The unfamiliar sounds of the dawn chorus woke Luna from her sleep. For a moment, she looked around, dazed, wondering why her room looked different. The she remembered her quest, the tiny village of Shire, the guesthouse and its kind owner. Looking at the antique clock that stood on the mantelpiece, she saw that it was still early. She didn't want to wake ever other pony in the house, so she studied the many books arranged next to the clock. One in particular caught her eye: An extremely old black tome inlaid with gold, clearly worn but in good condition. She carefully took it out of its place. The title surprised her.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna: Years of Harmony

She laid the book down on her bed and opened it to the first page. There in front of her was a skillful drawing of her and her sister, side by side. Behind them were the Elements of Harmony, and a window with a view of emerald green woodlands. The ancient castle in the Everfree Forest! She opened the book and began to read.

Luna was interrupted by noises from downstairs. She glanced at the clock and saw that she had been reading for over two hours. The book had reminded her of her old life, when she was almost the same size as her sister, standing tall and proud. The smell of pancakes brought her back to the present and she shook her mane to get it neat. She clopped downstairs where the sight of breakfast greeted her.

"Good morning, princess!" chirped Dawn Star as she laid the table with her magic. Evening Primrose started to greet her too, but decided against it when her mother shot her a warning look.

"This all looks delicious," Luna complimented, before she hungrily began to eat.

"Oh, it's nothing really, dear" said Dawn, looking modest.

"Now," said the alicorn, "I wonder if you could tell me where Ponyville is..."

***

Dawn Star and evening Primrose stood in the doorway of their home as Princess Luna donned her cloak and flew off into the sky once more. She smiled as she saw them waving. They had been kind to her, even when her true identity was revealed.

It wasn't long before she came to Ponyville. She vaguely recognised the town hall, the place where Nightmare Moon had first appeared. The library was where Twilight Sparkle lived, that much she knew. There it was. The huge hollowed-out tree that contained all the books in the town. Checking that no-one else was around, she landed lightly on the path and knocked on the door. It opened, and the cheery face of the purple pony looked out.

"Princess Luna!" exclaimed Twilight, "I didn't expect to see you here. Come in!"

The princess stepped into the library, and Twilight turned to face her.

"So, what brings you here, Princess?"

"I wondered if I might have your help in finding a rare plant known as the Moonflower."

"Of course! I'll get right on it. Please feel free to look around, though try not to wake up my assistant Spike. He's very grumpy in the morning."

Some time later, Twilight returned.

"Now, judging by all the stories about the flower, I can safely say it will be by a lake, very deep in the Everfree Forest. All accounts point to that, although no-one knows exactly where. Everypony that saw the Moonflower was lost, guided home by its shining silvery light. I should study more about things like this. There are a lot of plants in the forest that seem to have mysterious magical qualities."

"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. Would you mind if I stayed here until nightfall? I do not think other ponies would react very...well to me."

"I understand. It's no trouble at all."

***

Princess Celestia stood on a pedestal in the center of the top room of the castle's highest tower. The pedestal was made of grey marble, carved with patterns and incantations, and pictures of the Sun and Moon. Normally, she would perform the daily rituals of the sky from her balcony, but she knew today would be different. She needed all her strength.

With a dip of her head, the Sun sank below the horizon. Now was the moment of truth.

Summoning all her power, the princess commanded the Moon to rise.

She could feel it, disobeying her will. She pulled harder, and still the Moon would not move. Now her horn was glowing more than ever, its yellow light illuminating the whole room. An orb of magic grew at the point of her horn, shining intensely, burning away the last of Celestia's determination. There was a bright flash, and she fell backwards. Staring out of through the window of the tower, she saw daylight again. The Sun had risen back into the sky. The Moon had rebelled against her.

It was the beginning of the longest day.

Twilight looked worriedly at her clock. Because of the presence of a princess, she had closed the library and left Spike to sleep all day. Night should have come, but instead the Sun was still in the sky. Luna came to stand next to her.

"My sister...she cannot raise the Moon..." she sighed.

"Why not?" asked the lilac unicorn.

"The night knows that I am back in Equestria, ready to use my powers to bring it once more. It does not want Celestia to do it for me, even though I have given her permission to."

Twilight nodded, then opened the front door to look outside.

"Well, there's nopony outside to see you now."

"Then I must go!" said Luna quickly, "I must revert this crisis as soon as possible!"

The alicorn sped outside and jumped into the blue sky, to focused on her task to say goodbye.

"Good luck, Princess!" shouted Twilight. "Oh behalf of everypony..."

Celestia stood at her balcony, looking down on her land as it descended into chaos. Ponies stood outside, staring at the Sun, willing it to go down.

"Luna..." she spoke to the sky, but willed the words to carry to her sister so many miles away. "Help us. Help us all..." Next Chapter: The Sun and the Forest Estimated time remaining: 9 Minutes