Element of Fire

After the Sun Princess' departure, the next couple of days had been filled with reading and studying for Twilight Sparkle. She decided to start with the book that she picked up first, the one about the five elements. The Adventurers's resource wasn't needed for now, as Twilight wasn't going anywhere besides Ponyville, but that wasn't much of an adventure. And the strange, empty book... Twilight didn't even bother with it, but she didn't write in it either.

The stitched pages of nothingness were simply set aside, away from the two other books. She'd only continue with reading about the elements, and decided that fire might be the first element she wanted to learn about, since Spike was a fire-breathing dragon and might know a thing or two to help her, and Sozin's comet was coming very soon, which might enhance her abilities. Then she remembered the equalists, how they were going to wipe out every single bender. The avatar was obviously a bender... But do they know that she was the one? Twilight shook her head. She shouldn't worry about that, not now.

The day had came, the day in which she was leaving Canterlot, her home, to someplace else; Ponyville. Princess Celestial had told her that there had been equalist activity, and also to make friends, as that would help her with magic. Twilight knew that she should trust her new teacher, but how can making friends help her with practicing magic? It simply did not make any sense.

Twilight began to add two of the books Celestia had given her in her saddlebag, but Spike had insisted on bringing the empty one, and so she did, despite her own wishes. She also packed a few spare quills, a bottle of ink, and both Spike's and Owlicious' belongings.

The mare didn't pack many books, as Celestia had sent her a letter two days earlier about her staying in Ponyville's Golden Oaks Library, in which she happily wrote a letter back, accepting her new home.

Before she headed out with Spike- and her pet owl, Owlicious, she was flooded a few tears, words of encouragement, pride and good luck, along with hugs from her parents. Twilight promised that she will train herself to be a great avatar, though she was nervous, as she was taking the role of something important, somepony who can bring balance to the world, and restore harmony.

Shining Armor was the last one to talk to her. He gave her a big hug, and just before Twilight left, he tapped on her shoulder with his hoof.

"Look Twily, I wish that I could've spent more time with you, but I guess we can't play Pai Sho anymore now that you're leaving Canterlot," Shining Armor said, his voice tinted with sadness, but something else; pride. Just like her parents, he was proud of her.

"I'm sorry too. But I'll try to visit Canterlot, if I can." Twilight confirmed.

"Okay. Last thing is, even if we can't see each other, at least know that I'm so happy for you Twilight. I really am. I mean, my little sister is the avatar! That's something to be proud of!" He gave his sister a true, true smile, one that wasn't painted on, but instead full of contentment.

Twilight nodded, smiling, then wiped her now- teary eyes before giving her brother one last hug. And, instead of a Shining Armor leaving first, she walked out of the door, now heading towards the train heading for Ponyville, with nothing but Spike, Owlicious and her saddlebag.

The train ride was quite long, although Twilight didn't mind. Having something to read- specifically the elements book Celestia had given her, as that was the only one she began reading- was proven to be helpful on boring rides, and Spike even asked Twilight to read to him.

"'Magic is the element of influence. Unicorns who can bend magic (usually in the form of spell-casting or levitation), can only bend one of the three main categories of magic; dark magic, (also called black magic), and regular ol' unicorn magic, which is what most magic-benders use, although somewhere in Equestria, there are those who practice dark magic, which is forbidden. The third kind is alicorn magic, which is actually exclusive to, well, alicorns,'" Twilight read, ending with a yawn.

"Wait! Read some more! Please, Twilight?" Spike begged. Twilight chuckled.

"Spike, I can't. Look! We're here, in Ponyville!" she said, pointing with her hoof at the window. The train had come to a stop, after more than one hour.

The trio stepped out of the train, now out of Canterlot and already getting used to (or at least, trying to) live in Ponyville. The ponies were fairly polite and kind, though some raised eyebrows at the sight of Spike, which made sense; he was a dragon, but nopony actually seemed to be afraid of him. That was indeed a good sign, but Twilight didn't want to reveal her identity as the avatar, until later. She was too afraid that the pony she spoke to was actually an equalist, and would report her to one of their meetings for her to lose her bending. She knew that she shouldn't be scared, but her fear only grew worse as she heard chanting.

The bad kind.

"Equalists! Equalists! Equalists!" a large mob of earth ponies roared, getting louder and louder every second.

"Join the equalists! The benders in this world will be no more, and non-bending ponies will be the ones ruling! Join now!" announced a microphone-enhanced voice. Twilight turned to see a dark brown stallion with a round, dark blue cap, and next to him was a middle-aged mare handing out flyers. She gulped, and quickly turned her head. Definitely not going to tell them I'm the avatar, Twilight thought, and continued to trot, only in a quicker pace. It took all of her will not to turn around and watch the equalist supporters chant and rant about benders, or run away and hide in a bush.

As Twilight continued searching for the Golden Oaks library, Spike stopped her from walking any further. The baby dragon pointed to a pink building with a chocolate-covered roof (or at least, looked like chocolate), and an aroma of baked goods filled Spike's and Twilight's nostrils. Owlicious hooted, showing no interest in the smell, and flew to a nearby tree.

"Owlicious!" Twilight called in a loud voice, causing a few ponies to turn heads from their conversation. She stomped her hoof, but the owl shook his head. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Stay there until we get back, okay? Spike and I are going to get a quick... snack."

"Hoo."

Twilight turned to face Spike, who was already walking towards the colorful bakery, lost in a hungry trance. The unicorn lifted the dragon using her magic, then frowned.

"Stay with me, will you Spike?" she whispered. In return, Spike sighed with clear irritation, but remained obedient. Slowly, Twilight gently dropped him to the ground, then slowly walked into the bakery, the smell of sweets growing stronger.

As the two sauntered into the building, they were greeted with a pink earth pony, with a hat that resembled a cupcake, and under the hat, curled locks of her rose-pink mane were visible. Her bubbly, sky blue eyes were sparkling with excitement, and in her left hoof held a silver tray with an assortment of small, bite-sized confections. The pink earth pony broke into a large grin.

"WelcometoSugarCubeCorner! MynameisPinkamenaDianePie... butyoucancallmePinkiePie!" The earth pony spoke with such speed that Twilight could hardly make out her full name, let alone her shortened name.

"Um... I'm sorry, I didn't hear your name well-"

"Oh, I should be the pony who's sorry! Sorry! My name is Pinkie Pie. Would you like to try some samples? We have cupcakes, candy, fruit tarts, and all yummy!" Pinkie Pie asked, spontaneously pointing out the desserts on the silver tray with her hoof. Twilight gave a small smile, only to be polite. "Sure."

The pink earth pony pointed to a fruit tart, nodding her head back and forth, clearly showing a sign that Twilight should try them first. The unicorn then levitated two fruit tart samples, and placed one of the two in Spike's claws. Immediately, he plopped it into his mouth, and so did Twilight. It was delicious, perfectly flaky and the strawberries had just the right ratio of sweetness and tartness. It was good, and Twilight knew what she was going to get.

"Pinkie- Pinkie Pie? I would like to have 2 fruit tarts. To go."

"Oki-doki loki! Move towards the front please-" Pinkie stopped talking, then looked at Twilight in a strange way. Then got closer, until she was almost nose-to-nose. The unicorn stepped back, while Spike took another strawberry fruit tart from the silver tray, still in Pinkie's hoof.

"My pinkie-sense is telling me something!"

"Your pinkie-wait what?"

Pinkie Pie gasped, bouncing off the walls, then ran to the kitchen of Sugar Cube Corner, grabbing two strawberry fruit tarts, then returning to Twilight.

"You-you're not from here! Are you... a spy?" Pinkie asked in a whisper-like tone.

"Um, no." Twilight was utterly confused. Everything was happening too fast. What was pinkie sense? How did the earth pony know that Twilight wasn't from here? Nothing made sense!

"You're not a spy? Well... are you new here, or something?"

"Y-yes, I'm new here. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and... I am, uh, moving into the... library."

Pinkie froze, then galloped away, shouting out that the fruit tarts were free since Twilight was a newcomer. Spike simply shrugged, then happily bit into his own tart, enjoying the strawberries the most. The pink earth pony bounced off to another mare, who was right behind her, and greeted her with that cheerful voice of hers.

Pinkie Pie. The first pony to be nice to me, Twilight thought.

Perhaps she wasn't so bad. After all, the tarts were free and Pinkie was polite- in a way. Maybe she was just a pony who liked to make others smile, in a crazy way.

Ponyville is weird. Oh well, Twilight. Better get used to it.

After leaving the bakery, Twilight continued to look for the Golden Oaks Library, eager to read the books. She decided that she would eat her fruit tart later, but didn't store it away without warning Spike to not consume hers.

When she finally found the library, Twilight saw Owlicious who had already beat the two and arrived at their location early. The library itself looked like a tree, probably an oak tree due to its name. There were a few balconies located here and there, and on the highest one Twilight could make out a telescope. As Twilight entered, her jaw dropped. Books. There were books! And, they were available for her to read, anytime! Princess Celestia had said it herself; since Twilight was moving in, she was also the official owner of the library! Of course that meant another responsibility, but she could handle being a librarian, along with being the avatar. How hard could that be?

It took the trio awhile to get used to moving in and such, but in a couple of hours they were all set, and ready to explore the rest of Ponyville- except for Owlicious; the owl was too tired of flying, and refused to even stand on Twilight's saddlebag strap. But once she stepped out, confetti greeted her. Startled, she closed her eyes shut and stepped back, nearly tripping over Spike, who was right behind her.

"Surprise! It's Pinkie and we are here to party!" the pink earth pony Twilight met earlier exclaimed. She opened her eyes- or at least one of them. As she looked at Pinkie for one second, she turned to see Spike laying on the floor, rubbing his eyes. "Ow. Watch where you're going, Twilight," the dragon mumbled, scowling.

"Sorry Spi-wait a minute..." Twilight trailed off, quickly turning to face the bubbly pink pony.

"Did you say... we?"

As soon as Twilight asked what Pinkie Pie meant by we, the earth pony giggled and stepped to the side.

"My friends, of course!"

Twilight looked at the four new ponies who stood in front in her. They all seemed to be somewhat friendly, which was fine with her. No equalists, and more time making friends, which was what Princess Celestia wanted in the first place. To just make friends.

"This is Fluttershy. She is very shy!" said Pinkie, who then nudged a pastel-yellow pegasus with a long, pink mane to the front. Twilight couldn't even look at her in the eyes, which were mostly hidden from view by her mane. The pegasus murmured something, though she couldn't even make out what she was saying, due to her lower-than-a-whisper voice. Still, Twilight attempted to be friendly with her, even if she couldn't hear her.

"Uh-hello, Fluttershy, I'm Twilight Sparkle. You can come-" her voice was cut off as soon as Fluttershy saw Spike with her teal-colored eyes. "A baby dragon!" the pegasus gasped, running inside the library.

"Ooh! I forgot to mention- Fluttershy just loves critters! That's how she got her cutie mark!" Pinkie explained, then turned to introduce another pony, a white unicorn with an elegantly-styled, purple mane. "I am Rarity," the white unicorn introduced in a sophisticated tone, cutting off Pinkie Pie.

Unbeknownst to Rarity, the moment Spike had just put his eyes on her, he was stunned, no longer answering Fluttershy's dragon questions. Spike had found his special somepony- or at least, that was what the baby dragon thought- and began to slowly walk towards Rarity. Meanwhile, Pinkie continued introducing her own friends to her new friend.

"This is Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie pointed to a light-cerulean colored pegasus, and sure enough, had a rainbow mane and tail, and had red-violet eyes. "I'm RD, or Dash. I'm awesome!" the blue pegasus smiled, right before flying into the building with an incredible amount of speed that caused Twilight's mane to completely get messed up. Great.

The last pony that Pinkie introduced was an earth pony like herself. The mare had a pallid orange coat, green eyes, a blonde mane and tail, with both ends tied with red ribbon, and a brown hat.

"This here is Applejack!" Pinkie exclaimed, nodding at her. Applejack took off her hat, put it close to her chest, then bowed.

"Howdy there, sugar cube. Nice to meet you," she responded, her voice coated with a thick country-accent.

"Nice to meet you too."

As the two earth ponies walked in, Twilight closed the door behind her, and adjusted her mane back to its original style.

The party was accompanied by more confetti, a plate of apple fritters made by Applejack, some fruit punch and a blue-frosted cake. Twilight was not prepared for a surprise party, but she accepted it anyways. Everything was happening too fast; first she was told be Princess Celestia that she was the avatar, then she moved to Ponyville, and now Twilight was having a party with her new friends? The lavender unicorn pondered for awhile, until she interrupted by Pinkie Pie once more.

"So Twilight, I hoped you enjoyed the party! It was super- spectacularly- amazingly- awesomely- incredibly wonderful!" she piped, suddenly popping a party popper. "Woohoo!"

Twilight smiled nervously, and began to turn around. Of course, Pinkie Pie had planted herself behind Twilight, her demeanor a teeny bit more serious.

"Anyways, where were you from? You said you were new, and that makes sense since I've never seen you around, which is why I thrown you this party..." the pink mare's voice trailed off, and Twilight found herself surrounded by the four other ponies. She could tell by their faces that they were also curious.

"Oh. I-I'm from, um, Canterlot," Twilight answered. Just as she mentioned Canterlot, Rarity gasped, then galloped over to her.

"You're from... C-Canterlot?" Rarity's voice was filled awe. "I've always wanted to see Canterlot! I may be a Ponyville pony, but I am, on the inside, a Canterlot mare!"

"Oh... good for you, I guess. I was sent here by Celes-" Twilight quickly covered her mouth with her hoof.

The whole library had been filled with a loud silence. She couldn't believe what she had just did- she spoiled it. She told everyone that Celestia herself sent her, and even though she didn't finish her sentence, the expression on her new friends' faces were undeniably uncertain and curious.

"I... I meant..." Twilight began, but was cut off by Rainbow Dash, who narrowed her eyes. She flew closer to the lavender unicorn.

"Hold up. Did you just say that Celestia sent you here?"

"Heh... no..."

"C'mon now! That's-a lie, sugar cube. That's the worst lie ah ever heard, even worse than how ah lie. I'm an honest pony."

Twilight swallowed, then backed up until she felt the bookcase behind her. Twilight unleashed a sheepish grin, and laughed anxiously. There was no use in lying now; she had to tell them, explain to her new friends everything. She saw Applejack say something else, but couldn't hear what she said. She was thinking, thinking on what to say. It reminded her of the last question she wanted to ask Princess Celestia, but kept on thinking, deciding her choice. Now, she was in a similar situation, and in deep thought.

"Um... I know that you guys don't really know me, but you have to keep this a secret, okay?"

Everypony nodded, then placed one hoof on their chest. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, but didn't even bother to ask what the whole cupcake-in-my-eye thing was about. She took a deep breath, and explained everything. Everything including the fact that she was the avatar, which was the last thing she told them.

Silence one again took over the library. Spike had already gone off to bed due to his exhaustion, and Twilight was waiting for everypony's response. Immediately, she regretted telling the five ponies everything. So much for responsibility, Twilight thought with her eyes closed.

"So... you're the avatar?!" a voice broke the silence. It was Rainbow Dash's. "That... is... AWESOME!!!"

The purple unicorn opened her eyes. A wave of relief came to Twilight. She had done it. She told her new friends that she was the avatar, and they accepted her.

It had been an interesting first-day in Ponyville, and soon turned out to be a great night. As soon as the questions, clean-ups and goodbyes were over, Twilight headed off to bed.

She had a strange dream, a dream in which she saw a comet past by earth. The equalist-supporter stallion was there on her left side, and behind him was a mob of non-benders, and they were chanting, "War! War!War!" On the right side, Twilight saw... herself. Her eyes were glowing white, and she was hovering, getting higher off the ground. Then, they began to fight. The equalist-supporters began throwing objects at her, and after the throwing, she fell, slamming hard against the ground. Horrified, Twilight tried to move, but was frozen, unable to help her dream-self, who was laying on the floor, unmoving. Her dream had truly turned into a nightmare.

Out of nowhere, Celestia's voice was heard.

"f you are killed in the avatar state, the avatar cycle will not continue."

The comet then came closer to Twilight (the dream-version), and the announcer-pony had a menacing grin on his face.

"Victory for the equalists! The avatar is dead!" he shouted, cheers pouring out. As the comet got closer, Twilight heard her name, once again in Celestia's voice. It sounded distant, but yet so close...

"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight..."