Thanks to tajjetone for editing this story. If you don't watch this dude go and do so =3
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Twilight lay on the floor with a candle close by to light up her reading material. She let out a loud sigh. “Haahh, nothing beats the silence of the night and a good book.” She looked out of the window at the shining stars and the moon that lit up the night sky before turning her attention back to the book. Her thoughts drifted deeper into the book as she continued to read. She couldn’t help but feel relaxed, as the night always calmed her down.
Spike suddenly came rushing up the stairs with a scroll that carried the royal seal. “Twilight! We just got a scroll from the Princess!” Twilight rolled her eyes but put on a smile, turning her attention away from the book and to her assistant.
“Spike, you are the only dragon capable of getting scrolls from the Princess.”
Spike stopped right in front of her. “Ohhhh, you’re right.”
Twilight let out a sigh and got up. “What does it say?” she asked in a warm voice. Her eyes widened as she realized what was going on. She felt a shiver down her spine and froze instantly.
“Twilight! This is awful! We need to tell the others!”
Twilight stood frozen on the same spot. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard. She suddenly snapped out of it when Spike started to push her flank and forced her to take a step. Spike felt magic wrap around him as a purple aura lifted him onto Twilight’s back. She started to gallop down the stairs, almost sending Spike flying off of her. Spike grabbed her tail and held on for dear life as the purple unicorn stormed out the door.
She stopped at the town center, lifting Spike off and placing him in front of her. “Spike, go and tell Rarity and Pinkie Pie. Then meet me and the others in the library!”
Spike looked up at her in confusion. “What about you?”
Twilight looked down at him. “I’ll go and get Applejack and Fluttershy.”
Spike tilted his head. “What about Rainbow Dash?”
Twilight put on a small smile. “We couldn’t have woken her at this hour even if we told her the Wonderbolts would want to talk to her; we need Fluttershy to wake her up.” Spike nodded and ran off into the darkness. Twilight looked up at the moon that was about to go down in the horizon, by the look of it she judged the time to be around two o’ clock in the morning.
Twilight ran as fast as she could to Fluttershy’s cottage. She had figured out that Fluttershy would need some time to wake up Rainbow Dash. She knocked hard on the door and hoped that she didn’t scare all the animals Fluttershy took care of. Twilight nearly jumped where she stood. The array of sounds from the inside was the only indication of life on the other side of the door. It didn’t take long before Fluttershy’s light coat was visible through a half open door, “Ohhh… It’s just you,” Fluttershy said only just above a whisper. She didn’t hesitate to open the door.
Twilight nearly jumped on Fluttershy when she had opened the door fully. “Fluttershy! You need to go and wake up Rainbow Dash and make her come to the library!”
Fluttershy jumped and squeaked at the sudden loud outburst. “O-ok-okay, b-but why? If you don’t mind me asking…” she moved her gaze down to the ground, but Twilight was already on the way out of the door.
“No time to explain, Fluttershy; I’ll tell you all when we are in the library!”
Twilight rushed over the bridge and followed the dirt path that lead to Sweet Apple Acres. She ran passed the trees and continued toward her destination. The cold night air felt sharp against her coat. It felt like someone was poking her with needles; she closed her eyes and pushed on. As Twilight came closer to Sweet Apple Acres more and more of the trees appeared to be apple trees, she was all out of breath and had to stop to catch it again. She walked up to the barn and leaned against it, she looked at the rows of apple trees that surrounded the orchard. Sweet Apple Acres was a sight indeed, all the hard work it had been to get it up and running. Now it was supplying most of Ponyville with food. She walked over to the farmhouse; a fierce barking came just as she knocked. It didn’t take long before the barking ended and a tired looking Applejack opened the door, the moon shining brightly at her exposed mane as she wasn’t wearing her usual hat, her hair hanging limp down her neck and face as she didn’t have her hair ties. Applejack yawned but put on a smile when she saw her friends “Howdy Twi, What’cha doin’ here this early?”
Twilight walked closer to Applejack so she didn’t wake up any of the inhabitants of the house “We are gathering the girls in the library, and you need to come with me.” Applejack looked a little puzzled; she closed the door and came out shortly afterward with her Stetson on top of her head and her mane in a ponytail. Applejack closed the door and followed twilight back to the library.
When Twilight and Applejack finally walked into the library, Twilight was relieved to find all her friends there, even Rainbow Dash, although she was sleeping on the floor. Twilight sent a puzzled look to Fluttershy, who seemed to understand the look and started to explain. “I couldn’t wake her up, so I placed her on another cloud and moved her here.” Twilight giggled a bit at the thought of Rainbow Dash curled to a ball on a small cloud.
Rarity trotted over to her. “What is the meaning of this, darling? I need my beauty sleep.” Twilight looked at her friends then to the sleeping form of the rainbow-maned Pegasus that lied huddled to a ball with her back towards the group.
“We should wake up Rainbow Dash before I announce the news.” Applejack walked out to Twilight’s kitchen without delay. Some sounds came from the kitchen as doors were opened and shut; the sound of water from the faucet was heard for a while before it was silent again. Applejack came out of the kitchen with a bucket filled with what Twilight guessed was cold water. Trotting over to Rainbow Dash and with a swift move of her right hoof, she dumped the bucket of cold water over Rainbow Dash, who awoke with a scream and looked around with a start.
“Whoa!” She got on all fours in a blink of an eye and looked around. “Where in Equestria am I!?” She then saw Pinkie Pie lying on the floor holding her stomach, laughing, and everyone else giggle. She looked at Applejack, who still had the bucket in her mouth, was making some sounds that she guessed was the best laughter she could get while having a bucked in her mouth. Rainbow Dash looked confused around the room before she finally understood everything and couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at her own situation. “Yeah, yeah, wake the sleeping Pegasus with a bucket of water, I get it,” she said as she attempted to dry her hair by dragging a hoof through it.
Only when everything had calmed down a bit did Twilight ask Spike to get the scroll. Spike soon after returned with the scroll in his claw. He handed it to Twilight, whom used her magic to hold it in front of her. With everypony's attention on Twilight, she cleared her throat before she started to read out loud.
My Faithful Student:
It grieves my heart to write you this letter. The griffins have attacked a small village on our border and are currently expanding their area as you are reading this; it is of the utmost importance that you gather the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and decide which of you who will go in this war. It is of great symbolic meaning that one of you six joins the war. I will give you two days to decide who will go; a chariot will wait for one of you once I receive a letter from you of who will enter the war with the royal army.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
Twilight wrapped it up again and hovered it to Spike who grabbed it. She gave a sad smile to her friends and let out a sigh. Her friends looked dumbfound at her. Pinkie burst out laughing and cough everyone attention “Good one Twilight. To think we were in war and to send one of us in war! BEST PRANK EVER!!!” she shouted.
Twilight blinked confused and looked at Pinkie Pie “ It’s not a joke Pinkie!” Pinkie stopped laughing and moved only inches away from her and looked at her with wide eyes.
“But it has to be a joke. I mean one of us… go to war?”
The awkward silence confirmed that it wasn’t a prank. Fluttershy broke the silence “Um… I… I can’t go…” Twilight looked at her and fully understood why. With Fluttershy, well, as shy as she was, there was no chance she would be the one to go.
Rarity looked at Fluttershy and then to Twilight. “I don’t think I’m suited for this task either. As you all know how I am… with dirt… and sweat… and not to mention the tasteless uniforms!…”
The group agreed on that as well. Their eyes shifted to Pinkie Pie, who stood on her hind legs balancing two books on her snout; she lost her balance and fell backward sending the two books across the room, but before the books could hit the floor Twilight had already grabbed them with her magic, placing them back in the bookshelf where it belonged. They looked at each other with the same thought: Pinkie Pie was not even an option; that left Applejack, Rainbow Dash and herself. Rainbow Dash looked at the floor before she looked back up at Twilight. “I’ll go.”
The group looked at Rainbow, who put on a confident smile. “I’m the most suited for this, and I’m the wielder of the Element of Loyalty. I don’t want any of you guys to get hurt.”
Applejack looked at her with wide eyes before she opened her mouth. “How come yer the best choice?”
Rainbow Dash smiled sadly at her. “Can’t remember you having a pair of these,” she responded, flaring her wings open briefly.
Twilight closed her eyes. “Are you sure, Rainbow?”
Dash looked at Twilight “I’m sure.”
Rarity had calmed down a bit and looked at Twilight before she spoke to Rainbow. “But what If you don’t come back? And Heart’s Warming Eve is in one month!”
Rainbow sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the library. “I only have you guys; if something happens to you, I won’t be able to face myself. And we all know that I’m the best flyer in Equestria!” she said proudly and received a small smile from everypony in the room.
Fluttershy looked at her front hoof as she made small circles with it on the floor “Um… I wish you luck and please come back safe.”
Dash put on a confident smile and puffed out her chest. “Hey! I promise I’ll be back before you know it! And without a scratch!” The six decided to have a sleep over at Twilight’s place.
The night had passed quicker than anyone could ever imagine; they had stayed up all night and just talked. When the sun rose in the horizon, and the light found its way into the library. They walked out the door and out into the light of day. They had a walk in the park, something the speeder didn’t quite enjoy as it went too slowly for her taste. The rest of the day went more quickly, as she was soaring through the sky, her friends watching as she did a number of stunts mid air. Only after several hours did they find their way back to ponyville. The sun was high in the sky as they entered the library.