Alliance is Magic

by artsyfartsy1998

Rating: everyone
Tags: Romance, Adventure, Discord, Princess Celestia, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Nightmare Moon, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Crusaders
Length: 10604

Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if the losers had won...

What if Discord had won the battle against Celestia and Luna? What if Luna, being an angst filled soul, had joined forces with the demigod? In this alternate reality, would life still flourish in our beautiful, glorious world of Equestria? We explore that here, and though friends don't come in sixes and life lessons are learned at the end of every day, you can still have something beautiful in a place where what you thought was wrong is right.

I don't generally ship the characters who I decided to ship in this piece, but it happened. Sorry.

Published 2013-01-30 03:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-03 13:30:14 UTC

Once Upon a Time, in the Magical World of Equestria

Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria there ruled a regal draconequus who, though wise and spirited, was plagued by insanity. This mind~problem caused him intense fits of power and destruction. During these fits, he brought about the night and day whenever he felt as though he wanted to, made weather insensible, tossed away lives and created them thoughtlessly, and basically turned millions of ponies to madness. Twin alicorns, one dark as the night, one bright as the day, decided to combat his reign, and fought against him using the Elements of Harmony (Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter and Magic). The draconequus Discord was sensible at this time, and pleaded to the dark one for mercy. She, Luna, fell in love with the beast and had always been jealous of her sister’s seeming perfection and constant ability to act with fairness and grace. She agreed in exchange for his love, and Discord poured many of his dark powers into her, causing her to become a wicked mare called Nightmare Moon. Together, the two lovers created a new set of elements, the Elements of Change (Purpose, Strength, Patience, Common Sense, Optimism and Courage) which they used to send Celestia to the sun. Nightmare Moon helped Discord when he was mad, and what followed was a reign of balance that has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.

“Hm, Elements of Harmony and Change,” muttered the student Twilight Sparkle. “I know I’ve heard of those before,” she looked into the sky, as if asking the storm clouds above for assistance with her problem. “But where?”

Author's Note

And so, we begin, with a short prologue to start you off! *Cue the opening theme* This is basically going to be a parallel to the first two episodes, and I wasn't planning on it being so long, but... It is. Sorry. It's at 53 pages as I'm writing this, and I'm not even halfway done yet. But maybe you'll like it anyway? I dunno. Please critique!

The Ordinary Routine of a Magical, Purple, Talking horse

She packed up her bags. Thinking it over, it might be better to look for the source in her library. She rolled over onto her back and lay in the grass, packing up her books and papers with her unicorn magic, yawning as though it didn’t cause her any concentration or chi at all. In truth, it didn’t. Twilight Sparkle was a very advanced student in the Lunar Academy of Magic for Unicorns, the daily classes hadn’t particularly interesting her at all for the past two years. She couldn’t help but show off anymore. Twilight’s life had dulled down to a stale, repetitive state. Her apathy towards the learning environment, bossy attitude and the teachers’ fondness for her had left nopony wishing to be friends with her. Plus, she was naturally shy (though most wouldn’t know it) so she had never really attempted to make friends. The only ponies whom she really cared for were the teachers, her family, and her dragon servant, Spike. She wouldn’t let HIM know that, of course. He wasn’t there for her to love. He was there to work. It was easier to think of him that way, anyhow. She had studying to do and Queen Nightmare and Kind Discord fervently requested against very much trust in dragons. It was best to leave them humble and meek so that they did not sprout egos and grow to enormous sizes. The Queen and King were, of course, correct in this. Of course they were right, it was almost treason to possibly think that they weren’t! (Though treason wasn’t a very horrible crime in Equestria, since the King and Queen had been rebellious themselves) The King and Queen were the most educated beings in all of Equestria, the moment any new discovery was made in any field, the King and Queen were informed of it. They were Twilight’s role models, basically. She looked up to them with every ounce of filly~like naivety in her heart, and the ambitious part of her strived for the day (which, incidentally, was in a week) when she could replace them in their thrones. (The King and Queen had decided that they would give up their rein on the thousandth day of the thousandth sun to one of their students because they could not bear children together. To this student, they would decree life until the King and Queen were fit to reign again, and once that period was over, the cycle would return, causing a fair balance) Twilight knew with a sureness that was almost arrogant that she would become the Queen. If she did not, she would presume it was test and overthrow the appointed filly by day break, causing Nightmare Moon and Discord to surely recognize her affinity for rebellion and giving her the chance of rule until she died.

Twilight was an arrogant pony, and she never said she wasn’t.

As she trotted back to her home in the library (which was easy, of course, she was at the peak of health) she came across three of her classmates chatting amiably amongst themselves. They noticed her and waved her down. Twilight sighed inside and slowed to meet them.

“Salutations, Twilight Sparkle, student valedictorian of the Lunar Academy’s grade ten,” greeted the pink haired mare, Cotton Kadabra. Twilight had often envied her for her style and grace, though pitied her for her ditzy, friendly personality. “Would you like to come with us to Moondancer’s dormitory this afternoon? She is having a get together to celebrate the end of the semester, and we thought you would enjoy it! There will be Scrabble!”

Twilight smiled awkwardly. “I’m ever so sorry, peers, students of the Lunar Academy’s grade ten, but I’m afraid that I have quite an amount of studying to do, and my dragon servant has caught the chills.”

Cotton Kadabra’s friend, Winky, tutted in sympathy. “Many apologies! Have you tried giving him a bath of lava? The Science and Magical Engineering Hall has an enchanted Tungsten basin in which you could soak him.”

The last mare, Clover Hoof, giggled at that. “I doubt that Twilight wants to soak her dragon in lava herself, Winky. Even with her level of magical ability, her hooves would melt into a soft putty within the millisecond.”

They all laughed at this, and Twilight bade them farewell. Her classmates were witty, intelligent ponies, and Twilight respected them truly. But she simply did not have the time to spend socializing with them, and besides, she could hear them whispering about her as she cantered off.

“Does Twilight Sparkle ever partake in any activity besides studying?” Clover Hoof asked crossly.

“I feel as though she prefers books to friends,” Winky glowered.

Twilight felt a bit saddened at these words, but shrugged them off. Other ponies could have their opinions of her, but she was who she was and she couldn’t constantly change to the whims of others. It was her life, and she was fit to live it.

~

Twilight arrived at her Library just as her dragon servant, Spike, was headed out the door. As the door opened inward, he had the misfortune to be caught on the wrong side of it and smash his head into the wall.

“Spike? Where are you?” Twilight called, believing him to be in the restroom or upstairs.

“I’m right here,” he groaned.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she blushed. “I can’t believe I was so clumsy. Do you need any help to get up?”

“No,” he sighed, popping his back vertebrae. “I’ll be alright, thank you. Do you need any books?”

“Yes, actually,” she said, suddenly oblivious to his pain. “I found some interesting information on the Elements of Harmony and Rebellion in that copy of The Origins of The Alicorn. Could you find a book that expands upon the basics? And make it snappy!”

“Sure, Twilight.” He hopped up to one of the many ladders that bordered the enormous shelves of books and, using his tail, propelled himself forward on the rails of it until he came to section E. From there, he peered at the books, murmuring “E... EL.... ELD, ELE... Elements... Elements of Harmony.” Spike snatched the book and flipped off of the ladder to land right before Twilight.

“Excellent. You’re getting quicker,” she praised. “But I’d prefer it done SNAPPY, if you don’t mind. Practice makes perfect, and we’re not at perfect yet!”

“I’ll consider that a compliment,” he grinned. “Here’s your book.”

She picked it up using her unicorn magic and took it to the table where she did all of her reading. Spike sprinted to the table with a kettle and poured her a serving in the china teacup that Twilight left on the table for when she was thirsty. He then dumped one and a half spoons of honey, a spoon of cream and a thin slice of lemon into the cup, stirred and tasted, just to make sure it was to Twilight’s standards. He cringed, but Twilight sat down and began sipping at it before he could mend the problem. Twilight eyebrows furrowed.

“Did you use the usual spoon this time? You know, to measure out the cream and honey?” she accused.

Spike sighed and let his head droop. “No.”

“This one is... bigger, right?”

“Yes.”

Twilight sat for a moment and said; “I actually like it. But use the old spoon next time. Oh, and get me a book on the Elements of Change. This one only talks about the Elements of Harmony.”

Spike rolled his eyes, but on the inside, he grinned. Twilight was in a good mood today, the unicorn would usually freak out at him if he used the wrong spoon for measurement. The old girl was completely nuts, but Spike loved her for it.

As he went to retrieve the book, Twilight began to read.

Author's Note

Twilight has to start out as a total prick, right? Then she learns the magic of friendship and gets wonderful, yay! Well, I couldn't take it that far. She starts being cute and Twilight Sparkle like when she's meeting the ponies. Next comes my favorite part to read...

Wherever Came the Nightmare From?

Back when Discord ruled alone, he had grip over every aspect of Equestria except one. Alicornia. It was there that the essence of white magic in itself was concentrated into a blinding sun of power. Discord was powerful and held reign over dark magic, which is more powerful that white magic in concentrated doses, yet more intense and hard to have in said concentrated doses. Yet his power was spread far and wide over all of Equestria, and he had less magic due to the darkness’ uncontrollable abilities. Alicornia was the one place in Equestria that Discord could not control, and he wanted it desperately. The land of Alicornia was fertile, peaceful and beautiful, living in absolute harmony with itself and others (besides Discord). The ponies who lived in this land were alicorns with the power of small deities, and the sick and weary in the midst of being healed. There were ten permanent residents, Faust, Cadence, Celestia, Luna, Enchantment, Merriment, Charity, Candor, Constance and Compassion. Faust was generally known to be the creator of all and had retired to her throne where she spent her time creating smaller worlds with her wondrous art. Cadence was the sovereign of emotions and was less powerful than her sisters. Celestia was in charge of the day. Luna was in charge of the night. The rest formed the Council of Harmony, a group which used all of their specific talents to form a wise decision that used both rhyme and reason. They also formed many charity organizations, cleaned the country and provided education for ponies in nearby regions where Discord’s rule was not so powerful.
One day, a pregnant earth pony mare staggered to the outskirts of Alicornia, where Constance had been keeping guard. The mare, Great Great Granny Smith, said that she had been overseeing a peaceful assembly against the draconequus ruler when his army came to arrest them. Great Great Granny Smith resisted and ended up with deep wounds in both of her hind legs. Cadence immediately cried out in empathy and scorned Discord for as long as he lived, and though her aunts were in agreement with her, Celestia did not show it. She called upon the alicorns to overthrow the dictator, but the others were not sure.
“Be reasonable, Cadence, for though it is true that Discord is a tyrant, the chances are that you will fail if you pursue this hastily,” Candor decreed.
“We cannot think only of the folk of Equestria, but also of our own land. Who would be able bodied to rule it after we were gone?” Constance reasoned.
“None of us disagree that your efforts are good at heart, and generous to a fault, but you cannot let rhyme overtake reason, for the two together may only create wise choices,” Enchantment smiled, and Charity nodded with her.
Cadence wept at this, and Celestia and Luna felt for her. They felt for all of the ponies who had been hurt by the great king Discord, and they wept alongside Cadence. Celestia decided that the situation was bearable no longer, and called upon Luna.
“We shall sneak out in the midst of the night and find Discord while he is sleeping. We will then call upon all of our powers to turn him to stone, and jail him in the gardens where he shall stay for the rest of eternity. If he is too mischievous, we may have to turn him to stone, or even kill him. After Discord is gone, we will surely be able to rule Equestria as easily as Alicornia. Do you have any objections to this ploy?”
Luna paused. She, being a creature of the night, was not like her sisters, and did not feel understood by them. She had always wanted more than peace, but it seemed like the best option, so she agreed.
The two alicorns stole into the night, and had almost reached the outermost borders of Alicornia when they were discovered by the Council of Harmony and Faust herself. They bowed their heads in submission, but were surprised when the seven alicorns did not wish to stop them.
“You are foolish to do this, you know,” Faust told them, not unkindly.
“Yes we are,” they responded, humbly.
“You are foolish and stubborn and impatient.”
“That is true.”
“However, you are also brave. You are self sacrificing and moral and strong.”
“We are?”
“This proves to me that you are able to save others. By applying the powers of Friendship, you can solve any problem,” Faust smiled. “Therefore, the Council and I have decided to grant upon you the powers of Harmony.”
“With these, you will be able to rule graciously and fairly throughout the land. If you apply Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, Kindness, and most of all, Magic and Wisdom to any situation, you will surely succeed,” Merriment laughed. “Do you accept the power of what we are about to give you?”
“We do,” Celestia said.
“Wait!” Luna cried. The alicorns all looked at her. “Are you sure that we are able to bear this power? I have doubts as to whether I am really virtuous and strong enough on the inside to harness this ability alongside Celestia.”
Compassion took a step forward. Her kind, empathetic eyes looked deep into those of Luna. “No matter what others say of you, you are strong, Luna. You are as wonderful as you allow yourself to be, and even if you royally screw up,” Compassion giggled. “We are always there for you. Never forget that.”
She kissed her at the base of her horn and backed away. The six of the council formed a circle around Faust, whose horn was lit with magic. The rays of a rainbow spouted from the tip of her horn, and one color hit each of the council. Their eyes glowed with light, but they stood strong. A great burst of white magic erupted from Faust, and suddenly, the six had become beautiful gemstone orbs with the cutie marks of each of them etched in.
Faust looked to the remaining alicorns. They were gathering the elements in the satchels they had brought with them for the trip. “Do the both of you promise that you shall protect other ponies with all of the wisdom in your hearts?”
Celestia nodded, but Luna seemed unsure. She was holding the gemstone orb of Compassion in her hooves. Her eyes were wet, but she did not cry. “I do.”
Faust smiled and touched her mighty horn to the tips of the others’. “Go forth.”
The two alicorns took flight for seven days and eight nights. They landed outside of the great Discord’s cavern, an oddly humble hunk of stone with a wide opening carved in, runes and pictures scraped ‘round it as though the draconequus had been bored. Celestia opened up the satchels and smiled at her sister. “Three each, you can pick first.”
Luna returned the tender beam. “You are always the most selfless. You shall have Generosity, for one.”
She levitated the indigo sphere to her sister’s side. “I have the habit of bluntness and pessimism, but only when necessary, so I shall take Honesty.”
Her sister suspended the tangerine globe to Luna. “You are willing to put everything of yours at stake for what you love, therefore I give thee Loyalty. I try to cheer others with dance and song when they cannot glow, which earns me Laughter. You are the stronger of us two in sorcery, so I bequeath thee Magic...”
“There is only Kindness.”
Luna gazed into her sister’s eyes. “Please, Celestia. Let me be strong.”
Celestia smiled. “I dream of a world peaceful, where ponies would rather have apple pie than war. Where Harmony is respected and where friends come in sixes. We will rule over that world, won’t we?”
“Why not?” Luna grinned, pointing her wing toward the cavern. “All we have to do is defeat that centuries-old, insane, patchwork god. Then we shall have tea with Cadence and tell her what a wonderful adventure we had.”
“Cadence? Is that your sister?” boomed a voice from inside the cave. “How delightful! Even more wretched little alicorns to slay once I’m done with you.”
Both of the girls shivered at his voice, but Celestia held her tongue strong. “You shall never get at her, King Discord, because we are here to defeat you and return harmony to the land!”
“BOAR-EEN-GUH.” The ground shook with his yawning bellow.
“What in the name of Faust do you mean by that?” Celestia cried.
“I mean BORING. Why on Earth would you want harmony? Harmony isn’t productive. It’s not interesting or creative, and it certainly isn’t FUN.”
“What is Earth?” Luna whispered to her sister. She shrugged in reply.
“All I want is a little Change. There’s so much beauty in terror and rampant destruction, don’t you think?”
“Of course we do not! And besides, that’s a terribly selfish reason to do anything! Your own interests do not benefit the ponies of Equestria!”
“Again, why on Earth would I want that?” From the depths of the cave came a reasonably large being with the head of a pony, the body of a snake, wings of a bat and bird, and all sorts of limbs and horns. He gazed at them approvingly. “You two are most definitely strong enough to kill me. Which is an awful shame, seeing as I really do not want to die.”
“Whether or not you want to does not make any difference to us. We see your sins, and we are prepared to do anything in order to strip you of your powers. You are too much of a danger to all of the ponies in Equestria if you still walk free, so either you die, or you turn to stone.”
Discord turned to Luna. “You haven’t said anything, my dear. Are you prepared to kill in order to strip me of my powers?” Suddenly, his head morphed into an equal copy of her sister’s, with a stern face and crossed eyes. “Do you believe that I am too much of a danger to all of da ponehs in Uh-quest-ree-uh if I still walk freh, so ah must dah or turn to stone?”
Luna giggled, despite herself. “Yeah I do, ‘cause you’re a big meanie pants!”
Celestia’s face on Discord contorted into a duck-lipped pout. “Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am not.”
“Are too!”
“Am not.”
“Are too!”
“AM NOT! MOM!” Discord turned to Celestia, sucking his thumb. “LUNA’S BEING MEAN TO ME!”
“Luna, he isn’t your friend. He’s just trying to deceive you so that you take mercy on him, though he doesn’t deserve it.”
“Aw, you’re so SIMPLE, my dear. You really are a pretty little thing, and a ‘maiden fair and true’...” With this, white gloved hands appeared in the air and folded their fingers into quotation points. “...but you’re simply NO FUN, and we can’t have that, now can we?” He glided through the air toward Luna and reclined as though on a lounge chair. “How about you? Are you fun?”
“Not in the way you interpret!” Celestia cried.
“I’m plenty fun. Just watch me.” Luna’s mane swirled around her as her horn glowed with magical potency, the orbs of the elements bequeathed to her shimmering. “Honesty, Laughter and Kindness flow through my heart, and Loyalty, Generosity and Magic flow through my sister’s. They give us the power of being able to depend upon each other, a certain reliability that can never be replaced by utter random pain. What do you have to depend upon, you monster?”
“Love.”
“What?”
“I have love. I have more love than you’d ever get from your sisters.”
“How much can you lie, beast?”
“I wouldn’t lie about this. The love you get from your family is equally distributed, commonplace. You alicorns distribute love impartially, loving anypony as much as everypony. You don’t have significance. Even your sister over there only loves you as much as she loves her niece, Cadence.”
“You thought she was our sister before.”
“Don’t change the subject. Your sister loves you only as much as her or that wretched little pregnant assassin who fled to Alicornia.”
“She wasn’t an assassin! She was a peaceful protestor who YOU tried to kill!”
Discord grinned. “Is that what she told you? Well, she’d make a bad element of Honesty if you ask me.”
“STOP IT!” Luna turned to her sister, her eyes wet. “Is this true?”
“What, Great Great Granny Smith being an assassin? I had no idea.”
“No, IDIOT, you only loving me as much as anypony else!”
“Well, of course.” Celestia looked a little bit confused, a little bit angry. “But I love you, and that’s the point, isn’t it? Tutor Candor and Teacher Enchantment always taught that it was the best way to love. Weren’t you listening?”
“I always thought that I was special to you.” Luna looked down at the ground so the tears would fall straight down and not trickle down her face.
“Everyone’s special, Lu.” Tia smiled at her sister as warmly as the first sunbeams on a Spring day.
“Which means that nopony is.” Luna looked up. “Finish what you started, Discord.”
“All I was going to say was that with your sister, everything is fair.”
“And?”
“And with me, nothing has to be.”
Celestia put her hoof on her sister’s shoulder. “Why are you entertaining his offerings? He is evil, you know that. I thought that we had agreed to live together and reign kindly and wisely.”
“You know what, sister? I’ve got to be selfish.”
“But why? Why would you even WANT to? Aren’t you the bearer of the element of Kindness?”
“I’m also he bearer of the element of Honesty, and I honestly say that I’d appreciate you to let me choose which side I’m on.”
“But you already did. You’re on MY side. We were going to make this world a better place.”
“Who says that he can’t?”
“He hasn’t!”
“And I’ll change that. We can change that, you can come with us.”
“I can’t betray my little ponies as easily as you, Lu. If you join forces with him, I’m afraid I’ll have to fight you.”
“That doesn’t even bother you much, does it? Seeing as you only love me as much as everypony else.”
“Luna, will you stop being such a SPOILED BRAT for ONCE?!” Tia screamed. “I’m sorry if you’re not the most important thing in my life, but nothing is, and you should respect that! We came here to win back this world so that we could make it better and to destroy the being who made it worse! Why are we even disputing this? He’s tricking you into fighting against me because that’s what he does! He tricks ponies into destroying themselves! How could you love anyone like that?”
“I... I don’t know.” Luna looked to the draconequus. “How could I love you?”
“Oh, am I back in on the conversation?” Discord was languidly swinging as though in an invisible hammock, drinking the straw out of a cup of chocolate milk.
“Yes, you pile of Faust’s excrement sewn together with sheep's stomach lining.” But Luna was smiling.
“I think,” he said, molding his cup of chocolate milk into a ball and tossing it to Luna. “That love should be one of those things which doesn’t need a ‘how’.”
“How will you fight me?!” Tia yelled. “What elements have you?”
“Must we use those?” Discord asked. “Traditions are so annoying. Everypony expects you to uphold them.”
“If I really am to join you, then yes. Yes we must.” Luna was smiling at him affectionately. Bad sign.
“What do you and that monster have that’s more powerful than Harmony?!” Celestia scowled.
“I have a name, you know,” Discord replied.
“I’d prefer to speak of you as ‘He who shan’t be named’.” Celestia was frightened now. Her sister was lost to the powers of all she was against, and her worry was beginning to show. How could she save Equestria without teamwork? The girls had been worried about whether they would win, not whether Luna would betray them!
“How about ‘The Elements of Change’?” Luna asked. “Ability, Patience, Common Sense, Optimism...”
“Obstinacy,” Celestia scowled.
Luna glared back. “Yes, and Bravery.”
Discord grinned. “Sounds good to me.” The six elements they had chosen together suddenly appeared in his palms with a snap of the fingers, blood red for Ability, pale yellow for Patience, forest green for Common Sense, sky blue for Optimism, deep indigo for Bravery and burnt orange for Purpose (as Obstinacy would later be referred to as).
“This is your last chance, you know.” Tia hissed. “I won’t go easy on you.”
“Nor us, dear sister. And same to you. We could still rule over this land passionately with this draconequus alongside.”
“I won’t back down from the goodness I believe in. If you two really shall doom Equestria with your reign when you win, then let us hope that Faust allows I success.” Celestia’s magic enveloped the three elements Luna had chosen for herself as well as her three. “For Harmony!”
“For Change!” The two others had also risen themselves to the battle, Luna’s horn glowing and Discord’s front limbs glowing with magical potency. Luna was saddened at the sight of her sister taking the other elements. ‘Just because she bears them does not mean she has taken them from me,’ Luna reflected. ‘She cannot see the possibilities, that’s all.’
The three magics beamed into a central point, forcing each being backward with the raw energy. Celestia’s magic, a bright coral wave with yellow and pink light shining through, was obviously more powerful than either of the others, but perhaps not combined. Discord’s was completely black... only, no, now it was polka dotted... now it oozed with slime... peanut butter? His magic writhed and twisted, obviously not used to having to be confined to itself. It practically seethed with annoyance, which otherwise would have been his downfall. Luna’s was soft and navy blue, twinkling with star-like patterns and clusters fluctuating around in it. The three combined in the middle to form a sort of black hole, bits of matter being sucked into it every few moments. Five minutes later, Celestia took a step forward, pressuring her magic to head forward more... she advanced. Again, this happened. Luna screamed with the passion and blood she was pouring into her effort, her wings out, beating against the power. She looked at Discord through the corners of her eyes and found him sweating, but not pouring all of his power into it. Was he MAD? She tried to turn her head to speak to him, but the pressure of the magic wouldn’t allow her to without giving up all of its current. Five more minutes passed. Celestia was almost upon them now, and Luna cried out; “DISCORD!” Suddenly, his magic exploded in a terrible reaction that left Tia on the floor shivering on the other side of the room.
“She’s too young. You both are.”
“Lo and Behold, a beacon of hope! For before there was Harmony, there was Chaos eternal, and until that moment, insanity reigned.”
“Is that the Alicorn Bible or something?”
“I made it up.”
“Cute.”
“Now what do we do with my sister?”
They discussed it for a little while, Celestia occasionally chipping in with biting remarks about the future of Equestria, and they decided (after one of Tia’s sarcastic comments) that they would seal her into the sun. She wouldn’t be dead, and she’d be able to raise the sun when she wished, which they predicted would be the same as before, as Celestia was a very responsible pony. The only downside was that there would be no turning back.
“Which I don’t think is much of a downside, but you probably do,” Discord smiled gently and touched Luna’s face.
She returned the smile and gave the final appeal to her sister. “Change my mind, Tia? This is our last chance.”
“Our last chance was before we even began our quest,” Celestia scowled. “I have said no a thousand times, and I shall say no when I am licking my wounds.”
Luna nodded and closed her eyes. “But know this!” Celestia decreed.
“When I sleep, my sisters shall fall into a deep sleep. On the very first night of the thousandth year, the alicorns of whom you have no control shall waken yet again in the shape of the stars. They shall fly to my aid and we shall bring back the purifying day to bring harmony to the land.”
“How sacrosanct of you, sister. I always thought you were one for love and tolerance.”
“Give me a little time to change my mind.”
Luna smiled and closed her eyes. Her horn and Discord’s hands began glowing. She opened her eyes one last time as Princess Luna, sister of the Alicorns. After her sister would leave, Nightmare Moon would replace her current body. “Just because I am selfish does not mean I am not wise, sister.”
Celestia smirked. “Words to rule by.” She stood up, raised her head in pride and disappeared.

Author's Note

This was my favorite part to write so far! I just love using this type of wording! It also just FEELS epic, you know?

Fluff to Cleanse your Palate

“Um, Twilight?” A claw prodded her gently on the shoulder.

Twilight’s head shot up and she blinked her red eyes wildly, her cheek slightly flattened from being squished against the page. A small crust of drool had dried on her chin and her hair was sticking up on one side. She looked at Spike blearily.

“Hi Spike. That book was SO SAD. I could not believe how horribly sad it was. The sadness overwhelms me. I am exceptionally sad today. What time is it?”

“It’s about nine o’clock. I was going to carry you to bed, but I know how you HAVE to brush your teeth every night.”

“Well then you should have done it for me!” Twilight looked cross and Spike reeled back a little, but then she giggled and hugged him.

“Just kidding. Thanks, buddy.” She yawned. “May you get me a cup of warm milk? I could always use some tryptophan.”

“Skim or whole?” Spike asked, shrugging her lazy arms off of his shoulders.

“Skim, of course!” Twilight laughed, dizzily getting up and stumbling toward her bed. “It’s as if you don’t even know me!”

“When you’re this friendly, I don’t,” the baby dragon quipped, grinning. He poured her a glass, heated it with his dragon’s breath, inserted her straw and brought it to her, leading her up the stairs and to her bedside.

“Do you want me to get you your toothbrush?” he asked, putting the milk down on the bedside table.

“Yes pretty please!” Twilight hopped up onto her bed and folded her legs under her, lying her head close to her chest.

When Spike came back, carrying the bristled wooden stick, he found her sleeping quietly. He sighed and looked at the brush, then at her mouth. She already said she wanted me to... he thought. And it probably wouldn’t be THAT nasty...

In the end, he complied, brushing the minty spread on her perfectly white pony teeth for the solid two minutes. Miss Goody-Four-Shoes wouldn’t want it any other way. At the end, she spit the liquid into the cup of her own dreamy will, to Spike’s delight.

“Good night, Twi. You unconsciously owe me a favor.” He kissed her on the forehead, and she unconsciously nodded her head toward him, meeting his lips with hers. He moved his head back, kind of startled and dazed, and smiled. Once more, he kissed her on the forehead, holding her down firmly to make sure nothing happened, and trotted downstairs to lock the front door before returning to his own wicker bed.

Meanwhile, Twilight woke up with uncanny ease and felt at her forehead with her hoof. “I knew he would do it,” she smiled, then went to bed for real.

Author's Note

And now, an interlude of adorableness. Usually, I ship TwiPie or RariTwi, but we'll see how this works.

And Now, She Freaks Out

The next morning, Twilight woke up, brushed her teeth, combed her hair, washed her face, walked downstairs and saw a book open on the table. She scowled, thinking that Spike had left it there (Twilight had been really sleepy last night), and decided to browse it. Five minutes later, she began screaming.

“WHAT?! WHAT!?” Spike ran down the stairs holding a baseball bat, pepper spray, a fire extinguisher and a flame thrower.

“SOLS DUST IS GOING TO RETURN TO EQUESTRIA AND DESTROY OUR WAY OF LIFE!” Twilight turned to him. “And doesn’t a flame thrower cancel out the fire extinguisher in case of emergencies?”

Spike dropped all of the things he had been holding and smacked his forehead. “Twilight. That’s an old mares’ tale. Missus Sparkle used to tell it to you when you were just a filly, now why in the name of Star Swirled the Bearded’s obnoxiously noisy jingle bells are you FREAKING OUT ABOUT IT NOW?”

“Because Sols Dust isn’t just an old mares’ tale, you dolt! Sols Dust is actually Princess Celestia, jealous sister of Princess Luna, or Queen Nightmare Moon, and on the last night of the thousandth year, she shall return to Equestria! We must tell all of the royal cabinet immediately!”

She sprinted over to Spike and flipped a pen and scroll into his hand with her horn. “Take a note, Spike, to the Queen. And this is a message of urgent importance, so you can’t screw it up.

Spike grumbled and put his pen to the paper;

“Dear Queen Nightmare Moon,” Twilight began.

Dear Queen Nightmare Moon,
I have found during my studies of the different magical elements and the Origin of the Alicorn that the fable of the Sols Dust may in fact have truth to it, for in fact, the Sols Dust is your sister, Princess Celestia, and she is going to return with the alicorns as her guides on the very first night of the thousandth year. I am afraid that this is an emergency requiring extreme measures, perhaps even military support. We are on the precipice of disaster, so I eagerly await your response.
Sincerely and Dearly,
Twilight Sparkle, student valedictorian of the Lunar Academy’s grade ten

“There.” Spike added a small swirled S at the very bottom for his own penmanship.

“Did you spell precipice correctly?” Twilight asked. Spike rolled his eyes and nodded. “Then send it.”

“Are you sure you want to do it now?” Spike asked.

“Of course!”

“But you know, the Queen is very busy getting ready for the New Years’ Night celebration, and you know this one’s the thousandth anniversary of her and King Discord’s reign. It’s the day after tomorrow! She probably won’t be able to respond to your letter for a while.”

“Spike, haven’t you been listening?!” Twilight cried.

“No more than I have to.”

“The very first night of the thousandth year! NEW YEARS NIGHT. ONE THOUSANDTH ANNIVERSARY. Princess Celestia is going to return on that very night, so we probably don’t have to worry about their honeymoon, now do we?”

“You don’t have to be so condescending, sweetheart,” Spike growled.

“I’m sorry, dearest, you know how upset I get when the fate of the world is in danger,” Twilight snarked. “Now send it, please.”

With a roll of his eyes, Spike held the scroll an arms’ width away from his face. He blew a lime green jet of delivery fire to envelop the paper, and as it dissipated, so did the scroll. “There, are you happy yet?”

“Only when I get a response.” The mare had already begun pacing in circles around the library’s central hourglass in anxious worry. Spike rolled his eyes and sat back on a pile of encyclopedias. Suddenly, the front door was wrenched open by a wave of blue magic!

“Geeze, Twilie, you need to get your door fixed again. The hinge just never twists.”

“Because it was locked, just like last time you broke it.” Twilight scowled at her feet and continued pacing. “What do you want, Shining?”

A muscular, large, white unicorn stallion with a blue, short mane trotted into the room. “I just wanted to say hi to my favorite sister!” He suddenly tackled her and noogied her ear. “Besides, how was I supposed to remember your door locks?”

“Because you kicked the door down and broke it LAST WEEK,” Twilight cried incoherently, her mouth pressed up against the marble floor. “Why don’t you just KNOCK?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise. You’re my baby sister! Remember how I used to steal that stuffed animal of yours and hold it over a mud puddle, threatening to make it so dirty Mom would HAVE to throw it out? And you would cry and cry and Dad would see and ground me for a month, so I’d sneak into your room and put raw eggs in your backpack for payback? That was always a surprise! Good times, right?”

“I ALSO REMEMBER THE TIME WHEN I SET YOUR COIFFURE ON FIRE AFTER YOU TOLD MY PROM DATE THAT I STILL SLEPT WITH SAID STUFFED ANIMAL. SURPRISE. NOW GET OFF OF ME.”

The stallion did, pulling her up with him and crushing her with a bear hug. “I just missed you, Twilie. I haven’t seen you in so long, I feel like you don’t even love me anymore. So I make sure that’s not true by surprising you!”

“Didn’t we already establish that you visited last week? Besides, you always ask for money when you’re here.”

“Well I know how much you love routine, so I’m gonna ask you for some again!” Shining Armor knelt down on his knees and pulled out the puppy dog eyes. He was actually pretty good at those, but placed upon his manly, toned body, looked absolutely ridiculous. “Can I PLEASE borrow fifty bits from you, sis?”

“You don’t mean borrow, you mean take.”

Her brother made a duck face at her. “Nuh uh! The Royal Guard pays for itself in protection, so you always giving me money is like a tax or something.”

“Riiiight.” Twilight was a very practised eye roller, and this batch would make any normal pony want to hang themselves using a chain of paperclips and a hay steak knife. Shining Armor was not a normal pony.

Suddenly, Twilight heard a knock at the door. “See, THAT’S how you’re supposed to do it,” she said, trotting off to answer it. Shining waited with Spike, who was grinning like an idiot.

“Salutations, Twilight Sparkle, valedictorian of the Lunar Academy’s grade ten,” smiled Cotton Kadabra with a small nod after Twilight had opened the door to her.

“Salutations to you, Cotton Kadabra, president of the fashion club at the Lunar Academy.” Twilight replied. “It’s very pleasant to see you visiting, what brings you to my abode?”

“I received a letter by my dragon which had your name printed on it, along with “URGENT” and the Queen’s hoof writing! This is the very paper, as you can see,” the filly said, giving it to her, “But, and I do not mean to pry- Why, hello!” Shining Armor had come to see what was happening, and it appeared as though Cotton’s mane now had been recently shampooed, mascara had been applied, and her coat been dyed recently. “I didn’t see you there~”

“Hey, Cotton! Long time no see, how’s the special somepony?”

“Oh, he and I broke up a looong time ago, Shining, darling, didn’t you get my letter?” Cotton Kadabra had slowly been walking closer to the stallion and was now demurely looking up at him through her pink, fluffy mane. “I just never was so affectionate for Cherry Cola as I was for you! You really ought to visit more often, Shining, dear, you know we all love your stories~”

Twilight’s brother was completely pink in the face as the mare pet his shoulder. “I s-suppose I could t-t-take a little work break,” he stuttered, stiff in literally every part of his body. “T-t-twilight?” he turned back to her with a questioning look.

The unicorn had been looking upon this scene with equal parts amusement and disgust, but she decided that whatever the gang of fillies would do to her brother would be enough to at least keep him from breaking down the door the next time he visited. “Yep, you kids have fun!”

“Oh, are you absolutely sure we can take him? I mean, Twilight, dearest, I’d simply hate to keep him away from you, he’s your brother, after all.” Twilight, dearest, noticed that while Kadabra was talking, she was also jotting down a note which read; “URGENT, Shining’s in town! Party at Clover’s hot tub, STAT.” and hugging the stallion’s leg.

“It’s perfectly alright, Cotton, dearest. I expect him home by midnight!” She winked and turned around.

“Wait, TWILIE!”

The door slammed.

Author's Note

Because I still think Shining Armor should have been around sooner. I mean, gosh, Twilight, your brother was so close to you, didn't you say goodbye before you left or anything?

Self Reform

The ride to Ponyville was a few hours long, mostly downwind from the cliffs of Canterlot to the valley of Ponyville. Spike leaned out the window, noticing all of the farmland surrounding the town, excepting a pathway that lead out to the main roads. The land was lush and green, with flowers and trees dotting the ground. It was as pretty as a picture.

“Hey Twilight, look!” Spike called behind him. “I can see Whitetail Wood below us!”

“Nicenicenicenicenicenicenicenicenicenicenicenicenice...” Twilight muttered, still raving.

“And Ghastly Gorge over there! I’ve always wanted to see the eels that are famed for living there!” Spike turned back to Twilight, excitement showing in his face. That didn’t last.

“Twilight, stop being so full of yourself.”

“FULL OF YOURSELF?!” Twilight popped up, staring Spike straight in the green eyes. “I’M not full of yourself!”

“Geeze, honey, you’re taking things awful fast.”

“SHUT UP.”

“Look out at the scenery! Be decently sociable! Faust, Twilight, maybe you SHOULD make some friends in Ponyville.”

“SHUT. UP.”

Twilight was crying. Not hard, but she was. She disconsolately stepped back over to her side of the carriage and curled up into a ball on the golden bench that rimmed it. She rolled over into the corner so that Spike couldn’t see her face, and whinnied softly into her hoofs. The pegasi turned at the sound of her sniffles and knickered sympathetically.

“Should we stop?” one asked.

“No, it’s alright. I can talk to her.” Spike lightly jogged the short distance and put his claw on her mane. “Are you okay, Twilight?”

“I didn’t get the memo, Spike.”

“What?”

“I never understood that in order to be successful in life, you had to be NICE. I thought that if you worked hard, and you were smart, and you were responsible, and right, and good, then maybe you’d be able to do well in the world. Maybe you’d get to fulfill your dream.”

“You mean to be Queen?” Spike asked.

“Yeah. Cotton is STUPID, Spike. Cotton isn’t as good at what I do as me, and I liked her, because she was okay with not being as good as I am at that stuff, but she still got to be in the Queen’s favor, and that’s why I’m unhappy, Spike, because I now have to do extra work to prove myself, even though I’ve been proving myself my whole life, and the Queen doesn’t trust me or anything! I hate it, Spike, I just hate it, because the world is unfair. The world is unfair, and life sucks, and I just hate it all.”

They sat like that for a while, with Spike petting Twilight’s mane, and her sobbing quietly in the corner. Suddenly, Spike started speaking.

“Twilight, maybe you are worthy of being Queen. You’re intelligent, and dedicated, and pretty, and you would be a great ruler, because ponies would respect you. But you don’t respect other ponies. You haven’t realized that Cotton Kadabra is extremely talented in her sewing abilities, she’s got an eye for strategy, and she’s empathetic as heck. You don’t understand that she’s earned a right to things just as much as you have, because maybe she’s not book smart like you, but she’s not stupid. Can’t you be understanding, Twilight? Sympathize!”

“They never taught us that in class.” Twilight smiled shakily at him and lay her head down in her forehooves again. “I know that I have that problem, Spike. I’m sorry that I judged her. I’m sorry that I can be so bad at understanding other ponies. I’m sure that I can change, maybe I can do it here. Maybe I can prove myself in that regard to Queen Nightmare when I’m in Ponyville.” She raised her head suddenly, and directed Spike to grab a pen and pad. “I’ve got to make a vow.”

I, Twilight Sparkle, vow to be more empathetic to my fellow creatures, and dedicate to learning outside of the classroom. I vow to be humble, and make friends.

“That... is a crap vow,” Spike commented.

“You just can’t stand my having self esteem, can you?”

Author's Note

Yay, new updates! She'll be in Ponyville next time, don't worry!

Hello, Rarity!

The pegasi were coming close to the ground of the Ponyville main square now, and Twilight could see the Town Hall a little ways away, and a fountain in the center of an open area with some benches tastefully placed around it. The Town Hall was where the King and Queen were to appear, and it had already been washed until it gleamed in the sunshine. A unicorn appeared to be casting “stay fresh” spells on flower chains and tying them artfully and loosely around the rims of the railings on the Town Hall’s porch, which surrounded the building on both levels. She was an exceptionally pretty unicorn, Twilight noticed, with shining indigo hair that was tied into an elegant ponytail and a few strands of hair loose, those curled in a small, elegant wave near the base of her horn. She had barely off-white fur and deep blue eyes that appeared lightly mascaraed. Spike appeared very impressed, and drooled a tiny bit at the sight of her.

“She’s... incredibly beautiful. Can we say hi?”

Twilight felt a small pang of sadness at Spike’s disloyalty, so she told Spike that they could check up on decorations later. First, they had to go to Sweet Apple Acres and check on food.

“Oh, come on, Twilight. We’re already here, can’t we just do this first?”

Reluctantly, Twilight gave in, and Spike hopped on her back before they cantered toward Town Hall. Before they got there, however, a pink pony with wavy hair bounded toward them and grabbed Twilight by the shoulders, looked her in the eye, gasped, and sped away.

“Um,” said Twilight, very matter of factly.

“Um,” Spike agreed, bending over to look Twilight directly in the eye to see what the fuss was about. Twilight poked him away with her horn, giggling a little.

They reached Town Hall in very little time, and the unicorn stopped braiding vines long enough to smile at them both. “Salutations!” she greeted them. “How are you?”

“Oh, just wonderful,” Spike smiled back, leaning on his claws and grinning bashfully at her. She blushed a little at his obvious affections, and looked back down to continue braiding.

“I don’t think that I’ve ever seen either of you before in Ponyville, especially not a dragon,” she said. “What are your names?”

“I’m Spike,” said Spike.

“And I’m Twilight Sparkle,” said Twilight Sparkle. “We’re here to check on your progress.”

“Oh, did the mayor send you?” The unicorn stood up and cast her spell on the flowers before levitating it over to the railing and winding the chain around the wood. “You can tell her that I’m doing fine, and that I really don’t need any more help. I simply couldn’t stand to impose on any pony.”

“Actually, the Queen sent us.” Twilight’s heart panged at this poor pony. She looked so tired, she’d obviously been working for days, and she still had much more to do.

“The Queen?!” The unicorn turned to Twilight. “She sent out a professional check up? Already?! That must mean that you two are in her royal staff! You live in Canterlot, then? Oh, I’ve always dreamed of living there, such a glamorous lifestyle! There are simply no worries, it seems...” She trailed off, and turned back to Twilight, kissing her cheeks in the affectionate French style greeting. “I must treat you two as honored guests. You probably need dinner, and the kids would love a friend. Oh, would you like to see my clothing line? It’s all my work, I even rented out a building I call “The Carousel Boutique” for it. I’ve got this white hat with yellow trim and pink rosebuds on it that would look perfect on your purples, but maybe you’d need to curl your mane back a little... I could do that.”

“What’s your name?” Spike suddenly asked, completely smitten.

“It’s Rarity, darling, but my friends call me Ritz, when they’re teasing. It’s kind of silly of them, really.” She smiled into her hoof demurely. “I’m really not that suited for such a life, but I’ve always thought about it.”

“Rarity is such a beautiful name, you don’t need another.” Spike smiled at her lovingly. “You’re really pretty, you know.”

“Spike, there’s a little thing called tact,” Twilight reproachfully remarked. “I’m sorry, Rarity. We really weren’t trying to get in your way or worry you, we can check back later after you’re all finished with decorating to see how it looks.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I’m fine with accommodating for guests, and I truly do want to try that hat out on you.” Rarity tilted her head curiously, scanning Twilight up and down. “And there’s this collared blouse that would suit you so well... Come with me to the boutique, it’s getting late, anyway. Maybe I’ll introduce you to the kids!”

“Well-”

“We would love to, Rarity.” Spike hopped off of Twilight’s back and kissed Rarity’s hoof. “Please, lead the way.”

They trotted two miles down a lovely dirt pathway that followed the river in Ponyville to Carousel Boutique, a carousel based building of blue, purple and gold tints and lots of frills in its decor. Rarity opened the door, turning the “Rarity’s out, Town Hall needs to shine!” sign over to show “We’re open, if only for the moment!”. Twilight looked up at the spire on top of the building and at the storm clouds that so often covered Equestria.

“Is it safe?” she asked her new friend.

“Hmm? Oh, yes, dear. That spire on the very top of the building is a lightning rod, so we’re perfectly fine. Oh, Sweetie Belle!” Rarity called into the room. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah, sis!” A small, white, unicorn filly zoomed down the elegant staircase. “Scootaloo, Pip, and Featherweight are all playing cards upstairs.”

“All right, but tell them that they need to come down for dinner. We have guests!”

“Cool! Who are they?” Sweetie Belle eyed the newcomers suspiciously.

“This is Twilight Sparkle and Spike the dragon,” Rarity said, pointing at both of them at proper moments. “He,” she whispered conspiratorially into Sweetie Belle’s ear. “Has a crush on me.”

“Ooooooo!” Sweetie chimed, rushing up the stairs to spread the news.

Twilight rolled her eyes at the filly, and was immediately pushed into a chair in the center of a ring of mirrors. “Now, it’s time for me to do what I was born to do!” Rarity grinned. “Beautify!”

Confessions of a Love struck Dragon

Twilight’s hair was curled, straightened, twisted, braided, trimmed, combed and dyed. Her fur was brushed, scrubbed, meshed, thinned and parted. Her face had many types of makeup applied to it, ending in hundreds of failed results, but finally, Twilight’s bangs were curled inward, her mane was tied into a bun at the base of her scalp by ribbons, and feathers, gems and flowers were pinned together onto a Victorian style top hat that fit snugly next to her right ear. Her tail was curled a small amount and had shimmer dust spread liberally throughout it. She was wearing a light amount of blush, the tiniest hint of eye shadow and eyeliner, a hint of cherry lip gloss, and mascara that framed her violet eyes perfectly. She had a simple, white, collared blouse on, and a red bow tie. Her skirt was lacy, black with red shimmer, and reached her knees, and had suspenders clipped on that went where the suspenders usually go, and that had, pinned into it, a beautiful emerald pendant. She was not wearing shoes, but lacy white satin socks with a small cat design at the top. She gasped at herself in the mirror. Spike gasped alongside her.

“It’s all in how you look at a pony, my dear. I was kind of thinking that a Victorian look would do good with your dark coloring, and socks are very in right now. But wait...” Rarity looked at Twilight’s brooch for a moment. “EMERALD? What was I thinking, let me get you the ruby!”

She galloped away, with Spike still gawking at her awkwardly. “Spike?” Twilight peered at him, kind of worried, kind of bashful. “Spike?”

“Wow.”

“Um, thanks. Please don’t stare at me like that, though.”

“You don’t mind that I am madly in love with Rarity, do you?”

Twilight giggled. Then she shushed herself for a moment, but couldn’t contain it, and she burst out laughing. It echoed across the room, and she just fell to the floor at the absurdity of it all.

“What?”

“I've just never seen you act so incredibly stupid in my entire life, Spike!” Twilight sighed into her sock-covered front hoof. “I mean, the entire time she was working on my outfit, you were just looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen!”

“She IS the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,” Spike said, hurt.

“Oh.” Twilight didn't know how to respond to this. She really had no clue. “Um...”

“I still love you,” he said, scratching at his arm.

“Wait, what?” Twilight looked at Spike. “Um... Love?”

“Yeah, love. You’re not supposed to treat me well, but you do. You treat me like a friend. A friend who you’re constantly teasing, maybe ‘cause it’s okay with me, I dunno. I thought you loved me, because I love you, and we treat each other about the same. But I never really was sure about it until you kissed me last night. I mean, whether you thought you wanted to or not, you did it, and I was kind of glad you did. I had a little reassurance. But you don’t really love me, and Rarity’s just so incredible, I felt it the second I met her, it’s weird, but it feels right. I dunno, love at first sight seems so cheesy to me, but I’m getting these pangs in my chest, and I sometimes get them around you, but it’s not so often, it’s not so sure! I don’t know... I still love you, though. And I’d still do anything for you, Twilight.”

Twilight felt herself shake a little. That was the nicest thing Spike had ever said to her. She looked down at her hooves. “Maybe I should dress up more often,” she said. “You’re so willing to talk to me.”

Rarity suddenly arrived in the room again, bearing earrings, a tie, a ream of duck-covered fabric, some sewing equipment, a half-knit scarf, a curling iron, some lipstick, a pair of contacts, African beads, and two pairs of mary janes. She looked between the two and, knowing a tender moment when she saw one, backed out of the circle of mirrors slowly, depositing her items next to Spike’s chair.

“I’ll go set the table for dinner.” Rarity made trotting noises as if to walk away, but Twilight was sure that she saw the mare listening behind one of the mirrors.

“It’s fine, Rarity, I don’t have anything else to say to Twilight,” Spike called. He smiled bashfully at his friend. “Sorry I’m so weird right now.”

“No, that’s fine.” Twilight started pulling off her socks.

“Ah-ah-ah!” Rarity rushed inside and stopped Twilight. “I want you to keep it, really!”

“That’s so generous of you,” Twilight said, surprised. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure,” Rarity laughed. “It’s what friends are for, right?”

Friends... Twilight thought. Maybe the queen was wrong about me, maybe I was wrong about me, if I've already made a friend.

Don't Worry, Something will Happen Soon

Twilight sighed and flopped down onto the floor. Her knees buckled. “Why do you pretend to hate your brother?” Spike asked her, scooping up some of the books Shining had knocked off of the shelves in his arrival. “You’re perfectly allowed to be protective.”

“No I’m not, Spike.” Twilight stretched her foreleg. “He’s my older brother. If anything, he’s to be protective of me. I don’t want to be his clingy baby sister, nor his LSBFF.”

“Little Sister Best Friend Forever? Really?” Spike grinned.

Twilight was silent. Spike walked up to her and peered empathetically into her eyes. She looked back up at him, hopeless.

“Well, what do you want to be?” he asked, knowing it was the question she wanted him to ask.

“I... don’t know.” Spike supposed she’d wanted not to answer. “I guess I want him to be happy.” He supposed wrong. He sighed and walked up to her, petting her mane.

“There, there, you’re a good pony,” Spike said. “You’re best pony.”

Twilight smiled. His words, though grammatically incorrect, were oddly comforting. She stood up and shook her mane out. “Oh right, Cotton accidentally got that letter instead of Queen Nightmare. Would you please send it?”

He did (again) and Twilight trotted over to her book to make sure that she hadn’t missed any information from the text. To summarize all of the possibly useful information;

There were two sets of Elements; the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Change.
Their subunits were as follows: Magic, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty and Honesty, and for Change: Bravery, Optimism, Common Sense, Patience, Strength and Purpose.
There was originally a land called Alicornia, where Princesses Cadence, Luna, Celestia, Counselors Merriment, Enchantment, Constance, Charity, Compassion and Candor and Queen Faust lived.
King Discord and Queen Nightmare Moon sealed Celestia into the sun, where she became known as the monstrous Sols Dust, who was going to be freed from her prison in a week.

Perfect, she had notes. “Hey Spike, did you get the-”

As if timed, Spike suddenly belched out a long jet of fire containing a scroll tied by a navy blue ribbon. It dropped down before Twilight’s front hooves and unravelled itself, knot first and then rolling out the letter. Twilight rolled her eyes. “The Queen can be SUCH a drama... well...”

She levitated it before her and began reading aloud for Spike’s benefit.

Dear Twilight, valedictorian etc,
Thanks for the update. Really. It’s not like anypony has found out that information in the past 1,000 years of my ruling. The books were RIGHT THERE, Twilight. I’m amazed that you didn’t notice earlier. It’s like you’re losing your edge or something.
Anyway, if you really think that this matter is so important, I can send you to Ponyville, the little rural town where me and my lover decided to hold our anniversary. In fact, I am sending you. You can go make sure that our day is perfect, check up on food, decorations, that type of thing. I know you love checklists, aren’t I so thoughtful? Make some friends or something too, honestly.
And hey, you know what? How about some extra credit. You solve this problem with my stupid sister, and you get to be ruler of all of Equestria. Now you don’t have to go planning to kill Cotton Kadabra in her sleep, because she was actually your competition. You think she’s a ditzy klutz, I know, but she’s really smart and harmless enough to not ruin my country after me and Discord go on vacation. Unlike you. Kill my arrogant, self-righteous sister for me, and you get to wear my stupid little crown.

Toodles!
The Queen of Darkness

Followed by that was a checklist of preparations to review in Ponyville.

“COTTON WAS MY COMPETITION?!” Twilight screamed.

Spike grimaced and pulled some wax out of his ear. “Well, she IS nice.”

“NICE?!?! NICE?!?!?!?!?!?”

“Oh look, your carriage is here!” Spike interjected, pulling open the curtains to show a brilliant golden carriage with swooping vines imprinted onto it, being pulled by two proud, white pegasus stallions. They whinnied, and Spike opened the door to greet them.

“Nice. NICE. Niiiiccceeee....” said Twilight as she was dragged into the carriage.