The crowd gave another round of applause as Trixie finished her latest trick of the day. The magician relished in the praise she was being given before letting out a cough.

"Dear Flanksy, my throat appears to be a bit sore, hand me something to refresh it."

Flanksy came from the side stage holding a bottle of Fireball Whiskey. "Here, this should be enough."

Trixie gracefully accepted the offer and downed the drink in three long glups.

Suddenly, she hit her chest a few times before turning towards her assistant and belching, letting out a fireball that consumed the pegasus.

The crowd gasped in horror, but suddenly, the flames blew away, revealing an annoyed but intact Flanksy.

"Miss Trixie, please don't forget your manners," Flanksy exclaimed as she waved away the magician's breath.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie apologises, and concludes today's show!"

Both mares took a bow as the crowd cheered for them, and then they retreated to the backstage.

"That was awesome!" Sunset exclaimed.

"As is everything Trixie does. And you did quite well too. Who knew you had a natural performing talent?" the magician said, gently elbowing her.

"Some of your greatness must be rubbing off on me." Sunset joked.

They took off their performing attire and exited through the back of the wagon, finding a familiar older pegasus mare waiting for them.

“Another impressive show,” Flare praised as she approached the two.

“Trixie thanks you for your compliments.”

“And your help yesterday,” Flanksy added.

“And as promised.” Flare searched around inside the pockets of her blouse until she took out two silver tickets with the Wonderbolts insignia. “Two tickets for tomorrow's show, I hope it isn’t too expensive to stay one more day.”

“We have it covered,” Flanksy assured her. “It will also give us time to do a few more shows. I hope ponies don’t get tired of it.”

Flare laughed. “I doubt it. Have a good day.”

Flanksy and Trixie said goodbye and went back to the wagon, but seconds after they shut the door, somepony knocked on it.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is not giving autographs today!” the magician shouted to the door.

“Oh, but I’m not here for an autograph, I’m here to give you an offer!”

The mares looked at each other before curiously opening the door, expecting some sort of loan shark or salespony, but instead they found a tall, pale green and yellow pegasus stallion with a five o'clock beard.

“Can we help you?” Flanksy asked.

“More like, can I help you.” The stallion said, moving into the wagon Philomena quickly hiding from him. “I saw your amazing show today and wanted to offer you my assistance.”

Trixie looked at Flanksy before responding. “Trixie already has an assistant.”

“And a very good one, but the art of showmanship should always be open for new ideas!” the pegasus exclaimed dramatically.

Sunset’s mind, and it’s two inhabitants, were trying really hard to understand the stallion before them. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Zephyr Breeze.” He offered his hoof, and Flanksy slowly shook it.

“And you want to… help Trixie?” the magician asked, cocking her head a bit.

“Of course! Us artistic types should work together!”

Flanksy leaned over to whisper at Trixie. “Is showmanship an art?”

“Yes, but he doesn’t look like that kind of artist,” Trixie whispered back.

“So how about it? for a very small fee and a bed, I can make your shows the talk of all Cloudsdale!”

“Well, he’s eloquent at least,” Trixie concluded. “Sadly, as Trixie previously stated, we have no vacancies.”

Zephyr’s mood soured, but before he could respond, Flanksy asked a question. “What do you mean with ‘and a bed’? You don’t have a home?”

The pegasus shifted gears, seeing a chance. “I’m currently devoid of a place to stay, yes. My previous job didn't work out, so I hoped I could find something to help me get back on my hooves. But I can understand if you can’t offer such. There are more opportunities out there.”

Flanksy and Trixie looked at each other, feeling sympathy for the pegasus. “Trixie can offer you some temporary shelter and pay till you can find some other way to keep yourself under a roof.”

“You really would do that for me?” Zephyr asked with a hopeful smile, his hooves pressed on his chest.

Flanksy gave him a sympathetic smile.“Yeah, we know what it's like to not have a home.”

Zephyr’s smile faltered for a moment at her words, but managed to hide it. “I promise you won’t regret this.”

Luna took some deep breaths, preparing herself for the meeting she had been avoiding for a while.

“Don’t worry Luna, after this, things will start to get better,” Celestia offered as a consolation while placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Almost half of the ponies there are already on our side.”

With her wound burning, the younger sister felt a desire to push her sister away, but accepted the comfort she provided. “It’s not them I’m worried about, but the ponies under them. Gaining the trust of five ponies is easy, but an entire nation?”

“You were once praised by this very nation, they just need a reminder of that.”

“I was praised as a warrior. When peace was established, and warfare was no longer needed, my achievements became irrelevant.” Luna looked through a window at the city outside of the castle, and the lands beyond that. “And now, those same acts are despised. That old glory won’t be achieved again.”

Celestia softly moved her sister’s head so she could see her smile. “Then we will make a new glory that they can admire.”

Luna’s wound burned. “You already made one, and I enforced it.”

Celestia’s smile didn’t waver. “But it was all lies. And the first step to clear them out, is through that door.” Celestia pointed at the entrance to the room where the council was gathered.

Taking a deep breath, Luna calmed the burning in her chest, and moved forward. “Let’s start then.”

The doors opened with a blue aura, and the five ponies gathered around a round oaken table.

Prince Blueblood, Minister of Foreing Policy. Princess Cadence, Minister of Welfare. Fancy Pants, Minister of Economy. Chancellor Neighsay, Minister of Public Services. And Shining Armour, Minister of Law and Order.

“I thank you all for your time,” Luna greeted to start on good terms. “I know this meeting should’ve been made long ago, but recent events have been troubling for all.”

“That’s exactly why the council exists,” Fancy Pants said as he opened his ledger. “I can understand your disconnection with this new form of administration, but please keep us in mind for the future.”

“I will, starting right now,” Luna announced as she sat down on the larger, ornate chair in the room. “Which matters should we attend first?”

“Your monopoly of the media,” Cadence answered.

“Your public image,” Neighsay added.

“The civil unrest,” Shining offered.

“The military budget,” Fancy Pants suggested.

“And Sunset’s marehunt,” Blueblood concluded.

Luna took another deep breath, feeling her sister’s hoof around hers as she sat at her side. “Very well, I will first disband this ‘monopoly’ I created. Shining, please see that the ones my guard arrested are released and properly compensated for my mistake.”

Shining nodded. “I will.”

Fancy Pants quickly interjected. “When you say ‘compensation’, you mean monetary?”

“Yes, I won’t pretend an injustice wasn’t made to them, even if they did spread false rumors.”

“That’s actually called slander, and it is a crime that merits either lawsuit or time in prison,” Cadence interjected. “You can pardon them as an act of goodwill, but it may send the wrong message.”

“You could maintain the heads of the newspapers in custody while releasing the workers,” Shining offered. “That would send a better message.”

“You can also set new temporary heads that would release good publicity for you,” Blueblood added.

“That is a better solution. Let it be so.” Luna let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and turned towards Fancy Pants. “I can already see why this new form of government has prevailed.”

The Minister of Economy smiled for a moment before going back to business. “Going back to the compensation issue. Your sudden redirection of the kingdom's treasury towards the military has shaken a lot of our investors. This could pose a problem in the near future.”

“The Royal Guard has been denied this founding for a long time, and we need to bring them back to full force to face future challenges.” Luna spoke firmly, making it known that this wasn’t something she would discuss further.

Fancy Pants nodded. “Then I would advise caution with future investments, unless you want our investors to start supporting your replacement.”

“I’m aware many are already making plans to retire me.” Luna resisted the need to scratch her hidden wound. “That’s something that I’ll hopefully change soon.”

“You should address the elephant in the room then,” Neighsay said, his eyes never leaving Celestia since she entered the room. “Which of you will continue the rule of Equestria? One’s unfit to perform her duties and the other is currently hated by most of the public. There was also the little theatre Shimmer made that revealed her possible succession, only to later become possibly one of the biggest threats to the kingdom.”

Luna opened her mouth to answer, but Celestia was quicker. “I’ll soon announce my retirement,” She declared, looking at everyone on the table. “My sister will rule in my place.” Luna’s jaw dropped. “And when the Crystal Empire returns and dear Cadence becomes its ruler, I’ll take her place as Minister of Welfare.”

Chancellor Neighsay looked surprised at her answer, and kept silent while the others talked.

“I think you would be perfect for this position,” Cadence said with a smile.

“And keeping yourself inside the political hierarchy would bring some calm during the process,” Fancy Pants reasoned.

“I approve of this idea,” Blueblood announced, and the rest of the council agreed.

They all turned to Luna, waiting for her answer to Celestia’s decision.

The princess of the night cleared her throat. “While I would like to have a talk with my sister about this offer, if you and the ponies that follow Celestia would accept me as ruler, I will perform my duties as best I can.”

“Sadly, right now, those words don’t mean much to the public,” Blueblood admitted, leaning back on his chair.

“There’re a lot of ponies extremely loyal to Celestia, they won’t be easy to win over, even if your sister approves,” Shining explained.

“Maybe some public speeches could help. Promises of policies that better the quality of life are an easy way of swaying the public to your side,” Cadence proposed.

Blueblood chuckled. “The CAA will make sure you don’t get a crossbow bolt in the throat during your speech.”

“Sounds like a plan then,” Luna agreed, getting more comfortable in her seat. “Shall we discuss these new policies then?”

“Okay,” Trixie said as she guided Zephyr to the center of her stage. “First things first, do you have any experience in the art of showmareship?”

The tall pegasus shook his head. “But you’ll find me to be a natural learner.”

“Well, we can start with something simple then. Trixie wants you to gather some of the clouds and expand the stage a bit, nothing fancy or elaborate, and maybe add some steps for the public.”

“I can get it done,” Zephyr assured her. “Just give me a few hours.”

“You have them,” Trixie said with a smile, and went back to the wagon where Sunset was waiting for her with some coffee.

“Since we have the extra help, want to go do some more touring around town?” Sunset proposed.

“I would like that, maybe we could visit the Weather Factory. See if they can share some secret about rainbows?”

“Oh, yes! I would love that!” Sunset exclaimed before drinking her coffee. “You think Zephyr will be okay on his own?”

“He seems to be comfortable, and I gave him a very simple task,” Trixie assured her with a wave of her hoof. “Although, Trixie can predict that we would be cramped in her wagon if we’re three-” A caw interrupted her. “Sorry, four, sleeping together.”

“We should find some hotel nearby he could stay at for the night,” Sunset proposed.

“It would be best, all things considered. I wonder how he ended up without a home. It’s a rare thing to happen in Equestria in today’s time.” Trixie finished her coffee and took off her performance attire.

Sunset finished her own drink. “Maybe we could ask him after the show if he wants, perhaps we could offer him a more permanent solution.”

“Perhaps.” Trixie turned toward the phoenix perched near the wall of her wagon. “Can you hold the fort while we’re out?”

Philomena nodded her head and the two mares got out and saw Zephyr looking at the stage from afar while scribbling on a piece of paper.

“Seems like he’s already making plans,” Trixie observed.

“I think he can handle it,” Flanksy said before shouting to their new companion. “We’re leaving for a while! Three hours tops! Once you’re finished just wait for us and keep everything in place!”

Zephyr waved his hoof in response and the two mares left for the Rainbow Factory.

“So, any last matters we should see before concluding this meeting?” Luna asked the rest of the council.

“We’ve yet to discuss the situation with Sunset,” Blueblood answered. “You announced her hunt but right after it you seemed to push it under the rug. I’m not against that decision, subtlety is best for these kinds of matters in my opinion, but it does have a negative impact on the public.”

Luna let out a long heavy sigh. “The announcement of Sunset as an enemy was done in a moment of desperation on my part. Thanks to my sister, and her student and friends, I managed to pull back from that. Sunset is a risk to the kingdom, but it’s not clear if she’s an enemy.” Luna looked at her sister and the rest of the council. “Any advice on how to handle this matter with the public?”

Chancellor Neighsay spoke first. “I think we first should determine just how much of a threat she actually is.”

“I’ve to agree,” Fancy Pants added. “The public would be calmer if they knew what we were up against. Tales of what happened in Ponyville have reached far and wide, and everypony has their own interpretation.”

Luna took a long moment to think, feeling her sister’s gaze on her, making her wound burn. “Sunset is a mage capable of great destruction. Right now, she’s under the influence of dark magic that will manipulate her into destroying my sister, if not more.”

Fancy Pant’s profesionalism faltered a little. “That’s... not really reassuring.”

“We’re working on taking out this evil from Sunset’s body, hoping to save her. That’s why the mission changed from hunting to just finding,” Luna explained further.

Blueblood placed his hooves together to think before talking. “We should undersell Sunset’s threat to avoid causing a panic and seeding distrust and paranoia. As for why the sudden change of heart, we could claim that there was new evidence found that could absolve Sunset of her crimes.”

Luna’s face twisted with discomfort at the proposal. “The use of lies, even if well intended, have led us to where we’re now. I would prefer it if we didn’t add to it.”

“Sadly, it’s a compromise we’ll need to make,” Blueblood declared.

“What kind of evidence should we sell if we decide to take this path?” Fancy Pants asked.

“How about the changelings?” Cadence proposed. “They’re known for their espionage and subterfuge.”

Celestia shook her head. “The changelings aren’t a very known species, and it should remain that way. They could create as much paranoia in the population as Sunset’s threat.”

“Could we maybe pin it on Discord?” Fancy proposed. “Her crimes started close to his escape. With the exception of...” He gestured with his head towards Celestia’s burn scars.

“Maybe the Element Bearers could have made this discovery,” Neighsay said, his eyes leaving Celestia for the first time. “I’m aware Twilight is currently in the castle searching for this 'taking the evil out of Sunset' way of resolving the problem, it could be the evidence of this claim.”

“I’ve heard enough for today,” Luna declared as she stood up. “I’ll take every suggestion into account and work on a speech for the public. I shall present it to you in our next meeting.”

The rest of the council agreed and the meeting was officially over. Everypony left the chamber, leaving the two royal sisters alone.

“You handled that pretty well I think,” Celestia praised with a small smile.

“Politicking is more of your forte, but I’ve learned a few things.” Luna walked towards the exit of the room. “Thank you for staying at my side.”

Celestia followed her sister. “I guess you want to talk about me leaving the rule of Equestria to you.”

Luna’s wound burned intensely. “I do, but later. I need some time to… clear my head.”

Celestia stopped walking. “Of course. Call me if you need me,” she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

“I will,” were Luna’s final words before she exited the room, leaving Tia alone.

“Is Lulu angry at you?” the illusion of Sunshine asked with concern.

“She is,” Celestia responded. “The question is… how much?”

Flanksy looked at the large factory in front of her, half-covered in clouds, leaking rainbows and with a small thunderstorm up above it, but what called her attention more was the large trumpet-shaped output that protruded from one side of it, pointing towards the horizon.

“Wow. All of Equestria’s weather comes from here, right?”

“That’s correct. That’s one of the reasons the city needs to move constantly, but they stay in this location most of the time,” Trixie explained.

Flanksy smiled. “I’m glad we managed to get here.”

Trixie placed a hoof around her friend’s shoulder. “And this is just the start, there’re plenty of wonders all over Equestria.”

“I want to visit all of them,” Flanksy declared, and then heard Dawn’s voice in her head.

“We’ll eventually find our home.”

“Are you… hoping for that?”

“Honestly… I’m not sure.”

“Let’s go inside, I’m sure the sight is better from there,” Trixie said, snapping Flanksy back to earth, and she quickly followed the magician.

After explaining at the entrance that they wanted to know if they could get a tour, the duo were surprised when Flare appeared to welcome them.

“Pleasure to see you again.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, you work here, right?” Flanksy asked as she shook hooves with the older mare.

“Most of the time, yes, I do need to move around from time to time, but that’s another story. You wanted to have a tour of the facility?.”

“Yeah, I hope we’re not being rude, you already gifted us something today,” Flanksy answered a bit sheepishly.

Flare chuckled. “Oh, don’t you worry, the factory is open to visits. I would tour you myself but I’ve some stuff that needs done before the end of the day. Let me get somepony who’s available.”

“We’re on break!” Somepony shouted, and the three mares turned to their right to find the three bullies from the day before.

“Are you making amends for yesterday?” Flare asked with a half-smile.

“Uh… sure,” the tallest answered.

“We aren’t planning anything bad,” the leader added, hoping to sound convincing.

Flare looked at Flanksy and Trixie. “What do you say?”

The magician shrugged. “Why not?”

Flanksy turned towards the bullies. “Lead the way!”

“Very well, I’ll trust that they behave, call me if anything happens.” With that, Flare flew back to her office while the three bullies walked up to Trixie and Flanksy.

“My name’s Dumb-Bell,” the leader of the bullies presented himself, offering a hoof.

“Mine’s Hoops,” the tallest of the group added before pointing at the third member. “And he’s Score.”

Flanksy shook their hooves. “You already know our names so...”

“Trixie expects the best tour you can offer,” the magician declared.

Dumb-Bell did his best to not roll his eyes. “Just follow us inside.”

“You’ll need some hats and jackets,” Hoops added as Score brought them the items.

Once they were properly equipped, the three pegasus started their guide through the facility, starting with a large room where workers were looking at snowflakes through some magnifying glasses.

“Here’s where we make the snowflakes. Each one if hoofmade, so it takes all year to prepare them for winter,” Dumb-Bell expalined as they walked between the workstations.

“You've to be very dedicated or have screwed up something to work in this department,” Hoops added.

Score let out a loud chuckle. “Yeah, Hoops has an assigned workstation by now.” The tall pegasus glared at his friend, but the action lost a bit of impact since his hair covered his eyes.

“Is there a particular reason why we need winter?” Flanksy asked as she glared at the snowflakes.

Dumb-Bell frowned as he thoguht. “Uh, I think it would cause a drought.”

Flanksy paused for a bit. “Oh… yeah, that would be bad.”

“You don’t like winter?” Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Hate it,” Flanksy growled.

“Me too, it's a super annoying time to work.” Hopps complained. “But at least they give us a bonus if we do it right.”

“Trixie doesn’t really mind it that much. Her wagon keeps her very warm.”

Flanksy smiled. “I’m happy to hear that.”

The tour continued with the five ponies arriving at the section of the factory dedicated to the production of clouds.

Flanksy watched as big purple machines continuously dispensed clouds from a large horizontal exhaust pipe. One pegasus approached an inactive machine and poured a bucket of water inside, causing it to fire a steam like a geyser before creating clouds like the rest.

“You must use a lot of water for this.”

“We have reservoirs all over Equestria.” Dumb-Bell explained. “We use tornados to send the water to the factory.”

“That one’s really fun!” Hoops commented. “Hey, you should participate some time, you’re pretty fast.”

“I.. think I will pass,” Flanksy declined as best she could. Even if she didn’t have to keep her disguise, she wasn’t confident she could pull off a tornado.

“Oh... right, you probably don’t have the stamina for it,” Hoops concluded.

“Does she? She lifted that box like it was nothing,” Score commented.

“How did you pull that off?” Dumb-Bell asked. “You’re half my size.”

“Uh…” Flanksy racked her brain trying to come up with some convincing explanation, but her friend came to the rescue.

“She may look small, but Trixie’s assistant is in rigorous training to keep herself in perfect shape.”

“What for?” Dumb-Bell asked with clear interest.

“Pulling the wagon on the road and setting the stage isn’t an easy task, Trixie’s glad that she has a partner to share such burdens.”

Flanksy couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s praise, and be thankful as she got the attention away from her.

The tour continued without issue, the two mares exchanging some small chat with the three bullies as they explored the facility, finding their company much more pleasant now that they weren’t antagonizing each other.

Eventually, they reached the last section of the factory.

“And here's where we make the rainbows!” Dumb Bell decleared.

Flanksy saw the liquid multitude of colors flow down from various pools as the pegasus stirred them and made sure the composition was right.

“I hope you don’t challenge me again,” Flanksy joked while looking at Score.

“N-no! It’s a very stupid idea,” the grey pegasus answered immidiately.

“Then why did you propose it?” Trixie asked.

“I panicked, okay?” Score admitted with a bit of shame.

“Yeah, the little guy can’t work under pressure,” Hoops said mockingly.

“Screw you dude,” Score said with a little smile.

Flanksy and Trixie laughed along with the rest of the pegasus, attracting the attention of some of the workers, who just rolled their eyes with an amused smile. Apparently it wasn’t rare for this to happen.

“Hey, Trixie and I were wondering,” Flanksy said as she looked at the vats of rainbows. “How does the making of rainbows work? Especially how you can give them so many uses.”

Dumb-Bell looked at his friends for a moment. “Uh, it’s a bit complicated to explain, it would take a while.”

“We shouldn’t stay too long with Zephyr alone with the stage,” Trixie said with a bit of worry for the time they had already spent.

“Could we meet you when you clock out from work?” Flanksy proposed.

“Sure, but… did you say Zephyr Breeze is in charge of your stuff?” Hoops asked.

“Uh, kind of?” Trixie answered with a bit of concern creeping in.

“You should probably go check he hasn’t ruined it in some way,” Score advised.

“What?” both mares said in unison.

“He didn’t last a day working here,” Dumb-Bell explained.

Trixie and Flanksy looked at each other before teleporting out of the building.

Luna walked through the corridors of the castle, feeling her wound ache in her chest, distracting her of the world around her, her tunnel vision accompanied by a small whisper on the back of her mind. It was a familiar voice that once plunged into her own darkness.

The princess shook her head with a grunt, clearing her mind and vision. She found herself on one of the castle’s upper floors, standing alone in the middle of a hallway.
Wanting fresh air, Luna opened one of the nearby windows and jumped off it, extending her wings to glide down to the ground, until she landed in the middle of the Royal Gardens.

The princess took a deep breath, feeling the fragrance of the flowers and nature around her. She could hear the sounds of the nearby animals that Celestia preserved here, skittering away from her, as they always did.
When she opened her eyes, she was surprised by the state of the gardens. Discord’s magic had taken a toll on both the flora and fauna, and even if Sunset’s actions had reversed his changes, the chaos itself had morphed many of the plants and trees, the soil lost a lot of it’s fertility, the fountains and benches had been destroyed, and the animals were even more unnerved than before.

However, some repairs had been done. The brambles and overgrowth had been trimmed or pulled out, the soil had been replaced in some sections, and some fountains and benches had been restored.

Luna found it curious, with the aftermath of Discord and Sunset’s battle, no attention had been given to the restoration of the gardens, so she wondered who had been doing such work.

A clue was given to her when she heard whistling from nearby.

Following the sound, Luna walked through the overgrowth, using her magic to decay the unwanted fauna, until she finally set eyes on the source of the garden's restoration.

An old light brown stallion with gray mane with a long goatee, wearing a tall green hat and an old blue vest on his back, that was currently cutting some of the nasty brambles that were strangling a bush of roses.

“Good evening princess,” the old stallion greeted when he noticed the lunar princess standing behind him.

Luna answered with the same politeness. “Good evening Mr...”

“Greenhooves,” the stallion completed with a smile. “Hope my whistling didn’t disturb your visit to the gardens.”

Luna shook her head slightly. “It hasn’t, I merely wondered who had been in charge of restoring this place.”

The old stallion leaned on his large scissors. “Well, that’s my job princess. Have been for years. And I can’t say I’m proud of it if I leave it in this state.”

“And you’re doing it alone?”

“Yep, but I wouldn’t mind some help, if you don’t mind some extra work and a bit of dirt in your hooves.”

Luna looked at Greenhooves more attentively. He was completely relaxed even in front of royalty, especially considering what it’s been said about her. His smile was sincere, and she could tell he had a very carefree nature.

Compared to all her interactions with her subjects in the last days, Luna felt welcomed by his offer.

“What can I do to help?”

Trixie and Flanksy appeared in front of the wagon in a flash of magic, not knowing what to expect from Score’s warning. What they found was a small amphitheatre made of clouds in front of the wagon, along with a cloudy extension to the stage.

Trixie looked around confused. “This… doesn’t look bad.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Zephyr said as he approached the two mares. “Told you I could get it done.”

“Well, I must say I’m impressed,” Flanksy admitted looking at the structure. “Have you tried searching for a job in the construction industry?”

Zephyr avoided her gaze. “Well...”

“Hey, can we get our autographs now?” a stallion asked behind Zephyr, and both mares noticed a small group of workers waiting in line.

“Autographs?” Trixie questioned.

“Yeah, he said you would give us your autograph if we built all this for him.”

“They… they helped a little,” Zephyr said with a nervous smile, feeling the glares of two mares on him.

After exchanging looks with Flanksy, Trixie addressed the workers with a smile. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is always happy to reward her hard working fans!”

While the magician pleased the small crowd, Flanksy pulled Zephyr aside, glaring at him. “Let me guess. This is why your previous job ‘didn’t work’.”

“Oh come on Flanky, the stage looks great.”

“If he calls us Flanky again, please burn him,” Dawn requested.

“Not thanks to you!” Flanksy shouted. “You just outsourced everything. And at the expense of Trixie!”

Zephyr raised his hooves in defense. “She said she likes giving autographs.”

“What you did was not only extremely lazy, but also totally irresponsible! You won’t be able to keep a job if you do things like this!”

“Well, clearly I won’t be keeping this one since my efforts aren’t appreciated.” Zephyr raised his chin and turned around, walking away, but he was suddenly stopped by something pulling at his leg.

Flanksy sighed. “Listen… we appreciate you wanting to help, but this is not the way to go about it.” Zephyr turned around, looking at the mare with uncertainty. “I’ll tell Trixie to give you another chance, but we’ll overlook your work and teach you how to do it on your own.”

“You’re… seriously giving me another chance?” Zephyr asked, so used to being discarded at first chance that he couldn’t help to be suspicious.

“We all make mistakes, or do something stupid that gets us in trouble,” Flanksy answered with a smile. “As long as you learn from those mistakes, you deserve another chance.”

Zephyr couldn’t help but smile at her words, even if a feeling of guilt remained in the back of his head. “Thank you. I’ll try and do my best tomorrow.”

“That’s all we ask for.”

“So it isn’t made of cheese?” Greenhooves asked.

“Trust me, if it were, half of it would be missing by the time I escaped.”

The stallion and alicorn laughed, clinking their glasses full of the weird moonshine Greenhooves made at home as they rested from a half-day of work.

“To be honest,” the stallion said after downing his drink. “Am glad you returned. The night sky has been more beautiful since then. No offence to your sister, but she barely let the stars shine like they should.”

Luna did her best to contain the joy those words brought her so she didn’t lose her composure. “We’re glad our efforts make you feel that way.”

The stallion chuckled. “I’ve learned to enjoy the little things in life. And help preserve the beauty in some of them.” He pointed at the restored part of the garden they had worked on. Alicorn magic had been extremely useful to repair the damages.

Before Luna could follow the conversation, they both heard steps approaching, and the multicolored mane of Celestia entered their vision.

“Have you come to tuck us into bed?” Luna joked, downing her drink to numb the burning in her wound.

“I think you’re a bit old for that.” Celestia approached the two, looking at the garden around them. “I see you’ve been working hard. I really appreciate your effort to return the gardens to their former glory.”

“You should join us sister,” Luna proposed, probably a bit tipsy due to whatever Greenhooves had used to make his moonshine.

Celestia let out a short laugh. “I think I’ll pass, but it does look like a good hobby for you.”

“I was sure you would lecture me about not spending time dealing with the matters of the kingdom,” Luna admitted with a raised eyebrow.

“Downtime is essential to maintain your sanity,” Celestia said, and when she noted the frown on her sister, she realized that she should’ve phrased it better. “I’m here simply out of curiosity.”

“And...” Luna said, knowing her sister well.

“And...” Celestia sighed. “To ask you if you would like to have our chat tomorrow morning while we enjoy some breakfast?”

Luna refilled her glass. “That would depend on how much coffee you can provide me.”

“I can promise at least two pots,” Celestia offered with a smile.

Luna chuckled. “It’s a start.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Clestia turned to leave, but her sister asked a question that made her freeze for a moment.

“Have you talked to Sparkle yet?”

Trixie has learned Rainbow Control!

Sunset has learned Rainbow Control!