Fall of the Sun

by Nadir

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Sad, Romance, Adventure
Length: 7268

An old enemy comes back with a new power.

An old enemy of Twilight's returns years later much more powerful than before and seeking revenge. The kingdom of Equestria quickly falls under siege to this new foe; more lethal than Discord and more insidious than Chrysalis. Will they be able to stop the impending doom before their peace is lost for good?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-06-21 00:24:46 UTC

Conflict

Tendrils of fog clung tightly to shadowed trees and pooled in the clearing. A dim light shone through the vapor, barely illuminating the clearing. A lone mare stood in the mist, shivering from the cold and glancing around nervously.

From everywhere, a voice reverberated, shaking the mare to her very bones. “You poor foal. You want power, something to defeat those who have humiliated you. You desire revenge. You feel deserving of such a fate. After all, who has worked harder for this than you? Who has put more effort forth than you?”

The ambient light suddenly increased in intensity and concentrated to a single point in front of the mare, nearly blinding her. “I have power you desire, but that does not mean you are going to get it. The question is, what you will do for me,” the voice continued. The sheer force of magic behind the voice nearly caused the mare to collapse. Despite the power, it spoke slowly, deliberately teasing her with its words.

The light moved closer, the sheer power radiating from it addicting to the mare. Before it reached her though, it paused. A single beam of light connected to her horn and the mare felt her mind probed against her will. The unfamiliar consciousness rifled through her memories, her wants, her needs. It spared her no comfort, viciously bringing up memory after painful memory and just as quickly discarding them. The consciousness finally left, satisfied with what it found. The mare’s head was left aching, pounding from the rough handling.

There was a pregnant pause, but finally the voice spoke a single sentence, so quietly the mare almost couldn’t hear.

“I think you’ll do just fine.”

The already overbearing presence increased, causing her to shake violently. The mare in the mist was finally forced down onto her stomach. The sheer amount of magic would have overwhelmed lesser ponies long before, but not her. The light started to drift over to her, the sense of oppression growing all the while.

All of the light in the clearing coalesced into a single point. The contrast between light and dark left her nearly blinded. Finally, the light touched her horn. A searing bolt of pain flooded her mind, leaving her senseless.

The pain dissipated with the bright flare. The mare rolled onto her side, body heaving with each painful breaths. Her coat glistened with sweat and she struggled to compose herself. But still, she smiled.

“Th-thank you,” the mare managed to gasp out. The mist slowly dissipated, fading to black. From the growing shadows, the voice rang out once again.

“Ah yes, my little pony. Have fun with your new toys, but remember your debt,” the voice finished ominously. Silence fell, leaving the mare alone in the dark.

A single thought now filled the mare’s mind.

Wake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight’s life couldn’t have been more perfect. She had the best friends in all of Equestria, she had a regular correspondence with the two princesses, and she lived comfortably in a growing town.

For the first time in quite a while, her life was peaceful. Discord had been defeated, Luna was free, and her friends were as happy as could be. Sure, they sometimes had problems like Trixie or Gilda, but they always seemed to work out. Barring the appearance of anymore long-lost foes, she could actually have some time to finally get in real research without any disturbances. But that was for tomorrow.

It was with this feeling of contentment that Twilight finished her nightly schedule and checked the last item off of her regular list (which just so happened to be, “check final item off of ‘get ready for bed’ checklist”).

“Good night Spike!” Twilight called out cheerily. She was finally settling into bed for the night. Spike only mumbled something in return, too far gone already to be coherent. Twilight smiled in amusement at her assistant and pulled the covers up around herself. She let her horn-light die out and closed her eyes, counting pegasi to sleep. She flickered on the edge of consciousness, going through one final mental checklist. Unfortunately, Twilight would not get her sleep, not tonight.

Her wall exploded.

The explosion blew catapulted her from her bed, twisting her up in her blankets. Debris from the wall peppered her body with multiple small cuts and bruises. The larger pieces thankfully missed her. The accompanying boom left her temporarily deaf.

Twilight struggled her way out from the mess of her covers. Spike was much better off; he was able to get to his feet quickly and was apparently unharmed; her bed must have shielded him from most of the damage. Through the smoke and dust, Twilight could vaguely discern a pony-shaped silhouette in the new hole in her wall.

Twilight got to her hooves and shook her head, trying to clear away some of the dizziness. Her horn shimmered as she cast a spell to clear away the smoke. Most of the smoke instantly cleared, leaving only a faint tinge of gray in the air and an acrid smell. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock, easily recognizing the mare.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie’s voice boomed, resonating with raw, powerful magic. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is so very happy to see you! It’s been too long!”

Twilight’s horn flared to life again, reflexively summoning a protective bubble. “H-hello Trixie. I don’t suppose you have a good reason for bursting into my library like this?”

Twilight’s nervous stuttering sounded pathetic in response to Trixie’s sheer confidence. Trixie’s superior grin became something closer to a sneer.

“Oh Twilight. You remember don’t you? All that time ago when The Great and Powerful Trixie visited your ‘quaint’ little village. She had so much fun! The show amazed everypony, naturally, even your friends! And then you had to come along.”

Her smooth tone twisted, becoming malicious. The blue mare started to pace in front of the hole now.

“You. The self-righteous prodigy of the princess herself! No, you had to come and be a big hero and make The Great and Powerful Trixie look like a loser! Let me tell you something Twilight. No pony, and I mean no pony makes a foal out of the Great and Powerful Trixie! Not anymore at least.” Trixie abruptly started cackling crazily. Her horn started to glow, sparks flickering off it in an unadulterated display of power.

“L-Look, I don’t suppose we could, er, talk our way through this?” Twilight asked. Trixie didn’t feel the same anymore. Her magic hadn’t been dismissible when they first met, certainly above average, but now? Now it was oppressive, almost suffocating. And the look in Trixie’s eyes was hauntingly similar to that of Pinkamina’s, but with a cold intelligence behind them. Twilight telekinetically pulled Spike behind her, the young dragon shaking and hiding his eyes.

“Oh no Twilight. Your chance to beg for forgiveness is long passed. You belittled the Great and Powerful Trixie --now Trixie is going to prove who the real magician is!” Trixie’s horn flared brighter and Twilight felt something nip at the edge of her shield.

Twilight could feel her shield started to decompose. Normally, when her shield broke, it went away all at once. This was slower, like the shield was dying. The magic touching her felt like nothing she had felt before; it felt toxic.

In a panic, Twilight hugged Spike to her chest and teleported away, outside the library. She could hear Trixie’s magically amplified voice scream in frustration. Twilight readied another teleportation spell, trying to get as far away from the enraged Trixie as possible.

Before she could even begin to gather her concentration she was interrupted by a telekinetic blast to the face. The force separated her from Spike, sending her clear across the square.

Twilight landed flat on her face, eliciting a painful groan. She felt foreign magic flip her onto her back and saw Trixie looming over her. Trixie’s appearance had changed now. The color had left her eyes, leaving them shining white, overflowing with power. The light flowing from Trixie’s eyes was hypnotizing and Twilight lost herself within it. The azure unicorn’s horn glowed with both her normal magic and something deeper, a sickly green shine.

As Trixie began to speak, Twilight noticed her sharpened teeth; a new wave of terror washed over her and she began to struggle. Trixie only chuckled and forced her back into the dirt.

“You won’t escape the Great and Powerful Trixie that easily! Quite a poor show coming for the fabled Princess’s apprentice!” Trixie’s mocking tone was accompanied by a condescending sneer.

Somehow Trixie had procured a knife gripping it tight in her magic. The knife touched the base of Twilight’s horn as she squeezed her eyes shut, praying it was all a nightmare.

Suddenly, Trixie’s weight was gone, her oppressive magic shoved away from her along with a great whoosh of air. The knife fell, cutting her cheek on the way down. Twilight dared to open her eyes again; Trixie had been thrown all the way across the clearing and now stood opposite an unlikely figure.

Luna landed on the ground with a crash, sending up a cloud of dirt. Her horn shone with the light of the moon and her eyes gleamed with ferocity. “Thou shalt not harm Twilight Sparkle lest thou deal with us!” The night princess shouted in the royal Canterlot voice. Twilight struggled to her feet and tried to move closer to Luna, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier.

“And you’re going to be the one to stop the Great and Powerful Trixie?” Trixie asked mockingly. “Not even an alicorn can stand against the Great and Powerful Trixie!” She lashed her head, sending a wave of white flames out towards Luna. Even from the other side of the barrier, Twilight could feel how magically intense they were, enough to scorch a pony to the bones. Luna didn’t bother moving immediately, waiting for the flames to get close and obscure her visage. At the last moment, she teleported behind Trixie and bucked her before she could even realize what was happening.

Trixie’s body flew through the air, landing in her own conjured flames. She yelled out, with the savagery of a wild animal. The flames instantly disappeared. Trixie now stood where her flames had been, cape singed but otherwise unharmed.

“Take thy warning! Thou may be strong, but we have been fighting for centuries!” Luna taunted, an honest-to-Celestia smirk on her face. Luna’s stance radiated confidence, and she stood ready to enforce her threat.

Trixie’s eyes narrowed, but for once, she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she replied by sending multiple azure missiles streaking towards Luna. Luna simply moved out of the way for most of them, but sent the few that got too close back towards their owner, twice as fast. Trixie’s eyes widened in shock as her own missiles sliced through her skin, drawing blood. Luna teleported once more, this time striking Trixie’s muzzle with a forehoof. Trixie tumbled across the ground.

Trixie barely managed to pull her battered body to her hooves. Her eyes had started to dim enough to make out her eye color. “I- The Great and Powerful Trixie shall return!” She proclaimed. Her magically enhanced voice slipped for a second, revealing her weakness. In a bright flash of green and accompanying bang, she disappeared.

Twilight still stood, stunned by the display of such powerful magics. As soon as the barrier dropped though, Twilight sprinted across the square towards Spike’s prone form, desperate to ensure her trusted assistant’s safety.

“Spike?!” She tried to shake him awake, gripping him in her magic and levitating him to her face. The little dragon didn’t move, but his steadily rising and falling chest assured her that he was still alive. Twilight sighed in relief and placed him gently on her back.

Preoccupied with her assistant, Twilight didn’t notice Luna approach from behind her, seemingly unaffected by the battle she had just fought and the amount of magic spent. “Twilight Sparkle, how fare thee?” Luna asked, toning down her volume for a face to face conversation.

“L-Luna? W-What was all that!?” Twilight yelped, eyes grown to the size of saucers.

“That? That was nothing,” Luna answered with a scoff. “Come now, it appears as if it is not safe for thee here. We would like thee to accompany us to Canterlot.” Luna started to lead the way through the square, in the direction of the town hall as if she already knew what Twilight was going to answer.

“O-of course I’ll come. But princess, what about my friends? And how did you know I was in trouble?” Twilight questioned, struggling to keep up with the longer strides of the princess of the night.

“Patience, Ms. Sparkle. We will explain all when we are safely in Canterlot castle. Chariots have been dispatched for thy friends. Thou art safe.” Twilight frowned at the blunt dismissal but didn’t press on. If the princess said she had it under control, it was not Twilight’s place to doubt her.

They traveled in silence until they reached the town hall, where a chariot awaited them headed by two of Luna’s bat-ponies. “Climb aboard,” Luna ordered. Twilight boarded it without a second thought, used to following the Princesses’ commands, and the chariot instantly took to the sky, followed by Luna herself.

Hundreds of questions flooded Twilight’s mind. How had Trixie gotten so strong? She certainly wasn’t so overwhelming the last time she had been in Ponyville. Talented yes, but not in terms of raw magic.

And how had Luna managed to show up exactly when she needed her? There was definitely something going on here more than just Trixie’s petty vengeance and Twilight intended to find out.

Rest

Twilight’s chariot reached Canterlot within the hour. The chariot touched down in the most inner courtyard of Canterlot Castle, a place Twilight was able to recognize as the entryway into the private chambers of the royal sisters.  Celestia awaited their arrival, her visage that of eternal peace. It seemed no matter how bad the crisis, Celestia would remain ever calm. Twilight descended from the chariot on shaky legs, not used to being flown quite so quickly.

“Twilight, I am glad to see you mostly well. If only it could be under better circumstances,” Celestia welcomed her with her usual calm and collected smile. Despite the smile, Twilight could pick up hints of distress from Celestia. “You may leave us. I trust that my sister and I can keep the elements safe,” she added, in a clear dismissal to the guards. The two pegasi bowed as deeply as the chariot harness would allow them before departing.

“Princess, what in Equestria is happening? And how did Luna know I was in trouble?” Twilight asked. She skipped the usual formalities that one would follow when addressing the princess of Equestria. She normally would have at least bowed to Celestia, but her panic overwhelmed the need for pleasantries.

Celestia approached Twilight and wrapped her in a close wing-hug. “I’m afraid that is something my sister will have to answer after she arrives with your friends. I’m afraid I don’t fully know myself what has transpired tonight, but the important thing is you’re safe now.” Celestia started to step back and instantly frowned. “You’re bleeding!” Celestia’s horn shone golden and Twilight felt warm as her various cuts and scrapes healed themselves.

“You’ve been through so much tonight haven’t you?” Celestia murmured sadly. “I’m afraid you won’t be staying in your old quarters with Spike; it’ll be safer to keep you in the heart of the castle.” She turned to the massive doors which led to her private chambers. They slowly split open on their own accord.

Twilight’s anxiety put on hold; her curiosity returned once again. Despite how long she had been Celestia’s apprentice, she had never actually been inside her private chambers.  As far as she knew, nopony had actually been this far into the castle, at least not within several millennia. It took Twilight a minute to realize she was following far behind Celestia, and she hurried to catch up.

Celestia had retreated into a hallway that made even the rest of Canterlot castle seem as quaint as the Ponyville library. The floor was made with marble tiles and the chandeliers hanging above were made from pure gold and were lit with the bright light of Celestia’s magic. Paintings and statues of Celestia  lined the walls; Twilight recognized some from artists dating back hundreds of years. A single strip of deep red carpet ran down the length of the hallway. At the end, the hallway split into two corridors, one retaining the bright colors of the main hallway while the other quickly darkened into a vast spectrum of cool colors. Celestia waited by the entrance, giving Twilight time to adjust.

“Like it?” Celestia asked. Her voice broke Twilight from a stupor she hadn’t even realized she was in.

“Y-yes, it’s wonderful your majesty,” Twilight replied, blushing slightly. Celestia chuckled and led the way down the bright corridor, ending at an oak paneled door that was a bit of a letdown after the former opulence. Celestia gently opened the door and entered the room. Twilight found herself hesitating, nervous yet again. Still… she had been invited. She took a deep breath and entered Celestia’s room.

After the previous extravagance, Celestia’s room was like a breath of calm. It was large and richly decorated, yes, but much more understated than the hallway. The walls were barren of any decoration and there was no furniture save the bed. More than three times the size of Twilight’s, the bed was surrounded by a canopy of red silks. The bed itself was messy and unmade, a shock against the otherwise cleanliness of the room. The windows were covered with curtains matching the canopy of Celestia's bed. Another door, similar to the one she had just entered, led to what Twilight assumed was the bathroom.

Twilight felt a weight leave her back and saw Spike floating across the room enveloped in a field of yellow magic.

“Poor thing, my problems always seem to drag you two into danger. He’s fine though, just fainted from shock. I’m afraid since this is such short notice I couldn’t get you a room in the castle for all six of you, so I decided it would be best for you to borrow my room for a while,” Celestia said. Celestia had halted directly beside Twilight without her even noticing.

“A-are you sure that’s ok?” Twilight protested. Surely she couldn’t stay in the princess’s room. Where would Celestia sleep?

“You’re my faithful student, of course it’s ok,” Celestia replied mirthfully. “It’s the least I can do for you.” Celestia’s teasing smile grew serious, and she turned away from Twilight.

After a pause, Celestia continued in a quiet voice, “This power Trixie found is not something that my sister and I are unfamiliar with. It was not necessarily an enemy back then. We encountered it long before the Equestria you know was formed. There was very little land back then, and no sentient beings besides my sister and me, Discord, and a few other long forgotten beings, whose powers are no longer known or  are simply shrouded in myth.” Celestia turned back to Twilight, who was enraptured with her tale.

“Why don’t you have a seat Twilight? We may be talking for a while,” Celestia suggested warmly, and gracefully motioned towards her bed with a single wing.

Twilight gratefully collapsed onto the bed beside her number one assistant, too tired and curious by Celestia’s story to care about what was proper any longer. Twilight let out a sigh of comfort, earning another chuckle from Celestia. The regal princess spared a moment to pull the covers up around Twilight and Spike. As Twilight made herself comfortable, Celestia reached out with her magic to tightly draw the curtains and light a bedside lamp.

“Tell me Twilight, are you familiar with the tale of the shrine of Exuro?” Celestia asked. Her former teasing was gone, replaced with deadly seriousness. The flickering lamp light flickered off Celestia’s coat and mane, reminding Twilight of the setting sun.

“I believe I have read about it before. Wasn’t it supposed to be able to grant any wish. I thought it was just a fairy tale, something for ponies to dream about,” Twilight replied. Truth told, she had only ever once heard of the name Exuro. She could barely remember it now, but she thought it was back from a children’s story when she was much younger.

“That’s the gist of the tale, yes. I’m sure you realize by now that not all fairy tales are false. Exuro’s tale is true, much like that of Nightmare Moon. And like my sister, Exuro made a terrible mistake. I won’t delve into the details now, his last wish was for me not to, but he wanted to end his life. That’s the problem with being immortal; when you want to die, you can’t.”

“The rest of us got together. With all our power combined, we disassembled Exuro’s very being. Most of his immortality was spread to his children, the dragons, where they gained their longevity. The rest was placed in a reservoir of power deep in the earth, with a temple built atop of it. The temple possessed the last access point to Exuro’s consciousness, which was just a shadow of his former self. He no longer had to worry about his mistake. Together, we hid the entrance to Exuro’s temple, but apparently not well enough.” Celestia finished her story, leaving the two in silence as Twilight processed all she had been told.

“So… Trixie found this shrine and took the power for herself?” Twilight asked.  Celestia nodded in response. “But how did she find out? How do you even get Exuro’s power? How did she-” Celestia raised a hoof, silencing Twilight.

“I’m sorry, I’ve told you all I know, my sister perhaps may be able to-” A knock at the door silenced Celestia. “There she is now, it seems. Come in!” Luna marched in without delay, not waiting to be recognized.

“Tia! How can thou sit idly by whilst that foolish mare runs rampant with His power?” Luna demanded. Her wings were flared out and her horn was alight in anger.

“Calm yourself Luna. From the reports, you injured the mare enough for us to gain respite. We have no need to hurry, especially with her target sitting right in front of us. Don’t you think Twilight, at least, deserves an explanation?” Celestia gestured with a wing towards Twilight, who shrunk back. She didn’t want to have any part in the fight between the two sisters.

“We must prepare! The power of Exuro is nothing for thee to underestimate!” Luna pressed on. “Once this foalish mare realizes her potential, we shall have no rest. Must we go unprepared now and suffer the consequences later?”

“We have time, Luna. She has just found her powers and I believe we already have the key to stopping her here. Surely you’ve felt Twilight’s potential?” Celestia asked. Twilight wished she could snuggle under the covers and simply disappear.

“Didst thou learn how she was found? With a knife against her horn. She has potential, but she remains weak and untried! We must begin now or face destruction!”

Celestia’s eyes widened in shock for the briefest fraction of a second, before regaining her composure. “Still, we must remain calm. Letting our emotions get the best of us has only lead to turmoil in the past.” Luna winced at this, clearly reminded of Nightmare Moon. “Considering she was the one threatened, do you not think she at least deserves an explanation of why it happened?”

Luna had finally calmed down. Her wings relaxed back down at her back and her horn no longer glowed. “We suppose so,” Luna muttered, admitting defeat. “We shall still rally the guards and you shall give her proper training!” Celestia nodded her assent.

“L-Luna, now may not be the best time, but how did you know I was in trouble?” Twilight asked. The night princess honestly terrified her now. She had been alright on Nightmare Night, but she seemed to lose control of her emotions easily. With that much power, it was terrifying to think what could happen. Luna sighed and started pacing impatiently.

“We shall assume that Celestia hast already informed thee of Exuro. Exuro was… close to us. Exuro and myself had a special bond, even amongst immortals. Only Tia knew us better than him. We were the last ones to assent to his destruction, and thus the last to add our power. When that foalish mare used his power, I felt Him instantly. I thought maybe... well we were quite surprised to see that mare, and you,” Luna answered. When she spoke of Exuro, her voice became  downcast and sullen. Twilight suspected that Luna and Exuro’s involvement was much deeper than she was willing to admit right now.

“To be honest, we did not know that thy life was endangered. However, it is quite fortunate that we arrived when we did, the Bearers of Harmony will be instrumental in the coming storm and therefore must be prepared,” Luna finished, returning her gaze once more to Twilight.

That explained, Twilight’s thoughts went back to herself. “I... guess that makes sense. What did you mean about training? I can’t fight!” Twilight protested. She had read the theory for war spells; most unicorns do. That didn’t mean she wanted to use them though. Nopony would actually want to hurt anypony else.

“I must agree with Luna,” Celestia admitted. “You are the target of Trixie’s rage and need to know how to protect yourself. Magic is both destructive and hard to master, but you’re up to the test. The element of magic didn’t transfer itself from me to you for no reason. As much as I’d like to, I cannot always protect, as Chrysalis has shown,” her voice finished bitter.

Celestia quickly hid her emotions though, and continued. “However, that doesn’t mean the regular guard training will be right for you. Tomorrow, I’ll assign you a tutor. For now though, you should probably get some sleep.” Celestia and Luna turned to leave.

“Wait! Before you go, how are my friends?” Twilight asked. Luna had said they were being picked up, but she had to be sure.

“Thy friends remain safe in the castle Twilight Sparkle. They sleep in the guard barracks, safe and sound.” Luna replied, voice slightly warmer. Twilight nodded her thanks, and watched silently as the princesses left the room. At the door, Celestia paused.

“Good night Twilight, sleep well my faithful student.” Celestia paused and said. Her voice sounded caring, but worried.

“Good night princess.” Twilight replied, finally realizing how tired she was. Twilight curled up around her assistant and let herself nod off, ready to let the day pass behind her.

Morning

Twilight awoke to a knock on the door. At first, she didn’t know where she had arisen. She didn’t need to look long to look for her assistant; sometime during the night he had nestled into the curve of her body. Somepony had opened the curtains while she slept, leaving her to awake just as the sun began to crest over the horizon, offering a stunning view of the morning skyline of Canterlot. What else did she expect of Celestia’s room?

“Twilight?” She heard her mentor call from outside the room. Twilight sidled out of the bed, trying hard not to wake Spike who still slept beside her. She slowly pulled the door open with her magic, telekinesis still clumsy from sleep.

“Good morning, princess,” Twilight greeted quietly, trying to stifle a yawn. After the excitement of last night, sunrise seemed much too early for her to actually wake up. Celestia peeked over her shoulder, and clearly saw Spike still in bed.

“I’m sorry to wake you so early after such an ordeal, but we can’t waste today. Meet Luna and I in the dining hall as soon as you’re ready. You may use my bathroom, which is just over there,” Celestia directed, pointing a hoof towards the door Twilight had spotted the night before. Twilight nodded her agreement, the gravity of the situation and Celestia’s tone quickly shocking her awake.

“Then I’ll see you soon, my faithful student. If you can’t remember where the dining hall is, ask a guard,” Celestia whispered, closing the door. Twilight headed to the bathroom and closed the door behind her, locking it to ensure the avoidance of any awkward interruptions. As one might expect, Celestia’s bathroom was of palatial proportions. The room was filled with a hot, fragrant steam and the cool tiles felt soothing under her hooves.

The bath itself was sunk into the floor. Steps led down into the water, which grew deeper the farther one went in, much like a swimming pool.  Pure white columns grew from the edge of the bathroom, separating massive panels of a stained glass mosaic. Each panel depicted peaceful scenes of a meadow creek, or a mountain waterfall, or a gentle foaming surf. It took Twilight a few seconds for her to realize the bottom of the mosaics were actually made from colorful bottles, holding all the bath essentials.

Twilight slowly took the stairs down into the bathroom, the water pleasantly warm on her fatigued body. She levitated several of the bottles out, only to find them unlabeled. She uncorked a few at a time and dabbed them on her hoof. The bottles seemed to contain everything from mane conditioner to shampoo and even, as Twilight was delighted to find, bubble bath.

Twilight, unused to the array of options, simply used the first shampoo she found, a blend of lavender and vanilla that left her mane feeling like silk. Necessity done, Twilight found herself drifting towards the deeper end. Twilight sunk down into the water until it was just below her muzzle and closed her eyes, taking a few minutes just to relax. With a deep breath, she fell back, immersing herself completely under water. Her heartbeat sounded in her ears like a drum, but underneath it she could hear faraway hoofsteps and kitchenware clatters; the heartbeat of the royal palace.

Eventually, she had to come back up for air, breaking her from her reverie. She couldn’t stop her thoughts from drifting back to last night. If Trixie hadn’t taken the time to taunt her, she could have easily killed Twilight. If Luna hadn’t gotten there in time... Every time Twilight closed her eyes, she could see Trixie standing above her, completely in control. The water no longer felt warm and comforting.

At some point, Twilight had started to cry without her even realizing it. She could feel her legs and hooves shaking under the water, terrified despite knowing she was safe in the castle. Her logical mind told her it was ok for now, but she couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched. Twilight dunked her head under the water, attempting to escape it all. When she finally resurfaced, she began making her way out of the bath. Her tears had stopped and she felt oddly empty.

She dried herself off with a quick spell. She didn’t bother trying to find a brush for her mane; she wouldn’t know the first place to look and never had really cared anyways. The longer she spent on her own, the more it felt like somepony’s eyes were boring into the back of her head.

Twilight moved quietly through the bedroom. As soon as she closed the door behind her though, she broke into a quick trot. She needed to not be alone with her thoughts. Twilight had lived in the castle long enough to know how to get to the dining hall on her own. Some of the guards even recognized her, but she didn’t bother to stop and chat.

Right before Twilight entered the dining hall, she stopped and took a second to compose herself. She shook her head clear and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. She finally entered the hall and plastered on a fake smile. Twilight quickly spotted Celestia, looking as calm as always. Luna sat beside her, looking much more disgruntled and impatient. Twilight’s smile became genuine as she saw her friends sitting adjacent to the princesses.

Pinkie practically bounced in her seat, exuberant as always. She was talking at a thousand miles an hour  to a Rainbow Dash set on devouring the entire table. Fluttershy sat opposite of Rainbow Dash concentrating fully on her pancakes and hiding behind her mane. Applejack sat beside Pinkie, ever-present hat on as usual. Rarity was the last of her friends, opposite of Applejack with her face down onto the table. Her mane was much more frazzled than usual. None of them seemed to notice Twilight instantly.

Twilight took the walk over to her friend’s table slowly. The pressure that had been oppressing her early seemed to have vanished. She could breathe easily once again. Celestia spotted her first, adopting the same easy, content smile. At Celestia’s reaction, the rest of her friends turned and caught sight of Twilight.

“Twilight, Twilight, Twilight, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie started chanting. Despite being across the table from her moments before, Pinkie Pie somehow managed to instantly be up in her face. “Twilight how are you? Are you alright? Celestia told us what happened and I’m sooo happy you’re alright! Luna’s guards woke me up in the middle of the night and I didn’t know what was going on for so long and I didn’t want to leave the Cakes but she said she really really super duper needed us to come with her because that big old meanie pants Trixie was back and she was coming after us and-”

“Pinkie!” Twilight interrupted, failing to hold back a small laugh. Twilight placed a hoof over Pinkie’s mouth, trying to hold back giggles. “I”m alright! Luna managed to fight Trixie off. She was amazing really.” Twilight noticed Luna had actually taken a small smile for a second before quickly turning back to frown as if remembering how much trouble Trixie had made. Luna quickly excused herself and left in a bit of a hurry.

“I’m... I’m so sorry you guys had to get dragged into this.” Twilight finished lamely. She took one last look over her friends, noting once again their haggard and weary appearances before taking the empty seat in between Fluttershy and Rarity. Rarity had finally brought her head up, giving Twilight her first good look. Rarity’s eyes were bloodshot and wide open; with her frazzled mane, she looked quite different than usual.

“Twilight, so very good to see you.” Rarity’s voice sounded dead tired and her greeting was interrupted with a huge yawn. “Forgive me, but those barracks were absolutely dreadful! Those beds, if they even deserved the name, felt like I was sleeping on a rock!”

“Eh, I’ve napped on worse,” Rainbow Dash chimed in between bites. “Although it sure made my wings bucking hurt.”

“Rainbow! Language! We’re sitting with the princess!” Rarity hissed back.

“Ah’m sure that she’s heard worse. Oh, and mornin’, Twi!” Applejack cut in. From beside her, Twilight could just barely hear Fluttershy muttering good morning to her. Fluttershy, always the timid one, seemed even more bashful around Celestia.

“My little ponies, I am truly happy that you are all safe now, but we won’t have that luxury for much longer, I’m afraid,” Celestia interrupted. Every pony turned towards the Princess, and Celestia locked eyes with each of them in turn, impressing upon them the gravity of the situation as she spoke.

“Each and every one of you is likely to be targeted by Trixie. From what I remember of Twilight’s recounting of Trixie’s disastrous show, each of you, save Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, participated. Trixie seems to have taken a fixation on those who ruined her show, some sort of vengeance perhaps.”

“Being the Elements will only compound your danger. I cannot fully disclose what has occurred, as it is not my story to tell, but Trixie awoke an ancient being and borrowed its power.” Twilight nearly interrupted to question Celestia. Shouldn’t they know as much as possible to be able to better survive? Knowledge was power, after all. She assumed Celestia had a reason though, and let her go on. “Unfortunately, it knows of the Elements of Harmony and will probably seek to have them eliminated.”

“To that effect, I and several others will be teaching each of you different ways to defend yourselves. Fear not, for there are other ways to defend yourselves than just fighting.” Fluttershy especially looked visibly relieved at this. Twilight half expected Pinkie Pie to burst in with how fun this was going to be, but she actually seemed to be grasping the gravity of the situation for once and remained silent.

“However, I have to reinforce that I would prefer that none of you fight unless absolutely necessary. Both my sister and myself will likely be able to handle anything thrown at us, but we cannot be everywhere at once. The power Trixie has is nearly limitless and the Everfree has many beasts that are susceptible to her influence.” Celestia paused, letting that sink in for a moment.

“Finally, I’d like you all to begin as soon as you are finished here. I’m sure you’re all tired, but we cannot delay this situation by any length of time. It is of utmost importance that you all are prepared for the upcoming storm. Your mentor will judge how long each of you should stay in practice and I expect you to heed their instructions on the matter. Everypony understand?”

Twilight and her friends let out a chorus of acceptance, albeit a little hesitantly. None of them seemed particularly enthused about the whole idea. Rainbow Dash seemed to be taking it the best. Twilight could just barely pick up on Rainbow whispering to Pinkie about how this would be just like Wonderbolt’s training, with Pinkie Pie listening with rapt attention.

“Good! I was hoping that everypony would pick up on this quickly. Now, is anypony finished and ready to go yet?” Celestia asked. All this talk about Trixie and the ramifications of the event had started to make Twilight feel paranoid again. She didn’t want to be completely useless like she had been last time. She could very well be dead by now. She suddenly no longer felt hungry.

“I’m ready,” Twilight muttered, not completely sure of herself. Still though, she felt like getting active would help get her mind from her worries. If she worked hard enough that she fell asleep instantly tonight and couldn’t worry anymore, all the better.

“Twilight! I wanted to go first!” Rainbow Dash said with a groan.

“Worry not Rainbow, as soon as I introduce Twilight to her tutors, I will show you to yours as well,” Celestia chuckled lightly. She stood from the table and started to take the lead for Twilight to follow, but stopped before walking any further. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat anything first?” Celestia asked with concern.

“I-I’m sure,” Twilight answered, rather shakily. She stood up and glanced over her friends one last time. She couldn’t let them be subjected to what she had; that’d be even worse than her dying. “I’ll see you at dinner girls.”

Surprisingly, Pinkie Pie stood up and hugged her before she had the chance to leave. “I know you’re feeling super duper bad right now, but try and feel better for us, ok?” she asked, with her trademark over-the-top grin. The simple gesture cheered her up more than Celestia’s words of reassurance had.

“Twi, you sure showed Trixie up once, Ah’m sure ya can do it again.” Applejack was right. It was different now though, Trixie had a lot more power.

“Yea! And we’ll all be with you, so don’t you worry. Right Fluttershy?” Rainbow said, as confident as ever.

“Well, um.. I don’t know what I can do to help, but um, I’ll try my best,” Fluttershy practically whispered. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and hid behind her mane.

“Thanks girls. You really are the best friends a pony could hope for,” Twilight replied. All the more reason for her to try her hardest to be able to protect them from Trixie. Fluttershy especially. The others might be able to do something... but Fluttershy? She had to be protected. “I’ll see you guys later, then,” Twilight said with a newfound resolve.

“Shoot sugarcube, Ah reckon we’ll still have plenty o’ time together,” Applejack added in.

“Hey, maybe we could throw a party in the castle to send you off! It’d be like the Grand Galloping Gala except all those snooty pants ponies won’t be there and we’ll be able to have fun together!” Pinkie Pie danced around at the idea. Leave it to her to plan a party when the kingdom was threatened.

“While Pinkie is a bit... over-exuberant, I think that’s a good idea. We could all use a sense of normalcy and it would be absolutely wonderful to be able to dress up for a night,” Rarity said, already becoming a little starry eyed.

“I will try to arrange that. It will be good for all of us to relax a little,” Celestia assured the elements. “But for now, Twilight and I shall go. I will be back for the rest of you soon.”

Twilight and Celestia walked down the hallway with Celestia occasionally turning and  giving Twilight concerned glances.

“Twilight, are you sure you’re ready for this? I know I said it was important that you start as early as possible, but your emotional well-being is just as valuable to me. Is there anything that you need to talk about?” Celestia asked.

“I’ll be fine princess. I need to get started,” Twilight replied. Her anxiety could wait for now. Celestia had been right earlier, this needed to start as early as possible.

“Remember Twilight, I’m always here if you need somepony to talk to.” Celestia still looked worried, but she didn’t press her apprentice anymore.

“I know Princess. I promise I’ll talk to you if I need it.” Twilight hated to lie. She never been good at it and lying left her feeling dirty. But right now she couldn’t talk about it. Not yet, anyways.

“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with your tutor.” Celestia continued, obviously wanting to keep the conversation going. Twilight gladly jumped at the chance.

“Oh? Can I get a hint, then?” Twilight asked, trying to sound interested. She really was curious about who her new mentor would be, but she had other things on her mind.

“Let’s just say you’re quite.. familiar with them,” Celestia teased with a slight smirk. Twilight thought about it for a second. It could have been one of the old guardsponies who used to work around the castle. Twilight had actually started to get to know them rather well. Anypony who lived in the castle long enough started to make friends in the guards. Twilight would never have called one of them friends, but they were the most she had before going to Ponyville. Stormwing used to be stationed near her room. It could be him.

Fortunately, Twilight didn’t have to wait long. Celestia turned the final corner before the vast training field and magically pushed open the great, closed doors.