“Spike. Spike? Spike!” Twilight said, as she tried to wake the dragon up.
Half asleep, Spike waved his arms sleepily over his head. “Ahh no more cake, I’ve had- wha- what? Oh,” disappointment flashed across his face, “Twilight it’s just you. I’m going back to sleep.” Then he pulled a blanket over his head; in order to stop the noon sun from waking him.
“No Spike.” She responded, carelessly levitating his blanket off and gently placing Spike in front of a bowl of water to wash with. Spike yawned and slumped his shoulders while dutifully washing his claws. “Now, I let you sleep in all morning, but we have a lot to do today.”
Fully awake now Spike pouted. “No you don’t. You’re a princess, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, that’s what makes a princess a princess.” He tried to argue.
Twilight began packing up her clothes. “Spike... Did you drink too much of Pinkie Pie’s ‘Special Pony-tastic Punch’ last night?” No response from the still drowsy dragon. “Spike... Princess Celestia never sits on her rump all day. It’s a lot of work running Canterlot everyday. And she’s been doing it for over 2000 years. Luna sleeps during the day, but you know that she takes her role, as Princess of the Night, very seriously. Then there is the little matter of raising the Sun and the Moon every day. Can you still call them lazy princesses?”
Twilight paused in her speech to re-examine the picture of the Ancient Palace. “But that’s not why I woke you. Princess Luna wants my help, so I’m going to need my best dragon on the job.”
Spike rubbed his eyes. Then yawned as he rolled out of bed. “I-I’m your dragon, *yawn* but do we really need to do this now?”
“Oh Spike…” Twilight Sparkle chided, as she shook her head. “Last night the Princesses and I had a long talk about my new responsibilities. The transformation of unicorn to alicorn is fully complete and irreversible. Not to mention rare. Equestria already has two rulers, with Cadence looking after the crystal ponies in the north, as a territory guardian. There really doesn’t seem to be a place for another princess.
“Sigh, as an alicorn, I could possibly still be around, for maybe the next millennium, or just the next hundred years. I can’t just hang around the palace, as a useless symbol. I need something to do. A reason, Spike. Before all this happened, I was happy studying magic all day. After that I pursued the meaning of friendship. Now…
“All ponies have a purpose. Now… What is the purpose of a Princess of Friendship?” Twilight continued as she began to neatly arrange suitcases by color and size, trying to calm herself. “Even Princess Celestia and Luna, can’t figure it out yet.” Stomping her hoof down on one of the cases, she yelled out. “The only thing I can do now, is go into the Everfree Forest.”
Spike barely heard Twilight as he went on his knees to crawl back into bed. *Ahh pony punch, Pinkie’s Pony-tastic pony punch, the greatest invention ever. Yawn...* His poor tired mind was about to send Spike back to dream land, until he heard, “Ev- Everfree f-f-forest?”
“Yep,” Twilight confirmed absently, pausing to stare at some scrolls containing references to the ancient palace. “Princess Luna asked me to look for a friend of hers, from long ago.” Then she shrugged, “It’s the first place I thought of to look for clues.” Magically picking up the scrolls, Twilight Sparkle began carefully placing them into her saddlebags with her cutie embossed on the flaps.
Spike had gone quickly from tense- to a sickly shade of purple. “But the Everfree Forest? Why do we have to go there? I’m sure you haven’t even searched half the books. Wait for me and we can really-” Then he passed out, luckily he made it to the bed.
Startled by a light thumping noise, Twilight quickly ran to Spike. “Spike? Spike…” Looking sadly down at her long-time friend and assistant, Twilight gently tucked him back into bed. “It’s alright Spike, we can leave later.” She whispered. “You obviously had too much fun last night. *giggle* Then again it could’ve also been Pinkie Pie’s Pony-tastic Punch. A little of it goes a very long way, and I’m sure you had at least four servings.”
Looking around Twilight Sparkle came to a few decisions.
Gently putting the unconscious dragon in her bed, Twilight wrote a note and left it for Spike. Then she quietly left the room. Deciding to visit Cadence, Shining Armor and her parents before they all left for home.
A few hours later, Spike found Twilight laughing and joking with the rest of her family. Talking about Twilight’s early foal-hood, “-and then, HA HA he levitated the whole cake right *giggle* onto her horn.” Crescent said, as Shining Armor blushed. “It was the cutest way I’ve ever seen to feed a stubborn foal. *laugh* Of course that was just before we hired Cadence here, to foal sit for us. I mean, the mischief those two could get into… and that was when we watching them! There was no way we could leave them home alone. Celestia only knows what kinds of messes we’d find later,” he joked.
“Da-ad,” Shinning Armor blushed looking away from Cadence. “That was a long time ago. I’m a grown up stallion, former leader of the Princess' Guard. Can we not talk about what happened when I was still a foal.”
“Nonsense, my boy, you’re still my foal and I’ve got tons of cute pictures in this album.” Crescent Moon replied. Then he picked up a photo album titled Shining’s first birthday. “Now if you wanna see the proof- Oh hey Spike. Come on in. Twilight told us you were sound asleep. Can’t blame you much, can we, I didn’t wake up myself until the ‘Mrs.’ here, hoof kicked me out of the bed. That party will go down in history. Why I’m sure that crazy Pinkameina is still having a blast.”
“Dad…” Twilight protested.
“Now, now, dear.” Twilight Velvet went to her youngest foal, and then shared a smile with her husband. “He didn’t mean any offense. Your father loves that sweet pony just as much as anypony. She just seems to enjoy a party more than anypony in Canterlot.” When Twilight calmed a little, Velvet walked over to Spike and gently ushered him into the room.
Spike nodded politely at Twilight’s mom, his attention mostly focused on Twilight Sparkle. “Twilight? I had a terrible nightmare. I dreamt you said we have to go back into the Everfree Forest,” he asked, not really wanting her to confirm his suspicions.
Seeing the fear on his face, Twilight jumped up from the couch and hugged him tight. “Spike? Weren’t you paying attention to me when I talked about it? I know you were sleepy at the time, but it was a very important conversation. Princess Luna needs my help.”
“No-o-o-o,” Spike cried. “I don’t wanna go back into that scary place.”
“Wait, Twily,” Shining Armor interjected. “You didn’t say anything about going into the Everfree Forest. When did this happen? Why did this happen.”
“Ever- Everfree Forest?” Cadence shuddered and nuzzled Shining’s mane. “Isn’t that the most haunted place of all Equestria? Twilight. Why ever would you want to go there?”
Still hugging Spike, Twilight began, “Princess Luna really needs my help.” Twilight let go of Spike and began to smile, remembering the small amount of research material found that morning. “I’ve, already tried to find information I need here. But I honestly feel that what I need is back at the original castle. It’s there, locked away waiting for me to find it… Imagine, a lost piece of history.”
“But my darling,” Her mom argued. “There are reasons no pony goes there. You wrote your father and me a letter describing how scary it was, remember it was just after Princess Luna returned to the throne? I still have that letter. And there’s only a hoof-ful of ponies to have ever traveled so deeply, as you, into that forest, most of them your dearest friends.” As Twilight took a breath to argue, she held up her hoof. “I know you’re no longer a foal that you’ve become a hero of Equestria and now an alicorn. But, but I’m still your mother and, we all care deeply, for you.”
“But mom…” Twilight moaned, not understanding what the big deal was. “The forest, is nothing like what ponies say it is.”
“You’re mother’s right, my little star,” said Twilight’s dad. “You’ve moved away from Canterlot, our home, to a small town called Ponyville. We didn’t say anything. Risked your life defeating Discord, we didn’t say anything. You helped your brother to restore young Cadence to her throne. And still we never said a word. You did everything at Princess Celestia’s request and we never argued. This time, this time I am going to say something!” Angry, Crescent took a deep breath. “Before-- you go risking your life! And this time! I get to have a say, you’re not going into that blasted cursed forest to explore a moldy old pile of rubble.”
“But dad, it’s nothing like that.”
“My little Sparkle, are you trying to tell me those woods are completely safe.”
“Well, no… The Princesses-”
“The Princesses sent you on a new quest.” He interrupted stomping a hoof on the floor.
Twilight slumped in her seat, giving Spike another hug. Cadence and Shining Armor took to defending her, by arguing with Twilight Velvet and Crescent Moon. It took a while to calm them down. The arguing lasted so long Spike fell asleep again. It took a few hours but Crescent finally agreed Twilight would go into the Everfree Forest, to explore the ancient palace, as long as she sent a letter to her parents every week and to summon her BBBFF for ANY problems that she and her friends couldn’t handle.
Spike, when he woke up, argued his own case for going along. He argued about his recurring nightmares about Nightmare Moon, and Twilight dying for Princess Celestia. “You can’t leave me, alone, in that stuffy old library, by myself. I’m still just a poor little baby dragon. It’s not right to abandon me, while you go off on another adventure.”
Twilight held up a hoof, “Poor little dragon?”
Spike got down on his knees. “Come on Twilight, you’re just going to rebuild a castle. How much trouble can happen? Anyway you need me to make all those lists you’re going to triple check. Plus I can send all your progress reports to Celestia, as soon as you write them. Then you can leave Archimedes in charge. I’m sure he’d be great at looking after Golden Oaks.”
Smiling Twilight Sparkle hugged the little dragon. “Spike, are you really sure you want to come along with us?”
“Us? You mean Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie are coming with you? Then that settles it, you have to take me, please! Don’t leave me alone again. I’ll worry too much about you! Besides you said it’s perfectly safe.“
“Spike...” Twilight replied skeptically.
“Please Twilight…”
“Sigh, Let me think about it. Right now, I’d really like to visit with mom, dad, Shining Armor and Cadence. Who knows when I’ll get to see them all together again?”
“Yes Princess…” Spike said sullenly, then he *humphed* as he crossed his arms pouting, “whatever, I’ll be in our rooms, packing.”
“I still don’t think, that you should go there without me.” Spike grumbled to himself as he walked out the room.
sigh “Spike, Spike…” Twilight called out after him. Just as she began to run after him, she stopped to looking back at her parents. “I- I-“
“It’s okay dear.”
“But. Mom” Twilight said as looked on with worry filling her eyes.
“He’s been through just as much as you dear.” Velvet reminded her daughter. “And he’s still just a baby, not a young mare like you.” She then turned Twilight’s face to her so mother and daughter could look each other in the eyes. “But, perhaps he shouldn’t go with you. At least not until it’s safe.” She waited until Twilight nodded in understanding. “I know you want him close, but let him know that he can come back and visit us in Canterlot. No matter what friends surround you, family is what can really help.”
Hugging her mom, “thanks. I don’t know what I’d you without you, mom.”
Shining Armor nudged Twilight’s shoulder with his hoof. “Hey! Don’t forget get about me lil’ sis. I’m there for ya too.” Then joined his mom in giving Twilight a hug.
“Me as well.” Cadence reminded them, also joining in the hug.
Lastly, Crescent joined the hug, encompassing the whole group. “I still can’t believe how grown-up my foals have gotten.”
Dear, Princess Twilight Sparkle
I am both pleased and worried for you.
I understand you are eager to start out on your journey. I remember well the first years Luna and I became princesses. All the strides we made in a fledgling country, all the mistakes as well.
It’s the memory of the last mistake we made together, that I caution you. You may think the greatest secret of Equestria, is the identity of NightMare Moon. There is a greater secret that I keep from Luna. So I beg you not to go into the Everfree Forest.
Please deny Luna, as I have been since her return.
I love all my little ponies, my sister most of all. So it is that love that guides me now.
Knowing your love of knowledge and friendship with my sister; I will not stand in your way. So I will help you, by telling you that there was a reason Luna and I lived there.
One time Everfree Forest was once a lovely garden, unrivaled in all of history, and our palace was the crowning jewel. Ponies and creatures from miles around made pilgrimages, just to visit us. It was considered the most magical place on the planet, filled exotic flowers and perfect weather all year round.
In my memories it still is. I will never forget all the fond memories Luna and I made.
Hopefully, you will never come across the queen you found a reference to in your research. She is real. Do not seek her.
That said, she and her kind were always quite reclusive.
Your beloved teacher,
Princess Celestia
P.S. You may also wonder why I flew by Rainbow Dash alone this morning. It’s a secret you will learn after 100 years or so. Good exercise can only clear the mind when others are not around. Being a ruler is hard work and sometimes even I need to be away from my beloved subjects. It was just coincidence that Rainbow Dash encountered me.