//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Letters From a Princess to a Dragon Lord // by NotanImportantPony //------------------------------//         The only real aspect of dragons and their culture that Twilight could find deep in the Canterlot archives was an old adage by a forgotten Dragon Lord who came to Equestria seeking treasure.         “Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.”         Twilight found it rather disturbing.         But that was one of the farthest things from her mind as she tried to stealthily sneak around Ponyville so she could get to Rarity’s in order to fix whatever it was that she had messed up. Although, sneaking through town whilst looking like a moving mophead really didn’t help her situation.         Ten minutes earlier.         “Is that spell really going to work?” Spike said as he leaned over Twilight’s muzzle and peered at the writing in ‘A Mare’s Guide to Hair: How to Maintain Your Beautiful and Luscious Appearance!’         Twilight looked at him with derision and huffed.         “Yes Spike, it’s going to work.” Under her breath she groused, “If it doesn't, I’m writing a letter to the editor.”         Spike gulped, backed away and donned his armour. Oven mitts; for gloves, baking sheets; for a chestplate, and a pasta strainer; for the helmet. He was prepared. Ducking behind his trusty table he stuck his thumb out, giving Twilight the green light.         Tucking his claw behind the table Spike saw a small folded card laying on the floor next to him. He unfolded it. Looking at it, Spike read it in horror.         ‘To whom it may concern. This edition of ‘A Mare’s Guide to Hair: How to Maintain your Beautiful and Luscious Locks’ has been recalled because of a fatal flaw in the ‘Coat and Mane Growth Spell.’ Please return to the following address;         ‘666 Hairway, Canterlot’         Spike’s eyes widened and he stood up intending to stop Twilight from casting the spell. He hit his helmeted head on one of the table legs and bounced down to the floor. He slowly crawled out from behind the table but he was too late. Twilight rolled her eyes at Spikes antics. It was a simple Coat and Mane Growth Spell; ‘Guaranteed to make your coat and mane as good as new!’ At least Discord wasn’t around so nothing bad would happen. Twilight lit her horn and began use her magic to activate various aspect of the spell.         At Fluttershy’s cottage Discord sneezed. Fluttershy handed him a kerchief, Discord accepted it with a smile and a nod. They went back to their tea.         Ten minutes after the fact, thanks to Spike’s constant guidance, Twilight pulled into the final stretch. A brief walk across the packed Ponyville Plaza and she would be homefree. Rarity would be able to fix Twilight’s mane and coat.         Preparing for her final run Twilight told Spike,         “Remember to act natural. If we do this right, nopony will notice.”         Spike face clawed and shook his head slowly then moved to grasp Twilight’s overgrown mane as she abruptly started trying to walk forward. It was more of a shuffle. But it was progress.         Spike directed Twilight through the crowded plaza using her now plentiful beard hair as reins. Throughout the public ordeal Spike maintained a thoroughly embarrassed composure.         They were halfway through the plaza when Spike heard rapid wing beats approaching, he braced himself for the impact.         In a rainbow colored flash, Spike, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash went rolling across the plaza in a blur of purple, green, and rainbow. They continued until they systematically thumped into a very solidly built apple stand.         ‘Thump. Thump. Thump.’         The entire plaza was silent. More importantly, they were staring at the front of Applejack’s applestand.         An apple fell from the stand and hit Rainbow on the head.         With a groan, Spike shoved Rainbow Dash off his face. He peered up at the applestand.         “Ow.” He moved his hand to rub the spines on top of his head.         “Oh. Howdy there Spike... Twilight?-” Spike nodded, Applejack nodded back “-Rainbow.”         Rainbow Dash raised her right hoof high in the air and wriggled it around.         “Shorry Shpitfire Ma’am. Wo-hic-Won’t happen again. Promish”         Applejack raised an eyebrow, huffed and looked at Rainbow’s head again. Little Spitfire’s were flying around it.         Coming around the side of her stand Applejack booped Rainbow on the nose.         Snorting, Rainbow Dash flared her wings, eliciting a pained “Ow!” from the wrapped form of Twilight. Rainbows wings snapped back to her sides.         Twilight squeaked again as Spike sat up, pulling her beard, and again as Rainbow tried to flare wings a second time. Twilight was a very unhappy, very hairy, very annoyed pony.         Everypony stopped what they were doing when they were blinded by a flash of light. After they had recovered, Applejack, Spike, Rainbow and Twilight looked a the source of the offending light.         Twilight was the first to react.         “Discord! What did you do! You did this didn’t you?!”         Discord’s gaze flattened and he bent over, getting in Twilight’s face.         “Me?! Me?! Why of all the-” He shook his head “-I’m reformed now sooo no Princess I did not do that-” He waved at Twilight’s everything “-because you see, I was having tea with kind Fluttershy here.” Discord pulled Fluttershy into a hug --Fluttershy squeaked-- and snapped a picture.         He let go of Fluttershy and snapped again. A moth eaten book appeared in the air next to him. He placed the camera into it with a grin.         “One for the scrapbook!”         He closed the book. It made a crunching noise and Discord flinched.         “Oops.”         He noticed that everypony in the plaza was staring at him.         “Shoo.” He made a shooing motion with his claw and the ponies scattered. A bowl of strawberries and a glass of chocolate milk fell to the ground. Discord picked them up and his ‘friends’ stared at him. He stared back.         He glared at them.         “Five second rule.” He pouted as he chucked a strawberry into his mouth.         “I can see I’m not wanted here.-” He turned to Fluttershy “- Dear Fluttershy, I’ll be back at the cottage enjoying my piece of that quaint quiet cake you made.”         He snapped his lion’s paw, fell backwards, shattered into a flock of Discord faced butterflies and flew back to Fluttershy’s cottage.         The plaza was empty now with the exception being the five little pastel ponies that were within it’s borders. Five arguably annoyed ponies.         “Applejack please be careful! That’s my tail!”         Applejack mumbled something through her teeth as she tried to undo the tangled mess that was Twilight Sparkle.         “Come on AJ I thought you were good with knots. You know, cause you’re a farmer.”         Applejack shot a glare at Rainbow who once again tried to free herself from Twilight’s all encompassing hair. That elicited a screech from Twilight and a “Consarnit” From Applejack as her last five minutes of progress -her only progress- was undone.         “Goshdarnit Rainbow woulda hold still! And knots don’t have anythin ta do with farmin.”         Rainbow wiggled.         “Sorry AJ. But I don’t like this. I can’t move. I can’t fly. Do you know how annoying that is?”         Twilight and Spike shot Rainbow a look that immediately melted into one of relief as Rarity walked out of the Carousel Boutique and primly trotted over to them.         She stopped as she caught sight of the mess in front of Applejacks stand.         “OH-oh my goodness darlings whatever happened here!?”         Twilight quickly filled Rarity in on the situation. Retaining her ladylike composure Rarity smiled and nodded along with the story at the proper intervals and grimaced when Twilight told her that Discord brought himself into the picture. When Twilight was finished her exposition Rarity gave a light chuckle.         “Darling, you said you used ‘A Mare’s Guide to Hair: How to Maintain your Beautiful and Luscious Locks’  correct?”                  Twilight nodded and Rarity clapped her hooves,         “Do you know what month and edition it was?”         Twilight shook her head. Spike curled into a ball.         “Well dear, I can tell you that I can fix this.”         The faces of everyone involved grew into smiles upon hearing Rarity say that.         “Now let me just get my scissors-” taking a closer look at the bundle of ponies and hair she shook her head. “-I take that back, I’ll need my gardening shears to cut through all...that.” She motioned primply with a manicured hoof to the shaggy pony pile.         The faces of those in said shaggy pony pile sank.         Rarity came back a couple of minutes later with her shears. She made short work of Twilight’s overgrown mane. As soon as Rainbow was free she shot off into the sky leaving a rainbow trail behind her. Her friends smiled at her antics.         Returning to her work, she freed Spike who stood up, stretched his cramped muscles and promptly hugged Rarity who blushed and patted his head. Turning to Twilight she grimaced.         “Darling, come with me. I have a wonderous idea!” Rarity dragged Twilight Sparkle into the Carousel Boutique.         What Twilight remembered after that was nothing but a swirl of colors, the sound of scissors and the faint sense of a montage being made.         As the sun was just beginning to set, Rarity stepped out of the Boutique with Twilight Sparkle in tow. Twilight’s coat, mane and tail were back to normal. She and her friends crowded around Rarity, congratulating her on a job well done. Rarity blushed and insisted that it was nothing, it was only what a good friend would do when all of a sudden a dark and foreboding shadow passed over them.         From across town they heard somepony yell,         “Twitchy Tail! Run for your lives!”