Twilight's Equestria - The After Yearsby BPMChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 1“Princess Twilight, have you finished looking over the reports from the North?” “Not yet, Storm Falcon.” Twilight looked up from her texts. Surrounded by unscalable mountains of reports, creeds, and letters, the days were long and difficult. It’s been almost 15 years since Twilight assumed the royal mantle, and although being a princess allowed Twilight to be closer to Celestia, she didn’t enjoy all the paper work quite as much. “Have you informed Luna of this?” said Twilight, glossing over the report. “Yes, princess. She suggested we confront Queen Cadance directly about it.” Oh, Cadance. Long ago were the days of sisterhood that Twilight enjoyed with her. Nowadays, well… “Send an envoy to the Empire. We will meet on the first day of the new moon.” Twilight raised her head. A brief thought flitted across her mind – if she weren’t princess, would she still be able to be with Cadance, like so many years before? A brief sigh escaped her. “Storm Falcon, send for Rarity and Fluttershy to come to the castle.” Whenever Twilight felt down, her friends were always a boon to her. She remembered the many times they defeated great evils together, and their connection hadn’t diminished an iota. “Yes, princess.” “You are excused.” Twilight got up from behind her desk to look out the window. Equestria had changed from the days when she lived in Ponyville. Manehattan had grown as a city, and the city’s smoke and noise were starting to intrude on the peaceful village. Equestria and the Empire were in all but a trade war, both factions at odds with each other over the newly discovered resource, oricalcum. But that was the least of the problems in Equestria. The ruling trio here in Equestria didn’t always agree, especially Celestia and Luna. The most recent dispute practically locked the castle in a bureaucratic nightmare for 2 months. Twilight, not wanting to choose sides with the two sisters, held her tongue for the duration until they came to a compromise. “Twilight, you are working yourself too hard.” A soft voice came from behind her. “May be, but the job has to be done.” Twilight responded. “Take a few weeks off, my sister and I can handle things here.” “Luna, you know I can’t do that. What with the Empire’s aggressive tactics in the North, we hardly have time for me to take a leave of absence.” “There’s always going to be something, Twilight. It won’t be the end of the world” Luna smiled. “I have my friends, and that’s enough for me.” Twilight turned to face the princess. “They’re strength enough for anypony.” “Just don’t work yourself to the point of exhaustion again – we all know what happened last time.” “Of course, Luna. I’ve been watching my health.” “Well that’s good. It’s almost time for me to raise the moon, so I must be going. Do take a rest, we worry about you.” Luna walked out of Twilight’s office, looking back once more before leaving. Tomorrow, Rarity and Fluttershy will be here, and things will work out between the Empire, Twilight thought to herself. “Might as well get something to eat.” Twilight said to herself. She followed Luna after tidying up her desk, and proceeded into the dining hall. “Miss Rarity, are you in?” The guard knocked loudly on the door of R&R Boutique. “Yes, yes, I’m coming, dear.” The white pony looked through her glasses at the royal guard. “Is there a problem?” “Princess Twilight has requested your presence at the castle tomorrow. Transportation has been arranged to pick you up at 10am tomorrow.” “Oh, Twilight! I haven’t seen that pony for what seems like forever! But… such short notice… I shall have to find a sitter…” Having delivered his message, the guard turned to leave. As he was going though, he turned back. “Oh, Miss Rarity, will this location be acceptable tomorrow? I must inform your pick up.” “Yes, yes this’ll be fine.” Rarity responded as she went back to her design room. “I know! I can ask Cocoa. She always gets along with Ruby wonderfully.” As Rarity prepared her things, she went to check on Ruby. “Mother will be out tomorrow, Ruby.” Rarity cooed. “But guess what? You’ll get to see Cocoa again! Don’t you remember her?” Ruby responded happily. “Good girl.” Rarity carefully swaddled Ruby in her blanket and carried her over to the stroller. As she locked up shop, she sighed to herself and looked at the rising moon. “If only your father didn’t leave… you’d have a complete family. I’m sorry Ruby, for letting this happen to you.” Ruby looked questioningly at Rarity, unable to understand her last statement. She giggled and wiggled around a bit in her swaddle. Rarity proceeded to walk down to 9th, where Cocoa’s fabrics store had been set up. Ever since moving to Manehattan, Rarity had been using Cocoa as her raw materials supplier with great results. Cocopopo was quickly gaining renown not on small part due to Rarity’s devoted usage of her product, but many other fashion designers were starting to take notice of her fine product lines. “Fluttershy?” Storm Falcon asked, surprised at the pony before him. “What are you doing here?” “Oh, hi there Storm. I was going to see Twilight about the deforestation near South Manehattan. It’s not fair, what they are doing to the forest animals.” “Oh, that’s pretty convenient. Twilight has asked to see you in the morning. I think it’s best if you leave that until then. Meanwhile…” Storm approached Fluttershy slowly. “Storm, I’ve told you that I don’t think of you like that..” Fluttershy backed away a little. “There’s just too much in my life right now for it.” Storm smiled and stopped his advance. “You’ll come around. Hopefully.” Fluttershy had grown over the years – although she still had a meek personality, she had finally come out of her shell and was now a strong activist for the Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Nature, or ESPN. Her lovely voice had attracted a lot of admirers throughout Equestria because of her rather inspiring rallies, and though she had always spurned the affection of the masses, her kind heart always let them down easy. “We’ll have to see about that.” Fluttershy responded apprehensively. “Anyway, you can use one of the guest rooms tonight. Room 392. Your usual room. Call me if you need anything else tonight.” Storm said as he walked away, a little bit more dejected than when he arrived in the room. As Twilight walked into the ridiculously huge dining hall, she felt her anxiety with the days ahead fade ever so slightly. Something about the large room calmed her down, and the memories of Heart’s Warming Feasts with her friends warmed her from the inside. Twilight turned to the nearest guard. “Tell Chef Astrill to prepare something small today; I don’t have a huge appetite.” “Yes, Princess.” The guard turned and walked off towards the royal kitchen. Twilight turned and sat at the seat reserved for her in the hall- a seat embroidered with her cutie mark, etched in the finest wood available. In fact, this chair was a gift from Applebloom when she was just starting out as a carpenter, before she became famous for her designs of woodwork. Twilight felt the many grooves and valleys with her hoof, tracing over some flaws in the works that she’d come to know so closely after these many years. Before she knew it, quite some time had passed in her reverie. Twilight looked around as she snapped out of her daydreaming. The guards weren’t there. Confused, she left her table and walked around to look farther into the hall. The guards remained elusive. Something was wrong. Chapter 2“Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight has disappeared!” “What?” A surprised Celestia stood in the throne room at Canterlot, her mane flourishing behind her. “Princess Twilight had been in the dining hall for supper, but when we looked, she wasn’t there and we haven’t been able to find her anywhere inside the castle.” “You’re telling me that she disappeared right from under your noses and you didn’t notice?” Celestia’s temper tested against the messenger. Slowly, she formed a second thought. “What of Luna? Is she safe?” “Princess Luna has returned to her chambers after raising the moon. A sentry is being sent to notify her of the situation.” “Good. Get here as soon as possible.” Celestia ordered, turning her attention to the stained glass that depicted Twilight. ‘I hope it is nothing. But…’, she thought to herself. The royal guard scrambled in the castle that night, alerting Princess Luna and searching everywhere for Twilight with no results. Luna emerged from her chambers running towards the throne room. “Sister! Is it true what they say?” Luna said, out of breath. “I fear it is so. Twilight disappeared somewhere in the castle a short while ago.” “What could have happened? Canterlot castle is one of the most secure places in Equestria? Do you think the Empire could have-“ “No, I do not think this is the work of the Queen. It doesn’t seem like her, and I doubt even for their disagreements, Cadance has this in her. No, I fear it is much worse.” “Then – Discord?” Luna dreaded the answer. “We shall have to see. I am told Fluttershy is in the castle. She is closest to him; she will know what he has been up to recently.” Celestia slowly replied. Ironically, if it was one of Discord’s mischiefs, it would greatly relieve her. “Guards! Summon Fluttershy to the throne room.” Luna said, the volume of her voice gradually rising with her anxiety. Today’s Canterlot is not the same as the pasts’. Twilight had become an integral part in the governance of Equestria. To lose her now at the crux of negotiations with the Crystal Empire would be disastrous. “Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, what is going on?” Fluttershy asked. “Twilight has disappeared from the castle and we’ve seen no sign of her anywhere. We think it may be the work of Discord.” “Oh no, that’s impossible. Discord hasn’t been to Canterlot in years. He’s been quite good at home, I assure you, Princess.” Luna was not so easily convinced. “No matter, ask him to come to the castle. We will get to the bottom of this soon enough.” Rarity had been gossiping with Cocoa about the various fashion suppliers the past few hours before preparing for her trip to Canterlot. “I’m so jealous, Rarity. The Princess calls on you all the time – it’s done wonders for your business and the castle couldn’t look better.” Cocoa goaded, trying to get Rarity to stay for just a while longer. “It’s not as glamorous as it seems, Cocoa. While I’m glad for the business, getting things ready and just perfect for the princesses is exhausting. I wouldn’t wish the work on any pony.” Rarity sipped her tea. “Oh goodness, is it already this late? I must get going, or I’ll be so dreadfully tired in the morning. Thanks again for agreeing to take care of Ruby for me.” “Oh it’s my pleasure, Rarity. I don’t have any kids of my own, so Ruby is like a daughter to me. She can stay here anytime.” Cocoa replied graciously. Always, they would have to do this verbal dance, even though the both of them knew that Cocoa adored Ruby. “Well I’ll be on my way. I should be back within the next 3 days.” Rarity explained. “Ruby’s pacifier has been cleaned just yesterday, her formula is in the pantry, and as you know –“ “Yes, yes, Rarity, she likes to be swaddled at least twice a day. Stop fawning over her and get going already. It’s not my first time sitting her, dear.” “Well, but – yes, of course. Sorry about that. Mother is going away now, but don’t fret Ruby, I’ll be back before you notice.” With that, Rarity picked up her things and returned to her boutique to pack for 3 days in Canterlot. Twilight looked around the castle. Everything was the same – but no one was here. It was then that she noticed the sky – the moon was different. It wasn’t glowing the lovely pale blue that had been for every night in Equestria since Luna had returned, but a harsher, brighter light. Twilight, curious at the different moon, approached the window. “Ah!” Twilight jumped from the magical backlash created when she touched the glass. Her hoof was singed. This magic was powerful. There must be some escape. Twilight continued running through the empty halls of Canterlot castle, making her way to the main gate. Sadly, when she got there, she found the same magic prohibiting her from going outside. She was trapped. Fluttershy got on the chariot as the fastest fliers in Canterlot started to fasten their harnesses for the trip to Fluttershy’s cottage in the woods. “Princess, do you think this is really necessary? Maybe Twilight just left the castle to…fly around?” Fluttershy asked apprehensively “Twilight almost never leaves the castle, you know that. It’s been that way since…”, started Luna before she was cut off. “My sister is right. Her disappearance tonight is significant. Please go and make sure it was not Discord’s doing.” Celestia spoke softly. “Alright, but I really don’t think it’s Discord!” Fluttershy stood firm in her faith of her friend. The chariot lurched forward and Fluttershy was on her way back home. “Guard, tell the messengers to send for the others. If it truly is not Discord’s doing, I fear that we may be on the precipice of disaster.” “Others, Princess?” The guard replied. “Twilight’s other friends, you daft fool!” Luna answered. “Go find Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity!” “Er..Right away, Princess!” The guard, redfaced, ran urgently from the scene, not wanting to be in Luna’s presence any longer. “Sister, what do you mean if it’s not Discord? Surely it is him; No other entity can penetrate Canterlot without detection!” “Luna, our defenses are formidable, but there’s been more than one occasion that they have failed us. But I fear that this problem stretches back farther than that. Come. We must make preparations for the arrival of the others. I’ll explain when we’ve all gathered.” “What of the trade agreements with the Crystal Empire? We aren’t on the greatest terms with Cadance, Sister.” “We will explain the situation. I’m sure Cadance will understand.” “I hope so, Sister. There’s a great many ponies whose future relies on that decision.” Chapter 3Rainbow Dash stretched her wings. She loved to fly right when the moon rose – the slightly chilly winds and the slight humidity made her wings feel good. It was also a good time to leave the family behind for a little while, and fly around freely. She had so little time these days… Rainbow jumped off, enjoying the freefall before spreading her wings and catching the wind. After gliding for a few minutes, she gradually sped up, starting her lap of Cloudsdale. As she flew, she remembered the first time that she participated in the Single’s Equestrian games. She took home the gold that year, and every year after that, but that first gold was so special. It was that first medal that she strained herself to that extreme – her days with her friends of endless practice brought warm memories to her heart. “Rainb--- Da--!” a voice trailed behind her, muffled by the sound of the speeding winds. “Rainbow Dash!” a young filly was trying desperately to keep up with her. Rainbow slowed down, allowing the child to approach. “Gale Winds, aren’t you supposed to be with the Whirlwinds? Your team has a meet next week; you should be practicing!” Rainbow Dash was the pioneer of the Equestrian Junior Division, single handedly creating the branch from the larger Games, so that young fillies could participate in the spirit of competition. “But Rainbow, I want to fly with you! With the Wonderbolts!” “Gale, I quit the Wonderbolts a long time ago.” “You’re still their best flier! I’m sure that if you asked they’d let you back in!” “That’s nice of you to say, but the Wonderbolts… well, let’s just say we have a difference of opinion. But enough of that! Tell me what you’re doing out here!” Rainbow flew around her and picked her up in the air. “Hey! That’s not fair, Rainbow!” Gale twisted and struggled to no avail. Her wings were still too small. “Gale, what’s the real reason you’re out here?” Rainbow asked quite seriously. Gale pouted. “Well, I don’t want Scootaloo to be our coach! She didn’t even know how to fly until she got her cutie mark!” “Gale, Scootaloo is a great flier – she’s even a wonderbolt.” Rainbow set her down on a nearby cloud, and proceeded to sit down with her, admiring the large full moon. “But you’re sooo much better!” Gale lifted off again, flitting back and forth. “I’m not as young as I once was. I doubt I could even do a Rainboom anymore. Besides, I gave up that life when I stopped being a wonderbolt. I don’t coach or fly competitively anymore.” “Mmmmrgr! That’s not acceptable!” “Oh Gale, what am I to do with you…” “Just come to practice tomorrow! Promise!” “Gale, if I go to your practice tomorrow, will you stop following me every night?” Gale giggled. “It’s a promise!” Gale’s insistence over the past week had finally paid off. She got the legendary Rainbow Dash to come to her meet practice! “Go on now, go home. I’ll be a little while longer.” Rainbow Dash smiled as she lifted off from the cloud, and proceeded to speed around Cloudsdale throughout the rest of the evening. “ I don’t know what you’re talking about, Fluttershy. I’ve been here this whole time, you know that.” Discord was brazenly living in a pocket dimension inside one of Fluttershy’s extra rooms. “Oh, I know, but still… I have to ask.” Fluttershy responded carefully. Discord, even reformed, is a dangerous entity. “If what you’re saying is true, then Celestia should know more about it than I do. Besides, I’m far too busy to play with you ponies anymore.” Discord gestured slightly towards his room. “You never did tell me what it was you were doing in there – “Fluttershy began. “I am almost offended that you would think to blame me for something Celestia is responsible for, Fluttershy.” “What do you mean Celestia’s responsible?!” “Well, I do have to be getting back to my project. Toodles~” With that, Discord slammed the door to his room, leaving Fluttershy incredulous as to what had transpired. “Pinkamena Dianne Pie?” A guard knocked tentatively on the door to the Cake’s shop. No answer. “Pinkie?” The guard rephrased his call. A soft rumble came from the other side of the door. “Is she home?” “I don’t know, do you want to check inside?” “No way, I went into that funhouse last Hearth’s Warming. It took me weeks to get the silly string out of my mane.” “Will one of you just check inside?” Storm Falcon said, exasperated. A second rumble came from the door. This time, it was louder. One of the guards approached the door, and turned the knob. He was met with a large reptile twice the size of any pony he had ever seen, and it gave a fearsome roar knocking over both stallions and flipping the chariot. “Now Gummy, calm down!” A shrill voice came from the other side of the reptile. “Just because you grew some teeth doesn’t mean you can eat ponies.” “Sweet Celestia, what are you feeding him?” Storm Falcon cried over the turned chariot. “Oh, nothing too major; forty cupcakes, thirty pastries, and a small grain silo.” Pinkie giggled, “It does get expensive, though. Are you here to help feed him?” “No, we-“ “Oh! You must be here for the party I’ve been planning for Gummy! That’s weird, I haven’t sent out the invites yet.” “No, that’s not it, we-“ “Does Canterlot need some catering?” Pinkie gasped. “Is there a party at Canterlot? Why wasn’t I invited? I wanted to plan it…” “Pinkie! This isn’t about anything like that!” Storm Falcon finally shouted. “Oh, well why didn’t you just say so?” Pinkie said, perched on Gummy’s head. “Princess Celestia requests that you come to Canterlot immediately – Princess Twilight’s disappeared.” “Ooo, is she doing a magic trick? There’s a really good pony for that. Trixie has performed for my parties before, and I really like her shows!” Storm Falcon groaned. “Just come with us, we’ll explain everything on the way.” “Oh heya Rainbow, what’re you doin’ in these parts?” “Do I need a reason to visit an old friend?” Applejack smiled. Ever since Granny Smith passed away, Rainbow has been here now and again to check up on Applejack and the farm. With just Big Mac and Applejack managing the farm now that Applebloom has moved away, it’s been tough on the Apple Family. “Well come in, we’ll catch up.” Said Applejack with a heavy grunt, throwing the plow harness off. “I’m ahead for this season, anyway.” The two walked towards the barn enjoying each other’s company, talking about where they’ve been, what they’ve done, and who they’ve seen in the last few weeks. “How are things coming along this season?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Pretty good. The harvest is great this year- we’ll be in surplus.” “And the cider?” “There’s plenty of cider.” “You always run out.” “We do.” “….” Applejack chuckled. “Don’t worry Dash, we’ll save a barrel for you just like we do every year.” “Thanks. I look forward to it every year, and with the amount of contestants this year for the junior games, I think I’ll need a lot to take the load off.” “Well if you want, we have some cider stock from last year that we saved.” “Really? That’d be awesome!” Rainbow said, elated at the idea. “Applejack?” a voice in the distance called. “Hey Rainbow, did you just hear…?” “Rainbow Dash is there with her too, that makes things easier.” Another voice came from the distance. The guards quickly caught up to the pair. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna request your immediate presence at Canterlot castle. Something has happened to Twilight. We’ll explain the details on the way. For now, please get on the chariot.” Chapter 4Twilight didn’t know what to do. It was like she was isolated from the rest of the world, alone. There was no one to call to inside the desolate castle, and try as she might, she couldn’t find any way out. Besides, there was something that she had to do about the missing ponies. Or perhaps, she was the one missing, and not everyone else? Gathering her thoughts, Twilight quickly made her way to the library. She poured over the arcane texts, wondering if there was a spell resembling her current predicament. But for all her searching, book after book was written in a language she didn’t understand. They looked to be foreign runes, unintelligible to the pony races – at least, she had never seen them used anywhere in Equestria. Slightly dejected that she wouldn’t have the comfort of her books to help her out, there was yet many other ways she hadn’t tried, so all hope was not lost, yet. “Hey, what’s your name?” “Storm Falcon.” “Ooh, that sounds so cool! I’m Pinkie Pie!” said Pinkie as she undulated lightly in the back of the chariot. “…Yes, we know.” “This is Gummy!” Pinkie gestured the rather large toothless alligator hanging off the back. “Why did you have to bring him? I still can’t think of any re-“ “Because! We’re a pair! You don’t get the Pie without the Gum!” said an elated Pinkie, as she sped up her rhythmic bouncing. “So…where are we going?” “I believed I explained that you were asked to meet Princess Celestia and Luna in the castle.” “Oh, but how about Twilight? Is she safe?” Pinkie gasped. “The Princesss never had called me up to the castle before, is Twilight in trouble? Is it something that only I can help solve? Does it have to do with Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Rarity and Fluttershy? Oh, I can’t wait to see them again! It’ll be so fun! Well, except the part about Twilight being in trouble, but I’ll get to see everyone again! When are we going?” Storm stood still, gap-mouthed at the river of deduction the poured from Pinkie’s mouth. After taking a moment to gather himself, he slowly looked again at a smiling Pinkie Pie. “We’re going to see them now. You’re on the chariot.” “Oh, haha, silly me.” Pinkie went off in her own world, playing with the dangling Gummy below. This mare will be the end of me, thought Storm Falcon. Fluttershy raced back to the castle but on the way, she came across a familiar silhouette in the distance. As the figure came into distance, it was accompanied by a familiar voice. “-ttershy! It’s been forever! How’s everything? I hear you’re part of the nature group or something? I don’t know, I don’t really keep up with that stuff. But hey! Do you need some more catering? I felt that your last party wasn’t my best work but I mean, come ON, how do I beat that first party I threw for Twilight all those years ago?” Pinkie laughed, and smiled as a tear slid down her cheek. “Oh, hi Pinkie. Things have been going well, Twilight’s really come around with the northern forests… but there’s still a lot of work to be done, and she doesn’t have time to see me all the time…” “Oh, it’ll work out. You’re Fluttershy! Don’t you remember when you convinced everyone to take care of the Breezys when there was the Pegasus epidemic that year? They stayed in Ponyville under your protection for the full year! You can do anything!”, cheered Pinkie Pie. “Sir, the others have contacted me. We’ve established contact with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They’re on their way.” “Good. What of Rarity?” “Sir, we’ve been unable to locate her, but we have had contact earlier in the evening from Twilight’s request.” “Continue looking for her. Take the front guard; I’ll see to Pinkie and Fluttershy.” “Yes, sir.” Responded the guard. With that, the two chariots broke rank, rearranged themselves, and sped along to the pathway to Canterlot. “There there, Rarity will be back soon” Cocoa played with the little Ruby as she slowly crawled around the floor playing with the excess cloth Cocoa had lying around, wet from Ruby’s tantrum. Cocoa sighed. This usually doesn't happen – Ruby seemed to know that her mother would be going farther away than usual, and that Cocoa was nearby didn't calm her down at all. Ruby wanted her mother. “Look Ruby, it’s your favorite toy!” Cocoa held up a small plush of Princess Twilight. Ruby looked at the small purple unicorn, and proceeded to hug it tightly, as if substituting her mother for it. Tears came to her eyes. Cocoa carried the young filly down to the bathroom and started the warm water for a hot bath. Whenever she got sad, some warm water always calmed her down. “Oh hold on Ruby, I forgot your change of clothes. Stay put right here while I get them.” Cocoa sat Ruby down in the sink, far too smooth and deep for Ruby to crawl out of, but shallow enough for Ruby to peek her little eyes over the top. Something was glistening in the water. It seemed…magical. Ruby’s attention started to become fixated to it, as if her gaze was drawn towards the small shiny object. Ruby felt something warm fill her body as her horn started to glow, ever so slightly. Ruby made a noise, to signal Cocoa to come back. She didn’t seem to hear. Ruby made a louder noise. A louder one. Finally, Cocoa ran in the bathroom in frenzy, hoping that nothing had gone wrong. She found Ruby sitting there in the sink, with her very light pink mane slightly damp from the moisture in the air. “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay.” Cocoa breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought something had happened to you! Don’t scare me like that, Ruby!” Ruby looked back at the bathtub. The glisten was gone, replaced by the flowing surface of waves and bubbles forming near the edge. “Goo laa doo ya gaagaa!” Ruby motioned toward the water. “Feeling cold, are you Ruby? Don’t worry, you’ll be warm in a minute. Just let me test the water…” Rarity strolled slowly back around the block, taking the longer way around to her shop. She’d lived there since moving to Manehattan 8 years ago, and she’s never looked back. She did miss Ponyville sometimes, with its inhabitants and small town pleasures. But mostly, she just missed her friends. Walking down the big city always seemed to calm her, especially at night. The moon was large tonight, courtesy of the princess, and the streets well lit. Rarity lived in the finer portion of Manehattan, most would say, but even the luxurious Central Mill properties wouldn’t satisfy her. If she had to leave her friends in Ponyville in order to live in Manehattan, she would settle for no less than the Tower Suites – the epitome of high society life. “Captain! I’ve found her!” A voice echoed in the distance. Rarity abruptly awoke from her reverie. How rude of them, to disrupt such a rare, beautiful silence in the big city, she thought. “Miss Rarity!” “Yes, what is it now?” Rarity replied, slightly annoyed at the persistence of the guard. “The Princess requires your presence at the castle.” “Yes, I know, Twilight sent for me in the morning. I-“ “This order is from Princess Celestia. She requires that you come immediately.” “Oh dear, what’s wrong?” Rarity was taken aback – she was used to getting a summons from Twilight, but Celestia rarely called for her by name – except when… “Everything will be explained when you arrive. Please, get into the carriage.” The guard opened the door to the rather extravagant cart. “Oh, it’s you.” Rarity saw the profile of the stallion and looked at him with disgust. “It’s been some time, Rarity.” Chapter 5The wingbeats thumped at an even pace as Rainbow Dash and Applejack made their way to Canterlot. An awkward silence filled the air, only separated by the creaking of the wood. “You…want to what?!” exclaimed Applejack, finally breaking the ice. “I want to, you know.. have a kid.” Rainbow Dash meekly responded. “But didn’t you tell me… that…” “I can always adopt…” “Well, I suppose that’s alright, but do you really think you’re ready to take care of a kid?” “I’m not getting any younger, and Rarity already has a kid.” “You remember raising Scootaloo practically by yourself? I mean, yeah she didn’t live with you but she practically grew up under your wing. You don’t remember the accidents and all the injuries you got? Some scars don’t ever heal either. Shucks, it was because of Scootaloo that you quit the Wonderbolts in the first place!” “It’s because I took care of Scootaloo for so long that I want to be a real mom. I don’t often say it, or show it but… that was a time in my life I remember fondly…” “Well, if you’re sure…” “I’m still kind of on the fence about it, and I don’t know if I should try this alone…” “Give it some time and think long and hard before you make a decision…” “Yeah, this isn’t really the time, anyway. Let’s see what the Princess needs.” Twilight ran from shelf to shelf, amassing all the books in the library, hoping to find a solution. Not one of them was written in Equestrian Common. Sighing, she gave up on the library, and instead made her way to the lake on the grounds. As she looked up, she saw the same jarring moon, slightly tinged by the magic that kept her caged inside. She looked down and stared into the water. A glimmer of light seemed to emanate from it. As she looked closer, she could make out...some bubbles? A white ceiling? She didn’t understand – why were these images appearing in the lake? “I’m surprised you haven’t changed your name to Coldblood, you snake.” Rarity begrudgingly sat across from the stallion. “Oh come now, Rarity. That was a long time ago, and I seem to recall that you had the attraction to me.” Blueblood goaded the unicorn on. “After what you did to me? You duplicitous jerk.” “Didn’t I try to make amends when you visited Canterlot?” “If that were the only thing you did, I wouldn’t hold grudges. But what you did to Twilight is unforgivable.” “It all worked out for the best didn’t it?” “You really think that justifies what you did? It was vile.” “It wasn’t that bad.” “Because of what you did, she spent Spike away!” “Oh, were you attached to him? I’m not sure how well that would work out…” Rarity raised a hoof threateningly against Blueblood. “Not another word, mongrel.” Blueblood raised his hooves and seemingly backed down. “Alright, alright…” A few moments passed in silence. It was only when Rarity finally broke the silence did Blueblood finally make a sound. “So what’s this about Princess Celestia wanting to see me?” “Princess Twilight has gone missing, and she has summoned all of you to the castle.” “Twilight!? Is she alright?” “We don’t know. But I felt that I should come pick you up personally when I heard the order, so I excused the guard and asked my carriage to come instead.” “I don’t see for what purpose, there’s-“ “Shh, Rarity. Listen. I have a secret to share.” The castle was coming into view for Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and an odd glow could be seen coming from it. The pair of ponies got off the chariot, Gummy in tow, Fluttershy stumbling a bit over herself. “Yaay, we’re finally here!” Pinkie exclaimed, with a voice that could wake the dead. Pinkie, with her inexhaustible optimism, bounced happily around Gummy while Fluttershy looked around for Celestia and Luna. “Please, this way.” A guard came to meet them, gesturing towards the corridor. “The princesses are in the library, looking for a spell that may be able to reverse the situation.” Fluttershy and Pinkie followed the stallion down, and up to the high ivory tower where Equestria’s knowledge was held. “-azy? That will never work, dear sister!” Luna was audible from even outside. “It is our only chance – do you know of any other spell that does this?” Celestia replied “But Sister! You might get-“ The guard knocked on the door, interrupting their argument. “Princess, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy have arrived.” “Princess, I’ve confirmed with Discord that he is not the source of our problems.” Fluttershy reported. Celestia nodded knowingly. “I had been afraid of this. Still, it is best to make sure.” She gestured toward Luna, combing over the texts here and there. “If we had Twilight, she would be of great help here. She knows these books far better than any other pony in Equestria.” Celestia lamented. “What’s going on?” Pinkie Pie asked inquisitively. “When the others have arrived, I’ll explain everything. For now, I must ask that you wait patiently.” Pinkie, a little dejected, left herself with Gummy and started playing a game only she could understand, involving a few of the books lying around and a stethoscope. Spike never wanted to leave Ponyville or Canterlot. In fact, when the dragon migration came again last year, he wanted to stay with Twilight – but Spike wasn’t a kid anymore, and he wanted to go through that trial just as much as any other dragon. On the migration though, Spike was always made fun of for his lack of wings – he was lumped together with all the dragons that were either too young or injured to fly, but even amongst them, not having wings was isolating. Of course, this wouldn’t deter the young dragon from going on the migration – he journeyed on foot, and that has made all the difference. “Hey, you overgrown lizard.” Crimson Blaze jeered at the purple dragon. “You’re just jealous of my scales.” Spike retorted, noting the sheen on his magnificent scales. Because he spent the majority of his life in Ponyville, it lacked the scars and injuries that marred most of the other dragons. He was, without doubt, the dragon with the most lusterous scales in the migration. “My scars are trophies of battles won and lost, whelp. I don’t care for your scales. I wouldn’t expect a babied toddler to understand the intricacies of the scars of battle.” Crimson responded, the flames on his back growing slightly hotter. “Whatever, what do you want?” Spike was out hunting – it was one of the trials of the migration, that the dragons hunt game for themselves. Well no, it wasn’t really a trial so much as an expectation, but for Spike who ate vegetarian for the first few chapters of his life, it was a challenge. Whenever he caught a rabbit to devour, he thought of Angel Bunny and it made it all the more difficulty to eat. “Tomorrow is the grand hunt. Don’t get in my way. This isn’t your town of ponies and little forest friends. Dragons die on those grounds.” Crimson warned. “You’re not the only one with a bite, Crimson. I’ll show you what I can do now. I wasn’t with Twilight all those years for nothing.” Chapter 6An idea stirred inside Twilight. She looked up at the moon for confirmation of her theory. Yes - the moon was indeed blue, which means that she'd slipped away into a mirror world. Twilight stood still for a moment, closing her eyes and trying to recall the information she had read so long ago about parallel universes. When she opened them, and looked down at the water again, the bubbles and white ceiling were gone. They were replaced with a dark silhouette, reminding Twilight of the caverns beneath the Crystal Empire keep, all those years ago. Canterlot castle was coming into view now, as the guards flew there in record time. Applejack and Rainbow Dash rushed to the library, where they heard the Princesses were. "What do you think happened?" Rainbow Dash tried to shift the topic from adoption. "To you? Or to Twilight?" Applejack knew her friend well, and wasn't about to let her just drop the subject. "Look, if you don't think I'm fit to be a mother, just say so." Rainbow responded, evidently irked at Applejack's apprehension. "It's just that, you've lived alone all your life. I don't think you're in a great position to raise a child." "I know... I've thought about that, too. That's why... I wanted to ask if I could move in with you." "Wha-" "Applejack! Rainbow Dash!" A cheery voice filled with nostalgia barrelled into them, stopping their conversation mid syllable. "It's been so long! Wow Rainbow, you look so old! And Applejack, what ever happened to your hat? I've always remembered you with one, but you aren't wearing one!" "What secret?" Rarity stood her ground against Blueblood, pressing him for information. "Ruby's father isn't dead." Blueblood responded plainly. "...What?! But I thought that-" "Yes, I know what you think. We told you that to keep you from worrying. He disappeared much like Twilight did tonight." "You haven't filled me in on that, either! Will you please just tell me what's going on?" Rarity slammed her hoof into the chariot, making the pegasi outside stumble a bit on the wind currents. Blueblood breathed a loud sigh. “I really shouldn’t be the one to tell you, but…” “Spill it.” “Tonight, Twilight disappeared under the same circumstances that your husband did all those years ago. It’s true that at that time, we were never able to find any trace of where he went but as time went on, Twilight poured herself into research, trying to find him. She eventually found that he had slipped into the mirror world.” “Mirror World? What’s that?” Pinkie asked. “Sister, shouldn’t we wait for Rarity to arrive?” Luna asked. “We cannot wait any longer. We will have to fill in Rarity as she arrives. For now, there is much work to be done.” Celestia replied curtly. “I had hoped that it would never come to this. As you all know, Luna and I were the users of the Elements of Harmony before you, and you wielded the Elements after us. Of course, when you later gave up those Elements to the Tree of Harmony when Tirek attacked, the essence of harmony took a new form - Rainbow power. I assure you, that was a surprise to me as well as the rest of you, but…” Celestia looked to the side, as if unable to continue. “Before we took the Elements of Harmony from the Tree to stop Discord, we were warned that taking the Elements would diminish its magic and, over time, its magic would fade. That happened when the seeds of Discord finally were able to sprout. The thing we didn’t consider is that the Tree was holding more than just the seeds of Discord at bay.” Luna continued. “The Tree of Harmony holds more than just this realm together. It protects it from the magic of the Mirror World. The Mirror World is an alternate realm of opposites. Over the years, its gained many other names.” “The Dark Realm.” “Outworld.” “Detroit?” Pinkie chimed in. “....No.” The celestial duo rolled their eyes at the interruption. “In any case, the Mirror World is home to all manner of deadly creatures, but perhaps the most dangerous of all is the existence of the Tree of Chaos.” “Tree of Chaos?!” The four ponies said in unison. “For every good, there is a bad. The Mirror World is our opposite in almost every way. The Tree of Harmony exists here, and its equal and opposite lives on the other side.” Celestia continued. “For the past age, the Tree of Harmony has prevented Chaos’ entry into this world by guarding the lines between our worlds with its magic.” “They say that the Mirror World is a cesspool of scum and villany. That as much good as there is in Equestria, there is just as much chaos in the Mirror World.” “And you say that Twilight just… slipped into such a place?!” Rarity retorted. “Twilight is a master of magic! She’s an alicorn! There’s no way she could have just fell into another world without knowing about it! And that’s another thing! How do you know so much about it?!” “You’ll have to trust me, Rarity. I don’t know how long Twilight has there before… the world corrupts her.” Rarity responded with hesitation. "That's preposterous." "After our... unfortunate accident, I began studying statecraft with Twilight. Amidst my studies, I came across her research. I thought it might have given you some closure, so I asked Twilight if I might tell you, eventually." “Hello, Twilight.” A gruff voice echoed from across the lake in the dark of the wood. “Who’s there? Show yourself!” A faint glow emnanated from Twilight’s horn, signalling her readiness for action. She hadn’t battled in so long, but her combat magic hadn’t dulled. “Oh Twilight, it’s just me.” A white coat stepped from out of the shadows, with a red mane, and… “Crimson Dusk!” Twilight took a step back. “No. It’s not possible!” Chapter 7"Impossible? Why Twilight, whatever could you mean? As you see, I'm clearly standing before you." Crimson Dusk circled around the princess, eyeing her growth over the years. "My my, the years have been kind. You don't look like you've aged at all, while I... well. As the state you see me in, Princess." Crimson bowed a little, the lines of age and his unkempt mane shining in the moonlight. His coat was rough, with jagged sharp obtrusions here and there and a large scar across his chest. "What happened to you? How are you still alive? What is this place?" Twilight asked in bewilderment. "Surely you know already." As Crimson said these words, a dark shadow flitted across his pupils, undetected by Twilight. "This place... the moon - it couldn't be the Mirror World?" "So far, so good." "Then... you brought me here?" Twilight pressed. "Yes. Unfortunately, I am not as talented in magic as you, and so it has taken me this long to call you here. It wasn't easy, building enough magical power to pull you here undetected." Crimson continued matter-of-factly. "I don't understand - couldn't you have just sent a message instead of pulling me here without notice?" Twilight asked, impatience growing in her voice. "You'll understand once you see." "See what?" Twilight was quite irked now. "Just come with me." Crimson led Twilight further into the wood, the shadows of the leaves under ominous moonlight unsettling Twilight. "How... how has Rarity been?" Crimson asked meekly. "She's been... successful. You have a daughter." "A daughter! " This revelations brought Crimson to a halt. "I... didn't know." Unfazed, Twilight continued walking forward. "You only have yourself to blame for that. It's your fault that you ended up here, anyway. How could you just abandon Rarity like that? She cried herself to sleep for so many nights after you left." "I never wanted to hurt her. I loved her." "Hmph. You have some gall to still say that. Now why have you brought me here? How can I get back to Equestria?" Crimson sighed. "I only had the power to bring you here, but you've got something wrong." "What? You summoned me here without a way to go back?" "That's not the least of your problems here. You asked me where we were. We're in Equestria. Or at least, Equestria under the rule of Queen Celestia." "Celestia is here? Wha- Queen?!" "Celestia never told you?" Crimson seemed surprised. "Told me what?" "Well you'd find out eventually as its common knowledge here, but..." "Spit it out, Crimson." Twilight's patience just snapped. She was tired of waiting for all these answers. "Look over there." Crimson pointed across a clearing. Twilight stepped over and saw a cliffside from where she had a clear view of Ponyville. But no, this couldn't be Ponyville... Everything was gone. Sugarcube Corner, or the place it used to be was just a scorch on the ground. The Apple family farms laid to waste across the country side. The schools, gone. Her castle... wasn't even there. "What is this, Crimson? I thought the Mirror World was exactly the same as our world!" "It used to be. Until Princess Celestia came over from our world." "She never came here-" "I assure you that she did. And she fell in love. With Sombra." "That's just insane." Crimson paid her no mind. "Celestia out of love, kept coming back to see Sombra. Those trips eventually lead to a great danger - the bridging of worlds of this world and Equestria proper. It's because of her love for Sombra that I was able to slip here in the first place." "If what you say is true, why hasn't Celestia told me about any of this?" "Rarity! You finally made it." Applejack was the first to notice Rarity touching down and coming to the study. "Blueblood filled me in on my way here - how can we help Twilight come back?" Rarity responded, getting right to business. Celestia moved towards the window in somber disgrace. "We can't. The doors to the Mirror World have long since been closed on our side." Luna responded. "Why can't we just open them?" Rarity asked. "Because it can't be opened by the ponies who closed it, and no one else has enough magical energy to open it." Celestia sighed. "So that means..." Applejack gasped. "Yes. Luna and I closed the door to the Mirror World years ago. I... I couldn't give myself the temptation of going back to see Sombra." "What?! Sombra - you mean King Sombra?" Rainbow croaked. "He was different there. A kind, peaceful ruler. Nothing like the Sombra we know here. He was sweet to me - it tore me apart to leave him..." Celestia was caught in a rare moment of vulnerability, tears streaming down her face. "My Sister's...tryst" Luna spat,"with this Sombra almost destroyed both our worlds. We had to close the door - permanently to prevent this world from collapsing. But Equestria had never fully recovered from the bridge between ours and that other Equestria." "I was ashamed that my actions caused such calamity for Equestria. I thought that if it had gotten out, the ponies would deem me unfit to rule and revolt." "Be that as it may, our goal right now should be getting Twilight back, not your failed romance." Rarity said harshly, remembering Ruby's father and quickly deducing that it was Celestia's relationship that had ended up tearing Ruby from a complete family. "Quite right, Rarity." Luna looked to her sister. "But what can we do?" "Only an alicorn has the power to open the doors again. We must ask Cadence." The five recoiled at the name. "She's not the same pony anymore." Rarity added. "When Flurry ran away, a part of herself went with her. There's no way she'd work with us - even to save Twilight." "Heck, Twilight barely managed to meet with her to discuss that trade bargain a few weeks ago! I reckon she's tighter than a duck's bum right now." Applejack said. "We still have to try." Fluttershy countered. "Twilight is our friend, and we have to try our best for her." "I may know of a way we can get Cadence's favor." Luna walked over to a map of Equestria laid across a nearby desk. "Before Twilight slipped into the other world, she was looking for Flurry. That was part of the arrangement she had with Cadence to even meet." "Twilight found her out on the edges of southern Equestria. The report states that she was last seen there preparing for a trip to Maretania. If you find Flurry and bring her home to Cadence, she may find it in her heart to help us in this task." Celestia rolled up the map and levitated it into Applejack's satchel. "Wow! Maretania! I've never been there before! This'll be fun!" Pinkie tried to lighten the mood, but the dreary atmosphere continued, slightly deflating her hair. "Wait, Maretania?" Rarity looked to Rainbow Dash. "That's where Spike is heading for the Dragon Migration! If we're lucky, we'll run into him. If we're going to find Flurry, we should take him with us. Flurry's always been fond of him." "Hurry, my little ponies. If Twilight has been called to the Mirror World unwillingly, there's no telling what might happen to her." Celestia ordered. "We sisters will stay in Canterlot. I've let Twilight take so many duties in running the kingdom, I worry about what would happen if her disappearance became widely known." "Good Luck, my friends." Luna whispered. Author's Note I thought myself clever until I did some background reading into Celestia's past. Stupid comic books. Chapter 8Cadence slouched a little in her throne, exhausted by the days' work. The trade agreement with Twilight wasn't going well. Reports of the icy north invading her Empire were littered across the floor - and there was nothing she could do to help. Ever since Twilight convinced Flurry to leave the Empire, she hasn't been the same. Cadence thought of Flurry often, worried for her, wondered if she was okay, wherever she was. With Cadence in such a state, gloom fell on the Empire, and there wasn't enough love to power the Crystal Heart to completely repel the cold winds. As the days got colder and the nights got longer, the morale of the kingdom fell which only served to further drain power from the Crystal Heart. Many of her citizens wanted to leave and go to Equestria where the sun was abundant and the nights were warm. But Cadence could not let that happen. If the people left, the Empire would crumble. Shining Armor had told her that a new mineral had been found - oricalcum, whose properties of storing magic were far beyond the capabilities of crystal. But the amount she would need to reinforce the Heart with it was... costly, to say the least. Oricalcum had only been found in Equestria, so Cadence had to ask for a trade agreement with Celestia. However, it was being used there to channel magic throughout the kingdom, making it more prosperous than ever before. Cadence had been able to buy a small amount here and there, as crystals from the empire were still valued for their purity and their sheen, but since many of her workers had already left the Empire, her supply of crystals grew thin, only exacerbating the problem. "Cadence. Please. You need to rest." Shining Armor could be heard from the doorway, mane ruffled as if he hadn't slept in days. "Oh Shining Armor, what will we do? The Heart grows weaker every day. We must find some way of providing it with more magic." "I take it the trade meeting didn't go well with Twilight?" Shining approached her, careful to step over the littered reports. "It's insane what she's demanding! We don't have the resources... We can't afford much more than.." Cadence's eyes watered. "Why can't it be like it was before, Shining Armor? What happened to those days when Twilight, you, and I played in the sun?" "Cadence..." Shining Armor put his hoof around her. "At this rate... there won't be a Crystal Empire anymore, and all the ponies that choose to live here will lose their homes..." Cadence shivered, crying into Shining Armor's arms. Spike sniffed the forest air. The acrid scent of the nearby volcano masked the scent of his prey. It was time for the grand hunt, and he wasn't about to lose to the likes of Crimson Blaze. Although he had subsisted on equine feed and gems for the large part of his childhood, Spike was a dragon. A carnivore. Today was the day he would prove himself a full fledged dragon and take his place among his brethren as a dragon. There it was - the scent of sheep. They were beyond the forest glade. He looked down at his claws, polished to a near mirror sheen. Sharp, he thought. His scales no longer had the leathery texture that Rarity had used so often as a pin cushion. They were tough, hard as the gems he once consumed, and carried the same gleam. His tail had grown- it was now large enough to cleave a nearby tree in two with one swipe. He had become stronger, more agile, but to his dismay, unlike other dragons, he never developed the ability to fly. A roar filled the sky. "There they are!" Crimson's voice could be heard from above, but Spike wasn't about to let them have their day. Not today. Twilight had long since taught Spike to keep his dragon greed from surfacing, but he eventually learned that it was this greed that allowed him to grow. To mature. As long as it was under control. Spike felt the ancient dragon magic well within him, filling him with strength. His instincts sharpened, and he raced forward, his claws ripping the ground apart. Within seconds, the sheep came into view. The rest of the dragons on the hunt went into a nosedive, noticing Spike racing towards the sheep. He knew. Spike would get there first. Cursing Spike, Crimson let out a jet of flame at the sheep. Better that they had to find another flock than to let this landwalker beat him in the hunt. Spike saw the blue flames coming. He responded with a roar, and he responded with a roar of his own. Flames of blue and green in the air, finally culminating in an explosion that leveled the nearby trees. When the smoke cleared, Crimson and his entourage lay fallen in the burning glade, Spike standing over the sheep, his glimmering scales a little charred from the experience. Turning to the sheep, Spike raised a claw, his bloodlust rising. But Spike remembered Twilight, and his time in Ponyville. He remembered how Rarity grounded him. How Twilight taught him to control himself. How Pinkie was always there to cheer him up when he was down. A circle of pony friends indeed. Grunting with effort, he suppressed his baser instincts. No, he would protect the sheep from their would-be predators. Spike had never been like other dragons, and would never be like them. "Probably because Celestia fears the consequences of her actions, Twilight. Her choices to try and remain with the Sombra of this world nearly tore both worlds apart. I doubt it's a memory she's keen on revisiting." Crimson Dusk walked on. "Come, Twilight. This way. There is someone you need to meet."
Chapter 1“Princess Twilight, have you finished looking over the reports from the North?” “Not yet, Storm Falcon.” Twilight looked up from her texts. Surrounded by unscalable mountains of reports, creeds, and letters, the days were long and difficult. It’s been almost 15 years since Twilight assumed the royal mantle, and although being a princess allowed Twilight to be closer to Celestia, she didn’t enjoy all the paper work quite as much. “Have you informed Luna of this?” said Twilight, glossing over the report. “Yes, princess. She suggested we confront Queen Cadance directly about it.” Oh, Cadance. Long ago were the days of sisterhood that Twilight enjoyed with her. Nowadays, well… “Send an envoy to the Empire. We will meet on the first day of the new moon.” Twilight raised her head. A brief thought flitted across her mind – if she weren’t princess, would she still be able to be with Cadance, like so many years before? A brief sigh escaped her. “Storm Falcon, send for Rarity and Fluttershy to come to the castle.” Whenever Twilight felt down, her friends were always a boon to her. She remembered the many times they defeated great evils together, and their connection hadn’t diminished an iota. “Yes, princess.” “You are excused.” Twilight got up from behind her desk to look out the window. Equestria had changed from the days when she lived in Ponyville. Manehattan had grown as a city, and the city’s smoke and noise were starting to intrude on the peaceful village. Equestria and the Empire were in all but a trade war, both factions at odds with each other over the newly discovered resource, oricalcum. But that was the least of the problems in Equestria. The ruling trio here in Equestria didn’t always agree, especially Celestia and Luna. The most recent dispute practically locked the castle in a bureaucratic nightmare for 2 months. Twilight, not wanting to choose sides with the two sisters, held her tongue for the duration until they came to a compromise. “Twilight, you are working yourself too hard.” A soft voice came from behind her. “May be, but the job has to be done.” Twilight responded. “Take a few weeks off, my sister and I can handle things here.” “Luna, you know I can’t do that. What with the Empire’s aggressive tactics in the North, we hardly have time for me to take a leave of absence.” “There’s always going to be something, Twilight. It won’t be the end of the world” Luna smiled. “I have my friends, and that’s enough for me.” Twilight turned to face the princess. “They’re strength enough for anypony.” “Just don’t work yourself to the point of exhaustion again – we all know what happened last time.” “Of course, Luna. I’ve been watching my health.” “Well that’s good. It’s almost time for me to raise the moon, so I must be going. Do take a rest, we worry about you.” Luna walked out of Twilight’s office, looking back once more before leaving. Tomorrow, Rarity and Fluttershy will be here, and things will work out between the Empire, Twilight thought to herself. “Might as well get something to eat.” Twilight said to herself. She followed Luna after tidying up her desk, and proceeded into the dining hall. “Miss Rarity, are you in?” The guard knocked loudly on the door of R&R Boutique. “Yes, yes, I’m coming, dear.” The white pony looked through her glasses at the royal guard. “Is there a problem?” “Princess Twilight has requested your presence at the castle tomorrow. Transportation has been arranged to pick you up at 10am tomorrow.” “Oh, Twilight! I haven’t seen that pony for what seems like forever! But… such short notice… I shall have to find a sitter…” Having delivered his message, the guard turned to leave. As he was going though, he turned back. “Oh, Miss Rarity, will this location be acceptable tomorrow? I must inform your pick up.” “Yes, yes this’ll be fine.” Rarity responded as she went back to her design room. “I know! I can ask Cocoa. She always gets along with Ruby wonderfully.” As Rarity prepared her things, she went to check on Ruby. “Mother will be out tomorrow, Ruby.” Rarity cooed. “But guess what? You’ll get to see Cocoa again! Don’t you remember her?” Ruby responded happily. “Good girl.” Rarity carefully swaddled Ruby in her blanket and carried her over to the stroller. As she locked up shop, she sighed to herself and looked at the rising moon. “If only your father didn’t leave… you’d have a complete family. I’m sorry Ruby, for letting this happen to you.” Ruby looked questioningly at Rarity, unable to understand her last statement. She giggled and wiggled around a bit in her swaddle. Rarity proceeded to walk down to 9th, where Cocoa’s fabrics store had been set up. Ever since moving to Manehattan, Rarity had been using Cocoa as her raw materials supplier with great results. Cocopopo was quickly gaining renown not on small part due to Rarity’s devoted usage of her product, but many other fashion designers were starting to take notice of her fine product lines. “Fluttershy?” Storm Falcon asked, surprised at the pony before him. “What are you doing here?” “Oh, hi there Storm. I was going to see Twilight about the deforestation near South Manehattan. It’s not fair, what they are doing to the forest animals.” “Oh, that’s pretty convenient. Twilight has asked to see you in the morning. I think it’s best if you leave that until then. Meanwhile…” Storm approached Fluttershy slowly. “Storm, I’ve told you that I don’t think of you like that..” Fluttershy backed away a little. “There’s just too much in my life right now for it.” Storm smiled and stopped his advance. “You’ll come around. Hopefully.” Fluttershy had grown over the years – although she still had a meek personality, she had finally come out of her shell and was now a strong activist for the Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Nature, or ESPN. Her lovely voice had attracted a lot of admirers throughout Equestria because of her rather inspiring rallies, and though she had always spurned the affection of the masses, her kind heart always let them down easy. “We’ll have to see about that.” Fluttershy responded apprehensively. “Anyway, you can use one of the guest rooms tonight. Room 392. Your usual room. Call me if you need anything else tonight.” Storm said as he walked away, a little bit more dejected than when he arrived in the room. As Twilight walked into the ridiculously huge dining hall, she felt her anxiety with the days ahead fade ever so slightly. Something about the large room calmed her down, and the memories of Heart’s Warming Feasts with her friends warmed her from the inside. Twilight turned to the nearest guard. “Tell Chef Astrill to prepare something small today; I don’t have a huge appetite.” “Yes, Princess.” The guard turned and walked off towards the royal kitchen. Twilight turned and sat at the seat reserved for her in the hall- a seat embroidered with her cutie mark, etched in the finest wood available. In fact, this chair was a gift from Applebloom when she was just starting out as a carpenter, before she became famous for her designs of woodwork. Twilight felt the many grooves and valleys with her hoof, tracing over some flaws in the works that she’d come to know so closely after these many years. Before she knew it, quite some time had passed in her reverie. Twilight looked around as she snapped out of her daydreaming. The guards weren’t there. Confused, she left her table and walked around to look farther into the hall. The guards remained elusive. Something was wrong.
Chapter 2“Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight has disappeared!” “What?” A surprised Celestia stood in the throne room at Canterlot, her mane flourishing behind her. “Princess Twilight had been in the dining hall for supper, but when we looked, she wasn’t there and we haven’t been able to find her anywhere inside the castle.” “You’re telling me that she disappeared right from under your noses and you didn’t notice?” Celestia’s temper tested against the messenger. Slowly, she formed a second thought. “What of Luna? Is she safe?” “Princess Luna has returned to her chambers after raising the moon. A sentry is being sent to notify her of the situation.” “Good. Get here as soon as possible.” Celestia ordered, turning her attention to the stained glass that depicted Twilight. ‘I hope it is nothing. But…’, she thought to herself. The royal guard scrambled in the castle that night, alerting Princess Luna and searching everywhere for Twilight with no results. Luna emerged from her chambers running towards the throne room. “Sister! Is it true what they say?” Luna said, out of breath. “I fear it is so. Twilight disappeared somewhere in the castle a short while ago.” “What could have happened? Canterlot castle is one of the most secure places in Equestria? Do you think the Empire could have-“ “No, I do not think this is the work of the Queen. It doesn’t seem like her, and I doubt even for their disagreements, Cadance has this in her. No, I fear it is much worse.” “Then – Discord?” Luna dreaded the answer. “We shall have to see. I am told Fluttershy is in the castle. She is closest to him; she will know what he has been up to recently.” Celestia slowly replied. Ironically, if it was one of Discord’s mischiefs, it would greatly relieve her. “Guards! Summon Fluttershy to the throne room.” Luna said, the volume of her voice gradually rising with her anxiety. Today’s Canterlot is not the same as the pasts’. Twilight had become an integral part in the governance of Equestria. To lose her now at the crux of negotiations with the Crystal Empire would be disastrous. “Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, what is going on?” Fluttershy asked. “Twilight has disappeared from the castle and we’ve seen no sign of her anywhere. We think it may be the work of Discord.” “Oh no, that’s impossible. Discord hasn’t been to Canterlot in years. He’s been quite good at home, I assure you, Princess.” Luna was not so easily convinced. “No matter, ask him to come to the castle. We will get to the bottom of this soon enough.” Rarity had been gossiping with Cocoa about the various fashion suppliers the past few hours before preparing for her trip to Canterlot. “I’m so jealous, Rarity. The Princess calls on you all the time – it’s done wonders for your business and the castle couldn’t look better.” Cocoa goaded, trying to get Rarity to stay for just a while longer. “It’s not as glamorous as it seems, Cocoa. While I’m glad for the business, getting things ready and just perfect for the princesses is exhausting. I wouldn’t wish the work on any pony.” Rarity sipped her tea. “Oh goodness, is it already this late? I must get going, or I’ll be so dreadfully tired in the morning. Thanks again for agreeing to take care of Ruby for me.” “Oh it’s my pleasure, Rarity. I don’t have any kids of my own, so Ruby is like a daughter to me. She can stay here anytime.” Cocoa replied graciously. Always, they would have to do this verbal dance, even though the both of them knew that Cocoa adored Ruby. “Well I’ll be on my way. I should be back within the next 3 days.” Rarity explained. “Ruby’s pacifier has been cleaned just yesterday, her formula is in the pantry, and as you know –“ “Yes, yes, Rarity, she likes to be swaddled at least twice a day. Stop fawning over her and get going already. It’s not my first time sitting her, dear.” “Well, but – yes, of course. Sorry about that. Mother is going away now, but don’t fret Ruby, I’ll be back before you notice.” With that, Rarity picked up her things and returned to her boutique to pack for 3 days in Canterlot. Twilight looked around the castle. Everything was the same – but no one was here. It was then that she noticed the sky – the moon was different. It wasn’t glowing the lovely pale blue that had been for every night in Equestria since Luna had returned, but a harsher, brighter light. Twilight, curious at the different moon, approached the window. “Ah!” Twilight jumped from the magical backlash created when she touched the glass. Her hoof was singed. This magic was powerful. There must be some escape. Twilight continued running through the empty halls of Canterlot castle, making her way to the main gate. Sadly, when she got there, she found the same magic prohibiting her from going outside. She was trapped. Fluttershy got on the chariot as the fastest fliers in Canterlot started to fasten their harnesses for the trip to Fluttershy’s cottage in the woods. “Princess, do you think this is really necessary? Maybe Twilight just left the castle to…fly around?” Fluttershy asked apprehensively “Twilight almost never leaves the castle, you know that. It’s been that way since…”, started Luna before she was cut off. “My sister is right. Her disappearance tonight is significant. Please go and make sure it was not Discord’s doing.” Celestia spoke softly. “Alright, but I really don’t think it’s Discord!” Fluttershy stood firm in her faith of her friend. The chariot lurched forward and Fluttershy was on her way back home. “Guard, tell the messengers to send for the others. If it truly is not Discord’s doing, I fear that we may be on the precipice of disaster.” “Others, Princess?” The guard replied. “Twilight’s other friends, you daft fool!” Luna answered. “Go find Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity!” “Er..Right away, Princess!” The guard, redfaced, ran urgently from the scene, not wanting to be in Luna’s presence any longer. “Sister, what do you mean if it’s not Discord? Surely it is him; No other entity can penetrate Canterlot without detection!” “Luna, our defenses are formidable, but there’s been more than one occasion that they have failed us. But I fear that this problem stretches back farther than that. Come. We must make preparations for the arrival of the others. I’ll explain when we’ve all gathered.” “What of the trade agreements with the Crystal Empire? We aren’t on the greatest terms with Cadance, Sister.” “We will explain the situation. I’m sure Cadance will understand.” “I hope so, Sister. There’s a great many ponies whose future relies on that decision.”
Chapter 3Rainbow Dash stretched her wings. She loved to fly right when the moon rose – the slightly chilly winds and the slight humidity made her wings feel good. It was also a good time to leave the family behind for a little while, and fly around freely. She had so little time these days… Rainbow jumped off, enjoying the freefall before spreading her wings and catching the wind. After gliding for a few minutes, she gradually sped up, starting her lap of Cloudsdale. As she flew, she remembered the first time that she participated in the Single’s Equestrian games. She took home the gold that year, and every year after that, but that first gold was so special. It was that first medal that she strained herself to that extreme – her days with her friends of endless practice brought warm memories to her heart. “Rainb--- Da--!” a voice trailed behind her, muffled by the sound of the speeding winds. “Rainbow Dash!” a young filly was trying desperately to keep up with her. Rainbow slowed down, allowing the child to approach. “Gale Winds, aren’t you supposed to be with the Whirlwinds? Your team has a meet next week; you should be practicing!” Rainbow Dash was the pioneer of the Equestrian Junior Division, single handedly creating the branch from the larger Games, so that young fillies could participate in the spirit of competition. “But Rainbow, I want to fly with you! With the Wonderbolts!” “Gale, I quit the Wonderbolts a long time ago.” “You’re still their best flier! I’m sure that if you asked they’d let you back in!” “That’s nice of you to say, but the Wonderbolts… well, let’s just say we have a difference of opinion. But enough of that! Tell me what you’re doing out here!” Rainbow flew around her and picked her up in the air. “Hey! That’s not fair, Rainbow!” Gale twisted and struggled to no avail. Her wings were still too small. “Gale, what’s the real reason you’re out here?” Rainbow asked quite seriously. Gale pouted. “Well, I don’t want Scootaloo to be our coach! She didn’t even know how to fly until she got her cutie mark!” “Gale, Scootaloo is a great flier – she’s even a wonderbolt.” Rainbow set her down on a nearby cloud, and proceeded to sit down with her, admiring the large full moon. “But you’re sooo much better!” Gale lifted off again, flitting back and forth. “I’m not as young as I once was. I doubt I could even do a Rainboom anymore. Besides, I gave up that life when I stopped being a wonderbolt. I don’t coach or fly competitively anymore.” “Mmmmrgr! That’s not acceptable!” “Oh Gale, what am I to do with you…” “Just come to practice tomorrow! Promise!” “Gale, if I go to your practice tomorrow, will you stop following me every night?” Gale giggled. “It’s a promise!” Gale’s insistence over the past week had finally paid off. She got the legendary Rainbow Dash to come to her meet practice! “Go on now, go home. I’ll be a little while longer.” Rainbow Dash smiled as she lifted off from the cloud, and proceeded to speed around Cloudsdale throughout the rest of the evening. “ I don’t know what you’re talking about, Fluttershy. I’ve been here this whole time, you know that.” Discord was brazenly living in a pocket dimension inside one of Fluttershy’s extra rooms. “Oh, I know, but still… I have to ask.” Fluttershy responded carefully. Discord, even reformed, is a dangerous entity. “If what you’re saying is true, then Celestia should know more about it than I do. Besides, I’m far too busy to play with you ponies anymore.” Discord gestured slightly towards his room. “You never did tell me what it was you were doing in there – “Fluttershy began. “I am almost offended that you would think to blame me for something Celestia is responsible for, Fluttershy.” “What do you mean Celestia’s responsible?!” “Well, I do have to be getting back to my project. Toodles~” With that, Discord slammed the door to his room, leaving Fluttershy incredulous as to what had transpired. “Pinkamena Dianne Pie?” A guard knocked tentatively on the door to the Cake’s shop. No answer. “Pinkie?” The guard rephrased his call. A soft rumble came from the other side of the door. “Is she home?” “I don’t know, do you want to check inside?” “No way, I went into that funhouse last Hearth’s Warming. It took me weeks to get the silly string out of my mane.” “Will one of you just check inside?” Storm Falcon said, exasperated. A second rumble came from the door. This time, it was louder. One of the guards approached the door, and turned the knob. He was met with a large reptile twice the size of any pony he had ever seen, and it gave a fearsome roar knocking over both stallions and flipping the chariot. “Now Gummy, calm down!” A shrill voice came from the other side of the reptile. “Just because you grew some teeth doesn’t mean you can eat ponies.” “Sweet Celestia, what are you feeding him?” Storm Falcon cried over the turned chariot. “Oh, nothing too major; forty cupcakes, thirty pastries, and a small grain silo.” Pinkie giggled, “It does get expensive, though. Are you here to help feed him?” “No, we-“ “Oh! You must be here for the party I’ve been planning for Gummy! That’s weird, I haven’t sent out the invites yet.” “No, that’s not it, we-“ “Does Canterlot need some catering?” Pinkie gasped. “Is there a party at Canterlot? Why wasn’t I invited? I wanted to plan it…” “Pinkie! This isn’t about anything like that!” Storm Falcon finally shouted. “Oh, well why didn’t you just say so?” Pinkie said, perched on Gummy’s head. “Princess Celestia requests that you come to Canterlot immediately – Princess Twilight’s disappeared.” “Ooo, is she doing a magic trick? There’s a really good pony for that. Trixie has performed for my parties before, and I really like her shows!” Storm Falcon groaned. “Just come with us, we’ll explain everything on the way.” “Oh heya Rainbow, what’re you doin’ in these parts?” “Do I need a reason to visit an old friend?” Applejack smiled. Ever since Granny Smith passed away, Rainbow has been here now and again to check up on Applejack and the farm. With just Big Mac and Applejack managing the farm now that Applebloom has moved away, it’s been tough on the Apple Family. “Well come in, we’ll catch up.” Said Applejack with a heavy grunt, throwing the plow harness off. “I’m ahead for this season, anyway.” The two walked towards the barn enjoying each other’s company, talking about where they’ve been, what they’ve done, and who they’ve seen in the last few weeks. “How are things coming along this season?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Pretty good. The harvest is great this year- we’ll be in surplus.” “And the cider?” “There’s plenty of cider.” “You always run out.” “We do.” “….” Applejack chuckled. “Don’t worry Dash, we’ll save a barrel for you just like we do every year.” “Thanks. I look forward to it every year, and with the amount of contestants this year for the junior games, I think I’ll need a lot to take the load off.” “Well if you want, we have some cider stock from last year that we saved.” “Really? That’d be awesome!” Rainbow said, elated at the idea. “Applejack?” a voice in the distance called. “Hey Rainbow, did you just hear…?” “Rainbow Dash is there with her too, that makes things easier.” Another voice came from the distance. The guards quickly caught up to the pair. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna request your immediate presence at Canterlot castle. Something has happened to Twilight. We’ll explain the details on the way. For now, please get on the chariot.”
Chapter 4Twilight didn’t know what to do. It was like she was isolated from the rest of the world, alone. There was no one to call to inside the desolate castle, and try as she might, she couldn’t find any way out. Besides, there was something that she had to do about the missing ponies. Or perhaps, she was the one missing, and not everyone else? Gathering her thoughts, Twilight quickly made her way to the library. She poured over the arcane texts, wondering if there was a spell resembling her current predicament. But for all her searching, book after book was written in a language she didn’t understand. They looked to be foreign runes, unintelligible to the pony races – at least, she had never seen them used anywhere in Equestria. Slightly dejected that she wouldn’t have the comfort of her books to help her out, there was yet many other ways she hadn’t tried, so all hope was not lost, yet. “Hey, what’s your name?” “Storm Falcon.” “Ooh, that sounds so cool! I’m Pinkie Pie!” said Pinkie as she undulated lightly in the back of the chariot. “…Yes, we know.” “This is Gummy!” Pinkie gestured the rather large toothless alligator hanging off the back. “Why did you have to bring him? I still can’t think of any re-“ “Because! We’re a pair! You don’t get the Pie without the Gum!” said an elated Pinkie, as she sped up her rhythmic bouncing. “So…where are we going?” “I believed I explained that you were asked to meet Princess Celestia and Luna in the castle.” “Oh, but how about Twilight? Is she safe?” Pinkie gasped. “The Princesss never had called me up to the castle before, is Twilight in trouble? Is it something that only I can help solve? Does it have to do with Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Rarity and Fluttershy? Oh, I can’t wait to see them again! It’ll be so fun! Well, except the part about Twilight being in trouble, but I’ll get to see everyone again! When are we going?” Storm stood still, gap-mouthed at the river of deduction the poured from Pinkie’s mouth. After taking a moment to gather himself, he slowly looked again at a smiling Pinkie Pie. “We’re going to see them now. You’re on the chariot.” “Oh, haha, silly me.” Pinkie went off in her own world, playing with the dangling Gummy below. This mare will be the end of me, thought Storm Falcon. Fluttershy raced back to the castle but on the way, she came across a familiar silhouette in the distance. As the figure came into distance, it was accompanied by a familiar voice. “-ttershy! It’s been forever! How’s everything? I hear you’re part of the nature group or something? I don’t know, I don’t really keep up with that stuff. But hey! Do you need some more catering? I felt that your last party wasn’t my best work but I mean, come ON, how do I beat that first party I threw for Twilight all those years ago?” Pinkie laughed, and smiled as a tear slid down her cheek. “Oh, hi Pinkie. Things have been going well, Twilight’s really come around with the northern forests… but there’s still a lot of work to be done, and she doesn’t have time to see me all the time…” “Oh, it’ll work out. You’re Fluttershy! Don’t you remember when you convinced everyone to take care of the Breezys when there was the Pegasus epidemic that year? They stayed in Ponyville under your protection for the full year! You can do anything!”, cheered Pinkie Pie. “Sir, the others have contacted me. We’ve established contact with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They’re on their way.” “Good. What of Rarity?” “Sir, we’ve been unable to locate her, but we have had contact earlier in the evening from Twilight’s request.” “Continue looking for her. Take the front guard; I’ll see to Pinkie and Fluttershy.” “Yes, sir.” Responded the guard. With that, the two chariots broke rank, rearranged themselves, and sped along to the pathway to Canterlot. “There there, Rarity will be back soon” Cocoa played with the little Ruby as she slowly crawled around the floor playing with the excess cloth Cocoa had lying around, wet from Ruby’s tantrum. Cocoa sighed. This usually doesn't happen – Ruby seemed to know that her mother would be going farther away than usual, and that Cocoa was nearby didn't calm her down at all. Ruby wanted her mother. “Look Ruby, it’s your favorite toy!” Cocoa held up a small plush of Princess Twilight. Ruby looked at the small purple unicorn, and proceeded to hug it tightly, as if substituting her mother for it. Tears came to her eyes. Cocoa carried the young filly down to the bathroom and started the warm water for a hot bath. Whenever she got sad, some warm water always calmed her down. “Oh hold on Ruby, I forgot your change of clothes. Stay put right here while I get them.” Cocoa sat Ruby down in the sink, far too smooth and deep for Ruby to crawl out of, but shallow enough for Ruby to peek her little eyes over the top. Something was glistening in the water. It seemed…magical. Ruby’s attention started to become fixated to it, as if her gaze was drawn towards the small shiny object. Ruby felt something warm fill her body as her horn started to glow, ever so slightly. Ruby made a noise, to signal Cocoa to come back. She didn’t seem to hear. Ruby made a louder noise. A louder one. Finally, Cocoa ran in the bathroom in frenzy, hoping that nothing had gone wrong. She found Ruby sitting there in the sink, with her very light pink mane slightly damp from the moisture in the air. “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay.” Cocoa breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought something had happened to you! Don’t scare me like that, Ruby!” Ruby looked back at the bathtub. The glisten was gone, replaced by the flowing surface of waves and bubbles forming near the edge. “Goo laa doo ya gaagaa!” Ruby motioned toward the water. “Feeling cold, are you Ruby? Don’t worry, you’ll be warm in a minute. Just let me test the water…” Rarity strolled slowly back around the block, taking the longer way around to her shop. She’d lived there since moving to Manehattan 8 years ago, and she’s never looked back. She did miss Ponyville sometimes, with its inhabitants and small town pleasures. But mostly, she just missed her friends. Walking down the big city always seemed to calm her, especially at night. The moon was large tonight, courtesy of the princess, and the streets well lit. Rarity lived in the finer portion of Manehattan, most would say, but even the luxurious Central Mill properties wouldn’t satisfy her. If she had to leave her friends in Ponyville in order to live in Manehattan, she would settle for no less than the Tower Suites – the epitome of high society life. “Captain! I’ve found her!” A voice echoed in the distance. Rarity abruptly awoke from her reverie. How rude of them, to disrupt such a rare, beautiful silence in the big city, she thought. “Miss Rarity!” “Yes, what is it now?” Rarity replied, slightly annoyed at the persistence of the guard. “The Princess requires your presence at the castle.” “Yes, I know, Twilight sent for me in the morning. I-“ “This order is from Princess Celestia. She requires that you come immediately.” “Oh dear, what’s wrong?” Rarity was taken aback – she was used to getting a summons from Twilight, but Celestia rarely called for her by name – except when… “Everything will be explained when you arrive. Please, get into the carriage.” The guard opened the door to the rather extravagant cart. “Oh, it’s you.” Rarity saw the profile of the stallion and looked at him with disgust. “It’s been some time, Rarity.”
Chapter 5The wingbeats thumped at an even pace as Rainbow Dash and Applejack made their way to Canterlot. An awkward silence filled the air, only separated by the creaking of the wood. “You…want to what?!” exclaimed Applejack, finally breaking the ice. “I want to, you know.. have a kid.” Rainbow Dash meekly responded. “But didn’t you tell me… that…” “I can always adopt…” “Well, I suppose that’s alright, but do you really think you’re ready to take care of a kid?” “I’m not getting any younger, and Rarity already has a kid.” “You remember raising Scootaloo practically by yourself? I mean, yeah she didn’t live with you but she practically grew up under your wing. You don’t remember the accidents and all the injuries you got? Some scars don’t ever heal either. Shucks, it was because of Scootaloo that you quit the Wonderbolts in the first place!” “It’s because I took care of Scootaloo for so long that I want to be a real mom. I don’t often say it, or show it but… that was a time in my life I remember fondly…” “Well, if you’re sure…” “I’m still kind of on the fence about it, and I don’t know if I should try this alone…” “Give it some time and think long and hard before you make a decision…” “Yeah, this isn’t really the time, anyway. Let’s see what the Princess needs.” Twilight ran from shelf to shelf, amassing all the books in the library, hoping to find a solution. Not one of them was written in Equestrian Common. Sighing, she gave up on the library, and instead made her way to the lake on the grounds. As she looked up, she saw the same jarring moon, slightly tinged by the magic that kept her caged inside. She looked down and stared into the water. A glimmer of light seemed to emanate from it. As she looked closer, she could make out...some bubbles? A white ceiling? She didn’t understand – why were these images appearing in the lake? “I’m surprised you haven’t changed your name to Coldblood, you snake.” Rarity begrudgingly sat across from the stallion. “Oh come now, Rarity. That was a long time ago, and I seem to recall that you had the attraction to me.” Blueblood goaded the unicorn on. “After what you did to me? You duplicitous jerk.” “Didn’t I try to make amends when you visited Canterlot?” “If that were the only thing you did, I wouldn’t hold grudges. But what you did to Twilight is unforgivable.” “It all worked out for the best didn’t it?” “You really think that justifies what you did? It was vile.” “It wasn’t that bad.” “Because of what you did, she spent Spike away!” “Oh, were you attached to him? I’m not sure how well that would work out…” Rarity raised a hoof threateningly against Blueblood. “Not another word, mongrel.” Blueblood raised his hooves and seemingly backed down. “Alright, alright…” A few moments passed in silence. It was only when Rarity finally broke the silence did Blueblood finally make a sound. “So what’s this about Princess Celestia wanting to see me?” “Princess Twilight has gone missing, and she has summoned all of you to the castle.” “Twilight!? Is she alright?” “We don’t know. But I felt that I should come pick you up personally when I heard the order, so I excused the guard and asked my carriage to come instead.” “I don’t see for what purpose, there’s-“ “Shh, Rarity. Listen. I have a secret to share.” The castle was coming into view for Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and an odd glow could be seen coming from it. The pair of ponies got off the chariot, Gummy in tow, Fluttershy stumbling a bit over herself. “Yaay, we’re finally here!” Pinkie exclaimed, with a voice that could wake the dead. Pinkie, with her inexhaustible optimism, bounced happily around Gummy while Fluttershy looked around for Celestia and Luna. “Please, this way.” A guard came to meet them, gesturing towards the corridor. “The princesses are in the library, looking for a spell that may be able to reverse the situation.” Fluttershy and Pinkie followed the stallion down, and up to the high ivory tower where Equestria’s knowledge was held. “-azy? That will never work, dear sister!” Luna was audible from even outside. “It is our only chance – do you know of any other spell that does this?” Celestia replied “But Sister! You might get-“ The guard knocked on the door, interrupting their argument. “Princess, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy have arrived.” “Princess, I’ve confirmed with Discord that he is not the source of our problems.” Fluttershy reported. Celestia nodded knowingly. “I had been afraid of this. Still, it is best to make sure.” She gestured toward Luna, combing over the texts here and there. “If we had Twilight, she would be of great help here. She knows these books far better than any other pony in Equestria.” Celestia lamented. “What’s going on?” Pinkie Pie asked inquisitively. “When the others have arrived, I’ll explain everything. For now, I must ask that you wait patiently.” Pinkie, a little dejected, left herself with Gummy and started playing a game only she could understand, involving a few of the books lying around and a stethoscope. Spike never wanted to leave Ponyville or Canterlot. In fact, when the dragon migration came again last year, he wanted to stay with Twilight – but Spike wasn’t a kid anymore, and he wanted to go through that trial just as much as any other dragon. On the migration though, Spike was always made fun of for his lack of wings – he was lumped together with all the dragons that were either too young or injured to fly, but even amongst them, not having wings was isolating. Of course, this wouldn’t deter the young dragon from going on the migration – he journeyed on foot, and that has made all the difference. “Hey, you overgrown lizard.” Crimson Blaze jeered at the purple dragon. “You’re just jealous of my scales.” Spike retorted, noting the sheen on his magnificent scales. Because he spent the majority of his life in Ponyville, it lacked the scars and injuries that marred most of the other dragons. He was, without doubt, the dragon with the most lusterous scales in the migration. “My scars are trophies of battles won and lost, whelp. I don’t care for your scales. I wouldn’t expect a babied toddler to understand the intricacies of the scars of battle.” Crimson responded, the flames on his back growing slightly hotter. “Whatever, what do you want?” Spike was out hunting – it was one of the trials of the migration, that the dragons hunt game for themselves. Well no, it wasn’t really a trial so much as an expectation, but for Spike who ate vegetarian for the first few chapters of his life, it was a challenge. Whenever he caught a rabbit to devour, he thought of Angel Bunny and it made it all the more difficulty to eat. “Tomorrow is the grand hunt. Don’t get in my way. This isn’t your town of ponies and little forest friends. Dragons die on those grounds.” Crimson warned. “You’re not the only one with a bite, Crimson. I’ll show you what I can do now. I wasn’t with Twilight all those years for nothing.”
Chapter 6An idea stirred inside Twilight. She looked up at the moon for confirmation of her theory. Yes - the moon was indeed blue, which means that she'd slipped away into a mirror world. Twilight stood still for a moment, closing her eyes and trying to recall the information she had read so long ago about parallel universes. When she opened them, and looked down at the water again, the bubbles and white ceiling were gone. They were replaced with a dark silhouette, reminding Twilight of the caverns beneath the Crystal Empire keep, all those years ago. Canterlot castle was coming into view now, as the guards flew there in record time. Applejack and Rainbow Dash rushed to the library, where they heard the Princesses were. "What do you think happened?" Rainbow Dash tried to shift the topic from adoption. "To you? Or to Twilight?" Applejack knew her friend well, and wasn't about to let her just drop the subject. "Look, if you don't think I'm fit to be a mother, just say so." Rainbow responded, evidently irked at Applejack's apprehension. "It's just that, you've lived alone all your life. I don't think you're in a great position to raise a child." "I know... I've thought about that, too. That's why... I wanted to ask if I could move in with you." "Wha-" "Applejack! Rainbow Dash!" A cheery voice filled with nostalgia barrelled into them, stopping their conversation mid syllable. "It's been so long! Wow Rainbow, you look so old! And Applejack, what ever happened to your hat? I've always remembered you with one, but you aren't wearing one!" "What secret?" Rarity stood her ground against Blueblood, pressing him for information. "Ruby's father isn't dead." Blueblood responded plainly. "...What?! But I thought that-" "Yes, I know what you think. We told you that to keep you from worrying. He disappeared much like Twilight did tonight." "You haven't filled me in on that, either! Will you please just tell me what's going on?" Rarity slammed her hoof into the chariot, making the pegasi outside stumble a bit on the wind currents. Blueblood breathed a loud sigh. “I really shouldn’t be the one to tell you, but…” “Spill it.” “Tonight, Twilight disappeared under the same circumstances that your husband did all those years ago. It’s true that at that time, we were never able to find any trace of where he went but as time went on, Twilight poured herself into research, trying to find him. She eventually found that he had slipped into the mirror world.” “Mirror World? What’s that?” Pinkie asked. “Sister, shouldn’t we wait for Rarity to arrive?” Luna asked. “We cannot wait any longer. We will have to fill in Rarity as she arrives. For now, there is much work to be done.” Celestia replied curtly. “I had hoped that it would never come to this. As you all know, Luna and I were the users of the Elements of Harmony before you, and you wielded the Elements after us. Of course, when you later gave up those Elements to the Tree of Harmony when Tirek attacked, the essence of harmony took a new form - Rainbow power. I assure you, that was a surprise to me as well as the rest of you, but…” Celestia looked to the side, as if unable to continue. “Before we took the Elements of Harmony from the Tree to stop Discord, we were warned that taking the Elements would diminish its magic and, over time, its magic would fade. That happened when the seeds of Discord finally were able to sprout. The thing we didn’t consider is that the Tree was holding more than just the seeds of Discord at bay.” Luna continued. “The Tree of Harmony holds more than just this realm together. It protects it from the magic of the Mirror World. The Mirror World is an alternate realm of opposites. Over the years, its gained many other names.” “The Dark Realm.” “Outworld.” “Detroit?” Pinkie chimed in. “....No.” The celestial duo rolled their eyes at the interruption. “In any case, the Mirror World is home to all manner of deadly creatures, but perhaps the most dangerous of all is the existence of the Tree of Chaos.” “Tree of Chaos?!” The four ponies said in unison. “For every good, there is a bad. The Mirror World is our opposite in almost every way. The Tree of Harmony exists here, and its equal and opposite lives on the other side.” Celestia continued. “For the past age, the Tree of Harmony has prevented Chaos’ entry into this world by guarding the lines between our worlds with its magic.” “They say that the Mirror World is a cesspool of scum and villany. That as much good as there is in Equestria, there is just as much chaos in the Mirror World.” “And you say that Twilight just… slipped into such a place?!” Rarity retorted. “Twilight is a master of magic! She’s an alicorn! There’s no way she could have just fell into another world without knowing about it! And that’s another thing! How do you know so much about it?!” “You’ll have to trust me, Rarity. I don’t know how long Twilight has there before… the world corrupts her.” Rarity responded with hesitation. "That's preposterous." "After our... unfortunate accident, I began studying statecraft with Twilight. Amidst my studies, I came across her research. I thought it might have given you some closure, so I asked Twilight if I might tell you, eventually." “Hello, Twilight.” A gruff voice echoed from across the lake in the dark of the wood. “Who’s there? Show yourself!” A faint glow emnanated from Twilight’s horn, signalling her readiness for action. She hadn’t battled in so long, but her combat magic hadn’t dulled. “Oh Twilight, it’s just me.” A white coat stepped from out of the shadows, with a red mane, and… “Crimson Dusk!” Twilight took a step back. “No. It’s not possible!”
Chapter 7"Impossible? Why Twilight, whatever could you mean? As you see, I'm clearly standing before you." Crimson Dusk circled around the princess, eyeing her growth over the years. "My my, the years have been kind. You don't look like you've aged at all, while I... well. As the state you see me in, Princess." Crimson bowed a little, the lines of age and his unkempt mane shining in the moonlight. His coat was rough, with jagged sharp obtrusions here and there and a large scar across his chest. "What happened to you? How are you still alive? What is this place?" Twilight asked in bewilderment. "Surely you know already." As Crimson said these words, a dark shadow flitted across his pupils, undetected by Twilight. "This place... the moon - it couldn't be the Mirror World?" "So far, so good." "Then... you brought me here?" Twilight pressed. "Yes. Unfortunately, I am not as talented in magic as you, and so it has taken me this long to call you here. It wasn't easy, building enough magical power to pull you here undetected." Crimson continued matter-of-factly. "I don't understand - couldn't you have just sent a message instead of pulling me here without notice?" Twilight asked, impatience growing in her voice. "You'll understand once you see." "See what?" Twilight was quite irked now. "Just come with me." Crimson led Twilight further into the wood, the shadows of the leaves under ominous moonlight unsettling Twilight. "How... how has Rarity been?" Crimson asked meekly. "She's been... successful. You have a daughter." "A daughter! " This revelations brought Crimson to a halt. "I... didn't know." Unfazed, Twilight continued walking forward. "You only have yourself to blame for that. It's your fault that you ended up here, anyway. How could you just abandon Rarity like that? She cried herself to sleep for so many nights after you left." "I never wanted to hurt her. I loved her." "Hmph. You have some gall to still say that. Now why have you brought me here? How can I get back to Equestria?" Crimson sighed. "I only had the power to bring you here, but you've got something wrong." "What? You summoned me here without a way to go back?" "That's not the least of your problems here. You asked me where we were. We're in Equestria. Or at least, Equestria under the rule of Queen Celestia." "Celestia is here? Wha- Queen?!" "Celestia never told you?" Crimson seemed surprised. "Told me what?" "Well you'd find out eventually as its common knowledge here, but..." "Spit it out, Crimson." Twilight's patience just snapped. She was tired of waiting for all these answers. "Look over there." Crimson pointed across a clearing. Twilight stepped over and saw a cliffside from where she had a clear view of Ponyville. But no, this couldn't be Ponyville... Everything was gone. Sugarcube Corner, or the place it used to be was just a scorch on the ground. The Apple family farms laid to waste across the country side. The schools, gone. Her castle... wasn't even there. "What is this, Crimson? I thought the Mirror World was exactly the same as our world!" "It used to be. Until Princess Celestia came over from our world." "She never came here-" "I assure you that she did. And she fell in love. With Sombra." "That's just insane." Crimson paid her no mind. "Celestia out of love, kept coming back to see Sombra. Those trips eventually lead to a great danger - the bridging of worlds of this world and Equestria proper. It's because of her love for Sombra that I was able to slip here in the first place." "If what you say is true, why hasn't Celestia told me about any of this?" "Rarity! You finally made it." Applejack was the first to notice Rarity touching down and coming to the study. "Blueblood filled me in on my way here - how can we help Twilight come back?" Rarity responded, getting right to business. Celestia moved towards the window in somber disgrace. "We can't. The doors to the Mirror World have long since been closed on our side." Luna responded. "Why can't we just open them?" Rarity asked. "Because it can't be opened by the ponies who closed it, and no one else has enough magical energy to open it." Celestia sighed. "So that means..." Applejack gasped. "Yes. Luna and I closed the door to the Mirror World years ago. I... I couldn't give myself the temptation of going back to see Sombra." "What?! Sombra - you mean King Sombra?" Rainbow croaked. "He was different there. A kind, peaceful ruler. Nothing like the Sombra we know here. He was sweet to me - it tore me apart to leave him..." Celestia was caught in a rare moment of vulnerability, tears streaming down her face. "My Sister's...tryst" Luna spat,"with this Sombra almost destroyed both our worlds. We had to close the door - permanently to prevent this world from collapsing. But Equestria had never fully recovered from the bridge between ours and that other Equestria." "I was ashamed that my actions caused such calamity for Equestria. I thought that if it had gotten out, the ponies would deem me unfit to rule and revolt." "Be that as it may, our goal right now should be getting Twilight back, not your failed romance." Rarity said harshly, remembering Ruby's father and quickly deducing that it was Celestia's relationship that had ended up tearing Ruby from a complete family. "Quite right, Rarity." Luna looked to her sister. "But what can we do?" "Only an alicorn has the power to open the doors again. We must ask Cadence." The five recoiled at the name. "She's not the same pony anymore." Rarity added. "When Flurry ran away, a part of herself went with her. There's no way she'd work with us - even to save Twilight." "Heck, Twilight barely managed to meet with her to discuss that trade bargain a few weeks ago! I reckon she's tighter than a duck's bum right now." Applejack said. "We still have to try." Fluttershy countered. "Twilight is our friend, and we have to try our best for her." "I may know of a way we can get Cadence's favor." Luna walked over to a map of Equestria laid across a nearby desk. "Before Twilight slipped into the other world, she was looking for Flurry. That was part of the arrangement she had with Cadence to even meet." "Twilight found her out on the edges of southern Equestria. The report states that she was last seen there preparing for a trip to Maretania. If you find Flurry and bring her home to Cadence, she may find it in her heart to help us in this task." Celestia rolled up the map and levitated it into Applejack's satchel. "Wow! Maretania! I've never been there before! This'll be fun!" Pinkie tried to lighten the mood, but the dreary atmosphere continued, slightly deflating her hair. "Wait, Maretania?" Rarity looked to Rainbow Dash. "That's where Spike is heading for the Dragon Migration! If we're lucky, we'll run into him. If we're going to find Flurry, we should take him with us. Flurry's always been fond of him." "Hurry, my little ponies. If Twilight has been called to the Mirror World unwillingly, there's no telling what might happen to her." Celestia ordered. "We sisters will stay in Canterlot. I've let Twilight take so many duties in running the kingdom, I worry about what would happen if her disappearance became widely known." "Good Luck, my friends." Luna whispered. Author's Note I thought myself clever until I did some background reading into Celestia's past. Stupid comic books.
Chapter 8Cadence slouched a little in her throne, exhausted by the days' work. The trade agreement with Twilight wasn't going well. Reports of the icy north invading her Empire were littered across the floor - and there was nothing she could do to help. Ever since Twilight convinced Flurry to leave the Empire, she hasn't been the same. Cadence thought of Flurry often, worried for her, wondered if she was okay, wherever she was. With Cadence in such a state, gloom fell on the Empire, and there wasn't enough love to power the Crystal Heart to completely repel the cold winds. As the days got colder and the nights got longer, the morale of the kingdom fell which only served to further drain power from the Crystal Heart. Many of her citizens wanted to leave and go to Equestria where the sun was abundant and the nights were warm. But Cadence could not let that happen. If the people left, the Empire would crumble. Shining Armor had told her that a new mineral had been found - oricalcum, whose properties of storing magic were far beyond the capabilities of crystal. But the amount she would need to reinforce the Heart with it was... costly, to say the least. Oricalcum had only been found in Equestria, so Cadence had to ask for a trade agreement with Celestia. However, it was being used there to channel magic throughout the kingdom, making it more prosperous than ever before. Cadence had been able to buy a small amount here and there, as crystals from the empire were still valued for their purity and their sheen, but since many of her workers had already left the Empire, her supply of crystals grew thin, only exacerbating the problem. "Cadence. Please. You need to rest." Shining Armor could be heard from the doorway, mane ruffled as if he hadn't slept in days. "Oh Shining Armor, what will we do? The Heart grows weaker every day. We must find some way of providing it with more magic." "I take it the trade meeting didn't go well with Twilight?" Shining approached her, careful to step over the littered reports. "It's insane what she's demanding! We don't have the resources... We can't afford much more than.." Cadence's eyes watered. "Why can't it be like it was before, Shining Armor? What happened to those days when Twilight, you, and I played in the sun?" "Cadence..." Shining Armor put his hoof around her. "At this rate... there won't be a Crystal Empire anymore, and all the ponies that choose to live here will lose their homes..." Cadence shivered, crying into Shining Armor's arms. Spike sniffed the forest air. The acrid scent of the nearby volcano masked the scent of his prey. It was time for the grand hunt, and he wasn't about to lose to the likes of Crimson Blaze. Although he had subsisted on equine feed and gems for the large part of his childhood, Spike was a dragon. A carnivore. Today was the day he would prove himself a full fledged dragon and take his place among his brethren as a dragon. There it was - the scent of sheep. They were beyond the forest glade. He looked down at his claws, polished to a near mirror sheen. Sharp, he thought. His scales no longer had the leathery texture that Rarity had used so often as a pin cushion. They were tough, hard as the gems he once consumed, and carried the same gleam. His tail had grown- it was now large enough to cleave a nearby tree in two with one swipe. He had become stronger, more agile, but to his dismay, unlike other dragons, he never developed the ability to fly. A roar filled the sky. "There they are!" Crimson's voice could be heard from above, but Spike wasn't about to let them have their day. Not today. Twilight had long since taught Spike to keep his dragon greed from surfacing, but he eventually learned that it was this greed that allowed him to grow. To mature. As long as it was under control. Spike felt the ancient dragon magic well within him, filling him with strength. His instincts sharpened, and he raced forward, his claws ripping the ground apart. Within seconds, the sheep came into view. The rest of the dragons on the hunt went into a nosedive, noticing Spike racing towards the sheep. He knew. Spike would get there first. Cursing Spike, Crimson let out a jet of flame at the sheep. Better that they had to find another flock than to let this landwalker beat him in the hunt. Spike saw the blue flames coming. He responded with a roar, and he responded with a roar of his own. Flames of blue and green in the air, finally culminating in an explosion that leveled the nearby trees. When the smoke cleared, Crimson and his entourage lay fallen in the burning glade, Spike standing over the sheep, his glimmering scales a little charred from the experience. Turning to the sheep, Spike raised a claw, his bloodlust rising. But Spike remembered Twilight, and his time in Ponyville. He remembered how Rarity grounded him. How Twilight taught him to control himself. How Pinkie was always there to cheer him up when he was down. A circle of pony friends indeed. Grunting with effort, he suppressed his baser instincts. No, he would protect the sheep from their would-be predators. Spike had never been like other dragons, and would never be like them. "Probably because Celestia fears the consequences of her actions, Twilight. Her choices to try and remain with the Sombra of this world nearly tore both worlds apart. I doubt it's a memory she's keen on revisiting." Crimson Dusk walked on. "Come, Twilight. This way. There is someone you need to meet."
