Sunset opened her eyes to the not-darkness of her room.

It was not-dark because of two factors. The first of which was her eyes. Normal pony eyes were able to see better in the dark than those humans had, and being a pegasus raised the bar even higher than what she had experienced for the past three years. The second factor was the big spotlight outside her open curtains most ponies referred to as the full moon, but what Sunset had been calling ‘that fucking annoying as shit bright bastard that ruins my sleep’ as of late.

Sometimes, she just wanted to punch the damn thing, the type of punch that would shatter it into little pieces, or at least throw it off into space so it wouldn’t be such a bother. But Celestia always got...touchy whenever the subject of the heavenly body that wasn’t depicted on her cutie mark was mentioned. So, she kept her mouth shut and put up with it instead of asking to be put in charge of the moon, or at least getting the weather ponies around Canterlot to place some convenient cloud cover outside her window.

She would have made a cloud herself, but the head of Canterlot’s weather department was so anal about everything being in its perfect place, a cloud being where it wasn’t supposed to be would have given him an aneurysm.

“Mmmm, corn dogs,” her male sleeping companion mumbled as he nuzzled in deeper to Sunset, making her look over to the stallion drooling on her coat as he shifted a bit, allowing Sunset to realize that whatever he was dreaming about, the rest of his body knew that he was pressed up against a big alicorn that could be described as horny the majority of the time they were together.

Not heat season horny though, Sunset told herself, silently thanking whatever deity had decided that she didn’t need to spend three to four days with her biology screaming it was time to make babies. Which...she supposed was Celestia, seeing as how she controlled the moon. Even though she technically wasn’t a deity. She couldn’t even claim the status as one power-level-wise anymore.

It was a thought that actually made Sunset want to go back to something more raunchy, but...the uneasy feeling held fast as the reality of the situation ran its way through her head. Celestia was no longer the most powerful pony around, not by a long shot. In fact, Sunset couldn’t help but compare her to...an ant. Sure, an ant could lift ten times its own weight, but anypony could lift ten times an ant’s weight so...who cared?

While Sunset knew that her power wouldn’t just run out of control and destroy the world if she sneezed and it was in fact nothing but a benefit to Equestria since the amber alicorn could protect it from any major threats that had any even the slightest intention of causing trouble, it still made her feel uneasy now that she had such power. Not to mention the love of her mother and friends that truly understood her. It was everything she ever wanted.

And didn’t deserve.

Sunset sighed at her train of thought.

It had been a week. A week of vacation, as the young female population of Canterlot didn’t have enough experience in their lives to resist the overwhelming biological urge to create more ponies and needed to be kept separate from the stallions, but still...a week.

And she still felt the same way she had back in the hidden vault.

If not worse.

“Mmmmm, Sunset?” a melodious voice spoke, bring the distressed pony out of her thoughts.

The amber alicorn glanced over to the real princess beside her, the pony that had truly earned her alicornhood. Cadance was everything Sunset wished she herself was. She was kind, beautiful, independent, loving, and a much, much better flier.

Her words made Sunset tense. “Cadance!” she said in a hushed whisper. “Did I...wake you?”

Sunset’s question was met with a kiss to the cheek. “It’s okay,” the pink princess said before scooting up on the bed so that they were eye to eye. “It just means we have more time together is all.”

As Cadance rolled on top of her and straddled the bigger alicorn’s belly, Sunset frowned before the makeout session could begin. “So, what’re your plans for the day?” with her coronation giving everyone even more time off from school, Sunset wasn’t sure if Cadance actually had anything to do.

After a few seconds of turning her attention upwards in thought, Cadance looked back down to Sunset. “Well, I’m going to talk to an article writer of Romance about my relationship with you and Shiny, and after that...I think I’ll pop in on Fleur and Sassy, see if they need to use your Rods of Relief again.”

Sunset groaned. “I can’t believe you showed the girls those things.”

“Hey I’m not exactly thrilled about an item that a mare can use to get off whenever she wants without the help of a loving partner, but I have to admit that they are very useful when the seasonal urges come around,” Cadance said. “Just be glad I called them Rods of Relief instead of Rods of Pleasure. They’d be wanting to use them all the time if that was the case. So, how’s your day going to go?”

Sunset spared a look at the snoozing colt snuggled up against her. “I figure that since I’m going to be spending time with Mom in the Sun Court, I’d eat breakfast with Twilight, should make her happy. After that, no real plans.”

“You should do something with your mom,” Cadance told her. “Spend the day with her.”

The way she had said that so quickly made Sunset look away from the pink pony. “I...Cadance…”

Cadance frowned down at her. “Sunset, over the past week, I’ve done nothing but schedule time with you, me, and Shiny so that we could work out the kinks in our dynamic with group dates, engage in couple activities, and spend the night having sex,” Cadance told her. “Now that the three of us are moving ahead to a steady rhythm, you need to start thinking more about your mom.”

Once again, Sunset groaned. “Cadance, please don’t mention Mom and sex in the same paragraph. I’m still trying to forget the last time the two of you went on about it.”

A little giggle escaped Cadance’s lips. “You have to admit, that was pretty fun.”

“You were singing about sex, with my mom, at the breakfast table,” Sunset deadpanned. “In fact, three of the last five songs you’ve sung over the past week were about doing it.”

Cadance shrugged. “Hey, it’s like you told those colts at the Formal, when ponies feel strongly about something they need to talk about, they sing,” she said before her face turned a bit more serious. “And stop trying to turn the topic into something other than how you need to spend more time with your mother.”

When Cadance effectively ended the conversation on their bedroom, bathroom, and even when they couldn’t find a room activities, Sunset looked away. “Hey, me and Mom are...getting along.”

“Have you done anything with her in the past week besides your duties?” Cadance asked evenly. “And that newspaper interview doesn’t count. You had to do that to explain to everypony why Empress Sunset was being replaced so quickly.”

Sunset cursed internally. “Well...um...she was pretty good with that, wasn’t she?”

A frown appeared on Cadance’s face at Sunset's attempted deflection. “Sunset, stop stalling.”

Cornered by the pony on top of her, Sunset let out a distressed moan. “We’ve barely seen eachother, okay! There! I don’t talk to Mom when we’re not in public. Is that what you wanted to hear? I just know she’s going to get super judgemental, because I didn’t even think about her when I was about to leave Equ-”

“Sunset!” Cadance said, making the amber alicorn snap her mouth shut. The pink princess bent down and kissed Sunset on the nose. “Shhh, it’s okay, my fiery Sunset.” Another kiss came in, making Sunset close her eyes as Cadance kissed away her forming tears. “It’s okay.” She went up to lick the rim of the bigger pony’s mouth sensually before breathing her words into Sunset’s ears. “Everything will be okay.”

The amber alicorn’s entire body went limp as Cadance continued to give Sunset her special kind of attention. Sunset had no idea how Cadance did it, but...Cadance could affect her in ways that made Sunset wonder if pegasi had some weird naturally occuring emotional magic. When the caresses and the kisses stopped, Sunset looked back up at Cadance before she spoke again. “Sunset, how are you ever going to get the forgiveness you need from Celestia if you don’t talk to her?”

With Cadance looking down at her with her big blue, beautiful eyes, Sunset found herself relenting. “Okay,” she reluctantly agreed. “If Mom wants to spend time with me today, I’ll spend time with her.”

“Ung, unghhhhh.”

Both Sunset and Cadance widened their eyes as Shining Armor announced to the rest of the room that he was coming out of unconsciousness. “Shiny?” the amber alicorn asked as she glanced over to the clock to see it was still ten minutes before six.

“Hm?” he replied.

Cadance flapped her wings, came down on the other side of the unicorn and slipped back under the covers so she could press her whole body up against Shining Armor. “Oh sweetheart, did we wake you?” she asked.

“Wha-huh? Girls?” he asked before letting out a morning yawn. “What time is it?”

Despite the fact she knew the general time, Sunset took one last look at the clock. “Five before six. Thirty minutes or so to sunrise,” the amber alicorn said.

“Which means we’ve got a good thirty minutes for threesome activities and-oh! Shiny you’re good and ready for us,” Cadance said with a grin as Sunset saw that one of her hooves had moved under the blankets. “I love you.”

“Well I-uh-um-ah,” Shining Armor got out as the way the blankets were being ruffled from below told Sunset exactly what Cadance was doing to make him stammer.

So, Sunset let out a sigh and gave the pink princess of nymphomania an even look. “Cadance, can you have some self control?” she asked. “I want to bang him too, but I’m at least going to wait for Shiny to wake up and ask the guy before playing with his penis.”

Cadance stopped moving for a second. “Okay, I am getting ahead of myself here,” she said before kissing Shining Armor on the cheek. “Sorry, Shiny.”

“N-No problem,” he replied. “Uh...you can let it go now.”

A little whine escaped Cadance’s mouth. “But then it’ll be all cold and lonely,” she said before moving closer to whisper into Armor’s ear. “Let me keep you nice and warm, Shiny. You know how gentle I can be.”

Sunset let out a displeased moan. “He’s not a toy, Cadance.”

“Ugh, I know Sunset,” she said before movement under the blankets told Sunset Cadance had withdrawn her hoof. She proudly raised her head. “I’m the toy.”

Confusion flooded Sunset’s mind at the summarization of Cadance’s place in their relationship. “C-Cadance, what’re you talking about?”

“Um, I pretty much do everything you want me to when it comes to sex, Sunset,” Cadance told her. “Most of which is very submissive. Even when you’re not overpowering me, I’m being subservient to you when you plop your plot down on my face to kiss.”

Sunset sucked in a breath as she thought back to everything they had done the past week, and...while she had been pretty...normal with Shiny, her activities with Cadance had been pretty… “Oh...oh, fuck. I...Cadance, I-”

Cadance shot her a glare. “Don’t you dare apologize!” she ordered. “Do you have any idea how wonderful it feels to be with you like that? How comforting it is when this big alicorn with so much strength and power, who I might as well be a flea in comparison to, shows me how magnificent she is? I love it when you show me who’s in charge when it comes to the bedroom, Sunset.”

Which only made Sunset’s panic increase. “But-but I never meant to make you feel-”

“Girls!”

Shining Armor’s sudden interruption derailed Sunset’s train of thought and had Cadance losing her glare as she turned her attention to him. “Yes, Shiny?” they both said as one.

“Sunset,” he said as he looked over to the bigger alicorn. “Let’s be honest, you are pretty physically dominating. You can’t help it. You’re bigger than us, you’re way stronger, and...being the pony in charge is who you are. The pony Prin-ergh, I’m never going to get used to calling her just Celestia, raised you to be. But it’s not like you’re some super bossy mare or anything. You don’t even hold the reins in the relationship.”

The summarization that Shining Armor gave made her blink. “Eh?” Sunset asked before her rational mind reasserted itself. “Shiny, I can’t be in charge and not the boss of us at the same time.”

“Well, of course we’ll always do what you ask in the heat of the moment and follow your lead in public, Sunset. But let’s be honest, Cadance holds the reins in this relationship,” he said. “She plans out all the dates, she gets us in the mood, she makes all the big decisions about us. You may be the pony that’s going to be Celestia’s right hoof and have enough magic to make reality your plaything, but Cadance clops her hooves, and you, uh...jump.”

Sunset rested her head and went back to looking up at the ceiling for a moment. She thought about what Shining said and realized that he was right. In public, Cadance bowed to her. She followed Sunset’s lead in all things and let the amber alicorn lead the way. But that was only after deciding where they were going to go in private beforehand.

“If anything, I’m the one that’s-”

Sunset didn’t let him finish. She heard the less than perfectly happy tone in his voice and decided to act along with the mare next to her. Both her and Cadance shifted around until they were laying on top of him. “Keeping me sane?”

“Holding the three of us together?” Cadance went on.

Sunset was quick to add, “Being nothing but supportive?”

Which Cadance quickly followed with, “Going the two of us in reality with a calm and rational view of things?”

“What Shiny?” Sunset asked.

“Which one is it?” Cadance prompted.

Shiny looked back and forth between the two mares. “I was gonna say, gets the super special treatment.”

“You’re fucking right you do,” Sunset said before she dropped back down to snuggle up to Shining Armor.

“Not special enough if you ask me,” Cadance added as she did the same.

Shiny...well, Cadance had outright told Sunset where Shining Armor fit in their relationship during the couple outing the two mares had last Tuesday, when they were by themselves. Shiny came first in everything. Every consideration, everything they did, both the girls had agreed to put his wants before their own. When he spoke, they were to drop everything and listen, even if they were ready to yell at each other.

Sunset had thought it was to avoid another fight like the one they had before the Formal, with the two alicorns verbally pushing Shiny back and forth between them. But now, she wasn’t so sure. Shining Armor...grounded the two of them.

The realization made her blink as a strange feeling of comfort found its way into Sunset’s mind. She didn’t like to admit it, but...she had been pretty unsure if the three of them were going to work out in the long run. It was based on a human idea after all, and those things couldn’t even keep half of their marriages together. But now…

Sunset nuzzled their stallion and smiled. “I love you, Shiny.”

“Mmmm, me too,” Cadance said before she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. “So, seeing as how we woke you up before you could finish what feels like a very interesting dream, how about we get you some release, Shiny?”

“If you want us to,” Sunset added before he had any time to think.

With the topic of sex in the forefront again, Shining Armor turned a delightful shade of red. “W-Well, if it’s okay with you...girls…”

Cadance let out a tiny whine. “Shiny,” she chided him. “You know it's always okay with us. So, which one of us do you want this morning, my shining paladin?”

The smaller alicorn pulled herself over until she was straddling Shining Armor, then gave him an incredibly sexy look before letting out a hungry moan. “Do you want me to take care of it for you?” she asked before slowly licking her lips. “You could just sit back and take it easy as I kiss you. Lick you. Wrap you in my lips and tongue until I milk you of every...last...drop.”

Sunset shivered in need at the mental image as Cadance finished the last word with a popping sound. Then, Cadance gave her a little smirk that Shining didn’t notice, lost in the fantasy of Cadance giving him a blow job.

“Or do you want somepony else?” Cadance asked before she sat up. “Somepony with a big, bouncing beautiful butt?” Cadance started to move her hips a bit. “Do you want Sunset to raise her tail for you? Do you want to come inside her, Shiny? Do you want to pound...your...pony...princess's...plump...plot? Her lips wrapped around your mighty spear as you thrust deeper, and deeper, and deeper?” Every word was accompanied by Cadance sliding back and forth across Shining’s body, making the small stallion panting grow heavier and heavier until it seemed like it was going to lose it right then and there. “Impacting that round rump over, and over again-”

“Sunset!” he said suddenly. “I want Sunset.”

Before the big alicorn could even start to feel anything about Cadance’s setup, the pink princess’s ears perked up. “Okay I’ll go start the bath,” she said happy as she rolled out of bed and trotted over to the room’s closet to retrieve a maid costume. “Oh! I also call dibs on cleanup duties!”

As Sunset got into position at the foot of the bed so Cadance could get a view of their expressions, the amber alicorn had to wonder aloud. “Cadance, does Sassy even know why you really wanted that outfit?”

Once she had slipped on the black dress, Cadance trotted over to give Sunset a pitiable look. “Oh, I’m so sorry my mistress,” she said with a pouty face and wide eyes. “I thought you wanted your personal little pony to dress in accordance with her station.”

Sunset felt a pleasurable shiver that had nothing to do with the stallion behind her getting into position. Although Cadance had never been so...that before, the way she did it… Okay, she’s right. I do like it when she does that kind of stuff.

“No offense, Princess Sunset, but when I was assigned to be your personal chambermaid, I didn’t think I’d be having to do this much laundry,” the blue and red unicorn mare said as the dirty sheets floated in her magic while she examined the maid costume.

Sunset looked at the floor. “Star, I am so, so sorry,” she apologized.

The young mare gave Sunset a look of surprised confusion. “That’s...okay, Highness,” she said before looking over to Cadance for some direction.

To which Cadance could only respond to with a shrug. Despite having been with Sunset in a sexual relationship for a week, Cadance still didn’t understand how the goddess could be completely unrestrained in private, yet so squeamish about sex when in front of other ponies. The very first day the three of them took a stroll through Canterlot on their way home from their first official date as a threesome, the pink pony had skipped down the streets proclaiming the depths of her loving passion and future plans for that night in musical verse that still run through her head from time to time…

“We’re gonna make love-love-love!” Cadance’s memory sang as she danced around her colt and fillyfriend on their way back to the castle.

...while Sunset had decided not to join in.

But whenever another pony came upon the evidence of their actions, she couldn’t even meet the young mare eye to eye.

“Um...Princess Sunset, there is something I was hoping to ask you,” the mare said hesitantly before she also looks down and started to poke the carpeted floor with her hoof. “I-I know you must be very busy, with the coronation on Wednesday and all the nobles coming in to pledge fealty and offer tribute. But you see, one of the professors overseeing my education wanted me to write an essay about what I want to do with my education and I-I’ve wrote it, but I...need somepony to proofread it for me and-oh, what am I doing, you’re a princess! I can’t ask you to-”

Sunset’s head shot up. “What?” she asked before rushing over until she cast a shadow over the smaller pony and took up a hoof. “Star, I told you that I would help you out with your education. If you need anything, just say it. Okay?”

As the two of them worked out a little schedule for when Sunset was to do her helpful deed, Cadance smiled at the plump mare with the swelling belly that only promised to get bigger. Spangled Star was probably the greatest example of Sunset’s impact on Equestria. The mare had laid with a stallion when she was in heat and was left with a foal growing inside of her after the minor noble found another tail to chase.

Despite the obvious problems a young, single mother-to-be faced, most of Equestria ignored the fact that they existed. They were a small minority that said sometimes, things didn’t end happily ever after. Even Cadance didn’t think about such things because of her own views on intercourse. Only ponies who loved each other, who were one-hundred-percent sure that they would be together when they were old and gray had foals, that was the way things were.

Anypony that created a life without that level of love was...odd.

But Sunset didn’t care about any of that. Just hearing about Spangled Star made the amber alicorn seek her out. The goddess then went about setting up an entire program to help such ponies, with Spangled Star being the test subject. And when Star reached the final month of her pregnancy, when she was too big to walk around, Cadance knew that Sunset would give her a room at the palace and employment on the staff while she finished her education in an environment where somepony could help with her foal when she wasn’t able to.

To Cadance, that was an action by the real Sunset Shimmer. It took her old habit of just bucking the rules to the side so she could do what needed to be done and combined it with the compassion and understanding that Sunset had in spades since her return.

She didn’t like to think about it too much, but there was something odd about the changes in personality Sunset had shown since her return. Cadance understood that Sunst had been through a traumatic experience, having being taken over by dark magic and shown true evil, but...the amount of remorse she felt was outright disturbing. It made her timid, afraid, and unsure of herself to unhealthy degrees. To the point where she was willing to hurt herself.

“Cadance?”

The sound of her name drew the princess out of her thoughts and over to the young stallion standing in front of her. “Yes, Shiny?”

“Are you okay?” he asked as he took a tentative step forward. “You looked a bit worried.”

Cadance blinked before her heart fluttered just a bit and she stepped forward to give Shiny a kiss on his nose. “Have I mentioned how much I love you lately?” she said before swinging around to put a wing over Shining Armor’s back to nuzzle the side of his neck. “Love you so much.”

The physical contact left Shining Armor a little flustered, but Cadance couldn’t stop herself. The more time she spent with Shiny, the more the pink princess saw him as the perfect coltfriend for a princess. He was just so kind, supportive and understanding that Cadance knew she couldn’t have found a better match for Sunset.

Of course it also made her feel the tiniest bit guilty about being in the relationship.

“And I was just thinking about how to juggle this week's schedule,” she half-lied. The thought had been on her mind, and it would be tricky to figure in Sunset’s healing relationship with her mother on top of their threesome, Shiny’s family relationships, all of their social relationships, and Sunset’s big day that would be here come the middle of the week.

Shining Armor chuckled. “When you talk like that, I feel like I’m with my sister...sometimes.”

The comparison made shrug. “Hey, a good relationship does need a bit of work,” she said before giving Shiny another peck on the cheek.

“Should we give you two the room?” Sunset asked evenly.

Cadance looked back to her fillyfriend, which felt amazing to classify Sunset as, and smiled before she leaned into her coltfriend. “Well if Shiny’s up for it, I could give him a ride.” Although they had their uses, Sunset’s inventions paled in comparison to the real thing.

As soon as Cadance made her reply, Shining Armor went stiff...in the wrong way. “I...I’m good.”

“Okay,” Cadance said before either of the ponies she was with could start thinking about how turning down sex was a bad thing. “Well come on you two, let’s get going.”

When Sunset didn’t follow, Cadance looked back to her. “Something wrong?”

“Shiny and I are eating at his house, remember?” Sunset asked.

The reminder made Cadance sigh. “Right. Sorry sweetheart. I was listening it’s just...have a bit on my mind,” she said. “Dating schedules, and uh...hey, Sunset? What do you want for your fealty gift?”

Sunset frowned. “Say what?”

“What’s a...fealty gift?” Shining Armor as he looked back and forth between the two alicorns.

Cadance didn’t break her gaze away from Sunset. “Everytime a new alicorn becomes a princess, the nobles of the kingdom gather to present their new royal with a gift that shows their devotion and proves their loyalty to the pony in question.”

“Exactly,” Sunset said. “Superior. You’ve been a princess longer than me. Hell, since she’s just been re-crowned, you technically have superiority over Celestia!”

The argument made Cadance snort. “You’ve been trained in how to deal with statecraft since you were twelve. You’ve actually ruled Equestria for a little while. And do we even have to mention just how much more skilled and powerful you are than me?” Cadance demanded.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “We just established that you’re the one in charge!”

“Of our relationship!” Cadance exclaimed. “I may be the one that decides where we go on a date, but if something happens that requires a real princess, you’re the one that I’m going to be looking to.”

As Sunset looked away, Cadance trotted away from Shiny and moved to Sunset. She looked up at the bigger alicorn until they were nose to nose and sighed. “Sunset, if you want to follow my lead socially, that’s fine,” the pink princess told her goddess. “Hay, I’ll even agree with it. But do not think for one bucking second that you do not outrank me in the Equestrian hierarchy. Understand?”

Sunset slumped a bit. “Okay,” she relented.

“Good,” Cadance told her before kissing the pony on her muzzle and rearing up a bit to whisper in Sunset’s ear. “And tonight, you’re going to show this little upstart that her place is beneath you, Mistress.”

The word got a deep blush out of Sunset, which Shining Armor brought to an end with a question. “So, I need to bring you a present, Sunset?”

“Oh, um,” she said before getting herself under control “No, Shiny. It’s just the nobles. Oh, and the high ranking members of the military. But because most of them can’t afford the level of opulence that other ponies can, they’re usually given a task by the...new...oh...oh I just realized something!”

Cadance started to get a little worried as Sunset got one of those looks on her face.

“Muha-muhaha. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” the amber goddess cackled as she threw her head back and howled in mad laugher.

Shining Armor leaned over to Cadance. “Should we be worried?”

When Cadance entered alone and took her seat, Celestia greeted the other princess with a nod. “Good morning, Cadance,” she said. “Did you have a pleasant night?”

The pink princess gave a little nod. “Oh yes,” she replied with a smile. “ And a good morning.You?”

“It was nice enough,” Celestia told her. “Is Sunset…”

“She enjoyed herself too,” the pink princess informed the bigger alicorn. “Although, if you’re asking if she’s coming, Sunset decided to eat breakfast with Shiny’s family this morning.”

Like every time that her daughter was absent as of late, Celestia didn’t know whether to be worried...or greatful. “Oh...hm...Cadance, you’ve overseen several relationships before coming to Canterlot. Is a week sufficient time for me to meet with Shining Armor’s parents?”

Cadance blinked at the question. “You’re...asking me for parental relationship advice?”

Despite how all her instincts as a princess telling her to admit that she wasn’t all-knowing was the last thing that she should ever do, Celestia nodded. “Yes. I’m afraid I don’t really know what to do when my daughter is...dating,” she said, trying the word’s taste out in her mouth.

Something else occured to Celestia as well. “Oh! Not that your relationship with Shining Armor and mental health aren’t equally as important to me, my niece,” she said without her usual regal dignity.

Cadance gave Celestia a half-lidded stare. “I don’t know whether to roll my eyes, or turn that into an insult about how little you care about Sunset if it’s equal to what you feel to a pony whose family title is only a matter of proper manners,” the pink pony said. “Auntie.”

Celestia couldn’t help but wince at the sting her words held. “Sorry.”

“No, that was wrong of me,” Cadance replied as the little bit of ire she displayed evaporated. “I get it. I’m the emotionally stable alicorn with a level of magical skill that would be a waste of time to teach until she’s got the general basics down. Sunset needs you more than me, I am not debating that. Even if it does mean my feathers get ruffled with a little jealousy from time to time. But it’s nothing major.”

After taking a few seconds to let Cadance get herself under control, Celestia bowed her head. “No, you have a right to be angry. I threw your needs to the side to focus on her,” she said before smiling a bit. “So, how is your relationship with Shining Armor going?”

Cadance stiffened a little at the question. “Oh, well...um...he’s...a nice colt,” she said before looking over to one of the windows.

“That’s not something I’d expect to hear from a pony like you, Cadance,” Celestia told her. “Is there something wrong?”

Several more seconds passed as Cadance began to sweat just a little bit, and then the pink pony looked back to Celestia. “Okay look, if I tell you this, none of it gets to Sunset,” she said. “And I mean ever.”

Although centuries of negotiation had taught her to never agree to a deal before hearing all of the terms, the bigger alicorn nodded. “Very...well.” Celestia quickly choked down the unease rising in her throat from going against her instincts.

“I love Shiny, I really do. He’s adorable, and fun and kind, and a million other things that just make him the perfect coltfriend for a princess,” Cadance said.

Celestia put her hooves together. “I’m sensing a but coming.”

After nervously licking her lips, Cadance took in a sharp breath. “There’s something bothering him, and I have no idea how do identify it, or even fix it,” she confessed. “On top of which, I’ve got Sunset’s problems to deal with. Let’s be honest, Celestia, Sunset deciding to stay in Canterlot didn’t actually fix any of her problems, it’s just her deciding not to cripple herself again. She’s still a wreck, and the only thing I’ve been able to do is lift my tail, or shove my face between her cheeks to keep her distracted for the past week. Oh, and as long as we’re being honest here, I’m starting to feel guilty about this threesome we’ve agreed to get into!”

“What?” Celestia asked as her confusion mounted along with Cadance's panic.

The pink pony let out a loud snort. “What? You thought I knew what I was doing when I went, ‘Oh Sunset, let’s be a threesome’?” she asked before banging her hooves down on the table. “The reason I did it is because all my projections said that Sunset was going to get another coltfriend!”

Celestia let the information wash over her, it’s weight cocking her head to the side. “So, there will be four of you, then?”

“Of course not!” Cadance exclaimed as she waved a hoof as if to slap that possibility away like a bothersome fly. “I’m talking about the colt that Sunset is going to pick up after Shiny dies. Then she’ll get another mare to fill my shoes when I’m gone. Having more than a single special somepony will allow her to find more and move on once we pass away. That’s why I pushed for this whole thing, to make sure Sunset is willing to take another pony as her lover when Shiny and I pass on.”

After hearing Cadance’s angry confession, Celestia opened her mouth to speak.

“And now that I’m actually in a threesome, I can see that it’s a lot more work than I thought it was going to be,” Cadance continued before Celestia could talk. “Not to mention how it’s affecting pony society. I’m meeting with a journalist from Romance today, and I know what the topic of choice for that interview is going to be.”

Celestia took a sip of her tea and decided to lend the sympathetic ear. “I can see that it’s causing you a great deal of stress.”

“Got any advice about that?” Cadance asked.

“Well, from what I hear, you seem to have a great deal of really big problems with what sounds like some pretty complicated solutions. So many big problems that you’re feeling overwhelmed by them,” Celestia told her as she brought an old lesson about life to the forefront of her mind. “But what a lot of ponies dealing with big problems don’t realize is, big problems are actually made up of several little problems. And little problems actually have very simple solutions. So the first thing you need to do is, figure out what it is you want to accomplish.”

Cadance snorted again. “The happiness of my special someponies, obviously.”

“And what’s standing in the way of that goal?” Celestia asked.

“Well...whatever’s brining Shiny down lately…”

Celestia nodded. “Which I have agreed to help you identify.”

“And...Sunset’s...guilt,” Cadance said. “Which...all I’ve been able to do is distract her from. Because I have no idea how to help her with this. She feels bad about a pony who, for all intents and purposes, no longer even came into existence. How can she feel bad about a pony who didn’t exist to suffer from whatever Sunset did to her? How am I supposed to help her when I don’t even understand where she’s coming from?”

When it looked like Cadance had finally finished, Celestia poured herself some more tea. “You know, Sunset was angry at me for not writing to her when she was on Earth, despite the fact that it never happened this time around,” the big alicorn said. “The only way we got past it was when we were stuck in the vault and had to talk to each other.”

Cadance frowned. “So you’re saying...what? That I should stop distracting Sunset and force her to deal with these things?”

“Is she even ready to deal with her guilt?” Celestia asked as evenly as she could.

Once again, Cadance took several second to respond. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Guilt is something I am well acquainted with,” Celestia told her. “I have had to live with it for the better part of a millennia. In many ways, I am just like Sunset, and despite the words we shared a week ago, I can completely understand her desire to go back to Earth as a self-imposed exile. If she can not deal with the guilt of her actions, however foolish they may see to us, and move past it, then you need to help her find a way to live with the guilt, not just ignore it with the help of some physical distractions.”

Cadance was silent as she thought over what Celestia had told her. Although the bigger pony had her own ideas, she was ashamed to admit that she didn’t know Sunset well enough to guess if any of them would work. So, she sat silently as the younger princess became lost in thought.

“Okay,” the little pink pony princess said after a while. “By the way, I talked Sunset into spending some actual time with you today. I don’t know what the two of you are going to do, but I do have some advice when it comes to your relationship with her.”

With her curiosity peaked, Celestia sat up a little straighter. “Oh? What would that be?”

“Don’t get into an apology loop with her,” Cadance said. “The two of you trying to take the blame for everything just makes you run in circles. I know you don’t want Sunset to put everything on her back, Auntie. But if all the two of you do is fight over which one of you is to blame, then nopony ever gets forgiven. And right now, Sunset needs forgiveness more than absolution.”

Despite the fact that Sunset could pop anywhere she wanted in a moment, she always landed a few blocks away from the house so that Shining Armor could enjoy a few moments in a situation as close to alone as the two of them could get before they got to the insanity that was his family. As soon as they landed, Shining found Sunset’s wing across his back and he put his side up against hers before laying his head against her neck, several inches below her chin.

They got a few steps before Sunset stopped a shuddered, making Shining Armor pull his head away and look up at her in concern. “Something wrong?”

“Shiny, you ever get one of those moments when you have this feeling of intense terror just rush right through your spine like a lightning bolt?” she asked.

He thought about it for a moment, then gave her an even expression. “You’ve met my sister, right?”

The previous nerves forgotten for a moment, Sunset giggled before she leaned forward and kissed Shining on his lips. “I love you,” she said.

Shining Armor turned back towards his house and started back home, Sunset quickly falling in beside him before she reapplied her wing around him. The young stallion tried not to blush at the action.

After Cadance had told Sunset the significance of putting her wings across another pony’s back, she had spent every moment she could in public showing ponies they were together. Cadance did too, after a fashion, but not nearly as much as Sunset. The amber alicorn did everything she could to announce that they were together, short of carrying a sign that read, ‘SHINING ARMOR IS MY COLTFRIEND!’.

It was...more than a little embarrassing.

Not that he could ever actually tell her that. Sunset’s happiness was a fragile thing, and Shining Armor didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it.

“Something wrong, Shiny?” she asked.

The question got a stumble from the young stallion. “W-What?” he stuttered.

Sunset gave the smaller pony a little smile before she quickly pulled Shining Armor along with her until they were between a pair of houses and out of the general populace’s view. She released her grip and turned around to get right in his face. “Is something wrong?”

“N-No,” Shining Armor stammered before blushing at the close attention and looking away. “I’m fine.”

A little frown appeared on Sunset’s face. “You know, when you say stuff like that with a face like that, it just makes me want to know more.”

Shining Armor looked out of the tiny alley Sunset had pulled them down. “Sunset, don’t we need to get going to my house for breakfast? We told Mom we’d be coming by this morning. She wouldn’t want us to be late.”

“Yeah, I suppose I should do something about that,” Sunset said before her horn lit up so brightly that Shining Armor couldn’t look at it. There was a bright flash, and then...nothing happened to change his current situation. “There we go!”

After Shining Armor finished getting the spots out of his eyes, he looked back to Sunset. “What’d you do?”

Sunset smiled. “Bought us six weeks to talk before we need to get to your house,” she said before indicating the sky overhead.

The explanation made Shining Armor look upward, where he saw a pegasus just hanging in the air. He wasn’t moving at all, not even his wings were flapping. He was completely frozen. “Oh...right, you can stop time.”

Meaning that the possibility of escape was just about zero.

“So, what’s bothering you?” Sunset asked before her expression went from a one of curiosity to a thin smile. “Or are you feeling jumpy for...another reason, hmmm?”

Shining Armor stepped away from the bigger pony. “A-Another reason?”

“Well you are a boy,” Sunset said as she cornered Shining Armor at the edge of her temporal bubble’s safety shield. “In my experience, sex is what guys your age have on their mind ninety-percent of the time. So if you want to do it after breakfast, we can go up to your room and I can give you some relief.”

The sort-of accusation made Shining Armor frown. “Sunset! I don’t want to have sex with you!” he exclaimed, making the bigger pony back off a step as Shining Armor got himself under control. “Um...I mean, that’s not what’s bothering me.”

Sunset blinked at Shining’s reaction. “Oh...um, sorry,” she apologized before looking away from the unicorn. “I shouldn’t have assumed. I know you’re not just a mass of hormones, Shiny. Not that I’m any better. Hell, I’m actually worse than you, way worse.”

“Uh, Sunset,” Shining Armor said.

But it didn’t look like Sunset was willing to hear him at the moment. “You don’t think Cadance and I have been pressuring you into sex, have we?” she asked before plopping her rear down on the grass and groaning. “Ugh, I’m such an idiot!”

“Sunset!” Shining Armor snapped, making the amber alicorn look over to him in confusion. “First off, you and Cadance may be practically predatory when it comes to...physical love, haven’t made me do anything. And that’s not what I was getting nervous about. Although, uh...if you feel like spending some time together after breakfast, I’d like that too.”

A little blush appeared on Sunset’s cheeks. “Well, I’ve got to do the day court with my mom, but…” she looked up and smiled before turning her attention back on Shining Armor. “I can always find the time for you, Shiny.”

Shining Armor felt the pace of his heart increase slightly at the amber alicorn’s smile. “So um...like I was trying to say...for the past week, I’ve been watching you giving Cadance her uh...lessons.”

“I know it’s not exactly how ponies are supposed to learn magic,” she said. “But theoretical skills without practical application isn’t much use. I’m pushing her along pretty fast, but let’s be honest. A princess that can only use magic in a classroom is useless.”

The summarization of their nightly activities made Shining Armor shake his head. “Sunset, I don’t think you get it. The things you and Cadance do…” He took a deep breath and jumped all in. “I want to join in on them.”

Sunset frowned. “I thought you were having second thoughts about joining the guard.”

“I am,” he nodded. “But that doesn’t mean I want to limit my options before I even get done considering them. Besides, it’s not like getting some exercise is a bad thing.”

The expression she was wearing didn’t look like she agreed with the idea. “Well...that’s...true, but...Shiny…” Sunset let out a tiny whine and stopped talking all together.

Shining Armor frowned at the weird behavior Sunset as she pulled in on herself. “What?”

“I...don’t what to see you get hurt because of us,” she said in a pathetically small voice.

“Sunset, you’re not making any sense,” he replied.

The amber alicorn shifted around in place a bit. “Okay...look,” Sunset began. “Remember two weeks ago when I made you feel like a total loser just by showing off my magic, super strength and...all that?”

Shining Armor cocked his head to the side. What did that have to do with anything? “not my proudest moment, but...yes.”

“Well...Cadance has been making up for lost time with how fast she’s improving physically,” Sunset told him. “I just don’t want another repeat of you being emasculated because some alicorn is bench pressing twice as much as you and stuff. And now I hate myself for saying it, because it shows how little faith I have in your maturity, even if it isn’t fair that a guy who’s always wanted to join the guard is getting shown up by a couple of girls just because they’ve got tribal advantages that he doesn’t and-”

Before his big fillyfriend could go into a full blown rambling panic, Shining Armor raised his voice. “Sunset!” he said, cutting her off and getting the giant pony’s attention. He looked up unto her eyes. “First off, nopony is ever going to call foul that you’re stronger than me. I mean, you can probably meet Princess Celestia eye to eye these days!”

“Nostrils.”

Shining Armor blinked. “Say what?”

A blush appeared on Sunset’s cheeks. “My eyes are even with Mom’s...nostrils,” she said. “We checked a couple of days ago when I attended court. Which is really disturbing considering I haven’t even started to develop my alicorn physique yet. My head is still just as big as ever, my horn hasn’t gotten any longer in comparison to the rest of my body, and...well, okay, I think my butt may have gotten a bit bigger, but I have been eating a lot more recently.”

Shining Armor sighed and did his best to keep him mind off of Sunset’s round, plump perfect plot that was just begging to be measured by his hooves. “Well, I wouldn’t say you’re even with Celestia in that department just yet,” he said as he failed miserably not to think about Sunset’s rear end and looked over to it. “She’s still got about three inches on you.”

“Shiny?”

The young stallion looked back up to Sunset’s face. “Yeah?”

“We are going to go back to the topic we were just talking about, and you are never again going to even hint that you know the exact measurements of my Mom’s butt, just like we’re not supposed to mention the stacks of porn I found under your bed that one time, okay?” Sunset asked in a perfectly amicable voice that hid a very dark threat underneath.

Shining Armor gulped. “Okay,”

“So, yeah...even if you had a normal alicorn’s level of strength, nopony would think twice when you won the wrestling match,” he told her. “And Cadance…” The idea of the prettier princess being able to tie Shining Armor in knots with her hooves might have seemed a bit out there, but...she was an alicorn that grew up as the only pegasus of a farming community. “I suppose it makes sense.”

She had been looking a little more fit lately.

A second later, Sunset took another step and pulled Shining Armor into a hug, pulling her wings around to envelop him completely. “I just don’t want you to get hurt again, Shiny,” she said before kissing him on the cheek. “I love you too much to see something like that.”

After a few more seconds passed, Sunset pulled herself back. “So...while we’ve got the time, is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?”

The question stirred something in Shining Armor’s memory. Something he was pretty sure his little sister was going to be upset with him about. “Uh...actually, there is something else I need to ask you…”

“You want to take me to the Princess Fair?”

Sunset forced herself to smile at the little purple unicorn that looked up at her with confusion. “Yeah, Twily! We can go on the rides, have some candy, and spend some time together. I know I haven’t had as much time for you as I said I would lately and I want to spend some time making some memories together.”

A tiny frown appeared on the little unicorn’s face. “Yeah, but that’s not your fault. You’ve been having to get ready for your coronation, teach Cadance magic, help my brother with his hoof-to-hoof combat training-”

Sunset blinked. “Shiny’s what?”

“The-uh, wrestling drills you and Cadance have been helping me with,” Shining Armor clarified. “For the-you know, guard training.”

With Shining Armor giving her the polite code word for their sexual activities, Sunset’s smile forze on her face. Her eyes darted over to the pair of ponies sitting at the breakfast table before she looked back down to Twilight. “So...um, are you saying that you don’t want to go to the fair with me?”

“Well…” Twilight said before she paused in thought. “Wouldn’t going to the library make more sense? Oh! You could take me to the royal archives!”

The options made Sunset internally groan. Now, she understood why Shining Armor had asked her to get Twilight to go to the fair. While she didn’t have the same disposition as Sunset did when she was a filly, the amber alicorn had prefered to curl up with a mystical text and practice her magic by herself more than anything. She knew Twilight wasn’t going to follow her down that path, but the similarities were quite disturbing.

There was also Twilight’s future that she needed to think about. The little purple unicorn was supposed to grow up to be a princess. If Sunset messed with her too much, that future might disappear.

But haven’t I already decided to do just that? Sunset asked herself. She had decided to stay in Equestria, decided to stay with Shining Armor, and that meant being involved with Twilight Sparkle.

And even though part of her was worried about changing things too much, if it was any other filly in the world, Sunset knew that she wouldn’t be letting her become a shut-in before even becoming double digits. Which meant she wouldn’t be letting Twilight do it either.

“Twily, the fair is only going to last a week and I’m going to be so busy after my coronation that I don’t think I’ll be able to take you then,” Sunset told her. “The archives will be there for years after its done. So let’s go to the fair now, and if everything works out, we can see where things go from there. That sound good?”

The foal’s defenses began to show weakness as she looked away from Sunset. “Well…”

Sunset beant down to look at Twilight face to face. “Come on, Twily, I promise, you’ll have lots of fun. I’ll even bring Cadance. And maybe I can even swing Princess Celestia if-”

“Not Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed in terror, making Sunset lift her head in surprise. “I’ll-I’ll go! With you, and Princess Cadance. There’s um, no need to bother Princess Celestia.”

The oddity of Twilight’s reaction to seeing Celestia got a frown from Sunset, but she shrugged it off a moment later. She probably thought Celestia was too busy and would get mad if she was asked to attend such a frivolous affair.

Which would probably encourage her to do just that, Sunset realized. She just needed to think of how to ask her mother in a way that would have her agreeing to it.

Cadance took her seat on the couch in front of the reporter and shifted around until she was comfortable on her belly. Something told her that this was going to take some time and considering the subject, the more comfortable she was physically, the longer her patience would last.

Tea and various other treats and fruits adored the trays on the coffee table in front of her, as well as a quill and several inkwells.

The mare across from her was a slender unicorn that was the usual height for a high-class canterlot pony, with a bright orange coat and green mane. A large heart with a quill on it adored her flank, which went well with her name.

“Hello, Love Letter,” Cadance said. “Before we begin, I just want to say that I love Romance. I placed a special order for it every month back home, and your columns were always the best part.”

The writer smiled at the compliment. “Thank you, Princess Cadance. I’m always pleased to meet a fan,” she said before a pink glow brought her quill and writing pad up to her. “However, I should warn you, I’m not going to take it easy on you in this interview. Ponies have a lot of questions about your recent activities, and the newspapers...um…”

Cadance giggled. “Yes, Sunset has been a bit...fierce in her actions to keep Shiny out of the public spotlight,” she agreed. “ By the way, I need to remind you of Empress Sunset’s last declaration, which forbids any investigation of a pony below the age of eighteen without both the pony’s and the parent’s expression permission for reasons other than a criminal investigation. But I am a princess, so…” she left the statement incomplete. “Now, I’m running a bit late because of a discussion I had with Princess Celestia, so let’s get started, shall we?”

“Very well,” Love Letter replied. “Just to confirm, you are currently in a relationship with both a young stallion and another mare, correct?”

The overy-expected question got a mirthful roll of Cadance’s eyes. “Yes, the three of us are in a relationship,” she said before becoming a bit more serious. “And by that, I mean the three of us. I spend just as much time being romantic with Shiny as I do with Sunset.”

Love Letter looked up after she jotted down her words, then looked back up at Cadance. “So, the three of you do everything together?”

“Oh, most definitely not,” the pink princess said with a laugh. “Don’t get me wrong, we do spend a great deal of time together. But there needs to be a balance.”

After making another note, Love Letter frowned. “What do you mean?”

Cadance thought about her young relationship for a moment. “Well, we’ve only been dating for a week, you understand,” she said before looking back to Love Letter. “But, I have been on a date with just Shiny and just Sunset, and they’ve been together. And we will continue to have two-pony date nights, at least once a week.”

“Now, we know that the three of you began your relationship at Canterlot Academy’s Fall Formal, and you were seen at the Solar Battles premiere with Shining Armor,” Love Letter began. “When did then-Empress and soon-Princess Sunset enter into the relationship?”

As her cheeks began to heat up in embarrassment, Cadance let out a nervous laugh before she reached out with a wing to get some tea. “Actually, I’m the one that butted in,” the pink princess clarified. “You see, Shiny had caught Sunset’s attention several days before, and the two of them had even had a couple of dates before then.”

Love Letter frowned in confusion. “Then, why were you on a date with Shining Armor at all?”

“Because the two of them were just so bad at it!” Cadance said before laughing at the memory. It helped hide her frown as she began the story of how the three of them ended up together. “You see, when the two of them had their first date, I had set things up to make Shining Armor look like your classic heroic stallion…”

“We really need to implement a more orderly system for the audiences,” Sunset said as the last petitioner made her way out of the throne room before the guards shut the door.

Celestia looked over to her daughter. “Why do you say that?”

The question got an even look from the amber alicorn. “Mom, nearly twenty-percent of the pones who came here got sent somewhere else by you,” Sunset reminded her. “And about half of the others could have gotten what they needed from somepony else.”

“Oh?” Celestia asked before looking over to the smaller alicorn. “I always found it good to know what my little ponies were in need of and who was to be delivering it to them.”

Sunset let out a small grunt. “Okay, getting the pulse of the population is important,” she admitted. Not to mention harder without online polls or Twitter. “But, I’m just saying…” The amber alicorn stopped, unsure if she should continue.

In truth, Sunset wanted for Celestia to admit that she was right. But pushing the issue would cause another fight. So, she just stopped talking and looked at the floor.

“But, I can see the appeal in what you are getting at,” Celestia said. “My way isn’t the fastest or most organized. I’m sure you have a dozen ways to expedite the process so that we can help as many ponies as possible. Perhaps we can come up with some kind of system to do that, together.”

As tempting as the offer was, it was work, and Sunset had told Cadance that she wouldn’t spend the day working with her mother. “I’ll draw up something official tonight and we can talk about it then,” she said.

With the last bit of business out of the way, Sunset found herself hesitating. Now came the hard part, talking to her mother when the only subjects available were herself and Celestia. So, she sucked a breath and…

“Sunset?” Celestia said before she got a bit closer to the smaller pony. “Is something wrong? You look uneasy.”

Her next words came out of her mouth in a rush. “Of course I’m uneasy! I’m supposed to do something with you today,” she said before looking down and taking a breath. With the hard part over, Sunset's heart slowed down and she organized her thoughts. “Outside of work, I mean.”

Celestia put a wing around her daughter as an uneasy look appeared on her face. “Alright, if you want to do something with me today, I have some time. But, I would like to know what is it that’s bothering you so much before we begin. Is spending time with me really that bad?”

The way Celestia phrased the question made Sunset knock her mother’s wing aside. “Don't try that defensive crap on me!” Sunset said before she trotted off the dias and spun around to face her mother. “You know what we’re like unsupervised!”

“Sunset,” Celestia said, actually having the the gall to look hurt over the fact that Sunset had called her on trying to be sympathetic.

Then Sunset’s eyes widened at her own actions and she hung her head. “I’m sorry Mom,” she apologized. “I love you, I really do. And I do want to spend time with you. Not as teacher and student, but as mother and daughter. And I just-”

“Stop,” Celestia commanded her, making Sunset clamp her jaw shut. “Sunset, first off, I forgive you for snapping at me. To be honest, I need to grow a thicker coat for times like this. Now, what do you want to do with me today?”

Sunset blinked at the sudden turn of topic. They had almost started going in circles again. She would getting wrapped up in the past and drag Celestia along with her. Sunset needed to put a stop to that. “Mom, you had plans to make me an alicorn for years, right?”

Celestia blinked at the sudden change of topic and tone. “What?” she asked before recovering. “Well, yes. I wouldn’t have made you my student if I didn’t see the potential in you.”

“And what was the biggest thing you wanted to do with me after I became an alicorn?” Sunset asked without missing a beat. If she slowed down to think, she might trip herself up.

Once again, Celestia took a moment to fight through her surprise and the confusion that came from it. “Well, honestly?” she asked before answering her own question. “I wanted to teach you how to fly, and all the other things a pegasus’s mother does with her child.”

Sunset felt a pang of guilt for letting Cadance being the one to do that when Celestia and the amber alicorn had still been fighting. That feeling was quickly replaced by a wave of fear as she remembered what happened the first time she tried to fly, the sensation of falling through the clouds as she rushed to meet the ground.

She knew that being afraid of flying was stupid. She had shaken off a fall from Canterlot for crying out loud! As far as Sunset knew, the was pretty much indestructible. She had no reason to be afraid of heights.

“So let’s go flying!” Sunset said to her mother before fear could paralyze both her legs and her mouth.

Sunset fought to keep herself steady. She was indestructible. There was no need to worry. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Although she tried to keep her attention on her Pa, the orange filly's eyes kept drifting back to the lopsided saddlebags on her Ma’s back. The even smaller filly was sleeping soundly in the left bag while a heavier sack full of food hung down a bit further as they moved through an area that didn’t have any trees with fruit growing on them.

When she looked over to her older brother for an explanation about what was going on, the red stallion gave an unknowable shrug to show he was just as clueless as she was.

“Why’re goin’ all the way out here, Papa?” Applejack asked.

Bright Mac took a moment to shoo away an insect with his Stetson, then put the hat back on to look at his daughter. “Well Applejack, yer brother’s probably a mite too young to remember, and you definitely are, but when we get a new member of our family, the first thing we do as a family is go have ourselves a picnic in a very special place.”

Applejack looked over to her Ma and baby sister. “But, Apple Bloom’s been around for weeks now,” she said.

“Jackie, you know your sister’s been a tad sickly,” Buttercup told her daughter. “We just needed to make sure she was okay before heading out.”

Then Big Mac had to start opening his big mouth. “Course, we also had to go and see Empress Sunset about some help for the apple blight. Have to wonder why she took such a shine to you, Applejack. Don’t even have yer cutie mark yet, but that Sunset just called you on up to her like you were something as special as zap apple jam,” he said before frowning and looking around. “Say, I don’t mean to sound like a yellow pony, but... ain't we a bit close to the Everfree?”

Bight Mac let out a little laugh. “Oh, Ah don’t think we need to fret about some Everfree-”

“Awhoooooooo!”

Applejack's legs went stiff at the familiar sound of timber wolves howling. While the few times she had heard it before had been reason to get excited for an upcoming zap apple harvest, those howls had been quite a ways off. The one Applejack had just heard sounded much closer.

So close, it probably came from the timber wolf that walked out of the brush right ahead of them.

Or it might have come from the one that walked out to stand next to the first wolf.

Then again, it could have come from any of the five wolves that made their way out of the underbrush, snarling at the five ponies in front of them.

“Oh dear,” Buttercup said.

Bright Mac gulped. “Buttercup, Ah think you need to be taking the youngin’s back to the farm now.”

Even young as she was, Applejack could see what was going on. “Papa no!” she said as she galloped up to her Pa to grab onto his leg.

“Jackie,” Bright Mac said as he turned around to face his daughter. The big stallion took off his hat and gave it to Applejack. “Now, I don't want nothin’ to happen to mah new hat. So Ah’m needin’ you ta watch over it fer me, okay?”

Applejack looked down at the head covering. “But, Pa-”

Before Applejack could get started, her Ma spoke. “Big Mac, I think you need to escort your sisters back home. Take your little sister off my back, and go. Now.”

“Buttercup-”

“There’s five of them, Bright Mac,” Buttercup said in a tone that refused to even be argued with as she unlatched her bag and foal carrier to put it on Big Mac’s back. “Now, you two need to get going. We’ll...catch up to you, soon as we can.”

Despite what her Ma was saying, Applejack knew that this would be the last time that she would be seeing her parents. She grabbed her Pa’s hat in a death grip and did her best to burn the memory into her mind. She took note of the trees. She took note of the expressions on her parents faces. She took note of the five wolves that were just standing there, snarling and waiting for an opening. She even took note of the odd whistling sound coming from somewhere behind her, and...up?

Applejack blinked and looked up in time to see a gold and red blur rush down into her sights, then followed the trail just in time to watch...something slam into the timberwolves hard enough to smash them all into kindling and leave a large crater as it did so.

Then, the little filly handed the object in her hooves back to the big stallion standing next to her. “Here’s yer hat back, Papa.”

“Thank ye kindly, Jackie,” Bright Mac said as he took the Stetson that was offered.

Once she had taken back the basket and the filly carrier back from her son, Buttercup looked over to the large crater. “What do you suppose that was?” she asked before taking a half-step forward, then looked back to the filly on her back and reversed course.

And then, just to make the whole thing even more confusing, Princess Celestia dropped out of the sky.

“Sunset! Sunset? Are you alright?” the big alicorn cried out in a panicked tone as she landed at the edge of the giant hole. “Please, say something!”

A second later, an amber alicorn rose out of the ground. Although her wings were spread, she didn’t flap them to gain any altitude. Instead, her body was surrounded in a blue aura. “Flap them hard, she says!” Former-Empress and Future-Princess Sunset Shimmer said as she floated in the air and glared at Princess Celestia, dirt falling from her mane.

For her part, Princess Celestia took a step back, then returned the scowl. “Oh for crying out loud,” she grumbled. “Don’t give me that. You need to learn to move your wings if you want to fly.”

“Oh? Let’s see here,” Sunset said as she made a show of looking to her perfectly still wings. “Hey look at that, another fact of pony flight that you don’t know anything about!”

Princess Celestia scowled at Sunset for a moment, then lifted a horseshoe and tossed it at the amber alicorn. It hit the smaller pony on the horn.

“OW!” Sunset cried out before the glow around her vanished, and she glided forward to stumble onto the ground and land face first in front of the bigger alicorn, who was smiling at her.

“You know, if you would learn to flap those wings without creating hurricane force winds, you wouldn’t have to worry about stuff like that,” Princess Celestia said with a small laugh.

A loud groan came from the pit before there was a flash of light behind Princess Celestia that revealed Sunset Shimmer. She opened her mouth as the bigger pony turned to face her and...stood mute for a moment before breaking eye contact. “Okay, I’ll admit, you got me good with that one,” she said before plopping down on the ground. She lifted her wings and frowned at them. “Maybe I can come up with a spell that disperses the winds these things create before it goes far enough to destroy the local weather patterns.”

Princess Celestia sighed. “Well I suppose it’s better than never learning to fly at all,” she said before turning towards the Apple family. “Now let’s find someplace to get you cleaned up and-Oh!” The big alicorn blinked upon finally noticing the group of earth ponies standing in front of her. “Hello there, my little ponies. Who are you?”

“Applejack?” Sunset Shimmer questioned as she walked past the Princess. “Hey, I didn’t see you all there. Hope my landing-”

“Crash,” Celestia quickly corrected.

“Landing!” Sunset immediately snapped back at the big pony before looking back to the earth ponies. “Well, I hope I didn’t frighten any of you.”

Applejack stood frozen as she remembered what had almost transpired just moments ago. Despite her age, she knew that if Princess Celestia and Sunset hadn’t come barging in when they did, it probably wouldn’t have ended well for her parents. So, instead of telling her that everything was mighty fine, the little filly ran forward to give the amber alicorn a big hug. “Thank you! Thank you thank you, thank you, Princess!”

With Applejack showing her gratitude, Sunset let out a nervous laugh before she patted the little filly on the back. “Ehehehe, um...you’re a lot more...affectionate than I thought you’d be,” she said before looking up to the filly’s parents. “Umm...Anypony want to tell me why AJ is doing this, exactly?”