In the dream realm, Artemis looked around and smiled as he saw that Twilight was still laying between his parents. They had each moved closer and snuggled next to her. They weren’t saying anything, just relaxing. All three of them looked up and smiled as he walked over to join them. He lay down next to his mother and reached around her to nuzzle Twilight before letting out a sigh.

“Is something wrong, Artemis?” Midnight Armor asked, concerned

Artemis shook his head “I was just thinking.”

Sundance looked at her son. “About what?” Is he concerned about what we were discussing earlier?

“Even though you’ll be in Canterlot most of this month, we’ll still be on opposing schedules. You’ll be teaching the foals during the day while I’ll be dealing with Night Court and the Dream Realm. That means we’ll really only get to see each other for breakfast and dinner. I didn’t like, but was willing put up with, it last week. However, things have changed a lot in the last few days.” Artemis sighed again “I just wish there was another way to handle this.”

Midnight Armor nodded, understanding his son’s point, before smiling at his wife. “When your mother was pregnant, I rarely left her side. True, times were more dangerous back then, but the danger wasn’t the only reason I kept her close.”

Sundance returned his smile before nuzzling her son.

“Actually,” Twilight began, drawing the attention of all three of them “there may be another way.”

“What do you mean?” Artemis asked

“I’ve been thinking about that as well.” Twilight responded “After this month is over, I’m supposed to return to Ponyville while you stay in Canterlot, the only time we’d get to really see each other would be on the weekends. I know that you can visit my dreams, but it’s not the same as really seeing each other. While it annoyed me, like you, I was willing to put up with it last week. Now, not so much. I know we both have responsibilities, but I want you nearby. Especially as my pregnancy progresses.”

“Yes,” Artemis responded “but what can be done to change it?”

“I saw the looks on the faces of many of the parents of the foals that I’ll be teaching.” Twilight answered “If I do well enough, or at least better than Fire Fly did,”

“What do you mean if?” Sundance interrupted, eyebrow raised

Midnight Armor laughed “Don’t worry, she means when.”

Twilight stared at them for a moment before continuing “I have a feeling that at least some of them may request that I teach their foals for the rest of the school year. If I’m right, and enough of them ask, I’m pretty sure Celestia will agree to it.”

Artemis nodded “That will keep you in Canterlot, but what about our differing schedules?”

She blushed “If the results of my research are correct, you and Celestia used to actually rule together a thousand years ago, not separately like you do today.”

Research? I’ll ask her about that later. Artemis nodded again “That’s true, but what does that have to do with anything?”

Twilight smiled “Didn’t you notice that Celestia seems to like it when we hold joint courts?”

Artemis’ eyes widened “Y-you mean?”

Twilight’s smile grew “We’d have to talk to her about it, but I think she’ll like the idea. If I’m right, you two could handle court one of two different ways. The first is simply a joint court, held during the day. Any Night-specific issues can be dealt with by you and Celestia can take care of any Day-specific ones. The two of you can work together on the rest.”

She paused for a moment “If you’d rather keep the courts separated, Celestia can have Day Court in the morning and you can have Night Court in the afternoon. In both cases, we’d all be done by dinnertime and can spend the evenings together. You’d still have to take care of the Dream Realm, but that part of your schedule can remain unchanged because you can only take care of that at night, when most of Equestria goes to sleep. We would also need to keep coming to Ponyville on the weekends so I can take care of matters here. We can take our vacations in Ponyville as well. Not only is it much quieter here than in Canterlot, but this is where Spike and the girls are.”

After thinking for a couple of minutes, Artemis asked “What if Fire Fly takes over his class again or when the school year ends? What would you do then?”

Twilight shrugged “Celestia’s been asking me to set up a court of my own, she calls it “Friendship Court”, for a while now. So I don’t think she’ll have an issue with me joining you two as part of the joint court. If anypony comes in with that sort of issue, I can handle it. Otherwise, I’ll just help the two of you.”

Artemis’ eyes widened before he smiled and nuzzled Twilight. “We’ll have to talk to Celestia when we return to Canterlot this evening, but I like this idea. Besides, there are a couple of options to choose from, so she won’t feel like we’re making such a big decision without her.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor stared at Twilight and Artemis.

“What was it you called her yesterday, Midnight?” Sundance asked, glancing at her husband “I believe it was “Smart”?”

Midnight Armor nodded, still staring at Twilight

Sundance shook her head “I think “Brilliant” is what you meant to say.”

Twilight stared at Sundance for a moment before she was able to stammer out a response. “B-but I’m not-”

Artemis laughed, nuzzling her again “Yes, you are, Twilight. Should I tell them about how you were the only one, other than Celestia, that figured out that I was going to return four years ago? Or how you figured out that the Elements needed to be returned to the Tree of Harmony? What about the other things you’ve done?”

Twilight looked at him, eyes wide, as her face turned bright red. “Don’t you dare!”

Midnight Armor and Sundance laughed, causing Artemis and Twilight to look at them.

“He doesn’t have to say anything, Twilight.” Sundance said “Celestia has already shown us what you have accomplished over the last four years.”

“Yes” Midnight Armor continued, smiling “It was an impressive list of foes and challenges. Especially when you consider that all of it was done in only four years and more than half of those accomplishments you made as a unicorn.”

Twilight buried her face in her hooves, drawing more laughter from Sundance and Midnight Armor.

Artemis started laughing as well. He was about to say something but paused as he raised his head, closed his eyes and focused. “Spike is trying to wake me. I’ll go see what this is about.” He lit his horn and vanished.

Sundance and Midnight Armor looked at each other and shrugged before nuzzling Twilight.

Artemis opened his eyes and yawned as he looked over to see Spike standing on the bed next to him, shaking his shoulder. “Good Morning, Spike. Is something wrong?”

Spike shook his head “Good Morning. I’m sorry to wake you, but it’s getting close to lunchtime. I just didn’t want Twi to miss her meeting with Cheerilee.”

“It’s alright. Thank you for letting me know. I’ll wake her.” Artemis replied “She’ll probably want to take a bath. Can you start the water, please?”

“No problem” Spike answered, jumping off the bed and heading for the bathroom.

“Thank you” Artemis called after him before he closed his eyes and went back into the dream realm.

Artemis reappeared not far from Twilight, Midnight Armor and Sundance. “It’s almost lunchtime.” He said “Spike didn’t want you to miss your appointment with Cheerilee.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!” Twilight exclaimed as she sat up. She saw the expression on Sundance’s face and nuzzled her. “It’s alright, Mom. Cheerilee is the teacher in Ponyville. I asked her to help me go over Fire Fly’s lesson plans. He was trying to teach his students by scaring them, so I don’t want to trust his plans until I get a second opinion.”

Sundance sighed in relief, smiled and returned her nuzzle “Good idea”

Midnight Armor nuzzled her as well “We’ll see the three of you tonight.”

Twilight nodded “We’ll be back later, but that won’t be for several hours.” She saw his expression and laughed as she returned his nuzzle. “Dad, it means that there’s plenty of time for you two to get some sleep.”

Artemis saw his parents smile and laughed as well before lighting his horn “We’ll see you both tonight. Enjoy your nap.” He and Twilight vanished.

Sundance moved closer to her husband, pausing as she saw the tears in his eyes. “Are you alright?”

He nodded and pulled her into a hug. “It’s going to be awhile before I get used to her calling me that.”

She nuzzled him before relaxing into his embrace. “I know what you mean. She calls us “Mom” and “Dad” now. That’s different than the “Mother” and “Father” that we’re used to. Still, I’m surprised at how happy I am to hear those words.”

They snuggled closer together and lay their heads on the cloud. Sundance fell asleep rather quickly. Midnight Armor smiled at his wife and covered her with a wing before laying his head next to hers and falling asleep as well.

In Ponyville, Twilight and Artemis opened their eyes to see Spike standing next to the bed. “The bath is ready. I would offer to make lunch, but you’re going on a picnic.”

“Thank you, Spike” Artemis said as he reached over to nuzzle him

Twilight glanced at Artemis before turning to Spike. “I’m going to be in Canterlot every weekday during this month, maybe longer. I don’t want to force you to come with me or stay behind. Instead, I’ll let you decide where you’re going to be each week. Each Sunday, I want you tell me where you would like to stay that week. If it’s Canterlot, you’ll come with us. If it’s Ponyville, I’ll leave you in charge of the library while I’m gone.”

Spike stared up at her, eyes wide “R-really?”

Twilight nodded “You may appear as if you’re still a baby dragon, but that’s just because ponies physically age faster than dragons. I believe that you are responsible enough to be on your own for a little while, so I’m willing to give you a chance to prove that you can handle yourself for a week at a time. Besides, if you do run into trouble, the girls are nearby and I’m only a letter away.”

Spike jumped up onto the bed and gave Twilight a tight hug. “Thank you, Twilight! I won’t let you down, I promise!”

Twilight laughed and nuzzled him “I’m sure you won’t, Spike.”

Artemis and Twilight stood and walked to the bathroom. They found a full bathtub waiting for them. With matching sighs of pleasure, they walked in and lay side by side.

After a few minutes, Artemis heard a faint sob and looked at Twilight to see that she was crying. “Twilight? What’s wrong?” When she didn’t answer, he pulled her into a hug. Before he could say anything else, he heard a quiet “I-I’m sorry”.

He was about to ask what she was talking about, when he suddenly understood. “Are you talking about what happened in the dream?” She didn’t respond, but the shudder that ran through her body told him everything he needed to know. He tightened his grip and nuzzled her. “It’s alright, Twilight. I’m not angry.”

“B-but!-”

He silenced her with a kiss “Didn’t you say that nothing is able to stop your mother when she gets an idea into her head?”

Confused, Twilight nodded

Artemis laughed “I’ve met Velvet and can honestly say that the determination your mother has is nothing compared to what mine possesses. If my mother finds something that she feels she needs to get to the bottom of, she allows nothing to stop her. What you saw is but a fraction of what my mother has been known to do to solve a problem.” He nuzzled her “Thank you”

Twilight looked up “Huh? For what?”

Artemis sighed “Mother was right. I had no plans to tell anypony about what I was doing or why I was doing it. And I certainly didn’t want Celestia to know about it. Somehow, you were able to figure out what I was doing and why. You explained it far better than I would have been able to. In fact, I was so upset that I probably would have just turned it into a big mess.” He noticed that Twilight was about to protest and kissed her again. “Let’s just leave it at that. Besides, we need to get ready.”

Twilight reluctantly nodded and levitated soap and shampoo over. She giggled as she watched his expression change when he noticed the ocean scented body wash. When he turned to her, obviously about to ask, she just shrugged. “I gave Rarity the bits and told her your favorite scent for hygiene products. She took it from there.” She paused, looking at the bottle next to it. “It looks like she got a new bottle of my favorite body wash as well.”

After a moment, Artemis just shook his head. “It’s probably better if I don’t ask.”

They quickly finished their bath and returned to the room. Artemis headed out into the hallway but stopped as Twilight called out to him. Turning back into the room, he saw her standing at the door to the balcony, wearing her saddlebags.

“Since Celestia lifted the restrictions on me, I’d like to fly.”

Artemis smiled as he walked over to join her on the balcony. “That does sound like fun.”

They both spread their wings and took flight, heading for the park. As they got closer, they saw Pinkie, Applejack and Cheerilee waiting for them. All three of them were looking towards the castle and jumped when Artemis and Twilight landed right in front of them.

Pinkie giggled “Good job, Twilight! You surprised me!”

Applejack laughed and pointed over to a nearby tree. “We’ve got everything set up for ya, Twi.”

Cheerilee turned to Twilight “I brought my lesson plans and the guidelines for what all eight year old foals in Equestria should be learning. However, I was hoping we could start with the lesson plans you have.”

Twilight nodded “I agree. We should start there.” Her eyes widened as her stomach growled.

Artemis laughed and leaned down to nuzzle Twilight. “It seems like our foal has a different idea.”

Applejack smiled “Ah agree with the little one, Twi. You should eat first. Ya’ll can get some work done after that.”

Cheerilee, Artemis and Twilight walked over to the tree that Applejack pointed to and found that a picnic had already been set up. There was a large picnic basket set on the middle of the blanket. Opening it, Twilight found a small package off to the side. Next to it were two large slices of chocolate cake. The rest of the basket held a plate of apple fritters and a plate of sandwiches. Two of the sandwiches were Twilight’s favorite, daisy sandwiches. The rest were lettuce, tomato and cucumber sandwiches. Next to the basket were a dozen bottles of Apple Family apple juice for the three of them to share.

Pinkie bounced over “Twilight, that package has oatmeal raisin, a few chocolate chip, and a few sugar cookies for you. Mrs. Cake said it’s alright if you also have a couple bites of cake, if Artemis is willing to share and you don’t eat them all at once.” She gave Twilight a hug “I have to get back to the bakery because I have parties to plan! See you later!”

Applejack nodded “Ah have to get back to the farm so ah can help Granny Smith with the baking.”

Pinkie and Applejack waved and walked away before going their separate ways.

Twilight, Artemis and Cheerilee sat down and pulled the food out of the basket.

Artemis glanced at Twilight as he saw her pause. “Twilight? Is something wrong?”

Twilight made a face and shook her head. “I’m just nauseous. This is what made me go to the doctor the other day. Stone Steps said that it’s normal for a mare in the early stages of pregnancy. It doesn’t happen often but when it does, I’m usually around food. For now, it’s just annoying.” She saw the look on Artemis’ face. “Don’t worry, I’m still going to eat.”

Artemis sighed in relief “Good”

There was little conversation, other than somepony asking another to pass something. After they had each eaten their sandwiches and shared the plate of apple fritters, Twilight pulled over her cookies and levitated the slices of cake over to Artemis and Cheerilee. Artemis used his magic to cut the tip off of his slice and give it to Twilight.

Twilight smiled “Thank you” She ate the cake, it turned out to be a couple of bites, and shuddered. “It’s probably a good thing Mrs. Cake said I should only have a couple of bites of that. It’s Pinkie’s Triple Chocolate Special with Chocolate Ganache on top. Even if I wasn’t pregnant, I wouldn’t want to eat much more of that. Too much sugar.” Artemis and Cheerilee laughed as they ate their cake.

After resting for a few minutes, Twilight and Cheerilee looked at each other and nodded. Twilight brought her saddlebags over, opened one of the sides and levitated the lesson plans out. She placed the plans in between them while Artemis laid his head on his forehooves and watched.

Suddenly, Artemis smiled as something occurred to him. Celestia needs to see this. She should know exactly what Fire Fly has been teaching those foals, especially if Twilight is right about it not being wise to trust his lesson plans. Besides, it may help her decide what to do with Fire Fly after he finishes his training. If I know my sister, she won’t immediately put him back in charge of that class. She may also have to change her plans for how to ensure that those foals are taught properly. Unaware of the fact that Celestia has already read Fire Fly’s lesson plans, he wrote a letter and sent it to his sister. Not even a minute later, a scroll appeared in front of him. As he read it, his smile widened. If Twilight knows that Celestia’s watching, it’ll only distract her from the task at hoof. I want her to be able to focus right now, so I’ll tell her about it later. Making sure that Twilight didn’t notice, he cast a communication spell.

Earlier in Canterlot, Celestia looked up as her stomach growled and laughed. I’ve been so caught up in this book that I didn’t even notice that lunchtime was a while ago. Closing her book, she stood and levitated it over to her desk before walking out into the hall.

A few minutes later, she walked into the kitchen and saw Apple Crunch sitting at a table as he waited for something in the oven to finish baking. He immediately jumped up and walked over to her.

Stopping in front of her, he bowed. “Princess, I noticed that you didn’t come in for lunch. Is everything alright?”

Celestia laughed “Everything is fine, Apple Crunch. I just got caught up in a good book and didn’t realize what time it was. Can you bring a daisy sandwich, a small salad and a large slice of chocolate cake to the dining room, please?”

Apple Crunch bowed again “Of course, princess. It will be right out.”

Celestia nodded and went to the dining room to wait. She didn’t have to wait long. Only a few minutes later, Apple Crunch walked into the room with her food and a glass of milk.

After finishing her lunch, she walked into the hallway, trying to decide what she should do next. Hearing hoofsteps, she looked over as Sapphire Wing approached her.

“Sapphire Wing, I thought you had today off.” Celestia asked, surprised “Is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine, Princess Celestia.” Sapphire Wing assured her “I know that there is no court today, but the parents of the foals in Fire Fly’s class have gathered in the throne room. If it’s alright with you, princess, we would like an audience with you before our foals have class tomorrow.”

Celestia raised her eyebrows “You’re sure there is nothing wrong?”

Sapphire Wing nodded “Yes, princess”

Celestia was curious at this point, so she nodded “Very Well”

Celestia and Sapphire Wing walked into the throne room to find a small group of ponies gathered in front of the throne.

Mythic Blossom looked at Celestia and bowed “I’m sorry to bring this up on the weekend, princess. This morning, I asked my daughter about exactly what she is learning in school. What she told me was alarming.”

Sapphire Wing nodded “After Mythic Blossom told us of her discovery, each of us asked our foals similar questions and got the same answer. We like your plan of having Princess Twilight teach our foals, but we don’t like the idea of her going along with the lesson plans that Fire Fly gave her in Day Court yesterday.”

Celestia was about to ask, when a scroll appeared in front of her in a flash of midnight blue magic. “Excuse me, I need to read this. It’s from Artemis.” I hope there isn’t another problem. She opened the scroll and read the letter.

Sister,

Twilight is about to go through Fire Fly’s lesson plans. She believes that it isn’t wise to trust them, so she asked Cheerilee to go through them with her. If you want to know exactly what he’s been teaching his class, I can set up a communication spell.

Artemis

Celestia smiled and sent a quick reply. I’m a little upset that she didn’t come to me about this, but she probably wants to prove that she can handle this herself. I’ve already read those plans but I want to see Twilight’s reaction to them. “It seems that Twilight is about to go through Fire Fly’s lesson plans. My brother believes that I need to know exactly what Fire Fly was teaching your foals and is offering to cast a communication spell so I can watch.” She looked at the ponies in front of her. “I’m going to let him do it and I want all of you to watch it with me. This way, we can see what Twilight does about it. If there are other concerns, I will address them at that time.”

The parents nodded. A moment later, they jumped as a large sphere of dark blue magic appeared in front of Celestia. Gathering around and looking inside it, they saw Princess Twilight, Prince Artemis and a pony they didn’t recognize sitting under a tree next to the remains of a picnic.

Celestia explained “The third pony is a teacher from Ponyville that Twilight trusts. Her name is Cheerilee. Twilight decided to ask her for advice.”

The parents nodded, satisfied with that explanation, and turned their attention to what was going on in Ponyville.

In Ponyville, Twilight chose the page for Monday and read the lessons to be taught in the various subjects.

“Well, science and math look alright.” Cheerilee commented “If he’s actually adhering to this, those foals are learning at a pace that’s nearly a year ahead of their age.”

Twilight nodded as they moved onto the lessons for the afternoon. Both of them gasped, causing Artemis to look up at them.

“What’s this?!” Cheerilee asked, looking at Twilight in shock

Twilight glanced up at her, just as shocked. “Science and math may be alright, but reading and history sure aren’t. There’s almost no time set aside for either subject. Most of the afternoon is devoted to teaching them about the creatures of the Everfree Forest, and we know how he’s doing that.” she paused “Also, there doesn’t seem to be any time for recess. Isn’t it important for eight year old foals to move a bit in the middle of the school day, to get rid of some of their energy so that they can focus?”

Cheerilee nodded “If this is being followed, those foals might be able to pass a standard exam on those two subjects. As for your question, it is important to let foals of that age out to play for at least half an hour. Actually, forty-five minutes would be better for foals that young because the pegasi need to fly a bit to strengthen their wings, the earth ponies should run to release pent up energy and the unicorns need to get in a little magic practice so they don’t have magic surges. Plus, all of them need to just play for a bit to let their minds relax. Otherwise, the foals would have trouble sitting still, let alone focusing, for the rest of the afternoon.” She glanced from Twilight to the lesson plans and back again. “It seems that he’s spending almost all of every weekday afternoon scaring them. No wonder they were having nightmares.”

As she listened, Twilight went through the plans for the rest of the month. “They’re all like this! I’m not following these.” She thought for a moment. “How long does it take lesson plans to go through the approval process?”

Cheerilee was looking through the lesson plans as well but glanced up at Twilight. “Canterlot is probably faster but, here in Ponyville, it usually takes about two weeks.”

Twilight glanced back at the lesson plans with a determined expression on her face. “I’m creating new ones today and I’ll go over them with Celestia tonight. She can approve them directly, without making me go through the approval process. I’m sure she’ll be willing to do it in a hurry, as long as they’re appropriate.”

Artemis looked as shocked as they did for a moment before he smiled. I hope Celestia’s watching this.

In Canterlot, Celestia was definitely watching. So were the parents. They were all smiling, very happy with Twilight’s response.

Celestia turned to the parents “Is this what you were talking about? Or is there something else that I need to be aware of?”

Mythic Blossom nodded “Marigold told me that they weren’t studying history or working on reading anymore.” She looked at the sphere and smiled. “I should have known that Princess Twilight would notice it immediately.”

Sapphire Wing smiled “Princess Twilight was wise to seek the opinion of a teacher she trusts, instead of just going with the plans Fire Fly gave her.”

The rest of the parents nodded as everypony turned their attention back to the sphere.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Cheerilee nodded “That’s probably the best way to take care of the problem. I’ll help you, if you want.”

Twilight nodded as well. “Thanks, I’m going to need it. For tomorrow morning, I’m going to get to know them, learn their names and things like that. I’d also like to test them to see exactly where they’re at. In the afternoon, I’m going to teach them about the creatures in the Everfree Forest. I don’t see why I can’t go through all of them in one afternoon. If I can knock all of that out in one day, I’ll have a better idea of what I should be teaching them, starting Tuesday. I’ll also have gotten the creatures of the Everfree Forest out of the way.”

She paused, looking at Cheerilee “I need a standard test for foals of that age to use as a baseline. As for the new lesson plans, what I want to create is an outline that has the basics of what they should be learning. I’ll fill in the specifics once I have a better idea of where those foals are and what they need to learn.”

Twilight shook her head, glancing at Fire Fly’s plans again. “I’ll probably just maintain their science and math while bringing up their reading and history. I’m not sure I’ll be able to get all four subjects to the same level in only a month, but I’m going to try. If I can get them to the right point, I’ll switch to a more balanced approach. That will have them moving forward evenly in all subjects, the way they’re supposed to.”

She thought for a second “I’m also adding a forty-five minute recess. The pegasi and earth pony foals won’t be hard, I’ll set up small courses for them to run and fly on. However, I want to work a little closer with the unicorns. Fire Fly was neglecting reading, history and the foal’s need to play so I can’t imagine that he was doing any different with their magic. I need to make sure that they understand the basics and can apply them. If I’m right, and they still need to learn the basics, I’ll add that to the lesson plans. After their specialized exercises, I’ll have them play tag or something.”

In Canterlot, there were several very happy ponies watching this.

“I knew Twilight was the right choice.” Celestia said, to nopony in particular.

In Ponyville, Cheerilee nodded and went over to the base of the tree, where she had put her saddlebags. Opening one of the sides, she pulled out a piece of paper. “There is a test that’s given to every foal on the first day of school to see what they already know so that the teacher knows what they still need to learn. This one is made for students in their first year of school, so it’s designed for eight year old foals. Unfortunately, I only have one left.”

“That’s alright” Twilight replied as she took it in her magic. A quick copy spell later and Twilight was holding fifteen tests in her magic. She levitated the original back to Cheerilee while placing the copies in her saddlebags. Then she opened the other side, pulling out a large pad of paper, a couple of quills and some ink.

She paused, opened her package and ate a couple of oatmeal raisin cookies before drinking some apple juice. After she finished, she looked over at Cheerilee. “Let’s get started.”

Over the next three hours Twilight and Cheerilee put together the outline. On the schedule for Tuesday through Friday, each subject had standard lessons, usually used for the first week of school. For the rest of the month, there were spaces in each subject for more specific lessons to be added once Twilight had a better idea of what the foals needed to learn.

Twilight and Cheerilee were just finishing the outline as a movement caught Artemis’ attention. He looked up as a pair of his Night Guards walk up to them. They stopped a short distance away and saluted “Reporting as ordered, Prince Artemis.”

Twilight looked up “It’s five already?”

Artemis nodded “We should head to Canterlot. Especially if you want to talk to Celestia about the new lesson plans.”

Twilight stood and stretched “You’re right.” She helped Cheerilee pack up the picnic basket with the little food that they didn’t eat before putting both sets of lesson plans into her saddlebags for the trip to Canterlot. “Thank you for helping me, Cheerilee. I’m sorry we didn’t get to the work that you said you needed to do.”

Cheerilee shook her head “That’s alright, Twilight. I’m happy I was able to help. Please, let me know how this week goes. We can make the adjustments with the more specialized lessons next weekend.”

Twilight nodded as she levitated her saddlebags into the air. However, before she could put them on her back, Artemis took them and levitated them to the chariot as they walked towards it. She smiled at him before looking at the chariot to find Mayor Mare, Spike and the girls standing next to it. As they walked closer, Twilight looked at Spike. “Have you decided where you’d like to spend this week?”

Spike nodded “I’d like to stay in Ponyville this week. I’ll take care of the library and Applejack asked me to help out on the farm in a couple of days.”

Twilight nodded and nuzzled him “If anything comes up, or you need anything, send a letter.”

Spike jumped onto her back and gave her a hug. “Be careful, Twilight. No more getting attacked, OK?”

Twilight shuddered “I didn’t plan for that to happen, Spike, and I certainly don’t want it to happen again.”

Spike hugged her again and hopped off her back, landing next to Rarity.

Mayor Mare spoke up “Princess, I would like to schedule a meeting with you Saturday afternoon. At that time, I would like to discuss the events of the week and our plan for the next budget period. I know that isn’t due for a couple of months, but I would like to avoid what happened the last budget period.”

Twilight nodded “That’s fine, Mayor Mare. Please speak to Spike so that he can put it on my schedule. If we’re going to set up another bake sale, I would like to plan it in advance. We can discuss the details on Saturday.”

The girls looked at each other.

“B-be careful” Fluttershy stammered

“Yeah, Twi!” Rainbow added “That’s enough attacks for a while, OK?”

“Yes, Darling” Rarity said “I think we’ve seen our fair share of trouble.”

“They’re right, sugarcube” Applejack added “We’ve had our 3-month allowance for trouble in the last two weeks.” She looked at Artemis and Twilight “We don’t need any more problems for a while. Ya’ll be careful, ya hear?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed “Enough fighting! More parties!”

Artemis smiled at them and nuzzled Twilight. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of her. However, we’d better get going. We’ll see you next weekend.”

Twilight and Artemis climbed into the chariot as the guards got into the harnesses. After a nod from Artemis, they took off towards Canterlot.

In Canterlot, the parents decided wait for Twilight to arrive. As they waited, they gathered together in a small huddle and discussed how they wanted to handle the situation.

Roughly thirty minutes later, Artemis and Twilight walked into the room. They stopped for a moment, surprised to see so many ponies present.

As she and Artemis walked forward, Twilight asked “Is everything alright? I wasn’t expecting to see most of you until tomorrow morning.”

Sapphire Wing nodded “Yes, princess. Everything is fine. After you created your own lesson plans for teaching our foals, we decided that we wanted to wait for you.”

Twilight stared “How did you find out about that? I haven’t even told Celestia yet.”

Artemis smiled and nuzzled her. “I thought my sister should know exactly what Fire Fly was teaching his students, so I set up a communication spell. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to distract you from the work you were doing with your lesson plans.” He looked up at Celestia “However, I didn’t know that there were so many other ponies present.”

Celestia laughed “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you. They were already here when you sent your letter, Artemis. Apparently, they had been asking their foals about the things they were learning in school and discovered that certain subjects were being ignored. They wanted to make sure that I knew about it. They also wanted to make sure I knew that they didn’t want their foals being taught in accordance with Fire Fly’s lesson plans. When I got your letter, I decided that the easiest way to address their concerns was to allow them to watch Twilight create her new lesson plans with me.”

Twilight suddenly looked nervous. I might as well get this over with. She lit her horn and pulled both sets of lesson plans out of her saddlebags. She levitated Fire Fly’s over first. “These are the lesson plans that Fire Fly brought to court.”

Celestia nodded as she took them in her magic and read the first page. “You said that the rest of it is basically the same as the plan for tomorrow, so I see no reason to go through every page right now. If need be, I’ll refer to it later.” She looked at Twilight as she set Fire Fly’s plans on the throne. “Right now, what I’m really interested in seeing is the plans that you and Cheerilee came up with, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded and levitated them over. She held her breath as Celestia read them, growing more nervous as Celestia carefully read through the first week.

Celestia noticed this and laughed “Don’t worry, Twilight. I watched you create these plans, remember? I already know that they’re much better than the ones you were given. However, I have a request.”

Twilight tilted her head “What’s that?”

Celestia smiled “I want to see these again next week because I want to give you a chance to see what level the foals are currently at. It’s only then that you will be able to complete your lesson plans. For now, I’ll approve the plans for this week and reexamine them as a whole next weekend, after you return from Ponyville.”

Twilight sighed in relief and nodded before taking her plans back and returning them to her saddlebags. Then she turned to the other ponies in the room. “I assume you also have a request. Since you waited for us, it must be for either Artemis or myself.”

The parents nodded

“Well,” Twilight began “if it’s for me, I’ll at least listen to it. I’m usually in Ponyville, so there’s no guarantee that I’ll be able grant any requests here in Canterlot.”

Mythic Blossom smiled “We believe that you can grant this one, princess.”

Twilight and Artemis glanced at each other, confused, before looking at Celestia.

Celestia shook her head I think I know what they want to ask. If I’m right, I want to see how Twilight responds before I do anything about it. “Don’t look at me, they haven’t said anything about a request.”

Sapphire Wing stepped forward “Princess Twilight, we’ve seen the care that you have taken in order to ensure that the foals in your class will be taught properly.”

Twilight looked at him, still confused. My class? I thought I was only teaching the foals for a month. Have they already decided that they want me take over Fire Fly’s class?

Sapphire Wing saw her expression, smiled and continued. “We have discussed the topic.”

Twilight nodded “What conclusion have you reached?”

Mythic Blossom smiled as well “Princess Twilight, we are putting together a petition asking you take over the teaching of our foals for the rest of the school year. This is because, even after he completes his refresher course, we want Fire Fly to prove himself before we return our foals to his care.”

Twilight looked at the parents thoughtfully. “Honestly, I expected you to ask this because I saw the looks some of you were giving me the other day. I understand, and agree with, your reluctance to allow Fire Fly to immediately return to teaching your foals after his training is over. However, I’m surprised you’ve come to this conclusion so quickly. Are you sure you don’t want to wait a couple of weeks to see how I do?”

Sapphire Wing cleared his throat, drawing her attention. “Why do you ask, princess?”

“I’m not trained as a teacher.” Twilight replied “As I said, I have no problem teaching them this month. However, if you’re not willing to allow Fire Fly to return to teaching your foals, it may be better to have a trained teacher take over for the rest of the school year. I say this because I’m not sure if I’ll be able to properly balance teaching with my responsibilities in Ponyville. If something happens, I may need to return to Ponyville for an extended period of time. Foals as young as yours require structure and consistency to learn properly and I’d rather not jeopardize that.”

Mythic Blossom’s smile widened as she heard Twilight’s response. “Princess, you’ve just convinced me that the best course of action is for you to take over the class for the rest of the school year.”

Twilight looked at her, surprised. That’s not the point I was trying to get across. “What do you mean?”

Celestia smiled as she stepped forward, gaining everypony’s attention. That’s more or less what I expected her to say. “I can’t speak for everypony here, but this is what your response told me, Twilight. First of all, you’re unsure of your ability to properly teach the foals. That tells me that you’re taking this seriously. Trust me, I know what that feels like because I was just as nervous when I accepted my first personal student. Second, you are aware that teaching is a full time position and don’t want to risk not being able to give it the attention it deserves. Am I right?”

Twilight nodded “Y-yes. However, there is one other thing. It concerns Fire Fly.”

Celestia tilted her head “What about him?”

“What will he do for the rest of the school year?” Twilight asked “Yes, what he was doing was inappropriate and he probably should prove himself before being placed in charge of young foals again. However, I don’t want him to be out of work because I’ve taken over his job.”

Celestia paused for a moment, surprised. I have my own opinion on this but perhaps I should get hers as well. “What do you mean?”

“It isn’t that Fire Fly is a bad teacher. He was able to get his students to a fairly high level in science and math, despite their young age. That wouldn’t have been possible if he was a bad teacher. His idea of teaching the foals about the dangers of the Everfree Forest was also a good one. He just went about it the wrong way.” Twilight responded “Remember, he said that he told those stories because he thought it would be fun. He needs to prove that he can put what’s best for his students over his desire to have fun, especially if his version of fun scares his students. Besides, I believe that he may be teaching the wrong age group. It’s possible that he’s not meant to teach foals that young.”

Celestia raised her eyebrows I hadn’t thought of that, but perhaps she’s right. She paused, staring thoughtfully off into the distance. “You’ve just given me an idea. I was going to have him work as an assistant for a more experienced teacher for a few months. However, there may be a better place for me to put him for the rest of the school year. There is a class of older foals that are having trouble, specifically in math and science. Those students are at an age where he is unlikely to scare them. I think I’ll have him teach those foals and monitor their progress. He can use that as an opportunity to prove himself.”

Celestia turned her gaze back to Twilight “I’d like to get back to you, Twilight. You’re not saying that you have a problem with teaching the foals for the rest of the school year, right? If I understood you correctly, you want to take some time to make sure that you can balance teaching the foals here with your responsibilities in Ponyville. You also want to make sure you can handle teaching them even though you haven’t gone through the training that we usually give teachers. Am I right in thinking that that’s what you meant?”

Twilight nodded

“That’s a good idea.” Celestia said thoughtfully “Very well. I’ll take their petition when they present it to court. However, I’ll wait the two weeks that you have requested and reassess the situation before I make my decision.”

Twilight nodded again “Thank you”

Artemis and the parents watched this exchange in stunned silence.

“Somehow, this turned into a teacher’s conference.” Artemis commented Twilight may think she isn’t prepared for this but, listening to the way she and Celestia are talking right now, a pony could be forgiven for thinking that they are both teachers discussing the actions of a third.

Everypony else nodded

Celestia and Twilight jumped and looked around in surprise. They were so deep into their conversation that they had forgotten about the other ponies in the room.

“Sorry” Twilight said, blushing “It appears we got caught up in our conversation and forgot about everypony else.”

Mythic Blossom laughed “That may be true, princess. Still, I’m glad we got to see this.”

After looking around at the other parents, Sapphire Wing nodded. “Very well. We’ll wait a couple of weeks before submitting our petition, princess. However, after what we saw today, I don’t believe there is much that anypony can do to convince us that there should be anypony teaching our foals but you.”

Twilight stared for a moment before trying to get back on topic. “Don’t worry about bringing lunches for your foals because their lunches will be made by the kitchen staff. If they have any food allergies, bring a written list of what they cannot eat tomorrow morning.”

Celestia smiled “That’s a good idea, Twilight. We could have them bring their lunches own lunches and store them in the kitchen. However, it’ll be easier if we have just Apple Crunch prepare food for them.”

Twilight nodded to Celestia and looked at the parents. “I’ll meet you, and your foals, at the main entrance to the castle at nine tomorrow morning.” She paused as something occurred to her. “One last thing, while I’m teaching them, your foals will have library cards because I plan to use the castle library as a resource to improve their reading. I’ll talk to the librarians about getting the cards ready by the end of the week.”

The parents’ eyes widened before they smiled.

Sapphire Wing bowed “You may be unsure of yourself, Princess Twilight, but you continue to prove to be an able teacher. And you haven’t even started yet.” He glanced around at the other parents. “We will see you tomorrow, your highnesses.” He, and the rest of the parents, bowed and left for the night.

Celestia and Artemis smiled as they saw Twilight stare after them in stunned silence.

Artemis walked over to his sister’s side. “Do you think she still believes that she’ll fail?” he asked quietly

Celestia turned to her brother “I think that’s exactly what she believes.” She responded, just as quietly “I wonder how long it’ll take her to realize that she won’t. It will be interesting to watch how she does.”

Artemis nodded before raising his voice. “Sister, there is something that Twilight and I must speak to you about. Before we do that, I want to show you what happened when I went back to sleep after lowering the moon.”

Twilight turned as Artemis created a large sphere of magic and showed Celestia their conversation. She held her breath as it got to the part where she told them her idea of combining the courts. Suddenly, Twilight found that her vision had gone white as Celestia pulled her into a tight hug.

After a minute or so, Celestia realized that she should probably let her little sister breathe. Releasing Twilight, Celestia nuzzled her sister as she draped a wing over her. “This is a great idea, Twilight! I would love to return to joint courts. Besides, it’ll be a good idea to have different points of view on some of the more difficult petitions.” Keeping her wing over Twilight, Celestia turned to Artemis. “Which option do you prefer, little brother?”

Without hesitation, Artemis replied “The first one. I would rather combine our courts and just have one that lasts all day. Also, if we time it right, we can have lunch with Twilight and the foals. That way, if we’re having trouble with a difficult petition, we can ask her for her opinion without interrupting her class. Besides, we can also unwind a little by playing with the foals during their recess.”

Celestia smiled “That’s my favorite option as well. I also like the idea of eating lunch with Twilight and her class. Tomorrow, we’ll handle our courts as we have been and tell everypony that starting Tuesday, we’ll be combining our courts.” She paused “However, it’ll mean less sleep for you for a little while . . .”

Artemis shook his head “I’m willing to deal with being tired for a few days as I adjust to a day schedule. If I have to, I can cast a sleeping spell on myself for the next couple of nights.”

Celestia nodded “I bet more ponies will come to see you if you’re available during the day.”

Artemis smiled “That reminds me, Wednesday will be a long day. That new astronomical building is opening to the public, remember?”

“That’s right!” Twilight exclaimed “Is it still alright if I come?”

Artemis laughed and nuzzled her “Of course. I would love to have you there.”

Before anything else could be said, Artemis and Celestia raised their heads. Looking at each other, they both nodded before lighting their horns. Celestia lowered the sun and Artemis raised the moon and brought out the stars. Then they looked at Twilight as they heard her stomach growl, quickly followed by both of theirs.

Laughing, Celestia nuzzled Twilight “We’d better go get some dinner before we go to bed.”

The three of them walked out of the throne room. In the hall, they stopped as they saw Cadance, Shining Armor, Silver Shadow, Midnight Fang, Steel Night and Cherry Blossom walking towards them. Moonlight Shadow was sitting on his mother’s back.

Twilight and Artemis exchanged glances as they noticed that Steel Night and Midnight Fang were both limping.

Artemis gave Shining Armor a slight glare. “Why does it appear that my guards are injured?”

Shining Armor gave Artemis a sheepish smile. “They did so well on their test yesterday, that I wanted to see exactly what they were capable of. So I decided to push them to their limits today. It seems that I may have pushed them a little too far. Don’t worry, their injuries are not severe and will heal with a few days of rest. They have at least a few days off, right?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. When it comes to training, he gets excited and forgets everything else! “Shiny, they’re supposed to start guarding me tomorrow, remember?”

Shining Armor’s eyes widened as he looked at Steel Night and Midnight Fang. “Uh-Oh”

Cherry Blossom stepped forward “Princess Twilight, I was wondering if . . .” She trailed off as she saw Twilight’s horn begin to glow.

Steel Night and Midnight Fang gasped in surprise as they found themselves surrounded with their princess’ magic.

Everypony watched as Twilight closed her eyes.

Unaware of the fact that everypony was watching her, Twilight focused on discovering exactly what was causing her guards’ pain. A few moments later, her horn flared brighter as waves of her magic washed over Midnight Fang and Steel Night.

Both of them sighed as their pain faded, almost disappearing completely.

Opening her eyes, Twilight looked over at Cherry Blossom and Moonlight Shadow. “Moonlight, you’re the only one that can do this next part. Will you help me, please?”

Moonlight Shadow nodded and flew over to her.

Twilight smiled “Thank you. This may sound weird, but I want you to walk on their backs. Don’t worry, you won’t hurt them. This will help your daddy and his friend feel better.”

Moonlight flew over and carefully landed on his father’s back. He walking up and down it a few times. Steel Night sighed in pleasure as his son’s hooves worked a bit of soreness out of his muscles. Giggling, Moonlight flew over to Midnight Fang and did the same thing, getting the same reaction. He looked up at Twilight when he was done.

Twilight smiled at him “Good job. If you want to help your daddy a bit more, you should take a bath with him tonight and do that again. It will make him feel really good.”

She turned to Midnight Fang “You should probably take a long hot bath tonight and make sure you stretch while in the hot water.” Looking at both Steel Night and Midnight Fang, she continued “You’re both probably going to be sore for a couple of days, but there shouldn’t be any more pain.”

Twilight watched as Cherry Blossom flew forward and picked up her son. Then she turned her attention to Steel Night and Midnight Fang. They were both stretching and letting out sighs of relief.

Artemis stepped next to Twilight “How did you know what to do?”

Twilight turned to him “You know that Rainbow trains a lot because she wants to join the Wonderbolts, right?” She paused until he nodded “She also crashes a lot. I know I’m not medically trained, but I decided to learn a few basic healing spells so I could try to help her stay out of the hospital. If her injuries aren’t severe, I usually heal her myself.” She laughed “I do this for everypony’s sanity because she’s a horrible patient.”

Celestia and Artemis laughed “I bet she is!” Celestia replied “It was smart of you to learn those healing spells.” She paused for a moment before giving Twilight a curious look. “It looked like you cast three different healing spells at the same time. Or did you combine them?”

Twilight laughed and shook her head “I’m not crazy enough to combine those spells. I cast the three of them at the same time. Yes, I had to manage them carefully but it wasn’t too difficult.” She paused and glanced at her guards nervously. “Of course, I should have asked them for permission before healing them.”

Silver Shadow laughed as he looked at Midnight Fang and Steel Night. They were both smiling as they stretched their wings. “Princess, I don’t think that’s a problem. If I had to guess, I’d say that they’re happy you took care of their injuries.”

Twilight nodded and turned to her brother. “Shiny, did they pass your test?”

Shining Armor smiled and nodded “With flying colors. Um, pun not intended.”

“So you don’t have a problem with them guarding me?”

Shining Armor shook his head and nuzzled his sister.

“Good” Twilight replied, returning his nuzzle, before turning to her guards. “My brother said that he pushed you to your limits. Which means he probably pushed you past them. It’s alright if you need to take tomorrow off to rest.”

Without hesitation, they both shook their heads.

“We appreciate the offer, princess, but that will not be necessary.” Midnight Fang replied

Steel Night nodded “Between your healing spells and getting some rest tonight, we’ll be fine for our shift tomorrow.”

Twilight searched the faces of both guards and found nothing but determination. “Very well. I want you both to meet me in the throne room at eight thirty. For now, go home and get some rest.”

“Yes, princess” They both bowed and headed back down the hallway.

Cherry Blossom smiled and bowed to Twilight before she and Moonlight Shadow followed Steel Night.

Celestia, Artemis, Twilight, Cadance and Shining Armor looked at each other for a moment before heading for the dining room. They were met by Apple Crunch.

“Good Evening, your highnesses. For dinner tonight, we have prepared Fettuccine Alfredo, into which we’ve incorporated a vegetable medley. Desert is banana pudding with whipped cream. Everything is almost ready and will be out momentarily.”

“One moment, please.” Twilight said

Apple Crunch turned to her “Yes, princess?”

“Beginning tomorrow, I will be teaching the foals in Fire Fly’s class here in the castle.” Twilight told him “Every weekday, I’ll need you to prepare lunches for them. There are fourteen of them and I believe they’re seven or eight years old.” She paused, looking around “The dining room isn’t set up for several foals to eat in here, so we’ll probably just eat in the classroom until something else can be arranged.”

Apple Crunch smiled “Of course, princess.” While I didn’t see this coming, I’m glad she asked me to do this. I enjoy preparing meals for foals because, in order to get them to eat it, I have to be creative with the flavors and the designs of their meals. He headed into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner and come up with a plan for the foals’ lunch tomorrow.

Celestia smiled “I’ve already thought of that, Twilight, and ordered a picnic table for the foals to be built. Once it’s ready, I’ll have it put in here. That way, we’ll all be able to eat together. After we eat, we can head out into one of the courtyards, or the gardens, for recess.”

Twilight smiled and nodded “My favorite place to play after lunch was the small garden behind the castle. Maybe I’ll take them there.”

“Yes,” Celestia replied, laughing “I remember several afternoons that I actually had to teach you there because you didn’t want to leave.”

Twilight blushed

Everypony else laughed as they moved over to the dining table and sat down. Celestia sat at the head of the table with Artemis on one side and Cadance on the other. Twilight sat next to Artemis and Shining Armor sat next to Cadance.

Cadance looked at Celestia, Artemis and Twilight. “Shiny and I are going to bed early tonight because we’re leaving for the Crystal Empire first thing in the morning. Earlier today, we got a letter from the guards we left in charge of Flurry Heart.” She shook her head and laughed. “Apparently, she’s driving them crazy and they’re begging us to return as soon as possible.”

Celestia laughed and turned to Twilight and Artemis “Something you two will be experiencing yourselves, not nearly soon enough.”

“What do you mean by that?” Twilight asked, nervously Do I really want to know the answer?

Celestia laughed “It means, I can’t wait for my little niece or nephew.”

Twilight stuck out her tongue at Celestia. “Oh yeah? Well, when our foal drives us too crazy, we’ll just bring him or her to you!”

Celestia laughed harder “I’m counting on it!”

Cadance and Shining Armor laughed as well. “You two are going to have to come visit us soon.” She told Twilight and Artemis

Artemis looked at his niece “Why do you say that?”

“Do you really think we aren’t going to tell the crystal ponies that Twilight’s pregnant? Or about what happened here?” she responded

Shining Armor smiled and nodded “As soon as we do, they’re probably going to demand that we bring you two for a visit.”

Twilight looked at him “Why would they do that?”

Cadance laughed “You’re special to the ponies in the Crystal Empire, Twilight. Especially after what you did there.”

Twilight stared “Why? It was Spike that saved them, not me.”

Shining Armor smiled “Yes, but it was you who solved Sombra’s mystery and found the crystal heart. You also found one of the spells needed to put the heart back together after Flurry broke it and helped us put it back together. As soon as they found out about that, they put you on the same level as Spike. Then, there’s the fact that you’re an alicorn and my sister.”

Cadance smiled as well “As for you, Uncle Artemis, many of the crystal ponies can’t wait for a chance to see you again.”

“What?” Artemis asked “Why?”

“They found out about how you helped protect the Crystal Empire, both from Sombra a thousand years ago and the snowstorm when Flurry broke the crystal heart.” Cadance replied “Besides, the Crystal Empire is far to the north. We get a very good view of the stars every night, so many of the crystal ponies are interested in astronomy. They want to get to know the pony who controls the night sky that they admire so much.”

Artemis just stared at her

Celestia smiled as she saw her brother’s shock. It’s about time ponies took a greater interest in his night. And this time, I don’t have to encourage it. She was torn from her thoughts as Apple Crunch and a few other chefs entered the room with dinner.

Dinner was eaten quickly and without much conversation. They ended the meal early so that Shining Armor and Cadance could get to sleep early. After dinner, they headed to their rooms.

After dinner, Twilight and Artemis headed to his room. Artemis was about to ask Twilight what she wanted to do before they went to bed. Before he got the chance, she walked out onto the balcony and sat down. He followed her out and sat next to her. Feeling her shiver, he wrapped a wing around her and pulled her close.

She smiled up at him “Thanks. It’s cold tonight.”

He nodded “We should be getting snow any day now.”

They sat like that for almost half an hour, just watching the stars, before Artemis nuzzled her. “Come on, let’s get some sleep. Besides, we don’t want to keep Mother and Father waiting.”

Twilight smiled and nodded as they both stood and walked back inside. Shivering, she closed the door to the balcony before joining Artemis in bed.

He pulled her into his hooves and smiled as she snuggled close. Noticing that she was still shivering slightly, he pulled a heavy blanket over them. Feeling her lift her head, he looked down in time to be pulled into a kiss. Holding her tight, he deepened the kiss. As it broke, he sighed happily as she laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. He nuzzled her before laying his head on a pillow and closing his eyes as well. It wasn’t long before they both fell asleep.

Next Chapter: Chapter 43 Estimated time remaining: 27 Hours, 19 Minutes