All from the beginning

by Norden

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad, Other, Romance, Original Character, Rainbow Dash, Adventure, Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6
Length: 25876

After months being a Princess, Twilight Sparkle is back in Ponyville. While she's trying to piece her old life back together, a new entity arise from the shadow, threatening to collapse realty in on itself.

After finally getting back to Ponyville, Princess Twilight Sparkle is trying to piece her life together. Ponies don't act the same around her anymore, some of her friends treat her differently and on top of that she's trying to sort of her own emotions toward a special pony.

After a mission by Celestia goes wrong, Twilight disappears and everything goes wrong.War, natural-disasters and strange things happens all over Equestria. What to do?

Author's note:

I finally got myself a editor. My new yankee friend bholley, and together with him I hop to make something wonderful! His novel: 'Hurricane' is freaking awesome and you should really check it out!

This is my first try in writing a series in English. This is a original story, not one that I translated from my old day when I wrote FIM fics in Swedish. Thanks to this I would like you, the reader, to correct me whenever I do anything wrong when my first graph of a chapter comes out, so I can learn by my mistake before bholley edits it.

I make a story for myself and for you, the reader. But this is also a way for me to learn this languish better, that's why I'm doing it this way.

Also, this is going to take part after Episode 1 in season 4, so if I get this story done after the season finally and my story son't fit the lore of the series, remember... alternate universe.

You should also know that while I will never portray sex in graphic ways, I will go in to the subject and portray the sexual development of some characters, since I do believe that discovering and exploring sexuality are a big part of anybody... anyponys life. Sooo... no sex scenes, but there will be sex in the story... if that makes sense.

Published 2013-12-28 18:40:04 UTC
Last updated 2014-03-17 23:38:52 UTC

Prologue

Author's Note

This is my first part of my first English written story ever... Be nice <3

Prologue

‘Stairs... why do there have to be so many stairs? Why can my room just be at the bottom after a day like this? Sooo... sooo many stairs.’ These thoughts and many more like it went through Twilight's mind as she was on her way to her private dorm after a long, long day’s work and duties. Sure, she could just fly to her room, but she still hadn't gotten used to the idea that she actually had wings, even though she had been pounded with that fact all day... all week!

As she finally, with slow and tired steps, got to her dorm two armored pegasi opened the door for her. She couldn't help but to sigh in frustration that she couldn't even open the door by herself anymore. She just went on walking past the guards, through the door and let out a small ''thanks'' together with a sigh before throwing herself on her bed. She heard the door slam shut behind her as if announcing that yes; she was, in fact, in her bedroom.

She sighed again, turning herself around and watched the ceiling, trying to sort out what had happened today. She had woken up at 3 AM when a messenger had come barging into her room with urgent news. Apparently the Night Court had been waiting all night for Princess Luna, who had been called away urgently because of an accident that had happened in the land of the griffons.

Apparently the ambassador had, as per Equestrian customs, thrown his eyes down when he first bowed to King Aldhelm, the ruler of the griffons. This was, of course, a stupid idea since to the griffons this was a sign of strength, meaning that the almost 60-year-old earth pony, who had been in Equestria all his life, had in his ignorance implied that he thought his own strength greater than the king’s... unintentionally of course.

So Princess Luna had flown in haste with a hundred guards to negotiate with the king, so the foolish old ambassador didn't have to fight the double-the-size and 30-year-younger king in a bloody and frankly unfair duel... without starting a war.

But that also meant that Twilight had to take many of Luna's nightly duties. So first she had gone to the Night Council who wanted to discuss the tax cut for night workers in Canterlot. After two hours the council had, without Twilight's aid, come to a decision.

Then, after a fast breakfast with Celestia and a faster look at her schedule, she had met with Canterlot's financial council to discuss this month’s budget for two more hours.

Then, after the court heard that the negotiations did not go so well for Princess Luna, Twilight had gone to the new Captains of Defense, Flash Sentry and Blue Moon, to plan a defensive strategy for if the griffons decided to attack. They even planned a possible counter attack with the captain of the main offense, Sugar Twist. While this wasn't as tiring as the two financial meetings, it was still hard for Twilight to pull through thanks to the presence of Flash Sentry.

After her adventure to the other dimension a month and a half ago it just felt... weird to be around him. Of course he didn't notice it, nor did he feel the same way. How could he? He had no memories of their time together. But what made Twilight feel worse was the fact that... she didn't feel anything for him. Like, anything! It wasn't the fact that he wasn't the same pony here as he was there. Her feelings for him had just... gone away?

Anyway, after six hours of that, she headed to the throne room for her last court session. On her way she reminisced about all the things that had passed since...

…She, three weeks after the dimensional incident, had finally pulled up the courage to talk to Celestia about her troubles. Celestia simply told her that these feelings were natural, and that she would get over it soon. Twilight was, of course, not happy with such a short answer, so after dinner she spent the whole evening trying to find a logical explanation for how her feelings could just disappear. She went back and forth, back and forth, talking out loud to herself.

Normally Twilight was well organized, even inside her head, making lists of positives and negatives which she discussed with herself in a calm fashion until she got a satisfying answer... but this?! This just frustrated her more than when she tried to figure out how Pinkie’s Pinkie-senses worked. She tried to pin up her feelings logically first. When that didn't work, she tried making a list of positives and negatives as she usually did. That certainly helped her realize that it was good for her to not be in a relationship, but that still didn't help her understand what she was feeling now: nothing.

She had been so taken away by him in the two-legged world and she had been ecstatic when she found 'him' in her own world. But after that she had lost interest in him. That was the thing that frustrated her. She had no interest for him anymore. It was not like he didn't appeal to her. He was perfect, really. Smart, handsome, caring, athletic, creative, and he even loved to read. He was perfect for her, so why didn't she feel anything?

She went back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and argued aloud with herself. Logical, illogical, positive and negative, nothing worked. Finally she shouted: ''What's wrong with me?!!!''

''Well for starters you yell at yourself out loud, egghead,'' said a laughing hoarse voice to her from the balcony. Twilight jumped and turned quickly towards the source of the voice. There stood Rainbow Dash with a big grin on her face. She wore her Wonderbolt training clothes, still with the goggles on, and landed smoothly on the floor.

''How long have you been here listening?'' asked Twilight nervously.

''Long enough to hear that you have a... not-love problem and that there's probably not a single pegasus in the Celestial guard that doesn't think that you are totally loco!'' Dash said, slowly walking towards Twilight. 'Great,' thought Twilight. 'Now I’m never going to hear the end of this.’ But instead of starting to tease her, Dash just asked, ''Want to talk about it?'' and nodded toward the bed.

Twilight first stood there, totally flabbergasted, staring at Dash. Then she let out a small sigh and sat herself on the bed. ''Now, tell me what's wrong, Twi.'' And boy did Twilight tell her.

Twilight spoke, yelled, cried, and stomped her foot on bed in anger. Not only about her own feelings, or lack thereof, towards Flash, but it soon came to her own frustrations about her new position, her duties, how stressful it all was, how Celestia never seemed to be able to take time with her except for during meals now and then, and the biggest frustration was the fact that she never had time to see her friends anymore. And Rainbow just sat there listening, hour after hour, asking a question occasionally and adding in a comment now and then, but she listened to Twilight all the way though until Twilight was empty before she started to speak.

''So, you feel better now?'' Dash asked with a small smirk on her face. Not one for mocking but one to lighten up Twilight's mood.

''Mmmh kinda,'' Twilight said, eyes still watering. Her head ached, her face was pounding after all the blood that pumped up there and her body was still shocked a little from all the crying and a full day’s work. But considering all that, she guessed she felt better. All the emotions were still there, but it was always nice to have one dear to you listen.

''So let me narrow this down for us, m'kay?'' Dash suggested.

''O-okay...'' Twilight answered, a little surprised. She had expected Dash to comfort her more and maybe make some wisecrack comment to make her laugh.

''So you are angry because you don't like this guy, Flash, anymore?''

''Yes.''

''You are also completely stressed out 'cause of all the new work and stuff as the new princess of Equestria?''

''Yeah.''

''And you’re even more frustrated about not spending much time with Celestia or us girls anymore, right?'' Dash said as a smile started to grow on her face, almost like she finally discovered one of the Cakes’ secret ingredients.

''Yeees…'' Twilight said, both curious and concerned about where Dash was going with this.

And suddenly, out of nowhere, Dash was hugging Twilight. Twilight was understandably shocked; Rainbow Dash almost always needed to be persuaded to hug someone. Twilight froze for a couple of seconds before returning the hug. They just sat there for a minute before Twilight started to let go. But the strange thing was that... Rainbow didn't let go. If anything her hug just became tighter.

Twilight was starting to feel a little awkward. When she finally opened her mouth to ask Dash to let her go, Dash suddenly cut her off first.

''It's okay, Twi,'' said Dash. The voice wasn't sad or happy. There was neither pity, nor sympathy. There was just a sound, a hint of comfort in her voice. And that struck Twilight. Something clasped Twilight hard and before she knew it she embraced Rainbow Dash again, harder and tighter then ever. And she cried again. It was not tears of frustration, sadness, anger or joy. It was all and none of them. Her emotions were spinning inside her like a vortex, faster than they did in her 'little' rant before, but this time the emotions just fell right through her, washing her over with her own emotions.

And then, suddenly, there was a new feeling rising up inside of her. A sense of relief flooded her, not replacing her emotions, but just enveloping her in its embrace together with Rainbow Dash. And she cried more and more, hugging Rainbow Dash tighter and tighter, nuzzling closer to her, not wanting to let go. She never wanted to leave the warmth and comfort only her friends could give her.

For what seemed hours, Twilight just lay there in Rainbow's embrace, just venting out. When Twilight finally stopped shedding tears she still didn't let go. She didn't want her friend to leave her.

''It's hard for us too, Twi,'' Dash suddenly said. Twilight eased her hug just a little so she could look up at Dash. ''We all miss you too. Spike has a hard time running the library without you, and the other girls... they don't say much, well, except for Pinkie but she never stops talking, but they are sad too. All of us are. Things aren't the same without you. And every time we try to visit here you are either too busy, or you can only spend like fifteen minutes or less.''

Twilight just stared at Rainbow in disbelief. She cursed herself for not considering how the others felt. Of course they would be frustrated at being left behind... but she never believed they would miss her as much... as much as she missed them. Now she cursed herself for being so selfish.

''Sorry,'' was the only word she could muster.

Rainbow looked at Twilight in confusion, then gave away a little chuckle and pulled Twilight down again and hugged her even tighter.
''Why do you always apologize, Twi? It's not your fault that you just happened to finish some, like, 2000-year-old spell. How would you know that you would become a hooving alicorn thanks to that? It just happened... as bizarre as that seems. You had almost as little control over the whole thing as the rest of us, so don't apologize, okay?''

''O-okay...''

Then they just sat there again for a couple of minutes, Twilight listening to the beat of Rainbow’s heart and letting it calm her down.
''Buuut...'' Rainbow said suddenly.

''Yes''

''Don't believe that just because you are lonely here in this big castle you can just replace us with some nice-flank stallion.''

''I be-beg 'pardon?'' The statement came so suddenly out of nowhere that Twilight wasn't sure how to react.

''Yeah, think about it! You meet this cute colt in this other place that you get your flank all hot about. Then when you come back after saving the day you stumble upon him in our world. Or should I say our world’s version of him. Man, isn't that confusing! Anyway, then you learn that this colt is being transferred here as the new Captain of Defense. At that time, you are starting to see us and Celestia less and less, and you get even more and more to do. Then a coltfriend seems like a great idea, even more so if he works at the same place as you do... and in fact lives where you live.''

''U-huh...?''

Rainbow had never been much for explaining something, unless it was about flying or Daring Do, so Twilight had to puzzle together a little of what Dash was saying to see what she meant. She was really curious about where this was going.

''And becoming more and more lonely, you become more desperate for someone to be with. But then you realize that you don’t, in fact, have any emotion for the colt any more. Maybe you never had. You were just a little taken away by him the first couple of times and you mixed it up with a crush. So you become more and more frustrated for not feeling anything any more for this colt, and you become more and more depressed and angry at the fact that you don't get to see your friends any more. And almost 3 weeks of that results in…'' Rainbow suddenly let go of Twilight, flew into the air and pointed both her front hooves to an invisible audience,

''Nightwreck Twilight!!!''

This sudden outburst that came out of nowhere laid a long silence in the room. Five seconds later Twilight was lying on her bed, laughing so hard that her stomach ached. Soon her laugh at was shared by Rainbow. Twilight was crying for the third time that day, but this time it was for no emotion but sheer glee. She hugged her stomach as it started to ache, the laughs didn't seem to want to stop.

After, again, what seemed hours, the sound of chuckles stopped and the pair finally was able to catch a breath.

''I haven't laughed this hard sense Pinkie accidentally sent Big Mac from the town square to the other side of Sweet Apple Acres with her party cannon!''

''It wasn't even that funny,'' said Dash after catching some more air.

''You were the one who laughed the hardest when Big Mac got stuck with his head in a beehive!”

''Not that time, this joke,'' replied Dash almost bursting out again with the memories of Big Mac running with his whole head covered by the beehive, knocking down about 20 trees as a swarm of bees chased him.

''No, maybe not... but somehow it was what I needed''

Rainbow Dash rose up, looking at Twilight.

''How do you feel, egghead?'' Dash asked, not as an insult, but more like a joke to keep the good mood.
''Much better... thank you Dash, I really needed this.''

''Aw, no problem, Twi... just don't tell anyone about the mushy parts, okay?'' Dash said as her cheeks turned a little red.

''Uncool?'' Twilight asked with a little tease in her voice.

''Sooo uncool,'' Dash proclaimed with a smirk on her face. She started to walk toward the balcony.

''Well I’d better be on my way home. Need to get some sleep before weather duty starts tomorrow.” As she got herself ready to take off, she heard Twilight behind her.

''Ra-Rainbow Dash,'' she heard Twilight say hesitantly. She turned to face Twilight.

''Yes, Twilight?''

''Could you perhaps... stay here for tonight? I really don't want to be alone tonight.'' Twilight almost staggered in her words. And as Dash looked in her eyes there was no more anger, confusion or sadness. Her eyes were filled with joy, but there was also a plea in them to keep it that way. Rainbow’s smirk came right back to her face.

''Well sure, we don't want Nightmare Moon to keep you awake all night,'' she replied. Twilight’s cheeks turned a little red and she came back quickly with a response.

''No, no it's not like that, it's just tha-'' and Rainbow almost burst out laughing again.

''Seriously Twilight, sometimes you make it too easy,'' she said chuckling. Twilight first raised her head up, looking at Rainbow with big confused eyes, and then she lowered her head just a little with a small expression of embarrassment on her face. She should have seen that coming.

''Of course I would like to stay, egghead. What are friends for?''

‘If Twilight’s smile could get a little wider her head would probably topple over,’ thought Dash. But as the pegasus approached the princess, Twilight lowered her head. Dash was initially afraid that she would start to cry again, and on close inspection she could see a few tears, but there was still a smile on Twilight’s face.

''Thank you,'' she whispered. ''Thank you so much.''

Rainbow wrapped a hoof around her friend’s shoulder and leaned her head against the princess’s neck. ''No problem, Twi.'' They stood there a while, Rainbow letting Twilight shed her last tears for the night.

''Lets get some rest now, okay?''

Twilight just nodded and lifted her head up looking at Rainbow with teary red eyes. She took a fast breath before letting out a half sounded ''okay'' with a small smile on her lips.

They lay down on the bed, making themselves comfortable before Twilight put all the candles out with her magic. 'Wow, these princess beds are almost as good as a cloud' Rainbow though as she drifted towards sleep, but right before she fell into Luna’s realm, Twilight spoke again.
''Rainbow?''

''Yeah?'' the pegasus answered as she let out a yawn.

''Could we do this more often?''

Rainbow thought about it for a few seconds. ''You know what? Whenever I am at the Wonderbolts’ training camp and I don't have early weather-duty, I’ll come by. Maybe I won't sleep over every time, but your bed is too comfortable to skip.''

There was another silence for a few seconds and Rainbow though that maybe Twilight had fallen asleep. Then she heard a faint ''Thank you''.

Rainbow just smiled. ''No problem Twi.''

A little while later as Rainbow was about to fall asleep again, Twilight spoke again.

''Rainbow?''

''Yeah, princess?'' As Rainbow turned to look at Twilight, she could only see the back of the other pony's head.

''Please don't call me that,'' Twilight said. Rainbow could hear that Twilight was breathing unevenly.

''What was that, Twi?'' she asked, confused.

''Don't call me by my title, please? Others may call me that, but not you girls...''

Rainbow immediately realized her mistake and was quick to respond.

''Sorry, Twi. I was only teasing... sorry.''

A few more seconds went by before Twilight spoke again.

''Rainbow?''

''Yes, Twilight?'' Dash finally raised her head to look at Twilight’s face. Tears were filling her eyes again.

''Co-could you hold me again like before?'' Twilight asked in a voice almost too quiet to hear.

And Rainbow Dash didn't hesitate for a second. ''Of course.''

Twilight turned herself around and wrapped her hooves around Rainbow’s waist with her head leaning against her chest. Rainbow in return wrapped her left hoof around Twilight’s shoulder and her right one around, under and behind her head, and started to pat the back of Twilights head. Twilight started to feel teary again. She was not crying exactly, but her breath was irregular and the tears kept on coming. Rainbow said, ''It's okay, Twi, everything is going to be okay,'' now and then, trying to make her friend feel safe.

Then Twilight suddenly said, ''You won't leave me, right?''

That question hit Rainbow almost like a brick to the head. ''What was that, Twi?''

''You and the girls! You won't leave me just because I'm a princess now, right?'' Twilight’s breath got more and more uneven as she spoke. Now she was crying.

''I didn't mean to become a princess, I didn't! I want to see you as often as I can! I don't want this, not really! I want to help Applejack at the farm, and I want to go to the spa with Rarity and help her model for her dresses. And Fluttershy with her animals, and stuff my face full of cupcakes with Pinkie Pie, and watch you fly an-''

''Shh, shh, shh,'' Rainbow said as she placed Twilight’s head between her hooves and looked down into Twilight’s eyes.

“ 'From all of us together, together we are friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end.' '' Twilight looked up at her friend with big, confused eyes. Rainbow closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against Twilight’s.

''We will always be your friends, Twilight. No matter what.'' Rainbow started to take some deep breaths and to her relief could she hear that Twilight was starting to do the same.

Rainbow placed her foreleg around Twilight’s head and shoulder and pulled her head back against her own chest, patting Twilight’s head softly and slowly again. She listened to Twilight’s breath, and to her relief it seemed like she had finally fallen asleep. As Rainbow laid her head back down to finally go to sleep, Twilight’s hug tightened around Dash’s chest.

First she thought that Twilight had a bad dream, but then she felt the other’s body start to shudder. She looked down and saw that the blanket was gone. Of course she herself wouldn't feel that - she was a pegasus. She could fly six or seven miles above the ground at maximum speed and not even feel the cold.

''But wait, alicorns are, like, pony+unicorn+pegasus... they shouldn't feel cold, right?''

''We don't,'' came a voice suddenly from the balcony. Rainbow Dash almost jumped out of the bed at the sudden sound coming from the dark. She turned her head to find Princess Luna there, watching them with dark, but bright, eyes. Rainbow slowly turned her head to look at Twilight. She hadn't woken up. Rainbow slowly turned her head again to view the Princess of the Moon.

She was beautiful. Not in a way that makes a pony fall in love with her at first glance like Rarity, but in the same way that makes one awestruck by the beautiful night sky. Her beauty was a perfect resemblance of her power. She was the night sky, and her eyes were the moon.

''We alicorns can run in the great void among the stars for days without even shuddering from cold, nor are we scalded by the heat from the stars themselves, and all without taking a single breath,'' Luna said as she walked silently towards the bed.
''Really?'' replied Rainbow Dash. ''Th-that sounds awesome, you have to take me with you sometime.''

Princess Luna suddenly stopped and looked at Dash with surprise and curiosity in her moonlight eyes. Then a smile slowly started to grow on her face.

''Maybe we will, Rainbow Dash, maybe we will.'' Luna then turned towards Twilight. She looked at Twilight almost as if the was trying to find the next piece in a puzzle. She observed her for some time before she decided to speak again.

''She drives herself too hard.''

''Huh?'' responded Rainbow, confused.

''She is doing three times as much work every day as Celestia and I are doing combined. She has only been a princess for five weeks and in this time she has saved the Elements of Harmony all by herself. She managed to calculate a way to lower taxes in every major city in Equestria by 3-5%, and she did all of the math herself. Unemployment around the land is nonexistent, at 0.01%, and there isn't a foal left who doesn't go to school.

She created an emergency pegasus-corps in every major city so that every pony injured or sick can be at the hospital in less than five minutes. These are a few items of the almost infinitely long list of accomplishments that she made in only three weeks. And not only that, but for everything she does she also creates at least three emergency plans if something backfires... all by herself. She's not very fond of asking or receiving help.

She's in the great hall alone at least four hours a day to welcome and listen to both commoners and ponies of the court, and then she spends at least an hour with both my sister and I. In short, she pushes herself too hard. I don't know what she is trying to prove nor to whom, but believe me when I say that if she keeps this up for a few more weeks there won't be any more work left for us, and that's not a joke.''

Luna finally turned her head back towards Rainbow Dash. She still had a smile on her lips, but her eyes... they were filled with both pride and concern, and the smile just made her image more beautiful but disheartening at the same time. Rainbow knew already what Luna was going to ask her, so she answered immediately.

''I will take care of her, your Highness. We will figure something out together, her and I,'' she told the princess and put as much confidence in her smile as she could.

Luna looked at her for a few seconds before lowering her head, shaking it left and right and chuckled. Rainbow lifted an eyebrow in confusion.

''Hey what so fun- oh!'' Suddenly she felt Twilight’s hug getting even tighter and she still was shaking as if she was in the snow-land near the Crystal Empire.

''It's not because she is freezing. She is afraid she will lose you and doesn’t want to let go. The blanket makes you closer to her, like how sound becomes more private in a room with a closed door.'' Luna leaned down and pulled the blanket from the ground, approaching the bed.

''If she wants to be closer, then we don't need a blanket,'' Luna raised an eyebrow at Rainbow’s statement, but then saw what she did. Rainbow Dash slowly rolled herself on her back with Twilight still on her chest. Then she spread her wings out as far as she could, only to wrap them snugly around Twilight.

Almost immediately after Rainbow Dash rolled them back to their original position, Twilight stopped shivering. Rainbow looked up at Princess Luna with a little smirk on her lips, only to see a smiling moon queen with what looked like tears in her eyes.

''Rainbow Dash,'' Luna started, trying to sound formal, but there was too much joy in her voice to succeed. ''I... wish you a good night.'' Then she just turned and left for the balcony.

''Luna,'' Rainbow yelled fast. Realizing her mistake, she quickly looked down on Twilight to see if she had accidentally woken the pony up. She was relieved that Twilight just shrugged a little and snuggled herself closer to Rainbow. Rainbow looked up at the princess again to see that her eyes were staring back at her. Then she realized that she had addressed the Luna without her title.

''Yes, Rainbow?'' Luna said with the smile still on her face.

Letting out a sigh of relief that the princess wasn't offended by her mistake she turned her eyes to Princess Luna’s.

''… Is it hard?'' She hesitated at first to ask. She had wanted to ask ever since her conversation with Luna started, but after their little talk she really felt like she had to know.

Luna looked at Dash for a few seconds before letting out a sigh and turning her gaze towards the night sky, as if she was looking for answers there. The smile had finally died on her face, replaced with a look of utter grief.

''Yes, Rainbow Dash, it is hard. Even though eternal beings like Celestia and I do find some semblance of comfort in governing this kingdom of ours... the things we lose at the cost of our immortality... some would say that the prize is not worth the cost.

For as long as life has existed, my sister and I have existed on this earth, in one form or another. Friend after friend has come and passed, and all that's left of them are old books and memories. The two of us will never change... never age. As long as the Moon and Sun exist, Celestia and I will always be a part of this world.

One day we will both die. Not even the two sisters in the sky, the ones that always look down on you ponies, last forever. But for how long? Ten millennia? Ten epochs? … Maybe even a hundred eons? I have a long journey ahead of me... and it's not rich enough to make a so long time pass by faster.'' Princess Luna directed her eyes back to Rainbow Dash, then to Twilight Sparkle.

''My sister and I will outlive all six of you. At first I was worried that Twilight was going to suffer the same fate as ours, and I was ever so grateful that my suspicion turned out to be wrong. She will be like Cadance and outlive all of you and live for many centuries... but she will be with you again. As will I, eventually, but like I said, it will be a long time. It's even worse for Celestia. She will outlive her own sister, roaming the earth and stars for such a long time after I pass. She was first of us all on this earth and she will be the last one to go, together with the fool of a goat Discord, who also will perish when Order can no longer balance out his Chaos.''

Luna turned her eyes back to the stars, and let out a breath so sad that even a fully-grown dragon would feel pierced by it. ''It's ironic, really. Even though Celestia probably needs comfort the most, she has always taken it upon herself to comfort me.'' She took another look at Rainbow Dash, nodded to her to say goodbye, then crouch down to take off.

''Princess!'' Dash yelled out, this time biting her own tongue to punish herself for her recklessness. Luckily Luna stopped in mid-air, landed and turned her head towards Rainbow again.

''Ehmmm... I just wanted you to know that... well, when all of as are, ehm... said and done...'' there was an awkward silence in the air as Rainbow tried to find the right words, ''when all of us are gone... we will be waiting for you two.'' 'Well said' Dash thought to herself with a reassuring smile on her face.

Well said indeed. First Luna just stood there, looking puzzledly at Dash. Then a little faint smile came back to her face, and Rainbow thought she saw tears in the princess’s eyes. Then Luna turned her head toward the balcony and flew of, but not before letting out a faint ''Thank you.''

Rainbow now turned her whole body back to Twilight and made herself comfortable with warm wings around her friend. Even with a lot of new stuff in her mind, it still didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

...And now with court concluded, she had finally crossed off everything but the final big item that had been on her mental checklist ever since the morning after Rainbow had slept over the first time. But that would be crossed off very, very soon. Her cheeks got a little red every time she thought of that morning. She didn't know why. She wasn't really embarrassed... not any more.

She just got this feeling inside every time she thought of waking up wrapped in Dash's hooves and wings. There was just a feeling of comfort and... how to put it... homely warmth being close against Dash that way. That she belonged there. While she was lying there on her bed, she heard a fast gust of wind coming from the window, and then a smile pasted itself on her face.

''You came earlier then I expected.”

''Weeeell, I got off weather-duty earlier then I expected. Sooo... what do you want to do today?''

Twilight rose up and smiled at Rainbow Dash.

''Well, today I'm coming back to Ponyville.''

Last thing on the list crossed off.

To be continued...

Chapter 1

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 2

Author's Note

Yeah, I know much doesn't happen in this chapter, but that's why it's shorter then the previous 2. I just felt like I had to give you guys something.

This chapter is more for developing Twilight's 'new' character. I am planning to do some changes to her, nothing drastic but just a few more signs of maturity and more personal conflicts to her.

The next one will probably also be a bit short like this one, so I will try to get it out faster instead, as payback.

Like I say always, correct me (in a nice way) if I have done anything wrong with my engrich.

Chapter 2

Twilight lay on her bed exhausted after she and Spike sorted back all the books. She had actually enjoyed her so-called 'gift' of carnage courtesy of Rainbow Dash, but the mess had taken hours to fix. Not so much the sorting itself, but the small arguments that she and Spike had over almost every book they put on the bookshelves.

It had all ended with Twilight actually giving up when Spike had pointed out that this was technically his responsibility given to him by the mayor, Mayor Mare. Twilight chuckled a little at the thought. 'Wow, the Doctor is right. That is a kind of absurd name choice by her parents.’

Spike had also pointed out that since Twilight had already read all the books in the library it really was more fair to guests that the books be sorted easier for them. Besides, after sorting the books Twilight would have memorized their locations anyway.

Replacing and sorting her private lab wasn't an easy task either. After that, Twilight had to organize everything she brought with her. It had taken the two of them the rest of the afternoon and half the night to put everything right. It was still satisfying work for Twilight, especially since she had never been allowed to clean her own room in the castle.

Now she had finally gone to bed. Spike had dragged her there when she wanted to do some final adjustments to the library. She was now waiting for Spike to get her a glass of water.

She was pondering how thing would turn out the next day. She had asked both Rainbow Dash and Spike to not tell anyone that she was back in the library. She wanted to make herself at home before surprising everyone with her arrival back in Ponyville. She hoped most of the ponies would take it well.

She knew that some would want to make a big deal out of it. The mayor would probably want to make a big celebration out of the whole deal and Rarity would likely want to make a dress for her to wear. She would actually not mind either of those things. She could make a public statement that she wanted everything to go back to normal, but a celebration in her honor in that scale would probably just make everyone more concerned about how they should act toward her. And Pinkie Pie would probably throw a party for her anyway, so two just seemed redundant.

Should she approach the mayor first and talk her about the matter? Or should she go to her friends first? Rainbow Dash already knew, and it was only a matter of time before Pinkie Pie did. That pony had a talent not only for parties and smiles, but also for appearing at the perfect time, whether you wanted her to or not.

Twilight decided that she would invite the mayor to have breakfast with her so they could make the proper arrangements and then, after giving the mare a few hours, she would go to her friends and tell them about her arrival. After that she would make a public appearance, perhaps sitting in one of the local coffeehouses to make her presence known and to help ponies comfortable around her again.

While she was planning the next day, Spike finally came back to the bedroom and put a glass of water on the small table beside her bed.

''Do you need anything else, Twilight?'' he asked still with as much enthusiasm as fatigue in his voice.

It had not occurred to her, given that she was letting her head be filled only with her duties ever since she became a princess, how much the little purple dragon actually missed her until then.

''No Spike, everything is fine for now,'' she said with a big, approving smile on her face.

Spike nodded, took a bow for old habits’ sake, (which Twilight only allowed from him since she knew that he bowed only as her number one assistant, not because she was a princess) and turned to leave.

The little dragon wasn't so little anymore. He was used to having his own bedroom, so they had also fixed the second bedroom for him.

He had almost reached the door, when it hit Twilight that most of their first day back together had been filled with arguing over some silly books. Not wanting to end it on that note, she immediately though of Rainbow Dash and an idea hit her.

''Spike!'' she called out to the purple dragon who immediately turned back to face his former keeper. ''Ehm... I don't want to sleep alone tonight.'' She used her magic to lift her blanket off of the bed and she scooted aside to make space for the dragon. She smiled awkwardly and said, ''For old times’ sake?''

Her smile turned from awkward to pure joy as something lit up in the dragon’s eye and he jogged to the bed. He snuggled himself beside Twilight with his back turned to her and leaned against her chest, like they had done countless time in her youth when he had still been a 'baby' baby dragon.

He was surprised when he was suddenly lifted a few inches into the air by Twilight’s magic. He not only landed smoothly in her forelegs but also became surrounded by her wings. As the blanket landed over them, Spike was in such comfort that he almost immediately fell asleep in his mother’s hooves.

Twilight could feel the spikes along the dragon’s spine against her belly and chest, but wasn't bothered by them since they, like all dragons’, became soft as soon as the baby dragon was in his mothers arms... or hooves in this case.

Twilight used a small spell to dampen the sound of the dragon’s snores to bare minimum. It was so soothing and familiar to Twilight’s ear that she couldn’t help but smile as she snuggled herself closer to her familiar companion.

The small purring that the dragon made while snoring vibrated against Twilight and put her mind to ease for the night.

As she slowly drifted to sleep her final thoughts was something along the lines of, 'Finally, I'm home.'

Twilight was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying her second cup of coffee, reading a book Luna found for her about the complexity about manipulation of time with magic. She, Celestia, and Luna found only a couple of books on the subject, but it was still more than she had hoped for.

The book she was reading was one written by Star Swirl the Bearded, one of the few mages that ever considered time manipulation a possibility. Sure, manipulation of one’s age was possible, even Twilight had accidentally turned Spike into a teenage dragon when she did her test to get into 'Star Swirl’s Academy For Gifted Ponies,' but that wasn't the same.

First of all, that spell wasn't so much about aging the subject than about speeding up or reversing the aging process itself. The spell also had no lasting effects - only working for a couple of hours at most, which explained why Star Swirl wasn't still living.

It also wasn't anything like what the Doctor was doing with the TARDIS. According to the Doctor, the TARDIS was already linked to every moment of space and time. It just disappeared on one end and appeared on the next.

Using and controlling real time magic was about grasping the area of your choice and controlling it to your desire. It demanded various steps to pull it off and required mastery of each and every action. First, the caster would take physical hold of the area in question, and then take hold of reality itself within the area.

Then the mage could choose if it was going to be a hollow hold on the area, a firm one, a stable one or a collapsing one. And all of the holds had a different method of using magic and a different effect.

A hollow hold meant that the caster only had a shallow grasp of reality. With this, it would be possible to look into the future, the past or to other places, even communicating through them. This was the easiest form of time manipulation, even though few ponies had managed to grasp it fully.

A firm hold was the one that Star Swirl himself had managed to control, but never master. It created temporary effects with time, like when Twilight warped herself back through time and created a time paradox. This could have a permanent effect with time, but the controlled media of that spell would eventually create a return to its own time. The user could, for example, go back through time and get a sword from the old unicorn kingdom that existed before Equestria was founded, but she wouldn't be able to stay in that time period. She would be dragged back to her own time together with the sword, and any individuals that she had encountered would remember her.

A stable hold effect was like the firm hold - theoretically possible but had never been pulled off if records were correct. The stable hold was a permanent time effect in which the caster would be bound to the period traveled to, and it would be as real and as lasting as the original. In other words - true time travel. Going through time and space independently.

And the fourth and final spell... collapsing time and space itself. At first Twilight had been terrified by the notion of this act. It could mean that the affected area would collapse in on itself to nothingness - to a place where not even time existed, like a black hole. She had been relieved when she realized that holes like these would heal themselves pretty fast, being spliced together by the space and time surrounding the deleted area. A black hole is a dimensionless point in space and time, not just a collapse of time in a defined area surrounded by intact time.

After choosing the hold, the caster would have to manipulate reality to stop time, reverse it, or accelerate it - present, past, or future. Each of these also had different techniques for their use.

There were different methods in the book on how to take a hollow hold of reality, and Star Swirl had written down his methods on how to control a firm hold. Twilight was sure she would be able to master both of these, but the others were just theories. But Twilight was sure that if she could master the first two then she could figure out the rest.

As she sipped some coffee, Spike came into the room followed by the mayor. Twilight had sent Spike to escort the brown mare so Twilight could talk with her about announcing her return to Ponyville. The mayor immediately bowed down to Twilight and said in a most proper tone,

''Your Majesty.''

Twilight sighed at the brown mare but put on her most sincere smile.

''Please, Mayor Mare, rise. I have known you for more than a year now, and believe me when I say that being bowed to gets tiresome very quickly, especially when it's a pony you know.''

The mayor looked up at Twilight Sparkle with a questioning expression. Twilight just kept a smile on her face and pointed her hoof at the chair opposite to her.

''Please take a seat and have breakfast while we talk. Have you eaten yet?''

The mayor took a hesitant look at the chair, then back at Twilight. She shook her head and said,

''No, Your Majesty.''

Twilight let out another sigh.

''Please call me Twilight, Mayor Mare. Titles are almost as tiring as kneeling. How Celestia has been able to put up with all the formality for millennia I have no idea!'' Twilight nodded at the chair again and Ms. Mare finally gave in to the request and sat down on the opposite side of the table.

Then Twilight was truly smiling.

''What would you like to eat? Spike is an excellent cook. How about we start with a simple fruit salad, then have blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes with your choice of toppings, and then let Spike run down to Mr. and Mrs. Cake and get some cupcakes for dessert?'' And boy did the mayor give her a satisfying grin. She did not drool but it looked like she was going to start any minute now.

''Y-yes, Your Majesty. That... that would be great.”

Satisfied with the answer for the moment, she turned to Spike and told him to start serving the appetizer. They had already prepared most of the dishes. The fruit was already chopped up, and the pancakes just needed to be fried on the pan.

''Oh, and please refer to me by Twilight, Mayor.'' She said to the pony sitting across her.

The brown mare jumped at the remark as if she was afraid of having offended the princess. She immediately answered in a nervous voice,

''I... Your Majes--... ehmmm, Miss Sparkle?''

Twilight looked at the mayor for a while, then started to chuckle under her hoof. When she was done she let out a sigh and looked at the brown mare. 'I guess that some sort of formality has to remain,' Twilight thought.

''No apology is required, Mrs. Mare. I guess 'Miss Sparkle' will suffice for now. Would you like some coffee?'' The brown mare nodded and Spike was there in seconds with a cup for the mayor, then he proceeded to fill up Twilight’s.

“Now for business!'' Twilight called out as Mayor took a sip of the coffee.

The mayor took a questioning look at Twilight, not knowing why she been summoned here.

''Yes, Your Maj-- Miss Sparkle?''

Twilight leaned forward and started to talk.

''You see, after much consideration I have decided that I am moving back to Ponyville.'' Twilight wanted to make this statement short so that Mayor could think about it over their meal. The brown mare was very intelligent, but she also had a weakness for higher authority. It was smarter to let this sink in before she acted, instead of letting her leave directly after hearing the news and let her panic about what had to be done.

The mayor’s face lightened up in excitement.

''Really, Your Majesty? I mean, Miss Sparkle? I didn't mean to... anyway we must have some sort of celebration ceremony! A carnival, perhaps? Or maybe a parade! I should talk--'' And that was exactly what Twilight didn't want.

''I appreciate your enthusiasm, but that won't be necessary.''

The mayor of Ponyville stopped to stare at Twilight with a shocked look in her eyes and confusion spread all over her face.

''You see, Mrs. Mare, I returned to Ponyville to be with my friends and, I hope, to separate myself from such affairs. My hope is that, eventually, the citizens of Ponyville will treat me like every other pony here in town. I know how farfetched that seems, and I know that my new position may make that impossible for most of the ponies here, but a big celebration for 'Princess Twilight Sparkle' will only make things worse.'' Twilight took a deep look at the mayor to see her reaction.

The brown mare was flabbergasted.

''Bu-but we have to do something for you, Miss Sparkle. Sorry to say this, but the townsponies will expect some sort of celebration in your honor.''

Twilight chuckled again.

''Oh, there will most certainty be some sort of celebration, Mrs. Mare.''

Mayor Mare looked surprised at that statement.

''But you just said th--''

''You think Pinkie Pie will ignore a chance like this? It wouldn't surprise me if she already knows I’m here and is preparing a surprise party as we speak. But there's a big difference between what you would plan and what she would plan.''

''If I may ask, what difference would that be, Yo--... Miss Sparkle?'' The mayor looked at her now with some interest. Her nerves had eased up a little when Twilight reminded her about Pinkie.

''The difference, Mrs. Mare, is that it will probably be a welcome home party to 'Twilight', not a welcome party to 'Princess Twilight Sparkle.’ See the difference?''

Mayor Mare looked down at the table thoughtfully. Twilight knew that the mayor of Ponyville enjoyed her position as the highest authority in the village... well, next to Twilight now, so she may have a hard time understanding Twilight’s wishes at first.

''I think I understand...'' she was still looking at the table thoughtfully. ''Maybe it’s a bad comparison but it's like when you are in a election and you try to win ponies over to your side by seeming more down to earth then the other candidates...'' the brown mare trailed off, thinking.

Twilight was actually surprised at that comparison. She started to laugh as she said to the mare,

''I thought no one had challenged you to an election for the past 8 years or so, and then it was only the old mayor who challenged you that one time?''

Mayor Mare blushed a little at the statement.

''Well, I have to know how just in case. Pinkie jokes almost every year she should challenge me just so she could have a celebration party. I always tell her that she should plan my celebration party, and that always put her mind off the idea.'' That made Twilight laugh out loud.

The rest of the morning passed with the two talking about what the mayor would tell her ponies. Twilight wanted the brown mare to tell the town that Twilight would appreciate it if the ponies wouldn't kneel to her or call her any titles. She didn’t want to make a law against it, so the mayor’s request seemed to be the next best thing.

After that, they spoke of more ordinary things, like how the economy in town was doing, trade, and simpler subjects. Twilight personally managed the economies of only the major cities in Equestria, since a strong economy in the larger cities was bound to help the villages.

When breakfast was done and the mayor had left, Twilight prepared herself to leave. She was going to Fluttershy first, so the mayor could spread the word through town for a while. Just as she was on her way out she heard knocking at the door.

''I'm coming'' She walked out of her bedroom, down the stairs and opened the door to see Rainbow Dash standing there.

''Morning, egghead. Done yet?'' Dash asked enthusiastically.

''Just done, but I thought I would go out the balcony to avoid the ponies in town for now. I just had breakfast with Mayor Mare and asked her to tell everyone in Ponyville that I don't want any royal treatment for now on.''

Rainbow looked skeptically at Twilight.

''Twi, I hope you know that it won't work that fast.''

''I'm not stupid, Dash. It will take some time before everyone adjusts to this, and it will probably never be the same as before. But I can always hope that they don’t bow down to me and call me titles all the time.''

Rainbow shrugged her shoulders and said,

“Whatever.”

Then she looked at Twilight with a smirk on her face.

''So, wanna race me for real this time?''

Twilight chuckled.

''Only if you give me a 30 second head start.”

''Deal,” Dash yelled out and started to fly up the stairs.

Twilight felt an odd sensation in her stomach as she watched Rainbow fly up to her room. She couldn't place it. Perhaps it was... excitement? She shrugged the thought out of her head and followed Dash to the balcony.

Chapter 3

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 4

Author's Note

Yeah, this chapter came out a little short, but what can you do? This is the end of Act One, and now the fun will begun. I have change the tag 'Slice of life' to a 'Adventure' one. Ideas keep pop up in my head and I think this will be for the best.

I have noticed that I do love to drag the story a little in my chapters, I guess that's a scar from almost only consuming fantasy for 10 years. I try to better myself, and I look forward to hear from you soon. K B A

Chapter 4

Twilight suddenly woke up. Her head was spinning and she didn't know where she was. She tried to look at her surroundings to get a grasp of where she was, but her vision was blurring and it felt like her whole body was swaying back and forth.

Wait... she was swaying back and forth. And often bumped up and down as if she was tripping. She took a look down on the ground just to get her face full of hair. 'What the...' she thought in surprise. She tried to raise her head out of the mane of somepony but her head felt heavy. Somepony was caring her on the back.

She opened her eyes, trying to stay awake,when she noticed that both her eyes had a different set of colors of the hair.

'Okay, so I am on Dashs back' Twilight thought. She tried to remember what had happened on the party. What she could remember of the party was a lot if cider, almost the entirety of Ponyville at Sweet Apple Acress and... Spike in a barrel of cider.

''Ra-Rainblow...'' Twilight tried to put her mind together so she could get her words out right.

Rainbow jumped a little thanks to the sudden voice coming behind her. She tried to turned her head towards Twilight, but lost her balance and almost fell flat to the right when she did. She quickly got her balance back and decided that it would probably be best if she just kept on walking towards Twilights home.

Carrying a drunk pony that kept on moving in her sleep while Dash herself wasn't the most sober mare in Ponyville wasn't as easy as Dash had hopped it would be. ''Yesh Twi?''

Twilight was silent for a while. ''Did we put Spike in a barrel with cider?'' she asked Dash who started to laugh a little.

''Yeah, it was pretty awesome!'' Dash didn't feel as dizzy when she could put her concentration on Twilight.

''Dash?''

''Yeah?''

''Why did we do that?

''Do what?'' Dash asked, trying to tease Twilight who didn't seem to notice this.

''Why did we put Spike in a barrel full with cider?''

''Weeell... it started with Spike asking if he could have some real cider.''

''Mhmmm...?''

''And than you said that he was only a baby dragon and that he was to young to drink the same hard stuff we drank. Then he said something that he was a dragon and the alcohol wouldn't effect him in the same way that it did to us.''

''Waaait,'' Twilight interrupted Dash in a slow, slandering voice. ''how does he know that? I don't know anything about the effect of alcohol on dragons, so I've couldn't had thaught him anything about that!''

''Well Twilight, he IS a dragon after all'' Dash answered back.

''Oh, right...'' Twilight said as she never had thought of that. ''What happened after that?'' Twilight remembered that it had been herself that had put Spike in the cider, but much like the rest of the night everything else was a blur.

''Well, the next thing I remember happened is that me and AJ took out and opened a whole barrel of cider while you were holding Spike with your magic. And then you just dropped him in it.''

''I did what, is he okay?'' Twilight yelled out, making it ring in Dashs left ear. Twilight didn't mean to hurt her friend, but she just remembered how easy floating things like wood or for example a pony would sink to the bottom of the barrel.

''Yeah yeah, his fine Twi! Jeez, you don't have to scream and make my head hurt even more. Anyway, I don't know how but Spike somehow manage to drink the WHOLE THING, Twi!''

Rainbow raised her front hooves to make a dramatic gesture, but halfway in the air she remembered that she had Twilight on her back and had to hurry her front-legs back to the ground not to lose her balance completely. Twilight yelped out load by this action, so RD had to apologize.

''Anyway, I thought he was going to burst first, since he was so full, but instead he let out the biggest burp I've ever seen. And how did I see it? Because 2 second after he started the burp itself cough fire. It's the biggest fireball I've ever seen! He must have burned down at least 15 trees with that fire. Next thing I know you lay snoring on the ground and AJ running after Spike for a couple of minutes before giving up. And here we are.''

Twilight tried again to put herself together again. She stated to remember bits and pieces of the night. '' And where is he right now?''

''Oh, he is 'hiding' together with the CMC. I believe that he still thinks that AJ is till looking for him. He told me he would sleep over with them, help them see if they could get a cutie-mark for fire-breather. He didn't think it was a good idea for them to do it alone either, but I think he just said that to me to make me sure of that he absolutely didn't by any circumstances followed them because of AJ'' Rainbow said with growing sarcasm in her voice.

Then the night started to come back to Twilight piece by piece. Again, it was not the whole night but short moments. ''How did Rarity get the red strips on her body?''

Rainbow started to laugh again and this time she did it so hard that she had to stop her walk to keep her balance. ''Oh that. Weeell... when you started to get a 'little' tipsy you said something about me lying before the Apples painting the barn. AJ then came and said that I hadn't lied about that and that they had painted it this morning together with Pinkie so the barn would look as good as possible for the party.''

RD had stopped laughing hysterically now and started to walk again, still chuckling. ''You didn't believe her so you used your magic to push the nearest pony, which happened to be Rarity, in to the barn to prove that you were right. Then she turned and had more stripes than a zebra. She ran home, saying something like ''How could you? Stripes are bad enough, but stripes at this angle just make a lady look chubby!''.Then she called Sweety Bell for an emergency fashion crisis or something.''

Twilight was a little shock by what Rainbow said. ''Did I really do that. That doesn't sound like me. Is Rarity okay?''

Twilight didn't see it, but Rainbow started to blush. ''Well... I make have told you something like ''Check it for yourself'', and given you the idea to push a pony in to the painted barn''.

Now the last pieces came to Twilight. The party had been amazing. Almost every pony in Ponyville had been there, including the mare. And the best thing had been that all the ponies that had been with her and Dash at the café had been come a few minutes after the party had started.

This had the chain effect that most ponies that was around her during the party started to actually call her by her first name after the first few meetings, and a few more than the once that had been at the café even had started to have engage in conversation with her.

The most awkward moment had been when Twilight had gone to the middle of the dance floor inside the barn to dance a little and every pony there had gotten of the dance floor to let 'the princess enjoy herself'. Thank Celestia to her friends, because a few second of almost every pony there staring at her like she was going to start a concert suddenly Pinkie was there. She grabbed her on the shoulder then made her tango-spin like 10 rounds in 2 seconds before stopping her laughing. Then she started to dance, and Twilight joined in with a smile on her face, followed by Dash, Derpy and Applejack. More and more ponies came to join them and soon the dance floor was again filled up with dancing mares and colts.

The music was amazing. Vinyl Scratch was spinning her records inside the barn where the dance floor was at, and out at the food stand and dinner place Octavia and Lyra was playing a duet. It was a very big contrast going from one to the other, and you could still hear the bas from the dance music at the dinner table. Vinyl had finally made her album with remixed classical music, so after a few hours she was joined at stage with her marefriend Octavia and for hours you played some of the best music Twilight ever heard. She later got herself a copy of their album, sign by moth of them.

There had been a ton of food at the party. The Apple-family had their apple-pastries, Bon Bon had three tables full of different candies and sweets with her and the Cakes must have emptied their whole store because everywhere you turned you could see a small table full of different desserts.

Twilight asked had asked Pinkie Pie how she had been able to put everything together so quickly. ''I mean, I haven't been here for more than a day and you get all of this together? It's a party for the whole town! What was it, Pinkie-senses?''

Pinkie started to snicker and jumped a little. ''Hihi, no silly. You see, yesterday was on my way back home after I had some fun with Fluttershy and the animals. When I went past the library I saw a flash of light from the window, and I recognize that flash so I knew that you were back in! So I immediately started to plan. This wasn't just going to be a surprise party, this was going to be a 'Super Big Super Awesome Super Super Surprise' party, so I started to go home to start the preparations.

A few minutes later when I was almost back at the Cakes I suddenly saw Spitfire in the sky. I called her down and invited her and the Wonderbolts to the party, and she gladly accepted. Then it hit me that we needed to have some music to the party so I asked her if she could perhaps send a letter to Vinyl and Octavia from me. They both owe me one after I gave them the job to handle the music at Shinings wedding, so I knew that they would say yes.

After Spitfire left I thought that we would need some candy for the party so I went over to Bon Bon and Lyra get some candy. Lucky for me so had Bon Bon been 'stifted' on a really big delivery, so she had a ton of candy. And I mean, a tooon!'' Pinkie made some hoof-gestures she guessed was supposed to be a mountain.

''Anyway, then it hit me that this party was going to get big. Like, really big, so I went to Applejack to ask if the party could be at the farm. Luckily, they had just had a 'Apple-family reunion' so most of the arrangements was already in place. And many of the relatives was still there so they all helped with baking delicious apple-goodness to the party.

Then the Cakes and I spent almost the whole night baking more treats. When the morning came and I had a few hours sleep I first meet with Dashie and ask her to stale you for the day. Then I went over to the farm to start the last preparations and helped them paint the barn. Then I asked the CMC to invite everyone in secret to the party. And here we are!''

Twilight had been confused and stunned. Confused, like always on how fast and somewhat uncomprehending pinkie talked. Stunned over how... Pinkie all this seemed to be.

But hat was the thing. It was Pinkie Pie. With this pony nothing was impossible. Twilight just laughed it of and started to go through the dishes.

And then it was the cider. AJ and Big Mac had put out almost 30 barrels of real cider for everyone to share. Apparently the Apple family was overstocked this season so there was plenty to go around. And boy did Twilight drink. She, Dash and AJ started to have a drinking contest, tossing coins in the glasses, singing songs and playing drinking games to see who could stand it the longest.

First she had thought about it as an experiment. One of the books Celestia herself had written about alicorns had said that they had a much faster metabolism then the other pony races. This had seemed ridiculous at first to Twilight. The amount of energy the body needed depended on muscle-mass, how much energy you wasted during a day and the bodies natural metabolism. But then she though about it she actually could remember starting eating more and more. She figured that it had to be because she now possessed the body muscles of a earth pony, the extra wing muscles of a pegasi, and the extra strain on her body the passive magic of all three races possessed in addition to the controlled magic of the unicorn.

After an hour or 2 Dash had given up, not wanting to lose more of her balance then she wanted and Applejack started to slur and swear like a sailorpony until she finally passed out on the ground next to the table. Twilight herself had only just started to get tips and she and AJ was up in 22 cups and 12 shots. Then suddenly Iron Will sat at the opposite side of the table with his own barrel, seemingly half empty.

After about half an hour he to was on the ground right next to Applejack. Twilight, then drunk but not to bad, started to mingle some more and went dancing again. Some ponies started to move aside again for her, but then she had gotten mad and ordered them to go back to dancing. Then she had ordered Dash to come dance with her, who had started to laugh and followed the wishes of her friend.

Rainbow Dash had then had the bright idea that Twilight should order some ponies to do some ridiculous things for fun sake, and Twilight, more than to drunk then a princess should be had complied. Before the night had ended she had made Big Mac and Snowflake wrestle, Granny Smith and Applebloom have a rap battle, made Octavia and Vinyl change instrument, a magic duel between Rarity and Lyra, among many things.

Then other ponies started to dare her to do challenges. First she had teleported herself all the way back to Canterlot to take a picture of Prince Blueblood in an awkward sleeping position. Then they asked how many of the remaining apples left in this years harvest she could take with her magic. She had actually made a new spell on the spot for this.

Before everyone knew it all of the trees in Sweet Apple Acres was covered in a violet magic field and the, suddenly a swarm of apples came through the air and in a few minutes all of the storage rooms were filled up and all the bad apples put in the tank behind the barn.

After that feat nopony couldn't come up with anything that could beat that so it ended right there.

Then Twilight had challenged both Big Mac, Braeburn and Apple Leaves to a drinking contest. Soon after that it all started faint to black for Twilight memories of the night. When she asked Dash about it had her friend responded and told her that she had actually put both Big Mac and Braeburn on the ground before Twilight herself finally past out. Rainbow Dash had then told everyone that it was time for the princess to go home and then started to carry Twilight home.

''I would say that your first day back in Ponyville went pretty good right?'' Dash asked Twilight.

Twilight leaned her head back against Dashs neck. ''I couldn't have asked for more.''

Dash walked up towards Twilights bedroom. Her legs were tired and she had started to breathe hard. She came up to the door and tried to lift her left leg to open the door. Before her hoof connected with the handle a violet field surrounded it and the door open. Her not being able to meet her weight to the door anymore caused her to lose balance and she finally fell headfirst on the ground.

She started to massage her head and turned her body up to see if Twilight was okay. Twilight looked around, confused and then met Rainbow Dashs eyes. They eyes locked on to each other and they just stirred at each other for seconds.

''Hey, Twi?''

''Yes, Dash?''

Dash wanted to say something, but the alcohol together with Twilight left her speechless. The new princess of friendship was beautiful. She had noticed it many times before, but this was the first time she actually told herself that.

And now she was looking right at Rainbow Dash, making her unable to draw her eyes from her. Those dark, violet eyes seem to consume Dash, taking her in every instant.

Dash raise her hoof to Twilights face, gentle caressing it. Twilight hooves started to gently rubbing Rainbows sides and wings and their faces drew closer to each other. They faces was so close to each other that they could feel the others breath. Dash took a soft hold on Twilights neck and their lips finally met in a fast but passionate kiss.

After a few seconds Dash eased her hold around the others neck. Twilight drew her head slowly away and their eyes locked on to each others again. Dashs checks started to blush.

''I'm sorry, Twilight. I don't know what cam--'' Dash was interrupted as Twilight pushed her lips against Dashs again.

Rainbows other hoof hugged Twilights back and before either one of them know what was happening, they both lied there on the floor, holding each other in a tight embrace a and exchanged kisses, with a growing sensation in their body none of them had ever felt before.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Twilight woke up around noon. Her head was aching and spinning. It felt like a golem was jumping on it over and over again. She tried to rise herself from bed, but something was holding her back. Added to the fact that her head only got worse when she tried to get up she decided to remain in bed.

She looked up at the ceiling and everything she looked at was like she was looking at it through a piece of plastic wrap. She decided that the best thing she could do was to, like always, think the situation through.

She didn't have the same problem as she had earlier the night before when she had woken up on Rainbow Dashsback. She did remember most of what had happened the day and night before. But she had a feeling she needed to remember something else.

She had landed in a uncomfortable position when she lay herself back on the bed so she tried to adjust herself, but something was holding her back. She turned her whole body to see if that worked. It didn't.

When she was going to try another position she felt something warm brushing against her cheek, like a warm breeze. And then it was gone. And now it was back again, just to be gone a few seconds later. Twilight opened her eyes to see what it was that disturbed her for getting back to sleep.

Her vision was soon met with the color cyan. That meant Rainbow Dash. Twilight wasn't really surprised of this since Dash had slept over many times before when Twilight still lived in Canterlot, and that had been two days before.

'Rainbow Dash... Rainbow Dash...' Twilight though as she tried to again remember what she forgotten. She shrugged it of and snuggled herself closer to Dash, wrapping her hooves around the mare. She could feel herself getting warmer. 'Strange how I can't feel the coldness of winter anymore but my body always embraces the warmth around it' she thought to herself as she let herself starting to drift back to sleep. 'Embrace...?'

And then all the memories of the time before she got to bed came back all at once. Memories filled with hungry kisses, tight embraces, gentle caresses, sweat and passionate words between two mare. Her headaches were gone, and blood started to pump its way back to her face. She didn't have a pillow so she used Dashs chest, pushed her head in to the surprisingly soft coat and yelled to herself ''OGMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH, WHAT HAVE I DONE''.

Rainbow Dash started to chuckle in her sleep as Twilights hard breath against her chest. She woke up and starting squint her eyes to see better. She notices that something was shaking against. She looked down only to see Twilight, embracing her harder and crying against her chest.

Believing that Twilight had another nightmare, Rainbow Dash lifted her hoof as she always did and started to caress her friends her and started comfort her. ''It's okay Twilight, I'm here. I won't leave you.'

To Dashs surprise so did Twilight lift her head and look right in to Rainbows eyes. ''You won't?''

Dash got a stubborn look on her face. ''I've told you before that I won't leave you no matte--'' And then it hit her, the memories from the night before. The kiss... ''Oh no we didn't...?''Dash said in a horse voice.

Twilight nodded and buried her face on Dashes chest again, and continued to cry. 'This is it. Everything is ruined.' though Twilight. 'I'm going to lose my best friend just because I act like a stupid drunk filly when I got drunk.'

Dash was stunned. This hadn't been something as innocent as two young fillies experimenting up on the attic. This... this was something else. They had fooled around. Like, really fooled around. And it hadn't been just something just in the moment. They had actually moved from the floor at the door to the bed.

Dash felt herself getting teary eyed. She didn't know how to fix this. She couldn't race or talk this away. She may very well lose her best friend just because she had acted like little-bratty-drunk-fillyfooler.

She had always been attracted to Twilight since the first day that they met, and she had started to noticed herself being even more drawn to her friend lately. Small things like teasing Twilight in a different way, taking quick looks of her when she wasn't looking, among other thing.

Dash wasn't completely stupid. She knew where her attraction lay. But she had always hoped that it was just a phase. And now she was going to lose one of her best friend. 'Well, it can't get can't worse I guess...'

''It's okay Twilight, mistakes do happened.'' This didn't help.

Twilight just kept crying. It wasn't really because she regretted what had happened. It was the fact that she didn't regret it that made her cry.

She was so confused right now. She loved Dash. She was Twilights best friend. She shouldn't feel this way. Dash had become more than a just a friend. She had become somepony that Twilight truly could rely on, in the way she did to her brother, Cadance or Celestia. Dash had become family to her... and more. It's was all just so confusing.

Dash didn't know what to do, so there was only one thing left to do. ''Come on Twilight, it wasn't that bad, was it? I'm not that bad of a kisser, am I?''

Twilight looked up on Dash, panic in her eyes. ''No no that's not what... I... meant...'', her voice fainted away as their eye locked on to each other, like many times before. Seconds pasted by in silence as they just looked at one and other before Dash started to talk again.

''Heh, we have been doing this a lot lately, haven't we?''

''Mmmm...'' The silence grow longer, both trying to find an answer in each others eyes and it was Dash again who broke it.

She drew her hoof of Twilights neck and put it on the alicorns cheeks. They faces drew closer. ''Twilight, do you trust me?''

''What? Yes, of course Dash!'' Twilight said with worry in her voice.

Dash drew Twilights head closer slowly, stopping their lips an inch of each other. They could feel the breath of on and other, dancing on their lips and down the neck, both closing their eyes. Rainbow Dash had taken the first step, now Twilight had to take the second one.

They just lied there, now minutes passing. Twilight was unsure what to do. She felt like she wanted this. Something kept pulling her to take the final step. So why didn't she. Was she worried for what was going to happened. Maybe Rainbow Dash was just testing her. Maybe Dash just saw this as a joke of some sort and wanted to see how serious.

But Twilight knew this wasn't true. Sure, Rainbow Dash loved to pull pranks but she never wanted to hurt anyponythis way. So what was it the?

Was it because of what had happened with Flash Sentry? Possibly. Twilight was maybe afraid that just put Dash in the place of Flash. That all she really wanted was somepony that would always be there with her.

But the way she felt for Dash wasn't the same as it had been with Flash. She hadn't suddenly spontaneously started to think about Flash, feeling worry and butterflies in her stomach for no apparent reason.

Then she remembered the night when Dash had slept over the first time, and she remembered all the other nightslike them before. She remembered all the laughs they had, all the tears she had in Dashs hooves, the games they played and the long talks they had all nights up until the sunrise.

She opened her and looked again in to Dashs eyes, saw that all that the mare was looking at was Twilight. Her eyes consumed Twilight. All of Twilight Sparkles worries washed away. Nothing was holding her back anymore. She closed her eyes, drew the final inch and let their lips met in long passionate kiss.

No fooling around, just a kiss and a tight embrace. And then came another kiss, and another one. They just lay there, wrapped around each other. No more stares, no more looking at each other when the other, or themselves, was not knowing. Right there, right now they had each other. This moment was theirs alone and nothing was going to change that.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash was still laying on the bed when spike came knocking on the door in a hurry. He came in seeing the two mare wrapped under their blankets, not seeing what was going on. Twilight drew her face fromDashs and looked at the baby dragon.

''Hi Spike, what is it?'' Twilight said, a little annoyed by her assistant sudden intrusion.

The little dragon was breathing hard. He had not run all the way from the CMC tree house, but he had certainly screamed as he had Scoot driving him there as fast as she could. ''A emergency message from Princess Luna just arrived!'' He said panting, holding up a scroll with the blue seal of the Princess of the Moon.

Twilight drew herself from Dashs grip, roes up from bed and pulled the scroll from Spikes claws. She read it, double checked it and then turned to Rainbow Dash.

''Dashie, I need you to gather the girls immediately.'' she said in a hurry.

Dash looked confused at the violet alicorn. ''What? Why? What has happened, Twi? Wait, Dashie, really?''

''We are needed in the land of the griffons. Apparently the negotiations aren't going as planned and the king of the land wants the Friends of Harmony there for some reason.''

This just made Dash more confused. '' Ehmmm... the princess do know that we don't have the Elements anymore, right?''

Twilight looked at the pony that made her heart beat like a drum-roll, not as a new-found lover but as the Princess of Equestria she was. ''Of course Luna knows that, but the king doesn't. You do realize that the only reasonEquestria hasn't been to war the last 500 years are thanks to the Elements and Celestia, right? Now go get the girls and meet me at the train station in one hour. I need to make some preparation.''

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight for 3 seconds before jumping in to the air and flying towards the window. Twilight opened it with her magic and saw the 'new' mare in her life fly of towards the Everfree forest, in the direction ofFluttershys cottage.

She closed the window and turned to Spike. ''Spike, go get your tabard, we are going to Canterlot. I will also need every book that Celestia and Luna gave me on the departure from Canterlot. They should all on the top shelf in my personal bookcase.''

It only took Spike a minute to get the garment that Rarity had made for him and two more to the books. With the 'Tabard of Twilight Sparkle' on him everypony in the royal palace had to presume that every order he gave came directly from Twilight herself.

''Okay Spike, we don't have time to do a checklist so you have to memories everything I tell you, got it?''

Spike saluted Twilight and turned all his attention toward the princess. ''Yes, ma'am!''

Twilight looked at her assistant, confident in his abilities. ''I need you to summon the 5 main council to the Great Hall together with the Captain of Defense and The main Offense in 15 minutes from our arrival. Before that I need you to summon the captain of the Wonderbolts, the Shadowbolts and the Luna Guard as fast as you can to the War room next to the Great Hall.

After you done that I need you to make preparations for the royal railway with the land of the griffons as destination. We are using my personal train. It's already prepared and only need to be set and loaded.'' Her personal train had two training carts, one for magic and one for flying, one cart for personal space and dinner, two sleeping carts with three large bedrooms and her own personal sleeping cart. ''I want the three archmages of the academy to personally lay their best protection spells on them. Invisibility, magic-resistance, everything. Thats all, you got it?''

Spike smiled back at Twilight and said ''12, 17, 37 and 41, right ma'am?''

Twilight smiled proudly at her little brother. Twilight had made codes for every situation possible and then narrowed them down to the 50 most important. Spike had remembered them all.

Twilight made a gesture to Spike to get closer and the young dragon got next to her and grabbed her leg. Twilight started to summon her magic and before you could say 'Oh haystack' they were in the middle of the empty Great hall who's only residents at the moment were ten Celestial Guards. Spike summoned them to himself immediately and started to give out orders. Twilight pointed to one of the guards that Spike wasn't talking to and said in a loud voice ''I want my bedmaidens here within 5 minutes. Go!''

The guard saluted fast at Twilight before quickly turning and running out to the service hall. When Spike was finish giving orders he drew ink, a feather and three scrolls from his pockets and had produced three identical letters in the span of one minute. He threw each in the air and burned them up.

He and Twilight then turned to the back of the hall and walked in the War Room. A few minutes later she was joined by the Behidden, captain by the royal guards, the followed by Nightshade, leader of the Shadowbolt. Then came Twilights bedmaidens and advisers and after about 3 minutes later came Spitfire, who immediately moved in front of Twilight and saluted.

''I'm sorry for may late arrival, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I had to fly all from Cloudsdale to get here.''

Twilight roes her eyebrow at this. ''From Cloudsdale and her in 4 minutes. Are you beginning to slack of, Spitfire?''

Spitfire looked a little taken back by this, until she saw the playful smile on Twilights lips. ''Well, not all of us can teleport ourselves everywhere we wish your majesty.'' She said with a smug smile on her lips.

Twilight smiled back then turned her attention to all of the ponies in the room. ''Okay, attention everypony. I have to make this quick. The negotiations between the King Aldhelm and Princess Luna aren't going as well as we hopped. I have been summoned there, together with the Elements of Harmony to assist the Princess of the Moon.

At the same time Celestia has been gone since yesterday since the 'Great Wyrm', the lord of all dragons, started to move himself towards Equestria. We don't have to worry for the Princess of the Sun, since the 'Great Wyrm' seems to be alone. As long as it hasn't summon all the dragons at its disposal we have no bigger worry forEquestria.

What we do have to worry about are the griffons.'' Twilight turned her head to the Captain of the Wonderbolts, while putting a spell on all the other ponies in the room, making them unable to hear anything.

''Spitfire, I need you and the rest of the Wonderbolts to fly the border between the two nations on the lookout for on coming enemy forces. If an attack should suddenly come, the Wonderbolts and Shadowbolts are the biggest forces we have that are capable to fly faster than a griffon and warn us about the invasion. And the Wonderboltsare the biggest. Understood?''

''Yes, your majesty!'' Was all that Spitfire said.

Twilight nodded and transferred the spell from Nightshade on to Spitfire. ''Captain Nightshade?!'' Said Twilight in a firm tone.

''Yes, princess?'' said the former member of the Wonderbolts in a smug, arrogant tone. Twilight let it be because it wasn't a disrespectful tone, it was the tone of somepony who know all to well how good she was at her craft.

''You and the Shadowbolts are to do quick spy-missions in and out of the land at night. You are going to watch over all 17 of the lands biggest military bases 3 times a night, and use the clouds as your cover. We want to prevent and be prepared for a war, not start one, understood?''

The captain nodded. ''Yes Princess Twilight.'' Twilight narrowed her eyes at the former Wonderbolt to take that smug grin on her face. It worked excellent and the Captain of the Shadowbolts lowered her head in submission.

Twilight turned her head toward Behidden, and put his 'Magic field of Silence' on Nightshade, enable the dark-pony to hear. ''Captain Behidden?!''

''Yes, my lady?'' the dark-pony said in a smooth voice.

''Do you know how many hidden military-bases there are in the land of the griffons?''

''Nine, my lady'' The Captain said in a confident tone.

''And how many big cities are connected to these bases?'' Twilight asked.

''Five, my lady.''

Twilight moved a little closer to Behidden. ''And how many teleportation- and transformation runes have Luna made for you, and how many of the Luna Guard remains at your command?''

Behidden took a step closer to Twilight, looking at her neck with intense and lust in his eyes. ''15 transformation runes and 14 teleportation once, all linked to me. And I have 14 shadow-colts at you disposal''

Twilight made an illusion around herself and Behidden so that it looked that they were still talking to each other for everyone else. In reality, she also used her magic to cut a small wound right above her right hoof and then let the blood from the wound through the air, right above the Captain of the Luna Guard. Twilight only gathered a few drops before closing the wound, but by the look of the Shadow-colt it was all thats needed.

''I want you and the remaining members of the Luna Guard to infiltrate every hidden base and the courts of all the five mentioned cities, and to discover any clues and/or plans on an attack on Equestria. Do you accept this assignment?''

The Captain of the Luna Guard just looked at the floating red ball in the air, like he was a dog and was going to jump in the air to try to catch it. ''Yes!''

Twilight glared at him to make him take eye contact with her. It worked and the captain was now locking eyes with Twilight, head lowered and sweat running down his face. ''By given you my blood you are by that point and until the mission is done locked in a blood-contract with me, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Do you understand the meaning of this?''

The shadow-colt first looked at Twilight with confusion and a little bit of desperation in his eyes. Then after a second or two he roes his body in a proud stand and looked determent in to Twilights eyes. ''I swear by your blood to finish this mission to the best of your expectation.''

Twilight smiled at the handsome dark-pony in front of her. ''You should know that my expectations couldn't be higher, Captain.''

He made a little bow still keeping eye contact with Twilight and smiled that confident smile again. ''I wouldn't have it any other way, you majesty.''

Twilight had sent the three captains away and divided her bedmaidens to the captains to make the necessary preparations. She walked out to the great hall together with Spike to meet the commotion outside the War Room.

There was all the highest members of the five main councils of Equestria, yelling at each other about how the situation and what they should do about it. The only ponies that didn't say anything and only stood at their rightful places was the three Captains of Equestria. They stood down the stairs, waiting for Twilight to get in her place.

Twilight used her magic to summon her crown, then stood at the highest place the podium. She then used her magic to exemplifying her voice. ''All be quiet!'' Her voice echoed through the hall over all other sound and soon silence come to the room.

Twilight let the silence be a few seconds before continuing. She told them all the same words that she had said to the captains of the three fly-forces. She also told them that preparation for war had already begun two days ago before her departure from Canterlot. She named Blue Moon as Commander in Chief over the Equestrian military and send Flash Sentry and Sugar Twist to the military base closest to the border to the land of the griffons.

When she was done she dispatch everypony in the hall and started to make the last preparation for her and her friends journey to the border.

Rainbow Dash was walking back and forth on the plateau at the train station. Applejack and Pinkie Pie was already there and Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy was hopefully going to be there soon.

With five minutes left until the train to Canterlot was going, Dash was getting a little impatient. When she was going to ask AJ what were taking the ponies so long Rarity and Fluttershy came, surprisingly, with Big Macintosh.

Apparently Big Mac would get to worried or something like that, so he was coming along. Rainbow Dash wasn't really paying attention, turning her head around and looking for Twilight. But what she did notice was how light Rarity had packed herself to the journey.

When she question the snow white unicorn about it she had said, ''Dear, I don't want any of my precious fabric anywhere near those brutes. While I would love to show of my exquisite repertoire to an entire nation, I do not think that thegriffons will really appreciate my art. I mean, for Lunas sake, I've heard that they use armor as their normal dressing code. No dear, me and the land of the griffons aren't simple meant to be.''

Dash just shrugged it of. 'Well, I guess Spike is going to be happy not having to carry to many cases around.', she thought to herself.

Now with only one minute left she wasn't the only one getting worked up about Twilight not being there. Right when the train made the final call for the passengers to get on board, a bright light flared up a couple of feet away from the group and Twilight Sparkle was there with her little dragon assistant, looking at the gang.

''Are you girls ready?'' Was all she said.

''Where have you been? The train can be leaving any second now!'' Dash said turning towards the train.

''Dash, we are not going to take that train.'' Rainbow Dash turned and looked at Twilight. ''I told you to meet me here in one hour.'' Dash nodded in response. ''Thats in 4 minutes.'' Twilight turned to the group again and looked at all of them. ''Are everypony set and done.'' They all nodded. Twilight eyes stayed at Big Macintoch. ''Are you coming with us, Big Mac?''

Bic Mac nodded ''Eeyup.''

Twilight nodded towards him, approving. ''Having the strongest pony in Ponyville can be a good thing when we are going to a land that put such importance to strength.'' Twilight gave him and Fluttershy a mischievous grin. ''I do hop you don't mind sharing a room with Fluttershy, it seems now with Spike growing use to having his own bedroom there is not just enough space on the train we are going.''

Fluttershy paled a little. ''Oo-ooh... myyy...''. The pink maned pegasi turned to the big farm pony. ''I-I ho-hop you don't m-mind? I... I mean, if it's alright with you?'' Her face was so red it could have matched Big Macs fur-color.

Big Mac himself had seemed shocked at first, but as Fluttershy staggered in her words he seemed to get more and more calmer. ''Nnnope.'' He just said,Fluttershy returning with a confused look. ''Ehm, A-Ah mean, Ah would love to, 'Shy.''

Fluttershy looked relieved and snuggled against Big Macintosh with a love struck look on her face.

Twilight grinned and then spoke up. ''Okay everypony gather around me and stay close.'' Most of them had guessed by now what was going to happened, s everyone got around her, AJ and Rainbow Dash grabbing a hoof around her shoulder and Pinkie suddenly jumping on Twilights back. It really surprised Twilight how weightless her pink friend seemed to be when every she did that... but it was Pinkie Pie, what could you do?

Twilight summoned her magic and started to form the teleportation spell she already done two times today. She was already tired by those two and this one was going to be much harder. Now she was not only doing the spell in the same far distant, but also with six more ponies and their destination being underground.

She concentrated hard and released the magic. And in a bright flash the ponies suddenly found themselves in a big underground complex.

The group was in a large room surrounded by rock and spotlights made the whole room visible. In the middle of the complex there was a train, painted in gold, silver, purple and violet. And there was about twenty other ponies in the room, all working something that had to do with the train.

Twilight walked over to a pony and asked if all the preparations were done. The green unicorn nodded and turned away from the princess after making a bow. Twilight walked to the group and told them to go in to the train and making themselves at home, and that the train would be leaving soon. She turned around and started to go towards her own cart, exhausted from the three major teleportation-spells she had summoned today.

Rainbow Dash walked behind Spike in the back and asked him if they prepared all this in one hour. Spike laughed and said, ''You wish, you believe Twilight could sit still in a moment like this?''

Rainbow Dash looked confused at the little dragon, so he just sigh and started to tell her what he and Twilight had been doing the last our.

Twilight was her bed, relaxing and trying to get some shut eyes. For some reason sleep didn't come to her, and she turned her body constantly to try tofind a good sleeping position. She was currently in her sleeping cart, that was decorated to look as much as her own room at the Royal Palace as possible.

There was just so much to do, so much she wanted to do. Much that she didn't know she had to find out and so much to prepare. She really should start training on the time magic she wanted to master and she had to work on her flying with Rainbow Dash now that they were going to meet the king of the griffons.

Rainbow Dash... Rainbow Dash was the biggest thing on her mind right now, She had been able to push Dash out of her mind on her fast trip toCanterlot but now... there was nothing more to hold back the thoughts of the cyan colored mare. She tried to occupy her thoughts with other thing, but those were always put aside by the picture of a mare with a rainbow-colored mane.

Twilight was just so confused. Was she and Dash a thing now? How did she really feel about her? Did Dash like her? How would the world react to herself if she got together with Dash? Would the princesses be alright with them being together? Would their friends be?

Twilight could feel the train starting to move. All the furniture on this train was magically enchanted to not be effected by the trains movement, but that didn't stop nopony to feel the train itself.

Twilight didn't let that occupy her thoughts very long as she did, by old habit making answers to herself, made a mental checklist and a pro- and cons-list of her having a relationship with Dash. And instead of getting nowhere with this she actually came to a conclusion very quickly this time.

Would Celestia, Luna her friends and family be okay with it?

Yes they would. Some would have it harder than the other, mainly her parents, but they would get used to the idea. Twilights parents was ponies of logic and since new statistic showed that nearly 40% of all the ponies where either homo- or bisexual, they would get through with their daughter being either of those two.

And the world?

There was of course someponies out there that would be against her and Dash being together. But then again, that would be a small amount. Again, statistic showed that only 5% of all the ponies in Equestria didn't approve of a same-sex relationship.

Did Dash like her?

Twilight thought so. She had been the one to start kissing both times now, what else could it mean? Maybe she was just fooling around, experimenting with Twilight. Twilight hit herself mentally to get the bad thoughts out of her head.

Did she like Rainbow Dash?

… yes... yes, she did. It hit Twilight like a thunderbolt to the head, but yes. Twilight Sparkle was, for all she know, in love with Rainbow Dash.
Why?

Now that was the question, wasn't it? But before she could really start ponder on this she heard the door open and close to her cart. There stood Rainbow Dash, looking over the room and slowly walked towards the bed.

Twilights heart started to beat faster and faster as the as Dash jumped on the giant bed and placed herself next to Twilight. She looked at the violetalicord and with blushed cheeks started to speak.

''H-hi.''

''...hi.''

Dash looked around the room, trying to find the right words. It was a lot harder then she thought it was going to be. Lucky for her, Twilight took charge of the situation.

''Hey Dash?''

Dash turned her head toward the violet pony laying next to her. ''Y-yeah, Twi?''

Twilight could feel her cheeks burn up before starting to talk again, letting a few seconds pass by. ''What do you think of me, Dash?''

''Huh?'' was all that the rainbow maned pegasi got out.

''What are your feelings towards me? What do you think of me when you are thinking of me? What do you think when you look open me?'' Twilight paused for a second, looking away from Dash. '' Ever since we got on the train twenty minutes ago, I have tried to reflect and understand my feelings towards you. I probably would have done so all day if, well... I guessed that Spike told you about the my little visit to Canterlot...''

Dash nodded. ''Yeah, for what he told us so have you been busy the last hour.'' Dash paused before you continued. ''Sooo... what do you think of me Twilight?''

Twilight turned her eyes to Dash and lower her head. ''Please tell me first. I know it's cliché and unfair of me to ask you this, but please...?'' Twilight couldn't continue, to afraid of how wrong this all could turn out.

Dash looked eyes with Twilight, gathering herself together before continuing. ''I... I don't know Twilight. I'm actually a little afraid of myself right now.''

Dash pause again to let Twilight gather herself this time. The alicorn wasn't crying, but Dash could notice water gathering in her... friends? eyes.

''You are amazing Twilight. When you just woken up with the worlds biggest hang over that the world ever seen, after you realize that we actually kissed and fooled around before we went to sleep and after a lot of tears, worry and kissing in the morning, you can still pull yourself back together and take charge of a emergency threating Equestria and pull everything back to order in just 1 hour.

You have lead the rescue of Equestria not once, not twice but three times. You have become an alicorn, like the second one in all of history, as far as we know. You have saved all of your friend like more times than we done you combined. You even saved another dimension! When was the last time you heard that Star Swirly-guy do such a thing.''

Dash took a deep breath before continuing. ''You are always there for us, and you always try to pull us together when some ponies in the group are fighting. You are probably the reason all of us hang out at all.'' Dash winked at Twilight. ''And your not to hard on the eyes, if you don't mind me saying...''

Dash sighed out, unsure what to say next. She decided to just throw it out and have it done for. ''… I like you Twilight. Like a lot! And I don't want you to think less of me if you don't do so back. I still want us to be friends, even if you probably don't think the same of me. I'm... I'm sorry if I've messed things up.'' Dash felt a stone placing itself in her stomach as she was awaiting her sentence.

Suddenly she felt something warm against her cheek. She raised her hoof to her chin, not feeling anything.

Wait, there was something. A little wet spot. Dash turned her head towards Twilight and felt all her worries go away and that stone in her stomach dissolving away.

''I like you to, Rainbow Dash!'' Twilight said as a single tear fell down her cheek.

Dash was stunned. ''But... but why?''

Twilight looked surprised first at Dash, then started to think and got a mischievous grin on her face. ''Because you're Rainbow Dash!''

If Dash was surprised before, so couldn't she even comprehend what that meant. ''And what the hay is that suppose to mean?''

Twilight shrugged. ''Does there really need to be a bigger reason?''

Again, dumbstruck Rainbow Dash had to get all her head gears turning to get what Twilight could mean by this. She didn't get anywhere with that, so she decided to accept Twilights new, more playful nature and shrugged it of, saying ''Well, I'm so awesome that it would take wee--...''

Dash was cut of as Twilight Sparkle, princess of Equestria, guardian of friendship, the element of magic herself jump over her new marefriend and planted a kiss right on her lips.

And as wings, hooves and lips was caressing one and other, a pink earth pony together with a light-orange one wearing a cowboy hat walked in to the cart, with the attention of asking if they were going to have a slumber-party.

''Come on, Twilight, you can do better than that. Up with your hooves, your head straight with your body and let the wings do the rest.'' Rainbow Dash was yelling instruction at Twilight as she was soaring through the air.

In the land of the griffons they put weight in two things: strength and flying. Twilight had there for decided that it had been for the best to train on her flying abilities before starting on her magic practices.

For hours she and Rainbow Dash had been in one of her special made cart. This one was one she had tricked Discord in making. She had bet that he couldn't make it bigger on the inside then it was on the outside. He had fixed that with just a snap of his fingers. The rest of that night hadn't gone so well otherwise. First rule of trying to pursued Discord: don't make him drink cider.

Anyway, the inside of the cart was quite amazing. There was only two doors on a platform of clouds stretching infinite at all direction. There was also infinite blue sky at everywhere you looked. You could even pull the clouds from the ground and out them in the air, which Dash had done making a little race track in the air that Twilight was now flying through. It even had a wind button. A wind button of all things, right beside of both the doors.

The mages at the academy couldn't find an explanation do this 'phenomena' created by Discord. Even the Doctor had been stunned by this. It was Discord, that's that. It didn't need any explanation, because it couldn't be explained. Twilight seriously wondered sometimes if Discord had anything to do with a sustain pink pony who kept defying all logic around her.

Twilight had been flying through this track that Dash made now for over one hour now. ''It pretty much combines everything you need to know about flying. Just beat it under three minutes and you can consider yourself a classified flier from Rainbow Dash herself.'' was all that Dash had said.

And let just say that if this was what it took to be considered a good flier among the pegasi, then Twilight could not imagine what other pegasi was saying about her behind her back. At her first try Twilight had come in at a time of 5:21:20.

Sure her body and wings was much bigger then the normal pegasi, but that was just an excuse. And Twilight had gotten better and better for every turn she made through the wreck. And when she had started to use magic to alter the wind-currents around her she had come even closer to the time-goal.

She closed her wings close to her body when she reached the straight line towards the finish line. Her heart was pounding, breath heavy as she finished the lap.

Gliding down to Rainbow Dash who held the timer in her hooves, she asked what the time been.

''Twilight, sorry not this time either.'' Rainbow shook her head and Twilight could feel her heart sink a little, before Dash turned her head to Twilight in the biggest of grins. ''3.00.23 just won't do, don't you think?''

A stunned Twilight sighed out in relief as she finally let her muscles relax. Applejack who had been watching the whole thing approached them. ''Well, Ah guess congratulations are in order. Ya did a mighty fine job all things considered, Twi.'' Applejack drew her eyes toward Twilight. ''No Ah don't now about ya two, but ma stomach could really use a refill. How about you two, lovebirds? And Ah'm sure that all of us could use some sort of briefing on what we'all could expect when we arrive to the griffon land.''

Applejack turned around and started to walk towards the nearest door. Twilight called after her friend, ''That sound like a really good idea. Frankly I am starving. But Applejack?!''

AJ turned around and looked at the violet alicorn. ''What is it, sugercubes?''

Twilight nodded at the other direction then Applejack was going. ''Your going the wrong way.''

Applejack just sigh and started to walk to the other door. ''Oh, chucks girl. Ah swear the only reason why you put this cart before your own bedroom was to scare us gals of so you and Dash never would be disturbed. Seriously, did ya'll see the look at poor Fluttershy when she walked in the first time. Ah thought the poor girls eyes would fall out there for a second.''

Dash started to laugh. ''Don't tell me about it. First time I walked in here I was so stunned that I walked pas the door and lost myself for five-ten minutes before finally finding the doors again.''

The three was all having a good laugh as they went to the diner cart.

All the guardians of Equestrian was sitting at an extended table, eating from a great variety of food placed on the table. They spoke about everything that didn't involve their destination, Twilight making it clear that she wanted to wait until the end of their meal to tell them.

Dash had fifteen different fruits on her plate and some eggs. She had actually started to think about her eating habits a few months ago when she began to train for the Wonderbolts. Twilight hadn't seen her eat a cupcake outside a party or such occasions. But then again, Twilight hadn't seen much of here outside of the sleepovers that Dash had with Twilight in her room in Canterlot, which there had been plenty of. Applejack and Big Mac, being the farm ponies that they were, was eating any food that had a large amount of carbs only to add other dishes for flavors afterwards.

Fluttershy was eating a small salad and a few fruits at the side. Twilight was starting to seriously wonder if Fluttershys poor physic and week attitude towards herself wasn't a direct cause of her seemingly weaker diet. Eat good and feel good, and all that. Rarity and Twilight was both eating a large and rich fruitsallad with all kinds of fruits, vegetables and an odd choice of a balsamic vinegar dressing that made it all go together excellently.

And Pinkie was eating... Twilight didn't know, everything she guessed. The pink earth pony her face right down on several plates at the same time and her puffy hair covering many more. All you could get from Pinkie right now was different sounds of what food she enjoy (which was everything it seemed), the sound of chewing and occupationally see her tongue defying logic as usual and extend over the plates near her. and making them shining clean after she had gathered all the food with it. Twilight and the rest would probably had been grossed out at this sort of behavior, but with everyponybeing used to Pinkies odd and random behavior left them pretty much unwavered at this.

Applejack was the first to speak when they nearly done with their food. ''Soo Twi... what is the trouble going on with Princess Luna and the griffons. Ah mean, what can we expect when we get to this 'land of the griffons'. All Ah know about the griffons that they are a bunch of moody fliers, like thatol'friend of Dash. What was her name, Hilda?''

''Gilda'' corrected Rainbow Dash.

''Oh, she was no fun!'' Pinkie roes her had from the plates, herself and the plates completely clean, shining even. ''Just a big, old meanie-pants. Remember how not nice she was to Fluttershy? Not nice at all, I tell you!''

''Anyway...'' Applejack started to talk before letting Pinkie have the opportunity to continue. ''What going on, Twilight?''

Twilight took her time and summoned a napkin before starting to talk. She tried to be as calm and collective as possible not to make her friends worrying too much, and started to tell her friends the incident with the old earth pony ambassador.

She also explained, with a surprisingly amount of help from Rainbow Dash, the society and rule of the griffons. The griffons almost all ruled themselves. The griffons had for over 600 years been ruled in a socialistic way, all workers working for the state. Almost everyone got to work with what ever their talents lay, everyone getting the same amount of money to spend on what ever they want.

Many pony scientists at the time had expected this to collapse within itself like ever other socialistic society did. But as the government became more and more powerful and rich and the pattern of the workers more repetitive, a noble griffon had stepped forward and nearly for-filling the true goal of socialism as put by Marex, a society with out a government and no need for money.

Oh, money existed of course, but that was mostly for trade with the outside world. The money the citizen had for themselves wasn't really needed because you could go to any store and grab anything you wanted as long as you needed it. You could eat what ever you wanted, get any form of health treat and count for help for anything.

But it had a major flaw: it was a system completely based on honor and dignity. You were expected to keep the on order with the laws of the city and part of the country that were a part of. To do your part of society tp be free, to work 8-10 hours five days a week to able to do whatever you wanted otherwise.

If you broke the law you were either imprisoned for a short or long duration of time or executed for the most heinous of crimes. But the worse considerate punishment in the land of the griffons was considered to be the one you got if you had not held up your honor and you duty to socaity; which was exclusion from society in any duration of time.

You wasn't able to work, wasn't able to contribute anyway and other griffons wasn't allowed to interact with you in any shape and form, 'less they would risk to lose their honor. In short, you were no one. You didn't exist. You couldn't even interact with other outcasts, because it would only lengthen your time outside the order.

But there was always someone keeping count of time you had, and when you had served your time as a 'no one', you where then openly invited back as if you had been a long-lost sister and celebrations and even festivals would occur.

How ever, if you ever lost your honor more than once you were forever thrown out the country, never able to return. Try and they would tie you up and fly over and throw you in to the land of the dragons. Celestia had been able to stop them a few time to do this, but this avoided even her eyes a few times.

Gildas father had apparently been such a griffon that had been banished from the land, which explained her mean-streaked behavior. Oh, she had able to return to the country at any time she wanted, but her love for her father until he passed away. Her father had been the only banished griffon to be able to return to their land after he had regaining his honor, saving the king's life by throwing himself in front of an arrow shoot by another banished one.

His ashes had return to be put inside the family grave and as thanks and celebration of Gildas father and the first banished one to ever return, Gilda had been adopted by the king himself now.

Oh yes the king. The big elephant in the room. You see, the country had no nobility and no upper class. They only had a king. The only leading power in the country. And he was considered the strongest and fastest all the griffons. And how was he decided? By blood.

Each king had come to power through a duel with the previous one, and it was always a match to the death. The king had then to prove to his citizens that he deserve to be king by flying from their own land to the land of Equestria in a day, standing up to an unprepared Celestia and declaring himself as king of the Land of the Griffons.

This system has now been a part for over a century now and over fifty rules had been in place. Celestia had told Twilight as a filly what there hadn't ever gone 2 years between the rise of a new king. There had even been a time when Celestia had been interrupted by a griffon crashing through a window during court seven time under two months.

But king Aldhelm was a different kind of beast. He was the longest ruler the country had seen during this hundred year-long heracy, being in his twelve-year of rule. Even Celestia was on her guard in the presence of him.

He was not the strongest griffon, not the fastest, nor the smart. He was the perfect combination of all those attributes and had a great head for politics. But his biggest strength was his charisma. Twilight had experienced it herself during the yearly meeting of the rulers between Equestria and the land of the griffon. He seemed grander and taller than he really was, could make you laugh when he wanted you to and one second later make you fear him. He was almost unreal, like he was straight out of an old ponytale.

He was also the most successful ruler the land ever seen, bringing more wealth and trade to the country from all ends of the world. But being a country were personal wealth didn't matter it there for did not impress the citizen very much.

So how did he keep himself so popular? By being the griffon that held up his honor the most, keeping everyone admiring him. He never expected any mistake from anypony, nor himself. He always admitted when he was wrong and took on all challenges that wanted to test their luck against him.

A king usually had only took on them that either looked strong or once that had beaten a guard that the king had sent forward to test the strength of the warrior. This was not the case for king Aldhelm, who personally excepted any challenge that was given to him. He had even once killed an eight year old child who had played with his friends and accidentally turned with a tree blade toward the king and challenge him for a duel. Being hell-bound to keep the code of honor the king had killed him only to mourn the life he took for seven days before continuing his trip around the country.

This didn't mean he was, like Pinkie would have put it, a 'big mean fowny pants'. He was a male full of laughter and humor, treating everypony he meet with care and joy. Simple put; he was one of the most interesting creatures that Twilight ever come across.

''So in short, the griffons are society that put all their life through their code of honor. Usually a pony isn't expected to know the code when they are in the land of the griffons, but this case is a little different since the king own way of keeping his own honor.'' Concluded Twilight Sparkle to her friends.

Surprisingly Rarity was the first to speak. ''Sorry dear, but I don't understand why they are behaving so poorly and threaten us with such nasty things as war. I mean, we have Luna and Celestia, the two most powerful being in the world. In some ways we even have Discord at our side, and for all they know we have the Elements of Harmony. Why would they do something so stupid as to threaten a nation so great as Equestria?''

Twilight sigh at this. ''There are a number of reasons for that, Rarity. For example so even through we in Equestria has us alicorns by their side so do the land of the griffon has a far larger military force. Every citizen in the land can be called to war and every child get combat training. And most adult get military training as well. Almost all griffons are warriors. In short; our Equestrian-armies would be fighting a whole nation.

The second problem is the most problematic. During the war with Equestria about 500 years ago the leaders of the land of the griffons captured a whole platoon of battle-mages. They used these mages and forced to create the most powerful magical force except the Elements of Harmony: The Throne of Summons. On the outside it looks like a normal chair, but if the ruler of the land sits on the chair he is granted the ability to summon any magical creature that you wish for inside the castle.

During the end war, when the kingdom was about to lose to Equestria the high leaders of the kingdom barricaded themselves inside the castle and managed to hold their ground for more than 9 years. They summoned gods from different dimensions to throw lightning, fire and different kinds of magic to hold their defenses. And since the rulers never excepted defeat, then neither did the griffons.

If took Celestia whole power, the 'Great Wyrm' fire and the Elements of Harmony together to break through the defenses at last. Nine years of meaningless bloodshed thanks to their code of honor and a single great artifact.'' Twilight looked around at all ponies around the table before continuing. ''In short, Equestria will most certainly win a war even without the Elements, but how long is it going to take and how many lives will be lost in the process? That's not a risk me, Luna and Celestia is prepared to take. Hay, now that Discord is lose the king could summon and even control him for a short amount of time... the thought of that sends shivers down my spine.''

Everypony started to look around each other with an uncomfortable look in their eyes. Twilight left them to think about what she said, excusing herself of the table and started to walk towards the train-cart she installed for magic practice to start her training of time magic.

Twilight sat in the middle of the cart. She was going through all the notes and book she read on the subject of controlling time and alicorn magic in her head. Even though there was no bigger difference on how magic was controlled and used for alicorns and unicorns so was there a difference in how magic was let out of the body.

Since a alicorn like herself was a mix of a full grown mare of all three pony races her magic also was put out in the same way as a pegasi and earth pony. Unlike unicorns whose magical output came through a controlled use of it through their horn, so did magic to the other two races go out through theirwhole body. It was thanks to this that made the pegasi for example have the ability to walk on clouds and enhanced an earth ponies body.

While this shouldn't disturb Twilight if she actually manage to start be able to controlling time around her, she didn't want to take any chances. That why she had decided to take this cart with her. She had at first made it herself together with the three arch mages of the academy as sort of safe room for the passengers of her train if they where ever under attack by any magical means.

All magic thrown around the train was immediately nullified at first impact. It worked the same way on the inside. Hit the walls or ceiling and any sort of magical spell would just disappear. She had a floor build above the old one ss she was still capable of even casting spells, and even if it still was harder to cast magic in here it only made it more suitable to train magic in here.

Twilight started with summoning a magic field around herself and the whole room. It wasn't like a shield or anything like that, it was more like a mist. A field for scanning, to try to find the flow of time itself.

It had taken her hours just start feeling it. Twilight had been looking for some special source to start grasping from, like if you used a magical artifact. Dash had come to join her and keep her company after she been done talking to the girls and Big Mac.

And it was again Dash that help her understand how to time was flowing. Dash had taken with her an hourglass to keep a hold of time. And thats when it hit Twilight.

Time was constantly falling with them, not passed them. Time was like sand falling down with them. Time was always one step ahead, never a second behind them and always knowing where to go.

Twilight had kissed her marefriend in joy when she finally started to grasp a feel for time. This feeling hadn't stayed for more than an hour as next frustration came to be: how to get a hold of time.

She always started slow, trying to 'catch the sand' but as soon as she even got a single grain of it her spell was immediately cut of. She tried over and over again for hours, but she had no progress. She just became more and more frustrated, swearing and making Rainbow Dash blush of the profanity coming out of her mouth.

When it started to get dark had Dashed finally convinced her that she maybe just needed some rest. ''Seriously, Twi, you are going to need the rest before we arrive tomorrow. I mean, time-stop and time travel would be cool and all, but you need to be able to keep your head in the game!''

Twilight sighed, acknowledging that Rainbow actually were right in this. She did try again one more time, but with the same result. Again as soon as she thought she had a grip on it her spell just cut of.

The violet princess took some deep breaths to let of some steam while Rainbow Dash walked up to her, put a wing around Twilights body and started to walk them out of the room. She took one last breath and then let her head lean on Dashs neck.

Twilight was really surprised with how much her cyan colored marefriend had grown. Sure she was still spontaneous, speed-crazy and danger-loving... but she also had moments like this when she acted more of the adult of the two of them. Like the many times Twilight had cried on her shoulder duringDashs stay in Canterlot and never said a word for hours, giving Twilight the time to 'catch her breath' before Rainbow Dash herself talked back to Twilight.

Twilight really admired this with Dash. Dash allowed Twilight to be the sad or childish one, something that Twilight never could be in the presence of other ponies. Twilight never expected Rainbow Dash to become more of an adult then this, but it was still nice to see that Twilight wasn't going to haveto be the only one taking responsibility in this relationship.

Twilight and Dash passed in to the 'cloud-cart', as Dash called it when Twilight got an idea. ''Hey, Dashie?''

Rainbow Dash frowned. ''I told you not to call me that! It just sounds sooo... uncool. What is it Tw--.''

Before Dash know what happened Twilight tackled Dash, calling out ''Tag, your it!!!'' only to teleport her self right after that behind the door, making it impossible for Dash to see Twilight.

A confused Rainbow Dash drew herself together and didn't let herself miss a heart beat. She flew in the air and turned around at every angle, not finding Twilight. Twilight could be anywhere right now but Dash had a feeling that the violate alicorn still was in this bizarre cart of Discord. She started to fly around looking, looking for Twilight Sparkle.

It didn't take long before she actually find her. There weren't many places to hide really. Twilight had looked up passed the door, only to meet Rainbow Dashs eyes. This didn't face Twilight though as she gave Dash a little grin and teleported herself about a mil away just as Dash was about to land on her.

Twilight summoned her magic again to amplify her voice. ''Over here, Dashie!!!'' She yelled out and just as she finished her sentence Twilight acted quickly. Twilight took a piece of the cloud floor and hide herself on it. Then she used her magic to create a pile of clouds near her.

Her plan worked perfectly and soon Dash in the sky just seconds after she was done. Through the tiniest of holes in the cloud she was hiding in she could see Dash stopping in to the sky and slowly descending down on to the pile with hesitation in her movement.

When Dash was just a few feets from the cloud Twilight seeseed the moment. She teleported herself right above the pegasi, cough to make her turn then and putting hoofs against Dashs chest and letting themselves crash on to the pile of clouds.

Twilight didn't let this moment pass by. Before Dash had any time to do anything Twilight summoned her magic again and tied up the pegasi in all four legs with some of the clouds on the pile. Then she planted a hoof on Dashs chest, looked in to the cyan mares eye and said: ''Now, say uncle.''

Dash looked at all directions, trying to get a hold on herself. In had all happened so fast that even she had have a hard time keeping up. She was tied, with a pony bigger and stronger than most earth-ponies on top of her. The odds were stacked against her and she couldn't come up with a solution for the moment. Only one thing left to do. ''Never''

Dash let out her wings which Twilight had forgotten to tie up and then grabbed the alicorns body with them, pulling her down to Dash.

Twilight let out a little ''yelp'' in surprise by this and now had her body against Dashs. Twilight didn't let this bring her down further tho and before Dash could say anything more had Twilight planted her hooves to Dashs sides and started to tickle the pegasi.

Not many knew this but Rainbow Dash was extremely ticklish and it only took one second to have Dashs whole body shaking and her laughing out loud.

Twilight herself finally able catch breath as Rainbow Dash wasn't able to control her wings while tickled, so she let go of Twilight. ''Say uncle!'' Twilight demanded of Dash.

Twilight kept tickling Dash, who yelled out ''NEVER!'' between the laughs.

This process repeated itself over and over again for almost ten minutes before Twilight brought out the big guns. She released her hooves from Dashssides and put them lightly on the cyan pegasis chest. Rainbow Dash gasped after air, her belly aching from all the laughs.

Of course it was all in vain to start relaxing, because before she even had taken three breaths Twilight had brought her wings to Dashs sides and leg-pits and started to tickle her marefriend more aggressive and more effective. Dash immediately started to plead to Twilight to ''pleeeeeesa stop'' and Twilight had only responded with carefree voice ''Just say uncle then''.

This time it didn't take more then one minute before Dash called out ''OKAY, OKAY UNCLE, UNCEEEEL. NOW PLEASE STOP!!!''.

Twilight was fair and stopped tickling the cyan pony under her, relishing to herself that she had actually beaten Rainbow Dash.

Dash started to struggle again, trying to get from Twilights grip and weight on her chest. She did forget that Twilight possessed the strength and body of a earth-pony, so Twilight was a lot stronger and heavier than Dash remembered. And now that Rainbow Dash was out of stamina and had her whole body screaming of fatigue after more then half an hour of tickle torture, she no longer possessed the strength to overpower Twilight.

Twilight looked down on the heavy breathing pegasi. Rainbow Dash was sweating all over her own body and her hair was sticking down the body on to the chest. 'Huh, her hair has grown longer.' Thought Twilight to herself as her eyes followed down Rainbows body. Twilight could feel her cheeks getting hot as she followed the curves of the very fit pegasi under her.

Dash turned her head up making Twilight directly to rise her view and make eye contact with her marefriend.

They stared at each other for a while until Rainbow Dash started to talk. ''Hehe, we have really been doing this a lot lately, haven't we?''

Twilight understood that Dash had meant the starring. ''Yeah...''

Dash, looking away from Twilight, started to try to get away from Twilights grip again. She didn't do it seriously though, since that she knew she couldn't do it herself now and to make Twilight realize what she did and make her move on her own.

When this didn't work Dash had enough. ''Twilight, could you pleas--...''

''No, Dashie. I don't think I should.'' Said Twilight, cutting of Dash.

Dash looked up at Twilight again and meet Twilights eyes again, but this time they were different. ''Dashie, really?'' Twilight had the mischievous eyes again, but this time with the eyelids half way down and a small smile on her face.

Dash was to ask what up with that look upon Twilights face, but just as Dash was about to open her mouth Twilight lowered her body and pushed her lips against Dashs. They both begin to move their hooves, wings and bodies around each other, trying to find each others weak spots.

''Wait!'' said Twilight. Dash looked at her in confusion. Twilight looked up at the sky, remembering that there was always light in the cart, even though there was either a sun or a moon in here. She looked back at Rainbow Dash and smiled, then she turned her upper body around, reach for a corner sticking up on the cloud then covering herself and Dash with it.

Them both, in the hide of the light, now throw themselves at one and other and as the feral instincts started the kick in a long night of passion a waited them both.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash woke up about the same time the day after, both surrounded in almost complete darkness.

''When did we get inside a storm-cloud? And why ain't there no winds?'' Dash said as she was looking around in near perfect darkness.

Twilight sigh and summoned her magic first to make room for them to stand and then to lighten up the room. ''We're in the flying cart, remember Dash? We are just to far down to let the light come through.''

Dash blushed a little remembering last night. ''Oh right. Oh, and good morning, Twi.''

Twilight stopped looking around the room she made of the clouds and smiled at Dash. ''And good morning to you Dash.'' That mischievous from last night came back to Twilight. ''You look a little stiff Dashie, did something happened to you last night?''

Dash blushed even more, but this time she was prepared. ''Well, after the first hour of my day completely stressed us all out and I had to go through two training sessions yesterday I get tortured by my own new as-of-yesterday marefriend for what seemed hours. And then when thats all over and we both where sweating and breathing hard we did some amazing fillyfooling for wh--''.

''We'll anyway, I wonder what the time is, don't you?'' Twilight said quickly, cutting of Dash and face as crimson as a forest fire. The alicorn then summoned a clock out of nowhere to look at the time. And then she did a complete 180*.

Her face paled as she was in complete shock. ''Dash, we will arrive at about five minutes.''

Dash immediately flew up in to the air to start kick clouds. ''Give me one and we will be out of here''.

Twilight grabbed one her marefriends hoof and pulled her down. ''We don't have time for games now Dash. Oh-my-dear-Celestia I don't have time enough for anything right now.'' Twilight said frantically. She summoned her magic and two seconds later she and Rainbow Dash stood right at the door to the outside at her own sleeping cart, just as it's doors opened.

Outside stood a large banquette waiting for her arrival. There must be more then a hundred griffons there, all lining up to make a smaller, narrowing path towards a large carriage. Twilight quickly summoned her crown to her head, took a big deep breath and started to walk out of the train. Dash was right behind her, walking proud as if she was Twilights body-guard.

''I thought you said five minutes!'' Dash said in quiet.

Twilight let out a small invincible sigh. ''Well obviously I either miscalculated or the clock was going wrong.'' Twilight and Dash started to walk towards a great, big griffon that stood in the middle of the banquet waiting for Twilight.

Her friends meet up with them, coming from the other side of the train. Applejack was the first one to walk up to them, looking relived. ''An' where in the gosh darn nation have ya gals been? We have been looking all ova th'place for you.''

Rainbow Dash was the one answering that one. ''Well, me and Twilight kinda, sorta fell asleep on the cloud-cart , and when we woke up we where completely covered in like twenty feet of clouds.''

Twilight didn't listen to the rest of the conversation as she finally got to the middle of the banquet to the big griffon. ''Good day, adviser Hartnell. A pleasant to make your meet you once again.'' Adviser Hartnell was, like the title said, king Aldhelms adviser. Many give him the credit for the financial success in the country and to keep the king in order... most of the times.

The adviser bowed down for Twilight, looking down on the ground. ''You honor me with your words, Princess Twilight Sparkle. I trust that the journey was a safe and pleasant one? I would have greeted you with a more formal ceremony, but you came here so, so sudden and we simple didn't have the time to properly honor your arrival.''

Twilight didn't let any emotion get through, keeping her face and posture as a princess should. ''I am grateful for any honor you give me, adviser, and this was a great honor indeed.''

The adviser nodded, apparently happy with the answer. He roes up and smiled at Twilight.'' Then I suggest that we all take our leave towards the Castle.'' He turned sideways, wrapped out his one of his wings, 'showing' Twilight and the company towards the large carriage.

Twilight and her friends started to walk towards it, and the king's adviser went beside Twilight. ''I hop you will enjoy your visit here, your majesty. Are all these mare one of the elements?''

Twilight nodded but didn't spare an eye at Hartnell. She didn't dislike the griffon per say but she had a position to uphold as a representative ofEquestria. She was one of the three rulers after all. She wasn't just a princess, she was Equestria itself. Ponyville was going to be her safe haven, buteverywhere else she was Princess Twilight Sparkle, ruler and protector of her land. And now when she was in a land who could bring war to Equestriashe had to act with authority.

''Yes WE are, adviser. We all represent each of the Element, and also Equestria itself,'' Twilight turned to face the griffon. ''Would you do us the honor of being the one presenting us to the king, advise?''

The griffon blinked a few times before bowing and conceding. ''You again honor me, your majesty.''

Twilight introduced each girl of the gang in the usual order. The adviser bowed an elegant small bow to each of them. She also presented Big Mac asFluttershys 'consort'. After the griffon had taken an extra look at Big Mac, nodding of approval and commenting on the stallion obvious natural strength his gaze returned on Rainbow Dash and stayed there for a few seconds before returning to Twilight.

''Excellent, then shall we enter the carriage? We wouldn't like king Aldhelm waiting, do we?''

Twilight nodded and entered the vehicle after adviser Hartnell opened the door for her.

The next hour the most of the group stayed quiet while listening at Twilights and the adviser's conversation.

Apparently the ambassador was still jailed after refusing to duel the king, and Luna hadn't made things better. The kings honor had apparently been tainted and he had to figure out how to get it clean again. There was several ways actually to do so, and one of the was war. That is why Luna had been so desperate and started her journey as soon as she had heard the news. But she hadn't been able to convince the king that war wasn't the right option.

As they got closer to the castle Twilight could feel the power of the magical artifacts inside the castle getting stronger and stronger, almost pulling her. It didn't really surprise Twilight that she would feel this since the artifact pulled strong magical monsters and deities to it, which would count for Twilight as well. But that the feeling would be this strong actually scared Twilight a little.

Now that the Elements of Harmony wasn't a part of this world anymore, The Throne of Summons was the most powerful force in the world. But the Elements had never felt wrong. Nut this... this was something else.

Twilight took a look at the others in the carriage to see if they were effected the same way. She couldn't see any signs of it. 'Well, technically they are considered normal creatures in this world.' Twilight thought.

The pull Twilight felt didn't go away as they finally arrived at the palace gate. The palace itself wasn't like any of the castles Twilight ever seen inEquestria.

It was more like a big fortress that was a part of the mountain. A big, high wall, more the 30 feet high surrounded the mountain wall with only one gate existing on a narrow but tall stone bridge up high above the ground. Behind the wall you couldn't see much, but as the group in the company of the griffon guard and the adviser walked through the gate they saw a large fortress barely higher than the wall, stretching from one side to the other, almost taking up half the place inside the wall.

There wasn't any houses here, instead there was even more walls, just as thick as the first one, with several door attached to it. The griffon population here, which mostly was occupied with either being a part of the castle guard or a part of the military, live inside the walls. All the doors was also only on the side towards the fortress itself. And there was four walls in total.

As the group approach the fortress all but Twilight marveled at the strange construct but as they got to the tunnel that went inside the castle Twilight only felt like she herself went in to oblivion.

Chapter 6.1

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 6.3

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 6.2

Author's Note

I'm going to let out the this chapter in this format this week with one chapter everyday (or at least try), but make them a little shorter, with a big finally either this weekend or the next. Enjoy and keep being awesome.

Chapter 6.2

Chapter 6.2

The dinner plateau was completely empty. Every table, every barrel and all the creatures that had occupied it was gone. It all had been moved to be around the flattened ground to get a better view of what was going to happened.

The only thing left was on the middle of the ground stood a yellow, pin-haired pegasi that looked around on every one, trying to hide herself in her hair.

Fluttershy did understand what had to be done. She had squealed when Twilight had accepted the challenge without questioning her friends first. The violet alicorn had after that turned her view directly towards Fluttershy and given her a look that said ''sorry, but what else do we have to choose?''.

And since the first challenge had something to do with animals to do and a wanting to get thing over with as soon as possible, so had Fluttershy accepted the challenge.

Spike ran out to the floor, carrying a small chair, wearing a strange green, see through cap that didn't cover his head and a towel around his neck. He put the chair down and gestured for Fluttershy to sit on it, which she gladly accepted.

Spike started to massage her neck and telling her that ''it's all going to be all right, you can do this'' and similar kind of things.

Though Fluttershy didn't feel much easier than she was still glad for the support the little baby dragon.

Two large clap echoed in the room and everyones gaze turned towards the throne. ''The first challenge is about once abilities to conquer nature.'' The wall behind the throne suddenly lighten up in a strong light blue color light and the a great flash made everypony close and cover their eyes.

When the light had disappeared everypony open their eyes again and saw that in the middle of the room stood a giant house cat. It was about as big as the kings adviser, with gray ragged fur with a few bald places her and there. ''This is the house cat of the giant king Utgarda Loki. The one who can rise one of its paws or more from the ground has succeeded, and the winner is the one with most or the highest of course.'' Beloved the king out loud.

Suddenly the ground started to vibrate, as something giant was approaching step by step, and in came a large stone statue in the form of giant naked human and placed itself on the plateau. ''This is the stone guardian of this castle, given to us as a gift from the mighty god Zeus, and who has served as this towers third defense for over 500 years.''

The king turned towards Fluttershy. ''So, challenger. Who of you will go first?''

Fluttershy looked around in the room, saw that all eyes was turned towards her. Her first instinct was to run and hide under one of the tables, but then her eyes stayed with Twilight who looked really concerned, which actually made her push on. Then her eyes stayed with Big Macintosh who made her heart leap, as it did every time she looked her coltfriend in the eye.

The last on her eyes stayed on was Rainbow, who looked at her with the same cocky Dash-smile and gave her a nod. Fluttershy nodded back at her friend who she had known for the longest time and turned her gaze to the king. ''I will.'' She said and started to walk towards the cat. As she approached the cat locked its eyes at her and gave a 'hisss'-ing sound that made Fluttershy take a few steps back.

The cat stopped, laying down again and putting it head between its front paws, still looking at the yellow mare.

Fluttershy then started to talk to the cat the same way she did to all animal and started to take shorter slower steps towards the cat. At first it seemed to work, the cat just laying there and letting Fluttershy get closer and closer.

But when the mare was about 5 feet away from the cat, it suddenly jumped in the air right towards Fluttershy. Right before it hit her with its mighty paws it locked eyes with Fluttershy and seemed to break speed comical in the air right in front of her as the crowed gasped.

The cat was lock in 'The Stare' and couldn't take it eyes away as Fluttershy started to bombard the cat with the same word she used on every animal, ''Bad, bad boy'' and such things.

The crowed just stood still at the image of a tiny mare yelling at a four to five times bigger cat. The king was laughing, being one of the two who understood the whole situation, the other one being Hartnell who looked like his eyes were going to pope out at any moment.

The cat was now laying on the floor with its head between the legs again and looked up at Fluttershy with shame. Then something weird happened.

As Fluttershy kept bombarding the cat with her own for of discipline the cat started to shrink in size And when the cat was about as big as a normal house cat. It went up to Fluttershy and started to purr against her leg as if it was asking apologize.

Fluttershy smiled down at it now and started to talk with it in her baby-voice and patted it on its back. A few minutes went by before Futtershy tried to make it jump on her back which, and after a few more minutes suddenly the cat was there, purring against Fluttershys neck.

The crowd cheered and the king roared in laughter while the adviser was so pale that it look like he was going to pass out.

Fluttersky made the cat go down and as soon as it did the stone statue came up to them. The cat was suddenly its normal size again and started to hiss at it. Fluttershy took a few steps back as the giant statue took a whole around the cats belly as it started to try to scratch it.

The giant lifted it over its head and keep up with its hand in the air, still holding the belly of the cat as high up in the air as possible. And the audience gasped.

The statue was still holding the belly of the cat, but the cat's body was stretching so much so all its paws still was on the ground, with only one toe in the air.

The audience started to murmur to one and other as Twilight shoot an eye towards the king. The gray-silver colored griffon was looking at the scene with glittering black eye, excitement filling them. He roes up from his throne and his voice started to boom across the hall.

''I believe the winner of this challenge is Fluttershy of Equestria.'' And as he finished his sentence griffons and ponies alike ran toward the yellow mare with mugs of ale, beer and cider and started to throw her high in the air.

Twilight watched the whole thing with joy and a big sigh of relieve to her friends victory. And as the plateau was emptied once again she see saw that the giant statue was on its way out of the room with trembling steps and that the cat was not there any more.

The adviser leaned to the king and spoke in a low tone. ''How is that even possible, my lord? She had a creature who could have covered and eaten this world on her back.''

The king chuckled in responds. ''Isn't it obvious, Harnell? It because it allowed her to.''

The king roes once again and started to speak. ''Good job Equestria. You have completed the first of the eight challenges.'' The crowd cheered as he took a pause. ''Now then... who will be you champions in a test of strength?''