//-------------------------------------------------------// The Spirit of Friendship -by Quills_and_Classics- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1    Princess Cadence hurried down the hallway with her husband, Shining Armor, Princess Twilight Sparkle, her friends, and Twilight's little dragon; Spike. She thanked the guard at the door as soon as she arrived.    "We would like to see what is inside of the room. I have no idea how it got there."said Cadence.    "If it is Sunset Shimmer, we aren't letting her go again!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.    "No," said Twilight Sparkle," Sunset Shimmer has changed since you briefly encountered her. If it is her, we will just talk to her about why she came."     They were right outside the door as they said this. What they didn't hear were the little quiet whimpers coming from inside. The only one who did was Pinkie Pie.    She said, "Don't be silly fillies! If it was Sunset Shimmer, she would not be whimpering!"    "What are you talking about, Pinkie?" Twilight asked," There haven't been any noise coming from that room since we arri-" Her sentence was cut off by a slightly louder whimper.    "Oh my!" said Fluttershy,"Whatever is in there sounds actually more afraid of us!"    Twilight said, "I guess the only way we can find out is if we go in!" ...............................................................    The pony inside the room heard the hoofsteps. She was very scared. What if the ponies who were coming thought badly of her! All she had wanted was to make some friends and for some reason, ended up here! She could not remember anything before that. If only someone would just appear and give her a reassuring smile. She was pretty certain that the pony's outside the door weren't going to. She heard a couple fragments of sentences;   "what happened"   "If it is Sunset Shimmer" The pony began whimpering. What if the ponies outside thought she was "Sunset Shimmer" No, she was pretty sure she was Song Whisper. Song Whisper was not sure where she got the name, but it just seemed to fit right.    Suddenly, Song Whisper heard a fragment that scared her;    "would not be whimpering" . In her fright, she whimpered just a tiny bit louder. Then, she heard the fragment that she had been dreading;    "If we go in." ................................................................   Twilight Sparkle and her friends decided to go in first.   "We have to be prepared," said Twilight," even though it sounded scared, we don't know who is in there. It could be all just part of a ploy."     Slowly, they opened the door and went inside the room. At first, they saw nothing. Rainbow was the first to see Song Whisper trying to hide in a corner. "Who are you?" she shouted. "Are you a spy from there?!" she asked, pointing at the portal. Song just whimpered and tried to hide her face, slightly like Fluttershy did when she first met Twilight. Fluttershy noticed this, and recalled how shy she had felt. She then added fear to that, and realized how this poor mare must feel.    Twilight also realized that the mare must feel horrible right then, though it may not have been as vivid as Fluttershy realized it.      "Stop!" she said to Rainbow Dash, "She is just a unicorn like me or Rarity. Imagine how scared she must feel now!"   Rainbow felt like she should have kept yelling at Song, but she yielded to her friend and let Twilight take over.   "Hello," said Twilight, "What is your name?"    Slowly and unsurely, the mare answered, "Song Whisper." Twilight Sparkle gave her name in return. "Do you know how you got here?" Twilight asked. Song's eyes widened and she rapidly shook her head.    By then Cadence had come in and was listening to the conversation. She called everyone else over then.    "She acts like a filly, but looks as old as you," Princess Cadence said, "we should talk to the other princesses."    "Already here." a voice said. It was Princess Celestia standing by Princess Luna.    "Shining Armor and Spike alerted us that something had happened here." said Luna, "Where is she?" Twilight and her friends showed the princesses Song Whisper and introduced them to each other. "Song Whisper, can you show me your cutie mark?" asked Celestia, "It may help me to determine where you are from. Song Whisper turned around. Everybody gasped as they saw her mane and wings, including Celestia. They all also noticed her very peculiar cutie mark. It was just a white spot on her flank, like a blank flank, but without being the same color as her fur. "I have decided what to do." Celestia told the group, "She will be sent to Ponyville. Twilight, you will take care of her and teach her. Maybe time will bring her memories back. Once we find out more information, we will decide what to do." //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2    Soon, Song Whisper was packed with all the things that she would need in Ponyville. All of them were donated by Princess Celestia and her star student. Song was not sure what she would do in Ponyville. She was very happy that she was going to be able to share a house with Twilight. She had grown very attached to the mare since she stood up for her in the mirror room. It had made her feel good that someone who barely even knew her would stand up for her, just like that. Plus, she would be staying in a library! Oh, she just couldn't imagine how much research she would be able to get done. Song would know more about this place than most of the residents by the end of the month!    Twilight was also seeming just as pleased. Since she had arrived in Ponyville, she had realized how important it was to have friends. This made here seemed more than eager to spend time with Twilight. She'd bet that they would be fast friends in no time at all.    "Are you ready to depart?" a voice asked Twilight Sparkle.    She jumped at first, but soon realized that it was just her mentor and fellow princess, Celestia. Was it really time to go, yet? It seemed like it had been only a couple hours, but she knew that it had really been two days. After talking to Song Whisper for a while after they met, she had found out that she was not really that timid when she was by certain people; they had indulged in a conversation about about Ponyville very enthusiastically. Twilight had described the library while using her ability to be very articulate, enough that Song would probably know where every book went as soon as they arrived. She just then remembered her mentor's question.    "Of course," she answered.    Twilight and her friends left for the train station immediately. Twilight arranged so that she could sit by Song. As much as she knew her friends were kind, Song was still intimidated by all of them, especially Rainbow. Even Twilight had to admit, she would be pretty frightened, too, if this was how she first met her. However, she was sure that after a while in Ponyville, Song would be friends with everybody.    "Um, Twilight Sparkle?" a timid voice said.    "Yes, Song? And I thought that I told you to just call me Twilight." she answered.    "Sorry, I've been wondering, will Pinkie Pie throw me a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party when I arrive?" Song asked.    Twilight let out a chuckle. The day Pinkie Pie doesn't throw a party for someone new to Ponyville will be the day rainbow pigs fly, she thought.    "Of course!" she answered. Song's face paled to a dark grey.    "Are you sure?" she double checked to see if Twilight was positive that it was true.    "Pinkie always throws a party for someone new to Ponyville," she answered. Then, seeing the paler look on her new friend's face, she added, " But maybe I can ask her to not invite as many people as usual."     "Thank you, Twilight, I am not against parties, it is just that I don't like two things at all; not knowing what is going on, and being different than other ponies. It would make me feel horrible to be one of the two alicorns in the room." Just then noticing how this may have made Twilight feel, she added hurriedly, " Not that being an alicorn is bad!"     This time Twilight just laughed out loud, making other passengers stare at them. Song tried to hide in her seat.     Looking for an excuse to get away from other ponies so that Song wouldn't feel as scared, she said to her friends, "I just noticed that it is approaching 8:30. I guess that it is time that we should go to bed." She nervously chuckled and tilted her head towards Song while making exaggerated scared expressions. Luckily, Fluttershy got the hint.    "I feel tired, too," she said as she got Song to lead her to the car for sleeping in. Song gave Twilight a grateful look and mouthed to Fluttershy;    "Thank you" //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3    "Thank you for walking me to this car," Song thanked Fluttershy.    "It was absolutely no problem." Fluttershy answered.    "I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with all those ponies who may have been deciding if I was good enough." Song said. Then, suddenly her eyes flashed and she added, "Of course, you would know what that feels like. I guess that I should take a short nap." she said as she climbed into one of the beds.    As Song disappeared beneath the covers, Fluttershy noticed something. Was it just her, or did Song's back hooves always use to be an off white colour? Oh well, for now, she did feel rather tired. Soon, Fluttershy was sound asleep. ......................................................................................    As she rested, Song Whisper thought about her day. Twilight Sparkle was very nice, Song felt like she could almost call her a friend. Almost. It made her feel bad that Twilight may be taking care of her just because Celestia told her to. After all, she already had her own best friends. It was unlikely that she would want another one to have to worry about caring for. This kindness was probably just temporary. She guessed that time would tell. For now, she will enjoy it as long as possible.    Wanting to focus her thoughts on something else, Song decided to think about Fluttershy. The kindness of the mare made her feel wonderful inside. Twilight would be her #1 friend for now, but this yellow mare was considerate and able to sympathize with her pretty well. If only people knew how she truly felt. Fluttershy's kindness had brightened up her day a lot, even though she was grateful for Twilight, having more than one "friend" made her feel bubbly inside, like she wanted to laugh, like Pinkie Pie.    Pinkie Pie did seem to be fun. It would be wonderful to have a friend who almost always smiled. She would never be too preoccupied to talk and have fun. The party in Ponyville that she would undoubtedly throw Song made her scared. In most parties, she would hide in a quiet corner and relax. She would plan the parties for her so she wouldn't be intimidated by all the people. Normally, she would just invite her friends, mostly fillies, who would more likely want to talk about a TV show than more personal information. In this party, everyone would probably want to meet her and talk about things like where she is from, and why she came to Ponyville. It would be something that she would barely survive.    Another prospect that scared her a lot was Rainbow Dash. Judging by when they first met, Rainbow would ask the most personal questions. They would be ones like "who are your parents?" and "what does your cutie mark stand for?" These were ones that she couldn't remember the answers to, and by giving what she knew, she would probably lose more of Rainbow Dash's trust. Being distrusted by Rainbow Dash completely frightened her. To Song, Rainbow seemed like quite a formidable pony. No, she just try to avoid Rainbow as much as possible during her time in Ponyville. The other two ponies, the white one with an exquisite taste of style and the orange country mare in the hat who seemed very strong, would just have to wait for later.    "Song, Fluttershy, we're here!" said a voice recognizable as Twilight's. Oh well, time to see what Ponyville has in store for me, she thought. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4    "First, we will go to the library, since it is so late." Twilight said. "I will give you a tour of Ponyville tomorrow." It was past the time that Twilight normally retreated to bed after a hard day of studying and doing things with her friends. Song Whisper seemed to consent, for she nodded her head and partially closed her eyelids. Guessing from her appearance, Song hadn't rested in the car. It was expected, she certainly had a lot to be excited about. She was moving into a new home were everything was unfamiliar and she didn't have any friends yet that could comfort her and help her movie in. Twilight would definitely try and help her make friends in Ponyville.    Finally, they arrived at their destination. Twilight opened the door and allowed Song to enter first. Song's eyes widened at the sight that she beheld. Twilight followed her gaze. Oops, she realized that she hadn't cleaned up from her last studying escapade. The shelves and floor were a mess! "I'm sorry about the mess," Twilight said, "It isn't normally this messy." Song's eyes shifted slightly, as she only just then noticed the mess of the floor. "It is fine," she answered,"I am used to messes. I'm amazed by how many books you have."    "You can borrow them whenever you like," Twilight told her, "I am normally the only person to read them."    "But what if you need them?" Song asked. Twilight wasn't surprised. Since meeting her, the black alicorn had always put Twilight's needs above her own. Her kindness and consideration rivaled that of Fluttershy.    "I can find other books. You need to find out a lot about Ponyville and Equestria. That is more important than my studying." she said. Song beamed. At first Twilight Sparkle was surprised, but then she remembered that Song may not have been shown friendship before.    "Let me show you the guest room, where you will sleep." Twilight offered her assistance to Song, who looked like she was starting to doze off in an armchair. Song happily followed her. ...............................................................................    Song Whisper woke up, yawning. Last night, she had been pretty tired. She had exaggerated her fatigue so that she could rest quicker. Once arriving at her room, she had immediately floated of into dreamland. Her bed covers were a light brown with a few light pink roses along the sides. The blanket was of a similar design. The pillow was just one colour, the same shade of pink as the roses. The walls were all painted a light brown, just slightly lighter than the bed. As she looked to see the room's contents, she found that it was almost completely empty except for the bed. There was just no closet, just a small chest of drawers. It was perfect for anypony's small amount of clothes. Song's wardrobe probably would not even fill it up. On one of walls there was a pink clock that read... 8:30! She had slept in!    Song hurriedly rushed downstairs. She found Twilight calmly making pancakes. Did she remember the tour that she was giving Song Whisper today? Song hoped that she would have enough time to introduce her to all of Twilight's friends.    "Good morning." Twilight greeted Song, "There is a stack of pancakes over on that counter." Satisfied that Twilight hadn't been upset at her for getting up so late according to her standards, Song served herself happily.    "When are we going to start the tour?" Song Whisper asked.    "After breakfast, maybe around 10:00." Twilight answered.    Afraid that asking for maple syrup or jam may be too much; Twilight did make her pancakes and let her sleep in, Song ate her oat pancakes plain. Soon, Twilight sat down to join her. "I have the tour planned out in my head," Twilight told her, "We will go around town in a loop, stopping at where my friends live." Happy that Twilight had a plan, Song asked if she could get a second serving. Twilight looked surprised as nodded. Song Whisper panicked. Maybe she shouldn't have asked. While serving herself, she said, "Sorry I asked! Did I do something wrong?" Twilight laughed.    "You don't need to ask to do any everyday tasks," she explained as Song resumed eating, "You are a friend, and I trust that you know what to do."    Blushing and beaming, Song decided to change the subject. "What did you think of your friends when you first arrived?" she asked. Happily, Twilight launched herself into describing her first experience in Ponyville.    After they finished eating, Twilight announced that it was time to leave. As Song went out the door Twilight noticed something that seemed off. She was certain that Song's hind legs weren't always a pure white, were they? As she noticed Song Whisper standing outside, she decided to think about it later, right now it was time for Song's tour. //-------------------------------------------------------// Prolouge //-------------------------------------------------------// Prolouge    A reflection was cast upon the mirror in Canterlot Castle. However, it was not the ordinary guard that stands outside the door to make sure that Sunset Shimmer wasn't coming back. The shadow trembled a bit as she took in her surroundings. It was all very unfamiliar to her. The pony from whom the shadow was cast was also an unfamiliar sight in the castle. Her mane and tail were multicolored and long and flowing, like Celestia's or Luna's. Her coat was not like that of any known pony, however. It was completely pitch black, without any other color, from her horn to her wings to her hind legs, all black.    As you may now know, this pony was an alicorn. Because her horn began to glow slightly when she appeared, it was starting to look like a lightbulb by now. She attempted to look up at it to snuff it, but realized that she was unaccustomed to this new body after she realized it was a horn and that by trying to go up she had almost flown for the first time. Unsurprisingly, she ended up making a thud as she fell onto her back. Therefore, she realized that she had achieved her goal and her horn was no longer shining due to her surprise, but now she had a lot more to deal with.   ............................................................................................    The crystal guard stood in the hallway. He wasn't sure why anyone had to guard the mirror tonight. After all, after Twilight Sparkle came back, she had assured the princesses that no one else would be coming through the portal for the next 30 moons. However, although it had barely been a couple days, Princess Cadence had ordered that the mirror must constantly be guarded. She believed that although the worst of the trouble was already over, the magic portal was very unpredictable, seeing that it had such a strong magical aura.    Suddenly, he heard a thump! The guard had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he had not been keeping an eye on the room with the mirror. He knew it seemed impossible, but somehow somepony was inside the room with the mirror! The princesses must be alerted right away!