The train pulled into the Crystal Empire station in billowing clouds of steam. Ponies from all over Equestria poured out of the cars, eager to set hoof on new territory, greeting friends and loved ones, bustling back and forth on their way to meet family or conduct business. Out of this teeming mass of greetings and farewells came a middle-aged unicorn couple. The female a pale lavender, with a purple and white mane and a three star cutie mark; the male a darker blue on blue, with two crescent moons. The male was dragging a sizable stack of suitcases behind him, struggling to levitate it in his magic. "You know, I still think we should have let them know we were coming," he said. "It could cause problems showing up unexpected..."

"You are talking about our children, remember?" the mare replied. "Our son and daughter? If we did tell them in advance,she would spend the entire time spiraling into a tizzy...."

"And he would probably forget to mention it until the last minute anyway," the stallion conceded, rolling his eyes.

His wife tsked at him. "Now that's hardly fair, Night Light. He falls out of touch just one time-- and while on tour of duty no less-- and nobody lets him forget it..."

"He came back engaged, Velvet," Night Light pointed out. "To a Princess! That might have justified a post card or two, at least."

"As if you didn't know they were dating back when she was babysitting our youngest," Twilight Velvet teased. "Teach you to spend all your time squinting through a telescope. My, isn't this place sparkly...."

Twilight and Shining's parents had arrived in the Crystal Empire.

It hadn't taken long for the news, or the pictures of Nyx, to spread out to Canterlot and the rest of Equestria. True to Twilight's predictions, the little they had already discovered-- Level Head's truncated journals-- were giving the historians fits. Many were insisting that the journals had to be fakes; some had claimed it was everything from a scam by the Crystal Empire to a long-forgotten prank by Princess Celestia. (1)

As to the common pony in the street... well, it was hard to gauge the reaction. But Twilight Velvet and Night Light had raised both Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle, and when their children were involved they could smell trouble the way other ponies could smell gasoline. The moment they'd clapped eyes on the first news article, they'd dropped everything, pulled their luggage out of storage and boarded the next train to the Crystal Empire. Some ponies were messing with their children, and the Maker have mercy on them when Mama and Papa Sparkle showed up.

"Heavens, I wasn't expecting it to be this brisk," Velvet said, shivering as the wind blew some errant snow up onto the platform. A shawl levitated over her shoulders. "Oh, thank you dear," she said. "Now there must be some way to get to the palace from here besides walking..." She peered up and down the walkway, looking for a clue.

"Needing a lift to the palace, did I hear right?" A voice called out. The two Canterlot ponies turned and saw a stocky crystal pony hauling a sleigh at the end of the concourse. "Two bits. Two extra for the luggage, though," he added, eyeing the pyramid of suitcases.

"Of course, perfect!" Velvet said.  Velvet paid the stallion while her husband loaded their luggage. They boarded and the sleigh was soon moving along at a brisk trot. "Bundle up with those blankets at your hooves," the sleighpony said. "It's a few minutes' ride, no sense getting frostbit." The two happily complied. "Quite the thing," the pony went on as he trotted through the snow. "You two are the second fare I've had to the palace this month..."

A short while later, Nyx heard a commotion out by the front door of the royal chambers. It sounded like the butler(2) was having a 'bit of a word' with someone. She came trotting to the foyer to find the butler and two flustered looking guards in the middle of a discussion(3) with two older ponies.

Now to be fair, Nyx might have recognized them under other circumstances. Twilight had shown her photographs of Twilight's mother and father-- Nyx's grandparents-- and told her a little about them. The past few days, however, had been packed with strange ponies with cameras running up and shouting they wanted to ask 'just a few questions' and snapping flashbulbs in everypony's face. At the moment, these two ponies were decked out in sunglasses, odd floral print garb, and touristy hats; the mare was arguing machine-gun style with the guards and the butler(4) and waving about a notepad(5); the stallion had a cigarette holder in his teeth and, most alarming of all,  was carrying an enormous camera around his neck.(6)

At the sight of the camera Nyx came to a screeching halt. The pony couple looked up and saw her. The tableau froze for the briefest of moments; then the mare lit up with a delighted grin. "Oh, there she is! Quick,  Night Light, take a picture,!" The stallion obediently sat and hefted his camera up.

"MOOOOM!" Nyx didn't waste a second; she spun about and bolted as if Tirek, Discord and Chrysalis were at her heels.

For Twilight Velvet's part, their little encounter was something of an epiphany. From the events of Nightmare Moon's advent on, she had been... torn. The re-ascendance of Equestria's most perilous enemy, this time in a body all her own, had been a terrifying shock to every pony, she and Night Light being no exception. Then had come the confusing abdication, and all the events around it... and then the shock of learning, by parcel post, no less, that her daughter had adopted the... re-foaled? was that a word?... Nightmare Moon...

At first Velvet and Night Light had protested vehemently. They naturally, sensibly, had feared for Twilight Sparkle's safety, maybe even her free will and sanity, and had naturally, sensibly begged Twilight to reconsider, to get help, to let the Princesses handle the wayward Nightmare foal. Twilight's rather emphatic-- and lengthy-- reply had shocked them both. In a pages-long letter... poor little Spike, he must have been tuckered out by sending so many scrolls!... she had described all the events that had led to Nyx's existence and condition, and had calmly, but firmly, made it clear that Nyx was her daughter now and that she would brook no interference in that.

Surprised, and subdued, they had kept their silence since then. And, painfully, their distance. Twilight Velvet's worries had not vanished, though. Her children, her babies, had been tricked and hurt before. The entire trip to the Crystal Empire, that nagging, worrying voice in the back of her head, the one that kept whispering "But what if it's a trick? What if it's a scheme by Nightmare Moon?" hadn't been silent for a moment.

That instant, she realized that nagging fearful voice had a competitor.  The moment she clapped eyes on the tiny, wide eyed little black filly, a second voice had come roaring up behind the first, chased it down a back alley of her mind, and gleefully stomped it into the mud:

I'm a Grandmama!

"Oh my, there she is-- Quick, Night Light, take a picture!"

Her glee at this unexpected realization was only matched by the sudden pang when the filly-- her granddaughter-- took one look at her and bolted in panic, yelling for her mother. "Wha...? Was it something I said?" She asked, stung. Night Light lowered his camera, bemused.

A moment later Shining Armor appeared with Twilight close behind. Nyx was there too, half-hiding behind her mother's tail and staring suspiciously at the intruders. Shining Armor was the first to speak up. "All right, would someone tell me what-- Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?"

"...And what is with that get up?" Twilight blurted out, taking in their touristy kitsch. And she'd thought Rarity's parents were bad.

"Well, we are on vacation, kiddo," Night Light said. "Seems only fair to give the natives advance warning." He let loose with an incredibly canned-sounding laugh. His children simply rolled their eyes; It was the same as always; their father, the astronomer who thought he was a comedian.

Shining Armor regarded the two guards. He leaned in. "I won't bother asking why you broke orders and brought two strange ponies to the royal chambers," he said.

The guards looked mortified, but kept a stiff upper lip. They could hardly be blamed. Word had gotten round about what had happened when the Consort Prince's sister had arrived, and nopony in the Royal Guard had been looking forward to being there if his mother ever showed up. "We... thought we recognized them from your family photos, sir... and they were rather-- forcefully persuasive. We'll accept whatever discipline--"

"No, no, you don't get it," Shining Armor muttered. "I know my parents. Believe me, they've not made a guard force yet that could make either of them veer off. I still have no idea how they got past the portcullis on my first week at--- never mind. Just... go back to your patrol." Relieved, the two guards saluted and beat a retreat.  "Waldorf? Could you go set some tea for everyone? I'm sure my parents could stand some refreshment after their long trip." The butler made a cursory bow and glided off.

"Oh, and do send someone to bring our luggage, it's out on the curb," Twilight Velvet called after him.

Nyx stared at the two very strange ponies from behind her mother.  "Who are they?" she asked Twilight in a stage whisper.

Twilight ventured a smile. "Nyx, these are my parents," she said.

"--Our parents," Shining Armor chipped in.

"Which makes them your grandmother and grandfather," Twilight finished.

Nyx blinked in surprise, then nervously bit her lip. Grandparents? This wasn't very confidence building. She didn't really have any experience with grandparents, except with Granny Smith, and the less said about that the better. She stepped up beside Twilight, looking at Velvet and Night Light warily. "What am I s'posed to do?" She asked her mother. At Twilight's bemused look she protested, "I've never had a grandmother or grandfather! I don't know this stuff..."

Twilight Velvet felt her smile widen. "Well, sweetie, the usual routine is that you come over, say "Hi Grandma and Grandpa!" and give your grandparents a hug," she said.

"Go on, silly," Twilight said, giving her daughter a nudge.

Hesitantly at first but with warming confidence, Nyx crossed the space between herself and the two new ponies in her life. "Hello, Grandma and Grandpa," she said obediently. To her astonishment, the two immediately closed in and and enfolded her in a double hug, nuzzling her warmly. She squeaked in surprise and stiffened, then in the next instant relaxed and leaned into the affectionate embrace, a warm glow lighting her up inside. "I think I'll like having grandparents," she said.

They chuckled at this. Twilight Velvet pulled back and regarded her. "A granddaughter," she said, her voice full of satisfaction. "At long last, I have a granddaughter!" Then she sighed and looked at her daughter. "Though I had expected her to be preceded by a few other things. A marriage, an engagement... an actual fiance'..."

Twilight's eyebrows tabled at this particular . "What am I, an old maid?" she snarked. "Just because I haven't met a special somepony yet--"

"I'm just saying dear, it usually does come in that order," Twilight Velvet pointed out. "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby carriage--"

"And the diapers," Night Light quipped. "Can't blame you for skipping that part of things, punkin."

"Eww," Nyx interjected.

"Well, are you seeing anypony,dear?" Twilight Velvet said. "It would be nice to know."

"Mom!" Twilight said.

"Hey, we're working on it!" Nyx said in a miffed tone.

Twilight shot her a look. "Nyx!"

"Oh you are, are you?" Night Light said, cocking an eyebrow.

Nyx nodded. "There are a couple of ponies she likes," she said knowingly. "She likes Mr. MacIntosh...at least she likes watching him working when she thinks nopony is looking--"

"Nyx!" A blush rose in Twilight Sparkle's cheeks.

"Oh, is that so," Night Light grinned.

Nyx nodded again, soberly. "But I think she likes Mr. Time Turner better."

"Aaand how do we know that?" Shining Armor asked.

"Cause whenever he picks up a book at the library her voice gets all funny and she gets all goofy and flutters her lashes an' stuff--" Nyx put action to words, fluttering her lashes like she'd seen her mother do.

"NYX!" Twilight's face was beet red now.

"Whaat?"

"My, it looks like Twily might be the first to send us family photos on Hearthwarming Day after all," Twilight Velvet teased. "You're falling behind, Shiny."

Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware we were in a race," he said dryly.

"All who is in what race?" said a voice behind him. Shining turned and looked; Cadence had decided to see what all the fuss in the foyer was about. Another round of hugs and greetings ensued. "What was this about us falling behind?"

"Mother and Father seem to think that Twily and I are in a competition," Shining said. "The Happy Nuclear Family hoof race. First one to the finish line has two point five foals, one point five dogs and a one-garage cottage in the suburbs."

"So are we winning?" Cadence asked, amused.

"It's a tie so far on points," Night Light said.  "Shiny got us a daughter in law, but Twily came through with the first grandchild." He paused. "Unless you have some news...?"

Cadence gave a wincing smile. "Ah, no royal heir just yet," she said.

"Hey now, you can't blame us, we're working on grandkids as hard as we can--" Shining Armor stopped in mid sentence, mouth hanging open and his face beet red.

"Shiny!" Twilight yelped, clapping her hooves over Nyx's ears.

Shining Armor facehooved as his parents hooted at his faux pas. "I can't believe I said that out loud," he said.

"So, working hard at it, is he?" Twilight Velvet asked slyly, to a tittering Cadence.

"Mo-ther!!" Twilight said, scandalized, pressing her hooves more firmly over her only foal's ears.

Cadence gave as good as she got. "You better believe it," she said, sotto voce, giving her red faced husband a hip-bump.

"Cadence!!!" Twilight said, her voice climbing into new octaves.

"Ow! Mom, you're hurting my ears," Nyx complained.

Shining didn't even bother. He knew his family too well. "Shall we go on in?" he said with a sigh. "We can sit down, have some tea, and scandalize the servants properly...Twily, why are you doing that? She's already heard everything." Twilight growled, admitting defeat, and uncovered her child's ears. "Come on, let's go into the drawing room, and Dad and Mom can tell us what exactly brings them to the Crystal Empire."

"And I get to tell our new granddaughter all about her mother and her uncle when they were foals," Night Light said, grinning around the stem of his cigarette holder.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she trailed after her brother. "This is going to be another long session of you telling those same old embarrassing stories about us two, isn't it?"

"Of course not, punkin," Night Light said jauntily. "I've got all sorts of brand new embarrassing stories about you two..."

Tea was served in the drawing room, by one Spike the Dragon.(7) Some time was spent resting from the road and catching up with family, and of course one or two embarrassing, yet allegedly amusing childhood anecdotes before everypony finally managed to beat their way around to the subject at large. "So why exactly did you decide to, ah, 'vacation' in the Crystal Empire?" Cadence asked mildly, sipping her chamomile.

"The news reports, obviously," Night Light said. He had discarded his hat and sunglasses and was lounging back in an overstuffed chair, regarding his children and granddaughter.

"We saw the first stories in the papers about Nyx, and the lost tomb, and the political changes," Twilight Velvet said soberly. "True to form the press ponies have gotten the facts rather jumbled up, but it was easy enough to figure out that you were all facing some complications. Ponies trying to gin up conspiracies and scandals over Nyx being in the palace, and the like."

"What have they been saying in Canterlot, then?" Shining Armor asked.

Night Light waved his hoof expansively. "Everything," he said. "Everything and anything. Nyx is set to be the new heir to the Crystal throne. Nyx is going to overrun the Crystal throne. Nyx is a cat's paw for Celestia's real plan, or Luna's real plan, or Cadence's real plan--- which is to conquer the Crystal Empire from within, or to steal the lost secrets of the hidden tomb, or destroy the hidden tomb, or turn the hidden tomb into an amusement park attraction--" He shrugged. "Every conspiracy theory is nuttier than the last."

"And then there are those who are just making noise about Nyx in general," Twilight Velvet added. "I think every reporter in Equestria is drooling at the prospect of doing a front page story on 'the return of Nightmare Moon,' or the re-re-return, as the case may be... " she turned her teacup in her hooves idly. "It didn't take any super secret parental knowledge to figure out that being here with Nyx was going to make what you're trying to do a great deal more difficult, if the press have their way."

"That's the truth, punkin," Night Light said. "Every reporter on the planet is going to be trying to climb up your plot--"

"Dad!" Twilight scolded. "Foals are present..."

Nyx meekly sat and nibbled at her danish, trying to look unobtrusive. "This isn't your fault, Nyx," Twilight said firmly. "Some ponies--" she searched for the words for a moment. "Some ponies just don't know when to let something go," she sighed. She looked at her parents. "You're right, though. For the past few days investigative reporters have been, well, hounding all of us. It's making doing any of the research impossible."

"Or anything else," Cadence added.

Twilight nodded. "Still, that doesn't tell us why you're here. I mean, I'm glad you came to show moral support and all but what do you expect to do?"

"Twily, I've been a novelist since before you were born--" Twilight Velvet said.

"Really? You write books?" Nyx squeaked happily.

Velvet chucked. "Yes, I most certainly do," she assured the bibliophilic filly. "I'll see if I can get you one of my books sometime. Anyway, I've been a novelist a very long time, and I've been dealing with publicity for ages. I think I know a few tricks for dealing with them."

"That's hardly the same situation as this," Shining Armor pointed out.

Night Light chortled. "Maybe it slipped your mind, son," he said, "but not too long ago our youngest daughter became Princess Celestia's protege'?"

"Don't you remember what it was like, Shiny?" Twilight Velvet said. "Twilight was too young-- and too nose-deep in her studies--- to notice, but... well, no, you were out on tour of duty at that time, weren't you. I suppose. But the moment word got out, we were hip deep in news hounds, speculators, opportunists, social climbers and just plain flat out rubber-neckers and snoops who wanted to gawk at the filly prodigy protege' and her family. We never had a moment's peace from them... till we finally learned a few tricks for dealing with such attention."

"Till your mother finally snapped and started going buck wild on a few of them," Night Light corrected with considerable amusement.

"I did not 'snap,' " Velvet protested.

"You climbed out on the roof of our house and started pelting the paparazzi with your great grandmother's second best china," Night Light said.

"It was cluttering up the attic anyway," Velvet said primly.

"I was impressed," Night Light admitted to the others. "She couldn't get much range out of the cups or sugar bowls, but she was right lethal with the saucers. Nailed a pegasus from the Cloudsdale Times while he was circling a hundred feet overhead."

"The point being," Twilight Velvet interrupted, "is that we both eventually learned some tactics for dealing with the press.You didn't spend your fillyhood being hounded by news reporters and the like, did you?" Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "Well," Velvet said triumphantly,  "who do you think kept it that way?

"We can't be much help for Shiny and Cadence, but we can at least help you and Nyx keep the buzzards at bay," Night Light said.

"-- And at the very least, we can help look after Nyx, keep her out of the spotlight a little," Velvet added. "You're going to be busy as a centipede with poison ivy what with this 'Lost Tomb' business. And besides... we do want to... make up for lost time with our new granddaughter." She gave Nyx and Twilight an apologetic smile.

"No more Nightmare Moon worries?" Twilight said. She could hardly be blamed for letting a little satisfaction creep into her voice.

"A few," Twilight Velvet admitted, sighing. She looked deliberately into Nyx's eyes. "But I guess I decided I was being silly about them, whether or not they were true.We kept our distance because--- well, even though everyone said Nyx was just a sweet little filly... and she IS..." She gave Nyx a nuzzle. "We were afraid that she might... well that she might turn back into what she had been. Then I guess I realized: I was afraid that Nyx would grow up into Nightmare Moon. And frankly, that's nothing more than what any parent fears."

Nyx made a quizzical noise and Twilight cocked her head.  At her daughter and granddaughter's puzzled looks, Twilight Velvet explained. "Every parent worries about what their children will grow up to be, girls. Whether they say it or not. But you still love them, all the same. You love them and teach them right and hope for the best, you don't--- let your fears keep you away."

"You were afraid I might grow up into Nightmare Moon?" Twilight Sparkle said, cocking an eyebrow.

"You turned us into potted plants once, honey," Twilight Velvet said. "It did cross my mind to worry that I was raising you right."

"She had a tizzy-fit where she was convinced you were going to grow up, go mad with power and turn the ponies in the noble houses into a topiary collection," Night Light said, blithely dunking a biscotti in his tea and pointedly ignoring the glare from his wife.

"Tizzy fit?" Nyx asked.

"Remember when Twilight lost her year planner?"(8) Spike muttered. Nyx made a silent "o" and nodded. Apparently the nut didn't fall far from the tree.

"Anyway, I'm not going to let my worries make me miss out on my first granddaughter," Twilight Velvet said. "Night cashed in his accumulated vacation time at the observatory, and I'm taking a semi-sabbatical. If you want we can stay in the local hotel, if staying here is too much trouble--"

Shining Armor rolled his eyes and gave his mother an 'are you serious' look. "No no, we insist," he said in a monotone. "Really, Mother, we live in a palace; you don't have to finagle us for one of the guest suites." Twilight Velvet had the grace to blush.

Cadence smiled. "Well, it's a wonderful idea, anyway," she said. "All of us together for a change. You, me, your parents, the children-- all three of them--" Spike beamed at this--- "Despite all the fuss, it's good to have a family reunion."

"Let's hope it doesn't end like Applejack's did," Twilight said wryly. "I'm not up to a barn raising, much less an entire castle."

"Oh, this is a story I have to hear," Cadence chuckled. "A barn raising?"

"Preceded by a barn flattening. Therein lies a tale..."

Nyx listened to her family (her family, squee!) chatter on, happy and cozy. She had two new grandparents! And they seemed nice, if a little funny. Nicer than Granny Smith was, anyway. She had her doubts though about them "handling" the newspapers and gossips and all. Those ponies were awful. And persistent. They'd fished one out of the ventilation ducts just yesterday....

Still, Nyx would wait and see. In her own short life she'd already learned to never underestimate ponies by first appearances. Grandpa Night Light reminded her of Scootaloo: like one of those ponies who'd do anything, no matter how crazy, and he didn't care what anyone thought... except that he thought their opinion was funny. And there was something about Grandma Velvet that told Nyx that, pretty and demure as she was, she was formidably strong underneath-- like flowering vines wrapped around a cast iron trellis.

If they actually had a way that would make those pestering ponies go away, maybe they could help Nyx with her problem:

How to get Shining Armor his job back.

1) It had actually come to blows; a professor from the "this changes everything" faction had made a snide remark to one of the "this is most certainly a fraud" scholars, who had been standing close at hoof to the dessert tray. The final toll was three black eyes, one broken tooth (some of the pies had still been frozen), seven dry cleaning bills, and fourteen one-serving fruit pies a la mode.

2)At least she thought that particular pony was the butler. The staff in the crystal palace were notorious for being unobtrusive to the point of near invisibility, and Nyx found it hard to tell who was what when they kept popping in and out. One would be thinking one was all alone and feeling a bit thirsty, and the next moment be jumping out of their skin when a servant appeared at their elbow with a glass on a tray. The butler, at least, was most visible from answering the door all the time.

3)That's what grownups called it when they started yelling at each other.

4)And winning.

5)Her checklist. The apple didn't fall far from the tree.

6)Picture Hunter S. Thompson as a blue pony. Not to draw parallels, but he had refused to take a rest stop on their way through Ponyville because it was fruit bat country.

7)He'd managed to intercept Waldorf Salad with the tea service and commandeer the job. The butler had refused initially but it's surprising how persuasive a toddler-sized creature with fire leaking from its nose can be.

8) A yearly planner approximately a foot thick at the spine and two feet on a side. How she managed to "lose" a tome the size of the average coffee table was a tale in and of itself.