Midnight Armor shook his head “I couldn’t figure out how he was able to single hoofedly defeat three Manticores at only thirteen years old, but now I understand. If I my guess is correct, our children had already been saving the ponies of that village for quite some time. That would explain how he gained those skills at such a young age.”

Sundance stared at her husband “W-why didn’t you tell me about this?!”

Midnight Armor raised an eyebrow “I did. I had to stop you from punishing him, remember?”

Sundance shook her head “I’m not sure how I could have forgotten this, but I obviously did.”

After a moment, Midnight Armor shrugged “It’s alright, I’ll show you.”

- - -Midnight Armor’s Flashback- - -

Sundance and Midnight Armor were in their bedroom. Sundance was facing the door and Midnight Armor was standing just inside the room, blocking the door. They had been having a fierce argument for the last two and a half hours. At this point, Midnight Armor was no longer interested in the argument. Instead, he just wanted his wife to calm down.

“Stand aside, Midnight!”

I’m too tired for this. Midnight Armor shook his head “You need to calm down, Sundance. And you’re not punishing Artemis.”

“Of course I am!” she replied

“Why are you so set on punishing him?"

“He went into the forest!” she answered

“Did you ask him why he did that?”

“It doesn’t matter!”

For the first time since the argument started, Midnight Armor lost his temper. “You’re saying that the lives of four fillies and your husband don’t matter?!”

Shocked, Sundance stepped back “No! Wait . . . W-what?!”

Midnight Armor glared at his wife “If you had asked him, I’m sure Artemis would have told you what happened. Since you obviously didn’t, I’ll explain the events of this afternoon.”

Still shocked, Sundance could only nod.

“I went to the village to bring our children home for dinner. As soon as I arrived, I was told that four fillies had gone into the forest. Naturally, I went in after them. I found them in the deepest part of the forest, about to be attacked by a pack of Timberwolves and five Manticores. I was forced to use the last of my available magic to save them.”

Sundance gasped “B-but that means . . .!”

Midnight Armor nodded “I took them to the clearing so I could rest and recover some of my magic before attempting the trip out of the forest. Unfortunately, we were attacked by three more Manticores. There wasn’t anything I could do because, not only was I out of magic, I was also injured. I had a large gash on my left side and my left wing was injured, meaning I couldn’t fly.”

“H-how did you survive?” Sundance asked, her voice shaking

“That’s when Artemis arrived.” Midnight Armor replied “I’m not sure how he found us, but I’m very glad he did.”

“What could he have done against three Manticores?!” Sundance asked, eyes wide “He hasn’t had any combat training!”

Midnight Armor shrugged “I thought that as well, but that’s not what I saw.” Touching his horn to hers, he showed his wife what their son had done. “After that, he healed my injuries well enough for me to make it out of the forest. Celestia was waiting for us in the village. She fully healed my injuries before we came home.”

Sundance stared at her husband “I-Incredible!”

He nodded “Our son saved my life, Sundance. He also saved the lives of those fillies. Yes, he entered the forest when we explicitly told him not to.” He made sure he had her attention. “Regardless, I won’t allow you to punish him for saving our lives.”

Noticing that he was beginning to wobble, she walked to his side and let him lean against her. “Very well. I won’t punish our son, but I am going to talk to him. You don’t need to worry about that. For now, you just need to rest.” She kissed her husband and levitated him into bed. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was her leaving the room.

- - -End Flashback- - -

Midnight Armor nuzzled his wife “I didn’t see what you did after that but I’m sure you went straight to Artemis’ room.” He glanced at his son “Would you mind showing us what happened?”

Artemis nodded “I have just enough time for this before I need to lower the moon.”

“I’ll lower the moon and stars. Just wake me at the right time.” Celestia told him, noticing their mother’s expression. “It’s clear that Mother doesn’t want to wait until tonight to see the rest.”

Sundance nodded “You’re right, Celestia. I want to hear this now."

Artemis smiled “I appreciate the offer, sister, but I should have enough time.”

- - -Artemis’ Flashback- - -

Artemis was lying in bed, exhausted after his fight with the Manticores and protecting everypony as they walked through the forest, but too nervous to sleep. Instead, he’d been tossing and turning as he listened to his parents fight. Now that things had finally quieted down, Artemis rolled over, faced the wall and tried to fall asleep.

His eyes widened as the door to his room opened. Thinking quickly, he closed his eyes. That’s probably Mother. If she thinks I’m asleep, maybe she’ll wait until tomorrow to yell at me. She’ll be calmer then, so it won’t be as bad. Lost in thought, he was unable to stop himself from gasping in surprise when he felt a gentle nuzzle.

“I know you’re awake, Artemis.” Sundance said quietly

Shaking slightly, he nodded

Sitting next to her son’s bed, she nuzzled him again. “Look at me, please.”

Might as well get it over with. Artemis rolled over and opened his eyes. Before he could say anything, she pulled him into a hug. “M-mother?”

“Your father showed me what you did today.”

“I-I’m sorry, Mother, I just-” He stopped as she tightened her hug.

“Don’t apologize” She whispered

“B-but-”

She shook her head “I’m not talking about how you went into the forest.”

“W-what?”

“You saved five lives today. The fillies from the village are one thing, and I’m glad you saved them, but the fifth life you saved is the reason I came in here tonight.”

“Y-you mean Father?”

“Yes, Artemis. I’m talking about your father.” She shuddered “I didn’t realize how close we came to losing him today.”

Sundance saw her son open his mouth and shook her head again. “I’m not happy that you went into the forest, but I’ll overlook it this time. If you hadn’t acted, five ponies would be dead right now.”

Artemis sighed in relief and relaxed into his mother’s embrace. Now that he knew she wasn’t angry with him, his exhaustion quickly caught up to him. Realizing that she had no intention of letting him go, he nuzzled into her shoulder and closed his eyes.

She noticed this and laughed softly. Clearly believing he had fallen asleep, she spoke quietly. “I’d be surprised if he wasn’t tired. In fact, I bet the only reason he was awake was that he was worried about how I was going to react.”

She looked down at her son. “I don’t know when he learned to do that, but it doesn’t matter. I’m far more interested in what he chooses to do with those skills. If his actions this afternoon are any indication, I can’t say I’m not pleased.”

She tilted her head as another thought occurred to her. “I’ve never heard of any other thirteen year old capable of taking on three Manticores by themselves. If this is what he’s capable of accomplishing untrained, I can’t wait to see what he can do once Midnight finishes training him. Who knows, he might be stronger than his father.”

Sundance lay her son in his bed and covered him with his blanket. “I know I insisted that Celestia and Artemis shouldn’t learn combat skills until they turn sixteen, but Artemis clearly already has some of those skills. Midnight needs to teach our son how to use them properly, and he needs to start as soon as possible.”

- - -End Flashback- - -

“I fell asleep after that, so I’m not sure what happened next.” Artemis paused and lifted his head. “It’s time to lower the moon. Twilight and I are going to be a little late tonight because I’m opening a new astronomical center to the public.”

Twilight nodded “And I want to be there.”

Artemis turned to Celestia “I’ll send you here when you fall asleep and we’ll join you when we’re done.”

Sundance smiled at her children “We’ll see you tonight.”

Midnight Armor nodded “Have a good day.”

As Celestia, Artemis and Twilight vanished, Sundance and Midnight Armor turned to each other.

He smiled at her, shaking his head. “I’m still surprised that he managed to defeat them by himself but I don’t have any complaints. After all, if he didn’t show up when he did, those fillies and I would have died that day.”

Sundance moved closer to her husband and nuzzled him. “I don’t understand how I could have forgotten this.”

His smile fell “Given what else was going on at the time, I’m not too surprised.”

She looked at him, surprised and confused “What do you mean?”

He hesitated, knowing this was a touchy subject. “Do you remember Golden Thunder?”

Sundance glared at her husband. “Yes, I remember him.” She answered, her voice unusually cold. “He’s pony that killed us! He may not have done it directly, but it was his plan. Not to mention the fact that he created that creature. To make matters worse, he tried to take the throne after we died. What about him?”

“I was thinking.” He replied

Still glaring, she said “Explain”

“Looking back, I realized that he had begun to put his plan in motion around that time.” He shook his head “That was when he began taking a greater interest in the legal system and changing some of our laws. He also began taking money from the treasury. When we asked him about it, he told us that he needed the funding because he was creating a new defense system. He had earned our trust with over a decade of faithful service, so we saw no reason to question him or his motives.”

Sundance shook her head “At the time, I wondered why Celestia and Artemis never trusted him. It seems that they were smarter than both of us.”

Midnight Armor shrugged “Celestia was nineteen years old at the time and had begun to take a greater interest in helping us run Equestria. She was new enough to court that she trusted nopony that she saw there, except for us.” He thought for a moment “Things got so busy that we had no choice but to bring Artemis into court when he turned sixteen.”

She laughed “That’s not entirely true. Artemis only spent half of his time in court. The rest of the time, he was out protecting the surrounding villages.”

He nodded “I once asked him why he did that.”

She paused “I never thought to ask him. What was his reason?”

Midnight Armor laughed “This was roughly three months after he turned sixteen. He told me that he wasn’t meant for court but would learn about it because we wanted him to. Instead, he decided to take over the job of keeping the ponies that lived in the surrounding villages safe so that we could focus on court. Eventually, he began doing that most of the time and leaving court to the two of us and his sister.”

Sundance stared at her husband for a moment before shaking her head. “I should have guessed that. He was right, we were needed in court. In fact, we rarely saw him because court was taking all of our time.”

He nodded “What little time he did spend in court, he usually spent helping Celestia. Perhaps that’s why he didn’t trust Golden Thunder, I bet Celestia’s opinion rubbed off on him.”

I’m pretty sure he had another reason. What was it again? For the first time in over a thousand years, Sundance purposely thought back to what had happened in the years prior to their deaths. She gasped as one particular memory shoved itself to the front of her mind.

Midnight Armor looked at her “Sundance?” Noticing that she was lost in a memory that appeared to be unpleasant, he nuzzled her. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Startled, she shook her head before glancing at him. “I just remembered something that happened shortly after he turned seventeen.”

“Unfortunately, there were many unpleasant things going on at that time.” He replied, frowning slightly “Remind me which one you’re talking about.”

She shook her head “I don’t think I ever told you about this, at least not in detail. It would probably be best if I showed you instead.”

- - -Sundance’s Flashback- - -

Sundance sighed as she walked out of the throne room of the castle in the Everfree Forest. Midnight should be done with his half of court soon and Celestia promised that she would stop her research for the day by dinnertime. The only one I’m unsure of is Artemis. He’s getting better at protecting the villages by himself. If he keeps the pattern that he’s established over the last couple of weeks, he should be home within a couple of hours. Still, I hope he gets home soon so we can spend the evening together. Some family time would be nice. She was torn from her thoughts by a shout.

“Queen Sundance!”

Surprised, she turned “I’m heading home for the day, Golden Thunder. You should as well.”

Golden Thunder, a unicorn stallion, bowed. “My apologies for the interruption, your majesty. However, I’ve made a breakthrough with the defense system that I would like to discuss with you.”

She sighed “I’ve had enough of the throne room for one day.”

He bowed again “If it pleases you, we can take a walk instead of heading back into the throne room. The gardens are peaceful at the moment.”

Sundance nodded “That does sound nice.” Noticing the strange smile on his face, she paused “Is something the matter?”

He quickly shook his head “My apologies, your majesty, it’s been a long day.”

That’s odd. His expression almost seemed . . . never mind. It’s been a long day for me as well, so I’m probably just seeing things. Sundance shook her head as they walked into the garden. Looking around, she smiled. “This garden never fails to help me relax, regardless of the kind of day I’ve had.” She turned to Golden Thunder “Now then, about the defense system, what -”

They both paused as they heard a loud roar.

Golden Thunder briefly smiled before his eyes went wide as a cockatrice headed straight for him.

Sundance didn’t have time to question his reaction. Instead, she quickly cast a shield spell that was unique to her. When she wanted it to, her shield could take on mirror-like properties. She did this now, allowing the cockatrice to turn itself to stone. “Are you alright, Golden Thunder?”

He nodded “Y-yes, your majesty.” He bowed “Thank you”

She smiled at him before looking around. “Cockatrices don’t roar. We need to get inside. Now.”

Golden Flash stopped in front of her, blocking the path. “Queen Sundance, don’t the citizens need to be protected? Wouldn’t it be easier for you to do that out here?”

She shook her head “That roar came from the alpha Manticore. After the kind of day that I’ve had, there’s no way that I can defeat it on my own. Instead, we will make sure that the citizens are safe in the castle while we wait for Midnight to join us. If he heard that roar, I’m sure he’ll be along soon.”

The castle was suddenly enclosed in her husband’s strongest barrier.

Sundance just stared “Midnight’s using that barrier? That means we’re in more danger than I thought.” She smiled as Midnight Armor’s magic was joined by their daughter’s. That’s it, Celestia. Your research can wait. It’s far more important for you to help your father protect the ponies in the castle.

She heard Golden Thunder gasp and turned to see what she had been afraid of. No, it’s worse. I thought it was just the alpha Manticore, but it seems to have brought five other Manticores as well. This doesn’t make any sense. The alpha Manticore almost never comes anywhere near us. In fact, as long as we respect its territory, the alpha usually leaves our castle alone.

She raised another shield as the Manticores moved towards them. This isn’t good. My magic hasn’t recovered yet! Today was my turn to patrol the forest during the lunch break and I had to step in on three separate occasions in that one hour. I’m not out of magic, but I don’t have enough to power this shield for very long.

All six of the Manticores attacked together. Her shield held for almost five minutes before shattering. Just before their claws and teeth reached her, dark blue magic surrounded her and Golden Thunder.

Sundance and Golden Thunder exchanged confused glances, both thinking the same thing. What?

“Are you alright, Mother?”

Sundance looked up when she recognized her son's voice. “Artemis!” Her happiness turned to horror when she saw that her son was covered in injuries. He turned to the Manticores while she examined his injuries.

He has a gash running down the length of his back, only a couple of inches to the left of his spine. Additionally, there’s a deep puncture wound in his right shoulder. The rest of his body seems to be covered in smaller gashes and scratches. I’m amazed that he can fly at all right now. She gasped as he began to slowly fly towards the alpha Manticore. I have to stop him. There’s no way he can take on six Manticores in his condition. She stepped as far forward as his shield allowed. “Artemis, please,-”

“Not now, Mother. I’ll talk to you in a minute.”

All of the Manticores growled at him.

Artemis shook his head “You know who I am. Stop this at once.”

The alpha stepped forward and took a fighting stance.

“This is bad.” Sundance said, preparing to use the last of her magic. I don’t care if I have to drain myself, I won’t let my son die! “I have to stop him before he gets killed!”

Golden Thunder gasped “What are the Manticores doing?!”

Confused, she glanced at Golden Thunder before looking back at the Manticores. The five smaller ones suddenly backed up but the alpha stayed where it was and roared at her son.

Unfazed, Artemis stopped in front of it. “I’ve already treated the injury to your young.” He gave the alpha a look. “Go home.”

Sundance and Golden Thunder stared as the alpha roared at Artemis again before following his order. Spreading their wings, the Manticores flew towards their cave.

As soon as Artemis released his shield, she ran over to him. “How did you do get them to listen to you?!”

Artemis shrugged, wincing when he moved his right shoulder. “They respect strength. A few months ago, I defeated the alpha but decided not to kill it. In their hierarchy, whoever defeats the alpha is the new alpha but I’ve made it clear that I have no intention of taking over. Even so, they usually do as I ask. It’s a little strange but, in this situation, I’ll consider it a good thing.” He glanced at Golden Thunder. “They came here because the young of the alpha had been attacked by ponies.”

Sundance saw Golden Thunder’s smirk. What’s going on?

Artemis shook his head and continued “I knew that the only way to get them to leave was to inform them that I had taken care of the alpha Manticore’s young but I had to actually treat those injuries first. If I had told them that, without treating those injuries, every Manticore in the forest would be here right now.”

Still hovering in midair, Artemis leaned down and nuzzled his mother. “I’m sorry I was late, Mother. I ran into some trouble while searching for the herbs that I needed to treat the young Manticore’s injuries.”

Sundance returned his nuzzle before gesturing to her side. “It’s alright, Artemis. I’m glad you were able to make it. Come on, we need to get your injuries taken care of.”

Nodding, Artemis landed next to his mother. As soon as his right foreleg bore weight, he yelled in pain and collapsed, unconscious before he hit the ground.

“Artemis!” Sundance knelt next to her son and made sure that he was still breathing before looking up at Golden Thunder. “We’ll talk tomorrow. My son is more important than the defense system.” She laughed softly “In fact, after what we just saw, I’d say that he is our defense system.”

Golden Thunder opened his mouth to protest. Before he could say anything, she interrupted him.

“Leave!”

Without a word, he turned and ran.

I hate to use the Royal Voice on him like that but I don’t have time to listen to his complaints. Taking care of Artemis is far more important than listening to anything that Golden Thunder could possibly say right now. Tears came to her eyes as she looked down at her son. Please, Artemis, hold on just a little longer. She stood, levitated her son onto her back and headed back to the castle. A few minutes later, she walked into the tower that had been provided for the medical staff. Every available healer was immediately called in to stabilize Artemis. After a few hours, the only signs that he had been injured at all were the puncture wound in his shoulder, much shallower than before, and a slight crack in the flesh and fur where the gash in his back had been.

The head healer told her that Artemis would need bed rest for a couple of days in order to recover from the blood loss but said that it was alright for him to be moved to his room.

It was only after cleaning all of the blood off of her, and treating a few small injuries to her side that she didn’t even remember getting, that the healers allowed them to leave.

- - -End Flashback- - -

Midnight Armor stared at his wife “I-I knew that Artemis had been injured, but this is the first time I’ve seen any of this.” He shook his head “That evening, just as things were beginning to calm down, Celestia ran into the throne room. She was so panicked that I had no idea what she was saying. Apparently, she noticed this because she stopped trying to talk and teleported both of us to Artemis’ room. We found him asleep in bed and you sitting next to his bed. You were barely conscious but determined to stay by our son’s side. Celestia cast a healing spell on her brother while she explained what the healers had told her. As the last of his injuries healed, you finally allowed yourself to fall asleep.”

Sundance shook her head “I wondered why we were in our room when I woke up. Who stayed with Artemis?”

“After putting you in our bed, I returned to Artemis’ room.” He smiled “Celestia had climbed into his bed and fallen asleep, cuddled close to her brother.”

Smiling, she shook her head before her expression turned serious. “I thought some of Golden Thunder’s actions were a bit odd, but wrote them off as me being tired or ignored them altogether because the other things going on were more important.” She paused “Now that I think about it, he clearly knew that the Manticores were coming and made sure that I was in the garden at the right time. He tried to kill me that day.”

Midnight Armor pulled his wife close. “If Artemis hadn’t gained the respect of the alpha, treated the young Manticore’s injuries, and shown up when he did, you would have died that day. I have no doubt that you would have used the last of your magic in an attempt to defeat those Manticores.”

She nuzzled into her husband’s shoulder. “I thought Artemis had a different reason for not trusting Golden Thunder and finally remembered what it was.”

Confused, he looked down at her “What are you talking about?”

She sighed “I’ll show you the conversation our children had the next day. That will explain their actions far better than I can.”

- - -Sundance’s Flashback- - -

Sundance walked down the hall towards her son’s room. How am I supposed to thank Artemis for saving my life?

Opening the door, she paused as she saw Artemis sitting up in bed while Celestia sat next to his bed. Neither of them noticed her. Instead, they were looking at each other with the most serious expressions that she had ever seen on the faces on either of her children.

“You’re sure of this, little brother?”

Artemis nodded “I arrived in time to see several of his guards injure the alpha Manticore’s young. They didn’t see me and, probably fearing that the alpha would return, left as soon as they were done. I could have followed them, but thought it best to take care of the alpha Manticore’s young. If I had let that young Manticore die, after being injured by ponies . . . I don’t even want to think about what the alpha would have done.”

Celestia nuzzled him “I’ve seen you fight every creature that lives in the forest, sometimes all of them in a single day, and not get a scratch on you. What could have injured you so badly?”

Artemis scowled “None of those injuries were given to me by a creature of the forest. I received all of them from his guards as I was gathering the herbs I needed to treat the young Manticore. I had to use herbs because Manticores won’t allow anypony, even me, to use magic on them. Anyway, his guards were trying to slow me down so that the alpha Manticore’s young would die from its injuries.” He saw his sister’s expression and shook his head. “I could have defeated, even killed, all of them without any trouble. However, you know as well as I do that Mother and Father forbid us from using offensive magic on other ponies. I had no choice but to take those attacks with either a shield or nothing at all.”

Celestia’s eyes widened “Why didn’t you fight them anyway?! You could have talked to Mother and claimed self-defense!”

Artemis’ scowl deepened “And what? Tell her that Golden Thunder was behind it all? She’d never believe me.”

Celestia glared “It’s the truth! You and I both know it! He purposely brought her to the garden for that attack, knowing that Father’s barrier doesn’t reach that far!” She shuddered “He tried to kill Mother while hiding the fact that he’s involved. If you hadn’t arrived when you did . . .”

Artemis shook with anger “Golden Thunder knows that we’re aware of his plan but he doesn’t care.”

Celestia was so angry that heat was beginning to radiate off her body. “We don’t have any proof. Even if we did, Mother and Father would never believe us.”

Artemis nodded “You’re right. He gained their trust a long time ago and they believe anything he says. The one time we had proof of his actions, he convinced them that we were too young to understand what was going on. Our parents sided against us! Why do you think I stay away from court as much as possible? I don’t want to accidentally do, or say, anything that would reveal our plan.”

He looked at his sister, a determined expression on his face. “I’m not there yet, but I’m quickly gaining the strength I need for my part. Golden Thunder will put his plan in motion soon enough and, when he does, I’ll be ready.”

Celestia nodded, equally determined “I’ll stay in court so I can keep an eye on him. I’ll also continue my research. I’m close to figuring out the final part of his plan. If we do this correctly, we’ll be able to expose Golden Thunder and his plan.”

Artemis nodded “Exposing Golden Thunder is fine, but I’m more interested in keeping Mother and Father alive. If he kills them, not only will we lose our parents, Golden Thunder will take the throne. There’s nothing we’ll be able to do about it because the new law states that you’re too young to rule.”

Celestia smiled “Not necessarily. Even if his plan succeeds, I found a way to make sure that we take the throne so he won’t be able to.”

Artemis’ eyes widened before he shook his head. “I don’t want Father’s throne!”

“I don’t want Mother’s throne either, but I refuse to allow Golden Thunder to rule Equestria.” Celestia nuzzled her brother “Don’t worry, if our plan works, neither of us will have to take a throne because Mother and Father will be keeping theirs.”

- - -End Flashback- - -

Midnight Armor stared at his wife, mouth open in shock. “W-why didn’t you tell me about this?! I knew they didn’t trust Golden Thunder, but I didn’t know they knew about his plan to kill us! If Artemis was seventeen, then this happened six years before we died!”

Sundance bowed her head “At the time, I was unable to believe what I had just heard. Besides, neither of us would have believed them. At the time, we trusted Golden Thunder completely. In fact, I confronted Golden Thunder about the attack and told him that I had been informed that the attack was a plot against my life, masterminded by him. I actually believed him when he denied everything. By the time our children were able to expose Golden Thunder’s plan . . . Well, you know what happened.”

“You’re right. Our children were as well.” Midnight Armor replied, also bowing his head “Golden Thunder’s point about their age was valid but, at the very least, we should have trusted our children enough to investigate his actions.” He sighed “Despite the fact that we were training them to help us, when it came to court, we trusted a noble over our own children.”

Sundance shook her head “He knew that Artemis and Celestia were aware of his plan to kill us. He must have known that they were also aware of his plan to take the throne. However, Golden Thunder clearly didn’t think that they would be able to stop him.” She let out a bitter laugh “He must have believed that our children were too young to be a threat.”

Midnight Armor nodded thoughtfully. “The fact that Artemis and Celestia were the only ones that really fought in that battle was impressive.” He paused “The only way that day could have gone better was if we had survived.”

Sundance shook her head again “Our deaths were our fault and you know it. If we had listened to our children’s warnings, we never would have needed to take the drastic action that resulted in our deaths.”

She smiled at her husband. “One particular death was intentional, but I don’t blame Celestia at all. I never did.”

Midnight Armor returned her smile “I don’t either. In fact, I recall laughing at the irony.”

A few minutes later, she turned to her husband. “We haven’t talked about those events in centuries. What made you think about them now?”

He pulled her closer “I noticed that the actions of one of the nobles that our children told us about are very similar the ones Golden Thunder took. This noble is more secretive than Golden Thunder was, but that’s probably because Celestia, Artemis and Twilight clearly don’t trust him. When I saw him in our children’s memories last night, the first thing I noticed was that he looked surprisingly familiar. I didn’t say anything because I wanted to hear your thoughts before bringing the topic up to our children.”

Sundance tilted her head, confused “There were several nobles in their court yesterday. Which one are you talking about?”

Glancing at her, he said “The noble that asked Twilight to convince Celestia and Artemis to return to separate courts.”

Sundance gasped “Golden Flash!” She paused, suddenly nervous “You’re right. He does bear a strong resemblance, in both appearance and actions. And his name is far too similar to be a coincidence. Do you think he’s a descendant of Golden Thunder?”

“That’s exactly what I believe.” Midnight Armor replied “Golden Thunder had two sons before he died, so it’s entirely possible.”

Sundance took a deep breath “We need to tell Celestia about this.”

“It’s alright, Mother. I already know.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor gasped and turned to see Celestia standing nearby. They both paused as they saw the expression on her face.

Sundance raised an eyebrow “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough” Celestia replied, walking closer “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to interrupt.” She nuzzled her parents before laying down next to her mother. “You’re right, Father. Golden Flash is a descendant of Golden Thunder. I’m sure you can guess who his mother named him after.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor gasped

Celestia continued “I’m fairly certain that he doesn’t know what his ancestor did, other than serving the crown.”

Midnight Armor sighed in relief “How many ponies know about this?”

“As far as I know, just me. At the time, Artemis and I got rid of as many records of that battle as we could because we didn’t want anypony to try that again. There may still be one or two copies floating around somewhere, but I’m not too worried. Any that still exist should be written in the language of a thousand years ago. Not many ponies are able to read that anymore.”

Celestia turned to her mother “Golden Flash doesn’t seem dangerous, just greedy.” She paused “I haven’t found the right time to tell Artemis, so I don’t think he knows of Golden Flash’s lineage. I haven’t told Twilight because I’m not sure how much you want her to know. Honestly, I don’t think anypony else needs to know.”

Midnight Armor and Sundance looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Celestia.

“You’re right to keep it a secret from anypony other than Artemis and Twilight.” Sundance told her daughter “As for Twilight, she’s a member of our family now so I see no reason to hide it from her. Besides, knowing her, I’m sure she’ll figure it out sooner or later and I’d rather have her hear this from us.”

Midnight Armor nodded “I agree. We’ll be the ones to tell her and we’ll tell Artemis at the same time, if he hasn’t figured it out already.”

Celestia opened her mouth to respond but paused as she sensed her siblings’ presences. Sundance and Midnight Armor looked up as well. The three of them stared into the distance as two ponies appeared, one blue and one lavender.

Some distance away, Artemis and Twilight appeared.

Twilight looked around for a moment before spotting the cloud far into the distance. She turned to Artemis “Why are we so far from Mom, Dad and Celestia?”

She hasn’t been feeling well, so I want to make sure that she at least has some fun in her dreams. Artemis spread his wings and grinned. “I was hoping we could continue our race. It’s been awhile since the last time I flew with somepony that could keep up with me.”

Twilight laughed, spreading her wings as well. “You can thank Rainbow for that. She’s been helping me with my flying since I got my wings.”

Without warning, Artemis took off towards their family.

For a moment, Twilight watched in stunned silence. Then she took off after him.

Midnight Armor, Sundance and Celestia smiled as Artemis and Twilight raced towards them. Artemis was in the lead, but Twilight was gaining quickly.

Just as they reached the cloud, Twilight caught up to Artemis and tackled him to the cloud. They rolled over a few times before Artemis used his weight to pin Twilight under him.

Laughing, Twilight said “No fair, you got a head start!”

Also laughing, Artemis stuck his tongue out at her. Then he kissed her before moving over and allowing her to get up.

Celestia laughed “What was that about, you two?”

Artemis shrugged “I found out that she’s almost as fast as I am. Do you know how long it’s been since the last time I flew with somepony that could match my speed?”

Celestia smiled

Twilight and Artemis nuzzled Celestia, Sundance and Midnight Armor before moving to their father’s other side. Twilight lay next to Midnight Armor and Artemis lay next to Twilight.

Twilight noticed how tense Midnight Armor was and looked up at him. “Dad? Is something wrong?”

He shook his head. “Your mother and I have something that we’d like to discuss with both of you. I’m just worried about how you’re going to react.”

Twilight looked at Artemis. He shrugged, just as confused as she was. Suddenly, he smiled and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and lit her horn.

Midnight Armor gasped as he felt a wave of warmth move through his neck, shoulders, wings and back. He was unable to hold back a moan of pleasure as his body immediately relaxed. I wish I’d thought of this a long time ago. It would have been a great way to relax after those long days in court.

Celestia smiled I don’t know what she did to Father, but she needs to do it to Mother as well.

Twilight looked at Celestia and saw her nod. Smiling, she did the same for Sundance.

Sundance raised an eyebrow as she saw the effect Twilight’s magic was having on her husband. What in Equestria did she do to him? She gasped as a sudden wave of warmth moved through her neck, shoulders, wings and back. With a matching moan, she leaned into her husband’s side. That answers that question. “W-wow! I’m not sure what you did, but it felt incredible!”

Not wanting Celestia to feel left out, Twilight did the same for her. She giggled as her big sister gasped and moaned in pleasure as well.

Celestia looked at Twilight “What did you do?”

Twilight shrugged “I sent a wave of magic through certain muscle groups to warm and relax them. It also works for wings.” She looked up at Midnight Armor “Feel better now?”

He nodded

She nuzzled him “It’s alright, Dad. Whatever it is, just tell me. Even if I don’t like it, I won’t yell or use the Royal Voice.”

Midnight Armor hesitated before nodding again. “Very well.” He turned to his son. “The first question is for you. How much do you remember about Golden Thunder?”

Artemis’ eyes widened for a moment before he glared at his father. “Far more than I’d like.” He turned to Celestia “I have a question for you, sister.” He waited for his sister to nod. “Why does Golden Flash remind me of Golden Thunder? Please tell me that I’m just imagining things and you haven’t let a descendant of the pony that killed Mother and Father into our court.”

Twilight’s eyes widened

Midnight Armor shook his head I was right. He’s figured it out already. If I remember correctly, he didn’t trust Golden Thunder almost as soon as he met him. So I’m not surprised.

Celestia’s ears drooped “I can’t.” she whispered “That’s exactly who he is but I’m fairly certain that he doesn’t know what his ancestor did.”

Artemis growled but refrained from yelling, mainly because of how close he was to Twilight. She had nothing to do with this. I don’t want her to get hurt because I’m angry at my sister. “Sister, you might want to explain yourself.”

Celestia nodded but, before she could say anything, Sundance spoke up.

“It’s my understanding that you just met him, Artemis. How did you figure it out so quickly?”

Artemis glanced at their mother and nodded “You’re right, Mother. I met him two days ago. Regardless, I noticed the similarities when I saw him in court this morning.” He turned to Celestia “Do you remember when you asked me why I wasn’t paying attention in court?”

Celestia nodded “You never did tell me what you were thinking.” She gasped “Don’t tell me you were-!”

“Lost in memories?” Artemis finished, pausing until she nodded “Yes, sister. That’s exactly what happened. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to stop it. That’s why I didn’t tell you what was on my mind.” He took a deep breath “Why did you allow him in court?”

Celestia noticed something strange. Why is he being so calm? Watching him place a wing around Twilight and pull her close, her eyes widened as she suddenly understood. I have to thank my little sister later. It’s clear that Artemis really wants to yell at me, but he’s holding back because he doesn’t want to hurt Twilight.

Sundance noticed this as well. This part of the conversation is a test to see how they handle the topic. Hopefully Twilight will be able to keep him calm for the rest of it. That is, of course, assuming she stays calm herself. She hasn’t said anything yet, and her body language isn’t telling me anything, so I’m not sure what she thinks.

Celestia cleared her throat “I was nervous when he first began coming to court, but he didn’t seem to know what his ancestor had done. I’m still not sure if he knows. If he does know, he hides it well. Anyway, when he first came to court, he didn’t behave any different than the other nobles. In fact, he didn’t start attempting to change our older laws, or trying to take money from the treasury, until roughly six months ago. I didn’t allow any of those changes. In fact, I believe that’s why he began sending his petitions to your court.” She paused “Did you authorize any of them?”

Artemis shook his head “Even though I’m new to dealing with the nobles of the modern era and have little experience with the current legal system, I am able to tell when some ponies are trying to trick me.”

“Good” She sighed in relief “The reason I allowed him into court is simply that I want to keep him close. That makes it easier to keep an eye on him.”

“Fine.” Artemis sighed “Honestly, I don’t want him anywhere near us. However, I can understand why you would want him in a position that allows us to keep an eye on him. That said, I want to make something clear.” He paused until she nodded “He will have absolutely nothing to do with our foal when he or she is born.”

Surprised, Celestia just stared at her brother for a moment before nodding. “That’s a reasonable request. However, I sense that there is something you’re not telling me. Has he said anything to you?”

Artemis shook his head “No. Mainly because I haven’t let him. The fact that he constantly tries to speak to me by myself, outside of court, worries me. If he has something to say to me, why doesn’t he say it in court?”

Celestia tilted her head as she thought. “We should allow him to speak to you. Otherwise, he’s not going to leave you alone. We just need to find the right time.”

Twilight looked from Celestia to Artemis and back again. “What if you allow him to have a private audience with both of you? Or maybe all three of us, if you schedule it for the end of court, after class is done for the day. He can speak to Artemis, while we maintain control of the situation.”

Celestia nodded “I’ve already thought of that. I’ve come up with a few other options as well, but that’s the one I prefer. It would allow him to speak to Artemis, but under more controlled circumstances. If he still tries to get Artemis alone after that, we’ll know he’s up to something. If that happens, we’ll work together to figure out what his plan is and put a stop to it.” She looked at Artemis “What do you think?”

Artemis nodded as well “I have no problem with that plan. However, I would like to wait at least a couple of weeks because I want to observe him, and his actions, before I hear what he has to say to me.”

Celestia smiled “Good idea. I’ll look at the schedule and come up with a plan. As soon as it’s ready, I’ll tell both of you.”

Midnight Armor shook his head and turned to his wife. “It certainly didn’t take long for them to come up with a decent plan.”

Sundance glanced at her husband and nodded before turning to their children. “Let us know what happens, please. I may be acting a little overprotective but, given what his ancestor did, I can’t help it.”

Artemis laughed “It’s alright, Mother. I’ll make sure we tell you what happens. He looked at their father. “Is this what you wanted to talk about, Father?”

Midnight Armor nodded “One of them, yes.” He turned to Twilight “How much do you know about alicorns?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow “Is that a trick question?”

Sundance laughed “No, it isn’t a trick question. We’ll discuss this in greater detail at a later date. For now, we’d like you to answer a question. Is it possible for the average pony to kill an alicorn?”

Not sure what they were getting at, Twilight replied “Well, alicorns can’t be poisoned and are immune to most, if not all, diseases. We heal quickly enough that only the most powerful attacks are capable of killing us, unless we already have serious injuries. Even then, it would take an enormous amount of effort to kill an alicorn. In fact, the only way for the average pony to kill an alicorn is via magic loss.

She paused for a moment, before deciding to explain further. “The way an alicorn dies from magic loss depends on how last of their magic is removed from their body. If it’s taken slowly, like Blaze tried to do with that rope, their death will be slow and painful. But if it’s done quickly, like if we were to purposely use all of our magic at once, we’d die instantly.”

Hiding a wince, Midnight Armor nodded “Very good. Everything you said is correct. However, since you know all of that, there is one question that I’m surprised you haven’t asked us.”

Twilight immediately frowned “If it’s what I think it is, I have no intention of asking you. That has to be an extremely sensitive subject for all four of you. Besides, I’ve only known the two of you for a week. That’s not nearly enough time for me to even consider asking you something like that.”

Sundance stared at her “That’s not the answer I was expecting.” She said slowly “Aren’t you curious?”

“Of course I am” Twilight replied “However, I don’t believe I have the right to ask. Not to mention the fact that this is a topic that I’m certain everypony here would rather not discuss.”

Celestia smiled “So there’s knowledge that you’d like to gain, but you won’t ask because you know that it will upset us. Five years ago, you wouldn’t have even considered that. It’s not that you were insensitive, it’s just that you were relentless in the pursuit of knowledge.”

Midnight Armor nuzzled Twilight. “That’s quite a change in such a short period of time.”

Twilight returned his nuzzle before looking at Celestia. “That hasn’t changed. When I research something, I don’t stop until I’m sure that I’ve discovered everything on the topic.”

Sundance tilted her head “Then why?”

Twilight turned to their mother “You have Fluttershy to thank for that.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow “What does she have to do with it?”

“Not only is she a very careful pony, she’s also a very sensitive pony.” Twilight shrugged “I’ve spent enough time with the girls that I’ve learned important lessons from each of them. One of the lessons I learned from Fluttershy sounds simple, but it was actually one of the most difficult.”

Artemis nuzzled her “What do you mean?”

Twilight smiled at him “Sensitivity isn’t nearly as simple as it sounds. That’s because, not only do ponies require it, situations do as well. The difficulty comes because a pony has to determine what level of sensitivity is required in each case. Sometimes it’s easy to figure out and there isn’t a problem. Other times a pony is too sensitive, because they’re afraid of hurting anypony. In that situation, either what needs to be done isn’t done in time or nothing gets done at all. The reverse is also possible. In that case, ponies don’t treat another pony or situation with enough sensitivity. This leads to all kinds of problems as well as ponies getting hurt.”

Celestia stared “You’re right, that must have been quite a difficult lesson. But what does that have to do with the current situation?”

Twilight shrugged “The approach that I usually take to extremely sensitive situations begins with a question. The question changes for each pony or situation that I’m dealing with. In this case, there is information that I’d like to get, but I know that the process of obtaining this information will hurt those around me. Therefore, the question is “Do I need to know this information or is it something that I’d like to know?” I don’t see why I need to know the information, so I’m not going to ask.”

Midnight Armor stared at his youngest. What kind of lessons has she been learning?!

Thinking similar thoughts, Sundance shook her head “I appreciate your attempt to avoid causing us pain, but you need to know this.”

Twilight’s eyes widened “Why?”

“You heard Celestia say that Golden Flash is a descendant of Golden Thunder. You also heard Artemis say that Golden Thunder is the pony that killed us.” Sundance replied, pausing until Twilight nodded. “Both of those are true. It is also true that Golden Flash has begun to take some of the actions that his ancestor took when he created his plan to kill us. If Golden Flash knows what his ancestor did, it’s possible that he may try the same thing.”

Celestia nodded “Mother’s right, Twilight. You need to know about this. If Golden Flash takes the same path of his ancestor, he will likely try to kill myself and Artemis.”

Twilight gasped

Artemis tightened his wing around Twilight “He probably won’t stop there. You’ll also be targeted for two reasons. The first is simply that you are a Princess of Equestria. If he wants the throne, you’re in the way. The second reason is different. If Golden Flash knows what we did to his ancestor, he could want revenge. If that’s the case, he may try to kill everypony in our family.”

Midnight Armor nodded “You need to know what happened because it might happen again. If it does, you need to be prepared to stop it.”

Twilight sighed “I don’t like this, but I’m listening.”

Sundance smiled “Thank you, Twilight. First, I’ll show you what your father and I discussed today.” After the memory ended, she looked at Twilight, waiting for her reaction.

Twilight was looking off to the side, chewing her bottom lip as she thought. After a couple of minutes, she turned back to their parents. “I’m not going to comment on how you didn’t believe Celestia and Artemis because there’s simply too much about that situation that I don’t know.” She smiled at Celestia “I’ve never seen you without your Cutie Mark and with a pink mane and tail.”

Celestia laughed “Most ponies haven’t. In fact, you’ll be the first pony in over a thousand years to see how Artemis and I earned our Cutie Marks and gained our current forms.”

Twilight blinked “What?”

Artemis nodded “You’ve seen me with the light blue mane and tail but, if you noticed, I hadn’t earned my Cutie Mark yet either. Both of us gained them during that battle.”

Twilight blinked again “How old were you?”

Celestia thought for a moment “Neither of us bother tracking our exact age anymore but, at the time of the battle, I was twenty-nine and Artemis was twenty-three.”

Twilight shook her head “I’ve never heard of ponies getting their Cutie Marks that late.”

Midnight Armor shrugged “At the time, that was common. In fact, many ponies went their entire lives without earning their Soul Mark.” He paused, glancing at Twilight.

Twilight laughed “It’s alright, Dad. I’ve read enough ancient texts to know what ponies used to call the Cutie Mark.”

He smiled at her “I was surprised when we saw how you earned yours. I’ve never seen a pony earn their mark that young before.”

Twilight shrugged “That’s common now.”

Sundance turned to Celestia “Really? When did that change?”

Celestia nodded “I’m not sure why ponies started getting their marks so young, but it’s been that way for almost five hundred years.”

Midnight Armor shook his head

Celestia paused and looked at Twilight “I know this is off topic, but I have two questions for you, Twilight. I’d like to ask them now, before I forget.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow

“Were you able to keep anything down today?” Celestia asked

Twilight frowned “No”

Midnight Armor opened his mouth, about to comment, but paused as his wife shuddered. Instead, the turned to her. “Sundance?”

“I wondered when that would start.” She glanced at her husband “I started early as well, remember?”

He shuddered as well “Yes, I remember. It was the same for both pregnancies. For almost a month, you weren’t able to keep anything other than apple juice in your stomach. I’m not sure who was more miserable, you or me.”

Twilight gasped “A month?!” She saw Sundance nod and groaned. “I hope I don’t have to deal with this for that long.”

Artemis nuzzled her “We’ll talk to Applejack this weekend. She may be able to come up with something to help you. Even if she can’t, I know you like her family’s apple juice. Maybe, like Mother, you’ll be able to keep it down.”

“Alright” Twilight replied, turning to Celestia “You said there was a second question?”

Celestia smiled “Yes. Did I see Rarity in the castle today?”

Twilight froze “Y-yes, she came to see me today.”

Curious, Artemis looked at Twilight “What did she want?”

After a moment, Twilight reluctantly said “She’s in another creative phase and wanted my measurements.”

Artemis blinked “I know she’s making blankets and clothes for our foal because he or she will be born just before winter next year. But why would she need your measurements? Besides, doesn’t she already have them?”

Twilight nodded “Yes, she already has them. However, when she makes a dress for a special event, she always gets new measurements.”

Sundance tilted her head “She’s making you a dress?”

Blushing, Twilight nodded

Artemis raised an eyebrow “There aren’t any formal events coming up. What kind of dress is she making?”

Twilight turned bright red and buried her face in her hooves before mumbling something.

Midnight Armor nuzzled her “We didn’t catch that.”

Refusing to lift her head, Twilight spoke in a louder voice. “A Wedding Dress”

Artemis’ jaw dropped “W-what?!”

“No, I didn’t ask her for it.” Twilight quickly told him “Nor have I even mentioned the idea. In fact, the last time we talked about any wedding was a few years ago. The girls and I were discussing what happened at Shiny’s and trying to come up with a defensive strategy to use if it happened again.”

“I’m not sure where she got the idea,” Twilight continued “but she insisted that she needs to start making it now. I tried telling her that we’re not engaged. I even tried telling her that making anything right now would be pointless because I’m going to get bigger soon but she didn’t listen. She said, and I quote, “You’re just not engaged yet, Darling. You’re carrying his foal, so of course you’re going to marry him! And I’m aware that you’ll get bigger as your foal grows, Twilight. That’s not a problem, I’ll make those adjustments when I need to. I have to make sure that you have the perfect dress for the biggest wedding of the century!” Then she began measuring every part of my body, even my horn.”

She paused “Rarity also said she wants to talk to you. I’m not sure what she wants, but you should go see her soon. If you don’t, she going to come find you and it might not be at a good time.”

Shocked, Artemis lay there for several moments before leaning down to nuzzle his mare. Feeling her shudder, he whispered “It’s alright, Twilight, I’m not mad at you. I know you would never do something like that unless we talked about it first. As for Rarity, I’ll see what she wants when we go to Ponyville this weekend.”

She sighed in relief and leaned into his side.

Watching the way their son calmed Twilight, Sundance and Midnight Armor smiled before turning to each other.

“I wondered when somepony was going to mention a wedding.” She whispered

Midnight Armor nodded and quietly replied. “Me too. I didn’t want to bring it up yet because they’re clearly still adjusting to the fact that they’re going to be parents.”

Hearing their parents, Celestia smiled “I was planning to wait another month before bringing it up.” Laughing softly, she shook her head. “I should have known that Rarity would get excited.”

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Celestia looked over as Twilight finally lifted her head. She turned to Artemis and said something so quietly that only he could hear her.

Midnight Armor was going to say something but paused as he saw the thoughtful expression on his son’s face. He didn’t blush or get nervous. Perhaps he’s already considering this.

Sundance also noticed her son’s expression. His reaction wasn’t what I was expecting. I think he was already planning to ask her to marry him. She smiled I wonder how he’ll do it.

Celestia sighed and cleared her throat, catching her family’s attention. “We should get back to the original topic if we want to cover it all tonight.”

Artemis winced but nodded

Sundance and Midnight Armor looked at each other and nodded. “You’re right, Celestia. Do you want to start, Midnight, or should I?”

He nuzzled his wife, noticing the drop in her mood. “It’s alright, I’ll start.”

Midnight Armor turned to Twilight “We’re going to start the day of the attack. Your mother and I had been called to the furthest village from the castle to deal with an attack from a large family of dragons. According to Celestia, this village eventually grew into the town you know as Las Pegasus.”

“Anyway, we stayed there for a couple of days, keeping them safe from further attack and helping them rebuild. That day, we left first thing in the morning. On the way home, we stopped in several other villages along the way to check on them. Our last stop was a small village near the forest that no longer exists.”

Celestia looked at him “That’s not entirely true, Father. Yes, that village was destroyed that day. However, the ponies that survived went on to found another village. This one eventually turned into Ponyville. In fact, Ponyville still stands on the edge of the Everfree Forest.”

Sundance looked surprised “They founded another village in the same location?”

Artemis nodded “If I recall correctly, Strawberry Breeze grew up to become the first Mayor. She was also the first one to call the new village “Ponyville”. I think she meant for it to be temporary, just something to use until she came up with a better name, but the name stuck.”

Midnight Armor smiled slightly “That’s good. I’m glad at least some of the villagers survived. So the ponies that live in Ponyville now are the descendants of the ponies of that small village?”

Celestia nodded “Some of them. Others are ponies that, like Twilight, moved there from somewhere else. Ponyville has become famous for a few things. Accepting everyone, strange things happening on a regular basis, being the home of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and Twilight. It’s the only town in Equestria, other than Canterlot, that can say that an alicorn lives there.”

Sundance smiled and echoed her husband “That’s good. I thought that village, and its citizens, had been completely lost.”

Midnight Armor shook his head “Anyway, the village was in shambles. There wasn’t a single building standing. Additionally, we saw very few ponies.”

Sundance nodded “I remember hoping that they hadn’t tried to take shelter in the forest.”

Midnight Armor glanced at his wife “We were about to go into the forest to look for them when we heard the roar.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 48 Estimated time remaining: 23 Hours, 53 Minutes