//------------------------------// // Ponyville at Dawn // Story: The Legend of Spike: Dragon Quest // by DiabloGuapo //------------------------------// Spike awoke to the sound of dresser drawers being opened and closed. The sleepy dragon cracked open a green eye and looked about his bedchamber. When he looked to his side, he discovered that his wife was absent. He then looked to the window to see the rays of the morning sun just barely peeking over the rooftops of Ponyville. The purple dragon groaned, annoyed that he had to wake up so early, but he knew that today was an important day. With a yawn, the dragon raised himself up from his extra large bed and stretched his limbs, his joints popping. After arching his back like an overgrown cat, Spike spreaded his leathery, green wings before making the bed. In order to accommodate his large frame, the bed was the size of a pool. Spike didn’t really care for the extra frilly bedspread or the excess of decorate pillows. Seriously, what’s the point of a pillow if you’re not allowed to use it? After making the bed, Spike left the bedroom and headed down the hall to his daughter’s room, where he would certainly find Rarity helping Amethyst pack for her trip. The main hallway of Carousel Boutique, along with the rest of the building, had been renovated many times due to Spike’s increasing size over the years. When he and Twilight Sparkle first arrived in the small town, he was no larger than a foal. But now, he was young adult dragon and was over forty feet long. Princess Celestia herself only came up to his shoulder. The clothing store was now one of the largest buildings in Ponyville, rivaling town hall and Twilight’s crystalline tree castle in size. The residents of the town have nicknamed the purple and pink building with gold trimming “Carousel Palace.” When Spike came to Amethyst’s room, he snaked his large head through the pony-sized door. Though the hallways, the master bedroom, and the other important rooms were large enough for Spike to navigate, others were still too small for him. With his head and long neck in the door frame, Spike spotted the two most important ladies in his life organizing suitcases on the bed. Rarity, Spike’s wife, was an alabaster Unicorn mare with sapphire blue eyes and violet mane. Her cutie mark was three baby blue diamonds and she wore red horn rimmed glasses. Spike grinned to himself as he admired his wife’s beauty.Years had passed and she still looked as pristine and flawless as the day he had first laid eyes on her. Her stunning appearance was the envy of mares half her age. The only thing that showed her age was the large silver streak in her mane and tail. However, Twilight Sparkle speculates that this feature was a lingering side effect from the time she was possessed by the Nightmare Forces. Their daughter, Amethyst Opal Jade, was an unique creature. She was a Kirin, a hybrid of a dragon and a pony. She was pony in shape, but had draconic traits. She had a purple mane like her mother, but her body was covered in shiny, white scales. Her hind legs were hooved, but her front legs were that of a dragon. Her forehead was adorned with a single horn like a Unicorn, but hers was more rugged and she had a row of rounded purple spines running down her back. Her tail was long and reptilian, but ended in a tuft of hair that matched her mane. Like other ponies, she a had a cutie mark; a small, heart-shaped ruby wreathed by six smaller, round amethysts. “I did pack the purple kimono?” Amethyst asked urgently as she looked between the set of suitcases. “No, I did,” Rarity told her daughter. “It’s in the blue case along with the matching jewelry.” “Oh, good,” she sighed with relief. “Then I believe that’s it. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything.” “Maybe you should make a checklist,” Spike chuckled, alerting the two to his arrival. “Good morning.” “Good morning, Dad,” the Kirin greeted as she trotted over to place a kiss on Spike’s large, purple-scaled cheek. “Good morning, darling,” Rarity also said as she too went over to kiss her husband. “I apologize for not waking you earlier, but you looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb you.” “Is there anything I can do?” Spike offered as the ladies resumed the final bag check. “Not at the moment, but we will need your help carrying the bags to the station in a little bit,” Rarity explained. “In that case, I’m going to get some breakfast,” Spike said as he pulled his head back out of the doorway. “I’ve left some gems out on the table for you,” Rarity told him as he exited the room. “But do be quick about it. We have to be there in less than half an hour.” “Okay.” When Spike went downstairs to the dining room, he discovered a bowl sitting on the table filled with topazes, rubies, and emeralds. Spike licked his lips at the mouth watering spread and plucked a sparkling ruby out of the cluster. As Spike munched on the gems, he thought about Amethyst’s upcoming trip and couldn’t help feeling proud of her. She would be traveling to Fillydelphia to attend the Draconic New Year Festival held in the city’s Dragon Town district. Many important ponies and dragons would be in attendance, including Spike's friend Dragon Lord Ember, leader of the wild dragons of Equestria. As the daughter of the Dragon Prince of Equestria and the granddaughter of the Princess of Friendship, Amethyst was a member of the Royal Family and a princess herself. Since Amethyst just recently turned eighteen, Princess Celestia thought it would be appropriate for her to oversee the proceedings and welcome Lady Ember as her first official duty as a Princess of Equestria. It was also fitting because, as a Kirin, she was the living symbol of harmony between ponies and dragons, just as the city of Fillydelphia itself. It a great victory for peace for two very different species such as the equines and the dragons to be able to live together in the same city. One species was a race of gentle, peace loving herbivores while the other were gigantic, firebreathing, treasure hoarding monsters that ate everything, including little ponies. Although dragons have been living in Fillydelphia for almost a century, they weren’t always accepted by the ponies. As Spike saw for himself when he was still but a baby by dragon standards, the civilized dragons of Dragon Town were subjected to prejudice and discrimination, often being used as scapegoats whenever crimes were committed or accidents happened. It was only when Spike went with Princess Luna to investigate mysterious fires that did the relations between the ponies and dragons begin to improve. While the Fillydelphia Police Department were all too eager to blame the dragons and put them under a curfew, Spike proved their innocence by revealing the true culprit; a fire snail. It also helped the dragon’s public image when they helped to rescue ponies caught in burning buildings that were caused by said snail. With the civilized dragons’ cleared name and their heroism proven, the relationship between the two cultures had greatly improved over the past quarter century. This festival was not only an important dragon holiday, but the realization of a dream started a long time ago. It all started centuries ago when Princess Celestia made a peace accord with the King of Dragons. Beware the Dragon King... These words echoed in Spike’s mind, causing him halt mid bite and look down at the topaz he was about munch on. A melancholy look formed on his face as he studied his reflection in the yellow gem. The words which he had remembered were among the last his late mentor, Aurum the Golden, had said to him before he passed away. Aurum had taught him how to master his abilities as a dragon and had left Spike his enormous wealth of treasure. The most important gift he had given the younger dragon was a magical orb that contained the elder wyrm’s memories. Thousands of years worth of knowledge and experience was contained within the glowing crystal. Spike had once tried to peer into the orb, but quickly got lost in the labyrinth of thoughts. He had asked his mother, Twilight Sparkle, to have a look at it to see if she could organize the information contained within. Twilight loved studying and cataloging data, so the purple pony princess was more than eager to help her draconic son with the orb. A few weeks had passed and Spike’s half-siblings report that their mother was spending all of her spare time devoted to decoding the orb’s secrets. Well, that and another mysterious project she has been working on. Apparently, she was playing it close to the chest because wouldn’t tell anypony exactly what it was. Anytime someone would ask her what it was, she would say it was just a question she needed to answer and then would quickly change the topic. Regarding Aurum’s final warning, Spike didn’t need to worry about the Dragon King or any other dragon that would want to claim the deceased dragon’s hoard as their own. The treasure was securely hidden in Aurum’s island lair and the only ones that knew of its location was Spike, his family, and their closest friends. As long as the secret was kept between them, the dragons won’t go looking for it. Even if the dragons discovered that Aurum was dead and had left his treasure to Spike, the peace accord prevented them from invading. “Spike!” Rarity’s voice called from upstairs, drawing Spike out of his thoughts. “We’re ready to go!” Spike looked at the topaz one last time before popping it into his mouth and headed to the staircase where he saw Rarity and Amethyst descending with the suitcases suspended above them by their magic. Placing the heavy bags onto Spike’s back, they made their way out the door and headed to Ponyville Station. As they walked, Spike noted the changes to the small town since the time he had moved there from Canterlot. Most of the buildings were still wooden with thatched roofs, but the newer ones were made of bricks. Many of the dirt roads had been paved and the population had grown considerably. The fact that the humble little settlement was the home of the Princess of Friendship and the Elements of Harmony drew ponies to it and boosted its economy. It was no Canterlot or Manehattan, but it was no longer seen as some backwater town filled with hick ponies living in the shadow of the kingdom’s capital. As Rarity, Spike, and their daughter approached the train station, they saw ponies already boarding the Friendship Express. Standing by the train, there was a group of ponies that were waiting for them to arrive. Recognizing them immediately, Amethyst smiled and ran past her parents to greet her best friends. There was a blue Unicorn mare named Midnight, who was the daughter of Twilight Sparkle. Like her mother, she had a pink stripe in her dark blue mane and tail. Her eyes were yellow and her cutie mark was a crescent moon with a six pointed star. She was Spike’s half-sister, making her Amethyst’s aunt. Spike noticed that their brother, Evening Star, was absent, which didn’t surprise him. Evening Star was the Captain of the EUP and took his responsibilities very seriously. The purple Pegasus was probably running drills with his father, Flash Sentry. Spike also noticed that Twilight wasn’t there either. Spike frowned with slight concern at his mother’s absence, but then heard the unmistakable laughter that belonged to Pinkie Pie’s crew. Spike’s frown immediately disappeared after hearing the infectious peals of laughter. Sure enough, the dragon spotted the pink party pony bouncing excitedly up and down with her daughter, Surprise. Every time she would bounce up, she would use her wings to flutter back down. Surprise, unlike her Earth Pony parents, was a Pegasus with a cream colored coat and a curly, golden mane. Aside from these differences, Surprise greatly resembled her mother. In fact, Pinkie Pie was still filled with such youthful energy that the two could pass as sisters. Also jumping up and down with them was Pinkie’s husband, Cheese Sandwich. Standing next to Ponyville’s premier party planning family were Thunderbolt and Posey. Thunderbolt was the son of Rainbow Dash and Soarin and Posey was the daughter of Fluttershy and Big Macintosh. Thunderbolt was gray with a mane that was shades of blue and white and dreamed of being a Wonderbolt like his parents. Posey looked exactly like her mother, except she was an Earth Pony instead of a Pegasus, and her cutie mark were of three pink flowers rather than three pink butterflies. The two had started dating a year ago after the kidnapping incident with the changelings and were quite happy together. Like Midnight, their parents were also noticeably missing. Coincidently, Surprise was also dating another child of an Element of Harmony, Sour Apple. Spike spotted the large, green Earth Pony over by his mother, Applejack, and his younger sister, Apple Seed. Spike understood that they all wanted to see Amethyst off to her big event, but it was a school day, and Apple Seed should be in school like Pinkie’s other daughter, Cherry Pie. But then he noticed their rather grim expressions. “Oooh! I’m so excited for you!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, distracting Spike. “Yeah! You get to organize an entire festival!” Surprise added cheerfully, waving her fore legs to emphasis her point. “I’m so jealous!” “Calm down, Surprise,” Amethyst laughed. “I’m not organizing anything. Auntie Celestia just wants me to smile, wave, and say a few words. You know, princessy stuff.” “Yeah, but you are going to be the one running the show,” Thunderbolt pointed out. “It’s going to be up to you to make sure that everything is perfect,” Surprise continued, her voice getting louder with each excited word. “The union between two culture hangs in the balance!” “The result of this festival will determine if the hard earned peace between dragons and ponies will be maintained,” Pinkie said, joining in with her daughter’s rant, the two alternating in speaking. “If anything goes wrong, then centuries worth of progress will be undone…” “...and dragons and ponies will be at odds once more…” “...and the harmony will be undone…” “...creating chaos, anarchy, and civil unrest…” “...resulting in riots and eventually open war in the streets that will cost many lives…” “And it will all be your fault!” Pinkie and Surprise shouted together, leaving Amethyst visibly shaken after the torrent of words. “Pinkie! Surprise! Enough! You’re frightening her!” Rarity scolded before turning to her daughter, running a reassuring hoof through her mane. “Don’t worry, dear. Everything will be fine.” “What they just said is highly improbable,” Midnight told Amethyst, narrowing her eyes at Pinkie and Surprise, who smiled back sheepishly. “An extremely unlikely worst case scenario at best. Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will go fine. Just remember, we’ll be there too. Just try to enjoy your few days of sightseeing before the festival. There is so much to see in Fillydelphia: the Harmony Bell, Fillydelphia Zoo, the Museum of Art! Ooh, the list goes go on!” “And you’ll be staying with an old friend of mine, Mina,” Spike told his daughter. “She’ll take good care of you.” “And we’ll all arrive in time to be with you for the festival,” Rarity added. “Thanks. I know this will be a great time,” Amethyst said with a smile, her confidence restored. She then looked over to Thunderbolt and Posey and asked, “Hey, where are your folks?” “Mine are at headquarters,” Thunderbolt explained. “The other day, they said something big was going to happen within the Wonderbolts and they had to be there this morning.” “Is Spitfire finally going to retire?” Surprise asked. “I don’t know,” Thunderbolt replied with a shake of his head. “I mean, there’s not that many of Spitfire’s original lineup left. They did say they’ll have something important to tell me when they get home.” “And my parents...” Posey began to say, but then hesitated and then looked at her hooves with a downcast expression. “...Well. My mother had another doctor’s appointment this morning.” “Oh, dear,” Rarity gasped. “Is it… that again?” “I think so,” Posey said gloomily. “What else could it be?” “I’m sure everything will be okay,” Thunderbolt reassured his marefriend, placing a comforting wing across her shoulders. Posey gave a small, sad smile, but didn’t say anything else on the matter. Seeking to change the subject, Rarity looked about and noticed that Applejack was wearing saddlebags, in which were three tickets. “Applejack, will you, Sour, and Apple Seed be accompanying Amethyst to Fillydelphia?” “No,” Applejack told her friend. The farm pony cast a glance to her children, who looked back at her with apprehension. “We’re headed for Manehattan.” “Manehattan? To visit Babs or the Oranges?” “Ah wish,” Sour Apple muttered unhappily. “No,” Applejack said again before pulling a letter from her bag and passed it to Rarity, who took it in her blue magic and read the piece of parchment. As she did so, Spike and Amethyst peeked over her shoulder to see what it was for themselves. Their eyes widen with disbelief as they went over the contents of the letter, the other ponies growing silent for they already knew what the message said. Even Pinkie and Surprise quieted down as they knew it was no laughing matter. “Am I reading this correctly?” Rarity asked incredulously. There was a sudden burst of smoke, causing the ponies to cough. Rarity fanned the black cloud away and looked to her husband, who was literally fuming with anger. “Spike, please, control yourself.” Looking back to the orange farm pony, Rarity continued. “How can this happen? How could he be free?” “Didn’t he get twenty years?” Spike growled, more angry black smoke rising from his nostrils. Applejack didn’t respond immediately, but placed the letter back in her pack instead. “How long has he been out?” “Two weeks,” Applejack told everypony. “I can’t believe Princess Celestia didn’t say anything to us,” Rarity exclaimed. “We should have been informed about something as important as this.” “She told me,” Applejack informed them, maintaining a tone of restrained rage. Everypony looked at her in disbelief, shocked that the Element of Honesty would have kept something of this magnitude a secret. “Good heavens, Applejack! Why didn’t you tell us?” “Ah was gonna, but Ah had to figure out how Ah was gonna tell mah youngins first. But then,” she paused to pull another letter out of her bag. “Ah recieved this in the mail yesterday. It’s from him sayin’ that he wanted to see the three of us.” “You can’t be serious. After what he did, you’re actually agreeing to see him again?” “He says he’s changed. He wants to see the daughter he’s never met.” “And you believe him?” Rarity asked, gawking at her friend. “Of course not!” Applejack vehemently denied. “Princess Celestia even offered to make a life long restrainin’ order preventin’ him from ever seein’ me or mah children ever again!” Her expression then softened and she exhaled. “But you know her. She wants me to at least to agree to see him one last time and talk things over to see if he really has changed before Ah make a decision. She says if that he has, he should have some visitation rights.” “I don’t like it,” Spike growled. “Ah don’t like it either, but Ah guess the Princess is right. Ponies can change. Discord is proof enough for that.” Rarity looked over to Sour Apple and Apple Seed and asked, “And what about them?” “He wants to see them both, but Princess Celestia said that only Ah have to meet with him.” Applejack looked to her children and smiled sadly at them. “Ah told them not to come, but they insisted that they be there for me.” Applejack smirked and tussled Apple Seed’s brown mane. “Stubborn like their mother.” “The apples don’t fall far from the tree,” Pinkie Pie quipped, earned a giggle from everypony. “All aboard!” called the voice of the conductor. “Ah guess we better be gettin’ on. Right, Amethyst?” Applejack said to the Kirin. “At least I’ll have company on the way to Fillydelphia.” Amethyst smiled as she and the Apple Family boarded the train. After taking their seats, she opened the window and waved. “I’ll see you all in a few days!” “Have a good time with Mina!” Rarity called to her daughter as the train came to life with a loud hiss of steam. There was a rumble and the pistons and rods came to life, the wheels of the train beginning to rotate. “We’ll see you at the festival!” Surprise shouted as the train began to pull away from the station. The collection of friends waved as they watched the train head over the hills, disappearing over the horizon with a cloud of steam trailing behind it. As Spike walked down the stairs of the platform with the others, he turned to Midnight and asked, “Hey, Midnight. Where’s Mom? I thought she would be here for sure. Ya know, this being Amethyst's first princess duty and all.” “When I woke up this morning, she was already headed out the door,” Midnight explained. “I asked her where she was going, and she said that she had something ‘crucially important’ to discuss with the other princesses.” “Any idea on what could it be?” Spike asked, somewhat concerned about Twilight’s reported behavior. Being raised by the studious mare, Spike knew that there was no stopping her when she was in full blown obsession mode. “I’m not sure,” Midnight said with a shrug. “It has to be her mystery project. She was carrying all of her notes in her saddle bag when she left. Maybe now she’ll let us in on what it is when she gets back.” “Yeah, maybe.” “Hey, Midnight!” The siblings turned to see Surprise standing with Thunderbolt and Posey. “We hadn’t have breakfast yet. Wanna join us?” “I’ve already ate, but I’ll join you anyway,” Midnight said back to the cream colored Pegasus. Before leaving with her friends, Midnight turned back to Spike. “Oh, before I forget, I have a message for you. Last night, Mom finished working on the orb. She said you can swing by the castle and pick it up.” “Okay. Thanks, Midnight.” After parting ways with their friends, Spike and Rarity headed towards Twilight Sparkle’s Castle. The purple and gold palace rested within the branches of a blue, crystalline tree that was created by the Tree of Harmony, the source of all harmony in Equestria. When the castle first appeared, there had been some debate on what to call it. It was eventually given some gaudy name like “Friendship Rainbow Kingdom Castle,” then later changed to the "Castle of Friendship," but most just called it “Twilight’s Castle.” Opening the large, double doors, the dragon and the Unicorn entered the castle, the only other building than their own home that Spike could actually fit inside. As they made their way to Twilight’s study, they walked down the blue tiled floors of the halls. On the purple and blue walls were depictions of trees, waterfalls, and other nature scenes. The high vaulted ceilings were supported by pillars that were covered with glowing crystals of many colors that illuminated the halls. The windows and doors were made of green crystal and were framed with gold and bronze. Though the castle was certainly befitting the Princess of Friendship, it didn’t exactly fit Twilight Sparkle at first, but with the help of her friends, she was able to make the castle a home over the years. Entering through another set of doors, they came upon a room filled with bookshelves and tables cluttered with notes and laboratory equipment. Out of all the rooms in the castle, this one fitted Twilight the most. From their original home in Canterlot to Golden Oak Library in Ponyville, Twilight was always the happiest when she was surrounded by books. Resting on the table before them was the very orb that Spike saught. It was the size of a large beach volleyball and the crystal ball glowed with a golden light that radiated from within. As he walked up to it, a feeling of reverence and respect overcame him. This was his former master’s most precious gift and it contained a priceless treasure: knowledge. Taking the orb into his claw, he could already feel the magic surging from within. Deciding to see for himself the results of Twilight’s work, Spike closed his eyes and concentrated on the orb. Within his own mind, Spike was transported to another world. All he could see was a golden light. When he had first tried to access Aurum’s memories, Spike found himself within a hurricane of sounds and images. When he tried to ask a question, it only worked with limited success. He had asked the orb something simple, like what it knew about gems. At first the words and images came in clear, but soon Spike’s mind was flooded as the facts and tangents that were related, somewhat related, or even barely related just came on coming. As Spike’s mind adjusted to the light, an image came to view. Spike found himself standing in an all gold version of the library he left his physical body in, except the rows of bookshelves seemed to go on forever. When Twilight used her magic to organize Aurum’s collective thoughts and memories, she had shaped them to resemble something she was intimately familiar with. Growing up in libraries, Spike also felt at home. Then Spike noticed that he wasn’t alone. Looking down his side, he saw that Rarity was with him. She must have placed her hoof on the orb too, pulling her into the mental world as well. She looked around at first, taking in the sight before looking back up to her husband. “Quite the sight, isn’t it?” Spike asked. “Indeed. Very impressive,” Rarity agreed. “I can’t imagine how Twilight managed to make all of this with her magic.” “It was relatively simple...” a voice responded, causing the couple to look down the golden library and see a desk. “...but very time consuming.” At the desk, a gold-scaled, baby dragon was sitting down in a chair with his claws patiently folded atop of the desk. Spike and Rarity stared at the tiny dragon in amazement and then made their way to the desk. As they got closer, they noticed that the baby dragon resembled a young Spike greatly, aside from his color and he had two bumpy protrusions on his head that were budding horns. The baby dragon waved a claw to the shelves behind him and continued, “I did most of the work. She mostly just made the structure of the library and made me to sort the ‘books.’ After all, who better to categorize the thoughts of Aurum than Aurum himself.” “A-Aurum?” Spike stammered, his heart leaping. “Are you really Aurum?” “Yes and no,” the golden dragon said with an apologetic smile, rising from his chair to stand before his guests. “You know as well as I that the real Aurum is… no longer with us. No, Twilight, after making this place took what she knew about Aurum along with memories contained within this seer stone and combined them with her memories of you when you were her number one assistant. Once I was made, she charged me with the task of filling and maintaining this place.” “So what do we call you?” Rarity asked politely. “If you wish, you may call me Aurum,” he responded with a curtious bow. “Oh, he’s so darling!” Rarity cooed, rubbing “Aurum’s” little head. “I’m tempted to take you home with us!” “That is very kind of you,” the mental construct laughed. “But I am afraid that I am bound to this mental plane.” “Aaaw. That’s too bad,” Rarity pouted. “But I guess we have the orb, so we can visit you any time we want.” “Now then, how may I help you?” Little Aurum asked as he sat back down at his desk. “Well, we were just taking a look and seeing what Twilight did with the orb,” Spike explained. “I see,” the construct hummed understandingly. “The library is always open. Be sure to come and visit if ever you need help.” With another flash of golden light, Spike and Rarity found themselves back in Twilight’s castle. After looking around and checking to see if they were really back in the physical world, they headed back to their own home with the orb. “It was so strange to see Aurum as a baby,” Rarity commented. “I know. I only knew him as a gigantic, ancient dragon.” With the image of the baby Aurum fresh in his head, Spike started to laugh. “I didn’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing him so small.” “He was just as cute as you were when you first came to Ponyville,” Rarity giggled, causing Spike to blush with embarrassment as he recalled being a wingless, chubby, infant dragon that still slept in a basket at the foot of Twilight’s bed. ***** Pacing along the blue and white tiled floor of the throne room in Canterlot Castle, Twilight Sparkle went over the information she and her fellow princesses had discussed. All four of the ruling Alicorns were in attendance. Princess Celestia, the white Princess of the Sun and the senior Princess, sat upon her throne atop of the dias, looking down worriedly at her former pupil. Princess Luna, the navy blue Princess of the Night stood by her sister’s side, their ethereal manes flowing in a magical wind. At the foot the dias, walking up to Twilight, was her sister-in-law, Cadance, the Princess of Love. She placed a hoof adorned with a gilded horseshoe on Twilight’s shoulder, ceasing her pacing. “Twilight…” Cadance said unsurely. Twilight looked from the floor up to the pink pony princess. After becoming Alicorns, the two had grown taller over the years. Twilight and Cadance were almost as tall as Luna, but were still nowhere near Celestia’s impressive height. However, they both lacked the astral manes of the Diarchs of the Sun and Moon. “I’m alright, Cadance,” Twilight sighed. She then looked up to Celestia and Luna. “It’s just…” “It’s a lot to take in,” Luna finished for her. “Yes.” Twilight once more lowered her head briefly, before turning back to Celestia. “Are you absolutly certain about this?” Princess Celestia arose from her throne and descended the steps of the dias with Luna, embracing Twilight with her wings along with the other two Alicorns. “No, Twilight. I am not. Luna and I are old, but even we have no experience concerning this matter. We’re not sure how this will affect you or the others, but just know this; everything will be okay.” When Twilight didn’t respond, Celestia continued, “I always knew this was a possibility, but to what extent this will affect each one of you, we’ll just have to wait and see.” “What should I tell them?” Twilight finally quietly said. “The truth,” Luna urged her. “But what is that? That we don’t know?” “They have to know of the possibilities and the ramifications thereof.” “We can tell them together if you want,” Cadance offered. “Thank you, but I think it would be better if it was just me,” Twilight declined. “Very well. We will trust your judgement in this matter,” Celestia conceded. “Just remember that we’re here for all of you.”