//------------------------------//
// Chapter 18 ~ Here Comes Trouble 
// Story: The Matter Of Friendship 
// by HeartShieldFiM 
//------------------------------//

Twilight stomped her hoof on the ground. 'Pinkie! Focus!'
'Sorry Twi, but I had the wéirdest dream tonight!' Pinkie continued talking to Applejack, who seemed to be very interested. '...and then, there was this weird sort of "painting", with moving things... And on that painting, I actually saw us! Can you believe it? And there were all sorts of almost hairless, monkey-like creatures watching us, and acting like they were us... It was really, really weird. We were some kind of celebrity there.'
'Okay, that dóes sound strange,' Applejack replied.
'Uhu, I have weird dreams all the time but this one was the craziest!'
Twilight sighed. 'Gu-huys!'
'Sorry Twilight!' the other five said in unison, and immediately shut up.
Twilight marched around in the room. 'Does everypony have packed their stuff?' she asked.
The others only nodded.
'Good,' Twilight continued. 'I guess we'll have to go to the station now.'
'I heard Celestia has an appartment for us where we can stay?' Fluttershy asked.
'We can stay in a tower near the library,' Twilight replied.
Fluttershy smiled. 'That is so kind of her.'

'Pinkie Pie! Wait!'
Pinkie turned around to see Discord and Screwball running towards her.
'Hurry up, the train is about to leave!' Rainbow Dash said.
'I... Screwball... wanted to say goodbye to you,' Discord muttered while catching his breath.
Pinkie grinned. 'Sure. But seriously, I'll be back tomorrow!'
'Yeah, but after what you've done for me... Screwball.... US, we could not let you just go without saying goodbye.'
Pinkie hugged the two. 'Well, bye then! We'll be back tomorrow, okay?'
'Okay,' Discord replied. 'Good luck, you six!'
Pinkie got on the train and waved. 'Bye, everypony!'

'I simply can not believe they are doing this for me,' Discord said to Screwball.
She shrugged. 'Me neither, actually. I mean, I don't know why but they did not seem to appreciate the chaos you have caused earlier. And now... this!'
'Three of them are still mad at me,' the draconequus replied. 'Dash, Fluttershy and not to forget about Twilight.'
'Three of them really seem to like you,' Screwball said. 'It's better than nothing.'
'You are right, oh daughter of mine.' Discord patted her on her head.
Apple Bloom passed by and looked surprised by Screwball's language.
'She has her bright moments,' Discord explained as he saw the look on the filly's face. 'And she is older, by the way.'
Apple Bloom stopped. 'But... ah thought she did not age?'
Screwball explained the spell to Apple Bloom. 'Get it?' she said after she finished the story.
The filly nodded. 'Ah do, though it still seems kinda strange to me.'
'We should get you glasses,' Discord said to his daughter. 'Maybe your eyes would go look different. Though I actually like them this way.'
'Me too!' Apple Bloom said. 'They're all like twisty and swirly.'
Screwball grinned. 'You do like my eyes? I always thought everypony found them weird.'
'Ah dó find them weird,' the other pony replied. 'But I like them. Maybe because they are different.'

'What's that force field around Canterlot?' Twilight said. 'I mean, it's like the time my brother got married.'
Rainbow Dash shrugged. 'Can't be anything we can't handle,' she replied.
Fluttershy had already hid herself under the train seat. 'Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh I hope everypony is okay...' she muttered, nearly hyperventilating.
Pinkie pulled out a paper bag from an emergency paper bag spot for paper bag emergencies (She hides them everywhere!) and gave it to Fluttershy. 'Calm down, it can't be THAT bad.'
'Maybe they did it for us,' Rarity said, though she knew it was not true.
As soon as everypony had left the train, Princess Luna landed on the train station. 'Oh, how good to have you here. A place near ponyville is under attack, but nopony knows by what yet.'
'Discord?' Twilight said, and immediately got a shoulderbump from Pinkie.
'I dare you to say that again, Twilight Sparkle,' she said in a deadly serious voice.
'No, it is certainly NOT Discord,' Luna continued. 'It is way stronger than he was. Is.'
Pinkie chuckled. 'Good that he is not here to hear you say that.'
Luna smiled. 'You can follow me to your appartment,' she said. 'It is not far from here.'
The six walked after Luna to a wonderful, very high white tower.
'My goodness,' Rarity said. 'Are we going to sleep here!?'
Luna nodded. 'You are. And by the way, the library is over there.' She pointed out a tower which was bigger than the ones surrounding it.
'Is THAT the library?' Pinkie asked surprised. 'How are we ever ever éver gonna find that book?'
The Princess smiled. 'You will find it. It's sorted on alphabetical order, don't worry.'
'Wow, that tower is huge...' Fluttershy whispered. 'Almost intimidating...'
'Oh, sweetie, if it'd depend on you, éverything would be intimidating,' Rarity said.
Fluttershy nodded and smiled. 'Yeah, I guess so...'
'I'd love to jump out of that window,' Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.
'Dash!' Applejack shouted shocked. 'You... what!?'
Rainbow Dash laughed and rolled her eyes. 'To make speed, silly. It would be way easier for me to make a sonic rainboom if I could jump down from something.'
Applejack sighed. 'Thank the Princess for that. Ah almost thought you would want to... ya know...'
'I know, but calm down. I absolutely do not have any reason to do that,' the Pegasus replied, and laughed. 'The lone thought of it...' she said to herself. 'Ridiculous.'
'What are you waiting for?' Twilight said to the two. 'The others are 'ready inside. After we have unpacked our bags, we'll visit the library.'
'Why are we gonna stay here for a day and a night, actually?' Pinkie asked.
Twilight smiled. 'Because if we don't find the book the first day, we will have another day to look for it.'

'Oh my... this room looks fantastic!' Rarity muttered. She was the only pony with a room for herself, ánd a private bathroom. The room was about twice as big as her bedroom at home, and it had a kingsize bed with an awful lot of pillows stacked on the end.
Twilight and Fluttershy shared a room, and Pinkie wanted to share one with Rainbow and Applejack. 'Since you are the two most likely wanting to have a pillow fight,' she explained.
'Be warned, Pinkie Pie,' AJ had replied. 'Ah am terribly good at pillow fights.'
After they all had made their beds, they gathered in Twilight's room for a quick meeting. They then headed down to the library. The moment they entered, they all were astonished by the thousands and thousands of books surrounding him. The shelves were stacking up to the ceiling, which was very very far away from the ground.
'Good day,' the library-assistant said. 'Are you looking for a book?'
Twilight sighed and felt the urge to say 'no', but said, 'Yes, we are looking for the Big Encyclopedia of...'
'Oh, I know who you are and which book you need,' the pony said. 'As soon as we heard from you, we have put the book ap...aaaah!'
'What was that!?' Pinkie shouted. The floor seemed to shake, the books fell of the shelves and the walls cracked.
Dash sprinted outside to take a look. 'Great glory,' she said. What she saw was frightening, even for her. Anóther Rainbow Dash stood right in front of her and grinned. Dash knew what this meant and kicked the changeling's flank. 'Take that, you little bucker!' she shouted.
The others came out of the library as well, and soon being mirrored by changelings.
'Holy cow, not again,' AJ sighed.
Fluttershy hyperventilated again and Pinkie gave her another bag, which she blew up immediately.
'We have done this before,' Dash said. 'We can do it again, now.'
They suddenly heard an evil and spine-chilling laugh. 'You think?' a voice said.
'Chrysalis,' Twilight muttered. 'Show yourself, or are you afraid or something?'
'I will,' the voice continued.
Twilight looked around and suddenly saw Princess Celestia. She ran towards her to hug her, yelling, 'Princess! I am so glad you are okay!'
But the Princess' eyes turned green and she fired a beam at Twilight. 'Be quiet, fool!'
'I have the feeling that is not the Princess we think she is,' Rarity said.
'My army has been defeated by you and your royal couple,' Chrysalis continued. 'But now we are back. We are with more than ever, we are stronger than ever, and with your brother and his wife visiting Rocksville, nopony will stop me from taking the throne!'
With those words, she took off and headed towards the castle.
'Celestia!' Twilight yelled. 'Come on, guys! We have to warn either sáve the Princess!'
Dash also spread her wings. 'I'll go first,' she said, and she was gone.
'Excuse me,' Rainbow Dash said.
Pinkie looked confused.
'She's a bucking changeling!' the real Dash yelled, and started chasing her imitator. 'See ya later!'
'We have to warn the Princess!' Twilight said again, and the other five started running towards the castle.
'Oh, if we just make it in time!' Pinkie said while running.
Twilight frowned. 'All we can do is hope for the best...'