My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
“Yearly Finale”
by Soapy Suds
--
December 27th
11:56 AM
“Are you sure all of this is really necessary Pinkie?” asked Twilight. “I mean, I know you love throwing parties and all, but why does this one have to be so...over-the-top? It’s only the Yearly Finale...”
Pinkie Pie wasn’t paying attention. She was too focused on hanging up balloons and streamers, along with making sure the cupcakes she’d been preparing didn’t burn in the oven. You see, Pinkie Pie had begun planning for Ponyville’s “Yearly Finale” party shortly after coming home from Canterlot’s “Hearth’s Warming Eve” pageant. Twilight was nice enough to lend a helping hoof.
Twilight noticed that Pinkie had ignored her. She let out a heavy sigh. “Pinkie? You’re not even listening to me, are you?” Twilight sharply accused.
Her words served no purpose. Pinkie Pie was oblivious to her and her accusation as she kept on with the party preparations.
“PINKIE!” shouted an angry Twilight.
Pinkie Pie finally snapped at attention. She began to bounce around as she said, “Quit shouting Twilight! Shouting makes everypony’s ears hurt, and hurting anypony is just mean, and being mean makes you a big ol’ meany-mean-pants, and being a big ol meany-mean-pants defines you as a-”
She stopped mid-sentence when Twilight grabbed a hold of her.
“I think I get it Pinkie. I apologize,” Twilight said followed by a giggle. “But how else was I supposed to get your attention?”
“Oh, I’m sorry Twilight! What were you trying to ask me?”
“I’ve never seen you setup a party with such concentration before. What’s the big deal about this one?"
Pinkie Pie gasped. “What’s the big deal?!” she reiterated with bewilderment. “It’s only THE most important holiday for us in Ponyville! It’s tradition for us to both end this year and start the new year on a fun and happy hoof!” Pinkie explained. “They didn’t make a big deal out of it in Canterlot?”
“Uh, well, I wouldn’t know,” Twilight admitted. “I wasn’t the most sociable pony before coming here.”
Pinkie Pie just stared at Twilight with a blank expression. After a couple seconds, she face-hoofed and said, “You remember when I said that you should get out more?”
The last time Twilight remembered Pinkie telling her that was when she had asked what a Sonic Rainboom was. She annoyingly nodded to Pinkie Pie’s question.
Pinkie Pie laughed. “I still stand by that statement!” she cheerfully teased, followed by more laughter with Twilight joining in.
3:43 PM
Twilight was approaching her house, exhausted by the labor she and Pinkie Pie had done. Using her magic, she opened the door, and was greeted by Spike as she walked inside.
“Hey Twilight! How’d the preparations go?” asked the little dragon.
Twilight grunted. “Ugh, I’m just glad we’re done for the day. I could really use a bath,” she said while heading towards the bathroom.
“Oh, alright. By the way, the princess wrote you a letter! I left it on your bed.” Spike informed.
Twilight froze, then teleported so that she was directly in Spike’s face. “WHAT?! What happened?! Is everypony safe?! Is anypony NOT safe?! HOW LONG AGO DID SHE SEND IT?!” she worriedly questioned.
Spike was taken aback to say the least. He couldn’t understand why Twilight got so worried almost every time the princess wrote to her, but he always told himself it was a “stupid girly thing” and that he’d rather not know.
“Jeez, Twilight, calm down! She sent the letter about an hour ago, but I don’t know what it said! I just figured it was her wishing you a happy Yearly Finale or something.”
Twilight dashed to her room as soon as she heard Spike say he didn’t know what the letter said. There was no time to lose, and if this was an emergency, she had to act fast! She found the letter laying on her bed, and quickly opened it.
My faithful student Twilight Sparkle,
As you are well aware, the new year is approaching. Around this time of the year, I choose a group of unicorns to arise the first Sun of the new year. They do this immediately after the Wonderbolts perform for the annual Yearly Finale celebration.
I normally lead the unicorns in this event, but I have been very ill lately, so Luna will be taking my place. That leaves Luna’s original spot empty, and she surprisingly insisted that you fill in, to which I agreed. We’d very much love for you to join in on this important tradition. Please keep note that this is just something to consider. If you’d prefer to stay in Ponyville with your friends, we will understand.
I look forward to hearing from you,
- Princess Celestia
“So what does it say?” Spike inquired as he walked into the room.
“The princesses want me to help arise the new year’s first Sun...” Twilight said in a shocked manner.
“Wow! What an honor!” Spike exclaimed. “Guess that means we get to visit Canterlot again, huh?”
Twilight lowered her head. “Well Spike, I’m honestly not so sure I want to do this...”
“What?! Why? Only really special unicorns are chosen to do this!” Spike said.
“That’s just it Spike! I’m not special! That spot should be given to somepony else!” Twilight protested.
Spike let out a heavy sigh. “Stop being so modest Twilight. You’re the element of Magic for Celestia’s sake! You’re probably more special than everypony the princess chose combined!”
Twilight blushed. “Aww, thanks Spike, but I’m still kinda’ iffy on this. I really want to spend the Yearly Finale here with our friends, and Pinkie still needs help with the party preparations! Ugh...I’m gonna take a day to think about it. Please inform the princess for me.” she requested.
Spike nodded and pulled out his quill and paper. He wrote the letter as Twilight had asked, then sent it through his fiery breath.
--
December 28th
1:17 PM
“Oh my goodness, Twilight! I can’t believe you’re actually needing persuasion for something of this matter!” said Rarity.
“I’m with Rarity on this one, sugarcube.” Apple Jack declared.
Twilight sighed. “I know, I know, but it’s just that-”
“BUT NOTHING!” Rainbow Dash loudly interrupted. “You’re supposed to be the princess’ best and favorite student, right?”
“Well, yeah...” Twilight said.
“Then you need to go! Think about it! What if you stop being her favorite because you didn’t help out in her time of need?” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“She’s right...” Twilight thought. She hadn’t really considered the ramifications if she declined the princesses. What was she to do though? Should she really miss spending the Yearly Finale with her friends in exchange for staying as Princess Celestia’s favorite student? This was all so much pressure for her and she started to feel sick.
“Now Rainbow Dash, that’s quite enough! Can’t you see that she’s under enough pressure as it is?” said an angry Rarity.
“What did I do?! She needs to know about all possible outcomes!” argued Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, girls, let’s not fight...” whimpered Fluttershy in her shy little voice.
Twilight took a deep breath.
“Fluttershy’s right. Stop fighting. Besides...Rainbow Dash does make a strong case...”
Everypony went silent, except for Rainbow Dash.
“THANK YOU!” she said while shooting a nasty “Take that!” look at Rarity.
Twilight continued. “I need to make a decision. Either go to Canterlot and help the princesses, or stay and enjoy the Ponyville festivities with my best friends. If I go, then I won’t get to spend time with you girls, but if I don’t go, I may really upset Princess Celestia and I won’t be her favorite student anymore! UGH! What do I do?!”
Twilight buried her head in her hoofs, tired of all the pressure. Nopony said anything. Finally Pinkie Pie broke the silence.
“I think you should go!” Pinkie cheerfully said.
Everypony was shocked by Pinkie’s outburst. Especially Twilight.
“Really...? Why?” asked Twilight.
“You said yourself the princesses really wanted you to go! If you don’t, then they’ll be hurt, and remember what I told you yesterday?” she questioned with glee.
“Hurting anypony is just mean?”
“Exacta-roony!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“But I’m still hurting you girls if I go, aren’t I?” Twilight countered.
Apple Jack jumped in to try and help. “Aw shucks, Twi. We promise not to be sad and mopey if you go! Right everypony?”
All the girls in the room nodded and agreed with Apple Jack.
“We’ll be outside extra early to watch the sun come up!” Rarity added.
“And we’ll all be thinking about you when we see it!” Fluttershy said.
“Yeah! And it’ll be AWESOME to know that you’re in the same event as the Wonderbolts!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
Twilight started to get teary-eyed. A small part of her feared that her friends would hate her if she went, but now she realized that they just wanted her to be happy, no matter what. That’s how rich and real their friendship was. A real friend looks out for your best interests. They care about your well-being. They love you...just as they did, and just as she loved them.
To think she was blessed with such wonderful friends...and it was all thanks to Princess Celestia. If she hadn’t sent her to Ponyville, she’d have never learned the beautiful magic of friendship. She owed it to the princess to come help, and it made her feel so much better that her friends were understanding and supportive.
--
December 30th
12:31
"Twilight, wake up! We're here!" informed Spike.
Twilight slowly opened her eyes. The train to Canterlot had come to a stop, and everypony on board was departing. She got up with Spike and left the train. She was greeted by two of Princess Celestia's pegasus servants, both of which were male.
"Ms. Twilight. The princess asked us to safely escort you to the castle." said one of them.
"Oh! Thank you, kind sirs." Twilight politely responded.
Twilight and Spike followed them to the outside of the train station, where she saw one of the royal carriages waiting. The two pegasus ponies hooked each other up to the carriage and gestured for Twilight and Spike to get in. Shortly after, they were up in the air and on the way to the castle.
Twilight was feeling excited to see her teacher and Princess Luna, but she was also nervous about the event. She had no idea what she’d be doing, and she really didn’t much know what it was other than the brief description Princess Celestia gave her. Spike could tell that Twilight was in deep thought, so he just stayed quiet and admired the view of their hometown from the sky. They soon reached the castle and the two pegasus escorts dropped them off at their suite.
“Oh, sweet! We get to stay at our old place, Twilight!” Spike happily noticed.
Twilight was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t even recognized it. It was indeed her old suite. Many months had passed since the last time she was in there. She started to remember her days as a loner and how appropriate she thought that lifestyle was for her, but now she couldn’t see how she went without friends for so long.
Upon entering the suite, Twilight and Spike looked around and noticed that everything was almost exactly the same way they left it. Twilight’s old books were still stacked neatly in the shelves, and even Spike’s bed was still messy. The only thing Twilight really noticed that was out of order was that one of her old ponytale books was laid out on her old desk. When she got a closer look, she saw that there was a note attached to the page.
To think this used to be her. Compared to how she is now, I don’t see how it was possible.
Be sure to come see me as soon as you get yourself situated.
- Princess Celestia
Twilight put the note aside, and took a glance at what the princess was reading. It was an old ponytale about the evil mare, Nightmare Moon. She giggled upon reading it, as she started to see what Princess Celestia meant. Princess Luna was very nice now and reading about her like this just seemed funny.
Twilight closed the book and went back into the other room to help Spike unpack their things.
1:33
The castle’s beauty never failed to amaze Twilight. The outside was glorious, and the inside was simply magnificent. Twilight was admiring all the details as she walked to meet the princess. As she entered through a giant door, she heard an all too familiar voice.
“WHO DARES ENTER THE GRAND HALL WITHOUT THOU ANNOUNCING THY SELF!” bellowed Princess Luna.
Twilight jumped at the sound of Princess Luna speaking in the royal Canterlot voice. Princess Luna’s tone changed though, once she saw it was Twilight.
“Twilight Sparkle! It brings me much joy to see you! Please forgive me for my outburst.” apologized Princess Luna in a softer voice.
Twilight noticed that the princess had said the word “you” instead of her usual choice of words like “thou”, “thee” and “thy”. Twilight figured she must have been practicing to adjust to modern speech.
“Oh, it’s fine Princess. How are you? “ asked Twilight.
Princess Luna smiled. “We, I mean, I, have been well. Celestia and I are most grateful you could partake in this event.”
“It’s an honor! Where is Princess Celestia though?”
“My sister is still feeling ill. She insisted I bring you to see her though. Follow me.”
Twilight followed Princess Luna to an extravagant area Twilight had never seen before, but assumed was Princess Celestia’s private quarters. She had framed photos of her family and friends. Upon further inspection, Twilight saw that the princess even framed the picture Twilight sent of herself with her friends. She stopped for a second to look at it. They all looked so happy. Twilight smiled, then continued following the princess.
Princess Luna came to a stop by her sister’s bedroom and peeked through the door.
“Sister? Twilight Sparkle is here with me.” she notified.
Princess Celestia coughed before speaking. “Oh, good, bring her in!”
Princess Luna smiled and entered the room, with Twilight following. She came next to the fancy bedside and saw Princess Celestia coughing up a storm. Her brightly colored mane was looking quite pale, and her face wore a weak smile.
“Twilight Sparkle. My most faithful student.” she said in her soothingly calm voice. “How are you dear?”
“Oh, Princess Celestia...never mind how I’m doing, how are you doing?” Twilight worriedly asked. “You look so...”
“Terrible. Believe me, I know,” she weakly giggled. “It’s not often we alicorns succumb to disease, but when we do, our magic weakens a great deal, so we must wait a few days before our magic gets strong enough for self-healing.”
“Oh...well I’m glad you’ll be back to normal soon!” said Twilight.
Princess Celestia smiled, then turned to her sister. “Have you informed Twilight about what she’ll be doing in the event?”
“Nay, sister, I thought you had already done so.” replied Princess Luna as she turned to face Twilight. “The arise of the first year’s new Sun is a very large event, where a select few unicorns are brought together to combine our magic, so that the new sun may greet the land of Equestria. You will join your magic with ours, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight wore a concerned look on her face. “Seems a bit...too simple. Surely any other unicorn would’ve been able to do this. Why was I specifically chosen by you Princess Luna?”
Princess Luna looked over to Princess Celestia, who nodded in permission for her to explain.
“Do you remember when you called upon the Elements of Harmony to defeat me?”
Twilight nodded.
“Your eyes glowed with a bright intensity as the Elements helped you. You tapped into a type of power not normal for unicorns to possess. You are very special, Twilight Sparkle. You have the magic of an alicorn.”
Twilight’s eyes widened and her mouth fell. She didn’t know what to think. Princess Luna disregarded Twilight’s facial expression and continued.
“You will be tapping into that magic during the event, without the Elements of Harmony. Instead, I shall be aiding you. Celestia and myself can easily get ourselves into that powerful state, and when we are in it, we can help each other tap back into that power if our magic is weakening. Since you possess the magic of an alicorn, it should be feasible.”
Twilight was still speechless, mouth ajar, and wide-eyed.
“Normally, only Celestia’s magic would have been needed, as hers is much stronger than mine and yours put together, but since she’s bed-ridden, we’ll both have to do it.” she concluded.
“I wanted to wait until you were older to inform you of your power. However, we needed you...” Princess Celestia told Twilight.
Twilight finally pulled herself together.
“This is a lot to process, but I understand.” said Twilight. “ Princess Celestia, you gave me the option to come here though. What if I decided to stay in Ponyville? Who would have helped Princess Luna?”
Princess Celestia laughed. “My magic may be weak right now, but I’ve been known to work well under pressure.”
Twilight gave a soft chuckle. “Well, I’m glad I chose to come then. I wouldn’t want you to have done it in your condition.”
“Thank you, Twilight.”
Princess Luna intervened. “Well, we have much preparation to do, Twilight Sparkle. I shall be in the grand hall.” she said while walking off.
Twilight looked at Princess Celestia and smiled. “ I hope you feel better before I have to leave!”
"Twilight. I know you must be very overwhelmed right now.”
Twilight’s smile turned upside down. “That obvious, huh?”
The princess giggled. “Don’t be upset, dear. I’d be just as shocked.”
“I have some questions about the whole ‘alicorn magic’ deal...”
“Leave them for another time, Twilight. I promise to answer them to the best of my ability, but only when I feel that you are ready for such knowledge.”
Twilight was kind of bummed. With the amount of studying she does, she figured she’d be ready to receive any kind of knowledge. However, Princess Celestia always knew what was best for Twilight, so she didn’t protest.
“Okay...” she muttered.
“How are your friends?” the Princess asked, changing the topic.
“Wonderful as always. I just really miss them.” Twilight said.
Twilight remembered the previous day, and thought she’d share her thoughts.
“I learned an important lesson about friendship, if you’d like to hear?”
Princess Celestia smiled. “I’d love to.”
--
December 31st
9:30 PM
"Wake up Twilight! The celebrations are starting!" yelled Spike.
Twilight got up and stretched her hind legs. She didn't often take afternoon naps, but she had been up all night helping Princess Luna with preparations. The tiredness she had felt that night didn't bother her, because she and the princess had started to bond. Princess Luna was an elegant and charming mare, and she found Twilight to be an absolute delight.
Twilight felt great upon waking up. The nap really helped her. She took a few minutes to prepare, then went to meet Spike at the door.
"Ready to go yet? I can't wait any longer!" said Spike.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, let's go."
They walked out the door and made way to the grand hall. Princess Luna requested that she meet her there, prior to attending the Canterlot festivities.
Twilight entered, with Spike following in awe of the tremendous amount of gemstones the grand hall had. Spike's stomach growled, which made Twilight giggle to herself. They approached Princess Luna, who was smiling at them from her throne.
"Good evening Twilight Sparkle! I trust you're well rested?"
"Yes ma'am, I took a pretty long nap." Twilight laughed.
"Excellent! I would have disliked for you to have been sleepy for your surprise!"
"Huh? What's going on?"
The princess motioned for Twilight to turn around.
"SURPRISE!" exclaimed a group of ponies.
Twilight got shocked and knelt behind Spike. When she heard everypony and Spike laughing, she looked up and saw that it was...her friends. All of them! She couldn't believe it. They were all here!
Pinkie Pie was on the floor laughing uncontrollably with Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack and Rarity seemed like they were trying to restrain from joining them, and Fluttershy was silently giggling.
"Girls...what are you doing here?" Twilight asked in a shocked manner.
"The princesses invited us!" cheered Apple Jack.
Twilight turned to look at Princess Luna.
"Celestia's idea. She informed me of how much you missed your friends, so we sent them an invite." she happily stated.
Twilight felt tears filling up her eyes. She threw herself at Princess Luna, then gathered around her friends for a group hug.
"You girls have no idea how happy I am that you're here," cried Twilight.
"Aw shucks Twi, you're gonna get me cryin' too if you don't mop up those tears." Apple Jack laughed.
"Dry them up, and let's head out! It's time to PARTY!" cheered Pinkie.
Twilight sniffed and cleared her eyes.
"One second, I need to do something really quick." Twilight said while trotting away. She headed to Princess Celestia's bedroom, jumped on the bed, gave her a big hug, and kissed her on the cheek.
"Thank you..." Twilight happily thanked.
Princess Celestia just smiled as she wiped away the new sets of tears that escaped Twilight's closed eyes.
--
January 1st
6:19 AM
Twilight had never been so nervous before in her life. It was almost time. She looked up at the sky and watched as the Wonderbolts performed, but all she could think about was the moment when she’d enter her alicorn-magic state. She wondered if it’d feel at all different, since she wasn’t using the Elements this time. Her thoughts were interrupted by the announcer.
“And what an amazing performance by the Wonderbolts!” Spike announced. “Next up is the tip of the iceberg! The frosting on the cake! Fillies and gentlecolts, it’s time...for the year’s first Sun to rise!” he yelled, followed by thousands of pony cheers.
This was it. Twilight took a deep breath. She glanced over at her friends who got to sit in the front row seats. Rarity and Fluttershy smiled at her and waved, while Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash started to cheer her name. She turned her head back to face Princess Luna, who wore an excited smile.
“Are you ready to begin?” she calmly asked.
Twilight gave her a strict nod, and Princess Luna looked over all the other unicorns. Upon hearing her orders to the unicorns, Twilight was certain she had an on/off button for her royal voice.
“UNICORNS. BEGIN! COMBINE ALL MAGIC INTO ONE, AND BRING ABOUT THE SUN TO GREET THIS LAND’S NEW YEAR!”
From a pegasus’ eye view, Princess Luna was facing Twilight, who was the tip of a triangular formation of unicorns. As the princess gave the orders, the tips of all ponies glowed, then shot into a ball of magic into the air that hovered over them.
“Charge up your magic now, Twilight Sparkle!” ordered the princess.
Upon telling her to do this, Princess Luna laid her head down for a brief moment, then thrust it back up, while at the same time, hovering up a few feet from the ground. Twilight saw that her eyes were completely white and glowing. Twilight quickly charged up her magic, and at first, felt nothing out of the norm, but suddenly felt a strong force inside her explode from within, propelling her into the air with Princess Luna, eyes shining white and glowing as well.
As soon as the princess and Twilight linked their powerful magic with the other unicorns, the hovering ball of energy shot up into the dark sky, illuminating the entire city before it left the eye’s view. The unicorns stopped charging magic, while Princess Luna and Twilight gently floated back down to the earth, leaving their magical state.
A moment passed, and then a very distant “POP!” was heard. The magic from the destroyed ball expanded all over Equestria, which awoke the sun. It made it’s way into the sky, while everypony cheered. Twilight could hear Spike cheering over the announcer mic, and laughed. She looked over to her friends and waved, but quickly turned around when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. It was Princess Celestia alongside her sister.
“Twilight, I am so proud of you!” she happily said.
“Likewise. You did outstanding!” added Princess Luna.
“Thank you so much. It was an amazing experience! Very different than the times with the Elements of Harmony!” Twilight stated excitingly.
It had suddenly hit her though that the Princess was still sick. “Wait a second, Princess Celestia! You should be in bed, why are you outside?!” Twilight worriedly asked.
Princess Celestia gently smiled. “Oh Twilight, you didn’t really think I’d miss this, did you?”
Before Twilight could retort, her friends came running towards her. They all exchanged hugs and congratulations.
“Oh darling, you were simply magnificent!” Rarity complimented.
Apple Jack laughed. “You were lookin’ mighty freaky with them eyes like that, but boy howdy was that somethin’!”
“You were wonderful, Twilight!” Fluttershy added.
Rainbow Dash joined in after Fluttershy. “THAT WAS SO AWESOME!” she yelled.
Pinkie Pie was the last to give her congratulations, but boy, was it it a lengthy and fast paced one...
“Oh my goodness Twilight! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! I never saw anything like that before! Well, except for all the times you get like that with the Elements, but I mean, WOW, no Elements this time and it was super duper exciting and cool! You were totally floating in the air, which made me go, ‘WHOA’, and then when your eyes turned white, I was like, ‘SO AWESOME, YOU GO TWILIGHT!’ I’m kind of rambling here, so I’ll stop...just know that you were AMAZING, and I mean UH-MAIZE-EENG!”
“Jeez, I don’t know what to say! Thanks everypony!” thanked Twilight.
11:54
Spike had volunteered to do all the packing, so that Twilight may say goodbye to the princesses. She headed out of the suite and towards the grand hall, where she saw Princess Luna sitting on her throne.
“Ah, Twilight Sparkle! I assume your returning to Ponyville?”
“Yes, your highness. I just wanted to quickly say goodbye to you and Princess Celestia before heading out.”
“I see. Well, I hope you enjoyed yourself. It wouldn’t have been the same without you, my dear. I shall miss you.”
“Aw, thank you Princess Luna! I’ll miss you too!”
Princess Luna got up from her throne, walked over to Twilight, and gave her a hug.
"Until we meet again, Twilight Sparkle.” she said with a soft smile, than returned to her throne.
“Take care, your highness.”
Twilight shot the princess a big grin, and with that, she went to give her farewell to Princess Celestia. Upon heading towards her bedroom, she couldn’t help herself from examining the picture of herself and her friends. They looked so happy in that photo. She’d have to frame one herself, she thought.
As she was looking at the picture, a voice from behind her chuckled. “This picture gives me much joy as well when I look at it.”
Twilight didn’t need to turn around to know that it was Princess Celestia.
“Words can never describe my thanks to you for sending me to Ponyville all those months ago.” Twilight stated.
“You’re truly blessed to have such wonderful friends, Twilight.”
Twilight smiled as wide as her cheeks would allow.
“Indeed I am...”
FIN
