Twilight finds a spell on friendship, then casts it on her and her friends. And after a huge argument, the spell activates, changing their lives forever. There's one more lesson they all need to learn, and Discord is there to help them.
Twilight finds a book with no author and no title, but discovers it contains spells relating to friendship. One of them she casts on herself and her friends. Nothing happens and this throws the six Bearers into disarray as an argument breaks out among them. A magical blast knocks them all out and causes a change in each one. Now with new abilities and new responsibilities, will these six friends learn to get along again? Or will Ponyville be changed forever?
One thing's for certain: this is one lesson they'll never forget.
Magical Mystery Cure, an episode you either loved or hated. I felt that Hasbro went about it a little left field. This is my attempt to make something a bit more believable.
Rainbow Dash spun around in the air, pulling off some of her more dangerous stunts. She felt quite happy that she'd done so well, or at least she would have if something big and green hadn't appeared in front of her. She tried to stop but to no avail. The next thing she knew she had a face full of leaves and branches and a major headache. She shook herself free from the tree, dazed.
“Rainbow Dash!!!” a very familiar voice shouted from inside the tree that was Ponyville's local library. She gulped, then stuck her head into the ever-open window and peered inside.
There, amidst hundreds of books that had been knocked onto the floor by her collision, stood her five friends. Twilight sighed and shook her head.
“Really Rainbow Dash, it's almost as if you make it a habit to crash into MY library and wreck all of MY hard work,” she said, exasperated.
“Hehe, sorry girls.” Rainbow Dash apologized.
Twilight groaned, looking around at the mess, then levitated a black book over in front of her.
“Now, you're all probably wondering why I called you here, but it's for a very good reason,” Twilight began, holding the book open and flipping through the pages, “it's because the Princess sent me this book and asked me to look into it.”
“So, what is it?” Rainbow Dash asked, receiving a glare from Twilight.
“Well, it's a spellbook, but not just any spellbook. The spells in here relate to friendship. And because you are all my friends, I figured we could try one or two on us all,” Twilight finished, looking at each one of the girls in turn, who smiled in return.
“Sure Twilight, sounds like fun!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Rainbow Dash flew inside and settled on hovering in the air above the five mares.
“Now, there’s one particular spell that I’d like to cast, but the book says nothing about what it does, so I’m not sure how it will affect us all,” Twilight flipped to the back of the book.
“Oh my, it won’t mess up my mane, will it?” Rarity asked as Applejack and Rainbow Dash rolled their eyes.
“I’m sure your mane will be fine. Now, let’s see,” Twilight replied.
Three tribes at war for oh so long Fighting over lands where they belong They soon found, through trouble and strife They all were needed to save their way of life
If one day you seem to find Your group of friends aren’t one in mind Just cast this spell and then you’ll see That soon, the same they’ll never be.
Twilight recited the spell and the others watched as her horn lit up, growing in brightness as she concentrated on the spell more and more. Then a great flash of light lit up the library, blinding them all. As the light dimmed, they all noticed that each one of them glowed briefly before it faded. They all looked at each other, then examined themselves.
After a few minutes of examining their bodies, Rainbow Dash sighed.
“Ok, the spell was a dud.”
“No, Rainbow, we just don’t know what it did,” Twilight retorted.
“Well, it seemed like it didn’t do anything. Perhaps you cast it wrong?” Rarity asked.
“I didn’t cast it wrong! There wasn’t much instructions, just concentrate on the spell and let it work,” Twilight snapped.
“Maybe you’re thinking too much about it?” asked Rainbow Dash. Twilight glowered at her and Rainbow swore she saw small wisps of smoke come from her ears.
“I’m not thinking too much!! Maybe if you hadn’t slammed into the library when you did I would have gotten it right! So if it doesn’t work, it’s your fault!” she jabbed a hoof at Rainbow Dash.
“My fault?” Rainbow Dash looked wounded, “it’s your fault for thinking too much! If you just let your instincts guide you, it would’ve been better!” she snapped.
“If you stopped to think about what you did, you wouldn’t get hurt all the time and you especially wouldn’t run into the library all the time!” Twilight snapped back.
“Now girls, it won’t do us any good-“ Rarity started, but both angry mares turned their attention to her.
“Oh be quiet, Rarity!” Rainbow Dash snapped, “you don’t know anything about letting your instincts guide you. You just go off of crazy ideas!”
“Yeah, and when was the last time you tried to cast a spell harder than your gem finding spell?” Twilight added, “do you even know any other spells other than your gem finding spell or levitation?”
Rarity seemed taken back by the anger, but she narrowed her eyes, anger filling them.
“Oh, and when was the last time you both made a dress?” she glared daggers at each of them.
“Probably about the same time you actually got dirty,” Applejack muttered under her breathe, but not low enough that it escaped Rarity’s hearing.
“Oh? Get dirty? You don’t know the first thing about being a Unicorn! You don’t know how hard it is to cast a spell!” Rarity snapped.
“And you don’t know how hard it is being a Pegasus!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“Oh please, it can’t be that hard, all you do is fly around and sleep all day long!” Applejack shot back at her.
“Your wings are useless!” Applejack shouted, “you could probably have them ripped off and you would be fine!”
“Actually,” a soft voice jumped in, “I use my wings to help my friends.”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “Really Fluttershy? All you do is walk around on the ground! You rarely use your wings! Your wings are useless!”
“Hey!” unnatural anger fed into Fluttershy’s voice as she defended herself. “I use my wings more than you think! I just don’t use them for weather!”
“Come on girls, we should just have a party and laugh at all this!” Pinkie Pie jutted in. All five of the angry mares turned to glare at her.
“Life is not just a party!!!”
Pinkie blinked at the five of them, then a dark cloud fell on her face. “You think that all I do is throw parties? You think all I do is think about how to make people happy?” she glared at all of them. If they hadn't been so angry the other five mares would have been very worried, but right now they didn't care.
“Yeah, we do think that. All you do is run around and get into other ponies' faces and try and cheer them up!” Applejack snapped.
“Do you do anything else besides butt into other ponies' business? I mean really, always running around and saying 'hi'? It's a wonder the Cakes don't throw you out, always throwing parties at Sugarcube Corner without their permission.” Rarity snapped at Pinkie.
“The Cakes care for me! They have me stay with them because of all that I do for them! What about you, Rarity? How many times do you help ponies who stay with you? Oh wait, you don't have anypony that stays at your boutique because you're afraid of getting dirty!” Pinkie snapped back, causing Rarity to gasp.
“You always have a one-track mind, Pinkie, and sometimes it's too distracting when it comes to other, more important things!” shouted Twilight.
“Well, I'm sorry that I have a one-track mind! At least I can see what's going on around me!” Pinkie shot back.
“You Earth Ponies don't even know how hard it is to keep several things in mind! When was the last time you thought of something other than sweets, Pinkie? And Applejack, when didn't you think about your farm?” Rainbow jeered at the two Earth ponies in the room.
“Oh pulease, Rainbow! You act all 'holier than thou' only because you've got wings! You wouldn't know the first thing to do if you were stuck on the ground!” Twilight shouted at Rainbow.
“And what about you?” Rarity asked, “always pulling the 'I'm Princess Celestia's Personal Student' card whenever we need a leader.”
“All Earth ponies know how to do is make food! It's the Pegasi that have to take care of the weather!” Rainbow Dash shouted, getting glares from Applejack and Pinkie Pie.
“Oh please, you don't know the first thing about life on the ground! It's not hard to flap your wings and escape from the troubles down here! Maybe you should try it sometime, you might get something done!” Pinkie shouted back.
“Ya'll wouldn't know what ta do if ya'll didn't have your precious horn or wings! Ya'll wouldn't last a day being a normal pony!” Applejack interjected.
“Normal?” Twilight scoffed, “I'm afraid there's nothing normal about being plain. That's more boring than anything else!” Unbeknownst to them all, Twilight's horn started to glow softly and increased in strength.
“Please, Ya'll couldn't do my job even if ya tried!” snapped Applejack.
“Flying's a lot harder than you think! And I have plenty of things I have to worry about!” Rainbow Dash glared down at the five mares.
“Magic isn't something that comes easy! It takes study and dedication to grasp even the easiest spells, much less make your own spell!” Rarity shouted.
“I do more than just sit around and think of parties I can throw! I can only do so much!!!” Pinkie glared at the rest of them.
“Wings are used for more than just flying!!” growled Fluttershy.
“Enough!” Twilight's horn grew to almost blinding in brightness, “you all don't know how hard it is to be Princess Celestia's student! You just sit around in your stores and homes and act like everything is just fine! Well it isn't! I have a lot on my shoulder and none of you understand that!” They could all feel the magic flowing through the room. “You all don't know how hard it is to study everyday and try and be perfect! You all wouldn't last a second in my place!!!”
And with that final statement, Twilight's horn blew up. Not literally, but magic blasted off it with such force that it slammed all six mares into the walls, knocking them unconscious. Their last collective thought was 'This isn't my fault.'
As they slept, their bodies started to glow and each one had a specific change come over them. One that would make it's mark on their lives.
Outside the library, a certain Draconequuis smiled as he snapped his fingers, teleporting him back to Canterlot. Celestia would love to hear about this. Discord afforded himself a smile as he thought about her reaction. The student had become the teacher.
Fluttershy blinked as a sliver of sunlight poked through the blinds and shone right into her eyes, jarring her from sleep. She groaned as she slowly rose to her hooves. She normally didn't sleep on the floor and that blast from Twilight's horn had really thrown them all for a doozy. She shook her head to clear her mind of the sleepiness that still clung on, then she gasped. It was morning, and she was in the library, and she hadn't fed her friends, and Angel was probably mad at her, and she needed to leave!
This thought occurred in about a nanosecond of time in which she barely had time to register that there were the other five girls still knocked out. She didn't pay too much attention to them as she ran to the door then opened it and left, closing the door behind her. She ran through town, noting that the sun wasn't too high in the sky so she hadn't slept in too late.
She ran down to her cottage, over the stream, and knocked on the door softly. She didn't want to wake any of her friends that were still asleep, so she gently closed the door behind her. She tapped it with a hind hoof then jumped as the door slammed shut, causing many of the birds in her home to squack in protest to the loud noise.
“Oh, um, I'm sorry. I didn't think the door would close that hard. I'll do something to fix it,” she whispered, then she turned to look around. Many of her friends had already been awake when she came in and she smiled as she saw Angel standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He tapped his hind leg on the ground impatiently.
“I'm sorry Angel. I guess I just slept in later than I wanted.” Fluttershy strode past Angel into the kitchen and started to make some breakfast. Angel raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, seeing something off about his caretaker and friend. Fluttershy started putting together a small salad for Angel and her, pulling things out of the fridge and placing them on the counter.
She turned around to look at Angel as he started to squeak about something. “What is it, Angel? Do you want anything special?” He continued to squeak and point behind her. Fluttershy turned around and stared at the salad, then she looked back at Angel. “Do you not want a salad?” she asked. Angel furiously shook his head, then ran over and grabbed the head of lettuce from the counter and scampered away.
“Oh Angel! Now's not the time to play games! We need to eat so we'll have the energy to do things today,” Fluttershy tried to stop him as he ran out of the kitchen and climbed up a bookshelf. He waved the head of lettuce down at her as he sat, perched on the top of the bookshelf. Fluttershy trotted over to look up at him. “Silly Angel, I need that lettuce.” Angel just waved it at her with a smile on his face.
“Fine, if you won't bring it to me, I'll have to come up and get it!” This seemed to make Angel happy as he smiled down at her, then gestured with his paw. 'Bring it.' Fluttershy smiled up at him, then leapt up and spread her wings.
Unfortunately that's not what happened. As she leapt up, she instructed her wings to unfold, but she found that she couldn't do that. She landed, not-so-gracefully, on the ground with her hooves splayed out. She stood up, then jumped up again. She was worried as her wings didn't unfold and catch her, and she ended up falling back to the floor. She looked up at Angel who still smiled down at her.
“Why aren't my wings-” Fluttershy started to say as she looked at her back but stopped as something caught her eye, or rather the absense of something caught her eye. She gasped, then spun around.
“No! Nononono! This can't be happening! Where did my wings go?” Her jaw dropped as there, where her wings should have been, was a smooth coat of butter yellow fur. She ran her hooves over her back, trying to find some sign of her wings. She teared up as she found no such indication that she'd ever had wings. She started to cry, tears running down her cheeks, as Angel climbed back down the bookshelf, setting the lettuce aside.
“Oh Angel! What happened to my wings?” she sobbed. Angel started to run his paws through her mane, trying to calm her down. Fluttershy thought back through the past day of events, finally resting on the spell that Twilight had cast. Maybe that was the culprit. She should go see Twilight later today to see if she could reverse the spell.
But first, there was the matter of feeding her animal friends. She stood up, rubbing her eyes to clear them from the tears, and strode into the kitchen, Angel following with the lettuce. She finished her salad and ate it, along with Angel, then turned to tending her animal friends.
She glanced around, locating the bags of feed in one corner. She trotted over and picked up one of the bags with her mouth. She hefted it and found it lighter than she remembered. She sat it down next to several bowls and, checking to see if any holes were in it, tore it open. She stood on her hind legs as she poured the feed into the different bowls, making sure that everyone got some food. She sat the feed down and watched her friends eat.
As they ate, she stared at her hooves, thinking. The bag wasn't opened and it didn't have any holes. She'd had a harder time lifting them when she'd bought them, even with her wings. But she didn't have her wings, so why were they lighter?
She reached a hoof up, feeling her head but not finding a horn. If she wasn't a unicorn, or a pegasus, then that left only one left. She rested her hooves on the ground and stared around at her home, it slowly sinking in.
She was an earth pony.
“Well, I guess now we know what that spell does,” she whispered to herself. She sighed then moved over and grabbed a bag of bird feed. She looked up at the bird feeders hanging from the ceiling several feet above her, thinking how easy it was to refill them.
She rose up on her hind legs and reached for one of the feeders. Finding that she was still a foot too short, she set down the bird feed and tried again. To her dismay she found that dropping the feed didn't make her any taller and so she started to hop up and down, swinging her hooves to try and get the feeders down.
There she stayed for several minutes, trying all different ways to get the feeders down while Angel and her animal friends sat by and ate their food like popcorn, enjoying the show. Finally Angel shook his head, then hopped over and patted her hoof. She glanced down at him, then saw him motion toward a chair.
“That's true, Angel. But I don't think it will get me close enough,” Fluttershy stated, then trotted over and grabbed a few thick books from the shelf and placed them on the chair. She got behind it and pushed it over underneath the feeders then, smiling to Angel and herself, hopped up onto the chair and then the books, grabbing the bird feeders with ease.
She hopped off the chair and ripped open the feed bag, then filled the feeder and placed it back in its spot, hanging from the ceiling. She sighed, there was one done. Then she looked around the room and hung her head. There was a total of a dozen feeders, each in a different location throughout the room. She smiled and shook her head, they weren't getting filled with her just standing there.
One hour, and quite a bit of work, later Fluttershy looked at the clock then gasped. It was time for her to meet Rarity at the spa today! She rushed around, grabbing her saddlebags and slinging them onto her back, then trotted out the door. She turned and looked at Angel. “Angel, be good and keep everyone out of trouble.” She turned back and closed the door, then trotted toward Ponyville and the spa.
She got there with ten minutes to spare, stepping through the door and smiling as she saw Aloe and Lotus sitting behind a desk. They perked up as she walked in.
“Dear Fluttershy, so nice to see you here!” Aloe smiled at her and she smiled back.
“Um, is Rarity here?” she asked, but frowned slightly as the spa twins shook their heads. “That's ok, I'll wait.” She sat down in one of the chairs to wait for Rarity.
As the minutes ticked by, Fluttershy grew more and more anxious. She knew that she and the girls had argued quite a lot yesterday, much more than she'd ever argued in her life. They had all been angry at each other, accusing one another of things. She shuddered as she thought back on some of the things that had been said, then her thoughts roamed to this morning. She'd been quite surprised when she'd found out that she didn't have wings, but she'd gotten over it. Sure it made feeding her bird friends harder, but she'd managed it this morning. And she was a lot stronger as an earth pony. She'd been picked on back at school because she couldn't fly very high or very fast, so it felt good to be able to do things on her own. Fluttershy smiled to herself, she might just enjoy being an earth pony.
Fluttershy was jostled out of her train of thought by Lotus entering the room.
“Fluttershy, it's time for your appointment.”
“Um, ok. Has Rarity shown up yet?” she asked, hopeful. Maybe Rarity wasn't so mad at her and the girls that she'd miss her weekly trip to the spa?
Lotus shook her head and Fluttershy frowned, then she stood up and moved to the door.
“Alright, I guess she's busy with work,” Fluttershy sighed. She followed Lotus out of the room and into the sauna, starting her spa treatment.
Her spa treatment passed quickly and Fluttershy found herself missing Rarity and her conversations of work and gossip. Without the distraction, her mind began running down trains of thought she didn't want to think about.
What if they all started fighting again after I left? Maybe they don't want to be friends any more. Maybe Twilight'll move back to Canterlot and we'll never see her again! That would be horrible! I can't let that happen, but I'll need Rarity's help. I'm too shy to bring this up and she'll know how to talk to the rest of them. But why hasn't Rarity showed up? Is it that she's too tied up with work? Maybe I was too bold during the argument, but they didn't need to tell me that my wings are useless. I use them, almost every day too.
It was hard work trying to feed my bird friends. I hope that this spell can be reversed. Maybe I'll talk to Discord, perhaps he could help us? I don't like friends fighting and I really don't like not being able to help them.
Fluttershy stood up as she finished her treatment. She grabbed a towel and dried herself off, then slung her saddlebags onto her back and walked to the front of the spa. She handed over a small bag of bits to Aloe and left with a smile. I'll go back and ask Discord if he can do anything about this.
She trotted through Ponyville and arrived at her cottage, pushing open the door and stepping inside. She looked around, then inhaled a huge amount of air. She was going to do something that she didn't like to do, but would be necessary.
“Discord!” she shouted. If anyone had been standing next to her, they would have thought that she'd just sighed, unable to pick out the single word from the squeak that came out of her mouth.
Fluttershy waited a few minutes until she heard a knock on the door. She opened it up and saw a pink umbrella that was folded up, standing straight up.
“Discord,” she smiled. She had long gotten used to the many ways that he'd taken to appearing. A pink umbrella wasn't the most unique. That award went to how he'd appeared, then had found out about her secret.
The pink umbrella stood still for a second, before popping open, eliciting a squeak from Fluttershy, and revealed two feet, one hooved and the other clawed. The umbrella rose up as a lion's paw grasped the handle, revealing the god of chaos himself.
“Why hello, Fluttershy! Such a wonderful day!” Discord smiled down at Fluttershy, then blinked once as he took in her lack of wings. “Why, what happened to your wings? I promise I didn't steal them this time.”
Fluttershy smiled back up at him. “That's actually what I wanted to ask you about. You see...”
Several minutes passed as Fluttershy related the happenings of the past two days, Discord using a small cloud to rest on as he listened.
“And so that's why I want you to give me my wings back,” Fluttershy finished.
“Hmm,” Discord thought out loud, his lion paw stroking his beard, “return you to normal, huh? Well, I don't see that I can, dear friend.”
Fluttershy blinked at him. “Why not?” she asked.
Discord laughed heartily, “why not, my dear Fluttershy? It's because—Oops, I almost spilled the beans! Let's just say that soon, the same your friends won't be.” he smiled again, then snapped his fingers and vanished.
“Discord!” Fluttershy stomped a hoof on the ground, only to hear his laughter echo through her home. She sighed, then stepped back inside and closed the door.
She spent the rest of the day taking care of her friends, coming to realize how much she really relied on her wings. It wasn't too long before night fell and she made her way up to bed. She flopped down onto her sheets and turned over to stare out at the window. She really hoped that their friendship wouldn't break after a simple argument. She rolled onto her back, letting her legs splay out. She started as she felt one of her hooves touch something and she shot upright. She reached down and picked up what she'd touched and found a piece of paper at the foot of her bed. She moved into the moonlight to read it, seeing ink on the page.
There soon will come a day you'll find The friendship you cherish in heart and mind May dwindle and fail like Twilight's last light No matter your strength, no matter your might
Will Harmony be enough to stand time still Or shall it fail against thy will Soon the one who lacks the gift Will be the one who makes the rift
Unless the six the choice do make The ravages of time, the one they'll take Twists and turns this rhyme does span The answer you'll find back when it all began.
“What? What does it mean?” Fluttershy whispered to herself. Her eyes started to close with sleepiness and she fell back onto her bed. She tried to ponder and think about it, but she was just too tired and sleep enveloped her in it's warm embrace.
Rarity awoke, a pounding pain in her head. She grumbled and started to rise to her hooves when she gasped and looked around. She'd been sleeping on the floor!! That was just unheard of! What was she doing on the floor and why wasn't she home? Then the memories of last night flooded back to her and she gasped, looking around at the four other mares in the room.
Her gasp caused the closest one, Applejack, to stir in her sleep. She blinked her eyes and stretched.
“What was that for, Rares?” she asked, her accent even thicker since she was tired. “Can't ya see Ah'm sleepin'?” she grumbled.
“Hmph! Ruffian! We just spent all night on the floor and now I'm tired and sore,” Rarity huffed, then turned to the door. She paused as Applejack snickered. “And what, pray tell is so funny?” she snapped.
“Nutin, nutin at all,” Applejack tried to hide her smile, but was failing.
“Hmph!” Rarity stuck her muzzle into the air and walked toward the door. She paused in front of it and waited. She stood there for several seconds, then gazed at the door and raised an eyebrow. “What is your problem, horn?” she muttered to herself as she scrunched up her face in concentration.
That was about when Applejack couldn't hold it in any longer. She burst out laughing in loud, guffaws as she watched Rarity concentrate. Rarity spun around and glared at Applejack, which only served to make her laugh louder.
The laughter awoke the other three mares from their sleep and each one stretched, then looked over at the cowpony and the fasionista.
“What's the matter Rarity? Can't open a door with your horn?” scoffed Twilight. This only served to direct Rarity's glare from Applejack to her.
“No, if you must know I can't seem to get my magic to work right now. It's probably because I spent the night on the floor. It really does do a number on my complexion,” Rarity snapped at the four mares.
“Well,” Rainbow Dash tried to hold in a snicker, “I guess you should look in a mirror then!”
Rarity blinked, then ran over to the window and stared at her reflection. She looked normal, but there was something missing, something important. She stared for several minutes as Applejack and Rainbow Dash tried to hide their laughter.
Then it hit her. There, in the middle of her flowing purple mane, was something missing. She gasped and reached a hoof up to rest on her forehead. The motion only caused Rainbow Dash to burst out in laughter at the sight.
“Oh my-” Rarity started.
“This is rich!!!” Rainbow Dash laughed, rolling on the ground. “Rarity doesn't have a horn!”
“Well, look's like ya'll are a regular earth pony today,” Applejack smirked at Rarity.
“Ooo, ooo! Look! Rarity isn't the only one that changed!” Pinkie Pie chimed in, bouncing up and down. Something fluttered behind her as she did, almost like feathers.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked and Pinkie Pie just smiled wider. She pointed a hoof at each of the four mares.
“Twilight's been demystified.” Twilight gasped and felt her forehead with a hoof. “Rainbow Dash's been grounded!” Rainbow Dash gasped and spun around, staring at her back where her wings used to be. “Applejack's got a new head ornament!” Applejack raised a hoof to her head and felt something hard protruding from her forehead. “And Rarity's lost her magical touch!” Rarity glared at her, only causing Pinkie Pie to roll on the floor laughing.
“Well, I can't stand this! I'm going home!” Rarity shouted, then marched to the door. She yanked it open, she hated using her hooves for such a rudimentary task, and stomped out, slamming the door behind her.
She strutted down the street and arrived at her home, Carousel Boutique. She yanked open the door and, slamming it behind her, screamed as loud as she could. How could this happen to her? Out of all the possible things, this was the WORST POSSIBLE THING!!!! She leaned back and expected to feel her couch beneath her, but she landed on the floor, causing another frustrated scream.
“Sister?” a voice came from upstairs and Rarity let out an un-ladylike curse. She’d forgotten that she was foalsitting Sweetie Belle for the week! She heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs and she sat up, looking around for something to cover her lack of a horn.
No sooner had Sweetie Belle walked around the corner and into the main room of the Boutique than Rarity slammed a wide-brimmed hat onto her head.
“Sister, what was all the screaming for?” Sweetie Belle asked, raising an eyebrow at Rarity’s choice of headwear.
“Um,” Rarity looked around quickly, trying to come up with some excuse, “I was, um, just trying out a junglepony’s cry. Yeah! Jungle prints are going to be all the rage soon and I was trying to get into the mood before I started to design.” She gave a half-hearted laugh that sounded more nervous than anything else.
Sweetie Belle continued to look at her like she’d gone crazy, then slowly turned and walked out of the room. “Alright, as long as you’re not going to break down and do anything crazy.”
Rarity sighed, plopping down on her hindquarters. She sat there for a few minutes, then stood up and strode into her Inspiration room. She trotted over to her drawing board and sat there for a few seconds before mentally face hoofing herself. She didn’t have magic and so she couldn’t pull a piece of paper from her supplies, or her quills, or her glasses, or even pull any material down from her shelves. She sighed again, then walked over to her sewing machine and picked up her glasses, placing them on the bridge of her nose. She groaned at the long day ahead of her as she pulled out a quill and paper from her supplies with her mouth and placed them on her drawing board. She picked up the quill and, dipping it in ink, started to draw.
Rarity gave a muffled scream of frustration. She’d been at the drawing stage for an hour now and her drawing didn’t look much better than a foal’s school picture! The lines weren’t nearly as neat, the designs too blurred to make out many details, and the shape left much to be desired. She shook her head and let it fall onto the desk. Why did this have to happen to her? Why did she have to lose her horn, the one thing that she used most of all?
She sighed as she straightened up. She had the basic idea in mind, so she could start on sewing the fabric together. She just couldn’t do some of the details like she wanted. She moved over to the sewing machine and pulled some fabric along the table. She pressed down on the pedal and started to sew, keeping in mind the basic design.
She worked like that for several minutes, sometimes stopping and getting some other tool to help her. Each time she did, she grew more frustrated with herself and her friends. Why did Twilight insist on trying out a spell that she didn’t know the results of? It truly boggled her mind and she just couldn’t get it out of her mind.
She finally stopped sewing, letting out a cry of frustration, then marched to the door of the room.
“Sweetie Belle? Could you come here for a minute? I have a favor to ask you!” she called down the hall toward her sister’s room. She didn’t have to wait long before Sweetie Belle poked her head out her bedroom door and stared at her. She eased out of the room, cautious.
“Alright, who are you and what did you do with my sister?” she asked.
“Oh posh!” Rarity responded, “nothing’s happened to me. I just want your help.” Rarity had resigned herself to asking Sweetie Belle for help, figuring that it wouldn’t make her any more behind on her ideas than she would be by herself.
Sweetie Belle froze. “Alright, now I know there’s something wrong with you. First thing, my sister doesn’t ask for my help, and second she doesn’t wear hats in a building, especially in her shop.”
Rarity looked at her, a bit sheepish, then she motioned Sweetie Belle inside the room. Sweetie Belle gasped at the many different fabrics and materials in the room.
“Wow! This is where you do all your thinking?” she whispered in reverence. Rarity nodded, then closed the door behind the two of them.
“Sweetie Belle, I need your help with my work.” The statement caused Sweetie Belle’s jaw to drop in surprise.
“But why? You’ve never needed my help before, why now?” she asked.
Rarity sighed, then looked around to make sure nopony was listening, then she drew close to Sweetie Belle.
“What I’m about to show you, you can’t tell anypony.” Sweetie Belle nodded, but it still didn’t deter Rarity’s glare. “Pinkie Promise,” she stated.
Sweetie Belle sighed. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she stated, doing the motions.
Rarity gulped, then lifted a hoof up to the brim of her hat and pulled it slowly off her head, letting it fall to the ground. Sweetie Belle gasped as she saw what had been hidden by the hat, or rather what hadn’t been hidden.
“What happened to your horn?” she whispered.
“Well, it’s like this.” Rarity sat down on the ground and pulled Sweetie Belle close as she started to explain.
Several minutes later, Rarity finished her story. Sweetie Belle stood there, mouth agape.
“You’re telling me that Twilight has that much magic in her to take away a unicorn’s horn?” the idea seemed to shock her. Rarity nodded. “And so you want my help with making dresses?” she asked skeptically. Rarity nodded again. Sweetie Belle gave a small yelp for joy, then started to zoom around the room. Rarity sighed, then held up a hoof.
“If you’re going to help me, you need to listen to exactly what I say. Everything in here has a specific place and things can easily get messed up if we’re not careful, ok?” Sweetie Belle nodded, her enthusiasm settling down for now. “Alright! Let’s get to work!”
Over the next several hours, Rarity’s Inspiration room was a buzz of activity. Rarity would be at the sewing machine, hard at work, while Sweetie Belle ran around the room with her boundless energy gathering up the necessary materials. Together they spent time, working and enjoying their day. Sweetie Belle started telling Rarity what was happening at school and with the Crusaders, listing off several of their most recent attempts at getting their cutie marks. Rarity passed the time by explaining the finer points of dressmaking, she was astonished at how much Sweetie Belle remembered and paid attention. Now she knew why her grades were so good.
Rarity happened to look up at the clock and she gasped, causing Sweetie Belle to drop the pincushion she was currently holding in her mouth. She quickly ran to the door.
“Sorry, Sweetie Belle, but I must be getting to the spa. I forgot about my spa date with Fluttershy!” Rarity was such a blur that Sweetie Belle could hardly believe that she could move that fast.
Rarity ran out of the Boutique and toward the spa. She was late, much later than she’d ever been before and she needed to make it up to Fluttershy! She paused a few hooves from the door of the spa as she saw somepony that had a butter yellow coat walk away from her.
“Flut-“ she started to say, but stopped when she saw that the pony wasn’t her friend Fluttershy, but an earth pony. She sighed as she stepped into the spa and saw Aloe and Lotus sitting there. She smiled at them, then frowned.
“Is Fluttershy here?” she asked, but her face fell as the two spa ponies shook their heads. She just gestured for the usual and followed Aloe into the sauna.
It was going to be a lonely spa date.
Rarity trotted out of the spa. It had been quite relaxing, but she’d missed having Fluttershy to talk to. She walked into the Boutique, her head hanging, and she caught sight of Sweetie Belle, asleep on the floor. She smiled at the sight, then picked her up on her back and headed upstairs to her bedroom. The day hadn’t gone exactly how she’d wanted it, Rarity thought as she laid Sweetie Belle on her bed and tucked her in. But at the end of it, she was glad that she’d spent time with Sweetie Belle, and particularly that she’d gotten things done.
At the beginning of the day, she thought that everything would be ruined. But, as Rarity turned out the lights and closed the door, she was glad for the help her sister had given her. Tomorrow would bring a whole new batch of troubles, but right now she was just happy to have a sister.
Rarity walked into her room and tossed herself onto the bed, sinking into the soft downy quilt, and let herself be pulled away from her troubles and into dreamland.
Applejack left Twilight's home shortly after Rarity, heading back to the farm. She needed to get some work done and she'd already slept in much later than she wanted. As she trotted down the road to the farm she felt lighter, like something was off. She raised a hoof to her head and felt her hat sitting there, covering her horn. She knew that she'd have to explain all this to the rest of the family, but she wanted to avoid any unwanted questions on the way home. She didn’t know what having a horn and magic would do for her, what with working on a farm and all. There wasn’t much place for magic. Then again, Applejack thought, Twilight had helped her harvest the trees using magic a few years ago when she’d just arrived. Maybe there was something to this magic bit.
She crested the hill and spied the barn with Big Macintosh striding out the barn doors, hitched up to the plow. Applejack smiled as she watched him pull the plow over to one of their fields. It was a common misconception to think that the Apple family only grew apples on their farm. Really they would rent out several of their fields to local growers, such as Carrot Top, to grow much of their produce that they sold in the marketplace. There were also places for flowers to grow in abundance in all kinds. The Apple farm wasn't just there to provide apples for much of Equestria, it was also there to support and sustain Ponyville all on its own.
“Howdy sis!” a perky voice broke through Applejack’s thoughts. She looked around and saw a big red bow running up the road from the farm. Applebloom slid to a halt, smiling all the while. “Why ya comin’ home so late? Big Mac’s already to start plowing Carrot Top’s field.”
“Ah know, sugarcube, I saw.” Applejack patted Applebloom on the head and smiled back at her little sister, then she trotted down the hill, Applebloom following her. She could feel Applebloom’s eyes staring at her and she swallowed, then turned and asked, “What? Mah mane out of place?”
Applebloom jumped slightly at being discovered, then shook her head. “Nah, it’s just you’re wearing your hat more forward than usual, that’s all. Why?”
Applejack sighed, then leaned close. “Ah’m gonna explain it to tha whole fam’ly, but to satisfy your curiosity, Ah’ve got a horn.”
“YOU’VE GOT A WHAT?” Applebloom shouted. Applejack turned around and saw that Big Mac had stopped plowing and was now looking at them two on the hill.
“Huh, What’s tha?” a scratchy voice came from the barn as Granny Smith poked her head out one of the windows and looked around.
Applejack facehoofed, then sighed and trotted down the path, heading for the house. “Come on, sugarcube. Ah guess the cat’s out of the bag. Big Mac!” she shouted, making sure she had her brother’s attention, “Ah need ta talk to ya’ll in the house!”
It took a few minutes to walk the rest of the way home, but Applejack finally stepped inside the home. Granny Smith was sitting in her rocking chair while Big Mac sat in their father’s high back armchair. Applejack felt a twinge of sorrow as she stared at Big Mac, but shook it away before tears could come. It wouldn’t do to be crying over her parents now. Applebloom took a place on the floor, her eyes wide with wonder as Applejack sat on the couch and fingered the brim of her hat.
“There’s somethin’ Ah got ta tell ya’ll,” Applejack started, a little hesitant. How would they all react to her having a horn? Would they disown here? She couldn’t think of very many unicorns who worked on a farm, and none of them worked on their apple farm.
“Come on, Applejack! Ah want ta see it!” Applebloom cried, bringing a smile to Applejack’s face. Her sister never was the patient type. Unlike….Applejack shook her head to clear her thoughts. No, it wouldn’t do to think about her right now. She needed to focus on the task at hand.
Applejack slowly pulled her hat off her head, feeling the slight tingle as it rubbed against her horn and she winced at the unexpected feeling. Then she let her hat fall onto her lap as she heard a collective gasp from the other three earth ponies in the room.
“How did this happen?” Big Mac asked.
“Well,” Applejack began, then started talking.
“So you’re tellin’ me that Ah’ve got a sister that woke up this mornin’ with a horn?” Applebloom asked. Applejack nodded, then stared at the three of them.
“Ah need ya’ll to Pinkie Promise me that ya’ll ain’t gonna be spreadin’ this around town,” she stated, then watched as each of them Pinkie Swore, complete with actions. She nodded, content. “Now then, let’s get ta work. Ah’m late in startin’ the day and it didn’t help that Ah had a story ta tell.” She stood up and placed her hat back on her head, careful to obscure her horn from view. She trotted out the door, heading into the barn and pulling out the wagon they used for apple harvesting. It had half a dozen of baskets in it to catch the apples after they bucked the trees. The wagon they would fill up with apples and unload back at the barn.
She hitched herself to the wagon and started off toward one of the orchards that were due for harvesting. She grunted as she slid the yoke around her middle. Did it get heavier overnight? She didn’t remember it being this heavy before. But maybe she was just more tired than usual, she did wake up later in the day and she and the girls had a fight last night.
Her mind drifted back to that night as she remembered a few details. She smiled happily as she imagined the look on her face, that mare’s mane flowing and soft, then the image changed to that same mare with anger in her eyes. Applejack was sure that she too had been angry, she was sure of it, but it had been a side that she didn’t see much.
Applejack arrived at the orchard and started placing the baskets around the closest tree. She looked up at the sky and saw that Celestia’s sun was about half way. Applejack sighed, might as well start now. This was one of the smaller orchards, only several dozen trees here, but she wanted to get it done as quickly as possible.
She pulled the wagon off to one side into a central location, then walked back to the tree. She swung her hind legs around and, planting her front legs into the ground bracing them, she bucked the tree with all her might.
She felt the satisfying thud as her legs connected with the tree trunk, but what she didn’t expect was the slight jolt of pain that shot up her legs. She winced, but smiled as she heard dozens of thuds as the apples fell from the tree into the baskets. She turned around to start collecting the baskets, then frowned as she noticed that they were all half full. She looked up at the tree and was shocked to see half the apples still in the tree.
Well that’s never happened before, Applejack thought, then turned around and bucked the tree again. This time she heard the rest of the apples fall from the tree and land in the baskets. She nodded, then picked up one of the baskets in her mouth.
Or at least she tried to. She didn’t know how the apples could have gotten heavier since the last harvest, but she could barely lift the basket off the ground. She had to drag it over to the wagon, where she fussed and fretted with it, lifting it up off the ground and high enough to dump the apples into the wagon. She gasped in effort as she dropped the basket back on the ground, then plopped down on her hindquarters. She stared down at her hooves in shock.
When had she gotten so weak? She could usually lift whole baskets on her head with little effort, just this one had her gasping for breath. She pulled her conscience inside, searching for her magic.
It was genuinely argued among the top unicorn scholars about whether or not earth ponies actually had magic of their own. It was accepted that pegasi and unicorns each had their own type of magic, which were manifest through their control of the magical weave than encompassed their world like a spider web, or their affinity for weather control. But earth ponies it was harder to gauge. Did they help plants grow, or did the plants grow like that on their own because of the care the earth ponies gave them?
The only thing Applejack knew was that her magic helped her harvest the apple orchards, as well as made her stronger and faster. Their apple trees grew better when the apple family were tending them, much better than some of the other farms run by unicorns or pegasi.
As she reached inside to find her magic, she noticed a bit of a change. It wasn’t where it usually was, beside her stomach. This way it had full and quick access to her legs, where she needed it. She found it up near her brain. She poked and prodded it, finding it to be like a lake, full of orange glowing water. She dipped part of her conscience into it and felt something flow out through her. She felt her horn tingle slightly as it came alive in a hum of magic and she found herself gazing up at it at it radiated an orange aura.
She closed her eyes, sensing for a second the world around her. She could feel the baskets surrounding the tree, the individual apples in each basket. She felt the earth beneath her hooves, how it trembled slightly as it moved. She felt the presence of each living creature and plant around her, almost like they were introducing themselves for the first time. She could feel the thick weaves of magic that floated through the air and burrowed through the earth beneath her. She could feel the buzz of magic around her as she tapped into her own innate magic. She reached out, extending her magic just a bit toward one of the baskets full of apples. She felt it, it’s weight, the dimensions, the space it took up, how the passive magic of the world flowed around it and through it. She grabbed a hold of the basket and she opened her eyes to see the basket wrapped in an orange glow.
She smiled and tried to levitate it off the ground. She grunted in effort as the basket sat there, stubbornly refusing to move. She reached into her magic and pulled more out of her font, pushing it toward the basket. She strained with the effort and her horn grew brighter as more and more magic flowed through it.
“Come on, ya stubborn thing!” Applejack said through gritted teeth. Twilight had made this seem so easy, so why was she having so much trouble? Finally she’d had enough and she grabbed as much magic as she could and threw it at the basket. The basket quivered then, to her surprise, shot into the air like it had been fired out of Pinkie’s party cannon.
Applejack stood, wide eyed, as she watched the dozens of apple shoot into the sky, then crest and start to rain down on her. She cried out and tried to hide, but there wasn’t any shelter nearby. She watched as the apples fell closer and faster until she closed her eyes.
She heard the apples bounce off of something just above her head and thud onto the ground. She opened her eyes and saw a thin layer of orange glow that was stopping the apples from falling on her. She glanced up at her horn and saw it alight with magic, then she watched it dim and fade, the orange glow following.
So Ah can use magic subconsciously, she thought, but why not consciously?
She didn’t have much time to think about this as she looked up at the sky. She gasped as she saw the sun had moved farther than she’d expected.
“Ponyfeathers!” she shouted, dashing over to one of the baskets and dragged it over to the wagon. She didn’t have time to figure out how to use magic, so she’d just have to try her best with what she could do.
By the time the sun was setting, Applejack had barely finished with a dozen of the trees in the orchard. She looked back at the wagon and sighed as she saw that it was a fourth the way full with apples. She stomped the ground and snorted in frustration at her lack of speed. If she could just figure out how to use magic, then she’d be able to go much faster!
She sighed and gave up. That would be something else to do tomorrow. She needed to get back to the house and eat something, as her stomach chose that time to remind her that she hadn’t eaten anything all day by grumbling.
She slid back into the yoke and started to pull the cart. Alright, she thought as she grunted in effort at pulling the cart, now Ah know Ah’m a lot weaker than Ah was. She shook her head, a tear forming at the edge of her eye. Ah can’t believe that unicorns live like this all day! How could they not be able to live a whole basket of apples? Is this the life Ah’ll have to live, not able to really do much?
She struggled down the road, trying to pull the cart toward the barn, when she saw her brother come running up the road.
“Ah was worried about ya,” he stated, taking in the sight of his sister sweating harder than she’d ever had and the wagon not even half full of apples. He paused as she looked up at him, a tear running down her cheek.
“Big Mac! What’s gonna happen if Ah don’t return ta normal? Ah’m gonna be weak and unable to use magic to help and just be useless!” the tears started to flow and Big Mac nuzzled against his sister’s neck.
“Now listen here, Applejack. You’re gonna be fine. Ah’m sure Twilight’ll be able to help ya,” he assured her.
“But that’s the thing! Twilight ain’t even a unicorn now! The spell changed her too!” Applejack sniffed. Big Mac blinked in surprise. Twilight, the most powerful unicorn he knew wasn’t a unicorn? What kind of spell had she cast?
Applejack’s sniffles brought Big Mac out of his thoughts and into the present. He pulled her out of the yoke and laid her in the wagon. She blinked in surprise at his gestures and was about to protest when he shot her a glare. Then he slung the yoke onto his back and started pulling the wagon home, Applejack having given up and laid her head down on her forehooves.
They made it home after several minutes and Big Mac picked Applejack up out of the wagon after unhitching himself from it. He placed her on his back and walked into the house, past Applebloom and Granny Smith, up the stairs and into her room where he laid her on the bed. He turned to leave, but was interrupted by Applejack.
“Big Mac?” she asked and he turned to look at her. “What will happen if Ah don’t turn back?”
He thought about it for a bit, then smiled. “We’ll do the same thing we’ve always done. Make the best out of every situation we find ourselves in.”
Applejack smiled at that answer and rolled over to stare out the window as he left the room, closing the door behind him.
Applejack sat there for several minutes, trying to figure out how this was all going to work out, but she was just too exhausted to think. Bucking the few trees that she had, as well as getting all the apples into the wagon, coupled with the stress of learning how to use new magic all combined together and she slid into welcome and restful sleep.
Pinkie Pie watched Applejack leave and she smiled. She'd need to throw a party for them all when they weren't all fighting. She smiled back at Rainbow Dash and Twilight, then left the library, bouncing down the street. It felt a little funny to have wings sprouting out of her back, but she'd get used to it, just like she did everything.
She opened the door to Sugarcube Corner and looked around. Nothing had really changed, Pinkie laughed to herself at the thought of anything changing.
Suddenly there was a crash from the kitchen and Mr. Cake poked his head out of the door.
“Oh good, Pinkie you're back! We were worried about you. We tried to wake you up this morning but nopony answered.” Mr. Cake sighed in relief at seeing her.
“Oh, that’s because I was over at Twilight’s for the night,” Pinkie smiled at him, then bounced up the stairs and into her room. She stretched out on the floor, easing some of the stiffness of sleeping on the floor for the night. She glanced behind her and smiled as her wings stretched, reaching their full span. They were about the same span as Rainbow’s and, as she reached back and brushed one with a hoof, she noted that they were soft, like a pillow. Or a cloud, Pinkie giggled.
She looked around the room, then grabbed a towel in her mouth and walked into the bathroom. She needed a shower before she started the day and she hung the towel up, then she turned and looked in the mirror, seeing a familiar face.
“Pinkamina, nice to see you,” she smiled at her almost-reflection, who smiled back at her. Her almost-reflection had a straight mane and tail, and her coat was a dark pink in contrast to Pinkie’s cotton candy pink fur.
“Indeed,” Pinkamina nodded to her, then turned to look at her back, “I see we have a new addition to our body.”
“Yep!” Pinkie bounced into the air with excitement, “Twilight gave them to us!”
A dark shadow crossed over Pinkamina’s face. “Yes, Twilight. Last night I almost had to step in and save you, you know that?”
Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” she asked, then the argument scene flashed before her eyes as Pinkamina accessed their memories.
“And I quote, ‘life is not just a party!’” Pinkamina glanced at Pinkie, “you got really mad, and I could feel a pain in your heart. You didn’t like that, finding that your friends thought that your parties were a bother. It hurt, and I almost stepped in.” Pinkamina sighed, then walked over to the shower and turned on the water. She glanced back at the mirror and saw that Pinkie stood there with a hoof on her chin, thinking.
Pinkamina unfurled their wings and she looked at them. “You know, these seem fairly easy to use. We should probably get used to them soon if we’re going to have them for a while.” She stepped into the shower and sighed as the warm water washed over her. She picked up the pony wash that was sitting there and, popping it open, squeezed some out onto a shower scrub. She smirked at the smell, peppermint, and started to scrub their body. Then she ran into a problem.
When she got to her wings, she found that they were rather sensitive to the soap, causing a small blush to rise to her face. Why were Pegasus wings so sensitive? You’d think that through all the weather situations and issues that they have, their wings would be tougher!
She avoided scrubbing their wings and rinsed off the soap, then she washed and shampooed their mane, using bubblegum scented shampoo. She stood there for a few minutes, letting the water wash away some of the aches and soreness from their body, then she got out and toweled off. She looked into the mirror and smiled as Pinkie still sat there.
“Whatcha thinking about, Pinks?” Pinkamina asked, drying their mane.
“I was just thinking about all the things we could do,” Pinkie replied, smiling at her.
Pinkamina trotted out of the bathroom, then over to their bed. She sat down at the hoof of their bed and looked over at a small shelf that held three pictures. She smiled as her gaze rested on the picture of their family, she hadn’t seen them for a while now, then her smile grew larger as she looked at the picture next to the one of their family.
Six mares were in the picture, each one doing something unique. Rainbow Dash had crashed into the ground and Fluttershy had hurried over to help her up. Applejack just laughed at the sight while Rarity flinched away from the specks of dirt that had gotten on her coat. Twilight merely shook her head as she looked down at a clipboard where she’d recorded everything that had happened and She, or rather Pinkie, was bouncing around saying something about how that had looked like fun and that she wanted to try it.
As her gaze traveled from the two pictures to the last one, she stared into the distance, recalling memories from times before. The pony in the picture had a tan coat with a light brown mane. His cutie mark stood out to Pinkamina, a brown bowl with tan goop in it. He’d always say that it made him laugh when he thought about it, but Pinkamina had just sighed and called it crazy.
She picked up the picture frame and stared at it then, pulling it close to her chest, she flopped backward onto the bed. Her heart thudded loudly in her ears as she remembered all the times they’d spent together. Then her thoughts roamed to the time when he’d had to leave.
She shook her head, not wanting to think of that, and she placed the picture back on the shelf, then stared into the full length mirror on their wall.
“Alright, time to start the day!” Pinkamina said, smiling at Pinkie, who nodded, then turned and strode out of the door. She paused as she placed a hoof on the handle and she turned back to the mirror.
“Thanks for taking care of cleaning, I guess I just had a lot to think about.”
Pinkamina waved a hoof, “Please, it’s my body as well.”
Pinkie bounced down the stairs and into the main room of the bakery, then poked her head into the kitchen.
Mr. and Mrs. Cake were busy making pastries, icing them and getting them ready to be sold. Mrs. Cake pulled out a muffin tin from the oven and spied Pinkie standing in the doorway.
“Pinkie!” she cried, placing the muffin tin down, then rushing over and hugging Pinkie. She froze as she saw something that wasn’t there yesterday. Mrs. Cake slowly released Pinkie, a serious look on her face. “Pinkie, what are those? Are those—“ she started to say.
“Wings!” Pinkie unfurled her wings, causing Mr. Cake to gasp in surprise at the sight.
“What happened?” he asked, blinking.
“Well, it all happened last night!” Pinkie stated, launching into her story.
After a few minutes, and almost none of it Pinkie spent taking a breath, she smiled at the couple bakers. “And that’s why I need to take the day off, so I can practice with them!”
Mr. Cake stood there in stunned silence while Mrs. Cake struggled to find words to say.
“Um, of course you can take the day off, Pinkie. You’ve been such a help and you rarely ask for some time to yourself,” Mrs. Cake eventually got out.
Pinkie grinned widely at them. “Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I’ll practice with these,” she fluttered her wings, “then I’ll be back tomorrow, ready to bake up a storm!” She shot out of the kitchen and through the main door of the bakery before the two bakers could blink, already eager to try out her new wings and the wonders of the sky.
Pinkie trotted toward a large clearing, far from Ponyville. It was a familiar clearing, being where Rainbow Dash would spend her time perfecting her tricks, though most of them ended with her crashing.
As Pinkie trotted to the center of the clearing, she heard Pinkamina in the back of her mind whispering.
“Clear skies,” Pinkamina was saying, “a few clouds to the north-east, a soft breeze from that same direction. The Everfree Forest seems quiet, air pressure normal there. This should be a great day for flying.”
Pinkie smiled to herself and nodded. She paused as she reached the center, then unfurled her wings. They were about average span for a Pegasus and smelled faintly of sugar. Pinkie flapped her wings a few times, getting the feel of the air around them and how they moved, then she raised her wings and leapt into the air, thrusting her wings downward in a powerful gust of wind.
She rocketed into the air, wind rushing past her. She giggled as she leveled out and started to glide along. She could feel the thermals around her, the slight brush of wind that hinted at a storm as it danced along her wingtips. She flapped her wings, pushing herself forward, but finding it harder than she thought.
Pinkie reached inside her and felt for her magic. She usually used her magic for things like baking and confections, but this time she was in the air and she just felt like her magic would help her here. She found it condensed in her wings and she felt it, feeling the slight charge that came from it. She felt it radiate from her wings, helping her fly and she willed her magic on, stoking it and driving her forward.
She felt the benefit almost immediately. The wind seemed to flow around her as she moved faster and faster through the sky. She looked down and saw the ground whiz past her, forming into a blur as she flew faster. She glanced behind her and a wide smile grew on her face as she saw a bright pink trail, much like Dash’s rainbow one, fill the air behind her.
She pushed herself faster, her wings flapping and her magic moving the air around her. As she went faster, she felt something. It was like lightning, but different. It had a charge, but it wasn’t her magic. She focused on her hooves that she’d thrust out in front of her and she noticed a slight wave in the air. She felt the compressed air and felt its weight. It was light, like pushing your way through sand, but it got thicker as she flew faster. It grew, going from sand to mud, to soft dirt, to a brick wall as she pushed against it.
Pinkie felt it, a thrill that came from going extremely fast, and she wanted to push it, to break this wall in front of her and she willed her magic into her wings, pushing them harder and harder. She could see the air in front of her condense into a cone shape, electricity coming off it like an Everfree thunder storm. She was so close, the charged air around her giving her energy, and she felt herself within mere seconds of breaking this wall.
“Yeah! Go Rainbow Dash!” a voice broke through her thoughts and shattered her concentration, throwing her back to Equestria. Pinkie glanced down and saw an orange filly sitting at the edge of the clearing, staring into the sky and watching her.
Pinkie and Pinkamina sighed, they’d both wanted to break the wall, but now they couldn’t. Pinkamina let out a cry of frustration from the lack of completion as Pinkie slowed her flight and descended to the ground, landing in the center of the clearing. She trotted over to the orange filly, waving a hoof.
“Hey Scootaloo! What’s up?” she asked, plopping down on the grass beside the filly pegasus.
“Oh, it’s you Pinkie. Do you know where Rainbow Dash is?” Scootaloo asked, feeling slightly disappointed.
“Oh, I don’t know. The last time I saw her she was in Twilight’s library, though I know she couldn’t have gotten far,” Pinkie said, smiling. Scootaloo gave Pinkie a questioning look and so Pinkie explained what happened last night.
“And so that’s why Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be flying, because she doesn’t have any wings. Though if she did learn that cloudwalking spell or that wing spell, then maybe she could go somewhere. She couldn’t have learned how to do magic so fast, especially since she was all ‘You got to go with your instincts’ and stuff like that. Magic isn’t like that, well maybe pegasi magic is, but not earth pony magic and I suspect unicorn magic is like earth pony magic.” Pinkie finished her story, ending with her chin resting on her hoof as she thought. She blinked and looked at Scootaloo, who had a look of understanding on her face, then she gasped and hopped back on her scooter.
“Sorry Pinkie, got to go! I think I made a mistake!” With that, Scootaloo buzzed off, back to Ponyville as fast as her wings could go.
Pinkie just sat there and watched her go for a few seconds before something caught her eye. It was a pink trail in the sky, lighter than hers had been, almost a white-pink. She grinned as she recognized the trail, then took off to follow it.
The pony in question that was making the trail, Pinkie saw as she flew closer to her target, had an alabaster coat with a light pink mane and tail, the same color as the sky trail. Pinkie sped up until she was flying alongside the pony, then she slowed down to match the pony’s speed. She gave a knowing smile, then gestured to the ground as she caught the pony’s eye. It nodded, then they both tilted their wings downward, descending gracefully until they touched down on top of a large cloud.
“How nice to see you this afternoon, Celeste,” Pinkamina stated, smiling at the pony, who stood about her height.
“Well, you must be Pinkamina. It’s been a long time since anypony has called me by that name,” the pony smiled, a glint in her eye.
“Well, when you’ve been around as long as I have you tend to remember names of friends and enemies,” Pinkamina waved a hoof dismissively. “But you just didn’t come flying out here to exchange pleasantries, now did you?”
The pony smiled and shook her head.
“Then perhaps you should drop your illusion?” Pinkamina asked.
A shimmer rose from the pony’s tail, forming into a ring, and flowing over her body. As it traveled it transformed the light pink tail into one of flowing hair, pink, green, and blue, flowing together in an ethereal wind. The body grew until the pony stood a foot taller and her wingspan expanded into a velvety umbrella of feathers. The cutie mark remained unchanged, a radiant sun, but at the end of each hoof a golden horseshoe formed. The shimmering ring continued on its path until the illusion had been completely dismissed and Princess Celestia stood in regal grandeur on the cloud before Pinkamina.
“You don’t seem surprised to see us with wings,” Pinkamina stated, the tips of her wings fluttering in the gentle breeze.
“No,” Celestia agreed, “Discord has informed me of the happenings of the past day. I have come to tell you something.”
“Very well,” Pinkamina sighed, waving a hoof in disgust, “what is it?” Pinkie gave a gasp at that statement and was about to tell Pinkamina off, but Celestia spoke first.
“There is one of your friends, who is not as they were, that will soon come to a difficult decision. If the lesson she is being taught is not learned, then sorrow will soon fall upon Ponyville. You know of what I speak.”
Pinkamina nodded, “Pinkie will have a doozy of a time, but as long as you’re ready at the castle, then we’ll be fine. Remember,” she said, tapping her head with a hoof, “I can see things that most ponies can’t, except for that one.” Her voice trailed off as her mind wandered back to a certain pony that lived with her straw-haired friend. He didn’t stay around to know exactly what she was, but she had seen the signs and she knew what exactly he was. Too bad he’d already been spoken for, their little fillies and foals would have been quite useful in the future.
“Just remember,” Celestia said as she unfurled her wings and prepared to take off, “you five have the Blessing, but she does not. And she won’t until she learns this lesson. The sigil has been prepared ever since the day my sister returned to me. I had felt the pulse and had begun preparations when we got back to Canterlot. All that is needed is her acceptance.”
With that, Celestia flapped her wings and took off into the sky, soaring back to Canterlot. Pinkamina smiled at the receding princess.
“Oh don’t worry, Celeste. I’m sure she’ll make the right choice. Besides, with her around the party hasn’t ended.”
She looked over at Pinkie, then smiled at her. Pinkie leapt off the cloud, opening her wings and gliding around the outskirts of Ponyville. She spent the remainder of the day flying and testing out her magic.
By the end of the day, Pinkie was tired. It was a good tired, brought on by hours of flying and performing tricks. She eventually landed on the doorstep of Sugarcube Corner and walked inside, closing the door behind her. She moved upstairs and flopped down on her bed. She threw on her nightcap, then glanced back at her wings. They had several feathers out of alignment and had dirt and dust amidst them. Pinkie sighed, she was too tired to preen them herself, and besides she didn’t even know how to.
She fell asleep as soon as she decided to put in a visit to Fluttershy tomorrow and have her show her how to preen properly.
Rainbow Dash and Twilight watched as the rest of the girls left the library, then they looked at each other.
“Betcha won’t last three minutes in the sky,” Rainbow Dash scoffed.
“And I bet that you won’t last fifteen minutes in this library,” Twilight shot back.
“Pfft, Please, using magic isn’t that hard! All you do is concentrate on stuff and *poof* it happens!” Rainbow laughed.
“Besides, flying isn’t that hard. It’s just reading the wind and the atmosphere, I’ll have it down in a day,” Twilight shook her head.
“Guess we’d better let Princess Celestia know about your mistake, huh?” Rainbow sneered.
“Mistake? Hardly. Science, yes!” Twilight retorted, then raised her voice. “Spike!” she shouted, causing the scrambling of clawed feet to be heard upstairs. A moment later Spike came running down with a quill and parchment in hand.
“Yeah Twil-“ Spike started to say, then stared at the two ponies in the room. “What happened? Why does Rainbow Dash have a horn and you have wings?”
“Long story, but just know that I tried to cast a spell that I didn’t know what would happen and this is the result. Take a letter,” Twilight answered, then started strolling around the room like she did when she was thinking. Spike held the quill at ready and nodded to her.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I am writing to inform you of a development in my studies on the magic of friendship. It seems that I have received a book from an unknown source that contains spells relating to friendship. I proceeded to cast one on myself and my friends and it caused unexpected side effects, which I will list below:
Applejack now has a horn. Pinkie Pie has wings. Rarity has neither wings nor a horn. Fluttershy has neither wings nor a horn. Rainbow Dash has a horn and no wings. And I have wings and no horn.
As I do not have a horn, I am unable to reverse this spell. I apologize for contacting you about such a matter, but I request that you reverse the spell so that I may continue my studies on magic.
Sincerely your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
After Twilight ended the letter, Spike rolled it up and, breathing in, sent the letter with a burst of dragonfire. They only had to wait a few seconds before Spike belched out a reply, sealed with a golden C. Spike caught the letter and unfurled it, then started to read.
My faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle? That’s a funny way of spelling your name. I thought for sure that you’d learned how to spell your name correctly, Rainbow Dash. Perhaps I should send you back to Magic Kindergarten?
Your mentor,
Princess Celestia
Spike looked over the top of the scroll to glance at Twilight and Rainbow, both of which had their mouth hanging open. Then Rainbow started to snicker, trying to silence her laughs by sticking a hoof in her mouth. This only caused Twilight to glare daggers at her.
“What’s the matter, Rainbow? Got something in your mouth?”
At that, Rainbow couldn’t take it any longer and she burst out laughing, falling onto the floor and rolling around clutching her sides.
“This is great! Princess Celestia has kicked you out of her mentorship! This is hilarious!” Rainbow cried, tears streaming down her face. Twilight glared down at her, then sniffed.
“Well, it looks like you’re her new student. I hope you like reading, because that’s all you’re going to be doing!” Twilight snapped, then leapt out the open window that Rainbow had entered in at the beginning. Rainbow stood up and hobbled over to the window just in time to see Twilight flap her wings once, then fall the ten or so feet to the ground and crash into the side of the library’s mailbox.
If she thought she’d been laughing before, Rainbow didn’t know what to call the fit of laughter that had overcome her at that sight. She couldn’t stop laughing for ten minutes and when she finally did stop, her sides hurt so bad that she could only roll over on the ground.
Then she stood up, her side still smarting a bit. Spike had left after Twilight had flown out the window. More like crashed out, she thought.
Then she looked around. The library had a wide variety of books on hundreds of subjects. She’d been in here before, mostly keeping to reading Daring Do books in a corner, but there was a secret that she had, one that her friends would make fun of her for if they ever found out.
She strode over to one of the bookshelves and started to scan the book titles and authors.
Flight, Flight, she thought to herself as she roamed through the subjects, then she gave a yelp of joy as she found the correct section. She scanned the authors until she found one she wanted. She awarded herself a small grin then, checking to make sure that Spike wasn’t anywhere near her, she pulled the book out from the shelf with her mouth. She trotted over to her reading seat and sat down, flipping open the book as she rested it on the floor. She smiled as she read the first page.
“Unicorns and Pegasi weather control techniques, a comparison,” she muttered to herself, then looked down at the author’s name. “Prism Bolt,” she whispered.
This was her secret. To her friends and the world she was Rainbow Dash. To the writing community, she was Prism Bolt. She’d had dozens of book signings, all of them far away from Ponyville. She’d almost doubted that anypony here had even read or heard of her books, but she wasn’t surprised to see that Twilight had a copy.
Rainbow closed the book, she didn’t need to read it. She remembered the hundreds of hours spent researching and investigating in order to collect the massive store of data contained in the book. She walked back to the bookshelf and placed it back in its spot. She then glanced down at the other books that she’d written.
The History and Duties of the Rainbow Factory, Cloudsdale, a Historical, Political, and Economic Analysis, The Sonic Rainboom, the Science, the Myth, the Reality, Loyalty: An Detailed Study on the Characteristics and Personalities of past Bearers of the Element of Loyalty.
Each book title called up dozens of memories and making the smile on her face grow even wider. She pulled out the Rainbow Factory one and flipped it open. She chuckled as she saw the notes written in the margins of the books and she sat down to read them.
Time flew by as Rainbow read Twilight’s notes. She was about to read the chapter on the creation of rainbows when she heard Spike walking up the stairs. She slammed the book closed, then shoved it behind her and out of view from the stairs.
“Hey Rainbow! Ready for some lunch?” Spike asked as he came up the stairs with a tray in his claws. It had several sandwiches and a glass of water, a rose sitting in the glass. He walked over and placed the tray on one of the small tables around the room and Rainbow stood up and walked over. Spike smiled at her, then looked back at where she’d been sitting. He saw something and, walking closer, he saw that it was a book. He reached out a claw and picked it up, reading the title.
“The History and Duties of the Rainbow Factory? I though you knew all about the Rainbow Factory!” he said, turning and facing her.
“I do, I wrote the book,” Rainbow whispered, but she’d forgotten how sensitive dragon ears are.
Spike raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean, you wrote the book?” He looked down at the author, but before he could get a good look, Rainbow had snatched it away and placed it back on the shelf.
“What? Me, write a book? That’s silly! I wouldn’t be caught dead writing anything!” Rainbow laughed nervously.
“Really? But do you know Prism Bolt?” Spike asked.
“What makes you think I’m Prism Bolt?” Rainbow gasped, looking around wildly for anything to draw Spike’s attention.
“I didn’t say that you were Prism, I’m just wondering if you know her. She seems to be quite a popular writer, especially among pegasi readers. Many of the pegasi living here in Ponyville have asked for her books. Hay, I’ve even read them!” Spike said, smiling.
“Really?” Rainbow’s attention was now back on Spike, “and what do you think of them?”
“I think they’re great! Some of the best works on flying and the dynamics of Cloudsdale! I may not have wings yet, but I can’t wait for them to come in so I can see Cloudsdale and try out some of the tricks she describes,” Spike stated, excitedly. Then he remembered something. “Oh yeah! One more thing! Twilight usually sends her budget in to Princess Celestia today. It’s there on the tray, maybe you could sign it and then I’ll send it!” Spike had pulled out a book as he was talking and Rainbow noticed that it was the one on Cloudsdale.
“Sure Spike, not a problem.” Rainbow walked over and picked up a quill and ink well, then moved over to the tray and picked up the budget. She shook her head at the size of expenses Twilight accumulated in her studies. She signed the parchment and laid the quill down. She glanced at the allotment that Twilight received from Princess Celestia in a month and she smiled. The sum was an impressive amount, but it wasn’t as much as Rainbow got from royalties from her book sales as well as her salary from the Weather Teams, as well as several large sums that Rainbow had received as she helped, as Twilight would say, further the cause of science.
Rainbow sat down and ate a few of the sandwiches, almost crying at the taste. If Twilight ate like this every day, then Rainbow needed to look into getting Spike to make her food as well.
Rainbow stood up and turned back to Spike. “I’m going to go outside for a walk. It’s a bit stuffy in here and I want to get some fresh air.” Spike merely nodded, his head spines bobbing slightly. He was busy reading her book and, Rainbow noted with a sly smile, he was quite engrossed in it.
Rainbow strode down the stairs and out the front door, breathing in the fresh air outside. She looked up at the sky and smiled, seeing a few colorful streaks among the clouds, clearing them and moving them out of the way. Good, she thought, the weather crews aren’t behind, even though I’m not there.
Rainbow continued to walk down the street, not heading in any particular direction. She stopped at stalls, glanced in windows and greeted the few ponies that were out today. Then she looked straight ahead and smiled as she saw a small, orange pony come bolting down the street on a scooter.
Cool, my number one fan come to show me a few of her new tricks! Rainbow smiled. But the smile shrank and vanished as Scootaloo buzzed past her in a blur. Rainbow Dash stood there, slightly stunned, but she shook her head and continued to walk down the street. Scootaloo was probably on her way to meet with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, most likely to come up with a dozen or so ways to try and get their cutie marks.
Rainbow smiled wistfully as she thought of the hundreds or so ways that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had tried in the past few years since meeting each other.
She wandered around, letting her legs stretch, for about an hour before she decided that she should head back. Apparently she needed to come up with a lesson for Princess Celestia and she hadn’t even started on it.
She strode back to the library and was almost there when an orange blur came out of nowhere and slammed into her, knocking her to the ground and into a mud puddle.
“Oops, sorry!” Scootaloo’s familiar voice sounded in Rainbow’s mud-covered ears. She stood up and shook off most of the mud. “Are you ok?”
“I’m fine, squirt. But what’s got you in such a hurry?” Rainbow asked.
Scootaloo looked slightly embarrassed. “Earlier today, I saw you in the marketplace and I ran past you. I was eager to get to our regular meeting place and watch you do some tricks today. But when I got there, Pinkie Pie was there, flying around. She had wings! She explained everything to me and helped me realize that I had past you, in my haste to see you.” She scuffed the dirt with a hoof and glanced up at Rainbow.
Rainbow just shrugged and smiled. “Listen, squirt. I know how it is to rush around a lot, heck I do it most days. But we can’t always be in such a hurry that we don’t even notice the ponies around us.” Scootaloo perked up at that and smiled. Rainbow smiled back at her, then placed a hoof on the door to the library. “Come on kid. I may not be a pegasus, but I still got a few surprises up my sleeve.” She pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Scootaloo in, then she closed the door and turned around to see Spike standing there in the center of the floor, a book in one claw and a piece of parchment in the other. The book she recognized as the one he’d been reading when she’d left and the parchment was the budget.
Spike smiled a knowing smile at her. “Well, well, well. How long did you think you could hide it from me?” he asked and Rainbow was confused.
“Hide what from you? What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Oh I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. Or as you’re known to your book fans, Prism Bolt,” Spike held out the parchment and the book. The book was opened to the title page, her signature very distinct along the bottom. She had signed that particular book as a gift to Twilight for her birthday. The parchment also bore her signature, but that of Rainbow Dash where the book bore Prism Bolt’s.
Scootaloo blinked at the two of them in confusion. “Did I miss something here?” she asked and Spike gave a small smile, then he walked over to a table and placed the two objects on it.
“Rainbow Dash is Prism Bolt,” he said, matter-of-factly.
Scootaloo’s eyes almost bugged out of her head in surprise. “Wait, so you mean that my hero, Rainbow Dash, is also a writer who goes by the alias of Prism Bolt?” Spike nodded.
“I checked the signatures and they’re almost a perfect match in quillponyship. Several of the letters are written the same and I even went back and pulled up the letter that Rainbow had sent Princess Celestia after the Mare-Do-Well incident. The writing style is the same.”
Rainbow sighed, then looked at both Spike and Scootaloo. “Alright, I’ll tell you everything, but you have to Pinkie Promise that you’ll never tell anypony anything that I say.” She watched as both Spike and Scootaloo performed the required promise and motions. Then, satisfied, she plopped down on a cushion and started to speak.
“It all started back when I was in Flight School. I didn’t drop out, but rather I excelled so much that my teachers weren’t challenging me enough. So they moved me to a more privileged school…”
By the time Rainbow had finished her story, the sun had almost vanished below the horizon. She stood up, stretching her stiff muscles, then looked down at Scootaloo.
“Well, kid. It’s time to get you home.”
Scootaloo blinked in surprise, then shook her head. “Um, there-there’s no need for that! I can get home by myself! I’ve done it before,” she said, a bead of sweat falling down her cheek and before either of them could do anything, she darted out the door and onto her scooter, vanishing into the fading light.
Rainbow shook her head, then turned to Spike. “Let’s get some rest. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.
As Spike read Princess Celestia’s letter, Twilight couldn’t believe any of it. She’d been kicked out of her mentorship? She heard something in the room, a familiar sound, and she looked over at Rainbow Dash to see her stuff a hoof in her mouth and Twilight knew what she was laughing about.
“What’s the matter, Rainbow? Got something in your mouth?” She shot at the mare.
At that, Rainbow couldn’t take it any longer and she burst out laughing, falling onto the floor and rolling around clutching her sides.
“This is great! Princess Celestia has kicked you out of her mentorship! This is hilarious!” Rainbow cried, tears streaming down her face. Twilight glared down at her, then sniffed.
“Well, it looks like you’re her new student. I hope you like reading, because that’s all you’re going to be doing!” Twilight turned and leapt out the window. She unfurled her wings and tried to fly, but knowing that she’d been demoted kept creeping into her mind and she lost concentration. She had only enough time to blink before her face connected with the mailbox outside the library. She groaned and slumped to the floor, only to hear the slight laughing coming from the open window. Her cheeks burned as she thought of Rainbow Dash rolling on the floor, laughing at her.
Twilight stood up, shaking herself off, and walked away from the library. She’d show Rainbow, she’d show her that it wasn’t hard to fly. Like she’d said before, all flying was is just reading the atmosphere and the winds. Nothing to it.
The next few hours found Twilight trying to fly in an open field outside of Ponyville. Trying was the key word as she’d spent far too long figuring out her new body. She was currently on attempt number seventy-five.
THUD!
Make that seventy-six.
Twilight groaned as she got up weakly on her hooves. Her body ached from crashing into the ground so many times and she had expended more energy than she thought was necessary. She knew how dangerous it was to use too much energy in a spell, the results could be a heightened result of the spell, causing all sorts of mayhem.
She looked around, feeling defeated. Her mentorship with Princess Celestia was over. She wasn’t a unicorn anymore, just a regular pegasus. She gasped as she spun around and gazed wide-eyed at her flank. If she wasn’t a unicorn anymore, then what did that mean for her cutie mark? Without a horn, she couldn’t do magic. If she couldn’t do magic, then she couldn’t fix this. If she couldn’t fix this, then they’ll all be like this-
Pinkie erupted out from a bush nearby and stared at Twilight. “FOREVER!!!” Twilight just blinked as she watched Pinkie sink down into the bush and vanish.
Then the thought hit her. If she couldn’t do magic, then she wasn’t the Element of Magic anymore! But what did that make her? She wasn’t the leader anymore, she didn’t have a horn. Twilight lowered her head in sorrow.
“Well,” she sniffled, “maybe Applejack or Rainbow Dash could be the Element of Magic.” But then who would be their Element? She sighed, then tears started to run down her cheeks and fall onto the ground. Maybe she should just leave town. There wasn’t anything here for her, besides her friends. But they’d had an argument, and a large one, the night before. And she couldn’t be the librarian, she needed her magic to do that.
She picked herself up off the ground and started to walk toward the outskirts when she noticed a grey pegasus hovering above her. She blinked up at the pony, then noticed as a small letter floated down from the sky. She watched it fall down and land in front of her.
Twilight picked it up and turned it over, trying to find an address. Failing that, she looked up and saw that the pony was gliding down until they rested on the grass a few hooves from Twilight.
“Wanting the who with the reading,” Derpy, Ponyville’s resident mailmare stood in front of Twilight and gestured to the letter.
Twilight stared at her for a second, then picked up the letter and hoofed it back to her. Derpy shook her head.
“Wanting the who with the reading,” she repeated, gesturing to the letter again.
“You want me to read this?” Twilight asked and Derpy nodded her head.
“I,” Derpy started to say slowly, and Twilight was surprised to hear her without her accent, “Want you to read it.”
Twilight stared down at the letter, then carefully opened it. She saw no name at the top, just a short verse scrawled out in curvy quillponyship and she began to read.
Isn’t it great to be different? Isn’t it wonderful to be exactly who you are? When you learn to start accepting yourself, You’ll become a shining star.
Twilight stared down at the words as tears ran down her cheeks. She looked up at Derpy who was smiling at her.
“Wanting a smile in the now,” Derpy said, slipping back into her accent, “not with the frowning. Muffin wanting the wishing with the who.”
Twilight gave a weak smile, causing Derpy to grin widely back at her.
“Thanks Derpy. That helped,” Twilight said softly.
“What with the who and the wishing in the where?” Derpy asked.
“Sorry?” Sometimes Derpy’s accent made it almost incomprehensible to understand the mailmare.
“What with the who? Wishing in the where?” Derpy said again and this time Twilight caught some of the mare’s meaning.
“Um, well. I’m learning how to fly.” Twilight bowed her head, a little embarrassed.
“What with the why?”
Twilight looked at Derpy, then said, “do you have time for a story?”
Derpy nodded her head and unslung her saddlebags from her back, laying them on the ground next to her.
Twilight took a deep breath, then started to speak.
“Well, it all started with a spellbook that Princess Celestia sent me.
“-And so now I’m learning how to fly. To be honest, I didn’t think it would be so hard.” Twilight finished her story, looking at Derpy to see her reaction.
“Who and the what with the who, right?” Derpy said, smiling.
“Yeah, I want to be friends with them again, but I can’t reverse this spell. I don’t even have a horn to try! What if we’re stuck like this forever? What if things never go back to the way they were? What if-“ Twilight started to ramble, but was stopped as Derpy placed a hoof under Twilight’s chin and turned it toward her.
“What with the Princess and the wanting? How with the who in the where?” Derpy asked, but Twilight shook her head.
“The Princess didn’t want me as her student anymore. I can’t do anything about it!” Twilight stated.
“Not with the thinking about the who. Thinking about the what,” Derpy stated, “Feeling about the who, wanting the wishing about the what. Finding the when with the who, then the what in the where can be why.
Twilight tried, she really did. But no matter how she thought about it, Derpy hadn’t made sense, or at least as far as she could tell. Then she was interrupted by a sly voice that seemed to come from the ground.
“Now, Derpy. Not in the wanting with the telling about the what and the where. When the wishing and the waiting with the who will be the wanting. Who with the what and the where when the when and the who will be the giving.” A serpentine shadow rose up from behind Twilight and fell away to reveal a familiar Draconequus.
“Discord!” Twilight cried out in surprise, “what are you doing here?”
Discord waved a talon at Twilight, “I’m just here to stop our friend Derpy from telling you exactly what’s going to happen. The surprise with your friends and the Princesses will be—oops, I have already said too much!” Discord clamped a paw over his mouth and Derpy let out a laugh.
“Not wanting the who and the what with the who, when you with the what and the where!” Derpy rolled onto the ground as she fell apart into fits of laughter.
“Now, Derpy, that’s not nice. Wishing with the who and the what,” Discord stood there with his paws on his hips. The sight just caused Derpy to laugh harder. Discord just shook his head, then snapped his fingers and vanished.
Twilight stood there, wondering what was so funny, for several minutes as Derpy regained control of herself. Then she stood up, shaking the grass from her coat, and smiled at Twilight.
“Wanting the what in the where?” she asked, pointing at the sky. She flapped her wings once to draw Twilight’s attention to them.
“Sure! I mean, if you don’t have anything else to do today,” Twilight stated. Derpy shook her head and smiled, then started to poke and prod at Twilight’s wings. She ran a hoof through them, trying to straighten the feathers out.
“Knowing how the what and the who?” Derpy asked, and Twilight just stood there, staring at her with a blank look on her face. Derpy smiled, then fanned her wings out and Twilight noticed how each feather ran parallel with the others. Twilight thought about it, then looked back at hers. She saw that there were several feathers out of alignment and she reached back with her muzzle and grasped one of the offending feathers.
She pulled on it, trying to move it back into place, when she gave a yelp of pain as she pulled too hard. Derpy flinched in surprise, then moved over to examine the feather.
“Watch how the who does the what,” she said as she bent down and grasped one of the out of place feathers in her mouth and Twilight tensed up, bracing for the pain. Derpy pulled gently on the feather, combing it with her teeth and pushing it back into place.
Twilight blinked at Derpy as she watched her do it, then Derpy smiled at her.
“Better when the who is on the what,” she stated, motioning for Twilight to lie down on the ground. Twilight bent her front legs and lowered herself into a comfortable position on the ground. Then she spread her wings out, feeling the warm sun on them and the cool breeze blow across her back and under her wings. She giggled slightly as Derpy licked one of her feathers, making sure that they were clean.
She lay there for several minutes as Derpy went about preening her feathers, straightening them. Finally, as Derpy finished with one of her wing tips, she stood up and stretched. Twilight laughed at how light her wings felt. It was almost as if they were made of clouds and she had attached them to her body.
“Wow,” she breathed, “thanks a lot, Derpy! Is this how all pegasi feel after a preening?”
Derpy nodded her head, then looked up at the sky. “Wanting the flying?” she asked, looking at Twilight. Twilight blinked in surprise, then nodded her head.
“I’ve got this body, might as well learn how to use it,” she said, flapping her wings. They really did feel quite light.
Derpy unfurled her wings, then flapped them a few times, each time they propelled her a few feet into the air. Twilight watched her for a second, then stretched her wings to their fullest wingspan, then she thrust her wings downward.
“Alright, strong beats to get me off the ground, making sure to stay steady and level as I raise-Ooof!!” Twilight started to mutter to herself when she was rudely interrupted by the ground rushing up to meet her face. She glanced up at Derpy who hovered in the air, a smile on her face.
“Ok, that didn’t work,” Twilight said, picking herself up off the ground and shaking her mane free of any pieces of grass that had collected in it from the crash.
“Not wasing in the thinking, wasing in the not thinking,” Derpy offered.
“But I can’t not think about it! It’s part of who I am! I have to take each step carefully, otherwise I risk ruining the whole thing!” Twilight protested.
“Wasing in the not thinking. Wasing in the feeling,” Derpy insisted.
“But, Derpy! When I use magic I can’t just turn off my brain! There are so many things that can go wrong with flying. If you-“Twilight started to say, but was interrupted by Derpy’s hoof being thrust over her mouth.
“Feeling with the wings, not thinking with the brain,” she insisted again.
Twilight thought about it for a few minutes, trying to understand it, when she looked up at Derpy with a gleam in her eye.
“Alright, I’ll try.” Twilight spread her wings, stretching them to their max, then pushed them downward. She yelped in surprise as she was lifted off the ground a foot, then she dropped back down as she tried to think about what to do next.
“Not in the thinking,” Derpy reminded her and Twilight nodded, trying to clear her mind of all her thoughts and just let her body do the work.
She flapped her wings again, this time lifting off the ground and staying there, a few inches off the ground. Twilight looked down, then thrust her wings downward again, pushing her body upward and toward the sky. Her wings flapped, keeping her steady as she looked around. It was different seeing the ground from higher than her head normally was.
“Wanting the flying?” Derpy asked, causing Twilight to look at her. “Wanting the following!” Derpy took off into the sky, her wings flapping.
Twilight blinked in surprise for a second, then grinned. If Derpy wanted her to follow her, then Twilight would certainly oblige her.
Twilight and Derpy spent the next couple of hours flying and practicing flying. By the end of it, Twilight was tired and sweaty, but excited. She’d been flying for about half an hour now without touching the ground. It felt wonderful to soar through the sky and feel the wind chase her.
She looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was close to the horizon. She motioned to Derpy to land for a second and she descended to the ground, Derpy following her.
“Wasing the wanting?” Derpy asked.
“It’s almost time to go home,” Twilight said, smiling, “thanks for showing me how to fly.”
“Muffin wanting with the wishing,” Derpy stated, smiling back at Twilight. She walked over and picked up her saddlebags, slinging them onto her back.
“I’m sorry I took up so much of your time, Derpy,” Twilight said, a shadow of sorrow falling onto her face.
“Not in the worrying, wishing with the smiles,” Derpy grinned and rested a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.
Twilight looked up to see Rainbow’s house floating near Ponyville. She sighed and realized that her bed was there. Derpy followed her eyes and nodded in understanding.
“Wishing with the helping? In case of the failing?” she asked and Twilight nodded slightly.
“If it’s not too much trouble,” she said and Derpy shook her head.
Together they unfurled their wings and pushed off from the ground, Derpy staying close by Twilight in case she started to dip down.
It took some effort, but eventually Twilight and Derpy found themselves on one of the balconies on the house. Twilight looked at Derpy and smiled.
“Thanks Derpy, for all that you’ve done. I don’t think I would have figured out how to fly nearly as fast as I did if you hadn’t come along,” Twilight said.
Derpy waved a hoof. “Wanting the remembering. Wishing with the shining star.” Twilight smiled again and nodded.
“I’ll remember,” she said as she pushed open one of the cloud doors and stepped inside. She turned around in time to see Derpy flip backward off the balcony and rise up on a thermal. She turned around and shut the door, feeling the soft clouds under her hooves.
She flapped her wings slightly to catch the natural thermal that rose through the middle of the home and floated up to the third floor, where Rainbow’s bedroom was located. She didn’t even have time to think, or even to greet Tank, before she fell onto the bed and drifted off to sleep, her head resting on some of the softest clouds she’d ever felt.
Rarity rolled over in her bed and stretched. She always felt rested after sleeping in her bed, unlike sleeping out in the woods like she had that one time Applejack insisted on camping out. She huffed, she hated camping.
She rolled out of bed and onto her hooves, then trotted into the bathroom and started to prepare for the day ahead. She stepped into the shower and flipped on the water with a hoof. She reached a hoof up to rest on her forehead and sighed. Her horn was still gone, she’d wondered if it had been a dream, or a nightmare.
She washed herself and dried off quickly. She didn’t have her horn and so she needed to work quickly. Yesterday Sweetie Belle and her had gotten far in her dressmaking, but there was still a lot to be done.
“Sweetie Belle! Time to get up!” she called down the hall, then moved into the kitchen to make breakfast. It went slower without her magic, but she made due and had breakfast on the table shortly before her sister stumbled into the room. Sweetie Belle slumped into a chair and rested her head on the table. Rarity smiled at the sight.
“Tired of making dresses already?” she asked.
“No, I just didn’t know they would be this much work,” Sweetie Belle’s muffled voice said through the table.
“Well, I for one enjoyed the time we spent together. It was nice,” Rarity stated, placing a plate of hay pancakes on the table.
“Well, of course you enjoyed making dresses! That’s what you-. Wait, did you say you liked spending time with me?” Sweetie Belle jerked her head up in surprise at Rarity’s statement. Her eyes grew wide as Rarity nodded and smiled.
“Of course, it was nice to spend time with my little sister. We were working together on a goal and we accomplished a large portion of it. I had fun.”
Just then a knock sounded at Rarity’s door. Rarity turned and looked at Sweetie Belle who looked at her with a quizzical look on her face.
“Now I wonder who that could be?” Rarity asked, moving to the door and looking out the window. She smiled as she recognized the two fillies outside and she stepped aside, then opened the door.
Two blurs, one orange and the other tan, darted past her and into the kitchen. Rarity smiled and let out a small chuckle as she walked back into the kitchen and saw her sister’s two friends sitting there at the table.
“Come on, Sweetie Belle!” the orange filly, Scootaloo, whined, “let’s go get our cutie marks today!”
“Yeah, mah sister says we can use one of our fields for our crusadin’!” Applebloom exclaimed.
“Now girls,” Rarity said, “let Sweetie Belle eat her breakfast!”
Sweetie Belle smiled at her sister, then started to eat.
She finished a few minutes later and, picking up her plate in her mouth, placed her dishes in the sink, then looked at Rarity.
“Are you sure you don’t need my help today?” she asked and Rarity shook her head.
“Nonsense, Sweetie Belle. I was thinking of heading to Sweet Apple Acres to visit with Applejack. Now that I’m, well I don’t have a horn, I guess I’d better seek out some advice,” Rarity said, waving her sister out the door.
“Thanks sis!” Sweetie Belle shouted as she closed the door behind Scootaloo, Applebloom, and herself.
Rarity just smiled and shook her head. There would come a time when her sister finally realized her talents and discovered her cutie mark, the same with her two friends. She just hoped it would be soon. She looked around her shop, thinking about what she’d need to bring to Applejack’s.
She huffed and gave up. Anything she’d need, Applejack probably had it at the farm. She turned to the door, opening it and closing it behind her, making sure that the open sign was still on closed. She didn’t know how long this might take, but she was prepared to use the entire day if she had to.
It wasn’t more than twenty minutes before she found herself in front of the sign to Sweet Apple Acres. She looked around and, seeing nopony out in the yard, moved to the front door. She raised a hoof and knocked. She stood there waiting for a few seconds before she heard something in the barn.
She stepped off the porch and moved to look into the barn. Her mouth dropped as she saw Applejack standing there, a look of concentration on her face as she glared at a bale of hay sitting on the floor of the barn. The bale was wrapped in an orange aura and Applejack’s horn shone with an equally bright glow.
“Apple-“ she started to say, but stopped as she watched Applejack let out a shout of frustration as she sent the bale launching into the air, punching a hole through the roof of the barn. Applejack let out a snort of frustration and she stomped her hoof on the ground.
“Consarnit!” she exclaimed, then turned to face the barn door. She started in surprise as a her eyes got wide.
“Rar-Rarity! Whatcha doin’ here this early in the mornin’?” she asked, a slight redness tinting her cheeks.
“Well, seeing as I don’t have a horn, I figured that you might be willing to give me a few lessons on how earth ponies live and function? I’m afraid I can’t do much work on my dresses if I don’t know how to work with just my hooves,” Rarity said, stepping into the dim barn. She looked up at the hole in the ceiling and smiled. “It seems like you might need some help with your magic, am I right? Or did you mean to send that bale of hay sky high?”
Applejack rubbed the back of her head with a hoof and let out a nervous chuckle. “Sorry, yah had ta see that. Ah’ve been tryin’ ta get the hang of this here magic, but it all ends up the same.”
“Why, dear Applejack, your problem isn’t with your determination or even your strength. It’s because you’re using too much at once,” Rarity said, stepping up next to her. She felt Applejack stiffen a little at the contact of their coats. Oh Applejack, she thought wistfully.
“Wh-what do ya mean ‘ah’m usin’ too much’?” Applejack stuttered out.
“Quite simple, magic is not something you just throw yourself into, unless you’re like our friend Twilight, who has an enormous font. Magic is something that you have to think about. It’s not about using as much power as you have, though that does affect the end result of a spell, but rather it’s knowing exactly how much energy needed to accomplish your task. Use too much and you risk burning through your font before you’ve accomplished half your tasks. Use too little and you don’t accomplish anything. Try it again,” Rarity looked around the barn, smiling as she spied a bucket, “lift that bucket off the floor.”
Applejack stepped away from her, smiling, “that’s all? Easy!” Her horn glowed orange and Rarity watched the bucket as it was enveloped by the same color aura. She watched both the bucket and Applejack as she grunted in effort. Rarity had just glanced at the bucket in time to see it shoot into the air and bounce off one of the rafters, dropping back down to the ground.
Applejack panted for breathe and wiped off some of the sweat from her forehead. “See?” she said, looking at Rarity, “ah told ya it was easy.”
“Well,” Rarity smiled, “any unicorn worth her horn could send a bucket shooting into the sky. But that’s not what you need to work on. You need to work on control. Now,” Rarity said as she raised her hoof until it was about a foot off the floor, “lift the bucket up to my hoof and no higher.”
Applejack grunted, then focused again on the bucket. Rarity watched the bucket as it trembled on the ground. She didn’t need to be a unicorn to feel the magic flooding the room. She sighed, then walked over and raised a hoof. Applejack had her eyes closed in concentration and didn’t notice. Rarity reached out with her hoof and flicked the tip of Applejack’s horn, causing her to yelp in surprise and the aura to vanish.
“Now, what the hay’d ya do that for?” Applejack protested as she stumbled backward.
“You were using too much magic,” Rarity stated, stomping a hoof.
“But why’d ya go and flick mah horn? Ah didn’t realize it was so-“ Applejack trailed off, a slight blush on her cheeks.
“Sensitive?” Rarity chuckled, “horns are, by nature. They have to be, else how could you know exactly how much magic you need for a spell?” She glanced at Applejack who had raised a hoof to her horn and was sliding it up and down the length of it, sending small sparks off the tip. Rarity smiled and shook her head. “Now then, what do you know about magic?” she asked, drawing Applejack’s attention away from her horn and back to Rarity.
“Well, Ah know that magic can do a lot. The ponies in larger cities use magic to help with cleaning up winter, and Celestia and Luna use their magic to move the sun and moon,” Applejack stated.
“Yes, this is all true, but what do you know about the use of magic?” Rarity asked.
Applejack sat back on her haunches and thought for a few minutes, then shook her head. “To be honest, Ah don’t know the first thing about it.”
Rarity nodded, “then let’s start at the beginning.” She cleared her throat, then began.
“What we call magic is merely the talent of utilizing the natural forces around us. The three pony races each have a tie to some part of those forces in our world. Pegasi have much better control over weather than even the most advanced unicorns do. Earth ponies can grow things in places nopony would think possible. And unicorns can tap into the latent magic to assist in bettering everyday life. Each race has a specific need and place in Equestria.
“Now most ponies can’t use much of the forces around us but there are a few, like Twilight for instance, who use magic almost effortlessly. They are able to use everyday spells without a single thought, like levitation or teleportation. This heightened talent allows these unicorns to delve into the very depths of magic, using the natural forces in ways most ponies can only dream. These ponies are the ones legends are made of. Starswirl the Bearded was one of them and it would not surprise me if I found out that our Twilight was descended from him.
“Magic itself is governed by-“ Rarity began to explain, but was interrupted by Applejack shoving a hoof in her mouth.
“Listen sugarcube. Ah appreciate all that ya do fur me, but do ya think we can stick with simple stuff, like helpin’ me control mah magic? Ah can learn about the theory later. Ah’m sure Twilight would enjoy somepony to talk to,” Applejack sighed, then pulled her hoof away from Rarity’s mouth.
Rarity thought for a second, then nodded. “Very well, Applejack. I realize that I was getting a little too explanatory. We’ll start simple then, just with control.” She stood up on her hind legs and brushed a few stray pieces of straw off Applejack’s horn with a hoof. She smiled as she caught a whiff of earth from Applejack’s mane.
Rarity came back down onto her hooves, then looked at Applejack who blinked, then shook her head. “Alright, first thing I want you to do is reach out with your mind,” she said. Applejack stood there, blank faced at her and Rarity sighed.
“Close your eyes,” she said and Applejack did just that, “now reach out with your mind. Feel the wind through your mane, the dirt beneath your hooves, the breath in your lungs. Now reach out your mind and you should feel something.”
“Ah feel the world, just different,” Applejack stated, her face scrunching up into a look of concentration.
Rarity smiled, “good, the world looks differently from a mage’s point of view. You should be able to see the objects around you,” She paused and Applejack nodded, “now, reach out with your magic and touch the bucket. Feel the wood, the weight, the dimensions of the bucket.”
“It feels,” Applejack struggled to find the words, “solid, but airy, like mist.”
“And now all you have to do is extend your magic over the bucket and lift it. Don’t strain yourself. It’s just like lifting it with your hoof or your mouth. Just use enough energy as you need,” Rarity stated. She turned and watched the bucket as it was enveloped by Applejack’s magic then rose, trembling, into the air until it stopped about three feet off the floor.
“Good job, Applejack!” and before either Applejack or Rarity knew what was going on, she had given Applejack a quick nuzzle on her neck. This consequentially caused Applejack’s concentration to slip and the bucket fell back to the ground with a thud, and Rarity just stood there stunned at what she’d done. She blinked a few times, then turned to the door.
“I’m sorry, Applejack. I don’t know what came over me!” and before Applejack could do anything, Rarity ran out of the barn door and down the lane.
Rarity didn’t stop running until she’s arrived at her Boutique, rushed inside, and slammed the door behind her. She hadn’t thought of anything except what had happened at the farm. She’d been too caught up in her thoughts that she’d almost missed Pinkie Pie walking across the street.
She slumped to the floor, distressed and distraught. She didn’t want to think about what’d happened at the farm, but she couldn’t think of anything else. First Fluttershy hadn’t shown up at their spa appointment yesterday and now today she’d…she’d, Rarity couldn’t bring herself to think about it. Why did she do it, anyways? She’d just gotten caught up in the moment. Her mind flashed back to the farm, running over the details of the encounter.
She’d stood there, watching Applejack use her magic. She’d seen the look of concentration on the mare’s face, the furrowed brow, the clenched teeth, the small beads of sweat forming on her brow as she tried to lift the bucket. But Rarity’s thoughts didn’t stop there. She recalled Applejack’s scent, like tilled earth, that had washed over her as she’d cleaned off her horn, the feel of Applejack’s coat, smooth and light to prevent overheating in the sun, the muscles that strained from effort at pouring energy into her magic, Applejack’s tail that had twitched slightly, moving from side to side and drawing attention to her cutie mark and---, Rarity stopped right there, her cheeks turning a very close shade to Big Mac’s coat.
She let out a scream of frustration and stomped up the stairs to her Inspiration Room. She slammed the door and leapt back into her dressmaking that her and Sweetie Belle had been working on yesterday.
She was only at it for a few minutes when she let out a cry of defeat and let her head drop onto her writing desk. Her mind was too caught up in what had happened that she couldn’t concentrate. She dropped her quill and, shaking her head, decided to get to the bottom of this. She was going to do her own bit of research.
She walked out of the room and into her bedroom. She moved to a bookshelf that occupied a portion of one wall and pulled out several books. They were not your normal books for a unicorn to read, but they were quite normal for any mare worth her coat. She plopped down on her bed and pulled open one of them, laying down to read it.
“Pride and Prejudice, this should give me the answers I need,” she said, flipping it open to the first page and started to read.
Several hours later, Rarity still lay on the bed, reading her book. She glanced up at the clock and gasped. It was already that late?! She slammed the book, after placing a lacy bookmark at her place, and moved all the books off her bed, placing them back on the shelf where they belonged. She then walked out her bedroom door and moved toward Sweetie Belle’s room. She poked her head in and sighed as she saw the empty room. Then she turned and trotted down the stairs.
“Sweetie Belle? Are you home?” she called, but nopony answered back. She sighed in frustration. She’d expected Sweetie Belle home sooner than now, and she was about to walk out the door to go find her when a realization came to her. Sweetie Belle and her friends were at Sweet Apple Acres. That was the same place Applejack lived. And she’d been there earlier today. And that was where THAT had happened. Rarity growled in frustration and stomped her hoof on the floor.
“Alright! I’m coming!” a muffled voice was heard on the other side of the door and Rarity found herself acquainted with her front door as she tried to understand what had happened.
She stepped back and heard a gasp as Sweetie Belle walked through the door.
“I’m sorry, sister! I didn’t mean it! I mean, I just heard you growl in frustration and stomp your hoof and I figured I was in trouble and that I’d better get home and why did you leave Sweet Apple Acres so soon? Did Applejack teach you how to be an earth pony?” all of this was said so fast that Pinkie Pie would have been proud at the speed as Sweetie Belle rushed around the door and started to apologize. As Rarity’s mind processed the rapid stream of comments, the two questions stood out in her mind. She yelped in surprise, one that rivaled any Fluttershy would have given, and leapt back.
“Why Sweetie Belle, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rarity laughed nervously, “I didn’t leave Applejack’s quickly and nothing happened between us two. She was just busy and I didn’t want to intrude on her any more than I had already.” She gave a forced smile and Sweetie Belle raised one eyebrow.
“Ok, as long as you’re not mad at me for hitting you with the door,” she said slowly.
“What? Of course not, dear. In fact, I have to thank you for shaking me out of my thought process,” Rarity replied, “but anyways, it’s time for bed. I hope you had a fun time with Scootaloo and Applebloom and that you got a lot of crusading done.” Rarity began shepherding Sweetie Belle up the stairs and into the bathroom, then shut the door and so that they could get ready for bed together.
They left the bathroom several minutes later, teeth brushed and manes combed. Rarity walked Sweetie Belle to her room and tucked her in, then she nuzzled her goodnight and turned out the light.
Rarity walked back to her room and flopped back onto the bed. Her mind ran through the day’s events again and she shook her head, trying to clear her mind, when something hit her.
She’d nuzzled Sweetie Belle goodnight and that had been sisterly love. But, as she thought about the nuzzle she’d given Applejack at the farm, she didn’t, no she couldn’t identify the feeling she’d felt that morning. She rolled over and over, trying to clear her mind of it’s troubles, but to no avail. It was going to be a long night.
Applejack woke up early, or rather earlier than she usually did. The sun hadn’t even started to lighten up her room as she flopped out of bed and onto her unsteady hooves. She’d had a full night’s sleep, but she still felt sore and weak. She growled to herself, if every day was going to be like yesterday then she needed to learn her magic as soon as possible. She remembered Twilight being able to use her magic with little effort. But, she reminded herself, Twilight had several years of practice and training whereas Applejack herself had only had her horn for a matter of a day.
She shook her head. That was the reason she was up as early as she was. She needed to practice her magic so that it would help around the farm. She opened the door, wincing as she heard it creak and she paused to listen. The house sounded quiet and she couldn’t hear any hooffalls throughout it. She crept out her door and closed it around her. Then, as quietly as she could, she crept down the stairs and into the kitchen, looking for something quick to eat so she could get to practicing as soon as possible.
She found two apples and she popped one into her mouth and ate it quickly. She trotted quietly to the door and, after placing the second apple in her hat and her hat on her head, she opened the door.
The predawn air washed over her, filling her nose with the scents of night. She walked outside and closed the door behind her. She moved out from under the porch and stared up at the sky.
Hundreds of stars glimmered down at her, shining their pinpoints of light on Equestria. Applejack stood there, reveling in the wonders of the night sky. She was stunned at the number of stars that shone down and she was filled with a enormous feeling of reverence for Princess Luna’s care of the sky. She turned to look at the setting moon, the bottom of it kissing the horizon, and she saw a shadow pass in front of it. That must be Princess Luna, returning home to change shifts with Princess Celestia.
Applejack smiled at the sight. Princess Luna was loved more than she knew. Applejack knew for a fact that there were many nights that Twilight stayed up, studying the stars.
A small blush crossed her cheeks as her mind wandered closer to that train of thought and she rubbed her cheeks, trying to get rid of it. She didn’t need those thoughts confusing her while she practiced her magic.
She turned to walk toward the barn when she was interrupted by the sound of hooffalls on the ground behind her. She turned around and, seeing Princess Luna standing there, knelt down into a bow.
“Please, dear Applejack, we do not wish for you to show us respect. It is enough that you spend time admiring our work,” Princess Luna stated, her voice calm and soft.
Applejack rose from her bow and smiled up at the Princess of the Night. “Not at all, Princess. Ah’m just enjoyin’ the night.”
“This pleases us,” Princess Luna smiled back at the orange farmer, “but tell us, what brings you to rise this early in the morning? We are not complaining, but rather we have noticed that many farmers do not rise before our sister raises the sun.”
“Well,” Applejack started to say, rubbing her forelegs together in embarrassment, “it’s because of-“
“Thou art a unicorn, a magic-user. Yes, we felt the change that occurred among the six Bearers. We suspected that this was a joke, but when we confronted Discord we could only get that this was to be a lesson to both all six of you and to one in particular.”
Applejack looked at her, confused, “Ah’m sorry, but Ah don’t quite follow.”
Princess Luna smiled. “Doth thou knowest which Elements we held when we fought Discord the first time?” Applejack shook her head, to be honest she hadn’t done much in the way of studying up on ancient history. Princess Luna just nodded, then continued, “our sister held the Elements of Generosity, Kindness, and Magic. We were in charge of the Elements of Loyalty, Laughter, and” --Princess Luna paused—“the Element of Honesty.”
She paused for a second to let this information sink in and Applejack stood there, trying to make sense of what she’d been told, when something clicked.
“Honesty,” she said slowly, her accent giving way to the method of speech she’d used in Manehatten, “if that’s true, then tell me the truth.” Princess Luna raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Who is the lesson intended for? Which one of us six is the ‘one in particular’?”
Princess Luna smiled widely, then leaned in so that her muzzle was inches from Applejack’s ear.
“The one in particular is the one for whom you have feelings,” she whispered. Applejack jerked back and stared at Princess Luna in surprise. “What do you mean? Why does she need to learn this lesson?”
“There will come a time when you and your friends will have to say goodbye to her,” Princess Luna stated, her face serious. “At that time, she will embark on a journey that she must take without you five. We will be able to accompany her, and it would be our pleasure to guide her in that journey. But, if she does not learn this lesson and if the mark of your destiny, along with the marks of your friends destiny, do not become one, then this is the future you will have to face.”
Applejack stomped her hoof. “What do you mean, a journey that she will take without us, but that you’ll guide her on? What are you talking about?”
Princess Luna opened her wings and leapt into the air. She hung there for a second. “We are more than just the Princess of the Night. We have many titles and many duties, several of them pleasant while others are painful. We believe she will have the answer.” And with that, Princess Luna turned and soared away, back to Canterlot.
Applejack watched her go and she saw the slightest glint of light poke over the horizon as Princess Celestia raised the sun, beginning another day. She turned and headed for the barn, determined to get the hang of her magic by the end of today.
It took her the better part of an hour to get things into position and the floor clear of hay. She had a bale of hay placed in front of her and she growled at it. She’d spent a time or two trying to lift it, but each time she hadn’t been able to move it even a little.
She grunted and tried again. She reached inward, feeling her magic and the effect it had on her. She expanded her mind and felt weaves of magic floating on an unfelt breeze, almost like silk from a spider. It flowed around her and she could feel the slight touch of it on her horn. She refocused on the task before her and she flung her magic toward the bale of hay. Her brow furrowed as she glared at the bale, finally smiling as she saw it enveloped by her magic, glowing a soft orange.
That was the easy part, she’d done that before. Now came the hard part. She poured more magic into the bale of hay and willed it to float. In the back of her mind she heard somepony start to say her name, but she shook it off. She cried out in frustration as she thrust every bit of magic she could get her hooves on into the bale of hay, then let out a snort of frustration and slammed her hoof onto the ground as she watched the bale shoot straight up from the floor and crash through the barn roof, showering her with splinters.
“Consarnit!” she exclaimed, turning to the barn door to get another bale of hay when she jumped in surprise as a familiar form stood at the door, the morning sun glancing off her alabaster coat and making her seem like an angel.
“Rar-Rarity! Whatcha doin’ here this early in the mornin’?” she asked. As she looked at Rarity, she started to blush as she imagined what SHE would look like, ringed by the majesty of Celestia’s sun.
“Well, seeing as I don’t have a horn, I figured that you might be willing to give me a few lessons on how earth ponies live and function? I’m afraid I can’t do much work on my dresses if I don’t know how to work with just my hooves,” Rarity said, stepping into the dim barn. She glanced up at the hole in the barn roof and Applejack reddened slightly in embarrassment. Rarity merely smiled and continued, “It seems like you might need some help with your magic, am I right? Or did you mean to send that bale of hay sky high?”
Applejack rubbed the back of her head with a hoof and let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, yah had ta see that. Ah’ve been tryin’ ta get the hang of this here magic, but it all ends up the same.”
“Why, dear Applejack, your problem isn’t with your determination or even your strength. It’s because you’re using too much at once,” Rarity said, stepping up next to her. Applejack stiffened in surprise at the contact.
Oh dear Celestia, is her coat this soft? Applejack thought, then she tried to refocus.
“Wh-what do ya mean ‘ah’m usin’ too much’?” Applejack stuttered out.
“Quite simple, magic is not something you just throw yourself into, unless you’re like our friend Twilight, who has an enormous font. Magic is something that you have to think about. It’s not about using as much power as you have, though that does affect the end result of a spell, but rather it’s knowing exactly how much energy needed to accomplish your task. Use too much and you risk burning through your font before you’ve accomplished half your tasks. Use too little and you don’t accomplish anything. Try it again,” Rarity looked around the barn, smiling as she spied a bucket, “lift that bucket off the floor.”
Applejack stepped away from her, smiling both outwardly and inwardly. She’d really have to—No, she shook herself mentally. Now was not the time to get distracted! “that’s all? Easy!” Applejack reached in, beckoning the currents of magic to aid her, and she grasped the bucket in question with her magic. She grunted with effort, then flung her magic at the bucket. She barely had time to open her eyes to see the bucket get shot up from the ground and bounce off a rafter like it’d been shot out of Pinkie’s party cannon.
Applejack panted for breathe and wiped off some of the sweat from her forehead. “See?” she said, looking at Rarity, “Ah told ya it was easy.”
“Well,” Rarity smiled, “any unicorn worth her horn could send a bucket shooting into the sky. But that’s not what you need to work on. You need to work on control. Now,” Rarity said as she raised her hoof until it was about a foot off the floor, “lift the bucket up to my hoof and no higher.”
Applejack nodded and closed her eyes, focusing on the fallen bucket and willing it to levitate again. She was so caught up in her task that she didn’t hear Rarity move closer to her until she felt her concentration break as something flick the top of her horn, sending a shock of pain down it. She yelped in surprise, glaring at Rarity.
“Now, what the hay’d ya do that for?” Applejack protested as she stumbled backward.
“You were using too much magic,” Rarity stated, stomping a hoof.
“But why’d ya go and flick mah horn? Ah didn’t realize it was so-“ Applejack trailed off, a slight blush on her cheeks. The pain had subsided, only to be replaced by a warm feeling, almost tingly sensation.
“Sensitive?” Rarity chuckled, “horns are, by nature. They have to be, else how could you know exactly how much magic you need for a spell?”
Applejack raised a hoof to her horn and started to rub it. In all reality, it felt really good and she had to hold in a moan as sparks flew off her horn. “Now then, what do you know about magic?” Rarity asked, snapping Applejack back to reality. She blinked in surprise, then thought for a second.
“Well, Ah know that magic can do a lot. The ponies in larger cities use magic to help with cleaning up winter, and Celestia and Luna use their magic to move the sun and moon,” Applejack stated.
“Yes, this is all true, but what do you know about the use of magic?” Rarity asked.
Applejack sat back on her haunches and thought for a few minutes, then shook her head. “To be honest, Ah don’t know the first thing about it.”
Rarity nodded, “then let’s start at the beginning.” She cleared her throat, then began.
“What we call magic is merely the talent of utilizing the natural forces around us. The three pony races each have a tie to some part of those forces in our world. Pegasi have much better control over weather than even the most advanced unicorns do. Earth ponies can grow things in places nopony would think possible. And unicorns can tap into the latent magic to assist in bettering everyday life. Each race has a specific need and place in Equestria.
“Now most ponies can’t use much of the forces around us but there are a few, like Twilight for instance, who use magic almost effortlessly. They are able to use everyday spells without a single thought, like levitation or teleportation. This heightened talent allows these unicorns to delve into the very depths of magic, using the natural forces in ways most ponies can only dream. These ponies are the ones legends are made of. Starswirl the Bearded was one of them and it would not surprise me if I found out that our Twilight was descended from him.”
As Rarity talked, Applejack could feel a familiar feeling come on. It was roughly the same as when, well when she was being lectured to. It usually ended with her falling asleep. Applejack couldn’t afford for that to happen and so, as Rarity began again Applejack shoved a hoof in her mouth.
“Listen sugarcube. Ah appreciate all that ya do fur me, but do ya think we can stick with simple stuff, like helpin’ me control mah magic? Ah can learn about the theory later. Ah’m sure Twilight would enjoy somepony to talk to,” Applejack sighed, then pulled her hoof away from Rarity’s mouth.
Rarity thought for a second, then nodded. “Very well, Applejack. I realize that I was getting a little too explanatory. We’ll start simple then, just with control.” She stood up on her hind legs and brushed a few stray pieces of straw off Applejack’s horn with a hoof.
Applejack blushed as unwanted thoughts came to the forefront of her mind. Images of a certain unicorn this close, her body warm against her’s. Applejack shook her head and blinked as she tried to push those images away. Consarnit, she thought, Ah really got to do somethin’ about this.
“Alright, first thing I want you to do is reach out with your mind,” she said. Applejack stood there, blank faced at her and Rarity sighed.
“Close your eyes,” she said and Applejack did just that, “now reach out with your mind. Feel the wind through your mane, the dirt beneath your hooves, the breath in your lungs. Now reach out your mind and you should feel something.”
“Ah feel the world, just different,” Applejack stated, her face scrunching up into a look of concentration. She felt the air around her and the wisps of magic flowing around and through her.
Rarity smiled, “good, the world looks differently from a mage’s point of view. You should be able to see the objects around you,” She paused and Applejack nodded. This was a whole new aspect of her magic, Applejack thought, “now, reach out with your magic and touch the bucket. Feel the wood, the weight, the dimensions of the bucket.”
“It feels,” Applejack struggled to find the words, “solid, but airy, like mist.”
“And now all you have to do is extend your magic over the bucket and lift it. Don’t strain yourself. It’s just like lifting it with your hoof or your mouth. Just use enough energy as you need,” Rarity stated. She turned and watched the bucket as it was enveloped by Applejack’s magic then rose, trembling, into the air until it stopped about three feet off the floor.
“Good job, Applejack!” and before either Applejack or Rarity knew what was going on, she had given Applejack a quick nuzzle on her neck. This consequentially caused Applejack’s concentration to slip and the bucket fell back to the ground with a thud, and Rarity just stood there stunned at what she’d done. She blinked a few times, then turned to the door.
“I’m sorry, Applejack. I don’t know what came over me!” and before Applejack could do anything, Rarity ran out of the barn door and down the lane.
Applejack watched Rarity run out the barn door and she stood there, stunned.
“What the hay just happened?” she asked herself.
Rarity had nuzzled her neck. That was a fact. But why? Normally only marefriends and coltfriends did that. But that was impossible, Rarity having a crush on her, wasn’t it?
Applejack shook her head, it had started to hurt from the exertion that she’d put it through with using her magic and now this. It didn’t make sense, Rarity having a crush on her. She was prim and proper and wore all that frou-frou stuff. Applejack was rugged, hardworking, and wore anything but frou-frou.
She let out a cry of frustration and decided to get to work. Working on the farm had always helped her clear her head and helped her think about what was important.
She hitched herself to the wagon, thankfully it was empty, Big Mac must have emptied it the night before after he’d brought her into her room. She noted that the wagon already contained a dozen or so baskets, ready to be filled with apples. Applejack smiled to herself, then glanced over at the bucket that she’d levitated. If she could levitate the full buckets of apples and dump them into the wagon, she could work a lot faster than she did yesterday.
She walked out of the barn, pulling the wagon behind her and heading for the small orchard she’d been working on yesterday.
Applejack had been working for a few hours now and had almost gotten the whole orchard harvested. She afforded herself a smile as she levitated another full bucket over to the wagon and dumped it, emptying out the apples. She turned around and saw that she only had a few trees left, then a thought crossed her mind.
What if she could levitate the apples off the trees? Then she wouldn’t even have to worry about the buckets or, she thought even deeper, even use the wagon. She could levitate all the apples off the trees and carry them into the barn, placing them in their barrels!
Applejack could feel her excitement bubble up and she grinned. She planted all four hooves firmly on the ground and focused on her magic. She reached out, feeling the bark of each tree, the leaves that surrounded each apple, the stem that held the apples to the branches, even the smallest ant that crawled along one of the branches. She grasped each apple with her magic and pulled.
She afforded herself a small smile as she heard the sound of snapping twigs and she opened her eyes as she looked around, hoping to see all the apples picked off the trees.
To her surprise and frustration, she was met with the sight of a single apple levitating before her nose. She snorted and stomped a hoof. Twilight had been able to levitate dozens, hundreds of apples off trees all at once, so why not her?
She plopped down on the ground to think, resting her chin in a hoof. As she looked out over the orchard, and even farther to the entire farm, her mind started to wander back to the conversation Princess Luna and her had had this morning.
“’The one in particular is the one for whom you have feelings’,” she whispered.
She wasn’t dumb by any stretch of the imagination, she hadn’t met anypony that was really, but it still boggled her mind what Princess Luna was talking about.
As she sat there, pondering, she heard a pop to one side. She’d been friends of Twilight long enough to know that it was the sound of somepony teleporting and she looked around.
“Discord!” she leapt to her hooves and slid into a fighting position.
“Oh come now, dear Applejack! There’s really no need to do anything of that sort,” Discord threw up his paws in surrender.
“What do ya want?” she demanded, “Ah’m busy workin’!”
Discord looked around and smiled, “I can see. How is it being a unicorn for a few days? I’m sure you’re finding it quite hard, what with you being used to an earth pony’s body. This new magic must be quite a change for you.”
“What do ya want?” Applejack growled through her teeth, anger apparent on her face.
“Oh come now! All I want to show you is what will happen if you continue on the path you’ve chosen.” Discord walked over to a small puddle and Applejack followed him, wary.
“What do ya mean, path Ah’ve chosen?” she asked, a bit curious.
Discord looked at her and smiled, “why that’s simple! And it’s not just you, it’s all five of you!”
Applejack looked at him, confused, “what do ya mean? Stop speakin’ in riddles! Princess Luna said that there is one that needs to learn this lesson, but what lesson is it?”
Discord waggled a finger, “now now, if I told you the lesson, you wouldn’t learn it. And Princess Luna is discussing this with you all now? That does bring an interesting player to the field.” He bent down and touched the surface of the puddle with a lion claw, then turned to look at her. “If you want to find out what the end result of your choice is, then just take a look.”
Applejack stood there, debating on whether she could trust him for a few seconds until she finally decided that if anything bad happened to her, then the rest of the girls could just stop him again. She stepped up to the edge of the pool, then dipped a hoof into it, sending ripples across the surface and distorting her image.
As soon as her hoof made contact with the water’s surface, a wave of dizziness washed over her and she slumped down on the ground, trying to make it go away. She closed her eyes for a second, willing her head to stop spinning when she found herself in another place.
She stood on a hill overlooking Sweet Apple Acres. She smiled as she saw the hundreds of apple trees spread out in front of her, rolling over the hills and down into valleys.
“Ah must be in the future,” she said to herself, “there’s no way we have this many apple trees, not the last time Ah counted.”
As she watched the farm below her, she noticed an orange earth pony walking through the trees. She galloped down the hill, hoping to find out when she was. She raced toward the earth pony and noticed that they wore a hat that was very close to her own. She smiled, glad that somepony had made a tradition of wearing her hat on the farm. As she got closer to the pony, she saw a splash of color on their flank and she recognized it as three apples, much like her own.She came around one final apple tree and stepped out several hooves in front of the pony if she hadn’t frozen from shock.
There, walking down the rows of apple trees was her. Applejack stood there, stunned at this sight. She was here, but she was also there. How was that possible? She didn’t know how far into the future she was, but it must have been quite a long time for all the apple trees to grow.
But, as she looked closer at herself, or rather her future self, she saw that they were identical. It seems she hadn’t aged a bit. Now Ah know Ah’m dreamin’, Applejack thought.
“Hey Applejack!” a familiar voice jerked her out of her thought process and she turned around to see Rainbow Dash dropping out of the sky and landing in front of her.
“Howdy, RD. Everypony else there?” the Applejack behind her asked and Rainbow nodded her head.
“Yep, they’re just waiting for you,” Rainbow said before shooting off into the sky.
“That pony, even after all these years she never slows down,” Future Applejack said, shaking her head. Then she picked up the pace, trotting toward the direction Rainbow Dash had flown. Applejack followed, her mind still a bit confused. Rainbow had looked the same, it was almost like she was seeing her just recently, but Discord had said that she would see the end result of their choice.
It didn’t take the two Applejacks long before they came to a clearing in the apple orchards. Applejack smiled as she saw Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash sitting there, chatting like old friends. Future Applejack walked over to the four mares and joined in the conversation while Applejack stood back and looked at the five mares.
They all looked just like they had in her time, but how far into the future was this? And where was Twilight? Did she move back to Canterlot to finish her studies under the Princess? Or did she join her brother and sister-in-law in the Crystal Kingdom?
“It’s hard to think it’s been so long,” Rarity said, her voice carrying over the clearing to pull Applejack out of her thoughts.
“I know, I really miss her,” Fluttershy whispered and the other three girls nodded.
“Yeah, she sure was fun to hang out with,” Rainbow added.
“I know, think of all the parties I threw for her!” Pinkie Pie smiled, and the other four grinned at her energy.
“Ah remember when she helped me with the harvest every apple buck season,” Future Applejack said, a wistful look on her face.
“I remember the first time she came to Ponyville, that was the bestest party ever!” Pinkie added.
“I remember making that beautiful dress for her to wear at the Grand Galloping Gala,” Rarity smiled.
“Oh, and I remember when she got me to climb that scary mountain and chase off that dragon that had been sleeping up there,” Fluttershy said, her voice holding a degree of pride.
“Yeah, I also remember wondering why she had you come,” Rainbow Dash said with a hint of sorrow.
“Oh, that’s ok Rainbow,” Fluttershy smiled at her, then whispered, almost too low for anypony to hear, “I was scared because he wasn’t from my group.”
“Your group?” Rarity asked, “whatever do you mean, darling?”
“Oh, um well, I’ll tell you later,” Fluttershy squeaked. Rarity nodded, then turned to Rainbow Dash.
“Go on, tell us one of your favorite memories of her,” she prodded.
Rainbow Dash blushed slightly and Applejack noticed that she held her wings a little closer to her body than she usually did.
“I remember when~~~” she trailed off, her blush deepening. She unfurled one of her wings and Applejack caught a glimpse of something gold close to her coat.
“Oh darling, of course that would be one of your favorite memories. I’m just sorry that you had to go through all that pain by yourself,” Rarity quickly stated, sorrow on her face.
“No,” Rainbow smiled, thought Applejack saw the small glint of a tear on her face as it caught the sun’s light, “it’s alright. She had a wonderful life and I’m glad that I was there to share a part of it with her.” She reached a hoof up and wiped her eyes, sniffling.
“Well, shall we finish this?” Rarity asked, looking from Rainbow to Applejack. They, along with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy nodded. They all stood up and walked over to a large stone that was set into the ground several feet away from the group. Applejack could tell that there was something carved on it, but she was too far away to tell what it said.
“I’ll go first, if you all don’t mind,” Fluttershy said and the others nodded. She took a deep breath, then said, “well, time for my annual report. I’m doing well and the same goes for all my animals. Angel’s descendants are as chaotic as he was, thought I’m glad that I have Discord to help me. He really is a sweetheart and I’m sorry that you didn’t fully trust him in the end, but he misses you and he sends me with his apology for all the tricks that he played on you.”
Rainbow Dash was next. “Hey there. It’s time for this boring routine again,” she gave a small laugh, but it was hollow, “I’m still a part of the Wonderbolts, still captain. I don’t think I’ll slow down anytime soon. It makes it nicer when you’re as awesome as I am! But really, if it weren’t for you, we all would have joined you a long time ago,” a sniffle was heard from her, “I miss you so much. Our house is cold and empty. Spike left shortly after you died, though he comes back frequently to visit,” Rainbow’s shoulders started to shake and Rarity put a hoof around her to comfort her, “why did you have to die? Why couldn’t the Princesses save you? They had the power and the strength, but they couldn’t. You were too old when they discovered how to lengthen your life. It was trickier because of your tie with the Elements. I just don’t know—“ she trailed off and finally slumped to the ground as sobs racked her body, sending her tail into slight spasms and her mane to fall in front of her face.
Pinkie Pie looked at Rainbow Dash, then sighed and took her turn. “I guess I’ll go next. I’d like to say that I’m still the same, but things changed when you died. A part of me died with you. I’m still throwing parties at every occasion, but they’re just not the same. I miss having somepony to question my choices and ask me about my Pinkie Sense. I just had so much fun when you were alive and now it seems like a light has gone out. Don’t get me wrong, the party hasn’t ended, but it’s just calmed down a little. Princess Celestia has put me in charge of the Grand Galloping Gala. I’ve tried my best to liven it up a little, not like the first time I went, but just enough so that ponies actually want to go to it. Every time I visit the castle I make an effort to stop by your library tower and spend some time in there. I really miss you and I wish, I wish—“ she tried to say, but tears clogged her throat and she just hung her head.
“Alright, then I guess it’s my turn,” Rarity said, raising her head. “I’m doing alright. My shop has added another branch, this time in Appleoosa, specializing in country wear. I have to thank Applejack for the help in designing the clothes sold there. That makes the twenty-fifth store in the franchise. Each time I open one, I wish you were there. I always keep a spot open at each banquet I have, in your honor. I try to make several visits to the building they dedicated to you at Celestia’s Academy. It’s quite large, and holds a massive library, one that you would have loved. They’ve made dozens of advances, due to the work you did during your life, and they keep coming up with ways to make life better for all of Equestria, as well as the nations around us. We really do live in a wonderful world, I just wish you were still alive to see it,” Rarity sniffled, “what good is being the Element of Generosity if I couldn’t even do all that I could to stop this from happening?”
Future Applejack patted her shoulder then opened her mouth. “Howdy, sugarcube. It’s me, your favorite farmer. Ah’d like ta say that Ah’m doin’ well, but the truth is Ah miss you every day. Ah can’t quite focus fully on the farm, though Ah’m glad Ah’ve got mah brother’s descendants for that. Applebloom’s descendants have banded together and resurrected the Cutie Mark Crusaders, now incorporatin’ the whole of Ponyville, as well as several cities beyond. Ah suspect those branches were started on their various school trips.” Future Applejack took off her hat and rested it on her chest, “Ah miss ya, sugarcube. Ah never realized how much Ah would until ya weren’t there. It’s unbearable, the thought that ya’ll never be seen in the town or even at the side of the Princess. We all miss ya, the same with Cadence and the Princesses. We just wish we had more time with ya.”
After Future Applejack finished, the five mares just stood there for several minutes and Applejack heard Rainbow and Fluttershy sniffle every few seconds. The silence grew heavier until Rainbow Dash broke it.
“Have they had any success yet?” her voice was almost a whisper.
“They’re still trying several avenues,” Rarity replied, “though it’s hard because of the Elements.
“But they’re getting closer? Why haven’t they asked the Princesses?” Pinkie Pie asked, her mane deflating until it hung straight.
“They’ve asked the Princesses, but even they don’t know how to reverse the Elements’ Blessing,” Rarity stated.
“Is there any way for us, or rather the Elements, ta revert?” Future Applejack asked, but Rarity shook her head.
“Their focus is on severing our link with the Elements, but it’s hard. This is very old magic, older than Discord or even the Princesses. The few books I’ve found on the Elements state that they appeared about the same time as Princess Galaxia, but the accounts are sketchy at best,” she said, sorrow in her voice, “they’re trying their hardest, but many attempts just end in failure. They’ve never come across this before. Even the Amplification Rune Princess Celestia enscribed in the castle has little effect against the bond.”
“Well,” Future Applejack said, putting her hat back on her head, “there’s not much we can do about it. We’ll just keep on living until they find the solution. We’ve waited for five hundred years, we can wait a little longer.” Four heads nodded in sorrowful agreement, then they all turned and walked down the hill, away from the stone.
Applejack watched them go, then walked slowly up the hill. She felt like she’d stepped on holy ground and that her body refused to go faster than a slow walk. She focused on the stone as she walked closer and saw that it had been carved smooth out of a single block of stone with amethysts embedded in it. As she stepped closer, the inscription formed words and her breath caught in her throat as she came close enough to read it.
Here lies a great mare, the Archmage of Equestria Twilight Sparkle Beloved Friend, Daughter, Sister, Wife May the stars’ light forever shine down on you 1994-2083
Applejack felt tears run down her cheeks, falling onto the cool stone of the now-identified headstone. Why had this happened? Why were they five still alive and Twilight dead? Rarity had said something about the Elements, did she mean the Elements of Harmony? But what did they have to do with this? Was it their bond with the Elements that kept them alive?
Applejack stood there for several minutes as her vision became blurred with tears. She wiped them away with a hoof, but they just kept coming. Finally she gave up and slumped to the ground, her head buried in her forelegs. Her breath came in sobs, tears flowing onto the ground and she felt herself slip into sorrowful sleep.
She woke up feeling warm and cozy, but the feeling of sorrow quickly overwhelmed her again. She tried to cry, to let it all out, but found that she had no tears left. She sat there for a few seconds before she heard something close by.
She sat up, the blanket of her bed falling off her, and looked around. She was in her bedroom and Discord sat in a chair at the end of her bed.
“Why?” she asked, “Why did you show me that?”
Discord sighed and lowered his head. “Because, whether you like it or not, I consider you all my friends. I do not like to see my friends cry and I see this path leading you to that very future.”
“But,” Applejack stated, “the Princesses can’t see the future, why can you?”
Discord smiled, “because I’m the god of chaos and that gives me an overwhelming understanding of the hundreds of futures that can happen. Many of my jokes are harmless because of the futures that more serious jokes would bring about. However,” he leaned forward in his chair, the epitome of seriousness, “this time there’s nothing more I can do.
The decision will fall on you five to make. The correct choice or a big mistake. If this future, you do not seek, Then make the choice, do not be meek.
The time will come, it’s close at hand, When the choice you make will affect the land. Now make your choice, make it fast, For soon your friendship will not last.”
“When will we need ta make this choice?” Applejack asked and Discord smiled.
“The preparations are almost complete, The time to act, you soon will meet. Gather together the six of you now, Then come to the castle, you’ll find out how.”
Discord snapped his fingers and vanished in a flash of light, leaving Applejack to think about the day’s events. Finally it became too much for her and she slumped back down on her bed and drifted into restless sleep.
Fluttershy stirred from sleep as a soft beam of sunlight poked through her window. She stretched her legs, feeling more relaxed and rested than the night before. She giggled slightly at the thought, sleeping anywhere but on the floor was more relaxing and comfortable.
She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes and seeing a small, white shape at the hoof of her bed.
“Good morning Angel,” she yawned, her eyesight starting to clear. She rubbed them again for good measure then, tossing the comforter and sheets off her, she got out of bed and headed for the shower.
She washed her mane, enjoying the softness of it, then scrubbed down her body and dried off. She stepped out of the shower and smiled at Angel who was standing at the door to the bathroom. She patted him on the head and moved to the kitchen, Angel following her. She started to get out the ingredients for a salad when she heard a knock on the door.
“Oh, my. Who could that be this early in the morning?” she asked Angel who just shook his head. She trotted over to the door and looked out the window, only to gasp and duck her head back down. “Um, oh my, Angel, um, it’s, well, it’s her,” she stammered only to have Angel shake his head and facepaw.
Fluttershy eeped as he leapt off the counter and scampered toward the door. He jumped up and grabbed the doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open with one paw on the doorjam.
Fluttershy tried to compose herself, but a slight blush colored her cheeks as Pinkie Pie bounced into the room.
“Good morning Fluttershy! It’s a really nice day out! Rainbow Dash must have done a great job with the weather last night. Oops, that’s right! Rainbow Dash isn’t a pegaus anymore, she’s a unicorn! Does that change her name? Maybe instead of Dash she could be Sparkle? No, that means that she’s married to Twilight and how silly would that be?” –Pinkie Pie gasped, a thought crossing her mind—“but maybe they want to be married! Now I’ll have to plan a wedding and a bachelorette party, or maybe two of those, and a reception and a—“ Pinkie would have continued if it weren’t for the butter yellow hoof that found it’s way into her mouth.
“Pinkie,” Fluttershy sighed, though a small grin touched her lips, “it’s early in the morning. I need to feed my animals. I haven’t even had breakfast.”
“Oh,” Pinkie Pie gasped around Fluttershy’s hoof, “I’m sorry! I didn’t know! I just figured that you’d been up a lot longer. I could help you make breakfast and tend your animals, if you don’t mind.”
The idea made Fluttershy freeze and her hoof fell away from Pinkie’s mouth. Part of her brain knew she’d died during the night and gone to heaven, there was no way anypony wanted to help her, timid, lonely Fluttershy, with her animals willing. And especially not Pinkie Pie of all ponies. She was way too energetic to do anything calm.
Fluttershy mentally shook her head, there was that one time that Pinkie had duplicated herself six- or seven-fold. The town had been thrown into so much chaos that she and the girls had created a watching-paint-dry test to determine which one was the true Pinkie. If she could sit still for that long, Pinkie could do anything.
“Um, well, sure. I mean if you don’t mind, that is,” she said, timidly.
“Sure, I never mind helping a friend!” Pinkie bounced into the kitchen and smiled at Angel as she passed. She began pulling out knives and bowls, then started to layer lettuce leaves in the bottom of each bowl. Fluttershy watched her work, slightly amazed at how she seemed to be in two places at once, but she’d learned a long time ago not to question Pinkie. She just stepped to one side and started making Angel’s breakfast, Angel hopping up on the counter to watch her.
They finished their preparations quickly with the two of them working at it and Fluttershy delivered a heaping salad to Angel, who smiled as it was placed in front of him. They then turned to feeding the rest of Fluttershy’s animal friends. Fluttershy fed the ones she could reach from the ground while Pinkie Pie flew overhead and fed the ones just out of Fluttershy’s reach.
Once they were done, Fluttershy trotted back into the kitchen and started preparing a salad for herself and Pinkie Pie.
“So Pinkie, what brings you over this early in the morning?” Fluttershy asked as she placed leaves of lettuce in a bowl.
“Oh yeah! That’s right! Yesterday I had a great day, let me tell you about it!” And Pinkie Pie proceeded to do just that, Fluttershy listening intently as the tale wound on for almost an hour. When Pinkie got to the part about Princess Celestia visiting her and the conversation they had on a cloud Fluttershy gasped in surprise.
“What do you think she means by the Blessing?” she asked, causing Pinkie to pause in the middle of her story.
“I don’t know, but Pinkamina said that I was going to have a doozy when it happened, and you remember what happened the last time I had one of those,” Pinkie bounced around the room. Fluttershy nodded, the scene coming back to her.
“Do you think this has something to do with the rest of the girls?” she asked. Pinkie froze in midair and placed a hoof on her chin, thinking.
“It seems likely, and Pinkamina thinks so as well. You were all there the last time I had a doozy, but you weren’t the focus of the doozy, it was Twilight,” Pinkie stated.
“So do you think it has something to do with Twilight? But what could the Blessing be? It’s nothing I’ve heard of. Maybe Twilight will know,” Fluttershy paused in her food preparation to think.
“I don’t know. But—“ Pinkie started to say but stopped. Then, right in front of Fluttershy, she changed. Her mane straightened and drooped over her head and back like wet seaweed. Her coat became a darker pink, almost graying.
“Hello, Fluttershy,” the voice that came from Pinkie’s body wasn’t Pinkie. It was slightly deeper, and sounded less coated in sugar.
“Um, hello,” Fluttershy timidly replied.
“Come now, there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just me, Pinkamina,” Pinkamina stated. Fluttershy cowered on the ground. She’d never seen Pinkamina except for that one time when they threw Pinkie a surprise birthday party. She’d been really worried that they’d never see Pinkie again, but that had quickly vanished when Pinkie’s mane had popped back to its normal cotton candy look.
Fluttershy closed her eyes as Pinkamina drew closer to her and she whimpered.
“Poor Fluttershy, such a burden you bear in your heart,” Pinkamina whispered, her voice close to Fluttershy’s ear. She whimpered again as she felt something touch her chin, but she opened her eyes and looked up at Pinkamina’s calming eyes as Pinkamina gently lifted her chin up off the floor.
“Um, what do you mean?” Fluttershy asked softly and Pinkamina grinned at her.
“You know of the thing that I speak of. I can see into your heart and I see the weight you carry. Perhaps you only need a chance to express it,” Pinkamina walked slowly into the front room, her wings fanning out.
Fluttershy blushed as she watched Pinkamina move, then tried to cover it up when Pinkamina turned around and smiled at her.
“I’m afraid Pinkie and yourself got a little distracted from your question. You asked why we came over here so early in the morning?” Pinkamina asked and Fluttershy nodded, trying to rid herself of the blush that was turning her cheeks a strawberry blonde. Pinkamina sat down on the ground and spread her wings as wide as they can go.
Fluttershy moved into the room, her eyes glancing over the pink mare’s body. Her eyes were drawn to Pinkie’s wings and she switched into analysis mode.
“Your wings are a wreck. Your primaries are shooting out at odd angles and your secondaries are out of alignment,” Fluttershy muttered as she lifted one of the wings with her hoof, then she continued, “your feathers are dirty and streaked with grime and grit that make your wings heavy and hard to use. You’ll need a good preening before you can use them again.”
“Then why don’t you go ahead and give me one?” Pinkamina asked and Fluttershy could hear the sly smile in her voice.
“Um, ok, but only if you want,” she replied.
“Yes we do. That’s the reason we came over here,” Pinkamina stated.
With that, Fluttershy got to work. She fanned the wing she was holding out farther to separate the different feathers, then gently took each feather in her mouth and pulled on it, using her teeth to brush out many of the larger dirt particles and straightening the plume.
“What are you—oh, that feels good,” Fluttershy watched as Pinkie’s coat burst back into its bright pink and she felt the mare almost melt on the floor, moaning slightly as she pulled at each feather, cleaning it. She did this for each feather, then moved over to the other side and repeated the process. Once she was done with preening, she stood up and moved into the bathroom where she picked up a basin and filled it with warm water, then grabbed a rag and a wingbrush. She trotted back into the front room and took up position on one side of Pinkie.
She dipped one wing into the wash basin, eliciting a yelp of surprise and contentment from Pinkie as her wing touched the warm water, then started to gently wash each feather. She ran a hoof over each feather, rubbing it softly as she tried to get much of the dirt off it. Then she lifted the wing out of the basin and placed it on the rag. She grabbed the wingbrush and slipped it on a hoof, then proceeded to comb the wing, from the front to the rear, making sure that she got each feather.
Pinkie Pie moaned as Fluttershy stood up, then moved to the other side and repeated the process, dipping the wing into the water and washing it gently, then placing it on the rag and brushing it out. Fluttershy blushed slightly as she thought of how it felt. She didn’t have anypony to preen her feathers, but there had been once or twice when she’d had Rainbow Dash around to help her and she smiled as she remembered the calming feeling that had washed over her as Rainbow had expertly preened each feather.
Fluttershy finished with Pinkie’s wings and she sat back on her haunches as Pinkie stretched and sat up.
“Thanks, Flutters! That feels wonderful! I’ll have to have you preen my wings every day!” Pinkie bounced around the room as her wings fluttered slightly.
“Oh, um, that’s no problem,” Fluttershy was distracted as she watched Pinkie bounce, her eyes drawn to the pink wings on her back. “How does it feel to have wings?” she asked, absentmindedly.
Pinkie stopped midbounce and dropped onto the ground. “It actually feels fairly normal,” she said, thinking, “it kind of feels natural.”
Fluttershy nodded in understanding, then walked to the door and pulled it open. “Um, if you don’t mind, would you like to, um, spend the, uh, day with me?” she asked, turning and looking at Pinkie Pie who sat on the floor. The pink pony nodded and leapt into the air, falling in line behind Fluttershy.
Fluttershy walked out the door and Pinkie followed her, bouncing along down the path. Fluttershy proceeded, along with Pinkie’s help, to feed and care for the outdoor animals.
It was about the time when they were feeding Fluttershy’s chickens that Pinkie’s tail started to twitch.
“Twitchy tail! Twitchy tail!!!” Pinkie cried as she glanced around and up. Fluttershy eeped, then ducked into the chicken coop. She poked her head out and glanced around. She watched Pinkie look around, then saw her staring at a tree. Fluttershy looked at the tree and saw that a mother bird had made her nest in one of the branches and that one of her baby birds was teetering on the edge of the nest.
“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped as she launched out of the chicken coop, trying to get to the tree before the baby bird fell. As she ran closer she saw, as if in slow-motion, the baby bird slip and start to tumble out of the tree. She watched, helplessly, as the newborn tumbled toward the ground and she willed her hooves to run faster. She gasped as she realized that she wouldn’t make it and she started to tear up. She shook her head to clear her eyes and in that split second she saw Pinkie appear right under the bird and grab it out of the air with a wing.
Fluttershy stopped in surprise, then turned around and stared at the place where Pinkie had been mere seconds ago, then she gaped at Pinkie who held the baby bird in her hooves, slowly beating her wings to raise herself to the nest where she gently placed the baby bird back in the loving wings of its mother.
“How did you…” Fluttershy trailed off as she watched Pinkie float back down to the ground.
“I don’t know,” Pinkie replied, smiling, “but I’m just glad that that baby bird is just fine.”
Fluttershy nodded, then her mind roamed back to what they’d been talking about earlier.
“What do you think Princess Celestia was talking about when you talked to her?” she asked.
Pinkie shrugged, “I don’t know, but I do know that it’s no fun to be thinking about things like this on an empty stomach!” She turned and walked toward Fluttershy’s cottage again.
“Um, Pinkie, we just had breakfast,” Fluttershy reminded her.
“Well, yeah! We may have had breakfast, but we haven’t had snack yet! And luckily I have quite a few snacks with me. I’ll pull them out when we get settled,” Pinkie Pie smiled.
Fluttershy just sighed and walked with Pinkie to her cottage door, then she opened it and walked inside. Pinkie Pie took a seat on the couch while Fluttershy trotted up the stairs to her bedroom and retrieved the slip of paper with the cryptic riddle Discord had given her. She walked back downstairs reading the riddle to herself and she froze as she reached the bottom step.
Pinkie sat among dozens of snacks, from cupcakes to muffins, and cakes to donuts, and she had a cupcake in one hoof and a cup of cider in the other. She looked up as Fluttershy gave a subconscious squeak and smiled.
“Good! I hope I brought enough treats, I’d hate to run out in the middle of an important thought.”
“Pinkie, how—“ Fluttershy trailed off, then shook her head. It was Pinkie being Pinkie.
Fluttershy just sighed and sat down on the couch next to Pinkie and handed her the slip of paper. Pinkie read it several times, then sat there for a few minutes.
“What do you think it means?” she whispered and Fluttershy shook her head.
“I don’t know. It could be anything,” she replied.
“But,” Pinkie stated, “with what we know about the doozy that will be coming and this riddle, coupled with the fact that the last big doozy I had I was close to Twilight, means that we need to talk to Twilight soon.”
Fluttershy nodded, then stood up. “Then let’s get to the library, that’s the last place I saw her.”
Pinkie stood up and walked to the door, pushing her way through the pile of sweets and Fluttershy followed her. They opened the door and walked outside, heading for the library.
It didn’t take them long before the massive tree that contained the library came into view. They smiled at each other and trotted faster down the lane. As they got closer, Fluttershy paused for a breath as she recognized a familiar chariot sitting outside the door to the library and two royal guards standing to attention beside the door.
Pinkie looked back when she realized that Fluttershy had paused, then looked at the library and smiled.
“Good,” Fluttershy stared at Pinkie Pie as Pinkamina’s voice came out her mouth, “this means that we can get a few answers.”
They hurried to the door and Pinkie pushed it open, the guards recognizing them and nodding.
“-And that is why you need to gather the rest of the girls and come to the castle tomorrow as soon as you can,” Princess Celestia was saying. She turned to smile at Pinkie and Fluttershy who closed the door behind them.
“Well, this is a change,” Pinkie’s mane deflated and her coat grew dark as Pinkamina took hold, “I get to see you twice in two days. To what do I own the honor?” she sneered.
“Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “show some respect!”
“It’s alright, Rainbow,” Princess Celestia stated, waving a hoof dismissively, “I’m used to being addressed like that with her.”
Pinkamina thrust Fluttershy’s piece of paper into Princess Celestia’s face. “Perhaps you can tell me what’s going on and why Discord gave Fluttershy this riddle?” she glared.
Princess Celestia took the piece of paper in her magic and held it farther away from her face so she could read it. She muttered to herself as she read it, then smiled and frowned quickly.
“It seems Discord has already started the ball rolling sooner than I thought. This is his lesson, in fact,” Princess Celestia smiled at the three ponies in the room.
“So it’s Discord’s fault we’re like this!?” Rainbow Dash shouted at the princess, who nodded. Rainbow growled in frustration. “When I get my hands on him, I’ll personally turn him back into stone!”
“Would you do it if I gave you the opportunity?” Princess Celestia asked and Rainbow Dash gasped.
“You mean you would reverse everything that you’ve done and let us turn him back into stone?” she asked, confusion on her face.
“I could set up an opportunity, but this would require all six of you girls at the castle tomorrow, with the Elements,” Princess Celestia stated and Rainbow yelped with joy and leapt into the air, pumping a fist.
“Finally! We’ll be free of that god of chaos!”
“Oh my,” Fluttershy stated, hiding behind her mane.
Princess Celestia smiled at the three ponies, then moved to the door. “Now if you will excuse me, I’ve got a few more things I need to get done today at Canterlot to prepare for your arrival.” She opened the door with her magic and stepped out, closing it behind her.
“I’m sorry Fluttershy, but sometimes the best thing to do for people is to just let them stay the same,” Rainbow Dash stated and Fluttershy just nodded, sorrow in her eyes.
“Where’s Twilight?” Pinkie asked, her mane and coat back to its normal bright pink.
“She’s staying at my house for now, until I can call the Cloudsdale Cloud Construction Corporation to get a new home for her,” Rainbow replied.
“Oh, so we can’t actually talk to her,” Fluttershy said.
“That’s alright!” Rainbow stated, “I’ll have Derpy deliver a letter to her tomorrow in the morning telling her that we want to see her at the library. I’ll mention that Princess Celestia wants to see all of us at Canterlot. She won’t deny that!” Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy nodded. Then Pinkie smiled and leapt into the air.
“Ooo!! Then tonight we can have a sleepover! It’ll be great! We’ll roast marshmallows and eat sandwiches and tell ghost stories!” the pink mare was almost bursting with energy and excitement at the idea.
“That would be nice,” Fluttershy stated and nodded.
“Great! I’ll get the treats!” and before they could blink, Pinkie was gone.
Rainbow just shook her head and smiled. “That’s Pinkie for you.”
Fluttershy nodded, then left the library to prepare for the night. She headed back to her cottage and gave Angel instructions as well as had some of the other animals help out while she was gone. With that done, she walked upstairs and gathered up a few things. She packed her saddlebags and left the cottage.
She arrived at the library just as Pinkie charged into the library and deposited dozens of treats on the floor and in the kitchen. She smiled at the sight of her friend and closed the door behind her.
They spent the rest of the day and night telling stories of their childhood and sharing jokes and memories. Eventually Fluttershy decided to get some sleep for the day tomorrow and she gathered up her bedroll and laid it out in one corner. She slipped between the blankets and quickly fell asleep, nervous and excited for the day tomorrow.
Pinkie Pie awoke early in the morning. She stretched as she rolled out of bed and a groan echoed through the room. Her wings, it was still a little weird to call them her wings, were sore from flying yesterday and the dream she had didn't help.
Pinkie smiled as her mind flashed back to a scene in the dream. It had been her and Oatmeal, the brown stallion sitting in Sugarcube Corner, talking about past days spent together. In her dream she’d had a gold earring hanging from her left ear and he’d had the same kind of earring from his left ear. She’d not wanted to wake up from the dream.
But as all good things, it had to end and she had to return to the real world. And as she got ready for the day, taking a shower and practicing smiling, she’d wondered where Oatmeal was. She hadn't seen him for several years, not since that Hearth’s Warming Eve before Twilight came to town.
She smiled at the thought of finding him again and telling him how she really felt as she bounced out the door to Sugarcube Corner and headed down the street toward Fluttershy’s cottage. As she bounced down the street, she waved at several of the ponies that were out and about this early, namely Carrot Top, the Doctor (Pinkamina could feel their heart pause for a second at the sight of him), and Derpy with Dinky by their side.
She continued to smile as she bounced down the lane and over the bridge until she settled down on top of Fluttershy’s doormat. She giggled a little at that phrase, then raised a hoof and knocked on the door.
She heard someone inside squeak, then she saw Fluttershy peek out the window and duck back behind the curtain. She smiled and waited for a few seconds before the door swung open and she bounced inside, seeing Fluttershy in the kitchen.
“Good morning Fluttershy! It’s a really nice day out! Rainbow Dash must have done a great job with the weather last night. Oops, that’s right! Rainbow Dash isn't a pegaus anymore, she’s a unicorn! Does that change her name? Maybe instead of Dash she could be Sparkle? No, that means that she’s married to Twilight and how silly would that be?” –Pinkie Pie gasped, a thought crossing her mind—“but maybe they want to be married! Now I’ll have to plan a wedding and a bachelorette party, or maybe two of those, and a reception and a—“ Pinkie would have continued if it weren't for the butter yellow hoof that found it’s way into her mouth.
“Pinkie,” Fluttershy sighed, though a small grin touched her lips, “it’s early in the morning. I need to feed my animals. I haven’t even had breakfast.”
“Oh,” Pinkie Pie gasped around Fluttershy’s hoof, “I’m sorry! I didn't know! I just figured that you’d been up a lot longer. I could help you make breakfast and tend your animals, if you don’t mind.”
Pinkie grinned as Fluttershy let her hoof fall away from her mouth and she glanced around the room as Fluttershy stood there for a few seconds. Then Pinkie was pulled back to reality when she heard Fluttershy squeak out an answer.
“Um, well, sure. I mean if you don’t mind, that is,” she said, timidly.
“Sure, I never mind helping a friend!” Pinkie bounced into the kitchen and smiled at Angel as she passed. She began pulling out knives and bowls, then started to layer lettuce leaves in the bottom of each bowl. She could feel Fluttershy watching her and she smiled slightly. Pinkamina giggled, a feat most unbecoming of her and she could feel Pinkamina smile as well. She heard Fluttershy sit down at the table and she glanced behind her to see the yellow pony fixing Angel a salad.
They finished their preparations quickly with the two of them working at it and Fluttershy delivered a heaping salad to Angel, who smiled as it was placed in front of him. They then turned to feeding the rest of Fluttershy’s animal friends. Fluttershy fed the ones she could reach from the ground while Pinkie Pie flew overhead and fed the ones just out of Fluttershy’s reach.
Once they were done, Fluttershy trotted back into the kitchen and started preparing a salad for herself and Pinkie Pie.
“So Pinkie, what brings you over this early in the morning?” Fluttershy asked as she placed leaves of lettuce in a bowl.
“Oh yeah! That’s right! Yesterday I had a great day, let me tell you about it!” And Pinkie Pie proceeded to do just that, Fluttershy listening intently as the tale wound on for almost an hour. When Pinkie got to the part about Princess Celestia visiting her and the conversation they had on a cloud Fluttershy gasped in surprise.
“What do you think she means by the Blessing?” she asked, causing Pinkie to pause in the middle of her story.
“I don’t know, but Pinkamina said that I was going to have a doozy when it happened, and you remember what happened the last time I had one of those,” Pinkie bounced around the room. Fluttershy nodded, thinking. Pinkamina pulled up the memories and started to watch them like a movie as she went over each detail. There might be something that the two pink ponies were missing and Pinkamina took the opportunity to study their memories for any clue.
“Do you think this has something to do with the rest of the girls?” she asked. Pinkie froze in midair and placed a hoof on her chin, thinking.
“It seems likely, and Pinkamina thinks so as well. You were all there the last time I had a doozy, but you weren't the focus of the doozy, it was Twilight,” Pinkie stated.
“So do you think it has something to do with Twilight? But what could the Blessing be? It’s nothing I've heard of. Maybe Twilight will know,” Fluttershy paused in her food preparation to think.
“I don’t know. But—“ Pinkie started to say but stopped as Pinkamina chimed in.
“That’s it, I can’t take this any longer,” Pinkamina stated to Pinkie, “this pony has something that she needs to say and I’m going to help her say it!”
Pinkie stepped aside as Pinkamina moved forward in their mind, taking control of their body. Fluttershy gasped as the physical changes flowed through their body.
“Hello, Fluttershy,” Pinkamina stated, smiling at the shy pony.
“Um, hello,” Fluttershy timidly replied.
“Come now, there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just me, Pinkamina,” Pinkamina stated. Fluttershy cowered on the ground. Pinkamina smiled wistfully as she watched Fluttershy shiver in fright and she was sure that she was remembering the last time Pinkamina took control of their body.
Fluttershy closed her eyes as Pinkamina drew closer to her and she whimpered.
“Poor Fluttershy, such a burden you bear in your heart,” Pinkamina whispered, her voice close to Fluttershy’s ear. Pinkamina reached a hoof down and gently laid it on Fluttershy’s chin, raising her face and stared into the yellow pony’s blue eyes.
“Um, what do you mean?” Fluttershy asked softly and Pinkamina grinned at her.
“You know of the thing that I speak of. I can see into your heart and I see the weight you carry. Perhaps you only need a chance to express it,” Pinkamina walked slowly into the front room, her wings fanning out.
Pinkamina turn around and smiled at her, giving herself a mental high hoof as she saw a slight reddish blush fill into Fluttershy’s cheeks.
“I’m afraid Pinkie and yourself got a little distracted from your question. You asked why we came over here so early in the morning?” Pinkamina asked and she sat down on the ground, spreading her wings as wide as they can go.
Pinkie and Pinkamina relaxed as they heard Fluttershy move into the room and start to study their wings.
“Your wings are a wreck. Your primaries are shooting out at odd angles and your secondaries are out of alignment,” Fluttershy muttered as she lifted one of the wings with her hoof, then she continued, “your feathers are dirty and streaked with grime and grit that make your wings heavy and hard to use. You’ll need a good preening before you can use them again.”
“Then why don’t you go ahead and give me one?” Pinkamina asked slyly.
“Um, okay, but only if you want,” she replied.
“Yes we do. That’s the reason we came over here,” Pinkamina stated.
With that, Fluttershy got to work. She fanned the wing she was holding out farther to separate the different feathers, then gently took each feather in her mouth and pulled on it, using her teeth to brush out many of the larger dirt particles and straightening the plume.
“What are you—oh, that feels good,” Pinkie slid back into the forefront of their mind as Fluttershy preened and cleaned their wings, relaxing the two of them and sending Pinkamina into a state of almost complete relaxation. When Fluttershy finished with preening, Pinkie heard her stand up and move out of the room. She heard a bit of clattering and a few things being gathered and the water running, then saw Fluttershy return with a basin in her hooves. She trotted back into the front room and took up position on one side of Pinkie.
Pinkie turned her head back to face forward and she felt Fluttershy’s soft hooves on one wing, then she gave a yelp of surprise and contentment as the wing was dipped into warm water. She sighed as she felt the warmth flow through her wing and into her body, relaxing some of the muscles in her wing. She felt Fluttershy lift the wing out and place it on a soft piece of cloth, then start to brush each feather.
Pinkie fell into a state of utter bliss as Fluttershy worked, first on one wing then on the other. Finally Fluttershy finished and Pinkie stretched, then sat up. Pinkamina felt through the muscles and then smiled. They didn't hurt and their wings were back to the way they were when they’d first got them.
“Thanks, Flutters! That feels wonderful! I’ll have to have you preen my wings every day!” Pinkie bounced around the room as her wings fluttered slightly.
“Oh, um, that’s no problem,” Fluttershy stated, distracted, “How does it feel to have wings?” she asked, absentmindedly.
Pinkie stopped midbounce and dropped onto the ground. “It actually feels fairly normal,” she said, thinking, “it kind of feels natural.”
Fluttershy nodded in understanding, then walked to the door and pulled it open. “Um, if you don’t mind, would you like to, um, spend the, uh, day with me?” she asked, turning and looking at Pinkie Pie who sat on the floor. The pink pony nodded and leaped into the air, falling in line behind Fluttershy.
Fluttershy walked out the door and Pinkie followed her, bouncing along down the path. Fluttershy proceeded, along with Pinkie’s help, to feed and care for the outdoor animals.
It was about the time when they were feeding Fluttershy’s chickens that Pinkie’s tail started to twitch.
“Twitchy tail! Twitchy tail!!!” Pinkie cried as she glanced around and up. Fluttershy eeped, then ducked into the chicken coop. Pinkamina slid into hyper-attention mode and started to analyze everything around them, from the air currents (she was better at reading them then Rainbow dreamed of), to the smallest tremors in the ground. Finally she found what she was looking for and she stared at a tree about twenty hooves away from them where a bird had set up a nest on one of the branches. “Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped as she launched out of the chicken coop, trying to get to the tree before the baby bird fell. Pinkamina watched as a baby bird, no more than a few days old, teetered on the edge of the nest before slipping out of it and plummeted toward the ground. She watched as Fluttershy tried to get to the base of the tree, but Pinkamina knew that Fluttershy had waited too long. She didn't want to see any of their friends cry or be sad, though throwing parties was Pinkie’s job, and so she did the only thing she could.
She tapped into their Chronomancy.
She discovered their ability soon after the event known as the Sonic Rainboom happened when she was a filly. She had felt something awaken as Pinkie awoke within them. She hadn't minded Pinkie at the beginning and even found that, with Pinkie’s incessant desire to throw parties, she could use her other half’s massive amounts of energy to great effect.
Twilight had once tried to study their ability, but hadn't even come close to it, stopping only at their Pinkie Sense, and so even she didn't know that they had the ability to affect time.
Pinkamina reached down into their sugar stores and pulled a large glob of it up and channeled it into their magic. She didn't know how, but the world became slower, almost like everything except her had been drowned in winter cold molasses. She watched as the bird fell slowly to the ground and Fluttershy attempt to reach the bird. As she saw the slightest twitch in Fluttershy’s neck, Pinkamina leaped into action. She darted forward just as Fluttershy started to shake her head and she passed the stiff moving pony, gliding into a barrel roll and snatching the baby bird before it came within several hooves of the ground. She righted herself just as the sugar glob ran out. Pinkamina gave herself a mental hug, she’d spent a lot of time studying their Chronomancy and had guessed the right amount of sugar required.
They glanced at Fluttershy who stood, shocked, several hooves from the base of the tree, then they flapped their wings, raising themselves up to the nest and placing the baby bird back into the nest where the mother bird wrapped it in her wings.
“How did you…” Fluttershy trailed off as she watched Pinkie float back down to the ground.
“I don’t know,” Pinkie replied, smiling both outwardly and inwardly, and giving Pinkamina a wink, “but I’m just glad that that baby bird is just fine.”
Fluttershy nodded, then her mind roamed back to what they’d been talking about earlier.
“What do you think Princess Celestia was talking about when you talked to her?” she asked.
Pinkie shrugged, “I don’t know, but I do know that it’s no fun to be thinking about things like this on an empty stomach!” She turned and walked toward Fluttershy’s cottage again.
“Um, Pinkie, we just had breakfast,” Fluttershy reminded her.
“Well, yeah! We may have had breakfast, but we haven’t had snack yet! And luckily I have quite a few snacks with me. I’ll pull them out when we get settled,” Pinkie Pie smiled.
Fluttershy walked with Pinkie to her cottage door, then she opened it and walked inside. Pinkie Pie took a seat on the couch while Fluttershy trotted up the stairs and vanished into her bedroom. Pinkie smiled, then reached behind her and pulled a massive pile of snacks and treats from thin air. She had barely set it all up and had a tankard of cider in one hoof and a cupcake in another when she glanced up and saw Fluttershy frozen at the foot of the stairs.
“Good! I hope I brought enough treats, I’d hate to run out in the middle of an important thought.”
“Pinkie, how—“ Fluttershy trailed off, then shook her head. Pinkie just smiled and Pinkamina snickered, it was quite fun to see how far their friends would study them before they just gave up.
Fluttershy just sighed and sat down on the couch next to Pinkie and handed her the slip of paper. Pinkie read it several times, then sat there for a few minutes.
“What do you think it means?” she whispered and Fluttershy shook her head.
“I don’t know. It could be anything,” she replied.
“But,” Pinkie stated, “with what we know about the doozy that will be coming and this riddle, coupled with the fact that the last big doozy I had I was close to Twilight, means that we need to talk to Twilight soon.”
Fluttershy nodded, then stood up. “Then let’s get to the library, that’s the last place I saw her.”
Pinkie stood up and walked to the door, pushing her way through the pile of sweets and Fluttershy followed her. They opened the door and walked outside, heading for the library.
It didn't take them long before the massive tree that contained the library came into view. They smiled at each other and trotted faster down the lane. Pinkie looked back when she realized that Fluttershy wasn't beside her, then looked at the library and smiled.
“Good,” Pinkamina smiled, “this means that we can get a few answers.”
They hurried to the door and Pinkie pushed it open, the guards recognizing them and nodding.
“-And that is why you need to gather the rest of the girls and come to the castle tomorrow as soon as you can,” Princess Celestia was saying. She turned to smile at Pinkie and Fluttershy who closed the door behind them.
“Well, this is a change,” Pinkamina switched with Pinkie, sneering at the Princess, “I get to see you twice in two days. To what do I own the honor?”
“Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “show some respect!”
“It’s alright, Rainbow,” Princess Celestia stated, waving a hoof dismissively, “I’m used to being addressed like that with her.”
Pinkamina thrust Fluttershy’s piece of paper into Princess Celestia’s face. “Perhaps you can tell me what’s going on and why Discord gave Fluttershy this riddle?” she glared.
Princess Celestia took the piece of paper in her magic and held it farther away from her face so she could read it. She muttered to herself as she read it, then smiled and frowned quickly.
“It seems Discord has already started the ball rolling sooner than I thought. This is his lesson, in fact,” Princess Celestia smiled at the three ponies in the room.
“So it’s Discord’s fault we’re like this!?” Rainbow Dash shouted at the princess, who nodded. Rainbow growled in frustration. “When I get my hands on him, I’ll personally turn him back into stone!”
“Would you do it if I gave you the opportunity?” Princess Celestia asked and Rainbow Dash gasped.
“You mean you would reverse everything that you've done and let us turn him back into stone?” she asked, confusion on her face.
“I could set up an opportunity, but this would require all six of you girls at the castle tomorrow, with the Elements,” Princess Celestia stated and Rainbow yelped with joy and leaped into the air, pumping a fist. “Finally! We’ll be free of that god of chaos!”
“Oh my,” Fluttershy stated, hiding behind her mane.
Princess Celestia smiled at the three ponies, then moved to the door. “Now if you will excuse me, I’ve got a few more things I need to get done today at Canterlot to prepare for your arrival.” She opened the door with her magic and stepped out, closing it behind her.
“I’m sorry Fluttershy, but sometimes the best thing to do for people is to just let them stay the same,” Rainbow Dash stated and Fluttershy just nodded, sorrow in her eyes.
“Where’s Twilight?” Pinkie asked as Pinkamina slid back to think.
“She’s staying at my house for now, until I can call the Cloudsdale Cloud Construction Corporation to get a new home for her,” Rainbow replied.
“Oh, so we can’t actually talk to her,” Fluttershy said.
“That’s alright!” Rainbow stated, “I’ll have Derpy deliver a letter to her tomorrow in the morning telling her that we want to see her at the library. I’ll mention that Princess Celestia wants to see all of us at Canterlot. She won’t deny that!” Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy nodded. Then Pinkie smiled and leapt into the air.
“Ooo!! Then tonight we can have a sleepover! It’ll be great! We’ll roast marshmallows and eat sandwiches and tell ghost stories!” the pink mare was almost bursting with energy and excitement at the idea. Pinkamina shook her head and smiled. It was Pinkie being Pinkie again.
“That would be nice,” Fluttershy stated and nodded.
“Great! I’ll get the treats!” and before they could blink, Pinkie was gone.
Pinkie raced home and grabbed as many treats as she could, then raced back to the library where she deposited the dozens of treats in the kitchen and on the floor. She turned around and smiled as she saw Fluttershy smiling back at her.
They spent the rest of the day and night telling stories of their childhood and sharing jokes and memories. Eventually Fluttershy decided to get some sleep for the day tomorrow and she gathered up her bedroll and laid it out in one corner.
Pinkie sat back for a second, then smiled at Rainbow Dash.
“It looks like tomorrow is going to be quite exciting,” she said and Rainbow nodded.
“If that’s so, then I guess we’d better get some rest while we can. I know I’ll need to save up my energy for when I get my wings back,” Rainbow stated, trotting upstairs then returning with some blankets and pillows. She handed one to Pinkie, who took it, and they both laid them out on the floor, then crawled in them and fell asleep.
Rainbow Dash woke up to a beam of sunlight poking through the curtains and shining right on her face. She squinted and growled at the intrusion.
“I am going to sue the Princess,” she muttered as she rolled over. She tried to fall back asleep when she heard somepony knock on the door. She grumbled and pushed off the sheets. “Spike!” she called, glancing around and found that Spike wasn't in bed. She stumbled out of the room and down the stairs just as Spike came out of the kitchen and moved to the door. He looked out the window, then turned to look at Rainbow as he opened the door.
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom ran into the room, stopping right up to Rainbow.
“Rainbow!” they both shouted, both fillies frantic and scared.
“What's happening?” all signs of sleepiness gone from Rainbow's face as she watched the two Cutie Mark Crusaders tear up.
“We can't find Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle stated.
Without another word Rainbow shot out of the door, racing toward...toward where? She froze, stopping in the middle of the square. She turned to see Sweetie Belle and Applebloom race out the door, closing it behind them. They hurried up next to her and looked around.
“Sweetie Belle, look at the clubhouse,” Rainbow stated, looking at the white filly. Then she turned and stared at Applebloom, “Applebloom, search the school.”
With their orders, the two fillies ran off in their respective directions. Rainbow turned and slowly looked around her. If she was Scootaloo, where would she go? Now that she thought of it, she didn't even know where Scootaloo slept, much less stayed. She didn't have any family, though Rainbow suspected that Scootaloo didn't know that Rainbow knew that.
Rainbow started to dash off in a random direction, hoping to see her from the air, and she leaped into the air and flapped her wings.
Only to land face down on the ground. She groaned and stood up, shaking the dirt from her body. She glanced back at her wings only to remember that she was a unicorn now. She groaned again, running her hoof over her horn and causing small sparks to jump from the tip.
Then the thought hit her, if she was a unicorn, then she could use magic! She reached deep within her and pulled on her magic, finding it at her forehead. She threw it into her horn, willing it to point her toward Scootaloo.
She grunted in exertion as she poured more and more magic into her horn, trying to find Scoot before anything happened to her. She finally had to stop, as she was sweating from the attempt. She glanced around, then hung her head. She didn't know how to be a unicorn. She wanted to have her wings back, to soar among the sky, to feel the wind rustle her fur and throw a rainbow-colored trail behind her as she pushed herself faster and faster.
She crumpled to the ground, feeling helpless. She couldn't fly, and so she couldn't search as fast as she wanted to, and she couldn't use magic, and so she couldn't find Scoot or even which direction she should go. A tear ran down her cheek as she realized that she wasn't Loyalty, she couldn't be loyal when she couldn't even find where was her number one fan.
She shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes as a fire burned inside her. She couldn't give up. She had to find Scoot, and quickly! Rainbow turned and ran off toward a familiar hill. If Scootaloo wasn't at any of the regular spots, then there was one place Rainbow was sure that she'd be. She went running as fast as her hooves would carry her toward a wrought iron fence set into the ground, fencing off a large flat area with a hill at the far end.
“Scootaloo!” She shouted, hoping that Scoot would hear her and answer as she ran faster, willing her legs to move faster.
“Rainbow!”
Rainbow Dash stopped, or rather she tried to. She'd been running so fast that she couldn't stop as well as she would've if she'd been flying. Consequentially, this led her to trip over a rock and slam muzzle first into the ground. She groaned and sat there for a few seconds, trying to get her bearings back and to stop the pain in her muzzle from growing. Then she sat up and looked around.
There, emerging from the trees close to the cemetery, was a familiar orange filly who ran up to Rainbow and tackled her into the ground.
“What are you doing over here?” Scootaloo asked, slightly nervous as she glanced at the cemetery.
“Looking for you,” Rainbow Dash replied, hugging the small filly in her forelegs.
Scootaloo gave a nervous laugh. “Haha, like I'd be in a cemetery? That's silly, Rainbow Dash!”
“Yeah, silly,” Rainbow Dash laughed half-heartedly. Then she smiled, “hey, now that I’ve found you, let’s go let Sweetie Belle and Applebloom know where you are.”
“Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were looking for me?” asked Scootaloo.
“Yep, and they’re both worried about you,” Rainbow answered, “Sweetie Belle went to search the clubhouse and Applebloom I sent to the schoolhouse.”
As the two ponies trotted down the road, heading for the center of town when Rainbow looked up at the sky and admired the clouds. She smiled as she thought of the thrill of racing through the clouds and feeling the wind kick back her mane.
Her gaze fell on her cloud home, floating above the town and drifting in a lazy circle around it. She wondered how Twilight was handling her wings, and she saw a glimpse of a purple pony emerge from the front door and spread their wings. Rainbow watched as Twilight leapt off the cloud and glide downward, or at least she tried to glide.
Rainbow watched in horror as Twilight’s wings crumpled to one side. She must have used them too much yesterday, Rainbow thought as she raced toward the library. Her brain jumped into high gear, analyzing the trajectory, velocity, gravitational constant (Rainbow didn’t even know she knew the gravitational constant), and atmospheric conditions. It finally completed the calculations in two seconds and relayed the information to Rainbow.
“She’s heading for the library!” she shouted as she demanded her legs to move faster, but after running to find Scootaloo she found that her energy was draining faster than she thought.
She watched Twilight plummet toward the library, every second her strength waned, until she gasped as Twilight slammed into the tree, throwing up leaves and branches and vanishing from sight. Rainbow saw the tree shudder as something hit it and the sound of shattering glass.
She reached the door and yanked it open, gazing inside. The entire tree looked like a mess. Leaves, books, and branches littered the floor everywhere and paper was still swirling around the room in a torrent of white chaos. Spike knelt on the ground amidst the chaos next to Twilight, obscuring Rainbow’s view.
“Twilight!” Spike shouted, placing a clawed hand on the mare’s mane.
Rainbow moved next to him and looked down at her friend. What she saw caused her to wince in pain.
Twilight was laying on her side with one of her wings bent in an unnatural state, feathers out of alignment and mixed with leaves from the tree. Rainbow placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder and Twilight whimpered in pain. She brushed Twilight’s mane away from her face and she gasped as it revealed a long gash on Twilight’s forehead.
“Spike!” Rainbow turned to look at the distraught dragon beside her, “go get the doctors!”
“Um, yes, of course!” Spike stood up on shaky legs and darted toward the door as fast as he could. Rainbow could only sit and stare at her friend lying on the ground as she heard the door open and Spike gasp. Rainbow couldn’t break her eyes away from the helpless mare on the ground to see who it was, but she heard the soft sounds of hooffalls on the carpet. Then she saw an alabaster hoof ending in a golden horseshoe rest on her shoulder as a large shadow fell over Twilight.
Rainbow saw the slightest of movement from the mare and her mouth move.
“Princess.” The sound was more of a breath, almost nonexistent.
“Quick Step, Vanguard!” Princess Celestia called over her shoulder and Rainbow heard the sound of two more ponies move into the room. Rainbow watched as Twilight’s body was enveloped by a golden aura and levitated gently off the floor. Then Rainbow turned and followed her friend’s broken body out of the room and outside.
She noticed a golden chariot sitting outside the library’s door with two guards dressed in identical golden armor standing to attention. Princess Celestia rested Twilight’s body on the soft cushions of the chariot, then turned to look at the guards.
“Fly as fast as you can to Canterlot. Deliver Twilight to my sister, she will know what to do. Then return to me,” Princess Celestia instructed, then added, “fly softly. She is wounded and any unnecessary jostling will not be welcome to her.”
The two guards saluted then hitched themselves back to the chariot and launched into the air. Rainbow watched the golden chariot until it shrank into the tiniest of dots, thinking about her friend riding away from her.
She snapped out of her train of thought at the brush of a feather through her mane. She looked to her side and saw Princess Celestia sitting there, patient. She gasped and started.
“I’m sorry, Princess! I forgot!” Rainbow apologized, then moved to the door and stood aside, waiting.
Princess Celestia smiled at the flustered cerulean mare, then walked through the door and into the room. Rainbow followed her and paused in surprise as she watched the Princess’ horn glow golden, the loose books and papers enveloped by the same glow, then float into the air and reorganize themselves onto shelves and desks, returning the once chaotic room to a state of order and harmony.
Rainbow found herself standing there with her mouth agape as the Princess turned to look at her. “I had no idea that unicorns could do that much levitation!” she breathed in awe, “I’ve only seen Twilight levitate at most a dozen items at once.”
Princess Celestia smiled, “well, Twilight hasn’t realized her full power. Levitating hundreds of items is easily within her capabilities.”
Rainbow’s face fell when she thought of Twilight, but an alabaster hoof raised her chin until her eyes were looking right into the Princess’.
“Twilight will be returned safely to her home later tonight. She will be ready for the trip tomorrow,” Princess Celestia stated softly.
“Trip?” Rainbow asked, “what do you mean ‘trip’?”
Princess Celestia levitated two cushions over and sat down on one, placing the other on the ground next to Rainbow Dash who sat down on it.
“A great change needs to happen soon. All the preparations are complete and tomorrow would be the best time to have it done,” Princess Celestia started.
“What change?” asked Rainbow, her mind whirling with the possibilities.
“It was an unforeseen change,” the Princess replied, “one that occurred back when you five ponies first used the Elements of Harmony against my sister. There was an unanticipated side effect from contact with the Elements, one that will, eventually, cause a great deal of pain and sadness for you five. It is my purpose tomorrow to try and prevent this from happening. However, with one averted, another will arise. The only thing that you need to ask yourself is this: ‘how important is my friendship to me?’” She finished and watched Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow’s face was frozen, but her mind was spinning faster than the Dizzitron on full power. It ran through hundreds of memories, analyzing each and every one of them. The whole process took several minutes, through which Princess Celestia sat, patient, on the cushion in front of her.
“My friendship?” asked Rainbow Dash slowly, “I would go to the ends of the earth if I knew that I could preserve it. I would do all that I can to save it.”
A smile grew on Princess Celestia’s face and she nodded. She stood up and spread her wings.
“I hope that your conviction is as true through your actions as it is through your words. I will provide the opportunity for your conviction to be tested, as well as the conviction of your friends. I will need you to gather the Elements from here and the rest of the girls. Only then will you be able to save your friendship. Twilight will be ready for her change and you girls will need to be there for it,” she stated. Behind her, Rainbow saw the door to the outside open and Pinkie Pie stepped inside, followed by Fluttershy. She pulled her attention back to the Princess as she finished talking. “-And that is why you need to gather the rest of the girls and come to the castle tomorrow as soon as you can,” Princess Celestia finished. She turned to smile at Pinkie and Fluttershy who closed the door behind them.
“Well, this is a change,” Rainbow Dash watched as Pinkie’s mane fell flat and thick, then the pink pony turned to look at the Princess, sneering, “I get to see you twice in two days. To what do I own the honor?”
“Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash shouted, taken aback by the comment, “show some respect!”
“It’s alright, Rainbow,” Princess Celestia stated, waving a hoof dismissively, “I’m used to being addressed like that with her.”
Pinkamina thrust Fluttershy’s piece of paper into Princess Celestia’s face. “Perhaps you can tell me what’s going on and why Discord gave Fluttershy this riddle?” she glared.
Princess Celestia took the piece of paper in her magic and held it farther away from her face so she could read it. She muttered to herself as she read it, then smiled and frowned quickly.
“It seems Discord has already started the ball rolling sooner than I thought. This is his lesson, in fact,” Princess Celestia smiled at the three ponies in the room.
“So it’s Discord’s fault we’re like this!?” Rainbow Dash shouted at the princess, who nodded. Rainbow growled in frustration. “When I get my hands on him, I’ll personally turn him back into stone!”
“Would you do it if I gave you the opportunity?” Princess Celestia asked and Rainbow Dash gasped.
“You mean you would reverse everything that you’ve done and let us turn him back into stone?” she asked, confusion on her face.
“I could set up an opportunity, but this would require all six of you girls at the castle tomorrow, with the Elements,” Princess Celestia stated and Rainbow yelped with joy and leapt into the air, pumping a fist. “Finally! We’ll be free of that god of chaos!”
“Oh my,” Fluttershy stated, hiding behind her mane.
Princess Celestia smiled at the three ponies, then moved to the door. “Now if you will excuse me, I’ve got a few more things I need to get done today at Canterlot to prepare for your arrival.” She opened the door with her magic and stepped out, closing it behind her.
“I’m sorry Fluttershy, but sometimes the best thing to do for people is to just let them stay the same,” Rainbow Dash stated and Fluttershy just nodded, sorrow in her eyes.
“Where’s Twilight?” Pinkie asked, returning to her normal, bubbly self.
“She’s staying at my house for now, until I can call the Cloudsdale Cloud Construction Corporation to get a new home for her,” Rainbow replied.
“Oh, so we can’t actually talk to her,” Fluttershy said.
“That’s alright!” Rainbow stated, “I’ll have Derpy deliver a letter to her tomorrow in the morning telling her that we want to see her at the library. I’ll mention that Princess Celestia wants to see all of us at Canterlot. She won’t deny that!” And hopefully she won’t get hurt like today, Rainbow thought. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy nodded. Then Pinkie smiled and leapt into the air.
“Ooo!! Then tonight we can have a sleepover! It’ll be great! We’ll roast marshmallows and eat sandwiches and tell ghost stories!” the pink mare was almost bursting with energy and excitement at the idea.
“That would be nice,” Fluttershy stated and nodded.
“Great! I’ll get the treats!” and before they could blink, Pinkie was gone, only to reappear in a second with dozens of treats, which she deposited in the kitchen and on the floor, then smiled at Fluttershy, who was smiling at her.
They spent the rest of the day and night telling stories of their childhood and sharing jokes and memories. Eventually Fluttershy decided to get some sleep for the day tomorrow and she gathered up her bedroll and laid it out in one corner.
Pinkie sat back for a second, then smiled at Rainbow Dash.
“It looks like tomorrow is going to be quite exciting,” she said and Rainbow nodded.
“If that’s so, then I guess we’d better get some rest while we can. I know I’ll need to save up my energy for when I get my wings back,” Rainbow stated, trotting upstairs then returning with some blankets and pillows. She handed one to Pinkie, who took it, and they both laid them out on the floor, then crawled in them and fell asleep.
Twilight stirred awake, her wings twitching slightly. They were still sore from the flying lessons that Derpy gave her yesterday. She rolled over in bed, sighing into the sheets and relaxing into the mattress. She really needed to have Rainbow Dash make her a cloud mattress. They really were the most comfortable things she’d slept on. She nuzzled into the sheets again, willing the welcome embrace of sleep to return and whisk her away from reality.
But in the end, she rolled out of bed, resigning herself to another day. She stretched her wings, trying to work out the knots and soreness from them. She trotted down the stairs, smiling at the light-ness of the clouds beneath her hooves. If only she could have a house like this, Twilight thought, though it would make it hard to have a public library in it. Only pegasi would be able to visit her.
She moved into the kitchen and fixed herself a small sandwich. There wasn’t much in the way of food in here, but she made due. As she ate the sandwich, she wandered through some of the rooms until she found herself in a small study. It had a large window that overlooked Ponyville and she could see the library tree from the window. There was a cloud chair and desk set up with several pieces of paper spread out on it, with a stack of paper to one side.
Twilight sat down at the desk as she finished her sandwich and picked up one of the pieces of paper, spying mouthwriting. She read the first line, realizing it was a title page.
The Elements of Harmony: The effects on the Bearers and Equestria
Prism Bolt
Twilight sat there for a second, mulling this over. The page was mouthwritten, she could still smell the faint odor of ink, but why was it in-? Twilight leapt up from the chair and moved over to one of the small bookcases around the room. She read the titles of the dozen or so books, pausing over the author’s name.
“Prism Bolt, Prism Bolt, every one of these books were written by Prism Bolt,” she muttered to herself, “but why does Rainbow Dash have a mouthwritten page from a book that I’ve never heard of?”
She froze as a thought dawned on her like Celestia’s sun. There’s no way it was true but, as Twilight headed for the desk again, her brain thought through the things she’d found in the room.
“Rainbow has mouthwritten pages from Prism Bolt’s book that hasn’t even been published yet. The bookshelves are lined with her work. This is a room that looks like it’s seen a lot of use. And the author’s name is Prism Bolt,” Twilight muttered to herself, her voice sounding in the empty study.
Then it all clicked. She stood there, stunned, then shot out the door and raced to the foyer. She needed to talk to Rainbow Dash about this. If it was true, then this was something to throw a party for.
She flung open the door to the outside and stepped out onto the landing, closing the door behind her. She spread her wings, trying to ease the tension and knots out of it, then she leapt off and headed for the library. She felt the wind beneath her wings and she could feel the small thermals around the house lift her slightly.
Then everything went wrong. She felt her wings crumple as pain shot through them, forcing one of her wings to her side and sending her into a steep dive. She tried to right herself by forcing the fold-ed wing open, but to no avail. She only had time glance forward before her view was filled with green and brown. She squeezed her eyes closed as she plummeted through the branches and she cried out in pain as she felt something grab her one open wing and pull it painfully backward. She didn’t hear it due to the sound of the leaves, but she felt something snap and pain course through her wing. Tears blurred her view and she could only barely make out a small window before she became intimately familiar with the glass. She felt pain in her head and she felt herself start to detach from her body.
She felt her body, as if from afar, slam into the ground amid the shattered glass and leaves. She could feel the pain pulse through her body, not once letting up. She whimpered, but couldn’t even move because the pain was so bad.
As if in a dense fog, she heard voices and felt a hoof rest on her body, only to send another wave of pain through it. She whimpered and mentally pulled away. She didn’t know how long she’d lain there, but it seemed like seconds as well as an eternity before she felt her body grow lighter.
Am I dying? Twilight thought. She felt her body move slowly and gently toward somewhere, then rest on something soft. Perhaps I’m in Elysia. I’d read that it was decorated with cloud cushions.
Then a slight jostle send a bolt of pain through her body and she quickly decided that if she was dead, she wouldn’t have felt the pain. She consigned herself to the fact that wherever she was, she’d hoped she would find some help.
She awoke feeling rested. She blinked as she looked around. The sun was setting, so she must have been unconscious for several hours, and she was resting on something soft. She tried to focus on whatever she was laying on, but could only get that it was dark, almost black. She tried to roll over, but found something blocking her path. She raised her head, feeling slightly woozy from the phantom pain that she expected, but was pleasantly surprised not to find, and looked around.
The room seemed decorated in dark blues, almost black, with banners of midnight blue hanging on the walls, each one bearing a silver crescent moon in the center of it. She looked over at what had prevented her from rolling over and saw a familiar, star speckled, mane waving in an ethereal wind. She looked up and saw the dark blue glow of magic wrapped around a game controller.
“P-Princess Luna!” Twilight cried and tried to move away from the Princess, but found her ef-forts inhibited by Princess Luna’s wing that was draped over her body.
“Rest easy, Twilight Sparkle. We have watched over you since you arrived in our room, deliv-ered by our sister’s guards,” Princess Luna turned to look at Twilight and smiled.
“What am I doing in your room, Princess?” Twilight asked.
“You were brought here severely wounded and we have tended your wounds,” Princess Luna gestured with her wing to Twilight’s body and she noticed for the first time that she didn’t hurt nearly as much as before and that her wing was wrapped. She also felt something around her head and she raised a hoof, feeling bandages around her head.
“How long have I been here?” she asked.
“You were asleep before you arrived, but you have been here for six hours,” the Princess replied.
“I’m sorry, Princess,” Twilight stated, “I didn’t mean to intrude on your private chambers.”
“Nonsense, Twilight,” Princess Luna replied, “besides the time will soon come that you will be welcome in our chambers. Tomorrow will be a busy day, and so we suggest you conserve as much en-ergy as possible.”
Twilight stood up on shaky legs and moved around, her movements slow. She slowly trotted over to a bookshelf, noticing they held games of different kinds. She didn’t recognize many of them, but a few of them leapt out at her.
“The Legend of Celestia, Pony Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Maretroid Prime 3: Corruption, Mistborn: Birthright, Minecraft,” she read off several of the titles.
“You play?” Princess Luna raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve heard of those games, but never played them,” Twilight responded, “I’m afraid that I don’t have much time, what with all my studies and Friendship Reports.”
“Ah,” Princess Luna said with a twinkle in her eye, “Friendship Reports. How are you doing with your most recent Report?”
Twilight looked at her with a confused look, “my most recent one? I sent one a few days ago. I was unaware that I was writing another.”
Princess Luna smiled and nodded. “We think it is best that you get some rest. Your body is not quite rested, though almost. It will be an interesting day tomorrow.”
Twilight nodded, then curled up next to Princess Luna and slipped into sleep, her head resting on a soft, midnight blue pillow.
Twilight awoke to the soft rays of moonlight gently caressing her body. She stirred and sighed as she felt soft material slide off her unbound wing. She sat up and looked around. She was surprisingly awake for the time of night. Twilight glanced at the clock that hung on the wall and snickered. Or rather for the time of morning, as it was just an hour before dawn.
She looked around the room and saw that Princess Luna sat in front of the large television, a game controller in her magical aura and a concentrating look on her face. Twilight quietly slipped out of bed and sat by the Princess of the night and watched her play. She watched as Luna smirked as her aim was true and she blew a large, jellyfish-like thing to pieces, the creature giving off a screech as it died.
“Ah, Twilight. We see that thou art awake. Good, the time for thy friends' arrival will be soon,” Princess Luna said with the slightest of glances in her direction.
“My friends are coming here?” Twilight asked and Princess Luna nodded.
“They will be arriving in one hour,” she replied, “and they will be most worried about thee. We were supposed to return thee home yesterday, but we decided that it wouldst be best if thou weren't moved. Though now it is a moot point.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. “What do you mean, 'a moot point'?” she asked.
“Our sister and we believe that thee and thy friends have learned the lesson given to them.” Princess Luna shot another one of the jellyfish-like creatures with a ball of ice, freezing it in the air, then shattered it with what looked like a rock on fire.
“What lesson? I wasn't aware that we had a lesson-” Twilight started to say, but stopped when something dawned on her. “The book,” she whispered slowly, “the spell was a test. But it had no author.”
Princess Luna paused her game and turned to look at Twilight. “The book,” she said slowly, “has an author, though not one that you would expect to be when his book is full of spells on friendship. But all questions will be answered when your friends get here.” She turned back to her game and Twilight spent the next hour watching her destroy more and more creatures.
A knock at the door interrupted the game and Twilight turned to look at the door just as it was enveloped by a dark blue aura and pulled open. On the other side stood three pegasi, except they had bat wings instead of the typical feathered wings Twilight was used to seeing. The one in the center, a mare judging by the smoothness of her movements, stepped forward. She bore the crest of Princess Luna’s Night Guard, a silver moon, on her helm and she bowed to the Princess.
“Your highness, forgive our intrusion at this time, but Princess Celestia has stated that she is ready to begin. The other Bearers have already arrived,” she said, her voice soft like the night wind.
“We thank thee, Evening Glow,” Princess Luna stated, turning off her game and standing up, “inform our sister that we shall be along momentarily.”
The three guards bowed, then retreated out the door. Princess Luna turned to look at Twilight and smiled.
“Let us not keep thy friends waiting,” she said and started to walk out the bedchambers, Twilight following her.
It wasn't long before Twilight and the Princess arrived at the large, golden doors that bore the mark of Princess Celestia in the center, marking the entrance to the throne room. Evening Glow stood to one side, pulling open the doors with her sapphire blue magic.
As the doors swung open, Twilight gasped as she saw five familiar mares standing in the middle of the room, on the red wool carpet. She darted forward and embraced, and was embraced by, her friends.
“Twilight!” the five girls cried.
“We were so worried when we couldn't get a letter to you!” Rainbow Dash stated, her eyes shimmering.
“Yes, darling,” Rarity interjected, “but then little Spiky-wiky got a letter from the Princess telling us to come to Canterlot.”
“And we couldn't just stand by and wait, so we hurried on tha first train here!” Applejack smiled at the purple mare.
“Oh my,” Fluttershy stated when she caught sight of Twilight's wounded wing, “what happened?”
“Well-” Twilight started to say when she was interrupted.
“Twilight.” Twilight turned her attention at the strong tone to the Princess sitting on the throne.
“Yes, Princess?” she asked, noting that Princess Luna had taken up a seat next to Princess Celestia.
“Come here.” It left no room for questions. Princess Celestia motioned for Twilight to take a seat next to her.
Twilight hesitantly walked closer and took a seat next to Princess Luna, then turned to look up at Princess Celestia. From her seat, Princess Celestia looked much more intimidating than she remembered.
In one swift movement the air above the throne was filled with hundreds of daggers, each blade shining with the glow of a small sun. Twilight gasped, never before had she seen so many Mage Weapons at once. Then a thought hit her and she followed the points away from the throne and-
“No,” she whispered, then louder, “everyp-!” she froze as she felt something sharp against her throat. She glanced down to see another Mage Weapon, this one shining like the moon, against her throat. She looked over at Princess Luna for only a second before her muzzle was forced back so she stared at her friends by a midnight blue magic aura.
It took a second for the five mares to realize what was happening and in that second Twilight saw something that she'd only hoped would see in her nightmares.
As if they were all shot out of a cannon, every one of Princess Celestia's Mage Weapons shot toward the five, defenceless mares. They moved so fast that even Rainbow Dash only had time to gasp before they were upon them.
Twilight wanted to, she really did, but she couldn't pull her eyes away from the sight of dozens of daggers embedding themselves into the bodies of her friends.
“No!” she screamed and, as she felt Princess Luna's Mage Weapon slip, she darted forward. She winced slightly as she felt the blade of the dagger slide down her side, but she ran toward her fallen friends.
“No! No no no!!!” she knelt down and held Rainbow's head in her hooves, tears streaming down her face. She looked up at the two Princesses, trying to gasp for breath. “Why?” she pleaded, “why why why?” she sobbed as she held her friend in her hooves. She sat there for several minutes, trying to wish it wasn't real, that she wasn't holding Rainbow in her hooves and that she wasn't dead. She could only slowly look around at the fallen bodies of her friends and fresh tears flowed out of her eyes. She tilted her head back and let out a scream, one that had never been heard before. A scream that carried through the entire castle and resonated through the halls. A scream that carried with it the pain of losing friends of several years. A scream that bore the sound of a broken heart. Twilight screamed until she ran out of breath, then she could only sit there with her mouth wide open and tears running down her cheeks and mixing with her mane.
“Twilight.”
A voice pierced the air, a voice that only started a fire of anger within her. Twilight stood up, resting Rainbow's head on the ground.
“You.” The word came out in a whisper, pained and forced. “You. You!” With each word Twilight grew more and more angry. She could feel her magic flare up in her, a feeling she'd only felt once before at this magnitude. She welcomed it, reveled in it. If Celestia was going to take away all that she'd worked for, Twilight reasoned, then it only seemed fitting for her to return the favor.
She glared up at the two alicorns sitting on their thrones, her eyes boring like lasers into theirs. Princess Celestia stood there, emotionless, while her sister sat with a small flicker of fear in her eyes. Twilight grinned to herself, they had good reason to fear.
She gathered up every bit of magic she could reach with her pain-riddled mind, coalescing it and forming it into the most destructive spell she could think of. She was milliseconds from throwing the raw magic and the spell at the smug faces of her Princesses when something stopped her.
“Twilight?”
Twilight felt every bit of her anger drown out faster than if she'd been doused in water. She slowly turned around, not wanting to believe what she'd heard.
There, standing on unsteady legs, was Rainbow Dash with her mouth open in shock.
Twilight let the magic she'd held dissipate. She slowly moved forward until she was within hoof's reach, then she reached out a shaky hoof and stretched it out, reaching for her friend's cerulean coat.
“How?” she whispered, disbelieving, “how?”
“I don't know, Twilight,” Rainbow replied, “I was hoping that you'd be able to tell me. But when I came to, you were standing there, facing the Princesses with your mane set on fire.”
“But,” Twilight's brain started to work again, “that's impossible. Resurrection is impossible.” She looked past Rainbow to see the rest of her friends stir and start to stand up. Her brain tried to make use of this information, but despite it's best efforts, it couldn't. And so it did the only thing it could, it shut down, causing the mare using it to collapse to the ground, unconscious.
“Twilight!” the five, barely recovered mares cried as they rushed forward and swept their unconscious friend off the floor. Then they turned to look at a shadow that had fallen over them.
“Princess Celestia!” Fluttershy begged, “please tell us what happened.”
Princess Celestia smiled down at the six mares, then nodded. “I will, but not here. I have a special room where everything will be explained.” She led the way to the throne room doors and pushed them open with her magic. She turned back to make sure that the five mares were following, Applejack carrying Twilight on her back, and her sister taking up the rear.
The little parade moved down the hallway, winding down stairs and through more hallways until they arrived at a door, one made of simple gold and emblazoned with the six gems of the Elements of Harmony. The door handle glowed with a golden aura and slid open, revealing a large, empty room beyond.
Princess Celestia moved into the room and allowed the rest of the entourage to follow her. Rainbow Dash froze as she caught sight of the only other inhabitant of the room.
“Discord!” she shouted, falling into a battle stance, the rest of the girls falling in behind her. Only Fluttershy shied away from it, hiding behind her mane.
“Calm yourselves, girls,” Princess Celestia stated, “he is here because you all need to hear something.”
Applejack slid Twilight off her back and rested her on the ground. “Like what kinda somethin'?” she asked.
“Why Applejack!” Discord stated, holding a paw to his chest in mock shock, “I would have thought you would have realized what your vision meant by now?”
“Yes, but first we need to wake Twilight up. She will want to hear this,” Princess Celestia stated, walking over to the unconscious mare. Her horn glowed gold and Twilight's horn glowed gold as well. Twilight stirred awake and blinked her eyes. She looked up at her friends looking down at her. She grunted and tried to rise to her hooves but stumbled, falling into Rarity who supported her. She smiled her thanks, then turned her attention to the two princesses and Discord.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“We are in a chamber of which very few ponies know,” Princess Luna stated, “ a chamber that holds great power. And it is finally going to be used.”
“Twilight,” Twilight turned to look at her mentor, “there are several things we need to tell you. Particularly what has happened over the past few days.”
“Ah yes,” Discord sauntered forward, a smile on his face, “that is where I come in.” He snapped his fingers and a familiar book fell into his outstretched paw.
“That's the book that-” Twilight started to say.
“-I gave you!” Discord finished, smiling at Twilight's look of shock and surprise.
“But, that's impossible! Why would you write a book on friendship?” she asked.
“Why, because of all the research that I've done over my years,” Discord stated, the smile never leaving his face, “I had spent hundreds of years playing pranks on ponies and testing their friendship to each other. I finally realized that some ponies' friendships lasted longer than I thought they would and so I began to study and experiment. I eventually devised dozens of spells that would incorporate both friendship and my own sense of humor. You six had chosen to cast one of my favorite ones.” Discord clapped his paws in applause, then snapped his fingers, causing the six mares to gasp as a bright light surrounded them.
Each gasped as their respective abilities returned to them. Rainbow gave a whoop of glee as she darted into the air, flipping around and smiling down at the five mares. She tapped her forehead and smiled as she felt the distinct lack of horn. She looked down at the others and saw that Fluttershy was a pegasus again, Twilight and Rarity were unicorns and Applejack and Pinkie Pie were earth ponies again.
“And now,” a tap on the floor drew everypony's attention to Princess Celestia, “let me tell you the next thing that affects you all. It concerns these.” Her horn glowed and a familiar box appeared next to her in the air. She opened it and revealed the six Elements of Harmony. She nodded to Princess Luna, who spoke up.
“It all happened back when the Elements were first used when we returned from the moon. Our Nightmare shattered the Elements. But she did not destroy them, as was her intention. The Elements could not be destroyed, but they were shattered, and we freed part of their power. Thus they did the only thing they could do. They sought for new hosts, latching onto those ponies that held each element in a high regard.” She turned to look at the Elements in the box, then looked back at the six mares. “The powers went to thee,” she motioned to the six mares, excluding Twilight, “granting thee a great blessing. And before today our sister and we did not know what it fully entailed. Now we know that thou have been granted a great gift, one that only was known to us alicorns. The gift of Immortality.”
Princess Luna let this information set in to the six mares. Twilight was the first to speak up.
“So that's what happened in the throne room?” she asked and the two princesses nodded.
“But,” Princess Celestia stated, staring right at Twilight, “there was one Element who's power was not split. The Element of Magic.”
“So then, you're tellin' me that Twi's going to-?” Applejack asked, then her eyes widened as she remembered her vision.
“That's correct, Honest Applejack,” Discord stated, then looked at Twilight, “our little spark here is not immortal,” –the six mares gasped— “ but that is what this room is for.” He gestured with a paw and the room seemed to glow. A large circle was carved out by a sparkling light and Twilight could feel the magic grow in the room. She and the rest of the girls watched as the light drew out a circle about twenty hooves wide, with five, smaller circles spaced equidistance apart, finally ending with one circle in the center of the room.
“To fix this,” Princess Celestia stated, gesturing with a hoof at the circle, “we have prepared a magic array, one designed to focus and strengthen any magic performed in any of the five outer circles and funnel it into the center circle. That is where you girls come in. Each one of you will need to take a place in one of the circles, with Twilight in the center. Then, using the Elements, you will grant her the same gift you yourselves have.”
The six mares nodded and, grabbing their respective Elements, stepped into their positions. When they were ready, Princess Celestia smiled and nodded to Twilight.
Twilight closed her eyes and tapped into her magic, pulling it up out of her font and into her Element. As she did, she could feel the resonance echoing through the other five, each one focusing the wills and feelings of her friends. She reached out and guided each one of the Elements, calling them down the engraved lines of the array, pulling them into the center. As she did, she could feel her friends and their desire to have her with them forever, their desire to bestow on her the same gift that they were given unbidden.
Princesses Luna and Celestia as well as Discord stood back and watched as the six mares in the room started to glow with a magenta light, each one pulsing in time until the two alicorns and single draconequuis could feel the room itself bend to the will of the six mares. When they thought it would last much longer, Twilight's eyes shot open, glowing with white light. Princess Celestia smiled, it was almost complete.
Then the room was blasted with a blinding white light, causing two of the inhabitants to look away. When the light dimmed to a manageable level, the three inhabitants turned their attention back to the six ponies. And what they saw amazed them.
There, sitting in their respective circles, lay the six Bearers. Princess Celestia smiled as each one started to stir, then arose, blinking and shaking their head. The five ponies turned their attention to the sixth, which still lay on her side. Applejack took a step forward.
“Twilight?” she asked, nudging the purple mare. The five mares stood there with baited breath as they waited, unsure that it'd worked.
Then, as Twilight stirred and stood up, they released it and rushed forward, embracing their friend in a hug.
“Hi girls,” Twilight said, weakly. Then they all separated, still smiling until Pinkie started jumping up and down.
“Hey!!!” she shouted, drawing everypony's attention to her. She jabbed a hoof at Twilight's back and smiled, “look!”
The other four ponies gasped as they saw what had caught Pinkie's attention and Twilight stood there, stunned.
“What?” she asked. Princess Luna summoned a mirror and presented it to her. She took it in her magical grip and held it up to her face. She felt something on her back and she came to a realization as she remembered the feeling from just a few minutes ago. She directed the mirror so that she could see her back and she gasped.
There sitting on her back just like they had a few minutes ago, were a pair of wings. She raised a hoof to her forehead and came in contact with her horn. She blinked and looked at Princess Celestia.
“Princess?” she asked.
“It appears that there is only one type of pony that can have the gift of immortality is the type you are now,” Princess Celestia stated.
“So, I'm an alicorn now?” Twilight breathed. Both princesses nodded and grinned.
“Wow, Twilight. You look just like a princess,” Fluttershy stated.
“That's because she will be a princess,” Princess Celestia stated, walking up next to Twilight, “but for right now, I figure that you will have enough to worry about, what with getting used to wings and such. I will keep in constant contact with you, in case you have questions. I will also be looking into a place where you will have your castle, as every alicorn has one.”
“Eh??” Twilight gasped, her brain trying to process twice in the same day an impossible amount of information. The result was the same and the newborn alicorn toppled over, unconscious.
Princess Celestia smiled, then looked at the rest of the Bearers. “I will arrange for a train to take you six home. Take Princess Twilight home and let her rest. She'll need your help and support. Until the time that I crown her myself, please refrain from calling her by her title. To Ponyville, and for now to you five, she is still Twilight Sparkle, local librarian and exceptional unicorn.”
With that, Princess Celestia led the way out of the room and back up to the castle proper, then called a guard to guide them to the train station. Princesses Celestia and Luna watched the six mares step onto the train, then they headed back to the castle.
“Of course,” replied Princess Celestia, “now that she too is immortal, we can move on to the next stage of their plan. We need to be prepared for when he comes. I will let the others know.” She walked off down a hallway while Princess Luna watched her.
“Let us hope that the six of the Bearers are ready, lest disaster falls upon our fair country. We can only hope that they will learn the lessons prepared for them.” With that, Princess Luna turned to a balcony and reached out with her magic, utilizing the ancient magic that was weaved into the very ground, the very world itself, and guided the moon into the sky as her sister set the sun on the other side of the castle. She stood there for several minutes, then sighed and turned back to the castle. With the events of the day, there was much that needed to happen. And she was going to be a part of it this time.