Shine like the Day and Night

Later that night, half an hour before midnight, everyone was fast asleep in the room where Silverbolt had arranged to sleep, as the music continued to play, the makeshift fire continued to burn, and the makeshift stars were still moving around, whilst at the same time, some of the fuzzy animals chose to fall asleep with some of the people in the room in order to make them more comfortable.

And all around, the Rainbooms, their boyfriends and counterparts were all fast asleep all around it. Some comfortably, some sleeping close to their boyfriends, and some cuddling as if they were stuffed animals.

They were still asleep, especially Silverbolt. However, something else was happening from within.

When he opened his eyes, he looked around and saw many stars all around. He couldn’t help but smirked as he said “Damn the dreamscape is still awesome. Luna old friend, eat your heart out.”

He looked around and said “Seeing that whilst everyone is asleep, might as well gather them. Although…I think the Rainbooms might have the right to know what could’ve been like Princess Twilight and her friends would.”

He then used his magic to make a bunch of doors appear. He opened each and every one of them.

“Let’s see,” said Silverbolt “Both Rarity and her counterpart dream of being a famous fashion designer, both Pinkie Pie and her counterpart want to host a ton of parties, no surprise there, same with Fluttershy and her counterpart’s need to take care of the animals. Both Applejack and her counterpart wish to have a successful farm business.”

He looked at the others that have their own differences. “Sci-Twi wanting to be a great scientist, Princess Twilight making out with a…”

He leaned backwards whilst taken aback by this, and said in an awkward tone “Uh, okay, moving on.”

He continued to look at the others. “Both Rainbow Dash and her counterpart are different. One hopes to become a General of the Wonderbolts, one hopes to become captain of the International soccer team.”

Until he spotted something through Sunset’s door, which made him curious and approach. He opened the door and to his surprise, he saw both Sunset and himself in the dreamscape, walking together whilst holding hands. He couldn’t help but smirk and see what she was thinking.

Sunset ended up leaning backwards with a smile on her face. His dream self was about to kiss her, with Sunset closing her eyes as if she was waiting to be kissed on the lips. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Silverbolt walked over and sat down behind her. He used his magic to make his dream self-vanish into thin air, making her yelp and fall on his lap. She looked at him surprised, whilst he began to bear a smirk on his mouth and looking at her at the same time.

“So this is what you dream about.” Said Silverbolt with a smirk.

Sunset blushed in embarrassment and covered her eyes whilst saying “Please don’t rub it in.”

She then suddenly blinked and said “Hey wait, how the heck are you inside my dream?”

“I taught Princess Luna everything she knew about the dreamscape.” Said Silverbolt “I taught them a ton more with skills they didn’t realize that they already had.”

Sunset couldn’t help but cross her arms with a normal smile and a flexed eyebrow whilst saying “You really don’t like to skimp out on the lessons, do you?”

“What can I say,” said Silverbolt “Unlike a certain fat Alicorn who spoon feeds lessons, I take a more direct approach when it comes to teaching.”

Sunset then realized something and said “Did you just call Princess Celestia fat?”

“You’ve seen the size of her booty,” said Silverbolt “Her behind got a little bigger every time whenever she consumes cake.”

Sunset blinked at this and wanted to retort. Until she thought out loud “Now that you mention it, her flank did look a little bigger.”

“Even after so many times I tried to tell her not to eat sweets, she constantly does it anyway.” Said Silverbolt, before rolling his eyes and said “And people thought I had a weakness for cake.”

“No argument there.” Said Sunset.

They were silent for a few moments whilst they got really comfortable.

“So…you wanna stay like this or…” asked Silverbolt.

“Um, how about why you came here, then we can do this?” asked Sunset.

“Alright, I can do that.” Said Silverbolt, allowing both of them to stand up.

Silverbolt opened many doors around them, allowing him to open them. He used his magic to pull the Mane 6, the Rainbooms and the two Spikes through to him, so that he could easily communicate with them. Everyone blinked and realized that they were somewhere else. The Rainbooms were surprised by this, but as for the Mane 6 and Spike, they’ve been through something like this before. The Mane 6 and Rainbooms looked at one another, and both were surprised to see what one and the other looked like. Both sides couldn’t help but smile and looked like.

“Whoa,” said Rainbow Dash whilst looking around and said “Where are we?”

“We,” began Silverbolt as he and Sunset walked together towards them “Happen to be in the dreamscape.”

“Wait?” said Twilight “We’re all in the same dream?”

“That we are.” Said Princess Twilight.

“Wait,” said Applejack “Ya’ll have been through this before?”

“Sure have.” Said Pony Applejack.

“A while ago before Starlight lived in Ponyville,” said Spike “Princess Luna had a Tantabus inside of her.”

“A what now?” asked Rarity.

“It’s a creature that feeds off nightmares.” Said pony Rarity “Princess Luna created it to punish herself because of her past misdeeds as Nightmare Moon.”

“But we reminded her that everypony had already forgiven her for that.” Said pony Fluttershy “The ponies of today don’t see Luna as a monster. A lot of things have changed since then.”

“Though I’m surprised that you knew how to do that Silverbolt.” Said pony Rainbow Dash.

“Well I did teach Princess Luna on how to do that.” Said Silverbolt “She accepted the mantle when I passed it to her.”

“You traveled through dreams too?” asked pony Pinkie Pie.

“I did.” Said Silverbolt “But I didn’t literally stay up all night to do that. I had a dream charm that allowed me to sleep and travel through others’ dreams. I get to catch up some sleep, and I was able to help ponies.”

They were surprised by this, with Silverbolt shrugging as he said “I tried to offer Luna one too, but like her sister, she was really stubborn about it.”

“Huh, I guess stubbornness runs in the family.” Said Pinkie Pie. The others looked at her as she said “Principal Celestia and Vice-Principle Luna are also like that.”

“That they are.” Said Silverbolt “And sometimes whilst I sleep and dream, I sometimes open gateways to different worlds, viewing them from a different point of view, to see what I can change in the present to make things better for the future.”

“Parallel worlds?” said a surprised Princess Twilight.

“That’s right.” Said Silverbolt whilst looking at them. “And when I was watching Equestria, most times I had always wondered what it would’ve been like if I had been there to help.”

“And let me guess,” said Rarity “Probably the same thing?”

“Not exactly.” Said Silverbolt.

The others were confused as Rarity asked “What do you mean?”

“Believe it or not, Sunset thought of the same thing, but I showed her what would happen if I had been there, so I looked through different worlds to see what it would’ve been liked. This is what I showed her of what would happen if I had guided her.”

Silverbolt waved his hand and showed them what he had showed Sunset. They saw how different her life would’ve turned out if Silverbolt had been there, even the adventures Sunset would have alongside Princess Twilight. They were surprised to see how Sunset helped Princess Twilight and how well they worked together. And in the end, the two of them became Princesses. They even saw how well Sunset and Princess Twilight helped each other and others.

“Whoa,” said Rainbow Dash, “So, in that other world, Sunset did all of that?”

“Now that’s awesome.” Said pony Rainbow Dash.

“Though, there’s one thing that I don’t understand.” Said Pinkie.

“What is it, Pinkie?” asked Sunset.

“Sunset and Princess Twilight accomplished their tasks together and worked together,” said Pinkie Pie, “And that’s how the two of them became Princesses together. But what I don’t get, is that why our didn’t Sunset become a Princess too? I mean after everything she did to make up for her mistakes and helped us in this world, she should’ve become one too.”

“I don’t think the questions is why Sunset didn’t become a Princess,” said Silverbolt “But why she didn’t become a Princess, yet.”

They were surprised by this, with Silverbolt saying “She still does have the potential to become one. But all of that will be in due time.”

Everyone was taken aback by this, even Sunset.

Silverbolt looked at the other gateways and said “Many times I looked at them, and many times I wondered what it would’ve been like if things were different, or if I had been there.”

“The same thing?” asked dog Spike.

“Not really.” Said Silverbolt. “Whilst I was looking, I found a world of what it would’ve been like if I had been there to teach Twilight instead of Celestia.”

They were surprised to hear this, with Silverbolt asking “Would you like to see for yourself?”

Princess Twilight pondered about this, and had always wondered how things would’ve been if it had been different. She then had an eager smile on her face and nodded in agreement.

“I’d like to see it.” Said Princess Twilight, with the others agreeing with her.

“Then let’s find out.” Said Silverbolt as he waved his hand, allowing them to be consumed in a bright light.

***************************************************************************************************

When the light faded, they were surprised to see that they were in a different room, a classroom to be exact, with Princess Twilight recognizing it.

“I know this place.” Said Princess Twilight in surprise. “This was where I tried to pass my entrance exam before Celestia accepted me into the School of gifted Unicorns.”

“Whoa, so this is where you went to school?” asked Twilight.

“It is.” Said Sunset “I also went to school here before my dark days.”

“Aw, it’s so cute.” Said Fluttershy as she gushed over this place.

“Aw,” said Pinkie Pie as she pointed at a certain pony “Not as cute as that.”

Everyone saw that the pony Pinkie was pointing at was none other than Princess Twilight when she was just a Unicorn filly.

“Awww.” Cooed the Rainbooms when they saw how cute she looked.

“She looks adorable.” Said Rarity as she gushed over Princess Twilight when she was a filly, leaving the said Princess embarrassed.

“Can we please move on.” Said Princess Twilight in embarrassment.

Applejack couldn’t help but smirk and said “Maybe ah’ll ask fer yer parents if ah could have a picture of ya as a filly so that I could tease you in the future.”

“Please don’t.” said Princess Twilight.

“Wait,” said pony Rarity and asked “Darling why are you exactly here?”

“Maybe because of that.” Said Pinkie Pie as she pointed at what they were looking.

They saw filly Twilight, standing nearby an egg of sorts, with her parents behind her and the judges looking at her with stern gazes. Princess Twilight was shocked and said “Wait, this is my entrance exam.”

They saw how Twilight struggled to cast her magic, with pony Rainbow saying “Wow, and ponies thought I was a weakling.”

“Rainbow!!” scolded pony Applejack when she nudged against her Pegasus friend. “Ya’ll shouldn’t say things like that.”

They saw how Twilight struggled. But then she felt like giving up. “I’m sorry that I wasted your time.” Said filly Twilight.

The judges was about to give a bad review, until “You didn’t waste anypony’s time.”

Everyone looked up at the door, and to the judges, even Twilight’s parents’ shock, it was Alicorn Silverbolt whilst he gently walked in. The Mane 6, the Rainbooms and the two Spikes watched as Alicorn Silverbolt walked in with a calm smile and gently placed his hoof on her shoulder.

“You’re just really nervous, that’s all.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt.

Filly Twilight continued to stare in awe of Silverbolt, until he gently lifted her chin to close her mouth.

“Now, now. No drooling.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt, whilst he playfully said “You might stain the floor.”

Filly Twilight blushed in embarrassment as she covered her mouth.

“Now then,” said Alicorn Silverbolt “I know why you want to do this. You want to be accepted into this school, because you were inspired by Princess Celestia, so that you can show others what you are meant to be. But sometimes, there are more to things in life than to be what others want you to be.”

He walked beside her and said “And instead of focusing on pleasing others, you need to focus on yourself. Try to concentrate. A true Unicorn, must remain calm and focus when it comes to casting spells. Try not to think of others watching you, what others expect of you. Instead, focus on what’s in front of you, and when you can feel it, release it.”

Filly Twilight looked at the dragon egg in front of her. She closed her eyes and took a breath, whilst also trying to remain focus. That was, until they heard a loud Sonic Rainbooms. Alicorn Silverbolt looked at the Sonic Rainboom coming along, which gained the others’ attention.

Alicorn Silverbolt smiled and said “Right on schedule.”

The others were surprised, as if he knew it was going to happen.

“Wait, you, er, the other you, knew?” asked Princess Twilight.

Silverbolt reached for the air and grabbed what appeared to be a journal and looked through it. He studied it and said “Huh, according to this, ten years after Princess Luna was banished, this Silverbolt had visions of certain events that didn’t make any sense, even a Sonic Rainboom. For the past thousand years, he tried to piece everything together. And when he met you lot during his visits to other parts of Equestria whilst he was going on patrol, he stumbled upon you lot. When he saw those traits you lot had, he could feel the power of Harmony course through them, as if Harmony itself had chosen its new bearers. And when he came back to Canterlot, he sensed the strongest source of link to Harmony. During the Summer Sun celebration, whilst Princess Celestia was performing her duty, he spotted that Twilight within the crowd, and he could sense that pull, and he knew that she needed guidance. And when he heard that she applied for entry at the School of Magic, he had to be there to help her, and knew that the scenes would play out as what the visions had told him.”

They looked at him puzzled, with Rainbow asking, “How did you do that?”

“Oh this?” said Silverbolt whilst showing the journal, “During the dreamscapes and dimensional travels, I learnt of every part of their history, so I placed all of that for what could help others learn, as if everything had been written on a book.”

“Ooh, like learning everything from a movie on Wikipedia?” said Pinkie Pie.

“Exactly.” Said Silverbolt as he placed it away.

The entire scene played out like Princess Twilight told them a while back, and some of them thought it was pretty humorous and funny. That was, until Princess Celestia came along and placed her hoof on filly Twilight’s shoulder, gaining her attention as Celestia looked at her with a calming smile. Filly Twilight snapped out of it, causing everything to be back to normal.

“Twilight Sparkle.” Said Princess Celestia.

“I’m so sorry, I…” said filly Twilight as she tried to apologize, until she felt another hoof, gaining her attention. And saw Alicorn Silverbolt, who was smiling at her too, to reassure her everything is alright.

“You have an Incredible gift.” Said Celestia, making Twilight blink in surprise “I have never come across a unicorn with latent magical power like yours.”

“She is right,” said Alicorn Silverbolt “We haven’t come across anyone like that since…”. Alicorn Silverbolt suddenly drooped his ears and said “Since…”

The others wondered what he was going to say, until Silverbolt said “Since Sunset Shimmer.”

They were surprised that his other Alicorn self was going to mention her, and from the looks of it, he looked really hurt. Celestia then reassured him as she walked over to him, giving her master a nuzzle, which he accepted.

“But you need to learn to maintain those said abilities with focused study.” Said Princess Celestia.

“She’s right young filly,” said Alicorn Silverbolt “We don’t want anypony to be turned into potted plants again.”

Filly Twilight blushed in embarrassment. Silverbolt then walked over to baby Spike, to which the baby dragon cooed. “Awww.” Cooed the girls, leaving Dragon Spike completely flustered.

“And I do believe you’ve gained a young companion.” Said Princess Celestia as Alicorn Silverbolt lowered baby Spike to filly Twilight. The baby dragon cooed and wanted filly Twilight to hold him, to which she accepted and hugged him.

“Which is why I’d like to make a proposition.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt “Would you like to be my personal student?”

Filly Twilight stared at him with an awe expression, with her eagerly nodding.

Princess Celestia then whispered “Are you sure about this master? Considering…?”

“I am.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt as he looked at his former student “I failed her once. I won’t fail another.”

Baby Spike cooed and pointed at filly Twilight’s cutie mark, causing her to get excited and jump around. Causing many to snicker when they saw her.

“You actually did that?” said pony Rainbow with a chuckle, leaving Princess Twilight embarrassed.

Alicorn Silverbolt stopped her and said “Now, now, don’t get too overexcited. You don’t want to have an accident now, do we?”

Filly Twilight blushed in embarrassment and a smile, with Alicorn Silverbolt saying “Now then, how about you join me and Celestia for some tea and lunch, and we’ll talk further. Night Light, Twilight Velvet, Judges, you’re more than welcome to join us.”

The moment he and Celestia walked, Twilight continued to skip happily with Spike on her back, whilst her parents and the judges followed suit.

“Whoa,” said Spike “That’s what it would’ve looked like if you had taken her in.”

“And let me guess,” said Rainbow “She was still a nerdy bookworm?”

“Hey!!” exclaimed Princess Twilight.

“Not exactly.” Said Silverbolt as he fast forwarded.

****************************************************************************************************

Silverbolt took them to the part where Twilight was busy studying, except Silverbolt was personally there watching her. He pointed a few spells that she could cast, with her having trouble. Then he showed her a few tricks, which she dramatically excelled. As filly Twilight learned some new spells, and after Silverbolt helped Spike fall asleep, he received a letter, which he ended up having a saddened look. He walked over to Twilight, gaining the young ones attention.

“I think that’s enough studying for today.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt.

“But, but I can’t.” said filly Twilight “I have to study. The Alchemy test is next week.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that.” Said Spike, causing him to chuckle and said “Twilight ended up having a meltdown and destroyed half of Canterlot during her freakouts because she got a B+.”

Everyone stared at her in shock, with Sunset laughing and said “Seriously? It was a class for extra credit work, there wasn’t a reason to study for it.”

“But I had to study.” Said Princess Twilight.

“Told you, you should’ve taken a break.” Said Spike.

They saw Alicorn Silverbolt attempted to try again and said “Twilight, we talked about this.”

“No.” said filly Twilight as she was determined. “I will study and you can’t stop me.”

“Wow, who’d thunk that Twilight was a rebel.” Said Rainbow Dash with a smirk, causing the Pony Princess to blush in embarrassment.

They saw Alicorn Silverbolt thinking, then he smirked and had an idea.

“Twilight.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt as he lowered himself to be at her level. “If you don’t come with me, I’ll ban you from the library for a week.”

Filly Twilight was shocked by what he said. “What?! But…but…”

“Ah,” responded the Alicorn “2 weeks.”

“But, but…” said filly Twilight.

“A month.”

They saw the filly was on the verge of losing it, but lowered her head in defeat and said “Fine. Where are we going?”

“Just a visit.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt whilst turning around and said “Follow me.”

Deciding to move on, Silverbolt continued to show them. Alicorn Silverbolt, instead of taking carriage, he decided to allow her to ride on his back. As they flew, filly Twilight still looked it she was having second thoughts.

“So tell me,” said Alicorn Silverbolt “Why are you so obsessed with studying?”

But then he looked at her and said “And don’t lie to me. I want the honest truth.”

Filly Twilight looked down and said “I just don’t want to fail. I don’t…wanna let you down.”

“Twilight,” said Alicorn Silverbolt whilst he smiled and said “You’ll never let me down. You’re already at the top of your class. And it’s admirable. But you’re always doing things alone.”

“I don’t like being distracted.” Said filly Twilight. “Cause whenever I study, it’s great. But when it comes to studying with others, there will be others who tend to voice their own opinions and no matter how many opinions you have, in the end you’ll end up failing. Plus…if anything were to happen…I don’t want to be responsible for making others fail…to have them robbed of their future…because of me. And that’s too much pressure. And I…don’t know if I can handle it. And I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

The others looked at Princess Twilight surprised, as pony Rarity said “Is this why you didn’t want to make any friends? Because you were scared?”

Princess Twilight looked away in shame, confirming it.

“Twilight,” said Alicorn Silverbolt as they looked at him “When I was younger, I was scared to make friends too. Back before the Pony Tribes were together, I was constantly treated like an outcast. I was a Pegasus who was raised by a group of Unicorns. Unicorn kind had always scorned at me because I didn’t have a horn. They didn’t bother to get to know me. But there was one pony who did. Her name was Gusty. She was the only one who saw the good in me, and in time we became friends. She was the first ever friend I made, and after I helped save them from a couple of dangers, they eventually saw the real me. And believe it or not, Celestia also had trouble.”

“She did?” asked filly Twilight.

“Yeah, she did.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt “I told her to make friends and she did. She thought I was crazy, but she didn’t question me. And in the end, she did. It also taught her the true importance of being both a friend and a leader. It taught her that she can help others and they in turn can help her, they even show that when push comes to shove, she needed to be what they needed to be. A leader, a mother to her kingdom and a friend to those who need it. And in the end, she realized who she was and what she had to become. And one day when the time comes, you’re going to be capable of amazing things, and in the end, you’ll see that it’ll be worth it.”

“Do you really think so?” asked Filly Twilight.

“I don’t think young one.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt, then looked back at Twilight and said “I believe.”

**********************************************************************************************

Soon enough, the two of them arrived in a town the ponies recognized…Ponyville.

“Whoa,” said filly Twilight as she and Alicorn Silverbolt landed, causing her to jump off his back and walk beside him. “Where are we?”

“We are in Ponyville.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt, “Canterlot may be a big place, but certain towns like these are a reason why everypony can live together peacefully if they give it a chance. You’ll find no town or city, more special than Ponyville. You could say it’s quite magical and the very place where friendships are forged.”

The Mane 6 and Spike were surprised to hear this, for it was true, when they first met, they all became friends straight away despite their differences. As they walked through Ponyville, filly Twilight became slowly fascinated over everything around her. That was, until they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, and to their surprise, many Apple family members were there, but some were wearing dark clothing.

“What’s going on here?” asked filly Twilight, but then she noticed Alicorn Silverbolt’s face was saddened. Soon they approached a familiar elderly pony, holding a little foal crying. To pony Applejack’s horror, she knew exactly what funeral this is.

“Mah parents” funeral.” Said pony Applejack in shock, which shockened the others too, even Applejack. For now she realized that the two of them really do have a ton in common.

“Annie.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt, gaining the elderly pony’s attention.

“Silverbolt.” Muttered Granny as she slowly walked over and hugged, even a young Big Mac came over and hugged Alicorn Silverbolt.

“I’m sorry for your losses.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt “Both Bright Mac and Buttercup were good ponies.”

“Thank you kindly.” Said the grandmother. Then she looked at the little one, otherwise known as Apple Bloom. “Just…Ah don’t know how Ah’ll tell her when she’s old enough.”

“I know,” said Alicorn Silverbolt “Just wish they didn’t have to go this soon.”

He looked around and said “Where…?”

“She’s up at that hill.” Said Granny Smith “She took the loss a lot harder than any of us.”

“I’ll go be there for her.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt “It’s the least I can do.”

Alicorn Silverbolt and filly Twilight walked on as the others who witnessed it followed.

“Who was that?” asked Filly Twilight.

“That would be Annie Smith,” said Alicorn Silverbolt “Or as folks would call her these days, Granny Smith. She and her family founded Ponyville when she was just a filly, and they’ve made sure the town is what it is today.”

“And why was she crying?” asked Filly Twilight.

“Her…son and daughter in law passed away.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt in a saddened tone, which shocked the little one. “Worst of it, their youngest daughter, Apple Bloom, happens to be a few weeks old. She’ll never know what it’s like to have a parent. To have them taken away from you is…not something to be taken lightly.”

Filly Twilight looked a little sad of hearing this. After much walking, they stopped at near the top of the hill, where an Apple Tree was resting. And sitting right next to it, much to the others” surprise, was none other than Applejack, but as a young pony.

“Who’s that?” asked filly Twilight.

“That’s Applejack.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt. “She took the loss the hardest of them all. She loves her parents to pieces. And to have them taken away from you? Well you can imagine what it could do to somepony like her.”

Filly Twilight looked down in sadness, then to filly Applejack. Everyone could see that she had an urge to go to that young pony, but she was a little frightened. But after hearing what she’s going through. She took a deep breath and walked over to her, with Alicorn Silverbolt watching with a flexed eyebrow. She then sat right next to her. Everyone could see the two of them were talking, and talking, and talking some more. Eventually, filly Applejack broke down and hugged filly Twilight, with the little Unicorn hugging her. This went on for a bit, until filly Twilight offered if she could get her something to eat, which she agreed to. The two of them went to Sugarcube Corner, with Alicorn Silverbolt following.

Everyone looked surprised, but the ones who were the most surprised, were both Princess Twilight and Pony Applejack.

“Amazing right,” said Silverbolt “What could happen if certain events were to happen. And if things were to play out, friendship can come to you, no matter how old you are.”

The two of them pondered for a bit, for they never realized if certain events had played out, then the two of them would’ve been friends straight away.

Alicorn Silverbolt took them to Sugarcube Corner, where Filly Twilight and Filly Applejack were approaching the store. But just before they could enter, Alicorn Silverbolt heard a whooshing sound coming towards them. When he looked, he was shocked to see who was coming. He instantly jumped up and caught something speeding towards them, but the moment he caught it, he got flung against the garbage.

“Master Silverbolt!!” cried filly Twilight as she and filly Applejack quickly approached Alicorn Silverbolt.

When they got there, they saw that he had caught a little filly, which was none other than filly Rainbow Dash, which surprised Pony Rainbow Dash.

The filly groaned a bit and slowly looked up, where she caught a good look at Alicorn Silverbolt’s face whilst he was smiling and said “Cutting it a little close, aren’t we?”

“Uh, sorry mister.” Said filly Rainbow Dash as she stood up and suddenly looked a bit timid, as if she was really shy.

Alicorn Silverbolt stood up and said “Now then, why were you flying so fast?”

“I was trying to practice some flying maneuvers.” Said filly Rainbow Dash. “There’s this Young Flyer’s Competition coming up and I wanted to compete in it, to show them what I’m capable of. But uh…I’m really nervous, and I can’t seem to get the correct wingspan right.”

Filly Twilight pondered at something, then said “Can I see how you adjusted your wings whilst you were flying?”

Filly Rainbow was a bit confused at first, but did just that. Filly Twilight looked it over, and said “I see what’s wrong. You had your wing span wrong.”

“Excuse me?!” said Filly Rainbow Dash as if she had been insulted.

“Now, now. Said Alicorn Silverbolt as he gently placed his hoof on her shoulder, gaining her attention as she looked at him. “She didn’t mean anything by it, she was only helping. And when one offers advice, isn’t it good manners to hear them out before opening ones lip?”

Filly Rainbow Dash suddenly felt herself blushing, then cleared her throat and said “What am I doing wrong?”

“Well,” said Filly Twilight as she conjured up a chalk board and drew it out. “You had your wings in this position, which caused you to misjudge your flying whilst you were at that speed. If you were to adjust it to this way, you can add a proper flying position and will be able to maneuver past the hardest parts.”

Filly Rainbow looked it over whilst she pondered for a moment. After looking at it over, she looked at her wings and did that. Then she darted off whilst flying with the others watching. She flew around, trying to do a few tricks. Then it looked like she was going to crash, but then suddenly, she flew around perfectly, not crashing once. She flew back with a huge smile on her face.

“I did it I did it!!” exclaimed the young Pegasus as she instantly grabbed filly Twilight and hugged her, spinning her around and said “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” Muttered filly as she struggled to breathe.

The ones watching were greatly surprised when they saw how affectionate Pony Rainbow Dash was, even the latter blushed when she saw how affectionate the other her was getting.

After she placed her down, filly Applejack said “That was actually mighty impressive. And also a nice distraction.”

“What do you mean?” asked filly Rainbow in confusion. Alicorn Silverbolt whispered in her ear, shocking her by what he revealed. Filly Rainbow walked over to her and said “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

Filly Applejack lowered her head a bit, but then filly Rainbow looked a bit uncomfortable, as if she wanted to try something. Then she gently hugged filly Applejack, to which the latter returned.

“Now then,” said Alicorn Silverbolt “How about we get some milkshakes and some cakes? My treat.”

Filly Rainbow got excited and said “Yes, nothing is better than free food!!”

They gave her an odd look, which she sheepishly got back to the ground and giggled nervously, and said “Sorry about that.”

Alicorn Silverbolt chuckled and said “It’s alright. Happens to a lot of us.”

Just when they were about to enter Sugarcube Corner, a certain pony with poofy hair appeared and landed on Alicorn Silverbolt’s snout, which surprised the others. The one who witnessed them was none other than Pinkie Pie, but as a filly.

“Surprise.” Said filly Pinkie Pie with the biggest grin on her face.

“Well hello there.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt “I assume that you wish to throw a surprise party for anypony who would enter?”

“Yup-a-Rooney.” Said Pinkie “You’re a new pony that I have never seen before, so therefore I’d like to surprise you by saying hello and also want to make you a cake.”

“Oh,” said filly Twilight “You work here?”

“That’s right.” Said Pinkie Pie “When I was old enough, I packed up my things and headed straight to Ponyville. And I began to entertain folks through parties and like to make them laugh.”

“And I assume making friends with anypony you come across?” asked Alicorn Silverbolt.

“That I am.” Replied the little pony.

“Well then,” said Alicorn Silverbolt, and said “Would you like to join her little group of friends?”

Filly Pinkie noticed filly Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The said pink pony had a grin on her face and said “Of course I would.”

“Then by all means, welcome to the friendship group.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt.

Filly Pinkie hopped off and joined her new friends. The five of them soon entered Sugarcube Corner, with Silverbolt taking them inside to see what they were doing. As they got inside, they saw the said ponies were about to sit down, until filly Twilight had spotted somepony. They looked, and to their surprise, it was none other than Rarity, but younger. She was eagerly looking through some drawings she made, as if she was trying to look for something that she had been missing something.

“What is she doing?” asked a confused filly Twilight.

“Probably looking for inspiration.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt.

“Inspiration for what?” asked filly Twilight.

“Why don’t you go ask her?” encouraged her teacher.

At first, she again seemed reluctant, but she took a deep breath and moved towards the young Rarity.

She stood next to her and asked “Um, excuse me.”

“Yes?” asked filly Rarity as she looked at her.

“Is something wrong?”

Filly Rarity sighed and said “No, not really. I’m trying come up with something breathtaking.”

“For what?” asked the young Twilight.

Filly Rarity placed her items aside and looked at Filly Twilight and said “See, ever since I got my Cutie Mark, I always wanted to design something to make others fabulous, to help them become something they could be by bringing the inside to the outside. The jewels may have helped me make the dress, but when it comes to trying to please others…”

“You’re scared to fail them,” responded filly Twilight “And if you fail them…”

“You feel like you’re not worth anything.” Responded the two of them.

They looked at one another, causing them to have small smiles and chuckled.

“I see I’m not the only one who’s afraid to fail.” Said filly Rarity.

“Believe me, I do.” Said filly Twilight. She extended her hoof and said “I’m Twilight.”

“Rarity.” Said filly Rarity as they shook hooves.

Filly Twilight looked back at the small group, then to filly Rarity as she said “Why not take a break. My master constantly wanted me to take breaks whenever I wanted to study hard. Maybe taking a break can help you too.”

Filly Rarity looked at her work, “Well I suppose I could use a small break.” Said filly Rarity. She then smiled, placed her things neatly away in her saddle bag, and said “Very well, I shall join you.”

The two of them made their way towards the table, until filly Rainbow realized something and said “Wait.”

“Yes?” asked Alicorn Silverbolt and the fillies.

“She shouldn’t be left out.” Said filly Rainbow.

“Who?”

“My friend Fluttershy.” Said filly Rainbow “She’s a Pegasus like me, except she’s really shy among the other ponies and she’s afraid to be judged. I don’t like the idea of just leaving her out there.”

“Hmmm,” pondered alicorn Silverbolt, then he smiled and walked on over to the counter and said “Excuse me, we’d like to take our order to go please.”

Silverbolt decided to fast forward the scene for them. When he was done, they saw how Alicorn Silverbolt and the young fillies were walking to a large opening, looking around for a certain Pegasus. When they arrived, they saw filly Fluttershy going around singing for the little rabbits and butterflies.

“Awww.” Cooed half of the girls.

“Oh Fluttershy, you’re simply adorable.” Said pony Rarity.

Both pony Fluttershy and her human counterpart was greatly flustered as they received compliments, making them hide themselves behind their hair/mane.

Alicorn Silverbolt casually walked over to filly Fluttershy as she was communicating with her bunnies. But as Alicorn Silverbolt was close enough, the bunnies noticed him and also had smiles on their faces. They immediately hopped over to him before he sat down. Some nuzzled him, some hugged his leg, and some even sat on his head. Filly Fluttershy was surprised to see the animals interact with Alicorn Silverbolt. However, when he slowly and gently looked at her, she immediately hid her face behind her hair.

She stayed like this for a moment, until to her surprise, she felt something nuzzling her. When she looked, she saw Alicorn Silverbolt giving her a gentle smile.

“Hey there.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt “Are you okay?”

The young filly slowly nodded but kept a blush on her face.

“Now then,” said Alicorn Silverbolt as he sat down “Why are you out here all alone?”

“Um…” responded filly Fluttershy, then she said “I’m not good with crowds.”

He gently smiled and placed a hoof on her shoulder, and said “Well you don’t have to worry about this special kind of crowd.”

He gestured to himself and then to the others, which they slowly waved to her. At first, she felt nervous, until Alicorn Silverbolt gently placed his wing over her, giving her a comforting smile. She couldn’t help but smile back, causing the two to automatically walk over to the others.

Soon they saw them talking and bonding with one another, as they began to be more comfortable around one another. The Mane Six and the Rainbooms were surprised to see them bonding so well.

“As I said, it takes a certain moment for friendship to bloom.” Said Silverbolt as he showed them. “And as a result…”

He then showed them the scenes of how things play out. After filly Twilight’s study session, she took a break and a sigh with a smile on her face. But then she looked at the picture frame of the ponies she spent time with. She couldn’t help but smile at their interaction. And instead of reading a book, she took out a handful pieces of paper and wrote them down for each of her friends. Once she was done, she made her way to the post office and delivered them, where they happily received her letters.

And when it was her birthday, she would want to read in the park, and her classmates were throwing a party for her. At first when she arrived, she wasn’t interested, but when she saw her friends, curtesy of Alicorn Silverbolt, she was excited to see them and they immediately hang out, even her classmates got along with them well.

Princess Twilight was surprised to see what it would’ve looked like if they had bonded at that young age. But then she remembered that time she and her friends time traveled by accident and met their younger selves. They also bonded and made her realize they could’ve been like this too had fate other plans.

Then many years later, they saw Unicorn Twilight studying and saw the prediction of when Nightmare Moon would return. She began to return to her dorm and was looking through her books, but then she noticed Spike holding a present.

“What’s that Spike?” asked Unicorn Twilight.

“It was a present for Moondancer.” Said Spike whilst holding a ruined present.

But instead of playing it out like Princess Twilight remembered, to her surprise, Unicorn Twilight gasped and said “Oh no, I forgot about that. Oh, what am I going to do? Should I warn Princess Celestia and Silverbolt about this, or do I go to a party?”

“Or, why not go to Silverbolt?” asked Spike “I mean he’s still here overlooking the school and security.”

“Oh, good idea Spike.”

(Ten seconds later)

“What?” said a surprised Unicorn Twilight as Spike was next to her.

“I don’t want you to get involved with this.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt. “Look, I appreciate your concern and you wanting to warn us, but this is beyond you. Even if you are the top student and even if you do have strong magic, you’re not strong enough to face her.”

“But…” said Unicorn Twilight before Alicorn Silverbolt got involved and held her chin.

“Twilight, it’ll be fine.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt

“No it won’t.” said Princess Twilight as she suddenly held his hoof, “Please. If Nightmare Moon really is coming back, please let me help you!!”

She looked away and said “Otherwise I might never forgive myself if something were to happen to you, Celestia or anypony else I care about.”

Silverbolt took a look at her and couldn’t help but feel a heartache for her plea. He took a deep breath and smiled whilst saying “How can I never say no to you?”

She looked at him surprised, with him saying “If you really want to help, then I’ll accept any what you can offer.”

“Oh thank you!!” said Twilight as she hugged him, with him returning the gesture. They broke the hug and said “So how are we going to stop her?”

“The only thing that can defeat her is the Elements of Harmony that Princess Celestia used long ago.” Said Silverbolt whilst the two of them walked together side by side. “But the only problem was, she couldn’t use the full powers of Harmony to free her, considering that since Luna had cut her connection, the elements were only at half strength. So the only thing Celestia could do was to banish her.”

“But couldn’t you have wielded them?” asked Twilight.

“Unfortunately I wasn’t there to help because of the threat I had to deal with at Mt. Aris.” Said Silverbolt whilst he shuddered and said “Do you remember the stories I told you?”

“Oh, right.” Said Twilight, remembering that day.

“Although,” said Silverbolt as he rubbed his chin, “I do remember that I wrote a reference guide about the Elements of Harmony. But I have no idea where I stored that book. The last time I remembered was that my personal bookkeeper…”

“You have a bookkeeper?” said Twilight with confusion.

“Doesn’t everypony?” said Silverbolt. “Anyway, she told me that she sent the book to a new library at a small town. I’m not sure which one, considering there’s like at least like ten towns.”

The two of them stopped whilst Silverbolt looked at her. “I’m going to search for the towns to try and find the Reference Guide. And thankfully I’ve sent word to arrange security at the Summer Sun Celebration. In the meantime, I need you to help prepare for it.”

“What?” said Twilight.

“No one else can know about this yet,” said Silverbolt, “If anypony were to have discovered this, then everypony would panic, and that would give Nightmare Moon the advantage she needed to take over. The only thing we can do is assure them that everything will be alright. So by the time the celebration start, I’ll join you as soon as possible.”

“But where will the celebration take place?” asked Princess Twilight. She saw Silverbolt staring at something beyond the walls. When she looked, she saw a small town she remembered well. She gasped and realized where the celebration might be. “Ponyville. My friends…”

“That’s right.” Said Silverbolt, “Hopefully the guards will keep Nightmare Moon distracted long enough until I come back. And in case if anything were to happen, bring your friends straight to the Ponyville Library.”

He held he close and said “I promise you Twilight. We’ll get through this. I know it.”

She hugged him back and said “Thank you, Master Silverbolt.”

They broke the hug, with him saying “No go on, you and Spike need to get ready.”

“I will. And thank you.” Said Princess Twilight as she took off, whilst Silverbolt teleported to the first town on his list.

Silverbolt fast forwarded to the part where Unicorn Twilight arrived in Ponyville.

When Twilight and Spike arrived, they saw Pinkie Pie coming. The moment she spotted them, she gasped with a wide grin, ran over and hugged them. She gave them a party invite and told them of Moon dancer’s party, which surprised Unicorn Twilight when she realized that her party was moved, which excited her.

Next up, she went to Sweet Apple Acres, where she bumped into Applejack, who was just as surprised to see her. The two of them embraced on their reunion. Once that was done, the two of them went over the meals for the celebration. After that, as Unicorn Twilight and Spike were looking for Rainbow Dash, said pony bumped into her. When the speedy Pegasus got a good look at the one, she crashed into, she was greatly surprised and hugged her too. After that, Rainbow quickly cleared the clouds, with Unicorn Twilight nodding in approval and was impressed that Rainbow’s flying had improved since they last saw one another. They then went to Rarity, who was just as happy to see them whilst showing the décor she set up. Then they went to Fluttershy, who was just as happy to see them with a hug.

They soon went to the library and they saw Pinkie Pie had organized Moondancer’s party, which caused the said pony to be excited to see her as they continued to celebrate their party.

The Equestrians and Rainbooms were surprised to see how well Unicorn Twilight was having fun, making the Princess of Friendship realize that she should’ve listened a long time ago, making her regret missing most of her life out.

Then came the celebration, until Nightmare Moon came along and ended up arriving. Once she was gone, Twilight said “Quick, girls, follow me!!”

They ran to the library and remembered what Silverbolt had told him. Just as the doors opened, Silverbolt teleported in and collapsed onto the ground, panting from exhaustion. Both Applejack and Rainbow helped him stand.

“Forgive me for taking so long,” said Silverbolt, “The search was hard, but thankfully Ponyville was the last town on the list.”

“What search?” said Rarity whilst Silverbolt went over the shelves and looked them over. After a quick search, he found the book and showed them.

“This one.” Said Silverbolt, “This is the book about the Elements of Harmony. I wrote down a long time ago of the Elements and what they are needed for and they’re the only ones that could stop Nightmare Moon.”

He opened the book using his magic and showed them whilst saying “There are six Elements of Harmony, but the sixth was somehow hidden long ago, so only five is known. They are Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity and Loyalty. And they’re in the one place that no one would think to look.”

“Where?” asked the Ponies.

“The Everfree Forest.” Answered Silverbolt, which many gasped whilst he said “After Nightmare Moon was banished and Celestia moved to Canterlot, I hid them in the Castle of the Two Sisters, where nopony would think to look for them. The Everfree Forest is dangerous so only the bravest of souls can go to.”

“Correct!!” said a voice. To their shock, Nightmare Moon appeared and grabbed Silverbolt as he was slowly being engulfed in her magic. “And you will not use them on anypony else!!”

“Master!!” said Twilight in worry.

“Twilight!!” strained Silverbolt, “You and your friends are the key to the Elements. You will need to unlock the sixth!! Only you six know the true spark to activate it!! Go!!”

Silverbolt disappeared whilst Nightmare Moon flew away in a cackle.

“Master!!” cried Twilight in worry as she watched Silverbolt disappear.

“What’ll we do?!” said Applejack in worry.

Twilight looked down, thinking about what Silverbolt had said. She looked up with a determined look and looked at her friends whilst saying, “Silverbolt gave us the direction. We follow it and find the Elements.”

They nodded in agreement and rushed through the Everfree Forest.

During their travel, they overcame every single obstacle that was in their way. And along the way, each of them realized of what they represented and soon made their way to the Castle. They rushed in and saw Nightmare Moon waiting for them, whilst Silverbolt was being restrained as he struggled trying to break free.

They all fought to defeat Nightmare Moon, but so far it proved harder than they realized. That’s when Twilight realized what Silverbolt meant about the spark. And with that knowledge, they were able to unlock the powers of the Elements of Harmony and used its power to defeat Nightmare Moon, whilst also canceling out her spells and saved Silverbolt from his imprisonment.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Said Silverbolt in relief whilst standing up, “Ten more minutes and I’d need a chiropractor.”

Twilight instantly tackled him over, which surprised him as she hugged and nuzzled him. “I’m so happy you’re okay.”

He couldn’t help but smile and said “I owe you one.”

He then looked at the ponies and couldn’t help but smirk, whilst using his magic to pull them all in, surprising them as he gave them a hug too, to which they returned it and realized it felt very nice. Shortly after that, Celestia came along and congratulated them.

Everyone was surprised to see this play out and were happy, until Rainbow said “Wait, that’s Principle Celestia and her sister’s Counterpart?”

“You just noticed now?” asked Dragon Spike.

Rainbow ignored him and took a good look at them and said “Huh, even in this world they’re still beautiful.”

Everyone and everypony looked at her surprised, even Silverbolt was a little surprised as he looked at her with a flexed eyebrow.

“Well, they are.” Said Rainbow.

“In all my years Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity “I never dreamed that you would ever say that.”

“Oh come on, I’m not the only one who thinks the same!!” exclaimed Rainbow. She then grumbled and said “And I felt a little jealous of how pretty they looked.”

Now, they were really surprised when she said that.

After the apologies from both sisters, the audience heard “Luna.”

Princess Luna looked at Alicorn Silverbolt, who had just arrived, walking up towards her. The Princess of the Night frightened as she hid behind her sister.

“Luna, it’s alright.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt “You don’t have to be afraid of me anymore. You are and always will be not just be my student, but also my friend.”

Luna couldn’t help but shed tears and ran over to him, giving Alicorn Silverbolt a hug whilst sobbing.

Soon they saw a few things that Alicorn Silverbolt were involved in. He gave Unicorn Twilight not just her, but all her friends tickets. He made sure pony Applejack would take a break, but she refused. Pony Applejack was stubborn, but then she looked at Alicorn Silverbolt’s eyes and shows that he only did this because he cares about her. He told her that it's admirable and admires her hard work, but even the greatest of creatures needed help. For there's an old saying. Working on the farm is like working on a barn shed. Six walls, are better than one.

Then they came to the part where Gilda and pony Rainbow had a falling out.

“You’re a…a…a flipflop!!” shouted Gilda.

“Pff, wow, Flipflop? That’s the best you could come up with?” said Alicorn Silverbolt, causing Gilda to turn around and see the said pony “I’ve heard better insults than that.”

However, to their surprise, Gilda suddenly got scared and really nervous. “Oh!! Uh…hi Silverbolt. I was just…”

“Making one pony cry and trying to kill another whilst insulting them to their faces?” said Alicorn Silverbolt whilsthe squinted his eyes and approached the nervous Griffon.

“But I was just…,” said Gilda. Until she was immediately stiff as a board when he was in her face.

“Bullying others just to make yourself feel better just because of your own insecurities and thinking that others are lame just because they’re ponies?” said Alicorn Silverbolt, making the Griffon flinch. “We both have different definitions of being ‘cool’. But what’s really lame? Bullying others. I did not teach you that.”

“Wait, teach her?” said Unicorn Twilight surprised.

“What, you think you were the only ones I taught.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt “But in case you wonder, I was a substitute teacher when Miss Fluff Cloud caught the feather flu.”

“So that’s what happened to her.” Muttered Rainbow.

“So then.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt “I know you don’t want to lose your friend, but that’s no excuse in doing what you did. If you have a problem, why didn’t you just say anything in a calming manner. Otherwise you’ll bring nothing but a bad name to Griffon kind. Or need I remind you what happened to the last king?”

Gilda looked down in guilt. She then muttered “I’m sorry.”

“Not to me.” Said Alicorn Silverbolt whilst he gestured to them.

They saw how Gilda apologized to the ponies and Rainbow. Though reluctant, they could tell it was hard for her to apologize, which left the others impressed. And at the end, they saw Gilda having fun with the ponies, even Rainbow as they, even Pinkie, had a few good laughs together.

“Whoa,” said Pony Rainbow Dash as she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Makes you wonder what it would’ve been like if it had been differently?” asked Silverbolt.

“Well…” said pony Rainbow whilst she rubbed her hoof against her arm a couple to times “Maybe once or twice.”

She felt Silverbolt’s hand whilst he said “But it worked out in the end. Maybe not the way you wanted, but once you found some common ground, you’ll find you have more in common than you realize.”

Pony Rainbow pondered this for a moment, then smiled and said “Yeah, I guess I do.”

They then fast forwarded to the part where Alicorn Silverbolt, Twilight and Spike were wandering around Ponyville whilst the town looked abandoned.

“Whoa, what happened here?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, I remember this.” Said Spike, then looked at the Rainbooms and said “I don’t suppose you girls have a woman named Zecora in your dimension now, do you?”

The Rainbooms looked at one another, looked at Spike and nodded, with Spike saying “Zecora happens to be a Zebra from another country. She’s kind of like an expert in potions. When Twilight and I first came to Ponyville, they thought Zecora was an evil enchantress.”, then he grumbled and said “Or in this case Pinkie Pie, since she tends to overreact over everything.”

“Hey!!” exclaimed pony Pinkie Pie “I don’t overreact!!”

“Need I remind you of that certain incident with Princess Luna that nearly made her permanently cancel Nightmare Night?” said Spike.

“But it was Nightmare Night.” Said pony Pinkie Pie “The whole point of it was about being fun to be scared.”

“And ended up hurting Princess Luna’s feelings.” Retorted Silverbolt, making Pinkie winced at that and looked away in guilt.

They saw how they entered Sugarcube Corner and how the girls were hiding. Like in the show, they talked about a certain creature from Everfree forest. That’s when Applejack said “Not from that Creepy Zecora.”

Silverbolt’s ears perked up and looked at them whilst slowly getting excited and said “Wait, did you say, Zecora?”

The others looked at her confused, with Applejack saying “Yeah, why?”

When all of a sudden, Silverbolt ended up neighing in excitement and did the horsey hoof dance in excitement, surprising everyone in the room.

The Rainbooms and Mane 6 looked at the scene baffled. Then they slowly morphed into a smirk and looked at Silverbolt.

“What?” said Silverbolt.

“Do y’all dance like that too?” asked Applejack teasingly.

“Pff, no.” said Silverbolt, “I know how to dance. I even taught a ton of other folks to dance.”

“You did?” said Rarity with a flexed eyebrow.

“Who do you think taught Michael Jackson and MC Hammer to dance in the first place?” said Silverbolt, which surprised the others.

Silverbolt immediately ran out of the shop, with the Mane 5 in concern whilst they watched. They saw where Zecora was digging on the ground. Before she could do anything further.

“Z, ya old so and so!!” said Silverbolt.

Zecora’s ears perked up and turned around whilst looking surprised, and surprised to see a certain Alicorn whilst smiling widely.

“What a sight for sore eyes,” said a surprised Zecora before removing her hood with a smile of her own “Is that Silverbolt, before my eyes?!”

“Z!!” said Silverbolt as he galloped over and hugged her.

He hugged he whilst spinning her around as the two of them laughed in joy. The Mane 6 were surprised to see this, along with every pony in town when all of them peaked out and saw Silverbolt interacting with her.

“How have you been?!” said Silverbolt with the biggest smile on his face, “I haven’t seen you in like forever!!”

“Indeed Silverbolt,” said Zecora “Friend who dashes like a lightning bolt, who is a friend to many in the end.”

“Wait,” said Twilight as she and the others, along with the ponies approached her “You know her Silverbolt?”

“Of course I do!” said Silverbolt “I taught her everything she knows about potion making.”

“Indeed,” said Zecora “When he came for a gaze at my home, I was but amaze, to see a pony filled with might, and he was truly a sight.”

“Then she asked if she could come to Equestria.” Said Silverbolt “I wanted to make her a home in Ponyville, but she insisted in moving into the Everfree forest.”

“Really?” said Rainbow Dash “Why would you live in such a dangerous place in all of Equestria?”

“The plants of Everfree, are the only plants that bloom within the Forest of Everfree.” Said Zecora “So I could create potions, that could help set things in motion.”

“Huh, I never considered that,” said Twilight “The Everfree forest is the only place containing plants that nopony could get anywhere in Equestria.”

“Indeed Twilight Sparkle,” said Zecora “The herbs of Everfree, remind me of home, for like Equestria, it is carefree.”

“Wait, you know me?” asked a surprised Twilight.

“I might have told her about you and your friends through our letters.” Said Silverbolt “We’re also pen pals. Heck, it was even her potions that cured you six of your common cold when you got sick.”

The Mane 6 were surprised by this and looked at Zecora, who nodded in acknowledgement. After hearing that, now they felt guilty.

“Ah’m so sorry Zecora.” Said Applejack as she removed her hat and placed it at her chest “We judged ya harshly without getting a chance to know ya.”

Zecora chuckled and said “Next time I suggest you take a closer look, and not judge the cover of a book.”

“And seeing that it’s been completely overdue…” said Pinkie, then she zipped back and came back with her party decorations and said “Let’s have a welcoming party!!”

The ponies celebrated and welcomed Zecora. As the party went on, Zecora asked “And if you wish, Twilight Sparkle, I would like to teach you to make potions of your own, if it is what you wish?”

“Oh, I’d be honored Zecora.” Said Twilight “And I would love to compare notes with you.”

They then saw how he continued to help them, namely making sure the Mane 6 respected Trixie’s performances, how he made sure that the others would listen to Fluttershy, how the infestation never happened, how he helped Twilight find her place during Winter Wrap Up, how he personally helped Diamond Tiara to be nice instead of what her mother wanted, how they helped Rarity respect her outfit making, how he helped them solve the problem between the Ponies of Appaloosa and the Buffalo, then how he sang and entertained for them at the Grand Galloping Gala.

They saw how things went down and were surprised.

“Well wallop mah withers.” Said pony Applejack before she looked at Silverbolt “So that’s how it would’ve been if y’all were there.”

“Yeah, trust me, I’ve got experience when it comes to being judged harshly.” Said Silverbolt.

“So what else were you involved if you were there?” asked pony Rainbow Dash.

“Well…” pondered Silverbolt. He then said “The other me also helped them overcome Discord’s influence and helped Twilight overcome the friendship report thing.”

“Friendship report?” said the confused Rainbooms.

Silverbolt snapped his fingers and showed them the entire layout and occurrence. Once they saw the whole thing, the Rainbooms were completely baffled by what they saw. Then they slowly looked at a very embarrassed Princess Twilight.

“Wow, and I thought our Twilight was a bit over obsessive.” Said Rainbow.

“Hey!!” said Twilight, feeling offended.

“Um, she does have a point, Twilight.” Said Fluttershy “Remember how you panicked when you were in regular physics instead of an advanced one?”

Twilight blushed and crossed her arms in embarrassment.

“Y’all also realized that not all grades are important, right?” Said Applejack.

“I tried to tell her.” Said Dog Spike whilst crossing his paws.

“Darling, they do have a point.” Said Rarity “You can’t always be perfect and every now and then everyone needs to make a mistake, otherwise how would they learn and improve themselves?”

“Rarity’s right Twilight,” said Sunset. “I was Princess Celestia’s student for a long time too and even I didn’t go overboard with most of the lessons.”

“Especially not since the incident when Princess Twilight casted the spell of Ornithia.” Said Silverbolt.

Princess Twilight gasped at that, which the others were confused.

“The spell of what now?” said pony Rainbow Dash.

Silverbolt motioned everyone to listen. He whispered to them in their ear, and from every word, their eyes widened like saucers. Once he was done, they looked at Twilight shocked.

“You seriously did that?!!” said a shockened Sunset, with Princess Twilight grumbling whilst crossing her hooves in embarrassment.

“She did.” Said Silverbolt. “Anyway, shall we continue?”

Silverbolt continued to show them things after that.

Whilst Discord was going after the Mane 6, Silverbolt was, to their surprise, at Mt. Aris. He hadn’t heard from them in a long time and when he heard that all of their delegates from around the world were recalled, he had to investigate. When he got there, he was shocked and horrified to see the entire kingdom in ruin. He searched all over, but could not find any creature. Then to his shock, he saw the king’s crown and held it to his face, mourning over the king.

“Huh,” said Spike when he saw him “Guess you two were friends.”

“Seems that way.” Said Silverbolt, but then he growled a bit, which didn’t go unnoticed by the others.

“What?” asked Sunset.

“Remember when I said that I helped found Equestria in secret?” said Silverbolt, making the others nod. “I also founded and helped the other kingdoms too.”

They were taken aback by this, with Princess Twilight saying “It’s true.”

“When I helped them found the kingdoms, all of them had made the blood oath to me that if all of ponykind would ever be in danger, all of them would rush to their aid.”

He gripped his fist and said “And they broke that pact. Because of it, the Griffons and Dragons were constantly attacking and trying to steal their treasures, and the Yaks constantly kept ignoring our messages. And the Hippogriffs…”

He looked at the Mane 6 and said “They were supposed to have come help Equestria. The blood pact we made with the ruler of the Hippogriffs, saying that if a pony should come asking for help when their kingdom had been invaded, they would answer that call. But Novo, in all her cowardice, ignored our call and refused to help us.”

“Wait,” said pony Rainbow Dash in shock whilst saying “You’re telling me that the Hippogriffs had promised to come aid us if Equestria gets invaded, and they broke that promise?!!”

“That’s the gist of it, yeah.” Said Silverbolt, which shocked the Mane 5 and Spike.

They continued to watch what Silverbolt wanted to show them.

They saw the friendship report part, which Twilight began to panic over it being overdo.

“But we always send them a report every week!!” exclaimed a panicking Twilight.

Silverbolt suddenly teleported in, surprising both Twilight and Spike. He looked at her with a flexed eyebrow, whilst noticing her mane was a mess and most of her stuff were cluttered. He even looked at her calendar. He looked back to her and said “Okay, what’s going on?”

“Whoa, Silverbolt?” said a surprised Spike “What are you doing here? And how’d you…?”

“I taught Twilight for years,” said Silverbolt “But in case she would start stressing, I casted a spell on both of us. The moment when she starts to panic with a clouded mind, my spell picks it up and I come to help her.”

“Huh, clever.” Said Spike as he had forgotten about it.

“Master Silverbolt…” said Twilight, until Silverbolt cleared his throat, prompting Twilight to remember. It made her wince, then said “I’m sorry, Silverbolt. I realized that we hadn’t sent a friendship report to you today like I did last week.”

Silverbolt shook his head, but he couldn’t help but smile and said “Twilight, I know you always sent them every week, but there’s no due date.”

“But I…” said Twilight before Silverbolt placed his hoof on her shoulder whilst still smiling.

“If you remembered correctly, I was trying to tell you that you can send me and Celestia a report, when, you learned a lesson.” Said Silverbolt. He then chuckled whilst rubbing the back of his head, saying “Then again it’s my fault that I wasn’t specific, so that’s kind of on me.”

He looked at her and said “And I know you much you want to be on time, I know important it is to you, but you don’t have to prove anything to me. You were one of the top students at Magic School…”

“Were?” said Twilight as she suddenly felt discouraged.

“Let me finish,” said Silverbolt, he continued and said “I have watched over you since the day I took you in to train you under me. You accomplished a great deal what no one had ever done before. You were given each task that was sent before you and you succeeded in every one of them. Therefore, given what you have done.”

He suddenly felt like he was going to cry whilst he was smiling, but he held something close to him and said “After you defeated Discord, I thought of it long and hard over this decision. No words could express on how proud I am. Therefore, I wish to give you…this.”

He gave her something that looked like a picture frame. She was curious of where this was going. When she accepted it, she flipped it and looked at it. And widened her eyes in shock. For it was a diploma, one that a pony could gain through graduation. She looked at him as he kept his smile.

“You truly have come far Twilight,” said Silverbolt, “And this proves it.”

“I…I don’t know what to say.” Said Twilight.

“Keep doing the right thing,” said Silverbolt, “And keep learning about the true wonders of friendship. And the more you learn, the farther you will soar than any pony I have ever seen.”

Silverbolt whilst holding her shoulder, “When I started to teach you, I knew you were going to be obsessed in studying, but not much time for others, so I tried to take a different approach when it comes to teaching, to help you gain what had been inside of you all along. A Pony that everyone can inspire and look up to.”

Suddenly, it clicked to Twilight “Wait, you mean to tell me…”

“The funeral was one of the reasons I went there,” said Silverbolt “But I took you with me and guided you to make friends. And look how much you’ve accomplished. You became top of the class and you graduated with all honors. But more importantly you made friends and your bonds with them grew stronger, especially since they would visit you on your birthdays and you with them. So in a way, in my eyes, you already graduated and I have nothing to teach you.”

Twilight was still baffled about this, but Silverbolt lifted her chin and said “But the one thing I also learned, is that teachers can come from the most unexpected places and that you never stop learning. I mean ever since you met your friends, spend time with them and also learned lessons since you came to Ponyville, you already have teachers around you and you didn’t even notice.”

Twilight was surprised and looked down, and realized that what he said was the truth. She looked up and smiled and couldn’t help but shed a tear. She hugged Silverbolt, to which he returned it.

“Now come on,” said Silverbolt “I believe your friends are preparing for the picnic. And I hope they save me a cake.”

She looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, with him saying “What, it’s my cheat day.”

The three couldn’t help but laugh and exit the library.

The others were surprised by this, even Princess Twilight. She had pondered over what the other Silverbolt said and had never realized that until what she had witnessed. Her friends have become her teachers and that she didn’t even know it. They continued to watch of what he was doing.

They saw how he guided Luna through the town and enjoy the festivities, How he asked Rarity to take Sweetie Belle to the social, when she refused, he scolded her and told her that she’s her sister and sisters are supposed to care for each other, otherwise she’d be no better than Celestia. He watched from the sides and saw Rarity and Sweetie Belle together, and surprisingly Celestia and Luna. In the end, Rarity realized how fun it was, and she told both Sweetie Belle and Silverbolt it reminded her of her childhood and how happy she really was, something she had forgotten in a long time. And since then, Rarity promised to spend more time with her when she needed it.

Silverbolt humorously watched Rainbow trying to pick a pet, and how they were surprised that he has a Phoenix like Princess Celestia. How he tried to teach Rainbow not to be so obnoxious when it comes to saving ponies. How he accompanied Rarity and showed her around, but also arranged Twilight’s birthday to be among them, even of how he introduced her to Fancy Pants. How he tried to help Spike control his greed and told him of his dragon origins, considering he knew the dragons well. How he watched the play with a smile and how he helped Apple Bloom accept her grandmother because she had a major role to play in Ponyville’s founding. How he was involved standing with the girls when the Cake Twins were born, then convinced Rainbow to read a bit of Daring Do. She didn’t want to, but one stare from him made her convince otherwise. And soon she loved it. How he helped Spike on his dragon quest and helped him understand dragon culture, especially since the likes like Garble had attempted to attack Silverbolt, only for him to wrestle against the dragon.

“Whoa, you wrestled against a dragon?!” said a surprised Rainbow Dash.

“I did.” Said Silverbolt. “But I also discovered something else.”

They saw how Silverbolt was able to strike a conversation with Garble. Garble took him to Smolder and they, along with Spike, seems to be getting along great with each other. Silverbolt then summoned a tea set and then gestured to Smolder if she wanted any, to which she suddenly greeted in a gentle lady manner. She confessed that she loved Tea parties, but saw how Silverbolt encouraged her to embrace what she’s feeling and that she ignore those who don’t understand her at all. It suddenly inspired Garble to confess that he likes Beat Poetry, which he played for them.

“Wow,” said an impressed Fluttershy “He has some talent.”

Silverbolt then helped convince the CMC to not spilling any secrets about their family and friends, even told Miss Cheerilee about what Diamond Tiara was about to do, allowing her to shut it all down.

Then came the Canterlot Wedding, one where Princess Twilight dreaded. They saw how Cadance acted the way she did, but then she met Silverbolt. They did their usual greeting, but then they saw the look in Silverbolt’s face and a stink eye. Then came the part where Twilight accused Cadance of being evil, and expected, she ran off crying.

Whilst the scene played out, the Mane 6 looked down in guilt, whilst Rainbow saying “Wow, you were really not bright, were you?”

“Hey!!” exclaimed Princess Twilight.

“Uh, Rainbow does have a point.” Said Sunset “Didn’t you think of bringing evidence or proof or even found a way to make a proper case to prove the Cadance there was a fake?”

Princess Twilight groaned at this, until they heard an explosion, making them watch in shock.

They saw “Cadance” was suddenly blasted backwards and landed on her side. At the same time, Silverbolt came inside, with the real Cadance beside him and very angry. Everypony was taken aback by this.

“Master Silverbolt!! And…” said Twilight as she looked to his left and exclaimed “Cadance?!!”

“What in tarnation?!” exclaimed Applejack.

“What the hay is going on?!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

“That isn’t the real Cadance!!” shouted Silverbolt as he approached the slightly wounded copy. He then muttered “Ravasio.”

Within a split second, the copy started to slowly take shape, revealing a creature that looked and hissed at them, making everyone gasp at the sight of the creature, even Shining Armour.

“Hello, Chrysalis.” Growled Silverbolt. “Long time no see.”

She could only chuckle and said “I should’ve known you’d recognize me. You always were the brightest of all ponies.”

“Don’t flatter your way out of this.” Said Silverbolt as he leaned forward “The real Cadance has always called me by a nickname she herself came up with the day we first met, but she chose not to say anything to anyone, not to her friends, not to the in-laws, and especially to Shining Armour and my student.”

He then smirked and said “Plus I recognized your stench anywhere. You always did smell like dung beetles.”

She got angry and wanted to lash at him, but she ended up being restrained by his chains. He leaned in and said “You will be punished for your acts. I still hadn’t forgotten what you did to me all those centuries ago. And I will see to it that you are punished so that no one, not even Tirek would recognize you. But until then…”

He suddenly glowed bright with all the elemental powers, surprising everypony in the room, even Cadance, whilst he shouted “Stay out of our kingdom!!”

And with a full blast, he blasted not only Chrysalis, but every Changeling that surrounded it far away beyond the horizon. After he was done, he landed and walked over to Twilight. At first, she wanted to panic because she thought she failed, but he surprised her by giving her a hug.

“Are you alright?” said Silverbolt in concern.

“I am.” Said Twilight after she recovered. She saw Cadance and ran over to her and hugged her, to which the latter returned. Silverbolt on the other hand, looked at Celestia, Shining Armour and the Mane 5 in disappointment.

He walked over to them and stood near them. “Do you have something to say?”

Silverbolt motioned to the Mane 5 to Twilight. Causing the lot of them to look down in guilt. They walked over to her, with Applejack taking off her hat and said “Twi…We’re so sorry for not believing you. Ah know y’all were just tryin to protect yer brother, but…it still wasn’t an excuse for ignoring ya.”

Shining Armor walked over to her next and said “And I’m sorry for not believing you either. I tried to fight it, but…Chrysalis brainwashed me and made me say those things to throw you off track. I’m so sorry BLSFF.”

Twilight could see how genuinely sorry they were, but then she sighed and said “I’m sorry too. I didn’t make a good case on this, and I didn’t have any evidence to prove it. I let my irrationality get in the way of that. I’m sorry I overreacted.”

“We know darling.” Said Rarity, “And we promise not to let anything like this ever happen again.”

“Do you all Pinkie Promise?”

They looked at Silverbolt who had a smirk, because when he hears the word “Promise”, he reminds them of the Pinkie Promise.

They then giggled and all recited, “Cross my Heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

They all laughed at this and hugged, with Silverbolt happy that he was able to help them in time, otherwise things would’ve been disastrous.

During the wedding, Twilight walked over to Silverbolt whilst she was curious about something.

“Silverbolt?” asked Twilight, gaining his attention whilst he watched the newlyweds danced. “How did you know the Cadance we knew was an imposter and not the one you knew?”

“When I first met Cadance,” said Silverbolt “I spent a lot of time with her and taught her a few things. She excelled in her magic that impressed even me. But then she came up with a special nickname for me. One that she promised to never tell anypony, not even her own friends and family. We bonded greatly after that. That’s how I knew about you, through her.”

“What was the nickname?” asked Twilight. Silverbolt whispered in her ear, taking her by surprise with a smile as she said “Aw, how adorable.”

“I thought so too once upon a time.” Said Silverbolt as he couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Although, after today, I’m gonna be sterner to the ones who didn’t believe you the moment you felt something was off.”

“Do you have to?” said Twilight in worry.

“Twilight,” said Silverbolt as he looked at her, “When I helped found Equestria, we ensured that the entire kingdom was built on friendship, harmony and trust. Friendship can be great, so too can harmony. But one cannot succeed into building a better tomorrow if one does not trust the other to carry out a task.”

“And if someone were to squander that trust?” asked Twilight.

“I’m still working on that.” Said Silverbolt, but gently pulled her into a hug whilst saying with a smile “But I know that you can succeed where everyone else had failed. Because I believe in you. You’ll always have my trust. Never forget that.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile and hugged him back.

“Awww.” Cooed the girls when they saw this tender moment.

The next one was where they went to the Crystal Empire. And whilst Silverbolt personally began to deal with Sombra when he came back, Twilight and the others went to search for the Crystal Heart. At the end, Twilight thought she had failed, but Silverbolt reassured her that even though what she did was not what she had in mind, knowing that relying on those close and around her can help her when she needed it and that she doesn’t need to do things alone, for even though she may be strong, it takes all of them together to be stronger.

How Bab Seed came over to visit, but then just as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon showed up, Silverbolt was there to make sure things go smoothly. At first, Babs seemed really shy to talk, but then Silverbolt hugged her and nuzzled her with affection like he did with Twilight, which made her happy and changed her attitude in return. They saw how the CMC bonded with Babs during the parade. Next up was the family reunion, where Silverbolt was there to greet everyone and half the Apple Family were extremely happy to see them, considering he helped out so many.

At Wonderbolt Academy, Silverbolt heard that Rainbow got accepted, so he personally went over to oversee her. But when he saw how Lightning Dust was, he was angry, so he visited Spitfire and told her. At first, she didn’t know it was him, until he did the unthinkable. He licked behind her neck, making her yelp in shock and looked back angry, but then was surprised to see him and blushed madly. He told her what transpired, but she needed proof. Then when the rest of the Mane 6 and Spike came to visit, Lightning Dust nearly killed them, but then he and Spitfire arrived and both were disappointed at her. Silverbolt then casted a spell on her, saying that if she ever plans or thinks of pulling another stunt like that again, she’ll lose her wings for a month. And if she did it twice, she’ll lose them for a year. And if she did it a third time, she’d turned into a baboon, permanently, which got her to change her act quickly whilst making Rainbow Dash the lead pony. As they flew for practice, Spitfire suddenly nuzzled him.

“See you later.” Said Spitfire as she kissed him before she flew away.

The others were surprised as Spike said “What was that about?”

“We uh…used to date.” Said Silverbolt, which caused the others to nod in understanding.

A few weeks later after helping her out with a few things and helping her become a princess, they went to the Crystal Empire…

To be Continued