They noticed well before they got the letter, although prior to that none of them could have told you what exactly they had noticed. Something was different. Not bad, just not the same. Princess Twilight had driven herself half mad trying to find what had changed. It wasn’t their friendship, that was as strong as ever. Could it be her relationship with Spike? She had been trying to act a bit more maternal with him. But somehow she didn’t think that was it. It felt almost like something were missing, rather than being something new. Plus, when she brought it up during one of their weekly luncheons (she insisted, her royal duties would not interfere with her spending time with them) they each admitted to feeling something similar. So clearly the issue couldn’t have been in her private life. She had practically run herself into a wall when the letter arrived.
Dearest Twilight,
A matter of great import has recently come to our attention. Do not panic, this is not meant to alarm you. Please ask your friends to meet us in the throne room of Ponyville Palace this Monday evening just after sunset. It is very important you are all there.
Princesses Celestia and Luna
“So they didn’t mention what this was about?” Rarity asked a pacing Twilight Sparkle from her position seated on her throne that Thursday as they waited. Twilight shook her head between glances to the window to check the status of the sun. She did this precisely every 15 seconds.
“Not at all. It must be really important if they’re both coming though.” She checked the window again. Still light out. Back to pacing.
“I’m sure it’s nothing bad Twilight. She did say not to panic.” said Fluttershy walking up to Twilight and giving her a nuzzle. Twilight stopped pacing and sat on the floor heaving a sigh.
“I know, and I’m trying not to. But if it requires both Princesses and the elements of harmony it can’t possibly be good, right?” She glanced at the window again, seemed to realize she was doing it and forced her gaze forward again.
“Hey, maybe we’re getting another window? I feel like we should each get one since I totally deserve one all to myself.” Exclaimed Rainbow Dash flying up into her typical gloating pose. At a look from the other, she dropped back down to her seat. “And so do all of you of course. Heh.”
“And why exactly would Princess Luna need to be here for that?” demanded AppleJack who sat on the floor next to her throne. She didn’t feel fully comfortable sitting on a throne.
“Duh. To offer her royal congratulations for how awesome I am -we are.” AppleJack rolled her eyes. Whatever remark she intended to make however was forgotten as Spike entered with tea for everyone, plus two extra cups for the princesses when they arrived. And just in time apparently, as just as each of the girls took their cups, the outside light faded causing the torches in the throne room to all light up (a spell Twilight had thought up as a filly so she wouldn’t need to pause her reading to light a candle manually). Barely a moment later, there was a knock at the great front entrance. With a nod from Twilight, who had moved into her own throne, Spike opened the doors with a bow. In strode Celestia and Luna, each of whom gave a nod of greetings to the assembled ponies, Celestia with a smile, Luna looking a bit more uncomfortable. They each sat on cushions that had been laid out for them. Celestia did not speak immediately, choosing instead to take a sip of the tea offered by Spike. It took all of Twilights immense strength of will to sit still in her seat. just as she was about to burst out with questions, Celestia spoke.
“Greetings my little ponies. And thank you, for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice. I understand you are all quite busy in your personal lives and appreciate you taking the time to meet with us. However, I’m afraid this is not simply a friendly visit. I have news to share that, while not bad, may be difficult to hear.” the gathered ponies were all paying close attention now, even Rainbow Dash. "You see," she hesitated, and Twilight struggled not to hyperventilate at this. She seemed to struggle with putting whatever the news was into words. Luna, seeing her sister's reluctance took over.
"You girls no longer possess the elements of harmony." Ignoring the varied levels of shock from the seven gathered (including that Pinkie Pie seemed to have turned into some manner of flame propelled cylinder with eyes that shot off into one of the back walls) she turned to her sister who gaped at her. "Honestly Celestia, t'was not that hard. I do not understand why you hesitated so." Celestia shook her head, but before she could reply the girls began to panic.
"Girls, please. One at a time." Celestia spread her wings in a calming gesture. "Really it's not as bad as it sounds." The girls made an effort to contain themselves but continued to look at her desperately. Finally, AppleJack managed to compose herself enough to ask the main question.
"Princess Celestia, if we don't have 'em, where are they?" As the other nodded Celestia let out a sigh of relief. This could have gone much worse. She had feared Twilight might have a panic attack severe enough that desperate measures would need to be taken, rather like when she first discovered there was no Tooth Breezy.
"Fret not my little ponies, the elements are perfectly safe."She could practically feel the relief that swept through all the ponies before her. "You see, when it comes to pass that the elements are no longer needed, during times of lasting peace, for instance, they return from the ponies who embody them back to the tree of harmony, where they lie dormant until next needed."
"So when we need them again they'll just come back to us like Zhhhhhoooooooo PASH and we'll be all rainbowfied and again and just blast the bad guys like BABAM!!!" Pinkie stopped her bouncing as she took in the reluctance on the princesses faces. "Umm... right?" The princesses shared a look.
"Pinkie, you girls..." Once again sensing her sister's reluctance, Luna opened her mouth to speak only to have her muzzle tied shut by a belt made of glowing golden energy. She sent her sister a glare and crossed her forelegs. "You girls will not be capable of using the elements in the future." She closed her eyes and prepared for an explosion. She cracked one open when her revelation was met only with silence. All of the girls gaped at her. She also noticed that Pinkie Pie's mane had flattened, which was odd. She made a mental note to ask Twilight about it at a later date.
"Princess... what do you mean we can’t use the elements anymore?" Twilight was the first to regain her voice, and Celestia felt a rush of pride at how in control of herself Twilight was.
"Twilight. As you know, in times when Equestria is in danger the elements of harmony will seek out ponies who embody their ideals in order to put a stop to it. You know that the first such ponies to do so were Luna and myself. I was most in tune with the elements of magic, kindness, and generosity, while Luna was most in tune with laughter, loyalty, and honesty. What you don’t know, is that while the elemental gems remained in the palace for safe keeping, after we defeated Discord my sister and I were no longer able to wield the elements. Because they were no longer needed, they disconnected themselves from us, and once you are disconnected from them reconnection is impossible."
"Excuse me askin' Princess but, didn’t you use the elements to banish Luna- er Nightmare Moon?" Luna by this point had managed to pry off the belt with a dark blue magical crowbar.
"She did. And it was very foolish of her, and done only because she could see no other option."
"It's true. I could feel it the moment I tried, something wasn't right. I couldn’t control the energy. Were Luna and I anypony but who and what we are.. one or both of us would likely have perished. It was my attempt to use them without a connection that resulted in them being turned to stone." The six now former bearers exchanged nervous glances. "It is because of this that I ask you to make a promise to me, each one of you. No matter how dark things may seem, you must absolutely not attempt to use the elements again. You must trust that when the time comes that they must be used again there will be ponies ready to step up and bear them. Promise me."
"I.... I promise Princess. I promise I won’t try to use them again." Celestia's expression didn’t betray her surprise. Of all the ponies to step forward first, she had never expected sweet Fluttershy. Apparently, neither had any of the others, although they quickly followed her example.
"I promise too, Princess Celestia." said AppleJack removing her hat to show her sincerity.
"Me too. I promise." Rainbow Dash was never one to let herself be shown up.
"I promise as well Your Majesty. You have my word."
"I promise too! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Celestia winced as the pink pony did just that, her mane back to its normal poofiness. She really must ask Twilight about that. She focused her gaze on her former student, who seemed a bit lost.
"I... I pro- but Princess what if something really bad happens and I'm the only-"
"Twilight." Celestia's tone was calm. The purple princess sighed and bowed her head.
"I promise. I won't try and use the elements again." Celestia nodded and she and Luna rose. "But.. how will we know? About the new bearers, I mean?" Celestia walked calmly over to Twilight and touched her horn gently to the younger mare's chest.
"You'll know. You'll know right here the moment you see them." she turned to gaze at the others. "All of you will, as former bearers yourselves, you still carry bits of the elements within." she turned back to Twilight again. "Twilight you received the element of magic the day you hatched Spike and earned your cutie mark. The rest of you," she turned so she was facing all 6 of them again. "Received your elements in the years between that day and the day Nightmare Moon returned. I watched it happen. And I knew the second each of you received them." She saw a bit of misery in Twilight's eyes. "Now, if there are no more questions, we must be leaving. It's almost time for Luna to raise the moon. Twilight, if you would like to walk us out?" They walked back to the grand entryway, Celestia and Luna flanking the younger Princess.
"What hast thou so downcast Twilight Sparkle? Surely you can see this means Equestria will not be threatened, for a while at least." Twilight flinched slightly, before nodding.
"I know. And I'm happy for that at least, it's just.." she trailed off shaking her head.
"Twilight. You know that even though I'm no longer your teacher, I'm still always here for you." Twilight looked up into Celestia's eyes. And that's when the tears started. She wrapped her hooves around her former mentor's neck in a hug.
"It's just... without this... I don’t know who I am!" Celestia wrapped a wing around her.
"Twilight. You're still exactly who you've always been." Twilight pulled back. Under the tears, Celestia could see the beginnings of panic in her former student's eyes.
"No, I'm not!" She began pacing. "Being the element of magic has brought me everything I have. My friends, my crown," she cast a sad look up at Celestia. "Even being your student." Here Celestia stopped her.
"No, Twilight." not angry, but still forceful. Enough to stop the pacing. "Do not ever think this in any way changes our relationship. Yes, you received the element the day we met, but that was because you earned it. Just as you earned your place as my student. Do not think that one has ever affected the other." She placed a hoof on Twilights shoulder. "And do you really believe your relationship with your friends has in any way lessened due to no longer having the elements? That was the start of your friendship yes, but not the basis of it. You girls have been without the elements for quite a few days now. Has your friendship suffered any for it?" Twilight sniffed and shook her head. Wiping her eyes, she stole a glance up at Celestia.
"And my crown?" Celestia gave a little nod. She knew Twilight had been anxious about living up to the crown since the day she had received it.
"Your crown. Are you the princess of magic, Twilight? Or princess of the elements, perhaps?" Twilight flushed slightly and shook her head. "No. You are the princess of friendship. A title you gained because you were the very first pony to use the magic of friendship to perform a spell, just as Cadence was the first to use love as a basis for magic. This came from you Twilight, not the elements. You embody the element of magic, for a time you possessed it, but you are not the element of magic. All of your achievements come from you." Smiling, Twilight hugged the Princess again, before walking them both
out.
***************
"Althea Bloom Apple! What have you done??" After the revelations of the day, AppleJack had been eager to return home to the normalcy of Sweet Apple Acres. Normalcy that, she supposed, she finally fit into again. Well, she was glad for it. She wasn't cut out for all that magical nonsense anyhow. She had almost managed to convince herself of this when she saw her house. Which at some point during the few hours she had been gone had gained an entirely new wing. She glared up at the roof where the banging that had been going on suddenly stopped, and a little yellow head poked over the side.
"AppleJack! You're home! You'll never guess what happened!"
"You decided we needed room to house an army?" Asked AppleJack flatly. Where had she even gotten this much lumber?
'Yeah! Well, no. Ah just felt like ah had to build something, and once ah started I couldn’t stop and ah just had to keep buildin' and buildin' and the very best thing happened and you're gonna be so super excited just wait right there!" She vanished but AppleJack could hear her bouncing down a pile of... something around the new corner of the house. Once hitting land the filly flew straight at her sister, a yellow and red blur barely stopping short of bowling her over before shoving her flank right into her face. Her little yellow flank which bore the image of a red apple with two nails sticking out of the top of it. "D'ya see it?" AppleJack smiled despite herself.
"And how exactly was ah s'pose to have missed it, two inches from my muzzle like that?" she let out a small chuckle as AppleBloom fell over from lack of balance in the position she currently held. "Ya got your cutie mark. And ah am so proud." she glanced up at the renovations. "Still a little mad, but proud. Now let's go on in the house. Ah believe we've got a cute-ceañera to plan." AppleBloom beamed.
"So ah'm not in trouble then?" she asked as she trotted behind her big sister.
"Oh you absolutely are, and you're gonna have to explain all of this mess to Granny." the filly's face fell. "But... that can wait." The grin came back full force, and as they entered the house she was practically bouncing.
~~~~~
AppleBloom peeked around the corner again. She was watching the other ponies enter the school house. She wanted to be the last to enter, so she could make a really big entrance. Okay... maybe she was spending a little too much time around Sweetie. She peeked again. There were Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. She couldn't wait to see the looks on their jerky faces when she strolled in with her new cutie mark...for real this time! No sign of the girls yet though...
"So what are we hiding for?" she whipped back around the corner to find Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo also pressed against the wall next to her.
"G-girls? What are you doin' here??" AppleBloom stood on her rear hooves with her back against the wall, and Sweetie doing the same next to her, and Scootaloo continuing the trend on Sweetie's other side. So clearly they hadn't noticed her cutie mark yet. Sweetie giggled.
"We saw you sneaking around and hiding from everyone, so we thought we'd come see why."
"Yeah. What if you were planning a totally awesome prank or something, we couldn’t let you do it without us." Sweetie's face lit up.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Master Pranksters Yay!!" she quickly covered her mouth at a glare from the other two crusaders, before repeating it at a whisper. AppleBloom shook her head and dropped down to all four hooves, careful to face them straight on.
"Okay, ah wanted it to be a surprise but, last night..." she turned so they could see her flank. "Ah got mah cutie mark!" There was a high-pitched gasp from Sweetie, and within a second she had grabbed hold of AppleBlooms cheeks.
"What was it like? How did you know? Tell me everything." she pulled AppleBloom even closer so their foreheads practically touched and shook her with every word. "I! Need! Details!" Scootaloo pulled her off.
"She can’t tell you if she can’t breath Sweetie Belle!" She pointed at the gasping for breath Apple Bloom.
"Oh yeah. Hee hee." Once AppleBloom caught her breath she sat and began to explain.
"Remember how about a month ago we got a letter from Babs sayin' she got her cutie mark?" They both nodded. "Well in the letter she mentioned how even before she got it, she really liked gardenin', and she felt right doin' it. She got her cutie mark when her first flower bloomed. So it got me thinkin' what did I really enjoy doin'? And I remembered fixin' up the clubhouse for us to use. It felt real good knowin' that somethin' I built was real useful. And just as I thought this, I got the sudden urge to build somethin' else! So ah did. And... maybe ah went a little overboard. But that’s not the important part. Once I started buildin', it just happened. I could feel it, like findin' a part of me that’s been missin'." the still cutie markless crusaders listened in rapt attention. As AppleBloom finished they both got thoughtful looks on their faces.
"Something we're good at and like doing? I dunno, that sounds a bit like what Rainbow Dash's friends told us when we asked them..."
"Yeah, and they somehow all managed to find their cutie marks. Imagine that," said Sweetie dryly. She sent a sad look to Apple Bloom. "Does.. does this mean you're not going to be a crusader with us anymore?" Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gave her confused looks.
"Why wouldn't ah be? The crusade don't end until we all get our cutie marks, and ya'll still don’t have yours yet."
"Duh," added Scootaloo. Sweetie pulled them into a group hug. Just then the school bell rang the first chime. "Uh oh. Better run before we're late. Again." The three took off running the last 40 feet or so to the school house. They skidded to a panting stop inside the door, just as the final chime rung.
"Good of you three to join us." came Cheerilee's muffled voice from the front of the class, not even looking back from writing the day's assignment on the board. "Perhaps you'd like to find your seats so we can begin?" Excitement temporarily forgotten, the three began to stammer through their usual apology, missing the puzzled look given by Snails, who had taken the seat closest to the door today.
"Hey, Apple Bloom got her cutie mark!" He sat up straighter at his desk, seemingly proud of having figured this out. Cheerilee's head whipped around and the chalk fell forgotten to the ground as most of the class gathered around Apple Bloom, who proudly showed off her new mark to everypony. Still at her desk, Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes.
"Who cares? It's probably a fake. Again." Silver Spoon, who sat on the opposite side of the class because they'd been separated, giggled into her hoof.
"Diamond Tiara! Don't say things like that!" Cheerilee admonished, before leaning in to quietly ask Apple Bloom "It is real this time, right?" The yellow filly blushed but gave a quick nod.
"It's real. An' if ya don't believe me, you can come to the farm and see for yourselves! Ah um... added a bit of an extension to the house." She blushed brighter and shuffled her hooves as Scootaloo snorted. "Ah may have gotten a bit carried away in my excitement."
"So your cutie mark ith for building thingth?" Twist asked. Apple Bloom gave a small smile to her oldest friend.
"Yup! Well, carpentry specifically. At least ah think. I haven't really tested it out much, but ah did build our clubhouse, which is what inspired it, and added on to my house."
"You know, I was just thinking we could use a new birdhouse for the school yard," said Cheerilee brightly as she ducked into the storage closet, coming out with a stack of boards and some paint. "Maybe you could use that as your presentation?" Apple Bloom nodded, smiling up at her teacher. Whenever a member of the class earned their cutie mark, she always had them demonstrate it to the rest of the class.
She led the way out to the yard and took a seat at the picnic table while the rest of the class gathered around her. She tuned them all out, however, as she poured all of her concentration into her work. Within about 20 minutes she was done, and there sat a yellow birdhouse with a red roof. It wasn't anything fancy, but the care and skill that went into it were still clear for anyone who looked.
"That's amazing Apple Bloom!"
"Yeah, you rock!" Apple Bloom gave her two dearest friends a smile.
"Thanks, girls." the rest of the class were quick to add their admiration, all but two fillies who didn't seem particularly impressed.
"Whatever, so she can build birdhouses. Should have known her cutie mark would be for manual labor." Silver Spoon laughed, turning up her nose at the birdhouse. Diamond Tiara looked almost surprised at her friend for a second, but the emotion passed so quickly that those who did see it assumed they had imagined it. She too sneered at the tiny construction.
"Yeah, I think I'd rather be blank than have such a worthless cutie mark!" Apple Bloom went bright red in anger and humiliation. Sweetie and Scootaloo each put a hoof on her shoulder as they glared at the two across the table. Before any of them could retort, Cheerilee was up and rounding on the two bullies.
"That is quite enough out of both of you! Those smart remarks just earned you detention and no recess!" Both fillies opened their mouths to respond, likely with the usual unmeant apologies, but Cheerilee wasn't finished. "For two weeks!" The entire class let out a gasp, as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's ears snapped down against their heads. That was the harshest punishment Miss Cheerilee had administered to anypony the entire time they'd had her.
"That... that isn't fair! You can't do that!" screamed Diamond Tiara, turning bright red in anger as Silver Spoon seemingly struggled not to cry.
"I most certainly can. And if I see or hear about any more bullying out of either of you before the two weeks is up it will be two months." The Cutie Mark Crusaders shared a glance. Cherilee was never this hard on anypony, but especially those two. Diamond Tiara had always seemed untouchable. But then, she wasn't usually so brazen with her bullying as she had been today.
"My father will hear about this." Seethed Diamond Tiara, but Cheerilee was unphased.
"He most certainly will. Because you will each have a note to bring home to your parents, which you will have them sign, then return to me. And if I even suspect the signatures are forged I will visit your homes personally." At this Silver Spoon could no longer hold back her tears, and ran sobbing into the school house, followed closely by Diamond Tiara, who shot everypony one last dirty look on her way. Cheerilee turned back to the rest of the class, giving a small sigh. "All of you take the rest of the day to think about what your cutie mark means to you, or what you think it might be for those of you that don't have one yet. I expect an essay on the subject first thing in the morning. I'm going to go see to them." The class nodded, and she turned and trotted back to the school house.
************
The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked quietly through the main square of Ponyville. Normally they'd be elated at having an early dismissal, but they were all thinking about the scene that had just transpired.
"I can't believe she said that to you!" Scootaloo finally said, rearing up her hind legs to bring them down onto a small stone, breaking it into pieces. The other two stopped to stare at her. "They just make me so angry! You have an amazing cutie mark Bloom. They're just jealous that their own are so pointless." Giving a small smile Apple Bloom nuzzled her friend.
"I just don't understand why they have to be so mean!" Sweetie kicked back with one leg, hitting a sign post. She instantly went pale and bit her lip and her eyes began to water. Her friends gave a chuckle at this, even as Scootaloo stretched out one small wing to lay over the unicorns back comfortingly.
"Well, AppleJack always says ya can't know somepony's story without askin' them. But ah can't imagine what could possibly be so bad in her life for her to treat other ponies this way." The other two shook their heads in agreement, and they started walking again, going mostly on autopilot. Before they realized it they were almost to Ponyville Palace.
"How excited are you to show her your cutie mark? She's gonna be so happy for you!" said Scootaloo, trying to brighten the mood. The three had continued with Twilight time almost every day after school, provided she was in Ponyville and not working on some important issue. It wasn't always all three, some days Apple Bloom had chores, or Sweetie was spending time with her sister or visiting her parents in Whinneapolis, or Scootaloo was hanging out with Rainbow Dash.
"Ah know, ah can't wait!"
"Are you going to build something for her too?" teased Sweetie, causing Apple Bloom to blush slightly before laughing and sticking out her tongue at her.
"Hey, just wait til you get your cutie mark, you'll want to show it off too!" Sweetie laughed as well and was about to reply when the castle doors flew open just as they reached the base of the stairs. Twilight Sparkle didn't even seem to notice them as she trotted down the stairs, dictating a list to Spike, who followed quickly behind her writing down everything she said. More slowly, the rest of her friends began to stream out of the castle behind her. The three fillies stepped to the side of the stairs so as not to be in the way, and waited til everypony reached the bottom. Rainbow Dash waited just long enough to send them a wink and a wave before zooming off, rainbow contrail in her wake.
"Hi Twilight." the fillies chorused, causing the distracted alicorn to stop short, a reflexive wave of violet magic stopping Spike before he could crash into her.
"Oh, hi girls. I'm afraid I don't have time for Twilight time today, and we're going to be away for a few days. Apple Bloom, congratulations, AJ told me all about it and I can't wait for a demonstration when we get back. Spike, add that to the return list please, and for the preparations list, read back the first four..." she continued as she sped off into Ponyville, Spike shuffling between multiple sheets of parchment as he followed. As she spoke Fluttershy and Pinkie also took their leave, Fluttershy taking wing and Pinkie doing her signature high-speed boinging. AppleJack and Rarity came over to intercept the girls.
"Apple Bloom, ah'm not entirely sure what's goin' on, but there's a magical map of Equestria in Twilight's throne room that's tellin' us we gotta go on a journey." Apple Bloom's face fell as she listened to her sister.
"But what about my cute-ceañera?" she demanded, cringing slightly at how whiny she sounded.
"Ah know, it's disappointin', but it's only Tuesday, and we hopefully shouldn't be gone mor'n a few days, so we can have it this weekend, alright?" Apple Bloom pouted but nodded.
"Sweetie Belle, I'm going to make arrangements for you to stay with Granny Smith, but you must promise to be on your absolute best behaviour. Am I understood?" Rarity stared down at her sister sternly, but at Sweetie's agreement, her expression softened into a smile. "Good. And do be a dear and check in on Opal at least once per day? She needs to be brushed from head to tail at least 30 times per day, but no more than 45, and do make sure she has enough food, should we run out she'll only eat Pretty Kitty Feline Cuisine." still listing off requirements, Rarity began to walk towards her boutique Sweetie in tow.
"All right come on now Sugarcube, we hafta go over the list of chores round the farm while I'm gone. Big Mac will be takin' over most of the heavy liftin' acourse, but you need to do your part to help him and Granny too." AppleJack began to swiftly trot towards the farm, Apple Bloom close behind. Scootaloo watched them leave for several minutes, before dropping her head and beginning the walk home alone.
***************
With a pop and a quick flash of violet light, Twilight Sparkle appeared near the ceiling of her bedroom. She half glided half tumbled into bed. She rolled onto her side, digging herself into the blanket and soft mattress. She had never been so happy to be home. It was late Friday night, and not wanting to wake Spike combined with weariness from the journey resulted in her simply teleporting into the castle almost as soon as she and the girls had split up. Rolling onto her stomach, she contemplated the trip the map had sent them on.
That lilac pony... Starlight Glimmer. Twilight suppressed a shudder. Another pony had never scared her like that. Tirek and Discord sure, if she was honest maybe even Chrysalis, but never a pony. She had never met a pony like that. She had been deranged... Twilight wondered if she even truly believed her warped ideology, or if she just used it to control others. She had kept her own cutie mark after all...
"If only we still had the elements..." she whispered, before shaking herself. No, they couldn't just use the elements on random ponies. Even if they had been an option she never would have abused their power like that. She was just speaking out of frustration. For what must have been the hundredth time since leaving that creepy little town, she checked her flank. This had been the second time in a very short span that she had been robbed of her cutie mark. The first time, she'd barely had time to react to it before rushing off to open the chest, but this time she'd been left powerless for almost a whole day. She shuddered at the memory. She never wanted to feel that helpless again. Shutting her eyes against the memories, she drifted off into a fitful sleep, plagued by nightmares. Her last thought before drifting off was about how Starlight Glimmer had escaped.
Author's Note
Hi! So, yeah SUPER sorry at the length of the wait time for this. This story was originally started right after The Cutie Map, and then NOTHING. 
Fans may notice I nixed the original prologue completely because I wasn't sure how just adding the rest of it would work. Sorry about that too. 
Anyhoo, at no point did I forget about this story or give up on it. In the intervening time I met my now husband, got married, and became a mother, and things were just kinda hectic. I FULLY intend to finish this story, no matter how long it takes. I hope to update weekly, but I'm also taking care of a 1-year-old, so if I miss a deadline you'll have to forgive me. BUT! I have big plans for this series! Bad guys! Teen drama! Equestria Girls spin-offs! Romance! Secrets! Time Travel! All this and more! Also, due to when it was started, it's only canon compliant through the season 4 finale, which should be obvious from this chapter. Some things will still happen, some won't. Some will happen at different times or have different outcomes. You'll have to wait and see! 
You're all the very best, and I hope we can continue to take the journey of this story together.
"Are you sure you'll be okay without me?" Twilight watched Spike with concern. While he had frequently run errands for her in Ponyville, she had rarely let him far outside the castle on his own in Canterlot. She had arrived in the capital to have tea with Luna, and Spike had informed her on the train he wanted to do some shopping. Alone. In one of the biggest cities in Equestria.
"Twilight, we've been over this. I know my way around like the back of my claw. I'm always right next to you when you come here, remember?" Twilight took a deep breath, and slowly let it out.
"I know Spike. It's just hard for me sometimes not to see you as the widdle baby dragon I hatched." she put on a purposely cutesy voice and gave him a nuzzle, causing the embarrassed dragon to blush and stumble back a couple steps. He glared indignantly as she let out a giggle.
"Twilight!" After watching what she went through against Tirek, Spike had finally broken down and told her that he saw her as his mother. After a long night discussing it, they had mutually come to the decision to treat each other more affectionately, although she told him he only had to call her mom if and when he was ready. If Spike was honest with himself, he had always seen her that way. He'd mostly been waiting for her to be mature enough to handle the role. Despite his feelings at the time, he could see now that it would have been unfair to thrust that kind of responsibility on a 9-year-old filly. None of that stopped him from being embarrassed when she did it in public, however.
"I know, I know. You're not a baby anymore, not really." It was true. Despite appearances, Spike had been hatched nearly 14 years ago. If he were a pony, he would look quite a bit older than the CMC, but dragons age naturally much slower than ponies, and Spike had long since made the choice to age that way, rather than taking a greed boost. Twilight smiled and rustled the spines on his head with one hoof. "But it's true. I still remember when you were so small you practically fit in my hooves."
"I get it," he grumbled, looking down in embarrassment. After a moment he met her gaze again. "But really Twilight. I'll be fine. I'm just going to pick up some things, and Rarity asked me to scope out the fashion district for a good building for her."
"Oh that's right, she's planning on opening a second store soon, right?" the Dragon nodded.
"Real soon, yeah. She made a lot of bits off her last deal with Sapphire Shore's, and it finally gave her enough for a down payment in the city." Twilight glanced up at the station clock and cringed when she realized how late she was running.
"Okay, fine. Just, be careful, okay? And don't be late meeting me at Mom and Dad's. I have the authority to put the city on high alert, and if you're so much as five minutes late I will not hesitate." He let out a chuckle and waved off her concern.
"Okay okay, I get it already. Go have tea with Princess Luna, and I'll see you at your parents' house tonight." She smiled and gave him one more quick nuzzle, ignoring his protests, before taking wing and heading towards the castle. She smiled fondly, thinking of her interactions with Spike, but once alone it didn't take long for her thoughts to take a downturn again. She had not been having a good couple days since arriving back in Ponyville. Attending Apple Bloom's cute-ceañera with the We Got Back Our Cutie Marks Again afterparty yesterday had been fun, and she had been sure she was over what had happened the night before. But then last night the nightmares had started up again. She had given up on sleep entirely halfway through the night, turning her head towards research instead. But she couldn't even focus on her books. She kept thinking of different ways she could have handled Starlight Glimmer.
She frowned as she felt her fur bunch up in goosebumps just at the thought of the other unicorn. The tree of harmony had given her the castle, and the map for a reason. And she had failed. Starlight had gotten away, run off to do Celestia knows what, and there was nothing Twilight could do about it now. She shook her head and let out a sigh, tilting her wings to bring her in for descent. Her landing in front of the grand entrance to the castle was a bit awkward, and she sent an embarrassed smile to a twittering pair of noble ponies. She had improved at flying of course, but she was still no Rainbow Dash.
She pulled open the doors with her magic and stepped inside. She was pleasantly surprised to see Princess Celestia chatting with an official in the hall. She smiled slightly at the sight, the princess was clearly bored out of her mind. Oh, her mask of attentiveness was near perfect, nopony who wasn't very close to her would be able to tell, but Twilight was very close with her, and could read it plain as day. Celestia glanced up on hearing the door, and her eyes lit up upon seeing her former student.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle! Whatever brings you here? Is everypony in Ponyville well?" Twilight bit her tongue to keep from laughing at Celestia's emphasis on her title and sent the official an apologetic look as the monarch dismissed him. The look he gave her was far more respectful than it would have been back when she was just a student. Few could argue with Official Princess Business. Twilight fell into step beside her former teacher as they headed towards the throne room.
"Everypony's fine Princess." Twilight gave a quick look to make sure the official was out of earshot. "Princess Luna invited me for tea"
"Oh, that's wonderful. How have you and my sister been getting along? I know she just adores you and your friends." Twilight smiled and nodded.
"Pretty well. We've been sending each other letters. I wish I could see you both in person more often, but I understand you have so many responsibilities." they had reached the throne room, and Twilight sat a moment with Celestia, although as usual for when they were alone the elder princess sat with her on the floor, rather than on her throne.
"Yes, the life of a princess isn't always an easy one." Celestia sent her a rueful look. "Of course, you know that as well as anypony now, don't you Twilight." Twilight blushed and looked down. She hadn't realized she was so transparent. She scolded herself, Celestia had helped raise her. Of course she would see how she was feeling!
"Yes Prince- er, Celestia. I've just had..." she let out a weary sigh. "I've had a lot on my mind. I never really decompressed after what happened with Tirek, and then the bombshell about the elements. Plus, well..." She trailed off. The princess nodded, leaning in to nuzzle the younger pony.
"I know, it's a lot on one pony's shoulders. Being a leader often means having to make difficult choices, and I don't doubt for a second you will always do the best you possibly can in a bad situation. I'm proud of you Twilight, always. Never forget that." Twilight smiled, leaning into the gesture. Already, she felt lighter. Talking to her mentor always made her feel better.
"Thanks, Princess. I should go meet Luna before I'm any later." Twilight rose to her hooves, an action mirrored by Celestia, who ignored the slip.
"You know, being a princess doesn't have to be all bad. Remember to take some time out to do things you enjoy, and just take your mind off things. Perhaps it's time you took on a student or two?" Twilight's eyes widened.
"A student? Do... do you really think I'm ready?" Celestia chuckled.
"Luna and I took on many students over the years, and will likely take on many more. My sister is already keeping an eye out for any candidates. It truly is a rewarding experience. One day I'll probably take another myself." she leaned in close to Twilight, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Don't tell them, but you'll always be my favorite." Twilight blushed slightly, letting out a giggle. Celestia stood back to her full height. "The choice is yours to make, either way. I won't force you. Just, think about what I said, okay?" The purple alicorn nodded.
"I promise I'll consider it. Thank you for the advice." They said their goodbyes and Twilight headed out to the castle gardens where she was to meet Luna. She noticed the night alicorn from a distance, watching the sky with a serene look on her face. Twilight glanced up. It wasn't quite evening yet, but the sun was low in the sky, the opposite horizon just beginning to darken. She lowered her gaze back to where she was going, only to find herself mere inches from Luna, who was smiling in amusement. Twilight's brain screamed for her to back up before she ran into her, and she ended up reflexively teleporting about a foot away. She dropped her head in embarrassment and mumbled and apology.
"Tis... it is no issue Twilight Sparkle." Luna's face screwed up in intense concentration as she spoke. "Forgive me, I am trying to modernize my speech patterns. Do tell me if I get something wrong." Twilight let out a small laugh and sank to a seat across from the other alicorn. There was a pop and a flash of nearly ultraviolet magic as a delicate pink china tea set appeared out of nowhere between them.
"It sounds great so far Luna." Twilight nodded at the other, who gave a small smile in return.
"Yes. It was my sister's idea. She felt it would help cross some of the distance between myself and other ponies. A thousand years is... a very long time." she looked down and they lapsed into silence. Twilight took a sip of her tea and watched the dark magic lift what had to be a good hoofful of sugar cubes and gently drop them into Luna's cup, then grab a spoon and begin stirring. Twilight made a face into her cup. She had nothing against sweetness but found the taste of sugar to be overpowering. She much preferred the full flavored sweetness of honey. She nearly choked when as soon as the sugar was properly dissolved, the honey jar lifted and proceeded to empty half it's contents into the cup. A chuckle brought her eyes up to Luna's face, and she found the other Alicorn grinning deviously at her. Very, very slowly, the other princess raised the sugary abomination to her lips and took a very deliberate sip causing Twilight to recoil in disgust, nearly dropping her own tea. She glared at the Luna, who had collapsed onto the ground laughing loudly. She rolled her eyes as Luna slowly composed herself, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Celestia... Celestia makes the exact same face at my drinking habits." She managed to get out, shaking with restrained laughter. She cleared her throat, and visibly calmed herself. "I am very glad I invited you. It has been most happening, and quite groovy." Choking on a laugh, Twilight opened her mouth to correct her, then thought back to what had just happened. She disguised it as a yawn, which was only partly faked. In an instant, Luna's face grew gravely serious. "Yes, but that is not the only reason I invited you today. I have seen your dreams Twilight Sparkle, and they have been troubled of late."
Twilight flinched. Luna's ability to traverse dreams, and even speak through them had been brought to her attention during Twilight time. Apparently, she had visited the dreams of both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle last year, when they were troubled by something. Both fillies raved about the quality of her advice. Twilight had asked Luna about it in her next letter, and Luna had explained some of how it works. In the realm of dreams, she had all the dreams of all the ponies in Equestria laid before her, but her magic drew her towards those who needed her help. When she had first heard about it, it sounded wonderful. Having somepony guarding her, even from nightmares made her feel so protected. Now, she just felt oddly exposed.
"I'm... fine. I've just had a lot on my mind. The Tirek fight, losing the elements, the map, it's just... all been a lot to take in in a short amount of time." Luna nodded and extended a wing in a welcoming gesture.
"Yes. Why don't you tell me about it Twilight Sparkle? They say a burden shared is a burden halved. Why not start by telling me of this map?" Twilight nodded, rising to her hooves and starting to pace in front of Luna. Luna said nothing, she had seen on more than one occasion that this was simply how Twilight focused.
"Well, it all started last week. The table in my throne room turned out to contain a secret magical map of Equestria, and it sent me and my friends on a mission out to the middle of NOWHERE, where there was this creepy little town where everypony had weird fake smiles and the same cutie mark!" at this Luna's expression changed from polite interest to something more serious. Twilight didn't notice, now that she had begun recounting the tale, she couldn't stop. She paced even quicker, moving in tight circles before the elder princess. "So we got down there and everypony is just... really bland. Like they had no personality at all. And then..." she trailed off and a shudder ran through her, a haunted look in her eyes. Luna reached out a hoof to touch the shaken pony, but before she could Twilight shook her head, coming back to herself.
"Th-then we met the leader of the town. She said her name was Starlight Glimmer, and that everypony in town had been... liberated from the pain of having cutie marks." her face scrunched up, disgusted by the idea even now. "She wanted us to give up ours, said that with a princess on her side, soon all of Equestria would be... free. She invited us to explore the town and see how 'happy' everypony was. We went to a bakery and met some of the townsponies and they told us about the 'Staff of Sameness' and the cutie mark vault. So we got St-St... we got her to take us up there and... and... oh Luna!" she stopped pacing and looked Luna in the eye directly. "It was a wall of cutie marks! Hundreds of them, all in little containers behind glass. And then she! Sh-she...!" Shaking legs dropped Twilight into a sitting position. Her wings drooped, flight feathers trailing on the ground. She still faced Luna, but her eyes were far away, reliving that moment. Luna's eyes went wide with alarm, and there was an ultraviolet flash transporting them to her private rooms just before the wail came. "She stole our cutie marks!"
*****************
Apple Bloom trotted happily towards Ponyville, feeling very grown up. Applejack and Big Mac were both busy with the farm, and Granny was at a follow-up appointment for her hip surgery, so there was nopony to head into town to run some errands. Apple Bloom had calmly presented a case for herself being the pony to do it, seeing as she was a mature mare now, with her cutie mark and everything.
And when that had failed, she had begged, and pleaded, and swore on everything from her ribbon to her tail that she wouldn't mess this up. Finally, Applejack gave up and let her go. Which brought her to now, wearing her brand new green saddlebags with her cutie mark on them, a present from Rarity, who had also made her cute-ceañera for free. Although she had seen Applejack sneaking bits into the fashionable mare's hat when she wasn't looking, she knew that it would nowhere near cover what the dress should actually cost.
Her cute-ceañera itself had been like a dream. She'd gotten to wear the gorgeous peach dress Rarity had made her, which perfectly complimented the pink in her eyes. And it had had so many gorgeous details and flounces, she was shocked her sister hadn't fallen down dead at the impracticality. She could only imagine what Sweetie's would look like. Then they had gone to the spa to have her mane done, in a beautiful style with two braids starting in front of her ears and looping back to meet at the back of her head, with her ribbon braided in and tied into a bow right where the two braids met. She had tried all morning to replicate this work of art, but the best she had managed was a single clumsy braid which hung over her shoulder now, with her bow tied at the end of it. Best of all, all her friends had come. In fact, her entire class had come, with the noticeable exception of two fillies.
Apple Bloom made a face, her good mood evaporating as she saw one of those very fillies ahead of her, on the bridge heading into town. She started to turn and try and find another way, so as to not have a confrontation with the other filly when something made her pause. She wasn't that far from the bridge, having been lost in thought of the party yesterday, and she was definitely close enough to have been noticed, but Diamond Tiara hadn't even glanced up. She stopped and took a moment to really look at her. The pink filly was stood up on her hind legs, front ones folded on the railing, and her head resting on them. She was staring down into the water and looked... sad. She almost looked like she was going to cry.
"Diamond Tiara? Are you... okay?" she shocked herself by speaking. And shocked the other too, by the look of it. Diamond Tiara's head snapped around, and she dropped to all fours to glare at the other filly. The soft sadness had gone from her face, replaced the usual icy mask of disdain she donned whenever around her classmates. Only, for the first time, it didn't fool Apple Bloom at all.
"How dare you! Were you spying on me? Don't you have anything better to do, you... you... dirt farmer!?" Long habit allowed Apple Bloom to be baited, distracting her from what she had seen.
"Dirt! At least we do an honest work! All you do is sit around! What the hay is..." she had stalked onto the bridge by now, a mere foot from her rival. This close, the obviousness of the other's previous condition stopped her anger in its tracks. Diamond's eyes were rimmed with red, and her mane was frankly the messiest Apple Bloom had ever seen it. Not that that was saying much, since it still looked much nicer than her own, but she had been used to perfection with nary a hair out of place from the rich pony. She calmed, something that seemed to set Diamond Tiara on edge again. She looked almost, afraid, by this change. "What's your problem with me?" she finally finished in a subdued tone.
Diamond Tiara seemed to start at this, then opened her mouth to fire back an angry retort, before closing it thoughtfully. This repeated several times before she sighed. She sat delicately in front of Apple Bloom, who mirrored the action in confusion. Diamond Tiara gave her an appraising look.
"What does my cutie mark mean?" she asked, finally. Apple Bloom stared at her, perplexed. Of all the possible responses, she never expected this. What did that have to do with anything? She started to reply, only to stop. Each time a member of the class received their cutie mark, the entire class was made to write an essay about what their cutie mark meant, or what they imagined their future one to be. The next day, anyone who wanted to was allowed to read theirs aloud to the class. Diamond Tiara never had, not even when she'd first gotten her own, just laid it silently on Miss Cheerilee's desk. Apple Bloom had never thought about it before, but that was an odd thing for the usually boastful pony to do. Maybe she was embarrassed about it?
"It means you're good at sitting around looking pretty, right?" Sure it wasn't a talent Apple Bloom would be proud of having, but it fit Diamond just fine, so why be embarrassed? The look on the face of the other pony wasn't embarrassment though. It almost looked like... resignation? Diamond sighed again, turning to stare at the bridge next to her rather than at Apple Bloom.
"My father loves the working pony. He says everything great in this world is made from the efforts of honest, hard working ponies. It's... it's why he's so fond of your family." she glanced quickly at Apple Bloom in acknowledgment of this before looking back down. "For my 9th birthday, my mother bought me jewelry. My father took me to go see how it was made. Do you know how jewelry is made, Apple Bloom?" her head rose to look the farm pony dead in the eyes.
"Not... really." She admitted. She knew Rarity did something involving jewels, but she had never really bothered to learn what. She still didn't see where this was going.
"It's rocks. Some rocks hold priceless gemstones inside, others can be twisted, and polished, and shined into the beautiful necklaces, and bracelets and earring everypony loves. These ponies, they take rocks and turn them into something beautiful and valuable. I was entranced. I insisted on learning. My first efforts... they were pretty bad." she looked down in embarrassment, before looking back up, pride and hurt both shining in her purple eyes. "My tiara was the very first thing I successfully made." Apple Bloom's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
"You... you made your tiara??" realization hit her hard. She and her friends weren't the only ones who had misconstrued the other filly's cutie mark, their whole class had. She'd even heard other towns ponies talking about it. "Why... why didn't you ever tell us?" Diamond Tiara turned red and jumped to her hooves, tears once again pricking her eyes, but these were of anger.
"Because nopony ever asked! Everypony just assumed my mark meant 'sitting and looking pretty' from the day I got it! Even my... even my mother hopes that that's what it means so that I won't be a 'common trade pony'" she wrinkled her muzzle at the words before continuing, her voice sad again. "The only ones who know what it really is are my father, Miss Cheerilee, Silver Spoon, and Randolph. Silver is the only one who knows what it's like. She collects antiques, and her special talent is in finding the value within even simple things, not just 'being rich'!" Panting slightly, Diamond sat back down. Apple Bloom was in shock and had no clue what to say. 'I'm sorry' didn't seem to cover the scope of this. Swallowing slightly, she went with the first thing that popped into her head.
"Can ah see it? Your tiara?" Diamond stared at her in shock for a moment, before turning slightly red.
"I-I guess. But it isn't even that good. The trade was meant for unicorns, so it's almost unheard of for an earth pony to do at all." She carefully removed the tiara and held it out for Apple Bloom to inspect. Up close, it was far from perfect. Odd bulges and bends littered it, usually carefully disguised by hair and distance. But it still looked really good, to Apple Bloom anyway. Especially for a first success. She gingerly gave it back.
"Ah think it's great. What did your teacher say?"
"I didn't have one. I learned all by myself. Nopony would agree to teach an earth pony how it would just be a waste of time." this last was said bitterly, and with an air of quotation.
"You learned that all by yourself? And you think it's bad? For somepony self-taught you're amazing Diamond!" the pink filly blushed, surprised at the compliment. An idea went off in Apple Bloom's head. "Hey, have you ever considered an apprenticeship? Ah bet you could pick it up in no time with somepony helping you."
"Weren't you listening? Nopony will teach me!" there was resignation, and a sense of hopelessness in her voice, but Apple Bloom was undeterred.
"Did you try askin' Rarity? Ah know she mainly does dresses, but she does work with gems and metal too, which sounds like it could be similar to what your lookin' for. Ah know she harvests it herself from raw materials."
"Oh yes, I'm sure she would just love to help me after how I've treated her sister." Diamond Tiara scoffed, but when she spoke there was a sorrow behind the mockery. Apple Bloom wondered how long it had been there, and why she had never seen it before today. But she was right. They stood in silence for a moment, before she had another idea.
"Ah could... maybe put in a good word for you?" the words came out soft and hesitant, almost shocking herself with them. The pink filly was even more shocked.
"And why would you do that? We hate each other! I've..." she trailed off, looking away. "I've been awful to you." Apple Bloom nodded slowly.
"You have. But, ah'm startin' to realize there was plenty of that on both sides." she held out a hoof. "So... truce?" Diamond stared at the offered hoof dubiously, before shaking it.
"This doesn't make us friends you know." Apple Bloom just smiled and nodded, before continuing to town to run the errands her sister had asked her for. True, they weren't magically going to be friends now. But, it seemed like maybe that door wasn't tightly locked anymore.
****************
Fluttershy was having a wonderful day. Angel was behaving, Matilda the duck's wing was healing nicely, and she had even managed to smooth over an argument between Mr. and Mrs. Otter. As a treat to herself, sh had decided to head into town and pick up the ingredients for her favorite meal for dinner. It was a lovely day, so she decided to just walk. She smiled, noticing Apple Bloom on the bridge with another filly. While her first attempt at babysitting hadn't gone well, she had done so again on a few occasions, usually separately this time, and had grown quite fond of the fillies. She watched as the other filly, a little pink one she didn't recognize, showed something to Apple Bloom. As she got closer, almost close enough to call out, Apple Bloom held out her hoof to the other filly, and in that moment something truly bizarre happened. Fluttershy stopped dead in her tracks, as Apple Bloom seemed enveloped in a soft pink light. Neither filly seemed to notice, however, and as the other shook Apple Bloom's hoof the light darkened to almost red, before dissipating. A strange feeling welled in Fluttershy's chest, some strange combination of pride and connection causing her to gasp.
As soon as she could move again she turned and took off, on wing this time, towards Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack would have to hear about this!
*************
Applejack gave a sigh and wiped the sweat from her brow. She glanced up at the sun. Apple Bloom would be in Ponyville by now. At least, she should be. No way of knowing with that filly. She gave a small chuckle, thinking of the havoc she had put Big Mac and Granny through at that age. And of course... she shook her head. No point in dwelling on things you couldn't fix. She turned to head back out and start bucking the next grove when a fast moving blur appeared in the corner of her eye. Reflex saved her, and she jumped out of the way just in time as whatever it was barreled out of the air straight through where she had been standing, continuing through the open barn door to crash into a haystack, sending the stuff flying everywhere. As moment later, as Applejack took a cautious step into the barn, a familiar yellow pegasus flopped out of the pile to collapse, panting, on the floor of the barn.
"Applejack... important... had to tell you quick..." Fluttershy wheezed before collapsing back down on her back. Applejack rolled her eyes a bit. Fluttershy wasn't the most athletic inclined of ponies, and when she 'rushed over to tell you something important', it often seemed to take longer than if she had simply walked. Feeling somewhat amused, she waited while her friend's color and breathing went back to normal, and she rolled over to take a long drink of water from the bucket Applejack kicked over to her.
"Alright, so what was so important you had half kill yerself rushin' out here to tell me?" Fluttershy nodded, pulling away from the water somewhat regretfully.
"I was heading into Ponyville, and on the way I saw Apple Bloom, and-"
"Oh of course! What has that filly done now? Ah swear no sooner do ah start to raise my expectations of her than she stomps them right back down into the-" her rant ceased as she caught sight of Fluttershy's face, looking sad, and almost apologetic. "She's alright? She's not hurt is she?" Fluttershy opened her mouth, hesitated, then closed it again. Her hesitation filled Applejack with dread.
"She's not hurt... but... I think she might be..." Fluttershy bit her lip, hiding slightly behind her mane.
"Might be what, Fluttershy!?" Applejack demanded, harsher than she had intended. Fluttershy flinched backward, letting out a squeak.
"I think she's an element of harmony!" she yelled, scared half out of her tail. Applejack froze. Applejack was a pony of motion, maybe even more so than Rainbow Dash. Now, she barely seemed to breathe. Seeing her this still chilled Fluttershy, scaring her more than any act of violence could have. It took a long moment for her to snap out of it, a seeming eternity. Finally her eyes, widened by the news, narrowed in anger.
"Tell me what you saw. All of it, don't leave nothin' out." Fluttershy nodded quickly, sinking down lower against the floor of the barn.
"W-well I was walking into town... a-and I saw her on the bridge with a filly I didn't recognize, pink with a purple mane and-"
"Pink..? Oh, that musta been Filthy Rich's filly, Diamond Tiara."
"I-I suppose. Anyway, they were talking, and the filly... Diamond Tiara... showed her something, and then Apple Bloom held out her hoof to shake and-"
"No, no that can't be right. Those fillies hate each other. You sure you saw what you think you saw?"
"Yes, Applejack," Fluttershy said firmly. Applejack sighed.
"All right, ah believe you. Go on then, what's next?"
"Well as she reached her hoof out, she was surrounded by this soft pink light. Neither of them seemed to notice, but it just looked and felt so familiar I... I think it was the element of kindness." Applejack let out a sigh and pressed a hoof to her forehead. She suddenly felt a migraine coming on. She dropped to a seat.
"Are you sure?" she asked in a somewhat broken voice. Fluttershy thought about it for a second, then nodded.
"Yes. I'm certain of it. And when Diamond Tiara reached out and touched her hoof, the light changed color. I think... I think it accepted her as it's new bearer." They sat in silence for several minutes while Applejack absorbed this.
"Twilight," she said finally. "We have to get to Twilight. Twilight can fix 'er, Ah'm sure of it." She jumped to her hooves, startling Fluttershy into doing the same.
"Well, m-maybe but... Twilight's having tea with Princess Luna, remember?" Applejack's face clouded with thought. "Maybe we should just wait?" Fluttershy offered.
"No." Applejack said quietly. She looked out the barn door at the sun. Had it really only been minutes that they'd been in here? She turned back to Fluttershy. "Gather the girls. We're going to Canterlot.
******************
Twilight sat on Princess Luna's bed, wrapped in a deep purple blanket. A mug of hot chocolate sat cooling in front of her. After her declaration, Twilight had been distraught. The princess had comforted her until she felt ready to continue, and which point a glow of magic escaped Luna's horn, and a moment later Celestia had appeared in a flash of gold. After Luna summarized the first half of the story, the sister's listened grimly as Twilight described what else had happened in that horrible town.
"I'm sorry... I've failed you horribly. We were caught off guard and St- she got away." she finished, tears welling once more. Celestia walked over and nuzzled her shaken student.
"Never, Twilight. You did the best that could have been expected of you, of anypony. Even one of us." she glanced at Luna who nodded.
"Tis true Twilight. Just because we are princesses does not make us perfect. Any of us." Twilight sniffled but nodded.
"It... it didn't feel like this when Tirek did it. I still feel..." she trailed off, for once having no words to explain herself.
"You are correct, it is nothing like what Tirek did. He stole magic, which kept your special talent from expressing itself. What she did... it severed your connection with your talent entirely, essentially cutting off part of who you truly are. That is why your friends suffered the personality changes they did. It is very powerful, and very forbidden magic.This is very serious indeed." Luna turned to Celestia, who nodded.
"Yes. And that is not the only thing that concerns me." She walked over to the window, staring out at the sky for several moments. "Twilight, in your studies, have you ever come across a stallion named Pretty Words?" Twilight flinched but nodded. She had read that particular bit of Equestrian history while in a section of the royal library she wasn't technically allowed in. She quickly thought back to that day, pulling up the passage in her head.
"Yes.... he was an earth pony charged with the murder of sixty-three ponies about thirty years ago. He was sentenced to life in the dungeons, the last pony to receive such a harsh sentence so far." Luna looked up in shock. Celestia nodded, sending her student a quick affection look, only to quickly grow serious again.
"Yes. And do you know the only reason he was given that sentence?" She looked into Twilight's eyes, noting her confusion. "Because we don't put ponies to death, although there was a lot of outcry for me to make an exception. Luna and Twilight both stared at her in shock.
"Sister..?" Celestia nodded solemnly.
"Yes. It is rare for our little ponies to wish such a thing on anypony but... this was a very severe case you see. Twilight, you're likely unfamiliar with this word, but he was the leader of something known as a cult." Luna gasped. "He believed earth ponies to be inherently superior to any other race. Or... perhaps he didn't and just used words to manipulate those who did. Oh yes Twilight, even today there are those who believe in the superiority of one race over the others. It isn't true, but ponies will always believe what they believe. He found others who shared in this belief. So... so many of them." Twilight flinched at the pain in her mentor's voice, longing to run to her, but understanding Celestia needed to finish this story. Whatever this 'cult thing was, it was important to understanding that town. Although, Twilights analytical brain was already making connections, and none of them were good. "They hung on his every word. They gave him all of their possessions, lied for him, stole. He asked them to lay down their lives for him and they gladly agreed. Not... not all of them were even earth ponies. Of these, he asked the most. Unicorns and pegasi who joined were asked to... to become earth ponies." Twilight held a hoof to her mouth, fighting the urge to retch. Short of ascending to alicorndom, a pony of one race could never become another. But they could be made to look like one.
"Surely... surely they did not..." Luna was shaken. Such things happened on occasion shortly after the founding of Equestria, but she had never heard of a pony willingly submitting to such a thing. But Celestia nodded, only long years of practice keeping her emotions in check.
"They did. When they were finally caught there were eight unicorns and five pegasi among their ranks. From what I understand, there were seven others who refused this... cure, as they called it. They were killed by the others." At this point, Twilight let out a sob. She was trembling from horn to hoof. How could such actions have been committed by ponies? Celestia kept going, knowing if she stopped now she wouldn't be able to bring herself to finish, seeing the anguish it put her student through. "The final thing he asked, was that they kill for him. You see Twilight, he never killed a single pony with his own hooves. He led others to do so for him. They killed twenty-four mares, twenty stallions, and twelve foals of the unicorn and pegasi races. Each of them was disfigured in the same way as the members, all done premortem. They were finally caught halfway through the murder of a family of unicorns. It was... too late to save the parents. The guards were able to save the filly but... she never did magic again. In total there were twenty-seven cult members at the time of arrest. He was sentenced to the dungeon, and we did our best to rehabilitate the rest. Some are still in hospitals. A couple have been released, although they are carefully watched, just in case. A hoofful have killed themselves." Celestia sighed and looked back into the room. "Do you understand why I told you all of this Twilight?" The crying mare nodded.
"That town... it was a cult wasn't it? Not as extreme but... the same idea." Celestia nodded.
"From what you've told me, as soon as her fraud was revealed the other ponies rebelled against her teachings. This is good, although we will be keeping an eye on this town for a while, just to make sure." Only now, did she move to comfort her student. "I'm so, so sorry you had to learn all of this Twilight. I had always hoped to shield you from the darker parts of life but... it would seem that I had already failed even before today. I'm truly sorry you and your friends went through what you did at the hands of this pony, and if any of you ever need to talk know my sister and I are here for you. Always."
**********
It was nearly night by the time Twilight felt up to leaving. Celestia had bid her goodbye and gone to check on how things had gone with the kingdom after her sudden absence. Luna had insisted on walking her home, saying she had plenty of time before her duties became necessary. Twilight chewed her cheek slightly. To be perfectly honest, there had been something else nagging at her. As they entered the neighborhood where her parents lived, she let out a quiet sigh.
"Luna? I... there's something I've been thinking about. It... it's kind of silly but..."
"Fear not Twilight, you can tell me anything." Twilight nodded, but it was a minute or two before she spoke again.
"It's just that... well... ever since becoming a princess, I've been afraid of..." she sighed and shook her head, stopping just short of her parent's gate to face Luna. "Am I going to have to outlive all of my friends?" Luna gave her a bewildered look.
"Why on earth would you be worried about that?" Twilight blushed slightly, feeling truly foolish. But she had come this far.
"W-well, I am an alicorn now... I was worried I might be... immortal..?" her voice faded as she spoke, quieted by Luna's obvious amusement. The elder princess let out a bark of laughter, tears gathering in her eyes as she struggled to contain her mirth.
"M-my apologies Twilight Sparkle... it is just... I had been led to believe you witnessed an alicorn again for yourself with Princess Cadence, did you not?" Twilight's blush deepened. She had forgotten. "Have no fear of outliving your friends, becoming an alicorn does not make one immortal Twilight," Twilight let out a small laugh, filled with relief, and maybe just the slightest twinge of regret. She opened her mouth to apologize for being silly when Luna continued. "Using the elements does." LUna's laughter continued, as she failed to notice the utterly stricken expression rising on Twilight's face.
Author's Note
I know, I know. I'm the worst. I JUST started again, and I'm already WAY missing my 1 chapter per week deadline. I began writing this chapter immediately after posting the first, and was about 1/3 of the way finished withing a couple days, but then we went to visit my husband's family for almost two weeks, and even after we got back the baby gives me very little time for writing. Sorry about that ~~~ From now on expect chapters when I can finish them, no more unrealistic goals. Also, I'm interested in any guesses you guys have for who will bear what element.
