Between Harmony and Order I

Noon rose over Canterlot, the majestic capital of Equestria. Along the white streets, crowds of ponies walked cheerfully and brimming with confidence. In the houses and shops, there was no shortage of decorations commemorating the celebration of that day.

It was the Festival of the Two Sisters, and there were few excuses not to have fun.

Under a clear sky, near one of the city's viewpoints, an unknown filly with a yellow mane carelessly enjoyed her ice cream, unaware that the makeshift flying lantern her friends had made was coming undone. Finally, it broke free, and the lantern began to ascend into the deep blue sky.

"No, my lantern!" the filly exclaimed in dismay when she realized too late how far her lantern had gone. But her fright was short-lived. Suddenly, a purple-coated pegasus seized the lost lantern from the air and descended to where the little girl was to return her gift.

"Yes, my lantern! Thank you so much, thank you...!" The filly fell silent upon discovering the identity of the pony who had returned her lantern.

Without waiting for more thanks, the kind-hearted alicorn ascended once more into the sky in a graceful flight, her majestic horn barely causing her mane to flutter.

Twilight, without any royal attire or obligations occupying her brief free time, flew to an altitude from which she could see the entire city. Beneath her hooves, the trading stalls were arranged as planned, security agents were in their designated positions, and the race stadium was filled with eager ponies ready to witness the opening event that was about to begin. Everything was going according to plan and even better, as a large number of ponies had volunteered to guide visitors.

"More families than in previous years... I'll have to review the statistics later," she thought to herself as she observed the long lines at the entertainment games.

With nothing else to check, she began to circle over the city, casually observing all the places she knew, such as the library, the magic school, among others. In all these places, there were ponies having fun or engaged in the celebration, creating an atmosphere of joy and friendship.

Twilight smiled, allowing nostalgia to accompany her flight. But it was not a depressing feeling. On the contrary, her heart shone like the noonday sun in a worry-free sky. In a good mood, Twilight continued to soar through the firmament.

Below her stretched the city where she had grown up and studied during many years of her youth. It was the place she had long considered her only home, where her family and so many cherished memories resided.

Twilight halted her flight, and her gaze drifted beyond the city limits, towards the vast forest that covered much of the horizon. She stopped at the nearest town to the capital. She knew that place well; it was where her life took a turn, where she left her old self behind to become an alicorn princess. Ponyville, where she found the best friends a pony could wish for, and they propelled her to the position she held now.

Twilight smiled even more. Soon, those great friends would come to visit her, spend an afternoon chatting and sharing everything she had missed in the past year, and maybe even prepare a new surprise for her, just like they had done on previous occasions.

With her mind busy guessing what the surprise might be this time, Twilight nosedived towards the waterfalls descending from the city, only to rise again like a streak of purple light towards one of the castle towers. Passersby on the streets were left in awe as they beheld the beautiful rainbow trail the princess left behind in her fleeting flight through the sky.

//--------------------

In one of the cleaning rooms near the royal suite of the castle, Twilight was organizing some kitchen and cleaning materials. Earlier, she had finished washing commemorative dishes from last year's festival. This was a task that would normally fall to the butlers or the ponies in charge of cleaning, but at that moment, they were absent. Twilight had ordered all the servants to enjoy the holiday activities. Therefore, only the security personnel were present.

"Let's see, these utensils aren't complete... I need five more, but they're not the same shade," Twilight murmured while furrowing her brow, speaking to herself. Normally, she took her role as a princess very seriously and avoided situations like this, but at that moment, she was just Twilight.

"I told Spike to organize the boxes like all the others..." the purple alicorn said somewhat annoyed, looking at the mess in front of her.

With her magic, she lifted one of the boxes, revealing another box in poor condition. The latter had "dishes, cutlery, and others from the Castle of Friendship 4" written on it.

"Yes! Perfect, this is what I was looking for!" she exclaimed excitedly. The uncovered box magically opened, and a complete set of cups, plates, and cutlery floated in the air. After examining the quantity and condition of the contents, Twilight nodded in satisfaction. "This will be enough; the girls will love it."

Suddenly, a swirl of magic formed in front of her, and a sealed scroll materialized out of nowhere.

Twilight held it with her magic and checked the content of the scroll. She was surprised; she hadn't expected her guests to arrive so early. Without further interruptions, she hurriedly left the room, taking the box she had found with her.

//---------------------

In the throne room, Twilight awaited the arrival of her unexpected guests. The doors to the royal chamber opened, and two ponies she knew all too well entered. Celestia and Luna, former rulers of Equestria, entered with a regal stride befitting their royal status.

With a flap of her wings, the purple alicorn approached her guests.

"Celestia, Luna, it's a pleasure to have you back," exclaimed Twilight excitedly, approaching Celestia. She couldn't hide her joy at having her mentor back.

"Oh, Twilight, it's been a long time," said Celestia, allowing Twilight to lean affectionately against her side. Luna, standing beside them, also smiled happily at the reunion.

"Oh, come on, Celestia, it's only been five months since our last encounter with Twilight," Luna remarked, noticing that the reunion between the two was lingering.

"The spicy food contest in Yeguadelfia doesn't count as a proper encounter, Luna," Celestia corrected, stepping away from Twilight.

"I'm still surprised you participated in that contest and even made it to the final rounds," Twilight said to Celestia. "I didn't know you had such a tolerance for spiciness."

Celestia averted her gaze, trying not to remember the discomfort she had to endure on that occasion. It had been a challenge Luna had imposed on her as part of a bet. If it hadn't been for Twilight unexpectedly acting as a judge at the contest, she probably would have given up in the first round. However, her desire not to disappoint her former student had been greater than the unbearable irritation she felt on her tongue.

"There are still many things you don't know about us," Luna added with a mischievous smile.

"Well, you can tell me those things while we take a tour of the castle," replied Twilight, who was already moving towards the doors of the throne room.

"I have no problem being honest in public, do you, sister?" Luna joked as she followed Twilight.

Luna and Twilight began to move, but Celestia had no intention of following them.

"Twilight, has anypony recently come to consult you about the Starheart gem?" Celestia's tone suddenly changed to a more serious one.

"No, no pony has come to consult me about it," Twilight said, turning to her former teacher in surprise. "Isn't that the famous unicorn gem that was lost a century ago?"

Twilight, as she turned, noticed that Celestia had a sad look on her face at that moment.

"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked in concern. However, Celestia remained silent. Seeing her sister's hesitation, Luna stepped forward.

"You see, Twilight, during one of our excursions a few weeks ago, my sister had a dream in which she believes she saw the heir of the Starheart house..." Luna replied.

"It wasn't a dream," Celestia added, looking seriously at Luna.

"I can't deny what you're saying, sister, but it's impossible for the heir of the Starheart house to still be among us," Luna replied. "I personally investigated their case and found no evidence to suggest they survived. Besides, that day during our trip, you were very tired. It's more likely that you confused it with some other pony," Luna clarified. Celestia, on the other hand, seemed filled with melancholy as she gazed at one of the stained glass windows in the royal chamber. Twilight was surprised by this unusual change in the pony from whom she had learned so much.

Noticing her former student's concerned gaze, Celestia seemed to snap out of it. "I apologize, Twilight. I know it's not the most appropriate time, but I would like to take some of your time for a private conversation between us."

"I understand. If that's the case, I think now would be a good time," replied Twilight, recalling the nearest place for their meeting. "The special guest room in the east wing is available. Does that sound suitable to you?"

Celestia and Luna nodded. It was inconvenient, but their meeting with their friends would have to wait a little longer. The sorrow she had noticed in Celestia was something she couldn't ignore.

Just at that moment, a soldier entered quickly through the main door, capturing the attention of the gathered alicorns.

Twilight approached the soldier, who bowed respectfully.

"Has there been an emergency?" Twilight asked seriously, recognizing the soldier as one of those responsible for delivering messages to her in case of a disaster.

"Princess, I regret to inform you that the train from Ponyville to Canterlot has been attacked," the soldier replied.