The Book of the Ascension

by Tunneling Carp

Rating: everyone
Tags: Crossover, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Argyle Starshine, My Little Pony: A New Generation
Length: 13579

Argyle Starshine is despondent after his wife’s death. His friend Paisley has found an ancient text within Maretime Bay’s library; a story about a mysterious land called Equestria might be just what Argyle needs!

A week after his daughter’s birth and his wife’s death, Argyle Starshine is devastated and exhausted.  His friend Paisley has arrived with a gift to encourage him: a religious text in the same vein as the one Argyle had discovered previously.  Argyle has no desire to read, but Paisley makes him a deal: while Argyle rests, Paisley will read the book to him.

The tale is even older than the one Argyle had found.  Instead of elaborating on the history of the ponies of Maretime Bay, it focuses on the land from which they fled, and one mysterious mare in particular: Twilight Sparkle.

Published 2022-03-07 22:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-03-07 22:40:00 UTC

Introduction

Author's Note

This story and The Twilight-Zephyr Letters are a paired set of stories, intended to compliment each other. Reading one is not required for understanding the other, but the complete story is unveiled when both are combined.

Introduction

*Knock knock*

The sharp raps on the front door of Maretime Bay’s lighthouse barely registered in Argyle Starshine’s exhausted mind. It had been a full week since the day he had carried his daughter through that same door for the first time, on the day that was simultaneously the best and worst of his entire life. His beloved Sunny Starscout had entered the world on that glorious day, but his joy had been shattered when he learned he would be forced to raise her on his own.

*Knock knock knock*

Since that day, his life had become a shambles. It was all he could do to keep the lighthouse operational while still caring for a newborn foal. There was no longer any time for hobbies, for friends, for any activity he could call his own. Sunny came first; he had promised this to his friend Paisley. But even without the promise he still would have known: she truly was the most important thing in his life. The lighthouse came second; commerce was an integral part of Maretime Bay’s economy, and cargo ships relied on the light it provided to make their way to the city. Any additional time left to him was spent in fitful rest, barely enough for him to be able to fulfill his obligations the next day.

*Knock knock* “Argyle? It’s Paisley! Can I come in?”

Argyle finally recognized that somepony was at his front door. If the caller was anypony else, he would have ignored them in favor of grabbing a few fleeting moments of shut-eye before his responsibilities called him away. But Paisley was different. His best friend ever since they had first met as foals, he knew Paisley would understand what he was going through. He could pour out his heart to his friend, ask him for any favor, or simply sit and rest while Paisley watched over him. Paisley wouldn’t judge; he would stand, supportive, the way he had always done.

Argyle raised himself from the couch and wearily trotted over to the door. He pulled it open and was greeted by Paisley, who sported a bound book in his hoof and a concerned smile on his face.

“How are you holding up, Argyle?”

“Not great, Paisley. Not great.”

“Is this a bad time? I can come back later if you want,” Paisley said, peering past Argyle to the disheveled room behind him.

“Sunny’s asleep and the lighthouse isn’t actively collapsing. I don’t think there will be a better time anytime soon.” Argyle beckoned his friend in, and the two headed straight for the couch. Argyle collapsed into his previous spot with an exhausted sigh, and Paisley gently lowered himself so as to not disturb his friend.

They sat together in silence for a few minutes before Paisley finally spoke again. “Argyle, I know this week has been terrible for you. I know losing Juniper is weighing on you terribly; I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost Flora.”

Argyle let out a pained sob, and Paisley saw tears beginning to form at the corner of his friend’s eyes. “I know, Argyle, I know. I miss her too.” Paisley reached a comforting foreleg around his friend before continuing, “But I didn’t come here to remind you of what you lost. I’ve got something with me that I think might just brighten your day!”

Argyle sighed deeply. “If anypony can brighten my day, it’d be you. What is it?” he asked cautiously.

“Well.” Paisley removed his hoof from around Argyle’s shoulder and sat up straight. “Do you remember that manuscript you showed me the day before Sunny was born?” Argyle shook his head no. “The one you were so excited about? The one that talked about the ponies from another land, and all the different creatures? The story of the Zephyrites?”

“Right, that one,” Argyle responded, his eyes still closed against the tears. He sighed again. “What about it?”

“I did some digging in the library this past week, Argyle. I thought maybe I could find something else about the Zephyrites, maybe take your mind off everything that’s happened. And did I ever! This book here,” Paisley said, balancing the book in question on one hoof, “is another chronicle! Not only that, but it takes place before the one you found! It’s entirely about the Zephyrites’ homeland! It’s exactly what you wanted to learn!”

“Paisley,” Argyle said, annoyedly, “I thought you told me that manuscript was pure fantasy. And didn’t you say I needed to focus on Sunny above everything else?”

“Argyle, you’ve been doing nothing but focusing on Sunny since she was born. I said she needed to be your first priority, not your only priority. Now, you need to take time for yourself.”

Argyle let out an exasperated sigh and looked over to his friend. “Paisley, I don’t have time! I’m barely able to get enough sleep, and now you expect me to read this new manuscript you found? I’m sorry, but no. Not. Happening.”

“I thought you might say that,” Paisley responded with a grin. “So I came up with a compromise. You stay right there, Argyle, and rest. I’ll read the manuscript. All you have to do is listen. Sound fair?”

Argyle gave a weak smile in response. “All right, Paisley.” He closed his eyes again and laid back against the couch. “I guess there's no harm in listening. Let’s hear it.”

“Excellent choice.” Paisley opened the book and began: “This particular book is called…”

Ascension

In the city of Canterlot, in the kingdom of Equestria, there lived a mare called Twilight Velvet, who was married to a stallion named Night Light. 2They had one foal, a colt named Shining Armor. 3The family was honorable though they had no noble blood in their line; 4they were obedient to Princess Celestia, and followed the laws of the kingdom.

5Now it came to pass that the nine hundred seventy-ninth Summer Sun Celebration was to be held in Canterlot. 6Twilight Velvet, who was with foal, wished for Shining Armor to see for himself the magnificent power of their princess. 7So the entire family rose early on that day, before the sunrise, 8and went to the location of the Sunraising Ceremony, which was to take place on the eastern balcony of Canterlot. 9And when they arrived, they saw that the balcony was already full of ponies. 10So they took a place for themselves near the back of the crowd.

11When the princess appeared upon the dais at the edge of the balcony, Shining Armor was filled with great excitement. 12He broke away from his mother and father and galloped towards the front of the crowd, so that he might see the princess unobstructed. 13Twilight Velvet, not wishing to lose her firstborn foal over the edge of the city, raced after him. 14She caught up with him and began to admonish him, 15but fell into respectful silence as the princess’s horn lit and the sun began to rise. 16And when Princess Celestia brought the sun into view, its very first ray struck Twilight Velvet upon her flank, directly above her womb. 17And the foal within her was granted a portion of the power of the princess, channeled through the sun. 18But nopony at the celebration was aware such a thing had happened. 19It was in this way that Twilight Sparkle, the daughter of Twilight Velvet and Night Light, 20was granted a blessing of power even before the day of her birth.

The Circle of Friendship

2When Twilight Sparkle was born, there was no outward sign of the power she had been granted. 2And as she grew and her natural magic emerged, the blessed power of the Sun still lay asleep within her. 3Her magic was strong but ordinary, no different from that of her classmates and friends.

4When she reached the age where young unicorns establish the path their magical talents will take, 5her parents brought her to the School for Gifted Unicorns, for they knew her magic was strong. 6And she was placed before a high committee of judges and was given a task: 7bring life from a shell; coax a dragon from its egg. 8But she was filled with great fear, and could not bring forth the magic to fulfill the required task. 9And so she was dismayed, and prepared to leave the testing chamber.

10Now in the city of Cloudsdale, at the same time that Twilight Sparkle’s test was to commence, 11a contest was held between a pegasus filly and two pegasus colts: a contest of speed. 12(This race was in defense of another filly, who had suffered grave insults from the colts.) 13And near the end of this race, the filly, named Rainbow Dash, flew with such speed 14that she sent forth a magical wave, a ring of color, a sonic rainboom!

15The sonic rainboom was seen across all Equestria, and by certain specific fillies:

16On the ground below Cloudsdale, the ring was seen by a pegasus, 17who called out with kindness to the frightened animals around her, and they heeded her.

18On a rock farm near Ghastly Gorge, the ring was seen by an earth pony, 19and when it cleared the sky she saw the colors and majesty of the world laid bare before her, and she was filled with joy.

20On the balcony of a tower in Manehattan, the ring was seen by an earth pony, 21who was inspired by its beauty to leave the false life of the city and return to her true home of Ponyville.

22On a hill outside the town of Ponyville, the ring was seen by a unicorn, unveiling a hidden store of fine gems, 23which she resolved to share and not keep for herself.

24And within a chamber of the School for Gifted Unicorns, the magic of the rainboom called forth the holy power of the sun hidden deep within Twilight Sparkle, 25whose horn erupted with powerful magic!

26Her magic filled the room: it raised the judges from the floor; it transformed the bodies of her mother and father; 27it brought forth the dragon, not as an infant, but fully grown! 28The judges were rendered speechless, and Princess Celestia herself flew to the room 29and undid the destructive effects of the holy magic. For it has been written:

30Magic acts as the heart commands; an impure soul turns blessed magic into evil!a

31And so it was that the six chosen fillies, the Elect of the pony races, received their cutie marks:

32To the pegasus of Loyalty, the symbol of victory!

33To the pegasus of Kindness, the symbol of peace!

34To the earth pony of Laughter, the symbol of cheer!

35To the earth pony of Honesty, the symbol of belonging!

36To the unicorn of Generosity, the symbol of wealth!

37To the unicorn of Magic, the symbol of power!

38Then Princess Celestia gave honor and acclamation to Twilight Sparkle, inviting her to become her own personal student. 39And Twilight Sparkle accepted, and both she and her parents were filled with pride. 40But Princess Celestia was concerned with the power displayed by Twilight Sparkle, and pondered its implications deeply.

41Twilight Sparkle was assigned the Dragon she had hatched as her servant, and she gave him the name Spike. 42And she studied under the princess’s guidance, and grew in wisdom under her teachings.

aMorals 8:14

Twilight Sparkle Arrives in Ponyville

3When the time came for the one thousandth Summer Sun Celebration to be held, Princess Celestia chose the town of Ponyville as the location where she would raise the sun. 2And she instructed Twilight Sparkle to go ahead of her to Ponyville, to oversee the preparations that were being made.

3Now, throughout her education, Twilight Sparkle had excelled in every subject presented to her, save one. 4And it was the most crucial of subjects that she did not understand: the subject of Friendship! 5So Princess Celestia spoke to her directly, saying, 6“Ensure the celebration is in readiness, but keep your focus on the knowledge you lack! 7The subject of Friendship eludes you yet, so go: 8learn of Friendship away from the city of Canterlot, and return as its master!”

9Twilight Sparkle was greatly troubled at this command, for she had learned from the ancient scriptures of the prophecy concerning Nightmare Moon:

10The thousandth year; the longest day:

The stars shall help her break away,

11Her wings she spreads, from moon takes flight,

And coats the world in endless night!b

12And she protested her assignment to the princess, but to no avail. 13For the princess knew the scriptures, and knew what Twilight Sparkle had failed to comprehend: 14the prophecy must be fulfilled, to reunite the two royal sisters, 15to make Equestria whole again.

16So Twilight Sparkle left Canterlot and traveled to Ponyville, and she began to oversee the preparations. 17But her thoughts were not with the task, for she wished to abandon her responsibilities 18and return to study the prophecy of Nightmare Moon, even against the instructions of her princess! 19But Spike, the dragon who was her servant, prevented her from disregarding the command. 20So she visited each of the ponies who were to prepare the celebration. These ponies were:

21Applejack, the honest earth pony

22Rainbow Dash, the loyal pegasus

23Rarity, the generous unicorn

24Fluttershy, the kind pegasus

25Pinkie Pie, the laughing earth pony

26And throughout the entirety of her task, where she met each of the Elect, Twilight Sparkle did not realize their connection, 27that they were brought to their life’s purpose through the same event.

28But Princess Celestia did know. And when Twilight Sparkle had met each of the Elect, and had been shown the path to Friendship, 29Princess Celestia (who had been secretly observing her student Twilight Sparkle) knew the time of prophecy had arrived, 30and she spoke to the stars, commanding them to move, so that Nightmare Moon might return.

bThe Exile 14:21-22

The Six Convene

4When the ponies of Ponyville gathered to see Princess Celestia raise the sun, Twilight Sparkle was among them, 2for her dragon servant had brought her from the library where she had hidden. 3But when the ceremony was to begin, it was not Princess Celestia who appeared before them, but Nightmare Moon!

4And the ponies assembled there fled from her presence, and the Six did so as well. 5But the Six ran with purpose, not with fear. 6For they had discovered that the Elements of Harmony, 7the holy artifacts which had banished Nightmare Moon one thousand years prior, 8were located nearby, within the ancient Castle of the Two Sisters.

9Nightmare Moon knew this as well, for she could sense the Elements’ power, and she retreated to the castle in order to safeguard the Elements from the Six. 10And she laid traps for the Six on the way to the castle.

11The first trap was the Trap of Doubt, the second the Trap of Rage, 12the third the Trap of Fear, the fourth the Trap of Despair, and the fifth the Trap of Pride. 13But all of these traps were defeated by the talents of the Six. 14Honesty led them through the Trap of Doubt. Kindness calmed the Trap of Rage. 15Laughter negated the Trap of Fear. Generosity uplifted the Trap of Despair. And Loyalty overcame the Trap of Pride. 16And Twilight Sparkle, who was the leader of the Six, saw these acts of her friends, 17and knew they possessed within them the spirits of the Elements of Harmony.

Nightmare Moon is Defeated

18When the Six arrived at the location where the Elements of Harmony were kept, and were confronted by Nightmare Moon herself, 19Twilight Sparkle provided the spark to reveal the sixth Element: the Element of Magic. 20For this spark was the greatest magic of all, 21the magic present within Equinity since the beginning, the magic of Friendship! 22And as the spark brought forth the sixth Element, all the Elements delivered themselves to their bearers, 23those who were in truth the Elements in Equine form: the Six!

24The Elements were thus activated, and their power was sent forth against the Nightmare, and she was once again defeated. 25But the manner of her defeat was not the same. 26The Elements did not return Nightmare Moon to her prison upon the Moon, as had occurred one thousand years prior. 27Instead, the magic of Friendship was added to the magic of Harmony, 28and stripped the Nightmare from its vessel! And thus the Nightmare was banished forever.

29The Nightmare’s vessel, the mare it had possessed, lay prone in the center of the castle. 30And Princess Celestia, who had kept herself in solitude so that the Six could discover their true purpose, 31appeared next to the mare, and spoke kindly to her, and raised her to her hooves. 32For the mare, who had been enslaved to the Nightmare’s power and was now freed, 33was in truth the younger sister of the Princess of the Day: Luna, the Princess of the Night!

34And the Six were filled with awe, and gave honor to their princesses, 35for where once there was one sovereign, now there were two! 36And the princesses showered praise upon the Six, and made to return to Canterlot, 37where they would reign together, as equals. 38But before their departure, Princess Celestia gave one final command to her student, Twilight Sparkle: 39to stay in Ponyville, to remain with her friends, to master the magic of Friendship! 40And Twilight Sparkle accepted this command with gladness, for she wished for the Six to remain together, as friends.

41So the Six returned to Ponyville, and Twilight Sparkle began her study of Friendship. 42And the Five aided her in her study, and she in turn aided them, and the power of Friendship within them grew.

The Spirit of Disharmony is Released

5Within the Royal Gardens of Canterlot there stood a grotesque statue, a statue depicting a creature nopony could identify. 2For although there were familiar aspects present within the creature, these aspects were joined together in a strangec manner. 3It appeared as an amalgamation of all sorts of creatures: goats, deer, ponies, even dragons! 4But none save the princesses knew the truth of the statue, that it was a magically frozen spirit, powerful and ancient; it was the Spirit of Disharmony!

5And one day, some time after the Six had returned to Ponyville and spread Friendship throughout the town, 6the bonds holding the spirit in place became weak, and it escaped from its prison! 7For the spell which bound it in place was tied to the Elements of Harmony through the princesses. 8But when the Six took command of the Elements, the spell was weakened, for the princesses were no longer connected to it.

9The spirit, whose name was Discord, returned to life, and took a form of flesh. 10And his magic spread throughout Equestria, replacing harmony with disharmony. 11And the disharmony threatened to tear the land asunder! 12So the princesses summoned the Six, and said to them, 13“Our magic is insufficient to deal with this threat. 14You, who possess the Elements, must do what we cannot, and imprison our foe!”

The Spirit Receives Friendship

15Now the spirit was very crafty, and he knew that the Elements were required to imprison him again. 16So he stole the Elements, and hid them away where he believed nopony would find them. 17And the Six were filled with distress, for they believed there was now no way to obey their princesses’ command. 18So Princess Celestia pondered the spirit, and decided that it should be reformed.d 19She came to Fluttershy, and told her, “You who embody the Element of Kindness, hear the words of Friendship through me! 20You must go to this spirit yourself, and show Kindness unto him. 21For through you the magic of Friendship will be shared, and he shall become our ally!”

22So Fluttershy did as she was commanded. 23And although she was greatly afraid, she showed Kindness to the spirit. 24And through this act, the spirit was given over to Friendship. 25For the spirit, having tasted of the magic of Friendship, saw how it compared to his own magic of Chaos, 26and resolved to join the side of Equinity, and use his magic for the benefit of ponies. 27And the spirit retrieved the Elements and returned them to the Six, to reflect the Friendship he now possessed.

28So it was that Discord, the lord of Chaos, became an ally to the princesses.

cOr an unholy manner

dOther versions command. But Twilight Sparkle, who was wise in the ways of Friendship, saw another way to defeat the spirit.

The Princess of Love and the Captain of the Guard

6At the same time that Twilight Sparkle was studying under Princess Celestia, her brother Shining Armor was growing strong in his own magic. 2And as befitted his name, his magic took the form of protection. 3He displayed much skill, such that the princess took notice of him, and invited him into the Royal Guard. 4And as his sister excelled in her own craft, so too did he excel in his, 5and he was swiftly promoted to Captain of the Guard.

6And while performing his duties, he encountered a royal princess, whose name was Mi Amore Cadenza, and became enamored with her. 7And likewise she became enamored with him. 8And their Love was stronger than any Love that had come before, for she was the Princess of Love. 9So they made plans to be married, and their marriage was to take place in Canterlot.

The Changelings Are Revealed

10Now in those days, the Changeling race was isolated and hostile. 11For they had not yet learned to produce their own magic, and instead survived upon Love that they stole from other creatures. 12And their queen, who was named Chrysalis, sensed the strength of the Love between Princess Cadenza and Shining Armor, 13and made plans to take it for herself. 14For the ponies of Equestria knew not of the Changelings, and had no defenses prepared against them.

15So Queen Chrysalis used her magic to imprison Princess Cadenza and take her form. 16And she bewitched Shining Armor, so that his protection of the city would fall, upon her command. 17Then she called her own subjects to join her, 18and stationed some within the city, and some outside the city, and some in other parts of Equestria. 19And she allowed the wedding to move forward, for her plan was to distract the ponies of Canterlot as she drained Shining Armor of his magic.

20The Six were invited to Canterlot to assist with the wedding, but none except Twilight Sparkle were able to sense the deception of Queen Chrysalis. 21So Queen Chrysalis turned the Five against Twilight Sparkle, and Shining Armor with them, 22so that Twilight Sparkle was filled with doubt. But the queen was foolish, 23and she imprisoned Twilight Sparkle in the same place as Princess Cadenza, for she thought her victory was imminent.

7Princess Cadenza and Twilight Sparkle quickly escaped from their captivity, 2for the magics of Friendship and Love combined were more powerful than the barriers that held them in place. 3And the two ran together to the room where the wedding was to take place, 4and there they found Queen Chrysalis and Shining Armor, along with the assembled guests. 5And when Princess Cadenza entered the room, all the ponies present were bewildered at the sight, 6for it appeared that she was in two places at once!

7Then Queen Chrysalis revealed her true shape, and, calling to her subjects, bade them attack the ponies of Canterlot. 8The Changelings who were exposed outside the city flew over its walls, and the Changelings who were hidden inside the city rose to join them, 9and together they captured many ponies, including the Six. 10And even Princess Celestia was unable to stand against Queen Chrysalis, and was placed in captivity along with the ponies of Canterlot.

Canterlot is Saved from the Changelings

11Then Queen Chrysalis bound Princess Cadenza to the floor, and confined the Six within the same room, and thought her victory complete. 12For the Six were unable to reach their Elements, and Shining Armor had been fully drained of his magic. 13But as the queen celebrated, Twilight Sparkle freed Princess Cadenza from her bonds. 14And the princess galloped to Shining Armor, and broke the spell that was placed over him. 15Then Princess Cadenza shared her Love with him, and Twilight Sparkle shared her Friendship with him, and he felt his own magic return! 16And before Queen Chrysalis could act, Shining Armor sent out his magic of protection!

17The magic flowed from Shining Armor as a violent wave, expelling every Changeling from the city! 18Their bodies were as leaves before a gale, unable to resist the force that pushed them away. 19And Shining Armor’s protection once again enclosed the city.

20Then the Changelings saw that they could not triumph over the ponies on this day, 21and they fled back to the safety of their hive, leaving only a few of their number behind. 22And Queen Chrysalis fled with them, and cursed the ponies in her heart, and began to plot against them once again.

23Then Princess Cadenza and Shining Armor were married, and there was a great celebration within Canterlot. 24For the ponies of Canterlot were celebrating both the royal marriage, and the victory of Friendship and Love. 25And after the celebration ended, the Six returned to Ponyville.

The Crystal Empire Emerges

8The Six grew strong in Friendship over the following months, and continued to spread Friendship wherever they went. 2And it was nearly a year before Princesses Celestia and Luna commanded them to return to Canterlot.

3When the Six arrived, they were told the reason they had been summoned: 4in the Far North, the land from whence the three pony tribes fled during the Days of Strife,e 5the Crystal Empire had emerged from the spell that froze it in time.f 6And with the empire’s return, its influence over Equestria returned as well:

7Your Spirit shall be Our Spirit, Your Heart shall be Our Heart.

We declare this before all creation: let our kingdoms be forever intertwined!g

8All this was explained to the Six, and Twilight Sparkle was given a task by the princesses. 9She must travel with her friends to the Crystal Empire, and join Princess Cadenza and Shining Armor there. 10And together they would face the princesses’ ancient enemy, 11the Umbrum King Sombra, who had returned along with the empire. 12Should he prevail against them, the inhabitants of the Crystal Empire would become his slaves, and Equestria would be held under his fearful shadow. 13Twilight Sparkle was instructed to prevent King Sombra from conquering the Crystal Empire, so that Love and Friendship would reign over the empire forever.

14The Six departed from Canterlot, and arrived in the Frozen North, and they were greeted by Shining Armor. 15But before they reached the border of the Crystal Empire, they were set upon by King Sombra! 16He appeared in the form of black haze, for as an Umbrum he was imbued with vapor magic, 17and he pursued them as far as the Shield of Hope. 18(The Shield of Hope surrounded the Crystal Empire, and drew its strength from the Hope of the ponies inside.) 19King Sombra could not pass through the Shield of Hope, but he used crystal magic to seal off Shining Armor’s own magic before he and the Six entered the empire.

eOrigin 13:5

fAnnals 25:18

gAnnals 16:2

The Crystal Empire is Restored

9And inside the shield, the Six found Princess Cadenza near exhaustion, 2as she was maintaining the shield through her magic alone. 3Shining Armor had previously helped to support the shield, but his magic was now blocked. 4The crystal ponies who inhabited the empire were downcast and fearful, for to them it appeared to be only days since King Sombra was exiled. 5And they were unable to supply Hope to the shield, or indicate to the Six how to restore Hope to the Crystal Empire.

6Then the Six learned of the Crystal Faire, and of the Crystal Heart that was its focus.h 7And the Five made preparations to hold the Faire on the following day, 8and Twilight Sparkle began to search for the Crystal Heart, which had been secreted away by King Sombra. 9Twilight Sparkle was assisted in her endeavor by her servant Spike, who had come with them to the Crystal Empire. 10After much searching, they passed through a number of magical deceptions that King Sombra had laid in their path, and came upon the Crystal Heart!

11But there was one final trap, a ring of magical crystals that trapped Twilight Sparkle next to the Crystal Heart’s holding-place. 12For she was headstrong, and thought of nothing but her victory. 13And her magic was sealed off, just as her brother’s had been, and she was unable to escape. 14So she passed the Crystal Heart to Spike, and instructed him to bring it to the Crystal Faire, 15to complete the task she had been assigned. For she was unable to do so herself.

16And at the moment Spike reached the Faire, and placed the Crystal Heart on its pedestal, 17Princess Cadenza’s magic failed, and King Sombra passed through the Shield of Hope. 18And he made to steal back the Heart, and thus remove the last barrier to his return, so that he could rule over the crystal ponies forever. 19But when the Heart was revealed to them, the crystal ponies’ Hope returned, and their Hope was reflected through the Heart. 20Then the Heart banished King Sombra from the Crystal Empire, and he was never seen within its borders again.

21The crystal ponies came to Princess Cadenza, and asked her to become their ruler, 22for they had seen with their own eyes how bravely she had defended them. 23And she accepted, and she and Shining Armor became Princess and Prince of the Crystal Empire. 24And although Twilight Sparkle had been the one to discover the Crystal Heart, she did not complete the task as it was given to her by Princess Celestia. 25So as a result of her failure, the honor was instead given to Spike, her servant, for he was the one who had returned their Crystal Heart to them. 26And they named him Hero of the Empire.

27The land of Equestria was then filled with Love, 28for through Princess Cadenza’s wise rule the magic of Love spread throughout the Crystal Empire, and was therefore spread through Equestria as well.

hAnnals 16:7

The Transformation of Twilight Sparkle

10And there was peace throughout Equestria for a time. 2The Six continued to learn and grow in their understanding of Friendship, and Twilight Sparkle most of all. 3Princess Celestia took note of this, and one day she sent Twilight Sparkle a copy of an unfinished spell, 4penned by Star Swirl the Bearded thousands of years in the past. 5Twilight Sparkle was instructed to study the spell, and she obeyed immediately, casting it in its incomplete form.

6The spell appeared to have no effect, and Twilight Sparkle continued her study until the following day, 7when she discovered that the Five were acting in ways unsuited to their abilities. 8And she examined the Five further, and discovered that their cutie marks were changed:

9Honesty to generosity, generosity to loyalty, loyalty to kindness, kindness to laughter, laughter to honesty! 10Of the Six, only Twilight Sparkle did not feel the spell’s effect. 11But of the Five, all were acting according to their new identities, and believed they had always done so. 12Yet their ability contradicted their belief, and each became discouraged at her own failure.

13And Twilight Sparkle knew not what manner of magic had caused such a change, and despaired of returning the Five to the lives they knew. 14But the magic of Friendship burned brightly within her, and she was thus inspired: 15to the ponies bound by Friendship, Friendship would prove the cure!

16So in Friendship Twilight Sparkle spoke to each of the Five in turn, 17and showed each of them her own previous role, which had been taken by another. 18And each of the Five realized their roles were not gone, but hidden, for they succeeded at their previous roles where the others had failed! 19And in this way, each mare’s cutie mark was returned to its rightful place, and Twilight Sparkle understood the manner in which the ancient spell was incomplete. 20She created the ancient spell anew, adding Friendship where previously there was none, and the spell was finally completed!

21And when she cast the new spell, she was immediately brought before Princess Celestia, 22to a location in which none but the three princesses had ever set hoof! 23And Princess Celestia spoke respectfully to her, and imbued her with a gift: 24a spark of Alicorn magic, which Princess Celestia had herself received upon her own mastery of Sun magic.i 25And the Alicorn magic spread throughout her, and transformed her body as well as her magic, giving her the form of a true Alicorn! 26Then Twilight Sparkle was returned to Ponyville, and was met there by the Five, who marveled at her new appearance! 27And Princess Celestia appeared before them as well, and said:

28“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, you have advanced further than any student that has come before you. 29You have taken my teachings and applied them well, 30and have created within you a new magic, which will guide your path for the rest of your immortal life. 31Use your magic wisely, for today you have become a princess! 32You will lead, and others will follow, and Equestria will be forever changed by your acts!”

33And thus Equestria gained a fourth princess: Princess Twilight Sparkle!

iOrigin 14:23

11But Princess Twilight was not yet aware of the nature of her new abilities. 2For although she was the creator of the magic that sparked her ascension, she did not know its true identity. Therefore, she divided her time:

3A time for research, to discover her new purpose.

4A time for Friendship, to strengthen the Six.

5A time for formality, to act as a princess.

6But her research bore no fruit, and formality brought her no joy. So her attention was turned to Friendship above all.

Tirek, the Devourer of Magic

7In a previous time, before Twilight Sparkle became a princess, the entrance to Tartarus had been left unguarded for a short while: no more than a day. 8And while the guard was absent, a creature escaped its imprisonment: Tirek, the Centaur Lord. 9He had been imprisoned for stealing and consuming the magic of Equestria,j 10and upon his escape intended to resume his crimes. 11But he was weak after all his years in Tartarus, and required much time to regain his strength.

12Once his strength had been restored, he began to once again act against Equestria, targeting unicorns and draining their magic, as well as their cutie marks! 13But Princess Luna sensed his actions, and conferred with the other princesses as to what action should be taken. 14And they assigned Discord, their ally, to hunt Tirek and bring him back to Tartarus.

15This is what they told to Princess Twilight, and this is what she believed. 16But in truth, Discord’s assignment was but a ruse. 17For he and the princesses always intended Princess Twilight to be the one to defeat Tirek, 18but to do so in a way that she would understand her purpose as princess. 19And so they resolved to lose their magic to Tirek, that Princess Twilight must act without their help, 20and so discover her new connection to Friendship.

21So their plan went forward. Discord feigned betrayal of the princesses, 22and assisted Tirek in capturing the magic of not only the unicorns, but the pegasi and earth ponies as well! 23Then the princesses called Princess Twilight to Canterlot, and spoke to her of Discord’s supposed betrayal. 24And they said that Tirek would wish to steal Alicorn magic as well, and that it must be kept from him at all costs. 25So they charged Princess Twilight with securing all Alicorn magic within herself, and hiding it away from him, 26for Tirek would not know that a fourth princess now existed.

27And Princess Twilight accepted the task, and the three princesses; Celestia, Luna, and Cadenza, placed all of their magic into Princess Twilight, 28and they themselves were left powerless. 29And they sent Princess Twilight away, directing her to keep the Alicorn magic for herself, and to use it to find a way to defeat Tirek.

30But Tirek learned of Princess Twilight, for Princesses Celestia and Luna had left clues to her existence in the stained glass of the castle. 31And he and Discord captured the Five, and displayed them publicly in Ponyville, 32knowing Princess Twilight would come to defend her friends. 33And when Princess Twilight arrived, Tirek stole the magic from the Five, and from Discord as well, and challenged her directly. 34Then they fought, Alicorn magic against stolen magic, and caused great destruction in the lands surrounding Ponyville thereby. 35And when he realized they were evenly matched, Tirek summoned Discord and the Five to him, 36and offered a trade to Princess Twilight: their lives for her magic. 37And despite the Five’s entreaties, she gave her magic to Tirek.

38But upon surrendering her natural magic, the Spirit of Friendship came upon Princess Twilight, 39and chose her to be its embodiment in Equestria, for she had taken this action for the sake of her friends! 40And Friendship was channeled through her, and was shared among the Six, 41and they once again challenged Tirek, together as friends! 42And in spite of all the magic he had stolen, Tirek was defeated, for the magic of Friendship was greater than all other magics combined! 43Then Tirek was returned to his prison in Tartarus, and all the stolen magic was returned to its rightful owners. 44And through this, Princess Twilight realized the connection between Friendship and herself, 45and was thus granted her true title: Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship!

jAnnals 11:35

The Castle of Friendship

12Then the Spirit of Friendship came to Ponyville, and saw the destruction that had been wrought upon the library, 2which is where Princess Twilight had lived since her first arrival. 3And upon its ruins it constructed a castle, grand and resplendent, as befitted the Princess of Friendship.

4The castle sprouted from the roots of the Tree of Harmony,j that ancient object from whence the Elements had come. 5It grew from the ground as one perfect crystal, 6splitting into branches as it rose, until its form resembled the tree that it was to replace. 7And between its branches, more crystals formed the walls, and the parapets, and the spires. 8And atop the tallest tower, a single crystal formed the star of Princess Twilight’s cutie mark, 9that all might see and know the Princess of Friendship resided within. 10Thus was created the Castle of Friendship.

11The interior was ornate and majestic, filled with many hallways and rooms, 12and lit with the gentle glow of thousands of crystals. 13And of all the multitudinous rooms, the one of greatest import was the throne room. 14A table of purest amethyst was at the center, a fine map of Equestria illuminated upon it, 15and a throne for each of the Six was placed around it. 16For it was here, through this map, that the Spirit of Friendship would speak to the Six, 17and guide them to spread its influence throughout all Equestria.

The First Assignment

18And the Spirit of Friendship spoke to the Six, and showed to them a location in the far northeast of Equestria, and bade them travel there. 19So the Six set forth, traveling by train and by hoof, and discovered a small village, which bore the name “Our Town.”

20The Six were welcomed with kindness, and were taken to meet the leader of the village, a unicorn mare named Starlight Glimmer. 21And she spoke to them warmly, and told of the manner of friendship the ponies of the village possessed, a friendship based on uniformity. 22For each of the townsponies bore the same cutie mark, a mark of equality! 23And the Six were told of the unity of the village: there were no quarrels, no boasts, nothing that could set the villagers apart!

24Then the Six were brought to see the display of cutie marks that the villagers had chosen to remove from themselves, 25in order that they might live together in their unity. 26But Starlight Glimmer was tempted by the hope of converting a princess to the cause of friendship through equality, a false friendship. 27She stole the cutie marks from the Six, replacing them with the mark of equality! 28Then the Six were captured and confined, for the loss of their cutie marks made them no stronger or weaker than any of the villagers.

jOrigin 14:3

13And they sat in confinement for a number of days. 2Starlight Glimmer preached to them constantly, extolling the merits of equality, 3and each day they were brought before the village and asked to join in the false friendship of equality. 4And on the third day, Princess Twilight spoke to Fluttershy, and commanded her to falsely declare loyalty to equality, and thus deceive Starlight Glimmer. 5For of the Six, Fluttershy had professed the greatest acceptance of the equality shown to them, and thus her conversion would be believed. 6And Fluttershy was tasked with retrieving the cutie marks of the Six, and thus restoring their strength to them. 7Then, with their strength restored, the Six would show the power of true Friendship to the village, and bring the village to the side of truth!

8But Fluttershy, upon attempting to recover the cutie marks, discovered that Starlight Glimmer did not possess the same cutie mark as the villagers; 9her mark of equality was a forgery! 10And the next time the rest of the Six were brought before the village, Fluttershy caused the deception of Starlight Glimmer to be revealed before all! 11And the villagers were aggrieved, and rejected their false friendship in favor of the true Friendship, which the Six had demonstrated for them. 12And upon taking back their own cutie marks, they drove Starlight Glimmer from the village and recovered the cutie marks of the Six.

13In this way, Friendship was shown to the villagers, and they chose to accept it. 14And upon returning to the Six their cutie marks, the Friendship given also was returned. 15Thus, the magic of true Friendship prevailed over the false friendship of equality.

16And the Spirit of Friendship continued to speak to the Six, and they listened and obeyed, 17traveling to all the ends of Equestria and spreading Friendship wherever they went.

Starlight Glimmer Seeks Revenge

14During this time, Starlight Glimmer also traveled throughout Equestria, seeking a way to take revenge upon the Six for the loss of her village and the ponies she commanded. 2And within the Grand Library of Canterlot, she discovered a powerful spell, one that she could use to destroy the Six.

3It was an ancient spell, hidden away for years; come forward in time, to send a pony back. 4And Starlight Glimmer, who herself was strong in the ways of magic, 5learned to change the spell, to remove that which kept the past unchangeable, that she might also remove the circle which bound the Six together.

6Then she came to Ponyville, and entered undetected into the Castle of Friendship, 7that through it she might connect the spell to the Six, and travel back to the event which set them on the path to Friendship. 8For, she had decided, she would punish the loss of her village’s false cutie marks with the loss of the Six’s true! 9And when Princess Twilight and her servant Spike came upon Starlight Glimmer, she produced the parchment upon which the spell was written, and sent forth her magic onto it, 10and the three of them were sent backwards in time, to the city of Cloudsdale, to the event of the sonic rainboom!

The Stream of Time

11Princess Twilight and Spike were greatly confused, for they knew not where their enemy had gone, and knew not to what time they had arrived. 12But they soon spied Rainbow Dash, who was yet without her cutie mark, engaged in the race that would cause it to appear! 13Yet, while they watched the race, Starlight Glimmer again sent forth her magic, and prevented Rainbow Dash from performing the rainboom! 14And at the moment when the rainboom would have appeared, the spell brought Princess Twilight and Spike back to the present day.

15But the changing of the past had changed also the present. 16For upon their arrival, there was nothing left of the Castle of Friendship but the map! 17And the map showed them how Equestria had changed; 18King Sombra had succeeded in removing Hope from the Crystal Empire, and became its ruler! 19And the Empire was at war with Equestria, and indeed had conquered half of Equestria, 20such that every pony was required to aid in the war, else King Sombra would conquer all!

21Princess Twilight knew this should not be, and having kept the spell that Starlight Glimmer used to bring them to the past, 22cast it once more, and attempted to stop Starlight Glimmer from halting the race. 23But again she was unsuccessful, and was sent forward once more, 24to a time when Queen Chrysalis had conquered Canterlot, and the rest of Equestria with it, and was on the brink of capturing the last free ponies in the land! 25And Princess Twilight realized that time was not a straight road, but a twisting stream: 26that the smallest variation would lead to a tremendous change! 27And she despaired that she would never be able to set things as they were.

28They returned to the past several more times, and each time were unable to stop Starlight Glimmer’s interference. 29They saw the everlasting night of Nightmare Moon’s reign, they saw the unstoppable might of Lord Tirek as he consumed the magic of Equestria, they saw the ruinous height of chaos under the Spirit of Disharmony!

30Then Princess Twilight knew she could not defeat Starlight Glimmer through the strength of horn, and realized instead that the strength of Friendship would grant her victory. 31So Princess Twilight took Starlight Glimmer with them, into the present, that she might see what devastation she had wrought. 32And Starlight Glimmer was filled with disbelief, for the land of Equestria was barren and dry, 33with no life within it apart from the three who stood there!

34Then Princess Twilight spoke harshly to Starlight Glimmer, saying, 35“This is the consequence of your actions, the future you have made! Now you see a land without Friendship, a world where everyone is equal!” 36Starlight Glimmer wished to deny what she had been told, but she could not, 37for she herself had crafted the spell that brought them to this place.

38Then Princess Twilight called forth the Spirit of Friendship, and shared it with Starlight Glimmer. 39And Starlight Glimmer for the first time understood true Friendship, and from that day forward resolved to follow Princess Twilight's example. 40Then the three of them returned one final time to the Cloudsdale of the past, to see the past put right. 41And when they returned to the present, Starlight Glimmer pledged herself as Princess Twilight’s pupil, and sought to learn of Friendship from that day forward.

The Changeling in the Empire

15Some time later, Princess Twilight, Starlight Glimmer, and Spike traveled to the Crystal Empire, 2in order to visit Princess Cadenza and Shining Armor, and to see their foal Flurry Heart.k 3But when they arrived they saw the entire Empire was in an uproar, for a Changeling had been seen within its borders!

4So Spike took command of a conroisl of royal guardsponies, 5as befitting his status as Hero of the Empire, and led them in search of the Changeling. 6He ordered them to disperse in their search, in order to cover more ground, and was thus left alone. 6And during his solitary search, he fell into a crevasse, and discovered the Changeling, who had been hiding there!

7But the Changeling, whose name was Thorax, did not attack, but instead spoke deferentially to Spike. 8He spoke of his refusal to steal Love, and of the great hunger he suffered thereby, and of the rumors of Friendship that had led him to stay in Equestria. 9And he spoke of his hope that through Friendship he could sate his hunger, and be welcomed among the ponies of the Crystal Empire.

10And Spike felt great pity for the Changeling in front of him. 11For he knew that had he not been given Friendship from an early age, he himself would not be welcomed among the ponies of Equestria. 12So he promised Thorax that he would return to the Crystal Castle, 13and bring news that the Changeling was not his enemy, but his friend! 14But when Spike told the crystal ponies of his discovery, he was met with disbelief, 15and Shining Armor rebuked him severely, believing the tale to be but a joke.

16So Spike returned to Thorax and proposed a new plan. 17Thorax would transform into a crystal pony, and in the company of Spike pass undetected by the Crystal Empire’s defenses. 18For who would challenge a friend of the Hero of the Empire? 19And Spike and Thorax (who had taken the name Crystal Hoof) were greeted by the crystal ponies, and Thorax felt much Friendship from them. 20They proceeded into the Crystal Castle, and into the throne room, where the princess and prince received them. 21And Flurry Heart was present as well. 22But when Thorax approached Flurry Heart, the strength of the Love within her overwhelmed him, and he could not maintain his disguise; 23in the presence of the Princess of Love there stood an exposed Changeling!

24And the ponies assembled there called for Spike to flee to them, for they believed him to be in mortal danger from the Changeling. 25And Spike himself was filled with uncertainty, for he wished not to lose his prestige as Hero of the Empire. 26And when Thorax felt the uncertainty within Spike, he fled the Crystal Castle, 27for he believed his friend had abandoned him in his time of need.

28But as the crystal ponies renewed their efforts to find the hidden Changeling, Spike returned to the crevasse where he had first met Thorax, and called out to him. 29Then with great sorrow, Spike confessed his transgression against Thorax, and suggested a new way to bring knowledge of their Friendship to the ponies. 30They would appear once more before the princess and prince, 31using no disguise, dragon and Changeling together!

32So they traveled to the throne room, and they provoked much distress upon their arrival, 33and once again Spike was urged to flee from the Changeling. 34But Spike was now prepared to defend his friend, even to the point of losing his title! 35And so passionate was his speech that all ponies present recognized Thorax as a friend, and welcomed him wholeheartedly to the Crystal Empire. 36And Princess Twilight saw that, as a result of the Friendship she had given to Spike, Friendship was shared with a Changeling as well.

kChronicle 24:1-16

lAn archaic term for a group of soldiers, usually numbering between 6 and 10

Queen Chrysalis Moves Against Equestria

16Ever since her defeat at Canterlot, Queen Chrysalis had been plotting to exact revenge on the ponies of Equestria. 2She realized that the seeds of her failure had been planted when she allowed her enemies, the most powerful ponies of Equestria, to move against her unfettered. 3She therefore made plans to capture all the ponies that could oppose her: 4the Princesses of Canterlot, the royal family of the Crystal Empire, the Six, and even the dragon Spike! 5And upon the eve of the fourth anniversary of her defeat, she sent forth the hive, 6and replaced all the ponies she had planned to capture with Changeling duplicates! 7Then she brought the captured ponies to the hive. 8For her throne prevented the use of all magic but that of Changelings throughout the entire Changeling Kingdom.

9Now within the Crystal Empire, the caretaker of the foal Flurry Heart realized that she had been replaced, and Princess Cadenza and Shining Armor as well. 10In order to not cause a panic, he told this to only one creature, the Changeling Thorax, 11and bade him travel to Equestria to seek aid. 12But when Thorax arrived, he encountered Starlight Glimmer, who had been warned of Queen Chrysalis by Princess Luna, 13and had discovered herself that the Six had been replaced, along with the princesses! 14And with her also was Trixie Lulamoon, a performer who had once challenged Twilight Sparkle to a duel of unicorn magic. 15And they despaired of ever recovering the ponies that had been lost, for they thought their own abilities too weak to challenge the Changelings.

The Four Foes Challenge Queen Chrysalis

16But the despair they felt called to the Spirit of Disharmony, and he appeared before them. 17And when he heard that Fluttershy, his dearest friend, was among the ponies taken, he was filled with righteous anger, 18and used his Chaos magic to immediately bring them, the reformed enemies of the Six, to the border of the Changeling Kingdom. 19But he could bring them no further, for even his Chaos magic could not be used past the point where he had taken them.

20So they traveled to the hive on hoof, and entered it undetected, and began to make their way to the throne room. 21But before they reached their destination, two of the four were captured: 22Discord as he cleared the way for them, and Trixie Lulamoon as she sprung a trap and distracted their enemies. 23So only Starlight Glimmer and Thorax reached the throne room.

24Thorax had taken the form of Starlight Glimmer, for his Changeling magic could still be used, 25and they wished to confuse Queen Chrysalis, which would allow one of them to destroy the throne. 26But Queen Chrysalis saw through his disguise, and bound him to the floor, 27and chased Starlight Glimmer from the throne, so there was nopony left to destroy it. 28Then Queen Chrysalis made to steal all the Love present within Thorax, as a punishment for betraying her. 29But Starlight Glimmer called out from her hiding place, and spoke of a new way forward for the Changeling race: 30a way that Friendship would be shared among them, and they would no longer feel hunger! 31And she bade Thorax to share his Love, to no longer hold onto it jealously, and he did so.

The Changeling Transformation

32And upon releasing his Love freely, his body was transformed, and he was no longer bound to his black Changeling form! 33Instead, he took the form of the True Changeling, which had been hidden within him. 34And when the other Changelings saw what he had done, they too shared their love, and also took their True forms! 35And the power of their transformation shattered the throne of Queen Chrysalis, and Starlight Glimmer could once again use her magic!

36Then she came to Queen Chrysalis, and extended her hoof to her, inviting her to join her subjects in their transformation. 37But Queen Chrysalis rejected her, and fled the hive, vowing revenge against all involved in her defeat. 38Thus, Queen Chrysalis was Queen no longer, 39and Thorax, who had led his fellow Changelings in their transformation, was named leader of the Changelings, and became Prince. 40Then the Changelings released every prisoner they had taken: 41the princesses, the royals of the Crystal Empire, and the Six; as well as Trixie Lulamoon and Discord. 42For the Changelings’ hunger was now satisfied, and they had no further need to steal Love to survive. 43And there was peace between the Changeling Kingdom and Equestria.

The Storm King Arrives in Canterlot

17In those days, far to the south of Equestria, there lived a wicked conqueror called the Storm King. 2He commanded an army of Storm Creatures, who had no name for themselves, for they existed only to serve the Storm King. 3He had also in his service a unicorn named Tempest Shadow. 4Her horn had been shattered at an early age, and she could not fully control her magic, 5and had been rejected by her friends as a result. 6But she found an ally in the Storm King, for he saw her magic was strong, 7and he gained her loyalty by promising to repair her horn once his conquests had been completed.

8With the assistance of Tempest Shadow, the Storm King conquered the kingdom of Hippogriffia, and the land of Abyssinia, and all the other southern territories. 9Then with the entirety of the south under his control, he sent his forces north to Canterlot, 10for he wished to take the magic of the princesses of Equestria for himself.

11The Storm King arrived in Canterlot upon the eve of the Friendship Festival, when all the princesses were in attendance, 12for Tempest Shadow had told him of the ideal time to attack. 13And his army descended upon Canterlot, and Tempest Shadow demanded the princesses surrender their magic to him. 14But they refused, so Tempest Shadow used magic given her by the Storm King to turn Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadenza into stone! 15She nearly turned Princess Twilight into stone as well, but Rainbow Dash carried Princess Twilight out of the path of the magic, 16and another was turned to stone in her place.

The Six Go to the Hippogriff Kingdom

17Before she was turned to stone, Princess Celestia had called out to Princess Luna, 18telling her to seek aid from the Hippogriffs in the south. 19But as Princess Luna was turned to stone as well, the duty fell to Princess Twilight, and with her, the Six. 20So they escaped from Canterlot, and made their way south, 21and came to Mount Aris, where the Hippogriff Kingdom was said to lie. 22But the city of the Hippogriffs was abandoned, destroyed by the Storm King during his conquest, 23and the Hippogriffs had fled to the safety of the waters surrounding their kingdom. 24For their queen had transformed them into sea ponies, using the powers of a magical artifact: the Pearl of Alteration!

25The Six entered the sea, and were brought before Queen Novo, ruler of the Hippogriffs. 26And the Six told her of the Storm King’s attack on Canterlot, and beseeched her for aid, 27asking that they might bring the Pearl of Alteration with them to use against him. 28But Queen Novo refused them, not wanting the Storm King to gain its powers in addition to the powers he had already taken.

29The Six were dismayed, and prepared to leave, defeated. 30But Skystar, the daughter of the queen, asked them to stay in the Hippogriff Kingdom, 31for she had heard tales of the magic of Friendship and wished to know it for herself. 32And Princess Twilight instructed the Five to share Friendship with her and the rest of the Hippogriffs. 33For Princess Twilight intended to use the Five as a distraction, to occupy the Hippogriffs while she stole the Pearl of Alteration for her own use! 34And upon giving this deceitful instruction to the Five, the Spirit of Friendship was appalled by her action, 35and fled from her, leaving her with only her natural magic.

Twilight Sparkle Regains Her Title

18 Therefore, when Twilight Sparkle stole the pearl, the magic of Friendship was no longer present to aid her. 2So Queen Novo detected her theft, and cast her and the Five from the kingdom, 3and forbade them from ever returning. 4And Twilight Sparkle spoke harshly to the Five, and rejected their company, and set off on her own. 5But without her friends, or the Spirit of Friendship, to aid her, 6she was quickly captured by Tempest Shadow, who brought her back to Canterlot and acted as her captor. 7And with all four princesses now under his control, the Storm King took their combined magics for himself, 8and wielded their magic through an ancient artifact, the Staff of Sacanas!m

9But Friendship still dwelt within the Five, who resolved to rescue Twilight Sparkle in spite of the anger she had shown them. 10And they returned to Canterlot, along with a number of friends they had gained along their journey. 11They did battle with the Storm Creatures, and fought bravely against them, pushing them back to the castle courtyard. 12And Twilight Sparkle looked down from the castle and saw that the Spirit of Friendship still dwelt within the Five. 13Then she realized that Friendship had not departed from her forever, but was waiting to be accepted within her. 14She opened her heart to Friendship, and became Princess Twilight once more!

15At the same time, Tempest Shadow went to the Storm King, asking him to fulfill his promise to restore her horn. 16But the Storm King shunned her, for he now had no need of her service, and felt no obligation to her. 17So he cast her off the castle balcony, into a storm he had created with his stolen powers!

18Then Princess Twilight felt Friendship call to her, and she rescued Tempest Shadow from the storm. 19And Friendship flowed from Princess Twilight, and Tempest Shadow felt its embrace for the first time since her foalhood, 20and she knew that she must now fight to defend her new friend. 21So when the Storm King attempted to turn Princess Twilight to stone, Tempest Shadow deflected the magic, 22causing the spell to turn her to stone, along with the Storm King! 23And the storm the king had created pulled him off the balcony, and he shattered into innumerable pieces on the ground.

24Then Princess Twilight recovered the Staff of Sacanas, and used it to quell the storm. 25And she restored to life all the ponies who had been turned to stone, and returned the stolen magic to the princesses. 26Then the Staff of Sacanas was placed in the Repository of Magic within Canterlot, and it remains there to this day.

27Tempest Shadow was ashamed of her part in the Storm King’s plan, and made to leave Equestria. 28But Princess Twilight came to her, and welcomed her in Friendship, and asked her to remain. For it has been written:

29A friend is a friend, no matter the circumstance.

True Friendship prevails over all troubles!n

30So Tempest Shadow remained in Equestria, and took upon herself the task of spreading Friendship throughout the land.

mOrigin 3:12

nMorals 1:22

The School of Friendship Established

19Some time later, the Spirit of Friendship came upon Princess Twilight, and moved her to create a School of Friendship. 2For learning of Tempest Shadow’s foalhood had shown Princess Twilight that Friendship was not yet truly realized among ponies. 3So she was granted permission from Princess Celestia, and erected a school adjacent to the Castle of Friendship. 4She extended invitations to young ponies from all corners of Equestria, and even invited creatures from outside Equestria! 5So among the ponies at the school, there were five from beyond the kingdom:

6Ocellus, the Changeling

7Gallus, the Griffon

8Smolder, the Dragon

9Yona, the Yako

10Silverstream, the Hippogriff

11Then she appointed the Five as teachers, and Starlight Glimmer as Counselor, and she herself was the Headmare.

12There already existed a precedent for learning within Equestria, 13and Princess Twilight required the Five to follow what had already been established, for her own education had come through these same means. 14She did not understand that Friendship could not be restricted in this way, and the Five suffered in their teaching as a result. 15So all the students of the school suffered great restlessness, none more so than the five who had come from outside Equestria. 16For their ways were not the ways of Equestria, and they could not bear the frustration they felt.

17But an earth pony named Sandbar took pity on them, and shared Friendship in the way he had been taught. 18And these young six fled from the school, and hid inside the ancient Castle of the Two Sisters. 19There they stayed for a time, and Friendship was shared between them all, in a way that was not seen inside the school.

20Then the caretakers of the five became concerned at their disappearance, and arrived themselves at the School of Friendship, 21and they questioned Princess Twilight where the five had gone. 22And when she could not answer, the caretakers became aggrieved, 23and each made to return to his own country, and threatened war upon Equestria!

24So Princess Twilight summoned the Five, and together they made a search of Ponyville and its surroundings. 25And when they discovered the young six that were missing, Princess Twilight realized how she had erred in administering the school, 26for in their time away from the school they had learned far more than any student that had remained!

27Then Princess Twilight directed the Five to continue teaching, 28but in the way they felt best, not in the way she directed. 29And the young six returned to the school, and joined with gladness the lessons that were taught. 30For the Five now approached their lessons with excitement, and this excitement was also spread among the students. 31Thus Princess Twilight discovered that Friendship could not be restricted in the way she had compelled; that it would flourish best in its own way!

oChronicle 18:1-27, 19:1-18

The Scheming of Cozy Glow

20Of the many students present at the School of Friendship, each one possessed a unique quality that set them apart. 2One pony might exhibit great courage among her peers; another might be a beacon of calm for all around her; a third might show great patience in all circumstances. 3But one student, the pegasus Cozy Glow, had not virtue that set her apart, but villainy! 4For of all the ponies in Equestria, there was never one so devious as Cozy Glow!

5Before she arrived at the School of Friendship, she had conversed often, through written word, with Lord Tirek, the Devourer of Magic. 6And from him she learned of his defeat by the Six, and how Friendship had proven stronger than any other magic. 7Cozy Glow was then filled with great ambition, and wished to take Friendship for herself, 8and thus become the most powerful creature in Equestria, greater even than the princesses!

9So she conspired with Tirek, and discovered how to remove all magic save that of Friendship from Equestria. 10For she believed that no creature besides her should possess magic, so that none could ever challenge her rule. 11And she found that the six artifacts she required to accomplish her goal were all located within the School of Magic!

12So she enrolled at the school, pretending to be an ordinary student, and set about to win over all the creatures therein. 13And once she had succeeded, and made herself invaluable to Princess Twilight, she gathered the artifacts she needed and brought them to a chamber underneath the school. 14She created an arcane symbol, and arranged the artifacts around it, and thus began to remove the magic from Equestria!

The Quest to Restore Magic

15When Princess Twilight discovered that her magic and the magic of all unicorns had disappeared, she immediately suspected Tirek. 16So the Six went together to the gate of Tartarus, and used a magical item to open it, for the magic stored within objects had not yet vanished. 17But when they confronted Tirek, they saw that the magic of Equestria was not within him, and they realized that they were now imprisoned in Tartarus! 18Tirek knew this as well, and gloated over the Six, telling them of Cozy Glow and the manner in which she had deceived them. 19So the Six learned of Cozy Glow’s treachery, and despaired at their inability to move against her.

20But within the School of Friendship, the young six had become suspicious of Cozy Glow. 21For although she had imprisoned Starlight Glimmer and taken control over the school in Princess Twilight’s absence, 22they realized her behavior was not in keeping with the true principles of Friendship. 23And while they were searching for evidence to confront her, they discovered the arcane symbol that was draining the magic from Equestria. 24So each of the six went to an artifact, and made ready to remove them from their place, and thus stop the plot of Cozy Glow.

25But Cozy Glow brought the remainder of the students to see the actions of the young six, 26and claimed that instead of attempting to stop magic from disappearing, the young six were responsible for it! 27And the students believed her, and fell upon the young six, 28and cast them into the arcane symbol, trapping them inside! 28The symbol began to swallow them as it had the magic of Equestria. 29But the Tree of Harmony, whose roots spread throughout the chamber, felt the Harmony that existed between the young six, and used its magic to free them! 30Then the young six came once more to the artifacts, and removed them, and thus released the magic that had been stolen!

31Cozy Glow saw that her scheme had failed, and that all the students had turned against her, and attempted to flee. 32But magic had already returned to Equestria, and the Six escaped from Tartarus and arrived at the school, 33along with Princesses Celestia and Luna and a company of royal guards, and Cozy Glow was captured. 34As punishment, she was imprisoned in Tartarus, as befitting a traitor to Equestria. 35And the young six were honored for their bravery, and given many accolades, and were welcomed back with gratitude among the other students of the School of Friendship.

Princess Twilight’s Ascension is Planned

21Princesses Celestia and Luna saw how Friendship had spread throughout Equestria under the guidance of Princess Twilight, and were pleased at her success. 2For with the magic of Friendship established throughout Equestria, they knew the land would be safe under its protection. 3And, they thought, who better to lead Equestria in the new era of Friendship’s ascendancy than its princess?

4So they summoned the Six to Canterlot, and declared their intention to retire as princesses and take up residence in Silver Shoals.p 5And they decreed that Princess Twilight would take their place, and with the assistance of the Five, become the new ruler of Equestria! 6But Princess Twilight was filled with uncertainty, despite the entreaties of the Five, for she believed herself to be unprepared for such a role. 7And she begged the princesses to grant her additional time to prepare.

8The princesses agreed to her request, and bade the Six return to Ponyville. 9But they were disappointed in Princess Twilight, for had not the tasks they had asked of her given ample preparation? 10Then they summoned Discord to them, and asked him to prepare a final trial: 11one that would gather all remaining enemies that stood in opposition to Princess Twilight and allow her to destroy them irrevocably.

12Discord agreed, for he too wished Princess Twilight to learn confidence as Princess of Friendship. 13He took the form of Grogar, the Father of Monsters,q and in this form brought the enemies of Equestria to him: 14Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Lord Tirek, and Cozy Glow. 15He spoke to them of a plan to defeat the Six, using all their powers together. 16But the four he had summoned were dismissive of his plan, 17and King Sombra spoke openly against him, stating that he could conquer Equestria without assistance. 18Discord invited King Sombra to attempt this on his own, and then banished him from his presence, 19knowing that his failure would inspire the remaining three villains to join together.

King Sombra Destroys the Elements of Harmony

20After his defeat in the Crystal Empire, King Sombra had studied the Six, and had also learned much of the power of fear and despair. 21He appeared before the Six, and goaded them into using the Elements of Harmony against him, for he wished to discover the location they were kept. 22And when the Six returned the Elements to the Tree of Harmony after they believed him defeated, he used crystal magic to destroy the Tree and shatter the Elements! 23Then the Six felt great despair, for they believed they had no further recourse against King Sombra.

24Then King Sombra came to Ponyville, for he wished to humiliate the Six by using the ponies closest to them to conquer Equestria. 25He clouded the minds of the ponies of Ponyville with fear, and instructed them to march to Canterlot under his banner.

26At the same time, the Everfree Forest began to advance against Ponyville, for the Tree of Harmony no longer suppressed its growth. 27So the Six, not wishing to lose their home to the forest, acted to halt its advance. 28(They did this because they believed they were now powerless against King Sombra.) 29But Princesses Celestia and Luna came to them, and spoke encouraging words to them, 30stating that only the Six could defeat King Sombra, even without the Elements! 31So the Six set off for Canterlot, leaving the princesses to confront the forest.

King Sombra Destroyed

32With the princesses gone to the Everfree Forest, King Sombra conquered Canterlot with ease, and established himself in the throne room. 33The Six managed to enter the castle, but still did not know how they could defeat King Sombra. 34Discord, sensing their troubles, appeared before them, and Princess Twilight begged him for assistance against their enemy. 35He agreed to aid them, and brought them to the throne room, and confronted King Sombra on their behalf. 36But King Sombra struck Discord with a magic spell, and Discord fell to the floor, pretending that his own magic had been stolen!

37Then Discord spoke to the Six, saying, “You who once shared Friendship with me, know that Friendship still resides within you! 38The Elements of Harmony were but reflections of your true nature; that nature cannot be taken from you! 39Go now, bring forth the magic of Friendship, and defeat your enemy!” 40With these words, the Six were inspired, and Friendship overcame the despair that had clouded their hearts! 41They sent forth a powerful wave of magic at King Sombra, and he was torn asunder; even the shadows from which he was formed were no more!

42The Six were overjoyed at their victory, and came to Discord, who showed them that his magic was still with him, 43and explained to them that his actions had been intended to demonstrate the power they still wielded. 44Then the Six saw the correctness of his actions, and thanked him for his aid.

45Princesses Celestia and Luna returned to Canterlot after ending the Everfree Forest’s advance, and gave honor to the Six for their efforts. 46They instructed the Six to return to Ponyville and continue their preparations for Princess Twilight’s ascension. 47And they themselves, along with Discord, prepared for the final test that the Six would face.

pOne version Shining Harbor; other versions Pearly Gates

qOrigin 2:2

The Villains Ascendant

22Under the guidance of Discord, in the guise of Grogar, the three villains grew in their combined strength, each compensating for another’s weakness. 2And in their alliance, they fulfilled the tasks they set for themselves. 3They recovered the Bewitching Bell from the summit of Mount Everhoof, they infiltrated the secret archives of Canterlot, and they sowed distrust among the three pony races. 4Using the knowledge gained from the archives, they accessed the power of the Bewitching Bell, 5and on the day that Princess Twilight was to be made ruler of Equestria, they used the bell to steal Discord’s chaos magic and take the magic of Grogar for themselves!

6So Discord, who was now truly without magic, traveled to Canterlot to inform the Six of the three villains and the power they wielded. 7And the Six scolded Discord, as did Princesses Celestia and Luna. 8(But in truth the princesses were pleased by the manner in which Discord had enacted their plan, even to the point of losing his own magic!) 9Then the Six made preparations to defend Equestria against the three villains, whose magic was greater than any they had ever faced.

10At this time, the three villains had separated, in order to weaken Equestria in the manner best suited to their talents. 11Lord Tirek went to the border of Equestria and stole the magic of its guardians. 12Queen Chrysalis came to the School of Magic and defeated Starlight Glimmer. 13And Cozy Glow, who had transformed into an Alicorn by absorbing Grogar’s magic, brought the Bewitching Bell to Canterlot and sent her newfound magic against the Six. 14And when Princesses Celestia and Luna fought against her, she used the Bewitching Bell to capture their magic, and left them powerless. 15Then Queen Chrysalis and Lord Tirek came also to Canterlot, and attempted to imprison the Six.

16But the Six escaped their grasp, and in their rage the three villains destroyed the entire western side of the castle of Canterlot! 17And when the ponies of Equestria saw this symbol of their rulers destroyed, they felt more fear than had been seen in Equestria since the Days of Strife. 18Then in their fear, each of the three pony races isolated themselves from the others, and shut themselves off in their own strongholds. 19And upon this separation, the Windigos of old, the harbingers of the Days of Strife, were summoned from the Frozen North, beyond the Crystal Empire, 20and they began to coat Equestria in their endless winter!

The Last Stand of Friendship

23The three villains confronted the Six upon the plain of Maregiddor, for the villains believed the arrival of the Windigos heralded their own victory. 2And the Six were themselves filled with fear, and could not stand against their foes. 3But they resolved to face their defeat together, for despite all that had happened, a spark of Friendship still resided within them.

4Yet unbeknownst to the Six, the students of the School of Friendship had learned the lessons taught them, 5and had brought Friendship with them to the places their own race had fled. 6And guided by the Friendship within them, they spoke bravely to the three races of Equestria, 7and inspired them to unite once more in defense of their land! 8So the three races came also to the plain of Maregiddo, to lend their support to the Six. 9And present also were creatures from outside Equestria: Changelings, and Yaks, and Dragons, and Hippogriffs, and Griffons! 10For the young six had returned to their homes, and brought their own kind to fight alongside Equestria!

11And with all these races present, Friendship was rekindled between them, and the spark of Friendship within the Six grew to an immense flame, 12the likes of which had never before been seen, and to this day has not been seen again! 13And Princess Twilight channeled the Friendship surrounding her through the Six, and their own Friendship amplified it, and the magic of Friendship emerged from them in a mighty rainbow! 14And through this effort the Windigos were banished, and the three villains were stripped of their powers, 15and the magic that had been stolen from the princesses and Discord was returned to them.

16And with their magic returned, Discord joined the princesses in casting one final spell, one that would seal the three villains away for all time. 17The villains were turned to stone, and thus the plan of the princesses to eliminate their greatest threats was realized! 18And the Six were overjoyed, and all of Equestria with them.

rMaregiddo: Ponish; Griffonian Armaregeddon

The Ascension

24So Princess Twilight was crowned Ruler of Equestria, and Princesses Celestia and Luna relinquished their duties to her. 2Then the princesses were princesses no more, and they left Canterlot and retired to Silver Shoals. 3And from that day forward, Friendship reigned throughout the land of Equestria.

4Equestria faced further perils, even under the guiding hoof of Princess Twilight, and will continue to face even more. 5But each one of these perils will be conquered, as long as Friendship resides within Equestria. 6For there is no magic stronger than the magic of Friendship!

Epilogue

An earsplitting cry filled the room the second Paisley reached the end of the book. Closing it and putting it aside, he saw that his friend Argyle was struggling to raise himself to check on Sunny. “Argyle, wait,” Paisley told him. “You keep resting. I’ll take care of Sunny.”

Paisley was pleased to see his friend heed his advice with no objection. “Thank you, Paisley,” Argyle murmured as he laid back down on the couch. As Paisley trotted over to Sunny’s crib, he kept one eye focused on Argyle. He definitely looked better, Paisley thought: a bit more rested, and finally showing a hint of a smile. A drastic change from the morose pony that had greeted him earlier.

Paisley reached into the crib and picked up Sunny in his forehoof. Her crying died down, and she looked up at the kind expression of the pony carrying her. “Try telling her a story,” Argyle called softly from his place on the couch. “She likes that.”

“A story? I think I can handle that.” Paisley began to gently rock Sunny back and forth as he crooned gently to her: “Once upon a time, many, many moons ago, in ancient Equestria, there lived a very special unicorn…”