My Most Faithful Student,
I see your choice in literature is as varied as ever, Twilight. Predictions and Prophecies? Destiny is one thing, but predicting the future is an entirely different matter. Why, if you tried to predict the future- make a prophecy- then who's to say that the simple act of that wouldn't change the outcome? It's simply a silly notion that anypony- myself included- could predict the future. I know that you look up to Starswirl the Bearded, Twilight, but his prophecies aren't exactly accurate. Surely you've read the rest of the tales in that book, rather than just the one about Nightmare Moon?
But with that said, my dearest student, you are destined for great things. Your knowledge and magic nearly rival Starswirl, and you're not even an adult yet! At this rate, history will forget about him and you'll take his place! But I must admit that I fear you will burn yourself out at this rate, Twilight. I worry about you when I hear that you spend all of your days studying. I know that you mean well, and I am proud of you for your dedication to learning, but you really need to take a break and experience life more, even if it's just for one day. There's more to life than what you can find in books- some lessons can only be learned through experience, rather than by reading them from a book. Yes, you may learn spells from books, but you cannot simply cast them as soon as you learn them. Practice- experience- is required.
Among the Royal Guard, there is a saying that "Field experience is one skill you never have until after you need it." History has taught me this lesson at great cost, Twilight, but that doesn't mean we can't be prepared by learning from books. However, as I mentioned before, you can't learn everything from books. Books can make problems seem far more simple than they actually are.
And because of that, I want you to oversee this year's Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville! Now I know you're probably scowling when you read this or have Spike read it to you, but it will be good for you to get outside of your comfort zone and get some fresh air- and meet some ponies other than myself, your family, the Archivist, librarians, and royal guards. We all know you deserve a break with how hard you've spent the past decade studying under me. It will be good for you to get this experience in. With your organizational skills, I know that you can do it- and there's nopony else more qualified or deserving to oversee this year's Summer Sun Celebration than you, my Most Faithful Student. Besides, if anything unexpected does happen, who better to handle it than my prized pupil?
But it would be best if you put this silly Nightmare Moon nonsense behind you. You don't need to worry about that, Twilight. It's just an old pony's tale.
I'll send a chariot to take you to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration, and I'll even arrange for you to stay in the town's library!
Yours truly, Princess Celestia.
The Princess had been right. Even knowing that she was going to be staying in the town's library did little to alleviate her scowl. It was outrageous! Her! The princess's Most Faithful Student! Her protege! She had devoted her life to studying magic under her and learning all that she could! And Princess Celestia wanted her to take a break to meet other ponies. She couldn't believe it.
"I can't believe this!" Twilight cried out. "I-I know what I read and she's in grave danger and she's just ignoring me!" After a few seconds, her expression fell and her ears pinned back from pain. "How could she just... ignore me?" she asked softly.
A soft, disappointed sigh escaped the lips of a young dragon standing beside her. "Twilight... please calm down. It's Princess Celestia. I'm sure she knows what she's talking about. You heard her! She said it's just an old pony's tale. There's nothing to be worried about," he comforted. "She's not in danger, you're just... overreacting."
Twilight hung her head guiltily. "I hope you're right, but... I feel worried sick about this." Her head shot up and she looked at Spike pleadingly. "W-what if she's wrong? What if Nightmare Moon comes back like the prophecy says!? Princess Celestia controls the sun and the moon! What do you think Nightmare Moon would do to her-!?"
Spike gripped Twilight's foreleg with his claws and gently shook her, making her entire body shake and sway, breaking her out of her fear-induced rant. "Twilight!" Spike interjected. "Come on! Hasn't Princess Celestia been alive for over... thousands of years or something?"
Twilight winced, then turned away from Spike to nod. "Well... yes. She has," she admitted glumly. She huffed and looked back at Spike. "But that doesn't mean-"
"But she told you not to worry about it, Twilight. If Nightmare Moon was real, I think she'd tell you that..." Spike reassured. He smiled at her until Twilight turned away from him and looked out of the room's large window, gazing out across Canterlot. "Twilight, if she's like... thousands of years old, she'd know about something like this is it was real. And if it was real, she wouldn't just brush your concern off. She wouldn't lie to you."
Twilight opened her mouth to retort him but stopped herself. He was entirely correct. Princess Celestia had been alive for such a long time that it was unthinkable that she would brush this off if it was real, and if it was real, she wouldn't brush off Twilight's concern for her, so through logical reasoning, she could deduce that it wasn't real. And if it wasn't real, then she was overreacting, even if it didn't feel like it. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, then calmly exhaled. A few seconds passed before she opened her eyes again. "Y-you're right, Spike... I... I guess I should trust her." She smiled, and her face lit up with determination. "She wouldn't lie to me, after all. If Nightmare Moon was real, she'd tell me about it," she stated resolutely.
Spike smiled. "See!" he said. "You really do worry too much, Twilight. It'll be fine. Besides, even if Nightmare Moon were real, Princess Celestia would stop her from causing eternal night!"
Twilight nodded. "Yeah, I guess... I can't imagine anypony, or really anything for that matter, being able to defeat Princess Celestia. She would stop Nightmare Moon." She looked around, then rolled up the scroll. "Can you get my saddlebags?" She started walking over to one of her tower's massive bookshelves, scanning the titles idly. "I need to get ready to go to Ponyville..." Her scowl returned, but it wasn't nearly as prominent as it had been before. Even if she didn't like it, Spike was right. Worrying about Nightmare Moon wasn't necessary if Princess Celestia told her it wasn't necessary. Besides, she had a new assignment from the princess- even if it wasn't a lesson that she wanted to learn, she needed to do her best. After all, she was Princess Celestia's Most Faithful Student.
Spike nodded. "Sure. I'm sure the pegasus chariot will be by soon. Is there anything else you need?"
Twilight shook her head. "I'll take care of the rest. I shouldn't need to bring anything. I'm just overseeing things. Oh! I will need paper and quills though. And ink too."
"I'll take care of it, Twilight," Spike affirmed. "You just relax and think about how to organize everything."
Twilight smiled to herself. "Thanks, Spike. Although, I'm not sure that anypony can relax and plan for something like this at the same time," she said with a cheerful giggle. She trotted back over to the idle dragon, then wrapped a foreleg around his back and leaned down to nuzzle him. Spike returned her hug, wrapping his arms around Twilight's neck, and he giggled a bit from Twilight's fur tickling his scales. After a few seconds, they parted.
"Present company excluded of course!" he noted. "You find organizing relaxing..." he said in a much less enthusiastic tone. Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes at the dragon's comment. Spike turned and headed towards Twilight's desk to retrieve the items she had requested, leaving Twilight to ponder over everything for a few seconds.
And a few seconds was more than enough time for her to think. She trusted Princess Celestia- her mentor wouldn't lie to her, and Princess Celestia trusted her. In fact, Princess Celestia trusted her with things that she didn't even trust other ponies close to her with, not even her advisors or the royal guards. And just one small detail of that was Princess Celestia trusting her to oversee the one-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration. The one-thousandth. It'd only ever come around once, and it'd be another thousand years before another milestone like that could be reached.
Her eyes lit up, sparkling in delight at the prospect, and she let out a giddy laugh. Maybe she could afford to take a slight break- but no, a break simply wouldn't do. This would be the one-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration. It had to be absolutely perfect. Princess Celestia put her in charge, so everything had to be perfect. She couldn't let her down! It was unthinkable.
She had simply been thinking about it the wrong way. Her assignment wasn't to take a break or to meet other ponies. No, her assignment was to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration! The one-thousandth! To ensure that it was absolutely perfect for her beloved mentor, and, of course, to learn a lesson and gain experience while doing it.
Content with this in mind, she paid Spike a passing glance to check on his work. And of course, he was doing as fine of a job as ever. She knew she could always count on Spike to always be her number one assistant, it would never change. With a smile, she turned her attention back to the bookshelf, but not before her eyes swept over the still-open book 'Predictions and Prophecies' on the table. Her smile wavered. She trusted Princess Celestia completely.
'But why do I still feel so worried about this..?'
Ponyville was one of the closest 'cities' to Canterlot in Equestria. In truth, while Ponyville was nearly in Canterlot's backyard, it was far from a city- it was more of a village, or a small, rural town. In a way, it was shocking, not only that such a place was chosen for the Summer Sun Celebration, but also because it was the closest town to Canterlot in Equestria. An interesting sidenote that she had learned was that Ponyville was even closer to the actual center of Equestria than Canterlot was. For some reason, she found that fascinating when considered alongside Ponyville being a town, rather than a city.
Much larger and more densely populated cities existed in Equestria, as did smaller ones, yet Ponyville for all it's closeness to Canterlot seemed to be extraordinarily unremarkable. The only thing that most ponies would find interesting was its proximity to the Everfree Forest, which she had learned was generally avoided, for good reason.
But rather than giving it much more thought, she came to the conclusion that the reason why Ponyville was a small, rural town, and not a bustling city on Canterlot's doorstep, was most likely because of its proximity to the Everfree Forest, even if it was so close to Canterlot.
Twilight scowled and blinked. She turned away from Canterlot and its mountain to look at Spike, who held on tight to an open scroll. The chariot was flown by two white, armor-clad pegasus Royal Guards, and if Spike were to let go, that scroll would be history- if it weren't for a spell she had put on it ensuring such a thing wouldn't happen. Normally, a pegasus chariot ride would make her smile and relax as she felt the wind blowing through her mane, making her wonder if that feeling was the same for pegasi when they flew through the air, free of having to stand on anything for support, but right now, it just wasn't the same.
Her trust in Princess Celestia was unshakable- or so she thought- but right now, she found herself questioning whether she trusted her princess as much as she thought she did. 'I have no reason to be worried about Nightmare Moon! Princess Celestia said it isn't real; so it's not real, yet I'm still worried! Why am I still worried about this!?' She nibbled on her lip, and her scowl lifted. 'Maybe I'm not worried about Nightmare Moon... maybe I'm worried about the Celebration?'
She took a deep breath, then swallowed. Maybe all she needed was to distract herself for a moment- after all, there was a lot of pressure on her to oversee the celebration. Despite the fact that the trip was only a few hours long by pegasus chariot, and that they were not even halfway there, she already had everything planned out. She had even gone over everything that could go wrong! Including the risk of Nightmare Moon being real. Her scowl threatened to return, but she caught it in time and put a stop to it.
With nothing to distract her, she found her mind kept wandering back to Nightmare Moon for some reason, and every time it happened, she felt a strange unease come over her. It was so different from anything else she had felt. And the fear. Nightmare Moon would bring eternal night. It was almost enough to send her into a panic attack, hyperventilating at the idea. Not at night lasting forever, but at what it would mean. It would mean that her mentor, Princess Celestia, would be gone.
"Twilight?"
Twilight blinked, the sudden sound of Spike speaking her name breaking her stupor. She licked her lips and looked at him. "Yes, Spike?"
Spike squinted at her unsurely, and his eyes rolled over her body, from her chest to her head, then to her horn. "...Are you okay? You seem... I dunno, distracted? Nervous?"
Twilight hesitated, then gave him a timid nod in response. "Yeah. I'm okay. Just thinking." She offered him a wry grin. "I do have a lot on my mind, after all. I get to oversee the one-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, Spike! Princess Celestia entrusted it to me!"
She couldn't help herself. She did a little jump in place and let out a squee. Fortunately, the pegasus pulling the chariot- along with the chariot- managed to not lurch from her jump nor her landing. And of course, physics was on her side, so she landed right where she jumped on the chariot.
It still worried Spike, and at his glare made Twilight blush at her foalish reaction. She quickly sat down and cleared her throat. "I've been thinking... How did Ponyville manage to get chosen for this year's Summer Sun Celebration anyway?" she asked. She looked up from Spike and gazed out beyond the two stallions pulling the chariot. In the distance, she could see Ponyville. It was small, but it looked quaint, yet it wasn't someplace where she would have expected the Celebration to occur. Manehatton, Fillydedlphia, Los Pegasus, and Canterlot, sure. But Ponyville? "I don't understand... It's just so... unremarkable?"
Spike shrugged. "I dunno. Princess Celestia chose it, so I'm sure she had a reason!" he offered.
Twilight nodded to herself. "Yeah..." 'Some reason...' All too soon, their conversation drew to an abrupt close, leaving her to her thoughts once again as the wind blew through her mane. 'But... it's the one-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration. Surely she'd want that in Canterlot, not... Ponyville?'
She let out a sigh as answers evaded her. 'Maybe I should have asked her about it,' she thought. With a shake of her head, she turned back and watched Canterlot as it grew smaller in the distance.
Somewhere along the trip, her gaze had turned from Canterlot to the town of Ponyville. Even from the air, she could tell it had a nice, homely feel to it. It was a sharp contrast with Canterlot, and the Canterlot nobility would probably rather donate their estates than visit such a town. Rather than paved streets, Ponyville's streets were cobblestone, or barring that, simply dirt roads. Rather than constructed of glistening marble and magnificent pillars, the houses were constructed of wood and of stone, and of other assorted materials, perhaps even with thatched roofs, although she suspected it only looked thatched from the distance. Such houses would hardly be considered worth the cost of materials in Canterlot, and yet she found it had a pleasant appeal to it.
'Maybe that's why Princess Celestia is having it here instead of in Canterlot,' she mused as they touched the ground. The chariot bumped and jostled her around far more than she was used to as they landed, but she put it aside, knowing the cause was the dirt or cobblestone street. As soon as the chariot came to a stop, she stood up and jumped out of the open back, followed by Spike, who hopped down beside her.
As soon as she touched the ground, Twilight walked along the chariot to the two stallions who brought them to Ponyville. "Thank you, sirs," she said with a smile.
They both returned her smile and nodded in acknowledgment. "If you need anything, ma'am, we'll be unloading your things at the library, and then we'll be with the Mayor to handle security."
At the mention of 'security,' she had to force her smile to mask her concern, but she nodded in response. She pulled away from them and walked back to the end of the chariot. Spike was standing there, looking around and taking in the unassuming scenery. She had to admit, it was a nice change from Canterlot- it wasn't like everything was trying to scream out 'Look at me!' louder than everything else.
Twilight nodded to herself as she looked around. Many ponies casually strolled down the streets, of whom the majority were earth ponies, followed by pegasi, and then there were only a few unicorns like she had expected. The population make up was nearly the exact opposite of Canterlot, which was a majority unicorn city, although there were still countless pegasi and earth ponies living there.
"So, uh, where to first, Twilight?" Spike asked.
Twilight looked at him and smiled, then levitated the scroll he held out of his claws and over in front of her. She didn't need to look at the list to know exactly was on it, but it helped for accuracy's sake. "Well..." she trailed off and cast her gaze skyward. Even the barest examination revealed countless fluffy white clouds dotting the skies above the town- which was exactly not what she had ordered. Not a single cloud was acceptable for tomorrow. Her eyes narrowed. "I think we need to give this... 'Rainbow Dash' a visit. She's the pegasus in charge of the weather, and there are still clouds all over the place!" she huffed in frustration.
"Come on, Spike!" she called as she started trotting down the street.
"Wait! Twilight!" Spike called after her, "We don't even know where she is!"
Twilight skidded to a stop, and Spike ran right into her hind legs, letting out an 'oof' from the impact as he fell onto the street. Twilight looked back at him with an apologetic smile, then scooped him up in her magic and sat him down on her back, just below her withers. "Right... any ideas?"
"Uh, maybe check the sky? She is a pegasus, after all," Spike offered with a shrug.
"Well, that's better than nothing..." Twilight said glumly.
For several minutes, the two wandered through Ponyville aimlessly, searching out the pegasus named 'Rainbow Dash,' mostly searching the skies for her, though careful to avoid walking into anypony or anything, but without a description to go with the name, they really didn't know what to look for. Eventually, they started asking around for her, and while that yielded a description of her appearance- a light blue coat, rainbow-colored mane and tail, which Twilight couldn't really picture, and 'beautiful magenta eyes' according to the stallion they asked- Twilight suspected that the stallion had a crush on Rainbow Dash- they still couldn't find her.
Twilight groaned and came to a stop in the middle of one of the countless streets they had wandered. "This? This is pointless..." she said in exasperation. "Well, no wonder she hasn't taken care of the clouds. She's nowhere to be found! Of course! What am I going to do now?!"
"Cheer up, Twilight," Spike comforted. "I'm sure she'll turn up. Maybe try looking for her friends? Or maybe ask another pegasus?"
Twilight took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh as she deflated her lungs. "Yeah... but still. I'm on a schedule, Spike! And she-"
"Twilight, why don't we look for some of the others first, then? Maybe she'll turn up that way?" Spike offered.
Twilight hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. You're right. We're getting nowhere right now, and it shouldn't be a problem to find the others," she noted.
"Maybe you should try to meet some other ponies like Princess Celestia suggested?" Spike offered.
"Spike..." she groaned, dropping her head even lower. After a few seconds, she shook her head and picked it back up. She looked to her left, then her right, scanning the town to try to decide which way would be most efficient for meeting with the rest of the ponies taking care of things. When she looked back ahead, however, there was a bubbly pink earth pony standing in front of her. There was absolutely no way that the earth pony had enough time to get in front of her like that, yet despite that, she stood there with a bright, infectious smile on her face.
She already wanted to avoid and ignore her.
"Try to talk to her!" Spike suggested.
Seeing as though the pony was standing right in front of her, she relented to Spike's coaxing. "Um... hello?" she asked, smiling a forced, awkward smile.
The pink pony gasped, jumped up into the air, then landed and zoomed off.
Twilight blinked, then pursed her lips. "Well, that was a completely wasted attempt at making a conversation. What kind of pony does that, anyway? Ugh..."
"I don't know, Twilight. Maybe she's really shy or something? An introvert?" Spike offered.
Twilight tilted her head as she mulled over that idea. She wanted to say that yes, it would make sense. She knew it made sense from experience. First hoof experience. With herself as the pony jumping and running away. She frowned. Looking back, she knew it was silly how she reacted, but she had been a filly at the time. She shook the thought from her head. "I don't know... she didn't really seem like an introvert," she answered. "She seemed too... eager? Energetic?"
"Uh, maybe she's... just a hyper introvert?" Spike suggested. Better suggestions clearly evaded him, leaving him just as stumped at Twilight.
Twilight sighed and shook her head. "Well, I suppose we shouldn't focus on whoever that was. Maybe we'll see her again, or maybe not. I hope not. But! I have an assignment to do. Come on, we still have to find Rainbow Dash."
"We're going to work on finding the other ponies though, right?" Spike asked.
Twilight nodded quickly. "Yes. You made a good point. Since we're not finding her, we'll search for her while we work on making sure everything else is going smoothly. What's next on the list?"
Twilight could feel Spike frown without looking back at him. "You don't remember?"
Twilight looked back at him with a chastising glare. "Of course I remember Spike! It's just better from an accuracy standpoint to double check the list!"
Spike let out a sigh and rolled his eyes as he pulled the list out. "A pony named Applejack is in charge of catering for the celebration..." he trailed off as his eyes drifted over the text, and he muttered most of it to himself as he searched for anything of importance. "Ah-ha! She lives on a farm outside of Ponyville called... Sweet Apple Acres?"
Twilight thought about the names for a moment. 'Applejack? Sweet Apple Acres?' "How quaint," she stated.
One more quick look around, and a glance skyward to check for the missing pegasus, which once again confirmed that she was still missing, and Twilight took off trotting towards Sweet Apple Acres. It wasn't hard to know where to look- from memory, she recalled seeing an apple orchard outside of the town when they had flown in, and she had made a mental map of where they were in relation to it.
The trip through town and to Sweet Apple Acres went by quickly and without any interruptions or signs of the blasted pegasus that was supposed to be in charge of the weather. Soon enough, they arrived at the farm proper, and it felt like a proper farm. Dirt and grass everywhere, all fenced in, with an old, worn gate. Above the gate was a wooden sign with a faded red apple painted on it. Below the apple read, "Sweet Apple Acres."
Twilight stopped for a few seconds to admire it. She never really had an opportunity to see a farm before, between living in Canterlot all of her life and studying under Princess Celestia, she just never had the time. But while she never had the time, she could respect what earth ponies were capable of. Their magic and ability to work with plants and nature was truly remarkable. Sadly, she had never had the opportunity to study it since she was so focused on unicorn magic.
An alarming, loud shout of "Yeeeeeeeeehaw!" broke her musings.
She didn't jump, but she did tense up. As her head jerked around towards the source, an orange-coated, blond manned earth pony raced past her. In the passing glance she took of her, she could barely discern her cutie mark: three apples. There was also a red ribbon on her tail and mane. She also wore a brownish-tan stetson, that despite her speed, stayed on her head without any signs of trouble.
She watched as the earth pony dashed towards a tree, came to a stop, swept around, and bucked her hind legs into an apple tree. The tree shook violently from the impact, and apples rained down from the branches. As soon as she finished the buck, the earth pony reared up on her hind legs and let out a victorious shout.
Knowing physics as well as she did, Twilight was impressed, even if she knew earth pony magic was behind it. She took a moment to compose herself, then put on a smile and casually trotted forward. "Excuse me, miss?" she asked.
Before she could process it, the earth pony zipped over to her and picked up her right forehoof with both of her forehooves and started shaking her hoof. "Well, hi there Sugarcube! Name's Applejack! Pleasure to meet you!"
Twilight was grateful that as soon as Applejack introduced herself, she stopped shaking her hoof, even if her hoof didn't stop moving up and down until she used her magic on it. "Ahem... My name is Twilight Sparkle," she introduced herself. "I'm here to check in on you- I was sent by Princess Celestia to oversee this year's Summer Sun Celebration. You're catering for the celebration tomorrow, correct?"
Applejack gave a hardy nod. "Eyup! Sure am! And don't you worry none, Sugarcube, we've got the food all taken care of! I've got the whole family here a helpin'!" Barely breaking stride, she raced over to a metal triangle suspended from a rope. She scooped up a metal rod with her mouth, then clanged it all around inside of the triangle and spat the rod back out. "We've got company, everypony!" she shouted.
Over the next half minute, easily over two dozen earth ponies raced out from places unseen to greet Twilight. As each one showed up, Applejack listed off their name without a hitch or stumbling. Sadly, even with Applejack's best efforts, Twilight couldn't keep pace- there were simply too many of them, all with names relating to apples in some way or another. She couldn't keep up, and she only caught a few names- Big Mac, her brother, Applebloom, her little sister, and then Granny Smith, who was, ironically, their grandmother. Her mother and father were notably absent.
"You're here to check out the food, right? Care to sample it!? Why, we've got apple pie, apple fritters, apple dumplings, apple cake, apple cookies, apples, apples, and more apples!" Applejack listed off eagerly.
And the tables. Oh, the tables! They were absolutely filled with apple related foods. Tomorrow, nopony would lack food. Provided, of course, they liked apples. The pleasant aroma that wafted through the air made Twilight's mouth water, but her will was stronger than that. "Oh, no, I'm sorry," she apologized. "But I really can't. You see, we have a lot of things to take care of today and..." the rest of her argument died on her lips as soon as Applejack's young sister walked over to her, looking up at her with the biggest pleading eyes she had ever seen.
The filly had a yellowish coat, with a red tail and mane, complete with a big pink bow in her mane. Her lower lip was stuck out pleadingly. "Please, miss? Won't ya' join us for lunch?"
Twilight never stood a chance. Before she realized what she was saying, she had agreed. Not a moment later, she was seated at a table and ponies delivered all sorts of apple foods to her. And what was worse? They all watched her eagerly, just waiting for her to eat it all, or at least try it, and give them her approval.
Twilight gulped, then looked pleadingly at Spike.
Twilight held her head straight out from her body. She felt horrible. Her stomach churned in discomfort as her whole body seemed to sag from the weight of all the food she had tried. There was simply too much, and they didn't take 'no thanks' for an answer. That wasn't to say that their food wasn't good. It was actually great! But there was just too much of it. At least she knew that the catering was in capable hooves.
She let out a groan and came to a stop. "Spike... please... make sure I never agree to anything like that... ever... again..."
Spike stifled a laugh. "Oh, come on, Twilight. It wasn't that bad, they-"
Before Spike could continue, Twilight levitated him over onto the ground in front of her and glared at him, then winced. She lit her horn to cast a spell, one that would hopefully make her feel better. She closed her eyes as her magenta aura enveloped her body. Over the next few seconds, her belly shrank, the grumbling died down, and she felt sweet, sweet relief. As soon as she was back to normal, she opened her eyes and let out a blissful sigh.
"They seem like nice ponies," Spike offered.
Twilight slumped down for a moment. As much as she loathed to admit it, he was right about them. The Apple family was nice. A bit eccentric in their love for apples, but nice. She lifted her head back up and took a deep breath. "Well... at least we've got that taken care of. Now if only we could find-"
"Look out!" a sharp, raspy voice called out.
Twilight's head swiveled around and looked up towards the source-
-Right as the source crashed into her, knocking the air out of her lungs and knocking her to the ground. Twilight winced and groaned as she rolled across the dirt road, her body and coat dragging against the ground enough to hurt and probably leave a few bruises, to say nothing of how messy her coat and mane were going to be. By the time she finally came to a stop and recovered her senses enough to feel again, she realized that she wished she couldn't feel. Her entire left side ached and a few spots burned. Her legs were sore, and she could tell that her legs were mangled in with another pony's legs, and to make matters worse, the pony was on top of her, preventing her from getting up. She let out a groan and pressed her head into the dirt as whoever crashed into her slowly untangled their legs and stood up.
"Hehe... uh, sorry about that," the pony- a mare- apologized.
Twilight took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and immediately glared at the pegasus. One look was all it took to tell her the mare's identity. "Rainbow Dash, I presume?" she asked flatly.
"Yep!" the pegasus boastfully acknowledged. She beat her wings and jumped into the air, then hovered there. "Fastest pegasus in the world, and future Wonderbolt, at your service! Hehe... uh, sorry about crashing into you. I sort of lost control."
"Right," Twilight said flatly, still glaring at the pegasus. She slowly picked herself up, wincing as she put her weight back onto her legs. She looked at her left side and took in the atrocious, dirtied state of her coat. She took a deep breath, then let out a weary sigh.
"Uh, oops. Sorry, let me help you with that!" Rainbow said. The pegasus disappeared in a strong gust of wind, and not a moment later, a cloud- a dark gray cloud- appeared over Twilight's head. The unicorn wilted at the sight. Unseen by her, Rainbow Dash started bouncing up and down on the cloud, and a torrential downfall of rain poured out of the cloud and onto Twilight.
Twilight let out a squeal as the cold rain soaked into her coat and chilled her to her core. The water clung to her and left her paralyzed in place, horrified by the impromptu shower. She stood there, shaking from cold, as Rainbow zoomed off, pushing the cloud away.
When the pegasus returned and landed, Twilight shot her a glare and blew water off of her lips.
"Sorry, let me dry you off real quick!" Rainbow said. Before Twilight could offer protest based on her prior treatment at the pegasus' hooves, the mare had already shot into the air and was flying around her in a whirlwind.
Rainbow Dash certainly lived up to her name. Twilight has never seen another pegasus fly so fast- or recklessly- and she seemed to turn into a blur of rainbow color as she flew around in circles. It was enough to disorientate her, and by the time Rainbow stopped and landed, she felt dry.
Her mane felt odd, however. Almost immediately, Rainbow's face pulled into a smile, and she lifted a forehoof to her mouth to try to stifle her laughter. Spike walked over beside Rainbow, staring at Twilight's head. Despite her attempts to contain herself, Rainbow fell over backward, cackling at Twilight and flailing her hooves about. Not a moment later, Spike joined her laughter.
Twilight glared at the two of them, but neither of them paid her any mind. In the end, she looked up to see the disaster that was her mane. She felt a twinge of panic, but mostly anger. In the end, she huffed and looked back at Rainbow.
The mare wiped a tear from her eye and stood back up. "Oh wow, that was good... I'm sorry about that... uh, I never got your name."
"Twilight Sparkle," Twilight stated. "I'm here to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. You're in charge of the weather, correct?"
Rainbow nodded and flew up into the air, then casually laid down on a cloud. "Yeah."
"And I ordered clear weather. Otherwise known as 'no clouds.' Remember?" Twilight queried.
"Pfft, yeah! I'll get it done as soon as I finish with my nap," Rainbow replied, batting her hoof dismissively at the unicorn below.
"You know, I don't think the Wonderbolts take lazy weather pegasi who can't even keep the sky clear," Twilight mused, smiling to herself.
Rainbow rolled over on the cloud and stared down at Twilight, looking as if she had just been challenged. "Oh really? I can clear this sky in ten seconds flat!" she boasted.
Twilight's smile grew into an almost menacing one. The way the pegasus rose to her challenge confirmed in her mind exactly what she needed to do. "Prove it."
In the blink of an eye, Rainbow steeled her resolve, then shot off of the cloud in a blur. A faint rainbow trail lingered behind her, gradually fading, but she was already hard at work. She flew across the sky from cloud to cloud, kicking and punching each one, busting them and making them disperse. In the end, she cleared the sky just as fast as she said she would. She rocketed towards the ground and landed right in front of Twilight with her wings flared out. "Ten. Seconds. Flat."
Twilight simply stared at her with her mouth agape.
Rainbow's expression turned friendly again. "Well, it was nice meeting you Twilight Sparkle! We're going to be great friends! But I have some things I've gotta go do now, sorry!" And with that, she took off to the sky.
"Well, that happened," Spike commented.
It took Twilight a few seconds to recover. She shook her head to try to shake the bewilderment and concern and countless questions of how she did that so quickly out of her mind. "I have a headache..." she groaned under her breath. "Come on. Let's go see how the decorations are going. Surely that can't be so..." she trailed off, grimacing.
She levitated Spike back up, then set him down on her back again. She turned back to head into town to search out the pony in charge of decorations- a unicorn by the name of 'Rarity.' With every step, she winced as pain shot through her left foreleg, giving her a slight limp, but she endured. 'Maybe I should have started with her instead...' she mused.
The trip back to town took only a few minutes, even with her limp. But, by the time she arrived, the pain in her leg had dulled to just a constant throbbing ache, so it was bearable enough that she didn't limp as she walked through the town. At the first pony she saw, she asked him where to find Rarity, and he was kind enough to tell her that the unicorn owned a boutique and give her directions there.
The trip to the boutique was rather uneventful- no sign of the crazy pink earth pony, no more food to make her shudder, and no more incidents with the reckless pegasus. But that also meant that nothing else productive happened. As the day dragged on, Twilight found herself feeling tired, worn out, and demotivated. Not the least of which was because a lot more attention than she wanted was drawn to herself. Or, more specifically, to her mane.
She took a deep breath as she ascended the steps to the boutique and knocked on the door. 'As soon as I finish checking on Rarity, I'll check on Fluttershy and then go to the library and I'll find a good book to read,' she told herself while she waited for the door to be answered. A quick glance up, and she revised her plan: 'After I fix my mane.' For a brief moment, her scowl returned as her thoughts drifted back to Rainbow Dash, however, she swept it aside and tried to smile as best she could in case Rarity opened the door.
But it didn't happen. She knocked on the door again, louder this time then waited once more. After several seconds, she looked around, wondering if perhaps the unicorn wasn't there. "Maybe we should have asked if she was here?" Spike suggested.
Twilight huffed, then turned and trotted off the steps and into the street. "You know, I imagine that you're probably right. What exactly is the lesson that Princess Celestia supposed to be teaching me? Because I certainly don't like it!"
"Oh calm down, Twilight... It'll be fine. You're worrying too much!" Spike retorted.
Twilight stopped and jerked her head back to shoot Spike a glare. "You're not the pony who was force-fed so much food that I had to use a spell to get rid of it," she quipped back. "Nor are you the pony who was used to break the fall of a speeding pegasus!"
"Twilight," Spike sighed softly. "Princess Celestia probably just wants to teach you that not everything goes exactly as planned in life! She wants you to get this experience in leadership in!"
Twilight grit her teeth. She wanted to be angry. And well, to an extent, she most certainly was angry. Today wasn't really her day. And tomorrow would be Princess Celestia's day. She sighed softly, feeling like Princess Celestia might have put too much on her. But even still, she couldn't let her down. It was unacceptable! She couldn't fail her! She had to put forth her best, and Princess Celestia trusted her to take care of this. She couldn't betray Princess Celestia's trust like that, and she couldn't let tomorrow be ruined by her failures.
And even though she was angry and wanted to be angry, and didn't exactly like this lesson, she was still excited about the Summer Sun Celebration. Just less so the 'overseeing and organizing it' part. That part she didn't care for, which was saying something, because she loved organization. It was probably because she had to interact with other ponies. And not just other ponies. Oh, no, the ponies she had to interact with were simply crazy! There was no other more succinct way to put it.
But still, she had to trust Princess Celestia, her mentor, her beloved mentor. Princess Celestia thought she needed this lesson, and it was a lesson from her, so she tried to look at it that way. She did cherish learning from Princess Celestia- she held the lessons learned from her close in her heart. But it was hard to look at this as a lesson from her, at least in part because Princess Celestia wasn't there with her. It just wasn't the same as studying history with the pony who lived it or learning magic from somepony who had studied it for centuries.
She took a deep breath, then exhaled sharply. "Come on. We have things to do. The sooner we get them done the sooner-"
"You can lock yourself in the library and study until you're needed or tomorrow comes," Spike sighed in defeat.
Twilight's expression softened. "Spike, when am I ever going to need other ponies?" Spike looked at her like he was about to protest, but Twilight continued, "Princess Celestia will always be there for me- and Equestria," she replied. She offered him a reassuring smile and reached back to nuzzle him. "Plus I'll always have you."
Spike laughed as Twilight's fur tickled his cheek. "Okay! Okay! Stop it Twilight!"
Twilight giggled and smiled. "Sorry, Spike," she apologized as she broke the nuzzle, "but I kind of needed that."
Spike nodded slowly in understanding. "It's okay..." he trailed off as Twilight started walking again. "Uh, do you have any idea where Rarity would be, then?"
Twilight pursed her lips and scanned the streets for anypony matching the unicorn's description, but she wasn't there. If she wasn't out and about, and she wasn't at her boutique, then she was probably busy taking care of something. She nodded. "Let's check the Town Hall. If she's still preparing for the Summer Sun Celebration, that's probably where she'll be."
Fortunately, Rarity's boutique wasn't really all that far away from the Town Hall. Unfortunately, it was still long enough that there were ponies roaming about- ponies who could see her, ponies who took one look at her and immediately stared at her ruined, poofed up mane.
She did her best to hide her scowl as she reached the Town Hall. Fortunately, the door was open, and from outside, she could hear some cheerful humming. As she stepped into the Town Hall, one glance around confirmed that the decorations were being put up. They weren't the best she had seen- after all, this town wasn't Canterlot- but they were moderately acceptable, if nowhere near what Princess Celestia deserved.
Nonetheless, she assumed that it was their idea of 'the best' for their princess. Which was, in a way, absolutely depressing.
"Oh my goodness! Darling!" a mare called out, her voice smooth like silk and sweet as honey, leaving the alarm to sound entirely out of place. No sooner had Twilight turned to the source than a pristine white unicorn with a styled purple mane gawked in horror, staring at the atrocity on her head. "What happened to your mane!?" she shrieked.
Twilight winced from the verbal assault. For how sweet her voice was, her screaming most certainly wasn't. "Rainbow Dash happened to it," she stated flatly. The unicorn looked horrified. "You're Rarity I presume?"
"Oh this simply won't do!" the unicorn cried out. Before Twilight could put up a fight, Rarity pulled her further into the Town Hall, levitated out what appeared to be a mobile dressing station, then set to work fixing her mane.
In a dazzling display of masterful control over telekinesis, the unicorn managed to fix Twilight's mane in under half a minute, along with providing a mirror for her to scrutinize herself, which left Twilight squinting at her reflection. Without any knowledge of who she was, this unicorn had fixed her mane right up and met her own standards. There wasn't a trace left of what Rainbow had done to her mane. A blink and quick glance later, and her coat seemed to sparkle.
At least until the mare forced her into a tight-fitting dress. She let out a squeak as the unicorn pulled the straps tight with her mouth, forcing the air out of her lungs. "S-stop!" she cried out, her eyes watering from panic.
Not a moment too soon, the unicorn blushed and stopped herself. "O-oh, um, terribly sorry dear!" she apologized. "I-I just couldn't help myself! You looked so dreadful with- with that disaster of a mane! Oh, dear, I can't believe Rainbow Dash would do something like that to you! Poor dear..." With a heavy sigh, she tossed her mane to the side and undid the strap, then slowly pulled the dress off of Twilight.
Twilight gasped for breath and collapsed to the floor, sucking in deep breaths and refusing to let anything stop her until she started to feel dizzy.
"Dear? Are you alright?"
"Y-yes," Twilight squeaked. 'Now that you're done trying to murder me,' she thought. Still, she kept it to herself and hid her scowl. "L-like I was saying. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm here to oversee this year's Summer Sun Celebration's preparations."
Rarity hummed to herself and nodded. "Oh, yes, yes, decorating is almost finished. It'll be ready on time dear," she said dismissively. For a split second, the unicorn paused and seemed to do a double take. "W-wait, Twilight Sparkle!? You mean you're the princess's protege!?" she demanded.
Twilight shifted her weight on her hooves and nodded quickly. "Yes. Princess Celestia sent me-"
"To oversee this year's Summer Sun Celebration!?" the mare squealed in delight and her eyes lit up. "You're from Canterlot! Oh, what is it like dear!? Tell me everything! And the princess! What is it like to be her student!?"
Twilight forced a large smile at the unicorn as she asked question after question. In the back of her mind, a small part of her betrayed her with the question 'Did Princess Celestia make me have to deal with these insane ponies on purpose!?' For the most part, however, she knew better than that. Unless of course, it was part of her lesson. That thought left her on edge, but she endured- Princess Celestia needed her, after all, and it was, of course, an assignment from her.
Even if it was one she was starting to hate.
She took a deep breath. She was able to keep a pleasant smile on her lips, but only just. "Yes, well, I-I do have other things to take care of today, miss...?"
The white unicorn shook herself out of her dazzled state and blushed. "O-oh, yes, of course, dear," she stammered. "Where are my manners? My name is Rarity," she finally introduced, her name rolling off of her tongue with a sort of humility, pride, and dignity, that somehow mixed perfectly in with her sweetness. She bowed her head graciously and smiled. "A pleasure to meet you, Twilight Sparkle. I'm sorry that I've kept you so long, I just... tend to get a bit enamored by Canterlot. I've never had the chance, but I'd absolutely love to visit Canterlot." She let out a dreamy, wistful sigh. "I do hope to spend some more time with you, dear! We'll be the best of friends!"
Twilight's smile cracked and wobbled. At the mention of 'friend', she screamed inside. "Right, well! I'll probably be with Princess Celestia most of tomorrow!" she said happily. "And I'll be busy the rest of today," she stated flatly. "But I'll try to make some time for you," she lied.
Rarity didn't notice the lie and simply nodded happily. "Oh yes, of course, dear. Don't let me keep you waiting any longer, I'm certain that you must be far too busy for me to waste any more of your time."
Twilight nodded- Rarity finally said something she could agree with. "Right! Exactly. I'm busy. We have some other things to take care of," she stated. She slowly started backing up, then turned and hastily trotted to the door.
"Take care darling!" Rarity called after her.
Twilight refused to stop or look back. She barely hesitated as she passed Spike. The dragon had stayed in the same place the entire time she was there. There was something about his eyes, too- his pupils had turned red and seemed to be shaped like hearts. She squinted in suspicion and picked the young dragon up with her magic, turned him around, then sat him down on her back as she trotted out of the Town Hall.
"S-she's... beautiful..." Spike sighed.
"Come on, Casanova, we still need to find Fluttershy. The sooner we make sure she has things handled, the sooner we can get to the Library," Twilight stated.
"Sweet, sweet Rarity..." was Spike's longing reply.
Much to Twilight's disappointment, throughout her entire trip to search out Fluttershy, Spike sighed and mumbled about just how beautiful Rarity was. And while yes, she agreed that Rarity was beautiful, Spike took it to another level. It was as plain as day that Spike had a crush on her, and she felt like that was going to end up haunting her. But, the trip to find Fluttershy wasn't entirely bad. At the very least, Rarity had generously fixed her mane, so ponies didn't stare at her in bewilderment, which made her feel a little better.
Eventually, they found Fluttershy, clued in by the beautiful, synchronized and rehearsed chirping and delightful singing of birds. Their songs were so wonderous that it soothed her soul, helping to ease the blight caused by the other ponies she had met today. Finally! Maybe she would meet somepony who wasn't completely crazy.
Smiling, Twilight used her magic to spread some bushes apart so she could walk through them. After all, looking for the proper way to the clearing would have taken time that she could have been using to study. Maybe even do research! Or just look through that Predictions and Prophecies book again.
Her anxiety returned, making her chest tighten up. She felt almost like she needed to run, but she didn't know where. For a few seconds, she stayed silent, standing completely still in the bushes, watching the pegasus she assumed to be Fluttershy tending to the choir of birds.
The pegasus had a butter-colored coat, and her mane was a beautiful soft pink. Her voice was soft, smooth, and quiet.
"Um... oh dear... oh dear..." she whispered. "Um... e-excuse me? Mr. Robin?" she called. The choir of birds stopped their singing, and the bird in question, supposedly a robin from his name, blinked a few times and watched the pegasus. Ever so slowly, she crept across the grass, then weakly beat her wings. She just barely hovered with her hooves off the ground, then she timidly ascended to the branch that the bird was on. "Um excuse me... but um... y-you're off-key, c-could you maybe... um... t-try again? If-if you don't mind, that is..." she said shyly.
The robin gave a happy nod, then started chirping sweetly again. Fluttershy smiled.
Twilight stepped out of the bushes, smiling. "Wow!" she called.
Fluttershy squeaked, and her wings instantly folded to her sides. And instantly, she closed her eyes and let out an even softer, terrified squeak as she fell to the grass, landing on her haunches. The birds all flew away, startled by a combination of Twilight and Fluttershy.
Ignoring her plight, Twilight walked over to her with a cheerful smile. "That was amazing! I've never heard anything like that."
"O-oh, um... t-thank y-you..." was the whispered reply.
Twilight craned her neck a bit, leaning over to the shy pegasus, who ducked her head back so that her mane covered her face in response. "You're Fluttershy, right? In charge of the music? I'm Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia's star pupil. I'm here to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration."
The pegasus timidly nodded and squeaked out something inaudible.
Twilight lean in a little closer, only for the pegasus to pull further back from her. "What was that? I didn't quite catch it, sorry."
Another squeak, this one even less audible than before.
Twilight forced herself to keep smiling. 'Right... of course... Of course, everypony I have to interact with today is...' She looked around a bit, then lifted her head back up, realizing that the frightened pegasus didn't seem to be recovering. "Right... well! I can see that you have the music covered, so... I'll just be going then!" she said, mostly to herself since she realized the pegasus wouldn't reply, or at least if she did, it wouldn't be audible.
She turned to the left and started walking away. Slowly for the first few steps, then picking up speed. After all, the library was calling to her! And she was Princess Celestia's most faithful student. Who would she be if she were to ignore the library's call?
Sadly, there was a gasp from behind her. "A baby dragon!?" was shouted in the same voice belonging to the timid mare, but the timidness was missing. It was an excited shout, but still soft and sweet.
Twilight stopped and looked back-
-Right as Fluttershy's head rammed into her haunches, violating her privacy, knocking her away, and making Spike land on the ground, somehow standing up. "Oh, I've never met a baby dragon before! Can you talk?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah?" was Spike's confused response.
"Oh my! I've never met a baby dragon that could talk before... what do baby dragons talk about?"
Twilight closed her eyes, pressed her forehead into the ground, and groaned. 'So today's one of those days...'
By the time Twilight returned to the library- carrying Spike on her back, and of course, followed by the 'shy' pegasus, who certainly didn't act shy around Spike, she questioned whether she could have forced a smile for Princess Celestia, even if under the threat of banishment. Try as she did, it was darn near impossible for her to view this as an assignment from Princess Celestia, or a lesson, or any kind. And the opportunity to oversee the one-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration wasn't nearly as appealing as it was hours earlier.
She came to a stop at the door, ignoring the conversation Fluttershy and Spike were having- like she had been after the first two minutes of walking- and cleared her throat, breaking the conversation and drawing both Spike and Fluttershy's attention. Fluttershy shied back slightly. "Excuse me, but we're here. Spike and I really need to be going, not that it wasn't nice to meet you, Fluttershy. I'm sure Spike's tired, and we really have a lot of things to take care of for tomorrow."
"Actually, I'm really not that tired, Twilight. And we don't have anything left to-"
Twilight quickly jerked and knocked Spike off her back. Spike grunted as he landed on his butt on the ground. He shot Twilight a glare, which intensified as Twilight leaned down closer to him and made some babying noises. "He's so tired he can't even stand on his own two feet!"
"Oh! I'm sorry, it is rather late, isn't it? I should be going..." Fluttershy replied.
"I'm not a baby..." Spike muttered as Fluttershy walked away. "If I was a pony I'd probably have my cutie mark by now!"
Twilight smiled sweetly. "Technically, you're still a baby dragon, mister."
Spike huffed as Twilight picked him up and set him back down on her withers. "I know where you live," he retorted.
Twilight rolled her eyes, smiling to herself, as she opened the door. Somehow, the room seemed darker than she thought possible, but she shrugged it off and walked on inside. Both of them looked around, but in the darkness, they couldn't make anything out. Spike hopped off her back. "Help me find the light switch, Spike."
The lights turned on with a shout of "SURPRISE!"
Twilight screamed and jumped back in shock, her heart racing in her chest. Ponies were everywhere she looked! Not a spot was left untaken, it was almost like the whole town was there! She was used to crowds, but that didn't mean she liked them. She was used to high-stress situations- that came with being the Princess's protege, but she wasn't prepared for this. For crying out loud, this was a library, not a ballroom!
A pink blur all but exploded in her face, pulling her into a hug. "Hi! Were you surprised! Oh, you looked so surprised! You remember me, don't you? We met earlier today and I realized I didn't recognize you which was strange since I know everypony in Ponyville and then I realized that must mean you were new here which meant that I didn't know you and you wouldn't know anypony else so I threw you this surprise party to welcome you to Ponyville!"
Twilight's mind raced, and her brain and ears hurt. "This is a library!" she shouted.
The pink earth pony just giggled. "Yep! I heard this is where you were staying which I thought was strange but then again I've only just met you and that's why I'm throwing you this party!"
"In a library," Twilight stated again. Her left eye twitched.
The pink pony giggled again and bounced in place a few times. "Yep! This is where you're staying, silly! So I thought this would be the best place to hold it! I'm Pinkie Pie, by the way."
"...of course I'm surprised. This is a library. You know, someplace where it's supposed to be quiet," Twilight nearly hissed.
Pinkie frowned for just a moment. "Oh, that's silly! If you're supposed to be quiet in a library then you can't have a party!"
"...that's the point," Twilight muttered, feeling defeated. Truly, this pink earth pony was going to be the bane of her existence until Princess Celestia graciously let her return to Canterlot.
Pinkie just smiled obliviously. "Come on! Mingle with the ponies! Or have a drink!" She pulled Twilight across to the middle of the room, where there was a table set up with punch.
Twilight warily looked over the drinks and scanned the crowd, trying to ignore the loud music and the fact that so many ponies were crowded in the library- and not one of them was reading a book. It left her feeling devastated. They were in a library! How could they not be reading books instead of doing something silly like partying!
"Oh, I'm so excited for tomorrow! The Summer Sun Celebration, yippie! It's like the best party. Ever!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Twilight clenched her jaw, then levitated one of the cups of punch up off of the table. She turned to face it and looked at it longingly, then put the cup to her lips, lifted it up, and tilted her head back. She closed her eyes in delight as the creamy, smooth punch rolled past her lips, onto her tongue, and then down her throat. It was fruity and cool- quite refreshing.
As soon as she finished drinking it, she found a trash can and threw the cup away. She scanned the room and found stairs, in addition to seeing four other ponies she wanted to avoid at all costs. She didn't even know how Fluttershy got inside, but sure enough, she was there. She fell into a panic as Rainbow Dash and Rarity started approaching her, but she forced herself to maintain her cool.
"Uh... hey, Twilight. I uh, just wanted to apologize for earlier. And the whole 'mane' thing..." Rainbow said, followed by an awkward, forced laugh, spurred on by a glare from Rarity. "Great party though!"
"Right. Sure," Twilight said dismissively. She hastily glanced away from them to make sure Pinkie Pie wasn't looking, then she glanced back at the stairs. "I'm going to go now," she said promptly.
"What! Why?" Rainbow gawked at her in surprise.
Twilight frowned. "This isn't the sort of thing I enjoy. I was hoping for a quiet evening to study some books and-"
Rainbow's face twisted into a disgusted scowl. "Studying books!?" she cried out in alarm. "Seriously..?" she muttered under her breath, not wanting to be heard. She gave an indignant flap of her wings and hovered in the air. "Look, Twilight, tomorrow's the Summer Sun Celebration!" she complained, "I'm sure you can, you know, hang out with us and, I don't know, celebrate or something!?"
Twilight shifted her weight uncomfortably. "I'd rather not..." she defended.
"Oh come on, Twi!" Spike called. The young dragon walked over to her with a smile, carrying a cup in one claw and a black blindfold in the other. "Just relax and live a little! It's not like Princess Celestia told you not to party or anything-"
"She told me to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration, Spike! She didn't say I had to party and that I couldn't study! This is an assignment!" Twilight retorted.
"But Princess Celestia said to meet some ponies!" Spike defended.
Twilight smiled in victory. "And I have!" she countered. "She said to meet some ponies, which I did when I checked in on things, so I've already done that, Spike!"
For a moment, Spike just looked at Twilight, then his shoulders slumped and his head tilted down. A soft, defeated sigh escaped his lips, but it went unheard over the music and laughter.
"Don't you think that you're being... er, what's the word... rather unfriendly?" Rarity asked cautiously.
Twilight looked back at her and straightened up, preparing herself for a lecture: "Rarity, I don't do friends. I don't have any friends aside from Spike, my brother, and Princess Celestia." After a moment's pause, she added, "And Smarty Pants..." under her voice. "Anypony else would simply distract me from my studies, and Princess Celestia would be disappointed if I didn't take my studies seriously!"
Why did it seem so hard for other ponies to grasp that? When she was a foal, yes, she could understand other foals having a hard time grasping that. But as she grew up? When she was nearly an adult? Why were ponies still so insistent on being 'friends!?'
Rainbow frowned warily at the unicorn. Her wingbeats slowed until her hooves touched the wooden floor. "Uh, Twilight, I don't think Princess Celestia would be mad if you relaxed a little. I mean, seriously. It seems like you need to relax."
Twilight huffed and puffed out her chest. "I'll be upstairs- trying to study or sleep- if anypony needs me. That's how I relax." Without another word, she turned and trotted towards the stairs, then ascended them before anypony could stop her. As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, she practically jumped into the loft and shut the door behind her.
Even as the thick oak door shut, she could still hear the music and laughter coming from downstairs. If the party kept going on, it would drive her crazy before the night ended. Doing her best to ignore the constant thumping, she swept her gaze around and scrutinized the loft. As expected, what little she had brought with her had been neatly arranged on a desk off against the right wall. She slowly walked about halfway into the room, then stopped and looked back at the door. With a quick flourish of magic from her horn, the door locked.
Sadly, locking the door did nothing to alleviate the persistent sounds of the party. After watching the door for a few seconds, she looked towards the bed, then glanced out the window.
Normally, the sunset was a beautiful sight to behold. It was a reassurance, knowing that Princess Celestia, her beloved mentor, was still there, guiding the day and ushering in the night. But as she stood there, looking out the window and watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon, something felt different. The sun almost seemed remorseful, or maybe tired, in its motions. And it wasn't just that, either. Something other than the sun felt wrong.
She trusted Princess Celestia, but she just couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness. Before she knew it, she had crossed the room and lifted her right forehoof to touch the window. There was a tightness in her chest, and she felt fear as the sun dipped halfway under the horizon.
She trusted her princess, but something kept eating at her. In the back of her mind, she felt fear that this would be the last sunset she would see for a very, very long time.
A loud chorus of laughter broke her trance. She blinked, then looked over her left shoulder, halfway expecting somepony- something- to be standing there, watching her. But there wasn't. She was alone, like normal, except Spike wasn't there with her.
That made her feel a pang of guilt. Perhaps she had been too hard on Spike. He did mean well, but it was silly. Yes, Princess Celestia had said it would be good for her to meet ponies, but she didn't say she had to meet other ponies. She already had everypony she needed. She didn't need other ponies distracting her from her magical studies.
Princess Celestia had suggested she meet other ponies before. She even suggested trying to make friends with other ponies! It was so hard to believe that Princess Celestia would tell her that. She wasn't sure what to think of that. It had to be a test- whether she'd choose to put her studies and Princess Celestia before anything else. In a way, it hurt. It made her wonder if Princess Celestia doubted her loyalty to her and her studies.
She sighed softly, then picked up the first book on top of the desk that her magic could reach. Without looking at the title, she climbed into the bed and laid down on her back.
As she levitated the book over into her sight, she froze.
Predictions and Prophecies.
As she stared at it, her mind wandered. She felt fear, concern, and worry. Princess Celestia told her not to worry- it was just an old pony's tale. But that didn't stop it from scaring and worrying her. 'Why can't I shake the feeling that something really bad is going to happen tonight..?'
After a few seconds of staring at the book, she couldn't help herself. In a flourish of magic, she opened the book to the pages on the prophecy of the return of Nightmare Moon. As soon as she opened the pages, she felt a sudden wave of fear wash over her, followed by panic as everything grew dark.
The sun had set.
A sense of foreboding and dread welled up inside her as she turned to look out the window. Unlike the remorse with which the sun had set, the moon rose with a gleeful anticipation. It was almost eager. The Mare on the Moon seemed to dominate the features of the moon even more than normal, and as she stared at it, it felt like it was staring back at her.
She tried her best to shake the feeling, but it lingered. As the moon ascended, she would have sworn that she saw a few stars, all brighter than normal and ones she didn't recognize, drift across the sky.
'The stars will aid in her escape...' The phrase shot through her mind. She shut her eyes, then clenched them shut, refusing to open them. The party's music continued, blaring into the room, despite the closed door. She opened her eyes and looked up at the book.
'This is silly... I'm worried for no reason. If Nightmare Moon were real, Princess Celestia would stop her,' she reasoned to herself. But if Nightmare Moon were real, then Princess Celestia had lied to her. 'She wouldn't lie to me, would she?'
'Of course not! I'm her Most Faithful Student! She wouldn't lie to me... but... hypothetically, if she did, why would she? To protect me? Yes, that's reasonable, but... I could help her!'
She sighed, then turned to look at the nightstand beside the bed. With hardly any thought, she levitated the book over, closed it, and set it down on the table with a dull thunk. She peered over and looked at the desk again. Upon it sat the rest of the books she had taken with her. The only book that really stood out was The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. It was all she could find on the Elements of Harmony. It really wasn't much, either.
But she didn't feel like reading anything tonight, because tonight, she felt scared. The night didn't feel quite as peaceful or relaxing as normal. Part of that, she reasoned, was probably the party going on downstairs. As much as she tried to block it out, she still couldn't put it from her mind to relax.
The party, like her worries, dragged on. Midnight came and went. Hours past. Her tired mind gradually slowed down and relaxed as sleep started to pull at her, calling her name with a voice as sweet as Princess Celestia's. 'I'm worrying too much,' her tired mind thought, 'Night isn't that bad... it's nice... peaceful... Eternal night could be nice...'
A loud knocking on the door broke Twilight's peaceful slumber. With a jerk, Twilight awoke, exhaling sharply as fear suddenly crept over her entire being. But within seconds, the fear faded. A dull fogginess rolled into place over her mind, and slowly, she relaxed and laid her head back down on her pillow. She stared up at the ceiling, then looked at the nightstand beside her bed.
Four-thirty in the morning. Princess Celestia would already be in Ponyville preparing, and soon, she would raise the sun.
Twilight smiled tiredly, but as soon as another series of knocks thudded against the door, her smile twisted into a scowl.
The party was still going.
But on the bright side, she had slept undisturbed, even if it only was for perhaps two hours.
"Twilight! Everypony's getting ready to leave. It's almost time for Princess Celestia to raise the sun!" Spike called.
The thought brought joy to Twilight, along with fond memories. The first time she had seen Princess Celestia raise the sun, she had dedicated herself to learning and studying. She had wanted, no, needed to get into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She had done far more than that.
She took a deep breath, then sat up and hopped out of bed. The soft glow of her horn enveloped the door, then unlocked it, and pulled it open. Spike stood there in the doorway, wearing a lampshade as a hat. To Twilight, it looked odd, but she was certain that it was a result of some silly game. Still, she put it out of mind, just glad to see Spike- even more so since he woke her up. She held back a wince as she realized she hadn't set an alarm. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Spike," she sighed.
"You about ready?" Spike asked.
Twilight nodded. "Yeah, just give me a few minutes. I should brush my mane, but I'll hurry! I don't want to miss this- or Princess Celestia," she said with a smile.
"Alright! I'll be waiting for you downstairs," Spike replied. With that said, Spike turned and walked on down the stairs.
Twilight didn't hesitate to walk over to the desk and lift her brush up in her magic. Fortunately, either because she hadn't slept that long, or some other unknown reason, her mane wasn't knotted like normal, and the brush's bristles flowed through her mane, straightening it, without any problems. After just a few strokes, she went over her tail, then set the brush down.
She took a few steps towards the door, but each step came slower than the last until she stopped. She couldn't help but look out the window again. The moon was aligned almost perfectly for her to see it. The Mare in the Moon was still there. It gave her a sense of relief.
Realizing that Princess Celestia hadn't lied to her and that it was all just an old pony's tale, she turned away from the moon with a smile on her lips. Reassured in knowing that Princess Celestia was safe, she trotted out of the room, then down the stairs to meet up with Spike.
But had she watched for just a few seconds longer, she would have had a panic attack as four stars drifted closer to the moon.
When Twilight caught up with Spike, she wasn't surprised to find his eyelids drooping. With the party winding down, his young age and how late it was started to catch up with him. Twilight smiled and picked him up with her magic. She held him close and gave him a nuzzle, despite his weak protests, then she sat him down on her back. "Come on. After we see Princess Celestia raise the sun, you can take a nap while I'm with her celebrating," she offered.
"No!" Spike whined. "Twilight, it's the Summer Sun Celebration! I don't wanna take a nap I want to party and hang out with you and Princess Celestia!"
Twilight giggled softly. "Okay, we'll see," she replied.
While the party was winding down, it hadn't completely ended, and a few ponies lingered. Certainly they would finish soon, otherwise, they'd risk missing Princess Celestia raise the sun and starting the Summer Sun Celebration! Twilight, of course, had even more reason than them to hurry along to the Town Hall. She was overseeing the celebration, and of course, she wanted to see Princess Celestia before the celebration started.
Sure, she'd probably be able to spend a big part of the day with her, but when given the choice between spending more or less time with Princess Celestia, there really wasn't any choice at all.
Twilight made her way out of the library, then trotted towards the town hall. Despite the early hour, the streets were filled with ponies all heading to the Town Hall. With each step, Twilight found herself more awake than the last, and her entire body bristled with energy, eagerness, and excitement. Today was the one-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, and today would make all of yesterday's craziness worth it, jut to see Princess Celestia happy and celebrating with everypony. And, of course, to hear her voice sweetly say, 'Well done, my Most Faithful Student.'
At the thought of her special title and name, her heart nearly swooned, and she let out a giddy, foalish giggle. Even Spike was infected with the excitement filling the atmosphere as they walked into the Town Hall.
Twilight looked around eagerly. Ponies of all ages were gathered around, chatting excitedly with each other while they waited for Princess Celestia's appearance. She scanned the crowd for the one pony who would stand out anywhere, but much to her disappointment, she couldn't see Princess Celestia anywhere. But no matter, she hadn't expected to see her in the crowd- at least not yet.
She glanced at the clock, then looked at the different doors leading away from the main room, wondering which, if any of them, could lead her to her beloved mentor. Sadly, it seemed none of them would, as there were no Royal Guards posted at the doors. But there were royal guards present- although it was just the two pegasi who had flown her to Ponyville from Canterlot. She mulled over the idea of asking them where Princess Celestia was but eventually talked herself out of it.
It didn't stop her from being disappointed- she had wanted to see Princess Celestia before her public appearance, but she would get to spend plenty of time with her later. It just wasn't soon enough for her.
She looked back at the clock as the seconds ticked away. The chatter grew louder as more excitement filled the voices present. She felt her own excitement ballooning inside her chest. In just a few minutes, she would get to see her mentor. It would be a public appearance first, and then she would raise the sun. Although she had seen her mentor so many times before, and seen her raise the sun on many occasions, it was still special. It would never stop being special.
Princess Celestia had chosen her, above all others, to be her personal student. Her personal protege. Her Most Faithful Student.
She looked away from the clock for one moment to venture a glance at the balcony. She could already picture Princess Celestia standing there, looking out at the crowd, looking out at her, with her gentle, reassuring and loving smile as her beautiful multicolored mane waved in an ethereal breeze.
She looked back at the clock, but her gaze was drawn to the nearby window. 'The stars will aid in her escape.' As she watched on, a feeling of dread, then fear welled up inside of her. Four stars slowly fell towards the moon- one from the top right, one from the top left, one from the bottom left, and then one from the bottom right.
To her knowledge, there was no such astronomical event that should occur like that. And all she could do was watch as the stars accelerated, then seemed to touch the surface of the moon, then disappear.
A sinking feeling enveloped her entire body as a flash of light enveloped the moon, erasing the Mare on the Moon from the surface of the moon. She felt a cold chill race down her spine, and her entire body tensed up. She felt paralyzed by what she had seen. There wasn't anything that should have been able to do that, except perhaps, the return of Nightmare Moon.
She did her absolute best to force the fear back, to stop herself from screaming in panic. She barely managed to turn to face the balcony. Spike seemed to notice that something was wrong with her. He poked her neck with his claws, causing Twilight to let out a squeak of shock, then start trembling.
"T-Twilight? Sorry, I- I didn't mean to hurt you!" he swiftly apologized.
"T-the moon," was Twilight's eerily quiet reply.
Spike glanced at the moon, then did a double take. "Uh... that's... not supposed to be like that... is it..?" he asked.
Twilight shook her head hastily. Her legs continued to tremble, but she had to know. She looked back at the moon. Fear struck again- the white surface of the moon looked haunted. As she stared at the moon, she lost track of time, even with the clock in her field of vision.
Eventually, there was a sparkle in the distance, followed by a dark streak that shot up from somewhere in the Everfree Forest, rapidly ascending and shooting towards the moon. In the span of a few seconds, the streak impacted the moon. Slowly, the craters of the Mare on the Moon returned, one by one.
A feeling of relief washed over her. Her muscles relaxed and her trembling ceased. She blinked, then looked over the Mare on the Moon again. It looked just like how it should be, although she couldn't shake the feeling that it seemed more subdued than before, almost regretful and somber.
Nonetheless, she was reassured. 'If Nightmare Moon returned, Princess Celestia just sent her back,' she told herself. But still, that would mean that Princess Celestia lied to her, and that? That hurt.
She tried to shake the feeling, but it stayed there with her as she watched the balcony. 'I can... ask her about it later...' Even that thought didn't help.
The next few minutes passed just like the rest, with building excitement, but for Twilight, it didn't feel quite as magical as it had. She sighed, unable to find her smile. Eventually, a hush fell over the crowd as the Mayor- apparently named Mayor Mare- stepped forward to the podium. She cleared her throat, silencing the rest of the hushed whispers. "Fillies and gentlecolts... It is my great honor to present to you..." As she drew out the announcement, everypony, Twilight included, could feel the anticipation grow to nerve wrecking levels. "Princess Celestia!"
With an exaggerated wave of her hoof, she motioned at the balcony. The curtains were pulled back, and the lights turned on, pointed at the balcony.
Nopony was there. A startled wave of gasps ran out through the crowd.
For a few seconds, nopony knew how to react. A voice from somewhere beyond the balcony cried out "She's gone!"
Another wave of gasps rolled through the crowd. "N-now now, everypony! I'm sure there's... a good... explanation for this?" Mayor Mare offered.
Twilight, for her part, froze. 'Nightmare Moon...'