Scorching Day, Chilling Night

Chapters

Starlight Glimmer Descends on Ponyville
It's Time For Your Wake-Up Call
Relax Yourself
The Maestro of Music, The Living Spectrum
The Power Of Apologies
Start The Celebration
True To Our Word
A Giving Heart
Exuberant Laughter
Truest Vision Of Art
Magic Makes It All Complete
A Promise To The Fallen
Epilogue: Decisions
Jarring Jolt of a Meeting
Tough Through Scrapes
A Kind Gesture

Starlight Glimmer Descends on Ponyville

Some foolishly believe that the world is young. But, that is not the truth. In reality, the world is an old place, and there are many factual stories that come from times long gone by that decay into myth and legend. King Eclipse knew this fact far too well for his own liking. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, the stories of the descent of his daughters into madness 2000 years ago had suffered the same fate as the stories of the Lord of Abominations Tirek, the Dark King Sombra, the Lord of Chaos Discord, the Lady of Order Harmonia, and the Winter of the Windigoes. Not quite forgotten, no, but written off as mere “Old mare’s tales,” stories to tell one's child to scare them into behaving. He sighed heavily. He loved his subjects, truly he did, but didn’t they know of the adage of the Ancients; “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it?” He scoffed. Probably not, he mused to himself. After all, how could they know such a thing when virtually nobody nowadays has even heard of the Ancients? Well, not nobody, seeing as House Trigem still worships them like deities. Perhaps after I perish I will become nothing more than an “Old mare’s tale” as well. Not many knew this, but Alicorns, Ultracorns (A conglomeration of all types of ponies into one form, including hybrids (some mistakenly confused them with Draconequui in the past)), and Daconequui weren’t immortal, just very long-lived. He sighed, and brought his thoughts back to the present, where he was having a discussion with his personal student, Starlight Glimmer.

“But I have better things to do than oversee some lame Extravaganza!” Starlight yelled. She was in the King’s throne room, and she was furious with her teacher. How could he send her to some podunk little town like this? She was his prized protégé!

The King sighed, which caused all three of his sets of wings (a feathered set, to represent Pegasai, a leathery set, to represent Thestrals, and a incectile set, to represent Flutter Ponies and their Changeling cousins) and his fins (to represent Sea Ponies) to twitch slightly. “Now Starlight, don’t be like that. The Eclipse Extravaganza happens only every 50 years, and I’ve asked you to help organize the event. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m trusting you with it.”

“But what does this have to do with my studies under you?!? I just don’t see how this helps me!”

The King rubbed his temple with a clawed arm covered in silvery scales (that matched his fur color, and had darker stripes as well), which represented Kirins, while tapping the talons of his other hand (which represented Hippogriffs) on his throne. “Starlight, this is a test of how well you can handle leading a group of ponies. This was always going to be a part of the lesson plan.” The King may have been an imposing figure, seeing as he was a Ultracorn, but he saw no need to scare his student into compliance.

Starlight blinked her dark blue eyes, and forgot her previous anger. “You’re testing me to see how well I handle a leadership position? Why?”

The King spoke with absolute clarity. “Because many of the nobles aren’t very competent, outside of Fancy Pants, House Astrolight, House Lulamoon, and House Trigem. I hope to replace at least one of the incompetent ones with somepony more worthy of the title ‘noble.’ Somepony like you, Starlight.” Starlight’s eyes widened. “That is what I’ve been grooming you for throughout your studies. If you prove to me that you can handle this assignment, you’ll be one step closer to becoming a Representative in my court. Perhaps you might even replace the most incompetant noble family. That would be the Bluebloods."

Starlight calmed herself. “Thank you for this opportunity, your highness.” She bowed a little. “I am sorry for questioning your wisdom, and I promise to do my utmost to make you proud.”

“Very well.” In a flash of platinum white magic, a scroll appeared in front of Starlight. “Take this, and depart for Ponyville at once. It will guide you to those you must speak with about the preparations.”

Starlight grasped it in her light blue aura. “Of course. I won’t let you down! I’ll earn the title of noble yet! Consider the days of the Blueblood's nobility officially numbered!"

As she left, the King gazed off into the distance with his bronze eyes, and whispered under his breath. "And, if you pass all my tests for you, you might gain something much more than that, something the Bluebloods will never be worthy of."

My Little Pony,

Ah, Ah, Aaa~ah!

My Little Pony!

Friendship used to mean nothing to me,

My Little Pony!

But now with you around me, I start to see!

Tough through scrapes,

Exuberant laughter,

True to our word,

Kind forever after,

A giving heart,

Truest vision of art,

And magic makes it all complete!

My Little Pony!

I’ll trust in my new friends!

Starlight was antsy, so she twirled her mint green and purple mane with a light lavender hoof. This was a lot of pressure, but she was certain that she could handle it. After all, King Eclipse put his faith in her. The ride on the train was quiet, a bit too much for her liking. She then pulled out the scroll that the King had given her, and opened it. She quickly scanned it for names, ponies she would need to work with to pull this off right. A few immediately made it to her attention. Berry Punch, entertainment. Thunder Blitz, weather manager. Cherry Cobbler, head confectionist. Serenity, head designer. Crescendo Dream, musical accompaniment. Maestro Spectrum, booth organizer. These were the six ponies she’d be working with to put up the Extravaganza. One of them seemed familliar, but Starlight put it out of her mind for now. As the train came to a stop at its destination, Starlight calmed her nerves. She stepped out of the train when the doors opened, and smiled to herself. Everything is going to be just fi- her world was suddenly filled with rich, dark magenta, and pain.

Author's Note

Behold, the first chapter of the main alternate reality of my fic, End of Days, End of Nights! Constructive criticism is encouraged, because I know this isn't perfect. If you liked/disliked this fic, please comment as to why below. If anyone wants to be an editor/proofreader for this fic, PM me. Until next time!

It's Time For Your Wake-Up Call

The realm of unconsciousness, the Aether, or the World of Dreams. The World of Dreams is strange, and most of the time, we can’t remember the dreams we have while there. However, such was not the case for Starlight Glimmer. She certainly remembered this one quite clearly. After all, it tormented her every night for years on end, ever since she was little. It went like this: She had many friends and had a wonderful life. However, when her friends forgot her one by one after they got cutie marks, she felt alone and bitter in a harsh world. A chilling wind would blow in and speak. “Oh foolish Starlight, don’t you see? Friendship will only leave you crying in the end, Starlight. There’s no reason for you to ever go back. Accept the truth of reality, and it will set you free!" Then, Starlight would wake up. She hated that dream, that nightmare, because it constantly reminded her of what she once enjoyed but no longer did. It was agony. At least it caused no physical pain, though. Well, this time she was experiencing such because of a run in she had with a fast moving magenta blur. As she was waking up, the first thing to return to Starlight was her hearing. She heard two people talking, about her, no less.

“Oh crap, I’m so dead! I'm so dead!"

“Calm down Berry, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about!?! Cheerilee, are you freakin nuts? Don’t you know who this is? It’s Starlight Glimmer, King Eclipse’s prized protéjé! She’s known to have quite the temper!”

“Now Berry, I’m certain that’s just a baseless rumor. I’m sure she’ll be understanding and forgive you.”

At this point, Starlight’s eyes started to open slowly.

“Oh no! I’m burnt toast, now! Do me a favor and write my obituary, okay?”

“Berry, you’re not going to die.”

Berry was about to refute when Starlight opened her eyes. In front of her were two magenta mares, one with a trio of smiling flowers for a cutie mark, while the other had a bunch of grapes with a strawberry next to it for hers. Starlight narrowed her eyes, and spoke with a touch of venom in her voice. “Pain meds. Now.”

Cheerilee and Berry straightened up, and spoke in unison. “Yes, Starlight!” They then zipped off somewhere, to get away from the angry Starlight.

Starlight rolled her eyes at the display. Honestly, I’m tired of people fleeing from me like some kind of monster. You blow up at a noble one time, and everyone holds it over your head forever. Starlight sighed. Perhaps I’ll be able to calm them down a bit after the meds start to work.

The two mares returned to the room carrying the meds and a glass of water, trembling. Starlight took the meds and the water, and downed them both, and let out a sigh of relief as she felt the fast-acting meds go into effect immediately. Then, the grape bunch with a strawberry next to it Cutie Marked mare spoke. “So, uh, Miss Glimmer, could you consider not having us killed?”

Starlight rolled her eyes in exasperation. Seriously, does everyone think I have the kind of power to have them executed? I’m not some kind of maniacal princess or something. Sunset Shimmer* would be more likely to act like that. "What happened was an accident. Consider it forgotten and forgiven. And please, call me Starlight. Calling me ‘Miss Glimmer’ makes me sound like a stuffy ingrate.” Sunset would want them to grovel at her hooves instead. It’s a good thing King Eclipse sent me here instead.

The two mares sighed with relief, and the one with the smiling flowers cutie mark spoke. “See, Berry? Nothing to worry about.”

The one dubbed “Berry” glared at the other mare. “You were with me in my opinion for a while, so don’t act all innocent Cheerilee!” the now dubbed “Cheerilee” looked down in shame.

Starlight then spoke. “Berry? As in, Berry Punch, the one doing the entertainment for the Extravaganza?”

Berry nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, that’s me.”

Starlight sighed with relief. “Okay, maybe it’s not so bad that you happened to run into me. I’m helping organize the Extravaganza, so I’ll need to know what kind of entertainment you’ll be providing.”

Berry’s eyes widened. “Oh! Uh, I’ll be setting up some gaming booths across the town! A few of them are up already, in fact.”

Starlight beamed. “Okay, that’s great. Let me guess, classic carnival games?”

Berry nodded vigorously. “Yeah, but with a slight twist! Some of them will be like competitive tournaments with consecutive prizes! Those are sure to be a big hit!”

Starlight smiled. “Great, I can’t wait for the Extravaganza! Now, I should get going…” Starlight got up, and moved to leave.

“Wait!” Berry cried out in alarm, “You still need some rest!”

It was true that Starlight was still in pain, but she’d been through worse. “Eh, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry ‘bout it." she dismissed. “I’ve been through much worse than this before. See ya at the Extravaganza!" And, before Berry could say another word, Starlight was gone. Once the door shut behind her, she sighed with relief. Well, that certainly could’ve gone worse, much worse. Now, to find the next pony on my list… As she walked away from the house, a blur of indigo shot towards Starlight. Oh, crud, not this again. She thought as she experienced a world of pain for the second time that day. Why does this have to happen to me?

*= The other, much more violence prone student of King Eclipse. She’s currently on probation in a small town known as Hayburg not too far from Ponyville. This small tidbit isn’t crucial to the story, just a fun little fact. Or is it?

Author's Note

Here we are, chapter two! Once again, constructive critism is strongly encouraged, and I'd appreciate it if you like/dislike to put a comment down below as to why. Positions for editor/proofreader are open, so PM me about that. Chapter three will be up sometime next week, so look forward to that! Until next time!

Relax Yourself

The world can often be a source of many forms of eustress and distress. Eustress is all of the positive things in life that make it worth living. Distress, however, is all of the things in life that attempt to drive you off the edge into insanity. Starlight, while not as vulnerable to distress as Sunset Shimmer, still had a breaking point. She was afraid that if she didn’t get a large dose of eustress soon that she’d go over the edge and hurt somebody. I can’t let myself lose it! If I do, I may never push away the increase in negative reputation! If that occurs, I’ll never be able to get a seat in the Court without always having to worry about somebody bringing up that black mark! It’s hard enough trying to erase the negative rep I got from the Blueblood incident… She sighed. Even though she’d managed to get herself to apologize to that dunderhead, she still couldn’t manage to shake off the repercussions of her slip into anger. She decided to go clear her head. She found herself wandering into the nearby Whitetail Woods. She breathed in the air. Ah, I love the woods. Certainly beats the smell of car exhaust. Cars were a recent invention in Equestria, and they used oil-based fuel to run, which when burned put some CO2 into the air. However, magic fueled cars were in production, but they were projected to be rather expensive. She was jolted out of her musings when she heard somebody coming up behind her. She turned around to see who it was. It was a muted red Crystal Pony mare with pale yellow mane and tail and hazel eyes. Her cutie mark was a piece of Cherry Cobbler. Starlight spoke. “You’re Cherry Cobbler, I presume?”

The mare nodded. “Saw my cutie mark, eh? That’s right, I’m Cherry Cobbler.” She put out a hoof. “Pleasure to meet you, Starlight Glimmer.”

Starlight took the hoof, and shook it uncertainly. “You’ve heard of me?”

Cherry scoffed lightly. “Who hasn’t? By the way, I absolutely loved the way you stuck it to Prince Blueblood. That dunderhead deserved it.”

Starlight looked slighted at that. “You liked that? I, personally, can’t forgive myself, even if I managed to apologize…”

Cherry scoffed. “You shouldn’t have done that. But oh well. So, what brings you here to Ponyville?”

They started to walk together, towards Town Hall. “Well, I was sent here to check up on the preparations for the Extravaganza. So, you ready for it?”

Cherry brightened considerably. “You bet! All sorts of various confections will be ready and raring to go for the Extravaganza!”

Starlight sighed with relief. “That’s good. It’s good to see that you’re on top of everything.”

Then, a voice called out. “Cherry~! Where are you~?” Onto the scene came a aquamarine pegasus mare with purple eyes, light viridian mane and tail, and a perfume bottle cutie mark. She spoke again. “Ah! There you are~!” She smiled. “C’mon Cherry, I want to hear more about this Lucky Dice you’re so fond of~!” She then looked towards Starlight. “Hmm? You!” the mare was over in Starlight’s personal space in the blink of an eye. “Your presence is quite regal, dear. You must be the infamous Starlight Glimmer.” She then pointed a hoof to herself, and continued. “I’m Serenity; the head designer for the Extravaganza. I presume that you’ve been looking for me?”

Starlight blinked in confusion. “How did you know that?”

Serenity waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, I ran into TB and CD awhile back. They told me you might be lookin’ for me.”

Starlight sighed with relief. “Oh, okay.” She then straightened up. “So, how are preparations on your end?”

Serenity beamed. “Absolutely stupendous, dear. I’m ready to delegate some of the booths over to Maestro when he arrives in Ponyville. It’s certainly been awhile since his last visit.”

Starlight nodded slightly. “That’s good. When do you think he’ll get here?”

Serenity shrugged. “Don’t you know what they say? Nobody can predict Maestro Spectrum. What he does is absolutely random.”

Starlight paused at this. “I… see…”

Serenity then chuckled a bit. “Oh, don’t you worry. He’ll be here before the Extravaganza. You might even meet him today!”

Starlight exchanged good-byes with those two, and went off back to town. This town… I think it’s… affecting me somehow… Starlight shook her head. She couldn’t worry about what Ponyville was doing to her just yet. After all, she had bigger priorities to attend to. She could worry about whatever was happening to her later. As she was travelling towards the center of town, her cell phone rang. Who could that be at a time like this? She levitated her phone out from her saddlebags, and pressed up to her ear after hitting the answer button. “Hello? Starlight Glimmer here. May I ask who’s calling?”

A voice answered her from the other end. “Ah, Starlight. good thing I was able to catch you at this time. It’s me, Moondancer. So, you gonna go to my party or what?”

Starlight facehoofed. “Ugh. You know I’m not big on parties, Moondancer. It doesn’t matter how many times you call; the answer will always be no.”

Starlight could almost hear Moondancer pouting on the other end. “C’mon Starlight! It’ll be fun~! You might even get some frie-”

"Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Moondancer. You know how I feel about that word.”

“Ugh, you gotta leave the past behind, Starlight. It won’t hurt you to give friendship another chance, you know.”

“Psh. That’s what you think. I’ll be just fine without friends, thanks.”

“A ruby says that you’ll eat those words before long.”

“You’re on, Moondancer. I’ll prove to you that I don’t need friends to be happy.”

“Whatevs, Starlight. See ya.” *beep* After the call ended, Starlight put her phone away. She sighed. Equestria had changed so much in the last few decades- from cell phones to television, it all was quite the whirlwind of change. Starlight shook that thought out of her head, and instead decided to try and focus on preparing Ponyville for the Extravaganza. After all, she needed to prove to King Eclipse that she could handle it. She then went further into town.

Author's Note

Here we are! Chapter Four! Geez, this took awhile. Chapter five might not be ready in time for next week either, so just a heads-up. As per usual, constructive criticism is encouraged. Positions for editor/proofreader are open, so PM me if interested. If you like/fave/dislike, I'd appreciate some feedback as to why. Well, that's all for now! See ya!

The Maestro of Music, The Living Spectrum

Music is all around us, just like magic. It flows through all of us, for it is no respecter of persons. Music is the language of the soul, or so it is said. Starlight, however, never really gave any stock to that. She couldn’t care less if that was true or false, after all, it had nothing to do with her. As she entered the town square, a upbeat tune started to pull at the edges of her recollection. This song… Have I heard it somewhere before? She then look towards the source of the song, and gasped. It was a turquoise building with accents of every color imaginable. Above the double door entrance, there was a white sign with a turquoise musical note superimposed over a paintbrush in an X shape that had the seven colors of the rainbow arcing to the left underneath it from the tip of the brush. Under that symbol were the words in turquoise lettering: Maestro Spectrum’s Art Emporium. Starlight looked at the large crowd that was gathered around the entrance, and she could pick out a few of the mares that she’d met that day, and one of them had a sign that said: I love Maestro! Then, the double doors opened, and the crowd cheered as a tall dark teal unicorn stallion with reddish brown mane with a turquoise streak down the center and a seven-colored rainbow tail that was short and spiky. His cutie mark was the symbol on the sign of the store, and he wore blue glasses and a royal blue vest. Around his neck was a oval-shaped platinum locket that had his cutie mark engraved in it. Starlight’s eyes widened as she realized that she’d met this stallion before, for he was once a student of King Eclipse as well. He then started to sing.

“I’m the Maestro of Music; the Living Spectrum!

I’m the best at what I do; it doesn’t matter where I’m from!

I travel all around the world; and I’ve gathered some fame!

My vision has been unfurled; Though not under my real name!

When it comes to art; nobody can compare!

But with my advantage; any comparison is unfair!

It doesn’t matter to me what you are; I treat you all the same!

I don’t care where you’re from; of that I have no shame!

My prices will never change; of that you can be sure!

After all; my heart will always be pure!

I’ve got so many pieces of art; so c’mon down!

I’ve stolen hearts; I can’t make you frown!

I’m the best there is; and that’s no lie!

I’m a Master of All; I won’t make you cry!

My word is one you can trust; That’ll always be true!

I’ll always keep a promise; as sure as a sapphire is blue!

So c’mon into my Emporium; come in to buy my art!

You’ll experience euphoria; I’ll steal your heart!

Paintings, Statues, and so much more;

You’ll see beauty galore!

So come on and see what’s in store;

You’ll beg for more!”

The crowd started to cheer loudly as he went to the next part.

“I’ve no rival; for I’m the best!

Upon my arrival; I rose above the rest!

For I’m the Maestro; the Spectrum!

I embody art in my soul; no matter where I go!

I live for music; I live for art!

You don’t seem to care where I’m from;

I choose the destiny I sew;

And I’ve stolen your heart!

I travel to and fro;

No thought to where I go;

I won’t stop until I find what I’m looking for;

Until then, I’ll travel evermore!

Never stopping, until the end;

Stay with me, my friend!

It’s the way I roll;

I’m out of control~!

But that’s just the way I am.

So c’mon down!”

The crowd was cheering louder, and one shouted above the rest. “Maestro, I love you!”

The stallion bowed with a flourish, then chuckled a bit. “Thank you, Ponyville! You’re a wonderful audience, as usual!” He then rose from the bow as some of the mares in the audience swooned. “My Emporium will be open for sales starting tomorrow at 8 AM, so come back then, m'kay?” He then flashed a smile, and some other mare felt somewhat weak. However, the crowd managed to disperse, and Maestro went up to Starlight. “Hello again, Starlight. How’ve you been since I dropped the classes with King Eclipse?”

Starlight sighed. “Oh, things have been great, Sunset aside. She's still a pain.”

Maestro raised an eyebrow. “Shima is causing you grief? And here I thought that she’d get her anger issues under control.” He shook his head and sighed. “I guess that was a bit too much to hope for from my ex.”

Starlight blinked in surprise, and then her eyes widened. “You once had a relationship with Sunset? What happened?”

Maestro rolled his shoulders a bit. “Ah, that. Thing is, she was never really interested in me, aside from my money. Just as well though, ‘cause she wasn’t exactly my type. As experiments go, I’ve had worse results.” He shuddered. "I will forever regret Sarah Von Strokenheimer... She was a bit too... Forward."

Starlight cleared her throat. “Well, moving on, how are your preparations for the Extravaganza?”

Maestro adjusted his glasses with his turquoise magic. “Ah, right to the point. I’ll get that done as soon as I can. It’ll be done well before the Extravaganza. You have my word, artist’s honor.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow. An artist’s honor was a very serious thing. Rumor had it that if you broke a promise sworn on your artist’s honor, you’d lose your cutie mark. However, nobody had ever tested that, and for good reason. After all, losing one’s cutie mark was a very serious thing, because most only got it once in their life. A few have been known to get a second one and not have it be because of the cutie pox, but they are a small minority. “Thank you for your assurance, Maestro. I’ll see you at the Extravaganza, okay?” She blushed just a bit.

Maestro flashed his smile, and spoke. “Of course, Starlight. You can count on it.” Just as he was walking away, Starlight could pick up a whisper from his direction. “Seriously, why is it that so many mares are after me? I may be a bachelor, but still…” He then disappeared into his Emporium.

Starlight then walked away a bit, thinking to herself. He’s still the same Maestro. Irresistibly handsome, but has a serious cold shoulder under his mask. I wonder if he’ll ever find his special someone. I may like him, but I know that it’s no more than a silly crush. It means nothing. Starlight cleared her head, and went in the direction of the library, which is where she’d be staying. Ugh. Books. I’m just glad that this won’t be permanent. Starlight had never really liked books that much, ever since she was young. But, she had to put that aside for now. After all, she had better things to worry about. I just hope I won’t have to deal with some kind of-

She’d reached the library, and opened the door. A loud cheer of “SURPRISE!” caught her off guard. She then leered at the pink mare with poofy pink mane and tail that was coming her way.

The mare then started to speak. “Hey there! You must be new in Ponyville! After all, I know everybody in Ponyville, and I hadn’t seen you before, so that means that you’re new! So I took it upon myself to throw you one of my famed ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ parties! So, do you-” She cut herself off as she saw that Starlight’s eyebrow was twitching. “Hey, you okay?”

The crowd of ponies backed off as Starlight’s rage seeped into the room. “Okay? Why would I be okay?” Starlight snorted, and her eyes became bloodshot. At this, the pink pony started to back away. “I hate parties! I simply can’t stand them! Now, get out of my house!” The ponies then panicked, and ran out in compliance with her words. After they were all gone, Starlight huffed. “Way to go, Starlight. Now you’ve gone and done it. There goes your reputation… again.” She then slumped to the floor, and clutched a hoof to her chest. Why do I feel so… broken? What’s… wrong with me? These thoughts tormented her throughout the night as she slept.

Author's Note

Here's chapter five! Honestly, I didn't think I'd get it done this quick. Maestro, do you want to take it from here?

Gladly. So, editors/proofreaders wanted! PM us! Criticize constructively, or don't criticize at all. If you fave, don't forget to upvote as well. If you like/dislike, we'd like to hear your reason why. Thank you for your consideration.

The Power Of Apologies

The power of the rising sun is an amazing thing. It can get the most stubborn things to start their day, say, a hibernating bear, an author of some work of fiction that is inspired by another work of fiction, or a somewhat temperamental unicorn. Starlight awoke with the rising of the sun, as was somewhat usual for her. Her head was hurting, and on a scale of one to ten, it was an eleven. Starlight groaned in pain as she went downstairs, and she went straight to the medicine cabinet, which she’d stored her medication in the previous night. She moved aside her sleep meds along with a few others, such as one for stress, out of the way to find her Fast-Acting Extra Strength Headache Killer medicine that her mother had mixed up just for her for emergencies like this. She took out one of the red capsules, and went to the cupboard, got out a cup, went to the fridge, poured a glass of water, and downed the medicine. Almost immediately, she could feel the effects of the medicine work their wonderful magic. Starlight sighed. Better thank mom for sending me a lifetime supply of this stuff when I get the chance. She then went back to the cupboard and pulled out a box of cereal and a bowl, along with some milk from the fridge and a spoon from the silverware drawer. It was a good thing that she had a very good memory of the layout of this place- she’d only needed to slightly glance at the floor plans once. As she was finishing breakfast, the doorbell rang. She sighed after finishing off the last bite, then got up to get the door. Maybe it’s the librarian coming to work or something. After all, not everyone in Equestria lives in their place of employment. Starlight opened the door, and, to her surprise, it wasn’t the librarian. Rather, it was the six people she was supposed to work with on the Extravaganza. In fact, she realized that they were probably expecting an apology for what happened to the party last night. Starlight sighed. “Look, about last night… I kinda… lost it… I’m sorry about that. Could you pass along that message to Pinkie for me?”

Cherry waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, don’t worry about that, Starlight. If anything, we should be apologizing to you for not asking about your past experiences with parties before letting Pinkie plan one for you.” She hung her head in shame. “We just weren’t thinking, honestly.”

Starlight blinked. Wasn’t she the one in the wrong here? And yet, here they were, the ones she’d wronged, apologizing to her. Suffice to say, she was very confused, and she decided to voice that confusion.

“Wait, what? You’re sorry? I’m the one that ruined the party for everyone, not you. Shouldn’t you be mad with me?”

Maestro shook his head. “While your argument has some merit, your view of the situation is quite limited. After all, we were the ones who were being inconsiderate, by presuming that you’d be okay with parties.” Maestro then muttered something under his breath that sounded like: “Honestly; I should’ve expected that, considering…”

“But-”

Starlight was cut off by Thunder’s interjection. “Look. We’re all sorry for one reason or another. Can we just drop it already, and agree that we’re all equally sorry?”

The rest of the group nodded, and then Starlight spoke up. “So, now that that’s out of the way, do you guys want to talk about your progress for the Extravaganza?” A myriad of affirmations reached her ears, and the group journeyed inside together. As they discussed their progress, Starlight felt a strange, almost foreign feeling swell within her. What is the matter with me? Why am I starting to consider them… friends? This puzzled her to no end, but what was more curious was that part of her actually… didn’t mind that much. In fact, part of her was somehow okay with all of this. Why is this happening? Starlight thought to herself. I thought I’d never allow myself to have another friend, and yet… she looked at the six ponies that surrounded her, and couldn’t help but start to smile as they spoke with her about how far along they were with the preparations. ...I feel as if I want to be friends with these ponies. And that thought… strangely doesn’t bother me. She chuckled to herself lightly. Maybe… Friendship isn’t so bad after all. That singular thought was foreign to Starlight, but honestly, she couldn't bring herself to be worried about the implications of this revelation. She just smiled as the conversation drifted to more mundane topics. If it's them... I think I can do this "friendship" thing again. She joined in the camaraderie with a zeal that she hadn't experienced in quite a long time.

Start The Celebration

Pressure tends to make people crack. Usually. However, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes they can wear a mask of disturbing calmness. Today was the day, and Starlight was surprisingly calm. Oh, she knew that her work with her new… friends (Honestly, that was still a bit odd for her to even think about) would be put on display for King Eclipse to judge. But, Starlight was confidant that everything would go quite smoothly. The stage was ready, and all of Ponyville had gathered in front of it. The stalls had been set up, and ponies from all across Equestria were piling in. They were buzzing about the town, commoner and noble alike, not really caring for titles and such for once in their lives. This was a day for the common ponies to see something extravagant, and a day for the nobles to “kiss-up” to the King. Starlight knew that King Eclipse often complained about how, in the 5000 years he’d ruled Equestria, nobles never truly changed; they always sought opportunities to get in the good graces of the ruling body. It was nice to know that even the immortal ruler of Equestria got aggravated sometimes. It made Starlight feel a little better about herself. The festivities, however, were not to start for some time yet. She had some time to… chat. With friends. Huh. Starlight blinked. It’s certainly going to take some time to get used to even think about the concept of having friends again. Especially with one of them being one of the Enigma Three. The Enigma Three were a group of half-siblings that were incredibly famous across Equestria, but nobody knew where they were from. The Enigma three consisted of Chessmaster, Chess Champion of Equestria, Maestro Spectrum, Traveling Artist Extraordinaire, and Janice Dazzle, Prime Jeweler of Las Pegasus. All three were unicorns, but there were many rumors as to what the Enigma Three were hiding under their masks. Some even thought that they weren’t even truly ponies, but aliens from another world in the guise of ponies. Starlight scoffed at that. Other worlds. As if. Next thing they’ll be muttering about will be fur-less, hornless minotaurs with flatter faces and inverted hocks that always wear clothes. The thought was quite absurd. I mean, imagine a world filled with such creatures! It was utterly preposterous. Starlight shook her head. That was odd. I thought I just heard a cry of rage from… somewhere. She put the odd thought out of her head, and decided to do one last overview of the preparations.

It was time. Everything was ready, and absolutely perfect. The stage was beautiful, toned in brilliant platinum whites and steel grays. The arch above had the cutie mark of their King- a total solar eclipse alongside a total lunar eclipse- displayed proudly. Crescendo was warming up her choir to be ready to sing the national anthem, Mighty Equestria, at a moment’s notice. Thunder was up in the sky, looking out for stray clouds that might come this way from the Everfree. Berry was doing last-minute tweaks to some of the Extravaganza’s games. Cherry was over by a gingerbread house building- one Starlight recalled was called Sugar Cube Corner- and was chatting with Pinkie as the food that Cherry’d made was cooling down a bit. Serenity was nodding to herself as she looked over the decorations one last time. Maestro was chuckling to himself as droves of ponies piled around the entrance of his Art Emporium. Then, onto the stage, came out Mayor Ivory Scrolls- a tan Earth Pony mare with gray mane and tail that Starlight swore must’ve been dyed. The mayor cleared her throat into the microphone, which caused everyone to stop what they were doing, and look to the stage. The mayor then spoke. "Today is a momentous occasion, that marks the 10th Eclipse Extravaganza!" The ponies cheered until the mayor raised a hoof. The crowd quieted down, and then she continued. “And now, for the moment we have all waited for with great anticipation! May I present, the Mover of the Sun and Moon, the Bringer of the Eclipse, the Shield of Equestria, King Eclipse Equestris!” The national anthem started, and from the sky descended the King in all of his glory. His platinum crown gleamed in the sunlight, and his coat shimmered like steel as his three sets of wings flapped. He touched down on the stage, and his wings folded at his side. He stood tall, and the crowd cheered. He held up his dragon claw, and the crowd quieted. He then spoke.
“Oh my people, it is a great honor to be here in your presence this day. I always enjoy my time during the festivities at these Extravaganzas. I hope that you do as well.” The crowd cheered, and King Eclipse smiled. “It is nice to see such enthusiasm from you all. It warms my heart to see all kinds of races in this crowd today. Equsetria is not a place for inequality to fester, so it pleases me to see that this town is open to all types of people.” The minotaurs, griffons, diamond dogs, and dragons in the audience cheered at this, and the ponies stomped their hooves. “Now, I could go on, but I believe that you all want to begin.” The people cheered, and Eclipse’s horn lit up with platinum light. “Very well! Let the Eclipse Extravaganza begin!”
A dark circle then started to cover the sun, and the people cheered. Then, the circle stopped when it reached the center. Then, the festivities went into full swing. Ponies mingling with those of other races, and playing many of the games. All of the people in town were enjoying themselves, and Starlight smiled to herself. I guess I should at least try to enjoy myself. After all, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Little did she know that eyes were gazing from afar. Eyes that were cold as ice. The owner of those eyes turned away, and wandered off. It was time to begin.

True To Our Word

Have you ever questioned your sanity? Don’t answer that, because we all know that your answer would probably be yes. After all, all of us get to that point at least once in our lives. Starlight was at that very point at this moment. Why the heck am I doing this? I must be insane! She was certain that she was crazy. After all, how could someone like her be able to use something like the Elements of Harmony? But, for some reason beyond her understanding, she was charging on with these six ponies- Thunder Blitz, Crescendo Dream, Berry Punch, Cherry Cobbler, Serenity, and Maestro Spectrum- that for some reason, she considered friends. She sighed to herself. Well, at least I’m not alone in this crazy venture. That wouldn’t be very good at all. Starlight looked around at her friends and smiled to herself. Maybe Moondancer was right. Maybe it’s time to… let the past go. All of the sudden, the group stopped, and Maestro held a hoof in front of Starlight to prevent her from going into the field of green flowers. Starlight was confused. “Why did we stop?”

Maestro scoffed. “You call yourself a student of the King? Then surely, you should recognize this flower from the lessons. The Draining Poppy.”

Starlight took another look over the flowers and gasped. It was true, these were Draining Poppies. The thorns at the tip of the petals along with the dark green spirals on the petals made that quite unmistakable. Starlight gulped. “So, how do we get around these things then?

Crescendo piped up. “What’s got you so freaked out? Aren’t these just flowers?”

Maestro shook his head. “Draining Poppies are hardly a normal flower. These nasty things drain magic, hence the name. Basically, they’re a unicorn’s worst nightmare. Didn’t expect to see them in the Everfree, however.”

Cherry then struck a hoof on the ground. “Well then. Our only recourse is to have somebody fly the unicorns in our group over this field-”

“I’m afraid that’s not going to work.” Starlight butted in with a shake of her head. “This flower can drain more than just unicorn magic. It can also drain flight for a short time. The only ponies that can’t have their magic taken are those without flight or unicorn magic.”

Cherry huffed. “Well then, it’s up to Berry and I to carry the unicorns across.”

Berry cocked her head. “Why? Can’t they just walk through it like us?”

Maestro rolled his eyes. “Oh, the naïvete of youth. No, we can’t. Without magic, unicorns can hardly move. If we walked through this, we’d only slow you guys down.” He then charged up his horn. “This spell will neutralize my weight so it won’t slow you down. I’m trusting you, Berry.” His hooves then proceeded to glow. He then got onto Berry’s back.

Berry was surprised. “Huh? It’s as if nothing’s there on my back. But may I ask, why me?”

Maestro shrugged. “Don’t know. Just felt like it, I guess.” He then turned to Starlight. “You should follow soon after.” Berry then proceeded to trudge through the field of poppies, and Lightning, Serenity, and Crescendo followed soon after, with their wings hanging limply at their sides.

Cherry then got down to the ground. “C’mon, Starlight. Get on!”

Starlight nodded. She lit up her horn with light blue magic and encased her hooves with it. “I might not be able to fully cancel out my weight, but this’ll have to do.”

Cherry nodded. “That’s fine.” Starlight climbed on, and Cherry stood. She wasn’t slowed down too much, so she soon got near the edge of the poppy field. The others were there, waiting. However, before Cherry took another step, a tremor struck. “Hold on tight! Don’t let go!” Starlight managed to do so, somehow. The tremor tore open a large gap that cut them off from the others.

Starlight gulped. “How are we supposed to cross? That’s far too wide!”

Cherry dragged a hoof across the ground. “I’ll get us across.”

Starlight shouted. “Are you CRAZY? You could get us killed!”

Cherry turned her head to look at Starlight, and spoke with determination. “I can get us across. Just trust me.”

Starlight was astonished. That look in her eyes… She truly believes that she can do it… So I guess that I… “...Alright. But if we die, I won’t ever forgive you.”

Cherry smirked. “That’s fine by me!” She then galloped at full force, and jumped just as she reached the edge of the gap. With outstretched hooves, Cherry managed to grasp the other edge, and pull them up. The group cheered, and Starlight jumped off Cherry’s back.

Starlight sighed. “Thanks, Cherry. I don’t know how I can-”

Maestro then cut in. “Can we worry about this later? There’s still a world to save!” The group nodded, and started to trot off. If they had looked back, they would have seen a shadowy figure close the fissure with magic, and dispel the poppies.

The figure then looked towards the group. “They certainly are quite something. I wonder just how far they’ll get through my tests…” Then, the figure chuckled somewhat softly. “It’s certainly going to be entertaining to see how far they’ll get.”

Author's Note

Chapter Nine has arrived! The next chapter may take awhile, though. Anyway, that's two obstacles down! Just five more chapters until the confrontation with the Twins of Terror! And who is this mysterious shadow, anyway? You'll see, when the time is right! If you fave, don't forget to upvote! That's all for now!

A Giving Heart

Do you ever struggle to put aside something you’ve believed in for years when you find out that it’s not quite correct? Starlight was having such troubles. Sure, now she had accepted the fact that these six ponies were her friends, but there was a small nagging portion of her that demanded that she reconsider, that she go back to her old friendship-hating self. She tried her best to ignore these thoughts, but they just wouldn’t go away, and demanded her full attention. They demanded that she continue to dwell on what happened all those years ago that made her first decide to hate friendship. Not even the tangled, twisted branches of the upper canopy could take her mind off of these thoughts. Luckily for her, a distraction came quickly. Standing before them was a really irritated Crusher Cat, a lesser known race that often preferred to stick to more quiet places. Her yellow fur was a little tangled, and she smelled somewhat odd. No wonder she was cross. After all, it was known by those that knew of Crusher Cats that they really were quite picky with their appearance and smell. She hissed in anger, and muttered about something. Maestro then put a hoof in front of the group. “I believe it would be unwise to bother her. Crusher Cats are quite vicious, especially when upset.”

Thunder then spoke. “So what’re we supposed to do? We need to get past her!”

Maestro flicked his tail in agitation. “I know that! The question here is how to-” He cut himself off when he saw Serenity go up to the Crusher Cat. “Well, I guess she’s gonna try something.”

Serenity then spoke. “Excuse me, my dear Ms. Cat, I was wondering if you might like some help with something.”

The Crusher Cat then turned towards Serenity. It was now much easier to see the steel-like claws that gave Crusher Cats their name. She then hissed in agitation. “Hah! A pony wants to help me? Why would you? You ponies have always been a bit self-centered. Why would you be any different?”

Instead of losing her cool at that comment, Serenity replied with grace. “No special reason, I just want to help you out. Is that so wrong?”

The Crusher Cat blinked in confusion, and shook her head. “I see. Very well. You seem oddly selfless for a pony.” She then sighed. “I’ve lost my favorite shampoo! Without it, my fur is this tangled mess you see before you. I can’t take a proper bath without it!”

Serenity then pulled a bottle of shampoo out of the green drawstring bag on her back. “Might it be this kind?”

It was a bottle of De-tangle King shampoo. When the Cat’s eyes lit up, Serenity tossed it over to her. The Crusher Cat caught it in her forepaws, and purred in thanks. “I owe you much, strange pony. If you ever need assistance, just find the Crusher Cave and ask for Rhonda Ripper.” She then slinked away into the depths of the forest.

Starlight then released a breath that she didn’t realize that she was holding. “Glad that’s over with.”

Maestro then started to walk ahead. “C’mon, we’re burning daylight here. Let’s get a move on!”

As they walked, Starlight then thought to herself. If we manage our way through this, I’m definitely gonna have to have these guys help me adjust my way of thinking. She smiled, knowing that she could trust them to help her out.

Once again, the hooded figure appeared in the clearing. Her yellow furred hoof poked out from the back of her cloak. She then straightened her cloak with her indigo magic. She then smirked. “Oh, I wonder how they’ll feel when they see me~!” She licked her lips, and cackled a bit. “Especially that Maestro fellow! He’ll probably will have quite the look of shock on his face~!” She then sighed with content. “Yes, the scene will be most marvelous.” She then went on her way. She stopped at the next place that she wanted them to go, and lit up her horn. She giggled. “This should stall them for a while.” She then vanished after the giant snake was roused from its slumber.

Author's Note

So here's chapter eleven. It's not as short as I'd feared it'd be so that's a plus! I still haven't found an editor, so this chapter may be a bit choppy. I think you guys know the drill by now: Constructive criticism, like/fave/dislike=comments.

Exuberant Laughter

Have you ever felt that the weight of the world is on your shoulders? That, at any moment, you might be crushed beneath its weight? It certainly doesn’t do any favors for one’s mood. Starlight and friends were certainly feeling this way as they trudged through the Everfree. All save for Berry Punch and Maestro Spectrum, both of which seemed oddly chipper, considering the pressure of the task before them. The group stopped for a bit, drawing Berry’s attention. “Hey, why’d we stop?”

Maestro sighed. “The others seem to be in a rather somber mood. Just look at them! So downcast and worn out.” He looked to Berry with a grin. “I say they could use a little bit of a pick-me-up, so to speak.”

With that, Berry brightened, and got to work. Using her knowledge of the plants of the Everfree, she whipped up a batch of punch for everyone, and spiked it just a smidge , to open them up a bit. She served it to her friends, all save for Maestro (he refused, saying he wasn’t much for alcohol), and was enthused when they loosened up, chatting amicably. Their laughter warmed her spirits, as she watched them tell tales of past blunders. Thunder spoke of her brush with poison joke, where it made her unbearably slow. Cherry talked of the time that she almost burned down her house as a filly. Serenity wound a tale of intrigue, of how she tormented a pack of Diamond Dogs. Crescendo revealed a tale of the time she accidentally put her audience to sleep. Starlight spun the time she blew up at Blueblood in such a way as to make it comical. Berry even joined in with them, absorbing in the cheery atmosphere, adding to it her mishaps with bad dates. The conversation then turned to the abstainer of the group, Maestro. “*Hic* Hey Maestro!” He turned to see that it was Starlight addressing him. “Don’t you have any funny stories? What with being a previous student of the King and all.”

He chuckled. “Well, there is this one involving my half sister, Servo.” He smiled slightly. “So, do you want to hear it?” The group nodded, and he continued. “It was a cloudy winter day, one that promised snow any minute. The four of us were playing together, back when we’d first found each other. I was acting a bit distant, however, so Servo did something to knock me out of my stupor, as it were.” He shook his head. “She started acting like one of those ‘robots’ one reads about in sci-fi. She acted like she was bent on a warpath, and it warmed my heart to see her come out of her shell, if only just a little. It was one of the happiest memories I had with her.”

Thunder tilted her head, the buzz abating. “But wait. It’s the Enigma Three, not the Enigma Four. How come we haven’t heard about her before?” The rest of the group seemed to be pulling out of the buzz as well at this point.

Maestro looked away, a dark look barely visible. “Servo… she was… taken out before she could garner much fame. Nobody outside the family, and now you guys, even know that she existed at all. I don’t like to dwell on it much.” He then stood. “Let’s get going. We’re almost there.”

As he walked away, Starlight noticed that the others were just as concerned as her. They’d seen a bit of his coldness seep through. She knew that the others would see it eventually, but she didn’t think it would happen this soon. However, she knew they couldn’t lag behind. So, she urged them to follow him, deeper into the Everfree. The former Royal Palace was nearer than ever. A snake slithered away in the distance, back to its mistress It seemed disappointed that it had failed so badly- it wished not to disappoint its mistress. However, it was surprised when its mistress smiled. “You did your job well, my pet. Now, only one more obstacle shall I place between them and the castle. Your services are no longer required.” And, in a flash of indigo, the snake was gone.

Author's Note

So here's chapter twelve. A tad darker than I'd first envisioned, but what can you do? I still don't have an editor for this, so expect it to be a bit choppy.

Truest Vision Of Art

The cloaked figure entered the clearing that lead to the bridge that connected to the old Royal Palace ahead of the group. She saw them almost nearing the point of no return. This was it- her plan would be set into motion. She would break them here, and fling them into despair, with no hope of escaping. There would be nothing but the cold, hard truth of reality- not any of these nonsensical delusions about “friendship.” She would break them all- even that insufferable br- er, unicorn, Maestro. Then, they crossed the invisible threshold. She grinned. It was time. Her horn she pulled out a strange artifact that looked like an obsidian snowflake, and slung it over her neck like an amulet. She felt the ancient power fill her- changing her. It felt indescribably good, feeling the chill of the truth of reality go down her spine. She loved this feeling- the feeling of despair, acceptance of the truth. She lit her horn, but instead of her typical aura, it glowed black, deep as pitch. She encased herself in the aura, feeling it go throughout her entire being- this was the feeling of the Original King, the First Founder. Such awesome power could not truly be sustained by a mortal pony, not even one of her caliber. So, she only skimmed the surface of what the artifact could do. After all, delving into the fullest extent of the artifact’s power was only a last resort- no need to revive him this soon. That would be no fun. She then spread the magic throughout the entire area, coating it in darkness. She then heard the startled gasp of the group as they came face to face with their darkest fears, ones that were guaranteed to break them beyond repair. To break them beyond hope of saving. Even Maestro would be broken, and Equestria would be thrown into turmoil with nobody worthy of the Elements left to step up. It was a deliciously malicious plan. She then tuned into the group, just to hear their fears. What she heard satisfied her immensely.

The first to submit was Thunder Blitz. It went something like this: “No! I’m still the best flier! You can’t take that from me and give it to some pegasus!” “Unfair? My Thunder Boom’s a part of me! I can’t not use it- It’s like asking a hummingbird to stop flapping its wings!” “I-! I won’t! You can’t make me! Please, listen!” “No! How could you!? I thought that you… were my friends…” After that sorry display, she finally broke, her eyes going distant.

The second to go was Cherry Cobbler. This is how things went down: “You can’t! I won fair and square! You can’t lie to the public like this!” “So it’s because I’m made of crystal, is that it? I can’t do anything about that! It’s like asking the sun not to shine!” “I-! I won’t lie to gain favor with nobles! I still believe that honor can get you many places in life!” “But you’re my friends! How could you lie to me like this! I trusted you!” A single tear was shed, and her eyes lost their shine, marking that she was done.

The third to discard it all was Crescendo Dream. Here’s how she broke: “Excuse me? That’s just plain rude! Have you no heart?” “You’re accusing me of hypnotizing my audience? That is uncouth! My music may move the soul, but there is nothing sinister behind it!” “What do you take me for, asking me to hurt somebody? I won’t set aside my morals just for a few coins.” “You’re my friends! How could you be so cruel? I’m sorry but… I can’t be associated with monsters!” Then, her eyes went dim, showing that it was over.

The fourth to give in was Serenity. Let’s review what happened, shall we? “Taking from the poor? Have the nobles no equinity?” “What!? I would never use my perfumes like that! I would never cheat somepony out of a good product!” “You want me to WHAT? No, never! I am no thief, and I will make you reconsider trying to get me to act as such.” “My friends… are greedy thieves? No! I-I refuse to believe it! They… there must be… some kind of… misunderstanding…” Her eyes went near dead, signaling that she no longer cared.

The fifth to surrender was Berry Punch. How did it go again? Ah, yes: “Huh? But eveypony seemed to enjoy it at the time… They were laughing, with enjoyment, not scorn!” “Hey! I only use spiked drinks to loosen ponies up a little! I would never do it out of spite!” “I will not! I cannot! No, never! My laughter is always with somepony, not at them!” “Stop! How could you laugh like that? At me? Aren’t we friends?” Her eyes seemed to drain of color, hinting that there was no fight left in her.

The sixth to throw in the towel was not Maestro as the figure had hoped, but rather Starlight Glimmer. Oh well. It was still fun to watch: “Thunder? Why are you betraying me? I thought you would stand by me, no matter what!” “Cherry? Why did you lie to me! I thought I could rely on your word!” “Crescendo? What’s gotten into you? Why are you acting so rotten to me? I thought your compassion knew no bounds!” “Serenity? Why? Why did you refuse to be giving, like you usually are? Why are you suddenly a mizer!” “Berry? What’s with that laugh? You’re making fun of me? But I thought you liked humor that was with others, not against them!” “Maestro? Just… you kept so much from me. So many secrets… Why? The lies, the betrayal, the cruelty, the greed, the spite… was all that positivism just some mask? And why did you let me.. Give up?” And finally her eyes gloss over, telling of how she is just full of despair.

As the cloaked figure turns to Maestro Spectrum, she expects quite the show. However, it’s not quite the show she expects. “Loyalty and devotion are core to a relationship, Chromatic. I would never abandon them.” “Truth and honor are a virtue, Cacophony. I’m honest when I say that I would never give them up.” “Kindness and compassion are paramount, Chromatic. I’ll be benevolent until the end of time.” “Generosity and charity are valuable, Cacophony. I’ll treasure them more than any amount of money.” “Laughter and humor are wonderful, Chromatic. They will fill me with joy until the end of my days.” “Magic and power connect us all, in more ways than the one that usually comes to mind, Cacophony. I will spread my unifying friendship until I reach all hearts.” “Hope and empowerment inspire people, CC. I will never cave into despair, no matter what darkness you throw my way.” his eyes shone brighter, a light that would not go out. His determination and stubbornness was impressive, she had to give him that. But how far would it go? She decided to meddle a little with the “script” and intervene. If an apparition wouldn’t break him, then perhaps a little nudge from reality would.

She spoke, melding her voice into that of his fear, which she now saw was a dark, twisted mirror image of himself. “Look at your friends. They’ve given up hope. They no longer care about representing what they value. You will never get them back.” She lit the area enough so that he could see the sorry state his friends were in. She could almost hear something snap. Yes! Now he would-!

However, the light in his eyes grew almost blindingly hot. The figure stepped back. How was this possible? How was he more hopeful and determined than before? How could her plan backfire like this? Maestro spoke. “I will never give up on my friends’ chances to live a happy life! I will never condemn them to despair! Begone, Chromatic Cacophony! I will save my friends!” With a blast of white-hot magic, he dispelled the dark mist, flinging the cloaked figure away. Maestro turned to his friends, who were still struggling to get back to their old selves. All they needed was a little tug in the right direction. He grinned. “HIT THE MUSIC!” All of the sudden, an invigorating synthorock tune erupted into existence, and Maestro began to sing.

“I didn’t come this far just to turn back now;
It’s time that you man up, I don’t care how;
I won’t let you give up, I won’t let you give in;
As long as I’m here, I’ll ensure that we win!”

Gradually, the group lifted their heads up, and the soul of the music surged through them. Maestro’s words cut to Thunder’s core and caused her eyes to brim with hope.

"You all have a burning fire in your soul;
It’s time that you unleash it to reach our goal;
I won’t let you hold back;
It’s time to go on the attack!”

As Thunder started to sway in time with the music, Cherry’s eyes brightened in realization of some great fact.

“I know that you can soldier on;
It’s why I urge you by sayin’ C’mon;
So let me see the fire in your eyes;
Perhaps one day you’ll touch the skies!”

As Cherry started to tap out the rhythm with her hooves, Crescendo’s heart brimmed with a compelling belief.

“I know that all seems quite hopeless and lost;
But if we give in the world’ll suffer quite the cost;
We have to rise up, we have to fight;
In order to set our country right!”

As Crescendo started to provide a backup melody with her wind chimes, Serenity started to smile despite herself.

“It’s time to embrace your fire;
To reach on ever higher;
In this world, we’re required;
To put down the darkly aspired!”

As Serenity started to hum along, Berry cast aside her doubts completely.

“We must roll with the punches to reach our goal;
And we’ll fight with our very heart and soul;
Otherwise the world will suffer the cost;
And all will be for’er lost!”

As Berry supplied backup vocals, Starlight finally lifted her head completely, and her despair abated.

“So! C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
It’s time for us to go!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
We’ll put on quite the show!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
We’ll defeat this threat to our hope!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
We’ll put them at the end of their rope!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
Show me that fire!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
And strive ever higher!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
We’ve got nothing to lose!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
And a Destiny to choose!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
Let’s get goin’!
C’mon, C’mon, C’mon!
And set the power flowin’!
C’mon, all together, with me!”

The group then walked through the darkness as they sang together.

“We’re going to show our fire;
And strive on, ever higher;
There’s nothing for us to lose;
And a Destiny to choose;
We won’t give up, we won’t give in;
And together, we will win!”

Then seven cheered at the end, and Starlight looked to Maestro. “I’m sorry that we…”

Maestro shook his head. “There’s no need for you to apologize- After all, despair mist is pretty effective stuff. I’m surprised that anyone knows the spell nowadays, though. It was lost after the Winter of the Windigoes.”

Thunder raised an eyebrow. “Spell? So we’re dealing with somepony that deals in ancient magic?”

Maestro nodded. “Yes. But, we can’t worry about that right now- we’ve a world to save.” The group nodded, and went to the old Royal Palace together.

Author's Note

Chapter 13 is here, and oh my! This chapter's the longest in awhile. It's unedited as of yet, but tell me what you thought of it below. Stay tuned for Chapter 14- And Magic Makes It All Complete! I think you can guess what happens in that chapter, and let me tell you, I have plans. :pinkiegasp:

Magic Makes It All Complete

The inside of the old Royal Palace was by far quite intimidating. There were multitudes of broken support pillars, and the floor that was covered in black bricks was in major disrepair. The walls were adorned with tattered banners, one bearing the Cutie Mark of their king, while two others had pictures of a stylized sun and moon respectively. There was a fourth, but it was tattered beyond recognition. Could it have bared the Cutie Mark of the long-lost Queen? The ceiling was crumbling, but it had seemed to stop mid-way, as if time itself had forsaken it. At the far side of the room was a door, which in its prime would’ve looked to be made of immaculate platinum. However, time had not been kind to it, covering it in a heavy layer of rust. The group went up to the door. Starlight frowned. “It’s definitely been rusted shut. How are we supposed to get into the room with the Elements?”

Maestro cleared his throat, and lit his horn. “If you’d allow me, I’ll solve this little problem.” The group stepped back as his magic encased the door. He then touched the door, and the sight before them surprised them. The rust seemed to leap off the door and onto his coat, dulling it to a darker teal. After all the rust had abated from the door, it opened and the group went through. After they were successfully through the door, Maestro let go of his magic, causing the rust to suddenly jump back to the door with enough force to slam it shut. His coat was back to normal, but he looked a bit worse for wear. He chuckled. “Maybe I should’ve tapped into my extra magic stores, just to be safe.” The others didn’t know what to think of that, so they paid it no heed. They then looked at the room around them. Their jaws dropped at the sight before them. Burning Sun and Chilling Moon were battling it out, spell clashing with spell, burning sword meeting frosty lance. The room was evenly divided by the equal force of the fighting alicorns, making one side boiling hot while the other was chilling to the bone. However, there was a pony-wide strip between the two clashing sides that was room temperature. This strip led to a dias beyond the clashing alicorns which held six orb-like stones, one on each outstretched arm. Maestro gulped. “Well this certainly makes things a tad difficult.”

Serenity spoke up. “A tad? Try near impossible! How are we supposed to get the Elements without getting frozen or burned to death?”

However, as Maestro was about to answer, they saw a surge of magic come from both the quarreling alicorns, and lash out at the Elements at the exact same time. The pressure of being rapidly frozen and unfrozen in a split second caused the stones to break. Starlight screamed out. “No! How are we supposed to win now?”

Burning Sun and Chilling Moon stopped the fight for a moment to regard the seven. Burning chuckled, and spoke. “Look at these poor fools. They came so far, only to fail now.”

Chilling scoffed, and nodded reluctantly. “At least that’s one thing that we agree on, aside from the fact that only one of us is fit to rule.”

Maestro stepped forward. “We haven’t failed! In fact, we’ve already won!”

Burning seemed amused. “Oh? How so? Your precious Elements have been destroyed!”

Maestro shook his head, scoffing at her ignorance. “You cannot destroy something that has no physical form. What you did do, is set them free, so that they could choose new vessels- the seven of us that stand before you now.”

Chilling snarled. “You speak nonsense! Now perish!”

As the beam of icy magic sailed through the air towards Maestro, the group thought he would move. However, he did not. Instead, at the very last moment, Thunder Blitz intercepted the blast, and a pillar of red light encompassed her. The spell faded away, leaving Thunder unscathed. Her body glowed red, and she spoke firmly. “Devotion! For I would not stand by and allow Starlight to be hurt!”

Starlight looked to her friends, and realized what Maestro had meant. She knew now that the seven of them were the new bearers of the Elements. Shards of crystals swirled around her friends, one by one. Cherry stepped forward, an orange glow encompassing her body. “Honor! Because I ensured that my promise was fulfilled!”

Burning’s eyes widened in realization. She could not allow this to happen! She shot beams of fire at the fools, but it garnered nothing. She took small comfort in the fact that her sister’s ice also seemed to have no effect. Crescendo brandished her baton in her hoof with a flourish, with a yellow glow about her as she spoke. “Compassion! I would soothe Mother Nature herself if it meant helping those I care for!”

The Twins of Terror continued to attack, but to no avail. Was this the end? No! They would not accept it! Serenity fluttered her wings, and a green glow surrounded her. She spoke with confidence. “Charity! Would that I could give to all those who might need it!”

The Twins poured more magic, trying all that they could to damage these somehow invincible ponies. They refused to believe that these mortals could possible best them! Berry jumped forward with a blue glow around her. She spoke cheerfully. “Humor! I know how to lighten the mood when others feel blue!”

They refused. They would not be sealed away again! As they turned to leave however, Maestro appeared before them, a smug look on his face. He stepped off the throne he’d teleported onto, an indigo glow surrounding him. His voice was full of mirth. “Empowerment! Because no matter what, I would not allow my friends to give into despair!”

The Twins looked at the six glowing ponies, and laughed together. Burning spoke out. “You only have six! You cannot hope to beat us without the seventh!”

However, Starlight came forward. She was smiling. “You’re wrong. We do have the seventh Element!” A purple light descended from above, encompassing Starlight. She continued. “Magic! Because I felt my connections with these ponies grow over the course of my stay here, I will cherish them always!”

The lights came together, and a rainbow beam was produced. Chilling managed a few last words before the beam hit. “But that makes no sense! How is it that you are the Element of Magic?”

Starlight smiled. “Because the connections between ponies is the strongest magic of all!” Then, the Twins of Terror were engulfed in the rainbow light, and everything went white.

Author's Note

So here it is! Things'll calm down after this. Expect one more chapter, and possibly an Epilogue. This hasn't been edited.

A Promise To The Fallen

Starlight was a bit woozy after using the Elements, but she soon got a hold of herself, and took a good look around. Her friends- which, she noted she seemed to no longer mind considering them that- were coming to their senses, aside from Maestro, who seemed barely phased. She noticed that each of them wore a platinum necklace- or tiara in her case or crown in Maestro’s- which bore a gem of the color of light that had surrounded them, carved into the shape of their Cutie Marks- Thunder Blitz had a ruby lightning bolt, Cherry Cobbler had a topaz cherry cobbler, Crescendo Dream had a tourmaline baton, Serenity had an emerald perfume bottle, Berry Punch had a sapphire grape bunch with strawberry, Maestro Spectrum had a covellite music note and paintbrush combo, and Starlight Glimmer had a violet four-pointed star. She then saw two figures in the corner of the room, which she wasn’t all to happy to see. She angrily spat as she pointed at them. “What are they still doing here?”

Maestro stepped between Starlight and the two cowering alicorns, shaking his head. “They’ve changed, Starz. They’ve let go of the darkness that consumed them, bringing them back to their old selves- Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” He turned to the two alicorns in question, who were smaller than they had been earlier, and their manes were no longer flowing with magic, revealing their natural colors. He tilted his head downward with respect. “It is good to see you two back to your old selves, Princesses.”

Thunder glared at the two alicorns, huffing. “Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but that doesn’t bring the king back.”

The two in question hung their heads in shame, and were preparing to accept any punishment when a deep chuckle came from the windows, a sound that soothed the ponies. “Oh, I wouldn’t know about that. Perhaps it did.”

The majority of the ponies bowed, save Starlight, who displayed her surprised quite differently. “Your Majesty! But how-!”

Maestro chuckled as he drew closer to the King. “Well, he was released when the darkness was removed from the hearts of his daughters when we used the Elements. Really, what did you expect?”

Eclipse regarded Maestro, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? Maestro, my old student. What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you to become part of the Elemental Bearers. Does this mean that you have no commission for this event?”

Maestro lit his horn, summoning in a stain-glass window that depicted the seven fighting the Twins of Terror, colored beams coming from each of them. He smirked. “Never underestimate the Maestro, Your Majesty.”

The King took the stain-glass in his magic, and teleported in a chest full of bits in front of Maestro. Before Maestro could object, King Eclipse held up his claw. “You’ve earned the extra, for your efforts in helping restoring my daughters.” He then turned to his daughters. “Come, let us explain this to the populace. They may be a bit hesitant at first, but they will forgive you in time.”

However, before the group could leave, a cloaked figure with a obsidian snowflake around its neck appeared in a flash of black light. She chuckled, and spoke. “Really, how interesting. I half-expected that you would lose. Oh well. This works for me, too.”

Maestro took a good look at the yellow-furred hooded mare. He spoke. “Just who are you? What do you want?”

The mare shook her head, tsking in disappointment. “Oh, Maestro. You really don’t see it, do you? And Dad always said that you were the perceptive one of the four of us.”

Maestro’s eyes widened as he gasped in recognition. “No! It can’t be! You died! How can you-!”

The mare laughed, a haunting and hollow sound that cut Maestro off. “Oh, there is powerful and ancient magic keeping me here- my benefactor wants me to set thing up for his return to power. He agreed to give me life as long as I worked for him.”

Maestro looked again at the obsidian snowflake around the mare’s neck. He then realized what she was talking about. He shouted out his disapproval. “Servo! How could you trust him, of all beings! You know that he feeds on despair! If he comes back, it means the end of Equestria as we know it! A return of Windigoes, along with their king!”

The others were shocked, to say the least. Hadn’t he said earlier that Servo had died? If so, what was she doing here now? The mare who he’d called Servo chuckled darkly. “Oh brother, you don’t understand- The insufferable elites took my life in the most painful way for our family. It’s time I had payback! I was lucky that most of me had been flung to the Temple of Frost in the Frozen North! His power keeps me alive, even if it is in this broken state! No matter what, I will rip the elites of this world a new one!”

Starlight stepped forward. “Stop! Revenge isn’t the answer! Please, let go of your hate! You can-!”

“Servo” blasted Starlight with a black beam of magic, hurling her against the wall. “I don’t care for your preaching! So shut it!” She stole one last look at Maestro, and grinned. “The next time we meet, I will bring you to my side. No matter what.” In a flash of black, she was gone. The group then exited the ruins, trying to put the disturbing thought of dealing with a zombie out of their heads.

Maestro hung back a little, and looked to the spot Servo had occupied. Had anyone been near, they would’ve heard what he’d said to the air. “Servo… I never thought you could come back… And when you did, you were against us…” He shook his head. “I will find a way to bring you a peaceful rest, ma chère sœur. I promise.” He then galloped off, to catch up to his friends.

Author's Note

So! Things have been set up for a continuation already! However, before we get to that, we still have an epilogue to get through! See you then!

Epilogue: Decisions

After the group entered the town, the people forgave the twins pretty quickly once it was known that Dark Magic had been influencing them. As the festivities picked up, a slate gray Earth Pony found his way over to the seven friends. His mane was chartreuse and his tail was an off-white orange. He smiled, causing a manic look to overcome his violet eyes. He shouted out. “Maestro! Good to see you, old buddy!” The manic Earth Pony had a Cutie Mark of a gear popping out of a box.

Maestro chuckled. “Good to see you too, Gearbox. How long have you been here?”

The aforementioned Earth Pony with a tattered lab coat on had a manic grin on his face as he spoke. “Oh, just a little bit before the King disappeared I came into town looking for you! Couldn’t find you until just now, however. Why is that?”

Maestro blinked, and raised an eyebrow. “Seriously, Gear? Do you not see the crown of the Element of Empowerment on my head? I thought that’d give a clue.”

Gearbox adjusted his lab coat, and huffed. “Sorry, I thought it was just a new trinket or something. Pardon me for my ignorance.” He then looked to the others. “So these guys helped out to? Interesting…” His watch then buzzed with an alarm. “Oops! I best be going. I’ve got plans with a programmer. See ya.” He then cantered off, and the group went to enjoy the rest of the festivities.

Things had been winding down for a while when, near the end of the celebration, Eclipse called the seven heroes to him. He spoke jovially. “I appreciate what you have all done this day. Expect compensation within the next few days.” He then turned to Starlight. “Now, as for you, my student....” He took a careful look at the group, and turned back to Starlight, and nodded. “I believe it would be unwise to expect you to come back to Canterlot now that you’ve got some budding friendships to attend to. I’ll have a house built for you here. Consider it a gesture of faith that you won’t let these friends slip by.”

Starlight bowed gracefully. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Eclipse then addressed the group as a whole as he summoned a chest. “Now, place the Elements in here for now. The chest is enchanted, and cannot be opened without my magic signature. It will be sufficient to keep the Elements until we need them again.”

The girls did so, but Maestro hesitated. He decided to speak his mind. “If we enchanted the Elements themselves, we could carry them around ourselves, but such things will take time…”

Eclipse nodded. “Indeed. Also, it would be ill advised to let you keep them without some sort of title. A ceremony for such will be arranged as soon as possible. You have my word.”

Maestro nodded, and placed his element in with the others. The chest was closed, and teleported away. They went back to the celebration, and a Maestro stopped as he saw a rainbow dragon. Said dragon bounded over to the group and pulled Maestro into a hug against her gold belly scales. “Daddy! You’re alright! I was worried when you went off into the forest after the Twins of Terror appeared! I’m just glad you’re alright.”

Maestro chuckled deeply. “Sorry Prism. I woulda told ya if I’d had the time to.” He ruffled his daughter’s silver spines. “You ready to be off to our next destination? You get to pick this time!”

Prism’s bronze eyes lit up in excitement. “Oh! We should stop by in Los Pegasus to see Aunt Janice! It’s always good seeing her!”

Maestro nodded, and turned to the others. “Terribly sorry that I can’t stay longer. It’s just I’ve got so much to do.”

Starlight sighed. “You never stay in one place for long, do you? At least write to us and visit when you can, alright?”

Maestro nodded. “It’s a promise.” He then went over to his Emporium with his daughter. She entered first, after which the Emporium then collapsed down to the size of a portfolio. He slung it over his shoulder, and wandered off in a random direction.

The girls of the group spent the rest of the celebration chattering, even when they noticed the guards moving to build a place for Starlight. Things were certainly looking up.

Elsewhere...

Servo was prostrating herself before her benefactor, the one that returned her to life. She spoke slowly. "Milord. Please forgive my oversight. However, we may yet salvage this situation for His Great Coldness."

The pony before her was a pegasus stallion with a crystalline coat of periwinkle. His mane and tail were as dark as a starless night sky, and his eyes were light orange. His cutie mark was of a spirit circling a gravestone. He spoke in a deep, hushed tone. "You are right, my little marionette. We can salvage your little blunder." Servo flinched as he spoke that last part. "After all, those that are smart always have a back-up plan..."

Servo bowed before him again. "By your leave, I will set it up posthaste, Lord Phantom Howler."

Phantom chuckled mirthlessly, and a locket made of bismuth swayed around his neck. "Not yet. we must wait for the right time to strike..."

Servo rose from her bow. "Of course, your lordship." It was time to play a little game...

To Be Continued in: Ponyville Adjusts To Starlight

Author's Note

So I finally finished this one! True, it's a short ending, but I was uncertain on how to make it longer. It's also unedited. so there's that. Leave your thoughts down below. I'll be seeing you in the sequel soon. Update 05/08/18! You can find the sequel here.

Jarring Jolt of a Meeting

Have you ever felt like the world was out to get you? That the very forces of reality were conspiring to do you great harm? Starlight certainly felt like that in this moment. It seems that no matter what I do, something is always conspiring to get me injured in some way, shape, or form! Luckily for Starlight, she didn’t pass out from the pain of collision this time. Thank Eclipse for small blessings. She backed off from the thestral that collided with her, and examined her. She had a long, black mane, and a short blue tail. Her eyes were golden, and she had white freckles on her face. Her cutie mark was of a nimbus cloud shooting out a green lightning bolt.

She grinned sheepishly, then spoke. “Oh! Sorry, I wasn’t lookin’ where I was headin’. You okay there, miss?”

Starlight nodded as she arose. “I am quite alright, thank you. Your concern is welcome.”

The thestral mare looked at her curiously. “You aren’t mad? But, you’re Starlight Glimmer! You’re the prized protégé of King Eclipse! You’re known to have quite the temper.”

Starlight sighed. This again? I swear, will the universe never let me forget that single instant? It’s bad enough that I have recurring nightmares every night. “By Eclipse’s dual total eclipse cutie mark! That was one time, and it was against a most annoying noble known as Prince Blueblood. Honestly, it’s not like I explode violently over almost every issue like Sunset Shimmer does. Why is it that I seem to garner the much more persistent reputation for a singular event? Honestly, I wish people would just let it go already!” She yelled the last part, causing the thestral to flinch. Simmer down, Starlight. You can’t go venting your rage on her. You promised yourself that you’d never let the Blueblood Incident ever happen again. She took a few deep breaths, and calmed herself down.

The thestral mare blinked at the action, but decided to not comment on it. “So, what brings you to Ponyville?"

Starlight opened her eyes, and replied. “I was sent here by King Eclipse to help organize the Eclipse Extravaganza. I am currently looking for Thunder Blitz, the one responsible for the weather.”

The thestral mare blinked, then grinned. “So you were lookin’ for me? ‘Cause I’m your mare, Thunder Blitz!”

Starlight blinked incredulously at that. “What is with my luck today? This is the second time I’ve bumped into somebody that I’ve been looking for! Perhaps it means something…”

Thunder shrugged. “I dunno, maybe. Maybe not. I don’t put much stock in that destiny mumbo-jumbo anyway. So, you wanna know how I’m gonna keep the sky clear?”

Starlight rolled her eyes and huffed in indignation. “I know how Pegasai and Thestrals manage the weather, you know. As long as you say you can do it, I’ll just trust that you will before the Extravaganza rolls around.”

Thunder grinned slyly. “Girl, you’ve only watched amateurs up until now. Let TB show ya how a pro clears the sky!” she then shot up into the sky at insane speeds, and she then reached the highest that anypony’d ever flown. She then came zooming down so fast that a cone of air formed at her hooves. The cone of energy sparked and crackled, and then there was a loud peal of thunder that shot out like a ring, followed by a ring of green lightning. The lightning ring spread out quickly, and all the clouds were dispersed. Thunder then came down with a smug look on her face. “So, what ‘cha think? Pretty sweet, huh?”

Starlight picked her jaw from off the ground, and managed to say something coherent. “That was the Thunder Boom! How’d you pull that off?”

Thunder brushed a hoof against her chest, a smug grin on her face. “The Thunder Boom’s my pride and joy~! It’s what earned me my cutie mark!” Thunder continued, still pretty full of herself. “Say, you wanna hear the story?”

Before Starlight could even think to give an answer to that sudden question, a loud shout was heard. “THUNDER BLITZ!” Onto the scene came a Flutter Pony mare with a immaculate green coat, magenta eyes, jet mane and tail, and a cutie mark of a conductor’s baton. From the look on the mare’s face, she was very cross. She then went straight up to Thunder and yelled. “Thunder, how many times have I told you not to use your Thunder Boom near my house? You startled my choir! Honestly, sometimes I don’t know what to do with you.”

Thunder waved a hoof dismissively. “Chill, Crescendo Dream. I was just showin’ Starlight over there my sweet sky-clearin’ technique.” Thunder then turned Crescendo to face Starlight. “I suggest you say hello.”

Crescendo huffed in agitation. “Why should I even talk to that time bomb? Give me one good reason why!”

Starlight then walked straight up to Crescendo and stared her straight in the eye with a disturbingly calm gaze that burned with a hidden rage. “This time bomb is effectively King Eclipse’s eyes and ears to ensure the Eclipse Extravaganza goes smoothly!” Starlight flicked her tail in annoyance, and Crescendo’s eyes widened in horror and fear. “Ah, there’s a look of fear in your eyes now, Miss Dream. However, I’m not heartless; I won’t kick you out from the Extravaganza on the account of a petty insult such as that. I just want to know if your piece will be ready to play.”

Crescendo gulped because of her faux pas. “Ah, yes, it is, Miss Glimmer. Would you like to hear it?”

Starlight nodded with a smile. “Yes, sometime before the Extravaganza we should meet up so I can listen to your work.” Starlight started to walk away, but turned her head back to say one last thing to Crescendo. “And please, just call me Starlight. Miss Glimmer was my mother.” Starlight then left the scene, her head held high.

Author's Note

Chapter three! Once again, constructive criticism is encouraged. Positions for editor/proofreader are open, so PM me if you're interested. If you liked/disliked/faved, please comment as to why below. That's all for now.

Tough Through Scrapes

It is often said that when things are the most relaxed and cheery is the most likely time for things to go absolutely wrong. In the height of the celebration, a snapping sound was heard, and suddenly, the music stopped. Everyone backed away from the stage as an oppressive aura spread throughout the air. Maestro cursed. “Verflucht! Ich hatte gehofft, über ihre Rückkehr falsch zu sein!”

Two orbs descended from the sky; one of burning white, one of chilling black. The orbs started to twist and reshape, morphing into the forms of two alicorn mares. One of immaculate white with a mane and tail of burning flames that had eyes of blank white and a cutie mark of a fiery sun, the other of pitchest black with a mane and tail of frigid ice that had eyes of dark black and a cutie mark of an icy crescent moon. The black one spoke first. “Ahh! It’s so good to be free again. Don’t you agree, sister?”

The white one scoffed. “At least we can agree on that much. So, shall we pick up where we left off 2000 years ago?”

King Eclipse then stepped forward. “Celestia… Luna… It pains me to see that you two still have not let go of your petty feud after all this time.” He collected platinum magic in his dragon claw, and got ready to hurl it. “I wish I didn’t have to do this to you, my daughters, but, for the sake of the safety of my kingdom, I will seal you away once more!”

The black one then chuckled. “Ha! Oh, father. How nice to see you here. But, let me ask you this: do you really have the heart to imprison your daughters once again?” Her horn then started to swell with black magic, but Eclipse stood his ground.

“Even if I have to seal you away one thousand times, I will do so for my people!” Eclipse’s magic was ready to go, but he hesitated for a moment. “If you agree to give up this pointless feud amongst yourselves, I will spare you! What do you say?”

The white one scoffed as she lit her horn with white magic. “Never! Only one of us is fit to rule! However, since you are determined to bar our way, we will banish you together!” The two alicorns unleashed their magic in a spiral of black and white, and Eclipse managed to re-direct his magic to form a barrier. However, due to his hastiness, the barrier was not enough, and broke. The twin beams of magic hit, and Eclipse was whisked off into the sky.

Thunder Blitz shot up into the air. "What have you two done with King Eclipse? Just who do you two think you are?"

The white one snarled. “Oh, that old codger? We sealed him away, for all time and eternity.”

The black one spat. “As for who we are, we-”

Maestro Spectrum then stepped forward. “You’re the Twins of Terror, Scorching Sun and Chilling Moon! You’ve returned from a bygone age to continue your feud over who gets to be the successor to your father, King Eclipse. Am I getting the details correct?”

The black one, Chilling Moon, beamed. “Ah, ‘tis wonderful that one remembers us. Pray tell, who art thou? We would welcome our herald to our embrace.”

Maestro shook his head. “Maestro Spectrum won’t turn his back on his king, lady. None of us will.”

The white one, Scorching Sun, scoffed. “Thou darest to stand against us? Are there any other fools to side with you?”

Crescendo went straight up to them, and shouted. “You no-good vagrants ruined my performance!”

Cherry dragged a hoof across the ground. “Your entrance toppled one of my food stalls!”

Thunder cracked her neck. “I so want to Thunder Boom these creeps ‘till kingdom come!”

Serenity hmphed. “Honestly, I cannot abide by this atrocious disregard for the Extravaganza!”

Berry sighed. “You guys killed my good mood… (grumble, mumble… I wanted some hard cider, too…)”

Starlight then struck a hoof on the ground. “I demand that you return our King, my mentor, this instant!”

Chilling Moon then lit up her horn with magic to bring Starlight over to herself and her sister. “You are father’s champion? What a droll site you are. Still, I cannot fault him. Your power is indeed great.”

Scorching Sun then smirked. “I say that you should side with one of us girl, if you value your life. Trouble is, who will you choose?”

Starlight looked at the crowd that was judging her with their eyes. They thought that she might take the offer, to spare her own skin. The six she bonded with begged her not to, pleaded with their eyes. “You want me to abandon my teacher and side with one of you two? I have only one thing to say to that.” Starlight shut her eyes, and drew in a breath. She then shouted with such force, that it rivaled the mythical Royal Canterlot Voice. “NO!”

The force behind her shout propelled her from the magical grip, flinging her over the crowd. Luckily, Thunder Blitz managed to catch the projectile Starlight mid-air, and lowered her to the ground safely. Starlight mouthed a silent “thank you.”

Chilling Moon scoffed. “Very well, fools. We will return for your rustic town once our business is settled. And you, student of our father, will be the first to die.” Starlight gulped, and the alicorns took off to the sky.

Then Starlight turned to her… friends… as the rest of Ponyville descended into panic. “What do we do now?”

Maestro started trotting towards the Everfree. “We go save the world by finding the seven Elements of Harmony, of course. C’mon, follow me. I know where they are.”

Cherry looked around, and turned back to face Maestro. “Who? Us?”

Maestro turned back to look at the six mares. “Who else but the ones who aren’t running around like headless chickens would I be talking to? So of course you guys!” He then urged them to follow with a hoof. “C’mon! Time’s a wastin’!”

As he broke into a gallop, the six mares followed him. Starlight then thought to herself. The Elements of Harmony… Devotion, Honor, Compassion, Charity, Humor, Empowerment, and the mysterious seventh one. Just how are we supposed to use them when we find them? I hope Maestro know’s what he’s doing...

Author's Note

They're here! The Twins of Terror have appeared! But worry not! All is going to turn out swell. The Trials of Elements have begun-- tell me, who do you think will get each Element? I'm curious as to what your thoughts are.

A Kind Gesture

Do you ever feel as if something is taking forever? Admit it, we’ve all been there. Starlight certainly felt like that right now. It felt like she and her friends had been going through this forest for months. She still was having a little trouble getting used to even thinking about friendship in a positive light. She then chuckled to herself, and thought: Heh. seems I might need to fork over a ruby to Moondancer after all. Oh well. If these are my friends for the rest of my life… she then looked at the six of them trudging through the forest, and smiled to herself. I can live with losing a stupid bet.

Once again, the group abruptly stopped, but this time Starlight saw why immediately. A extremely large eagle-like bird with a sharp row of teeth in its large, menacing beak was perched in the treetops. Its golden feathers shimmered in the scant sunlight peeking through the canopy. The bird seemed to glare at the group in contempt. Maestro spoke in a hushed voice. “That’s a Thunderbird. I didn’t quite expect to see one of these here. It’s best that we try and avoid agitating it. They can shoot lightning from their eyes.”

“Is that really true?” Thunder Blitz was very confused, after all, she'd never seen a Thunderbird before. In fact; it was the first time that many in the group had seen a Thunderbird.

Maestro nodded. “My half-sister Janice still bears a scar from one. Let me tell you, that was one nasty scar. It’s not so bad now, but… well, her scream when it happened during our trip to Salt Lick City was agonizing, and it still sticks with Chessmaster and me. So, let’s think of some way around this mess.”

Thunder spoke again. “Can’t we just go around it?”

Maestro shook his head. “Not a chance. Thunderbirds are extremely territorial. If we get much closer it will most definitely attack.”

Cherry then spoke. “Couldn’t we reason with it?”

Maestro scoffed. “Unless any of you have a talent with animals, I highly doubt we could do that.”

Crescendo then lit up. “I’ve got an idea!” she then pulled out a set of wind-chimes of all things.

Starlight balked. “How will those help? It makes no-”

Maestro then interrupted. “Shhh! I know it looks unconventional, but she may be onto something.” He then gestured to Crescendo. “Continue.”

Crescendo then flapped her wings as to create a steady breeze that flowed through the wind-chimes. The melody that was produced was wonderful, crisp, and gentle. The overall effect was immediately clear as the Thunderbird started to drift off to sleep. At the end of the short lullaby, the Thunderbird was fully asleep. Crescendo then flew up to it, and checked its eyes. “Just as I thought.”

Starlight spoke questioningly. “Just as you thought? What do you mean?”

Crescendo touched down to the ground, and spoke. “I thought that the Thunderbird looked quite tired and cranky, so I played a lullaby to help it get to sleep.”

Maestro then spoke up. “As interesting as that is, we still have quite a ways to go. We best get going.”

Starlight and friends then went on their way. However Starlight started to think to herself. I think I understand now why Moondancer was pushing me to make some friends. I’ve learned now that not everyone will use you and then discard you. I feel that these friends of mine will stick with me. I can’t say how I know… I just… do. And with that thought in her head, she continued on with her friends.

However, in the shadows, a cloaked pony watches on. From beneath her hood, she grins. “Ah, the folly of these fools is delicious.” She breathes in deeply, and chuckles. “It’s good to see that they have spirit, though. That makes them far more entertaining to break.” and if you looked at her, for a moment you might see the slight gleam of a platinum locket for a split second. She then smirked to herself. “Oh yes, this is certainly going to be fun.”

Author's Note

Here's chapter ten! I'd debated merging it with chapter eleven since they're both a bit short, but then I realized that I'd have nothing ready for next week. After all, chapter twelve is taking a bit longer than I'd hoped. No editor as of yet,so this chapter may be a bit choppy. Please criticize constructively, and if you like/fave/dislike, I'd like to hear your thoughts below! See you around this time next week with chapter eleven!