“I know Spike, but I have to go to Canterlot, and Celestia said to come as swiftly as possible. I can’t even wait for a train; she sent a carriage to escort me directly to the castle.” Princess Twilight Sparkle paced back and forth, putting various objects from quills to calculators into her magically enhanced saddlebags, which were much bigger on the inside.
“But Twilight, don’t you think it’s a little odd?” The young dragon asked. Twilight continued scramble for as many things as she could fit into her bags. “I mean, it was only one letter she sent, and it was very…um” Spike struggled to find a word to describe the brief letter the eldest princess sent.
“Vague?” Twilight suggested.
“Yeah, vage.” Spike said, poorly mispronouncing the word.
“Well it sounded important so…off to Canterlot with me.”
“Why can’t anyone go with you, not even me?”
“You read the letter. The princess said nopony could come with me, and we don’t want another mirror incident, so I’m asking you as a friend, stay home.”
“But…Twilight…”
“Spike…please.” Twilight was looking at him intensively.
“Well okay, if you think it’s best. Do you have everything you need?” Spike said, trying to change the subject off of his mishap in the Crystal Empire.
“I only need to double check my list for my checklists…” She began scribbling what would appear to be incomprehensible lines to anyone but her. In reality, it was a spell that compressed information to save much more space. It was almost a second language to the mare.
“You haven’t changed all that much have you Twilight?” He said questioningly.
“Spike, if I haven’t changed then why would Princess Celestia need me to be there so urgently? I was just a little filly when she took me under her wing.”
“You’re a princess now, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“That doesn't mean I want to be treated like one; you know that.”
“I dunno…if I were you I’d want to be like royalty. Imagine having your own personal butler. We could call him Jeffery!”
“Spike…you can’t name butlers.”
“You can if you’re a princess” He placed a new tiara, made by Rarity to replace Twilight’s element, on her head. “You see, you belong as royalty.” She levitated the tiara off her head and into the trunk near her bed.
“I really don’t need all these crowns and tiaras. Oh shoot! I have to leave now if I’m going to make it there in time.”
“Why can’t you just teleport where you need to go? Or fly?” Twilight stopped her packing and pacing to explain her predicament to Spike.
“I still can’t fly very well. I wasn’t born a pegasus so my bones aren’t light enough to fly for long distances. And teleporting would use too much of my energy. If the Princess was too urgent for me to not go by train, she might be in danger! What if she’s been captured! What if it’s a trap! Without the Elements, what’s stopping any of our old threats? Cadence and Shining Armor are still working hard in the Crystal Empire.” The ‘what ifs’ went on in the same fashion for some time. Twilight’s wandering imagination got the best of her, and she stopped everything to let herself think of what she could do to prevent anything from going wrong.
Suddenly, her number two assistant, Owlowiscious, began flapping uncontrollably at the door. Twilight glanced over and saw through the window that a chariot drawn by two royal guard pegasi had arrived to escort her. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts. “Spike, I have to go now; my Princess needs me!” She ran directly at the door, stopped abruptly to regain her posture, and walked calmly out the door. One of the guards helped her into her carriage, and then closed the door behind her.
“Bye Twilight!” Spike yelled out after his best friend.
“Hoo!” Owlowiscious cried out.
“Oh no, not again, bird.” Spike said glaring at the owl.
Twilight could hear this small exchange and couldn't help but giggle at the two. She canceled her auditory spell, allowing her to listen to them for a short time. “So what’s the situation in Canterlot? And why is it so important I be there?” She asked the carriage driver, a charcoal colored male with a short mane.
“Your Majesty.” He said referring to Twilight. “Princess Celestia wished for me to give you this.” The driver handed her a scroll.
“A scroll? That’s what was so urgent? You could have sent this to me! Or Spike even!” Twilight’s voice rose to a shout.
“I apologize, princess, but I was instructed not to, under any circumstances, let this be seen by anyone but yourself. This carriage is even enc-“
“Yes, enchanted, I know. If you think I can’t tell when a simple cart has been altered magically, you must be horribly mistaken.” Her temper was rising, all due to her mentor being in possible danger.
“I mean you no disrespect, Your Highness, but I only wish to reassure you of our good intentions.”
“If you want to be respectful, leave me be.” Twilight said with finality. The colt tried to object but was immediately blocked off by a magic ward put between himself and the young princess.
“Leave me be.” Twilight mouthed to the driver. He sighed and went back to directing the pegasi keeping them aloft. Twilight turned her attention to the scroll. She unsealed and began reading the apparently crucial document.
“Dear Princess Twilight,
I wish I could explain more, but time is of the essence. Until recently, as you know, your friendship was powerful enough to help defend this land. When you returned the Elements of Harmony, you cleansed the world of Discord’s final attempt at control and chaos. I wish you to further yourself as my student, and I require your assistance in preventing a major threat. I will give you the task when I next see you, hopefully soon.
~Princess Celestia”
She couldn’t help but note the irony in how the princess was addressing herself in the same way she used to address Celestia when she was younger. That’s just what the words in the letter said, however. With her abilities, she could immediately tell that the scroll was charmed. After a complicated series of magical “locks” were picked, the letters that mattered showed and rearranged themselves. The letters read as:
“The old elements are in danger. Must be returned to their resting place. World in danger. Go to Clover Grotto.”
As if the weight of the sky suddenly crashed onto her mind, she recognized the danger herself, her friends, and her world was in. Instead of losing her thoughts, she remained collected. After burning the scroll, she conjured a decoy in place of herself, then silently teleported out of the carriage.
Her teacher needed her.