Once upon a time, in a faraway land, ruled Queen Celestia the Majestic. She was blessed with six beautiful daughters, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Sunset Shimmer. On the day that she gave birth to her seventh child, another daughter named Twilight Sparkle, Queen Celestia hired a governess named Abacus Cinch to watch over her precious girls.
Little did the queen know that the governess harbored a dark secret. You see, Governess Cinch was really a witch, and she had grown bitter and resentful of her lost youth. She found the answer to her desire in a dark ritual that allowed her to steal the youth of a maiden with royal blood. Fortunately, none of the young princesses were of age yet, so Cinch reluctantly bided her time as their governess.
One day, Governess Cinch was watching over the six older princesses as they played. Their playing had grown lively and rambunctious, so much so that the governess grew angry with them.
With great rage, Governess Cinch cried, “May you all become birds and fly far, far from here.”
As soon as the words left her lips, the princesses suddenly transformed into six songbirds. Fluttershy became a delicate, yellow canary. Rarity transformed into an elegant, white finch. Applejack turned into a bright orange oriole. Rainbow Dash became a blue jay. Pinkie Pie turned into a pink-breasted robin, and Sunset Shimmer transformed into a fiery red cardinal. In their panic, the princesses turned songbirds flew out the open window and fled far, far away from the palace.
Governess Cinch stared at the window in shock, realizing that her careless words had cost her not only her chances of regaining her youth but her very life as well. Surely, the queen would not allow her to live if her actions were discovered.
Cinch ran to her room and quickly bundled up her belongings. However, before she fled the palace, she realized that she still had one chance left to perform her dark ritual, and that chance lay sleeping in the nursery. Quick as a cat, the governess took the youngest princess from her crib and stole away with her.
The queen was terribly distraught when she discovered that her dear daughters were missing. After a period of inconsolable grief, she assumed her duties and placed a reward for anyone who can return her daughters and hopefully bring Abacus Cinch to justice.
Years went by, and the queen still had yet to discover any sign of her daughters’ whereabouts. She was beginning to lose all hope of ever seeing them again. That all began to change one fateful day.
It began when Queen Celestia’s niece Princess Cadance traveled into the kingdom to pay the queen a visit. Accompanying her were her most loyal knight Shining Armor and Shining Armor’s squire Flash Sentry. The princess’s carriage had gotten stuck on the road, and Flash and Sir Shining were hard at work getting it unstuck.
With a mighty push, the knight and the squire were able to move the princess’s carriage from the hole in the road, but now, the carriage was tilted.
“It seems to be a bent axle, milady,” Shining Armor announced. “I’m afraid this carriage isn’t going anywhere until we can get a blacksmith to help us fix it.”
“Squire!” he called.
“Yes, my liege,” Flash replied.
“Ride into the town ahead and fetch a blacksmith,” Shining ordered.
“Of course, sir.”
Flash mounted his horse and rode ahead of his master and his princess. As he neared the town, he heard a rustling from the bushes near the road. The rustling was followed by the sound of distressed chirps. Flash stopped his horse and dismounted, following the rustling and the chirps. He searched the bushes and found a cardinal trapped in a snare.
“Poor thing,” Flash stated, taking pity on the little bird. He drew his knife to cut it loose, but when he reached for the cardinal, it pecked at his hand, warbling angrily.
“Ow! Easy, easy, I’m not going to hurt you,” Flash assured, attempting to free the bird a second time. This time, Flash cut the cardinal loose, and it landed on the ground.
The bird picked itself up and shook itself, holding out its wing at an odd angle.
“Oh my, that won’t do,” Flash said to the cardinal. “Wait right there.”
Flash turned to his horse and took out some bandages from his saddlebag. He broke off a small twig from the bush and splinted the cardinal’s bent wing.
“There you go,” he exclaimed, gently picking up the bird and tucking it into his tunic pocket. “You can stay with me until it heals.”
With that, he mounted his horse and resumed fetching the blacksmith.
Later that evening, after Princess Cadance and her party arrived at Queen Celestia’s palace, Flash made his way to his room in the servants’ quarters and took the cardinal out of his pocket. He set it into a little box and brought it some twigs and cloth scraps to make a nest with. As soon as it finished its nest, he offered the cardinal some bread to eat and some water to drink.
Flash spent a fortnight tending to the little bird before its wing fully healed, and as soon as the cardinal could fly again, Flash released it and thought nothing more of the incident. However, to Flash’s surprise and bewilderment, the cardinal returned the next morning and brought with it five other little songbirds, a canary, a finch, an oriole, a blue jay, and a robin.
“Why, hello there,” Flash greeted the cardinal as he tended to his and Sir Shining Armor’s horses. “Who are your friends?”
The cardinal, the canary, the finch, and the robin took hold of Flash’s sleeves and began pulling at him while the oriole and the blue jay flew circles around his horse’s head.
“You want me to get on my horse?” Flash questioned. The birds answered with a chorus of seemingly affirmative chirps. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t go for a ride right now. I have duties to attend to.”
The songbirds twittered in protest and prodded at him with their beaks until he relented.
“Alright, alright,” Flash cried before going to fetch his saddle and bridle. He prepared and mounted his horse, following the little birds deep into the forest.
Flash did not know where the birds were taking him or how long he had been riding for, but to his apprehension, he noticed the sky growing dark. No doubt his master and their princess were wondering where he had gone and why he had shirked the day’s duties. The birds led him to a large, open field with a circle of heather and alighted inside the circle. Before Flash could begin to wonder why the little birds led him there, the sun sank over the horizon, and the heather glowed. To Flash’s awe, the six songbirds transformed into six lovely maidens before his eyes.
“So, we have a visitor on this night I see. Would Your Highnesses care to introduce him to me?” a voice called. The voice belonged to a white-haired woman who had just entered the clearing. She wore a black-and-white- striped dress, gold hoop earrings, and gold bangles.
“Zecora,” the red-haired maiden greeted, running up to the mysterious woman. “At last, we finally found him.”
“What is going on?” Flash exclaimed.
“I am Zecora the enchantress, my good sir, and these are the lost princesses, Celestia’s daughters,” Zecora informed.
“Celestia’s daughters?” Flash repeated in shock. “As in Queen Celestia’s daughters?”
“That would be us,” the maiden with the blonde ponytail answered. “I’m Princess Applejack.”
“I’m Princess Fluttershy,” added the maid with straight pink hair.
“Princess Rarity,” announced the one with deep purple ringlets.
“The name’s Rainbow Dash,” declared the rainbow-haired maiden.
“Pinkie Pie,” chimed the girl with curly pink hair.
“And I’m Sunset Shimmer,” finished the redheaded girl.
“Your Majesties,” Flash greeted with a bow. He rose and asked, “But how is this possible?”
“Our old governess cursed us to turn into songbirds,” explained Fluttershy.
“We found Zecora, and she found a way for us to regain our true forms,” Rarity continued.
“But we can only keep them here in this clearing and only from sunset to sunrise,” added Applejack.
“Zecora told us that we have to break the curse to get our true forms back for good,” stated Rainbow Dash.
“But only our youngest sister will be able to break the curse,” finished Pinkie Pie.
“Your youngest sister?” Flash questioned.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Sunset explained. “She wasn’t with us when we were cursed, but our governess ran off with her, and we haven’t been able to find her. Zecora said to look for a worthy helper and that he would help us find her.”
“And you think I’m the worthy helper she told you about?” Flash replied incredulously. “Yeah, right. What makes me more worthy that anyone else you could have gotten?”
“In a time of great need and despair, the worthy helper will treat you with patience and care,” Zecora recited.
Combining those words with the events of the last fortnight, Flash suddenly understood why the princesses had chosen him.
“With all due respect Your Highnesses, I’m afraid you’re all mistaken,” Flash denied before acquiescing, “but if you believe I’m your best chance at finding your sister and breaking your curse, I will gladly offer my services.”
“Come with me, young squire,” Zecora motioned for Flash to follow her, “for my aid you will surely require.”
Flash followed Zecora to a hut. In the middle of the hut over a blazing fire stood a bubbling cauldron. Zecora snatched an assortment of herbs, liquids, and powders from the shelves on the walls and tossed them into the cauldron. The liquid inside spat and changed color with each ingredient she added. Her final addition was a single hair that she plucked from Flash’s head. The cauldron stopped bubbling, and the liquid inside became as still as glass.
Zecora peered into the cauldron and declared cryptically, “You will find the youngest princess in an ivory tower, bound there by her captor’s power. Stars with wings will lead you to their hiding place, marked by a path of lace. Free the princess before she comes of age, or the consequences will be quite grave.”
Flash blinked at Zecora in confusion, asking, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but am I supposed to know what any of that means?”
“The meaning eludes me as well I fear, but I trust that you will find a way to make my words clear.”
With that, Zecora opened the pouch that she wore on her waist and took out a little walnut.
“When you find the tower, open this,” she advised. “You will need it to rescue the young miss.”
“Thank you, Zecora. I won’t let you or the princesses down,” Flash promised. He ran out the hut to the clearing and mounted his horse. He was about to ride off when he stopped himself.
“Wait,” he called to the six princesses. “I don’t know what your sister looks like. How will I be able to tell who she is when I find her?”
To answer Flash’s question, Princess Sunset bared her right shoulder, revealing a sun-shaped birthmark.
“All of our mother’s daughters were born with this birthmark, including Twilight. As far as we know, we are the only ones who bear this mark,” Sunset explained. “If you find a girl with this mark on her right shoulder, she is most likely our sister.”
Flash nodded and bowed to the princesses before galloping away into the forest. After he had ridden a good distance, he slowed down and frowned as he contemplated his seemingly impossible task. Who had even heard of winged stars?
He walked his horse through the woods at a snail’s pace, wracking his mind to decipher Zecora’s enigmatic instructions. He was about to consider giving up and trying again in the morning when a twinkling glow caught his eye. Then, he spotted another and another and another until he could see a sizable cluster of small flickering lights. They were fireflies.
Flash chuckled to himself, remembering how he had mistaken them for tiny stars as a child. Suddenly, his eyes widened as his childhood memories unlocked the answer to the enchantress’s riddle.
“Excuse me, uh, fireflies,” Flash called. The fireflies seemed to respond to his voice. “Uh, could you lead me to the ivory tower where Princess Twilight is being kept?”
As if in answer to his request, the fireflies all began to fly off in one direction, shining brighter and flickering faster all the while. Flash rode after them beaming triumphantly.
Flash passed the rest of the night following the strange fireflies, but when morning came, the insects scattered, leaving Flash with no direction to follow. Rather than risk getting himself lost, Flash found a hollow tree to rest in and passed the day waiting for night to fall. After sundown, the fireflies returned and continued to lead him.
It was just before dawn when the fireflies stopped at a crossroad. The road divided into six paths, and contrary to Zecora’s words, none of them were made of lace. However, one path was covered in small, white flowers that bore a passing resemblance to lace. Flash chose to follow that path, reasoning that it was the one that most closely matched the description of the path he needed to follow. To his elation, it let him right up to a tall tower built completely out of ivory.
The tower was connected to a house with a door and a knocker. The only other way inside the tower was a single window at the top. Of course, Flash could have just walked up to the house and knocked on the door, but that could alert whoever was guarding Princess Twilight to his presence. Stealth and discretion would be off the essence in this situation, but how on earth was he supposed to get up to that window?
Then, Flash remembered the walnut Zecora gave him. He took the nut out of his pocket and opened it. From the walnut sprang a rope ladder that stretched itself from the ground all the way up to the tower window. Flash scanned his surroundings to check for guards. Finding none, he began to climb up the tower.
At the top of the ivory tower was a grand library with a small, sleeping area. In this library, surrounded by stacks of books, was a young maiden with straight, indigo hair made up into a bun. She had been contentedly reading when she saw some rope slither into her window. Considering that ropes do not normally creep into windows all by themselves, the girl deduced that the rope was magic.
The girl grabbed her thickest, heaviest book and hid herself among her many, many bookshelves, watching the window intently. What kind of a person would dare try to break into such a tall tower especially when he or she could have just come in through the front door? She gasped when a young man peeked his face into the room.
“Hello?” Flash called out cautiously. “Anybody here? Princess Twilight?”
Flash climbed into the room and reopened the magic walnut, causing the rope ladder to refold itself inside. He looked the room over up and down, his face contorting pensively. The room seemed much smaller from the outside. Then again, the princess was being held captive by a witch, and witches can perform magic. Furthermore, if this room is where Princess Twilight was being kept, it was furnished surprisingly comfortably for a prison.
Clutching at her book defensively, the maiden steeled her nerves and boldly confronted her intruder.
“Who are you and why are you here?” she demanded, holding the book in front of her like a shield.
“Excuse me, miss. Pardon my intrusion,” Flash replied, staring at the maiden. “My name is Flash Sentry. I’m a squire serving under Sir Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, and I’m on a quest.”
“A quest for what?” the maiden asked, keeping her guard up.
“I’m here to rescue someone from a…,” Flash trailed off as realization dawned on him. His eyes darted through the room, looking for anything he could use as a weapon. “You wouldn’t by any chance be witch, would you?”
“I’m not,” the maid answered, slowly lowering her book, “but my mother is.”
“Your mother?”
“Yes. She is not home right now, but I would advise leaving before she returns. She does not take kindly to intruders.”
“I realize that I never asked you for your name,” Flash changed the subject. “What is it?”
“Twilight Sparkle,” the maid answered.
Flash’s eyes widened at the sound of the name. However, there was only one way he can be sure the girl was who he thought she was.
“Forgive my forwardness, miss, but could you please bare your right shoulder for me?” he requested.
“Excuse me,” Twilight scoffed, offended.
“Please. I’m just looking for a very specific birthmark.”
Twilight’s eyes widened at the mention of a birthmark. She bared her right shoulder, revealing a sun-shaped birthmark that looked exactly like Princess Sunset’s.
“You mean like this one?” she asked.
“Yes!” Flash affirmed, trying to control his excitement. “That’s the one! Miss, you need to come with me right now.”
“What? Why?” Twilight cried, incredulously.
“When will your mother get back?” Flash asked, cautiously.
“Not for another hour. Why?”
“Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but the woman you are calling your mother isn’t your real mother. You’re the youngest daughter of Queen Celestia, and your older sisters have been put under a curse that only you can break.”
“Excuse me.”
“Your birthmark. I met someone else with one just like it. It was even on the same shoulder. She told me no one else but her sisters have marks like that one,” Flash pleaded. “Why would I lie to you about something like that?”
“B-but my mother says that I am truly her daughter and that we are common and that I have no brothers or sisters,” Twilight retorted. “Why should I believe you over her?”
Flash paused, trying to find a believable argument for his case. He looked around hoping his surroundings would inspire him to say something that could convince Twilight of his honesty.
His eyes lit up with realization, and he asked, “Does your mother allow you to leave this place?”
Twilight seemed quite taken aback by that question. She looked away from him with a distant expression on her face.
Then, she answered, “I don’t know. I’ve never been able to.”
“What do you mean?” Flash asked.
“I’ve tried to leave before,” Twilight explained, “but every time I did, I always felt something pushing me back, keeping me inside. I can’t even put my hand through the window. I asked Mother about it, but she thinks I’m being ridiculous. She told me that maybe the reason why I can’t leave is because deep down, I don’t really want to.”
At Twilight’s answer, Flash remembered Zecora’s words.
“Twilight, I think your mother cast a spell on you to keep you from leaving. I can prove it,” he declared. He opened his walnut, and the ladder sprang out, draping itself on the side of the tower. Flash then looked around the room for anything that Twilight would find valuable. He found a book on the nightstand with Twilight’s name embossed on it and grabbed it.
“Hey, that’s my diary!” Twilight protested, chasing him. “Give it back!”
Flash kept the book out of her reach, promising, “I give you my word as a squire that I will not read it.”
Then, he got on the rope ladder, holding the diary about three inches away from the window.
“How badly do you want this back?” he questioned her.
“Very!” Twilight yelled, annoyed.
“Then, just reach out and grab it. If your mother is right, then you should be able to. It’s easily within reach.”
Twilight rolled her eyes but tried to reach her hand out through the window. She gasped when she found that she couldn’t. She tried a second time and a third time, but each time, she could feel an invisible wall pushing against her hand.
Flash climbed back in the room, returned Twilight’s diary, and put the rope ladder back inside the walnut.
“Now, do you believe me?” he retorted bluntly.
“I don’t want to,” Twilight muttered fearfully, “but it’s the only explanation that makes sense. Why would she lie to me?”
“Well, according to the enchantress who helped your sisters, we have until you come of age to find out and get you out of here. When do you come of age?”
“In three days.”
“Okay, that’s a lot less time than I would have liked, but it’s better than no time at all. I’ll come back tomorrow when your mother isn’t home.”
“Wait,” Twilight cried before running out the room and down the tower. When she returned, she held out a bundle of food towards Flash. “This should last you the night. Do you have anywhere to stay?”
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll be able to find shelter nearby where your mother won’t find me,” Flash replied, taking the bundle from her. “Thank you.”
“Mother leaves the house just after breakfast and doesn’t return until it’s time for tea. We can search her room and her study tomorrow during that time.”
Flash nodded and once again unpacked the rope ladder from the magic walnut. Before leaving, he bowed to Twilight and kissed her hand. Then, he climbed down the rope ladder and hid himself and his horse in the thicket nearby.
The next day, Flash approached the ivory tower at around the agreed upon time. He managed to catch a glimpse of Cinch just as she was leaving. She had her graying fuchsia hair done in a tight bun and a severe, unsmiling face. She rode off in a carriage that magically pulled itself without a horse, completely oblivious to Flash’s presence.
Flash stepped out of his hiding place and once again produced the rope ladder out of the magic walnut. He climbed up to the library and met with Twilight before the two of them rushed to the main house and approached Cinch’s bedroom.
“Here it is,” Twilight noted. “Time to see what my mother is hiding.”
Flash nodded, opened the door, and stepped inside. Twilight tried to follow him but found herself being held back by an invisible force.
“Of course, she’d have a spell keeping me out of her room,” Twilight muttered. “Will you be alright searching on your own?”
“I will,” Flash affirmed.
“Be careful and try not to disturb anything too much.”
Flash searched through every inch of Cinch’s bedroom, taking care to replace everything the way he had found it. Despite the thoroughness of his search, Flash was unable to find anything useful or informative. Eventually, the only place Flash hadn’t looked through was Cinch’s closet.
Growing weary of his search, Flash half-heartedly opened the closet. To his surprise and delight, he found a large trunk inside. He dragged it out so that Twilight could also see it and opened it. Inside, he found a scroll and three items etched with Twilight’s name, a silk blanket, a silver hairbrush, and a jeweled rattle.
“If these don’t prove that you are a princess, then I don’t know what will,” Flash remarked, holding the items out to show Twilight.
“What’s in the scroll?” Twilight asked.
Flash unrolled the scroll and began to read it. His eyes grew wider, and his face grew paler with every word that he read.
“Uh, Twilight,” Flash stuttered. “When did you say you came of age again?”
“Two days from now. Why?” Twilight asked.
Flash handed Twilight the scroll for her to read. Her mouth went dry, and her stomach churned when she read through the contents of the scroll.
“It’s instructions for a ritual to regain lost youth,” Twilight uttered shakily, “and it calls for a maiden of 16 years with royal blood.”
“In other words, you,” Flash agreed.
“S-she raised me only to k-kill me?” Twilight could feel her knees shake from the horror of her discovery. Then, her legs gave out from under her.
“Twilight!” Flash cried, catching her before she could fall to the floor.
“I’m fine. I’m fine,” she insisted, using Flash’s shoulder to steady herself as she pulled herself back up to her feet.
“We need to find a way to break the spell that’s keeping you here before that witch has a chance to take your youth,” Flash declared, taking the scroll from Twilight and rerolling it.
“Her study,” Twilight replied. “She keeps all kind of books and writings on magic in there. If there’s a way to break the spell, it’s probably in one of those books.”
Flash nodded before replacing the scroll, the blanket, the hairbrush, and the rattle in the trunk and pushing the trunk back into the closet. Once Flash was sure everything in the bedroom was as he had found it, he and Twilight rushed to Cinch’s study. However, they discovered that Cinch had also placed a spell preventing Twilight from entering it.
At first, Flash attempted to search on his own, but being the slow reader that he was, progress occurred much slower than he and Twilight could afford. Thankfully, the books could still be taken out of the study even though Twilight couldn’t enter, so Flash would pass the books to Twilight for her to read. After Twilight finished reading, she would pass the book back to Flash who would pass her a new book and replace the old one where he found it. The search progressed much more quickly in this manner. Twilight managed to read through half the books in Cinch’s study before it was time for Flash to leave.
The next day, Flash and Twilight returned to the study and continued searching through the books. Twilight was in the middle of reading through her sixteenth book when she called for Flash.
“This is it,” she cried, showing Flash the page that she was reading. “This spell can bind someone to a location as long as the binder is in possession of three items belonging to the person being bound. It comes with a warning that if the person being bound regains possession of the three items, not only will he or she be freed from captivity but the items themselves will aid in the escape.”
“And you’re sure this is the spell Cinch cast on you?” Flash asked.
“I’m positive. Although, I’m not sure what Mother could have that could be keeping me here.”
Flash bit his lip and paced back and forth. He had a feeling that he knew what to look for; he just couldn’t remember what he knew. He thought back to everything that transpired in the last few days, meeting the lost princesses, following Zecora’s mysterious instructions, searching Cinch’s bedroom yesterday. Then, he remembered the trunk and the items inside.
“I know what she’s using to keep you here,” Flash cheered. He ran to Cinch’s room and retrieved the silk blanket, the silver hairbrush, and the jeweled rattle. “Think about it. Why would she hold onto these if she wanted you to never know you were a princess? She could have destroyed them or, more practically, sold them for a decent sum, but she didn’t. Furthermore, she kept them in a room that she made sure you couldn’t enter.”
“Well, only one way to know if we’re right,” Twilight declared, taking the items from Flash. She opened the nearest window and put her hand through the window. To her delight, her hand went through easily, and nothing pushed her back.
“It worked!” she cheered. “We did it!”
“Let’s get you out of here,” Flash agreed.
Twilight quickly packed a bundle of food, clothes, and other essentials before walking out the front door with Flash. Flash led her to his horse and hoisted her onto the saddle. Then, he mounted the horse himself, and the two of them began to ride away. To their misfortune, however, Cinch had returned home early that day and ran into them on the road.
“Twilight?” she gasped. Flash flicked the reins, and his horse broke into a full gallop.
“Stop!” Cinch shouted, sending her magic carriage after them.
As Cinch began to catch up with the squire and the princess, Twilight remembered the warning in the spell book. She threw down the silver hairbrush, and from it sprang vines and weeds that tangled around the wheels of the carriage. The carriage came to a stop, forcing Cinch to chase them on foot.
For a while, Flash and Twilight were able to put a great distance between them and Cinch, but Flash’s horse began to tire, so they dismounted and searched for a hiding place in the woods. Finding no place to hide, Twilight tossed the silk blanket which enveloped them and transformed into a spacious tent that rendered them invisible. Cinch caught up with them but couldn’t see them. She spent the next hour shouting, raving, and spewing countless threats.
“I swear I will find you, Twilight Sparkle,” Cinch vowed, “no matter how long it takes.”
In a desperate effort to rid herself of her former captor, Twilight threw the jeweled rattle out of the tent. The rattle fell at Cinch’s feet, and snakes sprang out of where it landed. Cinch screamed and fled with the snakes chasing after her, and she was never heard from again.
Flash and Twilight passed the night inside the magic tent, and the next morning, they set off for the songbirds’ clearing. They reached their destination just in time to see the songbirds transform into princesses. Pinkie Pie was the first to notice Flash and Twilight’s arrival.
“They’re back,” she cheered. She and the others rushed to welcome their sister and wish her a happy birthday.
Despite having no recollection of them, Twilight felt an immediate bond with the cursed princesses and delighted in meeting them. Twilight’s sisters brought her to Zecora, eager to find out how their curse will be broken.
Zecora looked Twilight over and plucked a hair from Twilight’s head. Then, she tossed it into her cauldron along with an unknown mix of herbs, powders, and liquids.
When the cauldron stopped bubbling, she peered inside and stated, “If you want your sisters to be free, you must first find the sphinx where the sand meets the sea. Your sisters and your helper you may bring, but only you are allowed to speak with the sphinx.”
“Where the sand meets the sea,” Twilight repeated pensively. “Like a beach?”
“So, do we just ride off to the coast and search until we run into the sphinx?” Flash questioned. “Just getting to there will take a few days’ journey.”
“If that’s what we need to do to break this curse, then that’s what we’ll do,” Twilight declared. “We’ll leave at dawn.”
At dawn, Flash and Twilight packed their provisions and mounted Flash’s horse with the princesses turned songbirds perched on their heads and shoulders. They travelled for seven days before they reached the coast. Then, they searched along the coast for seven more days before they found the sphinx. Remembering Zecora’s instructions, Twilight approached the sphinx by herself while Flash hung back with her older sisters.
“H-hello?” Twilight greeted the sphinx. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m here because I was told you could break my sisters’ curse.”
“I am well aware of what you seek,” the sphinx answered with a growl. “To break your sisters’ curse, you must pluck six hairs from my mane, one for each sister, and tie them around their necks. Then and only then will they be able to regain their true forms.”
“Oh, that simple, okay,” Twilight sighed in relief. “Let me just—”
“Do I look like a fool to you?!” the sphinx bellowed, jerking away from Twilight’s outstretched hand. “Did you really think that I will allow you to pluck my mane just like that? No. If you want my hairs, you must earn them. I will ask you six riddles, and for each riddle you answer correctly, you may pluck one hair.”
“Oh, umm, alright. I suppose I can answer your riddles,” Twilight hesitantly agreed.
“First riddle, I am tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?”
Twilight bit her lip as she carefully thought through her answer.
“You’re a,” Twilight hesitated before her eyes lit up, “a candle!”
“Correct!” The sphinx bowed its head towards Twilight, allowing her to pluck a single hair from its mane. No sooner had it been plucked did the hair transmute into a glowing, gold thread.
“Your second riddle,” the sphinx continued, “I am where yesterday follows today and tomorrow is in the middle. What am I?”
“A dictionary!” Twilight cheered. Twilight plucked another hair from the sphinx’s mane, and that hair also transformed into a gold thread.
“I am a god, a planet, and I measure heat. What am I?”
“Mercury.”
“I am the beginning of everything, the end of everywhere. I’m the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space. What am I?”
“The letter E.”
“Always in you, sometimes on you; if I surround you, I can kill you. What am I?”
“Water.” Twilight had now collected five transmuted gold threads. She only needed to answer this last riddle correctly, and all her sisters would be free.
“I have lakes with no water, mountains with no stone, and cities with no buildings. What am I?”
Twilight took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. She searched her mind for the knowledge needed to correctly solve this riddle.
When she found her answer, she declared in a clear, confident voice, “A map.”
The sphinx allowed Twilight to pluck the last hair from her mane and departed, taking to the skies. Twilight returned to Flash and her sisters with the gold threads and tied them around her sisters’ necks. The threads began to glow before unleashing a blinding light. When the light died down and everyone could see clearly again, the cursed princesses had regained their true human forms. All seven princesses rejoiced, embracing one another in celebration.
The seven princesses and the squire took shelter at a nearby inn. Afterwards, Flash sent a messenger pigeon to Sir Shining Armor, briefly explaining his long absence and requesting a carriage. Ten days later, Sir Shining arrived at the inn with a carriage and six of the queen’s guards.
“Squire, I hope you can explain to me what was so important that you shirked your duties for over a fortnight,” the knight demanded.
“Forgive me, my liege. I was called away on a quest by these fair maidens that you see before you,” Flash replied. “Do you recognize them?”
Shining Armor looked the princesses over up and down and replied, “They seem to bear some resemblance to the lost princesses, but I’m afraid I will require further proof.”
The princesses shared a glance with one another. Then, one by one, from oldest to youngest, they showed Sir Shining the marks on their shoulders. The knight’s eyes widened in shock as he looked from his squire to the princesses and back again.
“You found them?” Shining Armor gasped, staring at Flash.
“Actually, my liege, they found me,” Flash corrected. “I swear on my honor, I will tell you everything that transpired while I was gone, but first, I believe Their Highnesses would like an audience with the queen as soon as possible. They’ve been away from home long enough.”
The seven princesses boarded the carriage and returned home to their mother, escorted by the knight, the squire, and the guards. Queen Celestia was overjoyed at being reunited with her daughters, kissing and embracing them all heartily. As a reward for his service, the queen and the princesses raised Flash to knighthood, and he served them and the kingdom so faithfully that over the years, they regarded him as a trusted friend. Flash became especially close to Princess Twilight, so close that the two began courting and eventually married, and all lived happily ever after.
Except for Cinch. She is still being chased by snakes.
Author's Note
Okay, so the main inspirations for this story are listed in the description. Elements of the story were also influenced by CartoonNerd12's The Royal Canterlot Family series, Disney's Tangled, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, and Sophocles's Oedipus Rex. I also looked up the riddles from the Reader's Digest website. Lastly, regarding Zecora's dialogue, I know some of the rhymes aren't exact, but that was the best I could come up with.
