Chapters Without beginning or end, the ring stretches into the infinite.
Chapter 1: Into The Unknown
"Twilight! You must do it now!" exclaimed Princess Celestia.
"Ready girls?" asked Twilight.
"Okie dokie lokie!" said Pinkie Pie as she bounced about, escaping Luna's guards.
"I suppose I am." said Rarity.
"Um... if you are." squeaked Fluttershy.
"I was born ready! WOAH! That one was close." stated Rainbow Dash as she dodged Nightmre Moon's lightning strikes.
Twilight closed her eyes and began a spell. As she finished her spell, hey eyes hone with a pure white magical light and she began to float up. The five others began to float as well. With one final spell Nightmare Moon was bathed in a magical beam. At that exact moment, Celestia dove down to Nightmare Moon and was caught in the beam. A large burst of light cam forth and left a crater.
The dust settled and either princess was to be found.
/)^3^(\
The Library
“This is not good, not good at all. Spike! Wake up! I need your help!” commanded Twilight.
“Alright then." Said Twilight sadly. “Let’s go girls.”
Chapter 2: Arrival
"Twiley. Wake up. We're here." said Shining Armor.
"...nngggghh... Wha..?" replied Twilight, still half asleep.
"We're in Canterlot. I suggest you and your friends make yourselves a little presentable."
"Oh. Right... Girls! We're here."
"10 more minutes, okay?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Every single time... Pinkie, could you wake up Rainbow for me?"
"Okie dokie loki!" said Pinkie Pie.
"I'M UP! I'M UP!" screamed Rainbow Dash before Pinkie ever got to her.
"Wow! I'm good!" stated Pinkie. Twilight just rolled her eyes.
"Does anyone have a mirror with them? I need to make sure my mane looks good." asked Rarity.
"There should be on in the space under your seat in the green box." replied Shining Armor.
A scream came from the carriage.
"What's going on? Is everything ok?" asked Shining Armor worriedly.
"My mane! It's all frizzy!" cried Rarity.
"Oh. Ok." said Armor.
The rest of the girls were up after that.
"Ah take it we're close to Canterlot?" asked Applejack.
"Yup. Make yourselves presentable. We're ...royalty... now..." stated Twilight. As she finished saying royalty, she began to stare off into the distance.
"Lighten up sugarcube. It wasn't your fault. I'll bet Celestia is right proud of you for doing what you did."
"I know, but what if she's not? What is she decides to banish me to the moon? Or locks me in a dungeon? Or locks me in a dungeon on the moon?" said Twilight.
"You're soundin' like someone else ah know. Celestia's been right understandin' before, and ah'm sure she won't bainsh you or lock you in a dungeon. She might lock you in the library, but that's not much of a punishment for ya."
"You're right. Thanks AJ."
"Anytime sugarcube."
With a lurch, the carriage began to decend.
/)^3^(\
"Alright. Everybody out!" said Shining Armor.
"Thank goodness! I need to stretch my legs! said pinkie as she bounced out.
"Legs shmegs! My wings are gonna get weak from that ride!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she flexed her wings.
"Remember girls. We're royalty now. We should act as such." stated Rarity.
"I know, I know."
"First things first. We need to get you to your rooms. If I'm not mistaken, all of your belongings should already be there." stated Shining Armor.
"Ok girls, lets go. Hey AJ, do you mind if you look over my room to make sure everything's there? I'm going to go to the library and start working on a way to fix this." asked Twilight.
"Sure thing," replied Applejack "though seeing as this is also mah fault, I was wonderin' if I might be able to join ya."
"Of course you may. You know where the Royal Library is, right?"
"Sure do."
"Alright. See you then. Bye girls!"
And with that, Twilight's mind focused solely on her task at hand.
A few minutes later, she was in the Royal Library.
"Where do I even start?" she said to herself.
"Well it depends on what you're looking for." said a gruff voice behind her.
Twilight spun around and stared straight into the face of her favorite librarian, a unicorn by the name of Spell Tome. He was a parchment-colored unicorn, with a quill as a cutie mark.
"So what can I help you find miss Sparkle?"
"Uhhhh... " Twilight stammered, not wanting to let out too much information.
"Heh heh heh. This is the first time I think I've ever seen you not sure what you needed in the library."
"Heh.. Yeah... I guess any information on the Elements of Harmony you can give."
"I see. Well, those would be in the Starswirled The Bearded wing. I believe you know how to get there?"
"Of course. Thanks Spell!"
"You're quite welcome. Your majesty."
And with that, twilight stopped dead in her tracks.
"How did you know?"
"I too have may secrets, one of which is I am the Chronicler for Equestria. I record all information about everything that happens. All of it is stored in the crystal caves below the city for safe keeping. There is information there that dates back to the start of Celestia and Luna's rule many many years ago. Seeing that you are now the leader of Equestria, that information is available to you. As tempting as the information in it is, it can overwhelm one who is... unaccustomed to it's power. You may view it now, but I would recommend waiting a few weeks. When you believe you are ready, come visit me."
'Why would he want me to wait?' wondered Twilight.
"Thank you Spell. I suppose I hall see you around?"
"Of course, your majesty."
"Uh..."
"I suppose you want me to address you as Twilight?"
"Yes please. It's still hard to become accustomed to all of this."
"I understand. I shall see you around then. Twilight."
"Thanks, and you too."
And with that Twilight set off to find answers to which she may not have wanted to know.
/)^3^(\
Applejack walked into the library. Tome looked over a stack of books.
"Can I help you ma'am?"
"Uh, yes. Did you see a purple unicorn come through here?"
"Twilight Sparkle is the the Starwirled The Bearded wing, your majesty."
"Uh... Thank yah, mister..?"
"Spell Tome."
"Mr. Spell Tome. Thank yah again."
"Not a problem."
Applejack ran out of the room and down the hall, wondering how he knew or if Twilight told him.
/)^3^(\
Twilight heard the door creak open.
"Hello? is someone there?" she asked.
"It's me Twi." said Applejack.
"Ah, good. You're here."
As Applejack rounded the corner, she was surprised by what she saw. Hundreds of books were flying around the room in a purple aura. When she looked at Twilight, her eyes were glowing a pure white and her horn was covered with the same aura.
"Uh Twi, what are you doing. Whoa!" she exclaimed as she dodged a book.
"I'm trying to find a book with information about the Elements in them, but none of these have it! I don't understand."
"Well, maybe if you read one at a time, it would make it a little easier?"
"What are you talking about? I m reading one at a time."
"Uh, no ya ain't Twi."
Twilight blinked an her eyes returned to normal.
"What? *thunk* Ow!" she yelped as a book hit her in the head. Around the library, books were falling.
"What did I do?"
"Well your eyes were all glowing white and books were flying around."
"But... How? I've never been able to do that."
"Ah don't know, but it's getting late Twi. It's 11:45."
"Already? I've been down here for... 12 hours?!"
"Yup. I would have came sooner, but I had to keep Rainbow from showing off."
"Heh. I understand. We should get to bed."
"Probably."
Twilight walked out of the library with more questions than answers.
Chapter 3: Decent
The birds chirped outside of Twilight's window. The light of the sun streamed in. Twilight opened her eyes and blinked, banishing sleep from herself for the day.
"Good morning, Spike." she said. There was no reply.
He looked to wards his bed to which a note was fixed. The note was then covered in a purple aura as twilight magically retrieved the note.
Twilight,
I have gone to talk to Shining Armor about something. It's nothing bad, I promise.
Spike
'Well.' Twilight thought. 'I wonder what's bugging him.'
*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*
Twilight walked to the door. When she opened it, Applejack was standing in the hall.
"Morning AJ."
"Morning Twi. Everything go okay after last night?"
"As far as I can tell."
"Good. Ah'm a bit worried about ya. Ah think you need to relax a bit before you do any more searching. We're the leaders of Equestria now. We have our royal duties. Speaking of which, Ah believe we all need to be in the throne room in about 20 minutes. Ah sent pinkie to wake up Fluttershy and Rarity to wake up Rainbow. Ah told them to meet us in the great hall. We should get going too."
"I know. I just want everything to go smoothly until we get the princesses back."
"Me too sugarcube. But whatever comes our way, we'll just deal with it like we always do."
"I guess. Let's get going. I hate being late."
/)^3^(\
When Applejack and Twilight arrived in the great hall, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie were waiting there, along with Spike and Shining Armor.
"Morning everyone." said Twilight
"Morning Twilight!" said everyone at the same time.
"You girls ready for this?"
"Are you kidding? I was born ready!" said Rainbow mater-of-factually.
The royal trumpets sounded.
"Well, I guess it's now or never, huh?" said Twilight.
"It's just like a party! I've got this!" said Pinkie.
The doors opened into the great courtyard and the six walked through. Before them, all of Canterlot stood below them, completely silent.
"Here goes nothing..." said Twilight to herself as she walked to the grandstand. With a flash, her stack of note cards appeared before her on the podium. 'I've got this.' she thought.
She cleared her throat. "Good morning Canterlot! As you may realize, I am not Celestia. For those of you who don't know, I am Twilight Sparkle. The five ponies behind me are Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. We are the Elements of Harmony."
The crowd was still eerily silent.
"Yesterday, while trying to free Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon, we accidentally trapped the Princesses in their respective celestial bodies: Luna in the moon and Celestia in the sun. We feel terrible for what we have done, and please understand that we are working on a way to bring them back."
There was a cough from the crowd.
"Until then, according to Canterlot law, we are your temporary leaders. Please understand that we are new to this as well, so your patience is much appreciated. Thank you."
Twilight walked back to the rest of the girls, the crowd still silent.
"How did I do?"
"It was fine darling. I'm sure the people are still overcoming their shock."
"I guess you're right."
The six walked into the building and headed to the throne room. When they entered the room, the found the throne chair platform expanded and 6 new thrones were erected. Each one had a different cutie mark on them, relating to each of the girls. The guards snapped to attention.
"Thank you gentlemen, but you may relax now." said Twilight.
"Yes, you're majesty."
"And if you could, just call me Twilight. I'm not sure how the rest feel about the moniker, but for me, Twilight is just fine."
"Yes your Ma- Yes Twilight."
"Thanks."
"This is SO AWESOME!" squeed Rainbow as she flew to her throne.
"Um... It's ok..." said Fluttershy, not looking any of the guards in the eye.
They all sat down and the doors reopened. Outside of them, there was a mass of ponies.
"You may enter." stated Twilight.
All of the ponies looked at each other and began to walk in.
/)^3^(\
Six hours later, the girls walked out of the throne room.
"My head hurts." said Pinkie.
"I know. I'm a weather pony! Not a lawyer!" said Rainbow.
"I know girls. I'm trying to find a solution. Speaking of which, I'm going to the library to do more research. I'll be there if you need me." said Twilight.
"You need mah help again Twi?" asked Applejack.
"If you would like, that would be nice. Thanks AJ."
A few minutes later, they were in the library.
"Ok AJ. I'm going to keep looking here. If you want, you can check in the next section over. nything you find that mentions the Elements, I want to see. Ok?
"Got it. And please don't go all magic and flying books on me again Twi."
"I'll try not to. I'm not sure how I did it or how I can keep from doing it though. It just happened."
"Tell you what. If ah see you doing it, I'll snap ya out of it. Deal?"
"Deal. Thanks."
It was only a few minutes before Applejack found something.
"Hey Twi. Look at this."
"What did you find?"
Applejack brought the large volume over to the table.
"It says here that locking away somepony using the Elements is to be a last resort."
"I knew that. But is there any information on how to undo it?"
Twilight flipped through the pages. Suddenly she gasped and the color drained from her face.
"What? What is it Twi?"
"...Uhhh... It says here that because imprisonment is a last resort and only to be used on great enemies..."
"Ok?"
"There's no known way to undo it."
"... Sweet Celestia..."
"When she Princess Celestia gets back, she's gonna imprison me for sure!"
Applejack was now visibly shakiing.
"N-now hold on Twi. The princesses are understanding. Th-there was no way you could have know that this was going to happen. Th-they probably know that too."
"But what if they don't? What's gonna happen to me? What's going to happen to us? What's going to happen to-"
"Twilight! Stop. You're only making it worse. We'll just have to play it by ear and continue what we're doing. We have to worry about Equestria now and all of the ponies in it. You're a smart girl. You'll think of something. But right now, I think we need to get some rest. It's late. We'll tell the rest of the girls tomorrow, ok?"
"Ok." said Twilight.
That night, either of the ponies got any sleep.
Author's Note: Sorry about the delay once again. Free time is few and far between for me. I usually work on the the chapter 5 times a week, but even then, I don't get a lot done. I'm trying to allocte time for this alone. In the mean time, any criticism is accepted, as this is my first fic.
-Blade
Chapter 4: The Burden of Truth
When morning finally rolled around, Twilight's eyes were bloodshot. As tired as she was, her mind was too busy to even think about sleeping.
'There's got to be a way to reverse it. There just has to be.' she thought. 'I've got it! I'll visit Spell Tome! I'll ask him if he knows anything.'
And with that she teleported herself to the library.
/)^3^(\
Even though it was the middle of the day, the lower library was perpetually dark, dusty, and a bit ominous. The heavy shades were drawn across the windows, further plunging the library into darkness.
"I wonder..." Twilight's horn began to glow and the shades snapped open. For the first time in many years, light flooded the library. All of the intricate woodwork and gold inlays shone brightly, and all of the books suddenly became visible. The sheer amount of books shocked Twilight.
"I thank you for finally bringing light back to this dark place, Miss Sparkle."
Twilight turned around, suddenly face to face with Spell Tome.
"I wondered when I would be seeing you again. I though for sure your voracious thirst for knowledge would have lead you here earlier." he said.
"I'm sorry. I'm still trying to get used to the new roles and responsibilities."
"No apology necessary, Miss Sparkle. I completely understand. So do tell me. What have you uncovered so far?"
Twilight gulped.
"Well... All of my studies have pointed to being unable to bring them back. But there's got to be a way to bring them back. I just don't know how or where to look."
"And I suppose you want to use the crystal caves repository?"
"Well, I was hoping to, yes."
Spell Tome thought for a minute, looking Twilight over.
"As much as would love to help you, there are certain... prerequisites that must first be met."
"Prerequisites? Like what?"
"Believe me, you will find out soon enough. Or actually, if I am correct, you and your friends will find out within the next few days."
"What do they have to do with it? What's going to happen?" Twilight asked quizzically.
"Only one of the greatest secrets of pony kind. However, these things you must find out on your own. And don't bother looking for the answers. These secrets are passed on to the Chroniclers alone."
"Fine." said Twilight in a huff.
"And I'm not trying to be the bearer of bad news, but all magic books are stored in the Starswirrled The Bearded wing."
"So there's nothing in here to help me?"
"Unfortunately not. This is actually the public records repository for the entire kingdom. Taxes, permits, you name it. They're in here. Birth records too."
"Wow. I had no idea this existed."
"They do. I've been watching over these for many many years. Yet, I can still tell you where to find the exact document you're looking for."
"How do you do that? I couldn't keep the books straight back in Ponyville if I tried."
"Just a few secrets of mine. However, that is one secret that I can share, but that's for another day." I must get back to work."
"Oh... Okay then. Thanks for the information."
"Anytime Miss Sparkle."
And with that, Spell Tome walked out.
'Drat.' Twilight though. 'Now what?'
On that note, Twilight disappeared with a purple flash and a pop.
/)^3^(\
Rarity woke up in a grand bed with the finest silk sheets.
"That sleep was marvelous! Eeeeuuuuuuhhhhhhh!" she exclaimed as she stretched. She carefully got out of the bed, careful not to mess up the covers. She walled to the bathroom ans started the tub. As she let the tub fill, she glanced into the mirror. What she saw came caused her to scream.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Applejack cam running in to her room.
"Are ya ok, Rarity?"
"This is the worst. Possible. Thing!"
"What is?"
As Applejack walked around the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks by what she saw.
Rarity had to have grown a hoof taller than the previous day. Her horn had become longer and sharper, as well as something completely foreign to her: She had two small sets of wings on her back.
"Now what in tarnation? What happened last night Rarity?"
"I. I. I. I don't know! As far as I know, I went to bed and I woke up just a few minutes ago. When I walked in here, I found this!"
"Are ya sure, sugarcube? Unicorns just don't sprout wings."
"I know that. But why me?"
"Ah... Ah just don't know. Maybe we should talk to Twi, and probably to Rainbow or Fluttershy for what to do with them."
"That's probably a good idea..."
With that, Fluttershy walked in.
"I hope I'm not interr... Oh my. Rarity!"
"Don't look at me! I'm hideous!"
"Now now. You're beautiful. If I'm right, you're an Alicorn now."
"Say what?" exclaimed Applejack.
"Uh... Well... She has wings... and um... A horn... So that makes her an Alicorn, correct?"
"Ah guess so." said Applejack as she scratched her head.
"We should go talk to Twilight. This is if it's okay by you..."
"Of course it is dear. Let me wash up, and I'll be right out."
"Oh. Of course. I'm sorry to hold you up."
"Nonsense dear. I appreciate you being here for me. However, if these things are permanent, I'll need some pointers on them."
"Of course. I'll be glad to help." said Fluttershy with a smile.
And on Fluttershy's words, Her and Applejack walked out.
/)^3^(\
Five minutes later, Rarity waled out, her wings stretched wide open.
"These things take for ever to dry. How do you do it Fluttershy?"
"Oh you get used to it after a while. A quick flap or two helps."
"I never though of that." Rarity fluttered her wings, spraying Fluttershy.
"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry for that!"
"It's okay. I'm used to giving the animals a bath. I usually get soaked. Especially with Angel."
"Are you sure dear? Here let me help you."
Rarity's horn flared and a gust of wind came over Fluttershy, her mane swept back and a surprised look on her face.
"Oh my. Uh... Fluttershy..." said Rarity with a worried look on her face.
"What is it?"
"Come over here for a second..."
Rarity wandered over to the mirror.
"Why what's wrong?"
"Look for yourself."
Fluttershy looked into into the mirror. She saw her mane swept back, but more surprising, there was a yellow horn in the middle of her forehead.
"Oh my."
"We need to talk to Twilight immediately."
They ran out of the room, like Nightmare Moon herself was chasing them.
Chapter 4: Metamorphosis
"Girls please!" shouted Twilight.
"But what's happening to them?" asked Pinkie Pie.
"I don't know. I'm going to go down to the library once we finish today's obligations if I have time. Apparently, once a month, we have a public outing. We walk the streets of Canterlot talking to anyone and everyone."
Shining Armor walked up. "Are you girls ready? Whoa..." He was left speechless at the sight of Rarity's wings and Fluttershy's horn. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I plan on going to the library tonight if I have time. Speaking of time? Can we go or what?"
"Oh. Uh... Yeah. Of course follow me."
As soon as they walked out of the castle gates, they were greeted with cheering and fanfare.
"Well this is certainly different. It's much better than the announcement. Don't you agree Twilight?" asked Rarity.
"I suppose."
"OH MY GOSH! This is just like a gigantic party!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. With that, out of nowhere, she pulled a giant confetti cannon. She fired it and covered the entire area in multicolored paper.
'Well, at least someone is having a good time...' thought Twilight. 'Alright let's get this over with...'
Many, many hours later, the girls finished up their public walk.
"Oh my poor hooves! They're ruined! I'm going to need a hooficure for sure!" complained Rarity.
"Forget your hooves! My wings are killing me!" retorted Rainbow.
"Oh yeah! I forgot I could have flown everywhere! I will have to remember that for next time."
"Speaking of which... Twilight, weren't you going to run to the library to see if you can look up anything on our... changes?"
"I don't know if I'll be able to tonight. My hooves hurt and I'm dead tired. I'll do it first thing in the morning. If you girls want, you can meet me in the library and we can all look together."
"Okie dokie lokie Twokie!" said Pinkie enthusiastically. "That didn't work as well as I thought it would. Oh well!" She bounded out of the room.
"So ah'll see ya in the mornin' Twi. Try and get some sleep tonight, ok sugarcube?" said AJ.
"I will, thanks."
That night, Twilight felt she had the best night of sleep ever.
/)^3^(\
Twilight awoke then next morning with the sun streaming in her window. She casually got out of bed and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower with just a though. As she walked by the mirror, she caught a glance of something.
Still half asleep, she shook her head and rubbed her eyes.
Wings.
Huge, magnificent, lavender wings.
But that wasn't all. Her horn had grown as well. Not just her horn, but her entire body. she was now the size of Luna, if not a bit bigger.
"What's happening to me?"
Spike walked around the corner rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong Twi- WOAH!" exclaimed Spike as he jumped back in shock. "What did you do?!"
"I-I didn't do anything! This has been happening to the others as well." I need to get them all gathered so I can figure out what to do."
Twilight ran out of the room, the shower still running. "I guess I'll use this then." said spike, walking into the water.
/)^3^(|
When Twilight got down the the throne room, the rest of the mane 6 were waiting for her, each one larger, and all had the traits of an Alicorn.
"I love my wings! They're simply marvelous!" exclaimed Rarity.
"They... They are quite beautiful Rarity." said Fluttershy.
"Naw ahm not quite sure what to do with these wings and mah horn. Ahm gonna stick to the ground for a while if that's alright with y'all." said Applejack.
"That's fine by me. I'm not going anywhere either. I have a headache bigger than the sky right now. So not awesome." lamented Rainbow Dash.
'Wow. They've all changed and grown.' thought Twilight. 'I need to find out why.'
"Girls, how are you doing with all of your, er... changes?"
"Ah think ah speak for all of us when ah say we have some adjusting to do."
"Agreed. My head is pounding right now."
"Ok. I'm going to run down to the library and see if I can look up anything that may tell us why we're changing."
And with a pop, Twilight disappeared in a lavender burst of light.
Author's Note- I'm sorry I've been running behind on this. My jobs and school are consuming more of my time then I would prefer. However, because I am cutting this chapter short, expect a longer one next time (whenever that is. Sorry.). YOu will not be disappointed, I hope/promise.
-Blade
