//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Nightmare Moon's Tiny Adversary // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Ponyville’s Tiny Librarian - Epilogue “Up and at ‘em, Spikey!” The purple dragon simply rolled around in his makeshift cot. “Just five more minutes, Twilight,” he replied with a wave of his hand. “You’re missing the party!” The sound of fireworks followed moments later. “Ugh… fine, fine…” Spike murmured as he attempted to unwrap himself from the blanket and roll out of his basket, which would have worked much better if he was in his basket instead of a bed. After misjudging that first step, Spike looked up from the cold marble floor and shook his head, his vision slowly getting clearer. "Sheesh, you could have warned a guy. How long was I asleep?" “About a day,” Overwatch said with a smirk, patting Spike on the back with her newly armored hoof. “We were all pretty dead after staying up all night, but wow, I don’t think I’ve seen anypony pass out like you have.” Spike frowned and narrowed his eyes at the female guard, opening his mouth to retort. Steel Blade quickly got between the two. “Calm down, guys, we’re missing the party.” With a swift movement of his wing, he transferred Spike onto his back and galloped out into the bright outside, Overwatch following close after. Spike quickly covered his eyes with his arms and groaned. It was easily the middle of the day, and therefore entirely too bright for the drake who had only just woken up. But when he had finally adjusted to the light, he couldn’t stop staring at the sheer transformation the town had undergone. The party was packed, covering most of the area outside of Town Hall. Balloons and streamers filled the area as most of the town’s ponies celebrated side by side with Celestia’s elites. Banners were attached to various buildings with such words as, ‘Welcome Cadence’ and ‘Welcome Shining Armor’. The banner with ‘Welcome Back Luna’ had a drawing of a grinning blue alicorn on its right side, and was displayed proudly above the mostly repaired entrance to Town Hall. “Fire!” A loud barrage of cannon shots followed, causing Spike to quickly duck and cover as well as he could on the guard’s back. Moments later, however, he slowly opened his eyes to discover confetti falling everywhere instead of the myriad of projectiles that he had expected to fly at him. Overwatch giggled at his reaction, tossing a bit of the falling confetti at him. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t the one loading these.” Spike shot another glare at Overwatch before he began searching for Twilight or any other familiar faces. Glancing over at the source of the cannon fire, he found that there were, in fact, over a dozen of the party artillery, each painted a bright pink, with Pinkie Pie herself bouncing quickly between them. Spike looked at the confetti falling around him before turning back to the pink pony. “How did she do that?” Steel Blade shrugged. “Wish I knew. From what Twilight told me, Pinkie made some sort of promise in front of the entire town that she would make this the biggest and most spectacular party she’d ever done.” He sighed. “When I woke up, I found out that she had not only set all of the decorations up, but had also baked enough confections to rival eight bakeries combined.” “Well, you can also add, ‘gotten enough confetti to cover all of Ponyville in crinkly paper,’ to that list,” Spike said, watching as confetti still fell to the ground around him. “Shush, you can admire the scenery later,” Overwatch said, tugging insistently at Steel Blade’s armor. “The princess is giving a speech.” Steel Blade and Spike were dragged into the gathered crowd, their attention focusing on a stage in the center of the area before Town Hall. Princess Celestia was standing proudly atop the raised area next to her much smaller sister, both wearing the same garlands of wildflowers around their heads instead of crowns, although the taller alicorn once again wore her golden regalia. "I don't see Twilight up there with Princess Celestia and Luna—Oh wait, there she is," added Spike from his perch on top of Steel Blade's head. Twilight was in a similar, although much less noticeable location, sitting just behind Princess Celestia's crown in a tiny blotch of purple that could have been easily mistaken for a flower at that range. “... and after helping my student pass the dangers of Everfree Forest, these five brave mares tapped into the Elements of Harmony and unleashed their power against Nightmare Moon, who has been restored to my side as Princess Luna!” Celestia said, smiling warmly at the blue alicorn beside her, who seemed to be sneaking simmering glares back. “While Captain Shining Armor and I searched for my guards who were wounded in battle against Nightmare’s minions or put to sleep by her magic, these heroines did the hardest task of healing my sister from an evil corruption. For that, I would like to extend my greatest gratitude to them and…” Spike’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Wait, both Cadence and Celestia were there keeping Nightmare Moon busy too, and what happened to ‘Twilight was the one who activated the Elements’?” Steel Blade shrugged. “I guess Twilight and Celestia didn’t want to steal the spotlight. You know how adamant they are about pushing the credit onto other ponies.” “And Cadence prefers to avoid attention. She probably drew a few eyes when she assisted the princess in levitating such a large number of sleeping guards, so she’s probably hoping that everypony forgot about her,” Overwatch whispered, rolling her eyes. “For a mare who’s been doing this for hundreds of years, you’d think she’d learn a few things about staying hidden. Either way, as long as nopony knows about her disguises, she’ll be fine.” “Well, it doesn’t look like the speech is going to last much longer,” Steel Blade murmured, turning to walk out of the crowd. “We should probably prepare to get back to Canterlot. The guard is going to have a field day with the aftermath, not to mention introducing a new princess to the castle.” Spike crossed his arms and pouted. “Oh, come on. Do we really have to go back? The party just started!” Steel Blade shook his head. “Maybe if you weren’t such a sleepy head, you’d have more time to celebrate. Besides, the princess is probably about to take Twilight back on her personal chariot any moment now.” Spike turned to look at where the princesses had been standing, only to notice that Luna was being dragged away by Pinkie Pie towards a large table covered with at least a hundred apple pies. “Princess Celestia’s not going anywhere while Luna’s stuck eating pies. Can’t we at least stay for a bite or two?” Overwatch’s ears flicked to attention. “Wait, I’d almost forgotten about the food!” She turned to her guard partner with a sudden intensity. “Steelie, there’s no way we’re leaving now.” “W-well, they won’t take that much longer—” “Steelie,” the guard mare said, narrowing her eyes as she leaned ever further into her partner’s personal space, “there’s a fountain of chocolate the size of Princess Celestia right there. Unguarded, even.” Steel Blade faltered, staring back at Overwatch like a cornered animal. He turned to Spike, who had been looking at him expectantly. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you.” Spike raised an eyebrow. “Did what?” “Reminded Overwatch that there were free sweets,” Steel Blade said with a sigh. “Fine, fine. We can stay a little longer, but only until Twilight decides to leave too.” “Speaking of Twilight, where did she go?” Spike asked. "Hey, big brother! Ready for a quick game before you go? You may have had the upper hoof on me for years now, but I've been practicing a lot for this!" Twilight said from her spot on her brother’s raised hoof. "Practiced a lot? So, about as much as you've been doing every day anyways?” Shining responded with a grin. “Oh hush,” Twilight said, crossing her forelegs and frowning. “You know full well that wrestling at my size isn’t easy, but today will be different.” “We’ll see about that!” Shining said, “So, just like usual? First, I try to push you off my neck then I hold you against it?" “Yep! Just like usual.” Twilight shot her brother a firm nod and jumped towards his neck. Shining let out a laugh as he slipped off his steel horseshoe. “You’re going down!” Twilight took a deep breath and she moved her four hooves around Shining Armor’s giant neck and tightened her grip. She steeled her nerves and gritted her teeth as she put more strength into her legs and, the moment her fight against the giant hoof of her older brother started, the little unicorn did her best to resist being thrown off. Sweat poured from her body as the little mare fought with all of her might, holding onto her brother's neck no matter how hard his giant hoof tried to shove her off. Seconds passed with no change on either side, until Shining Armor suddenly changed tactics. He began to slip the tip of one hoof under his sister's belly, wedging it between them. Feeling her advantage slip away, Twilight desperately clamped down on a tuft of his hair with her teeth, adding yet another stubborn anchor for her brother to deal. With one swift move, the giant hoof pushed Twiny’s forelegs over Shining Armor’s neck, leaving the little mare hanging upside down with nothing but her hind legs. With a quick lift of her head, she saw her brother’s hoof advancing to push her off. She quickly released her hold over his neck and swung to the left with a quick move of her foreleg, the giant hoof passing right past her. There was barely enough time for her to clasp herself around Shining’s neck again with all four legs before the wrestle continued. Despite Twilight’s last ditch effort, her struggle came to an end only a few seconds later, pushed off with white fur still between her hooves. She landed on her hind legs, tipped backwards, and fell on her flank, panting for breath. Sweat dripped from her head and onto the floor, making a small damp spot that was slow to evaporate. “You held up for nearly a full minute. That was amazing, Twiny. Congrats.” Twilight sighed and punched her hoof against the floor, spitting out a few white hairs. “Seven seconds. Only seven seconds and I would have won for the first time!” She let out a groan. “I’ve never been so close.” “Better luck next time,” Shining said, smiling apologetically as he rubbed at the area Twilight had latched onto. She raised her head and gave her brother a cheerful smile. “It’s not over yet. I hope you have some energy left because it’s time for round two now!” She bent her legs and jumped, resuming her previous position on her brother’s neck. “I should be asking you that question. Ready when you are, Twiny,” Shining responded with a nod. “Ready as always, Shiny,” Twilight said, before she felt her brother’s hoof pressing against her sweaty back. Twilight grit her teeth as she tried to push herself from her brother’s neck with all of her remaining strength. The muscles in her four tiny legs, forged in the fire of years of weightlifting and adventures and empowered by Celestia’s protection spell, once again faced the giant hoof of her brother, who was backed by the potent power of the patented Royal Guard Push-Up. The little mare’s face turned red from lack of breath as she gained another millimeter distance from her brother, but time was slowly running out. The pressure lightened for just a second, but before she could exploit the opportunity, it came back with renewed force until she was once again pinned. Her head was pressed solidly into the soft fur of her brother's neck now, which both made it difficult to breathe and reminded her to send Shining Armor a case of soap for his upcoming birthday. Some strong soap. Twilight had only twenty seconds left before the round would be over, but the muscles in her legs burned as if they were on fire. In desperation, she flexed her legs before pushing herself off with the help of her own head, gaining a few centimeters as she used what little strength she had left to slide from between his hoof and neck. Feeling a little like an earthworm trying to tunnel under a mountain, she made glacial progress down Shining Armor's neck. The hoof grated against her back as she wriggled forward, barely past the halfway point when Shining called out, "Time's up, little sis." When Shining Armor lifted his hoof, Twilight could not keep her grip and plummeted towards the floor like a dropped egg, although he caught her in his magic long before she could hit the floor. All she could do was just lay there, soaked in her own sweat and maybe a little bit of Shiny's sweat too. Her brother towered over her with a victorious smile, although to Twilight's concealed satisfaction, more than a few trickles of sweat ran down his cheeks as well. She took a deep, welcome breath and said, "Congratulations Shiny, you’ve won... again.” Shining Armor's smirk of victory was quickly matched by his sister. They held their matching expressions as long as possible before bursting out into laughter. “I must say, we sure give new meaning to ‘sibling rivalry.’ To think that only one week after you visited our parents for the first time since becoming princess’s student, you asked if you could wrestle against me. I still remember how shocked I was.” Twilight staggered to her trembling legs and nodded. "Yes, I remember. It took me forever to talk you into wrestling that first time. I'm still going to beat you someday. I was this close." Shining Armor bent down to put his nose right next to his sister. "Hey, sis. You may be making good progress, but so am I. You're never going to get better than a draw against me." He sighed. “Especially if you keep making everything unfair for yourself.” Twilight bumped Shining Armor on the nose. "Give it time, Shiny. Give it time." Both unicorns laughed again before Cadence’s voice caught their attention. The pink alicorn approached quickly, clearing her throat as she entered conversation range. “Sorry to interrupt your fun, but it is about time to leave. Auntie Celestia would like to have the Elements of Harmony secured in the Great Vault, under the highest security. Please see to it.” “Will do,” Shining responded with a salute and a wink of his eye. Cadence lowered herself to Twilight’s level and added, "Auntie Celestia wants you to ride with us in the chariot. Promise you'll behave during the flight?" Twilight nodded energetically before waving at her brother. However, as she followed her former foalsitter, she took a quick look back at the ongoing party and the ponies participating in it. And just like that, her smile vanished. Four pegasus guards flapped steadily onward, the luxurious chariot riding smoothly behind them as they flew ever closer to the spires and towers of Canterlot. The winds of their passage blew all of the passengers’ manes behind them, Celestia's most of all, but the wind was not what was bothering her long-lost sister. Princess Luna shifted her rear uncomfortably on the floor of their transportation. She had been making small talk with Cadence to one side and exchanging the occasional nuzzle with Celestia on the other, but the smallest member of their group had not even made a noise since the flight began, and that was beginning to worry Luna far more than her own upset stomach. Twilight had settled right atop Celestia’s head in a mane-covered nest once they had all boarded the chariot, and the other alicorns had been very diligent about respecting her privacy, unwilling to disturb the little unicorn's silent musing. Without the experience of her sister and niece, Luna was initially unwilling to disturb Twilight's thoughts, but as the minutes passed and the little mare continued to show no interest, she scooted closer and cleared her throat. “Excuse us, Twilight Sparkle, but… art thou alright?” With only the tip of Twilight’s tail and her horn showing above Celestia’s mane, it was difficult to see any sign to indicate that the little unicorn had heard her. With even more concern, Luna spoke up again, “Hast thou eaten too much? Art thou not feeling well? The pink mare hath been most devious in making ponies eating far too many sweets.” A low rumble swept over the sizable chariot, a deep noise that shook their transportation and caused several of the drivers to look back over their shoulders, as well as Luna to cover her mouth with a hoof. "Excuse us. The Pink One didst challenge us to a pie eating contest, and although We emerged victorious, there are... aftereffects." A second rumbling belch was likewise suppressed, although the Royal Guards pulling the chariot most definitely were attempting to suppress laughter of their own. Her sister had no such restraint, chuckling loudly into one wing, but her small student limited herself to peeking out of her nest with a small fleeting smile before a look of worry returned. "Speak, child," said Luna, restraining yet another belch. "We are concerned about thy glum disposition." “I-it's nothing, Princess," murmured Twilight as she slumped down on Celestia's head, becoming almost invisible behind the flowing mane. "Certainly nothing that you should be worried about." Luna reached up with a hoof, and Celestia lowered her head silently so that her sister could reach Twilight without undue stretching. The soft blues and pinks of Celestia's mane parted under Luna's touch, and she placed the tip of one bare hoof ever so delicately on Twilight's lips. "We shall hear none of this nonsense from thee, Twilight Sparkle. Thy worries are of great concern to us." Twilight looked uncertainly at the returned princess, but carefully pushed the hoof away. She took in a deep breath and nodded. “Well, it’s really two things, Princess. The first, well… I tried, I really tried, to forget about what I did to Nightmare Moon and celebrate your return with everypony…” The tiny mare lowered her head, staring aimlessly at the floor. “But as happy as I am for you and my mentor, I wanted to save you both, and now I’ll never get a chance to apologize to her for my failure.” Luna rested her hoof heavily on Twilight’s little shoulder, who looked back up to find a warm smile on the alicorn’s face. “We are certain that she would forgiveth thee, Twilight.” "I doubt it." Twilight shifted uncomfortably and tried to pull some of Celestia's mane over her head to hide. "I never got a chance to tell her how sorry I am." Luna shook her head. “Trust us when We say this, for We had known her for much longer than thou hast. Worry not about her, for I’m certain that she would not want thee to be sad on the day of thy glorious victory.” Before Twilight could respond, a warm golden aura surrounded her and carefully dropped her onto Celestia’s wing, held like a table between the three alicorns. The little mare tilted her head up, seeing concern in Celestia’s eyes. “What about the other reason you are sad, my faithful student?” the white alicorn asked softly. “If it is within my power, I would move the earth and sky for you.” “It’s… It’s my new friends. My new friends in Ponyville,” Twilight said, drawing circles through her mentor’s feathers with a hoof. “I’d only just met them and now I need to leave. I wish I could spend more time in Ponyville to get to know them better.” Celestia nodded in understanding. "Oh, Twilight. You can always go visit them in Ponyville any time you wish. Just say the word and one of my chariots will sweep you away any time of day or night. If you want to go in style, you could even have one of the Wonderbolts take you there," she said with a sly grin. Twilight shook her head. “I know, Princess, it’s just… I’ve spent my entire life in Canterlot, most of it in your castle or under Cadence’s care. I shared so much time with my friends in the capitol. It’s unfair that the only way I can spend time with my Ponyville friends is through short-lived visits.” Celestia tapped a hoof to her muzzle in contemplation, and the other ponies in the chariot looked to her as if awaiting a final judgement. The princess’s face suddenly lit up in a grin. “Considering that Cadence and I will both be busy introducing Luna to Equestria, we won’t be able to spend nearly enough time with you any more.” Twilight hung her head low at that, her ears drooping. The sun princess raised an eyebrow before she used her hoof to delicately lift her student’s head. “I am not done yet, Twilight.” Celestia tilted her wing downwards, letting her student slide down onto the floor of the chariot before raising herself to her full height. She spread her wings and stood with authority, casting a shadow over the tiny mare. She looked down, her expression serious, and spoke, "Considering that you’ve made admirable progress in your studies in the field of pegasus magic under the wings of the Wonderbolts, I’d like to send you to Ponyville so that you can study earth pony magic under the eye of the Apple family. After seeing their mastery of it and its application on their farm, I believe they are best suited for such a task.” Twilight stared at Celestia in stunned silence for a moment before she let out a whoop and jumped in joy. She, however, did not account for the fact that the chariot was speeding through the sky, and the tiny mare was blown off balance by the wind. She flew towards the princess, landing upside-down in a heap on top of the golden peytral. With a bit of effort and before the princess could raise a hoof to assist her, Twilight righted herself and immediately fell against the soft neck, pressing herself into a hug with all her strength. The very idea that she would learn earth pony magic alongside her new friends warmed her heart far more than the alicorn’s fur could. Celestia chuckled as she returned the hug with a hoof. “You're very welcome, my faithful little student. I will send a letter to Mayor Mare in Ponyville and request that she continue to accommodate you in the library where you may continue your studies.” The princess released the unicorn from her embrace, looking towards the other chariots flying behind her that were bringing the guards and Spike back to Canterlot. “I will inform Steel Blade and Overwatch about my decision, and Spike will be your link to communicate with me. Through him, you will report to me on the progress of your studies.” Twilight hopped down to the chariot floor, rearing up onto her hind hooves and saluting. “You can count on me, Princess! I’ll study earth pony magic diligently and research Luna’s blessing during my night sessions, aside from whatever I can learn from Nightmare Moon’s remains.” She thumped her chest. “I’ll do my best!” Celestia smiled back encouragingly. “I am sure you will, Twilight.” Luna looked at the two with a wistful smile on her face, before she cleared her throat. “Twilight, thou art leaving us?” Twilight’s eyes widened briefly. “Oh Luna, I am so sorry, I–” "We are merely teasing. Thou needs not apologize." Luna shifted uncomfortably. "There are many things We shall need to learn about this alien era while recovering our former strength. First of which shall be reconciling with our sister." She paused to nuzzle Celestia, who returned the affectionate gesture with a thousand years of accumulated interest. “Thou shouldst walk on thine own road in Ponyville with thy new friends. Tis not as if We shall never see thee again, and We will gladly await the day when We can spend our time in thy company.” Twilight jumped and hugged Luna's foreleg, causing the blue alicorn to take a step back at its suddenness. “Thank you, Luna! I’ll be happy to see you again! Good bye and best of luck.” “Best of luck to thee as well,” Luna said, raising the tiny pony attached to her foreleg up to her face. “One more question. Art thou planning to bring Nightmare Moon back by any chance?” Twilight released her hug, situating herself into a more comfortable sitting position, her back legs wrapped around the rather small blue foreleg. “I was uhhh… kinda considering it…” she said, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof and smiling awkwardly. “Twilight, please understand that if bringing our old companion back was even possible, We would start such research ourselves. Thou needst to accept that thou canst not return her from where the Elements have sent her. She would be disappointed to see thee wasting thy valuable talents on a futile venture.” Twilight tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Where the Elements sent her? Do you know anything about where she is? Is she still alive somewhere, or are you trying to say that she’s watching after me in spirit? I-I don’t understand.” Luna shook her head. “Nevermind that. Tis irrelevant to what We are trying to say. We simply wish for thee to leave the fate of our companion behind and focus on thy life ahead. Wilt thou promise us?“ Twilight took in a deep breath. She released it slowly and placed a hoof over her chest. “If that’s what you wish, Princess, I promise.” “We appreciate it,” Luna said, before her face abruptly lit up. “Oh, one more thing.” She closed her eyes, bringing Twilight up to her muzzle and whispering, “Stay sharp, my little battle mage, and make me proud.” Celestia coughed, attracting both Luna and Twilight’s attention. “I assume that you would like to inform your new friends that you will be staying in Ponyville. We are not too far yet, so if you wish, I can teleport you there this very moment.” Twilight smiled and jumped from Luna’s foreleg before hopping in excitement. “Really, you’d do that for me?” “Of course, Twilight.” She nodded, raising her head to look at the small town. “It’s still within reach of a medium range teleportation spell, so it’s not a problem at all.” The tiny mare lit up with a grin and was about to open her mouth to speak when she was spun around by a blue aura to face a pouting Cadence. “Before you go,” the pink alicorn said, “can I ask a favor of you? A farewell favor from all of us.” “A favor?” Twilight asked curiously. Her mentor seemed similarly confused, and Cadence gestured for Celestia to come closer before whispering into her ear. The little mare tilted her head to the side, staring with growing curiosity as her mentor’s muzzle curled up into a grin. “I think it is a wonderful idea, but I am unsure if my student would agree.” Twilight bowed deeply, trying to make herself look as small as possible in front of the mighty alicorn. “Princess, I’m your loyal subject and your faithful student,” she stated, her head respectfully lowered. “Ask me anything. Your wish is my command.” Celestia nodded, glad that Twilight’s humble nature meant that she couldn’t see the red blooming across her cheeks. “As the Princess of Equestria and Bringer of the Sun, I command you…” She paused, looking down in mild embarrassment before hiding her face behind a wing, “to let us rub your belly.” Twilight blinked. “W-what?” Ignoring a confused look from her sister while still blushing, Celestia spoke louder as she gave Twilight a serious glance. “We wish that thou would’st expose thine adorable belly and let us rub it as thy farewell service to the crown.” Cadence giggled, holding a hoof to her muzzle. Luna however didn’t seem amused by her sister giving such ridiculous order, more or less doing so while using old way of speech. She raised her eyebrow before asking, “Art thou serious?” Twilight turned to Luna desperately, who shrugged in response. She looked back at Cadence, who raised her foreleg with a pleading pout. “It will be fun, Twiny. Pretty please? We won’t see each other for a while, and it's been years since the last time you let me do this. Celestia's been using her own experiences with you to tease me for far too long." “As embarrassing as it sounds, I miss the time when I could ask if I could rub your belly without it sounding awkward,” Celestia said, lowering herself to Twilight’s level, causing her to jump back a little. “We’ll miss you alot, Twilight. Would it be alright if you could be the filly I once took in as my student? At least today?” “Thou art really going to treat thy proud and hard working student like a toy?” Luna asked with a hint of accusation and jealousy. Cadence smirked. “Give it a break, Luna. You know you want to rub her cute little tummy again. It's addictive, like sugar cubes." Luna frowned, her own face brightening up in a blush. “It was… a moment of weakness.” She closed her eyes and bit her lip for several seconds before sighing. “Canst thou blame us?” "No pony shall blame you, Luna. Twilight's charms are difficult to resist for even the strongest of wills," Celestia said with a chuckle. "Whatever you do, don't let her use those big eyes on you. I swear she could rule Equestria if she just uses those puppy-dog eyes and sticks her bottom lip out. That always melts my heart like butter." Celestia slipped off her golden shoe and extended a bare hoof to her student. "Can you demonstrate your technique for my sister, Twilight?" Seeing the expectant look on all three of the watching alicorns, Twilight heaved a sigh of resignation. It was inevitable. Even if she resisted, Cadence and Celestia would just keep it up until she gave in anyway. The things I do for Equestria. Twilight rolled up onto her back and curled her tiny forelegs up to her chest. Once she was comfortable, she pouted up at the three giggling alicorns and gave them all the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could, complete with the pout. "Pweese, would you wub my belly? Pretty, pretty pweeese?" The three mares d’aww’d at such an adorable sight, as Twilight stretched out in front of their hooves like a cute kitty or a little plush toy, her exposed belly a temptation to rub, scratch and squeeze. After a moment, the three alicorns began to tremble, then shake, until the sight overwhelmed their willpower. Horseshoes went flying into every corner of the chariot as they took turns rubbing Twilight's offered belly, touching, tickling and scratching it lightly as the little mare giggled uncontrollably. Unfortunately for her, the laughter only encouraged the alicorns to greater effort, tickling until tears flowed down her cheeks. Celestia slowly began to charge energy into her horn as she rubbed at her student, her efforts successfully distracting Twilight from seeing the growing golden aura. The little mare felt a clear difference the moment Luna’s hoof touched her belly, pressing much harder despite its smaller size while forcing her to squeak. Princess Luna… please… not so hard... She took a quick breath and closed her eyes the moment blue foreleg raised, only for it to descend again with double strength, causing her legs and head to shot upward from the impact. On the bright side… at least she isn’t as big as her sister… though I find it a bit ironic for the smallest alicorn to be the least gentle. Just like Nightmare Moon, she seems unaware of her own strength. She slowly opened her eyes, only to notice Cadence’s face, whose hoof replaced Luna’s. Please… no… Twilight though as she felt pink hoof rubbing her lightly, way too lightly. Not here, it’s my ticklish spot… She half closed her eyes as tears of joy formed in them. Her giggling became uncontrollable. “Princess Celestia… Princess Luna… please… save me,” she said between her laughs, the idea of being squeezed suddenly more aproable to being tickled to death. Her eyes closed as she slammed her hooves against surface of the chariot under Cadence’s tickling touch. Her mood improving as each princess took their a few seconds turn. “Please more, Twiny wants more belly rub,” she said playfully, unaware of the golden aura that enveloped her. In a flash, the little mare disappeared, and both Cadence and Luna looked at the tallest alicorn in confusion, who returned their stares with an innocent smile. “...and then after Black Smoothie escaped from the hug, which, by the way, was very mean of her. I mean, why would anypony want to get out of a hug? Hugs are fantastic and warm and snuggly expressions of happiness to cheer up even the worst—” “Wait a second, Pinkie,” Carrot Cake said, raising an eyebrow as he dipped another piece of fruit into the chocolate fountain. “Didn’t Her Highness say that only you and your Ponyville friends activated the Elements, faced Nightmare Moon and turned her back to Luna? She didn’t mention herself or anypony besides you five.” “Not to mention that we only know about two alicorns, but from your story, we have three,” Mrs. Cake added. “Oops, I wasn’t supposed to tell that Cadence was an alic—” Pinkie gasped, covering her mouth with her hooves. “I wasn't supposed to mention her name either, but now that I've mentioned it, I've mentioned it twice, and if you talk about it that will be three times or four times as bad! You won't tell anypony else, will you? Pleeaaase?” Before the Cakes could answer, Pinkie snapped up ramrod straight and began to vibrate, causing the two bakers to each take a step back. “A-are you alright, Pinkie?” Mrs. Cake asked, her expression growing more and more horrified as she came to the realization that this was, in fact, a… “Doozy! It’s a doozy!” Rainbow exclaimed, backing away very quickly as Pinkie began to bounce uncontrollably. “Everypony clear the area! This is not a drill! Everypony take cover!” Ponies scattered, diving over tables and taking cover behind the multitude of stands, trees, and buildings. Some of the braver ponies only inched backwards, still eyeing the trembling mare. Some of the more easily panicked ponies covered their heads behind Applejack, who glanced at them briefly before she cautiously joined Rainbow Dash and Rarity around Pinkie. With a loud ‘sproing’, Pinkie Pie jolted a meter into the air and did a backflip before landed solidly on all four hooves. She blinked. “Wow, that was a doozy!” she said, grinning widely at nopony in particular. Fluttershy slowly peeked her head over Applejack’s barrel. “Pardon me, but umm… what was the doozy?” Suddenly, there was a faint flash on the ground behind Fluttershy, and with a loud squeak, the butter yellow pegasus dove to Applejack’s other side, followed by the other ponies who had taken cover with her. She slowly peeked her head up over Applejack’s shoulder at the tiny figure that appeared, her wings fluttering in preparation for a quick escape. Slowly, very slowly, she crept from around her pony barricade towards the little mare, who was still lying on her back with her eyes closed. Fluttershy sat there with her hooves clutched close to her chest as the rest of her friends gathered around, looking at the tiny little unicorn laying on her back with her legs curled up and her bare tummy exposed. “What?" asked Twilight playfully, her eyes still closed. "No more belly rub? Twiny wants more belly rub!" Fluttershy squee’d. “Twilight!” shouted the group of mares, to which the mare in question finally snapped up and opened her eyes, blushing as she looked towards her dumbfounded friends. Twilight cleared her throat quickly before beaming up at the five mares before her. “Hello, girls! I'm staying in Ponyville!”