After the Cycle, Twilight opened up the closet where she had hidden her baby dragon. Spike sighed in his sleep and rolled over to face Twilight. A content smile was on his adorable face. Twilight had decided last night, she wanted to show her asocial brother, Shining Armor. She climbed the stairs to her brothers room and nocked on the door.
"Shining? I have something important to talk to you about." Twilight called. She still wore the cloak she always did to hide her blank flank, but she knew that Shining would love to see it.
"Crap!" Shining's voice was muffled. She heard desperate clattering inside. Shining mumbled incoherent things before opening the door a crack. Twilight craned her neck to see around his face, but the door was opened too narrowly. "Yes, Twily?" He asked.
"I was hoping to show you in my room." Twilight said hopefully.
"Okay." Shining said nervously as he squeezed out the door and followed Twilight to her room.
"You have to keep it secret, though." Twilight warned. Shining Armor rolled his eyes.
"Whatever, Twilight." He said.
"I'm serious." Twilight said with a pout.
"Alright!" Shining agreed. "What is it?"
Twilight smiled and shook off her cape. Shining's eyes widened at the sight of the star. "The Twilight shall come, the Sun will rise." he mumbled.
"What?" Twilight asked. Shining told her nothing, so she continued. "I don't really know exactly what it is. Do you?"
"Twilight, promise me you will show this to nopony." Shining said. Twilight flinched at his tone.
"Why?" Twilight asked.
"TWILIGHT, PROMISE ME!" He insisted as he moved closer to her. Fear filled her eyes and she stepped back.
"Tell me why." Twilight replied.
Shining shoved Twilight up against the wall, and she whimpered in fear. "TWILIGHT SPARKLE, QUIT BEING SUCH A FOAL! PROMISE ME RIGHT NOW, YOU STUBBORN MULE!"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Twilight screamed. She imagined getting to the other side of the room, and she felt her horn ignite again. She found herself on the other side of the room feeling disoriented. "You're a monster." Twilight sobbed as she pulled on her cloak and ran from the room.
"Twilight! Wait!" Shining shouted, but Twilight ignored him and slammed the front door behind her.
Twilight strolled pointlessly through the streets. A slight headache from her teleporting plagued her. She longed to go home to get her stuff an go back to seclusion, but she didn't want to risk seeing Shining Armor again. She knew she couldn't practice her new-found abilities with so many ponies around.
Twilight was lost in thought when the same cyan mare landed in front of her. "Twilight Sparkle! You need to come with me." She said.
"What? Why?" Twilight asked nervously as she stepped back.
"We just need to talk to ya, Twilight." She heard AppleJack's southern accent behind her.
"I really don't want to right now." Twilight said as she tried to walk past the Pegasus. The mare shot out her wings and blocked her escape.
"Not so fast, freak. We weren't asking." She said with a huff. Twilight cursed herself for walking down an alley where nopony would see her dilemma.
"Rainbow Dash!" AppleJack scolded. "But she's right, Sugar Cube, it is urgent that we speak with ya. Ya'll need to follow me." Twilight hated it, but she couldn't teleport again. She lowered her head and faced her fate: she was in their hooves now.
Twilight was lead through several back alleys until she was practically shoved into some sort of boutique. Inside three other mares awaited them.
"What's going on here?" Twilight demanded.
"What's going on is that Rarity caught you during your little charades yesterday. We want to know what's going on." Rainbow Dash said. She refused to move from her place guarding the exit.
"What was that ya were doin, Sugar Cube?" AppleJack asked.
"Nothing." Twilight lied.
"Maybe we made a mistake?" The yellow Pegasus suggested.
"Yeah! Maybe Fluttershy is right and Rarity ate funky mushrooms while gem hunting!" The pink one declared.
"Pinkie! A lady does not eat strange plants in the wild." Rarity stated, sounding offended.
"Rarity wouldn't lie. Ah know a liar when ah see one. This mare is lyin' to us." AppleJack butted in. "And ah bet it has somethin' to do with her cape she always wears."
"Me too." Rainbow said. Before Twilight could react, Rainbow Dash leaped forward and ripped off Twilight's cloak. The five gasped at the star on her flank.
"What is that, Dear?" Rarity asked.
Twilight thought of a million lies, but then her mind went back to her encounter with Shining Armor earlier that night. He was a real jerk. She didn't need to obey him. "It represents this." She said. She reached out to her cloak and lifted it up into the air.
The reactions were mixed. Fluttershy hid under her chair, AppleJack and Rainbow Dash hugged each other, Pinkie Pie poked the cape, and Rarity stared in shock.
"What is it?" Rarity asked.
Twilight smiled, having no doubt of what it was anymore. "Magic."