And the Crown Goes Onby Joshua CrapoChaptersTeaser/Cold OpenAct 1Act 2Act 3Teaser/Cold OpenAfter that field trip with Aita and Chrysalis’ friendship mission, I’ve been slowly getting genuinely popular with my class at Happy Foals, which has since begun to live up to its name. And now, with a week and a half left before Hearth’s Warming, everyone’s excited for winter vacation, especially after the class party after lunch. The bell rings for dismissal twice, the first one more of a ten minute warning to faculty. But because of the party, we wrap up pretty quickly and Lily, Smoky and I are out by the second bell. “I gotta say, Cozy, those are some mean cookies,” Lily compliments. Smoky licks around his lips. “If it’s one thing I look forward to, it’s all that sugary sweetness that you cook up at home. Are you sure the process wasn’t daunting?” “Nah, I think big,” I reply, holding up my left hoof. “Why else would those field trips happen?” As I look at the two, they seem a bit worried. “Oopsie. Forgot those don’t happen anymore. So what’s your plans for winter vacation?” Lily is the first to explain her plans. “Well, momma’s takin’ my family to the hotel at Flim Flam Grande for the New Years. We wanna see the ball drop over there.” “I’m taking a vacation to the dragon lands to meet up with Sheriff Mangle. What are you gonna do, Cozy?” asks Smoky. “Gee, I guess you could say I’ll be visiting some friends in Ponyville. Remember the changeling with the plastic brick and the glowing pen?” Smoky and LIly nod. “I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing, but I would do anything to learn more about Aita and her friends.” “That sounds great, Cozy!” Lily exclaims. “You’re givin’ this whole friendship thing your all, aren’t ya?” “Mhm! It’s just like Aita said; giving you guys another chance allowed me to make friends in no time at all.” That night, I make it to Ponyville by train. And who else to meet me other than my younger best friend and her caretaker: the Princess of Friendship herself. Aita appears to have a saddlebag on while Twilight doesn’t. “Twilight! Aita!” “Cozy Glow!” Aita leaps forward and hugs me. “Are you staying for Hearth’s Warming?” “I sure am! Nopony could ever resist the opportunity to visit their friends during winter vacation!” Twilight comes around and wraps her wing around me. “That’s really nice of you, Cozy. And what a coincidence this is. Before we left to see you, I got this in the mail.” She levitates a flier out of the bag and shows it to me. Front and center on the flier, there is a crown made out of tin foil with Twilight’s cutie mark on it. But that looks like that’s all there is on the flier. “What’s that crown?” I ask. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” “Just come with us and we’ll show you,” answers Twilight. I nod as She and Aita then lead the way to the castle. What a way to kick off vacation: a surprise. Act 1“The Sibling what?” I exclaim, confused. In the castle throne room, Twilight and Aita are now joined by Spike and Starlight. There, Spike shows a scroll with a copy the picture of the crown Twilight showed me as the latter explains what the crown means. “The Sibling Supreme. When Shining Armor and I were small, we competed over everything. To keep it friendly, our parents gave us gold stars every time we did something special: sharing, getting good grades, even telling a really funny joke. And at the end of each week, we’d add up the stars. The sibling with the most would win the crown of the Sibling Supreme, and bragging rights ’til next time.” “Golly, that sounds like a lot of fun!” I happily shout. Aita nods. “I agree, Cozy, which is why we all invite you to participate.” “I’ve always wanted to be sibling supreme one day,” Spike says before reading the scroll. “Meet me at Celestia’s castle to decide who deserves the crown once and for all.” “Race ya there!” Twilight, Aita and Spike shout together, promptly taking off and leaving me alone with Starlight. She and I look at each other before I break the sudden silence. “So, should we gather their friends here?” “Absolutely, Cozy. Actually, let me make a list.” Twilight, Spike and I race to Canterlot Castle in order to meet Shining Armor. All three of us stop though when we see the crown on him already, Chrysalis, Celestia and Luna by his side. Twilight gasps. “You’re wearing it?!?” “Look, I know you’ve always held a grudge because I left home with this.” Shining Armor points to the crown. “Grudge?” Twilight scoffs. “What grudge? Just because you’ve had it for WAY longer than you should have and I never got a chance to win it back.” Celestia approaches the three of us. “With the return of Stellar Flare; Princess Luna, Queen Chrysalis and I felt it was time to reinforce the castle’s defenses.” “I said we could do it ourselves,” moans Luna. “but some ponies are… a bit stubborn.” “So the latter two of us asked the old captain of the guard to handle the job,” Celestia finishes. “I’ve taken the security here to a whole new level,” Shining explains as he rests a hoof on Twilight’s chest. “The only thing I need now is somepony to test it.” Twilight quickly gasps, realizing what this means. “You want me to break into Celestia’s castle?” Shining takes the crown off with his magic and puts it on Celestia’s throne. “If you can get past my defenses, steal the crown, and get out, you’ll be Sibling Supreme FOREVER.” With Twilight in awe at Shining’s prospect, I impulsively sniff the air before I see Chrysalis raise her hoof to me, causing me to blush. “Not in front of your loved ones, Aita.” “But if you fail,” Shining continues. “I keep the crown.” Twilight shakes his hoof with her own. “Deal! Wait, are you sure this counts? Mom and Dad aren’t giving us any stars.” “Celestia and I will represent their authority. And thanks for your help, Twilight. You lay the groundwork for the improvement of the princesses’ security.” Luna nickers at Chrysalis joining in on Celestia’s deference. “But you won’t,” Shining replies. “I’ve designed a multitiered, impenetrable, triple backed up line of defense. “With her say, the castle is surrounded by shards of Queen Chrysalis’ old throne. Thanks to her, its anti-magic powers are now tuned to stop any creature from using a spell to get inside. You can’t fly in either. Giant fans keep any creature from flying too close to the castle. Plus, the entrances to the tunnels below the castle have been sealed. So there’s no underground access. And even if you could get in - which you can’t, I’ve doubled the ranks of security. Ponies protect every hallway and door, which can only be opened with royal guard medals. “Even if you brought an army, the throne room is the safest spot in Equestria. I rigged a trap to activate at the slightest touch.” Shining Armor demonstrates the trap by softly touching the ledge, the floor flapping down and leading to a tunnel. “But say you avoid the floor. Still no luck, because I’ve employed nature’s alarm system.” Atop each of the pillars in the throne room, pairs of geese show themselves and start honking. “Geese?” I question. “You can hear their honks all the way in Ponyville.” Shining Armor removes his foreknee off the crown when a goose behind the crown honks and attempts to bite him. “Plus they bite.” Back home, Twilight refers to Shining Armor’s presentation to explain how her friends are going to break in. “So that’s what we’re up against.” Of course, because the throne room’s entirely occupied by Twilight, her friends and Spike, I take my leave back to the library, where the friends I’ve made over the past near two years here alongside Starlight are located. From left to right at the roundtable are: Trace Light, Sunset Shimmer, Lightning Dust, Firelight, and Cozy Glow. “Alright so… dark stone, power fans, bricks, guards, locks, a trap door and geese.” I list off every obstacle we’re up against. “I think I know how we might work around these measures. Cozy Glow, you can replicate the guard suit while also being our motivator. Lightning Dust, you can outfly the winds produced by the fans. Firelight, you can pose as a guard, and I’ll be the key to get into the throne room and will also charm the geese. Sunset Shimmer, you’re with Firelight; you’re one of Celestia’s old students. Trace Light, you can distract the guards. And Starlight, think you can detune the shards?” Everypony nods as I refer to each one of them. “Good, then just as a demonstration of my role…” I turn myself into a goose and honk just like one, flying close to the ceiling, then turn into the medal we need to get in the throne room before finally changing back. “Wow, you really have this figured out, don’t you Aita,” Sunset remarks, to which I nod. “Your confidence is impressive,” compliments Lightning Dust. “It’s almost matching my own. Ponies could learn a lot from you.” “That plan’s pretty elaborate,” Starlight admits. “How were you able to keep track?” I present her with a list I left on the mirror. “Oh, so Chrysalis helped you? Guess I wasn’t the only one taking after Twilight.” “Well, whether or not the plan came from you entirely, I’m behind it all the way, Aita!” declares Trace Light. “Cutie Mark Crusader Celestial Distractor!” “And the same goes for me,” Firelight announces. “I know we’ll all do our part.” Cozy Glow rubs her forehooves together in hype. “Ooh, I love a good motivating!” While Trace Light hides, I stay with her and study the front area of Canterlot Castle so that she has further directive than just distracting the guards. The rest of the group arrives behind me, prompting me to look at them. Only differences now are that Firelight is in the costume I made with Rarity, Starlight has her harmonics spell, and Lightning Dust is in her stuntpony suit. Firelight chuckles. “How do I look?” “That’s as close as you’re ever gonna get, Dad,” Starlight replies. “Now, anypony wanna proofread my spell before I use it?” Aita takes the scroll and starts studying it with her magic. “It might not be Cincinno Animi, but it might just get the job done.” “Whenever you’re ready, Firelight, Aita, we should head inside,” says Sunset, who Firelight and Aita nod at. The latter of the two then transforms into the guard medal the former needs to get in, who puts Aita at his chest. “You can maneuver around the fans, right Lightning Dust?” Lightning Dust scoffs as puts a pair of flight goggles on. “Fans? What fans? I only see spectators as those.” So the four of them - or five since Aita is currently the medal on Firelight’s suit - go their separate ways, except for Sunset, who stays with Firelight, leaving me with Trace Light. “So, how do they get in?” asks Trace Light, getting me to look at the guards again. They don’t seem to be doing anything right now. “How do we distract the guards?” “I don’t know, Trace Light. We’re just pegasus fillies. At least Aita can use her transformations to slip past. We have to be creative.” “That’s what I do when I’m having trouble with doing something I want to do, like getting my cutie mark.” I look at Trace Light’s flank from a distance, which is blank as she indicated. I take one last look, and see a mobile stage blocking a good portion of the view of the entrance. I throw my hooves in the air. “Great! A mobile stage! How am I supposed to distract the guards if I can’t see them to study?” “A stage? What if we did a talent show?” Looking back, the guards crowd around the stage, now with Applejack on with a guitar, as the pink curtain rolls to the side. Act 2After leaving Cozy Glow and Trace Light, I start my flight around the fans. One lap later, I see Spike and Fluttershy on a hot air balloon above the throne room balcony. As soon as they lift off though, the balloon starts zooming in the air randomly. Canterlot! We have a problem! I hear Pinkie scream. “Oh!” Fluttershy exclaims. “Lightning Dust! What brings you around?” I shake my head. “I see someone took from my old self a bit too much, and popped that balloon.” “I don’t know what you mean,” Spike nervously replies. “Pinkie Pie was just dropping us off. But you could join us if you’d like.” I flap my hoof down in declination. “Nah, not until Aita disables the alarm. But you two go for it.” Spike and Fluttershy fly up to the main stain glass window, the former clawing a hole at the center. Then they head inside. Not long after, the geese in the throne room start honking, and I can still hear the trap door at the throne over them. “Because adrenaline junkies NEVER mess with nature,” I state to myself, having learned from that tornado incident at the Wonderbolts Academy. As everyone else is busy trying to get into the castle, I am tasked with detuning Chrysalis’s old throne. I look around and see a long tuning fork near one of the sealed underground entrances. Striking it with my hoof seems to make my horn start up involuntarily as it gets closer, a very low and soft one hundred and eight hertz ringing from the fork. I strike the wall as the ring finishes fading, which just produces a clang. After the second strike, I hear hoofsteps approaching me, and a shadow blocking the sun that was previously shown onto me. “Starlight?” I look up and see a familiar friend, making me hug her. “Queen Chrysalis!” I exclaim. “Examining the shards I see?” I nod, prompting Chrysalis to take her crown off and transform it into a slightly smaller tuning fork. She then takes the fork in one hoof and strikes it with the other, ringing a slightly higher pitch of a hundred and twenty hertz. Her horn also starts up when the fork gets close. She then strikes the wall with it, producing the same muted clang. “I honestly did not expect you would be playing a part in getting the crown,” Chrysalis states, turning the fork back into her crown and putting it back on. “How may I assist?” “Aita has me detuning the shards so that I could join her later on. She even proofread the spell.” I show Chrysalis the spell I wrote while on the train to Canterlot, but she pushes the scroll down with her hoof. “Sorry to say, Starlight, but a spell isn’t what will detune magical artifacts. Pure physics have to do that. As we’ve seen, striking the wall mutes a fork due to the insulation provided by my old throne.” “So, was that how you tuned that? By changing its natural frequency?” “Well, it was already changed the moment it broke apart as my subjects applied harmonic resonance as a side effect. I changed it further simply by blending the shards into the walls of the castle.” Chrysalis examines the wall, takes her crown off again, and changes it into a much smaller tuning fork compared to before. She strikes the wall with the fork, causing it to ring at nine times the pitch it did before. When splitting from the rest of the group, Sunset and I head directly to the front entrance, my suit holding Aita, who is currently remaining in her guard medal form until we get to the throne room. With Aita entirely assuming this form, she is able to trip the detectors when I rest her over them. Getting close to the throne room, we hear Luna. Sister! ANOTHER false alarm from Shining Armor’s guard geese! “Just press onward, Firelight,” Sunset whispers. “They won’t assume anything if you stay blent in.” “Hello, Sunset Shimmer,” Luna greets as she passes by, never turning her head to face us directly. “Firelight.” At the entrance of the throne room, a guard is on post to keep any contents safe within. “Next shift. You’re on break,” I announce to him, prompting him to walk out. Once the coast is clear, Sunset and I take a close listen. The geese are honking like crazy, so it seems like they’re distracted with another intruder. “Score one. I sure hope my sugar-plum has as much success as we have,” I remark, putting Aita onto the badge detector to trip it. As soon as the door opens, I let Aita go as she transforms into a goose. She shoos us out of view of the real geese. ...and we will never stop the journey, not until we have our cutie marks! After “Apple Chord”’s performance, Trace Light thought it would a good idea if we both sung the Cutie Mark Crusader theme. Of course, with my cutie mark, I’m more willing to motivate my peers than any of them would’ve for me or Trace Light, so picking up the booby-trapped guitar Applejack left on stage, I wing-play as Trace Light sings and join her in the chorus. Once the performance is done, the guards clap their hooves and cheer, the latter of which devolves into hooting. Trace Light sighs though as she looks behind her. “Hey, what’s wrong?” I ask her. “Still nothing!” “But that’s okay, Trace Light. I know sometime you’ll get your cutie mark. Just think. When are you the happiest? I know I always feel the most satisfied when I rally somepony to take action.” Trace Light puts a wing under her chin. “Well, it sure felt good when we put on that show, like I felt I did my part in a group effort. I hadn’t felt that way since I helped finish that sandbox obstacle course for Lightning Dust with the rest of the CMC!” “So, wouldn’t you like to focus on that? Instead of looking for something you’re good at when you see something that already gives your life that kind of fulfillment?” “Y- you’re right, Cozy!” Trace Light exclaims, hugging me. “It doesn’t matter HOW long it takes for me to get my cutie mark! I liked going exploring with Carve and Uncle Rusty, I liked building the obstacle course, and I like participating in the Sibling Supreme!” “Yeah!” we both shout, hoof bumping each other. By this point the guards are talking, possibly debating if we should encore. But in the wake of that hoof bump, magic travels up Trace Light’s hoof that is making contact with me. That magic expands and envelopes her backside until a bright flash causes her to briefly pass out. This catches the guards’ attention as she glides back onto the stage. “Trace Light! Are you okay?” Shining Armor frantically asks, running up before stopping on a dime and gasping. “Whoa! Take a look, guys! You DON’T wanna miss this!” When Trace Light looks behind again, she sees this time a cutie mark with a heart under a bolt of lightning on the top left and a water droplet on the top right. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie zips up to us and drops her jaw while Trace Light is prancing in excitement. “Trace Light got her CUTIE MARK?!? Oh! So untimely, but I can’t resist!!!” Pinkie leaves for a second a hammerspaces a fresh hot air balloon that bursts with party materials. “It’s Cute-ceañera time!!!” “Maybe save that for Ponyville, Pinkie,” I reply. “But hold the party anyway! Trace Light and I have to go!” Pinkie’s cheeks squeak when they blush as Trace Light and I dash off in the distance to meet up with Firelight, Aita and Sunset Shimmer. Midway through detuning the shards, Chrysalis and I hear some music going on. Firstly with Applejack, then with who sound like Trace Light and Cozy Glow. “Who knew such young fillies could sing so well,” Chrysalis remarks before returning her concentration on the shards. That concentration doesn’t last long though as we see a flash coming from the same direction as the singing came. As the flash fades away, the guards gather around Cozy Glow and Trace Light on the stage, Pinkie Pie joining in not too long after. The two fillies stop her before she can throw a party and race off to us. “Cozy Glow!” Chrysalis takes Cozy’s embrace as Trace Light shows off something new to us. “Oh, it’s so good to see you!” “Oh wow! Trace Light! That’s a great cutie mark!” I compliment. “Thanks, but that doesn’t matter right now! The guards are distracted with Pinkie Pie!” replies Trace Light. I nod as Chrysalis wraps the three of us in her wings. “Good, then let Chrysalis take care of the rest of the trip. She’s been hard at work with the acoustics of her old throne.” And now, she teleports us out to the entrance to the throne room, signifying the detuning worked. After an agonizingly long time in the form of a royal guard medal, I finally get to move when I transform into a goose. The first thing I have to do is to shoo Sunset and Firelight away to relieve me of suspicion. I honk to get the geese’s attention. They all stop their chatter and turn to me. I wave my wings one at a time, gesturing them to come with me as well with a much smaller honk. So, leading them out, one of them diverts their attention away from me and to the crown. I head back into the room and put my beak atop my wings, tricking the personal crown guard into joining in, by thinking he’s getting preened. Just as soon as we all head out of the room, I look back with the illusion that I’m checking attendance when I really am passing Lightning Dust coming into the throne room from the window. Walking feels a bit weird at first, but I acclimate quite quickly and continue playing casually… that is until out of nowhere, Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, Starlight and Trace Light are inside. The geese start honking at them a ways into the hall and start charging at them. I raise my wings and honk once, commanding them to stop, then again saying that I know them, winking at them afterward. I continue by pulling off the same beak-on-wing gesture as if to taunt them about missing out on preening if they continue misbehaving. So they comply and move out of the ponies’ way. Suddenly, Lightning Dust appears the way the geese and I came from. This frightens the real geese, but I only play along, knowing full well they would do this when Lightning Dust entered. When she sidesteps, I switch modes and chase the geese back into the throne room. With the group gathered in the immediate hallway, only thing left is that Lightning Dust is the only one unsure if it’s just a goose or if it’s me. I let out a wink to give it away, prompting her to wipe her forehead with her wing. “Phew, it’s just you, Aita.” I nod then revert to my natural form. “Now THAT’S what I call teamwork!” Starlight exclaims. Firelight nods. “Sure right about that one, chipmunk cheeks.” Rarity arrives in the hallway, opening the farthest window for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to enter. As it turns out, she also has a guard suit, but unlike Firelight, she has a real medal on it to press on the detectors. As soon as the three enter, the geese start honking again. You’ve been glaring so hard, I hear Fluttershy remark after the door closes. Who wants a feather massage? As soon as she offers, the honking stops. “That would’ve been soooo soothing,” I say to myself, imagining what it would be like if I were a goose getting a feather massage. Chrysalis shushes me. “Now’s the time to focus.” Act 3When Applejack, Spike and I enter the throne room, Pinkie Pie is hanging from the ceiling in a piñata costume, and Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are massaging some of the geese. “I can’t believe this worked!” Rainbow Dash comments in pleasant shock. “I guess sometimes the best plan is the one you expect,” replies Spike, swinging his arms around. My eyes are currently set on the foil crown sitting on Celestia’s throne. “All I have to do now is fly over and take the crown, and I’ll be Sibling Supreme forever!” When I get ready to take off, Celestia, Luna and my brother all come around to reveal themselves in front of me. “Not exactly,” Shining Armor says. “OH COME ON!!!” I shout, flailing my forelegs before he approaches me. “Gotta admit, it was unexpected for you to do everything exactly how I thought you would. But you should know by now, there’s no way to beat the true Sibling Supreme!” gloats my brother. Celestia walks to me to Shining Armor’s left, speaking in an sympathetic tone. “I am sorry, Twilight. But it looks as though Shining Armor has truly won the crown.” During Celestia’s apology, the door opens unexpectedly to Aita and her friends. The medal she used to open the door is revealed to be Chrysalis. “That’s the thing about looks.” Everyone turns to Aita as she floats the crown that was previously on the throne atop her head. “They can be deceiving.” “AITA?!?” I exclaim as everyone, including the geese around us, is visibly shocked by the sight of Aita wearing the crown instead of me, Shining Armor, or even Spike. “How in Equestria did you do it?!?” Shining Armor asks, extending his foreleg. “As you can see, since Twilight DID say I was family on my first birthday in Equestria, I get to participate in the Sibling Supreme with my own set of friends,” Aita smugly starts to explain, flying up to all of us and pointing back to her friends. While Firelight, Lightning Dust, Trace Light, and Cozy Glow are innocuously smiling for Aita, Chrysalis is holding back laughter as Starlight appears to be holding a tuning fork with the same smirk Aita is giving on her face. “Starlight and Cozy rounded up the troops, and Chrysalis gave me a list of obstacles for the trip home, so the only thing I needed to do was find a way to meet up with everypony in front of the throne room. So, Chrysalis and Starlight made sure I could stay as a medal when Firelight and Sunset went in by retuning the shards to allow changeling magic to work, then I distracted the geese to let Lightning Dust in, and chased them back in when everypony was in one place. Then all Chrysalis had to do was float the crown while Shining Armor was gloating, allowing me to snag the crown.” I do remember me, Spike, and Aita leaving Starlight and Cozy alone back home. And Shining Armor did state Chrysalis had a say on the throne shards. I also remember I didn’t see Aita for a while and we went searching for him before going back home to discuss my plan to get the crown. And I was so distracted by my own mission, I never did consider Aita could’ve partaken in the Sibling Supreme herself. Celestia clears her throat as Luna comes behind her on the left, and Chrysalis teleports to the right. “I, uh, apologize, for not listening to your concerns, sister. It seems we need to make adjustments to account for threats inside the castle as well as out… if you agree.” “If you think it’s worth discussing,” replies Luna. “That and maybe we should use our own resources from now on,” Chrysalis adds. “Shining Armor did tell you all I had my say on the shards.” The three walk out of the throne room, Celestia and Luna with forced smiles. “Soooo, if Twilight, Shining Armor and even Spike failed, who gets the crown?” Rainbow Dash asks, prompting Aita to take the crown off and hang her head. “The true Sibling Supreme… Cozy Glow, Trace Light, if you’d please…” Cozy Glow and Trace Light race over at my cue and place the crown back on Aita’s head. “Aita.” “Our newcomer little sister… wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t win this,” Shining Armor answers as everyone comes in for a group hug, including the rest of Aita’s friends. Then I spot something on Trace Light as everyone else disperses from the hug. “Wait a minute! A new cutie mark?!? Trace Light, that’s amazing! Pinkie Pie, were you going to plan her Cute-ceañera?!?” “You bet, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie leaps in the air out of her piñata suit and shoots out confetti from hammerspace. “Lucky for you all, everypony is invited!” Trace Light announces to all of us. When the princesses and I leave the throne room, we end up actually in a familiar room: the ceremony hall that I remember all too well. By now, the princesses have wiped away their forced smiles. “Queen Chrysalis,” starts Celestia with a bitter facial expression. “Can you tell me what this hall is?” “The ceremony hall,” I flatly state. “where I first revealed myself at the wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.” “And do you know why we’ve brought you here?” Luna asks. “...mostly sister though…” I nod. “Of course. Because I had worked with Aita so that she would retrieve the Sibling Supreme crown, and it wasn’t even my first inside assistance, that taking place here.” “Exactly! And in the process, you sabotaged Shining Armor’s defenses again!” Celestia takes a deep breath after letting me know exactly what she felt I did wrong. “…what I want to know is why.” I begin walking around Celestia and Luna. “I may be able read ponies like an open book, but ever since I got my hive back, I’ve limited that use to saving Equestria. I may have given up my more selfish desires, but Aita is just as close to me as she is to Twilight. And because of my soft spot for ponies so young…” Celestia looks a bit surprised, taking my hint. “This was entirely for Aita?” she concludes. “Of course, sister. Chrysalis wasn’t the only one attempting to assist a third party, but as soon as I figured out what she and Starlight were doing, I simply let her demonstrate you and Shining Armor’s shortcomings. He did agree to her terms after all.” I confirm Luna’s answer with a nod and sit down, facing away from the princesses. “I see a lot of my formative self in Shining Armor. Effective in accomplishment, but tends to revel in that too early… and I know all too well how badly that can end, what with Cadence and Thorax.” Celestia turns my way, walking over to me and hugging me. “I’m sorry, Queen Chrysalis, for not getting the full story. I truly should’ve listened to Luna’s concerns about Shining Armor’s defenses. You represent his parents’ authority more than I could, and your wisdom shows that.” I sigh with a faint smile on my face. “Thanks, Celestia. Just know though, you still have a perfectly good place in Twilight and Shining Armor’s lives, just as I do with Aita.” Luna then joins in on the hug before she and Celestia let go. “So, I saw Aita’s plan went very smoothly. Did anything happen along the way?” “There is an upcoming Cute-ceañera for Trace Light in Ponyville when everypony gets home. Would you princesses like to attend?” I ask them. Once we return to Ponyville, everyone immediately heads for Sugar Cube Corner to celebrate the acquisition of Trace Light’s cutie mark with a Cute-ceañera. Not only that, Pinkie Pie also wanted to combine that with a Sibling Supreme party for me. And because it’s still part Cute-ceañera, the Cutie Mark Crusaders - yes, even Gabby - attend in addition to everyone who participated in the Sibling Supreme, including the princesses. From what Chrysalis told me, she managed to convince them to attend after settling their disagreements. At the party, I am still wearing the Sibling Supreme crown. While Starlight is making cocoa for herself and Cozy Glow, the entire Cutie Mark Crusaders team and I are sitting at the far right corner of the bakery, the same spot the team was founded at all those years ago. “I gotta say, Trace Light, that’s one dynamite cutie mark!” Scootaloo remarks, marking Trace Light nod. Gabby has her claws on her cheeks in joy. “It’s remarkable you were able to get that crown, Aita! You’re the Sibling Supreme?!? The original three crusaders told me that was just the tip of the iceberg for you!” “Well, yes,” I reply. “Fitting the pony to help me was experienced in inside jobs, AND it involved Twilight’s brother again.” “So Trace Light, Cozy Glow inadvertently got you your cutie mark?” asks Sweetie Belle. “Yeah! She was the one that made me realize pitching in was something that made me happy, like motivation was for her!” Apple Bloom gives Trace Light a hoof bump. “And we couldn’t think of anything more crusader-like! Y’all deserve this Cute-ceañera, Trace Light!” Ah, there you are, a familiar voice lightly exclaims from behind me. Trace Light gasps and flies over me to hug… “Uncle Rusty! Carve!” Rusty Flashlight appears with Carve right next to him. “We came when we heard you’d gotten your cutie mark, Tracey.” “And I see Aita’s wearing Twilight and Shining Armor’s crown.” Carve pats my head when she points out the crown. “We’re proud of BOTH of you.” Cozy Glow joins in on the conversation with her cocoa, sitting next to me and Starlight right behind her. “That Sibling Supreme went so well! But it wasn’t just Trace Light and Aita who should get the credit. It took every one of us to help them reach their goals: Starlight, Chrysalis, Sunset, you name it!” “And what better way for me and Cozy Glow to celebrate than a toast of my patented empathy cocoa.” Starlight leans into Cozy’s ear. “I’ll give you the recipe to try when you go back to school.” Cozy Glow beams with delight at the prospect of making cocoa. “Oh golly, yes! I’ve always wanted to try sharing cocoa!” “So what do you think you’ll do in Canterlot next, Aita?” asks Rusty. “Seeing as how you’re now the final Sibling Supreme?” “I don’t know. I honestly see Cozy visiting for spring break before that happens. Besides, Sibling Supreme is definitely worth the two years I’ve spent in Ponyville, Canterlot City, the hive, Cloudsdale, Sire’s Hollow, the Crystal Empire, and Fillydelphia. I just hope I get to do more with Shining Armor… although his attitude did remind me a bit of Chrysalis from my time in the real world.” “Really?” Carve cocks her upper eyelids. “I remember Chrysalis used to love when her plans appeared to go her way, but I never imagined Shining Armor would too.” “That’s what I thought,” I reply. “But I got those vibes when he was demonstrating his measures, and especially when he claimed the crown for himself… until I snagged it from him.” An oven bell chimes in the kitchen over the chatter here, making Starlight teleport out. She walks back into the dining room with a pan of chocolate chip cookies in her magic that she sets on a nearby table. “Well everyone, dig in,” Starlight tells us, so she, Sweetie Belle, Carve and I float all the cookies to everyone at our table, and with the amount Starlight made, we get two each, including her. I guess from here, all I can say is that the rest of the party goes about as well as I can expect. Everyone there plays a variety of games, socialize and indulge in sweets. Eventually Starlight, Twilight and Shining Armor have a toast of the former’s cocoa for me and Trace Light. I can only imagine what will happen to me next now that I’m Sibling Supreme.
Teaser/Cold OpenAfter that field trip with Aita and Chrysalis’ friendship mission, I’ve been slowly getting genuinely popular with my class at Happy Foals, which has since begun to live up to its name. And now, with a week and a half left before Hearth’s Warming, everyone’s excited for winter vacation, especially after the class party after lunch. The bell rings for dismissal twice, the first one more of a ten minute warning to faculty. But because of the party, we wrap up pretty quickly and Lily, Smoky and I are out by the second bell. “I gotta say, Cozy, those are some mean cookies,” Lily compliments. Smoky licks around his lips. “If it’s one thing I look forward to, it’s all that sugary sweetness that you cook up at home. Are you sure the process wasn’t daunting?” “Nah, I think big,” I reply, holding up my left hoof. “Why else would those field trips happen?” As I look at the two, they seem a bit worried. “Oopsie. Forgot those don’t happen anymore. So what’s your plans for winter vacation?” Lily is the first to explain her plans. “Well, momma’s takin’ my family to the hotel at Flim Flam Grande for the New Years. We wanna see the ball drop over there.” “I’m taking a vacation to the dragon lands to meet up with Sheriff Mangle. What are you gonna do, Cozy?” asks Smoky. “Gee, I guess you could say I’ll be visiting some friends in Ponyville. Remember the changeling with the plastic brick and the glowing pen?” Smoky and LIly nod. “I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing, but I would do anything to learn more about Aita and her friends.” “That sounds great, Cozy!” Lily exclaims. “You’re givin’ this whole friendship thing your all, aren’t ya?” “Mhm! It’s just like Aita said; giving you guys another chance allowed me to make friends in no time at all.” That night, I make it to Ponyville by train. And who else to meet me other than my younger best friend and her caretaker: the Princess of Friendship herself. Aita appears to have a saddlebag on while Twilight doesn’t. “Twilight! Aita!” “Cozy Glow!” Aita leaps forward and hugs me. “Are you staying for Hearth’s Warming?” “I sure am! Nopony could ever resist the opportunity to visit their friends during winter vacation!” Twilight comes around and wraps her wing around me. “That’s really nice of you, Cozy. And what a coincidence this is. Before we left to see you, I got this in the mail.” She levitates a flier out of the bag and shows it to me. Front and center on the flier, there is a crown made out of tin foil with Twilight’s cutie mark on it. But that looks like that’s all there is on the flier. “What’s that crown?” I ask. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” “Just come with us and we’ll show you,” answers Twilight. I nod as She and Aita then lead the way to the castle. What a way to kick off vacation: a surprise.
Act 1“The Sibling what?” I exclaim, confused. In the castle throne room, Twilight and Aita are now joined by Spike and Starlight. There, Spike shows a scroll with a copy the picture of the crown Twilight showed me as the latter explains what the crown means. “The Sibling Supreme. When Shining Armor and I were small, we competed over everything. To keep it friendly, our parents gave us gold stars every time we did something special: sharing, getting good grades, even telling a really funny joke. And at the end of each week, we’d add up the stars. The sibling with the most would win the crown of the Sibling Supreme, and bragging rights ’til next time.” “Golly, that sounds like a lot of fun!” I happily shout. Aita nods. “I agree, Cozy, which is why we all invite you to participate.” “I’ve always wanted to be sibling supreme one day,” Spike says before reading the scroll. “Meet me at Celestia’s castle to decide who deserves the crown once and for all.” “Race ya there!” Twilight, Aita and Spike shout together, promptly taking off and leaving me alone with Starlight. She and I look at each other before I break the sudden silence. “So, should we gather their friends here?” “Absolutely, Cozy. Actually, let me make a list.” Twilight, Spike and I race to Canterlot Castle in order to meet Shining Armor. All three of us stop though when we see the crown on him already, Chrysalis, Celestia and Luna by his side. Twilight gasps. “You’re wearing it?!?” “Look, I know you’ve always held a grudge because I left home with this.” Shining Armor points to the crown. “Grudge?” Twilight scoffs. “What grudge? Just because you’ve had it for WAY longer than you should have and I never got a chance to win it back.” Celestia approaches the three of us. “With the return of Stellar Flare; Princess Luna, Queen Chrysalis and I felt it was time to reinforce the castle’s defenses.” “I said we could do it ourselves,” moans Luna. “but some ponies are… a bit stubborn.” “So the latter two of us asked the old captain of the guard to handle the job,” Celestia finishes. “I’ve taken the security here to a whole new level,” Shining explains as he rests a hoof on Twilight’s chest. “The only thing I need now is somepony to test it.” Twilight quickly gasps, realizing what this means. “You want me to break into Celestia’s castle?” Shining takes the crown off with his magic and puts it on Celestia’s throne. “If you can get past my defenses, steal the crown, and get out, you’ll be Sibling Supreme FOREVER.” With Twilight in awe at Shining’s prospect, I impulsively sniff the air before I see Chrysalis raise her hoof to me, causing me to blush. “Not in front of your loved ones, Aita.” “But if you fail,” Shining continues. “I keep the crown.” Twilight shakes his hoof with her own. “Deal! Wait, are you sure this counts? Mom and Dad aren’t giving us any stars.” “Celestia and I will represent their authority. And thanks for your help, Twilight. You lay the groundwork for the improvement of the princesses’ security.” Luna nickers at Chrysalis joining in on Celestia’s deference. “But you won’t,” Shining replies. “I’ve designed a multitiered, impenetrable, triple backed up line of defense. “With her say, the castle is surrounded by shards of Queen Chrysalis’ old throne. Thanks to her, its anti-magic powers are now tuned to stop any creature from using a spell to get inside. You can’t fly in either. Giant fans keep any creature from flying too close to the castle. Plus, the entrances to the tunnels below the castle have been sealed. So there’s no underground access. And even if you could get in - which you can’t, I’ve doubled the ranks of security. Ponies protect every hallway and door, which can only be opened with royal guard medals. “Even if you brought an army, the throne room is the safest spot in Equestria. I rigged a trap to activate at the slightest touch.” Shining Armor demonstrates the trap by softly touching the ledge, the floor flapping down and leading to a tunnel. “But say you avoid the floor. Still no luck, because I’ve employed nature’s alarm system.” Atop each of the pillars in the throne room, pairs of geese show themselves and start honking. “Geese?” I question. “You can hear their honks all the way in Ponyville.” Shining Armor removes his foreknee off the crown when a goose behind the crown honks and attempts to bite him. “Plus they bite.” Back home, Twilight refers to Shining Armor’s presentation to explain how her friends are going to break in. “So that’s what we’re up against.” Of course, because the throne room’s entirely occupied by Twilight, her friends and Spike, I take my leave back to the library, where the friends I’ve made over the past near two years here alongside Starlight are located. From left to right at the roundtable are: Trace Light, Sunset Shimmer, Lightning Dust, Firelight, and Cozy Glow. “Alright so… dark stone, power fans, bricks, guards, locks, a trap door and geese.” I list off every obstacle we’re up against. “I think I know how we might work around these measures. Cozy Glow, you can replicate the guard suit while also being our motivator. Lightning Dust, you can outfly the winds produced by the fans. Firelight, you can pose as a guard, and I’ll be the key to get into the throne room and will also charm the geese. Sunset Shimmer, you’re with Firelight; you’re one of Celestia’s old students. Trace Light, you can distract the guards. And Starlight, think you can detune the shards?” Everypony nods as I refer to each one of them. “Good, then just as a demonstration of my role…” I turn myself into a goose and honk just like one, flying close to the ceiling, then turn into the medal we need to get in the throne room before finally changing back. “Wow, you really have this figured out, don’t you Aita,” Sunset remarks, to which I nod. “Your confidence is impressive,” compliments Lightning Dust. “It’s almost matching my own. Ponies could learn a lot from you.” “That plan’s pretty elaborate,” Starlight admits. “How were you able to keep track?” I present her with a list I left on the mirror. “Oh, so Chrysalis helped you? Guess I wasn’t the only one taking after Twilight.” “Well, whether or not the plan came from you entirely, I’m behind it all the way, Aita!” declares Trace Light. “Cutie Mark Crusader Celestial Distractor!” “And the same goes for me,” Firelight announces. “I know we’ll all do our part.” Cozy Glow rubs her forehooves together in hype. “Ooh, I love a good motivating!” While Trace Light hides, I stay with her and study the front area of Canterlot Castle so that she has further directive than just distracting the guards. The rest of the group arrives behind me, prompting me to look at them. Only differences now are that Firelight is in the costume I made with Rarity, Starlight has her harmonics spell, and Lightning Dust is in her stuntpony suit. Firelight chuckles. “How do I look?” “That’s as close as you’re ever gonna get, Dad,” Starlight replies. “Now, anypony wanna proofread my spell before I use it?” Aita takes the scroll and starts studying it with her magic. “It might not be Cincinno Animi, but it might just get the job done.” “Whenever you’re ready, Firelight, Aita, we should head inside,” says Sunset, who Firelight and Aita nod at. The latter of the two then transforms into the guard medal the former needs to get in, who puts Aita at his chest. “You can maneuver around the fans, right Lightning Dust?” Lightning Dust scoffs as puts a pair of flight goggles on. “Fans? What fans? I only see spectators as those.” So the four of them - or five since Aita is currently the medal on Firelight’s suit - go their separate ways, except for Sunset, who stays with Firelight, leaving me with Trace Light. “So, how do they get in?” asks Trace Light, getting me to look at the guards again. They don’t seem to be doing anything right now. “How do we distract the guards?” “I don’t know, Trace Light. We’re just pegasus fillies. At least Aita can use her transformations to slip past. We have to be creative.” “That’s what I do when I’m having trouble with doing something I want to do, like getting my cutie mark.” I look at Trace Light’s flank from a distance, which is blank as she indicated. I take one last look, and see a mobile stage blocking a good portion of the view of the entrance. I throw my hooves in the air. “Great! A mobile stage! How am I supposed to distract the guards if I can’t see them to study?” “A stage? What if we did a talent show?” Looking back, the guards crowd around the stage, now with Applejack on with a guitar, as the pink curtain rolls to the side.
Act 2After leaving Cozy Glow and Trace Light, I start my flight around the fans. One lap later, I see Spike and Fluttershy on a hot air balloon above the throne room balcony. As soon as they lift off though, the balloon starts zooming in the air randomly. Canterlot! We have a problem! I hear Pinkie scream. “Oh!” Fluttershy exclaims. “Lightning Dust! What brings you around?” I shake my head. “I see someone took from my old self a bit too much, and popped that balloon.” “I don’t know what you mean,” Spike nervously replies. “Pinkie Pie was just dropping us off. But you could join us if you’d like.” I flap my hoof down in declination. “Nah, not until Aita disables the alarm. But you two go for it.” Spike and Fluttershy fly up to the main stain glass window, the former clawing a hole at the center. Then they head inside. Not long after, the geese in the throne room start honking, and I can still hear the trap door at the throne over them. “Because adrenaline junkies NEVER mess with nature,” I state to myself, having learned from that tornado incident at the Wonderbolts Academy. As everyone else is busy trying to get into the castle, I am tasked with detuning Chrysalis’s old throne. I look around and see a long tuning fork near one of the sealed underground entrances. Striking it with my hoof seems to make my horn start up involuntarily as it gets closer, a very low and soft one hundred and eight hertz ringing from the fork. I strike the wall as the ring finishes fading, which just produces a clang. After the second strike, I hear hoofsteps approaching me, and a shadow blocking the sun that was previously shown onto me. “Starlight?” I look up and see a familiar friend, making me hug her. “Queen Chrysalis!” I exclaim. “Examining the shards I see?” I nod, prompting Chrysalis to take her crown off and transform it into a slightly smaller tuning fork. She then takes the fork in one hoof and strikes it with the other, ringing a slightly higher pitch of a hundred and twenty hertz. Her horn also starts up when the fork gets close. She then strikes the wall with it, producing the same muted clang. “I honestly did not expect you would be playing a part in getting the crown,” Chrysalis states, turning the fork back into her crown and putting it back on. “How may I assist?” “Aita has me detuning the shards so that I could join her later on. She even proofread the spell.” I show Chrysalis the spell I wrote while on the train to Canterlot, but she pushes the scroll down with her hoof. “Sorry to say, Starlight, but a spell isn’t what will detune magical artifacts. Pure physics have to do that. As we’ve seen, striking the wall mutes a fork due to the insulation provided by my old throne.” “So, was that how you tuned that? By changing its natural frequency?” “Well, it was already changed the moment it broke apart as my subjects applied harmonic resonance as a side effect. I changed it further simply by blending the shards into the walls of the castle.” Chrysalis examines the wall, takes her crown off again, and changes it into a much smaller tuning fork compared to before. She strikes the wall with the fork, causing it to ring at nine times the pitch it did before. When splitting from the rest of the group, Sunset and I head directly to the front entrance, my suit holding Aita, who is currently remaining in her guard medal form until we get to the throne room. With Aita entirely assuming this form, she is able to trip the detectors when I rest her over them. Getting close to the throne room, we hear Luna. Sister! ANOTHER false alarm from Shining Armor’s guard geese! “Just press onward, Firelight,” Sunset whispers. “They won’t assume anything if you stay blent in.” “Hello, Sunset Shimmer,” Luna greets as she passes by, never turning her head to face us directly. “Firelight.” At the entrance of the throne room, a guard is on post to keep any contents safe within. “Next shift. You’re on break,” I announce to him, prompting him to walk out. Once the coast is clear, Sunset and I take a close listen. The geese are honking like crazy, so it seems like they’re distracted with another intruder. “Score one. I sure hope my sugar-plum has as much success as we have,” I remark, putting Aita onto the badge detector to trip it. As soon as the door opens, I let Aita go as she transforms into a goose. She shoos us out of view of the real geese. ...and we will never stop the journey, not until we have our cutie marks! After “Apple Chord”’s performance, Trace Light thought it would a good idea if we both sung the Cutie Mark Crusader theme. Of course, with my cutie mark, I’m more willing to motivate my peers than any of them would’ve for me or Trace Light, so picking up the booby-trapped guitar Applejack left on stage, I wing-play as Trace Light sings and join her in the chorus. Once the performance is done, the guards clap their hooves and cheer, the latter of which devolves into hooting. Trace Light sighs though as she looks behind her. “Hey, what’s wrong?” I ask her. “Still nothing!” “But that’s okay, Trace Light. I know sometime you’ll get your cutie mark. Just think. When are you the happiest? I know I always feel the most satisfied when I rally somepony to take action.” Trace Light puts a wing under her chin. “Well, it sure felt good when we put on that show, like I felt I did my part in a group effort. I hadn’t felt that way since I helped finish that sandbox obstacle course for Lightning Dust with the rest of the CMC!” “So, wouldn’t you like to focus on that? Instead of looking for something you’re good at when you see something that already gives your life that kind of fulfillment?” “Y- you’re right, Cozy!” Trace Light exclaims, hugging me. “It doesn’t matter HOW long it takes for me to get my cutie mark! I liked going exploring with Carve and Uncle Rusty, I liked building the obstacle course, and I like participating in the Sibling Supreme!” “Yeah!” we both shout, hoof bumping each other. By this point the guards are talking, possibly debating if we should encore. But in the wake of that hoof bump, magic travels up Trace Light’s hoof that is making contact with me. That magic expands and envelopes her backside until a bright flash causes her to briefly pass out. This catches the guards’ attention as she glides back onto the stage. “Trace Light! Are you okay?” Shining Armor frantically asks, running up before stopping on a dime and gasping. “Whoa! Take a look, guys! You DON’T wanna miss this!” When Trace Light looks behind again, she sees this time a cutie mark with a heart under a bolt of lightning on the top left and a water droplet on the top right. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie zips up to us and drops her jaw while Trace Light is prancing in excitement. “Trace Light got her CUTIE MARK?!? Oh! So untimely, but I can’t resist!!!” Pinkie leaves for a second a hammerspaces a fresh hot air balloon that bursts with party materials. “It’s Cute-ceañera time!!!” “Maybe save that for Ponyville, Pinkie,” I reply. “But hold the party anyway! Trace Light and I have to go!” Pinkie’s cheeks squeak when they blush as Trace Light and I dash off in the distance to meet up with Firelight, Aita and Sunset Shimmer. Midway through detuning the shards, Chrysalis and I hear some music going on. Firstly with Applejack, then with who sound like Trace Light and Cozy Glow. “Who knew such young fillies could sing so well,” Chrysalis remarks before returning her concentration on the shards. That concentration doesn’t last long though as we see a flash coming from the same direction as the singing came. As the flash fades away, the guards gather around Cozy Glow and Trace Light on the stage, Pinkie Pie joining in not too long after. The two fillies stop her before she can throw a party and race off to us. “Cozy Glow!” Chrysalis takes Cozy’s embrace as Trace Light shows off something new to us. “Oh, it’s so good to see you!” “Oh wow! Trace Light! That’s a great cutie mark!” I compliment. “Thanks, but that doesn’t matter right now! The guards are distracted with Pinkie Pie!” replies Trace Light. I nod as Chrysalis wraps the three of us in her wings. “Good, then let Chrysalis take care of the rest of the trip. She’s been hard at work with the acoustics of her old throne.” And now, she teleports us out to the entrance to the throne room, signifying the detuning worked. After an agonizingly long time in the form of a royal guard medal, I finally get to move when I transform into a goose. The first thing I have to do is to shoo Sunset and Firelight away to relieve me of suspicion. I honk to get the geese’s attention. They all stop their chatter and turn to me. I wave my wings one at a time, gesturing them to come with me as well with a much smaller honk. So, leading them out, one of them diverts their attention away from me and to the crown. I head back into the room and put my beak atop my wings, tricking the personal crown guard into joining in, by thinking he’s getting preened. Just as soon as we all head out of the room, I look back with the illusion that I’m checking attendance when I really am passing Lightning Dust coming into the throne room from the window. Walking feels a bit weird at first, but I acclimate quite quickly and continue playing casually… that is until out of nowhere, Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, Starlight and Trace Light are inside. The geese start honking at them a ways into the hall and start charging at them. I raise my wings and honk once, commanding them to stop, then again saying that I know them, winking at them afterward. I continue by pulling off the same beak-on-wing gesture as if to taunt them about missing out on preening if they continue misbehaving. So they comply and move out of the ponies’ way. Suddenly, Lightning Dust appears the way the geese and I came from. This frightens the real geese, but I only play along, knowing full well they would do this when Lightning Dust entered. When she sidesteps, I switch modes and chase the geese back into the throne room. With the group gathered in the immediate hallway, only thing left is that Lightning Dust is the only one unsure if it’s just a goose or if it’s me. I let out a wink to give it away, prompting her to wipe her forehead with her wing. “Phew, it’s just you, Aita.” I nod then revert to my natural form. “Now THAT’S what I call teamwork!” Starlight exclaims. Firelight nods. “Sure right about that one, chipmunk cheeks.” Rarity arrives in the hallway, opening the farthest window for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to enter. As it turns out, she also has a guard suit, but unlike Firelight, she has a real medal on it to press on the detectors. As soon as the three enter, the geese start honking again. You’ve been glaring so hard, I hear Fluttershy remark after the door closes. Who wants a feather massage? As soon as she offers, the honking stops. “That would’ve been soooo soothing,” I say to myself, imagining what it would be like if I were a goose getting a feather massage. Chrysalis shushes me. “Now’s the time to focus.”
Act 3When Applejack, Spike and I enter the throne room, Pinkie Pie is hanging from the ceiling in a piñata costume, and Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are massaging some of the geese. “I can’t believe this worked!” Rainbow Dash comments in pleasant shock. “I guess sometimes the best plan is the one you expect,” replies Spike, swinging his arms around. My eyes are currently set on the foil crown sitting on Celestia’s throne. “All I have to do now is fly over and take the crown, and I’ll be Sibling Supreme forever!” When I get ready to take off, Celestia, Luna and my brother all come around to reveal themselves in front of me. “Not exactly,” Shining Armor says. “OH COME ON!!!” I shout, flailing my forelegs before he approaches me. “Gotta admit, it was unexpected for you to do everything exactly how I thought you would. But you should know by now, there’s no way to beat the true Sibling Supreme!” gloats my brother. Celestia walks to me to Shining Armor’s left, speaking in an sympathetic tone. “I am sorry, Twilight. But it looks as though Shining Armor has truly won the crown.” During Celestia’s apology, the door opens unexpectedly to Aita and her friends. The medal she used to open the door is revealed to be Chrysalis. “That’s the thing about looks.” Everyone turns to Aita as she floats the crown that was previously on the throne atop her head. “They can be deceiving.” “AITA?!?” I exclaim as everyone, including the geese around us, is visibly shocked by the sight of Aita wearing the crown instead of me, Shining Armor, or even Spike. “How in Equestria did you do it?!?” Shining Armor asks, extending his foreleg. “As you can see, since Twilight DID say I was family on my first birthday in Equestria, I get to participate in the Sibling Supreme with my own set of friends,” Aita smugly starts to explain, flying up to all of us and pointing back to her friends. While Firelight, Lightning Dust, Trace Light, and Cozy Glow are innocuously smiling for Aita, Chrysalis is holding back laughter as Starlight appears to be holding a tuning fork with the same smirk Aita is giving on her face. “Starlight and Cozy rounded up the troops, and Chrysalis gave me a list of obstacles for the trip home, so the only thing I needed to do was find a way to meet up with everypony in front of the throne room. So, Chrysalis and Starlight made sure I could stay as a medal when Firelight and Sunset went in by retuning the shards to allow changeling magic to work, then I distracted the geese to let Lightning Dust in, and chased them back in when everypony was in one place. Then all Chrysalis had to do was float the crown while Shining Armor was gloating, allowing me to snag the crown.” I do remember me, Spike, and Aita leaving Starlight and Cozy alone back home. And Shining Armor did state Chrysalis had a say on the throne shards. I also remember I didn’t see Aita for a while and we went searching for him before going back home to discuss my plan to get the crown. And I was so distracted by my own mission, I never did consider Aita could’ve partaken in the Sibling Supreme herself. Celestia clears her throat as Luna comes behind her on the left, and Chrysalis teleports to the right. “I, uh, apologize, for not listening to your concerns, sister. It seems we need to make adjustments to account for threats inside the castle as well as out… if you agree.” “If you think it’s worth discussing,” replies Luna. “That and maybe we should use our own resources from now on,” Chrysalis adds. “Shining Armor did tell you all I had my say on the shards.” The three walk out of the throne room, Celestia and Luna with forced smiles. “Soooo, if Twilight, Shining Armor and even Spike failed, who gets the crown?” Rainbow Dash asks, prompting Aita to take the crown off and hang her head. “The true Sibling Supreme… Cozy Glow, Trace Light, if you’d please…” Cozy Glow and Trace Light race over at my cue and place the crown back on Aita’s head. “Aita.” “Our newcomer little sister… wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t win this,” Shining Armor answers as everyone comes in for a group hug, including the rest of Aita’s friends. Then I spot something on Trace Light as everyone else disperses from the hug. “Wait a minute! A new cutie mark?!? Trace Light, that’s amazing! Pinkie Pie, were you going to plan her Cute-ceañera?!?” “You bet, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie leaps in the air out of her piñata suit and shoots out confetti from hammerspace. “Lucky for you all, everypony is invited!” Trace Light announces to all of us. When the princesses and I leave the throne room, we end up actually in a familiar room: the ceremony hall that I remember all too well. By now, the princesses have wiped away their forced smiles. “Queen Chrysalis,” starts Celestia with a bitter facial expression. “Can you tell me what this hall is?” “The ceremony hall,” I flatly state. “where I first revealed myself at the wedding of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.” “And do you know why we’ve brought you here?” Luna asks. “...mostly sister though…” I nod. “Of course. Because I had worked with Aita so that she would retrieve the Sibling Supreme crown, and it wasn’t even my first inside assistance, that taking place here.” “Exactly! And in the process, you sabotaged Shining Armor’s defenses again!” Celestia takes a deep breath after letting me know exactly what she felt I did wrong. “…what I want to know is why.” I begin walking around Celestia and Luna. “I may be able read ponies like an open book, but ever since I got my hive back, I’ve limited that use to saving Equestria. I may have given up my more selfish desires, but Aita is just as close to me as she is to Twilight. And because of my soft spot for ponies so young…” Celestia looks a bit surprised, taking my hint. “This was entirely for Aita?” she concludes. “Of course, sister. Chrysalis wasn’t the only one attempting to assist a third party, but as soon as I figured out what she and Starlight were doing, I simply let her demonstrate you and Shining Armor’s shortcomings. He did agree to her terms after all.” I confirm Luna’s answer with a nod and sit down, facing away from the princesses. “I see a lot of my formative self in Shining Armor. Effective in accomplishment, but tends to revel in that too early… and I know all too well how badly that can end, what with Cadence and Thorax.” Celestia turns my way, walking over to me and hugging me. “I’m sorry, Queen Chrysalis, for not getting the full story. I truly should’ve listened to Luna’s concerns about Shining Armor’s defenses. You represent his parents’ authority more than I could, and your wisdom shows that.” I sigh with a faint smile on my face. “Thanks, Celestia. Just know though, you still have a perfectly good place in Twilight and Shining Armor’s lives, just as I do with Aita.” Luna then joins in on the hug before she and Celestia let go. “So, I saw Aita’s plan went very smoothly. Did anything happen along the way?” “There is an upcoming Cute-ceañera for Trace Light in Ponyville when everypony gets home. Would you princesses like to attend?” I ask them. Once we return to Ponyville, everyone immediately heads for Sugar Cube Corner to celebrate the acquisition of Trace Light’s cutie mark with a Cute-ceañera. Not only that, Pinkie Pie also wanted to combine that with a Sibling Supreme party for me. And because it’s still part Cute-ceañera, the Cutie Mark Crusaders - yes, even Gabby - attend in addition to everyone who participated in the Sibling Supreme, including the princesses. From what Chrysalis told me, she managed to convince them to attend after settling their disagreements. At the party, I am still wearing the Sibling Supreme crown. While Starlight is making cocoa for herself and Cozy Glow, the entire Cutie Mark Crusaders team and I are sitting at the far right corner of the bakery, the same spot the team was founded at all those years ago. “I gotta say, Trace Light, that’s one dynamite cutie mark!” Scootaloo remarks, marking Trace Light nod. Gabby has her claws on her cheeks in joy. “It’s remarkable you were able to get that crown, Aita! You’re the Sibling Supreme?!? The original three crusaders told me that was just the tip of the iceberg for you!” “Well, yes,” I reply. “Fitting the pony to help me was experienced in inside jobs, AND it involved Twilight’s brother again.” “So Trace Light, Cozy Glow inadvertently got you your cutie mark?” asks Sweetie Belle. “Yeah! She was the one that made me realize pitching in was something that made me happy, like motivation was for her!” Apple Bloom gives Trace Light a hoof bump. “And we couldn’t think of anything more crusader-like! Y’all deserve this Cute-ceañera, Trace Light!” Ah, there you are, a familiar voice lightly exclaims from behind me. Trace Light gasps and flies over me to hug… “Uncle Rusty! Carve!” Rusty Flashlight appears with Carve right next to him. “We came when we heard you’d gotten your cutie mark, Tracey.” “And I see Aita’s wearing Twilight and Shining Armor’s crown.” Carve pats my head when she points out the crown. “We’re proud of BOTH of you.” Cozy Glow joins in on the conversation with her cocoa, sitting next to me and Starlight right behind her. “That Sibling Supreme went so well! But it wasn’t just Trace Light and Aita who should get the credit. It took every one of us to help them reach their goals: Starlight, Chrysalis, Sunset, you name it!” “And what better way for me and Cozy Glow to celebrate than a toast of my patented empathy cocoa.” Starlight leans into Cozy’s ear. “I’ll give you the recipe to try when you go back to school.” Cozy Glow beams with delight at the prospect of making cocoa. “Oh golly, yes! I’ve always wanted to try sharing cocoa!” “So what do you think you’ll do in Canterlot next, Aita?” asks Rusty. “Seeing as how you’re now the final Sibling Supreme?” “I don’t know. I honestly see Cozy visiting for spring break before that happens. Besides, Sibling Supreme is definitely worth the two years I’ve spent in Ponyville, Canterlot City, the hive, Cloudsdale, Sire’s Hollow, the Crystal Empire, and Fillydelphia. I just hope I get to do more with Shining Armor… although his attitude did remind me a bit of Chrysalis from my time in the real world.” “Really?” Carve cocks her upper eyelids. “I remember Chrysalis used to love when her plans appeared to go her way, but I never imagined Shining Armor would too.” “That’s what I thought,” I reply. “But I got those vibes when he was demonstrating his measures, and especially when he claimed the crown for himself… until I snagged it from him.” An oven bell chimes in the kitchen over the chatter here, making Starlight teleport out. She walks back into the dining room with a pan of chocolate chip cookies in her magic that she sets on a nearby table. “Well everyone, dig in,” Starlight tells us, so she, Sweetie Belle, Carve and I float all the cookies to everyone at our table, and with the amount Starlight made, we get two each, including her. I guess from here, all I can say is that the rest of the party goes about as well as I can expect. Everyone there plays a variety of games, socialize and indulge in sweets. Eventually Starlight, Twilight and Shining Armor have a toast of the former’s cocoa for me and Trace Light. I can only imagine what will happen to me next now that I’m Sibling Supreme.
