Ascension

by cloudedguardian

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Princess Luna, Spike, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Main 6
Length: 70446

Celestia is dying. Or at least it seems so. Afflicted with a curse that is destroying her very nature, she sets a plan in action. The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony will take the throne in her wake... Not that they know that yet...

Celestia is dying. Or at least it seems so. Afflicted with a curse that is destroying her very nature, she sets a plan in action.
The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony will take the throne in her wake... Not that they know that yet...

(Takes place as an Alternate Season 3)

Published 2012-06-25 01:44:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-24 17:09:51 UTC

Beginning

Beginning

Once upon a time, a captain and a princess fell in love. Their love was so powerful and strong, that it drew the attention of a power-lusting Changling Queen. In her greed, she bound the princess to a prison, and the captain to a web of lies. The Changling Queen plotted, manipulated, and deceived, until her grand chess game of power was nearly complete. Until, that is, one lilac unicorn threw one massive monkey wrench into it all. Even though it was not, perhaps, with the most noble of intentions, the captain’s younger sister ended up destroying all of the Queen Chrysalis’s ambitions. With a single motion, Twilight Sparkle toppled all of Chrysalis machinations- By simply freeing the young Princess of Love. Bride and groom reunited in a tearful embrace, and the darkness of Chrysalis’s greed was banished from the land with the brilliant light of love’s candle.

Or so everyone thought.

For it seemed that everything in Equestria had been peaceful since the rather impressive, if somewhat clichéd, eviction of the changlings. Parties had been had, celebrations held, and many a hangover cursed. Life had been going on as it always had, with the sun and moon directing time’s wheel through their paths across the sky… Until the evening upon which our story truly begins, when the sky darkened with the suns early dimming, and the last trace of Chrysalis’s darkness was discovered.

Luna was struggling not to panic. The fact that she was maintaining a slow and regal pace as she wound her way through the maze-like halls of the palace, was a feat in and of itself. Teal eyes flickered first at one of the ornate clocks standing peacefully in the corner of a tea room, and then out the window just behind a stoic guard’s head. It was only three in the afternoon, and yet her sister’s usually glowing sun had dimmed to a bloody red, and was brushing the horizon, as if it was far too eager to go back to bed for the day. The amusing image did nothing to ease Luna’s anxieties, and she slowly quickened her pace as the door to the Solar Tower came into view.

Crystal horseshoes clicked against polished marble as the Lunar Princess fought against every nerve in her body to not gallop up the grand staircase, throw her sister’s door open, and demand what the matter was.

Perhaps Tia is just playing a little joke on everypony. Luna said to herself, trying to ease the sense of doom that was slowly cracking her practiced composure. It would be like her, after all. To have some fun when she isn’t feeling well to make everypony relax and laugh again. She’s done that to us plenty of times. A small smile flitted across the dark alicorn’s face as she remembered the time that Celestia had dyed her mane black and declared that she had caught vampireitis when Luna had been freaking about the old mare’s tale back when they were fillies. The dye had, of course, washed out the minute it rained, and she could still remember how her elder’s sister white fur had slowly streaked with various shades of grey as her mane quickly returned to pink even as it matted and stuck to her soaked body. The rather comical sight had done wonders for the younger sister’s nightmares.

Feeling a little more optimistic about the current situation, Luna took in a slow deep breath as she reached the top of the stairs, with only the pastel wooden door standing in between her and Celestia’s room. She exhaled quietly, straightened her back once more, and pushed the door open with a flicker of magic.

Luna blinked in bemusement as she stepped through the doorframe and into her elder sister’s room. Usually the brilliantly painted walls, cascading crystal chandeliers, and glowing windows would have the Sun Princess’s private quarters the brightest room in the castle. Today however, rather than the light, Luna’s eyes were instead quickly adjusting to the dark grey gloom that seemed to fill the area. The growing darkness was more noticeable than ever now.

“Luna…”

A weak voice, soft and barely audible, stopped the younger princess in her tracks. She had been about to pull the curtains open to see where the sun was resting now, and to bring some warmth back into the room, but now her ears were swiveling in disbelief. Although no-one other than an alicorn would have been able to hear the call, let alone identify it; Luna had heard it quite clearly, and even as panic returned to her eyes, she refused to believe that it could have come from her sister. Slowly, she turned to face the source.

“T-tia?” Her voice betrayed her false act of composure, coming out as a squeak as panic tightened its cursed claws around her throat. Swallowing once, twice, Luna found her voice again as she carefully stepped towards the large bed that stood in the centre of the room. “Is everything alright, Sister?”

Although she didn’t get a reply, Luna got her answer all the same as her eyes finished adjusting, and she took in the scene before her.

Celestia laid sprawled across her bed, sheets and blankets crumpled beneath her, as if she had simply collapsed there and found herself too tired to move herself or the bedding into a more comfortable arrangement. Her mane’s usually brilliant colors had dimmed, and was lying as flat and still as an otherwise colourful blanket. Upon hearing Luna’s question, the elder alicorn had moved as if to sit more upright, just to find all her bones turned to lead and to collapse once more into her previous position after a moment’s struggle.

With this, composure and regality were thrown quite thoroughly to the wind, as Luna galloped up to her sister’s bed, and pressed her muzzle to Celestia’s head. Her sister’s solar magic usually had her body temperature riding a few degrees above a normal pony’s. Now, however, Celestia felt undeniably cold. Luna struggled against another wave of panic as the implications began to hit.

“I-I thought you said you just had a cold,” Luna stuttered, even as she worked to think through the fog that seemed to be clogging her mind. “H-how did this happen…?”

Celestia gave a weak laugh, a sound somewhat both comforting in its existence, and frightening in its lack of volume.

“There’s…” Celestia’s voice cracked, and she stopped, pausing to swallow and to take a gulp of air, before finishing her sentence in what was almost a wistful sigh, “There’s a reason why in the days we held the Elements… You were the one that held Honesty.”

Luna blinked, at first not understanding what she was saying, and refusing to let herself wonder why her sister’s voice was holding such a nostalgic tone. Then through the fog, with the darkest of epiphanies, she realized what Celestia meant behind the old memory’s mention. Luna took a small step back, shaking her head in silent denial, panic tightening its grip around her throat, as her eyes unwillingly filling with tears.

As if she was taking cue from Luna’s dark realization, Celestia’s eyes slid shut, and a sad smile crossed the white alicorn’s face.

“I’m a terrible liar at times, aren’t I?”

“T-tia, why-?”

Luna had barely gotten her question out when Celestia’s soft voice cut her more cleanly off than any shout could.

“I just… Didn’t want you to worry unnecessarily. Even I thought it was nothing more than a cold at first… And by the time I realized…”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Celestia winced at the anger of betrayal that filled every word of Luna’s choked out shout. She let the question hang in the air for a long moment as she struggled to find the words to answer it properly. Then, she smiled slightly, as an old and beloved quote came to mind.

“If you can solve your problem, then what is the point of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?” Celestia asked softly, smiling as a look of confusion replaced the anger in Luna’s features. A soft chuckle escaped the elder’s lips as another memory arose. “You used to love that saying when you were little. Yet it seems that we’ve forgotten it in the past few centuries, haven’t we, Luna?”

Luna didn’t know how to respond. Her mind was still wheeling, trying to understand, sometimes just trying to find a way through the fog that even now was present. Swallowing, she mimicked her sister’s small smile, and tried to hold her voice steady as she asked the question that had brought her to this spot to begin with.

“What is the problem though, Tia? I cannot help you solve it if I do not know what it is…” She found herself unable to continue as she caught the look in her sister’s eyes.

“Lulu, you know as well as I do… that this time, it is the second one.”

No. Luna stepped back again, finding herself shaking her head once more. She refused to believe it. There was always an answer. There was always a plan.

Celestia hated seeing the look of fear and denial that had settled across her little sister’s face. This was exactly what she had been trying so very hard to avoid.

“You deserve to know what is happening though… and I promise that I’ll explain it all now… I just-” Tia stopped, cutting herself off with a sigh. She knew she was just rambling at this point, and tried to pull her mind back to the problem at hand. Back to what needed to be done. “I need your help Luna.”

“Of course! Whatever you need!” Of course her sister had a plan! Luna almost felt silly for doubting her now, she should have known that Celestia always-

Tia had winced at the hope in her voice.

-Always-

Celestia held a look of steel as ice covered words were spoken.

-Had-

“I need you to help me create the Rejal Medallions.”

a plan…

“W-what?”

“I can’t keep the spell steady by myself while creating them. I need you to keep the magic stabilized.” Celestia stated simply, forcing herself to stare straight past Luna at the white tome that was sitting on her bookshelf across the room. She refused to meet her sister’s eyes.

Luna’s heart was sinking through the floor. A Rejal Medallion, in short, was a portion of an alicorn’s essence and magic condensed into a single crystallized drop of blood. It would then bestow the partial powers and form of the alicorn onto whoever was granted to be its bearer. For Celestia to want to make them now, when she was already so weakened…

“W-what?” She was spluttering, demanding an answer- “Why?!”

An answer she already knew.

“I’m dying, Luna.”

Three words; Spoken as calmly as a comment on a early spring rain. Three, short, simple words, that caused the Ruler of Dreams and Nightmares, the Lunar Princess, to forget how to breathe for one long minute.

“N-n-no…” Luna gasped, as her lungs recalled their function, “No, that is impossible! You are immortal! The only things that can even hurt you are Celestial Weapons and… Black… Magic...” Her voice failed her, fading off into silence as the last piece slid into place.

“…You are cursed…” It came out as a horrified whisper, the last straw of her composure shattering under the realization of everything it meant. Unable to hold them back any longer, tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving behind black streaks through her dark fur.

Celestia somehow found something funny in the realization, or perhaps she was merely trying to ease her little sister’s tears with the soft laugh she knew so well.

“Chrysalis was more spiteful than I expected,” she chuckled gently. “At least, she won’t have the power to harm anypony else now.”

Silence hung in the air, the only noise Luna’s almost inaudible sobs. Slowly, Celestia’s own fragile smile broke, and she closed her eyes as she bit back a choked sob of her own.

“I’m sorry, Luna. I’m so sorry. I’ve already tried everything…”

Luna wanted to snap, to deny it, to reject everything she was hearing. However, whether she was too strong or too cowardly, she found herself unable to do so. Instead, she let the tears fall, and gave into the truth. For a moment, it felt like falling into despair. Yet, at the bottom, she felt steel, the strength that had pulled her through many a battle, and would pull her through this as well. If there were no answers left, then as always…

“What is your plan?”

The quiet question brought Celestia’s own fragile smile back. It was somehow encouraging.

“I wish for Twilight and her friends to take my place. The Elements have aligned with them in a greater way than they ever did with us. I can not think of anyone better…”

Here, both of the royal sisters indulged in a bitter smile, but it was the elder that put voice to the reason.

“After all, I know you, Luna. You won’t be able to do this alone, not for a long time yet.”

Luna nodded, somehow finding a way to give her sister an honest smile. They both knew that she wouldn’t be able to rule as a Queen should, not for centuries from now. Until then, she would be too absorbed in grief and rage. Perhaps it was the mental image of Nightmare Moon tearing apart Chrysalis and her entire hive that was making Luna feel as if she could laugh despite it all.

The two sisters met each other’s eyes, and shared one more smile together. Then, Luna took a deep breath as she strode forward, her magic already rising up to help make the six Rejal Medallions that were required.

Arcane magic filled the room, tinting the grey gloom shining shades of blue and gold. As the spell began to form, Luna was surprised by how easily she could hold the threads of magic still. The spell was so simple, despite its power and purpose. The fact that Celestia had been unable to hold them steady herself was yet another unwanted confirmation that her sister was not exaggerating in any way.

The threads vibrated, pulling and tugging as they began to change, the magic forming ancient circles and symbols, brilliant and white in the dim darkness of the room they stood in. Luna could feel the spell quickening, drawing together its purpose in seconds, like an orchestra eager to play.

As the crescendo of the magic began, Celestia smiled sorrowfully as she raised her head, the colors draining from her mane as six teardrops of blood rolled down her cheek. Before they could strike the ground, the spell whisked them up, turning each one into a beautiful red crystal, a single pendant on a chain forged from the energies of magic itself.

The Rejal Medallions were complete, but Luna knew her sister's plans were just beginning.

Spark

A Spark of Truth Shall Set a Blaze, Part 1
The Spark

“Applejack!”

It was a beautiful day in the orchard. The skies were clear, the sun bright and shining, and the wind a welcome cold breeze. The orchard itself was a sight to see on its own, as well. Brilliantly colored, ripe apples hung from every branch, weighing the trees limbs down slightly as they waited to be harvested by their keepers. Speaking of which…

“Hey Applejack!”

The orange earth pony’s legs slammed into the worn bark of a particularly well-bearing tree in a perfect buck. The whole tree shuddered for a moment, before gratefully giving up its load into the waiting baskets below. The young mare smiled at her work, wiping several drops of sweat off her brow, before pushing up the brim of her hat and stepping out into the sun. It didn’t take very long for her to spot who had been calling her name.

“Well, howdy do RD! What’s got you so riled up?”

Rainbow Dash blinked at her friend’s laughing smile, before returning it with a chuckle herself. The pegasus carefully shifted her wings, settling to the ground with great more care than she normally would give. Despite her best attempts at a gentle landing, it still kicked up a large cloud of dust.

“Blech!” Coughing and spluttering, Rainbow hastily backed out of the dust cloud she had inadvertently created. Blinking tears from her watering eyes, Dash shook the dirt and sand out of her bright mane before turning to her farmer friend.

“Wow. It’s getting really, really dusty up here. I think we might be needing that rain sooner than the weather-ponies think. I mean, another week? Ch’ya right. We need it now!”

AJ chuckled, “Aha, if ya ask me, scheduling’s for Canterlot. A sudden autumn shower never hurt nopony. Maybe you should whoop’em all into shape yerself, Dash.”

The pegasus grinned. “I might just do that. I guess you guys are needing it pretty bad up here, huh?”

Applejack frowned as she heaved the heaped baskets of apples up onto her back. As heavy as they were, she wasn’t feeling too keen on making two trips. Once the baskets were firmly settled on her back, she started off towards the barn, only pausing to make sure Rainbow was following her before replying.

“Eeyup. It’s not so bad deeper in the orchards, but out in the fields…?” AJ grimaced as she shook her head, “It’s a darn good thing that all we have left to do is the harvesting. We could lose most of our crops otherwise… Mind you, having to haul water to the more fragile fields isn’t exactly how I like to spend my mornings..”

Rainbow Dash blinked again as her mind put together at what time exactly it was that Applejack considered morning, and how much work the pony did at that time. Respectively, that would be, “before Celestia” and, “More than you could ever pay me to do. Ever.”

“One autumn shower coming right up,” Rainbow Dash deadpanned, with a decided grimace from her inner night hawk.

AJ smiled at her friend’s reaction, which only grew as she realized that she’d probably have rain-fall by that evening. “Thank you kindly Dash.”

“Heh heh, no problem!”

Wicker baskets slid carefully to the barn floor as Applejack dropped them into their proper spots with practiced ease. She took a step back to examine her work, giving another basket a nudge or two into place, before turning to talk to her friend properly.

“Now! What had you coming here all excited in the first place?”

“Oh! Right! I nearly forgot…” Rainbow trailed off as she stopped to rifle through her saddle bags. After a second of struggling with the over-filled canvas, she produced a slightly battered scroll from their depths. “This came for you,” Dash explained as she passed it into the orange mare’s bemused grasp.

“For me? Delivered by Spike?” If Applejack’s disbelief hadn’t been evident before, the fact that she actually paused for a confirmation to what would otherwise be a rhetorical question certainly made it so.

“Why didn’t they just mail it?” She muttered as she sat down to examine the rolled parchment.

“Going by the seal, I’d guess it’s because it’s really freakin’ important. Twilight thinks it might be a royal summons!” Rainbow Dash was positively beaming with excitement at the idea.

“A royal summons? What on earth would Celestia want with just me?” AJ muttered, as she rolled the scroll ever to carefully peel off the wax seal.

“Oh trust me, Twilight wants to know that too. You should have seen the look on her face when Spike got it! Ha!”

Applejack paused in unrolling the scroll to look up at the smirking pegasus with a raised eyebrow and more than a hint of amusement.

“And you did?”

Rainbow Dash blinked before shooting her friend an awkward lop-sided smile. “I, uh, just happened to be at the library at the time, that’s all.”

Up went the other eyebrow. “Uh-huh.”

Having more than caught Applejack’s utterly disbelieving look, Rainbow gave an almost defeated-sounding sigh. “Yeah, okay, I was at Twilight’s place reading Daring Do… For… Several hours…”

AJ chuckled at her friend’s embarrassment of being an “Egghead,” to quote the speedster herself. It was completely unfounded, as she was pretty sure that the only pony that actually cared about who read and who didn’t was the pegasus herself. Still shaking her head slightly, she finally finished unrolling the scroll, her eyes widening as they took in what she was reading.

“Well. Looks like Twilight was right, Dash. It really is a royal summons.”

“Seriously?! Neat! Do you think it might be about that weird early sunset a couple days ago?”

Applejack frowned as she thought back to earlier that week. It had certainly been strange, but not unappreciated. That day had been ridiculously hot, and, although unexpectedly early, the cold night’s breeze had made the rest of the day’s work far more pleasant to complete. Back then, she had just figured that maybe even the great Princess Celestia needed a break once in a while, or maybe that Princess Luna simply had a new constellation she wanted to show off. An early, well-appreciated twilight was certainly more welcome than an eternal night if Luna simply wanted to show off her sky a little.

“Ah don’t know Dash. It doesn’t say.”

“Well, gee, you could at least pretend to be excited about it. You sound like you’re going to a funeral!”

“It’s more to do with nerves than a lack of excitement Dash. Ah don’t like the idea of going up there without Twilight, to be honest…”

“You always are,” Dash smirked, “But don’t worry about it, okay? You’ll be fine. We blew up her Gala and the Princess still liked us, so I’m pretty sure you’d have a hard time screwing up.”

Applejack laughed as she pulled herself back up to her hooves. “Yer probably right, Dash. Well, wish me luck. It’s probably not the best idea to keep royalty waiting and all. Ah’ll see y’all when I get back!”

“You got it, AJ!”

The train ride to Canterlot was only a short two hours most days. Today however, it seemed to be taking far longer than that. It wasn’t that the train was running late, or that there was a problem with the tracks, or even any odd weather that would slow things down. No, the train was running perfectly and completely on time. There was absolutely nothing wrong.

…For the train.

For Applejack however, there was just a few things wrong, and they were making her mind spin faster than the wheels beneath her. Even though Dash’s teasing had eased her the “Holy crap what if I screw up” aspect of her nerves, she still couldn’t help but feel a sense of utter and impending doom. She knew it was overly dramatic of her, but despite her best attempts, she simply couldn’t shake it.

Her eyes darted up to the clock hanging at the front of the car. It was one in the afternoon, which meant that the train had already been on route for half-an-hour. The mare shifted uncomfortably, pulling her hat into her hooves, leaving her blond mane a little messier than usual. She swallowed uneasily, tracing the worn edge of her Stetson with an absent-minded fidget as she stared out the window at the speeding scenery.

It simply didn’t make sense. What could Celestia possibly want with her? Yes, she was one of The Elements’ Bearers, but if it had to do with that, all six of them would have been called. Applejack felt like a chess piece that had lost its place on the board. By herself, she was simply an apple farmer, wasn’t she? What in all of Equestria would the Solar Princess of Equestria want with a single apple farmer?

It was this question that kept her thoughts in an eternal, ever increasing, loop. With a near-automatic motion, AJ pulled her hat back on and looked up at the clock. It said the exact same thing it had thirty seconds ago; One in the afternoon. It would be another hour and a half before they reached Canterlot. It already felt like it had been that hour and a half and another three besides.

“Snap out of it, silly filly,” Applejack muttered to herself, giving her head a hard enough of a shake to knock her hat off-balance.

Eyes darted up again, this time in mild embarrassment as she corrected her hat. Nopony was even paying attention to her, each and every one of them busy with books, files, and even the occasional artist sketching madly away at a canvas. Still blushing slightly, she stared out the window again. The pale ghost of her reflection stared back.

Why would anyone notice her strange behaviour anyway? She was just another earth pony mare taking a train up to Canterlot, after all.

Little did Applejack know, but far off in the Canterlot Palace, the Princess herself was dealing with a certain case of nerves as well. Celestia ruffled her wings, brushed her pink mane out of her eyes, and fluffed the pillow in front of her, all for the fifth time, in a most likely futile attempt to ease the frantic energy that seemed to be coursing through her stomach. She couldn’t help but wonder if this, perhaps, was what ponies meant when they said they had “butterflies in their stomach.” Then again, butterflies generally fluttered gently around, not whiz around and bash into things at high speeds as hers seemed to be doing, so perhaps it wasn’t the correct expression after all.

It wasn’t as if Celestia was unsure of the decision she had made, on the contrary, she was positive that it was her one and only option. All other last resorts had already been pulled out and tested, every possible solution already examined- They all knew this was what had to be done. Of course, that wasn’t really what was bothering her, if she were only willing to admit it.

The simple fact was that she was hiding the biggest thing that would ever happen to her, from her dearest student. It had hurt hiding it from Luna, yes, but back then there had still been a chance- There were still possibilities she hadn’t checked, still another person she hadn’t asked for help, she wasn’t sure of what was going to happen, then… But now she did. She knew she was… That she wasn’t going to be able to look after Equestria forever, and it was for the good of the country that she was setting up this last great scheme… And Twilight didn’t know a word of it. She wouldn’t even be the first piece to be moved.

No, Celestia had decided, after as much careful planning as she could afford with the time she had, that Applejack would be her first pawn. She had been playing this twisted game of chess for over a millennia, and yet it still didn’t sit well with her when she had to use somepony she had grown to love. It was necessary, and it was always for the good of her little ponies, but- But it never felt quite right. The fact that she was using not only her student, but her student’s most precious friends as well, and then on top of that, one of them above her- Celestia let out a rather dismal sigh as she forced her thoughts out of their guilty loop of ‘what’s and onto the much simpler ‘why’s.

Applejack wouldn’t question her. Celestia could give her orders, and send her off, and that would be that. There would be no drama, no bragging or boasting, no foofaraw or commotion about it- It would be taken at face value, and done as quietly and quickly as needed. And in this still very young and fragile plan, that was what was necessary. If she could, she would make sure that the one person that could upset and ruin it all would be the very last to find about her plan.

“Your Highness, Lady Applejack has just arrived.”

I’m sorry, Twilight.

“Thank you, Gold. Send her in please,” Celestia said, and her guard gave her a quick bow before trotting off to do as ordered.

The doors to the throne room swung open, and the Princess took one last deep breath before transfixing the calm lying smile she had perfected over the centuries across her face.

“Applejack! How nice to see you again.”

The orange mare in question returned her smile with a slightly nervous one of her own. The anxiety on AJ’s face changed slightly as she began to register the changes to the throne room. Gone was the bright golden throne with the proud and regal, and sometimes mischievous, Solar Goddess upon its seat- Instead, in its place sat a marble platform littered with cushions, a tired, and somehow almost sad, Princess resting among them. For a few long seconds, the young mare stood stock still, a look of confusion and genuine concern clear across her face. Then the moment passed, and with the quiet cough of clearing one’s throat, Applejack looked back up at Celestia with a calm lying smile of her own.

“Good afternoon to you too, Princess. Are ya feelin’ any better?”

“Oh, I’m afraid this little bug has thrown me for a bit of a loop,” Celestia replied lightly, “but it’ll be fine. I am feeling much better today, as well, thank you.”

Applejack’s smile grew into an honest one, and she pulled off her hat in a belated sign of respect as she spoke.

“Glad to hear that Princess. So, what can Ah do for ya?”

“I have a small task I need you to do, and it is in essence, very simple- but the explanation might be a little complicated.

For, I don’t know if Twilight’s ever mentioned this, but there are protective barriers all around Equestria. They’ve been in place for several centuries now, and they keep some of the less friendly species out of our lands. They can easily be bypassed by any sentient creature’s natural magic, but to do so without permission, as Chrysalis had, is generally considered an act of war.”

Applejack was nodding slowly, brow furrowed, as she did her best to keep up with the explanation she was getting. It was simple enough, so far, although she wasn’t exactly sure what it had to do with her.

“Unfortunately, with my illness, these barriers have begun to weaken and degrade, and in areas with powerful and natural magic of their own, have vanished completely. Although Luna and I will be able to get them repaired and at full power again as soon as I am feeling up to the task- I need to have a few ponies keeping a lookout for me in the meantime.”

“And me and my farm are right near the Everfree Forest,” Applejack muttered, as she started to realize that she might have finally found her answer.

“A place with great natural magic, yes,” Celestia nodded, “I think it is safe to assume that it may be one of the first areas that will be breached. All I want you to do is keep an eye on it, and alert me or Luna if you see anything especially unusual about the area. Strange coloured fire, or out-of season weather, for example.”

Applejack grinned, “We can do that, no problem. Was that all then?”

“For the most part, yes. There are, however, a couple more things I need to mention before you go-” Celestia hesitated for a second, as she suppressed the urge to grimace, “-the first being that you must not tell Twilight about any of this.”

Applejack’s face fell as confusion replaced her previously slowly growing confidence.

“I don’t like it any more than you do, Applejack, but we both know that Twilight has a tendency to, let’s say, blow things out of proportion? I have no doubt that if she were to find out about this, she would run off and do something unnecessary in an attempt to try and repair the barriers herself.”

The young mare nodded sadly as she acknowledged the truth behind the Princess’s words. She had seen how worked up her unicorn friend had gotten over a simple friendship report… With something as important as the barriers the Princess was talking about, the idea of Twilight running off and doing something stupid was not only well-within the realm of reason, but a good bet as well.

“Ah understand Princess,” Applejack sighed sadly. She was tempted to ask about her other friends, but she already had a good idea of what the answer would be. ‘If they could keep quiet about it and take it seriously, yes,’ which ruled out…Just about everybody outside of family anyway.

“Good. One last thing, then,” Celestia said softly, as she pulled out a small wooden box out from under a pillow. With a flicker of magic, the box sprung open, and a red tear-drop pendant necklace was lifted out from its depths. Applejack blinked in mild surprise as the amulet was draped around her neck, before looking back up at the Princess with a look of bemusement.

“It’s a protective gem that my sister and I have created especially for this situation. If you ever find yourself in dire circumstances, or desperately in need of assistance, it will help you. I couldn’t send one of my little ponies off on such a task without some sort of aid, after all.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Applejack said softly, returning the Princess’s soft smile with one of her own, “Is that all, then?”

“That is all. Have a safe trip home.”

With that, AJ bowed quickly as formal etiquette demanded, before then turning and quickly leaving the throne room behind as she disappeared beyond the closing doors.

Celestia’s guards exchanged a look of concern as with the sound of the doors clicking shut, their Princess nearly seemed to deflate, exhaustion suddenly clear on her features as she sunk even further into her seat. She was clearly straining herself by holding court today, so why was she insisting on doing so? There were five more meetings yet, and she already looked as if she needed a nap. Sword Swinger let out a sigh as he flipped through the clipboard that listed the meetings yet to be held. As much as he disliked it, it wasn’t a guard’s place to question their ruler’s decisions. All he knew was that whatever Celestia was plotting now, it was most likely part of something bigger than anything they could ever expect.

...Will Set a Blaze.

Much to Big Macintosh’s dismay, Applejack’s trip was taking a bit longer than expected, and he had three very hyper fillies on his hooves. Apple Bloom and her best friends had decided that it was time to bring their “crusading”, AKA grand chaos, to the Apple Farm, and he had spent the majority of the day either trying not to trip over them as they plotted their next scheme in some inconvenient spot, or getting them out of trouble.

For example, this morning he had to put out a small fire they had created after deciding that ‘Cutie Mark Crusader Firefighters” was only good if none of you were actually in fact afraid of fire. Thankfully they had at least been smart enough to set it up by the riverbed, so it hadn’t been able to spread, just get a little too far out of hand for the young girls to handle.

For another example, this afternoon was spent getting Fluttershy, and calming down a very freaked out Scootaloo, after they had woke up a large amount of snakes from their mid-day sunbathing while trying out “Cutie Mark Crusader Hikers!” (They had, unknowingly, gone directly over the snakes’ sunning rocks.)

So as it was, despite their various “Crusades” being chosen by Sweetie Bell (it being her turn, and Scootaloo’s usually being much more dangerous), today had been far from productive for any of them, as the girls were now frustrated with their lack of success, and Big Macintosh severely behind in his work. Applejack had always had a knack for getting the girls doing something more “constructive”, but as stated earlier, her trip was taking longer than expected. She had left the day before and, knowing her, had most likely gotten caught up looking at the new farm equipment on display at the Harvest Festival currently going on in Canterlot. Never-the-less, she would most likely be back by this evening… But in the meantime, he had to get the CMC out from under his hooves so he could finally get his work done.

Sighing to himself, he trotted over to where the three were lounging in the middle of the porch, (And therefore, directly in his path out to the Orchards… Of course!) pausing for a second when he caught a snippet of their conversation.

“If you could pick ANY special talent, wha’ would it be?” Apple Bloom asked her friends, and there was a small hum as the girls thought it over.

“Being an amazing super fast flyer like Rainbow Dash! Then maybe the two of us could try out for the Wonderbolts together…” Scootaloo mused.

“Ya really look up to her, huh?”

“Yeah, she’s so cool. Everything I want to be.” Scootaloo sighed. “But what about you Apple Bloom?”

“Ah dunno. There’s so much cool stuff Ah’d love ta do… Ah don’t think I could just pick one… Ah’d be pretty happy if it was somethin’ ta do with tha farm though. Jus’ bein’ a gen-u-ine Apple.”

Sweetie Bell gave a small nod. “I know that feeling. I want to be a designer like my big sister… She doesn’t like it when I try to help though. I just mess stuff up.”

“Maybe you need to do your own thing?” Scootaloo suggested.

“Maybe…”

“Hey!” Applebloom jumped to her hooves as an idea struck. “I know! Why don’ we all try that out? Ah don’t think we hav’ yet…”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Designers!” Scootaloo grinned, getting to her own hooves as the idea sank in.

“But Big Macintosh will probably get mad… We’ve caused a lot of trouble.” Sweetie Bell pointed out carefully, just to be very surprised as Big Macintosh himself stepped around the corner.

“Ah thinks it’s a great idea. There’s some old blankets in the barn we aren’t using any more, why don’t you use them for material?”

That was all the encouragement the girls needed, and after sharing an eager grin between them, they charged off to their newest adventure… leaving a very relieved Macintosh convinced that they couldn’t get into too much trouble while playing dress up.

~~~

Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom had quickly decided that just making the clothes wouldn’t be enough for a cutie mark, but an actual fashion show would. However, they found themselves with a distinct lack of models. To quote Sweetie Bell “Boys can’t really be models”, and the few girls they did know were either completely uninterested (Archer), didn’t want to be a model (Twist), or held far too much disdain for them to even be asked (Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara). In the end, the girls simply decided to be the models themselves. (Three’s enough, right?)

After heading back to the barn, the girls tried to decide whether to make the runway first, or try and figure out some designs. Sweetie Bell said that Rarity always did the clothing first, so that she would know what kind of runway to make. It made sense, so all the blankets got pulled out to be “designed.”

A few long minutes of staring at the old fabric passed, before Scootaloo asked the obvious question of;

“Uh, how are we going to make these into clothes? I mean, we need like, scissors and patterns right?”

“Ah dunno… Sweetie Bell?”

“Oh right. I guess I should go get my sewing kit…”

“Sewing kit? You mean we have to do this by hoof?” Scootaloo asked, sounding slightly horrified at the prospect.

“Errr…. Yeah, probably. Rarity doesn’t really like me using the sewing machine. She got pretty mad when I “borrowed” it last time for the talent show… She actually ended up finishing the costumes for me… It was still my design though!” Sweetie Bell assured her friends quickly, adding in remembrance, “She seemed to tell ponies that a lot, now that I think about it…”

Apple Bloom sighed. “You go get yer kit Sweetie Bell. C’mon Scoots, we may as well start on the runway while we wait.”

It wasn’t long before the two girls found a nice sunny spot on the edge of the orchards for the runway. The nearby trees would allow them to hang decorations, and the level path would work perfectly for the catwalk itself.

“We could even lay down some old boards for a stage!” Apple Bloom suggested, and Scootaloo eagerly agreed.

They quickly set to clearing the path of all its rocks and stones so that they could set down the planks that Apple Bloom had suggested. Half-way through however, Scootaloo stepped on a slippery spot, and accidentally slid right into Apple Bloom, knocking her over.

“Wha-? Scootaloo? What was tha’ about?”

“Sorry Apple Bloom, I didn’t mean to, the path’s all… Slippery right here.” The orange pegasus apologized.

Her friend looked at her questioningly, before investigating the path herself. After carefully stepping onto it, her hooves went out from under her before she even had the chance to take another step.

“Wha’da, it’s all icy!” Apple Bloom exclaimed in surprise as she carefully worked her way off of the black ice that coated their would-be runway.

“Ice? At this time of year? I mean, it’s a little early, isn’t it? It’s barely mid-Autumn!”

The two fillies stared at the path for a few minutes before Applebloom shrugged and said;

“Oh well, it don’ matter. Once I salt it and put the boards down, it won’t make no difference.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

And that was that.

By the time Sweetie Bell returned, with her sewing kit and some decorations in tow, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had gotten the boards down, and were discussing whether or not they should paint them with some sort of design.

“Now that should definitely be left till after the clothes are made.” Sweetie Bell laughed, gaining the attention of her two friends.

“Sweetie Bell!”

“There you are! What took you so long?” Scootaloo asked as she galloped over to the white filly.

“I stopped to get some streamers and stuff. Wouldn’t these look great along the trees?” Sweetie Bell explained, gesturing up to the green-clad branches above them.

“Yeah, it would like kinda nice.” Apple Bloom agreed as she admired the brightly colored ribbons and paper streamers.

“So glad you agree dear Apple Bloom.” Sweetie Bell teased, mimicking her sisters regal tone. “Why don’t you and I get to work on the designing and sewing, while Scootaloo hangs these up?”

“Why do I have to hang them up?” Scootaloo whined.

“Because my magic isn’t developed enough yet to hang them up… I’ll rip them. And you have wings.”

‘Well they ain’t dee-vel-uped enough to fly up there!” Scootaloo snapped back.

Before her friends had a chance to argue, Apple Bloom offered to get a step ladder. When she came back, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell were working peacefully on designs. Once the step ladder was set up, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo switched places. Scoots began to hang the brilliant streamers, and the other two began to draw out various ideas for clothes.

“This is harder than I thought it would be.” Apple Bloom muttered as she erased her latest design as well. “Shouldn’ all three of us be design’in?”

“I’m not sure… But, Rarity says the environment is really important for design inspiration! So, that’s why I thought the streamers should be up first…”

“Then why don’t you two help me?” Scootaloo asked through the ribbons she was holding.

“There’s only one step ladder.”

Scootaloo groaned.

~~~

It was just before Supper when Applejack finally stood upon her own doorstep again. She was glad to be home… Although she was a little embarrassed that she had gotten so caught up in Canterlot’s Harvest festival that she had missed the train home and had to wait till the next day. But here I am! Home Sweet Home. I bet Big Macintosh had fun today. Applejack chuckled. If Ah do recall, Apple Bloom’s little club was meeting here today. She thought merrily as she trotted inside. She was expecting to get tackled by her little sister the minute she stepped in the door, so she was surprised at how quiet it was.

“Apple Bloom, Macintosh, Granny Smith, Ah’m home! Sorry for bein’ so late.”

Her grandmother called a greeting back from the living room, and Big Macintosh poked his head out of the kitchen.

“Howdy there. What’s for Supper?” Applejack asked cheerfully, as she looked around the kitchen. “…And where’s Apple Bloom?”

Big Macintosh’s eyes widened as he remembered something. “Oops.”

“Oops?”

~~~

“What in tarnation is goin’ on here?!”

It hadn’t been too hard to find the CMC again, as they were still in the Orchard setting up their fashion show. The scene before her, however, spoke of untold chaos and bad luck.

Sweetie Bell was knotted up in red yarn and the plaid blanket she had been trying to turn into what looked like an attempt at a dress. Despite her constant mutterings of "Dumb Fabric…” she was having no luck in getting untangled again.

Scootaloo, probably in an attempt to put up decorations, was hanging by one hoof from a large tangle of ribbons, her wings working frantically to aright herself again. The fallen step ladder below her shook as it was tried to be picked back up out of the mud, and set up once more so that Apple Bloom could get her friend down.

Applejack’s loud exclamation got their attention, the three fillies looking at her in surprise and relief. They exchanged a sheepish look between themselves as Applejack sighed and picked up the step ladder to assist.

She got Scootaloo down rather easily with Big Macintosh’s assistance, and with a few quick snips of the scissors got the rather confused garment off of Sweetie Bell. By the looks of it, she was trying to sew it while wearing it, which was what had caused the issue.

Applejack had half a mind to scold them, but decided against it. They were embarrassed enough as it is, and no real damage had been done. She sighed to herself, before calling them into dinner.

The girls slept over for the night, laughing themselves asleep at their own failures. It made Applejack happy that they had already learned to take their mistakes in stride with a grin, as well as remind her of her own blunders during her attempt at the “Best Night Ever”, which had gone sour at every turn until she herself had learned to laugh at it, and all the ensuing chaos as well. All in all, it was an amusing memory, and Applejack chuckled to herself as she trotted up the stairs to bed.

The next day, she took Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell back home, leaving Apple Bloom home to help Granny Smith prepare meals. Once back at the farm, Applejack immediately set to working on all the backed-up chores from yesterday, knowing full well that all of today’s had to be done also. It was tiring work, but she didn’t let herself dwell too long on what had yet to be done, focusing instead on what she was doing.

When the two stopped for lunch, Applejack nearly groaned when she realized they weren’t even half-done yet. The west orchard still needs tendin’ too, and the cows need to be escorted to the northern field. On top of that, three of the vegetables fields need to be harvested up so Granny Smith can start on her preserves. This is way too much work for just the two of us… And I should check along the Everfree forest for Celestia… Maybe I should ask Twiligh’ for help… Then she remembered what else the Princess had said. Gah, I can’t. Ah’d rather she think of me as stubborn than know that I’m keepin’ secrets from her. May as well just buckle down and set to it.

As soon as Lunch was eaten, Big Macintosh set to fixing the plow, and Applejack fixed one of the old fences that had started to fall apart. Once their food was a little more settled, Applejack did a quick trot around the outskirts of the farm, just to make sure there was nothing major to report on. Seeing nothing, she went back to the large amount of farm work still waiting to be done.

By the time they crashed for the night, they were still behind, but not nearly as badly as they had been. Another crazy day was ahead of them, but then they would once again be caught up.

In the following day’s desperate effort to get caught up, heck, maybe even ahead, Applejack forgot to do any sort of patrol around the outskirts of the farm, and so she did not see the growing patches of frost, or the ice beginning to cover some of the fences; She went to bed satisfied with the days work, and oblivious to what was approaching until it was far too close for comfort.

“APPLEJACK! HELP!” Her sister’s terrified yell shattered the pleasant dreams she had been having, leaving only the real-life nightmare that was developing before her.

Darkness surrounded her, Luna’s moon shrouded in clouds, leaving little light to see by. Dull roars and panicked hoof-steps was all she could hear as she charged down the stairs she knew so well. The scene that met her eyes hardly made sense. Apple Bloom crouched by the fireplace, eyes wide and scared, Granny smith brandishing a candle as if it was a sword, and a frightened but determined Macintosh trying to stare down a large bear, fur like icicles, that had broken down the front door and coated the surrounding ground in spreading ice that grew like vines… Vines that hurt her brother with thorns and cold as he refused to get out of its way.

Anger blossomed like a blaze in her chest, warming the red droplet where it had laid since it was given to her. Without thinking of her own safety, or of any sort of plan, Applejack charged at the creature before her; slamming into its chest and causing the two to roughly tumble outside, shattering its spell over the icy plants and allowing Big Macintosh to break free and tend to his wounded legs.

As Applejack staggered to her hooves again, panting heavily as the world righted itself once more, the creature’s fur rose up into larger icicles and spikes, before reforming into a large crow that quickly rose up into the air. It glared at her from above, before diving down at her head, its beak and claws missing her eyes by an inch as she ducked down just in time to avoid its assault. It circled above her for a heartbeat before diving down once again. This time Applejack knew what it was going to try for, and span around, allowing herself to buck it squarely in the chest before it had a chance to pull out of its dive. She felt the ice crack under the strength of her kick, and the creature pulled away again, this time shifting into a quick fox whose eyes shone defiantly in the darkness as it circled her.

The two stared off for a minute, each trying to predict the others movements. The fox lunged forward, jaws ready to clamp around her neck. Years in the rodeo had paid off though, and Applejack sprang sideways, and the fox sped past her… But before she even had a chance to react, it turned on a dime and clamped its teeth around her back hoof. Applejack yelped in pain, and shook it off. Her hoof had already gone numb from the cold, but it wouldn’t hold her weight any longer either; And the fox was already aiming for round two.

As it lunged forward again, Applejack had a second to know in dread that she had no plan, before a shattering of glass in front of her sparked a protective blaze that stopped the fox in mid-leap; Granny Smith had thrown the hurricane lamp. Despite its efforts to stop, the fox’s tail still grazed the flames, and it immediately retreated; water dripping from the wound, revealing a shadowy skeleton for the breath it took before the ice began to reform over it. As the two stared off once again over the fire’s dieing embers, Applejack’s mind whizzed in an attempt to find a way to beat it once and for all.

For a second, she thought that perhaps she could make a torch with a nearby broken branch and the embers that were still alight… But as she looked at the fox, she realized it wasn’t just healing, it was also changing again. Her mind stuttered to a stop as the fox’s form disappeared altogether to become a monstrous beast the size and shape of a Timber Wolf, which was more than a match for ten ponies, let alone just her. Her torch idea would do nothing against this thing.

It took a step forward, a deep growl rolling from its throat, its breath cold and white in the warm late summer air. Applejack took a step backwards, her heart drumming out a terrified rhythm, her hurt hoof warm enough to cry out in pain as she put too much weight on it, and she nearly tripped in an attempt to ease it.

The wolf stepped forward again, its eyes shining with cruel confidence. Celestia, help me, I don know what da’ heck A’m doin’… Applejack thought desperately, as she fought down panic, I need to protect my family… Ah need fire, magic, SOMETHING…

With a brilliant glimmer in the darkness, the medallion vanished, dissolving into her fur, easing her pain, and giving her the hope that she had the one thing that she needed the most;

“FIRE!”

A brilliant lace of gold and orange flames suddenly encircled her, protective, warm and comforting… And devouring the wolf as a snake would a mouse. With a fizzle of sparks a shadow skeleton burst from the circle and ran desperately away into the awaiting darkness of the Everfree Forest.

With an exhausted sigh, Applejack fell to her haunches as the fire dissolved away, no longer needed, leaving only the scent of scorched grass behind. Her family was at her side in seconds, relieved and grateful. Applejack had barely had the chance to hug half of them, relieved that everyone was okay, and happy that the medallion had also healed her hurt hoof... When Apple Bloom, her voice filled with wonder, pointed out that the medallion had done one other thing as well.

“WOAH! Sis, you got a HORN!”

“Wha’da?!”

Night's Call

A few days had passed since Applejack’s battle with what Twilight had later identified as an Ice Shifter. AJ had come to talk to her the morning after to ask her about it, and Twilight immediately had gone through about twenty books before finding it. Ice Shifters were an ancient creature from the mountains on the outskirts of Equestria. It had been nearly four centuries since they were last seen near any sort of city or town. Twilight had been far too curious and confused as to why, or even how it could have traveled so far, to notice that AJ was wearing her hat quite a bit more forward than she usually did.

With Spike’s assistance, Twilight was still researching the strange creatures many hours after Applejack had left. She was surprised at how little her “world-renowned” books knew about them, if they mentioned them at all, and found herself reaching for older and older books. By the time she was gently handling ancient manuscripts, even Spike felt the need to question it.

“Err, Twilight, I thought you said those old books were all myth and superstition?”

“They are… But they are the only ones with anything on these things at all! Most myths have a shred of truth in them. So, they’re a starting point at least.”

“Weeeellll… Alright…” Spike replied slowly, as he placed two of the books that had been deemed useless back to their place on the shelf. As he put back another, he paused to look down at Twilight from his spot on the ladder. “But… Are you sure that Applejack wasn’t, you know, mistaken?”

Twilight looked up from her pile of books to give him a look, her eyes dead-serious, even as they peeked over the old tomes

“Spike. This is Applejack we are talking about. I am positive, she is not mistaken.”

Hours passed in silent study. As the sun set, candles were lit, their flickering light glimmering off the yellowing pages, causing the books’ deeply inscribed symbols to flicker in shadow.

Twilight was sitting in the same spot she had been all night, her focus uninterrupted by anything… Anything until now, anyway. Her train of thought finally skidded to a stop as Spike belched loudly, a spurt of green flame from him quickly forming into a scroll that he quickly stepped forward to catch. Far from being irritated, Twilight was delighted at its appearance, she had heard so little from Princess Celestia, that anything was welcome at this point. That is, until she seen the seal.

“Silver? Celestia always uses a gold seal…”

“That’s because it’s not from Princess Celestia, it’s from Princess Luna!” Spike said, a little surprised as he gently unrolled the letter. “Wow. And I thought Celestia wrote old fashioned.”

“Spike.”

“Oh! Right! Sorry.” Spike apologized quickly, his cheeks flushing a little. He cleared his throat before reading the letter aloud in his practiced way;

“To Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of the Element of Magic, Fluttershy, Bearer of the Element of Kindness, Pinkamena Diane Pie, Bearer of the Element of Laughter, Rainbow Dash, Bearer of the Element of Loyalty, and Rarity Belle, Bearer of the Element of Generosity-

“Really goes for formal doesn’t she?”

“Spike.”

“Heh heh. Sorry.” Spike chuckled apologetically, before scanning the top of the letter for where he left off. “Where was I… To Twilight, yadda yadda yadda… Aha!

“I, Princess Luna, the Ruler of Dreams and Nightmares, hereby formally invite you to my court for an audience of great importance. A chariot will arrive shortly as escort.

“…I think the opening took up more of the paper than the actual letter did.” Spike muttered as he flipped the parchment over to make sure there was nothing written on the back.

Twilight rolled her eyes at his commentary as she stepped over to the door to awaken and fetch her friends. A second after opening the door however, a thought struck her.

“Wait. Me, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity… What about Applejack?” Twilight asked, after confirming mentally that she had not heard her mentioned.

Spike looked back down at the letter he was carefully holding in his claws. “She’s not on here. I wonder why she isn’t invited?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll find out.”

~~~

Yawning, yet excited and curious, the five friends somewhat sleepily walked down the grand hallway towards the throne room. Luna’s chariot had been more than speedy, and had certainly jolted them awake… But it was still just past midnight, and almost all of them had been in a dead sleep before Twilight had banged on their door. Pinkie Pie seemed wide awake, and it wouldn’t have surprised Twilight if she had been staying up half the night on her latest post-party sugar buzz. There was plenty of anxious whispering; Exchanged curiosity about the invitation between Pinkie and Rainbow, Fluttershy was worrying about her animal friends, and Rarity was still fussing about her appearance.

“Twili-“

“For the fifth time Rarity, you look fine, yes, you got all the night cream off, no, you did not leave a roller in, yes, Opalescent will be fine overnight, no, Sweetie Bell will not manage to blow your boutique up in the three hours we will be gone.”

There was a few second’s silence as Rarity stared at her in mild shock after her spiel. After a few more, Twilight looked over at her, catching Rarity’s stare.

“Did I forget anything?” She asked, her voice deadpan.

“Uh. No. You did not.” Rarity replied quickly, switching her gaze to the doors in front of them.

Two guards, coat’s charcoal grey, bat wings folded, armour silver and elegant, stood on either side of the door waiting for them. Twilight pleasantly noted that Luna had toned down her guards’ regalia while staying wholly herself. It actually looked gracefully spooky, without really being frightening. Fierce, but Elegant and Refined. She’s gotten the hang of this.

The doors swung open without a hitch, and the five stepped through into the throne room. Gone was the brilliant red and gold of Celestia’s court, rich blues and soft silver now decorated the room. An onyx throne stood on the high platform, and Luna, lost in thought, upon it. She looked up as they reached the centre, and gave them a small smile.

“Equestria’s heroes. Glad you could make it.”

Twilight wasn’t sure if Luna was displeased and was being mildly sarcastic, or if she was simply tired and wasn’t sure how one opened court these days, especially with Celestia’s informal way of doing things.

“I have called you here to ask of you something very important-“

Luna was actually cut off by Rainbow Dash yawning and commenting loudly;

“It better be. Ya got any idea what time it is?”

Twilight grimaced slightly at Rainbow’s lack of manners, and probably would have swatted her had she been within leg’s reach. Luna looked at Rainbow Dash in surprise for a second, before in a deadpan tone, but not unpleasantly, replied.

“May I remind you that I am the Princess of the Night. Therefore it has to be nightfall for you to join me in my court.”

Rainbow Dash flushed a little, and Twilight gave a small relieved sigh as Luna’s lips twisted into a slightly amused smile. Definitely the second one. Twilight decided, grinning a little herself at Dash’s embarrassment.

“Now, as I was saying…” Luna began again, pausing for a second to ensure there were no more interruptions, “I have called you here to discuss something important.

“Primarily, the fact that because of my Sister’s… Illness, the protective barriers around Equestria are weakening. This will allow some of the more mischievous creatures that have otherwise been kept out by her magic to come in. We need you to play the role of lookout for these creatures until my Sister has recovered enough to repair her barriers as only she can.”

When she paused again, Twilight felt it was alright to ask a question that was gnawing at her. “I remember Princess Celestia mentioning the barriers before, but I never got a chance to ask her how then the Changlings managed to sneak in.”

“Chrysalis is more than capable of wielding magic herself, so we suspect she most likely bent the barriers around her and her hive and got in that way. The creatures I am speaking of now only hold their own natural abilities… That, however, does not mean they are to be trifled with. Many are still exceedingly powerful.” She paused again, this time to lift a familiar gold box up from behind her throne. “Which is why I wish for you to have the Elements of Harmony on hand.”

The box opened to reveal the five necklaces and single tiara they knew so well. Luna, with a flicker of magic, placed each Element in a box, and gave it to their relative Bearer, entrusting Twilight to give Applejack hers. As the girls took them with a formal nod, Luna cleared her throat and picked up a second box, simple and wooden.

“Celestia also wishes you to have these…” The small chest opened up to reveal the five red tear-drop pendants, which she placed directly on to them. “They are protective medallions that she has made just for you.”

Twilight admired hers with a proud smile, as Pinkie Pie looked about for a second.

“Umm, where’s Applejack’s? She gets one too right?”

“Oh, of course. She has already received hers… My Sister gave it to her personally.”

“During her time here in Canterlot, I suppose… What was that Royal summons about, anyway?” Twilight asked, tone darkly inquisitive, while staying formal and polite.

She was Celestia’s student alright, as Luna noted with a hint of dark amusement. However, Celestia had made it extremely clear that she did not want Twilight to know what was really going on… She was absolutely convinced that the young mare would go charging off in some hare-brained mission to defeat Chrysalis and break the curse, and would merely end up getting herself killed. So now what?

“Oh, yes, the Royal Summons. A bit much, in my opinion... It was merely trivial matters.”

“Of course! I am sure I could have assisted in that as her student however… What was it that she specifically needed Applejack for?” Tone had still not left the polite and formal way of speaking Twilight had suddenly adopted… And yet… Definitely my Sister’s student.

“It was about… Apple tea.” Luna replied, making it up on the spot. She covered up her hesitation by quickly adding an embarrassed laugh. “Is that not a silly thing to go the extent of a Royal Summons to achieve? Tea. I suppose it makes her throat feel better, but all the same…” Luna trailed off, and with a small rush of relief seen Twilight’s guard go down. She actually believed her.

“Oh. Is that all. I guess apples is something that Applejack alone succeeds in.” Twilight sounded a bit embarrassed, and Luna gave her a big “Oh don’t worry about it” smile, while resisting the urge to face-hoof at her “apple tea” explanation.

“Well… Uh… If you don’t mind, your Highness… I really should be getting back to my animals.” Fluttershy asked meekly, and Luna’s smile became a relieved one instead.

“Of course. I have nothing else I need to speak to you about. You may go. Have a safe trip home.”

The second that the girls were out, and the doors shut securely once again, the royal guards found themselves trying hard not to laugh as Luna finally facehoofed with an audible clap.

“Apple Tea. What in all of Abyssius’s Dark Dungeons was I thinking?!”

Fashion, Feathers, and Flight

“Chiffon, imported Chinese silk, Cashmere… Oh I’m running a little low on the Mahojorian lace as well.”

As each item was listed, a peacock quill wrote down the name of it on a growing list by the white unicorn’s side. Opalescence watched with large eyes, occasionally reaching out a paw to try and swipe at the quill. A glow of blue magic surrounded the many cloths in Rarity’s workroom as she took stock of what she had and what she now needed. A large basket emptied itself as the knotted ribbons and threads tumbled out to be rewound and accounted for.

“Let’s see, baby blue, emerald, iridescent pink… Where’s the opal ribbon? Did I use it all up?” As the bright ribbons neatly tied themselves up and dropped back into the basket Rarity trotted around her room, checking the other baskets for the white ribbon she was missing.

“Funny, I don’t remember using it… Mmm… Maybe Sweetie Bell ‘borrowed’ it. I’ll get two more. One high quality for the gala dresses, and one of the cheaper variety. Maybe if I got Sweetie Bell her own supplies she will stop using mine…” She sighed, adding them down on her list, prompting Opalescence to lunge at the quill and miss completely, landing near her hooves with a thud… Rarity didn’t pay attention to it however, and merely carefully stepped over her cat, continuing her train of thought without a hitch.

“Worked pretty well with the sewing kit I gave her. I actually get to keep my darning needles.” Rarity chuckled to herself as she checked on her own sewing kit. “That reminds me, I should get the supplies to make that gold silk that was so popular last year! Although I think I’ll keep it on the top shelf this time.” She added, an exasperated smile on her face as she remembered how her sister had taken a liking to it as well, causing Rarity to have to make another batch.

“What else..?”

Rarity continued tidying up the room, rewinding spools and bobbins and organizing them, allowing herself to see what she was out of or missing, and then adding it to the list. Occasionally she would simply think of something she had been meaning to get and add it as well.

“Finally, I broke two of my sewing machine’s needles on that silly diamond-encrusted ribbon, so I need to buy more… Note to self, use magic, not machine, when sewing on jewelled ribbons… I think I need more jewelled ribbon too… Ah yes, I used up the sapphire and diamond ribbons on Sapphire Shore’s red carpet gown.” Rarity interrupted herself with a high pitched giggle.

“I can’t believe she’s become a regular customer!” She squealed, before catching herself and taking a deep breath.

“Alright then, that is everything, I do believe… Quite the list this year.” She hummed to herself as she reread her shopping list before rolling it up and dropping it in her saddle-bags, which she then levitated up onto her back.

She got half-way out the door when she remembered something. Quickly backing up, she scooped a red pendant off of her desk, along with a red rose and feather hair-pin.

“Can’t forget this. A personal gift from the Princesses? Protective or not, I am simply not leaving without it.” A quick check in the mirror to make sure the rose was in place, straighten the white feathers, and then out the door with a strut.

~~~

“Hey Rarity! Where ya headin’?” Rainbow Dash called down, prompting the white unicorn below to come to an abrupt stop and look around for her.

With a chuckle, RD flew down to properly talk to her friend as Rarity grew increasingly confused.

“Oh there you are, darling.” Rarity said lightly as Rainbow landed by her. “What are you up to this fine day?”

“I’m patrolling. Ya know, with all this barrier talk and everything… I don’t really get it, to be honest, but if Luna needs an eye in the sky, I’m all over it.” Rainbow replied, her voice fluctuating between sheepish and proud.

“I’m sure there’s no-one better for the job.” Rarity said with a small laugh. “Can we walk and talk? I don’t want to miss my train.”

“Oh, sure.”

As the two began to walk on together, Rainbow remembered that her initial question still hadn’t been answered.

“So, where are you taking a train to?”

“Canterlot. It’s time for my annual shopping.”

“Annual Shopping?” Rainbow repeated, in that tone of hers that could either mean confusion or mocking disbelief.

“Yes, every year I go to Canterlot to get all the high end supplies and cloths that I can’t get elsewhere for my Boutique. I have quite the list this year. With Sapphire Shores coming so often now, I’ve used up almost all of my fancier fabrics. That and Sweetie Bell likes to ‘borrow’ my supplies for her own projects.”

RD laughed. “That’s little sisters for you… But wow. That sounds like a lot of work. How do you get all that fabric back? I don’t think you could carry it.”

“That’s what delivery is for, darling. The only things I carry back with me are the more delicate items I don’t trust to send back. Imported lace and the such.”

In just another minute, they turned the corner to the train station. Rainbow stopped at the platform as Rarity trotted on ahead. Before stepping on to the train, she turned back to wave at her pegasus friend.

“I’ll see you tomorrow when I get back.”

“You bet! Although I have to admit, I thought you were going on a date with some cute stallion ‘cause of your hairpin.”

Rarity chuckled. “Hardly… Merely keeping up with the whims of fashion. Say hi to the girls for me! Toodles!”

“You got it! See ya Rarity.”

The train pulled out of the station within a minute of Rarity stepping on. Rainbow Dash watched it pull out, and disappear out of sight before turning to leave. She couldn’t help but wonder why she had such a bad feeling about it all.

~~~

Luna’s moon was high in the sky by the time Rarity was headed home again. The trip had taken much longer than normal, as the shops that she used to frequent had closed down, and she had to start from scratch to find who now carried what she needed. It didn’t matter though, the fabrics were on their way back to her boutique by express delivery, and she was now heading back herself… And she was very much looking forward to curling up in her bed.

As tired as she was, a designer like her could not deny the beauty of the scenery outside. A small town that they passed was lit up in tiny lights, as if the town had managed to steal a few of Luna’s stars and light their paths with them. It blinked out of sight as they went around a corner and under a mountainous overpass, and yet; Something about it was inspiring, and Rarity locked the image into her mind, determined to make something with it tomorrow once she was home and well-rested.

Drifting in pleasant thoughts and images, Rarity was beginning to nod off… When a tremendous crash bounced her out of her comfortable doze.

“My heavens, what was that?” She asked, half to herself, and half to the startled ponies around her.

Before they could take a guess, the answer presented itself; In crude shouts and panicked voices. A young colt came charging into their car, eyes wide and terrified.

“The train’s being robbed! Somepony-“ His voice was cut off with a dull thunk, eyes glazed over in a heart-beat, before his body slammed to the floor below.

A large earth-pony stood proudly behind him, still holding the club that he used to knock the poor foal out. When he spoke, voice in a bitter cold drawl, the accent was one Rarity had never heard. He wasn’t Equestrian…

“Listen here ya bunch of rich fools… No heroics. Just sit real tight and hand over your purses and jewellery.”

The droplet seemed to beat along with Rarity’s heart. With every echoed rhythm, it amplified what her inner voice was hissing desperately. Something’s wrong, it whispered. You are the brave one. The one the Princesses trust to protect everypony! The one that out-smarted the Diamond Dogs… The one that has to help everypony here too! Do something! Something’s wrong… Something’s wrong…

The robber was coming up the aisles, proud and cocky… Careless even. As he approached where she was sitting, she slid off her saddle-bags, as if she was going to place them on the floor as everyone else had… But she didn’t.

Goaded on by the inner-voice and every panicked heartbeat pumping adrenaline, she hurled the bags at the robber, knocking him off-balance and allowing her to run around him and out the door behind her. The car was empty, and she headed straight for the next door. She had just opened it with her magic when she heard the robber’s angry shouts. Praying that he wouldn’t take it out on some-pony else, she went out into the next car. Almost to the back of the train now.

Something doesn’t make sense… Rarity realized, as she heard the robber start to come after her. If he just wants my money, why is he chasing me? I’m not strong enough to have actually hurt him. Is he really that mad at me knocking him over? No… The whisper came to mind. No, something is wrong.

The final door opened, and she stepped out into the wind, the railed platform cold under her hooves. The robber was catching up, and there was no easy way to do this.

“Oh, this is going to hurt.”

Before the door behind her could be yanked open by a very peeved off train thief, Rarity leapt over the rail, using her magic to desperately slow and shield herself as much as possible. She landed roughly, but as she shakily got to her hooves, she found that she was for the most part uninjured, just bruised.

Well, that could have gone much worse. I need to get help for the others… That little town a ways back is the closest. We had just passed it when there was that crash. It shouldn’t be too far off. With that in mind, Rarity turned south, and traced the tracks back about a hundred feet. That was when she seen it.

“A bridge. Of course. We had to go over a bridge. A great big long bridge over a great big cliff-rimmed lake. Oooooh, I don’t like heights…” Rarity whined to herself as she eyed the spaced boards and tracks that took the train across a large ravine that was at least two-hundred feet deep.

As much as she hated it though, she knew help was on the other side of that bridge, and she wasn’t going to let it get in her way. Determined not to look down, she carefully took a step onto the first board. Deep breath, and then another step. And another, and then another. It was nerve-wracking, but step by step she was making it across.

I can do this. I can do this. Just one teensy step at a time. No problem. She told herself repeatedly, as she slowly moved forward. That was when she heard it.

A train whistle; Loud and clear.

She didn’t want to look, but she knew she had to. Slowly, praying that she wouldn’t see it, she looked over her shoulder. A single bright light, getting bigger.

“STUPID TRAIN!!!”

Fear of heights was forgotten as adrenaline kicked in full force. Hooves clattered against spaced boards as she galloped forward in a full panic. A part of her brain bluntly stated that there was no way she could out-run a train. That it would catch up long before she could reach the end of the bridge. As much as she wanted to ignore that part, she knew it was right, and found herself begging the brilliant glowing bead around her neck and its creator for help.

“Help me Celestia – Little medallion – Do something – Anything!” She gasped out between panted breaths. “I’m going – to get CRUSHED – Huh?”

A flash of brilliant red, a white feather drifting by her nose… And an inexplicable feeling. Another glance behind her revealed two pure white wings stretched out behind her… Part of her.

“Wh-what the- Ah!” Her hoof had gone through one of the older boards, cutting her question off before it had even had a chance to form. The tracks were beginning to shake.

“No, not the time to question.”

New instinct and logic whispered and plotted together in the stunned second that she stood still on the tracks. In the next second, they stated two things. One, you can never outrun a train, especially not while trapped on a bridge with the “finish” still a good three hundred feet away. Two, wings were for flight, and flight means you are not restricted to a path. Even as she realized what she had to do, she hesitated for a second, looking up at the newly sprouted feathers that fluttered like a cape around her shoulders.

Now normally a mare like Rarity would think something like this through to its fullest extent, but there’s nothing like a four ton train coming at you at over a hundred miles per hour to remind you of the urgency of a situation, as she quickly remembered as the train whistle hit full blow.

Please let me be able to fly~yiiiiiiiiiiii-

By the time the thought had chance to finish its plead, her legs had already leapt off the bridge, wings outspread and buffeted gently by the wind as the train above went speeding by. It was all she could do not to let the internal terrified scream out, and she once again reached for the magic that would slow her down. She wasn’t so much flying as gliding down towards the lake, and with the aid of her magic, she did a more-or-less gentle crash-landing into the cool waters below.

After a long minute, she burst to the surface and took several deep breaths, her heart finally returning to its normal rhythm. After shaking her wet mane out of her eyes, she began to swim to shore. She could see a path that led up the side of the ravine in a pleasant slope, and would hopefully also lead to the town she had seen.

“I’m alive… And all wet. And I have wings…” Rarity breathed to herself, voice exhausted and wondrous. After another breath though, it turned disbelieving and exasperated. “I have wings. Celestia, you have some explaining to do…”

She pulled herself up onto the cool grass and shivered. She would be very grateful when dawn came. She paused to look at her reflection. How am I going to explain what’s happened to the towns folk? They’ll either think I’m a foreign princess, which although potentially entertaining, would be more hassle than help, or some ingenius unicorn…

After a moments thought, she tied up her wet mane with a bit of magic to hide her horn. This way will be easier to explain… A pegasus escapes from train robbers and goes and gets help… That’s a nice believable story. She mentally muttered as she began the long walk up the cliff and over to the town.

It was an hour after dawn when Rarity had finally reached the small town and was able to contact the authorities. She was dried off and given a hot drink, as well as offered a ride home, which she accepted in a heartbeat. The train was found at the next station, for the most part undamaged, and the ponies inside unharmed. Apparently after she had fled, the robbers had panicked, and left whatever their plan was unfinished in their hastened escape. Thanks to many incensed unicorns with good memory, the thieves were quickly tracked down and arrested. Rarity had even got her saddle-bags back, with all her supplies inside and undamaged.

On the long drive home, Rarity dozed, her mind busy designing a new style of wing-hiding saddle dress even as she slept. There were all sorts of different colors and designs she could try out… At least until she could have a word with the Princess, of course.

A/N: Wooo, this took a while to write. Who knew Rarity could be so hard to write? Well either way, it is uber late here guys. I'll have another chapter in the monring for you! *looks at clock* Errr. I'll have another chapter for you once the sun is up properly here and I've gotten some sleep. G'night!

A Little Bounce For Pinkie Pie

“Pinkie Pie?” Mrs. Cake called, her voice somewhere between panic and confusion.

“Yes, Mrs. Cake? What’s u-uuwwwwoaahh!” Pinkie’s question trailed off as the scene before her began to log.

The rather flustered blue mare before her was holding up a slipping confectionery tray with her back hoof, holding Pound Cake tightly with her front hoof as he tried to escape out the window and go after the butterflies fluttering tantalizingly just a foot away, all the while trying to keep a hold on the expensive bakers sugar that Pumpkin was trying to levitate over to “play play” with. On top of that, the cake in the oven smelled like it was beginning to burn.

Pinkie quickly dropped her saddle bags to the bakery floor, and darted over to the oven. Carefully, she removed the cake and placed it on the counter, shutting the oven door behind her with a gentle kick. Thankfully, the cake wasn’t singed, although the spilled batter on the tray had burned on, and would be difficult to get off again. Then, she went and picked up the tray that was threatening to fall, allowing her aunt to finally regain her balance.

“Now now Pound Cake, you can’t play with the butterflies.” Pinkie scolded gently as she shut the window.

The foal sagged a little in his tethered flight, and Pinkie took him from his mother’s hassled grasp, before trotting over to his sister and scooping her up as well.

“I’ll take them upstairs for you, Mrs. Cake.”

“Thank you, Pinkie Pie.”

After placing the two in their playpen, ensuring that they were entertained with their toys, and that their father could keep an eye on them as Cup Cake finally finished her baking; Pinkie gathered up her saddlebags again, and headed out.

Pinkie Pie hummed to herself happily as she walked to the flower-field outside the Everfree forest. She wanted to make potpourri as party favors at her upcoming Midsummer's Eve Party, but she was all out of dried flowers, and she had to go now, as the pegasus ponies had a large two day storm planned to start tonight.

Oh well! This way, though, I can even make a super duper “Get Well” bouquet for Celestia too! And then Twilight can deliver it when she goes on her research trip to Canterlot!

“It’s the perfect plan!” Pinkie said to herself cheerfully, as she stepped off the cobblestones that made up Ponyville’s well-worn paths and onto the soft dirt path towards the field.

She had come to this field many times, sometimes to watch the sky at night with Twilight, or the butterflies with Fluttershy. Most often though, she came here to gather flowers to bring a smile to her friends' face. It was a special place to the hyper pink pony, one most ponies would not have guessed at.

As she reached the flower field, she stood still for a single moment to take in her favorite spot. The brilliant, clear blue sky seemed to make every forget-me-not shine twice as bright. The daisies, with their large petals almost too big for their stem, bopped gently in the breeze. The tiny clover blossoms and delicate Victoria’s Lace made the scene before her seem almost fragile.

Pinkie took in a slow, deep breath, enjoying the sweet scent of the many different flowers, before trotting into the long grass to gather the flowers she would need. As she gathered them, she slowly made her way towards the river. By the time she hit the water’s edge, she had all the ingredients she would need for her favors.

“Now I just need the flowers for Celestia’s bouquet…” She said softly to herself, before spotting something not too far away. “And those ones are perfect!”

A group of soft white River Lilies and vivid orange Tiger Lilies grew not twenty feet away from her. She eagerly trotted over to them, looking the large blooms over. She giggled delightedly to herself, before carefully picking four River Lilies, and two of the smaller Tiger Lilies. With a little bit of blue ribbon, these will look amazing! She thought, before adding to her design as an idea struck, OOH! And they’ll look even better with a bit of Victoria’s Lace with them!

Pinkie quickly doubled back to gather the tiny groups of flowers to complete her get-well gift. Just as she finished, an unusual sight caught her eye. Two large cats that she had never seen before were prowling around the edge of the forest. They were nearly as big as her, and were just a shade or two lighter than AJ’s coat. Curiosity tugging at her hooves, Pinkie very quietly and carefully made her way over to them to get a better look.

She stopped at the base of a very large oak tree, to watch them. The two cats didn’t seem to notice her, too preoccupied perhaps in their own thoughts and duties. They’re kinda scary, but they’re really pretty too. I’ll have to ask Fluttershy about them. Pinkie was about to turn and make her way back while they were busy, and she was unnoticed, when a familiar but unfitting sound caught her ear; A foal’s soft crying.

Her ears swivelled for a few seconds, trying to find the source of the sound. After a confused minute, she looked up to see a little pale purple filly that she had seen a few times with her mother in town.

“Huh? How did you get up there?” Pinkie asked cheerfully, not expecting any answer, as the filly was far too young to do much other than gurgle and cry.

She got an answer none-the-less however, in the form of two glowing eyes that opened to look down at her from the shadowed branches of the tree.

“Uh, never mind, forget I asked.” Pinkie squeaked hastily, her hooves tracing her steps backwards to safety.

As soon as she took a few steps away however, the eyes slipped shut again, and within seconds, sounds of snoring could be heard. Thinking fast, Pinkie tried to come up with a solution that ended with both of them getting back home. Ok, I need to get the little one down, but I can’t reach way up there. I can’t climb the tree without waking up the glowy-monster… Pinkie found herself pacing as she tried to track down a good idea. Finally, one came to her, light-bulb and all. I know! BALLOONS! I can float up and get her!

Pinkie eagerly turned on her heel, and started to make her way to Fluttershy’s nearby house, where she had left a large bag of balloons. Before she got forty feet away, however, familiar snuffling growls caught her ear.

“Uh oh.” Pinkie turned back to see the two large cats had made their way over to the tree, and were looking up at the crying foal with their teeth bared.

I don’t think I have time to get those balloons after all! She realized with a hint of panic. Quickly dropping her saddle-bags to the ground, she began to search through them for something to help, tossing out the rejected items in her hurry.

“A Joke Book? No, I don’t think I can laugh these fears away… Party Poppers? It might distract them, but it might startle the baby too, and if she falls out of the tree… No, that won’t work. Why do I have a frying pan in here? Ah, no, concentrate Pinkie! Streamers, no, tissue paper, no! Springs? Good for bounce, not so good for anything else.” Pinkie quickly looked behind herself, to see the cats starting to circle the tree, licking their chops as they did so.

“Oh no… Gah, come on!” Pinkie almost climbed in her bags in her desperation, when she found the red tear-drop medallion that Luna had given her for protection. “I don’t need help and protection right now Princess, the baby does, help IT.”

As if in response to her worried begging, the medallion melted, and disappeared into her hoof, leaving only a red glimmer that blinked out of existence a second later. “Huh?!” Pinkie stared at her empty hoof for a second before panicking. “No! No, don’t go away, I need your-” *FWUMP* “-Help? I have wings.”

For the next few seconds, Pinkie simply stared at the shimmering pink feathers that had sprouted from her back. Then, as the new information finally clicked, she jumped to her hooves, her face splitting into an impossibly large smile, at the simple fact of: “I have WINGS!!!”

Pinkie quickly backed up, and charged forward, leaping up to take flight and swoop to the baby’s rescue! Unfortunately, nothing is ever that simple. As it was, Pinkie Pie belly-flopped spectacularly. As she sat up, signals from senses that she had just gained along with the wings began to pull themselves into coherent information in her mind.

“I’m… Too heavy?” She asked this new information, before sighing. “OK, no more sweets for Pinkie Pie.”

Her eyes traced back to the tree, where whatever was in the tree with the baby was growling at the cats below it, keeping both of them distracted from the sniffling infant. The sky was beginning to darken, and it was a clap of thunder that served as the catalyst for Pinkie’s idea.

“The springs!”

Pinkie quickly gathered up the scattered springs again, pulling them onto her hooves the minute she had them all. With a careful hop forward, she bounced high, and then higher again on the next jump. She couldn’t help but grin, as on her next hop, she used her wings to propel herself forward, adding even more height to her jump.

She was at the tree in seconds, and with one good, well-aimed bounce, grabbed the little foal while complete clearing all three animals. As she hit the ground again, she heard the cats roar angrily, their rage punctuated by a crack of thunder and lightening. Pinkie gulped, and as she propelled forward again, kicked off the springs in mid-jump, before tearing off at a full gallop, using her wings to aid her in going even faster. The rain began to come pouring down, soaking her mane and fur. After a few long minutes of chase, the cats seemed to grow tired of the rain, and left their pursuit of her to find an easier caught snack. Still, it was another three minutes of galloping before Pinkie could calm down enough to slow down.

Ponyville wasn’t too far off at this point, and she did her best to keep the little foal as dry as possible during the rest of the walk home. She had never been so happy to see Amethyst Star’s house before. Wearily, she knocked, and Amethyst’s Mother opened the door cautiously, before swinging it complete open in ecstatic joy.

“OH! You found her! Oh thank you so much! Her and her sister had gone out to the playground when she just disappeared! I’ve had the whole weather team out looking for her!”

“Mom, she is FROM the weather team, she’s heard the whole story before, and she’s soaked. I bet she wants to go home.” Amethyst called from the kitchen, and her mother blushed as she took the foal from Pinkie.

“Fair enough. Would you like to come in and dry off?”

Pinkie was about to take her up on the offer, when she remembered that she had left her saddle-bags behind by accident. “I would love to, but I just realized that I forgot all my stuff back there… I guess I better go get it before the rain ruins it all.”

“Oh! Well, good luck, and thanks again.”

The door slipped shut, and Pinkie turned to make her way back to the field. She had half-a-mind to just leave them there, but the saddle-bags had been a gift from Rarity, and it didn’t feel right to simply let them get destroyed.

As she slipped around the corner of the street, Amethyst wondered aloud to her mother, “You know, I know a lot of the Pegasi here in town, but I don’t think I’ve seen her before.”

Her Mother chuckled softly as she dried off little Bubble. “Well, I guess she’s new then. Oh, I wonder if she’s met Pinkie Pie yet? That girl gets so wound up over new arrivals.”

“Actually, considering how much alike they looked, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were related. Aside from the wings and the mane style, they could have been twins.” Amethyst mused as she got a clean diaper for her little sister.

“Oh that’s likely! I think Cup Cake mentioned that they had a pegasus in the family… Maybe that’s her there...”

Strength for the Loyal

Although patrols allow much time for practicing, and even daydreaming at times, they do not allow much time for sleeping. Especially if you take them to the extent Rainbow Dash had. After hearing that the train Rarity had taken a week ago had nearly been hijacked, Dash had doubled her efforts to keep an eye on things. She hadn’t had much time to visit her friends, but she didn’t mind. She was keeping them safe, and at the moment, that meant more to her then a few hello’s and exchanged jokes.

So with things as they were, when Rainbow Dash finally landed on her deck at dawn, she was very much looking forward to her bed. Unfortunately, she would only get to spend three hours in it before she would be woken by a loud knock on her door. If her door had been made of anything other than clouds, it would have been a proper pounding… But that’s beside the fact.

“I’m up, I’m up…” RD yawned as she rolled roughly out of bed and half-staggered to the door. “What is it…?”

Her sleepy question was directed at a very panicked pegasus who fluttered a few inches away from her doorframe, pink and green mane ruffled and eyes wide.

“Rainbow Dash, you have to come help, now!”

“Blossomforth?” Rainbow slurred as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. “Why, what’s happened?”

“Something sent the magic in Cloudsdale all wonky, and caused this great big weird purple cloud to come along and wreck a bunch of stuff; Including the clock tower, and now the spire has just about broken right off-“

That woke her up. ‘Wait, you mean the 800 pound decorative spire that could squash ten ponies without trying?!”

“What else would I be talking about?! Yes! That spire! Either way we need you to come help hold it steady until the unicorns can come and help.”

Without another word, RD nodded sharply and the two headed off to help their home city.

Cloudsdale is usually a bright bustling city, proud of its job as Equestria’s weather and always welcoming to any pegasus. This was not the Cloudsdale that Rainbow seen. She never knew clouds could burn before, and yet, without a doubt, that was what she was seeing before her eyes. Ponies were trying to isolate the fires while those who were more skilled in chemistry and science tried to put them out. All those who were left, and were able, has surrounded the clock tower to aid in that.

The clock tower had, for a long time, had a beautiful glass prism spire that was a good fifty feet tall. It had never been damaged before, let alone broken to the point where it was inches away from falling to the floor below and crushing the light-boned pegasi in its wake. The pegasi had secured it with ropes, half of them up with it, trying to hold it up, the other half down on the ground to pull on it to keep it balanced when it tried to tilt.

With no more room up by the prism itself, RD and Blossomforth took their positions down on the ground with the others. Two ropes were tossed down for them, and they stood waiting, hearts in their throats, hoping they would not be needed. Unfortunately, the mischievous magic seemed unwilling to call it quits quite yet, and would occasionally strike up a strong wind that would set the spire off balance again. Then, while the pegasi up top struggled to balance it again, the pegasi below were instructed where and when to pull. Working together, the two groups would reposition the spire back into its balanced spot. Rainbow almost wished it had completely broken, then it could have been lowered carefully down and out of harm’s way… But then, if it had broken completely, it probably would never have been caught in the first place.

“Vere’s Derpy and Fwuttershy?” Rainbow tried to ask Blossomforth around the rope in her mouth.

“Getting the Unicorns.” Blossom replied carefully.

A second later, another shout went up, and Rainbow’s section hurriedly flew to the right before yanking back with all their might. A loud creak hung in the air for a moment too long to be good for one’s heart, when finally the order to ease up was heard, and then the collective sigh of relief as the spire stood correctly again.

It went on like this for what felt like hours, and too soon everypony’s exhaustion began to show. Rainbow’s legs were beginning to feel like lead, and every time the spire began to creak she found herself begging it to just stay in place and let her poor muscles rest.

*SNAP*

That… Can’t be good. Dash swallowed as worried shouts filled the air, and the groups reassembled on one side. The Spire was beginning to crack where the break had occurred, the glass not flexible enough to put up with all the tilting and readjusting. With a loud creak, the Spire seemed to slide forward a foot, yanking the Pegasi behind it forward. Slowly, with careful orders and teamwork, they were able to pull it up far enough to allow them to take a couple steps backwards.

A couple of minutes passed in what felt like an hour, tense muscles complaining loudly, and exhausted eyes beginning to droop. When another loud creak began to fill the air again, those things were tried to be forgotten, and everypony struggled to keep their footing as they were slowly pulled forward again as the Spire tried to break and fall.

The panicked orders and calls weren't quite reaching Dash’s ears as she tried with all her might to fight back against the weighty pull of the sliding spire. No, no, no, this can’t be happening… Why aren’t I strong enough? I need strength I need-

Another snap, followed by the gentle and foreboding tinkle of broken glass…

“Celestia, help us..!” Dash muttered around the rope as she spread her wings in desperation.

A burst of warm energy and strength seemed to radiate from her chest, easing her sore and tired muscles and waking her mind up. She felt sturdier somehow, and she rooted down as she pulled with all her might. Not to reclaim a step, but just not to move forward any farther. Encourage by her renewed energy, the pegasi around her tried to redouble their efforts, and suddenly, they came to a stop. Better organized and newly encouraged, they managed to hold their position. Even so, they were tired, and were glad when a new voice echoed out.

“Another rope please!”

Rainbow Dash nearly lost her grip on the rope. She knew that cheerful voice, and it certainly didn’t belong up here in the clouds.

“Wha-? Finkie Fie?!”

“Herro!” How Pinkie was managing to keep her trade mark grin while holding that rope was beyond her, and Rainbow was too busy questioning other things to care.

“How’d you get up here?”

“My Ralloon. Rarity toll me what was happening… She came too, helping with the fires…”

With the hope of the fire-brigade soon able to come and help, the encouragement stayed strong, and they were even able to take a step back again.

After what seemed like far too long, someone called out with utmost joy; “The unicorns are here!”

The spire was fixed first, as it was the easiest done, and presented the most risk. The second the glass was repaired and the ropes undone, there were many weary sighs of relief and exhaustion, nopony really caring to move from their spot until they could at least feel their legs again.

It was at about this point that Rainbow noted that Pinkie was wearing a very frilly glittery blue saddle dress. She was far too tired to ask about it, or even care about it at that moment.

The unicorns were able to put out the fires with relative ease, the fire having been caused by magic, was easily undone by it as well. With Twilight’s extensive knowledge about the weather-machines due to the Princess’s teachings, they were even able to correct whatever had set off this whole mess in the first place. Rainbow recalled hearing Twilight mutter something about pixies and sprites but aside from that, she couldn’t recall ever hearing what started it all to begin with.

RD met up with her friends as they set out to head home, planning to hitch a ride with Pinkie on the way down just so she wouldn’t have to try and fly down without being able to see straight anymore. A part of her wanted to talk to Rarity, as she hadn’t seen her since her rather eventful trip to Canterlot, but the other half knew that when she was this tired, she was likely to say something she would regret without even knowing she had… So she opted to stay quiet and listen to their conversation instead.

“O-oh Pinkie, I really like your dress, you don’t wear them often…” Fluttershy commented softly. “Especially not in blue…”

“I bet Rarity could whip you up something, she’s brilliant with this sort of thing!” Pinkie replied with a grin and, somehow, a bounce despite all that had happened. How is she not exhausted?!

“Speaking of brilliant,” Twilight began, “How did you figure out the cloud-walking spell Rarity? I thought most of your magic had to pertain with fabrics.”

Rarity gave a small nervous laugh. “Some of your remarkable skill must have rubbed off on me, Twilight.”

Twilight accepted the compliment with a flush, conversation quickly turned to fashion, as Rarity was wearing a new dress as well, and RD lost interest… Although that was inevitable, as she was quickly gaining interest in only two things: Her bed and the 24 hours of sleep ahead of her.

Magic for the Golden Heart

This week had been very busy, and although this butter yellow mare would never admit it, rather stressful. The storm the Pegasi had whipped up had been spectacular, and just what the farmers needed- But it was also very rattling for many of the animals. That night had been spent soothing frayed cat nerves and easing the worries of many of the younger animals.

Then, just a few days later, before routine could resume properly once again, the pixies had caused Cloudsdale a great amount of chaos. Once that disaster had been averted, Fluttershy had been grateful to return back home to her animal friends… And hopefully back to routine, peace, and quiet.

Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.

~~~

Fluttershy backed out her front door carefully, pushing it open with her rear hoof. A large bowl of bird food was clamped tightly in her teeth, and she was trying to take it over to her canary friends in the tree nearby. She stepped carefully around Angel and shut the door, before trotting over to the tree. It was a little hard to see around the bowl, so it was no surprise to her white bunny that she ended up tripping magnificently over something unseen.

Bird seed flew everywhere as she faceplanted in the dirt, more desperate to save the last of her bird food than prevent bruising her pride. Fluttershy stood up carefully, and looked to see what she had stumbled over as she salvaged as much of her spilled seed as possible. Just as she finished, she seen what it was.

A tiny hole, not even large enough to fit her hoof. She had stepped just on the edge of it, and the loose dirt had caused her to slip about an inch into it. At that point however, the hole was simple too narrow for her hoof to slide in any deeper.

“Oh, hello?” Fluttershy called gently as she peeked into the hole, thinking that it most likely belonged to a misdirected mole.

She was slightly startled, and rather confused, to see that the hole was simply that, a hole. Not a tunnel or a hiding place, merely a small pit that appeared to be dug for no reason. As her gaze searched for the animal that must have dug the little thing for some reason, it passed over the actual culprits without her knowing- A small group of pixies who were sharing a group facepalm, and arguing about the actual size of a pony’s hoof.

After feeding her birds, (There was just enough seed!) and helping the other animals gather up their own lunches, she just had to make Angel’s lunch. The small white rabbit could be ridiculously fussy at times, but Fluttershy didn’t really mind. He was such a great help, assisting her in all sorts of tasks, and making she sure she stayed on time as well. Surely making him a fancier lunch once in a while, or even the small disagreements they had at times, was fair enough compensation.

Recipe book propped up before her, and the new book on rabbit diets that Twilight had given her at her left, Fluttershy struggled to figure out how to make Angels’ favorite- While omitting the carrots. Turns out, they were actually not very good at all for rabbits, and could actually make them very sick if they ate too much… And well, “too much” was what Angel generally ate.

“Maybe I should try a new recipe… I wonder what he would like… Alfalfa squares… Rabbit hay fries? Oh, I wonder if he would like that? I rather like hay fries, myself, but I wonder if Angel would… We do tend to disagree on some things… Hmm, what else… Yoghurt salad? Oh, I know he would like this! And there’s all sorts of other healthy veggies and plants! I don’t think he’ll miss the carrots at all if I make this.”

Fluttershy set to making the somewhat complicated recipe, and was about halfway through it when Angel came darting up to her. Busy as she was, she didn’t noticed him right away. After a hard kicking on her back hoof however, he had her attention.

“Oh, hello Angel. I know I’m taking a while, but I’ll have your lunch soon okay?”

Angel shook his head rapidly, and gestured out the door. Fluttershy looked out the door, and tilted her head slightly as she took a guess at what he meant.

“I know you miss your carrot snack, but I’m sure the herb squares I made will grow on you… And there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy them in your favorite spot on the porch.”

He really had quite the glare.

“Well, I’m sorry Angel. I guess it really is my fault for not looking into carrots more before giving them to you so much.”

A small metal dish she used for feeding the kittens missed her head by an inch as Angel threw it with remarkable aim, before darting about half-way to the door.

Fluttershy couldn’t help but wonder what that was about. Angel was staring at her from where he stood, glaring at her and gesturing for her to hurry up. Confused, she slowly went to the door and looked out. She couldn’t see anything. As far as she could tell, everything was as it was when she had headed in to make lunch.

“I know you’re hungry Angel,” Fluttershy said sweetly as she turned around and headed back to her kitchen. “I’ll be done in just a minute, oka-? OW!"

Fluttershy staggered back, lifting her right back hoof about an inch of the ground, and staring at her bunny in shock. Blood dripped down to the wood below as her brain tried to process that her dearest pet had just bit her. It didn’t make sense. Angel had never bit her, not once.

Angel stared back at her, before darting out the front door. For a couple seconds, she just stared at the spot where his white form had disappeared from view. Then, she followed him out.

He was running around the small hole she had tripped over earlier, chasing… What were those? Small blue figures with wings of light, that were drawing water out from the puddles in her driveway and tossing it into the hole. As she began to come over, a few of them darted to hide in a bush, before changing their mind and spinning back to continue what they were doing.

Water…? And… Pixies…? Oh! Twilight mentioned them, Water Sprites! But, what are they doing..? Fluttershy wondered as she watched them. Just as she began to wonder what on earth Angel was trying to do, a tiny squeak caught her ear. She broke into a gallop, and was at the hole in seconds. A small very soaked litter of bunnies had gotten themselves caught in the hole. The beginnings of rage bubbled in her chest as everything clicked into place.

She didn’t know why, but the sprites were trying to drown them. It hadn’t worked so far, as the loose dirt had drank up the water. It was quickly turning to mud however, and it soon wouldn’t hold anymore. She immediately tried to reach in and lift the little ones out, but as she should have learned this morning, the hole was far too small for her to fit her hoof in. Unable to help directly, she turned to the sprites, who were about to toss in another bout of water.

“Stop this! Stop this right now!” She snapped at them, and they stopped- For a whole of one second, to make a mocking face and a rude gesture.

Angel was still snapping at them, trying to chase them off, but they were flying too high for him to reach. In fact, they almost seemed to be tormenting him, stopping just an inch out of his reach, and then mocking him, or occasionally soaking him with water as well.

“STOP IT!” Fluttershy cried, and “The Stare” kicked in. The three in front of her froze, and Fluttershy immediately began to scold them; “Now, listen to me right no-wwapppttthh” Fluttershy spluttered, choking on dusty water and trying to shake her wet mane out of her eyes. The other five sprites had pulled up a good amount of water and had whopped her in the face with it.

Not knowing what else to do, Fluttershy charged at them, trying to chase them off, as Angel was doing. They dodged her easily, and it didn’t take long for her to realize that they were even waiting till the last minute to fly out of the way, just to torment her further. On her fifth charge, in a desperate hope to wear them out at least, four of the sprites soaked the ground before her, causing her to skid right into the tree in front of her with a tremendous crash.

Fluttershy staggered to her hooves, shaking her head to clear it. She turned back to face the sprites, tears biting at her eyes at the feeling of being completely helpless.

Please, I just want to help the little ones. Why can’t I be like Twilight? She would know what to do… Fluttershy sniffed, barely feeling the comforting warmth that her pendant had began to give off. And even if she didn’t, her magic would solve things, it always does. I wish-

A brilliant flash of crimson light and inspiring knowledge. The Sprites didn’t know what hit them as a pink and yellow blur shot by them, dispelling their control over the next “drenching” and stopping by the hole.

With the soft whisper of magic, each tiny bunny was lifted out of the hole, and dried off. Once all five of them were safe and sound behind her, wrapped in her tail, Fluttershy turned her attention to the Sprites.

It took just one glare for them to go into a profuse amount of apologies. It was one thing to hassle a pony with no ability other than to fret and fuss, it was quite another to torment a pony that had the magic to freeze a Water Sprite solid and shatter them with but another thought.

Angel gaped as the Sprites fled, leaving not a drop of their magic or water behind them. His jaw dropped another couple of inches at the yellow horn that was peeking through his mare’s mane.

After nuzzling the little ones, and sending them back off to their burrow, Fluttershy set to filling the tiny pit in. It would cause no more trouble. Just as she finished, she noticed Angel freaking a good bit.

“Oh, is there something else wrong?! Are there more animals in danger? More Bullies?!? Where?” Her panicked searching gaze ended as Angel darted in front of her and pointed.

Her gaze slowly went up to her newest feature, and she breathed a small sigh of relief. Oh, it’s just this.

“Oh, don’t worry Angel, I have a hat that will hide it quite well. It must be a temporary gift from Celestia… I’m sure it will disappear again soon.” She said sweetly, smiling gently at her friend, before turning and heading back inside. “Now why don’t I finish making your meal? Lunch is going to be rather late today, isn’t it?”

Angel stared after her, his jaw dropping again. After a second, he picked it up… Just in time to facepaw.

Knowledge is Power (but not always.)

{A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY PINKPEARL! :D}

“Alright! This week has been a bit hectic, but I’m all set!” Twilight said cheerfully as she trotted around the library, gathering up her notebooks and quills.

Spike rolled his eyes slightly, as Twilight (despite saying that she was “all set”) had forgotten a few things, and was ahead of herself, and him, as usual.

“Not quite Twilight, you forgot Pinkie’s bouquet, and the scarf she and Rarity made as well.”

“Oh. Right.” Twilight said sheepishly as she picked up the soft blue scarf and tucked it into her saddlebags. “Why am I delivering it again?”

“Because you’re going to Canterlot, Pinkie’s out of stamps, and-“ Here Spike had to suppress a laugh, “and she wanted you to deliver a “singing telegram” as well.” He snorted slightly at the end, partially due to the look Twilight had given him.

“Eeyea~hahahah-” Twilight’s laugh was somewhere between nervous and sarcastic, “No. I’ll deliver the scarf, I’ll deliver the flowers, but I am NOT singing a telegram.” She said a little coldly, and Spike muffled a laugh at her deadpan look.

“I told Pinkie that wasn’t going to happen.” He said with a small grin as he carried over the last of her books.

“How intuitive of you.” Twilight said teasingly as she lifted the books from her dragon assistant’s arms and into her saddlebag. She had to take out the scarf and rearrange the bags contents to get it all to fit.

“Alright, is that everything?” She asked Spike lightly, eager to get going.

“Yep, that’s everything!” He called back, as he gathered up the bright bouquet of lilies in his claws. “Looks like I’m carrying these… You know Twilight, I think you’re getting a lot better at number 31.”

“The keep fresh spell.” She remembered with a smile. “Yes, it’s been quite handy with all the flowers Pinkie keeps sending me to charm for her… What is this, the fifth bundle?”

Spike’s eyes rolled up as he tried to remember. “Fifth or sixth, I think.”

“Hmm. Well, it doesn’t matter.” Twilight said with a small shrug, grinning down at Spike as he walked up to her side. “So we’re off?”

“We’re off.”

Ever since nearly becoming trapped in them permanently, Twilight had been very curious about the crystal catacombs underneath Canterlot. Their magic-stopping and reflective properties were unlike anything she had seen before, and she had desperately wanted to research them. It had taken a lot of work, but she had finally gotten permission and access to them, and was looking forward to what she might find.

First stop though, was Canterlot Castle. Partially to deliver Pinkie’s presents, but mostly because Luna had asked Twilight to let her know whenever she went to and from the tunnels. The reason for this was simple; The catacombs were vast, and at times dangerous. If she was gone for too long, Luna would know to send somepony after her.

“Hello boys.” Twilight called cheerfully as she trotted up to the castle gates.

Sword Swinger and Gold Chainmail smiled at her, moving their spears aside so she could go through. They knew her well, as she was the younger sister of their captain, and the Princess had already stated that she expected Twilight to come some time today on a “Research trip” of sorts.

Spike stood up carefully on Twi’s back as they entered the courtyard. It was much quieter than usual… To be honest, it unsettled him a little. When they finally encountered a couple of maids cleaning the large stained glass windows, he relaxed. He had started to wonder if everypony in the castle has simply vanished, and it was reassuring to see that his imagination had just gotten away with him. I guess it’s just a quiet day today. Spike decided with an awkward laugh to himself.

“Hello Sweet Tea, Bright Shine, how have things been?” Twilight asked, grinning at the two older mares.

“Oh Twilight Sparkle! We haven’t seen you in a while!” Bright Shine said, smile wide and welcoming. “Oh, things have been just fine. Princess Celestia’s still not feeling well, I’m afraid-“

“But she seems cheerier, so I think she’s feeling a bit better at least.” Sweet Tea interrupted, earning her an exasperated look from her sister.

“Well that’s true.” Bright conceded, regaining her smile. “So what brings you here Twilight?”

“Two things, actually.” Here she paused to lift the scarf out of her bag. “Pinkie Pie asked me to deliver this get-well gift for Celestia-“

“And a bouquet too!” Spike added, lifting up the flowers so they were visible.

“And Luna asked me to let her know when I went down into the catacombs, which I’ll be doing in about an hour.” Twilight finished.

“Oh, we were just about to go to the Solar and Lunar towers, so we can deliver those for you if you like-“

“And pass on the message too! Knowing you Twi, you’re impatient to get to work, aren’t you?” Once again Sweet Tea got a small exasperated glare from her elder sister.

Twilight laughed, her cheeks flushing a little. “You two know me so well. I would appreciate that, thank you.”

Bright hopped off her stepladder to take the scarf and bouquet from them with her own magic. “Oh these are lovely. I’m sure the Princess will love them. We won’t hold you up deary.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you two this evening!” Twilight called over her shoulder as she began to head back out.

“Alright! See you Twilight!” Sweet Tea called, almost losing her balance on her own stepladder with her exuberant waving.

Once Bright had come back over with the two gifts, Sweet Tea turned to her. “Now that I think about it, isn’t this the fifteenth get-well gift Pinkie has sent?”

“Are we including the personal visit when she brought her sister Octavia and personally sang a lullaby for Celestia, and then left all those balloons behind?”

“Oh, I had forgotten about that… Yes, I’d say that counts.”

“Seventeenth.”

It was late afternoon when Twilight finally descended into the catacombs for her research. She eagerly set up her table and portable writing desk, and set to her work. If she had not been so deeply engrossed in “Knowledge” and “Curiosity,” she might have felt “Wonder” at the beauty of what surrounded her.

The caverns were in perpetual twilight; Each magical crystal illuminating the cave in the softest of glows, and sometimes, when there was a normal jewel nearby, bathed the surrounding area in the soft watery whisper of a sapphire’s light, or the glitter of rainbows from a prism, or the fiery dance of a ruby. With several of the simpler crystals acting as mirrors, entire areas would be alight in a strange and breath-taking way, and it was if you could step into another realm with the right turn.

The only one who noticed this however, was a young dragon that should have stayed by his unicorn’s side. Even as he admired the natural beauty, he could feel drawn to an area nearby by instincts and hunger. Within a few minutes, he found what had been calling to him; A large cave dimly lit by a single crystal in the roof, chock full of his favourite gems.

“They all look so delicious…” Spike drooled, before catching himself and wiping the slobber off his chin.

He glanced around the cave and down the tunnel that he had come from. It can’t hurt to help myself to a few of these right? I bet it would be a help, even! This way I won’t be bugging Twilight for a snack. And it’s not like she needs these ones…

“Yeah, no problem…” He muttered, before charging forward and eating his way through a large cluster of sapphires.

That was when he'd seen it. A large, beautiful diamond, breathtakingly gorgeous, even in its natural state, partially buried just a few feet from his nose. Although his stomach wanted it, Spike had a different destiny in mind for it.

Diamond’s are Rarity’s favorite. I bet she would absolutely love that… Spike thought slowly, his heart skipping a beat at the memory of his crush. As he remembered her reaction at the Fireruby he had given her, he made up his mind. He had to get her that diamond.

Halfway through digging it out, a deafening crack split the silence, and froze Spike in his tracks. Very slowly, a cold feeling dropping into his gut, he looked up to see a large crack growing across the ceiling. As the large crystal that was lighting the cavern began to slide down with the grating sound of rock against rock, Spike just had one thing to say.

“Oh horse apples.”

*CRASH*

Twilight’s head collided with her work lamp as she snapped to attention. Even as she nursed her growing headache, her ears swivelled in confusion to find the sound that had startled her.

All was silent now, but she had a very, very bad feeling. If she was to compare this feeling to anything, it would be to the moment when NightMare Moon had broken free of her prison in front of Twilight’s own eyes.

“Spike?” A soft, worried call echoed out, as she realized that her number one assistant was nowhere in sight.

The bad feeling grew stronger, and panic began to claw at her throat. “SPIKE?! SPIKE WHERE ARE YOU?!?”

Nothing. Absolutely nothing came in reply. Her own voice echoing back her panicked call was all that could be heard. Twilight found it hard to swallow as fear grew the lump in her throat to feel as if she had tired to eat an entire apple whole.

“SPIKE?” Without even the conscious order, her hoof-steps grew faster, and faster, until she was galloping through the tunnels in a desperate search.

As she went further in, it slowly got darker, as fewer of the large crystals could be seen. This was almost the exact opposite of the way she had gone with Cadence. As it became hard to see, Twilight tried to remember her illumination spell through her panic. Before she could start to freak about that, however, she realized her saddlebag was glowing softly.

Lifting open the bag, she found the little medallion that Luna had given her. It was like a lantern, and she took it out with a note of relief. I should have been wearing this from the start…

Now able to see, Twilight advanced quickly into the growing darkness. It wasn’t long before a strange sight caught her eyes; A large multitude of shards surrounding what looked like a cave-in. Each shard glowed just brightly enough to look like a star against the black rock. Something was distracting Twilight from making this connection however; A just-visible tip of a very familiar tail.

“SPIKE!”

It didn’t take anything to remember the telekinetic spell, as it was more instinctual than recited, and she reached for it immediately. She wanted to throw off every rock and grind it into dust for hurting her dearest friend.

It was all for naught, though. As the spell was cast, it wouldn’t “grip,” and trying to force it caused her to be thrown back several feet. It took a few seconds for her desperate mind to connect the dots and realize that the dust from the shattered crystal was interfering with her magic. Charging back, she immediately changed her tactic to removing every rock that was untouched by the dust, and using them to support and lift up the larger ones. It was the biggest, most confusing, and most important puzzle she had ever had to figure out. She accomplished it at record speed, before charging forward and with all her might pushing away the smaller dusty rocks that laid in her path.

When she finished, she was out of breath and near tears. Only a single rock remained, propped up and impossible for her to even touch with her magic, as it was absolutely coated with shards and dust from the crystal. It was pinning a small amount of rubble, mostly shards from the crystal, and she was unwilling to use her magic when it could cause Spike greater damage. She would have to move it manually, and she couldn’t. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. She did everything she could possibly think of, while making sure it didn’t slide in the wrong way and onto Spike.

She could even see him now, but she couldn’t tell if he was okay. She couldn’t reach him, couldn’t see any blood, but she couldn’t see if he was breathing either.

As she pushed up against the boulder with all she had, her hooves sliding out from under her even as she willed the rock to roll up and down the careful ramp she had constructed, and away from Spike.

Why do I have to know about everything?! Why couldn’t I just leave this one blasted thing alone?! Tears poured down her snout as she struggled in vain. Now because of my stupid curiosity, Spike’s gotten hurt- Or worse! And I’m absolutely useless. I’m supposed to protect you. I’m supposed to keep you safe. Someone please, help us… I’m so sorry, so so sorry…. Her sorrowful plea was heard, even though she “knew” no-one would hear it. With each one of her sobs, the medallion had given a reassuring beat, and the minute she asked for help, it granted it. It melted away into her fur, easing the burn in her muscles, and giving her the strength she needed.

Twilight was startled out of her mental apology by the soft grating of stone on stone. The boulder was moving. Redoubling her efforts, she gave one last push, and the boulder rolled down the rocky ramp she had constructed with a serious of dull thunks.

For a second she stood there, shocked at her success, and very out of breath. Then desperation returned, and she raced to her little dragon’s side. He was breathing, his claws clutched around a large raw jewel.

“Oh, Spike…” Twilight sighed, relief easing her panic with each one of his breaths. Thank goodness you’re okay…

“Sorry… Twi…” His voice was barely audible, but it still nearly made her jump. “I… Ended up.. being a bother after all…”

He sounded… Drunk. Twilight carefully knocked the crystal shards away and dusted him off with her tail.

“I just… Wanted Rarity to have this… Isn’t that… Silly..?”

“Don’t worry about it okay?” Twilight replied shortly, as she carefully lifted him onto her back. “I’m going to get you to Zecora, just hang on.”

The path out seemed much longer than the path in, but it also seemed to take only a fraction of the time. The second her hooves hit grass, the two vanished in a flash of light to reappear a second later in front of Zecora’s door. Twilight had made sure to take the damage for multiple-teleportation, and was no doubt quite the sight for the startled zebra when she answered Twilight’s pounding.

The wait while Zecora looked him over seemed to take twice as long as her trip there.

“Despite your adventures in the forgotten mines,
Your dragon friend is simply fine.
A good concussion is all he has earned,
From all that he caused when love’s desire burned.”

“Oh thank goodness.” Twilight breathed out, her legs finally giving out from under her.

Zecora gave her an understanding smile, and went to get the exhausted unicorn a cup of strong tea.

“You worry too much, Twi… Thick scales, you know?” Spike offered sleepily.

Had she been slightly less exhausted, and not so completely and utter mostly relieved, Twilight probably would have gotten mad at him. As it was, she quickly become more pre-occupied with a sudden revelation.

Sundown was half an hour ago- Sweet Tea was going to start freaking. I guess I better send a letter saying that I’m all done with the tunnels… Permanently. Twilight sneaked a look at Spike who had dozed off, his arm still wrapped around the diamond.

…And I think I’ll deliver it personally.

Sharing Magic

With a huge splash and a large skid that ended in a loud bang against the door of Carousel Boutique, Rainbow Dash had arrived an hour late to Rarity’s meeting. She wasn’t sure what this sudden meeting was about, as everything had been peaceful all week. And for this month and all it’s chaos, that was something to be commented on.

So when one of Pinkie Pie’s balloons had delivered the small note that Rarity was calling a meeting for everypony in their group to discuss “New Developments” RD was having issues thinking of what the unicorn could have in mind.

I swear, if this is about some new fashion show, or celebrity photographer, I am going to go take a nap. Rainbow grumbled inwardly as she opened the door and stepped through, allowing a good amount of rain to follow her in.

“Rainbow Dash, please! Shut the door, you’re getting everything all wet!” Rarity whined slightly, shuffling her hooves up and down as Twilight grabbed another towel for the drenched pegasus.

“Sorry.” Rarity winced as Rainbow kicked the door shut, before giving the blue mare a small glare, earning a sheepish grin in return.

“H-hey, Twi~!” Rainbow’s protests were slightly muffled as Twilight quickly, and somewhat roughly, dried off her friend.

“Heh heh, sorry Rainbow, but we don’t want Rarity having a kitten.” Twilight chuckled, the somewhat goofy metaphor still stuck in her head from the book she had been reading when her note had arrived.

“Oooh oooh, Rarity’s having a kitten? Should I throw a baby shower?”

“Pinkie, it’s a metaphor.”

“I know that Twi, I just thought it’d be funny for Rarity to have a kitten! I mean, aside from the biological impossibilities and the amount of fourth wall breakage, it’d be really interesting and neato and Opalescent would have a sister!”

A moment’s silence hung in the air, broken by a deadpan “what.” by Applejack. Rainbow Dash snickered.

“Just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, AJ. So what’s this whole meeting about Rarity?”

“Errrrr… New… Developments. Sooo, anything that’s happened recently that’s a… Personal… development… Heh heh… Ahem.” Rarity offered, eyes shifting and looking unusually nervous.

At this, Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow and Fluttershy turned to each other with raised eyebrows and exchanged confused glances, and therefore didn’t see the magnificent facehoof of Rarity’s that prompted a giggle from Pinkie Pie.

“Well, I suppose we could start with why everypony is suddenly so into Fashion!" Rainbow offered, waving a hoof around at her friends as she spoke, " I mean, Pinkie Pie’s wearing a dress, Twilight’s wearing jewellery, and Fluttershy’s wearing this gaudy hat! It’s… So, out of character for you two.”

“May I mention that you look amazing in that gown Rarity?” Spike said promptly, looking up at his idol with adoration in his eyes.

Rarity offered him a smile and a pat on his head before looking over to Fluttershy at the hat RD had mentioned.

“I hate to say it deary, but RD is actually right-“

“What do you mean by, ‘actually’?!”

“That hat is far too… well, gaudy for you. If you needed a hat for some event or something… Why didn’t you ask me for something better? You know I would love to design something gorgeous for you for no charge at all!”

“Like the dress you’re wearing it really is quite amazing-“

“Spike…”

“Oh, um, yes, I know that Rarity, I just, ummmm.. That is… Didn’t want to bother you..?”

“Oh, but it wouldn’t have been any bother at all Fluttershy! You should know that!” Rarity almost sounded hurt.

“oh, um, yes, I guess so, but uh…” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off and Rarity dropped the matter rather quickly after that.

“And to answer your question Rainbow, the reason why I’m wearing this necklace today is because I lost the pendant Luna gave me and so I’m wearing this to remind myself to look for it. I was in the middle of searching and re-organizing-“

“And re-re-organizing…”

“-My room.” Twilight finished, glaring a little at Spike for the interruption.

“Well, that makes sense, but why is Pinkie Pie all dressed up?”

“It’s a… PARTY DRESS!”

“…Of course it is.” Rainbow deadpanned.

“Ummm, hate to bring this up if it’s just me, but uh…” Spike began, before getting cut off by RD.

“Spike if this about Rarity’s dress, AGAIN-“

“No no, I was just saying- It might just be me, but… Has everypony GROWN a few inches?”

As the girls looked up at each other, and then down at themselves, Spike could be heard muttering that “it just seemed that he was looking up at Rarity a little more than usual.”

“By darn it, I think he’s right. Now that Ah think about it, Ah've been a little more eye-level with Big Mac lately…”

“And I HAVE been hitting my horn on the dress racks more than usual, although I thought Sweetie Bell was the cause of that, to be honest…”

“And I have been using the stepladder less…” Twilight added.

“So have I!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“And I bumped my head on the otter’s den too…’

“So… yeah, I guess we have all grown a few inches.” Rainbow finished, and for a second everypony just looked at each other.

“Actually, now that I look at everypony here… There’s something I’ve noticed.” Twilight started slowly, before looking over at AJ. “This could just me being nit-picky, but… Aren’t you wearing your hat way more forward than normal, Applejack?”

“That is SO nitpicky.” Rainbow retorted, but AJ raised a hoof.

“Nah, she’s right RD, and well…. Hoo boy.” With a sigh, Applejack reach up and took off her hat, revealing the bright horn peeking out from her blond hair.

There was a small gasp around the room, and then Pinkie bounded forward into the middle of the boutique with an excited “Ooh Ooh, me next!”

Jaws slid down another inch as her bright blue saddle dress hit the ground to reveal two bright pink wings. Then with just a brief look at each other, Fluttershy and Rarity took off their hat and dress respectively to show their “New developments”

After a second of being too shocked to speak as she tried to pick her jaw off of the floor, Rainbow Dash broke the room’s silence with a splutter of, “Let me get this straight.

“Pinkie Pie is now a Pegasus, Applejack is now a Unicorn, and Rarity and Fluttershy are now ALICORNS?! Oh, and Twilight and I grow a few inches. I don’t get what’s going on, but I feel cut short.”

Twilight was silent for a second, as something slowly came to mind. As wonderings turned to a realization, she raised a hoof to get RD’s attention before speaking to the group.

“Wait… Do any of you still have your medallions?”

After looking at each other once again, everypony just shakes their head. After grinning knowingly, Twilight continued;

“Alicorns are the perfect balance of all three pony races. The Unicorns, the Pegasi, and the Earth Ponies.-”

“We know that Twilight.” Apple Jack said softly, before getting cut off by Twilight raising her hoof again.

“No, don’t you get it? The medallion gave each of us one more feature of one of the other races! Applejack and Fluttershy got Unicorn, Rarity and Pinkie Pegasus, and… Well, Rainbow Dash and I must have gotten Earth Pony.”

“So, wait, when I got that burst of strength after the medallion disappeared during that disaster in Cloudsdale, that was me gaining 'Earth pony', uh, essence?” Rainbow Dash questioned.

Twilight grinned in response. “Yes! So, Fluttershy and Rarity aren’t so much Alicorns as we’re all… Two-thirds Alicorn… Or would that be half-Alicorn?”

Pinkie started giggling at the confused look on Twilight’s face, as if she was trying to solve a great mystery, over such a silly-sounding question, and in a few seconds everyone started to laugh. Pinkie’s laugh was infectious.

After an agreement to keep each other posted this time around, and to ask Celestia about this at the next opportunity; Everyone continued on with their daily lives, only their family hearing the other half of their growth spurt and, to quote a certain speedster, “sudden interest in Fashion”.

A/N: HOLY CRAP THIS TOOK ME WAY TOO FREAKIN' LONG TO WRITE D: So sorry for the huge wait. As an apology, you will get another chapter later today.
There are SOME bonuses to me writing this out of chronological order.

A Solar Request

With an inaudible bop, two balloons, one a soft blue and the other a vibrant pink, bounced off of each other to resume their sleepy dance in the breeze that whirled freely though the Solar tower. A golden yellow balloon joined the two as the wind grew strong enough to lift it up once more. As the blue one neared the ceiling, it caught a ray of sunlight, and for a split second, looked like a brilliant bubble about to burst into an array of azure. As it drifted down once more, it landed near Celestia’s nose, who gave it the gentle bop it needed for it to rejoin the dance.

The balloons were all that was left of Pinkie’s latest “gift.” Although by many ponies’ definition it wasn’t a gift at all, the Princesses knew that was exactly what it was, another “Get Well" gift from the hyperactive party pony.

You see; three days ago, Fine Flour (One of the Royal Castle’s great pastry chefs) had the joy of showing around two of the students from the nearby Chef’s Institute. However, the two got into a heated “discussion” with him about the importance of high quality ingredients- Him believing that “the commoner’s apple” was only good for pig slop, and the students believing it didn’t matter where it came from, but rather the care it was grown with. Despite the good intentions of the students, Fine Flour got furious, and tried to throw them out of his kitchen. Over-hearing the commotion, Celestia intervened, and after hearing about the discussion from the other chefs, sided with the students. Fine Flour took her gentle reprimand as an insult against his “Five-star style” and left in a fit.

The problem was, however, that although Fine wasn’t the only pastry chef the Castle had, he was the only one that knew how to make Celestia’s favorite Hot Apple Sponge Cake. Celestia was quick to assure the rest of her staff that losing her favorite sweet was no big deal… And yet, somehow, word managed to reach Pinkie Pie, who immediately decided that it was a crime to go without your favorite goodies when you are feeling ill, and personally took it upon herself to fill the void.

Pinkie took the three hour trip up to Canterlot just to work anonymously in the kitchens and sneak up a certain sweet as a surprise. Celestia had been very startled to see her maid bringing up a Hot Apple Sponge Cake for dessert, but had tried it with gusto none-the-less. It used four different kinds of “commoner’s” apple, a large amount of cinnamon and maple syrup, and was far sweeter than what she was used to. It was heartfelt… and absolutely delicious.

Pinkie was discovered rather quickly, mostly due to her bright colouring and having far too much energy for a weary chef, and would have gotten into trouble… As no-one had any clue as to how she had managed to get in- But Luna stepped in, having recognized Pinkie’s hoof-work, and the three had ended up having tea together instead. It was then that Pinkie had brought out the balloons… Probably. To be honest, neither Princess was quite sure when the balloons came. They were simply there shortly after the bouncing pink pony had come up for tea, wearing a white saddle dress, crooked chef’s toque, apron, and absolutely coated in flour.

After getting cleaned up, the vibrant earth pony chased away all the exhausted and sorrowful smiles, and brought back the mischievous smirks and light laughter to the towers. Pinkie only left after Fine’s best student came to replace him the next morning, and she was sure to bake one last cake before going.

Celestia and Luna had shared that cake just between them two. For the first time since all the nonsense began, the two simply talked, joking and teasing each other as they used to so many years ago. The best moment had no doubt been when Luna had found a large chunk of a granny smith apple in her piece, and it brought up some fun…

“Ah, I should have said it was for Apple Sponge Cake…”

Celestia had looked up at her sister questioningly, curious to hear the other half of her thought.

“Oh, when I gave the Rejal Medallions to the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, they wanted to know where Applejack’s was. Tia, you put me in a bit of a mess giving Applejack hers first.” Luna pouted sourly, prompting a giggle from her elder sister.

“Oh, how so?” Celestia asked innocently, trying to keep a straight face.

“Well, Twilight immediately remembered that you had summoned Applejack here, and wanted to know what it was about. She is in every way, your student. Brushing it off does not work with that filly. Well, I have to admit, I panicked. And, Mother help me, I said it was for Apple Tea, and just now I realized it would have been much better for- OH! Quit laughing Tia! It’s not THAT funny!” Luna snapped, her cheeks flushing as Celestia collapsed in a fit of giggles.

“A-apple tea?” Celestia choked out through her chuckles, “Oh Lulu~ In all of Cael’s Sky, what were you thinking?”

“I just said I panicked.” Luna muttered sourly, before catching the look Celestia was giving her, and starting to giggle as well.

Celestia chuckled at the memory, wincing a second later as her chest ached in quiet complaint. The curse is strengthening once again so quickly now.… She realized with a small twinge of sorrow. I was able to slow it by diluting my magic with the creation of the medallions but… A coughing fit interrupted her train of thought, and she paused to cover her mouth and let it pass. It was only a manner of time before my powers came back on their own, strengthening the blasted thing once again. She cursed quietly, letting her gaze fall to her hoof.

Red spots darkened the white fur. Celestia sighed, letting out a slow breath as she reassured herself of her plan. Pinkie was wearing that saddle dress, and she was a good foot taller… The medallions have activated… It must be working… But…Am I not going to be able to see this through? She wondered, as a large muscle spasm ripped down her back, distorting peaceful thoughts with silent cries of pain. However, it passed quickly, leaving her light-headed but able to think.

“Tia? I heard you coughing, are you alright?”

Celestia sighed again as she realized that she would have to rely on her sister for a vital task once again… Something she didn’t want to do, as she knew it would probably hurt Luna just as much as it would be helpful to the plan. And yet-

“Ah, horse apples.” Celestia swore softly as a violent headache whipped itself up. It felt much like as if her horn was trying to turn itself inside out and be nailed through her forehead.

“Tia?” Luna called again, this time stepping into her sister’s room.

Oh burzol. I forgot to clean up the-

A clatter of hoof-steps and Luna was at her side in a second.

“What happened?!? Are you coughing up blood now? Why- Err, what can I do? What is wrong Tia?”

-blood. Celestia sighed slightly again, willing the room to stop spinning and for her headache to go away long enough for her to calm Luna down again.

“I’m fine, Luna-“

“No, you are not! You-“

“I am aware of what is occurring.” Celestia snapped… And immediately regretted her loss of temper as she caught the hurt look that flashed across Luna’s face. “Luna, I-“

“I know… You did not mean to snap.” Luna cut her off, nuzzling her sister gently on the cheek.

Deep Breath.

“Luna, I…” Celestia sighed, closing her eyes and taking another breath before trying to continue. “I need to ask you a favor.”

Although she knew this did not bode well, Luna smiled gently in response and nodded, trying her hardest not to think too much into her sister’s tone.

“I need you to finish giving Twilight and the others the abilities they need- To finish their ascension.”

A chill settled itself in the middle of Luna’s back, threatening to grow and encase her in fright and ice. Celestia’s tone was that of the “professor”, the one she used to hide her own emotions. The look in her eyes as she said it though revealed everything she was trying to hide. Before Luna could reach out to them, Celestia faced them herself.

“And to guide them, as best as you can… In my place.” Celestia finished, her voice cracking just slightly on the last sentence.

“T-tia…” Luna could remember the last time her sister’s voice had cracked in fear, but not because it had been recent, but rather because it had been memorable. They were only children then though, or as they called that age now, “Teenagers”… But no… She would not pull up an old painful memory just to hide from a new one.

“Please, Luna….” Distracted as she was, she did not notice how weak Celestia’s voice had become.

“Yes. Of course I will… Tia…? TIA?!”

"TIA!?!"

By The Stars

A/N: A reader linked this to me, and before I knew it, it became the unofficial theme song for this chapter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

By The Stars

Shadows danced along stone walls, to the soft drum beat of falling hoof-steps. The torches burned brightly in their alcoves, their flames tinting blue as the Lunar Princess walked by them.

Luna sighed softly as she descended into the Eternal Archives. Her heart-beat was still beating faster than it probably should. Even now, panic tugged at her gut, and tears bit at the edge of her eyes. As another torch went from fiery red to a comforting blue, Luna shook her head at herself. I can not even steady my emotions enough to prevent my magic from influencing the world around me. How am I supposed to be of any use like this?

Her mind drifted back to that afternoon. Celestia had scared her so badly, passing out so suddenly like that. For a minute, Luna didn’t understand what had occurred. She had called to her elder sister, gently shaking her, panicking when feeling how cold Celestia had become. Then, the sight of white feathers rustling as Celestia took a slow breath in her dreamless sleep. Only then did Luna remember to breath herself, a slow choked inhale through sobs that eased her fears and reminded her that things could still be alright.

She promised herself, right then and there, that no matter what, she would save her sister. She would keep her promise to help Twilight and her friends, but she would not be their sole advisor. Rage bubbled in her chest as she caught her reflection in an old mirror that had been stored outside the archives; Tired eyes and tear-streaked fur.

You will pay for this Chrysalis… For every tear we have shed, you will pay in blood. One way or another. Luna hissed to herself, and the anger she felt was subdued by her quiet oath.

The old oaken doors swung forward to the bid of her magic, and she stepped through with steely determination. Turquoise eyes searched the hundred of bookshelves for the single brown book of celestial ruins that their parents had left them. After an hour of searching, she finally found it. It was nearly the size of Twilight, and Luna nearly laughed with the mental image of what her discovery of this book would be like. Feeling encouraged by the familiar scent of the books and the nostalgic sight of her parents' writing, Luna set the tome down on the reading table, and began to read.

The Sun was wishing to be risen by the time Luna straightened up and rubbed her tired eyes. She had found the only answer, the single path out… However, it still held a dire cost. Her gaze went back to the ancient pages, and settled on the blurred ink and damaged spots that splattered the page. Signs of tears, and of a desperate hope and grief. Luna let out a slow breath as she ran her hoof gently across the old parchment. Did you know, Mother, Father? That I would need what you wrote with such careful care, even as you begged the heavens above that it would never be needed nor wanted?

Thank you… With a careful and gentle movement, the book was swung shut, as Luna made up her mind. Perhaps a wish could still be granted through all these curses and darkness.

~~~

From the top of the Lunar tower, Luna did the unfamiliar task of raising her sister’s sun. Although she had aided Celestia in the sunrise in the past month, she had never done it alone, and the feel of the warm rays were foreboding to her.

I wonder if this is how Tia felt the first night after my banishment. Alone and scared, as if even the magic we were using was to turn against us… In a way, it’s bitterly ironic. All those centuries ago, in my foolishness and greed, frustration and loneliness, I wanted the night to last forever… To be cloaked in my friends the stars, and for my work to be praised as my sister’s was. If I knew what patience was, even if I had not seen the truth- Luna couldn’t help but snort a little. Or for that matter been blasted with it… I would have had the opportunity to not only make my dreams come true, but be praised as a hero as I did so. What would I have called it, that path’s outcome? What did that one fanatic pony call it..? Ah yes, “A Lunar Republic.”

And yet here I stand, before what could so easily by the very eve of my old self’s dream, and I wish for nothing more than for things to continue as they have for the past year, and how things should have continued for the next millennium. How bitter irony can be.

The sun’s bright rays, peeking through clouds going from a mournful red to a soft white, made Luna’s watering eyes burn. As she blinked and turned away, an unbidden tear fell, and she brushed it away as she prepared the spells she would need mentally.

Then, she looked down at the still-sleeping Canterlot, and let out a slow breath, filled with worries and fears. Closing her eyes, she carefully split off a little more than half her powers, putting with it the discord and hatred she felt in her heart. She took it right out of herself, and granted it form, before releasing it as a beautiful shadow and moonlight filled dragon that wheeled off towards the Everfree and its new homes.

Luna turned and walked back to her room to find the things she would need for the spell her parents had so painstakingly recorded. There was no rush. She knew Twilight, they would be here not a minute after she had lowered her moon for what would probably be the last time. In fact, due to all the chaos everypony had gone through these past few weeks, they might even be here sooner. As she slowly passed the carved mirrors that decorated the one side of her room on her way to where she kept her artifacts, they showed her that she once again held the filly form that the Element's had granted her on the night of her return. It was yet another simple irony, one that wasn't so bitter.

Time for the Alicorns had always moved at an indescribable pace, one only another Alicorn could understand. Now, however, it seemed to move at the frantically terrifying pace of mortals, and it felt as if every step was ticking down on some grand clock that even her parents knew not of.

Even through all this, Luna kept her calm with a simple oath she had made to the dimming dawn’s sparkle as her sister’s sun had taken the Day.

By the Stars that our father has appointed me, I will save you, My Dearest Sister.

Harmony's Hereafter Path

A string of panicked foreign language tore through the air as a cloud of dust formed by a single pony came charging into town. Ponyville’s citizens leapt back in startled worry, as the dust cloud shot past them, often staying frozen in their spot for a second as they tried to figure out WHAT that was exactly, and what had caused it. Rose immediately thought of a stampede, but Rainbow Dash was quick to assure her that she had only seen the one pony… And that she was rather impressed by its speed.

The stream of strange and somewhat strangled language continued until the dust cloud settled outside Twilight’s house, ending itself abruptly as its creator turned to pounding on the Library door.

“I’m coming, I’m coming-WOAH” Spike called anxiously, his voice getting cut off by a tremendous crash, and the following gentle thuds of falling books.

“Careful Spike!” Twilight called over to her assistant, her voice a little worried, the door swinging open a second after she finished.

When Twilight finally turned to address her guest, she hadn’t even had a chance to get out her greeting before her jaw hit the ground and she was assaulted by more of the foreign language, as well as the frustrated face-hoofs of the zebra in front of her as she struggled to recall Equestrian.

“Z-zecora, are you okay…?” Twilight asked worriedly, as Zecora groaned and faced-hoofed for the fifth time in frustration of being unable to say more than two words in a row in the language she needed to use right now. “M-maybe you should come in for some tea and calm down a little…?”

‘You know, you don’t really have to hit “sensical” right off the bat.” Spike offered, “Heck, I think I manage to get out like, seven words and an order in an emergency, and that works pretty well actually.”

Zecora looked at him blankly for a second, before taking a deep breath.

“Dragon. Ursa. Humungous. Forest- Smashed…” Zecora spluttered, her hooves waving in description, before locking eyes with Twilight. “Assistance, please.”

“Wow, that ending was… Surprisingly calm. Kinda sounded like mine too. But you know, ca-WOAAH~!”

“COME ON SPIKE! Don’t worry Zecora, we’ll handle it!” Twilight called back, Spike desperately hanging on to her mane, as she charged off to get her friends, subconsciously appreciating the longer and faster gait that the amulet had inadvertently granted her.

Exactly one hour later, not a second past, the mane six stood a hundred feet from the dragon that had been wreaking chaos. Twilight turned to her friends with a determined grin and a list held by Spike, quill in claw, and ready to scamper out of the way once the plan was double-checked.

“Ok, Go!” Spike said, poising the quill and inch from the paper.

“Alright, Rainbow Dash, AppleJack?”

‘Ropes at the Ready, Ma’am-“ Applejack offered with a mischievous grin, holding up a lasso and long length of rope which RD held the other end of.

“And ready to kick some flank!” Rainbow finished, baring her teeth in a cocky and somewhat sadistic smile.

“Rarity?”

“I have the Elements just as you asked Twilight, ready for when we need them.”

“Perfect! Pinkie Pie?”

“Party Poppers and balloons as backup emergency distracters check!” The pink pony wheeled off in excitement.

“Lovely. Fluttershy?”

“P-present…”

“Good. I think we’re all set then. Spike?” Twilight smiled brightly, before looking carefully back at her assistant.

“Yep, all boxes checked, all things are go, you’re ready! Well, once I get off anyway.” Spike added, his voice going from proud and cheery to a little sheepish.

Twilight chuckled, and stiffened her tail to allow him to slide down it as he used to when he was smaller… It worked quite well once again, now that she was bigger. Spike landed with a gentle thud and a small cloud of dust.

‘Ya know, I bet this is the exact reason why Luna wanted us to have the Elements of Harmony on hand!” He called back in comment as he scurried to the “bunker” Twilight had picked out for him when she was constructing her plan.

“If that’s the case, the Princess sure had good foresight.” AJ chuckled, as they quickly trotted to their various positions.

“Perfect foresight is to be expected from the rulers that have protected Equestria for centuries, Applejack! But a history lesson isn’t important right now,” Twilight said happily, a determined look on her face as trotted up to the dragon at an even pace. “What’s important is taking out this Chaos Dragon.”

The dragon quickly caught note of the small purple unicorn nearing its feet, and it reached down a claw to swipe at her. It wanted her, but it wanted to destroy. It would take everything in greed and desire to fill the hole it felt and could not understand… But as its claw neared her, she leapt gracefully out of the way with the cry of “NOW!”

Applejack charged in from the left, rope swinging. The lasso landed neatly over the dragons clawed hand, and with a whoop, AJ circled around behind, slowly drawing a loop around its feet. From above, Rainbow Dash increased the knots and loops, preparing to tie them all together in an acrobatic feat.

The dragon reached up to swat the annoying little blue pegasus that held something it wanted. Its claw missed her by a foot as she looped easily out of the way and drew the rope around its wrist. The dragon inhaled, preparing to let out a blast of magic onto the ponies that were irritating it so, but its concentration was shattered and the magic dissolved as a loud series of bangs came from behind it.

‘Good job on the firecrackers Pinkie Pie!” Twilight called over, as the dragon twisted itself into a knot trying to find the source of the noise.

With a tremendous crash the dragon struck the ground, hog tied, as Rainbow Dash and Applejack finished their task.

“Suuuuey, easier than trussin’ a pig.” Applejack laughed as she galloped to meet up with Twilight and the others.

‘Rarity, quickly, the Elements, before it snaps the ropes.” Twilight ordered, and Rarity quickly fished them out.

“Yeah, this ain’t really something we can aim all that well.” Rainbow Dash snarked teasingly as her necklace landed around her neck.

The dragon’s eyes widened as from the six ponies an arc of powerful and ancient magic erupted, gilded in the colors of a rainbow. As it struck, destroying the chains of sorrow and hatred that held it together, the dragon knew it had found what it wanted, and dissolved away into the magic it so desired.

The Elements of Harmony’s glow dimmed and faded away as they completed the job that their bearers, both new and old, had wished. As the orb that surrounded the girls disappeared, a new destiny’s path had appeared before them… For where six little ponies had stood, six new powerful Alicorns, confused, blinking, and unknowing of what had happened quite yet, lay.

Pinkie was the first to struggle to her hooves. “Hey, Twi, the dragon’s like gone gone. Not, gone, as in, defeated and going home, or gone as in purified and better and fluffy, or gone as in statue, but gone gone gone.”

Twilight groaned as she shook her head to clear it. “Th-that’s weird. It shouldn’t have done tha-“ She cut herself off as she realized she could feel outside of what her body should be able to feel, in the form of two large purple wings that surrounded her like a cloak.

Applejack hadn’t moved from her spot, too startled at the orange feathers that were drifting an inch from her nose. Rarity’s face was a mask of confusion at her new height, and she was trotting over to the lake to get a look at what had occurred. Rainbow Dash was staring off into space, trying to understand the power that she could now sense but couldn’t comprehend. Fluttershy had sat up, and was clearly deep in thought, although what she was thinking about wasn’t clear.

“Uhm, Twilight, we’re like… Really… Tall… And… Princessy.” Pinkie said slowly, for once unsure of what to say.

Spike walked over to them, jaw hanging. “Uh, Twilight, I think it might be time to talk to Celestia… Whether she’s busy or not.”

Twilight had been wanting to speak to the Princess’s since their revelation last week… But every time she had tried to get in to speak with her, she was shockingly turned away! Celestia’s private pupil, unallowed to speak with her own mentor. Write a letter, they said. You specially have that ability, they said. And she had. She had written no less than four letters, and only one of them had been answered. The one on how sometimes things you’re afraid to share with your friends end up being things that bring you closer together. It wasn’t the anxious letters of worries that had been answered, but her report on friendship. Its answer had been just three lines. The greeting and ending, and “Very good Twilight, I’m so proud of you.” Suddenly the warm praise for such a simple little lesson was frightening to her.

“Y-yes.” Twilight said shakily, startling Spike. Her voice hardly sounded like her at all.

‘We’ll go right now. I’ll teleport us.”

‘Right into Canterlot castle?! Can you do that?!’ Spike asked, amazed and worried.

As thunder began to roll,Twilight felt for the powerful magic she had felt when the light from the Elements had cleared. Not only was it still there, but it was growing stronger.

“Yes. I can do that.” Her voice was calm and perfectly certain, even as her eyes slowly grew more troubled.

One by one her friends walked up to her, ready and willing, Rarity even offering to assist in the spell if Twilight could explain how to. Twilight gave her a smile, but shook her head. She didn’t need help with this. It felt to her as if even fate’s strings were pulling taut to guide her in this one spell. And in a flash of violet light that had the forest itself humming with excitement, they disappeared.

A second later, if even that, the six appeared in the very court room of Canterlot Castle. Despite it being late afternoon, the court was decorated in Luna’s colors. Night’s court had come early it seemed.

Twilight swallowed. It was a terribly rude thing she was about to do, something she would never do in her right mind… But was anything “right” or “sane” at the moment?

“Celestia! Luna! I demand you come here and talk to us! Properly.” Twilight shouted, her voice echoing off the walls.

Rarity and Fluttershy stared at Twilight in shock. Using that tone with the princesses?! That was practically an order!

“Twilight what are you-“ Rarity began, her voice a hiss, but stopping abruptly when she caught the look in Twilight’s eyes. “…doing…? Twilight..?”

A moment’s silence hung in the hair, cold and foreboding. The only sounds that could be heard was the gentle clink of metal against stone as the wind blew the flags back and forth, their rods striking the stone each time they rocked back. The silver moon on them seemed to shine blood red in the setting sun, even as rain began to strike the windows.

“Twilight Sparkle. Your Royal Canterlot Voice is developing beautifully already I see.”

Luna had stepped into her courtroom, her voice truly calm. She wasn’t the least bit upset about how Twilight was acting, or even about the fact that they had practically broken into her royal court. As the girls turned towards her, she caught the worried and anxious looks on Rarity and Fluttershy’s faces. To them, she merely smiled; A small, honest smile that held a trace of sadness, but no sadism or anger.

“No, I am not angry at you for “barging” in here, or for that matter “ordering me to appear as if I were a dog.” Correct?” Luna asked, as she had perfectly quoted the worried thoughts of the two. “Far from it. I was expecting you.

“I am actually impressed. You are early. I thought you would take a while longer with the dragon, and wouldn’t be here until after sunset.” Luna chuckled softly. ‘I suppose I shouldn’t be so surprised. You have, after all, saved Equestria twice. Three times if you count Cerberus… Four if you count the changelings… but that was more your brother’s and my niece’s deed I think.”

Princess Luna was… Rambling. It was strange enough to them that she appeared to be in her filly form once again, but added in with her aura of accepted calm and the way she was acting… She was actually creeping Rainbow Dash out just a little bit.

“P-princess Luna… A-are you alright?” Fluttershy asked cautiously, and Luna smiled at her sweetly.

“I am perfectly alright. Content, even. But that isn’t really what you want to know, is it Twilight? You wish to know of my sister, and-“

“WHAT IS GOING ON?!” Twilight yelled, her composure snapping, her confused anger pouring out into her voice.

“T-twilight! You’re speaking to the Princess-“ Spike hissed, and then looking at Luna with a mixture of surprise and relief as she stopped him.

“It is alright Spike. I understand Twilight Sparkle’s anger. It is well deserved, for far too much has been hidden from her. And I am here to reveal it all. I am sorry that it has come to this before… Before you were given the truth you should have had at the beginning. But please, understand, Sister hid it from you only out of worry for your own well-being.” Luna was speaking directly to her now.

Twilight swallowed, and nodded. She felt abashed, despite not getting told off. If anything, she felt worse because of it.

With slow and precise movements, Luna walked up to her throne and sat down, before speaking. And even though she didn’t say it, each of them knew that this was not a tale they should interrupt.

“About two months ago, a curse of black magic was weaved by the Changling Queen Chrysalis, in a fit of fury and revenge. This curse was set to destroy Equestria in a single blow, and was weaved with every last drop of magic Chrysalis still possessed from your brother, as well as every drop she herself had. It sought to do this, by painfully destroying Equestria’s guardian ruler.”

“Celestia.” Twilight breathed, the name of her mentor slipping out without her meaning to, as her worried suspicions were confirmed.

Luna simply nodded, her eyes closed.

“Chrysalis had never met nor seen me, so she probably did not even know of me, and because of that I was spared. Celestia, therefore, bore the full brunt of the curse, and I have watched as it has ate away at her, beyond my control. Don’t look like that, Twilight. I can see it, your growing plans to wipe out Chrysalis in an attempt to break the curse.”

Twilight started, surprised that Luna had figured out what she was thinking so easily. Luna sighed.

“That is the very reason why Celestia made me swear not to tell you. She was convinced that you would charge off to your death in an attempt to save her. I see that she was not wrong. But that doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Is Celestia-?!” Rainbow Dash started, but stopped her question half-uttered as Luna smiled and shook her head.

“Sister is fine. I found the way to break the curse this morning. There is a price however… But as fate would have it, my way out fits perfectly with my sister’s plan. As you may have already realized, the medallions, the dragon, everything, was her way for you to grow into the new role she sees for you.”

As the girls looked at each other in wonder and suspicion of what she meant, Twilight merely took a step back, shaking her head as her eyes dared to fill up with tears.

“She wished for you to take our throne in her wake, and I will follow that wish.” Luna locked eyes with Twilight. “But your coronation will not be in the echo of my sister’s funeral. I will not allow that.

“I will coronate you, as I have promised. But then I will use the last of my power to save my sister, ending our reign in a better way than how Chrysalis planned.”

“But what will happen to you?” Fluttershy gasped, running forward to look at Luna eye to eye. The way Luna was acting was reminiscent of how an animal walked calmly to its own death alone to spare and save its loved ones.

“Sister and I will both become mortal. But it is fine. In fact, it is good. Truth be told, Sister never wanted to rule, as her title has gently whispered… She merely wanted to teach and guide her little ponies… And to have a family of her own. As a Mortal Pony, she can realize that dream…” Luna said softly, her smile growing a little less sad.

She looked up at them, and in return to her soft gaze, she was met with six determined smiles, Twilight’s an unhappy mask, but still accepting.

“We will be content. And you will rule.”

Worries

As dawn drew near, Twilight was the only one of her friends awake, having hardly slept the night before. She had spent the past two hours on one of Canterlot Castle’s many balconies, looking up at the sky, and over at the mountain waterfall that was visible from where she stood. Everything felt wrong. Yesterday morning she was a small town librarian, a protégé of the Princess as well, yes… But that role had started to take second fiddle to the peace and quiet of Ponyville, and the joy of her friends… But now- Now she was to take the throne?! For Luna to say that so… Abruptly! It was ridiculous! Yesterday, librarian, tomorrow Princess?! No, she had heard Rarity say Queen. Six queens, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, to take the place of the Solar and Lunar Princesses.

Once again, Twilight found herself blinking back frightened tears as she tried to wake herself up from what must be a bad dream. However, with every breath she could feel what a simple dream could not convey; The ancient magic surrounding her, and the sharp beauty of Canterlot.

Turning slightly to look behind her, Twilight’s eyes searched the room Luna had given her and Applejack to share… For now. Luna had made it quite clear that after the Coronation, Twilight would have Celestia’s old room… Luna had merely called it the “Solar Tower.” Pinkie and Rainbow Dash shared a room on the other side, and Twilight’s endless curiosity couldn’t help but wonder which of them were going to get the Lunar Tower.

Applejack and Spike were fast asleep. AJ had confessed to her that she was worried and overwhelmed as well, which had made Twilight feel slightly better- That she wasn’t alone in her panic. Spike, on the other hand, much like Rarity, had seemed happy and excited about the turn of events. Twilight wondered if Spike’s joy was directly connected to Rarity’s, or if it was for another reason. If she kept thinking about pointless things like this, perhaps the panic of how her world was inverting inside-out would stay away.

Twilight knew Rarity had always been obsessed with Canterlot’s glamor and nobility, as well as with the concept of Royalty… And now, she herself was going to be made into Royalty… It was no wonder that Rarity was exuberant really, although she had started to worry and fuss about Sweetie Bell and her shop after sundown. Sundown… Luna had said she was raising the moon for the last time, laughing about how she had returned to her old job for such a short time… Did that mean that they were expected to raise the moon tonight..? The panic returned in full force, clutching at her throat and making her heart race.

No, don’t think about that… Think about something else! Sweetie bell- Family! Twilight’s mind reached back frantically for the notes and letters that had been written last night.

As Luna had headed out to raise the moon, she had called to her some of her servants, said she had a job for them, also asking them to assist Twilight and her friends in sending letters and invitations to their family. She knew Applejack's letter had reached four pages, and Rarity had merely asked for someone to show her how to do the teleportation spell and permission to go and bring her sister here. Rarity was positively convinced that Sweetie Bell would burn her boutique down overnight, and Luna had taken her personally once the moon was high in the sky where it belonged.

Twilight had planned to just write the same small letter to her brother and parents, but things hadn’t turned out like she had expected. Although the short letter to her brother had gone as planned, asking him how his trip to Cadence’s country was going and telling him in short what had occurred, and hoping to see him tomorrow; The letter to her parents had refused to stop there, and had quickly spilled out in childish worries and fears, fussings and frantic thoughts. Her letter, by time it was finished, was nearly as long as Applejacks, and it was then that AJ had confided in her.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, having little family outside of Dash’s estranged father, and Flutters’ mother in Cloudsdale, had spent most of the night simply talking with each other, and eventually helping Fluttershy write to her mother. Apparently they hadn’t spoken since Fluttershy had moved to Ponyville.

Pinkie Pie had written no less than five letters. One to her parents back home, one to Octavia who was on a tour in Phillydelphia, one to Baralinka who was part of a singing group in Las Pegas (A.K.A little Blinky, as her older sisters had nicknamed her), one to the Cakes back at the bakery, and then finally one to Mayor Mare for everypony else. To be honest, Twilight was looking forward to meeting Blinky, as Pinkie had excitedly told them of all the amazing shows Blinky and her friends did in Las Pegas.

A rush of old magic blew by her, and Twilight knew without going to look that Luna was raising the sun in her sister's place. As the sun was lifted to its place in the sky, clouds changed from pale violet and dark blue to soft gold and white as the sky turned to a gentle, clear blue that promised a beautiful day.

Watching the sky change reminded Twilight of her first Summer Sun Celebration, and of Celestia. Last night, she had finally had the chance to see Celestia again, but now she almost wished she hadn’t. Seeing Celestia like that, her mane a dull pink, and her fur holding none of the luster it once did, hurt more than thinking that Celestia was merely ignoring her for some reason. As she had restored the get-well bouquet by her bed back to its original beauty, she came to understand why Celestia had kept silent… The sisters had been right. If Twilight had seen Celestia like this, and been told Chrysalis was the reason, she would have charged off after the monster without a second thought. So, rather than feeling angry at Celestia for her silence, she was angry at herself, for not being good enough to be confided in.

“Twilight?”

She nearly jumped at Spike’s sleepy voice. She turned to smile at him once she was sure she could hold her composure once again.

“Hey Spike. Did you sleep well?’

“Yeah, I slept great! I forgot how awesome the beds are here, hahahaha.” Spike chuckled. A second later his smile faded away though, and he looked up at her in concern. “Are you okay, Twi? You look like you’re about to cry.”

‘H-huh? No, no, I’m fine! Just… fine.”

Spike gave her ‘the look’ that she had so often given him.

“Did you even sleep?” Spike asked, crossing his arms and using the “parent” voice she had so often used on him.

“…A little…” She admitted, starting to feel a little sheepish… And a little better, as Spike’s scolding was nearly making her laugh.

Spike even sighed like her, at which she couldn’t but giggle just a little bit. As soon as Spike caught her snicker, he gave her a huge grin, and ran up and hugged her.

“Don’t worry Twi, this’ll all turn out great in the end! And Celestia will not only be all better, but she’ll be able to follow her dreams! I know it feels weird…”

Twilight nodded. “Something that was supposed to be eternal simply… ending is just…”

“But, didn’t Celestia once say, “Just as all things have a time in which they begin, they must have a time at which they must end”?”

Twilight’s eyes widened. It was one of the first lessons she had gotten from the Princess, and she had written it down in each and every one of her notebooks… So how did it sounds so new and fitting coming from Spike? Very slowly, she smiled. It was still sad, but it was more accepting, and even though she was still scared, the panic no longer choked her.

As she hugged Spike tightly back, she let out a slow breath and answered him. “You’re quite right… And that’s why you’re my number one assistant.”

Coronation

By 10:30 AM, one would think Discord had broken loose for the amount of chaos and running around that was occurring in the court room. Rather than being used for, well, court- it played the role of dressing room for six new Alicorns as they prepared for the coronation ceremony which would be occurring just an hour-and-a-half from now out in the gardens surrounding the castle. Guests were already arriving, and Applejack would have given her hat to get out of all the primping and fussing and go out and talk to her family instead.

Luna had seemed to have hired the whole castle staff to doll them up and get them looking, well, regal. Twilight had found out just thirty minutes ago that the ponies Luna had called to her last night were to make their regalia; The horseshoes, the crowns- Although Luna and Celestia both wore a necklace as part of their regalia, it had been decided that the Elements would play that role for them. Twilight had wondered if a necklace would be made for her in place of a crown due to her Element having taken the form of a tiara. It was usually around this point in her loop of thoughts that her maid (Such a strange thing to think, her maid) would accidentally pull on her mane a bit too hard as she carefully braided in the blue and gold ribbons she held.

Rarity was enjoying the attention, it was like one big spa day before the biggest fashion show of her life, to put it in a way that Sweetie Belle could understand. Even Fluttershy seemed to not mind the bustle, perhaps due to her brief stint as a model; This chaos could hardly match the kind before an important runway show, except this time she didn’t have to do anything except… What does one do during a coronation anyway? Accept graciously, I suppose. Fluttershy guessed. That still sounds much nicer than having to try and do a catwalk in front of hundreds of ponies just waiting for you to make a mistake… Fluttershy shuddered slightly at the memory and her maid promptly apologized, thinking that she had gotten a chill off the open window.

‘Oh no, it’s fine.. I’m just… Nervous.”

“Quite understandable, but don’t worry, Princess Luna will make sure nothing goes wrong.” Sweet Tea said quickly, patting Fluttershy gently on the back, before resuming her careful braiding in of the cherry blossoms and tiny forget-me-nots into Fluttershy’s mane and tail.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, (Or hoof, as one might say) seemed to be ruffled by all the attention, and was quite glad when her maid, Bright Shine, decided that her mane was colourful enough to not need anymore attention than a good brushing. Just as Bright Shine was finishing, Rainbow suddenly jumped as something occurred to her for the first time, startling the poor maid pretty badly.

“Oh no.”

“What is it?” Bright asked quickly, naturally worried due to where her role lay.

“I just realized, I’m not gonna be able to join the Wonderbolts anymore if I’m a Princess.” RD was almost... whining.

“Rainbow, you can’t be serious.” Rarity accosted in disbelief, “You’re going to be a Queen, you could rename or disband the Wonderbolts if you so please! You could name them the Rainbowdashers, or…”

“The Rainbow-wonders! Or the Dash-bolts! Or-“

“I get the idea Pinkie.” Dash laughed, cutting off her bouncing friend, whose maid had long given up trying to tame her mane.

“They’ll also be performing in your honor this afternoon,” one of the servants said with a mischievous grin.

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at the look on Rainbow’s face at that news; First came the wide-eyes and the jaw drop, then a fangirl squeal and a happy prance that made even the solemn butler smirk.

Spike came into the room, carefully holding a tray of drinks for everypony. As he ran about delivering them, he got smile after smile that matched his own beaming grin. There was no doubt, Spike had been simply ecstatic since last night.

“Hat stays off please, Miss Applejack.” Dust Feather said softly, trying to stay determined under the look she was getting from AJ.

“Ah know Ah can’t wear it during the ceremony, but can’t Ah wear it just for now?”

“If it weren’t for the scourge of hat hair, yes.” Dust replied, trying to make a joke of it to ease AJ’s disappointment.

“Consarnet.” AJ grumbled, sweeping her hat off and handing it gently to Spike as he dashed over to assist.

Black Opal rubbed the top of Spike’s head as he came back over to Twilight. ‘I can see why Miss Sparkle calls you her number one assistant.”

“Just glad I can help.” Spike grinned back.

Both Spike and Sweetie Belle had done their best that morning to be as of much use as possible, whether it was running items back and forth or delivering messages. Sweetie Belle had been buzzed since last night, much to Rarity’s exasperated amusement, and had apparently been given a tour of the whole castle last night in an attempt to wind her down so they could sleep.

At the moment, Spike was playing waiter, while Sweetie Belle directed various ponies who were still unfamiliar with the castle to where they needed to go. In fact, she was bringing in an older stallion right now, who was carrying in a large box with a hint of pride.

The maids went over to him quickly, excited and relieved, before returning to their various “positions” with a small box held by their side with magic.

“Your horseshoes are done!” Black declared happily, before looking up at the clock. “Oh, and just in time too! Here you are Miss Sparkle, these ones are yours…”

With a fluent motion Black Opal pulled out four beautiful pale gold slippers, the front two decorated by a large amethyst six-point star that perfectly matched Twi’s cutie mark in shape and size. Twilight carefully put them on, before turning to look at herself in the mirror. They fit perfectly, and although part of her didn’t want to admit it, they looked gorgeous against her purple fur.

One by one her friends got theirs as well; Fluttershy’s were a white gold decorated with tiny amethyst and pink flowers that matched her Element. Rainbow’s were a solid rich gold, simple and suited for the blunt daredevil. Rarity’s were similar in colour to RD’s, but had several tiny diamonds inlaid into the gold that glittered with every step. Applejack’s were a brilliant bronze with gold edging and laces that held up tiny autumn leaves to shine against her orange fur. Pinkie’s, however, were almost identical to Luna’s, and were a cheerful blue that matched her cutie mark and Element.

A few minutes after receiving the first of their regalia, their maids finished their fussing, and the girls were set and ready… Well, in appearance anyway. With little else to do, the girls chatted about whatever came to mind… And naturally, that meant starting with their regalia.

“I like’em.” Rainbow grinned. “They kinda look like they could be part of an epic set of armor, don’t you think?”

“Ah didn’t expect to like mine, and ah don’t like fancy-schmancy stuff, but...” Applejack smiled, as she admired the laces in the mirror.

“They look so pretty and autumn-y AJ!” Pinkie squealed cheerfully, bouncing by Twilight’s side. ‘Do you like yours Rarity?”

“LIKE them?! I LOVE them! You know what they say, diamonds are a girls best friend.” Rarity replied mischievously, holding up her hoof to see the tiny glittering jewels better.

‘What about you Twilight? Oh oh, and I really like yours Fluttershy, they looks so pretty against your fur!”

“Th-thank you Pinkie Pie.”

“And yes Pinkie, I do like mine. They just… Feel weird, I guess.”

“Like they don’t fit?”

“Like I shouldn’t be wearing them…” Twilight muttered in return, and AJ walked over to her with an understanding smile.

“It’s okay Twilight…” She said softly, pulling her friend into a hug. “Everything’ll be okay.”

“I know Applejack, everything’s just happening so fast.”

‘Tell me about it.” Fluttershy said unexpectedly; But she was smiling almost playfully, and Twilight was soon returning her grin.

The conversation soon turned to sillier things, each girl trying to make the others laugh. Unsurprisingly, Pinkie Pie had the most luck, and soon nerves melted under the warmth of friendship. The chatting and jesting only ended when Luna quietly stepped into the courtroom. Her hoofsteps were barely audible, and yet they brought a sudden silence to the room.

She looked at each one of them, her aura of calm no different than it had been the night before. “It is time.”

~~~

For those who have not seen the amazing gardens that have been simply dubbed “The Canterlot Castle Gardens” allow me to describe them.

Outside of the castle, running along the walls and filling the air with scent of flowers and the songs of animals, is the largest cultivated garden in all of Equestria. It is the home to many animals otherwise unseen within the borders of the Princess’s domain, and is the dream of every botanist or animal lover to visit. These gardens are completely surrounded by a beautiful wrought iron gate that is covered in rare rose vines, separating them from the courtyards behind the castle while still being pleasant to the eye.

And it is in these courtyards that the stage for the Coronation ceremony has been set up. Upon the stage, the mane six are lined up, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and finally, Pinkie Pie. Down and around the stage in the seats that had been painstakingly set up, hundreds of ponies have gathered, nobles and family alike.

As Luna steps up onto the stage, holding a red silken pillow with her magic, the cushion weighed down by three newly forged head pieces along with Celestia’s old crown and necklace, the crowd falls silent in respect.

Without a word, Luna gently lifted up Celestia’s old necklace, and settled it upon Twilight’s shoulders. Twilight, in realization of what it was that she was now wearing, opened her mouth to protest, when Luna told her something silently through the magic that they know shared. Sister wished for you to have this, Twilight. She has wished it from the beginning. She knows with great confidence that you can carry it with great pride and grace upon your shoulders.

Twilight’s mouth clamped shut as her eyes filled with tears, and her wings clenched tightly to her sides as she struggled to hold her composure. With a gentle nod, Luna walked on to Fluttershy, and gave her Celestia’s old crown. The amethyst which glittered upon the center of it perfectly matched the ones that adorned her horseshoes. Fluttershy thanked the two so softly that no-one was even sure it was heard, but Luna smiled at her sweetly before moving on.

One of the new headpieces, a pair of gold laurels, lifted itself from the pillow in the gentle sway of Luna’s magic and settled themselves upon Rainbow Dash’s brilliant mane. It was about this point that Fluttershy noticed Twilight’s composure beginning to break, as silent tears made tracks down her violet fur.

A bronze tiara, its shape reminiscent of the rim of a certain cowgirl hat, was given to Applejack, who immediately straightened up with new pride and determination. As the two exchanged silent words, Rarity noticed the single piece left upon the pillow, a light gold wire and jewel headpiece that glittered solemnly in the afternoon sun. With a silent whisper through magic to Pinkie, she drew her attention to what she had realized.

Oh, I hope it’s for you then Rarity, it would look so nice with your mane! Mine’s so crazy, I don’t really need a crown. Pinkie replied promptly, causing Rarity’s cheeks to pinken at the compliment.

Sure enough, as Luna reached the two, the final piece was given to Rarity, settling brightly against her white fur. Rarity bowed her head in silent gratitude, and Luna stepped over to stand in front of Pinkie.

Although to Pinkie Pie, it had simply been a friend’s duty; her efforts to cheer the Royal Sisters up, sending “Get Well” gifts, and stopping by the palace to try and bring a smile with her antics- To Luna it meant more than that, and they had not been forgotten.

And now, as the two stood eye to eye, Pinkie searching for the formal words to say that it was perfectly alright that Luna didn’t have a crown for her, them being a rush order and all… Luna, with a shimmer of soft blue magic, lifted the soft onyx tiara from her own head, and settled it onto Pinkie’s unruly and brilliant pink curls.

For perhaps the first time in her life, Pinkie Pie was perfectly and completely speechless. It was a long, quiet moment, before she was able to find her voice to whisper out a heartfelt and tearful 'Thank you.’

No. Thank you. Luna replied softly, a warm smile upon her lips, before turning to the crowd.

“With the powers of the Equestrian Royal Court, and of the powers my parents gave me and My Elder Sister Princess Celestia; We crown these six, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity Belle, and Pinkamena Diane Pie, the Bearers of The Elements of Harmony, your new rulers and Queens!”

New Beginnings (Part 1)

Noctis Somnium

Outside the castle windows, a party that would surely rival anything Pinkie Pie had ever even dreamed of had begun. Luna smiled at the sight, as she had paused to look down at her old subjects for just a second as she worked her way up to the Solar Tower. As she turned away from the window to resume her climb, Octavia and Baralinka could be seen hug-tackling their middle sister.

Unlike the Lunar Tower, which was made of onyx bricks lined with torches to lead its owner to the top, the Solar was made almost entirely of stained glass and polished marble, and the steps before Luna seemed to have been dipped in the brilliant colors of a rainbow as she ascended them for what felt like the last time.

A new chapter for Equestria had began, and although there would certainly be much chaos and grief yet, Luna held certainty that it would also lead to a new era of harmony that would surpass anything that Celestia and her could have wrought. However, it still meant that hers had drawn to an end, and it would be a falsehood to say that it wasn’t a frightening feeling. Something that she had never even thought would occur was about to; A whole new beginning, a whole new life… Unlike anything she had ever known, most likely.

A series of windows just ahead told the tale of Discords reign over Equestria, and lit the stairs directly before her. When they had taken Equestria from him, and in turn, had taken their own place to reign; as the world that was once under their parents was split equally before them all... They had hoped to give the ponies of this land the freedom that Discord’s cruel way of ruling had prevented. This memory, in turn, brought a new concept to Luna that hadn’t occurred to her personally before. What was “Freedom,” really? Celestia had roughly defined it that day as the ability to make one’s own choices without unnecessarily high consequences. Although Tia had meant it more in the idea of “free will without retribution” the original way she had put it seemed… Fitting for what Luna was feeling.

After taking the throne, those millennia ago, when had she held that freedom? Every step had to be measured, as a single slip up could hurt thousands. She could remember that frustration, even though it had eventually faded to acceptance. Every step taken with the utmost care, but no-one gives a prayer. Luna’s eyes slid closed at the cold memory. Perhaps it was that bitter frustration, that feeling of being trapped with the only thing she felt freedom, choice, and pride in dismissed that had led to her corruption. But it would not be of any use to wonder about those things now. The spell that she had to cast would be long and complicated, and disarrayed thoughts would only make things even trickier.

The staircase drew to an end, stopping Luna before the soft pink and silver door that led to Celestia’s bedroom. It swung open as if by its own accord to allow her to pass through unheeded. The spell’s ruins had begun to alight upon the walls and fill the air with the scent of its ancient magic before she had even reached where Celestia lay. Questions that the spell itself seemed to dredge up were brushed away with the determination to save her sister, to make up for the sorrow she caused those ten centuries ago… And the underlying hope for the new day that would dawn tomorrow, filled with abandoned dreams born anew… And, perhaps… Freedom, as well.

Part 2, Diluculum

Have you ever stood in a large crowd, all bustling, welcoming, and friendly, and yet felt completely and uttermostly alone? If you have, then you know exactly how Twilight Sparkle felt as she stood in the middle of her own party, all the while feeling as if she was upon some snowy mountain a million miles away, far out of everypony’s reach.

As Lyra and Bonbon came up to congratulate her as well, Lyra being an old classmate, they told her that they had complete faith in the six of them… Bonbon even teasingly suggesting a few changes in the taxes. The comment had earned a gentle whop in the ribs from Lyra, but Twilight had laughed and said that it was fine, she knew it was just a simple joke among all the uptight politics… Miss Sparkle was getting better at acting.

She watched the two as they walked away, feeling a pang of envy at them. The two were inseparable, and would walk together on whichever path fate chose for them, confident in the simple comfort of always having the other there.

And Twilight would outlive both of them.

Everypony here, outside of her five best friends who now stood on the same plane as her in every way, she would outlive. All of her old classmates, all of her friends, the newlywed couple in the corner… As well as the baby they held close to their hearts. Even the books Twilight treasured so as a filly would crumble, wither, and turn to dust before she would so much as sprout a gray hair. To be frank, it made her feel sick.

With a choked sigh, Twilight drew a feather along the necklace she now wore. Even though everypony here no doubt thought of it as "Queen Twilight Sparkle’s New Regalia", she herself could only think of it as Celestia’s. With the creeping wonder of a mystery or riddle that used to excite her so, Twilight began to wonder how Celestia handled watching all of her friends pass on… Or perhaps that was the reason why she had always stayed the distant and benign ruler… She couldn’t handle making a friend before, in just a second by her own clock, watching them decay and pass on.

Perhaps the better question was what Cadence was thinking… “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” an Alicorn in her own right, had married a mortal unicorn. Bound in marriage, “Till death do us part.” And they would part, a millennium, most likely longer, before Cadence could even hope to follow.

At first, Twilight had been surprised that thinking of Shining Armour and her family didn’t hurt like thinking of her other friends did, but then she had come to realize why; As a practical sort of mare, she had always been dully aware that she would outlive them all even as a mortal pony. She was the youngest, after all, and even though Shining Armour was only a few years her senior, mares generally lived longer than stallions so, really, when it came to that, what had changed?

A pair of nobles broke her out of her thoughts as they came up to welcome her with a pair of smiles as fake as her own. Somehow she got the impression they were sizing her up, even as they beamed and raved about the amazing dinner party they simply must throw her and Rarity to welcome them as permanent residents of Canterlot. Their fake smiles dimmed as Twilight coolly reminded them that she was born and raised in Canterlot, so really it would only be Rarity that they would be welcoming as a “new” resident. There was something satisfying about how their masks cracked at her statement.

They bid her adieu very quickly after that, and trotted off to fawn over Rarity instead. Rarity could be prideful, vain, and shallow at times, but Twilight was pretty sure she would not be pulled in and tricked by the nobles… For where she lacked in judgement at times, she made up for the ability to see ponies for who they were inside, and even as Twilight watched, she could see Rarity’s expression change as she recognized her new admirers as the pair of black serpents they were.

As Rarity turned away from them with her nose in the air to go talk to Fluttershy, Twilight’s eyes rolled over each of her friends:

Rainbow Dash was excitedly talking to the Wonderbolts, her back pridefully arched as the Pegasi who she had worshiped and fawned over so were now fawning over her. Pinkie Pie had pulled her sisters into a bear hug and was getting her mane messed up even further by her younger sister. Fluttershy seemed almost as if she wanted to hide from all the attention, and was obviously very grateful for Rarity’s sudden appearance. Applejack stood with her family, quietly fussing over whether or not they would have enough hooves on deck to handle the harvest without her, a simple worry which had been bothering her since the night before.

Did none of them foresee what Twilight did? Did Applejack not realize that her trees would reach the skies before her new magic had so much as ceased to grow? Did Rarity not realize that she would see Sweetie Bell grow into a star, burn out, and die in peace before she would so much as have the diamonds on her flank dim with age? Did none of them share this simple fear with her? She knew the answer, and part of her wished to enlighten them… But, no… Even as alone as she felt, she would not pull them out of their happy and simple bubbles just to have somepony share in her misery.

There was a bitter and cold silence among all the loud music, shouts and laughter. Disconnected from it all, Twilight almost felt as if on the night when they had all met, Nightmare Moon had succeeded, and the world was eternally enshrouded in winter’s night.

Then, the smallest of warm flames, in the form of a clawed hand on her leg.

“Twilight? Your parents want to talk to you.”

“O-oh Spike… Y-yes, of course they do… I wrote them quite the letter after all.” The fake chuckle and smile would not be bought by the small dragon before her, and as she turned away to go over to her parents he spoke again.

“Hey, Twilight… I’m right here.”

Twilight stopped and looked over her shoulder at him in confusion as to his statement. Spike tilted his head slightly and smiled at her.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He finished, and Twilight’s eyes widened as she realized his meaning.

Outside of sickness and fatal wound, Dragons were immortal.

Someone had found her on her mountaintop.

Part 3, Suscitatio

And to guide them, as best as you can in my place. That’s all I have to say. I don’t want to show Luna what a coward I truly am. Ahhh, I failed, I can tell by the look in her eyes that she caught it, my voice cracking at the thought of death. I am such a fool. How many ponies have I seen pass on with dignity and pride? More than I could ever count no doubt. And yet I- so unlike them, who have had such a short time here in this world… Cannot face the Grim reaper with my head held high knowing I defied the one who whished to hurt my little ponies… No, instead I wish to bow my head and beg to not be taken quite yet. I’m so sorry Lulu… You will watch after them, won’t you? Please, Luna…

“Tia?”

Why is it now so hard to breathe? Is it cloudy out, I wonder? Everything seems so dim…

“TIA?!”

Lulu… You sound so scared… Oh, don’t cry, please. Please, be happy, Luna… I am so, so sorry…

What do you want, little one?

Mmmm..? Mother? What do I want? I don’t want to go… But I suppose-

What do you truly want? Don’t be scared.

I want to stay… I want to teach. Just for a little longer. And I want Luna to be free… I know she’s always felt so bound and tied by the responsibilities of the throne… not that I was ever any help when it became too much for her… I want to tell her I’m sorry. I want to tell Twilight I’m sorry too- I did what was right for Equestria, instead of for her… I hope she can forgive me for that…

Go on then.

What..?

Go on. Do it. Do what you’ve always wanted-

I don’t understand…

-And say what you wanted to say.

I’m sorry Lulu-

Go on. Wake up.

~~~

“I’m so sorry…” The softest of whispers, breathed out as if they were no more than a sigh.

As the runes faded from view, Luna trying to get her head to clear from the fog that the magic had caused, she caught those three small words.

“Sister..?” Luna blinked several times, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the light that was streaming in through Celestia’s bedroom window.

The spell had taken a good two hours to cast, but now it was done. Luna could no longer feel the strings of the ancient magic, but it wasn’t that that surprised her, it was the fact that she couldn’t feel any magic at all. She didn’t care about that at the moment though, for there was no doubt now, it was Celestia that had spoken. Even as Luna watched, Celestia slowly sat up, the blanket that had been wrapped around her slowly sliding down.

Her fur was back to its brilliant white, and although her mane was still pink, it was as bright and cheerful as it had been when they were little. Her wings were gone, however… but that made sense- They were no longer Alicorns after all, so the spell must have made Celestia a unicorn instead.

The simple realization triggered another, and Luna took a step back to look at herself in the mirror. There before her was the reason why she could no longer feel magic- The spell had made her a pegasus. She had retained her old coloration, her mane a sky blue, and her fur a soft purple… As her eyes traced her reflection in the mirror, they stopped at a confusing detail… Her cutie mark had changed. Where her cloudy night and moon had sat, a silver sword with a navy blue hilt decorated with a crescent moon, partially wrapped by a wing the same color as hers had been before she had cast the first spell.

“L-luna?” Her attention quickly snapped back to Celestia as she spoke.

Celestia’s cutie mark had changed too, the sun was smaller, and had a book below it, as if the sun was there simply to alight the words of the book.

“Tia! H-how are you feeling?”

Celestia looked over at her, her eyes filled with confusion. They widened as they looked her over quickly, and Luna’s heart clenched as horror dawned in her elder sister’s eyes.

“L-lulu, what did you do?!”

“Tia, come here.”

A moment of silence, almost too long to bare, hung in the air. Then, much to Luna’s relief, Celestia slid out of bed, and carefully made her way over to where she was standing. Luna noted that despite being a bit off balance, Tia seemed all better. As Celestia reached her side, Luna nodded at the mirror for her to take a look.

As Celestia’s eyes widened at her reflection, Luna finally answered her question.

“I went into the tome that our parents left us… There was a spell in it that would give one new life, but… If used on an Alicorn, however, it costs the casters immortality too. Do not look at me like that Tia, I had to… You would have done the same for me, I know it.”

All the arguments and protestations that Celestia had simply faded away at that. Luna was right, she would have thrown away more than her immortality to save a loved one.

“This is what we always wanted, right?” Luna asked softly, “You never wanted to rule, and now you do not have to… Perhaps it is not enough, but, I bought you some time to chase those dreams that you used to tell me about now… Right? You could even have a family now if you wante-“

“And you’re free.” Celestia whispered, catching Luna off guard.

“What?”

Not knowing what else to do, Tia told her about the dream she had, and about hearing her mother’s voice. The two quickly came to the same conclusion… The spell had done exactly as it said, given the two a new life, and a new destiny; The path of the dreams and hopes they had always wanted, as their cutie marks showed. Gone was the Sun and Moon of royalty, and in their place was the Sword of Freedom and the textbook of a Professor.

Without another word, the two sisters smiled at each other, and Luna wrapped her wing around her dearest friend, and they walked out of the castle where everything had been as it must, and off to where everything was as it should be… To wherever their dreams could be found and nurtured.

Part 4, Opacare

Sometimes, no matter how old you are, when you’re having a really bad day, there’s nothing like a warm reassuring hug from your parents. Even though Twilight was now a good bit larger than both of her parents, she still couldn’t help but feel like a filly safe under her Mother’s watch when Velvet wrapped her hooves around her and told her everything was going to be alright. There was something about her Mother’s voice that made her truly believe it… Yes, everything was going to be alright. Things would work out as they always have.

Now, as the supper dishes were beginning to be brought out with a proud flourish by the caterers, Twilight was finally starting to appreciate the party. Why couldn’t she enjoy this one night? Yes, duties and responsibilities were ahead, but “ahead” was not “now”, and she wasn’t going to forget the lesson she had harshly taught herself… It does one no good to waste time worrying about absolutely everything.

The lilac alicorn paused in the middle of the crowd to try and find her friends and family again. Her parents were getting a rather loud introduction of Rarity’s parents, and it looked like the entire Apple family had just joined the celebrations… But where had Spike gone off to?

It took her another minute before she finally spotted the tip of his green scales near the drink table. If she had to guess, he was probably trying to get Rarity a glass of punch. Twilight couldn’t help but give an exasperated smile at the dragon’s endless adoration for her seamstress friend, before releasing an amused sigh and working her way through the crowd towards him.

Twilight reached him just in time to see him lose his drink, as a slightly punch-drunk stallion bumped into him… And judging by the number of lemon slices surrounding him, it appeared to be for at least the fifth time.

“Ah come on…” Spike grumbled.

As he turned back towards the table to get yet another glass, he found two, full and perfectly garnished, drifting in a soft pink aura an inch from his nose. He took them with a hint of confusion, before putting two and two together and turning around to grin at Twilight.

“Heh heh, thanks, Twi-huh?” He got cut off as Twilight took a hurried step forward and pulled him close to her with a wing- In time to avoid him getting knocked over by two rambunctious teens a little too eager to get a drink.

“I think you better get on my back, Spike.”

“Eh~? No way, I couldn’t… It wouldn’t look proper, this being a big formal party and all-woah!” Spike was once again cut off by Twilight, as she scooped him up with her magic to place him on her back.

“I’ll worry about being ‘proper’ when half the ponies here aren’t drunk, and you aren’t under the risk of getting trampled.” Twilight deadpanned.

Spike seemed to think about it for a second, before chuckling. “I guess you have a point.”

“Glad you agree… And anyway, I feel better with you being close.” Twilight said simply, as she tried to spot her friends again… There was no doubt, the crowd was getting bigger.

“I’ll be right here then!” Spike replied cheerfully, before adding with a hint of sheepishness, “But, uh, can we go over to Rarity… You know, just for a minute?”

Twilight chuckled. “Sure, Spike.”

As Twilight rather easily slid through the crowd towards the white alicorn, Spike had to admit that this way was certainly easier, and a good bit kinder on his tail as well… it had gotten stepped on at least ten times at this point, and even with his thick scales, it was starting to get tender.

Rarity was busy discussing various things about fashion and décor that Spike couldn’t follow with Fancy Pants and several noblemares, but she still paused long enough to take the hard-earned glass of punch from Spike and thank him with a peck on the cheek before resuming her discussion. Twilight had to suppress a loud laugh at how Spike practically melted on the spot from the kiss, forcing her to catch him with her new wings simply to prevent him from falling off her back.

Leaving Rarity to her conversation with her friend and fans, Twilight instead headed over to where she was sure she had spotted Shining Armor. Along the way, she noted that Pinkie and her sisters were still inseparable, so anyone who hoped to talk to the new Lunar Queen (Boy, that felt weird to think.) were forced to worm their way through Baralinka’s excited stories and dance demonstrations. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stood together, the Wonderbolts long having left to prepare for their show in a couple hours.

Fluttershy seems awful nervous… Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, with all this commotion, she probably just wants to go somewhere quiet and hide at this point. Twilight thought to herself, making a mental note to show Fluttershy the secret lake later, so that the poor girl could have a moment or twenty to collect herself again.

“Twilly!”

“Hello Twilight.”

“Cadence, Shining Armor! It’s so good to see you both again!” Twilight beamed, pulling her brother and sister-in-law into a hug.

“The feeling’s mutual Twilight.” Cadence chuckled lightly. “And I am really glad to see you so happy, or at the very least reasonable.”

“Cadence!” Shining hissed, sounding affectionately reproachful.

“Oh you said it yourself Shining, Twilight can get… Overwhelmed over little things… And this is certainly not, in any way, little.”

“It’s fine BBBFF,” Twilight laughed, “She’s right, and I admit to that, well, I guess it really is a flaw isn’t it?” She asked, half directing her question at Spike, and half at her older brother.

“Well, whether it is or isn’t, we love ya for it anyway.” Spike answered, with Shining quick to agree.

“Which reminds me,” Shining added, looking a little mischievous. “You got a little, ah, testy with me about not updating you about my life personally, and then what do I get but a letter myself?”

“Trust me, I would have loved to have “updated” you personally, but when I sent that letter everything in it had occurred literally moments before.” Twilight explained quickly. “When I said “recent events” I meant it quite literally.”

“Wait wait wait- What? Hang on, you’re telling me that you were suddenly an Alicorn just last night, and now you’re getting plunked on the throne today?!” Shining spluttered, looking incredulously between his younger sister and the dragon perched on her back.

“Uh, yeah, that’s it exactly, actually.” Spike replied simply, causing Shining’s jaw to nearly hit the ground and for him to bring a hoof to his head as if he suddenly had a very bad headache.

“You know, I’m really not that surprised actually. Daddy said things were, what were the words he used? “Escalating quickly?” Yeah, that was it… So it makes sense… This certainly looks like an emergency measure.” Cadence deadpanned, looking over at the other Bearers of The Element’s of Harmony as she spoke.

“Whether it’s an “Emergency Measure” or not, this is ridiculous! Where’s your Aunts? I’m going to have a word or two with them….”

Twilight found herself trying not to laugh at her brother’s obvious irritation and dismay. Cadence just rolled her eyes in a knowing way and patted her husband on the shoulder.

“Oh, leave them be, Shiny. Let them have a day off for once in their lives. Aunt Celestia has been rather ill these past few weeks as well, so… Just leave them be. I have complete faith that they aren’t just going to toss six new rulers on the throne and say “OK, we’re gone, good luck!” and not give them any help! In fact, knowing Aunt Luna, they’ll be wishing they had after she pulls drill sergeant professor for a couple of weeks.”

Shining groaned, but gave in with a half-hearted mutter. “Oh, alright…”

“That reminds me! Hey Twilight, you’ll finally be able to meet my Father properly!” Cadence said cheerfully, and despite the nerves that the idea brought up, Twilight smiled back and nodded.

Even if Cadence didn’t notice the anxiety that her proposal arose, Shining did; And with a gentle whop in Twilight’s front leg, he gave her a reassuring grin. “Don’t worry Twilly, Cadence’s old man may be a bit gruff and rough on the outside, but he’s got a gold heart… Complete Teddy Bear. Well, at least when it comes to Cadence.”

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh a little at the look Shining gave her at the end of his assurances. Cadence had been distracted talking to a couple of ponies who had eagerly come over for autographs (Much to the Princess’s confusion, but she signed them anyway), but now she was turning back to Twilight.

“Oh, one last thing Twilight… You wouldn’t happen to know where my dear cousin is, would you?” It was a rare thing for Cadence to be sarcastic, but the tone was undeniable.

“I think I seen him by the rose gardens, why?”

“Mmm. Well, after Uncle spoiled the git rotten, he sent him to Aunt Celestia in hopes that maybe she could sort him out. But… Ever since she’s gotten sick there’s been talk of the ‘what now’s and I am desperately hoping that it is back with his parents and not with us… Oh heavens, please, not with us… I’ll talk to you later, Twilight, bye!”

“Ok, see you later…”

“I better stick with her, actually.” Shining said, sounding a little embarrassed. “Her and Blueblood really don’t get along, and although I doubt she’d actually get into a fight with him here, I want to be there, juuuust in case… See ya Twilly.”

“See ya, BBBFF.” Twilight grinned, and Shining returned her smile before quickly pushing through the crowd after Cadence.

“Hey Twilight?”

“Yes Spike?”

“Can we get Supper now?”

Twilight suppressed a snicker.

“Yes Spike.”

Part 5, Luna Ortus

Laughter filled the air as dishes were passed around, plates were heaped, and the strawberry wine was poured. Rich fragrances of lemon and orange wafted up from elegant desserts that had Pinkie positively dreaming, glasses and dishes clinking in a greedy melody that marked every new course’s arrival. Spike was eagerly digging into a sapphire and blueberry parfait that had been made just for him, as Applebloom pestered one of the chefs about his cutie mark. A giggle slipped from Twilight as Scootaloo’s attempt to sneak into the kitchen was interrupted by a soft white glow that gently pulled her back to her seat beside Rainbow Dash, the blue alicorn covering the echoing white glow around her horn by lifting a wine goblet up to her lips. Rainbow caught Twilight’s eyes, and gave her a knowing wink, before subtly lifting a hoof to plant on Scootaloo’s tail while the orange pegasus was busy pondering new plans. Rarity and Applejack were having a somewhat hissed conversation about whether simply hiring help for the farm would be a “betrayal” to the family traditions. Sweetie Belle on the other hand was ignoring conversations all together and seemed to be plotting something.

Yet, as dessert dishes passed back to the kitchen empty and bare, as the sun dipped down towards the horizon wishing to be put to bed, amusement, laughter and companionship seemed to be drained away to be replaced by a choking doubt. Twilight’s smiles grew slowly more hollow as doubt grew from a seed in her stomach to a black vine clenched tightly around her heart and throat, making it hard to breathe and see.

We’re supposed to raise the moon. Us… That was simple fact… But doubt and worry pulls a bitter echo, and the simple fact twisted into something terrifying to the lilac ex-unicorn. We’re supposed to raise the moon. Us, a group of foals whom over half of us have never used magic before tonight! It’s divine magic, how can Luna expect us to do this? She mentioned it in such… casual passing..! That for the first few raisings we would have to work together, all six of us… But how are we supposed to do that?! Rarity and I are the only two even somewhat practiced in using magic, and we’ve never, not even once, cast a spell together! We can’t do this… We can’t… There’s no way… I can’t-

Twilight stood up from the table rather abruptly, as the vine’s wrapping grew too painful to bear, and smiled apologetically to the startled ponies around her.

“Excuse me.” She muttered softly, her well-practiced fake smile out once again, and the nobles near her gave her an understanding smile as she turned and quickly walked away.

“Bit too much punch, eh, eh?” A dark brown stallion chuckled, gently elbowing his daughter beside him with a goofy grin.

“Filthy!” His wife snapped, swatting the stallion up the back of the head with a bunch of serviettes.

“It’s Rich.” He grumbled halfheartedly, looking somewhat abashed.

“Not right now it isn’t.”

Rainbow’s suppressed laughter at the conversation near her prevented her from seeing Spike’s eyes go from confused to dark and knowing as he slipped out of his seat and after Twilight.

The young dragon managed to catch up with Twilight about halfway to the castle despite her much longer stride.

“Twi-light! Wait… Up!” Spike gasped, far out of breath after the desperate dash to catch up with her.

Snapped out of her worrisome loop of thoughts, Twilight stopped rather abruptly to look behind her. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of her assistant, but she waited for him nonetheless. Spike quickly reached her side, to lean against her leg as he tried to catch his breath again.

“Twi, what’s wrong, where are you going?” He asked hastily, while he had the air to do so.

“I-” Twilight began, unsure of what she wanted to say. “I… I just really need to talk to the Princesses…”

Spike wanted to correct her in her use of now outdated titles, but quickly decided against it. Instead, he nodded with a soft smile, and Twilight shakily returned it before resuming her walk towards the Solar Tower. As she reached the base of it, however, patience found no place to grow as the black vine grew even tighter, and lilac wings unfurled in anxious fear, leaving an exasperated dragon to take the stairs.

~~~

Golden clad hooves gently clicked against white marble as Twilight landed on the ornate balcony that marked Celestia’s bedroom patio doors. The soft pink drapes surrounding the windows were half-drawn, as if they had been hastily pulled shut to block offending light. With a whisper of sorrowful magic, the doors swung open, pushing the drapes aside to reveal an empty room.

“C-Celestia?” Twilight called out gently, her ears swinging back to lay flat against her head in a mixture of anxiety and embarrassment.

I know she’s probably just getting over that curse now, and I’m probably being a nuisance, but… Surely she would forgive me for that… She’ll pull me close and reassure me, and tell me what to do like she always has! Twilight told herself quickly, letting hope grow to push away the black doubt that was hurting her so. However, as she quietly searched the suite that Celestia used to call her bedroom, it became increasingly apparent that she simply wasn’t there. It was the sight of a single book that caused Twilight to realize that Celestia had already left for good.

An ancient tome with a white leather cover, that Twilight had desperately wanted to read since the moment she had laid eyes on it as a filly, laid peaceably on the bed-side table. Whenever she had asked Celestia about it, she would always laugh and say that she was far too young to read it… Even as a questioning curious mare, Celestia would laugh, hug Twilight, and say those words. Yet, there was the book, waiting for her in the gentle way books did, with the pink steel bookmark that Twilight always used during her studies in Canterlot laying delicately atop the white leather.

“I have complete faith that they aren’t just going to toss six new rulers on the throne and say “Ok, we’re gone, good luck!” and not give them any help!”

Cadence’s confident words seemed hollow as Twilight gently picked the white tome up in her magic to hold it close to her chest. Hope was choked by the growing weeds of worry, and tears began to make their dark tracks in her pale fur. The door to the staircase opened with a creak, and her ears picked up on the breathed out words that escaped Spike’s lips as he entered the room.

“Oh Twilight…”

“Hey, Spike?” Twilight began softly, her watery eyes still resting on the bookmark before her. “Do you remember when I was a filly, and I would ask Celestia when I would grow wings like hers?”

To be honest, Spike could barely remember anything of Twilight’s childhood, as he was far too young himself… For now though, he would play along. “Yeah.”

“And do you remember how disappointed I was when she finally broke it to me that I was a Unicorn, and therefore would never get wings?”

Something stirred in the back of Spike’s mind. “Yeah, and you threw a big temper-tantrum and said you wanted them anyway, and… It was all you talked about for a good while too…”

Twilight finally lifted her head to look at him with tear filled eyes. “Well… I finally got them.”

Spike’s eyes threatened to fill up with tears as well, and he ran forward to hug her side before they had the chance.

“It’ll work out Twi, it has to…” Spike offered, and although his voice was muffled by her fur, she heard them anyway.

“I don’t know if it will this time, Spike…” Twilight muttered, as two more tears made their way down her cheeks.

“Well, at least don’t keep bearing it all yourself!” Spike said, suddenly letting go of her to look at her with a hint of anger. “You and I both know that the other girls would want nothing more than to help you!”

“But they aren’t thinking, Spike! And I can’t-” Twilight cut herself off as the vine tightened around her throat once more.

“Aren’t thinking? About what?” He asked, brow furrowing in confusion as he tried to figure out what she could mean.

“And I can’t burst their happy bubbles just to make myself feel better… I won’t…”

“Oh. About that.” Spike sighed, as he put two and two together, and he flopped down to sit beside her.

Silence hung in the air for a moment.

“Spike… Ever since this all started, you’ve seemed so… Happy… And it’s not that I mind, or that it’s wrong or-“

“Twilight, stop.”

“I just can’t help but wonder why… That maybe I’m missing something…”

“You’re not…” Spike sighed, and he leaned back to rest his head against her side. “It’s selfish really.”

Twilight looked down at him with a hint of bemusement. Spike sighed before completing his thought.

“I’m happy for the same reason you’re freaked out… You’re immortal now. You all are… All my dearest and most precious friends are going to live forever… And no matter how many years pass, I’m not going to get left behind… I’m not going to outlive all of my friends anymore.”

“Oh Spike…” Twilight breathed, unfolding a wing to hug the small dragon close.

Silence retook the room as the two sat close together, spoken words unneeded for the time being. As sounds of the rambunctious dinner outside faded away to the laughter of dancing, and the sun’s gold orb slowly turned red as it brushed the horizon, the silence between them was broken softly by Twilight.

“I never would have guessed…” She began, and Spike looked up at her questioningly at the distant look in her eyes.

“I never would have guessed that you had thought about that already…”

“Sleepless nights leave a lot of time for thinking, you know?”

“Sorry…”

“It’s not your fault, Twi.” Spike assured her quietly. Even if it was, he would never let her know.

The tome slipped an inch as Twilight’s magic wavered, allowing something to catch the young dragon’s eye.

“Hey, Twilight, what’s that little piece of paper sticking out of the bottom there?”

“H-huh?” The tome was quickly lifted up to eye level, causing a folded piece of blue parchment to slip out a little farther.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she recognized the signature at the very bottom of it. The book was quickly flipped open to reveal the note, as well as the chapter it marked.

“Divine Magic… An Overview?” Spike read aloud, squinting to try and make heads or tails of the archaic writings. “But what does the note say, Twilight?”

Don’t you dare doubt yourself, Twilight. You are brilliant, brave, and my pride and joy. We have complete faith in you. So don’t you dare, not even for a second, doubt yourself and your friends.

-Celestia

Courage and hope rose up in a blazing fire, and the vine crumbled to ash in the heart beat it took to re-read the short note. Twilight took a slow deep breath, and found that she could breathe normally once more. She gently lifted the note out of the way of the chapter, and passed it to Spike for him to read. Then, she carefully read through the ancient words, as well as the bountiful amount of notes on divine magic that Luna had left her in the margins.

~~~

“Twilight?”

Applejack’s voice snapped the lilac alicorn out of her reading. The tome was fascinating, and Twilight had quickly became entranced by the ancient writings. She looked up at the clock, and realized that she had been in the Solar tower for nearly two hours. Spike was curled up under her wing, fast asleep. With a full stomach and a sleepless night, it was no wonder that he had dozed off, really.

The door swung open gently to reveal her perplexed friend. “Twilight? We need your help raising the moon… Hoo boy that feels freaky to say…. Whatcha doin’ up here anyway?”

Twilight smiled apologetically as she carefully stood up. Her horn lit up as her bookmark slid into its place in the tome, the tome onto its place on the desk, and Spike under the covers of her bed as she tucked him in with gentle care.

“Just a little research.” She replied cheerfully, giving Applejack an honest and confident smile as she turned towards the door. “Let’s go.”

In the middle of the Royal Canterlot Gardens, there stood six alicorns, each looking more than a little nervous and excited. Twilight took a step forward, and the others looked at her with an obvious hope for guidance.

Without a word, Twilight turned around, so that she was facing where the sun hung, wishing to be set for the night. Although pulling the moon to the sky would provide the push the sun needs to set… The tome said that lowering the sun first will make our job far easier… As the sun is, for the most part, connected to Celestia’s now-faded magic, this hopefully won’t be as difficult as it normally would be, but I won’t know till I try…

Applejack looked at her friend with a hint of confusion as Twilight closed her eyes and reached for the threads of ancient magic that were growing strong around her. Her magic traced them, faded and tired, until she found the thick chain of magic that she had felt Luna use that morning. Oddly enough, it seemed to recognize her, and with a half-conscious thought, she gently tapped Applejack’s and Fluttershy’s minds, drawing their attention to what she was doing. As their minds joined in curiosity, the magic stirred, and reached for them as well. It was such a startling feeling really; a rich, fiery, golden magic that seemed to have life and love all its own, embracing them in a lonely and tired whisper.

Twilight gently unhooked and pulled on the chain before letting it go, and the magic seemed to almost hum sleepily as it fell to a living silence, much like how a unicorn foal’s magic would as its holder fell asleep.

She opened her eyes to see the sky shift to vibrant colors as the sun set for the night. A proud smile graced her lips as she turned to face the East, where the moon would soon rise from. She reached for Pinkie’s mind, which was buzzing in frantic and nervous excitement, and caught her attention.

Pinkie, Luna drew her magic to a close with yours, so the Lunar magic will recognize you. Reach for it.

I don’t know how! Pinkie replied, sounding surprisingly scared.

Twilight had suspected that might be the case, and gave her a quick reassuring thought that settled Pinkie's growing panic, before reaching for Rarity and Rainbow Dash. She drew the three of them together before instructing Rarity to guide Pinkie to the chain of magic once Twilight found it for them… She would have rather had Rarity do it, but she could tell by the violent clash of emotions in Rarity’s mind that the poor mare was only an inch away from panic herself.

Closing her eyes, Twilight searched once more for the threads of magic that should be awakening by now. It surprised her when she found them, for they were not like the fiery threads that the sun held, but almost cold and silken chains that seemed to dislike her touch. She followed them until she found it, not quite a chain itself, but something more… Yet, it was undeniably what she was looking for. She pulled Rarity’s mind towards it, and before she even consciously noted the three reaching for it, she felt the magic react. It was soft and silver, and felt as if it was filled to the brim with icy and haunting music. It recognized her friends as its new master, and Twilight carefully withdrew to avoid upsetting it.

Rainbow quickly grabbed her mind before she could fully withdraw. Twilight, we still-

No, you don’t. Twilight assured her softly, giving a mental nod towards their friend, and Rainbow turned in slight surprise to look at Pinkie, whose wings had unfurled as if by their own will, her head turned upwards as if she was listening to some far off and distant music.

Go on. Twilight said softly, pushing Rainbow closer to the silvery magic that was reaching for its mistress. Even as Twilight withdrew her consciousness from her friend’s, as Rainbow connected with the Lunar magic- For just a split second, Twilight could hear the saddest and most beautiful music she had ever heard, whispering of freedom and ancient tales, desperate to instruct and be free.

Wholly in her own mind, Twilight found herself blinking back tears at what she had heard. She looked up at her friends with a proud grin, Applejack and Fluttershy withholding a cheer from where they stood beside her, as Pinkie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash took to the sky. All around them the air was humming with powerful and incomprehensible riddles of magic, as the sky deepened and darkened, the silvery glow of the moon rising up from its place in the east with every wing-beat of her friends.

Rarity and Rainbow Dash landed gently before her, as the moon took its place high in the sky… Pinkie was just a moment longer, as she stayed in the air to bring each glimmering star out with a bright and encouraging smile and laugh. When she finally landed, her pink feathers fluttering in the evening wind, she was leaving Luna’s tapestry of ancient tales and myths for all to admire in her wake.

Ascension

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xR5mWra8PD4]

Ascension

Applejack stirred under the soft golden sheets that she was blissfully snuggled under. Even as her dreams began to fade to make way for reality’s morn, Applejack was reluctant to let them go quite yet. If she just relaxed, and curled deeper into the cotton pillows and silk sheets, she could almost grasp the remaining threads of her dream, where her parents still stood smiling and waving. Ah don’t wanna go, she breathed out, and her father gave her one last tight hug before everything faded away to nothing, and her eyes opened unbidden.

With an irritated moan that asked the world why it had woken up her up, Applejack sat up to look around the still unfamiliar room through bleary eyes. The bed she was in still seemed far too large, and if Apple Bloom hadn’t chosen that moment to mumble in her sleep, Applejack would have forgotten that she had been sharing it with her younger sister. Applejack smiled maternally as she looked at Apple Bloom fast asleep in her own dreams. She doubted that Apple Bloom even remembered their parents, as they had passed away when she was so young. It wouldn’t do to think about that now, however. Giving her sister a “Sleep Tight” kiss, Applejack slid out of the bed with fastidious care to make sure she didn’t wake her younger sibling before walking over to her bedroom windows and pulling the curtains back.

Dim moonlight streamed in, lighting the darkened room with dawn’s unawakened light. Soft orange curtains on either side of her seemed to frame her new bedchambers from where she stood. The entire chamber seemed to have been decorated with the theme of autumn in mind, and as strange as it was for her, Applejack had to admit the place was indeed beautiful. I guess I’ll get used to it eventually. She decided with a small smile, as her hooves carried her over to her vanity, where her regalia had been laid.

She couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment as she looked at the brilliant bronze jewellery. As the amber gem set in the tiara glimmered at her in the moonlight, AJ remembered Twilight’s words just before their coronation ceremony. She had said then, that she felt as if she shouldn’t even be wearing the carefully-crafted regalia, and Applejack had simply hugged her and assured her everything would be alright. It had seemed then that that was the right thing to do, to comfort and reassure her worried friend, and stride onwards with assiduous pride, supporting, strong and determined to be someone dependable… Now she almost wished she hadn’t. Instead she wished she had spilled out her own worries and fears. A farmer made royalty- If the idea was absurd to anyone it was to herself. The bronze regalia seemed to hold a weight unfitting for its craft, and when wearing it, despite the love and care that had been poured into its forging, she felt as if she had been dolled up for the world to laugh at.

As she tried to shake the negative thoughts out of her mind again, her mother’s Stetson hat caught her eye from where she had carefully placed it on her bedpost. In a way that can’t be put in words, it gave her courage again, and she gave it a grateful smile before turning her attention to her reflection in the vanity’s mirror.

Her mane seemed to have grown longer still, and almost seemed to hold a magic to it itself, and Applejack couldn’t help but wonder for a second if it would at some point have the same divine glow and movement that the Princesses’ had. Well, even if it does, that ain’t yet, and I look awful silly with bed head. Applejack chuckled, as she scooped up her hairbrush in hoof to calm the blond strands. As tempting as it was to pull her hair back into its usual ponytails, she left it down loose, her mind still somewhat on what it would be like if and when it animated. It probably wouldn’t be “proper” for her to wear her mane and tail like that anymore anyways. Magic she was still unused to having came to her aid as she pulled on the copper-gold horseshoes, lifted the bright tiara to its place, and did her Element up tight and snug around her neck.

As Applejack took one last look in the mirror, her Element’s gleaming jewelled apple seemed to give her an encouraging shimmer from it’s place around her neck, bidding a small smile forth from the young alicorn. Taking one last deep breath for courage, Applejack looked up at the grandfather clock beside her to confirm the time. Fifteen minutes till sunrise. I better get movin’. She affirmed to herself, before heading out the door with a hint of determination in her stride.

Applejack knew she had to go to the top of the Solar Tower to raise the sun with her friends, and the very thought of it was more than a little daunting. At the same time though, she had seen Twilight set the sun all on her own just the night before. Applejack closed her eyes and set aside her fears. She would put her faith in her friend, and leave things to play out as they would. Fretting and fussing would make no change to the future, Ma would tell me that all the time. Won’t do no good to forget that know, would it? She asked herself, grinning a little at the playful memories that the phrase arose.

Applejack also knew she had to pass the bedroom doors of her friends on the way up to the top of the tower, unless she went along the external staircase… Yet, it was still much to her surprise when she found Twilight standing outside Fluttershy’s door with a look of worried perplexion on her face. To be honest, she had been expecting Twilight to still be asleep.

“Well howdy Twilight. Didn’t expect to see you up so bright and early.”

“Oh, hello Applejack… I’m glad to see I don’t have to get you up.” Twilight teased gently, her voice soft as it tried not to wake anypony up prematurely.

“Ah get up at the crack of dawn every day, this ain’t no different… Well except for the fact that Ah can’t help but feel something got me up…” Applejack admitted as she walked over to stand beside her friend.

Twilight chuckled. “Well, if you’re like me, the sun’s magic woke you up. It practically threw a fit when I ignored it and tried to go back asleep. I never believed Celestia when she said it was child-like, I always assumed she was being metaphorical in some way… I see now that she was being quite literal.”

“Ah never would have guessed,” AJ laughed, before turning her attention to the shut door in front of them. “And yet Fluttershy is still asleep, Ah suppose?”

“Eeyup,” Twilight grinned, “I’m assuming that after dealing with all of Angel’s little fits, the sun’s little tantrum is nothing… And yet I don’t really want to be the one to get her up…” She admitted, a little sheepishly.

Applejack laughed. ‘Well Twilight, as Ah’ve had the honor of getting this particular mare up at the crack of dawn before- Allow me.”

~~~

Exactly five minutes had passed since Applejack took up the challenge to safely awaken Fluttershy from her slumber; and now the two stood in their friend’s room, the butter yellow mare still fast asleep, with AJ about to show Twilight the secret to getting Fluttershy up without invoking any wrath from her or her animals.

With a flash of gold magic, Applejack carefully lifted a soft pink mug to wave under Fluttershy’s snout. As the steam and the rich scent of coffee reached the mare’s nose, it began to twitch… And a second later a pale hoof was reaching out from the blankets to grasp the cup’s handle to allow her to take a sip.

Twilight resisted the urge to laugh as Fluttershy sat up in bed, the cup of coffee firmly grasped between her hooves, while still looking quite asleep. The mug was completely drained a minute later, and Fluttershy gave a large yawn before blinking her eyes open and giving her friends an angelic smile.

“Oh. Good morning girls.” Fluttershy said sweetly, her wings unfolding to give a sleepy stretch.

“Morning Fluttershy,” Twilight chuckled. “Are you all set to get the sun up?”

“Oh dear! I completely forgot about that!” Fluttershy breath out in a hushed and yet still slightly panicked voice.

“It’s alright sugar-cube, ya still got time. We just better get goin’, that’s all.” Applejack assured her quickly, and Fluttershy visibly relaxed before nodding and climbing out of bed to get ready.

Twilight helped her brush her mane and get on the near-forgotten regalia, before the three half-rushed out the door to go up the last two flights of stairs that was in-between them and the balcony from where Celestia (And Luna upon occasion) usually rose the sun from on a normal day.

“I don’t know how I forgot about the sun… I mean, it’s the most important thing about being royalty and everything, and I just feel so silly.” Flutttershy breathed out quickly, and Twilight gave her an understanding, and slightly exasperated, smile as they continued their way up the stairs.

“Well Ah imagine it has a lot to do with us having never done it before.” Applejack offered, and Fluttershy looked over her shoulder to smile at her before turning back to watch where she was going.

Soon, and perhaps too soon, the three stood upon the balcony from where they were to call upon the ancient magic that would bring the day as had the Princesses before them. And they were terrified.

Fluttershy was alternating between shaking like a leaf and squeaking as she tried to swallow her nerves enough to unclench her wings from where they were tightly folded against her sides, and Applejack’s heart was pounding so loudly she could barely think straight. Even Twilight seemed to be off somewhere else and it was a long minute before the silence was rather violently broken.

“OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!”

Applejack and Fluttershy both jumped rather magnificently as Twilight’s shout broke the quiet that surrounded them. Applejack watched bemusedly as Twilight walked past her with a look of irritated determination on her face to stand at the edge of the balcony. A second passed as Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated on some spell unknown to AJ, before, with a gentle pop, a bright violet bubble dropped a white tome into Twilight’s waiting grasp.

Applejack’s look of confusion grew as Twilight walked by her with her nose in the book back to where she had been standing a minute ago.

“Alright then.” Twilight breathed, and the book clicked shut to land on an awaiting table.

The air began to hum as ancient magic woke up at the purple alicorn’s beckon. Despite her confusion, Applejack did not hesitate to join Twilight in what she was doing and the hum grew into an unheard song as the magic grew in strength. Fluttershy’s magic joined into the thrall, and fiery threads bid the dull clouds into brilliant colors as they came alive once more.

Golden power, rich and warm, filled each mind with a welcoming and happy embrace. It seemed to lift them up, encouraging and cheerful, and Applejack couldn’t help but take a step forward to its pull. One by one, wings unfolded, and heads uplifted, as the spell that was as old as time came to life in the form of a blissful and brilliant chain that felt as if it was almost a part of them, begging to be lifted high.

The three took to the brightening sky, the sun gleefully following them in their ascent. The magic seemed to fade into an ecstatic crescendo as the sun reached its point, and only then did Applejack truly realize what she had done... They had all actually done it. They really had just raised the sun.

AJ beamed at an amazed Fluttershy who glided nearby, who shakily returned her proud grin. It took her a minute to spot Twilight, for unlike her and Fluttershy, she had already landed back on the balcony. Applejack quickly followed suit, suddenly worried for her friend.

“Twilight! Hey, Twilight,” She called quickly, trotting over to her friend the second her hooves touched marble. “Are you alright?”

Twilight looked up at her with a hint of surprise, but it faded away quickly to an appreciative smile. “I’m fine, Applejack. Just a little over-whelmed… And anyway, we probably have a lot of work ahead of us… The staff will be up any time now, and I’m sure there will be a lot to do once they are… I’ll see you downstairs.”

“Okay then… Ah’ll be down in a minute…” Applejack replied swiftly, and Twilight gave her a small nod before disappearing downstairs.

AJ turned around to look up at sky, where the clouds were still cloaked in the soft pastel colors of their magic. A small nostalgic smile crossed her lips as Fluttershy landed on a particularly large gold cloud along with a small group of birds to enjoy the morning’s breeze. I just want to watch this sunrise for a moment… Just like I used to with my parents.

A/N: Once again we have a chapter song! I really love you guys for always posting these things. They are so inspiring! Random/Interesting FYI; "Ascension" was originally going to be the name of Applejack's first chapter (Which ended up getting split up into "A Spark of Truth...Will Set a Blaze" as you all know) So, since "Royal Ruckus Part 1" (despite being accurate) didn't seem to FIT this chapter quite right, I decided it was time to use this title... Sorry to all those who though this was going to be some super amazing important chapter.... It's not.

Ready, Set, Go

(AKA Royal Ruckus Prologue)

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER CASTLE EXPLORERS YAY!”

“Hoo boy.”

Applejack shared a wince with Rainbow Dash as the three fillies barrelled by them and up a nearby set of stairs. As they disappeared around a banister, Bright Shine’s audible scolding declared them out of sight, but definitely not out of mind.

“Castle Explorers?” Applejack questioned, raising an eyebrow at the blue speedster beside her.

“Eh, Scoots has been reading a lot of Daring Doo lately, and I think I seen Sweetie with a Lyra Croft comic. Must be where they got the idea.”

“Well that’s just grand, ain’t it?” Applejack asked a little coldly, voice brimming with sarcasm, glaring up at whatever sadist greater force had set what looked like a giant metaphorical line of chaotic dominoes, and as the other girls arrived, Applejack could even see that somepony was about to knock the first one over.

You see, because of Celestia’s “illness”, and the very poor timing of it, a ridiculous amount of work had piled up and set before them. This year’s Grand Galloping Gala was coming very quickly, and needed to be planned. The gardens were beginning to fall into their autumn splendour, and would be needing tending, and due to how Celestia had taken it on as hobby, there was no current gardener on staff, aside from an older stallion who generally just raked up stray leaves. Fluttershy had claimed the garden for herself, but had left shortly after the sun had been risen to gather up all her little animals from back home, and escort them here. Also, due to old trade agreements with several nearby countries nearing their expiry date, a large group of royal dignitaries would be arriving this evening. Add on top of that the day-to-day Royal duties, as well as what had been fallen behind on the past two days, this was not a good time for three very young fillies to be tearing around the castle more-or-less unsupervised.

The reason for why the CMC were at Canterlot castle wreaking their havoc- I mean, crusading, was a story in and of itself, but I will do my best to sum it up:

Applebloom was in her older sister’s care due to the orchard undergoing some major changes, and Granny Smith had simply deemed it best that she be elsewhere. The reason for this, of course, was a lot more complicated than Applebloom would ever know.

Due to Applejack having to leave the farm, Sweet Apple Acres was very suddenly in very sorry need of extra help, as a single filly and an already very-overworked stallion is not nearly enough able bodies to keep a farm going. Pride and tradition dictated that only family could work on the farm, but almost all “family” were already busy with their own farms, jobs, and duties. The solution came in the form of Granny-Smith’s great-nephew, or more specifically, her brother’s daughter’s son. The colt in question had dropped out of school when he was a teen, and had gotten into a large amount of trouble in the past two years. Now, he was desperately trying to pull himself together for the sake of his pregnant fiancée, but was unable to find work due to his haunting past and “recovering addict” status. Family sticks together however, and this was no exception. Even if they didn’t agree with his decisions, they could tell they no longer sat well with him, and were willing to give him the second chance he so desperately needed. All the same, a family meeting had judged that until their newest help could get settled in and comfortable, it would probably be best for Applebloom to simply be elsewhere.

Sweetie Bell’s reason for being at the castle was a good bit less noble. Although she had been brought to the castle initially by her older sister, it had wholly been their intentions for the young filly to return to their parents after Rarity’s new royal duties had begun. Sure enough, when their parents came to sight-see, chat, and otherwise gloat about their daughter, Rarity had pulled them aside to remind them that they would need to make room in their plans for their youngest daughter now, as she herself would be far too busy to play care-taker any longer. They had been quick to agree, ‘Well of course we know that darlin’!” but they had failed to actually comply- For when Rarity came to check on them in their rooms the next morning, she had discovered them long gone, and that they had made room in their plans for their youngest daughter… Starting next month. You know, right after their cruise to the tropics. The two had earned their eldest daughter’s asperity before on similar antics, but this would be the first time that they would be returning to the holy wrath of a full-fledged alicorn raining down on their sorry, sun-kissed flanks.

Scootaloo, on the other hand, had the almighty puppy-dog pout, and had successfully begged Rainbow Dash to let her stay for a couple nights.

Applejack groaned slightly as her mind whisked up the very large list of things her younger sister could get into with her friends, and had half-a-mind to do much as Fluttershy had, and declare that she had an emergency/extremely-important duty to perform, and would cause the four advisors before her eyes to grow wide once again as they stepped aside to allow her to rush off. However, declaring that would be a very large stretch of the truth, and not wholly honest, as she was pretty sure that the Royal Guards would keep the three out of the worst of it. As she slid her gaze over to Rainbow Dash once again, she could tell by the way the blue alicorn was shifting in place and folding and unfolding her wings that she was thinking about doing very much the same thing, only hesitating due to the fact that leaving all this stuff for her friends to do by themselves would not be the most loyal thing to do.

As the youngest of the four royal advisors, a bright lemon green unicorn mare, rolled up the scroll she was reading with a satisfied nod, she turned to smile far too cheerily at the five alicorns before her.

“Well! Let’s get started shall we?”

And so the first domino was tipped…

A/N: Wow, I haven't worked on Ascension properly for a while. This little mini chapter is my way of getting into the feel of things again ^_- Hope you enjoyed, and there should be more relatively soon.

Royal Ruckus (Part 1)

A/N: I don't think I've ever truly hated a chapter before. But this one, this one accomplished that. I am sick of looking at it, thinking about it, and just over all having to deal with it. I want to move on for cryin' out loud! So, fed up with it, and not even wanting to deal with it anymore, I sat down this morning and just wrote the stupid thing just to be rid of it. So, GOOD RIDDANCE! I was kind of surprised that it started writing itself after I got the first two pages done. Part 2 will... Should... Hopefully... (I beg that this statement is true)... be up tomorrow, and my more northern readers may hear my shout of joy when I finally finish Part 3 and kiss this whole dang set of chapters goodbye and can write Interlude and Revelations without worry.

Part One
Tea Time.

“Well, as Fluttershy is pre-occupied, I suppose I shall tend to the gardens for her. That is, after all, what best friends do,” Rarity said sweetly, smiling at the others, “and, it needs to be done anyway.”

The other girls returned her smile, and the white alicorn gave a small playful bow towards her friends before turning and disappearing through the front doors. The second her purple tail disappeared around the door frame, however, the royal advisors shot in four different directions; Each one shepherding one of the newly appointed Alicorns to the task they deemed the most fitting.

Unfortunately, there is a reason why Celestia had four advisors where most Rulers would only have one. While each advisor individually was brilliant in their respective fields, they were somewhat short up on common sense, and more often than not it took the four of them together to come up with anything intelligent. They had not discussed this together before hand, and were thereby flying by the tips of their tails.

This should be interesting, no?

Applejack warily eyed the lemon green mare, known as Cheery Chimes, happily trotting before her. Aside from saying, “This way Lady Applejack, your Highness,” she had been completely silent apart from the snatches of song she occasionally hummed.

AJ looked around slightly before clearing her throat.

“So, uh, what is it exactly that Ah’m doing?”

Chimes looked up and over her shoulder to smile at the young alicorn. “You’ll be in charge of High Tea for the foreign dignitaries that will be arriving this evening.”

Despite the completely cheerful and trusting tone that those words had been said in, or perhaps because of it, Applejack slammed to a stop as she paled ever so slightly.

“High Tea?” She repeated, her green eyes shrinking slightly at the prospect as everything in her begged that she had heard wrong.

“Uh-huh!” Chimes giggled, before coming to a stop herself as she realized that Applejack was no longer following her. “Something wrong, My Lady?”

“Ah can’t do no High Tea! Y’all should be asking Rarity, or Twilight-“

“Oh, don’t be silly! Of course you can do it! You’re royalty, after all.”

There was that blindly trusting smile again. Something about it left a sour feeling in her gut, much like how one’s stomach would churn after blunderingly drinking spoiled milk.

“No, Ah can’t.” Honesty blurted, panic quick to rise. “Ah ain’t got no clue how to do a High Tea!”

Cheery Chimes looked at her with more than a little surprise, eyes widening at the thought. Then, the bright violet orbs slipped shut as an angelic smile slipped across the mare’s lips.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out!”

Before Applejack had a chance to protest this leap of faith, Chimes looked over her shoulder again to add sweetly;

“And anyways, Twilight has a super important job even more important than this one! Oh, and Rarity has some special duties as well to attend to, once she gives the royal gardens her seal of approval… If you were to just pass it on to them, why, you’d be even worse than a burden! And we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

Applejack gulped.

The orange alicorn blinked as they stepped into the small room that had been used for the High Tea since Canterlot Castle had been built. Soft cream walls, polished black marble floors that glittered softly like the night, a wood table that seemed to hold stories and magic all its own- They all caught her attention in the immediate second she had stepped into the room. It was a startling feeling, one she couldn’t help but wonder about its source. Was this part of being an Alicorn as well? And if so, it was certainly a strange part.

“…jack”

A tiny part of Applejack’s brain tugged at her, like a filly on one’s tail when desiring attention. The rest of her mind, however, was still taking in details, and wondering about various things, each fragment of her mind going in another direction until there were so many mutterings, whispers, dreams, desires and images, that Applejack almost felt as if she were floating away into something greater.

A sound outside of it all bid her mind to tug harder, but was ignored as her senses shifted again. She could feel so many little sparks around her, each bright and unique in its own way, wishing to be nurtured and grown. She could hear hundreds of whispers, like old friends and allies wishing to greet her again… Lonely ones, wanting care, bold ones, wanting attention, vain ones, wishing to display their prides and joys. Yet, before her mind could really wrap itself around any of it, or for that matter, simply learn a single name, the tiny fragment of her mind pulled her out of her reverie with a deafening-

“LADY APPLEJACK!””

AJ jumped a good five inches off the ground, her wings partially unfolding in instinctual response. Cheery Chimes was glaring at her from her side, as several maids and butlers looked on questioningly with more than a hint of worry. Applejack blinked again, her head aching gently, and feeling rather foggy after what she had experienced. She shook it to allow the fog to clear slightly, before blinking at Chimes.

“Err, sorry, what?”

Cheery narrowed her eyes for what was barely a heart beat before giving her throat a dainty clear, and smiling sweetly once more.

“We’re waiting for your direction, my Lady.”

“Oh. Uh, right,” Applejack muttered, looking around to see what had been set up, just to see that the room was so far empty aside from the single worn table. “So, Ah guess first things first would be to get the table set up and the grub agoin’.” She said briskly, trying to take charge as she would during so many family reunions.

Get the “grub” “A going”? Honestly.

Ewww, that is so gross. What a terrible way of saying things.

Great. We have a hick for a Queen.

How could Celestia leaves us with such a fool…

Applejack blinked again, looking at the ponies before her, who were looking at each other with perplexed but polite expressions. No one had spoke. She shook her head rapidly once again to clear the strange whispers that had echoed out, sarcastic, mocking and disappointed… Maybe the stress of this all is getting to me. She muttered inwardly.

“Something wrong, your Highness?” Chimes asked sweetly, looking up at the orange Alicorn with a look of angelic concern.

“Uh, just wondering why nopony’s movin’.” Applejack offered, the half-truth still tasting sour to her.

“We need a little more direction than that, my lady.” One of the maids coughed, looking a little awkward. “I mean, we need to know what dishes you wish for us to prepare.”

“Why not whatever you prepared last time? Ah imagine there’s no reason why you can’t stick with old favourites, right?”

The maids looked at each other again, eyebrows going up despite no-one saying anything. For that matter, Applejack couldn’t even see any hint of emotion or expression on their faces.

Doesn’t she know anything?

Why couldn’t we get someone with two cents of sense in here…

She’s going to ruin everything just like she did the gala.

Applejack blinked again, her ears swivelling to try and find the source of the whispers. They were going to get a telling to when she tracked them down.

Cheery Chimes gave a delicate cough. “Aha, you see, my Lady, each meeting, we prepare a single main dish from one of the foreign countries that they hail from. Naturally, we change the country each time so everypony gets a turn.”

Applejack’s pride bristled at her tone. She was speaking to her like she was a first-grade school filly. The young alicorn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It wouldn’t do at all to lose her temper. Macintosh always said she had a hair-trigger one when she got stressed out or overtired, but she was determined to prove him wrong.

“So, last time, we did a dish from the exotic country of Sophor… So it’s…” Cheery paused to look down at a piece of paper she pulled from her mane. “..Gullit’s turn.”

Calls herself an advisor and can’t even pronounce the country’s name right.

If she sticks around I’m throwing her out before she starts a war.

Great. We apparently have two idiots preparing High Tea this year. Just lovely.

Applejack ignored them as best as she could and leaned down to look at the paper. Foreign symbols wrote out “பேடா”. She had no idea how you were supposed to pronounce that either. She made a mental note to ask Twilight later… When she wasn’t busy with whatever the important duty she had been assigned. Being Celestia’s personal student meant that she had probably gotten the most important of the lot, so AJ was determined not to bother her until it was done.

The main problem at hoof, however, still stood. Which was, of course, that Applejack had never heard of the country of “பேடா” and therefore had no idea what-so-ever what kind of national dishes they had.

“Well, what kinda dish would you recommend for them then?” She asked gently, looking at the maid closest to her. “Ah bet y’all been doing this a lot longer than Ah have.”

Asking us for help. This is pathetic.

You’re right, I have doing this a lot longer than you. Perhaps I should have been put on the throne instead. At least I wouldn’t mess up the first thing I was asked to do.

Just shoot me now.

This is going to be disastrous.

Doesn’t she know anything? No wait, I already asked that. Answer? DUR NOPE.

That last one stung. As Applejack struggled to silence the voices in her head, and fight back the tears that were trying to form, a part of her made note to hug Derpy the next time she seen her.

“I’m sorry your Highness, but it wouldn’t be proper for us to choose the dishes.”

The maid spoke in such reverent and polite tones, her refusal sounding wholly sincere. Yet, AJ couldn’t help but feel as if she had been one of the ones that were whispering… No, wait, that couldn’t be right. She hadn’t spoken until now. Heck, none of them had so much as opened their mouths until she had addressed them. Perhaps I’m just losing it.

“Okay, we’ll get back to the main dish later then. Let’s figure out the little ones first.”

Little ones? Can’t she even say “side platter?" No, I bet she doesn't even know what that means.

I swear, if she picks some sort of hillbilly apple dish- I-don’t-know-what-thingy, I’m just going to jump out the window and put myself out of my misery.

Applejack’s idea of doing apple fritters was hastily put aside. Quickly, she started wracking her brain at what Rarity usually served during those fancy schmancy tea parties she held occasionally.

“How about egg salad sandwiches? They’re nice and simple, and an old favourite, to boot.” She offered, trying to pull up a confident smile.

The maids balked at her and one of the butlers didn’t quite manage to suppress a groan.

Just when I thought she couldn’t say anything dumber.

Is she trying to offend ponies?

Applejack’s ears wanted to lay flat against her head as she fled and hid somewhere safe and quiet, but her pride and obstinance refused it. She racked her brain with a hint of panic, trying to remember the names of the dishes that had been served at that Garden Party in Canterlot that they had inadvertently crashed.

“Errr, how about ‘Cuisses de grenouille’?” She asked, her pride in pronouncing it correctly quickly smashed by the renewal of the whispers.

I take it back. Now she can’t positively say anything dumber.

Why don’t we just declare war on ourselves and be done with it…

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. What else would you expect from an uneducated hick?

She should just go back to her little farm and play in the dirt. It’s apparently all she’s good for.

Looks like Celestia really did lose it in her last few moments. What was she thinking?

Do I really have to stand here and listen to this idiocy? Really? I hate my life.

Applejack’s gut felt like someone was scrunching it up like an old newspaper.

“Lettuce and Tomato..?” She squeaked out weakly, her ears flat against her head, and all her strength placed in rooting her to the floor rather than running away.

“That’s a lovely idea. Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches would be quite nice as a side platter.” The eldest maid said sweetly, smiling at her before trotting off to order it from the kitchen.

I wonder if she busted a brain cell coming up with something that smart.

It’s about time she actually managed to say something intelligent.

Hallelujah. It’s a freakin’ miracle!

Despite finally getting what appeared to be a right answer, the whispers didn’t stop. They never did either. Even as she struggled and guessed through question after question, seating, silverware, china, decorations, music- It didn’t matter what she said, right or wrong, confused or fake confident, they wouldn’t silence. They just slowly got louder, more numerous, more exasperated, and more bitingly sarcastic. With everypony before her still smiling politely as their inner voices devoured her from the inside out.

What does she think this is, a square dance?

Oh that’s a charming idea, seat the Sophor diplomat beside Sadem. That can’t go wrong! We’ll just have a little old murder, that's all.

Right right, because if we decorate in those colors, they’ll totally think we’re awesome! And not stupid and overly prideful. Yah huh...

Are you even trying?

We’re doomed.

What an idiot.

Okay, now I’m worried. ‘Cause apparently, the Elements of Harmony, the very things that are keeping us safe- Are complete idiots when it comes to picking bearers. Did it just close its eyes and go “Eenie Meeny?”

Honesty doesn’t equal intelligence apparently.

Please be quiet. Her own voice drowned in the din.

We can’t use the Forest China, Feabitter would have our heads!

I never thought I’d believe in dumb blondes, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.

Apparently with the Elements, it’s “No Takebacks!”

I pity the poor soul who poured his heart into making that regalia. His masterpiece, worn by a fool.

I wonder if Twilight kept her around just for the food. Nah, I bet it was the cute brother.

Please…

Are you sure her parents died, and they didn’t just abandon her because she was a retard?

That one, that one was the last straw. Everything holding her together just dissolved into bitter ash at those words, and she finally broke. Tears poured from her eyes as the young alicorn turn tail and fled through the doors, them slamming open with enough force to crack them in the wake of her gold magic. One of the guards jumped as she tore past him, her hooves desperately trying get her away from the noise. She could still hear them. Still mocking, criticizing, looks like she had wrecked things even further now. The door was an antique. Well that was just great, wasn’t it?

“My Queen! Are you alright? Queen Applejack!”

She could hear someone chasing after her, a pitying voice calling after her, but she didn’t care anymore. She didn’t want this regalia. She didn’t want this job. She just wanted to hide in her room and hug her Mother’s Stetson and cry.

Royal Ruckus (Part 2)

Part Two
Grey's Gala

“Let me get this straight.” Rainbow deadpanned, already finding herself resisting the urge to rub her temples. “You want me, a stunt flyer, aerial acrobat and would-have been future Wonderbolt - Who’s idea of a party is getting drunk in a dance club- To set up the next Grand Galloping Gala?”

The advisor in front of her, along with the handful of staff ponies lined up behind him, all exchanged a look before nodding. Albeit it was a slow, cautious nod, but it was a nod nonetheless, and it was all Rainbow could do not to face-hoof epically and ask what was wrong with all of their heads.

Earl Grey coughed somewhat awkwardly, as he attempted to find the correct words to express his amazing deduction that had ended with him choosing Rainbow Dash as the perfect party planner for a five-star ball. While he works on this, I will wait for you to finish nodding emphatically and/or agreeing with Rainbow Dash and/or getting your attack dogs ready for revenge after this all goes horribly wrong as we all know it inevitably will.

“Well, you see your Highness, you are now, of course, a Queen! And as such, it is your royal duty to do this sort of thing and so of cour-“

“Queen Schmeen my flank. You and I both know this is a stupid idea. You don’t send out a noob pegasus to tame a tornado, and you don’t ask a newbie queen to do a Gala! It’s just… Stupid.” Rainbow interrupted, only pausing in her tirade to try and find an appropriate word for this whole situation. Even “stupid” somehow seemed woefully inadequate.

“Well, I suppose there is some truth to that statement, but-”

“But what? You’re a freakin’ advisor! You’re supposed to think these sort of things through! Heck, I know I ain’t no genius and even I can tell how dumb this is! So here’s a bright idea, why don’t you go ask someone who knows something about Galas. Like, say, Twilight? She’s probably helped the Princess plan a few before.”

Earl Grey opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by Rainbow Dash continuing even as she was walking away from him, her gaze taking in the grand hall they were standing in.

“Or, hay, you could even ask Rarity! I’m sure she’d be exuberant, getting to plan such a huge aristocratic event.” Rainbow Dash suddenly started laughing. “And if you don’t mind the Gala being actually awesome this year, you could ask Pinkie Pie! It’s still a party, she’d do it with a skip in her step.”

For a long minute, Grey just stood and stared at the pale blue alicorn, confident, proud of her friends, and sure that she had successfully made him sound the fool. Unfortunately, one does not survive in the Celestial Courts without knowing how to bend ponies to your way of thinking… Even when you are the one in the wrong.

“I see, so I suppose I should stop bothering you, and go ask one of your friends for assistance in this matter instead?” Earl Grey asked smoothly, his odd choice in emphasis not escaping the blue mare across the room.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Rainbow replied slowly, eyeing the slender stallion. She had the sneaking suspicion that he was up to something.

“Ah. I see.” The stallion said simply, looking away as if he had done something wrong and was feeling guilty for it. “May I ask though, Your Majesty, what it is that you are heading off to do?”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “What are you talking about?”

Earl Grey took a hasty step back, looking strangely abashed. “Oh of course, I apologize my Lady. How rude of me to question what great duties it is a queen chooses to do.”

It was all he could do to suppress the smirk that was threatening to spread across his face at the look of complete confusion that was on Rainbow’s face.

“I seriously have no idea what you are talking about.” She deadpanned, and Earl had to hide his face behind his hoof in a look of fake utter shock to hide his grin.

Hook line and sinker.

"You mean, you are just going to push off even more work on your dear friends while you go off and do nothing? How… unexpected.” Rainbow shied slightly, as if he had physically struck her. “I.. I have to say I expected better from the Element Of Loyalty...” He trailed off slightly, waiting for her to gather herself once again and make her comeback.

“H-hey! I’m not pushing it off on them while I go goof or something!” She spluttered, trying to sound indignant… Even as her own mind made her question herself. Wasn’t he right, in some small way? What was she going to do? She hadn’t planned on anything, but that didn’t mean she was going to do nothing… Right? Right..? “And anyway, what am I supposed to do? It’s not like I actually know what I’m doing or anything-”

“What you’re supposed to do is sit there and let me teach you how to do this.” Earl sighed, pushing his glasses up with the tip of his hoof. He caught Rainbow’s perfectly expected disbelieving look with a timed aside glance at her, sighing dramatically as if on cue.

“Oh come now, Rainbow Dash, as prideful as you are, even you must realize how ignorant you are of the ways of High Society! Unlike Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and even Pinkie Pie, you have no experience with the elite, and as such, at the moment, you are almost completely useless as a Queen! Only Lady Applejack shares your pure ignorance, and at least she is no doubt giving her all in the task she has been given! And yet you, supposedly the brave hero, shies away in cowardice from the simplest tasks of which I have chosen for you…” He trailed off again, this time to allow himself time to admire his handiwork.

With each of his well-chosen sentences, the alicorn before him wilted slightly, like a reprimanded child. Now, she stood, ears folded back, face slightly red and looking thoroughly abashed.

Rainbow’s mind was spinning slightly. She felt as if she’d had another match with Discord, except this time he had beaten her fair and square. She hated every second of this, her mind, still buzzing with his words, forcing her to doubt herself. Making her wonder if everything she had ever achieved had become futile in the wake of her ascension. In the world she’d now been thrust in, had everything she prided herself become worthless? Her wings, her strength, her speed, did they all mean absolutely nothing now? With all that stripped away… With everything she had built her dreams and pride on taken out of the equation… What worth did she herself hold?

The very possibility of a worthless her felt like a betrayal. There was nothing that made her feel more alive and real than being there for her friends, being able to help them, being able to be there for them when they needed it, to play the role of the strong shoulder to lean on- To have that self questioned… The very possibility of it holding no lasting value in this new world… That felt like the greatest betrayal to her friends that could ever be wrought.

Rainbow Dash suddenly shook her head violently, forcing her mind out of its loop of thoughts. Okay, now this is feeling a little too much like Discord. She took a deep breath, letting her mind clear. No, not again. I’m not going to let myself make the same mistakes twice. I won’t run away. This time, I’m facing it head-on!

“I’m not shying away.” Rainbow Dash said coolly, another deep breath emptying her mind completely of anything unneeded for the task at hand; Allowing her churning stomach to settle into an icy block of determination. She had handled the Sonic Rainboom, and countless other death defying stunts. She could handle this.

“If we can’t do this the simple way because my friends are busy, then I’ll do it. Duties are duties, no matter how… Frilly…” She trailed off slightly, trying to figure out exactly how one planned something as large and formal as this…

“How hard can it be…?” She asked herself aloud, hearing her own voice cracking slightly as her faked confidence slipped.

“With my assistance, it will surely be no problem at all your Majesty.” Earl Grey purred, giving her an oddly pleased smile.

“So, first things first!” Earl Grey clapped his hooves together, and the staff hastily lined up in front of him. “Decorations! This is so simple, anypony could do it. They’ll ask you about it, you tell them what we need to know, and I’ll be right here to make sure everything is perfect!”

Rainbow Dash looked at him with a look of perfect scepticism. For some reason she had the same ominous feeling she had held when a very sleep-deprived Applejack had tried to “help” her with her new stunt.

“Alright, go!”

“About the decorations, My Lady-”

“What kind of banners are we using this year?”

“Uh, silk?”

“No, no, no, they mean theme.”

“…Formal..?”

“Ugh, no! Summer.”

“What colour are the tablecloths this year?”

“Err, white’s fine.”

“No, no, no, white’s too informal. Bone.”

“…That’s the same colour.”

“…So much to learn so little time, ah-”

“Gold or silver?”

“Silver?”

“Too informal!”

“Fine! Gold then.”

“Too outdated. I say My Lady, you have to realize this sort of thing. Platinum.”

“China or porcelain?”

“What?”

“Dinnerware, your Majesty, dinnerware! At least pay attention!”

“China, then!”

“No no, bronze!”

“They never mentioned that!”

“You have to overrule them sometimes! Know better!”

“…I hate you.”

“Hmm?”

“Napkins your majesty? We have-“

“Blue silk.”

“I don’t think we have that-”

“Red is tradition My La-”

“Don’t care. Blue.”

“Drawn or open?”

“What?”

“Classical or baroque?”

Rainbow Dash had handled the Sonic Rainboom, countless death defying stunts, and even epically kicked a dragon in the nose. But this, this was ridiculous. She could hold her temper, she would, no matter that there were too many ponies talking at once, and that these questions made no sense!

“Baroque. Last year’s band was disastrous.”

“Listen Earl, I liked them! And last year wasn’t really their fault- Hire Octavia again.”

“But Your Highness!”

“Shut up.”

“Line or Speech?”

“Uh, speech.”

“Roses or tulips.”

“Roses I guess?”

“The Ringmaster is allergic.”

“Who’s he?”

“Your Highness! At least put some effort into knowing the surrounding governments!”

“What? Sorry, I guess, I-”

“Maple or oak?”

“-Haven’t had time-”

“Down or cotton?”

“-To do much yet-”

“White or red?”

“Your Highness! Pay attention!”

“Wait, I can’t keep-”

“Tapered or not?”

“-up with this all-”

“Glass or crystal?”

“-It’s too much-”

“Marble or stone?”

‘Torch or lantern?”

“Escorts or dates?”

“Your Highness!”

“ACK!”

Rainbow Dash had fought a small army, and faced down a mad goddess of the night, as well as an even madder god of chaos. But then, she had had her friends by her side. Pride buckled down under frustration and anger as she realized quite how bad she needed them right now…

She grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut in a last minute dire attempt to hold her cool. Her wings fought against the muscles holding them tight against her sides as everything in her wished to flare them open in either a bid for freedom or fear. The skies darkened slightly as magic she knew not how to handle bubbled up under stress. A quiet second passed, and her magic dissolved away as quietly as it had appeared, the skies clearing to a bright sunny day once more, and her mind began to ease into a dignified reverie that could surely handle anything that came her way… Before snapping completely as yet another voice joined the din far too soon.

“My Lady, about the Menu-”

“GO ASK PINKIE PIE!”

Everyone in the ballroom winced as the double doors leading out into the main palace slammed open with a deafening crash to allow the fuming blue alicorn passage. The emerald doors bounced off the walls on the other side, just missing two armoured Pegasi with a clear look of shock and confusion on their faces.

The two guards had hastily jumped out of the way of the swinging doors, glad they hadn’t dropped their guard. With almost automatic motion, they moved quickly to look into the room, their confusion only growing greater at the scene before them. Advisor Earl Grey blinked robotically from where he stood, as if his mind was unable to process what was occurring. Muttering had quickly broke out among the staff with all the greedy buzz of gossip, voices rising and falling in the clear tones of dismayed disappointment and disapproval. The guards exchanged another confused glance as realization slowly began to dawn, before looking down the hall at the pale blue alicorn who was clearly storming off. Their expression grew concerned, and they shared a glance again, unsure if they should go after their new, and probably very confused and frustrated Queen, and make sure she was alright; or if they should leave her be so she could calm down in peace. As their ears caught a snatch of the erupting gossip, their decision was practically made for them, their eyebrows twitching almost in unison as they turned sharply into the room before them with a look of cold determination. Their Queen probably needed a moment of peace, so they would just deal with this little issue themselves.

Rainbow’s ears had long gone flat against her head as her temper rose up again, this time in frustrated tears, her gold-clad hooves sounding offensively loud against the polished marble. The sound irritated her, as she wanted to hear nothing. Yet, at the same time, she almost wished it was louder, so that she couldn’t hear the mutters behind her, even as they grew quieter with the growing distance between them. When they finally dropped suddenly silent, she decided it was because they were having a good laugh at her expense, which only made the bitter taste in her mouth stronger. This had been the most disastrous failure yet, and she wanted nothing more than to get away from it, and then perhaps track down Rarity so someone capable could set it right.

If only she had stopped long enough to look behind her, she would have had the joy of seeing two very experienced guards giving the greatest scolding of all time to the biggest group of fools they had ever come across.

A/N: First of all,

EEEEEYEEEEEEESSSS! Oh how I've HATED this writing hiatus. I still hate this stupid set of chapters, but this is a very promising start in my head.

Second, this chapter ended up going off on it's own little path onto focusing solely on our favorite speedster rather than cheerily jumping between everypony as I planned. I guess I'll do that next chapter. Maybe.

Thirdly, yes I know that there's a little box for the Author Notes now, but I don't like it. If you have the reading colors set on anything but light, (For example I tend to have it on one of the Mediums,) trying to read that little box gives you such a horrid headache. This is me trying to be considerate.

Shoot me :P

Royal Ruckus (Part 3)

Part Three
Well Wishing

Autumn Winds had a bad feeling.

Only now did the soft brown and cream pegasus start to realize how dumb what they had just done was. The four advisors had always worked together to make decisions, and together they often came up with brilliant solutions to problems that could even make Celestia herself falter in her calm stride. Unlike the others, however, he knew that Celestia’s decision to have four of them was for a very good reason. It wasn’t, as Cheery thought, an Alicorn’s derision at the “mortal folk,” or, as Earl often thought, a scheme to keep them at bay with each other so that he couldn’t work his magic on her. Autumn struggled not to groan as he realized that he had, admittedly unintentionally, left one of the new, and probably very lost Queens, in the hooves of the most manipulative and power-hungry politician in all of Canterlot. Knowing Earl Gray, he was probably trying to twist the poor girl around his hoof into doing things his way, or according to the soot-headed fool, the “right” way.

No, Autumn knew the reason why Celestia had four advisors rather than one was because they were all idiots… At least in comparison to her, a millennia-old goddess who had probably seen and dealt with just about everything. And yes, he knew that included himself, because if he had been half as intelligent as her, he would have insisted they think this twice-blasted thing through first instead of shooting off in four different directions as they had.

Why did he go along with this? He knew better than this. For a second, Autumn was grateful that it was the young Pinkie Pie cheerily striding beside him, and not the calm Celestia, for she would have seen through his poker face in a heart-beat as he struggled to find a way to make the best of what was no doubt going to be an all-round disaster. If that had been the case, he would be on the sad and disappointed gaze of his Princess instead of the almost blindly trusting smile of The Element of Laughter.

Suppressing a depressed sigh, Autumn tried to prioritize his concerns as they neared their destination. Well, at least it was Rainbow Dash that ended up with Earl. From what I’ve seen from the Element of Loyalty, she’s strong and stubborn. He might not be able to even get a foothold with her. I certainly hope so… If we get this done in time, we’ll go help her next… I think Earl mentioned the Gala, the ballrooms aren’t too far away. In the mean-time though, we’ll get this task ahead of us done.

“So, where we goin’ Windy?”

Autumn Wind quickly glanced up at Pinkie as she spoke. Err… Queen Pinkie. A tiny part of his brain twitched at the title. He knew Luna had insisted upon the title, saying it was the proper one, the one that should have been in use the past millennia, but it still felt weird to him. For as long as Canterlot could remember, it had always been “Princess” and he knew part of Cheery’s masked derision at the new Queens was directed purely at the new title. She had already been infuriated that six “Nobodies” had been picked rather than a blood-line noble, and no matter how much he had pointed out that it was due to the Elements, not favouritism, (Okay, maybe a little favouritism) her violet eyes never lost their indignant fury behind her mask.

“Arrrre ya gonna tell me, or do I have to guess?” Pinkie asked, going nose to nose with her advisor as he struggled to pull his thoughts back on track. “’Cause if it’s a guessing game, I’m really good at them! Well, except that one time at the Summer Sun celebration- I was way off! I’d never have guessed a Princess! With all the “Grr!” and the *BOOM!* and the MWAHAHAHHAHA! And stuff.”

Autumn blinked as he let out a small nervous laugh. Pinkie was just as energetic as she had been on the day she had snuck into the castle to throw a get-well party for the Prin- Err, Celestia.

“No guessing games this time, I’m afraid. We’re going to the vaults. The Royal Treasury, to be exact. A lot of paperwork had built up in the past few days, and if the back-log isn’t dealt with soon, its going to cause some major problems.”

“Oh… Okay.”

Autumn didn’t miss the slight falter in Pinkie’s smile, and he was quick to reassure her. “Do not worry, your Highness- Paperwork is my specialty, and I’ll be right there to help you out. I’ll deal with all the complicated mumbo-jumbo that would be over your head- Not that it’s above your level or anything I just know it’d be a bit much for you right off the bat, or rather I mean I think it would be-“

Pinkie laughed. “Awh, it’s alright Windy, you’re right after all. The first day on the job is always crazy and confusing! I should tell you sometime about my first day at Sugarcube Corner! It’s an unforgettable tale!” Pinkie seemed to wince slightly, a clearly embarrassed look flitting across her face as she giggled gently. “I certainly know Cup Cake hasn’t forgotten…”

Autumn returned her smile, letting himself breathe again. “Certainly, your Highness. So, your job will simply to be to go through the rest and give the appropriate forms your seal of approval. I’d deal it with myself, but it has to be a Royal Seal I’m afraid… And I’ll most likely have my hooves full with the rest anyway.”

“Okey Dokey Lokey! How hard can it be?”

You know, with my Pinkie Sense and all, I probably should have seen this coming. Pinkie gulped silently, as she looked up at the towering stacks of paper that were scattered across the office.

Autumn hadn’t been joking when he said that the back-log was getting to be an issue. Even divided between the two offices over-looking the vaults, there was enough forms to partially obscure several of the towering bookcases, and completely bury both desks. Autumn had already sorted through a good part of it, and had taken all the complex paperwork to work on himself, leaving her with the already completed files and request forms to sort through. He had even stopped and patiently explained how it worked, and he had held his patience, even when she rabbit-trailed no less than five-times in an hour. Yes, he had gotten exasperated at the end, and said that he would have rather had Twilight, but he had quickly apologized. They both knew that she was doing her best while Twilight struggled with all the back-log that DIDN’T have to do with the budget and Royal Treasury.

Looking at all of this however, even Pinkie had to admit she didn’t envy her friend.

A very small and quiet part of Pinkie muttered that this was hopelessly futile. The sombre her that found it difficult to always move forward with blind faith and joyful trust loudly stated that this was all going to go horribly, horribly wrong.

Don’t be silly! Pinkie scolded, Autumn’s helping, and… And I’ll figure this out! It can’t be too hard.

Figure it out, how, exactly? Pinkamena groused back. Let’s face it Bubbles, we have no idea what we’re doing. This has nothing what-so-ever to do with parties… Or “rock farming,” to quote, for that matter.

We had no idea what we were doing with Discord either! But that worked out alright! Pinkie countered, as she pulled down a small stack of papers off the nearest tower to flip through.

…That has got to be the worst example you could possibly use, you know that? He brainwashed us! You forgot what it was like to share laughs with others and have fun! Why you love to make ponies smile! And I forgot why I strive to make you smile and protect our friends. Let’s face it, that was not a good day, and definitely not a good example. Pinkamena snapped, her concern leaking out a little more than she intended it to.

Okay fair enough. But it all worked out! Twilight figured it all out and we worked together to give Discord the ole one-two of Harmony! Pinkie replied cheerily, as she flipped through a form requesting greater funds for Equestria’s schools.

That was fifty-percent Celestia because she bailed Twilight out of her delusion and you know it. Pinkamena muttered darkly. And Celestia… Okay even I don’t know what’s going on with her at the moment but unless a timely letter shows up to bail us all out again- We could be in serious trouble… The stamp’s by your ear Pinkie.

Oh so it is. Thanks. Pinkie chirped, picking the royal seal up to stamp her approval on the form before setting it aside in the completed pile. Well, even if we are in trouble, I want to try anyway. I know its going to be frustrating, and I know that it might be really hard, but I want to help! And… You’re right, we can’t do much. We’re not smart like Twilight, or strong like Rainbow or Applejack, or even really in-tune to things like Rarity is with fashion and nobles, or Fluttershy with animals… But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to give up! I’m going to give this my all, get it all done, and then go help my friends and make them smile!

Pinkamena was silent for a second as Pinkie frowned at a series of terms on a file that she couldn’t make heads or tails of. Pinkamena sighed slightly before summoning over a tome from a nearby shelf for reference, much to Pinkie’s relief.

I still say this is going to end horribly. But I suppose that’s normal for me. One of us has to be realistic.

Pinkie scrawled off the appropriate information on the form and dropped it in the complete file as she mauled over her other self’s words.

So… You’re going to help me? Pinkie asked slowly, a slow grin appearing on her face as she pulled out the next form.

Well duh. Of course I am. What a stupid question.

Pinkie giggled at her friend’s response, before frowning at the mention of a foreign country she never heard of. Where, and or what, is “Winthers?”

An Atlas seemed to pull itself from the shelves to float by her right ear in response. It flipped open, fluttering it’s pages in search of the aforementioned country. It settled on Page 16, and Pinkie quickly scanned the small paragraph that summarized the country’s trade agreements with Equestria. Oh! So that’s why they’re talking so much about kumquats in this! Okey Dokey Lokey- I got it now. See Pinkamena, we’ve so got this! Pinkie hummed happily as the book drifted off to allow her room to finish off the form and stamp it. Her tune lasted all of one second before faltering as she squinted at another word. What’s ah-cet-oh-met-a-fin?

Yup. I’m prayin’ for that letter. Pinkamena groaned as she hauled out a heavy dictionary from it’s spot on the bookshelves to land heavily beside them. And make sure you spell it right when you look it up or you’ll never find it. Phonetically only works with me you know… How are you butchering that thing that badly anyway?!

Words are the only thing I like butchering silly!

…What?

It’s not for you so don’t worry ‘bout it.

A long moment of silence hung in the back of Pinkie’s head, the only sound the flipping of the dictionary’s pages as she carefully spelled out the word. The dictionary slammed shut, it’s job complete, to slide off the desk in their magic’s soft glow, just as Pinkamena found her voice again.

…Pinkie…You are so random.

A long hour passed, and despite the task at hand being about as far out of the young Queen’s comfort range as it could sensibly get, Pinkie was making headway. The two had long fallen into a quiet rhythm that suited them, and against all odds, it was working. Books seemed to pull themselves from their place in the shelves surrounding her at Pinkamena’s beckon, and Pinkie determinedly used the information they held to plough through sheet after sheet before sending it off into the complete pile. Even with the strain of using unfamiliar magic, and the constant frustration the task posed, Pinkie was showing that even the hyper-active Party Pony could buckle down and set to something if it was for her friends.

That’s not to say it wasn’t starting to stress her out a good bit, however. There just seemed to be no end to it all. Even as Autumn came to carry out each stack of completed forms with an encouraging and sincere “Good job”, carefully sidestepping the many, many floating books as he did so- He always brought in another stack. And another… And another… Until it started to feel like the room was slowly filling up even further rather than gradually emptying out.

So perhaps Pinkamena’s earlier prediction of things going wrong was one of inevitability and not of pessimism as Pinkie had originally assumed.

It was all set off by such a little thing, that in hind-sight, it would be rather comical. You see, when Rainbow Dash had snapped, the chef who had the misfortune of asking her the fatal question had been ordered to “Go ask Pinkie Pie” about the menu, shortly before Rainbow herself had stormed off. Not knowing what else he was supposed to do, he ran off in search of the mare in question in compliance to what he had been told. Although he found Pinkie without too much difficulty, he was woefully unprepared for what he was about to find.

As he pulled open the door to the Royal Offices, his jaw nearly hit the ground at the scene before him. Almost the entire historical library was floating around the room with each book oddly encased in a slightly differently colored magic. Books floated by the ceiling in a dusty gray that glittered gently in the shadows cast by the afternoon, while others flitted and fluttered around the room like giant butterflies in a brilliant turquoise, and an occasionally one would even shoot across the room like a speeding hawk, swooping down low enough to stir up a wave of papers before disappearing out of sight. This, however, was a bit too much for the unfortunately green chef.

“Y-Y-Y-YOUR HIGHNESS!”

As if the chef’s undignified and deafening squawk had not been enough, his attempts to back-pedal hastily out of the room had knocked over a poorly balanced bookshelf- The resulting crash resonating at the exact time to almost perfectly punctuate his statement.

Between the shout and crash, Pinkie’s dualized concentration unsurprisingly shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, causing her already somewhat scrambled magic to start going off into two very different directions as the colors muddied into a deep sapphire-green. There was a single split-second that would have been picture perfect, a quick-to-vanish scene occurring a second after the domino was tipped, so to speak, where Pinkie was poised in the air after jumping a good inch, her mane seeming to warp under her shocked energy as everything froze around her, the separate colors surrounding every book shifting into the same strange colour.

At this scene’s end however, everything fell quite literally apart, as her stressed, and over-exerted, not to mention untrained, magic tried to pull in two separate directions according to two now very separate and unsynchronized minds, causing the books held within to be forcibly shredded under the strain of it all. Binders split apart, Bindings dissolved and the air was quickly choked with scattered paper as casings hit the floor like strange hail. And in the middle of it all sat Pinkie, a single binder hanging off her ear, left eye twitching gently under the frizzled mess of curly and oddly straight hair that left her dark tiara swinging crooked from an errant curl.

Autumn shared a concerned look with the chef from the doorway of his office before slowly making his way over to their frazzled Queen.

“Miss Pinkie? A-are you alright?” He asked gently, his concern growing as he took in her shaking shoulders and disarrayed appearance.

Although he got no response, his concern dissipated slightly as he realized she was actually laughing quite hard about it all.

Well, what else would be expected from the Element of Laughter, after all? Always seeing the best in things… He decided, letting out a long-held breath as relief washed over him…

Said relief lasted for but a second, however, before quickly turning cold as Autumn froze, his eyes widening at the sound of Pinkie’s increasingly loud laughter. She was laughing all right, but with each breath it was growing a little more hysterical, a little more hollow, and quite a bit more terrifying…

After all, being proven right was terrific fun, but it was also Pinkamena’s least favourite thing. And so she couldn’t help but laugh at it all.

Royal Ruckus (Part 4)

Part Four
Cascading Chaos

This. Is retarded. Absolutely stupid. Ridiculous and unbelievable and… And…

Rainbow Dash stopped dead in the middle of the hallway as her brain stuttered to find the right word to continue her internal rant. Her wings, clenched tightly at her sides unfolded for the sole purpose of slamming angrily in the air as a frustrated scream slipped out through gritted teeth, punctuating the guttural noise with the thrum of a strange drum. It could hardly be classified as a word… But it was rather fitting all the same.

Rainbow took a deep breath, trying to calm herself even a little, but bottled frustrations just pushed out her exhale as a harsh snort that left her feeling just as furious as she had before. Ears flat against the back of her head, she continued her fuming saunter down the hallway towards the throne room.

To be honest she didn’t want to go to the throne room, with the loud noise of renovations and bustling workers… But most of all she didn’t want to go because she knew Twilight would be standing proud in the middle of it all, calling out directions as she worked on her own tasks… And when RD inevitably entered the room, the two’s eyes would meet… And Rainbow Dash would have to look Twilight in the eye, and admit she had failed to one of her best friends.

That thought alone was enough to make the young alicorn freeze where she stood before the Throne Room’s door, and look bewildered behind her. Once again the thought of going back and trying again rather than face the disappointment of a friend came to mind.

But then what? Rainbow asked herself coldly. I go and make an even bigger mess of things? Make an even greater fool of myself? At least this way I’m not wasting anypony else’s time. May as well just… Get it over with.

The scene of chaos that greeted Rainbow Dash when she gained the courage to open the door was far from what she had expected. Fifty ponies ran in thirty different directions, each carrying something to or fro, all calling out something different, their shouts filling the air with the humming headache of organized chaos. Her eyes instinctively began searching for her friends among it all, and Twilight was the first and easiest to spot.

Standing tall among the hunched and hurrying crowds, was the vibrant purple alicorn that Rainbow Dash knew so well. Books and clipboards floated about Twilight’s head in her vibrant magenta aura as her quill hastily buzzed about, checking off and writing away under the stream of muttered orders that its holder was constantly muttering under her breath.

There was something definitively off about her, however… And it didn’t take long for Dash to place what it was. The frazzled mane with the kinked tail, the tiara that bore the Element of magic crooked upon the place on Twilight’s head on which it sat, the occasional twitch that decreed the reason why she was standing still in the middle of it all was not because of proud and confident leadership but rather because she was trying to go in too many different directions at once… Yup, Rainbow recognized this Twilight, and it didn’t bode well with her.

With the desperate hope that she wouldn’t have to bother her already over-stressed and frazzled friend, Rainbow switched her attention to trying to find Rarity. It took a little longer to spot the white alicorn among all the clouds of white plaster dust and pale-colored unicorns in their white paint-splattered over-alls. Just spotting her at all warranted a double-take, as Rainbow had not been anticipating actually finding her, having expected her to still be in the gardens. As she made her way over to her fashionista friend however, Rainbow began to suspect that Rarity was just as bit overwhelmed and stressed as Twilight was.

For one, Rarity was undoubtedly twitching. Second, the beautiful purple mane that her friend toiled over each day to perfect was soaking wet, filled with leaves and pine cones, and what Rainbow was assuming was mud… And Rarity didn’t even seem to care… Or maybe she hadn’t even noticed. Either way, when it came down to it, it didn’t matter which it was, it meant that there was something seriously wrong with her friend.

“Uhhh… Rarity?” Rainbow asked awkwardly, her already serious concern for her friend only growing as Rarity fixed two unfocused and shrunken eyes on her. “Y-you okay?”

“No!” Rarity squeaked shrilly with a rather broken smile. “No. No no no no- I’m not okay! I’m not okay at all! And do you know why?” Rarity’s entire demeanor seemed to change in a heart-beat, going from creepy-town cheerful to tranquil-fury freaky in a blink as she stepped towards Rainbow. “Well, do you? DO YOU?”

“N-no?” Rainbow suddenly found herself suppressing the urge to run as far and fast as she could away from her hyper-ventilating and possibly psychotic friend.

“Well I’ll tell you why! It’s because they’re all beasts! Every last one of them! Psychotic rabid horrible beasts! Demon spawn I tell you! And they’re everywhere absolutely everywhere! No escape just there! Every time there’s another one! Screaming and yelling and throwing things with the water and the mud and the cries…” Rarity began to trail off as her gaze became more unfocused… Until she was staring off into space still muttering to herself as if Rainbow was no longer even there.

“Ooooh-kaaaay…” Rainbow breathed out carefully, slowly backing away from the twitching alicorn. “Rarity’s lost it.”

“Oh! Rainbow Dash!”

Blue ears swiveled quickly to focus on the surprisingly chipper voice of Twilight, drawing Rainbow’s attention to the approaching mare. “Uh, hey Twilight…”

Twilight returned Rainbow’s rather awkward smile with a reassuringly sane one of her own. “I need to ask two favours of you Dash, is that okay?”

“Yeah… Sure Twi, what is it?”

“Okay, first favour. Be perfectly honest with me, how’s your task going?” Twilight asked bluntly, her calm smile suddenly seeming a little eerie to Dash.

The constantly twitching left ear could probably be blamed for that. RD decided, as she struggled to hold her friend’s gaze without her stomach feeling like it was going to turn itself inside out.

“Ah. That badly, huh.” Twilight said suddenly, earning an abashed and grateful grin from a blue alicorn who was relieved that she had been able to avoid saying it herself. “That’s okay. That is perfectly alright- to be honest it was anticipated and will be dealt with accordingly. Second favour!” Rainbow jumped slightly as Twilight seemed to interrupt herself with her declaration.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight seemed to regain a bit of her composure again to give her friend a sad smile that said quite clearly how freaked out they both felt. “If I start to lose it, smack me. Okay?”

“Sure. Whatever you say Twi.”

“Thank you. Now, that that’s all dealt with, is there anything you need to ask me or…?”

“Yeah, two questions actually, now that I think about it.” Rainbow said, glancing around the chaotic mess that the Throne Room had become. “The first being… What exactly is going on here?”

“Ah yes of course. Well, I don’t really have time to explain it properly with all the backstory and history that it deserves, but the long and short of it is that certain areas of the castle are being renovated to better suit us- The Throne Room, as you can see, is receiving the majority of said renovations. They started about an hour ago. At this pace I think it is safe to say they will be done by tomorrow.”

“Huh. That’s kinda impressive.” Rainbow admitted, trying to pull her gaze away from two well-built stallions working together to move the old throne out. “Okay, second question.” She began, pulling her dark rose-colored eyes to meet Twilight’s tired violet ones. “Where’s the dolt of an advisor you got paired up with?”

Instead of replying, Twilight pointed over her shoulder at the bundle of rope that, until this point, Rainbow had assumed was an old carpet tied up to be carried out. Now she realized it was an old dusk-colored unicorn well-bound with his mouth magicked shut. If she recalled correctly, his name was Gray Scales and he was probably twice as old as the both of them.

“I know it’s far from proper…” Twilight began, a slightly awkward laugh escaping her as her cheeks reddened. “But he was driving me positively insane. He would not shut up, didn’t know what he was talking about in any sort of way, treated me like I was five, constantly insulted me and Spike, questioned literally everything I did, laughed at me for any sort of mistake I made, no matter how minor or inconsequential, even putting down Celestia in her choice of making me her student, and I did mention he would not shut up?!” She snapped, glaring darkly at some point behind her friends’ head. “I felt like if I didn’t do something about him I was going to snap and most likely do something I’d regret.”

“I know the feeling.” Rainbow deadpanned as her gaze followed the now pacing Twilight.

“I mean, it’s not like Celestia did this out of sheer desperation, right? She totally knew what she was doing, she always does, and she picked us because she knew we could handle it if we worked together. After all, the only reason why this is all going so badly is because we’re all going in different directions because of these idiots, and once we all get together again we’ll do amazing. It’s not like I’ve failed at being a ruler on my very first day, none of us have, it’s just things out of our control and once we can collaborate we’ll do phantasmal! I haven’t failed her yet, I haven’t messed everything up, right? Oh, but what if he’s right and I’ve screwed everything up already and all this chaos is just an inevitability and we’re all doo-“

Smack.

“Ow. That was fast.” Twilight blinked as Rainbow put her hoof back down with an eyebrow still raised at her. “Thank you. I needed that.”

“You’re welcome.” Dash deadpanned, still looking a bit worried as her friend took another deep breath. “You really okay there, Twilight?”

“Not really, no.” She admitted. “ But I’ll live. And hopefully my sanity will survive as well. Spike’ll be back in a bit, and… We’ll figure this out.

“Anyway, if it’s one thing we’re good at, it’s figuring things out at the last second in the heat of the moment, right?”

“You got that right, Twi.”

The two gave each other an uneasy grin, before a loud crash sent Twilight off in a slightly panicked hurry to assist the builders with instructions, directions, and a helping hoof.

Any small sense of relief that Rainbow had gained by talking to her friend quickly began to fade as the doors opened once more to admit a Pinkie that Rainbow was acquainted with a little too well. A small part of Rainbow’s brain suddenly began to question why she was the one that got to see what it looked like when her friends snapped. As interesting as that question was, it would have to be dealt with at a later time, as Pinkie looked liked she needed a hug… And maybe a giant platter of sweets, as laughing or not, and going by that laugh it was a lot closer to the “not”, Pinkie looked like she was on the brink of breaking down crying.

“Twilight! I really made a mess of things and-“ Pinkie got cut off as the doors across the hall slammed open with a bang and a frustrated and choked shout of a rather interesting euphemism that Rainbow couldn’t quite place.

“I’ll be with you in a second Pinkie, just let me-“

“Twilight, I know ya said ya needed me for something but Ah don’t think Ah can really do this and-“

Rainbow found herself suddenly stuck trying to decide whether to go over to a terrifyingly upset Pinkie, or an actually crying Applejack… When her gaze briefly met Twilight’s, she could see that she was having much the same dilemma, as she tried to go in five different directions to get everything done and get to her friends to help them as well, while constantly shooting concerned and panicked looks over Rainbow’s head at something before having her attention yanked elsewhere.

“I’m sure everything will be fine AJ, just let me-“ Twilight cut herself off again as a couple of builders approached her for help, leaving Applejack to only look more bewildered.

Why can’t there be two of me? Rainbow asked herself angrily as she glanced between her two best friends. She was being reminded in the worst way possible how it felt when Discord had presented her with a very similar choice… Although the consequences of this decision were not nearly as dire, the stress and racket of everything going on made that hard to keep in mind.

A huge crash echoed out from behind her, causing Rainbow’s wings to flare out in panic as a similar expression crossed Applejack’s face.

“APPLE BLOOM!” An orange blur shut by Rainbow, cutting off Pinkie’s already broken laughter like a mute button, and leaving Dash to look behind herself with more than a little bewilderment.

As AJ hastily pulled apart a fallen banner to reveal three crying fillies, Rainbow’s eyes traced around the room as her brain tried to function despite it being too loud to think. The balcony above them that Twilight had kept looking at, the banner that had hung next to it on an old hook, the old hook that had rusted through and was now in pieces on the floor as the banner it held was torn apart by a vibrant gold magic… It thankfully didn’t take much to put it together. The CMC must have been playing up on the balcony and had grabbed the banner when they either fell, or just as likely, jumped off to do a little adventuring before getting caught in the fabric and falling the last twenty feet to the ground when the hook broke.

“Oh no not you lot again! OUT!” Twilight’s yells caught Rainbow’s attention, and she nearly did a 180 trying to keep track of everything. One of the advisors, Cheery Chimes if she recalled her name correctly, had just come in with a group of staff and was getting chewed out by Twilight as she tried to shoo them off.

“Now listen here missy, we have a job to do and-“

“It is not missy.” Twilight practically snarled back. “It is “Your Highness.” Whether you like it or not, Celestia has made me and my friends your Queens and you would do well to remember it!”

“Celestia was nothing but a troll and a fool playing favourites!”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”

Rainbow’s eyes slid shut in slow horror. This can’t be happening. This is just way too much. And it’s all-

The advisor’s arguing, the CMC crying, Rarity’s mutterings slightly growing more panicked, Pinkie’s laughter having died and changing to broken sobs that were even worse to hear.

Too-

The racket of the builders, the thudding of hooves going to and fro. Shouts and screams and cries.

LOUD!

The castle front doors slammed open despite the scaffolding built against it, which began to rock precariously unbalanced. A stampede of birds and animals came charging through, much to Rarity’s very audible horror, with a very flustered Fluttershy following them in.

Her quiet, ‘oh dear this wasn’t supposed to happen,’ couldn’t even be heard among everything else that was happening. Birds squawking, mice squeaking, chipmunks and squirrels chattering angrily at fleeing builders and screaming maids.

The sky above, which had already began to cloud over a deep black, could now be seen growing even darker through the open doors as Rainbow’s eyebrow began to twitch.

And then some blasted idiot had to unzip Gray Scales mouth.

“This is a complete and utter disaster! The lot of you are the biggest disappointments I have ever seen in my lifetime! Why I ought to-“

That, my friends, is what we call the last straw, and the sky and storm outside declared it falling upon Rainbow’s back with a spectacular flash of lightning and crash of thunder.

“SHUT THE BUCK UP!”

Royal Ruckus (Part 5)

Part Five
Sanity and Silence

Outside the castle, thunder rolled, a dark and angry sound that rumbled eerily, leaving the clouds above to flicker in shades of silver as it faded away.

Inside the castle, however, was nothing but silence in the wake of Rainbow’s wrath. Almost everypony within, and almost every thing as well, had frozen completely, barely breathing and not making a single sound, as if a spell had been cast to turn them all into perfect statues. The only ones who dared to move were several of the staff who had followed Cheery in, as they carefully backed away as slowly and silently as they could out the door they had just come through moments ago.

The silence almost seemed loud in contrast to the ear-splitting havoc that had been occurring not five minutes ago. Rainbow Dash stood in the middle of the room panting, having suddenly found herself very out of breath, as if she had just completed the Running of the Leaves at top speed. Even her friends had fallen silent; it seemed that even they had lost anything they had wished to say, Rarity’s protest at Dash’s particular choice of words dying in her throat at the sheer spike of magic that had just crossed the castle.

And really, she’s not the only one. I have no idea what more to say. It is hard to think of narration for shocked silence, and you can only say so much before you go into full purple prose territory and I don’t think anyone wants to hear me ramble on like that. The best way to describe it all, if you really think about it, is for me to sit here for the next page completely quiet leaving it totally blank to show how very awkward, bewildering, and mildly disturbing this silence was. There is nothing like having an absolutely furious new-born goddess telling you to shut up. Absolutely no-one wants to be the first to test how long that order was meant to last. So of course, it was a child that broke it.

A tiny snort, a muffled gasp, a suppressed snicker- All quite audible in the dead quiet that had permeated the room. Everyone’s ears perked, even as some ponies froze in dread, to turn towards the first sound to have occurred in the past five minutes. Very slowly, everypony turned towards the small purple dragon that had just entered the room. They were moving with utmost care to not make a single sound with their movement, and such was the sight to see-

“Pffft- BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~”

-That Spike finally lost it despite all his previous best efforts, and fell on the floor clutching his sides in hysterical laughter.

Several of the staff looked upon him in horror, just in time to spin around in spot as another sound started up. Sweetie Belle, with both hooves clasped over her mouth, had started to giggle. The two fillies beside her looked away, as their own mouths began to twitch. Then, a choked guffaw from Scootaloo, a small snort from Apple Bloom… The three’s eyes met, as each one tried to desperately suppress their giggle fit, before failing completely at the look on each other’s face.

Twilight’s lips began to twitch, and a tiny giggle came out from behind her hoof. Her shoulders started to shake and as she met Rainbow Dash’s gaze, they both started to grin. Rainbow finally took in the frozen appearance of everypony else, and suddenly burst out laughing. Pinkie’s sobs disappeared as the laughter caught up to her, genuine laughter brightening her coat and returning her mane to its normal cotton-candy craziness; and it wasn’t long before a tiny whisper of a snicker came from Fluttershy, and an abashed giggle from Rarity.

Apple Bloom fell laughing against her elder sister’s leg, and finally even the silent and shocked Applejack couldn’t resist giving into it all. She wasn’t even sure why she was laughing, just that she should be, and that it felt right- Like it was the thing they all needed most of it all.

Without drawing a drop of attention from the exhausted royals, the Royal Guards set to work. An older pegasus in soft silver armor quietly shepherded out the carpenters and painters with a sweeping wing and a knowing smile, while a unicorn guard in gold swept out the architects as he bundled up their scattered blueprints into their confused but appreciative arms and auras. Even a certain white rabbit was doing a bit of shepherding, chasing out birds, rodents, and fellow hares through a side door as a female guard held it open for him before closing it gently as his own attempts to do so failed. All done with a quiet discretion that new no equal outside of the castle. Each and every one of the current Royal Guards had held their title for years, and there was a reason. After seeing a goddess’ bad day, you either learned how to deal with everything, or you quit and ran for the hills. These had seen it all, and knew that at this point, enough was enough, and it was time for everypony to just leave and come back another day.

As the six queens began to regain their composure from their laughing fit, they came forward to meet Twilight in the middle of the room, just to get pulled into a group hug by a beaming Pinkie Pie. They shared a look, before bursting out laughing again in one last giggle fit.

After catching her breath, and wiping tears from her eyes, Rarity started to run a hoof nervously through her mane. “Oh dear. What a day… I bet I look positively awful! Oh and I feel so- Oof!” A warm damp towel gently collided with her head, before lighting up in cheerful orange magic as it began to clean Rarity’s poor mane.

The girls' gaze switched to collectively looking over the white alicorn’s shoulder, before quickly settling onto the two maids that a guard had just escorted in.

“Bright Shine, Sweet Tea!” Twilight beamed, turning to take a step towards her two friends. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you two!”

“Oh, I’m sure we can take a pretty good guess.” Bright teased, her magic expertly splitting itself to unfold several hot towels to drape over the alicorns’ shoulders, as well as setting out several very large and plush cushions. “Sit, sit, you’ve all been on your hooves far too much.”

The girls exchanged a sheepish look and giggle, before giving in to the maid’s fussing and flopping down onto the bright cushions. As Twilight relaxed into the soft violet velvet of her own pillow, she decided the maids were more than likely quite right. She hadn’t realized until now how tired she was, and sinking into the soft cloud cotton felt simply wonderful.

Sweet Tea carefully began to set up a table full of sweets and sandwiches, and Twilight could already smell her favourite mint tea steeping in a pot nearby. Twilight’s gaze went across the table, her grin growing a little bigger still as Rainbow Dash pulled Pinkie into a half-hug half-headlock as she messed her mane even further with bountiful laughter from both of them. Her gaze shifted right, where Apple Bloom was curling up under her sister’s wing as Applejack got a glomp from Fluttershy. With a quiet flop, Rarity landed beside Twilight on the pillow that had been placed just to the left of her. The two shared a grin, before Rarity took one of the brushes that Bright Shine had brought with her to Twilight’s frazzled mane.

Just as Sweet Tea picked up the first of the two teapots they had brought, a loud and undignified squawk came from the corner of the room. Rarity ignored it completely, but Rainbow Dash and Twilight exchanged a look before focusing their attention on the source of the noise. One of the guards had untied Gray Scales, and she, along with several others, were trying to escort him and Cheery out the door.

“I refuse!” Cheery spat in the face of a pale silver stallion who had remarkable patience. "I absolutely refuse to leave this spot, and you have no right what-so-ever to make me leave!”

“We’re above you little foals. Your orders have no sway over us!” Gray Scales sniffed loudly, earning an exasperated glare from two of the older guards.

“Maybe theirs don’t, but ours do.” Rainbow said loudly, and all eight pairs of eyes focused on her.

Twilight and her exchanged another look, before turning simultaneously towards the two nobles, and with a perfectly calm voice and sweet smile, said together;

“Get out.”

A look of pure fury went across Cheery’s face, but before she had so much as a chance to do anything other than open her mouth, she found herself getting quite literally thrown out the door, with Gray Scales following her just a second behind.

“Why you little-“

A huge crack of thunder split the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck a mere inch from the two ex-advisor’s muzzles, just barely managing to singe Cheery's bright green fur a dark black. A choked squeak came out of the mare’s throat before the two turned tail and fled, another roll of thunder cheering on their two-hundred yard sprint to the castle gates.

Twilight turned an incredulous look onto a very smug Rainbow Dash who was “innocently” taking a sip of raspberry tea. Two of the guards struggled to keep a straight face as they gently shut the front doors, clicking them shut with a note of quiet finality.

“That was awesome!” Scootaloo raved, her tiny wings lifting her a foot of the ground as she leaped over to where Rainbow Dash was lounging.

“It kinda was, wasn’t it?” The blue alicorn asked proudly, a smug smile spreading across her face as she beamed down at her number-one admirer.

“It totally was!” Scootaloo squeaked, her grin getting impossibly wider as Rainbow unfolded a wing to pull the small orange filly to her side.

Bright Shine and Sweet Tea looked at each other, a knowing and quiet smile passing between them, before picking up the trays and teapots once more to finish setting up the table of goodies they were creating for their friends and Queens.

Royal Ruckus (Part 6, Final)

A/N: A giant pile of paper sits before you. As you watch, a small portion near the bottom shifts, allowing the buried author to take a gasp of air.
"Here. Chapter. yay..."
She collapses back into the paper, several of the sheets flying up into the air, landing a minute later to rebury the frazzled girl.

Part Six
A Fitting Finish

“…And then, you won’t believe this, but I swear it’s true- The sprinklers come on.” Rarity paused for dramatic effect, and her friends’ various winces and groans rewarded her for it. “I know! It was horrid. I had finally managed to actually calm those horrible animals down, no offense Fluttershy-“

“None taken.”

“-And then the blasted sprinklers come on and just completely soak all of us. I would like to know what they put in that water because it was like liquid chaos! They just went everywhere, with the screeching and the squawking…” The white alicorn trailed off with a shake of her head. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I can’t handle little Opalescence half the time… A royal garden? I’m an idiot.”

“It’s alright, Rarity. I think we all had a stupid day today.” Pinkie said, earning a small giggle from her friends.

“Last I heard, the only one pulling stupid during your task was that chef.” Rainbow Dash deadpanned, earning a sheepish grin from her ever-pink friend.

“I think he was having a bad day too, Dashie. And anyway, I really should have been paying better attention to what I was doing with my magic… Especially with not being all that used to it yet and all.”

Twilight reached over and patted Pinkie on the shoulder. “Don’t worry too much about it, every amateur makes mistakes like that. As for the binders, a simple repair spell will no doubt do the trick, and I can fix them up when I check on the Treasury.”

“You mean we can’t call the day a dud and try again tomorrow?” Rainbow asked, looking at the lilac alicorn with a mixture of trepidation and hope.

“Unfortunately not. There’s still so much that has to be done, and…” Twilight sighed. “I know. I just don’t know what else to do but, do our best and, hope, I guess. It probably won’t be so bad once we start working together…”

Belch.

“Spike! Manners!” Rarity accosted gently, without looking up from where she was braiding Fluttershy’s mane. (Hairstyling always calmed Rarity down, and as Fluttershy’s mane and tail had grown even longer it was a good way to keep it out of harm’s way.)

“Uh, excuse me, I guess?’ Spike muttered back, and the amount of distraction in his voice caused Twilight to look over her shoulder at him in bemused curiosity.

Her eyes widened at the scroll he held in his claws, her breath catching slightly at the seal that held it shut. She knew that symbol, she knew it very well. Spike caught her stare, and held the scroll up to her, the pink wax still unbroken. She took it from him with the utmost care, rolling it over in her magic to stare at the seal.

“You alright there, Sugarcube?”

“Whatcha got there Twi?”

A simple horseshoe decorated with a single sunflower; Celestia’s seal. Her mind didn’t know how to handle it. A part of her was squealing in delight- It was a letter from her mentor! The rest of her wasn’t feeling so great however, and was tangled up in mixed emotions that left her feeling confused. There was only one word that she could form her feelings to, and she wasn’t even sure if it was a question or an exclamation.

What.

There was only one way to find out, now, wasn’t there?

With fastidious care, Twilight lifted the seal, unrolling the thin parchment to reveal the words inside. A tiny part of her brain noted that the paper wasn’t the thick and luxurious kind that Celestia usually used, but instead a simple and fragrant sort that one could buy at any mare’s stationary store.

My Dearest, Most Faithful Student Twilight,

I find myself hoping that I can still call you that with a semblance of truth, even though I have made a fool of myself. I can’t blame you if you’re furious with me, as you well should be. I passed on my burdens to you and your friends, and even though it was not out of choice but desperation, it was still my decision and if you hate me for it, I understand. I did not even stay behind to aid you, to teach you in how to bear the weight of what I gave you, and now that my mind has settled enough to look back upon my decision, my stomach churns with regret.

After millennia upon millennia of always having to think a century ahead, of always having to weigh every move I make, my first taste of true freedom since I was a filly just went straight to my head… And although it’s no excuse, I don’t want you thinking my sudden departure was because I intentionally abandoned you. That was the last thing I ever meant to do.

So, if you’ll allow me, I’ll take on the role of your mentor once more, and try and remedy my mistake with the little push you might be needing right now. (Although for all I know, you could have easily surpassed me in all my bumbling when I began, and whipped the entire castle into shape with a wave of your magic, but I’ll assume the worst for future disasters if nothing else.)

I have no doubt that at this point you have already met my four lovely advisors. They’re brilliant together, but once they start going in four different directions, Faust help us all.

Cheery Chimes is manipulative, cruel, stuck-up, incessantly annoying, and should have been an actress rather than a politician for all her hot air. A sound blocking spell should always be on the ready whenever she enters the room; Consider it her mute button, and everypony will be grateful when you use it. The only reason I keep her around is because I have never met anypony who could twist the Feabitter diplomats around her hoof as easily as her, and sometimes the best way to deal with one headache is to set another one on them.

Earl Grey is a power-hungry fool, idiotic in his ambitions of power. If you can get his nose out of the air and his hooves on the ground, he’s the most helpful of the lot, as he is actually quite brilliant, and I have no doubt you and him will enjoy many a devious chess match. That said, feel free to tell him to go jump off a cliff if he gets too overbearing. He has a way with words to make however he is deeming in his way, or for that matter, a way to get what he wants, feel like a pile of worthless crap. I sincerely hope that he and Discord never meet. The smartest thing to do with him is to keep Autumn Winds nearby at all times. You’d think the two were brothers with the way Autumn can diffuse him and scatter all his meticulously woven plans with a wave of his hoof.

Gray Scales is a delusional old coot and anything he says should be treated as such. His purpose lies solely in his mind-numbing mathematical skills, and therefore the accounting room is the only place you should give any meaning to his words. He’ll no doubt be a great aid when it is time to start setting up new trade routes, but if he quit on you in a huff because of… I have no idea what goes on through that fool's head half the time, so if he quits on you, just hire his daughter. She’s not quite as good, but between the two of you, Twilight, I’m sure you’ll more than pick up the slack.

Autumn Winds is the youngest of the lot, and he is no doubt the kindest. He’s not as cunning as the others, but his personality makes up for it. He is the one that’ll make sure the other three aren’t accidentally blowing up the kingdom, and to be honest, that’s the whole reason he holds such a high position. He isn’t exceptional at anything, but give him a task and he’ll do his best at it, and he is at least a quick learner. He worked under Gray Scales for the first five years he worked here in the castle, so if you ever get too swamped with paper work, he’ll probably be able to dig you out.

The other staff in the castle are weak-minded and easily stressed, and if anything gets said in the heat of a moment, I suggest you disregard it, as they dislike change, and are most likely more freaked out than you are. This does not, of course, include the Royal Guard. As I am sure you have noted Twilight, there is a reason why two all-powerful alicorns have a full personal guard despite probably never needing it for protection purposes. And no, it’s not for eye candy. Well, not just for eye candy. They were my sanity. Each and every one of them honest, generous, kind and loyal. They’ve seen me through my worst days, and I have no doubt they will serve you six as wonderfully as they have me and Luna.

I know you may not have forgiven me for it yet, but I chose you and your friends for this for a reason. There is no-one better. I trust you, not with my life, but with something even greater; My kingdom. I love you Twilight, and I’m sorry. I know you can do this, that all of you can do this. As long as you stick together as you have through every other challenge and disaster, nothing will stand in your way.

Twilight found herself blinking back tears, and the paper held in her magic held the wrinkles and discoloured spots that said that she had not been the only one, as they marked the final paragraph of the letter.

P.S. If you can ever find it in yourself to forgive me, I’d love to see you all again. Perhaps we could even all have tea together, raising a toast and passing scones as we discuss the follies and fortunes of the past. I have a story about Soarin’s first day of working as a maid in the castle, long before he became vice-captain of the Wonderbolts that I’m sure Rainbow Dash would love to hear.

-Yours Truly, Ex-Princess Celestia, Professor Aurora Books.

Twilight dropped the scroll, brining a hoof up to cover her eyes as she struggled not to cry. She felt Applejack’s magic flare up to catch the scroll, and Rainbow Dash put a gentle hoof on her shoulder in silent concern and curiosity.

“I’m okay.” Twilight choked, hastily wiping away her tears as a feeling of tranquil courage spread through her. “I’m okay.”

Her friends looked up at her with a look of surprise as she stood up, her features settling into a look of determination. “Ready for round two?” She asked, a hint of mischief in her voice.

Rainbow Dash smirked, and rose up to stand eye to eye with Twilight. “Buck yeah. Let’s show them.”

“Rainbow, language please.” Rarity sighed, rising to her own hooves as well. “There are better ways to agree with passion. Such as, “But of course Twilight!””

“We’re with ya.” Applejack was standing proud once again, looking at her friends with a mixture of resolution and something Twilight couldn’t quite put a hoof on.

“All the way!” Pinkie Pie literally bounced to her hooves, leaving Fluttershy’s quiet but determined nod with a distinct lack of impact. Not that it mattered.

“Alright, let’s go then.”

The girls split off into pairs, each confident in the task they had picked for themselves this time.

Twilight and Fluttershy headed straight to the Treasury. Autumn Winds was still there, carefully sorting out the paper into neat stacks by binder and book, which made Twilight’s task of putting them all back together much easier. Fluttershy, being a small town vet, had made budgets stretch far past what they should, and had no problem working through the remaining paper work, especially once Twilight chased Autumn Winds out of the broken binders he was trying to put back together by hoof and over to her instead.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie headed straight for the Gala, and after chasing Earl Grey off to go help reorganize and clean the throne room instead, set off to work in perfect harmony. Between the budding fashionista and Equestria’s greatest party pony, the two planned and arranged what was no doubt going to be the Best Night Ever. It was about time the Grand Galloping Gala stopped being so stuffy, and started to be actually grand.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash worked together to clear up the gardens. Applejack had missed her work on the farm, and this was almost as good. As she cleaned up the gardens, and threw out the broken sprinklers, Rainbow Dash cleared the skies and brought the rain and sun to where-ever it was needed. Once the flora was covered, the two worked together to herd all the animals back to where they belonged, Rainbow Dash with the birds in the air, and Applejack with everything else on the ground. It wasn’t long before all the creatures were safe and sound and out of Rarity’s mane.

The girls came back together to stop for an amazing supper of comfort food that could have only been arranged by Spike. They enjoyed their quiet hour of fellowship and food before splitting off again to finish the tasks remaining.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash went to oversee the construction. Rainbow’s natural leadership skills easily pulled the distracted and lost workers together into top gear rather quickly, and soon the whole room was buzzing with the thrall of organized chaos. Pinkie Pie kept on eye out for impending disasters with her Pinkie Sense while keeping the Cutie Mark Crusaders thoroughly out of trouble.

Applejack and Fluttershy set to finally settling in Fluttershy’s many animals. There would be no more stampeding with Applejack ready and waiting for any trouble. Fluttershy carefully arranged their many homes and dens, and it wasn’t long before everyone was peaceful and asleep in their little homes.

High Tea was effortlessly done by no-pony else than Rarity and Twilight. The high-end dishes were picked with Rarity’s exquisite taste and Twilight’s knowledge of the various countries, and it wasn’t long before it all came together in beautiful harmony, each carefully prepared platter coming together in perfect harmony. They finished it all just in time for the dignitaries themselves to arrive, which Twilight handled without a hitch, having sat in on the previous High Tea with Celestia, and unsurprisingly, had made a ridiculous amount of notes, and therefore had everything completely memorized.

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie came together just as the High Tea began to wind down, and worked together to pull the moon high into the sky. It had been a very long day, and the minute the dignitaries left with pleased smiles and satisfied sighs, the six alicorns slumped in exhaustion, proud of what they had accomplished but still very much looking forward to their awaiting beds.

The last minute jobs were finished, the last few details were finalized, and one by one the day staff left the castle, yawning and dragging their hooves slightly as they disappeared through the door. Finally, they were done. Their first was complete, and it hadn’t gone nearly as bad as they had thought it would earlier that morning. With the moon high in the sky and lighting the paths to their rooms, the girls made their way to bed, exhausted and brain-dead… And therefore unaware that one thing had been left uncrossed on their to-do list.

The statue garden had been left untended; And although the vines slowly creeping up Knowledge’s legs could be addressed whenever it was noticed, another statue begged for a more important sort of attention. Discord’s statue had cracked from top to bottom. As one of Fluttershy’s birds landed on his antler, the statue shuddered, and the crack spread across the antler, leaving the small bird to flee from the dark cackle of laughter that had split the garden.

Interlude: Nightmare

Light.

It was the first thing she noticed as she opened her eyes, and it brought a smile to her face. Bright sunshine streamed through the windows, the golden rays lighting the small dust motes into specks of shimmering gold. They danced around in the still air, a mirage of fantasies long past. Twilight’s eyes slid shut as she rubbed her cheek against the cool and silky wood of her desk. The polished birch wood was blackened in the spots where her magic had rebelled against her, and she couldn’t help but feel like it was an old friend.

Music.

She could hear the soft strings of violin coming from a room nearby. She briefly wondered who the musician was as the notes drifted clear and beautiful to her ears, the notes both nostalgic and somehow haunting. A chill drifted down her back for a split-second, but by the time she had blinked, the errant thought was gone, and she could only smile as the classroom door was gently pushed open with a wing and Celestia stepped through. Her regalia had been abandoned for the casual and wonderful times that were their personal classes.

Laughter.

Celestia’s voice echoed out merrily as the small filly ran to her side and was swept under a warm wing, pulled close to her mentor’s side. The two shared a nuzzle and another giggle before Twilight darted back to her seat, and the regal mare turned her attention to the blank blackboard in front of them. It lit up gently with the soft gold glow of the Princess’s magic, and old runes began to show pale against the dark enchanted wood. A lesson on magic began, and although Celestia’s words seemed distant and far off, Twilight watched with a smile from where she had sat. Everything was perfect.

Rain.

Pale lilac ears perked up as the golden light that brightened and colored the room so, dimmed, leaving everything a shade more monochrome. The hissing pattering of rain could soon be heard, and as she turned her head to look at the windows once more, she could see the water running down in small crystalline rivers down the glass. Celestia didn’t even seem to notice, and the chalk continued to make its gentle drumming against the board as more runes were inscribed out to be learned.

Thunder.

It rolled out, strangely loud among the whispering peace of her surroundings. It drowned out Celestia’s voice, the gentle scraping and clicks of the chalk, and even the laughter she could hear far off in the halls. The violin music didn’t halt under the rolling murmur of the storm, instead almost distorting and becoming something less familiar. Twilight blinked, hard. Something was wrong, although she couldn’t seem to understand what.

Lightning.

It flashed brilliantly bright, hurting her eyes and leaving Twilight feeling dazed as thunder filled the air once again. Her ears rang under the sound, and a twinge of terror spread through her veins as she realized she could no longer hear Celestia. She forced her eyes open again, trying to make some sort of sense out of what was going on. The room had gone completely monochrome in the wake of the lightning, leaving not a drop of colour anywhere. The only thing that truly worried Twilight, however, was the fact that Celestia had vanished from her spot at the blackboard, leaving not a feather behind. Twilight hastily scrambled out of her seat, her eyes searching everywhere for where her mentor could have gone.

Run.

The classroom door was pushed hastily open, and Twilight darted into the hall outside, her panicked eyes searching for hide or hair of the alicorn she loved. The path under her hooves felt cold as she galloped down the hallway, stopping only to peek into the various rooms as she went. Her only light was filtered moonlight that drifted through the windows, strange shadows cast around her by the tracks of the thick raindrops that were still falling fast and hard against the glass. At the very end of the hall, at the very last door, she finally found Celestia. The white alicorn was standing at the spectacularly large blackboard, staring at the ancient runes that were scrawled along it in a messy hoof-writing that left it incomprehensible to the unicorn. Blinking back relieved tears, Twilight speedily made her way down the many steps that led down to where Celestia was. In just a moment more, she’d be safe once again under her beloved teacher’s wing.

Fire.

Twilight’s hooves skidded across the smooth marble as she struggled to come to an abrupt stop. She had only blinked, clearing the last of the tears from her vision, the world flickering out of sight for barely a heart-beat… And now the whole room was alight in green flames that were rising higher and higher. The unicorn mare staggered back from the flames, lifting a foreleg to protect her eyes against the spitting sparks. Her voice, hoarse from the smoke, called over to the alicorn standing just a few feet away. The Princess would fix everything, as she always had, she was sure of it, and as Celestia slowly turned to look at her student, Twilight couldn’t help but smile. The Princess was perfect, proud and strong, never asking for nor needing help, and Twilight could only hope to become as great as her idol.

Darkness.

The world dimmed, the flames freezing in time as Twilight’s eyes met Celestia’s. As black as an abyss, unseeing and unknowing, her mentor matched her horrified gaze. Unable to look away, Twilight choked on the thick taste of bile as every step her oldest friend took towards her rotted the alicorn’s body a little more. By the time what had been Celestia had reached where the flames had separated them, her body was little more than a blood-caked skeleton. Raising a hoof to sweep away the now dissolving flames, Twilight could only shake her head in silent and desperate disbelief. What was left of Celestia reached a cracking and rotted hoof towards her, as if in desperation, and with Twilight’s terrified step back, broke apart and clattered to the floor as plain white and ancient bones.

Everything distorted.

The whole world seemed to screech.

Footing and sanity broke apart as it all shattered inward onto the unicorn mare.

Fear.

It filled her. Consumed her. It only took a heart-beat for that all-consuming feeling to rise up and crush her completely. It wiped away reason, trust, love- Even logic held no power against it. Hope lasted but a split-second longer, willpower alone holding its fragile flame aloft- But then it was gone. Gone, leaving worse than a void. A vacuum seemed to open within her, sucking away everything that made her a pony, and left her a sobbing shell, trying to grasp for straws that had already burned.

Scream.

It was all she could do, her hooves like weights, holding her down, preventing her from moving. She could barely breath, but she could scream, and tears slid down her muzzle, harshly cold and biting. The world seemed to tear under the sound, becoming even more grotesque. The black chalkboard chipped away, falling and crumbling into dust, shadows leaking like black magma from the cracks. The rain against the windows turned blood red, splattering thick against the glass, destroying the last rays of light that had once reached her.

Blood.

It was everywhere. Running like rivers from the cracked joints of the skeleton before her and soaking into her coat and tail, staining her hooves and filling the air with its putrid smell. She couldn’t breathe anymore. She was suffocating under the copper, the fear turning like acid and burning her lungs as she struggled to gasp air into herself, to find the oxygen to flee with her lead and bloodied hooves. She couldn’t. She couldn’t. She was helpless. Helpless to do anything but watch, as something as soft as a feather, but as heavy as an anchor, wrapped around her throat. It wound around, and around, pulling her towards it, and she couldn’t even turn to see what it was. She wouldn’t mind facing her death. It would at least give her reason to look away. Away from this.

Pain.

It tightened, and she would have screamed again if she only had the air. Everything hurt. Her heart had been torn to pieces, and her body felt as if it was following, the blood mixing with the shadows and turning to acid around her. Bound, strangled, helpless- Twilight couldn’t move. Could barely respond as the skeleton, the monstrosity before her lifted its skull, and looked at her. Looked at her with fiery eyes that were still so gentle, so sad, so very scared itself.

And then it spoke.

And it said the words that had frightened her the most, the words that she had feared ever hearing since the day she had become old enough to understand their weight.

“Why couldn’t you save me?"

Twilight screamed, eyes flaring open to see nothing but the fading images of her nightmare. Her mind stuttered, panicked, reason still suffocated by the chain of fear that even now strangled her. It locked onto a thought as panic choked her even tighter.

I can’t move I can’t move I can’t move- Trapped, I’m trapped-LET ME GO!

A deafening ripping noise shattered the silence of the night, much as her scream had a minute earlier. This noise however, held sanity, and as a scrap of fabric drifted by her nose- and after scrambling to a stop across the room- Twilight focused on it.

Fear broke down slightly as an old habit struck up, strong and fierce. Analyze. Understand. List. The sound of tearing fabric. That was what it was. She knew it well, having often heard it while visiting Rarity at her boutique. The fabric was fleece, the same material as her blankets back at the castle. The blankets at the castle were white, violet, and blue. This piece looked a pale grey, which in the darkness, was blue’s relative correspondent. To make sure however, she would need light.

In reaching for her lumination spell, Twilight noted that she held traces of stinging magic in her horn. She had ill-cast a spell recently, most likely out of panic. A thread of magic came into being, and as she pulled on it, her room became alight in her soft magenta aura. In the time it took for her eyes to adjust, she had lit the candles and lamps scattered around her room. Looking about it, she quietly noted that the floor was covered in shreds of fabric. Shreds of fabric in white, violet, and blue. Her gaze slid up to her bed. Her sheets were dishevelled, and lilac feathers were stuck through the bottom cover in some spots. Her blankets were missing.

I shredded my blankets. Perhaps it was odd that such a thought as this calmed her down, but it did. It was a fact, a nice, logical, fact. They must have tangled around me in my sleep, Twilight reasoned, her breath slowing even further as she traced the words to her new fact in her mouth. Her mouth was terribly dry, now that she thought about it. I shredded my blankets out of panic, because they tangled around me in my sleep, and I couldn’t move, She tried this one out as well, but it was missing something. I needed to move. This addition moved her closer, but she still hadn’t caught it quite yet. I needed to move… Because of the nightmare.

That was it. The last piece. Her breath halted, then stuttered, and she gasped quite audibly as she struggled to gain control of herself again. The fear was back. If, that is, it had ever truly left. She had never had a dream as vivid as that. It still stuck in her mind, like a gory branding, waiting for her the second she closed her eyes. She could still remember it perfectly, and her fur ruffled as she remembered every sensation as well. She hadn’t been aware you could feel pain in dreams, but she had. It felt muted in her mind now, like it had faded away into something like an old bruise, but it had still undeniably been there.

Twilight began to repeatedly fold and unfold her wings, just to give her mind something else to do. Her feathers refused to sit flat, and for once she was grateful for being so unused to her wings. Letting her wings rest unfolded for a moment, she pulled the curtains away from her balcony, and pushed the doors open.

Starlight streamed down into her room, and she followed it out onto the white marble to look up at the constellations that decorated the heavens above. Her breath was fogging in the air, strangely bright against the black sky. They must have had a frost overnight. Twilight hoped it was because of some wacky weather management, and not because another Ice Shifter had gotten in somehow.

She could breathe now. It almost felt easy, in the brisk air among the stars. She could almost let go. A breeze blew by, bringing the thick scent of rain along with its nipping chill. It was going to storm soon. No, Twilight corrected herself, as she finally noted how unusually cold the marble underneath her hooves was. It already has.

That would explain why her guards hadn’t come barging into her room during her panic attack. The ones by her door probably had their hooves full with a terrified Fluttershy down the hall, and so they most likely simply hadn’t heard Twilight’s scream. Which was, really, a good thing, if she thought about it. As much as she would like to think otherwise, in her blind panic, she might have lashed out at one of them with her magic in a convoluted sense of self-defense. The current state of her blankets was proof enough of that.

Reason was back. She felt it come back with each breath that she watched fog in the quiet night. It was all just a nightmare, Reason said, prim and proper. It still hurts, Twilight replied, her voice like a foal’s in comparison. It was a bad dream, and it can’t hurt you, Reason stated, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Twilight blinked, letting her eyes clear of tears, unsure and uncaring where they had come from. The stars above her were so very bright, even though she could feel dawn just a few hours off. A gentle knock rang out from far off behind her, her bedroom door opening a minute later.

“Your Highness?”

Silver Shield, one of Luna’s old guards- She’d know his voice from anywhere.

“Are you alright?”

Twilight looked down, eyelashes blocking out the stars above as her eyes tried to slide shut. She wouldn’t let them. As she thought over Silver’s gentle question, Reason’s simple statement came to mind once more.

It was a bad dream, and it can’t hurt you.

Too late, Twilight thought bitterly, and she somehow found it in herself to shake her head; To not be as proud and strong as her mentor had.

The gentle click of horseshoes against wood came forward as Silver Shield walked to her side, the soft scent of mint tea following him in. A dark grey wing found a way to pull her into a hug, and Twilight found herself very glad somewhere deep down that Celestia had always been so informal.

Silence hung in the air for a few long minutes, the stars just twinkling gently in their indescribable canopy above. Finally, Silver Shield broke the silence again, his voice as every bit as soft as it has been before.

“Do you want to come sit with us until dawn?”

“Yes please.”

“Some of that mint tea would be nice too.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

Showtime

The dark peace was as unchanging as always, as was the thought that stated so. Simple thoughts turned to blank mantras with the simple creep of time. The muted feeling of rain whispered of something cold and black, the meaning far off and muted by a great magic far off. Strange magic squealed about a grand story of adventures and chaos, but it was so distant, not a single word could reach. Thunder rolled and panic brewed in a world far off, but it didn’t matter.

For the dark peace in here was as unchanging as always, as was the thought that stated so. A simple thought that had repeated into a mantra with the simple creep of time. A mantra that would have drove anyone into insanity… Perhaps the only reason it didn’t was because he was already insane. Even with the madness of his own mind to entertain him, Discord had to admit he was dreadfully bored. If nothing else, he wanted to stretch and take a different pose. At least he could pretend to be prideful and uncaring last time, now he just looked like a fool. And not the fun kind either.

Discord could have complained to the darkness around him, about how it wasn’t fair, about how he was bored, about how he wished that he could at least sleep and dream away the eternity, but he didn’t. Not because he was above it, but rather because he had already done so a multitude of times that had turned the thoughts into mantras and caused every word within to lose their meaning.

With a loud groan to himself, Discord settled for silence. It was annoying as well, but not nearly as annoying as hearing the same things over and over, and there was nothing new to feel or say. He closed his eyes, trading one darkness for another, and tried to find a memory he could watch for a moment that hadn’t been viewed into doubt.

It had been three thousand years in this prison, two-thousand nine-hundred and ninety-eight the first time, and the first two of what would no doubt be an even longer eternity this second time. The best he could hope for is that the Elements would corrupt with the death of their current bearers, but after struggling, and ultimately failing, to defeat the six mares, he knew that his chances stood slim. The yellow mare had the purest heart he had ever seen, and he knew that not even her own death would be able to corrupt her. He knew that her purity also left her with a vulnerability, and the greatest fall of all if she did slip- But there was nothing left within Equestria capable of the darkness required to taint her.

Finally, a new thought came to him. He would have been disgusted at it any other time, but in this endless, unchanging expanse, it was a welcome distraction. I don’t think I’d want to see them truly fall. It was almost impossible to imagine those six mares truly fallen, but once your age has reached six digits, a lot of impossible things become possible. He knew exactly what they would be like, corrupted, their pure hearts abandoned for one reason or another, and the image made him feel sick.

When he had influenced them with his own elements, he knew it couldn’t truly, permanently corrupt them, just hopefully get them out of the way so he could have some fun. Even that didn’t work. He smiled ruefully, realizing how quickly Twilight must have shrugged off Hatred’s whispers, even after all he had done to usher her into his dark mare’s waiting arms. Then again, maybe she had never reached her. Discord amused himself again with another new thought, that maybe he hadn’t had been as close to winning as he had thought. Perhaps only Despair had found Twilight’s heart, and something had pulled her away from even reaching his greatest element before it could truly take root. He even knew a chess master great enough to do it, with a heart warm enough to brush away despair like an errant fly.

Celestia.

Briefly, Discord wondered if she had prepared for it all somehow, that she had known that he would eventually break free and return to try and reclaim his throne. If she had, then he had obviously made a great error in leaving her and her sister untouched in his chaos. He had, naturally, turned the entire castle into an impossible maze that not even Abyssius could have found his way out of, as Discord had wanted Celestia to be in her right mind to witness her defeat.

I guess that backfired. He mused bitterly, and as an errant image of a darkly furious Celestia came to mind, Discord shuddered dramatically, suddenly feeling very chilled.

That was when something hit him. He actually felt cold. He was actually, truly, cold. That wasn’t his over-active imagination or a chilly memory, he was seriously cold! Now that he thought about it, that thunder and panic he had heard far off and in the distance that had made him laugh as he amused himself with the wonderings of what had caused it, had been a breath of fresh air, a waking moment in comparison to the ethereal dream that everything was muted to. He could feel magic too, he had chalked it up to being the Elements in greater strength than they had ever been, but no, he could actually feel ancient magic swirling far off in the distance… Along with the weakened magic of Harmony’s chains.

A wicked smile spread across his face, and he briefly savoured the chill of frost upon stone as he gathered up all his magic within him.

Looks like it’s finally Showtime!

Revelations

Rarity had always hated the morning dew. It was always bitterly cold and soaked her hooves as she walked to and from the fabric stores in Ponyville. Much like a cloudy and dark night, it seemed to exist only to annoy her and her friends.

It’s strange how great of a difference a change in perspective can create.

The young alicorn smiled softly as she traced a white feather along the dark red rose before her. Each ruby petal glittered as dewdrops like diamonds shuddered under her touch, catching the dawn’s colourful rays and casting them about. Rarity sighed contently, looking up and around the silent garden. This was how things should be really, and she couldn’t help but wish Sweetie Belle had been willing to get up with her to see it. As hyper as her little sister was, she was one of the few children that could stop and see the beauty in things like this. She could see the dancer in a blizzard, or the fairy gown in a flower’s frost.

Rarity let out a slow breath, just to watch it fog in the brisk morning air. She couldn’t help but chuckle gently as she remembered how Sweetie Belle had been awoken by last night’s storm, but instead of being frightened, she had pressed her hooves up against the grand windows, and gawked in amazement and glee at the brilliant flashes of lightning that crossed the sky. She watched it like most fillies would a firework show, and it hadn’t taken long before she had joined her little sister in watching it, drawing the filly close with a wing, until they had both fallen asleep under a breath-taking canopy of monochrome clouds.

Perhaps it was because Rarity was so lost in her thoughts like this, that she did not hear the cracking of stone or the shattering there-of. Perhaps it was because she was still so unused to ancient magic that she didn’t feel it rise up in frightened protest as something ancient woke up again. Or perhaps, she was just very unwilling to let her perfect morning be ruined already and was in complete denial about the gleeful shouts she could hear cascading across the gardens.

“I’M FREEEE!”

She knew she couldn’t ignore it forever, and if the maniacal laughter was anything to go by, her attention would be demanded very, very soon. She couldn’t help but admit that she was hoping Twilight would get here first though. She would, of course, have no such luck.

By the time she had taken a deep breath, and braced herself against what she knew was coming, she could already hear his wing-beats echoing out behind her. She knew it was coming now, Discord’s blasted mind games, his incessant bragging and-

“Ah Celestia, it didn’t take me nearly as long to break out this time, I think you are losing your touch! That or you have really bad placement…”

Well, if there was one thing she wasn’t expecting, it was definitely getting mistaken for Celestia. Naturally, she had immediately span around to face him, and was therefore treated to what was undoubtedly the most baffled look that had ever crossed Discord’s face.

“..Avarity?”

Oh how she hated that blasted nickname. Spike had thought of it way back when they were celebrating Discord’s defeat by their own hooves, and although Spike hadn’t meant any harm by it, she had made it more than clear that she never wanted to hear it again. Rarity could feel her cheeks burning red hot under her fur, and was about to release a scathing comeback when Discord rolled his shoulders with a mutter of ‘just checking.’ His devilish grin came back in a heartbeat, and he looked down at her with a look of dramatic perplexity.

“Well. All I can ask is ‘How?’”

“Wow. What a shocker. I was thinking the exact same thing.” Rarity deadpanned, flaring her wings out instinctively as she tried to keep herself calm and her mind from running wild.

Discord actually laughed, and it sounded almost good natured. It was gone in a blink however, and he was soon circling her like a shark, his fangs, err, or rather, fang singular, flashing in the sunlight.

“Why in Equestria are you like that? You almost look like an alicorn!”

There was something in the way he said that that got her ears a-twitchin’. That is to say, it was royally peeving her off.

“That would be because I am an alicorn you incessantly annoying a-”

Rarity nearly bit her tongue as the gardens lit up with brilliant magenta light as Celestia’s own heir teleported in. Although she was glad to see her friend, Rarity couldn’t help but wonder about her timing.

“DISCORD?! Wha- How?!” Twilight spluttered, her wings unfurling to their grand span as she nearly fell over her own hooves in a shocked stagger backwards. She had taken note of how the ancient magicks had shifted in their grand weaving, but she hadn’t expected it to mean the Draconequus of Chaos’s return.

“Why, that’s just what we were asking!” Discord exclaimed, waving a paw at her as he mimicked Rarity’s tone and posture. (Which was not well appreciated by the fashionista herself.)

Blue eyes widened slightly as Discord froze for a split-second as his mismatched gaze landed on the regalia Twilight was wearing around her neck. Something inscrutable flicked across his countenance, before vanishing in a blink as he returned to his eternally irritating self. With a huff, he drew himself up to his full height, placed his hands on his hips, and laughed.

“My heavens, I have certainly missed something. Where IS Celestia? This doesn’t make the least bit of sense! …and I am rather surprised she has finally gotten a sense of humour.”

Still chuckling, he cast his gaze around the garden, as if he was expecting the elder alicorn to simply pop out of a rose bush like Pinkie Pie during a surprise party. While Discord was distracted, Rarity shot a quick concerned look at her ex-fellow unicorn. A look of sheer pain had crossed Twilight’s face, and if it weren’t for the fact that Discord would have heard her, she would have immediately crossed the spans between them, wrapped her lilac friend in her wings, and asked her whatever the matter was. That wouldn’t be possible, however, until the chaotic joker was thoroughly off the table, so to speak.

“YOU!”

Rarity didn’t even need to look up to know who had just arrived. All she could do was hope that she wasn’t stupid enough, or for that matter, angry enough, to pick a fight with him just yet.

“Why, Hello Traitor Dash. How might you be today?”

“Don’t call me that!” Rainbow Dash snarled in response, and Discord almost seemed to be laughing at the hatred that tinged her voice, “You and I both know you were practically cheating!”

“Oh come now, you couldn’t have really expected me to play fair could you?” He asked, his voice inches away from being full out condescending. It almost seemed as if he was resisting the urge to pat the blue speedster on the head.

“But forget that for now,” He said abruptly, straightening up once more, “Where is my old foe? I am just dieing to have a little chat with dear old Celestia!”

Silence reigned. If the awkward silence in the castle had been bad the day before, then none of the mares present knew what to call this. Even in all her fury, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but worry slightly at the shudder that passed visibly along Twilight’s spine as she took a loud swallow and a deep breath.

“She’s gone.” Two words, spoken so quietly they were nearly missed, softly broke the silence.

“Gone? What do you mean ‘gone?’ Gone where?” Discord asked, his look of amusement only slipping enough to reveal the confused irritation underneath.

Rainbow knew, better than anyone perhaps, how this old coot played. She didn’t care what had happened between him and Celestia in the past, all she knew was the chaos he had reigned in Ponyville, and what he had done to her friends. No-one messes with Rainbow Dash’s friends… And although she couldn’t explain quite why, she could honestly say she counted the two Princesses among them. So she very well wasn’t going to let Discord fly off and mess with them just as they were getting back on their hooves. Surely Applejack wouldn’t mind if she just bent the truth a little... It was to protect a friend, after all.

“Gone gone.” RD snapped, her voice bitingly cold in her determination. Her gaze grew steely as he turned to face her, but she didn’t stop speaking. “As in permanently. Forever.”

Discord’s ever cocky smile was slipping as confusion replaced amusement, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but think that she took perhaps just a little too much joy in dropping that final word;

“DEAD.”

Discord almost seemed to deflate.

“D-dead? Celestia?” It came out as all but a splutter.

At Rainbow’s stiff nod, his smile completely vanished as denial took over, and as he landed with a gentle thud on the garden’s cobblestone, he nearly span around to glare at Twilight, whether in anger or in desperate hope neither were sure. Twilight wouldn’t look at him, and Rainbow Dash felt a pang of regret at her words as she watched a completely real tear slide down her friend’s cheek.

Even though Aurora Books was no doubt living happily with her sister, a unicorn and pegasus mare working together for old dreams finally in reach- It was easy to forget that the alicorn “Princess Celestia” had in a way, “died.” As much as Rainbow didn’t get it, as much as it seemed insignificant to her, she should have known better, she should have known that Twilight was grieving for the alicorn that had all but raised her.

With the gentle flutter of feathers and clicking of hooves against stone, one by one the other three arrived. Dash barely acknowledged them, and it was Rarity alone who hastily explained the situation in hushed voices again and again as they arrived. Between Discord and Twilight, RD had no idea what she was supposed to do, and her gaze constantly flickered between the two, as if she was expecting the answer to appear in the air above their heads.

“Who killed her?”

Twilight nearly jumped. She hadn’t exactly forgotten that Discord was there per say, so much as other things had pushed him further down the list of things to deal with. It wasn’t just that that had startled her, however. It was how he had spoken as well. Slow, quiet, and with a deathly cold tone that she had never heard from him before. It was empty of laughter or any sort of joy, and almost sounded hollow.

As silence was the only answer that his question was given, Discord sighed. The girls almost all jumped this time, before shooting each other looks of confusion and trepidation. Very slowly, as if he didn’t want to spook them, the draconequues straightened up, and looked at them with a soft smile as he cleared his throat and spoke as clearly as he could;

“I’m asking you who killed Princess Celestia. Alicorns can only be fatally harmed by celestial weapons carved out of pure, untamed, divine magic…” His expression twisted into one of barely concealed fury, and the next few words were all but spat out, as if they tasted foul to his mouth, “…and by black sorcery.”

He fixed his gaze on each one of them in turn, the soft smile perfectly in place like a mask. It really was nothing but a mask, for even if it was only the pink alicorn who prided herself over parties that noticed, there was no joy in the grin, nor glee in the laugh that followed as he finished his question;

“So, I’m asking you the very simple question of who actually managed to beat that Solar Queen of goody-four-shoes in a fight?”

Pinkie almost startled as she recognized the wistful tone in his voice. It wasn’t the sigh one held when they wished they could have seen something that they had missed, it was hope. Hope that Celestia had gone down fighting with every drop of strength in her, perhaps even wiping out an entire army in the wake of her final magic. Pinkie couldn’t hold his gaze. Her eyes dropped quickly to the bright blue balloon that was her Element, and she refused to let them leave that spot even as they quickly filled with tears.

After a long moment of only silence, Applejack sighed as she realized that she was the only one even willing to answer him. She swallowed and cleared her throat, finding it hard to even remember the words she needed to say.

“Tha Princess wasn’t… beaten in a fight. It was the second one you said. Black Magic… T’was a curse that destroyed her.”

Twilight almost winced at the hesitating words, and in a quiet fidget she started to shuffle her wings awkwardly as she half-folded them, trying to get the bright feathers to lay flat as they fluffed up in response to the tears she was struggling to hold back. The effect on Discord was a little less immediate.

It took a moment, it seems, for him to truly understand what had been said. That Celestia had not died with honour in a great battle to leave her precious student ascended in her mighty wake- But rather struck down by magic that shouldn’t even exist, to rot away in a slow death that had forced her hoof to pass on a different sort of curse. As that understanding sunk in, his smile faded, as fake as it was. As that understanding grew, the bite of the air disappeared. As that understanding reached completion, the sun disappeared behind dark clouds as an aura of magic nearly as old as time itself encased the garden in a black fury.

“Who?!”

The word came out as a draconic snarl that caused the girls to stagger back in fear as the wind whipped up around them. They had never seen Discord truly angry before. Frustrated, and bored, sure. Even Fluttershy had to admit that his exasperated irritation at her when she had managed to, albeit briefly, escape his tricks was comical. With all his huff and puff, he was a villain to be wary of yes, but not truly feared. This, however, this was not the Discord they had seen and fought against. This was a Discord that felt nothing but pure wrath, and sought nothing but destruction in its wake. And it was terrifying.

“C-chrysalis, the Changeling Queen.” Twilight spluttered, struggling to make herself heard over the storm as her heart pounded in her throat. “Luna told me that she used the last of the power she had gained through my brother into making that curse.”

“She won’t be able to fight back then.”

A demonic roar split the gardens as Discord shot spiraling up into the sky, his form shifting under the weight of his rage as he disappeared into the black clouds above. Thunder like war drums echoed out from the sky, drowning out Twilight’s shouts for him to come back.

“PINKIE! LET GO!”

Twilight’s gaze snapped back to her friends, her eyes quick to alight on the familiar sight of a furious Rainbow Dash getting held back by her tail.

“No.”

Rainbow Dash and Twilight both turned to stare at Pinkie in disbelief as she smiled around the prismatic tail in her mouth to utter that single word. As Rainbow’s hooves touched stone once more to glare bemusedly at her, Pinkie spat out her tail and locked blue eyes on rose as she gave her friends a sad smile.

“Leave him, Dashie.”

“What are you thinking Pinkie?! He’s going to wreak havoc! We have to stop him! He’s ticked that someone else got his prey,” She spat, “and now he’s going to make everyone else miserable!”

“No. He isn’t.” One by one her friends turned toward her with a look of complete shock at those calm words. Whether it was because of what they contained or because of who said them so solemnly, I couldn’t tell you.

“That wasn’t disappointment, Dashie. That was heartbreak. Maybe I’m the only one that seen, but he was crying.”

Rainbow folded her wings quietly as she mulled over what Pinkie had said. It just didn’t make sense to her… Discord, heartbroken? And not going to go spread chaos and misery across Equestria for the lolz? It didn’t sound like something that could happen for a thousand years… But maybe, sometimes, loyalty meant trusting in her friends' decisions too.

“I’ll go after him tomorrow,” Pinkie Pie declared, still sounding rather unlike herself, “But, for now, let’s just let him be?”

“SHE WHAT?!”

The drone winced at Chrysalis’s shriek, as did every other Changeling in a one mile radius. When their queen got this mad, it was never good. He, however, had especial reasons to be worried, however, as he was the one that had delivered the bad news that had enraged her. Maybe he could just sneak off while she ranted…

“This is outrageous!” Chrysalis spat, her wings buzzing loudly in her anger.

With a fluid movement ruined by a wobble, the Changeling Queen got to her hooves and started pacing. Normally her drones would be happy about this feat, as she had been bed-ridden for a while now, but as her movements seemed fueled by frustration and wrath, well, they were more worried about how quick of an escape they could make if need be.

“First I can’t get a hold of the ones who humiliated me, being apparently so far away that you dolts couldn’t find them! And now-”

“But, but, your Highness, they aren’t even in Equestria anymore! They’ve most likely gone all the way out to Atlantis, and you can’t expect us to follow them underw-”

“Did I say you could interrupt me?” Chrysalis drawled, the words barely concealing a snarl.

The drone cringed under her glare, and wished with all his might that he didn’t have to answer her question.

“N-no Ma’am…” He squeaked, and if he was bowing any deeper he would have been sinking into the moss below.

Chrysalis growled, but she stepped over him to continue her pacing, and he was quick to take advantage of being behind his queen’s back, and ran for his life.

“And now,” She continued, pretending not to notice the fleeing fool as she waved a hoof for emphasis, “Now you’re telling me that not only did I fail to get back at Equestria itself, but that Celestia actually out-smarted me?!” She paused in her rant as if to see if someone was willing to answer her, but none were forthcoming, so she span around and continued her pacing.

“She managed to not only find new rulers for the throne, but Equestria is actually doing better! Apparently, these six new, is she really using the term Queen now?” She asked the guard on her left, and he nodded quickly, before letting out a sigh of relief as she went on to walk by him.

“These six new Queens are actually better liked. National heroes, apparently. Ugh, it makes me sick. Where did I go wrong?”

“Forgetting to calculate in Little Luna?” A sneering voice asked, and Chrysalis bristled at the elder Prince Drone’s laugh.

“I didn’t realize that the Mare in the Moon was an actual pony. Or alicorn for that matter. It’s not like I had seen her around at all!” She snapped sulkily, and her ears went flat against her head as the princes laughed. They knew very well that she wasn’t about to attack her own harem, no matter how mad she got.

“Perhaps you’re right, however…” Chrysalis said suddenly, her anger fading away as a new thought crossed her mind, “It’s not my fault that my plan failed, I had no way of knowing that the legends were true… It wasn’t Celestia that outwitted me, it was Luna!”

A look of glee spread across the Queen’s face as she laughed.

“Oh now there’s no use getting mad at external circumstances, now is there? I’ll just have to think of a new plan. I’ve almost got my strength back now, and it won’t be long before I can go hunting again… Six new alicorns… My my my, I bet they have no idea how to use all their new abilities quite yet... Wouldn’t it just be a terrible shame if something were to unbalance them while they were still so green?” Chrysalis asked silkily, and her drones started chittering happily as her devilish grin grew.

“Like, perhaps, if their families were to be gruesomely murdered? Oh yes, that idea haszz merit…” She hissed gleefully, as thunder rolled in the background.

“MY QUEEN! You have to run! You have to-” The cry ended in a gurgle, and Chrysalis span around to see a younger drone collapse on the edge of the clearing she had made her nest in.

“What? What’s going on?”

Thunder crashed louder, as the sky above blackened further, slowly drawing the clearing into a darkness that was only lit by streaks of brilliantly colored lightning. The forest began to leak an aura like miasma to them, and several of the drones shrieked as the cloying scent of hatred filled the air.

Chrysalis felt like her legs had turned to lead. She was still weak from the black magic she had, perhaps foolishly, wielded only months ago. She coughed, choking on the hatred that had settled like a fog about her nest. Squawks and the frightened chirps of birds filled the sky as they spread their wings and flew up and away, like glittering silhouettes against the flickering black clouds as trees shuddered and crashed to the ground. A demonic roar rang through the forest and caused the Changeling Queen to know what fear was.

With the deafening sound of ripping wood, Discord tore himself through the forest and into her camp. As their eyes locked, Chrysalis fleetingly remembered the goofy, almost cartoonish statue of Discord that had stood in the royal gardens, posed in a comically terrified grimace. Her confusion melted into horror as the creature before her snarled, and she realized that this was not that Discord.

No, what was before her was the God of Chaos himself, in all his righteous wrath. Like a dragon whose hoard had been stolen, Discord was bristling with rage, and Chrysalis’s eyes slid shut in a final prayer. She knew, right then, that one does not simply play with the Old Ones… And that her time had now quite suddenly drawn to an end.

With the soft glimmer of gold, the sun rose, bathing the sky in a canopy of shimmering colors that painted the horizon. Discord watched it silently from where he lay, feeling utterly hollow. He could still remember watching Celestia raise it herself for the very first time, and the joy on her face as her eyes alit upon her cutie mark.

Their game had finally ended. Neither he nor she had truly won, for someone else had interfered. He hadn’t minded when it had been the Bearers, it had just meant Celestia had found herself some new pieces. To be honest, he had been looking forward to gathering his own pieces next time and playing by the new rules. He had mulled over the thought many times while waiting to be released, ‘The Elements of Chaos Vs. The Elements of Harmony.’ It would have been spectacular, no doubt… But there wasn’t any point anymore. There was no point to anything, now, really. He had avenged her, and there was nothing left to do.

At the soft sound of hoofsteps on grass, Discord shifted, wondering briefly if he had missed a changeling. There was no shriek at the corpses that surrounded him, no gasp at the chitin that darkly dotted the grass around him, and so he decided he didn’t care who it was. Even as the soft whisper of magic began to hum, he paid it no attention.

As a soft gold lily floated up to brush his nose, however, he started to pay attention. Startled, he looked up at the softly smiling pink alicorn that was standing by his side, wearing Luna’s crown and a look of understanding that did not fit her age. He gently took the lily in his paws, and could still feel the young magic that drifted through it. He remembered Pinkie now, she was the Bearer of Laughter, and had been the only one to actually enjoy his chaos… Until he had started hurting ponies anyway. It didn’t really matter anymore, though, now that he thought about it. Even still, her action didn’t make sense… but what fun was there in making sense?

“You loved her, didn’t you?” As gentle as it was, it was barely a question. They both already knew quite well.

“More than the world…” He replied sadly, running a thumb along a metallic petal, “But a monster can never be with a Princess… No more than Chaos and Order can ever be one.”

A Lesson With The Professor (Part 1)

A/N: Holy crap. This was not originally going to be a two part chapter, but once I got it going, it didn't want to stop, and it nearly doubled in size.... If not more. So, I've decided to break it up into two parts.

Spike found himself with a dilemma. This was not unusual, in and of itself, really, for as Twilight Sparkle’s number one assistant, he found himself in a lot of dilemmas. The more he thought about it, in fact, the more dilemmas he remembered facing. There were crazy ones, involving breakdowns and panic attacks, there were chaotic ones, usually involving Pinkie Pie, and there were even the sort where you weren’t quite sure what just happened… Those usually involved incredibly complex spells backfiring. This wasn’t any of those sort, however. This particular dilemma was both much more difficult, and far simpler than any of those previous.

Rather simply, he had a letter that he did not want to deliver.

Glaring downwards at the thick tinted parchment in his claws, Spike sighed again. He knew he had to deliver it, the seals and ribbons on it made it clear that it was of great importance, but that did not mean that he wanted to. Confessing his feelings to Rarity had been an easier decision than this… Then again, maybe plummeting to your most-likely death eased the whole “hard decision making” thing.

“You have very bad timing to show up, you know that?” He asked the scroll, furiously, as he gave it the best death glare he could muster. Being an inanimate object, of course, it gave him neither attention nor response.

With a dark sigh, he rolled it over in his claws once more to stare at the ribbons and seals that held the thick parchment shut. A black ribbon that felt like neither silk nor velvet fastened under a emerald seal that smelled strongly of the sea, and was marked with the symbol of a trident. The other ribbon felt like almost nothing at all, and was airy and bright, iridescent in pastel rainbows that tied under a white gold butterfly seal, and left the long tied off ends flowing in the non-existent wind. Rarity would love the pale ribbon, and the mental image of her claiming it with a shout of “MINE!” the moment the scroll was released from its binds brought a small smirk to Spike’s face, and eased the somewhat panicked feeling in his chest.

He didn’t know who this scroll was from, but he had a pretty good hunch, and with everything that had been going on this past week, he was rueing their choice of timing.

Things had not settled down since the girls' first day on the job. Down two advisors, and neither party wanting them back, the castle felt even more short-staffed than it usually did. Through sheer experience, Celestia had kept a surprisingly small crew perfectly functioning, and now everypony was feeling her absence. Twilight was good at organizing, and she had been given the role of Ponyville’s All-Team Winter Wrap Up Organizer for a very good reason. Unfortunately, no amount of checklists could make up the difference between ponies who want to cooperate, and those who most emphatically do not.

The castle staff was just all out reluctant to cooperate. They had been doing things one way for nearly a millennium, and it was quite clear that this was a detail they refused to forget. Spike swore that if he heard the phrase “It simply isn’t done!” one more time, he would show the pony who spoke it the difference between a dragon and an alicorn’s patience. It didn’t seem to matter what subject was at hand, the staff was stubborn, irritable, and overly dramatic. There was usually enough stress in the air by the end of the day that you could cut it with a knife and serve it to Discord for a snack.

As if this wasn’t enough of an issue on its own, Applejack just couldn’t seem to stand being around said staff for longer than an hour at a time. Ten minutes in, and she’d be shifting uncomfortably where she stood, twenty minutes, and her ears would be flat against her head. It only took a total of forty minutes for tears to start to bite at her eyes, and in another twenty she’d be running down the hall to either disappear into her room until dawn with the slam of a door, or bump roughly into one of Celestia’s old guards and be quieted with gentle encouragements, a cup of tea, and the jolly atmosphere of the barrack’s dining hall.

Spike had been present when Applejack had revealed the reason for her strange behaviour. She had, with much hesitation and worry, confessed that she had been hearing voices mocking her ever since their first day as royalty. They only seemed to occur when she was among the staff, and she couldn’t help but feel that she was slowly going mad, if, that was, she hadn’t already lost her mind amongst all the chaos. Although most of the girls had exchanged looks ranging from mild concern to near panic, Twilight had merely thought about it for a moment, and then theorized that as the Element of Honesty, Applejack may have gained the ability to hear ponies’ “true thoughts,” and that was what she had been hearing all this time.

For what was possibly the first time in his life, Spike had found himself both wholly believing in Twilight’s deduction, and desperately hoping she was wrong. It was no doubt a sentiment Twilight shared, for the moment Applejack had heard the theory, and they all acknowledged it as being the most likely, a look of horror and pain had crossed AJ’s face, and she had turned tail and fled. Pinkie had found her the next day back at Sweet Apple Acres, regalia tucked away in her mother’s old chest, and more than ready to flat out quit. Pinkie had managed to convince her to give it one more go by showing her around Ponyville and Canterlot, and letting her hear the warm praise and admiration the citizens held for her. Spike could still remember the watery but determined smile the young alicorns bore when they re-entered the castle, regalia tucked under wing.

His mind returning once more to the present, Spike looked down at the scroll once more. He knew that this single piece of parchment, as small and fancy as it was, would cause more chaos to erupt than Discord’s return. A grim smile crossed his lips as he realized how ironic it was that it would be a scroll smaller than his arm that would cause complete panic, rather than Discord’s now regular presence at the castle. The draconequus, despite all assumptions towards the latter, had done nothing all that chaotic at all. The most he had done, after arriving at the castle three days ago, was create two small clouds of various unusual properties, for him and Pinkie Pie to enjoy. When Spike had observed the two’s growing and unusual friendship, Discord had noticed him with a small grin, and had scooped up a large wad of the blue cotton candy cloud he was lounging on, and handed it to the small dragon. Spike had been quite pleasantly surprised to discover that the cloud was filled with the rich and sweet flavour of cream soda, and, leaving Pinkie to enjoy her swim in her chocolate milk, and the two beings of laughter to their quiet jokes, had gone on about his day with a skip in his step and no ill effects.

“I guess I can’t put it off forever…” With a last sigh, the young dragon pulled himself to his feet, gave the scroll one last glare, and set off down the hall towards the throne room, where Twilight was no doubt waiting.

The construction on the castle was almost finished at this point, and the Solar Court now bore two more thrones alongside Celestia’s old gold seat. Twilight had inherited her mentor’s spot, and Fluttershy and Applejack held court by her side on their own brilliant thrones on the days they had little else to do. Likewise, the Lunar Court had gained two more thrones of shining onyx, and Pinkie held what was no doubt the most cheerful royal court that Equestria had ever known with Rainbow Dash and Rarity at her side.

Spike found himself at those great gold doors perhaps a little too soon. His nervous gulp got him a sympathetic look from the two elder guards that stood on either side of the hall, and they were kind enough to wait till he had gotten his courage back to swing the doors open and grant him Queen Twilight’s complete and undivided attention. Sometimes being the Element of Magic’s number one assistant sucked.

“Oh! Spike! There you are! I was beginning to wonder what you’d gotten up to.”

Despite her warm smile, Spike wasn’t too sure about how warm and fuzzy Twilight was actually feeling. He hadn’t been able to follow everything that had happened in the past few days, but he knew that even for an alicorn, his friend was not getting enough sleep. Giving her a bit of a look, Spike took note of his mare’s frazzled mane and crooked regalia, before finding himself sighing once again.

“Staff still giving you issues?”

Twilight’s groan was all the answer he actually needed, but she continued on to give him a proper one anyway.

“With Grey Scales and what’s her face gone-“

“Cheery Chimes?”

“Mhm. With them gone, the rest of the staff just, I don’t know, it’s like they’re mad at us for firing them. The accounting room is, quite literally, filling up with paperwork and forms, and I’m pretty sure that I’m the only that can even make heads or tails of the majority of it. I contacted Grey Scales's daughter as Celestia suggested, but she’s away on business, and won’t be here till next week. Normally I’d just get Autumn and Fluttershy to help me out with it until then, but Autumn is busy with keeping Earl Gray in check as they try and sort through all the crap the staff are just flat out refusing to do, and Fluttershy’s been having magical outbursts lately, and I just don’t have time to help her, and Pinkie, and Rarity with them! There’s just way too much to do, and there just aren’t enough of me to go around.”

“So, is that the reason why the ivy in the lounge has entirely devoured the sofa in there?” Spike asked, the earlier unusual sight suddenly making much more sense.

“Ugh. Again? Yeah, that’s probably why. Plants just seem to go completely crazy whenever Fluttershy is around and upset…” Twilight sighed, flopping down in her throne just for the want of a chair. Leaning back, she gently knocked her head against the polished gold, letting her eyes slide shut with another frustrated groan.

“This is just ridiculous. Heck, even Discord, of all ponies, err, draconequi, is being more helpful than the actual castle staff!”

“Really?” He knew that Discord had been behaving himself, but he hadn’t realized that he had actually been making himself useful.

“Yeah, he’s been keeping the sky clear from all the storm clouds Rainbow Dash has managed to acquire. Turns out the little storm that followed her outburst a week ago wasn’t a coincidence. It’s just been getting worse lately too. I don’t know if I can do this Spike…” Twilight sighed, before straightening up as an idea seemed to strike her. “Do you think firing the entire staff outside of Bright Shine, Sweet Tea, and the two chefs that we actually like would be on the extreme side?”

“Maaaybe a little,” Spike chuckled, holding up two claws held an inch apart for demonstration.

Twilight chuckled as well, before giving her assistant a wry smile, “So does that mean I should, or shouldn’t?”

“It means you do what you have to,” Spike replied simply, before grimacing slightly as he held up the scroll he had been holding for the past hour.

“Because I think it’s only going to get worse.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she slowly took the scroll from his hand with a mutter of, “Oh please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”

“I’m hoping that it isn’t too, but-”

“It is.”

From the Eternal Courts of Sea and Sky,

The Emperor of the Unending Sky, and The Mighty Ocean’s King have declared their intent to join the new Queens of Equestria’s Land in their triennial royal visit to discuss trades and ancient alliances. They have granted their divine seals upon this scroll to prove its authenticity, and will be arriving within three days.

“Oh crap. Oh crap crap crap!” Twilight’s eyes searched the blank bottom of the letter fervently before spinning it around to show Spike with an exasperated flourish, “No signature, no contact information, no nothing?!”

“The Princess always said their messengers were brisk.” Spike muttered as he took the letter from Twilight’s anxious grasp.

“I know she did but this is quite a bit more than brisk! It’s practically rude!” She snapped, quickly taking up pacing in her fervent fussing, “And on top of that, I’ve never met them!”

“Them the messengers or them the rulers?”

“The rulers! Well, both actually, I haven’t met the messengers either, but that isn’t the point! I have no idea what I’m supposed to do! Celestia always said she’d introduce us when I was older, but all this crap happened before she could! We’re doomed, we’re so doomed.”

“Aren’t you being a little dramatic, Twi? I mean, come on, they can’t be nearly as bad as whatever you’re thinking, I know that.”

“How could you know that?!”

“Pretty simply, for two reasons. One, you always think of the worst possible thing. Always. Two, isn’t,” Spike paused to reread the letter so he could quote it in the most sarcastically dramatic way possible, “‘The Mighty Ocean’s King’ Cadence’s dad? He can’t be all that bad. Shining Armor even called him a softie.”

“…I guess you have a point. I’d kinda forgotten that they’d gone back to Cadence’s homeland after their honeymoon. Atlantis, right?”

“Yep. I’d kinda like to visit, actually, it sounds so cool.” Spike grinned, and Twilight slowly returned his smile.

“Well, if I don’t royally screw this visit up, I think the next one will be in Atlantis, so you can come along. If, you know, I don’t-”

“You won’t royally screw it up Twilight,” Spike interrupted with a hint of exasperation, “If you’re that worried about it, why don’t you take a bit of time off and actually take Celestia up on her offer? You know she’s dying to see you.”

Twilight grimaced slightly. If she was honest with herself, she’d have to admit that she’d been dying to go see her old mentor since the day she had gotten her letter… And yet, she hadn’t. Whether it was through fear or some sort of, most likely justified, anger towards the ex-Princess, Twilight wasn’t even sure. All she knew, was that when she thought of going to meet her, her stomach felt like she had swallowed a large rock, and Twilight would immediately turn her attention to some challenging task or another until exhaustion had chased the feelings away, and she could fall asleep under the night sky.

Yet, she knew Spike was right. Even without the arrival of the scroll, she knew that they needed to go talk to Celestia, if not for her sake, then for her friends. They were awakening as alicorns, each and every one of them, and Twilight was not foalish enough to think that she could help them on her own.

“Alright Spike. We’ll go see Celestia.”

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, there was a magical land known as Equestria. There were many other lands as well, all with their own magic, strengths, and tales, but it is in Equestria that our tale begins.

For once upon a time, there were two regal sisters that ruled together, each holding an ancient and holy power. These two were known as alicorns, and together they created harmony throughout the land they had taken under their wing. Throughout the centuries, their harmony was tested and torn, but again and again, they rose above it all.

Until one day, they didn’t.

For once upon a time, hatred and bitterness cast darkness upon the world and harmony, and nearly drew the sweet and sunny story of Equestria to an ever-darkening end. That, however, is another tale, as is how a young unicorn student and her newfound, (and possibly insane) friends restored the broken balance to both the land and the Sun Princess’s own heart.

Our tale however, is not so far off, as it revolves around this unicorn, her insane friends, and the loving balance between two sisters, all as different as night and day… And it all starts with a simple “Once upon a time.”

A/N: Oh for buck's sake I give up. Welcome to the rewrite of Ascension! The first..errr...third of the rewrite has been completed, and the next third will be posted when I finish it, which will be when I get my sanity back. (Whenever that happens) The final third, that will most definitely be posted AFTER the newest chapter has been completed and posted... Actually, scratch the definitely. Most likely. Finicky Inspiration and all that. Well, I hope you enjoy, and good reading to both new and old readers alike!