A Beautiful Light From Within The Darkest Clouds

by Princess Glitzy

Rating: teen
Tags: Shining Armor, Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Princess Cadance, Comedy
Length: 14154

Shining Armor has always seemed to have everything together, but what you don`t know is that behind this brave, clever pony was a tortured soul just hoping for something to go right.

Shining Armor has always seemed to have everything together, but what you don`t know is that behind this brave, clever pony was a tortured soul just hoping for something to go right. After a cruel twist of fate Shining Armor was forced to take care of Twilight. She was just a young filly and he was just a young teen. Somehow through all of this emerges some hope, harmony and friendship. Behind all gloom and depression lies a ray of sunshine in the cloudy skies.

Published 2013-02-08 20:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-02-16 16:52:18 UTC

The Search

Chapter 2

"Twilight?" No response. "Twilight?" Still no response. "TWILIGHT!" The sudden shout caused Twilight to fall off of her chair.

"Sorry dad. I was just so busy reading this cool book Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone."

Night Light looked at his daughter and said "I have some good news and some bad news, but I need the whole family in here. Will you go get your brother and mom?" Twilight nodded and scampered off to find her brother and mommy. I wonder what the news is? Is it good? Is it bad? Does mom know? She pondered this for a while and then spotted Shining Armor.

"Hey!" Shining turned around and saw her little face. He ran up to her, picked her up and twirled her around. They laughed and had fun. They both fell on the ground and giggled. Then she realized that she had a duty to fulfill. "Big brother?"

Shining Armor turned and said "Yeah li'l sis?"

"Im going to ignore your grammar because Im on a mission. You need to come into the living room because we have important matters to attend to."

Shining stared at Twilight and then said "In English please."

Twilight sighed and said in an annoyed tone "Dad has news to tell us so go the the living room." He smiled.

"Good girl! Now who wants a treat?" Twilight punched him lightly on the arm and gave him a funny face. He suddenly jumped on top of Twilight and preceded to tickle her.

"Stop it! Stop it!" she said playfully. He gave her a nose nuzzle and then went to the living room. One down, one to go.

Twilight guessed that her mother would be cleaning their rooms so she walked upstairs casually. She looked around, but her mother wasn`t there. She checked the middle floor and the basement, and she was no where to be found.

She got panicked and started frantically shouting her name. She opened the door and ran outside hoping her mother was there. After deciding her mother was missing she galloped to her father as fast as her legs could carry her.

Twilight told him about her search for mom and he couldnt help, but laugh. Why is he laughing at a dire time like this? "Twilight, your mother is taking a bath." The one place I didnt look... the bathroom.

Surprising News

Chapter 3

"Attention!" Her father`s voice rang out loud and clear. "I- I mean we have important news." Shining Armor was super anxious to know what it was. Come on say it already.

"Your mother and I are going to..." Just one more second! "Go on a vacation touring Equestria!"

"Well go to Las Pegasus, Manehattan, Ponyville and so many other places!" Twilight Velvet added. Theyre going on vacation?! Without us?!

"Who`s gonna watch us?"

Mom thought for a second and then said "While we are gone we will hire a foal-sitter! How does Cadence sound?" Twilight`s eyes grew three times their size.

"YOU MEAN CADENCE?! THE BEST FOAL-SITTER IN ALL OF EQUESTRIA!" Her father took a moment to make sure that his ears stopped ringing and then said very quietly "Yes." Twilight let out a squee of pure delight. Princess Cadence is coming over. She`s so pretty and smart and funny and...

Mom tapped Shining Armor on the shoulder to make sure he was okay because he wasnt moving and was drooling. He quickly composed himself, but he still blushed. Everyone started giggling. "Well, ha ha ha. Its so funny to see me get embarrassed and act stupid." He said sarcastically.

They all replied with a "Yes!" Figures.

The Visit

Chapter 4

Twilight stepped out of the shower and dried off. She proceeded to brush her coat and mane. "Twilight!"

"Yes mom." she said.

"Come here! You need to look nice for Princess Celestia so when youre done come here so I can put your bow on for you!" Twilight finished brushing her tail and rushed to her parents room. Twilight Velvet placed a large bow on Twilight`s head and a small one towards the center of her tail.

"Thanks mom!" Her mother sat on the bed and motioned for Twilight to sit with her.

"You need to behave like a goo-"

She interrupted and said "I`m always a good filly!"

Her mother sighed and said "I know, but I mean extra good. You can`t interrupt."

She glared at Twilight and she said "Sorry?"

"Good girl. You need to act nicely and above all, be yourself." Twilight beamed up at her mother. "Come on. Give your mother a hug." She felt very content in her mother`s embrace. Until her annoying brother came in.

"Hey Twi! Hey Mom!" Their mother gasped.

"What!" Twilight said with alarm.

"Shining Armor. You haven`t gotten ready yet?!" He slumped back and looked at the ground.

"Sorry ma." He muttered quietly.

"Go get ready, the princess will be here at any moment!" *DING DONG* Night Light called from downstairs.

"Shes here! A freakin princess is here!" The Princess smiled.

"That`s no way to talk about your guests." she said playfully.

"Princess Celestia!" they shouted in unison.

"I mean um... hi?" Twilight said.

"Hello my star pupil. Guess what?"

"What?" asked Shining Armor.

"Twilight you are no longer just a student... you are my apprentice!" Twilight and her mom started dancing and singing softly.

"We did it. We did it."

"You have very odd dance moves Mrs. Sparkle." Twilight Velvet suddenly felt very embarrassed and dizzy.

"Princess, I, dance, embarrass..." she said right before she fainted.

Shining Armor looked up at Celestia and said calmly "I think you broke my mom."

"So Celestia how`s your family?"

Celestia finished chewing her salad and then said "Cadence is good, Blueblood is fine and my sister isnt here. I dont like talking about my sister though so lets move on!" She nervously laughed and then ate more salad. Twilight felt bad for Celestia. I would hate losing Shining Armor. I cant imagine what it would be like to lose your own sister.

Shining Armor wanted to make the mood light again so he thought for a moment and then came up with the perfect idea. "Let`s play a game!" he loudly blurted out.

Celestia shrugged and said "Sure."

After their meal they chit chatted about this and that and when they felt ready they all went to the living room to choose a game. "Candy Land®!" suggested Twilight.

"Shoots and Ladders®!" Dad blurted out.

"Mystery Date®!" Mom eagerly added.

"Twister®!" shouted Shining Armor and everypony agreed. "Let`s play Twister!"

"Well its been a great night and I had a lot of fun! I cant believe I, Princess Celestia have won!"

"I can!" they all shouted in unison for the second time that night. Celestia hugged all of them and bid them ado.

"Bye~!"

Goodbye & Preparing For Hello

Chapter 5

"Okay we have to go if were gonna make it to the ship on time." Twilights eyes start to tear up.

"Bye mommy. Bye daddy. I love you with all of my heart." Shining Armor wrapped his mother and father in a tight embrace.

"Goodbye. I love you."

Their mother smoothed her dress and then said "We hope to get back in about a month. The first place we are going to is Las Pegasus and make sure to write. Goodbye my babies!" They all group hugged and cried a little bit.

"Bye!"

"Bye!" Twilight Velvet and Night Light take one last look at their children and then leave.

"Twi, we should get ready for Cadence to come over. Lets make checklists for what we will do today." Twilights smile was so large.

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH! That is the best idea ever!"

"Thanks Twi!" Shining Armor smiled proudly. "3, 2, 1 GO! Checklist time!"

Twilight and Shining Armor are both groomed and prepared for Cadence to come over. I hope she likes me like I like her. She is in just one word... PERFECT. "Snap out of it Shining Lovey Dovey!"

"Thats not my name. Its Shining Armor because Im strong and powerful." Twilight bursted out laughing and he felt very agitated and snapped. "Everything needs to be perfect for Cadence and I dont want you to mess up my chances with her!" after saying that, he immediately regretted it.

The little fillys eyes began to tear up. "Im so sorry!" Twilight was far beyond 'I`m sorry'. She needed severe apologizing and begging after something like that.

"Twilight! I`m so sorry!" He spots her and pins her down.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to forgive me. Twi I just really like Cadence and Im really nervous and Im scared that mom and dad left and..." Twilight gets worried and gasps.

"Youre hyperventilating!" \*coughs and loud breathing\* "Its okay Shining Armor, Im here. I forgive you. I didnt think about how you would feel. Also, now that I know how serious you are about Cadence I will help you get her." He laughs.

"You know you are smarter than most adult mares, right?"

"Yeah, I`m pretty epic."

A Day Of Fun With Cadence

Chapter 6

"Im so excited for Cadence to come over. I wonder when shell be here."

"How about right now?" Twilight ran up to Cadence and hugged her really tight. Im so happy shes here! Shining Armor looks at her and tries to figure out what to say Hey beautiful. No. How are you Cadence? No. Sup. No. Hi...

"Hey Shining Armor!"

"Hey Cadence Princess! No! I mean um..." Cadence laughs and smiles. The way she looks makes his heart flutter.

"Youre so cute and funny!" OH MY GOSH! She thinks that Im cute and funny!

"What I meant to say was 'Hey Cadence'!" He walks up and kisses her hoof.

"What a gentlecolt. My little Shining Armor is already like a little stallion." She likes me, she likes me

"Cadence! Let`s do our special dance!" Cadence nods in agreement. "Sunshine, sunshine! Lady bugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" Cadence is like the best pony ever!

"Cadence! Cadence! I made a checklist for the day! Well do my stuff and Shining Armors stuff and well have the best day ever!" I love how happy she is and Shining Armor has really... developed. Hes charming and she`s cute. They are awesome!

"What will we do first?" Twilight pondered that for a moment.

"Look at both and decide what you want to do first!" Twilight beamed proudly at her smart idea.

"Let me see. Hmmm..."

Twilight`s Super Awesome Checklist
•Play with Smarty Pants
•Practice multiplication
•Play a board game
•Read stories
•Do arts & crafts

Shining Armor`s Checklist for the day
•Play with toy wagons
•Battle with my swords
•Play in the pool
•Wrestling
•Read comic books

"I say we start with the pool, do all exercise things, do all academic things and end with toys." Twilight and Shining Armor looked at each other and had the same thought Genius!

"I`m gonna do a dive~!" Twilight splashed him.

"Improper grammar! 'Gonna' is not a word!"

Shining Armor dived in and said "It`s c-cold." Twilight rolled her eyes.

"Only when you first get in."

"Do you guys want to play pool volleyball?" Cadence asked cheerfully.

"Yes!" they responded with.

"I will go get the ball for you girls."

"Splash attack Twilight!" Cadence splashes Twilight with a bunch of water.

"No fair! Youngest always goes first!"

Cadence smiled and said "Fine~!"

"Here I go!" Twilight used her horn to throw a bunch of water at Cadence.

"Oh thats how its going down? Magic Splash Attack!" Shining Armor grabbed the ball and cannon-balled into the pool. Twilight stared at him and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn`t happy.

"You got me all wet!" He cocked his head.

"Isn`t that the point?" he asked quizzically.

"Its okay Twilight. Lets go back to splashing and having fun." Cadences soothing voice eased Twilights anger.

"Okay."

"I win!" Shining Armor exclaimed after creaming Cadence and Twilight`s team.

"Yeah, yeah yeah."

"Poor sport." Twilight was offended.

"Am not!" Cadence was well aware that this little purple filly could certainly get angry.

"Help...me?" He mouthed softly to Cadence.

"Okay! Who wants to start battling with swords?!"

"I do!" they both shouted.

"Cmon lets go inside and dry off." Twilight was a little peeved that she said 'cmon' as opposed to come on, but she didnt say anything.

"I`ll go get the swords from my room! Be right back!" Twilight took this as her chance to see how Cadence feels about her brother.

"Doyoulikemybrother?" came out very fast.

Cadence took a second to process her words and then responded with "Of course! He`s super nice and funny." Twilight decided that she needed to word it differently.

"Do you like-like or love him?" I think so, but I cant say that or can I? I definitely like-like him, but do I love him? Im not sure. I`m still young, how should I know...

"Yes?" Twilight jumped up and down happily while singing in her head Im getting a sister! Im getting a sister!

"Im back! Heres a little one for you and the pink one for you." Cadence blushed. "Let`s begin!"

"3, 2, 1 GO! Wrestle!" *Ding ding ding*

"I will beat you Twilight!"

"Nuh uh!" Shining Armor hit her where it hurt. "Incorrect grammar!" Twilight suddenly realized her blunder and felt defeated. He took this as an opportunity and pinned her down.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5..." Twilight tried to get up, but couldn`t. "3, 2..." Twilight flipped him and pinned him.

"I`m stronger than I look."

"Oh it`s on!" Cadence started chanting the numbers again. "10, 9, 8, 7-" He lifted himself up and they both tried to push each other down. Shining Armor pinned down Twilight again and this time she was too tired and he won. "3, 2, 1 KO!"

"You did well, but next time I will win."

He smirked and said "Anytime, anywhere sis."

Twilight shouted out "Cadence vs Shining Armor!" The two of them blushed and Twilight grabbed the bell. "Cadence get in there. Brother, stay in there." They both stepped into the ring and looked at each other. "3, 2, 1 GO!" *Ding ding ding*

They tried to knock each other down, but each time they did they just fell until Shining Armor pinned Cadence after about 7 minutes. They looked at each other and then he kissed her. They both felt butterflies and the world around them disappeared. I do love you.

"This has been a lot of fun, but I have to go. I will be checking up on you guys a couple of times each week to make sure you are okay. If you need me, just write."

"Bye Cadence!" Cadence picked up the little filly and hugged her tightly. She then walked up to Shining Armor.

"Um... bye." They both hugged and felt the troubles of the world melt away.

"Bye!"

What Parents Do When The Kids Aren`t There

Chapter 7

Twilight Velvet sat on a beach chair drinking a Piña Colada. "The ocean looks so nice at this beach."

"Night Light, Las Pegasus was great and I`m so happy that someone there new a great beach that was pretty close." Night Light looked at his wife and enjoyed how happy she was.

"Dear, why don`t we go hiking in the woods tonight? We could also camp out if you want." Twilight loved this idea.

"Yeah it will be great! We`ll have tons of fun!"

"Let`s go back to the hotel after going swimming and pack up." Twilight loved how smart her husband was.

"Great idea!"

"Okay! Were all ready Twilight! Lets go!"

"In a second! Im still putting on bug spray!" Twilight stepped out of the bathroom looking like shed hiked her whole life. She had work boots, a shirt that was good for the cold and outdoor activities, and some capris that are made for hiking.

"You look great Twilight!"

She batted her eyelashes and said "Stop it." playfully.

"Im tired! This hill is so tall." Night Light looked at his tired wife and said "Weve only been walking for 10 minutes." Twilight felt embarrassed and went a little bit faster.

"I see the perfect spot just up ahead!"

"Yeah!" she shouted. "I mean um... yeah." The two of them ran the last 1/4 of a mile and put down their stuff.

"I will go get wood. Twilight, you set up the tents." She nodded to her husband.

The woods sure are dark. As he was walking he heard a rustling in the bushes. What was that?! He saw something move out of his peripheral vision. Now I`m scared. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" A blood curdling scream filled the air. Twilight was automatically concerned and frightened.

"NIGHT LIGHT! NIGHT LIGHT!" She called out his name hoping that he would come back. After deciding that she`d waited long enough she ran in after him. "NIGHT LIGHT!"

"Ttt- tw-twili..." She thought that she heard her dear husband and ran after the voice.

"Im coming!" She finally thought that she saw him. "Night Light!" She ran at full gallop and when she saw him she nearly fainted. He was bleeding and severely hurt. She knew that no matter what happened he couldnt survive these injuries. "N-Night Light!" she cried out through her tears.

"Y-you mm-usst g-go." he choked out.

"No I`m not leaving you!"

"GO!" he managed to shout. Suddenly, timber wolves came out and surrounded them. "S-save y-yours-self." She tried to run, but one of them snagged her. He pulled her closer with hunger in his eyes and blood in his teeth.

"NOOOOOO!" rang out through the forest as her final words.

Author's Note

This takes place during A Day Of Fun With Cadence.

A Tragic Twist of Fate

Chapter 8

"So, what do you want for dinner?" Twilight thought hard. Pizza, veggie dogs, pasta...oooh, I got it!

"I want salad!" Shining Armor started preparing Twilight`s salad and then realized What am I going to eat? He had just finished putting the croutons on the salad when he suddenly shouted "PB&J!"

Twilight stared at him quizzically "Huh?" Shining Armor felt embarrassed.

"I just realized what I wanted to eat."

"So you just shouted out 'PB&J'?"

He handed her the salad and muttered "Yeah." Twilight felt bad.

"It`s okay! It was just a little odd. It was funny though." Seeing her try to make him feel better made him smile. He walked up to her and tussled her mane.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* I wonder who that is. He opened the door and to his surprise an officer walked into the house. "Are you Shining Armor?"

"Y-yes." The officer smiled to reassure that he wasn`t going to hurt him. "Go get your sister." He nodded and went into the kitchen to get Twilight.

"Who is it?"

"Its a police officer." Out of all people that was the one thing she didnt think of. She took another bite of her salad and then got up and walked to the door.

"Hello officer."

"Hello Miss. Sparkle." Twilight knew something was off because if everything was okay then he wouldnt be here. "You might want to sit down." They both obeyed and sat on the living room couch. "Read this." He handed them a letter with an urgent symbol on the front indicating that this is serious and isnt a laughing matter.

Dear Miss. Twilight Sparkle and Mr. Shining Armor,

Twilight Velvet and Night Light were found dead on camp grounds near Las Pegasus. Night Light was brutally mauled and had some broken bones. Only half of Twilight Velvet`s body was uncovered and it was mauled when we found her. Based on tests it indicates that they were killed by timberwolves at around 6:45 PM last night. We regret to inform you that due to your age and that they left no will, you two will have to live by yourselves. You are legally old enough to live like this and we will supply you with food and money until you think you can survive without it. We are truly sorry for your loss.

Sincerely,

Equestrian Government

By the end of the letter Twilight was crying hysterically and screaming. "MOMMY NO! DADDY COME BACK!" "MOMMY! DADDY!" she wailed. "Theyre gone!" They cant be dead. Mommy, daddy come back. I love you and I need you to come back. No. It cant be true. It cant... Shining Armor couldnt handle what was happening and blacked out. "SHINING ARMOR! Are you okay?! Wake up! Please!" Twilights tears stopped her from saying anything else. She sat there stroking Shining Armors mane and dying inside each time she thought of her parents. Its over. Life is over. My parents are dead and by the looks of it Shining Armor is in a coma. Why Celestia?! WHY!!!!

All the officer could do was sit there and watch two childrens lives crumble beneath their feet. He could tell that this was no regular anger. This was devastating and they would never be able to fully recover. They might grow up fine, but they wont be able to have their colt/fillyfriend meet their parents and they might push everyone who cares about them away.

He saw Shining Armor pass out a while ago and if he fainted he should be up by now. Hes not dead because he could hear him breathing steadily. Hes not leaving because if he does then they really will truly be alone.

Planning A Better Life

Chapter 11

"Shining Armor and I have decided to make my life better because right now it sucks." She began to go through the list of things that need to be done so that she can fully accept them. "I will get a new style and start making friends. I will also start up my studies again once I have acquired some new friends."

Shining Armor felt better than he had for a couple of days. "So you`re happy now?" he asked anxiously.

Twilight summed up her life and feeling at the moment and said "No, not at all, but I want to be so Im going to force myself to be no matter how much I wish I could just disappear. " Shining Armor didnt know if he should be happy or not so he decided to be happy.

"Yeah! Youre trying! Thats a start!"

"Wait! Hold it mister. If I`m going to suck it up and be happy by making friends then you have to ask Cadence out and make at least one friend." He felt offended.

"I have friends!" Twilight glared at him.

"Do you have friends who will stick by you through this and help you out?!"

"No." Twilight smirked

"I thought so and did you hear the part about asking out Cadence?" I have to ask out a princess?! She is a princess of love for Celestia`s sake! She could have anypony! Or anygriffin for that matter. Mares, stallions, pegasi, earth ponies, unicorns or even alicorns!

"Does she even like me that way?" Twilight looked at the ground like she`d done something wrong.

"Oh yeah, that. Funny story."

"Tell me what you did!" Twilight searched for a way out of this, but he would just follow her or pester her.

"I kinda, sorta..."

"Kinda, sorta WHAT?" She shouted nervously.

"AskedCadenceifshelovedyou!" Shining Armor pretended that he didn`t hear that right.

"Huh? What did you do?"

"I asked Cadence if she loved you while you got the swords." she said quietly.

"Im **so** mad at you for asking her something like that and putting your snout in other ponies business, but... what did she say?" he asked. She laughed at how he started angry and then finished the question while acting like a little filly.

"She said 'yes'." OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!!! She LOVES me! Why am I keeping this inside? "PRINCESS MI AMORE CADENZA IS IN LOVE WITH ME!"

Friendship Is Magic

Chapter 13

Twilight knew that she couldn`t go back on what she said now. She said she would make friends and she will. The only problem is that she will have to go outside and face people. Shining Armor was right. Her parents would want her to try and make friends and be happy again. Here I go.

Twilight walks outside and prepares to meet new people. She spots a crowd of fillies and colts and walks towards them. "Hi!" The crowd turns and looks at her.

"Hello!" they all said.

"Hi my name is Ruby! It`s nice to meet you! Let me introduce you to the others. There is Twinkle, Cloud Kicker, Carrot Top, Rose, Cherilee, Lyra, Thunder Rush, Derpy, Time Turner, Berry Punch, Rumble, Lucky, Octavia and over here is Pipsqueak." *inhaling deeply* "That was a mouthful!"

Twilight liked how kind they all were and she loved how soon Ruby introduced them to her. "Hi I am Twilight Sparkle." Ruby smiled largely.

"Do you live in Canterlot? I havent seen you around. Also, do you have any friends? Oh, right and not to intrude, but you seem like youre sad." Wow. She is really straight forward, but I like that.

"I live in Canterlot, but dont have any friends. Im more of an inside studying type of pony. Also, I am sad, but I`m not ready to tell you what it is yet." Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Well of course we arent best filly friends yet!" She said yet. Does that mean... no it cant, can it?

"Are you saying that you want to and will be my future BFF?" Ruby again rolled her eyes.

"Well duh!" Ruby smiled at her and it brought joy to her heart.

"Mission accomplished! Youre now my BFF!" Ruby hugged Twilight tight and she didnt stop it because right now she really needed to feel another`s touch.

"Now, go meet the others and spend quality time with each!" Twilight stood staring at Ruby. "I said move it!" Ok, ok sheesh.

"Hi Rumble and Berry Punch!"

"So Rumble, Berry, how are your-... families." She could barely say the word.

"Oh, well I have a brother named Thunderlane!" Rumble shouted cheerfully.

"I`m cousins with Ruby!" Twilight immediately knew that they were nice.

"How about your family?" Twilight hoped this wouldn`t come up, but it was inevitable due to the fact that she mentioned family.

"I- I..." She started crying and ran.

"Im sorry!" Rumble and Ruby had the same thought. What just happened? "Rumble, we should follow her and cheer her up and maybe well see what she`s so worked up about." Rumble looked at Berry and nodded in agreement.

"I couldnt face the truth. My parents are gone and I couldnt say it. I failed them." They could hear her muffled sobs through the door of her house.

"Should we just walk in?" Berry shoved him.

"She is clearly really upset. We can`t just charge in there! We should wait until she stops crying or she sees us and tells us whether or not we should come in!" Rumble stared guiltily at the ground

"Sorry."

"It`s okay." Rumble looks through the window and sees that she stopped crying.

"We can go in now!" *Knock knock* Who`s that? She opens the door and sees Berry and Rumble. She feels relieved to see them and she pulls them into a hug.

"Thanks for coming to check up on me. Have you been waiting for long?"

"Only about 13 minutes!" Berry punches him.

"Rumble!"

"Oops! Sorry."

Twilight looks at them and says "Im not ready yet, but once I have met all of you and I feel comfortable enough I will tell you my issue, but for the time being dont ask about my family okay." Berry and Rumble both nodded. "Now where are Octavia and Lucky?"

"So Twilight, I think that we should get to know each other`s talents. I love to play all music, but I am especially good at classical songs on the cello. My best friend is Vinyl Scratch because she loves music too, but in the DJ sort of way."

"I love magic and am very good at it. I practice magic theory and adore reading more than just about anything. I will be Princess Celestias apprentice when Im age appropriate, she said so." Twilight looked at Lucky. "Let`s learn about you! I feel bad for getting so caught up with Octavia. I want to get to know both of you."

Lucky looked at her like no one had ever really asked about him. "Well I love hard work and love teamwork. I try to get along with everyone and I always have good luck. I sometimes change my look and I have a twin brother who is a pegasus and he looks just like me and even has the same cutie mark!" He started off shyly and then ended super excited.

"I, Octavia declare that we shall go to the park!"

"Yeah!" Twilight and Lucky agreed.

"Race you to the swings!"

"You`re on!" Lucky exclaimed. Octavia beat both of them and got the swing that goes the highest.

"I win!" They all started swinging and laughing. "Now lets go to the slide!" This time Twilight didnt want Octavia to win so se kicked it up a notch and ran at full gallop thus beating the other two by a solid 7 seconds.

"How... did you... do that?" Lucky said while he was still out of breath.

"I ran really fast!" They all took turns going down the slide and even all went down at the same time once.

"Hey Twilight, let`s go to my house and I can play some music for you and then you can go meet Carrot Top, Derpy and Thunder Rush."

"That sounds great! Bye Lucky!"

"This is my cello, my most prized possession." The only word Twilight could think of was "Awesome!"

"Okay here I go!" Octavia played beautifully.

"That was amazing!" Octavia smiled.

"Thank you! Well, bye, it was nice hanging out with you!"

"Bye!"

"Sup Thunder Rush, Carrot Top and Derpy!"

"Sup!" Twilight decided to do something fun.

"High hoof!" They all high hoofed. "Derpy, what do you want to do?"

Derpy responded right away with "Bubbles and muffins!" Twilight thought it was odd, but went with it.

"Sure!" Derpy was so happy that she flew up into the air and did a loop de loop, but she lost her balance and fell. "Derpy are you okay?!"

"Shes fine. Shes always like this." Carrot Top said. "Hey! Let`s blow bubbles at my carrot garden! We can make carrot muffins too! I really like carrots."

Thunder Rush nodded in agreement and said "Totally! Thats a great idea!" Carrot Top stood proudly after hearing that. "Lets go!" Thunder Rush shouted.

"You`re carrot garden is so cool!" Derpy said with eyes filled with wonder. Thunder Rush flew up and dashed to the bubble blowing spot.

"This is the perfect spot! Twilight, you get the bubble soap." Twilight looked at Carrot Top and the look on her face said 'Where is the bubbles?'.

"In the closet. Down the hall and to the left, should be on the third shelf." Twilight skipped off to find the bubbles. Her house is so neat and organized.

"There`s the closet!" She smiled. "Getting bubbles~ Hanging with my friends~!" she sang quietly. She grabbed the bubbles and ran outside. "Hey guys! Got the bubble soap!"

They all hopped up the hill and went to the spot. They blew bubbles while Thunder Rush used her speed and agility to pop the bubbles. She managed to pop every single one! Then, they went inside and played cards while Carrot Top baked the muffins.

"I win!" Twilight shotted. *Ding*

"Muffins are ready!" They all licked their lips and ran in to the kitchen.

"I get one first!" Derpy declared. "MMMMMMM..." they all said. Then they went outside and picked some carrots.

"Goodbye you guys! See you soon!"

"Bye, I have to go see Time Turner and Cloudkicker!"

"Do do do do do~!" Cloudkicker flew fast around the corner straight towards Twilight. "Watch out!" Twilight turns around. She sees someone flying too fast to stop coming right at her. Twilight teleports behind Cloudkicker one second shy of getting hit. Cloudkicker twirls back around, narrowly missing being hit by a bird. She slows down and glides towards Twilight.

"I`m Cloudkicker. Great way to make a first impression right?" She said jokingly.

"You`re Cloudkicker?" She nodded. "I thought that I was supposed to meet you at the beach?"

"Well... yeah, but I kinda, sorta forgot and decided to get in some flying practice. Nopony uses this sidewalk so I figured that this was a good place. I guess it wasnt a wise choice after all." Though Twilight found her negligence towards plans and people walking annoying, she still liked her. She couldnt put her hoof on it, but she liked something about her a lot.

She reminds me of a version of me who slacks, but still kinda like me. "Lets put this behind us and go to the beach. Time Turner is probably worried sick! His cutie mark shows that hes good at telling time/doing things to do with time and we were late!"

"Well then we should probably run or in my case soar through the skies."

"Hey Time Turner! Im sorry Im late! I`m usually so punctual!" Time Turner could tell that she was frazzled and very mad at herself for being late and he felt bad that she would feel this way.

"You look beautiful." Wait! What! I meant to say that it`s okay! Curse my mouth!

"Umm..." Twilight didn`t know how to respond to that.

"I meant to say that it`s okay!" He said it a little louder than he would have hoped, but at least he said what he meant to say.

"Thanks?" Twilight liked that he was so caring and that he felt nervous, she decided to make him feel better about his thoughts getting the best of his mouth. "You`re very handsome."

Twilight hoped this would make him feel good about himself and what he said. Oh my gosh! Does she like me? I like her a lot. Wait! Its only been a few minutes! Im getting way to far ahead of myself, but I cant shake the feeling of butterflies in my stomach. "Lets go swimming!" he shouted nervously.

"I`m gonna go in first!" Cloudkicker announced. They splashed and swam and dived.

"Let`s go snorkeling and look at the underwater creatures!" suggested Twilight.

"Wow! Look at all these starfish!"

"Check out this coral!"

"Come enjoy these cute, little fish!" They all found awesome things underwater. Once they needed to come back up and take a breath they decided that they should collect seashells and pretty rocks. They each collected a bucket and used them to decorate their sand castles that they had built.

"This was so fun, but I have to go meet Twinkle, Rose and Cherilee."

"See you!"

"Do you want to hear a joke?"

Twilight thought about it and then said "Yes."

Twinkle faced Twilight and said "What part of a pony has the most hair?" Twilight was trying to figure out what the answer was. What part of a pony has the most hair? She calculated and looked at her coat, mane and tail. She couldn`t figure out a scientific answer so she said "I give up."

Twinkle replied with "The outside!" She laughed at herself for not knowing such an easy answer.

"Hey Twinkle, I love your colors! Beautiful off-white coat and a light pink mane!" Twinkle smiled and hugged her.

"So, I hear you like stars. I love stars as you can see." She motioned towards her cutie mark.

"I love stars! What`s your favorite constellation!" Twinkle was so happy that somepony else shared her interest in stars and space.

"I love Puppis!"

"I like Draco!" They both laughed and talked. "Let`s go hang out with Cherilee and Rose now." Twinkle smiled.

"Totally! I think that they`re at the new café."

"Wow! This place has some yummy things on the menu!" Rose exclaimed. "They even have a rose on the table! This is the best place ever! Well, other than my rose garden it is." Twilight liked how happy Rose was to be here.

"I love the Rose in your hair!"

"Thank you!" Twilight looked at Cherilee.

"So, do you like making others happy? I`m asking because of your cutie mark or is it that you like flowers?" Cherilee was happy that somepony liked and noticed her cutie mark.

"It symbolizes making others happy by educating them and having them grow and bloom in academics." Twilight was so happy that somepony else liked being smart and teaching others.

"That`s awesome! I love academics and studying! I usually study magic, but I study everything else too. I am really smart." Cherilee felt happy.

"When I grow up I will be a teacher!" Rose suddenly remembered why we were here. To get to know each other and eat!

"What do you guys want to order? The waiter`s coming over!" They all looked quickly at the menu and chose their meals just in time. "I would like the rose salad with fizzy water." said Rose.

"I would like hay fries with a blueberry muffin and a milk." Everyone stared at Cherilee. "I like fries with my muffins okay!" Everyone laughed.

"I would like a sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes and a diet soda please." Twilight said.

Twinkle stated "I want a fruit salad and a some yogurt with some cherry juice." They all talked about stars, academics, flowers and magic for the rest of their meal.

"Would you like desert?" the waiter asked.

"Yes!"

"Chocolate cupcake with strawberry icing!"

"Blueberry cupcake with buttercream frosting!"

"Red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting!"

"Orange cupcake with lemon icing!" They all loved their cupcakes a lot. They paid for the meal with some money they had gotten over the years from holidays. They got it half off because they were fillies!

"Time to go visit Pipsqueak and Lyra! Bye!"

"Pipsqueak, how much do you like pirates?" Pipsqueak holds out his arms as far as they can go to the left and right and says "This much!" Twilight was only a little bit older than him, but she felt the need to baby him.

"Wow! Thats a lot!" Pipsqueak liked that Twilight enjoyed that he was a pirate. Some ponies dont. "Lyra, how much do you like lyres?" Lyra got super excited.

"Lyres have been around for ages making music. They make people happy and sound great. Stallions use them to get princesses or fillies use them to get princes!" Lyra smiled. "I love lyres so much! Almost as much as I love Bon Bon."

Twilight was taken aback that someone could have a filly/coltfriend at this age. "So youre dating Bon Bon? Youre too young!"

"It doesnt matter what age you fall in love in as long as youre in love." Wow, that`s smart.

"What do you want to do Pipsqueak?"

"Lets pretend to be pirates and fight bad guys!" Pipsqueak pulled out his sword and said "You two will be my crew! I think I see some zombie and skeleton ponies!" Twilight and Lyra followed Pipsqueaks lead and fought pretend foes.

"I see a zombie up ahead! Well need to kick off its head to kill it!" They kicked and punched and hit them with toy swords. "Ghosts! Theyre everywhere! No where is safe! Fight to the death!" Pipsqueak used his sword to kill the bad guys and laughed a pirate laugh when he defeated a mighty foe.

They went exploring and found 'treasure', also known as ice cream at a nearby ice cream parlor. They were nice enough to let them have it for free!

Then, they played tag and freeze tag. Twilight was really good at freeze tag and Lyra didnt get tagged once in either game! After all that they got tired. "Hey guys! Lets go to my house where we can play with my toys and I could play the lyre for you!"

"Perfect!" shouted Twilight.

"My toys are in my room. Ill go get them. I have blocks, toy wagons, dolls, stuffed animals and fake food." While they were waiting Pipsqueak and Twilight chased each other around the house. She nearly tripped over Lyras shoes, but Pipsqueak caught her just in time.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Lyra walks back downstairs holding boxes full of toys.

"I`ll put the toys in separate groups and we can switch every few minutes!"

"Great idea!" They played with all the different toys. "My favorites are the blocks." said Twilight.

"Mine are the wagons!" Pipsqueak shouted cheerfully.

"I love the stuffed animals!" Once they put away all of the toys they needed to part ways and do other things.

"Bye you guys! I`m going to hang out with Ruby!"

"Hiya Twilight!"

"Hello Ruby!" Ruby wrapped Twilight in a tight hug.

"What did you think of the other ponies? Did you finally make friends?"

"Yes and they were all very kind and funny."

Ruby smiled at Twilight and said "Did you make any other BFFs or BCFs?" Twilight thought about that and said "I think so. Oh and I think Time Turner may have a crush on me."

"Yeah! A coltfriend and BFFs/BCFs!" Twilight blushed.

"He is not my coltfriend! Can we please change the subject?!" Ruby smirked. Twilight light punched her on the arm.

"Let`s do arts and crafts!"

"Okay!" They went back to Ruby`s house and made arts and crafts. They drew, painted, used clay and even chalk. The two of them laughed and talked. Twilight officially decided that it had been the best day ever.

Author's Note

This chapter takes place during The Yes He Longed To Hear.

Tell Me All About It / Special Plans

Chapter 14

"Twilight!" "Shining Armor!" they shouted loudly. "Guess what?!"

Twilight looked at him and said "You first." Shining Armor looks really happy!

"I asked out Cadence..."

"And!" Twilight shouted impatiently.

"She said yes!"

"Tell me everything!"

He smiled and said "I sang her a song, then I asked her out and she said yes. After that we kissed and hugged. It was in one word, magical."

"Well, my day was better!" She smirked at him and said "I made 15 friends today. One of them is officially my BFF and another one a crush on me I think." He stood there shocked. She won. Twilight took his shocked expression as a win. "I win! I win~!"

"I met Twinkle, Cloud Kicker, Carrot Top, Rose, Cherilee, Lyra, Thunder Rush, Derpy, Time Turner, Berry Punch, Rumble, Lucky, Octavia, Ruby and Pipsqueak." Shining Armor looked at her sister with a happy smile.

"You made friends and maybe a future coltfriend! I`m so proud of you!" They hugged and cried tears of joy at how fast they could get their lives back together.

"You go see your fillyfriend and I will go see my friends. Go!"

*Knock knock knock* Cadence walks downstairs and opens the door. "Cadence!"

"Shining Armor!" They wrap each other in a tight hug. "What`s up?"

"Twilight made a whole bunch of friends!" Cadence was filled with joy. "

My little Twilight finally got some friends!"

"Cadence, I have something else to tell you." She looked into his big, blue eyes. "Would you like to take a carriage ride with me to our first date?"

"Absolutely!"

"Hey Ruby!" Ruby waved to Twilight.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to my birthday party."

Twilight thought about it for a second and then said "I would love to. Are the others going?" She nodded. "Thank you Ruby. I`ve never been to a party before." That statement caused Ruby to freeze in her tracks.

"You`ve never been to a party before? What about your own?"

"I`ve never been to or had a party because I never made an effort to make friends so I never had any I could invite and thus they could not invite me." Ruby suddenly felt really bad for Twilight. She ran up to Twilight and hugged her tightly.

"Now you can have a party!" She smiled at how kind Ruby was. "Let`s go hang out the the others."

"That sounds great!"

"...and so I said 'Thats not a lyre you liar'!" Everypony laughed at Lyras story.

"Ooh, ooh! Twinkle tell them your joke."

"Okay! What part of a pony has the most hair?" Everypony looked at themselves and shouted out random answers.

"The flank!"

"The forelegs!"

"The belly!" Twinkle and Twilight laughed at how wrong their guesses were.

"Do you wanna say it together?" Twinkle quietly asked Twilight.

"Uh huh." They counted down "3, 2, 1..."

"The outside!" Everypony got mad at themselves for not understanding such an easy riddle. "Dont worry. I didnt get it the first time either!" Twilight shouted to make them feel better. Twilight looked through the crowd of her peers and decided that These ponies rock!

First Date

Chapter 15

Wear a suit? Dont wear a suit? Wear a suit? Dont wear a suit? Uhhg! Tonight is my date with Cadence and I have no idea what I`m supposed to do. If only mom and dad were here.

He thought about his parents and soon found himself crying. Tonight is important. I cant waste it crying over something I couldnt of stopped. He got up and walked towards the shower. He shampooed, rinsed, repeated and then got out all of his snarls and then cleaned his coat. He wanted to look perfect.

Once he was done he dried off and started putting in hair product. Should I try a new style for my mane? Nah. He brushed his mane, coat and tail. He smoothed the hair on his cutie mark.

"I think I should wear a suit." He looked through his closet. "No. No. No. No way. Terrible! Maybe. Perfect!" He put on his suit and used a lint remover to clean his suit. He put a rose in his pocket that Twilights friend Rose had let him have and sprayed on some cologne. "Im all ready!"

At the same time...

Should I wear a dress or just regular clothes? Nothing at all? Hmm? What to do?! She showered like usual and then dried off.

"Makeup time!" She put on white, sparkly eyeshadow, blush, light pink lip gloss, mascara and moisturizer. She brushes her hair puts it into her regular style, but with glitter in her hair to make it sparkle and curls in the front.

She wears a light red floral dress with layers. She puts on red heels with pearl heart at the toe. Then, she puts on some vanilla perfume. "I look perfect!"

*Knock knock knock* Cadence rushes to the door, then makes a mental note to calm down a little bit near him. "Hello milady." He bows and then kisses her hoof. He then proceeds to hand her a beautiful bouquet of white tulips and light pink roses. "Only true beauty like you can outshine flowers by more than 100%." Cadence blushed and felt very flattered.

"That was so kind and beautiful."

"You are kind and beautiful." Cadence knew that he was perfect, but this just seals the deal.

"I- I... love you Shining Armor." Shining Armor couldn`t contain himself, he was so happy that he started crying.

"I love you too Cadence. With all of my heart." She threw her arms around him and kissed him. "Your carriage awaits." She looked at the fairytale carriage.

"This is just... wow."

"Come on, let`s go in." They got in and looked at the inside.

"It`s so cool in here!" she said with wonder.

"I know right!" On the ride to the secret date they snuggled the whole time. She looked up at their destination and was soon filled with joy.

"We`re at the Grand Galloping Gala! How did you get tickets?!"

"Twilight was able to pull a few strings and get two from Celestia herself." OOh my gosh! Im at the GGG! I feel like a princess! I am a princess, but thats besides the point.

"This is so amazing!" Shining Armor loved how happy she was.

"Let`s go to the party room first, slow dance, say hello to Celestia, go to the food vendors and then end with going to the garden."

"Uh huh!" He loved that she was so happy that she couldnt even think of the right words to describe her excitement. They walked to the party room and started dancing and singing. They drank punch and ate cake. They even took a balloon to keep (Dont tell!).

Once the music started playing soft songs they decided that it was time to slow dance. He held out his hoof signaling that he was ready to dance and that she should hold his hoof so they can start. They started dancing to the music and soon everything else disappeared as they danced. Their two hearts were beating as one.

"Cadence! My dear niece! How are you?! And you, Shining Armor! You look great! How do you do?!"

"Wonderful auntie!" Shining Armor pondered what to say.

"I was terrible and depressed until Cadence saved me." Celestia didn`t now whether to comment on the first or second half of that. Both are good! "Upset? How? Also, I can tell how much you love each other and that you would give anything for each other already."

"I-... Its personal, its not that I don`t trust you. There are just too many people."

"Bye Cadence!" Celestia shouted and then teleported out of there. "Tell me everything." Her eyes poured into is soul and he knew he had to tell her.

"About 2 weeks ago... my parents left for a vacation and... the- they didnt come back. Theyll never come back." Celestia realized what his words meant, 'They`ll never come back.' She threw her arms around the sobbing young stallion.

"That is something no child should have to go through." Then something else dawned on her. "Twilight! How is she?!" He could tell how alarmed she was.

"Go to her. Cadence and I can welcome the guests until you return."

"Thank you." and with that she flew as fast as she could towards Twilight.

"Hello, thanks for coming."

"Hello, thanks for coming." Shining Armor looked at Cadence tiredly. "Let`s move on. Celestia should have been here by now." Cadence nodded.

"We are going now! Would anypony like to take over?" About a 100 hooves were raised. "Umm..." she looked through the crowd. "You, the purple mare with the shooting star cutie mark!" She let out a squee of delight and then flew up to Cadence.

"Thanks." she said happily.

"No, thank you!" The two of them walked over to the food vendors. "I`m starving!" They walked up to the apple pastry area. They saw a mare with
apple pie as a cutie mark.

"What would ya like?" They looked at all of the treats with their mouths watering.

"I will take two of each." Cadence said confidently. The mare nearly had a heart attack then and there.

"Two of each?!" Cadence smiled. Shining Armor looked at her nearly as confused as the mare. "I am a princess and I would like two of each. Seriously."

"Excuse me for a second." She walked about 15 feet away and then "Yeeeeeaaaaah! I will have enough bits to support the Apple family for decades to come~!" Cadence was happy that she made her happy while on the other hoof, Shining Armor was very confused and thought it was odd. She walked back over. "You may call me Granny Smith."

"Thank you Granny Smith for making all of these delicious treats." They claimed their goodies and then said goodbye and walked over to the garden. "I got one of each for me and one of each for you."

"Thank you." They each picked up a pastry and tried it.

"This is amazing!"

"Mmmmmmmm..." They ate a bunch of them and then realized that they came to the garden to see animals and plants, not eat awesome food. "Oh! We should probably check out the scenery right about now."

"Uh huh!" They walked and looked at the beautiful plants. They saw gladiolas, azaleas, calla lilies, dahlias, irises and hibiscuses. They also saw more common flowers like sunflowers, roses and tulips.

Then, they moved to where the animals are. They saw birds, monkeys, bears and bunnies. They saw squirrels, ducks, wallaroos, toucans and spider monkeys. "Everything is amazing, but none of these things are even half as amazing as you."

"Well if Im so amazing, whats the point in coming here and looking at this terrible stuff?" she said sarcastically. He kissed her on her snout.They put their heads together.

"Let`s go now."

"Okay."

"Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight my Shining Armor." They kissed and then walked back into their homes.

Twilight!

Chapter 16

"Thank you." and with that she flew as fast as she could towards Twilight. "TWILIGHT!" she shouted frantically in the 'royal speaking voice.'

Celestia? Celestia! They ran towards each other and hugged. "Shining Armor told me about your... situation. I- I couldnt imagine you of all ponies going through something like... this. I-" Twilight covered Celestias mouth.

"I was very depressed, but Shining Armor encouraged me to try and make friends. I did and now I am happy. I need you to read this to truly understand how I felt and then look at me now."

Dear Miss. Twilight Sparkle and Mr. Shining Armor,

Twilight Velvet and Night Light were found dead on camp grounds near Las Pegasus. Night Light was brutally mauled and had some broken bones. Twilight Velvet was half gone and mauled when we found her. Based on tests it indicates that they were killed by timberwolves at around 6:45 PM last night. We regret to inform you that due to your age and that they left no will you two will have to live by yourselves. You are legally old enough to live like this and we will supply you with food and money until you think you can survive without it. We are truly sorry for your loss.

Sincerely,

Equestrian Government

Twilight watched Celestia go from depressed and frantic to down right devastated and horrified. "Y-you had t-to read... this to find out what happened?!" Twilight nodded. Celestia started crying as she hugged Twilight tight. "You went through something terrible and unfair. Im sorry I wasnt here to support you."

"Its okay. I am fine now and you were busy, I dont blame you. You don`t have a sister anymore. That is truly devastating."

She looked at Twilight and said "My sister didnt die, she didnt move away, she doesn`t hate me. She is gone." Twilight looked at Celestia puzzled.

"How can that be?"

"My sister Luna, the princess of the night, hated that people did everything during my day and slept during the night. That anger built up and turned into evil. This evil consumed her thus turning her into Nightmare Moon. She wanted to turn everyday into night. She was rude to people and was evil. I was forced to banish her to the moon for 1,000 years. She will return in about 20 years. Once she returns she will once again try to destroy all light and ruin everyone`s lives. This has been terrible, but I have never been as devastated as I am now." Twilight knew at that moment exactly how much she meant to Celestia.

"I love you... mom." Celestia smiled down at Twilight and cried tears of joy. "I wanted you to be happy again and I wanted you to know that you will always have family." She pointed to Celestia`s heart and then her own.

"I love you too Twilight." They sat there for a moment in silence while in each other`s arms.

"I am happier now than I have ever been. I still have you and I have 15 friends now."

"Yeah! My little Twilight has made some friends! Finally!"

Twilight smiled and said "They are all really kind and funny."

"I know that things have been sad my star pupil, but it seems that everything has or will work out."

"Everything`s okay."

Author's Note

This takes place after Celestia leaves to find Twilight in The First Date.

Party Time!

Chapter 17

"Happy Birthday Ruby!"

She beamed and shouted happily "Twilight! I`m so glad you could come! Come say hi to everyone!" They walked towards a huge crowd of mares, stallions, colts, fillies and every type of pony.

"Hey Twinkle, Cloud Kicker, Carrot Top, Rose, Cherilee, Lyra, Thunder Rush, Derpy, Time Turner, Berry Punch, Rumble, Lucky, Octavia and Pipsqueak! It`s so nice to see you guys here!" Twilight said giddily.

"Yeah! I`m so happy you could make it to my party!" Twilight looked at Ruby eagerly.

"When are we having cake and when will you open my- I mean our presents." When she said 'our' she gestured towards the others.

"Whenever!" They all looked at each other.

"Presents first and then cake!" shouted Lyra and Bon Bon.

"Yeah!" Cloudkicker agreed. Lucky walks up to Ruby and hands her a little box.

"Thank you." All the other ponies started stacking their ups in the corner. She opens Luckys gift. Its a little charm bracelet with three charms.

"You can add more." She thanked him.

She then opens Twinkles, its a pair of fake wings. "You can glide with them so if you jump from something kind of high up then you can use these to make the fall epic." She hugged her.

Octavia handed her a cello and a card.

Happy Birthday! I love my cello so I figured you might want to try it. If you don`t like it I have many other instruments you can try!

Ruby said "I would love to learn to play an instrument. Thanks!"

Cloudkicker handed her a weird shaped present with purple wrapping. She opened it up and it was a baseball set. "It has padding so the ball wont hurt you and the bat is meant for fillies so it shouldnt be too heavy." Ruby hugged her.

Lyra walked up without a gift. "You cannot hold my gift, but here it is." She played her a fantastic song on her lyre and about 3/4 through the song Octavia joined in with her cello and they played music.

Twilight thought that it was so fun that she started singing without realizing. Everyone stopped short to listen to her beautiful voice. Soon Flitter started harmonizing with Twilight and so did her sister Cloudchaser.

Octavia and Lyra started playing again and soon everyone started singing for Ruby. Ruby thought that this was so beautiful that she started crying. Once they finished Ruby started clapping and whistling.

Once everypony calmed down they started up presents again. Time Turner gave her a watch that is the same color as her coat and has rubies on it. She loved the small gift. "Thanks!"

Rose gave her a chocolate rose and a bouquet of roses with different colors. She thanked her. Berry Punch gave her a skateboard that was rainbow with glitter. "Awesome!"

Carrot Top handed Ruby a box of carrot muffins and a medium sized carrot cake in a container that says 'Happy Birthday!'.

"Yum! Thanks!"

Thunder Rush walked up and handed Ruby a pack of make up for fillies. "This will be helpful!" Derpy handed her a paper bag. Inside was some bubble soap and a picture she drew of Ruby. "Thank you! I love the picture."

Cherilee gives her a picture of everypony with her and a mini chalkboard. The picture has all of them from when Twilight first met them. "This so thoughtful!" Pipsqueak hands Ruby a toy sword that has one ruby at the base. "I love it!"
Rumble hands Ruby a large, brown stuffed teddy bear. "It`s soooooo cute!"

Twilight is the last person to give Ruby a gift. She hands her a very large box that isn`t wrapped with holes on the top. She opens it and there is a puppy in there. Twilight then hands her a bag and says "This has everything you will need for a puppy for the first three months. You will need to play with her and feed her. She will need to be taken to the vet every couple of weeks until she is an adult."

"This is one of the best presents Ive ever received and Ive only known you for a few weeks!"

Twilight hugged Ruby and said "Happy Birthday Ruby."

"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Ruby! Happy Birthday to you!"

"Blow out the candles!" *Blowing*

"YEAH!" Ruby cuts the cake while her cousin Berry Punch puts the cake on everypony`s plates.

"Yum!" For the rest of the party they play games and laugh. This has been the best party ever!

Back To School

Chapter 18

"Twilight. Twilight! You have to get up. Its the first day of school for both of us. The summer is over and its time to go back to school." Twilight jumped up excitedly.

"Yeah! Back to school! Finally, more learning! Everyday!" Twilight suddenly realized that it would be even better now. "Now I can go to school with my friends! Twinkle, Ruby and Lyra will go with me to magic school!" Shining Armor smiled.

Twilight suddenly realized what Shining Armor promised to do. "Now remember. You have to make close friends who will support you." Shining Armor nods.

"Okay now go get ready."

Twilight got showered, brushed and cleaned. She brushed her teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste Minuette Colgate passes out to the class each year. She put her mane into a braid like her mother had taught her to. Thinking of her mother caused her to get upset, but she promised herself that she wouldn`t cry about that on this very important day. She put a bow clip in her hair and put on some bangle bracelets.

Once she was done with her appearance she moved on to her mental preparance. She studied flash cards, read magic books and worked on math/writing/science/social studies. She tried a few spells and practiced proper school etiquette.

She prepared for meeting new students and hanging out with kids. She even practiced her smile and folding of the hooves. "I am ready for anything." Then she heard her stomach growl. "Except for going without food! I better go eat."

While Twilight gets ready.

Shining Armor showers and brushes his coat, mane and tail. He brushes his teeth and puts in hair product. He shines his hooves, sprays on some cologne and then decides that he is ready appearance wise.

He reads last year`s magic text book and studies his flash cards. He tries some spells and then decides that there is nothing left to do except eat breakfast. "I am starving!"

"Do you want breakfast?" they asked each other simultaneously. "Yes." they said in unison to each other. They had cereal and toast.

Then when they were done they cleaned their faces and smoothed their coats. "Have a nice day Twi!"

"Have fun Shining Armor!" and with that they teleported off to school.

"Hey Shining Armor! What`s up?!" shouted his buddy who he occasionally hung out with after school.

"I am dating Princess Cadence and..." he got cut off before he could finish his thought.

"Awesome dude!"

"Yes awesome and what I was trying to say when you so rudely interrupted me is that my little sister Twilight made some friends so..."

He got cut off again when he said "Boring!" Now Shining Armor was a little peeved off. First, he is rude to him. Then, talks about his girlfriend like she was some prize. The last straw was when he disrespects Twilight by not wanting to hear about her and saying that she was 'boring'.

"You do not deserve my time of day because you just disrespect everything and assume that nopony else will care about what you say. You are a jerk." he paused and then said the next part in a way that really hits it where it hurts. "My friend." He walks away and glances at the blue pony, that boy was upset and ashamed of himself.

Shining Armor walks to the student schedule director and got his daily agenda and schedule. He walked to his homeroom and took a seat in the center of the room. "Hey guys!" Seafoam, Lemon Hearts, Sparkler, Donut Joe, Comet Tail and Neon Lights turned to see Shining Armor.

"Hey buddy we haven`t seen you all summer!" said Donut Joe.

"Yeah Ive been kind of... busy." They looked at them eagerly awaiting hearing what he was busy doing. Should I tell them? Even if I dont tell them my secret I need to tell them something.

"I- I have been busy... dating Cadence!" he came up with just in time.

"We are so proud that you have finally made your move, we knew you loved her." said Sparkler. He knew at that moment that he really did have friends who cared about him.

"Would you guys like to meet my sister after school? We can meet her friends too."

Lemon Hearts shouted out auto-amtically "Yeah! That sounds wicked!" These ponies really do care.

"Yo dude I was was wondering. What is Cadence like?" asked Neon Lights.

"I wanna know too!" said Comet Tail and Seafoam at the same time.

"She is very smart, funny and ladylike, but also a tomboy who loves being active. She loves having fun and cares about her friends. She is Twilight`s babysitter so I have known her for a long time. Also, she is in one word... perfect."

"Awww! That`s so romantic!" said Diamond Mint (another unicorn in class).

"Homeroom has begun!" said North Pole, their teacher. "You may chat amongst yourselves quietly."

"Hi Shining Armor! I don`t know if you remember me. We went to magic kindergarden together." said Lemony Gem.

"Oh yeah! We sat next to each other during snack time!" She smiled and was happy that somepony had talked to her.

"Well nice catching up with you."

She started to walk back over to her desk until he said "Do you want to be friends?"

"Yes! I mean... yes." I have a friend! Score! He walked up to others in the class that seemed lonely.

"Hi! Jenny right?" She nodded. "You looked lonely and I just wanted you to know that I will be your friend." She smiled at him.

He walked up to a stallion that seemed like he needed a friend. "Are you okay? You look upset."

"I dont have any classes with or around my best friend so I wont even see him in the halls. Oh, and my name`s Graphite."

He smiled at him reassuringly and said "You will always have this class with a friend." He pointed to himself. He saw him smile and he knew it was worth it. He walked back over to his best friends.

"I hope I have more classes with you guys." Sparkler grabbed his schedule and skimmed it. She glanced at the others too.

"It looks like you have one or two of us in each of your classes!" They all high hoofed.

"Settle down class I will take attendance and then go to your lockers. Your locker numbers and combinations should be on your schedules." Shining Armor looked at his schedule.

Locker number: 682 Combination: 4-15-25

He walked up to his locker. To the left of him was Apple Stars and to the right was Holly Dash. "Hi, Holly Dash. Hi, Apple Stars."

"Hello!" they replied at the same time. He tried to open his locker, but it didnt work. He tried a couple more time and it didnt work. He used his magic to be more precise.

Once he had finally opened it, he got out his stuff and closed his locker. He thought to himself This will be an eventful day.

"Hey Ruby!"

"Hi Twilight!" Twilight and Ruby hugged.

"Do you know where Twinkle and Lyra are?"

She thought about it and then said "I think that they are already in the class." Twilight and Ruby ran to the classroom and took their seats.

"Good morning class! My name is Mrs. Faraday! We will learn and have fun! In order to get to know everypony you guys will be paired into groups of four to study magic flash cards and quiz each other with these magic study guides." She proceeded to tell everypony who their partners are. "... group 6 will be Twilight Sparkle, Twinkle Moon, Lyra Heartstrings and Ruby Pinch." They were excited to work together. They all rushed to different corners of the room to study.

"I will give each of you one question and then I will hand the paper off to Lyra and once she`s done she will hand it to Twinkle and then Ruby. Okay?!" said Twilight. They all nodded.

They answered questions, recited spells, studied magic history and had fun magic fact time. They also used their magic to hold and move the papers/cards.

"Okay class you are dismissed. Go back to advisory." Shining Armor liked all of his classes and made even more friends. Surprisingly he had homework. While walking down to homeroom he talked with Spring Fresh.

He sat down at his seat and said hi to his best friends. "Hey guys!" They all high hoofed and then went to their lockers. I will open it this time, without magic. He tried 10 freakin` times until it finally worked. He grabbed his stuff and walked back to class.

"So are you guys still going to come over and meet Twilight and her friends?" They all nodded. "Okay then, lets go!" The group waited until they were dismissed and then teleported over to Shining Armors house.

Living In A World Full Of Happiness

Chapter 20
This chapter shows how the characters have turned out. It takes place after Twilight`s Coronation.

"Howdy Twilight!"

"Hello Applejack! Would you like to come into the library?"

She smiled and said "Ah would love ta hang out with ya! We should have the others too!" Twilight used her magic to teleport the other four to the library.

"Hi Twilight! Wanna cupcake?!" Twilight graciously took a cupcake and ate it.

"Guys! I was in the middle of a nap!" Rainbow Dash complained.

"Hello to you to Rainbow Dash! Also, that is no way to speak to a princess." Twilight said jokingly.

"Um... hi." Fluttershy whispered quietly. Rarity stomped her hooves in frustration.

"You pull me away from my home and then ignore me!"

"Yes!" Pinkie Pie and Rainbow said at once. Everypony started laughing. "Hey! Let`s throw a party!" said Pinkie.

For the first time Twilight spoke the words "That is the best idea ever!" Pinkie was more startled than Fluttershy when well just about anything happens.

"Pinkie had the best idea ever?" asked Rarity. Twilight nodded.

"Let`s party!"

"Hello everypony! Thank you for coming! Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor and the elements. I would like to say that I am so proud of all of us. I`m a princess. Shining Armor and Princess Cadence are married. Luna is back to herself and no longer on the moon. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie are still my best friends and everything has worked out. Also, I would like to thank Twinkle, Cloud Kicker, Carrot Top, Rose, Cherilee, Lyra, Thunder Rush, Derpy, Time Turner, Berry Punch, Rumble, Lucky, Octavia, Ruby, Pipsqueak, Donut Joe, Sparkler, Seafoam, Lemon Hearts, Neon Lights and Comet Tail for helping us when Shining Armor and I went through some rough times. Finally, Celestia, you have always been there for me as my teacher, friend, mother figure, hero, friend, princess and family. I think that everything is perfect. Not to sound sappy, but everything always works out no matter how many problems we may face."

Living In A World Full of Despair

Chapter 9

Falling asleep at night is difficult. Falling asleep at night while your brother is in a coma and your parents are dead is torture. Twilight cried so much that it drained her energy and she managed to fall a sleep by 1:00 AM. She`s dreaming a terrible nightmare.

Twilights running and searching through the woods calling her parents names and crying. She finds them deep in the woods and they say that they`ve missed her. They tell her to come over.

She starts running, but before she gets there they are attacked by timber wolves and she didn`t reach them in time. She holds their dead bodies and screams that she needs help, but no help comes. Then, their souls come out of their bodies and disappear after seconds symbolizing that they are truly gone and there was nothing she could do.

She lays there and waits for them to get her. One jumps through the air and is about to kill her.

She wakes up screaming. Shining Armor is so upset that she`s screaming that it wakes him up from his state of unconsciousness.

He runs to her and cradles her in his arms. They both cry softly over their parents death and think about things that no kid should have to deal with. They lay there in silence until they both fall asleep.

They wake up at around 7:00 AM with heavy hearts and head aches from all of the crying. Shining Armor looks his sister in the eyes and says "Its going to be okay." Those four simple words brought Twilight some peace. Maybe. Just maybe it will be okay. Twilight clings to her momentary happiness enough to get herself out of bed and eat breakfast. Thinking about eating right now makes her want to puke, but she needs to eat something because she knows she wont have the heart to eat again for a while.

She will make it through today and the next day and the next and the day after that, but she won`t ever be the same happy, little filly again.

The Good Old Days

Chapter 1

A dazed Shining Armor awoke from his slumber to find his little sister Twilight`s big purple eyes staring at him. It brought joy to his heart seeing her smile. That smile faded when he noticed that the clock said 5:00 AM.

Twilight immediately realized what shed done and took cover under his blanket. He chuckled at the sight of her being so upset that shed gotten him mad, but decided that he should make her feel better. "Twi?" Shining Armor softly whispered.

"Y-Ye-Yes?" The fear in the little filly`s voice broke his heart.

"Its ok! I wasnt tired anyways!" He exclaimed cheerfully. Twilight was so relieved that she hadnt upset him. He gave her a reassuring hug and said "No matter what I will always be here and I will never hate you so dont get worked up each time something bad happens." Twilight suddenly felt a wave of happiness hit her and she gave him a huge hug. "Can`t breathe!" Shining Armor choked out. Twilight released him from her grip and giggled at how silly he was.

Shining Armor suddenly jumped from the bed and shouted "Who ever gets to the kitchen last is a Cranky Doodle Donkey!" Twilight took this as a challenge and leapt from the bed. "I`m gonna win!" Shining yelled.

Twilight immediately responded with "'Gonna' isn`t a word! Incorrect grammar!"

Shining Armor replied with "Smarty Pants!" and then stuck his tongue out at her jokingly. Twilight got defensive.

"No need to bring Smarty Pants into this." He laughed at her misunderstanding as to what he meant by 'Smarty Pants'. I love how cute she is and how smart she is already. I will hate it when she grows up because then I can`t tease her as much. While he was deep in thought Twilight managed to get passed him. He used his magic to teleport Twilight far behind him. "Hey! No fair!" Twilight said with a pouty face. He sighed as he teleported her back to where she should be. Twilight smiled and laughed as she took a short-cut through the living room and darted into the kitchen. "I am victorious!" Twilight stated proudly.

Twilight Velvet looked down and saw her beautiful little filly. "Hi dear!"

Twilight greeted her mother with "Hi mommy!", a hug and a kiss. Shining Armor entered the room.

"Hello mom. You look lovely today."

Mom smiled and said "Thanks sweetie! Will you help me cook breakfast? I have to clean the house if Princess Celestia herself wants to come over and get to know her favorite student better."

He picked up Twilight and said "Ok."

Author's Note

The first 6 chapters are happy so you understand their family life before the incident. To understand true tragedy you must experience happiness.

Living In A World Full of Despair Part 2

Chapter 10

"Twilight do you want to color with me or study with me? I just think that we should hang out and try to cope with this."

Twilight looks at him and the look in her eyes says 'The only way I would feel better is if mom and dad were here.' He knew that she wouldn`t tell him that. She would act strong in public and mope around the house.

"Mom and dad would want you to be happy and sitting here thinking about how bad life is isnt gonna bring them back now is it?!" He let some of his anger about his parents death out. "You dont know when your life will end. It could be taken from you by ponies, wagons and..." He could barely finish the sentence. "...wolves."

At that word Twilight realized how hard it was for him to say this to her and that he is acting strong for her not for himself and that brought Twilight back to her senses. "I- Shining Armor- um..." What do I say? "I- I know now that its been as hard on you as it has me and maybe even worse because you cant show it and you see me upset. I know that you are trying to cope faster than you should for me. That`s more than I could ever ask of you. I... love you."

Shining Armor knew that it was hard to say 'I love you' because one of the last things she said to their parents. The last time she said it, a day before they died. "Twilight, dont blame yourself because you couldnt have stopped them. They planned it and they didnt know that this would happen. I forgive you and I never really got mad because of you not knowing how I felt. Its good that you know Im hurting too, but Twi Im mad at you for being mad at yourself and the world. Things happen and sometimes we can only sit back and watch what happens. I love you and no matter what I will never leave you unless I think that it`s best for you."

Twilight cried softly over what their family has come to. Dead parents and two children with the weight of the world on their shoulders. "I wont let myself hate the world. I will try to be happy, even if Im faking. Faking happiness is like pretending to see color when you cant, you still cant see color, but if youre happy the whole worlds a rainbow full of color. I will try to actually be happy, but for a little while I might just not show it."

"We will be strong."

The Yes He Longed To Hear

Chapter 12

"Okay, you can do this." *knock knock knock*

"Who is it?!" Shining Armor was so happy to hear her voice that he almost forgot to answer.

"Shining Armor!" Cadence suddenly felt super happy as she rushed downstairs to greet him.

"Hi! I mean, hey Shining Armor." He looked at her house. It was huge! I had fuzzy couches that looked super comfortable, a massaging chair, leather recliner, two velvet chairs, a coffee table and a regular wooden table with a fancy cover on it and this was just the living room! There was even a piano and he decided that he should sing her a song.

"May I come in?"

"Sure!" she responded fast and way too excited. Turn it down a notch Cadence. Don`t scare him away. He walks up to the piano and starts playing and singing.

The moment that we met, I didn't know yet
That I was looking at a face I'll never forget
'Cause I, I can't get you off my mind
Give me the chance to love you
I'll tell you the only reason why
'Cause you are on my mind
I want to know you feel it
What do you see when you close your eyes?
'Cause you are on my mind
I'll be your dream
I'll be your wish I'll be your fantasy
I'll be your hope I'll be your love
Be everything that you need
I'll love you more with every breath
cause I'm counting on
A new beginning
A reason for living
A deeper meaning, yeah
I can't get you off my mind

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, will you go out with me?" He had never seen Cadence so happy.

"Yes! Yes I will go out with you Shining Armor!" He was so happy that he wrapped her in a tight embrace and then kissed her.

Author's Note

Those lyrics I think fit the story well. Those lyrics are pieces from "Truly, Madly, Deeply" by Savage Garden and the song "On My Mind" by Cody Simpson.

I Have A Secret To Tell You

Chapter 19

"Hey Twiley!" Twilight turned to see her older brother and his friends walk up to her.

"Hi Shining Armor!" They walked up to the young fillies and colts.

"I would like you to meet Twinkle, Cloud Kicker, Carrot Top, Rose, Cherilee, Lyra, Thunder Rush, Derpy, Time Turner, Berry Punch, Rumble, Lucky, Octavia, Ruby and Pipsqueak." They smiled.

"Meet Donut Joe, Sparkler, Seafoam, Lemon Hearts, Neon Lights, Comet Tail and Cadence." Everypony talked and laughed.

"I am Twilight Sparkle!"

Lemon Hearts turned to her and said "So you are the filly he keeps talking about. Your brother is awesome." Ruby beamed and jumped excitedly.

"You have a brother, cool!"

Twilight said happily "It`s better. He is my BBBFF and he is dating Cadence!"

They heard 'Oohs' and 'Ahhhs' until Rumble said "What`s a BBBFF?" Twilight smacked herself for assuming that somepony would know what that stands for.

"Big Brother Best Friend Forever. BBBFF."

"Ohhhhhh!" said the crowd of ponies.

"Let`s go inside!" shouted Neon Lights.

"We have something... important to tell you." said the two siblings. Shining Armors and Twilights friends both gave them their full attention.

"You can say it big bro." said Twilight softly. He nodded.

"My- Our parents are not here." Everypony suddenly realized that their parents were indeed not there.

Twilight continued "They went on vacation a few weeks ago and... they never came back and never will." Twilights friends were a little bit younger and didnt understand.

"Did they really like it and wanted to stay there?" asked Pipsqueak.

"They were killed by..." Twilight couldn`t finish her sentence so Shining Armor did.

"Timber wolves. They were camping and then some timber wolves killed them. They died that night and now we live here alone." They heard gasps and crying.

"I can`t imagine that happening to me! This is serious! I feel so bad for you!" shouted Cherilee. Lyra was so upset that she started crying hysterically.

"Don`t feel bad for us, because of this we had the strength to make friends and try new things. The two of us have all of you and I have Cadence." Cadence and Shining Armor held each other in a deep embrace. Everypony was crying and cheering for their emotional strength.

Twilight and Shining Armor hugged. Through everything they have been through their friends were still here. They found happiness in sadness and pain. Life will go on.