Two months went by as the summer solstice had come. At the ice fortress, Glacio and his high ranking officers, along with Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow were gathered in the main room.

“You wanted to see us, my lord?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Yes. Since you three were able to retrieve the Bewitching Bell, I have another task for you,” Glacio said.

“We’re listening,” Chrysalis replied.

“I want you three to figure out how we should use the bell,” Glacio said.

“That’s the trouble, ‘cause we hardly know anything about it apart from your copy of ‘Magical Relics of the Known World’ ,”Tirek replied.

“But that book lacks information about how to activate the bell and use it,” Chrysalis added.

“Twilight Sparkle may be the worst, but she does know stuff. She once said the Archives in Canterlot has a restricted area,” Cozy Glow said.

“Celestia and Luna love to hoard information for themselves. If there’s an answer, it’s there,” Tirek replied.

“You are both correct, Tirek and Cozy Glow. Blueblood informed me about it,” Glacio said.

“My triumphant return to Canterlot? I like the sound of that,” Chrysalis replied.

“You three must go to the Canterlot Archives and find some information on how to activate the bell,” Glacio ordered.

“Yes, my lord,” Cozy Glow replied.

It was then that Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow left for Canterlot.

“General Frostbite, how are things proceeding with the centaurs and gargoyles?” Glacio asked.

“It’s been difficult trying to help them rebuild their combined military forces, since they’ve been devastated by decades of civil war,” Frostbite replied, “But we managed to get them up to speed with seventy percent of their historic strength by this past spring.”

“Because of our help, they’ve agreed to join the cause,” Wind Rider added, “It was easier to persuade the minotaurs, the harpies, the gorgons, and even the felisi to join our alliance two summers earlier.”

“Good. Now we just need the diamond dogs, the sphinxes, the reindeer, the banshees, and the trolls in our alliance,” Glacio said.

“My lord, where do we find the diamond dogs, sphinxes, and reindeer?” Hot Shot asked.

“The diamond dogs are from a land called Caninia, the sphinxes are from what used to be Maretania, and the reindeer live in the kingdom of Winterforte, which is north of Yakyakistan,” Glacio replied, “You, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Lightning Dust, Rolling Thunder, Short Fuse, Hydia, Reeka, and Draggle must go to those places and persuade their leaders to join our cause.”

“Yes, my lord,” Hot Shot said. It was then that he and his partners left the ice fortress for their mission.

---

Several hours later

It was now sunset in Canterlot as Twilight and Storm were making preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. Spike and Eric were sitting on the bed, reading some comic books. Just then, Princesses Celestia and Luna entered the room.

“Sorry to interrupt. We know you’re busy planning the Summer Sun Celebration as we requested. But...” Celestia said.

“Oh! Things seem, uh, calmer than we would’ve expected,” Luna remarked.

“No complaints here,” Spike replied.

“It was difficult for me to sleep a full ten hours earlier today,” Eric added.

“With the exception of the odd trivia night, I’ve made a lot of progress since the Royal Swanifying Ceremony. You may not know this about me, but I occasionally freak out,” Twilight said, then the royal sisters looked at each other and raised an eyebrow, “That was a joke. Storm and I wanted to show you with the Summer Sun Celebration how much I’ve improved. So we focused on delegating and trusting others. It’s been great!”

“That’s... actually what we came to talk to you two about. This may be the last Summer Sun Celebration you’ll need to plan,” Luna replied.

“Did we do something wrong?” Twilight and Storm asked in unison.

“Of course not. It’s just that the Celebration has always been about us. My defeat of Luna...” Celestia began.

“...and, thanks to you and your friends, my reunion with my sister,” Luna continued.

“Now that we’re leaving, we don’t see a need for the holiday any longer,” Celestia finished.

“Now that you’re...” Twilight tried to speak up.

“My sister and I have decided. The time for us to retire is upon us,” Celestia said, cutting Twilight off, “You and your friends have proven you are ready to lead Equestria. So let this be the last Summer Sun Celebration as Equestria leaves behind the old to embrace the new!”

Twilight gulped nervously as she was given an amulet containing a small amount of the royal sisters’ power.

“It’ll be alright, Twily,” Storm said, placing a forehoof on his wife’s shoulder.

“On the plus side, this could be the last time some of us have a mostly nocturnal schedule,” Eric added.

“You might be right, Eric. I know it’s been hard for you to sleep for ten hours of daylight,” Twilight replied.

“Celestia, can you please send a summons to my friends in Ponyville?” Eric asked, “The celebration might attract the wrong attention and we’ll need to do a stakeout and check for anything suspicious.”

“Of course, Eric,” Celestia replied.

Half an hour or so later, Eric met up with his friends in the castle gardens.

“We came as soon as we could. What’s the situation?” Zuni asked.

“I had you all summoned here because we need to do a stakeout, check for anything suspicious, and report back to my parents. The Summer Sun Celebration is bound to attract unwanted attention,” Eric explained.

“The Canterlot Archives are full of information that cannot be found in any library,” Nightshade said, “I have a hunch that if Glacio were to send his minions here, it would be to recover some sort of information from the archives.”

“Since Glacio is seeking the Bewitching Bell, he’s probably gonna want some information about it,” Pincer added.

“On another note, I reckon your sisters will be surprised to see you three here, girls,” Slapstick said to the three fillies.

“They probably won’t mind us being here,” Sweetie Belle replied.

“Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and I slept for ten hours straight earlier today,” Apple Bloom said, with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodding in agreement.

“I did too. It was a little difficult, but I managed,” Marina replied.

“Same here,” Holly added.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Detectives are on the case!” Scootaloo said.

“As Shamrock Cones would say, the game is ahoof! Let’s do this thing!” Eric replied.

Over in an alley, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow kept hidden behind some barrels.

“Why are so many ponies up in the middle of the night?” Tirek asked.

“It’s that silly sun holiday,” Cozy Glow replied.

“How many holidays do you ponies have? No matter. Getting into the castle won’t be a problem,” Chrysalis said.

“Are you sure about that?” Tirek asked, pointing to the castle roof.

They noticed a lot of fast blowing fans, which none of them were familiar with. A small green bird flew too close and got blown away. Tirek caught the bird in his hands, then it got up and flew away.

“Oh. Those are new. But even so...” Chrysalis said, then transformed into a purple pegasus guard.

She and Cozy Glow had devious smiles on their faces. Chrysalis strutted over to the entrance and tried pushing the door open, but it didn’t work.

“Transfer. Have to head inside. Open up,” Chrysalis said in a disguised voice.

It was then that a pale grayish blue unicorn guard came up to the door and opened it with her medallion. Chrysalis tried entering the door, only for it to shut in her face. The two pegasus guards looked at her weirdly.

“Right. Of course,” Chrysalis said, laughing nervously.

She tried to use the medallion on her chest plate, but it didn’t work.

“Uh, do yours get glitchy too? More medallions, more problems, am I right?” Chrysalis asked as she walked away.

She came back to the alley where Tirek and Cozy Glow were playing chess. They turned to her as she returned behind the left barrel with a frown on her face.

“They’ve increased security into the castle. This is going to be more challenging than I thought,” Chrysalis informed them, resuming her normal voice. She then transformed back into her normal form.

Just then, Discord teleported himself, Spike, and the Mane 5 near their position. Upon seeing the seven of them, they took cover behind the barrels.

“Could you not go popping us all over the place, please?!” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Time is of the essence,” Discord replied, then appeared in a conjured up cheerleader outfit, “Let’s go, team!”

“We need to know what we’re doing before we go and do it,” Fluttershy said.

“Pinkie, you and I are givin’ Braeburn and the Appleloosan ponies some adjustments to the menu,” Applejack spoke up.

“Fluttershy and I are meeting the Pegasi from Cloudsdale to give them changes to the weather,” Rainbow added with Fluttershy nodding in agreement.

“Spike, we’re going to update the Flaming Sky Firework Unicorn Troupe with Twilight and Storm’s new vision,” Rarity continued as Spike turned to her with a smile on his face.

“And I’m supposed to...” Discord finished, then read his notecard, “…’make sure Discord doesn’t do anything ‘Discord-y’? Well, that’s annoyingly specific!”

It was then that Discord, Spike, and the Mane 5 split up into their respective groups of two. Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow popped up from behind the barrels.

“Increased security on a crowded holiday with Twilight and her friends bumbling around? This is impossible,” Tirek said.

“Oh, no. This is perfect. We need a distraction, and those ridiculous ponies just gave it to us. Now, do exactly as I tell you,” Chrysalis replied with a devious grin, then whispered in their ears. Tirek and Cozy Glow had devious smiles of their own upon hearing the plan.

Just as the three of them split up, Eric and his friends came out of hiding behind a tree.

“Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow are here,” Eric told his friends.

“How could Tirek and Cozy Glow have gotten out of Tartarus?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Something tells me that Glacio must’ve broken them out, and now I believe all three of them are working with him,” Eric replied.

“They’re headed for the Canterlot Archives and they’re planning to disrupt the celebration as a diversion to keep your parents and their friends busy,” Nightshade added.

“We need to keep an eye on them and alert my parents,” Eric said, then gave his friends their directions, “Nightshade, Apple Bloom, and Marina, you follow Cozy Glow. Slapstick, Scootaloo, and Zuni, you follow Tirek. Holly, Pincer, and Sweetie Belle, you’re with me. We’re following Chrysalis.”

At the castle courtyard, Applejack and Pinkie were checking on the pastries. It was then that Tirek popped out of a bush and sucked some magic out of an earth pony. Braeburn looked back and noticed the mare in question laying on the ground. Tirek hid behind the bush as Braeburn went to help her.

“You okay?” Braeburn asked.

“I feel weak all of a sudden...” the mare called Apple Honey replied.

Just then, Tirek sucked some magic from another earth pony.

“Is somepony back there?” Braeburn asked as he checked out the bush.

It wasn’t long before Tirek sucked some magic out of Braeburn, making him lay on the ground.

“What is it?” a mare named Apple Cobbler asked.

“Everypony...get away from the food...’til we figure out what’s goin’ on...!” Braeburn said.

All the earth ponies ran away screaming in a panic. Tirek came out of the bushes, laughing evilly and grabbing a pie. Scootaloo, Slapstick, and Zuni witnessed the whole thing as they gasped worriedly. They kept out of Tirek’s sight as they kept following him.

“Tirek just sucked some magic out of those three ponies and took that pie,” Scootaloo said.

“This is most likely his part of the diversion. Let’s go,” Zuni replied.

In the gardens, Fluttershy and Rainbow were checking on the weather ponies.

“The princess wants what?!” a pegasus stallion called Feather Flatterfly asked.

“Just what’s on that little card. No big deal,” Rainbow replied, giving him the red notecard.

“No big d-d—?! I-I-It’s a m-much more aggressive weather pattern than what was originally ordered!” Feather Flatterfly stuttered and wailed, “This... This is... very irregular! We’ll need to... No, first we must... Wait! We ca—”

“Take a breath,” Fluttershy said calmly.

Flatterfly inhaled deeply and held it for a few seconds.

“Let it out slowly,” Fluttershy said.

Flatterfly slowly exhaled and replied, “Tell the princess and prince we will do our best.”

“We’re sure you’re doing an excellent job,” Fluttershy said.

“Oh, yeah, totally. You’re not gonna panic and screw it up at all!” Rainbow added as she and Fluttershy left.

“I... I... I’m not built for high-pressure situations!” Flatterfly said.

“Golly. Sounds like you need some help,” Cozy Glow spoke up.

“Who are you?” Flatterfly asked.

“Somepony who’s organized enough to handle the small stuff so you can focus on the big picture!” Cozy Glow replied.

“The big... Yes! That sounds right!” Flatterfly said.

Cozy Glow looked at the red notecard and chuckled deviously. “This kind of weather has to be handled delicately. Good thing I’m here. I’ll take care of everything,” she replied with a devious smile on her face.

Apple Bloom, Nightshade, and Marina saw the whole thing from behind some bushes.

“That little psychopath is gonna mess up the weather,” Marina said.

“We have to keep an eye on her. Come on, girls,” Nightshade replied.

“Right behind ya, Shady,” Apple Bloom said.

Over at the stage, Rarity and Spike were checking on the fireworks.

“Whoa!” Spike exclaimed.

“The Flaming Sky Firework Troupe is a marvel,” Rarity said.

“We take pride in what we do,” a unicorn mare called Fire Flare replied.

“These last-minute changes aren’t too challenging, are they?” Spike asked, presenting the green note card.

“Ha! The more challenging, the better! We aim to astound!” Fire Flare replied, “Now, if you don’t mind, we do have a new routine to prepare. Horns at the ready!”

Once Rarity and Spike left, Chrysalis assumed her Crackle Cosette disguise and came onto the stage.

“Very impressive,” she said, walking by the stage.

“Thank you. Unfortunately, we have no room for anypony else at this time...” Fire Flare replied, clearing her throat, “I’m sorry?”

“Crackle Cosette. And I don’t want to join your silly little troupe,” Chrysalis said.

“Pardon me?” Fire Flare asked, sounding offended.

“Oh, I meant no offense. It just seems a pity for unicorns to waste their talents on something so... inconsequential,” Chrysalis replied as she walked onto the stage.

The other troupe members muttered to each other upon hearing what Chrysalis was saying.

“Unicorns wield magic. We are the most powerful ponies in the land. Don’t you ever feel you’re destined for more than...performances?” Chrysalis said with a smirk.

The troupe began to ponder on what she said as Eric, Sweetie Belle, Holly, and Pincer saw the whole thing.

“We need to follow Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow to the archives,” Eric said.

“Right behind you, Eric,” Sweetie Belle replied.

Inside the castle, the Mane 7, Spike, and Discord were gathered together discussing their apparent success with the last minute changes being made.

“It’s all coming together. I really think this is gonna be the best Summer Sun Celebration ever!” Twilight said.

“You and me both, Twily,” Storm replied.

“You’ve both done an outstanding job,” Rarity said.

“We’ve all done an outstanding job!” Twilight said as she and Storm pulled the others into a group hug.

“And what about me?” Discord asked, taking out some binoculars, “You’ll be happy to know that I have been watching myself all night, and I have yet to do one ‘Discord-y’ thing,” He looked through them with the ends appearing behind him.

“Now, that truly is amazing,” Luna spoke up as she and Celestia appeared.

“Twilight, we know you had, uh, *laughs* difficulties using the amulet to raise the sun and moon. We thought perhaps a practice session before the festivities might be in order,” Celestia said.

“That’s...a good idea. Thank you all so much,” Twilight replied.

It was then that she, Storm, and the royal sisters exited the hallway.

“I sure am proud o’ them,” Applejack said.

“Yeah! She finally realizes things will turn out fine, even when she isn’t micromanaging every little detail,” Spike replied as they walked down the hallway.

Just then, Braeburn came into the hallway looking weak. Everyone was shocked to see him like this.

“Braeburn? W-What’s wrong?” Applejack asked.

“Earth ponies sick... Food missin’... Can’t...bake...anythin’...” Braeburn replied wearily, then collapsed.

“Something is wrong with the weather! Storms, hurricanes, fog, you name it! It’s a disaster out there!” a royal guard shouted as he burst in.

“Rarity! Please inform their highnesses that we will not be performing! A simple fireworks show is beneath us! We’re better than that!” Fire Flare said angrily.

Everyone was shocked and horrified at what they just heard.

“What the...? Everything was fine a minute ago!” Applejack said.

“Apparently, a lot can change in a minute,” Fluttershy replied, looking out the window.

Earth ponies were moaning from having some of their magic drained while pegasi were trying to avoid the storm that was raging.

“It’s total chaos out there!” Rainbow said as everyone turned to Discord.

“Don’t look at me,” he replied.

“What are we gonna do?” Fluttershy asked.

“Do about what?” Twilight spoke up as she and Storm reappeared in the hallway.

Everyone except for Applejack smiled nervously, as she looked uneasy.

“What are you two doing here?” Spike asked, laughing nervously.

“We forgot these,” Twilight replied, referring to the notecards.

“You guys okay?” Storm asked.

“Twilight and Storm, w-we’re sorry, but—” Applejack tried to reply.

“But, uh, we don’t know what to do now that everything’s all ready!” Rainbow replied, laughing forcibly.

“I guess we were too organized. We’ll try to come up with a few last-minute errands for you before sunrise,” Twilight said as she and Storm walked away.

“Well, that’s a relief!” Rainbow remarked, feeling stilted.

“Explain to me why we didn’t tell them the truth,” Applejack said.

“Oh, Twilight is finally learning not to let her stress get the better of her. If she and Storm find out everything went wrong, it could be devastating!” Rarity replied.

“Oh, they would be so upset,” Fluttershy said.

“She’ll totally freak out!” Rainbow added.

“Well, what do y’all suggest?” Applejack asked.

“Ooh, ooh, ooh! Let’s just fix it all before she notices. No lying necessary,” Pinkie suggested.

“I guess,” Applejack replied.

“We’d need a miracle,” Spike said.

“We have a miracle! Don’t we?” Rainbow replied.

It was then that Discord appeared dressed as an angel, “I suppose I could fix everything. But isn’t the real miracle here the miracle of teamwork and character growth?” he said, strumming a harp.

“OH, COME ON!” Rainbow shouted as Discord disappeared and left feathers on the floor.

“Discord is right. Twilight needs us. Whatever happened, we can fix this,” Fluttershy said.

“What did happen?” Spike asked as they noticed some thunder and lightning out the window.

Various ponies were running in a panic, screaming as the storm kept up. Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow looked on from behind some boxes. They waited for the Mane 5 to focus on fixing the problems the three of them caused.

“Best... road trip... ever!” Cozy Glow said with a devious smile on her face.

As the Mane 5 went to fix the celebration, Eric and his friends followed Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow as they went toward the castle entrance. A lone unicorn guard was pacing as he turned to see Cozy Glow who had a little smile on her face. He then looked up in fear as Tirek drained some of his magic, making him fall to the ground. Chrysalis took his medallion, then used it to open the doors and the three of them entered the castle.

Eric was under the cover of his invisibility cloak and his friends were hidden under their own ones, which he had Discord make for them. The doors closed on them, but Eric pointed his wand and whispered, “Alohomora.”

The doors unlocked, then Eric and his friends entered the castle and followed Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow. They followed the evil trio around the castle until Cozy Glow opened a familiar door.

“Not here. The Archives are in a different part of the castle,” she said to the other two.

She left the door open, which woke up one of the guard geese. The lone goose exited the throne room trying to find out who opened the throne room door. Eric and his friends kept following the evil trio until Pincer happened to notice the goose behind them. He quickly transformed into a guard goose and honked, reassuring it that he and the others were friends not foes.

The goose tagged along with Eric and his friends as they kept walking down the hallway behind the evil trio. Under cover of their invisibility cloaks, they followed the three villains until they reached the archives. The goose landed and noticed Chrysalis in the form of another guard goose, it honked at her as if it were asking a question. Chrysalis honked back, telling it to go away. The goose squinted its eyes and flew away. Chrysalis assumed her normal form and rejoined Tirek and Cozy Glow as the filly used a paper clip to pick the lock. She managed to unlock the door to the archives and the three of them entered, unaware of Eric and his friends following them.

Outside the castle, Twilight and Storm were strolling with Celestia, Luna, and Emerald.

“You three just enjoy the festivities. We have a few surprises in store for…” Twilight said, then noticed Discord hovering by them, “Yes, Discord?”

“Oh, well, don’t mind me,” Discord said, then appeared in a red flower print shirt and sunglasses, “I’m just here for the chaos.”

“And here we go!” Discord laughed as a burst of thunder and lightning appeared.

Twilight, Storm, Emerald, and the royal sisters were surprised to see this happening as Rainbow flew past them.

“What is Rainbow Dash doing?” Twilight asked.

“Let’s find out,” Storm replied.

Twilight flew after her with Storm walking alongside her. They stopped as they noticed Pinkie pushing a large pot of soup towards the food stalls.

“Pinkie, is this soup?” Twilight asked.

“Yes! I... was really hungry?” Pinkie replied with a nervous smile, trying to hide it behind her.

Pinkie, Twilight, and Storm turned their heads as Rarity and Spike were trying to calm down an angry crowd of unicorns.

“Nopony understands wanting to take pride in your work more than I do!” Rarity said.

“You could do more with your magic than make frilly dresses!” one of the firework troupe unicorns replied.

“Oh, pffft. Nopony makes frills anymore. This season’s actually all about simplicity—” Rarity said.

“Not the point, Rarity!” Spike shouted.

Twilight and Storm were about to ask Rarity and Spike what was going on, but they were approached by Feather Flatterfly.

“Princess! Prince! I beg your forgiveness! It’s entirely my fault!” Flatterfly said, getting down on his knees.

“What is?” Twilight asked.

A burst of thunder and lightning appeared as it began raining.

“That!” Flatterfly shouted.

“Oh, um, just a slight hiccup in the weather,” Fluttershy replied, laughing nervously as she pushed Flatterfly away.

Rainbow pushed the storm clouds away in the background with Twilight turning her head, but just missed her. Just then, they quickly noticed Applejack pulling a cart full of food.

“Applejack, what is going on?” Twilight asked as she and Storm came up to her.

“I told y’all this was a bad idea! But nopony ever listens to me!” Applejack shouted at the others as she threw down her hat.

“That’s it!” Twilight and Storm said in unison as she flew up and levitated the others, then dropped them. The others yelped and groaned at this.

“I thought everything was fine! What is going on?!” Twilight asked as the others looked nervous.

“Everythin’ was goin’ fine,” Applejack replied.

“Until it totally wasn’t,” Pinkie added.

“We tried to fix it ourselves,” Fluttershy said.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Twilight asked.

“We didn’t want you to freak out,” Rainbow replied.

“And you thought not telling me everything was a total disaster would avoid a freak-out?!” Twilight asked.

“When you say it like that, it sounds like a really bad plan,” Spike remarked as Twilight inhaled deeply.

“Here it comes!” Discord said, looking through his binoculars.

“I know how I used to react, but I really have changed. Panicking won’t solve anything. But we can handle whatever problems come our way as long as we handle them together!” Twilight explained.

“Agreed,” Storm added, then turned to his wife, “Eric will be glad to know that you aren’t freaking out anymore.”

“Spoken like a true leader,” Celestia spoke up as she, Luna, and Emerald appeared, “How can we help?”

“I love a good to-do list. So tell me exactly what happened so we can figure out exactly what ‘to do’ to fix it,” Twilight replied.

Celestia and Emerald were helping Applejack and Fluttershy tend to the sick earth ponies. Rainbow and the other pegasi cleared most of the storm clouds with help from Luna and Discord. Twilight, Storm, and Rarity were able to convince the unicorn firework troupe to resume their performance while Spike carried Pinkie by her tail while flying as two earth ponies were pushing her party cannon.

Meanwhile, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow were searching for a book or some scrolls about the Bewitching Bell. Eric and his friends followed closely behind them, safely under their invisibility cloaks. Cozy Glow squeezed through an empty shelf and happened to notice what looked to be a book about the bell. The filly tried to take it off the shelf, but it didn’t work as it was bound by chains. She took a book with a key on the cover and used it to smash the chains, then grabbed it off the shelf. Cozy Glow presented the book to Chrysalis and Tirek as they had smiles on their faces. Eric and his friends gasped in horror as the evil trio got what they came for.

“We need to alert my parents right away,” Eric said.

“Right behind you, Eric,” Nightshade replied as they exited the archives.

Back outside, the last of the storm clouds were cleared and everything was set up so the celebration would start. It wasn’t long before Eric and his friends came out and took front row seats as they took their cloaks off. Everypony else began to take their seats and watch as the unicorn troupe set off the fireworks with help from Pinkie, Forest Thunder, Spiracle, Jasper, Smokey, Starlight, and Trixie. The fireworks made an image of what looked to be either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna facing the moon.

The royal sisters and Emerald smiled at this and each shed a tear of joy. The former two flew over to the stage as Emerald teleported onstage as Twilight and Storm activated the talisman. With that, the moon set and the sun rose in the sky as everyone cheered. Twilight and Storm came up to the microphone and began a speech.

“This Celebration has always been a reminder not to fear the night, for there is always a new day to look forward to. But as we look towards Equestria's future, we are sad to say today will be the last Summer Sun Celebration,” Twilight said, then everyone gasped in shock.

“Because there is something even more important to celebrate,” Storm continued, as the royal sisters and Emerald were surprised, “There are two ponies who have watched over us night and day for as long as we can remember. We will no longer commemorate their battle or their reunion. Instead, we will take this day to celebrate how much they mean to all of us.”

“From this day forward, today will be known as the Festival of the Two Sisters!” Twilight and Storm finished in unison as everyone cheered. Celestia, Luna, and Emerald’s eyes widened at this, their looks shifted as they felt touched.

“We don't know what to say,” Celestia said as she hugged her two former pupils.

“A brand new holiday? You're my kind of princess!” Pinkie remarked, giggling.

“I’m just glad we pulled it off,” Twilight said.

“Same here,” Storm added.

“About that... We just wanted to say we're real sorry,” Applejack replied.

“You did tell us you'd changed,” Rarity added.

“As your friends, we should've trusted you,” Fluttershy continued.

“Next time you say you're not gonna freak out, we'll believe you,” Rainbow finished as she flew up to the couple.

“Good. Because I'm sure there's gonna be plenty of things we’ll need our best friends' help with,” Twilight said as she and Storm got offstage.

“Agreed,” Storm added.

The six of them entered a group hug as Pinkie jumped offstage, “Whee-hee!” she exclaimed.

“Aah!” the others exclaimed as Pinkie tackled them.

They shared a laugh as Discord looked on while laying on a cloud, eating a crescent moon cookie, “You know, it really does seem like you just might be ready for whatever comes next, your Majesties,” he said.

Just then, Eric and his friends approached the Mane 7.

“Mom! Dad! Everyone! The archives were broken into!” Eric said, “Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow were here and they stole a book about the Bewitching Bell!”

“What?! Impossible! Tirek and Cozy Glow are in Tartarus!” Storm replied.

“Glacio must have broken them out and now, the two of them and Chrysalis are working with him!” Eric said, “We overheard them talking as they mentioned that Glacio has the bell and that he sent them here.”

“It’s true, all the trouble with the celebration was no accident. Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow caused it as a diversion to keep all of you busy while they broke into the archives,” Nightshade added.

“Eric, are you and your friends absolutely sure?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, mom,” Eric replied, “I bet Glacio must’ve acquired a copy of ‘Magical Relics of the Known World’, which is how he knows about the bell.”

“But we know that his copy of the book wasn’t enough information for him. That’s why he sent Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow here to get some more information with the book they stole,” Zuni added.

“Assuming everything you said is true, we need to be ready for Glacio’s next move,” Storm said.

“On another note, it’s good to see you here, Apple Bloom,” Applejack greeted her sister.

“Good to have you here, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said to her sister.

---

At the ice fortress, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow entered the throne room.

“Oh, stop pouting,” Chrysalis told Tirek.

“You knew you couldn't stay that buff. You had to return all the life force to those Earth ponies so Twilight and the others wouldn’t be alerted to us,” Cozy Glow added.

“I don't have to like it,” Tirek replied.

“My lord, we got the additional information about the bell you were looking for,” Cozy Glow said.

“Good. Once we master the Bewitching Bell, Equestria will be ours for the taking and we shall plunge it into everlasting winter,” Glacio replied as he laughed evilly. The evil trio along with Frostbite, Blueblood, Shadow Swift, Wind Rider, and Descent cackled with him.

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