Artemis and Twilight went downstairs and walked into the kitchen. Neither of them were surprised when they didn’t see Spike.

Artemis sat at the kitchen table and watched as Twilight began to make something with flour, eggs, salt, milk, butter, sugar, baking powder and a brown liquid that she called vanilla extract. After mixing everything together, she added fresh blueberries. They smelled so good that his stomach growled again. Hearing her giggle, he looked up to find a few blueberries floating in front of him. Smiling, he ate them while she put whatever she made into an odd looking piece of metal and put that in the oven. I have no idea what she’s making, but it’s interesting to watch.

Soon, the kitchen smelled amazing. After a timer went off, she opened the oven and pulled the pan back out. Taking a sniff, she grimaced. “These came out well, but you’re getting most of them. We just have to save a few for Spike.”

“It smells delicious,” Artemis tilted his head “but what in Equestria did you make?”

Turning to him, Twilight raised an eyebrow “I know you’ve had blueberry muffins.”

Surprised, he nodded “Yes, but I’ve never seen anypony actually make them.”

She giggled again as she walked over and placed the pan on the table. “Pinkie taught me how to make them. They’re really good when you eat them fresh out of the oven.”

Curious, he levitated one over to him and took a bite. He looked at the rest of it for a moment before shoving the whole thing in his mouth. After chewing and swallowing, he turned to her. “They taste even better than they smell!”

Laughing, Twilight shook her head as she placed a glass of orange juice in front of him.

“I smell blueberry muffins.”

Twilight and Artemis turned to find a sleepy dragon standing in the doorway. Twilight set another glass of orange juice, and a bottle of apple juice, on the table while he walked over and sat next to Artemis.

Spike grabbed a muffin but, before he could take a bite, he suddenly burped out a letter from Celestia. “Ugh” he grumbled, placing the scroll on the table “Can I eat now?” After a moment without any more letters coming out, he took a large bite of his muffin. “This is much better than burping up a letter.”

Chuckling, Artemis lifted the scroll in his magic and opened it. After reading it, he looked at Twilight. “This is the spell Celestia told us about last night.” Setting it on the table next to him, he returned his attention to the muffins. “I’ll take a closer look at it after breakfast.”

With Artemis and Spike taken care of, Twilight walked into the pantry to see if she could find something for herself to eat. Glancing around, she muttered “I was right, we don’t have any applesauce. We don’t have any apples either. I’ll have to buy both later. Let’s see, what might I be able to keep down?” Not seeing anything, she returned to the table and pulled a blueberry muffin towards her. “I couldn’t find anything in the pantry, so I don’t have a choice. I just hope I don’t regret this.”

Artemis and Spike watched as she slowly ate the muffin. When she finished, but didn’t take another, they glanced at each other before turning back to her.

Raising an eyebrow, Artemis watched her for a moment. When she didn’t move, he levitated another muffin over to her.

Seeing his expression, she sighed. “Fine” Ignoring the complaints from her stomach, she took a couple of bites. When it became clear that her breakfast was coming back up, she let the muffin fall to the table and began gathering magic for a teleportation spell.

In the stars, Midnight Armor stopped mid-sentence when Sundance suddenly gasped. He and Star Swirl turned to her. “What’s wrong?”

“Twilight’s doing exactly what I was afraid she would." She responded "Sorry, I won’t be paying attention to the conversation. Instead, I have to stop her.”

Aware of what she had done, Midnight Armor and Star Swirl immediately understood what she was talking about. They watched as she brightened, focusing her magic.

“It’s alright” Midnight Armor replied “Make sure she doesn’t drain herself.”

Star Swirl paused “I have an idea.” There was a flash of magic around them.

Midnight Armor turned to him “What did you do?”

“Good. It looks like it worked.” Star Swirl commented “I tapped into the link that Sundance’s spell created between her and Princess Twilight. My spell should allow us to hear her as well.”

Midnight Armor brightened “Good idea. Thank you, Star Swirl.”

In Ponyville, Twilight had gathered the necessary magic for her teleportation spell. She was about to cast it, but paused when she heard a voice in her head.

Teleporting isn’t a good idea, Twilight. Don’t forget, you need to use as little magic as possible for a couple of days.

Cursing under her breath, Twilight released her magic and ran to the trash can in the corner of the kitchen. Once she was sure that her stomach was empty, she raised her head and looked out the window. I have no idea how you did that, Mom, but thank you. I did forget that I need to take it easy for a couple of days. After listening for a few minutes, she was disappointed when she didn’t get a response. Shrugging, she returned to the table. I must have imagined it.

Her eyes widened when she heard Sundance laugh. You didn’t imagine it. Last night, when I cast the magic scan, I also cast another spell on you.

Don’t worry, while it can only be used for two weeks at a time, it’s safe to use on a pregnant mare. In fact, it was cast on me while I was pregnant with Artemis. She laughed again Your father needed to travel to another part of Equestria, but refused to go anywhere unless there was a way he could be sure that Celestia and I were safe. That’s why I created this spell.

Seeing the expression on Twilight’s face, Artemis reached over and nuzzled her. “Are you alright?”

Startled, Twilight gasped before turning to him. “Y-yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” Artemis began, nuzzling her again “I didn't mean to make you lose your breakfast. I just wanted to make sure you ate more than one muffin.”

That’s an understandable reason. Sundance commented Your father used to do the same to me. Unfortunately, like you, I wasn’t able to keep whatever he made me eat in my stomach.

“It’s alright.” Twilight told Artemis “I understand why you did that, but I’m not eating anything else.” She sighed “It’s clear that nothing solid is going to stay down right now. Can you open the apple juice? I’ve never done that without magic.”

Raising an eyebrow, Artemis whispered “You’d better explain this later.” After she nodded, he continued in a louder voice. “Sure.” Opening the bottle with his magic, he set it in front of her.

He’s right. Sundance remarked I hope you’re not planning to hide this from him.

Of course not. Twilight replied This is way too important to keep from him.

Sundance sighed in relief Good. Secrets between partners don’t make for a very strong relationship.

There are a few things I’m keeping from him. Twilight answered However, they’re all surprises that I have planned for him and he’ll find out about them soon.

Sundance laughed That’s different. It’s also completely understandable.

“Thanks” Twilight replied, smiling at Artemis. She used her hooves to raise the bottle to her lips and quickly drank everything in it, glad that it put a better taste in her mouth.

Spike opened his mouth, clearly about to say something, but paused when somepony knocked on the front door of the castle.

Twilight glanced up “That must be Cheerilee. She’s earlier than I thought she’d be. Can you let her in, Spike? It’s too cold to work in the park, so we’ll be in the library.”

Spike nodded “Sure thing, Twi.” He drank the last of his orange juice, stood and left the room.

Twilight turned to Artemis “Can you teleport us to our room?”

Artemis used his magic to pick up the letter from Celestia and did as she asked. Once they got there, he turned to her. “What’s going on?”

Twilight placed her saddlebags on her back before answering him. “I can hear somepony’s voice in my head.”

Narrowing his eyes, Artemis growled “If Golden Thunder hurts you . . .”

I should have seen that coming. Sundance said Please calm him down. I’m definitely not Golden Thunder and have no intention of harming you.

Twilight quickly shook her head “It’s not him.”

“Alright,” he responded, clearly not convinced “who is it?”

“Mom”

He was so surprised that he just stared at her. After a moment, he asked “H-how is she doing that?!”

She leaned into his side. “I’ll tell you what I know, but you have to calm down first.”

Sighing in relief, he nodded and wrapped a wing around her.

A few minutes later, Twilight answered his question. “When she cast that magic scan last night, she also cast another spell on me. Whatever the second spell is, it allows her to talk to me.”

In the stars, Sundance sighed in relief “I’m glad she managed to calm him.”

Midnight Armor briefly brightened “I am as well." After a moment, he continued. "I’m not surprised that he was angry. Remember, he thought Golden Thunder’s soul had entered her body. If somepony’s soul had entered your body, especially while you were pregnant, I would have been angry too.”

“Midnight Armor’s right” Star Swirl remarked “Regardless, I bet he’s much calmer now that he knows that you’re the one communicating with Princess Twilight.”

In Ponyville, Twilight looked out the window while she listened to their mother.

Don’t worry, I’ll cancel the spell in a few days. I just wanted to make sure that I’d be able to stop you from using too much magic before you recovered.

Twilight nodded “She says that she’s going to cancel her spell a few days. The only reason she cast it on me is that she wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt myself by using too much magic.” She tilted her head “Hold on, I want to check something.”

Artemis nodded, already knowing what she wanted to look at. Mother would never hurt one of her children, but I don’t blame Twilight for wanting to know what spell was cast on her.

After a minute, Twilight spoke again. “I’ve seen this spell in a couple of ancient texts. It’s not in use today because it’s so complex that most ponies aren’t able to understand it, let alone cast it.”

“What spell did Mother cast on you?” Artemis asked

“It’s an advanced communication spell.” She replied “The historians called it the Thought Sharing Spell, and it does exactly what the name implies.” She paused “You know, I don’t think this spell was recorded correctly.”

Sitting down, Artemis waited for her to elaborate.

Seeing this, Twilight continued “The ancient texts don’t mention this, but it also allows the caster to hear what’s going on around whoever they cast the spell on.”

He raised an eyebrow “What makes you think that?”

Twilight nuzzled him “When you said something about Golden Thunder hurting me, Mom told me to calm you down. Then she said that she’s “definitely not Golden Thunder” and has no intention of harming me.”

He winced “Please tell her that I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was her.”

Twilight giggled “She just started laughing, so I don’t think you need to worry.”

In the stars, Sundance laughed “That spell wasn’t recorded correctly because the historians didn’t understand it. I lost count of how many times I tried to explain my spell to them. They just didn’t get it.”

Midnight Armor chuckled “If I recall correctly, you gave up after two dozen tries.”

Her star flickered “Twilight has access to far less information than I gave the historians and still figured it out.”

Midnight Armor’s star briefly brightened, agreeing with his wife, before flickering. “She really needs to stop denying it when somepony calls her brilliant.”

Star Swirl flickered as well “After everything you’ve told me so far, I’m not sure even “brilliant” is the right word to describe her. However, lacking a better word, it will have to do.”

In Ponyville, Artemis smiled and shook his head “We should head to the library before Spike starts to worry.”

Spike and Cheerilee looked up at the flash of Artemis’ magic to see Twilight and Artemis standing in front of them.

“I’m sorry. I left my things in our room and had to go get them. I used a lot of magic yesterday so I have to take it easy for a couple of days.”

Spike nodded “Do you want me to help you?”

Twilight shook her head “Cheerilee and I should be fine. Artemis doesn’t know this library very well, so I’d like you to help him instead.”

“Sure, Twi.” He replied “Let me know if you need anything.”

Twilight giggled “Thanks, Spike” Turning to Cheerilee, she said “Let’s get started.”

Cheerilee nodded, setting her saddlebags on a nearby table. “Were you able to get a good idea of what level those foals are at?”

“Yes” Twilight replied “Unfortunately, Fire Fly stopped teaching them history and reading earlier than we thought.”

“What do you mean?” Cheerilee asked “I thought he started telling those stories four months into the school year.”

“That’s what I thought as well.” Twilight replied “However, I discovered that he started telling them a month and a half into the school year. That means they’re further behind than we thought.”

Cheerilee gasped “What?”

Twilight nodded “You were right about math and science, though. They really are almost a year ahead.”

Cheerilee nodded “What about the unicorns’ magic?”

Twilight sighed “When I tested them on Monday, most of them couldn’t levitate a pencil long enough to write their name." Seeing Cheerilee's expression, she shook her head. "Don't worry. Celestia, Artemis and I have already started teaching them.”

Cheerilee smiled “They won’t be behind for long.”

She’s right about that. Sundance remarked Between the three of you, those foals will be where they should be in no time.

Twilight laughed “That’s the plan” That answer was meant for both of you, Mom. She smiled when Sundance laughed as well. “I asked the foals to complete worksheets in math, science and history. I didn’t bother doing that with reading, I took them to the library instead. As for the other subjects, while they had no problems in math and science, history was a different story. They seem to have learned more from their parents than their previous teacher.”

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow “Previous teacher?”

Twilight nodded “That class is mine for the rest of the school year.” Smiling, she shook her head. “The parents of the foals sent a petition to Celestia and she accepted it.”

Laughing, Cheerilee shook her head “I should have seen that coming. What do you want to do about history and reading?”

“Reading will be easy.” Twilight answered “We spend the last two hours of every school day in the library. They still have a ways to go, but they’ve already improved dramatically.”

Cheerilee stared at her for a moment before shaking her head. “That’s just like you, Twilight.” She laughed when Twilight blushed “So it’s just history that we need to make new plans for.”

Twilight shook her head “The current lessons for math and science are way too easy, so we also need to change those plans.” She thought for a moment “I’d like to maintain, or at least slowly improve, those two subjects while bringing up their history and reading.”

Cheerilee nodded “Let’s take care of math and science first because those will be the easiest.”

A few tables away, Artemis carefully read Celestia’s spell. When he finished, he tapped his chin thoughtfully. “There's nothing wrong with this spell. Celestia had trouble with it because she’s not supposed to be the one casting it.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked

Artemis glanced at the baby dragon sitting on his back. “You know that my sister can raise and lower my moon and stars, right?”

Spike nodded “Everyone knows that.”

“What most ponies don’t know,” Artemis continued “is that I can raise and lower her sun.”

Spike blinked “Really?”

Artemis nodded “However, that’s all we’re able to do. Her Day doesn’t like me messing with any other aspects of it and my Night doesn’t like it when she tries to do anything with the finer aspects of it.”

Spike looked over Artemis’ shoulder at the spell. “Why didn’t the spell work?”

“Several hundred years ago,” Artemis began “she wanted to do something with a couple of the stars in my Night Sky. This spell worked once but, the next time she cast it, the stars resisted her.”

“I see.” Spike said slowly “You’re the only one who can truly affect your Night because, in some ways, you are the Night.” He tapped a claw to his chin. “That means the stars only resisted her because she’s not you. If so, you should be able to cast this spell without fixing anything.”

Artemis blinked “That’s right. I must say, you understood that rather quickly. In the past, I’ve tried to explain why our domains act the way they do to several ponies. It took them hours to understand what you picked up in a matter of minutes, if they understood it at all.”

Spike blushed “I grew up with Twi so, even though I can’t cast it, I know a lot about magic. As I got older, I began helping her with her spells and research.” He shrugged “I do that a lot now.”

“I see” Artemis replied, shaking his head “No wonder she calls you her “Number One Assistant”.” Artemis wasn’t sure how Spike was able to get any redder, but he did. Laughing softly, he reached back and nuzzled the little dragon. “Now, I just have to see if I can find a way to put more magic into this spell.”

Spike blinked “Why?”

Artemis glanced at him again “Celestia created this spell because she wanted to send extra magic to a couple of stars. I need to do that now.”

“Okay . . .” Spike slowly replied “Why?”

“Twilight, Celestia and I will be explaining this to several ponies, and you, in a couple of days.” Artemis answered “For now, I ask that you be patient and keep this to yourself. Until we tell you otherwise, if you must talk about it, make sure that only Twilight, Celestia and I can hear you.”

After a moment, Spike nodded “I may not know you very well yet, but Twi loves and trusts you. That’s enough for me. I’ll wait.”

Artemis stared at Spike for a minute before nuzzling him again. “Thank you, Spike” He turned back to the paper in front of him. “Now, let’s get to work.”

Neither of them noticed that Twilight was watching them.

Twilight and Cheerilee had finished the plans for math, science, reading and the unicorns’ magic training. Instead of tackling History right away, they decided to take a break. Cheerilee was resting on a cushion in the front reading section, reading an adventure novel. Twilight was wandering between the bookshelves, trying to decide what she wanted to read.

She heard a couple of voices speaking quietly and looked over to see Spike sitting on Artemis’ back. Even though she couldn’t hear what they were saying, Twilight smiled. Good. I was hoping Artemis and Spike would spend some time together. Both of them are important to me and I don’t want to have to choose one over the other. She was startled when she heard Sundance’s voice.

You said Spike, right? Isn’t that the name of the dragon you hatched?

Yes Twilight replied

How long have you been caring for him?

Twilight thought for a moment. It’s been almost thirteen years.

I heard him speak earlier. You’ve done a wonderful job raising him.

Twilight shook her head, turning to look out the window. I didn’t do it alone. I had a lot of help from my parents and Celestia, especially when I was younger.

Sundance thought for a moment. Artemis mentioned that Spike sees you as his mother, big sister and best friend. Is this true?

Twilight nodded Because of the way he grew up, he sees me as all of them. As for me, he’s a son, little brother and best friend rolled into one, yet none of them at the same time. I began calling him my Number One Assistant because I couldn’t figure out exactly what I should call him.

Twilight laughed softly He seems to think of my parents as his grandparents. They treat him the same way they treat Flurry Heart, so they probably see him as a grandson.

In the stars, Sundance, Midnight Armor and Star Swirl flickered, shaking their heads in disbelief.

“If she was able to do that with a dragon, while growing up herself, I can’t wait to see how she’ll raise our grandfoal.”

Sundance brightened “You’re right, Midnight”

Star Swirl brightened “I still can’t believe she was able to hatch a dragon’s egg at only eight years old. It’s almost unheard of for a grown unicorn to possess that kind of power, let alone a filly.”

“You’re right about Twilight being able to hatch a dragon’s egg at eight years old.” Midnight Armor replied “That surprised me as well.”

Star Swirl flickered again “Even though she’s clearly done well, I wonder why Celestia allowed her to raise that dragon.”

Midnight Armor paused, trying to decide on the best way to explain the actions of his oldest. A couple of minutes later, he explained. “Dragon hatchlings form a close bond with the first creature they see. Usually, that’s whoever hatches them. Because of this, Celestia probably had no choice but to keep them together. Trust me, you don’t want an upset baby dragon on your hooves.”

“I see” Star Swirl replied “That makes sense.”

In Ponyville, Twilight jumped and looked down when Spike laid a claw on her shoulder. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head “I came to get a book for Artemis and saw you staring out the window.”

“I’m fine, just thinking.” Twilight replied “We got a lot of work done and decided to take a break. Cheerilee found a book pretty quickly, but I’m not sure what I want to read.”

After thinking for a moment, her eyes widened. That book might have the information I need . . . Even if it doesn’t, I haven’t read it yet. I might as well do so now. “Can you get me that book on the composition and qualities of crystals, please?”

Spike raised an eyebrow “Sure, but why the sudden interest? I thought you said you weren’t going to read it until we found the second book.”

“I’m not sure why it’s there, but the second book is in the Crystal Empire.” She shrugged “I plan to read it when we go there next week, but I need to read the first book before we get there. As for why I’m interested, I’m researching something and believe it might be related.”

How might the composition and qualities of crystals be related to your research? Sundance asked

I’m sorry, Mom. Twilight replied I need one more piece of information before I can answer your question.

Eyebrow arching higher, Spike stared at her for a minute before shrugging. I’m sure she’ll tell me what’s going on soon. He placed the book he was holding on her back and ran off. A minute later, he returned with the book in his claws. Then he jumped onto her back and sat between her wings, holding both books.

Laughing, Twilight walked towards Artemis. As she got closer, he looked up.

Spike laid the book Twilight wanted on her back and jumped from her back to Artemis’. “Here’s the book you wanted, Artemis.”

“Thanks, Spike” Artemis replied, smiling at him and taking the book in his magic, before turning to Twilight. “How are things going?”

“Fine.” She answered “The only subject we still need to fix is history, so we decided to take a break. How’s the spell?”

Before Artemis could answer, Spike spoke up. “There’s nothing wrong with the spell. It didn’t work for Princess Celestia because she wasn’t supposed to be casting it.”

“I see” Twilight commented, turning to Artemis “Were you able to figure out if we can help you power it?”

Artemis smiled “We still need to test it but, as far as I can tell, it’ll work if you two give me the necessary magic before I cast it. What I’m doing now, is trying to figure out if the three of us can cast the spell together instead. I’ll be one of the ponies casting it, so the stars might not resist.”

That’s a good idea, Sundance began but I’m not sure it would work. Our stars might naturally resist any magic that doesn’t come from him. It would be better for the two of you to give him the magic he needs.

Twilight looked off to the side, chewing her lip as she thought. “If they resisted Celestia before, won’t they do it again? As for me, it might work the first time but I bet the stars will resist if I try it a second time.” She shook her head “We should just give you our magic.”

Artemis leaned closer and whispered “Did you include Mother’s reaction in your response?”

She nodded

He nuzzled her and opened the book. “That’s a good point, but I’ll read this anyway.” He shrugged “The information may be useful for something else.”

In the stars, Sundance laughed “She managed to get my message to him while making it seem like it came from her. In fact, part of it did come from her.”

Star Swirl was also laughing “She’s clearly much smarter than she’s given herself credit for.”

“You’re right, Star Swirl.” Midnight Armor responded. Then he turned to his wife. “Most ponies aren’t able to tolerate hearing another pony’s voice in their head. Do you think she’ll be alright?”

“I was worried about that as well.” Sundance replied “However, it wasn’t long before I realized that she wasn’t going to have any problems.” She hesitated for a moment, but continued. “Unfortunately, there’s something else that worries me.”

Concerned, Midnight Armor replied “What’s wrong?”

She sighed “I didn’t ask for permission before I did this. Even though I did it so I’d be able to help her, it’s very intrusive.”

“I understand why you feel like that,” Star Swirl began “but I don’t think you need to worry. I haven’t detected any anger in Princess Twilight’s responses.” He laughed “If I had to guess, I’d say she likes being able to talk to you.”

Midnight Armor briefly brightened “I agree with Star Swirl. If Twilight had a problem with your actions, I’m sure she would have said something.”

Sundance’s star dimmed “I’m still going to talk to her about it.”

In Ponyville, Artemis turned to Twilight. “Is there something I can write on and with?”

Before she could answer, Spike jumped to the floor. “I’ll go get them for you.” Not waiting for a response, Spike left the library.

Twilight turned to Artemis before pausing when she heard their mother’s voice.

When you have a moment, I’d like to discuss something.

Noticing Twilight’s expression, Artemis nuzzled her. “Is something wrong?”

She glanced at him “Mom wants to talk about something and sounds worried.”

He raised an eyebrow “You should listen to what she has to say.”

Glancing around, Twilight nodded “I will. I just need to find a way to do it so that, if anyone sees me, they won’t suspect anything.”

Artemis thought for a moment. “Let’s take a break. Cheerilee’s using the reading section in the front of the library, so we’ll use the one in the back. If you close your eyes, everyone will think you’re sleeping.” He shrugged “If Spike or Cheerilee comes over, I’ll tell them that you need to relax for a bit.”

Twilight nuzzled him “Good idea”

They walked to the reading section in the back of the library and lay down together on a large cushion that he placed next to the window.

Twilight snuggled closer to Artemis’ side and smiled when he covered her with a wing. Then she lay her head on her forehooves and closed her eyes. Is something wrong, Mom? Aside from the obvious, I mean.

Sundance hesitated I need to apologize.

Huh? Twilight asked For what?

I . . . Sundance hesitated, confused Do you understand what I’ve done?

Yes, Twilight replied but that doesn’t explain why you’re apologizing.

Sundance didn’t respond

After considering things from their mother's point of view, Twilight thought she understood. You think I’m angry because you didn’t ask before casting that spell on me.

Sundance was silent for several minutes. In fact, she took so long to respond that Twilight heard Spike return.

“We’re taking a short break.” Artemis quietly told Spike “Can you put the writing materials on the table, please?”

Spike nodded and walked away, heading for the front of the library.

After a few more minutes of silence, Sundance cautiously replied. Y-yes

Well, I’m not. Twilight told her

Surprised, Sundance asked What?

I’m not angry. Twilight repeated Yes, what you did was rather invasive. In fact, if it had been done by almost anypony else, I’d be furious. However, you’re one of the few ponies that I’ll allow in my head.

Besides, if you hadn’t done this, I’d be in a lot of pain right now. I’d forgotten that I need to take it easy and was about to use too much magic.

After thinking for a moment, Twilight decided that one more thing needed to be said to get her point across. Remember, I’m the Bearer of the Element of Magic. Even though I have to take it easy, I can still use my Element to terminate your spell. I haven’t done so because I don’t want to.

In the stars, Sundance was too stunned to say anything.

Midnight Armor was laughing so hard that he was unable to speak. Eventually, he managed to say five words. “We tried to tell you.”

Star Swirl brightened “The fact that she can, but won’t, terminate your spell tells me that she likes being able to talk to you.”

Still in shock, Sundance didn’t respond.

Midnight Armor and Star Swirl quieted down when they heard Artemis’ voice.

In Ponyville, Twilight opened her eyes and nuzzled Artemis.

“Why was Mother worried?” He asked softly Golden Thunder is enough of a problem. Hopefully, there isn’t something else that we need to worry about.

Twilight whispered “She thought I was angry because she cast her spell on me without asking.”

Sighing in relief, he laughed “I assume she’s no longer worried about that.”

“I hope not.” she replied “I told her that I could use my Element to remove her magic from my body, but haven’t done so because I don’t want to.”

They stood and walked towards the front of the library, ready to get back to work. Before they could get started, Twilight, Artemis, Cheerilee and Spike looked up when somepony knocked on the front door of the castle. Not long after she moved in, Twilight cast a spell on the front door. No matter where they are in the castle, they know when somepony knocks.

“That’s odd.” Spike commented “We’re not expecting anypony else today.” He shrugged “Oh well, I’ll go see who it is. Hopefully, it’s nothing dangerous.” He returned a minute later, followed by Applejack.

Twilight raised an eyebrow when she saw that her friend was wearing saddlebags. “Hi, Applejack” She said “Is something wrong?”

Applejack shook her head “Nothing’s wrong, Twi. Ah just though ya might be hungry.”

Twilight nodded “I wasn’t able to hold down breakfast, so I would definitely appreciate something to eat. Something I can keep in my stomach, I mean.”

Applejack smiled “Then it’s a good thing ah came over. Granny Smith and ah baked something that we want ya to try. We also made ya some applesauce and fresh apple juice.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up as Applejack pulled several bottles of apple juice, a few jars of applesauce and a couple of packages out of her saddlebags and set them on the table.

Applejack saw this and smiled wider “We’d like you to try our newest recipe. They’re apple muffins that we made with the apples from our orchards. We also made some dried apple slices for ya to try.”

Twilight pulled one of the muffins closer and sniffed it. Everyone laughed when her stomach growled. Blushing, she took a cautious bite. After a few moments, she took another. Once it became clear that it was going to stay down, she ate the rest of the muffin before pulling the dried apples towards her. After a couple of slices slowly disappeared, it was clear that those would stay down as well. Sighing in relief, she turned back to her friend. “Thanks, Applejack. I really needed that.”

Applejack snorted “No friend of mine’s going hungry.”

“I know that,” Twilight replied, laughing “but I’m still going to thank you.”

“Ah know.” Applejack answered, laughing as well. She saw the look on Twilight’s face and shook her head. “Granny Smith’s been wanting to make food for pregnant mares for a long time and says this is a good opportunity to do it. You’re the taste tester for our new products. Taste testers never pay for the food because it might come out bad.” She shrugged “She said that it’s a good thing your stomach is acting up because, if you can eat it, other pregnant mares should be able to as well.”

Twilight stared at Applejack for a moment before shaking her head. “I should have known you two would do something like that.” She paused, listening to several stomachs growl. “Everyone but me is going to the kitchen. I just ate, so I’ll read a book.”

Artemis, Applejack, Spike and Cheerilee nodded and left the room, taking the rest of the food Applejack brought with them.

Twilight walked back to the reading section in the back of her library, lay down and began to read. Twenty minutes later, she sighed and stretched her wings. That’s definitely a potential answer.

What do you mean? Sundance asked

Twilight paused Do you remember when I said that I was looking into where Golden Thunder was planning to put the souls the Chimera Anima stole?

I wondered when you were going to get back to that. Sundance responded You told us that you were researching the topic, but never said what you discovered.

I haven’t found a definitive answer yet, Twilight hesitantly told her but I may have discovered a couple of possibilities.

That’s alright. Sundance replied Tell me what you’ve discovered.

A-alright. Even with Sundance’s encouragement, Twilight found herself hesitant. One of the options was to store the souls in crystals and bring them out when they were needed. That didn’t work very well, so he didn’t use it often. In fact, I can’t find anything that says he ever used it.

Sundance waited for her to explain the second option. When Twilight stayed silent, she asked. What’s the other option?

Not sure how her mother was going to take this information, Twilight paused. This was, and still is, only possible if the crystals being used were incredibly pure. However, once certain spells were cast on them, he was able to use those crystals to store magic. Once he had enough stored magic, he was able to cast a spell that created a field of magic in which he could trap souls.

After several minutes of stunned silence, Sundance asked H-how did you discover this?!

A couple of days ago, one of the archivists was having trouble translating an ancient scroll. Twilight explained She knows that I can read the ancient texts, so she asked me if I would mind translating it for her. I thought it would be a nice break from my research, so I agreed. However, I quickly discovered that it contained information that I’d been searching for. Unfortunately, while the scroll was obviously part of a set, she only had the first one. Because of this, there’s information that I don’t know yet.

Twilight hesitated Even so, there’s one more piece of information that I was able to get from the first scroll. It was barely legible, due to its age and several poor attempts to preserve the scroll, but I was able to make out the first word of the author’s name. It’s “Golden”.

Knowing what Sundance’s next question was probably going to be, Twilight quickly continued. I didn’t see anything about what spells he used, but I believe that information is on the second scroll. Unfortunately, I have no idea where that scroll is. Hay, I don’t even know if it still exists. I do know that I’ve never heard of any spells that can do that. I’m going to ask Celestia and Artemis if they know what spells he used. If they don’t, the library in the Crystal Empire may be able to help.

After a few minutes, Sundance finally managed to speak. W-why didn’t you tell us about this the other night?

Sighing, Twilight lowered her head I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide anything. It’s just that I was missing an important piece of information. Because of that, I didn’t understand what was going on. That meant there was no way that I would have been able to explain it to anypony else.

What information were you missing? Sundance asked, half concerned and half curious.

I don’t believe that a unicorn has enough magic available to them at any given time to trap souls. Twilight answered Instead, multiple ponies would have to work together. Even then, they’d have to continuously power that spell if they wanted to keep the soul, or souls, trapped. The only way that Golden Thunder could have done it alone is if he was storing his magic in something. Once he’d collected enough, he would have been able to cast the spell using his available magic and use the stored magic to keep the spell going.

I understand the theory, Sundance began but what made you think of it?

We saw how strong the Chimera Anima became after eating the souls of those ponies. Twilight replied That means souls have a lot of power. This is especially true if they belonged powerful ponies.

Like a couple of alicorns . . . Sundance slowly replied. He would have needed a lot of magic if he wanted to keep the souls of your father and myself trapped for long.

Exactly Twilight cautiously responded I have yet to find anything that even remotely suggests that he had knowing accomplices and we know that the control spell isn’t really effective on ponies. That means he was probably storing magic in something. It wasn’t until I read the book on crystals, that I realized what it probably was. I need to read the second book to be absolutely sure but, as of right now, I feel certain enough to say that Golden Thunder may have been using crystals. Especially if he had access to ones that were pure enough.

Twilight was surprised when Sundance didn’t respond, or at least ask another question. After waiting a few minutes, she raised an eyebrow. Mom?

It was several more minutes before Sundance realized that Twilight was waiting for her to respond. When she finally replied, she was unable to keep her voice from shaking. T-there were times when your father and I weren’t able to leave Equestria ourselves. Instead, we sent Golden Thunder to other countries, including the Crystal Empire, on our behalf.

Eyes wide, it took Twilight a moment to reply. That means he had access to all of the crystals he could have ever needed. Additionally, his role as Advisor to the Crown meant that he was probably given the best ones they could find.

Voice still shaking, Sundance finally said. Give me a few minutes. I need to discuss this with your father.

Twilight glanced up as Spike, Cheerilee and Artemis walked into the library. That’s alright, Mom. I need to finish my lesson plans anyway.

In the stars, Midnight Armor, Sundance and Star Swirl looked at each other in silence.

Eventually, Sundance said. “I’m glad she thought to look into this. If she’s correct, Golden Thunder had a way to keep our souls trapped as long as he wanted.”

“No wonder he kept trying to get Artemis to give him our souls.” Midnight Armor replied, voice shaking. “He probably planned to either revive us right away or experiment on us so he could take our immortality for himself. We only escaped those fates because Artemis was determined to protect us.”

“Y-you’re right.” Sundance responded, her voice shaking as well “We may have more to thank our son for than we thought.”

“I have a couple of questions.” Star Swirl began “Is there a way to stop him from trapping the souls of others? If not, how hard will it be to create one?”

Midnight Armor laughed “I’m sure that, if necessary, it won’t be hard for them to come up with a plan. Still, you should ask Twilight, Sundance. Make sure she discusses this with Celestia and Artemis.”

Sundance brightened briefly “She told me that she was going to talk to them about this, remember? Regardless, I’m mention it to her later.”

In Ponyville, Twilight and Cheerilee finally finished the new lesson plans. Cheerilee had brought her lesson plans with her and showed Twilight where her class was a month and a half into the school year. Twilight used them to help her come up with appropriate plans for her class.

Cheerilee sighed and stretched “I’m glad we got that done.”

“Yes,” Twilight replied, stretching as well “thank you for your help.”

“Of course, Twilight.” Cheerilee answered, placing her saddlebags on her back. “I’m glad I’m the one you turned to for help. If you need anything else, please let me know.”

Twilight smiled. “You too. I may be newer to teaching than you are, but I’ll help you if I can.”

Cheerilee returned the smile and left the library.

After Cheerilee left, Twilight walked over to Artemis and Spike. Looking at the scrolls lying on the table, she noticed that both of them had spells written on them. One was written in Celestia’s horn writing. That must be her spell for sending extra magic to Mom and Dad’s stars, but what’s the other one?

The second spell was written in Artemis’ horn writing. Curious, she studied the spell. This seems to be the spell that allows Mom and Dad to visit his dreams. He must have embedded it into their stars, so they can visit whenever they have enough magic. She took a closer look at it. That’s odd. This spell isn’t finished. It’s complete enough that they’re able to visit his dreams, but it looks like there’s something else he wants them to be able to do as well. It almost seems like he’s planning to . . . Yes, that’s exactly what he has in mind. She tilted her head. He stopped at a rather difficult part, so maybe he’s having trouble finishing it. Deciding that it could be useful later, she memorized the spell. Maybe I could . . .

Sorry, I didn’t mean to take so long. Maybe you could do what? Sundance asked, giggling when she felt Twilight’s surprise.

Twilight hid a smile. Sorry, Mom. I can’t tell you about this one because I don’t want to ruin the surprise. However, I will tell you this. If I’m right about what he has planned, you and Dad are in for a big surprise. I think you’ll both really like it.

Surprised, Sundance replied A-alright. Thank you, I think.

This time, Twilight was unable to suppress her laughter.

Hearing her laugh, Artemis pulled the spells towards him.

Twilight laughed harder “Too late for that, I’ve already read both spells.”

“W-what?!” Artemis asked, instantly horrified. This isn’t good! She probably understands what I want that spell to do. I hope she didn’t tell Mother!

When she heard her son’s voice, Sundance was confused, curious and concerned, all at the same time. What was in that spell?

I’m not spoiling the surprise, Mom!

Startled, Sundance paused for a moment before she began to laugh.

Also laughing, Twilight walked over to Artemis’ side and nuzzled him.

Lowering his head to hers, he whispered “D-did you figure out what I have planned?”

“Of course” she replied, also whispering “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell Mom. She knows you’re planning something, but has no idea what it is.”

Sundance’s curiosity grew when Artemis sighed in relief. What does he have planned for us?

“Thank you” he replied, returning Twilight’s nuzzle “I’m not ready for either of them to know about that yet.” In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for them to know about it because it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to make the spell do what I want it to.

Twilight smiled at him before turning to the door to the library. As the three of them walked out into the hall, heading for the kitchen, she turned to Spike. “It’s time for dinner. You and Artemis should figure out what you’re going to eat.”

Spike thought for a moment before looking at Artemis. “How about Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli?”

Smiling, Artemis nodded “That sounds good.”

Hearing Twilight sigh, Artemis and Spike looked at her. “Is something wrong?”

Before she could answer, Spike realized his mistake and winced. “Sorry, Twi.” He gave her a hug before moving around the kitchen, gathering the ingredients he needed to make dinner.

She turned to Artemis “It’s one of my favorite meals, but I’m not going to be able to eat it.” Seeing his expression, she shook her head. “I’ll eat in the library.”

Artemis opened his mouth, but Twilight cut him off. “With my stomach feeling the way it is, just the smell of that meal will cause problems.”

Before either of them could protest, she pulled her dinner out of the refrigerator and left the room.

Sighing, Artemis turned to Spike. “Let’s get started. I’ve never made this before, so you’ll have to show me what to do.” If this is one of her favorites, I’d like to be able to make it for her when she’s feeling better.

In the library, Twilight pulled an apple muffin closer. After slowly eating it, she moved onto the bowl of applesauce. Once she drank a bottle of apple juice, she headed over to the bookshelves.

That’s one of the few unfortunate parts of being pregnant. Sundance commented At least you’re able to eat something. Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with this for long.

Looking through the other books she had on crystals, Twilight just nodded. She pulled a book off the shelf, lay down on a cushion and began to read. Twenty minutes later, she let out an irritated sigh. This one’s no help at all. The author has an interesting, but completely incorrect, idea of what crystals are capable of. They can’t cast magic on their own.

Sundance laughed You’re right. That’s both interesting and incorrect. Crystals can only be used to store, amplify or channel magic. Typically, crystals are only capable of handling a moderate amount of magic. She paused thoughtfully I've never tried to increase the amount of magic a crystal is capable of storing, but I don't see why it can't be done.

After a moment, she sighed It's just like Golden Thunder to think of something like that.

Not sure how to respond, Twilight said nothing. Instead, she stood and put the book back on the shelf. Spreading her wings, she rose into the air and hovered next to the bookshelf. Not seeing anything helpful, she landed again and wandered around the library. I won’t have enough magic for my usual research method until tomorrow . . .

Twilight paused, staring at a random bookshelf. I don't need to read anything right now. Instead, I should be looking at this differently.

In the stars, Midnight Armor turned to his wife. “Looking at it differently?” He asked "What does she mean by that?"

Star Swirl flickered “I believe she’s doing that already.”

Sundance briefly brightened “You’re right, Star Swirl. Even after fifteen hundred years, Midnight and I never thought to question the things she’s researching. It’s clear that Celestia and Artemis didn’t either. However, when we showed her the events that preceded our deaths, Twilight immediately asked “Why” certain things happened.”

Star Swirl paused “I think it’s a good thing that Princess Twilight is asking those questions. After all, her discoveries may save their lives and souls.” He flickered again “To be honest, I would have asked similar questions. Eventually. The difference is, it probably would have been at least a year before I thought of them.”

In Ponyville, Twilight walked back to the cushion she’d been reading on and lay down. Laying her head on her forehooves, she closed her eyes.

I don’t understand how you can look at this another way. Sundance commented You’re already researching things that the rest of us never even thought to question.

I’ve been looking at his actions in past because they should tell us what he had planned back then. Twilight slowly replied, trying to put her thoughts into words. That doesn't tell us what he plans to do now. Remember, there are parts of his original plan that he can’t use anymore. Perhaps I should take what happened in the past and compare it to what’s possible, now. That, combined with Golden Flash's recent actions, may tell us something.

In the stars, Star Swirl was the first to comment. “She has a point.”

“Agreed” Midnight Armor responded “The conditions of today are different than the ones from fifteen hundred years ago. The most notable difference is the fact that Chimeras are extinct. That means Golden Thunder can’t use the central part of his plan. Unless he plans to make one of those creatures from scratch, or bring one back from the dead, he’ll have to try something else.”

Sundance briefly brightened “We should let her speak. Once we have a better idea of what's going on, we can discuss it tonight.”

Midnight Armor and Star Swirl briefly brightened as well, agreeing with her, and turned their attention back to Twilight.

In Ponyville, Sundance waited a few minutes for her daughter to continue. When Twilight didn’t say anything, she spoke up. What’s on your mind?

I’m not sure how to explain it, Twilight replied so this is probably going to seem at least a little disjointed. I’m sorry if I confuse you.

That’s alright. Sundance immediately responded Tell me what you’re thinking.

Well, Twilight began Golden Thunder probably has the same goal he had fifteen hundred years ago. It’s possible that Golden Flash has the same goal and tried to bring Golden Thunder back to help him achieve it. The best evidence for this is the fact that Golden Flash chose to cast the Spirit Reanimation Spell in the throne room, only a few feet in front of the throne.

Sundance gasped, but said nothing.

Twilight shook her head None of us sensed anything when he cast that spell. It was just a coincidence that I walked into the throne room when Golden Thunder’s soul formed. If he had cast it anywhere else, we wouldn’t have known what he was doing, let alone been able to stop him. Despite the risk of being caught, Golden Flash went out of his way to make sure that the first thing Golden Thunder saw was the throne. I believe that says something about their current goal.

Sundance sighed You’re probably right.

Twilight opened her eyes and looked out the window. Golden Thunder is many things, but stupid doesn’t appear to be one of them. I don’t think he’ll use the Chimera Anima again.

What makes you say that? Sundance asked, surprised

Even if he manages to make another one, Twilight replied all Celestia has to do is channel solar flames and that’ll be the end of that.

Y-you’re right! Sundance exclaimed Celestia can easily destroy that creature and he knows it!

Twilight nodded He clearly wanted your souls and, unfortunately, that part of his plan probably hasn’t changed. We know he can’t get his hooves on the two of you, but I bet he doesn’t. I’m sure he remembers that Artemis protected your souls, so it’s likely that he’ll spend some time searching for you and Dad. Once he discovers that he can’t find either of you, he’ll undoubtedly turn to us.

I’m the only alicorn that wasn’t born one. Golden Thunder could try that route, but Celestia’s the only one who knows how to help a pony ascend. I’m certain that she’d never tell him how it’s done, let alone help him do it.

Sundance laughed You’re right about that!

That means Golden Thunder will be back to trying to remove the soul from the body of an alicorn. Twilight continued The most vulnerable alicorn is Flurry Heart, for obvious reasons. However, if he goes after her, he’ll run into a very big problem. That filly is the daughter of the most powerful unicorn in Equestria and an alicorn. She’s also the niece, or grandniece, of the other three alicorns . . . Let’s just say that I pity the fool who tries to harm my brother’s daughter.

Sundance laughed even harder. I don’t even want to think about what would happen to Golden Thunder if he tried to harm that filly.

For a moment, Twilight laughed as well, before her expression turned serious. The only other vulnerable alicorn is me because they can turn my pregnancy into a weapon and use it against us. This is especially true if they wait until I’m further along before making their move.

If it comes to a battle, the only way that Artemis and Celestia will let me participate is if the Elements of Harmony are needed. That’s the main reason I’m doing what I am right now.

What do you mean? Sundance asked, surprised

Twilight shrugged Celestia’s better at observing things than I am and has centuries of experience in coming up with effective plans. Artemis also has more experience in those two categories than I do. That means the best way I can help them is to handle the research.

Another thing, Twilight said Celestia and Artemis are the ones who foiled his previous plan. I’m sure I caught his attention when I stopped the Spirit Reanimation Spell, but I think they’re the ones that he’s really worried about.

Sundance laughed again I’d be surprised if he wasn’t worried about those two!

Twilight laughed as well. Even if he no longer wants the soul of an alicorn, which I seriously doubt, he still has to find a way to get rid of Celestia, Artemis and I if he wants the throne. I doubt he’d go the magic drain route because I have yet to find anything that even hints that it was part of his plan.

Sundance didn’t respond

Twilight immediately noticed this. I know you and Dad died when you used the last of your magic, but he didn’t seem to be planning for you to die that way. Instead, he wanted his empowered Chimera Anima to kill you, Dad, Celestia and Artemis.

Sundance thought for a moment. You’re right. Using the last of our magic was our decision, not his.

Not willing to voice an agreement, Twilight just nodded. I’m sure he noticed that it achieved part of his goal, so he may try that this time. However, because of what Blaze did, we’re already looking out for that. That’s why I’m currently focusing on the soul stealing part of his original plan.

I see. Sundance replied I agree that there’s little chance of him using the Chimera Anima again.

Twilight flicked an ear when she heard the door to the library open. She looked over as Artemis and Spike walked inside.

In the stars, Star Swirl, Sundance and Midnight Armor were silent for several minutes.

“Thank goodness she’s on our side.” Star Swirl eventually remarked

Sundance’s star flickered “I can’t believe she’s already analyzed the memories that we’ve shown her and the events of the last couple of days.”

“Agreed” Midnight Armor responded “She’s obviously put a lot of thought into this.” His star brightened “She’s already figured out different options that Golden Thunder could use, discounted three and is looking into the one that he’s most likely to try.”

Star Swirl laughed “I’d love to see Golden Thunder’s expression when he finally puts his plan in motion and finds that they’re basically just waiting for him.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor laughed as well.

“That will be hilarious and I’m sure they’ll show us after it happens.” Sundance finally replied. Her star dimmed for a moment. “I wish there was a way we could help them.”

“Me too” Midnight Armor sighed “Once again, it’s our children who must deal with the consequences of our mistake.”

For a few minutes, they sat in silence.

Sundance suddenly gasped “Maybe we can help. I just thought of something that I’d like to try. Midnight, what do you think about . . .”

In Ponyville, Artemis smiled when he saw Twilight relaxing on a cushion. She’s probably talking to Mother. Knowing them, they were probably discussing the events of the last couple of days.

Twilight smiled “Did you finish dinner?”

Artemis and Spike nodded

In the stars, Midnight Armor and Star Swirl were laughing so hard they couldn’t speak.

Finally, Midnight Armor calmed slightly “That’s a great idea, Sundance! It should keep Golden Thunder focused on us for a while, buying our children the time they need to come up with a plan.”

Still laughing, Star Swirl added “That will also let him know that, while no longer alive, the two of you haven’t actually gone anywhere. That should confuse, maybe even scare, him.”

Also laughing, Sundance replied “I’ll ask Twilight tomorrow. Hopefully, she’ll allow it.”

Midnight Armor brightened “I’m sure she will. In fact, knowing her, she’ll probably find a way to help you.”

In Ponyville, Twilight stood and walked over to Artemis and Spike.

Artemis nuzzled her “We should go to bed early tonight. Not only do we have a busy morning tomorrow, you should get some rest if you want to have enough magic to close your castle before helping Celestia and I close the one in Canterlot.”

Twilight nodded “My magic is recovering remarkably fast. At this rate, I’ll be back to full strength by lunchtime tomorrow.”

You’re closing your castles? Sundance asked

Yes. Twilight responded Some might call the measures that we’re planning to take extreme, but we don’t want Golden Thunder to try anything while we’re gone.

Good. Sundance replied I don’t think it’s possible for the three of you to be too careful, especially now that he’s back.

Twilight turned to Spike “You don’t have to go to bed early, just don’t stay up too late.”

Spike nodded “Don’t worry, I’ll go to bed at the usual time.”

Twilight smiled and nuzzled him “In that case, have a good night.”

Artemis turned to Spike “Sleep well”

Spike nodded “I’ll see both of you in the morning.”

Artemis smiled at him before teleporting Twilight and himself to their room.

Next Chapter: Chapter 52 Estimated time remaining: 21 Hours, 9 Minutes