Twilight was supposed to gather the Elements of Harmony the way Princess Celestia planned it: meet the embodiments of the Elements while running errands in Ponyville, team up with them, discover the meaning of friendship, and then defeat Nightmare Moon. It was all so simple.
Too bad she really underestimated Twilight's ability to screw things up.
Additional Character Tags: Octavia, Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance
Edited by WorkbenchManiac: chapter 7-25, 27 onwards
Edited by docontra: chapter 26 onwards