In the stars, Twilight was about to leave her empowered state, but paused when she heard Magic’s voice.

Before you do that, I’d like you to do me a favor.

Curious, Twilight asked What would you like me to do?

Please give some of my power to Sundance, Midnight Armor and Star Swirl’s stars. This way, they'll be able to visit Artemis’ dream tonight. You’ve never done anything with their stars before, and are using my power, so they shouldn’t resist you.

Twilight giggled Alright.

Midnight Armor, Sundance and Star Swirl gasped in surprise when Twilight sent a large amount of magic to each of their stars.

S-she gave each of us enough magic to visit Artemis’ dream! After carefully examining the magic that Twilight had given him, Midnight Armor gasped again. Actually, this is far more than we need for that.

Sundance gasped as well W-we can use the extra magic to fight Golden Thunder's next attempt!

Wide eyed, Artemis asked “D-did you do what I think you did?!”

“Magic asked me to use her power to give Mom, Dad and Star Swirl enough magic to visit your dream.” Twilight answered, leaving her empowered state. “Unfortunately, I don’t know how much magic they need for that.” She sighed “I just hope I gave them enough.”

Too stunned to respond, Midnight Armor, Sundance, Celestia, Artemis and Star Swirl just stared at her.

Twilight didn’t notice because she’d already closed her eyes. If they weren’t so shocked, I’m sure they’d be saying “Thank you”. Regardless, I’ll say it for all of us. Thank you, Magic.

You’re welcome.

Twilight thought for a moment. Oh yeah, I told Mom that you said “Thank You”. She asked me to tell you “You’re Welcome”.

Magic giggled and, noticing that Twilight was barely awake, quietly said. Sleep well.

Seeing that Twilight had fallen asleep, Midnight Armor spoke softly. “Celestia and Artemis, both of you should go to sleep as well.”

“Yes, Father” Celestia replied, casting a sleeping spell on herself and her brother.

In the Dream Realm, Artemis opened his eyes and looked around. I wish Celestia had warned me before she did that. She knows that I don’t like having sleeping spells suddenly cast on me. Oh well, I’ll forgive her this time. After all, she’s probably just eager to see Mother and Father. Shaking his head, he brought Celestia and Twilight into his dream.

Looking around them, and not seeing their parents or Star Swirl, Celestia turned to her brother. “Where are they?”

“They need a few minutes to get here.” Artemis replied “Star Swirl can’t fly, remember?”

Celestia nodded “That makes sense.”

Five minutes later, Celestia, Artemis and Twilight sensed the presences of their parents and Star Swirl. They were still a ways off, but clearly coming closer.

Despite how eager they were to see their children, Sundance and Midnight Armor didn’t want to leave Star Swirl behind. Therefore, they were walking at Star Swirl’s pace.

As soon as Artemis was sure that they had successfully entered his dream, he nodded to Celestia and Twilight.

After they had successfully entered Artemis’ dream, Midnight Armor, Sundance and Star Swirl stopped and looked around. All three of them smiled when they saw that Celestia, Artemis and Twilight were flying towards them.

Exchanging glances with her husband, Sundance’s horn began to glow. As soon as their children were close enough, she caught all three of them in her magic. Hearing them gasp in surprise, she giggled and pulled them to her side.

Sitting down, Midnight Armor and Sundance wrapped their wings around their children. Smiling, Celestia, Artemis and Twilight snuggled closer.

After a couple of minutes, Star Swirl’s eyes widened when he noticed that Sundance and Midnight Armor were crying. Is something wrong?

Noticing the same thing, Celestia, Artemis and Twilight tried to pull back so they could look at their parents. Midnight Armor and Sundance responded by hugging them tighter.

Worried, Celestia unknowingly asked Star Swirl’s question aloud. “Is something wrong?”

Midnight Armor shook his head before nuzzling his eldest.

Confused, Celestia glanced at Artemis and Twilight. Equally confused, Artemis nuzzled their father while Twilight nuzzled their mother.

Returning his son’s nuzzle, Midnight Armor finally released his children and folded his wings. Returning Twilight’s nuzzle, Sundance did the same.

Glancing at each other, Celestia, Twilight and Artemis sat in front of their parents.

“Are you alright?” Artemis cautiously asked

Midnight Armor smiled at his son. “Thanks to the three of you, your mother and I are just fine.”

Also smiling, Celestia used her magic to dry their parents’ eyes.

“Good” Twilight replied, sighing in relief “I was getting worried. For a moment there, I thought I’d missed some-eep!” She cut herself off with a squeak of surprise when Sundance pulled her youngest into another tight hug.

Celestia’s eyes widened when she saw that their mother was crying again. Worried, she and Artemis turned to their father. However, before Midnight Armor could say anything, Star Swirl walked closer.

“Sundance’s reaction isn’t hard to understand.” He commented

Midnight Armor nodded “Star Swirl’s right. Thanks to the adjustment that Twilight made to your mother’s spell, we’ve been watching what happens around her. As you might expect, there is much that we don’t understand.”

Artemis nodded “I went through the same thing when I first returned. In fact, I’m still catching up on the things that I’ve missed.”

“What does that have to do with Mother’s reaction?” Celestia asked

“Princess Twilight takes the time to explain what goes on around her.” Star Swirl responded “She also answers any questions that Sundance asks her. In fact, she’s beginning to anticipate Sundance’s questions and answers some of them before your mother can ask.”

Shaking his head, Artemis chuckled “I not surprised.”

Celestia giggled “Me either.”

“Then there’s the fact that Golden Thunder tried to pull our souls to him twice, in less than a week.” Midnight Armor shook his head “Your reactions aren’t hard to understand, but Twilight is a different story.” Seeing Celestia and Artemis’ expressions, he asked “How would you feel if somepony that you’d just met protected your soul?”

Artemis raised an eyebrow “You’re asking me?”

For a moment, Midnight Armor and Star Swirl stared at him. Suddenly understanding what he meant, they began to laugh.

When he was calm enough to speak, Midnight Armor said “Of course you understand. She did the same for you.”

Chuckling again, Artemis nodded

“Regardless,” Midnight Armor continued “we weren’t expecting her to protect our souls.”

“What did you think I was going to do, Dad?” Twilight asked, somehow managing to peek over Sundance’s shoulder.

Startled, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Artemis and Star Swirl looked at Twilight.

Before Midnight Armor could reply, Twilight continued. “I hope you didn’t think I was just going to sit back and watch." She shook her head "There’s no way that I was going to do that.”

Hearing this, Sundance tightened her grip, earning another startled squeak from Twilight. Laughing softly, she nuzzled her youngest before finally letting her go.

Chuckling, Artemis created a large cloud for them to relax on. Sundance, Midnight Armor, Artemis, Celestia and Twilight immediately moved onto it and lay down. Celestia was laying in between their parents, with Artemis on Midnight Armor’s other side and Twilight on Sundance’s.

“Uh, Artemis?” Star Swirl hesitantly asked, staring at the cloud

Glancing at his friend, Artemis quickly realized what the problem was. “Oops”

Before Artemis could say anything else, Twilight cast a familiar spell.

Star Swirl looked down at his body, especially his hooves, in surprise. His eyes widened when he suddenly noticed that he was surrounded with magenta magic. This isn’t the magic of Celestia, Artemis, Midnight Armor or Sundance. That means it’s . . . He turned to Twilight but, caught in her magic, could do little more than watch as she levitated him onto the cloud and set him next to Artemis. Fully expecting to fall through the cloud, he held his breath and waited.

Curious, Sundance and Midnight Armor waited to see what would happen.

After a couple of minutes passed, and nothing happened, Star Swirl hesitantly poked the cloud with a hoof. “I-it really is a cloud. How in Equestria-?”

Twilight giggled “I cast the Cloud Walking Spell on you. Like the name suggests, it allows earth-bound ponies to walk on clouds.”

“I didn’t know that such a thing was possible.” Sundance commented, clearly impressed

Turning to his youngest, Midnight Armor asked “Did you create that spell?”

Twilight shook her head “When I was a unicorn, the girls and I wanted to go to Cloudsdale. I found a spell that gives a pony temporary wings, but only had enough magic to cast it once, so I cast it on Rarity. After a little more research, I found the Cloud Walking Spell. That spell doesn’t require nearly as much magic, so I cast it on Pinkie, Applejack and myself.”

Celestia laughed “I wondered how you were able to walk on the clouds. I didn't ask because I was distracted by what Rainbow Dash had done.”

“Two earth ponies and a unicorn walking around Cloudsdale?” Artemis asked, also laughing “Those pegasi must have been surprised.”

Giggling again, Twilight replied “Not as surprised as Rainbow was. We used a hot air balloon to get to Cloudsdale. When we got there, we jumped onto the cloud in front of her.” Her giggles turned to laughter “She thought we were going to fall through the cloud and was shocked when we didn’t.” Knowing that their parents and Star Swirl were going to ask, she showed them her memory of their arrival in Cloudsdale.

Sundance, Midnight Armor and Star Swirl laughed as well.

Laying down where Twilight had set him, Star Swirl said. “Thank you, princess.”

A slightly annoyed expression briefly crossed Twilight’s face. “First of all, you’re welcome. Second, don’t use my title, please.” Seeing his confusion, she shrugged “I get enough of that from everyone else. Besides, Artemis allows my friends to call him by name, so I see no reason why I shouldn’t do that with his.”

Laughing, Celestia turned to her brother “I wondered how long it would be before she said that.”

Artemis nodded, laughing as well “Me too. Remember how much she used to hate being called “Princess”?”

Surprised, Sundance turned to Twilight “Why?”

Turning to their mother, Twilight answered “I spent most of my life as an average unicorn.” Glancing at Celestia, she continued. “Somepony decided not to tell me that she was preparing me for ascension, let alone coronation.”

Everyone laughed when Celestia smiled sheepishly.

“As a result, suddenly becoming an alicorn was a huge shock.” Twilight explained “It was also a huge change because I suddenly had far more magic than I was used to and the ability to fly. That was difficult enough, but I also had to deal with everypony suddenly calling me “Princess” and asking me for orders.”

Midnight Armor tilted his head, trying to figure out what it was about what Twilight had just said that he found strange. Finally realizing what it was, he began to laugh again.

Curious, everyone turned to him.

After a few minutes, Midnight Armor was calm enough to speak. “I’m sure that suddenly going from a unicorn to an alicorn was a very large surprise, Twilight. Especially when you probably didn’t know that it's possible.” He watched his youngest shake her head. “However, there’s one part of what you just said that I disagree with.”

Confused, Twilight asked “What’s that?”

Amused, he just looked at her for a moment before answering her question. “You were not an “average” unicorn.”

“Yes, I was!” Twilight immediately replied “It’s true that I had more magic than most but, other than that, I was no different than any other unicorn.”

“Right” Sundance said, just as amused as her husband “I’m sure that every unicorn can single hoofedly repel an attack from an Ursa Minor, return Cerberus to Tartarus by playing with him and stop another unicorn . . . who happened to be wearing the Alicorn Amulet.”

“Hey!” Twilight exclaimed “The Ursa Minor was one thing, but the girls helped with the rest!”

“Yes, your friends helped with some of the things that you’ve done.” Celestia agreed “However, you can’t tell me that every unicorn in Equestria has the ability to hatch a dragon’s egg. Most adults can’t do that, let alone an eight year old foal.”

“You know that was because I had a magic flare.” Twilight responded

Artemis raised an eyebrow “You were also eight years old when you repelled Night. I don’t know of another unicorn who is capable of doing that.”

Twilight rolled her eyes “Another magic flare. Besides, in both cases, I had no idea what I was doing.”

Sundance laughed “I’m sure you weren’t expecting the first magic flare to hatch Spike. As for the second, you were somehow able to use the strength of your magic flare to repel Night-Terror Knight.”

Sundance shook her head “There are two reasons that I find that strange. One, your magic flare was very powerful. Two, most foals have no control over what happens when they have a magic flare.” Seeing Twilight’s expression, she smiled “If I recall correctly, you told him to “Go away”.”

Artemis laughed “Mother is right, Twilight. That’s exactly what you forced him to do.”

Before Twilight could respond, their mother laughed again. Curious, she waited for Sundance to explain what was so funny.

Seeing this, Sundance giggled “I seem to recall hearing that you’re the only unicorn to face Night-Terror Knight in single combat and survive.”

Rolling her eyes again, Twilight replied “I tricked him into charging me and teleported behind him. Any unicorn could have done that!”

“Perhaps, but you’re the only one who actually did it.” Artemis said, giving his mare an amused look “Regardless, I highly doubt that another unicorn could have protected my soul.”

“Forget another unicorn, there isn’t another pony who could have done that.” Celestia commented “I also used the Elements of Harmony in my first battle against Night-Terror Knight, but the only thing I could do was banish him. However, you managed to purify Artemis and Night.”

“Like I said.” Midnight Armor remarked “You were not an average unicorn, Twilight.”

Realizing that she couldn’t argue, Twilight grumbled “Fine”

Sundance, Midnight Armor, Celestia, Artemis and Star Swirl immediately began to laugh again.

Once everypony had calmed down, Twilight looked at their parents. “What do you want to do now?”

Celestia glanced at Artemis before also looking at their parents. “That’s a good question.”

“Yes” Artemis agreed, nuzzling their father “After what happened tonight, Mother and Father should choose.”

Smiling, Star Swirl nodded

Glancing at each other, Sundance and Midnight Armor spread their wings. Sundance lay one over Twilight and the other over Celestia. Midnight Armor lay one over Artemis and the other over Celestia, laying it on top of his wife’s.

“I think this is a good place to start.” Sundance replied, smiling at her children

“Your mother is correct.” Midnight Armor added “After the chaos earlier, we’d like to relax.” Nuzzling their older children, he continued “Besides, as your mother said earlier, we haven’t been able to spend Hearth’s Warming with Celestia and Artemis in thirteen hundred years.”

Sundance nuzzled her youngest “Additionally, this is the first one that we’re spending with Twilight.”

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight returned their parent’s nuzzles and snuggled closer.

A few minutes later, Twilight gasped “I know!”

“What are you talking about, Twilight?” Midnight Armor asked, confused

“How to fix that!” Twilight excitedly replied

“What do you mean?” Artemis asked, just as confused as their father.

Turning to him, Twilight explained “If Celestia and I give you enough magic before we go to sleep on Hearth’s Warming . . .”

Eyes wide, Celestia finished “We can do this every year!” Reaching around their mother, she nuzzled her sister. “That’s a great idea, Twilight!”

Smiling, Artemis nodded “Now that there are three of us, we have enough magic for that. Celestia’s right, that’s a great idea!”

For several minutes, Sundance and Midnight Armor just stared at their children. Then they turned to each other.

Voice shaking, Sundance asked “W-we’ll be able to spend every Hearth’s Warming with our children from now on?”

“If their plan works, yes.” Midnight Armor answered, eyes wide

“It won’t be just us.” Artemis replied, smiling at Twilight

Confused, Midnight Armor turned to his son. “What do you mean, Artemis?”

Also smiling, Celestia nuzzled their father. “Artemis is right. We’ll be bringing a little family member with us next year.”

Just as confused as her husband, Sundance asked “What are you talking about, Celestia?”

Returning Artemis’ smile, Twilight nuzzled their mother. When Sundance looked at her, she explained. “Our foal will only be a few months old, but Artemis will also be bringing him or her into his dream.”

“That will probably be the first time we meet our grandfoal.” Sundance said softly

Twilight shook her head “No, it won’t.”

Confused, Midnight Armor looked at his youngest. “What do you mean?”

Before Twilight could answer, Artemis said “We’re not going to make you wait that long.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor gasped “What?!”

Artemis smiled at their parents “I plan to bring the three of you into my dream within a couple of days of our foal’s birth.”

Celestia nodded “It will require a lot of magic, but I think it’s worth it.”

Midnight Armor and Sundance just stared at their children for a moment. Then he nuzzled their son while she tightened her wing around their youngest.

Voice shaking again, Sundance whispered “T-thank you”

“I just thought of something.” Star Swirl said thoughtfully “This wasn’t possible when your parents and I were alive, but it might be possible now.”

Curious, Artemis, Twilight and Celestia turned to him.

Seeing this, Star Swirl smiled “Is it possible to figure out the gender of your foal before he or she is born?”

Artemis turned to Twilight “Didn’t you tell Pinkie that she can plan the party when we figure that out?”

Nodding, Twilight replied “Doctors use ultrasound spells to track the health of unborn foals. When a mare is roughly three months into her pregnancy, the foal will be big enough for the doctors to tell its gender. It’s also when they can discover what race the foal is.”

“Some parents chose to wait until their foal is born to discover what they’re having.” Celestia explained “However, if they want to know what they’re having before that, that’s when their doctor tells them.”

“Twilight’s almost a month into her pregnancy.” Artemis said thoughtfully “That means we’ll be able to discover if we’re having a filly or colt in two months.” He paused “We’ll also be able to figure out if we’re having a unicorn, Pegasus or earth pony.”

Star Swirl raised an eyebrow “You don’t think your foal will be an alicorn?”

Twilight and Artemis looked at each other for a moment before turning to him.

“Why would we be having an alicorn?” Artemis asked

“You’re both alicorns.” Star Swirl pointed out

“That’s true.” Twilight said slowly “Still, I don’t think we’re having an alicorn.” Seeing Star Swirl’s expression, she explained. “I was born a unicorn, so our foal will probably be one as well.”

“Not necessarily” Celestia commented “Your brother is a unicorn but Flurry is an alicorn.”

“I suppose it’s possible.” Twilight conceded

“It’s just not very likely.” Artemis finished

“Regardless,” Sundance began “you should be discovering what you’re having around the time of our next visit.”

“You’re right, Sundance.” Midnight Armor remarked “This visit doesn’t change the date of the next because we didn’t use our own magic tonight.” He turned to Twilight “That reminds me. Please thank Magic for this.”

Twilight giggled “I already did.”

“What?” Sundance asked, surprised “When did you do that?”

“Just before I fell asleep.” Twilight answered “I saw that the rest of you were too shocked to speak, so I thanked her for all of us.”

“I’m glad you did that, Twilight.” Celestia commented

Midnight Armor suddenly chuckled

Curious, everyone turned to him.

He nuzzled his son “Normally, I’d say that it’s impossible for your mother and myself to receive gifts. Well, other than spending time with the three of you. However, we received a very big one tonight.”

Confused, Celestia and Twilight just stared at him.

Equally confused, Artemis asked “What are you talking about, Father?”

Understanding what her husband meant, Sundance giggled. Nuzzling both of her daughters, she explained. “If Golden Thunder had been able to pull the souls of your father and myself to him . . . well, let’s just say that it wouldn’t have been a very nice Hearth’s Warming for us.”

“Sundance and Midnight Armor are right.” Star Swirl said thoughtfully “What the three of you did tonight was the best Hearth’s Warming gift that you could have possibly given them.”

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight looked at each other for several minutes before turning to their parents.

“We didn’t think about it like that.” Artemis slowly responded “I’m not trying to be rude, it’s just that we were more focused on making sure that Golden Thunder didn’t get your souls.”

Celestia and Twilight nodded

Midnight Armor nuzzled his son “It’s alright, we understand.”

“Your father’s right.” Sundance said, smiling at her son “The fact that you didn’t intend for you actions to be a Hearth’s Warming gift doesn’t matter to us. We’re far more concerned with the results.”

Not sure what to say, Celestia, Artemis and Twilight didn’t say anything. Instead, Twilight nuzzled Sundance while Artemis nuzzled Midnight Armor. Celestia nuzzled Sundance before turning to Midnight Armor and nuzzling him as well.

Smiling, Sundance and Midnight Armor returned their children’s nuzzles.

Noticing that Star Swirl was looking at him, Artemis turned to his friend. Before he could say anything, Star Swirl told him about what he’d told Sundance and Midnight Armor the other day.

“I remember that.” Artemis replied, laughing “Court had finally ended for the day, so Celestia had gone to the library to research something. However, I’d decided to patrol the forest. That’s when I heard the howls of several Timberwolves. I remember thinking that that was strange because Timberwolves are nocturnal.”

Star Swirl and Artemis were so focused on their conversation that neither of them noticed that everypony else was watching them.

Star Swirl blushed “I didn’t mean to wake them, but I had no idea that they were there. In fact, I’d purposely avoided the clearing where they usually slept.”

Artemis chuckled “When I heard the Timberwolves, the first thing I did was head to their clearing because I was hoping to discover what they were doing awake so early. As I’m sure you can imagine, I was thoroughly confused to find it empty.”

“You know,” Star Swirl said thoughtfully “I never asked how you found me.”

Laughing harder, Artemis replied “You have yourself to thank for that.” Seeing his friend’s confusion, he explained. “You set one of them on fire, remember?”

Still confused, Star Swirl nodded. After a moment, his eyes widened. “That’s how you found me?”

Still laughing, Artemis nodded “I saw the smoke and thought the forest was on fire. I quickly decided that putting out the fire was more important than finding the Timberwolves. When I arrived in air above the smaller clearing, I saw that you were surrounded by half a dozen Timberwolves. The next thing I noticed was that another Timberwolf was rolling around on the ground. I’d never seen a Timberwolf do that before, so I just stared at it for a moment. That’s when you caught my attention by throwing one of the other Timberwolves into a nearby tree.”

“What did you expect me to do?!” Star Swirl exclaimed “It tried to break my neck!”

Laughing again, Artemis replied “I’m not blaming you, I’m just saying that that’s how you got my attention. Deciding that my questions could wait, I told you to lie flat on the ground and sent a much stronger fire over all of the Timberwolves at once.”

“As soon as I realized that the Timberwolves had been destroyed,” Star Swirl continued “I stood and turned to you.”

“Yes” Artemis replied “That when you were crazy enough to ask me why I didn’t let the Timberwolves kill you.”

“What did you think I was going to say?” Star Swirl asked “For the previous two weeks, you were so angry with me that you refused to talk to me!”

“I was right to be angry!” Artemis instantly responded “We’d had a rather large argument two weeks before that. You had told me that you thought the Advisor to the Crown position needed to be brought back because Celestia and I needed the help.”

“You did need the help!” Star Swirl protested “You and Celestia each barely got two hours of sleep at night because both of you were busy with court, research and protecting the villages. Yes, all of those were important. However, the problem was that the two of you insisted on doing everything yourselves!”

“If you remember, I didn’t argue with the fact that we needed the help.” Artemis pointed out “I just said that I didn’t want that position to be brought back. When you insisted that it was needed, I said “No”. Then I tried to explain why I didn’t want the position to return, but you wouldn’t listen to me. Eventually, I told you to ask Celestia.”

“That’s exactly what I did next.” Star Swirl replied “However, as soon as the words left my mouth, she shouted “No way in Tartarus!” Then she buried her nose in a book and ignored me.” He shrugged “You weren’t ignoring me, so I thought I’d be able to reason with you.”

“You didn’t try to reason with me, and you know it.” Artemis replied “You spent the next four hours telling me the advantages of the position! When you finally allowed me to speak, I simply said “No”. You actually told me that the last pony to hold the title, Golden Thunder, had done a great job before his “untimely death”!"

Star Swirl grimaced “Well, in my defense, I didn’t know what he had done at the end of his life, or how he had died.”

Artemis raised an eyebrow “Who was it that wouldn’t listen to my reasons for not allowing the position to return?”

Star Swirl sighed “I just wanted to make sure that you heard what I had to say.”

Artemis gave his friend a look. “That’s when I lost my temper and started shouting. When you continued to argue your point, I told you to leave.”

Star Swirl nodded “I’m still glad that you didn’t use the Royal Voice. Even so, I’m pretty sure that half the castle heard you.”

“You’re probably right.” Artemis agreed “Anyway, as soon as you left the room, Celestia came in. She spent the next hour yelling at me because she thought I had been “goofing off with my friend” instead of handling my part of the research.” He let out an irritated sigh “She wouldn’t listen to my reasons either!”

“W-what happened next?” Star Swirl hesitantly asked

“I was so angry that, as soon as she’d finished yelling, I left the castle.” Artemis answered “In fact, I spent the night in the forest.”

Star Swirl gasped “What?!”

Artemis nodded “I explained everything to Celestia when I returned the next morning. She apologized and told me that she hadn’t meant to yell at me. She said that she was angry at you because of your suggestion. She also told me that she had been looking for you, planning to give you a piece of her mind, but couldn’t find you. That was when she saw me staring out the window. She assumed that I’d been neglecting my duties and took her anger out on me.”

Wincing, Celestia looked at the cloud in between her forehooves. Sundance and Midnight Armor nuzzled her before returning their attention to their son’s conversation.

Not noticing any of this, Star Swirl winced as well. “I didn’t know that.”

“Well, you refused to listen to anything I said.” Artemis responded “Instead, you spent the first hour of court trying to convince us to bring the position back. After letting you speak, Celestia told you that your petition was declined before saying that she didn’t want to hear about it again. The next time you saw me alone, you asked me to convince my sister to allow you to bring the position back. Not wanting to get into another argument, I teleported out of the room.”

“Yes,” Star Swirl agreed “then you ignored me for the next two weeks. Can you blame me for being surprised when you saved my life?”

“I never blamed you for being surprised.” Artemis answered “I just couldn’t believe that you actually thought I was going to let you die.”

“What was I supposed to think?!” Star Swirl exclaimed “I-”

“Shh!”

Surprised, everyone turned to Sundance. Seeing that she had their attention, Sundance nodded to her side.

Artemis and Star Swirl’s eyes widened when they saw that Twilight was asleep.

Tightening her wing around her youngest, Sundance said “I’m not saying that the two of you have to stop your conversation. I’m just telling you to tone it down.”

“When did she fall asleep?” Midnight Armor asked softly

“I’m not sure.” Sundance quietly replied “I know she was awake at the beginning of their conversation.” Seeing her husband’s confusion, she giggled softly. “She muttered something about how setting a Timberwolf on fire is a “terrible idea”. When I asked her why she said that, she told me that the ones currently living in the Everfree Forest will immediately jump on the pony who does that.”

Midnight Armor shuddered “If that’s how they respond, then I’d have to agree with her.” Turning to Celestia, he asked “When did they start doing that?”

Shuddering as well, Celestia answered “I’m not sure when it started, but I do know that they’ve been doing it for centuries. Timberwolves have no way of combating fire, so they take the pony who’s killing them down with them.”

“That’s got to be a terrible way to go.” Star Swirl remarked “Though, looking at it from the Timberwolf’s point of view, it does make sense.”

“Anyway,” Sundance continued “after that, I was focused on Artemis and Star Swirl’s conversation. That’s why I don’t know when she fell asleep.”

Celestia giggled “I’m sure she tried to stay awake.”

“I’m not surprised that she wasn’t able to.” Artemis said softly “Today was rather eventful.” He sighed “So was tonight. I’m certainly not complaining about the fact that the three of you were able to visit, but I really wish that what happened before we fell asleep hadn’t happened.”

Glancing at his wife, Midnight Armor replied “I think it’s safe to say that your mother and I agree.”

Sundance nodded

A few minutes later, Twilight opened her eyes.

Seeing this, Sundance nuzzled her youngest. “Did we wake you?”

Yawning, Twilight shook her head. “When did I fall asleep?”

“At some point during Artemis and Star Swirl’s conversation.” Sundance answered

Before Twilight could respond, Celestia and Artemis looked at each other, both saying the same thing. “It’s time”

Before anyone could say anything else, Midnight Armor sat up, spread his wings and lit his horn. Sundance, Celestia, Artemis and Twilight gasped in surprise when he pulled them into a tight hug, wrapping his wings around his family. He kissed his wife before nuzzling each of their children. Then he quietly said “Happy Hearth’s Warming”

Smiling, all four of them replied “Happy Hearth’s Warming”.

Sundance kissed her husband before also nuzzling their children. Celestia and Artemis decided to put off their celestial duties for a couple of moments so they could enjoy a little more time with their parents.

Noticing that he, his wife and Star Swirl were beginning to fade, Midnight Armor released his family. Then the five of them turned to Star Swirl. “Happy Hearth’s Warming”

Star Swirl smiled “Happy Hearth’s Warming”

Midnight Armor, Sundance and Star Swirl smiled at Celestia, Artemis and Twilight as they were pulled back towards their stars.

Artemis didn’t allow them to wake until their parents and Star Swirl were out of sight.

Artemis, Celestia and Twilight opened their eyes at the same time. He immediately checked on the stars of their parents. Satisfied that they were safe, he, Celestia and Twilight returned to the Crystal Empire.

In the Crystal Empire, the three of them appeared in the living room.

“Welcome back”

Startled, Celestia, Artemis and Twilight opened their eyes to see everyone, even Spike and Flurry, looking at them. They glanced at each other before turning to the rest of their family.

“Thank you” Celestia said slowly “What are all of you doing up so early?”

“We just wanted to welcome the three of you back.” Cadance answered, walking forward and nuzzling her aunt.

“I-I see” Celestia replied. Shaking herself out of her surprise, she turned to her brother to find that he had just finished lowering the moon and stars. Laughing softly, she rose the sun.

I know I saw you a couple of minutes ago, Sundance said, laughing softly but good morning, Twilight.

Twilight smiled Good morning, Mom.

Artemis and Celestia nuzzled Twilight, both whispering the same thing. “Good morning, Mother.”

Sundance laughed Good morning, Celestia and Artemis.

Giggling softly, Twilight whispered “Mom says “Good morning” to both of you.”

Before anyone could say anything, Cinnamon Spice opened the door. “Breakfast is ready, your highnesses.”

Celestia, Artemis, Twilight, Cadance, Shining Armor, Flurry, Spike, Night Light and Velvet followed her to the dining room.

As everyone else sat at the dining table, Artemis said “I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for a response, he teleported to the room he shared with Twilight. A minute later, he returned with a bottle of apple juice.

Laughing, Twilight levitated her carrot juice to Flurry while Artemis set the apple juice in front of her.

Flurry squealed in delight “Thank you, Auntie Twily!”

Everyone else laughed when Flurry immediately drink half of the bottle.

Cinnamon Spice set a bowl of apple-cinnamon oatmeal with fresh apple slices on top in front of Twilight. Everyone else was already eating their waffles.

When they had finished eating, Cadance teleported everyone back to the living room. Once there, she closed and locked the doors before casting a soundproofing spell.

Knowing that this conversation could take a while, Celestia, Artemis and Twilight settled on the large cushion again. Cadance, Shining Armor, Velvet and Night Light sat on the same loveseats that they had sat on the first night. Spike pulled a small cushion over and lay down on Twilight’s other side. Flurry lay down between her parents, curled up and went back to sleep.

Cadance nuzzled her daughter before looking at Celestia, Artemis and Twilight. “You already know that Magic allowed us to watch what you did last night. Therefore, we only have two questions.”

“Very well” Celestia responded “What do you want to know?”

I think I can guess what both questions are. Sundance commented

Velvet glanced at Twilight before turning back to Celestia. “What spell did your mother cast on my daughter? And why did she do it?”

I thought so. Sundance said To avoid any misunderstandings, and to avoid angering Twilight Velvet, you should tell them everything.

Turning to her sister, Celestia whispered “What does Mother have to say about that?”

Twilight quietly replied “She just told me to tell them everything.” Turning to Velvet, she asked “Before I answer your first question, I’d like to ask you one.”

“Alright,” Velvet replied “What’s the question?”

“Do you remember when you were on the Spell Restoration Team?” Twilight asked

Raising an eyebrow, Velvet answered “Yes” What does that have to do with anything?

“What about the only spell that you weren’t able to completely restore?” Twilight asked

“You mean the one that drove me crazy for months?” Velvet asked I’m still not sure what this has to do with anything. Regardless, I’m sure she’s doing this for a reason, so I’ll go along with it for now.

“Ah” Night Light commented, instantly knowing what spell they were talking about. “The Thought Sharing Spell.”

Sundance gasped W-what?!

“As Twilight said, it was the only spell that we couldn’t restore.” Velvet explained “That’s because it’s incredibly complex. The theory behind it is sound but there’s no way that anypony can cast it. At least, not the way it’s written now.” She turned back to Twilight “Why do you ask?”

Before Twilight could answer, Artemis turned to his sister. “I didn’t know that you had ponies trying to restore Mother’s spell.”

Shocked, Velvet asked “What?!” After thinking for a minute, she gasped. “That’s why I recognized that name last night!”

Everyone, including Sundance, asked “What?”

Hearing this, Velvet replied “I don’t know it nearly as well as Twilight does, but I can read a little of Equestria's ancient written language. In fact, she learned it because she used to help me study it. Anyway, I was able to decipher the name of the pony who invented that spell. At the time, I thought that I’d translated it incorrectly because I kept coming up with the same two words . . . “Sun” and “Dance”.”

Everyone gasped

Velvet looked at Celestia and Artemis. “I didn’t realize that the two words were supposed to be put together to create the name “Sundance”. And I certainly didn’t know that she was your mother.”

Celestia turned to Artemis “I didn’t intentionally ask the Spell Restoration Team to restore Mother’s spell. Instead, I gave them a couple of ancient spell books. At the time, I didn’t realize that Mother’s spell had been recorded in one of them. I discovered that when I received the report that Mother’s spell was the only one that they couldn’t restore.”

“I’d like to get back to your question, Mom.” Twilight said “I bought it up because that’s the answer to your first question.”

Velvet blinked “What do you mean?”

“That’s the spell she cast on me.” Twilight replied

“But that spell doesn’t work!” Velvet exclaimed

Yes, it does! Sundance insisted

“You just said that Sundance is the one who created that spell, Velvet.” Cadance pointed out “Of course she knows the correct way to cast her own spell.”

Thank you, Cadance. Sundance commented

“That’s a good point, Cadance.” Velvet responded thoughtfully “I’ve never seen the spell in action, but it appears to allow the caster to mentally communicate with whoever they cast it on.”

Twilight nodded “That’s exactly what it does. It only works during the day, but I’ve been talking with her for the last five days.”

Everyone, except for Celestia and Artemis, gasped in surprise.

“That’s the answer to your first question.” Twilight continued “Now, I’ll answer the second. She cast her spell on me three times so far. The first was last Friday night. That was the day that I cast my spell to stop the Spirit Reanimation Spell. Even with Celestia and Artemis’ help, it took a lot of magic. That night, when we saw them in Artemis’ dream, she told me to use as little magic as possible for a couple of days so that my magic could recover. However, because she was worried that I might forget, she also cast her spell on me.”

“Did she ask you for permission before doing that?” Velvet asked, concerned

“No.” Twilight replied “In fact, I didn’t know what she’d done until I heard her voice in my head. I was about to teleport, but stopped when I heard her voice. That’s when she explained what she’d done and why. She also apologized for doing so without my knowledge or permission.” Seeing her mother’s expression, she raised an eyebrow. “By that point, she’d already accepted me as one of her children and wanted to make sure that I didn’t get hurt.”

Velvet smiled “That makes sense.”

Agreeing with his wife, Night Light nodded “I’m very glad she did that.”

Velvet thought for a moment. “You said that she cast it on you three times. What about the other two?”

“She made a point of asking for permission both times.” Seeing her mother’s confusion, Twilight shrugged “Artemis can visit you whenever he wants but, I can’t do that with her. I gave her permission to cast her spell on me because I’m using this as an opportunity to get to know her.”

Celestia and Artemis smiled

Sundance giggled Thank you, Twilight.

Laughing, Velvet shook her head “It’s just like you to think of doing that, Twilight.”

Everyone else laughed as well

Celestia cleared her throat “Mother has to keep casting her spell because, when Golden Thunder tries to pull her soul to him, it disrupts her magic and cancels the spell.”

Shining Armor glanced at his sister “Is that what you were talking about when you told Princess Celestia that “that spell” had been cancelled?”

Twilight nodded

I was hoping that you’d be able to sense that. Sundance remarked Did you also get my message?

Yes, Mom. Twilight replied

That’s good to know. Sundance commented, sighing in relief Unfortunately, I may have to do it again.

That’s alright. Twilight commented I want you to do that again.

Why do you say that? Sundance asked

Artemis is the only one who can sense what’s going on with your stars. Twilight replied Normally, that doesn’t bother me, but it was a problem last night.

Worried, Sundance asked. Why was that a problem?

Artemis was putting Flurry to bed when Golden Thunder tried to pull your souls to him last night. Twilight answered I’m sure he noticed the problem right away but, because he wasn’t anywhere near us, he wasn’t able to immediately inform Celestia and myself.

You’re right, Sundance replied that is a problem. She gasped If that’s what happened, how did you and Celestia get to us so quickly?

I got your message and immediately told Celestia that your spell had been cancelled. Twilight replied Then Artemis teleported into the room and told everyone that Golden Thunder was trying to take the souls of you and Dad. As soon as he said that, Magic used her connection with me to speak to everyone in the room. She told us that we needed to hurry because Golden Thunder was moving faster.

I see. Sundance said slowly

The point is, I got your message first. Twilight explained That’s why I want you to do that again. Golden Thunder will probably keep trying to pull you and Dad to him. If he does, the sooner we find out about it, the faster we’ll be able to react.

After a moment of shock, Sundance quietly said. T-thank you

You’re welcome, Mom. Noticing that everyone was staring at her, Twilight blushed. “Sorry about that. I’m sure you can guess who I was talking to.”

Laughing, everyone nodded

“I’d like to get back to the explanation.” Twilight said “Her spell also allows her to tell what’s going on around me. At first, she could only hear it, but I altered her spell so that she can see it as well.”

Velvet hesitantly asked “When did you do that, Twilight?”

“Monday morning” Twilight answered “I did it again when she cast it on me last night.”

Eyes wide, Velvet stammered “T-that means-” Unable to finish her sentence, she just stared at her daughter.

Twilight nodded “It still only works during the day, but she’s seen everything that happened around me since we left Canterlot.”

Velvet gasped, but didn’t say anything. After a couple of moments something else occurred to her. “I’m not trying to imply anything, or offend her, but I have to say this.” Seeing her daughter’s expression, she continued. “There aren’t many spells that are safe to cast on a pregnant mare. Are you sure that her spell is one of them?”

She doesn’t need to worry, I’m not offended. Sundance commented In fact, I’d be surprised if she wasn’t concerned.

“She just told me that she’s not offended.” Twilight said

Velvet sighed in relief

Celestia turned to Velvet “Mother created that spell when she was pregnant with Artemis. The first thing she did was teach it to Father so that he could to cast it on her.”

Night Light sighed in relief “That means it’s safe to cast on Twilight.”

Celestia nodded

“That’s not a common form of communication.” Cadance said thoughtfully “I mean, it’s extremely invasive. There must have been a very good reason for her to create a spell like that.”

“There was.” Celestia responded “Father needed to travel to another part of Equestria. Mother wasn’t allowed to travel because of how far she was into her pregnancy and I wasn’t allowed to go with him because I was only six years old.”

“What does that have to do with the spell?” Shining Armor asked

“At the time, Equestria was a much more dangerous place than it is now.” Celestia answered “Father refused to go anywhere unless there was a way that he could make sure that Mother and I were going to be safe. After Mother created her spell, he cast it on her before he left.”

Shining Armor looked confused “What about your guards? They could have protected both of you while your father was gone.”

“There wasn’t a Royal Guard at the time.” Artemis replied

“I see” Shining Armor responded “In that case, it makes sense.”

Celestia nodded to Shining Armor “I’m sure this next part will sound strange to most of you, but it’s something that Mother built into her spell.” She looked each of them in the eye before continuing. “Mother’s spell allowed Father to use her magic so that he could protect us. Because it’s something that’s built into the spell, Mother can use Twilight’s magic.”

Everyone, except for Artemis and Twilight, gasped

Seeing their expressions, Artemis quickly spoke up. “Before any of you get angry, you should remember that Mother and Father have accepted Twilight as one of their children. Neither of them will do anything to harm her.”

Also seeing the expressions on everyone’s faces, Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I’d like to ask all of you a question.”

Curious, everyone nodded

Celestia smiled “What do you think Mother would do to somepony that attacked her youngest child and grandfoal?”

Cadance and Night Light looked at each other before turning back to Celestia.

“A pissed off alicorn protecting her daughter?” Shining Armor asked, glancing at his wife “You know, I’d rather not think about that.”

Eyes wide, Velvet nodded

“I have a better question.” Spike said slowly “How many pieces would the attacker be in by the time she’s done with them?”

Sundance laughed If it got that far, I wouldn’t leave anything behind.

After a moment of shock, Twilight responded “She just said that, if it got that far, she wouldn’t leave anything behind.”

Everyone laughed

When they’d finally calmed down, Artemis nuzzled Twilight before turning to everyone else. “In addition to talking with Mother, and allowing her to help us with our research, Twilight has also been teaching her about some of the things that have changed over the last fifteen hundred years.”

Twilight nodded “A lot of things have changed in that time. When she sees, or hears, something that she doesn’t understand, she asks me to explain it to her.”

Velvet opened her mouth but, not sure how to word her question, closed it again.

Noticing this, Twilight shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with that. In fact, I’d be surprised if she didn’t have questions.”

Seeing her point, everyone nodded.

In the stars, Midnight Armor, Sundance and Star Swirl turned to each other.

“I was expecting them to have questions.” Midnight Armor commented

“So was I” Sundance replied “However, I didn’t expect Twilight Velvet to know about my spell.”

“Well,” Star Swirl said thoughtfully “Princess Twilight said that her mother was on a Spell Restoration Team. Additionally, Celestia said that she’d unintentionally given that team the spell book that contained your spell. Therefore, it makes sense.”

Seeing his point, Sundance briefly brightened

However, Midnight Armor began to laugh.

Turning to her husband, Sundance asked “Midnight?”

“Twilight told you not to use her title, Star Swirl.” Midnight Armor reminded him

Surprised, Star Swirl stammered “I-I just-” After a moment, he sighed “You’re right. It’s just going to be a while before I get used to that. In fact, I can’t even count the number of times that Celestia and Artemis told me the same thing.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor laughed

Midnight Armor’s star flickered “Additionally, I was thinking about how our children handled everyone else’s reaction to the fact that your spell allows you to use Twilight’s magic.”

Sundance giggled “They focused on the fact that it allows me to protect our youngest daughter and grandfoal.”

“It was a good idea.” Star Swirl remarked “Everyone went from extremely concerned to accepting rather quickly.”

“I’m glad our children’s plan worked.” Sundance commented, sighing in relief

Midnight Armor briefly brightened “It would have been very unpleasant for Twilight to have to deal with most of her family being upset with her for allowing you to cast your spell on her.”

“You’re right, Midnight.” Sundance replied “However, I’d like to switch to a different topic.”

“What topic is that?” Star Swirl asked

“I’m glad that Twilight has been so understanding when it comes to the questions that I’ve been asking her.” Sundance paused “I’m also grateful that she takes the time to answer them.

Midnight Armor briefly brightened “I am as well.” After a moment’s thought, he continued “Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. Artemis told us that she helped him when he returned.”

Star Swirl briefly brightened “He’s right. It’s not really a surprise that she’s doing the same for you, Sundance.”

In the Crystal Empire, Cadance felt a sudden movement at her side and glanced down, surprised to see that Flurry was awake.

Jumping into the air, Flurry flew to Twilight and landed on the cushion in front of her aunt.

Giggling, Twilight nuzzled her niece. “As soon as she saw you, she said that you’re adorable.”

What did you expect me to say? Sundance asked She is adorable!

Giggling again, Twilight commented “She just said it again.”

Cadance and Shining Armor smiled

Not sure what her aunt was talking about, Flurry tilted her head. Deciding that it was just grown up stuff, she returned her aunt’s nuzzle and flew to the pile of presents. Hovering above them, she announced. “You have to open your presents!”

Everyone laughed

“She has a point.” Cadance pointed out “We were planning to open them last night, but Golden Thunder interrupted those plans.”

Velvet glanced at her husband before both of them nodded. “The questions we had have been answered, so we might as well.” She levitated a box over to Twilight.

Curious, Twilight opened it . . . and instantly began to laugh. Taking up most of the box was a hat and scarf. Both were the same lavender as her coat and had her Cutie Mark incorporated into the design, but that wasn’t why she was laughing. Sitting on top of the hat was a piece of paper with a single sentence written on it.

Curious, Sundance asked What does it say?

Still laughing, Twilight replied It’s a promise to take care of our foal for one weekend . . . any time we choose.

Sundance laughed as well I’m sure that both of you will be very glad for that soon enough.

Celestia and Artemis leaned over and read what was written on the paper. They immediately began to laugh as well.

Once she’d calmed slightly, Twilight looked at her parents. “Mom, Dad, don’t worry. We’ll definitely be taking advantage of this.”

Artemis nodded

Night Light smiled “We’re counting on it.”

Celestia smiled as well “I’ve already promised to do the same.” She paused “In fact, I told them that I’m expecting them to bring my little niece or nephew to me whenever they need a break.”

Cadance and Shining Armor looked at each other before turning to Twilight and Artemis.

Cadance giggled “You’re spending this afternoon with me, Twily. That’s all I’m going to tell you now.”

“Um, Okay.” Twilight said slowly

Shining Armor cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “The same applies to you, Artemis. I’ll tell you more about what we’ll be doing after lunch.”

Artemis blinked “A-alright”

Everyone else laughed

Before she could say anything, Celestia felt somepony nuzzle into her neck. Surprised, she looked over as Cadance pulled back and looked at her.

“There are two individuals who want to spend this afternoon with you, Aunt Celestia.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow but, before she could ask, she felt something on her back. Looking back, she saw that Flurry and Spike were sitting there. Spike smiled at her while Flurry shouted “Playtime!”

Laughing, Celestia reached back and nuzzled both of them. “I have no problem with that but, when we’re done, all three of us are going to take a nap.”

Spike nodded but Flurry shook her head “No Nap!”

Sundance giggled Celestia got plenty of practice with her brother. She paused thoughtfully In fact, I’m sure that Flurry Heart will be the first one to fall asleep.

Twilight giggled as well You’re probably right. Besides, Celestia got even more practice with Cadance and myself.

Sundance’s giggles turned into laughter. I forgot about that.

Artemis nuzzled Twilight “Did Mother say something funny?”

Glancing around, and realizing that everyone was looking at her, Twilight giggled again before telling them about her conversation with Sundance.

“You’re both right.” Celestia commented, smiling at Flurry “I’m sure I won’t have any trouble getting a reluctant filly to take her nap.”

Flurry pouted “No Nap!”

Everyone stared at Flurry for a moment before beginning to laugh again.

Eventually, they calmed enough to turn their attention back to the presents. Cadance and Shining Armor smiled at each other before turning to Celestia.

“We have a gift for you as well,” Cadance began “but we’re not going to tell you what it is yet.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow “Why not?”

Shining Armor chuckled “We don’t want to ruin the surprise. Instead, Flurry and Spike will keep you company today. Cadance will tell you about it tomorrow morning.”

“Alright” Celestia said slowly

Twilight glanced at Celestia “You got your present from me yesterday.”

Seeing the expressions on the faces of almost everyone in the room, Celestia said. “You know that Mother can use Twilight’s magic.”

Cadance, Shining Armor, Night Light, Velvet and Spike nodded

Twilight shrugged “When I took my nap yesterday, I allowed her to use my magic so she could write on a scroll while Celestia spoke to her.”

“That was the first “Mother-Daughter Time” that we’ve had in a very long time.” Celestia responded, nuzzling Twilight

Chuckling, Artemis nuzzled Twilight as well “She did the same for me when we were on the mountain the other day.”

Cadance, Shining Armor, Night Light, Velvet and Spike gasped

“That was a very thoughtful gift, Twilight.” Cadance said slowly “I’m sure that all three of them enjoyed it.”

Smiling, Celestia and Artemis nodded

“We even got a present from Magic.” Twilight told them

Curious, Velvet asked “What do you mean?”

Artemis smiled “At Magic’s request, Twilight used the Element of Magic to give Mother, Father and Star Swirl enough magic to visit my dream. After we fell asleep, I brought Celestia and Twilight into my dream.”

Eyes wide, Night Light stammered “T-that means . . .”

Celestia nodded to Night Light. “For the first time in thirteen hundred years, Artemis and I got to see our parents on Hearth’s Warming.” She smiled at her sister “As for Twilight, she spent her first Hearth’s Warming with Mother and Father . . . and finally got to meet Star Swirl.”

Cadance, Shining Armor, Night Light, Velvet and Spike gasped again.

A few minutes later, Twilight levitated a decent sized box over to her parents.

Night Light lifted the lid off of the box. Everyone watched as Velvet levitated several packages of yarn out of the box and set them next to her. They were followed by a set of new knitting needles and a book. Curious, Velvet took a closer look at the book.

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow “That yarn is her favorite kind to knit with, but very hard to find. As for the knitting needles, the ones that she currently uses are the same ones that she used when we were little, so getting her a new set was a very good idea. But why did you give her a book? Mom’s not you, Twily.”

It’s not nice to complain about a gift. Sundance muttered Especially when it’s somepony else’s.

Twilight’s eyes began to fill with tears but, before she could say anything, Velvet pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t listen to your brother, Twilight. I love it!” Turning to Shining Armor, she gave him a look. “You know that there’s an ancient style of knitting that I’ve been wanting to learn for years, right?”

Shining Armor nodded “It’s the only style that you were never able to learn because you couldn’t find anypony to teach you.” He paused “What does that have to do with the book?”

“This book has instructions on that style of knitting.” Velvet answered

Everyone gasped

“I-I see.” Shining Armor nuzzled his sister and wiped her tears away. “I’m sorry, Twily.”

Twilight nodded but, before she could say anything, Velvet spoke again.

“Did you write this?”

Twilight shook her head. “Just after your birthday, I found a very old book with the instructions in it. I didn’t want to make you wait a year, so I decided to give it to you for Hearth’s Warming.” Seeing her mother’s skeptical look, she blushed. “I know that you can’t read the ancient text as well as I can, so I translated it for you.”

Velvet hugged her daughter again. “Thank you, Twilight!”

I can see why she’s happy. Sundance commented That was a very thoughtful gift.

On a hunch, Artemis asked “Would you mind if I took a look at that?”

Confused, but happy that he was speaking to her, Velvet levitated the book over to him. She watched Celestia lean over to look at it as well.

After reading the first couple of pages, Celestia and Artemis laughed.

“Ironically, this is the only style that I know.” Celestia commented “Knitting isn’t my favorite hobby, so I never learned the newer styles.”

Everyone gasped

Focused on his sister, Artemis didn’t notice. “Same here. But I didn’t learn the newer styles because I was busy with Night Court and catching up on the things I missed while I was gone.” He paused thoughtfully “Remember how we used to help Mother when we were younger?”

“Well, I helped Mother.” Celestia replied, giggling “You were only two weeks old, so you kept getting tangled in her supplies.”

Blushing, Artemis immediately responded “I helped her when I got a little older! If you remember, she taught me how to knit when I was six!”

Everyone, including Sundance, laughed.

Cadance turned to Celestia “What happened when Uncle Artemis was two weeks old? That sounded like the beginning of a funny story. Can you please tell us the rest of it?”

Still laughing, Celestia nodded “As odd as this sounds, Artemis was able to help Mother . . . just not in the way you might think.”

Artemis blinked “What are you talking about?”

“After you were born, Mother wanted to immediately go back to holding court.” Celestia explained “However, Father insisted that she wait until you were no longer nursing. As I’m sure you can imagine, she was really angry with him. In an attempt to calm her, Father brought her knitting supplies to the nursery.”

Confused, Artemis asked “What does that have to do with-?” He stopped when his sister laughed.

“Your attempts to help Mother really annoyed her, but she couldn’t punish you because you were too young to know what you were doing. Instead, she kept untangling you and setting you on the floor. You must have thought that Mother’s reaction was funny because you kept trying to help her.” Celestia laughed again “It was really cold that winter, so she was making you a sweater. As soon as it was finished, she laid it on the floor in front of you. You immediately crawled inside it, curled into a little ball and refused to come out. For some reason, Mother thought that was very funny.”

It was! Sundance insisted When Artemis heard me laughing, he poked his head out and stared at me! Of course, that made me laugh harder. That’s when your father walked into the nursery. After staring at Artemis for a few minutes, he began to laugh as well! Knowing that her youngest was curious, she showed Twilight her memory of that evening.

Twilight instantly began to laugh. Before anyone could ask, she told them what Sundance had said.

Flurry was sitting on the floor, playing with the ribbons from the presents that had already been opened.

Everyone else began to laugh as well.

When she was calm enough to speak, Celestia continued “That was the first time that Mother had laughed in almost a week. As soon as he’d finished laughing, Father picked you up, hugged you and told you that you had done a good job.”

Artemis sighed “I wish I could remember that.”

Twilight used her magic to lower his head, touched her horn to his and shared the memory that Sundance had just shown her. “I know it’s not the same,” she whispered “but maybe that will help.”

Artemis didn’t reply because he was too busy laughing. M-mother was right. That was hilarious!

Well done, Twilight. Sundance remarked, watching her son laugh. I’m glad you thought of that.

Next Chapter: Chapter 61 Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 60 Minutes