Chapter 183: Queen for a Day Pt. 1

Twilight was in the royal archives, doing some intense research. Following their recent adventure, the princess had decided to do some digging. She'd reviewed documents and images and even translated ancient texts the past few days. The reason had to do with the shocking revelation that was revealed to her by Starlight. The Jedi Knight was looking into her family history after hearing what the girl had told her. As much as it shocked her to learn that Starlight had a personal vendetta against her family, she didn't dare want to believe that she and her bloodline were bad guys.

The girl was digging into the latest of her family ancestors as she looked up Morgiana. The princess looked at her pirate ancestor as her image came up. The image of her rival, Lerae, appeared as the DNA tests showed their results. Twilight then looked at a nearby panel and grabbed the holographic data of Starlight's DNA before tossing it to where Lerae's was. Twilight looked at the two results as she read the holographic information, and it confirmed what she had expected. Just like the other ancestors of Starlight that were rivals to her, they all matched.

"It's true. All of it," said Twilight before collapsing in her chair. She couldn't believe it.

Everything Starlight said about her ancestors being rivals to her family was true.

Your family murdered mine!

"But we're not murderers. We're good people… Aren't we?"

On Coruscant.

A speeder was currently traveling through the city. Inside were Celestia and Luna, as the Jedi Council had received a report to investigate something. Since Luna had just returned from her latest mission, Celestia dragged her little sister to deal with the matter. For the younger sibling, she'd been hoping Storm would have been back by now, but that was far from the case. This had been the longest her apprentice had been gone, especially to Twilight's homeworld. She was a half second away from calling Storm and demanding he'd get back.

"The coordinates, Lulu," said Celestia.

"Right," said the younger Jedi Master as she tapped the map section and found the location they were heading to. "Take a left here!"

Celestia swerved and flew between two buildings as they continued toward their destination. It didn't take long before a large building came into view. The pair made it to the building's parking space, got out, and took it all in.

"Let's see what they need help with," said Celestia as both got out.

The two sisters entered the building, eventually reaching the receptionist's desk, where a woman was working behind the counter.

"Yes. How can I help you two ladies?"

"We're the Jedi sent to handle the request," said Celestia.

"Ah, yes. Let me message my boss, letting him know you're here," said the woman as she typed away at her computer. A few seconds later, the woman got her response as she turned to both Jedi. "The CEO will now see you two. Take the elevator to the top floor."

"Thank you," Luna said as she and Celestia walked to the left.

The pair got into one as the doors closed and began to take them upwards.

"When we finish this matter, I'm personally going to tell Storm to return. I've had enough of his disobedience! And I blame Twilight for that, Tia!"

"Lulu!"

"You can't seem to control your own student. Well, unlike you, I will not allow Storm to fall into the same behavior!" said Luna as she huffed and puffed. The doors opened as she got out first and didn't wait for her sister to follow her. Celestia merely sighed before following her sister.

"Thank you so much for coming, Jedi Masters. I'm sure this issue will be resolved in no time," said the CEO as he spoke with the two women.

"It was no trouble at all. We Jedi are here to help people. Now, what seems to be the issue?" asked Celestia as she and Luna sat before the man.

The CEO pushed a button on his desk as something began to project. A holographic vial was shown.

"This is a special component that my company uses to make the weapons and gadgets we sell. However, it's not a common material. It's so rare that several people often try to seek it out for themselves and sell it off."

"Let me guess, you had recent break-ins?" asked Luna nonchalantly.

"Yes. Just the other day, there was a security break. The thief in question escaped, but we fear they may try again. Given how rare this metal is, you can imagine what kind of buyers it would attract."

"Yes, that does bode a problem," said Celestia. "Very well. We'll see what we can do. I assume you have the thing under lock and key?"

"Yes, it's under…"

"No need to tell us," said Luna.

"I beg your pardon, Jedi Master?"

"The less people know, the more safer your thing will be. For all we know, the thief that tried to break in could be watching us and listening right now," said Luna, keeping her Jedi senses about as if to sense any danger.

"So, what do you Jedi suggest?" asked the CEO.

"First, we'll need to look into your security system. Tell me, how often do you check it?" asked Celestia.

"Not too long ago. We just had it repaired and updated since the break-in the other night."

"Then it's best we start there. You can never be too careful. In my experience, relying on devices isn't always reliable." said Luna. "Not to mention, there are always flaws within a system. I'll check the security system to ensure nothing was stolen."

"And I'll start discussing plans with you, sir," said Celestia to the man as Luna exited the office.

In the training guards, Storm was being put through the ringer. The Jedi Knight was currently facing a Veteran as the much taller guard was the latest to challenge the teen per order by the King. Storm was in a circle of guards as they cheered for their comrade to defeat the boy. The Veteran guard broke his double voulge into two as he twirled them before aiming the sharp ends at the Jedi. Storm rallied himself as he managed to block more of the Veteran's strikes, showing no difficulty in holding his own against the guard. The royal guard swung as fast as he could, but not a single attack got through the teen's solid defense.

Storm managed to take a small window as he sidestepped and delivered a kick to the guard, sending him to the feet of others. Before he could celebrate, he was blasted by some magic as it skinned his arm. Storm held his arm momentarily as he saw a female Apprentice guard holding her magic tome. He turned to face her before she casted some dark magic as he jumped back. She then switched to light magic and began to fire small pelts of it. The Jedi Knight moved about, trying not to let them hit him while closing in the distance. He was shown bringing his lightsaber upward as the female guard saw it and casted a protective shield to deflect the attack. She then combined both magic sets and shot it out in two beams. Storm was still running toward them as he rotated his body to dive between them before landing and putting his hand out. The Force pushed the Apprentice into the arms of her comrade as they helped her up.

A Spy then snuck in an attack by hitting Storm in the back as he stumbled forward. Storm instinctively swung his lightsaber, but the Spy guard jumped back. He pulled out his chain and sickle as he twirled it about. Storm raised his weapon as the Spy twirled and tossed the sickle out. It soared through the air as it wrapped around the weapon's blade and chain, creating a lock. The Spy pulled back as Storm stumbled forward, still holding on. He got to his feet and pulled back as the Spy shifted his weight and stance to accommodate the teen's strength.

Storm tried to outmuscle the Spy, but it was starting to be a losing battle, especially when the guard shifted his body so that he planted his shin on the chain to stop Storm's momentum. He then began to pull the boy in as Storm's feet dragged along the dirt. The Jedi got closer and closer as he had an idea. As the Spy went for his latest pull, Storm purposely took a step forward as it tossed the whole balance off from the Spy; he pulled the Jedi much closer than expected. Storm quickly rotated in the air as he kicked the guard's face, knocking him down. He smiled when a voice warned him.

Behind you!

The voice in the boy's head saw danger as Storm turned and barely escaped the path of an arrow aimed at him. He looked about and saw a Shade guard who had tried to take a shot at the Jedi but failed. He had his bow in hand as he quickly loaded it up and pulled back. Storm easily countered the quick arrows aimed at him as the Shade touched a dial on his side as the quiver of arrows he had begun to rotate. He tossed three to chuck into the air before bending on a knee and rapidly firing at them with more arrows. Upon impact, it created a huge smokescreen that surrounded everyone. Storm coughed initially as he kept his wits about him. His Jedi senses went off as he ducked when the Shade, who managed to sneak about and stand beside him, aimed and missed due to the boy's quick reflexes. Storm rolled through and put his arms out to use the Force to clear the smoke. It cleared as the Shade had his bow loaded and fired, and the arrow now had a chain attached to the end of it.

Storm quickly rolled head over heels forward to avoid it. He landed, and the Shade activated his boots as he slid about. Storm saw the Shade sliding to the left while still aiming his bow. He fired arrows as Storm blocked some of them before dodging the rest. The Shade stopped before zigzagging toward the Jedi and clubbed him under the chin with his bow. Storm fell, and the Shade had his boot on the boy's arm, holding his lightsaber. He already had the arrow aimed at his face as Storm concentrated and used the Force to rotate his body backward as if to stand as he tripped the Shade. He tried to get up as Storm was shown with his lightsaber coming down, which he blocked by positioning his bow horizontally. The two were locked in a standstill, with Storm towering over the guard before he flicked the weapon away and aimed his tip at the guard, who merely put his hands up.

The Jedi looked about, waiting to see which guard would be next. But none did. He lowered his weapon to allow the guard to get up. The Jedi Knight lifted his head to see Night Light watching him from a tower. The King stared down the boy as he continued to hold his own against his army. But every time Storm did this, he provided them with valuable information to study. Based on the recent trials, his army was becoming increasingly familiarized with the tactics of the Jedi, and they would soon know how to counter him fully. Night Light signaled the select guards to be dismissed as they bowed to show their King their loyalty. Storm looked at Twilight's father as the scowl on his face never once faded.

Twilight had spent all the morning in the royal archives as she was obsessed with discovering all the pieces. The girl had looked at her family tree for what could have been the 500th time alone as her family legacy's many names and faces weighed on her mind. To her, there was no way Starlight was right. That her family was a bunch of murderers; they were kind folk who always helped the people of Equis. They weren't tyrants or dictators who did things for their own selfish desires; they cared for others and did all they could to give back.

"It just can't be true. Starlight has to be lying. My family wouldn't do stuff like that. Mom and Dad wouldn't treat our people like they're inferior," said the princess as so many things came to her mind.

Eventually, she decided to clear her head and left the royal archives. The princess was making her way about the castle as every servant that passed her bowed to show their respect before leaving to attend to her duties. Each time one of them bowed, Twilight smiled and waved as she returned to thinking.

"Each of these people serves me and my family."

Twilight stopped as she approached an outside bridge and leaned forward on the railing to see into the royal garden. Some of the gardeners and florists were attending to the royal gardens as nearby Spike was leaning on a lawn chair as a maid was fanning him with another, feeding him grapes into his mouth.

"More!" said Spike, commanding the maid to feed him another piece of fruit.

"They give so much of their time and effort all to serve the crown," said Twilight, seeing the display of their servants as evidenced by her brother's actions. She then got up and continued walking as she passed more servants who paid their respects to the princess.

She came across a room with her mother in front of a mirror and lined up were several maids, all holding different dresses. The Queen looked at herself, modeling the garment before giving her final verdict. They all nodded before vanishing to get what the woman requested.

"Every command we give them, they obey. Without a second thought," said Twilight as she kept on walking.

"Twilight, I have here the latest list of suitors reaching out for your hand in marriage," said Moondancer as she found her friend and presented the long list.

"O-Oh, t-thanks," said the girl.

"Shall I put it in the pile of yet-to-be-decided?" asked the lady-in-waiting.

"Please."

Moondancer nodded as she went to drop off the scroll onto an already growing pile that Twilight had stocked up from many requests of people trying to wed her. For the princess, time was ticking. Her 18th birthday was fast approaching, and she would need to decide by then, or else she'd be married off by her parents. Her freedom was slowly being stripped away before she would forever be locked inside a tower for the rest of her life. The princess had so many things to deal with that she wished she had the answers to everything. As smart as she was, she felt so lost.

"Hello, princess. What can I do for you?" said Gustave while preparing lunch for the royal family.

"Hey, Gustave," said Twilight to the head chef. "Do you have any ice cream?"

"Ah, for you, princess, anything!" said Gustave before shouting to one of his chefs to serve Twilight quickly.

One of the newer chefs rushed quickly and presented the bowl to the girl to avoid being in trouble. Twilight smiled at the young chef before giving him a citrine gem as payment, which he accepted. Twilight took a scoop and tasted the sweet treat as her worries faded.

"Trouble, Your Highness?"

"Yes," said Twilight to Gustave.

"Well, I wish I could help. But I have to get lunch ready for your family. Will you be joining them this time?"

"Actually, no," sighed the princess as she took her bowl of ice cream and headed for the door. She stopped in the doorway to address the head chef. "You're a good person, Gustave. You've given so much to my family."

Twilight left as she continued on her walk. Owlowiscious appeared as it spotted its owner and landed on her shoulder. The princess rubbed her owl's head as it nuzzled her cheek before flying up and deciding to rest on Twilight's head. Sitting by the fountain in the front courtyard was Storm, who had his pet companion with him. The boy was bandaging up his wrist as he suffered a minor bruise from the fights he had.

"That should do it."

"Click," responded the fruit bat to his owner.

"Thanks, Sonar," said Storm to his pet bat.

The Jedi petted his bat with his two fingers as it sounded. The pair then sensed something approaching them: Twilight and Owlowiscious.

"Hey."

"Hey."

The owl let out a hoot as Twilight sat beside her partner. She noticed the small bandage on his wrist, which concerned her.

"Did my dad put you through the wringer again?"

"Eh, just a bruise," said Storm.

Twilight grabbed her partner's hand and held it with both of them. The princess closed her eyes as she concentrated. Storm looked at his hand as a purple aura surrounded it; the princess was casting some healing magic onto her partner's wrist as both pets watched. The magic around Storm's hand soon ended as Twilight removed her hands from his and began to unbandage his wrist. When fully uncovered, the boy's wrist was perfectly healed, as there was no bruise.

"Impressed," said Twilight.

"I'm more than impressed. I think I might be in love," responded Storm jokingly.

While the girl knew her partner was making a joke, she did blush a bit at hearing him say the word love. Storm rubbed his wrist as Twilight just looked away and played with her skirt a bit. Owlowiscious saw his owner's reaction as he just gave a suppressed hoot at how she chose to keep her feelings hidden.

"So… how did your research go?" asked the boy.

Twilight sighed upon hearing that as she stopped playing with her skirt and put her hands on her knees.

"I checked, and… it's true. Every for that my ancestor had a grudge against. They're related to Starlight. And… they disposed of them just like she said. But… I don't believe my family to be murderers. We can't be."

"Of course not. You said so yourself. You and your family have done a lot for Equis." responded Storm.

"But… what if… she's right?"

"Twilight, she's not."

"But what if…"

"Twilight…"

"What if… my family are murderers? What if I'm…"

"Sparky!" said Storm as he got the girl's attention. He placed a hand on Twilight's knee and rubbed it. The girl cooed at her partner's touch on her skin. He then grabbed her hand and held it upward before looking at her.

"You're not!"

"But… what…"

"You aren't someone who takes another being's life without giving them a chance. I know that. Starlight can claim you and your family are killers, but in reality, she's blinded by rage."

"I'm just worried… each of my ancestors got rid of their competition. And if Starlight is mine, does that mean… I have… to take her life? I… I don't know if I can do that."

"Hoot," said the princess' owl as it sensed the girl's turmoil. He got off her head and landed in her lap, nuzzling her to make her feel better.

Twilight appreciated her pet, trying to comfort her as she petted its head.

"Well, I wish I could say you don't have to. But… as Jedi, sometimes we have to take someone's life. But I do know that when the moment comes, you'll make the right choice regarding Starlight."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Twilight.

"I just know," smiled Storm.

The girl looked at her partner, as always. His assuring smile made her forget her troubles and doubts. The pair kept looking at each other as they got closer and closer. Their faces were inches apart, and their lips were even closer. It seemed like they were about to touch when Storm was suddenly shoved back and fell into the fountain. He surfaced and spat out some water as he looked at Twilight, who stood up and smirked.

"Really?" said Storm smugly as Twilight tried to act innocent.

The princess was unexpectedly reeled in as Storm grabbed her hand and pulled her in. Owlowiscious immediately sensed the danger and hovered in the air as Twilight was now in the fountain with Storm. The girl was on her behind, and her hair was wet and covered her face. She pulled it back, sprayed some mouthwash out of her mouth, and looked at her partner.

"Like I said, you look good with wet hair," said Storm smugly.

Twilight immediately moved her left arm to splash some water at her partner. Storm returned fired as the two teens began to have a little water fight while laughing and giggling. Watching from afar was Velvet as the Queen was happy to see her daughter having the time of her life with the boy she had deep feelings for. From one of the balconies, watching his daughter and her bodyguard, was Night Light, as the King had a different expression than his wife. The King had different emotions toward what he saw as he hoped the Jedi wouldn't screw up their plan of getting Twilight ready.

In the throne room, Twilight was with her mother and father as they all sat on their thrones. Many people came to the royals to discuss and vent their issues.

"Your Majesty. Ever since you repaved the roads, wear and tear on people's shoes has been at an all-time low!" said the cobbler as Owlowiscious, who rested on Twilight's armrest on her throne, began to close his eyes. Even he found this boring. The princess glanced over at her pet owl and smiled as she thought similarly.

"Not one person has come into the cobbler shop all week!"

"I see. Well, we can't very well unpave the roads, can we, Feldspar?" said Night Light to the cobbler. However, it occurs to me that the royal guard needs new boots. Do you think you might be of service, sir?"

"Might, might I? Why, of course, Your Majesty," said the cobbler, grateful for the King's opportunity. He bowed before kneeling and kissing Night Light and Velvet's hand before leaving to get started.

Twilight silently tapped her father's shoulder as he leaned in for his daughter to speak into his ear.

"Do the guards really need new boots?" said Twilight as she had just done a small inventory of them.

"Uh, no. But the livelihood of our local businesses is worth the extra cost," said Night Light as he wanted to help their people.

"Hoot!"

Owlowiscious responded to Night Light's answer. He flapped his wings to land in Twilight's lap, and the King petted the owl. Twilight smiled, grateful her father was willing to help their people, but she couldn't get the thought of what Starlight said about them being villains out of her mind.

"Twilight."

"Hmm," said the girl as she snapped out of her thoughts to look at her parents.

"I said it's important that you're prepared for any contingency while we're gone," said Night Light as he and his wife were going on a trip and as practice for when she would take over the throne, leaving Twilight in charge.

"Uh, honey, we're only going to be away for two days," said Velvet, feeling her husband was making this a bigger deal than it was for their daughter. "We deserve a little break. I think she can manage."

"Oh, I know she can because she's a Sparkle. You're destined for greatness."

Night Light looked at his daughter before returning to the next person in line. Twilight smiled when her father looked at her but soon lost it. Owlowiscious sensed her regret as Twilight began to stroke her pet in an attempt to feel better.

The following day, the King and Queen were outside the castle gates. They wore winter clothes, as their journey would involve going through some very cold mountains. The guards loaded their bags into the carriage as Twilight stood beside her mother.

"We hope to make it to the mountain retreat by noon," said Velvet to her daughter.

"I'm so excited for you guys," said Twilight as she hugged her mother. She then looked at the horse and approached it as if driving the carriage, which would be Storm's horse. "Take care of my parents for me, Spirit."

The horse heard what the princess said, nuzzled her with his nose, and she petted it. Standing at the castle's entrance, Night Light gave the final duties to his head of staff.

"Sheran, the order for the new shields will be finished by tomorrow."

"At once, sir," said the blacksmith as he left to do his job.

"Gustave, whatever my daughter wants to eat, you make it. No exceptions."

"Y-Yes, sir," said the head chef as he promised he'd cook whatever Twilight wanted, even if his chiefly instincts wanted to do something else.

"Fleur, have the maids keep finish remodeling that room by the time we come back."

"Of course, Your Majesty," said the girl as she bowed, holding the tips of her maid outfit to the side before leaving.

"Moondancer, help my daughter with whatever she needs."

"Yes, sir," said the lady-in-waiting as she kept her head down.

Night Light smiled, knowing things would be okay with Moondancer by Twilight's side. However, he wasn't happy with who stood off to the side. The King approached her daughter's bodyguard as Storm saw Twilight's father. The King grabbed the teen's shirt and pulled him in.

"Listen to me, Jedi. While I am gone, your sole duty is to keep my daughter safe. Nothing more. If you think this is your chance to bed my daughter… then when I come back, I will make sure you won't bed anyone anymore. You are to be her guard and nothing more. If I find out you were in her bed or you forced yourself on her. I will have a public execution for you. And I'll do the execution myself! Are we clear?!"

"Yes, sir," responded Storm.

Night Light released his hold of the boy as he walked. Some guards began to accompany the King to the carriage, and one of them hit the Jedi in the back of the head; he fell to a knee and held his head. The King smiled as he gave the boy a warning shot to convey his message.

Twilight and her mother saw Night Light approach them as the pair entered the carriage. The door closed as Twilight came to the side and looked at her parents.

"I won't let you down, Dad."

"I know you won't, sweetie," said Night Light as he extended his arm out of the carriage and stroked his daughter's cheek. "Now remember, you'll discover when you become queen, many voices will demand to be heard, but when all is said and done, the voice in your heart is the one you should follow."

The driver then flicked the reigns as the carriage began to move. Twilight turned and waved her parents goodbye as the carriage passed through the castle gates and began to head down the road to their retreat. The Jedi sighed as she hoped she could prove she would be the future leader her people needed.

Your family murdered mine! You Sparkles are dictators!

Upon returning to the throne room, Moondancer awaited Twilight as she entered. The lady-in-waiting also had a list of things the girl needed to do.

"So, what's the agenda, Moondancer?" asked Twilight as Owlowiscious was on her head.

"Well, first, perhaps you would like to change into something more regal since you're technically queen?" asked Moondancer as Twilight was in her casual attire and figured she'd maybe want to dress like a queen to get more into her role.

"Hoo," responded the owl as he gave his opinion.

"Um, I think I'm good," said Twilight, wanting to stick to what she was wearing. Figuring she could get her subjects to take her seriously without any fancy crown or garment.

"Very well. In terms of the list…" said Moondancer before holding the scroll as it fell and rolled past the small steps to the throne before it stopped. "You have the morning's royal counsel to hear out your subjects' concerns."

"Hoo," said Owlowiscious as he told Twilight what he thought when he saw how long the list was.

"Un, alright. People of Equis! Got a problem? Consider it solved," responded Twilight nervously and with a chuckle.

"Hoo," said the girl's owl as he extended one of his wings to point toward the door.

Coming in were tons of people, all starting to line up for Twilight to hear their complaints.

"Wow… a little longer than yesterday, right?" said Twilight to Moondancer. "But nothing I can't handle."

"Actually, princess, word got out that you would be receiving subjects, and well…" chuckled Moondancer as the camera panned to show the long line standing outside the throne room doors and throughout the castle gates. "... We had quite a turnout."

"Great," groaned Twilight as she slumped into her throne chair. Even Owlowiscious felt bad for his owner.

In another part of the castle, Fleur and some of the servants were renovating the castle. The head maid had a blueprint of what was left of them to do by the King before he left as she struggled to figure out where the final piece would go.

"Well, I see everything is going well here," said Storm as he made his presence known, carrying a piece of fruit.

"Hello, Storm. Shouldn't you be with Twilight since you're personal guard?" said Fleur, looking back at her blueprints. "Trim a little to the left!"

"Well, as part of her orders, she sent me to the castle to check on the renovations," said Storm as he took a bite of his apple.

Speaking of Twilight, the girl had been doing her morning counsel for only an hour and already had more people lined up.

"There's still a lot to go. Sure you can handle it?" asked Moondancer to her friend.

"Yeah! Of course I can!" said Twilight, smiling, trying not to be discouraged. "Come on!"

The princess pulled her lady-in-waiting with her as they entered the castle, with some music beginning to play. They turned the corner to the hallway leading to the throne room as several servants stood holding out food for Twilight to taste.

Royal decision making
Hey, I was born to do it
Yeah, sure, I'm slightly faking
But there's not that much to it

Bring it on, I'm ready
'Cause I got this
I've got this
Just watch

Twilight threw the doors to the throne room open and marched toward her throne as she sat on it. The music continued to play as Moondancer pulled the doors open.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, may I present… your most humble subjects."

A sea of people began to enter and walk toward Twilight to voice their concerns. At first glance, Twilight was taken aback by the rushing of people as two sheep farmers pushed to the front and complained to the princess in the song's tune.

He won't let my sheep graze
Next to his without a fight

"Hmm," responded Twilight as another two people pushed to the front.

How can I cut hair
With this guy fiddling day and night?

A barber appeared with a fiddler next to him. He took the instrument from the musician and showed it to the princess to discuss his issues.

"Gosh," responded Twilight.

Lately, half the town's
Overrun by cats and kitties
Eating everything in sight

A woman held a basket of felines to show the princess out in the town, and the many others were running about, causing trouble unintentionally.

"Right!" said Twilight as she stood up to address some issues.

The princess got in between the two sheep farmers as she pulled them apart and explained her solution while the song tune still played.

Pasture land is public
I decree you'll have to share

She then moved to the barber and fiddler, where she took the instrument from the barber, threatening to cut the strings with his scissors.

Ear plugs will do wonders
You'll receive a royal pair

The princess gestured for a servant to bring the barber some earplugs on a pillow. He was pleased with the girl giving the musician his instrument back, but he vanished.

"Thanks!" said the barber.

Henceforth, it is written
We'll feed every cat and kitten
Here, within the palace square

"Fair?" said Twilight, taking the basket of felines from the woman and walking back to her throne between the people. She then gave it to Moondancer and turned to her people.

"Yeah!" said the crowd.

Folks, the line starts there

The people followed her command as they lined up so she could hear their concerns. Moondancer, leaving with the basket of kitties, turned to look at Twilight as she began to sing.

She's got a knack for reigning
So far, she's holding steady
But folks are still complaining
So, let's not throw confetti

Nonetheless, I guess
Our girl has got this
She's got this
No prob

The lady-in-waiting was walking past some of the other people, as some still had unhappy faces, but she had hoped Twilight would resolve them. She came to a portrait of Twilight with her parents, which showed her sitting on her chair and wearing her crown. Moondancer's hopes went up a bit more as she left. However, it wasn't long before Twilight started to encounter some trouble.

"Is that the last one?" asked Twilight.

"Well… not exactly…" said Moondancer as she had her head peaking out to look at how many people were left.

"Your Highness!" said a woman. She and a few others burst in, pushing Moondancer to the side as they rushed to the princess. Twilight cowered in her chair as they all bum-rushed her with concerns.

Since we shared the pasture
We can't tell who's sheep are who

"Oops," said Twilight, seeing the two sheep farmers fighting over which sheep were theirs.

I can't hear my customers
And ruin all their doos

The barber had a rag over a customer's head as he took it off to show the many mistakes he made due to the earplugs he was wearing, which were given to him by the princess to silence the fiddling.

"Sorry," apologized Twilight.

Now the cats are quiet
But the rats are running riot
Up and down the avenues

A basket full of kitties she had taken earlier moved by her feet as rats were under it moving it. A few rats climbed on the woman, voicing her concerns. She shook them off before grabbing her face.

Twilight was now curling up in her chair, as the many people talking over each other to get her attention were becoming too much for her.

No more interviews

She cowered in fear as Moondancer quickly pushed them away, got them past the door, and managed to shut it with Owlowiscious' help. The two left Twilight alone to get some peace and serenity. The princess just sat on her throne, almost wanting to cry. The lively tune from before changed to a more gentle, sad one, matching her mood.

Gosh, what a huge disaster
And everybody knew it
I had one job to master
And I completely blew it

The girl got up and proceeded to head out the side door to the throne room as she came into view of the portrait that Moondancer had seen before.

I was darn certain that I got this
But I'm not this
Not yet
Who would have thought
How far from getting this
I could get

Twilight put her hand on the portrait before returning to it and gently slid down the wall to the floor. The girl was displeased with her performance as she didn't think she would be the ruler her people needed. Owlowiscious returned to his owner as he saw how sad she was. The owl landed on her knees and gently pecked her head as she looked up. She grabbed her fluffy owl and hugged him as the bird did his job of being the girl's emotional support system.

Nighttime had fallen as Twilight was out on her room's balcony. Owlowiscious was on the railing with his owner as the girl brushed her hair. She still maintained a sad look as today's events played in her mind.

"So, how was your first day on the job?" asked Storm as he made his presence known.

The princess didn't waste any time as she rushed to her partner to hug him.

"Hold me," said Twilight.

"Whoa. Is everything okay?" asked Storm with concern as he wrapped his arms around the princess.

Twilight let out a sigh as she released her hold on her partner.

"I'm just… How am I ever gonna do this?" groaned the girl.

"Hey, hey, relax. You only gotta hang in there one more day," said Storm as he followed Twilight to the railing, with the princess looking outward. "Your parents will be back soon.

"I know…" sighed the teen, "But…"

As she turned to sit on the railing to face her partner, her hairbrush was knocked off and fell to the floor as she groaned even more.

"Mmm. It's not tomorrow I'm worried about. Someday… this will be my job every day, and I'm…" Twilight sighed as she felt the weight on her shoulders, "... I, I'm not sure I can handle it all."

"Sparky, come on," smiled Storm as he bent down to pick up her hairbrush. Look at all the amazing things you've done. Do you think you would've done any of them if you'd stopped worrying about how you would do it?" The boy handed the girl her hairbrush as she took it and listened to her partner. I know you didn't choose this, but you, of all people, should know that when life hands you lemons…"

"Yes? Finish that thought," said Twilight with a raised eyebrow as Storm just stopped what he was saying.

"Oh, well. Uh, no, it's not so much a thought as much as an expression," said the teen.

"Because you can do a lot with lemons," explained the princess to her guard. "Make lemon meringue. Soften your hair. Uh, clean tough stains. Juggle." Twilight was listing off the possibilities of using lemon as Storm just gave her an unamused look.

"Or make lemonade?" answered the boy, crossing his arms.

"You know, not a fan," confessed the girl.

"Okay. Look. My point is that you, more than anyone I've ever known, are able to take any situation and make the best of it," said Storm as he sat on the railing to face Twilight and grabbed her hands. "You're the queen. Go with it."

The girl smiled as she lifted her head to look at her partner. She got the message her friend was saying as it filled her heart with hope. She then stood up and began to walk.

"Where are you going?" asked Storm.

"To enjoy life's lemons," said Twilight.

"Heh. That's my girl."

Storm smiled and crossed his arms as Twilight stopped and returned to him.

"Thanks."

The princess kissed her friend on his cheek as she left. The Jedi Knight smiled as he got up and walked. The night sky was shown as it peered downward to show the carriage Twilight's parents were in. They were going up the mountainside as Storm's horse was walking through the snow that had started falling. As they kept climbing, small cracks on the cliff they were walking along began forming as the carriage wheels came over it. Velvet was looking out of the carriage's side as she saw the snow coming down.

"Wow. Oh, it's beautiful. I don't recall the last time it snowed this much."

"Hmm. Looks like there's more to come," said Night Light as he looked at the weather they were in, which was a bit more than they usually encountered. "I don't know, Velvet, maybe we should return to the castle."

"Hmm, Nighty, I know you're worried about Twilight," said the woman to her husband.

Just then, the carriage stopped. The driver got off and began to walk forward. The two rulers wondered why they stopped as Night Light peered his head out to see the driver walking away.

"Driver!" called out the King, wanting an explanation.

The driver's face was covered as they lifted their hidden hand as it glowed. As if on cue, icicles from above them cracked and fell. It crashed before the horse as Spirit got spooked and neighed while standing on its hind legs. He instinctively backed up into the carriage as the ground began to rumble. The carriage then shifted and slid to the left as both rulers sensed it, with the horse looking back at the thing. Seeing one of the wheels hanging off the side, the animal began to turn to its left and sprint as if to pull the thing from going over the edge. One of the ropes connecting the harness and carriage snapped as the balance was overweighed, and the stallion turned to face the carriage and pull.

Both rulers felt the shift inside as Velvet was flung to the right and fell through the door.

"Velvet!" shouted Night Light as he extended his arm to grab hold of his wife.

"Nighty!" said the woman as she was a bit scared.

The queen was now danging through the exposed carriage door as she looked down to see how far the drop was. With a pull, Night Light got his wife back into his arms and held her tightly. The pair looked at the exposed door as the horse tried to save the carriage. However, it was too much as the last harness snapped, and Storm's horse skidded back. It then saw the carriage go off the cliff as Night Light and Velvet held on as the sound of it tumbling was heard.

The driver who had left before watched from afar as they put down their binoculars and covered their faces so that only their snow goggles were visible.

"Long live the King," said the mysterious person as they turned before everything went black.

To be continued…

Author's Notes: It seems Twilight's first shot at being queen isn't going as well as she had hoped. Especially, since she's gonna take over the throne much sooner than she expects as her deadline draws very near. In addition, she's been looking into her family history, trying to research everything that Starlight told her. And as for her parents, it seems they're in their own danger.

Also, to all my fellow Star War fans. May the 4th be with you.