S4 E1: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 1 (What If?)
On a patch of level grass within the city of Canterlot, Rainbow Dash was giving the still only recentley alicorned Twilight a lesson on how to make use of her new wings. Seeing as Rainbow was one of the most experienced pegasi when it came to flying, it only seemed natural that she be the one to coach Twilight. "Okay, Twilight. Let's try this again," She said as she cleared her throat, and then instructed. "You gotta really flap 'em hard."
So Twilight did. She began to grunt as she flapped her wings furiously, trying to get herself to lift off the ground. She was able to do so for all of a second or two, before she lost control. "Whoa!" She cried as she crashed into a tree, more specifically a bird's nest perched on a branch. The birds were already circling around her head.
"Uh, maybe not that hard," Rainbow sighed. "Come on, even Scootaloo can do better than that! And she can only hover."
Reluctantly, Twilight Sparkle freed herself and tried once again to flap her wings with enough lift to stay airborn. It didn't go very well. She fell to the ground with a crash, though fortunately she was unharmed. She just wished her friends hadn't insisted on hanging around during this lesson in order to provide her with "moral support" as they'd put it. The only way it could be worse was if her big brother were here to witness this, she was sure he'd be teasing her nonstop by this point.
Applejack helped Twilight to stand as she told the young alicorn. "Uh, lookin' good there, Princess Twilight. That wasn't half bad, really."
A blush formed on the alcorn's cheeks while she told Applejack in reply. "I appreciate the honesty, Applejack. But you know, you don't have to call me princess. I'm still Twilight."
"And why shouldn't we address you by your royal title?" Rarity inquired in a sincere tone of voice. "You've already given up wearing your crown all the time. The least you can do is embrace your new title. You're an alicorn princess now, whether you admit it or not. It's the polite thing to do to address royalty by their full title."
Twilight let out a sigh. She knew Rarity meant well. "Look, Rarity, if other ponies wanna call me Princess Twilight, that's all fine and dandy. They don't know me personally. But for you or for any of our friends to call me that, it's not the same. I'm still the same Twilight you all knew as a unicorn. That hasn't changed just because I sprouted wings. Being called a princess," She sighed before looking back to herself. "It just doesn't feel right, it all feels so sudden. And so do these new wings. At this rate, I'll never be ready to fly in time for the Summer Sun Celebration."
"Not if you keep talking like that," Rainbow pointed out. "It's only two days away, Twilight! So quit talkin' and start flappin'! Come on!" Then she insisted. "Don't hold back on us, Twilight. Get up there and show everypony the big finish you've been working on!"
So it was that, after taking another deep breath, Twilight Sparkle once again took to the skies. This time, she seemed to have better luck at getting and staying airborne. All of her friends (Spike included) seemed to be impressed.
Unfortunately, Twilight's brief moment of bliss was so interrupted as she found herself unable to maintain control of her wings. She began flying about in an erratic fashion, all the while she was screaming at the top of her lungs! It all ended when she flipped upside down, and crashed into the ground so hard that she began to make a tunnel of dirt in front of and behind her. Again, she wasn't really hurt (aside from a wounded pride).
"Wow! That was a big finish!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed! "Did you mean to do that, Twilight?"
Twilight could only groan. Another flying attempt had gone bust.
Little did the young alicorn anticipate that soon she would have far more serious things to worry about than her lack of control over her new wings.
After Rainbow Dash eventually decided to put an end to the flying lessons for the day, Twilight followed her friends back into the castle. Soon, they were all in the hallway, staring up at a newly erected stained glass window display. This one had been made to commerate Twilight's transformation and coronation, and depicted the event in beautiful detail. It was still impressive to look at it even though it had been quite a while since it had been put up.
Rarity was the first one to comment on it, taking notice of how bright and shiny the stained glass looked even from up close. "You look absolutely amazing, darling," She told Twilight in no uncertain terms. "They've really captured your regality. Not everypony gets a stained glass window display of themselves. You should feel privileged."
"Well don't forget, they made one for Shining Armor and Princess Cadence after their royal wedding," Twilight pointed out. "And one for Spike when he saved the Crystal Empire. As long as you perform a truly important and heroic act, I think the princesses are happy to thank you by putting up a stained glass window display."
Rarity lightly chuckled and waved a hoof. "Oh, don't be so modest, Twilight. You should really act more like a princess, embrace your title. It's who you are now. Besides, it's everypony's dream to someday wear a crown and have their coronation ceremony preserved in stained glass for all to see." She let out a dreamy sigh.
Rainbow Dash was quick to remark with skepticism. "I don't know if it's everypony's dream. You wouldn't catch me wearing some silly crown and sitting on a throne all day."
Pinkie Pie then giggled. "My dreams change all the time, they're never the same. Though, strangely, a lot of them seem to involve desserts for some reason." She licked her lips as she said those words, clearly already picturing the sweet treats she so often saw.
Fluttershy then spoke up. "Well, it was nice catching up with you again, Twilight. But the rest of us need to get going. We don't wanna miss our train."
Applejack firmly nodded. "Fluttershy's right. Don't know about the rest of y'all, but I've still got bushels to do to get ready for the celebration. Even if they're holdin' it in Canterlot this year, it seems Mayor Mare's intent on workin' us to the bone for our own little celebration. Guess she's just excited to know royalty's livin' in her town," Then, after noticing the sad look in Twilight's eyes, she added. "Aw, don't look like that, sugarcube. You get to be right there with the other princesses when Celestia raises the sun, just like that time you saw her do it when you were a filly. Now that is a dream come true."
"I'm honored to be by the princesses' side, really," Twilight replied even as her tone of voice betrayed the optimism she was trying to project. "But the Summer Sun Celebration is what brought us all together. Last year, we got to celebrate it together, and the year before that. It just doesn't feel right not getting to spend such a special day with my Ponyville friends. Even having Spike with me can't make up for not being there with you girls."
Rarity pointed out. "Well it doesn't feel right to us either, darling. If Mayor Mare wasn't practically begging us for help, we'd stay in Canterlot with you for the duration of the celebration. But we understand, your royal duties come first. It can't be helped. We'll still be there to welcome you back to Ponyville when it's all over. You said it yourself, you're not leaving it," And then she added. "Besides, there will always be something that keeps us connected no matter where we are. The Elements of Harmony."
Applejack frowned. "I don't see the connection. It's been ages since we've even had to use 'em."
The fashionista was all too happy to explain with a big smile on her face. "The Elements of Harmony are what cemented our friendship," She pointed to the stained glass display depicting the six mares when they had taken on (and defeated) Nightmare Moon. "No amount of royal duties is going to change that. We all still have our elements that we represent, and as long as we have those we'll always be together. Right, girls?" She turned to the four other mares beside her, all of whom nodded in approval without saying a word.
A little later, Twilight and Spike accompanied their friends down to the train station and watched as they prepared to leave for Ponyville.
Pinkie Pie was quick to make the others all "Pinkie Promise" to keep Twilight and Spike well informed of everything that was happening back in Ponyville. "Now don't you worry one little bit, Twilight. The girls and I are all gonna write to you and give you so many details, it'll be like you're in Ponyville with us! Right, girls?"
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity all nodded as they repeated the motions while saying at the same time. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
Rarity then trotted over, holding some books and a few blueprints within the soft blue glow of her horn. "And after the celebration is over and you've returned to Ponyville, you and I have an appointment booked," She told the alicorn. "We need to discuss the renovations to your loft decor. The library hardly seems like a fitting place for royalty, after all."
Just then, the train's whistle sounded. And the conductor could be heard calling out. "All aboard!" That meant it was time for the five non-alicorn mares to board and head back home. They all did so, leaning out of the window of their train car to wave at Twilight and Spike until the train disappeared into the distance.
Now alone on the platform, the isolation from her Ponyville friends quickly set in. Twilight could practically feel her heart sink. The separation was already taking its tole on her. And she made sure Spike knew this. "I can't help it, Spike," She sighed and slumped downward ever so slightly. "I miss them already. It's just like when I said goodbye to my B.B.B.F.F. before leaving for Ponyville. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not."
"Cheer up, Twilight," Spike insisted as he reached out a claw to comfort her. "You heard what Pinkie Pie said. I'm sure you're not missing out on anything just yet."
Just then, a letter was hoofed to Twilight that had specifically been addressed to her. She opened it, and was startled by a shower of confetti that shot out from it! The confetti left no doubt as to who the letter sender had been.
Spike took the letter and read it aloud. It was brief and read as follows:
Dear Twilight, you aren't missing anything.
Your friend,
Pinkie Pie.
The little dragon chuckled to himself. "Why doesn't that surprise me anymore? Seems like she can do just about anything," Then he turned to the alicorn and told her. "See, Twilight? I told you you had nothing to worry about."
"If you say so, Spike," Twilight sighed. "They can cheer me up all they want, a part of me will always feel like I'm missing out just by not being there."
Deciding that the only way to distract herself from her feeling of being left out was to throw herself whole heartedly into her responsibilities, that's exactly what the young alicorn did for the rest of the day and well into the evening. And of course, Spike was there to go over her entire checklist, even double and triple checking it to make sure nothing was missing or had been forgotten.
At last, the checklist was complete as Spike checked off the last few things there were to do. "Huh, whaddaya know? We're way ahead of schedule!" He exclaimed with almost disbelief. Turning to Twilight he said to her. "I credit your extremely competent assistant and adopted son."
"So do I," Twilight giggled. "I don't know where I'd be today if I didn't have you by my side, Spike. I mean it."
Spike waved a claw and played it off. "It's what I'm here for, Twilight," Then an idea popped into his head. "Hey, you know what? Seeing as we're so far ahead of schedule, why don't we pop back to Ponyville for a quick little visit? That'll cheer you up, I'm sure."
Twilight wasn't so thrilled with the idea, and as she began to speak she became so fixated on her worries that she didn't even notice she was starting to fly up towards the ceiling. "I don't know, Spike. It's not like I can just teleport, even with my alicorn body giving my magic a boost, I can't just teleport between Ponyville and Canterlot whenever I feel like it. I don't think even Princess Celestia can do that," Then a thousand images of things that might go wrong if she made a trip back to Ponyville came into her mind. "What if we were delayed getting back? Or what if something else came up here in Canterlot while we were gone? Something we didn't expect?"
"Twilight, relax, I'm pretty sure none of that will happen." Spike tried to plead, but his plea fell on deaf ears.
Twilight was far too fixated on her worries to pay any attention to anything else. She continued to ramble on at length. "What if we lost the list on the way to or from Ponyville and then couldn't remember which things we'd done and which things we hadn't done, and then spent so much time trying to figure out what we hadn't done and what we had done, and we ruined the entire celebration by not doing the one really important thing that we were supposed to do?!" Soon after she finished speaking that, she bumped her head against the ceiling of the room she was staying in while in Canterlot. That was enough to snap her out of her bout of paranoia.
The little dragon could only sigh and shake his head as he frowned. "So, I guess that's a 'No' then?"
The young alicorn gave a confirming nod. "A trip to Ponyville would be nice, but these are the first royal duties Princess Celestia's given me since my transformation. I can't let her down. I need to stay in Canterlot until the celebration's over, even if I'd rather spend it back in Ponyville."
"Don't worry, Twilight," The familiar voice of Princess Celestia spoke up as she came trotting into the room. "I know you won't let me down. And I appreciate your concerns. But being an alicorn princess means thinking about all ponies, not just the most important."
Twilight gasped and immediately bowed to her mentor, inspiration and former teacher. And Spike followed suit.
Princess Celestia giggled as she tried to hide a smirk. "Now now, there's no need for that," She told them both and watched as Twilight and Spike slowly rose. "Don't forget, Twilight, we're equal now. I'm a princess just like you, there's no need to bow to me."
A raging blush formed on the studious alicorn's cheeks. "Sorry, old habbit." She sincerely apologized.
The sun princess smiled. "Oh, there's no need to apologize," Then she added in a more serious tone of voice. "I must admit that it is wonderful to actually be looking forward to the Summer Sun Celebration for a change."
That statement caught Twilight off guard, prompting her to ask. "What do you mean?"
Looking out a nearby window, Princess Celestia could see her sister and fellow alicorn Princess Luna slowly but surely raising the moon as day changed to night. Her voice became tinged with guilt, sorrow and most of all regret as she told Twilight and Spike. "For my subjects, the celebration's always been a way to remember my defeat of Nightmare Moon," Her lips quivered as she let out an unhappy sigh. "But for me, it was just a terrible reminder that I'd had to banish my own sister."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Twilight commented as the realization hit her. "I never knew you felt that way. It never even occurred to me, even after Nightmare Moon was defeated for good."
Princess Celestia sighed again, before her tone of voice became more cheerful and upbeat. "Well, that's why I'm excited for Luna to officially help me out with this year's celebration. She's finally regained enough of her powers to be able to assist me," Turning to Twilight and Spike she added. "And I understand that the two of you have played a big role in helping her adjust to life after all her time away. This year's celebration will serve as a reminder of the happy reunion I was able to have with Luna, all thanks to you and your friends, Twilight. I'm sorry they couldn't stay with you in Canterlot for the celebration. I know how much it means to all of you."
"It couldn't be helped," Twilight insisted. "You needed me, and I could never say no to you," Then she asked as something struck her fancy. "Did you realy mean it that time when you said I was like family to you?"
The sun princess nodded and smiled. "Indeed I do, Twilight. You're like the daughter I never had. And I'm proud of the pony you've become since you started on your journey. You may no longer be my student, Princess Twilight, but I hope you know that I will always be here if you need me. Just as I hope that you will always be there when I need you."
Twilight puffed out her chest as she vowed. "Of course, Princess Celestia. I've never let you down before, and I don't plan to start now!"
Just then, Spike hoofed Twilight another envelope. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've got another top priority message from Ponyville."
Taking the envelope into her magic, Twilight opened it and was greeted with the sound of a party blower as confetti once again magically poured out from out of nowhere.
Princess Celestia seemed to inquire in a cheerful tone of voice. "Another letter from your Ponyville friends, Twilight?"
But Twilight simply discarded the letter in a nearby wastebasket. "It's not important, just Pinkie Pie letting me know I'm not missing anything back in Ponyville. And if that's the case, she really doesn't need to write to me about it," Then she turned to Spike. "Now, where were we?"
"About to call it a night, I believe?" Spike asked in a hopeful tone of voice.
The young alicorn princess thought otherwise as she instead replied. "We should probably go over the checklist one more time, just to be safe."
The little dragon forced back a groan. "I knew you were gonna say that." And he brought the checklist close, ready to take another look at it.
Princess Celestia, satisfied that everything was as it should be, turned around and departed. Before she left the room, however, she said to Twilight and Spike. "I'll leave it to you both. Just call if you need anything."
As the sun princess went trotting along back to her royal bedchambers, she was unaware that behind her was materializing a strange black vine with thorns on it. Before she had a chance to react, the vine reached out and grabbed hold of her by one of her back legs. "Huh? Ah!" She cried, and it was all she had time to say before the vine dragged her away!
Sometime later, Twilight woke up and was immediately filled with a sense that something wasn't right. Her suspicions were confirmed when she gazed out of her window at the sky, and saw a sight she knew she wasn't supposed to see! "Spike!" She gasped and rushed over to the little bed he was sleeping in, trying to rouse him from sleep.
In his sleep, Spike kept muttering to himself. "Check-check-check-check-check-check..."
Frantically, Twilight shook the bed as she all but demanded! "Spike, please, wake up!"
With a yawn, the little dragon rose from his slumber and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "What's going on? What time is it? Did we oversleep?" He asked in a groggy tone of voice.
Twilight bit her lip as she explained. "I have no idea what time it is. Just take a look!" She gestured to the nearby window. A quick glance outside revealed that the sky was divided right down the middle, with one half being day and the other half being night. The sun and moon seemed fixed in place, moving not the slightest in any direction.
"Whoa. Now that is weird," Spike commented, before a sudden horror struck him! "Something must be wrong! Something must've happened to the princesses!"
The young alicorn nodded. "My thoughts exactly, Spike," And she lifted him onto her back. "Come on! We need to get to the bottom of this, now!"
As it just so happened, many other ponies throughout Canterlot had taken notice of the strange sky. And they were just as puzzled as Twilight and Spike had been. None knew what this meant.
Suddenly, a pony in the crowd happened to notice the closest thing to authority anypony had seen since the strange sky had been noticed. The pony shouted out! "Princess Twilight must know what's going on!"
Without warning, a mob of ponies swarmed all around the alicorn, begging and pleading for some explanation (or at least some reassurance that everything was under control)! Twilight found herself at a loss for words. What could she say? What should she say? She was just as much in the dark as everypony else.
Just then, a brown coated unicorn stallion with blue eyes and clad in the golden yellow armor of the royal guards gave a whistle. And over the roar of the crowd he called out! "Your highness, you must come with me at once. It's urgent!"
Twilight followed the guard as she was led away from the crowd and to a secluded area, the door slamming shut behind her! Once certain the newest princess was safe and secluded, the guard trotted in front of her and alongside another royal guard bowed to her. "We were sent by her majesty, Princess Cadence herself," The first guard explained. "Thank goodness we found you when we did!"
"Why?! What's going on?!" Twilight immediately inquired, even though she had a pretty bad feeling about what would compel these never before seen guards to be sent to her.
The other guard removed his helmet as he somberly stated for the record. "It's Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, they've gone missing. Nopony knows where they went or where they might be, and no sinister power has come forward to claim responsibility."
"So they just vanished into thin air?!" Twilight gasped alongside Spike! "How is that even possible?! And why come to me?! Princess Cadence is next in line, not me. She should be the one taking charge."
The first guard explained. "Princess Cadence was quite insistent on sending us to find you. She figured it would make more sense since you're already in Canterlot. As long as you're here, she won't get involved. She will remain in the Crystal Empire and protect it, as is her royal duties," Then he instructed. "So, your highness, what do you wish for us to do? We await your command."
Immediately, the young alicorn plucked up what courage she had and instructed. "Continue your search, but don't inform anypony that the princesses are missing. There's no need to start a panic. If anypony asks, just mention that the Summer Sun Celebration has been delayed, and word will be sent out when it's ready to resume. And if you find any lead at all to as Celestia or Luna's whereabouts, bring it to my attention immediately."
The guards bowed in unison and said together. "Yes, understood." And immediately, they trotted off to do as they were told.
Spike and Twilight were now alone, but not for long. Just seconds after the two other royal guards had left, another one (this looking more like the royal guards usually seen at Princess Celestia's side) came rushing in with the most frightened look imaginable on his face! He was panting and sweating furiously, clearly out of breath! "I... bring urgent news from Ponyville!" He spoke while trying to catch his breath! "The Everfree Forest appears to be... well... invading!"
Twilight Sparkle gasped anew! "What?! Again?! But that's impossible, it was supposed to have quieted down!"
But it was terribly true, the Everfree Forest was indeed invading Ponyville once again. And already, things were taking a turn for the worse in the town.
Back in Ponyville, meanwhile, Fluttershy had been the first pony to notice any sign of trouble. All of her animal friends who might normally have been out and about in the Everfree Forest had abruptly taken shelter at her cottage.
"What is it that's caused you all this much distress?" The animal loving pegasus inquired of the animals.
A bear was the only creature willing to speak up and explain. But Fluttershy initially didn't believe its claim. "Oh come now, the Everfee Forest is calm. Whatever's going on outside, I'm sure it's nothing you need to really worry about," She opened her cottage door, only to be greeted by the sight of thick, black vines with spikes all over them surrounding her cottage on all sides. And more of them seemed to be making their into Ponyville proper! The pegasus slammed the door to her cottage shut and whimpered! "Oh, you were right. You should be worried! Very, very worried!"
As the vines began to spread all across Ponyville, Applejack and her family took notice of them. And they tried to stop the vines by pulling them up by the roots. Unfortunately, they were having very little luck with it. The vines seemed to have a knack for eluding or evading all attempts to move them.
"Just what in tarnation's gotten into the Everfree Forest now?!" Applejack wondered and complained! "Princess Celestia assured us it would settle down after the last time it started invadin', and now suddenly these here vines start sproutin' up like wildfire! Heck, I don't think I've ever seen weeds like these before! Have y'all?" She asked her family, all of whom confirmed that indeed the vines were not anything they had seen before in any way.
In addition to the vines, strange black clouds also filled with thorns started appearing in the sky overhead. And Rainbow Dash took it upon herself to try to get rid of them. "You Everfree clouds need to just head on back to where you belong!" She yelled at them! "I'm in charge here, and it's my job to keep the skies clear until after the Summer Sun Celebration!" Yet the clouds refused to budge at all. And trying to move them only resulted in sharp bursts of pain for Rainbow, courtesy of the thorns!
Soon after learning about the out of control Everfree Forest that was invading Ponyville, Twilight made a decision! She immediately fled from the castle and took off through the streets of Canterlot as fast as her hooves would let her!
Spike was running as fast as he could just to keep up with the alicorn! "Twilight, wait! You can't just leave Canterlot unattended!" He protested at the top of his lungs!
"I already sent word to Cadence, she's on her way as we speak," Twilight called back. "My friends and Ponyville are in danger, they need my help! And whatever it is that's caused all of this, I'm sure we're going to need the Elements of Harmony to put a stop to it."
The little dragon panted. "Well isn't there a faster way to get there?"
Twilight shook her head from side to side. "I can't teleport between Ponyville and Canterlot on a whim, Spike. Even Princess Celestia probably couldn't do that. Now come on, or we're sure to miss the train!"
"But there's another way to get to Ponyville, a much more reliable way," Spike pointed out. "Don't tell me you've forgotten already."
"What do you mea-" Twilight began, before looking to either side of her and stopping right in her tracks. "Oh!" The realization dawned on her. "Well, okay," She agreed after a moment of hesitation. "But hold on tight, Spike. It's going to be a very bumpy ride."
The little dragon didn't answer with words. He just scrambled up onto Twilight's back, then strapped a seatbelt he'd managed to find firmly around his body so he wouldn't fall off.
"Keep your claws and legs inside the ride at all times!" The young alicorn declared as she unfolded her wings and started to flap furiously! It went about as well as you'd expect given her lack of practice (and inability to really control herself during even when she had practiced). "Here we go!" She nervously proclaimed, as her hooves slowly and clumsily lifted off the ground and she propelled herself into the air.
The flight to Ponyville was indeed very bumpy for Spike. He was quite certain that if not for the seatbelt he'd strapped to his body, he would've for sure fallen off. And the constant erratic changes in altitude was enough to turn him green about the gills. Oh, how he wished he had some kind of bag he could barf into right now.
"Just hold on, Spike!" Twilight groaned. "We're almost there!"
"I'm... starting to wish we'd taken the train instead." The little dragon weakly replied as he struggled mightly not to lose his lunch.
Then, suddenly, a familiar landmark came into view for pony and dragon, who could see it even while they were high up in the sky. The Golden Oak Library stood out in bold detail!
Upon seeing it, Twilight immediately dove straight for the tree! That was a mistake, she had no way to slow down and stop her descent!
"TWILIGHT!" Spike shouted at the top of his lungs as he held on for dear life!
The young alicorn flailed her hooves in the air in helplessness! "I... can't... stop!" She cried!
"Do something, quick!" Spike urged, and then shut his eyes as he waited for what was sure to be a painful impact against the library's exterior!
Thinking quickly, Twilight concentrated what magical power she could muster up on short notice into her horn. With a poof, she managed to teleport herself into the library's interior, albeit while she was still in mid-flight. She rolled across the floor and crashed into a pile of books, spilling some across said floor as she did so! Luckily, she was dazed but unharmed.
As for Spike, he ended up smacking into one of the library's windows. Fortunately, it didn't shatter. And he slid down the side. Once he had recovered, he came rushing in and kissed the ground as he happily exclaimed! "Oh, sweet ground! Sweet, sweet, wonderful ground!"
Twilight groaned as she poked her head up from the pile of books she'd crashed into. "Okay, I get it! I need to work on my flying! It was your idea!" She told Spike in no uncertain terms, then turned around to find that her friends were already in the library and had already been searching for information for some time.
"Oh, hello," Rarity awkwardly greeted. "Please excuse our mess. We weren't expecting you to, well, pop in unannounced."
Pinkie Pie then pointed out. "I dunno if you've noticed yet, but the Everfree Forest is just a teeny-tiny bit out of control again." Seconds after she spoke, she felt her body start to twitch. Her "Pinkie Sense" was warning her about something, and she ducked out of the way just before a large vine came crashing through, striking Rarity in the process.
Applejack somewhat sheepishly declared. "Guess you were missin' somethin' in Ponyville after all. Fyi, we did not plan this just to lure you back."
"Believe me, I know. And it's not just the Everfee Forest that's the problem," Twilight explained. "The sky is split half day and half night. There's no way you girls could've done all this."
Rarity then spoke up. "Well, at least the good news is you're here. Surely, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna informed you about what's going on, and sent you here to help us dispel whatever sinister force is responsible for this mess."
At that the young alicorn nervously chuckled and started to massage the back of her neck with a hoof. "Uh, yeah, about that. Funny story, actually. The thing is, the princesss are... I mean they're..."
But Spike couldn't stop himself from blurting out! "They're missing... and we don't know where they are... and... and... Oh, I just can not shut up today!" He hurriedly clamped his claws over his mouth to keep himself from rambling on.
"So you just left Canterlot in chaos?!" Rarity inquired with narrowed eyes! "Twilight, how could you be so irresponsible?! You're a princess now, for Celestia's sake! You can't just drop everything to come help us, even if we do need your help."
Twilight protested. "I didn't abandon Canterlot. Princess Cadence should have everything well under control there. And I've got royal guards searching for the other princesses as we speak," Then she pointed out. "That's why I knew I had to come back here. Whoever or whatever it is that's causing this, I have a feeling we'll need the Elements of Harmony to stop it!"
"Ah yeah, just like old times!" Rainbow Dash excitedly exclaimed, before the elements were taken out of their display case in the library, and each matched to the pony who represented them (Twilight wearing her modified tiara of magic that resembled the crown she'd worn for her coronation).
Pinkie Pie happily hoof bumped Twilight when the elements had all been assigned. "A-boo-yah!"
Applejack, meanwhile, simply stated in a serious tone of voice. "Well, now we just need to figure out who or what to aim these bad boys at. We'd better make it quick, while there's still a Ponyville left to save. Heck, at this rate, I reckon the Everfree Forest could take over half of Equestria."
Fluttershy then asked. "Any ideas, Twilight? Any leads at all?"
The young alicorn put a hoof to her chin as she began to ponder. "Now that I think about it, this is all starting to sound very familiar."
A gasp escaped Fluttershy's lips as she realized what Twilight was suggesting! "You don't really think he's behind all this, do you?!"
"Think about it, Fluttershy," Twilight pointed out. "This has all the hallmarks of what happened the last time he caused trouble: Half day, half night... strange weather patterns... out of control plants. Even if he's not the one responsible, I'll bet he knows something about who or what is. He's our only lead. And as it just so happens, I know of a way we can call on him."
The six mares trotted out of the Golden Oak Library and headed out to the center of town, which miraculously had thus far been spared the wrath of the strange weather and the vines with thorns. They held hooves and began to concentrate as magical energy began to be channeled through their necklaces (and Twilight's tiara).
Suddenly, a powerful rainbow colored spiral of magical energy shout out from Twilight's tiara! The spiral spun up into a mini-vortex, and from it materialized a very familiar chaotic creature with mismatched body parts. A creature otherwise known as Discord.
Discord didn't seem to be aware of what had happened to him. He was currently sitting in a bathtub, singing a tune to himself as a shower head poured water on him, and he scrubbed his body clean with a brush. "Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap-" But he stopped singing upon realizing where he was. "-Ooh! Oh my!" He hurridely wrapped a pink towel around his body. "Now, Twilight, you know Princess Celestia said that you were suppose to give me a little heads up before you summon me with that little spell she taught you," And he grumbled. "In case you haven't noticed, I was in the middle of a very invigorating shower." To emphasize that point, he wiggled the shower curtain in front of the alicorn.
"Drop the act, Discord!" Twilight furiously demanded with narrowed eyes! "You've gotten our attention! What is it you want this time?"
Discord seemed to not understand what was being asked of him. "Want? Who says I want anything? I have no idea what you're talking about."
Applejack snorted and narrowed her own eyes. "Don't you play dumb with us, Discord! You've gotta admit, this makes you look awfully suspicious!"
Rainbow Dash added. "Face it, buster! This has got your cloven hoofprints all over it!"
The spirit of chaos only replied with indifference. "I'll have you know I've only got one cloven hoof. If you're going to accuse me, at least get your facts in order before you make a fool of yourselves," Then he pulled out a camera and began taking pictures. "Don't get me wrong, girls. I absolutely love what you've done with the place. But you forget, I'm reformed now. I'm one of the good guys. I couldn't possibly be behind this."
"And you expect us to believe that?" Rarity questioned. "Give us one good reason why we shouldn't turn you back to stone this instant!"
"Ladies, ladies, I'm innocent," Discord firmly insisted in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice. "Come on, would I lie to you?"
Everypony except Fluttershy answered with a yes.
The spirit groaned in annoyance. "Oh, I see how it is. What, just because the princesses disappear unexpectedly, it just has to the one creature among us who used to be bad? Like I would go to all the trouble of pretending to be reformed, just so could I stab you all in the back now? Really? It's so obvious, why would I ever do something like that? And here I thought we were friends," Turning to Twilight he questioned. "What do friends like us do at a time like this, Princess Twilight? Congrats, by the way, on the promotion. You totally deserve it." As he spoke, he curled himself around Twilight not unlike a snake.
Twilight simply shrugged off the attempt at flattery as she firmly replied. "I must admit it, it does seem odd that you haven't already confessed. I would think that if you did do it, you'd make sure we knew you'd fooled us all," She was quick to add. "Still, even if you're innocent, you must know something about all of this. We've got questions and you've got answers, so I suggest you talk if you don't want us to wring a confession out of you!"
Discord only vaguely and cryptically replied. "Well then, it seems we've reached an impasse. I'm telling the truth, but you think I'm lying. After all the hoof pointing and besmirching of my good name, I just don't know if I'm up to telling you anything. You can't pin this on me, but you accused me anyway! You girls make sorry negotiators," But then he started to take out some knitting needles and explained. "If it's answers you want, you're barking up the wrong tree. There is someone else who could give you some information. Someone who actually lives in the Everfree Forest. I'm honestly surprised you haven't thought of her yet." And as he finished speaking, a huge arrow made out of yarn pointed to the very creature he'd been talking to.
Said creature was none other than Zecora, who seemed to be out of breath from lugging a heavy cart containing various objects, including a purple colored liquid in a glass vial.
"Zecora!" The six mares (and Spike) exclaimed all at once as they rushed to her aid!
"Zecora, are you alright?" Twilight asked the zebra enchantress. "I'm so sorry we didn't think to check up on you sooner."
Zecora had to stop for a moment to catch her breath, but once she did she spoke in an urgent tone of voice. "I'm fine, but from my own home I've been forced to flee! The forest has grown too wild, even for me!"
Applejack then asked. "So, any ideas about what's causin' this? Last time this happened, Twilight unintentionally cast a doozy of a spell. But even that can't explain the clouds and the sky bein' half day and half night."
The zebra managed to explain. "I'm afraid it's a mystery to me as well. I only know that this was not the work of some improperly cast spell," Her eyes turned to the cart behind her. "There is something I had hoped would help me. A potion to improve my memory."
At that Twilight let out a gasp! "Of course! I remember now! You told me a while back you were working on a memory potion in case you ever forget something really important," Then an idea came to her. "I'll bet if I modify the potion with my magic, I'll be able to see into the past. I'll be able to figure out what caused all of this and how to stop it."
"That would be a very big risk, and I fear the results would be tragic!" Zecora gasped as her eyes started to widen. "That potion won't respond to just any type of magic."
"Maybe, but I'll bet my alicorn magic's strong enough to rewrite that potion," The young alicorn firmly insisted. "If I could complete an incomplete spell from Starswirl the Bearded, rewriting a potion shouldn't be a problem. It's a risk I think is worth taking."
"Oh, please be careful, Twilight!" Fluttershy cautioned with a whimper. "We don't want another scare like what happened when you became an alicorn."
Spike desperately added. "I hope you know what you're doing, Twilight. If anything happens to you this time..."
Twilight shook her head from side to side. "-It won't, I'm sure. I know what I'm doing this time. Besides, it'll only be my magic, not the magic of the Elements of Harmony. Unless anyone here has a better idea about where we can find the answers, Zecora's potion is the only lead we have." No one spoke up in protest, and so it was arranged.
Zecora reluctantly took the glass vial containing the memory potion (the purple colored liquid) and set it on the ground. Then she stepped back and joined Spike, Discord and the rest of Twilight's friends as they all watched the alicorn approach the vial. The vial was sealed up with a cork, and had a golden yellow tint to it.
Twilight Sparkle paused and took a deep breath, concentrating as hard as she could. Her horn began to spark, and even crackle with energy! No one dared speak a word, they were all rendered speechless by the dazzling display of power they were seeing!
At last, convinced she couldn't possibly draw in any more power if she tried to, Twilight fired off a powerful beam from the tip of her horn! The beam was directed towards the potion! There was a puff of violet-red colored smoke!
But when the smoke cleared, nothing had changed. The potion remained as it had been before.
"That should've worked," Twilight said outloud. "What am I going to do now?" Then, suddenly, it came to her. "Wait, there's a magic even stronger than alicorn magic!"
Spike was horrified! "Twilight! You're going to use dark magic?! After what happened last time?!"
The studious alicorn firmly nodded back. "I'm more experienced now, Spike. I can handle it," But she then cautioned. "Just to be safe, all of you better stand back. No telling what might happen!" Her friends all obeyed, even Discord. And then Twilight shut her eyes, visibly straining as an ominous aura consisting of a mix of dark green and purple appeared on the tip of her horn! It spread outward lightning fast and hit the potion head on!
A few seconds later, Twilight opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Looking to the potion, she saw that it had changed from purple to pure white. Hesitantly, she picked it up with her magic (which had its usual glow, indicating that the dark magic had not taken hold of her fully). "Well, bottom's up." She declared as she unscrewed the vial's lid and carefully pressed it up to her lips. She soon began to chug the vial's liquid contents, until satisfied that she had drank enough.
Everyone watched and waited as Twilight carefully set the vial down (they took notice that the vial was still at least half full. It seemed like she had barely drunk any of it from the looks of it). Seconds passed slowly, but nothing seemed to happen.
"I don't think it's wor-" Twilight began, only to be cut off as her eyes suddenly became flooded by a bright light of pure white!
When the light faded, Twilight took a moment to gather her bearings. Looking all around, she could not tell where she was. She seemed to be inside of some kind of building, perhaps a castle judging by the banners on the left and the right colored a bright orange and blue respectively. The interior was lit by several torches, and in the center of the room was a stained glass window display of some sort.
The alicorn looked left and right, but nothing was at all familiar to her. And it seemed she was all alone. "Where am I?" She wondered aloud, and began to call out. "Hello? Is anypony there?"
Suddenly, a very familiar voice angrily bellowed out from the distance! "Not another step, princess!" It sounded like the last line was full of hatred and resentment! And its owner soon revealed itself in the very familiar form of Princess Luna. But something seemed wrong. Her eyes were slanted, and she seemed to be casting daggers with them.
Twilight gasped and took a step back! "Princess Luna?! What's going on?! What is this place?! Why did you and Princess Celestia just vanish?!"
Princess Luna seemed to make no acknowledgement of Twilight's presence as she instead questioned with a snarl. "Did thou really expect us to sit idly by whilst they all basked in thy precious light?"
The words were slow to sink in for Twilight. "'Precious light'? What are you talking about? You're not making any sense! And why are you using your Royal Canterlot Voice?! You don't talk like that anymore, remember?"
Princess Luna didn't respond to a word Twilight said. Instead, she trotted to the center of the room and stomped a hoof down, destroying a stone pedestal as she firmly vowed! "We hast been silent for too long, but no more! There can only be one princess in Equestria, and that princess shalt be me!" Then, without warning, the stained glass display above began to crack! And as it did so, it revealed the moon moving into position to completely block out the sun!
This total eclipse had the effect of enveloping Princess Luna in some kind of sphere. The look on her face suggested this was a surprise, even unto her! Still, she made no effort to resist as she was enveloped fully within the sphere and underwent a most frightening transformation! The sphere eventually shattered completely, revealing a tall alicorn mare with a coat as black as a starless night, only a few traces of dark blue across her face, chest, wings and legs broke up the black. Her mane and tail were the same shade of dark blue and flowed just like Princess Celestia's did. Her eyes were a cold shade of moderate cyan, complimented by moderate blue violet eyebrows. Her cutie mark was a crescent moon.
Twilight gasped anew at the horror! Princess Luna had just transformed into Nightmare Moon, for reasons completely unknown!
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Another really well done chapter. Definitely appreciate the effort that went into the exchanges, characterizations, action and future chapter set-up. I loved the mother-daughter moment between Celestia and Twilight before the former disappeared as well as the slight nods to the altered version of "Magical Mystery Cure". And, yeah, the stuff with Sombra's good counterpart in that alternate universe never DID go well enough for the two of them to have any kids. Of course, I'm surprised there wasn't yet another stained glass deal concerning Twilight helping save the Human World after she ascended but before this adventure. But, anyway, glad to see Cadance getting some mentions as well as the slight alterations concerning Discord and Zecora.
On to the next chapter.