Another Side of Friendship

by The Great Twixie

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Twilight Sparkle, Drama, Trixie, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy, Starlight Glimmer, Tempest Shadow, Sunset Shimmer, Slice of Life
Length: 48528

A new story of Twilight with a new (and possible unstable) group of friends.

It's strange how a single change can create a massive difference in somepony's life.

Somewhere in a different world, Twilight Sparkle is thrust into an unforeseen destiny with the most unlikely (and possibly unstable) group of friends to fight the forces of darkness and bring the magic of friendship back to Equestria.

That's if they don't kill each other first.

Inspired by Lets Do This’ “Not Exactly Friends” series

Cover art done by Kids-In-The-Corner

Check out the rest of the series here:

Part 2: Pony Tails

Part 3: Mares of Justice

Published 2020-09-24 00:30:00 UTC
Last updated 2020-10-27 15:45:10 UTC

An Old (and New) Mare’s Tale

“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.”

“The eldest, the strong and courageous Celestia, used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn,
showering the land in its warmth and beauty. The youngest, the humble and wise Luna,
brought out the moon to begin the night, guarding the dreams of those bathed in its light.”

Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies.
But as time went on, the eldest sister became consumed by her own desires. Though the ponies loved
and honored the elder sister above all, her greed was never satisfied.”

“The elder sister demanded offerings and worship from her subjects; statues and temples built in her honor.
If anypony denied her whims, the elder sister refused to lower the sun to make way for the night,
burning the lands in its cruel and unforgiving rays until her desires were sated.”

“The younger sister tried to reason with her, but the eldest, unhinged by greed and paranoia,
turned on her sibling and transformed into a wicked mare of burning rage: Daybreaker”

“She vowed that she would scorch the lands of all who opposed her rule. It was with a heavy
heart that the younger sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom:
the Elements of Harmony”

“Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her elder sister, and banished her
permanently to the sun, where her light would be used to nurture Equestria. The younger sister
took on the responsibility of –

“ – the sun and the moon’,” the purple unicorn spoke aloud from the pages of the worn-out book she had become so enamored by. “’And harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.’ Hmm…” The unicorn hummed, hoof tapping her chin. “Hmm... Elements of Harmony. I know I've heard of those before... but where?”

The studious unicorn rose from her seat and began to wander the near-empty rows of the Canterlot Public Library, her home away from home.

Since she had been a little filly, Twilight Sparkle had always been fascinated by magic and the tales of great wizards and sorceresses who came before, from Star Swirl the Bearded to the ruler of Equestria, Princess Luna herself. Twilight studied magic with such uncompromising focus and dedication that none were surprised to see her graduate at the top of her class at Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns.

But on the other hoof, some might say that her obsession with magic was more harmful than supportive.

It had already been six months since she graduated from Luna’s school and she had yet to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She never had a clear goal beyond studying and learning from every magic book she could get her hooves on. Even worse, in all the time she went to Luna’s school, she never put forth the effort to make any friends. With her nose constantly in the books, she always came off as cold and off-putting, and any invitations she received were usually met with polite declines. Eventually, almost everypony just gave up on her and left Twilight to her own devices.

Her family often vocalized their concerns, but Twilight paid them no mind. As long as she had her books, she was happy.

Twilight used her horn to pull down a book from one of the tall shelves, muttering to herself, “I know I've heard of the Elements of Harmony. But where…?”

“There you are, Twilight!”

The purple unicorn nearly jumped out of her coat with a squeak. A light-blue unicorn had poked her head around the bookcase with a wide, almost frightening, smile. What was her name again? Secondra? Hourlie? Something like that, Twilight supposed.

“Hey, Twilight, Moon Dancer’s having a little get-together in the west castle courtyard! Wanna come?!” The still-nameless mare asked excitedly.

“Oh, um, sorry,” Twilight apologized awkwardly. “I’ve got a lot of studying to do.”

“Studying? What for?” said the pony whose name Twilight still can’t remember. “You’re not in school anymore, and it’s not like you have a job or responsibilities or anything remotely worthwhile doing – ”

“Thank you!” Twilight snapped irritably. She took a deep, calming breath and continued, “I just…really need to focus on my studies, okay?”

“Whatever you say, Twilight,” the unnamed pony shrugged and dashed out of sight. Twilight sighed tiredly.

“I could have responsibilities if I wanted…,” Twilight muttered under her breath before shaking her head. “No, no, focus, Twilight. I know I’ve heard of the Elements of Harmony somewhere. Spike! Spi-i-ike!”

“Shh!” The musty librarian popped up behind her, shushing Twilight.

“Oops, sorry,” Twilight smiled sheepishly. The librarian gave her a stern glare, then trotted back to her desk. Twilight walked along the rows of bookshelves, calling out quietly. “Spike…. Spike… where are you?”

Just as she turned into the “Textbooks for Dummies” section, she felt something bump into her chest and was knocked back on her flank. The studious unicorn shook her head and looked down to see her beloved assistant, a purple baby dragon, lying flat on the floor, holding his head with a groan.

“There you are,” Twilight breathed, using her horn to lift the dragon to his feet. She quickly trotted over to the next bookcase, pulling down various texts with her horn “Quick, help me find a copy of Predictions and Prophecies.”

Spike the baby dragon groaned, knowing that his best friend was going on another tangent. Even worse, bumping into Twilight had caused him to fall on the brightly-colored present he had worked so hard to make, reducing it to a pancake. Of course, the purple unicorn didn’t even notice until Spike had tossed the flattened present into a nearby garbage bin.

“What was that?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Well, it was a gift for Moon Dancer...” said Spike, grimacing.

“Wait, when did have time to get a present for Moon Dancer’s party?” asked Twilight, raising a brow. “That…somepony just invited me minutes ago.”

“Twilight, she sent the invitations out two weeks ago,” said Spike with a blank stare.

“Oh,” said Twilight, blinking. Has it really been that long? Twilight shook her head. “It’s not important. You know we don’t have time for that sort of thing, Spike.”

“We have nothing but time,” Spike pointed. “I mean, it’s not like you have a job – “

“Yes, yes, I’ve heard!” Twilight snapped. The librarian shushed her again; the unicorn groaned in annoyance. “Just help me find that book.” She used her horn to pull down several books at once, scanning their covers in rapid succession. “No, no, no... no, no, no! Grr…Spike!”

“It’s over here!” Spike called from the top of a ladder against a high shelf, waving a thick book in his claw. The librarian shushed them again, but went ignored.

Twilight eagerly used her magic to pull the book towards herself, not taking into consideration that Spike was still holding it. Even as the baby dragon smacked on the floor at her feet, her attention was solely on the book. Delighted to see it was the one she had been searching for, Twilight levitated the book away, not even offering a hoof to Spike. It was lucky that Spike had such thick skin and was accustomed to Twilight’s insensitive manner or he would’ve walked out ages ago. Twilight slapped the recovered book on a nearby table and began flipping through the pages.

“Elements, Elements, E, E, E... Aha!” Twilight cried victoriously. “Elements of Harmony, see: Mare in the Sun?”

“Mare in the Sun?” Spike repeated, confused. “But that’s just an old mare’s tale.”

Twilight tuned her assistant out and flipped through the pages again, “Mare, mare... aha! ‘The Mare in the Sun, myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the sun. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, she will escape her prison, and bring about the wrath of the sun upon Equestria!’ Spike, do you know what this means?” she asked with a stunned gasp.

“Uh…no,” said Spike blankly.

“It means we’re on the precipice of disaster!” Twilight exclaimed; The librarian was becoming visible irritated from her desk.

“Hold on…preci…preci…,” Spike mumbled, rattling the word around in his brain.

“Threshold?” Twilight offered.

“Thre…,” Spike muttered, touching his chin with a glazed look.

“Uh, brink?” Twilight reworded, but the baby dragon looked none the wiser. “Ugh! that something really bad is about to happen! The mythical Mare in the Sun is actually Daybreaker, and she's about to return to Equestria, and bring with her the wrath of the sun!”

“What’s ‘the wrath of the sun’?” asked Spike.

“It’s what happens when the sun never sets,” Twilight explained. “The sun warms Equestia and the moon cools it for the next day. But if the sun never sets, Equestria will suffocate in an unending heatwave. Crops will wither, rivers will dry up, and then…everypony will….” She made an audible gulping noise, unable to bring herself to finish. “Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true.”

“Okay, but…what’re we supposed to do?” asked Spike.

“We have to warn Princess Luna,” said Twilight seriously. “She’s the only one who will know what to do.”

“Isn’t Princess Luna a little busy getting ready for the Summer Solstice Festival?” Spike pointed out. “It’s like, tomorrow.”

“That’s just it, Spike,” said Twilight severely. “Tomorrow is the thousandth year of the summer solstice - the longest day of the year! It's imperative that the princess is told right away!”

“Impera... impera...,” Spike stuttered.

“IMPORTANT!” Twilight shouted impatiently.

Twilight and Spike heard somepony clearing their throat and looked up at the gravely displeased librarian. The pair smiled and laughed sheepishly.

Before they knew it, Twilight and Spike were flying out the door, landing on their flanks at the bottom of the stairs. The old librarian sniffed and slammed the doors behind them to make a point.

“Wow, that’s the fourth time we’ve got kicked out this week,” said Spike, sounding impressed. “It’s amazing they keep letting us back in there.”

“That’s not important right now, Spike,” said Twilight, bouncing to her hooves. “We have to warn Princess Luna immediately before Daybreak is released.”

“But how’re we gonna get to the palace,” asked Spike. “Only royalty and the princess’s personal pupil are allowed inside. The guards will have your flank if you try to get in there.”

“The is a matter of grave importance, Spike,” said Twilight. “I’m sure if we just explain ourselves, they’ll listen.”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath,” said Spike in disbelief.

“You’ll see, Spike,” said Twilight importantly. “After all, I did graduate top of my class from Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”

“And yet you can’t get a job,” Spike muttered under his breath. The baby dragon let out a sharp yelp as Twilight levitated him onto her back.

“C’mon, Spike, we’ve got to warn the Princess!” shouted Twilight.

The purple unicorn reared herself on her haunches before zipping down the road, Spike wrapping his arms around Twilight’s neck and holding on for dear life.

What neither of them had noticed was a particular pony cantering by the library, levitating a crumpled-up map with her horn and tilted her head sideways, confused

Starlight Glimmer had only been in Canterlot for a few hours and already she hated the place. The buildings were too tall, the ponies were pretentious as Tartarus, and the town layout didn’t make a lick of sense. What pony in their right mind thought it would be a good idea to put Trottington St. And Trottington Rd. on the same corner?! It was almost enough to make Starlight go back to Sire’s Hollow. ALMOST, Starlight mentally screeched. She wasn’t desperate enough to go back there, Luna forbid.

After spinning the map for what must have been the hundredth time, Starlight finally had enough, wadded the map up into a ball, and tossed it into a nearby bin with a frustrated groan.

“Gah! Why do Canterlot ponies have to be so confusing with directions!” Starlight howled, drawing a lot of snobby sideways glances. “Why do they even need so many buildings that sell the same thing, anyway?! There’re literally four outdoor cafés on the same street – right next to each other!”

Starlight took a deep breath, rubbing circles on her head with her hooves.

“It’s okay, Starlight,” Starlight muttered to herself. “Everything’s fine. Everything’s great. All you gotta do is find that stupid unicorn school, find out where Sunburst went, take him away from this stupid town – by force, if necessary – and then everything will perfect again. Just me and him, and nopony else to get in the way.”

Starlight Glimmer took another look around, hoping to find something that would point her in the right direction, when she spotted a couple of fillies prancing across the street. There was nothing particularly special about these fillies, especially with their unmarked flanks. But then a third pony, a little colt, came running up to them, brimming with excitement. That’s when she noticed his flank – he had a Cutie Mark, and he was clearly bursting to tell someone.

“Look, look, I got my Cutie Mark!” The little colt told his friends proudly. The fillies “ooh’ed” and “aww’ed”, pacing around for a better look.

Starlight felt a flame ignite in her chest, breathing through her nose in sharp, agitated breaths. That fiery sensation carried to her horn, glowing with a light turquoise aura. With a sharp gesture, she shot a short burst of magic at the young colt’s flank without anypony being any wiser where it came from. The fillies gasped when the colt’s mark was suddenly wiped away like a temporary tattoo. The young colt looked back from the tingling sensation on his flank, his face falling when he stared at empty space.

“Wh-where’s my Cute Mark?” said the colt sorrowfully before being consoled by his friends.

“Stupid Cutie Marks,” Starlight muttered softly, turning away with her sharp look in her eyes. “Who needs them? They’re nothing but trouble. When I find Sunburst, I’ll take his away, too. He’ll understand. It’s those Cutie Marks that separated us in the first place. He’ll realize how bad they are, too. Yeah, I’ll get rid of that dumb Cutie Mark. Then we can finally be together – just him and me!”

Spike would have been thrown off Twilight’s flank when they turned the corner at Hay Bale Ave. if he hadn’t been clinging to her back like an oversized tick. The purple unicorn was showing no signs of slowing down as she practically barreled through the ponies on the street, ignoring their indignant cries.

“Twilight, you gotta slow down!” Spike yelped.

“No time, Spike!” Twilight declared, leaping over a pack of school ponies. “Every minute we waste is another minute Daybreaker is closer to being released.”

“Don’t you think you’re overexaggerating a little?” asked Spike. “How can – ooh, look, a magic show!”

The baby dragon pointed a claw to a tiny stage wagon parked on the side of the road, where a light-blue unicorn in gaudy wizard cape was pulling a rabbit out of her pointed hat for a small audience. Nopony seemed remotely impressed if their blank stares were anything to go off of. But Twilight didn’t stop to look; she trotted past them in a hurry while Spike looked back in sadly.

“Spike, we don’t have time for that nonsense,” Twilight chastised him. “Besides, why would anyone want to waste bits watching a magician when any unicorn can already do magic? Magicians are just a bunch of gimmicky frauds. Don’t pay attention to them.”

“Aww,” Spike moaned disappointedly.

Twilight was fortune enough to be far away when she said that, or somepony would have taught her a lesson…if that somepony wasn’t breaking out in a sweat right now.

The Great and Powerful Trixie thought she had finally hit the big time when her wagon rolled up to Canterlot. After years of traveling all across Equestria, performing fabulous feats of prestidigitation from Manehatten to Los Pegasus, she was finally ready to take on Canterlot, the grand jewel of the Princess Luna’s kingdom. She had pulled out all the stops: fireworks, magic flowers, card tricks, Smoke bombs (lots and lots of smoke bombs!), pulling rabbits, and even the Terrifying Trunk Escape! Everypony loved that trick! …Everypony except these lot, it seemed.

The small huddle of mares and stallions that had gathered around her meager wagon were staring her down like she was about as interesting as drying paint. Trixie clapped her hooves together nervously, rattling her brain for what to do next.

“Er…for the Great and Powerful Trixie’s next trick,” Trixie continued, chuckling anxiously, sweat pouring like a waterfall, her pearly-white smile looking rather manic, “Trixie will uh…now saw herself in half! Yeah, that’s right. Just lemme….”

She used her horn to pull the specialized box from behind the wagon’s curtains. As she opened the box and prepared to step in, one of the posh mares in the audience said, with no amount of subtlety, “Is she still going on with this sham of a magic show? Why are we even still here?”

“Honestly, I’m just waiting for her to set herself on fire,” her equally posh companion snorted.

“Uh, excuse me,” Trixie called out with a leer, slamming the magic box to emphasize her anger. “Do you two have something you want to say to the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“Great and Powerful at what exactly, my dear?” the snobbish mare retorted. “Thus far, all you’ve done was show off a bunch of substandard tricks. Any halfway decentunicorn can pull off a disappearing act or pulling rabbits out of hats. This is Canterlot, after all – the magical capital of Equestria. I was under the impression that this gaudy performance would actually involve real magic.”

“W-well, um, you see – “Trixie stammered.

“I bet she can’t even use real magic?” the other prissy mare insulted. “I mean, look at what she’s wearing. She’s clearly overcompensating for something.”

“Can you imagine: a unicorn who can’t even use the most basic of spells,” the first snob said mockingly. “It’s beyond pathetic – it’s downright laughable!”

The pair cackled wickedly, and soon everyone in the audience was joining along, clearly influenced by the two mares. Trixie took a step back like she had been slapped across the face, her heart sinking as their laughter echoed all around her. She bit her bottom lip, fighting back the tears swelling up…. Then she glared at the mares with gritted teeth, whipping her hat off to reveal her glowing horn.

“You want magic?!” Trixie roared. “I’ll give you magic!”

She shot a burst of magic at the two mares that started the laughter and watch them explode in a puff of magenta smoke. The pairs stopped cackling as the audience around them gasped in horror. They dug through their embroidered saddlebags in fright, whipping out their compacts, and screamed bloody murder when they saw their reflections. Trixie’s spell had transformed their perfectly groomed manes to resemble ugly piles of murky-green sludge.

“Who’s laughing now, huh?” Trixie sneered. Well, no one was laughing anymore, because they were all approaching the stage with threatening looks in their eyes. Trixie made an audible gulping noise and said, “Uh…the Great and Powerful Trixie will now be taking a short intermission.”

That was her cue to exit stage left, sprinting down the streets of Canterlot with an outraged mob hot on her flank.

Twilight came to a screeching stop at the end of the road, flipping Spike over her head and flopping on the ground. To her left, she saw the direct route leading up to Princess Luna’s castle, the palace painted in mysterious shades of blue with crescent moon symbols. Spike couldn’t appreciate the majesty of the Princess’s royal castle – he was fighting the urge to vomit.

“Ooh, I think I’m gonna be sick,” he moaned, looking green around the scales. Unfortunately, he had no time to rest before Twilight plopped him back on her flank.

“We’re almost there, Spike!” Twilight declared, taking off again; the poor dragon flattening himself against her back.

“Twilight, do you think they’re even going to listen to you?” Spike asked groggily. “Daybreaker’s an old superstition. Even I find it hard to believe she’s coming back.”

“I did my research, Spike!” Twilight said determinedly. “Using the information from the books, I calculated the exact time when Daybreaker was sealed in the sun and compared it to the length of Princess Luna’s rule of Equestria. Taking in the fact that the summer solstice is the longest day of the year, it’s undeniable that Daybreaker’s escape is going to take place during the Summer Solstice Festival.”

“I believe you, Twilight,” said Spike. “But I’m not sure they will.”

“I have it all thought out,” said Twilight confidently. “Once I present the evidence, there’s no way they can ignore me. Trust me, Spike.”

The baby dragon just shrugged, seeing no point in arguing with the pony as they ran out of the city limits in the direction of the castle.

Just as they left, the door to the local grocery store exploded off its hinges and everypony on the street scattered like frightened rabbits. Through the threshold came a menacing looking unicorn, a scar running down her eye and her horn snapped at the base, the empty crevice sparking with electric energy. She was carrying a small sack in her mouth as she waited for her partner, a pudgy hedgehog wheezing while carrying another sack over his shoulder.

The menacing unicorn shot her partner with a dark stare, making him shudder, when they heard a sharp whistle from down the street. Two police ponies were running straight for them with batons in their mouths. The unicorn and the hedgehog quickly turned the other direction and ran, the police giving pursuit.

“Grubber, I told you to only steal food from the back of the store where no one could see you!” Tempest Shadow spat furiously at her accomplice. “Why would you take something in front of the clerk?!”

“I’m sorry, boss!” Grubber pleaded, huffing to keep up. “But that taffy looked so goooood!”

“I am not going to jail over taffy!” Tempest snapped.

They turned the corner at the end of the street as a cart full of apples came around the other side. Tempest kicked her sidekick over the cart and slid underneath at the same time. Both of them ended up safely on the other side (though Grubber did fall on his face), much to the confusion of the hat-wearing pony pulling the cart. Tempest then turned around and blasted the cart on its side, spilling the apple pile all over the street in the path of the police ponies. The law enforcers yelped as they slid over the ridiculously slippery apples, flying across the street into a loaded dumpster.

Grubber held his belly, doubling over in laughter.

“Good one, boss!” he said.

Tempest felt pretty proud of herself, even plucked one of the untouched apples off the ground as a bonus. But her victory was short lived when a loud “Hold it!” carried from the street behind them and saw three more police ponies running at them. The two in the dumpster pulled themselves out, covered in muck, looking very peeved at the thieves. Tempest and Grubber backed away slowly; they were cornered from all sides.

“What do we do now, boss?!” Grubber asked fretfully.

Tempest looked around wildly until she noticed a dark alley off to their left. The broken-horned mare yelled “This way!” and sprinted into the alley with Grubber, the police ponies not far behind.

The would-be thieves raced down the narrow passage when the alley split into two different directions. Tempest was about to tell Grubber to keep going straight when even more police ponies appeared at the end of the lane, cutting off their path. Tempest and Grubber skidded to a stop, looking back and forth between the ponies coming at them from both directions, then took the only path open on their right.

Unfortunately, they only made it about twenty feet before the alleyway ended at the high brick wall between the buildings. Grubber dropped his loot, hyperventilating as the police ponies converged on them. Tempest narrowed her eyes in determination. She was not going out like this.

The mauve mare pressed herself low to the ground, then leapt to a considerable height toward the wall of the building on her left. She immediately jumped off and flew to the opposite building, kicking herself off again. She jumped back and forth between the buildings until she reached the top of the wall, standing precariously on the edge. She looked down to see her hedgehog partner waving her down as the police started to swarm him.

“Wait, boss, what about me?!” he cried.

“Sorry, Grubber, you know the rule,” Tempest said coldly. “It’s every pony for themselves.”

And with that remark, Tempest jumped down and landed safely into the open street. Even as she heard the police ponies arrest her partner, Tempest knew she was not going to save him. She sprinted down the road without ever looking back.

Moon Dancer hummed a merry little tune under her breath as she organized the sweets table for what must have been the thirtieth time in the last hour. She couldn’t help it – she wanted everything to be perfect for her friends, perfect for…Twilight Sparkle.

The bespectacled mare let out an uncharacteristic giggle at the thought of the purple unicorn. She had known Twilight Sparkle since they were fillies in Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns and she had been absolutely smitten. Twilight was brilliant, studious, and one of the most talented unicorns in all of Equestria. Other ponies always said she was cold and antisocial because she preferred books over ponies, but they just didn’t understand her. Not like Moon Dancer did.

Well, except maybe that blue-coated, white-maned loudmouth, but she dropped out of school after only one year, so no issues there.

Moon Dancer finally organized the table just right, proud of herself, as she pushed up her glasses. Everything was set. Now all she had to do was wait.

“Okay, Moon Dancer, you can do this,” Moon Dancer pepped herself up. “This is the first party you’ve ever thrown, so it has to be perfect. Snacks are organized by size and taste, the piñata is loaded with sweets, grape juice has just the right amount of grapes and juice. You’ve got this!

“If I pull this off, maybe Twilight will be so impressed with me that we’ll become best friends! And then we’ll start hanging out together and studying at the library together. And then we’ll get closer and closed until…” Moon Dancer’s sentence ended with a tiny squeak, a hoof to her flushed cheek.

And speak of the unicorn, Moon Dancer heard rapid hoofsteps heading her way and looked over the low garden wall to see Twilight Sparkle (oh, and Spike, too.) Moon Dancer let out a happy gasp and waved a friendly hoof to flag her down.

“Hey, Twilight, you’re ear – “ Moon Dancer started.

But the purple unicorn didn’t stop; she didn’t even turn her head to acknowledge Moon Dancer. She just kept on running, even when Spike shouted something at her. Moon Dancer stood momentarily frozen, tuning her head slowly, almost mechanically, after the violet mare’s fleeting backside, her face stricken with both parts’ confusion and sadness.

“Twilight…,” Moon Dancer muttered weakly.

Coincidentally, the other guests she invited to the party (Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and Lyra Heartstrings) cantered up to the table moments later, each carrying gifts on their flanks.

“Hey, Moon Dancer!” Minuette said cheerfully, looking around the garden. “Wow, look at this spread. You’ve really outdone yourself.”

“And so meticulous, too,” said Lyra with a smug grin. “Trying to impress somepony, are we?”

“Filly, you’ve got a case of Twilight fever,” Lemon Hearts giggled.

“Uh, yeah,” Moon Dancer mumbled. “Um, I just saw Twilight run by. You think she’s coming back or….”

Minuette sucked in a sharp breath between her teeth, looking away pointedly. The other ponies were either hanging their heads or brushing their hooves awkwardly. They didn’t say anything, but that was enough for Moon Dancer to arrive at an answer.

“Oh…okay…,” she said, hanging her head dejectedly.

“Hey, we’ll still have fun, right?!” said Minuette perkily, trying to lighten the tension. “C’mon, it’s a party! Who doesn’t love parties?!”

“…You want a party?” Moon Dancer muttered, her tone suddenly turning bitter.

Without warning, the bespectacled pony grabbed the side of the table and flipped it over, sending sweets, plates, glasses, and the punch bowl crashing on the ground. The other mares jumped back, startled. Moon Dancer glared at the upended table with tears welling in her eyes before turning her tail to them.

“You can throw your own party,” she finished spitefully.

Twilight was breathing heavy, her hooves were aching, and her back was killing her. But it was all worth it. The castle gates were in her sights.

“There it is, Spike!” said Twilight, relieved. “Now we just need to show Princess Luna – “

“HALT!”

Twilight pressed her hooves into the dirt, sliding to a stop, and once again upending Spike, the poor little dragon. The violet unicorn found her path blocked by two ponies in midnight-blue armor crossing their spears, both unicorns. Twilight stood up straight, making herself look presentable – no need to make a bad first impression, right?”

“State your business!” One of the guards demanded.

“Apologizes for my unannounced arrival, sir,” said Twilight politely. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I have come with important information that I must deliver to Princess Luna immediately.”

“Twilight Sparkle…,” the guard hummed thoughtfully. “Wait, are you related to the captain of the guard?”

“He’s my brother!” Twilight answered enthusiastically. “So may I please go inside?”

“Only if you have a letter of approval from the captain or anypony else in the castle,” said the guard.

“Well…I don’t have a letter per se…,” Twilight chuckled nervously.

“Then we can’t let you pass,” the guard answered sternly. “Even if you are the captain’s sister, we cannot permit you to enter the castle without a letter of approval. If you wish to have an audience with the princess, you are free to come back tomorrow during the Summer Solstice Festival. The castle will be open to everypony in Canterlot at that time.”

“But we can’t wait until tomorrow!” Twilight shouted urgently. “The fate of Equestria hangs in the balance – “

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you cannot enter!” said the guard, stamping his spear in emphasis.

“But I need to see the princess!”

“If you do not turn around, we will be forced to place you under arrest!”

“Listen to me - !”

“What is going on here?!” A third voice entered the shouting match.

Twilight, Spike, and the guards spun around as another mare cantered up to the gates, her saddlebags stuffed to the brim with rolled up scrolls and charts. The unicorn looked like the living embodiment of the sun with her orange coat and red-yellow mane – even her Cutie Mark was a duel-colored sun.

The guards immediately bent their knees and bowed their heads. Twilight just stood in place, mouth opened stupidly as the mare stepped up beside her. Spike waved his claw in front of Twilight’s face and snapped his fingers, but received no response.

“Is there a problem, guard?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Forgive us, Sunset Shimmer,” said the guard, raising his head. “This mare was trying to enter the castle without a letter of approval.”

“You mean the one with the dumb face?” said Sunset Shimmer, pointing a hoof at Twilight.

Realizing that they were talking about her, Twilight quickly shook her head and brushed her mane to make sure that there wasn’t a hair out of place. A part of her brain told her that she needed to warn Sunset of the imminent danger at once. But the larger part instead said:

“Ohmygosh! ohmygosh! ohmygosh! You’re Sunset Shimmer; Princess Luna’s personal pupil!” Twilight fanponied.

“Uh, yeah…,” said Sunset, leaning away from the mare uncomfortably. “And you are…?”

“Twilight Sparkle!” Twilight answered gleefully. “I am such a huge fan of yours! I’ve heard the stories about how your magical power was so strong, you were chosen to be Princess Luna’s personal student when you were just a filly! You’re the youngest pony in history to master all eight enchanted items of Mage Meadowbrook! And rumor has it that you even modified some spells written by Star Swirl the Bearded! Is it true?! Is it?!”

“He, he, yeah, it’s true,” Sunset gloated. “He had a good grasp on the concept of space-time, but he only had rudimentary knowledge of quantum physics. Rewriting his time travel spell was foal’s play.”

“So cooool,” Twilight breathed with stars in her eyes.

“A-hem, uh, Twilight,” Spike nudged her flank. “Don’t you have something you want to show the princess’s personal student?”

“Huh – oh! Oh, that’s right!” Twilight sputtered. She used her horn to retrieve her notes on the Daybreaker prophecy, floating it to Sunset. The sunny unicorn took the notes with her own horn, unfurling them. “Sunset Shimmer, er, ma’am…” she added sheepishly. “I believe that Princess Luna’s sister, Daybreaker, is returning.”

“Daybreaker?” Sunset repeated with a raised brow. “That old mare’s tale.”

“Believe me, ma’am, it’s not just a simple tale,” said Twilight urgently. “I have evidence that proves Daybreaker is real. And I fear that she may be returning to Equestria on the day of the summer solstice. I was hoping to present my findings to Princess Luna, buuut…,” she concluded, rolling her eyes at the guards.

“I see you’ve done your homework – these notes are very detailed,” said Sunset. Having see enough, she rolled the notes back up and said, “I will present these to Princess Luna at once. She’ll want to see them.”

“Really?!” said Twilight excitedly.

"You’ve done a great service for your kingdom,” said Sunset. “Now we will be prepared for when Daybreaker shows up. We could never have done this without you.”

“Aw, shucks, it was nothing,” said Twilight, kicking the dirt bashfully.

Sunset walked up to the castle gates and the guards immediately used their horns the open the doors enough to let the apprentice through. Twilight waved enthusiastically and shouted, “I’ll see you tomorrow at the Summer Solstice Festival!”

“I’m sure you will!” Sunset called back.

And then the gates slammed shut behind her with a thunderous groan, cutting Sunset off from the outside world. Like a switch had been flipped, Sunset’s kind face fell and was replaced with a disdainful scowl. She floated Twilight’s notes in front of her and scoffed.

“Daybreaker,” Sunset rolled her eyes. “How stupid can one pony be.”

Sunset’s horn glowed before igniting the papers in reddish-yellow flames, reducing Twilight’s hard work into a pile of ash on the ground in seconds. The sunny-colored pony kicked the ash pile for good measure, scattering them to the winds. And just in time, too.

Only moments later, a shadow flew across the ground and Sunset tilted her head toward the sky, raising a hoof to block the sun. Princess Luna glided across the courtyard like a bird of prey, swooping around in tight circles until she landed in front of her apprentice. The ruler of Equestia offered a gentle smile to her student, her starry mane twinkling in the sunlight.

“Ah, Sunset Shimmer, you have returned,” said Luna. “I hope your venture was fruitful.”

“I found everything we need for the Summer Solstice Festival, your majesty,” said Sunset politely with a graceful bow. She levitated several rolls of parchment from her saddlebags and unfolded them for the princess to exam. “I was thinking we could do a recreation of the original Summer Solstice Festival, to commemorate it’s one thousandth anniversary. Old timey stalls, pony games, boxes of Sweet Apple Cider – “

“Isn’t Sweet Apple Cider a recent thing?” asked Luna curiously.

“Everypony loves Sweet Apple Cider,” Sunset remarked.

“Fair point,” Luna chuckled, taking the papers with her horn magic and rolling them up. “This is marvelous, Sunset. I knew I was correct in letting you organize this festival.”

“It is my pleasure, your majesty,” said Sunset gracefully.

“On another note,” said Luna. “I heard quiet a commotion from the front gates? Was there an issue?”

“Oh, just some crazy fanpony wanting to meet the princess again,” Sunset answered nonchalantly. “Don’t worry, I sent them on their way.”

“Then perhaps I’ll get a chance to meet them tomorrow at the festival,” said Luna positively.

The princess made her way back to the castle and Sunset followed in her hoofsteps.

“Tomorrow is a very special day, my student,” said Luna brightly, turning her gaze toward the sun up high without flinching away from its rays. “One I think that everypony will never forget.”

Author's Note

This story was inspired by Lets Do This’ “Not Exactly Friends” series, whose interactions between the unique and unexpected grouping were nothing short of spectacular. Reading their series (which I highly recommend) made me wonder what would happen if Twilight and her new friends went through the same harrowing adventures of the original “Mane 6” and this is the result. Each character has their own unique story and troubled pasts that I am dying to explore and hopefully you will join me.

One thing I wanted to explore was the Elements of Harmony themselves. While the original “Mane 6” represented their elements from the get-go, I wanted the new “Mane 6” to learn how to fit their elements, which will prove a difficult task since their current selves are the opposite of the elements they need.

Can you guess which element belongs to who? :trixieshiftright:

The Rising Sun

Twas the night before the summer solstice and all throughout Canterlot, all ponies were stirring, awaiting the new day that Luna brought.

Hundreds of mares and stallions flocked to the gates of the princess’s castle, the night echoing with the chatter of excited ponies being allowed inside the first time. The Summer Solstice Festival was the one day of the year when Princess Luna’s home was opened to every creature as a gesture of good faith. Even the stars in the night sky seemed to twinkle brighter at the princess’s behest. And once you got past the initial security check at the gate, that’s when the real fun started.

The expansive castle courtyard had been converted to a small village that resembled ancient renaissance times. Colorful tents and wooden stalls filled up nearly every space, more than half the ponies attending dressing up in attire to match the theme. A wide circular stage had been built in the heart of the courtyard, upon which was a large gilded statue of a conjoined sun and moon between a pair of golden wings – a symbol of the two royal sisters before the fallout.

Twilight trotted nervously through the path between stalls, checking back and forth in either direction every few seconds afraid that something might jump out at her. Spike rolled his eyes at the mare, his claws loaded with cotton candy, caramel apples, chocolate marshmallows, roasted corn, and something called mutton that ponies wouldn’t eat for some reason. The pair were passing a fireworks display when somepony set one off without permission, causing Twilight to jump and scream like a frightened cat, her mane standing on end. Several ponies gave her strange looks before trotting along their way; Twilight grinned sheepishly and kept her head down as they moved on.

“You really should lighten up, Twilight,” Spike suggested. “It’s a festival. We’re supposed to be having fun.”

“How can anypony have fun when Daybreak is so close to returning?” Twilight replied anxiously. “You saw what the prophecy said. ‘On the longest day of the thousandth year, she will escape her prison, and bring about the wrath of the sun upon Equestria.’ The sunrise is only an hour away, and according to legend, that’s when she will return.”

“But we warned Princess Luna just in time, remember?” said Spike, waving his caramel apple around. “That pony, um…sunrise glimmer – “

“Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight corrected emphatically. “Princess Luna’s top pupil and the most magically gifted pony in Equestria since Star Swirl the Bearded!”

“Right, her,” said Spike, rolling his eyes. “You gave her your notes and she took them to Princess Luna. Between the two of them, I bet they've already came up with a plan to banish Daybreaker back to the sun. If she is coming back.”

“Yeah, I guess your right,” said Twilight, sighing. “If it’s Princess Luna and Sunset Shimmer, they’re more than a match for Daybreaker. I guess I shouldn’t worry too much about it, then. I guess we could have a little fun before the sunrise. It is a festival, after all.”

“Now you’re talking!” Spike cheered, reaching for the mare’s hoof. “C’mon, I think they have pin the tail on the pony over there!”

Twilight giggled at the baby dragon’s excitement, trying to keep her balance on three hooves while Spike practically dragged her to the game.

The pair unknowingly dashed past a familiar star-spangled wagon parked between an apple bobbing game and a costume tent. The wagon had a hoofpainted sign hanging (crooked) over the window that said “The Great and Powerful Trixie’s Potions for All Occasions.” Inside the wagon, Trixie stirred the bubbling cauldron with her hooves while using her horn to levitate a glass vial, into the pot, scooping out a good amount of the liquid. She corked the bottle and leaned her head out the window, levitating the bottle to a Pegasus who tossed a few bits on the windowsill before flying away.

“Tell your friends!” Trixie called after him, then yelled at the top of her lungs with dramatic hoof gestures. “Come one, come all, to the Great and Powerful Trixie’s Potions for All Occasions! Need relief for Pony Pox? Want to make your mane shine like the sun? Or just want some fun party pranks for your friend? The Great and Powerful Trixie has everything you need for the low, low price of – uh-oh.”

Whether coincidence or divined providence, the two snooty mares she had cursed earlier that day were heading toward her wagon. They were wearing very big hat, undoubtedly to conceal the lasting damage Trixie had done. If they saw her, Trixie would be chased by another angry mob. Luckily, the Brilliant and Prepared Trixie had a plan.

The showmare flipped the sign around with her magic, making it “The Great and Powerful Patricia’s Potions for All Occasions.” She ducked back into her wagon and levitated the ingenious disguise she had picked out on her face: a pair of glasses. She was practically invisible! The Crafty and Cunning Trixie leaned out her window casually as the snooty mares trotted up to her wagon.

“Hello, mares, what can I brew for you today?” asked Trixie jovially. “Get it? ‘Brew’ rhymes with ‘Do’? Hah! Tri – er Patricia is so clever.”

“Yes, you sell potions, correct?” Snooty mare #1 asked, somehow not figuring out it was Trixie despite wearing her trademark hat and cape.

“That’s what the sign says?” said Trixie, pointing a hoof.

“We need something of a…cure, so to speak.” Snooty mare #2 said conspiratorially. “You see, there was some uppity little street urchin that put some sort of spell on us and, well…” she trailed off as she lifted her hat, revealing a small portion of murky-green hair.

“Ooh, that looks bad,” said Trixie sympathetically while laughing on the inside. “Whoever did that must have been a great and powerful sorceress. Probably the best in all of Canterlot.”

“No, just some gutter trash unicorn that probably got dropped on her head when she was a filly,” Snooty mare #1 said snidely; Trixie’s eye twitched. “We’ve tried going to every salon in Canterlot to get rid of it, but nothing worked. Do you have something that will get rid of these hideous manes.”

“Hmm, get rid of them, you say?” Trixie hummed, a hoof to her chin. “I think I might have just the thing.”

The Intelligent and Superior Trixie ducked back inside her wagon. The snooty mares heard the clattering of pots and pans coming from inside, watching several items fly through the window that consisted of, but not limited to: a deck of cards, magic wands turning into flower bouquets, several pairs of star-spangled cloaks, and some weapon shaped like a key. After a minute, Trixie leaned back out the window levitating two vials of florescent-pink liquid.

“These are the answers to all your problems,” Trixie promised. “Just put these in while you bathe and watch those nasty old manes disappear.”

The snooty mares were ecstatic to hear that. They happily took the bottles, tossing a hoofful of bits on the windowsill. Trixie levitated the coins into her money pouch while waving the mares off, snickering deviously to herself.

“Enjoy your hair removal tonic,” muttered Trixie.

The devilish showmare disappeared back into her wagon to set up her next batch of potions, just narrowly missing a particular lilac unicorn.

Starlight Glimmer grumbled under her breath as, once again, another pony bumped into her without even apologizing for it. That was the ninth one in the last hour. Why did Princess Luna think it was such a great idea to cram the entire town into such a small space? That was recipe for disaster. And worst of all, they were – so – rude! Starlight was this close to tearing her mane out as a tenth pony bumped into her. This kind of thing would never happen in Sire’s Hollow. Sunburst would agree with her, Starlight thought.

As fantastic as it was to be this close to royalty, Starlight wouldn’t even be at this festival if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Starlight had wondered the streets of Canterlot for hours before she finally found Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns, the school that took her best friend away. But by the time she got there, the school had already been closed; all the students and teacher already left for the Summer Solstice Festival. Starlight had no other choice. If she wanted to find her best friend, she needed to start asking around. After all, a great wizard like Sunburst would obviously be famous around Canterlot.

Now the only problem was holding somepony’s attention long enough to ask.

“Excuse me, can you – no? All right, then,” Starlight groaned as a snobbish stallion wearing a monocle snubbed her. She reached out a hoof to a passing mare in a princess gown and said, “Excuse me, ma’am, do you know where – “

“Don’t touch me with those filthy hooves,” the mare huffed importantly. “This gown is worth more than you could afford in your entire life.”

“Okay, rude much,” Starlight grimaced, resisting the urge to levitate the mare into a mud puddle. She tried calling out another stallion wearing a fedora. “Excuse me, sir, but do you know where I can find someone named – “

“Hey, I’m walkin’ ‘ere!” The stallion snapped in a thick Manehatten accent, rudely bumping her aside.

“Grr…AAAHH!” Starlight screamed furiously, scaring off a few ponies. “What is with the ponies of this town?! If it’s not one thing, it’s another!” She slapped herself in the face, dragging her hoof down the length of her muzzle with an annoyed groan. “Okay, that’s it, no more Mrs. Nice Mare! The next pony I see, I am going to make them give some answers! Even if I have to drag it out of them! Now, who do I ask…?”

The lilac unicorn scanned the crowd for the best possible candidate of her interrogation. Between the rows of high society ponies dressed in expense clothes and the common folk cosplaying in renaissance, one pony stood out from the rest: a cream-colored mare with a pink and purple curled mane.

What made her unusual to Starlight was that the mare was lurking in the shadows between stalls, almost unnoticeable unless you were looking straight at her. She was an Earth pony wearing a tuxedo and a pair of sunglasses even thought it was still the middle of the night. Must be some Canterlot fashion choice, Starlight thought.

“Well, gotta start somewhere, I suppose,” Starlight muttered. She trotted toward the well-dressed mare, poking her shoulder to get her attention. “Excuse me, I’m looking for a unicorn stallion named Sunburst. He’s a great wizard who attended Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns. I don’t suppose you know where he is?”

The duel-colored mare stared at Starlight long and hard, making the unicorn sweat a little. Then, she started muttering into her watch.

“This is Agent Sweetie Drops – my position has been compromised. Moving to relocate. Initiating memory wipe procedures.”

“Wait, what?” Starlight stammered, confused.

The Earth pony reached a hoof into her tuxedo and whipped out an ornate silver mirror that she held up to Starlight’s face. The lilac unicorn only saw her own reflection before a blinding flash of light filled her vision –

Starlight blinked slowly, colorful spots cluttering her vision, swaying lethargically on her haunches. She was only vaguely aware that she was staring at the empty space between two stalls, though she couldn’t remember why she came over in the first place. Come to think of it…she couldn’t even tell where she was. Last thing she remembered was wandering aimlessly around Canterlot looking Princess Luna’s school, and now she was in some kind of…renaissance fair? Weird…

“Why do I get the feeling I’m forgetting something important?” Starlight muttered to herself, but shrugged and walked away, stumbling slightly in a dazed state.

With her mind unfocused, the lilac unicorn ended up bumping shoulders were a taller pony that nearly knocked her off her hooves. Luckily, the other pony caught her by the flank and helped Starlight stand straight. Starlight let out a relieved breath and sent a grateful look at the taller mare, though slightly intimidated by her scarred face and broken horn.

“Thanks for the save,” said Starlight appreciatively.

“It was nothing,” Tempest Shadow waved a hoof nonchalantly. “You be careful, now. Canterlot may look like a sparkling jewel, but there are still some unsavory characters that would love to take advantage of innocent mares like you.”

“Trust me, I can take care of myself,” said Starlight confidently. “Thanks anyway.”

Starlight Glimmer cantered off through the crowd, never realizing that her saddle bag was a little lighter. Tempest grinned to herself as she held Starlight’s coin pouch, weighing the contents with her hoof. Not a lot, but every bit counted, Tempest thought. She stuffed the pouch inside her saddle bag underneath her cloak, bringing the number she had stolen up to six. Tempest turned on her hoof and walked the opposite direction Starlight went.

The broken unicorn’s eyes roamed the pathways the castle courtyard, picking out the ponies who were most likely to be carrying a huge haul. The wealthy were easy to spot in the crowd; they were the ones who wore the most ostentatious and expensive costumes. They were also the easiest to pickpocket. These ponies thought they were so far above everyone else that they didn’t think anyone would try to rob them. It was almost foal’s play how Tempest barely brushed past some fancy pants (which coincidentally was the stallion’s name) pony and swiped his coin purse directly from his pocket without pause. Now her total was seven.

“It’s almost too easy,” Tempest scoffed as she weighed the pouch; the jingle of several dozen bits was music to her ears. “These ponies are so clueless, it’s laughable. And the security in this place is a joke. Even Grubber could’ve….”

The scarred mare’s sentence trailed off into silence, stopping in the middle of the road with a far-off look in her eyes. She was only now realizing how quiet everything was without the pudgy hedgehog blubbering in her ear every five seconds. She didn’t regret leaving him behind – they both knew the rules from the offset – but it did feel a little…lonely.

“Have you seen this mare around?”

Tempest snapped her head up in attention. Just a short distance ahead, a group of royal guards was talking to a young stallion couple. A pegasai soldier was holding up a wanted poster to the couple. The drawing was crude – like something a colt had done – but all the important details were there: the mauve coat, the broken horn, and the distinctive facial scar. It was Tempest.

“We believe the thief may be on the premises,” the guard informed the couple. “If you see anything, please contact the royal guard immediately.

That was Tempest’s cue to leave; she had already made a good bit of coin anyway; enough to sustain her for several weeks.

The scarred unicorn ducked her head and lifted her cloak to obscure her face from the passing guards, cantering slowly in the direction of the castle gates. She shoved her way through a group of mares unapologetically, which turned out to be Minuette and her small circle of friends.

“Hey, you forgot to say ‘excuse me!’,” Minuette yelled at the fleeing unicorn. “Honestly, some people can be so rude.”

“How long have you lived in Canterlot?” said Twinkleshine sarcastically.

“Duh, my whole life,” Minuette answered innocently. “That’s a silly question.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Lemon Hearts shook her head, patting the blue mare’s shoulder pitiably. “We need to teach a little something called sarcasm.”

“Sooo…,” Lyra Heartstrings said awkwardly, waking alongside a mopey-looking Moon Dancer. “Pretty great festival, am I right? Totally better than last year’s festival, huh?”

“Whatever?” Moon Dancer mumbled gloomily.

In all honesty, Moon Dancer didn’t want to be at the Summer Solstice Festival so soon after her own party turned into a complete failure. Though Minuette and the others repeatedly told her there was nothing wrong and that they could just have another party, it didn’t make a difference to her. The only thing Moon Dancer could think about was watching Twilight run past her without even taking a moment to acknowledge her.

They had known each other since magic kindergarten. They sat at the same table for years, reading the same books on the fundamentals of magic. They exchanged Hearts and Hooves Day gifts for Luna’s sake! Well, it was actually just Moon Dancer. Twilight never gave out Hearts and Hooves Day gifts, but that’s just because she was busy…every year…all the time….

The point is, Twilight always had Moon Dancer’s heart in her hoof. She had always done what Twilight asked of her. So why? Why couldn’t she just come to Moon Dancer’s party? Why couldn’t she just do this one – little – thing?!

Moon Dancer nearly jumped out of her coat when she felt a hoof over her shoulders. Lyra offered her a tender, reassuring smile while patting her back.

“Hey, don’t think about it, all right,” said Lyra kindly. “This is your cheer-up party! We’re here to have fun, remember? We’ll play some games, eat caramel apples, take silly picture together, and not even think about you-know-who – “

“It’s Twilight!” Minuette shouted suddenly.

“Darn it, Minuette, what did I just say?!” Lyra snapped exasperatedly.

“No, it’s really Twilight!” Minuette cried excitedly, pointing a hoof. “See, over there, at the ring toss game!”

Moon Dancer perked up and stared straight ahead. As Minuette said, the unicorn of Moon Dancer’s desires was leaning over the counter of the ring toss stall levitating one of the rings with narrowed eyes. Spike was sitting on her back, cheering her on. Twilight had tossed the ring and stomped her hoof in frustration, apparently having missed her target.

Seeing Twilight there, playing games with her pet dragon, made something snap in Moon Dancer’s brain. Her vision because clouded in red, her breathing turning erratic as she ground her hoof into the dirt. Why, Moon Dancer asked herself. Why was Twilight having fun at the Summer Solstice Festival when she couldn’t be bothered to attend Moon Dancer’s party? Was she not good enough for the great Twilight Sparkle?!

Lyra exchanged concerned looks with Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts (Minuette was clueless as always.)

“Hey, how about some sweet apple cider?” Twinkleshine suggested with an anxious smile. “I think they’re selling them waaaaay over there – “

Moon Dancer ignored the obvious diversion. She practically shoved her way between her friends and approached the ring toss booth like a bloodthirsty predator. Lyra bit her hoof fretfully. This was not going to end well.

Twilight tossed another ring and slammed her hoof on the counter when it bounced off the lip of the bottles stacked in front of her.

“Gah! This game is totally rigged!” Twilight shouted furiously. “There’s no way my very meticulous and carefully thought out equations could be wrong if it wasn’t! What is the secret?! I have to know!!!”

“Uh, Twilight, can we just go already?” Spike muttered, shielding his face from the ponies staring at them. “You’re kinda making a scene.”

“I will not leave until I’ve beaten this evil – stupid – game!” Twilight howled, slapping another bit on the counter. “Give me another!”

The carny-styled twins running the booth flashed their sunny smiles as they added Twilight’s bit to the growing pile and returned it with three rings. Twilight levitated one of the rings, looking through the hole like a reticle. She floated the ring back for the toss when someone said, “Hello, Twilight,” directly behind her and made the purple mare jump in a fright. She spun around and came face-to-face with Moon Dancer; the cream-colored pony wearing an unimpressed look with Twilight’s ring spinning on her horn.

“Looks like you’re having fun, Twilight Sparkle,” Moon Dancer said in an even tone.

“ oh…hey…you…,” said Twilight, giggling nervously; Moon Dancer’s name escaped her. “Um…how’ve you been…?”

“…You have no idea who I am, do you?” Moon Dancer accused.

“What, no, of course I do,” Twilight denied. “You’re uh….”

“Moon Dancer,” Spike whispered in her ear.

“Moon Dancer!” Twilight parroted aloud. “My good buddy Moon Dancer! Great to see you!”

“Good buddy, huh?” Moon Dancer said, scowling; Twilight made a loud gulping noise. “So…buddy…any particular reason why you didn’t feel like coming to my party that I worked so hard to set up earlier today?”

“What? That was today?” said Twilight; she was visibly sweating. “I had no idea!”

“Minuette said she told you about it half-an-hour before the party started,” Moon Dancer immediately retorted.

“Oh, well, um, yes, I – I suppose she did,” said Twilight. “Well, you know, I was very busy at the library and – “

“I saw you run past my party headed straight for Princess Luna’s castle,” Moon Dancer said shortly; Twilight flinched like she had been slapped. “You didn’t even notice I was there.”

“N – no, that’s not it,” Twilight sputtered. “You see, what happened was – “ Thankfully, before she could bury herself in an even deeper hole, the sounds of trumpets carried through the courtyard, to Twilight’s immense relief. “Oh, will you look at that! It’s time for Princess Luna to raise the sun! We better hurry before all the good spots are taken!”

At the trumpet’s call, all the ponies in the courtyard gathered around the stage under the gilded statue. Twilight, Spike, and Moon Dancer found spaces near the back of the crowd; Twilight was still sweating, knowing Moon Dancer was glaring at the back of her head. Trixie preferred the unobstructed view of her wagon window, resting her head on her hoof. Starlight did not care for the ceremony and was wandering the rows of stalls, asking anypony who passed about her friend. And Tempest was fleeing cautiously in the shadows toward the gates, not wanting to push her luck more than she already had.

The courtyard sounded with another chorus of trumpets and everypony’s eyes were faced forward as Princess Luna rose from the back of the stage, side-by-side with her student, Sunset Shimmer. Many were in awe of the princess with her regal walk, poised and graceful at each step, her glittering mane blending with the starry backdrop. By comparison, her prancing apprentice looked like an overgrown filly eagerly awaiting Hearth’s Warming Day, though no one dared to say as such out loud.

Princess Luna and her student stopped in the middle of the stage. The princess cleared her throat and spoke in a loud, booming voice that carried to everypony’s ears:

“Fillies and gentlecolts! As Princess of Equestria, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Summer Solstice Festival!” She paused for a moment, giving her subjects a chance to shout praise. “Of course, I cannot take all the credit! This wonderful festival you all enjoy was organized by my student, Sunset Shimmer, who worked tirelessly to ensure that this year’s Summer Solstice Festival was its best one yet! You have done a fine job, my student!”

“It was my pleasure, your majesty,” said Sunset, bending her leg at a bow.

“In just a few moments,” Luna continued, “Canterlot will celebrate the magic of the sunrise and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And the one thousandth year since the start of my rule over Equestria!

“Please don’t let anything bad happen,” Twilight muttered under her breath.

“And now, my faithful subjects, I give you…the sunrise!” Luna declared to a thunder of applause.

With her horn aglow and tilted upward, Luna commanded the moon to glide across the night sky, disappearing over the western horizon. She then turned to the east where the midnight-blue sky started to fill with brilliant reds and yellows. Luna stretched her majestic wings and floated into the air, hover in front of the crest of the statue behind her. She waved her outstretched hooves with a flourish and Canterlot was soon awash in the golden light of Equestria’s sun. Twilight Sparkle stared in awe as Princess Luna was bathed in the sun’s heavenly glow like the goddess she was, the stars in her mane twinkling brighter than before. It sent her mind reeling back years ago when she saw her first Summer Solstice Festival; back when she first discovered her love of magic –

But even while the ponies danced and cheered around her, Twilight felt something was off. The sun…did it just flicker for a moment? Princess Luna also seemed to think something was amiss. She stayed aloft, glancing curiously over her shoulder.

It happened again; the sun flickered like it had bad reception. How could –

The sun seemed to explode without warning; a brilliant burst of light flashed across the sky; many ponies shielding their eyes behind their hooves. Princess Luna slammed back onto the stage, stretching out her wings protectively in front of Sunset Shimmer while she stared into the light with a hard leer. The light faded as quickly as it came, everypony lowering their hooves with relief and confusion, when they looked upon the stage and let out a collective gasp.

Another alicorn stood across from Princess Luna – a rarity in and of itself. But this alicorn did not exude peace and calm like their benevolent ruler. Their coat was as bright as sunlight, clad in burning-orange armor with a sun motif, and their mane and tail made of literal fire, giving off a powerful heat that had almost everypony breaking out in a sweat. The alicorn’s hollow, golden eyes were wide with madness as she barked out an insane cackle.

“I’m ba-a-a-a-ack!” the alicorn sang. “Did you miss me, Equestria?!”

Everypony in the crowd backed away slowly; they could instinctively tell this mare was bad news.

“Who the hay are you?” Sunset questioned bravely, pointing a hoof accusingly.

“Stay behind me, Sunset Shimmer!” Luna commanded, stretching her wings to block her pupil.

“Dear sister, have you forgotten to mention me to my subjects?” the alicorn asked with a venomous undertone, stepping lightly across the stage, leaving singed hoofprints in the wood. “Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Or did you simply wish to forget after you banished me to the sun?! Well?! Which is it, little sister?!”

“I know who you are!”

Luna, Sunset, and the flaming alicorn turned to the crowd, which immediately parted so that Twilight and, reluctantly, Moon Dancer were visible to everypony.

“Twilight, what’re you doing?” Moon Dancer hissed.

Twilight ignored her and continued, “I saw the signs and I know who you are! You’re the Mare in the Sun: Daybreaker!”

The crowd gasped simultaneously in shock and fear. Even the youngest of foals knew about the legend of Daybreaker, but most of them just brushed it off as an old mare’s tale. Now, to see the actual Daybreaker with their own eyes, they started to realize how dangerous this alicorn really was. But none looked as fearful, or guilty, as Sunset Shimmer, her mind reeling back to Twilight Sparkle’s warning earlier that day.

If only she had heeded her words….

“Well, well, well, somepony who remembers me,” said Daybreaker with a manic grin. “Then you also know why I’m here.”

“You're here to... to...,” Twilight trailed off, lowering her head nervously, only now realizing who she was talking to.

Daybreaker chuckled wickedly and said, “Remember this day, little ponies, for it will be your last! Everypony will suffer retribution for my banishment! On this day, the sun will never set and Equestria will burn forever more!”

The flaming mare threw her head back with an insane cackle.

Meanwhile, Trixie, who had been observing the scene from a distance, leaned out her window with a serious expression.

“It appears the time has come for the Great and Powerful Trixie…,” she said dramatically…. Then, quick as a flash, she slammed her window shut, jumped out the door, fastened the wagon’s harness to her back, and took off running. “To get the hay outta here!”

Back on stage, Princess Luna took a defensive stance, tilting her horn threateningly at Daybreaker. The corrupted alicorn merely smirked with confidence, not at all threatened by her darker counterpart.

“You will not lay a hoof on anypony, Daybreaker!” Luna declared. “I will stop you!”

Daybreaker laughed again, shaking her head, and said, “Have you forgotten, little sister? Of the two of us, I have always been the superior warrior. You only bested me last time with the Elements of Harmony. But I don’t see them anywhere around, do you?” She made a show of scanning the area. “No magic trinkets to protect you this time.”

“Sunset Shimmer, you must flee immediately,” Luna whispered back to her pupil. “Find the Elements of Harmony. Protect Equestria. I will hold her off as long as I can.”

“I’m not leaving you by yourself!” Sunset gasped.

“Go, now!” Luna commanded forcefully.

“Nopony is going anywhere!” Daybreaker roared, raising her front hooves.

“Sunset Shimmer!” Luna cried.

The princess of Equestria turned on her pupil, shooting a meaningful look with her eyes before blasting the smaller unicorn with a burst of magic that sent her flying. At the same time, Daybreakeer’s hooves stomped the stage and an orange dome formed from the impact, expanding in every direction. Princess Luna had no chance to defend herself before the dome enveloped her. The crowd that surrounded the stage turned and fled, screaming, but the barrier was moving so fast that many were swallowed up in seconds.

Trixie, who had the sense to run before anypony else, was halfway to the gates when somepony slammed into her from the side. It was Sunset Shimmer; Princess Luna’s magic had thrown her into the showmare. The collision caused Trixie and Sunset to trip over themselves to a tangled pile of limbs. Unfortunately, the momentum of Trixie’s wagon continued forward, picking up the mares and flattening them against the wagon’s walls. Sunset and Trixie screamed and held on to each other as the wagon rolled out of their control.

Because they were standing near the back of the crowd when everything took place, Twilight, Spike, and Moon Dancer were ahead of everypony as they sprinted toward the castle gates. Twilight looked back to witness Daybreaker’s dome expand faster, swallowing up dozens of ponies.

“What the hay is going on around here?!” Moon Dancer cried, wheezing, trying to match Twilight’s pace.

“Who cares?! Just keep running!” Spike screamed.

Unfortunately, some other pony came shooting out from behind the stalls and ended up smacking into Twilight and Moon Dancer, causing them to knock heads and fall flat on their flanks with throbbing headaches. Twilight shook her head, blinking the stars out of her eyes, and looked at the mare they bumped into.

It was Starlight Glimmer. She hadn’t been with the crowd when everything went down, so she had been naturally ahead of everypony else when she saw the dome starting to absorb the festival grounds.

Starlight rubbed her head with her hoof, groaning, as she looked at the pair of mares and asked, “What the hay’s going on around here?”

“Explanations later!” Moon Dancer cried, hopping to her hooves. “We have to run before – “

“Too late!” Spike screamed, pointing a claw.

The dome had swallowed the last of the ponies behind them and were seconds away from overtaking Twilight, Spike, Moon Dancer, and Starlight. The mares and baby dragon held each other, shivering, waiting for the inevitable. But then – in true cartoonish fashion – a run away wagon smacked into them from the side, lifting the four off the ground, and carrying them along for the ride.

Twilight Sparkle blinked at the absurdity of what just happened, looking on either side of her. She, Spike, Moon Dancer, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and Trixie exchanged questionable glance. Then Trixie pointed a hoof forward and screamed, “Look out!”

Tempest Shadow was just about to exit the castle when she heard Trixie’s cries and looked back. The scarred mare didn’t even have time to look surprised before she was swept up by Trixie’s wagon and the seven of them were flying out the gates.

Trixie’s wagon was careening down the road when one of the wagon’s wheels bumped over an exposed rock in the middle of the path. The wagon lurched forward and the seven were vaulted into the air, plopping onto the ground in various positions. Though they safely landed in the soft grass, it was still a rough landing.

Everypony groaned, shakingly rising to their hooves (and feet).

“Ugh…worse – job – ever,” Tempest groaned, rolling her shoulders.

Trixie, who had landed next to Starlight, let out a dramatic gasp and shouted, “Oh no, are you all right?!”

“I’m fine; just a little dirty,” Starlight answered, brushing off her coat.

“Trixie wasn’t talking to you,” Trixie said rudely. She galloped over to her wagon, which had stopped on the side of the road. “Trixie was talking to her precious baby.”

“Of course you were,” Starlight muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes when Trixie started kissing the wall.

Twilight walked back down the road a few paces away from the group, looking back sorrowfully at Princess Luna’s castle. Daybreaker’s barrier had completely cut the palace off from the rest of the world, stopping in front the castle gates and blocking any entrance from all directions.

“No…how could this have happened?” Twilight muttered weakly.

“That’s what I want to know!” Twilight jumped and turned around. Moon Dancer was in front of the others, all looking to the violet unicorn for answers. “What the hay was that about?! Do you know what’s going?! Did you know about this?! Who was that pony?! Say something, Twilight!”

“I – I – “ Twilight stammered, uncertain.

“That was Daybreaker,” Sunset Shimmer stepped forward, coming to Twilight’s rescue. “Princess Luna’s older sister who was banished to the sun a thousand years ago, when she had been corrupted by greed and paranoia. She’s returned to Equestria, and she’s brought with her the wrath of the sun.”

“And what does that mean, exactly?” Tempest questioned.

“It means…,” Twilight answered anxiously. “That unless somepony does something…all of Equestria is doomed.”

Author's Note

Since Trixie is clearly the weakest unicorn of the group, I wanted to give her something that would make her contribute beyond her slight-of-hoof tricks. So I made her an adequate potion maker, but not on the same level as Zecora. Since Trixie is a stagemare, I figured she must spend a lot of time and precision into make sure each trick goes off without a hitch. Those same skills could be contributed toward potion making, which she can also use in her shows.

Tell me what you think.

To Be Honest

Daybreaker cantered pleasantly across the stage with a delighted hum on her lips, stretching her wings for the first time in a thousand years.

Her barrier had completely cut off her younger sister’s castle from the rest of the world, making any chance for help from the outside impossible. The orange dome had an additional effect of magnifying the rays of her glorious sun, building an intense heatwave of everything inside. The wooden stalls hissed and smoked as they were steadily charred black, fruits and vegetables withered to nothing, and precious metals melted into reflective puddles. Daybreaker chuckled snidely as she hopped off the stage, and gazed ahead.

“I can honestly say, I’m a little impressive by how you’ve managed so far, little sister,” said Daybreaker

Princess Luna leered at her elder sister, but remained seated on her haunches, her horn glowing from the continuous flow of magic she was putting out. The nightly mare had erected her own barrier inside Daybreaker’s. Though only half the size of her sister’s, it was enough to cover herself and everypony captured. The freezing temperatures of Luna’s barrier counteracted with the sweltering heat of Daybreaker’s dome, making the atmosphere mildly comfortable for the imprisoned ponies. Many mares and stallions were still shaking, though, but it had nothing to do with Luna’s spell.

The Mare of the Sun approached the barrier, which separated the two sisters by mere inches. When Daybreaker put a hoof to the surface, she sharply pulled back when her hoof hissed and a thin plume of steam wafted from the point of contact.

“You’ve gotten stronger since we last battled,” said Daybreaker with a hint of eagerness. “If I wasn’t planning on destroying you, I would be proud.”

“I haven’t spent the last one thousand years simply waving at crowds and pushing papers,” said Luna evenly. “I’m not the little filly you once knew.”

“No, you’re not,” Daybreaker agreed. “But I doubt even you have the strength to battle me and protect those poor, innocent ponies from the worst sunburns of their lives.”

“Let them go, Daybreaker,” Luna demanded. “They have nothing to do with this – “

“They have everything to do with this!” Daybreaker snapped. “I am their princess! The one true ruler of Equestria! Do you not remember how it once took six unicorns to raise the sun each day? I was born with the power to raise it alone! Does that not by right make me fit to rule?! Do I not deserve worship for my everything I have done?! I blessed these ungrateful urchins with my warming light and they had the nerve to speak out against me! They deserve to be punished!”

“A princess does not put herself before her subjects!” Luna countered. “A princess exists to serve, protect, and guide the ponies of Equestria to a better – “

“Save your heartfelt speeches for someone who cares, sister,” Daybreaker scoffed. “The point remains that I have no intention of letting them, or any other pony, escape my divine judgement. Even as we speak, my glorious sun is bearing its wrath down upon the kingdom. Equestria will soon become nothing more than a desolate wasteland. Those who serve me will be allowed to live; the rest will burn.”

“You won’t get that far,” Luna declared firmly. “I’ve already sent my student to retrieve the Elements of Harmony. She will return and she will stop you.”

“Oh, yes, that adorable student of yours,” Daybreaker snickered. “Let’s take a look at how she’s doing, shall we?”

The flaming mare’s horn flared with magic and a rift tore open in the air between the alicorns. Daybreaker and Luna stared into the void as an image began to form –

Twilight Sparkle rubbed her chin with a thoughtful expression, her muzzle inches from Daybreaker’s barrier. Huddled together in a small circle several feet behind were Spike and the mares that had been caught up in the runaway wagon incident, talking animatedly about something Twilight had no idea about. Trixie came out of her wagon levitating a tray of chilled beverages she kept in a cooler underneath her hammock. It was a scorcher out today; Spike wasted no time guzzling his drink down. The other ponies took their drinks with more controlled enthusiasm, except for Sunset Shimmer, who walked up beside the lavender unicorn.

“That barrier’s not budging,” Sunset stated bluntly. “It’s on a completely different level than any magic we can use. Just what you would expect from an alicorn.”

“I know, and that worries me,” said Twilight, tapping the barrier wall which vibrated under her touch. “I have no idea how we’re supposed to get through this and saved everypony inside. Oh, if only Princess Luna were here.”

“So, the great Twilight Sparkle doesn’t have the answers for a change,” said Trixie with a smug grin. “Not so high and mighty now, are you, Twilight Sparkle?”

“Uh…I’m sorry, do I know you?” asked Twilight, scratching her head confused.

“Pshaw! As if you don’t remember the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie announced dramatically with a swish of her cape.

But rather than the reaction she was hoping for, Trixie only received a blank stare from Twilight.

“Trixie?” Another blank stare. "Trixie Lulamoon?" A tilt of the head. “We went to Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns together?” Twilight blinked dimwittedly. “WE SAT AT THE SAME TABLE FOR A YEAR!”

“Oh…did we?” Twilight asked, smiling sheepishly.

“Well, I remember you, Trixie,” Moon Dancer spoke up with a pointed look shot at Twilight. “I actually remember people I was friends with. Even if you did get kicked out after only a year.”

“Thank you, Moon Dancer,” said Trixie, raising her head proudly. “But for your information, the Great and Powerful Trixie didn’t get kicked out. Trixie just felt that the school didn’t have much to offer Trixie, so Trixie left to pursue her quest for magical knowledge elsewhere.”

“So you got kicked out,” said Sunset smugly; Trixie glared.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Twilight asked curiously, pointing a hoof at Trixie and Moon Dancer.

“We sat at the same table for a year,” Trixie and Moon Dancer replied simultaneously with matching blank stares; Twilight chuckled guiltily.

“Yeah, hello, hey there,” Starlight interrupted, nudging her way between the mares. “Starlight Glimmer here; nice to meet you all. So, not to interrupted this trip down memory lane, but – COULD SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE HAY JUST HAPPENED HERE?! WHO WAS THAT PONY?! WHERE DID SHE COME FROM?! WHAT’S WITH THIS BARRIER?! AND WHY WAS HER MANE ON FIRE? I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, HER MANE WAS – ON – FIRE!”

“I’m kinda curious about that myself,” Tempest said calmly, taking a sip of her drink.

“That,” said Sunset, gesturing her horn to the barrier, “was the Mare of the Sun, Daybreaker. She used to be Princess Luna’s older sister until she got corrupted by power. She’s been trapped in the sun for over a thousand years, and now she’s back to scorch Equestria in a raging inferno.”

“Yeah, Trixie doesn’t do well with fire,” said Trixie. “Trixie tried fire swallowing once. The hospital bill was outrageous!”

“That’s why we have to do something,” said Twilight, stomping her hoof importantly. “I read all about the prediction of Daybreaker. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don't know what they are, where to find them; I don't even know what they do!”

“Then what’re we supposed to do?” Moon Dancer asked.

“Why do we need to do anything?” Starlight asked. “We’re just a bunch of random ponies who got mixed up together by accident. Why can’t we just leave this to real heroes like the Justice Ponies?”

“Ooh, I love the Justice Ponies!” Spike cheered. “White Diamond’s my favorite.”

“Trixie is more of a Bucking Bronco fan herself,” said Trixie.

“Yeah, but The Dash is, like, twenty percent cooler – “ Starlight started.

“FOCUS!” Twilight screeched. “Daybreaker is Princess Luna's older sister. Even a team of superheroes won't be able to beat her. We need to find out where the Elements of Harmony are and bring them to Princess Luna so she can defeat Daybreaker. But I don’t even know where to start looking. I’ve read every book in the Canterlot library from top to bottom and I’ve never heard any mention of them.”

“Then the answers are probably in the restricted section,” Sunset hummed, putting a hoof to her chin.

“THERE’S A RESTRICTED SECTION?!” Twilight shrieked in aghast. Making Sunset lean back in surprise.

"Yeah…Princess Luna showed it to me,” Sunset answered hesitantly. The lavender mare started hyperventilating, her mane becoming a frizzed mess with bloodshot eyes. Sunset felt a little frightened. “Is she okay…?”

“Yeah, that’s just standard Twilight behavior,” Moon Dancer answered nonchalantly.

“She’ll calm down in a few minutes,” Trixie shrugged.

“So…that’s it, then?” asked Starlight uncertainly. “We just find these…Elements of Harmony and bring them back here.”

“I doubt it will be that easy,” said Moon Dancer, frowning. “But right now, we're the only ponies that know about Daybreaker and the Elements. Everypony else in Canterlot is trapped inside Daybreaker’s barrier and by the time anypony else figures out something’s wrong, it’ll be too late.”

“Then let’s go find those Elements of Harmony!” Spike cheered, pumping his claw. “To the library! …Oh no, I’m starting to sound like Twilight.”

“Hey!” Twilight yelled indignantly.

“You mares have fun with that,” Tempest Shadow interjected. The other mares jumped; Tempest had been so quiet, they had forgotten she was there. The broken unicorn rose to her hooves and turned. “Me? I’m taking the first train out of Canterlot. I didn’t sign up to play hero.”

Tempest started walking up the path back to town, but she only made it a few paces before Sunset called out:

“You realize that if we fail, you’re going to turn into a pile of ash, right?” Tempest came to a sudden stop. Sunset smirked; she had the mare hooked – now to reel her in. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to come with us so we don’t screw anything up and plunge the world into a fiery demise?”

Tempest remained rooted to her spot for several seconds, seemingly staring off into space. Then, with a reluctant sigh, she turned on her hooves and walked back to Sunset; the sunny mare had the smuggest grin on her face.

“You are a manipulative little pony…,” Tempest hissed at Sunset.

“I accept that as a compliment,” said Sunset, proudly flipping her mane.

“All right, we’ve wasted enough time,” said Twilight urgently. She levitated Spike onto her back and reared herself on her hind legs. “To the library!”

The lavender mare dashed toward the town and the other mares followed shortly. Except for Trixie, who went back for her wagon –

Daybreaker was none too pleased as she closed the viewing portal and turned back around to her sister. Princess Luna held a smirk like she had just one-uped the flaming mare personally.

“Looks like my student and her new friends are on their way to retrieve the Elements of Harmony, sister,” said Luna confidently. “It’s only a matter of time now.”

“Your faith in them is admirable, but foolish, sister,” said Daybreaker, spreading her wings with a sinister chuckle. “If they intend to seek out the Elements of Harmony, they will find that the path ahead is not to be tread lightly.”

“Don’t you dare lay a hoof on them!” Luna growled.

“Dear sister, I am not so crude as to lower myself into fighting little fillies,” Daybreaker laughed, flames springing to life around her hollow eyes. “After all, why would I need to break their bodies, when I could just as easily break their spirits?”

Twilight and the other mares were practically drenched in sweat by the time they reached the Canterlot library, none more so than Trixie and Tempest (“The Great and Powerful Trixie is not that kind of filly!” Trixie screeched when Twilight suggested taking off her cape.) They all let out mutual sighs of relief as they entered the air-conditioned confines of the library.

“Holy Luna,” said Starlight with an impressed whistle, looking around. “There must be a million books in here.”

“I wish!” Twilight shouted enthusiastically. “Sadly, the Canterlot library only has enough room to fit 983,755 books at one time. But I’ve started a petition to expand the number of bookshelves.”

“You don’t have a job or a social life, do you?” asked Tempest with a raised brow.

“Nope,” Spike answered.

“Come on, we’re wasting time,” said Sunset urgently, trotting ahead of the others. “The restricted section is this way.”

Twilight was literally bouncing behind the sunny mare; everypony else followed at a casual pace while keeping a distance from Twilight. Sunset lead them through the maze of shelves to a secluded corner near the back of the library; the thick layer of dust indicated that it was rarely used. The princess’s pupil scanned the shelves on the back wall with a hoof to her chin. It only took a moment of searching before she found it: a pair of books next to each other with logos of the sun and moon on their spines; a fairly obvious clue in Sunset’s opinion. She pulled both books with her magic and stepped back.

The seven heard a pair of metallic clicks followed by a deep rumble. The books leaned backed into their original positions and the entire shelf slid sideways into the wall, revealing a cavernous stairway leading downward. Twilight’s jaw literally dropped, something Tempest found great amusement in as she pushed the mare’s muzzle up. Twilight shook her head and practically dashed down the stairs after Sunset and Starlight already went inside.

The seven paced down the passageway in silence, which slowly shifted from the brick and mortar of the Canterlot library to an underground cave system. Thankfully, there were torch brackets on either side of the wall that lit up with magic when they walked by so they weren’t stumbling in the dark. The tunnel eventually ended at a pair of bronze double doors marked with the sun-moon sigil of Canterlot royalty, which Sunset pushed open with her magic.

Everypony stared in awe as they trotted inside, even Tempest, who didn’t care much for books and magic. The chamber was a massive cave that had been renovated for the sole purpose of storing information. The holes in the walls had been converted into bookshelves which held thick, leather-bound tomes, ancient-looking trinkets, and pyramids of scrolls. A magical hearth ignited upon their entrance, casting a warm orangish-yellow glow on the table in the middle of the room that looked to have been recently moved. There were two tunnels on either side of the chamber that seemed to lead to other sections.

Twilight made a harsh gasping noise, her entire body shaking so much she unknowingly knocked Spike off her back.

“Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh!!” Twilight squeaked in a single breath, head snapping back and forth wildly. “So many book – all unread! Ancient historical artifacts!” Now she was wheezing erratically. “I just... I thought...! I can't...!”

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Sunset asked her with growing concern. “Maybe you should – “

“Don't take this away from me!” Twilight screamed, shaking Sunset violently by the shoulders.

“So you think the book on the Elements of Harmony is somewhere in this place?” asked Moon Dancer, gesturing a hoof to the massive cave.

“If it’s not in the main library like Twilight says, then this is the next logical place,” answered Sunset, pushing the clingy lavender mare off.

“How’re we supposed to find it in all this?” Spike asked with a groan. “There must be a thousand books in here.”

“There used to be a mechanical catalog system,” said Sunset. She pointed a hoof in the corner at looked like a pile splintered wood and cracked gears. “But, as you can see, it hasn’t been…well-maintained.”

“Guess we’ll have to read everything!” Twilight sang. The lavender mare sprinted up to the second level of the cave, pulling down several books with her horn. “C'mon! No way! Can you believe they have Canterlot Cantabiles Volume Thirty-One? You heard me! Thirty-One! That's when it gets goooooooood!” She let out an overdramatic gasp and cantered off to another shelf. “Over here! An original Windigo Weather Warning from the pre-Equestrian era! Oh, my goodness! I can't! I just can't!”

“I feel less confident about our success every time she opens her mouth?” Tempest said bluntly.

“Well, guess there’s nothing to do but start looking,” said Moon Dancer, grimacing, using her horn to grab a random book off the shelves. “All right, everypony, let’s get to reading.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t trust books,” said Trixie, shooting the nearest tome with a challenging glare. “They’re as untrustworthy as wheels. And Trixie doesn’t trust wheels, either.”

“You do realize your wagon is on wheels, right?” Starlight pointed out.

“And Trixie is always watching them,” Trixie said seriously. “Waiting for them to strike when Trixie least expects it.”

Starlight facehoofed, shaking her head.

“C’mon, everypony, we can do this,” Spike said confidently. “I mean, how hard could it be to find one book?”

-=TWO HOURS LATER=-

Turns out it’s hard. Very, very hard.

The six mares and dragon had ripped off nearly every book on the shelves and hadn’t come close to finding any information on the Elements of Harmony. There’s had been several false alarms where somepony saw the word “harmony” and immediately jumped, only to realize it related to off-topic subjects like “the harmony of chakras” or “Perfect pitch, perfect harmony.”

Tempest’s broken horn crackled a little louder every time a book failed to produce results. Spike’s legs were sticking out from under a pile of books after they fell on him, but he made no effect of escaping. Even an avid book lover like Moon Dancer was repeatedly smacking herself in the face every few minutes.

Sunset Shimmer closed one of the thickest tomes with a tired yawn, leaning her head on her hoof.

“Did you know Chancellor Puddinghead tried to pass a law mandating Earth ponies drink carrot juice at every meal?” She moaned. “I do…. Know that…. Now.”

“Awww, sounds like you got to read all the fun books,” said Twilight, the only mare still with energy. Sunset smacked her face on the table with an exasperated sigh.

“I think I’d rather be melting in the sun than endure another moment of this torture,” Tempest grumbled.

“C’mon, girls, it’s not that bad,” Twilight said perkily. She looked around the table, suddenly realizing two mares were absent. “Hey, where’re Starlight and Trixie?”

Sunset, Tempest, and Moon Dancer pointed their hooves forward, bringing Twilight’s attention to the pair of miniature fortresses made entirely out of books on opposite sides of the chamber. How did she not notice that until now?

Trixie’s hat poked out before the showmare herself, looking over the top of her hoofmade book palace, leering at the opposition. She then shot up, levitating “Call to Hooves” with her magic, shouting, “Victory goes to the first strike!”

She threw the book at the opposite fort. The side wall immediately collapsed, revealing Starlight Glimmer, who appeared to be reading, “The Dr. Manehatten Project.” The Lilac unicorn immediately sprang to her hooves.

“Defensive perimeter has been breached!” Starlight cried dramatically. “Prepare for hoof-to-hoof combat! Take no prisoners!”

“Trixie never knew books could be so much fun!” Trixie cheered.

Twilight’s eyes popped and her mouth fell in abject horror as she witnessed then two mares fling ancient one-of-a-kind books across the room like baseballs. The lavender mare was too dumbstruck to form any words, and only sputtered random gibberish. It was with a groan that Sunset rose from her seat and dragged Twilight off through side tunnel into another part of the restricted.

“C’mon, let’s check over here,” Sunset suggested. “There’s got to be information on the Elements of Harmony somewhere.”

“But – but – but – “ Twilight stammered, pointing a hoof back at the other room.

“Just leave them,” said Sunset. “We’ll find the answers without them.”

Twilight looked like she had more to say on the matter, but chose to let it slide and walk the rest of the way in silence. After a short walk, they entered another enormous cavern like the main chamber, only this one was filled entirely with bookshelves that stretched all the way to the ceiling.

Twilight and Sunset walked up to the first rows of shelves, pulling off several books and reading the simultaneously. But after a few minutes of painful silence, Twilight suddenly spoke up:

“Hey, Sunset?”

“What? You find something?” Sunset asked hopefully.

“No, no, it’s just…. Can I ask you something?” Twilight said cautiously.

“I…guess?” Sunset answered strangely.

“It’s just that…something’s been bothering me ever since the Summer Solstice Festival,” said Twilight, frowning.

“What?”

“It’s Princess Luna,” said Twilight. Sunset suddenly went stiff, though the lavender mare didn’t notice. “She looked so surprised to see Daybreaker when she showed up. And when she did, Princess Luna seemed almost…defenseless against her. But…that doesn’t make any sense. Shouldn’t she have known that Daybreaker was coming? I mean, you gave her my notes, right? I thought she would’ve been better prepared. What happened?”

Sunset felt a drip of sweat running down the side of her head, eyes moving frantically. She remembered Twilight's warning the previous evening and her notes had been thoroughly detailed right down to the moment Daybreaker would return. If Sunset had given those notes to Princess Luna, she could’ve been prepared; she could’ve dispelled Daybreaker with the Elements of Harmony herself. Instead, Sunset had burned the notes without a second thought. She even lied to her mentor about them.

But she couldn’t tell Twilight that! She’d blame Sunset for everything! She’d run back to the others, tell them what happened, and then they would all hate her! They’d leave! They couldn’t do that, Sunset told herself. She can’t find the Elements of Harmony by herself. She needed them around long enough to find the Elements and take them back to Princess Luna. None of them needed to know what really happened. For the good of Equestria!

“She, uh, didn’t read them,” Sunset finally responded, looking away guiltily.

“What? Why not?” Twilight gaped.

“Because…because she’s the princess, obviously,” Sunset said quickly. “She’s busy with paperwork all the time. I tried showing her your notes, but she didn’t think some details about an ancient myth made by some random pony were worth looking at. Especially the day before the festival.”

“Oh…yeah…I guess that makes sense,” Twilight said in a small voice, hanging her head sadly. “Princess Luna has more important duties than to listen to some nopony…. I guess I just got my hopes up for nothing….”

Sunset felt a twinge of guilt in her chest as Twilight pulled down another book apathetically, her previous zeal complete evaporated. It was better this way, Sunset told herself. She’ll get over it. The safety of Equestria came first. Princess Luna would agree with her. Though it was difficult to focus on the texts with Twilight Sparkle radiating a gloomy aura around her now.

“I’ll go look in the back,” Sunset suggested weakly. “You keep checking around here.”

“Okay…,” Twilight answered glumly. The guilt in Sunset’s heart intensified from how subdued she sounded.

The sunny pony trotted quickly to the back of the cavern where the shelves were nearly concealed in darkness. Sunset created a light with her horn to illuminated the row. She pulled down one of the books with her magic and started reading through the passages when –

“Naughty, naughty, Sunset Shimmer. Breaking that poor little mare’s heart like that.”

Sunset’s entire frame seized up in fear. She looked to her left – nothing. She looked to her right – nothing…. Suddenly, the back of the cavern brightened from a flickering light that seemed to come from behind Sunset Shimmer. The young mare gulped audibly, turning around slowly, and nearly fell over with a gasp.

A pair of enlarged eyes floated in the air in front of her. They were golden slits in hollow sclera, surrounded by rings of flames. Sunset recognized those eyes.

“Daybreaker!” Sunset cried.

“Sunset Shimmer, my sister’s dutiful apprentice,” Daybreaker spoke with maniac glee. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you personally. Well, not personally, but close enough.”

“G-Get away!” Sunset shouted, backing up against the shelves. “I’m not afraid of you!”

“You have a real talent for lying, don’t you, Sunset Shimmer?” said Daybreaker, chuckling. “I can practically smell your fear from here. But don’t fret, my little pony, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You…you don’t?” Sunset asked suspiciously.

“Why would I want to hurt somepony with such potential,” Daybreaker cooed. “My sweet little sister took you in as her apprentice because you are a gifted little unicorn, there’s no doubt about that. But there’s only so much Luna can teach you. Personally, I think you would do better as my apprentice, don’t you think?”

“I would never be your apprentice,” said Sunset strongly.

“Oh, but we have so much in common,” Daybreaker chirped delightfully. “We are both exceptionally powerful mares. We both know it’s our born right to stand above the common ponies. We both share similar tastes in sun motifs. And, more importantly, we are both willing to lie and cheat to get what we want.

“I’m nothing like you,” Sunset declared.

“But you are, my little Sunset Shimmer!” said Daybreaker in a powerful voice. “You had the opportunity to prevent my return, but you didn’t! You could have warned my sister, but you chose not to! And why? Because that would mean proving that little upstart – Twilight Sparkle, was it? – was right. She was the one who saw the signs of my return, not you? She possesses knowledge and understanding vastly superior to yours. If you had taken those notes to Luna, she would have stopped me, certainly, but then your own position would be in jeopardy.”

“No…,” Sunset murmured weakly.

“Yes!” Daybreaker hissed. “Though not as obvious, Twilight Sparkle possesses great magical potential to rival your own. Maybe even surpass it. Then what would you do? If Luna knew such an exceptional unicorn existed, what use would she have for keeping your around? You needed to do whatever it took to secure your place.”

“Shut up…,” Sunset whimpered, flattening herself to the ground, covering her ears trying to block out Daybreaker’s words.

“That’s why you burned her notes!” Daybreaker roared. “You chose to ignore Twilight Sparkle's warning and now everything will be consumed in glorious flames, including my foolish little sister who believe in you!”

“Stop it…,” Sunset sobbed, her eyes stinging with tears.

“And if you insist on refusing my generous offer to be my pupil, then at the very least, I will allow you to live. To walk across the barren wastes, forever knowing you could have prevented Equestria’s fate! Everypony will burn! And it is all – your – fault!”

Meanwhile, Twilight was browsing through “The Big Encyclopedia of Useless Knowledge” when she heard a loud, wailing cry coming from the back out the chamber. Twilight dropped the book and spun around. That sounded like –

“Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight shouted in a panic.

Twilight raced through the shelves, following the sounds of sobbing. She came to a screeching halt and spotted a prone figure lying on the ground hidden in the darkness. Twilight illuminated her horn and found Sunset Shimmer huddled on the floor, her hooves covering her eyes, sobbing uncontrollably. Twilight leaned over Sunset, helping the mare into a sitting position. Sunset sniffled, tears streaming down her muzzle, but she blinked and stared at the lavender unicorn with a look of remorse.

“Tw – Twilight…?” Sunset hiccupped.

“Sunset, what happened?” asked Twilight, worried. “I heard you scream. What – “

“Daybreaker,” Sunset mumbled softly. “It was Daybreaker. She was here.”

“What?! Daybreaker’s here?!” Twilight squeaked, looking around frantically.

“She left before you showed up,” Sunset mumbled. “Twilight, she…she said it was my fault. She told me I’m the reason why everypony is in danger…. Equestria is doomed because of me…..”

“Sunset, that’s not true, don’t listen to her,” said Twilight seriously. “She’s lying to – “

“BUT IT’S TRUE!” Sunset screamed, taking Twilight aback. Sunset stared at the ground shamefully. “It’s true…. Twilight…the truth is, Princess Luna never got your notes…because I didn’t give them to her. I burned them after you left….”

“But…why would you do that?” Twilight asked in disbelief.

“At first, it was because I didn’t believe you,” said Sunset honestly. “I thought you were just somepony looking for attention. I mean, the first thing you said to me was that you were a huge fan.”

“Yeah, I guess I can see how that might’ve come off,” said Twilight, scratching her chin sheepishly.

“But then I read your notes,” Sunset continued. “And I realized they were right. All the facts lined up perfectly with Daybreaker’s return. When I saw them, I realized you saw the signs when nopony else did, including me. You looked over all the facts and came to the right conclusion. And…and that scared me.”

“Scared you?” Twilight repeated, astonished by what she heard.

“If I showed those notes to Princess Luna, she’d realize how amazing you were,” Sunset replied. “The only pony in all of Equestria who foresaw the return of Daybreaker. I was scared that Princess Luna would see how better you are, that she would replace me…. So I burned the notes and pretended you were just making it all up.

“If I hadn’t been so selfish and lied, none of this would’ve happened!” Sunset cried with a fresh wave of tears. “Princess Luna is in danger and it’s all my fault! I put all of Equestria in danger because of my ego! I’m the worst student ever! I deserve to be replaced!”

Sunset bowed her head and continued to sob, her shoulder’s shaking…until she felt a gentle hoof tap them. The sunny mare looked up, surprised, at Twilight Sparkle, who smiled sympathetically.

“You’re not a bad pony, Sunset Shimmer,” said Twilight softly. “You made a mistake. It happens to the best of us. I mean, I can’t tell you how many times my mistakes nearly cost my brother his job. Especially after the chocolate fountain incident. Honestly, it’s a miracle we weren't banished for that.”

“Your mistakes didn’t put the life of everypony in danger,” Sunset mumbled.

“You can’t blame yourself for what happened – that’s exactly what Daybreaker wants,” said Twilight. “There’s no point in beating yourself up. We can’t change what happened, but there is something was can do.”

“What?” asked Sunset.

“We can fix it,” said Twilight confidently. “Once we find the Elements of Harmony, Daybreaker will be banished to the sun again and everything will be back to normal.”

“And Princess Luna will kick me out for lying,” Sunset mumbled.

“If she does, then maybe we could learn magic together,” Twilight gasped, clapping her hooves eagerly. “We could have a study group! You could teach me all about the enchanted items of Mage Meadowbrook and I could teach you about Homare and Ponycles!”

“I’ve already read Ponycles and I found his work to be pretentious at best,” said Sunset in a dignified tone. The two mares giggled and Sunset smiled at the lavender unicorn. “Thanks, Twilight. No matter what happens after this, I promise I’ll never be dishonest again…well, most of the time. Because, let’s face it, being too honest can get you in just as much trouble as lying.”

“Tell me about it,” Twilight laughed. “That being said, I wish we knew where to find the Elements of Harmony. At this rate, it’ll be days before we find the right book.”

Sunset illuminated her horn to add to Twilight's when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. The golden lettering of a single book stood out between the musty tomes beside it. Sunset pulled the book out with her magic, read the cover, and let out a shocked gasp.

“Twilight, this is it!” said Sunset, passing the book over.

“’The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide’?” Twilight read aloud. “That is unrealistically convenient.”

“Worry about logic later!” Sunset yelled urgently. “We gotta show the others!”

The mares galloped back the way they came to the main chamber, where they discovered that Tempest and Moon Dancer had somehow been coerced into helping Trixie and Starlight build a scale model of the Manehatten skyline out of books.

“Stop building that amazing accurate model and get your flanks over here!” Sunset shouted. Trixie, who had apparently been imitating the skyscraper scene from King Pong, fell backwards with a surprised yelp, sending the entire model crashing down. “We found the Elements of Harmony!”

After digging Trixie out of her bookish tomb, the mares rushed over to the table. Twilight used her magic to pry Spike out of his own pile, suspecting he might want to be informed, but found the little guy fast asleep. Twilight smiled and crated a bed of books and tucked him in with a blanket of paper. He was a baby dragon after all; she’ll wake him up after they’ve sorted this mess out.

Twilight marched back to the table with the other mares and flipped the pages with her horn, scanning the pages critically as they flew by.

“Come on, come on, give me something – A-HA!” Twilight shouted, laying the book flat and reading aloud. “’ There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now…the Everfree Forest?”

“What’s the Everfree Forest?” Moon Dancer asked curiously.

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “I’ve never even heard of it. Has Princess Luna ever said anything to you about it, Sunset Shimmer?”

“Princess Luna never liked to talk about her past,” said Sunset, “which is really starting to bite us in the tail right about now.”

“Maybe we could look at some maps – “Starlight suggested.

“It’s on the outskirts of Ponyville,” Trixie answered simply. The other mares turned in unison, giving her strange looks. “What?”

“How do you know where the Everfree Forest is?” Moon Dancer asked suspiciously.

“I know this may be hard to believe,” said Trixie with a smug grin, “but the Great and Powerful Trixie wasn’t always so great and powerful – “

“No, we believe it,” Tempest interjected bluntly.

“…Anyway, I used to travel all over Equestria, learning from the greatest masters of the mystic arts to become the spectacular showpony you see today!” Trixie said with a dramatic wave of her cape.

“Does this story have a point?” asked Starlight, rolling her eyes.

“My potions teacher, Potion Nova,” Trixie explained, “used to sing praises of a zebra named Zecora, who lived in the Everfree Forest on the outskirts of Ponyville.”

Moon Dancer hummed thoughtfully for a moment, then used her horn to grab a map of a nearby shelf.

“Ponyville’s only a few miles south of Canterlot, at the base of the mountain,” Moon Dancer informed. “If we hoof it, we could get there in a few hours.”

“Sooner if we use Trixie’s wagon,” Starlight added.

“Hey, nopony touches the Great and Powerful Trixie’s wagon but Trixie!” Trixie yelled indignantly.

“Do you want to burn into a smoldering pile of ash?” Starlight retorted, smirking.

“…Fine, but Trixie’s driving,” Trixie grumbled.

“Then we have a heading,” said Twilight proudly, stuffing the reference guide into her saddlebag. “Come on, Everypony, let’s go get those Elements of Harmony!”

Author's Note

This chapter came out surprisingly fast. Guess I was just extra motivated.

An Act of Kindness

Daybreaker leered into the viewing portal with a soft rumble in her throat. Five of the mares who opposed her climbed into the showmare’s wagon while the blue one climbed to the roof, using her horn to move the wheels. They rolled out of the Canterlot city limits and were heading down the mountain path. They were heading for Ponyville.

“Looks like your plan to break my student’s spirit ended up backfiring, sister,” Luna said proudly behind her.

“Don’t think that you’ve won just yet,” Daybreaker hissed, spinning around to the midnight mare. “Even if your student remains untouched, there are still the other five to make examples of…. And besides, even if they do reach the castle, they have no chance of using the Elements of Harmony.”

“You seem quite certain,” said Luna calmly.

“We both know the Elements of Harmony require the right…conditions to wield their magic,” said Daybreaker ominously. “And as it stands, those clueless fillies are far from where they need to be.”

“I have every confidence that they will succeed,” Luna proclaimed firmly.

“Do you now?” said Daybreaker, smirking. “Let’s put it to the test then, shall we?”

The flaming mare turned to the viewing portal again and altered the image with her horn. The portal showed a quiet little village at the base of the mountain, over a hundred earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi of all shapes and colors flittering through the streets. Most ponies were seeking shade from the unexplained heatwave that was suddenly falling over them, others dunked themselves in barrels of water trying to cool themselves off. Daybreaker chuckled darkly.

“Ah, Ponyville,” she crooned. “If I remember correctly, you offered the land to a bunch of apple farmers that eventually blossomed into a bustling village filled with all kinds of ponies. From humble beginning, am I right?”

“How – “

“Just because I was trapped in the sun doesn’t mean I wasn’t always watching, sister” Daybreaker sneered. “This will be the perfect opportunity to see if your heroes have what it takes to collect the Elements of Harmony. Let’s turn up the heat!” she added with a sadistic cackle.

The flaming mare stretched her wings and the sunlight within the viewing portal grew stronger until everything faded into a white-hot glare.

Without anypony running the train and no pegasi to pull the flying chariots, the Mane 6 (a cute little nickname Twilight thought up in the library) had to travel down the mountain passage in Trixie’s cart if they wanted to make it to Ponyville.

There was a good reason no one voluntarily walked down the mountain. Canterlot was built into the side of one of the largest mountain in all of Equestria (which seemed like a narcissistic way of saying they were better than everyone, in Starlight’s opinion) and the narrow pathways that wrapped around the slopes barely had enough room for Trixie’s wagon to roll safely along. Twilight was actually grateful that Trixie was the one driving. She had never set hoof outside of Canterlot before and the blue showmare had to have taken this same path to reach the capital city, which meant she could do the same in reverse. Now if only her wagon had a little more space….

“Hey, get your mane out of my face!”

“Stop stepping on my tail!”

“Whoever’s hoof that is better move it before you lose it!”

Twilight let out a dissatisfied groan as she was shoved into the wall – again – by Starlight, who was trying to kick Tempest out of her personal space, who was shoving Sunset’s mane out of her face, who – well, you get the idea.

Suffice to say, Trixie’s wagon wasn’t meant to accommodate for five full grown mares – it was barely big enough to fit two ponies comfortably. That’s not even taking into account of Trixie’s personal possessions: the light-blue hammock strung up on the ceiling, the star-spangled truck filled with dozens of the same hat and cape, the giant cauldron that took up the entire backside, and the various boxes of potion bottles and magician paraphernalia stacked in the corners. Sunset ended up having to sit inside the cauldron and Moon Dancer was aloft in Trixie’s hammock just to make room for everypony.

“This is the most uncomfortable ride I’ve ever been on,” Tempest grumbled. “And I’ve been on the Manehatten subway.” She flinched as the wagon hit another bumped and the stack of boxes teetered dangerously over her head. “Can’t we just throw this stuff out the window or something. It’s way too cramped in here – “

“You will not lay a hoof on the Great and Powerful Trixie’s personal property!” Trixie yelled from outside.

“Whelp, there you have it,” said Sunset, trying to make herself comfortable in the cauldron.

“C’mon, let’s just open the door and toss some of the junk out,” Tempest suggested. “She won’t even know it’s gone.”

“These are Trixie’s things; we can’t just throw them away without her permission,” said Starlight, though she seemed unconvincing being wedged between the box tower and the clothing trunk. “How would you feel if we suddenly decided to throw away some of your stuff?”

“When I actually have stuff to throw away, I’ll let you know,” Tempest retorted.

“Okay, okay, let’s cool down, everypony,” Twilight intervened, holding her hooves between them. “We’re all a little uncomfortable and cranky, but it’s nothing to get upset over. Just take a deep breath and remember we’re all friends here – “

“Friends? With you?” Moon Dancer scoffed, rolling her eyes rudely. Twilight looked taken aback by the verbal jab that she forgot what she was going to say next. Thankfully, Sunset decided stepped in.

“Twilight’s right,” she said in a calm voice. “Everypony just take a deep breath…,” She demonstratef by breathing through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. “See? Easy. Now, I know we’re all probably frustrated and some of us don’t want to be here – “

“Namely me,” said Tempest.

“But we have to think about the bigger picture,” Sunset continued uninterrupted. She used her horn to bring up ‘The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide’ and flipped the pages. “From what we've learned, the Elements of Harmony are in Princess Luna’s old castle in the Everfree Forest, and thanks to Trixie, we know the forest is on the outskirts of Ponyville.”

“I’ve tried looking up anything I could find on the Everfree Forest,” Twilight added, levitating another book, “but any information about it is almost nonexistent. All I could find were a few references in some old research journals.”

“Wow, the smartest pony in class doesn’t have all the answers?” Moon Dancer said sarcastically. Twilight looked up at her, frowning. “The world really is ending, isn’t it?”

Starlight glared at the bespectacled pony out of the corner of her eye before facing Twilight and asking, “Is there anything that can tell us how to get to the Elements of Harmony?”

“From what little I can gather, the Everfree Forest is the oldest and most uncharted territory in all of Equestria,” Twilight hummed, leafing through the book. “It dates back to the period before Princess Luna’s rule; before the foundation of Equestria even. Many explorers have entered the Everfree Forest hoping to learn its secrets, but very few ever come back. And the ones that do are too afraid to tell. Only the regal princesses ever dared to enter the Everfree Forest without fear, for their magic was strong enough to repel what lurks in the darkness. The sister built their castle inside the Everfree Forest because it was a natural defense against their enemies during a period of constant war, but it fell out of use after Princess Luna banished Daybreaker to the sun and relocated to Canterlot instead.”

“Another thing my teacher neglected to mention,” Sunset grumbled.

“So we’re pretty much walking in blind,” Tempest grimaced.

“A little,” Twilight grinned sheepishly. “But trust me, everypony, as long as we work together, we’ll be just fine – “

“Like you would know anything about working together,” Moon Dancer sneered.

An uncomfortable moment of silence passed through the wagon, broken only by the jingling of Trixie’s possessions. Starlight coughed into her hoof nervously and asked, “Uh…is there something going on between you two? I thought you were friends.”

“We are – “Twilight started until she was cut off by a mocking laugh by Moon Dancer.

“Friend?!” She spat. “Twilight Sparkle doesn’t have friends! She just uses ponies for whatever she wants and forgets about them when she doesn’t need them anymore. Trust me, I would know.”

“Oookay, that seems a little harsh,” said Sunset uncomfortably. “I mean, Twilight and I are friends now and I don’t – “

“Oh, wow, congratulations, you must feel soooo special,” Moon Dancer mocked. “Looks like Twilight Sparkle has moved on from the common rabble and is now cozying up with the Canterlot elite. I hope you two are very happy together – at least until Twilight ditches you for someone better.”

“Okay, what’s up with you?” Starlight asked Moon Dancer.

“I think I know,” said Twilight, her ears falling shamefully. “Moon Dancer, if this is about the party I missed – “

“This goes way beyond one party, Twilight Sparkle!” Moon Dancer roared, the other mares reeling back. “This is about you being a horrible, horrible friend!”

“Uh…maybe we should go,” Sunset whispered to Tempest.

“Go where?” Tempest replied, gesturing to the wagon.

“Moon Dancer, I’m sorry – “ Twilight started.

“Oh, you’re sorry?” Moon Dancer growled. “I guess that magically fixes everything, huh? You know, I’m sorry, too! Sorry I was dumb enough to believe that you were ever my friend!”

“But – “

“I’ve always tried to be a good friend to you ever since we were foals, Twilight!” Moon Dancer continued. “I’ve always done what you asked, always offered to help you, study with you, shared my book with you, and I never asked for anything in return! Because that’s what friend’s do!”

“I – “

“But the first time I ask for something,” Moon Dancer’s voice steadily rose with anger, “the first time I ever put myself out there, you didn't even bother to show up! And sure, I understand you had to warn Princess Luna about Daybreaker, but there was no reason you couldn’t have come after, or even stopped to explain why! And the worst part is that you lied about it later! I thought we were supposed to be friends, but I guess I was the only one who thought that!”

“You weren’t – “

“Do you know how that made me feel?!” Moon Dancer bellowed; the other mares slapped their hooves over their ears. “I was humiliated! I felt like I wasn't important! You made me feel like I had value! That you actually cared and wanted to be with me as much as I wanted to be with you! And YOU – DIDN’T – SHOW – UP!”

To punctuate her statement, Moon Dancer levitated a box of Trixie’s possessions and threw it at Twilight with all her might. Twilight would have been plowed if Sunset hadn’t pulled the lavender mare with her own horn. The box smashed against the wagon’s wall and sent a bundle of trick wands flying everywhere, sprouting color bouquets. But Twilight’s mind was somewhere else at the moment.

She stared at Moon Dancer, openmouthed, as the cream-colored mare sniffled and moved her glasses to wipe the tears streaking down her face. Guilt settled into Twilight’s stomach. She hadn’t realized how terribly she had been treating Moon Dancer, even if it was unintentional. It seemed like she had been holding those feelings in for a long time and missing the party was the final straw. Twilight didn’t even think about the implications of Moon Dancer wanting to be with her and found herself wondering how she could make it up to her friend.

But before Twilight could articulate a response, the wagon door flew open and Trixie pounced inside. Her eyes instantly fell on the trick wands with a startled gasp and quickly collected them with her horn.

“What did Trixie say about touching Trixie’s personal property!” Trixie berated the mares.

The wagon rattled as a stunned, almost terrified, silence passed between the Mane 6.

“Uh…Trixie,” Starlight said quietly. “…Who’s driving the wagon?”

“Trixie is, of course,” Trixie answered proudly. It took a few seconds before her own words register in her brain. “Oooh, okay, yeah, Trixie sees the problem now.”

The Mane 6 instantly flew to the windows, sticking their heads out and looking ahead of the mountain road. They all let out terrified screams as they careened towards a sharp turn in the pass. Even though five of them could use magic and easily stop the wagon, none of them had the sense to do so. Together, they flew off the road into the air.

What happened afterwards was borderline insane and unrealistic.

After they flew off the road, the wagon bounced off the peaks of three smaller mountains and landed securely on another slope, which sent them rolling in the opposite direction. At the end of the slope was a ramp that sent them flying into a large tree growing out of the side of the mountain, which slingshot them backwards. They miraculously flew into a cave entrance and, after rolling through a lengthy dark tunnel for several second, were somehow spit out another cave twenty feet below the first. They glided through the air with the help of several dozen bats they picked up in the cave until the winged rodents decided to drop them. Luckily, they fell into an apple orchard and rolled across the tops of the apple trees until sliding down one of the thick branches to ground level. They bowled out of the orchard and into a stereotypical farmstead where they smashed their way through the barn, frightening the livestock out. The wagon shot out of the farmland and strolled along the dirt road for half a mile before slowly coming to a gentle stop.

The Mane 6 were in various states of panic; Twilight was practically choking Sunset to death and Starlight’s face was stuck in a silent scream. They were all covered in an assortment of leaves, hay, mud, and bat droppings while Trixie’s possesses were strewn about the wagon. Trixie was the first to recover, shaking her head clear and looking around. And wouldn’t you know it, not even ten feet away was a large painted sign that said: “WELCOME TO PONYVILLE”

“Hah! The Great and Powerful Trixie got us safely to Ponyville, just like Trixie planned!” Trixie boasted proudly. Tempest glared and bucked the stagemare sideways. “…The Great and Powerful Trixie is okay….”

“I – hate – this – wagon,” Moon Dancer breathed. “It’s been nothing but trouble.”

“Well, it did save us from being caught Daybreaker’s barrier the first time,” said Twilight, kindly helping Trixie to her hooves. “And it did get us to Ponyville, albeit in an unconventional way.”

“That’s right!” Trixie shouted, pointing a hoof. “Show the Great and Powerful Trixie’s Great and Powerful wagon the respect it deserves!”

“Whatever,” Moon Dancer grumbled, rolling her eyes.

“At least we made it to Ponyville in one piece,” Sunset offered optimistically, helping Starlight relax her face. “We should look around and see if we can find anypony that can point us in the direction of the Everfree Forest.”

“Then let’s not waste any time,” said Twilight, pacing to the door. “We’ll start by combing the – BLARGH!”

The other mares jumped as Twilight opened the door, only to immediately fall into a boneless lump on the stairs. Sunset and Starlight moved forward to assist, but the second they stepped out, they collapsed as well. Trixie and Moon Dancer looked at each other, then Tempest, then gestured the broken unicorn to go ahead. Tempest rolled her eyes, but slowly – cautiously – marched up to the door. It took all her strength not to fall over when she stepped down the stairs.

If Canterlot had been a scorcher, then Ponyville was a raging inferno. It felt like they had walked into an over set at two thousand degrees and rising. They could actually see the heat waving through the air. Tempest was practically melting underneath her black cloak, but she refused to take it off for her own personal reasons. As opposed to Trixie, who quickly stowed the wizard’s hat and cape into her saddle bag.

Tempest helped Twilight to her hooves while Trixie and Moon Dancer aided Starlight and Sunset respectively.

“Sweet Luna, it’s so hooooot!” Twilight cried.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie thinks her tongue has gone dry,” Trixie wheezed.

“Daybreaker’s curse is getting stronger,” Sunset grimaced, shielding her eyes with her hoof. “At this rate, Equestria will be burned to the ground by the end of the day.”

“Hey, girls…where is everypony?” Moon Dancer asked, worried.

The Mane 6 looked around. Though the village was small and quaint compared to Canterlot, it was just as empty as the capital city. Banners and streamers had been strung up in celebration of the Summer Solstice Festival. Stalls lined the street with fruits and vegetables that had wilted into pruney black masses and stale desserts. Twilight walked a few paces before her hoof bumped into something on the ground. It was a Princess Luna doll for foals, though it was covered in dirt, indicating that it had been dropped in a hurry. Twilight picked up the doll, frowning.

“What happened here?” she asked, concerned.

“With the way the temperature is, they probably took shelter in their homes,” Sunset suggested hopefully.

“I don’t think so,” Starlight rejected, peering into a nearby window. “All the houses are empty. Doesn’t look like anything was taken, so they didn’t leave.”

“Then what the hay happened?” Tempest questioned.

Moon Dancer was walking the street, staring at the empty houses, when she heard a small noise coming from around the bend and paused. The bespectacled unicorn approached the corner carefully and poked her head around.

It was a sight to see a little filly with a big pink bow in her bright-red mane trying to haul a water jug twice her size. But the filly was nothing if not determined, grinding her hooves into the dirt pulling the rope around her little body inch by inch, sweat pouring like raindrops down her body. The filly grinded her teeth, chanting, “C’mon, c’mon, you’ve got this,” under her breath.

“Hey, girls, over here!” Moon Dancer called back before approaching the little filly. “Excuse me – “

“TARNATION!” The filly squeaked, literally jumping a foot off the ground. She spun around to Moon Dancer, holding a hoof to her heaving chest. “Y’all plum scared the apples outta meh!”

“Er…sorry,” Moon Dancer apologized sheepishly.

“Hey…ah ain’t seen y’all ‘round these ‘ere parts ‘afore,” the filly hummed thoughtfully as the other unicorns joined them. “Where’d y’all come from?”

“We’re from Canterlot,” answered Sunset.

“No foolin’!” the filly shouted excitedly with starry eyes. “Wow! Ah ain’t never met anypony from Canterlot ‘afore! What y’all doin’ in Ponyville? Oh, pardon meh. Mah big sis always says ah always jump the horseshoe faster than a jackrabbit with its tail on fire. Ah’m Apple Bloom. What’s yer name?”

“I’m Moon Dancer,” Moon Dancer introduced them. “This is Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Tempest Shadow, and…,” She paused for a moment, spitting the next words out like a bad taste. “Twilight Sparkle….”

Twilight’s ears flattened sadly.

“What’re you doing lugging this big thing around,” asked Starlight, gesturing a hoof to the water jug. “That seems like a lot of water for one filly.”

“T'hat ain’t fer meh,” Apple Bloom shook her head. “That’s fer all the sick ponies at town hall.”

“Sick ponies?” Twilight parroted with a worried tone.

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom nodded. “Ever since the sun came up, it’s been hotter than Scootaloo’s five-alarm jalapeno cupcakes. Ponies started gettin’ sick everywhere, so everypony’s been moved to town hall. Ah was out fetchin’ some water from the well when y’all showed up.”

“Do you think you could show us where town hall is?” asked Tempest.

“It’d be mah pleasure,” said Apple Bloom, who started tugging at the ropes again. “Just…need…tuh...get…this – “

“Here, let me get that,” Moon Dancer offered, who then levitated the huge jug with her horn. Apple Bloom looked at the bespectacled unicorn in awe.

“Wowwie, that ahmazin’!” Apple Bloom cheered, clapping her hooves.

“It’s…it’s nothing, really,” Moon Dancer stammered embarrassingly. “Just a levitation spell. Any unicorn can do it.”

“Well, ah still think it’s mighty impressive,” Apple Bloom complimented, before turning. “Town hall’s this way, y’all.”

Apple Bloom led the unicorn mares through the village, though her stance was a little wobbly with the sweat rolling down her flank profusely. But despite clear exhaustion, Apple Bloom found enough energy to barrage Moon Dancer with an endless assault of questions. About Canterlot, about magic, about anything that made the filly curious. To her credit, Moon Dancer was patient with Apple Bloom, answering to the best of her ability. She felt something flare in her chest when the filly looked up to her like she had hanged the stars. It was nice to feel appreciated, thought Moon Dancer; to have someone make her feel valued….

Apple Bloom brought them to the center Ponyville to the tallest building in the entire village. That had to be town hall.

“C’mon in, y’all,” Apple Bloom welcomed them as she climbed the stairs. “Everypony’s in ‘ere,”

Apple Bloom shoved the door open with her hoof, and when the Mane 6 saw the inside, they paused at the threshold in shock.

Over a hundred ponies were crammed inside the building and more than half of them were lying in cots laid out in rows, gasping, wheezing, and sweating uncontrollably. Some of them had buckets next to their heads from which a foul odder wafted from. Earth ponies were trotting between the rows wiping down the sweating ponies, unicorns were carrying water jugs and ice bags with their horns, and the pegesi were flapping their wings trying to get a breeze in the room. Moon Dancer took a few paces inside and took a step back when a neighboring Pegasus heaved into his bucket.

“This is horrible,” she gasped. “What happened to everypony?”

“Apple Bloom, there you are!” An aged mare cantered up to them, looking over the bow-wearing filly urgently. “Where have you been, foal?! We were out of our minds with worry when we noticed you were gone!”

“Ah was gettin’ more water fer everypony, Miss Mayor,” Apple Bloom stated proudly.

“That’s very sweet of you, dear, but you shouldn’t go running off without telling anypony,” the mayor chastised her. “What if you had collapsed and nopony found you?”

“Ah just wanted tuh help,” Apple Bloom mumbled, kicking her hoof sadly.

“That’s all well and good, but leave this to the adults,” said the mayor sternly. “Now, go help your brother; we need all the hooves we can get. Nurse Redheart, we have more water!” As Apple Bloom padded away and an earth pony in a nurse’s cap came to take the jug from Moon Dancer, the mayor turned her attention to the Mane 6. “So sorry about that. Foals can be quite a hoofful sometimes,”

“Tell me about it,” said Starlight.

“I don’t believe I’ve seen you ladies in Ponyville before,” said the mayor curiously. "I’m Mayor Mare, officiate for Ponyville.”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight introduced. “And this is Moon Dancer, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Sunset Shimmer, and Tempest Shadow. We just came from Canterlot.”

“Did you say Canterlot?” Mayor Mare perked up. “Did Princess Luna send you? Does she know what’s been happening?”

“Er…kinda,” Sunset answered with a nervous grin. “What uh…what exactly is happening around here?”

“It’s just terrible,” said Mayor Mare, shaking her head. “We were celebrating the Summer Solstice Festival like we do every year where we waited to watch the sunrise in the town square. Everything seemed normal for a while, but then it started getting hotter and hotter that everypony had to stay indoors. Then ponies started collapsing, getting nausea and terrible headaches. Nurse Redheart says it’s from heat exhaustion. We’ve tried to cool everypony down, but it just kept getting worse. Before we knew it, half of Ponyville had gotten sick.”

“The Wrath of the Sun,” Tempest whispered to the mares.

“Please tell me Princess Luna is doing something about the sun?” Mayor Mare pleaded. “I don’t know how much longer everypony can hold out?”

“Princess Luna is er…preoccupied at the moment,” Sunset answered anxiously; Mayor Mare’s face fell. “B-B-But don’t worry! She sent us to take care of it!”

“We may have a way of helping everypony, but we need to find something first,” said Twilight seriously. “They’re called the Elements of Harmony. We heard they were in the castle of the two sisters inside the Everfree Forest.”

“The Everfree Forest?” Mayor Mare gasped. “You can’t seriously be thinking of going in there. There are wild beasts and strange magics that lurk in the Everfree Forest. Nopony who’s ever gone in their has ever come back the same – if they ever came back at all.”

“Well, we don’t exactly have a choice,” Trixie stated. “If we don’t find the Elements of Harmony, we’re all going to turn into ash. And the Great and Powerful Trixie just had her mane done the way she likes it.”

“Well…if it’s the only thing that can help,” Mayor Mare muttered uncertainly. “The entrance to the Everfree Forest is south of Ponyville. I wish I could do more to help, but I already have my hooves full trying to help the citizens of Ponyville. And besides that, nopony knows their way through the Everfree Forest safely. If you’re serious about going, please be careful. You never know what is hiding inside those trees.”

“Thank you for your help,” said Twilight, bowing her head gratefully. The mayor trotted away to help some other pony and the Lavender mare turned to her group. “Well, that was easier than expected. We know where to go from here.”

“The Everfree Forest is on the south side of Ponyville,” said Sunset. “Now we just have to get to Princess Luna’s old castle, find the Elements of Harmony, and defeat Daybreaker.”

“Oh, is that all?” said Starlight sarcastically.

“Hold on, everypony,” Moon Dancer suddenly called out as they made their way to the door. The others turned their heads around, noticing the anxious expression the bespectacled mare was wearing. “We’re just…gonna leave them like this? These ponies, I mean. Shouldn’t we stay and help them a little?”

“And what do you want us to do?” Tempest questioned.

“I – I don’t know,” Moon Dancer stammered. “But we can’t just ignore them. They’re suffering.”

“Moon Dancer, I want to help them, too,” said Twilight earnestly, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “But the best thing we can do for them now is stop Dyabreaker. The sooner we get the Elements of Harmony, the quicker Princess Luna can raise the moon and cool everypony down.”

“I…guess…,” Moon Dancer mumbled, hanging her head sadly.

“That’s considering if we can even get through the Everfree Forest,” said Starlight. “You heard the mayor: nopony knows their way through the forest safely.”

“Ah can get ya through the forest!” Tempest and Trixie yelped and jumped as Apple Bloom suddenly popped in between them.

“Apple Bloom, what’re you doing here?” said Twilight.

“Ah know ah wasn’t supposed tuh,” said Apple Bloom meekly, “but ah was listenin’ tuh y’all’s conversation and ah heard y’all need to get through the Everfree Forest. I can help y’all in there. Or I can at least take ya tuh Zecora.”

“You know Zecora?” Trixie asked interestingly.

“We’re friends!” said Apple Bloom cheerfully. “She lets meh help with ‘er potions and stuff all the time! Zecora knows the Everfree Forest like the back of her hoof! If y’all wanna get to that castle place, she’s the pony – er, zebra ya need!”

“What do you think, Twilight?” Sunset asked the lavender mare.

“Hmm, I don’t like the idea of dragging a foal into this,” Twilight hummed, rubbing her chin. “But if it means we can get to the Elements of Harmony faster, I think we should take it. All right, Apple Bloom, we’ll take you up on your offer.”

“Aw, heck yeah!” Apple Bloom cheered and spun around. “Follow me, y’all. I’ll get ya there faster than a…faster than a…a…” The foal paused, swaying unsteadily on her hooves. “Oooh, mah head feels funny….”

Apple Bloom started to fall sideways until Moon Dancer’s horn flared with magic, crying out the filly’s name. She caught Apple Bloom before she hit the ground, levitating the little one into her hooves. The poor thing was breathing heavy and her face was turning an unhealthy shade of red, drenched in sweat. Mayor Mare rushed over when she heard Moon Dancer’s cry and gasped.

“Oh no, get her on a cot, quick!” Mayor Mare urged frantically. Moon Dancer levitated the filly across the room as Nurse Redheart dragged another cot in the row, setting her down gently. “Oh dear, I knew it was only a matter of time before she fell victim, too. She’s been working harder than anypony to help out.”

“Is there anything you can do to help?” Moon Dancer asked worriedly, brushing the filly’s mane back.

“We’re doing all we can,” said Nurse Redheart gravely. “But unless you somehow have the power to lower the sun, I don’t think there’s anything that can be done. At this rate, everypony will…”

The nurse trailed off, unable to finish her sentence, and walked away with her head hanging low. Mayor Mare offered Moon Dancer a sympathetic look before moving down the line to the next sick pony.

Moon Dancer watched the panting filly with a violent twisting sensation in her chest. It was so painful to see. Apple Bloom, full of energy and excitement only moments ago, looked like she was ready to heave her lungs out. She was just a filly, Moon Dancer thought. An innocent. She didn’t do anything wrong. She didn’t deserve to suffer like this….

She felt a hoof on her shoulder and turned around. Twilight looked just as miserable as Moon Dancer felt right now.

“I’m sorry, Moon Dancer, but there’s nothing we can do for her,” said Twilight remorsefully. “The best thing we can do is find the Elements of Harmony quickly and get them to Princess Luna before it’s too late.”

Twilight hanged her head in defeat as she walked back to their friends by the door. Moon Dancer stood up and was about to follow when she made the mistake of looking at Apple Bloom’s pitiable face again, the filly holding her chest as she tried to gasp for air.

“….No,” Moon Dancer said aloud.

The unicorns paused at the threshold, looking back at her oddly.

“No?” Trixie repeated.

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Moon Dancer defiantly, stomping her hoof in emphasis. “We can’t just leave knowing how miserable these ponies are. We have to help them.”

“And we are,” said Tempest. “By getting the Elements of Harmony.”

“But what if we don’t find the Elements?!” Moon Dancer yelled. “What if we go to the castle and there’s nothing there?! Or what if we do find them and it’s too late?! These ponies – everypony – Apple Bloom – we can’t just do nothing!”

“I understand where you’re coming from,” said Starlight sympathetically. “But unless you know an instant freezing spell, we don’t have a whole lot of options.”

“Maybe not a freezing spell…,” Moon Dancer mumbled thoughtfully. “But what about a Midnight Shroud?”

“A what now?” Trixie asked, confused.

“A Midnight Shroud! I read about that spell!” Twilight gasped excitedly. “It’s a type of barrier that can simulate the effects of the midnight sky. Not only can it protect the user, but it also gives off a chilly atmosphere – one that could definitely counteract the heat from the sun.”

“And why haven’t we heard about this until now?” Tempest asked grumpily.

“Because the Midnight Shroud is Moon Magic,” Sunset explained. “Practitioners of Moon Magic are as rare as Sun Magic users like myself. As far as I know, the only pony who can use Moon Magic is Princess Luna – “

“Actually…I can use Moon Magic,” said Moon Dancer shyly. The mare snapped their heads around so fast, nearly giving themselves whiplash, eyes bugging out. “That’s actually why my Cutie Mark is a crescent moon…because I know how to use Moon Magic – “

“Are – you – serious?!” Twilight squealed. She clapped Moon Dancer’s hooves into her own, smiling almost manically; Moon Dancer flushed. “I can’t believe it! You know Moon Magic! That’s amazing, Moon Dancer! How’d you find out?! How many spells do you know?! Can you actually move the moon – “

“Aaaand that’s enough out of you,” said Starlight blandly, using her magic to pry Twilight away. “So you think you could cast a Midnight Shroud to cover Ponyville?”

“No, I can’t do anything that big,” Moon Dancer admitted. “But I might be able to make one big enough to cover the town hall.”

“If it can help these ponies, even a little bit, then I think it’s worth a try,” said Twilight firmly. “Go ahead, Moon Dancer.”

The cream-coated mare took a deep breath through her nose, exhaling through her mouth, and marched out the door to the front steps. She glared up at the sun as if issuing a challenge, then closed her eyes and focused everything into her horn. Moon Dancer could feel the magic coursing through her body like electricity, surging from her hooves to her flank through her chest and sliding all the way to her forehead. The mare gritted her teeth as she felt the energy build. This was more magic than she had ever used at one time; it felt like her horn was going to snap any second. But Moon Dancer held on, pushed it down and contained it, and once she recited the exact incantation in her mind, she let it explode outward in a thundering shockwave that knocked everypony off their hooves.

Moon Dancer dropped on her front, her energy depleted and her eyes still closed.

A moment of silence passed…then she felt a shiver running down her spine. She could feel a touch of cold on her coat. Somepony was tapping her back furiously, and then she heard Twilight’s voice shouting, “Moon Dancer, Moon Dancer, wake up! Look!” The mare groaned, opening her eyes slowly while readjusting her glasses. She blinked the dizziness out of her eyes, then let out a sharp gasp.

A wall of starry midnight surrounded the town hall, the temperature dropping so far, the Mane 6 could see their breaths coming out in white puffs. Twilight and Sunset helped Moon Dancer to her hooves while the others congratulated her and patted her on the back. Moon Dancer was frozen in disbelief. She did it! She actually pulled it off!

Mayor Mare and Nurse Redheart came galloping out the building a moment later with wild looks in their eyes and white mist on their breaths. The mayor in particular looked like she was about to have a heart attack when she saw the barrier.

“What – who – how – when – “Mayor Mare sputtered. “What happened? What is all this?”

“It’s a Midnight Shroud,” said Sunset, nudging Moon Dancer proudly. “Moon Dancer made it.”

“A midnight what?” Mayor Mare questioned.

“It’s a barrier that will protect everypony from the heat,” Moon Dancer explained. “As long as you stay inside, you’ll be able to keep cool until we solve the issue with the sun.”

“I’m not going to pretend that I understand what's going on,” said Nurse Redheart, “but this will help tremendously. With some medicine and fluids, everypony will be back on their hooves in no time.”

“How can we ever thank you for this?” said Mayor Mare.

“Just make sure everypony is taken care of,” said Moon Dancer, smiling. “Especially Apple Bloom. She’s a good filly.”

“That she is,” Mayor Mare nodded. “When this mess is all cleared up, please feel free to come back anytime. I’m sure there will be a lot of ponies who will want to thank you.”

Tipping their heads to the Mane 6, Mayor Mare and Nurse Redheart trotted back inside the town hall, which, judging by the lively sound of activity, was doing much better now.

“Whelp, that was a fun little detour,” said Trixie casually. “Now let’s get going to the Everfree Forest.”

“We still don’t have a guide,” Tempest pointed out. “We’d have no idea where we’re going.”

“How’s that any different from everything else we’ve done today,” Starlight retorted jokingly.

Tempest opened her mouth like she had something to say, but shook her head and waved the thought away. Sunset, Starlight, Trixie, and Tempest stepped through the barrier back outside, but Twilight paused at edge, which made Moon Dancer stop as well. The lavender mare turned to her old schoolmate, ears flattened and eyes lowered to the ground filled with regret. Moon Dancer waited patiently, saying nothing until Twilight raised her head and looked her in the eyes.

“Moon Dancer…,” Twilight said soberly. “I know saying sorry won’t be enough to make up for the way I treated you. You were right; I was a terrible friend. Even if I didn’t mean to, that’s no excuse for the way I hurt you.”

“…You didn’t really hurt me…,” Moon Dancer mumbled.

“But I did!” Twilight insisted. “It’s not enough that I wasn’t trying to hurt you, but I should’ve more considerate. I’m sorry, Moon Dancer. For everything. I promise, from now on, I’ll try to be a better friend. To you, and Minuette, and Lemon Heart, and Twinkleshine, and Lyra. And to Sunset, Starlight, Trixie, and Tempest, of course.”

“You remembered all their names,” said Moon Dancer softly.

“I’m learning to be a better friend,” said Twilight, smiling as she held out her hoof. “Ready to go?”

“…I’m ready,” Moon Dancer smiled, putting her hoof in Twilight’s “And Twilight…thanks. I appreciate it.”

“That’s what friends are for,” said Twilight happily.

And they walked out of the barrier together.

Author's Note

I know a lot of ponies are going to be asking where Applejack and the others of the original Mane 6 are while all this is going on. Well, I'll tell you that they still exist in this universe, but none of them live in Ponyville anymore for...special reasons. You'll find out more down the road.

UPDATE

I see a lot of ponies complaining about Moon Dancer being kindness and saying it's misleading, so I ant to clear up some things.

1) The main basis is that everyone is comparing the new Mane 6 to the old Mane 6, namely Fluttershy. These are two different ponies. Remember that.

2) Learning kindness doesn't mean they have to be cruel and heartless - that's just an extreme made by Discord. Moon Dancer is rude and aggressive towards Twilight, who she feels has never been a good friend to her, which simultaneously made her cold and indifferent to others, seeing them as potential chances to get hurt like with Twilight. Not that much different from her initial canon self.

3) I saw somepony point out that Trixie was cruel to the snobby mares, but that was not the intention. Sure, it might not seem funny to the victims, but in Trixie's head, she was playing a joke at a couple of hecklers who laughed at her.

A Generous Offer

Daybreaker snorted furiously, pawing the ground.

Through the viewing portal, she and Luna could see the starry barrier that had unexpectedly appeared around Ponyville’s town hall. They didn’t have to wonder were the barrier came from when the Mane 6 appeared one after the other with Twilight Sparkle and Moon Dancer bringing up the rear. They could clearly see the moon-shaped Cutie Mark on Moon Dancer’s flank and were able to put two and two together.

“I had no idea there was another who could use moon magic like myself,” Luna hummed with a hoof to her chin. “Perhaps I should consider taking another student – “

“Don’t try to act cute, sister,” Daybreaker sneered.

“It's not an act; I am cute,” said Luna, batting her eyes teasingly. Daybreaker huffed and started trotting back and forth. “You’ve already failed twice, dear sister. Are you going to go for a third strike or will you finally accept that you cannot win?”

“You’ve gotten awfully cocky just because those ponies have gotten lucky thus far,” said Daybreaker. “And I will admit that they are stronger than I had predicted, but their streak of luck ends here. Don’t forget, they have to cross the Everfree Forest if they want to make it to our ancestral home. You of all ponies should know what dangers lurk in those woods.”

“You said it yourself, sister: they are stronger than you predicted,” said Luna. “As long as they stick together, they will overcome anything you throw at them.”

Daybreaker turned her flank to her sister, looking thoughtful, before a devious smirk crossed her lips.

“Yes…they are quite strong when they are together,” she said with a malicious chuckle, stepping closer to the viewing portal where the Mane 6 had reached the outskirts of a dense forest. “But despite how far they’ve come, they are still strangers. Breaking such a new and uncertain bond will only require a push in the right direction….”

The Mane 6 were tired; their hooves ached and their bodies were drenched with sweat, but they finally made it to their destination: The Everfree Forest.

Even under Daybreaker’s torturous sun, the depths of the forest were cloaked in an impenetrable darkness. Even as she stared between the gaps of the gnarled trees, Twilight couldn’t see more than ten feet in front of her. There was a sharp chill not like the one made by Moon Dancer’s barrier; this was a haunting kind of cold. The only comfort was the well-worn dirt path, which she assumed was how Apple Bloom found her way to Zecora's. Otherwise, Twilight had no idea how anypony could navigate through the woods.

“Well, what’re we waiting for,” said Trixie impatiently, marching into the woods. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is too hot to be standing around doing nothing – and I don’t mean that in the good way.”

“Not so fast,” said Twilight, holding a hoof out. “Things are going to get very dangerous from here on out. The forest is uncharted territory and filled with who-knows-what. If you guys want to turn back, I understand.”

“You’re joking, right?” Tempest grumbled with a blank stare. “I've been run over by a wagon, forced to read mind-numbing books against my will, cramped inside a small space with four other ponies, fell down a mountain, and practically melted the entire time. After the nightmare I went through today, you really expect me to turn back now?”

“She got a point,” said Starlight, trotting into the forest alongside Trixie. “We’ve already come this far. We’re in this for the long haul.”

The others made affirming noises as they cantered behind the leading pair. Twilight allowed herself a small smile and chased after them.

They barely set hoof inside before they felt the effects of the Everfree Forest. The thick branches seemed to stretch above their heads with purpose, forming a leafy barrier to blot out the sun and plunging them into a dreary darkness. Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight lit up their horns to guide the way, while the star patterns on Trixie’s cape and hat (that she put on the instant they entered the forest) were apparently glow-in-the-dark. Twilight thought it was tacky, but Starlight and Sunset openly complimented Trixie’s attire, which the showmare ate up with a smug grin.

Twilight couldn’t tell how long they were in there. Five minutes? Ten minutes? Twenty? It was impossible to keep track of time when all you could see was inky blackness all around you. The Mane 6 stayed huddled together, nopony daring to stray from the path, not even Tempest. Every so often, they heard a noise that made them jump and pause for a few minutes before carrying on.

“What’s with this freaky forest,” said Trixie, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. “Wasn’t Daybreaker’s ‘Wrath of the Sun’ thing supposed to make it super-hot and sunny all the time? I can barely see my hoof in front of my muzzle.”

“Remember, the Everfree Forest’s primordial magic is more ancient and powerful than the royal sisters,” Twilight explained, staring straight ahead. “The forest must be reacting to Daybreaker’s curse to defend itself.”

“Anything else you feel like sharing with the class, Miss Sparkle?” said Sunset, looking to her left worriedly.

“Well, from what little I could learn, the Everfree Forest doesn’t work the same way as Equestria,” said Twilight.

“Meaning?” Moon Dancer asked.

“The Everfree Forest just…takes care of itself,” said Twilight uncertainly. “It doesn’t need earth ponies to tend to the soil, or Pegasi to control the weather, and it doesn’t need unicorns because the forest has its own magic. I’ve never heard of anything like it anywhere else on Equestria.”

“Nature taking care of itself?” said Trixie. “In what crazy, backwards world does that make sense?”

“I don’t like this place one bit,” Starlight grimace. “Let’s just get through – wait, did you hear that?”

The Mane 6 paused in the middle of the road, going quiet and straining their ears. A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed with nothing but the sound of their erratic breathing. Twilight cautiously looked left, then right. She put her hoof forward –

CRACK!

The Mane 6 gasped and several of them jumped, including Twilight. The unicorns with light quickly spun around to the left, flashing the trees. Through the gaps between the mangled trunks, the mares could see half a dozen glowing green eyes leering at them, accompanied by low snarling noises. Twilight stepped backwards slowly and the mares followed her example, but at the same time, one of the pairs of eyes stepped forward into the magical glow.

The beast resembled a giant wolf, but its body was composed of twigs, logs, and leaves. Its gnarly claws carved miniature trenches in the ground, its spiked wooden teeth gnashing, and its leafy brows narrowing. One by one, more of wooden wolves started to crawl out of the shadows, snarling hungrily.

“Timberwolves!” Moon Dancer screamed.

“Everypony run!” Sunset screamed.

They didn’t need to be told twice. Twilight and the other mares turned on their hooves and fled in the opposite direction, unconcerned at the moment that they were straying from the path. The Timberwolves howled and started to give chase.

None of them knew where they were going; all they cared about was getting as far away from the Timberwolves as fast as their hooves could carry them. Tempest was bringing up the rear of the pack when she looked over her shoulder. The Mane 6 were smaller and in some ways faster, but the Timberwolves had the advantage of knowing the terrain. Their neon-green eyes swooped through the trees like fireflies, steadily gaining ground on them. It would only be moments before the wolves were on top of them. Unless she did something about it.

Tempest grounded her hooves and turned to face the Timberwolves head-on. The mares came to a screeching halt when they noticed.

“Tempest, what’re you doing?!” Sunset cried.

Tempest narrowed her eyes, challenging the Timberwolves as they sprinted closer. She gritted her teeth and focused her energy into her forehead, creating a crackle of electricity in the hollow stub of her broken horn. Tempest held the electricity in place despite the jarring headache it created. She waited until the Timberwolves pounced into the light before releasing it all in a massive surge that struck everything fifteen feet in front of her. The smell of burning wood filled everypony’s nostrils, accompanied by loud whimpering. Next thing they knew, the Timberwolves had turned tail and ran away into the darkness, their whines growing softer with distance.

“Holy Luna, that was incredible,” Twilight complimented, walking up to Tempest. “I didn’t know your horn still worked. Granted, I don’t know many unicorns with broken horns in general.”

“It still works, kinda,” Tempest said, grimacing as she put a hoof to her head. “It’s no good for casting spells like the rest of you, but I can still discharge my magic into offensive attacks. Even if it gives me a major headache every time I use it.”

“Well, that takes care of our Timberwolf problem,” said Moon Dancer, frowning. “But now we’ve completely lost sight of the path.”

“We’re fine,” said Trixie, waving a hoof nonchalantly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will guide us to safety.” She puts a hoof to her chin, looking around. “The Great and Powerful Trixie just needs to get her bearings….”

“Yeeeeah, while you do that,” said Sunset drearily. “The rest of us will build a campfire. We should hunker down for a spell and think over our plan before we do anything.”

“Good idea,” Twilight agreed. “Starting a fire will give us a chance to replenish our magic. We’re going to need it if we’re going to tackle the forest.”

Despite Trixie’s protest that she could easily find the way out, the majority ruled against her. They were able to collect firewood that had broken off from the Timberwolves and Sunset used a flame spell to ignite them. Their little pocket of the forest filled with an orangish-red glow, letting Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight rest their horns. They stowed their saddlebags together in a pile next to a tree and sat in a circle around the fire. Even though they had spent most of the day being roasted by the blazing hot sun, the fire was a welcome warmth to the Everfree Forest’s enchanted chill.

“So how’re we gonna find out way to the castle now?” asked Moon Dancer, stoking the flames with her horn.

“We could try retracing our steps,” Twilight suggested.

“Even if we knew which way we came from, we’d have to deal with the Timberwolves again,” said Tempest, rubbing her forehead. “My head is pounding enough as it is.”

“Maybe we could try looking for Zecora,” Sunset offered. “Apple Bloom said she knew the forest like the back of her hoof.”

“We can’t even find a giant castle,” Starlight rejected. “How’re we going to find one little zebra in the middle of the dark and creepy forest?”

The Mane 6 lowered their heads, humming thoughtfully with their hooves crossed or tapping their muzzles…. Until they heard a low rumbling noise. Twilight, Starlight, Sunset, Tempest, and Moon Dancer turned their heads slowly toward Trixie; the stagemare was not the least bit embarrassed when her stomach gave another loud growl.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is hungry,” she said plainly.

Starlight facehoofed, sighing in annoyance, and said, “I think there are some peanut butter crackers in my bag. Help yourself.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie accepts your generous offering!” Trixie proclaimed happily. She loved peanut butter crackers!

The powder-blue unicorn left the circle and moved to the pile of saddlebags under the tree. She searched the pile until she found the bag branded with Starlight’s Cutie Mark and levitated it in front of her. Trixie opened the bag and began rummaging through Starlight’s personal effects, pulling them out one at a time.

“Kite…kite…kite – you have a bunch of kites in here,” Trixie commented. Figuring there was only kites in one bag for some reason, Trixie closed the flap and searched the other one. “Finally, something other than kites. Let’s see…a potted plant with a label that says ‘Phyllis’…weird equal-sign staff thingy… page for a tracker spell…’Cutie Mark Removal for Dummies Vol. 4’…”

“Wait! What did you just say?!” Twilight yelped suddenly.

“Uh…’Cutie Mark Removal for Dummies Vol. 4’?” Trixie repeated, pulling the book out of Starlight’s bag.

“No, not that,” Twilight shook her head.

“Although I’m mildly concerned a book like that exists and that they printed four volumes,” said Sunset with a raised brow.

“What did you say before that?” Twilight asked Trixie.

“Um…some potted plant named Phyllis?” said Trixie strangely, still not understanding what the lavender unicorn was asking.

“After that!” Twilight shouted impatiently.

“…weird equal-sign staff thingy?”

“Oh, for the love of Luna!” Moon Dancer yelled agitatedly. She pulled Starlight’s bag over with her horn and started rummaging the inside herself until she pulled out a single sheet of paper. “This is…a page for an advanced-level tracking spell!”

“Are you serious?” Twilight gasped. “I can’t believe it! Starlight, why didn’t you tell us you had a tracking spell?” she asked the lilac mare.

“I guess in the middle of all the craziness today, I kinda forgot about it,” Starlight admitted, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish grin.

“I didn’t go to a fancy magic school like the rest of you,” Tempest interrupted with a raised hoof. “So could someone explain to me what the big deal is about some worn-out piece of paper?”

“This ‘worn-out piece of paper’ has instructions on how to perform an advanced tracker spell,” Moon Dancer explained. “It’s a high-level magic that can plot a course to any destination in the world, even if you’ve never been there before. Ancient Equestrian explorers often used these to chart unknown territories during the early years of the kingdom’s foundation. While local tracking spells are common, it’s almost next to impossible to find one with a global radius. Where did you get it, Starlight?”

“I sorta…kinda…possibly…ripped it out of one of the books at the library,” said Starlight, giggling nervously.

“YOU WHAT?!” Twilight screeched before she started hyperventilating. “You – how could – I can’t – I just – oh, sweet Luna, I can’t breathe – “

“She seriously needs to learn to chill,” Sunset commented.

“So we’re going to use that spell, right?” asked Trixie. She had apparently found the peanut butter crackers and had stuffed her cheeks to the brim, spitting out bits of cracks with every word, to Moon Dancer’s disgust. “To take us wherever the castle is? You said it could plot a course to anywhere it the world, even if we’ve never been there before, right?”

“Obviously we’re going to use it,” said Tempest, putting her hoof down. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but being lost in a dark and creepy forest filled with Timberwolves is not how I intend to spend the rest of my miserable existence. Especially with all of you.”

“Gee, how us how you really feel,” said Sunset sarcastically.

“Thank Luna Starlight had the foresight to bring this before we left Canterlot,” said Moon Dancer. “Sunset, can you – HEY!”

The page for the tracker spell was suddenly ripped out of Moon Dancer’s hooves, floating through the air with a light turquoise aura. Starlight Glimmer snatched and braced it against her chest, turning her body away from the others like she was trying to shield it from them.

“You can’t use it!” Starlight yelled suddenly.

“Starlight, what’s the big idea?” said Sunset bewildered.

“I can’t let you use the spell!” Starlight declared, taking a few cautious steps away from them. “Do you know why tracking spells of this caliber are so hard to find? Its' because you need to burn the paper it’s written on to activate the magic. It only has a one-time use.”

“That seems like a serious design flaw,” Tempest pointed out.

“Doesn’t it?” said Moon Dancer, agreeing.

“If we use this page now, we’ll never be able to use the spell again,” said Starlight urgently.

“Trixie thinks now would be the best time to use it,” said Trixie. “It’s not like we’ll need it again for anything later – “

“I need it!” Starlight shouted angrily. “It’s for something important!”

“Even more important than stopping a psychopathic alicorn turning Equestria into a giant sauna?” said Sunset, growing impatient. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“It’s important to me!” said Starlight, gritting her teeth.

“There are a whole lot of ponies counting on us to find the Elements of Harmony and stop Daybreaker,” said Twilight. “You saw what happened in Ponyville. Who knows how much worse it is for the rest of Equestria. We need that spell, Starlight.”

“I said no!” Starlight rejected furiously.

“Why are we even discussing this?” Tempest growled, rising to her full, imposing height. “Let’s just take the thing from her and be done with it. It’s five against one, after all.”

Twilight didn’t particularly like the idea of ganging up on somepony, but given the circumstances, it was the best possible solution. Tempest took the lead with the Twilight and the other mares flanking her on either side. Starlight took a few cautionary steps back; an understandable reaction since Tempest was taller than any of them and cast an intimidating shadow. The mares spread out around Starlight; Trixie and Twilight to her left, Sunset and Moon Dancer to her right. The five unicorns stepped closer, all with predatory gazes. Tempest reached a hoof for the page when Starlight’s horn flared up with magic and a heated glare in her eyes.

“Stay – away – from – me!” she howled.

Starlight’s horn exploded with a turquoise shockwave that sent Tempest flying through the air, slamming her back into a tree and plopping on the ground. Twilight and Sunset had erected magical barriers themselves, Moon Dancer, and Trixie, which were promptly smashed by Starlight’s magical pulse. Twilight was plowed across the ground into an exposed tree root while Trixie soared over her head somewhere, screaming. The lavender unicorn shook her head free of dizziness and looked up in time to see Starlight running deeper into the forest.

“Wait, Starlight, come back, it’s not safe!” Twilight called out, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Trixie crawled over the root behind Twilight, her hat hanging crooked on her mane, groaning, “Did anypony get the license plate off that wagon…?”

The remaining mares picked themselves off the ground and reconvened around the campfire with nothing more than dirty coats and a few scratches, thankfully. Tempest grimaced with a hoof to her forehead.

“Please tell me we didn’t just get our flanks handed to us by one pony,” she said.

“I had no idea Starlight had so much magical power,” said Sunset, her tone mixed with concern and intrigue. “Then again, that was the first time I ever saw her use magic. She’s probably as strong as me and Twilight.”

“Or she might be even stronger,” Twilight remarked appreciatively.

“You two can fawn over Starlight’s magic later,” said Moon Dancer, who was pouting in Twilight’s direction. “Starlight just ran off deeper into the Everfree Forest with the tracking spell.”

“She could get lost or run into some monsters,” said Sunset, worried.

“That’s the least of Trixie’s concerns!” said Trixie, stomping her hoof. “She still has that tracking spell! We’re never gonna find our way to the castle without it, let alone find our way out! We need to get that page back!”

“Thanks for stating the obvious,” said Tempest rudely as she started walking toward the darkness. “Everypony spread out and start searching. Sunset, you and Moon Dancer go - “

“Whoa, hold on, everypony!” Twilight jumped in front of Tempest, holding out a hoof. “We can’t go galloping off like that. If we split up, there’s a good chance we might not be able to find each other, and we can’t leave the camp unguarded. What if Timberwolves or bears find our supplies? We don’t know if we might need anything for when we get to the Princess Luna’s old castle.”

“So then let’s pack up and go after her as a group,” Moon Dancer suggested.

“You saw the way she reacted when we ganged up on her,” Twilight shook her head. “If she sees us all together, she might get the wrong idea – “

“Or the right one,” Tempest remarked, but Twilight ignored her.

“I think one of us should go in after her,” Twilight suggested. “I saw the general direction she went. Maybe if I just talk to her, I might be able to reason with her.”

“Even if you do find her,” said Sunset, pointing a hoof, “how do you plan on getting back to us if you end up getting lost yourself?”

Twilight put a hoof to her muzzle, thinking, then asked, “Trixie, you’re a stage magician, right? Do you have any rope I could borrow?”

“What kind of mare do you take Trixie for?” Trixie said with an affronted gasp. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is not the kind of pony…. But Trixie does have the Magical Never-ending Scarf of Mystery!”

The stagemare levitated the wizard’s hat off her head, waving her hooves over the seemingly empty brim, and made a show of sticking her whole hoof inside, right up to her shoulder. Twilight, Sunset, and Moon Dancer did seem mildly impressed she could reach so far in such a small space. Trixie retracted her hoof and pulled out a long rope made of several colorful scarves and a “Ta-Da!” Sunset and Moon Dancer clapped their hooves, but Tempest rolled her eyes. Twilight levitated the scarves to her – the length of which did not seem to end despite how much she pulled out – and tied it around her body with a tight knot.

“If I’m not back in twenty minutes, tug on the rope to make sure I’m okay,” Twilight instructed. “Hopefully nothing bad will happen, but just in case….”

“Be careful out there, Twilight,” said Moon Dancer worriedly.

Twilight nodded appreciatively then steeled herself as she turned in the direction Starlight fled. The lavender mare took a deep breath, lighting her horn, and marched slowly into the darkness.

The Everfree Forest had somehow become an even more terrifying place than it already was without the company of her friends. (Were they friends, Twilight found herself wondering. Sunset seemed to appreciate her company and she managed to make amends with Moon Dancer, but the others….) The glow from her horn only went a few feet, which was little more than a tiny spotlight in the middle of a very large stage. Every sound felt like it had been enhanced tenfold. The rustling of leaves sounded like a hurricane; the snapping of the twigs under her hooves cracked like thunder. The shadows danced on the edge of her vision, making her jump more than once. Every so often, she checked the scarves around her flank to make sure they were still there. Twilight found herself shuddering involuntarily; whether it was from the cold or fear, she couldn’t tell. But the mare kept moving forward. She had to find that pony.

“Starlight! Starlight, can you hear me?!” Twilight shouted. “If you can, please say something! Starlight!”

Then Twilight paused in her steps. She heard something; a faint grunting noise. Twilight narrowed the light from her horn to make a longer beam. She first scanned the ground near the area where she heard the noise. It took a moment for her to realize that the sound was coming from above and turned her horn up. She saw the faint outline of something flailing in the treetops, but upon further inspection, Twilight pressed her hoof against her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud.

Starlight was hanging upside-down from a tree branch, tangled in a nest of vines. The lilac mare kicked her legs, but that only seemed to make it worse. She had started biting the ropes with her teeth when Twilight’s light flashed her. Starlight pause, still gnawing at the vine, and looked up (or down?) to see Twilight standing under her with an amused grin.

“Oh…hey, Twilight…,” said Starlight, giggling embarrassingly. “I uh…guess you found me….”

“Hey, Starlight,” Twilight greeted casually. “I think it goes without asking, but…how did you get up there?”

“Well, to be honest, I had no idea where I was going,” Starlight admitted. “So I thought I could climb up to the top of the trees and look for the exit. But when I started climbing, I bumped into a raven’s nest – or was it a crow? Anyway, the evil thing pecked me in the face and I lost my balance. And then, well, you can figure it out from there.”

“You know, this never would’ve happened if you hadn’t run off like that,” said Twilight pointedly.

“Yeah, yeah, can you just get me down already?” Starlight asked. “The blood is starting to rush to my head.”

“Not until you promise not to run away again,” Twilight demanded.

“I promise I won’t run away again,” Starlight agreed with a groan. Twilight gave her a disbelieving look; Starlight sighed exasperatedly and continued, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Happy now?”

“Very,” said Twilight with a smug grin.

Twilight turned her horn and shot a single beam of magic from the tip. The beam sliced one of the vines, which appeared to be enough as Starlight suddenly fell out of the tree. Starlight stopped herself from hitting the ground by levitating her whole body, turning herself around so that she landed on her hooves. Under normal circumstances, Twilight would ask how she did it – she had never heard of a unicorn who could levitate themselves before! But the lavender mare shook the thought away and pointed a hoof at Starlight.

“Mind explaining what the hay happened back there?” questioned Twilight. “You could’ve hurt everypony. Tempest could’ve gotten a concussion.”

“She’s fine; she tough,” Starlight grumbled, plopping down on her flank.

“That’s not the point,” Twilight shook her head. “Why were you being so difficult? That spell is our best chance at finding the castle of the regal ponies.”

“But if we use it to find the castle, it’ll be gone for good,” said Starlight, turning her head away, frowning. “I can’t let that happen. I need it. We can just find some other way to get to the castle – “

“And who knows how long that will take, if we even make it at all!” Twilight snapped. “Every minute we waste, the rest of Equestria suffers under Daybreaker’s curse! That spell is the fastest way to solve everything!” Starlight huffed and turned her back completely to Twilight. “Do you realize how many ponies are counting on us to find the Elements? We can’t keep wasting time like this! How can you be so selfish?!”

“I deserve to be selfish!” Starlight roared, finally spinning around to Twilight. “I’ve already lost everything that’s ever mattered to me! This is all I have left!”

Twilight went silent, momentarily stunned, then asked, “What do you mean? Starlight…what’s the real reason you won’t give up the tracker spell?”

Starlight visibly deflated at the question, staring at the ground despondently as she sat down again. Twilight took a seat across from her, not saying anything. She wanted to give Starlight a chance to explain herself at her own pace; forcing her to answer would only cause her to respond negatively. And after a few seconds of silence, Starlight sighed and raised her eyes.

“When I was a filly, I had a best friend named Sunburst,” she said in a hollow voice. “He and I did everything together. In fact, I don't remember us ever being apart. Until one day, when we were playing, I accidentally knocked over a bookshelf and nearly got crushed underneath. Sunburst used his magic to save me, and that’s when his…his Cutie Mark appeared.”

“That’s wonderful,” said Twilight cheerfully. “You know, I got my cutie mark for using magic, too – “

“Well, la-dee-doodle-dah!” Starlight said harshly. “I am sooo happy for you. Everypony was happy when Sunburst got his Cutie Mark! Everypony except me! You know why? Because I lost my best friend that day! His family recognized his magical talent and sent him off to Canterlot! And I never saw him again!”

“Well, why not?” asked Twilight.

“Because of his cutie mark!” Starlight howled furiously. “He got his, and I didn't! He moved on, and I didn't! I stayed in Sire’s Hollow and never made another friend because I was too afraid another Cutie Mark would take them away, too!”

“…So that’s the reason why you were in Canterlot during the festival,” Twilight as realization dawned on her. “That’s why you won’t give up the tracker spell. It’s because you want to find Sunburst, isn’t it?”

“I came to Canterlot hoping to find him at Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” Starlight admitted. “But when I didn’t, I tried the festival, and ended up getting caught up in all this mess. That’s why I need the tracker spell. So I can find him and drag him back home where he belongs. With me.”

“But what if he doesn’t want to go back - ?” Twilight started.

“Then I’ll make him come back!” Starlight hissed. “I’ll drag him back home and I’ll get rid of that dumb Cutie Mark! I know a spell that will do the trick! Without his Cutie Mark, nopony will ever take him away from me and we will be happy again!”

“Starlight, you’re being ridiculous,” twilight said disapprovingly. “A cutie mark can't take your friends away.”

“What would you know what it's like to lose a friend?!” Starlight snarled. “Moon Dancer made it very clear that you never even had friends before! You don’t know anything about what it’s like to have something so important taken away from you that you struggle to breath! What it feels like to have your heart shattered into a million pieces!” Tears were now openly running down Starlight’s face. “You don’t have friends, Twilight Sparkle! So you don’t have any right to tell me about friendship!”

Twilight opened her mouth to rebuttal, but closed it soon after, She was right, after all. Twilight never had friends before; at least she never thought she had friends before today. Her recent talk with Moon Dancer showed her just how poorly she understood friendship, so she couldn’t refute Starlight’s claims.

But still…seeing Starlight sitting across from her, sniffling with ugly tears flowing down her muzzle…. Twilight couldn’t just leave her like this; not when she was already in so much pain….

“You’re right,” Twilight admitted softly. “I don’t know anything about friendship. Until today, I never cared about anything other than books and magic. I always thought friends as something that got in my way….”

“See!” said Starlight, pointing an accusing hoof.

“But – “ Twilight interjected sharply, “I’m learning to be a better pony now. I’ve made up with Moon Dancer and promised to be more attentive to her thoughts and feelings. I promised that I would stay by Sunset’s side no matter what happens in the end. And I think, maybe, I could learn to be a better friend to you, Starlight glimmer. And not just me – all of us could be your friends, even Tempest and Trixie.” She offered her hoof to Starlight. “What do you say, Starlight?”

“…It would never work,” Starlight muttered bitterly. “We’re all so different. It would never work out.”

“Yeah, Tempest can be moody, Sunset is kinda arrogant, and Trixie has a gigantic ego,” said Twilight, giggling. “But I think those differences could make our friendship stronger.”

“I thought Sunburst and I were the same,” Starlight sniffled. “But we turned out different, and it tore our friendship apart….”

“So try again; make new friends,” Twilight suggested optimistically. “And if something that you can't control happens that changes things, work through it together. I may not know much about friendship, but I do know that everypony’s is important, including yours. Just imagine all the ponies out there waiting for you if you just give them a chance.”

“How do I know they won't all end the same way?” Starlight mumbled uncertainly.

“I guess it's up to you to make sure they don't,” said Twilight, resting a gentle hoof on her shoulder.

“But…it’s been so long since I’ve had any friends,” Starlight said softly, hanging her head drearily. “I don’t even know how to be a good friend anymore….”

“Personally, I think you’re off to a decent start.”

Twilight and Starlight jumped up with startled gasps. Twilight turned her beam in the direction of the voice and flashed it over Sunset, Moon Dancer, Trixie, and Tempest who were lurking in the shadow of the trees.

“What’re you ponies doing here?” asked Twilight, blinking. “I thought I told you to wait back at the camp.”

“Trixie…kinda ran out of scarves,” said Trixie, rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish grin while hold the end of the colorful strand.

“So much for the Magical Never-Ending Scarves of Mystery,” Tempest mumbled.

“Like I was saying,” said Sunset, approaching Starlight with a kind smile, “I think you’re doing all right so far, all things considered. I mean, I was incredibly conceited and lied to everypony – “

“And I was rude and offensive,” Moon Dancer added.

“But we’re learning to be better ponies,” Sunset continued, patting Twilight on the back kindly. “All of us. And it might be just me personally, but I think we could learn to be friends, too.”

“Even if you are incredibly selfish,” Trixie said aloud.

“Trixie!” Moon Dancer scolded her.

“So are we using the tracking spell or not?” Tempest interjected impatiently, getting straight to the point. “That is the reason we came looking for her, isn’t it?”

Starlight looked away sadly as Tempest approached the lilac unicorn with an intimidating glare when Twilight suddenly stepped in between them, plopping her flank down and stretching out her arms protectively.

“No, we’re not using the spell?” said Twilight defiantly.

“Wh – are you kidding me?!” Tempest groaned exasperatedly.

“If Starlight doesn’t want to use the tracking spell, then we have no right to pressure her,” said Twilight firmly. “That page is very important to her. It’s Starlight’s best chance of seeing her friend again. If we’re going to be her friends, too, then we should respect her wishes.”

“Are you ponies hearing this?” Tempest groaned to the other mares.

“If it’s that important to Starlight, I say we let her keep it,” Sunset offered her opinion.

“I second that motion,” Moon Dancer added with a raised hoof.

“Have no fear,” Trixie announced dramatically with a swoosh of her cape, “for the Great and Powerful Trixie will surely find a way to our destination without the need for that dusty old magic paper!”

“…You are all so – urgh! Unbelievable!” Tempest groaned, but nonetheless admitted her defeat and stomped to the back of the group. “I knew I should’ve stayed in Klugetown….”

“Are…are you sure about this?” Starlight stammered, surprised. “The spell is the best chance we have at finding the castle of the two sisters.”

“It may be our best chance,” said Twilight, helping Starlight to her hooves. “But it’s not the only one. If it’s that important to you, then we won’t force you to give it up. Besides, with five smart mares like us – and Trixie – “

“Hey!” Trixie shouted indignantly.

“I’m sure we can think of something.” Twilight turned to the others, pointing her hoof like a drill sergeant. “All right, ponies, it’s crunch time! We need some ideas and we need them now!”

“We could try climbing to the top of the trees and figure out where to go from there,” Sunset suggested.

“Starlight already tried that!”

“We could try walking around marking the places we’ve been to before,” said Moon Dancer.

“Too time consuming! Anything else?!”

“Trixie could fly us over the trees using her amazing and impressive firework collection,” Trixie offered proudly.

“Trixie, stop making suggestion!”

Starlight couldn't resist the subtle smile that crossed her lips while watching her…friends pitch ideas back and forth. And none of them brought up Starlight’s tracker spell again, not even Tempest, who was leaning in the background with an annoyed look. Starlight looked down at the page in her hoof, thinking long and hard, before heaving an exhausted sigh and stepped forward.

“We should use the spell,” Starlight spoke up, holding up the page. “It’ll take us to the castle in no time.”

“But Starlight, that spell is your best chance at finding Sunburst,” said Twilight, looking uncertain.

“It may be my best chance, but it’s not the only one,” Starlight smiled, parroting Twilight’s words. “I still want to find Sunburst someday. And when I do…I want to introduce him my new friends…and Trixie, too, I guess.”

“Okay, seriously, what did Trixie ever do to you?!” Trixie yelled.

“Thank you, Starlight,” said Twilight appreciatively. “I know you’re giving up a lot for this.”

“Well, it’d be useless anyway if everypony in Equestia was roasted alive,” Tempest pointed out.

“It’s the thought that counts!” Twilight snapped, frowning. With the mood effectively killed by the emotionally stunted unicorn, Twilight levitated the page from Starlight’s hoof to Sunset. “You need to burn the page to activate the magic, right? Mind doing the honors, Sunset?”

“With pleasure,” Sunset grinned.

The sunny mare tapped her horn to the middle of the paper and ignited it. Crackling flames quickly spread from the point of contact and engulfed the page. Even though she knew it was the right thing to do, Starlight still let out a small whimper as she watched the spell be consumed in the blaze. Thankfully, Twilight offered a gentle hoof to the mare, rubbing soothing circles on her back. Twilight is a better friend than she believes, Starlight thought.

The page puffed up briefly before curling up into a little fireball no bigger than a hoof, the flames shifting color to whitish-blue. It looked like a will-o’-the-wisp. The ghostly orb hovered in place for a few seconds, then it shot over Sunset’s head into the shadow of the trees, leaving an ethereal trail of glittering-blue mist in its wake.

“It’s headed for the castle!” Moon Dancer cried. “After it!”

The Mane 6 took off galloping, knowing they were one step closer to the Elements of Harmony.

Share a Laugh

Daybreaker gnashed her teeth furiously. After everything she had done to divide the Mane 6, none of her attempts had borne fruit. If anything, they were closer than ever. All of her schemes had backfired in ways she had not imagined. And to make matters worse, the ponies were almost at the edge of the forest and nearing her former domain. She was so certain the tracking spell would turn them against each other….

“Are you ready to admit defeat, sister?” asked Luna; the wretched alicorn hiding behind her starry barrier.

“You obviously don’t know me that well,” hissed Daybreaker, leering over her shoulder. “I’ve only just started….”

“How many more humiliations are you willing to go through before admitting defeat,” Luna questioned. “You’ve already tried guilt, doubt, and mistrust. All of which have failed. What do you have left at your disposal?”

Daybreaker paused, actually having to think about the answer for a moment…. When a soft thump rang above their heads. The regal sisters turned their attention to Daybreaker’s barrier as a second thump sounded, followed by a third and fourth. Something was smacking against her dome.

Daybreaker’s horn flared toward the viewing portal, which shifted from the Everfree Forest to the grounds around Luna’s castle. Circling the air above Daybreaker’s barrier were a small group of pegesi throwing themselves against the orange dome, only to bounce off and start again. The Mare of the Sun noticed these pegesi were all wearing matching blue uniforms with lightning-themed patterns. Daybreaker couldn’t help quirking at brow at the oddity she was witnessing when she heard her sister utter a small, surprised gasp.

“The Wonderbolts,” Luna muttered. “No, they should’ve stayed away.”

“Wonderbolts, you say,” Daybreaker said over her shoulder. “A ridiculous name, to be sure, but it implies that they are a talented bunch. No match for me, of course, but still.”

“Don’t hurt them, sister,” Luna pleaded.

“Hurt them? Perish the thought,” Daybreaker said with a cruel smile. “You were right, dear sister, sublty will not work on those ponies anymore. So it’s time to take a more…direct approach.”

Daybreaker cackled with wicked glee as she flapped her wings and shot to the top of the barrier, leaving Luna behind to watch through the viewing portal…

The Wonderbolts hovered the skies above the orange dome, most panting from exhaustion and others biting back the throbbing sting in the bodies. They were starting to think that smacking themselves against a solid barrier might not be the best idea.

One Wonderbolt, however, was still trying to punch her way through the magical wall despite her hooves screaming at her to stop. Sweat was dripping down her fiery mane and her lungs were gasping out for air, but she wouldn’t stop; she couldn’t stop. She would’ve kept going until she dropped if one of her teammates hadn’t flown up behind and pulled her away.

“Whoa, whoa, ease up there, Spitfire!” The stallion yelled, leaning back when she took a swing at him.

“Let me go, Soarin!” Spitfire roared, still flailing her arms. “We have to get in there! Princess Luna’s inside. My sister’s inside! We can’t just – GAH!”

“Wearing yourself out isn’t going to help anypony!” Soarin yelled at her, wincing when she hit his muzzle. “We need to keep our cool and come up with a different strategy, because beating ourselves against a wall doesn’t seem to be working.”

“But my sister – “

“We’ll get her out; we’ll get everypony out, I promise,” Soarin reassured her. “It’s like you always tell us: keep a level head under pressure. First thing we oughta do is figure out where this thing came from.”

“Allow me to save you the trouble.”

The Wonderbolts perked up as a spout of flames exploded from the top of the barrier and Daybreaker burst into the air, her wings outstretched to their full length. The Wonderbolts gasped and muttered to one another in hushed voices. The wings, the horn – they could guess she was an alicorn like Princess Luna, except her burning mane and hollow eyes gave off an aura of intimidation.

Spitfire was the first to break out of her stupor, ripping herself free from Soarin, and shouted, “Hey, hotshot! Are you the one who made this mess?!”

“I am,” Daybreaker admitted proudly. “And the name is Daybreaker – “

“I don’t care if you’re name is Queen Elizabuck III!” Spitfire roared, shooting toward Daybreaker. “Give me back my baby sister, you bucking piece of cud!”

“Spitfire, don’t!” Soarin cried.

Daybreaker’s lips curled into a sadistic smile. She stretched her wings back and flapped them once, creating a wave of golden flames. Spitfire was flying too fast to stop herself and flew directly into the fire, her screams echoing across the Canterlot skyline. Soarin was flapped in place, stunned with shock, before he was caught up in the flames as well. The remaining Wonderbolts immediately turned tail and started flying in the opposite direction, but they barely made it within a few feet before they were swallowed up by the fire.

Daybreaker grinned and let out a low chuckle, floating down so that she stood on top of her barrier. She waited patiently for several seconds until six silhouettes appeared over the edge, hovering loftily in the air across from her. The Wonderbolts flapped in a line, now garbed in matching white uniforms with orange sun emblems on their chests.

“Now that I have your attention, my Wonderbolt,” said Daybreaker giddily, “there is a certain group of ponies that are causing trouble for me in the Everfree Forest…. Take care of them.”

The Wonderbolts saluted Daybreaker and flew in the direction south of Canterlot….

The Mane 6 had been following the ethereal trail of the tracking spell for several minutes and they could tell they were getting closer to the exit. The forest was becoming thinner, rays of sunlight were beaming through the gaps in the trees. And yet, somehow, the air was still cool and refreshing even as Daybreaker’s curse cast down on them from above. The Everfree Forest was a great enigma that nopony would ever understand.

Tempest was ahead of the pack, looking irritatable. Granted, she was always irritable, but even more so now as she leered back at the mares behind her.

Twilight and the others were flocked around Trixie as the showmare regaled them with tales of her travels across Equestria, soaking in all the attention with glee.

“…and that’s how Trixie became queen of Diamondia…for a day,” Trixie concluded; the audience oohed and aahed.

“I never knew that the Diamond Dog society had such a complex monarchy,” Twilight said with sparkling interest. “To fashion a magic crown for the specific purpose of ‘leashing’ somepony into the position of rulership permanently. I can only imagine what series of events led to them creating such a thing.”

“It was pretty lucky The Dash was there to rescue you, huh?” said Starlight, nudging the magician teasingly.

“Trixie was not rescued!” Trixie sniffed importantly. “It was a team-up! The Dash just happened to find out the secret to removing the crown and Trixie came up with the plan to set Trixie free.”

“I don’t like Diamond Dogs, personally,” said Sunset. “They’re always so…rough.”

“Yeah, Trixie didn’t have a pleasant time hanging around with those smelly dogs either,” said Trixie. “But on the subject of diamonds, let Trixie tell you about the time Trixie teamed up with the White Diamond in Manehatten to catch a jewel thief who disguised themselves as a police officer – “

“Ah, great, another tall tale,” Tempest groaned loudly.

“Do you have a problem with Trixie’s stories,” asked Trixie, glaring at the back of Tempest’s head.

“Only that you’d have to be an idiot to believe any of that cud,” said Tempest rudely.

“Trixie will have you know that Trixie is telling nothing but the truth!” Trixie shouted, pointing a hoof accusingly.

“If even a word of that is true, I’ll eat my right hoof,” said Tempest. “No, wait, that’s my favorite hoof. I’ll eat the left one.”

“C’mon, Tempest, it’s just a story,” said Sunset lightly. “It’s not like they’re hurting anypony.”

“Wait a minute; you don’t believe Trixie either?” asked Trixie, looking offended.

“Well…your stories are kind of…unbelievable,” Moon Dancer admitted sheepishly. “But – they’re really good stories! Top notch! They’re very entertaining in my opinion.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is insulted by your disbelief,” Trixie said in a huff.

“And what exactly makes you so great and powerful,” Tempest grumbled displeasingly. “So far, you haven’t done anything to deserve that title.”

“Okay, Tempest, let’s calm down – “Twilight said in a calming voice.

“No, seriously, what the hay has she done for us!” Tempest snapped, finally spinning around to confront them. “The entire time we’ve been on this trip, all she’s done is goof off or cause trouble for the rest of us. Twilight and Sunset found out where the Elements are. Moon Dancer went out of her way to make the Midnight Shroud for Ponyville. Starlight got us the tracker spell. But what have you done to help?” she pointed a hoof at Trixie.

“Her wagon saved us from Daybreaker’s barrier,” Twilight spoke up in Trixie’s defense. “And she did get us to Ponyville.”

“The first time was an accident and that trip almost killed us because she was careless,” Tempest retorted. “Why do we even keep her around? Moon Dancer, didn’t you say she got kicked out of magic school after only a year? I bet that’s because she can’t even do real magic.”

“Okay, you’re pushing it a little too far, Tempest,” said Starlight defensively.

“No need to stand on my behalf, Starlight Glimmer,” said Trixie, holding the lilac mare back with a hoof while glaring at the broken-horned unicorn. “Are you really challenging the Great and Powerful Trixie? You may soon come to regret it.”

“Oh, this ought to be good,” said Tempest sarcastically.

The blue showmare levitated her hat off her head, pointing the brim at Tempest, and declared, “Behold, as the Great and Powerful Trixie shows this neigh-sayer just how great and powerful she truly is with her amazing and fabulous display of Firework Magic © - that’s copyrighted, by the way. Now, taste my pyrotechnic fury!”

Twilight and the others ducked out of the way, but Tempest stood her ground, staring down the showmare. A moment of tense silence passed between them…because nothing was happening. Trixie’s brows flew up to her mane and shook her hat; still nothing. Tempest snorted amusingly.

“What the hay?” Trixie muttered to herself, flipping the hat around and sticking her muzzle inside. “I could’ve sworn I put those darn things in here. Did I forget to light them again – “

BOOM!

The Mane 6 jumped as thundering explosion erupted from Trixie’s hat, exhaling a cloud of smoke. The mares stared curiously as the showpony slowly pulled her muzzle out. Her powder-blue face was covered in ash, a small flame flickering on the tip of her mane. Trixie’s face was frozen in a blank stare as she quietly used her hoof to snuff out the flame with a soft hiss.

Twilight knew she shouldn’t have, especially when Trixie looked so unhappy, but the lavender unicorn couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud. Neither, it seemed, could the others. Starlight and Sunset at least were conscientious enough to hide it behind their hooves, but Tempest threw her head back, howling, and Moon Dancer was laughing so hard, she started crying. The scene was just too hilarious, especially with Trixie looking so serious.

Trixie, however, did not appreciate the humor.

“Oh, sure, laugh at the big loser, is Trixie right?!” Trixie shouted harshly, stomping her hoof. “Let’s all make fun of the big stupid pony who can’t even do a simple firework spell! It soooo funny!”

“Well, come on, you have to admit it’s a little funny,” Sunset snorted.

“Yeah, of course it is, because the Great and Powerful Trixie is nothing but a big joke to you!” said Trixie, glaring.

“That’s not what we’re saying at all – “ Twilight started.

“That’s what I’m saying,” Tempest interjected.

“Ignore her,” Twilight continued, shooting a sideways glare at Tempest. “Nopony thinks you’re a joke, Trixie. It was just a humorous accident, that’s all. Nopony is making fun of you.”

“Yes, you are; you always are!” Trixie snapped, pointing an accusing hoof at Twilight. “Ever since we met, all you ponies have made fun or Trixie, or insulted Trixie, or acted like Trixie is a dumb and annoying nuisance! Trixie's heard the way you ponies talk about Trixie, always excluding Trixie from the group in your conversations, like Trixie is an outsider that doesn’t belong! Just a while ago, Starlight excluded me when she talked about her new friends!”

“I wasn’t being serious,” said Starlight, rightfully looking guilty. “That was just some friendly teasing, that’s all.”

“If that’s how you treat your friends, Trixie would hate to see how you treat your enemies,” said Trixie, glaring.

“Trixie, we’re sorry, we didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” said Twilight earnestly.

“You didn’t hurt the Great and Powerful Trixie’s feelings,” Trixie declared, turning her flank to them in a huff. Despite that, Twilight could hear a sniffling noise. “The Great and Powerful Trixie just realized that her help isn’t appreciated here. If you want to find the Elements of Harmony, you can do it without Trixie’s help!”

“Trixie, wait!” Twilight cried out, but the showmare had already marched off. She turned to her friends and said, “We have to go after her.”

“Why should we?” Tempest questioned harshly. “If she wants to throw her tantrum, I say let her. At least now we won’t have anything hold us back for the rest of the trip.”

The broken-horned mare turned around and continued along the trail before Twilight had a chance to speak. Sunset, Starlight, and Moon Dancer looked between them, uncertain of which one to follow. Twilight hanged her head sadly, feeling equally conflicted. Getting to the Elements of Harmony was their priority, but Trixie was their friend. They couldn’t just leave her all alone, especially in the Everfree Forest.

Twilight rubbed her head with her hooves, mentally weighting the two options, when Moon Dancer trotted up and gently rested a hoof on her shoulder with a reassuring smile.

“You go find Trixie and bring her back,” said Moon Dancer. “We’ll try to cool down Tempest and meet you at the castle later.”

Twilight smiled appreciatively, thanking Moon Dancer, then galloped off in the direction Trixie had fled. Thankfully, she hadn’t gotten very far; she caught sight of the glow-in-the-dark patterns on the showmare’s cape as she climbed over an exposed root. Said cape ended up getting caught in one of the low hanging branches of the tree, nearly choking Trixie when she tried to jump. By the time Twilight cantered up to her, Trixie was standing on her hind hooves, attempting to pull her cape free with great effort. Trixie stopped pulling when she noticed Twilight approaching with an amused grin.

“Come to laugh at Trixie some more,” Trixie said in a hollow tone.

“No, I promise,” said Twilight lightly. “I just wanted to talk.”

“If you’re going to talk, you mind helping Trixie with this,” said Trixie, gesturing to her cape. Twilight’s horn glowed as she used her magic to gently untangle Trixie’s cape from the branch. “Trixie appreciates your assistance.”

“Always happy to help,” Twilight said proudly. She trotted up beside the blue mare as they walked further into the forest. “Trixie, you really should come back with us. It’s dangerous out here all by yourself.”

“Why should I?” Trixie grumbled. “Trixie knows when nopony wants her around. Trixie is used to it by now.”

“That’s not true, Trixie,” said Twilight, frowning. “If nopony wanted you around, do you think I would be here talking to you instead of going after the Elements of Harmony.”

“…Trixie…appreciates the sentiment,” Trixie mumbled. “But you’re the only one who came after Trixie….”

“The others are trying to calm down Tempest, but they’re all really worried about you,” said Twilight. She jumped in front of the showmare, holding a hoof to her chest. “Trixie, you can’t let what Tempest said bother you. She’s rude to everypony; it’s her thing. But deep down, I’m sure she doesn’t mean it.”

“But she’s right, you know,” Trixie said miserably, hanging her head. “Trixie already knew it. Trixie knows she’s not as great or powerful as she boasts. The teachers at Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns made that clear when they kicked Trixie out.”

“Yeah, I heard about that,” said Twilight, brushing her hoof awkwardly. “B – But you still became a great and powerful stage magician anyway! I mean, even after you got kicked out, you still worked hard to perform magic. You traveled all over Equestria learning from dozens of magic teachers. That’s more than anypony else can say.”

“Heh, yeah, Trixie guesses that’s impressive,” Trixie said with a small smile. “Ever since Trixie was a foal, she has always wanted to be a stage magician just like her hero, the Great Hoofdini.”

“The Great Hoofdini?” Twilight repeated curiously.

“He was the greatest stage magician in the time before we were born!” Trixie perked up excitedly. “Trixie found some antique film reels in her dad’s old stuff and Trixie used to watch them all the time. Trixie would sit there, entranced for hours, as the Great Hoofdini would perform trick after daring trick. Even though he was a unicorn, he never once used his horn magic to perform his stunts. That’s what made him so fantastic. Ever since then, it’s always been Trixie’s dream to become a great stage magician just like him.

“So when Trixie got accepted into Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns, Trixie thought it would be her best chance to accomplishing her dream…. But then….”

“You got kicked out,” Twilight finished for her.

“Trixie was so heartbroken; she thought she had lost everything,” said Trixie. “But then Trixie’s mom told her, ‘Keep your chin up, Trixie. The only time you fail is when you give up.’ And with what little bits she could scrap together, Trixie’s mom bought her this fabulous cape and hat that you now see upon Trixie’s visage.”

“She sounds like an amazing pony,” Twilight complimented.

“She is,” said Trixie, smiling nostalgically. “She encouraged Trixie to keep trying; she was Trixie’s number one fan. Trixie wanted to make her proud, so Trixie set out on a quest to become the greatest magician ever! It started out pretty small: birthday parties, local parks, street performances – you name it. And as Trixie’s stagemareship improved, she started gaining a name. Soon, everypony from Manehatten to Las Pegasus would look forward to seeing Trixie’s wagon on the horizon, awaiting to be dazzled by her great and powerful performance! Do you know what it’s like, standing on that stage, looking out to an applauding audience? It feels like you’re standing on top of the world.

“But…it’s been getting harder, too.’ She continued solemnly. “As Trixie started getting more popular, Trixie has had to deal with all kinds of hecklers trying to put Trixie down. Calling Trixie a fraud, mocking Trixie…laughing at Trixie. And it just kept getting worse and worse until Trixie just…Trixie just lost her temper. Trixie got kicked out of so many clubs because she attacked the audience and it’s only been getting worse. Trixie thought she might be able to save her reputation in Canterlot, but….”

“But…?” Twilight repeated slowly.

“Trixie may have…turned a couple heckler’s hair into seaweed and then sold them some hair remover,” Trixie admitted sheepishly.

Trixie hanged her head shamefully until she heard a surprising sound: Twilight’s laughter. The showmare looked bewildered as the lavender unicorn wiped a tear from her eye.

“I – I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Twilight said as her laughter died down. “I know it’s mean, but you gotta admit, that does sound funny out loud.”

“…Heh, yeah, I guess it does,” Trixie cracked a small smile.

“Even so, it still doesn’t make it right,” said Twilight. “You can’t take their criticism to heart. If you let those hecklers rile you up, you’ll never become a great and powerful magician.”

“And what do you suggest Trixie should do?” Trixie questioned.

“Well…,” Twilight hummed, rubbing her chin. “If they’re going to laugh at you…then give them a reason to laugh.

“…You lost Trixie,” Trixie said blankly.

“Turn it around on them,” Twilight explained. “If ponies are going to laugh at you, then play off that. Make it seem like it’s a part of your performance. Who says a magic show can’t also be a comedy? And if ponies start heckling you, don’t rise to it; that means they win. Instead, challenge them without resorting to violence. Prove that you’re the better mare. Show everypony why you are the Great and Powerful Trixie."

“Hmm…that does sound appealing to Trixie,” Trixie hummed delightfully. “Yes, The Great and Powerful Trixie will be the better mare!” She held her head high and puffed out her chest, her cape flapping dramatically. “From this day forward, Trixie will not give in to the neigh-says spiteful jeers! Trixie will rise above and show them all how great and powerful she truly is. Even Princess Luna shall bow before Trixie’s greatness!”

“Okay, let’s not get over our heads here,” Twilight interrupted, bringing Trixie back down to Equestria.

“Er, sorry, Trixie kinda got carried away there,” said Trixie, chuckling embarrassingly.

“Just a little,” Twilight giggled, then rested her hoof on Trixie’s. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re great and powerful.”

Trixie felt something strange happening that she had never felt before. Her face felt warmer than the sun and she was sure her heart had skipped a few beats. Trixie gulped loudly. She – she was just hot from Daybreaker’s curse, that’s all, Trixie told herself. It had nothing to do with Twilight! Nothing at all!

“Don’t you think you were being a little too hard on Trixie back there,” Sunset said to Tempest as their herd of four followed the spectral trail. Tempest huffed and kept her eyes forward. “You know, she didn’t have to come with us – “

“It would’ve been better if she didn’t,” Tempest snorted in annoyance.

“My point is that she chose to help us when she could’ve easily just walked away,” Sunset retorted. “And she did help us, whether you want to admit it or not.”

Tempest remained stoically silent and appeared to trot a little faster; Sunset smirked victoriously.

“I just hope Twilight manages to convince her to come back,” Moon Dancer said worriedly.

“She’ll be fine,” said Starlight confidently. “She says that she doesn’t know much about friendship, but it comes natural to her when she applies herself. They’ll be back in no time.”

As they followed the ghostly trail, the trees around them became sparser and the temperature began to rise rapidly. Before they knew it, they had reached the edge of the Everfree Forest and they came out into a wide clearing with the full fury of the sun beating down their heads, to their dismay. The trail continued up a steep up a steep slope where the ponies could see the faint outline of a pair of tall spires in the distance.

“That must be the castle of two sisters where the Elements of Harmony are stored!” said Moon Dancer, pointing to the distant structure. “We’re almost there!”

“You see, I told you would could make it,” said Tempest in a condescending tone. “And we did it without – AUGH!”

The violet mare trotted a few steps forward before a white blur tackled her from the side, throwing her across the ground. Sunset galloped after her, crying, “Tempest, what ha – OOF!” when another blur kicked her in the back of the head, plowing her muzzle first into the dirt.

“Sunset, what’s – GAK!”

“What’s going – HURK!”

One by one, they were all taken down by an unseen adversary and thrown roughly into the ground. Tempest was the first to recover and jumped to her hooves, the hollow of her horn crackling with magic. She spotted one of the blurs shooting across the air and took aim on them until something – or somepony – suddenly lifted her off the ground and flung her into the air. The mare yelped and flailed her hooves in surprise before something rammed her in the stomach, slamming her back to the ground with a great deal of force to make a small hole in the dirt.

Starlight shook the flashing dots from her eyes and looked up to spot two white blurs twirling in the air before suddenly shooting in her direction. Starlight’s horn flared with magic as she summoned a transparent wall in front of her. Unfortunately, the blurs expertly pivoted around the shield and sandwiched her in between them, dazing her, before a third kicked her in the flank and threw her at the ground near Tempest.

Moon Dancer tried to make a run for it; she was a bookworm, not a fighter! However, she could not get far enough before somepony lifted her off the ground and unceremoniously dropped her in a pile on top of Starlight and Tempest.

Sunset was just picking herself up, rubbing her throbbing head, when she felt herself being lifted off the ground with a surprised yelp. Whoever it was kept her suspended fifteen feet off the grounds, hanging upside-down by her tail. With some effort, Sunset craned her head to look down (up?) and gasped.

“Spitfire?” said Sunset, surprised. The fiery-maned pegasus did not respond to her, mostly because she had Sunset’s tail in her mouth. “Spitfire, wait, it’s me, Sun – “

The words died on Sunset’s lips as Spitfire started swinging the sunny unicorn around in circles, causing her to scream in pain and terror. After what seemed like a hundred rotations, Spitfire released Sunset’s tail and hurled the unicorn back to the ground, flying toward the unicorns –

Twilight and Trixie nearly jumped out of their coats when they heard several screams echoing across the forest. Those voices sounded like –

“It’s Sunset and the others!” Twilight gasped, panic setting in. “Something’s happened to them! We have to help!”

Twilight immediately started galloping along the ghostly trail toward the castle, but it was a surprise when Trixie ran alongside her as well. Even Trixie seemed astonished that she was running to their aid even after they (meaning Tempest) had insulted her. Her body just instinctively started moving.

They had reached the edge of the forest when Twilight suddenly came to a screeching halt, grabbing Trixie by the cape (inadvertently choking her) and pulled her behind the trees. Twilight and Trixie cautiously peeked around the trunk and surveyed the scene.

Sunset, Starlight, Tempest, and Moon Dancer were all bound back-to-back in rope with their horns tied together, ensuring they couldn’t cast magic without hurting one another. It took a while for Twilight to remember who the herd of pegasi surrounding them were due to the difference in their uniforms.

“Trixie, I think those are the Wonderbolt!” Twilight hissed.

“The Wonderbolts? The aerial acrobats?” Trixie asked surprisingly.

“Yeah, my big brother used to watch their performances all the time,” said Twilight.

“But aren’t they supposed to be Princess Luna’s personal flying team?” said Trixie. “Why are they hogtying our friends…and Tempest….”

“I don’t know,” Twilight shook her head. “Something seems different about them….”

“Is that all of them?” Spitfire suddenly spoke up; Twilight and Trixie quickly fell silent.

“We have four of them in custody,” said Soarin with a salute. “We think the other two are still somewhere inside the Everfree Forest.”

“Have everypony ready for an aerial recon,” Spitfire commanded. “Daybreaker’s not gonna be happy if we let even a single one of them get away.”

“Daybreaker?! They’re working for Daybreaker?!” Trixie yelled quietly.

“She must have them under some kind of mind control,” said Twilight. “They would never work for Daybreaker willingly.”

“Can you snap them out of it?” asked Trixie.

“I might be able to with a counter spell,” said Twilight. “But I’m going to need Sunset and Starlight’s help if I’m going to have enough power to counteract alicorn magic. The problem is getting past the Wonderbolts. If they see me, they’ll take us out before we even have a chance to use it. We need something to distracted them long enough for us to free the others and use the counter spell.”

Trixie tapped her chin, looking over the Wonderbolts thoughtfully, then said, “Trixie will do it?”

“What?” Twilight chirped.

“Trixie will keep them distracted while you free the others,” Trixie declared, readjusting her hat with a confident smile. Twilight, on the other hoof, didn’t look so certain. “Don’t worry, Twilight Sparkle. Trixie has a plan to keep their attention.”

“What’re you going to do?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Trixie will do what Trixie does best,” Trixie grinned playfully. “Put on a show.”

Spitfire was going over a detailed plan of how to best search for the missing mares when a smoke bomb exploded at the mouth of the forest. The Wonderbolts jumped, crouching low with their wings outstretched and ready for takeoff, when Trixie appeared through the smoke. The stagemare rose on her hind hooves, flapping her starry cape behind her, and shouted in a dramatic and mystifying voice, “Come one, come all! Witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

The Wonderbolts blinked, looking dumbfoundedly at one another. They likely never thought Trixie would reveal herself so openly to them. None of them notice even Twilight quietly crawling on her belly behind them.

“Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” Trixie proclaimed loudly. She levitated the hat off her head, pointing the brim to the sky. “But what is a performance without…fireworks!”

The Wonderbolts tilted their head and raised some brows when the sky remained clear of colorful explosions. Trixie groaned agitatedly, mumbling, “Seriously? Again?”, turned the hat over, and started patting it with her hoof as if expecting something to fall out. The Great and Powerful Trixie yelped as her missing firework dropped and exploded on the ground at her hooves. The showmare danced around the colorful explosives, shrieking like a chimpanzee.

Soarin snickered behind his hoof; Spitfire looked like she was trying to stop herself from grinning.

Twilight paused, afraid that Trixie might upset after her trick had failed again. But, to her astonishment, the blue mare stared laughing as she topped her head again. That’s when Twilight realized something: Trixie did it on purpose!

“Well, now we know the Great and Power Trixie isn’t a graceful and elegant dancer,” she said jokingly. That earned a few sniggers from her audience, who were watching with rapt attention. “Now for her first trick, the Great and Powerful Trixie will pull a rabbit out of her hat!”

She levitated the hat off her head again, but the audience was surprised to find that the rabbit was already sitting on her mane. The rabbit made a “shush” gesture to the Wonderbolts as Trixie reached her hoof inside the hat, feeling around. Trixie’s brow creased curiously and stuck her face into the hat while the rabbit laughed quietly behind its hands; several Wonderbolts were chuckling quietly. And when Trixie pulled her head out, the rabbit stealthily dived back into the hat when she wasn’t looking.

“Where did that darn rabbit go,” Trixie pretended to pout, returning the hat to her mane. “Did it run off again? Trixie knew she should’ve bought them wholesale.”

The Wonderbolts were cracking up; even Spitfire was giggling behind her hoof. Trixie swept up to one of the Wonderbolts, throwing a friendly hoof over their shoulder, and said, “Hey there, stranger, tell Trixie your name.”

“Surprise,” the blonde-maned mare answered excitedly.

“Ooh, I love surprises,” said Trixie theatrically. She reached inside her cape and pulled out a party popper. “And the best kind of surprises are the ones that just ‘pop up’ when you least expect it.”

Trixie pulled at the string and the popper exploded a cloud of confetti and streamers in Surprise’s face. But without anypony noticing, the blonde-maned pony was suddenly wearing a rainbow afro with white makeup all over her mask and a big rubber ball on her nose. Several of the Wonderbolts laughed and pointed their hooves; one of them even rolled around on the ground. Surprise wasn’t even upset and started clapping her hooves gleefully.

The whole time Trixie performed, the Mane 6 watched in astonishment.

“Wow, Trixie’s pretty good,” Starlight complimented.

“Eh, she’s all right,” said Tempest begrudgingly.

“Admit it; you think she’s awesome,” said Moon Dancer teasingly.

“Psst, girls,” The mares looked down, spotting Twilight as she crawled up to them. “Hang on, I’m going to get you out in a moment.”

“Hurry, Twilight, I think there’s something wrong with Spitfire and the Wonderbolts,” said Sunset urgently.

“I think they’re being mind controlled by Daybreaker,” said Twilight, using her horn to pull at the ropes. “We might be able to break them free, but I’m going to need your help.”

Back over at Trixie’s performance, the showmare had made one of the Wonderbolts cough up The Never-Ending Scarves of Mystery, making a grand show of pulling out the long strand of colorful clothes. By now, the Wonderbolts were completely enamored by Trixie’s performance. Even Spitfire and smiling and clapping her hooves with the rest of her team as Trixie took a bow.

“Thank you, thank you, you have been a beautiful audience – some more than others,” Trixie said, clicking her tongue and winking at Surprise; the blonde mare giggled. “Now, for my next trick, Trixie will need a volunteer from the audience!”

“Ooh, ooh, me! Pick me!” said Soarin, waving his hoof excitedly.

“Yes, the stallion who’s about to wet himself!” Trixie called, pointing a hoof at him.

The Wonderbolts laughed as Soarin grinned sheepishly. Trixie used her horn to levitate a fall enlog from inside the forest and laid it on the ground in front of them, gesturing Soarin to her side.

“Trixie’s brave volunteer will now enter the Mysterious Everfree Log of Mystery!” Trixie said in a mystified voice.

“But that’s just an – oof!” Tempest started until Sunset jabbed her in the side with her elbow.

Soarin crawled inside the log as he was told. The trunk was quite small and left Soarin’s head and legs exposed. That seemed to be exactly what Trixie was going for as the showmare reached into her cape pulled out a cartoonishly large hoofsaw.

“Behold, as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the oldest and most lethal trick known to ponykind!” Trixie declared dramatically. “Trixie will now saw this pony in half!”

The Wonderbolts leaned closer in awed silence as Trixie put the saw’s teeth to the log and started cutting. One of the Wonderbolts gasped and another covered their eyes with their hooves. Trixie had cut halfway through and Soarin was showing no signs of discomfort or that he even noticed what was happening at all. When she had cut the entire way through, Trixie returned the saw to the mysterious space of her cape and pushed the two halves apart.

“Ta-da!” said Trixie, stepping between the two halves. The Wonderbolts cheered and clapped their hooves. All of a sudden, Soarin’s legs jumped up and started running. “Wah! My act is getting away from me!”

The Wonderbolts laughed themselves silly as Trixie chased the stallion’s legs in circles, rolling around in the dirt with tears in their eyes. They were so caught up in Trixie’s act that nopony realized Twilight had cut their friends free.

“She’s is good,” Tempest admitted dumbfoundedly.

“Told you so,” said Moon Dancer smugly.

“All right, everypony remember the spell?” asked Twilight. Sunset and Starlight nodded seriously. “On the count of three. One…two…three!”

They shot beams of magic from their horns, intersecting them into a single stream of rainbow light that washed over the Wonderbolts like a tsunami. The Wonderbolts shrieked as Daybreaker’s magic was forcefully expelled from their mouths and eyes, evaporating in the air. When the colorful flood had passed over, the Wonderbolts were back to their blue-and-yellow uniforms, groaning and rubbing their throbbing heads.

“Ugh…how much cider did I drink last night…?” Spitfire moaned.

“Spitfire!” Sunset cried. The Wonderbolt captain barely had time to register the incoming mare before Sunset threw herself into Spitfire’s hooves, hugging her like her life depended on it. “I was so worried about you!”

“That’s my line,” Spitfire said gruffly as they pulled away. “I thought you were stuck in that dome in Canterlot. Me and the Wonderbolts were trying to bust in when that creepy alicorn with her mane on fire ambushed us. Did I mention her mane was on fire?”

“Daybreaker,” said Sunset shortly. “She’s the Mare in the Sun – Princess Luna’s older sister. You didn’t stand a chance.”

“Yeah, I kinda figure that,” said Spitfire, wincing. Then she smiled and petted the top of Sunset’s head. “Oh well, the important thing is that you’re safe, baby sis.”

“Spitfiiiiire, not in public,” Sunset whined childishly, pushing her sister’s hoof away.

“Wait a minute,” Moon Dancer spoke up. “You’re Princess Luna’s student and your sister is the captain of the Wonderbolts?” Sunset shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “Leave some cool points for the rest of us, will you?”

“What I wanna know is what you ponies are doing in the Everfree Forest,” said Spitfire. “Do you know how dangerous this place is?”

“Yeah, we know,” said Twilight gravely. “But this is the only way to the Elements of Harmony.”

“The what?” asked Spitfire, tilting her head.

“It’s a long story,” said Sunset. “The short version is that the Elements of Harmony are the only thing that can defeat Daybreaker. They should be hidden somewhere in the nearby castle.”

“You want us to help?” Spitfire offered. “The Wonderbolts are the most elite fliers in all of Equestria.”

“You should head back to Canterlot,” Tempest Shadow suggested, to the confusion of the other ponies. “If Daybreaker is sending minions to physically stop us, that means she’s done playing mind games. Next time, she might show up to stop us herself and then we’ll be in deep dung.” She pointed a hoof at the aerial acrobats. “You need to get back to Canterlot and figure out if there’s a way to break Princess Luna out. With Daybreaker distracted, her barrier might weaken. At the very least, you could keep her distracted for a little while.”

“Hmm…strategically, it makes sense,” Spitfire hummed, tapping her muzzle. “But I don’t like the idea of my baby sis putting herself in danger like this.”

“Spitfire, I’ll be fine,” Sunset reassured her. “And it’s not like I’m by myself. I’ve got my friends to help me.”

“Well…all right, I trust you, baby sis,” Spitfire conceded, petting Sunset’s head again to the mare’s embarrassment. She then pointed a hoof at Trixie and said, “Hey, you.”

“Yes?” said Trixie, taken aback.

“You should stop by Wonderbolt Academy some time,” Spitfire offered, grinning. “I wanna see the rest of your show when this is over.”

“Heh, it would be Trixie’s great pleasure,” said Trixie proudly, tipping her hat.

“All right, Wonderbolt, back to Canterlot!” Spitfire commanded.

The elite aerial squadron spread their wings and shot into the sky, flying northward with a trail of thunderclouds in their wake.

With that little matter tucked away, the Mane 6 started climbing the steep hillside in the direction of the castle in the distance. As Sunset, Starlight, and Moon Dancer went on ahead, Twilight and Trixie started to follow when Tempest suddenly blocked their path. For one terrifying moment, Twilight was afraid Tempest might pick another fight with Trixie. But Tempest was oddly quiet, looking down and pawing at the ground with a hint of shame in her eyes. After a moment, Tempest lifted her head and mumbled a soft, “I’m sorry….”

The broken-horned pony didn’t give Trixie a chance to respond, quickly turning tail and galloping up the hillside to catch up with the others. Twilight and Trixie exchanged curious glances. They giggled quietly between themselves and followed their friends.

“Uh…guys? Hello? Still here!” Soarin’s head called out in desperation, but nopony heard him. His legs walked by and plopped down beside him. “So…wanna play charades?”

Author's Note

Since Trixie never had an established past like everypony else in the show, I took some liberties of my own and turned her into a wandering pony that’s traveled all over Equestria in her lifetime, having random encounters with many famous ponies (though nopony ever believes her). I think it’s funny that when the Mane 6 meets a well-known pony in the future, they’re already friends with Trixie and everypony else just stare dumbfoundedly.

Where Loyalties Lie

The Wonderbolts had just taken flight towards Canterlot while the Mane 6 climbed the steep slope toward the castle of the two sisters, the ramparts visible from a distance –

“AAARRRGGGHHHH!”

Daybreaker reared up in fury, blasting the viewing portal with her horn and shattering it like glass. The Mare of the Sun breathed sharply while her mane flared up like an uncontrollable wildfire.

“I should’ve known better to put my trust in the hooves of a bunch of circus performers!” Daybreaker roared. “How could they have been duped so easily by that two-bit magician’s ridiculous act?!”

“Perhaps it’s time to call it quits, sister,” Luna suggested calmly. “My student and her friends are nearly to our former domain and the Elements of Harmony. You’re out of time.”

The fiery mare snort angrily, spinning around toward her sister, and pressing her face against the moon goddess’s barrier to stare her directly in the eyes. Daybreaker didn’t even care that her skin was sizzling from the cool contact of Luna’s Moon Magic; her blood was boiling beyond reasonable thought.

“It’s not over yet, sister,” Daybreaker sneered. “They haven’t reached the Elements and they never will. I’m done playing games. It’s like they always say: if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”

“You realize that if you leave now, your barrier will gradually weaken,” Luna challenged. “And when it does, I will break free, and I will come after you.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Daybreaker hissed.

Daybreaker stretched her wings and summoned a plume of flames beneath her hooves that swallowed her whole. The fire extinguished itself and all that remained was a sun-shaped burn mark on the ground where Daybreaker once stood. Luna tilted her head back, staring off apprehensively into space while her mind and heart wander to six unsuspecting unicorns.

“Be safe, my little ponies,” Luna prayed. “For your greatest trial has yet to come.”

The Mane 6 were starting to wish they had stayed lost in the Everfree Forest. It was dark, spooky, and filled with monsters lurking around every corner, but at least the magic kept them cool. Now that they were out of the forest, the wrath of Daybreaker’s sun was beating down on them without mercy. Twilight had nearly forgotten how intense the heat was; sweat was pouring down her face like a waterfall, which says nothing compared to how Trixie and Tempest must feel.

“It’s official: I – hate – the sun!” Starlight wheezed.

“We’re almost there, girls,” Twilight tried to sound optimistic, but it was difficult when she was panting so hard. “Just a little further….”

“If this turns out to be a wild goose chase,” Tempest groaned, “I’m bucking you all off the nearest cliff.”

They made it over the crest of the hill and stopped for a moment to catch their breaths; Trixie collapsed on her stomach, her hat tilted over her eyes. Twilight inhaled deeply through her nose, exhaled through her mouth, and looked ahead. To her delight and relief, she saw a dilapidated structure just along the path, across a wooden bridge over a wide ravine. The stone walls had collapsed, foliage steadily reclaiming the land, but they could make out the crumbling spires and the splinteerd double doors of what was once a magnificent castle. They had made it!

“There it is! The ruins that hold The Elements of Harmony!” Twilight shouted with renewed vigor. “We made it!”

Twilight was too excited to stay put. She galloped along the path, forcing the others to follow quickly in her hoofsteps.

“Twilight, wait for us!” Sunset shouted behind her.

“We’re almost there, girls!” Twilight cried jubilantly as she approached the bridge. “It’s just across this – YEOW!”

The lavender unicorn felt a sharp tug at her tail that grounded her to a stop before she could step on the bridge. Twilight glanced over her shoulder to see Tempest spitting out Twilight roughed up tail as the other unicorns stopped behind them.

“Tempest, that really hurt!” Twilight whined, smoothing out her tail. “What’s the big idea?”

Rather than answering, Tempest stepped around Twilight and cantered up to the bridge. She stared at the first plank with an intense look in her eyes as she raised her hoof and slowly, cautiously, set it down on top of the wood. At first, everything seemed fine, but when the mare slowly applied pressure, the wooden board cracked down the middle into two halves that dislodged from the rope and fell into the ravine. It took an estimated thirty seconds before they heard the planks hit the bottom.

“The bridge is unstable,” Tempest explained coolly to Twilight. “If you had run on that as recklessly as you did, you would’ve taken a nasty fall. One that you wouldn’t have walked away from.”

“Oh, wow, um…,” Twilight stammered, gulping loudly. “Thanks for the save, Tempest.”

“You really should be more careful,” said Tempest with a teasing grin.

“Now what do we do?” Moon Dancer asked. “Should we try to find another way around?”

“That would take too long,” Twilight shook her head. “By my calculations, it’s been almost twenty hours since Daybreaker returned. The sun needs to go down soon or there could be irreparable damage to Equestria.”

“Then I guess we’re crossing the bridge,” said Sunset, stepping up beside Tempest. “We’ll go across slowly one by one. The bridge should be able to hold us up as long as we don’t make any sudden movements. Tempest, you go first.”

“You want me to intentionally put myself in danger?” asked Tempest with a quirked brow.

“We’re trusting you to guide us through since you obviously know what you’re doing,” said Sunset.

“Plus, you’re the biggest of all of us,” Trixie pointed out. “So if the bridge collapses, it’ll be your fault.”

“Gee, thanks,” Tempest said blandly.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be right behind you,” said Twilight confidently.

Tempest rolled her eyes, but nonetheless faced the bridge again. She carefully put her hoof to the creaky board, testing it. When she was confident that it would support her weight, she put another hoof forward. And then another. And then another. Before she knew it, she had already walked ten steps across. Though the creaking did concern her, the bridge did not seem to be giving out. Tempest waved a hoof and called back, “It’s safe! Come on over!”

“All right, everypony, one at a time,” Sunset commanded, waving the mares along.

“Why couldn’t Trixie have been born a pegasus,” Trixie moaned.

Twilight went second, followed by Moon Dancer, Trixie, Starlight, and Sunset bringing up the rear. Twilight was pleasantly surprised that the bridge was able to hold up the combined weight of six unicorns. There was a tense moment where one of the boards cracked underneath Starlight’s hoof, but the lilac mare was able to lift her hoof up slowly and press on to the next board. A sudden wind picked up from the ravine that caused the entire bridge to shudder, making everypony tense up and stop. The wind thankfully passed in seconds and the Mane 6, sighing in unified relief, kept walking. After what seemed like an eternity, Twilight looked over Tempest’s shoulder and saw solid ground only less than a few hooves away.

“We’re almost to the other side, everypony!” Twilight called back. “Just a few more steps – “

The words died on her lips as a flaming geyser suddenly erupted ahead of them. The Mane 6 gasped horrifically as Daybreaker cantered out of the fiery funnel, her lips curled into a malicious smile.

“Surprise!” Daybreaker cackled. “Bet you weren’t expecting to see me, were you, my little ponies!”

“Daybreaker!” The Mane 6 cried in unison.

“You ponies made it farther than I expected,” said Daybreaker. “But now it’s the end of the line for you. And I do mean that literally.”

“Turn around! Turn around!” Tempest shouted.

But they were too late. The Mare of the Sun swiped her horn at the rope, snapping it clean. The bridge collapsed instantly underneath the Mane 6’s hooves, sending them plummeting into the gorge.

The mares screamed and flailed their hooves, as if it would actually accomplish anything, their minds too rattled with panic to think straight. Tempest tried reaching for a hold on the ravine wall, but unfortunately, ponies did not evolve with the necessary appendages on their hooves for grabbing things and just rolled off. Starlight, with her eyes bugging out, saw the ground steadily getting closer. The lilac unicorn reacted instinctively as she took a deep breath, held it, and flared her horn up with magic.

Just as they were about to slam into the dirt, the Mane 6 suddenly stopped less than a hoof above the ground, all of them coated in a light turquoise aura. The mares stopped screaming and calmed down when the realized they weren't colorful splatters on the floor; all except for Trixie, who was still kicking and shrieking; Moon Dancer slapped a hoof over her mouth to shut her up.

Starlight visibly strained herself as the telepathically rolled everypony around and planted them safely on their hooves. She dissipated the spell, but suddenly found her vision spinning and stumbled sideways, dizzy. Sunset quickly caught the lilac unicorn before she fell over.

“He…he…thanks for catching me,” Starlight said gratefully.

“Thank you for catching us,” Sunset said with equal parts appreciation and amazement as she helped Starlight steady herself. “That’s was amazing. I’ve never heard of anypony who could use a levitation spell to hold themselves, let alone hold up six full grown ponies.”

“It’s really easy once you understand the basic principles spatial relativity combined with the fundamentals of gravitational magic while replacing the core principle of pony biology to replicate the weightlessness of pegesi,” Starlight explained smartly to an audience that only blinked and stared cluelessly. “But it’s not so easy to use it on more than one pony at a time. Ooh, my head is going to be pounding in the morning – er, night.”

Tempest, meanwhile, walked up to the ravine walls and tilted her head straight back. Even with her sharp eyes, she could barely make out the remnants of the rope bridge swaying listlessly on one side. They must have fallen over forty hooves.

“We’re not getting back the way we came,” she commented.

“No! We were so close!” Twilight cried, kicking her hoof in frustration. “The castle was right there! The Elements of Harmony were practically in our hooves.”

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Moon Dancer said in a soothing voice, resting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “We’ll figure out a way to get back up there. I promise.”

“Right now, I’m more worried about Daybreaker coming after us,” said Sunset, frowning. “She probably thinks we’ve been turned into pony pudding by now, but I don’t want to stick around if she decides to fly down and check it out.”

“And I’d really like to get out of this heat,” said Starlight, fanning herself.

“And where do you expect us to find shelter at the bottom of – “ Tempest started until Trixie shouted at them.

“Hey, guys, over here!” The unicorns looked around curiously until Twilight pointed at a cave just down the way. They spotted Trixie leaning out of the cave mouth waving her hoof enthusiastically. “Check out this neat cave that Trixie found!”

Starlight flashed a smug grin toward Tempest, who lowered her head, muttering under her breath, and followed the showmare begrudgingly inside.

Like the strange phenomenon of the Everfree Forest, the temperature immediately fell to a pleasant coolness the moment they stepped over the threshold of the cave entrance, but also had a slight warmth that seeped into their bones. The cavern had dozens of polished purple gemstones sticking out of the walls and glowing flower buds on the hundred raised stones.

And there, in the back of the cavern, was the most magnificent thing Twilight had ever seen: a massive tree made of pure crystal, twinkling lights dancing on its many branches. Upon five of the branches were large crystalized slabs with strange indentations, almost like something could be inserted in them. And in the middle of the trunk where all the branches met was a six-pointed crystal that bore an odd resemblance to something that Twilight couldn’t think of.

“Whoa…,” said Sunset in awe.

“Pretty,” Moon Dancer breathed.

“Nice find, Trixie,” Starlight complimented.

“This is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen,” Twilight gasped, trotting slowly, reverently, up to the tree roots. “Do you feel that? The magic coming off of it. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Where did it come from? Why is it made of crystal? Why is it hidden in a cave in the Everfree Forest? Are there other’s like it? What are those holes in the branches? Are you supposed to put something in them? How did - ?”

“Twilight, Twilight!” Starlight shouted, cutting the lavender mare off. “You’re spiraling again.”

“But I have so many questions!” Twilight shrieked fanatically, gesturing a hoof to the tree. “This tree obviously has some kind of magical power! Aren’t you curious to know what it is?!”

“I think we should spend more time focusing on the Elements of Harmony than checking out a cave tree,” Starlight shrugged nonchalantly. “Besides, it’s not like we’ll ever have a reason to come back here anyway.”

“…Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Twilight conceded. “Too bad, though. I really wanted to know more about it….”

Starlight rolled her eyes amusingly and pulled Twilight away from the crystal tree to their friends, who had thrown off their saddlebags and gathered around in a circle. Twilight sat down on Trixie’s left, the blue showmare smiling with slightly pinkened cheeks, until Moon Dancer suddenly used a levitation spell on Trixie to move her aside and take her place. Trixie blinked bewildered; Moon Dancer smiled widely at Twilight; Twilight remained utterly clueless.

“Anypony have an idea on how to get back up to the castle?” Twilight asked around.

“Can’t we just have Starlight fly us back up the cliff?” Tempest suggested.

“It took all of my strength just to keep us from being smashed into paste,” Starlight shook her head. “There’s no way I’ll be able to carry everypony at once. I could do it one at a time, but that’d take too long and I’d run out of magic pretty quickly.”

“Trixie could use The Never-Ending Scarves of Mystery as a rope,” Trixie offered optimistically. “We could climb back up to the castle.”

“It only goes six hooves,” Moon Dancer pointed out bluntly.

“BLASPHEMY!” Trixie shouted dramatically.

“What if we build a makeshift catapult from rocks and vines and fling ourselves up the cliffside?” said Sunset.

“That sound’s like the kind of plan that Trixie would come up with,” said Starlight.

“Trixie will agree with you, Starlight Glimmer,” said Trixie proudly. “Trixie fully and completely supports Sunset Shimmer’s plan one hundred percent.”

“…Okay, new plan,” said Sunset quickly; Trixie pouted.

For nearly five minutes, the ponies went back and forth, bouncing new ideas off one another searching for a solution. It wasn’t until Twilight made the suggestion of casting a spell that would give them butterfly wings that Tempest had enough. The broken-horned mare rose to her hooves with an exasperated sigh and made her way to the cave entrance, to the curiosity of the others.

“Where’re you going, Tempest?” asked Moon Dancer.

“I’m going to explore the area for a little while,” Tempest explained. “Maybe there’s a path up the cliff or some boulders we can jump on. Anything is better than sitting around listening to more of your insane ideas.”

“Wait, hold up, I’ll come with you.” Twilight jumped up to her hooves, galloping to catch up with Tempest as they exited the cave. Tempest glanced at Twilight out of the corner of her eye, but didn’t say anything. “I just wanted to say thanks again.”

“For what?” Tempest questioned, scanning the ravine walls.

“For, well, a lot of things, really,” said Twilight, smiling. “For coming along to help us find the Elements of Harmony. For driving off those Timberwolves. For stopping me from running off that bridge. I don’t think we could’ve made it without you.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Tempest, who was now inspecting a crack in the wall. “But don’t read too much into it. Don’t forget, I only signed up with you mares because I didn’t trust you to get the job done. I’m only helping you until I know I’m not going to die of heatstroke.”

“You can’t fool me,” Twilight said with a teasing smirk. “I know you like hanging out with us.”

“I prefer to be alone,” Tempest argued.

“You used to prefer being alone,” said Twilight confidently. “But things are different now that you have friends.”

Tempest suddenly stopped in her tracks, causing Twilight to bump into her flank. The broken-horned mare spun around, momentarily wide-eyed before creasing her brow in a leer.

“We’re not friends, Twilight,” Tempest claimed pointedly. “We’re a bunch of strangers who got caught up in this insane adventure by accident. The accident being Trixie’s wagon.”

“That may have been how it started out,” said Twilight optimistically. “But after everything we’ve been through together, I really think we’ve all become good friends. Sunset is open and honest with everypony. Moon Dancer is sweet and kind. Starlight is giving everything she has for us. And Trixie cheers people up. And then there’s you, Tempest – “

“You don’t know anything about me,” Tempest interjected rudely. “You don’t know who I am or where I come from or the things I’ve done to make it this far.”

“Hmm…yeah, that’s true,” Twilight admitted with a thoughtful look. “I don’t know much about you.”

“See?” said Tempest pointedly.

“What I do know,” Twilight continued, “is that you are brave, strong, resourceful, a bit of a jerk, but you also have a compassionate heart underneath that rough exterior. And even though you say you only came to help yourself, the fact of the matter is that you could’ve left at any time or even gone off on your own when you found out where the Element of Harmony were. But you stayed with us, through the best and worst parts of this journey. You protected us, looked out for us, and put yourself on the line when you could’ve just as easily have left us to fend for ourselves.”

Tempest had gone rigid with every word that poured from Twilight’s mouth, her jaw tight and her eyes wide as if she had seen a ghost. Her brain was screaming at her to deny everything; that Twilight was wrong and she was just looking out for herself. But the more she said, the harder it was to refute Twilight’s claims. And Twilight seemed to have noticed that.

“You may not think that we’re friends, but I think we are,” said Twilight, smiling, “And I bet that everypony else does, too. We trust you, Tempest. And that’s all I need to know.”

Tempest stared at the lavender mare in thoughtful silence for many seconds…then she slowly turned her flank to Twilight and said, “I think you should head back to the others, Twilight. I’ll continue searching on my own.”

“But I – “

“Please, Twilight,” Tempest requested in a low tone. “Just go.”

Twilight hesitated, attempting to reach out for a moment, but conceded to Tempest’s wishes and walked away. But after taking a few steps, she paused and looked back around, saying, “You don’t have to be alone, Tempest. We’re your friends. Don’t forget that.”

Tempest maintained her silence as she walked away.

The violet mare continued her trek through the gorge, but her attention was no longer focused on the walls. Tempest trudged solemnly, her head hanging low, her eyes staring at her hooves, lost in thought. She didn’t want to admit it, but Twilight’s words stirred something inside in her chest. A strange feeling that she hadn’t known for a long time.

“Friends…,” Tempest murmured softly. “They’re my…friends? I…I guess we could be…maybe…. I…I haven’t had had any friends since….” She turned her eyes upward, barely making out the jagged bits of her horn on the edge of her vision. She touched it tenderly with her hoof. “Glitter Drops…Spring Rain…I wonder how they’re doing….”

Her mind momentary wandered before she shook her head. No, there was no point in dredging up those memories now, Tempest told herself. The violet mare raised her head and looked forward, her thoughts returning to the task at hand, when Tempest suddenly paused, taken aback.

A formation of rocks rose up the side of the ravine in the form of a crude staircase that went straight to the castle of the two sisters based visible towers overhead. Tempest blinked and looked back over her shoulder. The cave where the Mane 6 had taken shelter wasn’t that far; it must have been twenty hooves at best.

“How did we miss this?” Tempest asked herself dumbfoundedly. “Oh well, no point in questioning logic now. I should get back to – “

But as Tempest started making her way back, something crashed into the ground in front of her, kicking up a cloud of dust. Tempest coughed, her hoof raised to cover her eyes, until the dust cloud passed. Tempest lowered her hoof and gasped as she came face-to-face with Daybreaker; the fiery mare grinning malevolently down at her.

“Daybreaker!” Tempest yelled, crouching lower with her horn crackling.

“Easy there, little shadow, I’m not here to fight,” said Daybreaker in a pleasant tone.

“Sorry if I don’t believe you,” Tempest retorted scathingly. “Being dropped off a bridge is a real turn-off for most ponies.”

“I do apologize for that,” said Daybreaker, “but you have to understand that I had to stop you from reaching the Elements of Harmony. I couldn’t let you stop me after it took a thousand years reaching this point. But we don’t have to be enemies, Tempest Shadow. In fact, I was hoping we could make a deal.”

“…What kind of deal?” Tempest asked suspiciously.

“You joined those silly fillies because you wanted to protect yourself from my wrath,” said Daybreaker knowledgably. “But if you aid me in disposing of those ponies who wish to oppose me, I swear on my name that you will be spared. When the new world is built and all of Equestria bows to me, you will have a place by my side. You will lead my armies as they crush all who rebel against my rule. Yours is a name that will be respected and feared.”

Tempest’s horn was still trained on Daybreaker, but there was a flitter of hesitation in her eyes. Daybreaker chuckled cruelly.

“You’re not thinking about what Twilight Sparkle said, are you?” Daybreaker questioned.

“Spying on us, were you?” said Tempest, glaring.

“You’ve given me ample reason to keep an eye on you ponies,” said Daybreaker with a crackling chuckle. “Don’t think too deeply on Twilight Sparkle’s words. She may say they are your friends now, but you already tried friendship once before. And how did that turn out for you, hmm? You lost your horn because your so-called ‘friends’ were irresponsible for losing your ball in that Ursa Minor cave and neither of them had nerve to go in after it. Those very same friends got into my sister’s magic school, did they not? It was always your dream to attend that school, wasn’t it? A dream that was shattered just like your horn. They went on to live fulfilling lives, and abandoned you to your misery. How long will it be before these new ponies abandon you as well?”

“I…I don’t…,” Tempest mumbled, the energy dissipating from her horn.

“You don’t need them, Tempest Shadow,” said Daybreaker, tilting Tempest's chin up with a wing to meet her eyes. “You don’t need ‘friendship’. All you need is to look out for yourself. Bring them to this place, and you will receive your reward when they are properly disposed of.” Her lips curled into an evil smile as she leaned in close, whispering in Tempest’s ear. “Don’t forget: It’s every pony for themselves.”

And with a flap of her wings, Daybreaker took off into the skies, leaving Tempest alone with her thoughts.

Back at the mysterious crystal cave, the rest of the Mane 6 was going through the last of the provisions they had packed for the trip. They polished off all the apples, oranges, water, and Trixie practically inhaled the peanut butter crackers. After this, they had nothing left.

“We should’ve stocked up more when we were in Ponyville,” Sunset complained, turning over her empty saddlebag. “No turning back now, I guess.”

“If we don’t stop Daybreaker, food is going to be the last thing we worry about,” said Twilight.

“But first, we need to find a way up to the castle of the two sisters,” Moon Dancer pointed out.

“Speaking of which, where’s Tempest?” Starlight asked curiously. “I thought she would’ve been back by now.”

“Just waiting to make a dramatic entrance.” The Mane 5 turned their heads as Tempest emerged theatrically from, well, the shadows with a cocky grin. “How was that?”

“Trixie will give it a six out of ten,” said Trixie, waving her hoof in a nonchalant fashion. “If you want a real dramatic entrance, Trixie will gladly offer you some fireworks. Trixie could also give you the address for this one pony Trixie knows that makes personalized party cannons.”

“Did you find a way out?” Twilight asked quickly, hopefully, bouncing on her hooves.

“There’s a path on the walls not too far from here,” Tempest informed them, pointing outside. “I think it leads directly to the castle.”

“All right!”

“Woo-hoo!”

“Way to go, Tempest!”

“Trixie is impressed!”

Enthused by the news that Tempest brought them, the mares quickly packed up their saddlebags and practically stampeded out the cave; Tempest pressed herself against the wall to avoid being crushed. The broken-horned unicorn watched them gallop outside, a noticeable look of unhappiness in her eyes. She stretched her hoof to her forehead, gently tapping the jagged edges of where her horn once stood. Memories flashed in her mind: the Ursa Minor, Glitter Drops and Spring Rain, Daybreaker’s offer….

Tempest jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around with her horn charged. Twilight raised her hooves in surrender, blinking surprised. Tempest exhaled a relieved sigh and powered down.

“Sorry about that?” Twilight apologized. “Didn’t think you were so jumpy.”

Yeah, well, when you live life the way I have, a little caution is necessary,” Tempest said cryptically.

“…Are you okay?” Twilight asked, concerned. She leaned in close to Tempest, who purposely tilted her head sideways to avoid meeting Twilight’s eye. “You look upset about something.”

“It’s…it’s nothing; just remembered something unpleasant,” Tempest said evasively, turning her flank to Twilight. “C’mon, our friends are waiting for us.” But as she marched toward the cave mouth, Twilight trotted alongside her, giggling, to Tempest’s bewilderment. “What?

“Oh, nothiiiiing,” Twilight said in a sing-song voice. “You just called them ‘our friends.’”

Tempest almost tripped over her herself, sputtering, “I – I didn’t - I wasn’t thinking – “

“So you admit it: you do think of us as friends,” Twilight teased.

“I…I…”

“We better get moving,” Twilight said smugly, trotting ahead of Tempest. “We don’t want to keep our friends waiting.”

Tempest was momentarily frozen, her eyes bugging and her jaw dropped. She didn’t mean to say it; the words just spilled out of her mouth unconsciously. But that just gave more credibility to the statement, didn’t it? Did she really think of these ponies as her…friends?

The violet mare shook her head and straightened herself, to her full height, wiping her face clear of emotion. She had already made her choice, Tempest told herself. Now it was time to follow through with it.”

The other unicorns waited patiently at the mouth of the cave for Tempest. The violet-coated mare did not address them as she walked through the group, pivoting on her right and trotting along the ravine walls with the others following behind in her hoofsteps. They only walked for a few short minutes before Tempest stopped and pointed out the makeshift stairway carved into the cliffside.

“That should lead us to the castle of the two sisters,” said Tempest.

“How did we not see that earlier?” asked Sunset, tilting her head curiously.

“I think nearly being flattened into pancakes might have distracted us a little,” said Moon Dancer, pushing her glasses up.

“Who cares?! We have a way out!” Starlight cheered. “C’mon, everypony, we’re almost there!”

The Mane 6 shouted jubilantly and galloped for the stairs as a group. All except for Tempest, who stayed behind, watching them with furrowed brows.

The mares were only feet away from reaching the first step when the ground in front of them exploded in a geyser of flames. Twilight, who had been leading the pack, grounded her hoofs into the dirt to stop herself, causing the other four unicorns to bump into her flank, knocking them over into a pile. Twilight and her friend gasped as Daybreaker appeared in the wake of the fading flames, flashing her pointed teeth in an insane smile.

“Welcome back, my little ponies!” Daybreaker cackled maniacally. “I was hoping you were still galloping around!”

“Daybreaker!” The Mane 6 cried in unison.

“You know, you’re getting good at the whole ‘talking-in-sync’ thing,” Daybreaker commented jokingly. “Maybe you could take that act on the road. That is, if you live to see tomorrow.”

“You’re not going to stop us, Daybreaker?” Sunset said with a determined glare. “We are going to find the Elements of Harmony and we will put an end to your reign.”

Daybreaker threw her head back, laughing, and said, “You’re right about one thing, Sunset Shimmer. I won’t be the one to stop you. I’ll leave that to my newest subject.”

The Mane 5 looked at Daybreaker with puzzled expressions until they heard a sharp crackling ring out behind them. Twilight and the others climbed off one another and turned around slowly. Everypony took a step back when they saw Tempest Shadow tilting her head with her broken horn pointed at them, energy building in the hollow stub.

“Tempest…what’re you doing…?” Moon Dancer asked, trembling.

“It’s it obvious?!” Daybreaker shouted gleefully. “Your friend is betraying you!”

“No! She wouldn’t!” Trixie gasped dramatically. “She wouldn’t dare turn against the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

“Really?” Starlight asked with a quirked brow.

“…Okay, maybe she would,” Trixie admitted. “But she would never turn on the rest of you!”

“Ah, but she would and she has,” said Daybreaker smugly. “You silly little foals overestimated your ‘bonds of friendship’ and let your guard down. Tempest Shadow is a thief whose only priority is to look out for herself. She’s betrayed her partners before and she would do so again if it meant saving her own flank.” She pointed her wing at Tempest. “And look where we are. All it took was a promise of power and safety and she turned on you without a second thought.”

“Tempest, please, don’t listen to her,” Twilight pleaded, taking a cautionary step closer to the mare. “We’re your friends – “

“You don’t need friends, Tempest Shadow,” Daybreaker snorted. “All you need to do is survive. Now…get rid of them.”

Tempest Shadow nodded curtly and slowly marched closer to the Mane 5, the energy in her horn growing stronger. Twilight stumbled backwards with a fearful look, huddling up with her friends. Moon Dancer held Twilight close while Trixie ducked behind them, but Sunset and Starlight stepped in front of the group, their horns glowing and ready for a fight. Tempest stopped a few hooves away, looking them over with cold, unfeeling eyes, until her gaze stopped on Twilight. A moment of silence passed between them before Tempest spoke.

“You really thought we were friends, didn’t you, Twilight Sparkle,” she said in a cold voice. “You thought you knew me well enough that you would trust me no matter what. Did you really think that I would never turn on you? Daybreaker is offering more than anything I could’ve ever dreamed of: money, power, security. You think I would give all that up for a bunch of ponies I met by chance? For friendship? Well, let me tell you something, Twilight Sparkle….”

Tempest glared at the pack for several heart-stopping moments…until her lips curled into a cocky grin.

“You’re right.”

“Wha – “ Daybreaker stammered.

Tempest blasted the energy from her horn, but it completely soared over the heads of the Mane 5 and instead struck Daybreaker in the chest. The Mare of the Sun was thrown backwards into the cliff wall, screaming in surprise. Tempest shot a second blast at the wall above Daybreaker, splitting off several large rocks that collapsed on top of the alicorn before she realized what had happened. Tempest walked around the Mane 5, spitting in the direction of the rock pile Daybreaker was buried under.

“As if I would ever work for a bag of mixed nuts like you,” Tempest spat.

The other mares jumped up and cheered, throwing themselves into a giant group hug with Tempest in the middle. Surprisingly, Tempest did not fight them off and started chuckling lightheartedly.

“Now that was a performance,” Trixie complimented. “The Great and Powerful Trixie applauds you, Tempest Shadow.”

“Ah, such high praise,” Tempest said jokingly.

“I knew I was wrong to doubt you,” said Twilight, smiling at the taller mare.

“Hey, friends don’t turn their backs on each other,” said Tempest, smiling. “Now, we should find those Elements. I have a feeling Daybreaker’s going to be pretty upset when she gets out.”

Nopony needed to be told twice. The Mane 6 quickly turned around and galloped up the rocky stairway two steps at a time.

Author's Note

Honestly, I think is the worst chapter I've written. The pacing and speech were so aggravatingly clunky. I'm not proud of this, but it's out of the way, so nothing left to do but move on.

Only one more chapter left, then we move on to a brand new story. Look forward to it.

Friendship is Magic

It had been a long and exhausting journey – physically, mentally, and emotionally – but they had finally made it: the castle of the two sisters.

Twilight pressed a hoof against the splintered double doors and stepped back as they fell forward with a loud bang! Twilight winced, subconsciously worried that they were breaking into Princess Luna’s old home, but quickly brushed the thought away as she felt the heat of the sun burn the back of her neck. She gestured for the other unicorns to follow and stepped inside the dilapidated castle.

Either it was because they had found a door that lead to a different part of the castle or the architect was a terrible designer, the Mane 6 did not enter the castle’s foyer. Instead, they found themselves in a little chamber where the only thing that stood out was an orrery statue with five crystal spheres circling around a large globe. Each sphere had its own shape embedded in the surface, though they looked rather unimpressive to the majority of the group. The sculpture was covered in vines and moss from centuries of disuse, but it seemed to be the most undamaged artifact in the entire castle.

“Whoa,” Moon Dancer murmured, looking up and down the statue.

“Is this it, Twilight?” Sunset asked curiously. “Is this the thing we’ve been looking for?”

“The Elements of Harmony, we found them,” Twilight breathed. Sunset and Starlight used their horns to levitated the crystal orbs off their pedestals, floating them down to the floor. “Careful…careful…they’re very delicate…. We don’t want to break them….”

“Isn’t it a bit ridiculous that the most powerful magical artifacts in all of Equestria could be broken from a simple fall?” Tempest asked skeptically.

“We can’t be too careful!” Twilight said urgently.

“One, two, three, four…,” Trixie counted the orbs out loud, tilting her head. “There’s only five.”

“Where’s the sixth?” asked Starlight.

“The book said: when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed,” said Twilight, laying herself on the ground in front of the orbs.

“Is that supposed to mean something?” questioned Sunset. “See, this is why I hate reading.”

“I’m not sure, but have an idea,” said Twilight with a thoughtful look. “Would you girls keep an eye out for Daybreaker? I don’t know how long this will take, so it would be a good idea to keep watch in case we need to make a run for it.”

“Are you sure?” Moon Dancer asked. “Wouldn’t it be better for us to stick together?”

“If something happens, I’ll call you guys,” Twilight promised; Moon Dancer didn’t seem convinced. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, Moon Dancer.”

“We should probably be on look out anyway,” said Tempest supportively. “I don’t imagine that mare is going to be pleased after I dropped a bunch of boulders on her.”

“All right, everypony, outside,” Sunset commanded. “Twilight needs to concentrate.”

Sunset and the other mares exited the castle single file, leaving Twilight alone with the crystals. Twilight scrunched her face in concentration as her horn ignited with magic, trying to force her will into the Elements of Harmony. But as she kept pushing harder and harder, she could feel her magic rolling off the orbs like water. Twilight increased the pressure, sweat rolling down her neck. She had to get a reaction. She had to! The fate of Equestria hanged in the balance!

But as she struggled to gain a ‘spark’ from the Elements, she failed to take in her surroundings. A trail of flames slid across the floor, sliding in a perfect circle around Twilight and the crystal spheres. As the trail went around a second rotation, the flames rose from the floor. On the third rotation, they reached as high as Twilight’s flank. On the fourth, it reached the height of her horn. Higher and higher the flames grew until it evolved into a flaming tornado with Twilight in the eye of the storm.

It wasn’t until Twilight realized that the temperature had suddenly spiked around her that the lavender unicorn opened her eyes. She saw the walls of flame surrounding her and let out a terrified scream.

Outside the castle, the rest of the unicorns turned sharply on their hooves when Twilight’s sharp shriek reached their ears.

“TWILIGHT!” The mares cried in fear.

The mares galloped back inside the castle just in time to see the flaming hurricane before it dissolved into thin air, leaving no trace of Twilight or the Elements of Harmony.

Panic set in with the Mane 5. Everyone was shouting questions, running around like beheaded chickens searching for their missing friend.

“Twilight!” Sunset yelled fretfully. “Twilight, where are you?!”

“Look! Over there!” Starlight called out.

The lilac mare was leaning her head out a collapsed window, pointing to the crumbling spire on the opposite side of the castle. In the shadows of the distant windows, they could see an orangish glow vibrating on the walls. Like the flickering lights of a fire.

“What’re we standing around for?!” Trixie yelled. “Come on!”

The mares galloped as a group across the room into a lengthy hallway, taking the first right in the direction of the tower.

At the same time, another whirlwind of flames exploded in the middle of the tower chamber, dropping a disoriented Twilight unceremoniously on the floor. The lavender mare coughed, having accidentally breathed in some soot, and blinked her eyes free from the daze. As she searched around the chamber, her eyes blew open wide as a horrible gasp escaped her lungs.

Daybreaker stood on a raised dais with the sun casting a silhouette behind her through the high windows. Her burning mane and tail held the five crystal orbs aloft as the wicked mare chuckled sadistically.

Twilight felt a spinetingling chill run down the length of her body. This was the first time she had come face-to-face with Daybreaker without her friends beside her, and the Mare of the Sun was holding the Elements of Harmony. For one brief moment, Twilight felt dread in building up in her stomach and instinctively thought to give up. But the lavender mare shook that thought away immediately. After everything they had been through – all the trials her friends had suffered – she wasn’t going to let it be for nothing!

Twilight breathed heavy through her nose, narrowing her eyes on Daybreaker, and dragged her hoof against the floor in preparation for a charge.

“You’re kidding,” Daybreaker snorted. “You’re kidding, right?”

She was, in fact, not kidding. With her horn flared up with magic, Twilight rushed headlong at Daybreaker with a bellowing battle cry. Not to be outdone by a filly, Daybreaker lowered her much sharper horn and stampeded to meet Twilight halfway. But just as the two were about to clash, Twilight suddenly popped out of existence, leaving Daybreaker to ground her hooves to a stop, looking utterly bewildered. The Mare of the Sun blinked, looking around the chamber wildly, then spun around just as Twilight flashed back into reality, landing beside the Elements of Harmony.

Twilight groaned, rubbing her head. She had read and practiced with teleportation spells, but that was the first time she ever used it in the field and without proper preparations. It was very disorienting.

“Just one little spark,” Twilight mumbled as she lit her horn, lowering her had to the crystal orbs. “Come on. Come on!”

The orbs glowed in the same aura as Twilight’s magic as the lavender mare strained herself to force a spark between them. But Daybreaker was not to be outdone.

The flaming alicorn reeled herself up with a beastly roar and transformed into a flaming meteor, shooting across the room. She transformed back in front of Twilight and stomped her hooves on the ground between the Elements of Harmony, generating a shockwave that threw Twilight across the room onto her back.

The lavender unicorn lifted herself up by her elbows, groaned weakly, but with a victorious grin on her lips. Arcs of electricity jumped between the Elements of Harmony, which were conveniently placed around Daybreaker.

“No, no!” Daybreaker cried, her eyes blown wide in panic.

And then…nothing. The magical glow and electricity disappeared in a rather anticlimactic fashion, leaving Daybreaker to blink in befuddlement. Twilight could feel her heart sinking into the bottom of her stomach.

“But... where's the sixth Element?!” Twilight gasped.

Daybreaker, realizing that Twilight’s attempt had failed, threw her head back with an insane cackle. The flaming alicorn raised herself up and stomped the ground with her hooves, generating the force to shatter the orbs like glass. Twilight could only watch in dread as the last hope for Equestria clattered across the ground at her hooves.

“You little foal!” Daybreaker laughed. “Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your princess, or the night again! Equestria will be purged in glorious fire!”

As Daybreaker’s laughed echoed off the walls, Twilight’s head fell in despair. This was it. After everything they had gone through to make it this far, only to end in failure. Twilight closed her eyes tight, exhaling a shuddering gasp, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over. She was scared. She wanted to go home. She wanted to see her family. She wanted this horrible daymare to end….

Twilight wanted her friends….

“Twilight, where are you?!”

“I think it’s this way!”

“Quick, up here!”

“Don't worry, Twilight, we're coming!”

“We’re almost there!”

Twilight lifted her head with a gasp and turned around. She could hear their concerned voices echoing from the staircase and see their shadows against the wall getting closer. Her friends: Sunset Shimmer, Moon Dancer, Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Tempest Shadow…they had come for her. They were coming to save her.

That’s when it hit her. A suddenly jolt in her heart that cast a ray of hope over every fiber of her body; a spark. Twilight understand now....

Twilight turned back to Daybreaker, taking the alicorn aback by the brave and confident smile on her lips.

“Why are you so happy?” Daybreaker hissed. “Don’t you understand? You’ve lost! The Elements of Harmony are gone!”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand, Daybreaker,” Twilight proclaimed boldly. “You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here.”

Sunset, Moon Dancer, Starlight, Trixie, and Tempest appeared from the stairway at that very moment. When they saw Daybreaker staring down Twilight, they immediately charged across the room and stood side-by-side with Twilight against the malicious alicorn, not a trace of fear in their eyes. Daybreaker was baffled. Did they not realize who they were facing? Why are they suddenly so brave?

The broken shards of the Elements of Harmony responded to their appearance, levitating through the air with auras of various colors: orange, pink, purple, blue, and red. Daybreaker took a step back, appearing genuinely frightened.

“What?” she gasped.

“Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight announced proudly as she turned to the sunny mare, “who confronted the consequences of her own lies and faced them with the truth, represents the spirit of…Honesty!”

The orange shards glided across the room to Sunset Shimmer, circling the surprised mare.

“Moon Dancer,” Twilight continued, “who selflessly used her magic to protect ponies in need, represents the spirit of…Kindness!”

A stream of pink shards floated around Moon Dancer, who pushed her glasses up with a soft smile.

“Starlight Glimmer, who sacrificed her own desires to help her friends, represents the spirit of…Generosity!”

Purple crystal shards glided around Starlight, who stared down Daybreaker with a wide, victorious grin.

“Trixie, whose performance brought happiness and cheer to friend and foe alike, represents the spirit of…Laughter!”

Trixie brushed her mane back with a cocky smile as the blue shards circled her.

“And Tempest Shadow, who refused to abandon her friends for her own sake, represents the spirit of…Loyalty!”

Tempest faced Twilight with a soft, appreciative look as the red shards flew to her.

“The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw!” Twilight declared triumphantly, pointing a hoof at the stunned alicorn. “No matter what you did, no matter how much you tried to tear us apart, you always have – and you always will – fail, Daybreaker!”

"You still don’t have the sixth Element!” Daybreaker shrieked; the fear was obvious in her voice. “The spark didn’t work! I still won!”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Twilight proclaimed. Daybreaker reeled back, terrified. “It did work. A different kind off spark.” She turned to face her friends with a joyful smile and a hoof over her heart. “I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I remembered that you all... are my friends!”

A light burst suddenly in the air above them, causing every pony to tilt their heads, gasping. A sixth crystal orb – one with the mark of a six-pointed star – floated from the ceiling down to Twilight. Daybreaker, though the goddess of the sun, raised her wing to shield herself from the light. It burned her in a way she did not think was possible.

“You see, Daybreaker,” Twilight continued powerfully, “when those Elements are ignited by the...the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... Magic!”

At Twilight’s final declaration, the shards of the Elements Harmony spiraled around the unicorns faster and faster until they smashed together around their respective wielder’s necks, exploding in a glimmer of light. Around each of their necks was now a golden necklace adorned with a gemstone of different shape and color.

Around Sunset Shimmer’s neck was an orange jewel shaped like the sun, while Moon Dancer’s was pink and took the form of the crescent moon. Starlight’s necklace bore a purple star with trailing wisps. Trixie’s gemstone was blue and in the shape of a magic wand while Tempest proudly donned a red jewel matching the form of an exploding firework. But the final Element of Harmony, the one that had chosen Twilight to bear its power, had become a golden crown with a magenta six-point star that rested upon her brow.

Daybreaker cowered in fear as she watched the ponies float off the ground, fueled by the energies of the Elements of Harmony they now wielded. The burning alicorn trotted backwards and nearly stumbled off the dais, her mouth opened in a silent scream.

“St – stay back!” Daybreaker screeched.

She blasted the Mane 6 with a stream of flames that melted the stone around them, but the Elements of Harmony shielded the mares from her power, letting the fires wash harmlessly over them. Daybreaker was now pressed against the wall, quivering in terror as the reality of her situation dawned on her.

Colorful lights exploded from the gemstones of the pony’s elements and merged together into a spiraling rainbow that rose several feet into the air before turning sharply toward Daybreaker. The wicked alicorn tried valiantly to produce a barrier to defend herself, but the rainbow energy shredded through her magic as if it were little more than wet paper. The Elemental magics washed over her, drowning her in their light, and no amount of kicking or flailing could stop it.

“NO!” Daybreaker screamed. “NOOOOOOOO!!!”

An explosion of light filled the chamber…then, a calm hush fell over the castle.

When the light dimmed, Twilight and her friends lay scattered on the castle floor, their bodies heavy and exhausted like they had run a fifty-mile marathon. It was many moments of tense silence before the ponies began to stir. Tempest Shadow lifted her had off the ground, rubbing her throbbing forehead, as the others began to recover one by one.

“Ugh, my head…,” she moaned. “I have sooo many regrets.”

“Nngh…everypony all right?” asked Sunset, wincing.

“Trixie will answer that…after Trixie wakes up in three to four days,” Trixie groaned.

“Yeah, she’s fine,” Starlight replied. She rose to her hooves, stretching her limbs with a grimace. “I haven’t felt this exhausted since my dad’s five-hour lectures on the importance the first bread and cheese ever made in Sire Hollow.”

“Hey, girls, look at this!” Moon Dancer gasped, pointing to her neck. “Check out these necklaces. They look just like our Cutie Marks.”

“What?” Sunset blinked, looking down at her own. “Whoa, it really does. That’s kinda awesome.”

“Wait a minute,” said Trixie, sliding up to Tempest with a smug grin. “Does that mean your Cutie Mark is a firework? Can you make fireworks with that horn of yours?”

“You wanna find out?” Tempest growled, pointing her sparking horn at the showmare.

“N-no, no, Trixie’s fine,” Trixie stammered, laughing nervously.

Twilight was lost in her own thoughts, smiling proudly at the crown that sat atop her head. After all the trials and tribulations, they had succeeded. They found the Elements of Harmony, defeated Daybreaker, and ended her cruel reign once and for all. Finally, it was over –

“Uh, not to rain on everyponies parade,” Moon Dancer called attention to herself, pointing a hoof to the hole in the ceiling. “But we still haven’t fixed the whole sun issue.”

Aaaaand there goes the mood, Twilight thought grumpily. Unfortunately, Moon Dancer was right. Just because they defeated Daybreaker doesn’t mean they fixed the sun issue. But how were –

BOOOM!!!

All eyes shot to the sky. For some strange reason, a circular rainbow was expanding outwards in the clouds above the castle. Then, a dark blur shot through the gap in the ceiling and crashed into the floor, causing all the unicorns to jump back with startled screams. Tempest built up the energy in her horn, ready for another fight, but everypony soon relaxed when they realized it was none other than the ruler of Equestria herself, standing tall over the heroic ponies.

“Princess Luna, you’re okay!” Twilight gasped.

“I’m the one who should be saying that,” said Luna, letting out a breath with a hoof over her heart. “For a moment, I feared that you had been defeated by Daybreaker. But it seems my fears were all for naught.”

“Did you sonic rainboom all the way over here?” Sunset asked teasingly.

“I was worried, all right,” Luna replied, pouting. “Now…let’s do something about that pesky sun, shall we?”

She turned her gaze to the offending sun that loomed overhead, her horn radiating with power. The princess lowered her head slowly and the celestial body followed her guidance, disappearing over the western horizon. Luna then turned to the east and raised her head, pulling the moon to join its twinkling friends in the inky black sky. Everypony let out a collective sigh of relief as they felt the moon’s chill cascade over their overheated coats. Luna turned to the heroes of the hour, smiling proudly at them.

“You have done well, my little ponies,” she praised them. “I knew you could do it?”

“That makes one of us,” said Starlight Glimmer.

“I always knew Daybreaker would one day return, but I never feared its coming,” said Luna. “And I knew you six would find the magic deep inside you that would resonate with the Elements of Harmony and obtain the power that would defeat my sister. Although, I was a little surprised to discover that somepony else had seen the signs as well,” Luna added with an amused chuckle in Twilight’s direction.

“Wait, so you knew that…,” Sunset gasped, surprised.

“You lied to me?” Luna offered. “Yes, I did. And I will reprimand you for that. Another time.”

“Wait, something doesn’t make sense,” Starlight pointed out. “You just said you knew the six of us would be able to defeat Daybreaker. But none of us have ever met each other until today. It was a freak accident that we even ended up together.”

“…Unless it wasn’t an accident,” said Sunset Shimmer, realization washing over her. She pointed a hoof at Luna. “You were the one that threw me at Trixie, causing the accident that allowed us to meet. You did that on purpose, didn’t you? You planned the whole thing!”

“I’m happy that you think so highly of me, but no,” Luna smiled, shaking her head. “I knew you six were destined to find the Elements of Harmony, but I had no idea when you would meet. Rather, your fates were guided by a power much greater than my own.”

“But…who could be greater than the princess of Equestria?” asked Moon Dancer, mystified.

“You are not ready to meet her quite yet,” said Luna enigmatically. “But you will. One day. It was the hooves of fate that brought you six together and allowed you to unleash a power that can only come when you allow true friendship into your heart…. Now if only another will as well.” She turned to face the opposite side of the room and shouted, “Princess Celestia!”

Twilight and the others faced the direction where Daybreaker once stood, but instead of the flaming mare of wrath, a completely different pony laid on the ground in her place. Her coat was as white as fresh snow and her mane the color of a glittering rainbow. The dark circles under her eyes showed signs that she hadn’t slept in ages, which – considering she had spent a thousand years trapped in the sun – seemed quite possible.

The alicorn stirred with a startled gasped, her glistening-blue eyes shooting around wildly. She raised her head weakly as Luna approached her with her wings spread.

“It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this,” said Luna in the softest voice she could manage. “Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, sister.”

“L-Luna…,” Celestia’s voice cracked. “Is that…truly you. It’s – it’s been so long, I…. I feel so tired….”

“The long day has finally passed, sister,” said Luna kindly, resting on the floor across from Celestia. “Now the time has come to rest. For both of us.”

“Luna, I’m…I’m so sorry,” said Celestia remorsefully. “The things I’ve done, I – I don’t know how you can forgive me – “

“Do not blame yourself, sister,” said Luna earnestly. “It could just as easily have been me who turned evil.”

“You? Evil?” Celestia chuckled. “Now that would be a nightmare.”

“Celestia, let’s leave the past where it belongs,” said Luna, offering a hoof to her sister. “Will you accept my friendship and come home?”

The Mane 6 watched the scene play with equal parts anticipation and apprehension; Tempest felt the urge to prepare her horn in case things didn’t go the way they hoped. Princess Celestia looked hesitant for a moment, her eyes lowered in thought, until she rose to meet her sister’s gaze and suddenly bounded forward. The goddesses of the sun and the moon embraced each other with their wings; tears spilled freely down Celestia’s face and on Luna’s coat, but the younger sister did not mind.

“I'm so sorry!” Celestia wept. “I missed you so much, little sister!”

“I've missed you, too,” Luna whispered gently in her ear.

Moon Dancer sniffled beside Twilight and said, “I’m so happy everything worked out in the end.”

“Yeah, it’s finally over,” Twilight sighed in relief.

“Not yet it’s not!” Trixie suddenly announced, making the mares lean back in surprise. “You know what this ending needs: A catchy song and dance number!”

“I do not sing or dance,” Tempest declared with a harsh glare.

“Oh reeealy?” Trixie challenged with a mischievous grin as she blew out her cape to obscured the view –

And just like that, everypony was back in Canterlot in record time. Every Earth pony, unicorn, and pegasi lined the moonlit streets, bouncing with cheer as showers of streamers and confetti rained down on their heads.

Twilight Sparkle tried to look humble as she cantered down the road side by side with her friends, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling so wide. Trixie was soaking in the attention, blowing kisses to her adoring audience. Moon Dancer was on the opposite side of the spectrum, smiling and waving sheepishly. Starlight waved at the cheering ponies and even gave them some high hooves while Tempest stood tall and proud with a smug grin. Sunset, who was used to this sort of thing, just shook her head at her friends and smiled.

Behind the heroic unicorns, four pegesi guards pulled Princess Luna’s carriage, but the ruler of Equestria was not alone upon it. Princess Celestia stood beside her sister, waving her hoof meekly beside Luna (the height difference between the two was striking.) The older alicorn still looked deeply tired, but she managed a soft smile as her sister allowed her to lean against her for support. She was taken aback when many ponies started throwing flowers at her hooves, almost certain that everypony would hate her for what she had done. She supposed that, with kind and gentle Luna leading them, ponies were a lot more forgiving than they shoulder be.

Then, as the heroes and the princesses made their way through the downtown area, some strange magical force compelled everypony to sing:

🎶(“My Little Pony!”)

🎶“I used to wonder what friendship could be,” Twilight sang happily

🎶(“My Little Pony!”)

🎶“Until you all shared its magic with me!” Twilight looked at her friends before they jumped away in several directions.

🎶“Big adventure!” Tempest bumped her flank against a newly released Grubber.

🎶“Tons of fun!” Trixie flapped her cape over the bald snooty mares, magically restoring their manes.

🎶“A beautiful heart!” Starlight flashed her horn, returning the colt's Cutie Mark.

🎶“Faithful and strong!” Sunset popped in cheerfully between the smiling princesses.

🎶“Sharing kindness!” Moon Dancer pulled Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and Lyra into a group hug.

🎶“It’s an easy feat!” Twilight sang with pride.

🎶“And magic makes it all complete!” The Mane 6 came together in another group hug, laughing.

🎶(“You have my little ponies!)

Spike smiled at Twilight and her new friends, proud of how far she had come when he wasn’t looking. The baby dragon then procured a camera from the crowd and waved a claw at the mares to get their attention. The Mane 6 spotted Spike, noticed the camera, and posed together as the flash went off.

🎶(“Do you know you're all my very best friends?”)

Author's Note

Tempest: ...*bucks Trixie*

Trixie: *groan* Worth it...

To all of you who have made it this far, thank you for reading and for your support. I contemplated whether or not to add a singing portion to this chapter because I'm not a fan of songfics, but the ending was too perfect not to put the theme song in.

And now that the introduction is out of the way, we can now move on to the real meat and potatos (or just potatoes because ponies aren't cannibals...I think). And to those of you worried that this is going to be a copy and paste thing, don't. I will admit that I will use the general outline of the canon series as a basis, but I have several ideas that I think will give it its own original spin. Some of you may have already found some in this story.

Look forward to my next story - Another Side of Friendship: Pony Tails.