Is There a Cure for Magical Mysteries?
Chapter 5: Is There a Cure for Magical Mysteries?
Swapping Cutie marks had never been heard of before, but if it had, anypony could have told you it was a horrible idea. Twilight was just finding out how bad tonight as she made the rounds to all of her friends. First stop was the pony Rarity had switched marks with, Rainbow Dash.
“These animals don’t listen
No not one little bit-” Rainbow sang as she caged Gummy and fretted about.
“Why is she singing?” Spike asked Twilight.
“She swapped her cutie mark around and that’s what seems off to you?”
“It’s got to be my destiny,
And it’s what my cutie mark is telling me.” Rainbow sighed in defeat after chasing a bird into a mouse hole.
“... Why did you stop singing?” Twilight finally asked.
“I wasn’t singing,” Rainbow scoffed. “And Rarity ain’t doing my job as you can see! Though I could use the help...” Rainbow muttered.
“But your cutie mark is changed? You were just singing! You put a damned toothless alligator in a birdcage!”
“... Twilight, are you alright?” Rainbow asked.
“What the buck happened?” Twilight nearly screamed, fed up with the feathery friend’s lack of ability to comment.
“Nothing happened. Did you drop another bookcase on yourself Twi?”
“One time!” Twilight shot back till Spike cleared his throat. “Fine, twice. But no, not this time!”
“Jeesh, you seem tense. You should go see Shy. She can always make you laugh,” Rainbow nodded.
“Fluttershy!? Oh Faustia help us...” Twilight muttered as she and Spike left to find the others now, seeing the scope of this was far greater than they had initially thought. On the way to find Fluttershy, Twilight over heard a mare accusing a stallion of swapping his mark as well, seeing as it was no longer an hourglass, but that was a dead end to Twilight’s investigation. But at least they didn’t sing.
“So Twilight, I hear Canterlot is very nice this time of year,” Spike joked as they headed back to the library, with the dragon trying to calm his sister figure.
“Yeah, but the rent is outrageous,” Twilight chuckled.
“You’re taking this better than I thought you would,” Spike noticed of his lavender friend.
“I’m trying not to think about it actually. If I do, I’m afraid I might have an aneurysm...” Twilight laughed, her crazy distressed laugh starting to peek through.
“So how can we fix this?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight sighed.
“Zecora’s cure for cutie pox?”
“It’s not just their cutie marks that have been messed up though Spike, it’s their destinies. Who they really are.”
“So shouldn’t that mean they are actually really good at these things then?”
“...Shut up. I have to fix this Spike,” Twilight argued as she came to a rest in front of a picture of her and her friends. She had to find a way, there had to be a way.
“Spike, that’s it!” Twilight cried as it hit her, “We need to remind them of who they really are!”
“But if you changed their destinies, would that even-”
“Stop arguing Spike, it’s this or let them all carry on.”
“Well...”
“Spike,” Twilight growled.
“Okay, okay! We’ll set them all back to boring old normal,” Spike huffed, grabbing the now filled box of Elements Twilight pushed toward him and hopping upon her back.
“Come on. We gotta help Fluttershy first,” Twilight said as they raced back to look for the butter colored mare.
“Why Fluttershy?”
“Because she will be the easiest to get to follow us,” Twilight said. “That will help Rainbow, which will help Rarity, which will help Aj, which will help Pinkie, which will keep the town from tearing itself to pieces!”
“So basically you want to manipulate your friends to restore order?” Spike clarified.
“Spike,” Twilight growled, “This is not the time or place.”
“Jeez Twilight, what’s gotten into you?”
“I’m sorry Spike,” Twilight sighed, “It’s just this whole thing has me so stressed. What if I can’t help Rarity and the others?”
“I trust you Twilight,” Spike smiled as he patted her shoulder. “If anypony can figure this out, it’s you.”
“Thank you Spike. I needed that.”
“No problem Twi. Now, let’s go help our friends.”
“Yeah. Together, we can do this,” Twilight smiled, much more confident in her plan now than before.
Twilight knew life in Ponyville was special, and everypony was a rich, vibrant character if you got to know them as she had over these past few years. But that fact alone failed to explain how of all times, during a rescue mission, the town and namely her friends had burst into a random song and dance number. Twilight blamed it on Pinkie, because usually the unexplainable in Ponyville was directly connected to her.
Now she was happy to be walking back to her library with her friends in tow, all back to their normal selves.
“Ah can’t believe we all switched Cutie Marks,” Applejack laughed. “And none of our families seemed to notice.”
“Well, Big Mac did notice,” Pinkie smiled. “He saw me, said ‘Nope,’ and went back inside.”
“Yeah, that’s Mac,” Applejack laughed.
“I can’t believe Pinkie remembers that much about it,” Fluttershy noted as Twilight open the library door for them all.
“Well, she is Pinkie,” Twilight shrugged. “If it doesn’t makes sense, Pinkie does it.”
“So why are we here, Twilight?”
That question, that was one of the last her friends would ever get to ask her before everything forever changed. She was happy to tell them it was to complete the ancient spell, a spell inspired by their friendship, and love. Twilight happily took up her pen, and wrote those fated words. Those words. A sign to stand through all time, of the dedication she had to her friends, the love she had for them all, the laughs she shared with them, her wisdom she gave them freely. Everything. Twilight’s epitaph to the world was a spell of true friendship and love. It was quite beautiful. Till the Elements discharged, and swarmed Twilight in that same hot magic she had seen Pinkie use not three weeks before.
“Twilight!” Six voices cried, trying to look, but too scared to do so. All of them were scared of what had happened here, except one. She was not scared of the magic. She was not scared of the hot angry display. She was afraid for the mare she now knew she loved beyond measure being overwhelmed by it. She would be the first to move, to speak when it was over.
“Where is my Twilight!?” Rarity screamed, bolting forward to scrap at the floor with her hooves, trying to see if somehow, Twilight was there. But she was not. “No. No,no no no no!”
“What’s going on?” One of the others asked. Rarity didn’t even bother to try to figure out who it was. That did not matter. No, what mattered was Twilight. Or rather, Twilight’s words.
Calm. I must be calm, Rarity argued mentally. “Fluttershy, Pinkie, gather every book here you can on the elements! Rainbow, Applejack, begin reading them as they come. Find out what happened. Spike, letter to the Princess, now. Everypony, give me your elements. Until we know what happened with them, they pose a threat, and should be secured.”
“Rarity, what in-”
“Not now Applejack, please. We need to be fast to figure out what’s happening here if we want to be able to help Twilight.”
“H-How do you know we can help her?” Fluttershy squeaked.
“Because, Twilight taught me long ago to look at all details, then draw conclusions. Notice how there is nothing here of Twilight? If she had been killed, there would be something here. Ash, a body, something. So Twilight is still alive, and we have to figure out where, and why.”
“Here!” Pinkie said as she threw a book to Rainbow Dash. “Twilight’s legend of the Elements book.”
“Let’s see here... It says-”
“Twilight is alright!” Spike finished.
“Geez Spike! Let me read it first. Where does it say that anyways?” Rainbow demanded.
“Not there! Here, in the letter I just got from the Princess. She wrote me first it seems. She says Twilight is just fine, and to find her outside. Look to the stars, to be specific...”
“Celestia knew this was coming?” Rarity questioned. “What is going on here?”
Twilight groggily got to her hooves, the feeling sinking in that she had no idea where she was right now. She was floating in a void, filled with soft blue light, yet all color was normal as well. It was beautiful, and harrowing all the same. She questioned where she was, if this was real, or if she was- No. Best not go down that road right now. I need to keep thinking positive thoughts. Like getting to see my friends again. Or half off sales at the bookstore.
“Greetings Twilight,” A familiar voice called out, making the lavender mare smile.
“Princess! Thank goodness you’re here. That means I’m not dead!”
“Why would you think you’re dead my student?” Celestia recoiled. “Have you ever known the Elements of Harmony to kill?”
“Well...”
“The answer is no,” Celestia provided.
“Okay, I guess that’s true enough. So where am I, and why am I here?”
“Twilight, I have brought you here to fulfill your destiny,” Celestia smiled, kindly showing Twilight down a hallway of what appeared to be memories, each floating in the empty abyss they both walked through. “I have been watching you since that very first day Twilight, and know that now you are ready to fulfill your destiny.”
“That’s twice you’ve said that,” Twilight noted.
“So it is. But it is no less true. You are an amazing unicorn, and did something nopony else has ever done, created magic. You are now-”
“Hey!” Twilight gasped seeing one particular memory. “That was my first date with Rarity! You were spying on me then?”
“Well, I did say I was keeping an eye on you...” Celestia shrugged. “But no. I was just merely observing.”
“And that’s the day I broke into the Starswirl the Bearded Wing!... So that’s why you weren’t surprised to see me there...”
“Yes Twiligh-”
“And that was the day I got my braces off!”
“Twilight. Focus.”
“Sorry.”
“Ahem, so as I was saying. You are now ready to take the next step, and become something greater than you ever thought possible.”
Twilight smiled then felt the odd sensation of something being pulled from her chest, like a string was attached. She looked down to see a small orb of her magenta magic as it began to swirl and dance around the mare, making the tips of her shoulder blades burn hot with the raw magical power being channelled through her.
“This might sting a bit,” Celestia warned a tad too late. It is to be noted, the more authority one has when saying that line, the more it stings.
“So what are we all lookin fer again?” Applejack asked as the six friends sat outside the library to see the sky.
“I have no idea.” Rarity supplied.
“The princess said to look to the stars...” Spike mumbled. “Does that mean anything to anypony?”
“The stars are our forefathers looking down on us?” Pinkie supplied.
“... Did you just quote the Lion King?” Rarity asked.
“What? I like that play.”
“How about a giant purple star that just appeared in the sky?” Applejack asked calmly.
“Yes, that might be it...” Rarity nodded.
“Okay. Cause there’s one of those now. Look!”
Everypony watched the star of light as it descended from the heavens, and reached the ground not far from them. They all rushed to it, to see their friend rising up. And with a flare for the dramatic, the unicorn opened her new wings.
“Oh my gosh!” Applejack gasped.
“You’ve become an Alicorn!” Rarity smiled, to emotionally worked up to think clearly. “I- I didn’t even think that was possible!”
“You look like a Princess,” Fluttershy noted while Rarity staggered backwards.
“That’s because she is a princess.” The clear and honey voice of the ruler of the land declared as only she could.
“My Twilight... a Princess... oh my...”
“I’m- a princess?” Twilight gasped, the news hard on her as well.
“Royalty... dating... me... trouble. Big trouble.” Rarity muttered. Celestia was giving some speech now, thought Rarity was following none of it. Rarity felt her front legs give out, and her head bow low. This was apparently the right thing to do, because all of her friends followed suit, though the white fashion mare hoped they were in more control than she was at the moment. Twilight smiled at the display, and chuckled softly. That Rarity knew, in a world clouded by everything else right now, that mare was still able to cut through the fog and be a beacon for the white unicorn.
“You guys,” Twilight laughed. “You all know you don’t need to bow for me.”
“Sorry Twi, just felt right,” Applejack offered.
“It’s okay girls,” Twilight laughed. She looked to her friends as they one by one rose to meet her- nope. Rarity finished falling now as she slumped forward into the dirt, completely shut out from the world around her. “Rarity? Oh no, not again. Help me get her couch,” Twilight ordered as she and her friends took charge for the unconscious mare and took her back into the library.
Rarity awoke slowly, feeling the weight of a thousand suns bearing down on her right now. She was sure she had just been told her Twilight was a princess, and now magically had a pair of wings.
“So how long did you know about this, Princess,” Rarity heard somepony ask. That couldn’t be right. That was in line with her... oh no. The white mare sat bolt upright as it came to her that her dream was by no means fiction, and that her girlfriend was now actually...
“Twilight! You’re an Alicorn!?” Rarity nearly shouted as she laid eyes on the lavender mare.
“Yes Rarity. I can see you’re awake now,” The librarian smiled. No, not librarian. Princesses didn’t hold down jobs as librarians.
“Twilight, how? When? What?”
“Oh, I know these. Who and where are next!” Pinkie supplied.
“Not helping,” Rarity snorted at the laughing pink mare.
“Rarity? Are you okay?” Twilight asked, moving over to sit next to her.
“I’m just- I don’t know Twilight. You’re a Princess now. I- I don’t know how to take that...”
“I know. It’s a lot to adjust to all at once,” Twilight nodded, looking the the wings that flexed and shifted all on their own accord it seemed.
“Oh my Twilight, I’m so sorry. I was thinking of myself, and not how difficult this must be for you,” Rarity stammered to apologize. “How are you doing? Do you feel okay?”
“I feel fine,” Twilight dismissed. “And it’s okay hun. Your girlfriend just grew a pair of wings and became a Princess. You’re allowed to be a tad shocked.”
“Thank you dear,” Rarity smiled. She looked up at last to see the six other’s in the library. Four ponies, one dragon, and one ruler that had a lot of things to answer for. “Princess Celestia, might I ask why you didn’t warn us about that little light show earlier?”
“I was waiting for this question,” Celestia nodded. “I wanted to let you all know, but if I had, it might have changed how Twilight would react, knowing it went far beyond her friends lives at the moment.”
“So why then did you let us think we had hurt Twilight?” Rarity asked in a tone one does not use to talk to both deities or princesses.
“I wrote to you all as soon as I could Miss Rarity. But until I felt the magical shift of the event, I had no idea when it would happen either.”
“But-” Rarity tried to argue.
“Miss Rarity, calm yourself. I did my best, but I was working in the dark as much as you were. Do not take an angry tone with me young lady.”
“And don’t keep secrets from me about my Twilight!” Rarity shot back, then instantly wished she hadn’t. But despite how she felt inside, the white mare held her ground.
“Rarity!” Twilight gasped. “I’m sorry Princess.”
“Don’t apologize for me dear,” Rarity corrected.
“I’m sorry to have worried you Rarity,” Celestia snorted, “But it was for the best. And I do not need to answer to you in these matters. Only Twilight.”
“No, she’s right Princess,” Twilight said slowly. “You are right in that you don’t need to answer to anypony, but I feel those closest to me should have been warned. Do my parents know about this?”
“...Yes Twilight, they do...”
“And Shining and Cadence?” Twilight pressed on.
“Yes...”
“So why not the mare I love?” Twilight finished.
“...”
“What? You don’t like that I’m dating Rarity or something?”
“No Twilight, it’s just...”
“What?” Rarity joined in. “It’s just what?”
“I couldn’t trust her love for you.” Celestia sighed. “She would have told you, and ruined everything I’ve worked so hard to teach you, to instil, to create. After all of these years, I needed you to make the right choice for the right reasons.”
“But-”
“I’m sorry,” Celestia interrupted, “Truly, I am. But it needed to be done. Also, I want to say I have no problem with you two dating now or ever, and wish you the best, Rarity and Princess Twilight.”
Celestia's words hit home for two mares in different ways. For Twilight, it was acceptance, and a blessing to be with whom she loved. For Rarity, it was a reminder that she was now officially dating royalty, and not just any royalty, but a Princess of Equestria. It was not an honorific title like that snob Blueblood. No, this one carried weight. Rarity chuckled, a very sharp, punctuated laugh, as she fell backwards into the couch again, completely unconscious.
“Ahahaha!” Rarity screamed in pure laughter and joy in that lovely Canterlot changing room, much to the chagrin of her friends.
“Calm down Rarity!” Applejack snapped as they all got ready for Twilight’s coronation.
“My Twilight is a Princess!” Rarity squealed.
“She’s been annoying all bucking day,” Rainbow Dash snorted. “How is she going to stay quiet during the ceremony?”
“Hmm, hang on RD, Ah got a plan,” Applejack smiled as she trotted out of the room, leaving behind the four mares, one of which was ready to throttle Rarity to make her shut up. But moments later, the orange mare returned to her friends relief and Rarity’s unknown rescue.
“Open wide Rarity,” Applejack smiled deviously as she took a large spoon and stuffed it into the white mare’s mouth. Rarity’s eyes shot open and her mouth dropped, but no words came out. The only response was the white mare glaring at Applejack and smacking her lips.
“Applejack, what was that you gave her?” Fluttershy asked, wowed by the response.
“Fefut futtah!” Rarity tried to say, but her mouth was uncooperative, making Applejack laugh.
“Just a big ol spoonful of peanut butter,” Applejack stated smugly. “And that should keep ya quiet fer a while.”
Rarity wished she could talk, though her glare was amazing at getting words across. With only her body language, she made it quite clear Applejack was only alive right now because the two were technically family, though Rarity was starting to consider trimming the branches of this particular tree.
“Come on girls,” Applejack laughed as she herded them all to the door. “Time ta watch Twi become royalty.”
Twilight beamed, practically glowing with joy and fear and glee as she was named the newest Princess of Equestria. She had never been so scared and happy, except on her first date with Rarity or that one time she forgot she had a final exam in two hours because Spike gave her the wrong day planner. She had even gotten to give a wonderful speech, with all of her closest friends present.
“Wonderful speech Twilight,” Celestia smiled as the group of princesses trotted back in.
“Indeed. It was most heartwarming,” Luna smiled, turning to the group of ponies and dragon waiting for the return of the new royal mare. “Hello ladies. Spike, good to see you.”
”Oh, h-hey Princess,” Spike smiled. Forget Sapphire Shores...
“Wow Rarity, you look amazing,” Twilight giggled as she pushed past royals that wished her well. She had a purpose, and her name was Rarity. The mare in question smiled and waved her hoof, blushing brightly. Twilight smiled as she leaned in and kissed her, just so caught up in the moment. Then she froze. “Rarity? Di- Did you reactivate the spell? What’s going on? Why does it taste like peanut butter now? Oh no, oh no oh no oh no!”
“Ffiffliahff!” Rarity tried to say, making Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie fall down laughing.
“Oh, stop it Rarity! Mah sides hurt!” Applejack snorted. “Ah can’t take it.”
“Best prank ever!” Rainbow and Pinkie gasped, till Rarity shot them a look more than capable of killing.
“What’s going on here?” Twilight demanded.
“Applejack put peanut butter in Rarity’s mouth,” Fluttershy supplied with a roll of her eyes.
“Really Applejack?” Twilight demanded.
“She’s an Apple now. She’s fair game to family pranks,” Applejack retorted between guffaws.
“Mmhmm,” Twilight nodded, though she looked none too happy. “I’m sorry babe. I’ll get it out after the parade.”
“Mwafer?” Rarity gasped as well as she could.
“It’s not very slightly,” Twilight whispered to her, making the white fashion mare pout. “Besides, now you don’t have to answer any of my mom’s questions.” The thought of not having to bare through that torment was rather appealing to Rarity, as she smiled and bounced along with her friends as the city swelled with pride and joy. A new Princess was born, and everything was going to be fine.
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Way to go, AJ!!
i loled, really hard
you can almost see Mac shouting to Granny "
Grandma its one of those days"
okay Spike, so after Rarity you went after a star and now you are after a Princess?
you manly dragon makes us proud
loved the prank with Peanut Butter, i wonder why i haven't seen it more often, this was the first
P.S. it needed to be done
i.imgur.com/AOV5wqG.png?1
Nice job working Rarity's reaction into the existing continuity! I wonder how it would change Rarity's standing in Canterlot.
3047070
I've always wondered, shouldn't Celestia be Aragorn in that scene, making Twilight Frodo? The Fellowship and all of the crowd bow to the hobbits after all, so it's still a scene of friends bowing to each other out of respect.
3050488 i think its symbolic as to when one acquires the status, in the movie Aragorn is crowned new king, and as such his friends bow to him, in FIM, Twilight gets sort of crowned, or at least acknowledged as a new ruler in Equestria
or at least thats the way i see it 
You know, Celestia's reasoning didn't entirely make sense as to why she said nothing to Rarity. I mean, she makes it sound like Twilight's family doesn't love her enough to not be trusted with the secret of her ascension. I mean....really, Celestia? Really? That's all you can come up with?
That prank was awesome, Rarity standing up to Celestia was gold, and Spike lusting after Luna is pure, epic win.
Most excellent chapter!!!
Two thoughts I had, reading this:
"Look to the stars, Bowen. Look to the stars."
And:
A spoonful of peanut butter
makes the pony's lips
just flap
Makes the pony
shut her trap.
In the most humorous way
I know I missed a line, but I couldn't think of anything else.