Using his magic, Artemis tracked Golden Flash as he walked through the castle and sighed in relief when he left. Opening his eyes, he looked at Celestia. “He’s no longer in the castle.”

Hearing this, Celestia sighed in relief as well before laying down, pulling Twilight down with her. “Well done, Twilight. If it wasn’t for you, he would have completely revived Golden Thunder.”

Artemis lay on Twilight’s other side as their Guard Captains walked closer. “How did you know what he was doing? I didn’t sense anything.”

“I didn’t either.” Twilight replied, shaking slightly “I wanted to ask at least one of you to help with my research today and walked into the throne room just as Golden Thunder’s soul formed.” She bowed her head “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stop it.”

Celestia lifted her sister’s head “No, Twilight. If you hadn’t acted so quickly, and contacted Artemis, Golden Thunder would have his body by now and we wouldn’t have even known that he was back.”

Artemis nuzzled his mare “Celestia’s right. Things aren’t nearly as bad as they could have been. Not to mention the fact that you invented the spell that stopped the Spirit Reanimation Spell.”

“Princess Celestia?” Sapphire Wing hesitantly asked

Celestia looked up at him “Yes, Sapphire Wing?”

“I’m sorry, but could you please explain what just happened?”

Silver Shadow nodded “I have heard of the Spirit Reanimation Spell you mentioned. That means I understand some of what we saw. Unfortunately, there is one thing that I don’t understand. I apologize, because I know this sounds insensitive, but I have a question about something else that was said.”

Artemis flinched “You mean the comments about our parents.”

Both Captains nodded

Celestia sighed “Fifteen hundred years ago, Golden Thunder killed our parents because he wanted the throne. He also tried to kill Artemis and myself. To stop him, I had no choice but to kill him.”

The guards gasped

Silver Shadow tilted his head thoughtfully “When I first became the Captain of the Night Guard, I thought it would be a good idea to learn from the past. To do that, I read every book in the history section. I recall reading about the previous rulers of Equestria, I believe their names were King Midnight Armor and Queen Sundance. One book said that they disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Another told of a battle in which they were killed. In both books, Princess Celestia and Prince Artemis took the throne after that. To be honest, I believe both books are fiction and placed in the wrong section because there is no other evidence that those ponies ever existed.”

Artemis turned to Celestia “I didn’t know anything with Mother and Father’s names survived all of these years.”

W-what?! D-did I just tell them that I believe their parents never existed?! Silver Shadow gasped “M-my prince?! Those were the names of your parents?” He paused, suddenly nervous “Does that mean that the battle was true as well?”

While it hurts to hear that he believes Mother and Father never existed, it’s not his fault. Unless they know the truth, most ponies probably believe the same. "Yes, Silver Shadow” Artemis replied, trying to hide a wince “Those were Mother and Father’s names and titles. As for your other question, if you read what I think you did, that’s exactly what happened. That’s also exactly how they died.”

Recalling what he’d read, Silver Shadow shivered. That had to be a horrible way to go. According to that book, the late King and Queen used all of their magic to protect their children. After they died, the Chimera Anima ripped their souls out of their bodies and tried to eat them.

Even though they were in the history section, I was certain that those books, and ponies, were fiction. Until now, that is.

Celestia nuzzled her brother “As a result, we were forced to take the thrones of our parents.” Without even looking at Sapphire Wing, she knew what he was going to ask. Not in the mood to tell the story, she summoned the book and let him read it.

Roughly twenty minutes later, Sapphire Wing shuddered and lay the book on the floor in front of her. After Celestia teleported it back to her room, he finally spoke. “The soul we saw today was the pony who did this?”

Celestia nodded

Shuddering again, Sapphire Wing turned to Twilight “Princess Twilight, if you don’t mind, I would like to ask you a question. How did you know what to do?”

Twilight sighed “Ever since I fixed Star Swirl’s final spell, I’ve been looking for other ancient spells that I could restore. That’s when I read about the Spirit Reanimation Spell. After researching it, I discovered that it was far too dangerous to restore. However, I knew that somepony might want to use it at some point. That’s when, and why, I decided to create a spell to stop it.”

Sapphire Wing and Silver Shadow gasped

Seeing their expressions, Twilight nodded. “The spell you saw me cast is the one I created to stop the Spirit Reanimation Spell and shut it down. However, it takes a lot of magic to stop that kind of spell, even for an alicorn. That’s why I needed Celestia and Artemis to help me. Unfortunately, while I can stop that spell, I can’t reverse it. We’ll have to come up with another way to send Golden Thunder’s soul back where it belongs.”

Celestia nodded and turned to the guards. “I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this to yourselves. For now, we need to see what Golden Thunder plans to do next.”

Both Captains bowed “Yes, princess”

Twilight looked at the pair of stunned ponies standing near the door. “The same applies to you, Midnight Fang and Steel Night. Don’t tell anypony what you heard or saw today.”

They both walked closer and bowed “Yes, my princess”

Something that was said reminded Midnight Fang of something important. For a few minutes, he had no idea what it was. Everypony turned to him when he suddenly gasped.

Twilight raised an eyebrow “Is something wrong, Midnight Fang? Other than the obvious, I mean.”

Shaking his head, Midnight Fang replied “No, my princess. I just remembered something my mother told me when I was a foal. The other foals had been making fun of me because Midnight wasn’t a common name. She told me that, just before I was born, she read about a powerful but kind King named Midnight Armor. She wanted me to grow up to be like him so, even though she thought the story was fiction, she decided to name me after him. That’s where the “Midnight” in my name comes from.”

Celestia and Artemis gasped “What?!”

Twilight smiled “I’d say she got her wish.” She thought for a moment. “You’re going to see her for Hearth’s Warming, right?”

Confused, Midnight Fang nodded “Yes, my princess”

Twilight’ smile widened “Tell her that, not only was Midnight Armor a real pony, he was Celestia and Artemis’ father. Make sure you also tell her that you used to guard his son and, because you’re one of my guards, you currently help protect his grandfoal. I’m sure she’ll appreciate hearing that.” And I don’t think Dad will mind.

Midnight Fang’s eyes widened “Y-yes, my princess.” I may not be able to do anything for the pony I’m named after, but I’ll do my best to protect his son, the mare he has chosen for his wife and any foals he and Princess Twilight have. He smiled Mom is going to be so happy when I tell her about this. Especially when I tell her that Princess Twilight believes that I fulfilled her wish.

Artemis smiled I can’t wait to tell Father about this.

Shaking himself from the shock of this new revelation, Silver Shadow turned to Celestia. “Do you know where Golden Thunder is, princess?”

Celestia shook her head “I can sense his presence, so I know he’s still here. While I have my suspicions, I have no way of proving exactly where he is at the moment. I’ll search for him tomorrow, once my magic recovers.”

Twilight turned to Celestia “I’d like to at least try to eat dinner before we leave, but Artemis and I need to go to Ponyville. I have to check on things there before we go to the Crystal Empire and inform Mayor Mare that I’m going there. Even though they’ll probably say no, I’m going to ask the girls if they want to come.” She paused “I’m going to close my castle as well. I don’t know nearly enough about Golden Thunder to be able to predict his actions and I don’t want him to try anything in Ponyville while I’m gone.”

Celestia nodded “Good idea, Twilight.”

Artemis stood before helping Twilight to her hooves. “I could use some food as well. All three of us used a lot of magic.” He looked at Twilight “We’re taking a chariot. As much as I enjoy flying, I’m in no mood for it right now.”

Twilight nodded before turning to Celestia “Should I tell the girls what happened? We may need their help.”

“That’s not a bad idea, Twilight.” Celestia replied, standing as well “For now, we should keep this to ourselves because we need to see what Golden Thunder has planned. However, you have my permission to tell them as soon as it becomes clear that they need to know. If they get angry at you for hiding this, tell them that I told you to do so and that they can take their anger out on me.”

As everypony walked out into the hall, Artemis spoke up. “I know you too well to even think that you’re just going to wait to see what Golden Thunder and Golden Flash have planned for us. What’s your plan?”

“You’re right.” Celestia replied, smiling at him “We’re not going to just sit back and wait. There are a couple of ponies that we need to talk to. Additionally, we should help Twilight with her research. We may be able to figure something else out about his previous plan. Even though he can’t use it this time, it might tell us what his overall goal was. Aside from taking the throne and the deaths of everypony in our family, I mean.”

Twilight nodded thoughtfully “I see. Once we know that, we can figure out different ways to reach that goal. That will allow us to develop ways to counter whatever he comes up with.” She looked up at Celestia “I’ll wait to tell the girls, but we should tell Shining Armor and Cadance. They may be able to help us.”

Celestia laughed “I did say that we were going to tell a couple of ponies, right?” Lowering her voice she whispered “You’re right, I meant Mother and Father when I said that, but our guards are here right now.”

Twilight nodded before hesitating “Shiny isn’t going to like it, but I’m doing some research in the Crystal Empire. Their library hold many books that aren’t available in Equestria. They might have something that will help us.”

Artemis shrugged “Once we tell them about what happened today, I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Their conversation stopped as they reached the dining room.

Twilight turned to her guards “Your vacation starts today. I want you to spend this time with your families. Make sure you get some rest as well. We may not know what those two are planning, but I want you ready to help us deal with whatever it is.”

Celestia turned to the captains. “The same applies to the two of you. ” She paused “Once your vacation is over, it may be a good idea for the four of you to get some extra training in.”

Twilight smiled as an idea came to her. “Silver Shadow and Sapphire Wing, you can always say that you’re working together to give Steel Night and Midnight Fang some special training. Even if Golden Flash asks what you’re doing, I doubt he would question that. If he does, remind him that somepony attacked me and tried to kill my foal.” She shrugged “You’re training my guards, that’s all.”

Sapphire Wing chuckled “That’s a great idea, princess.”

Turning to Celestia and Artemis, Twilight laughed. “I think Shiny’s rubbing off on me.”

Artemis smiled “In this case, I’ll consider that a good thing.”

Celestia nodded “You just gave our guards a very good reason to get a lot of training in.”

Silver Shadow smiled at Twilight. “And a great excuse to give anypony that decides to question us.”

Then the four of them bowed. “Have a safe trip, Prince Artemis and Princess Twilight. We’ll see you on Sunday.”

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight sat at the table as their guards left the room. Dinner was a quiet meal because none of them were in the mood to talk much.

Twilight wasn’t able to hold down the main meal but, when she returned to the dining room, she was given a bowl of applesauce. She managed to keep that, and a bottle of apple juice, down.

After dinner, they headed for the side entrance. Celestia hugged her siblings before they got onto the chariot. “When will you be back?”

Twilight summoned her saddlebags, lesson plans and the worksheets her students had completed from their room. Then she glanced at Artemis before answering Celestia’s question. “Sunday evening”

Artemis nodded “We want to be back in time to help you secure the castle. Besides, I don’t think either of us wants to rush on Monday morning.”

Celestia nodded “I’ll see you tonight.”

Artemis nodded and gave the order to take off.

Celestia smiled as she sent a letter to Spike before heading to her room for the night.

Half an hour later, Twilight and Artemis arrived in Ponyville. They found the girls, Spike and Mayor Mare waiting for them. Twilight climbed off the chariot and levitated her saddlebags onto her back while Artemis told the guards to return an hour before moonrise Sunday. As the chariot took off towards Canterlot, Twilight and Artemis turned to their friends.

Spike ran up and jumped onto Twilight’s back, giving her a hug. “Your meeting with Cheerilee is scheduled for tomorrow morning. However, Mayor Mare has family visiting for Hearth’s Warming and they’re arriving tomorrow. So I had to schedule your meeting with her for a different time.”

Twilight glanced at him, not liking his tone. “When is it?”

Spike looked down “Now”

Twilight gave him a look before sighing and turning to Mayor Mare. “Very well. However, this meeting will have to be a short one. Artemis and I have had a long day, so we really need to relax.”

Mayor Mare nodded “Yes, princess”

Twilight turned back to her friends and Spike. “We’ve made an annoying discovery. Unfortunately, morning sickness starts rather early in alicorn pregnancies.” She looked at Pinkie. “That means no parties for me for a little while, Pinkie.”

Pinkie pouted “OK, but you’re having one as soon as you’re feeling better.”

Twilight smiled at her “I have a better idea. You get to plan and throw the party when Artemis and I discover if our foal is a filly or a colt. That usually happens around three months into a pregnancy, so my stomach will likely have calmed down by that point.”

Everyone laughed as Pinkie’s eyes lit up before she began babbling about party plans.

Twilight turned to Applejack. “For the last two days, the only things I’ve been able to keep in my stomach have been apple juice and applesauce. I was hoping you could help me find other things that I’ll be able to eat. Apples seem to be a common theme, so I can’t think of a better pony to ask.”

Smiling, Applejack nodded “You got it, Twi. Granny Smith and ah will find something for ya.”

“Thanks” Twilight replied “One more thing. Celestia, Artemis, my parents, Spike, and I will be going to the Crystal Empire for the week of Hearth’s Warming. We’re leaving on Monday.” She paused, looking at each of the girls. “All of you are invited.”

Spike’s eyes lit up “R-really? I can come too?”

Twilight nuzzled him “Yes, Spike. I want you to come with us. Is that alright with you?”

He nodded repeatedly

Fluttershy lowered her head “M-my brother’s coming, so I-I can’t go.”

“We’ve got family visiting from Appleloosa, so ah can’t go.” Applejack added

“I’m sorry, Darling. Our parents want a quiet holiday with me and Sweetie Belle. We’re not going anywhere.” Rarity replied

Pinkie bounced in place “I’m staying with the Cakes! They want me to throw a Hearth’s Warming party so we can make it super fun for the foals!”

Rainbow shook her head “Scootaloo’s parents have already left town and won’t be back until the New Year starts. As soon as she told me about it, I promised that I’d spend the holiday with her.” She snorted. “No sister of mine will be left alone like that.”

Twilight nodded “I’m glad you’re doing that for Scootaloo, Rainbow.” She frowned “My current reaction may be influenced by the fact that I’m pregnant, but I don’t care. I want to know why her parents left her alone.”

“Good point” Artemis commented, glancing at Twilight. “We have to ensure this doesn’t happen to her again.”

“What do you mean by that?!” Rainbow asked, getting right in Artemis’ face. “You’re not going to take her away, are you?!”

Using his magic to gently push Rainbow back, Artemis nodded. “After informing Celestia of this, we might have to. I have no doubt that my sister will insist on speaking to Scootaloo’s parents herself. Once she does, she may determine that they’re not caring for their daughter correctly. There are several ways for us to deal with this, but I can’t say any more about it until we get more information and talk to my sister.”

He shook his head “I don’t care what reason her parents have for their actions. There’s no excuse for leaving a foal to fend for herself. It doesn’t matter if that foal is capable of taking care of herself, the law doesn’t allow it. You said that her parents aren’t going to return until the New Year, right? That means she would have been on her own for almost three weeks. Scootaloo is simply too young to be on her own for that length of time.”

Twilight nuzzled Rainbow to get her attention. “Don’t worry, even if we have to take her from her parents, we’re not going to put her in an orphanage. If I have my way, your adoptive sister will become your adoptive daughter.” She paused “Perhaps she’ll still be your adoptive sister, but you’ll be the one raising her. If Celestia doesn’t agree to either of those, I’ll have Scootaloo move into my castle. When I’m in Canterlot, the five of you can help Spike take care of her. That way, she won’t be alone, miss school or have to leave her friends.”

“Oh” Rainbow replied, smiling sheepishly at Artemis “Sorry, Artemis.”

Chuckling, Artemis shook his head “That’s alright, Rainbow. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

Applejack smiled “Scootaloo can also spend a few nights with Apple Bloom while you’re gone, Twi.” She looked at Rarity “Sweetie Belle can come over too.”

Rarity nodded “That’s a good idea, Darling. I’m sure our parents will agree to it when I explain everything. In fact, they may insist that she spends time with our family as well.” She turned to Twilight and Artemis “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of her.”

“REALLY?!”

Artemis and Mayor Mare jumped

Recognizing the voices, Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie turned to a nearby bush as three young fillies tumbled out of it.

“You’re not going to make me go anywhere?!” Scootaloo exclaimed, staring up at Twilight and Artemis

“Scoots can really sleepover?!” Apple Bloom shouted, jumping on Applejack’s back

“You think Mom and Dad will let her spend time with us during the Holiday?!” Sweetie Belle squealed, bouncing up and down in front of Rarity

Artemis and Mayor Mare looked on as Twilight and her friends shook their heads and let out a collective sigh.

“First of all,” Twilight began “Are you supposed to eavesdrop on other ponies?”

The CMC bowed their heads “No, Twilight. We’re sorry.”

“Now that that’s out of the way . . .” Twilight nuzzled Scootaloo “Don’t worry, Scootaloo. We’re going to make sure you stay here.”

“Ah said she can sleep over at our house and ah meant it.” Applejack told her sister “Apples are known for our hospitality. Plus she’s your friend. We’re not going to let her be alone for the holiday, or any other time.”

Rarity used her magic to hold her sister still. “I’ll explain the situation to our parents, Sweetie Belle. Once they know what’s going on, I’m sure they’ll demand that she comes for a visit. If she does, Scootaloo will just have to behave herself.”

All three fillies shouted the same thing. “YAY!!!”

Scootaloo looked around at all of them and quickly replied. “I’ll be good!”

Twilight turned to Scootaloo “I won’t ask you about it right now, but you will have to tell us why your parents did this. We won’t be able to help you unless we know what’s going on.” After receiving a nod, Twilight looked up at everypony else. “We’ll meet at my castle Sunday morning and discuss this in greater detail. Until then, Rainbow will take care of her. If you need help, Rainbow, let us know.”

Artemis smiled “Good idea, Twilight. I’m glad that’s settled.” He turned to everypony else. “I’d like to get back to our trip to the Crystal Empire. The information about Scootaloo and her parents was a surprise, but the rest wasn’t. We thought you were going to respond like that, but Twilight wanted to ask you anyway. It’s alright, we’ll see you when we get back.”

Everypony nodded

Before anything else could be said, Rarity turned to Twilight. “Darling, I’m going to borrow Artemis for a while.”

Artemis raised an eyebrow “Didn’t you hear Twilight say that we had a long day and need to relax?”

Rarity smiled “Of course I did. Don’t worry, you don’t need to do anything. Just let me do all of the work. Come on, Sweetie Belle.” With that said, she pulled him towards her boutique with Sweetie Belle excitedly bouncing along next to her.

Applejack and Apple Bloom walked towards their farm.

Rainbow knelt down on the ground. “Climb on, Squirt, and hold on tight. We’re going home.”

Scootaloo’s eyes lit up before she nodded and scrambled onto Rainbow’s back. Rainbow turned to the girls as she rose into the air. “We’ll see you tomorrow or Sunday morning.” Grinning at her passenger, she did a back flip before heading for her cloud home.

Twilight sighed and walked towards the town hall. “Let’s get this meeting started, Mayor Mare.”

Mayor Mare nodded and followed her.

The rest of the girls headed home while Spike walked inside the castle.

In the boutique, Artemis was trying very hard not to yell at Rarity. During the last two hours, she had measured nearly every inch of him and was now draping several different types and colors of fabric over his body. She didn’t even stop long enough for him to lower the moon. Instead, he’d been forced to perform his celestial duty while she measured his horn. Why does she care how long my horn is? Finally, he’d had enough.

“Rarity.”

“Not now, Darling. I’m in the zone.”

“Rarity,” He all but growled “I’ve been standing here for two hours! You knew that I wanted to relax tonight. This is not relaxing!”

Surprised, Rarity looked up “Two hours couldn’t have passed. The moon isn’t even up . . .” She looked out the window “yet.”

Artemis raised eyebrow “I was trying to raise the moon while you were measuring my horn, remember?”

Rarity gasped “I’m sorry, Artemis! I didn’t mean to keep you this long. Can you ever forgive me?”

Far past the point of caring about appearances, Artemis rolled his eyes at the dramatics. “Its fine, Rarity. However, I have a request and it must be completed this weekend.”

“Of course!” She immediately replied “What is it?”

“I need you to make a couple of cold weather dresses for Twilight and they need to be heavy.” He told her “She doesn’t know it, but I plan to show her something during our trip to the Crystal Empire. Unfortunately, it will require us to travel outside of the Crystal Heart’s protection from the winter weather. I’m asking for two because I’m fairly certain that one of them won’t survive the trip, due to the extreme conditions.”

“That’s not a problem.” Rarity told him “I’ll use the measurements I got from her the other day. Winter dresses are fairly easy to make, especially for Twilight. She never cared for anything frilly, so they just need to keep her warm.” She glanced around the room. “I already have everything I need, so they’ll be ready by Sunday morning. I’ll give them to you before you head to Canterlot.”

Artemis nodded, levitating the pieces of fabric off of his body and depositing them in a pile on the floor. “Thank you. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get some sleep.”

“Of course, Darling” Rarity absent mindedly replied, already getting to work. “Have a good night.”

Shaking his head, Artemis walked outside before spreading his wings and taking flight.

After taking some time to patrol Ponyville and the Everfree Forest for any dangers, Artemis landed on the balcony to Twilight’s room. Shivering, he opened the door and he walked inside. Looking to their bed, he saw Twilight lying under a thick blanket, reading a book. Closing the door, he walked over and silently slid under the covers. Then he pulled her close, smiling as she gasped and dropped her book.

“Y-you’re freezing!”

Laughing, he pointed at the balcony with a wing.

She looked outside and gasped again “It’s snowing!”

He nodded, sighing happily as her body heat began to warm him.

“What did Rarity want?” She asked “Wait. Let me guess. She wanted your measurements, right?”

“Yes” he sighed “I spent the last two hours standing in her boutique as she measured almost everything, including my horn. She’s still working, but I convinced her to let me leave.”

Laughing, she snuggled closer and wrapped the blanket tighter around them. “That sounds like her.”

He nuzzled her “What did Mayor Mare want to talk about?”

Twilight rolled her eyes “The budget and a new building she wants to build in town. She thinks Ponyville needs another restaurant and wants me to decide on what type of food they should serve as well as exactly where we should put it. Honestly, I don’t think we need another one because Mr. and Mrs. Cake have never complained about having too many customers. I asked her to prove that it would be a valid use of the money and resources. Unless she can prove we need it, I don’t think I’ll approve that request.”

Artemis nodded “You’re right. Ponyville is a small town so there isn’t a need for another restaurant just yet. This town may need another one within five years, but that depends on how the population increases.”

Twilight yawned and lay her head on his shoulder. “Are you ready to get some sleep?”

He nodded, yawning as well “I was ready two hours ago.”

She laughed and closed her eyes. He did the same. Within a few minutes, they both were asleep.

In the dream realm, Midnight Armor and Sundance looked up and smiled as Artemis appeared in front of them. He immediately brought Celestia and Twilight into his dream. Before they could say anything, their children walked over, nuzzled them and lay down facing them, with Artemis in between Celestia and Twilight. They glanced at each other, surprised at the change from the way things had gone the rest of the week, before turning back to their children.

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight didn’t wait for their parents to ask how their day went. Instead, they looked at each other and nodded. Twilight showed their parents what happened when she walked into the throne room after class. Artemis also showed them that part of the day, from his point of view. Celestia showed them everything that happened after she and Artemis returned to the throne room. Celestia, Artemis and Twilight held their breaths, waiting for their parents to respond.

For several minutes, they were speechless. Sundance simply looked horrified. Midnight Armor stared at his children. I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but I hope they’re lying to us. Holding his breath, he carefully studied his children. T-they’re serious . . .

After a few minutes, Sundance collected herself enough to move. Only one part of what she’d just seen truly scared her, and it wasn’t Golden Thunder’s return. She cast a teleportation spell.

Twilight gasped in surprise as she suddenly found herself lying between their parents and looked up when something touched her horn. That something turned out to be Sundance’s horn.

Not willing to trust anything other than an advanced magic scan, Sundance checked her daughter’s magic levels and sighed in relief when she saw the results. She needs to take it easy for a couple of days, but she’ll be fine.

After a moment’s thought, Sundance did something that would probably be useful later. With everything that’s going on in the waking world right now, she may forget what I’m about to tell her. This measure may be extreme, but I don’t care. I have to make sure she doesn’t use too much magic until she recovers from casting that spell. That done, she nuzzled Twilight and waited until her daughter looked at her. “Make sure you use as little magic as possible over the next couple of days, Twilight. If you can do that, your magic will recover on its own.”

Hearing his wife’s words, Midnight Armor sighed in relief as well. Sundance is an expert on magic scans. In fact, she invented most of them. If she believes Twilight just needs some rest, I have no reason to doubt her.

Artemis glanced at Celestia before turning to their parents. “Twilight and I are in Ponyville for the weekend. That means she’ll be able to relax and I plan to make sure she does.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor smiled “Good”

Twilight nodded, but felt that there was something else she should say. Her ears drooped “I-I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to stop Golden Flash from bringing Golden Thunder’s soul back.”

Sundance immediately shook her head “No, Twilight, don’t apologize. If you hadn’t acted so quickly, things would have been much worse.”

Midnight Armor draped a wing over Twilight’s back. “Your mother is right. Golden Flash wasn’t able to completely revive Golden Thunder because of what you did. You also alerted Celestia and Artemis to the situation as soon as you discovered it, while taking steps to stop the Spirit Reanimation Spell. Additionally, it was wise for you to ensure that Golden Thunder couldn’t go anywhere.”

Twilight looked down “But I had to drop that spell so I could focus on shutting the Spirit Reanimation Spell down. That’s when Golden Thunder got away.”

“That wasn’t your fault, Twilight.” Sundance replied “It was far more important for you to stop Golden Flash’s spell. Yes, it had an unfortunate consequence, but you made the right choice. Besides, you kept him there long enough for Celestia and Artemis to arrive. As a result, all three of you know for sure that he’s back.” She nuzzled their youngest before turning to their older children. “Where is Golden Thunder’s soul now?”

Celestia sighed “I believe he entered Golden Flash’s body. Unfortunately, I can’t prove it. There are spells that I can cast to search for him, but I won’t be able to do so until my magic recovers. In fact, I’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow evening. Artemis and I gave much of our magic to Twilight so that she had enough to stop and shut down the Spirit Reanimation Spell without draining her own.”

Twilight looked up at Midnight Armor “Unfortunately, I never got to my research today. So I don’t have an answer to your question from last night.”

He smiled at her “After what happened today, that to be expected.”

Sundance looked at Celestia “I’m sure you already have a plan of some kind. What do you intend to do about this?”

Celestia showed their parents what happened after Golden Flash left the castle.

“I see.” Midnight Armor replied “Informing all of the alicorns, alive and dead, while continuing the research that your sister started. You’re right, Celestia. That’s a good place to start. As for the guards, I know that two of them are Twilight’s and one is the Captain of Artemis’ Night Guard.” He looked at his oldest “I assume the Pegasus is the Captain of your Day Guard?”

Celestia nodded “That’s Sapphire Wing”

Midnight Armor nodded thoughtfully “I wouldn’t have seen a point in keeping them informed, but that’s probably because we didn’t have guards when your mother and I were alive. In your case, it might be a good idea to involve them, but only if you’re sure you can trust them.”

Artemis laughed “Don’t worry, those four can be trusted.” Turning to their father, he smiled “In fact, there’s something you should see, Father.” He showed their parents what Midnight Fang told them.

Midnight Armor stared at his son “Y-your guard was named after me?!”

Sundance also stared at Artemis for a few moments before smiling. Talk about a sign. That stallion was meant to be one of Twilight’s guards. He even has Midnight’s protective tendencies.

Still smiling, Artemis nodded “I allowed him to be one of my personal guards because I trust him. During the last few weeks, he’s proven that my trust has not been misplaced. Twilight’s right, he now helps to protect your grandfoal.”

“V-very well” Midnight Armor replied, recovering from his shock. After a moment’s thought, he laughed. “I like your idea for your guards to get some extra training, Celestia. As well as the excuse you gave them, Twilight. Anypony that decides to question their actions will be given a valid reason for their need to train. They just won’t be told what else is going on.”

Smiling, Sundance nodded “I agree that the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony should be told about what happened today, but there’s no reason to do so right now. You should get more information and have a solid plan before bringing them into this. As for further research, Twilight’s right. The Crystal Empire has many old writings that will probably be able to help you.”

Celestia laughed “It’s just like Twilight to think of that. When there’s a problem, she usually turns to a book for the answer.”

Sundance laughed as well “In this case, that’s a good thing. You should be able to get a fair amount of research done without worrying about Golden Flash trying to disturb you.”

Artemis chuckled “That’s an understatement.” He showed his parents an image of Twilight’s research two days ago. “Celestia calls this Twilight’s Research Mode. When it comes to research, she runs circles around both of us.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor’s jaws dropped as they counted the number of books that their youngest had hovering around her, as well as the amount that was sitting next to her. Eyebrows raised, they turned to her.

“What?” Twilight asked defensively “It works!”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia and Artemis laughed.

Midnight Armor hugged his youngest “I’m sure it does, Twilight. It’s just that your mother and I have never seen anything like it.”

Sundance nodded before turning to Artemis “I just thought of something. How much does anypony know about what you’ve done with our souls?”

Surprised, Artemis thought for a moment before turning to Celestia. She shook her head “I haven’t told anypony about what you’ve done.”

“Now that I think about it,” Artemis began “we never told anypony that you’re able to visit us. We didn’t mean to keep it a secret, we just don’t mention it. Even if we did, most ponies wouldn’t know who we’re talking about. After fifteen hundred years, you’re only mentioned in the oldest recordings of history.”

Celestia nodded “Today, I purposely kept it quiet around our guards, but we normally don’t bother. Even when we talk about something that was said during your visits, we don’t use any names.” She laughed “Everypony else looks at us like we’re crazy, but they don’t say anything.”

Midnight Armor glanced at his wife before smiling at their children. “That doesn’t bother us at all. Golden Thunder probably thinks your mother and I are completely out of the picture. We may not be able to actively participate, but we can still help you.” He looked at Artemis “After tonight is over, we’ll have to wait three months to see you again, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be able to talk to you. If you bring your sister and Twilight into your dream, we’ll be able to talk to all three of you. Yes, we’ll have to use our magic, but I think it’s worth it.”

Artemis paused “On certain nights, I could put more magic into the spell for bringing out the stars. That might give you enough to talk to us without using your own.” He looked at them “Unfortunately, it’s not something I’ll be able to do often because it’ll probably take a lot of magic.”

“That’s alright, Artemis.” Sundance replied, smiling at her son “Even doing that once or twice between visits will allow us to help you.”

Artemis nodded, already thinking about how to make this work. Lost in thought, he muttered “I’ll have to take a closer look at that spell so I can figure out the best place to put the extra magic. I don’t want to unbalance the spell because that would cause problems with all of the stars.” He paused as an idea came to him. “Maybe I can find a way to send specific stars extra magic instead. That should give Mother and Father enough to talk to us without running the risk of messing up the rest of the stars.”

Celestia nuzzled her brother

Startled, he jumped and looked at her. “Yes, sister?”

“Sorry” she giggled “I just wanted to let you know that I already found a way to do that. While you were gone, I was able to let Mother and Father enter my dream because I sent a large amount of my magic to their stars when I raised them. Unfortunately, I was only able to do that once because their stars resisted my magic after that. I can raise and lower the stars, but that’s all I can do with them. As far as I can tell, they don’t want anypony but you doing anything else with them. That means you shouldn’t have a problem.” She paused “I’ll send the spell I used to Spike in the morning.”

Midnight Armor looked at his oldest “I didn’t know that’s why we were able to visit you.”

Celestia nodded

Twilight looked at Celestia, head tilted as she thought. “If it’s merely a matter of sending extra magic to Mom and Dad’s stars, we should be able to help. If we give Artemis some of our magic, he could use our combined magic to boost theirs. Their stars shouldn’t resist that and it wouldn’t drain nearly as much of his magic.”

Artemis tilted his head as he thought. “They’re both good ideas. I’ll take a look at that spell tomorrow morning. I may need to change a few things, but Twilight’s library should have all the information I need. You’re right, sister. Mother and Father have never resisted anything I’ve done with their stars. Twilight’s right as well. We shouldn’t have any trouble giving our parents enough magic to talk to us because, as long as I’m the one that does it, it shouldn’t matter where I get the magic.”

Sundance stared at their children for a moment before shaking her head in wonder. “I-I’m not sure how to respond to that . . .”

“You’re right, Sundance.” Midnight Armor said slowly “I can’t believe they were able to come up with a solution so quickly.”

Celestia sighed “I think that’s enough of that. We’ve had a rather stressful afternoon so I’d like to relax, or at least have some fun.”

Artemis smiled “I vote for fun”

Midnight Armor laughed “That’s a good idea. What would you like to do?”

Twilight hesitantly spoke up “I’ve flown with Celestia and Artemis but . . .”

Immediately understanding what Twilight wanted, Sundance’s eyes lit up while Midnight Armor smiled and nodded. Celestia smiled and nuzzled her brother. Artemis grinned, nodded and lit his horn.

A couple of minutes later, they were laying on a grassy field. The sky above them was that of a clear summer morning. There were a couple of fluffy white clouds in the sky but it was mostly clear. There was even a pleasant breeze rustling the tops of the trees at the edge of the field. Smiling, the five of them stood, spread their wings and took flight.

Midnight Armor watched Twilight carefully. “You gained your wings three years ago, right?”

Twilight nodded

“All things considered, you fly rather well.” He commented “However, I noticed that you fly more like a Pegasus than an alicorn.”

“I didn’t know there was a difference.” Twilight replied “Rainbow has been teaching me to fly.”

He turned to Celestia and Artemis “Why didn’t you two help her when she ascended?”

Celestia glanced at their father “Artemis was still on a night schedule at the time. He was usually either in Night Court or reading up on what he missed over the thousand years he was gone. As for me, I had a new problem to deal with, in addition to the usual difficulties that come with running Equestria. That problem was Twilight’s ascension.”

Sundance raised an eyebrow “How did that cause a problem?”

Twilight sighed “I can answer that one, Mom.” She paused as their parents turned to her. “Once news of my ascension reached them, the nobles went crazy. Most of them complained that a commoner was chosen to become royalty instead of one of them. What I had done didn’t matter to them. Instead, they focused on the fact that I’m not part of a royal bloodline. They even came up with a name for me.”

Celestia frowned “I still can’t believe I didn’t know about that.” She paused “How did you find out about it?”

“I made several trips to Canterlot for “Princess Lessons”, remember?” Twilight answered, pausing until Celestia nodded “After each one, I went to the library to read more about what you taught me in that day’s lesson. I would usually run into at least a few nobles on the way. They refused to accept that I was anything other than your student and a librarian, so they ignored me. As a result, I heard what they were saying. At the time, all of them were trying to find a way to make sure I never saw a throne.”

Artemis narrowed his eyes

Twilight laughed “They went even crazier when, not only did I get a throne, I got my castle. That’s when Blueblood came up with that name. He tried to make everypony believe that I would never be a “real” princess.”

I probably won’t like the answer, but I’ll ask anyway. Sundance moved closer to Twilight. “What have they been calling you?”

Twilight glanced at their mother “The Commoner Princess.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor’s eyes widened for a moment before quickly narrowing. Both of them stopped in midair, staring at their youngest. Celestia, Artemis and Twilight saw this, stopped as well and turned to them.

Seeing their expressions, Twilight decided to explain further. “They’re more careful about saying it now. They usually only call me that when I’m not around, or they think I can’t hear them. In fact, Blueblood’s only said it to my face once.” She shrugged “They’ve been doing it for three years now, so I’m used to it.”

Midnight Armor was obviously angry. Everypony else was just glad that his anger wasn’t directed at them. Shaking his head, he muttered “It’s probably a good thing I can’t say, or do, anything to them.” After several deep breaths, he turned to his youngest. “Come with me, Twilight. I’m going to teach you the difference between the wings of a Pegasus and those of an alicorn.” With a flap of his wings, he rose higher into the sky.

Curious, Twilight followed him while Sundance, Celestia and Artemis settled on a cloud to watch. Celestia and Artemis glanced at each other and smiled, remembering when their father had given them this lesson.

As Twilight drew level with him, Midnight Armor turned to her. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that your wings are different than the ones a Pegasus has.”

Twilight nodded “They’re more powerful than Rainbow’s. I always thought that was weird because she’s a very strong flier. I mean, she’s the only Pegasus I know of that can pull of the Sonic Rainboom.”

“What?” Midnight Armor asked, surprised “That technique is very difficult to pull off successfully because the speed required is practically unheard of for a Pegasus to achieve. She can really do that?”

Twilight nodded “As far as I know, she’s done it three times so far.”

“You certainly found yourself a good flight teacher.” He shook his head “You said your wings seem more powerful. How so?”

“Even when both of us put the same amount of effort into moving our wings, I go farther or higher, depending on what we’re doing.” She told him

He paused as something occurred to him. How should I bring this up without it coming out wrong? After a couple of minutes, he came up with an idea. She’s very smart, so that might work. “The reason that an alicorn’s wings are stronger than a Pegasus’ has to do with a physical difference between alicorns and almost every other pony. Aside from the fact that we have both wings and a horn.”

“Physical difference?” Twilight asked, pausing to think for a few minutes. “You mean size, right? Every alicorn, other than me and Flurry Heart, is larger than most ponies. Flurry’s still a foal, so we’re not sure how big she’s going to get. As for me, I’m not growing very fast, but I am getting bigger.” She laughed “For some reason, Rarity’s very happy about that. In fact, she seems excited about the prospect of designing clothes for me as I grow.”

I’m glad that worked. I’m also glad I don’t have to tell her that she’s going to get bigger. And I’m not referring to her stomach. Sighing in relief, Midnight Armor laughed. “You’re right. The amount of magic that an alicorn has means that we’re naturally larger than most other ponies. The reason you’re growing is that your body is simply too small for the amount of magic you have. Staying your current size won’t hurt you but, as time goes on, it would put a strain on your body. To avoid this, you’re going to keep growing until your body is the right size for your magic.” He paused thoughtfully “If I had to guess, I’d say that you’re going to be larger than Cadance, but smaller than Artemis.”

“Really?” Twilight asked, surprised “Y-you think I’m going to get that big?”

“Given how much magic you have, I believe so.” He nuzzled her “I’d like to get back to your wings. They’re already stronger than a Pegasus’ and will get even stronger as you grow. For now, there’s nothing wrong with you using the flight techniques of a Pegasus. However, once you reach a certain size, you’ll find that those techniques are no longer effective.” He saw that she looked worried and nuzzled her. “It’s alright. I’m going to show you a few techniques that will help you now. As you grow, I’ll teach you the right ones to use for that particular size.”

Sundance spoke up “When you get far enough into your pregnancy, your foal will begin to throw off your balance. When that happens, I’ll teach you some flight techniques that I learned when I was pregnant.”

Glancing at his wife, Midnight Armor paused. I’m glad we’re doing this in the dream realm. If we were in the waking world, I’d have to be careful not to allow things to get too rough. That isn’t a concern here because she’s actually resting in bed. Even so, she’ll remember this and be able to use what I teach her later.

He spent the next hour teaching her various flight techniques. I’m impressed. We’ve only been training for an hour, but she’s already got a good grasp of the proper flight techniques for her current size. “That’s enough for now. Well done, Twilight.”

Panting slightly, she smiled and nuzzled him. “Thanks, Dad”

He returned her smile as they flew to the cloud where their family was waiting. He landed and lay down in between his wife and Celestia.

Twilight saw Sundance gesture to her other side. Curious, she went to their mother’s side and lay down.

Sundance smiled “It’s best to take care of your wings when you finish a tough flight training session.” She paused “Did Rainbow Dash teach you how to take care of your wings?”

Twilight shook her head “Fluttershy did that.”

“I see.” Sundance replied “Spread your wings, please.”

“Alright” Twilight replied, spreading both wings and laying them on the cloud.

Sundance carefully examined Twilight’s right wing and gently pressed a particular spot.

Twilight gasped as that wing began to shake uncontrollably. “Ah!”

Sundance nodded “I thought so”

“W-what did you do?” Twilight asked, trying to get her wing to stop shaking.

“Give me a moment . . .” Sundance answered, focusing on Twilight’s wing. She smiled as her gentle massage drew several sighs of pleasure from her daughter. She did the same to Twilight’s left wing, getting the same reactions. “That should feel better.”

Twilight nodded, sighing in pleasure as her wings completely relaxed. “Does that mean the techniques I use to care for my wings need to change as well?”

Sundance shook her head. “In this case, the techniques that pegasi use work just fine on alicorns. However, because our wings are stronger, more effort needs to be put into those techniques when they’re used on us.”

“That explains it.” Twilight said thoughtfully “I always have to ask Fluttershy to press harder when she does anything to my wings because, if she doesn’t, I don’t feel anything. Even so, I never thought it was my wings. Instead, I always thought it was because of how gentle she is.”

Sundance smiled “I applied a bit of pressure to a certain spot on each of your wings. A Pegasus wouldn’t have felt anything because, while they can fly and walk on clouds, that’s the extent of their magic." She paused "Well, some of them can also control the weather. Regardless, on an alicorn, that’s where the different types of magic meet with the nerves in the wing. It’s the addition of our alicorn magic that makes that a sensitive place for us. Even though it’s sensitive, we need to apply a little bit of pressure there once in a while. Otherwise, it gets tense. If it gets too tense, we begin to have trouble flying.” She nuzzled her youngest “After such a stressful day, I thought you might need that. Even if your friend helps you relax, there’s little chance that a Pegasus would think of pressing there.”

Smiling, Twilight sighed again before returning their mother’s nuzzle. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Ah!”

“Ooh . . .”

Sundance turned and smiled as she saw both of her older children relaxing on the cloud with their wings spread. Glancing at her husband, she noticed that his horn was glowing.

Seeing that his wife was looking at him, Midnight Armor returned her smile. “It seems they needed that as well. After all, it was a stressful day for all three of our children.”

Suddenly, Twilight got an idea. Turning back to Sundance, she whispered “Where’s that spot again? I want to do that to Artemis when we wake up.”

Sundance used her magic to warm the right spot on both of Twilight’s wings. “That’s a great idea, Twilight. I’m sure he’ll enjoy it.” She whispered back. I’m not going to tell Artemis to return the favor because I’m certain he’ll do it anyway. Besides, I don’t want to ruin the surprise.

They made an unspoken agreement to relax for the rest of the night. A few hours later, Sundance and Midnight Armor noticed that they were beginning to fade. Both of them stood and faced their children.

“It appears that our time is up.” Sundance said sadly

“You’re right” Midnight Armor replied

Celestia sighed “It’s time for me to raise the sun.”

Artemis looked down “You’re right, sister. I have to lower the moon.”

Twilight stood, walked over to their parents and nuzzled them both. “We may have to wait three months to see each other again, but we’ll be talking to you soon.”

Artemis smiled “Twilight’s right.” He thought for a moment before smiling at their parents. “I’m going to test that spell on Hearth’s Warming for two reasons. One, I want to make sure we won’t have any trouble on a night that we have some important information for you. Two, even though we won’t be able to spend the holiday with you, at least we’ll be able to talk to you.”

Midnight Armor’s eyes lit up. Our visits rarely fall on that holiday, so we haven’t been able to talk to our children on Hearth’s Warming in centuries.

Sundance hugged her son. “Even if you aren’t able to get the spell to work,” she whispered “the fact that you’re going to try means far more to us than you’ll ever know.”

Artemis smiled and nuzzled their mother before nuzzling their father as well. Celestia stepped forward and followed suit. Finally, Twilight stepped forward and did the same.

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight watched as their parents were pulled towards the stars. Only after they were out of sight, did Artemis allow them to wake.

Sundance and Midnight Armor returned to Star Swirl.

“How did it go?” He asked

Sundance turned to her husband and kissed him before they returned to their forms as stars. Only then did she answer the question. “It was a very nice visit.”

“Yes.” Midnight Armor added “Thank you for forcing us to take your magic, Star Swirl.”

Star Swirl laughed “You’re welcome. I can’t believe both of you were going to wait for Artemis to tell you what happened. It’s a good thing that the shockwave he sent out gave us enough magic to talk to him.”

Sundance laughed “He was surprised to hear our voices, that’s for sure.”

“I know I was able to get a message to her through Artemis,” Star Swirl began “but I’d like to hear it from you anyway. How is Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

Midnight Armor brightened to his nighttime level.

Laughing, Sundance asked “Excited, Midnight?” A minute later, she dropped the act and brightened as well. “Who am I kidding, I’m just as excited as you are.”

Midnight Armor laughed as well “She wasn’t harmed in that attack, so there’s no need to worry.” He flickered, the equivalent of shaking his head. “Our youngest daughter is something else. Through our children’s stories . . .”

Surprised, Star Swirl interrupted “Youngest daughter?”

Sundance laughed “Yes, Star Swirl, he called her our youngest daughter. We’ve been calling her that since Artemis confirmed that she’s carrying his foal. In fact, she calls us the modern version of Mother and Father, Mom and Dad.”

He gasped “Really?”

Midnight Armor briefly brightened before returning to normal resting levels, the equivalent of a nod. “She was asleep and we were trying to wake her. The method we chose was apparently the same one her parents used when she was young. Because she was still half asleep, she thought we were her parents and called us the appropriate names.” He laughed “When she fully woke up, and realized what she’d said, she was actually worried that she’d upset us. Once she discovered that we were happy that she referred to us as her parents, she began calling us that all of the time.”

Star Swirl laughed “I’m happy that he finally found somepony. Did he tell you why he chose her?”

Sundance briefly brightened “Do you remember what we told you when we returned from visiting Artemis the night he returned? In this case, I’m referring to how he was able to return.”

“Yes” Star Swirl replied, confused “You told me that Artemis had been saved by the Elements of Harmony and a lavender unicorn. What does that have to do with Princess Twilight Sparkle?”

Midnight Armor brightened again “Would you believe me if I told you that the lavender unicorn is now an alicorn? Or that she ascended after she managed to complete your final spell?”

“W-what?!” Star Swirl exclaimed, suddenly understanding what they meant. “You’re telling me that she’s the one who saved Artemis?!” He paused “No, that can’t be right. The unicorn’s name was . . .”

“Twilight Sparkle” Sundance supplied, laughing as Star Swirl gasped in shock “Yes, Star Swirl, that’s exactly what we’re saying.”

“I-incredible!” Star Swirl stammered “Now I really can’t wait to meet her!”

“Anyway,” Midnight Armor began “I hope you’re ready to listen.”

“Yes” Sundance continued “Midnight and I have much to tell you. You can ask questions as you think of them, but there’s no guarantee we’ll answer them right away. Instead, we’d like to start at the beginning of the visit. Any questions that we haven’t answered during our tale, we’ll answer at the end.”

“I understand” Star Swirl replied, briefly brightening

“Now then,” Midnight Armor started “one week ago, we arrived to find ourselves standing in front of Artemis . . .”

In Canterlot, Celestia opened her eyes and looked out the window. After watching the moon set below the horizon, she raised the sun. That done, she stood and headed for the dining room. After breakfast, I’ll take a long hot bath. Then I think I’ll take a nap. I need to recover as much of my magic as possible before attempting the spells that will allow me to search for Golden Thunder’s soul.

In Ponyville, Artemis and Twilight opened their eyes at the same time. She watched him lower the moon. Once he had finished, she pushed him onto his stomach.

Still groggy, he didn’t resist when Twilight rolled him over and climbed onto his back. Instead, he mumbled “What’s going on?” He felt her spread his wings. What’s she up to? A moment later, he gasped. “Ah!” Both wings shook uncontrollably as she gently pressed the spot that their mother had shown her the night before. Now wide awake, he sighed in pleasure as she used her hooves to gently massage his wings. As soon as his wings calmed, he folded them. Then he rolled over so quickly that he accidentally knocked her off his back, and the bed, sending her towards the floor. Realizing his mistake, he caught her in his magic.

Twilight giggled as she was surrounded in his magic, brought back onto the bed and placed next to him. “If you wanted me to get up, why didn’t you just say so?” She started to stand “Spike’s probably still asleep, so I’ll go make breakfast.”

He used a wing to pull her back down by his side, making sure that she was lying on her stomach. Before she could say anything, he gently pressed the same spot on both of her wings.

She gasped “Ah!” I thought it was intense last night but it’s even more so when it’s done to the physical body. As he gently massaged her wings, she leaned into his side and nuzzled him. “Thanks. Mom was right, I definitely needed that.”

He pulled her into a hug. “I did as well. Thank you, Twilight.”

She giggled “We should do that to Celestia when we see her tomorrow night.”

Artemis laughed “Good idea. I bet she needs it as much as we did, maybe more.”

They relaxed in bed for another twenty minutes before his stomach growled. Laughing, Twilight stood. “I’ll go make you some breakfast.”

Standing as well, he nuzzled her “What about you?”

“I know we have apple juice,” She replied “so that part isn’t a problem. Unfortunately, I don’t think we have applesauce so I’m not sure what I’m going to eat.” She shrugged “I’ll wait until I see what we have before I decide.”

“Fair enough” He replied, nuzzling her again “As long as you’re aware of the fact that I’m going to make sure you eat something. I know there’s a chance that you won’t be able to keep it down, but you still have to try.”

Twilight winced “I know.”

Artemis sighed in relief, happy she wasn’t going to argue. Now I know how Father must have felt when this happened to Mother. Hopefully, she’ll be able to go back to eating normally soon.

Next Chapter: Chapter 51 Estimated time remaining: 21 Hours, 49 Minutes