"Elements of Harmony... I'm sure I've come across that that term before. But where?" mused a particular purple Draconequus, hovering in the air while navigating through the streets of Canterlot. Her face remained fully immersed in a book cradled in one talon.
Numerous ponies in her vicinity either gave her a wide berth or engaged in hushed conversations behind her back. However, Twilight paid no attention to the whispers and focused on flipping through the pages, hoping to unearth additional information. Despite her lack of attention to her surroundings, she skillfully navigated through the structures until she reached a specific tower.
With a snap of her free talon, she teleported in front of two blue doors atop the tower, the book still engulfing her face. Meanwhile, a small purple dragon, adorned with green spines along his back and tail, a green underbelly, and carrying a red present wrapped in gold ribbons, approached the doors with joy. Just as he reached for the handle, a purple Draconequus with a book still firmly planted in her face phased through the door as if it were insubstantial. The sudden appearance startled the baby dragon, causing him to drop the present and lose his footing, ultimately tumbling onto the gift.
Twilight drifted past the baby dragon, completely oblivious to his presence. The purple dragon let out a sigh of disappointment as he retrieved his crushed present from beneath him.
"Twilight, I told you not to do that!" the dragon exclaimed with irritation, holding up his broken present in front of him.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry, Spike. I didn't realize you were here. I didn't teleport into the building like you asked," Twilight apologized, finally acknowledging Spike's presence in the room.
"Well, none of that ghostly business either! I mean, seriously, what's the point of doors if you're not even going to use them, sheesh," Spike commented, expressing his exasperation.
"Spike, there's no such thing as ghosts; it's called phasing. And what's that for?" Twilight inquired, pointing a talon at the present.
"Well, it was supposed to be a gift for Moon Dancer's birthday party today, but it looks like I'll have to get new wrapping paper..." Spike said, his disappointment evident in his voice.
"Spike, we don't have time for parties. Here, I'll take care of that," Twilight declared, snapping her talons. The present instantly returned to perfect condition, flashing away in a lavender light. Spike was momentarily surprised, but he soon shook his head at Twilight's antics.
Meanwhile, at Moon Dancer's party, a sudden bright lavender light sparkled into existence, and the present that Spike was previously holding was teleported onto a table with various other gifts, without anypony at the party taking notice.
"Now, where is that book about 'The Mare in the Moon'?" Twilight inquired, initiating a display of magical prowess as she levitated every book in the room in a spiraling orbit around herself.
"Woah!" Spike exclaimed as dozens of books flew over his head. He quickly threw himself to the ground, covering his head to shield himself from the storm of floating books.
"Nonononononononononononononononononono," Twilight continued to mutter rapidly, zipping through each book's title as they flew by her eyes at speeds not many could perceive.
"Aha!" she exclaimed in an excited manner once she found what she was looking for. As she grasped the book with a talon, all the other floating books in the room collapsed to the ground, creating a sea of books covering the floor.
Spike popped out from below multiple books, with a green book opened on his head and a red book in his mouth, which he promptly spat out. Surveying the messy room, he sighed in despair and began stacking each book into a neat pile.
Twilight opened the book she had grabbed and promptly flipped to the desired page using her magic.
"The Mare in the Moon. Myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who sought to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal," Twilight read aloud, gasping in realization.
"Spike, do you know what this means?" Twilight asked, turning around to observe the scattered books across the floor and the ones Spike was diligently stacking up.
"No," Spike answered honestly.
Twilight snapped her talons after realizing the mess she had created, teleporting all the books back into their places. Unfortunately for Spike, this meant teleporting him as well, courtesy of the book still in his grasp, which happened to be on the top row.
"Aaah!" Spike yelled as he fell, realizing he was teleported along with the book. Twilight cringed at her mistake and quickly snapped her talons once again.
"Oof." Spike bounced gently on what had now become a miniature bouncy castle beneath him.
"Spike, take a note, please. To the Princess," Twilight stated, raising one talon in the air, as a scroll and quill magically appeared in Spike's claws.
"My deares—" Twilight was suddenly cut off by Spike's laughter. Glancing over, she saw him joyfully jumping up and down on the new bouncy castle, completely ignoring her.
"Spike, this is serious!" Twilight shouted, snapping her talons once more and causing the bouncy castle to vanish from existence.
Spike's laughter was abruptly cut off when, in mid-jump, he fell and faceplanted onto the floor. Slowly, Spike peeled himself from the ground and grumbled.
"Alright, alright. I got it," Spike said as he got up and prepared to write.
Twilight cleared her throat and then proceeded, "My dearest teacher, my continuous study of pony magic has led me to discover that we are on the precipice of disaster."
"Hold on... Preci... Preci..." Spike looked at Twilight with a completely lost expression.
Twilight sighed before snapping her talons and making the word "precipice" appear on the paper.
Twilight cleared her throat before continuing, "For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is, in fact, Nightmare Moon, and she's about to return to Equestria to bring with her 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." Twilight concluded her letter and waited for Spike to finish writing.
Spike frantically scribbled everything down until he finished the letter with Twilight's name. "Got it!" he exclaimed.
"Great, now send it," Twilight stated.
"Now?" Spike questioned, looking in Twilight's direction with an unsure gaze.
"Yes, Spike. She needs to know as soon as possible," Twilight responded.
"But she's probably busy with the Summer Sun Celebration, and it's like the day after tomorrow," Spike argued.
"That's just it, Spike! The one-thousandth Summer Sun Celebration is the day after tomorrow! It's imperative that this reaches the Princess, or do I have to send it myself?" Twilight questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Spike immediately pulled the scroll away from Twilight. "No way! You promised I would be the one to handle the letters!"
"Then send it!" Twilight shouted, causing the room to shake and prompting Spike to cover his ears.
"Alright! I'll do it, jeez," Spike replied, blowing green fire onto the letter. It transformed into magic sparkling smoke that quickly zipped out of the open window at the top of the room.
"I wouldn't get your hopes up though, Twilight," Spike stated in a lecturing tone.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry, Spike. She trusts me completely. In all the years she's been my mentor, she's never once doubted me," Twilight said with confidence.
Spike's cheeks suddenly puckered up before he released a belch along with green fire that spiraled until a letter poofed into existence.
"See, I knew she would want to take immediate action," Twilight proclaimed.
Spike grabbed the letter from the floor before clearing his throat and reading it. "My dearest, most faithful student Twilight. You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely, but you simply must stop reading those dusty old books."
Twilight gasped in surprise before teleporting the scroll into her talons.
"Hey!" Spike yelled in objection.
Twilight read through the part Spike had read out loud and confirmed it was true. She sighed in disappointment, letting the parchment glide toward the ground. Before it could hit the ground, Spike ran and caught it.
"I wasn't finished, ya know?" Spike said, giving Twilight an irritated glare.
Spike cleared his throat once more before continuing. "My dear Twilight, there is more to life than magic and studying, so I am sending you to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville. I hope that a smaller town will receive you better than Canterlot so that you may complete a more essential task—making some friends."
Twilight sighed. Despite never feeling the need for friends in her life, it didn't mean that it didn't hurt when other ponies gave her strange stares or made unkind remarks in Canterlot. The experience was disheartening.
News had spread like wildfire in the capital of Equestria that she was some powerful monster that Celestia kept close to ensure the world's safety. Despite Celestia's best efforts, it seemed that the judges from that day blabbed about whatever happened, and from there, rumors just kept getting more and more out of control. The situation had escalated to the point where everypony would simply try to avoid her if possible.
Living in Canterlot for her whole life had caused most ponies to realize she wasn't a threat, but they still didn't trust her one bit. At this rate, no pony would trust her besides her family, Celestia, and Spike. However, she was content with this. Friends weren't needed when she had magic to learn, or at least that’s what she told herself.
Suddenly, a light bulb appeared above her head, both figuratively and literally.
"I know what I can do!" Twilight suddenly shouted, startling Spike.
Before Spike could question her, Twilight snapped her talons and poofed into a unicorn version of herself.
"What do you think, Spike? Ponyville will see and treat me like a regular unicorn since no pony there will know about the name Twilight Sparkle," she stated with a grin while checking her body to make sure she got everything right.
"Uh... Twilight, I don't think Celestia wanted you to..." Spike was suddenly cut off.
"Oh! I need a cutie mark as well! What do you think I should use, Spike?" she asked while still floating in mid-air.
Spike sighed. He knew he wouldn't be able to convince her to simply go as her true self, so he might as well play along. "I don't know, Twilight, maybe something about magic or books?"
"Hmm... maybe you're right. Well, let's see." Twilight began to shift through various cutie marks across her flank until one resonated with her the most. It was a 6-pointed pink star with a smaller white one underneath it.
"I think this is the one! I feel a strange connection to it," Twilight stated proudly.
Spike took a close look at it while a claw rested under his chin. "Nah, too sparkly."
Twilight simply rolled her eyes. "Spike, my name is Twilight Sparkle. It would make sense for me to have a cutie mark much like this one. I'm keeping it."
"Fine, but I say the one with the flaming book was the best," Spike pouted childishly.
The next day, Twilight in her unicorn form and Spike were heading towards Ponyville, carried in a golden chariot pulled by two pegasi stallions. Twilight sighed in annoyance; she had hoped to try living as a normal unicorn for once, but due to the oncoming disaster, she predicted, she knew she didn't have time for such things. Plus, she didn't even know where to start when making friends anyways.
"What's wrong, Twilight?" Spike asked curiously.
"Well, Spike, I'm not even sure where to begin when trying to interact with other ponies. Most ponies in my life avoided me like the plague," Twilight explained her thoughts just in time for the chariot to come to a stop in the center of town. She nodded gratefully to the two stallions that flew her there after stepping onto the ground.
"Well, maybe start by introducing yourself. See, here comes one now," Spike pointed to the pinkest pony Twilight had ever seen.
The pink pony walked up to them and stopped right in front of them.
"Um... hello?" Twilight nervously said. The pink pony made an over-exaggerated gasp and leapt off the ground before speeding off over their heads while still in mid-air.
"Jeez, Twilight, you didn't have to use your magic on a random pony," Spike accused.
"I... didn't..." Twilight stated in a bewildered tone.
"Mhm," Spike said with a disbelieving quirked eyebrow.
Twilight and Spike both walked to their next destination, which was a large farm filled with apple trees.
"Number one. Banquet preparations, Sweet Apple Acres," Spike said as he read the list of locations they were supposed to visit.
"Yeehaw!" a voice yelled out as both Twilight and Spike looked in the direction the voice came from.
There was an orange mare with a blonde mane, green eyes, and a Stetson on her head running up to an apple tree and then bucking it so that all the apples fell out perfectly into the buckets below it.
Twilight sighed. "Well, let's get this over with."
Twilight trotted towards the orange mare and began to introduce herself. "Hi, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm here to..."
Before Twilight could finish her sentence, the orange mare grasped her hoof and shook it vigorously. "Well, howdy do, miss Twilight. A pleasure making your acquaintance. I'm Applejack."
Twilight hadn't expected such a hard hoof shake, but she wanted her body to stop rattling, so she rooted herself in place with magic. To Applejack, Twilight's hoof suddenly became immovable.
"Whoowee! That's some mighty strong leg strength you got there, you're as firm as a deep-rooted apple tree! You should come sometime and help us at the farm!" Applejack stated after realizing she could no longer shake Twilight's hoof, no matter how much more strength she put into it.
"Umm, I'm here to check on the festivities. I heard that you were in charge of the food, correct?" Twilight asked after the hoof shake was over, and she released her magic.
"We sure as sugar are! Would ya care to sample some?" Applejack asked enthusiastically.
"Well... we're on a tight schedule and..." Before Twilight could finish, she was lightly elbowed by Spike, who gave her a look.
Twilight sighed and decided to take the offer. "That would be wonderful, yes."
Applejack's voice rang out across the orchard. "Soup's on, everypony!"
Following her announcement, a stampede of earth ponies, each adorned with different apple-baked goods as their cutie marks, came rushing through. In the whirlwind of activity, they swiftly snatched up both Spike and Twilight, depositing them at a table covered with a checkered cloth. The sudden lift left both Twilight and Spike dizzy and slightly disoriented.
"Now, why don't I introduce you to the Apple family?" Applejack said, gesturing with a hoof towards her bustling family.
"This here is Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp." Applejack took a deep breath before continuing.
"Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom, annnd Granny Smith." She finished the rapid-fire introduction by playfully shoving a green apple into Twilight's mouth.
"Up and at 'em, Granny Smith! We got guests," Applejack called out to the elderly lime-colored mare who was dozing in a rocking chair.
"Huh? Wah? Soups on. I'm here, I'm comin'," the elderly mare mumbled as she slowly roused herself and ambled towards the rest of the group.
"Why, I'd say you're already part of the family," Applejack said, putting a hoof around Twilight's back.
Twilight swallowed the apple that was still in her mouth and nervously chuckled. "Uh... Thanks for your hospitality, but I think we need to get going."
Twilight wasn't used to this level of warmth and friendliness from so many ponies, and it made her feel a bit anxious.
"Arne't ya gonna stay for brunch?" asked a little yellow filly with a large pink bow on her mane, named Apple Bloom, who gave Twilight the puppy eyes.
"Sorry, but we got a lot to do," Twilight apologized.
"Awww." The entire family synchronized their disappointed sighs, making Twilight feel more guilty.
Twilight sighed in surrender. "Fine."
"Yay!" Immediately, the Apple family rejoiced.
After some time, Twilight and Spike were finally able to leave to continue the preparation for the Summer Sun Celebration.
"Foods all taken care of, next is weather," Spike said after checking the list.
"Ugh... I ate too much pie," a bloated Twilight said in discomfort. Twilight's horn lit up suddenly, and her bloated belly went away.
"Ah... much better," she sighed in relief.
"There's supposed to be a Pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds," Spike said as he looked towards the sky.
Twilight looked to the sky as well, only to see that the it was filled with clouds. "Well, she's not doing a very good job, is she?"
"Oof!" Twilight was immediately hit by a rainbow streak.
She was thrown into a muddy puddle, finding herself alongside a rainbow-maned cyan Pegasus lying on her back.
The Pegasus noticed that she had crashed into somepony and chuckled nervously. "Excuse me."
Twilight grumbled and stood back up on all fours.
"Here, let me help you," the cyan mare said, grabbing a small rain cloud before Twilight could say she could clean the mud herself.
The rainbow-maned mare then proceeded to jump on the cloud repeatedly, causing a small downpour onto Twilight until the cloud had returned to a white color.
The rain had cleaned the mud from Twilight's mane but had made it soggy, completely drenching her coat.
"Oops, I guess I overdid it... umm, how about this?" The pegasus asked and proceeded to make a miniature tornado around Twilight before she could protest.
"My very own patented Rainbow-Dry! No need to thank me; you're quite welcome," she exclaimed boastfully after ending her miniature twister and landing to look at Twilight.
Twilight had an unamused look on her face with her mane poofed up and completely messy.
The cyan mare snickered before she simply couldn't hold it anymore and fell on her back while laughing. Soon Spike also joined her after also failing to hold it in.
"Let me guess, you're Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said unamused.
Hearing her name made the cyan pegasus leap back up onto all fours, causing Spike to be flung off her back.
"The one and only!" She stated with pride.
"Why, you heard of me?" She asked as she flew into Twilight's personal space.
"I heard that you were supposed to be keeping the sky clear," Twilight responded.
Twilight sighed before trying to start over. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and the princess sent me to check on the weather."
"Yeah, yeah, that'll be a snap. I'll get it done in a jiffy just as soon as I'm done practicing." Rainbow Dash waved off Twilight while laying on a cloud.
"Practising for what?" Twilight questioned curiously.
"The Wonderbolts! They're going to perform at the celebration tomorrow, and I'm gonna show them my stuff," she claimed after pointing to a poster of the group in question.
A sudden mischievous idea sprang into Twilight's mind, giving her a devious smirk. "The Wonderbolts?" she asked.
"Yep," Rainbow Dash responded.
"The fastest flyers in all of Equestria?" Twilight continued.
"That's them," Rainbow Dash confirmed.
"Pfft, please. They would never accept a pegasus who can't even keep the sky clear for one measly day," Twilight egged her on.
"Hey. I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat!" Rainbow Dash claimed.
"Prove it," Twilight said smugly.
Rainbow Dash immediately took off in a blur, bucking cloud after cloud and moving fast enough to make Twilight's poofy mane sway in the wind. Twilight was honestly surprised at how fast the mare was.
"Loop the loop around and wham!" Rainbow Dash finished the last cloud with a loop.
"What'd I say? Ten seconds flat," Rainbow stated proudly before adding, "I would never leave Ponyville hangin'."
"Well... I have to admit you are fast," Twilight said with a devious glint still in her eyes.
"Yup, I know," Rainbow said arrogantly.
"But it looks like you missed one," Twilight said before pointing a hoof behind Rainbow Dash.
"Huh? But I'd never miss a..." Rainbow Dash turned around and was cut off mid-sentence when she saw a cloud still floating behind her.
"Huh!?" The pegasus exclaimed in disbelief before zipping to the cloud and kicking it. The cloud dispersed just like all the others, but just when Rainbow Dash was about to head back to the ground, the impossible seemed to happen. The cloud almost seemed to reverse time and suddenly reappeared as if nothing happened.
"What the!?" Rainbow exclaimed in bewilderment before bucking the cloud again, but ending with the same result. The cloud simply floated there like normal as if it was taunting her. Rainbow growled like a feral dog and began to rapidly dash through the cloud over and over again, causing it to disperse and then simply reappear each time.
Rainbow Dash had enough of this stubborn cloud and was thoroughly confused at what was going on until she heard two bouts of laughter behind her on the ground. Curiously Rainbow looked down to see both Twilight and Spike on their backs laughing much like she had done to Twilight earlier.
"Huh!? What's so funny!?" Rainbow asked irritated.
"S-sorry." Twilight apologized as she got up and wiped some tears from her eyes. "But I couldn't help myself, but now we're even." She said which confused Rainbow Dash before Twilight's horn lit up and the cloud vanished permanently this time.
Rainbow gaped for a moment before she put the pieces together and chuckled a bit herself. "Good one! We should hang out sometime Twilight Sparkle! I'd love to come up with some pranks with you, see ya!" She said as she flew away.
Twilight and Spike then headed for the largest building in Ponyville, which was the town hall. Once they had entered, they were dazzled by the numerous decorations adorning the inside of the building.
"Beautiful!" Spike exclaimed.
"Yes, the decor is coming along nicely. Beautiful indeed," Twilight agreed.
"Not the decor, her," Spike said as he pointed a claw toward a pristine white unicorn with a curly dark purple mane and tail.
The mare hadn't noticed them walk in yet and was floating many ribbons in front of her face. "No, no, no, Oh goodness no," she exclaimed as she kept looking at the ribbons one by one.
Spike had hearts floating over his head and in his eyes as he stared at the white unicorn. "How are my spines? Are they straight?" Spike asked as he ran one claw over his green spikes. Twilight just rolled her eyes at Spike's question and then continued to approach the alabaster unicorn.
"Good afternoon," Twilight greeted before being cut off by the unicorn she was addressing.
"Just a moment, please. I'm in the moment, as it were," the unicorn stated as she continued to look at each ribbon.
"Ah, yes. Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why, Rarity, you are a talent," the unicorn said after wrapping a large sparkling red bow onto one of the poles near the stage. "Now, um..." She continued before facing Twilight's direction and yelping in surprise.
"Oh, my stars, darling! Whatever happened to your coiffure!?" She exclaimed with a horrified look on her face.
"Oh, you mean my mane? Well, it's a long story. I'm just here to check on the decorations, and then I'll be out of your hair."
"My hair? What about your hair?" Rarity exclaimed before galloping behind Twilight and pushing her towards the town hall's exit.
"Wait, where are we going? I can fix it on my own!" Twilight said in a panic, but the unicorn didn't listen and instead insisted that she must visit her Boutique. Spike followed along with a lovesick expression.
Twilight was dressed up in multiple outfits, and none of them seemed to satisfy Rarity until she finally settled on a white corset decorated with many small gems, while a large emerald decorated the front and two ribbons flowed from the back.
"Now go on, my dear, you are telling me where you're from," Rarity said as she gripped the ribbons on the back with her teeth and pulled back to tighten it.
Twilight found herself in a tight embrace, struggling to breathe as Rarity eagerly awaited her response. Gasping for air, Twilight managed to utter, "I've been sent... from... Canterlot... to..." Before she could finish, Rarity released her with a surprised jolt, sending them in opposite directions.
"Oh, Canterlot! I am so envious! The glamor, the sophistication. I've always dreamed of living there!" Rarity gushed with excitement, expressing her admiration for the prestigious city.
"I can't wait to hear all about it. We're going to be the best of friends, you and I," she declared, her enthusiasm causing her to get a little too close for Twilight's comfort. The lavender unicorn, still adjusting from the unexpected squeeze, couldn't help but feel a mix of surprise and uncertainty about the prospect of a newfound friendship in Ponyville.
"Emeralds!? What was I thinking? Let me get you some rubies," Rarity declared before trotting away to retrieve a different set of gems.
"Spike! We're getting out of here before she comes back," Twilight exclaimed once Rarity was out of earshot. In an instant, she teleported herself and Spike out of the boutique, leaving behind the discarded corset and beaded bracelet.
Spike sighed with a dreamy look on his face as he clung to Twilight's back. "Wasn't she wonderful?"
"Focus, Casanova. What's next on the list?" Twilight inquired as she continued down a dirt road, determined to stay on track with the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.
Spike cleared his throat and consulted the list. "Oh, uh... music is the last one."
Suddenly, both Spike and Twilight heard what sounded like birds singing in sync in the distance, capturing their attention. Peering out of a bush, they spotted a butter-yellow pegasus with a long pink mane hovering in the air, orchestrating various birds perched on a single tree.
All the birds were singing in sync, except for a single blue jay that caught the attention of the yellow pegasus. "Oh my. Um, stop, please, everyone," she said softly, flying over to the bird in question.
"Excuse me, sir. I mean no offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny tiny bit off." The bird nodded in confirmation, and she returned to her original spot.
"Now follow me, please. A one, a two, a one two three." Just as the pegasus was about to start the practice again, a voice inadvertently interrupted her.
"Hello!" Twilight exclaimed, startling the yellow pegasus and causing the birds to fly away in a panic.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to frighten your birds. I'm just here to check up on the music, and it sounded beautiful," Twilight explained as the butter-yellow pegasus landed in front of her, nervously kicking at the ground with a forehoof.
An awkward silence ensued, and Twilight looked around nervously before continuing. "I'm Twilight Sparkle... what's your name?"
The pegasus turned her head away, softly whispering in her mane. "I'm Fluttershy..."
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Twilight asked after failing to hear the nervous mare's answer.
"Um... my name is Fluttershy." The shy pegasus said in an even quieter tone than before.
"I didn't quite catch that..." Twilight said after another failed attempt to hear the pegasus.
Fluttershy became even more nervous and shied away from Twilight, making incomprehensible squeaks. Another awkward silence formed, and many other birds that had flown away were returning.
"Well... it looks like your birds are back, so I guess everything is in order. Keep up the good work," Twilight said, but the only response she got was more incomprehensive whimpers.
"Ok..." Twilight said awkwardly before heading back to the bush Spike was watching from.
"Well, that was easy," she told Spike.
Fluttershy looked in the direction Twilight had headed and saw Spike coming from the bush, making her exclaim in surprise, "A baby dragon!" Scaring off some of the birds once more.
Twilight got knocked aside once again after the pegasus had bumped her to the side. "I've never seen a baby dragon before. He's so cute," she exclaimed as she took a close look at Spike.
"Well, well, well." Spike said smugly at Twilight before crossing his arms in a prideful manner.
"Oh my, he talks! I didn't know dragons could talk. That's just so incredibly wonderful. I just don't even know what to say," Fluttershy said in an excited manner as she flapped her wings to hover in the air.
"Well, in that case, we'd better be going," Twilight said after levitating Spike onto her back and trotting off.
"Wait, wait. What's his name?" Fluttershy asked as she caught up with Twilight.
"I'm Spike."
"Hi Spike, I'm Fluttershy. Wow, a talking dragon, and what do dragons talk about?"
"Well, what do you want to know?" Spike inquired.
"Absolutely everything," Fluttershy answered.
"Augh," Twilight said in dismay as she conjured two corks into her ears so she wouldn't have to hear the baby dragon babbling on and on.
After some time, Twilight had arrived at the library she was supposed to be staying at just in time for Spike to finish.
"...and that's the story of my whole entire life, well up until today. Do you wanna hear about today?" Spike asked.
"Oh, yes, please," Fluttershy accepted.
'Note to self, never let this pegasus know you're a draconequus,' Twilight thought to herself before making the corks disappear and turning around to face the yellow mare.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. How did we get here so fast? This is where I'm staying while I'm in Ponyville, and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep," Twilight said with a fake smile.
"No, I..." But before Spike could finish his protest, he immediately passed out and started snoring, due to Twilight secretly casting a sleep spell.
"See, he's all tuckered out," Twilight said, gesturing to the now-sleeping Spike on her back.
"Oh my, poor thing, we simply must get him to bed," Fluttershy said in concern.
"Yes, yes, we'll get right on that. Well, goodnight," Twilight said before entering the library and shutting the door.
After entering the dark room, Twilight released the sleeping spell on Spike, allowing him to wake back up.
"Huh?" Spike said dazed before turning his head left and right.
"Really Twili? A sleeping spell?" Spike asked in a deadpan manner.
"Sorry, Spike, I'll make it up to you later with some gems," Twilight apologized.
"You better, and there's gotta be rubies in it too," Spike demanded.
"Yes, yes, we'll talk about it later. Now we need to figure out a way to warn Celestia about the upcoming disaster. Now, where's the lights?" Twilight asked.
Suddenly, the lights switched on, and the entire town was inside the library with party decorations and confetti. Both Twilight and Spike jumped at the startling surprise.
"Surprise!!!" The town all yelled together.
Twilight was so surprised she almost reverted to her draconequus form but luckily kept her transformation up.
"Surprise! Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!" A familiar pink pony said animatedly.
"Very surprised... libraries are supposed to be quiet," Twilight stated with a slightly irritated undertone.
"Well, that's silly. What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet!?" Pinkie started on a rant, but Twilight started to tune her out and glanced uncomfortably in every direction where there were ponies being loud and laughing.
The amount of noise and ponies catching up to her made her relive the first time she went out in public as a baby draconequus. Suddenly, the smiling and laughing faces around her seemed to warp into silhouettes of fearful and disgusted ponies that harassed her in Canterlot. Her breathing grew heavy, her ears folded back, and her eyes dilated. The only thing she could hear now was her own heartbeat, and her eyes were slowly growing her usual slits, with her transformation slowly unraveling until she felt a hoof gently press on her shoulder, managing to snap her out of her panic. This brought her back to reality, preventing a full-blown panic attack.
"Are you alright, sugar cube?" Applejack asked in worry, while the other ponies she met today were also looking concerned, except for Pinkie Pie, who didn't seem to notice Twilight's plight and kept babbling.
"You don't look so good, darling. Are you feeling sick?" Rarity asked, stepping forward.
Twilight shook her head to snap out of her state and tried to calm her breathing. "I'm fine, but... I gotta go..." Before any of them could speak up, Twilight vanished in a lavender flash, which made the others gasp.
"Oh! Oh! Are we playing hide and seek now!?" Pinkie asked excitedly.
"I don't think so, Pinkie. She looked mighty panicked there for a second," Applejack said, still worried about the lavender mare.
"What's her deal anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused while floating in the air.
"I don't know, Rainbow, but I think she might need some space," Applejack replied honestly.
"Oh... I hope she's alright..." Fluttershy muttered worriedly.
Twilight flashed into the bedroom of the Golden Oak Library and then proceeded to conjure enough locks on the door until it was no longer even visible. She transformed back into her draconequus form and snapped her talons, creating a magic bubble that perfectly fit the room, keeping the noise and any unwanted guests out.
Twilight sighed in relief as she hovered in the air and began stretching her body and limbs, creating some satisfying pops. She then floated to the window to gaze worriedly at the full moon. The mare in the moon was still there, but the stars were aligned like the prophecy foretold. She thought maybe she could simply snap her talons and move at least one of the stars out of the way to potentially prevent any disaster, but she wanted to trust Celestia in this matter as well. Moving any of the stars in the sky without permission would almost certainly get her in trouble.
Troubled with her plight, she decided to sift through the books that were currently inside her room.
Meanwhile, Spike, who had run to Twilight's room in concern, tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Knocking several times to get her attention also didn't seem to work.
Spike sighed in defeat and looked worriedly at the door. He knew it was impossible for anyone to reach Twilight when she gets like this.
Spike walked back to the party, although he looked less excited than he was previously.
After some time, Twilight hadn't found any book mentioning the Elements of Harmony within her room. Frustrated with no results, she decided to revert to her unicorn form and head towards the Summer Sun Celebration.
"Twilight!" Spike yelled as he ran up to the draconequus in disguise.
"Oh, hey Spike," Twilight said glumly.
"What's wrong? I saw you leave the party earlier. The ponies we met yesterday said that you had suddenly looked like you were in a panic and then flashed away. Were you having another one of those panic attacks?" Spike asked with a concerned look on his face.
"What!? No, of course not, Spike! Don't be silly!" Twilight exclaimed while looking anywhere except at the baby dragon's emerald eyes.
Spike simply raised an eyebrow in disbelief and changed his expression to a questioning gaze.
Twilight coughed in a hoof from the awkward silence that followed and then proceeded to change the subject.
"Spike, we currently have other things to worry about, like the evil mare in the moon descending upon us and causing havoc!" She exclaimed in fright.
"Twilight, that's just an old ponytale. If the Princess isn't worried about it, then neither should you. Plus, you're probably the strongest being in Equestria! If a problem arises, which it won't, then you could simply solve it with a snap of a talon." Spike emphasized his ending statement with a snap of his claws and a nonplussed look on his face that showed how he wasn't worried about it in the slightest.
Twilight sighed for two reasons. One was because she managed to successfully steer the conversation, and two was because she knew that she wouldn't be able to convince Spike that her theory was correct.
"Fine, I sure hope you're right Spike."
"Of course I am! Now let's go to the Summer Sun Celebration, and maybe it'll cheer you up when you see that everything will go just as planned!" Spike exclaimed with one claw raised as he turned on his heels and began to walk towards the town hall, with Twilight reluctantly trotting behind him.
Once Twilight made it to the town hall, she swallowed with anxiety plaguing her mind at the amount of ponies all crowded into one space and reluctantly squeezed through the mass with Spike trailing behind her.
"Hey!"
"Oof."
"Sorry!" Twilight apologized nervously as she pushed past the ponies to reach the front so she could see for herself that Celestia was alright when she would inevitably appear to announce the beginning of the celebration and raise the sun.
After she had squeezed her way through the front line of ponies, she looked up towards the balcony, only to get a pink mare to fill her vision instead.
"Hey, Twilight!"
The sudden shout and breach of personal space made her head move back instinctively. Though Twilight was frightened at her sudden appearance, the pink mare didn't seem to notice.
"I noticed you didn't even eat anything at the party. Which is weird because it was your party after all! And that's just silly because like who doesn't eat anything at their own party!? Certainly not me! With the last sweet and delicious cupcake just sitting there I thought. Pinkie, you gotta save at least one for the new pony in town! But then I was like, but I want to eat it too! And then I fought with myself because they're totally delicious and who would say no to eating that! But then I realized you probably needed it more than me since you skipped out, so I brought you this!" The crazy pink mare suddenly shoved a pink frosted cupcake up to Twilight's face.
Twilight blinked a few times before reluctantly taking the cupcake.
"Uh, thanks, I guess..." She responded hesitantly.
"No problem! Enjoy your cupcake!" Pinkie smiled and then bounced away happily.
Twilight blinked in bewilderment as she watched the strange pink pony vanish into the crowd, not noticing her trusted assistant hadn't caught up to her yet.
"Excuse me! Woah!" Spike yelped as he squeezed through a small gap within the line of ponies and tripped, making him smack straight into Twilight's flank, causing her to fumble the cupcake she was given and dropping it straight onto the floor.
Twilight was about to shoot an annoyed glare at Spike as he leapt onto her back, but her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of trumpets and birds singing in sync. Her head immediately turned to gaze at the stage.
"Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!" A tanned mare with a gray mane and blue eyes announced to the crowd of ponies, which was followed by cheering.
"In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise and celebrate this longest day of the year!" The mayor continued.
"And now, it is my great honor to introduce you to the ruler of our land. The very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day! The good, the wise, the bringer of Harmony to all of Equestria! Princess Celestia!" As the mayor finished her speech, the birds sang as orchestrated by Fluttershy, while Rarity gripped a rope with her teeth and pulled to allow a set of curtains to open up on the balcony.
"Huh?!" Rarity exclaimed in confusion as the curtains and spotlight revealed no pony.
Panicked murmurs started to erupt from the crowd as everypony began to let panic set in.
Twilight's ears wilted in worry. "This can't be good..." She mumbled under her breath.
"Remain calm, everypony. There must be a reasonable explanation." The mayor tried to calm the crowd but seemed just as surprised and panicked as everypony else.
"Oooh! Ooh! Ooh! I love guessing games! Is she hiding?" Pinkie exclaimed as she started to look around for the Princess while Twilight just rolled her eyes at the crazy pony's antics.
"She's gone!" Rarity exclaimed in shock to the crowd after checking the backstage.
The crowd of ponies gasped in shock from the new information.
"Oooh, she's good." Exclaimed Pinkie Pie before looking back to the stage and yelping in surprise.
A black fog of smoke filled with stars seeped onto the balcony before shifting into a large black alicorn with green slitted eyes, a starry flowing mane, and silver armor that adorned her head, barrel, and hooves.
Twilight looked up worriedly at the alicorn while Spike fainted and fell off her back.
"Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces." The black alicorn, known as Nightmare Moon, said with a venomous undertone.
"What did you do with our princess!" Rainbow Dash demanded as she tried to fly at the evil alicorn but was stopped by Applejack, who gripped the rainbow-maned pegasus by the tail with her teeth.
"Woah there, nelly," Applejack said from between her teeth, her mouth still full of Rainbow Dash's tail.
Nightmare Moon laughed at the pony's reaction. "Why am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"
"Ooh! Ooh! More guessing games! Umm Pokie Smokes, how about Queen Meanie! No, no. Black Snoody!" Before Pinkie could continue, Applejack managed to shove a nearby apple into Pinkie's mouth, cutting her off and only allowing her to mumble.
"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?" The Alicorn asked Fluttershy after looming over her, causing all of her birds to fly away in fear and the butter-yellow pegasus to turn away in fright.
"Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?" She continued after getting in Rarity's personal space and tilting her chin up with her star-lit mane.
"I did!" Exclaimed a voice that caught everypony's attention, including the alicorn’s.
Twilight gulped nervously at having so much attention but decided to press on.
"A-and... I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon, N-Nightmare Moon!" Twilight exclaimed as the crowd of ponies gasped.
"Well, well, well, somepony who remembers me. So you also know why I'm here."
"You're here to.. to.." Twilight swallowed nervously, feeling all the eyes pointed towards her, but the Alicorn mistook it as fear directed at her and laughed.
"Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!" She exclaimed as she began to laugh maniacally while her mane began to swirl upwards in a spiral as lightning flashed around her.
"Not if I can help it!" Twilight exclaimed after gaining enough courage, making the Alicorn and all the ponies look towards her in surprise.
End of Chapter 1