//------------------------------// // A Long Time Coming // Story: Friendship is Equal to or Greater than Magic // by Fanon Canon //------------------------------// “Princess Celestia! Celestia!” Twilight cried out in barely contained glee, rushing towards the throne just as soon as the prior pony with the phoenix had left. “Don’t you “Princess Celestia” me, missy!” The Princess snapped back quite dismissively. “Here we go…” Spike muttered to himself, clearing seeing where this was going. “Oh.” Twilight uttered, much less ecstatically. “Sorry… Your Majesty.” “Don’t you think “Your Majesty” going to make up for tardiness, too.” The Princess continued, quite disappointed. “Why I ought to…” “Oh, Celestia.” Twilight cried out in dismay, dropping to clutch her mentor’s hooves. “I’m so sorry. I never should have dabbled in unknown magics. I mean, it seemed like a good idea at the time. But this spell’s proven to be quite out…” “Spell?” The Princess parroted, sounding confused for the first time. “What on Earth are you on about, dear student?” “Earth?” Spike repeated in his own private confusion. “Umm, well I…” Twilight began. “I mean, it’s because of this spell that you’d be mad with what’s been going on around Equestria.” “Spell. I am not mad at you for casting some spell.” The Princess insisted. “No, what I am mad at you… is for your complete tardiness.” “My… tardiness?” Twilight asked to herself. “I don’t understand.” “That makes three of us.” Spike muttered again to himself. “Don’t be coy with me, young lady.” Celestia remarked irritably. “Do you have any idea? Any idea? How long you’ve been standing there for?” “Standing… where?” Twilight asked. “There!” Her mentor exclaimed, pointing to the spot where the two had been standing behind the pony with the phoenix. “Do you know just how long it’s been since you’ve been standing there for, hmm?” “Umm.” Twilight began. “Right there? About a couple minutes…” “A couple minutes!” Celestia shouted, so furiously that the glass panels along the mighty throne room’s wall rattled. “It! Has! Been! Almost! Three! Months!” “Almost… three months?” Twilight repeated, completely lost. “Are you sure?” “Am I sure. Of course I am sure!” Celestia continued. “I know when almost three months has past, and three months have almost past! What the hay were you doing all that time, huh?” “Umm.” Twilight continued. “Are you sure it’s been three months?” “Twilight, do you insist on repeating everything I say?” Celestia asked her. “It is getting quite irritating.” “Err, Princess if I may.” Spike decided to intervene, seeing how this conversation was in danger of becoming quite recursive. “Spike, you cannot…” Twilight pleaded. “Ah, Spike!” The Princess exclaimed elated. “Just the dragon I was hoping to see. Tell me, how was your journey, I imagine it might have been quite the ordeal.” “You have no idea.” Spike replied, quite grateful to be speaking to somepony who understood. “Umm, if I may…” Twilight tried to interject. “Ahem, Sparky.” Celestia snapped to her. “Do you mind? We’re trying to have a conversation.” “Ex… excuse me?” Twilight uttered, quite taken aback by that particular address. “In fact, why don’t you just wait outside?” The Princess demanded, and before Twilight knew it, two Royal Guards had flanked her and escorted her right outside the throne room. “That was a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Spike remarked, taken aback. “Think? I never think.” Celestia retorted, settling herself back into her throne. “Now then Spike. Tell me. What’s been going on with my subjects?” “Oh… oh that!” Spike was reminded, quickly clearing his throat to explain. “Okay, listen up because this is pretty heavy. It basically began with something Twilight did a couple nights ago…” Celestia and her guards did not interrupt Spike until he was finished. They all listened intently, taking in every single word that said. And Spike had more than a few words to tell them, for he told them every little thing had occurred to him over the past two days, along with everything he had heard from Twilight, Time Turner, and even what little the unicorn he knew as Lyra had partially revealed. “I see…” The Princess said at long last, after he concluded his tale. “That is… quite disturbing to say the least.” “That’s what I thought too.” Spike concurred. “And you say no mare or stallion is immune to the effects of this… incantation?” “Only me, old doc Time Turner and Rarity, at least as far as I know.” Spike said. “Not even… me?” The Princess added with a subdued tone of fear. “Well I don’t know about that.” Spike replied. “I mean, err. You don’t seem any different, at least you me.” “Right.” Celestia muttered to herself. “And you say, there is no solid cure?” “The only solution Twilight told me.” Spike continued. “Is that the only way for a pony to overcome this spell, is for them to do it all by themselves.” “But how?” Celestia queried fearfully. “If we do not have any solid means of even identifying what it is that exactly causing this, then what chance do we have of ever stopping this?” “Well… I don’t really know.” Spike reluctantly admitted. “But… maybe one thing could work?” “I’m all ears.” Celestia said, leaning in to hear his suggestion. “Why don’t we just…” Spike began, swallowing hard. “Do nothing.” “Do nothing?” Twilight parroted back in confusion. “Hear me out.” Spike pleaded. “Maybe… if we wait, all the ponies effected by this spell will just overcome it on their own.” “Hmm.” The Princess mused to herself. “There is wisdom there. But wait, you mentioned this spell was sentient. What if it only grows in power should we choose to ignore it?” “I don’t know, Your Majesty. I’m just a dragon.” Spike said almost apologetically. “That you are.” Celestia noted. “Just a frail, mortal dragon. Fine fine, whatever. I’ll have to take the night to think about this turn of events. You should stick around Canterlot in the meantime. Maybe you and Twilight could stay with her parents, I hear they’re still in town.” “That sounds… wonderful?” Spike commented with much concern. “Now away with you.” Celestia demanded, and the little dragon found himself being escorted by two Royal Guards out of the throne room quite forcefully. As for the Princess, she had decided that she had seen enough for the day. Dismissing her entourage, she retreated back into her private quarters for a long night of deep thinking. “Me? Effected?” She muttered to herself. “Impossible! Right…?”