TiMF: To Protect from Harm

Chapters

[1] The Purpose of Peace
[2] The Royal Baby Shower
[3] Trouble in Friendships

[1] The Purpose of Peace

Author's Note

Outside of Twidashforever's books and tiktoks, I have not touched the main story source for a few years. I've forgotten a lot of the events that happened and I'm going off of what I remember, I hope y'all will be patient with me.

[1] The Purpose of Peace

Twilight thought the clouds were gorgeous up above. The sky was a large pool of deep blue coloring, contrasting beautifully with the yellow rays of Celestia’s sun. The breeze was just right, flowing through her mane without messing up the style. It painted a perfect afternoon.

A round of familiar laughter reached her ears, and she turned right in time to see Pinkie Pie perform a summersault and land on top of Spike’s awaiting shoulder; the teenage dragon was just barely able to steady them with how much the pink mare moved on top of him.

The sight was so hilarious that Twilight joined in on the laughter. It seemed that Pinkie was re-enacting a scene from the latest show she’d watched and umphed the production to the Pinkie Way.

Rarity had to put her glass down as she crawled out of the chaise lounge, having laughed so much that it turned into oddly spaced coughs. Everyone seemed to have found that even more hilarious; the volume was growing as Rarity tried to calm herself only to find herself as the new thing to laugh at.

The mare tried to glare and tell them off, but it didn't work. Her coughing continued to grow, somehow incentivizing the growing sound of her friends' joy.

“Careful now, sugercube,” Applejack said, smoothly coming to her side and stroking her back. There were still some giggles of her own escaping from her mouth, but she continued in a comforting way, “We don’t want you dying on us now, would we?”

Everypony agreed wholeheartedly as they wiped away the tears at the corner of their eyes.

Seeing that it would take a while for Rarity to calm from her coughing fit, Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie, who still stood on top of Spike like it was no big deal.

“You must take us for the next show, Pinkie. I need to know how much of what you’re saying is actually true or if you’re just trying to make us laugh.”

Pinkie scoffed at that, her hair bouncing as she made her way over to the alicorn and plopped down in front of her. The pink pony was shaking her hoof in front of her as she replied, “Twilight, oh Twilight, you must not know of the lengths to which the earth pony theater will go! You're being blinded by the normative rule of this country!”

“Knowing you, I think I have an idea.” She rolled her eyes fondly.

Purple magic wrapped around the pink pony that levitated her back to standing on Spike’s shoulders. The dragon simply accepted his fate, only alleviated from his woes when Fluttershy offered him a gem cupcake from the snacks in the middle of the balcony.

Rainbow Dash giggled at the sight, her face full of cookie crumbles. “You know, I think Spike would make a wonderful addition to the bakery’s entertainment corner, Pinks.”

“Please don’t encourage her,” Spike moaned through a mouthful of cupcakes.

“Yes, please don’t. I don’t want letters being constantly sent to me that complain about his new job.”

All of them shared another resounding snigger at the imagery. Spike could only grumble at the comedy at his own expense, a complaint that nulled the moment the others noticed the little quirk on his mouth that teetered on a small smile.

Pinkie Pie finally jumped down from the dragon’s shoulders and went over to the pastries, chatting with Fluttershy about the food the shy pegasus brought and how much she had improved with baking the pies. Despite Pinkie's volume, the others couldn't find a place to join the conversation.

With her mascot finished playing with him, Spike joined the two mares near the food, most likely trying to get his claws on more of the gem cupcakes.

Rarity gave Applejack a grateful nod at her help, a thanks that the farmer returned with a tip of her hat before she went back to her own seat.

The unicorn cleared her throat for the others’ attention. “You know, I’m extremely curious about the shows the earth ponies have been churning out nowadays. I think it’s a brilliant idea that we all go out to watch one.”

“There is this big one that’s going to be hosted next Sunday in Canterlot. The bakery will be catering after the show is done. It’s a pretty large event; I think one of the royal sisters had been the one that personally requested everything to be made.”

Rainbow perked up, “Holy shit, is this what I think this is? Also congrats on the gig, Pinkie.” The others immediately chimed in on their congratulations as well.

Twilight hid herself behind her wine, looking over at Rainbow to ask, "What do you mean, Rainbow?" She fought off the smile that was threatening to take over her face. She couldn't be too obvious now with the announcement so close. Despite telling herself that, she has a feeling that she's fighting for nothing.

"The Wonderbolts have been implementing crazy practice schedules the past few weeks because of this big thing going on in Canterlot next Sunday!" The cyan mare flopped down on her chair, burying her face in the pillow. "Spitfire even confiscated all my daring doo books in the buildings because she didn't want any distractions."

If even the Rainbow "Daring" Dash thought that the new schedule is crazy, then it must surely be crazy. Twilight wouldn't be surprised if Rainbow would be doing most of the heavy lifting in the show if she's been this winded from practice of all things.

Applejack tilted her head and thought for a second before muttering, “Next Sunday, the farm received a pretty big order of apple cider to Canterlot."

“Princess Luna has asked me to make dresses for her by that time as well. That's weird...”

“Are you talking about that event that’s happening in the same Sunday that I think it is happening?” Twilight asked in a voice so fake that she hid behind another sip of her wine. Her intrigue was shown in the way her eyes sparkled in a smile that didn’t show on her face.

Rainbow took one look at the alicorn to know exactly what was happening: “Twilight... ”

Immediately, all eyes were on her. The alicorn was unabashed, continuing to take her time tasting every ingredient that made up her drink. Her eyes were closed, but the smile that she was hiding was starting to grow more evident to her friends. She knew she couldn’t actually hide the fact, but she continued to stall anyway.

After all, it was still a secret requested by one of the princesses of Equestria. While she could overrule it, Twilight wasn't the type unless, of course, she's being pinned to the corner by her friends.

Rainbow hovered over her, the cocky grin on her face growing more as she inched forward to the princess, “Hey, Twilight?”

Twilight glanced at the others before batting her eyelashes at the cyan mare. “Yes, Dash?”

“You not telling us something?”

She hummed as her horn glowed to summon a long scroll that she began skimming through, “No, I don’t think so.”

Ignoring the fact that Twilight Sparkle literally summoned an extremely lengthy scroll that contained information that, when leaked, could cause ruin to the lives of many ponies and creatures, Rainbow pressed on without missing a beat. Their faces barely space apart. “Really?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Are you sure sure?"

"I'm sure sure, Rainbow."

"Don't lie to me, Twi—”

“Get a room!” Spike cut her off, throwing the wrapper of his cupcake square on Rainbow’s face.

The mare didn’t even get mad. She belly-laughed and went upside down in the air, her laughter disturbing the nearby clouds that decided to hang around. Twilight found herself giggling along.

Rarity raised an eyebrow at Twilight’s now obvious ploy, “Spill it out, dear. What is it that you’re not telling us?”

She thought about it for a moment, taking another sip from her wine as she did so. “I do not know what you’re talking about. As I see it, it’s a healthy coincidence that we’re all going to Canterlot next Sunday.”

“Healthy coincidence? Even the personal invitation from one Princess Twilight Sparkle that asked me to conduct an avian chorale as an intermission for a royal baby shower party next Sunday,” Fluttershy joined in, taking out a sealed scroll from her pack.

""Fluttershy!""

Came the indignant whine from Twilight and the happy chorus of their other friends. Everypony immediately gathered around the yellow pegasus, opening the scroll and reading through the contents like a bunch of little chicks being attracted by their favorite seeds.

“You’re breaking a contract,” Twilight accused with a pointed hoof and an upset face.

Fluttershy raised her eyebrow, showing the contract to Twilight, “I’m not breaking anything that I haven’t signed.”

The others' reaction was to amplify the tension between the two by 'oo'-ing at the situation instead of trying to get the bottom of this.

The situation was enough for Twilight to stop being annoyed at being caught red-hoofed. She giggled and pulled the letter out of Fluttershy's grip with her magic, joining the others around the pegasus. “I thought you already signed this a week ago.”

“The letter stated to take my time. I didn’t think that I would be good enough to be able to take such a large responsibility.”

She placed a reassuring hoof on her friend’s shoulder and said, “I personally requested you because I know you can do it. After all these years, you doubt just how much I trust you to do things that I’ve already seen you do before?”

“Twilight’s right. If they wanted a choir, then they couldn’t find anypony better for the job than you are," Rarity said. Despite the crumbs that now covered his whole face, Spike was nodding seriously at the side.

"Are the my super special pinkie's bestest friends only parties not enough to convince you, 'shy?! You performed beautifully each time I invite you!"

"Where'd all your confidence from yesterday go, sugercurbe?"

She shook her head at their insistence, “This is different from yesterday or any other party. It's a huge royal event that hasn't happened for a few years now.”

Rainbow scooped Fluttershy by the shoulder and onto the air as she pointed to the sky. “While nobody would be as awesome as the Wonderbolts performing at the event, yours would be the perfect thing to balance all that awesome. Like what Twi said the other day... What was it again?”

Pinkie jumped to their height by the bounce of her fluffy tail. “There would always be darkness that accompanies light!”

Rainbow clapped her hooves together, “Yes! That! Yin yang shmabbles. You should really take the opportunity, Flutters.”

When Rainbow finally placed her back on the castle’s balcony, Fluttershy seemed to have found her response with a small smile and a grateful look to all of her friends: “Yeah. I guess you’re all right.”

The whole group loudly cheered. They made sure to drown Fluttershy with affection that would last decades on other ponies but a few days for this one. The pegasus has really come into her own throughout the years. While she remained quiet in most cases, there was an air of confidence around her that could not be mistaken for anything other than the sureness of oneself.

Applejack bumped her shoulders with Twilight. “So you were just going to leave us in the dark about a royal baby shower?”

A rainbow was immediately in Twilight’s face with red eyes that peered into hers. “Yeah! What’s that about? Even the Wonderbolts didn’t know that this was a baby shower until now!”

She affectionately pressed a hoof to Rainbow’s nose and pushed her away to address the rest of their friends. “It’s a secret that Princess Cadence personally requested. However, the musicians needed to be aware of the songs they'd be performing. The announcement is ready to be printed for tomorrow; you girls didn’t have to wait that long.”

“Yeah right! Just say you pick favorites instead of trying to placate our feelings, Twilight Sparkle!” Rainbow dramatically flew to the corner of the balcony, her wings limp on either side as she buried her face on the cold crystal walls. The sight was something, alright.

Spike seemed to agree, approaching the mare and patting her on the shoulder. He turned and placed a claw to his temple, exaggerating as he massaged the migraine away. “She’s truly the worst...”

Applejack shook her head at the display. “That’s enough outt'a you two. I think both of you had too much wine and cupcakes, respectively.”

“You got Rarity beat with your dramatics.”

"Excuse me?!"

Pinkie Pie snorted and elbowed the yellow pegasus. Her composure didn't last for another second, immediately bursting out in laughter. The earth pony was on her back before anyone could blink, laughing her confetti and balloons out, literally.

Fluttershy shook her head. With the knowledge of their shared past and a single glance to the clocktower, she knew that the pink mare would take far too long to calm down. “I should get Pinkie back to the bakery. She promised to let me use her new oven today, and I'm not about to let her reschedule because she laughed too hard."

Her words seemed to have been enough to snap Pinkie out of her fit. The mare was about to protest that they were leaving too early, but a yellow hoof stopped any words from forming, the innocent smile on her face telling the others that this was a matter she and Pinkie needed to talk about later. The same couldn't be said for the 'victim' who was practically screaming by the time that her body was out of the balcony.

“Spike? I have a few gem pastries that I want to try to bake; do you mind tasting them for me?”

Spike was out of his position in seconds, running in front of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie as if racing them to the bakery would make the pastries bake any faster. "Count me in!"

"I'll have him back before bedtime." She ignored Spike's indignant protest. "Thanks for today, girls. I'll see you soon."

Twilight and the others, save for the still-sulking Rainbow Dash in the corner, crowded the leaving pair to give out good-bye hugs. When she turned around, she found Rarity and Applejack were starting to pack up and leave as well.

She must have frowned openly if it made the two chuckle when they looked at her.

Rarity walked up to her to give her light kisses on both cheeks. “Don’t worry, dear. I have a feeling that we’ll all be going to Canterlot in a few days to prepare for the event." The knowing look she gave the alicorn and the sheepish grin that Twilight replied with was enough indication that her theory was right. "We’ll have plenty of time to hang out in between. For now, I need to pick up Sweetie Bell from school and help her pack to stay with the Apples for a while.”

“Oh?” Twilight’s attention immediately zoned in on a blushing Applejack beside them.

The farmer tried to hide her blush behind a cough: “Applebloom wanted a crusader’s sleepover, or whatever it is that they’re doin’.”

“Right,” Twilight said, unconvinced.

Applejack rolled her eyes and started leading Rarity out of the balcony. “I got a few chores to take care of after picking up Applebloom. I’ll be heading out.”

Rarity waved at the alicorn, “I’ll see you soon, darling!” She trotted to follow Applejack’s hurried pace.

Twilight watched the two ponies from the balcony as they walked toward the school, barely leaving any space between them as they talked to one another animatedly. She continued to do so until they turned a corner and they could not be seen despite the height of Twilight’s Castle.

That left only one friend. That one friend who was still sulking in the corner.

The sight was enough to have brightened her mood, giggling as she approached. She could tell that Rainbow was also smiling the moment she neared, her muzzle barely sealed by the single hoof covering them.

“You’re not leaving yet, Dash?”

“Oh, but how could I leave? When the Princess of Friendship herself is choosing favorites!”

Twilight could agree wholeheartedly that this display of dramatics beat that of Rarity’s worst breakdowns... Alright, maybe not the worst, but it’s up there. The redness of her cheeks agreed that it did a lot to how she perceived the mare.

“Well, if you’re not going to stop whatever it is you falsely accusing me of, I’m going to start cleaning up.”

Twilight didn’t get a chance to pick up the first plate before a rainbow trail zoomed past her and cleaned the whole area in a single blur. Rainbow Dash stood proudly at the edge of the balcony as she balanced a dozen plates on each hoof.

Her chest puffed up even more when she noticed Twilight’s eyes on her, and the cocky grin on her face couldn’t have been wider than in that moment. Twilight patiently waited for her to perform as she always does, sitting on the incredibly well-cleaned floor. She should really start repaying Rainbow for helping her clean up every time they hang out.

Rainbow cleared her throat. “You don’t need to concern yourself with these, Princess. I shall take care of them.”

The attitude was a complete 180 from earlier, but it was what made Twilight giggle. A feat that satisfied the cyan pegasus that she flew down from the balcony. As soon as she was in range, Twilight brushed up to the pegasus, her coat caressing Dash’s as she passed her.

“Thank you, Rainbow. That would have taken me an hour,” she muttered in the small space between them. Twilight started to make her way inside the castle. “Come on. Since you cleaned up here, I’ll wash the dishes, and then we can hang out in the lounge. How does that sound?”

She appeared right beside Twilight, a toothy grin on her face. “You got yourself a deal!”

Twilight took a moment to appreciate the balance and skill that Rainbow had as she continued to hold the dishes on either side. The mare was truly an extraordinary thing.

[2] The Royal Baby Shower

The next few days leading to the royal baby shower had been boring.

Twilight was stuck signing paperwork and making sure that the documents that Celestia sent to her would be done before the Royal Baby Shower. It was a repeating task of flipping the paper, reading its contents, and deciding whether or not to deny or approve of what was written. After the first full day of working, it started to become a tiny bit boring.

Normally, Twilight would happily do paperwork all day. That's what she had done when she was a little filly, absorb everything that she could know through books and lectures and find more ways to do that again. There was quite a huge difference between then and now, however. Twilight now had a close-knit group of interesting ponies who were too good at convincing others to ditch work.

Her friends would often swing by the castle for tea or something that sounded incredibly dangerous and fun at the same time. She would put aside the paperwork for them to either stop them from doing said danger or join them in doing the danger.

The experiences were a blur for the most part. At the end of the day, the only things she would forever remember were the jokes and the laughter at the end of the day when they were finished. Twilight didn't know she could feel so much fun while accomplishing so much work in the span of a few days. However, that last part was more so due to a certain pegasus that came by.

Instead of taking her out to do something, Rainbow Dash would visit for a long chat and catch up with some of the books that the both of them were currently reading. The pegasus would fill in silences when Twilight would take small breaks in her work, she would entertain her with what she read or tell her stories from her time at the Wonderbolts—especially now that they were doing so much work with the royal ceremony creeping closer.

Twilight couldn't fathom how the pegasus could find the time in her "crazy schedule", as she pointed out, to be able to visit her and just... talk. It was something she didn't know just how much she appreciated outside of the crazy and danger that her other friends brought.

Granted, Fluttershy wasn't the most dangerous nor the craziest out of the bunch and some circumstances were similar to how she and Dash usually spend their time. The difference being... Twilight didn't know the difference. For the lack of better words, she didn't want to admit it just yet. Maybe at the end of the day, it was just different when she was with Rainbow.

Nevertheless, Twilight appreciated the mare more than she ever thought she could. She would always find herself finishing faster with her by her side.

'Maybe it's a side effect? Stand next to the fastest mare alive and she would give you a speed boost?' The thought made her giggle.

"What's so funny, Twi?"

She looked up at the slow grin that started to form on Rainbow's face. Today the mare wore her Wonderbolt uniform to the castle. The suit clung to her like a second skin, looking tighter than any of the clothes she'd seen Rainbow wear. It fit her like a glove, looking so much in her element that Twilight didn't believe that the pony was only accepted three years ago.

She turned her attention back to the papers and responded, "I thought of a funny joke."

"Oh yeah? What is it?"

"Not telling," She said with a playful shake of her head.

The effect was immediate on Rainbow. Her wings flared and the complaint was barely kept from the back of her throat. Knowing this would happen, Twilight could already feel her laughter bubbling up that she hid from the mare.

Rainbow stood from her designated spot and started pacing back and forth and complaining about the rules that come when you joke around. When asked where she got this information from, the mare replied. "Pinkie has three volumes of it in the bakery."

"I don't think that's a good sou..." She trailed off when Rainbow Dash gave her a dubious look and in that moment she understood what she meant. "Okay, maybe she is a trusted source."

The information let sit in the air for a while as they stared at each other, a conversation unsaid but from the collective giggles that followed after told enough of a story for the both of them.

With the same destination in mind, the group of friends decided that it would be best that they went to Canterlot at the same time. There was a small smquabble about where the other four would be staying for the night. Because Rainbow Dash and Twilight would be staying at the Wonderbolt's HQ and the Canterlot castle, respectively. Their argument didn't last long as soon as it reached Twilight's ears where the princess used her authority to let them stay in the castle with her.

Applejack tried to convince her otherwise but Twilight shut down the argument as soon as the mare opened her mouth. A princess' command is sound and true after all.

With their proximity, save for Rainbow, they were able to run into each other despite being busy with the preparations for the Royal Baby Shower. Twilight would often find Pinkie Pie in different costumes each time that she saw the mare and it would never fail to make the alicorn chuckle, it didn't help that the costumes grew more random every time.

Applejack would be seen early in the morning, going to help Big Mac and the servants with transporting the apple cider shipment as well as making sure that everypony in the castle was doing alright. It's safe to say that the mare had already captured the hearts of the castle's servants a long time ago.

Fluttershy would be seen in the courtyard practicing together with the birds, often singing random melodies for either warm up or to pass the time. Twilight thought that it was a shame that some of those songs wouldn't be sung at the actual event but she appreciated it whenever she caught wind of it. It wasn't that hard if the melodies echoed throughout the whole castle, becoming its show to be mesmerized.

Rarity would come by lunch and make sure that the dresses were just right for them, in that time the two would be chatting amiably about whatever it would be that came to mind. Despite not being there, Rainbow still found the time to show off in the skies where she and the rest of the Wonderbolts practiced, a sonic rainboom sometimes dispersing the nearby clouds now and then. It wasn't noticeable to the citizens, but Twilight saw it every time.

Three days before Sunday came, Cadence and Shining Armor finally arrived. Citizens all over Canterlot and visitors from the different parts of Equestria welcomed the royal couple with welcome hooves. It was like the actual event had started as soon as they came; everything was starting to come together with the whole city being painted in the colors of the princess and her husband.

The air was buzzing with excitement. Everywhere the eyes could see were ponies jumping for joy as they waited for the event to start.

Twilight couldn't find the words best suited to describe the feel of today's events. There wasn't a single pony that didn't smile as they took in their surroundings. Banners, balloons, streamers, and anything that could be hung were there, painting a beautiful hue on the ground that they walked. The clothes that the ponies wore were color coordinated, making the crowds look like a symphony of what's to come in Cadence's womb.

It was an event for the ages. A princess alicorn was having a foal! Even Twilight couldn't believe it when she received the letter that told her the news. It was not that it wasn't possible, it was just something that didn't happen that often, if ever.

For example, Luna had been banished for a thousand years, there were still some aspects that the princess was getting used to outside of royal courts. Cadence had only found somepony she wanted to spend her time with now. Twilight hadn't thought of foals or love until recently. Celestia had been the last princess that had this kind of celebration before but that was centuries ago, most ponies weren't alive at that time.

Speaking of Celestia, Twilight found that the alicorn was the first to arrive at their designated seating in Canterlot Square. The whole place was revamped to fit in the four thrones of the princesses and one throne for Prince Shining Armor. Other tables would hold important ponies of Canterlot's nobles as well as Twilight's best friends. The square was extended to one of the hanging cliffs for a platform that Twilight could guess what was for. The catering tables were set aside for now to give more space in the middle for ponies to stand.

Twilight gave Celestia a small nod as she sat to her left, "Your dress looks gorgeous, Princess," She greeted while waving toward the ponies that had arrived early for the event.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less from our dear Rarity." Celestia turned to look at Twilight, her even smile growing at the sight of her student, "Haven't I already told you to address me without my title? It's been a long time since you were coronated. You're royalty as well, Twilight."

"It's a hard habit."

"If you say so," Celestia said.

She turned back to the venue to find more and more ponies filling in the large space in front of them. Pegasi were seated on the cloud bleachers around the square, the unicorns and earth ponies were by the physical bleachers and those who wanted a more close-up experience were standing in the middle.

Most of the ponies from the middle came up to the princesses' stand to greet Twilight and Celestia, some more enthusiastic than others.

While chatting with random citizens, a familiar voice rang through from the side, "Twilight!"

Immediately recognizing his voice, the alicorn stood from her throne and trotted over to give her brother a big hug. "Shining Armor! It's so good to see you, I've missed you, brother!" She leaned away, shining a beaming smile toward the stallion, "Congratulations on the foal!"

He chuckled as he made sure that there wasn't a single strand from her hair decorations out of place. The gesture didn't go unappreciated as Twilight fixed a rose on his suit that she tampered with her hug. "Thanks, Twily. I missed you too. Rarity outdid herself with your dress."

A small blush took over Twilight's face, "Yeah... although I think it's a bit too revealing to wear for a baby shower."

By revealing, she meant just how low the neckline went as well as the slit on the long floor-length fabric on her hind legs that wouldn't surprise her if she accidentally flashed somepony.

The smile on Shining's face grew darker, his horn flaring with magic when he side-eyed the group of busy ponies off in their own words as they waited for the event to start. "I don't think anyone would want to try that in front of me."

All the comedy died in Twilight's throat when she saw the look in her brother's eyes. She pressed her hoof to his face and turned his head away from the crowd while harshly whispering, "You wouldn't do such a thing!"

"I'm simply suggesting that they keep their eyes to themselves if they don't them gone by the end of the day."

Twilight couldn't believe what she heard. The embarrassment turned the red in her face in a much deeper color and she added with another whisper, "Shining Armor!"

Pink magic enveloped the white stallion, dragging him from beside Twilight to sit on his chair. Cadence gave her husband an affectionate rub on the face before approaching Twilight, "I take it he was starting to get things too far? He's been so much more... protective... since we found out we were having a foal."

Twilight pulled her sister in for a hug, "I'm honestly not surprised. I'll be sending you prayers before I go to bed, I don't even want to think about the possibilities where he could get more violent!"

"Hey!—" Any complaints were stopped by the presence of a pink zipper on his face. Finally taking the hint, he shook his head while taking the zipper off and started chatting with Celestia.

"Congratulations on the foal, Cadence," She said as she broke off from their hug. "I got a few gifts for the both of you. You should be able to find one of them in your rooms by the end of the event."

Cadence raised a suspicious eyebrow, "Oh..?"

Immediately understanding the unsaid question, Twilight turned around with her cheeks dusting in pink, "It's not like that!" Her harsh whisper was enough to convince the princess of love that it wasn't like that.

The two princesses went to their respective seats as they waited for the rest of the important ponies to come join them for the event.

Applejack and Rarity arrived at their spots a few moments later. They had greeted Twilight and the rest of the royals at their thrones and chatted for a couple of minutes before one of the servants directed them to their seats. It was clear that as soon as they sat, they were off to their world.

Fluttershy arrived next, staying a while longer by the throne to chat with Twilight and congratulate Cadence and Shining Armor for their foal. Her presence when she joined Rarity and Applejack seemed to have popped the little bubble around the two lovebirds, including her in their conversation, and looked like a headache to deal with from afar. If formalities didn't exist, Twilight would have joined her friends and chatted with them before the event started.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie wouldn't be arriving before the start as they were too busy getting last-minute preparations in for their performances later. It did sadden her to not be able to see her two friends before the event but the excitement to see what was in store was too large to ignore.

The sun darkened, catching the attention of all of the ponies in the area. A shadow could be seen that blocked the little sunlight that pierced through the clouds. Wings spread wide and her mane beautifully acted as faux stars in the temporary night that she created.

"Oh, sister..." Twilight heard Celestia from beside her, her eyes never leaving the beautiful presentation of Luna parting the clouds with her magic as she descended from the air.

Princess Luna stood in the middle of the podium throne area, wings spread wide as she held a proud stance in front of their people. The stomping started from the ponies in the middle before it bled through and affected the bleachers and the pegasi above.

Twilight felt soft material appear on her ears and after a glance to the side, she found that they were ear muffs cast by Princess Celestia.

"PEOPLE OF CANTERLOT AND VISITORS FROM ALL AROUND EQUESTRIA! IT IS MY HONOR TO STAND BEFORE YOU AND LET THE FESTIVITIES OF THIS ROYAL BABY SHOWER BEGIN!" Luna's royal canterlot voice reached the ends of the city and echoed forevermore to the surrounding structures. In a much quieter voice, she added, "Let's get this party started!"

Even if the ear muffs were for Luna's loud declaration, they helped muffle the large shouts and cheers from the ponies all around them that followed her welcoming. She was more surprised by the fact that the closest ponies looked happier to have heard the loud opening for the event, she couldn't help but think if they were masochistic enough to want to lose their hearing.

As soon as the ear muffs were dispelled, her eyes were on immediate attention to the skies where a few Wonderbolts did a pass and a maneuver, further stoking the flames of the crowd's hurrah.

Twilight only felt a little disappointed when she didn't see a familiar rainbow mane in the line-up.

The opening ceremony went off without a hitch. Cadence and Shining Armor coming to the front to give their thank you speeches as well as express their excitement for the coming few months. A beautiful presentation then followed from Celestia's magic that showcased an extremely heartwarming video that talked about appreciation and love of family. A video that Twilight personally worked on herself as one of her gifts for her brother and sister.

The tearful hug that the three exchanged elicited another set of yells from the crowd. This event was looking up to be one of the best they've ever experienced.

The openings went by quickly after that. It was finally time for the bigger performances to start; coming up first was the Wonderbolts putting on a show that urged Twilight to write a book about its beauty.

The maneuvers were something that could only be described as 'one filled with love'. They had this professional and cool air about them, every movement was done with precision and would have been difficult for even the more skilled flyers. There were innovative animations with how they played with the smoke trail that their teammates would leave which made for a new experience while watching them.

One mare was missing from the team, however, and the anticipation for her upcoming arrival was enough to have Twilight at the edge of her seat.

It wasn't hard to see her coming in to join the performance, her rainbow trail decimating the smoke all around, highlighting her ascend to the sky at fast speeds before exploding at the very top with a beautiful rainbow following her wake.

By her arrival, Twilight was mesmerized. Her eyes never strayed from the pegasus once in the remaining time of her performance. Ever since she had arrived, the crowd grew silent, no cheers could explain the excitement everyone felt as they watched the most beautiful show that the Wonderbolts had ever made.

The small platform at one of the edges of Canterlot Square was where the Wonderbolts ended their show by piling on top of one another in a pyramid while Rainbow Dash created a congratulations skywriting, signed with another sonic rainboom at the end.

The applause was deafening by the time Rainbow landed at the top of the pyramid.

The crazy schedule felt like an appropriate description to be able to pull off those moves. Again, Twilight couldn't help but wonder why it took so long for the Wonderbolts to recruit her and her beauty.

Before going to join Applejack and the others on their dedicated chairs, Rainbow Dash approached the throne room. The mare was profusely sweating, Twilight had never seen her look winded, tired, and incredibly happy all at the same time. There were dozens of ponies trying to lay a single hoof on her but were held back by the royal guards. Despite the continuing screams, Twilight heard every word being said to her by the pegasus.

"The first one was for you."

The pegasus turned to the rest of the princesses with a respectful bow before congratulating Cadence and Shining Armor for their foal. As she walked away to join the rest of her friends, the tips of her tail had sparks of magic, an effect present after she created two consecutive sonic rainbooms.

Twilight didn't know her face could heat up in such a way. There should be a name for the way her heart felt like beating out of her chest and followed Rainbow to the chairs to tell her just how awesome she had been, pamper her with praises, and stroke her ego to no return. It should be made a crime to make a princess blush like so. Yet at the end of the day, Twilight felt contented beyond belief that she even got to witness that wonderful performance.

Her adoration didn't last for long before the others around her had moved on from the showing and were now conducting a raffle among the crowd. Their enthusiasm was immediate, and while not the same as the awe from earlier, the anticipation was there enough that it had everyone in their hooves.

Twilight would nod and wave whenever she could but no matter how much she wanted to shelf it for later, the image of that sonic rainboom and the sincere look on Dash's face kept coming back to her mind. There would be a disaster now and she would be thinking about how she wanted to ki—

"Oh, look! A butterfly!"

Her sudden outburst had made the princesses beside her, Celestia and Cadence, turn to her with a silent question on their faces.

Twilight cleared her throat, gently pushing away the butterfly in front of her with her magic, "Excuse me, Princesses. I must have drunk something weird earlier."

Her excuse seemed to have further stroked their confusion, sharing a look so obvious that she could feel the judgment of the nobles that noticed.

The events that came after felt like a blur to Twilight. Her focus split between her friends on the sideline and whatever gossip Cadence could tell her in the small moments where they could chat freely. She still had fun with the events though, there were more than enough random citizens who were hilarious as soon as they would be handed the microphone. Everything was going splendidly.

It was nearing sundown when Celestia stood from her throne, the masters of ceremony handing her an extra mic after announcing her name and leaving the stage.

The tall alicorn cleared her throat into the instrument, her voice echoing all over the speakers around the venue while testing whether or not it was working. There was a small round of applause to welcome the princess at the front. The smile on her face couldn't have grown more than it already was.

"Thank you to everypony who has managed to take the time to join us in today's joyous celebration. It has been my honor to have planned and hosted this event to offer as one beautiful gift to you, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Amor, I hope it is to your liking?"

The princess of love didn't hesitate to happily nod in contrast to her husband's controlled nod. The two were cute enough that the audience let out a coo, prompting a blush to form on the two royals.

"Our festivities are yet to end, however! While I know some ponies are excited to taste the delicious food catered by none other than the Element of Laughter, Miss Pinkie Pie, there is still one more event to kick us off into a night for the history books. I'm sure that we've all heard of the rising popularity of a certain theater production?"

Twilight cast her version of Celestia's ear muffs on her own the moment that the crowd seemed to have broken the sound threshold with their screams. It was more akin to the cries from the river of Stynx than anything else by that point. They had more enthusiasm for the theater show than the Wonderbolts' performance earlier, piquing Twilight's curiosity. If there was something even more amazing than what Rainbow and the rest of the Wonderbolts pulled off, she wanted to know.

"Without further ado, let's all give it up for Evergreen Dreams Theater!"

The ponies didn't have time to welcome them in with applause. Pinkie Pie descended from one of the tall buildings near the town square, everything dimming around them save for the spotlight that focused on Pinkie's movements.

Music started to play in the background, one that climbed and faded in volume depending on the kind of performance and atmosphere Pinkie's performance gave. Colors and even more ponies started to emerge from the darkness, growing in radiance when the light reached them.

For some reason, the ponies stationed in the middle were teleported to a special place in the side bleachers, their cheers muted behind the bubble that surrounded the audience. From a glance, Twilight recognized it as a spell that didn't let sounds out while amplifying the voices of the ponies performing, it was an amazing show of magic. Everything from this production was a great show of magic.

Pinkie's presence would continue to light up the colors dimmed by darkness as she danced and flourished however she pleased in the now-empty space of Canterlot Square. The happy tone of the music grew quieter as she neared the end of the dimmed area.

Confetti flew in all directions as a sword 'pierced' through the mare's neck, killing her. An evil presence trotted into the scene, taking Pinkie's body and hauling it over its back as it began destroying everything that lit up until only darkness remained.

The music silenced as the evil stood alone in its misery, the limp body of Pinkie staying on its back. For a moment, it stood there, waiting for something to happen, waiting for another colorful distraction. Twilight watched it grab Pinkie from its back, her vibrant pink color the only thing visible in the whole place. The evil touched her cheek, immediately recoiling back when Pinkie bit its hand.

The pink mare jumped away from the evil, her presence growing flowers on her hooves the more she stepped away from it. The evil tried to follow but stopped when the color it destroyed earlier came back to life and were now preparing weapons in retaliation from it.

They would go back and forth from then. The evil would try to grab Pinkie but the colors and ponies she revived would stop the evil only for them to die and wither away when he neared. Pinkie was slowly coming closer to its grasp.

The music climbed higher and higher, reaching heights that Twilight could feel in her bones as she watched them move along the stage with a sense of urgency and grace. It was mesmerizing to watch them perform.

Pinkie was finally caught as soon as the music reached its climax.

The moment they touched, everywhere one could see lit up in beautiful harmony. The shadows receded and the supporting ponies started going on with their lives like they didn't just fight some sort of battle. Yet as everything moved on around them, Pinkie and the evil remained in the center, frozen in their world. Their eyes never left one another no matter the events that surrounded them.

Twilight didn't even realize that the other ponies had left the stage. The surroundings remain colorful but the buzzing of the other characters is now gone.

The shadows on the evil's face started shifting away, revealing the tearful eyes of none other than Coloratura.

A piano piece started accompanying as the tears in Coloratura's face spilled one by one until it became unstoppable. The two ponies grew close, recognition on their faces as they took in the presence of one another. Pinkie Pie pulled her in for a tight hug the moment the dam broke loose and the first sob was heard. The piano was now gone, replaced by the loud sound of an orchestra.

The colors surrounding the two ponies ebbed and flowed, showing different hues and saturations at the same time. It was a dizzying process yet Twilight didn't take her eyes off of the performance one bit.

The presentation ended as the lights all around them dimmed and the ponies were brought back to the middle of the venue. Pinkie Pie was on the seat next to her friends while her other collaborators were nowhere to be seen.

Twilight could admit that it was a beautiful showing. The comedy of the story Pinkie told the other day held nothing in its funny aspect in the emotional rollercoaster that it brought to this performance. Her mind ran through the possibilities of what the ending could mean, who the evil was and why didn't it kill Pinkie the moment it touched her.

"Beautiful..."

She heard her brother speak from her left, her eyes widening to see the two of them had been brought to tears.

Upon noticing his wife's cries, Shining Armor grabbed the handkerchief from his pocket and personally took care of wiping away her wife's tears, careful not to ruin her makeup. Cadence smiled at Shining in gratitude. The sight melted Twilight's heart the more she stared at the two lovers and how they cared for one another, with Cadence returning the gratitude to her husband.

Cadence turned to Twilight after a jut from Shining Armor's chin. "Pinkie Pie is an amazing actress. I've never seen a performance quite like that."

"Me neither. The production for this is insane."

She recounted the magic that was being cast. She doubted that a single person was able to do such feats but even if it was a collaborative effort, it was as impressive as it was creative. She had never seen magic being used in such a way before. It made her giddy at the prospect that she had not thought of magic like that, the potential for research tingling at the back of her mind, telling her to try it out now.

"I've seen their first performance when they were just starting. I saw the potential in their storytelling, so let's just say that I had multiple talented magic users who were ostracized by the rest of Canterlot for their 'useless' quirks. They've grown so much since the last time I saw them," Celestia said with a smile that could rival the sun in itself with its pride.

Twilight would have responded if not for the cerise eyes she caught staring at her. Eternity seemed to pass as they held their gaze, the smiles on their lips slow-forming yet warm.

Discord felt a kind of fear overcome him that he had never felt before. He didn't know what compelled him to come to the gates of Tartarus. The words came to him like the wind on his face and it was enough to convince his very being to go to it.

He hasn't seen this entrance since his conception. He avoided this place like a plague strong enough to make him sick, everything about being there was wrong.

"I shouldn't be here..." He found himself saying.

All it took was one step back for the memories to come assaulting him. Thunder rumbled in the skies as dark clouds clumped up without the help of the weather ponies. Screams similar to that of the Wendigos echo around him, the gates of Tartarus coming closer and closer even though he was a step further from the place.

"No... No!" He started, his breath stuttering behind his pace, making breathing difficult as he shut his eyes as tightly as he could. The more he continued to stare at that thing, the more the forgotten memories came back to him. The logical thing to do was to close his eyes and avoid it. He shouldn't stare, he shouldn't remember the destruction of his own body. Those memories were supposed to be forgotten, he made sure of it! HE MADE SURE OF IT!

This was a sign. He knew that fact deep in his bones. It was a day he'd dreaded, a day he wished to never experience again in his life.

He was coming.

He woke up to the chaotic land that he called his own, the beating of his chest the only thing he could hear for hours, and the whispers of a warning coming back to him like a freight train.

Author's Note

I was reading up on the wiki and I read that Applejack is an amazing baker, she made the cake for Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding! It's giving me ideas (Don't ask why I'm reading the wiki instead of watching the series)

Thank you for reading Chapter 2 of TiMF: To Protect from Harm! Constructive criticism and feedback would truly be appreciated in the comments down below :]

[3] Trouble in Friendships

The festivities continued on despite the main stars of the show, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, had already left a few hours back. With nopony to gossip with for the remainder of the event, Twilight tried entertaining herself with conversations she overheard from the citizens that come too close to the booth. Even then, it was easy to get bored when their conversations didn't make sense to her ears.

It didn't help when she could clearly see her friends were having a blast by Fluttershy's booth. The pegasus was currently compassing the last song for the night and the other girls were louder than the cheers of the crowd as they called and yipped at the melodies Fluttershy busted with birds of all instruments.

Fluttershy was the one to have ended the main event with a beautiful original song written by Princess Luna as a dedication to the royal couple. Everypony demanded an encore when she was done. Naturally timid, Fluttershy had almost declined if it weren't for Pinkie's extremely loud and hilarious insistence. The songs she randomly sang back in the castle were now starting to get used; Twilight never saw the pegasus as satisfied as she was while leading those birds sing to their hearts' content.

'That's it. I'm going over there.' She thought, filled with conviction that rivalled the hottest of suns.

Twilight began clearing her throat to grab Celestia's attention. Whatever excuse she had died on her throat when she saw her mentor nod toward her group of friends with a small smile.

The smile she had on her face was blinding. With a kick off of the ledge of their platform and one strong burst from her wings, she darted toward her friends and crashed on Rainbow Dash's back with a forceful hug.

"Twilight!" Everypony greeted with enthusiasm, coming closer to give the princess a hug as soon as she let go of the cyan pegasus.

"Rarity, you outdid yourself tonight! I haven't seen Cadence glow that brightly since her wedding day!"

At the compliment, Rarity manifested a fan with her magic to hide the sly grin on her face. "Why, of course, they asked for the best, then they shall receive the best!"

"Pinkie, the food was amazing. And the performance! Goddesses, I've never been so captivated like that in a while." She smiled fondly as Pinkie Pie started to name off the events that transpired before the performance, even going into detail about how the magic worked before she got distracted by a butterfly and wandered off.

She would have gone off to wherever her mind took her if not for a yellow hoof that stepped on her tail and held her in place. Fluttershy shook her head, watching the earth pony divert her attention to the birds all around Fluttershy.

She turned to the others, her smile the widest they've seen tonight. "That was fun."

That prompted Applejack and Rainbow Dash to appear at each of her side and pull her in for a double side hug, squeezing the mare for all she's worth in the middle.

Applejack handed her a bottle of apple cider and watched her gulp it down in one go, "What'd I tell 'ya, sugercube?"

"You were awesome out there!" Rainbow then turned, a serious look on her face as she addressed the others, "I want to say that if it weren't for my amazing persuasion skills then this would have never happened in the first place." She tried to hide her arrogance behind two coughs, taking Fluttershy from Applejack's grasp to let the both of them hover in the air.

Her display brought deadpans to her friends' faces, sharing a look that told a story in of itself.

Fluttershy broke away from Rainbow's grip and flew down, all while chuckling softly to herself, "Thank you. I wouldn't have done it without everypony's help."

Spike ran up to them, four gem cupcakes on his claws and more crumbles all over his face. Twilight couldn't believe that he was almost the size of a teenage pony and was currently acting more like a colt than anything else.

"Guys guys-"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off as Twilight casted wipes with her magic and started cleaning up Spike's appearance. He tried to complain but Twilight was already used to his cues, easily silencing him by changing the angle of his body and fixing every part of him that was out of place. When she was done, he looked as good as new.

"There. Try not to get any dirtier tonight. This is a formal party, Spike."

He glared at her, "The party's pretty much done. This is technically the afterparty and there are no rules in the afterparty!"

She sighed at his stubbornness, pulling him close so she could wipe away the nonexistent lint on his shoulders, "At least try being clean. Rarity worked very hard with this suit."

He glanced at said pony, blushing when he saw the rest of them were holding in their laughs at the display.

He tried to wriggle out of Twilight's magical grasp, struggling a little before he broke free. Instead of waiting for Twilight to pull him back to fix his clothes, he did it himself, the blush on his cheeks growing deeper. "Alright alright. I'm not that small anymore, I can handle myself, Twilight."

"If you say so," Twilight said, oblivious to the amusement on her friends' eyes. She turned to them, "Dragons. Am I right?"

"I don't think anypony would be able to relate, Twi," Rainbow said behind a hoof she hid her grin.

She rolled her eyes at the mare, making it as exaggerated as she could.

Fluttershy used her wing to push Spike closer to Twilight, lowering her head to ask the dragon: "What was it you wanted to say before, Spike?"

His eyes lit up at the reminder, the cupcakes he held forgotten as he put his arms in the air. If it were not for Applejack and Rarity catching it with their hooves and magic, the food would have been wasted. Twilight needed to talk with Spike about his increasingly careless attitude.

"The castle's private game rooms! Twilight, didn't the princesses tell us that we're free to use them after the ceremony until we leave for Ponyville?" The alicorn nodded, smiling at the reminder. "I was thinking we could all go over and play a few games before going to bed. What do you girls think?"

Rainbow Dash was the first to respond, puffing out her chest at the rest of them, "Why not? It's about time that I remind everypony here just how awesome I am."

"Don't be silly, Rainbow. Nopony forgot that you're awesome! You're the most awesome mare in Equestria! And if you aren't, I don't think Twilight wouldn't have-"

Whatever Pinkie had to say was shut down by a magical zipper over her mouth. She continued to speak, unaware or uncaring for the interruption. Twilight was just glad that didn't go where she knew it would go. One look at Rainbow Dash was enough to convince her that she didn't hear a thing.

Applejack postured, letting a knowing look cross her face as she sized up the cyan pegasus, "I think somepony forgot who beat them in the last game."

"I'll be kicking your butt this time around, AJ. Just you watch!"

"This should be good." Spike commented, a bucket of popcorn in his claws curtesy of Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy glanced at Rarity who was already shaking her head at the two stubborn mares' antics. "I didn't think we would need to use the emergency kit for this trip. I am proven wrong."

"Oh! Before we go, I want to suggest spending the night in my room..? I think it's been a while since we've all had a slu-"

"A SLUMBER PARTY?!?!?" Without confirmation, Pinkie Pie set up her own decorations around them with a strong blast from her party cannon she pulled out of thin air. She was already jumping around and expressing her excitement about the party to everypony that heard her.

"Oh, this is just splendid! We would stay up all night gossiping and doing each others' manes- ah! I simply cannot wait!"

"That means you'll be bringing your... accessories, right? I'll swing by and help you get them to Twilight's room after we're done in the game rooms."

The smile on Rarity's face was immediate, "That would be wonderful, darling. Thank you."

"If you ponies need some help with carrying luggage, I can-"

Twilight cleared her throat before Spike could finish his statement. He looked at her questioningly before he understood what she meant and went back to finishing his popcorn.

It took a while for Spike to get used to this kind of ordeal between Applejack and Rarity but he took it like a champ after one good conversation with the whole group separately and together over the course of a month. Granted, the development was new to all of them, even the two ponies in question had some areas where the two of them were unsure of.

It was reassuring to see that they were extremely happy with each other at the end of the day. A thought that had her glancing at a certain cyan hovering above them with an irritated expression.

"What are we all waiting for?! THE GAME ROOMS AWAITS US!" A pink blur was left in her wake as she passed by, followed closely by a rainbow streak that picked up dust for the group.

"How about we settle in for the night, sister? We have a long morning tomorrow after the excitement dies down." Celestia turned to her sister by her side. As predicted, they were the only ones to remain to watch over the ponies as they enjoyed themselves.

Celestia's plans for this baby shower was truly coming together nicely. It had been confirmed before the ceremony began that the Princess of Love and her husband would be staying in Canterlot for two days before returning to their empire, together with Twilight and her friends. The next few days should be interesting at the very least. She couldn't wait to see what kind of events would transpire outside of the mundane life of paperwork and ruling.

She could not say the same for her sister. With the event taking place just before sun set and continuing until sun rise, that meant that Luna did not have the time to rest. While the Princess of Night is more than capable of going a day without sleep, the same couldn't be said with her mood.

Celestia was unsure of how to combat the situation. At some point in her planning, she simply dismissed any further attempts to expand on how to make Luna more engaged for the reason that she could deal with her sister if anything were to rise. She was starting to regret that decision now.

For now, Luna's mood wasn't anything out of the ordinary as she turned to look at Celestia, "Sister... today has been an incredible one."

Celestia was stun-locked for a moment, surprised by the light tone in her sister's voice, "Thank you...?"

"It truly is beautiful to see so many ponies enjoy themselves. It is a sight to behold. It's a wonder to us why we don't celebrate more often, implement traditional celebrations like how Twilight and her friends would in Ponyville." The dark mare's eyes seemed to shimmer together with the fairy lights that were set up all over the venue, a smile forming on her tired face, "Joy shouldn't only be reserved in celebrating our achievements..."

Celestia huffed. "Indeed. Perhaps you're right, sister."

The regret from earlier disappeared. Their recent conversation sparked a longing in Celestia's heart to spend more time with Luna. Maybe things were starting to look up after all.

Twilight couldn't believe the scene she was seeing in front of her.

The group of friends were in the middle of an argument as the last dart of the night hit its target. This was their supposed last game and everypony seemed to be adamant that they were the ones that won it. Even Fluttershy was in on the heated argument telling everypony that she had won.

Twilight decided to stay out of it—thank Celestia she did—for reasons that she simply wanted to watch. She knew it would get competitive but didn't think it would get this bad.

"We bet on best out of three!" Applejack argued.

Red streamers spilled out of Pinkie Pie's ears, "What in the baloney do you think you're spelling?! If that were the case, Rainbow and I would have already won two games ago!"

Rainbow Dash hovered over the orange earth pony, hooves crossed in front of her as she gave her a competitive glare, "Give it up, AJ. There's two of us in this side and one of you."

"I thought this last game was supposed to decide who won? Why are you girls acting like it was you that got full scores?"

"Yeah, right. You're only saying that now because you got me on your team." Rainbow immediately went up to Fluttershy's face, her nature seemed to rub off on the timid pegasus as Fluttershy mimicked her stance.

"Is not."

"Is too!"

"Girls!" Rarity interjected, "Lowest score wins. That means Spike, Applejack and I won so stop fighti-"

Applejack calmed a little at the sight of Rarity trying to calm them down. She walked up to the mare with a slow pace as she spoke, "Those rules applied last round, Sugar. We were only going for bullseyes this time 'round."

Rarity scoffed, offended and betrayed by the looks of it. "Why didn't nopony told me?!"

"I screamed it before game started! You weren't listening to me again!" Pinkie accused.

Seeing it heat up even more, Spike decided to join Twilight by the sideline with a grimace on his scaly face. His hands started to fidget against one another as his eyes went back and forth from the arguing ponies. He looked up to the alicorn with eyes that begged to make their friends stop.

Twilight sighed, she honestly didn't know how it easily escalated so fast and so heated. Over the years, Twilight and her friends would often get into arguments whenever they play games with each other. It was becoming a sight she saw on the daily basis. It didn't fill her with joy though, no no no. Every time they get like that, a boiling anxiety will form in her stomach that didn't give her the chance to calm down. Despite that, she would always find a small bit of courage in herself and try to break it up.

This time, the process came naturally to her like breathing. Before she could speak, however, everypony had already silenced, looking at her expectedly.

"Twilight?" Applejack tilted her head at her, as if waiting for an answer that would satisfy her point of view.

Twilight didn't stop another sigh from escaping. Her plights were felt by everypony, the guilt immediately present on their faces as they shared glances.

"It... happened again. Didn't it?" Fluttershy asked the obvious question, looking at herself with confused eyes.

"I think.... I think we've all had enough party in us tonight. How about we put this all behind us and head to bed? Spike already called in the maids a while ago to prepare my room for the slumber party." Spike joined her at her side, patting her on the shoulder as she hung her head down.

It wasn't because she was mad at them for arguing, she wasn't. Her thoughts couldn't be put into words as she continued to stare at the floor as she made her way out of the room.

Spike glared at the group of ponies before following Twilight outside.

"Gosh darn it!" Applejack swatted the darts still on the board, letting out heavy huffs as she sat on her haunches and glared at the floor. "We had a deal and we broke it."

Her words was like a flaming arrow to the chest.

Rarity joined her on the floor, head hung low as her frown continued to deepen before Applejack placed a hoof on her shoulder and soothed her worries with a light massage. Even with her frown gone, the unicorn still found herself biting her lip.

"I'm sorry. I knew where it was going and I didn't do anything to stop it..." Fluttershy had one hoof over the other, her long hair hiding half of her face that looked just about ready to cry.

Pinkie pulled the pegasus in for a hug, "It wasn't just your fault, Fluttershy."

"I'm sorry too. It was just a game anyway, I don't know what has got me all worked up." Her words sounded a lot of agreements among them, both muttering their apologies in their own ways.

"We should make this right," Rainbow said with a voice filled with conviction. Her stance held no room for disagreements or errors. She was laser-focused in this newly formed mission, more than any friendship quest or wonderbolt performance ever. "We should go apologize to Twilight."

"I'll bring the apology cake."

That ticked Rainbow off, "Did you seriously make an apology cake? You knew this was going to happen?"

"What? No! I am urged to make multiple cakes in a day, you know that, Dashie!"

Before it went anywhere, Fluttershy decided to step between them, "Girls. You're doing it again."

Both of them were about to give their piece of mind when they realized that she was right. Rainbow was the first to back off before Pinkie followed, walking out of the room and back, now holding a small box that was no doubt filled with cake.

Rainbow wanted to complain but held her tongue, they were supposed to make things right, not worse.

"I don't understand how this keeps happening. It's like one of us finds a way to say something that annoys the other."

"That's just it. We don't know. Something about everything makes this feel... childish." Pinkie Pie seemed to deflate thinking about Fluttershy's words which was quickly erased when said mare walked over and returned the hug from earlier with a tighter embrace. She pulled back to add: "We're supposed to be celebrating while we're here in Canterlot."

Rainbow joined them on the floor with a sigh; the action took the air from her lungs and wings with it, "Fluttershy's right. But we can't keep ignoring this forever."

"When we return to Ponyville, we need to sort this out as soon as possible," Rarity said. She stomped her hoof down to finalize her words, if the others were to disagree would probably mean extremely bad to the health of their friendship and nopony wanted that.

"I agree." Applejack replied, prompting the others to sound their own as well.

"For now, I think we need to do some making up to Twilight and clean up here as well."

"Oh! Before we leave, do I do one cake or two cakes?" The second cake seemed to come from thin air as Pinkie pulled another box out of her mane. Her questioning look was enough to give the others the pause they needed before it morphed into giggles that turned into full-blown belly laughters.

Pinkie, now satisfied with her work, put the other cake aside. Rainbow stopped her before it fully got absorbed by her fluffy mane and in a soft voice told her that two cakes would probably be a good idea.

"I don't know, Spike. I don't know why this keeps happening. It's like we learned nothing from all the years we've been friends! I'm supposed to be the Princess of Friendship and I can't even stop my own friends from fighting." Twilight plopped down on her bed, wings over her face as she let out a deep breath. "I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Like I should have already solved this issue before it became an issue. How can I be worthy of my title like this?"

Spike tried prying her wing from her face to no luck. The teen dragon would sometimes join in on their arguments but he backed off whenever he noticed that it was something deeper than it meets the eye.

He's seen how each argument affected Twilight. Every time it happened, the princess would grow guiltier, more somber. He thought she was being too hard on herself, she thought she wasn't good enough. No matter what he said, she wouldn't believe him even if she wanted to.

They had tried different exercises before and it would work for a while before one wrongly placed whisper here and everyone is off to their own world arguing about a blade of grass of all things.

Spike thought it was childish. Twilight thought it was the end of the world.

"Cheer up, Twilight. I'm sure they'll all be better by the time they join you here."

The alicorn was quiet for a moment. Spike could practically hear her brain overthinking despite the cover on her face. He joined her on the bed, his weight skewing her balance enough that she accidentally showed her eyes.

"What? What's bothering you now?"

"Is the sleepover even continued?"

Her words were immediately proven wrong by the doors that slammed open with five ponies coming in carrying balloons and bags. Pinkie Pie led the charge and in both her hooves were open boxes of cake that had the candles "We're" and "Sorry" on each of them. Rarity carried the sparklers that Spike felt like a hazard in waiting. Applejack had Rarity's bags. Fluttershy's back were of all their personal pets. Rainbow Dash held two books and a single daffodil on one wing.

She looked between each mare, "What's all this for?"

Rainbow Dash approached her cautiously, placing the books on her lap as she offered the flower behind a shy smile, "We thought that we bucked up royally and decided to make it all better with a proper apology. We're sorry, Twi."

The others echoed her words, each one filled with guilt and remorse.

Twilight grabbed the daffodil from Rainbow's wing and took a bite, her eyes lighting up when she immediately recognized the flavor. "They were open at this time of the day?"

"I packed some before the ceremony started just in case."

Pinkie appeared beside the mare, pushing her aside with more force necessary as she placed the two cakes in bed. Her eyes were wide and round, like a little filly that had just broke the vase and was admitting it to try to get a lesser sentence for her bad behavior.

Twilight merely glanced at the rainbow pony pushed aside before turning to Pinkie with a soft smile. "You girls didn't need to do all of this. I was worried that you wouldn't come for the slumber party, I'm glad I was wrong."

"Whaaat?! We wouldn't miss it even if the world was ending!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Rarity opened one of the bags on Applejack's back, she took one glance at the very top and levitated the item around the princess' neck. Twilight looked down at the beautiful necklace, encrusted with the most beautiful sapphire and amethyst gems she'd ever seen.

The unicorn nuzzled her cheek against her own, "We promised that we would stop bickering in our time in Canterlot and we broke that. We are truly sorry, darling."

"We're going to really work hard on preventing this from happening in the future when we get back to Ponyville," Rainbow Dash said.

Applejack hurriedly added, "That means no more fightin' in this trip."

"Girls..." Twilight took a good look at each of her friends. They all looked determined and sincere in their promise, yet a small, annoying part of her brain told her that it wouldn't happen.

It doubted her friends' ability to actually complete the task. Her doubt was reflected in the conflicted expression on Fluttershy's face, picking up on her unease at such a promise. Before Fluttershy could reassure her, however, Twilight smiled at them all.

She may doubt them, simply because she overthought every possibility in a second, but she trusted them. That was all that mattered to her. "Thank you."

Owlowiscious flew to stand on top of her head, hooting at her friends. His random displayed kicked off the night.

While there were moments where tension were at a high, it was quickly put down by either Spike or Rainbow Dash. The latter seemed adamant at keeping their promise, causing little to no trouble outside of her naturally brazen behavior. The sleepover was counted as a success in Twilight's book when everypony fell asleep without chewing the other's head off.

Author's Note

Late update because I had to focus on my exams and was watching the whole EQG saga. Started watching the main series yesterday, it's super fun so far.