Luna stepped delicately down into the sunken living room and took a seat on the couch next to Nyx. One of the Quartet whisked in with another tray of food, this one laid out with foods the servants in the castle had somehow learned were Luna's favorites, and whisked away again. Such were the mysterious ways of the Canterlot Palace staff.

Nyx was already cocooned in an enormous, aptly-named comforter, and munching quietly on a daffodil sandwich.

Luna tossed a down blanket over her own shoulders, picked up a pastry from her own tray (ah, a moon pie. The servants would have their little jokes...) and ate silently, watching the flames in the fireplace alongside her strange little miniature twin. After a moment of quiet, Nyx spoke up.

"Thank you for sticking up for me."

Luna looked at her. "When you yelled at King Triton for scaring me so bad."

"Ah," was all Luna said.

"Why'd you do it? I mean, you got awful mad."

Luna thought about it while she chewed her marshmallowy treat. "Because... I think because he scared me, too."

"What do you mean?" Nyx asked, taking another bite of her sandwich.

Luna licked her lips. "Ever since you were... born, for lack of a better phrase," she said carefully, "I've always felt we were connected. That your little victories and troubles were mine too, in a way. We both even made the same mistakes. It's not surprising, after all; we were both one person, not that long ago. We are sisters, in a way." Nyx nodded. Luna pressed on.

"When King Triton began describing all the destruction caused by your brief endless night--" she paused while Nyx cringed, and continued. "--For a brief terrible moment I... I thought it was my own terrible time of forcing Night upon the world he was speaking of. The terror, the horror of what I might have done to the world pierced me through my heart. Then in the next instant you cried out... and I remembered that he spoke of your time upon the dark throne, not mine." She picked up a mug of cocoa and took a sip. "For that brief moment, your pain was mine... I saw the world through your eyes. I could not let him hurt you so cavalierly without chastisement."

"Thank you," Nyx said simply.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Triton never changes, it seems. For all his grace and charms and good looks, from time to time he says just the wrong thing to a mare."

Nyx snorted and scowled into her soup. "Men," she said scathingly.

Luna snerked, sending cocoa up her own nose. "Colt troubles?" she said, amused, wiping her dripping muzzle.

Nyx shook her head. "Not me. But last week Truffle opened his big mouth and stuck his hoof in it. 'Gee, Sweetiebelle, you're not THAT fat...' " she mimicked. "It took us three days to convince Sweetie she wasn't some big fat pig and get her to eat ice cream again."

Luna chortled. "Ouch." She shook her head. "From age to age, this remains the same: Colts are clueless." She gave a little hmph. "Even King Triton. How any stallion could remain oblivious after two millennia of somepony batting her eyelashes at him..."

Nyx looked up. "Do you like him?"

Luna looked startled. "Me? No. Though he is most fair to look at..." she sighed. "But no, he is not the colt for me."

"Sooooo does Celestia like him?" Nyx grinned.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Would that the ocean-born lunk saw what the mere filly could see," she said. "Mine sister hath done everything but paint "Wouldst thou be mine?" On her flank in neon green." She was rewarded for this jest with a gleeful giggle. "Would that I knew why such a flounder as he refuses to take the bait." The giggling redoubled.

Nyx's giggling faded after a moment and she grew thoughtful. "Maybe he's just scared." Luna gave her a surprised look. Nyx went on. "I mean, grownups have all these rules about stuff. Even on how to have dinner." The filly reflected ruefully on the lessons she'd had from the Quartet over the past few days in table manners. Rarity had nothing on these four. "I mean, all those forks and spoons and little dishes and stuff..."

The Princess of the Moon, born of a far simpler time when the most complicated choice was 'eat with hooves or without hooves' and the most complicated table manners were 'don't expectorate across the table', could only nod in agreement to that. "Strewth. Methinks sometimes I would rather sit there and go hungry than risk the wroth of the table steward by plucking up the wrong fork," she said sarcastically.

"That's what I mean. Grownups have all these rules about everything. Especially royal grownups. About how to be friends, and not be friends, and how to ask someone to be your special somepony, and when, and when not to, and... And maybe he's just scared of breaking the wrong rule and messing everything up, and so he thinks it's better to just be polite and stay friends."

Luna took another bite of moon pie and ruminated thoughtfully. "Since when do little fillies show so much wisdom of the world?" she muttered to herself.

Nyx heard her and started. "I'm not wise," she said, her bell-like voice thick with self-derision. "I just ask stuff." She hunkered down in her fluffy blanket, snuggling it around herself.

Luna regarded her with a half cocked smile. She was tempted to point out that "asking stuff" was pretty much where you started with wisdom, but refrained. "Hm. Then let me ask 'stuff,' for once," Luna said. "What do you think my sister should do to gain this handsome thick-head's attention?"

"She should just kiss him," Nyx said bluntly. Luna's eyebrows shot up. Nyx shrugged."It worked on Rumble," she said... blushing just a little bit.

"Oh, Rumble?" Luna purred in amusement. "Tell us more."

"Just a pegasus boy in my class," Nyx said. The faint blush grew. "He was all sad and thought I wouldn't want to dance with him, so I kissed him on the cheek...." She smiled to herself. The memory still made her stomach do flip flops.

Luna made an "aaaaah" sound, smirking. "And did he dance with you?" Nyx just curled up, blushing. Luna chuckled. "And you really think that would work with Celestia. Just walk up to Triton: 'Oh, good morrow, your Majesty..." she pretended to throw her hooves around an invisible somepony and made wet kissing noises.

Nyx stifled her giggles with a hoof. "It'd get my attention," she said. "I could just see the look on everypony's faces if she did that tomorrow."

Luna laughed. "Oh fair Triton, I would be thine!" She swooned and batted her lashes. She made a sound like a plumber's helper unclogging a drain.

Nyx rolled with laughter. Getting into the spirit of things, picked up a pillow off the couch. She held it up and shook it back and forth, imitating the sea king's voice in a deep comical bass. "Oh my, Princess Celestia, this is so sudden!" She held the pillow aside and put a hoof to her forehead, switching to a falsetto for the Sun Princess. "Yes, it's true! My passion for you can be hidden no more! Take me away from all this! We will live together under the sea and have lots of little guppy-corns together!" She grabbed the pillow in a passionate embrace. "Mwah mwah mwah mwah..."

A maternal shadow fell over the couch. Nyx froze. and looked up to see Twilight standing there, giving her The Look. "Oh poop."

Luna was nearly choking with laughter. She waved to Twilight. "Tis but a jest, Twilight," she said. "No harm done-- hee hee hee hee!"

Twilight snorted and rolled her eyes. "I see where she gets it from," she quipped, taking a seat on the sofa. "Please tell me there's something decadent on these trays... ahh, yesss." She spotted the triple-dipped chocolate strawberries and pulled the bowl to her. "I so need this..."

Nyx sobered. "This is going to be bad, isn't it," she said.

Twilight looked at her. "I won't lie, sweetie," she said. "It's going to be a bumpy ride before this is all over. But it will be over, eventually." she smiled. "We just have to have a little faith. Maker willing, we'll be able to fix this problem and make it through." She bit into a chocolate and rolled her eyes in bliss. "MMM. For now, let's just forget about our troubles for a little while. No sense in worrying about it, right?"

Luna regarded her in stunned surprise. This was the same mare who'd popped every spring in her clock over a late homework assignment? "Thou hast most certainly changed since we first met, Twilight Sparkle," she said.

"Not all that much," Twilight said drolly. "But the therapist has helped a lot." And being a mother, you learn to hold off panic attacks when you absolutely have to, she thought to herself as she smoothed Nyx's mane. Nothing forces you to face your weaknesses like having to be strong for somepony else. "Granted, I'll probably have a big old hissy fit later on. But not right now."

They chatted by the fire and indulged in treats and sweets. Twilight read to Nyx from her favorite storybook, till the filly turned dozy and huddled down in her blanket cocoon, drifting off to sleep.

Luna sipped her cocoa and looked up at Twilight. "I thank thee for letting me... indulge in the comfort of thy family presence," she said.

"Not a problem, Luna," Twilight said. "We're kind of family anyway. All things considered." She turned thoughtful. "I suppose there are some things troubling you," she said. It was a statement, not a question.

Luna smiled wanly. "Little Nyx is not the only one who is to be called on the carpet for what transpired," she said. "Alas, we all here are, I think the phrase is 'in the same boat.' " Tentatively she reached out and nuzzled the little filly's mane. "So strange. Is this what it feels like to be a big sister?"

"I don't know," Twilight admitted. "But it'll do for now."

The delegates began arriving the next morning. Nyx was up early, watching them arrive from the highest window of the observatory. Spike and Peewee were there with her, watching too... Bright Eyes as well. They had a clear view of the entire palace, and all of Canterlot below.

The assembly was actually in two parts: emissaries from each of the island nations of the Western Sea, petitioning for reparations from the kingdom of Equestria, and the Council itself.  There seemed to be dozens of the lesser nations, but it was the members of the Council that stole the show. Some came alone. Some were rulers of nations of their own. But they all made an impression.

The first to arrive, shortly after the sunrise, was the ki-rin. He looked something like a unicorn, but a more slender, like a deer. He had a long feathery coat that came almost a mane around his shoulders, and shining scales down his sides and flanks. Instead of a horn he had a single gleaming antler rising up from his head. He arrived in a beautiful flying pagoda, wrought in royal red and gold, suspended in the air by what looked like five enormous paper lanterns-- one at each corner and a fifth larger one at the peak of the roof. The graceful, deer-like creature disembarked on a tiny private cloud, its golden hooves folded under it, and floated into the castle, followed by several slightly smaller versions of its kind. They walked on the ground like normal, but they also lacked the golden hooves of their leader. Curious.

Second were the gryphons. They flew in on a more typical airship, but they made up for it when they disembarked. Not waiting for the ship to land, they leapt off and flew to the front gate in formation. The flanking guards touched down, and the delegate and what looked to be his family touched down on the red carpet between them. Nyx gasped in surprise; the delegate and his family were recognizable by their golden pelts, white heads, tufted ears... and the writhing serpents they had instead of tails. They strode inside, haughty as could be.

Third to arrive was a sea serpent, glistening snow white and enormously long. Rather than by air, this one arrived by water. It swam up the waterfall and slithered into the palace, frost trailing in the air behind it.

Then, close to noon, came the Firebird. At first Nyx thought it was a strange cloud, white with a glowing heart. Then the cloud drew nearer, and she saw what she thought was a flock of tropical birds nesting on the top of the clouds. In the center was a bird, the size of a gryphon, with glowing feathers. "Wow, is that a phoenix?" Bright Eyes said. "But it's way too big..."

The cloud drew nearer and floated down to the courtyard... surprise upon surprise, the top of the cloud was an arboretum, covered with plants, fountains and butterflies. And the great bird at the center was no phoenix. It was a gorgeous crested bird, with the sleek form of a bird of prey and the plumage of a peacock that glowed in all the colors of the rainbow. The bird's plumage went from brilliant yellow at the beak, fading to gold, then sunset orange, then ember red, cooling to twilight purple and then to glowing ocean blue, then emerald, then out to the trailing peacock tail where it blossomed again into a dazzling kaleidoscope. Birds of every type held court around it.

Every bird in Canterlot seemed to be fascinated with it. For that matter, everything with wings seemed fascinated with it; the pegasi were all but trailing along in its wake, slack jawed. Even Nyx, up in her tower, felt the strange allure of the creature. Peewee, for his part, took one look and gave a surprisingly fangirlish squeak before toppling off Spike's shoulder in a faint. "Wow, that must be a Firebird," Spike said, picking the baby phoenix up off the floor.

"Isn't a phoenix a fire bird?" Nyx asked.

"No, no, they're two different things," Spike said. "A Firebird is, well, it's sort of the archetypical bird. Uh, you know what an archetype is, right?" Nyx nodded. Her birthday presents had included an enormous dictionary. She still blushed when she remembered how she got 'hypothesis,' 'hypotenuse', and 'hippopotamus' mixed up...  "Well, that's what a Firebird is. It's like, the bird of all birds. And it's really really magical. Anything with feathers is tied to it in a way." He paused. "And platypuses too, which is kind of funny, but there you have it."

"Is that why all the pegasi are acting weird around it?" Bright Eyes said, as the glowing bird swept into the castle.

"Yeah, there's enough bird in pegasi that they can feel it's presence," Spike said. "Nyx is probably feeling the pull too."

"Kind of," Nyx admitted. "It's like..." she tapped her hoof to her chin, thinking of a simile. "Kind of like if Princess Celestia and Sapphire Shores walked into the room at the same time."

The next to arrive was a dragon. She flew down out of a thunderhead, a long sinuous streak of molten red and fire yellow. She had no wings, but instead undulated through the skies as a sea serpent would swim through the waves. "Who is that?" Spike wondered.

The she-dragon landed in the courtyard in a swirl of scales and flame. "Let the party commence! Pele', mistress of earthquakes and volcanoes, has arrived!" she boomed in a voice that had everypony clear up to Nyx's tower clapping their hooves and other various limbs to their ears.

"Hey, thanks for that little infodump there," Spike muttered, wiggling a claw in his earhole. "Sheesh." With a thundering chuckle the dragoness went on inside.

There were more delegates and petitioners arriving. The selkies arrived. King Triton was right, they did look sort of like monkeys on land, with clever paws and little round bellies. They were terribly cute.  There was another group of pony islanders, with fins instead of tails. A flock of flutterponies. A group of creatures that looked like they were carved from stone; they seemed to be all face and forehead, with squat bodies and stubby arms and legs...

Nyx grew weary of watching the arrivals and went back down into the observatory. This wasn't the big big meeting today; today everypony was just arriving, so Celestia and Luna and Mom were organizing a sort of welcoming dinner, settling everyone in, extending hospitality... trying to get on everypony's good side before the real negotiations got underway. After Nyx's panic attack, they had kept Nyx out of the welcoming committee this time to avoid any scenes. Mom said they wanted to hold off bringing her forward till they had tested the waters, whatever that meant.

Of course this meant she had to sit here in the observatory with Spike and Bright Eyes and Peewee, waiting for the grownups to summon them down to the big fancy 'party' while her stomach did flip-flops. And not the happy kind, either.

The rest of the day crawled by. Nyx was so nervous she couldn't eat her lunch. She just picked at the cucumber sandwiches. The afternoon was spent by the Quartet grooming the three children for a formal appearance. They sat around, stiff and uncomfortable in their formal dress and fidgeted while they waited for the boom to drop.

After a small eternity, there was a knock at the front door. Sea Foam opened it: it was Sundiver and Lightning Blitz.  They bowed formally. "The Princesses request the presence of the Crystal Champion Spike, Crystal Champion Bright Eyes, and Princess Nyx Sparkle," Lightning Blitz said.

Nyx gulped and looked at the others. "Well. This is it," she said. They trooped out, flanked by the two pegasus guards, and headed for the royal soiree.