Solaris and Emerald walked along the roads of Canterlot, the stallion keeping his eyes focused on getting his daughter home to the castle while the filly walked beside him, deeply ashamed as her first day of school wound up with her getting in a lot of trouble. Her head hung low, knowing she was going to be properly punished at home for her misbehavior. Even though she knew what she did was wrong, beating up Gold Plate for picking on her and knocking Platinum Band in the nose as he tried to pull her off the fuchsia colt, they didn't have the right bully her or hurt Melody as well. They got away with throwing paper balls at her, pulling on her tail, and telling her she was an adopted reject, but defending herself ends up with her in the "bad corner" and an eventual scolding, or a spanking, from her daddy.

Once at the gates, the guards watching the entrance bowing to the prince and young princess, they walked inside and made their way through the grand halls. Both father and daughter remained silent, the former waiting to speak until they found Trill, while the latter was afraid to say something that could get her in more trouble. They passed by the mural windows on the wall, Emerald looking up to see all of Equestria's greatest accomplishments from historical figures, including one of her father confronting a demonic beast. Every night, her parents told her stories about Solaris's mighty feats, how his strength and courage stopped Lucifer from destroying the whole world, and even watching his hoof-to-hoof combat to entertain her outside.

"Emerald!" Solaris called out, the filly wincing as she ended up stopping to look at her daddy's greatest triumph, running back up to his side.

After a long and anxious walk up to the top, they walked into Emerald's room, where they found Trill actually tidying up her daughter's room. She looked up when she heard them enter, happy to see her husband and foal return.

"Hey, you two!" she greeted.

"You're...cleaning?" Solaris asked, a bit awed to see his wife doing something productive that the maids could have done for her.

"I got bored," Trill answered, lowering the cleaning supplies she held in her magic as she approached her family. She was about to give Solaris a kiss, only to feel the negative air around both him and Emerald. "Whoa...What is this? What's got you two all mopey?"

He looked down at Emerald, the hybrid filly keeping her eyes to the ground as tears started to well up in her eyes. "Do you want to tell mommy what happened at school today, Emerald? Or do you want me to tell her for you?"

"Uh oh. You didn't call her 'Emmy'," Trill grimaced, knowing full well Solaris was deadly serious and Emerald did something she wasn't supposed to. "What happened?"

Both parents looked down at Emerald, the filly sniffling, too scared to say what happened. She tilted her head up, averting her eyes toward her father as she looked at her mother.

"...I-I...I got in trouble," she said.

"Trouble?" Trill asked.

"She was being picked on in class by two colts, but when it came to recess, her teacher told me she attacked both of them and hurt them pretty bad," Solaris finished for her, Emerald whimpering sadly as she lowered her head.

"What!? You beat up two bullies who were picking on you!?" Trill was about to praise her for defending herself, only to receive a warning leer from Solaris at her excited tone, not the right response to give to their daughter who got in trouble on the first day of school. "...Uhh, t-that was very bad. You don't hurt anypony no matter what they do to you...What...did they do?"

"...They...threw paper balls at me...and pushed me off the swing...and pulled my tail..." Hearing Emerald tearfully explain to Trill what the colts did to her, she gave her own glare back at Solaris.

"Oh, really? So, you got into trouble for defending yourself?" the changeling questioned.

"They also pushed my new friend, too," Emerald added.

"Emerald, that does not excuse beating up one of the colts," Solaris said, making Emerald wince at his low tone.

"Are you kidding me, Solaris!?" Trill exclaimed. "Our baby was being picked on and you're more upset with her than those dumb boys who thought it was hilarious to pick on her!?"

"I'm mad at those colts as well, but that doesn't mean she's not going to go unpunished," he explained. "I don't want Emerald kicked out of school right as the year just began. We both want her to grow up and have a good education and have a normal life, not like how we lived our own foalhoods." Trill wanted to argue further, but he was right. Emerald did need to know right from wrong and always learn consequences will be given if she misbehaves or does something without being told. She could even tell that his voice wavered, not wanting to punish his daughter and have her hate him, never wanting to resort to being the bad guy for the filly he loved with all his heart. "She may have defended herself and her friend, but she not fight unless she's being attacked first. Physically, not emotionally."

"...Right..." Trill levitated Emerald's saddlebags off and laid them beside her bed. She lowered herself down to her level, the filly slowly looking up as she saw the tears streaming down the filly's cheeks. "Honey, you do realize what you did at school was wrong, right?" she asked, earning a nod from her. "And the next time you get picked on by some dumb colts, you go straight to your teacher and tell them instead of hurt them back. Got it?"

"Y-Yes, mommy," Emerald responded.

"Good girl." Trill gave her a small kiss on the cheek and gently rubbed her back, Solaris using his magic to levitate some of Emerald's toys out of her room.

"You won't have any of your toys to play with for a week," he said. "You'll get them back if I hear you've been behaving and I get no bad news from Mrs. Smiley." Solaris went to pick up his daughter's teddy bear to take away as well, but his heart couldn't bear to leave her without her favorite toy she had ever since she was born. He left it on her bed, carrying out the rest of her toys and placed them in his and Trill's room to hide from her until her punishment was over. "And you won't play outside today. Do you understand?"

"Yes, daddy," she said, knowing she deserved to lose her toys as a suitable punishment than getting spanked that she heard some bad foals get.

"Good." Solaris and Trill made their way out of Emerald's room to let her think about her actions. "I'll come and get you when dinner's ready..."

He closed the door and stayed beside it, his tears welling up in his eyes, now showing themselves as his heart wanted nothing more than to break down for speaking like that to Emerald. He turned back and walked into the master bedroom, not bothering to hide his daughter's toys as he sat down on the bed, burying his hooves in his face as he felt guilty. He never wanted to be harsh on her, but he had to be strict to make sure she didn't end up making even worse choices in the future, and it hurt him to see her trembling in fright at his low tone, as if she was expecting him to hurt her.

"Solly?" He looked up with his tear-stricken eyes as Trill stood before him. "You ok?"

"...No." Solaris sighed, part of him regretting being that strict as it had hurt him more than it must have for his daughter. "I felt awful doing that...I know I'm supposed to punish her, but she didn't even look at me when we got home." He fell back on the bed as so many scenarios ran through his head with his and Emerald's relationship as father and daughter. "I don't want to speak to her like that...I don't want her to hate me."

"Honey, she doesn't hate you," Trill assured, climbing up on the bed with him as nuzzled his neck. "I know you want to be a good dad and all, but maybe you were a little bit too harsh with punishing her for defending herself from a couple colts who pulled her tail and threw stuff at her. I would have kicked their plots into next week if I was her age."

"Whether she fought for self-defense or no reason, she could end up getting expelled if she bodily harms any of her classmates like that anymore times," he said. "I don't want her to get ridiculed by her peers and constantly get into fights...I don't want Emmy to get hurt by anypony...Not by words or violence..."

Trill sighed, rolling over on top of him, moving his hooves away from his face. "Emerald's a smart filly, and we both know she knows the difference between right and wrong. She's not going to act up like that again, and she knows you love her and only want what's best for her. You can't always be the fun parent all the time." Solaris mulled over her words, always surprised to hear so much helpful advice from the lackadaisical, perverted mare he fell in love with. He knew she was right, even if it did stab his heart seeing Emerald upset as he gave her a punishment she deserves. Seeing he was feeling a little better, Trill grinned and sat up on his stomach. "No need to thank me for getting you back to being rational."

"...How do you even do that?" he asked. "You hate studying, you get bored when you hear a lecture, and all you have on your mind all the time is flirting, sex, and goofing around. How is it possible somepony like you can have any wisdom with life when you spend most of that life wanting me to rut you into unconsciousness?"

"I don't know, and you will never know either," she giggled, rubbing her hooves together as she laughed like a generic movie villain. Solaris just shook his head, amazed and happy to have somepony like her in his life. His ears perked up when he heard their bedroom door lock, feeling her hooves stroking his chest and heard her purr seductively. "How about we have a little fun before we get ourselves ready for dinner?"

"Seriously, Trill?" the alicorn grumbled. Any other complaints he was about to say fell silent as the changeling leaned down and began nipping at his neck, her lustful growls easily swaying him to join her and give in to his pent up sexual desires. He gave in and trapped Trill under his forelegs and began to kiss her, Emerald rarely giving the two of them any privacy with her energy and needs from either or both of them. He managed to roll on top of her, pulling his lips away from hers before he gave into his primal instincts to take his mare and unleash every single ounce of his built up tension from his duties as a prince and a father. "I'm only going to do this because of the stress from the several months of work and holding back beating those two colts myself for messing with my little filly."

Trill giggled as she squirmed under her husband's strong legs, unable to escape even if she wanted to. "Don't hold back, baby," she said lasciviously, wrapping her legs around his body and pulled him down on her, bumping his snout against hers, giving him a sensual lick against his lips. "Give it to me good, you sexy stud."

Emerald moped in her bedroom, all her toys taken away for getting in trouble at school when it should have been Gold Plate and Platinum Band who were supposed to be the ones to pay for picking on her. Maybe she did go a bit too far and wailed on them, but she's not going to apologize for ruining Gold's face after those two planned to get under her skin and provoke her into getting punished. She panted heavily as she finally began expressing her anger, tears streaming down her face.

She growled, grabbing her pillow and punching it hard repeatedly, blowing off all her pent up energy from lack of playing into unbridled anger toward those two bullies. She might not be allowed to hurt them at school again, but that didn't mean she could imagine them in the pillow and beat their mocking faces into a pulp. After several minutes of grunting and hitting, her hooves slowed as she was reminded of the disappointment her daddy had, always a good filly and listening to him whenever he told her to do something. But now, with how he spoke to her after today, she thought he didn't love her anymore, and Gold Plate's words sounded like they were true after all. She looked at her hooves, seeing the holes that changelings had as she shared both her parents' blood...or were they really her parents?

The dreadful question brought more tears to her eyes as she began to cry, burying her face in her battered pillow and sobbed her eyes out. She pulled her teddy bear close to her and snuggled it as she cried, Gold's hurtful words being an abandoned freak held to heart. She questioned if her daddy really was her daddy at all, who she was, why she was so different from her other friends, and the painful answers she could think of in her state only made her more miserable.

She didn't notice a purple light begin to shine in her room, growing bigger and brighter in the middle of her room. Once the light faded, the same alicorn angel that had watched over Emerald appeared in its place. She was about to say hello, only to notice the filly with her face buried in her pillow as she held her bear tightly. She didn't expect to see her granddaughter this upset after her fun first day of school, wishing she stayed longer to see what had happened to her. The angel approached Emerald and sat by her bed, gently running her hoof against her back.

"What's wrong, Emerald?" she asked, Emerald's ears perking up as she heard her.

She looked up in surprise, never even hearing the alicorn walk into her room. Emerald just stared at her, wondering who she is, why she was here, and how she knew her. Her first instinct was supposed to be calling for her parents if a stranger talked to her, but she didn't, somehow finding her familiar.

"W-Who are you?" Emerald asked. She soon gasped, remembering her drawing she made in class today with the purple alicorn she didn't draw in as she saw the gold halo over the lavender alicorn's head. "You look like that pony in my drawing! And I didn't draw it!"

"Heheh. Yeah. I wanted to surprise you a little," she said.

"I knew I didn't draw that...but, why do I feel like I know you?" Emerald leapt off her bed and circled the angel, looking at every part of her. She had a similar manestyle as hers, only purple with a pink stripe, she had a giant fuchsia star with five smaller white ones for her cutie mark, which looked almost like her Granduncle Shining Armor's on his shield cutie mark. She looked almost like her if she was a grownup. "Are you me from the future?"

The alicorn giggled at the silly theory from the mind of a five-year-old's imagination. "Sadly, no. If that were the case, why don't I have fangs? Or holes in my legs?"

"...Oh." Emerald began to think harder, scrunching her muzzle and crossing her forehooves, but sighed in defeat and gave up. "I got nothing."

"I thought you would recognize me, but seeing as you were an infant, I'm not surprised you weren't able to." The mare giggled as the filly tilted her head in confusion. "Have you ever heard of angels, Emerald?"

"...I think so," she said. "There was a story daddy read to me about an angel helping somepony poor..."

"Then you must know about guardian angels." The filly gasped, finally getting the hint as the angel introduced herself. "Yup. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am your guardian angel, Emerald Sparkle."

"I have a guardian angel!?" Emerald began cheering and bouncing around the alicorn, Twilight giggling with amusement as she behaved exactly like her when she got excited as a filly. "I have a guardian angel! I gotta tell daddy I have a-!"

She immediately stopped celebrating, back to being depressed as her scolding from her daddy came back to her. Twilight saw her change in attitude and consoled her.

"What's the matter, Emerald?" she asked.

"...I got in trouble at school today," Emerald explained as her tears began to return in her eyes again. "Daddy's mad at me."

"You got in trouble on the first day of school?" Twilight questioned, surprised to hear anyone ever getting themselves into trouble on their first day beginning their educational learning. "What did you do?"

"Didn't you see?" Emerald asked in confusion.

"Well, I left and planned on meeting you right at this moment to introduce myself, and I wasn't watching you at that moment because, surprisingly, there's a really strict system that goes on up there." Twilight groaned in annoyance while Emerald listened with curiosity. "You have no idea how long it actually took me to prove to the higher ups I have the capabilities of being a guardian angel so I can watch over you and your father. The paperwork was simple, but I swear some of the seraphic leaders are just as stubborn as many of the unicorns in Canterlot."

"You know my daddy?" Emerald asked.

"Of course," Twilight said.

"Were you his guardian angel, too?" The angel let out a sad laugh, her granddaughter not exactly correct, even if it was partially true from a distance when around her.

"No, but I have known him since he was a foal. I do keep a close eye on him from time to time, just to make sure he's doing ok." Twilight rubbed the filly's head, not wanting to get too into her son's past around her grandfilly. If she wanted to know about what happened to him, she would have to ask him herself, and wait when he finds the courage to speak about the truth behind the heroic stories he tells her. "Anyway, let's get back to school today. What happened after you made your drawing?"

"...Well..." Emerald didn't know if whatever she says would matter since she was speaking to an adult, even if she was an angel. Looking up at her, she saw that Twilight was waiting for her to continue, listening to her and trusting her word. She sighed and pressed her cheek against Twilight's leg, her body physical to the filly as an ethereal angel. "At recess, two colts, Gold Plate and Platinum Band, kept picking on me today. They threw paper balls at me, pushed me and my friend off the swings, and Gold pulled my tail and said mommy and daddy don't love me because I'm weird. I was going to tell Mrs. Smiley...but what he said made me mad, and I beat him up and punched Platinum."

"...I see. Bullying." Twilight sighed in disappointment, the youth of this generation only getting worse and worse as the years progressed. "And you're the only one who got in trouble for protecting yourself?"

"Mhmm," Emerald mumbled with a nod of her head. "But I was going to tell on them. Honest."

"And that's the right thing to do," Twilight said. "But, next time those colts make fun of you, don't fight back. You can get in serious trouble when you hurt others like that, and you can get hurt yourself. Understand?" Emerald nodded, not willing to risk getting in trouble again. "Good girl. I know you're a smart filly, and you'll do great in school like I did."

"'Like you did?' What does that mean?" Twilight winced, almost revealing she was once alive.

"Uhhhh..." While trying to figure out how to avoid telling her she wasn't born an angel, a knock came from her door, thankfully dropping the subject entirely as the door opened slightly.

"Emmy?" Solaris called out, poking his head in. "Are you talking to somepony?"

"Umm..." Emerald looked at Twilight, then back at her daddy.

He was looking at her, and he wasn't at all surprised to see the lavender alicorn angel beside her. Twilight shook her head when she looked at her again.

"He can't see me," she said. "Only you can see me. So, if you want to talk to me when I'm around without making it seem like you're talking to yourself, speak with me through telepathy." Emerald stared blankly in confusion, not knowing about telepathy or what it can do. "Just think with your thoughts and I can hear you."

She understood and looked back at Solaris, the stallion growing a little with her silence and looking up at the wall. "No, daddy."

Solaris lit up his horn, scanning the room for any hidden magical traces, unsure of any paparazzi or possible assassins that may have snuck into Emerald's bedroom past the guards, but was relieved to find nothing. "Ok...Can I come in?"

"Mhmm." He walked inside and approached her, unaware of Twilight watching him as he sat down in front of her. Emerald sniffed the air around her daddy, always smelling a certain love energy that came from him whenever he and her mommy were alone sometimes. "Were you and mommy wrestling?"

"Wrestling? Why would-?" Solaris paused, mentally facehoofing at the innocent term for her when he and Trill had sex. Even though they cleaned up after their little stress relieving romp, Emerald was able to sense the lust energy that might still be radiating from him. Trill wound up saving another filly's innocence again, saying they were wrestling after the first time she smelled him nearly a year ago after they celebrated their wedding anniversary, and it was an even more embarrassing to have to try to lie to his daughter than his cousin that they were having some private adult time. "Ummm, right! We were...wrestling. Completely forgot about your sense of smell. Trill, you always have to make things more difficult after making me feel better, don't you?"

Twilight snickered at her son's flabbergasted expression and the playful lie to spare Emerald of their activities she's sure to learn when she reaches puberty. "Well, at least they have time together. Even though their bedrooms are clearly yards away from each other."

"Oh." Emerald didn't pay the scent much mind, not exactly hating it, but it was an odd smell that made her curious about where it came from.

"Uhh...so..." The room was silent, Solaris trying to find the words to say while Emerald waited for him to speak, a little worried she'll be scolded again. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at his daughter. "...Emmy, you know I'm not mad at you for what you did today, right?"

"...I don't know," she mumbled, looking down at her hooves.

The stallion winced, his little filly unable to look at him, still afraid of what he would say. "I'm really not...I was...disappointed, but I only heard what your teacher told me." He lowered himself down so he wouldn't intimidate her with his size, Emerald tentatively looking up at him. "Can you tell me what happened? I promise I won't be angry."

Emerald stared at her daddy, her eyes shifting between his worried face and her guardian angel watching them. She saw Twilight nodding her head, promising her that he wouldn't be mad at her. The filly swallowed the lump in her throat and found her voice as she began telling him what had happened that got her in trouble with Mrs. Smiley. After hearing the two colts who picked on her throwing paper balls at her, pushing her around, yanking her tail, and insulting her, even trying to approach her teacher to tell on them before she snapped, Solaris immediately pulled Emerald into a hug. The worst was what those bullies had said to her; calling her a freak who was abandoned by her parents and not loved by him or Trill, making her think she wasn't their foal and questioning her existence as a pony/changeling filly.

Emerald sniffled, hugging her daddy's neck tightly while he held her, afraid to let go of him and have Gold's theory come true. "I-I'm sorry, daddy...I don't wanna be bad..."

"Honey, you're not bad," Solaris assured. "Don't listen to a single word those colts say to you. You're our little filly, and we love you. So very much." He gave her small kisses on her head, proving to her he does love her as she felt it, absorbing the love he gave her as her horn sparked. "I'm sorry I acted like that. I'm actually glad to know you stood up to them and for your new friend, but no hitting them if they get to you. Ok?"

"Ok," she mumbled.

He lowered Emerald back down to the floor, wiping away her tears. "I know words can be hurtful, but if they start making fun of you, ignore them and pretend they're not there. And if they keep bothering you, promise me you'll tell your teacher, mommy, or me if they don't stop?"

"I promise," Emerald said. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

As she said the familiar patented promise left by Pinkie Pie, now known as a Cherry Promise as her daughter renamed it, Emerald crossed her hoof over her chest, flapped her wings, and placed the hoof she used against her eye. She intends to keep that promise, not wanting to get in trouble again and see her daddy look so mean when given bad news from her teacher. Solaris smiled, rubbing her head and leaned down to give her another kiss.

"You know that's a very serious promise you made," he reminded. "If you break it, Aunt Cherry Pie's going to pop out of nowhere and get you." He poked her muzzle with his hoof, making her giggle, seeing the cheerful smile he loved to see on his little filly. "Can you forgive me for being so mean?"

"Mhmm," she said with a nod, hugging his foreleg with a loving nuzzle. "Love you, daddy."

"Love you, too, Emmy," he said back as he rubbed her back with his free hoof. Twilight watched the heartwarming scene, wishing she had more time with Solaris before her eventual demise, wanting to have given him a normal life like he was giving to his daughter. "Hey. You getting hungry?" Emerald nodded as her stomach began to growl. "Yup. That's definitely a hungry belly. Let's head to the dining hall."

"Ok, daddy." Father and daughter soon left the room and began heading down to the dining hall, Twilight following them as she tailed after her son and granddaughter.

"Don't tell mommy this, but instead of having your toys taken for a week, I'm going to lower it to a couple days," he said. "But still no going outside in the garden or courtyard. Deal?"

"Deal," Emerald giggled, taking the lesser punishment, knowing her daddy can never be mad at her for too long, even though she could last a week without her other toys.

The next morning, Emerald woke up and got herself ready for school, take two of having a fun day of learning. She walked with her daddy to the school again, her saddlebags checked for her supplies and her lunch, keeping the Cherry Promise she made yesterday. As they walked through the halls to reach her classroom, she accidentally bumped into someone, and as her newfound bad luck had it out for her over her expectations of going to school, she ran into Gold Plate as she rounded the corner. The two glared at each other, Gold's mother too busy speaking with Mrs. Smiley. Her coat was a pale magenta, her mane and tail a light violet with white streaks, and her cutie mark was a tiara.

"You," Gold growled.

"You, too," Emerald said back.

Solaris rounded the corner as his daughter ran on ahead of her, standing over her and leering down at the brat who upset her with his teasing and abuse. The colt backed away, fearing the glaring daggers the alicorn prince gave him and hid behind his mother, startling the mare when he suddenly clung onto her.

"Gold! I'm in the middle of a conversation! And stop clinging onto me tightly like-" She looked over at what he was looking at, her eyes widening in shock at the presence of the prince and his daughter. "Prince Solaris?"

"Ah. Perfect timing!" Mrs. Smiley said. "Your Highness, I was just informing Miss Tiara, Gold Plate's mother, about the parent teacher conferences with her son."

"Yes, and after hearing what my son did yesterday, I'm going to make sure he doesn't get into anymore trouble. Right, Gold?" She looked down at the colt, who looked away with annoyance, still hiding behind her and far away from the protective alicorn father. "I really am sorry about his behavior toward your daughter. If he does it again, I'm going to have to take away all of his toys and give them to charity if he acts that way again, especially toward a filly who is also a princess."

"'Miss Tiara'..." Solaris had heard the mare's name before, getting a better look at the older mare. "Your name sounds familiar...Do you by any chance know a couple mares named Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo?"

"...Yes. They're friends of mine," she replied, a little confused. "I used to live there too before I moved here to Canterlot to help run one of my family business chains for my father."

"...Were you also their bully when you were foals?" he asked, the mare wincing at that terrible side of her being reminded, but she nodded her head. It soon clicked in the alicorn's head, finally remembering her full name from the stories the founders of the CMC told him as a colt. "Now I remember! Diamond Tiara! Aunt Apple Bloom, Aunt Scootaloo, and Aunt Sweetie Belle told me a lot about you!"

"They have?" Diamond asked, a little surprised and embarrassed that her old bullying victims spoke of her to the prince. "And...they're your aunts?"

"Well, not by blood, but I looked up to them as aunts growing up," he explained, Emerald looking up at her daddy in confusion while Gold Plate's jaw dropped in shock. "The told me about their misadventures finding their cutie marks, and without you, they wouldn't have become best friends or got their cutie marks. And...maybe a few things you did to them during your...bullying days."

Diamond Tiara groaned as she was reminded of her constant teasing to the Crusaders, not proud of what she had been back then and disappointed in seeing that side of her in her son. "Please don't remind me. I was hoping to forget about all that, but after yesterday..." She looked back at Gold Plate, the colt still astonished that the prince knew his mother and feared ever having them become friends. She shook him off her leg and dragged him before Solaris and Emerald. "I assure you, my son will not become a reincarnation of me as the rich bully who's better than his peers. Now, you apologize to the princess for picking on her, and if you do it again, it's bye bye to your toys."

"But mommy, she hurt me first!" the colt whined as he pointed at his bruised face.

"Don't start that with me, young colt!" the mother scolded, knowing full well he instigated the fight and deserved to have karma kick him in the rear. "You're supposed to be a proper gentlecolt, and you do not hurt fillies in any way. Say you're sorry."

Gold turned away from his mother and pouted, refusing to apologize. Emerald was amused as he was in just as much trouble as she was, but as she looked back up to her daddy, he gave her a look telling her to do the same for beating him up. She let out an annoyed whine, but sighed as she approached the pouting colt and held her hoof out to him.

"I'm sorry I hit you yesterday," she apologized.

He didn't respond and continued leering at her, refusing to apologize to the filly. "Gold, apologize." He ignored his mother and looked away. "Alright, if that's how you want to behave, then all of your toys are going to be donated to good colts and fillies who deserve to have them."

"No!" he cried out as he turned back to Diamond. "You can't take my toys away!"

"Then be a good colt, shake her hoof, and apologize." Gold grumbled and turned back to face Emerald, still waiting for the hoof shake.

He growled and took her hoof and shook it. "Sorry..."

"That's better." The bell began to ring as class school was about to start, both foals following Mrs. Smiley inside while Solaris and Diamond Tiara left. The mare sighed in irritation, utterly embarrassed by her own child's behavior, and in front of the stallion who ruled Equestria and saved it from fifteen long years of oppression under the dark stallion, Lucifer. "I hope we don't end up meeting each other to discuss these issues again, Your Highness."

"I hope not as well," he said.

"...So, how are the former Crusaders?" Diamond asked. "I haven't seen them after graduating from high school and began learning about the family business. Eventually, I'll have to make some deals with Apple Bloom when zap apple season comes around, but for now, I'm running the Barnyard Bargains here in Canterlot."

"They're actually doing pretty well," Solaris said. "Sweetie Belle actually lives up here in Canterlot with her husband and son, and she sometimes sings in the theater on some nights. I don't think she's awake right now since she works long nights singing."

As the two parents left the building and talked, inside Mrs. Smiley's classroom, their foals weren't quite as friendly. Gold Plate leered at the filly that got him in even more trouble and mocked him with apologizing for beating him up like he had planned. Emerald, on the other hoof, followed both her daddy's and guardian angel's advice, ignoring his gaze as she paid attention to Mrs. Smiley and her friend Melody. Melody was still a little guilty for getting her friend in trouble, but she assured her she was fine and happy knowing she wasn't hurt too from yesterday.

Twilight continued to watch Emerald, but she kept a close eye on Gold Plate and Platinum Band. Those colts were going to continue pestering her, and it won't be easy for them to get bored of her when Emerald is a pony/changeling hybrid filly. The best she can do is give helpful advice, maybe give her granddaughter a warning if they were going to do something, and whenever Solaris was around, make sure he was doing ok. She was pretty much a ghost to him now, only able to watch him as only his daughter can see and hear her. As much as she wanted to talk to him, to let him know she was here with him, she didn't want him to remember the pain of his past and the losses he faced, living his life without the ponies and dragon who took care of him in her stead.