A new crisis

Chapter 1

Celestia

Twilight stood there, in the chrystal grave, rooted to the spot. She would die soon, and now this? Did fate really have no mercy on her? The last pony she had wanted to meet, so close to her end, was Celestia....

Turning around, to face her former mentor she glared at her. Celestia however did not look threatening or intimidating in any way, which suprised Twilight in many ways. The princesses eyes were red, and the furr beneath her eyes was almost gone from constant crying. The feathers on her wings were ruffled, and she looked untidy all over.

It took her a moment, to compose herself and say what she wanted to say, without letting her pitty for the princess seep into her voice.

"You lost the right to call me that, sixty four years ago Celestia. What do you want now?"

"I wanted to talk to you, for a verry long time now Twilight... but I was unable to find you anywhere. Something hid you from me verry well, and I can only assume that it was Discord."

"And if it was him? He has stayed by my side since that day, and what have you done? You went ahead and started a war with CADENCE! You OWN niece... What in the wide world of Equestria, were you thinking?"

"I... I was confused... at the time. As soon as I realized what I was doing, I called all my forces back to Equestria... But Cadence won't agree to a peacetreaty just yet...."

"Can you blame her? She has lost her faith in you, and so have I."

"Please... Twilight..... don't say that..."

The princess took a step closer to Twilight, who let her horn glow in return.

"I lost my faith and my trust in you the day you refused to even try and help Pinkie Pie. You didn't even TRY to help her. What right do you think you have to be in here, in their final resting place?"

Celestia took a few steps backwards, until she stood just outside the grave. The last thing she wanted, was to provoke Twilight even more. She had come here to talk to her... To try to set things right, but it felt more and more like a futile attempt to her.

"I was... verry impressed by that book you wrote about the war. It was you, right? I mean Midnight Glow is the name you now go by.... isn't it?"

"Yes it is. And somepony had to tell everypony else the truth about what had happend. They deserved to see your true colors!"

"I.. I mean... yes you are porpably right.... I had a verry long time to think about all of it, and I am glad you published the book."

"Then we agree on something atleast."

Twilight did not let her guard down. She had come here to die peacefully, and this confrontation was ruining everything.

"How did you even know I was here?"

"Oh Twilight.... You may be able to change your name, appearance and even your cutiemark, but you can never disguise your magical aura. I have indeed felt you here several times before, but you were always gone before I could come here."

"For a good reason. Everytime I came here in the past, it was to burry one of my friends. But what do you care? For you we have been nothing but chesspieces that could be replaced if we are broken. Aren't you happy? When I die you can finally look for the new beares of the elements of harmony! Isn't that what you always wanted?"

"That's enough Twilight!"

A purple claw pressed Princess Celestia aside, until she was completly out of view. A much older Spike, now the size of princess Celestia herself, entered the chrystal grave. Twilight was taken aback. So much indeed, that her horn stopped glowing and she took a trembling step forward. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Spike had been one of many she had left behind when she had gone into hiding, and there had been not a single day on which she did not regret it.

"S... Spike? Is that really you?"

"Yes it's me Twilight, and I am quite mad at you, you know that?"

"I... I am terribly sorry Spike... By the time I realized I had left you behind... Discords magic wouldn't have worked on you..."

"So you left me behind by myself. A baby dragon of just fifteen years....."

His face that had shown nothing but anger so far softend, and a smile played around his mouth.

"But I understand why you did it Twilight... I just wish we could have been able to meet again sooner..."

The two long seperated siblings embraced each other in tears, while Twilight could not stop apologizing.

"But how..."

Clestie stuck her head through the door, and mustered a weak smile.

"The princess took me in, after you were nowhere to be found. I've been trying to find you ever since. It was me who found this place. I smelled you here, and so Celestia set heaven and hell in motion to excavate it. But as it turned out, the smell I had picked up was several months old...."

Twilight shot a glare in Celestias direction, who immideatly pulled her head back out of the grave. She was sure that the princess had not done this out of kindness. She knew that Spike was able to find her everywhere, magical disguise or not. Taking a few steps back from her adopted little brother, Twilights horn glowed once again.

"I guess.... if you already know who I am, then I have no use for this anymore...."

A lavender glow of light enveloped Twilight, changing her coat back to her original color, her eyes turned from red to lavender once again and her starshaped cutiemark replaced the fake one. She had grown accustomed to having the jewel of her element on her flank, so it felt a little uncomfortable looking down on herself, with her original coloration once again. Her mane however, stayed in several shades of grey....

"So you finally stop hiding big sis? I have never asked anything of you, and you owe me for leaving me behind, so please do me the favor and listen to what princess Celestia has to say. I swear it won't take long."

Relucantly, Twilight let the glow around her horn fade away, and sat on her haunches.

"Ok Spike. I owe you atleast that much."

She said with a stern look on her face.

"But I can't promise anything. I will listen to what she has to say, and that's it. If I don't like what she says, I will kick both of you out of here, so I can finally lay down and sleep."

Slowly, and with her head hanging down, Celestia trotted back into the grave and sat down a few hooves opposite Twilight.

"So? Times wasting, I'm not getting any younger you know."

Celestia ignored the bitterness in her students voice. Yes she considered Twilight still her student and somehow even close to being her daughter.... She wanted to come clean with everything that had happend, and throwing accusations at each other was not the way to do it. Spike and Solar had shown her that over and over again, over the last sixty-four years.

"First of all.... Let me say I am sorry Twilight. I was thinking of the greater good back then and lost sight of what was right in front of me because of it. After being exposed by your book, most ponies have grown verry cold towards me. And even if it is in my full authority, I did not forbid it, or stop teachers have their students read it during their history lessons. I was tempted to do just that, but I stopped myself everytime. I am ashamed of what I did, and how I reacted. I have lived for a verry long time, and so I have dulled myself towards others.... I was afraid of getting hurt when they died, and I was cursed to live on. I was sure you would understand that one day, but I was wrong. Not in assuming that you would understand my actions, but in thinking I was right in the first place! My own sister has abandoned me. The only pony I thought I would love forever. But then you came along Twilight. You got under that thick shell I had build up around my emotions. And what you accomplished by that, was that I came to love you just as much as I do my sister. She has refused to talk to me, even so I try almost daily by now to get her to talk to me. I will continue to try until I suceed. Luna and I have all the time we need, while you and me, might only have tonight left to talk about everything."

"So you finally admit that it was wrong of you to let Pinkie die?"

"I don't."

"But you just said...."

"I don't, because Pinkamena Diana Pie, is not dead."

Twilight was shocked and looked at the princess in disbelief. She herself had confirmed that Pinkies heart had stopped beating, and her breathing had ceased....

"What kind of trick is this? Her corpse is conservated in chrystal, right behind me!"

She said, pointing a hoof over her shoulder for emphasis. Celestia however, shook her head.

"The ponies in these chrystals are not dead. They are in stasis. It is a side effect I learned off just recently. When one uses an element of harmony, without this..."

She pointed a hoof at her own necklance.

"... then they go into a stasis after their death. Their souls are trapped in their bodies while they await their reawakening. I don't know exactly how it works myself, since Solar has just recenty revealed this information to me, but it seems it was a precaution built into the elements. The bearers would never really die in other words. But it works only once. After they have awoken, they will have to use the elements without the stone again, to have the same effect."

"So... your telling me they are not dead? They are just in some sort of... magicly induced stasis?"

"That is correct. Their bodies were returned to the state they had, the last time they used the elements of harmony, since that was the last record the elements had about their physical state. Have you never noticed the coloration of the chrystal cocoons they are in?"

Twilight looked over her shoulder, and instantly saw what her former mentor ment. All the chrystals were exactly the same color as the gems on their respective element of harmony....

"But.... how? When will they awake?"

"That is something, that can only happen if I touch the cocoons with the Alicorn stone. It will destroy them, and awake the ponies inside."

"But..."

Twilight looked to one of the chrystal surfaces that refelcted her own image.

"I will still be old if you awake them now..... Please... do it anyway. Princess, they deserve to live their lifes to the fullest, not to be trapped in there for all eternity."

The princess smiled weakly again.

"Twilight Sparkle... As much as I want to fulfill your wish, I can not. The elements power only works if they are complete, and as long as you are still alive, I am unable to awaken them."

Twilight looked over her shoulder again, at the peacefull expressions on her friends faces, then at the princess who was watching her cautiosly. She sighed. If she wanted to help her friends, there was no other way. She thought she had lost all her faith in princess Celestia, but now she realized that this was not the case. The sincerity in her words made her believe every word of it. Even more, she was finally at peace with what had happend so long ago. Her mentor, Princess Celestia, had learned her lesson. She could not help herself but chuckle at the thought that she had taught Celestia a lesson...

With a quick flash of her horn, she levitated a dagger from her saddlebags. She had brought it, to end her life anyway. Discord had told her she would live on for atleast another month, but she had decided that this day, the anniversty of their victory over Chrysalis, was the right time for her to go.... Celestia never saw it coming. Twilight placed the blade against her own back, directly behind her heart.... and let it slip into herself.

She heard Spike and Celestia scream in terror, and the blood seep from her body, as everything around her disappeared into blackness....

Spike held the lifeless body of Twilight Sparkle in his arms, crying uncontrolably over her death. He knew that she might live once again, but the chances for that were slim. That much the princess had not told her, and he knew it. Soon he felt that a strong heat started to course through her body. Quickly stepping back, he watched as Twilight aged backwards, until she looked the same as the day he had last seen her before all of this...

When the chrystal began to envelop her, Spike watched the blood that had spurted out of her wound disappear, and merge with the chrystal itself. His big sister, was now dead.... or was she in stasis? He didn't know for sure. The details the Princess had given him were vague at best....

An hour later

Celestia herself had checked the door to the chrystal grave, ensuring that Twilights cutiemark had indeed appeared on it, before she moved close to the six chrystals that lay before her. For the verry first time in over fifteen hundred years, she took off her necklance, and began to touch the cocoons with it one after another. Soon they began to glow intheir respective colors and melted away. Now lay, on six pedastals Solar had informed her were made of the same material as the elements themself, six ponies that slowly began to breath. None of them however, woke up.

"Spike! Call the guards! We need them to bring the six to the palace!"

"Right away your majesty!"

Celestia watched the dragon run off as fast as he could, as she walked over to Pinkie Pie, and stroke her mane verry carefully. I am so sorry Pinkamena...."

Tears coursed down her face once again, and onto Pinkies coat, as she slowly began to open her eyes.

"Hey there princess! Why so sad? Come'on turn that sad frown upside down!"

Celestia embraced the bearer of the element of laughter and could not stop sobbing...

"Hey what's up? Why are the others all here? Are we having a sleepover? And... where are we? Ehm... princess?"

The pink party pony asked, but got only more tears as an answer.

Two day later

Twilight stirred in her bed. She hurt all over, and something was amiss. She could smell something she had not smelt in a long time, and heard things she had never thought she'd hear ever again. As she opend her eyes, she looked into the bright grinning face of Rainbow Dash, whose face was only inches away from hers. It was only due to the selfcontrol she had learned in her later years, that she did not jump in suprise.

"Hey there! And I thought I was the sleepy head!"

"R....Rainbow???"

Everything came back to her. The chrystal grave, the talk with the princess and her suicide.... She could have sworn that she had died... Most likely that was even true, but the elements of harmony had somehow trapped her soul and performed this awesome feat of magic... Even she, with her extensive knowledge of magic, would not have anticipated this....

"Is she awake? Oh darling you look horendus!"

"Rarity, stop fussin around, will ya? She just came back from tha dead... Who would not look a little shaken?"

"Ehm.... uh... I... I am glad you woke up Twilight... We were starting to get worried."

But before she was able to look amazed at all her friends, they were all caught in one of Pinkies enormous bearhugs. They stayed like that for a while, each smiling that they were all reunited in life, rather then death.

Celestia came into the room, and saw the six ponies she had almost lost forever. As they noticed her, Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash took up position in front of Twilights bed. They had not yet forgotten what had happend all those years ago, neither had they forgotten their friends and family they had to leave behind when they had went into hiding....

A bright flame began to envelop Celestia, and she changed into Solar Flare. A thing that happend more often recently, then she wanted to admit to herself.

"Please do not fear me my little Ponies. I know I might look alot like my sister, but I am nowhere close Nightmare Moon."

Solar adressed the group of gathered ponies. For the last two days nopony but royal servants had attended them. They were allowed to leave their room, but not without an escort of atleast three royal guards each. They felt like prisoners. Even Pinkie and Fluttershy looked wearily at Solar.

"It's ok girls. Solar Flare is alright. She is the princesses alter ego, like Lunas was Nightmare Moon."

Explained Twilight, as she got up and walked over to stand directly in front of Solar Flare. Her eyes looked verry much like those of Nightmare Moon, but instead of disgust and anger, she only saw honest concern in them.

"I am glad to finally meet you in person Twilight Sparkle. Writing letters while Celestia was asleep was not really a substitude for the real thing."

"Yeah... I'm glad to meet you aswell. But how come you are in front now? I thought you didn't want to do that ever again?"

"True.... and as happy as I am to finally meet you, if it had been my choice alone, none of you would be here right now."

"Whaddya mean by that?"

Applejack inquired.

"Celestia used the Alicorn stone.... AGAINST my advice. She did it when I was sleeping. As a result, all of you are now free of your cocoons, and can live a normal life... however... the result was a two bladed sword, as I warned Celestia it would be. She is too ashamed to face the six of you, so I took over to make things quicker. We don't have the time to dilly dally right now, or for lengthy apologies."

"What's going on Solar? What happend?"

"Your awakening broke the Alicorn stone, Twilight.... I surely must not explain to you what that means."

"No... you don't mean..."

"Yes. They are free. All of them, and they won't listen to a word I say. I can kind of understand that, because, by Alicorn standarts, I have grown soft. They are currently rebuilding my long lost kingdom in the lands beyond Equestria...."

"What's she talking about Twilight, dear?"

Twilight turned to her friends.

"The Alicorn stone... the seventh element of harmony... It contained the souls of all corrupted Alicorns there ever were. Now that they are free...."

Her head jerked back to Solar.

"What about hosts? How many ponies did they currupt?"

"None as far as I know. When I fused with Celestia, I needed a host, because the elements of harmony were still supressing me. They don't have that problem. They could reform their former bodies with ease.... I fear for all of Celestias subjects. If they are anything like I remember them, then Equestria is facing an enemy even Discord would not be able to defeat."

"Oh...my..."

Fluttershy commented as she tried to hide behind Rarity. The big Alicorn started to freighten her a little.

"But.... but... The elements... They could..."

Solar shook her head.

"The Alicorn stone was part of the elements of harmony. I myself have forged it so verry long ago."

"But... I thought..."

"That I was corrupted? That's true. But I was able to see the evil of my ways before I was sealed. It's something I never told Celestia, but I switched sides about halfway through the civil war. That's another reason they won't listen to me. They consider me a traitor...."

"So the elements won't work this time?"

Twilight asked in shock.

"I am afraid not. The Alicorn stone was forged by me, by using a piece of my own soul and forcing it to take physical shape. That amount of magic is beyond any living being right now. It took myself and twenty other naturally born or ascended Alicorns to perform that spell, and even then two of us died in the process."

"But can't you make Twilight an Alicorn again? Then you were two already."

Rainbow Dash interjected.

Again, Solar shook her head.

"She would be an artificial Alicon. What we need, are natural Alicorns."

"Whats the difference?"

Pinkie Pie inquired.

"Simply put Pinkie Pie, a natural Alicorn is like....."

Twilight thought for a moment, tapping her chin with a hoof.

"An artifical Alicorn is like a muffin, while a natural Alicorn is like a reeeeeaaaalllly big cake. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Oh! So you say that when the princess were to make you an Alicorn like before you would be nothing more then a slightly stronger Unicorn with wings, while when you ascend naturally, your power would grow way more so you can do much stronger magic?"

Six hooves hit their respective faces, as everypony in the room except Pinkie facehoofed hard.

"Pinkie... you understood that all along?"

"Nah... just a hunch!"

She smiled brightly, while the others wondered why they hadn't expected that from their friend. Pinkie had done such things in the past....

"So what do you say, Twilight Sparkle? Will you ascend the natural way this time? Same goes for the rest of you. I can assist you in the process. But beware. There are sideeffects other then getting bigger and stronger. You will loose your normal special talents and will be linked to a part of nature instead. Also you will have to deal with verry strong moodswings. If you give in to them you turn into something like Nightmare Moon, and let me tell you that it is verry hard to regain control over your senses, once you are corrupted."

The six friends looked at each other for a moment, before Rainbow Dash broke the silence.

"I say we do it! It was our fault in a way that this happend, and besides, it's not the first time we had to fight for Equestria."

"I agree with Rainbow Dash. If somepony endangers the lives of my grandchildren, then it is so on!"

"What is so bad about them?"

Fluttershy asked. Solar gave her a suprised look, before she explained.

"A corrupted Alicorn does not see any other creature, except fellow Alicorns, as a form of life. They will kill, hurt and torture them just for fun. I used to be one of them,and I am ashamed of my actions, while I was not in control."

Fluttershy nodded, agreeing to the subject.

Applejack was a little hesitant at first, but seeing that all her friends had accepted, she looked at Twilight, who gave her a slight nod.

"A'right then! Let's sho'em what we're made of, right girls?"

A collective cheer whent through the room as Pinkie Pie also shouted out her agreement.

"I have to warn you though... Ascending naturally, is verry painfull and can not be reverted. You will become relativly immortal, but will also have to deal with the moodswings and sometimes ridicously strong emotions. Are you still sure you want to do this?"

All six of them nodded, their faces wearing a conform look of determination. Fluttershy and Pinkie had nopony to protect, but Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Twilight could not stop to think about their families. They would protect them, no matter what the cost might be.....

First in line was Twilight. She had been an Alicorn before, and had the magical potential to proove it. It had been discord who had transformed her back, but she had trained her magic ever since.... She was strong enough to ascend on her own, even so she had never wanted to do it... It would mean she would outlive little Dawn.... But she had to do it to keep her safe.

Soon after the purple flames that had began to burn away her coat had gone out, Twilight stood in front of her friends, as big as Solar flare, and with a pair of beautiful purple feathered wings.

Rarity needed some assistance from Solar and Twilight to ascend but managed to do it eventually. All through the procedure, she kept her mouth and eyes shut tight. When she was done, her cutiemark of three diamonds had been replaced with a single emerald gemstone.

Fluttershy was hesitant, and screamed a little when the yellow and pink flames enveloped her, but she endured it just fine. The only one that collapsed, was Pinkie Pie. The hyperactive pony fell unconciuss right after her wings and horn had grown. Applejack was a little suspicious because of that. She and Pinkie were the only earthponies in their group and she didn't really fancy passing out.

"Whatever is the matter Applejack?"

Rarity asked as she levitated the unconciouss Pinkie Pie onto Twilights bed. It was unusual hard for her to do so, since she practicly burst with magical energy. She feared, were she to put only a little more energy into the spell, she would crush Pinkie Pie.

"Ah... don't know. Shoot, this feels not raght somehow all of a sudden."

"I will not force you to do anything fair Applejack. But please note that I chose you six, because I trust you completly. If you were not pure of heart, the elements of harmony would not have chosen you. If you do not want to do this, then we will have to find another way to raise our numbers, but please know this: The Apple family is still tending to Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville. If the Alicorn nation rises once again, they also will suffer under their iron hoof."

That was all Applejack needed to hear. Even so she was still a little scared, and did not know the Apples that were now tending her farm, they were still family, and for them she would do everything.

Soon after, all six of them where Alicorns, and the room was now a little too small for the six of them. Rainbow Dash was marveling at her newfound speed, and did not make things easier on the others, with her flying around the room.

"Twilight... It is done. Now... I have a mission for you. Ponykind must be united, if we are to even stand the slightest chance against my former subjects. Don't forget that each and every one of them is atleast as stron as any of you are now. The battle that we are about to face, will be a hard one. I won't lie to you. There is a high possibility that we will all be killed in this upcoming conflict. They are thousands and we are only seven. That is why I want you, Twilight to enter the garden of shadows on a diplomatic mission. Applejack, Rarity I want you to go to the Chrystal empire and try to convince Cadence to give me an audience."

"Why us? She was Twilights old foalsitter?"

"Because I want to show her that I made others into full Alicorns. That should convince her that I mean it. I may be stronger then you individually right now, but were I to face even two of you, I would be defeated. I want her to know that Celestia does no longer fear treatchery from those closest to her. Also, extend my greetings to Diamond."

"Will do Solar Flare."

Applejack said, as she and Rarity left the room.

"Oh and Twilight...."

Solar stopped Twilight, as she wanted to leave aswell.

"Yes Solar? What is it?"

"You might run into somepony you remember in the garden. Luna is verry strong, never forget that. She has the same potential as me. She may have considered you a friend once, but only heaven knows what these last years have done to her. I have faith in her, but be on your guard!"

"I will. What will happen to Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rainbow, while we are gone?"

"I will teach them personally in the use of magic. Applejack will most likely recieve some lessons from Rarity during their outing to the chrystal empire, but I want you to teach her, once they return."

"Why? Rarity is verry capable."

"I want you to teach her, because amongst all your friends, you are the one who knows the most about magic. And now be on your way. Every second we waste, is a second we can not afford...."