It was several days later before everything was finally settled.

True to their word, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy had indeed kept the library’s upstairs neat and clean for Twilight, and there were sufficient spare rooms upstairs for Moondancer and Trixie to each have their own space. The downstairs, as predicted, had needed a lot of reorganizing to get everything back into its proper place on the shelves, but that was no problem and even a delight for the librarian. Her basement had also been untouched, but that was to be expected - having used it for potentially wild experiments in the past, she had enough protection spells on it to keep anyone from going in and risking hurting themselves by messing with possibly explosive materials. She’d also stored the gem from the Staff of Sacanas down there for safekeeping, until it could be safely destroyed.

Their airskimmer was also parked outside, with a tarp covering it until she could talk to Mayor Mare to get a proper permit to build a garage, which Applejack had already promised to help put up when she was able to do so. It wouldn’t be hard or long, with a number of ponies who had signed up to work on the farm during the war having decided to make Ponyville their home.

Twilight still had one major thing to do though, before she could consider herself officially done with unpacking and reorganizing, and she’d invited Spike and Moondancer to come with her when she did it.

“Just… where are we going?” Moondancer asked as the trio made their way through the Everfree Forest.

“To the Castle of the Two Sisters,” Twilight explained. “Princess Celestia told me that she told you about how we faced Nightmare Moon. This is where it happened.”

“Really?” Moondancer asked, surprised.

Twilight nodded. “Back before I went to the Packlands, my friends and I came back here for a different reason, and since then we’d started cleaning up the old place, helping clean out some of the older things that were here and sending them to Canterlot, so the Princesses - the other Princesses,” she corrected herself, “could have them back. The girls kept up with it while I was away, but there’s still a lot to take care of. I brought you here for another reason though.”

“What’s that?” Moondancer asked.

Twilight smiled. “You’ll see,” she said.

The journey lasted a while longer, before they reached the castle. Twilight led she and Spike inside, and showed them around for a bit before leading them down a set of stairs, to a place where a large, crystalline tree stood.

“This,” she said, “is the Tree of Harmony. It’s the source of the physical Elements that Celestia and Luna, and later my friends and I, wielded.”

Moondancer stared in awe. “Wow…”

Twilight nodded. “And now…” Opening her saddlebags, she withdrew a long piece of crystal. “This,” she said, “is most of the Staff of Sacanas. I took it from the Storm King, and separated the gem he had in it because its power is too dangerous for normal use. But I did do some work on it while I was traveling, and I found out that the main part is actually a branch from the Tree, which got stolen ages ago before being used to make the staff.” She turned to Moondancer. “I wanted you to be here when I put it back where it came from,” she said.

Moondancer looked at her in surprise. “Wow, that… I don’t know what to say,” she said.

Twilight smiled, before levitating the branch over to the Tree. Setting it in place, at the spot still marked where the branch had been broken off long ago, she watched as the Tree lit up and accepted it back, glowing where the pieces fused together.

As the three turned and walked back upstairs, they could have sworn they heard a small sound, almost like bells, coming from the tree.

Walking back into town, Twilight was aware that Ponyville was quieter than normal though it was the normal level for a par-

Smirking to herself as she knew exactly was going to happen when she opened the door, Twilight kept her mouth quiet so as not to ruin the experience for Moondancer.

"SURPRISE!"

Twilight did her best to act surprised but seeing Moondance actually taken aback made her crack up.

“Wha-huh?” the mare asked, looking at Twilight for guidance as everyone in the town was cheering. “Another welcome home party?”

“Actually, it’s your official ‘Welcome-to-Ponyville’ party, Moondancer!” Pinkie said excitedly as she popped over. “Everyone who moves here gets one!”

Twilight, seeing her friend still looking rather befuddled, shrugged. “It’s true,” she said. “I got mine the very first day I came to town, even before I decided to move here for good. I’m guessing Pinkie wanted to give us a few days to get adjusted before she did yours.”

“It’s true,” Pinkie confirmed. “I’ve had time to properly tune my party planning skills and learn when to properly have one for others so they can enjoy to the very best it can be. And how to focus on making the person getting the party happy without going overboard and upsetting them.” She had a distant look on her face. “Cheesy helped me with that while you were away,” she said to Twilight.

Moondancer smiled. “Well… thank you,” she said. “I really appreciate all this.”

“Hey, you’re one of us now,” Rainbow Dash said as she hovered nearby, the prismatic mare having gotten back in town a few days before. “Any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of ours.”

“That means you too partner,” Applejack said to Trixie who was sitting at the table and eating a peanut butter sandwich.

Trixie smiled. “This one’s for Moondancer,” she said. “Tri- er, I, am content with being here to help her celebrate it, and not trying to take the spotlight. But I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Besides, Trixie knew about the surprise parties so I will really need to plan to surprise her,” Pinkie said, giggling to herself and sinking into the crowd.

“Trixie is both impressed and concerned,” Trixie said. “Is that normal?”

“Trixie, nothing about Pinkie is normal,” Rainbow Dash said. “I almost wonder if she’s part draconequus sometimes. But, I wouldn’t have her any other way.”

Everyone looked around, waiting for Discord to appear only for him not to appear

Twilight sighed. “He does specialize in chaos,” she said to nobody in particular. “Being unpredictable is part of that.”

“True,” a familiar voice said behind her.

Whirling around, she saw no trace of the voice’s owner, and sighed. “Like I said, unpredictable.”

Moondancer giggled.

The party would continue on for quite some time, with everyone around having a great deal of fun. Food, presents and party favors would follow, and by the time the day was done, everyone was tired, but thoroughly happy.

It was after dark when the three mares sat down at the table, everything sorted and put away and all the guests gone home, while Spike had gone upstairs to read some of his welcome-home gifts.

“That was invigorating,” Trixie said. She glanced in the direction of the refrigerator. “Am I the only one who feels like having another slice of cheesecake?”

“I could go for some,” Moondancer said.

Twilight smiled. “Me too,” she said as she went to get the plates.

Once they’d all taken some, Moondancer looked in Twilight’s direction. “You know, after… what happened, I never thought I’d ever go to another party,” she said. “But Pinkie’s are really good.”

“Trixie concurs,” the blue mare said. “Pinkie really knows what she’s doing.”

Twilight smiled. “Years of experience,” she said. “She got her Cutie Mark for throwing a party to make her family happy.”

“Really?” Trixie smiled. “Well, Tri-I am glad,” she said. “I think her family could use a lot more smiles on the outside. You can tell they love one another though.”

“Mm-hmm.”

At the startled looks she was getting, Moondancer blushed. “I… may have seen Marble Pie wandering around the castle library a few times, during the war,” she said. “And spoken to her once or twice. She was shy, but nice.”

Twilight nodded. “Pinkie did say she was the quiet type,” she said, before looking at Trixie. “By the way, that reminds me. What were you up to during then?”

“Trixie actually spent most of that time stuck in Dimondia,” Trixie said. “Trixie was on her way to visit one of the training fields to provide entertainment when she ended up Queen. Is it any wonder I wanted out so badly, after being stuck in a gilded prison like that for so long?”

“Ouch,” Moondancer commented.

“Quite.” Trixie nodded. “From what I understand, at least both of you were able to contribute constructively in some way.”

Twilight looked at Moondancer in surprise, who shrugged. “I did a little scribing and general gofering for Princess Celestia when she asked,” she said. “It wasn’t much, but it was something.”

“Trixie understands that it was a slogan for the war; everyone can play their part to help, no matter how small it may be.” Trixie shrugged. “I knew I wouldn’t make it through as a soldier, so I went to try and raise their morale, before being interrupted.”

“Well, it worked,” Moondancer said. “Which is a relief.”

“I agree,” Twilight said. “I… have to confess, when I sent the information back about why the hippogriffs had cut off contact with everyone, I didn’t expect it would end up in a full-scale war. It did though, and in the long run it worked out.” She took a bite of her cheesecake, and when she’d finished chewing, she continued. “I still don’t know how he managed to avoid being detected for so long with what he was doing; Princess Celestia said they’re still trying to figure it out too. Even Tempest isn’t sure how we didn’t notice sooner, and she used to work for him.” she said with her mind going to things she couldn’t talk to either of them about, not yet.

“But you found out in time to keep it from getting worse,” Moondancer told her. “And that’s the important thing.”

“Have they even figured out what species he was supposed to be?” Trixie asked. “From what I understand, he was similar to the yetis serving him, but different enough that he wasn’t one.”

“It’s possible that whatever magic he was using reshaped him to some extent, until he turned into something different,” Moondancer ventured. “I’ve heard dark magic can have that effect, if used long enough.”

Trixie shuddered. “In that case, Trixie is really glad Twilight got her to get rid of the Alicorn Amulet in time,” she said. “Trixie is happy being a pony and would not want to get turned into a monster.”

“Well, from what I have been hearing and thinking so far, it is more than likely corrupted magic instead of dark magic itself,” Twilight said, levitating a scroll and a quill to write it down. “I mean we define magic to what it is, right? While I highly doubt or even know what dark magic could be useful for, I am sure that there is a reason for that magic to exist.”

Moondancer nodded as she began to take her own notes. “When I was doing my studies, I actually read that there were two types of dark magic,” she said. “One is dark because it feeds on negative emotions and corrupts the wielder, like the Alicorn Amulet did, and the other is dark because it derives from the powers of shadows and the night. The second kind is what Princess Luna has, and it’s actually safe to use for normal ponies.”

“Though Trixie supposes that during the thousand years that Princess Luna was gone, that field of magic has all but vanished,” Trixie said as she also started to scribble down her thoughts. “Then again, I have heard some rumours that Princess Luna has the ability to actually enter dreams.”

Twilight dropped her quill as she put up a sound-scrambling field.

Trixie looked at her in surprise. “This is true, isn’t it,” she said slowly.

“And it is a state secret, so this absolutely cannot go beyond those few of us who know!” Twilight hissed. “Yes, she can enter dreams, but she only does it to help ponies who are having bad dreams, so she can help them work past whatever problem they’re having.”

“And deliver secret messages,” Moondancer said with Trixie nodding her head.

“I never said that!” Twilight said a bit too loudly.

“Well it makes perfect sense that if she, the Princess who is in charge of the military division of the government can go into dreams to interact with ponies, then of course she could use it to pass messages on,” Moondancer said with Trixie’s eyes going a bit wide.

“Which is why it is a state secret as if others knew Princess Luna could do that, then everyone would think she was using her abilities to spy on them,” Trixie said, going a bit faint. “And every nation would think every pony would be a spy for her.”

“Not that she does do that sort of thing, as far as I know,” Twilight said. “Again, and I cannot stress this enough, you cannot tell anyone about her dreamwalking abilities.”

The two nodded, and promptly swore, making the gestures they’d learned from Pinkie earlier.

“Good,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I am going to have to let her know you know, and also that you’ve sworn to keep it secret.”

“I understand,” Moondancer said.

“Trixie does as well,” Trixie said. She took another bite of her cheesecake. “Princess Luna’s abilities must be very useful with helping foals,” she said thoughtfully. “In my experience, they tend to have nightmares more often than adults.”

“That’s actually how we found out about them,” Twilight told her. “That’s what takes up most of her time at night, helping foals with their bad dreams.”

“Trixie is glad that she can do so then,” Trixie said. “Would that she were around when Trixie was little…”

“You had bad dreams?” Moondancer asked.

Trixie nodded. “Trixie once made the mistake of staying up late for an audio performance of some show that was designed to creep out the listeners,” she said. “Trixie had nightmares for almost a month afterward, the images presented were so vivid. One of many reasons Trixie became determined to make her stage persona into a bombastic and fearless one, so ponies would be awed and impressed rather than afraid of her talents. Also why Trixie does some of her funnier performances on Nightmare Night, to counter the fear that many might be experiencing.”

Twilight nodded slowly. “That actually makes a lot of sense,” she said.

“I am glad you understand that,” Trixie said with a huff. “My dad, despite being a magician himself, grounded Trixie for staying up late and not being happy for her for being inspired.”

“Really?” Twilight looked surprised. “Well, I can understand the ‘staying up late’ part, but you’d think he’d be happy that you were inspired.”

“Trixie might be embellishing a bit,” Trixie said with a blush. “Dad did not realize that I had been inspired by that incident until much later. Mom at least was more concerned about me when she found I was having nightmares.”

“Moms are like that,” Twilight said. “You met mine…”

“And Trixie saw how Princess Celestia treated you too,” Trixie said. “She cares just as much, I can tell.”

Twilight blushed.

“At any rate, it was one of those rare times he was home,” Trixie said. “He is something of a traveling performer, just like I’ve been. We haven’t actually crossed paths in years; for some reason, he tends not to be at his usual stomping grounds in Las Pegasus when I visit. Mom forwards me his letters the few times she gets any.”

Moondancer nodded. “At least you both still have parents you can hear from,” she said.

Twilight turned to her in surprise. “You…”

“They had my sister and I when they were kind of older,” Moondancer said. “Both passed away a few years before you moved here.”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight told her.

“It’s okay,” Moondancer said. “You never knew them… I still have my sister, anyway. She’s back home in Canterlot. Runs her own coffee shop.”

The trio chatted a bit longer after that, before finally cleaning up the last of their things and going up to bed.

It was a late evening for Princess Celestia, and unbeknownst to her former student, she was having a similar gathering with another pony.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about this place that your former student - Sunset, that is - is at,” Twilight Velvet said as she sipped her tea. “How it is that she is in a place without magic, when magic is such an intrinsic part of the world?”

Celestia looked a bit nervous. “She is… in an alternate dimension, linked to this one,” she said. “I believe you covered the topic in one of your novels, when you had the main characters visit a different world for a while, before returning home?”

“Oh!” Velvet nodded. “Yes, I remember. And this world, instead of being one where magic has its own set of rules, has no magic instead?”

“Well, it has very little,” Celestia said. “Not enough to be actively used, unless you’ve been touched by Equestrian magic. Or unless you’re Discord, but then the normal rules have never exactly applied to him.”

Both mares paused, turning to look around for the aforementioned draconequus before shrugging their shoulders.

“At any rate, Sunset ran away there through a special mirror, one crafted by Starswirl the Bearded,” Celestia said. “She came back here once and stole our daughter’s Element before taking it there for her own purposes, so Twilight and Spike followed her back there. From what I understand, they had some interesting adventures before helping Sunset to realize what she was doing was wrong, and then brought the Element back here. Since then, I’ve visited myself a few times, and I can promise that Sunset is doing well.”

“What kind of world is it?” Velvet asked.

“Generally peaceful,” Celestia said. “Except for the incident with Sunset, and later the sirens. The portal comes out right in front of a high school.”

Velvet laughed. “Oh, Twily must have had the time of her life being there,” she said.

“From what I understand, the first time she visited, she used the books in their library to make herself a makeshift bed,” Celestia told her.

“That’s our Twily,” Velvet said with another smile.

“At any rate, she made some good friends there, who were more than willing to help me when I went across,” Celestia said. “One of them even opened her home to me for the two nights I was there.”

“Don’t forget the other thing,” Luna said as she passed through.

Velvet raised an eyebrow. “What ‘other thing’?”

“Well…” Celestia coughed nervously. “She… apparently developed a crush on one of the locals.”

“And why.” Velvet looked at her, her eyes suddenly hard as steel. “Did you not say anything about this sooner?” The hardness dropped. “Our baby’s first crush, and I’m only finding out about it now?”

“I didn’t find out until she was away on her trip around the world!” Celestia protested. “I don’t even know his name, or what he looks like - just that she had passing feelings for him, but came back here because she decided her responsibilities were more important. I meant to ask Sunset when I was there, but I had other things on my mind.” She tilted her head. “I’m surprised Cadance or Shining Armor hadn’t said anything to you, they know as much as I do and found out at the same time.”

“They did, did they.” There was a dangerous glint to Velvet’s eyes again. “Well, I will have to ask Twilight about this soon…”

“Then again, there’s nothing stopping you two from going to the source,” Pharynx said, pausing by the door with a bag hidden behind his back. “If I remember when you had to go get the sirens, you left to talk to the Alpha for a direct passage.”

“Yes, but I don’t want to take too much advantage of our nations’ friendship, lest we irritate him all over again,” Celestia said, her mind drifting to the fact the Alpha was still dating her Other self.

“Hey, you could at least ask,” Pharynx said with a shrug. “The worst he could do is say no.” He then turned his head. “Sorry ladies, Lus is calling me and we’re being… well, I don’t need to say what but I might need to shed after this one.”

“Just keep it to the bedroom, or at least her private chambers, and I won’t complain,” Celestia told him. “Unlike a certain someone did last month.”

“Do I even want to know?” Velvet asked.

“Let’s just say, I will never look at a whisk the same way again,” Celestia said with a shudder.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

“She’s lying,” Pharynx sang off as he walked past the door with a chuckle, Celestia turning to the mare with a raised eyebrow.

“Heh heh…” Velvet laughed nervously. “I am a writer and I do pen some more adult themes.”

“Velvet…” Celestia shook her head. “Seriously, this is my sister, there are some things I would rather not think about.”

“I understand,” Velvet said with a knowing look.

“At any rate, is there anything else about that other world you’d like to know?” Celestia said.

“Well… from what’s been said, they’re clearly not ponies over there,” Velvet said. “How did you, or Twilight, or Spike, manage to blend in?”

“The path between these specific worlds changes the person going to match the dominant species in the world where they went, or close to it,” Celestia said, relieved to change the subject. “Sunset, Twilight and I, and the Alpha when he goes there, all became the same species, a race of bipeds. The three sirens also changed into this race, as did you-know-who. Spike, however, was changed into a dog instead. He could still talk, but I am not sure why he did not become the same species Twilight and the rest of us did.” She considered. “I may have to see about examining the mirror a little more closely, to see if it was deliberate.”

“If Starswirl did so on purpose and I could reach him, I would give him such a lecturing,” Velvet said. “Imagine, doing something like that to my grandson.”

“From my interactions with the locals, at least one of them was quite happy to see him as such,” Celestia said. “She actually seemed disappointed when I arrived instead of Twilight, but she later told me it was because she wanted to see Spike again too.”

“Hmm.” Velvet sipped her tea again. “Well… that, at least, is something.” She sighed. “I would be interested in visiting at some point,” she said. “Maybe it could give me more ideas for one of my works.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Celestia said. “I do know that Twilight wants to go back at some point and actually see her friends there in person again.” Then she thought. “Oh!” Setting her teacup down, she stood up. “I’ll be back.”

When she returned, she had the journal she and Sunset shared. “These journals,” she said, “are used for communicating over a distance; that actually includes between worlds, though that aspect is top secret. Sunset sent me a picture a few days back of she and her friends, so you can see what they look like. She also sent copies to Twilight, via their own set.”

Velvet accepted it and looked at it in surprise. “This is… an interesting view,” she said. “They look so much like her friends in Ponyville.”

Celestia nodded. “They are her friends’ Others,” she said. “In my experience, looking into other worlds, I have seen many alternate versions of myself and other ponies I know; Twilight met Others of myself and my sister as well, along with her friends. There is also one of what they looked like when channeling Equestrian magic, Twilight included, on the next page.”

Velvet turned, and on seeing Twilight in her human form with wings, she smiled. “She looks so beautiful,” she said. “And… is that Spike?”

Celestia nodded.

“Well, no wonder they liked him over there,” Velvet said. “He does look rather adorable in that form.”

“I quite agree,” Celestia told her.

“Does… Twilight have an Other over there?” Velvet asked.

“If she does, I have not seen her,” Celestia said. “Nor has Sunset, though she is keeping an eye out. Also for her own Other, if she has one - it doesn’t happen for everyone.”

“Hmm.” Velvet tapped her chin. “Has she sent a picture of this boy, the one Twily liked?”

“No, and I haven’t asked,” Celestia admitted. “I keep meaning to.”

“Perhaps you should now, while we’re thinking about it,” Velvet told her.

Celestia nodded, and summoned a quill. Writing a quick note, she watched it glow, indicating it had been sent.

A few minutes later, an answer came, promising to send them a picture as soon as possible, though it might take her a day or so to get one printed out for them.

“Well, that’s that,” Velvet said with a sigh. “I do hope to see what he looks like soon.” She gave Celestia a look. “I still have hopes for Moondancer though.”

“At the very least, they are reconnecting and learning more together,” Celestia said. “But I too hope things work out for them - they both deserve someone to spend their lives with.”

Velvet smiled. “They certainly do,” she said.