The Tale of the Second Alpha

by Bergen


Magical Mystery Cure Part 1 (Twilight's Ascension)

Are you sure that you don't want us to come with you, darling?" Rarity asked Twilight. Twilight and Spike currently waiting for their heading toward Canterlot.

"No, I think we should be fine." Twilight said to Rarity, rejecting her offer.

The six ponies, and one dragon's eyes all shifted toward the steam powered train that had just pulled into the station on the outskirts of Ponyville. "Ponyville Station, everypony off you is getting off." The conductor of the train said, him being a tan earth pony wearing glasses while holding a small pocket watch in his left hoof. A couple ponies trotted off of the train shortly after the conductor's words. "Next stop, Canterlot!" The conductor called, putting his pocket watch in one of the many pockets on his blue uniform.

"I guess this is mine." Twilight said, using her magic to levitate the two large suitcases that held all of the stuff that she had taken from her library. The two suitcases looking like they were about to explode, as they were both filled past their capacity. Twilight was then embraced in a hug by her five other friends.

"Be safe Twi." Applejack said to Twilight.

"Don't worry, we will be." Twilight said pulling away from the hug. Twilight and Spike then stepped onto the train.

"All aboard!" The conductor called. The train jolting to life.

"Don't forget us!" Pinkie called over the sound of the train pulling away. The pink earth pony chasing after the train.

"Oh, Pinkie. You make everything better." Twilight said to herself, rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of Pinkie, as she relaxed in the red chairs of the train.


Twilight and Spike arrived at the castle that towered over the city of Canterlot. Both of them not sure what the meaning of them being summoned to the city. They were, however, curious regardless.

"I really like it when we return home." Spike said to Twilight, as the two friends got off the train. Canterlot being the two friend's home for most of their young life's before they moved to Ponyville.

"I do to Spike." Twilight said to Spike, as the two friends arrived at the white castle.

"Halt!" A white unicorn guard dressed in the standard golden armor ordered at Twilight and Spike. "State your names and business." The guard said to the two friends in a strong monotone voice.

"Um... of course." Twilight fumbled with her words, surprised at the guards actions. "He must be new here." Twilight thought to herself, thinking up a reason to the guard's unusual behavior. "I am Twilight Sparkle, and this is my friend Spike." Twilight said to the guard.

"Hi." Spike said, giving the guard a small wave. The guard keeping a stoic face as Twilight continued. "We are both scheduled for a meeting with Princess Celestia today." Twilight said to the guard.

There were a few moments of awkward silence until the guard finally answered. "You may enter, Miss Twilight Sparkle, and her friend Spike. Both scheduled for a meeting with Princess Celestia." The guard said in the same monotone voice, taking a step to the left. Clearing the path to the door that led to the hallway that in turn lead to the throne room in the castle.


Twilight and Spike walked into the throne room of the castle and were both greeted by Princess Celestia. Who was sitting at the top of her golden throne. Her flowing mane shining like in the sunlight.

"Princess Celestia..." Twilight began, giving the white alicorn a bow before continuing. "You asked for my presence Princess?" Twilight asked Celestia, rising to her hooves.

"Yes Twilight, and I have a... present for you... if you will." Celestia said, a look of confusion appearing on Twilight's face.

"Come again Princess?" Twilight said in confusion.

"I have something to give you." Celestia said, trotting down from her throne. Celestia then used her magic to levitate the small blue spiral bound notebook of Starswirl the Bearded.

"What's that?" Twilight asked Celestia. Pointing her hoof at the brown notebook held in Celestia's golden magic.

"This is your... present." Celestia said being intentionally vague.

"Princess, no offense. I mean, I love books more than any other pony, but why would you give me a notebook?" Twilight asked Celestia.

"This isn't just some normal notebook Twilight." Celestia said, giving a slight pause for dramatic pause. "This is the personal notebook for the Starswirl the Bearded." Celestia said, Twilight's purple eyes widening to a point that that seemed that they would pop out of her skull.

"Thank you, Princess!" Twilight exclaimed the notebook from her Princess.

"I am glad that you are happy." Celestia said with a giggle.

"Is there anything that you want me to do with this new... awesome addition." Twilight said, barely able contain her excitement.

"I would only like that you would study the notebook, the same way you have any other book that I have given you." Celestia said to Twilight.

"Thank you, Princess, thank you so much!" Twilight said jumping up and down in excitement.

"I am sure that you will be very happy at the end of this." Celestia said, her words having a hidden meaning behind them.

"I can guarantee that I will Princess, thank you so much." Twilight said leaving the throne room, the blue notebook held in her magenta magic.

"You think it will work?" Luna asked her older sister after Twilight had left the throne room.

"I hope so sister, I sure hope so." Celestia said letting out a heavy sigh.


The next morning, Twilight rose from her bed in the highest room in her tree library and began to sing about the sheer beauty of the morning around her.

"Morning in Ponyville shimmers

Morning in Ponyville shines

And I know for absolute certain

That everything is certainly fine." Twilight sang as she trotted happily out the front of her home. The chirping of birds feeling the morning air.

"There's the Mayor en route to her office

There's the sofa clerk selling some quills." Twilight continued to sing, giving a wave to the store owner of her favorite quill and furniture shop. "A strange combination."

"Morning, kid!" The owner of Quills and Sofas greeted Twilight as she trotted throughout the small town.

"My Ponyville is so gentle and still

Can things ever go wrong?

I don't think that they will

Morning in Ponyville shimmers

Morning in Ponyville shines

And I know for absolute certain

That everything is certainly..." Twilight sang. He singing coming to an abrupt stop as a massive stream of rain water got dumped on her.

"Rainbow Dash, that's not funny!" Twilight called up to the blue sky, the cyan pegasus nowhere to be found.

"Terribly sorry, darling. I'm afraid I'm... I'm not good with the thundery ones." Out of all of her friends to say, Rarity said. Her cutie mark being the red, yellow, and blue lightning bolt of Rainbow Dash.

"Something tells me everything is not going to be fine." Twilight gasped at her friends strange new cutie mark.

"What are you doing? What happened to your cutie mark?" Twilight asked Rarity, confused as to why she had Rainbow Dash's cutie mark.

"Whatever do you mean, Twilight? I'm simply doing what I've done since the day it first appeared." Rarity said to Twilight, seeming to notice nothing wrong with her current job. "Does my sky look fabulous or what?" Rarity said, the gray sky above them in a checkerboard pattern. The cries of complaining ponies showed their displeasure of having Rarity as their newest weather conductor. "Too last season?" Rarity said, misinterpreting their complaints.

"Where is Rainbow Dash? Why isn't she handling this?" Twilight asked herself, as she trotted back to her library. Ready to get to the bottom of this latest development.


"I still don't know what you had to wake me up for. I love sleeping in the rain." Spike said to Twilight, a yawn escaping passed his lips.

"It's not about the weather, Spike. Rarity had Rainbow Dash's cutie mark and said this was Rainbow Dash's cottage. Something strange is going on..." Twilight said the two friends arriving at the house that was, in fact, Fluttershy's cottage. Twilight then knocked on the door of the cottage. The sounds of angry animals coming from inside the small house.

"Hey, guys." Rainbow said, opening the door slightly.

"Rainbow Dash! Why is Rarity doing your job?" Twilight asked Rainbow Dash in surprise. "And what in Equestria is going on in... here?" Twilight asked Rainbow, the sounds of chaos going inside the small cottage.

"These animals don't listen, no, not one little bit

They run around out of control and throw their hissy fits

It's up to me to stop them, 'cause plainly you can see" Rainbow tried to take care of the many animals in Fluttershy's house.

It's gotta be my destiny, and it's what my cutie mark is telling me" Rainbow dash sang looking at the cutie mark that was on her flank. Her cutie mark now being that of Fluttershy, three pink butterflies.

Over with Fluttershy, her special talent had also changed.

"I try to keep them laughing, put a smile on their face

But no matter what I try, it seems a bit of a disgrace

I have to entertain them, it's there for all to see

It's gotta be my destiny, and it's what my cutie mark is telling me" Fluttershy sang, doing her best to do Pinkie Pie's job. Her cutie mark now being that of Pinkie's, three balloons one yellow the other two blue.

Over with Pinkie Pie, she was doing manual labor on Sweet Apple Acres.

"I don't care much for pickin' fruit and plowing fields ain't such a hoot

No matter what I try, I cannot fix this busted water chute!

I've got so many chores to do, it's no fun being me

But it has to be my destiny, 'cause it's what my cutie mark is telling me." Pinkie sang, doing her best to the chores of farm life. Her cutie mark now that of Applejack, three red apples.

Over with Applejack, she was being a creative pony in Carousel Boutique.

"Lookie here at what I made, I think that it's a dress

I know it doesn't look like much, I'm under some distress

Could y'all give me a hand here and help me fix this mess?

My destiny is not pretty, but it's what my cutie mark is tellin' me." Applejack sang, doing her best to create dresses. Her cutie mark now being that of Rarity, three blue gemstones.

Over with Rarity, she was doing her best to control the weather.

"I'm in love with weather patterns, but the others have concerns

For I just gave them frostbite over top of their sunburns

I have to keep on trying, for everyone can see." Rarity sang, her epically failing at controlling the weather. Rarity's cutie mark now being Rainbow Dash's, a multicolored lightning bolt.


"This is bad. This is very, very bad." Twilight said to herself, on the verge of panic.

"What's going on? Why is this happening?!" Spike asked Twilight.

"I don't know Spike. But it could be... of my goodness." Twilight said, realization coming to her.

"What? What is it Twilight?" Spike asked the purple unicorn, deep concern in his words.

"I think I know what happened." Twilight said, heading back to the treehouse library that also worked as her home.

"Hey, wait for me!" Spike called after Twilight.


Spike followed Twilight back to the library and found Twilight looking through it.

"What are you looking for?" Spike asked Twilight.

"The notebook by Starswirl the Bearded that Princess Celestia gave me yesterday." Twilight said to Spike, in borderline panic.

"You mean this." Spike said holding the said blue spiral bound notebook in his claws.

"Yes! That is what I'm looking for." Twilight said, taking the book out of Spike's claws. Twilight then began to use her magic to search through the pages of the notebook.

"What are you looking for?" Spike asked Twilight, scratching his head.

"Oh no." Twilight said coming to the final page in the notebook.

"What is it?" Spike asked Twilight. Getting no response, as Twilight stared blankly at the page in front of her. "Twilight, what is it?" Spike repeated his question, knocking Twilight out of her trance.

"Um... yes Spike... just look." Twilight said handing the book back to Spike. When the book finally arrived in the purple dragon's claws he began to search the final page of the book. Confused as to when he found that the book only had a small spell by Starswirl the Bearded written on it.

"I don't get it." Spike said in confusion.

"Spike... sniff... I really bucked up." Twilight said on the verge of tears. Spike took slightly aback, this being the first time he had heard Twilight casually swearing.

"Twilight... it's ok. What happened?" Spike said, trying to comfort the pony that he saw as like a big sister to him if not even a mother sometimes.

"It... sniff... it must have happened when you were taking your bubble bath." Twilight said, a flashback of the last day coming to Twilight's mind.


In the final hours of the day before Twilight was reading the notebook that Celestia had given her. As she neared the final page of the notebook a letter from Princess Celestia fell out from its pages.

"Oh, what's this?" Twilight said to herself. Picking up the letter with her magic.

"Dear Twilight Sparkle, The spell contained on the last page of this book is Star Swirl the Bearded's secret unfinished masterpiece." Twilight read the letter, gasping as she had earned a second mission from the Princess involving the notebook. Twilight gasped to herself as she continued to read. "He was never able to get it right, and thus abandoned it. I believe you are the only pony who can understand and rewrite it. Princess Celestia." Twilight finished the letter. Flipping straight to the page that had the spell in question written on it.

"From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled." Twilight read, and unaware cast the spell by Starswirl the Bearded. The five Elements of Harmony of her friends switching their colors with other Elements. The bearers of their respective Elements having their cutie marks switched.

"That doesn't make any sense. It doesn't even rhyme! " Twilight said in confusion, placing the book down. Not sure how to continue.


Back in the present Twilight had just told Spike how she had screwed up the day before.

"I cast the spell so I could find out what it was, but nothing seemed to happen. But now I know something did happen. The spell has changed the Elements of Harmony! That must be why their cutie marks are all wrong!" Twilight said to Spike, trotting over to the case that held the Elements of Harmony. The Elements of her friends all altered. A terrible remember of her mistake.

"So just cast a counter-spell to switch them back." Spike said, trying to cheer Twilight up. His words having the opposite effect.

"There is no counter-spell!" Twilight don't you just use that memory spell you used to fix everypony when Discord was here?

"Why don't you just use that memory spell you used to fix everypony when Discord was here?" Spike suggested, this being the worst that he has seen Twilight since she went crazy over missing an assignment for Princess Celestia.

"It's not their memories, Spike. It's their true selves that have been altered!" Twilight snapped again.

"Zecora's cure for the cutie pox?" Spike said, currently grasping at straws now.

"That won't work either..." Twilight said in defeat.

"Well sigh, maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe our friends will grow to like their new lives." Spike said up to Twilight, as she began to climb the stairs of the library that led to her bedroom.

"No, Spike. They're not who they are meant to be anymore. Their destinies are now changed, and it's all my fault." Twilight said as laid down on her bed.

"I have to find a way

To make this all okay

I can't believe this small mistake

Could've caused so much heartache

Oh why, oh why?

Losing promise

I don't know what to do

Seeking answers

I fear I won't get through to you.

Oh why, oh why?" Twilight sang on her bed. Heavy drops of rain falling all around her as she came to accept the full responsibility for her mistake. Oh, Spike, what have I done?

"Oh, Spike, what have I done?" Twilight said to Spike, as she forced her head into one of her puffy pillows. Small tears flowing like a river out of her eyes. Spike just stood there, not sure what to do. I mean how does a dragon comfort a unicorn that has just changed her friend's fate and destiny, and seemed to have no way to change it back.

"Twilight, are you alright?" Spike cautiously asked Twilight, fearing the response that he would get.

"Just... just leave me alone." Twilight snapped at Spike.

"Ok, I'll give a little alone time." Spike said more to himself, closing the door to Twilight's room behind him.

"I'm so sorry." Twilight said apologizing to the images of her friends that she seemed to see in her window. Before plunging her tear streaked face into her pillow again.