And now I near the final act
Of this tale of both myth and fact
A story told over a thousand years
Of a lonely princess, forlorn
Of friendship found, lost and reborn
Of love and hate, of laughter and of tears
But enough talk of yesterday
Let's jump from past to present day
And tell of adventures and life-bonds born.
Of six ponies who joined as one
To fight darkness and free the sun
It all began with a young unicorn...
Her coat the shade of coming night
Just after the fading sunlight
Twilight Sparkle was the unicorn's name
She was Celestia's student
And it was young Twilight's intent
To prove her worthiness to wield this fame
As a filly some years ago
Learning all that there was to know
Was the only thing on the youngster's mind
She studied morning, noon and night
Under sun's rays or candlelight
For each day there was a new fact to find
She forsook friendship in those years
And the fellowship of her peers
Becoming introverted and awkward
Not unfriendly nor was she rude
She simply preferred solitude
To focus on each equation and word
One day she received a letter
Formally recommending her
To join a magic school - one of the best
For her, this was a dream come true
An honor shared with very few
But first she had to pass an entrance test
As tests go it was hard to match
A dragon's egg she had to hatch
And so she set to work, casting her spell
This proved to be too much to ask
Her magic not up to the task
For not one crack appeared upon its shell
She was forced to admit defeat
This test beyond her skill to beat
She'd failed - and right before her parent's eyes
With a mournful look upon her face
She lowered her head in disgrace
And then a rainbow-hued blast filled the skies
The explosion's sharp sudden shock
Made her magic powers unlock
And the room was filled with a spectral light
The magic burst forth uncontrolled
As Twilight quickly lost her hold
It possessed her and her eyes glowed pure white
The dragon shot forth from it's shell
And grew one hundred feet as well
Playing its role in this chaotic scene
The air was filled with gasps of fright
As every eye locked on the sight
Celestia rushed forth to intervene
She came upon a scene most dire
A sphere made of lightning and fire
Twilight trapped within the magic field's heart
The filly moaned in agony
And struggled to break herself free
As her magic slowly tore her apart
She raised a hoof and broke the spell
And freed young Twilight from her cell
She gave a wave - the storm faded away
Twilight groaned and opened her eyes
And gave a gasp of shocked surprise
She'd been saved by the Princess of the Day!
Celestia pledged on that day
Twilight would be her protegé
The filly jumped for joy and gave her thanks
But she had won more than one prize
For there before her very eyes
Her cutie-mark rested upon her flanks
Twilight's years passed without a care
She grew from filly to young mare
While satiating her thirst for knowledge
As students came, she was the best
Breezing through each school's quiz and test
Quickly finding her way into college
Though she still studied on her own
She was not completely alone
Her companion was the dragon she'd hatched
'Spike' was the little dragon's name
And over time he soon became
Both her friend and an assistant unmatched
She read the tale of Nightmare Moon
And learned that she would return soon
Twilght felt her soul growing cold in fear
On the thousandth year's longest day
Was when the spell would fade away
And that day came upon this very year!
She knew then that she had to act
And warn the Princess of this fact
So that all the land would be protected
She warned her of this dire event
And quickly a reply was sent
But the message was quite unexpected
"Go to Ponville," she decreed
"And ensure they have all they need
To celebrate the coming summer day"
"See preparations are complete
Music, fun and fine foods to eat
And try to make some friends along the way."
Her order made no sense at all
But she obeyed her mentor's call
And set out to the distant town post-haste
Her chariot took to the sky
Twilight let out an annoyed sigh
She didn't have very much time to waste
She stewed and worried the whole ride
Faithful Spike standing by her side
Spike tried to cheer her up as they flew on
"A break from work is what you need
Making friends? You're sure to succeed
Then we can celebrate the summer's dawn!"
They soon arrived in Ponyville
A charming town, quiet and still
Their chariot landed in the town square
Twilight thanked the two pegasi
Who ferried her across the sky
They nodded to her, then took to the air
As the two walked through the town square
They came across a bright pink mare
Spike suggested Twilight go say hello
As Twilight bade the mare good day
She leapt up, gasped and ran away
Twilight and Spike both blinked and watched her go
With a shrug and a shake of head
The two continued on instead
To meet the ones catering the event
An apple farm of some renown
Was located just outside town
So off to the farm Spike and Twilight went
In Sweet Apple Acres' prized yard
They spied a pony working hard
An orange mare with a blonde mane and tail
She raised her hind legs, strong and thick
And laid a tree bare with one kick
The apples dropped into a waiting pail
She said her name was Applejack
In charge of baking every snack
And she greeted the two cordially
She took to the pair right away
And asked Twilight "Why don'tcha stay?
I'll introduce you to my family!"
The ever-friendly Apple brood
Plied their new friends with snacks and food
'till Twilight felt her stomach fit to pop
She bid farewell to Applejack
Apple Bloom, Granny and Big Mac
And then stumbled away to her next stop
The next thing listed on her scroll
Was to meet the weather patrol
A pegasus by the name Rainbow Dash
She looked up to the cloud-filled sky
Twilight let out an annoyed sigh
Then a sky-blue blur struck her with a crash
She landed in a puddle dank
Mud covered her from nose to flank
Her assailant gave an apology
"I'm sorry; didn't see you there
Looks like I caught you unaware
I'll clean you up in a jiffy, you'll see!"
The pegasus used a cloud's rain
To shower Twilight clean again
But now poor Twight was soaked to her skin
"Don't worry, I can fix that quick -
A Rain Blow-dry will do the trick!"
She dried the unicorn with a quick spin
Twilight's mane was a sight to see -
A tangled-up monstrosity
The pegasus laughed out loud at the sight
Twilight Sparkle just shook her head
Glared at the pegasus and said:
"I'm guessing you're Rainbow Dash, am I right?"
"Yep, that's my name; you've heard of me?
I'm picking up fans already!
That's so cool, but then again so am I!"
Twilight listened to Rainbow gloat
And then she loudly cleared her throat
And pointed her hoof at the cloudy sky
"This sky should be both bright and blue!
Stop slacking; you've got work to do
The clouds won't clear themselves, so do your part!"
Rainbow said that she'd get it done
After completing her test run
For she had a hope deep within her heart:
Wow stallions, mares, fillies and colts
Stunt-flying with the Wonderbolts
And showing off for one and all to see
Rainbow Dash bragged about her fame
And awestruck fans shouting her name
Twilight broke in to snort derisively:
"You want to join that famous team?
That's nothing but a silly dream
I highly doubt you have skill for that."
"Is that a challenge? I accept!"
And up amongst the clouds she leapt.
Rainbow cleared the sky in ten seconds flat!
Twilight and Spike stared up and gaped
Not one single cloud had escaped
The rainbow-maned mare gave a cocky laugh
"I told you I'd get the job done;
I like you kid, you're lots of fun!"
Still shocked, the two contined down the path.
The pair soon reached the town hall door
Twilight wished to check the decor
And ensure that the hall was set just right
A beautiful unicorn mare
Hung silk streamers with style and flair
Spike fell in love with the mare at first sight
Her coat of alabaster hue
Her eyes of purest sapphire blue
Her violet mane and tail so elegent
'Rarity' was her name, he learned
A name he felt perfectly earned
Beauty such as hers must be heaven sent
She let out a scream of distress
Upon seeing the horrid mess
That Twilight's mane and tail had come to be
"The damage done to your coiffure
Is more than my heart can endure
Don't say one word; you're coming home with me!"
She brought her home and set about
Combing all the kinks and knots out
And at last restoring Twilight's tresses
Rarity asked "Oh Twilight, dear
I wonder, since I have you here,
If you could model some of my dresses?"
More than a dozen dresses tried
With each failure Rarity sighed
She could not find a dress of the right style
Something to complement Twilight
But nothing she tried looked just right
And yet she faced this challenge with a smile
Fussing with a bejeweled frock
Rarity made simple small talk
And asked Twilight Sparkle from where she'd come
"I came from Canterlot this day,
To see the party underway"
The seamstress gasped, the news striking her dumb
"Canterlot? You really live there?
You're ever so lucky a mare!"
Rarity let out an enamoured sigh
"That's exactly where I should be
A city that's worthy of me
I'm sure we'll be best of friends, you and I!"
"Emeralds? Oh where was my head?
This dress must have rubies, instead!"
She gave her new best friend a winning smile
"Just let me go and fetch them, dear
Be a darling and wait right here
It shan't take me much more than a short while."
While occupied with Twilight's dress
Twilight made a speedy egress
She had to drag the smitten Spike along,
Her list had one last box to tick:
The pony in charge of music
Suddenly the air filled with bright birdsong.
She followed the song to a tree
Where perched birds sang in harmony
A bright yellow pegasus conducted,
The pink-maned mare used gentle words
As she taught the assembled birds
The small flock gladly did as instructed.
Twilight gave out a loud "Hello!"
The birds darted off to and fro
The pegasus nearly fell from the air,
The unicorn gasped with dismay
For scaring all the birds away
And apologized to the frightened mare.
She said her name was Fluttershy
And tried to avoid Twilight's eye
She cowered down and meekly backed away,
Then she saw Spike, and she leapt up
And she rushed to the dragon pup
Shoving Twilight Sparkle out of the way.
Spike basked in Fluttershy's delight
For she'd dreamt morning, noon and night
For this day - a dream finally fulfilled,
Spike greeted her, she squeaked with glee
And clapped her forehooves happily
He spoke as well! Fluttershy was just thrilled.
Fluttershy begged her new friend Spike
To tell her what his life was like
And the young dragon cheerfully complied
She followed them home down the trail
Raptly listening to Spike's tale
Twilight trotted on, rolled her eyes and sighed.
They arrived at the library
A hollowed stump of a great tree
And Twilight's home for the length of her stay,
She bade farewell to Fluttershy
And with the help of a small lie
She briskly sent Fluttershy on her way.
Spike glared at her and shook his head
"Rude much, Twilight?" the dragon said
Twilight gave her friend an apology,
"I'm sorry, Spike, that wasn't fair
But I must learn about Nightmare
Defeating her is top priority!
"Six 'Elements' laid Nightmare low
But that's the only thing I know
I need more knowledge and I need it soon
"If I can learn just what they are
And where to find them, near or far
I'll have the tools to defeat Nightmare Moon.
"Every single second I burn
Is one closer to her return
And if I study, I might a way
"One of these books might hold the key
If I search them diligently
I could quite literally save the day!"
She stepped into the library
There wasn't anything to see
For total darkness confronted her eyes
She lit a lamp to clear the gloom
Dozens of ponies filled the room
And each and every one shouted "SURPRISE!"
Greeting them with a boisterous shout
Was the pink pony they'd freaked out
Her blue eyes glinted with joy unrestrained,
She danced and spun like a filly
And jabbered on willy-nilly
In a rush, the hot-pink maned mare explained:
She wasn't running away scared
A party had to be prepared
For welcoming the two to Ponyville,
"I set all this up just for you
Party-planning is what I do
And making new friends is a total thrill!"
Her name, aptly, was Pinkie Pie
Twilight gave an exhausted sigh
She wouldn't get any studying done,
She accepted this with poor grace
And a glower upon her face
While Spike raced into the crowd to have fun.
She poured herself a nice cold drink
Took a long sip, her face went pink
Which quickly darkened to a blazing red,
She let out an agonized yell
Her throat burned like the flames of Hell
For she'd drunk a mug of hot sauce instead!
The party continued all night
"They're all crazy!" shouted Twilight
"It's three AM, and still they party on?"
Spike, trying to coax her return
Said it was nothing of concern
It was tradition to stay up 'til dawn.
Twilight's thoughts turned to the fable
She wondered if she'd be able
To do anything to prevent this fate,
She prayed this was a old mare's tale
For she felt herself doomed to fail
She'd learned nothing, and now it was too late.
Dawn came, and ponies one and all
Trotted over to the town hall
Twilight's five new friends kept her company:
Applejack, playful Pinkie Pie
Rainbow Dash, and meek Fluttershy
And, naturally, graceful Rarity.
Fluttershy's bird choir sang their song
Their chorus rang out sweet and strong
Mayor Mare made a speech to set the scene,
Twilight cast her gaze to the skies
And before her horrified eyes
Luna's profile was gone; the moon was clean!
The mayor's speech soon reached it's peak
"Of course you know of whom I speak
A name famous across Equestria,
A pony we admire and love
Who controls moon and sun above
Welcome to you, Princess Celestia!"
The Princess wasn't there at all
And panicked gasps filled the town hall
The mayor tried to calm the frightened throng,
There was no sign of the Princess
Which merely heightened their distress
It was clear something was terribly wrong.
Dark smoke took the Princess's place
And Twilight's heart began to race
For an ancient evil had been reborn,
And then the glowing mist congealed
It wisped away and then revealed
A pitch-black, imperious alicorn.
Rainbow rushed forward to attack
But she was stopped by Applejack
Before the alicorn could strike her dead,
"I'm far more worthy to rule you
In truth I am a Princess too;
Can you not see the crown upon my head?"
She snickered and addressed the hall:
"Am I not remembered at all?
Have ponyfolk forgotten me so soon?"
Twilight spoke up, "Yes, I know you;
You're vile and wicked through and through
You're the thousand-year banished Nightmare Moon!"
"Somepony knows me, that's so dear -
You must also know why I'm here
So raise your voice and pray tell everyone!"
Terrified, she gave a reply
"To take vengeance and rule the sky;
To strike down forever the morning sun..."
Nightmare Moon smirked at her distress
"I've locked away the Sun Princess
My moonlit sky is all you'll ever see"
"And every single one of you
Will pay me the respect I'm due
For you pony folk will bow down to me!"
And so with an evil cackle,
Lightning bolts and thunder's crackle
She took her place as ruler of the land
Twilight felt her soul fill with shame
For she felt that she was to blame
For allowing Nightmare to take command
And this is how the chapter ends
With Twilight making five new friends
And evil beating good without a fight
Take heart, reader, the tale's not done
For even though we've lost the sun
Something may yet defeat the Evernight...