//------------------------------// // a long time ago... // Story: a long time ago... // by The Collapsed Library //------------------------------// "Twilight! Open up! We've got the kids here for their slumber-thingy!" Applejack shouted into the locked door, "c'mon sugarcube, open up!" "Applejack!" Rarity shouted at her friend, "It's not a 'slumber-thingy!' It's a slumber party!" "DID SOMEONE SAY 'PARTY!' YOU KNOW I LOVE PARTIES!" Pinkie screamed as she appeared behind the five ponies waiting outside the library, "WHAT KIND OF PARTY?" "A slumber party dear, now please help us get twilight to open the door." Rarity replied after her hearing came back. "STAND BACK! I got this!" Pinkie declared as she approached the door, "hey twilight, I was at the bookstore earlier and apparently the next daring do novel was cancelled. Got any th..." before she could continue with her speech a lavender hoof ripped through the door and grabbed her muzzle. "What did you say?" Twilight asked, visibly trying to contain the rage welling up inside her from this recent announcement. "Oh, I made all that up silly!" Pinkie explained, "you weren't opening up so I had to say something!" "Oh thank Celestia," Twilight exclaimed as she visibly calmed down, then looked over and saw Applejack and Rarity peeking around Pinkie to make sure it was safe, and blushed, "oh, hi girls, come in! Sorry to keep you waiting, I found a really good storybook for tonight and couldn't put it down." She explained as she let everyone into the library. "OOOH! OOOH! I wanna hear it!" Pinkie yelled as she almost touched the ceiling, "Pleasepleaseplease? I will be super duper quiet, you wont even know I'm there Pinkie promise!" "Alright Pinkie, I would've let you stay anyways." Twilight reassured as pinkie came floating down. Hmm... the sky seems unnaturally cloudy today Celestia thought to herself as she looked on from her throne into the sky through the stained glass windows showing her students many successes. I wonder if I could get rainbow dash to work on that at all, I'll have to ask her about that later. She silently moaned to herself as court dragged on and looked back at the nobles and guards surrounding her, "Court is adjourned for today, please bring all further requests to my sister at her night court. Good day to you all I look forward to the next court session." A stunned silence fell over the crowd of nobles, until even blueblood left the hall without a complaint to his treatment. The princess then extended her wings as she walked out to the balcony, and took flight. "Okay kids gather 'round." Twilight called out to the room in general, filled with just three little fillies, "i have a story to tell you." "Oh is it one of your adventures?" Sweetie Belle asked, obviously excited at the thought, "is it the one about Nightmare Moon?" "Nope," Twilight said, a grin spreading across her face, "it's better than that one." "Is it the one were you fought off the dragon in the mountain?" Scootaloo questioned, "that one is really good." "As I recall we never really 'fought off' the dragon," Twilight responded, her grin only getting wider, "Fluttershy used the 'stare' on him." "Then which one is it?" Applebloom asked, "we've heard most of 'em, so what could be cooler than the two they've said?" "I think she means the book behind her back." said a familiar voice as it's owner entered the room followed by a sheepishly grinning Spike. "PRINCESS CELESTIA!!" Twilight and the CMC exclaimed in unison. "Yes, I thought I'd take some time off to see my faithful student again," Celestia explained, "Are you busy? I can come back some other time..." "NO! I mean, no, your timing is impeccable as always, we were just starting a slumber party and I thought I'd tell them a story." Twilight hastily explained," You can stay if you like." "As princess of Equestria, I declare this an acceptable endeavor!" She exclaimed as a pillow and bedroll emblazoned with her cutie mark appeared on the floor and her torque and crown were placed on a shelf, "I am disappointed though," she told her student, and, when seeing her face droop into a frown, winked at the CMC, "It is customary to get a letter of invitation is it not? After all, I got an invitation to the one you had your first day in the castle." Twilight began to blush extensively, causing the fillies and the princess to begin laughing. "It's not funny," Twilight mumbled as the fillies and the princess began rolling and clutching their sides, "besides, you told me to address it to smartypants, then he gave it to you so you could go." This only caused the fillies and princess to laugh even harder, they continued to laugh they were in tears. Then, they slowly rolled over and began unrolling their sleeping rolls. When everyone was set up and ready to listen, twilight cracked open the book and began to read. Before the reign of the diarchy, before the might of pegastopolis, or the wisdom of unicornia, or even the power of the earth pony nation, there were the seven tribes of equality. Each tribe had it's own alicorn protector, each protector was from the same blood line, one filled with intensely powerful magic. for centuries they ruled in peace and prosperity. But sadly, like all utopias, there is always a disaster to ruin it, this came in the form of the draconequus we know as Discord. He was not alone however, he came with six others. Each created to be the balance of one of the alicorns. There was a mighty battle, but in the end only two remained: Discord, and the strongest of the alicorns, the one known as the commander of the skies. They fought for hundreds of years, until eventually, the alicorn gave his life to ensure that a weapon would be created to subdue his rival. Discord then went dormant, without purpose, until he decided to destroy what his rival had fought so hard to save. As she closed the book, Twilight looked down on the sleeping forms of three fillies and one princess of the sun, what a nice story she thought, it almost sounds real when you think of how the legend of nightmare moon was written. Shortly after the last light turned off in the Golden Oaks Library, a great thunderclap echoed across the sky. As it ended, a white light lit up the sky, and as it faded, a figure began to plummet from the point of origin. As he tumbled, only one thought entered his mind. I'm home.