“For being so obsessed about organizing she sure loves leaving books everywhere…” I mumble to myself. I’m standing in my personal library of the school, searching through the piles of books.
It’s been ten years since that fateful day. Where I hatched a baby dragon and became the second personal student of Princess Celestia. Something that ended up not being popular with everypony. Some thought it laughable that a colt was worthy enough for such an honor of being taught by the Princess herself. Others thought I was just another project of Celestia’s. An experiment to try and boost the morale of the common stallion. I had to work harder than any of my peers to try and be taken seriously.
Celestia always had faith in me though. She supported me fully in my goal to become a hero. Offered me resources on combat magic. Training practically and magically both from the guard in how to fight, and medically to heal ponies who get hurt. She was with me through it all, giving equal attention to both myself and her other student.
She always told me the only pony I had anything to prove to was myself.
…I wish I believed that more often than I do.
My ear twitches as I take a breath, trying to push back the negative feelings from the sudden rush of memories. I adjust the black and blue bandanna around my neck as I get back to searching through the scattered piles of books. “Spike, do you have any idea where Twilight put my copy of Restoration Magic History?” I asked aloud, searching through the scattered books.
“Here it is!” A voice says next to me, I turn to see a small grey-red dragon with pink eyes holding up a book. She has pale pink ear fins and scales on her chin, going all the way down her belly. Crimson stripes wrap around her body and arms, and spines of the same color reach from the top of her head and down to her tail, and a crimson spot rests between her eyes.
“Oh, thank you, Ruby!” I say, taking it from her and putting it in my saddlebag. “You finish helping Spike wrap his present for Moon Dancer?”
“Yep!” She beams happily, Spike holding up his present.
“You sure you two can’t come too?” He asks, walking over.
I shake my head. “Sorry Spike, we gotta get to the train station to get to Ponyville soon.” I pat his head with my hoof. “I’m sure she’ll be happy enough to see you though.”
He smiles up at me. “Okay, you two have fun!” He says, grabbing the present and heading for the door.
I turn back to my saddle bags and adjust the black and blue bandana on my neck. “Now I know I left those colored pencils somewhere…” I mutter, going back to packing.
“You got my sketch pads right?” Ruby asks, climbing onto my back.
“Yep! Just trying to find your pencils.” I move aside another stack of books, spotting a pink pencil case. “Ah! Here they are.” I levitate them over to Ruby’s backpack and zip it up. “Okay! I think we’re all good to-“
SLAM
The door to the library swings open, startling the two of us.
“Spike! Spiiiiiike!!” I look over and see a purple unicorn standing in the door. My fellow Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.
She looks down, seeing the purple dragon she knocked over. “Ah, there you are.” She rushes past us and up to the library proper. “Quick, find me that old copy of Predictions and Prophecies.”
“Hello to you too, Twilight,” I sigh as Ruby helps Spike to his feet.
She looks back, seeing the impaled present on Spike’s tail. “What’s that for?”
He sighs, pulling it off. “Well, it was a gift for Moon Dancer, but-“ a gored teddy bear falls out of the box, making a sad squeak as it hits the ground.
Twilight scoffs, searching through the book piles. “Oh Spike, you know we don’t have time for that sort of thing.”
“But we’re on a break!” The dragon protests. Ruby helps him clean up the mess as I walk up to the bookshelves.
“He has a point. Summer break exists for a reason.” I say, watching her pull books out of the shelves at mere random. I roll my eyes, grabbing the copy of Predictions and Prophecies she’s looking for off the proper shelf and giving it to her. “Here. And Moon Dancer seemed to be really looking forward to you showing up to her party.”
“Oh, I’m sure she’ll be fine,” she takes the book from me, dismissing the idea entirely. I let out a quiet and frustrated groan. This is the way it always goes,
I don’t dislike Twilight. I respect her immensely. Having practically grown up with her, we know a lot about each other. She’s never given me flack for being a stallion and has been supportive of my goals. And when we’re working together on a project we’re basically unstoppable.
That said, it’s obvious she cares more about books than friends. I can’t even begin to count the multitude of times I’ve tried to hang out with her outside of magic and academic settings, only to get immediately shot down.
Twilight sets the book down on the desk, flipping through the pages. “Elements, elements… Aha! Elements of Harmony. See Mare in the Moon?”
“Mare in the Moon?” I ask, my curiosity peaking. “My Pops used to tell me that story all the time.”
“Really? What do you know about it?” The purple unicorn asks while she flips to the appropriate page.
“It’s a real old story, dating back to when Celestia rose to power.” I start explaining, looking at the picture in the book. The face of a mare on the moon’s surface. “She was a very powerful pony who tried to take over Equestria. The Six Elements of Harmony were used to defeat her and trap her in the moon. Pops said that on the longest day of the thousandth year, she’d return to take her revenge on all Equestria.” I can’t help but chuckle at the memory. “I would always say that if she ever came back I’d fight her myself.”
Twilight reads through the story in the book, nodding. “That’s pretty much what it says here… ‘the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about night time eternal!’” She gasps, turning to me. “North, do you know what this means?”
“That an ancient evil demigod of the night from a bedtime story might be returning during the Summer Solstice this year?” I say, a bit skeptical, but curious where she’s going with this.
“Exactly! The story lines up with the tale of Nightmare Moon! Spike, letter!” She calls out to her assistant. The dragon nods, pulling out a scroll and quill. “My Dearest Teacher, My continuing studies have led me to believe that we are on the precipice of disaster. For you see the mythical Mare in the Moon is in fact, Nightmare Moon. And she is about to return to Equestria, and bring about eternal night. Something must be done to ensure this terrible prophecy does not come true! I await your quick response. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.”
Spike finishes writing the letter, “There! Got it!”
“Perfect. Send it.”
“Now?” He asks, tilting his head.
“Of course!” She replies, turning to him.
“I don’t know Twilight,” Ruby chimes in. “The Summer Sun Celebration is tomorrow. She’s probably really busy.”
“That’s just it, Ruby. Tomorrow is the thousandth year of the Summer Sun Celebration. The prophesied return of Nightmare Moon! It’s important that the Princess is told right away!”
Spike sighs, “Okay, okay,” he wraps the scroll, blowing fire on it. It turns to magic ash and flies out the window.
“They do have a bit of a point, Twilight,” I say, putting some of the books away. “While I agree it’s too odd to be just a coincidence, it is a bit of a stretch to say our old bedtime and Nightmare Night stories are real.”
“Oh, I’m not worried North. The Princess trusts us completely. In all our years she’s been our mentor, she's never once doubted us.”
“Wait when did it become ‘us’-“
I’m interrupted by Spike burping out a letter. “Ah! You see? I knew she’d want to take immediate action!”
Spike clears his throat before reading the letter. “‘My Dear and Faithful Student Twilight, You know that I value your diligence, and I trust you completely.” Twilight gets a happy smirk, looking out the window. “‘But you simply must stop reading those dusty old books!’” She gasps at this, and I can’t help but let out a short laugh. “‘My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony’s life than studying! Therefore, I am sending both you and North to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration at this year’s location, Ponyville! And I have an even more crucial task for you to complete! Make some friends!” Spike smiles, and Twilight groans at the thought. “‘I am preparing a chariot for the four of you that will leave within the hour. I look forward to hearing about your experiences after the Celebration. Your Dearest Teacher, Princess Celestia.’”
Twilight groans again, and I let out a chuckle. “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about catching our train Ruby.”
“Yay!” She cheers happily.
The four of us are sat in a chariot being pulled by two royal guards, flying over the countryside. Twilight is moping, draping her forehooves over the side of the chariot.
I sigh at the sight “Come on Twilight, it’s not that bad. Ponyville is a great town.”
“You’re from Ponyville, right North?” Spike asks me.
I nod. “Yeah, though it’s been a few years since I visited. Looking over the checklist, I know a few of the ponies we have to meet, so that should make our job a bit easier.”
“Aw c’mon Twilight! Look on the bright side,” Spike says. “The Princess arranged for us to stay in a library! Doesn’t that make you happy?”
The purple unicorn perks up. “Yes. Yes, it does. Why? Because I’m right!”
“Oh, here we go…” I sigh.
“We’ll check on the preparations as fast as we can, then I’ll get to the library to find some proof of Nightmare Moon’s return!”
“But then when will you make friends like Princess Celestia said?” Ruby asks her.
“She said to check on preparations. I’m her student, and I’ll do my royal duty. But the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends.” She states as the chariot lands in the center of town. The four of us hop out of the chariot, thanking the guards as we walk into town.
“Maybe the ponies of Ponyville have some interesting things to talk about!” Spike says optimistically as a familiar pink pony approaches us. The baby dragon gestures to her. “Go on, Twilight, just try.”
She gets a nervous look. “Uh, hello?” she greets.
“GAAAAAAAAAAGH” The pony jumps into the air with a look of surprise on her face before speeding off over our heads!
“...well that was interesting, all right.” Twilight remarks sarcastically, walking off. “Who was that anyway?”
“Pinkie Pie,” I quickly explain, fixing my bandana from the whirlwind the pony made. “She moved here about a year or so after I left, that’s pretty normal for her.”
She groans, “Of course. Well since you’re the local, care to guide us to our first stop?”
“No problem! Spike, what’s up first?”
The baby dragon clears his throat, pulling out the checklist. “Okay, the first item on the list is… Oversee banquet preparations at Sweet Apple Acres!”
I can feel the smile spread across my face. “Yeah, it makes sense that they’d have been picked for that.”
“Applejack is perfect for a job like that!” Ruby says excitedly, most likely remembering the last time we visited.
I chuckle, picking her up and setting her on my back. “Come on, it’s just outside of town,” I say, leading Spike and Twilight. The homes become less dense, soon finding ourselves on a path leading out of town. Soon enough, we start seeing rows and rows of apple trees. We turn onto the path, eventually opening up to a large barn and farmhouse. The sign over the path reads SWEET APPLE ACRES. “Here we are!” I say happily.
Ruby hops off my back. “Wow, this place really hasn’t changed a bit.”
“Nope, but where’s Applejack?”
My question is answered for me as we hear a yell pierce the air. “YeeHAW!” An orange earth pony mare wearing a stetson hat rushes across the yard in front of us. She stops in time to turn and raise her hind legs, slamming them into the trunk of the tree, causing the apples in it to fall into the waiting baskets below. Applejack! My face lights up at the sight of my old friend.
Twilight lets out a sigh, walking ahead of me. “Let’s get this over with.” She approaches the country pony, putting a smile on her face. “Good morning. My name is Twilight Sparkle.” She gets a grimace on her face as Applejack grabs her hoof, giving her a very enthusiastic hoofshake.
“Well, howdy-doo Miss Twilight! A pleasure makin' your acquaintance!” She happily greets her. “We here at Sweet Apple Acres just love makin’ new friends!”
Twilight shakily struggles out a response. “Fr-friends? A-a-actually-y-y-”
Applejack stops when she sees me standing behind Twilight. “Hah! Well, Ah’ll be a buttered apple crisp! That you North Star?”
“The one and only,” I smirk, stepping up to her. “Good to see you again AJ.”
“Well Ah’d sure hope so, five years with only magic letters. What, you outgrow little ol’ Ponyville already?” She says teasingly, nudging me with her elbow.
“Yeah, yeah.” I nudge her back. “Sorry about that, but I can get into it later.” I apologize, giving her a soft smile. “But it really is awesome to see you again.”
“I’ll say!” Ruby yells, hopping in front of me. The country mare lights up.
“Land sakes! You’ve got a lot bigger Ruby! Last Ah saw you, you was no bigger than a apple tree sprout!” She compliments the dragon, ruffling her spines.
Twilight clears her throat. “Yes, it’s very good to meet you. Now if we could get on to why we’re here,” she says, wanting to move on.
“Oh! My apologies Miss Twilight. What can Ah do y’all for?”
The purple unicorn takes a breath. “Well, we are in fact here to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. I understand that you’re in charge of the food?”
“We sure as sugar are!” Applejack confirms. “Care to sample some?”
“Yes please!” Ruby says happily, her mouth already watering.
“Well, as long as it doesn’t take too long,” Twilight says, but Applejack zips off before she finishes speaking.
She rings a rusty old dinner bell and then puts a hoof to her mouth. “Soup’s on everypony!” A relative stampede of ponies appears from the other side of the farm. They run towards us, scooping us up and plopping us behind a picnic table. Applejack pops up. “Now, why don’t I introduce y’all to the Apple Family,” she says, gesturing to the crowd of ponies around us. Applejack begins barraging us with a marathon of names, with each pony placing their signature dish on the table before us.
“This here's Apple Fritter. Apple Bumpkin. Red Gala. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp…” She takes a deep breath, shoving an apple in Twilight’s mouth, “Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith.” She gestures to a large red stallion, a small yellow filly, and a green, elderly earth pony mare snoozing in a rocking chair. “Up and at’em Granny Smith! We got guests.”
Granny Smith wakes up with a snort. “Huh, wha? Soup’s on? Imma commin..”
Applejack throws her hoof around Twilight. “Well Ah’d say they’re already part a the family!”
Twilight’s eyes go wide, spitting the apple out of her mouth. She lets out a nervous chuckle. “Hahaha, well, I can see the food situation is well under control. So if you don’t mind we’ll be on our way!”
“Aren’t ya gonna stay for brunch?” Apple Bloom asks, giving the purple unicorn the biggest puppy eyes I’ve ever seen.
“Sorry,” Twilight spologizes, “but we have an awful lot to do.”
“Aww…” The entire family lets out a collective noise of disappointment, causing her to let out a defeated sigh.
“Fine.” The entire group cheers, a few of the mares scooping Twilight up and taking her to another table.
“Ah, the old Apple Family Hospitality. Never gets old,” I say teasingly to Applejack as she sits back down next to me.
“You know it,” she chuckles, taking a bite of an apple fritter. “Now, what’s the deal with you two? Somepony finally make an honest stallion out of you?” She teases.
“Ha ha ha, very funny,” I reply sarcastically. “Even if I was interested in getting herded, she wouldn’t be my first choice. We’re not exactly friends.
“Oh! So she’s the other personal student from your letters, ain’t she?” She asks, connecting the dots. “Shoot, she does seem to be as against friend makin’ as you said.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” I sigh, watching as Red Gala gives Twilight a plate of cupcakes. We sit in silence for a moment, enjoying the apple-themed sweets in front of us. I glance at her, giving her a soft smile. “Told you you’d grow into that hat.”
She lets out a soft laugh. “Yeah. Took a bit longer than I might have liked, but I think it suits me,” she says, a bittersweet tone in her voice.
“You guys been doing okay?”
“Yeah, it's been good,” the orange mare responds, a genuine smile on her face. “Some days are harder than others but, we still got each other.”
“Proud of ya AJ,” I say, nudging her.
“Thanks North…” She nudges me back. “Now what about you? I ain’t seen head or hide of ya for almost five years now. What’s had you so busy?” she says, tilting her head at me.
I sigh, taking a bite of some apple cobbler. “Sorry about that AJ. After Mom moved Canterlot with Cloud Dust to be closer to me and Dad, there wasn’t a whole lot of reason to make my usual trips back other than you and Rarity. I was always planning on coming back of course, just, got busy with practicing my abilities.”
“Hm, you’re kinda sounding like her,” she says, gesturing to Twilight, who’s now getting buried in apple pie. “North, you’re the most talented unicorn Ah’ve ever met. Ah’ve never seen somepony else do the things you do. You got nothing to prove to anypony.”
I grunt in response, my ear flicking as I overhear a conversation to the side of us.
“He’s gotten pretty darn handsome.” “Ya think he’s been scooped up yet?” “Probably that unicorn, the lucky mare.”
I shake my head, pushing the gossiping country ponies out of my mind. “As much as I wish that was true, I have to work as hard as I can if I want to be taken seriously.”
“What just cuz you’re a stallion?”
“Exactly. Half of the time ponies think I’m just a cute little pet project for Celestia,” I say, frustrated. “I still want to be a hero, and if I’m going to do that, I have to get stronger.”
Applejack sighs, putting a hoof on my shoulder. “If that’s what you gotta do sugarcube, then Ah support you. But at least try to swing by once a year?” She smiles at me.
“It’s a deal,” I smile at her. “Now, if I’m not mistaken, I think you still owe me a fritter-eating rematch.”
She grins, a competitive spark in her eye. “Hah! Gonna make you regret that, city boy!”
“Uuuugh… Worth it…” I groan, walking next to Twilight as we walk back into town. As expected, Applejack beat me.
“Ooooh, I ate too much pie,” Twilight moans, shaking her head.
Ruby hums, looking over the checklist. “Next up is weather. There should be a pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash keeping the skies clear.”
We all look up, seeing the still rather cloudy sky. Twilight huffs. “Well, clearly she isn’t doing a very good job.”
“Oh don’t be like that Twilight,” I say, nudging her. “She might just be bu-OOF” I’m cut off as a blue blur slams into the two of us, knocking us into a mud puddle with a splash. I groan, looking up to see both Twilight and a sky-blue pegasus on top of me. The pegasus gets up, looking down at the two of us.
She lets out an embarrassed giggle. “Uh, excuse me? Ehehe,” Twilight lets out a low growl at her as she gets off me. “Here, lemme help you,” she says, hovering in the air and zipping off.
I get up out of the mud as she brings over a grey cloud. She positions it over top of us and starts jumping on it, causing all the rain inside it to pour down on the two of us. It washes all the mud off, but we’re now soaking wet. “Well it could be worse,” I sigh.
The rainbow pegasus lets out another giggle. “Oops, I guess I overdid it. Um, oh! How about this?” She zips up, flying towards us and spinning around in a tight circle, creating a rainbow colored vortex. “My very own patented, Rain-Blow Dry!” she stops in the air, hovering down to the ground. “No no, no need to thank me, you’re quite welcome.” She looks back at the two of us, her eyes going wide. She snorts, trying to stop herself from laughing.
Not that I really blame her. Twilight’s mane and tail have turned into a massive curly mess of purple and pink. Meanwhile, my coat, mane and tail have all poofed out, making me look like a fluffy red and cream colored marshmallow.
The pegasus, who I’m assuming is Rainbow Dash, can’t hold it in anymore. She bursts out laughing, falling to the ground. My ear twitches, looking over to see both Spike and Ruby in a similar situation, unable to contain their laughter. I roll my eyes. “Let me guess, you’re Rainbow Dash?”
The pegasus springs up, a confident smirk on her face. “The one and only!” She zips into the air, hovering in front of us. “Why, ya heard of me?”
“We heard that you’re supposed to be keeping the sky clear,” Twilight snaps. She takes a breath. “Let’s start over. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is my companion North Star. The Princess sent us to check on the weather.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’ll be a snap!” Rainbow responds, now lounging on a cloud. “I’ll get it done in a jiffy. Just as soon as I’m finished practicing.”
“Practicing for what?” I ask, trying to flatten my coat out.
“The Wonderbolts!” She says excitedly, pointing at a nearby poster. “They’re gonna preform at the celebration tomorrow, and I’m gonna show ‘em my stuff!” She says, doing a small twirl and landing on another cloud.
“The Wonderbolts?” Twilight asks with a skeptical smirk.
“Yep!” Rainbow confirms, back to lounging on her cloud.
“The most talened fliers in all of Equestria?”
“That’s them!”
“Pfft, please,” my companion scoffs. “They’d never accept a pegasus who can’t keep the skies clear for one measly day!”
“Hey! I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat!” The blue mare defends, springing up.
Twilight gets a challenging look on her face. “Prove it.”
Rainbow frowns, then launches off her cloud, breaking it in the process. She zips around the sky, flying through clouds as she goes, bursting them as she goes. She flies so fast she creates gusts of wind, smashing through the last cloud. “Loop-de-loop around and BAM!” She lands on the nearby bridge, a smug look plastered on her face. “What’d I tell ya? Ten. Seconds. Flat. I’d never leave Ponyville hanging.”
Twilight’s mouth is agape, a look of shock on her face. Not that I blame her. “I gotta admit, that was amazingly impressive, Rainbow,” I compliment her.
“Why thank you, haha!” She looks over to Twilight, giggling as she hovers next to us. “You should see the look on your face. You’re a laugh Twilight Sparkle. I can’t wait to hang out some more with you two. See ya around!” With that she does another loop, zipping towards the other side of town.
“She’s amazing!” Spike says.
“I’ll say!” Ruby chimes in. “That was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen!”
I roll my eyes, picking her up and placing her on my back. “Come on, we’d better get a move on,” I state, passing Spike playing with Twilight’s fluffy hair.
She groans, walking past him. “Wait, it’s kinda pretty once you get used to it!” He says, following behind us.
“Y’know, he’s right,” I tease. “You should wear your mane like that more often.”
“You’re the worst,” she moans as we walk inside the town hall.
Banners and streamers of all designs and colors decorate the room, giving the whole area an air of enchantment. “Beautiful,” Spike breathes out, enraptured. But not with the decorations.
In the back of the room stands a porcelain white unicorn mare with a curled purple mane and tail. Her cutie mark depicts three baby blue diamonds. Her horn is alight with a light blue magic aura, sorting through different bows hovering around her.
“How are my spines? Are they straight?” Spike asks, trying to make himself look presentable.
“Ew, gross!” Ruby laughs, shoving him. “She’s probably like way older than you!”
I roll my eyes, walking towards the unicorn with Twilight. “Good afternoon.”
“Just a moment, please!” The unicorn says, sorting through her ribbons. “I’m in the zone, as it were. Oh yes!” She seems to settle on a shiny red bow, tying it to the post. “Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Rarity you are a true talent.” She turns towards us. “Now how can I help you-AAAAHH!” She screams when she catches sight of Twilight’s nightmare of a mane. “Dariling what ever happened to your mane?!” Her eyes lock on me, her look instantly going from concerned to angry.
I let out a nervous chuckle. “Hehe.. Hi Rarity.”
Rarity huffs. “Oh don’t you ‘hi Rarity’ me, North Star! Nearly five years without seeing me and the first time you show up you look like you lost a fight with a blow dryer! And, you’re still wearing that ghastly bandana! Could you not have at least put on something nice for me?”
I roll my eyes, giving her a soft smile. “I missed you too Rarity.”
“Hmph, I should hope so,” she says, smiling at me. “Now what in the name of Celestia happened to the two of you?”
“Um, a pegasus named Rainbow Dash washed some mud off us, but then she tried drying us off,” I explain, poking at my fluffed-up coat.
“Oh, that Rainbow Dash!” She bemoans. “Honestly that pegasus must be more careful. Come along, I really must get you two sorted.” She hops off the stage, pushing Twilight towards the door.
“Wait!” Twilight protests. “We’re just here to check on the decorations! Where are we going? North, help me!”
I let out a short chuckle, following behind. “Same old Rarity.” She drags us to a fancy-looking blue and white circular building. I let out a low whistle as she leads us inside. “Nice place Rarity.” The interior has many ponnequins showing off her outfits, for mares and stallions alike.
She lets out a giggle. “Why thank you! Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique!” She says, proudly. She maneuvers Twilight into the back of the show floor, where a set of mirrors is set up. She levitates a brush over to me. “Now darling, you work on getting yourself fixed up, and I’ll take care of your friend here.”
“There’s really no need-” Twilight starts to protest, just for Rarity to shush her.
“Nonsense darling!” The ivory unicorn insists. “I can’t have the two of you walking around town looking like this. I promise it’s no trouble at all! Now hold still, and I’ll get you fixed up before you know it!” She levitates all kinds of combs and straighteners over to her, getting started on fixing Twilight’s mane. I take off my bandanna and get to work with the brush, smoothing out my coat. It doesn’t take me very long, fortunately, managing to get my mane restyled in its usual fluffy and wavey style, and all of my coat flattened out again, save for my stubborn chest fluff.
I let out a satisfied sigh, setting the brush down. I reach over to where I sat my bandana down, but I only find a black bow tie in its place. “What the-? Ugh, Rarity.” I give her a soft glare. She’s already finished with Twilight’s mane, and has now moved on to having her try on different outfits.
“Yes, North?” She turns towards me with an innocent smile.
I levitate the bow tie over to her. “Give it back.”
She sighs, taking the bow tie back and floating my black and blue bandana back over to me. “Oh very well. You can’t blame a mare for trying.” I take it, tying it back around my neck. “Honestly dear, I sometimes wish you weren’t such a janefilly. Accessorize a bit more! Maybe moisturize your coat! I swear you’re a terrible influence on little Ruby.”
I roll my eyes. “No thanks, Rarity. I like the way I look just fine. And Ruby is free to dress however she wishes.” I say, looking over at the small red dragon, who’s drawing in her sketch pad.
She sighs, putting a jewel-embroidered saddle on Twilight. “Well then dear, you were telling me what you two are doing here?” She asks her, pulling the ties of the saddle tight.
The magic student-turned-living ponnequin struggles to breathe, choking out an answer. “We’ve… been sent- ugh, from Canterlot… to-”
Rarity gasps, letting the ties go and sending Twilight falling over. “You’re from Canterlot?! Oh, I am so envious!” She exclaims, zipping over to the purple unicorn. “The glamor, the sophistication! I’ve always dreamed of living there! Oh North is always so cruel! He never gives me details on the circles of high society in his letters, no matter how much I beg!”
“Because I’m not in them?” I say with confusion, but she ignores me.
“I can’t wait for you to tell me all about it, Twilight! We are going to be the best of friends.” She cozies up to Twilight with a smile on her face, with the unicorn giving her an uneasy look. Rarity looks down at the saddle, gasping. “Ugh, emeralds? What was I thinking? Let me get you some rubies!” She insists, heading off to another part of the store.
“Quick! Let’s get out of here before she decides to dye my coat a new color.” Twilight says, picking up the love-struck Spike and running out the door. I let our a short laugh, scooping up Ruby onto my back and following behind.
The four of us are now walking down a path along the edge of town. Ruby is walking beside us as Spike sits on Twilight’s back, that love struck look still on his face. “Wasn’t she wonderful? I’ve never seen a pony so beautiful in my whole life…”
Twilight and I roll our eyes and Ruby makes a mock gagging sound. “Focus Cassanova,” Twilight nudges him. “What’s next on the list?”
He blushes a bit, pulling out the checklist. “Oh! Music! That’s the last one!” We start to hear the sound of birdsong nearby. Following it, we come across a soft yellow pegasus with a pink mane conducting a group of birds.
A blue jay however seems to be singing out of tune. “Oh my. Um, stop please, everyone,” the pegasus says softly, hovering up to the bird. “Um excuse me sir. I mean no offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny tiny bit off.” She floats back down. “Now, let’s try that again. Follow me, please. A one, a two, a one two three-”
“Hello!” Twilight greets suddenly, startling both me and the pegasus, who lets out a surprised squeak. The birds all fly off and the yellow mare turns towards us. “Oh no, I’m so sorry,” Twilight quickly apologizes. “I didn’t mean to frighten your birds. We’re just here to check on the music, and it sounds beautiful.” She says with a smile.
The pegasus floats down, pawing at the ground. She peeks at us through her mane, but says nothing.
Twilight gives her an uneasy smile, looking back at me. I gesture towards the pegasus, encouraging her. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. What’s your name?”
The pegasus hesitates, whispering out her name. I think. I take a small step forward. “My name is North Star. We’re sorry to bother you. You’re doing an amazing job with the music. We’ll let you get back to it,” I say, motioning to Twilight. It’s pretty clear this poor girl is very shy. It wouldn’t do anypony any good to try and force her to open up. The two of us walk back to Spike and Ruby, who come around from some bushes they were waiting by.
I hear a gasp behind us, looking to see the pegasus has shot into the air. “Baby dragons!” She speeds towards us. I’m able to sidestep in time to get out of her way, but Twilight isn’t so lucky, getting knocked into the air by the excited pegasus. She stops in front of the two dragons, crouching down. “Oh! I’ve never seen a baby dragon before! They’re so cute!”
“Well well,” Spike says smugly in Twilight’s direction.
“That’s very nice of you to say, miss.” Ruby thanks her, nudging Spike.
“Oh my, they talk! I didn’t know dragons could talk! That’s just so incredibly wonderful, I dont even know what to say!” The pegasus says softly, hovering in the air with excitement.
Twilight suddenly picks the two dragons up with her magic, dropping Ruby onto my back and Spike onto hers. “Well, in that case, we’d better better be going!” She says quickly, starting to walk off. I roll my eyes at her, giving her an unimpressed glare.
“Wait, wait!” The yellow pegasus calls out, following us. “What are their names?”
“I’m Ruby! And this is Spike,” Ruby happily introduces them.
“Hi Ruby. Hi Spike! I’m Fluttershy. Wow, talking dragons! What do dragons like to talk about?”
“Well, what do you want to know?” Spike asks her.
“Absolutely everything!” Fluttershy says excitedly, causing Twilight to let out an exaggerated groan.
I can’t help but let out a small chuckle. Ruby and Spike go on to tell Fluttershy about how they were hatched by Twilight and I, and how they were raised by us with help from our parents. I listen passively as we walk, eventually reaching the Golden Oak Library. A library sitting near the center of town made out of an enchanted tree. “I guess Miss Bookmark finally retired…” I mutter to myself, looking behind me.
“...and that’s the story of our entire lives!” Spike finishes speaking.
“Up until today,” Ruby adds. “Would you like to hear about today?”
“Oh yes please!” Fluttershy says happily.
Twilight turns around, giving Fluttershy a nervous smile. “I am so sorry, how did we get here so fast? This is where we’re staying while we’re in Ponyville, and our poor baby dragons need their sleep.”
“No we don’t-” Spike begins to protest before Twilight subtly bucks him off her back.
“Aw look at that. He’s so sweepy he can’t even keep his wittle bawence.” Twilight says, trying to make an excuse. Spike glares back at her. She pushes the door open, using her magic to drag Spike, Ruby and I inside. “Anyway it was nice meeting you, goodnight!” She slams the door in Fluttershy’s face, leaving us all in the dark library.
“Rude, much?” Spike scolds her.
“I have to agree. You could have handled that much better.” I add, setting Ruby down.
“Sorry guys,” Twilight apologizes. “But we have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming and we’re running out of time! I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time! Now, where’s the light?”
Suddenly the lights flick on, confetti and balloons falling on us.
“SURPRISE!!” The ponies surrounding us cheer. Twilight lets out a defeated groan.
“Oh, right. Heh, I forgot about that part,” I chuckle.
“Surprise!” The pink pony form earlier pops up in front of us. “Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised?! Were ya?! Were ya?! Huh?! Huh?! Huh?!”
“Very surprised! Libraries are supposed to be quiet.” Twilight says sarcastically.
“Well that’s silly!” Pinkie counters. “What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet? I mean duh! Boooooring! Y'see, I saw you with North Star when you first got here, remember? You were all ‘hello’ and I was all ‘GAAAGH’. remember? I’ve never seen you around before, and if I never saw you around before that means you’re new! Cuz I know absolutely everypony in Ponyville!” Pinkie prattles on, following Twilight as she walks to a table set up with drinks and starts pouring herself one. “Which means you don't know anypony here and that made me super sad! So I thought hey, I know, I'll make her a super-duper spectacular Welcome to Ponyville party and invite as many ponies as I can so you can make lots and lots of friends other than just Northy! Plus it would double as his Welcome Back to Ponyville party! It’s like a double party!”
Twilight freezes, her eye starting to twitch. Her face goes all red and sweaty, tears forming in her eyes.
“Uh, Twilight? You okay?” I ask her, reaching a hoof out towards her.
She lets out a muffled yelp, speeding towards the stairs and running up to the bedroom of the library and slamming the door behind her.
“Aw, she’s so happy she was crying!” Pinkie giggles. I take a look at the drink Twilight was pouring.
“Actually I think it was because of this,” I say, holding up the bottle of hotsauce.
“Ooh! Gimme!” Pinkie nabs it from my magic, pouring it all over a cupcake. She tosses it in her mouth, humming happily. She sees me and the other girls staring at her. “What? It’s good!” We all giggle at that.
I grab a soda with my magic, taking a sip from it as Applejack walks up to me. “Glad to see you two finally made it. Guessin y’all got your prep work done?”
“Yeah, not as quick as Twilight would have liked though,” I sigh, looking up the staircase.
“That pony is wound tighter than a eight day clock,” the country pony says with a shake of her head. And even though I have only slightest idea what that means, I can’t help but to agree.
“What’s her problem anyway?” Rainbow Dash asks, hovering next to my head.
“She’s just not the biggest fan of social gatherings,” I respond, sipping my drink. I feel a weird tinge in my chest. This isn’t the first time Twilight has blown off a social event, far from it. But this time it feels different, and I can’t explain why.
Pinkie huffs. “Well that’s no fun! Who doesn’t like making new friends?”
Rarity hums. “I’m inclined to agree. Barging off from a party thrown for you and leaving your coltfriend behind is most uncouth.”
I choke on my soda, spitting it out as I start coughing. “Her- chugh! Her what?” I ask, getting my breath back as Applejack pats my back.
“Oh there’s no need to be so coy, darling,” Rarity giggles. “The two of you make the cutest couple! The two personal students of the Princess falling in love! Oh, it’s like something from one of my favorite novels.” She says dreamily.
“We aren’t dating, Rarity!” I say, feeling a blush on my cheeks. My ear twitches when I hear Rainbow Dash laughing, but I try to pay her no mind.
“Why ever not, darling? You two must be some of the most eligible ponies in Equestria! Have you not given any thought to settling down?”
“Ooh! Does that mean you’re single?” Pinkie pops up in my face. “Cuz I know a lot of single mares in town who would love to meet you! And even some stallions if that’s more your-” She gets cut off by an orange hoof shoving a cupcake into her mouth.
“Don’t you pay them no mind, sugarcube,” Applejack reassures me, putting a foreleg around my shoulder. “We all know you’re a strong independent stallion. Ain’t nothin to be ashamed of.”
I roll my eyes, shuffling her off me. “I’m gonna get another soda…” I walk away, stepping over the still-laughing Rainbow Dash. I sigh, reaching the drink table.
“Um, excuse me, North?” A soft voice says next to me. I turn my head, seeing Fluttershy standing next to me. “I um, got you another soda…” She says, giving me a new cup.
I smile, taking it from her with my magic. “Thank you, Fluttershy, that was very kind of you.”
She gives me a soft smile, then gets a nervous look. “So, um, I was wondering something?”
My ear flicks. ‘Oh please for the love of Celestia don’t…’
“Did, we have a class together, when I first moved to Ponyville? It’s just, you look kind of familiar…”
I fight the urge to let out a sigh of relief, thankful the butter-colored pegasus wasn’t about to ask me out. I think back, taking a drink of my soda. Now that I think about it, she did look awfully familiar…
“The baby chicks won’t come out of their shells unless they get plenty of heat, and love.”
My eyes, go wide. “Hey, yeah. We did.” I say, a bit excited. “You did a presentation on baby chicks, right?”
She nods. “Oh yes, I was so nervous. I probably wouldn’t have been able to make it through it if it weren’t for my animal friends.”
I let out a chuckle. “You wanna know something?” She tilts her head at me. I look over to Ruby, watching her play pin the tail on the pony with a group of fillies. “It’s because of you I was able to hatch Ruby.”
“Really?” Her eyes go wide in surprise.
“Yeah. Your presentation on what eggs needed to hatch told me what I needed to do. Heat and love.”
Her wings flutter happily. “Oh that’s so amazing, I feel like I could cheer!” She rears back, taking a deep breath. “Yaaaaaay.”
I let out a soft giggle. “I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance to be proper friends, Fluttershy.”
“Oh, that’s okay! We have plenty of time to make up for it.” She says happily, a soft smile on her face.
“Fluttershy, darling! It’s your turn to come play Pin the Tail on the Pony!” Rarity calls out to her friend from the other side of the library.
“Coming! Are you coming North?” She asks me. I’m about to say yes, when I hesitate, looking back at the stairs.
‘Come on. You know what you have to do.’
I give Fluttershy a smile. “You go on ahead. There’s something I need to do.” She responds with a small nod, heading over to the other girls. I take a breath, downing my soda and throwing the cup away. I make my way to the edges of the party, my eyes scanning the bookshelves.
I came to this library all the time as a colt. Diving horn first into anything I could read about magic, adventures, and heroes. Miss Bookmark had a simple method of organizing the books in here. Everything was in alphabetical order so that anypony could easily find what they were looking for. In theory anyway.
I shuffle past a few groups of ponies finding myself at the row I was looking for. My eyes skim the shelves, reading over every title as not to miss the one I’m looking for.
Finally, I find it. A large red book with gold trim. I pull it out of the shelf and quickly make my way back through the crowd. I manage to make my way up the stairs without anypony noticing and push open the door to the living area, closing it shut behind me.
I find Twilight lying on the bed with a pillow on her head, probably trying to drown out the noise of the party. She lifts her head up, seeing me standing by the door. She lets out another groan.
“I don’t know how you can stand this, North! Everypony in this town is crazy! Do they have any idea what time it is?!” The purple unicorn huffs.
I chuckle, walking up the stairs to the loft. “Well in their defense, The Summer Sun Celebration is tomorrow. They have to stay up or risk missing out on Celestia raising the sun.”
She flops on the bed in response, holding her pillow against her chest. “And here I thought I’d have more time to learn about the Elements of Harmony. But, silly me, all this ridiculous friend-making has kept me from it! The entire day has been wasted!”
I smirk. “Well last I checked, the day isn’t over yet.” I pull the book off my back, plopping it on the bed next to her. She sits up, her eyes going wide when she reads the title.
Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide
“I-! What? How did you-?”
I let out a small laugh. “I grew up going to this library, Twi. I know how to find what I need.”
“But, why?” She asks, getting a sheepish look on her face. “You didn’t seem that interested in helping me before.”
I sigh, climbing into the bed and sitting next to her. “You’re right, I wasn’t. And I’m sorry. Twilight, whether or not you consider me a friend, I consider you my friend. This whole Nightmare Moon prophecy has clearly been important to you. So it should have been important to me as well.”
“Oh, North…” She sniffles a bit, small pools of tears welling in her eyes. She quickly pulls me into a hug, catching me by surprise. “You were my first friend… and I’m sorry I didn’t act like it.” I smile softly, hugging her back. We stay there for a short while, seemingly making up for lost time. Twilight breaks the hug, wiping her eyes. “Alright, let’s see what this book says.”
I use my magic to turn on the bedroom lights as Twilight opens the book. “Okay, let me see if I can find… aha! ‘It's said that there are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known. Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, Honesty, and Generosity. The sixth Element is a complete mystery. Legends say that there used to be a seventh element of Harmony, but only one would be worthy of wielding it once all six elements are combined. The seventh element bearer would become a ‘Bridge to Virtue.’”
“Seven Elements? Pops’s story only ever mentioned six,” I say with confusion.
“Bridge to Virtue… why does that sound familiar?” Twilight ponders.
“Keep reading,” I say, getting closer in order to get a better look at the book.
“‘It is said that the last known location of the five Elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters.’”
“In the Everfree Forest?” I ask with a groan.
“Come on North! We should get this to Princess Celestia as soon as we can” Twilight says. She goes to move away from me when the bedroom door gets pushed open. We both look over with wide eyes, seeing Ruby.
She blinks at us, seeing us both sitting rather close to each other. “Um, am I interrupting something?”
“N-No! We were just, doing some reading!” Twilight quickly stammers out, a blush forming on her face.
Ruby shakes her head. “Yeah, anyway. It’s time to go watch the sunrise, so you guys better hurry up and finish.” She says, closing the door behind her as she leaves.
Twilight and I exchange a look, scooting away from each other. We hop off the bed, taking one last look at the moon outside. The silhouette of Nightmare Moon staring down at us. Four stars slowly getting closer to her…