My Little Ponybots

((A minor note: This fanfic takes place in the time between Seasons Two and Three of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, so please don't bother me with corrections from later episodes.))

The cracks were coming back. He could feel it, like a cool breeze blowing in under a door. It was as refreshing as fresh air itself. He didn't breathe in this state, of course, so the similarity held little value, but the cracks in the stone were evident. Funny, it takes much less time when there are six element bearers... That silly filly Celestia doesn't seem to have a single flaw, but these six... They cannot properly wield the Elements of Harmony, not with their glaring flaws of character. He gave an inward chuckle, and would have chortled out loud if he could have. They definitely won't be able to after I'm through with them! Watch out, Equestria, I'm back! And this time, the storm of chaos is going to blot out the sun!

It was another one of Equestria's shimmering evenings, and Twilight couldn't be more proud of her namesake. It showed the perfect harmony that Equestria was feeling at the time, with the moon peeking up above the horizon as the sun set in a glorious blaze of crimson and lavender. Twilight had managed to come out in the few precious minutes that the two stood side by side. The sun was like a phoenix, erupting into an enormous, melodramatic flare as its daily life cycle ended. The sheer brightness of it made Twilight's violet eyes burn, she quickly shifted her gaze to the moon for comfort. The silent disk was rising up to the left of the sun, heralding the nightly return of the stillness and coziness that lulled everypony to sleep each night, and the knowledge that no enemy lurked in the darkness that could hurt them. Smoky clouds of deep indigo and neon pink began floating across the scene, accenting the burning reds and oranges for a near-perfect balance that couldn't be achieved by any weather pony, no matter how talented.

Funny, if you look at them right, they almost look like cotton candy clouds! Twilight giggled. “Well, it sure is good to know that kind of mess is all in the past! Discord won't be coming back any time soon, and neither will Chrysalis, for that matter.” She turned back into the library, using her magic to shut the door behind her. “Spike! I need you to take a letter!”

She tried to hide her smile as the tiny, purple-and-green dragon hatchling came walking down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. She could see that he had been sleeping, or at least bedding down for the night. She could understand his exhaustion, they had spent the entire day trying to chase down Scootaloo, who had been determined that her cutie mark was going to be something involving fire, zap apples, and a Sonic Rainnuke, which Rainbow Dash had been more than happy to supply. Luckily, she, Spike, and Fluttershy reached them before they blew up half of Ponyville, and convinced Scootaloo that this was something that needed to be done FAR AWAY from town. Under careful supervision, Scootaloo didn't find her cutie mark, but did find out how to make a big mess...

“Twilight, isn't it a bit late for this? I mean, Owlicious already went out for his nighttime flight...” He yawned as he pulled open a drawer to get a quill and a fresh inkwell. He sat down at the desk and pressed the tip of the quill to the ready parchment. “Alright, go ahead...”

Twilight nodded. “I know it's late, but ever since the Princess told me that I don't need to send her a letter once a week, I think that she should have them immediately when the lesson is learned, instead...” She cleared her throat in her typical manner.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned that, although many ponies have great intentions, even the greatest intentions can go wrong if they aren't nurtured with the proper knowledge for execute them. What could be the event to change a filly's life for the better could turn into something that could hurt many other ponies, instead! Plans should always be made, and always checked by somepony qualified to do so. I learned this from a young filly here named Scootaloo, who wanted to discover her cutie mark so badly, she moved to dangerous measures...”

Twilight continued her narration as the sun set, relating that day's adventures. As the last of the pink and scarlet gave way to the deep blue of the night sky, she finished her story and lesson. “Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Did you get all of that, Spike?”

“Yep!” the tiny dragon rolled up the finished letter, sealed it, and sent it away in a puff of green smoke. “And now that that's done, I'm going to bed!” He lurched back up the steps and back up into bed, landing with a dull thud and a grunt on his pillow and blanket. He curled up in his basket-bed and was snoring in seconds. Twilight grinned at the sight, then gave an involuntary yawn, as well.

“I think that Spike's right. This was a tough day. I'm going to let him sleep in late tomorrow!” She made a final check of the bookshelves, assuring herself that none were out of order, yawning more than a few times as she did so. “I might sleep in, too!” She chuckled as she walked upstairs and climbed into bed. “After all, the Princesses declared a holiday to celebrate our victory over the changelings!” Without another word, Twilight settled under the sheets and looked out the window, watching the glowing white orb float up into the sky. She had often looked to the moon and imagined what it must have been like to be trapped inside, and enjoyed imagining all of the silly things that Princess Luna could have done in a thousand years. Maybe she wrote stories all over the inside. Entire tunnels with walls covered in words... turning the moon into a giant book! Twilight smiled at the thought as she drifted into a deep sleep. If that were true, the moon wouldn't be that bad of a place to be stuck, would it?

Before I escape, before I can even ponder escaping, I need a plan... Discord thought. While his body was inanimate and frozen, his mind was free to wander, in a sense. He hated that word, “plan”. But it was a necessary evil. They can use the elements, this is obvious, but they can be rendered unable to use them, as well. I proved this last time I was out. I just need something more permanent. Something that will stick to them like glue and refuse to wash off... Something to rock them to the very core. It needs to get those ponies out of my hair for good! For pony's sake, I'd send THEM to the moon if I coul- His train of thought came to a screeching halt. There was a spark of imagination there... an idea just waiting to blossom into existence.

Oh. That's very good. I like that plan...