big Mac's around an' meet up with ya later." She went off in search of her brother.

"We'll be waiting." Twilight walked toward the library with Spike only half awake on her back. "I don't know about you Spike, but I had fun today."

"Yeah, it was -yawn- educational." Spike sat up and looked at the coming stars.

"I like how the weather's made. It gave me insight to pegasus culture. Very little, but noteworthy all the same. What did you learn, if anything?"

"That Fluttershy knows more than she lets on about the wind machines in the wind room." Spike looked back to Twilight. "I tell ya, she knows more than she lets on. Maybe she's got a secret?"

"I'm not about to research my friend's past like that. It's an invasion of privacy." Twilight stayed silent a moment.

"What do you think Link's up to?" Spike asked.

"Probably getting his assignment. I know he'll be gone for at least two days. And there are things I want to do when he isn't here." She smiled. "Like plan his birthday."

"Riiiight. That's coming up soon, isn't it? How old will he be? 14?"

"13. He'll be a teenager. For ponies, 13 is almost adulthood, as everypony has their cutie mark by then. Then, the real education begins. But for Link, he's an adult at 20. Just 7 more years." Twilight opened the door to the library and continued, "And for this one, I have an idea of what-" Twilight stopped short, as she saw an unknown pony asleep on the couch.

"Idea of what?" he asked.

"Shhh." She pointed at the unknown mare on the couch. Who's this? She walked in, closed the door with her magic and examined the intruder. Dark orange coat... white mane and ... white tipped black tail... Odd. tails don't usually change color, do they? A small gasp escaped Twilight as she realized, "no cutie mark."

Thankfully, the mare didn't wake up. Spike hopped down and noticed her saddlebags by the side table. "Looks like she's staying a while."

"Or traveling. If she's passing through, it makes sense to sleep in a publicly 'open' area. She is breaking no laws here. Hm?" She looked at the floor at the book she dropped in her sleep. "What's this? 'Journey of a Thousand Miles'. Bit of a lengthy bed time book." Twilight bookmarked it and set it in the empty slot on the shelf.

"How do you know it's not hers?" Spike asked.

"Because her bags are closed. I don't think she'd bother to close her own bags if she's the only one here." The pony began to stir, with the presence of another voice. Both Twilight and Spike backed away to give her space. "Good morning. Or night, in this case."

"Hmm?" she responded. She sat up, and looked at her. "What time is-" She then saw the baby dragon at her side, and immediately leapt over backward behind the couch, knocking the side table over in her attempt.

"Woah, easy. Calm down. We mean no harm." Twilight took a step closer.

"You do, what about that?" she accused Spike, peering over the edge of the couch. Which was rather easy, given her size.

"Him? He may be a dragon, but he's just a baby. He's harmless, I assure you." Twilight motioned for Spike to back up more.

"You haven't seen the destructive capabilities of full-grown dragons! Set anyone of them on any town, and it's cinders by nightfall. This heathen will be no different!" The mare stayed behind her couch shield, all the while glaring at him. "Its only a matter of time..."

"Ease up on him, will you?" Twilight turned to him and asked, "Can you go upstairs? I'll be along once things are finished down here." Wordlessly, he obeyed. "Now, he's out of the room." She turned back to her guest. "Tell me, are you hungry?"

The mare looked at the staircase, at the dragon, then at the mare before her. "Not quite, I had an apple before coming into the library. You must be its keeper." She came out of hiding, and revealed her full height.

I knew she was tall, but this? She's about as tall as Aj's brother. Looks a bit stronger than him, too. "I am, in a way. I live here. In one of the upstairs rooms. With Spike and my brother."

"You live with a dragon?" she asked, leaning in.

Twilight sighed. Getting real tired of you belittling Spike... "Yes, and you think that's strange, you should see my brother. He'll be here in a couple days, I'm sure." She heard Spike knocking on the top step to get her attention. When she looked, she saw a scroll held by a clawed hand. With her magic, she grabbed it and brought it closer. "Pardon me for a moment..." After she unfurled the scroll, she read to herself. 'My Dear Sister Twilight. I leave tomorrow for the tundra in the north, and need some supplies. I won't need them until tomorrow morning, so take your time. I need: 5 apples, 4 boxes of juice, one of the milk jars from the fridge, two books of your choice, the sharpening stone by my bed, one of its blankets just in case, and a deck of cards from the dresser.' He has cards? Hm. 'That is all, and thank you in advance. ~Link and Navi

"Everything alright?" the mare asked.

"Peachy." Twilight coiled the scroll and set it on a table beneath a window. "So, tell me about yourself. For instance, what brings you to Ponyville?"

"How'd you know I'm traveling?" she asked. "I never said anything about it."

"You didn't have to. For starters, you have bags that look like they've been through Tartarus. Secondly, since I haven't seen you around, I suspected you were new here. The fact you didn't know about Spike, my brother, or my living conditions here only back up my prediction."

"You are very perceptive. Yes, I'm a traveler. I'm looking for somepony, and it is imperative that I find them very soon."

Twilight offered, "Maybe I can help?"

Epona's hoof found its way in front of Twilight's face. "No thank you. Letting me rest here is help on its own." She gathered her bags and started for the door.

"How about a nice dinner then? Since you already slept here. I get you're not hungry yet, but you will be. And afterward, you can get a good night's sleep. The couch isn't very comfortable anyway. And as it so happens, there's an empty bed upstairs." Twilight's continuous offer stopped Epona in her tracks. "For as long as you need."

She's trying to be nice to you. And you need to stay in Ponyville until you hear that melody again anyway. She turned to Twilight and smiled. "Fine, I'll stay. But don't try anything, or I will leave."

"Deal." The door swung open slowly as Aj stepped in. "Welcome back, Aj."

"Ah ain't stayin' long. Granny needs me back at the farm for the rest of the week. Sorry, Twi." She looked at the new pony. "Who's yer friend?" She closed the door behind her, as she found a reason to stay a bit.

"'House guest', and I ... haven't introduced myself..." Twilight looked at Epona and bowed a little with a smile, "My name is Twilight Sparkle, residential librarian. This is Applejack."

"Howdy," Aj tipped her hat in greeting. "Who might you be?"

"I'm Epona. I've come from a small town west of the mountains. Not so far north where it snows, but far enough to have strange weather changes. Twilight, here, offered me a place to stay while I restock. Though I don't feel well not giving something in return." Epona looked to her side.

"You after money or just a clean conscience?" Aj asked, stepping closer.

"Bits would certainly help," Epona admitted.

Aj smiled and got beside her. "Tell ya what: mah usual helper ain't here. Won't be for a while. Might be as ya can take his place? Temporarily o' course."

Epona thought about it for a moment. "I'll do it."

"Ya don't even know what it is yet. Don't ya wanna?" Epona shook her head in response. "Alright then. There's an apple farm just outside o' town. Meet me there tomorrow afternoon, we'll go over your schedule." She turned back to the door and added, "Ah look forward to workin' with ya, Epona." With that, she left, closing the door as she did so.

"You keep interesting company, Twilight. A baby dragon and a girlfriend? I'm almost jealous."

"She's n-not my girlfriend!" Twilight argued, blushing at the thought of being that close to Aj. Being close to that honest, hard-working, not to mention adorable- "... no, she's just a friend. A good friend. And I'd hate for that to change."

"Sorry, it's just ... you two sounded like you were ... that way. I'm sorry for assuming. I know what it does to ponies." Epona set her bags down once more and asked, "So what now?"

Twilight's blush faded as Aj left her mind's forefront. "Now, I'm going to start dinner. I know you aren't hungry, but it'll be an easy one. Feel free to dive into your book until it's ready." Twilight walked to the kitchen after levitating the book from before over to Epona. While Epona was occupied with her book, Spike snuck into the kitchen behind Twilight. "Spike," she whispered, "take a letter. To Link and make sure it's labeled as such."

Spike took one out and wrote it, "To My Brother, Link". As Twilight dictated, he wrote down her words.

Dear Link:

Your letter was received, and I will gather your supplies by the end of the night. However, there is something I must tell you. There is a pony here, and I saw it fit to lend her your bed. She's a traveler in search of somepony, and she needed a temporary place to stay until she restocks her own supplies. I don't know who she's looking for, but she says it's very important that she finds them soon. And get this, she doesn't have her cutie mark. And she's bigger than Applejack! There's something odd about her. Something she's not telling me. Well at any rate, it's almost dinner time. Spike's offering to make the two of us dinner.

Your Big Sister
~Twilight Sparkle

"Why am I making dinner?" Spike asked.

"Show her your cooking skill, maybe she'll warm up to you. Now send it." She watched as the puff of green smoke wafted through an open window. "Good. While you're making dinner, I'm going to get the items Link needs from here."

"Fine..." Spike spent the next half hour cooking a vegetarian meal while Twilight retrieved the requested items. Up stairs, she got a scroll, wrote down a reply, and put what she had into the scroll. Unfortunately, the food items had to be put in last. There was only the blanket, stone, and the cards from the dresser. Beneath the deck of cards sat a picture in a wooden frame of their family: Twilight, Celestia, Spike, Link, and Navi. This was just before he went into service 5 years ago.

"Time really flew by. Hard to believe he's so grown up from the last time I knew him. Heh, I still remember when he was so little. We used to play in the gardens between magic lessons. He'd scrape his knee, then be a tough little guy and refuse a band-aid. He'd climb trees and intentionally fall, knowing I'd catch him..." Twilight sighed at the memory of a younger brother. "Looking at him know, I kinda miss having the younger him around..."

"That's what happens. Time goes on." Spike stood in the doorway behind her. She turned with a shocked expression. "Ponies change, especially when you're not there to see it happen. All at once or over 5 years, doesn't matter. Don't get me wrong, I miss him too. But can you agree that the one we have now is worth knowing?"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess I just miss him. And my big brother too. Is dinner ready?" Spike nodded and walked with her back downstairs. "Thanks Spike. I needed that."

"Twilight, I have to ask: why are you helping me?" She didn't seem to care too much about Spike being close to her anymore. All the same, she looked warily at him.

"You don't need a reason to help ponies. You see them in need, you do what you can. Simple as that. Also, there's a spare bed upstairs you can use for the night. Much better than the couch, I assure you."

Epona fell silent, and closed her book. "Dinner's ready, by the way."

"Didn't you just come downstairs? How'd you cook and do whatever at the same time?" Epona asked, setting her book on the uprighted table and standing up.

"I cooked it," Spike said, pointing to himself. Epona got down to his level and looked at him.

"You? You can cook? ... with what fire? Yours?"

"With a range. How else? Yeah, he can breathe fire, but it's not as effective as a range. Is there a problem?" Twilight asked, almost glaring at her.

"No... no problem. I'm thankful he knows how to cook properly. I'm sure it turned out fine." Letting a dragon cook, what is she thinking?!

"I've noticed you have a thing against dragons. Can I ask what it is?" Twilight walked to the kitchen, wordlessly inviting her to follow.

"Yeah, you noticed, huh? Sorry. I know I must look very rude, but I have my reasons." She sighed and followed. "See, my little town wasn't our first, so I'm told. When I was just a filly, my parents told me stories of my ancestors who sealed away a very dangerous dragon. They didn't hold back any details either. From them I took pride in having ancestors with such power, but at the same time, a rather large fear of what dragons are capable of. Since it was sealed, they saw fit to move their town further west to where it sits now, believing that proximity to it would weaken the seal placed on it."

"Sealing a dragon? Your ancestors must have been powerful unicorns." Twilight sat at the table as Spike served them up.

"Unicorns? You must be mistaken. My ancestors were all Earth ponies. Not all magic is exclusive to unicorns." Epona sat beside her and looked at her meal of nuts, berries, and steamed vegetables. "This does look good. My compliments in advance."

After dinner, Twilight put the last of the items into the scroll and asked Spike to send it at 7 in the morning. She led Epona up the stairs, showed her to her bed for the night, exchanged a few words, then faked falling asleep.

When she knew Epona was asleep, she went downstairs, lit up her horn, and began looking up information on sealing rituals for non-unicorns. If I can find something about sealing magic, then I might be able to find something about magic abilities for non-unicorns. If this research bears fruit, I might have an answer as to how Link learned a shield spell in the first place.

The following morning didn't start for Twilight until almost noon. Doing research all night, burning the midnight oil, caused her to sleep through the rising sun. Even through the wind and darkened skies that loomed over Ponyville. As ordered, Spike sent the scroll to Celestia with Link's things inside. Epona had started by going through town and seeing the sights. Soon as the wind started up, she began seeing other ponies tearing limbs off of the trees and more raking them up for disposal. Aj was counted among the ones taking them down. Naturally, she asked what she could do to help. Everypony's response was either get out of the way, or start raking. So, she helped to rake them into piles while several groups of pegasi took them away in bags.

Epona knew what the rest of the day had in store. She could smell it in the air. The sudden change in the atmosphere, the change in temperature, all signs of a storm.

Behold! A new chapter for a story no one reads! Beginning to think I'm only doing this for myself...
: Not a bad thing, is it?
Well, no... It is reassuring that I'm doing something I want, even if no one cares.
: Trust me... those who do read it, care.