//------------------------------// // An Old (and New) Mare’s Tale // Story: Another Side of Friendship // by The Great Twixie //------------------------------// “Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land.” “The eldest, the strong and courageous Celestia, used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn, showering the land in its warmth and beauty. The youngest, the humble and wise Luna, brought out the moon to begin the night, guarding the dreams of those bathed in its light.” Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the eldest sister became consumed by her own desires. Though the ponies loved and honored the elder sister above all, her greed was never satisfied.” “The elder sister demanded offerings and worship from her subjects; statues and temples built in her honor. If anypony denied her whims, the elder sister refused to lower the sun to make way for the night, burning the lands in its cruel and unforgiving rays until her desires were sated.” “The younger sister tried to reason with her, but the eldest, unhinged by greed and paranoia, turned on her sibling and transformed into a wicked mare of burning rage: Daybreaker” “She vowed that she would scorch the lands of all who opposed her rule. It was with a heavy heart that the younger sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony” “Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her elder sister, and banished her permanently to the sun, where her light would be used to nurture Equestria. The younger sister took on the responsibility of – “ – the sun and the moon’,” the purple unicorn spoke aloud from the pages of the worn-out book she had become so enamored by. “’And harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.’ Hmm…” The unicorn hummed, hoof tapping her chin. “Hmm... Elements of Harmony. I know I've heard of those before... but where?” The studious unicorn rose from her seat and began to wander the near-empty rows of the Canterlot Public Library, her home away from home. Since she had been a little filly, Twilight Sparkle had always been fascinated by magic and the tales of great wizards and sorceresses who came before, from Star Swirl the Bearded to the ruler of Equestria, Princess Luna herself. Twilight studied magic with such uncompromising focus and dedication that none were surprised to see her graduate at the top of her class at Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns. But on the other hoof, some might say that her obsession with magic was more harmful than supportive. It had already been six months since she graduated from Luna’s school and she had yet to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. She never had a clear goal beyond studying and learning from every magic book she could get her hooves on. Even worse, in all the time she went to Luna’s school, she never put forth the effort to make any friends. With her nose constantly in the books, she always came off as cold and off-putting, and any invitations she received were usually met with polite declines. Eventually, almost everypony just gave up on her and left Twilight to her own devices. Her family often vocalized their concerns, but Twilight paid them no mind. As long as she had her books, she was happy. Twilight used her horn to pull down a book from one of the tall shelves, muttering to herself, “I know I've heard of the Elements of Harmony. But where…?” “There you are, Twilight!” The purple unicorn nearly jumped out of her coat with a squeak. A light-blue unicorn had poked her head around the bookcase with a wide, almost frightening, smile. What was her name again? Secondra? Hourlie? Something like that, Twilight supposed. “Hey, Twilight, Moon Dancer’s having a little get-together in the west castle courtyard! Wanna come?!” The still-nameless mare asked excitedly. “Oh, um, sorry,” Twilight apologized awkwardly. “I’ve got a lot of studying to do.” “Studying? What for?” said the pony whose name Twilight still can’t remember. “You’re not in school anymore, and it’s not like you have a job or responsibilities or anything remotely worthwhile doing – ” “Thank you!” Twilight snapped irritably. She took a deep, calming breath and continued, “I just…really need to focus on my studies, okay?” “Whatever you say, Twilight,” the unnamed pony shrugged and dashed out of sight. Twilight sighed tiredly. “I could have responsibilities if I wanted…,” Twilight muttered under her breath before shaking her head. “No, no, focus, Twilight. I know I’ve heard of the Elements of Harmony somewhere. Spike! Spi-i-ike!” “Shh!” The musty librarian popped up behind her, shushing Twilight. “Oops, sorry,” Twilight smiled sheepishly. The librarian gave her a stern glare, then trotted back to her desk. Twilight walked along the rows of bookshelves, calling out quietly. “Spike…. Spike… where are you?” Just as she turned into the “Textbooks for Dummies” section, she felt something bump into her chest and was knocked back on her flank. The studious unicorn shook her head and looked down to see her beloved assistant, a purple baby dragon, lying flat on the floor, holding his head with a groan. “There you are,” Twilight breathed, using her horn to lift the dragon to his feet. She quickly trotted over to the next bookcase, pulling down various texts with her horn “Quick, help me find a copy of Predictions and Prophecies.” Spike the baby dragon groaned, knowing that his best friend was going on another tangent. Even worse, bumping into Twilight had caused him to fall on the brightly-colored present he had worked so hard to make, reducing it to a pancake. Of course, the purple unicorn didn’t even notice until Spike had tossed the flattened present into a nearby garbage bin. “What was that?” Twilight asked curiously. “Well, it was a gift for Moon Dancer...” said Spike, grimacing. “Wait, when did have time to get a present for Moon Dancer’s party?” asked Twilight, raising a brow. “That…somepony just invited me minutes ago.” “Twilight, she sent the invitations out two weeks ago,” said Spike with a blank stare. “Oh,” said Twilight, blinking. Has it really been that long? Twilight shook her head. “It’s not important. You know we don’t have time for that sort of thing, Spike.” “We have nothing but time,” Spike pointed. “I mean, it’s not like you have a job – “ “Yes, yes, I’ve heard!” Twilight snapped. The librarian shushed her again; the unicorn groaned in annoyance. “Just help me find that book.” She used her horn to pull down several books at once, scanning their covers in rapid succession. “No, no, no... no, no, no! Grr…Spike!” “It’s over here!” Spike called from the top of a ladder against a high shelf, waving a thick book in his claw. The librarian shushed them again, but went ignored. Twilight eagerly used her magic to pull the book towards herself, not taking into consideration that Spike was still holding it. Even as the baby dragon smacked on the floor at her feet, her attention was solely on the book. Delighted to see it was the one she had been searching for, Twilight levitated the book away, not even offering a hoof to Spike. It was lucky that Spike had such thick skin and was accustomed to Twilight’s insensitive manner or he would’ve walked out ages ago. Twilight slapped the recovered book on a nearby table and began flipping through the pages. “Elements, Elements, E, E, E... Aha!” Twilight cried victoriously. “Elements of Harmony, see: Mare in the Sun?” “Mare in the Sun?” Spike repeated, confused. “But that’s just an old mare’s tale.” Twilight tuned her assistant out and flipped through the pages again, “Mare, mare... aha! ‘The Mare in the Sun, myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the sun. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, she will escape her prison, and bring about the wrath of the sun upon Equestria!’ Spike, do you know what this means?” she asked with a stunned gasp. “Uh…no,” said Spike blankly. “It means we’re on the precipice of disaster!” Twilight exclaimed; The librarian was becoming visible irritated from her desk. “Hold on…preci…preci…,” Spike mumbled, rattling the word around in his brain. “Threshold?” Twilight offered. “Thre…,” Spike muttered, touching his chin with a glazed look. “Uh, brink?” Twilight reworded, but the baby dragon looked none the wiser. “Ugh! that something really bad is about to happen! The mythical Mare in the Sun is actually Daybreaker, and she's about to return to Equestria, and bring with her the wrath of the sun!” “What’s ‘the wrath of the sun’?” asked Spike. “It’s what happens when the sun never sets,” Twilight explained. “The sun warms Equestia and the moon cools it for the next day. But if the sun never sets, Equestria will suffocate in an unending heatwave. Crops will wither, rivers will dry up, and then…everypony will….” She made an audible gulping noise, unable to bring herself to finish. “Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true.” “Okay, but…what’re we supposed to do?” asked Spike. “We have to warn Princess Luna,” said Twilight seriously. “She’s the only one who will know what to do.” “Isn’t Princess Luna a little busy getting ready for the Summer Solstice Festival?” Spike pointed out. “It’s like, tomorrow.” “That’s just it, Spike,” said Twilight severely. “Tomorrow is the thousandth year of the summer solstice - the longest day of the year! It's imperative that the princess is told right away!” “Impera... impera...,” Spike stuttered. “IMPORTANT!” Twilight shouted impatiently. Twilight and Spike heard somepony clearing their throat and looked up at the gravely displeased librarian. The pair smiled and laughed sheepishly. Before they knew it, Twilight and Spike were flying out the door, landing on their flanks at the bottom of the stairs. The old librarian sniffed and slammed the doors behind them to make a point. “Wow, that’s the fourth time we’ve got kicked out this week,” said Spike, sounding impressed. “It’s amazing they keep letting us back in there.” “That’s not important right now, Spike,” said Twilight, bouncing to her hooves. “We have to warn Princess Luna immediately before Daybreak is released.” “But how’re we gonna get to the palace,” asked Spike. “Only royalty and the princess’s personal pupil are allowed inside. The guards will have your flank if you try to get in there.” “The is a matter of grave importance, Spike,” said Twilight. “I’m sure if we just explain ourselves, they’ll listen.” “I wouldn’t hold your breath,” said Spike in disbelief. “You’ll see, Spike,” said Twilight importantly. “After all, I did graduate top of my class from Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns.” “And yet you can’t get a job,” Spike muttered under his breath. The baby dragon let out a sharp yelp as Twilight levitated him onto her back. “C’mon, Spike, we’ve got to warn the Princess!” shouted Twilight. The purple unicorn reared herself on her haunches before zipping down the road, Spike wrapping his arms around Twilight’s neck and holding on for dear life. What neither of them had noticed was a particular pony cantering by the library, levitating a crumpled-up map with her horn and tilted her head sideways, confused Starlight Glimmer had only been in Canterlot for a few hours and already she hated the place. The buildings were too tall, the ponies were pretentious as Tartarus, and the town layout didn’t make a lick of sense. What pony in their right mind thought it would be a good idea to put Trottington St. And Trottington Rd. on the same corner?! It was almost enough to make Starlight go back to Sire’s Hollow. ALMOST, Starlight mentally screeched. She wasn’t desperate enough to go back there, Luna forbid. After spinning the map for what must have been the hundredth time, Starlight finally had enough, wadded the map up into a ball, and tossed it into a nearby bin with a frustrated groan. “Gah! Why do Canterlot ponies have to be so confusing with directions!” Starlight howled, drawing a lot of snobby sideways glances. “Why do they even need so many buildings that sell the same thing, anyway?! There’re literally four outdoor cafés on the same street – right next to each other!” Starlight took a deep breath, rubbing circles on her head with her hooves. “It’s okay, Starlight,” Starlight muttered to herself. “Everything’s fine. Everything’s great. All you gotta do is find that stupid unicorn school, find out where Sunburst went, take him away from this stupid town – by force, if necessary – and then everything will perfect again. Just me and him, and nopony else to get in the way.” Starlight Glimmer took another look around, hoping to find something that would point her in the right direction, when she spotted a couple of fillies prancing across the street. There was nothing particularly special about these fillies, especially with their unmarked flanks. But then a third pony, a little colt, came running up to them, brimming with excitement. That’s when she noticed his flank – he had a Cutie Mark, and he was clearly bursting to tell someone. “Look, look, I got my Cutie Mark!” The little colt told his friends proudly. The fillies “ooh’ed” and “aww’ed”, pacing around for a better look. Starlight felt a flame ignite in her chest, breathing through her nose in sharp, agitated breaths. That fiery sensation carried to her horn, glowing with a light turquoise aura. With a sharp gesture, she shot a short burst of magic at the young colt’s flank without anypony being any wiser where it came from. The fillies gasped when the colt’s mark was suddenly wiped away like a temporary tattoo. The young colt looked back from the tingling sensation on his flank, his face falling when he stared at empty space. “Wh-where’s my Cute Mark?” said the colt sorrowfully before being consoled by his friends. “Stupid Cutie Marks,” Starlight muttered softly, turning away with her sharp look in her eyes. “Who needs them? They’re nothing but trouble. When I find Sunburst, I’ll take his away, too. He’ll understand. It’s those Cutie Marks that separated us in the first place. He’ll realize how bad they are, too. Yeah, I’ll get rid of that dumb Cutie Mark. Then we can finally be together – just him and me!” Spike would have been thrown off Twilight’s flank when they turned the corner at Hay Bale Ave. if he hadn’t been clinging to her back like an oversized tick. The purple unicorn was showing no signs of slowing down as she practically barreled through the ponies on the street, ignoring their indignant cries. “Twilight, you gotta slow down!” Spike yelped. “No time, Spike!” Twilight declared, leaping over a pack of school ponies. “Every minute we waste is another minute Daybreaker is closer to being released.” “Don’t you think you’re overexaggerating a little?” asked Spike. “How can – ooh, look, a magic show!” The baby dragon pointed a claw to a tiny stage wagon parked on the side of the road, where a light-blue unicorn in gaudy wizard cape was pulling a rabbit out of her pointed hat for a small audience. Nopony seemed remotely impressed if their blank stares were anything to go off of. But Twilight didn’t stop to look; she trotted past them in a hurry while Spike looked back in sadly. “Spike, we don’t have time for that nonsense,” Twilight chastised him. “Besides, why would anyone want to waste bits watching a magician when any unicorn can already do magic? Magicians are just a bunch of gimmicky frauds. Don’t pay attention to them.” “Aww,” Spike moaned disappointedly. Twilight was fortune enough to be far away when she said that, or somepony would have taught her a lesson…if that somepony wasn’t breaking out in a sweat right now. The Great and Powerful Trixie thought she had finally hit the big time when her wagon rolled up to Canterlot. After years of traveling all across Equestria, performing fabulous feats of prestidigitation from Manehatten to Los Pegasus, she was finally ready to take on Canterlot, the grand jewel of the Princess Luna’s kingdom. She had pulled out all the stops: fireworks, magic flowers, card tricks, Smoke bombs (lots and lots of smoke bombs!), pulling rabbits, and even the Terrifying Trunk Escape! Everypony loved that trick! …Everypony except these lot, it seemed. The small huddle of mares and stallions that had gathered around her meager wagon were staring her down like she was about as interesting as drying paint. Trixie clapped her hooves together nervously, rattling her brain for what to do next. “Er…for the Great and Powerful Trixie’s next trick,” Trixie continued, chuckling anxiously, sweat pouring like a waterfall, her pearly-white smile looking rather manic, “Trixie will uh…now saw herself in half! Yeah, that’s right. Just lemme….” She used her horn to pull the specialized box from behind the wagon’s curtains. As she opened the box and prepared to step in, one of the posh mares in the audience said, with no amount of subtlety, “Is she still going on with this sham of a magic show? Why are we even still here?” “Honestly, I’m just waiting for her to set herself on fire,” her equally posh companion snorted. “Uh, excuse me,” Trixie called out with a leer, slamming the magic box to emphasize her anger. “Do you two have something you want to say to the Great and Powerful Trixie.” “Great and Powerful at what exactly, my dear?” the snobbish mare retorted. “Thus far, all you’ve done was show off a bunch of substandard tricks. Any halfway decent unicorn can pull off a disappearing act or pulling rabbits out of hats. This is Canterlot, after all – the magical capital of Equestria. I was under the impression that this gaudy performance would actually involve real magic.” “W-well, um, you see – “Trixie stammered. “I bet she can’t even use real magic?” the other prissy mare insulted. “I mean, look at what she’s wearing. She’s clearly overcompensating for something.” “Can you imagine: a unicorn who can’t even use the most basic of spells,” the first snob said mockingly. “It’s beyond pathetic – it’s downright laughable!” The pair cackled wickedly, and soon everyone in the audience was joining along, clearly influenced by the two mares. Trixie took a step back like she had been slapped across the face, her heart sinking as their laughter echoed all around her. She bit her bottom lip, fighting back the tears swelling up…. Then she glared at the mares with gritted teeth, whipping her hat off to reveal her glowing horn. “You want magic?!” Trixie roared. “I’ll give you magic!” She shot a burst of magic at the two mares that started the laughter and watch them explode in a puff of magenta smoke. The pairs stopped cackling as the audience around them gasped in horror. They dug through their embroidered saddlebags in fright, whipping out their compacts, and screamed bloody murder when they saw their reflections. Trixie’s spell had transformed their perfectly groomed manes to resemble ugly piles of murky-green sludge. “Who’s laughing now, huh?” Trixie sneered. Well, no one was laughing anymore, because they were all approaching the stage with threatening looks in their eyes. Trixie made an audible gulping noise and said, “Uh…the Great and Powerful Trixie will now be taking a short intermission.” That was her cue to exit stage left, sprinting down the streets of Canterlot with an outraged mob hot on her flank. Twilight came to a screeching stop at the end of the road, flipping Spike over her head and flopping on the ground. To her left, she saw the direct route leading up to Princess Luna’s castle, the palace painted in mysterious shades of blue with crescent moon symbols. Spike couldn’t appreciate the majesty of the Princess’s royal castle – he was fighting the urge to vomit. “Ooh, I think I’m gonna be sick,” he moaned, looking green around the scales. Unfortunately, he had no time to rest before Twilight plopped him back on her flank. “We’re almost there, Spike!” Twilight declared, taking off again; the poor dragon flattening himself against her back. “Twilight, do you think they’re even going to listen to you?” Spike asked groggily. “Daybreaker’s an old superstition. Even I find it hard to believe she’s coming back.” “I did my research, Spike!” Twilight said determinedly. “Using the information from the books, I calculated the exact time when Daybreaker was sealed in the sun and compared it to the length of Princess Luna’s rule of Equestria. Taking in the fact that the summer solstice is the longest day of the year, it’s undeniable that Daybreaker’s escape is going to take place during the Summer Solstice Festival.” “I believe you, Twilight,” said Spike. “But I’m not sure they will.” “I have it all thought out,” said Twilight confidently. “Once I present the evidence, there’s no way they can ignore me. Trust me, Spike.” The baby dragon just shrugged, seeing no point in arguing with the pony as they ran out of the city limits in the direction of the castle. Just as they left, the door to the local grocery store exploded off its hinges and everypony on the street scattered like frightened rabbits. Through the threshold came a menacing looking unicorn, a scar running down her eye and her horn snapped at the base, the empty crevice sparking with electric energy. She was carrying a small sack in her mouth as she waited for her partner, a pudgy hedgehog wheezing while carrying another sack over his shoulder. The menacing unicorn shot her partner with a dark stare, making him shudder, when they heard a sharp whistle from down the street. Two police ponies were running straight for them with batons in their mouths. The unicorn and the hedgehog quickly turned the other direction and ran, the police giving pursuit. “Grubber, I told you to only steal food from the back of the store where no one could see you!” Tempest Shadow spat furiously at her accomplice. “Why would you take something in front of the clerk?!” “I’m sorry, boss!” Grubber pleaded, huffing to keep up. “But that taffy looked so goooood!” “I am not going to jail over taffy!” Tempest snapped. They turned the corner at the end of the street as a cart full of apples came around the other side. Tempest kicked her sidekick over the cart and slid underneath at the same time. Both of them ended up safely on the other side (though Grubber did fall on his face), much to the confusion of the hat-wearing pony pulling the cart. Tempest then turned around and blasted the cart on its side, spilling the apple pile all over the street in the path of the police ponies. The law enforcers yelped as they slid over the ridiculously slippery apples, flying across the street into a loaded dumpster. Grubber held his belly, doubling over in laughter. “Good one, boss!” he said. Tempest felt pretty proud of herself, even plucked one of the untouched apples off the ground as a bonus. But her victory was short lived when a loud “Hold it!” carried from the street behind them and saw three more police ponies running at them. The two in the dumpster pulled themselves out, covered in muck, looking very peeved at the thieves. Tempest and Grubber backed away slowly; they were cornered from all sides. “What do we do now, boss?!” Grubber asked fretfully. Tempest looked around wildly until she noticed a dark alley off to their left. The broken-horned mare yelled “This way!” and sprinted into the alley with Grubber, the police ponies not far behind. The would-be thieves raced down the narrow passage when the alley split into two different directions. Tempest was about to tell Grubber to keep going straight when even more police ponies appeared at the end of the lane, cutting off their path. Tempest and Grubber skidded to a stop, looking back and forth between the ponies coming at them from both directions, then took the only path open on their right. Unfortunately, they only made it about twenty feet before the alleyway ended at the high brick wall between the buildings. Grubber dropped his loot, hyperventilating as the police ponies converged on them. Tempest narrowed her eyes in determination. She was not going out like this. The mauve mare pressed herself low to the ground, then leapt to a considerable height toward the wall of the building on her left. She immediately jumped off and flew to the opposite building, kicking herself off again. She jumped back and forth between the buildings until she reached the top of the wall, standing precariously on the edge. She looked down to see her hedgehog partner waving her down as the police started to swarm him. “Wait, boss, what about me?!” he cried. “Sorry, Grubber, you know the rule,” Tempest said coldly. “It’s every pony for themselves.” And with that remark, Tempest jumped down and landed safely into the open street. Even as she heard the police ponies arrest her partner, Tempest knew she was not going to save him. She sprinted down the road without ever looking back. Moon Dancer hummed a merry little tune under her breath as she organized the sweets table for what must have been the thirtieth time in the last hour. She couldn’t help it – she wanted everything to be perfect for her friends, perfect for…Twilight Sparkle. The bespectacled mare let out an uncharacteristic giggle at the thought of the purple unicorn. She had known Twilight Sparkle since they were fillies in Princess Luna’s School for Gifted Unicorns and she had been absolutely smitten. Twilight was brilliant, studious, and one of the most talented unicorns in all of Equestria. Other ponies always said she was cold and antisocial because she preferred books over ponies, but they just didn’t understand her. Not like Moon Dancer did. Well, except maybe that blue-coated, white-maned loudmouth, but she dropped out of school after only one year, so no issues there. Moon Dancer finally organized the table just right, proud of herself, as she pushed up her glasses. Everything was set. Now all she had to do was wait. “Okay, Moon Dancer, you can do this,” Moon Dancer pepped herself up. “This is the first party you’ve ever thrown, so it has to be perfect. Snacks are organized by size and taste, the piñata is loaded with sweets, grape juice has just the right amount of grapes and juice. You’ve got this! “If I pull this off, maybe Twilight will be so impressed with me that we’ll become best friends! And then we’ll start hanging out together and studying at the library together. And then we’ll get closer and closed until…” Moon Dancer’s sentence ended with a tiny squeak, a hoof to her flushed cheek. And speak of the unicorn, Moon Dancer heard rapid hoofsteps heading her way and looked over the low garden wall to see Twilight Sparkle (oh, and Spike, too.) Moon Dancer let out a happy gasp and waved a friendly hoof to flag her down. “Hey, Twilight, you’re ear – “ Moon Dancer started. But the purple unicorn didn’t stop; she didn’t even turn her head to acknowledge Moon Dancer. She just kept on running, even when Spike shouted something at her. Moon Dancer stood momentarily frozen, tuning her head slowly, almost mechanically, after the violet mare’s fleeting backside, her face stricken with both parts’ confusion and sadness. “Twilight…,” Moon Dancer muttered weakly. Coincidentally, the other guests she invited to the party (Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and Lyra Heartstrings) cantered up to the table moments later, each carrying gifts on their flanks. “Hey, Moon Dancer!” Minuette said cheerfully, looking around the garden. “Wow, look at this spread. You’ve really outdone yourself.” “And so meticulous, too,” said Lyra with a smug grin. “Trying to impress somepony, are we?” “Filly, you’ve got a case of Twilight fever,” Lemon Hearts giggled. “Uh, yeah,” Moon Dancer mumbled. “Um, I just saw Twilight run by. You think she’s coming back or….” Minuette sucked in a sharp breath between her teeth, looking away pointedly. The other ponies were either hanging their heads or brushing their hooves awkwardly. They didn’t say anything, but that was enough for Moon Dancer to arrive at an answer. “Oh…okay…,” she said, hanging her head dejectedly. “Hey, we’ll still have fun, right?!” said Minuette perkily, trying to lighten the tension. “C’mon, it’s a party! Who doesn’t love parties?!” “…You want a party?” Moon Dancer muttered, her tone suddenly turning bitter. Without warning, the bespectacled pony grabbed the side of the table and flipped it over, sending sweets, plates, glasses, and the punch bowl crashing on the ground. The other mares jumped back, startled. Moon Dancer glared at the upended table with tears welling in her eyes before turning her tail to them. “You can throw your own party,” she finished spitefully. Twilight was breathing heavy, her hooves were aching, and her back was killing her. But it was all worth it. The castle gates were in her sights. “There it is, Spike!” said Twilight, relieved. “Now we just need to show Princess Luna – “ “HALT!” Twilight pressed her hooves into the dirt, sliding to a stop, and once again upending Spike, the poor little dragon. The violet unicorn found her path blocked by two ponies in midnight-blue armor crossing their spears, both unicorns. Twilight stood up straight, making herself look presentable – no need to make a bad first impression, right?” “State your business!” One of the guards demanded. “Apologizes for my unannounced arrival, sir,” said Twilight politely. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I have come with important information that I must deliver to Princess Luna immediately.” “Twilight Sparkle…,” the guard hummed thoughtfully. “Wait, are you related to the captain of the guard?” “He’s my brother!” Twilight answered enthusiastically. “So may I please go inside?” “Only if you have a letter of approval from the captain or anypony else in the castle,” said the guard. “Well…I don’t have a letter per se…,” Twilight chuckled nervously. “Then we can’t let you pass,” the guard answered sternly. “Even if you are the captain’s sister, we cannot permit you to enter the castle without a letter of approval. If you wish to have an audience with the princess, you are free to come back tomorrow during the Summer Solstice Festival. The castle will be open to everypony in Canterlot at that time.” “But we can’t wait until tomorrow!” Twilight shouted urgently. “The fate of Equestria hangs in the balance – “ “I’m sorry, ma’am, but you cannot enter!” said the guard, stamping his spear in emphasis. “But I need to see the princess!” “If you do not turn around, we will be forced to place you under arrest!” “Listen to me - !” “What is going on here?!” A third voice entered the shouting match. Twilight, Spike, and the guards spun around as another mare cantered up to the gates, her saddlebags stuffed to the brim with rolled up scrolls and charts. The unicorn looked like the living embodiment of the sun with her orange coat and red-yellow mane – even her Cutie Mark was a duel-colored sun. The guards immediately bent their knees and bowed their heads. Twilight just stood in place, mouth opened stupidly as the mare stepped up beside her. Spike waved his claw in front of Twilight’s face and snapped his fingers, but received no response. “Is there a problem, guard?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “Forgive us, Sunset Shimmer,” said the guard, raising his head. “This mare was trying to enter the castle without a letter of approval.” “You mean the one with the dumb face?” said Sunset Shimmer, pointing a hoof at Twilight. Realizing that they were talking about her, Twilight quickly shook her head and brushed her mane to make sure that there wasn’t a hair out of place. A part of her brain told her that she needed to warn Sunset of the imminent danger at once. But the larger part instead said: “Ohmygosh! ohmygosh! ohmygosh! You’re Sunset Shimmer; Princess Luna’s personal pupil!” Twilight fanponied. “Uh, yeah…,” said Sunset, leaning away from the mare uncomfortably. “And you are…?” “Twilight Sparkle!” Twilight answered gleefully. “I am such a huge fan of yours! I’ve heard the stories about how your magical power was so strong, you were chosen to be Princess Luna’s personal student when you were just a filly! You’re the youngest pony in history to master all eight enchanted items of Mage Meadowbrook! And rumor has it that you even modified some spells written by Star Swirl the Bearded! Is it true?! Is it?!” “He, he, yeah, it’s true,” Sunset gloated. “He had a good grasp on the concept of space-time, but he only had rudimentary knowledge of quantum physics. Rewriting his time travel spell was foal’s play.” “So cooool,” Twilight breathed with stars in her eyes. “A-hem, uh, Twilight,” Spike nudged her flank. “Don’t you have something you want to show the princess’s personal student?” “Huh – oh! Oh, that’s right!” Twilight sputtered. She used her horn to retrieve her notes on the Daybreaker prophecy, floating it to Sunset. The sunny unicorn took the notes with her own horn, unfurling them. “Sunset Shimmer, er, ma’am…” she added sheepishly. “I believe that Princess Luna’s sister, Daybreaker, is returning.” “Daybreaker?” Sunset repeated with a raised brow. “That old mare’s tale.” “Believe me, ma’am, it’s not just a simple tale,” said Twilight urgently. “I have evidence that proves Daybreaker is real. And I fear that she may be returning to Equestria on the day of the summer solstice. I was hoping to present my findings to Princess Luna, buuut…,” she concluded, rolling her eyes at the guards. “I see you’ve done your homework – these notes are very detailed,” said Sunset. Having see enough, she rolled the notes back up and said, “I will present these to Princess Luna at once. She’ll want to see them.” “Really?!” said Twilight excitedly. "You’ve done a great service for your kingdom,” said Sunset. “Now we will be prepared for when Daybreaker shows up. We could never have done this without you.” “Aw, shucks, it was nothing,” said Twilight, kicking the dirt bashfully. Sunset walked up to the castle gates and the guards immediately used their horns the open the doors enough to let the apprentice through. Twilight waved enthusiastically and shouted, “I’ll see you tomorrow at the Summer Solstice Festival!” “I’m sure you will!” Sunset called back. And then the gates slammed shut behind her with a thunderous groan, cutting Sunset off from the outside world. Like a switch had been flipped, Sunset’s kind face fell and was replaced with a disdainful scowl. She floated Twilight’s notes in front of her and scoffed. “Daybreaker,” Sunset rolled her eyes. “How stupid can one pony be.” Sunset’s horn glowed before igniting the papers in reddish-yellow flames, reducing Twilight’s hard work into a pile of ash on the ground in seconds. The sunny-colored pony kicked the ash pile for good measure, scattering them to the winds. And just in time, too. Only moments later, a shadow flew across the ground and Sunset tilted her head toward the sky, raising a hoof to block the sun. Princess Luna glided across the courtyard like a bird of prey, swooping around in tight circles until she landed in front of her apprentice. The ruler of Equestia offered a gentle smile to her student, her starry mane twinkling in the sunlight. “Ah, Sunset Shimmer, you have returned,” said Luna. “I hope your venture was fruitful.” “I found everything we need for the Summer Solstice Festival, your majesty,” said Sunset politely with a graceful bow. She levitated several rolls of parchment from her saddlebags and unfolded them for the princess to exam. “I was thinking we could do a recreation of the original Summer Solstice Festival, to commemorate it’s one thousandth anniversary. Old timey stalls, pony games, boxes of Sweet Apple Cider – “ “Isn’t Sweet Apple Cider a recent thing?” asked Luna curiously. “Everypony loves Sweet Apple Cider,” Sunset remarked. “Fair point,” Luna chuckled, taking the papers with her horn magic and rolling them up. “This is marvelous, Sunset. I knew I was correct in letting you organize this festival.” “It is my pleasure, your majesty,” said Sunset gracefully. “On another note,” said Luna. “I heard quiet a commotion from the front gates? Was there an issue?” “Oh, just some crazy fanpony wanting to meet the princess again,” Sunset answered nonchalantly. “Don’t worry, I sent them on their way.” “Then perhaps I’ll get a chance to meet them tomorrow at the festival,” said Luna positively. The princess made her way back to the castle and Sunset followed in her hoofsteps. “Tomorrow is a very special day, my student,” said Luna brightly, turning her gaze toward the sun up high without flinching away from its rays. “One I think that everypony will never forget.”