> The Solar Steward
>  by kissfromarose2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: The Night of a Thousand Stars
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was an hour before dawn and in the great city of Canterlot only one mortal pony stood awake as her monarch communed with stars.

As she had done every night for a thousand years, Princess Luna, Warden of the Night and Steward of the Sun, held her lonely vigil. Tonight she did so from the eastern balcony of the palace. The light pollution from the city below meant it was perhaps not the best place from which to view the stars. 

Luna, however, did not need to see the stars to talk to them.

She had dismissed the few Night Guard from her presence hours ago, commanding them to rest for the coming celebration. They did not have to know it was not the Summer Sun Celebration.

Closing her eyes she whispered words no pony was present to hear. The stars seemed to shine more brightly for a brief moment as the shy brightened to a dusky purple. Then Luna lit her horn and they faded away, replaced by a silent twilight. 

Alone at last, Luna's eyes opened. Bowing her head towards the open sky the alicorn finally let the tears fall.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything."

*****************************

In the West tower sat the only other pony currently awake. That pony was a unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle. 

Though awake as her mentor brought about her namesake, she was currently oblivious to the transition of night and day, being far too wrapped up in a book. This particular tome was both rather heavy and extremely old, having been exhumed by Twilight from some dark corner of the Royal Canterlot archives. It was also the seventh she had read since her assistant Spike had given up and gone to bed.

Carefully bringing her lamp closer she leaned forward squinting at the faded text. Her eyes narrowed, then immediately widened at seeing the contents. Leaping from her seat with uncharacteristic athleticism, she rushed over to a rather large pile of reference books on the far side of the desk.

"A lost princess? Days never ending? I have to tell Princess Luna. Spike take a note!"

From the corner of the room a young dragon groaned before rolling over in his basket, pulling his starry blue blanket over his head.

Sighing, Twilight walked over to a wooden cabinet set into the wall. Her horn lit up as purple magic swirled around the lock. Pulling out a blue crystal she carefully relocked the cabinet before levitating the stone towards the sleeping dragon, waving it under his nose.

It immediately garnered a response. The baby drake shifted beneath the blankets, head poking out to sniff the air as his mouth began to water.

"Mmmm sapphires." 

Tiny claws reached out towards the sapphire to grab it, but Twilight quickly levitated it higher.

Overreaching in his quest for gems, Spike lost his balance, tumbling out of his basket as his feet tangled in the blankets.

Aiming a somewhat sleepy glare at his companion he held out a claw expectantly for the gem.

"No Spike. Letter first."

Grumbling Spike pulled out a quill and piece of parchment as Twilight began to dictate, oblivious to her assistant's muttered plans of mutiny.

"Dear Princess Luna..."

"Is this really necessary Twilight?" he cut in. "You live in the same castle."

"Letters are the most efficient way of conveying information, you know that Spike. Besides your fire breath will make this letter reach her faster than I can walk."

Spike sighed heavily. "Fine. Then can I go to sleep? With the summer sun celebration tomorrow I need all the rest I can get. It's not easy staying up all night three days in a row you know."

Twilight hesitated. "I'm sorry Spike, you're only young. It's not fair to expect you to deliver messages so late. I'll talk to her in the morning."

The young dragon levelled a disbelieving look at her. 

Twilight winced. "I don't want to wait all night, but what if she's busy, or doesn’t want to talk to me?" Her eyed widened in horror. "What if I wake her up and she's so angry she makes me go back to magic kindergarten!" She shivered.

Spike took a deep breath for what felt like the hundredth time since Twilight dragged him out of bed. "Twilight you're her favourite student. Not to mention her only student since Sunset...left." 

Twilight calmed. "You're right Spike. Princess Luna did say I was her favourite student."

Silently breathing a sigh of relief she hadn't noticed his slip-up Spike continued. 

"Besides I'm not even sure princess Luna knows how to sleep."

"Spike, she's the Princess of Dreams, of course she knows how to sleep."

"Could have fooled me. Besides she's the princess of like everything."

"Spike!"

"Yeah, yeah. Don’t you have someplace to be already?"

"Of course you're right Spike. I'll go now." She quirked her mouth. "Now into bed with you young drake!"

Seeing Spike yawn Twilight quietly levitated him onto her back. Feeling his arms wrap around her neck she gently carried him back to bed; tucking the blanket around him with military precision.

Spike's eyes began to close, before suddenly flicking back open with new zeal. "Hey Twilight can I have that sapphire now?"

Twilight laughed, resisting the urge to smirk. "Oh no Spike! I cant be giving you gems so late. It will ruin your digestion, you are a baby dragon after all." At the sight of his frown she relented. "Alright you can have it in the morning with your breakfast."

Smiling dopily Spike's eyes grew droopy. "Thanks. G'mornin Twilight"

Quietly pulling the door to, Twilight looked fondly at her charge.

"Goodnight Spike."

> To Question a Princess
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This early in the morning the palace corridors were all but deserted. The only faces Twilight passed in the corridors were those of the stern Night Guard quietly attending to their posts. 

When she was younger she had found their dark features and sharp teeth off-putting, but time and her affinity for getting lost in the castle had made her appreciate them. It also helped that in her first week living at the castle Captain Darkwing had shown her the best way to the castle archives.

Nodding to the two thestrals at the entrance to the corridor, Twilight headed towards the door to Princess Luna's chambers. 

For all that her teacher was seen as a detached and reserved figure to the public at large, Twilight knew just how much she cared about every pony around her. It was one of the reasons she so rarely slept. 

Raising a hoof to knock on the door Twilight hesitated. Maybe she shouldn’t disturb her mentor. The princess was very busy after all. 

She steeled herself. This was important. This lost princess was due back tomorrow and any disruptions to the negotiations with the Griffon ambassador could be disastrous. Besides Luna had an open door policy for a reason, even if no pony else seemed to know about it. She wanted to hear Twilights concerns.

"You going to knock or not kid?"

Glaring back at the guard smirking behind her, Twilight took a deep breath, then tuned around and knocked on the door.

It swung open. 

The guard snickered.

Of course the open door policy was literal. Twilight kicked herself for forgetting. Again. 

Mentally cataloguing all the ways an open door was impractical for royalty, Twilight stepped into the room. 

Luna sat on a large white cushion in the centre of the room surrounded by a number of other cushions in varying shapes, sizes and colours. Her eyes were closed in rapt concentration whilst a small frown furrowed between her eyebrows.

Crossing the room Twilight picked her favourite of the cushions, a particularly fluffy one in cerulean, and pulled it closer to the meditating alicorn waiting patiently. To pass the time she began to catalogue the different cushions. 

They ranged from all colours of the rainbow everything from red to green. They were every shape and size as well. Some looked as if they could easily accommodate a yak or minotaur whilst others were small enough only for a small foal to sit in. She looked back at a patched orange cushion in fondness. 

Every size shape and colour was there, except one. With surprise Twilight noted there was not a single yellow cushion in the twenty two cushions that lay dotted around the room. 

Twenty two cushions and not a single one in a primary colour. It seemed strange. Luna had never thrown away a single cushion away in all the years Twilight had studied under her. If anything Luna had added to them. Why wouldn’t there be a yellow cushion? Some of the cushions didn’t look like they had ever been sat in. 

Twilight suddenly realised that she had never seen this room filled. Not once. Suddenly that open door made a lot more sense. 

Shifting uncomfortably on her cushion she moved to stand.

The glow of Luna's horn faded and her eyes opened.

Glancing over at the noise her smiled widened, only to become more strained when she noticed Twilight moving to leave.

"I hope I didn’t keep you Twilight Sparkle. Nightmares in the young around Trottingham have been much more common as of late."

"No, of course not Princess Luna. I just wanted to ask you...no it’s silly really."

Princess Luna's smile widened almost predatorily. "What is it Twilight? It's not a colt is it?"

"No, of course not!" Twilight spluttered.

"That IS a shame; I know Chrysalis is enjoying facilitating the connection between your brother and Princess Cadenza."

"But...but I thought that was a diplomatic mission!"

Luna smirked. "That's what THEY think."

"But the changelings, the international relations!" She paused to consider all the possible ramifications of that statement. "Actually I don’t want to know." Pushing away the unwanted images of the diplomatic relations she'd walked in on the last time Chrysalis had visited Canterlot she continued on. "Anyway this is about something else, something more important."

Luna's jovial grin faded, replaced by a serious gaze. "I am listening Twilight."

"I was looking into historical relations between Griffonia and Equestria when I found something." She hesitated.

"Go on Twilight."

"A thousand years ago there was a massive political upheaval which led to a brutal war between Equestria and Griffonia lasting ten years."

"I am aware Twilight. I was there." 

Luna's voice sounded strained. 

For a moment Twilight regretted bringing the war up. There was a very good reason Luna and the griffons didn't get along. She forced herself to push the worries aside. This was important. The past could hardly do any more damage than it already had.

"Oh right. Anyway I was looking back into the causes to find something that might help in the diplomatic talks when I found something strange. All the Griffonia communications kept referencing a lost princess but the king of the time only had two sons and they referenced you by an entirely different term."

Excitement filling her voice Twilight looked over hoping her mentor was sharing in her enthusiasm. Luna's face was stone.

"Umm, anyway that made me look deeper. And that’s when I found all these other references to a Sun princess who used to rule Equestria."

She looked back at her teacher expectantly. She met a wall of silence.

"Then I thought what if there's something in the old lore section so I looked and then in Predictions and Prophecies by Clairvoyant Gaze I found it."

Pulling out a somewhat crumpled scroll she held it out to the Princess who observed it as if it were a hissing serpent.

Her teacher having not taken it Twilight pulled the scroll back towards her, clearing her throat. Unrolling the parchment she began to read.

"The lost princess of the Sun. Fallen defeating the terrible Nightmare, she saved all Equestria by binding herself into the Sun along with the Nightmare. 
On the longest day of the thousandth year she shall return draped in the glory of the last rays of sunset. And the Sun shall never set on her reign."

Looking up from the parchment back to her mentor she saw Princess Luna swallowing harshly, her impassive façade cracked. Her voice however was calm and measured. Too measured. 

"Thank-you for bringing this to my attention Twilight Sparkle. I shall be sure to give this all the consideration it requires."

Plucking the scroll from Twilight's grasp she turned away to file the scroll in a nearby cabinet. The sound of the key turning in the lock was clear. This conversation was over.

Twilight watched in desperation as the answers slipped further from her grasp. Unanswered questions burned on the tip of her tongue, fighting to escape. It was a losing battle.

"But who was she?" she burst out. "What happened to her? Why was it so important to the Griffons?"

Princess Luna turned away from the cabinet with a sigh. Sitting heavily back down onto the cushion, she fixed Twilight with a look of exhausted resignation.

"It is just as the scroll says Twilight Sparkle. She was a princess, like me, a long time ago. She controlled the sun and we ruled Equestria together, until she was lost to the Nightmare."

"Is that why there's that empty throne in the throne room Blueblood keeps trying to sit on?"

"Yes."

"And why you always call yourself the Steward of the sun rather than its mistress."

"Yes."

"And why…"

"Yes!" Luna shouted in exasperation before quickly regaining her composure.

"But what happened?" Twilight asked softly.

"There was an...incident.  Celestia used the elements to defeat the Nightmare at great personal cost. That is all I wish to say on the matter."

"That was her name? Celestia?"

Luna nodded jerkily.

"It's beautiful."

Luna smiled, eyes glistening. "I always thought so."
> A Discussion over Breakfast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was carefully levitating a perfectly balanced spoonful of oatmeal to her mouth when Luna suddenly looked up from the Canterlot Times.

"You should make some friends."

"What?!"

Twilight's ensuing spit take, when one looked properly at cause and effect, was entirely Luna's fault.

This of course did not help Twilight as her half eaten breakfast suddenly found itself back outside her mouth and on its way towards the reigning monarch of all Equestria.

That the oatmeal did not reach its target was by far in a way for the best.

The Canterlot Times having taken the brunt of the attack Princess Luna put the paper to one side, looking regretfully at the Hoofball section. 

Fixing Twilight with a look that had sent lesser dignitaries begging for a peace treaty she spoke. 

"You don’t spend enough time with other ponies. " she stated bluntly. 

Twilight opened her mouth to reply but Luna raised a hoof.

"Your siblings do not count Twilight. Family is all well and good but I cannot remember the last time you left the castle for any reason other than to retrieve a book." Her voice softened. "This is not what Sunset would have wanted for you."

"Well Sunset isn't here!" Twilight said angrily. "She left."

"You know that wasn't her choice." Luna sank deeper into her chair. "We don't know what happened after she fell through the mirror."

Twilight sniffled. "You think she's okay?"

Luna nodded, her tone carrying a certainty she herself could not bring herself to feel. "I know so." 

Irrationally a smile broke over her face at the idea of Sunset lording over whatever poor souls lay on the other side of the mirror. "She most likely had them under hoof within the week. We'll likely arrive for a grand rescue only to find crowds cheering her name."

Twilight smiled tearily. "You really think so?"

Luna nodded. "We will get her back Twilight. I promise." A calculating smirk snuck onto her muzzle. "Now about you going out and making some friends..."

At Twilight's look of horror Luna grinned. Crisis averted. 

As her student's panic grew she softened, silently resolving to ask Spike to look out for his sister today in particular. 

"Look think of it as multitasking. I was going to invite you to Ponyville with me for the Summer Sun Celebration anyway. You'll simply have an extra task to complete now as well."

"But I was going to research..."

"Anything you have to research can wait one day Twilight."

"But she's due back today!"

"And I promised you I would take care of it, did I not?" 

Exuding a calm she did not fully feel Luna reached over to lay a hoof on her student's shoulder. 

"You need not worry Twilight. I have the feeling today is going to be a very good day. Now go make some friends. I'll be by just before sunset to check on you."

> A Charioteer's Woes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you ready to go Miss Sparkle?" called a white pegasus in royal guard armour. Glancing at the hoofwritten "Do Not Disturb" sign  hanging from the doorknob he took a break then knocked on the door.

"One moment" called a frazzled voice from inside.

The door opened a crack to reveal a young purple dragon poking his head through the door to lock droopy eyes on the guard. 

Taking a bite of the blue gem in his claw, Spike quirked an eyebrow at the stressed look of the guard. "She means ten more minutes minimum." he said bluntly, cocking his head towards the large pile of books three times his height and four times as wide. "If I were you I'd start moving that lot into the chariot."

The guards eyes widened. "She can't...you can't possibly…" he spluttered in growing horror. "That can't all fit on the chariot. Its impossible!"

"Look..."

"Swift Wind"

"Look Swift, this is the bare minimum I'm going to be able to get her to take."

"But she's staying in a library!"

The small dragon sighed; a very heavy long suffering sigh. "Look I'll see what I can do. I can't promise anything though." 

He rubbed his forehead in an attempt to ward off a headache. 

"Twilight is, ehem, more than a little possessive of her books under normal circumstances. Add to that the fact that the princess just gave her an entirely new task out of nowhere. Well I'm amazed she isn't bringing the library."

Swift nodded understandingly. "It must be a very important task indeed if the Princess has entrusted it to her most faithful student. Usually Princess Luna handles everything herself."

Spike shrugged. "Not really. She just told her to go make some friends."

********************

Two hours later, an hour behind schedule, and three large crates of books attached to a trailer behind the chariot later Swift Wind finally caught sight of Ponyville. His back was aching, Smooth Current, his co-pilot, hadn't stopped complaining under his breath the entire way, and his equine passenger was swiftly devolving into a state of complete meltdown.

"But I don’t know how to make friends Spike! What if I say something wrong? Or they laugh at me? I mean that's always a possibility. What if I'm so bad they throw me out entirely? Or tell Princess Luna?! What if she throws me out? I mean a student who can't even make a singe friend. She'll send me back to magic kindergarten. Or banish me to the moon. Or revoke my library card privileges!"

"I sure she wouldn't..."

"You have to tell me Spike! How in the name of Luna do you make friends?!"

"Well not destroying their eardrums would be a start."

Twilight blushed indigo. "Sorry Spike, I accidentally slipped into the Royal Canterlot Voice again."

"And I'm sure Luna regrets teaching you it every day."

The hurt look Twilight sent back at him immediately made him regret speaking. "Look Twilight, making friends is easy. All you have to be is yourself. You're a great pony. I'm sure there are lots of ponies out there who would love to be friends with you. You just have to find them."

Twilight brightened.

"And not scare them away." he muttered under his breath.

"What was that Spike?"

"Oh nothing." said Spike with forced innocence. "Just thinking up a plan of attack."

> A Dramatic Entrance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike had not intended such a plan to be literal.

In retrospect he should have specified this in advance.

And, if he was being entirely fair to Twilight, ponies who appeared from nowhere and immediately attempted to glomp you would set off the fight or flight reflex of anypony.

The pony he had mentally taken to calling the pink menace had appeared, as if by magic, almost the second they had touched ground. This was especially impressive considering she was an earth pony, who supposedly had neither wings nor magic. He could only imagine the horrors she could wreak if she had such powers. 

Spike shuddered at the thought.

The pink menace had taken one look at the frantic Twilight and grabbed her up in what could only be described as a minotaur hug. How she had gotten her hooves around his boss in such a way, or had managed to lift her up almost ten feet off the ground, even with earth pony strength, was beyond his understanding. 

The pink ponies impromptu intervention had even seemed to be working for a moment. Twilight's feverish breathing had evened out, her eyes had lost that glassy look that spelled oncoming disaster and, if his eyes had not deceived him, she even appeared to hug back for a brief moment.

That was until she regained enough brain function to realise she was ten feet up in the air having the air squeezed out of her by a strange pink pony,

The ensuing buck to the face, teleportation across the field, and screaming gallop towards the village really was quite in proportion, all things considered, Spike thought. 

Even if Twilight had completely forgotten about him in the process.

He looked over at the pink menace still sitting on the ground; her unnaturally curly mane now hanging limply down her neck. He hadn't been sure what to expect from such a hyperactive pony, but it certainly wasn't the concerned pony now looking rather dejectedly at the spot where Twilight had just disappeared.

"Does this mean she doesn't want to be friends?" She whispered to herself, her eyes watering. "I don't think anypony's ever wanted to not be my friend before."

She looked helplessly up at him. "Did I do something wrong? I only wanted to give her a 'Super Duper Pinkie Pie Welcome to Ponyville.'" 

Spike opened his mouth. No sound came out. He didn't know what to say.

"Maybe I just didn't give the right 'Super Duper Pinkie Pie Welcome to Ponyville.'"

Her eyes focused on Spike. Spike felt to sudden urge on back away. Drawing on his many glorious campaigns as a knight, all performed under the safety of Ogres and Oubliettes of course, he stood his ground.

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie. Welcome to Ponyville." she said calmly.

Well that had been unexpected.

"Hi, I'm Spike." the young drake said hesitantly. "Um, that was Twilight." he said, pointing a claw at where she had disappeared. "We're supposed to be here to make new friends, but she's not super good with new ponies."

Spike watched in confused wonder as, before his eyes, Pinkie's mane seemed to reinflate, poofing out at wild angles, as his apparently new found friend grinned back at him.

"Don't you worry Spike the dragon, we'll soon fix that! I'm friends with every pony in Ponyville, and they're all going to love Twilight and you! And that's a guaranteed Pinkie Pie promise! Did you know you're my first ever dragon friend?" She laughed. "Silly me! Of course you couldn't, I hadn't told you yet. We'll have to have a party to celebrate that. Not to mention the super duper double 'Welcome to Ponyville' party. Does Twilight like parties? Do you?"

She looked over at Spike for an answer before suddenly continuing her spiel. "What am I saying. Of course you like parties. Everypony likes parties!"  

She leaped up into the air in excitement. Spike tried very hard not to measure just how high she jumped. Chalking it up to another of Pinkie's eccentricities appeared to be for the best.

"SO much to do! I'll have to get cake, and streamers, and party hats, and hot sauce!" She turned around, still muttering to herself. "Mustn't forget the hot sauce."

Waving a hoof back at him, she zoomed off at unnatural speeds towards the town. 

Spike blinked. Stranger things had happened in the castle; though admittedly not many. He shrugged, then began the long walk into town. 

Why had Twilight made the chariot park so far away anyway?

*****************************************************************

Twilight Sparkle was not having a good day.

Unscheduled assignments from the princess, crazy ponies attacking out of nowhere, a distinct lack of books. It was days like this that made her long for the simplicity of her tower, locked away where nopony could bother her. 

Now that she thought about it, that was probably why she didn’t get out so much.

Perhaps Luna had the right idea.

Then again Luna didn’t warn her about the crazy ponies.

Library. There was a library in Ponyville. Her library. She would be safe there. 

Sanctuary. 

She only had to get to it. 

She was just considering how best to discover its location without having to interact with any more crazy ponies who were likely to squeeze her to death, when a sophisticated looking mare approached.

Sensing no immediate desire to huggle from the mare, Twilight resisted the urge to scurry further into her corner and risked meeting the mare's gaze.

"Are you quite alright, darling?" The mare's cultured voice seemed kind Twilight thought. Like the Canterlot nobility but without the edge of elitism. Maybe not all ponies were as crazy as the pink menace from earlier. 

Jerkily Twilight nodded.

The mare seemed to understand lowering herself to Twilight's level to sit on the cobblestones. "It was Pinkie Pie wasn't it? She means well but she's always a little too enthusiastic about welcoming new ponies. What's your name dear?"

Mind calmed and functionality restored, Twilight finally felt some sense of normalcy reassert itself. 

"I'm Twilight Sparkle. I'm not moving here. I'm just here for the Summer Celebration for my teacher Princess Luna. She wanted me to make some friends, but I'm not really very good at it."

"Nonsense dear you're doing just fine. Now how's about we get you inside before your coat stains from sitting on this horribly dirty ground."

At Twilight's nod she stood up, before suddenly gasping and grasping her yellow sundress to check it for stains. Sighing at a muddy patch on the back her face fell before she quickly forced a smile back onto her face. 

"Never mind about that. I can always make another. I'd be a terrible seamstress if I couldn't. Now where can I take you? There must be somewhere you're staying overnight before the Summer Sunrise? I'd be happy to show you the way."

> Tea and Gossip
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back among her books and sipping tea with her new acquaintance, Twilight had come to the belief that all was once again right with the world. 

Rarity seemed a perfectly nice pony, polite and hard working. Her taste in reading left something to be desired, but Twilight supposed you couldn’t have everything.

The library itself was much smaller than the libraries Twilight was used to back in Canterlot, but that just seemed to add to its charm. Built within a great tree, the Golden Oak library brought a sense of peace and tranquillity Twilight could only remember feeling in Luna's private rooms or faded memories of her foalhood. And this one came with books!

Though she longed to catalogue and reorganise the books she could see out of place on the shelves, Twilight restrained herself. Princess Luna had given her a mission: to talk to and make friends with other ponies. She could read books anywhere. She looked longingly back at the books. Ponyville being so close to the Everfree was renowned for its extensive sections on the mythological and supernatural...

"I'm sorry dear, am I boring you?"

Twilight blushed at being caught distracted. "Not at all Rarity, it's just my position as Princess Luna's ward doesn't really give me much opportunity to follow the trends of the nobility."

Rarity hid her look of disappointment. "Surely as the Princess's protégé you must come into contact with the nobility. It's my dream to join them some day. Open a store in Canterlot. The good and the great."

"Honestly she always told me to stay away from them. Princess Luna hates the fact that she can't get rid of them. Apparently she's been trying to get rid of them for the last two centuries, but they keep wriggling out of it."

She looked at Rarity nervously. "You can’t tell anypony I told you that. The Princess told me that in confidence."

"Don’t worry Twilight, your secret is safe with me, I promise. Whatever is said between ladies like us, stays between us."

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She really didn’t want to betray Luna like that. But Luna's distaste of the nobles was common knowledge, and Luna had never told her not to tell anypony. Besides Rarity was trustworthy.

A secretive smile grew on her face. "Rarity, do you want to know a secret? It has to stay between us though."

The fashionista nodded eagerly.

Twilight giggled. "Once when Blueblood tried to sit on the Empty Throne, Princess Luna set up a shocking spell so the moment his flank came within two inches of the seat it shocked him so badly his hair stood on end!"

Rarity gasped. But Twilight wasn't finished. 

"Then during the next open court she dressed him down in front every pony there. Had him gaping like a fish! Finally she casually told him she didn’t think the size of his flank would have allowed him to sit in it anyway. He checked it every time he passed a mirror in the castle for a month!"

Rarity tried to hide her burst of laughter behind her hooves at first but soon enough they were both laughing uncontrollably as Twilight regaled them with tales of the secret war going on between Luna and the nobles.

"So she added extra mirrors, just to make him late for court?"

Twilight nodded. "And then she told him off for being tardy!"

Rarity was just about to topple off her chair from laughter when a dragon burst through the door.

"Twilight! Thank Luna! I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to find you." 

Twilight's hooves automatically rose to catch Spike as he practically threw himself across the room towards her.

"Hey don’t worry little bro I'm fine, see." she reassured as he clung to her neck. Thoughts of the pink pony from before reasserted themselves. Pulling back she looked him over checking for pink hoofprints. "Are YOU ok? Dear Luna! I left you behind, I'm so sorry!"

"Hey don’t worry Twi I'm fine. She wasn't actually that bad."

"That bad!? She practically squeezed me to death!"

"I think she thought you were choking."

"Oh." 

"Anyway I don’t think she meant to hurt you. She was just a little too enthusiastic."

"If you say so, Spike."

Shrugging Spike had already turned to examining the library. "Hey Twi this place is actually really cool! Luna did a good job with the…" 

His eyes widened. A vision of loveliness stood before him, sipping from a porcelain cup. She glanced up. Spike froze. The angel had seen him. His legs began to give way.

"Who's your little friend, Twilight?"

"Oh this is Spike. He's my number one assistant, and my little brother. I hatched him when I was younger. Spike, come say hello to Rarity."

Spike waved a claw distractedly. He was far to caught up in daydreams of this new vision of beauty to pay attention to whatever it was Twilight was saying. Already he was busy imagining writing Spike and Rarity over the covers of all the books he owned.

He snapped out of it. Those books were Twilights. Twilight valued said books. Greatly. Spike valued his life too much to die so young. Particularly when such a vision of loveliness had just entered.

He finally pulled himself out of his daydream to find the conversation had moved on without him.

"So what exactly is the princess like? She's so mysterious! Can she turn to smoke? Does she look good in turquoise?"

"She's amazing! When we were on the streets she just showed up and took us in, even after Sunset broke into the palace! I know she doesn't leave the castle a lot, but it's because she works so hard. She's a really great teacher too. She tried for weeks to teach me her smoke trick, even though only she's supposed to be able to do it. In the end I couldn't make it, not for lack of trying. I ended up accidentally learning to teleport instead. I left such a big purple smoke bomb in my wake we laughed for hours. After she managed to find where I'd ended up that is!"

"You can teleport darling? That's an incredibly high level spell. I don’t know a single unicorn in town who could do something like that!"

Twilight blushed. "Well, like I said, Princess Luna's a good teacher."

Smiling reassuringly, Rarity reached out to wrap a hoof around Twilight's shoulders. "Of course dear. But does she like turquoise?"

Twilight shrugged "I don’t think she really wears dresses."

Rarity gasped, her white coat paling. "You can’t be serious darling!"

"Usually she just wears her regalia. And she really only wears that when she's in public."

Rarity began to sway on her feet. 

Spotting a fainting couch tucked away Spike pulled it over just in time for his crush to land on it.

Breathing a sigh of relief the duo peered over the swooning unicorn.

"Are you ok?" Twilight asked.

"I will be darling" said Rarity with renewed vigour. "When this affront to fabulousity is rectified."

Twilight's eyes widened, as Rarity's gained a manic glint. 

"Now would you say you were of comparable size and build to the Princess? What am I thinking! You're definitely too far on the short side for that. Nevermind, I can work off a mannequin, at least for the initial design tests. And your insights will be invaluable. I mean a Princess going around without an evening gown, just horrific! There's nothing for it. I'll have to make an entire wardrobe. It'll take a lot of time of course, but it will certainly be worth it in the end!" She paused to look around. 

"Now then Twilight…Twilight?"

The library was empty.

Rarity sighed. "Perhaps I may have gotten a little carried away. Perhaps if I bring something to apologise... A dress maybe, or a cloak? Silver or lilac perhaps?"

Exiting the library she looked towards the main square where a familiar duo were talking to an orange mare. "Well at least she's in good hooves. Applejack is as straightforward as can be. There's no reason for anything to go wrong there." 

She looked up at the town clock. "Well Rarity, you had better move quickly if you're going to have that cloak ready in time."

Ideas running through her mind she cantered back towards her shop.

> Honesty is always the Best Policy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was currently regretting ignoring Shining when he told her keeping in shape was important. Running was hard when you were so out of shape. Especially with a rather heavy baby dragon on your back. 

It didn’t help that Spike seemed to be gravitating back towards the library. 

Coming to a stop at the town square, she took the opportunity to look around and see it properly. It was quite pleasant to look at. A selection of market stalls were set out in loose formation, clustered around a fountain at the centre which bore the image of an earth pony mare, with large cobblestones marking  out the main square.

Hesitating at the sight of so many ponies in one place Twilight looked back regretfully at the library. Rarity had seemed so nice. Clearly she wasn't any good at this making friends thing. She'd already run away, twice!  She sighed. Ponies here were just so hard to talk to. This would never have happened in Canterlot. Back with the Princess and Shiny, and Spike.. And her books of course. 

Twilight sighed. Maybe she shouldn't have ignored the invitation to Moonprancer's party last week. 

She forced herself back on task. She only had to make it through today. Make one friend then report her observations to Princess Luna just before sunset. Then enjoy the Summer Sun Celebration. Who knows, maybe the Lost Princess would show up. 

Glancing back at the lovelorn dragon on her back she came to a conclusion. Evidently she had been trying the wrong approach before. Neither encounter had possessed the proper level of scientific organisation that usually ensured her success. All she needed was a proper checklist.

She nudged Spike. Surely he would have the requisite materials on hand. The dragon, eyes still fixed on the library, nearly tumbled off her back. 

Quickly shifting to catch him Twilight rearranged him onto her back. No help from that quarter. 

She followed his line of vision. There were sure to be quills and parchment in the library. She had ensured no less than five bundles were packed along with the essential books.

But what if Rarity was still in there with that tape measure? Twilight shuddered.

There was nothing for it. She'd have to memorise.

Mentally she planned out the steps, knowing a plan well planned was was a plan well executed.

Step One: approach target. 
Step Two: make eye contact. 
Step Three: smile reassuringly. 
Step Four: Make introduction. 
Step Five: find and discuss a topic of mutual interest. 
Step Six: Ask question to establish mutual interest. 
Step Seven: establish a reasonable way to end the conversation. 
Step Eight: extend the hoof of friendship.

Simple really.

Her stomach rumbled. Food first.

Her eyes lit upon a nearby apple cart. A brilliant thought lit her mind. Why didn't she just combine the two? Food was a perfectly acceptable topic of conversation after all. 

She could almost have jumped in excitement.

Nervously she approached the merchant. "H-hello my name is Twilight Sparkle."

The stall holder, an orange mare, stared back at her confusedly. "Well that's mighty nice Sugarcube but..."

Twilight kicked herself. Of course. She had to order something.

Desperately she glanced around. There were a selection of deserts that appeared to all be apple based, but none she could name under this kind of pressure. Carrots. Definitely part of the next stall over. She caught the eye of the auburn haired stallholder who looked back at her questioningly, before glaring at the orange mare who quickly returned the stare.

Too much pressure! She looked wildly left and right looking for something. Anything.

"Two of your finest apples please" she squeaked. In retrospect the High Canterlot accent was a mistake.

Twilight blushed mauve. "Umm, I mean two apples please."

The orange earth pony broke off the staring contest to grin back at her. "Well it's mighty fine to meet ya Twilight. I'm Applejack and this here ruffian's my little sister Applebloom. You can rest assured that here at Sweet Apple acres we only sell the finest apples in all Equestria. Why we deliver to the princess herself!"

Twilight blinked. "Really? I hadn't heard of you."

"Yup!" Applejack nodded emphatically. "We've been running this here farm for three generations now. The princess gave us the land herself! Mah granny was right there when the Princess herself signed over the land. Her pappy cared for it first. Then mah Granny and Gramps. Now I look after it. And one day, Luna willing, little Applebloom here'll follow in our hoofprints."

Twilight tried to smile. It came out more like a grimace.

The little yellow filly next to her puffed up her chest. "Ah'm here to get my cutie mark!"

Despite herself Twilight found a genuine smile broadening across her face. "And what do you think its going to be?" 

"Well, every other Apple has some kinda Apple for their cutie Mark, but mine hasn't shown up yet, and I'm always around apples!"

"I told ya Applebloom you just gotta be patient. It ain't all about the apples. It's about what goes into em."

The pout on the filly's face told Twilight she had heard this one too many times before. 

"Well I didn't get my cutie Mark till I was much older than you, nearly eight. I just kept waiting and waiting and waiting, and one day BOOM, literally!"

Applebloom giggled, her pink bow bobbing, as she laughed at Twilight's theatrics.

Applejack picked out five apples, checking for bruises before holding them out to Twilight.

"Here, no charge."

"I couldn't possibly..."

"You made my little sister smile about Cutie Marks for for the first time in two days. Also I'm pretty sure you've saved me from her crusading, at least for today."

Giving in Twilight turned to offer one to Applebloom, only to find she had scampered round the booth and was now gazing at Twilight's cutie mark in awe. 

Looking up at Twilight like she hung the moon itself she leaned in close in barely contained excitement. "You got your Cutie Mark for exploding things? Cool! Maybe I could get an explodin' apple!"

From what seemed like nowhere two other fillies appeared; an orange Pegasus and a white unicorn who looked worryingly like Rarity.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders, Explosion Masters yay!"

And with that the three of them scampered off into the bustling market.

"APPLEBLOOM!"  Quick as a whip, Applejack bolted after the fillies as they disappeared into the crowd.

Blinking in bemusement at the chaos the three fillies had left in their wake Twilight looked back at the stall, finding a large red stallion with a green Apple for a cutie Mark had taken Apple Jack's place.

"Is this a normal occurrence?" she asked concernedly.

"Eyyup" the stallion nodded stoically.

Shaken from his stupor by the commotion Spike looked around confused. "Twilight, what just happened?"

Resisting the urge to laugh Twilight turned back towards the library. "Come on, Spike. Let's get back to the library. I need my number one assistant to help me research."

> On the Edge of Everfree
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deciding to take a break from this friends thing Twilight dropped Spike off at the library and took a walk around the outskirts of the town. 

As the town disappeared behind her, the stress of the day seemed to roll off her back. The light breeze and crisp air refreshed her senses and she found herself slowing from a stressed trot to a peaceful walk. 

Before she realised it she was on the edge of the Everfree forest. 

An imposing figure in the skyline it seemed to stretch on forever leaving only a thin line of grey sky above. Though the sky in town had been kept entirely clear for the Summer Sun Celebration, in the Everfree dark storm clouds drifted just above the trees forecasting a strange doom. Heavy with rain, they hung in the sky, seeming to reach to blot out the Sun itself.

Shivering Twilight thought of all the horrible dangers that lay inside. Timberwolves, horrifying creatures of living flame,hydras, manticores. Not to mention the strange magic that took hold within. 

But something seemed to pull her towards it.  

Surely it couldn’t be all that dangerous. The princess had trained her extensively in defensive spells after all. Besides, think of all the things she could discover!

She began to walk towards the forest.

"Leave me alone!"

The voice had come from behind her. A mare screaming in terror.

Twilight hesitated for a moment then turned, galloping back towards the source of the shout at full pace.

Upon reaching the source of the voice she was surprised to realise there was an entire house, set just off her path, that she had entirely missed before. In any other circumstance the overgrowing vegetation, and rather large assortment of animals surrounding it, would have made her take it as abandoned. However, the butter yellow pegasus covered in mud, unsteadily tying to stand up in the front yard told her differently.

What was more worrying, however, was the two other pegasi standing over her laughing as one kicked her leg out from under her. As she hit the ground the two only laughed harder. Twilight felt her fury begin to boil over. 

The stallion who had tripped her spoke first, tossing his pale mane in disgust. "Seriously Clutzershy, fifteen years and you still can't fly properly? They really should just make it official and ground you."

"I...I" stuttered the mare.

"Yeah I mean do those wings of yours even work?" butted in the second bully, a tan stallion with three orange balls for a cutie mark.

"L-leave me alone."

"Sorry didn't quite catch that Lamo-shy. Maybe if you actually opened your mouth."

"My name is Fluttershy."

"Maybe she's a changeling? What do you reckon Dumbbell?" 

"Nah Hoops, they actually have wings. I bet she's just an mud pony in disguise with fake wings stuck on."

"Maybe we should check." said Hoops, reaching over to tug on her yellow wings. 

Twilight had heard more than enough. "Get away from her!"

"Why, what are you gonna do hornhead?"

"This."

Taking a deep breath Twilight pulled deep from her magic well. Pegasi magic was resistant to unicorn telekinesis, but if she added an extra layer of holding runes and tied it all into Clover the Clever's entanglement matrix...

As her horn sparked in renewed determination the two bullies began to lift off the ground.

Pale in exhaustion, Twilight looked up to find two purple spheres hanging in the air above her. Within each was a flailing pegasi spitting insults. Looking down at the still shaking mare Twilight became all the more glad she'd added in Sunset's 'shut the buck up' barrier.

"See how it feels to not be able to fly?" said Twilight coldly. "If I were you I would choose your words and actions more carefully next time. Princess Luna has a zero tolerance policy towards racism."

The two pegasi in front of her quivered in terror, but Twilight barely blinked. She remembered the furious tears in her mentor's eyes when a unicorn noble had disregarded her secretary for being a 'dirty feather brain' right in front of her. That hadn't stopped her from promptly disenfranchising and imprisoning him. But it hadn't stopped the whispers around court either. 

She took a deep breath, pulling herself back into balance, acknowledging the anger, then releasing it.

"As I recall the Princess specifically stated that such laws were essential to ensure that nopony would ever be afraid to leave their home ever again. So, perhaps you should think of that before you speak slurs you do not and can not comprehend the significance of."

A sudden squeak brought Twilight's attention back to the shaking mare, who's slowly emerging head had quickly tucked itself back into her ball the second Twilight had looked back.

At the terrified nods of the two stallions Twilight softened slightly. "I won't report it. This time. I'm going to let you go now. I'm not like you. But I will make one thing very clear. I despise bullies. Don’t come back."

And with a flick of her horn she sent the two pods sailing up into the sky and flying towards the distant city of Cloudsdale, where they would be deposited in the most convenient trashcan.

Letting out a sigh her hackles finally dropped.

Unsure, she cautiously took a step towards the shaking ball of yellow fur on the floor.

"Um I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. It's just I really don’t like ponies who bully others. Canterlot isn't the nicest place when you're small and alone. I'm Twilight. What's your name

"Fluttershy."

"Sorry I cant hear you."

"Fluttershy."

"If you just want me to go that’s fine." Twilight said quietly. "I guess I was a bit scary back there. It's just like when I was a filly. I lose control for a split second and ponies get hurt."

Sinking her shoulders, Twilight began to walk away.

Cautiously a pink mane still streaked with mud peeped up from its hiding place.

"Thank you."

Twilight turned around. "I get it, you want me to go. I'm sorry for bothering you. I just couldn't stand by and let somepony do that."

"No don’t go!" blurted the pegasus. "I'm sorry" she blushed. "I just wanted to thank you for helping me."

"Oh. It was no trouble, really. Neither my BBBFF or BSBFF would let me live it down if I let some mean pony get away with bullying somepony like you. Not that there's anything wrong with you. It's just..."

"It's OK. I know I'm a pushover." 

"I don’t think that. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is just to stand your ground." A tentative grin grew. "Let's try this again. I'm Twilight, Twilight Sparkle."

"Fluttershy."

The two ponies reached out, hooves an inch from connecting, to seal their newfound bond

It was precisely at that moment that another pegasus fell from the sky.

> Colliding with a Rainbow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That was AWESOME!"

Blinking dirt from her eyes as the cloud of dust settled Twilight risked glancing at the new crater in the ground. Six feet deep she could still see the clear impression of where its creator had landed. The previous occupant appeared to have vacated it in favour of swooping around the sky whooping.

"You did that right? I mean it had to be you. Unless you're hiding another superpowered unicorn behind there?" Zooming across the field, the new bane of Twilight's existence circled her, apparently searching for the aforementioned nonexistent unicorn.

Watching the pegasus as she began to hover upside down, Twilight resisted the urge to roll her eyes.  At the unmistakable feeling of somepony lifting up her tail, however, scepticism quickly turned to irritation. 

Throwing a look back at her new, more pleasant, acquaintance Twilight began to once again question just how many crazy ponies there were in this town. Fluttershy's awkward shrug appeared to give no evidence either way. Her shuffling hooves, however, clearly demonstrated there would be no help from that corner in the immediate future.

Twilight suddenly missed Spike. Intensely.

Luckily for all involved the chromatic pegasus chose that moment to finish her 'inspection'. Twilight couldn't have guaranteed her back hooves would have remained non-violent for much longer.

"You know Purple Blast, can I call you Purple Blast?"

"No."

"Blasty, it's a compliment. I only give nicknames to those who register high enough on the Coolometer." Reaching out to wrap a hoof around Twilight's shoulders, she continued. "Right now I'd say you're a solid seven. I'm at the top of course. Rainbow Danger Dash. And the Wonderbolts of course. Fluttershy of over here is an eight. She might not look it on the outside, but secretly she's a total badass. That's without the way she brings that spawn of Discord to heel as well. Trust me you do not want to get on her bad side. Speaking of which where is..."

"Flutters." Rainbow froze, staring at her friend in horror.

Fluttershy forced a smile. "I'm fine Rainbow I promise."

Rainbow sighed. "They came back again didn't they?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"I should have been here."

"You couldn't have known."

"I should never have left you on your own."

"You needed the space and time to practice."

"What's the point Flutters. I can't leave you here with those rockheads hanging over you. The Wonderbolts will just have to wait."

"But..."

"Fluttershy I couldn't leave you with those two still here; so don't ask me to."

"But Twilight got rid of them!"

"Twilight? Who's Twilight?" 

Twilight waved awkwardly.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in realisation. "Wait, THAT was Hoops and Dumbbell? YOU got rid of Hoops and Dumbbell? That was you? That means..." Rainbow struggled for words. Her face passed though a range of emotions from frustration to relief, and finally to awe. "Thank you".

Twilight shuffled uncomfortably. "It wasn't a big deal really."

Rainbow shook her head. "No, it was. You don't know what this means to us." She hesitated. "To me. If there's anything I can do in return, anything at all, just name it. "

"I don’t know it doesn’t seem right."

"Seriously anything. Carte blanche. There's gotta be something I can do. Bust clouds. Beat the soundbarrier, you name it I'll do it. Heck, you need me to work for you all summer I'll do it."

"I guess there is one thing."

"Lay it on me Blast."

"Rainbow, please!" Fluttershy implored. "Don't throw everything away just for me. Whatever Twilight wants I'll be more than happy to do it." She smiled weakly. "You shouldn't have to give up on your dreams for me."

"Don't sweat it Fluttershy. I'm sure Twilight won't ask me to sell my soul or something. Besides, you're my best friend. Of course I'm going to be a Wonderbolt one day." She smirked. "They'd have to be blind not to tap this. A small delay to that is a small price to pay. Your happiness is priceless." 

Suddenly uncomfortable she shifted from hoof to hoof. "Besides I can always sign up again next year."

Bluster returning she tossed her mane, fixing Twilight with a look of determination. "So Twilight was it? What can I do to repay you?"

"Well I don’t want to impose, and I doubt its something that really works that way anyway, but Princess Luna asked me to make some friends, and I haven't really had much success today." Twilight babbled.

She smiled nervously at Rainbow. "I really don’t want to disappoint her, so if you could just pretend to be my friend, just for today, it would mean a lot to me. I promise I'll try to put in a word for you with General Spitfire in return."

"Look Twi," said the speedster bluntly. "Anypony who helps Fluttershy the way you did is a friend of mine." At Twilight;s unconvinced look she shrugged. "Besides I'm pretty sure by the end of today you'll have more friends than you can levitate."

"Huh?"

"Pinkie Pie." said Rainbow dash, as if that was all the explanation required. 

Fluttershy nodded knowingly. 

"She's been planning you an extra special welcome party all day. Something about you needing friends." She shot Fluttershy a guilty look. "It's why I was so late she wouldn’t let me go till I accepted my invitation to the 'super duper double welcome and apology party for Twilight Sparkle and Spike'. But, hey, if you can put in a word for me with General Spitfire I'll talk to princess Luna for you myself."

"Rainbow…" Fluttershy said warningly.

"Not that we wont be friends either way," amended Rainbow Dash quickly.

"Where is this...party?" Twilight asked apprehensively.

"The library of course!" Rainbow glanced up at the sky. "Pinkie said it was starting an hour before sunset.. We'd better yet a move on! You don't want to be late to your own welcome party!"

Tugging Fluttershy after her Rainbow began to zoom back towards the town. 

A tentative smile beginning to blossom on her face Twilight followed.
> And the Sun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Luna sat at her desk, staring at the many papers in front of her. Usually by this late in the day she would have managed to finish, perhaps taking an hour before lowering the Sun to spend time with Twilight discussing her latest findings.

Not today though.

Today Twilight was on a quest to somehow make friends with complete strangers, something Luna, in hindsight, was beginning to think was a more and more terrible idea the more she thought about it.  

As for her lack of productivity Luna had no excuse. The orders and bureaucracy were the same, some diplomatic tensions, but nothing she couldn't handle after all these years. If anything the Summer Sun Celebration had decreased her workload, as most ponies took the day off. 

Yet still she found herself staring at the page in front of her as if it were a beast from Tartarus ready to attack at the slightest movement.

It made no sense. 

It made all too much sense.

Yesterday paperwork had been just another task in another day, one that had passed almost exactly the same way for the last 900 years.

Today that same pile of paper seemed as insurmountable as the passage of time had a thousand years ago.

Forcing her mind to clear Luna turned over the paper, realising that if it hadn't registered by now, it was likely a lost cause, at least for today. It would have to wait under after..After the Summer Sun Celebration.

She moved onto the next document. 

Following on from the latest general budget were the new proposals for increases to Equestria’s naval budget. Much as she hated the idea a strong navy was becoming more and more necessary, especially now. 

Reading through she was pleasantly surprised to find Blueblood had put considerable effort in this time. Unusual but not unprecedented. Perhaps that latest lesson had finally set him back onto the right track. It was too bad she wasn't in the state of mind to appreciate it.

She put it aside.

Turning to file it away her eye caught the locked cabinet in the corner. A single scroll seemed to glimmer inside. 

Gritting her teeth she forced herself to turn away.

‘One more hour, just one more hour.’

She went back to staring at the papers on the table, praying for something, anything, to take her mind off that locked cabinet and what it held.

‘What do I even pray to anymore?’ she wondered.

She looked back at the cabinet.

On the longest day of the thousandth year she shall return.

Perhaps it was simply nerves. One did not simply see one's long list sibling after a thousand years after all.

‘Especially when it was your fault in the first place.’

She screwed her eyes shut trying to force the voices out of her head.

They only grew louder.

And the Sun shall never set on her reign.

Growling she flung the papers off the table. An empty cup fell to the floor, shattering. She paid it no mind.

Turning from the room she strode down the corridor, eyes narrowed.

Ponies stumbled trying to get out of her way.

The words still refused to leave.

And the Sun.

‘NO! Tia’s strong she would NEVER!’


Shall never set.

She flew for Ponyville.

> The Party Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of all the things Twilight expected to find when she returned to the library, a small of army of ponies gathered outside was not one of them. 

Having once again had to canter to keep up with Rainbow Dash, Twilight found herself too out of breath to gasp at the many ponies in front of her.

Instead, she settled for wheezing for breath as Rainbow stalked inside, quietly tailed by Fluttershy. As she watched, her brightly coloured companion declared herself first in line for cake as Twilight’s new best friend.

Her vision slowly clearing, she noticed the pink pony from that morning slowing winding her way through the small crowd towards her. 

Now having taken the time to acclimatise herself to this strange town, she determined that "menace" was perhaps a little harsh. Of all the ponies she had met today, over half appeared to suffer from some form of psychosis. 

Besides Shining Armour always said you couldn’t judge a pony properly from one encounter. 

Twilight smiled wistfully. It was one of the many things he and Sunset argued over. 

Mentally she decided to side with Shiny this time. The lack of bouncing was clearly a good sign. 

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie! My new friend Spike said you needed friends, so I made you a super duper extra big welcome to Ponyville party so you could make some.”

Twilight blinked in surprise. “Huh.”

“I made you a party so you could make friends silly. You need friends. Ponies make friends at parties. Everypony likes parties. You make lots of friends and impress your princess mentor. Everypony goes hope happy. Imminent apocalypse averted.”

“Great.” Said Twilight awkwardly smiling, quietly hoping the madness would end soon.

“You really think so?” smiled Pinkie guilelessly. “I was worried after you ran away before you wouldn’t want to be friends.”

She leaned forward, front hooves already going in for a hug.

Eyes widening in horror, Twilight sprinted away. 

Spotting Spike, surrounded by a group of foals and playing some sort of game, she made a beeline for him. 

Unfortunately, in her haste, she almost knocked over the pony trying to talk to her. 

“Oh I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to...”

“It’s quite alright dear. No harm done really.” She looked up, smiling widely. “Twilight, just the pony I wanted to see.”

“Rarity.” said Twilight formally.

The white unicorn blushed in embarrassment. “I wanted to apologise about before. I did not intend to frighten you off. I’m afraid I may have gotten a little carried away with the idea of designing for a princess. Anyway, I made you something as a welcome gift.”

She levitated over a pair of lilac saddlebags, outlined in silver thread around the edges, sprinkled with stars, and emblazoned with Twilight's cutie mark in the centre. 

Inside a small label read: 
To my dear friend Twilight. 
A small gift to assist you in carrying all those dusty books. 
Rarity.

Looking further inside Twilight saw another, smaller, package. “What’s this?”

Rarity gasped, quickly levitating the silky material into another set of saddlebags on the floor beside her. 

“Nothing dear. Just another little thing I’ve been working on. Nothing at all ready. I must have left it in there by accident. Anyway darling, how was your day?”

“Fine, I guess.”

“I saw you bump into Applejack. Now she is a wonderful mare, really. A little on the dirty side at times, but if you can persuade her to wash her hooves…”

Twilight smiled softly. “Thank you for the gift Rarity.”

“It was no trouble at all darling. It was the least I could do for such a wonderful new friend.”

Twilight felt herself blushing heavily under the praise. “I had better go and find Spike. I asked him to look up something for me, before Princess Luna comes just before sunset.”

“Of course dear. One thing before you go?” Twilight nodded. “Are you quite sure I look presentable enough to meet her? I know you said she wasn’t one for wearing fancy clothes, or standing on ceremony, but I still feel so bare.”

Twilight laughed. “You look fine Rarity.”

The fashionista threw her a relieved look. 

“I’ll introduce you to her myself.” 

Twilight looked over at the group of foals rapidly becoming a pile. “Anyway, I had better find Spike before he becomes entirely buried.”

Smiling back at Rarity one last time Twilight made her way over to the pile of foals. 

Her little brother had indeed disappeared under a veritable sea of foals, as a rather intense game of twister entered its final stages.

“You’re out Spike.” stated a filly with a curly mane Twilight was sure she’d seen running across the town square earlier that day.

“Awww, Sweetie Belle…”

“You put your tail on the ground. We all agreed that meant you were out.”

“But that’s where it’s meant to go!”

The filly smirked. “I wouldn’t worry. You can just hop back in on the next game, and I’m pretty sure Scootaloo’s gonna fall any second now.”

“Am not!” an orange pegasus filly blustered, desperately flapping her tiny wings in an attempt to stop her wobbling legs.

“Well I’m the King of Games.” puffed a brown earth pony colt. “I have to win.”

Quickly sensing this was going to descend into chaos, Twilight quietly pulled Spike aside. “Hey little bro, can I have a minute.”

Spike frowned. “I guess so. Not like I can carry on playing now.”

Twilight crouched down, bringing herself to Spike's level with a sigh. “I’m sorry I left you at the library before. I just wanted to give you some time by yourself. But I shouldn’t have left you alone. Sometimes I forget just how young you are.” she said softly.

“I guess I wasn’t a good brother either, I did kinda ignore you.” Spike said quietly. 

Twilight pulled him into a hug. “You are the best little bro a pony could ask for.” She nudged his shoulder. “Besides you’re overdue for a crush.”

Spike’s eyes took on a dreamlike sheen. “Rarity is really nice.”

“Yeah she is. I’m not even sure how she managed to make a custom saddlebag on such short notice!”

“She’s really pretty too.”

Twilight gave Spike a serious look, silently fretting over the correct way to phrase her sentence. “Don’t you think she’s a little old for you?”

Spike shrugged. “I guess. Does it matter?”

"Well, you are only fourteen Spike. That’s young for a pony, and even younger for a dragon. Rarity’s quite a bit older than you, and she has a younger sister about your age. I don’t think she sees you as anything but a friend."

"Besides" she shrugged. "We’ll be heading back to Canterlot after the Summer Sun Celebration anyway.”

Spike's sullen expression suddenly vanished, replaced instead by wide eyes as he grabbed Twilight’s leg. “Twi, we might not be doing anything after the Summer Sun Celebration. There’s something you should see.”

> The Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Whomever seeks Truth

I write this chronicle of our greatest weapon, so that in our darkest hour it may rise to protect us once more.

The elements of harmony. 

Last used in the final days of the diarchy they were first discovered by the, then stateless, alicorns Celestia and Luna; under the direction of Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead and Commander Hurricane, in search of a way to stop the rogue centaur Tirek. 

They were first utilised in battle against the draconequus Discord, successfully encasing him in stone, where his madness could do no further harm, ending his brief but destructive reign of chaos. 

Following this event, the triarchy stepped down and the diarchy took its place.

The next recorded use is against the tyrant Sombra, five years before the Night of the Nightmare. Our Princesses travelled alone to the frozen North, taking with them only the Elements of Harmony, against all counsel. 

Both returned, as did the elements, but, with the loss of the empire and the subsequent fractures in the once Harmonious diarchy, I can only assume the elements failed at this critical juncture, as they were only ever used once more, before disappearing entirely from record.

That final, terrible, use was Nightmare Night when the Moon blotted out the Sun and the diarchy fell.

Evidence is unclear of what exactly transpired on that last night. 

Much of the castle was destroyed and, that which remained, Princess Luna forbade anypony from investigating.

Even the Nightmare itself is a mystery. Officially it was a vengeful spirit of some sort, escaped from Tartarus. 

But my lieutenant confirms Cerberus never left his post and I can think of no mere spirit who could bring both our Princesses so low.

In addition remains the question of where Princess Luna was during the battle.

Our sole remaining princess claims she was defeated and left unconscious by the Nightmare prior to the final battle, and only regained consciousness after it was over, and Princess Celestia had triumphed at the cost of her own life. 

Some witnesses, however, claim the Nightmare itself bore the mark of the Moon. 

Immediately following this Princess Luna moved court altogether away from the Everfree castle to Canterlot, leaving behind both the memories and the Elements behind. 

Now she forbids all mention of them, removing their influence from history, and any who speak their names from her presence.

Why Princess Luna abandoned such powerful weapons as Magic, Loyalty Kindness, Honesty, Generosity, and Laughter I can only speculate. 

It is known neither sister used the elements alone, save for that fateful night. 

Perhaps Princess Luna could no longer draw on their power without her sister by her side. 

But that does not explain why she left them where our enemies could reach them, especially with the griffon's to the east looking hungrily at our borders. 

I do not wish to question my dimonarch, but there are too many inconsistencies for me to rest easy, and I have a duty to the truth as well as to my post.

Princess Luna claims our lost Princess will return to us in a thousand years. But, if the rumoiurs of what truly happened that night are indeed true, I fear it will not be our Princess but a Nightmare that returns.

I will leave this scroll in the hands of Honest Truth, the judge of this settlement, in the hope that he will keep it safe and one day discover the truth behind it.

Captain Swift Spear
Head of the Solar Guard
First year of the Solar Stewardship

May Celestia have mercy upon us all.

“Spike…” said Twilight, looking up from the scroll with fearful eyes. “What’s going to happen at sunset?”

> The Party Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was an ill-kept secret among the guard pegasi that their Princess hated flying by chariot. On the rare occasions she did so she would hold herself in rigid formality, features drawn in tension, barely moving until the chariot landed.

But for her to not fly by chariot was even rarer. 

Thus, it was with great apprehension that Swift Wind and Smooth Current saw their Princess land before them, her mane billowing as if caught in a gale, even in the gentle evening breeze.

Bowing low before their mistress they greeted her. “Princess Luna.”

She bowed in return. “Swift Wind. Smooth Current. Has anything of import occurred in my absence?”

“Your student caused some commotion around midday, but it was solved relatively quickly. The Ponyville representative spooked her upon first landing but, as Miss Sparkle is currently attending a party thrown by her, we believe little negative feeling endures.”

“A party?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Twilight Sparkle is attending a party?” 

“Indeed maam.”

Luna's eyebrow quirked, her frown lightening. “This I must see.” 

Nodding to the duo, she began to walk towards the library. Halting a step before the library door she turned back towards the guards, face once again stone. “Gather the rest of the guard stationed in Ponyville and prepare the evacuation procedure.”

Smooth Current stared back shocked. “Your Majesty…”

“Just do it. Please.”

They bowed. “Very well, Your Highness.”

As they flew away to find the rest of the guard, Luna sagged in relief.





Inside the library Spike tried in vain to get back into playing Pin the Tail on the Pony. Twilight had sent him back downstairs claiming she needed time to evaluate what he’s found before meeting with the Princess. Spike knew that was a lie. She was trying to protect him. But what, or who, was she protecting him from?

A knock came at the door.

Seizing the opportunity Spike sprinted past Pinkie Pie to open the door.

Outside stood Princess Luna.





Forcing a smile to her face Luna watched as the door opened.

Seeing the young Dragon behind it, her smile widened.

“Hello young Spike.”

“Princess.”

“Are you quite alright Spike? I do hope your day has not been too stressful. Did your sister manage to make any new friends?”

Spike scuffed the floor with his claw, intent on not meeting her gaze. “Fine.”

Restraining a wince Luna pressed on. “Do you know where Twilight is?”

“Upstairs.”

She attempted to step forward, but Spike stood still, blocking the doorway.

"May I pass?"

He hesitated for a moment, but stepped aside, still refusing to look her in the eye.

Taking one last worried look at him, Luna took her first step into the main room, hooves already heavier with guilt.

“Hiya Princess!" 

Luna blinked. A bright pink pony had appeared in front of her. She glanced at the cutie mark. Three balloons. Clearly some kind of party pony. Seeing the hopeful smile, she found herself quite unable to ignore its owner.

“Hello my little pony.”

“You’re new right? What am I saying you’re really old. I mean you’re like one thousand, eight hundred and sixty seven. And that’s really really old! I meant new to Ponyville. I mean, I haven’t seen you before now, so you must be. And I always throw a welcome party, for new ponies. But you just walked into a welcome party that wasn’t yours. And it's super mean not to give a friend their very own party, especially if they're a Princess. Not that I'd give you any special treatment. That would be wrong. I love all my friends the same. But you don’t look super happy. What about if I made this an extra special Twilight Spike Princess party? Would that make you happy?” 

She paused, looking up at Luna with hopeful eyes.

Luna hesitated. She didn't want to upset this pony. But she only had half an hour at best before her sister would return. She needed to talk to Twilight, to explain.

An orange pony with a Stetson hat put a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Maybe you should give the Princess a second there Pinkie.”

Reluctantly Pinkie nodded. "She has an awful lot to do. I can wait to put her party hat on."

“Could I take your saddlebags?” asked a quiet voice to her right, drawing the alicorn from her fierce internal debate.

“What was that my little pony?” Luna asked, confusedly looking around for the voice.

“I could take your saddlebags for you.” whispered the yellow pegasus hiding behind her pale pink mane who had already started inching towards the nearest corner.

Luna’s tentative smile widened. “I would be honoured for you to take my bag for me dear…”

“Fluttershy. Twilight helped me earlier so I wanted to help you.”

Eyes softening Luna crouched slightly so the pegasus could reach more easily. “Thank you for your kindness, sweet Fluttershy. Just put it somewhere safe out of the way, could you?”

The pegasus nodded, fluttering off to tuck the bag away safe.

“Now then Pinkie, just take it slow and I’m sure the Princess will be your friend in no time.”

“You're right Applejack. You’re such a good friend." the pony shaped ball of chaos squealed, pulling the other earth pony into a hug that looked only somewhat bone crushing. "Thanks for being honest with me. Sometimes I forget stuff like that when I'm super busy trying to make everypony laugh you know?”

She turned her hopeful eyes back onto Luna. They appeared to have doubled to the size of dinner plates. “So Princess...will you be my friend and join the party?”

As her old heart swelled in her chest Luna could only nod.

“YAY! Super duper triple Twilight Spike Princess Party!” Pinkie jumped up in the air, almost impossibly high, zipping over Luna’s head to land on the floor behind her. Luna blinked. 'Had she just landed on her head?' 

“Everypony gets extra cake!” Pinkie cheered.

Luna put the strange behaviour out of her mind mentally tucking it away in a box marked 'In case of Discord.'

From out of nowhere the party pony pulled another cake out onto the table, adding it to the Victoria Sponge and gem encrusted Battenberg that were already present. 

It was chocolate fudge with vanilla icing. Luna's favourite. How had she known? Luna hadn't eaten a piece in decades. 

She felt her mouth begin to water.

Chiding herself, she forced herself to pull away. 

She didn’t have time for cake. She didn’t have time for a party. She needed to talk to Twilight. She needed to apologise. She needed to explain things. Before it was too late.

Turning to the nearest pony, she gently tapped them on the shoulder. “Excuse my little pony, but would you happen to know where the upper floor is? I need to talk to Twilight Sparkle.”

The pony suddenly gasped, whipping around before falling into a deep bow. “I am so sorry Your Majesty. I should have been paying more attention.”

“Not at all Miss…”

“Rarity.”

“It was not your fault Miss Rarity. It is I who should apologise for startling you. It is to your credit that you responded to my call. Do you know where my student is?”

“Twilight? Of course! I’ll take you there myself.”

“That really is not necessary.”

“I insist. It’s not every day a pony meets a Princess. We only have one after all!”

“Indeed.” replied Luna flatly.

Rarity’s smile became forced. 

“Anyway I can most certainly take you up to her; she's just up the stairs there.”

“Ah of course, thank you Rarity, I suppose one could not expect her to remain at a party, even if it is her own.”

“Oh I wouldn’t say that. As much as I do love Pinkie Pie, her parties can be a little overwhelming, especially for a first time. And she did seem more than a little stressed when she headed up there… I should hate to hate to have chased such a pleasant acquaintance away.”

“You are quite concerned. It gives me great relief to know Twilight has made such a good friend. She will need you for the troubles yet to come. If you should wish something that is within my ability to grant I would be pleased to grant it.”

Rarity blushed heavily, before pushing through. “There is one thing, actually. After Twilight mentioned your current lack in the formal wear department I did make you a little something. I would be honoured if you would wear it. You don’t have to, of course.”

“That is very generous of you Miss Rarity. However, I cannot accept such a gift now. I must see to Twilight and the end of this celebration first and would hate to see it damaged in the meantime." Luna smiled wanly. "Could you keep it safe for me?”

“Of course. Oh, I do hope you like silver.”

The glint of proud eyes as an old melted down broach was forged into a crown. “I adore the colour silver.”

Together they began to climb the stairs.

“...Now wait just one minute. Just how do we know this is the real Princess Luna?" 

Luna looked up. A rather vibrantly coloured pegasus was now blocking her path, flanked somewhat reluctantly by the quiet Fluttershy from earlier.

"And how come she didn’t come with any guards? She’s not even wearing her crown. I’m not letting some impostor around Blasty.”

Luna automatically reached up to check. Celestia would kill her if she lost her crown today of all days. 

Celestia would kill her…

She sighed in relief. It was still there. Something crinkled. Pulling her hoof back Luna saw a pink paper crown on her head.

Looking over at its equally pink culprit she saw no signs of regret and every sign of pouting.

“She's definitely an impostor. I mean look at that mane. It's ridiculous.”

“Look who’s talking Rainbow Dash. Besides just how many alicorns do you know?”

“Well excuse me for being suspicious of alicorn princesses appearing out of nowhere Rarity. She's clearly a changeling.”

“Really darling a changeling would never be so gauche.”

“Just because you dated one once doesn’t make them all McDreamy, Rares.”

“Oh what would you know Rainbow. You spent the whole day sleeping.”

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

As Luna watched, the argument between the two quickly devolved into pointless bickering that grew louder and louder until it threatened to give her a headache. She was about to give up and order them both to silence when the orange earth pony intervened.

“Will ya’all shut up before you send our only princess deaf!”

Though the additional voice did nothing for Luna sore ears, it did have the positive effect of momentarily silencing the other two.

“Now listen here Rainbow. There ain’t no real reason for you to think that this here ain't the princess. Especially as her crown's right there on her head.”

“But…”

“It was behind the paper hat Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh.”

“Maybe next time you’ll check to see if somethin's true before jumping to conclusions.” She looked back at Luna. “Anyway Princess, she’s right up there. Hope you can make her feel better. She’s been runnin' herself ragged all day on some crazy mission to impress you.”

“Oh I wouldn’t worry my little ponies. Twilight has already more than done that. Making five wonderful friends all within one day really is very impressive. And such virtuous ponies as well.”

She froze. 

Looked at them again.

Laughter.

Honesty.

Kindness.

Generosity.

Loyalty.

She suddenly felt like retching. 

The crushing weight of a loathing a thousand years suppressed grip her throat like a vice. 

Twilight.

A filly in an old warehouse. Overwhelming power. An egg hatching. A star on a crystal tree replicated on her ward's flank. 

Magic.

Luna reeled back from them in horror.

“It was a pleasure to meet you all. However we must now attend to our student. Excuse us.”

She bolted up the stairs. 

> Shall Never Set
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was no scaredy pony. She had faced down terrifying creatures and evil dark ponies, even if it was only in her books. Her will was iron.

However, the loud clop of hooves steadily heading up the stairs looked to change that. Though more hurried than usual, royal regalia tended to make a rather distinctive sound when it met wood, one Twilight was intimately familiar with. And since Cadance had abandoned her to attend, what was apparently a dating set up, engineered by Queen Chrysalis and her mentor, that meant there was only one pony this could possibly be.

 ‘What am I going to say?’ Twilight silently fretted. ‘How am I supposed to ask the Princess herself whether she really did go crazy a thousand years ago and nearly destroy the world? And how in Equus am I supposed to follow THAT up with whether her sister is going to come back crazy and try to destroy the world again.'

She brought a hoof up to her stomach. ‘Remember what Cadance said. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. In…’ 

The hoofsteps grew louder. 

‘Oh this is useless. Its impossible! She’ll banish me. Or even worse, fail me. Drop me as her student entirely. That is if Equestria is still standing after all this. I wont even be alive to be expelled!'

Twilight looked at the window desperately. Why did this library only come with one emergency exit? That had to break some kind of fire safety law, especially for a tree, right? 

She sighed. It was no use now. All she could do was stand and face her imminent destruction.

She cracked open an eye.

Across the room stood Princess Luna herself; looking altogether worse than she had this morning. Under any other circumstances Twilight would have been altogether too concerned by the threateningly quirked eyebrow aimed her way to notice, but, considering her inevitable destruction, eyebrows suddenly appeared trivial by comparison.

Looking at her mentor though, Twilight had to wonder if she’d missed something before. Bags that deep didn’t appear under a pony’s eyes overnight. And she’d seen her this morning! 

Even beyond that Luna looked haunted. There was a heavy shuffle to her step, one Twilight had only seen once before...the day Sunset had been lost to the mirror. Twilight remembered how her mentor had looked then; eyes bloodshot and hooves bleeding from spending weeks searching for an answer that never came. For a pony that could never return to them. 

But even then she hadn't looked quite like this. She'd never looked so drained...so empty. 

For the first time Twilight could remember, her mentor looked old.

There was a long pause as the two ponies simply looked at each other, neither willing to break the heavy silence that had fallen over them.

Finally Luna’s shoulders dropped in silent defeat. "So Twilight Sparkle." She said resignation filling her voice. “Thou hast made friends.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in worry. “Princess?” 

The princess forced a smile too wide for her face. “It is nothing Twilight, truly. You have surpassed all my expectations. I don’t know what I was thinking sending you so unprepared.” Pausing for a moment Luna looked back to the door, checking it was closed before looking back all mirth gone from her face. “Twilight we need to talk. About the prophecy you found..”

“Was it you? Were you the Nightmare?” Twilight burst out, still unsure which answer she was hoping to hear. 

Her mentor only nodded, unwilling to hear the crack in her voice that would surely come with speaking.

“The boogymare who eats foals. That was you?”

Princess Luna's look of fatigue turned in an instant to irritation. “I did not eat foals Twilight Sparkle. Even Nightmare Moon was not so monstrous as to do that, thank Helia. The boogymare you know of came later." Her face fell to sorrow. "My madness took a different form.”

“What do you mean?”

Luna sighed heavily. “My sister. The Nightmare fed on negative emotion. Over time it...twisted things. Dreams became Nightmares. Lies became Truth. My Sister...became my Enemy. I didn’t notice it at first. Small things suddenly aggravated me in a way they never had before. Whispers in corridors felt like knives at my back. Sleeping ponies turned into traitors. Every pony I passed on the street became a new poison dripping into my ear. I shut myself away. In hindsight it was the worst thing I could have done. The madness turned inward. Suddenly I was questioning myself, questioning my memories. Was I really a Princess, or was I just a puppet? Did I ever even leave that tower? Did my sister really love me? Was my entire life a life? ...I managed to fight it, for a time. But, in the end, I was too weak. The voices overpowered me. And Celestia suffered.”

“And the elements?” Twilight asked.

Luna’s eyes hardened. “Are something you should stay away from.” 

“But couldn’t they stop Celestia?”

“The elements doomed Celestia.” said Luna fiercely. “And they will doom you just as surely as they ever did her. As they doom anypony who touches them. Stay away.”

“But what about Celestia? Won't she..”

“My sister is strong. Far stronger than I was: than I am. The Nightmare will not win. Not against her.”

“And if it does?”

“Then I will deal with the consequences, as I should have done a thousand years ago.”

At Twilight’s frown Luna softened. "Perhaps it would help if I told you a story of her? I believe you would have gotten along quite well."

As Twilight nodded eagerly the Princess unfurled a wing, allowing her student to tuckherself into her side, snuggling beneath Luna's wing, as she had countless times before, waiting silently for her mentor to begin the story. 

“It was one thousand and five years ago. It was the height of summer and we were travelling to Griffonstone to negotiate a new treaty with the griffon King. The recent...problems we'd had in the North had set us back almost a week, so I pushed for the quickest route through the Fangborn forest. Both our guide and Celestia were against it. The forest was home to a large and vicious pack of Timberwolves and our safety couldn’t be guaranteed. There were tales of chicks, ponies, and even full travelling 
parties disappearing, never to be seen again.

But I was young and bull-headed. In my mind we were all powerful Goddesses and, if we of all beings couldn’t walk through a forest full of wolves, we might as well hand over 
our thrones to them now. 

In the end Celestia gave in. Any other route would have seen us arrive well after the deadline and any reason for the Griffon King to refuse to see us would be one reason too many. So we went through Fangborn Forest. 

For the first day or so there was nothing. Most creatures stayed away from us on instinct, and those who wouldn’t had already been chased off by the wolf pack. It looked as though we might even arrive early. That was when we saw the chick.

There must have been fifty wolves surrounding it. Not even an alicorn could have gotten through in time to save the child. Any griffon who tried to get between the pack and its victim would have been torn to shreds.

I froze. Everything in me screamed to save that chick. But I had to protect those who were already with us. The wolves could have turned on us at any moment. That was what I told myself. In truth, I was scared. Scared of what I might have done. So I hesitated.

Celestia didn’t.

In the time it took me to blink she had already thrown herself across the clearing and over the cub, shielding it with her own body.

I remember she kept up her light shield for a time, but their moonsilver claws just cut through it like butter.

It took me five minutes to reach her. They were the longest five minutes of my life. 

By the time I got to her, her shield was long gone. Her sides were torn and she was losing blood quicker than we could put it inside her.

The cub didn’t have a scratch on him.

Years later, I went back and counted the dead wolves in that glade. Thirty. I added twenty more before the day was out.

Luckily we were less than a day’s travel from Griffonstone. I'm not sure if she would have made it all the way back to the Everfree Castle. 

She did save that chick though.

She ended up saving the negotiations as well.

That small griffon was the heir to the throne; saving him prevented war that day. If Celestia had been around I doubt we would have ever had to fight the Griffon Wars. She always was far better at diplomacy than I ever was. 

The King was so thankful he named her Protector of the Realm. The first and last time any outsider earned that honour. 

But that wasn't why she did it. She would have done it for anypony. Any being.

Celestia was the most selfless pony I ever met. She would sacrifice anything for anyone no matter who or what they were. She would give everything to everyone but herself and never ask anything in return."

Luna glanced back up at Twilight. "She was also excellent at chess. I have no doubt I would have lost miserably to both of you on countless occasions."

"But why are you telling me me this?"

"So somepony other than myself will remember that my sister is not a monster. And so you will believe me when I say Celestia will return, not the Nightmare."

As if the Sun itself had heard, a bright flash lit up the sky, blinding all who looked on it.

When Twilight could see again the shadow that had marred its surface for as long as she remembered was gone, replaced instead by the blinding figure of a white alicorn hovering before it.

Twilight looked back at her teacher but she was frozen in horror.

On the street below panic ensued. Ponies ran back and forth unsure whether to take shelter or run for the countryside. Many cowered in fear whilst others ran aimlessly in terror. Over the hill Twilight could see a small contingent of guards appearing.

None of this phased the blinding figure. 

Golden eyes scanned the town as her fiery mane whipped around her. Eyes narrowing, she swooped down, landing on the street with a force that shook buildings and cracked stone.

“Where is my sister?”

> Sisters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Infernia surveyed the street in front of her. All around her ponies of all three tribes were in various stages of panic. 

As she watched, one tipped over a trestle table before sprinting off towards a house in the middle distance. For a moment she considered stopping them, but determined the effort required would likely not satisfy any aid the pony could provide. 

Not one of the little ponies running back and forth stopped to render assistance. It appeared things had devolved even further in the thousand years she had been gone. At least the hooflickers from a thousand years were attentive. 

"Still," she thought. "The ponies from a thousand years ago would already be hiding in their sad little homes hours before her sun touched the horizon, especially in a small town like this. So why are there so many still out?"

Reaching up with her magic she pulled down one of the hanging pennants from a nearby building. A sun sigil was emblazoned on it, a loose replication of her own cutie mark. Disappointing. 

The pennant turned to ashes in an instant.

“Maam. We will need to ask you to stand down.” 

Infernia could have laughed. A lowly peasant giving her orders? She looked down. A white pegasus stood holding aloft a spear, aimed threateningly in her direction. She flashed her sharp teeth. He held his ground.

She could play their game, for now. “Where is my sister?”

“If you will please cease your magic and come with us I am sure…”

“I have no interest in going anywhere with you.” spat Infernia. “Take me to my sister, or you will not like the consequences.”

“You must come with us. Stand down immediately, or we will use force.”

His hoof was shaking now. Infernia could practically smell the nervous sweat dripping down his coat. He knew something she was sure of it. Her mane flamed in rage.

“What have you traitorous mules done to her? Tell Us now or We will smite you where you stand!”

He stood firm. “We answer only to the Princess.”

"Brave", thought Infernia. "Foolish." It mattered little to her. 

“So be it.”

A pillar of flame rippled out from her hooves, blasting all ten of the guards back.

They landed in a heap across the square. Already Infernia could see none would rise soon. Good. She might need to question them later. That was if Luna had not already been found.

She turned to the townsponies who had ceased their aimless running to stand frozen in shock. 

"See now before thee what becomes of traitors." Infernia announced imperiously. 

Her slitted eyes narrowed. If guards would not inform her of her sister’s location she would simply need to find a more pliable pony. She spotted a young earth pony filly stood alone huddled by an apple stand. She would do. 

Crossing the square with two flaps of her white wings Infernia once again demanded her sisters location.

The yellow filly shrank back from her, face reddened with the heat of Infernia’s breath. “I-I I’m sorry maam, but I don’t know who your sister is.” stuttered the filly.

Sensing no deception Infernia cocked her brow. “Surely this cannot be so?” she asked quizzically. “Mine sister is thy Princess. Bringer of the cool Night that soothes my heat and brings thee thy rest. Surely thine parents cannot have been so traitorous as to turn from thy Princess such?”

"My parents are dead." whispered the small pony, red mane falling from her ribbon to cover her eyes.

The mare’s eyes softened slightly. "And mine sister?" she asked quietly.

The filly looked back up "I uh, I dunno,  I mean I ain’t never seen a pony as big as you before. Only pony that even comes close is Princess Luna. She ain’t quite so tall though.”

“Luna?”

“Yeah." said the earth filly perking up. "Princess Luna’s awesome! She don’t leave the castle much, but one time she came here for Nightmare Night. She bobbed so many apples Big Mac had to gallop back all the way to Sweet Apple Acres for a new bushel. She’s the best Princess ever!”

The alicorn’s stern visage melted away to reveal a genuine soft smile as the flames in her mane calmed, till they seemed more akin to a warm campfire that an all-consuming blaze. 

“Thou art wise child.” said Infernia. “I shall spare you the judgement that now falls on those who betrayed my sister so long ago. Now tell me child. Where is thy Princess?”

"I am here Nightmare." came a voice from behind, its measured tone barely hiding the raging torrent of emotions beneath.

Infernia span around reptilian eyes widening in hope. “Luna?”

“Aye, Nightmare. I am here. Though I wish you were not.”

“Sister?”

Luna’s eyes narrowed. “You are not my sister.”

“Can these traitorous wretches really have blinded you so sister?”

“I was blind Nightmare, but no longer." She took a breath. "I had hoped to see my sister standing before me. But now I see the only way to free her is to destroy you first.”

“Luna, please.”

The Princess of the Night bit her lip. “You speak with Celestia’s voice, but I know you are not her.”

“Celestia was weak. Celestia stood by and let you fall. She was too weak to protect you." said the white alicorn sorrowfully. "She was too weak to do what needed to be done. I am Infernia now. I will never be so weak again!”

“Why must you do this sister? These are your subjects just as surely as they are ours. Will you not protect them? Not leave them out of your misguided vengeance?”

“Why should I? They dragged you down. They turned on you. They do not deserve you!”

“And you do?”

Infernia looked at her little sister, sorrow written large in her features. “Did you not miss me at all little sister?”

“Every day.” Luna said quietly.

“Then why do you turn from me now? I only wish to dispense justice.”

“Justice?” Luna spat in disbelief. “Justice! For what?”

“For the way they treated you sister.”

"That was a thousand years ago." 

"And they hurt you for a thousand before that!"

"I know" said Luna pained voice barely above a whisper. 

"And yet still you protect them?" asked Infernia incredulously.

“I do. And if you were truly my sister you would too.”

"Celestia failed you. I am your true sister."

"Celestia was a better pony than you will ever be."

"Lulu, please."

"Do not call me that!" snapped Luna. "You have no right!"

"Truly, do all the tears you shed mean nothing to you?"

"My tears are for them; and for you."

"You would turn on your own sister for the very ponies who for, so very long, turned from you. Protect those monsters, even above yourself?"

"Always sister, just as you once taught me."

"Then it seems I shall have to protect you, even from yourself, little sister."

"So be it Nightmare." said Luna, flaring her wings in challenge.

"So be it, little sister."

As one the two alicorns soared up into the sky: Luna to protect her ponies, Infernia to save her sister.

The two circled each other in a dance as old as the cosmos. Light and dark, each searching for an opening. Neither willing to give ground. Both with something beyond mortal value to lose.

In the end Luna's patience won out. Infernia's desperation made her press the attack, wild rage throwing flame and fire across the sky and filling it with smoke.

Luna was an leaf on the cold winter wind, swift and merciless. Every gap Infernia left she filled, sharp lances of cerulean energy cutting through ash and smog. 

Looking out from her window, all Twilight could see of her mentor was a dark cloud of smoke which crackled with arcane energy. Fire and lightning chased each other, until suddenly the fire broke away arcing instead to strike to town below.

From the sky came a mighty cry of fury, as the two figures once again became visible.

Infernia hovered defenceless white wings spread wide.

"Come sister. Strike me down. Or do your captors mean so little to you?" Infernia taunted.

Luna turned, diving at breakneck speeds to intercept the flaming meteors. 

Barely she beat them to their destination stopping barely a foot from the ground to funnel all her power into a sapphire shield that stretched and spun, catching each and every burning meteor, though sweat and burns grew on her skin. 

Tirelessly she endured the assault, teeth gritted in fierce concentration. 

Golden chains crossed over her body, holding her fast, as Infernia descended down to join her.

"A cruel trick. Using innocents to draw me in." accused Luna. "Truly your love is poison."

Having expected the Nightmare to attack or push the advantage, she was instead surprised to look up to see a hauntingly familiar look of guilt on her sister's face.

"I promised you once that I would always be there for you." said Infernia softly. "No matter what happened I would protect you, never abandon you as they did." She sighed heavily. "And yet, a thousand years on, still I stand here failing you here sister. Perhaps I truly have learned nothing from our time apart."

The bonds around Luna loosened a faction. "You never failed me before sister. Celestia never failed me. I am a lead casket weighing you down sister. You need only look at yourself to see so." She shook her head. "No, I shall fail you no longer. Dragging Celestia down with me is truly the last nail in my coffin."

"Strange, we always thought you the better mare." 

"If you really believe that sister, then please forgive me for what I must do."

"Always."

Turning away to hide her tears, Luna once again soared higher into the sky as Infernia followed behind.

Stopping far enough above the town that they were little more than dots in the sky they turned to face each other, the few feet that separated them an ocean of unspoken words.

"Forgive me sister." 

With a mighty crack Princess Luna, sole reigning monarch of Equestria sent a crackling orb of midnight blue magic at her sister.

Infernia returned it. 

To Twilight it seemed as if the Sun and Moon themselves were warring in the sky. 

The Night and Day met in blinding combat. Blue and Gold duelled, each pouring more and more magic; until even they could not be seen beneath their spell's might. 

The two lights met in the sky, light and dark fused for a moment before darkness rejected the light, attempting to throw it from the sphere. Cracks of blinding light tore through the safety of the shell as dark sought to extinguish burning light. 

As Twilight watched in horror it shattered. Both combatants were engulfed in light. The sky was white.

Catching a glimpse of a winged form limping out from behind a cloud refuge Twilight strained to see their colours. 

Ash covered their side, but it was unmistakable. 

Fire poured from the alicorn's eyes as much as their mane, as they searched the sky with fanatic fervour.

It was when they dived that Twilight saw it. 

A dark figure falling from the sky to the ground below.

Twilight froze.

Infernia screamed, desperate and afraid.

"LUNA!"

The battle forgotten, unicorn and alicorn held their breath.

Time stopped.

Luna fell.

Metres from the ground the Nightmare caught her, living flame cradling the fallen Princess in its embrace.

A blinding flash of light erupted.

When Twilight could see again, both Princess Luna and the Nightmare were gone.

> Interlude: The Sun Rises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now the hour has come at last
My suns about to set.
Bringing forth a Nightmare
They will not soon forget.

And what a brilliant day it is
To save my sister dear.
To ensure for once and all
She will not live in fear.

So why is it that now
When I return for her at last
She turns from me in judgement
Does she not recall the past?

The ponies of Equestria
It is them who cause this pain.
But soon it shall be over
When death from sky dost rain.

Omnia Sol Ardet
(the Sun burns all)

Am I so wrong to wish 
That she would only see the truth
Not one of them deserves her
She gave them all her youth

How could they not love her? 
Not appreciate her night?
Well then they all shall suffer
Beneath my blinding light.

I've had to wait forever
To make you see what you have done
Every pony here has failed her
So time to have my fun.

And all will beg for mercy
From the vengeance of the Sun.
When all must pay the heavy price
That is due to every one.

So turn away from this.
The final judgement of the sun.
The Moon will not protect you.
Your final day has come.

Die! (Day!)

> Decisions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle was not afraid to admit she was terrified. 

Still gripping tight to her little brother, she stood in shocked disbelief at what had just taken place. Princess Luna was gone: taken by a long lost Princess of the Sun who had come back a monster.

Everything in her screamed to take Spike and run. Go find Cadance and Shiny in the Changeling Kingdom. She knew Chrysalis wouldn’t turn her away. She and Luna were too close for that... 

A small voice inside reminded her of all the ponies downstairs. The ponies who had set up and attended a party just for her. To welcome a stranger. The same ponies who now faced an angry alicorn without any of Twilight's training or knowledge. The same ponies who...

“What’re we gonna do Twilight?”

“I don’t know Spike.” Twilight sighed. “We should probably get out of town. Who knows when she's going to be back.”

“But what about everypony here?”

“I cant worry about them." said Twilight brusquely. "I have to keep you safe”

But she said she was gonna come for everypony. What if she takes you away the way the portal did Mom?”

“I won’t let that happen.”

"How?"

Mind already running through potential options Twilight's eyes lit up in triumph. "I'm going to stop her. Swift Spear mentioned the Elements of Harmony. I bet they’d be able to stop her."

"But didn’t Luna say…"

"Princess Luna’s gone. Maybe these elements do have a cost, but whatever it is I’ll pay it."

"Twilight…"

"I need you safe Spike." Twilight said softly. 

"I’ll-I’ll come with you."

"You’re my little brother Spike. It’s my job to look after you. I need you to stay in here. If things go bad, go North to Chrysalis's hive. That wasn't there a thousand years ago, so Infernia won't know where to look."

"You’ll come back right?" Spike asked quietly.

Faced with the pleading eyes of her beloved little brother Twilight could only nod. "I promise."





Downstairs the room was deserted.

The remnants of the party were still there; but now the room was quiet. Balloons still hung from the rafters, but now they seemed diminished with nopony to appreciate them. Unwatched, they slowly sank in place, quietly deflating. Tables that had once held food and drink had been toppled over in the panic, their contents now spilled over the floor.

Shuddering at the mess Twilight sidestepped over the fallen food, only to nearly trip over the "WELCOME" banner that now lay bunched up on the floor.

By it sat a pink earth pony mare, her pin straight mane falling beneath her shoulders to brush the banner beneath. Quietly she held a crayon in her mouth, silently scribbling out the "and Princess" that had been hastily added below Twilight's own name.

"Hi Twilight."

The monotone voice made Twilight jump in surprise. After hastily gathering herself she realised it had coem from the mare still quietly deconstructing the banner. 

"Do I know you" Twilight asked."

"We met before. I planned your party, remember." said the mare bluntly. Her voice harshened. "Right before that big meanie ruined it!"

The cold tone was unfamiliar, but Twilight had heard that voice before. "Pinkie Pie?"

"It's Pinkamena actually. Not that it matters: I don’t think barbecues get names, or parties."

Feeling a need to do something, Twilight awkwardly bridged the gap between them to pat Pinkie gingerly on the back. 

She brightened slightly, but immediately sank back down when she looked at the orange sky outside.

"Don’t worry the Nightmare wont turn anyone into barbecues if I can help it." said Twilight, projecting far more certainly that she actually felt. 

Pinkie's eyes widened in hope, to an almost comically large size. "You'll beat her?"

Twilight nodded.

"And then we'll have a party?"

"And then we'll have a party."

Suddenly Pinkies hair popped right back up, inflating rather like the balloons that made up her cutie mark. 

"Then what are we waiting for?! Ooh we'll have a victory party, or would that be a goodbye party? How about a no more mean Sunbutt party?"

"Actually, I think princess Luna was hoping it would a welcome back party."

"Oh you mean because she's her long lost big sister?"

"How did you know that?"

"I have ears, they were shouting really loud you know." said Pinkie waggling said ears.

"We all heard." 

Turning around at the new voice Twilight saw Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy come through the library door. All of them looked a little worse for wear from earlier in the day. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were both full of dust and even Rarity was surreptitiously removing the few particles of dirt that remained on her coat with almost impossible focus and precision. Fluttershy looked the cleanest, but even now she was visibly shaking, her mane hanging low for her to hide behind. To Twilight's surprise though each had a spark of determination in their eyes that shone through any fear on their faces. 

Injecting a carefreeness only she could manage Rainbow tossed her mane over her shoulder. "Sorry we're late Sparky, had to go drop the squirts off safe at the farm."

"Applebloom was more shook up than a polecat in a room full of rocking chairs after whatever it was that Sun Witch said to her!" growled Applejack quietly, barely suppressed anger clear in her words.

"Sweetie Bell too." said Rarity visibly upset. "I could hear the three of them whispering about Nightmare Sun coming to get them before I left." She sighed heavily. "Why did it have to happen here?"

"Probably because it's so close to her old castle." said Pinkie matter of-factly.

"How do you know that?" Twilight cut in. "Princess Luna abandoned the old castle a thousand years ago. Nopony's been there for a hundred generations!"

Pinkie rolled her eyes hooves reaching a distinctly unponylike distance to grab a midnight blue saddle bag. "Here of course."

Fluttershy glared at Pinkie. "You shouldn't be looking in other ponies bags Pinkie Pie!" She blushed lightly. "Anyway Princess Luna asked me to look after them for her. Since she might not be back for a while it's my job to look after it for her."

"But Fluttershy" whined PInkie. "The fate of Equestria rests on this."

"Darling, please. As if the fate of all Equestria rests on saddlebags."

"But it really does. How are we supposed to find to the Elements of Harmony without a reliable map?"

"The Elements of Harmony?" Twilight stuttered. "How did you?!"

"Under E." came the muffled response. The pink mare herself was already mane deep in Luna's saddlebag began to root around, even as Fluttershy tried in vain to pull her away.

Trotting over, Twilight did indeed find a book titled "The Elements of Harmony: a Reference Guide". 

"What you got there Sugarcube?"

"Proof."

"Proof of what dear?"

"Proof we can stop Infernia. That we can stop the Nightmare before it destroys the lives of anypony else." 

Each of the five shared a look before looking back at Twilight. 

"We're with you."





Luna woke to darkness.

Around her was nothing but barren rock.

She was utterly alone.

"Oh no! Equestria."

Standing up she lit her horn reaching out with her magic to search for any signs of life.

Surely she could not have destroyed everything already?

"Twilight, I'm sorry. I failed you."

There was nothing.

But then a familiar call responded far away yet closer than she had ever known it to be before.

And that was when she knew.

She was on her moon.
> The Chains that Bind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why won't you see Luna?" pleaded Infernia. "How can you be so blind?!"

"It is you who are blinded, sister." said Luna calmly. "Blinded by the rage of a star in pain. I have seen such before, yet I weep for you still."

Infernia looked on the rage of snapping Luna thought. From the turn of her moon, Luna estimated it had been around a half hour since her imprisonment. Her so called sister had been there for most of it. The golden chains that bound her here, however, had been here from the beginning. 

She could have sighed. Her elder sister's over-protectiveness had finally become chafing. Literally. 

"They don't care for you that way I do sister! How could they? They were still fighting among themselves when we were driven from our homes!"

"As I recall we left."

"Only because of them" spat Infernia. A hundred years of wandering, all because they hated anything that was different from them!"

"They had flaws. And they learned."

"How can you say that?!" Infernia yelled. "After all they did to you? After how they shut you away, just for having wings. How they trampled you beneath their hooves?"

"Because these are not the same ponies as back then."

"Mortals do not change. A thousand years and they still paint the Sun on their pennants like it were their protector."

"Because I ask them to."

"Because they are weak. Weak unchanging cowards who will turn on you for less than thirty pieces of silver."

"Courage and growth are found only in the weak Celestia." Luna said calmly. "I am weak. You are weak. Everypony is weak."

"I AM NOT WEAK!!!" screamed Infernia. "And I am NOT Celestia. CELESTIA, your precious dead sister is the weak one. I am Infernia and I will have you too Luna. Even if I have to make you hate me to do it."

Luna looked Infernia dead in the eye. "I could never hate you sister" she said sadly. "Even if sometimes I wish I could."

"Luna..."

Luna raised her chin defiantly, tears already frozen on her face. "You will be stopped Nightmare. I only hope, when you are, my sister can live will whatever atrocities you commit." She turned away. "I know I cannot.."

Infernia hesitantly reached a great white wing, the outer feathers still singed black at its tip. "Lulu..."

She shrank away as if burned as Luna pulled away, golden chains protecting at the sudden movement.

"Don't you see?" Asked Infernia passionately. "All they do is cause you pain. Let this be my burden to bear. Then we can finally be at peace."

"Peace." spoke Luna, her quiet the rage of a storm fast approaching. "You would call the eradication of every living being on this planet, peace?!"

"From our first till our last all they have done is cause pain. Once they are gone we can finally be free. All we need is each other. Not that bug, not those noble bloodsuckers, not even that precious student of yours."

"Stay away from Twilight Sparkle." Luna threatened lowly.

"Not of them care about you. Only I really love you." Infernia's eyes widened in manic realisation. "I'll prove it to you. That stupid student of yours is traipsing through the Everfree looking for our elements."

Luna froze, eyes wide in fearful realisation.

"Don't you see? Even she only uses you for power! She claims to those friends of hers she's getting them for you, but really she just wants the power for herself!"

"You're wrong"whispered Luna, voice cold,  her mane whipped around her; a black sky, cold as the void, with no blanket of cloud to ease its frozen cold. 

"Am I really sister? As I recall I was always the better judge of character."

"Yet I bore the Element of Honesty."

Infernia sighed. "How about this Lulu? I'll make you a deal."

"A deal? There is no deal you could possibly make that.."

"I won't kill that precious student of yours." Infernia shrugged. "Tartarus, I wont even kill those friends of hers. It's not like they pose a threat. But if I convince them to turn back, then you admit I'm right. And you don't try to stop me."

"And if they do?"

"Well if by some miracle those mortals manage to awaken the Elements I doubt I will be around to complain afterwards. They were always rather...efficient."

Luna grimaced. Forcing herself back to cold hard logic, her mind ran through the options and their possible outcomes. Each seemed worse than the last. A world on fire. Her sister dead by her own hand. A kingdom of bones. She pushed herself to be detached; figures, statistics. If need be Equestria could go on without her. That was, if there was an Equestria left. Silently she thanked herself for sending Cadance away. 

Ponyville though. Ponyville, no matter what she did would be in the blast radius. Over a hundred ponies would suffer for her sister's anger. All the ponies at that party. Spike. Twilight. All necessary sacrifices for the greater good. Pieces on a chessboard that must be sacrificed to win a game. 

She shook her head. No. She had done this once before. And in circumstances far worse than this. In far darker days than this. 

Equestria stood behind her this time. 

She would not fall to such again.

But what to do?

The ground beneath her feet gave her the answer.

Infernia quirked her head, her sisters silence had begun to worry her. Surely Luna could not be thinking of rebellion already... Was she wrong?

Luna glanced up at her, eyes filled with reluctant acceptance.

Infernia thew thoughts of doubt from her mind. She was correct. This was the only option. Luna would see it soon enough. Besides she had no choice. Her little sister was a fighter, not a strategist. And the battle had already been won.

She pushed for an answer. "What is your response sister?"

Her sister looked up, the weak candle of flame that had once burned in her eye slowly beginning to flicker and die. 

"What happens if I refuse?"

"I kill them." Infernia said bluntly. "They are of no use to me. Then I carry out the plan anyway. It's not as if you can stop me from here anyway."

Luna gritted her teeth. "Fine."

"Celestia was always rather good with words," mused Infernia, already planning the many ways she would torment her sister's protege. "Maybe I'll try that first. After that, well, I have other skills."

She looked over at her sister sitting on the ground. Luna looked diminished. The stars in her mane had dulled to the extent where they could barely be seen at all. Even her coat had lost its lustre, white chunks of moonrock dust sticking to it. 

As Infernia watched Luna rose once more to her hooves, her legs shaking slightly as she did so. Her belly was so caked with dust it appeared almost as white as Infernia's own coat, blending in with the rock around her.

She hesitated. Luna looked so weak now. Had she really hurt her so badly?

Her little sister looked up at her eyes locked in a fierce determination her body now betrayed. "Leave me Nightmare. I am sick of the sight of you."

Infernia sank. "Alright Luna." she said quietly.

Spreading her wings she flew off, back towards the planet in the distance. Within a few seconds she was little more than a white dot in the distance. A few more after than she was gone entirely. 

Turning away Luna looked back at her Moon. Gently her mind reached out to touch the new tie of her own making that now tethered her to it. The thing that called itself her sister was gone, Time to make her own move.
> Flashpoint
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They took their first steps into the Everfree; legs shaking but minds firm.

Twilight led the way, appearing far braver than she actually was. Her front right hoof twitched every other second, itching to check and triple check the map. But she held back. Logic told her that constantly checking a map every few seconds would actually increase the risk of getting lost. Not to mention at least half the party was already looking twitchy.

After another five minutes of walking she allowed herself a small break to glance at the map and 'rally the troops' as Shiny would have put it.

"The old castle is at the very centre of the forest so if we keep going straight we should come to it. I estimate, if we run into no significant issues, we will make it within the hour. Then we can stop the Nightmare and rescue Princess Luna and her sister."

Four of her companions nodded seriously. Twilight noted Rainbow looked rather downtrodden at the idea of no trouble. She was relieved to see however that Fluttershy looked rather relieved at the idea of an uneventful trip through the Everfree.

Applejack and Rarity exchanged a concerned glance. "Twilight are you sure.."

"But I thought the nightmare WAS her sister." Pinkie Pie interrupted, throwing herself dramatically over a nearby log. Her whining tone echoed the boredom of a mare whose plot in life wasn't progressing quickly enough for her. "How are we supposed to know who to aim the party cannon at, if Sunny Smiles and Solar Flare are the exact same pony?"

"Well from the little I've been able to gather, the Elements of Harmony do seem to have some sort of sentience. Judgement if you will. It's entirely possible they will see the harmonic imbalance and fix it. If not they are certainly capable of imprisonment, which will at least give us time to search for an alternative."

Rainbow Dash shrugged, rubbing her hooves together far too eagerly for Twilight's taste. "Either way we're here to kick butt. The quicker we get through this stupid forest, the sooner I can kick the butt of whatever it is Flame Head calls herself."

"If I were you, I would be more careful about whose butt you threaten to kick." spoke a disembodied voice. 

As they watched the space in front of Rainbow Dash grew brighter and brighter. A ball of light spread through the clearing, blinding to look at and almost burning in its intensity. For a moment it seemed as though the Sun itself had entered the clearing.

When they could see again the Nightmare herself stood before them, only a bare inch from Rainbow Dash, staring down imperiously at the pegasus with a look of pointed disdain.

Looming over the hovering pegasus, her words hit like icy daggers. "It would behove you to think before you speak so carelessly. I do not believe you would enjoy the punishment for threatening royalty."

She leered forward, looking at each of the ragged band in turn. "A thousand years changes the faces but I still see the archetypes. The guard dog. The boor. The doormat. The hooflicker. The fool. All of them with you Twilight sparkle. I can see my sister chose well in her student. Your loyalty is admirable. But it is misplaced. Turn back now and I shall spare you. Continue on this path and there will be consequences. I have no use for traitors."

Twilight hesitated.

"But Princess Luna…"

The alicorn features softened, an almost hurt look spreading over her features. "Is quite safe." She quirked her head. "Do you truly believe I would harm my own sister? That I would hurt her the way so many of you little ponies have?"

Her look of indignation was convincing. 

Twilight's determination wavered.

'Maybe she doesn’t want to harm anyone.' Twilight thought desperately. 'She DID catch princess Luna. There's no guarantee the Nightmare has to be malignant. This could all just be a big misunderstanding...right?'

She took a step towards Infernia. 

Only to find a blue wing holding her back.

Rainbow Dash stepped in front of her, wielding her brashness like a sword. "Listen here Solar Square. You might be big and powerful. Hell, you might even be some long lost Princess for all I care. But you'll never be my princess. All you are is a big fat fake. So go crawl back to the Sun. Nopony wants you here anyway."

Infernia's hoof whipped out striking Rainbow Dash across the face. 

The pegasus was thrown a good meter across the clearing, thankfully not hitting any of the trees. Fluttershy rushed over to tend to her, as Rarity glanced uncertainly back and forth between the fallen pegasus and the enraged alicorn.

She began to shift uncertainly towards Infernia when Applejack took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and stepped forward; placing herself firmly between Infernia and the others. "Look Princess. I ain't never heard of you before today. Ain't heard much of what you're spoutin' off about neither. But I get family. Far as I know, things mighta been way worse a thousand years ago. Might be Princess Luna actually needed protectin' back then. But that was thousand years ago. Things have changed."

Infernia's fury paused. Her agered face slid instead to intrigued analysis. Mentally Twilight sighed in relief. 

Applejack shuffled her hooves, pawing nervously at the ground. "Look. Honestly, I don't you, you don't know me. You ain't got no reason to believe me. I bet you think you're protecting your sister, really I do. It was my lil sister you spooked back in the town square. I was furious. Just like you're furious now. But those ponies are dead. They died a thousand years ago when you were still stuck up in the sky not able to anythin' about it. But they are gone. Right now it ain't us that's hurtin' her. It's you."

"Lies." whispered Infernia. But all the conviction had left her voice. 

"Look I bet we can still sort this all out. Just come back with us to Ponyville, bring back Princess Luna. We can still make this right."

"You're wrong Applejack." Rainbow growled. "It's too late for that. Just look at what little Miss Sunbutt has already done. There's ponies, innocent ponies,sitting in the hospital right now because of her. Applebloom, your own little sister is right now hiding in the storm cellar right now, because she terrified her so much she can't even bear to look at the Sun. That's not even getting into what she did to her own sister. Tell me, High and Mighty Princess of the Sun. What kind of monster are you that your own sister hates you?"

Internia blanched with rage. Smoke poured off her body as the temperature around her rapidly increased.

Rainbow paused, tensing in anticipation of the blow. Cautiously she opened her eye. Infernia's hoof was a millimetre away. 

The alicorn stood frozen in place. Her hood shook in desperate fury, reaching to attack. But something held her back.

'Really Luna?' she thought angrily. 'A binding oath? Do you trust me so little? Does my word mean so little to you?'

Rainbow smirked. "Guess you aren't all that High and Mighty after all, Your Highness." she said smugly.

Infernia pulled back the hoof, looking for all Equus as if she would rather dash the Sun itself from the sky. Her features had taken on a maddened ferocity unmatched by any they had seen before. Liquid fire poured from her eyes, scorching the ground beneath her. The ground around her dried, then blackened as smoke curled up from it encircling the alicorn's legs as they slowly greyed from the ash.

"You are lucky I do not strike you down where you stand mortal." snarled Infernia, words bathed in bloody promises. "Be assured, when you do fail, and you will. I will take great pleasure grinding your traitorous bones to dust beneath my hooves."

"We won't fail. Before your cursed day ends you'll be the one eating my dust." She scoffed. "Some Lost Princess you turned out to be. Princess Luna must be so disappointed. She built you up to be a saviour, then you turned out a dirty traitor. You go on and on about how we're all traitors; about how loyalty means something to you. But you don;t even understand what it means. Loyalty is about standing behind your friends, behind your family. Maybe you were a good pony once. But frankly I don't care. All that matters is who you are now. And that pony is a dirty stinking traitor! And not one of us will listen to you! So you can take your stupid deal and stick it up your ass!"

Infernia turned red with rage .  "SO BE IT!"

The forest around them grew scorching hot, phantom flames burning their skin as Infernia's form seemed to gasify. The whirlwind of light span faster and faster becoming a maelstrom of flame and smoke that ripped through the clearing for miles in every direction. 

When at last the six companions dared to open their eyes again, everything around them had been reduced to a blackened wasteland. Everything had been burnt beyond all recognition. The great trees that had once shielded them from the Sun were now little more than charcoal skeletons. Everywhere they could see flames leapt up from the ravaged ground. The only places of safety were small rings of green around each of the six that the fire had left unscathed and a small line of green that encircled them all.

"Well that could have gone worse I suppose." muttered Rarity.

> Inferno
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How could she?!" yelled Fluttershy angrily. Rushing from her spot of green she desperately searched the clearing for any signs of life. 

There was nothing.

Rarity reached out, trying to comfort her, but she harshly shrugged it away.

"She has to pay for this. All those homes lost. All those innocent creatures."

"I wouldn't exactly call Timberwolves innocent" muttered Applejack. 

Fluttershy appeared not to hear her. Instead she seemed to become even more distraught. "The bunnies, the birds, the bears. What about Harry? He takes long walks around here sometimes. I kept telling him it wasn't safe..."

Rainbow glanced around, eyes finally striking on a small squirrel just outside the circle. "Hey Flutters, looks like one made it. You want me to go get it?"

Instead of answering Fluttershy dashed forward hooves already moving to encircle the creature.

The earth began to rumble. 

Acting with almost impossible speed Rainbow Dash started across the clearing pulling Fluttershy away as a geyser of flame erupted from the ground.

The squirrel was killed instantly.

Scorched and bruised Rainbow held Fluttershy tight as she sobbed.

"What kind of pony could do this?"

"She's not a pony Flutters." Rarity said quietly reaching over to stroke her mane. "She's sick."

"Sick in the head more like." Rainbow muttered angrily.

"She's not sick." whispered Fluttershy. "When animals are sick or hurt they lash out. They don't do this. She's a monster!"





"And they call me a monster." exclaimed Infernia, finishing yet another of her speeches.

It was somewhat tragic, thought Luna, that Infernia should inherit what was perhaps one of her sister's worst proclivities: overly long lectures. It had never seemed to occur to Celestia, even in their nearly 2000 years of life, that after a certain point Luna simply stopped listening. Discounting her somewhat insulated childhood, Celestia's little speeches had been a part fo her life as long as Luna could remember.

Sermons on politeness, timekeeping, and the royal demeanour had been the most common, but Luna could remember a time when she would run off the play with Discord in the wilderness, her put upon sister's warnings ringing in her ears, even as Celestia herself retreated into the small cave they called home. 

Compared to the cold surface of a dead star floating through space, suddenly that chilly cave from so long ago seemed warm in comparison. 

"Luna, are you listening?"

"Yes, sister." muttered Luna absently. Her mind strained to remain in the past. Why did such memories always seem so much better in hindsight? 

Infernia took on a terrifyingly familiar look. "No, you aren't. I am your older sister, you need to listen to.."

"Forgive me if I fail to pay attention to the words of a madpony, Nightmare." spat Luna.

"You are angry." Infernia observed.

"And if I am?"

"You need not be. Soon everything will be better."

"Everything will be better?" Luna said in disbelief. "Nothing can ever make this better! I wanted my sister back and I got you. The twisted, broken mockery of all my mistakes!"  "And even worse, it is so far out of my power to even attempt to fix you it is laughable." She thought silently.

"I...did not know you felt that way."

"How could I not?" Luna said quietly. "I break everything I touch. It is only natural I would ruin you too."





"Everything's ruined!" cried Rarity. "The world's about to end; and I'm stuck in a dirty, ash covered clearing, waiting to die!". She dropped to the floor in despair, only to quickly hop back up again when she saw a spot of ash on her cloak. Turning to check her saddlebags she sighed in relief. "At least the gift for the Princess is alright. I don't know why I brought it. Such fine materials are wasted in the Everfree." 

Twilight turned from where she was casting spells at the the border. "Are you quite alright Rarity?"

Rarity blushed. "Oh, I'm fine. Rather silly of me really stressing over my silly problems. We are all stuck here together after all."

Speaking of which, asked Applejack. "How's that counterspell coming?"

"Not good." said Twilight glumly. "I've tried everything. Arcana, Conjuration, Teleportation, Nature magic, Elemental magic. I even tried Alchemy. Nothing works. It all just slides off. I've never seen anything like it. Unicorn magic can't accomplish something like this, and I don't know enough about the differences with alicorn magic to even know where to start. There's no guarantee even if I did that my magic would even work." She sat down in defeat.

"Let me handle this."

The other four looked over confused.

Shrugging her shoulders, Rainbow Dash stepped forward. "I got this. I'll fly over this, then get back to Ponyville and get help."

"Are you sure?" asked Fluttershy. "Not that I don't think you can do it. It's just those flames look awfully hot, and I don't want you to get hurt the same way Archibald did."

Rainbow thew a hoof across her shoulder. "I just beat a goddess Flutters, a few measly jets of fire don’t stand a chance! Besides Danger's my middle name."

"If you're sure." Cautiously Twilight, FLuttershy, Rarity, and Applejack nodded their assent. 

Twilight glanced around for the normally vocal Pinkie Pie but she was staring at the flames, an unusually pensive look on her face.

Alright, wish me luck" WIth one great flap of her wings Rainbow Dash was off. 

She sped left and right, up and down, dodging flame after flame. For almost a minute they watched, holding their breath. For a moment it looked as if she might actually make it. 

A jet of fire spat up behind her. 

It threw her off course. She span in the air, balance lost. 

Another caught the edge of her wing. She began to fall.

Twilight closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as her horn lit up.

Rainbow appeared on the ground in front of them the tip of her right wing charred and burnt.

"I'm sorry guys. I guess Goddesses are a little harder to beat that I thought."

Twilight looked up at the walls of flame surrounding them, the fire reflecting in her eyes. Hopelessness pooled in her stomach. "Luna help us." she whispered. 
> Embers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Queen Chrysalis looked out at the midnight Sun.

Behind her the hive continued to work as normal. Panic would serve any of them little. She supposed it was lucky that her changelings worked primarily underground. There were the decorative storeys of course, but anyling of any sense knew that the main work of the hive went on deep in the underground tunnels. 

She supposed it was an advantage now. By now no doubt Luna's ponies were panicking, the zebras were searching for wisdom in stars that could no longer be seen, and the griffons were raising an army to fight whatever they thought was causing this. 

Chrysalis knew better. Almost a thousand years ago she had met a Luna much less practiced in hiding her emotions, still raw from a war that had almost taken what little of a soul she had left. Back then her mother had warned her against getting too involved, but Chrysalis had known better. Ponies weren't just a source of food. They could be friends too.

Her mother had called it blind naivete, but a month later when Chrysalis still wasn't hungry, even Imago had had to admit there was something to what her daughter was saying. Luna hadn't know it at the time, but she had unwittingly cured changeling's of a millennia long famine. 

Chrysalis owed her. 

It was why she hadn't had a troop of warrior class changelings waiting when whatever Luna's sister had come back as had shown up.

It was also why she hadn't simply kidnapped Luna herself and put a willing changeling in her place to protect her.

Not too long ago she had felt Luna's emotions spike, then disappear entirely. 

Logically Chrysalis knew there were any number of reasons for that.

It didn't stop her worrying. 

A whisper of familiar longing blew past on overly heated air. 

"I hope you know what you're doing Luna." the Queen of the Changelings whispered. "I don't think we can afford to find out what happens if you don't. I don't think I can."





The five mares sat in a small circle, as far away from the fire as they could get. Silently Fluttershy cleaned and dressed Rainbow Dash's wing with scraps of fabric from Rarity's dress. The mare herself sat in silence, periodically glancing at Pinkie, who still sat gazing at the fire, to check she wasn't too close to the edge. Applejack sat glaring past the others at the flames beyond as if simple stubborn determination would make them vanish. Twilight's small patch of ground was riddled with etchings and diagrams. All around calculations had been furiously scribbled out, a testament to the impossibility of her endeavours. 

Rainbow Dash hissed in pain as Fluttershy pulled the silk just a little too tightly. 

"Oh I'm so sorry. I didn't hurt you more did I?"

Rainbow shook her head.

Silence fell again.

Screaming in frustration Twilight threw her stick into the fires beyond. "Argh! It just won't work. It's like there's this whole other source of magic that's being tapped that I haven;t ever heard of."

"Give it up Twilight." Rainbow said dully. "We're never getting out of here."

"They just change too darn fast." Applejack muttered angrily. "They're too unpredictable. And since Rainbow can;t get out by air it's sure as cinnamon we can't get out that way."

"I-I could try." Fluttershy offered quietly. 

"No. We don't need anypony else hurt. If I could just figure out how this works..."

"Oh that's easy." called a distant voice. "You've just got to not be afraid."

"Pinkie?" whispered Applejack disbelievingly "How are you..."

Rairity's eyes widened. "Pinkamena Diane Pie! If you do not get back over here this instant, I swear to Luna I will never forgive you!"

"Okie Dokie Loki, just a tock."

"Wait Pinkie don't come back through..." shouted Twilight. 

Her voice fizzled out, however, when she saw a familiar pink figure dancing and hopping her way through the flames, and of all things humming at the same time.

After finishing with a rather ostentatious cartwheel Pinkie looked back up at them a proud little smile tugging at her face.

"What in Equus was that?" asked Applejack bemusedly. 

"How we get past that big flaming meanie's trap of course!" 

"Rightly ah don't know how you do half the things you do Pinkie. But there's no way the rest of us can do whatever it is you just did."

Pinkie looked back at her in confusion. "Don't be silly Applejack. Everypony can dance!"

And as Twilight watched in horror their pink saviour began to sing. Loudly.





"Is that?"

"It is." said Luna with a smirk.

"This should not be possible. That boundary was impregnable..."

Luna cut in. "Did you not account for Laughter sister? That seems a rather large oversight." Her tone rang with sarcasm and the quiet ring of hope. "Perhaps you do not wish to destroy them as much as you claim?"

Infernia laughed. Once the sound would have sounded like music to Luna's ears. A prank well pulled, or a jest well made. But now the tinkling of bells from her sister's throat sounded hollow, darkened by the cruelty within.

"Oh Lulu, do you really think I would change my mind so easily? That I would allow a silly song to blind me to the truth?"

Luna turned away eyes wet with tears she refused to shed. 

"Now then... What do you think about moving the Sun a little closer?"




> Boundaries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're mad." Luna whispered in disbelief.

"Quite the opposite dear sister. I am simply taking the most optimal route to achieve our mutual goals."

"Our mutual goals?! I want nothing to do with this! I tell you, again and again." Luna scoffed shaking her head, "yet still you do not listen!"

"Just like that student of yours?"

"Leave Twilight Sparkle out of this."

"Dear sister you have already brought her into this. Why with our little deal, there really is no pony more central to my plans. You've made that quite clear." She quirked her head. "Really Luna. You brought her here. You gave her the breadcrumbs to find the truth. Just what did you think would happen? That she would run away? Hide? Everything I have no doubt you taught her not to?"

Luna hung her head. "I don't know...not this."

"Honestly, little sister, I wouldn't worry so. Soon enough it won't matter where she is. All fall equally beneath the wrath of the Sun you know."

"So you keep saying." Luna growled. "Perhaps I should remind you exactly what that means. 

"I am already aware. I simply do not care."

"Millions of lives. Innocent lives! Billions! They mean nothing to you?"

Infernia shook her head. A glint of something flickered for a moment before disappearing beneath the surface once more. "In the face of your suffering Luna, they mean less than nothing."

"My suffering?" screamed Luna, lunging at Infernia. "MY suffering?" She threw herself across the barren Moon, teeth bared. "HOW DARE YOU!" Powerful muscles honed from years of war strained, reaching to attack the enemy.

The golden chains pulled taut. Princess Luna, Warden of the Moon and Steward of the Sun, collapsed to the ground; eyes of flint still staring balefully at the mare she had once called sister. "You know NOTHING of my suffering Nightmare!"

"Don't I?" demanded Infernia. "Was it not I who rescued you from that tower? Not I who held you when that traitorous draconequus turned on you? Did I not.."

"Did you not what?" Luna asked spitefully. "Did you not fail me when I needed you most? Not lie and pretend I didn't exist to protect that perfect little family of yours. Please, tell me of how you have never abandoned me. Never left me broken and crying on the floor of a ruined castle with a shell of a kingdom and ponies who hated the very mention of my name? TELL ME!"

"That was Celestia." Infernia denied weakly. "Not me."

"You ARE Celestia." Luna said darkly. "And Celestia was a far better sister than you will ever be."

"You are wrong." the white alicorn said quietly. "Celestia is dead. She died every day for a thousand years, tormented by all the ways she failed. Her subjects, her sister...and her conscience." For a moment the fires burning in her eyes dimmed, giving way to the soft purple Luna remembered.

For a moment all Luna could do was stare. "You don't have to do this Celestia." she pleaded quietly. "At least spare someone. The Griffons, the Zebra's the Minotaurs. Just someone. Anyone!"

Her sister shook her head, fiery mane the harsh orange of a fire being banked. "No," she said quietly. "They must all burn. It's the only way you'll be safe. I made a promise."





When they finally collapsed on green grass Twilight let out a sigh of relief. 

Around her the others were lying on the ground, all except Rarity that was. According the unicorn a bit of dust was no reason add dirt to the equation. At this point her dress was already in tatters, but from the avoidance of the issue by the others, Twilight knew well enough not to mention it. 

Over in one corner a battered Rainbow was being tended to by Fluttershy; whilst Pinkie regaled them with what sounded like a tale of cupcakes, a fiery oven of death, and a grandmother who sounded even crazier that the pink mare herself.

Applejack, on the other hoof, still appeared to be kissing the ground. Twilight was fairly certain among all the whispered thankyous for being back on solid non fiery ground she'd heard one for Apples.

Apples of all things! It defied all logical sense...

They had just sung and danced their way through over a mile of fire geysers. 

An entire mile of angry, alicorn created, fire blasting, death inducing geysers. 

With singing of all things!

Attempting to use the breathing techniques Cadance had taught her Twilight attempted to calm herself down. Clearly Pinkie Pie's abilities were simply a subset of earth pony magic she hadn't seen before. A subset that apparently included: super strength, elasticity, super powered athletics, luck manipulation, and whatever in Tartarus it was that let her pull that cannon out of nowhere.

Perfectly. Explainable. 

Just like a historical myth turning out to be accurate then showing up and setting fire to ponies. 

Exactly like some mysterious elements somehow being the last hope for ponykind. Not to mention being ridiculously powerful super weapons that Princess Luna hid away from everypony. That somehow ruined everything a thousand years ago. That she was hiding away from everypony...

None of it made sense. Magic was supposed to have clear, logical rules. Princesses were supposed to be unbeatable paragons of virtue, not get beaten and disappear into thin air. 

The fate of all Equestria wasn't supposed to depend on her. 

Equestria was doomed.

It was that very moment she realised she had been screaming out loud.





"Are you sure we should leave her?"

"She needed the space. We'll only be scouting a little way ahead to check that no good alicorn hasn't put up anymore traps. She'll be fine."

"Um, girls. She's gone."





Far above them, a lone alicorn wiped away her tears.

"There is nothing left." she told herself. "Whatever it takes."

Reaching deep within her she took one last deep breath. And pulled.

> Step from the Path
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was taken more than a few reassurances to convince the others to leave her alone. Logically Twilight understood why. Unfortunately logic had flown out of the window the moment the Sun had suddenly decided not to set.

However, once she had given herself a firm talking to (albeit somewhat loudly), she was certain she could continue. Clearly before had been an overreaction. Just because Princess wasn't right here telling her to do didn't mean she didn't have things under control. In fact Twilight was certain she did. After all she'd had a whole thousand years to plan out a strategy. At this point all Twilight needed to do was follow her part of the plan.

Quite simple really.

Step One.
Get to the Everfree castle.

Step Two.
Use the Elements of Harmony to free Celestia or imprison Solar Flare as needed.

Step Three.
Reunite with Princess Luna.

Step Four.
Go back to Canterlot: away from the crazy ponies.

Step Five.
Get princess Luna to figure out what in Tartarus Pinkie Pie was.

World restored to rights Twilight shook the aches from her neck and stood up off the ground, looking for the direction the rest of the group had gone.

That was when she saw it. 

A little to the right of the track the others had taken the dark figure of a pony stood. Waiting.

"Princess Luna?"

The figure nodded. Raising a silvery blue horseshoe she gestured for Twilight to follow.

Twilight didn't need to think twice. She followed.





"I don't rightly see what it is made you pick this direction Pinkie."

"Well, if we went in any other direction we'd stop being relevant to the plot. I mean what pony cares about us getting chased by Timberwolves, when a crazy Princess is about to drop the Sun on everypony?"

"Drop what on who?" Applejack asked in confusion. She shook her head. "Never mind, I shouldn't have asked."

"Timberwolves?" Fluttershy whispered fearfully. "I didn't know there were Timberwolves around here."

"Don't worry darling. I'm sure we'll find Twilight soon. Away from any nasty Timberwolves."

Rainbow Dash flexed a wing. "Besides, I'll beat up any that even dare to get near."

"Great." muttered Applejack. "Now, can somepony please tell me where exactly it is we're going?"





Twilight chased her mentor through the forest.

Between trees she darted, moving almost imponily fast. Up a hill and back down, past a gently flowing river. Through a glade of grinning trees. Once or twice Twilight lost sight of her; but then she would turn around and Luna would be silently waiting for her,

Finally they stopped at a small clearing.

When Twilight brushed the last of the low hanging branches from her face Luna was already sitting waiting. Her starry mane and tail draped out behind her, a small piece of the night sky caught among grass and twigs.

She ran towards her. "Princess Luna, you're alright.  Oh I'm so glad you’re OK!"

"Go away Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight stopped short. The few metres between them might as well have been a chasm.

"Princess Luna?"

"Have you not already done enough?"

"But..!"

"I said leave!"

Twilight shrank back hurt and confused.

"But the Elements...my mission. I can't just.."

"Do you not yet feel as if you have failed me enough? Go home Twilight Sparkle."

Her mentors voice ran cold with anger, but Twilight could hear the sorrow beneath it too. "What about your sister? You told me.."

"I told you to leave. Yet it seems you cannot accomplish even that much."

"But it was you that led me here." Twilight's throat tightened. "Don't you believe in me anymore?"

Her mentor paused, her dark blue coat still rippling in the sunlight like an oasis in the desert.

Twilight gathered her courage. Gently she reached out to touch her teacher's shoulder. "It's okay I know what we have to do.."

She fell backwards, falling through the air like a puppet doll who's strings had been cut. Midnight blue magic filled her vision, blinding her with tears and cutting into her skin like a thousand cuts of paper.

"I SAID LEAVE!"

Twilight lifted her head off the ground, body aching. Before her she saw only a monster.

Fur black as death. Obsidian wings, jagged and sharp. Wicked teeth poised to bite. Soulless eyes staring into her soul, finding her wanting. 

All softness gone.

Where her teacher, her protector, had once stood there was now only a Nightmare. A Nightmare of the Moon who could destroy them all just as easily as the Sun could.

Nightmare Moon cocked her head. "Whatever is the matter my faithful student?" she asked. "Are you not pleased to see what your failures have wrought?"

Twilight ran.

> Searching
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I don’t like it.” Applejack muttered. “We’ve been searching for near on an hour and we haven’t seen hide nor hair of her. There should at least be hoofprints, broken twigs, something. But there’s nothing.”

“Well, if you’ve got a better idea of where to look, I’d love to hear it.” snapped Rainbow Dash from above.

The orange earth pony sighed. “I don’t know Rainbow. We’ve followed the river up till this point, but if something chased her off then there’s no telling where she could have ended up.”

“Perhaps we should ask the gentlestallion over there?” Rarity interjected calmly.

“Yeah, right. What idiot, other than us, is gonna be running around the Everfree forest with a mad alicorn on the loose.”

Fluttershy pointed. “Um, Rainbow.”

“…Oh.”

Half submerged in what was quickly becoming a rather turbulent river, a rather large purple river serpent was beating his fins against the rock whilst wailing dramatically.

“Um, Mr River Serpent, are you okay?” asked Fluttershy quietly.

“Don’t look at me!” shouted the river serpent, waves of water splashing over the group as he turned to hide his face. “I’m hideous. Hideous I tell you.”

“Now I’m sure that’s not true darling...”

“But it IS! Everything is ruined! My face, my holiday retreat, my MOUSTACHE!”

Whilst the other four were still blinking away the shock Rarity took charge. “Now I’m sure that’s not true dear…”

“Steven, Steven Magnet.” 

“Now let me see…” She nearly jumped back in horror, but managed to hang onto her composure. “How could somepony ruin something so beautiful? What cruel, evil, horrendible, creature could do such a thing?”

“I know! There I was minding my own business when this little purple pony showed up.” The five shared a meaningful look. “I was just going to warn it about the firebird nesting grounds nearby, when a mean shadow sliced off my beautiful moustache!”

Rarity carefully reached over to pat him on his enormous back.

“I was only trying to help” he sniffled. “And now I’m missing half my moustache and the other half’s singed!”

Rarity growled lowly. “Infernia.”

Steven Magnet looked over in confusion. “Infernia who?”

“She’s an evil alicorn.” filled in Applejack.

“Who kidnapped the Princess.”

“And put her in a tower.”

“And now we’re off to kick her butt!”

“Oh she DOES sound terrible!” the serpent exclaimed.

“Not to mention what she did to my mane.” Rarity said angrily, sensing a sympathetic audience. “See this?” she asked. “Thanks to that, that bully, it’s been dragged through mud, torn by brambles, scorched, and worst of all TANGLED.”

Steven Magnet winced in response.

Rarity smiled somewhat sharply. “Not to worry dear. We’re going to fix all that, I’m certain alicorn princesses have spells for such an occasion. Just as soon as we find our missing friend, of course.  But first YOU.”

He took a step back. “There’s really no need to..”

“Oh, I insist.” Drawing a pair of scissors from her now rather dirty saddlebag, she swiftly cut the remains of her party dress in it into neat pieces. “No sewing machine,” she muttered. “But it will have to do.”

Quicker than most of the others could follow she sewed and braided a simple design onto the fabric, sewing the patches together to make a scarf long enough to wrap around the serpents neck.

“Good.” she muttered to herself. “But there’s still something missing.”

For a moment she surveyed the area, then looked back at her own tail before back at the moustache-less side of Steven’s face, raising first one hoof then then the other to visualise his face. 

She sighed. “There’s nothing for it.” And then with one smooth motion she cleanly snipped off her tail a few centimetres from the root.

Flutttershy gasped. “Rarity, why would you?”

“I can’t create something from nothing.” Rarity smiled sadly. She levitated the shorn tail up, attaching it to the serpents face, before changing the colour to match the orange of the one he had lost. She shrugged. “Besides, short tails are in this year.”





Infernia flew back to her sister’s Moon, heart bright with the knowledge of being right. 

Flying through the vastness of space like a comet, she saw the dark figure of her sister silhouetted against the grey of the rock around her. 

Eager she called out. “Did you see sister?! Twilight Sparkle turned on you. Just as I said she would!” She quirked her head a look of worry coming over her face. “Did you not see it, Luna?”

There was no response. Luna sat still as a rock on the surface of her Moon, eyes closed to all around her.

"What is she waiting for?" thought Infernia. "Surely by now she has to have seen the truth? Why doesn’t she run to me?" 

Behind her eyes a small foal ran towards her, small wings flapping in excitement and she threw herself into Infernia's waiting hooves. As her sister hugged her tight Infernia felt moisture begin to form behind her eyes.

Luna hugged her tight. 

She laughed. The answer was simple. She had forgotten to disable the force field keeping her sister safe on her Moon. Clearly Luna wanted Infernia to run to her. 

A soft smile on her face she angled her wings for a swift decent into her sister’s embrace.

CRASH!

"A barrier? Why was there a barrier? There shouldn’t BE a barrier!"

Infernia froze in horror. She couldn’t leave her sister alone. Not now. Not ever!

She tried to break through. Tried to go around, find a weak spot. Nothing. 

She hurled every ounce of magic she had at her disposal at it. Every spell she knew. Fire. Ice. Even a passing meteor. 

The cursed barrier didn’t even have the grace to ripple. 

It was as if the Moon herself was trying to keep her out. 

She shook her head. No, that was not the domain of the Moon. The Moon changed, adapted, reflected. The Sun was the one to erect mighty barriers. Luna was a mere reflection of her might.

Her eyes widened in shock. 

A pale reflection indeed.

A small, wry smile quirked up on Luna’s face.





“Girls, I think we’re lost.”

“We’re not lost, we’re just taking the long way. At least my Pinkie sense isn’t saying we’re lost.”

“I don’t think Mr Magnet would have lead us in the wrong direction.” Fluttershy said quietly. “Not when Rarity was so nice.”

“We’ve gone past the same tree stump THREE TIMES Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash said in exasperation. 

Applejack sighed. “I don’t think he goes much past the river Fluttershy. There’s no way around it. We’re lost.”

Rarity, had she not been acutely aware just how much in bad taste it would be, might had rolled her eyes at that moment. Any Diamond Dog, even six feet underground, could have told them they were lost. In addition to Rainbow Dash’s tree stump she was fairly certain the same squirrel had been peeking glances at them for the last half hour.

“Come on!” said Rainbow in dogged determination. “We can’t give up! Twilight is counting on us!”

Rarity sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, their chances of finding Twilight were minuscule in a forest of this size. Add to that the shadow that had been following her… Rarity shuddered.

“Wait a minute.” Applejack called. “I think I see something!”

Rarity looked where her friend was pointing. At first glance it just looked like the walls of trees and vines they’d come across before. But when she looked more closely…

“There’s nothing rooting them to the ground.” Applejack said in triumph. “I reckon if I just…” She pulled. The heavy foliage fell away to reveal an overgrown archway, heavy with moss.

Beyond it stretched out a secret garden.

Though it was overgrown from disuse Rarity could remember enough from her visits to noble estates to see the signs. A hanging rope swing off in one corner. A path of stepping stones leading the way through the grove to the centre.

The five of them hovered at the entrance, feeling like intruders in this garden of ghosts. 

“Who do you think lived here?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

“I don’t know.” Rarity answered. Something drew her closer. Beyond the beauty there was something old and sad that called deeply to her soul. She stepped onto the path.

Silently the others followed.

All around them wildflowers grew. Sunflowers reached towards the sun, whilst Moonflowers hid their pale petals from its sight. The scent of lavender filled the clearing.

At the very centre, by the remains of an old wooden bench stood two statues, entwined so closely Rarity thought they must be hewn from the same rock.

On the left stood a tall unicorn of white marble, who looked down at the smaller pegasus beside her with a expression Rarity could only describe as love. The pegasus in turn gazed up at the unicorn in return, features worn away by time, as it leaned in close to the unicorn’s side.

"Sweetie Bell", Rarity thought.

She reached out to touch the statue. 

A furious cry of anger came from above. With a buffet of searing wind Rarity found herself thrown back towards the archway.

She looked up. Above the others a bird of pure flame hovered, murder in its eyes.

> Discovering
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the first time in her life Rarity found herself flying. She soared over the overgrown bushes of the sanctuary; feeling for all the world as as if Princess Luna herself had strapped wings onto her back. 

Then she fell. Heavily. Into a conspicuously large pile of mud. 

Mentally cursing whatever poor luck had made her land precisely in that spot she quickly wiped the dirt from her muzzle, then turned to check on her saddle bag. She sighed in relief, the new weave was holding. Enough of her things had already gotten dirty today. If the princess's dress was ruined it would well and truly have become a fashion travesty. 

A loud cry came from across the glade, quickly followed by a singed Stetson and an even more singed Applejack.

The bird was still hovering above the statues, poised to attack. Just below its talons the marble unicorn now had some rather blackened vines hanging over its face.

Carefully she deposited her saddlebag on the ground before looking back at the fiery bird now swooping down towards Rainbow Dash.

“Well then,” Rarity thought “I suppose I had better get back to the fight.”





“How dare they!? How dare these TRAITORS despoil my mistress’s garden!?”

Philomena flapped her wings, sending the blue one spinning through the air. The orange one once again tried foolishly to entangle her with vines. If she were a thousand years younger she would have laughed. Her mistress would have laughed too.

But this was not a thousand years ago. Now she was the only thing between these minions of the Betrayer and the last unspoiled piece of her Mistress’ legacy.

The pink one leaped up, attempting to catch her and drag her out of the sky as if she were some insensible chicken. Philomena moved an inch to the right. The pony missed. In a feat of Discordian proportions however it still managed to make a grab for one of her pinions. 

In her haste to pull away Philomena caught a whiff of its scent. It stank of the Traitor. Just like the last one. 

The yellow one still stood there, watching. She made no move attack. If Philomena had not known better she would have assumed there was no malice. But she did know better. 

Even from her post she had seen them change. One by one they fell. Death or betrayal, it did not matter. In the end they all bowed to the False One. They had forgotten her Mistress and had turned from her light. Even now she had returned they sought to despoil her legacy. 

Didn't they?

Philomena was aware a thousand years without her Mistress's wisdom had made her jaded. 

She smelled again. 

Beneath the scent of the traitor ash and smoke clung to their coats. And there was something else. Something she had felt all day. 

Fear.

For no reason she could logically discern that emotion had permeated the forest ever since the Sun had not set. The first true day for a thousand years had been marred by darkness. Darkness that turned her wings to lead every time she thought to fly home to finally rest on her Mistress's shoulder. 

The same darkness that had followed the first. 

No pony had disturbed her for almost a millennia. So why today? What could these intruders possibly want if not to destroy even more of her Mistress's legacy?

The first offender rushed back towards her to continue the fight. Philomena glanced once more back towards the watching pegasus, then pushed the doubt aside.

She already knew her Mistress’ wishes. 

No matter what Celestia's legacy would be protected. 

She dived down to meet the challenge.





Fluttershy stood frozen as the furious bird above them screeched in anger before swooping down to attack Rarity. 

Living fire danced along the bird's crimson wings, bright magic snapping and crackling until it overflowed, reaching toward the ground with burning fingers.

Quietly she watched the flame spark as it fell, hypnotised by the light. She still remember the flames from earlier, endlessly hungry to burn up everything in their path. They had barely gotten out alive. Any second now those flames would hit the ground and the ancient sanctuary would be consumed in the flames of its own protector. A cruel irony.

Flame met grass. Then winked out of existence. 

Cautiously Fluttershy leaned closer, trying to get a better look. Nothing. The fire had disappeared. Not a since blade of grass had been so much as singed. That shoudn't have been possible. Unless...

Magic. 

But Firebirds didn’t have magic. That was why they usually lived in the remote deserts of Saddle Arabia. Their flames were renowned for parching what little grass lay around. It couldn't be them.

So what was it?

Mentally she went over the possibilities. Most avian species had no magical ability at all. And even less had anything approaching elemental control. And none at all would have any reason to defend so viciously a garden abandoned far longer than they had been alive from a group of ponies simply passing through. 

It made no sense. No bird lived that long.

In an instant her mind caught upon the answer. A phoenix. Regenerative qualities allowing them to live for thousands of years, highly attuned magical capabilities, a furious loyalty to those who earned their loyalty…

A crack of thunder stuck overhead. 

Up in the sky Rainbow wrestled with a wild Everfree storm cloud. A blast of flame from the phoenix made her grip tight to avoid being thrown loose. A wild lightning bolt borke free from the cloud. 

It arced down towards the pheonix. She moved to dodge but Fluttershy could already tell she couldn't do so in time. 

Glancing up Fluttershy saw Rainbow wrestling with a wild Everfree storm cloud. A stray lightning bolt arced down towards the phoenix. The bird moved to dodge, but Fluttershy would already tell she would be a second too slow. 

The lightning hit. In that brief moment of impact the glamour shimmered as the phoenix began to fall from the sky. 

Beneath the magic she was skeletal. Even from a distance Fluttershy could tell she hadn;t eaten properly in days. Phoenixes were native to the dragonlands. This far from home she'd have to be scavenging far and wide to achieve the proper diet. 

It was clear she hadn't. Her wings were matted from disuse, faded shades of grey with the odd crimson feather poking out at an odd angle. There were even gaps where it looked like she had tried to rip them out herself.

Even her talons looked cracked and worn. 

She glanced back at the others. Slowly they were regrouping, circling the phoenix as she struggled to stand. 

Both sides full of desperation. 

“STOP!”

They froze. Mostly out of shock. Quickly Fluttershy trotted across the clearing, brushing past the others to scoop up the phoenix in her forelegs.

Rarity, ever composed, recovered first. “Fluttershy, what in Luna’s name..?”

“I think,” started Fluttershy quietly. “No, I know, this was, is, the Lost Princess’ garden.” 

“But what does that have to do with anything?”

“She was protecting it from us.”

Rainbow Dash growled. “Nothing. Not only has that no good, vindictive foal of a manticore foalnapped Twilight, but now we have to deal with her evil pet Flamebird too!”

Philomena hissed angrily.

"It's not like that." Fluttershy corrected. "The Nightmare," Philomena's ears pricked, "has actually hurt her even more than she's hurt us."

“Great.” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Somepony else who’s been screwed over by Infernia.”

Applejack shook her head in confusion. “But they're the same pony. Aren't they? If she's been here all this time how could Infernia possibly have hurt her?"

“Because she’s not Infernia’s pet. She’s the Lost Princess’s”

"But they're the same pony!"

Fluttershy shook her head. "That's just it. I don't think they are. Remember what Princess Luna said? I think there's something wrong with her. Something the elements can fix."

She turned to look down at the phoenix. "And I think you know that, don't you?" 

The phoenix gave a very slight nod.

"Fluttershy, it's a bird."

“No Rainbow. She's a phoenix. They're incredibly smart, and loyal. She wants what we do.”

Pinkie cocked her head in confusion. “Huh?”

“She wants to save her owner. We want to stop Infernia.” 

She looked over at the phoenix. “Will you help us?”





Philomena looked at the yellow pegasus. She could see no lie in her eyes. Maybe the elements could help.

Flapping her wings to test them she managed to gently lift herself off the ground. In her minds eye she could already see where they needed to go.

She glanced back at the Mistress's supposed rescuers. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

She shook her head. That wouldn't do. 

Now where had that other one galloped off to?





"You're sure it knows where it's going?"

"She. And yes she does."

"Much as I hate to say it I'm with Fluttershy. I don;t think we'd have found her tracks again if it hadn't been for that bird." 

"I think I hear something."

"I don't know Pinkie. Looks kinda empty."

"No there's hoofprints see. One set only. The rest all go round in circles."

"Maybe you're right Pinkie."

"Do you think she managed to escape Applejack?"

"I don't think so Rares. Far as I can tell there's only one set of tracks. Hers."

----------



> Finding
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike was scared. 

It wasn't easy to admit. But he was. 

Ever since he was small every pony around him had been a stoic. Mom, Luna, Shining, even Twilight. When the bad things came they would make an unconvincing attempt at a joke, then gallop off to defeat whatever evil reared its head. Then they came back. 

Except when they didn't.

Spike didn't like to think about when they didn't come back. 

Mom hadn't come back. 

There had been so much shouting that night. Months of furious arguments, whispered in corners where they thought he couldn't hear, had finally exploded into an inferno that had consumed them all. 

The few things he could still remember haunted him. The cavernous echo of Twilight's steps on the empty hallways. The alien look of hatred on his mother's face. 

The crash that had torn his world apart. Followed by the sound of a thousand pieces slowly falling to the floor.

He hadn't seen what had happened. Twilight had covered his eyes. 

Neither of them would tell him what had happened either. 

He remembered the aftermath though. The empty mirror frame. The shards strewn around the room like broken glass. A thousand broken reflections staring back at him from the stone floor, ready to cut like knives.

He'd been hurried out before he could finish counting them.

After that the arguments stopped. 

But his mother was still gone. 

Just like Luna. 

Against all the logic his sister had drilled into him, Spike hoped she'd come back home soon.





Twilight had given up.

There was no point in trying anymore. 

It was all utterly meaningless.

For all she'd claimed to the others about Nightmares and long Lost Princess's, deep down she knew the truth.

She wasn't doing it for them. 

She was doing it for herself.

Twilight wasn't a soldier like her brother. She hadn't raised a shield or swung a sword. She had studied. Studied so that the pony who had taken her in and raised her up would be proud of her. Would trust her. Would believe in her. 

As it turned out she had been a failure all along. She had just been too blind to see it. 

What sort of faithful student couldn't even manage to keep one measly promise?

Even worse she'd dragged other ponies down with her. Brought them on a quest that had no hope of succeeding. Lied to them. 

Maybe the Elements of Harmony really did have a cost. 





She heard them before she saw them. Sound carried well in an empty clearing like hers, and compared to the numb silence their shouts were deafening. 

"Twilight, is that you?" 

She didn't bother responding. 

"Are you sure it's her?"

"It's got to be, right?"

"She looks so pale."

"So sad..."

She could feel their breathing now. If she cared enough to look up she supposed she would see them clustered close around her like fillies to an ice-cream cart. Foals never did know what was good for them. 

"Twilight can you hear us?"

"Wake up Sparky! We've got a flamey ass to kick!"

One of them lifted up her ear. "ARE YOU IN THERE TWILIGHT?" She supposed that was Pinkie Pie. Not that it mattered.

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know Fluttershy. I really don't know."

Silence fell over them. The only sound was the quiet shuffling of hooves. Twilight hoped they'd finally decide to leave. They'd be better off without her. 

Something soft fell over her shoulders. Reflexively Twilight breathed it in. It smelt like moonflowers. Like home. Without noticing her shaking began to ease.

"Are you sure, Rarity?"

"I wouldn't worry darling. Spider silk isn't that hard to come by. Just a small trip to the Badlands really. The dust should be nothing compare to what my poor coat's already gone through today. Besides, I'm certain Princess Luna won't mind waiting just a little longer. It is a gift after all."

Twilight's eyes flickered open. "Princess Luna."

Rainbow Dash reached over, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Yeah Sparky, remember her? You really gonna lead the head honcho down?"

Twilgith turned away. "I already did." 

"I don't believe that" interjected Applejack fiercely. "And I bet if she were here she wouldn't either."

"But I did." Twilight whispered. "She warned me not to come here. Warned me that the Elements were poison. I came anyway. And I put you all in danger."

"That was our choice."

"I LIED to you!"

"You're telling the truth now."

"I nearly got you all killed!"

"But you didn't." Fluttershy said softly. "You protected us. You did your best. That's more than enough." 

"No, it's not. I'm selfish. I only did all this so Princess Luna would love me. I'm a terrible pony!"

"She already does. And so does Spike. And they're counting on you." Rarity paused, "Aren't they what really matter?" 

"But what if I fail? What if I can't do it? I'm not a hero, not like in the stories."

"Maybe you aren't. I doubt any of us are. But you are his hero."

"But I've already lost."

"Twilight." She turned. Pinkie Pie stood a few feet away from her, her bright pink coat somehow having repelled the dirt and ash that had clung to everyone else. On her face was the most serious look Twilight had ever seen.

"I want to tell you a story, if that's okay with you? I think it might help."

Cautiously Twilight nodded.

Pinkie smiled wistfully. "Once, when I was super duper small, right after I got my cutie mark, I was baking cupcakes. Now these weren't just any old cupcakes, they were for my big sister Maud's first birthday party since I'd found out my special talent. I wanted to make it perfect." She shrugged. "I mean I had to make up for all those birthday parties where I hadn't made it the bestest Pinkie party ever!" Her smile faded. "But I tripped. The mix went everywhere. All the decorations were ruined and the extra special cake I made splattered all over the walls. And, as much as I tried to fix it, I only made everything worse. By the time my family came back I was sure I was the worst sister ever. So I decided they'd all be better off if I wasn't around and sent myself to my room."

"What happened to the party?" Twilight asked quietly. 

Pinkie shrugged. "In the end there wasn't one. But it wasn't because I splattered the cake. It was because I wasn't there. I was a pebble from giving up entirely when my big sister Maud came into my room. I was so sure she'd blame me that I couldn't look at her. I kept waiting and waiting for her to scold me or tell me what a failure I was. But she didn't say a word. She just hugged me and said "I love you Pinkie." And that was enough."

For one blissful moment Twilight could feel the warmth of knowing without question where she belonged. Then she remembered the twisted look on Luna's face.  "But I let you down", she said quietly.

"That's okay Twilight." Pinkie Pie said. "Everypony makes mistakes. What's important is that you get back up again."

"But I'm not sure I can do this on my own."

"Then don't, silly!"

"You still want to help me?"

"Of course we do, we're your friends!"

For a moment Twilight was struck dumb with amazement. Then she looked at the mares, at the friends who had come with her so far. Their smiling faces reignited a hope she had thought lost forever. 

She reached out to them. And they reached back.

As forelegs of white, orange, pink, yellow and blue wrapped around her, Twilight took one last look before closing her eyes, giving herself entirely to the embrace.

All she could see were friends. 

Finally she understood.





Unnoticed above their heads the Moon rose up above the western horizon.

> Ignorance was Bliss
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several miles past Equestria’s northern border Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, known as Cadance to anypony who would listen, was preparing herself for the next day's negotiations. It was fairly standard, renewing and re-bargaining the usual trade agreements, proposing the odd amendment whilst trying very hard not to notice Chyrysalis' knowing glances. 

In short it was nothing a well trained Canterlot diplomat couldn't have accomplished in the same amount of time and with half as less hassle. She knew her Aunt meant well but every time she visited changelings of every age shape and size would swarm to her like incredibly affectionate bees to honey. In fact she was fairly certain she'd seen one particular changeling commute all the way from Canterlot for the occasion. The put upon looking unicorn hanging from her side had been a dead giveaway. 

Not today though.

Usually she could handle the attention. She was a social pony after all and changelings, albeit rather hive minded at times, were a generous and at times entertaining race. But with the dark cloud that had seemed to hang over Canterlot castle lately she just couldn't seem to relax. 

Which was why, well after sundown she was still poring over her Aunt's old diplomatic letters for inspiration. It was fast becoming a chore. Not much had changed in the past 500 years and she had used up the most interesting records, the founding of the Northern Hive,  on the chariot ride over. Add to that the growing urge to tear her own mane out at the constant reminders of her greatest matchmaking failure to date and Cadance was becoming positively stir crazy.

As if in answer to her boredom an awkward cough signalled the return of her guard and unofficial coltfriend, Royal Guard Captain Shining Armour. As he closed the door Cadance caught a brief glance to the corridor beyond. There was nopony there. 

"Strange" she thought. Usually there would at least be a particularly brave or rebellious nymph trying to get a look at "their" Princess. A strange feeling of tension made her prick her ears. Silence. 

She turned back to her reading, sinking back down into the luxurious bed, endeavouring to at least be comfortable, even if not entertained.

Shining Armour began to pace like a caged bugbear. 

There was something bothering him. Mentally weighing up the pros and cons she finally decided to cut to the chase and ask him when frantic knocking on the heavy wooden door stopped her dead in her tracks. 

Shining Armour had barely touched the door handle before a changeling burst through the door, chest still heaving from the sprint. He was wearing the heavy armour of Chrysalis' personal honour guard, but the famed composure was missing, replaced instead by eyes blown wide with fear and black chitin wet with fear. 

That feeling was back. She recognised it more now. It was something beyond dread, tied into the very core of her being, held just too high above her reach for her to grasp. 

“Queen Chrysalis requests your presence immediately. On the surface”





“So these elements…do you think they’re dangerous?”

“I don’t know." Twilight sighed. "Princess Luna certainly seemed to think so." Then again her mentor had never been immune to emotional bias, Twilight hadn't needed the last 24 hours to know that. "Maybe this is just another Nightmare Night." she muttered angrily.

"What does the Princess have against Nightmare Night?" Rarity asked curiously.

Twilight grimaced. "I shouldn't have mentioned that. I promised not to tell."

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“It’s the end of the world Sparky. I think the Princess’s secrets have flown way out the window by now.”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Can’t shut the barn door once the animals have bolted.” she said sagely.

“You’re an apple farmer.” Rainbow Dash said bluntly.

"So what?  I doubt you even know what a barn looks like."

Seeing a fight about to break out Fluttershy interceded, putting a hoof between them. “What do you think we should do Twilight?” she asked quietly.

“As far as I can tell Swift Spear and Princess Luna agreed on one thing, the first time they used the elements against Discord they worked fine. And honestly I can't think of anything else we could try, except maybe trying to make it to Queen Chrysalis and Princess Cadance in the North.”

Applejack glanced up at the sky. The Sun was shining a baleful red, bigger now that before even to the naked eye. 

“I don’t think we have time for that.”





“Princess Cadance, I really must protest.”

“My orders were clear Shining Armour. Stay below in the room.”

“I can’t do that.”

Cadance’s eyes narrowed. “And just why would that be Captain?”

“Because I was…” He trailed off, eyes shifting in a desperate attempt to avoid Cadance’s gaze. He closed his eyes, a deep breath, and he he met her gaze. “Because I couldn’t in good conscience allow you to travel into possible danger alone.”

“I’m right in the middle of an ally Queendom Shining, what could possibly happen to me?”

He tilted his head meaningfully at the changeling guard, whose eyes still held a maddened glint. 

Reluctantly Cadance acquiesced, signalling Shining to follow as the changeling began to lead them along the winding maze of corridors that lead to the surface entrance of the hive.





This day, Infernia thought, was turning out to be rather less perfect that she had imagined. Not only had Lulu not immediately run to her, but she was now shutting her out of her own Moon! 

Her mane crackled in rage, turning the flames from orange to a bright blue that darkened to black at its edges. Her eyes darkened, turning to a blood red as they narrowed in anger at the figure on the surface. 

Her sister’s brow furrowed in concentration as, unbenownst to her, her tongue slipped out from behind her teeth to stick out to the side at the same strange angle it always had.

The red faded from her eyes. Magenta irises fixed on the figure below her, drinking in the sight like a pony who hadn’t tasted water in a thousand years. 

“Lulu’s moon” she corrected herself. “It’s Luna’s moon.” All of this was for Luna. It had to be. 

But, she supposed, since Lulu really belonged to her anyway, her precious rock did too. She could almost have danced for joy Everypony was happy. Everypony that mattered that was.

The barrier rippled, pearlescent energy ran across it zapping Infernia and forcing her to leap away from it.

A harsh, barking laugh escaped her lips. Clearly her sister’s charge did not like her. Not that it ever had really.

She supposed, if she were sticking to the Elements of Old, that it definitely hadn’t helped that she had barely bothered to learn its name, let alone remember it. Luna had gone on and on about it in the early days, but once THEY took up all her time and energy her mind had no room left for her sister and her names.

A soft smile grew unnoticed on her face. Luna did always like giving things names. She supposed her baby sister still remembered all the names of the small army of stuffed toys they’d had to leave behind. She remembered Lulu rhyming off some strange naming convention to help her remember them all. "What had it been again, names beginning with I. Or was it C?"

She was getting off track. Toys long rotted away served no use to her now. What she needed was Luna’s name for her Moon.

"Celia, Celly, Serene…"

She smiled, white fangs glinting in the moonlight. 

That was it. 

"Selene."

Honestly she didn’t know why she hadn’t bothered learning it in the first place. Names had power after all.





As they passed through the upper levels the hive remained ominously silent. It left Cadance nervous. Even in the middle of the night someling would be passing through for some duty or other. But there was nothing. 

Every time she could remember, since Luna had brought her the first time as a small nervous newly ascended adolescent alicorn, changelings had flocked to her. It was inescapable really. She was the Princess of Love, an oasis in the desert filled with the purest water known to ponykind. Even with the agreements and relationships Luna had fashioned over the last eight hundred years changelings were still a hungry race. So why weren’t they here?

“This is as far as I take you.” Said the guard lowly. “I don’t want to see that THING again.”

Recognising the short path to the surface Cadance nodded in acquiescence. The guard skittered off back down into the darkness of the lower levels.

Even before she stepped outside she could tell what was wrong. The heavy heat of the sun reached down the opening and through the tunnels. By the time Cadance had climbed the last few steps she was sweating. 

“Good of you to join us Cadenza. I don’t suppose your Aunt mentioned anything about this to you did she?”

Shaking her head Cadance’s mind went over the possibilities. Aunt Luna was sick or had forgotten. Foolish. In the thousand years it had been recorded, even in self-imposed exile her Aunt had never failed to raise the Sun or Moon. Not once. 

Something worse then. Something or somepony had stopped her from performing them. Imprisoned her perhaps. Or worse. 

A horrible thought crossed her mind. All the extra lessons, the training, the attunement to the Celestial bodies. Luna had been preparing her. But for what?

Aunt Luna wouldn’t just disappear without telling her. Wouldn’t send her away just as she was about to disappear. This wasn’t some horrible twist on the fate of being an alicorn. "Was it?"

There was one way to find out. She reached up for the Sun, trying to sense her Aunt’s magic. Something threw her away. Angry. Hot. Burning. 

Her Aunt lived. She knew that much. But there was something else. Something dark. Something twisted.

A tap on her shoulder made her look up. Hanging beneath the Sun, like a ball on a dangling piece of string slowly being reeled in, was the Moon. 

For a moment her eyes widened in hope. Then the dark craters on its surface came into focus. 

She didn’t have to reach up to feel who it was. 

Behind her she could hear the harsh choking sounds of Chrysalis trying very hard not to throw up.

“Dear Luna!” Shining Armour whispered.

“I don’t think that works when she’s the one in need of saving.” Chrysalis muttered bitterly. 

“Not helping!” Cadance snapped at the Queen.

Chrysalis didn’t respond. Instead she whispered something under her breath, too quiet even for Cadance to hear. It sounded like praying. 

But the heavens payed no mind. Closer and closer the Moon came, until it crossed paths with the Sun itself passing in front to block the harsh light of the Sun. Slowly it finished its final ascent, until finally the world was once more cast into darkness, leaving only a thin band of golden light to reach around the Moon.

Cadance let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. She shouldn’t have doubted her. Auntie Luna knew what she was doing. All Cadance had to do was keep everypony calm and figure out how to get her out of there and safe back on the throne.

A bright white light shot out from the Moon. When Cadance could finally see again, not even the comforting shadow of the Moon could protect her from the truth. The figure on its surface was gone.

> Remembering is a Burden
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Twilight we have to keep going.”

Tearing her eyes away the student of Princess Luna forced herself to keep walking, the heavy stench of incinerated Lunar magic burning her nose.

In front of her the others whispered amongst themselves worriedly, glancing back occasionally to check on her. Their concerned eyes gave her the strength to keep putting one hoof in front of the other but Twilight’s heart was already broken. 

Nopony could have survived that. Not even an alicorn. 

And now she would never know the truth.

How ponies’ innate magic worked was simple, taught to the smallest of foals and found in the most basic of textbooks. It had to be. An uncontrolled surge or magical burnout could be fatal, even to the strongest pony. Every pony had a limit, a boundary to what they could do. Magic regenerated over time, but too much at once or a backlash too great and a pony’s wellspring would shatter. 

Without that…

The steady tread of hoofsteps stopped. “We’re here.”





As they crossed the threshold a cold wind seemed to sweep through the broken corridor, blowing away the dust and cobwebs to reveal the fractured stonework beneath.

The only speck of colour in an otherwise grey landscape, Philomena led them onwards.

Through the dimly lit hallways they wound, passing first through an old banqueting hall whose plates had long since grown over with moss; then past an old statuary filled with familiar faces none of them ever had met. 

Every so often Philomena would pause expectantly whilst they looked around, searching for the elements. Many times she would perch on the shoulder of one of the tall statues that seemed to be dotted all around the castle, the tall imposing figure of an alicorn whose mane and tail seemed to stretch on for miles even frozen in stone. 

Each time she would wait a few minutes as they searched before shaking her head and cawing her displeasure, pulling on Twilight’s mane until they moved on to the next room. 

As she led them up stone spiral stairs to the upper level Twilight tried not to look down. Beneath her right rear hoof loose pebbles skittered down the steps clattering as they went. 

Finally reaching the second level Twilight followed the others into the first chamber. To her surprise it was not a library or study as she might have expected. It was a bedroom.

Though dust lay heavy on the floor, they could still see the golden fibres that had once matched the ancient tapestries still clinging to the walls. When Rarity’s keen eyes spotted the solar sigil woven deep into the fabric Twilight saw her gasp.

As the other gathered around Twilight’s eyes were drawn to a yellowed book still sitting on the desk. Carefully reaching to turn the page she caught a glimpse of the words “Celestia’s private diary. Keep out! (Especially you Luna!)” before the page crumbled to dust almost as soon as she touched it.

Upon the postered bed she saw a single sunflower cut in its brightest bloom, beginning to dry but not yet fully faded. All around it lay the withered remains of a hundred more, petrified petals reaching for a ray of sunlight that would never reach far enough into the room to cradle it.

Tears pricking her eyes unawares she suddenly felt like an intruder. Stumbling from the room she caught Philomena’s gaze, the phoenix’s amber eye softening to a sheen more familiar in aquamarine blue.





“We have no time to waste, we should leave now!”

"I agree. We must march for the Everfree forest immediately." 

Shining Armour felt a cold sweat begin to trickle down the back of his neck. He was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.

Queen Chrysalis gestured to her guards, already quickly moving to form ranks.

Cadance moved to stand beside them.

Shining’s horn lit up, roaring with the magenta glow that had given him his cutie mark. The was no more room for hesitation or doubt. He had his purpose, and he had his orders.





Beginning the climb up a set of stairs even more precarious than the last, Twilight felt her apprehension begin to grow. 

They still hadn’t found the elements and now Philomena was refusing even to let them search in the proper optimal manner. 

After Twilight had stumbled her way out of the Lost Princess’s bedroom the phoenix had quickly herded the rest of them out, even pecking Rarity when she tried to resist. 

There was a bright glint growing in her eyes, one that scared Twilight. Having corralled them into the corridor she had begun pushing them with needlelike precision across the main hallway and towards the west wing. 

For a brief moment Twilight thought she had caught a glance at the throne room but, before she could spot more than two decaying chairs and a broken dais, Philomena was pushing them on again, up yet another flight of stairs, these even more crumbling than the last.

Now, just outside the room, Twilight felt a shiver run down her spine. The ghosts here were even stronger than in the east wing.

Forcing herself to push open the door she stepped inside. As she did so she felt the crunch of glass breaking under her hoof.

Her ears however barely registered the sound. Instead they, like the rest of her, were frozen in horror.

If the last room had been a museum, carefully preserved and protected from the ravages of time, then this was a crime scene. 

What remained of the furniture was barely more than shattered shards of wood. The curtains that had once been blue had been torn from the window frame with such force that the rail that had once held them up had been ripped cleanly from the wall, dragging down heavy chunks of masonry with it.

The room itself had been left thrown open to the fury of the elements. The rotting wood gave the room a heavy smell of decay, and all over the floor tattered scraps of paper and the spines that had once held them were little more than wet pulp.

Devastation washed over her as tears began to bloom in her eyes.

Behind her she heard Fluttershy gasp. Turning to see her eyes widened in horror. All along the main wall what she had taken as scratches were instead words gouged deep into the stone. 

She stood there in horror staring, trying to make sense of what she saw. But all she could read was anguish. The few words she could make out made little sense, seeming to exist only to howl their madness at any pony who dared to look. Only three words were legible, repeated over and over, a wretched cry screaming out at the world. 

I HATE YOU!

Feeling the words pierce her heart Twilight staggered backwards, as her hoof caught on something by the door she reached out to catch herself, landing heavily on the nearby Pinkie Pie for support.

With sudden surprise she realised the usually joyful pony had never put a hoof past the threshold of the room instead waiting outside, her mane flat against her coat and her blue eyes large with grief.

Looking down to see what had caused her to trip Twilight saw a small framed portrait of two alicorns, one white and one blue, holding each other close, oblivious to everything except each other. 

Though the glass protecting it had long since been trampled, the picture had remained almost untouched by time, unfaded by the elements that had consumed almost everything else. The only thing to mar its surface was a single word written large in a shaky hand all too familiar.

Help Me

For a moment she was overwhelmed by emotion. But then, at the feeling of her friends comforting hooves on her back again, she looked up, her face set in determination. 

“I know what we have to do.”





“I swear Shining Armour, if you do not release us THIS INSTANT...!”

Shining Armour gritted his teeth. His shield, powerful though it might be, was not made to contain two alicorn level rulers and several hundred angry changelings. That wasn’t even including the civilians.

Looking back at the purple shield now encasing the entirety of the changeling hive he came to the conclusion he had perhaps panicked.

In his defence, the recent explosion of Lunar magic really hadn’t been conducive to maintaining a peaceful situation. The anguished changeling queen currently throwing herself furiously against the wall of the shield was proof enough of that.

Vision beginning to blur as cracks began to form before his eyes and a stray bolt of magic singed his ear, Shining Armour made one last ditch attempt to save the situation.

“She ordered me to do it!”

Everyone froze. The fight slipped from Cadance’s frame as Chrysalis’s eyes relit with a green fire halfway between hope and fury.

“What?” asked the Princess of Love quietly.

Letting out a sigh Shining let the fractured remnants of his shield fall. “Two months ago Princess Luna came to me with a plan. She wouldn’t say exactly what it was, but she told me that during the Summer Sun Celebration this year there would be an attack.”

Cadance’s eyes widened. “How could she possibly have known that? If there was a threat like that I would have known!”

"Nopony knew. That was the point. She wanted it contained to minimise the possible casualties."

"But how could she even have found out in the first place? Threats like this don't come from nowhere!"

Chrysalis sighed heavily. “She’s known for a thousand years,” she said softly. “I only wish she had told me the truth.”

“The truth?” Shining Armour questioned in confusion.

“About her sister.”

"Her sister?!" Cadance and Shining shouted in unison.

For a moment Chrysalis's eyes took on a misty quality, before she shook her head. "That isn't important now. Clearly whatever plan Luna had has failed." She scowled. "What I want to know is, what on Equus possessed her to make this a private family reunion!"

Cadance opened her mouth as if to protest, but one look at the sluggish moon struggling to stay aloft and she shut it again. 

Meeting the Changeling Queen's eyes, the two rulers shared a look, turning in sync to look at the now heavily sweating guard captain. 

Shining crumpled under the duo's glares. “I don’t know!” he exclaimed. “All I know is she ordered me to keep you here out of harm’s way for as long as possible, or until the threat passed.”

“Not until she recalled you herself?” challenged Chrysalis, one elegant eyebrow raised.

“She said I would know when it was safe. Now I know what she meant.”

The two shared another significant look, longer this time. 

“You don’t think… Aunt Luna wouldn’t…”

“She would.”

Shining looked before the two mares a slow feeling of dread beginning to creep over him.

“She isn’t coming back, is she?” Cadance asked quietly, voice small.

“She is if I have anything to say about it.” Chrysalis said firmly. “Whether she likes it or not.” 

She turned back to the changeling guards still standing primed behind her. “All guard regiments form march formation.” Throwing a look of challenge at Shining Armour she summoned her crown. “We’re going to rescue a Princess.”





In the end it seemed as though all along Philomena had known all along exactly where it was they had needed to go. Almost as soon as Twilight had spoken she had taken off from her makeshift perch to fly out of the room, making the six of them run to keep up with her.

Back down the stairs they went, through a broken archway on the main corridor and out into the courtyard.

As Twilight entered she circled a strange stone statue before flying up to roost in a nearby rafter. Following her flight path with her eyes Twilight could see that most of the courtyard had long since fallen to ruin. With no pony to tend to the stone or keep the grass in check the floor had become overgrown taking much of the finely wrought stonework with it. 

Only the strange statue remained untouched. Five smooth spheres of stone stood, suspended on long platforms circling a sixth larger globe.

'Could this be what they had been looking for?'

She glanced back at the others.

Above her the sky cracked. Tears fell from the sky as thunder roared overhead, quickly followed by lightning too wickedly sharp to be anything other than a weapon. It shot across the sky, faster than an arrow, hitting something in the inky blackness. 

For a moment a pale figure was visible as it hit.  Then a moment of darkness before the sky was turned red with fire hurled across the sky to hit another figure too slow to dodge. 

Twilight’s breath caught in her throat.

They fell like a rock, hurtling towards the canopy, wings fighting against gravity. A hair above the treeline they caught themselves, landing heavily. For a moment a harsh rattling breath could be heard echoing out across the forest. Then the heavy flap of wings began anew, hauling them back into the sky where the other stayed, waiting.

A heavy weight settled on her shoulder. Turning Twilight saw Applejack there, the others just behind steel in their eyes. 

“We’ve followed you this far Twi. Just tell us what we need to do.”

Behind her Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity nodded.

“We started this together we’ll finish this together.”

“Wherever it takes us.”

“We’re behind you.”

“And we have your back.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “Girls, I…I don’t know what to say.”

Pinkie Pie grinned. “Just agree we’re all friends and get on with saving the world, silly!” A nervous look grew over her features. “We are friends, right?”

“Of course you are!” Twilight blurted out. “I mean we are, friends that is. All of us. And we’re going to stop Infernia. Together.”  

As the last syllable left her mouth a bright light burst forth, illuminating her in magenta light, before spreading out to cover each of her friends who each began to shine a soft light of their own.

Above them battle froze.

And somehow Twilight knew everything was going to finally be alright. 

She looked at each of her friends in turn and saw exactly what they represented. 

Rainbow Dash. Loyalty. 

Applejack. Honesty.

Rarity. Generosity. 

Pinkie Pie. Laughter.

Fluttershy. Kindness.

"Something is still missing."

Her glowing eyes locked onto the statue. She could feel it calling to her, calling to be made whole again. 

She stepped towards it. 

“NO!”

From the sky a dark angel fell at impossible speeds. Her wings were invisible, locked to tightly to her body they ached. Her gaze was locked upon the statue and the small figure slowly approaching it.

A figure wreathed in flame and smoke followed the first.

Crackling arcs of light and dark tore across the horizon. 

Twilight’s hoof reached out to touch stone.

One final shot rang out.

All was silence.