Twilight was pacing up and down the deck of her skyboat, panting in a panic. Also on the skyboat were Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Spike. Normally Applejack would be at the helm, but it was Rarity piloting the vessel. “What could be wrong? Did Sombra manage to manifest himself, Did Chrysalis reappear, again? Did Cozy and Tirek escape Tartarus?” Twilight then started to hyperventilate.
Everyone else looked to each other and then all turned to Applejack. The paladin sighed and walked up to Twilight and took hold of both of the demigod’s shoulders. “Don't you think you're bein' a little paranoid?” she asked.
Twilight seemed to calm down slightly, “But, why else would the Princesses send scrolls in such a hurry?” Twilight asked.
Everyone gave a sigh of frustration, “Ah don’t know, but maybe a ‘How you doin’?’ might be why and the scrolls said to come when we can, not as soon as possible, not immediately, not five minutes ago, when we can.”
Twilight seemed to calm down, Applejack sighed and then walked to the helm, “You better make this thing go faster, Ah don’t know how long until Twilight freaks out again.” she said to Rarity. Rarity nodded, and they soon arrived at the Chantalot. Once they docked. Twilight jumped off and flew towards the throne room. The rest sigh and then followed suit at a more moderate pace. Within half an hour they arrived at the doors to the throne room. It was opened by the guards and they entered.
“You all arrived a lot faster than expected,” Celestia said as she and Luna turned from the most recent series of stained glass windows, each showing the accomplishments of Twilight et al from when they returned the Elements of Harmony to the Tree even to the six students; Gallus, Sandbar, Ocellus, Yona, Smolder and Silverstream; terminating Cozy Glow's spell.
Twilight, however, was starting to panic yet again. “What's wrong?! What do we need to do?!”
Luna looked to Celestia with a slight glare, “We told you that we both should have gone to her.” she chastised her older sister. As Celestia rolled her eyes, Luna turned to Twilight, “To answer both questions, nothing.”
Before anyone could comment, Celestia spoke up, “Over the last few years, you six have stepped up to tackle every treat that aroused and even though you might have need help a couple of times, you have bested them.”
“Yeah, we are awesome,” Rainbow said as she looked at her nail in false modesty.
Celestia turned her full focus to Twilight, “and all of this is because of you Twilight. I have seen you grew from the isolated little girl to one of the most worthy demigods. You have led your friends against challenge and trail, one after another. And after some thought and debate, Luna and I have agreed that is time for us to pass on the torch.”
“What exactly are y'all saying?” Applejack asked as everyone else seemed to be at a lost.
“We are abdicating, stepping down, retiring,” Celestia answered. The six gasped but before they were allowed to respond. “I have ruled Mystica by myself for over a thousand years, and with Luna another thousand. A lot has changed under my reign and I can't live or rule forever. And given my recent streak of more or less being a damsel in distress over the last few years, it's time for me to step aside and let another rule.
Just then Discord teleported into the hall dressed like he was in an old newspaper reporter getting the notes from a public speech. “Breaking news! The royal princesses retiring!” he shouted. He then raised his right hand while still holding the pencil. “I have so many questions! Who'll take over? Who will run Mystica?” he asked before teleported to between Celestia and Luna, “Will it be someone tall, dark, and handsome? Or will it be the Lord of Chaos?” he asked as he snapped off his clothes and was in his more draconic form and seated on a recreation of his old throne in between Celestia’s and Luna’s. The two only glared at him. Discord then snapped his talon was in his most human form, “Oh, fine. Go with the obvious choice.” he begrudgingly conceded.
Twilight gave a sigh of relief. “I am certain Cadance will make a great ruling princess, she already has the experience of ruling Krystalopolies since its return.” Twilight responded, “I will gladly do my part to help her in this transition.” she bowed.
Celestia and Luna shared a look before they turned back to Twilight, “Actually, We both have thought you would succeed us both.” Luna informed. As Twilight froze, “Of course we recommended that you keep Baron Roy Fancypants as you Prime Administrator, and we expect that you will form a small council with your friends, of course. And if you are unsure of how to manage the more political aspects you can always appoint a Hand. We recommended Fancypants.”
As Twilight began to come to, she was hyperventilating. “But before you ask, no, Luna and I will still raise and lower the moon and sun. And Luna will still manage the dreamscape.” Celestia informed. This brought a groan from Rainbow who pouted and crossed her arms. “We know that you will always have the best interest of Mystica at heart. And we know that you will look the part. And that with each other you can do it.” Celestia said as she looked to each of Twilight’s friends. “Besides, you’re as awesome as you want to be.” she winked to Rainbow.
Twilight took a breath, as it was clear she was about panic, “Thank you, but that doesn’t mean…” she stopped as she started to hyperventilate. “It’ll be an adjustment, but even as minarchic as you have reigned, Princess Celestia, the formal transfer of power must take at least about a year to finalize. Got to dot ‘i’s, cross the ‘t’s and mind the ‘p’s and ‘q’s.” Twilight said as she regained control of her breath and started to calm herself.
Celestia and Luna looked to each other, “Actually, given that everything is so easily recorded at this time, all that is need is at most a couple of days to put together the formal ceremony.” Twilight began to laugh nervously. “I know you doubt yourself, my faithful student, but what you have gone through ever since I took you as my apprentice has been your training program. And there are plenty of tomes that you can read on the more political aspects of your rule.” Celestia offered.
“I am sorry for my tardiness, your graces, a bit of a spat in the House of Representatives, something about not wanting to fund the agreed to physical border marker with Alfhiem.” came Roy Fancypants as he came in running. He stopped next to Applejack and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Woh, Fleur was right…” he panted. “I need to hit the gym.” After he collected his breath.
“BARON ROY FANCYPANTS, AS THE PRIME ADMINISTRATOR OF OUR SISTER’S AND OUR GOVERNMENT, TODAY YOU ARE INFORMED THAT WE INTEND TO STEP DOWN AS RULING PRINCESSES OF THE EVERFREE PRINCIPALITY OF MYSTICA IN DREAM VALLEY AND THAT WE HAVE NAMED PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE AS OUR SUCCESSOR! IN THE DAWN OF HER REIGH, AS YOUR MOST RECENT TERM AS PRIME ADMINISTRATOR HAS BEGAN LESS THEN A MONTH AGO, WE TRUST THAT YOU WILL ASSIST HER IN ANY AND ALL PARTS OF HER DUTIES AS RULING PRINCESS!” Luna declared as the room and everyone save Celestia shook with from the force of the lunar princess’ implementation of the Royal Voice. “If that is not too much of an inconvenience?” she asked as she blushed in embarrassment as she saw that she used too much force in her voice.
Roy was the first to recover, “It will be an honor to assist Princess Twilight Sparkle in the early morning hours of her reign, and for long as I am Prime Administrator.” he said as he helped Twilight to her feet, “In the meantime, as Princess Celestia and Luna are stepping down, until your official coronation as ruling princess, all three of you are in need of a Hand, I am certain that you three will come to an agreement to whom you wish to manage the affairs of state until the transfer is complete.”
“Luna and I were thinking of having you be the Hand, we await only Twilight’s answer.” Celestia informed
“Question, what you mean by ‘hand’?” Discord asked as he teleported to be right on Roy’s head, “because Twilight already has too.”
“Don’t you mean two?” Twilight asked as glared at the lord of chaos.
“Like AJ, I say what mean and mean what I say.” Discord said as he crossed his chest, closed his eyes and held up his nose in slight disgust.
Roy took off his monocle and cleaned it, “Well a ‘hand’ in this context, means someone who will take care of the day to day aspects of ruling a realm, while the monarch, diarch, etc, takes care of the things that need only the weight of the monarch’s own word to enact.” Roy then turned to Twilight, “In this case, if you were to agree with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I would king-in-all-but-name for all the day to day things until after the coronation ceremony.” Roy explained.
Twilight started to hyperventilate again, “You don’t have to give an answer today, go home and sleep on it, we don’t have to make anything official for a couple of days.” Celestia said as she tried to comfort Twilight. “And we have the utmost confidence in you,” she added as she placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulders.
Luna then placed her own hand on Twilight’s other shoulder, “And we hope you have the same in yourself.”
Twilight pulled out a paper bag and continued to hyperventilate into it for a second until she fainted, “Oh, I'm absolutely certain she does.” Discord said as he appeared in stick figure rendering of his more draconic form on the bag.
Later that day in the Castle of Friendship, in the room of the Aura Map, Twilight et al were in their thrones with Discord in his humanoid, but not human form, on the table “I am not confident about this at all!” Twilight screamed.
Discord rose his head, “Well, that's what I thought.” he stated, “I was being sarcastic before.” he added as he got up and looked at the others, “Alright let’s get on with it, somebody tells our little Sparkle that is everything will be fine. Then place your over-under bets for when she says she doesn’t believe you and then prove her wrong a climactic battle. Ugh, this is so formulaic, Fluttershy, just tell me if it took her three days to renounce the lie she’s telling herself that she can’t do this at Tuesday’s tea.”
“Um, today’s Monday.” Fluttershy pointed out.
“Fine, Thursday’s Turmoil Tea in my place.” Discord groaned as he pulled a zipper in the middle of the room showing a pocket of anti-reality, “Good Day!” he said as he shifted to his serpentine draconic form and slithered into the realm, slamming a door behind him, returning the room to normal.
Twilight sighed, “It’s just…”
“This is happening too fast,” the others in the room said in unison as Rarity placed a glass of water next to Twilight and Spike huffed out a notebook and pen. She raised an eyebrow.
“Stage one you get big news and you give dramatic ‘Nooooo!!!” that would too much for Rarity. Stage two, pace, chart, plan and panic, not necessarily in that order, stage three we fight baddie, get our cupcakes handed to us in round one because you didn’t trust us as much as you should or some other reason and then stage four, you learn that you can do anything when you trust in us. And finally, stage five we kick baddie’s rear in the rematch.” Pinkie said as she pulled down a slide and showed a slide show of images in stick figures that showed the stages. As she pulled up the slide, “A classic Twilighting.”
Before Twilight could reply to that fact that her name was made into a verb, “Sugarcube, this is not a bad thing in it of itself. We’ve just known you long enough to know your process.” Applejack said as she got out of her throne and walked over to Twilight. Once she was next to her, the paladin placed a hand on the demigod’s shoulder. “It’s okay, you go ahead and do the panicking, Ah’ll be the even keel of this here ship, like Ah always am.”
“That’s not true, remember the whole thing with Chrysalis disguising herself as Vignette Valencia and she tried to take away your best friend.” Pinkie pointed out.
“Not helpin’, Sugarcube.” Applejack almost growled. Pinkie then gave a scared meep and hid under the table. “The point is, we’re here for you. Even if the other princesses ain’t” Applejack finished.
“Say, with the exception of Nightmare Rarity, where the other princesses ever there?”
“Celestica giving you the Elements of Harmony post mortem to confront Nightmare Moon, Celestia, Cadance and Luna looking through and sending to Twilight the letters sent to Celestia to confront Discord, Cadance fighting Chrysalis as we tried to get to the teleportation ring, Cadance renewing Shining’s power to put his shield back up, Cadance holding Sombra back when we conducted the Crystal Fair, The three delaying Tirek by frustrating his search for the demigod magics that Twilight housed, Celestia and Luna fighting the Wendigo while Twilight and Cadance’s tried to fix the Crystal Heart, Celestia and Luna helping Twilight and Starlight fix the Crystal Heart during Flurry's actual Crystalling. Celestia showing Twilight that letting go of Starlight is okay and that it doesn’t mean Twilight doesn’t have a place in Starlight’s life. Cadance trying to empower Shining to delay his petrification and the falling of his shield to Tempest, and Celestia and Luna acting as barriers to prevent Twilight’s petrification and allow Brighteyes enough time to shove Twilight out of the area of the petrification orb’s effect, Celestia standing up to Neighsay and keeping our allies leaders from killing each other and declaring war until we found Smolder, Yona, Ocellus, Gallus and Silverstream.” Spike listed. “Just because they aren’t part of the climactic battle doesn’t mean they haven’t helped.” the dragon pointed out.
Pinkie then jumped on to the table, “And we always win with the other baddies, Demon Shimmer, The Sirens....” Pinkie then trailed off, “No, Midnight Sparkle and Gaea Everfree were Sunset’s battles and we needed the Shadowbolts and Sunset for The Sirens…” Pinkie then paused as she tried to something else, “No, Chrysalis was beaten by Starlight, Thorax, Trixie and Discord the second time, We needed the Pillars to free Stygian from the Nightstalker and Cozy was beaten by Sandbar and the other Student Six.” Pinkie trailed off. “Oh, when Chrysalis masqueraded as Vignette and tried to use those copies!” Pinkie cheered as she found something. “Huh, you know something, we actually had one foe we defeated on our own and come to think of it if Flash Sentry didn’t fight those undead minotaurs we couldn’t have beaten Demon Shimmer. I guess we do need a lot of help.” Every but Twilight gave Pinkie bemused glares. “Sorry not helping,” she said as she ducked back under the table.
“What about Starlight in her village and Starlight’s attempt to change history.” Spike pointed out.
Applejack then spoke up, “Do the FlimFlam brothers and Iron Will count?” she asked.
“They’re not villains, per se. Like Suri Polomage and Lightning Dust, they are opportunistic antagonists for certain, but not to the level of villainy.” Rarity answered.
“The point is at the end of the day, with or without help, there isn’t a baddie we can’t beat.” Spike finished seeing that they have gone off on tangents. Twilight smiled. Just knowing her friends were there, there was nothing that would lose to.
Around the same time as Twilight was relieved by her friends, Chrysalis was wondering the Everfree, “One day, you'll see! I will defeat Twilight Sparkle and her friends!” She then blasted a log nearby. “And they will pay for stealing my kingdom!” she then blasted another log before she was whisked away in a cloud of black smoke.
At the same time in Tartarus, Tirek made another mark on the wall showing that he had been there for a ludicrously long time. As he sighed, he heard Cozy Glow from her cell, “Psst, Tirek!”
“It is Lord Tirek.” Tirek all but shouted as he turned to look at Cozy, “And what is it now?” he asked in irritation.
“I just wanna make sure you can see my best friends rock sculpture from over there!” she said as she pointed to sculpture she made of the two of them. Tirek groaned and then the two whooshed away in a cloud of black smoke.
At the same time, a spell circle was drawn with an ‘M’ drawn in the middle. The circle glowed and then a large black crystal grew. From it emerged the lime-green eyes and purple smoke of Sombra. He then was whooshed away.
Chrysalis looked around where she arrived and found herself in some sort of cave. There she spotted Tirek and Cozy, “Lord Tirek!” she declared as she readied to cast a spell to fight Tirek.
“A changeling?” Tirek asked in slight shock. He then turned to Cozy, “See? She gets it.” he declared as he readied his own spell. “Who are you?” he asked.
Chrysalis slowly lowered her hand as she started to walk closer to the two, but never fully dropping her guard. “I am Queen Chrysalis, rightful ruler of the changelings!” she declared. But she then had to dip her head slightly in ire, “Or at least I will be again when I'm restored to my throne!” she then returned her focus to Tirek, “Why did you summon me? What do you want?!” she asked as she prepared to cast a spell.
Cozy yelped as she hid behind Tirek, “Oh, golly!” Cozy said in slight freight. “We didn't bring you! I thought you freed us from Tartarus!” she said as pointed out that they didn’t summon her.
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow, “Tartarus?” she asked. “Whoever pulled you from there must have been somebody very powerful indeed.”
“Did someone say ‘somebody very powerful’?” came a guttural, ethereal voice. The three turned to see Sombra manifest himself above the three. He elected to stop his manifestation as his black seven-foot tall specter form in grey armor. He then laughed as he looked down at the others gathered.
Chrysalis stumbled backward and almost tripped over herself. Cozy ducked behind Tirek again and Tirek himself also took a step back. “King Sombra!” Chrysalis declared. “You have returned? Why did you bring us here?” She asked as both she and Tirek readied to attack him.
“He didn't.” came an ancient voice from behind Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy. They all turned to see a satyr that stood just short of Sombra in height. To be more accurate he was more of bipedal slightly anthropomorphic mountain ram with human arms. His fur was blue and he wore a red collar with golden orbs on it with a hook for a bell. He walked slowly like a man in his late seventies. “It was I,” the satyr said as he reached the center of the room where there was a fairly large scrying orb that looked like a large goat-eye. On the other side of the orb was a chair, which he sat in. “You may call me... Grogar.”
Chrysalis and Tirek gasped in horror as they both tripped over themselves and landed on their rears. Sombra seemed to crack his neck in boredom while Cozy looked around utterly confused. “Which Grogar are you?” Sombra asked as he yawned unimpressed “The thirteenth?”
“I am the ORIGINAL!” Grogar declared as he slammed the table. “The most recent pretender who… borrowed... my name has… paid off the loan.” Grogar said as he pointed to the wall. On it was a mounted satyr skull. Tirek and Chrysalis gulped in fear. Sombra seemed unmoved as he yawned again. “Perhaps a proper demonstration is in order, Tomaz?” he asked the shade rhetorically.
However, before he did more, “Um, sorry, who is Grofar?” Cozy asked. “I’ve no idea what's going here.”
Grogar growled as Chrysalis gasped. Tirek leaned down to whisper into Cozy's ear. “Grogar, as the legend I heard as a boy goes, was an ancient and powerful master of magic and once ruled the entire continent as Emperor. Back then what is now Mystica was a loss collection of farms and forests.”
“I heard the same legend too as a lad.” Sombra chimed as he stretched his back in boredom. “He was also credited with making the first generation of the monsters in this world; manticores, hydras, sphinxes, chimeras, cockatrices, bugbears to list a few.”
“Indeed, I gave life to the foulest creatures ever and set them loose on the world. It was a glorious epoch of darkness.” Grogar declared as he used the crystal orb to project the images of the many monsters laying waste and terrorizing humans.
Sombra then yawned, “Even if what you say is true, then all it took to beat you is to ring a little bell.”
“Clearly I have been away too long if my name no longer strikes fear into children and my presence doesn't give a geist pause.” Grogar bemoaned.
Cozy waved her hand, “Oh I am not a child,” she started to explain. “You see I suffer from a form of hypopituitarism, it means I stopped aging for a while and I wouldn't truly mature. It does mean I have a shorter than average life expectancy and can't do a lot of adult stuff, but I can get away with a lot.”
“Clearly,” Grogar commented blankly. “I assure you, I am very real,” he announced with a fair enough force that caused the others to shake. “And you have all been brought here as part of my plan to rid Mystica of Twilight Sparkle and her friends once and for all.” Grogar then started to laugh.
Chrysalis and Sombra then both shared at the declaration. Chrysalis then spoke, “How do you intend to best a demigod whose focus is magic itself when you were banished by the folk hero Gusty, if the legend is true, a lowly Magicborn of sub-mediocre talent?” she asked and challenged the satyr.
Grogar grumbled at the challenge made by the elf, “That fool believed taking my bell would defeat me!” he in part conceded, “But she only weakened me temporarily.” he continued as he challenged the deposed queen.
Cozy then raised her hand, “Um, since Tirek is really old –” she turned to the spellthief, “no offense, you’re looking great Bestie.”
“We are not Besties,” Tirek grumbled. “You can send me back. Just not with her.” The lord pleaded. Grogar only rolled his eyes.
Cozy then continued, “As I was saying, if he knew about you as a legend when he was young, then we have super different ideas about what "temporarily" means.” she pointed out the difference in perspective in time.
Sombra gave a laugh, “I am with the Skyborn, even I don't consider my entrapment under the ice by Celestia and Luna a temporary setback.”
Grogar gave a slight roar, “Silence!” he ordered and even the specter started to tremble. “Now for the demonstration.” Grogar the brought his right hand to his collar and seemed to pull some magic into an orb and sent it to Tirek. Tirek took the orb and sucked it and he reverted to be in his late forties and near the peck of his strengths. As Chrysalis and Cozy awed, “I've spent millennia gathering power, biding my time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to seize control of this continent and world! All the while I have watched all of you. I've seen each of your humiliating defeats at the hands of six puny humans. And do you know why they've always bested you?” he asked them.
“Because they cheat!” Chrysalis answered as she looked down at the ground in anger as she clutched her fist.
Tirek crossed his arms and groaned, “Because they are annoyingly lucky.” he offered
“Umm, I wasn't beat by Twilight and her friends, so…” Cozy pointed out.
Grogar pitched the bridge of his nose, “It is because they work together.” He then stomped his foot to empathize his point. “Even those six students that broke your spell,” he said to Cozy, he then turned to Chrysalis “and so when Starlight, Trixie, the usurper and the Lord of Chaos.” He then returned his focus to all of them. “Where one is weak, another is strong, and thus unified, they are a formidable force! But we shall use their own strategy to defeat them.”
“What are you suggesting?” Chrysalis asked the question on the minds of everyone else.
Grogar then jumped to right in front of Chrysalis, causing her to jump back, “I suggest nothing. I demand that you join me, and together, Mystica will be ours!”
Sombra couldn’t help but laugh at the idea, his laugh echoed like a ghostly wale. Once he finished, “This reads like a poorly conceived fanfiction.” the shade couldn't help but chuckle. “‘Ours’, what a joke. You can’t seriously expect us to believe that you intend to share. And even if we were to trust you, our goals are far too contradictory, if I succeed there would be no love for which Chrysalis for to feed off of, if she succeeds then how can I impose the fear I need to reign, and we would both lose if Tirek is able to drain the magic he hungers for.” Sombra pointed out the massive flaw in Grogar’s plan. “Besides, I don't do "ours". I only do mine.” the king declared. “I alone here forced Celestia and Luna to actually use their full power to best me, without the ability to use the Elements of Harmony! I had my plan to retake Krystalopolies setup before they came knocking and it was executed almost flawlessly. I bested Twilight Sparkle every step of her path to stop me! I am the only one here to truly exhaust Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!” Sombra called attention to his accomplishments. “And I didn’t need an army, or make a deal with Discord or get pointers from a spellthief to do any of that.” Sombra pointed out what he managed to do all on his own, while the others needed help to accomplish what they did, “I will take back Krystalopolies on my own, and I will destroy anybody who gets in my way!” the king declared as his form grew and caused all but Grogar to tremble in fear.
Grogar smirked at the geist's display. “Such confidence,” he stated neutrally. He then turned his back to Sombra, “Go! Try to take back your kingdom. I shall send you there myself.” he said as he realized that Sombra was not going to bend the knee so willingly. “If you prevail, you may keep it. But when you fail, you will submit to me!” he offered the shade but it was clear he wanted Sombra to submit.
Sombra seemed to raise an eyebrow, “And if I refuse this deal?” he asked.
Grogar then closed the distance between the two and looked up to Sombra, “Then I shall return you to the darkness from which you were summoned.” he declared.
Sombra brought his right hand to where his chin would be. He thought for a second on the ‘deal’ he was offered. “Fine!” Sombra accepted the offer before he turned his back to the old goat. “But this is a waste of time, as I will crush those who defy me. I will defeat all who get in my way! I'm—” The shade was silenced when he was whooshed away by an annoyed Grogar.
Once the king was gone, Grogar turned to the other three. He took a breath, “I advise the rest of you to prepare to work together!” he declared as he left the three.
“Well, working together sounds an awful lot like making friends, so... you two are in luck because I know all about that!” Cozy suggested with a big smile. Both Chrysalis and Tirek rolled their eyes and turned their backs to her. “Don't worry we'll cross that bridge soon enough.”