Long ago In Equestria,
The Crystal ponies ruled over the Crystal Empire.
They brought great joy and prosperity, for they had invented fireworks.
But Prince Sombra, the next in line to rule, saw darker power in the fireworks. What had brought color and joy could also bring darkness and destruction.
Sombra's troubled parents consulted a Soothsayer.
She fortold that if Sombra continued down this dark path he would be defeated by a warrior of day and night.
The young lord set out to change his fate. Reasoning that the combination of day and night was 'Twilight,' he sought out any pony of that name. And ensured they'd never get in his way again.
He returned to his parents full of pride.
But in their faces, he saw only horror
Sombra was banished from the city, but he swore revenge. One day he will return and all of Equestria will bow at his feet.
Chrysalis watched her changelings walk away from her story, whispering their awe of Sombra's cruelty and ruthlessness.
Though it aggravated her to work under the dark unicorn, she didn't dare try to fight him. She had no intention of following in the footsteps of the Twilight warrior. And she ensured that her children did not make the same mistake.
Besides that, there was work to do. In the volcanic mountain that they called home, the changelings worked, the story Chrysalis told them encouraging them to work harder. The pounding of iron hammers rang throughout the building, as metal was mixed with magma.
Returning to her own duties, Chrysalis watched as the molten mixture was lifted over a large metal pillar. Yanking the chain connected to the pillar, she watched the golden formula ooze into the pillar, shaping the metallic structure into the weapon her master desired.
But the metal they had used would not be enough to make more. Unsheathing her wings, the queen of the changelings buzzed up to the top most part of the mountain, bowing to the throne of shadows that lay at the top.
"It nears completion, King Sombra," she said. "But we're running out of metal."
Green eyes flashed in the shadows, outlined with wisps of purple.
"Search the farthest villages," he growled. "Find more metal." He gazed past her, to the land beyond. "Equestria will be mine."
Meanwhile, at the Celestial Palace, another hero's tales were being recounted. A hero that would soon rise up to challenge Sombra.
"And then," Apple Bloom narrated to her captive audience. "The Celestial Warrior joined up with the Furious Five!"
"And they became the most awesome Kung-Fu Team in the history of awesomeness!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"Whoa!" their young audience cheered in glee.
Sweetie Belle turned as the sound of counting emanated from inside the Celestial Palace's Training Room.
"Ninety-one... Ninety-two..."
"Listen!" she called to the others. "You can hear the Celestial Warrior training right now!"
The children eagerly lined up at the door to listen. Little did they know, but this training involved none of the training equipment. Not even the practice dummy was being used.
"Ninety-three... ninety-four..."
"You got this, Twilight," Rainbow Dash encouraged.
"Ninety-five... ninety-six..."
"How is she doing that with her horn?" Pinkie exclaimed in glee.
"Ninety-seven..." Applejack counted, hopping up and placing the ninety-seventh book on Twilight's horn. Other books sat, equally balenced, on Twilight's horn, both of her hands and on one of her feet. The other foot was precariously balanced on her toes, keeping all of the books from falling. She grinned in determination as Applejack took another book and launched up, placing it on the biggest of the three piles.
"Ninety-eight!" Applejack declared with pride.
"Told you I could break my record," Twilight got out, leaning as she maintained balance.
"But can you make it to one-hundred?" Pinkie asked, whipping out two more books from her hair.
"There's no way," Rarity declared.
"You sure about that, Rarity?" Twilight asked, winking to Pinkie. Getting that she couldn't nod, Pinkie took a mighty leap, and planted the two remaining books onto the already massive pile on Twilight's hands.
Briefly, Twilight started to falter. Her eyes shut as she strained to hold up the books. The mares leaned forward in anticipation.
"Gr... hang on," Twilight muttered, concentrating and shifting on her toes. Luckily, her skills were well-honed, and she managed to regain her balance. "One-hundred!" she exclaimed in glee.
Pinkie cheered, while Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash restrained themselves to clapping.
"Nice job, Twi," Applejack said, patting her friend on the back. The pat, though well-intentioned, knocked Twilight right out of balence, and she shrieked as books went everywhere.
"No, the books!" Twilight yelped, managing to catch thirty of them, while the others managed to catch the others.
"Your training's really paying off," Rainbow Dash noted, setting down the adventure books she had snatched. "Last time, you only managed to catch twenty."
Twilight smiled sheepishly. Before she could respond, the sound of a bell echoed through the palace.
"Master Luna!" Twilight yelped, briefly moving to the exit before skidding back to her friends and the spilled books. Rarity quickly waylaid her.
"Go see what Master Luna wants," she said. "We'll clean this up."
"A-And you'll sort them by genre, right?" Twilight asked. "Science Fiction and Science are not the same genres." She grinned up. "Rainbow Dash..."
For her part, Rainbow Dash managed to grin despite the jab. "Just go see what the Master needs," she said. "You can yell at us about organization after."
Getting a quick bow in, Twilight shot away to see what the master needed.
The Master was located in a cave halfway up to where Twilight had trained with her. A small lake took up most of the space in the cave, save for a smooth stone isalnd situated before a staute of a dragon.
Luna sat on the smooth stone, her breath slow and even, and her eyes closed in tranquility.
"Inner peace," she whispered, as drops of water fell around her, the ripples making the water dance.
"Inner..."
"WHOA!" The yelp was followed by a splash that made the alicorn grin.
"...Peace," she whispered, as Twilight staggered up to the cave entrance, managing a respectful bow despite being soaked.
"Master Luna," she said breathlessly. "You summoned me?"
For a moment, Luna didn't speak, rising slowly to her feet. Twilight glanced up nervously.
"Um... what are you doing?" Twilight asked curiously.
"One of Master Celestia's final teachings," Luna whispered, her gaze turning to a drop of water about to fall from the stalagmite above.
Luna began a slow series of motions, almost like she was tracing invisible circles in the air. As the water droplet fell, Luna reached out... and caught it. Twilight gazed in amazement as Luna almost seemed to make the droplet hover, transferring it from hand to hand with the same sweeping motions. Eventually, her cycling ended when she sent the droplet to a plant near her feet. The drop slid down the two leaves on the plant, and joined the water with a single ripple.
Twilight's jaw was agape in awe.
"How... did...?" she whispered.
"Inner Peace," Luna replied back, grinning at Twilight's awestruck face. "It is the next phase of your training."
Twilight looked up at the dragon. In her moment of distraction, Luna spoke again. Only this time, she was behind Twilight.
"Every master," Luna explained. "Must find their path..."
Suddenly, she appeared on the other side of the cave, twirling her sister's repaired staff.
"To inner peace." Ignoring Twilight's dumfounded look, Luna gazed back at the stone dragon.
"Some choose to meditate for fifty years in a cave just like this..."
She flung the staff like a spear. It hit the water before Luna jumped atop it, balencing just as her sister did before her.
"Without the slightest touch of a book," Luna added, smiling at Twilight's nervous gulp.
"Or?" Twilight asked hopefully.
"Others find it though pain and suffering, Luna replied. "Like I did."
"Oh," Twilight mumbled, looking down.
"Indeed," Luna noted. "The day you were choosen over my son... was the worst day of my life."
"Yeah," Twilight admitted, shifting from foot to foot and trying to keep the frown off her face.
"By far," Luna added. "Nothing else came close."
"Okay," Twilight tried not to growl.
"It was the worst, most painful, mind destroying..."
"I get it," Twilight grumbled.
"...Horrible moment... I have ever experienced." Luna finished with a shudder.
Twilight bit back the 'are you done' retort she wanted to use, and straightened as the alicorn regained her composure.
"But once I discovered the problem was not you, but within me and my son," Luna said, lifting her head with a smile. "I found Inner Peace. And was able to harness the flow of the universe."
Twilight hummed, stroking her chin. "I see," she muttered, glancing up at the stalagmite. "Will that form help me discover inner peace? I mean... I already feel pretty peaceful. But Tai Lung and Urtica are off helping those outside of Ponyville's borders. Should I... track him down or...?"
Luna chuckled. "Tai Lung cannot help you as he helped me. As much as I'm sure he'd want to, considering what you did for him."
Twilight nodded. "But then... how...?"
"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash's voice cut through the stillness.
Luna and Twilight turned as Rainbow Dash skidded to a stop before them.
"What is it?" Twilight asked.
"Changelings," Rainbow Dash said, pointing into the mist. "They're attacking the musician's village!"
Rainbow grinned. "I already told Pinkie to tell the musicians to start playing some action music, because it is on!"
Twilight nodded with a grin. "Right," she agreed before bowing to Master Luna. "Once I return, I'll get right on mastering Inner Peace," she promised.
Yet, as she spoke, Rainbow Dash grabbed her and jumped off the edge, her wings allowing her to carry Twilight across the sky.
"And I'm not stopping for books this time," Rainbow Dash added.
Twilight looked up at her nervously. "Not even for the latest Daring Do?" she asked.
Rainbow Dash paused, before cackling. "Almost got me! I know Daring Do hasn't made any new ones yet."
"Are you sure?" Twilight asked coyly.
As Rainbow Dash groaned, her retort being lost to the wind, Luna smiled softly.
"You saved my son," Luna whispered, continuing her meditation. "I believe you're capable of anything, Twilight Sparkle."
In the village of musicians, a pony furiously rang the alarm. High above them, what initially looked like a dark cloud zoomed in on their location. As it drew closer, however, they made out the buzzing forms of Changelings. And the burning green eyes of their Queen.
"Gather all the metal you can find," Chrysalis declared with a maniacal grin. "And don't forget to have fun, my children."
Cackling, the changelings surged into the village, terrifying the villagers away as they seized bells, drums, sitars and anything else with metal in it.
A few ponies came with them; a stallion clinging to his bells like they were his most precious possessions, and a filly hiding inside a metal drum. They looked on in fear as the changelings lashed them and the metal together into a massive bundle.
"Is this everything?" Chrysalis asked, looking over the bundle with a grimace.
"It is, our Queen," Answered one of the queens drones. He glanced at the ponies still strapped to the bells. "What do we do with them?"
Chrysalis hummed as she took in their terrified features.
"Bring them with," she replied. "It's a long journey back to Lord Sombra." She bared her teeth at them in a smile. "We could use the snacks."
The ponies whimpered, before another changeling buzzed over with a terrified expression.
"My Queen!" he stammered. "My Queen!" He pointed to the setting sun, where six figures were rapidly closing in on them. Leaping out from the sun's rays, the ponies cheered in glee as the Celestial Warrior and the Furious Five descended into the village, assuming their combat stances as they glared down the changelings.
"it's Twilight Sparkle!" one of the ponies cheered.
"The Celestial Warrior!" another cried in happiness.
But Chrysalis stared at the first pony before looking to the lavender mare in horror.
"Twilight!?" the Queen stammered. "But... that cannot be!"
Twilight merely smirked, raising a fist shrouded in magic.
"Our fists hunger for justice!" Twilight declared.
Unfortunately Twilight had yet to have lunch or dinner that day. And at that very moment, her stomach growled loud enough for all to hear. Immeidately, Twilight's face burned red with embarassment.
"That was our fists!" Pinkie shouted, covering for Twilight.
Rolling her eyes, Chrysalis glanced at her children.
"Get them," she demanded.
The changelings nodded before lunging to obey. But the Furious Five and the Celestial Warrior rose to meet them, Twilight downing five changelings with sleep spells before they could even touch each other.
One of the changelings tried to go for Twilight, but she dodged his strikes before sending him back into a metal gong.
The ringing gong was accompanied by a wave of cheers from the villagers.
Chrysalis stared in rapidly growing dread as her changelings fell to the warriors. Pinkie marched by, slamming a pair of cymbals into the heads of changelings like a Jolly Chimp mixed with a Whack-A-Mole.
Fluttershy didn't send a single offensive move towards her opponents. Yet, as each of them lunged, Fluttershy's ears swiveled, picking up the sound of their attacks. And she redirected them into each other, soon leaving a pile of smashed bugs without throwing a single punch or kick.
"I'm terribly sorry," Fluttershy noted to the downed changelings. "Are you alright?"
The most consious changeling moaned in answer.
Fluttershy cooed in sympathy, before her ears picked up the sound of magic charging.
"Every pony," she yelled. "Ranged spells!"
Applejack caught sight of the ranged changelings, fluttering in the air as they sent a barrage of spells, most of them focused on Twilight. Seeing her friend in peril, Applejack kicked several cymbals into the air, knocking them to Twilight and intercepting the arrows.
"Thanks, AJ," Twilight said, before spotting a filly cowering before a changeling with a sword. Using her magic, Twilight teleported to the pile of instruments, seizing two sitars before teleporting to the filly's side.
Fighting sitar on sword, Twilight managed to block the changelings' strikes, though each strike caused the sitars to let out less than harmonious whines.
As the changeling winced from the sound, Twilight took advantage, smashing his foot with a sitar before knocking him out with a strike to the face. Knocking the others off their feet, Twilight teleported the filly to a safe distance, letting changelings pursue her with spears and axes up to the top of one of the houses.
Yet, as Twilight was pursued, Chrysalis glowered at her.
"Take out the purple one," she hissed.
"My Queen?" one of the changelings protested, trying to avoid getting grabbed by Rainbow Dash and Rarity.
"Now!" she insisted.
Hissing, the changelings converged on Twilight, who rapidly found herself getting cornered.
"Rainbow!" she called before the changelings tackled her into a dog-pile.
Knocking out the changeling trying to fight her, Rainbow shot into the pile, withdrawing with Twilight in hand. The two proceeded to fight back to back, throwing each other into any who tried to stop them.
Chrysalis seethed. "Snipers!" she screamed. "Do not miss her this time!"
But as the changelings tried to aim, Rainbow hurled Twilight at them.
"Feet of Fury," Twilight whispered. Lashing out with a kick, several magical after-images of her foot lashed out, knocking the snipers out of the air.
Chrysalis began to fall back as the ponies converged on her. Applejack smashed a changeling with a kick. Rarity froze a changeling in ice. Pinkie smashed another with her cymbals. And Rainbow Dash sent one flying off the cliffside. Slowly but surely, they were heading straight to the Queen and her bounty.
She cursed, before turning to the few changelings she had left.
"Bring it up!" she demanded. "Bring it up now!"
Obeying, the last of the changelings withdrew, seizing the bundle of metal and struggling to lift it away. The stallion and filly inside screamed as they were carted off. Chrysalis rushed at Twilight, hoping to occupy her long enough, but Twilight put an end to her defense with a magic-charged punch. The Queen of the Changelings disappeared off the edge while the warriors turned their attention to the stolen metal and the screaming ponies with it.
"Rainbow, Fluttershy!" Twilight screamed.
The two pegasi were moving before she could finish her sentence. Their wings spread, they smashed into the changelings, jarring the bundle from their grip.
The stallion and filly held each other as they plummeted into open air, Rainbow and Fluttershy trying and failing to lift the bundle on their own. But Twilight and Rarity exchanged at look at each other's horns. Flaring their magic, they caught the bundle with a levitation spell. And with twin groans of exertion, they flung the bundle back onto stable land, Applejack and Pinkie stopping the bundle from rolling away.
The villagers' cheers sounded long and loud across the cliffside. Ponies converged gratefully onto the six warriors, bowing and thanking them profusely.
But Twilight didn't have time for her praises. She pulled the stallion and filly from the bundle, and began checking over them.
"You alright?" she asked. "Nothing broken or missing?"
The ponies nodded their assent, before Fluttershy's ear twitched. She turned, gasping as Queen Chrysalis appeared back over the cliffside.
"Twilight, the Queen!" she said.
Twilight spun on instinct, as the queen sent a spell at her.
"I got it," Twilight said, starting to charge her own spell.
But as she glared at the Queen, she saw a symbol on her armor. A black unicorn with a curved horn. A symbol that looked... familiar.
She saw a light grey unicorn with a purple and white mane... and a face just like Twilight's. As Twilight watched in disbelief, the unicorn piled something over her field of vision. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her ears were flat with fear. Slowly, she turned away, as a red sun seemed to rise behind her...
"TWILIGHT!" Rainbow screamed.
But before Twilight could recover, Chrsyalis spell hit. The impact blew Twilight, the Furious Five and the villagers into the dust, as Queen Chrysalis landed on the bundle of metal.
Chrysalis huffed at Twilight's beaten form. "And to think, my master was afraid of you," she mused.
Cackling, Chrysalis yanked the bundle back, several of her changelings limping to her side to aid her. And together, they lifted the bundle into the fog and out of sight.
Slowly, the ponies got to their feet. Twilight was the last to rise, staring at the cliff with a horrified expression. Rainbow Dash's frustration quickly faded into concern as she took in her friend's face.
"Twilight?" she asked.
"What happened to ya, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "Ya said ya had her, then ya just froze up."
"I..." Twilight whispered, shaking her head. She looked up at the fog. "I have to..." She lowered her head, before her horn glowed, and she vanished in a flash of light, leaving several very confused and very concerned ponies.