Sundance and Midnight Armor were cuddling together on the cloud when they suddenly sensed a familiar presence. They looked up as Artemis appeared, watching as he closed his eyes and lit his horn. A moment later, Twilight appeared on one side of him and Celestia appeared on the other. As Twilight, Artemis and Celestia flew over, Sundance and Midnight Armor stood so they could hug their children. Afterwards, they both lay back down, leaving some space between them. Celestia lay to the right of Sundance and Artemis lay on the left.

Midnight Armor sighed and started to stand so he could move closer to his son but paused when he felt a weight against his right side. Surprised, he looked down to find that Twilight had decided to lay next to him, snuggling close to his side.

Sundance smiled as she saw the surprised look on her husband’s face. She watched as he smiled and nuzzled Twilight before covering her with a wing. Well done, Twilight. “How did your meeting go, Twilight?”

Midnight Armor nodded “Yes, I’m curious about those lesson plans you wanted a second opinion on. Were they as bad as you thought they might be?”

They were surprised as Artemis and Celestia both laughed and lit their horns. Suddenly, there were two large spheres of magic in front of everypony, one dark blue and one golden. Artemis showed them their meeting with Cheerilee.

Sundance heard Cheerilee’s comment on the lessons for math and science and raised an eyebrow. Perhaps Twilight was suspicious over nothing. It sounds like those plans are fine. She gasped as Twilight and Cheerilee discussed how reading, history and play time for the foals had been replaced with stories about the creatures of the Everfree Forest. Sighing, she shook her head. Never mind.

Midnight Armor shook his head as well, watching as Twilight created her own plans. “It seems you were wise not to trust those plans, Twilight.”

Celestia had already watched Twilight create her lesson plans, but smiled as she watched it again. Before their parents could say anything, she showed them the other side of the events of the afternoon. “These are the parents of the foals that Twilight will be teaching.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor nodded as they watched the parents voice their concerns before the letter from Artemis appeared in front to Celestia.

Twilight stared as she heard what the parents had to say about her actions. Turning to Celestia, she asked “That’s why they waited for me?”

Celestia nodded “They liked what they saw. Your actions were what made them come to their decision so quickly.”

Midnight Armor looked from Celestia to Twilight “What decision are you talking about?”

Artemis laughed and showed them what happened after he and Twilight walked into the throne room.

Sundance smiled as she heard Mythic Blossom’s request. “That didn’t take long.” She listened to Twilight’s response. Why is she so hesitant? She nodded thoughtfully as she heard Twilight’s explanation. I suppose it makes sense for her to be nervous about taking over such a position on a long term basis without the training usually given to teachers. Not to mention her other obligations. She’s right, both could affect her ability to do the job properly.

Midnight Armor and Sundance’s eyes widened as Celestia and Twilight switched to discussing what should be done with Fire Fly.

Hearing his son’s comment, Midnight Armor nodded “Artemis is right. If I didn’t know better, and I heard this, I would think Celestia and Twilight were both teachers that were considering what should be done about a third.”

The rest of his family looked at him. Celestia laughed and Artemis smiled, while Twilight just stared. Midnight Armor saw this and nuzzled her before turning his attention back to his son’s magic.

Sundance and Midnight Armor laughed as they heard Artemis and Celestia’s quiet conversation about Twilight’s belief that she’ll fail.

Twilight opened her mouth but, before she could say anything, Celestia showed their parents the scene in the hallway with Cadance, Shining Armor, Silver Shadow, Midnight Fang, Steel Night, Cherry Blossom and Moonlight Shadow.

Twilight looked up at Midnight Armor and Sundance, knowing what they were going to ask. “The bat pony stallions are Silver Shadow, Midnight Fang and Steel Night. They’re members of Artemis’ Night Guard. You already know that Silver Shadow is the Captain. Midnight Fang and Steel Night are the two that Artemis has chosen to protect me. The bat pony mare is Steel Night’s wife, Cherry Blossom, and the foal is their two week old son. Last week, they asked Artemis to choose a name for their son. Artemis took my suggestion and named him Moonlight Shadow. As for why I made that suggestion . . .” She lit her horn, created a sphere of magenta magic and showed them what happened the evening that they named Moonlight Shadow.

Midnight Armor and Sundance laughed as they watched Moonlight’s antics. “You were both right. Moonlight Shadow is the perfect name for that foal.”

Twilight nodded

Everypony turned their attention back to Celestia’s magic. She showed their parents Shining Armor’s explanation of how he had pushed Steel Night and Midnight Fang too far, accidentally injuring them.

Sundance and Midnight Armor’s eyes widened as they watched Twilight heal her guards before listening to her explanation of why she learned the healing spells.

Curious, Sundance turned to Twilight. “Does Rainbow Dash crash that often?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and nodded. Everypony turned to the sphere of her magic as she showed them a collection of Rainbow’s crashes through the years. “Keep in mind, all of these are just from the last four years that I’ve known her.”

As the memory finished, everypony turned and stared at her. “Well,” Sundance began “that certainly answers that question.”

Nodding, Midnight Armor added “I understand why you felt the need to learn those healing spells, Twilight.”

Sundance paused for a moment before she smiled at Artemis and Twilight. “Did you two tell your sister about the idea that Twilight came up with?”

Twilight returned her smile and glanced at Artemis before laying her head on the cloud. I’m sure he wants to be the one to show them. Besides, I’m getting tired.

Artemis laughed and showed them what happened after the parents left, but before they went out into the hallway.

Sundance and Midnight Armor watched as Artemis showed Celestia what they had talked about after he had returned from lowering the moon. Midnight Armor laughed as Celestia pulled Twilight into a crushing hug. They both smiled as they watched Celestia and Artemis decide on a plan to combine their courts and still have time to see Twilight and the foals for lunch.

Midnight Armor smiled at Celestia and Artemis. “Well, that answers the questions your mother and I had for tonight.”

Sundance nodded “There aren’t any pressing issues to discuss this time. What do you want to do now?”

Midnight Armor turned to Twilight, about to ask for her opinion, and gasped in surprise. Sundance, Celestia and Artemis heard him gasp and looked over. They watched as he lifted his wing to reveal that she had fallen asleep. She grumbled something about cold and snuggled closer. Laughing softly, he lowered his wing. Looking at his wife, he quietly replied. “It appears that our youngest has an idea.”

Sundance smiled as she looked at Twilight. “I like that idea. It’s been far too long since we’ve gotten the chance to relax as a family. After everything that’s happened recently, it would be wonderful to just rest.”

Celestia and Artemis smiled and snuggled closer to their mother. Sundance spread both wings, placing one over Celestia and the other over Artemis, and lay her head on the cloud. Midnight Armor smiled, tightened his wing around Twilight and nuzzled her before laying his head on the cloud as well.

A couple of hours later, Sundance opened her eyes and glanced at Artemis and Celestia. She noticed that both of them had fallen asleep, still snuggled close to her side. This hasn’t happened in several centuries. She looked over to see that her husband was watching them. Smiling, she whispered “When was the last time they did this?”

“It’s hard to tell. Close to fifteen hundred years ago, I think.” He answered softly before glancing down in surprise as Twilight stirred.

She yawned and opened her eyes. “Dad?” She mumbled, realizing that she was still lying next to Midnight Armor. “When did I fall asleep?”

He smiled and nuzzled her. “A couple of hours ago. It’s alright, Celestia and Artemis fell asleep not long after you did.”

Twilight returned his nuzzle before laying her head on the cloud.

Sundance watched this with a smile before nuzzling Celestia and Artemis. Both of them immediately shifted slightly, moving closer to her. Celestia opened her eyes, smiled and returned their mother’s nuzzle. Artemis mumbled something about being tired and buried his face into their mother’s neck. Sundance giggled and nuzzled her son a little harder. This is the same thing Twilight did.

Artemis groaned I just want to sleep. He felt another nuzzle, gave up and opened his eyes. The only thing he saw was white. Confused, he raised his head and saw that the white was his mother’s coat. I can’t remember the last time I did this. He was about to apologize when he noticed how happy she was. Instead, he smiled and returned her nuzzle before laying his head on the cloud. Glancing over at their father, he saw that Twilight was also awake.

Giggling, Twilight looked at Artemis “Didn’t you laugh at me when I did that? Now it’s your turn.” She paused “I’m twenty one so the last time I reacted that way, aside from yesterday, was roughly thirteen years ago. What about you?”

Midnight Armor laughed “I believe it was roughly fifteen hundred years ago.” He paused, looking at Twilight. “You’re twenty one years old?”

Blushing, she nodded “I’ve never really considered it until now, but that’s a really big age difference.”

Laughing, Artemis stood, walked over and lay down next to her. “I don’t care about that, Twilight. Besides, there’s only one other living pony that’s as old as I am.”

Celestia laughed as well. “That’s me but, as much as I love him, he’s my brother.”

Sundance nodded “I already said that you’re the best pony for our son, Twilight. Midnight and I don’t care about the age difference either.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Celestia was born on the summer solstice and Artemis was born on the winter solstice. Based on what Celestia and Artemis have told us about the current calendar system, that’s June twenty first and December twenty first. What about you, Twilight?”

Before Twilight could answer, Celestia smiled “March thirtieth.”

I’ll be sure to remember that. Sundance nodded before something else occurred to her. “I know you said that you’re named “Twilight” because of a family tradition. Where did the “Sparkle” come from?”

Twilight looked at her “There are two answers to that. The first is simply that Sparkle is my family name. The second is a little different. Mom told me that I was born at night. She saw the stars sparkling in the night sky and decided to use that as the inspiration for my name. She said that she considered “Twilight Sparkling Sparkle”, “Twilight Sparkling”, “Twilight Star Sparkle” and “Twilight Star”. None of them seemed right, so she eventually decided on Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia looked at her little sister. “I didn’t know that. Still, I’m glad Twilight Velvet named you what she did. Those other options sound a little off.”

Artemis stared at Twilight in shock. The mare that I love, and who is carrying my foal, was born under the light of my moon and stars? And she’s named after the way my stars sparkle? I know it’s old-fashioned, but it almost seems like- Artemis was torn from his thoughts as he heard his father’s voice.

“Hmm” Midnight Armor said thoughtfully “Given what Twilight just said about her name, and what she has done for our family, it’s almost as if she was born for Artemis.”

Celestia nodded “You’re right, Father. Especially if you also take into account that she’s been fascinated by the night sky ever since she was a small filly. I can’t even count the number of times that I’ve found her asleep under a telescope, using star charts as a pillow.” She smiled at Twilight “I’m not surprised that she fell for the pony who controls the night sky that she loves so much.”

Twilight blushed and attempted to bury her face in her hooves. She didn’t get the chance as Artemis pulled her into a kiss.

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia smiled

As the kiss broke, Artemis and Twilight looked around and saw their family watching them. Artemis blushed while Twilight turned an even brighter shade of red.

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia laughed

Still laughing, Midnight Armor reached over and nuzzled both of them. “Its fine, you two. Besides, Twilight is pregnant, so we know you’ve done more than just kiss.” He smiled at his son. “Well done, Artemis.”

Everypony laughed harder as Twilight buried her face in Artemis’ shoulder while he just stared at his father.

Eventually, Celestia came to the rescue. “Yes, but they’ve only been courting for two weeks. They had originally intended to take things much slower. In fact, they told me that they were going to wait a year before they even considered having a foal. If I understand correctly, they only moved faster when Blaze nearly killed Artemis. Twilight getting pregnant was completely unintentional. I suppose it’s not surprising that they’re still a bit shy.”

Sundance stood, walked over and lay down by Artemis’ side. She reached over his back so she could nuzzle both of them.

Celestia stood as well and moved to Midnight Armor’s other side before laying down and nuzzling her father.

Midnight Armor smiled at Celestia before nuzzling Twilight and Artemis again. “That makes sense. However, I’m glad things worked out this way. Not that Artemis was attacked, but that it forced the two of you to move faster.”

Sundance nodded “It may have happened sooner than you planned, but we’re very happy that you two are having a foal now.” She paused and smiled mischievously at Artemis and Twilight. “Hopefully, this foal is the first of many.”

Twilight and Artemis looked at each other in shock before turning to her. “W-what?!”

“Mom,” Twilight groaned “will you please let me have this foal before you start asking for more? And don’t give Celestia any ideas!”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia stared at Twilight for a moment before they began to laugh.

After a few minutes, Celestia calmed down enough to speak. “Mother didn’t say anything I haven’t already thought of, Twilight. I told you that I wanted a large family, remember?”

Face still red, Twilight turned to Celestia “Yeah. I also remember telling you that, if that’s what you want, you should have a couple of foals yourself!”

Midnight Armor turned to Celestia “That’s not a bad idea.” He commented “You’ve had more time than your brother. Why haven’t you found somepony, Celestia? Why haven’t you had at least a couple of foals?”

Celestia blushed “Did you have to tell them that, Twilight?”

“Yes”

Sundance and Midnight Armor immediately began laughing again. This time, Artemis joined them.

Twilight continued “Should I tell them what you said after that?”

“No” Celestia immediately replied

“Yes” Sundance, Midnight Armor and Artemis replied, at the same time.

Twilight smirked “Sorry, Celestia. Majority rules.” She paused “Let’s see, I believe it was something about how you are a ruling figure of Equestria and can’t be a pregnant princess.”

Sundance looked confused “Yet you wanted Twilight to be one?”

Artemis laughed “That was the next thing Twilight said!”

Celestia’s face was almost as red as Twilight’s had been earlier. Suddenly, she and Artemis raised their heads as they felt to pull of their respective celestial bodies. Thank goodness this conversation is over. Looking at their parents, she said “It’s time for me to raise the sun.”

Before Artemis could say anything, Twilight turned to him. “Can you wake me as well? I want to make sure everything’s ready, and I still don’t know what room I’ll be using.” She nuzzled Midnight Armor before standing and walking over to nuzzle Sundance. “I’ll see you both tonight.”

Artemis nodded to Twilight before turning to their parents. “I have to rest for Night Court tonight, so I’ll be back soon.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor smiled and nodded, watching as their children disappeared. She turned to her husband “This is turning into a very nice visit.”

He nodded “I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.”

Artemis opened his eyes, lit his horn and lowered the moon before looking down at Twilight. He smiled as she yawned and nuzzled deeper into his chest. They lay like that for a few minutes before she lifted her head. “Good Morning, Artemis”

He returned her nuzzle. “Good Morning, Twilight”

Twilight sighed and shook her head before returning it to his chest. “We don’t even know what we’re having, let alone had our foal yet. I can’t believe Mom’s already talking about multiple foals.”

“I’m not sure where that came from.” He replied, shaking his head as well “When Celestia and I were growing up, she used to tell us that we needed to get married first.”

“My parents did that, too.” Twilight shrugged “Maybe it has to do with the events of the last couple of weeks. It’s changed the way many of us think about that.”

He nodded “I bet you’re right.” They stood and stretched “Let’s go get breakfast.”

Twilight nodded “I want to see Shiny and Cadance before they leave. It may be the last chance I get to see them for a while.”

Artemis laughed as he opened the door for Twilight and followed her into the hall. A pair of Night Guards fell into step behind them as they walked towards the dining room. “Not if they’re right about the Crystal Ponies demanding that we visit.”

Neither of them noticed that Celestia, Cadance and Shining Armor were waiting for them in the hallway.

Twilight looked at Artemis “Sure, but when would we go? Things are about to get rather busy for us. Who knows how long it’ll be before they calm down again.”

“You’re right.” Artemis tilted his head “Well, Hearth’s Warming is in a couple of weeks.”

Twilight nodded thoughtfully “That’s true, but don’t you think Celestia, my parents, the girls and Spike are going to want to celebrate it with us?” she paused “Unless . . .”

“All of us go to the Crystal Empire for the holiday?” Artemis finished, not noticing Cadance’s eyes light up.

Twilight nodded again “The girls may not be able to come because they might want to spend the holiday with their families, but we’ll invite them. If they say no, we’ll see them the weekend after the holiday.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” He told her “My only concern is, can you, Celestia and I all leave Equestria for that length of time? Perhaps one of us will have to come back early.”

“Or head to the Crystal Empire later, closer to the holiday.” Twilight said “We should talk to Celestia and see what she thinks.”

“I love the idea”

Artemis and Twilight jumped as they heard Celestia’s voice. They both looked down the hall as Cadance ran forward and pulled them both into a tight hug. Returning Cadance’s hug, they saw Celestia and Shining Armor smiling at them.

Celestia continued “As for the three of us leaving Equestria, it should be fine as long as we’re not gone for more than a week. If we time it right, everypony will be too busy celebrating to care that we’re gone.”

Twilight looked at Artemis, unaware that Steel Night and Midnight Fang had walked up behind her. “I’m giving Steel Night and Midnight Fang the holiday off. I refuse to separate them from their families for Hearth’s Warming, especially since its Moonlight Shadow’s first.” She looked around at her family. “All of us will be together, so there shouldn’t be a problem with safety.”

Shining Armor nodded “Good idea, Twily. Besides, we have our own guards in the Crystal Empire. We’ll make sure you’re safe.” He looked past Artemis and Twilight “Did you two hear that?”

Midnight Fang nodded while Steel Night said “Yes, your highness.”

Twilight turned around in surprise “I thought I asked you to meet me at eight thirty. That’s at least an hour away.”

Before either of them could respond, Artemis laughed “I’m sure they just wanted to make sure that they made a good first impression. Besides, it never hurts to be early.”

Celestia laughed as well “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

Celestia, Artemis, Twilight, Cadance and Shining Armor walked into the dining room to find several stacks of pancakes on the table. However, Twilight’s place had a bowl of oatmeal with two smaller bowls next to it. One had light brown sugar and the other had raisins in it. Also present was a mug of hot chocolate and a glass of orange juice.

Seeing Twilight’s smile, Apple Crunch laughed “I know that you like oatmeal on chilly mornings, princess, as well as what you like in it.”

Still smiling, Twilight nodded “Thank you”

Everypony sat down and ate their breakfast. As soon as they finished, they walked to the castle’s side entrance.

Twilight hugged Shining Armor and Cadance “We’ll see you soon.”

Cadance smiled “I can’t wait for your visit. The crystal ponies are going to be so happy to see you.”

Artemis laughed as he hugged Cadance “Hearth’s Warming is in a couple of weeks, Cadance.”

Cadance opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Twilight.

“Don’t say that that’s not soon enough, Cadance.” Twilight told her “If you use any more of Pinkie’s lines, I’m going to start restricting the amount of time she’s allowed to be near you. One Pinkie is enough, I don’t need you to start acting like her.”

Everypony laughed as Cadance and Shining Armor climbed into a chariot.

“Be careful, Twily.” Shining Armor said “I don’t want to hear about another attack.”

“You too, Uncle Artemis” Cadance added

Twilight and Artemis nodded as the pegasi pulling the chariot spread their wings and took off.

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight walked back inside, followed by Steel Night and Midnight Fang.

“Why are we going to the library?” Twilight asked as they followed Celestia through the halls.

Celestia laughed “Your classroom is just down the hall from the library. I thought it would be best for you and the foals to be somewhere quiet, away from any potential chaos that comes with court.”

Twilight nodded and walked into the room they had stopped in front of. Surprised, she looked around, finding it empty, before glancing at Celestia “No desks for the foals?”

Celestia shook her head “None were available on such short notice. Fifteen will be delivered here this evening. Unfortunately, you’ll have to come up with something else for today.” I wonder what she’ll do.

“Hmm” Twilight looked around as she walked to the center of the room. After a moment, she closed her eyes and lit her horn.

Celestia, Artemis, Steel Night and Midnight Fang watched as Twilight used the Solid Illusion Spell to create a long table off to the side of the room that was the perfect height for small foals to sit at. Next, she summoned cushions from various parts of the castle. The cushions rose into the air before spreading out into a half circle and settling around a larger purple one. Another flash of her magic summoned her saddlebags from Artemis’ room and placed them next to the purple cushion. Opening one of the sides, several pencils and a stack of paper floated out and over to the table.

When she finished, Twilight turned to Celestia. “I shouldn’t need more that. Today’s going to be a light one anyway. I want to spend the morning getting to know them and seeing where they’re at. As for the afternoon, I’ll use illusions to teach them about the creatures of the Everfree Forest.” She looked at Artemis “More than half of the foals had a nightmare where they were attacked by a Manticore, right?”

He nodded

Twilight lit her horn again and showed them the one that she and the girls met when they faced Night-Terror Knight, purring and licking Fluttershy. “They won’t be afraid of this, right? I’ll tell them the story about the one we met. If you attack, like Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and I did, it will fight back. However, if you help it, like Fluttershy did, well . . .”

Artemis stared “I’ve never seen a Manticore do that before.”

Celestia shook her head in wonder. “Only Fluttershy could pull that off.”

Twilight nodded “You’re right, and I’ll make sure the foals understand that. The point is, Manticores aren’t always scary. They can be nice, too. Right now, the foals need to see one that isn’t attacking anypony.”

Artemis smiled “Good idea”

Celestia nodded “I like your idea much better than Fire Fly’s, Twilight.”

Twilight smiled “I’ve lived next to the forest long enough that I’ve met several of the creatures that live there. Those that I haven’t met, Fluttershy has, and she enjoys telling us about her animal friends.”

Twilight was about to say something else but paused as she looked at the clock. “I need to head to the main entrance to meet the foals and their parents.”

Everypony left the room and walked out into the hallway. Celestia hugged Twilight before heading to court. Artemis nuzzled Twilight before heading back to his room to get some more sleep.

Twilight, Steel Night and Midnight Fang headed for the castle’s main entrance. They got there with a few minutes to spare. As they walked outside, they saw the parents and foals waiting just inside the castle gates.

The parents bowed as Twilight walked up to them. The foals, however, ran forward and gathered in front of her.

Twilight smiled at the foals before turning to their parents. “Do any of your foals have any allergies to food? What about foods that you’d rather they not eat?”

Mythic Blossom stepped forward and nuzzled Marigold. “The only thing I ask, princess, is that there isn’t too much candy or sweets.”

Twilight laughed “You don’t have to worry about that. I can handle a few hyper foals, but fourteen? No thank you, I’d like to keep my sanity.”

The parents laughed as well, immediately understanding her point.

After she finished laughing, Twilight continued “There’s been a change since I saw you yesterday evening.” She saw the curious glances and smiled “Artemis and Celestia have decided to change the way their courts are run. Starting tomorrow, your foals will be eating lunch, and having recess, with all three of us.”

The parents’ eyes went wide for a moment before they smiled. The foals cheered and started jumping up and down.

A young Pegasus colt asked “We really get recess again, princess?”

Marigold looked up at Twilight “We get to eat lunch with you, Princess Celestia and Prince Artemis, Princess Twilight?”

Twilight laughed and nodded

“YAY!”

Sapphire Wing looked curious “If I may ask, princess, what is the change to Princess Celestia and Prince Artemis’ courts that you mentioned?”

Twilight smiled “They will both be making an announcement in their courts today and tonight. If you hurry, you’ll be able to hear Celestia explain it to the ponies of Day Court. As for your foals, I believe it’s time to get class started. Please return at five to pick them up. I know that’s a longer school day than usual, but I had to extend it to account for the fact that I added a somewhat lengthy recess. Depending on how today goes, I may add a couple of other things as well. Sapphire Wing, I would like you to come with us so that you know where my classroom is. This afternoon, please have a Day Guard bring the parents when it’s time to pick up their foals.”

Sapphire Wing bowed “Of course, Princess Twilight”

Twilight noticed that a few of the parents were looking at Steel Night and Midnight Fang. “I’m sorry. The Night Guards behind me are Steel Night and Midnight Fang. They are the guards that Artemis has assigned to protect me, so they will be with me, and your foals, throughout the school day.”

Mythic Blossom smiled “That means that our foals will definitely be safe with you, princess. We will see you this afternoon.”

As the parents, aside from Sapphire Wing, bowed and walked away, Twilight smiled at the foals. “Let’s go inside so we can get started.”

Twilight and the foals, followed by Steel Night, Midnight Fang and Sapphire Wing, walked into the castle and headed for her classroom.

As they got there, Sapphire Wing paused at the door. “Princess Twilight, I will see to it that the parents of your students are here at five. If it’s alright with you, princess, I would like to head to Day Court.”

Twilight nodded “Thank you”

Sapphire Wing bowed and headed for the throne room.

Meanwhile, Celestia was heading towards the throne room. A few minutes later, she walked inside and looked around. As usual, there were dozens of ponies waiting for her. As she made it to the throne and sat down, a slight movement off to the side caught her attention. She looked over to see Sapphire Wing walk into the throne room. That’s odd, he’s not usually present during court. She gestured for him to approach. When he got close enough, she quietly asked “Is everything alright?”

“Of course, Princess Celestia” he replied “Princess Twilight mentioned that there would be a change to court but said that you would be making an announcement.”

Celestia smiled “I’ll make the announcement momentarily.” She raised her voice. “Good Morning, my little ponies. Before court begins, I have an announcement to make. Due to recent events, Artemis and I have decided to change to the way our courts are run.” Looking around, she continued “I’m not sure how many of you are aware of this but, one thousand years ago, Artemis and I ruled together. We have decided to return to that.” She paused, noticing their confusion, and decided to explain further. “There will no longer be separate Day and Night Courts. Instead, we will have one court, in which we will work together to help the citizens of Equestria.”

Arctic Breeze stepped forward “When will this change take place, princess?”

“The first part will take place tomorrow.” She told him “Artemis will be telling his court tonight and joining me tomorrow. Court will still take place during the day and there will be no change to the hour long lunch break.” She paused, looking around “There is a second part. Once Twilight is no longer teaching, she will be joining us as a part of the joint court. This is not a temporary measure, but a permanent change.”

Immediately, the ponies in the throne room started talking quietly, not sure about the sudden change. They looked up as Celestia cleared her throat.

“I know that this is a bit sudden. However, it is important that this is started as soon as possible. This is because it will address a problem that became apparent during the events of two weeks ago.” Seeing their confusion, she continued “It was only possible for Blueblood to implement his plan because he was able to keep my brother and I focused on separate tasks. With both of us working together once more, such a plan will no longer be possible.”

She looked around at them “Now that the announcement has been made, I would like to get court started.”

A group of nobles huddled together for a moment before a unicorn stallion turned to Celestia and bowed.

Great, it’s going to be one of those days. “Yes, Golden Flash?”

“Princess Celestia, on behalf of the nobility, I would like to express a concern and a complaint.”

We haven’t changed anything yet and they’re already starting to complain. Keeping her expression neutral, Celestia nodded for him to continue.

Meanwhile, Artemis had just made it back to his room. I’m actually tired enough that I can go back to sleep without needing to use a sleeping spell. Yawning, he walked over to his bed, climbed in and fell asleep.

In the dream realm, Sundance and Midnight Armor looked up as Artemis appeared in front of them. They smiled as he walked over and lay down between them.

Artemis lay his head on the cloud and closed his eyes. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt a soft nuzzle into the side of his neck. He opened his eyes as Sundance nuzzled him again.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, concerned

Smiling, he shook his head. “I’m probably going to be tired for a few days, while I adjust to a different sleep schedule. So I thought it might be a good idea to get a head start on the sleep I’ll be missing.” He returned her nuzzle “Do you want to talk about something?”

“Yes” she replied “I was thinking about what was said over the last couple of visits.”

Artemis raised an eyebrow and glanced at his father.

He shook his head “She hasn’t said anything to me.” He turned to his wife. “Sundance, what’s going on?”

“I noticed something odd about the events of two weeks ago.” She replied

Artemis looked at her nervously, not sure exactly what had caught her attention. “What are you talking about, Mother?”

“It’s about the night you were briefly repossessed by him.” She answered

“What about it?” Artemis asked, immediately tensing I’d rather not talk about that night at all, but I know Mother. When she thinks that something is suspicious, she doesn’t stop until she figures out exactly what happened.

Sundance moved closer to her son, draped a wing over his back and pulled him into a hug before continuing. “Wasn’t Twilight in a different town when the problem started?” After receiving a nod, she continued “Did your sister ask her for help?”

Artemis shook his head “Celestia froze, unable to do anything but watch as Night took over my body.”

Sundance gasped “What?”

Midnight Armor’s eyes widened Really, Celestia? “I assumed that your sister had the foresight to ask Twilight for help.” He gasped as he suddenly understood his wife’s point. “How did Twilight know that there was something wrong?”

Sundance tilted her head “If I recall correctly, Twilight said that she sensed the trouble. But . . . even as the bearer of the Element of Magic, she shouldn’t have been able to sense things going on in a different town.”

“She did sense what happened from the next town over, but what allowed her to do so had nothing to do with the Element of Magic.” Artemis replied “In fact, she was able to tell that there was trouble because of something she did three months prior to the events of two weeks ago.”

Sundance looked at him “What are you talking about?”

“At some point during my banishment, a holiday formed around my nightmare form. It’s called Nightmare Night.” Artemis explained, pausing as both of his parents gasped. “My friendship with Twilight started on the first Nightmare Night after I returned from the moon.” He created a sphere of magic and showed them the events of that night.

They both smiled as they watched Twilight teach Artemis how to fit in and behave in the modern times. Sundance smiled wider, watching as Twilight didn’t give up on him, even when he gave up on himself.

“What does this have to do with what happened two weeks ago?” Midnight Armor asked

“It’s become a tradition that I go to Ponyville on Nightmare Night and this year was no exception.” Artemis replied “The events two weeks ago were actually caused by something that began three months ago, shortly before last Nightmare Night. During my visit, Twilight noticed that I was upset and asked me to tell her what was going on but I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Well,” Sundance said “knowing Twilight, she did something about it anyway.”

Artemis nodded “Twilight had just finished researching, and restoring, an ancient spell. My behavior had her so worried that she cast this newly restored spell on me without my knowledge. It was this spell that allowed her to tell that I was in trouble two weeks ago because, when Night took over, she sensed my magic suddenly disappear.” He paused “The spell also allowed her to tell when Blaze tried to kill me by stealing my magic. That’s why she suddenly teleported to my side.”

Midnight Armor looked at Artemis thoughtfully. “The only spell I know of that can do all of that is . . .” His eyes widened as he suddenly understood what Twilight must have done. I hope I’m wrong. “Y-you mean that she-?!”

Sundance looked at her husband in confusion “Midnight?”

Artemis also looked at his father in confusion. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Father.” He shrugged “Anyway, to answer your question, Twilight tuned her senses to my magic.”

Sundance’s jaw dropped W-what?!

Midnight Armor stared at his son. Unfortunately, I was right. How was she able to cast that?! “Artemis,” he said slowly “do you realize what that spell does?”

Artemis raised an eyebrow, not sure why his parents were so shocked. “Aside from the obvious?”

“It links the caster to the pony that they cast the spell on, on a very deep level. This is why the caster can tell if the other pony is in danger.” Midnight Armor explained “However, there is something about this spell that I doubt even your sister is aware of.”

Artemis shrugged “Twilight told us about the amount of magic it took to cast the spell. Is there something else?”

Sundance nodded “The amount of magic it takes to cast the spell is one part of why it was never used, until now. When we realized how dangerous that spell is, your father and I made sure that it was written incorrectly before we allowed it to be recorded.”

She saw Artemis’ expression and decided to answer his question before he got a chance to ask. “At the time this spell was invented, you were a newborn and your sister was too young to understand the spell, let alone the dangers of casting it. By the time the two of you were able to cast it, we had already seen to it that nopony knew how to do so correctly. Therefore, we didn’t see a reason to tell either of you about the spell.”

Midnight Armor glanced at his wife before turning back to their son. “We only allowed that spell to be recorded because we knew that the pony who invented it was going to make sure that it was passed to future generations, regardless of what we said. Your mother and I decided that we wanted to have some control over how that was done, so we offered to have it recorded by the historians. However, we slightly altered it before it was recorded, so that it wouldn’t work.” He shook his head “Restoring that spell is one thing, but I can’t believe Twilight was able to cast it.”

Sundance turned to her son. “This spell is dangerous because it requires so much power that there is no way for anypony to use it with magic alone. The caster’s magic gets the spell started but, in order to keep the spell going, it begins to draw its power from a different source. If the second power source isn’t strong enough, the spell will backfire. The backlash will be strong enough to kill both ponies involved, even if those ponies are alicorns. While it’s difficult to find a pony with enough magic to cast the spell in the first place, the second power source is even harder to find. Especially in enough strength to power the spell.”

Artemis was still confused “What’s the second power source?”

Sundance and Midnight Armor answered together “Love”

Midnight Armor looked at his son “We don’t mean the kind that siblings share. Even most married couples aren’t capable of powering that spell.”

Sundance nodded “That’s because the kind of love we’re talking about has to be completely selfless, where the caster is willing to do anything for the other pony. The fact that Twilight was able to cast this on you means that you two must have shared a strong bond, almost from the start.” She thought for a moment “Twilight was the only one able to see your soul when you were possessed by the Nightmare, right?”

Wide eyed, Artemis nodded

“I believe that the bond you two share began when she saved your soul. That one act must have connected your souls, even before you befriended her. Your bond was strengthened when you two fell in love. That is what’s powering the spell. The fact that she’s doing this by herself means . . .” Sundance shook her head in awe, unable to finish her sentence.

Artemis stared at his parents. He was so surprised that, for several minutes, he was unable to move or speak. Suddenly, he lifted his head and lit his horn. He, Sundance and Midnight Armor looked over as Twilight appeared, not far from them.

Shortly before this, Twilight sighed in relief and stretched her wings as she watched Sapphire Wing and Cobalt walk out of her classroom. Cobalt was the last foal to leave for the day.

It had been a long day. The morning went more or less as she had expected. The first couple of hours had been spent getting to know the foals. Then she gave them the test. She smiled, as she remembered how she had to convince them that the test was just a way for her to find out what they still needed to learn and that there was no way for them to fail it.

Lunch had been as quiet as could be expected when dealing with fourteen foals. After everypony had finished eating, she’d taken the foals out into an inner courtyard for recess. After creating small tracks in the air and on the ground for the pegasi and earth pony foals to fly and run on, she’d turned her attention to the unicorn foals.

There were five of them in the class and it had only taken a couple of minutes to determine that her hunch was correct. They knew very little about their own magic and only one of them could manage levitation long enough to write his name. The rest had started to cry when they couldn’t complete the simple task. Twilight had been forced to end the test there so she could focus on calming them. After she got them to understand that it wasn’t their fault, she managed to cheer them up with the promise that she would begin teaching them the basics of magic tomorrow.

Deciding that the foals had been through enough magic practice for one day, she had started a game of hide and seek. Once it ended, she took the foals back to her classroom and spent the afternoon going over the creatures of the Everfree Forest. The illusions had worked much better than she thought they would. None of the foals were afraid of them and, by the end of the afternoon, they could name all of the creatures that lived in the forest. They also understood that they should just leave those creatures, and the forest, alone.

Sighing again, Twilight walked out of her classroom, followed by Midnight Fang and Steel Night. I’m way too tired to deal with court right now, even just the end of it. Instead, I think I’ll go to Artemis’ room and take a nap before dinner.

A few minutes later, Twilight walked into Artemis’ room as Steel Night and Midnight Fang stood guard outside. Setting her saddlebags on Artemis’ desk, she looked to the bed and saw that he was still asleep. Smiling, she climbed into bed next to him and snuggled close to his side. Less than a minute later, she was also asleep.

In the dream realm, Twilight opened her eyes to find herself among the stars. Looking around, she saw that Sundance, Midnight Armor and Artemis were looking at her. That wasn’t surprising, but the shocked expression on Artemis’ face was. Concerned, she flew over and landed between him and Midnight Armor. She was surprised when he didn’t acknowledge her at all. “Artemis?”

When she didn’t receive a response, she grew worried and nuzzled him. Still nothing. Really worried at this point, she closed her eyes and focused on the link between them. With her eyes closed, she didn’t notice that she had begun to glow a bright, but soft, lavender colored light.

Sundance and Midnight Armor watched as Artemis began to glow a bright, and deep, midnight blue in response.

Sundance smiled slightly. Here in the dream realm, it’s almost as if we’re dealing with their spirits while their bodies sleep. Even though this normally wouldn’t be visible, I’m glad we can see it. The problem is, what we’re seeing isn’t representing the true strength of their bond. We need to determine how strong it really is.

Midnight Armor stared at the glow around his children. Their bond is more powerful than I thought. The fact that both of them are still alive means that it’s strong enough to power that spell for now. What we need to do now, is make sure that she can power the spell for the long term. He shook his head I still can’t believe she was able to cast that spell. How powerful is this mare?!

Finding nothing wrong, Twilight sighed in relief and released her focus. The glow around both of them faded. Confused, Twilight opened her eyes and nuzzled Artemis again. This time, he looked at her. “Artemis, is something wrong?”

Using a wing, Artemis pulled her down by his side before pulling her into a fierce kiss. When it finally broke, Twilight had to lay her head on his shoulder. She felt him lay his head on top of hers as they both panted.

Twilight managed to speak first “W-what was that for?”

Artemis kissed her again before raising his head and folding his wing. “It’s probably best if Mother and Father explain it.”

“Um, OK . . . I’ll ask them. Before that, are you sure you’re alright?” Twilight asked “You’re acting kind of weird.”

“Given what we’ve just discovered, I’d say his response is perfectly normal.”

Staying between Artemis and Midnight Armor, Twilight finally looked up. “What do you mean, Dad?” She saw the way that Sundance and Midnight Armor were looking at her and paused. “What’s going on?”

Sundance and Midnight Armor glanced at each other and nodded before turning back to her. There’s a possibility that this will anger her. I’d rather not do that, but we need to make sure.

“The first time you used the Elements of Harmony was to face Night-Terror Knight, right?” Sundance asked

Twilight raised an eyebrow but nodded

“Tell me what you remember about it.”

Surprised, Twilight blinked “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Twilight, please.” Sundance said “This is important.”

Twilight stared at Sundance for a moment, clearly confused, before sighing. “I still don’t see what it has to do with anything, but fine.”

Midnight Armor and Artemis watched as Sundance smiled

Twilight created a large sphere of magenta magic in front of them, showing the images as she spoke. “The day before the Summer Sun Celebration four years ago, I had been reading a very old book and discovered the story about the “Royal Pony Siblings”. It ended with a prediction of when Night-Terror Knight would return. I tried to tell Celestia about it, but she sent me and Spike to Ponyville. She said that she wanted me to oversee the preparations for the celebration taking place the next day and to make some friends.”

Midnight Armor and Sundance shook their heads. “That’s just like her.” He commented

Twilight nodded “When it comes to important things, she usually doesn’t explain much.” Glancing at Sundance, Twilight muttered “I see where she gets it.”

Sundance’s eyes widened but, before she could say anything, Twilight continued.

“I assume it’s safe to skip to when we used the Elements of Harmony?”

Sundance nodded

“When we used the Elements, the girls told me that my eyes shone white, but I saw something else entirely. At first, everything was pitch black but then I noticed a bit of deep, midnight blue that was almost swallowed up by the darkness around us. At the time, I had no idea what it was. I’m not even sure how I knew that I had to protect it. Anyway, I managed to surround it with my barrier just before the Elements hit. The next thing I knew, we were on the floor, the sun rose, and Celestia showed up.” She looked from Sundance to Midnight Armor. “That’s what happened.”

Sundance nodded “I think I understand now.”

Twilight turned to her “Well I don’t. Will somepony please tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m sorry, Twilight.” Sundance replied “I don’t mean to keep you in the dark, but Midnight and I need to make sure of something.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, trying to keep her irritation out of her voice.

“Artemis told us that the reason you were able to tell that he was in trouble was that you’ve linked your senses to his magic.” Midnight Armor paused as Twilight nodded “There is a reason that the spell in the history books doesn’t work.”

What does this have to do with the first time the girls and I used the Elements? Or the reason Artemis was so surprised when I arrived? Twilight nodded again “It was written incorrectly.”

Midnight Armor nodded as well “We made sure of it.”

“What?” Twilight asked, surprised “Why would you do that?”

“Why did you restore that spell?” Midnight Armor responded

Twilight stared at him for a moment before letting out an irritated sigh. “I guess you’re not going to answer my questions either.” Shaking her head, and ignoring her father’s gasp of surprise, she answered his question. “Ever since I finished Star Swirl’s final spell, I’ve been researching other old spells that don’t work. Some of them, like the Spirit Reanimation Spell, I leave alone because restoring them would be too dangerous. Others, as long as they don’t seem too dangerous, I try to restore.”

“Did you notice anything strange about the Linking Spell?” Sundance asked

These questions are getting annoying. “Aside from the insane amount of magic required to cast it?” Twilight asked

Sundance and Midnight Armor nodded

Artemis looked on as his parents questioned Twilight. Why aren’t Mother and Father explaining anything? He glanced at Twilight and paused as he noticed the way she was flicking her ears. She’s getting angry . . . This probably won’t end well. Maybe I should- He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard Twilight’s voice.

“It’s the only spell I’ve ever come across that requires a second power source. Sure, it takes magic, and a lot of it, to cast but it seems that the power to maintain the link comes from something else.” Twilight replied

“Do you know what the second power source is?” Sundance asked

Twilight shook her head “I didn’t have time to finish testing the spell before casting it on Artemis.”

“Why did you cast an untested spell on another pony?” Midnight Armor pressed I hope we’re not pushing her too far. I don’t like doing this, but we need to be sure she has what it takes to power the Linking Spell safely.

“I didn’t feel as if I had any other choice at the time. I knew that I was a taking a risk by casting it before I had finished testing it, but not casting it came with a far greater risk.” Twilight answered, her anger beginning to show.

“What risk could have been great enough that you felt you had to cast an untested spell on another pony?” Sundance asked, pausing as she noticed Twilight’s anger. I don’t like pushing her like this, but there is something in particular that I need to see.

Unaware of this, and fed up with being asked so many seemingly unrelated questions while having her own ignored, Twilight narrowed her eyes. “The night I cast that spell, Artemis came to Ponyville, like he does every year on Nightmare Night. Usually, he’s happy to be in Ponyville. This time, however, he wasn’t. Sometimes I would see him stare off into the distance, muttering something. Other times, his eyes briefly turned steely and the pupils went to slits. At one point, he was startled into anger and his coat began to darken. Each time, I managed to snap him out of it but then he became apologetic and withdrawn.” She shook her head “I asked him several times throughout the night to tell me what was bothering him but he wouldn’t. Instead, he kept saying that he just wanted to have fun.”

Twilight paused to catch her breath “Everypony in Equestria knows what happened the last time Artemis got really upset and I wasn’t going to risk that happening again. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to tell me what was bothering him. So I cast the only spell I knew of that would be able to let me know if something happened to him.”

“Why?” Sundance and Midnight Armor asked together. It should only take a little more . . .

Why does it matter?! Twilight finally lost both her patience and her temper. “I didn’t want to risk losing him!” She shouted, glowing the same lavender from earlier, but much brighter this time. Surprised, she looked down at herself. “This is new.” She remarked, obviously angry. She felt a wing drape over her back and turned to glare at Midnight Armor as he pulled her closer.

Sundance smiled as she saw the strength of the glow around Twilight. This is what I needed to see. The bond between them is definitely strong enough to power the Linking Spell.

Artemis stared at his mare, not even noticing that he was glowing as well. T-that’s why she cast that spell on me?!

Twilight didn’t resist as Midnight Armor pulled her into a hug, but she didn’t relax into it either. Instead, she looked from him to Sundance, glaring at both of them. “I arrived to find Artemis in shock, unable to move. Dad said that his reaction is normal for whatever you had just discovered. But, instead of telling me what you were talking about, both of you insisted on asking me unrelated questions, while ignoring mine. For the third time, what’s going on?!”

Sundance nuzzled Twilight, sighing as her daughter stiffened. “I’m sorry, Twilight. We didn’t intend to ignore your questions or anger you. However, there was a good reason for our actions.” She paused, looked at Twilight carefully, and noticed that her daughter was still glaring as she waited for her to continue. Good. Even though she’s obviously angry, and I don’t blame her for that, she’s still willing to listen. “The Linking Spell is far more dangerous than you seem to believe.”

“Dad said that you two made sure that the spell I restored was written incorrectly.” Twilight started, pausing until she got a nod from Sundance. “If the Linking Spell is so dangerous, why didn’t you also see to it that there were warnings? I’m not crazy. I made sure that my research included looking for anything dangerous about that spell but found nothing about any dangers or side effects. As I said, if a spell is too dangerous, I don’t restore it.”

“What?!” Sundance exclaimed, shocked “I know we created warnings!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow and lit her horn, showing Sundance, Midnight Armor and Artemis the book she found the spell in. To prove her point, she focused on the page with the spell and a few pages on either side of it, showing them that there weren’t any warnings.

Midnight Armor and Sundance stared at the book in shock.

“W-what’s going on here?” Sundance stammered, trying to remember what was going on around the time that the spell was recorded. She paused as something occurred to her and turned to her husband. “W-we didn’t make sure that the historians included the warnings we created, did we?”

Midnight Armor hesitantly shook his head “I-I know we asked the historians to record them with the spell, but I don’t think we went back to make sure they did as we asked.” He told her before turning back to Twilight. “You said you knew there would be risks when you cast the spell before testing it.”

Twilight shook her head “I was referring to the potential danger of casting an unknown spell, nothing more.”

Sundance turned back to Twilight “I understand what happened now and that was an oversight on our part.” She paused, suddenly very nervous. “How many ponies know about the Linking Spell?”

Twilight thought for a moment “I’m not sure. Many of the ponies in Equestria are aware of the spell’s existence because it was mentioned at Blueblood’s trial.” She saw their expressions and decided to answer their next question before they had a chance to ask. “I’m the only one who knows how to cast the corrected version and I’ve only cast it once.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor sighed in relief. “I’m willing to accept that.” She replied

Midnight Armor nodded “I am as well. Please keep it that way, Twilight.”

After a moment, Twilight also nodded “Fine. However, I want to know what’s so dangerous about this spell for two reasons. One, I’ve already cast it so I need to know what potential symptoms or side effects to look out for. Two, I want to add the appropriate warnings.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor immediately smiled and nodded.

“Good idea. You already know about the first danger. The amount of magic that it takes to cast the spell. The Linking Spell was designed so that multiple ponies couldn’t work together to cast it. That meant that only ponies with an extremely large amount of magic could even attempt it.” Midnight Armor answered before he paused, curious “How many ponies have enough magic to cast it, anyway?”

Twilight tilted her head as she thought. “Four, for sure, maybe five. The four that I’m certain can cast it are Artemis, Celestia, Cadance and myself. The one that I’m unsure of is my brother. He has the most magic of any unicorn, now that I’m not one. He may be the only non-alicorn capable of casting it.” She paused “Flurry Heart will probably be able to cast it when she’s older, as will our foal. I was born a unicorn and Artemis was born an alicorn, so I’m fairly certain that our foal will also be able to use magic. For now, however, the list only includes the first five ponies.”

He nodded and continued “The second danger is the second power source. Right now, the only ones that know what that is are right here.”

Surprised, Twilight asked “Celestia doesn’t know?”

Midnight Armor shook his head “Celestia and Artemis were very young when this spell was invented. Far too young to understand the spell, let alone cast it. Anyway, as we told Artemis earlier, the second power source is Love. However, it has to be Love in its purest form because it forms the bond between the pony that cast the spell and the one they cast it on. The bond required is so strong that even most married couples aren’t capable of powering this spell. The problem, and danger, comes if the bond between the two ponies isn’t strong enough to power the spell. If the bond can’t power the Linking Spell, not only will the spell backfire, the backlash will kill both ponies involved.” He paused, seeing the shock on Twilight’s face.

“T-that can’t be right.” She stammered “I cast that spell three months ago!”

Sundance smiled “That’s why we asked those questions. They may have seemed unrelated to you, but they were meant to determine the strength of the bond you two share.” She glanced at the glow around her children. “The bond between you and Artemis is also the reason you’re both glowing right now. The strength of the glow directly reflects the strength of the bond. We needed to make sure that your bond, which is what’s powering the Linking Spell, was strong enough to do so safely.” She paused as Twilight’s glare returned.

“You couldn’t have just told me that?” Twilight asked “I wanted to know why Artemis was so shocked. If you had just answered my question, I would have had no problem telling you whatever you needed to know.” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “I assume you told him about the Linking Spell and that’s why he was so shocked.”

Midnight Armor and Sundance nodded. They saw her expression and looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Twilight. Artemis followed their gazes and turned to Twilight as well. The three of them watched as she stared off into the distance for several minutes, obviously deep in thought.

Next Chapter: Chapter 44 Estimated time remaining: 26 Hours, 37 Minutes