> Another Life, Another Fate > by MatCor1337 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > *Friendship Is Magic, Pt 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the middle of an ominous forest in the great and mystical land of Equestria, a young elf woman in her early twenties wandered under the canopy of the trees, unfazed by the eerie aura of the place. She had beige skin, straight midnight-blue hair that descended to the middle of her back, with a stripe of pink and violet side-by-side in the middle, the bags over her face only just skim above her eyebrows. She wore a metallic-grey overcoat above a white shirt, black dress pants, violet coloured boots, and had a brown duffle bag with the strap over her shoulder. In the center of her shirt, on the back of her jacket and on her belt buckle, there was a six-pointed lavender star that represented her talent in magic. Her name was Twilight Sparkle. Twilight began to hear a growling noise coming from all around her. She stopped and looked up from the book she was reading, clearly annoyed, and scoped around the area. It would appear that a pack of Timberwolves had surrounded her. Timberwolves, as the name would suggest, are like regular wolves but their bodies are completely made of enchanted wood. Most people would have a lot of trouble when dealing with them, even if they have a sharp axe and a good arm. To say the least, Timberwolves were a pain to take down, but when mastering the mystic arts were your special talent and practically your lifeblood, they’re nothing more than a waste of time. “Hmm” Twilight mused. The Timberwolves had each gotten into position of whatever formation the wooden animals used in their little ecosystems. She sighed, summoned a bookmark from thin air with her magic and placed it on the page she was on and after a few seconds of silence, she slammed the book closed. The moment the sound of a closing book echoed throughout the forest, the Timberwolves sprang into action, charging straight to the seemingly defenceless girl who trespassed onto their territory. All Twilight did was close her eyes and snap her fingers, causing a blinding flash of light in a mere three seconds. After about ten seconds of waiting for the light to die down, Twilight opened her eyes and confidently smirked to herself upon seeing everything within a twenty-meter radius to be frozen solid. Timber Wolves stood motionless as about an inch of solid ice kept them in place. Any that were in the air during the spell’s casting had fallen and shattered (if the piles of brown ice was anything to go by), and all those that managed to avoid the spell had fled the area in fear. Twilight released a tired sigh, reopened her book to the page that was marked and continued ‘read-walking’ as she calls it, as if nothing happened at all. She soon found herself outside the forest and onto a dirt road, and followed the road that went towards the general direction that she was heading. Barely another two minutes of walking, she looked up from her book and saw the tip of a building in the distance. The road continued down a hill toward a relatively small town of many brightly coloured buildings. Twilight took in a deep breath, and continued towards her new place of residence. Ponyville. Ponyville was a nice and quaint little town with wide roads, a nearby farm, minimal traffic and surrounded by green pastures. Twilight was also pleased with the diversity of humans, elves and avions alike. While walking on the sidewalk she noticed that a girl with her eyes closed was hopping along the street towards her. She had curly pink hair, light skin, a white shirt, denim shorts with straps that went over her shoulders, similar to overalls, with an image of three balloons on her thighs; two blue and one yellow, as well as blue and white sand-shoes. When the girl was about ten feet away, Twilight put her book in her bag and decided to introduce herself. “Hello there, I’m-” she began, only to be interrupted when the pink-haired girl leaped into the air with a long, audible gasp before she bolted down the street with speed she shouldn’t possess. Stunned and confused, Twilight just stood there in silence from the dramatic turn of events. “Ooookay… that happened.” She muttered to herself. After enough of her confusion wore off to pay attention to her surroundings, Twilight noticed some of the pedestrians moving to the sides of the sidewalk. Curious, she turned her head around, only to be greeted with a tough, yet feminine voice yelling “LOOK OUT!” in her face before the two collided and fell to the ground. “Ugh…” Twilight groaned as she sat up. After a few moments to work her head around what had happened, she saw a pair of dark blue, black laced combat boots and pants of the same blue shade. She glared up at the one who tackled her down, seeing as she already helped herself up. The avion wore a blue full-body uniform with the sleeves were rolled up, exposing her toned arms, black finger-less gloves, as well as some extra protective gear: shoulder, elbow and kneepads; which were also black. On the left side of her uniform was a small golden shield with a five-point star in the center of it. Directly above the shield were the letters P.P.D. and on the sides were Ponyville Police Department. ‘Oh joy, she’s a cop.’ Twilight grumbled mentally. When she’d gotten to the law enforcer’s face, she took notice of her magenta eyes, tanned skin and rainbow coloured hair. “Sorry about that, didn’t see you there until the last second.” She said. The officer bent over slightly and put out her hand to help Twilight off the ground. “My name’s Rainbow Dash, what’s your n-” the now identified ‘Rainbow Dash’ lost her words as she stared into Twilight’s lavender eyes, whom had grabbed Rainbows’ arm and pulled herself up. Twilight took quick notice that the avion was staring at her, and she began to feel quite uncomfortable. “What? What are you staring at?” she asked. Rainbow Dash shook her head, blushing faintly, and made a nervous smile as she rubbed the back of her head. “Heh heh, sorry about that, just didn’t recognise you is all.” She said. “So as I was saying, what’s your name beautiful?” the second that word left her lips, Rainbow slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide and blushing harder than before. Twilight blushed as well, but had enough control to respond. “Well, my name is Twilight Sparkle. My father thought it would do me some good to have a change of scenery, so he got me to move here.” She replied, then adding with a smile, “Thanks for the compliment, by the way.” “Well be sure to tell him that he couldn’t have picked a better place, especially with the princess hosting the Summer Sun Celebration here tomorrow.” Rainbow informed the elf girl brightly, her heart beating rapidly in her chest from Twilight’s smile. Twilight blinked at the info. “I knew that the celebration was tomorrow, but I didn’t think that the princess was coming here to do it. No offence, but still.” Twilight admitted. “No sweat, Twilight. Hey, I was heading to the farm just out of town that’s run by a friend of mine and her family, why don’t you come with me and I can show you around while we’re at it?” Rainbow asks. Twilight thought about the offer for a moment. She knew next to nothing about the town and having a local resident show her around would be helpful. “Okay, sure.” She finally replied. “Alright!” Rainbow exclaims, perhaps a little louder than necessary, but didn’t care about that right now. “Just follow me.” she said, leading the town’s newest resident through the streets and pointing out any buildings or shops of significance as the headed to the farm. By the time the two had made it to the farm, Twilight glanced up at the sign, and then back at the avion. “Uh, Rainbow, are you sure we’re at the right place?” she asked as she looked at the sign again. On a large board of brown wood, was a red apple with a Jack-o’-lantern style face on the front, and a black military hunting knife stabbing through it from the top. “Yeah, the sign may seem unwelcoming, but the folks here at Sweet Apple Acres are really cool people.” Rainbow reassured her. “Sweet Apple Acres? Really?” “Hey, I did just say that they were nice people didn’t I? Their family just has some… shady history, that’s all.” “You mean they used to be gangsters?” Twilight asked in complete seriousness as she crossed her arms over her chest. Rainbow Dash was quite surprised at not only how fast Twilight became so serious, but at how fast she came to such a conclusion. “I’m right, aren’t I?” The avion sighed, and made a hand gesture for Twilight to follow her as she continued toward the homestead. And follow, Twilight did. “Yeah, you’re right.” Rainbow began. “They used to be known as the Apple Syndicate over a hundred years ago. My friend’s great-grandparents decided that they were tired of the whole ‘criminal organisation’ gig, and so they bought the land, moved here and started an apple selling business. They kept their logo so that people knew who they were dealing with.” She turned her head to gaze back at Twilight, who seemed rather interested in the story. Smirking, she continued. “Funny thing is; without them, there wouldn’t be a Ponyville to call home.” That caught Twilight’s attention. “Wait. You mean that a cri- I mean, ex-crime syndicate was the town’s founding settlers?” “Yep, I won’t go into the boring details of how that happened though, you can have AJ tell ya.” Rainbow Dash answered. By this time they were at the red and white barn, and Rainbow was looking around the property, like she was trying to find someone. “Hey! Big Mac, over here!” she yelled suddenly. Twilight followed Rainbow's gaze towards an empty field, minus the only person in it. There was a muscular man who seemed to be in his mid or late twenties with blond hair and a wheat stalk in his mouth. He wore a red lumberjack t-shirt that showed off his strong arms, light brown pants and dark brown work boots. The man stopped doing his chore and walked towards the two visitors. “Yo Mac, do you know where AJ is? I want to introduce her to a new friend of mine here.” Rainbow replied as she pulled Twilight closer. “This is my friend’s brother; Big Macintosh. Why don’t you say hi?” For the first time in quite a while, Twilight was getting nervous in how she was meeting new people, mostly because she didn’t have to before. “Um… hello, I’m Twilight Sparkle.” “Howdy Miss Sparkle.” Macintosh replied with a southern accent. “Sis should’ve finished her chores by now, she’s most likely at the range.” “Great, thanks Mac.” Rainbow turns to Twilight. “C’mon Twi, I want you to meet AJ.” She said and began to practically drag the young magician to the barn. Rainbow led Twilight to a cellar door at the side of the barn, opened it, and stepped down into the cellar. “Uh Rainbow, where are you going? Didn’t he say that your friend was at some range?” Twilight asked. A chuckle was her first response. “About that; you see, I’ve known them long enough to know that Mac was talking about the firing range that they have underneath the barn so that they don’t freak out the towns folks and their animals.” Rainbow answered as she stopped in front of a wall and got a key from her pocket. “But you just said that…” “Just ‘cause the Apple family left the crime gig doesn’t mean that their old partners did too. So let’s just say that they still keep in touch for old times sake.” As she said this, Rainbow slid over a wooden panel to reveal a keyhole. The law enforcer inserted the key into the slot and turned it. The wall next to Rainbow opened up and revealed an elevator. She beaconed Twilight to get in with her, and as she did, the wall closed behind them. Rainbow pushed a green button with a white arrow pointing down, and down they went. “So… mind explaining to me why there’s an underground firing range here? And what you said before doesn’t count.” Twilight said as the elevator made its descent. “Well, the Apple family is pretty big if you count all the relatives, and some of them are actually members of the gangs that still keep in touch with Granny Smith, AJs’ grandmother, because some of their leaders and oldest members knew her when she was really little.” Rainbow answered her. The elevator stopped at its limit and two metal doors opened in front of them, and they stepped out. The two girls entered the warehouse that was kept underneath the barn. It was at least two stories high and had two square kilometres of space; space that was used up by large factory grade shelves that went from floor to ceiling, and stacked with large crates that stored who knows what. Twilight could hear gunshots in the distance as they were walking down an aisle. “That’d be AJ.” Rainbow comments. They finally reached the only place that was free from the large shelves. The area was marked off by a five-foot high fence that stretched eight hundred meters from the western wall of the warehouse. There were six cubicles that were two meters wide and three meters tall, to give the occupants plenty of space. In one of them there was someone firing some type of sniper rifle at the targets that were lined up along the west wall. The person had long blond hair that reached their waist with it tied an inch or two away from the ends with a red band. They wore a Stetson cowboy hat, a large brown overcoat that went below the knees, light brown pants and dark brown boots. When they had stopped firing, the individual turned their head at the sound of footsteps, showing her tanned face, and smiled upon seeing the police officer. “Hey there Rainbow, what brings ya here?” she asked, bearing the same accent as Macintosh. “Hi AJ, just wanted you to meet someone.” Said Rainbow as she pulled Twilight closer to the cowgirl. “This here is Twilight Sparkle. Twi, this is Applejack, we’ve known each other since childhood.” “Hello, nice to meet y-AHH!” Twilight began, only to have Applejack grab and vigorously shake her hand, sending vibrations throughout her body. “Mighty nice to meet ya Miss Twilight, we here at Sweet Apple Acres always welcome newcomers to town. And if Rainbow considers ya a friend, than ya can count me and mah family too.” Applejack said brightly as she slung the rifle on her shoulder. When Twilight was able to escape Applejack’s grip, she noticed that the overcoat was unbuttoned to reveal that the cowgirl was also wearing a green bandana around her neck and a white shirt. Twilight then remembered something important. “Well, nice meeting you Applejack, really, but I’ve got to get to Town Hall because I… have no idea where I’m living.” Twilight told them as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. “Whoops, sorry about that.” Rainbow Dash apologised. “If it helps; just head to the center of town, the tall building that has roads all around is the Hall.” “Thanks, that helps me a lot. Well, hope to see you two soon. Goodbye.” Twilight waved them off as she made her way back to the elevator. Applejack was in the process of putting the sniper away when she noticed her old-time friend was looking off into the distance in the direction Twilight went. “Uh, Rainbow? What’re ya starin’ at?” she asks. “N-nothing!” Rainbow retorted as she turned her back towards the cowgirl, trying to hide a faint blush. Twilight was just leaving the farm when she spotted another woman coming towards her, or perhaps the farm. She was an elf with a lighter tan than Applejack, bright yellow and red hair that somewhat resembled fire, a light pinkish/purple shirt with yellow/red sun in the style of the yin-yang symbol under a black leather jacket, an orange business skirt and knee-high purple and black boots. When she got closer, Twilight decided to introduce herself. “Hi there miss, I’m…” she started, but stopped herself and frowned when the other woman just walked past her, looking at some parchment while muttering to herself. “Hmm, rude.” Grumbled Twilight, continuing her trek. As Twilight made her way back to town, she heard what sounded like multiple songbirds harmoniously singing. ‘Is someone teaching a choir of birds?’ she thought as she followed the noise. When Twilight came into a clearing just outside of town, she saw an avion girl with long pink hair hovering in front of a tree that had its branches completely covered by a wide range of bird species. She was wearing a green cotton jacket that just barely hung to her shoulders, a pink skirt and lime-green shoes. She looked proudly at the birds as they finished the song and Twilight took the chance to say hello (the absence of Rainbow Dash made her feel a little more comfortable). “Hello there.” Twilight said when she was about ten feet from the girl. Said girl, however, was startled by the sudden introduction as noticeable when she squeaked out an “Eep!” and flew into the air a few feet. When she turned to see Twilight and the worried look on her face, she calmed down and lowered herself to the ground in front of the magician. “Oh… um… I’m sorry if I, uh, worried you.” She said nervously in a sweet, timid voice. “It’s just that you startled me and all.” “Oh, sorry about that. My name is Twilight Sparkle, what’s your name?” Twilight asked as she reached out a hand to the pink-haired girl. “F-Fluttershy.” The avion replied as she took her hand. Whilst they shook hands, Fluttershy’s senses went crazy; telling her that there was something very off about Twilight. Maybe not her personality, but there was something about her that was just… dark. When they broke apart from the handshake, Twilight asked, “So Fluttershy, what were you doing just now? It sounded beautiful.” “Oh, why thank you Twilight. You see, I’m in charge of the music for the celebration tomorrow, and I figured that a bird quire would be a nice touch.” “Really? That’s great!” Twilight beamed. “Anyway, I’ve got to get to the Town Hall so that I can find out my accommodations. Well goodbye, I look forward to hearing the full song.” Twilight began to continue her return to town, that is, until something started moving and growling from within her duffle bag. She froze in place at the sudden movement. ‘Oh no, he woke up.’ She thought. After a second she continued on walking, hoping that Fluttershy hadn’t noticed. Unfortunately, she did. “Um, Twilight… what’s in the bag?” Fluttershy asks. “N-nothing. Nothing at all. Just some of my belongings shifting position. No big deal.” Twilight responded nervously whilst it was clear that something in her bag was desperate to get out. Abruptly, the duffle bags’ zipper opened to reveal a long, grey blade-like appendage as the growling became more audible. Moments later the form of a bizarre looking creature made its way out. It was about the average size of a domestic house cat, had deep crimson skin and black chitin plates with short, thin cyan stripes shading the edges. There were some thin plates that made a shape somewhat like a ribcage that stopped just off its arms whilst larger plates guarded its back. It had four arms, two with grey, scorpion-like claws and the other two with scythe-like talons that were also partially armoured. The upper part of the creature’s head was completely covered by chitin armour that almost obscured its eyes from view, a mouth full of razor sharp teeth with two long snaggletooth fangs at the front, all of which were grey like its claws[1]. Fluttershy slowly began stepping closer to Twilight, still staring at the weird being in her bag. “T-that… that’s…” she stammered, unable to find her words. “Look, Fluttershy… I know this looks strange but I need you to understand tha-“ “It’s so CUUUUUUUUTE!!!” the avion exclaimed as she lunged forward and grabbed the creature out of the bag and nuzzled it with her cheek. The red-skinned life form was revealed to have the rest of its body like that of a centipede, with the thigh of its torso to the tip of its tail stretching about thirty inches. It also seemed unfazed by Fluttershy abruptly grabbing it, as it wasn’t trying to claw her face off. To say that Twilight was a little dumbstruck would be an understatement. “…Wha~?” Twilight finally says after several moments of awkward silence. “Oh my gosh, I’ve never seen anything like this little guy before.” Said Fluttershy. “I can recognise the parts of a scorpion and centipede, but I don’t recognise anything else. What is he?” she asks. “Well, the thing is… he has more relation to a demon than any species of animal.” Twilight explained sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. Fluttershy looked up to Twilight in shock. “A-a d-demon?” the pink-haired girl stammers. “Yeah. ‘Cause you see, he’s my… Familiar.” “Your Familiar? That… that’s… that’s amazing!” Fluttershy beamed. “I’ve read that only the most powerful and most skilled mages are capable of summoning a Familiar. You must be really strong to have one. Oh, what did you name him?” Twilight sighed. “His name is Sauron, and that’s why I tried to hide him…” she trailed off as she lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. Sauron made a growling sound that could’ve been a grumble, but complied in its command and flew out of Fluttershy’s arms (despite having no wings) and back into the duffle bag. “If anyone knew I had a Familiar, they’d expect nothing but the best of me; that everything I do has to be perfect.” she zips up the bag. “And if I ever make a mistake they’ll criticise me for it constantly. I just don’t think that I can take all that attention and pressure!” Fluttershy could understand that Twilight didn’t want people to think about her in a particular way just because of one factor. “It’s okay Twilight.” Fluttershy reassured her new friend. “If it helps, I won’t tell anyone about Sauron unless you want to.” Twilight gave the avion a thankful smile. “Thanks Fluttershy, I needed that. Well, see you later.” “Goodbye.” The yellow-winged girl chirped as Twilight continued her way to town. Twenty minutes later, Twilight made her way to the Town Hall and entered. The interior of the Hall was decorated with light-purple and dark-blue drapes, and large white banners with an image of the sun were hung on each wall. “Hey there,” a male voice called behind her. “Haven’t seen you here before.” Twilight turned to see who was speaking to her. He had a light tan like the girl earlier, spiky green hair that just reached his shoulders[2], wore a purple jacket, jeans and black shoes, with a pair of purple dragon wings emerging from his back. “I only just got to town today.” She replied truthfully. “Fair enough. Name’s Spike by the way, did you need to see the Mayor about something?” Spike asks. “Oh, yes I do actually. I’d like to know where I’d be living whilst I’m staying in Ponyville. My father made arrangements” Twilight told him. “Say no more, I’ll go get her.” He said. As Spike walked towards another part of the hall, Twilight took notice that he also had a purple scaly tail with an arrowhead tip, and there were also green spikes coming through his jacket that went down his back and along the length of his tail. “Isn’t he just wonderful.” A feminine voice called from above. Twilight took a few steps back and looked up to the balcony above her. Leaning over a railing was a violet-haired, light skinned elf wearing purple high-heeled boots and dark-blue pants. Most of her body was obscured by a white lab-overcoat with an image of three cyan diamonds on her thighs. “Just hold on right there darling, I’ll be down in but a moment.” She said. Twilight expected her to teleport down to the foyer, but what happened instead truly surprised her. From the elven’s back, six snow-white coloured animatronic arms that more resembled tentacles with claw hands at the ends[3] emerged. They grabbed onto the floor and columns as they hoisted her off the balcony, climbed down, and softly placed her on the foyer floor. “There,” she said as the three-pincer claws lifted from the ground and ‘hovered’ at her sides. “Now that that’s settled, my name is Rarity. And who might you be darling?” Rarity asks. “I’m Twi-“ “Twilight Sparkle I presume?” another woman’s voice interrupted from behind. The two girls turned to acknowledge the woman who had entered the foyer with Spike. She wore a creamy-brown suit with a white collar that almost matched her light-brown skin , a green tie and black shoes, as well as grey hair and red-framed glasses with small chains connected to the sides that went around the back of her neck. “Yes, I’m Twilight.” She confirmed. “I’m Mayor Gertrude Mare of Ponyville, it’s good to finally meet you Miss Sparkle.” The mayor replied, holding out her hand for Twilight to shake, whom accepted it. “You know about her Miss Mare?” Spike asked. “No, not really.” She admitted. “Only that a letter told me that someone new was coming to town, her name, what she looked like, and that she would be needing a place to live during her stay.” “Well what do you suppose would be good for me? I’m not very picky.” Twilight asks. The mayor seemed to be in deep thought for a moment, and then an idea struck her. “Well, the princess has asked that the Golden Oaks Library be reserved for her personal student whilst she’s in Ponyville, but I’m sure that you two can share it. There’s plenty of room on the second and third floors for each of you to have one all to yourselves. And because we haven’t had one in a while, I could also offer you the job as our librarian, if that’s alright with you that is?” she offered. Twilight’s face brightened at the prospect of living in a library[4]. “That would be perfect! I love books!” she exclaimed joyfully. “Alright then,” the mayor replied. “Just let me go get the key and you can be on your way once your roommate arrives. Oh, that reminds me; there was another letter for me to give you once you came to town. I’ll go get that for you as well.” After that, the mayor went back into her office. “You seemed awfully enthusiastic about where you’re living.” Spike noted. “Spiky, don’t be so rude.” Rarity said as she playfully patted his shoulder with her hand whilst he wore a deadpanned expression. “However, you have a point. Twilight, why did you seem so happy to be living in the library?” she asks as one of her claws made the impression of nodding. “Well, my parents and I always traveled and my father always knew how to find an ancient tomb or library for us to stay for a while. So I guess that’s where my fascination for books came from and I’d be in a more comfortable environment in similar places I’ve spent my whole life in.” Twilight explained. “That’s horrible!” Rarity yelled dramatically. “It must have been dreadful to travel so much at a young age, and having to sleep in a dirty, old, rotten building is simply uncivilised.” “Oh no, it’s not like that at all, I really enjoyed myself.” Twilight reassured her. By then the mayor had returned with a key ring (with a few keys, of course) and a letter. “Here you go Miss Sparkle.” She said as she handed over the keys and letter to Twilight. “The one with the book engraved into it opens the front door, the others lock some of the other rooms inside.” “Thank you, Miss Mayor.” Twilight replied. Before anything else could be said, the town hall’s main doors were opened and the elf that Twilight saw as she left Sweet Apple Acres entered, although her hair was a complete mess. “Oh my goodness, darling! What happened to your hair?” Rarity screamed. “The weather manager happened.” She grumbled before using a spell that reformed her hair to the way it was before, then looking around the interior of the Hall and speaking in a more professional voice. “I’m here to see a Miss Rarity about the decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration. And I must say that I’m really impressed.” “That would be me, darling, and am I right to assume that you’re Princess Celestia’s personal student?” “Yep, that’s me. Name’s Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset replied, though her smile was a bit lopsided and she seemed a little awkward when looking at Rarity’s robotic arms. Twilight stepped over to Sunset. “Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle. We passed each other as I was leaving Sweet Apple Acres. You… completely ignored me.” She said somewhat awkwardly at the end. Sunset seemed to look a little guilty. “I did? Sorry about that, I sometimes block out the people around me when I’m focused on something. Probably the reason why Princess Celestia want me to stay here for a while; to break that habit.” “Well I’m sure that you’ll do fine, darling.” Rarity quipped, before asking, “So, are the decorations to your liking?” The fiery-haired student of the princess took another look around, smiling a little. “Yes, this’ll be perfect.” She said, then moving on to another matter. “But now that all the assignments have been taken care of, I’d like to know where I can find the Golden Oaks Library. Princess Celestia told me that I’d be staying there.” “That’s quite alright dear, though I hope that you don’t mind that you’ll have Miss Sparkle here as a roommate due to prior arrangements.” Said the mayor, gesturing to the lavender skinned mage. “No, it’s fine. Might do me some good, actually.” Sunset replied. “Good, then you two should probably know where the place is.” Spike chimed in. “It’s quite easy to find actually; go east and just look for the building that looks like a massive tree.” “Thanks for that Spike. Well I hope to see you all at the celebration in the morning.” Said Twilight as she and Sunset made their way to the door whilst they waved to the others. “See you tomorrow.” The three said as they too returned to their business. After a few minutes of walking as they discussed who was taking which floor, Twilight and Sunset finally made their way to the Golden Oaks Library. “Wow, Spike wasn’t kidding when he said the library looked like a massive tree.” Twilight commented, Sunset nodding. It was almost sunset and the two mages decided that they would get some sleep before the Summer Sun Celebration. Twilight was about to put the key into the slot, until the door abruptly opened and a pair of hands pulled them inside. “What the? What’s going o-“ “SURPRISE!!!” the pink-haired girl from earlier in the day yelled as the room lit up to reveal the whole place to be filled with people. Streamers were draped across the ceiling and balloons were tethered to tables; all of which had an assortment of colours. Most of the tables were stacked with who knows how many different sweets while one was reserved for the drinks. “Uh… what’s all this?” Twilight asked no one in particular. “Hi I’m Pinkie Pie and this is your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party.” The girl said as she got uncomfortably close to Twilight’s face. “Wait, you did this?” Sunset questioned. “Oh yes yes yes! You see because I didn’t know you but I know everybody in Ponyville so I knew that you had to be someone new so I had to throw you a party but I didn’t know where you lived so I spoke to the mayor to see if we were expecting new people and she said ‘yes’ so I asked ‘where are they living?’ and she said…” As Pinkie continued to ramble on, she didn’t notice Twilight and Sunset sneaking away from her. Twilight made her way through the crowd of people to the drinks table to calm herself from all the progressive greetings. She was a little concerned that Sauron would come out of the bag again and set everyone into a panic, and because a Familiar and its masters’ souls are in a way connected; if she’s on edge, he’s on edge. As she got to the table, Twilight saw that a familiar avion was there with drinks in each hand. “Hey Twi, I got a drink for you here.” Said Rainbow Dash as she handed one of the drinks to the magician. She took the cup carefully to not spill the contents, and gave the officer a kind smile. “Thanks Rainbow. Hey, can you help me get to my room? I think it would be best if I put my stuff away.” She said. “No sweat. I think it should be just up the stairs over there.” Dash replied as she pointed to the staircase that led to the second floor. The two traversed passed the partygoers and up the stairs. Twilight then walked to another set of stairs, explaining that she decided to have the third floor. As they reached the third level, Twilight approached the first door to the right and looked inside. It was a relatively large bedroom with a queen-sized bed at the far side wall with a circular window in the center of said wall, there was a common styled nightstand next to the head of the bed, a work desk a few feet to the left of the door and a glass door in one of the walls that led to an outdoor balcony with a telescope setup. Twilight took a sip of her drink and looked to Rainbow. “Thanks for helping me find my room Dash, I’d like to set some things up before I return to the party if that’s alright with you?” Twilight asks. “Sure thing, just glad I could help.” Rainbow replied. “I mean it, you’re a really good friend.” The way Twilight said this made Rainbow blush lightly; which made her glad that the room was so dimly lit that Twilight couldn’t see it. “Y-yeah, sure… no problem.” Said Rainbow as she exits the room. As the avion returned to the party (trying her best to hide her blush mind you), Twilight walked over to the bed, placed her duffle bag on the mattress and opened it. Sauron immediately leaped out of the bag and flew to the nightstand as Twilight pulled out the book she had been reading that had a brown cover with the image of a golden unicorn, and the letter she received from the mayor. Curious, Twilight opened the letter and read it. My dearest Twilight If you’re reading this then you’ve made it to Ponyville and I hope that you’re settling in okay. You’re probably wondering why I sent you to the little town, aren’t you? Well, the answer’s simple; I’ve felt that you’ve been too cooped up in these old libraries and tombs. Now I know that you enjoy them, but you should make a life for yourself, meet new people, and make some friends. There are some things you must learn that I cannot teach you, and I believe you’ll learn them there. I know you can handle it so don’t even try complaining. I just want what’s best for you like any father would, but… there was another reason; She is coming back. The general populace may think she’s an old-wives-tale, but we know better don’t we? I have a feeling that you’ll confront her and there’s nothing I can do about it, but… just be careful, okay sweetie? Know that I will be proud of you no matter what your life choices are and I’ll always be there for you through thick and thin, but I still want you to take absolute care. See you soon my little angel. Love, Dad Twilight sat on her bed as she read the last of the letter, a loving smile gracing her lips. “Thanks dad…” she mumbled to herself. She could feel something nudging at her left hand. Twilight looked to her hand and gave a small smile at seeing Sauron trying to comfort her. As she began to rub his head like a pet despite the armour plating, she gazed out the window to the starry night sky. “’…The stars shall aid in her escape, and she shall bring upon night eternal.’” Twilight recited from a passage in her book as she could see a group of stars progressively draw closer to the moon, which had a shadowy imprint of a unicorn. “Well… better go down and enjoy my own party as much as I can.” She mused as she got up from her bed and went for the door, until she stopped just arms length from the doorknob. “You stay here, mister.” Twilight half commanded as she glanced at Sauron who had jumped onto her shoulder. He made sounds akin to grumbling as he flew to a basket at the foot of the bed and curled himself inside. ‘You know… I can now see how Fluttershy thought he was cute.’ She thought as she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her as she made her way downstairs and rejoined the party. After several hours had passed, Twilight had already found out a lot about the townspeople; Pinkie Pie and Applejack are distant cousins, Fluttershy came from a noble family though wouldn’t go into more information, Spike saved Rarity from being killed by another dragon, Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon are the town's open gay couple though there are two other women who aren’t as open (one of them, anyway), and the mail woman who everyone calls ‘Derpy’ on account of her eyes has lately been dating someone who simply calls himself ‘The Doctor’. It was about thirty minutes until dawn when the another villager come to the library and called everyone to the Town Hall. Once they made their way through the streets to the hall they could easily recognise the golden suits of armour worn by the Royal Guard. ‘The princess must be here already. Oh this so exciting, I’ll finally get to see what she looks like!’ Twilight thought to herself. With everything about the princess her father told her, among things no one else might know, the royal’s appearance was something she had no clue about. As everyone found themselves a place to stand, Twilight found herself next to Rainbow Dash whilst Applejack, Fluttershy, Spike, Pinkie Pie and Sunset were a little further away. “You know, for a police officer you certainly have a lot of spare time.” Twilight noted. “Actually I’m now officially on duty, that’s way I’m allowed to have these bad boys.” Rainbow stated matter-of-factly as she patted her right thigh where a pistol was holstered. “Hey, I can’t see Rarity anywhere, where is she?” the magician asked. “Oh, Rares? She’s probably with the princess because she was given the ‘honourable duty’ of pampering her up before she rises the sun.” Rainbow answered. The sound of trumpets rang throughout the hall as the mayor stepped on stage and into a spotlight. Twilight glanced at the window that showed her the moon. Some stars had gotten closer. “Citizens of Ponyville. I, Mayor Gertrude Mare would like to welcome you to the official Summer Sun Celebration.” As the mayor spoke and the people cheered, the stars drew closer to the moon. “It is a great honour for our little town to be chosen by the princess herself to rise the sun here this year.” Closer. “And now without further delay, I present to you all our proud and caring ruler…” By this time the stars reached the moon, and in a dim split second flash, the unicorn imprint disappears. “Princess Celestia!” the mayor exclaims as the curtains to the balcony above her opened, only to reveal no one there. Everyone gasped except for Twilight, though she was just as surprised as the others. Just then, strong winds started to pick up inside the building as mist that looked identical to a starry night sky began to form into a sphere on the balcony. A sudden gust of wind caused most of the mist to vanish and a woman took its place. She wore a full suit of midnight-blue armour with markings of a crescent moon in multiple places, her helmet modelled in a way that you could see her eyes and mouth but little else, showing her chocolate brown skin. From her back came a pair of large wings as black as pitch, and her eyes were a piercing cyan-blue with reptilian-slit pupils. Some of the mist remained and seeped out of her helmet like hair. She smiled a fang filled grin at the terrified citizens. “GREETINGS WEAK MORTALS!” she bellowed. “BOW DOWN TO YOUR KNEES, FOR I, EQUESTRIA’S TRUE RULER, HAVE RETURNED! HAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!” > *Friendship Is Magic, Pt 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everyone stared, wide-eyed and open mouthed at the armoured woman. She looked down at the citizens of Ponyville with an expression that was growing into a frown of boredom and annoyance when she realised that standing there with those stupid looks was all they were going to do. That is, until she spoke again. “Really? Those shocked expressions are all I get for blessing you with my presence?” she asked in mock hurt. “After all this time, had I been completely forgotten? Does my crown no longer count? Do any of you have the slightest idea of who I am?” “Ooh, ooh, are we playing guessing games?” Pinkie Pie abruptly chirped in her usual cheery tone, obviously getting over her shock. “Umm, Pokey Smokes? How about Queen Meanie? No, Black Snooty! Black Snooty!” The armoured intruder clenched her fist and teeth in irritation. “Did not a single one of you see the signs!?” she roared, clearly angered that she had been forgotten like a bad dream. “I did!” someone suddenly called out. She, and everyone else in the hall turned their gaze to a young woman with a black leather jacket and fiery coloured hair. Sunset Shimmer took a few steps towards the podium before continuing. “And I know exactly who you are. You’re the ‘Mare’ in the Moon; Nightmare Moon!” There was a collective gasp in the building whilst the dark woman grinned upon hearing her name. “Well well,” she began, “it looks like somebody still bothers to learn history these days.” Taking it as an insult to her people, Mayor Mare snapped herself out of her trance and took action. “Guards! Seize her! Only she knows where the Princess is!” she commanded. The guards did as they were told, the avions flew towards the balcony with their weapons at the ready, whilst the elves charged immobilisation and containment spells. However, Nightmare Moon was more than prepared, as she used her magic to throw the guards to the ground and walls with little effort. As some of the townsfolk tried to help the guards recover, she took that moment to speak once more. “I hope that you have enjoyed your precious sun while you still could, because you’ll never see it again! The night will last FOREVER! HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!” And with that the blue, starry mist once again surrounded her. After the mist had formed another sphere, it dispersed and Nightmare Moon was gone. The hall was dead silent. No one wanted to say or do anything at the moment. They were slowly getting the idea that they were in very big trouble, and that the fate of all Equestria was at stake. Seeing that her citizens needed her, Mayor Mare decided to address the terrified populace. “People of Ponyville, do not panic,” she began, “we are going to begin search parties to look for this intruder and demand that she tell us where our princess is! But in the meantime, I ask that you all remain calm and wait in your homes until this matter is solved. Thank you.” As everyone began to leave the building, Rainbow Dash went to gather with her friends. It seemed that Applejack had the same idea, for she and Pinkie were standing in the open where they would be easily spotted. Rainbow hovered in the air for a few minutes waiting for everyone to be out of the hall, but when she didn’t see a sign of the person she was really looking for, she glided over to the apple farmer and gave her a concerned look. “Hey, where’s Twilight? I didn’t see her leave the hall.” She said. “Sorry RD, but Ah haven’t seen ‘er since the ceremony went south.” Applejack replies. “Oh man, what could’ve happened to her?” “I know!” Pinkie piped in with her normal cheery voice. Rainbow Dash and Applejack immediately gave her their attention. “Really? You know where Twilight is?” Rainbow asks. “Nope, not really, just that she snuck out a little before that metal meanie left and everyone was quiet.” Pinkie had a large grin as she gave them her useless information. “Maybe she went back to the library,” Applejack thought out loud. “It’s the best we’ve got fer places that she’d be.” “Yeah, you’re right. C’mon, let’s go!” Rainbow proclaimed as she sped to the library/house. Applejack and Pinkie ran after her, not knowing that two other women following them had the same idea. Entering her home after teleporting from the Town Hall, Twilight rushed to her room and ran for her duffle bag. After rummaging through the enchanted carry-on, she found what she was looking for and pulled it out. Now on her bed were the pieces of grey armor with wolf pelts on the inside for some comfort. It wasn’t a full suit like her father’s, but anything more would hamper her maneuverability, plus she’d enchanted the titanium to be stronger and lighter than normal. Using the time to also catch her breath, Twilight put on her armour where they were needed, taking off her overcoat to put on the breastplate and bracers before putting it on again. Fastening her grieves, the now completely suited up elf turned her attention to her bed, where she saw Sauron rapidly open and close his claws in excitement for the upcoming fight. “You coming or what?” Twilight rhetorically asked with a smirk. Sauron’s response was a large grin of grey fangs as he leaped from the bed and onto her shoulder. She smiled fondly at her Familiar and marched dutifully out her bedroom and down the stairs. “What do you think you’re doing?” an irritated voice called out. Twilight stopped in her tracks and turned towards an angry looking Sunset Shimmer. “Going to stop Nightmare Moon from plunging the nation into eternal night like you intend to do.” Twilight replied simply, surprising the other elf. Sunset was going to say something else, but stopped herself when a certain rainbow-haired avion burst through the front door, locking onto Twilight. “There you are.” Said Rainbow Dash. “What’s the big deal sneaking off like that? I was getting worried that you were kidnapped and that… that…” she trailed off when she had finally noticed what the beige-skinned woman was wearing. “Uh, Twilight? Why are you wearing that armor?” By now Applejack and Pinkie Pie had entered the library and overheard Rainbow’s question. Pinkie had her unchanging, cheery smile whilst Applejack had an expression of thought. After a few seconds, the apple farmer understood what was happening. “You’re goin’ after her, aren’t ya?” she asked. Pinkie’s eyes widened as she looked to her cousin, and then back at Twilight when she too came to the same conclusion. Rainbow Dash, however, was not as calm about it as the two humans were. “What? You can’t be serious, can you? Did you see how easily she took down those guards?” Twilight took a deep breath and looked at Rainbow in the eyes. “I know Rainbow, and that’s why I need to go. It’s part of the reason why I came to Ponyville in the first place; it was mainly to make a new life for myself, but it was for this as well. I have to do this.” “Not alone you’re not!” a feminine, upper-class toned voice called out. The five women turned to the doorway and saw Rarity and Fluttershy standing at the entrance, the latter poorly trying to hide behind the former from becoming the center of attention. “No offence to you dear, but this is our town. If you’re going after that armored maniac, than we’re coming too.” Rarity continued. “That is, umm, if that’s okay with you?” Fluttershy meekly asked just above a whisper. “Yeah! She’s right!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “There’s no way that I’m gonna let you go out there to fight that whack-job on your own.” The others were quite impressed with the outburst, and Twilight couldn’t help but give a thankful smile. “Thanks girls,” She said. “I could probably use the extra help, whatever it is that you can help with.” “So, how do ya suppose we go and defeat this ‘Nightmare Moon’ lady?” Applejack asks. “Well, according to a book I have, when Princess Celestia defeated Nightmare Moon the first time, she used these artifacts called the ‘Elements of Harmony’ and that they had the power to banish her in the moon.” Sunset informed, Twilight summoning her own copy of the book in question in a flash of lavender light, then opened it to the necessary page, showing it to them as she continued. “According to this there are six Elements of Harmony; Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty, Generosity, and Laughter. The sixth element is a mystery, but when the other five are together a spark will ignite and summon forth the sixth.” “So, where exactly are these Elements?” asked Pinkie Pie. “They’ll most likely be sealed in the old castle where the princess used to live… in the Everfree Forest.” Twilight said with grimace. She knew she could handle herself in those woods, but she was worried about the others. The girls exchanged glances; they were taught growing up to stay away from the Everfree, after all. They were quiet for about a minute, until Rainbow made a challenging grin and said, “Well then, just give us a sec to gather up a few things and we’ll meet ya at the entrance to the forest. Don’t go ahead without us!” she called back once she was outside the tree house/library. All the others nodded their agreement and made their way back to their homes to get what they thought they’d need. Twilight gave a thankful sigh in that she wouldn’t have to face a demigod on her own. She was confident that she could take Nightmare Moon on in a fight, but was more worried that it would be dragged out and the Everfree Forest - perhaps even Ponyville - would be destroyed. She turned her head to Sauron who was on her right shoulder, growling in irritation when no one seemed to notice him. Twilight gave him a warm smile, but he just made a growling sound that could have been a grumble; he knew where this was going. Sunset wurld her head in Twilight’s direction when she heard the growls, and her eyes widened upon finally noticing the creature on the other elf’s shoulder. “What the heck is that!?” she screamed, pointing at Sauron. “Familiar. Questions later.” Twilight said simply, and immediately after, Sauron was enveloped in flames. But this wasn’t normal fire; it was like an eerily dark version of a rainbow thrown into a storm. Once the Familiar was fully engulfed, it began to envelope Twilight’s entire arm and the right side of her torso, yet she felt no pain and soon the flames dispersed to reveal her armor and clothes to be undamaged, not even singed. “Well, we better get going.” She told her housemate, Sunset nodding numbly as they walked out the door, Twilight closing and locking it behind them. Twilight and Sunset were the first to arrive at the forest entrance and only had to wait about five minutes before the others did. She found it a little amusing that they seemed to have prepared for a war: Rainbow Dash had extra armor atop her police uniform with two pistols and some non-lethal grenades. Applejack had an M16 assault rifle, two SMGs and some frag grenades. Rarity had switched her mecha-tendrils for weaponized servo-arms; one having a powerful looking claw, one a plasma-blaster, another a cone shaped drill, and lastly a melta. Twilight raised an eyebrow, wondering how she got or built weapons from the Old World. Pinkie Pie had an oversized mallet with a head larger than her torso slouched over her shoulder, and Fluttershy was most surprising by having brought a sabre and whip. Which was odd, because the meek girl didn’t seem the type for either. Twilight thought questions could wait another time, and addressed the group of armed women. “Alright girls, let’s get this done.” She said, and after a chorus of approving nods she turned around and led the group into the Everfree Forest. The first five minutes into the Everfree was quiet save for the rustling of leaves or the occasional twig snapping from being stepped on. Only Twilight appeared unfazed whilst the others seemed anxious, and although Rainbow was doing a good job at hiding it, the mage could still sense her nervousness. “Are you all okay? You guys seem nervous, is something wrong?” Twilight decided to finally ask. “Well darling, the Everfree Forest isn’t a place most people tend to travel through.” Said Rarity, one of her servo-arms making a nodding motion. “Yeah, there’s all sorts o’ big ‘n’ dangerous critters out here.” Piped Applejack. “Yes-er-y! There are Manticors, Hydra, Timberwolves, and an Ursa Major just to name a few!” Pinkie Pie chimed in a little too cheerfully. “Wait, did you say Timberwolves?” Twilight asks the pink-haired girl. “Yep!” she replied. “And as far as I know, the Everfree is the only place that they live in, making them really rare.” “Huh,” Twilight mused as she turned back to where they were going. She’d read plenty of books about the strange creatures to know of their uncanny ‘regenerating’ ability and that the Everfree was, at least in Equestria, the only place where they lived. “Guess that means that I walked through here on my way to Ponyville.” “WHAT?!” the other six girls yelled. “I’ll explain later, right now we’ve got a deranged former princess to deal with. Now come on!” Twilight said as she quickened her pace, shortly followed by the others. [A/N: Not sure how to best alter the scenes where they discover their Elements to fit this universe yet, but I’ll add them when I do!] Finally reaching the castle ruins, the group enters a large open room with an oddly shaped podium in the center. Twilight notices that it is holding some stone balls with a gem carving in them, telling her that they were the Elements lying dormant. “Rainbow, Fluttershy, could you two get those down here please?” she asks. “On it.” Replied Rainbow Dash as the two avion girls did as they were asked. After the last stone was placed on the floor, Twilight sat down and took a meditative position. “Okay girls; the book said that once the first five are together, a spark will reveal the sixth. So I’m gonna need you to be quiet for now so that I can concentrate.” “C’mon y’all, let’s get ‘er some privacy ta focus.” Says Applejack, lightly ushering the others into the next room. Rainbow seemed a bit hesitant about leaving Twilight vulnerable, but left the room as well, though she kept close to the door. Sunset, however, hadn’t moved. “Shouldn’t you be going with them?” Twilight questioned when she noticed that the fiery haired girl was still in the room. “Excuse me for sounding rude, but I don’t completely trust you.” She admitted, narrowing her eyes slightly towards the beige-skinned elf. “I mean, you come to Ponyville the day that an ancient threat returns and claim that that was the reason you’re here in the first place. I’ve been Princess Celestia’s personal student for most of my life, and I only found out about Nightmare Moon this- err, yesterday morning, yet you came prepared for a fight. Don’t know about you but that sound quite suspicious to me.” Twilight gave her a small smile. “Funny thing about what you said is that I’d actually be mad if you did trust me without doing anything to earn it. And I made the connection between Nightmare Moon and the “Mare In The Moon” when I was five - though my dad did help - so I’ve had years of preparation.” Ignoring Sunset’s surprised look, Twilight closed her eyes and begun some breathing exercises that her mother taught her to help concentration; in through the nose, and out through the mouth. In… Out… In… Out… As she did this, the miniature boulders were enveloped in the lavender glow of her magic that gently began to levitate them off the ground. She could feel the power that kept them bonded together, easily identifying each Element, but was still unable to find the sixth. Before she could search any further, a sudden cold chill caused Twilight to shiver and open her eyes, just in time to see a familiar starry mist scoop up the stones. “No!” Twilight and Sunset cried out, the two girls rushing into the mist as it teleported them and the Elements to one of the castle’s towers. Hitting the floor, they looked up just in time to see the mist disperse and reveal the armored form of Nightmare Moon. “You truly believed that these little rocks could defeat me again? HA!” she laughed. “Now that I have your precious elements, what are you going to do?” she asks, expecting the little ‘children’ in front of her to cower in fear. She did not expect what they did do, however. With a look of resolve and determination on their faces, Twilight and Sunset’s hands started to glow lavender and cyan before the latter clapped them together, creating a runic circle between them, and the former stretched her arms out to her sides. Sunset pulled her hands apart and summoned a two-foot long sceptre with a yin-yang styled red and yellow sun within a gold ring at one end. Twilight brought her arms across her chest as she summoned her weapons, which took the form of three-foot long handles shaped like a fireman's-axe with a mass of gears and cogs at the top that connected to a curved object that was the same length as the handle, which was covered in a blinding-white glow. Though she raised an eyebrow, Nightmare Moon wasn’t very impressed, expecting a little more from the girls’ bravado and courage than a simple sceptre and whatever the beige-skinned girl’s weapon was. So when the fire-haired girl started collecting magic into her sceptre and the tanned girl began spinning her weapons, her expectations weren’t high. ‘Do they really think that their little light show will intimidate me?’ she thought. Just before she was about to say her mental question out loud, Twilight stopped spinning her weapons and brought them across her chest in an X formation. As she did this, the gears and cogs started to spin rapidly, the glowing parts shooting up ninety degrees adjacent to the handles. She then shifted her stance and swung her weapons apart, the light dissipating when she finished her arching maneuver, revealing two well-polished blades with runes engraved in them. Both Sunset and Nightmare Moon stared in wide-eyed shock, the dark woman feeling a sudden chill crawl up her spine when she saw what the weapons really were. ‘S-scythes?!’ she screamed in her mind ‘But… Th-that’s impossible!’ “Before we beat you, it’s only polite that we tell you our names. My name is Twilight Sparkle.” The scythe wielding elf said. “A-and I’m Sunset Shimmer, personal student of Princess Celestia.” Added Sunset, still in shock of Twilight using such legendary weapons. Nightmare Moon stretched both her hands to the sides and summoned a sword in each. She would never say that she was scared, but Twilight put her on edge. If there’s one thing she took to heart, it’s that you never underestimate a Scythe Meister if you value your life. After all… it was a belief that the unconventional weapons were gifts from Death - the Grim Reaper - itself. Before either of the three could make a move, though, Nightmare Moon had to amass a shield to defend herself from a sudden storm of projectiles. Following where they were coming from, the two elves saw Rainbow Dash flying through a window, the barrels of her pistols flashing as they fired, and Fluttershy not far behind her. The two avions landed by Twilight and Sunset and took up stances, Fluttershy nervously drawing her sabre and Rainbow reloading her pistols. “Heard you guys scream in the other room but found you gone until we saw some lights here. Came as fast as we could.” Rainbow informed them, her pistols now cocked and ready. She then took notice of Twilight’s choice of weaponry and commented, “Nice blades.” “Thanks. Where’re the others?” Twilight asks, keeping her eyes on Nightmare Moon, knowing she considered her the greater threat. “On their way, the tower’s pretty tall and some stairs could’ve collapsed and slow them down.” “Right, then how about we get this started? I doubt she’ll just stand there as we wait for backup.” Without further delay, Twilight vanished in a flash of light and reappeared behind the dark alicorn, already swinging her scythes. Nightmare Moon only just managed to twist her body and hold her swords in the right position to block the blow. Getting out of their stupor, Sunset instructed Rainbow and Fluttershy to flank Nightmare Moon’s sides, the two nodding to each other before doing so as she gathered magic into her sceptre. Nightmare Moon mustered the strength to push Twilight away, but had to leap to the side as her position was struck by a hail of bullets and fire balls, right into Fluttershy. When they got close, the two clashed blades for a moment, the normally meek avion impressing everyone with her swordsman skills. After getting into a blade lock, Nightmare Moon shoved Fluttershy away and narrowly dodged a swing from one of Twilight’s scythes, blocking the other one. She then made some distance between them by kicking Twilight in the gut before having to erect a shield to block more of Rainbow’s bullets, dodging Sunset’s fire balls as well. Nightmare Moon ground her teeth together and seethed in her mind, ‘Those two are going to be a nuisance. I can’t focus on the Scythe-Meister with either of them interfering. That pink-haired avion doesn’t seem like an aggressor, so I’ll leave her be just for now, it’s the other two I must dispose of first.’ Devising a plan, she teleported just as Twilight came in for another attack and appeared behind Rainbow Dash. Whirling around and using her great speed, the young police officer scarcely avoided being cut in half, a tear in her body armour being proof of that. She wasn’t given room to breath however as Nightmare Moon teleported behind her again, this time delivering a powerful kick to the back that sent her crashing to the ground. “Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cried out, immediately rushing to her downed friend’s side. Seeing that two obstacles had been dealt with, Nightmare Moon shifted her attention to Sunset and charged a basketball sized sphere of dark energy before firing it towards her. Sunset was stock-still as the deadly spell came racing toward her, only able to think of how she failed to save the world. ‘Princess Celestia… I’m sorry.’ She thought sadly as she closed her eyes and waited for oblivion. Oblivion that would never come, as Twilight teleported right in front of Sunset, the gears and cogs in her scythes turning and shifting the blades another ninety degrees - aligned with the handles - before she thrust them into the ground, creating a wall of black crystals just in time to block Nightmare Moon’s spell. “One.” Said Twilight, pulling her scythes from the ground and turning to Sunset, “Give me ONE reason to why I should let you get away with just standing there like an idiot.” In any other situation Sunset wouldn’t take being insulted lightly, but again she was frozen, this time by her saviour. Or more specifically, her eyes. Crimson iris’ surrounded by green with a trail of purple flame-like smoke emitting from the corners. Without a doubt, those were the tell-tale signs of using Dark Magic. It would seem that Nightmare Moon came to the same conclusion despite not seeing Twilight’s eyes. “What?! How could you possibly know Dark Magic like that?!” she bellowed, growing increasingly unnerved as knew of only one person who used crystal-themed spells. Twilight turned to face the dark alicorn, shifting her weapons back to their scythe form, and used them to shatter the crystal wall she made before addressing Nightmare Moon. “First off; my father taught me. Second; my special talent is in magic itself - that means every aspect and type of magic. And thirdly; I’m a bit of a badass.” She said simply. Before Nightmare Moon could make a retort, she was forced to dodge a ball of heated plasma that was aimed at her head. Twisting her body, she saw the other three girls standing at the doorway into the room, the chamber of Rarity’s plasma-blaster lightly steaming. “Next time I won’t shoot just once.” The cybernetic elf threatened. The dark alicorn growled, firing a storm of magic bolts at the now larger group, causing them to scatter. Applejack ducked behind a broken column, using it as cover as she fired her M16 at Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon summoned a shield to block the farmer’s bullets but had to jump back to avoid being incinerated by Rarity’s melta-gun. That last action proved to be a mistake, however. “Batter up!” an excited and almost joyful voice called out. Nightmare Moon was only able to turn her head and see the pink-haired girl with the giant mallet hit her with said weapon strong enough to send her into a wall. Pulling herself out of the indent she made, Nightmare Moon narrowly avoided being struck with attacks from Sunset Shimmer, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who had regained consciousness at some point. She made another shield between herself and the group of strange girls before her battle instincts warned her of attack from behind, scarcely blocking a strike from Twilight and putting them into a blade-lock. The struggle went on for a few moments until Nightmare Moon finally pushed Twilight away, sending a strong bolt of lightning towards the young elf. Twilight managed to block it with her own shield, but the force behind it sent her flying back towards the far side of the room. The dark alicorn could only enjoy it for a moment before she was suddenly clashing against Fluttershy once more, a notable increase in aggression in her swings - as minor as it is. Rainbow took this chance to aid Twilight and flew towards the Scythe Meister. “You okay Twi?” she asked, helping the elf to her feet. “Yeah, I’ve had worse.” Which was true, but the others didn’t need to know that yet. Twilight studied the fight from where they stood, seeing how the others went at Nightmare Moon from different angles and prevented her from dominating over any of them for too long. She went to get back into it, but her foot hit something hard and solid. Looking down, Twilight saw that it was one of the inert Elements of Harmony, the other four close by. Glancing over the stones and then the girls that came with her, Twilight was struck with an idea. “Get the girls and bring them to the Elements, I’ll distract her.” She told Rainbow Dash. “Distract her? How the hell are you going to do that?” the officer questioned. Her answer came when Twilight slammed the butts of her scythes together, the impact creating sparks and the gears shifting the blades straight. Suddenly, both weapons were covered in silver flames, the blade to her left shrinking as the other grew. When they reached a certain size, Twilight spun her now larger weapon above her head a few times before swinging it down in a wide stance, the blade lurching forward ninety-degrees. An instant later, the silver flames disappeared and the elf now held a scythe with runes etched into its curved pole, engravings of melting skulls within the five-foot blade and a massive cog with an upside down, jawless, four-horned skull attaching them together. Rainbow blinked. “Okay, nevermind.” Smirking, Twilight shot forward, using her magic to amplify her speed immensely. The reason she didn’t teleport was because she needed something first. That something was Fluttershy’s whip, which Twilight grabbed when she passed the meek avion in a blur that even Rainbow Dash barely noticed. Meanwhile, Nightmare Moon had just managed to throw Pinkie Pie off of her when something hard and fast slammed into her, sending the dark alicorn through a column and into a wall. When she regained her bearings, Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened at the sight of Twilight with a single, but large scythe in her hands. The young elf took up a wide stance, her weapon’s blade above her head, and stared the dark woman dead in the eyes as she rhetorically asked, “Now then… where were we?” The small group of uncanny fighters looked on in awe as Twilight battled Nightmare Moon, the beige-skinned girl even seeming to have the upperhand half the time. Among them, Fluttershy’s keen eyes told her that, although still fast, the dark alicorn’s movements were stiff and mostly focused on defence, even her expression showed a tiny hint of fear. ‘Could it have something to do with what I felt earlier?’ she thought. She too had seen Twilight use Dark Magic to protect Sunset Shimmer and read the stories of how Death itself would gift a selected few with Its personal weapons - the Death-scythes - which can change form to better fit its new user, but believed that neither matched it. Whatever it was she felt when she shook Twilight’s hand, Fluttershy was certain that they’d find out about it; one way or another. A little too distracted with the fight, Sunset almost jumped out of her skin when Rainbow suddenly grabbed her shoulder. “C’mon, we need to get the Elements while Twilight keeps her busy.” She said. The personal student of Celestia would’ve argued, but realised that the young police officer was right: Twilight was holding her own remarkably well and the Elements were the only thing that could actually beat Nightmare Moon. With a nod, Sunset rallied the others to the Elements to help her activate them. Meanwhile, Twilight dodged a swipe from her opponent who seemed to be taking the fight more seriously - or was growing desperate, she couldn’t tell - but regardless, Nightmare Moon was now empowering her swords with magical fire. Both were growing tired, Nightmare Moon because she’s been battling multiple opponents weilding weapons she had no experience with for nearly twenty minutes, and Twilight for the multiple spells she’s used and another reason. Despite that, the young elf had more than enough strength for some banter. “What’s the matter, your highness? Getting tired from little old me?” “Silence!” Nightmare Moon screamed. The girl before her being a Scythe Meister was worrying enough, but as the fight dragged on, she could feel a dark presence growing from within Twilight, one that she was using half her focus to keep contained if the mild strain in her expression was any indication. Twilight knew from the minor change in her opponent’s expression that she’d discovered that she was holding something back. She spared a quick glance to the others and smirked when she saw the faint glow around each Element before turning back to Nightmare Moon. “You know, I wanted to save this for another time, but bringing it out now might start up some conversations.” She said. Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow in confusion to Twilight’s remark, but remained primed and ready as said elf took a new stance… and froze,eyes widening as she recognised it. She even sweated slightly when the scythe blade was engulfed in lavender energy, wisps of black appearing every now-and-then. ‘Th-That’s a-!’ “Getsuga Tensho!” Twilight screamed as she swung her scythe, launching a crescent-shaped mass of energy towards Nightmare Moon. The dark alicorn’s fight-or-flight instincts kicked in, and she chose flight by leaping to the side, even using her wings for more momentum. The Getsuga Tensho continued it’s path, carving through the floor and decimating the wall that was behind Nightmare Moon, even when it struck the solid ground, it had enough power tear a wide and deep gash through the forest for nearly a quarter of a mile before dissipating. The dark alicorn stared at the damage caused by Twilight’s attack - one only someone with a Death-scythe can do - before turning to the tiring elf and screaming, “You mad child! What did you hope to accomplish with such a technique in this crumbling ruin? Bring it down on our heads?!” With a tired grin, Twilight answered. “Keep you distracted.” Nightmare Moon was confused, but the room suddenly getting brighter made her eyes widen. She’d completely forgotten about the other six. Turning around, she saw them floating above the ground and bathed in light; Sunset Shimmer was wearing a golden tiara with a six-point, star-shaped gem whilst the rest wore gold necklaces with different shaped gems. Nightmare Moon went to stop them, but Twilight threw Fluttershy’s whip towards her, the elf using her magic to wrap it around her. The dark woman struggled, but she realised too late that it was another diversion. Helpless now, Nightmare Moon could only scream as a torrent of rainbow energy was launched from the group and into her, the magic coiling around her body, blocking it from view. After a few seconds the light died down and the new Element Bearers were lowered to the ground. When they regained their bearings, they gazed across the room to look for Twilight and Nightmare Moon, but got a different sight. Twilight was on the floor, her scythe gone, and was resting the head of a mysterious girl on her lap. The girl looked mid-teens with pale skin and short pale-blue hair, wore a black sleeveless dress, black shoes and had a small, black tiara on her head. As they came closer, and took notice of her blue wings and elf ears, she began to fidget and murmur something in her sleep before fluttering her cyan eyes open. The girl looked among the group around her and asked, “W-what’s happening? Where am I?” “It’s okay, Princess Luna, you’re safe now.” Twilight answered, oblivious to the shocked faces aimed at her and the princess. “And I have you to thank for that.” A voice suddenly said. The group of eight whipped their heads to a nearby window, seeing the tip of the sun slowly rise above the horizon before a sudden flash made them cover their eyes. When they could see again, the residents of Ponyville and Sunset gasped at the figure that appeared. She had multi-colored hair, wore a white formal dress with shoes, bracelets, necklace, earrings and tiara that were gold. She also had elf ears and a large pair of white wigs on her back. It was Princess Celestia. Sunset and the other Element Bearers bowed deeply to the princess as she walked over to them. Twilight helped Luna up to her feet before giving a small, respectful bow of her own towards the solar monarch. For a few seconds the room was quiet, Celestia not saying a word since her appearance as she stepped closer to Luna, who was growing very nervous. Eventually when she was arms length from the smaller alicorn, Celestia spoke. “It has been a long time since we had last seen each other, little sister. A thousand years to be precise.” She said, drawing surprised gasps from the Bearers behind her. Luna seemed uncomfortable, not knowing what to do in this situation. She wanted to hug her sister, apologize for the things she’s done and plead for forgiveness. However, her plans were derailed when Celestia instead pulled her into a tight embrace. “I missed you, Luna… I missed you so much.” Luna’s eyes widened, feeling the wetness of tears hitting her shoulder as her sister wept in a mix of sadness and joy. “S-sister?” Luna stammered, returning the hug. “Oh, Luna, I’m so, so sorry little sister. For everything. Please… please forgive me.” “T-Tia? Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who turned against you.” Celestia pulled out of the embrace and tilted Luna’s head up so that she could look at her in the eyes. “Because no matter what you or others say, the truth is that I’m the one to blame. If I hadn’t been so selfish and ignorant to let the people fatten my ego with their praises, I wouldn’t have been so blind to the misery that that you were suffering. If I had only been a better sister - a better person - Nightmare Moon would never have existed. Everything that went wrong between us was all my fault. That is why I’m apologizing, and that is why I should be asking you for forgiveness.” Luna stared into her older sister’s lavender eyes, seeing the sincere guilt in them, as well as the pain from the last thousand years of loneliness she’s gone through. Unable to keep it in any longer, Luna pulled Celestia in close and cried into her navel. “O-oh, s-sister… of c-course I forgive you. I-I could never hate you.” With a smile and tears streaming down her face, Celestia tightened her hold on her sister, not intending to let go any time soon. “Thank you, Luna. Thank you.” Twilight and the Element Bearers watched the scene with small, content smiles on their faces and maybe a tear or two… though Pinkie Pie may have taken it a bit far. “WAAAAAAAAAAAAH! IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL!” she cried, literally crying fountains from her eyes like some cartoon character. Sunset sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead. “Way to ruin the moon, Pinkie.” She groaned. The two princesses actually giggled at that, reluctantly ending the embrace and wiping their eyes of any lingering tears before Celestia addressed the group. “Words cannot describe how grateful I am for you seven to bring my sister back to me. You have my deepest thanks and my eternal gratitude.” “It was nothing, your highness. We were simply willing to do what was necessary to protect Equestria and the world.” Said Twilight. Celestia nodded. “Indeed. Now then, why don’t we all head back to Ponyville? I think a certain someone in the room may appreciate a little ‘welcome home’ party.” She joked. “Tia~!” Luna whined, causing an uproar of laughter from everyone, the younger alicorn soon joining. When they got back to Ponyville, Princess Celestia made a grand speech about the brave heroics of Twilight and the Element Bearers, how they defeated Nightmare Moon and returned her own sister to her from the dark woman’s clutches. So with that, the Summer Sun Celebration was replaced with a town-wide party to celebrate the return of Princess Luna, on that went on for most of the day. On the edge of town and under the canopy of the Everfree Forest, a lone figure stood, the cloak they wore dashing any hope of identifying any features. They gazed towards Ponyville where the princesses were being taken around the small town in an open horse-drawn carriage, but the two royals wasn’t the focus of their attention. It was the only one of the heroic group that wasn’t an Element Bearer: Twilight Sparkle. They debated if they should meet her now, but chose not to; one family reunion right after another would lose its weight. So instead they simply smiled, spoke the words “That’s my girl” to themselves, and turned around, walking deeper in the dark forest.