Pony Tales 1- Anonymous Letter

by ChrisText

Rating: everyone
Tags: Comedy, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Other, Adventure, Daring Do, Derpy Hooves, Slice of Life, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 11341

Twilight recieves an anonymous letter, which arrives at her door via Derpy Hooves.

Twilight receives an anonymous letter, which arrives at her door via Derpy Hooves. Most ponies never get random invitations to places they've never been to, especially from unknown strangers. It's hard to piece together whether the sender requests a duel, a friendly meeting, or something else entirely. Would a curious mare like Twilight Sparkle be able to? This young mare has no choice but to take up the offer. What lies at the end of the cliff, is a pony that calls itself ''anonymous'', and something that may haunt her for months to come.

Published 2012-10-10 17:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-10-10 17:30:01 UTC

Behind The Farm

-----Behind The Farm-----

Twilight Sparkle is a very curious mare, she always pays attention to the slightest details. She's the proud student of Princess Celestia, and she's still working out some kicks here and there. Naturally, she's accompanied by 5 of her best friends. They're quite a happy bunch, they may as well be the most lively mares in Ponyville. She even has a baby dragon that goes by the name of Spike, he's kind of like a brother to her. She's the kind of pony that takes organization and attendance to the extremes. When ponies visit Ponyville that aren't as friendly, 100% of the time, all of the citizens avoid and shun them. When a pandemic strikes, the residents of Ponyville are seen defying all order by screaming and running around the area. Sometimes there are ponies that need to be taught a lesson or two, preferably the loud-mouthed ones.

''Spike!'', Twilight called out from the top of the stairs. A very sleepy spike woke up at 6:25 in the morning. He had been woken up at 6:30, most of the time it was 6:45, but not this time. There was a loud and solid knock at the door, it echoed throughout the house and Spike mumbled to himself in anger. ''Why am I always the one answering the door, I understand that I'm the assistant around this place but this is ridiculous!'', Spike said while attempting to give Twilight a serious stare. The knocking at the door became twice as loud, it seemed as if somepony was purposely hitting the door with all their might. Twilight commanded Spike one more time to answer the door, with his fists balled up, he marched down the stairs in an angry manner. Spike is always glad to do work for Twilight, but even the purple and green dragon has a few boundaries.

At the door was a grey, blonde mare, seemed to be glaring at spike with crossed eyes. Normally you'd meet the occasional colt in a blue vest delivering mail, but this was the first time Spike spoke with Derpy Hooves. She spoke to him in a slurred speech pattern, and flew off as fast as she came with no explanation whatsoever. He had never been so puzzled in all his life, he also couldn't explain why there was a muffin that she left on the doormat. Maybe it was a complimentary treat, Spike didn't know what to think of it, so he handed the letter over to Twilight. ''Someone wrote a letter to you Twilight!'', he called out to her from the bottom of the stairs. ''A message for me?'', Twilight asked curiously. ''Is it from the Princess or Pinkie Pie, because she's always sending me invitations to some party on Friday'', she said with an annoyed look on her face. She levitated the letter using her magic from Spike's hand to her bed. The next thing Spike saw was Twilight scanning the paper with a skeptic look on her face.

''Uh, Twilight, is there something wrong with the letter?'', Spike said after he proceeded to walk down the stairs. ''I can't figure out who sent me this letter, it says it's from anonymous.'', Twilight was now puzzled because she had no idea who or where it came from. For all she knew, it could be some prank that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie made. To see if this was true, she peeked out from her balcony to see if the two of them were chuckling around the bushes. Twilight decided to read the letter a second time, and Spike being curious decided to read along as well. The letter read in large and black ink, ''You probably won't know who this letter is from, neither will anypony who delivered this to you, so I want you to do something.''
''I'm somepony that you know, to prove this, I know that every now and then you read Daring Do books in the upper floor of your library before Rainbow Dash does.'' ''I also assume that she demanded to read any new installments of the series before you did.'' Twilight said to herself in her mind, ''who is this pony and how does she know this?'' Spike heckled Twilight saying, ''Ooooh, I'm gonna tell Rainbow Dash!''

Twilight begged and pleaded Spike not to say anything, she knew how important those books were to Dashie. Spike agreed to do so, if tomorrow, anypony who knocks on the door will be answered by Twilight. She growled at him with an irritated look, ''Fine'', she said, ''but only because of this secret''. She continued reading the last 4 sentences. ''Now, getting to business, I need you to head behind Applejack's farm at Sweet Apple Acres.'' ''There are further instructions there for you to take into consideration.'' ''You shouldn't bring anypony with you for this journey, this is a private meeting.'' ''Just to let you know, I'm none of your little friends, nonetheless, I want you to trust me for this.'' Twilight couldn't believe what she was about to do. Spike asked with a raspy voice, ''Now what are you going to do, are you going to try and hunt down this anonymous character or something like that?''

Twilight said to spike, ''I can't believe I'm going to do this, but if this so called anonymous knows this much about me, I doubt I have a choice in this.'' She trotted out of the door and down the street, and Spike scratched his head trying to figure out what just happened. He didn't get a chance to read the letter after the Daring Do secret was revealed. He brushed it off and went back to bed, considering the library was clean, and it was only 6:53, he didn't have much to do today besides unclog Pinkie Pie's toilet. The very thought of it made him shiver in fear of what lies in the bowl. Twilight quickly galloped over to Sweet Apple Acres, only to be stopped by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. A peaceful and calm morning now turned into something urgent and bashful. ''Hey Twilight, have you seen Spike anywhere, he's supposed to be unclogging my toilet!'', Pinkie screamed in Twilight's face. ''Ugh!'', Twilight shrieked, ''How come you never hire a plumber or at least ask Mr.Cake if he could handle this?''

''Why would I do that when I could ask Spike to do it, he's pretty handy and we don't spend enough time together!'' Twilight looked at Pinkie Pie as if she was a lunatic, ''You talk to him at least 15 times a day, like when you have him run random errands when he's supposed to be doing mine!'' Pinkie shouted, ''Well if he's not going to unclog my toilet, then you're going to do it! ''Um...excuse me Twilight, I have a little errand I need you to help me with as well....if that's okay with you'', said Fluttershy sheepishly. She had no where to run, and her mind was racing. Twilight was backed into a corner, literally, between the pink party pony and the shy Pegasus. She wanted to find that letter without anypony following her. It wouldn't be any better if Applejack or Big Macintosh stumbled upon it. If that secret gets out, Rainbow would go crazy!

Twilight wanted to get this whole anonymous letter thing out of the way, but it seems she's going to have a hard time doing so. She already notices the time is passing by, and she doesn't want to delay for too long. The very next thing that happened was a crazy montage of Twilight unclogging Pinkie Pie's toilet while she cheered for her in the back of the room, and Twilight counseling Angel Bunny for his uncanny fear of female rabbits. Amidst all the madness going on, Rarity seemed to be the only pony that didn't have their hooves tied being busy. Sweetie Belle and her were on a cruise.....on a yacht.....sailing to a tropical island as a vacation. Rainbow Dash was spending her day with the Wonderbolts, mostly Spitfire. As Twilight proceeded to unclog the toilet, Spike felt a disturbance in the force. By the end of all the chores that seemed ridiculous to Twilight at the moment, she was sweaty and still rushing over to Sweet Apple Acres.

The only thing that was stopping her now, was an unlucky run-in with Applejack. Twilight knew how Applejack can stick to ponies like glue, especially if she told her about the letter that was on the back of Sweet Apple Acres. If she ran into her, she would have to tell her, the whole farm could be involved in this, and if anypony gets hurt it'd be her fault. Though, she was mostly concerned about keeping the Daring Do secret. Twilight lost in her own thought, just happened to bump into Applejack. They both fell over, considering how fast Twilight was dashing through the passage ways. Behind Applejack was a very annoyed Rainbow Dash, she glared Twilight in the eyes. ''How could you do this to me!?'' ''You know those books mean the world to me!'' ''I thought we were friends!'' Applejack said dimly, ''Ah reckon you have some sort of explanation for this here letter Twilight.'' She then had a flashback and remembered that she dropped the letter, but didn't realize it until now.

Applejack was always the one to be blunt, next to Rainbow Dash, both of them complaining is like a chocolate fudge storm. It was now 1:00 and Twilight was worried she'd have to pull an all-nighter on this search, depending on her questioning from Applejack and Rainbow didn't take up the rest of the 11 hours she had left before midnight. ''I swear, I can explain!'', Twilight yelled out in fear of what Rainbow might do. ''Now listen here Twilight, you shouldn't go chasin' round strangers just cus' of curiosity.'' ''You gotta ask your friends to help you, why would ya' consider goin' alone?'', asked Applejack in a concerned way. ''And why would you wait until after you've read the book to give it to me!'', said Rainbow Dash with her eyes enraged. ''Daring Do and the Desert Diamond, think about that Twilight, that sounds like the best chapter ever!'' ''Actually it's the least likeable due to ratings'', Twilight responded. ''What did you just say?'', asked Dash. ''Don't listen to what some crazy ponies say, Daring Do is the best book ever, and all of the chapters are the best!''

All of a sudden, Rarity had appeared along with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. They rushed over once they heard the commotion and asked what was going on. ''Oh, is everything alright?'', asked Rarity. ''You all didn't miss me that badly did you?'' ''Twilight got this letter from somepony named anon... anonymuh....however you spell that'', Applejack said as she tried her best to spell the word out.'' ''She was about to try and find this stranger without us, can you believe it?'', said Rainbow. Twilight knew she couldn't hide it anymore, all of her friends were right here and she was surrounded. She wouldn't be able to escape if she tried, no matter what elaborate plan she tried to devise. She had told them about the letter and what it wanted her to do. Applejack wasn't so happy with the fact that this stranger wanted to see Twilight alone without anyone else. They dragged Twilight behind the barn and they found the letter. What they found written on it, was something none of them could ever possibly imagine.

Peculiar Clues

------Peculiar Clues------

None of them knew what to make of this mysterious letter, Applejack was the most confused because she demanded to know why it was on her farm of all places. ''They expect us to inspect every tree in the acre just to find some stupid directions?'', shouted Dash. ''I don't trust these crazy wild goose chases, it's already weird enough that this anonymous person wants to meet Twilight in private!'' ''Darling, please relax, I'm sure we'll find that message in no time!'', said Rarity. Fluttershy slowly backed away, she obviously didn't want to search for a mysterious pony. ''Um, guys, I think I'll stay in Ponyville and watch over Twilight's house.'', Shy said while grinning nervously. ''This stranger might leave another letter, or worse, she could do something evil!'' Before any of them had a chance to respond, she flew off into the clouds, she can fly pretty fast when she's in a pinch. ''Aw, I was going to surprise her too!'', said Pinkie Pie in a depressed manner.

Twilight said to the others, ''I really hope you all can forgive me, Spike tried to talk me out of it as well.'' ''I had assumed that this anonymous character was going to resort to something drastic, and I didn't want to tell Rainbow Dash the truth about the Daring Do secret. ''You'll have to do something for me once this is all over if you expect me to forgive you for that.'', said Rainbow Dash. ''I was going crazy about the next chapter too, I was about to crack under pressure from waiting so long!'' ''It's those lazy book writers who did this to me, made me, Rainbow Dash of all ponies, have to wait for another installment of the AMAZING DARING DO SERIES!'' Pinkie Pie couldn't contain herself and laughed in Dashie's face. She was like Spike, they didn't exactly know when to laugh and when not to laugh, especially when the problem was serious to somepony. ''Don't laugh at her Pinkie.'', said Twilight with a disappointed look on her face.

''Oh well'', said Applejack, ''Ah guess we'll just have to find this hidden message by ourselves.'' They each spread out in search of the letter. Rainbow searched the north side of the field, Pinkie hopped along the west field, and Rarity stood there watching the others disperse. ''Uh, Rarity, could ya' quit standin' there and help us?, Applejack tried to reach Rarity, although she was preoccupied with another matter. ''I'm not going to get my hooves muddy again, I already did that last week when you asked me to help buck the trees!'' ''Oh come on Rarity, haven't we been through this already?'', she was referencing Twilight's first sleepover and Rarity knew it. ''Trust me on this one, you'll get less dirtier here than you did cleaning up her room!'', Applejack argued with Rarity and it went back and forth.'' Twilight had to tell the both of them to forget the muddy hooves argument and just get to searching. ''The both of you do realize how long this search is going to take if you two aren't helping right?'', Twilight said, ''Applejack, I need you to search the south field, and Rarity can search the East field.'' ''But the east field is the section of the farm with the most gnats!'', Rarity complained with a passion in her eyes.

Rarity trotted off to the east side of the field, ''I simply cannot imagine why Rainbow Dash doesn't get the east field, she's the only Pegasus in this group!'', she protested. ''You know how Rainbow hates gnats in her mane, they drive her crazy!'', Twilight responded. ''She never thought of bugs the same way ever since those parasprites followed her.'' Rarity finally agreed to search the east field, and the sun would begin to set in the west. Twilight then noticed something in the letter, she decided to read it in search for clues. The letter read in large black ink, but had green highlights, she thought this could lead to clues. ''Is anypony following you?'' ''This meeting is still private and I need you to perform this task in secrecy.'' ''The note is in either of the north, south, east, and West fields, I have to hide the note that you need so nopony else finds this.'' ''Depending on your problem solving capabilities, you'll be able to solve this puzzle without wasting a whole day.'' ''You also have a deadline that I'd like to mention as well, the time limit is 1 day from now, which should be October 11th.'' ''Should it be day or night, I'm waiting at a cliff where the sun sets in the West.'' ''Now why does she have west capitalized twice?'', Twilight thought to herself. ''Is she trying to say that the note is also in the west?''

''I need your attention everypony, I want you all to search the west field of the farm!'', Twilight shouted loud enough for each of her friends to hear her. ''Oh, thank Celestia, I thought I'd never get a break from these gnats...'', said a white unicorn. They each searched the entire west field and no luck came to them in the end. ''That's crazy, I was sure that there was some sort of clue in this letter!'', said a confused Twilight. ''Am I the only pony who thinks Twilight has finally lost it?'', scoffed Rainbow, ''Actually I think she lost it along time ago, ever since she enchanted Smarty Pants.'' ''Does anypony else think we should just drop this whole search thing, if this anonymous character tries any funny stuff, I'll teach him...or her...a lesson or two!''. ''No Rainbow, we don't even know who this letter is from, but it can't be from the Princess, the tone of voice used in this letter persuades me to think it's somepony else.'', said Twilight. ''Well if it isn't from the princess who cares?'', said Rainbow, ''If the sender isn't anyone important then we should just pretend you never got the letter in the first place!''

''That's the thing Rainbow Dash, we don't know who this is from, we can't just shove it aside like we never saw it!'', said Twilight. ''There has to be some kind of clue in this letter.'' Pinkie Pie was getting thoughts in her head at this point. Everypony knows however, that whenever Pinkie comes up with something it doesn't make any sense. Even when shes in a plain conversation, her rushed pattern of speaking and energetic movement leave most ponies confused. ''Hey Twilight, there's some words scribbled on the back of that note you're holding!'', said Pinkie. Twilight quickly flipped over the note to see what was written on the back. ''It has the directions north and east written on it, but some of the words in them are capitalized, I wonder what that could mean.'', pondered Twilight. The note said norTh, which shouldn't be capitalized, then it has eaSt, which also shouldn't be capitalized. ''Hey, isn't T.S the abbreviation for your name Twilight?'', asked Applejack. ''You're right Applejack, and since this letter was sent to me, that T should stand for Twilight.'' ''If I'm correct, Twilight also means midnight, which could be a clue, and the S should stand for Sparkle.'' ''Oh my gosh, Twilight and Sparkle, by Jove, I think I figured it out!''

''We have to wait until it gets darker, if the S stands for Sparkle, then we should be able to find it pretty easily.'' The others were very much confused by now, considering they did none of the work there, except for Pinkie Pie who noticed the words on the back of the note. ''So, what you're trying to say, is that we should wait till dusk?'', asked Applejack. ''That's the dumbest idea that I've ever heard!'', scoffed Rainbow. ''If this person whoever he or she is, expects you to meet her alone before tomorrow then why should we have to wait?'' ''Maybe we don't have to wait for night to come.'', said Twilight in a suspicious tone of voice. She prepared her horn to cast a spell, but what spell she was going to cast was a mystery to the others. It turns out she wasn't casting any spells, she was using her magic to collect enough clouds in one spot to produce shade and limit sunlight. She had asked Rainbow to push the lump of clouds along the west field and see if anything seemed strange or stood out. Rainbow Dash pushed the cloud along and found something to her surprise.

''I think I found something down here Twilight!'', said Rainbow optimistically. ''It's so bright, I think this is the note that you're trying to find!'' Rainbow Dash flew down and picked up the note and brought it back over to Twilight to examine. ''This is wonderful, maybe now we can actually get somewhere with this investigation.'' ''Yeah, yeah, just make sure we get this done before night-time, I've got some training to do for a race.'' ''I'm having a race against Spitfire and there's no way in Equestria that I'm losing, I've got to impress her!'' ''She may even let me become one of the Wonderbolts!'' Applejack snatched the note from Twilight, she wanted to make sure that there wasn't another note on her farm, or anything else suspicious. AJ doesn't play around with her farm as far as safety goes, she's not losing all her hard work either. ''Oh'', said Applejack, ''This person just wants to meet you at the edge of a cliff, the distance should be about an hour if you pace yourself.'' ''I hate to be one to leave you like this, but the letter says shes an old friend of yours.'', said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack decided to leave Twilight alone to handle her personal business. Rarity had a favor to ask of Twilight before she and the others left. Rainbow Dash left because that race meant almost everything to her at that moment, and though she was loyal, she didn't want to interfere with things like these. Pinkie Pie remembered that if the toilet that Twilight unclogged was used again, the chances of it overflowing are very high, considering Twilight did a poor job of unclogging it. Applejack really had to get back to bucking apples, there was an order of 10 sacks of golden delicious apples to be delivered to Dodge Junction, the order was made by Jubilee. She's a cherry farm owner, but that doesn't mean she can't enjoy a few apples every now and then. ''CUTIE MARK CRUSADER TREASURE HUNTERS ARE GO!'', the three little fillies shouted at the top of their lungs. ''We aren't hunting for treasure, we're looking for an anonymous pony!'', shouted Twilight.

Desert Diamond

-----Desert Diamond-----

The only thing that Twilight felt like at this point, was 20% dumber, and 80% baby sitter. Three fillies are too much to handle at this point, especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She had hoped the only interruptions would be trying to keep them all together, or finding an object to plug her ears with. ''Well if we aren't searching for treasure, why are we searching for a person?'', asked Scootaloo, she had that confused look on her face when something didn't seem right. ''Because I received a letter from a pony who calls his or herself anonymous, whoever this pony is, claims that she's an old friend.'', responded Twilight. Sweetie Belle then unleashed 1,000 questions that each irritated Twilight to the ends of the Equestria. She couldn't wait till all of this ruckus was over. The one thing that worried Twilight, was that to get to that cliff, she'd have to pass through Desert if the directions are true. One of her many fears, was crossing a desert with three hyperactive fillies, except she learned that was one of her fears just now. Twilight called it Crusaderphobia, and it shot up to her number one fear on the list.

If you've ever seen or heard of the movie called, ''Are We There Yet'', then you should be able to understand Twilight's frustration at this point. The direction they're heading for is in-fact a desert, and things are starting to heat up already. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are singing their anthem and Twilight is begging them to stop, yet they continue to sing every 3 minutes. ''One hour, my flank!'', Twilight shouted, ''If we have to cross this whole desert to reach an uncharted cliff that has more trees than Sweet Apple Acres has, then this is going to torture me, because I see nothing but sand!'' ''SO MUCH SAND, SWEET CELESTIA, I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE''. ''Um, sorry Twilight, we'll stop singing so you can focus.'', said Applebloom apologetically. ''No, you can keep on singing, I won't be the killjoy on this journey.'', Twilight responded, ''It just confuses me until I can't take it anymore, why would anypony want to meet me across a desert?'' ''Maybe it's a tribe member of the sand ponies!'', said Scootaloo. ''Uh, are those actual ponies, or did you just make that up?'', asked Sweetie Belle. ''It shows how much you know!'', Scootaloo replied, ''They're real alright, they ambushed Ponyville and I had to rescue Rainbow Dash, afterwards she gave me flight lessons, and then Princess Celestia herself bestowed a crown on my cute little head!''

Twilight began to regret her decision, and the fillies' music along with the stress of the situation caused her to faint. Her sweaty body now collapsed on endless dunes of sand. The only point in time where she had been this exhausted was when Applebloom called the Flim Flam Brothers out for a challenge. ''Twilight!, Twilight!!'', the three fillies screamed, and it was no good. It seemed like nothing could wake her up at this point. They had no choice but to muster up the strength and carry her across the desert. Sweetie Belle's magic was a big help, but she wouldn't be able to help for too long. Whenever you think of three fillies and one mare traveling a desert, when the oldest pony faints, fear sets in. ''W-What if there w-was a sandstorm?'', Applebloom brought up. ''Don't say scary things like that-I mean, don't jinx us Applebloom!'', said Scootaloo as she tried to mask her fear behind her words. ''Are you scared of a little sandstorm Scootaloo?'', teased Sweetie Belle.

''Where, where am I.....'', asked the purple mare. ''Get up Twilight, we're not even halfway through the desert yet!'', said the pony beside her. ''I'm sorry, I think I passed out from the heat or something.'', responded Twilight. She struggled to get back up and noticed something was wrong. ''Girls, girls where are you?'', Twilight asked as she searched for the three fillies. ''What are you talking about, I'm right here!'', the pony repeated herself. ''What happened to you three?'', she asked as she turned around, ''You have differe-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-WH-D-D-D-DARING DO!? ''Uh, yeah, It's me Daring Do, the one you agreed to come with remember?'', said Daring. ''I thought you'd remember these kinds of things, with you being a brainiac and all.'' Twilight looked at her surroundings, and they looked the same as they did before. She even started to wonder if this was her life all along, and that she just woke up from some kind of deep dream. ''Where are the girls, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom?'', asked Twilight. ''I'm afraid I don't know what in Equestria you're talking about, but haul some flank, we've got around an hour to reach our destination before the sandstorm sets in.''

Twilight read up on these kinds of situations in books, she pulled all the stops, including blinking, sneezing and hitting herself. Daring Do watched in confusion as the purple pony tried to knock her self conscious. To her it seemed as if she was going crazy at the moment, so she had to drag her along the dunes. ''Twilight Sparkle, let me ask you something, have you sniffed any.....dangerous flowers or mushrooms of any kind.'', asked Daring. ''You're not exactly being yourself right now y'know.'' ''Actually I take that back, you're always freaking out about every single little detail, so I guess you're fine.'' She remembered reading a book with events just like this one, she played it out like the character in the book, and just waited for it to be over. ''I really hope the girls aren't panicking right now, because if we're in the same places right now, then that sandstorm Daring mentioned....I don't want to think about it...'' They continued walking on, at least Daring was, because Twilight was still being dragged by her tail.

Daring Do exclaimed, ''We're finally here!'' Twilight was still attempting to wake herself during the 20 minute interval of walking. ''Oh, that's great, I think...'', said Twilight. ''What's the matter Twilight, this is the temple of the Desert Diamond!'' ''This is what we've been waiting for all along!'' She didn't exactly care for what was going on, but amidst the confusion, she decided to go along with Daring Do and enter the temple. Unfortunately for Twilight, she was unaware of what her and the three fillies were going to face. Someplace else in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash was still training for her race with Spitfire. There was one thing that was constantly eating at her though. ''Oh, horse apples, I can't believe I forgot the book, Twilight still has that book!'' She dashed over to the spot where they had left each other, and happened to pass by Spitfire, she didn't think that she saw Rainbow Dash, and shrugged it off.

The three fillies were now rushing to carry Twilight's unconscious body over to the desired destination, but if the sandstorm approaches, they won't be able to tell direction from direction. ''Um, Scootaloo....'', said Applebloom sheepishly, ''What if the sandstorm hits this area before we make it, how will we be able to tell what direction we're heading? Scootaloo replied bluntly, ''We'll just have to maintain our course, and keep walking on in this general direction, I don't care if we have to burrow under the sand!'' ''Are you sure about that Scootaloo, you do know how much sand that sandstorm will kick up right?'', asked Sweetie Belle. ''Use your head Sweetie Belle, we'll need your magic to protect us from the storm, while me and Applebloom carry Twilight!'', replied Scootaloo. ''Why do I have to do all of the work anyway?'' ''Aren't you the one with wings?'', Sweetie Belle complained back to Scootaloo. ''Um, Not to spoil the surprise, but I can't fly you know, much less use my wings to brave a sandstorm.'' Applebloom then proceeded to call Scootaloo a flightless dodo bird.

Twilight and Daring Do had overcome many trials, and many speech impediments. Mostly just reading dusty old maps and dodging poison darts, along with the cliche walls that close in on every single side, including up and down. One Pegasus and one Unicorn working together seems like a dream team. Ironically, Daring had pulled a muscle in her wing while she struggled to carry Twilight to the temple. Daring Do didn't like this one bit, because it reminded her of one of her many journeys, like her quest for the Sapphire Statue. Twilight also seemed to notice how everypony has been dragging her to get places for the longest today. Once they both entered the main chamber, the final trap was sprung, a master puzzle that was developed by none other than Ahuizotl! Daring's nemesis was ready for her this time with traps of every kind. ''You won't get away with stealing the Desert Diamond Ahuizotl!'', Daring exclaimed. Twilight was almost overcome with joy seeing as she owned all of the Daring books, but she wasn't too happy, she still worried about the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Rainbow Dash was now right on top of the Crusaders, she noticed that they were carrying Twilight and that she didn't have her bag. She flew over to them hoping that this wasn't true, because the book that Rainbow wanted to read so badly was supposed to be in that bag. ''Rainbow, is that you?'', asked Scootaloo. ''Yeah, its me squirt!'', Rainbow called her the name she usually uses instead of Scootaloo. ''Why exactly is Twilight unconscious, and where is that bag she was carrying?'', asked Rainbow. ''What bag are you talking about Rainbow?'', replied Scootaloo. Rainbow put a hopeless expression on her face, she knew it was all over now. At least she had something else to occupy her, like making sure Twilight didn't escape from her wrath. That seemed to be one of the only things keeping her from leaving, aside from the fact four of her best friends are in a desert and one of them are knocked out cold.

Daring Do and Ahuizotl were preparing themselves for battle in his master trap. Lava slowly filled the room from left, right, top, and even the bottom. There was a hole in the roof that acted as an exit, and the only thing keeping Daring Do from victory, was whether she left the temple roasted or without the Diamond of the Desert. Twilight watched in awe and somehow with the last of her strength, levitated Daring Do up to the exit. All Daring Do had to do was wait for Ahuizotl to reach the top, because he isn't exactly lava-proof either. Twilight thought of a plan to get her out of this dream, but her plan was interrupted by the sandstorm approaching. As Ahuizotl desperately tried to make his way up the staircase leading to the exit on the other side of the room, the sandstorm drew closer and closer. Unfortunately the same thing happened in real time, whereas the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Rainbow Dash were unsuspectingly making their way to the destination.

One fatal decision would decide who gets the Desert Diamond, who makes it out of the temple, and who makes it to the end. Twilight made one last effort to make things right for everypony on all sides. She had knocked herself out, which somehow took her out of the climax of the book that Rainbow Dash wanted to read so desperately. The end result woke her up in the world of Equestria, and all the fillies jumped in surprise. Rainbow had asked her what had happened to her, and there wasn't anytime for a proper explanation. Daring Do had defeated Ahuizotl, but he had escaped the temple as well, but without the Desert Diamond. The sandstorm closed in and both groups, prepared themselves for the incoming threat. The sandstorm devastated the entire desert, the sand cloud was 90 ft. tall. It also turns out that if anypony could save 4 ponies within 10 seconds flat, it was her. All of them were perched on top of Rainbow Dash's back. ''You're the best Rainbow Dash!'', exclaimed Scootaloo. ''Aw shucks, you don't have to...agh....say that, I'm not all that great, you know...'', Rainbow replied with a raspy voice. ''Uh, Twilight, how many pounds do you think Rainbow can carry?'', Sweetie Belle asked. Everypony else became silent for a few moments. Twilight said nothing at all.

Shadow On The Cliff

Shadow On The Cliff

------Shadow On The Cliff-----

The awkward silence slowly became more and more unbearable. Nopony said anything for about 10 minutes, because they would jinx themselves if they said anything else. Rainbow Dash was definitely silent, except the constant noise of her struggling to keep them all afloat, at this point all they could do was glide. The sandstorm continued to rage on below them, but something seemed a little off. As Twilight looked down on the ground below them, between all of the clouds and sand, she could see tiny splotches of green. She wasn't sure, but she figured that this could be their awaited destination, or at least near it. ''Rainbow Dash, said Twilight, ''I think we're near the spot where this anonymous character is.'' The time was about 6:30, and their journey across the desert in Equestria was approximately two hours and thirty minutes. All that they've worked hard for was finally clear and in their faces, they spotted a forest with short amounts of oak trees.

They had just exited the desert that they traversed five minutes ago, and they were all tired beyond relief. The sandstorm below them started to dissipate as they began to see less and less sand blowing. They were flying for what seemed to be ten minutes, but for each of them, it almost felt endless. Rainbow had began to adjust to the wait, but as soon as she stopped struggling, they began to plummet into the forest below. They tried their best not to panic, because that would make matters worse. Apparently, Twilight started to notice that it wasn't going to happen that way. ''CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SKY DIVERS, YAY!!!'', the three fillies shouted louder than they ever had. It broke both Rainbow's and Twilight's concentration. Next thing they knew, they were already 30 ft. away from the ground. With the last of her strength, Twilight levitated each of them safely to the ground, with her horn emanating large waves of magical energy. It looked similar to when she used her magic to put the Ursa Minor to sleep. They landed softly on the forest floor, and they slowly got off of each other. They got so caught up in this random and crazy journey of theirs, that Twilight forgot one very important thing, she had realized how retarded all of this was in the first place.

''Everypony, I think it's time that we got this crazy journey of ours over with.'', Twilight said. She told the others not to follow her, Rainbow kept her promise this time. As she slowly walked up to the cliff, not to alert whoever this pony was, into thinking that there are others. The sun in the sky slowly started to set in the west, and as she proceeded to walk up the hill, the shadows of trees were all around her. The sky turned into a shade of orange, and she began to notice another shadow as she searched for this anonymous character. ''Hey, Applebloom, who do you think that unknown pony is anyway?'', asked Scootaloo. Applebloom looked back at Scootaloo with an honest look of confusion and said, ''I don't have the slightest idea of whoever it could be, but I don't think Twilight would tell us who it is.'', replied Applebloom. ''Why would you think that?'', asked Rainbow Dash. ''Maybe because she said she wanted to see this pony in secrecy as well?'', said Applebloom.

Twilight finally had met this mysterious pony, whoever it was. ''Um, hello, I take it your the pony named ''Anonymous'', she said as she called out to the figure standing at the edge of the cliff. The pony said nothing and continued to stay in the same position. ''Okay, if this is your idea of a joke then this isn't a very funny one!'', Twilight shouted. ''If you claim that I actually know you, then show me your face!'' The pony began to turn around, and she prepared herself for who she was about to see. She sees a blue unicorn, with a blue coat, a purple hat with stars on it, as well as a matching cape. Twilight is blown away, out of all of the ponies that she could have predicted to be the culprit of this whole situation, and it was her. ''It is I, the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!'', the blue pony shouted. She stood on her back legs, to make an intimidating pose, and Twilight took it as a threat, preparing to cast a spell. ''Now, now, you little impudent foal, I didn't call you here to have a duel.'', Trixie teased Twilight in her arrogant tone of voice, yet she was serious.

''I want to let you know that there are no hard feelings between us, but there is one thing I must say.'' ''I wanted you to know that......YOU SUCK!'', shouted Trixie. Twilight was silent for a whole minute. ''You know Trixie, after all that I've been through, and all that you've been through, you're right. ''I guess I do suck, considering I didn't realize you were behind all of this.'' ''Well, next time we meet, I'm not going to send you a letter.'', said Trixie. ''I'm going to confront you in your most triumphant moment, and I'm going to humiliate you the same way you did to me, in front of all those ponies.'' ''And when I slowly trot away into the sunset, though your friends will help you up, you'll have to face the fact that I'll win that round.'' ''Prepare yourself Twilight Sparkle, but it won't make a difference, the next time I see you, your title of Ponyville's most powerful Unicorn will be me, and scoff if you must.'' ''Although you're not even remotely like-able to me, you'll make a good rival, and you'll be ready to lose I hope.'' She winked at Twilight as she said it, being the smug unicorn she always was. Her words were sharp, they conflicted with Twilight, because she was going to prepare for that day, though she didn't know when it was going to strike, Trixie tricked her into doing all of this just for a little reminder of their rivalry. She was going to look forward to that day, the day when she would be defeated by the all powerful Trixie, as she disappeared behind her.

From that point on, Twilight didn't tell anypony of who she had seen. She figured it wouldn't help what would happen in the future if she had told them of Trixie's intentions. She went on a wild goose chase through Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres, and made it past every single obstacle. She traversed her very first desert in all of her life, while unconscious, and had an adventure with Daring Do in her mind. She wasn't going to tell anypony of that either, Rainbow would probably hit her for it, as angry as she was about the situation already. What surprised her was that the only pony who asked what had happened was Princess Celestia. Twilight said in a calm voice, ''Today, I met a pony named Anonymous.'' The time continued to pass by, and Twilight can't tell anypony of these events. Twilight has to decide whether she'll continue her regular life, or prepare herself for what ''anonymous'' has in store for her.

Brave The Storm

-----Hiding The Conversation-----

It's been two months since Twilight had the fateful meeting with ''anonymous''. Everything going on in Ponyville as of now, has been calm and peaceful. She hasn't received any other letter, and she wasn't counting on getting one either, because those words that she had heard were very clear. She was now observant more than anything else, making sure that nothing fishy goes on. As far as she can remember, the journey that she had embarked on before was a test of her wits and reactions. The words that were spoken to her are still very fresh in her mind. ''I'm going to confront you in your most triumphant moment.'', Twilight recalled that phrase in her head over and over again. She had expected the last time she ever saw her would be the last time, but the tone of the voice rings in her head, and she knows Trixie was very serious. Her friends haven't talked about the event for a long time, and Twilight didn't tell them of the events that took place. Not even Princess Celestia, this was between Trixie and her until the time came. She doesn't know whether to keep on living life or prepare herself, because as far as she knows, she hasn't seen the last of Trixie, and everything seems to be piecing itself together.

It's a normal, and sunny day in Ponyville, and a lazy Rainbow Dash hasn't cleared the clouds on the west side of Ponyville yet. The usual goes on, Pinkie Pie's toilet still hasn't been unclogged, Mr.Cake used all of his strength and he refused to hire a plumber for a simple clogged up toilet. Pinkie Pie knew it wasn't just a clogged toilet, it was so much more. Rarity has been relaxing these two months and Sweetie Belle's wounds have been taken care of and treated. Looking back, they barely escaped the sandstorm, and the sandstorm contained mostly sharp minerals. The Cutie Mark Crusaders have ruled out possibility of getting their cutie marks in desert crossing. They didn't do so well, the last time they tried it. Fluttershy has been taking care of the animals on the coast of the Everfree Forest. She's built up a tolerance to darkness and scary shadows at night, but at least that's what she believes at this point in time. Applejack delivered the order of 10 golden delicious apples last month, it took her about 1 week. Big Macintosh was buffeted by the sandstorm, sadly it blew through Sweet Apple Acres, the crops were okay, but Macintosh was hurt.

Rainbow Dash got to race Spitfire, but she lost, and she telegraphed it before it even happened. The way her wings were cut by the sandstorm left her unable to finish the race half-way. She was in the hospital for about 2 days last month. As far as everypony is concerned, it was a crazy adventure of theirs and they're past it now. The same can't be said for me, because of what Trixie told me the last time that we met. The only questions that I've been getting regarding the event was, ''Where were you Twilight?'', or ''Why were you running through the market?.'' My response was, ''I was busy dealing with another matter at the time, you know how busy I can be with my brother and whatnot.'' Now everypony has been asking me non-stop about the question, and the more I deny telling them what happened, the more suspicious they become. I don't think I can keep it a secret much longer. The only pony who hasn't asked me about what happened that was involved in this, was Derpy Hooves. Although I doubt she remembers that day, she didn't even know what was in the letter. I think I should pay her for a visit though, maybe she knows something.

Twilight trotted through Ponyville once again, receiving the regular, ''Hey Twilight!'', that she normally gets. Derpy Hooves was involved in this, but not throughout the whole thing. She may know where Trixie sent the letter from, but I don't think she went to the post office in Ponyville. She would have risked being seen, not to mention Rarity told me that she stopped by the post office 2 months ago, and didn't see Trixie or anypony suspicious. Just the general people that she's used to seeing around the post office, not that many people use it, considering a certain mail mare often ''derps'' it up. ''Hey Derpy!'', shouted Twilight. ''Oh, hey Twilight, I haven't seen you in a month!'', replied Derpy. ''How have you been doing, did you get that complimentary muffin that I left on the doormat?'' ''Um, what muffin are you ta---never mind that, I have something to ask you right now.'', Twilight wanted to make sure she stayed on topic talking to Derpy. ''Do you recall that letter that you sent to me 2 months ago?'', Twilight asked, ''You know the one with large black ink on the back of it?''

''I remember now!'', shouted Derpy in an unnerving fashion, ''Big Macintosh walked by the post office and just happened to see me that day, he gave me that letter so I could give it to you!'' ''Big Macintosh did WHAT??'', Twilight replied loudly, ''Did I hear you right Derpy?'', Twilight was beginning to lose a grip on reality for a moment. Even though that's how she always feels when she gets into a conversation with Derpy or Pinkie Pie. ''Why would Big Macintosh be the one to give you that letter?'', Twilight said. ''I don't know, but he looked like he was in a hurry, like I was when my muffins were being burned in the oven that I forgot to turn off!'' Things were starting to become suspicious, Big Macintosh was the one who gave Derpy that letter. ''Maybe Trixie met up with him somehow and told him to deliver this to the post office?'' ''Why would Macintosh not tell me as well?'' ''It seems I'm not the only one who's hiding a secret at this point''. ''I need to go ask that stallion a few questions!'', Twilight thought to herself as she stormed off. Applejack just happened to notice her coming close to Sweet Apple Acres again, and said seriously, ''You didn't get some note from another anonymous feller did'ya?''

The very next thing that Twilight realized, was that before she knew it, she was on yet another journey. It was to find out anything she can about what's going to come in the future and why Macintosh didn't tell me about that letter. The situation is just as it was before, when she ran into Applejack, except there isn't a steaming mad Rainbow Dash behind her. She demanded to know where Big Macintosh was, and Applejack didn't like the idea of this. ''Sugar cube, first, Ah' need to ask ya' what crazy thing you're involved in now, and if it's serious, ya' may as well bring all of us with ya' this time.'' ''I have to think of something, think, think, think, think!!'', Twilight shouted to herself in her thoughts. ''Uh, I have to meet Macintosh for a pony play date, it's a little thing we thought of last week, nothing serious though.'' ''Twi, are you sayin' you and Macintosh are da-, ''NO, OF COURSE NOT, WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT, IT'S JUST A HARMLESS PLAY DATE!'', Twilight rudely interrupted Applejack's question. ''Uh, sure, well okay, but don't take it overboard.'', said Applejack before trotting off.

''Phew, that was pretty close, the last thing I need is more unexpected interruptions like that.'' ''This already happened more than 3 times, and that's all I'm willing to take for now.'', Twilight thought to herself. Once she had arrived at the farm, she remembered that AJ told her Macintosh would be in his room upstairs. She politely knocked at the door, but nopony answered, there wasn't even a single noise coming from the whole place. The door slowly opened from a light push coming from Twilight's hoof, and even then there were no other noises coming from upstairs. She quickly trotted upstairs and knocked on Macintosh's door, which happened to be locked. ''Is anypony in there?'', Twilight asked, and then she heard rumbling and the sound of bed sheets being rolled up and spread around. ''C-come in Miss Sparkle!'', Macintosh said nervously. Big Macintosh always had a way of being ridiculously polite, most of the time he referred to Twilight as ''Miss Sparkle''. Even though words like those don't come out often, hes a colt of many words.

''So, Big Macintosh, I have a certain question to ask you.'', said Twilight with glaring eyes. ''W-what kind of question would that be Ms. Sparkle?'' ''Oh, it's nothing, just the fact that you've been sending some letters into the post office.'', Twilight responded. Big Macintosh began to leak spaghetti out of his every orifice, he knew what she was onto, and he took a large gulp, trying not to let his sweat drop. ''Oh, darn-it, I guess it's useless trying to hide the truth from you at this point.'', said Macintosh giving up. ''I entered a contest to win Smarty Pants a friend, is that the answer you wanted Ms. Sparkle?'' Twilight looked at him with the same puzzled eyes she looked at Trixie with, ''Um, no, that's not what I was asking for in particular.'', she said bluntly. ''Oh, well, uh, this is kind of awkward isn't it Ms. Sparkle?'', said a nervous Macintosh. Twilight thought that her crazy misadventure dealing with ''anonymous'' were over, but it looks like she's only just began to brave the storm that's going to roll through Ponyville.

Canterlot's Flame Of Passion

------Canterlot's Flame Of Passion------

The exam was over, and Twilight had received her desired score of 100% She had a mixed feeling of joy and fear, and both of the two combined to form something that she had never felt before. It was what she called a ''Bitter Victory''. She was unaware, at first, that everypony congratulated her on being the only pony to take the exam and get a 100% in two years. This alone was enough to reassure her for a small amount of time. Twilight was proud of achieving such a thing, but there was this feeling in her gut. It ate away at her, and she had no idea what it was. It became worse as they began the dismissal, and everypony had left the room. She was still in her seat, frozen in fear of what could take place as soon as she walked out of those doors. The instructor gave her a crazy look and asked, ''Is something the matter Ms. Sparkle?'', ''Why have you not left the classroom, is there something that you wish to discuss?'' ''I have one question.'', said Twilight, ''If I were to, oh I don't know, get into a tussle of fates with another pony that's probably 3 times better than me in every single aspect of status, what are my chances of winning based on my test results? ''Oh, I don't know, maybe you should ask the one waiting outside for you.''

Twilight Sparkle had been exaggerating how she had felt before this. She was never one to be herself whenever she experienced some sort of crisis, and half the time, she was the only one who thought of it like a crisis. Although this is for a reason, because that fear and frustration she gradually holds in her heart, over time builds a resistance. A resistance to being told the old phrase that's been making ponies around Equestria bow their heads in shame. That old phrase that not even the bravest of ponies would dare to say and not expect something back. The old phrase that when said to a pony, provides a feeling of utter loss and embarrassment. The old phrase that goes like this, ''I told you so.'' Twilight wasn't losing her mind entirely, but the stress almost made it become something she would have to apologize for. Aside from her own fear, the tone of the day was set, and she didn't like it one bit. So using all of her strength that she had left, after this journey that seemed endless, she marched outside and dared anything that opposed her in her mind, to come and fight.

The very next thing she felt was a strong gust of wind. The ponies of Canterlot watching in awe, as they saw Twilight cowering in fear in the courtyard. The blue unicorn was finally here, wearing that old smug look on her face, that nopony could forget. To Twilight, it was the meaning of underestimation, preferably the underestimation of what a rival is for. She had many victories up until this moment in time. She had the best of friends around her, the best neighbors, and she had the best mentor. The only mentor that could rival Celestia, was the thirst for revenge in Trixie's heart. The two unicorns stared down at each other, one grinning and the other with an expression of nervousness. Twilight's friends had came to celebrate her doing so well on her test, they had received a letter from the instructor at the Canterlot Post Office. At this point in time, Twilight was dead serious, she never wanted to hear the word letter again, besides her letters that she would receive from ponies that she ACTUALLY KNEW.

''So, Twilight, how did the two months and two weeks of waiting treat you?'', said Trixie mockingly, ''I'd imagine they were torturous.'' ''You're right Trixie, I've almost never been more worried about anything in my life as far as rivalries.'' You are my one and only true rival, and the last time that we did battle, I was the one who basked in my shining moment. That night I never felt more cocky in my life about these kinds of things, but I wasn't one to brag, and I said nothing. I actually thank you for all the emotion that you put into those words because they almost scared me to death! ''*GASP*!, said each of Twilight's friends as they watched the emotional scene take place. They had no room to interfere, and Princess Celestia herself watched from atop the tallest balcony. Nopony could do anything about the situation, except the two mares about to battle.

Each of the unicorns began to muster up their energy, for Twilight, she summoned everything that she knows about magic, and she even summoned everything that she wants to know about magic. In the end, she realized that it wasn't fear clouding her judgements this whole time. It was anticipation, a mighty feeling of anticipation for a battle with her one and only rival in Equestria. Twilight knew that she was going to lose, all the energy that she had spent, she never even realized she fell into the trap from the beginning. Trixie planned this whole thing out from the start, she thought to herself after Rainbow Dash flew her and the three fillies home. She managed to succeed in wasting her time, and tiring her out. She managed to use the same tactic to draw her out into searching for an answer. Trixie said some of the most mystifying words to Twilight that she had ever heard from a fellow pony. There was no time for reflection, there was no way to re-direct their determination, and there was certainly no way to stop the rivalry between these two, because the fire was lit on that fateful night that Twilight defeated the Ursa Minor, is the same fire that's burning right now. It's never burned hotter than it's burning right now, and the flames are about to spread. These in turn would become the Flames In Canterlot.

The burning passion of their emotions began to cover the entire area. The purple pony's emanating wave of magic filled half of the courtyard. The blue pony's surge of magic was enough to blow off all of her garments. Before they let out one last scream, before everypony closed their eyes in fear of the outcome, Twilight realized two things. She didn't actually hear the instructor say those last words, it was her wild imagination and her blurred vision. The second thing being that this would make for one amazing friendship lesson for Princess Celestia. There is a third, but Twilight didn't think of it twice, maybe that she actually admired Trixie. She admired the way she could outsmart a natural born genius like her, but she couldn't feel those feelings anymore. The spells were cast and a flash of light blinded everypony in the courtyard with a light brighter than the combination of the Elements of Harmony. The stage was set two months and two weeks ago. The battle had taken place on that starry night, and the winner was decided.

On the floor lay a defeated Twilight Sparkle, her winning streak now broken. Twilight has one point, and Trixie has two. There was no crying, and there were no bowed heads after the flash of light. Because what they had seen after the flash of light was something beautiful. An image of the two unicorns shaking hooves, and the sound of the winner saying, '' Good game, Twilight Sparkle, you did better than I expected.'' ''At least you didn't go on a crazy rampage like you usually do'' The blue pony walked off with her head held high. The only thing that looked as satisfied at that moment was the look on Twilight's face and the look in Princess Celestia's eyes. There were no boo's and there weren't crowds of ponies raining down on Trixie with popcorn and food snacks. There was loud cheering, the entire town cheered, and everypony else who didn't witness this event in the town of Canterlot, looked back toward the courtyard. Twilight had learned a valuable lesson out of all of this, your worst enemy is your best friend, because no matter what, you both have a bond that can't be broken, no matter what has happened. You'll always see each other as a pony to be respected and a pony to be remembered.

End.

Trials On Tuesday

-----Trials On Tuesday-----

Big Macintosh had spilled the beans, and Twilight covered her nose, because the stench was horrible. He had known about the letter, and he was the one who sent it to the post office after Trixie had told him to. The weird thing, is that he said she wore a cloak to disguise herself. Macintosh trying to be the polite stallion he is, decided to send it to the post office, and have Derpy Hooves deliver it to Twilight. She specifically asked for Derpy Hooves to deliver the letter, any sensible mail pony would have checked the letter for anything suspicious. Some ponies in Ponyville have made letters and sent them that were frauds, so the security decided to step itself up a notch. Derpy Hooves wouldn't think of doing something like that, the way her mind drifts off at the worst possible times. Macintosh also relayed some important facts over to Twilight. Huge facts that couldn't possibly be denied. The approximate time Trixie would arrive would be on a Tuesday, on a Tuesday of all days. Twilight realized that something seemed a bit off.

''I'm going to confront you in your most triumphant moment.'', the same phrase that's been echoing in her head all day and all night. She can't help but think about it, and it's even harder to forget she even heard those words. The only important thing that would happen on a Tuesday would be two weeks from now, and Twilight has a exam on Tuesday. ''Exactly how did she know about that exam anyway?'', she wondered for a moment. ''Does that mean what she meant by my most triumphant moment, would be when I pass the test?'', Twilight asked Macintosh once again. ''Well, if you past the test, then yes.'', Macintosh replied. ''Oh, don't worry about that Big Mac, I'll definitely pass that test. Twilight then had a random thought in her head that could be her ace in the hole. ''I'll see you later Bic Macintosh, I have somethings to think about.'', she said before exiting the room. ''All I have to do is wait until the Tuesday after next Tuesday, and hopefully I make the right decision.''

The two week time period seemed to fly by, and everypony seemed to quit asking about whatever happened on that cliff. It made things slightly more awkward, me and Bic Macintosh being the only ones who are aware of what's to come. I still can't believe that he was keeping that secret from me the whole time. I have to remember that everypony knows as much as they say they don't sometimes. While the exam drew closer by one day, I spent my time in the Star Swirl the Bearded column in the Canterlot Archives. I never really knew what Trixie meant by confront, or win a round, maybe she wanted to challenge me to a duel of some sort? If I'm going to have a unicorn tussle, then I think I'm good. Although I know that's not the case, she has one advantage over me. It doesn't matter if I know when she's going to come, all I know is that it's on that Tuesday, and that she obviously has some kind of new trick. She even outwitted me when I knew nothing, but at least I know something now. As long as I stay near my friends, I don't think she can ambush me. Besides, my friends wouldn't let her cheat to gain a victory. What scares me, is that I don't think she needs to ambush me to have a chance at winning...

What I learned in the Canterlot Archives, were a couple of spells, not that I think they would do any good for me. I'm not even sure of how she was able to disappear into thin air the way she did before. Was it the art of invisibility spell? No, it can't be, not even I can do something that advanced. The amount of time that I received that letter, from the time that Trixie stormed off that night is five months. I have no idea what she could've learned in that window of time. I'm losing my mind over this! Is the pony that I once competed against five months ago my equal now? This makes no sense at all! Whatever she has up her sleeve, I've learned some thing as well, so I don't think she'll beat me that easily. I can't let this fear get the best of me though, If I go crazy before she arrives, then I'm dead meat!

''Hey Twilight, what are you doing on the floor, and why are you twitching?'' ''You haven't gone crazy again have you?'', asked Rainbow Dash. ''We've already seen you go crazy plenty of times before, I don't think we need to see it again.'' The mare on the floor slowly regained her senses after having a miniature breakdown over the stress. Twilight opened her eyes and looked at Rainbow Dash with dazed eyes, ''Oh, sorry Rainbow, I kind of blacked out there for a second.'' ''It reminds me of that time you were unconscious in that desert we crossed.'' ''I don't want to see that happening to you again, it really scared me, I mean the bag with the Daring Do book wasn't on your back and I was freaking out!'' ''Really, is that what she was concerned about at the moment?'', Twilight asked herself in her head. ''Well you don't have to worry about anything like that happening anymore.'' ''I'll make sure that I don't end up blacking out again.'' ''Are you sure about that Twilight?'', Rainbow said as she purposely teased Twilight. ''Ugh, yes, I'm sure of it, in fact I guarantee it!'', Twilight responded. ''Okay, but I just want you to know, if it happens again this week, you're going to have to wait until I read the next two chapters of Daring Do until you can read them!'', said Rainbow. ''That's what I was afraid of.....'', Twilight said in deep thought.''

It was time for the test that Twilight had to pass, in order to progress in her studies. Though she's in Ponyville, she has a few yearly exams she has to take, and they determine whether she goes on to study the next section of advanced spells. She's only 4 years away from the master spell courses. The thick air of Canterlot seemed to press against her body, it was Tuesday now, and she couldn't help but wonder if she would even reach the door of the institute before being attacked. She somehow managed to make it inside the facility, and everypony looked at her with bright faces and cheerful greetings. There were some other unicorns there that gave her a deadly look. It's as if they knew what was going to happen after she took this test, because her heart sank as if they said it to her face. During this whole dilemma, she's been dragged around and toyed with. She even had to drag herself up to Canterlot, she was so afraid of what might happen, that she decided to take the hike there by foot and not by train. There was a five minute intervention between the introduction and the beginning of the test. She levitated her pencil in the air, and prepared herself for the Trials of Tuesday.