My Paper Pony: Legend of the Elements (Reprinted)

Chapters

Opening - A Story of Lost Harmony
Introduction - A Party at Canterlot Castle - Part 1
Introduction - A Party at Canterlot Castle - Part 2
Prologue: A Plea from the Elements - Part 1

Opening - A Story of Lost Harmony

Welcome one and all, Fillies and Gentlecolts… Today, I will be telling you the story of the Two Sisters and the Elements of Harmony. (Ahem)

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land.

To do this, the eldest used her alicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies.

But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night.

One fateful day, the younger alicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon.

She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night.

Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon.

The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon, and harmony was maintained in Equestria for generations since.

“You see? It even says so in the story books. If we really want to conquer Equestria for real this time, we'll need to get rid of the Elements’ power first. Golly gee, I can’t believe it took us this long to figure that one out.”

“It isn’t that we didn’t think to do that already, you irksome brat! It’s that we didn’t have a way to remove the Elements’ power permanently yet. Remember, both Sombra and Discord attempted to destroy the Tree of Harmony before, but neither considered Twilight Sparkle and her friends would find a to bring it back.”

“Oh yeah. They are really good at finding ways to foil our evil plans aren't they?”

“Irritatingly so... but with this Bewitching Bell and the powers of chaos already trapped within it, we’ll be able to take out that tree once and for all. Princess Twilight and her friends won’t be able to stop us this time, and Equestria will finally be ours to rule!”

Oh dear… I didn’t realize there would be so many bad eggs in the audience today, and it appears I’ve given them the idea to do something terrible to the Tree of Harmony.

Without the tree, harmony can’t exist within Equestria and all the creatures who live there will be thrown into a world of chaos! This is just awful. Whatever will they do…?

Author's Note

So the rewrite I had in mind for this story wasn't as much of a overhaul as I thought it be. :twilightblush: The plot for this story is still largely the same, just with some new characters and information thrown into the mix. Hope you guys enjoy this new take on this story!

Introduction - A Party at Canterlot Castle - Part 1

It was a beautiful summer’s day in the quaint town of Ponyville. The sun was shining down from the clear mid-afternoon sky, causing the crystal castle just outside of the town’s borders to glisten brightly in the radiant sunlight.

In fact, one might say it was glistening too brightly, so much so that Derpy Hooves--Ponyville's resident mailmare--had to cover her eyes to just avoid catching too much of the castle’s glare. She wasn’t able to see in front of herself however, but thankfully she had memorized the mail route the castle was on and was confident in her ability to fly it while blinded. She was certain nothing bad at all would happen to her this time.

*CRASH*

She collided with the dirt in front of the castle's mailbox not but moments later.

With the aid of her front hooves, she pulled her head out of the soil and shook the rocks from her mane. She then gingerly stood back up and grasped the wrinkled mass that was now her paper head. She ran her hooves along the sides of her head to straighten it back out and smiled in embarrassment once she had finished.

Derpy placed a single letter within the mailbox before fluttering back into the sky. She paused and exclaimed, “Mail call!” at the castle door before turning back towards town and zooming off.

Derpy smiled; things were looking really good for her today. With Princess Twilight’s coronation in a few hours, she would be able to get off work early to enjoy the celebration. The weather was also comfortably warm and the sky was clear, another possible side effect of it being Twilight’s coronation day, granted this was done by the Equestrian weather teams. If she could only manage to avoid that one low hanging sign she always seemed to run into, this day would turn out to be her best day ever!

“Oof!” Of course, you can’t win them all.

The doors to the crystal castle opened with a creak. A purple alicorn slowly inched her muzzle outside the doorway looking to see if anypony was outside waiting for her. Seeing nothing, she decided to risk being mobbed by another gang of random creatures--a new but oddly consistent occurrence in her life nowadays--and rushed over towards her mailbox. She grabbed the letter with her magic and as quick as a flash shot back inside before anycreature could see her.

Once back inside, she made her way to the castle’s council room. There, she was greeted by a circle large of crystal thrones with a giant, circular, map-like table in between them. Each of her friends, and fellow Elements of Harmony, were sitting in their respective thrones, talking amongst each other to pass the time while waiting for Twilight to return.

“This is probably going to be the greatest day in Equestrian history!” Rainbow Dash stated unabashedly. “The Wonderbolts are going to be performing; the greatest chefs from Equestria and beyond are going to be catering; everybody we’ve ever met before is going to be there-”

“I’m going to lead a parade!” Pinkie Pie squealed.

“Pinkie Pie’s going to lead a parade.” Rainbow Dash continued, “I tell ya, after everything we’ve done for this kingdom, it’s about time we got a thank you party that was this awesome!”

Applejack chuckled and shook her head, “We get a “thank you party” everytime we save Equestria, Rainbow Dash, and they’re always more extravagant than the last one that’s been thrown. At this point, we shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I’m not, I’m just super excited and I need to tell somepony about it!” Rainbow bounced up and down in her throne, clearly showing just how overeager she was to get going to this party.

Pinkie was bouncing in her seat in a much similar way. “Me too!” She turned and shouted across the table at Rarity, “Rarity are you ready for the greatest party ever! Because I sure am!”

Rarity waved her off with a hoof, “Yes, yes, darling, I assure you I am quite excited for this affair as well. The opportunity to speak again with all the friends we made over the years... viewing my beautiful designs being worn at this Equestria’s latest and greatest event… being the center of attention for all of society to see!” Rarity grabbed her mane and looked about ready to scream like a fangirl at a boy band’s concert. She quickly recomposed herself and brushed her mane back into place with hooves, “It all really sounds quite delightful.”

Applejack chuckled again, “Good to see you actin’ so professional on this the biggest day of our lives.”

“Naturally…” Rarity explained. “A lady never loses her sense of poise or composure even in the most stressful or exciting of situations.”

Applejack nodded, “This day is definitely goin’ to be somethin’, that’s for sure. My entire family and their apples are going to be there. So not only is everycreature going to be congratulating me, but our sales are goin’ to be record breaking this year.” Applejack couldn’t help but smile proudly, “Ah just hope Granny Smith, Big Mac, Sugar Belle, and Apple Bloom get that infestation handled on the farm before the party starts. Ah’d hate for them to miss everythin’.”

She turned to look at Fluttershy, whom of the group looked to be the most nervous about going to the celebration, “What about you, Fluttershy? You excited to do anything at the party?”

Fluttershy shrunk down a bit in her throne, “Not really…” she admitted. “I mean, I’m excited to get to see everycreature again, but there’s going to be so many creatures there, it’s a little nerve racking for me. Besides, I wouldn’t want to take the spotlight away from Twilight. It is her special day after all.”

Everypony stopped and turned to look at the shy mare, their conversations suddenly dying and guilty looks appearing on their faces. Fluttershy shrunk down even farther, “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”

Applejack shook her head, “Naw sugarcube, you didn’t say anythin’ wrong. You just made us remember who this party’s for and that we should be supportin’ her, rather than boostin’ our own own egos.” She glanced at the others, who grinned back at her in embarrassment.

Twilight stopped at the table having just finished reading the letter. The others turned to address her as she placed the piece of paper on the table. “Sorry for making you wait, girls. Did I miss anything?”

Rarity smiled at her sweetly, “Nothing at all, darling. We were just having a little discussion about what we were looking most forward to doing at the party.”

Twilight smiled back, “Oh really? Anything specific you girls were hoping to do?”

The mares looked at each other before sharing a brief look of agreement. They looked back at the ruling princess to be with warm expressions on their faces. Applejack was the one who answered, “We’re looking most forward to seein’ that crown be put on your head, your majesty.”

Twilight giggled, “Thank you for the encouragement, girls, but I would really appreciate it if you just stick to calling me Twilight after the coronation is over. I don’t want anything to change between us even after I become the ruler of Equestria.”

Fluttershy grimaced at her, “You don’t sound that excited for your coronation, Twilight. Is something the matter?”

Twilight shook her head, “It’s nothing… It’s just, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and basically the entirety of Equestria are making such a big deal out of this. I mean look at this invitation that was put in the mail.”

The others got off their seats and walked over to look at the letter Twilight had received. It simply read, “You are cordially invited to the coronation of Equestria’s newest ruler, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” It had no name for the recipient nor the sender, and was likely made extremely simplistic just so it could easily be mass produced and shipped to every creature with a mailbox in the kingdom and beyond. The writing on the letter could also easily qualify as calligraphy and it was printed on gloriously golden paper that reminded the mares of the tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala.

Twilight friends couldn’t argue that Celestia and Luna hadn’t gone all out for her big day. Applejack walked over and placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, “Ah know your feelin’ nervous, sugarcube, but the only reason the princesses are puttin’ this much work into your coronation is because they believe you are qualified for this job. And if ya ask me, I agree with them.”

Rarity nodded, “Absolutely. I mean consider this, darling, who was the one who took charge in so many dreadful situations; who started a school for all the races of Equestria to promote friendship and harmony between all creatures; who inspired so many to drop animosity from their lives and consider the benefits of being friends with everycreature they meet, regardless of the differences between them.”

Rainbow Dash smirked, “Let’s not forget all the bad guys you’ve taken down in your time. Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Discord, Cozy Glow… it’s all very impressive. Of course you did get some help from the most awesome group of friends anypony could ask for... but that doesn’t mean you shouldn't get any less respect.”

“Plus your super-duper smart!” Pinkie added, “In fact, I bet as soon as you're in power, you’ll find a way to fix the Equestrian budget and severally put a dent in the kingdom’s national debt.”

Applejack chuckled. She believed Twilight would do many great things once she came into power, but solving that problem completely may not be one of them. But perhaps with time and a few years of ruling under her belt she could… the farmer mare shook her head, she had more important things to think about at the moment.

“You see, everypony in this room has the utmost confidence in you, and Ah bet if we asked any random creature on the street, they’d say the exact same thin’.”

Twilight smiled at her friends, but still couldn’t help but worry. “But what if I make a mistake. Ruling an entire kingdom is a monumental responsibility. I’ll be responsible for not only my own decisions but finalizing the decisions of the entire kingdom, perhaps the world! The quality of everycreature’s lives will be in my hooves!” She started to hyperventilate, so she began doing Cadence’s breathing exercise to calm herself down. It proved to do very little in terms of helping her as she continued to extend her leg out in front of her in rapid succession.

Fluttershy flew over and gave her friend a hug, “Twilight, please calm down. No one is expecting you to reinvent the wheel here. Just do the best you can and learn as you go. I’m certain as long as you have the world’s best interests at heart, you’ll eventually make the right decisions.”

“I agree.” Rarity said with a smile, joining Fluttershy and Twilight in their hug. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie nodded, “Us too!” and rushed over to join the group hug as well.

Twilight’s smile grew wider and few tears started to flow down her cheeks, “Thank you, girls. I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”

The sounds of polyester dragging against crystal suddenly pulled the mares away from their tender moment, and they turned to see Spike standing in the council room’s doorway with two large suitcases at his sides.

“I packed all the stuff you wanted for the coronation, Twilight, just like you asked.” He huffed, clearly exhausted after having to drag the alicorn’s supplies all the way from the castle’s upper floors.

Twilight trotted over and nuzzled Spike affectionately, “Thank you, Spike. You’re the best assistant anypony could ever ask for.” The dragon blushed at the compliment.

Twilight opened the suitcases and doublechecked the supplies she asked him to get, “Let’s see, hair gel for my mane, toothpaste, extra strength mouthwash, q-tips…” She wanted to look her absolute best for when she was given the crown. “Everything looks like it’s here, and not a moment too soon. I still need to get to Canterlot Castle to be fitted for the dress I’ll be wearing at the ceremony.”

She began to lead her friends towards the crystal castle’s front door when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. “But wait… I can’t just go out there now and ride the train. Creatures will surely recognize me and mob me with praise and congratulations. If that happens, I’m certain I’ll be late for the coronation.”

“Not to mention a random mobbing will completely ruin your appearance just before the ceremony,” Rarity added, “And I, for one, will not stand for it!”

The ponies and dragon looked at the fashionista and noticed a familiar glint in her eyes, “I assume you have an idea?” Rainbow asked knowingly.

“Indeed, I do.” Rarity replied. She placed her hoof around Twilight’s shoulder and pulled her away towards the front door, “Come with me, your majesty, I’ve just come up with the perfect way to keep you hidden from prying eyes.” She motioned for the others to follow, “Rainbow come with us. I’ll need your help to enact my plan.”

The mares followed, but Applejack and Spike stayed behind. The farmer mare turned to the baby dragon with a look of guilt spread across her face, “You sure ya don’t mind helpin’ ma family while I go to this here party? Ah want them to be there as much as anypony, but Ah also don’t want you to be missin’ out. After all, ya are Twilight’s best friend.”

Spike just waved her off, “Oh don’t you worry, I’ll be there,” he exclaimed, grinning confidently. “There’s no way in tartarus I’m gonna miss Twilight’s big day, especially not because of some pests ruining your apple trees.” He began to scoot Applejack towards the front door, “So go on, have fun, and save me some snacks at the horderve table, because when I’m done, that infestation won’t know what hit it! This dragon’s gonna bring the heat!”

Applejack chuckled at the dragon’s childish bravado and began to trot at her own pace towards the door. She soon stopped however and turned to give Spike a brief kiss on the cheek, causing the dragon to blush, “Ya really are a lifesaver, Spike. I owe you big when this all is over!”

She rushed towards the door at much faster speed in order to catch up with her friends, leaving Spike to twirl like a weather vane in the sudden breeze she kicked up. Spike found himself dazed for only a second, before quickly rushing out the door himself and towards Sweet Apple Acres.

He wanted to get this infestionation dealt with quickly so the greatest day of everycreature’s lives could truly begin.

Author's Note

Just as with the previous version of this story, pictures of characters in paper mario form will be pasted in the author's notes at the end of each chapter. Let it be noted that not all character appearing in this story will have fan art of them in paper mario form, so some chapters may have less pictures then others. Here are the paper mario designs for the Mane six, Spike, and Derpy Hooves:

images belongs to Yoshi Greenwater

Spike image belongs to Secret-Asian-Man

Derpy image belong to MLP-Scribbles

Introduction - A Party at Canterlot Castle - Part 2

After a decently short train ride and brisk walk through town, the group of mares found themselves on the other side of the drawbridge leading to Canterlot Castle.

"Alright, Twilight, you can come out now," Applejack said, calling out to the only pony not present in their group.

"Thank goodness."

Rainbow Dash slowly lifted her wing from her barrel, allowing a small folded square of purple paper to leap out from her feathers. The piece of paper quickly unfolded, to reveal their groaning monarch to be.

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck sorely. She winced as she spoke, “Remind me to never stay folded up that long again. I’ve never felt so stiff in my lifetime.”

Rarity’s expression softened a tad in concern, “I’m sorry we had to place you in such uncomfortable accommodations, Twilight, but it was the best way I could think of that would make certain you didn’t attract any attention.” She looked over the princess’s body and noticed a few crinkles and creases where she had been folded. “I truly wish we didn’t have to ruin your regal appearance in the process, but sadly some sacrifices had to be made.”

Pinkie waved off her concern with a hoof, “Ah don’t worry about it, Rarity. If we put her under a large flat surface object or run her over with a hot iron, she’ll go back to being crisp and flat in no time!~” Pinkie seemed almost too excited to do these things to Twilight as she listed them.

For the sake of not adding any more worries to the already monumental pile on her plate, Twilight decided to ignore Pinkie’s ideas. She looked up at the castle, finally realizing that they were still outside the castle instead of inside like she assumed they were. “Why’d you girls tell me to come out now!” she asked in a sudden panic. “It might still be early, but guests are arriving as we speak. If I go in there while still out in the open, there’s no doubt creatures are going to flock to me, and they’ll keep me so busy, I won’t have time to prepare for the ceremony!”

“That’s not goin’ to happen, sugarcube,” Applejack stated dismissively. “Remember, we’re gonna be in Canterlot Castle, the home of the currently ruling princesses. No creature would dare cause a scene here. Especially with it bein’ such a big day.”

Rainbow Dash fluttered over and wrapped her hood around Twilight’s shoulder, “And if anycreature does think they’re more important than the business you currently have going on, well… they’ll just have to get through us first.” She waved her hoof over the other mares in her party, “You can think of us as your security detail.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie shouted as she put on a pair of sunglasses and placed an earpiece in her ear, “We’ve got your back, Princess!”

Twilight smiled, “Thanks a lot, girls.” She started walking towards the castle, when she suddenly felt the familiar pull of magic on her tail. She turned her head to see Rarity holding her back with her tail in her magic aura.

“Before we go, we really should take care of those wrinkles.” Releasing Twilight from her magic, she then turned to Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, my rolling pin, please.” Pinkie stuck her hoof in her mane and pulled out a clean, wooden rolling pin with three diamonds printed on it’s center. She handed it to Rarity, “I have one of these at home and even a spare within my saddle bag, but as they say, a lady must always be prepared.” She smirked at Twilight and pointed the rolling pin at the ground, “Now please lie down on your side, darling. This won’t take but a minute.”

******

After being rolled completely flat again, Twilight and her friends trotted towards the royal guard stationed on the other end of the drawbridge. The pegasus guard smiled upon seeing the princess and bowed before allowing them entry.

“Enjoy the festivities, Princess Twilight Sparkle and friends.” Rainbow Dash grimaced.

“And friends..?” She whispered somewhat dejectedly.

"Shush!" Rarity quipped back at her in earnest.

The main lobby of the castle was a clamor with chatter as ponies, griffons, small dragons, yaks, kirens, and every other sentient creature in between spoke amongst each other. The voices were so loud and guests were so enraptured by the party, the mares though they could slip by completely unnoticed. They began taking their first steps into the lobby when the entire room suddenly grew utterly silent.

The other guests stared at them with blank expressions and baited breath. Not one of the six ponies dared say a word, for fear that this awkward silence they created would grow even worse. Suddenly, there was a "clop" on the castle's tile floor, then another, and another. Suddenly, the entire crowd of on-lookers were roaring, cheering, and applauding.

The mares smiled, their hearts filling with pride. It had been a long time since they had last saved Equestria. They all had assumed that everycreature’s adoration would have died down in that time, just like it had before after the other times they had saved the kingdom. Clearly, everycreature was still very thankful for everything the six mares had done.

Rainbow dash chuckled confidently. She whispered to Applejack, “Aw yeah, this is what I was looking for!” She paused in her gloating to wave at her adoring fans, “It’s about time everycreature recognized the pure awesomeness that is me.”

Applejack shook her head, “Now don’t be gettin’ a swelled head. Remember, this is Twilight’s big day, any attention we get is secondary.” She too waved at the crowd with the rest of her friends, “Even still, all this praise is awful nice.”

A random voice called out from the crowd, "Hooray for Princess Twilight!" The rest of the crowd cheered even louder.

The mares’ happy smiles suddenly turned into confused frowns. Twilight's frown hung especially low and looked both embarrassed and ashamed as the crowd continued to chant her name.

The crowd soon parted for a unicorn stallion as he made his way towards the six mares. The group recognized him as Chancellor Neighsay. The crowd grew silent again and dispersed as he approached them.

"Greetings, Princess Twilight Sparkle," He respectfully bowed before the princess. "It is a pleasure to see you all again, and thankfully under much more pleasant circumstances."

“Hello, Chancellor Neighsay," Twilight replied. "We’re glad you could attend, and please just call me Twilight.”

“I personally feel safer knowing I did,” he stated, happily rising from his knee. “After that business with Cozy Glow and King Sombra, I’ve come to feel when you’re all around that our kingdom is far more secure.”

The mares smiled at the stallion’s compliment. “Yep, our future definitely looks bright! In fact, I dare say..." They grimaced at the stallion's continued attempts at brown nosing.

“Thank you, Chancellor!" Twilight responded sternly, silencing the stallion before he could continue. “But, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to speak with Princess Celestia. I want her to know that I have arrived.”

“Of course, Princess!” Twilight's brows furled in annoyance at the stallion ignoring her past request. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have just left for the castle's throne room.”

"Thank you." Twilight nodded at the stallion before turning back towards her friends. “I’m going to go speak with the Princesses for a little while..." She paused. "Some recent events have got me thinking. I’ll join the rest of you again after the coronation.”

“Gotcha, Twi,” Applejack said, speaking for the group. “We’ll see ya again in a bit.”

Twilight smiled warmly at her friends, then cantered past the stallion towards the stairs that lead to the upper floors of the castle.

Chancellor Neighsay turned back towards the other mares. "The rest of you, please enjoy the party. Refreshments and snacks will be out shortly." Suddenly, he noticed a pony out of the corner of his eye. A stallion in a suit was placing silverware on the buffet table.

"You there! That utensil does not go there!" He watched as the stallion rearranged the silverware. "Not there either!" He continued to shout. "No, not like that! Ugh! You foolish... Let me show you!!"

The mares shot uneasy glances at each other as the elderly stallion stormed off, ready to live up to his namesake and tell somepony else how to do their job.

“Well alright, everypony, looks like it's just us now. What do y’all want to do first?” Applejack asked.

“I, for one, think we should-” Pinkie's gaze caught sight of something in the distance and she immediately stopped speaking. She drooled, as two staff stallions placed a large spongy tower of white icing and edible rose decorations on the dessert table. Pinkie Pie practically shot towards it with the speed of a lite rocket.

"MARBLE CAKE!!!”

The other mares looked terrified. They raced after the pink seeker missile that was their friend, hoping to Celestia and beyond that they’d catch her before she destroyed a perfectly good cake and started a scene.

“Pinkie Pie stop!” Rarity shouted. “You’re going to cause another Gala incident!”

******

Twilight gently opened and entered through the large ornamental doors that lead to the castle’s throne room. The hall, as always, looked elegant and was very brightly lit, thanks in-part to the mid-afternoon sun. The tile floors were shining many different colors as the light cascaded through several of the room’s colorful stained glass murals.

The Princesses were standing before their thrones at the other end of the hall. They seemed to be having a quiet conversation. Twilight smiled happily before galloping towards her fellow princesses.

The sound of her hooves drew the princesses’ attention. “Oh, Twilight!” The elder princesses both met the younger with a soft smile. “I’m so glad to see you made it to the celebration early. With your input, preparations for the coronation will be that much easier."

“I would never be tardy for such a momentous day, Princess Celestia,” Twilight replied cheerfully. “But, what are you two doing in the throne room so far away from the rest of the guests?"

“We are…” Princess Luna spoke hesitantly. She seemed to be searching for her next words. She looked embarrassed. “Resting... just for a moment.” Her cheeks were noticeably red. "Even with being alicorns, all that greeting can get... bothersome."

Princess Celestia gave her sister a comforting smile. She knew how much Luna disliked looking weak in front of other creatures.

“It can often get tiring greeting every guest that enters through our doors.” She offered as an explanation. “Nopony tends to wander around these parts of the castle during festivities, however. So it acts as the perfect safe haven for us when we need to get away.”

Twilight gave an understanding nod. She remembered the experience she had as a greeter at her first Grand Galloping Gala and how endless the arrival of guests seemed to be.

Celestia eyed her student. She noticed the sudden dour expression the young alicorn was wearing. She spoke in a motherly tone, "Twilight what seems to be the matter?"

Twilight looked up at the princesses expectantly, but she felt hesitant to say what was on her mind. "It's just..." She spoke softly. "Ever since I was announced to be the new ruler of Equestria, ponies have been treating me differently."

Soft smiles spread across the elder alicorns' lips.

"It's not like I don't appreciate it, the praise and adulation I mean; it just feels like eveycreature wants to put me up on a pedestal. They're ignoring my friends and giving me all the credit for the times we saved Equestria. I’m also afraid of becoming their ruler and making a mistake, and my concerns are only made worse because everycreature keeps insisting on treating me like... like..."

"Like royalty." Celestia interjected.

Twilight stared down at the floor tiles sullenly, "Yeah..."

"Hmm..." Celestia closed her eyes in thought. "Your situation sounds a lot like ours did when we first became the rulers of Equestria." She looked towards her sister, "Doesn't it, Luna?"

"Indeed it does, sister,” she answered with a smile.

Twilight looked confused, but Celestia began to explain, "As I'm sure you know, we weren't always the princesses you see before you today. We were always alicorns, but it wasn't till after the defeat of Discord all those years ago that the responsibility of the diarchy was thrusted on to us."

Luna continued, "We, like you, were unsure of what to make of the new titles we were given. We felt the same exact feelings you are experiencing now. The ponies of Equestria were also placing us upon pedestals, and as unfair as it may seem to others, it is a position we all have greatly earned. You and your friends maybe even more so than us."

Twilight's confusion lifted a little. Luna smiled, "The important thing to remember however, is not how important others see you, but how important you see others."

"What do you mean, princess?" Twilight asked curiously.

Celestia answered. "As princesses of Equestria, it is our duty to protect those that can't protect themselves, and to govern and rule fairly. No matter how much deserved adoration our subjects give us, we must always remember that every creature is just as important as we are. You must never show anypony any less respect just because great things have happened because of you. The merit of a good leader always falls upon their want to help others. Always remember this and keep your subjects’ best interests at heart and there’s no doubt in my mind you’ll become Equestria’s next great ruler."

"Do you understand this, my student?"

Twilight thought for a moment and contemplated her teacher's message. She then nodded warmly, "Yes, Princess Celestia, I understand."

Celestia grinned back approvingly. “Very good. Now then, Luna and I were just about to head to the balcony to enjoy the day’s lovely weather. Would you care to join us before we go about setting up for the ceremony?”

Twilight nodded eagerly. She hadn’t had a chance to sit down and casually talk with her mentor since she was a filly, and she still had so many questions about being a monarch.

The three princesses started to make their way back towards the throne room's ornamental door.

*BOOM*

The floors suddenly began to rumble forcing the princesses to steady their legs. Outside, they could hear the sounds of the earth cracking apart, as if the entire mountainside were caught in the middle of an unexpected earthquake.

Twilight shouted, "What's going on?!"

******

Back in the castle's main lobby the rest of the party guests were struggling to keep themselves standing. Party goers were falling over each other; decorations were being thrown this way and that, and only those who could fly were avoiding the worst of the earthquake.

At the castle's entry door, the royal guard tasked with greeting guests staggered violently to remain on his hooves. He noticed the outside courtyard of the castle was shaking significant less than the inside. He quickly shouted to the masses.

"Everycreature outside!" His voice rang over to their panicking screams. "It's not safe to remain in the castle!"

In their panicked state, the crowd of guests were in no mood to argue. They rushed towards the safety of the outdoors, ignoring anything and everything standing in their way...

...including the guard.

The pegasus guard slowly picked himself up and dusted off the dirt and crinkles covering his body. He shot one last steely-eyed glance towards the castle's main lobby before following the anxious crowd outside. As he left, he failed to notice a group of five mares charging up the main stairwell.

The crowd had made it to the other side of the castle's drawbridge, where, thankfully, the ground was remaining stable. The guard strode towards the masses, noticing that they were being corralled by the rest of his squadron. He shouted to regain their attention.

"Did everycreature make it out of the castle!" he called out as if giving an order, "We need to know if anycreature is still trapped inside!"

A random voice cut from the crowd, "There are still a bunch of guests in there that went to explore the higher floors! And the princesses are still in the throne room!"

"The princesses can take care of themselves!" he said calmly to the crowd. "As for the rest of the guests, don't worry. We are going to send in a small platoon to-"

The ground began to rumble even more violently than before.

The crowd looked to the skies with mixed expressions of shock and terror. The guards slowly followed their gaze, and couldn't believe what they were seeing.

The entirety of Canterlot castle had been lifted from the ground and was now floating away like a lost helium balloon. The castle's base sat upon, what looked like, a giant black termite mound with eerie, green glowing holes scattered about it.

Ponies, griffons, dragons, and all others watched in horror as the castle raised higher and higher into the sky, until finally it grew too small to accurately see.

Guards and guests alike were speechless, no one dared say a word. Only one stallion in the crowd was willing to speak the one question everycreature was silently asking.

“What the hay just happened?!”

******

The princesses returned to their hooves once they felt the ground was no longer shaking. They shot uneasy glances between each other as they tried to make sense of their situation.

"Sister, what has just occurred?" The lunar princess asked groggily.

"I haven't the foggiest idea, Luna. Whatever it was, it seems to have stopped now." Despite her words of relief, Celestia still sounded worried.

"Look!" Twilight shouted. The princesses looked towards the stained glass window depicting Shining Armor's and Princess Cadence's wedding. It wasn't shining bright like it had been moments earlier. Now it just seemed to twinkle, with only a few small faint pricks of lights glistening through the window's vast array of colors.

The three princesses were dumbstruck. "Are those... stars?!" Twilight asked. "But the sky was clear a few minutes ago."

The elder princesses struggled to think of a reason for there being stars during the day, but only succeeded in befuddling themselves even further. Suddenly, a loud buzzing sound like vibrating wings on an insect replaced the silence in the room. The princesses turned their attention back towards the stained glass window, and the large murky black shape flying right towards it.

*CRASH* The windowpane was shattered as a body the size of a boulder burst through it. It collided with the floor on four colossal hooves, shaking the room and disorienting the princesses. The beast soon stood to its full height, the princesses gasped in shock, “Tirek?!”

Behind the magic stealing behemoth, a tall, sinister-looking changeling followed, and, in much more graceful manner, landed before the princesses. She smirked devilishly at them with a clear look of confidence.

"Thank you for taking the lead, Tirek." She said without even looking at the centaur. "I do so enjoy making a memorable entrance."

Tirek only scoffed at her as he began to brush off the glass shard that now covered his body. "Yeah, yeah, next time I get to throw you through a window," he promised her.

"Queen Chrysalis..." The princesses glowered hatefully at the changeling queen. "We should have guessed you two would come to spoil Twilight’s coronation." Luna snarled

Chrysalis stifled a chuckle, "Oh, I'm sorry. Do you not enjoy our gift?" Sarcastically, she acted emotionally hurt. "And here I was thinking, a newly redecorated castle would be the perfect thing to give you on this day of celebration." She let out a mock sigh, before shooting a proud look towards the starry sky sitting outside the broken window. "Well even still, if nothing else, you have to admit the new castle certainly has a better view."

"Return our castle to the grounds of Canterlot immediately!" Luna shouted. Celestia raised a hoof to block her sister.

"Neither of you are welcome in this kingdom." Celestia spoke threateningly, but kept a calm tone to her voice. "Whatever you have planned, I assure you it will fail. The Bearers of Harmony are currently in the castle, the same few ponies that have defeated you several times before." Her gaze focused upon the changeling queen and centaur, "Return the castle to its rightful place now and leave, before my sister, the Bearers, and myself are forced to remove you personally."

The two villains tried to stifle their laughter, but soon broke into fits of uproarious mirth. The three princesses' glares intensified.

"I don't think you're in any position to be making threats, Celestia." Tirek replied with a confident smirk. "You no longer have any authority here! Your castle is currently thousands of miles above the Equestrian borders sitting atop a hive of rogue changelings we brought onto our side. The majority of your guard ponies are still on ground level, while our forces are currently stalking the halls. This castle is under our control now, princess! Now you obey us!

Luna snarled with fury and stepped closer towards the pair, "You dare make such a claim in front of us!" She growled with contempt.

"Don't even try it, Princess of the Moon." Chrysalis spoke condescendingly. "At the wedding, I was able to defeat your big sister without any problems.”

Tirek smirked, “And I recall not even getting to fight you and sister. You hid your magic in this one…” He pointed at Twilight, “You and the other princesses were too scared to even face me when I wasn’t at full power. What chance do you honestly think you have now that we're working together?"

Luna furled her brows in anger, "You had the love of and stolen magic of our subjects to rely on before." Luna said with confidence, "Now you are alone, with nothing to feed on, thanks to our guests being downstairs. Your strength now is nowhere near as powerful as it was back then." Both villains’' looks of superiority never faltered, yet Luna failed to notice. Celestia felt uneasy.

"Our strength on the other hoof..."

Luna charged a powerful blast of blue energy from her horn and fired it at the changeling and centaur. Chrysalis and Tirek embraced the blast in silence as it engulfed their body. A thick cloud of dust was kicked up from the blast and covered half the room from sight.

Luna turned back towards Celestia and Twilight, a proud smirk parting her lips, "They should remain unconscious well after the smoke has cleared, with very minor injuries at most." Twilight applauded Princess Luna. Celestia still looked uneasy.

"That was incredible Princess Luna!" Twilight cheered. She began to wonder if the fighting instincts she had inherited in her battle against Tirek were mostly channeled from Princess Luna's magic.

"Yes, that was very impressive." A sarcastic chide called out from the smoke. Luna turned back towards the voice in shock. The dust began to clear, Queen Chrysalis and Tirek were standing in the same spot they had already been, looking no worse for wear. Strangely, their bodies were glowing a constantly shifting array of colors.

"Or it would have been..." Tirek continued the queen’s chiding. "If we hadn't planned ahead."

"H-how..." Luna mouthed in disbelief.

The changeling queen smirked confidently. "Oh, I don't know... maybe you're losing your edge?" She tapped her chin mockingly. "Or it could be the work of our newest little accessory." She lifted her hoof to point at Tirek’s chest. Princess Twilight's eyes widened upon finally noticing the bejeweled bell strapped around the centaur’s neck.

"That’s… That’s the Bewitching Bell!" Twilight shouted, recognizing it from the fairytale of Gusty the Great and The Dark Lord Grogar. “It has the power to absorb and nullify magic!”

"Oh! You've heard of it!" The queen answered with a smile. "Isn't it amazing what you can find buried on Mountain Ski Resorts. Would you like a demonstration of what it can do?" Queen Chrysalis's horn glowed a bright eerie green. She cackled wickedly as a large opaque bubble of magic of the same color engulfed the lunar princess.

"Luna!" "Princess Luna!" Princess Celestia and Twilight shouted in unison.

As quickly as it came, the magic faded, and the princess of the moon was nowhere to be seen. In her place was a strange looking creature with five pointed ends and a pudgy body the same color as Luna's coat. It was sitting amongst Luna's scattered regalia and had a splotch of black covering its back with a crescent moon sitting in the center.

Celestia looked down at the strange creature, worry clearly present in her eyes. "L-Luna?" She asked. The creature looked up at the princess. It looked scared and confused.

"Sister..."

The princesses glowered angrily at the pair of invaders as they continued to cackle. "Do you like your new look princess? I have to say it very much suits you!" Chrysalis turned towards her partner, "Wouldn't you agree, Tirek?"

"Yeah," he gloated condescendingly, "she looks real cute! I can’t wait to smash her under my hoof."

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room burst open revealing a group of five mares.

"Twilight, what the hay is happenin'?!" Applejack shouted from the doorway.

"I think somepony already asked that, Applejack." Pinkie Pie stated.

The mares' attention soon turned towards the changeling and centaur standing between them and the princesses. They all let out a collective gasp.

"Chrysalis?! Tirek?!" Rainbow shouted in contempt. "What are you doing back in Canterlot?!"

"Yeah!" Pinkie added. "Nasty meaners like yourselves weren't invited to this party!"

"Girls!" Twilight sprinted past the villains and met her closest friends with a hug. She stared at them urgently, "We need to summon the Powers of Harmony! Queen Chrysalis and Tirek have found the Bewitching Bell and their magic has become far more powerful than anything we’ve seen before. They’re the reason the castle is flying, and Chrysalis has already transformed Princess Luna into some kind of creature! We need to stop her!"

The mares looked shocked, they quickly shot their eyes towards the other princesses. Princess Celestia was holding the now-transformed Princess Luna in her forehooves. They then looked to the shattered windowpane and saw the starry night sky. The group steeled their resolve, they knew it was time to save the day. The five mares got into their positions around Twilight.

"Let's do this!" Said Rainbow Dash.

"For the good of Equestria!" Said Rarity.

"We got your back, Twilight!" Said Applejack.

"You can count on us!" Said Fluttershy.

"Let’s kick both these meanie pants in their metaphorical meanie pants!" Said Pinkie Pie.

Twilight smiled at friends then eyed the villains with contempt, "This ends here, for the both of you!"

Tirek smirked. "Oh so confident." His words were laced with mirth. He pushed past Chrysalis, "I’ll handle this. Come on you multi-colored mules, give me your best shot! Even with your precious Powers of Harmony there is no way you could stop me now! With the powers of this bell, I am invincible!" The girls refused to respond, they knew the Powers of Harmony were stronger than any force the changeling queen or magic-stealing centaur could get ahold of.

The six mares focused their energies, they each called upon their respective elements for their power, they closed their eyes and...

...Nothing happened.

The mares' eyes widened in shock.

"What gives?!" Rainbow shouted looking amongst herself and her oddly non-glowing friends.

"Yeah?" Pinkie asked quizzically, "Aren't we supposed to be all glowy and merchandisable right about now?"

Tirek chuckled, "You honestly think I’d come after you all now without giving myself a little insurance. After the last time you managed to send me back to Tartarus?!"

Twilight immediately knew what he was implying. She drew back in disbelief, "Wha-what did you do to the Tree of Harmony!" She sounded afraid to hear the answer.

"Nothing you'll need to be worried about." His large orb of fiery orange energy glow between his horns before blazing out at the six mares like the breath of a dragon. The blast left the six paper mares twirling on their back hooves like weathervanes in a storm, before falling flat on their stomachs unconscious.

Chrysalis laughed in triumph. "Finally, we've won! Equestria is finally ours to command!" She turned away from her partner and shot towards the door, "I’ll go get the changelings in here so we can lock the princesses away! While I’m gone make sure you nullify Celestia's magic, I don't want her or her sister escaping!"

Tirek waved her off with little care, "Right, right, whatever you say." He turned back towards the element bearers, “As for you six, I think it’s time I removed you from the picture permanently.” His horns lit up with the same fiery orange energy and six bolts of lighting suddenly struck the ground where each mare was laying. They each flew from the floor and out the castle's broken window.

"Twilight!" The princesses shouted in unison. Princess Celestia flew to the window sill and stared with Luna in horror as the six heroes of Equestria tumbled downward like leaves in the wind. The six mares soon vanished into the distance below as the changeling guards came to collect their prisoners.

The two sisters were carted off out of the throne room as the Chrysalis and Tirek continued to laugh wildly in triumph. With the princesses captured, the Bearers defeated, and this new power at their side, the two were certain that nothing could stand in the way of their conquest now.

Cozy Glow soon flew into the room as the princesses were taken away, “Sorry I’m late, I was leading the rogue changelings around the castle to make sure we got everycreature. Did I miss anything?”

Author's Note

Now that the set up has been reestablished, the new stuff can begin! I'm very excited. Can you tell?~ :pinkiehappy: :raritywink: :rainbowkiss:

Here are the paper mario designs for Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, The Royal Guards, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna:

Video and models used belong to YoshiGreenwater

Royal Guard image belongs to FinePrint-MLP

Celestia and Luna images belong to Lucarionme

Prologue: A Plea from the Elements - Part 1

Back at ground level, within an orchard filled with apple trees, Princess Twilight Sparkle laid unconscious after her great fall from Canterlot Castle.

The orchard was silent, save for a few distant birds who hadn’t been scared away after Twilight broke through the branches of an apple tree on her way to the ground. The wind was deathly still and the leaves weren’t even attempting to rustle.

Six magical plinks, each emerging one after the other as if they were the beats to a song, suddenly appeared breaking the silence. Above Twilight now floated a ring of six transparent spirits, one almost exactly resembling herself, while the others resembled her friends.

The spirits resembling Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash quickly flew down to inspect Twilight’s beaten and crumpled body, “Oh, thank harmony! She’s been gravely injured, but I think she’ll be able to recover.” The spirit resembling Fluttershy said. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

If Twilight were still conscious, she might have felt the warmth given off by the spirits, almost as if a unicorn had ignited their horn right next to her.

“But Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow have the Bewitching Bell, and have stolen the magical energies of the Tree of Harmony! I really hate to say it—and I mean that. I really, really hate to say it—but they are mightier than Twilight Sparkle and her friends now. Even if she can make a full recovery and gather back her allies, they won’t be able to defeat those villains. All is lost!” The spirit resembling Rainbow Dash was fuming and her words held tone that made it clear she didn't want to believe what she was saying.

“Both of you! Just calm down,” the spirit resembling Twilight suddenly spoke. “This is no time to be losing our heads. Remember, as long as we keep it together, there’s always hope.” She extended her front hoof outwards before urging her comrades to do the same. “Now please, join me in this brief exercise…”

The other spirits extended their front hooves out in front of them as well at her request. They then brought their hooves to their chests with an inhale before extending outwards, exhaling out all their anxieties.

Once successfully calmed down, the spirit resembling Twilight continued. “Our fates are in Twilight Sparkle’s hooves, just like they have been so many times before. We must try to revive her.”

They each flew closer over the unconscious mare. The spirit resembling Twilight pleaded to her friends, “Gather round, everyspirit. Send Twilight Sparkle your power!”

Flashes of light, like tiny soundless fireworks, started to erupt all over the surface of Twilight’s body. Each individual flash resembled the coat color of each respective spirit, and as they sent more of their power to the downed princess, the flashes appeared more rapidly.

Soon, a large pulse of energy radiated off Twilight’s body as the flashes began to appear one after the other in a split second succession. The spirits sighed heavily after sensing the pulse. They had little power left to give, so their attempts to awaken the mare left them exhausted.

“Phew… that’s it. That’s all we can do for her right now,” the spirit resembling Twilight stated in dismay. She flew away from her fellow spirits, closer towards the mare who shared her face. “Twilight Sparkle… it is up to you now. Please get up… Please…”

The spirits vanished. They were no longer able to keep themselves tethered to Twilight’s location without the power they expunged. Twilight now laid alone in the orchard again, with no one but the birds in the trees and overhead aware of her current location.

The sounds of hooves trotting against grass soon broke out near where Twilight laid. “It really sounded like somethin’ fell somewhere around here…” A small filly with a bright red mane and big pink bow stepped into the light near the unconscious mare. She noticed Twilight. “Oh… Who could that be?”

She recognized the pony before her as a mare. “Excuse me, mame, but ma family doesn’t like it when ponies sleep in our orchard. Ah’m gonna have to ask you ta…”

Her eyes widened. “Princess Twilight?!” She rushed over and began looking over the mare. “Okay, she’s got a horn, wings, and a unique mane and tail style… this has got to be Twilight!”

The filly placed her hooves on Twilight’s body and began trying to shake her awake, “Hey! Hey! Wake up! C’mon! Up and at ‘em.” When Twilight fell over onto her side like a cardboard cutout, the filly started to panic. “Oh no! She won’t wake up!”

She began to rush around the area. She paced quickly in a frantic state as she racked her brain for solutions on how to wake the motionless mare, “Oh no! Oh no! What am Ah gonna do?! Oh Celestia! Oh curse word!” She jumped when a sudden thought appeared in her head. She turned on her hooves and began sprinting back in the direction she came from. “Granny! Sugar Belle!! Big Mac-in-tosh!!!”

******

Twilight awoke on her back in a place as dark as the painting her brother told her about. She briefly tried to remember its name, but all she could recall was the words “nights” and “hallway.”

Before she could continue this train of thought any farther, a sudden flash of light caught her attention, and when it subsided she was left with a transparent reflection of herself floating in midair. Then, much to her surprise, the reflection spoke. “Twilight Sparkle… Can you hear me, Twilight Sparkle...?”

Twilight could not believe what she was seeing. Questions began rushing around her brain like the Wonderbolts rushing around a racetrack. “How do you know my name? Who or what are you? What is this place?”

The transparent reflection gave Twilight a smile that reminded her of the smiles Princess Celestia would often give her just before offering advice. “You already know who I am, Twilight Sparkle. After all, we have been working together for quite some time. Though I will admit we have never truly communicated in this way before.”

Twilight blinked at her reflection in confusion. The reflection continued to smile. “For all intents and purposes, you can call me, Magic. I am one of the Elements of Harmony, and I have infiltrated your dreams so I may tell you something of the utmost importance…”

Twilight’s head was spinning. She had heard tales from some of her students at the School of Friendship that they had spoken to a spiritual manifestation of the Tree of Harmony, but never before had she considered their claims to actually be true. She had always assumed the Tree of Harmony was just an incredibly powerful magical object, one of the few she was content with leaving unstudied due to the importance its presence held in keeping Equestria from falling into chaos. Despite her studious nature, she had never even considered the idea that the Tree, let alone its Elements, could be sentient.

All these unknowns were peaking the young alicorn’s ever present curiosity, so she drew a more attentive ear towards Magic as it continued to speak. “This matter concerns the current princesses… as well as all of the rest of the world…”

Magic started to flicker like a lightbulb almost ready to burn out. Magic’s expression quickly turned to that of concern. “It would seem I haven’t the strength to speak with you here…” the element said begrudgingly. “Twilight Sparkle… I am going to need you to come and meet me at the Tree of Harmony, underneath the Castle of the Two Sisters… I wish to tell you more, but sadly, I am fading as it is...”

Magic began to flicker more sporadically, actually vanishing completely before returning a split second later right before Twilight’s eyes. “Please… Twilight Sparkle… The other Elements and I will be waiting for you at the Tree…” Magic started to fade more slowly, more than likely this time out of its own volition, before disappearing completely and leaving Twilight, once again, alone in the dark.

******

Twilight shot up onto her haunches with a start. To her surprise, she found she had been gently tucked into somecreature’s bed. She looked around at her surroundings. She needed to see if she could spot any familiar landmarks that could tell her where she ended up while unconscious.

She noticed a stetson hat and two pairs of coiled rope hanging off of hooks on the walls; several small red apples were decoration the covers to her pillows; a larger red apple was painted on the door; an even larger red apple was painted near the ceiling of the-

Twilight couldn’t believe she was being so meticulous about this. She knew exactly where she was.

“How did I get into Applejack’s room? Last thing I remember, I was in Canterlot Castle when…” Her eyes widened, the memories of her battle with Tirek and Chrysalis suddenly flowed back to the forefront of her mind. She quickly kicked off the blankets covering her before jumping onto the floor. She was in such a hurry to get moving back to the castle that she didn’t even notice somecreature had already opened the door to check up on her.

Twilight turned to leave the room. “Twi...Twilight!” She was not expecting to see her number one assistant blocking the doorway.

He rushed forward and wrapped himself around her front left leg. “I’m so happy to see you awake!” He shouted with no shortage of relief in his voice. Though she was unaware of what had Spike feeling so worried, Twilight couldn’t help but return the hug.

“When Apple Bloom found you out in the middle of the orchard, everycreature was worried sick! You haven’t opened your eyes for days and days! We were beginning to fear the worst! Thank Celestia you're okay!”

Twilight could feel some of the dragon’s tears soaking into her paper body. If he was not asked to back away soon, the soaked area of her leg could potentially become fragile and rip. Twilight was well aware of the damage water could do to paper, but at that moment, her mind was currently elsewhere. “Spike… how long did you say I was unconscious?”

Spike backed away from the princess. “Days, Twilight. I don’t think I had ever been more scared.”

Twilight didn’t reply and instead rushed clear out the door. Spike was left spinning, but once he righted himself, he shot off after the princess. “Twilight! Come back! You just woke up from a coma! You shouldn’t be exerting yourself like this!”

Twilight burst through the front door of the Apple Family’s farmhouse, causing it to swing back and smack against the front wall of their home. Everypony who was out and about in front of the house suddenly drew their attention to the frantic looking mare now standing on their porch.

Twilight leapt over the stairs and onto the ground in a sprint, leaving Granny Smith, Sugar Belle, and Apple Bloom no time to ask how she was feeling as she ran past them. Spike soon ran out onto the porch when Twilight was about half way across the yard. He noticed Big Macintosh was standing in front of the gate leading to the road that led back to Ponyville. Figuring the large stallion had a better chance of intercepting Twilight then he did, Spike called out to his friend. “Big Mac, we’ve got a runner! Don’t let Twilight get past that gate!”

Big Mac turned to see Twilight rushing straight towards him. He knew that she hadn’t been awake for the last few days, so running about as she was would probably slow down or even halt her recovery. He decided to follow Spike’s orders without question. “E’yup!”

Twilight saw Big Mac step in between her and the gate. Her brows furrowed in annoyance, “Big Mac, get out of my way! I don’t have time to waste fooling around with you!”

Big Mac shook his head. “Nope.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Big Mac! This is your final warning!”

The stallion stood strong and unmoving. Twilight couldn’t help but growl at his stubbornness. “Fine! But don’t say I didn’t warn you!” Twilight ignited her horn with the full intention of tossing Big Mac aside with her telekinesis. His landing following the tossing would probably give him a few krinkles and maybe some tiny cuts, but she was certain Big Mac was hardy enough to be able to walk off the damage. She got ready to cast the spell, only to gasp in surprise when her horn sputtered and sparked out. So surprised was she in fact, that she completely forgot to stop running and ended up crashing into the large stallion’s broad chest.

Big Mac wrapped his front legs around the confused mare before she had a chance to flee. Twilight struggled to break free of his grasp. “Let me go, Big Mac! I need to go to the Castle of the Two Sisters right now! The fate of the world depends on it!”

“Nope.” Big Mac replied.

Spike soon caught up to the captured mare with Sugar Belle and Apple Bloom following right behind him. “Twilight, please calm down!” Spike pleaded. “Whatever’s got you so riled up, I’m sure it can wait until after you get some more bed rest.”

“No, Spike!” Twilight argued back. “You don’t understand! The Element of Magic came to me in a dream! It said that it had something important to tell me, and I can only speak to it at the Tree of Harmony!” She began to kick her legs back into Big Macintosh’s stomach. “So! Let! Me! Go!” The stallion continued to stand strong, but was unable to hide his pained expressions following each blow he received to the gut.

“Princess, stop!” Sugar Belle shouted. “You’re hurting Big Macintosh!”

Twilight didn’t listen. She only continued to thrash within the stallion’s front legs, her panic addled mind preventing her from regaining any sense of clarity.

“Now what in the sam hay is goin’ on over here?!” Everycreature paused and turned when they heard the Apple Family’s oldest member shout at them.

Granny Smith hobbled over to the group with a clear look of annoyance etched firmly on her face. “Big Macintosh!” she continued to shout. “What do ya think your doin’?” Once reaching the group, she pointed her hoof at the stallion accusatively. “Now Ah know yer Ma, Pa, and Ah didn’t raise you to be treatin’ no mares like that! You put the princess down this instant!”

Big Mac gulped. He really didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of Granny Smith’s famous punishments, especially not in front of his new wife. He placed Twilight back on the ground as gently as he could manage. “You’re right, Granny. Ah’m sorry.”

“Ah ain’t the one you should be apologizin’ to…” He shot her eyes over towards Twilight to give him a hint.

Big Mac nodded and turned to look at Twilight. “Ah am very sorry, Princess. Please forgive me.”

Now that Twilight wasn’t fighting to break free of Big Macintosh’s grasp anymore, she couldn’t help but feel a tad guilty for her actions a moment ago. Granny Smith soon turned her disappointed gaze towards Twilight. The princess suddenly felt like she had been caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

“As for you, what do you think you’re doin’?” Twilight physically sunk lower to the ground in response to Granny Smith’s question. “We find you knocked out colder than Berry Punch on cider season, and lug you all the way from the southern orchard to the farmhouse so you can rest… and this is how you repay us? Runnin’ away without so much as a “thank you” and “good bye”.” Granny raised a brow at Twilight, causing a heavy feeling to form in the pit of her stomach.

“Now that’s just bad manners, your majesty. Ah would have expected better from the next ruler of Equestria.”

Twilight hung her head in shame. “I’m sorry, Granny Smith.” She turned towards Spike and the rest of the Apple Family, “I’m sorry, everycreature. It was rude of me to try and leave without at least giving you a full explanation. I'll tell you everything.”

Twilight recounted her story in full, starting from when Tirek and Chrysalis attacked Canterlot Castle up to the dream she had of the Element of Magic. Suffice it to say, everycreature in her audience was stunned.

“Canterlot has been captured again?!” Apple Bloom shouted in disbelief. “What is this, the fourth or fifth time now?”

Sugar Belle huddled up close to Big Macintosh, both of them were using each other for comfort after hearing the story. “To think, we could have been swept in all that madness if we hadn’t been here. We could have been prisoners right now!” Sugar Belle stated in shock. “We really are lucky. Even still, all those poor captured creatures.”

Big Mac nodded in agreement. “E’yup.”

Granny Smith looked the most worried. “And your tellin’ me, Applejack was thrown out the window alongside you and the rest of your friends?”

Twilight solemnly nodded her head. “I believe so. At least, I think I saw Applejack and others fly out with me just before I blacked out.”

Spike noticed how depressed the current conversation was making his friends, so he decided to raise their hopes a little bit with some words of encouragement. “I’m sure Applejack’s alright, Granny Smith. She’s tough, just like the rest of you Apples. No fall from dizzying heights is going to keep her down for long!” The small smiles he noticed appearing on their faces encouraged him to say even more. “Plus, Twilight is going to be venturing out any minute now. I’m sure she’ll find Applejack in no time, and once the Bearers are back together and they’ve gathered all the Elements, Twilight, Applejack, and everypony else is going head up there and kick Tirek and Queen Chrysalis’s sorry tails all the way back to the ground!”

Much like ponies at a pep rally, the Apple Family couldn’t help but feel invigorated by Spike’s rousing speech. Granny Smith turned to Big Mac and pointed towards the gate. “Well then, what are ya waitin’ for, Big Mac? Open up that there gate and let the princess get on her way. She’s got a world to save!”

Apple Bloom and Spike cheered as Big Mac trotted towards the gate. He put his hoof on the latch to unlock it, before slowly moving to push the gate open.

“Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!”

The ponies and dragon suddenly looked to the sky, where they saw a large creature zoom overhead before whipping back to hover over the gate Big Mac had yet to open.

“Ha Ha Ha… So, my instincts were right… you did survive the fall from Canterlot Castle. I should have expected as much after allowing Tirek to deal with you.”

“Queen Chrysalis?!” Spike shouted in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by and see how my second most hated pony is feeling.” A wicked smile parted her lips. “I see that you're doing well, so I’m going to have to do something about that.”

Granny Smith cocked a brow at the Changeling Queen. “Now Ah’m plenty old, so my memory ain’t what it used ta be, but could somecreature remind me who this big ugly bug is who’s floatin’ over our gate? Mean Crystal, er somethin’?”

“Ugly…” Chrysalis was taken aback by that comment. “You rude little… I am the beautiful Queen Chrysalis, you old hag! The once great ruler of the Changeling species, before those traitors decided to desert me!” She turned her head to the side and folded her forelegs. “Hmmmph! Mean Crystal indeed.” She shot Granny Smith a venomous glare. “You lucky I don’t have time to teach you a lesson, old mare.”

She turned her gaze back towards Twilight. “Princess Twilight! Hear this! It is useless for you to try and save your fellow princesses. It is also ridiculous and furthermore laughable! As you have seen, Tirek and I are more powerful than even you or the Tree of Harmony can deal with this time. But just in case you were thinking of playing the hero… here’s a gift for you!”

Chrysalis’s horn glowed an eerie green light, causing an object to appear high above the gate within an transparent sphere of magic of the same color. A large stone block soon materialized before dropping straight down and destroying the gate.

Big Mac jumped back before the block could crush him, Sugar Belle quickly rushing to his side. “Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! You’ll never get past this barricade, Twilight. That block is enchanted and is made out of solid changeling stone, so even if you did have your magic, it would do you no good.”

The changeling queen cackled in triumph. “I hope you enjoy your time stuck here on the farm, because the rest of your world is ours now! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

Chrysalis turned and shot off into the sky until she was too far away for the ponies and dragon to see. They all turned their eyes towards the barricade. The first creature to react was Big Macintosh, who huffed in annoyance. Sugar Belle looked up at her husband with deep sympathetic eyes. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Big Mac. Fixing that gate took you all morning too.”

Big Mac grumbled. “Ummmmmm… E’yup.” The large stallion looked about ready to uproot a tree in response to his anger.

Sugar Belle turned to look and silently whispered, “No creature say “gate” to him for a little while… okay?” The others nodded in agreement.

Apple Bloom trotted over towards the changeling stone and gave it an experimental kick. As expected, it was a big hunk of rock so it didn’t move. She looked back towards her family and friends with a look of dismay. “Well what are gonna do now? No creature can get to Ponyville from here with this block in the way.”

Spike scratched his head in confusion, “Can’t we just climb over the fence?” Spike wandered towards the fence next to the block and tried to pull himself over. He soon stopped an invisible barrier however, an effect likely caused by the enchantment Chrysalis mentioned, at the point where he should have been able to vault the top railing of the fence.

Spike rubbed his nose as he walked back over towards Twilight, “We can scratch that idea.” He complained. “You have any solutions in mind, Twilight?”

Spike looked up at Twilight, hoping that once again she’d have the answer to all their problems. Twilight however was drawing a blank. Without her magic, she couldn’t lift the stone. She experimentally flapped her wings to see if they could provide her any lift. She only succeeded in tiring herself out, so her flying was gone as well.

She turned towards the others. “I’m willing to hear your ideas if you all have any more of them, because my usual methods are currently lost to me.”

Twilight explained that her magic and her ability to fly had likely been stolen during her battle with Tirek. The others looked disheartened, but they refused to look defeated. They didn’t want to squash what little confidence Twilight had left in saving the world now that the odds had been stacked so much against her.

Granny Smith scratched her chin as she began to think. Soon an idea hit her and her smile quickly returned. “Here’s an idea!” Granny Smith exclaimed excitedly. “Ah just recently had Big Macintosh build a veranda behind the farmhouse.”

Big Mac sighed. “With my luck today, that’s probably been destroyed too.”

“He’s always leavin’ his tools lyin’ around after big projects like that.”

Big Mac furrowed his brows. “Granny, please stop kickin’ me while Ah’m down.” Sugar Belle nestled up closer to Big Macintosh and gave her special stallion a supportive hug.

“Ah reckon there’s gotta be somethin’ there you can use to smash this rock to pieces.”

Twilight nodded her head. Granny Smith’s idea was a little far fetched, but right now it was the only solution they had at the moment. “Alright. Attacking it with a tool is better than nothing.” Twilight stepped out of Granny Smith’s path, allowing her a straight shot towards the farmhouse. “Please lead the way, Granny Smith.”

She happily did so, but before she got too far, Granny Smith turned back around and called out to her family and Spike. “You four work on seein’ if you can move the block yourselves. There’s no sense in any of us wastin’ time doing nothin’ while the world is at stake.”

Spike and Apple Bloom saluted like little soldiers before rushing over to start pushing the rock out of the way. Big Mac and Sugar Belle both nodded and headed over at a more leisurely pace, more than likely to enjoy each other’s company before they had to start working.

Twilight spent a minute watching the group walk over towards the stone block. She couldn’t help but feel extremely flattered that they would drop everything they were doing prior just to help her. She knew that they were her friends and that the safety of the free world was at stake, but even still, the sentiment was very much present and appreciated.

She turned back around and noticed Granny Smith had already entered the house without her. Realizing she had been distracted, Twilight rushed back towards the farmhouse in order to catch up with the elderly mare.

She quickly trotted through the house after gently opening the front door. She didn’t want to damage the front wall of the farmhouse, or the door for that matter, any further just because she was in a hurry. She opened the back door and stepped out onto the veranda...

...except, there was no veranda.

Twilight found herself standing in midair just above a steep incline that rested right behind the farmhouse. Granny Smith was nowhere in sight, and it quickly became clear to Twilight that the veranda must have been built on stilts.

The princess quickly turned around and tried to run back through the farmhouse’s back door, but with no ground under her hooves, she soon realized she was getting nowhere fast. She fell and bounced off the surface of the incline, and continued to do so all the way down as her body crumpled and compacted into a ball of wadded paper.

What waited for her at the bottom of the incline, she was not sure. But one thing was definitely for certain, this was turning out to be one tartarus of a morning.

Author's Note

So in the last chapter, when I said the new stuff starts now, I was kind of fibbing. :twilightsheepish: This is a new chapter definitely (I wrote it from scratch and everything), but it takes a lot of elements from the previous version of the prologue in the previous version of this story. Hopefully I made this version different enough that it feels newish, just in case any of you remember the pervious version of this chapter from the old story.

I hope you guys enjoy~ :ajsmug: :twilightsmile: :pinkiehappy:

Here are the paper mario designs for Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh. Sorry, but I couldn't find any paper versions of Granny Smith or Sugar Belle.

Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom images belong to FinePrint-MLP