Chapter 1: Suspicions
"My most faithful student, Twilight,
It my pleasure again, for the forth time of saying this to you, that no. I do not mind you sending me your daily reports on how you are managing the library. This, as you may remember, only brings me pride as to your progression towards high magical ability. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my sister. I keep telling her that the past is in the past, and she is no longer Nightmare Moon, but I think that the realisation of her impact has finally sunk in. Either way, please keep sending me these letters, as I always enjoy reading your thoughts of friendship, and your new abilities as a princess. Do have fun at least fixing the hole in the side of your library, and keep up the good work with Rainbow Dash - don't worry - you will be able to fly soon.
My best regards, Princess Celestia"
Twilight read the letter she had received from her teacher, the sun goddess, for the seventh time - yes she had been counting - and smiled. Her shadow danced under the morning sun streaming into her bed room on the upper floor of the tree-library. It was she thought, as though Celestia was watching her, and the sun smiled back at her as she looked out from her window to the gleaming castle in Canterlot - Celestia's castle... and Luna's as well quickly correcting herself.
"So she does enjoy these letters" she thought as she neatly rolled up the letter, and placed it on the bookshelf allocated for Celestia's letters. Twilight stepped back and admired the now quite large collection of scrolls she had acquired over the past few days.
Her smile dispersed almost as quickly as it had formed on her lips just moments ago. Something was not right about the letter she had received. This was the problem she had faced with the last few letters from Celestia, yet she still couldn't put her mind on what it was.
The letter began to shine with the familiar glow of Twilight's magic as she picked up the letter to re-read it for the eighth time.
"My most faithful student, Twilight,
It my pleasure again, for the forth time of saying this to you, that no. I do not mind you sending me your daily reports on how you are managing the library. This, as you may remember, only brings me pride as to your progression towards high magical ability. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my sister.
She stopped reading at this point as some jammed cog or cam clicked in her mind. Celestia had never said bad things about Luna in one of her letters before. Come to think of it, she had never talked about Luna before in any of the letters, save for the most recent ones on top of the pile.
"I keep telling her that the past is in the past, and she is no longer Nightmare Moon, but I think that the realisation of her impact has finally sunk in"
The words Nightmare Moon stuck in her head as she read it. Her mind began to race. Had Luna rebelled against Celestia? Was she now back to being Nightmare? She began to pace in large circled around her second usual pacing grounds around her bed. She read it again.
"No Twilight -" she said to herself "- Cannot be back to nightmare" It was only last week that Rainbow said in their weekly pick-nicks that Luna had come to her in one of her nightmares. She did not say the nature of the nightmare, only that it had turned to a lovely dream when she appeared, as it always did in Twilight's dreams. "But what was it that had made Luna act like this?" Twilight thought to herself.
"Calm down Twilight! Your gouging out paths in the floor" an annoyed voice had said behind her.
"Oh spike, it's just you" Twilight looked down, and sure enough, there where large gashes in the floor where her hooves had hit it so hard. She giggled.
"Ookaay spike -" She stopped her pacing to face the baby dragon "- but I can't help but think something terrible has happened to Luna. Maybe she has been bewitched by Chrysalis! Maybe she is Chrysalis in disguise" She began pacing again. "What if she- humph" Cut off by a claw in the mouth, she stopped pacing, but the worried, and scared look remained on her face.
"Luna is NOT Chrysalis!" Spike shouted to stop her mind seizure. "Just calm down" his voice a lot smoother this time, as though it where coming from a practised pony, learnered in the ways of 'stopping Twilight pacing'. "Maybe you should just go to the pick-nick with your friends so we can have some lunch"
As if on cue, Twilights stomach gave an almighty rumble, making both Twilight and Spike fall on the floor in fits of giggles.
"Your right Spike -" she sniggered after she could get up "- I had been so occupied with this letter that I forgot to have breakfast"
"You mean I made you hay fries, and you didn't eat them. again!" Spike groaned in protest.
"Oh. I'm sorry spike... we can always put it with what we're having for tea" This cheered the dragon right up, even though he could see her groan at the prospect of left-over hay fries for tea three nights in a row.
"Don't worry about it Twilight. ill just go and have it. You just go to the pick-nick" Spike called as he ran down the stairs. "And no more pacing!"
*****
"Oh Pinkie!" Rainbow said as Pinkie Pie did her twenty-ninth cartwheel over the pink-frosted cake, landing in her punch glass. "Your so random!"
"Oh. Thanks Rainbow" Pinkie chimed as she slurped the last of her punch through her snout, before collapsing back down onto the half eaten cake spraying everyone with red jam that filled the centre.
Being the only still-clean one in the group, rainbow flew over the top of Pinkie, and looked comically down on her as she blew a raspberry in her face. Everyone laughed except Rarity who cringed at the sticky mess all over her coat before magically wiping it away with her white aurora
"I for one say that cake should be eaten, and not squished by a mare of the same colour" Rarity said, raising up the pink globule of cake and jam with her magic - "But if you instinct" an evil grin crept its way onto her lips before she threw the globule at rainbow.
Rainbow - having the quickest reflexes in the group flew up just missing the cake by cementers, and watched it fly straight into the face of the already pink Twilight. However, she did not seam to notice.
"Is everything all-right dear?" asked Rarity. Twilight's face forced its way to a smile.
"NO!" Twilight threw up her hooves. "Everything is not all-right" Shock adjourned its way to each of the ponies in the circle. Rainbow even stopped flying and sat down next to Twilight. She looked back at Rainbow for confidence, for whatever reason she needed it, and simply said: "I think... - " She paused for a second " - I know there is something wrong with Luna!" The ponies remained speechless.
"Hay. How about we all go up to Canterlot this week and see her ourselves. You know, to see if she has been bewitched by Chrysalis or something. heh" Rainbow laughed to the group after an exceptionally long silence - almost as if he had read Twilight's mind.
Rainbow looked around the five other ponies sat covered in frosting, with solemn looks upon their faces. All except Pinkie Pie of course who was still lying in the puddle of cake, tongue sticking out around her face, drooling heavily.
"Oh, um -" Fluttershy said timidly "- I'm sorry, but I have a lot of sick animals to care for and I couldn't leave them"
"Darling, I must admit that I may have just slightly overbooked myself with clients" - Rarity chimed in - "You must understand that. I mean to say that I'm having enough trouble as it is with..." She was abruptly cut of by Applejack.
"What in the hay do you care Rainbow?!" Applejack enquired with a sly grin plastered across her orange cheeks. "You've been acting real strange like around Twilight this past few weeks" Rainbow flapped her wings and took off from Twilights' side to hover just above it.
"Just trying to help a friend" Rainbow replied to defuse any thoughts Applejack might have between her and Twilight. She stared down Applejack, until she broke the silence. "Are you coming or what?".
"Nah" Applejack replied. "Got ta be get'in on with ma apple buckin'. Gotta finish them off before we start harvesting the zap apples" She shot her hoof out at the word 'Zap', and poked Rainbow in the belly.
"Well I guess Pinkie's not gonna join us... are you?" Directing the last part towards the pink mare, only just distinguishable from the cake she was encased in. Unfortunately the only reply Twilight had was a gargle, and some dreamy words that sounded like: "Creamy Creamy Frosting" to which her tongue twitched.
"So it's just us then Dash" Twilight said to the open to which the group nodded, and apologetically grumbled in affirmation.
"Yeah!" Rainbow screeched doing a back-flip in the air to Applejacks' grinning. On seeing this, she suddenly stopped, and dangled before Applejack. "I mean - whatever's cool with you Twi" -She pouted her bottom lip out as far as it would go- "Just sorry none of you could join the cool-brigade!" Rainbows ego always triumphed over Applejacks grins.