Solar and Lunar

by marmalado

So What Does an Alicorn Princess Do, Anyway?

Sunny plodded back to her lighthouse home, still feeling a little dejected about Izzy's sudden mood change. The sun was still high in the sky, which she was grateful for. She was always drawn to the sun, how it was just so bright and uplifting and how many ponies enjoyed playing in its light and beauty. After all, it was her love for the sun that inspired her own name.

She opened the door and closed it, making sure to readjust the picture that hung next to it of her and her dad. "Dad? I'm home!" she called.

"In here, Sunny-bunny!" Argyle responded.

She didn't need to know where "here" was. It was the same place where her dad spent most of his days. The same place that she had come to love and adore. Her favorite room in the entire house.

She galloped through the halls, giggling all the while until she stopped in front of an ajar door that read "Argyle's Research Room" on it.

"Dad, dad, look at me!"

Argyle turned around in his chair. His jaw dropped. His eyes grew to be about as big as dinner plates.

"Do you like it? I got horns and a wing...wait, no...I got wings and a horn now!" Sunny trotted in place. "Dad, I'm an alicorn!"

He didn't respond, still too stunned at the sight of his only daughter suddenly having a change of race in the span of, what was to him, only an hour.

"Dad?"

"I'm..." Argyle shook his head. "I'm sorry, sweetie. It's just...how did this happen?"

"I went exploring outside Maretime Bay and I fell into this portal that led me into Canterlot!"

"Canterlot?"

"Yeah!" Sunny nodded. "I started exploring around and I got to Canterlot Castle where I found half of this thing..." She reached behind her and pulled out the amulet. "And then I found this unicorn filly named Izzy Moonbow who was super nice and had the other half of it! So I put it back together, and next thing I know, I was like this! A-and Izzy became an alicorn too!"

As Sunny continued to ramble on, Argyle grabbed the magical device and examined it. He tilted his head, turned in his chair and reached for his journal, parsing through it until he got to the section on Celestia's and Luna's retirements.

The Sun and Moon Amulet: Infused with small portions of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's powers, this amulet allowed Princess Twilight Sparkle to control the sun and the moon when they were unable to do so for any reason. Most notably, it was placed in the care of Twilight when Celestia and Luna left on vacation. It was activated using Twilight's magic, but somehow, it managed to break. The amulet fell into disuse when Twilight ascended to become the new ruler of Equestria, having learned the natural ability to move the sun and the moon just as Celestia and Luna had.

"Hmm..."

"Dad, are you listening to me?"

"Hm?" Argyle spun around in his chair, only to come face-to-face with a very upset Sunny. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sunny-bunny. But this amulet looked very familiar to me."

"What is it?"

"Why don't you have a seat and I'll tell you." He pointed to another chair on wheels that sat on the far side of the room. Instinctively, Sunny began to head towards it, but stopped mid-way and glanced at her horn. Closing her eyes tight, she heard the wondrous sound of her horn glowing as her magic aura attached itself to the chair and pulled it closer towards her.

Argyle could only chuckle. She's becoming skilled in magic already, he thought to himself, watching as his daughter began to use something that had long since been forgotten by ponykind. Although magic was all but gone, he supposed that the amulet had granted such a gift back to Sunny and Izzy, in addition to making them alicorns.

The second chair rolled right next to him, and Sunny gasped as her orange aura died down. She wasn't sure why she was struggling, exactly -- although she used to be an Earth pony and grew up in a world with no magic, magic just seemed like something that came naturally to her. Perhaps it was the sun's gift, a way of outlining her destiny as a pony who could show Equestria how great magic is and bring it back.

"Good job!" Argyle praised as Sunny hopped into the chair. "I see you're getting the hang of unicorn magic."

"It was hard!" she whined. "Unicorns didn't have this much of an issue with magic, did they?"

"No. But you were an Earth pony. You're not skilled with unicorn magic or Pegasus flight." he explained. "With enough practice, though, you'll be the most powerful pony in Equestria."

"Next to Princess Izzy, right?"

"Right." He chuckled and showed her the amulet. "Now, this amulet is know as the Sun and Moon Amulet. It had the power to move the sun and moon."

"Ooh! Did the princesses use it?"

"Mhm. Celestia and Luna gave it to Twilight so she could have their powers while they were away."

Sunny took a moment to reflect on this new information. She understood that Twilight, for a time, had no magical means of moving the sun nor the moon herself -- for all of her power, that was one thing she was unable to do. The filly glanced out the window, looking at the sun's rays shining down on all the flowers and wildlife that surrounded her home. At that moment, she felt a strong urge to go outside, lay in the sun, and maybe have a conversation with it while she was at it, but at the same time, she wanted to hear more information from her dad. So she settled on a compromise.

"Dad..." Sunny glanced at him. "Can we go outside, and you can tell me more? Pleeeeease?"

"Of course. C'mon." Argyle hopped off of his chair, and the duo headed outside for some much-needed fresh air.

As Sunny laid down and tried to adjust with her new wings, Argyle asked, "So how does the sun feel?"

"It feels...nngh..." After a bit more wriggling around, she was finally able to get into a position that was comfortable for both her and her new appendages. "It feels nice and warm!"

Her dad sighed and closed his eyes. "Honey, I want to try something."

"What?"

"Imagine the sun is another world. A world that you can reach just by flying there. Imagine that it's calling you, beckoning you to come closer and closer."

"Daaaad, if I get too close to the sun then I'll turn all burnt and stuff!"

"Then don't fly so close." He chuckled. "Go on. Try it. Feel the warmth, and feel the breeze."

She was initially hesitant, not wanting to get up after she put way too much effort into such a simple act as laying down comfortably, but her curiosity took over and she got up anyway, flapping her tiny wings rapidly like a hummingbird's. She had expected to struggle, but shockingly, her body slowly lifted off of the ground.

Argyle was in awe. He, too, had thought that Sunny would have fallen within seconds, but she was getting quite a solid grasp on Pegasus magic. He wondered if the alicorn ascension had somehow improved Sunny's abilities or something along those lines.

Sunny fell on the ground with a soft thump. "Oww..."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She stood up. "That was really cool, though!"

"At this rate, you'll master your new abilities and new magic in no time." Argyle smiled. "What do you say we practice some more?"

"Can we?!"

"Of course. I want to make sure my daughter grows up to be a good, wise, and powerful princess, after all."

"Yay! C'mon c'mon, let's get started!"

So, for the rest of the day, both father and daughter bonded, with Argyle cheering Sunny on while she tried her best at every attempt she made using magic, whether it something as minuscule as picking a dandelion or something as grandiose as soaring all the way up to the lighthouse's balcony.

By the time the sun was due to set, Sunny felt more powerful already, although in reality, there hadn't been very much of a change. The country of Ponania wasn't built in a day, after all -- it took time to master newfound powers, her father had said.

"How about a challenge?" he said. "Why don't you try to move the sun?"

"M-move the sun?!" Sunny nearly went pale. "B-b-but I just became an alicorn! I don't know how to move the sun!"

Argyle began to head back towards the house. "Hold on. I might have something on how Celestia and Luna used to do it back in the days of Ancient Equestria. I'll be right back."

Sunny watched him go, then looked at the sky.

Before today, the sun and the moon always moved on its own. So why do I have to do it now?

Maybe it's because...I'm friends with the sun? So does that mean Princess Izzy is friends with the moon? Can she move it like how I hafta move the sun?

A gasp came bubbling forth. Wait. Does Princess Izzy know how to move the moon?! Ugh, my head hurts! She sat down on the grass, letting out a groan of frustration. All of this new information was fun to learn, but when she actually got to comprehending it and understanding it fully, it got confusing right quick.

She made a mental note to try and head to Bridlewood first thing tomorrow, with her dad, of course. From what she understood, it took a couple days to get there and back, so she would have to pack some supplies. She allowed a smile to form, realizing that she could probably make it a fun camping trip. It had been a while since she had been on one, just her and her dad, having fun and bonding ever closer.

Argyle came back outside, journal in hoof, as he made his way over to Sunny. "Here we are."

"Hm?" Sunny turned. "Oh, yay!" Although she was excited to try moving the sun, her mind was still frazzled, and so her "yay" sounded less enthusiastic than usual. But her dad didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Can you follow these instructions?" He laid the open book down next to her and pointed at two pages full of text.

SECTION 12: YOUR DUTIES AS RULERS OVER THE SUN AND THE MOON
Written by: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna
For: Princess Twilight Sparkle

The sun provides much-needed warmth and light for the creatures of Equestria. But, it cannot stay in the sky forever. As the Princess of the Sun, you will need to raise and lower the sun each and every day. To do this, do not force the sun to rise or descend. Instead, work in tandem with it. Allow it to guide you as you raise it and lower it, and soon, it will come naturally to you.

The moon, likewise, provides peace and comfort to the creatures of Equestria, who sleep and dream well in its glorious light. As with raising and lowering the sun, you will need to work in tandem with it. Feel its power and its warm glow as you move it. Wish everycreature the best of dreams. And most important of all, take the time to look at it once your job is complete. It is your duty as the Princess of the Moon.

Both the sun and the moon are valuable entities in this world. Only the most worthy of alicorns may perform the daunting but necessary task of raising and lowering them. Please take this advice and use it wisely. We wish you the best of luck in all future endeavors, Twilight.

- Princess Celestia, Former Princess of the Sun
- Princess Luna, Former Princess of the Moon

Sunny ran her hoof over the first paragraph and tilted her head. She looked at the sky, where the sun shone on her face, as if almost inviting her to try moving it. Closing her eyes, she focused and allowed magic to flow into her horn, illuminating it.

"You're doing great. Don't try to struggle, okay?"

She kept her dad's advice in mind as she attempted to become one with the bright burning star. She could feel something stirring deep inside her, but couldn't quite identify it. Slowly, she could feel her magic aura catching the sun and slowly guiding it down.

"That's it, Sunny Starscout. Keep up the good work. Don't lose focus. Take deep breaths."

She nearly flinched at the new voice speaking to her. Was it the sun speaking? Was it somehow another pony? She wasn't sure. Nonetheless, however, she followed the advice and decided to focus on the current task at hoof.

The sun's warmth gradually faded, and in its place stood a different feeling. Not one generated by heat, but by cold. Although she loved the sun and the daytime, she had to admit that the cold air felt good on her fur.

"All right, Sunny-bunny. You can let go."

The magic aura around the filly's horn faded, and she slowly opened her eyes, giving a soft exhale. What met her vision was a bright night sky, although it lacked stars and a moon.

That is, until stars began to form in the sky, followed by the slow rising of the moon.

Did Princess Izzy learn how to move the moon after all?

"No."

"Huh? Who's there?" Sunny jumped to her hooves and looked around, Argyle tilting his head in confusion.

"Remain calm. I am an ally."

"An ally?"

"Yes. I am here to help you. Please, listen to me." the mysterious voice soothed. "Tomorrow, you must meet Princess Izzy Moonbow and share your newfound knowledge with her. I will come with you."

"But- but how? Don't you- aren't you-"

"We will be waiting at the edge of the daisy fields."

"Wait! Don't go!"

"Rest assured, I will always be with you, Princess Sunny Starscout. Have a most wonderful night."

And with that, the mysterious voice stopped speaking, leaving Sunny in a stunned state.

"Who were you just talking to?" Argyle asked.

"There was this weird voice that told me I needed to go meet up with Princess Izzy and tell her about this book." she explained. "I hafta meet with them tomorrow."

"It is a good idea to let Izzy know of her new duties."

"But Dad, I wanna go with you! I wanted t' make it a fun trip, and- and-"

"Shh." He gently rubbed her back. "I have a feeling this mysterious pony wants you to come alone. So you must make the journey alone."

Sunny couldn't help but whimper as she buried her face in her hooves. It all just seemed like too much to bear. She just wanted to get in the bed, go to sleep, and pretend this day never even happened. But the truth was, even with her new magic abilities, she couldn't just make the day go away by pretending. She was an alicorn princess now, and she had to live up to it. Deep down inside, she knew that it was her fate.

"I know it must be a lot to handle for you. Why don't we go back inside and have some dinner, okay?" Argyle smiled and guided his daughter back inside. With the sun having concluded its run for the day, it was only fitting that the filly most connected to it also began to end her day. But she just couldn't stop thinking about the day's events -- her new alicorn ascension, the magical amulet, and most of all, the source of that mysterious and soothing voice.

---

Izzy stood outside the door of the home she had lovingly called "La Villa Izzy". She unfolded her wings and looked back at them, giving a sigh. It hadn't taken her too long to get to Bridlewood -- after running away from Sunny, she had wanted to go home in a flash, and by some miracle, she teleported. She wasn't sure how she did it, seeing as how magic was gone, but she was here now, and that was what mattered.

What am I gonna tell Mom and Dad? There was no doubt that they would note the wings right off the bat. Explaining what had happened to them, on the other hand, would be a different story entirely, something that Izzy understood.

Still, she tried to keep her optimism in check as she opened the door and walked inside. "Mom? Dad? I'm back!"

"Welcome home, sweetie! I'm in the kitchen, making dinner. Your dad should be back soon."

"Is he getting more food?"

"Uh-huh."

Izzy began to head towards the kitchen, but stopped. Surely, if she surprised her mother while she was in the middle of making dinner, all that would happen was an episode of shock that turned into a huge mess of food to clean up. And she didn't really feel like cleaning today.

She headed over to the couch and laid down. "Mom, could you...c'mere for a sec?"

"Sure thing, honey! Just give me a minute."

There's no going back.

As Izzy's mother turned the stove off, she came out of the kitchen and laid her eyes on her daughter.

She immediately went slack-jawed.

Oh no. Nonono, I knew this was gonna happen! Izzy buried her face in the couch cushion in shame.

"H-honey...you...you have...wings?"

"Mom, I can explain." a despaired Izzy said as she glanced at her mother. "I went exploring and I found this really ancient city, so I decided to look around for anypony to help. Then I came across this castle where I found half of this amulet thingie, and I was just so happy that afterwards I did some more exploring, I started singing. That's when I met another filly named Sunny Starscout. The amulet thingie began to glow, and the next thing I knew, I had wings." She sighed. "I have magic now. A-and what am I supposed to do with these things? I can't even fly!"

It was a couple minutes before her mother said anything, only having the capability to stare at her daughter as she explained how she had become an alicorn.

The front door opened. "I'm home!"

Silence fell as the stallion that had entered stared at his wife, then at his now-winged daughter, who was looking at him with an expression of confusion and guilt.

"What's...going on?"

"Astral. Our daughter has wings. She's...she's an...ohh, what do you call it..."

"An alicorn?"

"Yes!"

He took off the basket of food that hung around his neck and walked over to Izzy. "Izzy, how'd this happen?"

"I found this ancient city and this castle where there was this amulet thingie that made me into an alicorn." the filly said, in a tone of voice that made it very clear she didn't want to have to keep reiterating her story over and over again to different ponies.

"Can you fly?"

"No."

"Is your magic restored?"

"Yeah. I somehow teleported here from the outskirts of Maretime Bay."

The stallion, Astral Crown, sat down on the floor and rubbed his head, trying to process all the information he had been given. He wanted to be supportive of his daughter, but at the same time, he knew very little about alicorns. The unicorns of Bridlewood had been reduced to nothing but unenthusiastic husks of their former selves following the loss of magic from the town, so they weren't much help. And Alphabittle, one of the sole exceptions, was, in Astral's eyes, a con artist who shouldn't be trusted.

"What should we do?" Izzy's mother asked.

"I don't know, Stella." Astral replied. "But perhaps it would be best if Izzy got some practice in. Make sure her magic won't destroy everypony here."

"You're not serious?" Stella took a step back. "Magic has been gone for a long time, Astral. If Izzy does all sorts of weird spells or tries to fly here, it will raise suspicions, especially with those four words."

"Not if she does it on the outskirts of Bridlewood." Astral pointed to Izzy, still lying down on the couch. "Go. Take her."

"I don't know the first thing about complex spells. And why don't you take her?"

"You were always the more magically superior one." Astral smirked. "Plus, it will give you two a good chance to bond with each other."

"But- but I-" Stella attempted to protest, but ended up sighing instead, knowing that trying to argue further with her husband would be pointless. "Fine. I'll take her. Just finish cooking dinner, okay? I want it ready by the time we come back."

"You got it." Astral picked up the basket of ingredients in his mouth and headed for the kitchen.

Izzy, meanwhile, hopped off the couch and glanced at her mother. "I'm ready when you are."

Stella's ears folded downwards, and she felt an ache in her chest. She did truly love her daughter with all her heart and would protect her with her life, just as any mother would for their child. But seeing her in such a state of despair made her feel despaired. After all, there were some days that she would allow her emotions to be sapped away like all the other unicorns of Bridlewood if it weren't for Izzy's constant optimism and cheer keeping her sane.

"All right. Let's go." Stella stepped through the door, shaking her head as she made a mental note to talk to her husband about closing the front door so burglars didn't have a free invitation to come in (not that there were any, anyway). Izzy followed suit and closed the door behind her with her hoof, excitement slowly bubbling up inside her as she became eager to try her new powers and spin this situation from a negative to a positive.

About ten minutes later, the duo arrived at their destination, passing all the "no pegasi" and "no Earth ponies" signs that littered the entrance to their forest home. They were quite a fair ways away from the forest, something Stella did out of fears that unicorns, as dreary as they were, would look up and spot them.

"Um, okay, where to begin..." Stella tapped her chin. "What about flying? Let's get the hardest thing out of the way first."

"But you're a unicorn. What do you know about flying?"

"Not much...but I've seen a couple pegasi fly before. I could teach you what I know from that."

"Okay. So what should I do first?"

"Start by flapping your wings. Not too hard."

Izzy did as she was told, extending her wings and flapping them gradually. To her surprise, her hooves began to touch air instead of earth. She gave a couple yelps of surprise as she spotted her mother, eyes wide with shock, getting farther and farther away from her. The filly tried to remain calm, taking deep breaths as she continued to flap her wings. She had to admit that it felt rather freeing to be way up in the sky rather than on the ground, and she relished the soft breeze that blew.

"Don't go too high!" Stella called as she watched her daughter go higher and higher.

Eventually the filly descended, although she had a rough landing and ended up faceplanting into the ground.

"Oh goodness, are you all right?"

"I'm..." Izzy spit out some dirt in her mouth. "...okay."

Stella breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled. "You did a great job. Flying seems to come naturally to you."

"Does it?" Izzy sounded unsure. "I was doing somersaults in the air!"

"Pegasi always do somersaults. They're show-offs that way." Stella pointed to her daughter's horn. "Why don't you practice some magic next? That should be easier for you."

"Okay. But what should I do first?"

"Um..." Stella looked around until she spotted a flower nearby. Picking it, she said, "Try turning this into any flower you want."

A hesitant look crossed Izzy's face, but as quickly as it formed, she was hit by a wave of determination. Okay, maybe this isn't so bad. I can do this. I love crafting stuff! So maybe if I give this flower the Izzy Touch...

Her horn lit up a bright purple as she squinted, focusing on what she wanted the flower to look like. With a pop, the flower turned from a white gardenia to a purple lilac, studded with glitter. "Ooh!"

"Well, that's...not really what I had in mind." Stella lightly chuckled. "Unless you-"

"Yeah! I wanted it to have glitter!" Izzy trotted in place excitedly. "Ha, I did it!"

"Good job! Now, you think you can make this part of the field into flowers?"

Izzy glanced at where her mother was pointing, a random spot of grass. Tilting her head, she walked over to it and examined it, trying to figure out how to "Izzy-fy" it, so to speak.

Closing her eyes, her horn lit up again, and the blades of grass stood up straight as they were caught in her magic aura. Slowly, they began to transform into moonflowers, and Stella watched as the transformation expanded farther and farther through both sides of the field. The moonflowers were closed due to the sun still being out, but they were still gorgeous to see nonetheless.

Izzy slowly opened her eyes and let her jaw drop as she witnessed her creation. "What...are these?"

"Moonflowers." Stella's voice was just barely a breath, her blue eyes shimmering as she ran her hoof along the petals of one of the flowers. "Honey, these are beautiful. Did...did you mean to do this?"

"I- well..." Izzy rubbed the back of her head. "Not really. But I was just thinking about the moon."

"The moon?"

"Yeah. You know I like the moon, Mom. It's really pretty to look at. And the stars...they're kinda like glitter. Sky glitter!"

Before Stella could respond, her gaze caught the sun slowly lowering, and her eyes widened. "Didn't you say somepony else became an alicorn? Sunny..."

"Sunny Starscout!" Izzy nodded. "She's my friend. She must've figured out how to move the sun!"

The unicorn mare watched as the sun continued to lower, until what stood in its place was a midnight-blue sky. The moonflowers on the other side of the field began to bloom, opening their petals in response to the sky's invitation. The moonflowers on Izzy's side also began to bloom, which was only accelerated when her mother spotted the moon rising and the stars forming in the sky.

"Oh, honey, look! The moon and the stars!"

"Huh?" Izzy turned and watched as, indeed, the moon and the stars took their rightful places up in the night sky, and not of her own volition. "Somepony moved the moon...and it wasn't me?" she asked quietly. She was downtrodden that she didn't get a chance to at least attempt to move the moon, let alone invite the stars out to play for the night.

"It was me, Izzy Moonbow."

"W-who said that?"

"Do not be alarmed. I am not your enemy."

"You're not?"

"On the contrary."

"Izzy? Who are you talking to?" Stella smiled. "Is it another one of your imaginary friends?"

"No, Mom, it's...it's this voice!"

"Izzy. You must meet Sunny Starscout and I on the edge of the daisy fields. Please come alone. It is important."

"But- but how...why..."

"It is for your own good. Please, trust me."

"I..." Izzy sighed. "All right..."

"Thank you. Have a most wondrous night."

And just like that, the voice disappeared. Izzy blinked a couple times, trying to process exactly what happened.

"Mom..." Izzy's eyes began to shimmer. "I need to go."

"Go where?"

"On an adventure. Tomorrow. To 'the edge of the daisy fields', wherever that is." As Stella opened her mouth, Izzy added, "Alone."

"Alone?! Out there?!" Stella stammered. "Honey, no, I can't! Who knows if you'll get abducted by one of those nasty Earth ponies or pegasi brutes who just happen to be out there?"

"Mom, please. This voice...I don't know who it belongs to, but...I wanna follow it."

"You are not going off on some adventure just because a stranger told you to."

"I can, and I will."

"Isabelle Starlight Moonbow, you are not going, and that is final!"

"I need to go!"

"You are not going!"

Izzy stifled a growl, stomping her hooves onto the ground. Her rage eventually boiled into a full-on irritated scream and a galloping on back towards Bridlewood.

"Izzy, you get back here this instant!" Stella immediately galloped after her, the moonflowers illuminating the pathway that led into the forest.

If Mom won't let me go, then surely Dad will! Izzy smirked as her legs allowed her to soar through the forest like prey being hunted by a predator.

She looked back, only to find her mother quickly gaining on her. Shoot! Maybe if I fly, I can escape...but I'm not good at it! What if I crash?!

Ugh...I'll have to take a chance!

Attempting to relax her body, Izzy spread her wings and flapped them, just like her mother had instructed. Although the feeling of her hooves not touching earth was still foreign, she knew what direction she was going, and to her, that was all that mattered. The cool breeze that blew nearly knocked her off track, but she forced herself to keep going until she returned home, doing a couple unintentional somersaults on the way.

A slam into the door and an "oww" marked her return. From inside, Astral looked up from where he was sitting on the couch and reading an old newspaper, tilting his head in confusion as he began to get up and head for the door. But there was no need -- Izzy let herself in, opening and closing the door so fast that one would think she were escaping from a zombie horde.

"Izzy? What's going on?" Astral asked.

"Dad. I need to ask you something."

"Okay. Shoot."

"When I was training with Mom, this mysterious voice told me that I have to go to the edge of the daisy fields and meet it, and Sunny Starscout. It told me to go alone, but Mom doesn't want me to go alone 'cause she thinks it's too dangerous!"

"Well, she's not wrong."

"Dad!" Izzy did a hoofstomp. "I know this voice is probably somepony who's super-crazy or strange, but I wanna go! I...I trust it!"

Astral tapped a hoof against his chin. "This probably has something to do with you being an alicorn." he mused. "If you went there, we might get some answers as to why and how this happened."

"Yeah!" Izzy nodded furiously. "I wanna know more about what happened to me and why! None of the unicorns here in Bridlewood would know, and-"

A loud slam of the door interrupted her. Stella stepped inside, her face nearly beet-red with rage. "Isabella...Starlight...Moonbow." She extended a hoof towards her daughter. "You are in so much trouble."

"Honey, honey, why don't you hear her out?" Astral smiled. "I know Izzy going far away to an unfamiliar place is scary and unsafe. But as I was just telling her, this might help us understand her situation."

"How? How would it help us understand her situation?" Stella marched over to her husband. "She's an alicorn. So what? There's nothing else to it than that. Sure, she has magic back now, but that doesn't mean anything!"

"Yes, it does. It means that she's special." In contrast to his wife, Astral remained calm in both stature and tone. "That amulet she came across is more than just some useless object Alphabittle would keep in his little tea shop. It's magical." He looked towards Izzy, whose eyes were wide with shock. "I have a feeling this is the beginning of something grand. You should let her go on this adventure, Stella."

"I'm not letting her go out there alone!"

"But she has to."

By this point, Izzy had tuned out the argument. She had been watching her parents go at it, her dad being the reasonable one who thought it would be in her best interest to go while her mom was the paranoid one who thought nopony could be trusted, and she was getting tired of it.

She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a plastic container from the cabinet above the counter, attempting to use her magic to lift it and set it down. Turning towards the table, she eyed the dinner that her parents had made. It was vegetable stew, one of her favorite meals. Nice and filling, she knew of no unicorn in Bridlewood who made a veggie stew quite like her parents.

As she magically took her bowl and poured it into the container -- something she would be surprised at if her brain wasn't being pulled all different ways -- she mentally ran through her next actions.

They're gonna be arguing for a while...maybe I should leave. I dunno where "the edge of the daisy fields" is...but that voice will guide me! Her chest swelled with a mixture of anxiety and excitement, and she had to bite back an excited squeal. I'm really doing this! I'm really gonna be running away from home...away from my parents...away from Bridlewood...

She set the bowl down and gave a soft sigh. Maybe this is a bad idea.

No! No it's not! You have to go, and you have to go now! While you're alone!

Izzy was filled with a mixture of all sorts of different emotions. She was conflicted on what to do. On one hoof, she wanted to run away from home, away from her mom and dad, away from Bridlewood, and head to the place where her new friend and the source of that voice were both waiting. But on the other hoof, she didn't really want to leave, because she would miss so much.

Come on. Who says you can't go back to Bridlewood once all this is over with, anyway?

She froze. She hadn't considered that.

Huh. Thanks, brain.

Closing the container, she levitated it with her magic, closed her eyes, and teleported to her room. Upon arriving there, she stumbled and nearly fell on her side, not having gotten used to teleporting just yet. Once she was able to stabilize herself, she rushed around her room, making sure to pack as much of her items as she could. Only halfway through did she realize that she was going overboard, packing non-essential items for a trip that would likely only be a couple days, and she started over, sticking to the essentials.

Soon, she had a suitcase filled with clean water, some secret snacks she had hidden from her parents and kept in her room (most of it was candy), her veggie stew, personal hygiene items for bathing, some camping items, and Fluffy, her favorite stuffed toy. Exactly how she had managed to fit all of that inside one suitcase was a mystery, but nonetheless, she was ready to leave.

Except for one thing.

She walked over to her desk and grabbed a piece of scrap paper and a pen. Once she was finished, she levitated it and her suitcase using her horn and headed downstairs.

Her parents were, surprisingly, still going at it. I haven't seen them fight this much in a long time, she thought, her heart aching. But by now, she had learned to tune their arguments out and maintain her optimism.

Quietly, Izzy laid the piece of paper on the couch and went through the door. Although she couldn't clearly see the night sky, a sense of familiarity gripped her heart, as if the sky were calling to her.

"Hi."

The word danced on the alicorn filly's lips, and she smiled before she extended her wings and flew off towards her destination with her suitcase in tow. It felt rather freeing, to fly for fun and not in an emergency situation or for training. And surprisingly, the act seemed to almost come naturally to her now. She supposed this was the amulet's doing, but how the whole flying situation worked was merely an afterthought to her.

She passed the fields of moonflowers that she had created and gave a hearty laugh, doing swirls in midair as the flowers bloomed and shone a bright white. They almost seemed to be encouraging her, swaying in the breeze that she was creating while also illuminating the path ahead.

"Whoooooo! 'Edge of the daisy fields', Izzy's back and she's comin' for ya!"

Catching unwanted attention be damned. She was having the time of her life. The night was her domain, and she was going to make the most out of every single second no matter what it took. She was an alicorn, and although she knew that could never be changed, it wouldn't stop her from using her optimism to get by.

Comments

[Comickook]

Excellent job on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up here. Definitely liked Argyle's reaction to Sunny's ascension and helping her at least figure out the basics of her new abilities. Sunny's mental dialogue with that mysterious new friend was also great set-up for later. Also appreciated the look at Izzy's family life (specifically the introduction to Izzy's parents and their reactions concerning what happened to their daughter and how Izzy learning to teleport. Also enjoyed Izzy learning to fly as well as talking to that patch of flowers as she was flying.

REALLY looking forward to more of this ESPECIALLY Hitch's reaction to Sunny's ascension, this universe's version of Sunny and Izzy's first meeting with Zipp and Pipp and the wonder of whether or not Sunny and Izzy already becoming friends AND ascending might eventually result in a super-charge of the Unity Crystals.

[AllenVth]

The new Sun and Moon princess will reunite and bring forth harmony once again to a world devoid of it.

These two fillies will become good friends.

[Polak23]

I really like this story! Waiting for the next update!

[RDDash]

Why do they need those amulets again? The sun and the moon doesn't need to be controlled

[marmalado]

11358770
They don't need the amulet. Now that they are alicorns, they have innate magic that will allow them to move the sun and the moon on their own, so they won't be using the amulet. It might come into play later, though...

[midnight arrow]

interesting story so far

[Poparakelis]

"Not much...but I've seen a couple pegasi fly before. I could teach you what I know from that."

How? They need magic to do that, did magic disappear or not author decide yourself

[marmalado]

11635547

She's referring to Ancient Equestrian times, when there was magic. In the present day, only she, Izzy and Sunny have magic--no other pony does.