Snippet from abandoned AU

Before I got on with Joe 2 I considered an AU story. I had the image that when Twilight Sparkle complained that libraries were supposed to be quiet in the series opener that she was told by Joe permission had been given. Basically he’d been taken to Equestria before his bad years, about a year prior to that, and so had made a far better impression on everypony. He’d been the assistant Ponyville Librarian rather than working at Sweet Apple Acres and had taken over as the actual librarian when the former one retired a few months before.

So everything got derailed nicely. As a considerate host Joe noticed that Twilight Sparkle had not returned to the party and he brought the books she needed to research and convince him and the others she was onto something. Therefore they went to repeat the warning to Princess Celestia backstage before her big reveal and one consequence was that the Ponyville Mayor was also warned. So when Nightmare Moon appeared she told the Guards to stand down rather than telling them to attack.

Which meant rather than the Mane 6 going into the Everfree it was them plus an unenhanced Joe (no Twilight Sparkle or Zecora for bringing him to Pony standards), Big Macintosh, and four Royal Guards. Only three Guards were struck by lightning but as four pull the carriage seems fair to say there were four with one looking after the carriage rather than being inside. So the various encounters with difficulty go differently and that disrupts Twilight Sparkle learning the lessons of friendship.

Instead they have to fight Nightmare Moon and seeing them demonstrate the various traits as they fight her awakens the spark in the buried Princess Luna and the Elements of Harmony bond to her and burn away Nightmare Moon. Then she relinquishes their power as too great and too tempting in favour of accepting her sister’s friendship and forgiveness, and returning both. So Twilight Sparkle goes back to Canterlot and feels she needs to study harder to try to match the standards of power and knowledge of Princess Luna.

The story just didn’t feel right though. I like alternate histories and universes with the question of ‘what if’ but for some reason I always feel like how things have gone in MLP: FiM is preferable and more enjoyable. It was quite fun working out how some of the Season One episodes would go with Twilight Sparkle in Canterlot and Joe as librarian in Ponyville, but even those didn’t feel right. And since Joe in this had been in Equestria longer, as well as having got off to a better start, it also felt like there was spoilers about what would happen to Joe in the ‘proper’ story.

But here is one of the Season One vignettes. Why send your student and her five friends when it might have been a good test of your sister anyway?

==

Dragonshy

“WORM!”

The full force of the Royal Canterlot Voice seemed to almost hurl the Red Dragon against the back wall of the cave in which he’d been trying to sleep.

“THOU DARES TO BLOW SMOKE AT PRINCESS LUNA? GODDESS OF THE MOON?”

The Dragon blinked and looked more closely at the small figure. That she was hovering showed her wings, that magic was glowing around it showed her horn, that she had both showed she was an Alicorn. He’d not heard this Goddess had returned and, even for Dragons with century long sleeps, a millennia was a long enough absence that he’d nearly forgotten there used to be two sisters. So when two Ponies had woken him and begun complaining it had seemed funny to just snort at them.

“I MAY NOT, YET, HAVE REGAINED MY FULL STATURE BUT THY DISRESPECT SHALL NOT BE TOLERATED!”

“I, erm, sorry,” the Red Dragon replied.

“Not as sorry as thou might be,” frowned Princess Luna, taking a few wing beats forward and moderating her tone, with an effort. “Thou art proud of thy scales that can withstand thy own fire or even the fires of the very earth, so thee can bathe in lava, but dost thou think thee could withstand the fires of the Sun were Our Sister not merciful?”

“Merciful?” the Red Dragon almost squeaked.

“Were thee not listening? Thy snores choke the skies of Equestria with thy smoke, so Our Subjects suffer. But Our Sister chooses to give thee a chance to sleep elsewhere, if thou cannot prevent thyself from emitting that smoke as thee sleep.”

“I…”

“Perhaps a spell could help the snoring?” Twilight Sparkle suggested from the ground. “Or one to filter the smoke and muffle the noise?”

“But incinerating thee to solve the problem,” continued Princess Luna, “and mix thy ashes with the molten remains of thy hoard would still be mercy.”

“It would?” the Red Dragon blinked.

“It would?” echoed Twilight Sparkle.

“IT WOULD,” Princess Luna said, plastering the Red Dragon back against the wall of the cave with the return of the Royal Canterlot Voice. “FOR I AM NOT JUST GODDESS OF THE MOON, I AM GODDESS OF DREAMS! WOULD THOST CARE TO SLEEP FOR A CENTURY OF UNRELENTING NIGHTMARE, BUT AWAKEN AND REALISE HAD TRULY BEEN ONLY SCANT FEW HOURS? THEN WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE BE PLUNGED BACK INTO THE TORMENTS OF THINE OWN MIND? WOULD THAT NOT BE POETIC RECOMPENSE FOR THY DISRESPECT?”

“If I agree to leave,” whimpered the Red Dragon, “and say, again, that I am sorry. No, very sorry… will you please forgive me… Your Highness?”

“Thou art forgiven,” Princess Luna replied, moderating her tone again, “now thee seem aware of the consequences thee risked. And will risk should thee treat any emissary of Us or Our Sister with disrespect.”

“I understand, Your Highness.”

“Good, thee may have until the end of the day to gather thy things.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Princess Luna nodded and turned as she descended so as she landed she was facing the cave mouth. She led the way outside into the fresh mountain air and Twilight Sparkle followed as they walked a short distance to one side of the cave. Seeing the worried expression on her sister’s student’s face Princess Luna’s regal mask dissolved into a reassuring smile.

“Oh, don’t worry Twilight. Tia has the power, but not the inclination to incinerate anyone. Even were this Dragon being a far greater, or more immediate threat, she would prefer a less abrupt solution.”

“So, it was a bluff?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Twas a bluff with the truth that was possible behind it.”

“And your threat? Of nearly unending nightmare?”

“That was more of a bluff,” admitted Princess Luna. “Much of my time imprisoned within the Moon and even of the time I spent as Nightmare Moon before she was… before I was… defeated is nearly lost to my memory. But when all thee have for company is thyself and thou art used that even when physically alone thee can still guide and influence the dreams around thee…” The Alicorn Goddess sighed. “Well, let me just say thee learn what anguish thy own fears and thoughts can inflict. And that inflicting that on another becomes abhorrent.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded, though it did seem strange that if Princess Luna was Goddess of Dreams that she would have been upset that Ponies were asleep during her night.

“And before thee ask,” added Princess Luna with a sad smile, “I have seen thy dreams and I know how much thee resent me.”

“Resent you… I…”

“Thy love for Our Sister is great, and thee fear that I supplant thee in her affections,” interrupted Princess Luna. “But thee underestimate thyself and Tia. Thou art the closest thing to a sister or daughter she hast had in untold centuries, and that love for you would not so easily be put aside. Even were her compassion and love not so great and so easily able to encompass both her sister of blood and her sister of choice.”

“She thinks of me as a sister?”

“Or a daughter,” smiled Princess Luna, “the age gap is great enough, a mere matter of multitudes of millennia. But myself I think wouldst rather think of thee as sister rather than niece, if thee wouldst accept such an offer?”

Twilight Sparkle hesitated. Not because she doubted the sincerity in Princess Luna’s words but because this offer did make her wonder if her brother was actually just an ass that in all the years since she’d hatched Spike it seemed he had never made a similar offer. And now she wondered about why Princess Celestia had made her work with Princess Luna and if she was trying to let them become friends, and if she needed to get Spike and Shining Armour together in the same way before it was too late. But then she plunged forward into a hug on the surprised and relieved Alicorn.

“I can’t say I can think of you as a sister,” Twilight Sparkle admitted, tears starting to well up, “but I’d be glad to be your friend and hope to one day be that close to you.”

“Then I accept thy friendship, with gratitude,” smiled Princess Luna, returning the hug and feeling an unregal dampness to her eyes.