When Artemis and Twilight had finished laughing, Celestia teleported them to the dining room. As they had expected, they found Cinnamon Spice waiting for them.

Celestia smiled “Good morning, Cinnamon Spice.”

Smiling, Cinnamon Spice bowed “Good morning, your highnesses. I have pancakes, and glasses of milk, ready for all three of you.” Turning to Twilight, she continued. “Princess Cadance asked me to serve you something that wasn’t made with apples or carrots to see if you’re beginning to get over the morning sickness. If you aren’t able to hold them down, I have applesauce ready.”

Nervous, Twilight nodded and sat at her place at the table. I hope I don’t regret this.

Exchanging glances, Celestia and Artemis joined her. As they ate, they watched Twilight carefully.

Artemis waited until Twilight had swallowed the last of her breakfast before nuzzling her. “How do you feel?”

“I’m nauseous, but I think the pancakes are going to stay down.” She slowly replied

Sundance, Celestia, Artemis and Cinnamon Spice sighed in relief.

“That means you still need to eat mainly apples and carrots,” Celestia commented “but we can begin to slowly add other foods.”

Artemis and Celestia finished their breakfasts before heading to Celestia’s room. Before either of them could say anything, Twilight levitated three books to her. Golden Thunder’s journal, the second book on the qualities and composition of crystals and a blank book. After a moment’s thought, she also brought over Golden Thunder’s original scroll and the scrolls that their mother had written on.

Celestia raised an eyebrow “I thought we agreed that we wouldn’t do any research today.”

“I’m not researching anything.” Twilight replied “I told Cadance that I was going to make a copy of the second book, remember? As for the scrolls, we have no reason to leave the scrolls that Mom wrote on here.” She paused “Additionally, I think we should keep Golden Thunder’s original journal and scroll.”

Surprised, Celestia asked “Why do you- . . . I see. You don’t want Golden Flash and Golden Thunder to find them.”

Twilight nodded “We should ask Cadance to put the copies that we made in a secure location.”

“Good idea” Artemis commented

Twilight suddenly giggled “How do you think Golden Thunder will react when he discovers that we have his journal and that scroll? More importantly, what do you think he’ll say to us?”

Celestia and Artemis stared at her for a moment before both of them began to laugh so hard that they fell to the floor.

In the stars, Midnight Armor, Sundance and Star Swirl were laughing too hard to speak.

After a few minutes, Sundance said “I really hope that happens sometime within the next week. If not, we’ll have to wait at least a month before I can cast my spell on Twilight again.”

Midnight Armor briefly brightened “Even if it happens at a time when we can’t see it, I’m sure that our children will tell us about it.”

“Agreed” Star Swirl responded “However, like Sundance, I’d prefer to see it for myself.”

Sundance and Midnight Armor briefly brightened.

In the Crystal Empire, Twilight knew that it would be a couple of minutes before Celestia and Artemis were calm enough to speak. While she waited, she made a copy of the second book before teleporting it, Golden Thunder’s journal and all of the scrolls to the room she shared with Artemis. All of them looked up at a knock on the door.

Using her magic, Celestia opened it to reveal Cadance. Before anypony could say anything, Twilight walked over to Cadance.

Curious, Cadance lowered her head.

When her horn touched Cadance’s, Twilight showed her sister what they’d just done and said.

Cadance instantly began to laugh. After a few minutes, she calmed enough to speak. “I love that idea, Twily! If you give them to me, I’ll teleport them to my room for now.” She paused “Actually, I think I’ll keep them there until I’m sure that the situation has been resolved.”

Nodding, Twilight levitated the copies of Golden Thunder’s journal to Cadance and watched them disappear in a flash of her sister’s magic.

That done, Cadance turned her attention back to her little sister. “I have no problem with you keeping the originals. As for the possibility of Golden Flash coming to the Crystal Empire, I’ll tell the guards to look out for him.”

“Why are you going to do that? Celestia asked

“If he does come here, I want him brought straight to me.” Cadance replied “Part of the reason is that I want to be the one to tell him that you have the originals, but most of it is that I don’t want take the risk of him coming into contact with my daughter.”

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight nodded

I certainly don’t blame her for not wanting Golden Thunder to see Flurry Heart. Sundance commented

“What do you have planned for this morning, Cadance?” Celestia asked

“I’ll let Flurry explain that when you see her.” Cadance replied, giggling at their expressions “First, I think you should pack everything you’re going to take back home with you. I just wanted to tell you that we’re all meeting in the living room in fifteen minutes.”

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight nodded again. Also nodding, Cadance walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Artemis teleported himself and Twilight to their room.

Twilight walked into the bathroom to get her dress. As she walked back into the room, she folded the dress and levitated her saddlebags onto the bed. She placed the dress, books and scrolls into her saddlebags before turning her attention to her presents.

Artemis had already finished packing his bag, so he watched Twilight place the hat and scarf that she’d gotten from Velvet into her saddlebags. His eyes widened when she placed the necklace for Jade Butterfly on top. “How in Equestria does all of that fit in there?”

I’d also like to know the answer to that. Sundance remarked

Twilight giggled “I cast an enlarging spell on my saddlebags a long time ago.”

Chuckling, Artemis shook his head “I should have known.”

After the fifteen minutes had passed, Twilight levitated her saddlebags onto her back while Artemis lifted his bag in his magic. Twilight cast a locking spell on their bags before teleporting herself and Artemis to the living room.

Celestia, Cadance, Shining Armor, Flurry, Spike, Night Light and Velvet looked up when Twilight and Artemis appeared in the middle of the room.

Before Twilight could say anything, Artemis levitated her saddlebags off of her back and over to the pile of everyone else’s bags before setting his bag next to hers. Then he looked at Flurry. “Your mother told us that you have something you want to do this morning. What is it?”

Flurry flew over to Artemis and landed on his back. “I wanna see the stars again! You promised!”

Everyone laughed

Artemis looked around at everyone else “I assume that all of you want to come as well.”

Surprised, everyone, except for Celestia and Twilight, looked at each other before turning back to him.

“Can you really do that?” Shining Armor asked

Artemis nodded “I’ll need to borrow magic from Celestia and Twilight, but . . .” He trailed off when Cadance and Shining Armor’s horns began to glow.

Before Artemis could say anything else, Cadance and Shining Armor gave him some of their magic.

Sundance laughed That certainly solves that problem. After a couple of minutes of silence, she said Please tell Artemis that your father and I would like him to bring everyone to our stars.

Surprised, Twilight asked A-are you sure?

Yes Sundance answered

A-alright. Twilight slowly replied. Turning to Artemis, she said “Mom told me that she and Dad want you to bring all of us to their stars.”

Everyone gasped

Wide-eyed, Artemis asked “Is she sure about that?”

“I just asked her the same thing and she said yes.” Twilight replied

“Alright” Artemis slowly responded. After making sure to bring enough air for Night Light, Shining Armor, Velvet and Spike to breathe, he did as his mother had asked.

In the stars, Midnight Armor, Sundance and Star Swirl turned at a flash of Artemis’ magic. When the light faded, they saw that Cadance, Shining Armor, Flurry, Night Light, Velvet and Spike were looking around them in wonder.

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight walked closer to Sundance and Midnight Armor’s stars.

Artemis reached back and nuzzled Flurry. “The stars that I took you to see last time were regular stars. The three in front of us are very special because they used to be ponies.”

Flurry stared at him “R-really?”

Celestia nuzzled Flurry as well. “Yes. Even though they’re stars now, two of them are our parents.”

Sundance giggled She’s even more adorable up close. “Hello, Flurry Heart.”

Flurry stared at Sundance’s star for a moment before turning back to Artemis. “Is that your Mommy?”

Artemis chuckled “Yes”

“Hi” Flurry said, waving at all three stars

Midnight Armor laughed softly “Hello, little one.”

Flurry looked at his star for a minute before turning back to Artemis. “That’s your Daddy?”

Giggling, Celestia answered the question for her brother. “Yes”

Midnight Armor turned his attention to everyone else. “I suppose we can’t call this a proper meeting because you’re only seeing us as stars. Even so, it’s nice to meet all of you.”

Surprised, Shining Armor, Cadance, Spike, Velvet and Night Light looked at his star.

Shining Armor glanced at everyone else before turning back to Midnight Armor’s star. “It’s nice to meet you as well.”

Nodding, Cadance asked “What would you like us to call you?”

Midnight Armor laughed “You can call me Midnight.”

“And you can call me Sundance." Sundance added

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

Clearly nervous, Velvet looked at Sundance’s star.

Concerned, Sundance asked “Is something wrong, Twilight Velvet?” When Velvet didn’t answer, she said “I see. You’re nervous about how Midnight and I will react to what you said to Artemis.”

Velvet hesitantly nodded

“It’s true that we don’t approve of the way that you treated our son.” Sundance began “However, we believe that Twilight and Spike did a good job of saying what we were thinking at the time.”

Briefly brightening, Midnight Armor continued “Additionally, we understand the reason behind your anger.” He paused “In the future, we would appreciate it if you’d talk to somepony when something is bothering you.”

Sundance briefly brightened as well “We’ll leave it at that.”

Velvet sighed in relief

Looking at Twilight and Velvet, Midnight Armor remarked “This conversation will be rather confusing with two Twilights.”

“We already have a way to avoid that.” Velvet responded, laughing “Please call me Velvet.”

Also laughing, Sundance commented “You’re right. That makes things much easier.”

Everyone else laughed as well.

Twilight had spent the last couple of minutes watching Star Swirl’s star flash. “You can join the conversation, Star Swirl.”

“Thank you, princess” Star Swirl replied

Twilight raised an eyebrow

“Oh, right.” Star Swirl said “I’m sorry”

Night Light turned to his daughter “What was that about?”

“I told him not to use my title.” Twilight answered

Night Light chuckled “I see”

Artemis sighed “He can be a little stubborn. Celestia and I had to tell him the same thing over a hundred times before he finally dropped the “Prince” and “Princess.”

Everyone laughed

“What did you expect?” Star Swirl asked “I was an average unicorn who suddenly had both ruling figures of Equestria telling me not to use their titles.”

Velvet blinked “Average unicorn?” Turning to Twilight, she asked “Does he know how legendary he’s become?”

Twilight laughed “Probably not.”

Legendary? Thoroughly confused, Star Swirl asked “What are you talking about?”

“Everypony in Equestria has heard of “Star Swirl the Bearded”.” Twilight answered “In fact, every unicorn learns your name, and some of your spells, while they’re in school.”

“There’s a wing in the library with most of the spells that you’ve created.” Celestia added “We’ve also preserved several of your books and scrolls.”

Artemis tilted his head “If I recall correctly, roughly two hundred of your spells are still in use today.”

After a few minutes of stunned silence, Star Swirl gasped “What?!”

Twilight turned to her mother “I guess he knows now.”

Everyone laughed again

Midnight Armor chuckled “Didn’t you also say that you were an “average” unicorn, Twilight?”

Surprised, Twilight nodded

Shining Armor snorted “There’s nothing “average” about my little sister.”

“Shiny!” Twilight exclaimed

“You were able to levitate me when you were two!” Shining Armor pointed out

Surprised, Sundance asked “Really?”

“Great” Twilight commented “You’d better tell them the rest of it, Shiny.”

Seeing his son’s expression, Night Light chuckled “It’s alright, your mother and I will tell them.”

Sighing in relief, Shining Armor nodded.

“This wasn’t long after Twilight’s second birthday. I had spent the morning teaching her the Levitation Spell.” Velvet explained “After she woke up from her afternoon nap, Night Light and I took both of our children outside to play.”

“By this point, Shining Armor had already decided that he wanted to join the Royal Guard.” Night Light continued “Instead of playing, Shining Armor decided that he wanted to train. Unfortunately, he put a little too much effort into one of his moves and got his horn stuck in a tree.”

Chuckling, Midnight Armor asked “What does that have to do with Twilight levitating her brother?”

“Twilight was sitting in a swing, just staring at her brother.” Velvet answered “Before Night Light or I could do anything, she surrounded her brother with her magic and pulled him out of the tree.”

Night Light smiled at his daughter “Then she placed Shining Armor behind her. Of course, he instantly asked her why she’d done that.” He laughed “She told him that it was playtime and he had to push her.”

Shining Armor and Twilight turned bright red, but everyone else began to laugh as well.

When they calmed down, Celestia looked at her brother. “We seem to attract unicorns who think they’re “average” . . .”

“But that word never applied to them.” Artemis finished

“Hey!” Twilight and Star Swirl immediately exclaimed. Surprised, they turned to each other.

Everyone else laughed again

When they’d calmed, Artemis turned to Celestia. “You should check the sun.”

Nodding, Celestia closed her eyes and focused on her link to the sun. A couple of minutes later, she opened her eyes. “Unfortunately, we need to go. It’s almost noon.”

Artemis sighed “I thought so.”

Seeing the expressions on everyone’s faces, Celestia asked “What?”

“How can you tell what time it is?” Spike responded

Celestia raised an eyebrow “I used my connection with the sun to check where it is in the sky. That tells me what time it is.”

“I didn’t know you could do that when you couldn’t see the sky or the sun.” Spike responded

Everyone turned to Sundance, Midnight Armor and Star Swirl but, before they could say anything, Flurry giggled.

Waving at their stars again, she said “Bye-Bye!”

Cadance laughed “What she said.”

Everyone laughed as well

In the Crystal Empire, Cinnamon Spice had just walked into the living room. “Where are they? I need to make that sure they eat before the trip back to Equestria.” She jumped when she saw a flash of magic out of the corner of her eye. Turning towards it, she found herself staring at the entire Royal Family. After a moment of shock, she said “L-lunch is ready, your highnesses.”

Laughing, everyone followed her to the dining room. They sat at the table while Cinnamon Spice went into the kitchen to get their food.

Before Twilight could say anything, she heard Sundance’s voice.

That was a lovely visit. Please thank Artemis for doing that. When Twilight didn’t respond, she giggled. You’re going to let me do it myself, aren’t you?

Also giggling, Twilight replied Of course, Mom. They know that you can use my magic, so I don’t see why you can’t write a message for everyone.

Hearing Twilight’s giggle, everyone looked at her.

Sundance laughed Thank you, Twilight. Using Twilight’s magic she wrote a message in the air in front of her youngest.

Midnight, Star Swirl and I just wanted to thank everyone for the visit. Even though we couldn’t interact with you the way we wanted to, we enjoyed ourselves.

I initially asked Twilight to thank Artemis for me, but she told me to do it myself.

Artemis, Celestia and Velvet laughed

Before anyone could ask, Artemis read the message aloud. As soon as he did, the message faded.

Everyone else laughed as well.

Cinnamon Spice chose that moment to walk back into the room. “I have a Kale, Apple and Avocado salad, with a side of Honey Glazed Steamed Carrots, for Princess Twilight. Princess Flurry Heart will be eating Vegetable Tacos, also with a side of Honey Glazed Steamed Carrots. For Spike, I have a Veggie Sub with Turquoise pieces added. Everypony else will also be eating Veggie Subs . . . without the Turquoise pieces. Everyone will be drinking milk.”

Everyone smiled as their food was placed in front of them. Lunch was eaten quickly.

After they had finished eating, everyone returned to the living room to find that their bags were gone. Standing where their bags had been was the pair of guards that had come with them, and flown the chariot, from Canterlot.

Seeing the expressions on everyone’s faces, both guards chuckled before bowing. “We’ve taken the liberty of moving your bags to the chariot, your highnesses.”

Celestia smiled at them “Thank you, Night Twister and Marble Wing. Did you enjoy your time here?”

Marble Wing returned his princess’ smile. “Yes, Princess Celestia. Thank you for taking care of our accommodations during our stay.”

Celestia laughed “I was worried when both of you offered to pull our chariot because I thought you were going to be giving up your vacation. When you told me that wanted to bring us here because you’d never been to the Crystal Empire, I decided to make your trip special.”

Night Twister turned to Artemis “Thank you for asking a few of the Crystal Guards to show us around, Prince Artemis.”

Also laughing, Artemis replied “You’re welcome. The two of you have taken time out of your vacation to bring us here and take us back home. Like my sister, I wanted to make sure that you were taken care of.”

Twilight giggled, drawing the attention of both guards. “There’s something that Celestia and Artemis haven’t told you.”

Celestia and Artemis smiled

Seeing this, Night Twister and Marble Wing looked at each other before turning back to Twilight. “What do you mean, Princess Twilight?”

“When we get back to Canterlot, we’d like you to land at the castle’s side entrance. Don’t worry, I’ll allow you to pass through my force field. After you put the chariot away, both of you have another week off.” Twilight looked both of the stunned guards in the eye. “We want you to spend that time with your families.”

Sundance laughed That’s a great idea!

Shocked, Night Twister and Marble Wing stared at Twilight, Celestia and Artemis for a couple of minutes before bowing. “T-thank you, your highnesses.”

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight smiled “You’re welcome.”

After the guards had left the room, Celestia turned to Artemis, Twilight, Velvet, Night Light and Spike. “I’ve already notified the nobles of the time that we will be returning. I’ve also told them that I expect everypony in Canterlot to be in front of the castle because we have an announcement.” Seeing Twilight’s expression, she shook her head “Not that announcement. Instead, I want to deal with Golden Flash’s actions.”

“Ah” Artemis remarked “You want to make sure that he stops taking magic from the citizens of Equestria.”

“That’s right” Celestia replied

That’s an even better idea. Sundance remarked

Twilight turned to Velvet, Night Light, Spike,Cadance and Shining Armor. “Golden Flash and Golden Thunder don’t know that Mom has cast her spell on me. We haven’t told them because Mom and I are working together to keep both of them as confused as possible.” She laughed “At one point, Golden Thunder thought that I was her reincarnation.”

Sundance, Celestia, Artemis, Cadance, Shining Armor, Velvet, Night Light and Spike instantly began to laugh as well.

When they’d calmed down, Twilight continued “Some of what I say, or do, might confuse you. Please don’t say anything until we’re alone . . . and don’t laugh. I promise, I’ll explain as much as I can later.” After thinking for a moment, she added. “No matter what it looks like, Mom is not hurting me and has my permission.”

“This should be good.” Night Light remarked, chuckling

Spike jumped onto Twilight’s back and hugged her. “I can’t wait to see this!”

Velvet was laughing too hard to say anything, so she just nodded.

Thank you for explaining, and clarifying, that. Sundance told Twilight

Spike turned to Cadance, Shining Armor and Flurry. “I’ve left a surprise for each of you in your rooms.”

Surprised, they nodded

Gently tapping Twilight on the neck, Spike waited for her to turn to him before whispering something in her ear.

Giggling, Twilight nodded.

Sundance laughed I love Spike’s idea!

Spike turned to Celestia, Artemis, Velvet and Night Light. “After you make the announcement, all of you are coming to Ponyville with us. You’re also going to stay in the castle tonight. I’ll give you your Hearth’s Warming presents tomorrow morning.”

“A-alright” Celestia said slowly

Curious, Artemis, Night Light, and Velvet nodded

Everyone walked outside to find that their guards were harnessed to the chariot and ready to go.

Twilight looked at Cadance “Next time, it’ll be your turn to visit us.” She giggled “In fact, it’ll probably be for our wedding.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll tell you as soon as we set a date.” Artemis added

Celestia nodded “We’ll also tell you when we’ve finalized the plan for dealing with Golden Thunder.”

Cadance, Shining Armor and Flurry hugged Celestia, Artemis, Twilight, Night Light, Velvet and Spike before watching them climb into the chariot.

Night Twister and Marble Wing bowed to Cadance and Shining Armor before taking flight, pulling the chariot into the sky.

“Bye-Bye!” Flurry shouted, flying alongside the chariot.

Laughing, Celestia, Artemis, Twilight, Spike, Velvet and Night Light waved at her until she was out of sight.

Three and a half hours later

In Canterlot, the entire population had gathered in front of the castle to welcome their prince and princesses home. They cheered when the chariot approached and watched it pass through the force field. Five minutes later, they cheered even louder when Celestia, Artemis, Twilight, Spike, Night Light and Velvet walked through the front door and out of the force field.

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight stopped in front of the crowd. Night Light stood behind his daughter. Velvet, wearing her daughter’s saddlebags, stood behind Artemis. Spike sat on Velvet’s back.

Sapphire Wing, Silver Shadow, Steel Night and Midnight Fang stepped forward and bowed.

Sapphire Wing bowed again “Welcome back, your highnesses”

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight smiled “Thank you”

After glancing at her siblings, Celestia turned her attention to the crowd. “Thank you for greeting us. I hope all of you have enjoyed your holiday so far.”

The crowd cheered.

Celestia smiled “I’ve asked that all of you meet us here because there is an announcement that we need to make.”

The ponies in the crowd began to whisper to each other, trying to guess what the announcement would be. They looked up when Celestia cleared her throat.

Seeing that she had their attention, Celestia continued “It has been brought to our attention that ponies have been asking, or demanding, that unicorns give them some of their magic.”

Most of the unicorns in the crowd nodded.

“I assure you that we did not authorize this.” Celestia allowed her gaze to linger on a shocked Golden Flash for a moment before continuing. “Do not give your magic to anypony, unless they are trusted family members. If anypony else asks this of you, please tell us immediately. If court isn’t in session, tell a guard and they will let us know.” After taking a moment to look at everypony in the crowd, she added. “We will put a stop to this.”

Every unicorn in the crowd, except for those in the nobility, cheered.

Artemis cleared his throat “We’ll be in Ponyville for the rest of the weekend. This is because we intend to spend time with friends who couldn’t accompany us to the Crystal Empire. Court, and the castle, will reopen Monday morning.”

Twilight smiled “I’d like my students to know that I do see you in the crowd. I hope all of you had a Happy Hearth’s Warming.”

Suddenly, there were fourteen cheering foals.

Twilight giggled “Good. Remember that class does not start this Monday, but the following one. Please make sure that you enjoy the rest of Winter Break.”

Everyone laughed when her students cheered again.

Celestia smiled at her sister before turning back to the crowd. “We would like to speak with the nobles. Everypony else, enjoy the rest of your day.”

While the crowd dispersed, a small group of nobles walked up to the three alicorns. No one was surprised to see that Golden Flash was in that group.

Celestia nodded to them “I hope all of you had an enjoyable break.”

All of them nodded as well

“We would like to reiterate that we have not authorized anypony to take magic from our citizens.” Artemis began “Additionally, we have no intention of tolerating such behavior. If you see this happening, or somepony in your district tells you about it, please inform us at once.”

All of the nobles nodded again “Yes, Prince Artemis.”

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight suppressed their laughter at the fake concern on Golden Flash’s face, and the fact that he nodded as well.

“Most of you can return to your plans for the day.” Celestia told them “We will see you Monday morning. However, we’d like Golden Flash to stay.” Looking at Golden Flash, she explained “You told us that you’ve been experiencing extreme fatigue, so we’d like to make sure that your condition hasn’t deteriorated while we were gone.”

Sundance laughed I’m sure that’s the only reason that she wants to speak to him without anypony else around.

Nodding, Golden Flash walked closer. He stopped a couple of feet away from them and bowed.

Everyone else, including their guards, bowed before leaving.

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight narrowed their eyes but, before they could say anything, Golden Thunder stepped out of Golden Flash’s body. Not giving anyone a chance to ask, he launched an attack directly at Twilight.

Sundance responded by using Twilight’s magic to create her Mirror Shield around all three of her children. After the attack bounced off of it, she lowered her shield to find that Golden Thunder had vanished. On a hunch, she took a closer look at Golden Flash. I see what happened. As soon as I raised my Mirror Shield, he reentered Golden Flash’s body. In fact, it looks like he taken control of it.

Golden Thunder was so shocked that he forgot about learning Twilight’s magic signature. Instead, he stammered “T-that was Queen Sundance’s Mirror Shield!”

Sundance used Twilight’s magic to write a message in front of her youngest.

I will not allow you to harm my children, Golden Thunder!

Stunned, Golden Thunder stared at the message until it faded.

Night Light sighed in relief

Also sighing in relief, Velvet spoke quietly “Thank you for protecting my daughter, Sundance.”

Sundance used Twilight’s magic to write a message in front of Velvet.

You may have given birth to her, but Twilight is my daughter as well. I won’t allow her to come to any harm.

Velvet quietly translated the message for her husband before both of them nodded.

In the stars, Midnight Armor sighed in relief “Well done, Sundance! I’m very glad that you reacted so quickly. Golden Thunder’s attack wouldn’t have killed Twilight, but-”

“The trauma probably would have killed our grandfoal.” Sundance finished “Besides, even though that attack wouldn’t have killed Twilight, it would have harmed her.” Her star flickered “I won’t let him harm our daughter!”

“Golden Thunder probably attacked Twilight because she’s been protecting our souls.” Midnight Armor said thoughtfully

“Agreed” Sundance replied

“I doubt Golden Thunder is done.” Star Swirl remarked “We should see what else he does.”

Briefly brightening, Sundance and Midnight Armor turned their attention to what was going on in Canterlot.

In Canterlot, Twilight shook slightly as she leaned into Artemis’ side. “T-thanks, Mom.”

You’re welcome Sundance replied

Gasping in surprise, Golden Thunder lowered his gaze to Twilight. “W-what?!” Did Princess Twilight just refer to Queen Sundance as her mother?!

Artemis wrapped a wing around his mare before glaring at Golden Thunder. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Mother and Father have accepted Twilight as one of their children.”

Also glaring at Golden Thunder, Celestia asked “Did you really think that Mother wouldn’t find a way to protect her children?! Not to mention her grandfoal?!”

Golden Thunder was so shocked that he just stared at them for a couple of minutes. Finally finding his voice, he stammered “H-how did she do that?! Queen Sundance shouldn’t be able to protect anypony!”

“Mom asked me if she could use my magic to protect us.” Twilight responded “As I’m sure you’ve guessed, I said yes.”

Golden Thunder’s eyes widened “S-so Queen Sundance is using the fact that your specialty is magic to communicate with you!”

No one corrected him

“I’ve discovered a way to pull you from Golden Flash's body.” Celestia commented, watching as Golden Thunder instantly began to panic. “However, this method will harm him far more than it would harm you. Despite what he’s done, I’m not willing to do that.”

Golden Thunder sighed in relief.

Spreading her wings, Celestia's glare deepened “I will find a way to safely remove you from his body. Once I do . . . well, I’ll let you guess what I’m going to do to you for attacking my little sister.”

Golden Thunder’s body began to shake. I have to finish, and execute, my plan as soon as possible! If Princess Celestia figures out how to safely remove me from Golden Flash’s body, she’s going to kill me . . . again!

Everyone looked up when they heard two sets of hoofsteps. They watched a unicorn mare and a unicorn filly walk closer to them. The mare stopped behind Golden Thunder and bowed to the alicorns.

The filly ignored the alicorns. Instead, she walked up to Golden Thunder. “Can you take the necklace off? Please?” Seeing the expression on his face, she took several steps back. “It’s hurting me!”

Concerned, Celestia, Artemis and Twilight looked at the necklace that the filly was wearing. Most of it was composed of small jade beads, but there was a large crystal in the center. What really drew their attention was the fact that the crystal was glowing.

Celestia’s eyes widened Twilight was right! Golden Thunder gave the crystal to Jade Butterfly!

Artemis growled softly I don’t believe this!

Unfortunately, I can’t tell if that crystal is draining her magic from here. Twilight suppressed a sigh. I need to get closer.

How do you plan to do that without making Golden Thunder suspicious? Sundance asked

I have an idea. Twilight replied, laying on the ground. “Your name is Jade Butterfly, right?”

Squeaking in surprise, Jade Butterfly turned to Twilight. “Y-yes, Princess Twilight.”

“Can you come closer, please?” Twilight asked softly “I don’t want to have to yell when I speak to you.”

Jade Butterfly glanced at her mother. Receiving a nod, she walked closer to Twilight. “A-am I in trouble, princess?”

Giggling, Twilight shook her head “I’ve never met you before, so I wanted to say hello.” She looked at the necklace, pretending to have just noticed it. “That’s a pretty necklace. Did you get it for Hearth’s Warming?”

Amethyst Rose held her breath. I really hope Princess Twilight can do something for Jade Butterfly. That necklace has taken far too much of my daughter’s magic. Golden Thunder was obviously lying when he promised me that he wouldn’t make her wear it today.

Unfortunately, because he’s the only one who can take it off of her, there’s nothing that I can do to help my daughter. Ugh, I’ve never felt so helpless!

I even offered to wear it myself. He told me that she had to be the one to do it because the prince and princesses wouldn’t suspect a filly.

Jade Butterfly nodded “Not Daddy gave it to me.”

That must be what she calls Golden Thunder. Twilight commented

You’re probably right Sundance replied I highly doubt she know what’s going on.

“Can I take a closer look at it?” Twilight asked “I’ve never seen a crystal glow like that. It’s really pretty.”

Nodding again, Jade Butterfly walked closer and stopped right in front of Twilight. She watched as Twilight used her magic to examine the crystal.

Sundance began to laugh. I’m sure that Artemis and Celestia know exactly what you’re doing. Everypony else probably thinks that you’re just trying to figure out what makes the crystal glow.

Golden Thunder struggled to suppress his laughter. The real reason that the crystal is glowing is hidden by a simple, but powerful, Glow Spell. This means that Princess Twilight will just think that necklace is a harmless gift.

Also struggling to suppress her laughter, Celestia smiled at her sister. That’s brilliant, Twilight!

Artemis smiled Twilight just put herself in the perfect position to take that necklace off of Jade Butterfly!

Twilight resisted the urge to shake her head in disbelief. Does Golden Thunder really think he can fool me with a Glow Spell?!

Sundance began to laugh again, harder this time. Golden Thunder probably believes that you’re too young to figure out what he’s done.

Let’s see what’s hidden under the Glow Spell. Twilight’s eyes widened when she sensed the magic drain spell. Working quickly, she overwhelmed Golden Thunder’s spell, took the necklace off of Jade Butterfly and tossed it into the air.

Amethyst Rose sighed in relief. Thank goodness!

Bringing Jade Butterfly to her side, Twilight draped a wing over her before looking up at Celestia. “It was draining her magic!”

Golden Thunder gasped H-how did she discover that?!

Celestia immediately lit her horn. I don’t want Golden Thunder to know that I can burn the magic out of crystals yet. I’ll just shatter it.

Everyone watched as several rays of sunlight converged on the crystal. Not even a second later, the crystal shattered.

Sundance sighed in relief Well done!

Golden Thunder glared at Celestia but, before he could say anything, he heard Artemis growl. What’s his problem?

“What were you thinking?!” Artemis demanded

Golden Thunder was about to answer, but stopped when he heard Celestia’s voice.

“Jade Butterfly is only eight years old. Therefore, she doesn’t have enough control over her magic to prevent the last of it from being drained from her body.” She glared at Golden Thunder “You could have killed her.”

Why do they care? Golden Thunder paused Wait a minute. King Midnight Armor and Queen Sundance died because they used the last of their magic. That must be why they’re so angry.

After giving Jade Butterfly some of her magic, Twilight looked up at Celestia. “There was a spell on the necklace that ensured that only one pony could remove it. I’m sure you can guess who that pony is.” Glaring at Golden Thunder, she continued “I assume Golden Flash and his wife had nothing to do with this.”

“Of course not.” Golden Thunder scoffed “They were too afraid of harming their daughter. I took control of Golden Flash’s body and placed the necklace on his daughter while everyone else was asleep.” He smirked at Twilight “This means that you can’t punish anyone for what I’ve done.”

“That may be true,” Twilight replied “but we can protect this filly.”

Golden Thunder laughed “How will you do that?” I’ll just give her another necklace. I’ll also make sure that she doesn’t come into contact with any of them. In fact, I won’t let her out of the house.

Twilight answered the question by levitating a small bag from her saddlebags. Opening it, she pulled out the necklace that she’d bought for Jade Butterfly.

Celestia, Artemis and Twilight lit their horns, each of them pretending to cast a spell on it.

Jade Butterfly’s eyes widened “Is that for me?”

“Yes” Twilight answered, placing the necklace around the filly’s neck. “We destroyed the necklace that you were wearing, so it’s only fair that we replace it.” She smiled “Your new necklace doesn’t have a crystal on it at all. Instead, the pendant is a jade butterfly.”

Jade Butterfly gasped “Just like me!”

Twilight giggled “That’s right.”

Celestia and Artemis smiled

“Don’t worry, we won’t let him do that to you again.” Seeing Jade Butterfly’s confusion, Twilight nuzzled the filly. “Each of us cast a spell on your new necklace. My spell will protect you, Celestia’s spell will stop anypony from draining your magic and Artemis’ spell will make sure that he’s the only one who can take it off of you.”

Jade Butterfly squealed in delight before returning Twilight’s nuzzle. “Thank you!”

Eyes wide, Amethyst Rose mouthed “Thank you, you highnesses.” Then she bowed very low.

Smiling, Celestia, Artemis and Twilight replied “You’re welcome”

Outraged, Golden Thunder shouted “How dare you?!”

Artemis glared at him “Your problem is with us, Golden Thunder.”

Also glaring at Golden Thunder, Celestia added “We won’t allow you to involve innocent foals.”

Allowing his glare to fade, Artemis turned to Amethyst Rose. “I won’t release my spell, or take that necklace off of your daughter, until I’m certain that she will be safe.”

Not having any issue with that, Amethyst Rose nodded “Y-yes, Prince Artemis.”

Standing, Twilight levitated Jade Butterfly to stand next to her mother. “I’ve replaced some of the magic that her previous necklace stole. This means that her life is not in danger. Even so, she needs to take it easy for a couple of days. Make sure that she uses as little magic as possible until she fully recovers.”

Nodding again, Amethyst Rose replied “Yes, Princess Twilight.” I don’t care about the fact that he’s Golden Flash’s ancestor. Golden Thunder crossed the line when he began draining Jade Butterfly’s magic.

She resisted the urge to shake her head. Three of the ponies that he plans to kill are the very ones who are now protecting my daughter. Perhaps I need to reconsider which side I’m on. We don’t need a king who’s willing to treat his citizens like that.

Celestia turned her attention back to Golden Thunder. “You are not allowed to take magic from the citizens of Equestria, Golden Thunder. If you need magic for something, use your own.”

Golden Thunder glared at Celestia, Artemis and Twilight. That settles it. I’ll make sure that Princess Celestia is the first to die. The one that I’m going to keep alive the longest is Princess Twilight. In fact, I’m going to make sure that she watches the deaths of everyone she cares about before I let her die.

For the first time, Golden Thunder looked at the ponies behind the alicorns. They’re both unicorns. I’ll make sure that I take magic from them later.

Don’t do that, ancestor! Golden Flash shouted Do you have a death wish?!

Surprised, Golden Thunder answered Neither of those unicorns is powerful enough to harm me.

Their children are the ones you need to worry about. Golden Flash responded

Why should I be worried about their children? Golden Thunder asked, confused

They have two children, a son and a daughter. Golden Flash replied Their son’s name is Shining Armor and he’s the most powerful unicorn in Equestria. Then there’s the fact that he used to be the Captain of Princess Celestia’s Royal Guard.

You’re right. Golden Thunder said slowly He could be a problem. What about their daughter?

She’s right in front of you. Golden Flash answered Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Stunned, Golden Thunder exclaimed W-what?!

We heard her call Queen Sundance “Mom”. Golden Flash continued This means that she considers the late King and Queen to be her parents. That’s probably why she’s protecting their souls. What do you think she’ll do if you also target her real parents?

I don’t want to know the answer to that question. Golden Thunder shakily replied Very well, I’ll leave those unicorns alone. He watched Spike jump onto Twilight’s back. Princess Twilight has a dragon?!

Yes. Golden Flash answered You should leave him alone as well.

Before Golden Thunder could ask Golden Flash why he said that, he heard Celestia’s voice. Curious, he turned his attention back to the alicorns.

“If we want to get to Ponyville before dark, we should leave now.” She thought for a moment. “The trains won’t be running until Monday. That means we’ll have to teleport.”

Golden Thunder gasped “You plan to teleport there from here?!”

Twilight shrugged “It’s not hard. I can easily teleport that distance. Celestia’s done the same.” She paused thoughtfully “In fact, Artemis and I worked together to teleport four ponies from Ponyville to the throne room in the castle here.”

Golden Thunder’s jaw dropped. Unable to say anything, he just stared at her.

After a moment of shock, Sundance asked Y-you’re not kidding, are you?

No. Twilight replied, surprised We really have done that.

Sundance began to laugh. T-that makes it even better!

Artemis chuckled “That’s a good idea, sister. In fact, we’ll arrive in time to visit a few friends, and eat dinner, before we have to lower the sun and raise the moon.”

Celestia giggled “That’s true. We have passengers this time, so we should combine our magic. Do you want to do the honors, Twilight?”

Also giggling, Twilight said “Sure”

Golden Thunder watched as Celestia and Artemis gave Twilight some of their magic.

Horn glowing, Twilight gave Golden Thunder a look before turning to Jade Butterfly and Amethyst Rose. “Good night.”

Before any of them could respond, the Royal Family disappeared in a flash of magenta magic.

Stunned, Golden Thunder stared at the space where Twilight had been standing. “I-incredible!” I-I have to find a way to overpower her?!

At least I learned her magic signature when she removed the necklace from Jade Butterfly. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to bring the souls of King Midnight Armor and Queen Sundance to me right away. In fact, it will be almost a week before I have magic enough to cast that spell again. I’ll use that time to figure out which stars contain their souls.

Shaking his head, he allowed Golden Flash to regain control of his body. He, Amethyst Rose and Jade Butterfly headed home.

Once they were gone, the area echoed with laughter.

Three bat ponies and one Pegasus were resting on a cloud above Canterlot Castle.

“That was great!” Silver Shadow exclaimed, laughing “Did you see Golden Thunder’s face when they suddenly disappeared?”

“Yes” Sapphire Wing replied, also laughing “I’m glad we decided to watch over the prince and princesses from up here.”

“At least we know where Golden Thunder’s soul is.” Midnight Fang thought for a moment “I’ve never seen a shield like the one that Princess Twilight used today.”

“I know.” Silver Shadow replied “That attack bounced off of it.” He paused “Didn’t Golden Thunder say that it was Queen Sundance’s Mirror Shield?”

“You’re right.” Sapphire Wing said slowly “It certainly is an appropriate name, but I don’t think Princess Twilight is the one who cast that spell. Princess Celestia said that their mother protected Princess Twilight, remember?”

Silver Shadow, Steel Night and Midnight Fang nodded

“I wonder how she did that. Didn’t their mother die fifteen hundred years ago?” Sapphire Wing shook his head “Clearly, a lot has happened since the last time we saw them. We’ll have ask Princess Celestia about that.”

“I’m impressed with how Princess Twilight removed that necklace from the filly.” Steel Night remarked

Midnight Fang nodded “And how they gave her a new necklace that will protect her.”

Nodding as well, Sapphire Wing commented “At least we know that the filly will be safe.” He paused thoughtfully “Did you notice that Princess Twilight didn’t create the necklace? She already had it in her saddlebags.”

Steel Night nodded “It looked like they were expecting that to happen.”

“You’re right.” Silver Shadow responded “They must have learned something while they were in the Crystal Empire.” He turned to Sapphire Wing “They’ll probably return tomorrow evening. We need to make sure that we’re here to greet them.”

Sapphire Wing nodded “We’ll ask about it then.”

Spreading their wings, they headed home as well.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Celestia, Artemis, Twilight, Night Light, Velvet and Spike appeared in front of Twilight’s castle. They were greeted by a thunderous cheer. Surprised, they opened their eyes to find the entire population of Ponyville looking at them.

Celestia blinked “How did you know we were coming?”

Laughing, Twilight looked at Pinkie. “Let me guess. Your “Pinkie Sense” told you.”

Giggling, Pinkie bounced over to hug Twilight. “Yep! I had a twitchy knee, floppy ear and achy shoulder! That means Twilight and Spike are coming home! Then I got a floppy knee, achy shoulder and itchy back! That means Artemis is coming with them!”

Surprised, Artemis asked “You already have a “Pinkie Sense” for me?”

Pinkie bopped Artemis on the nose. “You bet! Then I got an itchy back, achy shoulder, floppy hoof and floppy ear! That means that you’re bringing company! So I just had to tell the girls and bring everypony here to say “Welcome back”!”

After a few minutes of stunned silence, Sundance asked. What was that?

That was Pinkie. Twilight answered Don’t bother trying to figure her out. Trust me, you’ll just drive yourself crazy. When she gets this excited, very little of what she says or does makes sense. I’ve learned that it’s best to just go with it.

I-I see. Sundance slowly replied I have no idea what just happened, but I’ll take your word for it.

In the stars, they just looked at each other for several minutes.

Eventually, Midnight Armor asked “That’s normal?!”

“Apparently” Sundance replied, flickering

“If that was normal,” Star Swirl said slowly “I’m not sure I want to know what she considers unusual.”

“Same here” Midnight Armor responded

In Ponyville, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Pinkie walked over to Twilight. They were quickly joined by Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

Twilight nuzzled Scootaloo “Did you have a happy Hearth’s Warming, Scootaloo?”

Sundance gasped That’s Scootaloo?

Yes Twilight replied The unicorn next to her is Sweetie Belle and the earth pony is Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo returned Twilight’s nuzzle before nodding. “We went to the party that Pinkie threw for the Cake Twins!”

“We’re having a slumber party tonight!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed

Apple Bloom nodded “Do ya wanna come, Twilight?”

“I’m sorry, girls.” Twilight responded, shaking her head “Tonight, your sisters are going to spend the night in my castle.” She smiled “This means that your slumber party will be for foals only.”

Worried, Apple Bloom turned to Applejack “Is that OK, Sis?”

Smiling, Applejack nodded “Big Mac can take care of the three of you tonight.” She turned to her brother. “Are ya alright with that, Big Mac?”

Big Mac nodded “Eeyup”

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo cheered “Thanks, Big Mac!”

Big Mac nodded again “Eeyup”

Sundance laughed He doesn’t say much, does he?

Nope Twilight replied

Sundance laughed harder

Twilight turned to Rainbow “Did you take Scootaloo to the wing specialist?”

Rainbow shook her head “Ponyville’s wing specialist is booked through next month. I had to go to Cloudsdale instead. The clinic there was already closed for the holiday, but I know one of the nurses. She got me an appointment for Tuesday afternoon.”

“Good.” Twilight responded “I don’t want to wait until next weekend to find out how it goes. When the appointment is over, bring her to Canterlot Castle.”

Rainbow nodded

Twilight turned to the crowd “Thank you for the warm welcome, everypony! Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity and Fluttershy, I’d like you to join us inside. Everyone else, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

Nodding, everyone else went back to what they had planned for the rest of the afternoon while the girls followed the Royal Family inside Twilight’s castle.

Inside Twilight’s castle, everyone had just gotten settled in the receiving room. The girls looked at each other, and nodded, before turning to Twilight.

“Twi” Applejack began “We want to know what’s going on.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow “What are you talking about?”

“A unicorn stallion was poking around your castle the other day.” Applejack replied “Rarity and Ah walked over to see what he wanted.”

“As soon as he saw me,” Rarity continued “he demanded that I give him some of my magic!”

Worried, Twilight asked “Did you?”

“Of course not!” Rarity answered “My magic is for making beautiful clothes. He didn’t want me to make him anything, so I told him that he needed to leave.”

“That’s when Big Mac and Apple Bloom walked up.” Applejack continued “Ah told Big Mac to buck that unicorn out of town. He took one look at my brother and ran off like his tail was on fire.”

Everyone laughed

When everyone had calmed down, Twilight looked at Celestia and Artemis. All three of them nodded. Then Celestia cast a soundproofing spell on the room.

Turning back to her friends, Twilight said “What we’re about to tell you must remain a secret.” Looking at each of her friends, she said “I’m serious. You can’t tell anyone about this until I tell you that it’s safe to do so.”

Surprised, the girls nodded. As one, they said “Pinkie Promise.”

Satisfied, Twilight nodded as well.

Over the next hour, Twilight, Celestia and Artemis told them everything that had happened over the last couple of weeks. They only kept two topics a secret. One was what Magic told them not to tell anyone. The other was Twilight and Artemis’ engagement.

Once they were done, Celestia, Artemis and Twilight waited for their reactions.

Fluttershy had tears in her eyes as she stared at Twilight, Celestia and Artemis.

Rarity blinked several times “I-I’m not sure what to say.”

Eyes wide, Pinkie exclaimed “What a meanie!” Then she giggled “Hearing another mommy in your head must be really fun!”

Surprised, Sundance asked Is she always so . . . random?

Yes Twilight replied

Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other for a long moment before turning to Twilight.

“Twilight” Applejack said slowly

“Why didn’t you tell us?!” Rainbow finished, suddenly right in Twilight’s face.

I knew she was going to do that. Twilight commented, leaning back a bit.

Before Sundance could react, or respond, Celestia surrounded Rainbow with her magic and returned her to her cushion. “I told her not to, Rainbow Dash.”

As one, the girls asked “Why?”

“Ah’m not trying to be rude, princess.” Applejack began “But we needed to know about this right away.”

Rarity nodded “Applejack’s right. How can we help if we don’t know what’s going on?”

Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow nodded as well

Artemis raised an eyebrow. “What would you have done if Twilight had told you right away?”

“I would have flown to Canterlot and kicked his tail!” Rainbow immediately replied

“That wouldn’t have solved anything.” Celestia responded “We will stop him, but we have to be very careful about how we do it.”

Twilight nodded “That means we need a plan. In order to come up with the best one, we needed to do a lot of research.”

Celestia, Artemis, Twilight and Sundance laughed at the faces that the girls made.

“We’ve already gotten a lot of that done,” Twilight continued “but there’s still more for us to do. Once everything is ready, we’ll tell you what we’ve come up with.” Seeing their expressions, she shook her head. “All of you will be helping us. My parents, Shiny and Cadance will be helping us as well.”

The girls sighed in relief

Artemis chuckled “We have one more topic to discuss.”

Leaning closer to Twilight, Celestia whispered “Don’t tell them that the Crystal Ponies already know about your engagement. That will solve the problem of how they’ll react.”

Celestia’s right. Sundance commented

Before Twilight could respond to either of them, Applejack asked. “Is it more bad news?”

Laughing, Celestia, Artemis, Twilight, Spike, Night Light and Velvet shook their heads.

Standing, Twilight walked to the middle of the room. Giggling at her friends’ confused expressions, she used her magic to part her mane.

The girls stared at the ring on Twilight’s horn for a couple of minutes before tackling her in a hug.

Surprised, Sundance commented If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that all five of them just teleported.

When they finally allowed her to stand, Twilight smiled at her friends. “Artemis and I want all of you to do the same thing that you did for Shiny and Cadance’s wedding for ours . . . well, except for the part where we had to fight the changelings.”

“Of course, Darling!” Rarity squealed, hugging Twilight again “I’ll make sure that the dresses are beautiful!”

Fluttershy smiled “I’ll start training my songbirds tomorrow.”

Rainbow flipped in the air a few times. “This is going to be the Best Sonic Rainboom Ever!”

Applejack grinned “Ah’m going to make sure that the food is the best that my family has ever made.”

Pinkie bounced around Twilight “I get to make the cake! It’s going to be the best one I’ve ever made! And the biggest!” Suddenly right in Twilight’s face, she fired off several questions. “Red velvet?”

Twilight shook her head

“Chocolate?”

Artemis shook his head

“Yellow Butter?”

Twilight shook her head again

Pinkie tapped her chin “Marble?”

Artemis and Twilight nodded

Nodding sharply, Pinkie wrote something on a notepad that she’d just pulled out of her mane. Then she began mumbling something about colors, designs, streamers, chocolate milk and her party cannon. A couple of minutes later, she shoved the notepad back into her mane, walked back to her cushion and sat down.

What was that about? Sundance asked, thoroughly confused

Twilight laughed Pinkie was asking what flavor we wanted our Wedding Cake to be. Marble is a mix of Chocolate and Yellow cake. As for the rest, I have no idea what she was talking about. I could ask her, but I’d like to get some sleep tonight.

Sundance laughed as well I see.

Spike walked over to Rarity and whispered something in her ear.

Everyone else watched a large smile spread over her face. “Of course, Spike.”

Noticing that everyone was looking at them, Spike said “We’re not telling you yet.”

Everyone laughed

Celestia and Artemis looked at each other before standing and walking over to the window. Twilight quickly joined them. After the sun had set, she said Good night, Mom.

Sleep well, Twilight. Sundance replied I’ll talk to you in the morning.

After Artemis had risen the moon and stars, Applejack pulled over a pair of saddlebags. “Ah got our dinner right here.”

Everyone laughed as they watched her pull out enough food for everyone, even Velvet and Night Light. When everyone had finished their food, Pinkie also pulled a pair of saddlebags closer to her.

Seeing everyone’s expressions, Pinkie raised both eyebrows. “What? I had to bring dessert!”

Shaking their heads, everyone laughed again

After everyone had eaten, Twilight led everyone to the top floor of her castle. Celestia was given one of the rooms right across the hall from Twilight and Artemis’ room. Night Light and Velvet were given the other.

Celestia and Artemis decided to stay in her room for a while because they wanted to discuss something in private.

Yawning, Spike mumbled something about reading a comic before bed and went to his room.

Velvet turned to her daughter “Your father and I would like to take a long hot bath before going to bed. Don’t worry, I’ve already put your saddlebags in your room.”

Nodding, Night Light nuzzled his daughter “Good night, sweetie.”

Smiling, Twilight replied “Good night.” After her parents closed the door, she turned to her friends. “Come with me. There’s something else I want to talk about.”

Curious, the girls nodded

Twilight led the way to a bedroom at the other end of the hall. Opening the door, and walking inside, she explained “I’ve been preparing this room for our sleepovers. There are six beds, so you can sleep in here tonight.”

“Good idea.” Rarity replied “However, I don’t think that’s what you wanted to talk about.”

“You’re right, Rarity.” Twilight cast a barrier and a soundproofing spell before turning to her friends. “There’s something that I want to try. If I’m right, we might need this if we’re going to stop Golden Thunder from taking Mom and Dad’s souls. I haven’t told anypony about this because I’m not sure if it’s going to work.”

A couple of hours later, Celestia and Artemis walked out of her room. After checking the room that he shared with Twilight, Artemis turned to his sister. “Do you know where Twilight went?”

Celestia shook her head “She didn’t say anything to me.”

Perhaps I can use the link between us to look for her. Closing his eyes, Artemis focused on the link between them. A couple of moments later, he sighed in relief. “She’s in a room at the other end of the hall.”

“Then let’s go get her.” Celestia replied, walking in the direction that her brother was looking “We should get some sleep anyway.”

When they got to the right room, they opened to door and walked inside. Both of them paused, surprised, when they saw that Twilight and her friends were sitting inside a barrier. Twilight had her back to them, but the rest of the girls were facing them.

Realizing that she couldn’t hear their conversation, Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Why did Twilight cast a soundproofing spell?”

Watching Applejack look up at them before returning her attention to Twilight, Artemis shrugged. “Maybe she just wanted some “girl time” with her friends. They know that we’re here, so let’s give them a couple of minutes to wrap up their conversation.”

Celestia nodded

Inside Twilight’s barrier, Applejack said “Artemis and Princess Celestia are here.”

“We’re almost done.” Twilight replied “We’ve already gone over the plan. That means there’s only one more step.” Is everything ready on your end, Magic?

Yes Magic answered Your friends should be hearing from the spirits of their Elements in a few seconds.

Watching her friends’ eyes widen, Twilight giggled “It looks like it worked.”

The girls nodded

“It may seem a little strange at first, but you’ll get used to it.” Twilight told them

“Laughter is really funny!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place

Fluttershy smiled “I like Kindness.”

“Generosity sounds very nice.” Rarity commented

Rainbow did a back flip in the air. “Loyalty is as awesome as I am!”

“Honesty and ah have something to say about that.” Applejack replied, grabbing Rainbow’s tail and pulling her down so that she was sitting on the floor with the rest of them.

Twilight laughed “Normally, you have to be sensitive enough to spirits to hear them. However, because this is an emergency, the spirits of your Elements are willing to overlook that requirement . . . at least, until we’re able to send Golden Thunder’s soul back where it belongs. By the time we’re able to do that, each of you will probably be sensitive enough to spirits to keep speaking to them.”

Magic giggled You’re probably right.

Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity smiled “Good”

“I’ll tell Mom, Dad, Celestia, Artemis and Star Swirl about the plan.” Twilight said “Don’t tell anypony else about this, please. We don’t want Golden Thunder to know that the Elements of Harmony are involved until it’s too late for him to do anything about it.” She smiled “Think of the spirits of our Elements as a secret weapon.”

Magic laughed I love that idea.

The girls grinned “Pinkie Promise”

As soon as Twilight lowered her barrier, Artemis walked forward and nuzzled her. “What was that about?”

Smiling, Twilight returned his nuzzle. “Magic and I were just helping the girls contact the spirits of their Elements.”

Celestia and Artemis gasped “What?”

Twilight turned back to her friends. “We’ll see you in the morning.”

Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow climbed into bed “Good night.”

Celestia and Artemis smiled at the girls. “Good night” Then they followed Twilight into the hall.

After closing the door to the girls’ room, Twilight teleported herself, Artemis and Celestia to the room she shared with Artemis. Then she closed and locked the doors.

Surprised, Celestia asked “Why did you do that, Twilight?”

“You’ll understand in a minute.” Twilight responded, turning to Artemis “Can you bring the three of us to Mom, Dad and Star Swirl’s stars, please?”

Eyes wide, he asked “Is something wrong?!”

“No” Twilight replied “It’s just that I’d like to tell everypony about this at the same time.”

Exchanging glances with his sister, Artemis slowly replied “Alright.”

Next Chapter: Chapter 63 Estimated time remaining: 13 Hours, 38 Minutes