"Hear ye, Hear ye. The 1,352nd assembly of the Celestial Council is now called to order." The firebird held its pose on the podium for a moment, radiant wings spread, before it continued. "We are hereby assembled to arbitrate the Nightmare Moon Incident, and the allegations of Breach of the Celestial Pact arising therefrom." The Firebird banged a gavel, actually a silver sphere clutched in one claw, on the podium.

The Celestial Council was assembled in a large, circular room with no windows. It was brightly lit, with a vaulted ceiling, and painted in soft whites and golds. The members of the Council were seated around the perimeter of the room, facing inward toward the raised dais where the speaker's podium stood.  The four princesses of Equestria, Celestia, Twilight, Luna and Nyx were all seated together. To Nyx's eyes, Celestia looked stern, but calm. Luna exuded an air of restrained neutrality. Twilight looked stressed out.

Nyx figured she herself looked like she felt; like she was about to take the worst trip to the dentist in history.

The glorious bird folded its wings and addressed King Triton. "King Triton, if you would relate the events related to the incident in question to the Council."

King Triton, in his fourlegged alicorn form, rose from his seat and walked to the dais. Once he was standing next to the podium he cleared his throat and recited from memory. "at the 1,200nd assembly, the Celestial Pact was renegotiated, to shift the duties of oversight of the sun and moon from the Unicorn tribe to the newly born Avatars, the alicorns Celestia and Luna," he said. "Council records note that from that moment until the time of the 1318th assembly, their performance of their duties was exemplary. However, shortly thereafter the Princess Luna succumbed to... a combination of emotional breakdown and corruption by dark magic, becoming the entity known as Nightmare Moon." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "This was accompanied by a brief disruption of the solar-lunar cycle before Princess Celestia was forced to move and imprison the dual entity in the Moon by use of the Elements of Harmony. As the disruption was less than a day, it was determined to have been an internal affair and no assembly was called. From that time the solar-lunar cycle went without notable interruption until the Gryphon Empire's invasion of Equestria  some 300 years ago, when Princess Celestia, with the full knowledge of the Council, used an eclipse to hasten the defeat of the Gryphon armies." Nyx saw the Gryphon Emperor fluff his feathers up a bit in indignation at the reminder of that centuries-old embarrassment.

"Then, 1,000 years precisely after her imprisonment, Luna/Nightmare Moon was released from her prison, and was subsequently cured of her 'possession' by the Elements of Harmony. This resulted in another brief disruption of the solar-lunar cycle, which again was deemed too minor to be of interest to the Council. Approximately a year later there was an incident with the Chaos entity Discord; again resolved after a brief interval and evaluated as too minor to note.

"Which brings us to the event of note." Triton cleared his throat again. "Approximately two and a half to three years ago, the entity known as Nightmare Moon was reincarnated by arcane means, and proceeded to overthrow both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, crowning herself Queen of Equestria and taking over rule of the Sun and Moon.  

"For two weeks the Sun was frozen in place at high noon over the Western Sea, while the Moon was...self evidently... left standing in the sky over Equestria... Despite abdicating the throne shortly thereafter, the effects remained. Resulting in far-reaching consequences which moved the Council voting, and approving, this assembly."

The Firebird addressed the Council. "The consequences for the planetary equilibrium were, and are, far reaching. At this point I would ask that each Custodian please enumerate the consequences of this event, for the record and so that the entire Council has a fuller picture of the impact of these events.... beginning with King Triton, per his Dominion over the Tides and Currents of the sea."

Nyx winced. Here it comes...

"As the Chair-being requests." Triton bobbed his head. "The consequences to my own Domain were fairly extensive, if subtle. The absence of the influence of the Moon, first of all, led to a mistimed cessation of the tides, which was broadly detrimental to many ocean species dependent on their turning. The grunion mating cycle, for instance, was imperiled, as were countless tidal pools and species therein."

"Grunion? Tidal Pools?" Nyx whispered to Twilight, mystified.

"Later," Twilight whispered back. Thinking the better of it, she scooted some blank parchment over to Nyx along with a spare quill. "Write down any questions you have and we'll look them up later." Nyx nodded and took up the quill.

"Fortunately my brother and I were able to compensate for the majority of it," Triton said. "Once we were aware of the absence of the Moon's pull with our own powers, keeping an approximation of the tides moving and balancing the temperatures of the ocean by temporarily altering the currents. We are still assessing the damage, if any, to the migratory patterns of the sea turtles and the whales in particular--"

Luna blinked. "Brother?" she looked over at Celestia. "I didn't know he had a brother."

"Adopted, actually," Celestia whispered back. "While you were away. The hippocampi have their own form of ascension it would seem. Triton hopes little Neptune will take over part of the burdens of the sea when his power fully matures." She paused. "He seems to have a particular affinity to the tides..."

Luna glared at her sister suspiciously. "Just what are you suggesting?"

"What? Nothing, nothing..." Celestia gave her a sly look. "After all he's too young for you. Barely a hundred and fifty..."

"I care not for what you are insinuating," Luna hissed. "Just because you go pining after that chowder faced loon bideth nothing for me and any sibling he may have. I have no interest in thy matchmaking--"

"Because your little black book is sooo full of numbers," Celestia riposted, rolling her eyes.

Nyx gave her mother another puzzled look. "This is what happens when your dating pool is so small it comes with a hoof pump to inflate it," Twilight whispered to her wryly. Nyx didn't quite get it, but she had the feeling that Twilight was very, very lucky to have laid claim to Ink Spot before she became a princess.  

"I heard that," Luna said, starting to raise her voice.

The rap of a gavel interrupted the quibbling. "Ladies," the Firebird said in his melodic voice. "If you please?" Sheepishly the alicorn princesses fell mute. "You were saying, Triton?"

The sea king bobbed his head. "As I was saying, the presence of the sun also caused the ocean's surface to heat up, despite my own efforts using the tides to circulate the water with the cooler depths," he said. "This led to a near unending chain of tropical storms... but as the winds are not in my domain, the Gryphon Emperor would be better suited to speak on those matters, so I yield the floor to him."

"By your leave...." The enormous golden gryphon said to Triton and fluffed out his feathers as he stood. He scowled officiously and began lecturing in the tone of a vaguely incensed professor. "As can be expected, the stationary sun and moon caused considerable disruption of the currents of the air. Along with the aforementioned chain of hurricanes, or typhoons, and tropical storms, the temperature differential between the dark side of the planet and the light side resulted in many of the normal winds and jet streams altering their course, particularly in the median between the day and night zones, where a belt of stationary storms brewed up. Also, there was a lesser effect--- most are not aware that the moon not only guides the tides, but works to stir the air as well, preventing clouds from aggregating on one side of the planet or the other..."

"In my own domain," the Firebird sang, "it was notable that the stationary sun and moon disrupted many species' migratory paths. It was fortunate that this did not take place at the height of the changing of the seasons, when more species would have been beginning their annual courses...."

"Though there were no calamities directly related to the effects of the frozen sun upon my own Domain of the Auroras," Zheng He said, fanning himself atop his cloud, "I was at pains to keep the Lodestar Field-- the, ah, magnetosphere-- strengthened beyond its norm, to shield the earth from the fixed gaze of the sun..." he paused thoughtfully. "It made for a most magnificent display, though."

The white serpent, emissary of Jormungandr, shifted its coils as it spoke. "The changing of the course of the sun and moon had no direct effect upon Jormungandr's dominion over the North Star. It did however cause disruption to the polar caps, with the ice pack on one side melting back and the other side growing. By only a few tenths of a tenth, but on that scale more than enough to cause difficulty. There is even now an unseasonal increase of icebergs in the far Northern and Southern waters, which ships in those areas will find most troublesome...."

"Psha, dey ain' done nuttin dat ol' Pele' would notice." The mistress of volcanoes tossed another garnet in her mouth like a bit of popcorn, lounging idly. "De Sun and De Moon, dey don' have much effect on Pele's domain." She shrugged. "O' course, it kinda make some of de folk livin' roun' de volcanoes go lolo." She waved a hand in a rocking motion. "Pele' shake dey island a little bit, no problem. Sun and Moon not move, no problem. Both at once?" Pele' rolled her eyes. "Hoo mama, dey go bomba lolo, hoop and holla dat de worl' gonna end, scream yell runaround, fall down--- heh, heckuva par-tay..."

By the time the last of the Council had spoken, Nyx was in a state somewhere close to shell shock. It seemed like her ridiculously brief reign had caused damage or disruption to nearly every part of the world and nature and everything in between. A great oaken creature spoke in a voice like windblown leaves of growing cycles thrown off kilter and entire forests stunted, filled with trees full of wilting leaves; a creature that seemed like a cross between a squid and a party balloon droned about something called the ozone layer; A thing of snow crystals and frost hovered on glittering wings and tinkled of unseasonable warmth melting the icepack on the mountains, leaving the land below them dry and thirsty the next spring... literally everything in the world had been affected.

Nyx was beyond feeling guilt. She had been driven so far into guilt that she had come out the other side into a state of numb hopeless doom. Outside she was as still as ice on a pond but her insides had been reduced to jelly-- and then that jelly had been broken up into globs with a spoon, then whipped with a steel whisk into a textureless goo. She didn't think she had anything solid left inside her.

It seemed like an eternity, but at last the final member of the Council stopped talking. "Is there anything else to be added?" The Firebird sang.  Noone spoke. "Then let that stand as a full record of the consequences of this incident. Princess Nyx?" Nyx jumped and yeeped. "Would you please step to the dais to give your testimony?"

Nyx shot a frantic look at Twilight, then at Celestia and Luna. She looked up at the glamorous bird perched up on the podium, her mouth too dry to speak.

The Firebird seemed to understand. "Do not fear," the Firebird said, its voice somewhat gentler. "We only wish for you to tell us your side of the story. Noone is going to shout or get angry, I promise you."

Pele's warm chuckle rolled through the room. "G'wan, liddle wan," she said. "Ain' nobody goanna bite choo."

Shooting Twilight one last apprehensive glance, Nyx trotted up to the dais. Someone-- she thought it was the Firebird-- gave her a magical boost up onto the platform. She stood up and looked around the room at the creatures, ponies and non, gathered. All of them staring, silent, demanding she justify herself. Some eyes were kind, but many were suspicious and accusing. "Go on," Triton urged gently.

In a flash Nyx remembered Doubloon when she'd been called on the carpet; how calm she'd been, how regal-- how princess-like. Nyx couldn't do any less than that, could she? She gulped, took a deep breath, and started. "I can't really remember my time when Luna and I were Nightmare Moon. I mean, I can; but it's all faded and blurry, like an old dream. The first thing I really remember-- as me-- is waking up in a bramble bush in the Everfree Forest...."

It took a long time for Nyx to tell her whole tale. Her birth, being taken in by Twilight, her abduction by Princess Celestia (here the solar princess blushed and looked not a little guilty), her falling into the clutches of the Nightmare-tainted cult, her transformation into Nightmare Moon, conquering Equestria, her rule as Queen Nightmare, her near loss and rescue of Twilight, the purging of the Cultists, the battle with the monsters of the Everfree, and finally her abdication and restoration to herself as Nyx the filly. "...And that's how things have been ever since," she finished. She blew out a puff of air and stood as tall as she could. "I didn't know about the Compact, or the Council, or any of that. Maybe that part of my memories was destroyed when I purged Spell Nexus of the Nightmare. I didn't even think about what the Sun would do to the other side of the world-- not that it matters; I could see what I was doing to Equestria and I nearly turned it into a big popsicle." She winced. "I'm Nyx now. Just Nyx. But I was Nightmare Moon, and I was responsible for all the damage that was done... and I'll do whatever you say I need to do to fix it all." She looked up at the Council, a foal in the presence of vast and ancient powers and feeling very small indeed. "...I just don't know how I can."

She looked up. A very few of the Council looked incredulous, some looked suspicious, or even angry, but most looked amazed, as if they had been hanging on her every word. They looked like the Cutie Mark Crusaders did when she'd hosted movie night.  Pele' was so mesmerized that she was sitting slackjawed, a clawful of gems hanging uneaten halfway to her mouth. Her seatmate gave her a poke. She scowled at the amused looks turned her way. "Wha? Issa good story," she said, jamming the gems into her mouth and crunching defiantly.

The Emperor of the Gryphons harrumphed. "Yes, quite the gripping tale," he said gruffly. "So we are to conclude from this that the fault of these events lies solely at the hooves of the Alicorn Princesses."

"Which we have never denied," Celestia retorted, unflappable as ever. "We stand together to bear the blame."

"ALL of us," Luna interjected, looking pointedly at Nyx. "Together."

Twilight looked Nyx in the eye. "Nopony is going to be left alone holding the bag." The words made Nyx feel warm.

"Your loyalty to one another is commendable, as is your honesty in taking responsibility together," the Firebird sang. "Return to your parent, Nyx." Nyx gratefully hopped down off the dais and galloped to her mother. "Do the Alicorns have anything now they wish to add in their own defense? Any plea they wish to make?"

The Treant groaned and creaked in protest. "Are we truly required to go through this?" he rustled. "They have admitted their fault, have they not?"

The Gryphon Emperor spoke up. "Agreed," he said. "Do we really have to go through this rigamarole?"

"Joo betta," Pele' huffed. "Is in da rools, brah."

"Pele' is right, as much as it pains me to say it," Zheng He said. "Let them present their justification."

Twilight was mystified. "What is this?" she whispered to Celestia.

Celestia lowered her head to whisper in Twilight's ear. "The rules of the Council say that since we have admitted guilt, we have to be allowed to make a presentation--- anything we might say to justify our actions, or that might affect what the Council proposes."

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. "A chance to beg for leniency," she muttered.

Nyx squirmed unhappily at her side. Her stage fright jitters were finally giving way to a foal's pouty resentment at being disciplined. All those super-powerful people, just looking for a way to punish them.... "It's not fair," she whispered suddenly. "I bet they've all made mistakes too, and tons of 'em. Look at what Pele' did to Krackle-- Crappy--"

"Krakatoa?" Twilight blinked. Pele' had been mixed up in that historical eruption? Of course she had... Twilight's brow furrowed as an idea began to form.

"Do you have any such presentation to make?" the Firebird asked.

"Actually--" Celestia started to say, when Twilight stepped in front of her.

"Yes, yes we do." There was a subtle groan from the entire room. "But with the indulgence of the Council, I-- we-- will need time to prepare it." The groans that went up at this were almost comical; several Council members could be seen slumping in their seats or rolling their eyes.

The Firebird studiously ignored them. "How long?"

Twilight thought a moment. "A week at least," she said finally. The groans redoubled. The Firebird had to pick up the silver sphere and bang it on the podium quite emphatically. "And I will need one other thing..."

"Yes?"

"The records of the prior assemblies of the Council," she said. "All of them."

The Firebird paused, actually looking apprehensive at the request. "All of them?" At Twilight's affirmative, the venerable bird nodded. "Very well. We shall provide you with copies from our archives by dragonfire.  this Council is adjourned, and shall reconvene one week from now. Till then, " The Firebird rapped three times with the silver ball, and the Council members began rising to their feet and leaving the chamber, more than a few grumbling unhappily about this dragging out of affairs.

As they made to leave, Celestia lowered her head and spoke under her voice again. "Twilight, would you seriously mind telling me what you have in mind doing this?"

"Trust me," Twilight reassured her. "Right from the start there's been something about this whole affair that seemed... wonky." She tapped her chin with a hoof. "And I think I have an idea what it is."

Nyx and Twilight returned to their chambers to find a rather startling state of disarray. The living room nook was filled with stacks of documents; folders, bound volumes, and scrolls. The Quartet were in a tizzy, trying to rearrange the mess around a bemused Ink Spot. Spike was laid out flat, groaning in agony. Ink Spot and Cherry Blossom was doing their bit to tend to him. "What happened?" Twilight exclaimed.

Ink Spot looked up at her apologetically. "Just a minute ago, Spike said something about checking the inbox, and... some mail came through for you," he said. He gestured at the stacks of documents around him. "....All at once."

Twilight and Nyx cringed. The visible volume of paper and parchment easily outmassed the first 'bulk delivery' Spike had brought through by a sizable portion. "But I thought that new spell on Spike's fire was supposed to prevent this sort of thing," Twilight said.

Spike looked up and groaned. "U-urgent rush delivery," he said weakly. "No hold..."

"I guess it needs adjusting," Ink Spot said lamely.

Nyx wrinkled up her nose. "What's that smell?" she said. There was a sulphurous odor in the air, like cheap fireworks.

"Some of them... didn't come out the right way," Ink Spot said, cringing.

"It was terrible, your Highness," Cherry Blossom said, distraught. She rubbed the dragon's tummy and plied him with a glass of ginger beer. "He started screaming and flames started shooting out of both ends and---" It was then that Twilight noticed that Spike's rump was planted hip deep in bags of ice.

Twilight grimaced, eyes wide. "Eee-Yiiii."

"M-mistake in the zip code..." Spike burped.

"How bad is it?" Nyx said sympathetically.

"Remember when Scootaloo tricked us into eating those 'El Diablo" peppers?"

"Ooooo," Nyx said, grimacing and dancing on her hooftips in sympathy agony.

"Take a note; No spicy foods for the rest of the week," Twilight said to Sea Foam. The hoofmaid nodded soberly.

"What is all this, anyway?" Ink Spot said, gesturing at the stacks.

"I'm guessing most of it is the records I requested from the Council," Twilight said. She started magically sorting and stacking alongside her fiancee as she explained the outcome of the day's hearing. "There is an obvious problem here," she said. "If my suspicions are right, it will be in these records of the Council's decisions. It's a problem that's been staring them in the face for millennia, but they just don't see it... and if we can point it out-- maybe we can buy leniency for Equestria. Or better yet, find a solution."

"Oh, really?" Ink Spot said, amused. He always loved how focused and confident his marefriend got when she started chewing over a scholastic puzzle.  "So what obscure-yet-obvious problem are you going to be looking for, precisely?"

Twilight told him. Ink Spot blinked. "Of course. That's brilliant, dear!" He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "That will certainly knock them off their high horses."

"Let's not count our chickens just yet," Twilight said. She levitated several stacks of paperwork. "I want to get some hard documentation first. Let's take this up to the office on the second balcony, I'll work on it there--"

"We'll work on it there," Ink Spot said firmly. "You forget I'm an assistant editor for an international publishing house. This sort of thing is right up my alley." He tried to levitate another equal-sized heap, grunting with strain. "Ahem. Heh." He levitated a much smaller stack. "Lead on m'lady..."

Twilight smiled but said nothing.

Nyx, who had been rifling through the assorted stacks, came galloping up. "How can I help?" she said brightly.

"That's all right dear," Twilight said. "Ink Spot and Spike and I--" at a groan from Spike she amended herself. "Ink Spot and I will handle this. You go on."

Nyx scowled. "But I wanna help," she said. "I gotta help. I promised I would." It struck home again for Twilight; no matter how she might have been absolved, Nyx still saw the calamities of the Nightmare as solely her fault... and probably always would, to some degree. It was good that she wanted to take responsibility for her past, Twilight supposed; but it didn't change the fact that a little filly would be little help for this sort of thing-- and probably just be underhoof. "Well, sweetie..."

"Gee, and here I was thinking you would be more interested in the package from your uncle," Ink Spot said idly. A stray bolt of magic from his horn fetched a pair of circular canisters from the pile of regular mail next to the sofa. Puzzled, Nyx took the two flat circular containers in her magic and looked at them. There was a card attached. She read it:

Hey Nyxy Sticks!

Thought you might like a movie about now to cheer you up. No spoilers, I haven't watched it yet.

Love,

Uncle Shiny.

When she read the titles on the canisters, Nyx sucked in a gasp that nearly emptied the room of air. "Omigoshomigoshomigosh!--- it's-- but Part Two doesn't come out for another MONTH! No wait, it's BOTH Part One and Part Two! Oh can we set up the projector, can we can we pleeeeeease?" she was practically vibrating a foot off the floor, eyes gleaming with excitement-- then she came down with a crash. She cast a despairing look at the files. "But... the appeal thingy. It has to be done first, doesn't it..." the tragic look on her face as she set the film reels down was virtually operatic.

Twilight bit her lip to keep from grinning and mentally thanked Ink Spot for giving her an opening. "Well, this appeal with the Council is very important and it calls for a little delegation of responsibility," she said. "We still have the reparations discussion with the kingdoms of the Western Sea, too....I think while Ink Spot and I work on the files, you could be helping out on the diplomatic front."

"Diplomatic?" Nyx said, nose scrunching.

"Well yes," she said. " I think it would smooth a lot of things over if you invited the diplomat's youngsters over for a screening of your movies. Some popcorn and soda and other snacks, a fun movie... think of it as your first diplomatic social event."

"Hey, yeah!" Nyx practically lit up from within. "Oh, this'll be great-- Do you really think it would help?" she said, suddenly suspicious.

"Positive," Twilight said confidently.

Nyx beamed. "Omigosh I don't know where to start--" she picked up the reels in her magic and pranced in a circle.

Snow Cap came up behind her, chuckling. "Well, your Highness, we should probably start with some invitations. And fetching a film projector from the royal library. Come along.." She led the prancing filly off to arrange her party, tossing a wink over her shoulder.

Ink Spot and Twilight chuckled the entire time they were shipping the papers up to the office nook. They had just hauled/teleported the last stack up the stairs when White Dove let loose with a shriek. Startled, they dropped what they were holding  and got ready to gallop to the rescue when the mare emerged from the bathroom. She was holding a hoof-mirror in one wing and looking rattled. "Your Highness? Your makeup mirror wishes to speak to you," she said, passing it over. "Ahem."

Twilight held the mirror up. Instead of her own face, the mirror showed the face of her library assistant, Roller Reel.

Roller Reel was a scrawny teenage crystal pony with a scruffy black mane, a sparkly white coat and a predilection for black t-shirts with various Grimdark images and logos. Twilight and Nyx had met him in the Crystal Empire on a trip to renovate the Crystal Empire library, and employed him to help out in the budding audio-visual department. True to his name and cutie mark he had proven to be a virtuoso with movies, film, and cameras of all sorts, and he had ended up following them back to Ponyville when his cousin Bright Eyes had moved there. He was now ensconced in the Golden Oaks library as Twilights number three assistant.(1) He had stayed behind in Ponyville to manage the library in Twilight Sparkle's absence. "Hey, yer Maj," his reflection said. "Sup?"

"Roller," Twilight said, annoyed. "What are you doing in my mirror?"

"Hey," he said. "Mebbe you missed it but the folks round here have been on pins and needles about the hearing. Your mane gang have been bugging me to find out how today went, and nopony's responding at YOUR end to my mail, so I hooked up an Amethyst-Agate Magic Mirror array(2) to try and tune you in." He grinned. "Guess I got lucky."

Twilight sighed; she should have expected this. Her friends, due to all the obligations back home, had left Canterlot for Ponyville the day before. "I wouldn't call it lucky," Twilight said sarcastically. "Do you know how traumatizing it probably was for White Dove to have a mirror yell at her while she was in the water closet?"

"Hey I apologized..."

"And we really shouldn't go using the AAMM Array until the official announcement and release," she said. One of the shortcomings of the AAMM Array was that it could, conceivably, tune in to ANY mirror, or even any reflective crystalline surface. The Princesses were trying to hold off on releasing the communications system until they had either come up with a less indiscriminate form, or preferably a reliable way to block it.

"We know, we know," Roller said, rolling his eyes. "So give us the scoop, already."

A second face crowded in next to his. "Yes, darling, don't leave us all guessing," a familiar fashionista said. "I'm on more pins and needles than my dress dummies!"

A rainbow mane crowded in. "Yeah, spill it, before Gertie Gossip here busts a seam," Rainbow Dash said.

Rarity gasped. "I am NOT a gossip!" she said, offended.

"Oh please," Applejack's offscreen familiar twang was twice as heavy as usual. "You got a bigger appetite for the juicy stuff than a flock of vampire fruit bats." Explosive giggles and snickers could be heard in the background. Rarity blew a ladylike raspberry at the others.

"Oh do go on and tell us how it went, Twilight," Rarity said. "Even if these heathens can't appreciate the value of being socially informed..."

Giggling, Twilight told them all that had transpired. "Oh dear, the poor dear must be wrung out after that," Rarity said when she heard how they'd put Nyx up on the stand.

"Actually, she's doing pretty well," Twilight said. "She's been a real little trooper."

"Well good for her," Rainbow Dash said. "Sucks being called on the carpet. You guys stick it to 'em, you hear?"

Twilight smirked. "I fully intend to," she said. "I don't mean to rush you, but I've got a lot of work to do." She lowered her voice. "Thank goodness Shiny still has a good sense of timing. He sent her those movies she's crazy about, and she's getting ready to host a movie night for the diplomat's children. That'll keep her preoccupied while Ink Spot and I do this research..."

Speak of the devil; at that moment Nyx came clip-clopping up the stairs. "Mom?" she said, biting her lip. "There's no way we could invite the Crusaders too, is there?" It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Not really," Twilight said apologetically. "Well, maybe, if you wanted to put it off a day, so they could have time to get here--"

Nyx gnawed on her lip. "No, that wouldn't work either," she said. "They can't all afford train tickets. I could SEND them tickets with my royal allowance, I suppose, but it would still take too long, and some couldn't come anyway, and... meh." She scrunched up her nose. "I could just run the movie a second time, later, at the library...?"

Roller suddenly yelped as he was pushed out of the mirror frame by an eager pink pony. "Hey, wait, did somepony say party?"

"A movie party. For my friends here at the castle," Nyx said after she got over her surprise. "But-- I don't wanna leave my friends back in Ponyville out either..."

Pinkie rubbed her chin, thinking. She grinned suddenly. "Ooo, I got an idea. How about you have the party in BOTH places? You host the Canterlot side; and Roley and the girls and I--" she picked up Roller Reel and smooshed his cheeks into a smile with her hooves-- "will host the Ponyville side! All the Crusaders, right?" She looked over her shoulder. "Girls, you in?"

"That sounds like it might be fun.."

"Yeah, awesome!"

"Well, Sweetiebelle will certainly enjoy it..."

"Sounds like a hootenanny all right..."

Nyx looked hopefully at Twilight. "I... don't see why not," she said. Both Nyx and Pinkie cheered.

"Perfectaroonie! I'll go get my jumbo soda cooler and my popcorn-zooka!" Pinkie hopped away, leaving Roller to collapse to the floor.

"--But how will you show the movie in both places at the same time?" Twilight asked.

Roller got to his feet, rubbing his sore cheek. A slow grin spread across his face. "Hang on... I got an idea for that..."

1)Which he grumbled about frequently. "The baby dragon I can deal with," he said frequently. "But I gotta be subordinate to a friggin' OWL?"

2)Named for the two ponies that invented it. For those who recall them from "Nyx's Family"--- married last autumn, one foal on the way.