Twilight’s ears twitched as they detected a knock on the door. Excitement coursed through her as she leapt out of her seat and trotted over to the door. Please be here, she thought to herself as she grabbed the handle with her magic, her wings shaking with excitement. Please be here. She opened the door and was greeted by a familiar mare on the other side, much to her delight.
“Oh, hello Twilight,” said the wall-eyed mare with a smile.
“Hello Derpy,” Twilight replied, barely able to keep the excitement out of her voice. “You got something for me?”
The Pegasus nodded and then pulled a small paper-wrapped item out of her saddle bag. “This is for you.” Twilight instantly recognized what it was. My book, she thought, her grin threatening to break her muzzle in two. It’s finally here. She then let out a squeal of delight, quickly snatching the book from the startled mailmare and performing victory dance on her hooves.
Twilight then froze in embarrassment, remembering she had company. “Eh heh,” she said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. “Sorry about that.” She then levitated a stack of bits over to Derpy, whose misaligned eyes widened at the sight.
“T-Twilight,” she said, pushing the coins away with a wing. “I-I can’t take this.”
“Of course you can,” Twilight said as tucked the money into Derpy’s saddle bag with her magic. “Consider it a gift.” Derpy hesitated for a moment, before suddenly tackling Twilight into a hug.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She then released Twilight, giving the mare a chance to catch her breath. “I am going to eat all the muffins tonight!” Derpy said, before flying back out the door.
Twilight smiled as she watched her leave, before turning her attention back to her book. She couldn’t help letting out a little giggle. Twilight had always loved reading ever since she was a foal, but since becoming a princess she had found herself lacking the time to read as much as she wanted. Now, after weeks of waiting, she was finally going to read a new book again.
Twilight let out another giggle as she spun around a little happy dance. She quickly composed herself, however. She had work to do. At once she began composing a mental checklist of the things she would need for reading. First, she would need material for taking notes, she thought. Twilight knew she had plenty of ink and parchments, but she could remember that Spike mentioned they were running out of quills again. Maybe a quick trip to Quills and Sofas might be in order…
A knock on the door derailed Twilight’s trail of thought. She froze, realizing that she had started pacing in circles again. Twilight chided herself, knowing that she had told Spike she would stop doing that. Wouldn’t want to wear a groove into the floor, he would say.
A second knock sounded, much louder and more urgent than the first. Twilight opened the door with her magic, expecting that Derpy had forgotten something. Instead, she was greeted by the sight of a very frazzled-looking Fluttershy.
“Twilight!” The canary mare said. “Oh, thank goodness you’re home! Um, if you don’t mind me saying so, that is.”
“Fluttershy? What’s wrong?”
“The chickens,” Fluttershy said. “They're all gone!” Twilight winced, taking a step back from the shout. Well, a shout by Futtershy’s standards. ” I-I don’t know what happened. Th-they were all there this morning. B-but, when I went to check on them they were all gone! I-I looked everywhere. I-I don’t know what to do! Miss Breaky’s wing still hasn’t completely healed, a-and Mr. Peckings needs his medicine, a-nd… a-and…”
“Woah,” Twilight said, recognizing an anxiety attack when she saw one. She gently placed a hoof on her withers. “It’s alright. It shouldn’t be too hard for me to track them down with my magic.”
“Y-you… you could do that?”
“Of course,” Twilight said, gesturing to her horn. “Sounds like you need a tracking spell. It should be too hard to cas-EEP!”
Twilight was cut off by the Pegasus tracking her into a hug. “Oh Twilight, thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Of course,” Twilight said, prying Fluttershy off before giving her a smile. “What are friends for?”
Spike carefully climbed up the ladder, doing his best not to drop the heavy book he was carrying. He turned to Twilight, who was flying besides him, check-list in hoof. “Hmm, let’s see,” she said, scanning her list as Spike strained under the book's weight. “It’s gotta be her somewhere…” she muttered to herself.
Suddenly Spike lost his footing, swinging around frantically for a moment before finally regaining his balance. “Um… Twilight?” Spike said as he felt himself begin to slide again. He tried to get a better grip on the latter, but that caused the book to slip through his arms.
“Uh ha!” Twilight said triumphantly as she grabbed the book in her aura, much to Spike's relief. “Found it! Zygodactylous birds of Southern Equestria,” she said as she slid it into its spot on the bookshelf. Spike scampered down the latter, taking a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow once he was back on solid ground.
“Zygo-what now?”
“Zygodactylous. It's a taxonomic term that means to have two toes that point forward and two toes pointing backwards.”
Spike frowned in thought. Curious, he lifted his foot and inspected it closely. “Huh,” he said. “Whatever. I’ll be off reading some Power Ponies if you need me.”
A goofy grin appeared on Twilight’s muzzle as she looked over the newly reorganized bookshelves. She was too ecstatic to care about the puzzled and slightly worried look Spike gave her. Finding Fluttershy’s chickens had taken much longer than she thought it would. She was glad to have helped her friend, of course, but by the time she had returned to Friendship Castle she was too exhausted to do anything other than go straight to bed. The next few days hadn’t proved fruitful either, as her schedule didn’t allow her enough free time.
But that was in the past. Now Twilight was finally going to start her book.
Twilight forced herself to walk, not trot, back to her bedroom, feeling the familiar high of starting a new book. Once inside she sat down at her writing desk, carefully setting some documents aside. After a brief pause she decided to place her quills and ink away for the time being. She was already behind on her reading schedule, she reasoned, so it made sense to skip notes for the first few chapters.
Eagerly she opened the book, quickly skimming the title and dedication page before turning to the first paragraph proper. She smiled, taking a second to admire the beautiful mosaic of black text on white paper before actually reading it.
Once, there was a -
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. “Hey, Twilight,” Spike’s voice called. Puzzled, she opened the door.
“Spike, what is it?”
Twilight then noticed the letter clutched in her assistant's claws. “It’s from the Princess,” he said nonchalantly. “She says she needs to know if you’re available right now. Something about a magic rock.”
“Huh,” was all Twilight said. That was an odd request. Normally Celestia would be pretty upfront if she needed something. And now that she thought about it, it was an odd time for Celestia to be writing to her.
“What should we tell her?” Spike asked. For a second, Twilight wondered if she could simply pretend that she hadn’t received the letter, at least until after she had read the first chapter. The thought was dismissed as soon as it appeared. How could she even think that? Aside from the potentially grave consequences of ignoring a message from the ruler of Equestria, Celestia was one of the first friends Twilight had ever had. She was ashamed of herself for even considering it.
“We’ll tell her I’m available right now,” she said to Spike. “I’m sure whatever she wants won’t take too long.”
“TWILIGHT!”
Exercise had never been Twilight’s strong suit. She knew that much was true. Even back when she was a foal, she had always preferred to read her books instead of going out to play. Of course, once she moved to Ponyville and became more outgoing she started becoming more active. She even managed to come in fifth place during her first running of the leaves. But she could never hope to match the natural athleticism of Applejack or Rainbow.
Especially when it came to flying.
Twilight groaned from the effort of trying to carry both Fluttershy and Rarity as she flew. She was lagging behind Rainbow Dash, who was in turn carrying Applejack. And beside them was Pinkie Pie, happily skipping along as if there wasn’t an advancing wall of flames behind them.
“TWILIGHT, DUCK!” Rarity shouted. Or maybe it was Fluttershy. She didn’t really have time to think it over as she dodged a falling boulder.
Truth be told, Twilight supposed that she was an average flyer. Sure, she had some trouble when she first got her wings, but after some practice she could more or less keep up with Rainbow when she wanted to go flying together. Now, if the mare were to challenge her to a race, on the other hoof, Twilight would probably lose. Which she did quite often, as a matter of fact. Not that it really bothered her, of course. She had learned that all of her friends had their little quirks, and Rainbow’s was that she would sometimes get a little competitive. Twilight found it rather endearing, for the most part at least.
Speaking of the prismatic flyer, Twilight noticed a large pillar of stone about to fall directly onto her and Applejack. Twilight quickly fired a blast of raw magic from her horn, shattering the pillar into pieces. Unfortunately, this resulted in a large cloud of dust blocking her vision. Twilight coughed and sputtered. She fought the instinct to wipe the dirt and sweat from her face, as doing so would risk dropping the ponies she was carrying. She groaned, feeling the heat from the fires on her backside. They were so close now, almost touching…
However, just as Twilight was trying to remember if she had updated her will (she was leaving the Castle to Spike), a ray of sunlight shone directly in her face. She realized she was at the mouth of the cave. Once outside Twilight entered a nose drive, the flames erupting barely a second or two later. Just before slamming into the ravine below Twilight pulled up, hovering for a moment before landing.
Once on the ground, strength simultaneously abandoned the three ponies, who collapsed into a pile. “I… I never,” Rarity began, her speech interrupted by a particularly unladylike cough. “I’d never thought I’d say this… but thank Celestia we landed in dirt.”
Twilight gave a weak nod in agreement, before slowly climbing onto her hooves. She spotted Rainbow Dash slowly coming in for a landing, still carrying Applejack bridal style.
“Wait,” Twilight said as they landed, a sense of dread slowly growing in her. “Where is…”
“Here I am!” a familiar effervescent voice said. Its owner bounced into view, looking no worse for wear despite the layer of dirt and grime covering her. “He he, that was fun!” she said, before gasping dramatically. “Ooo, can we go again?”
“Pinkie,” Rainbow said, her voice laced with exhaustion. “I think that’s enough excitement for one day.”
“Aw.” Pinkie pouted for a moment, before grinning again. “Oh well. At least I get to tell Maud about the rock we found.”
“Starswirl’s stone!” Twilight shouted. “Applejack do y-”
“Yep,” Applejack said, revealing that she was still carrying the object in question. Twilight immediately snatched it with her magic, relief washing over her as she inspected the object that, per the Princess’ orders, they had spent the last three days scouring various caves in the Everfree to find. At last, they had found it. Now they can finally head back to Ponyville, and Twilight could finally -
“Uh, Sugar cube,” Applejack said bashfully, rubbing her cannon against her foreleg. “Ah’m… Ah’m not sure I grabbed the right stone.”
“W-wah?” Twilight said. “But you said-”
“Ah said Ah grabbed a stone. There were a lot of ‘em, and we were kinda in a hurry, so…”
“Hmm,” Pinkie added. She then reached into her mane, pulling out a magnifying glass and a deerstalker hat which she placed on her head. “I don’t know,” she continued as she inspected the stone. “Doesn’t seem very magical to me.”
Twilight’s mind reeled, frantically searching for a solution as she felt her anxiety grip her. She forced herself to take a deep breath and exhale through her nose. “Okay,” Twilight said. “Okay. If we want to test the stone to make sure it is authentic, we would need to send it to a lab in Canterlot, which would probably take a few weeks… so that’s not really an option.”
“So what’s plan B then?” Rainbow asked.
“We wait for the flames to die down, and go back into the cave.”
The six then turned their heads to the cave above them, still glowing red with fire.
“Well, I guess we’ll wait then,” Rarity added.
Pinkie then removed her deerstalker to reach into her mane and pull out a game board. “Good thing I brought Ludo!” she sang.
Twilight closed the door shut behind her, waiting a moment to hear it lock shut. With a flash of her horn newly installed blackout curtains drew close over her windows. At the same time, several candles strategically placed around her bedroom lit up, ensuring that there will still be ample light. Twilight then began to use her magic to scan her castle, making sure everything was in place for the evening. First she checked to make sure that she was alone. She knew that Spike, the only other permanent residence of the Friendship Castle, was away for the evening, having a sleepover with the Cutie Mark Crusaders over at Rarity’s.
The results showed that she was alone. Perfect. Twilight knew she didn’t need to worry about any letters this time. Most of Equestria’s government had gone on their annual vacations due to the season, meaning that the Princesses had very little that they would need to discuss. Likewise, since it was midweek her friends were likely being kept occupied by their work.
Twilight smiled as she sat down at her writing desk. Earlier that day she had emptied its drawers, removing any documents that she might read if her mind starts to wander. For a similar reason she had also temporarily relocated her personal library to the hallway, lest she be tempted to reread or reorganize any of her books. Finally, beside her she had a couple of daisy sandwiches on a plate and a glass of water. Twilight now had zero reason to leave her room for at least the next few hours.
She did want to waste a moment. Twilight grabbed the book and immediately flicked it open. She quickly skimmed the title and dedication pages, before turning to the first chapter. A sense of giddiness nearly overtook her once she realized that she was finally doing it. She was finally reading again. At long last she was-
Twilight froze. Her ears stood straight up, twitching as they searched for that sound again. She shook her head. It was probably nothing. She resumed her task at hoof, her focus shifting back to her book.
There it was again. It was much louder this time. And it was definitely a scream. Okay. A random pony screaming is unusual, but not necessarily a cause for alarm. True, Ponyville tended to be a magnet for all sorts of oddities, but most turned out to be benevolent. It was probably just the Cutie-Mark Crusaders playing around, or one of Rainbow's pranks, or another one of Pinkie's surprise parties. Nothing to worry about.
Then it happened. Twilight didn’t just hear the explosion. She felt it too. She felt it in her hooves as her home shook hard enough that the glass on her desk toppled over. She felt it in her wings as they instinctively spread out in an awkward attempt to keep her balance. She felt it in her teeth as they rattled around inside her jaw from the impact.
Twilight frantically darted her head around once the castle had stopped shaking, making sure nothing was seriously damaged. Once she was sure she teleported herself outside, recoiling in horror at the sight she saw.
Ponyville was in utter chaos. Ponies were frantic, running in the streets in random directions. Many of the buildings had their windows either boarded up or smashed in. Most troubling of all, however, were the multiple fires off in the distance, their flames reaching worrying heights in spite of the pegasi frantically trying to put them out.
For a moment, Twilight felt the familiar sensation of anxiety threatening to overtake her. She forced herself to take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Now was not the time to be afraid. She needed a plan.
First, she needed to assess the situation. She teleported in front of the pony running closest to her, causing the mare to stumble and land on her haunches. “Roseluck,” she said, leaning over her. “I need you to tell me what's going on.”
“GAH!” Roseluck shrieked as she backed away from Twilight. “W-we need to get away! It’s coming! IT’S COMING!”
“Twilight!” Suddenly a very haggard looking Applejack appeared next to her. “Oh thank Celestia you're still okay.”
“Applejack, what’s going on!”
“Twi, it’s the apples!”
Twilight blinked. “You mean your family?”
“No! The apples in the orchard! They’ve turned against us!”
Beside them Roseluck let out a little whimper of fear. Then she curled up into the fetal position, gently rocking herself back and forth. Twilight’s eyelid began to twitch. “Applejack,” she said slowly, forcing her voice into a clam, even tone. “Please tell me you are not serious.”
“‘Friad not, Sugarcube,' ' Applejack said mournfully, before falling onto her haunches and burying her head in her hooves. “Oh Celestia! Granny warned us this would happen one day. But we didn’t listen!” Applejack then began to sob. “W-we didn’t listen…”
“The horror,” Roseluck added. “The horror. The horror…”
“TWILIGHT!” Twilight recognized the voice as belonging to Rainbow Dash and turned around. Behind her stood a horrifically ugly creature about the size of a house. Its mismatched, beady eyes gazed with hunger at the ponies above a gaping mouth filled with many rows of sharp teeth. Its jaws parted, unleashing a hideous roar and a foul smell. It stepped closer, allowing Twilight to get a better look at its lumpy flesh, seeing that its body was actually composed of…
“Oh Celestia, you have got to be kidding me.”
Suddenly, Rainbow tackled Twilight. Not a moment too soon, as a gnarled claw slammed into the ground where she was standing a fraction of a second ago. The oversized apple raised its claw again, but this time Rainbow was able to counter it with a quick buck to it’s jaw. The malevolent fruit stumbled backwards, dazed by the injury.
Without warning Rainbow hoisted Twilight into the air. In her haze Twilight noticed Applejack running beside them, carrying Roseluck on her back. Eventually they reached Ponyville’s fountain, where Rainbow set Twilight down. Applejack skidded to a halt before kneeling down so Roseluck could climb off.
Applejack then placed her hoof on Roseluck’s shoulder. “Listen to me,” she said. “Ya need ta find everypony you can and tell them to evacuate. This is a code red, ya got that?”
Roseluck meekly nodded her head, taking off running the moment Applejack released her hoof. “We gotta keep moving,” Applejack said. “Somthin’ tells me that thing will be a might bit angry when it wakes up.”
A roar sounded in the distance. “I think you’re right,” Rainbow added with a worried gulp.
“Twilight, you get the rest of the elements. Rainbow and Ah will hold ‘em off for you.”
Another roar, this time much closer. “Come on!” Rainbow Dash said. She leapt into the air again, Applejack close behind her. “Hey freak!” Twilight heard her call,” You messed with the wrong Ponies!”
Twilight sighed, rubbing the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof. She was really getting too old for this.
“Look, Miss Dash, I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to lie still,” Nurse Redheart said.
“Oh, come on,” her patient said, refusing to cooperate. “I told you, my leg is fine,” Rainbow lied, trying to hide her still bleeding limb as she eyed the syringe the mare was holding.
“You lacerated your leg when it bit you,” Redheart replied. “You need some sutures, and I am going to have to give you something for the pain first.” Redheart then took a step towards Rainbow, who immediately flew into the corner.
“L-look, it’s not that I-I’m scared of a little- Woah!” Rainbow shrieked and darted into the other corner after Redheart brought the needle back into view. “It’s just… I… am really allergic? Yeah, allergic! To, uh, pointy stuff. So, it’s probably not a good idea to… you know…”
Rainbow trailed off as Twilight watched the scene in front of her unfold. Unbeknownst to Rainbow, Applejack, who was standing behind her, exchanged a nod with Redheart. Suddenly Applejack tackled Rainbow Dash, who continued to kick and trash as she was pinned onto the ground.
“GET OFF ME,” she shrieked after a tirade of curses. “I thought you were my friend! You stupid little-”
“Alright, it’s done,” Redheart said.
Rainbow ceased struggling, instead opting to stare at the nurse. “Wah?” was all she could muster.
“I gave you the shot,” Redheart said dryly. “The area should be numb soon. After that I’ll clean and sitch up the wound.”
“Oh,” Rainbow said. “I mean, pffft. Whatever. I was just messing with you earlier.”
Redheart finished dressing Rainbow’s injury without a fuss. Afterwards the three headed out of the clinic to be greeted by an entourage consisting of their friends and a particular creature whose body consisted of apples, the latter of which cuased Rainbow to scowl.
“Now Rainbow,” Fluttershy said. “Franklin and I have talked it over. He says he understands that it’s wrong to take his anger out on other creatures, and that he’s especially sorry for biting your leg. Isn’t that right, Franklin?”
The creature nodded, before bowing down into a more submissive pose.
“So,” Fluttershy continued. “Are we good here?” The creature slowly lifted its head, giving Rainbow what could only be described as a pleading look.
Rainbow smiled softly. “Yeah,” she said, gently patting Franklin on the shoulder. “We’re cool.”
Franklin’s face did something that resembled a smile. He then happily climbed onto his feet and trotted off, the earth shaking in his wake.
“There’s something you don’t see every day,” Rarity said to herself. “And what about you, darling? Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Rainbow said, holding out a leg so the others could inspect her wound.
“Tut, tut, that thing sure did a number on ya,” Applejack said.
“You think it’ll leave a scar?” Pinkie asked Applejack.
“Ah’m ‘fraid so.”
“Yes!” Rainbow said. “It’s gonna look so awesome!”
Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy all simultaneously groaned. Pinkie Pie, however, was ecstatic. “Oh. My. Gosh,” she said. “First I was thinking I have gotta throw a ‘Congrats on your recovery!’ party, but now I get to throw a scar party!”
“Sounds awesome, Pinks,” Rainbow said. “Just, um, maybe this time we should skip the cider…”
“Actually, you guys go ahead. I think I’m gonna head back home,” Twilight said.
Pinkie frowned. “Oh. You sure?”
“Yeah. I’m just… really tired.”
“Okay,” Pinkie said quietly. “Okie loki doki, I guess.”
Twilight turned around, beginning the walk back to her castle.
“Um, Twilight? Are you okay? I-If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”
It took Twilight a moment to register that Fluttershy was speaking to her. Once she did she stopped mid-step, turning around to see the worried look on the Pegasus’s face. Actually, that wasn’t right. All of her friends had a worried look.
“I-I’m fine,” Twilight said, forcing her lips into a smile. “Really.”
“You sure? You seemed a little… quiet today. I-if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“Yeah. Now that ya mention it, you’ve been acting like something’s eatin’ ya the few days,” Applejack added.
“Girls, I’m fine,” she said. “Honest.”
For a moment her friends stared at her. “Well, alright then. Have a goodnight, Sugar cube,” Applejack said.
“Goodnight girls,” Twilight said weakly, giving her friends a wave. She watched for a moment as the door slowly clicked shut. She then turned around, starting the long trek back home.
“You think we should wake her?”
“Something tells me she won’t appreciate that, Darling.”
“Mmm,” Twilight groaned as she buried her face into her pillow. “Spike, five more minutes…”
“See? A lady needs her rest.”
“But the longer she sleeps the shorter her vacation will be!”
“Vacation?” Twilight grumbled. Slowly, she opened her eyes, the image of a pink pony leaning over her solidifying as she did.
“SURPRISE!” Pinkie shouted as a barrage of confetti rained down. Twilight screamed, instinctively teleporting herself away from the danger. She reappeared a few feet away from her bed, falling onto her butt with an undignified squawk.
“Pinkie!” Applejack hissed. “What did Ah say ‘bout personal space?”
“I… wah?” Twilight stammered. She blinked, realizing that her friends were all gathered around in her bedroom. “V-vacation?”
“See! I knew she’d love it!” Pinkie said, ignoring the look Applejack was giving her. Twilight blinked, still trying to make sense of what was going on. Pinkie gasped.
“Oh my gosh, no pony told Twilight about her vacation yet!” Suddenly Pinkie darted forward, swinging a hoof around Twilight’s withers.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I had the idea last night, when you left early and everypony was like ‘Why’s Twillight been all frowny frowny tonight?’ Something must really be bothering her. She didn’t even want to stay for dessert. I mean, she didn’t want dessert. What pony would say now to dessert!? Well, maybe a pony who’s trying to lose weight. But Twilight would have told us if she was on a diet. But she doesn’t need to! Sure she used to be a little pudgy when we first met…”
“Hey!”
“... but even since that whole Alicorn-wing thingy she’s been super skinny,” Pinkie continued, releasing Twilight. “And a whole lot taller! Didn’t the Princess say she's gonna slowly grow until she’s full sized? Maybe she’s gonna keep growing forever? Like Gummy? Ooo, does that mean that Alicorns are actually reptiles? Wait, that means the Princesses are also reptiles! Oh no, is Equestria secretly run by an evil cabal of lizard ponies-”
A cyan hoof suddenly covered Pinkie’s muzzle, cutting her off. “What she meant to say,” Rainbow Dash added. “Was that we have decided you need to take a day off. So we’d figure we’ll do all your chores and stuff while you relax.” She then removed her hoof from Pinkie’s muzzle, who in turn smiled brightly.
“A-a day off?” Twilight stammered. “I mean, I’m flattered but I actually do have work that I need to get done…”
“Already thought of it,” Spike said. “We could handle most of the chores, and I could guide them through most of the paperwork. If there’s anything we can’t figure out or too important we’ll just set it aside for when you get back.”
Twilight thought it over, trying to find some flaw in Spike’s plan. “But I-”
“Nonsense, Darling,” Rarity said. “You've been working hard these last few weeks, Twilight, and yet you’ve always been ready to help us whenever we need it. Consider it us returning the favor.”
“I agree with Rarity, um, if she doesn’t mind, that is,” Fluttershy added. “If anypony deserves a day off, it’s you, Twilight.”
Twilight hesitated for a moment before smiling. “Thanks guys.”
“No problem, Twi,” Applejack said, tipping her hat. “Now c’mon. Let’s get some breakfast.”
Twilight closed her book and set it down with a sigh. She had finally done it. Thanks to her friends giving her the day off (something that she was definitely including in her next letter to Celestia), and after so much waiting, she had finally gotten the chance to read a new book.
“That was… awful.”
And it was. Truly awful. Possibly one of the worst books she had ever read. Twilight shrugged, and then teleported herself to her library, making a mental note that she needed to file it away later. For now, however, she needed to find something else to read.
“Hmm,” Twilight said, eying a particular book. “Zygodactylous birds.”
