• Published 9th Feb 2016
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The Story of Twilight Glow - Jeweled Pen



What if Twilight had been born an earth pony and not a unicorn? No school for gifted unicorns, no burst of magic when she got her cutie mark and, most importantly, no student of Celestia. What fate awaits Equestria?

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S2 Ch 26: Empty sky

Twilight groaned, her eyes slowly opening. She felt like half her ribs were shattered and each breath sent a light, piercing jab through her lungs. Somepony towered over her. “Gnggg… Nightmare… Moon?” she asked.

“Wow, little sis,” Shining said with a chuckle. “I must have gotten taller.” Slowly her vision cleared and she saw her big brother standing over her, Cadence near the foot of the bed and watching her nervously. “How are you feeling?” Her real big brother.

“Hurt. Really, really, really hurt...” Twilight whispered. “How are… how are things with you?”

“Not too bad. I… have some news. Good news. When… you feel better.”

Twilight shook her head. “I could use some good news right now.”

“This is kind of ‘jumping up and down’ good news,” he said with a smile. “So… I’m gonna wait.”

“That’s not fair!” Twilight whined, eyeing him. Slowly, she tried to formulate a list of things he could mean. Jumping up and down and--

“Oh my gosh, you’re going to give her an aneurysm,” Spike said, hopping onto the foot of the bed and rolling his eyes. “These two are getting married.”

“SPIKE!” Shining snapped.

“What? You can’t just do that to her. It’s Twilight, she’ll over analyze everything. She needs to rest and relax,” the dragon said with a shrug.

Twilight stared, her mouth falling open. Finally… “Cadence?! You’re going to marry HIM?” she said, feeling excitement flow through her. Rejuvenating her.

“Yeah,” she said with a small chuckle. “I’ve been, you know. We’ve been considering it for a while. But with Nightmare Moon and everything it finally just… it kept getting delayed. And so we finally decided after all of this, well… its for the best. No more delays. Buck it, lets just get married,” she said, giving him an affectionate smile. “Especially after… we almost lost you. We… wanted you to wake up to good news this time.”

The earth pony nodded. “I see. You… do know you can do better, right?” she teased.

Shining scowled, but Cadence only snickered. “Maybe, but that’d be a lot of work. Besides, I’m never as happy as when I’m with him, so I figure it’s worth the sacrifice.”

“Hey!” the unicorn said with a shake of his head. “I’ll have you know I’m pretty awesome.”

“Oh?” Cadence asked.

“Yes. I got you, didn’t I? I must have something pretty cool about me,” he said with a snicker.

Twilight gave a giggle, smiling up at the two. “So… uhhh… the changelings. Chrysalis, what… happened with…?”

“As far as we know, well… we won,” Shining said, his face changing from happy smirk to serious. “More and more changelings have been coming forward. On top of that, more than a few ponies were captured by them, it seems. We’ve been getting them back. There… was an expedition into their territory. It seems they had some weird… anti-magical throne thing. It’s broken now and… a lot of changelings are captured. It seems that with their queen taken, they’re a lot less eager to fight and hide. And apparently they seemed to grab a bit of ire from the dragons. Seemed there were a bunch shifting into dragons to try and distract us and keep us focused on an attack from outside, not from inside, the kingdom. Most are locked away in Tartarus...”

“An expedition? How… how long was I out?” she asked softly.

The two shared a look, concern in their eyes. Finally, Cadence spoke up. “We… didn’t think you were going to make it. You had an infection, and your ribs were... and… you’ve been out for a while, Twilight.”

“O-oh…” the earth pony whispered. Her eyes widened. “S-Spike? Have you been okay? If I wasn’t--”

“I’ve been staying with Moondancer,” he interrupted her, lifting a claw. “Been working as her assistant. Heh. She might be disappointed now that you’ve woken up. She’ll have to go back to managing her own quills and paperwork,” he teased, shaking his head. “And if you’re worried about what Chrysalis did when she was you, well… I was with her a lot of the time. Something about you seemed off but… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize just how off it was...” he mumbled, sinking a little bit.

Twilight felt a small surge of warmth for the baby dragon, before reaching for him. Unfortunately, this sent fresh bursts of pain through her body. “O-ow!”

“Are you okay?!” Spike asked, leaping to his claws and dashing over.

She chuckled and, now that he was in range, she wrapped her hooves around him. “I’m fine. I just… missed you. Is all.”

“Where were you?” Spike asked.

“It’s… a long story. Oh my gosh! Sunset Shimmer! Has anypony seen her? Orange unicorn, red and yellow mane? Oh no, if Nightmare Moon finds her, she might be in incredible danger.”

“Who?” Spike asked, staring at her.

“The unicorn who helped me get to the throne room. She was… well, she was from here. But, err… I mean….”

“Wait, Sunset Shimmer?” Cadence asked. “Celestia’s old pupil?”

“Yes! She helped me and… what?”

The alicorn shook her head. “She wasn’t here, as far as I know. I’ve heard rumors about them looking for a unicorn, but as far as I know, they’re still looking.”

Twilight blinked a few times, before letting out a sigh of relief. She must have gotten back through the mirror, then. She couldn’t imagine why she’d have stayed here, after all. Not with the way things were going. She wished she could see her just one more time, though. Let her know that everything was okay, now. “T-thanks. Sorry. I just...”

“Where were you?” Cadence asked. “If she came with you, there has to be a big story here. As far as I know, she’s… well. She disappeared years ago. When you were just a filly. Nopony has seen her since. Where did you find her?”

Twilight sighed. “Its… a long story. Its...” She frowned and closed her eyes, thinking about that other world. What would Nightmare Moon do if she thought about it? A world opposite their own? She found her eyes drawn to the window outside, the moon high in the sky. Finally, she shook her head. “Is… it okay if I just… keep it to myself, for now? It’s… it’s better that way for now, I think. It may be better that nopony else knows.”

Shining and Cadence shared a look. Finally, they shook their heads.

“Not a chance,” the unicorn said.

“Don’t make us tickle you,” Cadence warned. “You have enough on your shoulders, without something like that.”

Spike nodded. “Besides, if you can’t trust family, who can you trust?”

Twilight blinked a few times, before smiling. “No. I guess regardless of dimensions, I can always depend on you three. Fine, you win.”

“Dimensions?” Shining asked.

“It’s a long story. It all started when I decided to explore the castle and found this old, ancient mirror. It...”

------

“That’s… wow...” Spike said, staring at her. “I was a dog? Like, a barking, yipping dog?”

“You didn’t yip, but yes,” Twilight said.

“So… I was pretty cool though, right?” Shining asked.

“Oh, you were the coolest,” she said quickly, giving a light laugh. “Though, I don’t know how well you were learning what I was teaching. We never got a chance to test it. But...”

“… What was it like?” Cadence asked softly.

“Huh?”

“The sun and moon. Having… it back. What was it like?”

Twilight frowned, closing her eyes. She played it over again in her mind. The way the sun had risen. The beautiful trail of the moon across the night sky. She felt small tears forming in her eyes. “It was… incredible. I miss it already...” she whispered. “How could Nightmare Moon not see how...” Once again she found her eyes brought to the moon. An unchanging sign of the ruler’s dominion. Of her power. Never changing. Never altering. Never yielding.

A voice crackled through the room. “Twilight? Its Moondancer. The messenger just arrived that you’re okay. Nightmare Moon will know in a minute or so and then we’ll be on our way, okay? Just a warning.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you, Moondancer and you probably can’t hear me anyway,” she said with a sigh. “Ummm… Cadence, Shining?”

The unicorn nodded. “I know. You want us out of here, in case she decides to throw another fit, right?”

“Yeah. She won’t do anything to me, but...”

“But I’m an alicorn, he’s a unicorn who fought against her,” Cadence offered.

“Exactly. Can you go let mom and dad know I’m okay?”

“Of course,” Shining said, before giving a little smile. His hoof reached out and gently booped her on the nose. “Just be careful, okay? No more going into alternate dimensions without your big brother there to keep you safe.”

Twilight snickered. “Of course not. Besides, you were there this time. Just… not you. Now go, before she gets here. I don’t want you two in danger.” She then glanced to Spike. “Actually… Spike, can you go with them?”

The dragon looked shocked, before frowning. “Hey. I’m not scared of Nightmare Moon. If she has anything to yell at you about she can--”

“I just don’t want to take any chances. And I really don’t want anything nearby I really care about that she might… break. I don’t imagine what I’m going to tell her is going to make her happy. I can’t let her know about Sunset and everything and… this is going to be fun...” she muttered/

“… Oh,” Spike said softly. “Fair...”

“Come on, Spike,” Cadence said with a smile, motioning the dragon to follow. “Mrs. Velvet makes the best cupcakes and has been in a huge cooking mood lately. I bet you’ll be able to get a few.”

The dragon perked up at the sound of the treat, following them outside. Now it was just a waiting game. Twilight glanced around the room. Get well cards, balloons, a few books. Some of the balloons had been here so long they had lost almost all their air and were drifting closer to the ground.

Suddenly, with a burst of dark magic, Nightmare Moon and Moondancer appeared at the foot of her bed. Twilight yelped and stared at the pair, her eyes going wide. “H-hi?” she said softly.

“Bard,” Nightmare Moon said softly, her hooves digging into the ground. “We see you are safe and sound. I… worried you wouldn’t recover.” Twilight’s eyes widened softly. There was that ‘I’ again. “The dangers you put yourself through were… not necessary.”

“Oh, they very much were,” the earth pony said with a small, nervous smile. “If I hadn’t, there’s not telling what would have happened to Equestria.”

“You nearly died.”

“Many more may have died if I hadn’t.”

“… We see. Bard, you have gone far and above your duties as our adviser. We were correct in choosing you for this role. Your willingness to sacrifice for your country, for your home, is duly noted. As such, we have come to make you an offer.”

Twilight blinked and stared at the mare. “Your highness?” She glanced to Moondancer, who looked just as confused as her.

“We have long considered this. Our rule will be long, eternal. And there is nopony to walk besides us. And you have… been by our sides through it all. However, you are both weak and delicate. This ordeal only makes it more noticeable. How easy it is to break you. To harm you. You cannot forever stand by our side, if you fall to your wounds.”

“Y-your… your highness?” Moondancer asked. “W-what are you saying?”

Nightmare Moon glanced to her student, before turning back to her bard. “We have come to offer you something very, very few ponies have ever been allowed. An opportunity beyond any measure. A life eternal. Power unimaginable. You have proven to be a pony we can trust in most manners and, as such… we offer you this. The life of an alicorn.”

“W-what?!” Twilight asked before shaking her head. “T-that can’t, you can’t just MAKE an alicorn!”

“Yes, we can,” Nightmare Moon said calmly. “We have the power beyond any and the ritual to make a pony into an alicorn is far within our grasp. It has been a long time since this magic has been used. However, we can think of no other pony we would rather have by our side.”

Moondancer cringed, closing her eyes for a moment.

“You would have magic and power. You would stand by our side, no longer as just a mere subject. But as a ruler. A pony who could do as she pleased. Who could help us… help me to rule my ponies the way they need to be.”

Twilight stared at her ruler, her mouth open. She couldn’t believe it. The life of an alicorn. Magic. Strength. Power. Authority. Her mind wandered to all the good things she could do. The lives she could save. Could make better. How many ponies would be rescued by her hooves? How much pain and suffering could she end? She could--

Her eyes wandered to the moon outside. Slowly, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “No.”

Nightmare Moon froze. Slowly, she spoke up again. “No? You would… deny this gift?”

“Yes. I would.”

“But… but why? We offer you power! We offer you authority. We offer you--”

“To be like you,” Twilight said harshly, cutting her off. “I… I won’t.”

“What is wrong with us?!”

“Everything!” Twilight snapped, waving a hoof and then cringing. “What were you like BEFORE Nightmare Moon? Were you good? Were you kind? I find it hard to believe you weren’t. You ruled besides Celestia and--”

“She betrayed--”

“I’M NOT DONE!” the earth pony yelled, though it hurt her lungs to do so. The ruler was stunned into silence. She knew it wasn’t wise, but she just couldn’t. She’d almost died, almost been torn apart. And now she had THIS thrown on her? “You ruled besides her. And if she was anything like she is in our time… then I have to believe that you were, too. I can see the way you love us. Cherish us. But I can also see how that has become twisted in you. I can see that its darkened you to a point where… where you’re this. You’re not Luna. You haven’t been Luna since you became this. And I won’t change from Twilight Glow into… Dusk Falls or some other over the top, silly evil name. If I took this power, if I… if I let myself become like you. What’s to stop me from becoming the same?”

“We wouldn’t allow you to--”

“You would just make it worse. You refuse to change. I would be entirely in your shadow. I would spend an eternity beneath you. How long until I begin to get jealous? Or selfish? Or just… just so many things that are terrible and cruel?”

Nightmare Moon stared at her bard, her mouth falling open. “But… we love our ponies. We--”

“You may love us. But you won’t do what you need to do.” She motioned to the moon. “Look at the moon.”

The ruler glanced to it, frowning. “Yes, all see its glory. Of what importance is it, now?”

“None. The moon has no importance.”

Moondancer’s eyes widened with horror, shaking her head quickly from behind Nightmare Moon.

“The stars are meaningless. The moon is empty.”

Nightmare Moon’s mouth fell open, staring at her bard. “You dare to speak of--”

“I do. And anypony who isn’t scared of you will say the same. There’s no change. Nothing. It used to be that the moon would travel across the heavens. Ponies told stories of it, of its beauty. The way it changed, the significance of the cycles. It was an eternally changing tapestry, forever shifting. The moon, the stars. They were something of beautify and glory. Something ponies would stay up to see. Meteor showers, new stars, the way they would sometimes shift and move. It was beautiful. An eternal cycle of rebirth. It was gentle, every night they would watch over us as we slept. And now? Now its a painting. Dots. A big circle. Never changing. Just a reminder that we’re under your hoof and there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s not scary. It’s not beautiful. It’s boring.”

Nightmare Moon gasped, her eyes widening.

“And while you may have compared the sun to the moon when I told you of this before. The sun was the one that never changed. We couldn’t even look at it without hurting our eyes. We played in it, frolicked in it. Because it was bright and let us see the world. It let us live in the world. But… the moon? The moon was something different. It changed. It shifted. The night sky was something we stared at with wonder. It made us look up, not down. It had a warmth all its own. It made ponies feel safe to sleep. Now it’s just another sign of who you became, not who you were, Nightmare Moon. And I do not want that to become me. I don’t want to turn into something like… that.”

The alicorn stared and then, she sighed. “We… see. Very well. This spell cannot be forced on a pony, so if you do not desire our power… we can not force it on you. We… wish you only to recover and return to our services, bard. We will find another, more worthy,” she said, before turning her back to the bard and disappearing, leaving Moondancer behind.

“By Celestia’s cutie mark,” the unicorn whispered. “Even I feel a little bad for her. You couldn’t even taper that down a little bit?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “I’d have loved to but… she needed to hear it. I didn’t want her thinking that I’d… that I was going to change my mind. That, eventually, I’d yield. I just… I’m terrified what would happen if I did. What I might become.”

Moondancer nodded, eyeing where the ruler had been. Finally, she sighed. “Twilight? For… what it’s worth?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t think you’d ever become like her. You’re not that kind of pony. You’re… different than she is.”

“I doubt I’m that much different than she was. I--”

“You’re a lot more amazing than you give yourself credit for. Trust me. I’ve been around you long enough to know,” Moondancer said with a smile. “And… I’m happy that you’re not like her.”

Twilight stared and then, slowly, gave a smile. “Thank you.” She sighed and laid back. “Hey… my family is going to be coming by. Wanna meet my mom?”

“The Twilight Velvet? Oh, yes. Mom used to read me her books when I was a filly. I… don’t suppose she’d give me her autograph?”

Twilight snickered, giving a small chuckle. Maybe she could…

Moondancer gasped, staring out the window. The earth pony’s eyes followed and she stared, her own mouth falling as well. “O-oh no...” The stars, the moon, all of it. Was gone.

------

Nightmare Moon appeared on the roof of her tower, collapsing on it with a huff. How DARE her bard speak to her like this. How dare she… treat her in such a manner. Her sky. HER tapestry was BORING?! She rolled onto her back and stared at it. The beauty of the moon and stars were perfect. If they couldn’t accept it. If they couldn’t REVEL in it, then they didn’t deserve it. If they found it ‘empty’, then they would get their wish. Her horn glowed and she wiped it clean in an instant. The stars disappeared, the moon sank beneath the horizon. She hmphed and stared at the black, empty void above.

“If this is what they wish, then very well. I will show you… all of...” However, she couldn’t take her eyes off the empty sky. So void. The darkness that surrounded the world. Piercing through them.

It wasn’t her sky. No. It hadn’t been her sky for millenia. Now that she thought about it, it hadn’t been her sky even when she returned. It had been Celestia’s sky, her night. All that she had done was move the moon, risen it higher. But she hadn’t set the stars. She had just been so busy. So… set in her ways. She had refused to change even a single thing, to give away even a moment of the night.

And yet…

She glanced to her cutie mark and felt a powerful sadness wash over her.

“Celestia, oh once dear sister… could it be she is right? Is it possible that we… have become boring?” She thought back to those many, many nights. The way she would spend hours creating each design. The beauty she had crafted. The nights she had woven for them. She would spend weeks deciding on each constellation. When she had started, there had been but a few stars. But by the time she finished, the heavens were a breath taking tapestry for the night. A world she had created. A world of breathtaking beauty.

And they had ignored it. Once again, she felt that icy chill. They had all ignored it. Cast her hard work aside. Cast HER aside. She was the ‘backup princess’. What did it matter how hard she worked? They never cared. They never…

Slowly, her hooves reached up and a few stars appeared in the sky. Some of them were important. Her north star. It had become so important. She couldn’t truly let it disappear. Then a constellation or two. It was so… silent, now. Empty. Void.

One by one, new stars appeared in the sky again, glowing with a gentle, dim glow. The empty void turning to a beautiful, breath taking tapestry. Tears formed in the ruler’s eyes while she made each new star appear and the warm excitement she had once become so fueled by returned.

For just a moment, she could pretend. Pretend her ponies had always lover her. Pretend her sister was there by her side, not in front of her. Not hiding her. But her ally. A pony she could depend on.

She could pretend that ponies idolized her sky. Gazed on it. Reveled in it. That she hadn’t become old and bitter and hated their separation from it.

Piece by piece the sky came anew. A beauty all its own. Something that was truly unique and special. Something that all of Equestria could share. And then, slowly, the moon began to rise. No longer a full, massive orb of light to rival the sun.

But a small, delicate crescent. The moon rose quickly, assuming its place in the sky where it belonged. Where it would continue its journey across the heavens, slowly, throughout the night.

The ruler got to her hooves and wiped her eyes. She could change. She would change. She was Nightmare Moon. But… she loved her ponies. And she would be Luna for them as well. And she would show them the true skies she had longed for them to see. Had longed for--

The thought stilled when her eyes fell over her city. Over Canterlot. The city itself was a small tapestry of its own. Lights flickering and glowing. Like little stars on the world. She’d never seen the city like this before. Or had she, but just never noticed? Had she truly allowed herself to become so blind? She stared out, over her Equestria and felt a warmth in her heart.

Her stars above. Truly, her sky. But on the ground, smaller stars, the cities, the ponies, street lamps and windows. All shining together to create a beauty unmatched.

Her entire body quivered and she made a vow to herself. “I will… never forget the true beauty of my night again,” she whispered. “No matter how much I hurt. I will show all ponies what I have created for them...”

------

“It’s… beautiful...” Moondancer whispered, her eyes on the night sky above. It was so different than she’d ever seen. While some of the stars were the same, so many of them were different. Moved. Altered. And the moon, in its dim glow, gently moving across the sky, only made it more breath taking.

Twilight nodded, unable to take her eyes off the sky as well. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe her ruler could change.

Maybe, one day, Nightmare Moon would be the ruler they all needed her to be.

------

Applejack stared at the night sky, her mouth open. She’d only come down to Ponyville to make a delivery to Filthy Rich, when the sky shifted, it had drawn every eye to it. Now?

Now it was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. Maybe it was because it had been so long, but the sky just seemed so… glorious. So beautiful. She stared up at it with awe, before smiling. “Ah guess even Nightmare Moon can change ‘er mind, eh?” she mumbled to herself. A frown came on her face, before she sighed.

“Anypony can. But can they admit to it?” she muttered.

“I’m sorry?” the shopkeeper asked. “Everything’s good, though. Thanks for dropping these off. How… ahhh… are things at the farm?”

“Rough, but we’ll get by. Ah don’t suppose yah know if Zecora is still stickin’ around the library?”

“Who? Oh! The zebra, Trixie’s assistant?”

That made the earth pony pause, but slowly nod. “Eeyup.”

“She’s there fairly regularly. I think she’s been telling stories to the foals and colts.”

That gave the mare even more pause. “Tellin’… stories?”

“Yup. She’s been telling ponies all about all kinds of myths and legends. I heard a pair of fillies talking about it the other day.”

Applejack nodded, before sighing. “Thanks.” She stepped out from the store. “Tell Filthy Hh said hi!”

“Will do!”

The mare then turned towards the library and began trotting, frustration growing in her. She knew this was the right thing to do, but she didn’t want to. She’d been in the wrong and she owed the mare an apology. It still didn’t make it any less embarrassing.

But she couldn’t put it off forever. And if Nightmare Moon of all ponies could pull their temper out of their flank and make that, she could stop being stubborn and actually entertain the notion of being the kind of pony her family had taught her to be.

She shoved open the door and froze. Sitting in front of the stage was Zecora, talking with a ring of colts and fillies. There was a chalk board in front of her zebra, which she was using to draw examples of the things she spoke of. Applejack sighed and glanced around, deciding she’d wait until after the story was finished. Trixie was putting away a small stack of books while a small colt talked the unicorn’s ear off.

“It was so cool!” Button said. “They fought a dragon!”

“You don’t say,” Trixie said dismissively, flipping two of the books around and sliding them into position on the self.

“And she wasn’t trapped there, she was ESCAPING to the game!”

“Yeah, I hear a lot of ponies do that,” the unicorn mumbled, obviously barely listening while she pulled a damaged book off the self. She scowled, before tossing it into a small box marked ‘repair’ by the front desk.

“And then whenever they got into the physical world, it was really sad because he couldn’t move at all! But then in the game she was super awesome!” Button said.

Trixie blinked a few times and struggled to process that sentence. Finally, she shrugged. “I see. That’s… nice?” A vein was starting to form in the unicorn’s forehead and Applejack decided to take pity on the mare and step in.

“Howdy, Trixie,” she said, trotting over. “Hey Button. Yah mind if ah borrow our librarian for a bit?”

“Huh? Oh! Right! Yeah, I’m gonna give those other books a look! Thanks, Trixie!” he said before galloping off, snagging a small book filled bag on the way out.

“Ugh,” the unicorn said with a roll of her eyes. “Had I known he’d react like that I NEVER would have recommended it.”

“Oh? You weren’t a fan of the book?”

“Me? The Great and Powerful Trixie, a fan of such things? No,” she said flatly. “I just merely know he is interested in video games and that book was recommended in the library newsletter. It’s how I’ve done most of my recommendations.”

“Ah see,” Applejack said with a knowing grin. “Ah heard ya were gettin’ ready tah pack up an’ go take Equestria by storm. Wagon still givin’ ya trouble?”

“Ugh, yes. Had I KNOWN how much trouble it’d be just… leaving it out there for a year, I’d have made sure to keep it in use, hmph,” the unicorn snapped with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll get to it, eventually.”

“Ah’m sure ya will… ya know. If ya want, Ah could have a look at it. Ah--”

“Hmph. The Great and Powerful Trixie can handle her OWN wagon, thank you very much,” Trixie said with a hmph and turning her snout up.

Applejack only nodded and smiled. She’d heard all about the ‘wagon’ issues. Apparently the wagon had been a bit dirty and some things had broken, not to mention the stage having been removed to be used in the library at one point. More than a few ponies had offered to help her fix it, but she’d declined it with one excuse or another. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. “How ya been likin’ yer new stage? Ah hear from Applebloom that ya really blew them all away with yer last show.”

The unicorn snickered. “Why, now that I have magic, it is foal’s play to perform shows like that. It’s only natural that my… hmmm...” She frowned, tugging off another damaged book from the shelf. “Do the ponies of this town truly not maintain their tomes at all?” she asked, tossing it into the ‘repair’ bin.

“What exactly are ya doin’?” Applejack asked.

“Ugh, busy work,” the mare said with a roll of her eyes. “I received a book from a mare that had pages falling out and apparently it was like that when she got it. And it's not the only one, either. I swear whoever came here before me had no idea how to maintain this place.”

“Well, we didn’t really have a librarian before. It’s nice tah see ya--”

“I’m hardly a librarian,” Trixie said with a snort. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! I just do not like having the venue of my performances filled with such… shoddy disarray,” she said. “Oh, which reminds me.” Her horn glowed and she pulled out a small book with a small, swirling spiral on the cover. “You’re Applebloom’s sister, right?”

“Mmmm hmm. Why?”

“This came in. I think she’ll enjoy it.”

Applejack took the book, eyeing it. “Cutie marks?”

“Yes. Those three fillies are constantly coming here and looking for new ways to create their cutie mark. Please, as if it can be discovered in such a way,” she said with a sigh.

“Uh huh… So. Ya enjoyin’ workin’ here?”

“Mmmm. I suppose it works, for now. I barely have to do anything,” Trixie said, tossing another book into the repair bin. “And I will admit, you ponies at least treat me with the proper respect worthy of somepony of my talents. So this is not a… terrible arrangement.”

Applejack rolled her eyes, keeping a smile on her face. “Ah see. Well, it’s awful kind of ya tah keep puttin’ on yer shows. Ah know a lot of ponies have been enjoyin’ ‘em.”

Trixie perked up. “Oh? So you’ve been hearing about them, even on the farm? It’s good to hear that my reputation is finally spreading as far as it deserves.

The earth pony barely avoided snickering, merely nodding along with the mare. “Mmmm hmm. Speakin’ of reputation...” she said, glancing towards the dispersing foals. “It was nice talkin’ tah ya, but ah gotta go talk to yer assistant.”

“Hmmm? Oh. Enjoy yourself, I suppose. I… What in the blazes?” Trixie said, pulling out a book on simple magic tricks. “The bindings on this are almost completely destroyed! Bah… I would have sworn this book was fine when I got here. How many ponies have been checking this out? Wait, is this… jam? Amateurs… Does the Great and Powerful Trixie need to start a class?”

Applejack gave a light snicker before making her way towards the zebra. Zecora was directing a few of the ponies towards different books, before moving back towards the stage. “Miss Zecora?” she asked.

The zebra paused and glanced over, looking her up and down. “Ah, an earth pony with an apple mark and presence to fill a room. You must be Applejack, elder sister of Applebloom,” she said calmly.

The earth pony snickered, giving a nod. “Yeah. Ahhhh… guessin’ yer familiar with mah lil sister?”

“Indeed I am familiar with a pursuers of their marks, I managed to convince little Sweetie Belle that she could not find it amongst sharks. Those with hearts as pure as theirs are quite rare… but I do often wish they would more often beware.”

Applejack gave a light snort. “Yeah, sounds like mah sister and her friends alright. And-- wait, sharks? Thanks for convincin’ them that wasn’t a good idea. Ah don’t know where they get ideas like that.”

“Who can completely understand the mind of a filly?” Zecora asked with a shrug. “I myself find it oft’ quite silly.”

“Yeah, ponies get… all kinds of silly ideas in their heads. An’… sometimes it ain’t jus’ fillies, either. Ya got a second tah chat?”

Zecora cocked her head to the side. “If a chat you need I will try to assist. Though I was not aware I could aid you unless there is a thing I missed?”

“No, it ain’t about that. Ah don’t need your help. Ah… owe ya an apology.”

The zebra paused for a few seconds, looking even more confused. “Apologize to me? I am not aware of any misdeed you have performed that I can see.”

“Yeah… that’s kinda the issue. Ya see… ah ain’t been treatin’ yah right. Now please, let me finish,” she said, before the zebra could interrupt. “Ya were new to town. Well, ya were livin’ in the Everfree Forest, but that was more or less in town. Ya came to town, an’ ah treated ya… well, Ah didn’t treat ya right. Ah let a coupla rumors get to me an’ Ah assumed ya weren’t right because ya weren’t like everypony else. An’ that wasn’t right, no siree. A bit of stripes an’ a coupla rumors made meh treat ya like ya were somethin’ terrible an’ to be feared. An’ Ah’m sorry. An’ Ah know Ah don’t deserve it, but Ah hope yah can find it in yer heart tah forgive meh an’ give meh another chance.”

The mare stared for the longest time, before finally she gave a small smile. “Ah, I see of what you mean, to have made such a leap. Fret not, Applejack, for a grudge I feel no need to keep. It is true amongst you ponies I am quite strange, but I appreciate that your view of me you are willing to change. For one who has never seen such as I it is but ignorance, to have judged me based on a first glance. Such ignorance can be be removed and for that I have but one suggestion. To learn more of my people is but to ask many a question.”

Applejack stared at the zebra, trying to process the sentence. Finally, she smiled and gave a nod. “Well… if ya don’t mind if Ah ask a few things, Ah’d actually like tah know more about you. An’ thanks, Zecora. Really.” The earth pony felt a small burden come off her chest. Sure, she didn’t know much about zebras now, but she supposed she now had the perfect way to learn. Straight from the horses… well, zebra’s mouth.

Author's Note:

And so, finally! The moon has once again begun its travels across the sky, with a beautiful star filled night to glimmer with it. Applejack works up the courage to apologize to Zecora and, for those who were curious, you get to see just what Trixie has been up to! One chapter to go before the season ends! Hope you're all excited! And yes, Sunset escaped, unseen by most ponies. This will SURELY have no effect on anything. Ever. Right? R-right? Definitely. *coughs innocently.*

For those who are curious, the book that Button read was based on my first book, Landasy Reality. I always considered writing a MLP version of it, but seemed a bit too... egotistical. What do you guys think?

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