1: The Best Laid Plans
Twilight stared up at the newest stained glass window in front of her. It depicted a purple alicorn rising gracefully into the air, a crown on her head and a starburst emblazoned over the sun behind her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t quite accept that the princess depicted there was supposed to be her.
“You look amazing, darling,” Rarity said, coming to stand next to her as the rest of the group stood nearby. “They’ve really captured your regality.”
“I suppose,” Twilight muttered.
Rarity nudged her lightly. “Come now, Twilight. I know it’s not everything you expected, but it’s everypony’s dream to be crowned a princess and have their coronation immortalized in stained glass for all to see.”
“I don’t know if it’s every pony’s dream,” Rainbow Dash said skeptically, forelegs crossed as she hovered behind them.
“Most of my dreams are about frosting!” Pinkie chimed in, licking her lips as her eyes glazed over.
“We’d better get going,” Fluttershy stepped forward. “We don’t want to miss our train.”
“Fluttershy’s right,” Applejack agreed. “Don’t know about y’all, but I’ve still got bushels to do to get ready. The official celebration may be here in Canterlot, but whoo-wee has the Mayor put us in charge of one heck of a party back home.”
Twilight hung her head, her gaze travelling to the floor, but Applejack was quick to step forward and lift her chin with a hoof. “Aw, don’t look like that, sugarcube. You get to be right there with the other princesses when Celestia raises the sun.”
“And I’m honored,” Twilight said quickly. “Really, I am. It’s just that the Summer Sun Celebration is what first brought us all together. It just doesn’t feel right not getting to spend it with all of you.”
“It doesn’t feel right to us either, darling,” Rarity said. “If the Mayor wasn’t so desperate for our assistance, we’d most certainly stay here in Canterlot.”
Twilight met Rarity’s gaze, but after only a moment, Rarity looked away, biting her lip. Twilight held in a sigh, closing her eyes in acceptance.
Applejack spoke up again, touching a hoof to Twilight’s shoulder. “Twi, the Summer Sun Celebration may have brought us together, but it’s something much bigger that’ll always keep us connected.”
She took a step towards the other side of the hall, gesturing dramatically with one hoof at another stained glass window, the one that depicted the six of them defeating Nightmare Moon. “Exhibit A! The six of us are united by the Elements of Harmony. Nothing is ever gonna change that. Right everypony?”
There was a chorus of agreements and nods from the rest of the group.
“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Fluttershy murmured. “We’ll be back together again before you know it.”
“I know,” Twilight murmured back. “I just… don’t want to be alone, is all.”
There was a moment of silence as the others looked between themselves. “Actually,” Rarity spoke up. “...why don’t I stay here in Canterlot? If you’ll have me, of course, Twilight.”
Twilight blinked, and her face lit up. “What? Of course! But… doesn’t the Mayor need you?”
Rarity waved a hoof. “She’s got plenty of able ponies to help. She doesn’t need all of us, I would think.” She stepped forward and smiled. “Besides, I think you might need me more.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Fluttershy said, smiling. “I’m sure we’ll manage without Rarity.”
“Yeah, I mean, she was just gonna be doing decorations anyway—” Rainbow began, before pausing at the look Rarity was giving her. “—which are super important but it’s not like I can’t handle it. How hard could it be?”
Rarity smirked. “I’m sure you’ll be more than capable, Rainbow Dash. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.”
“...right,” Rainbow muttered. “Right. Sure.”
There was a chorus of laughter, and Rainbow crossed her forelegs again. As she grumbled, Rarity stepped up next to Twilight. “Don’t worry, darling,” she whispered. “I told you I wouldn’t leave, and I won’t. Everything is going to be fine.”
Twilight fell onto the bed, winced, and then pulled her wing out from under her and straightened it. “I think that’s everything,” she said, her voice weary. “Though, maybe we should run through the checklist one more time…”
Spike raised a claw, about to object, but Rarity put one hoof on his forehead and spoke up instead. “Darling, we’ve been over everything three times already. You’ve done all that you can. Besides, the ceremony isn’t until the day after tomorrow. You can check again in the morning.”
Twilight raised her head. “But what if I’ve missed something? What if the checklist isn’t complete? Oh no, Spike, is there a checkbox for making sure the checklist is complete? Why didn’t I think of that earlier?”
“Twilight!” Spike interrupted. “It’s fine! You did think of that earlier. That was part of the checklist for making the checklist. We finished that days ago.”
“Oh. Right.” Twilight laughed sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I’m just all worked up. This is the first real royal duty Celestia has given me, and I can’t mess up anything.”
“And I’m sure you won’t,” said a new voice, as Celestia stepped into the room. She smiled down at Twilight, and then a slight frown crossed her face as she saw Rarity. “Ah, Rarity. What a pleasure. I hadn’t expected you to still be here.”
Rarity sank into a hasty bow. “Princess Celestia! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to be a bother.”
Twilight and Spike were quick to follow suit, and Celestia waved a hoof. “Oh, none of that. You’re a Princess now, Twilight. You have no need to bow to anyone.” Turning to Rarity, she added, “And you are her guest. You have no need to bow to me either.”
“Sorry!” Twilight blurted.
“No need to apologize, Twilight. I know there is much to get used to.” She glanced to Rarity, but her words continued to be addressed to Twilight. “Actually, I had hoped to speak to you alone.”
Rarity straightened hastily. “Oh! Of course, Princess. Pardon me.” She started for the door, paused, and then grabbed Spike by the ear and dragged him out with her.
Celestia’s smile remained on her face until they were gone, and then she turned to Twilight. “I wanted to ask how you were doing, Twilight. I know you said you were having some trouble adjusting.”
Twilight took a step back, suddenly wary. “N-no, it’s fine, really. It’s just… a big change, is all. Rarity is helping me get used to it.”
Celestia nodded thoughtfully. “Indeed. You two do seem to be getting rather close.”
Twilight squeaked in protest, and a blush rose to her cheeks. “It’s not like that!”
“Oh, don’t mind me,” Celestia added quickly. “It’s not my place to pry. But I’m glad that you have somepony to help you through this. Rarity is a good friend.”
“She is,” Twilight agreed, a wistful look crossing her face as she looked to the door Rarity had just left through.
There was a moment of silence before Celestia spoke again. “I am glad to hear you are doing better, Twilight. There is… much about alicorns that most ponies do not know. We are… different in more ways than even the obvious.” She sighed softly. “It is something we will have to discuss at length before too much longer. But it is late, and I do not wish to distract you from your preparations. If you do not have any pressing concerns, it can wait.”
Twilight hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“...yes, I am.” Celestia shook her head. “I do not want to trouble you with such things, not when we are practically upon the eve of the first true Summer Sun Celebration in a thousand years.”
Twilight cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
Celestia turned, and then stepped up to the window. Outside, the moon had just risen, and framed in its light was Luna, standing on the balcony of one of Canterlot Castle’s many towers. “For the past thousand years, the Summer Sun Celebration has been a reminder to me that I was forced to banish my own sister. But now, for the first time, it is a chance for us to celebrate being reunited. I admit that I, too, am striving to make sure everything is perfect. Luna deserves a chance to shine again.”
Twilight nodded slowly. “I guess I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
Celestia turned back to her. “That is why everything else can wait. After the Summer Sun Celebration, we will have all the time in the world to talk.”
“Of course, Princess.”
Celestia smiled again. “Get some sleep, Twilight. I will see you in the morning.”
“Twilight! Twilight, wake up!”
Twilight opened her eyes, groggy. She’d been dreaming again, but the pieces fell away from her before she could grasp them. Instead she looked up at Rarity’s face and blinked. “Huh?” she asked eloquently.
“Twilight, you must come see this, quickly. Something has gone terribly wrong.” Rarity practically dragged her out of bed and to the window.
Twilight stared, and then rubbed her eyes. But when she opened them again, the same impossible sight greeted her: The sun and the moon were both up, and the sky was half day and half night. “I don’t understand.”
“Surely you must have some idea what could have caused this?” Rarity asked, her voice quavering and a worried look on her face.
Twilight frowned. “I don’t know. But I know who will. Come on, Spike.” She nudged the dragon’s basket, and he awoke with a groan.
“Twilight? What time is it?” he mumbled.
“Great question,” she replied. “We’ll add that one to the list.” She plucked Spike out of bed with her magic, settling him on her back before he could offer further protest. Instead, with a shrug, he leaned into her mane and closed his eyes again.
When she stepped out into the Canterlot streets, she was greeted by mass confusion. Ponies were milling about, discussing the broken sky with varying levels of panic in their voices. Then somepony spotted her.
“It’s Princess Twilight! She’ll know what’s going on!”
In an instant, she was surrounded. “What happened to the sky?” someone yelled.
“Well, uh, I’m not sure yet—”
“Can you fix it?”
“I’m sure once we know what’s happ—-”
“Where’s Princess Celestia? Is she alright? Did something happen? Are we under attack?”
“I was going to see her— I’m sure she’s— I don’t—”
Twilight couldn’t even finish a sentence without being bombarded with another question. The crowd was creeping closer, each new questioner shoving to the front to get her attention. She backed up, but soon found herself backed against a wall, with nowhere to run. She scanned around for Rarity, but somehow the crowd had gotten between them, hiding her from view.
She couldn’t even hear individual questions anymore, so many ponies were talking. “Could you please— One at a time— Please—” She took a breath.
“WOULD YOU ALL JUST BE QUIET!”
Her voice sliced through the noise, and suddenly it was dead silent. Twilight smiled, and the nearest ponies recoiled from her. “I am trying to find out what is going on. Once I have spoken to Celestia, I am sure we will fix this and you can all go back to your normal lives. Now let me through.”
Immediately, the crowd parted. Twilight marched through the gap, grabbing Rarity with one hoof as she passed. “Come on. Let’s fix this.”
“Oh! Y-yes, of course,” Rarity managed, flustered. After a moment she was following Twilight without having to be pulled along. “Are you alright, darling?”
“I’m fine,” Twilight snapped.
“No you aren’t,” came a voice from her back. Spike was watching her, a frown on his face. “I haven’t seen you snap like that since Pinkie Sense.”
Twilight opened her mouth to object, before she sagged, the fight draining out of her. Rarity was quick to step up and offer her a shoulder to lean on. “I’m just… tired. I’ve only had these wings for a month and already everypony is treating me differently. It seems like once you’re a Princess, everypony just expects you to have all the answers.”
“It’s a lot of responsibility you never asked for,” Rarity said quietly. She looked away, before adding, “I do apologize if I caused you any distress. I may have been too focused on the glamour of being a Princess, instead of on what it actually entailed.”
Twilight shook her head. “Oh no, of course not. I’m just glad to have you here, Rarity. I don’t know what I’d do if I was trying to deal with all this alone.”
“Your Highness!” A new voice reached them, as a royal guard galloped to meet them. He offered Twilight a quick bow, before continuing, “Please, come with me. It’s urgent.”
“Actually,” Twilight said, “We were just going to meet with Celestia—”
“Yes, that makes sense,” the guard interrupted. “That is what we must speak to you about. But in private.”
Twilight and Rarity exchanged a glance, and Rarity shrugged. The guard didn’t seem to notice, already leading the way towards the palace. Soon, several other guards appeared to make sure Twilight wasn’t mobbed by any more crowds.
Once they were safely inside the palace and the doors were closed, the guard turned to Twilight. He paused, glanced at Rarity, and then continued anyway. “It’s the princesses, Your Highness. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna… they’ve both vanished.”
Rarity gasped. Twilight wished she had that luxury. “What do you mean, vanished?”
“Just that, Your Highness. We cannot find them anywhere.” He paused, and then bowed. A moment later, the other guards in the room followed suit. “This is why we came to you. We await your command.”
Twilight blinked, pointing vaguely at herself with a hoof. “My command?”
The guard looked up. “We are officers of the Royal Guard. That means we take our orders from royalty. With the Princesses missing, and Cadence in the Crystal Empire, that means we take our orders from you.”
“Right. Of course.” Twilight took a deep breath, feeling suddenly dizzy. After a moment, she felt Rarity’s hoof on her shoulder, and her breathing steadied. “Alright. Keep looking for the Princesses. If you find anything at all, let me know immediately. I’m going to try to find—”
The doors slammed open, and another guard rushed in. “Your Highness! News from Ponyville! The Everfree Forest appears to be… invading!”
Twilight took a moment to stare, and then took a long breath, touching one hoof to her chest and then extending it out. “Oh. Of course. Why wouldn’t everything go wrong all at once?”
The guard didn’t catch her sarcasm. “What should we do, Your Highness?”
Twilight took another breath, trying to push down the panic rising in her chest. She looked to Rarity, who smiled encouragingly back at her. “Alright. We need to get to Ponyville. As fast as possible.”
The guard saluted. “I will prepare a chariot immediately.”
It was difficult to pace in the carriage of a flying chariot, but Twilight felt she was doing a rather good job of it anyway. A thousand worries were rushing through her head, and there were too many to focus on any of them.
“Twilight, you’re making me nervous,” Spike spoke up. His claws were clasped together in front of him, but his fidgeting still displayed his discomfort.
Rarity waved a hoof in his direction to shush him. “She has a lot on her mind,” she hissed in a stage whisper that did nothing to stop Twilight from hearing it. Even the guards pulling the chariot could probably hear it, but part of their duty was to pretend to hear nothing at all, especially when transporting royalty. “Give her some time to think it through.”
Twilight turned on them. “A lot on my mind? I’ll say! I can’t be Princess! I mean, I know I’m a princess, but I can’t be Princess princess! Ugh! You know what I mean!”
Rarity nodded. “Yes, I think I do. It’s alright, Twilight. I’m sure we’ll find them. Though, I don’t know why they would be in Ponyville…”
Twilight threw up her hooves. “They’re not! Probably! But Princesses Celestia and Luna disappearing and the Everfree Forest going crazy at the same time can’t be a coincidence, and at least I know where the forest is! And more importantly, where everypony else is. There’s no way this isn’t an Elements of Harmony problem.”
Rarity brightened. “Oh, yes, of course. So long as we have the elements, there will be nothing to worry about.”
“I wish it were that simple,” Twilight muttered. “I can’t blast the whole forest. I mean, probably. And even if we find out what’s behind all this, it might not mean we get Celestia back. What if we can’t get Celestia back? Apparently that puts me in charge, which is a terrible idea! I’ve been a Princess for a month, Rarity! I don’t even know how to be an alicorn yet!” She slammed a hoof into the floor of the chariot in frustration, leaving a spiderweb of cracks, but she didn’t seem to notice. Instead, her belly rumbled, loud enough for everypony to hear it. “And I didn’t even have breakfast! How am I supposed to fix this if I can’t even remember to eat?”
“Twilight! Twilight, darling, please.” Rarity stood up, wobbling slightly in the moving chariot, and threw her forelegs around Twilight. “We are all counting on you, but that’s because we know you can do it. You didn’t need wings to stop Nightmare Moon, or Discord, or Sombra. You didn’t stop being the pony we admire because of a few new appendages and a title.” She pulled back and looked Twilight directly in the eyes. “I believe in you, Twilight. So take a deep breath, and we’ll get through this.”
Twilight gulped, Rarity's muzzle suddenly very close to her own. She could feel her cheeks burning, and was trying to figure out what to say when—
“Yeah! What she said,” Spike chimed in.
Twilight turned to glare at Spike, but he was oblivious. Instead she closed her eyes, taking in a long breath. When she opened them again, she felt like she could think straight again. “Right. You’re right. I'll be fine.” After a moment she risked looking back at Rarity, and then just as quickly turned away again. Rarity let out a soft ‘oh’ and hastily disentangled her forelegs from Twilight’s shoulders.
They spent the rest of the chariot ride trying very hard not to look at each other.
When the chariot arrived in Ponyville, it went straight to Twilight’s library. Even still, they spent enough time on approach to see the dark vines that crept out from the forest, curling around houses at the edge of town and slowly spreading inward. The streets were abandoned, the residents having already fled the encroaching threat, or shut themselves inside their homes.
Twilight practically flung herself out of the chariot before it had even come to a stop, and was already making a plan by the time she opened the door. “We’ll grab the Elements, and then find the rest of the girls, they’re probably out—”
She paused, blinking at the scene in front of her, of her friends ransacking her bookshelves for anything they could find. “Or - perhaps we won’t need to find them at all.”
Fluttershy squeaked, hiding the book she was holding behind her back as though that would make Twilight forget about it. “Twilight! Oh, I’m so glad you’re here. We didn’t mean to intrude, but we didn’t know what else to do…”
“These darned plants don’t act like anything I’ve ever seen before,” Applejack cut in. “They just do whatever they please, and even us earth ponies can’t do nothing about it.”
“The clouds won’t listen either!” Rainbow added. “Not even to me! I sent the rest of the weather team home, but Fluttershy thought your library might have something that could help.”
Pinkie bounced up and gave Twilight a hug. “And now that you’re here, we’ll have it fixed up lickety-split! That’s why you’re here, right? Oh! We aren’t making you miss the celebration in Canterlot, are we?”
Twilight shook her head. “There’s not going to be a celebration if we don’t fix this,” she muttered grimly. “Celestia and Luna have both vanished.” There was a series of gasps from the room, but Twilight didn’t have time to indulge them. “This problem with the forest has to be related, I hope.”
Twilight stepped past her friends, opening up the display case that contained the Elements of Harmony with a flick of her horn. “Whatever is causing this, it’s gotta be in that forest somewhere.” She passed out the Elements to their bearers, and then turned to address them all. “Which means we’re gonna have to go in after it.”
“Oh no,” Fluttershy whispered.
Pumping her hoof in the air, Rainbow Dash flew towards the ceiling, already raring to go. “That’s what I’m talking about! We’ll teach that forest not to mess with us!”
Applejack was more hesitant. “Are you sure, Twilight? This is mighty strange, even for the Everfree. I don’t know if going in there when we don’t even know what we’re up against is such a good idea.”
“Well, it’s the only idea we have,” Twilight snapped. “We have to stop this, and there’s no time to lose. The longer we wait, the longer the Princesses are missing, and the more likely it is that something terrible happens to them. I have to save them. I know it’s risky, but we can’t afford any delays.”
Rarity stepped up next to her, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Twilight is right, everypony,” she agreed. “We may not have much to go on, but it is enough to be sure the need is urgent. We’ll be fine as long as we stick together. Besides, Applejack, wasn’t it you who said that the Elements would keep us together?”
“Now, that ain’t what I meant—”
“Come on, you heard them, AJ!” Rainbow cut in. “We’re wasting time!” She gave Twilight an exaggerated salute. “Just point the way, fearless leader!”
Twilight nodded. “Those vines we saw on the way in. They’ve got to have a source, and they’re probably all from the same plant. If we follow them, it’ll lead us right to whatever is causing this. Then we hit it with the Elements. Simple.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Spike piped up. “Let’s go.”
Twilight paused, and then shook her head. “Actually… you’re going to have to stay here, Spike. Someone needs to maintain order, tell the Mayor where we’ve gone, keep the townsfolk safe.”
Spike crossed his arms. “What about keeping you safe?” he grumbled. “How am I supposed to do that?”
Twilight put on a smile that she didn’t really feel. “I’m an alicorn now, remember? I’m tougher than I look. I’ll be fine. Come on, Spike, ponies need you here.”
Spike sighed. “Fine. But you’d better have a good story when you come back.”
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Loving this so far. Can't wait to see the rest of it.
It's here! I am veyr excited haha
This will be a very gentle RariTwi story, I can feel it. :)
I absolutely loved the bit I was fortunate enough to preread. I cannot wait for the rest of it to come out!
So glad this is finally out!! Love this story so much
oooh, this is really good so far! I love the parallels and differences from the episode, can't wait to read more!
RariTwi is a based ship.
Let it sail, nay, let it SOAR!
I never make comments but seeing as this is an upcoming story, I just wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed it so far. I never read much of this ship but I already love how this is turning out. Keep it up!
The changes are amazingly entertaining. I cant wait to see where you go with this.
Looks good let's see where you take this
Alright, good start. Let's see where it goes!
Sorry for late comment! I'm really looking forward to the next chapter of this incredible fic! You know I'm always a fan.
Oooh very interesting direction to take it in mate, wasn't expecting this to turn into a story with an adventure theme to it, but really looking forward to seeing how you work this into the themes of the piece.
I love the repeated way that everything in the story is contorting to add pressure onto Twilight. The citizens, the guards, her friends. The relentless deference to her, calling her things like 'fearless leader', their noticeable and obvious relief when she arrives, reminding her that she's the one they expect to just make this all go away. Some parts of this were making me genuinely uncomfortable because I was just waiting for her to snap, or at least snap more than she did at the citizens. It's cracking stuff!
You've definitely hooked me in mate, looking forward to the rest of this!