It was the morning of the Summer Sun Celebration. Not just any Summer Sun Celebration, but the one thousandth. The citizens of Ponyville were excited. Not only was it because of the celebration, but because their ruler, Princess Celestia, was visiting. The princess had come all the way from Canterlot, and would be raising the sun from the small town. It was all extremely thrilling.

One pony, however, was not thrilled. She was not even excited. In fact, she was anxious bordering on terrified panic.

As the ponies of Ponyville made their way toward the town hall, talking among themselves and looking forward to seeing the princess raise the sun, Twilight Sparkle walked at a slower pace. As she made her way toward the celebration, the unicorn would come to a stop, looking up at the moon.

"Come on, Twilight," Spike said from her back. "Hurry up, or we'll be stuck in back and won't be able to see Princess Celestia."

Or stop whatever is about to happen to her, Twilight thought, biting her lip. Picking up her pace to cause the little dragon to yelp, she started to push her way through the crowd and hurry toward the entrance to the town hall. They needed to get close. Because when Nightmare Moon showed up, something bad was going to happen, and Twilight wanted -- needed -- to protect the princess.

Entering the town hall, she started to make her way through toward the front. There was a shift in weight as Spike hopped off her back, heading toward the buffet table. Twilight watched the dragon make his way, then had her gaze drift up toward the window. Through it, she was able to see the moon, and the silhouette of a pony's head that covered the surface of it. Had something around it changed? Were the stars shining brighter? Had they moved closer? The legend did say that "the stars would aid in her escape." Nightmare Moon could return any minute, plunging all of Equestria into endless night.

"Isn't this exciting?"

The question caused Twilight Sparkle to jump, turning at the mare who had asked it. Somehow, a pink earth pony that Twilight had met earlier -- the name escaped her, but it had something to do with her color -- had appeared beside her. Twilight was pretty certain she was not there just a second ago. If not for the fact the pink mare was an earth pony, Twilight would have thought she somehow teleported there.

"Are you excited?" the pink mare asked. "'cause I'm excited. I've never been so excited." She hopped up in the air, then stopped (how is she staying up like that?), before dropping down again. "Well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went --" she let out a gasp, her eyes bulging wide "-- but I mean really, who can top that?"

Yes, Twilight thought as she rolled her eyes, who could possibly top a pony simply walking into town and saying "hello?" Before she could actually express her opinion, however, the sound of horns filled the air, causing all the ponies to in the room to turn quiet and look up on stage.

A faded tan mare with gray hair made her way up to the podium. One hoof reached up to adjust her glasses as she cleared her throat.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," she called out in a voice that was not shouting, but could clearly be heard through the entire room, "as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of The Summer Sun Celebration!"

This got a round of cheers from the assembled ponies, as well as the stomping of their hooves.

"In just a few moments, our town will witness..."

Having been to the celebration every year since she had become Celestia's student, Twilight did not really need to listen to what was being said. It was all pretty much the same, anyways. Instead, she turned her attention back to the window. She must have been shuffled around at some point, because she could no longer see through it anymore. Had the stars succeeded? Was Nightmare Moon free? What would happen now that she was?

"Princess Celestia!" the mayor finished, waving a hoof at the stage as she moved back.

The sounds of birds singing -- all of them on key now -- filled the air as the curtains were pulled back to reveal Princess Celestia. Head high and wings spread wide, the tall white mare stepped forward. The sound of cheers and applause filled the room as the princess moved forward. She gave a slight bow of her head, and the room went silent again.

"Thank you, Mayor," Princess Celestia called out in a soft voice that was somehow easy to hear, "and to all of you, for that warm welcome. It is so wonderful to spend time with my little ponies, and to see how much the town has grown since its founding nearly a century ago. You should all be very proud of yourselves and your home."

Twilight stared up at the princess. Even after all these years, after being Celestia's student for more than a decade, after seeing her up close and even touching her, the sight of her raising the sun was awe-inspiring. Twilight watched as Celestia spread her wings wide and lifted into the air. No jumping up, no flapping, and no levitation by magic. The princess just sort of lifted up off the ground without trying.

As Princess Celestia lifted up, so too did the sun. It rose up over the horizon, the sky around it shifting from a deep purple-blue to a rosy pink before becoming the regular sky blue of a clear day. The warm, welcoming light filled the windows of the hall, bringing fresh brightness with it. Oohs and ahhs escaped the gathered crowd as they watched the sun rise on a new day and start the one thousandth Summer Sun Celebration.

It was amazing. It was beautiful. It was perfect. Absolutely nothing had gone wrong.

Twilight bit her lip as she watched the last bit of the sun come up over the horizon. Or she tried to at least. It was a little difficult as tears filled them, making it difficult to see. There was no denying it now.

She had been wrong.