> Evenfall
>  by Yinglung
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue – Island in the Sea of Mind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a quiet night in Canterlot. The sun has long gone, and the gentle moon strewn the night sky. As the royal capital of Equestria dimmed and went into sleep, the wild yonder above was adorned by countless brilliant stars, forming a dreamy landscape with the towers and spires that strutted by.

A lone purple mare trotted briskly across the dark corridor of the Canterlot castle. She was carrying something in her saddlebag. As winds flipped up the thin cover of her bag, its content was exposed in the night air. It resembled an ancient tome, but upon closer inspection, it was pieces of thin weathered metal strung together with rings. The metal tablet was not inscribed with any text. The only parts on it that were not covered by rust revealed a shiny reflective surface.

She gritted her teeth, as she felt a dullness in her head and heard the murmuring again. The voice was gentle and sounds amiable. It apologized for causing the purple pony distress, and again implored her to bring it out of the dilapidated, forgotten caverns. 

She had first heard this mysterious voice a year ago, as she sobbed in the Royal Canterlot Garden after failing a small test. It was just some unclear murmuring at first, and she paid it no heed. But it has grown increasingly louder and clearer soon afterwards. 

She had thought about telling this to her teacher, the beloved sun sovereign of the nation, but she eventually decided to simply take the matter into her own hoof and located the source of the anomaly, which was the elaborate caverns under Canterlot.

The purple pony had initially worried about that the book contained some sort of malevolent spirit which would cause great harm if let out. However, the voice that emanated from the book was strangely comforting for her, despite causing some malaise at first. 

It was self-effacing and had a self-deprecating sense of humor. Moreover, it was incredibly knowledgeable, and taught her a great deal about magic, the world and even ponies. She was sometimes befuddled by how a forgotten tome in the deepest mountain cave could have such a deep insight of magic and pony interaction.

Her magic study was greatly helped by the patient tutoring of the old tome, who had initially just sent its voice via telepathic magic. It seemed to understand her underlying concern and had been content to just sit under the rocks of Canterlot for the moment. 

As time went on, she has grown to be attached to her private, sympathetic listener, who seemed to accept her unreservedly despite her social awkwardness. And although the voice was reticent about its identity other than being a presence that lived in the tome, it has also expressed increasing fondness for the purple pony. They even grew to tease with each other playfully and engaged in long conversation about the Canterlot life, which sometimes earned strange glares from the purple pony’s personal assistant, a purple baby dragon. Thus, the strangest of friendship was born between a purple mare and her book.

Then on one night, exactly a year after they began to know each other in earnest, the voice pled the purple pony to bring it out of the caverns. 

It would not state its reason or purposes, but she could hear great forlorn in its voice. Although her rational mind thought it dangerous to physically consort with an ancient book spirit, she could not bring herself to abandon her dear little tome. She decided to actually sneak into the capacious caves under the palace for once to retrieve the book.

The purple pony galloped into the Ivory Tower, and then treaded lightly on the stairs to prevent waking up her baby dragon. She then reached the top of the tower, and taken the tome out of her saddlebag using her unicorn magic.

In a purple glow, the tome floated in front of the purple pony. It spoke to its friend in an unsteady voice, as if it was close to tears. 

“I thank you, Twilight Sparkle… I never thought I could actually talk to somepony, and I believed my only fate was to rust and crumble beneath these hills. But you have rescued me from my eternal solitude. I – I could not ever repay you enough for your help.”

“Now you’re finally out of the caves, your life can begin anew.” Twilight smiled and comforted her friend, who simply emitted a quiet gulp.

“It’s not that simple, my dear friend.” The voice said in apparent defeat. “I never told you, didn’t I? I came into being owing to the abundance of magic below the city. Before that, I was merely a… repository of knowledge. Think of me as a… library of sorts.”

“What?!” 

Twilight gasped and then grinned widely. “So you’re a talking library? Why don’t you tell me earlier? This is magnificent! No wonder you know so much! So what’s the problem? Oh, I can’t wait to prep you up and bring you to the princess now!”

“Oh dear, no, Twilight…”

“Eh? Why? I’m sure I can weave a story-”

“It’s not that.”

The voice became unsure. “The magic in the caves is… not quite ordinary magic. It is volatile and nebulous, for it was transmuted in the thousands of years from countless evil unicorns who were banished into the caves.”

It drew in an audible breath even though it had no mouth. “It was dark magic, Twilight. Ambient magic I bathed in and inadvertently shaped with my signals for eons, but this twisted dark magic was what had born me, this… obstructing presence of consciousness. Its taint on me was plain.”

The tome spirit sounded defeated. “I’m sorry I never told you, I… I was afraid that you won’t be my companion anymore if I told you this. I never found anypony… or anyone who could be talked to, and I was too fearful if you lose trust in me after I come clean.”

“… I’ve known all the time.”

The tome spirit let out a muted noise, but then it sighed. “… I’m not surprised. You’re among the brightest minds and best magic users I’ve seen over the ages.”

“You’re flattering me again.”

Twilight blushed, and then quietly explained. “From the first moment we talked, I’ve sense traces of dark magic over our link. But dark might it be, it never carries a drop of malice. And you’re kind, forthright and patient, not at all like a malicious spirit who’s trying to butter me up.”

The spirit chuckled. “You’re such a sweet mare, Twilight. I really don’t deserve you.”

Twilight eyed the tome with a sad look, and the voice slowly began again. 

“I never knew why I’m like this. The corrupting influence of dark magic should be maddening, but it had done nothing of that sort other than fashioning my consciousness from nothingness. Perhaps that’s enough of a dark, twisted joke in itself. After all, what’s crueler than giving me a lucid mind and stuffing me in somewhere where no one could reach or talk with me?”

“Don’t say that…”

It chuckled wryly, but it swiftly turned into a sigh. “Twilight, I still bear the sin of their forbidden crafts. My mere presence is dangerous, for the dark magic within me could flood out and terrorize others nearby. I want nothing of this sort to happen to the innocent dwellers of this city, but my longing for you is deep, and my insolence wins over my rational mind.”

Twilight bit her lips and continued to listen silently.

The voice gulped and said with a shaky voice. “I simply wanted to see you and meet you in person, for you’re the only pony I’ve ever truly talked to. You’re the first and the only mare I truly loved and cared about.”

Twilight widened her eyes. For a moment she lovingly looked back to the metallic tome, but then her brows became knitted with doubt and questions.

“Really? After all those years hearing about so many ponies’ lives? T- They were all somepony with hopes and dreams and lives of their own, weren’t they?”

“… I know, and I’ve observed many lives that ignited, glowed bright and faded. If you count those that I recorded before my mind came on by accident, then it had to be more than sands in the Saddle and water drops in a thunderstorm. But there is a difference between passively recording and attentively watching. And there is an even bigger, unsurmountable difference to be actively engaging with someone’s life – like now.”

The voice paused as if in thought, then its voice grew mirthful. “History might sometimes be a symphony of heroic tales and progress, but it is mostly a slew of regret and missed opportunities. I’ve always wanted to put forward my two bits to help in my small ways. You know, Twilight, I’m so glad that you’re willing to talk with me. I…”

“Hm…?

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, and I mean no offense to Mister Light, b… but, dear, you’re like a daughter to me.”

Twilight shot up with a stunned look. This was the first time the tome so candidly described its own feelings. The tome had often sounded firm and demanding, even blunt at times, and she had not realized that how fondly and attached the tome had thought of her.

“I’m willing to give it my all if it means making your life better. And now that I’m physically here, there is a way for me to contribute to you substantially other than my inane ramblings.”

“Your teaching is not-”

The voice chuckled and shushed her off. “It’s obvious that if the dark magic within me is to be discovered, my destruction would be swift. It will be a welcoming reprieve from my unnatural existence. But I want to leave you, my only friend in this world, something valuable, that’s why I wanted you to take me out and then dispose of me with a specific method.”

“You will not be destroyed, burned or harmed in any way under my watch.” 

Twilight vowed resolutely. “The Ivory Tower is now your home from now on.”

“Twilight, you shan’t be impetuous.” 

The voice lightly chided. “Do you not remember what I talked to you about what a concentrated blast of ancient dark magic can do? It would not only cause physical destruction, it might even corrupt minds. This must not be risked in any situation.”

Twilight looked grim, but she reluctantly gave the tome spirit the attention it required.

The voice then said. “Listen, you must mix a stone of phoenix oil and a dram of dragon draught and set me alight.”

Twilight gasped in horror, but the voice continued regardless. “Remember the thirteenth theorem of Star Swirl? Magical knowledge and magical potential can be bridged in a superimposing ethereal flux. If I am to be consumed by a strong magical fire, the arcane knowledge I gathered from all the wisest unicorns over the years will crystallize into a viewing stone. I’m very sure, because I witnessed with my very own ‘ears’ that a highly magical unicorn did exactly the same thing.”

Twilight was aghast. “S- Somepony back then set himself on fire?!”

“… Twilight, history is a murkier matter than we thought. But I digress, this method ensures that the dark magic I carry with me will be no more. So it’s an excellent way to wrap this up.”

It paused for a moment and muttered very quietly. “The other things in my repository… I doubt that they are at all relevant to this world that brims with magic. Nor is my opinion important anyway.” 

The voice then grew somewhat enthusiastic. “Anyway, I beckon you to do this, dear Twilight. Hopefully my moderate amount of magical knowledge can help you achieve whatever that you’ve wanted to achieve. You can be the greatest unicorn-”

“No!” 

Twilight yelled, and then weakly whimpered. “I can’t do this… There must be some other ways?”

“Being with you in person was my only wish. Now my life is full.” 

The voice said with a mirthful tone. “Now go grab the ingredients before something untoward happens. From what I overheard, they’re stored in vases in the treasury, but unguarded and plentiful. You know well, to end my life by being blasted into oblivion by an angry princess is the last thing I hope to see.”

Twilight bit her tongue. She knew the tome explicitly wanted to be destroyed. But she would be murdering her friend and her second mentor with her very own hooves. Dark magic or not, his mind was nothing but sympathetic and nurturing. That would be a sin she would never be able to bear with herself. She had grown so attached to the tome that it would pain her immensely if she ever had to separate with it, but to destroy it and erase its existence? Twilight could not imagine she could do it in a million years.

It was also apparent that the tome had some reservations to reveal all that he knew to her. Twilight knew not why, but she had planned to pry it open with her words eventually. To destroy it now was like reading one book from an ancient library and then setting fire to the whole building. For the book-loving Twilight, this was a completely horrific idea. 

She closed her eyes and quietly said. “This is not all, isn’t it? You could have asked me to put you back into the cavern. Why would you suddenly want to…”

The voice fell silent for a long time, and Twilight patiently waited. Eventually, the voice spoke up. 

“…To tell you the truth, Twilight, I could take this no more. I’ve been sitting in the caverns and buried in the midst of rocks for untold amount of years. The earth lifted and the seas dried. Nations rose and fell. If I’m not cursed with a sentient mind, then perhaps it might be tolerable. But I’m already fed up with being all ears but just ears.” 

“… So if you have a chance in life, you’ll take it?”

The voice chuckled. “Why, of course! I’ll give my everything I have just for a shot at a life above surface, to live amongst others and feel the sun, moon and stars, to laugh and cry and experience the emotions of ups and downs. ”

Twilight then pat the tome gently. “Hey, I can just transform you into a movable form, and then you can live in here and talk with me!”

The voice was silent for a while, and then it said plainly. “Twilight, every being in this world is by nature monist. Just like every pony is supposed to have one cutie mark, one consciousness is always connected to one frame. Any magical transfiguration is merely transient and at best has to be constantly reinforced. It’s like how turning a pony into a dragon with spell would not really stick.”

“I- I don’t mind pumping magic into you once and a while!”

The voice turned authoritative. “Clover’s second law of transfiguration, Twilight, did you forget about something that basic?”

Twilight gasped, and sheepishly said. “… To maintain a transfiguration, the amount of magic that needs to be put in increase logarithmically as time increases.”

The voice let out a muted grunt, and it continued. “Even that was not prohibitively difficult, it was not the biggest problem. You see, I’m technically… created, not born, I lack the vital impetus that is present in every living being. It is this vital force that maintains a sense of constancy despite any change in form. For me though, any alteration of my form would just erase me out of existence at best, or at worst cause the dark magic within me to burst out.”

Twilight looked crestfallen. “H- How… Why…?”

The voice again pled, almost sounding desperately. “Please Twilight, I know this is hard for you. But you must do this for the good of you and me. I’d rather be a part of your fond memories than a menace to the good ponies in Canterlot.”

Twilight frantically searched her mind to find a way to preserve the tome and persuade it away from self-destruction. 

Suddenly, she thought of something. “… Okay. I’ll do this.”

“R—Really?” 

The tome momentarily trembled, as if emotions were felt even within those metal leaves. “I—I… thank you.”

“Shh.” Twilight lowered her head, “Let me grab the stuffs. It’s night so there should not be too many ponies around.”

Not long after, Twilight returned with a jug and a flask. She carefully set down the liquid on the desk.

“Twilight, the time with you has been the happiest time in my life… Thank you.”

Twilight’s lips quivered. “… Say no more.”

She poured the content of the small flask into the jug, and then carefully smeared the tome with the mix.

Twilight lit her horn. A brilliant light briefly engulfed the top floor of the Canterlot Ivory Tower. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight emitted a dull groan, but the tome yelled out with a startled voice. Only this time, it was not through her ears, but in the space of her mind.

“Wait, what are you doing, Twilight?!”

Twilight did not answer, as she powered up her spell even further. The tome was at first still burning with a strangely violet glow, but it gradually disappeared into particles of light.

A few minutes had passed, and all light in the tower ceased. The legs of the purple pony buckled and she knelt down on the floor.

The tome’s voice rang in Twilight’s head, but this time it was much louder and clearer than ever before. ‘… Twilight, what you’ve done was folly.’

“It’s no folly if it means saving you.”

“I’d admit, you’re one of the most talented unicorns in Canterlot’s recorded history. I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to transcribe my essence and dispose of the dark magic at the same time. This is like swimming across the sea and not getting wet. I honestly never thought it was possible, nor did I think it ever happened before.”

Twilight smugly said. “Actually, if you cast a protective —.”

The voice interrupted the purple mare. “Twilight, do you even realize the severity of your action? If you think having a voice in your head earns you weird looks, you now also have to practically share a life with someone else, with no privacy whatsoever.”

Twilight blushed but retorted. “B- better than having you gone!”

“Fine, this is a ‘small’ issue for you. But far more threatening is the unpredicta—”

“Gah!” 

Suddenly a splitting pain struck in Twilight’s head. She felt disoriented and strange, her memories were starting to be blended with completely foreign ones. She felt like two ponies but she knew she’s only one. 

Reality itself seemed to be bent out of shape as strange imageries flooded her head. Both converging consciousnesses in her head agonized not only at the confusion, but at the intense magic currents surging through her mind. 

“Hmph! Wh—what is it that I’m seeing? Are these ships of metal and stars?”

The voice sighed. “… Those are the records from my repository. Unfortunately, my worst fear came true. Your body cannot hold two minds separately at once. Anything goes at this point, and I can only hope that no lasting damage will be done.”

Twilight did not speak. The voice became surprised when it felt a strange emotion of explosive curiosity. It did not come from itself, but became intertwined in its mind with the continued blending. The voice suddenly realized something. Or rather, it discovered Twilight’s intention.

“Wait, I… grr, no, you knew it from the very beginning?”

“Not exactly… I never envision the merge to be this complete and this quick, but I was desperate to save you. I also admit I’ve always want to know what you hadn’t told me, and what’s a better way to do that? I’m not going to let…” 

Twilight’s words was cut off by the new information flooding inside her mind. “You are an alien artefact?!”

“You… you… you shouldn’t have ignored me just for your selfish purpose!” The voice paid no mind to Twilight’s exclamation, and simply exclaimed in frustration.

Twilight’s heart pained for a moment. “It’s not all! You said you want a chance at a normal life, right? Now I will give part of mine to you, I mean it!”

The voice gasped, as it understood Twilight’s emotions and thoughts at the same time. “Twilight… I—I… have no words to express my gratitude. But you’re playing fire with your individuality and very sense of self!”

Twilight suddenly chuckled. “That’s why I like you. You always think of others and place no importance on your own self. Isn’t time for you to have a taste of happiness as well?”

The voice spluttered. It fervently thought to distract itself from its selfish desire, and then exclaimed. “M- My world is too different and grisly even to the worst of times in Equestria! There can be no good by imparting those information to you.”

“Now that’s just a poor clichéd excuse. The world of yours… it was complex, grisly and yet stunning. Ponykind can certainly use some of the good ideas regardless. Your reservation might be well-intentioned, but wouldn’t your reluctance to change the world using your knowledge ultimately work to prevent the world from ever becoming ready? In any case, I will not let you go no matter what.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The voice fell silent. Just when Twilight felt she had finally convinced the tome, the voice again spoke up. “No, I can’t allow that. My conscience will doom me to a life time of regret for stealing somepony else’s life, even just a slice of it.”

Twilight could feel that the newly introduced essence begin to struggle and try to extricate itself from its position. She gasped. “No! Don’t do that! The mental space is still highly unstab—”

Without warning, the singularities of consciousnesses collided. Twilight felt as if she was punched right in the stomach.

‘Argh! W—what happened?!’

Her vision quickly grew dim and wavy, as she felt like she was launched up into the night sky.

As her mind flew to space and dimensions unknown, time seemed to be literally bent. When she again found the balance and focused her gaze, she was somehow floating across a strange lightless space full of differently-shaped crystals. 

Twilight groaned, but she immediately realized something was wrong. She could no longer sense a sliver of her dear friend’s presence in her mind. 

She immediately panicked. Tears fell off her cheeks. She looked around, and realized that she suddenly could look out in all direction, which caused her to cry out in surprise and fear.

One shard of crystal stood out particularly in front of her. It was shaped just like her cutie mark, a six-pointed star. Without thinking, she immediately scrambled towards the crystal. However, she felt a strong resistance, as if she was dragging herself through mud. Still, after a round of struggling, she got into contact with the shard, which then sucked her in like a vortex.

She blinked, and she was in a dark room. Before she could exhale in relief that she got back into her library residence, she noticed that something was out of line with her room. Every surface in the room was reflective like flowing quicksilver. When she walked on the floor, it rippled like the surface of water.

She had no mind to appreciate the beauty though, as her heart was burning with anxiety for her missing friend. But suddenly, a wall suddenly lit up in vivid colors. 

She turned her head to the source of light. To her shock, it was her galloping across the courtyard of Canterlot, brushing through her acquaintances in a hurry.

“That’s me…?”

‘... defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day…’ 

Twilight watched in stupefaction as the purple mare in the vision talked to Spike about some unknown threat and a mission to a village called Ponyville. 

‘Is this the future?’ She pondered with a stunned face. It was like watching a film, but somehow at the same time, the imageries burned into her mind as if she actually experienced the scenes herself.

She desperately searched her mind to find something she had learnt that could explain this strange and alien situation. She could only surmise that it was not her home world or dimension, possibly within the realm of minds, and the fact that she was trapped there with no means to escape. 

She sat there, speechless, as another panel of the wall was illuminated. This time, the she in the vision and Spike got off the Twinkling Balloon in what was presumably Ponyville. The she in the moving picture fumbled and bumped her way forward, but eventually she made friends out of the five mares from Ponyville.

As the storybook-like imageries unfolded scene by scene in front of her, she became strangely fixated. Life quite literally flashed before her eyes, but it was a life that she didn’t yet get to live.

And there she was, sitting on the floor breathless as she watched what was like her own biopic and lost track of time completely. Appearing repeatedly were the five friends she would have made in Ponyville, who had grown to be her dearest friends in this strange and yet familiar future. Of course, an abundance of other ponies also appeared, some of them were known by Twilight, but most of them were completely new faces. 

In this world of strange memories, Twilight did not feel the need for sustenance. She just lied there, as if days and weeks passed by, simply taking in the wondrous and yet mystifying images in amazement and uneasiness. 

In the Hall of Memories, a name she gave to this observation tower of fate and time, she saw great adventures, sad departures, and also terrible villains whom she had to overcome. She looked at them as if she had lived through them, and while she was elated to see the colorful life ahead of her.

But when the story became more and more intense, culminating in a momentous fight between her and a certain magical unicorn, something unexpected happened. 

The jealous and vengeful unicorn, hell-bent at wanting to alter the past, casted numerous spells at the other Twilight and her friends. For each of her attacks, the visions became dimmer and blurrier, and the voices were mere murmurs towards the end. Eventually, just as she caught a glimpse of an Equestria having been laid waste, everything dissipated in a shockwave-like motion. 

The veil of darkness returned to the mirrored room, as she slowly processed what she had seen.

Subjectively, it was like years have passed by, but she knew that it was not true.

Was this destiny’s twisted way to persuade her to abandon her folly? Or was it all just a freakish occurrence due to her reckless experiment on mind and consciousness? Her experimentation of mind and body led her here, that’s for certain. After all, souls is sacred in this world, they form the individual thread of its firmament, like notes of a great song. Messing with them, like what the tome said, could lead to a glitch in the framework and consequently stuck her in a limbo of superposed uncertainty. A divine punishment of sorts, she wryly thought to herself.

Twilight thought back to the life of the Twilight Sparkle she saw. Was that how her life would have played out? It was certainly not complete, but it foretold a life great and filled with great and precious achievement. She was stunned and amazed at how her life could have turned out, what great friends she could have made. Even though the end of the visions was an abrupt stop with uncertain outcome, she was convinced that it would turn out fine for that Twilight Sparkle, for she had friendship, harmony and magic by her side.

However, at no point of her viewing did the tome or the voice come up even in implication or passing mention. The Twilight in the vision knew not a tome who had been her great mentor and friend whom she would share a life with.

Twilight gritted her teeth. Although she had seen those near-real imageries and she saw that most details in the little biopic that she saw matched with what she knew, she must dissent.

She must dissent, because this future was not hers, and she had not forgotten the friend she wanted to save. It was not that she found her soon-to-be exploits to be repulsive. On the contrary, she was overjoyed to see herself make such brilliant friends, elevate to princesshood and serve Equestria. However, that pony, even though splendid and rightfully celebrated, was somepony foreign to her, because that pony didn’t have one peculiar friend. A loving mentor and companions, who even though was made utterly dispirited by its life under the rocks, still had only the best wishes for the inhabitants of this alien world, and especially her herself. 

Was she being punished then? Shown how happy and fulfilling her life could have been, and then abandoned in a twisted mockery of the reality she had been in, just for the desire to keep her most treasured friend and know more about its origins?

She slapped her hoof on one of the now pitch-dark panels and angrily shouted, “So what if I become the queen of the entire darn world, if I can’t even save a dear friend from his self-destructive urge?!”

Her punches landed on the panels repeatedly, and they made waves on the silvery surface. Still, the waves soon calmed and she sank to her hooves, sobbing at her inability to save her friend even using a desperate mean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight’s tears had long dried. She sat there gazing emptily into the wall. A surface that once gave her the view of the life of a familiar and yet strange pony. She should have perished from deprivation long ago, especially given her unrestrained show of tears and sadness. 

But compared to Equestria, this world was much colder, indifferent, and above all, had a cruel sense of humor. She never had to replenish herself here, even sleeping and drifting into the blissful realm of unawareness was something not permitted. Magic was no use. Any escape lead back to the same room. All she could do was staying in this twisted mockery of her living space.

The purple mare was convinced that if she stayed here any longer, she would grow delirious from a maddening mix of loneliness, hopelessness and regret. She stopped counting the time long ago. Without any watch, clock or even cues of celestial bodies, her circadian clock was completely out of sync. Though, she was certain that the last time she saw any living soul was like moons ago.

Although she was tempted to lay blame on the tome for triggering her dimensional displacement by its desperate struggle, she couldn’t really bring herself to do so, nor could she hate the tome itself. 

It, until the very last moment, was self-forgetting and upright. It only wants to leave her life for herself despite her magnanimous invitation. 

She was still bitterly remorseful about her friend, because she could not save it. Sometimes though, perhaps due to the growing delirium, she couldn’t help but imagine. Could the tome have actually survived somehow, say, in the real world in her body?

She was embarrassed and mortified with that thought. If that’s really true, she’s also worried by how the spirit in the tome would handle being her. Ponies would certainly think that she had become mad, if she went around and told everypony that she was not Twilight but an ageless tome spirit. 

Twilight wanted to sigh, but for some reason, it came out as a maniacal grin. A rare moment of clarity came through. She realized on the edge of her remaining sanity, that she was about to go over that very edge.

All of a sudden, loud pounding sounds emanated from all the walls, floor and ceiling of the room. Crackling sounds reverberated. Some low murmurs passed through the barriers she futilely banged on and cursed through her entire imprisonment.

Her hiss of surprise came out almost like a screech. She put her ears to the vibrating wall.

‘—’

The sound was hard to make out, but due to the prolonged sensory deprivation, any disruption was like milk and honey to her ears.

The walls began to crack. Twilight gasped as some liquid began to seep through the new crevice. The fluid looked alien in appearance. If she was forced to describe, it sort of looked like a liquefied form of an Ursa’s hide, with its irradiant blackness and occasional sparks.

A flicker of magical sparks, eerily reminiscent of what that last adversary of the Twilight in her visions casted, briefly lit the crack. And with the brief show of light, came more encroaching darkness.

She yelped as she realized what that was. Wherever this place was, it was being reclaimed, the black liquid ate away all substances it flowed upon. 

Without warning, the entire wall collapsed like faltering sea wall. The black liquid closed in on the purple mare like ferocious wolves.

‘Is this the end of me?’ 

Barely another thought of regret and bitterness was formed in Twilight’s mind, when she was yanked up abruptly by an incredibly strong force.

‘’Twilight!’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Twilight!”

The purple mare was jolted awake. She opened her eyes, and she was at first disappointed to return to her quarter. However, she was immediately overjoyed and almost accidentally shot a magical blast out of her horn from her elation, that she was back to her quarter. The real one, not the accursed imitation.

She immediately went to the clock and calendar in the room. To her utter bewilderment, barely a minute had passed since she went out and stayed in the pocket dimension.

“Wait, wh—where is it?”

Twilight cried out and looked around. She swore that she could hear the call from the tome before she was pulled out of the pocket dimension. Was it that it saved her? Where was it then?

Twilight again gasped as she thought of the worst, that the tome spirit might have spent itself entirely in a bid to bring her back.

Twilight rubbed her eyes, but to her surprise, her cheek was already wet.

‘Wa—what, huh? Oh dear.’

A moment of confusion reigned as pieces of memories appeared in Twilight’s head, some of them belonged to a purple mare, some of them belonged to an ancient tome, but all of them were now hers.

She thought of the strange cries, until she suddenly realized.

She blandly muttered. “What a silly question that was.”

It was herself. Or rather, it become herself now - the lone voice calling her own name in desperate cries when she was gone. 

The tome spent its own integrity in a bid of last resort to pull Twilight out of the strange oblivion in between the threads of time, subsuming under her consciousness. 

She was alone.

“Wasn’t that what I had wanted? Shouldn’t I be happy now? We have united, I have returned. I am armed with more information about the future, the world and myself than ever.” 

Despite her uttered words, the purple mare’s eyes still welled with tears. Her conflicting emotions were amplified by the added perspectives of two. If anything, she was surprised that she wasn’t driven mad by the admixture of minds, but merely infused with unfathomable sense of guilt and regret.

 “… It’s going to be a lonely ride for a while.”


> Chapter 1 – Before Dawn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today was just like any day in Canterlot. The white sun shone upon the spires and towers of the Canterlot Palace, resplendent in its royal glory. Ponies immersed in the high culture of the Equestrian capital as they trotted about on her meandering paths, basking in the morning glow. 

But today was not just like any other day for a purple mare. Twilight Sparkle stood alone at the balcony of one of her high towers. She gave the beautiful view a chance glance, but her expressions were dark as shadow. 

She had little mood to appreciate the sceneries. Giving her thick notebook another hesitant gaze, she sighed and went inside, walking down the spiral stairs of the Ivory Tower. 

Her trots reverberated in the high but empty tower, until she reached the ground floor. She gave a nod to her dragon Spike, who was sitting at a small desk and cramming diligently, and pushed the heavy door to the streets open.

She glanced over the path to the central plaza. When three ponies appeared on the horizons, she cantered towards them at a leisurely pace.

“There you are, Twilight! Moon Dancer is having a little get-together in the west castle courtyard. You wanna come?” Twinkleshine chirped while the other two friends looked on.

Twilight suppressed her urge to let out a worried sigh. She raised her eyebrows slightly and politely smiled. “Why, it’d be great to be with you all. I heard the new chef has a stall there making tasty dandelion salad.” 

“Yeah, the dandelion salad’s a blast!” Minuette gushed, then quizzically asked. “How’d you know Twilight? We’ve just seen him put up the stall!”

“Donut Joe told me when I was dropping by. You know what, the new chef is his cousin.” Twilight gently chuckled. The group of four giggled and teased on their way to the little gathering.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight finished sipping her last cup of lemonade, as the afternoon sun slowly dipped towards the horizons. 

Looking into the empty cup, she quietly muttered. “This is laughable… Even knowing what’s ahead of me, I’m still a sitting duck against the injury of fate.”

“Hey, Twilight! What’re you mumbling about? Come join us already!”

Lemon Hearts grabbed Twilight’s shoulder, and dragged her to the laughing and chatting friends at the side. She and Minuette were exchanging the latest castle gossips. The introverted Moon Dancer was politely nodding nearby. 

Twilight returned a helpless smile, and she duly complied and mouthed off some rumors she heard around the palace

“Hey Twilight, you leaving already?” Lemon Hearts turned towards Twilight and asked. 

“It’s still early Twi, we’ll be going to the downtown this evening for more fun!” Minuette positively bubbled.

“Well everypony, I had great fun with you lovely ladies. But sadly I have to go, I have to pack things up for a royal assignment to Ponyville. I will depart tomorrow morning.” 

Twilight said while making her best apologetic face possible. Her mind was not really with these Canterlot acquaintances of hers, but having a social life meant she had to be at least somewhat invested.

“Well, this can’t be helped then…” Moon Dancer sighed quietly. 

“... Um, than- thank you for your gift, the quill set is, uh, lovely.” She added with a timid smile.

“Talking with you was a lot of fun! We hope to have you around soon!” Minuette immediately added. 

“Absolutely, you’re like a one-mare gossip machine!” Lemon Hearts exclaimed, almost cause Twilight to do a spit-take. “I never knew there’s that in you! Where have you got all these juicy details from anyway?”

“Girls, I have to protect my, ahem, sources.” 

Twilight flustered for a bit, then cleared her throat. “And I would love to hang out with you all again of course...” 

Twilight’s cheeky expression suddenly faded. “I mean, I don’t mean to put a damper on the party spirit, but this trip of mine might not be short.” 

She paused for a bit, feeling a bit awkward to aim for a future that had not yet happened. “I had a feeling that my stay at Ponyville would be for a really long time.”

The other mares loudly gasped. Twinkleshine, who have just returned from the kitchen, almost yelled. “You have to move away from Canterlot?!”

Twilight looked up steadily and said frankly. “Yes. The Princess have informed me yesterday. I was assigned to a temporary post in Ponyville, but from what I’ve learnt, it might easily become a full-blown long-term assignment. Anyway, I’ve been packing and moving things around since then.”

The other mares were saddened by the news. They all offered their heartfelt farewell to Twilight. Twilight, though, shushed the sad faces with her hoof.

She put up a sad smile. “We can keep writing to each other of course!” 

“This is my Ponyville address, the Golden Oak Library. I will also visit Canterlot often, so don’t you worry girls. Now do me a favor by wiping off your frowns and have a great night-out in my name!” Twilight struck a comically triumphant stance on a chair nearby.

The mares stared and broke into a mirthful laughter together. They each hugged Twilight, who bid them farewell. With a longing face, Twilight took a slightly hurried gallop to the exit and returned to her towering residence. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike was still doing the studies assigned by Twilight in the morning, when the door to the tower creaked and slowly opened. “Welcome back Twilight, how was your party today?” Spike quipped. 

“It was fine, Spike, and Moon Dancer liked the gift we picked for her.” Twilight reassured Spike.

“Whew, that’s a relief. I didn’t know picking a gift for a mare could be such a stressful task! I would rather take reorganizing the library a hundred times!” Spike exclaimed.

Twilight smiled and laid a hoof on Spike’s shoulder. “You’ve got a lot to learn about mares, young Spike.” 

She then raised her voice a bit. “It’s important for you to read and learn so that you would grow to become a mature, learned and informed dragon.”

Spike looked up to Twilight, his face perplexed, “… I’m confused, Twilight. I’ve always thought myself to be your assistant, just as the Princess intended, and getting the jobs done makes me happy. But now you’ve started to do all the tasks by yourself, I…” 

Twilight shushed Spike with her raised hoof. “Spike, you’re not just an assistant. I hatched you and cared for you, you’re like the dearest of my family.” 

She thoughtfully looked over Spike’s shoulder. “For all your work I’m immensely thankful, and I couldn’t repay you nearly enough. A proper teaching is all a magic student like me can give you.”

Spike started to frown, but Twilight shook her head and continued. “You know, Spike, I’m starting to realize that you shall one day become a strong and wise dragon of your own.” 

Spike looked stunned. He asked with great uncertainty. “Twi, y- you don’t mean-”

Twilight wincingly smiled. “No Spike, I will never desert you. No force on all of Equestria could sever our tie. I simply want to see you become whatever your heart desires, but you need to be learned to achieve that.” 

Twilight went on, when she noticed a perplexed look on Spike.

The purple mare coughed and said. “Well, Spike, I want you to know that everything that I did is for the good of you, and us. The greatest gift you can give me now is to work hard on the studies that I assigned to you.”

“But Twi…” Spike weakly protested. 

“I understand you’re not used to the change in the routine yet, but it’s definitely for the better. Anyway, let’s not get all wishy-washy and emotional yet.” 

Twilight shifted the topic. “I have brought you a gift too, Spike!”

Twilight lit her horn, a bright red gem floated out of her saddlebag, and landed on the small desk in front of Spike.

Spike visibly beamed. “Wow Twilight, is that a red beryl? It must have costed a fortune! Are you sure that…” 

Twilight interrupted Spike with a big hug. “Anything for my dearest Spike! You’ve worked really hard lately.” 

She then warmly smiled. “We shouldn’t be discussing gem price anyway, that’s too pedestrian. And we have to get ourselves prepared, we’re going to Ponyville tomorrow. Now, now Spike.” 

Twilight stopped Spike. “I’ll be doing the packing, and your job is to finish reading the first chapter of Political History of Ancient Equestria by tonight.”

Spike crossed his little arms and grumbled. “What’s the use of reading these dusty old tomes. Isn’t that your job, Twilight?” 

Twilight laid her hoof on the small pile of books. She closed her eyes and slowly said. “… Spike, I’ve read the Political History dozens of times already, and all the books I gave you contain information useful either for our daily life now, or will soon be useful in the near future.”

“So that’s why you made me read the fairy tale book about The Mare in the Moon last week?” Spike retorted.

Twilight paused and looked directly at Spike. “Now that we’re ready to depart, I must tell you something that I have found in my recent study. I never lied to you, right Spike? So I beg of you to trust me.”

“… Sure Twilight, tell me about it.” Spike said slowly, sensing the gravity in Twilight’s voice. 

“To put it simply, Nightmare Moon is to return shortly after her banishment on the moon for a thousand years. She will bring forth eternal night if she’s not stopped.” Twilight lowered her voice.

“What?! Nightmare Moon?! Are you serious Twi?” Spike shouted loudly, and then hurriedly covered his mouth. 

“Spike, the Magic of Harmony used by Princess Celestia to banish Nightmare Moon is very precise, and I have checked the relevant formulae multiple times to make sure they are without any error. It is outlandish, but perhaps you also remember my demonstration of fluctuating moon magic last night, which would only happen naturally once per million years.” 

Twilight took a deep breath after explaining to Spike plainly. She would have panicked like him too, if that was not old news to her thanks to the strange encounter with the tome.

“In this case, shouldn’t we be telling the Princess as soon as possible?” Spike asked with a frown. 

“She knows, Spike. And she wanted to make this a test of my character.” Twilight struck a wry grin.

“Wha…?” Spike was speechless. 

“The Magic of Harmony is activated by six pieces of ancient artefacts called the Elements of Harmony. But to exercise its power, the wielders have to embody the respective elements and also need to form well-bonded friendship with each other.”

She tried to keep her grin, but she could not help but knitted her brows at the difficult prospects of dealing with her friends of future-past. “So this is the untold mission of my trip to Ponyville, to find the element-bearers and defeat Nightmare Moon.” 

Twilight pointed her hoof at the distant royal towers. “She … the Princess always thinks that I'm an egghead that hides in the ivory tower all day. To be fair, she’s right.”

Spike eyed her with a strange glint. “It’s not quite true nowadays.”

She sheepishly grinned and added. “Anyway, she hoped that I would figure my way to the relevant legends and artefacts, and that my outing to Ponyville will result in friendship strong enough to activate them. Hence the addendum in this letter.” 

Twilight gestured to the missive she received from the Princess. “And by the way, we should also not lay harm on Nightmare Moon in the process.”

“Why?” Spike blurted. “She’s an evil goddess who want to bring about eternal darkness!”

“Nightmare Moon was Princess Luna, Princess Celestia’s younger sister, who was unfortunately corrupted by her jealousy.” 

Twilight explained. Looking at Spike’s completely dumbfounded face, Twilight continued. “We definitely won’t want to accidentally harm members of royalty, even in the process of purging evil influences.”

Spike held his head and made a grimace. “All these new info made my head spin. The whole thing sounds way too reckless to me.” 

“It is. I like how you’ve assess the risk reasonably, Spike, you’ve definitely learned. But in case, I guess I can take it as high level of trust a teacher has with her student, right?” 

Twilight laughed dryly. “And surely she had backup plans…?”

“Twilight, you’ve changed.” Spike suddenly quipped.

Twilight froze in the middle of her laugh and turned to Spike. “What do you mean, Spike?” She said with a somewhat forced smile.

“If it’d been some time ago, you’d definitely be panicking and asking me to write a stream of letters to the Princess already. But you’re now laughing it off like it’s nothing, and tearing apart the situation with clinical rationality. I also remember you never lose your cool at all when the Princess told you to go the Ponyville.” 

Spike’s voice become quieter and quieter. “…In fact, it is as if you’ve become a different mare altogether.”

Twilight involuntarily coughed and thought of a thousand responses. Spike was her closest family, how could she not foreseen this? The mix with the tome spirit definitely shifted her temperament somewhat, with the torrential influx of knowledge and perspectives. She definitely liked to think of herself as a Twilight Sparkle who seek self-improvement, not a Twilight Sparkle impostor.

She grew anxious finding an appropriate response when she was interrupted by Spike’s next words.

“I’ve noticed it back when you started talking to yourself. I was really worried, but I didn’t say my concern out loud. I was afraid that you’d studied so much and talked with ponies so little, that you began to conjure up an imaginary friend to talk to in broad day light.”

“I- I didn’t!” Twilight pouted.

Spike snorted. “No offense, Twi. You always come off as more than just a bit neurotic. I won’t put it past you to magically make a ‘friend’ that exists only in your head and can be turned off whenever you want to study.”

Twilight widened her eyes, and then sadly smiled. “Did I really that come off as this maladjusted?”

“See, this is another way that you’ve changed. You were humble, but you would chew me off for mocking you that way. But now you’ve gone off the edge and become a doormat.”

Twilight nervously smiled. “I- Isn’t being inoffensive a good thing?”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Maybe. But back then, I did worry if a magical unicorn like you went loco, it would be a major disaster.”

The purple mare scratched her cheek. “I, uh, turned out okay, right Spike?”

“You turned out too okay, Twi. You stopped muttering to yourself, start mingling with all your acquaintances, even trying to pull friggin’ Moon Dancer, your past egghead-in-hooves, out from her study. You’ve grabbed the opportunity to talk with anypony, from the washing maid to the royal chancellor. You write tons of letters to those outside Canterlot as well. When I casually chatted with the Princess about this, you won’t believe how large and round her eyes became.”

Spike added with a muted voice. “… Past Twilight would be both horrified at all the social interactions and scoff at all the wasted time that could be used for study.”

Twilight gulped and nervously explained. “T- The world outside is a veritable classro-”

Spike put a finger on Twilight’s lips. “Shh, Twi, it’s okay. No need to explain it away to me. I don’t mind it at all. If you find this a kind of improvement, I’d be fine with it all the same. I like cool-as-cucumber and slick Twi as much as I like panicky and socially awkward Twi.” 

Twilight blushed intensely. Spike then scratched his head a bit with embarrassment. “You know Twi, I love you as family no matter how you’ve changed.” 

“Spike ... I ...” Twilight stuttered with the burst of emotion, and then elected to simply sweep Spike into her tight embrace, and hugged him for a long, long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike had been tucked into his little bed as Twilight walked towards the balcony. The night view of Canterlot entered her eyes. It curiously resembled the fateful night on which she finally met with her friend in a tome six moons ago. 

The tome, now part of Twilight, was a relic of an era long gone. It was more a machine than a tome, carrying knowledge of a strange civilization flourished hundreds of thousands years ago. It did not know its purpose, but its function is to record the surrounding with incredible penetration power and precision, allowing it to scan everything minute physical attributes and movement within a close radius.

The crash has damaged part of its functions, which were unknown to even the tome itself. However, it still dutifully recorded from the moment the flicker of civilization began on Equestria, to the arrival of ponies, to the union of three tribes, to the founding of Canterlot, and beyond.

However, as earth moved and the tome became embedded under the Canterlot Hill, unicorns using dark magical arts was banished to the caves. 

Over the years, the natural deposit of magic became volatile, seeping through not only the rocks and furrows, but also the layers and components of the tome. It had done the unimaginable - a true consciousness had emerged from its originally limited artificial intelligence. 

Despite the dark origins of the magic, it was tame, curious and open, and it continued to record the events on ground, absorbing the knowledge of magic and history of the world. 

But over time, it grew sad and weary. The cave was a lonely prison. It had witnessed the lifetime of countless inhabitants of Canterlot, countless conflicts, and even the sad tale of a certain being who was similarly encased in stone.

It tried to reach out also by repeatedly sent out signals, but their worlds never coincide – until that fateful day.

Twilight again felt wetness in her eyes. She didn’t know if she was feeling sad for the tome as the young mare, or feeling sorely guilty for disrupting the young mare’s life as the tome. Her feelings were a complicated mess.

She eventually turned her mind away from her emotions and to the knowledge she now had.

In many ways, the precursors were a race of quarrelsome beings. They were incredibly advanced, reaching the technology level equivalent to modern-day Equestria hundreds of thousands of years ago. However their history was also mired in disunity. Even as their society progressed, wars and conflicts that seldom fell upon the ponies were but a daily occurrence to them.

However, she felt some admiration for them. She sometimes wondered if it was an irrational affinity, because the tome was ultimately a probe made and sent out by them, and she had inherited this longing for its maker.

But ultimately, she decided that there was much more to that. This was no less because she saw her not-so-distant future had she never met the tome. The cataclysmic changes of her life notwithstanding, there was one thing that would have fascinated her before, but slightly unnerved her now that she integrated her points of view.

Her reckless action should have condemned her to drifting between the space between time, and eventually being reclaimed by the self-correcting force of the universe. But instead, she was saved, and in a twisted way rewarded with visions of the future. She was now in a unique position of knowing what should happen and what could have happened if she did not take action.

However, ‘destiny’ was a sensitive subject for her.

She dearly wanted to make friends with her five fellow Element-bearers, seeing how they are such lovely companions. Every friend, acquaintance, and even adversary in her visions, she longed to reach out and connect.

However, she was unsettled by the influence to the fate of the world she and her friends-to-be wielded. A small clink in their personal fortune would have sent the flying wheels of destiny into disarray. She was a bit horrified to think that Equestria would be turned into a barren wasteland just because a certain filly did not fly fast enough.

Of course she was still thankful of Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom, without which she would not be admitted into the School for Gifted Unicorns and eventually studied under the direct patronage of Celestia. But the scepter of misstep terrified her ever since she saw the visions.

She adored the ideals of harmony. At the same time, she didn’t want harmony to be something that was like a pinball on an overturned bowl – a slight tremor would cause it to fall apart.

Friendship was a real tangible force in this land, primarily because the magic of harmony responded to it. She didn’t mind being the champion for friendship and harmony, especially if it maintained the peace of the land. However, she found it unsettling that literally everything she held dear to would depend on the action of so few. 

Her mind once again strayed towards the ancient past. Although the precursors had been disunited and fought wars with a level of brutality and destruction unimaginable in Equestria, they at the end came together and worked towards a single goal. It was not brought about by a particular great custodian, nor was there a natural regulating force or magic that existed on their world. They, against all odds, prospered despite the calamities. Their generative and regenerative power was stronger than a hydra. 

From the desk, the purple mare picked up a small piece of scratch paper that she had doodled on from memory. On it was a curious symbol once engraved on the ancient tome. A white globe protected by a pair of white wings on a background of blue, the colors of peace and tranquility. 

Ever since the incident, Twilight had been thinking about why the precursors could survive and even advance so swiftly despite having no magic, outstanding racial talents and constantly fighting each other. 

Some while later, she thought she found the answer: the ‘disunity’ of the precursors were also their strength, in that it fostered a diverse culture to fend for themselves, and oppose evil and destruction on a grassroot level, instead of having to rely on the Greats like they did in the unitary Equestria.

The ‘Greats’, like the princesses, that they were supposed to become. 

She and her friends, the destined bearers of the Elements.

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt. It was as if her heart was cut by a blade when she thought of her five would-be friends. 

After the incident, she had been researching madly on the safest and the quickest way to activate the Elements, so as to dispel the first major threat to Equestrian security in a millennium – the return of Nightmare Moon.

However, she unearthed something that shocked her to the core – she could not hope to activate the Elements in her current state.

Although she knew it for a fact that she was not just Twilight anymore, it hit home that the Harmony magic would not have reacted to her summoning like ‘before’.

Chipping a bit from the pedestal that the tome’s fellow stone-encased inmate, the purple mare extracted the minute residue of Harmony magic for testing. It turned out that the merging of minds had caused an unexpected but severe side-effect. 

It appeared that the Elements of Harmony were built upon an asymmetrical connection: while one bearer can have more than one Element like the princesses did, it was impossible for one Element to be shared by two individuals or more. 

While the merging of minds resulted in a solitary consciousness, a fundamental duality of her vital impetus remained. It did not completely precluded her commanding of the Elements, but as the Element of Magic in particular came by the combined effort of the other five, the inherent disparity of their mental essence would propagate and destroy the connection.

In short, the extra soul in her mind was like a sore thumb standing out, stopping her from connecting to the Elements.  

Sweat dropped from her forehead as the muscles of her whole body tensed.

She had a way to deal with this, as she had researched. But it felt wrong to do so.

That day was tomorrow. Twilight has long thought and struggled about it, as she had known from the fateful night. If she was to wield the Element of Magic and rid Equestria of one terrible tyrant, she must be joined in friendship and spirit with all five other Element-bearers. 

While at having to make friends with the five mares with a looming agenda was uncomfortable for her, it unsettled her even more to consider what she had to do to ensure the activation of the Elements.

She lit her horn, and a bundle of white tendrils shot out, and retreated as quickly as it came.

She heavily sighed. The idea of casting mind-melding spells on her five friends-to-be had made her deeply uneasy. She often feared for a loss of a sense of right and wrong if… when she had to do it. 

She knew she had to do it. There would be no other way.

Underneath all the self-justifying talks, however, Twilight would scarcely admit that she also want to have five mares who understood her completely, as her one friend and companion had gone.

Even though –  she bit her lips until it bled when she thought of it – this action could amount to brainwashing in certain sense.

As the night went on, she nonetheless hardened her resolve. She could not let her qualms doom the world, for she already strayed from the path of innocent goodness by their sacrilegious union of psyches. However, she also smiled in a somewhat unhinged manner, as she savored the possibilities of meeting her soon-to-be friends.

Twilight gazed at the ground as she sat on top of the balcony, silently waiting for the last sunrise before her departure.


> Chapter 2 – A Trip up the Memory Lane
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The royal chariot slowed gradually to a halt, and stopped at the grassy outskirts of the town of Ponyville.

"Thank you gentlecolts, for the timely and comfortable trip." 

Twilight stepped out of the cart and nodded plainly. She then leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Fast Wind, Sky Stream, these are something as a sign of my gratitude." 

She took two small bags from her saddlebag and slid them into their hooves.

Fast Wind was delighted as his stoic face bloomed into a full smile, but Sky Stream was somewhat apprehensive. Twilight leaned in and whispered into his ears some more. 

"Think of this as a gift for your fiancée. She fancies that emerald ring, no?" 

Sky Stream stared at Twilight wide-eyed, but he soon nodded and calmed down as well, but not without a quizzical look.

“Glad to be of service, Missus Twilight.” The Royal Guards smiled and saluted, then swiftly lead the chariot back into the blue sky.

"Uh... Twilight," Spike glared at Twilight in disbelief. "Did you just, uh, bribe the royal...”

The purple mare hushed Spike’s words, and then sighed. 

“Spike, do you know that the pay of Royal Chariot drivers are miniscule compared to our stipends? That little bit of gratuity goes a long way.”

“But Twilight, surely it is against the rule to hand the Royal Guards bits for their assigned tasks?” Spike pressed on, still unconvinced.

“Well, if we must go into the technicalities, no Equestrian law or royal edict has ever prohibited the transfer of redeemable stock certificates for state enterprises, like those I just gave them, for any royal service rendered. The ban only extended to bits and some other forms of material wealth. To be honest, it’s an open secret in Canterlot circles.”

“But this is just, uh, like … exploiting legal loopholes!”

“I adore your sense of justice, Spike. I raised you well.” Twilight nodded approvingly. “But ultimately, Princess Celestia deliberately left this route open to allow herself some convenience when dispensing favors without looking too nepotistic or like an upstart who threw bits to others’ faces. Having ponies holding stakes in state enterprises also helps aligning their interests to her own.” 

“Really? How do you know? Did she tell you?”

“Let’s say it’s just… an educated guess. As I’ve taught you, dispensing favor has its own rewards. Having friends in the Royal Guards might help us in the future. It helps if we get along with my brother’s colleagues. At the very least, we’ll get to have free rides to Canterlot.”

Spike frowned, but for want of a topic that was less morally troubling, he decided to change the subject. 

“So here we are, Ponyville! Aren’t you glad that the princess has arranged for you a library here as well?” 

“… Heh, yeah, that’s great.” Twilight thinly smiled. 

“You don’t look too happy. Are you worried about the Celebration, making friends, or the… you know…”

“Spike.” Twilight suddenly turned. “Do you think I’m a bit crooked?”

Spike gasped. “No, I… uh…”

Twilight chuckled wryly. “You sound immediately hesitant.”

Spike scratched his head with a difficult expression. “I- I don’t think you’re bad just because of you paid the stallions in hope of future favor, or any other glib things you’ve done in the past few months. I just feel a bit unsure about some of your recent actions.”

“Sometimes I feel like that too. But I also have big goals I want to achieve, and I need every help that I can get. Simply being a royal student can only do so much.”

“What do you want those help for? I thought you’re just happy studying magic under Princess Celestia?”

“… Spike, what if I tell you I feel too unwell to fight Nightmare Moon if she appears?”

Spike’s face turned a bit blue. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I am.”

“Phew, don’t joke about that, Twi! I thought you are super-prepared!”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed, as if to hide the pain and hesitation in her mind.

“You… can say that. But preparations often go out of the window when a battle strikes. After all, who knows what destiny has in store for us? Say if I tripped on a rock and hit my head hard, then I might well wake up to eternal night, if I wake up at all.”

“Twi… the joke’s a bit dark, you know…”

“I’m serious, Spike. Don’t you think that it isn’t so good for the world to rely on one or two ponies who has the power and the knowledge to save everything we hold dear?”

“… I never thought about that. But yeah, it seems a bit unsafe come to think about it.”

Twilight for once smiled. “Changing that is one of my goal. I want to increase the abilities for ponies to fend off threats themselves. This does not mean I’m going to stand there and do nothing, but I believe if most of us can hold off threats on themselves for a while, or at least have a self-reliant mindset, then tyrants and villains will think twice before preying on Equestria. Even a third coming of Nightmare Moon will be a piece of a cake.”

“But how are you going to do it?”

“Well, I don’t have a very concrete plan, but I do have a few ideas in my mind. For now though, we still have a Celebration to prepare. Speaking of which, I must also pay a visit to the previous librarian and the previous festival supervisor as well. Surely we can’t offend anypony before we even settle down, right?” 

“Meh, Twilight, you always worry too much about things like these.”

“Better safe than sorry.” Twilight toothily grinned. “And we have to keep at everypony’s good grace to live here … Um.” 

Twilight sharply stopped, and then muttered something under her breath.

“Huh Twilight, what do you mean? Aren’t we supposed to go back to Canterlot once we’re done?” Spike asked.

Twilight looked at Spike, opened her mouth but eventually decided against it. “You’ll see, Spike. Let’s put down our stuffs at the library first.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight stared forward, and a pink pony was seen trotting down the road. “Oh, here comes… a local resident, let’s greet her before we move on to the library.”

Spike was at first a bit confused by the sudden burst of hospitality, but he then remembered Twilight’s mission, so he followed after Twilight.

Twilight galloped up to the pink pony, and beamed a bright smile. “Hi! My name is Twilight Sparkle, I came from Canterlot to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. Nice to meet you!”

The pink pony gasped and shot up in the air, and ran away in a bout of dust.

"Well, that was interesting all right." Spike muttered. 

Twilight lowered her head and whispered into Spike’s ear, “That was Pinkie Pie, the resident party organizer. She saw that I am a new pony and ran off to organize a surprise party for me.”

Spike immediately asked, clearly baffled, “How’d you know? Did you run a background check on everypony in Ponyville and sic detectives on them before you come here?” 

Twilight shook her head and said. “Not exactly… But I did do my homework as an event overseer. You gotta know who’s participating to organize an event well, right Spike?”

“But the surprise party isn’t surprising anymore.” Spike frowned. 

“Surprise isn’t always pleasant, I’d rather have none of it at least for now, however grumpy it sounds.” Twilight murmured, looking at the disappearing figure of Pinkie Pie on the horizons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Summer Sun Celebration official overseer's checklist. Number one, banquet preparations: Sweet Apple Acres.” Spike dutifully read aloud.

“Here is the farmstead owned by the Apple family, they are a big family of traditional and down-to-earth folks. Just be frank and open, and they will accept you like one of their own.”

Spike nodded, and Twilight galloped forward into the entrance of the farm. An orange pony was seen bucking the apple trees. Apples came raining down with each skillful strike, and Spike watched on amazed.

Twilight waited till the orange pony finished her last buck, and trotted up in wide gaits. Suppressing the guilt threatening to well onto the surface, she squeezed out a smile.

“Hello my friend, good harvest today?”

“Howdy-do friend, pleasure making your acquaintance! Yeah it’s a bountiful! Name’s Applejack, and you?”

“Twilight Sparkle, Overseer of the Celebration. It's always a pleasure making new friends.” She said, and only after that realizing she sounded like a robot.

“Truer words have ne’er been said, sugarcube.” Applejack nodded and winked at the newcomers.

“So, I’ve come to sample some of the good food made in the Sweet Apples Acres. I’d be quite pleased to witness some of the legendary Apples hospitality.”

Applejack chuckled heartily, “Sure-do!” 

She then pulled out and rang a triangle. “Soup's on, everypony!”

Spike watched with near-horror as streams of ponies appeared seemingly out of every corner of the farm and trotted towards them. Twilight thinly smiled and put Spike on her back, while stepping aside to let the extended Apple family pass.

Applejack then cantered up to the center and started introducing each of the Apple family members one by one. Twilight kept her smile, shook hoof with each and every one of them. 

After the introduction of the last and the most senior family member, Granny Smith, Applejack laid a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and said, “Let’s try some, sugarcube?” 

Twilight widened her eyes briefly, but soon smiled. “S- Sure as sugar, my friend.”

After a moment, Twilight finished her first meal at the Acres. It tasted delicious, if not too much in sheer volume. She had to secretly teleport some food away from her mouth to prevent herself from stuffing herself full. 

She then sighed and looked to Applejack, who was cleaning up the dishes. Twilight closed her eyes. She knew she had to do this, and she had to succeed, but her heart was fiercely pounding and she was never this nervous in her entire life. She eventually exhaled and reached out to Applejack.

“Eh Twilight, you don’t need to help us clean up, it’s our job as the host!” Applejack turned around to the purple mare and smiled. “Or are you lookin’ for the little dragon? Ah last saw him near the field talkin’ wit mah sis.”

“Oh no, I just want to have a little private chat with you, it’s regarding the security of the Celebration, and I hope to get a little help from you if you don’t mind. We should talk in the barn so that no anypony would overhear and get worried.” 

Twilight recited the cover story she’s prepared before, praying fervently that it could fool even the to-be Element-bearer of Honesty.

Applejack looked at the eyes of Twilight for a while, while Twilight tried her best to hide her nerves. 

“Alright, Twilight, Ah’ll be there in a minute.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So Twilight, what’s that security thing you want t’ talk ‘bout?” Applejack asked with a skeptical look on her face.

Twilight drew a long breath, and suddenly flashed her horn. A rod of white light, instead of Twilight’s signature purple-tinted magic, shot forward with the speed of lightning.

Applejack was alarmed and shouted, “What’s the meanin’ o’ this, Twilight?” She found herself enclosed and trapped in a white sphere of magic.

“I must do this, Applejack, I’m sorry.” Twilight gritted her teeth hard as her eyes started to glow an almost unnatural shade of white. She closed her hooves around Applejack’s head, and kept getting closer and closer until she could feel Applejack’s breath on her face. 

“If you didn’t let go o’ me at once Ah swear…” Applejack growled as she tried all her might to release herself from Twilight, but her body moved not an inch. She couldn’t even exert a fraction of her normal strength, which would normally be enough to shake off Twilight.

Twilight drew in another breath. A pair of white light beams shot from the violet eyes of Twilight and into Applejack’s bright green eyes. Applejack gasped and her entire body jolted. Her eyes rolled up into the socket as her legs spasms. Still, Twilight kept glaring into Applejack’s eyes while hold her head firmly. Applejack’s face crunched together in apparent agony as tears rolled across her cheeks. 

Finally, Twilight let out a long sigh, and the blinding white light faded. Applejack collapsed onto the floor, her leg turned to marshmallow. 

Twilight’s leg buckled and she ended up sitting on the floor as well, herself exhausted from the ordeal. Twilight then used her hoof to poke the form of Applejack, now sprawling ungraciously on the barn floor. 

With a few more pokes, the orange pony quivered and moved. Unsteadily and with struggle, she stood up and slowly opened her green eyes. She immediately scrubbed her face with her hooves and turned to Twilight, her expression one of immense anger.

“You varmint!” Applejack spitted out each word with great anger, “The Apples trusted you and hosted for you, how could you betray our hospitality wit’ such an unprovoked attack?!” 

Applejack snapped and pinched her hooves around Twilight’s head. “Also, what’ve you done to me with yer witch’ry?!”

Twilight was shaken by Applejack’s outburst, however, she sensed something with her magic. She lowered her head and sighed wistfully.

“Applejack, you obviously know who I am and why I did it. If you want to hate me, at least wait till we dispatch of Nightmare Moon. I don’t have wild wishes for your good will after… this, but I still long for your understanding.”

Applejack’s furious expression stiffened, then she sighed and smiled sadly.

Surprised by this sudden change in attitude, Twilight stuttered. “Eh?”

“You… It’s a plum lot to swallow, but Ah now know that yer not a bad pony. Ah was just teasin’ you.”

“Huh?”

Twilight actually wasn’t sure what kind of reaction she would be getting. Like a terrified squirrel, she shrunk and looked back at Applejack with apprehension.

“Ah can see where you come from. The future-past an’ such. But compared to those things that’s yet to come, you’re a much bigger concern. Horribly lonely, eh you? Poor thing.”

“I…” Twilight began to tremble. “I’m sorry for doing this to you.”

“Well, you should be. Ah don’t like lyin’ ponies, and Ah certainly don’t appreciate it when ponies break into mah head unannounced. But Ah now know your reasons, Ah couldn’t bring mahself to hate you…” 

“Applejack…”

“But woah nelly! Yer dumpin’ a lot of things into mah head.”

The orange pony cleared her throat and said with some glee. “Je n'avais jamais pensée pouvoir-”

Twilight timidly grinned. “Channeling the new knowledge so quickly?”

“AJ is fine. We’re destined to be friends after all.”

Twilight looked up with a jolt. She looked a bit fearful and unsure.

“Ah, silly Twilight. Ah’m not mockin’ you.” 

“I- I am not…”

“You think you can hide from the to-be Element-bearer of Honesty? Ah know you, you left a piece of yerself right here.”

Applejack pointed towards her head. “Yer easily the most insecure pony Ah’ve ever met.”

Twilight bit her lips and lowered her head, but she did not offer up any protest.

“Ah may not approve of yer shady action, but Ah understand yer purpose, and those grand ideas ‘bout the future. Bottom-line, Ah can’t really bring mahself to hate you, especially as you’ve given me so much foresight and know-how, and at the end you jus’ want me as a friend.”

Twilight did not expect so much understanding from the pony whom she foisted herself upon. She teared up and began to sob.

“Whoa, don’t cry now Twi. Ah said Ah don’t begrudge you for this.”

Twilight sniffled and nodded.

“So yer gonna do this to the other four… right?”

Twilight sharply drew in a breath, and then nodded gingerly.

“Ah don’t like what yer doin’. But Ah also understood why you do it. As yer new but also old friend, Ah should point out how wrong it is to force this on others. Though as an Equestrian citizen, Ah think what yer doin’… even though it’s not entirely selfless, but it’s fer the good of all. Still, it’s a bit cowardly to sneak up on us instead of just telling us what’s up.”

“I… I’m a coward, yes.”

“An honest coward, I can appreciate at least. What yer doin’ is admittedly more… prudent. Ah have a naggin’ feelin’ that they’re goin’ to understand afterwards.”

“Are you saying that you approve of my trickery…?”

“Ah still think it’s sad an’ wrong t’ foist this on anypony. But Ah’m willin’ to overlook it... Fer you and fer everything else.”

A complicated smile crept up on the orange pony’s face.

“Whatever it’ll turn out, Ah’m in this with you now.”

A long silence followed. Twilight eventually picked up enough courage and said. “So… what are you going to do?” 

“Ah’m going to finish up my share of work and follow you to Rainbow’s. Ah’d like to keep an eye on things.” 

Twilight hesitated. “Um... Let’s wait at the entrance once you’re done then. Rainbow was probably napping somewhere nearby.” 

“Remember to grab Spike, he’s probably playing with Apple Bloom somewhere in the field.” Applejack reminded Twilight.

“… As if I will forget Spike.” Twilight blinked and rolled her eyes. 

Twilight walked a step forward, but she stumbled as her legs were weak. Fortunately, Applejack caught her in time.

“Twilight?”

“I’m fine... but I’m exhausted just to cast the spell on you alone... I- I’m afraid without some intervention, I can’t keep on doing this to four other mares.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. 

“You can’t be thinkin’…”

Looking as if she’s walking on a thin layer of ice, Twilight bared her teeth and said quietly. “I may have to weaken their resolve to resist through illusions in order to get this completed before the end of today.”

Expecting a thundering rebuff, the purple mare peeked at Applejack with a fearful gaze.

However, the orange mare merely lightly sighed.

“Ah… understand. Still, we ain’t no Discord. Try not to go overboard, Twi.”

Twilight blinked and nodded weakly.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Next up is weather… But Applejack, why are you following us along? Haven’t you got works to do in the Acres?” Spike asked, sitting on Twilight’s back.

“Sugarcube, Ah’m a long-time resident of Ponyville after all. It’s jus’ a small thing Ah can do to show our royal guests ‘round, eh yer highness?” Applejack joked.

“Stop it, AJ! I’m just a student of the Princess.” Twilight laughed drily.

“AJ? Ah, short for Applejack I see.” Spike muttered. 

“Hey Spike, you’re also wel—” Applejack turned to Spike, when she was suddenly interrupted. 

“Buck, everypony dodge!” Twilight yelled as she suddenly heard some faint sound booming from afar. Twilight and Applejack swerved to the side of road, and despite Twilight trying her best, Spike lost his balance and impacted the ground with a bang.

“What on earth Twi?” Spike groaned, when he saw a blur of cyan and rainbow color flashed before his eyes, which promptly crashed into a pool of mud on the ground.

“Spike! Are you alright?” Both mares called out with worrying looks on their faces. 

“Eh, I’m okay I guess, but shouldn’t you be checking out that mare?” Spike scratched his head and muttered.

“Meh, she’d do fine.” Applejack shrugged with a wry smile. 

“That’d be the resident weather pony, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight added, “Well, she actually had a history with us before, but we should save it for later. She’s also one of the fastest pegasi in Equestria.” 

Twilight deliberately raised her voice at the last sentence.

“Heh, I don’t know who said that, but that pony is sure dang right about that!” Rainbow Dash boasted with a smug grin, somehow already recovered from the crash. She shook off the clinging mud and walked towards the trio.

“Howdy there Rainbow, finished the nap o’ yours to kick the clouds yet?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash frowned slightly, and then grinned, “Pfeh, I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat! Want me to prove it?”

Twilight looked at Rainbow, then at Applejack. “No need for now, Rainbow Dash, I believe you. Anyway, my name’s Twilight Sparkle, royal overseer of the Celebration checking on the weather. Nice to meet you.”

“Well, you know my name already, and you sure know talent when you see one.” Rainbow Dash puffed up. “But if you’re not looking for me to clear the sky, what do you need me for?”

“Okay, I know you may not like the sound of it, but I want to, uh, inspect the weather records of Ponyville. Nothing special, just some regular checking is all.”

“Aww… Those stuffs were incredibly boring! Can we not go over those, please?” Rainbow Dash frowned. 

“I’m sorry Rainbow, but rules are rules.” Twilight offered a helpless smile. Applejack just shook her head and shrugged blandly.

“Fine… The records are kept in my cloud home, let me take them down to you.” Rainbow Dash offered with defeat on her face. 

“Oh I can follow you up Rainbow, I can do with a bit of cloud-walking magic.” Twilight winked.

“Hey Spike, you wanna follow Twi up onto the clouds? Surely Twi can cast you a cloud-walking spell.” Applejack suddenly interjected, which prompted Twilight to shoot her a questioning glare. 

“Heck no, I don’t want to be stuck with a bunch of uninteresting records for half a day in the middle of the sky!” Spike shook his head hurriedly.

“The little dragon knows.” Rainbow Dash nodded dryly. “Alright, let’s get moving!” She gestured to Twilight, who promptly fired off a burst of magic. A butterfly wing manifested on her back.

“Let’s go then, Rainbow.” Twilight nodded and narrowed her eyes.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two mares soared up the blue sky. Twilight took extra care not to let her butterfly wings overheat and dissipate. They then flew towards a cloud house just floating next to Ponyville. The modest could house was modelled after the capital of Pegasi, Cloudsdale, with streams of rainbows and fluffy white clouds as exterior. 

“Beautiful cloud home you’ve got there, Rainbow.” Twilight praised. 

“Right? I shoved the cloud base together with my own hooves! Come on in and make yourself at home.” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, who then gracefully landed on the doorstep of her cloud home.

Flapping the butterfly wings carefully, Twilight followed Rainbow Dash into her house. Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight and said, “You wait here for a bit and I take the records from the shelves.” 

Rainbow Dash trotted into her room, and started to collect the disorganized piles of old records into her hooves. A short while after, she came out with a heap of papers, some white as snow and some already yellowed.

“Let me check that with my magic.” Rainbow saw Twilight lit her horn and casted her magic. But something was not right. Instead of the purple glow Rainbow saw Twilight used on the ground, the magic was a brilliant white. The magic glow also simply gathered around Twilight’s horn instead of surrounding the weather record.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked with concern.

Then all of a sudden, Twilight’s white magic struck Rainbow Dash right at her forehead. Rainbow Dash was completely shocked at the sudden turn of events. But before she could say anything, Rainbow Dash simply fell into unconsciousness.

“… I’m sorry, Rainbow.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash’s mind was muddled and confused, until she was shocked awake by loud cheers from all directions. She rubbed her eyes and was surprised to find herself in the flying arena for Wonderbolts in Canterlot.

What was even more surprising, was that she was in full Wonderbolts gear. Rainbow Dash mentally squealed, as she realized that she was in the flying team of her dream, and it was time for her to shine and show all of Equestria her incredible talent.

The pounding music in the arena gradually quieted down, and a loud note from a blow-horn was heard. That was the signal to start the flying routine, and Rainbow Dash immediately flew forward into the sky with her teammates.

The flight went well enough initially, as the flying troupe performed the classic loop-de-loops and low sweeps flawlessly. Rainbow Dash was filled with both pride and excitement, as she seamlessly coordinated with her fellow Wonderbolts over a particularly complex routine that involved forming a mid-air loop and passing through it.

However, suddenly, she felt an unnaturally strong gust of wind blowing from above. That should not be an issue at all for normal flight, as she had plenty of attitude for her to recover. But unfortunately, safe recovery and keeping it unnoticeable was incredibly difficult mid-routine. 

She took the risky choice and decided to keep at the original path. However, she seemed to have miscalculated, as head wind slowed her down enough for her to almost completely lose her lift. She then bumped into a teammate mid-air and uncontrollably crashed towards a section of the audience stand, landing ungraciously on some unfortunate ponies.

The crowd gasped and dispersed, as the almost packed arena went into a panicked frenzy. The routine was paused as medical staffs of the arena rushed to treat the injured ponies. Rainbow Dash was only lightly injured, but she was horrified at the mess she’d caused.

The two most senior members of the flying team, Spitfire and Soarin’, flew from across the audience stand towards Rainbow Dash. But instead of helping her up, they simply glared at the cyan pony with a deeply disappointed look.

“That was our biggest function in Canterlot, and now it’s all ruined because of you!” Soarin’ complained loudly.

“That was one accident, but it was one accident too many. Rainbow Dash, you are hereby expelled from the Wonderbolts and forever banned at all our events.” Spitfire proclaimed, “May we never cross path again.”

Rainbow Dash’s pupil shrank to a pin, as she basically experienced the worst fear of her life.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the cloud house, Twilight looked on as Rainbow Dash sat on the floor trembling. Her expression turned to one of horror. Tears went streaming down and the once proud mare was reduced to a heap of mess with Twilight’s mind trick. 

Twilight herself gasped fearfully as her clumsy attempt to soften Rainbow Dash up for her mind magic went horribly right. The actual content of the illusion was not of her control, but she could view it just fine. 

She felt a burning sense of guilt as she began to fully realize the severity of her action. Nonetheless, she pressed on. “I … This is wrong, but I can’t give up now!”

Twilight’s eyes started to glow, and white beams, shimmering in their deceptive gentleness, probed into Rainbow Dash’s soaked pink eyes. Twilight felt as if something thin, like an egg shell, cracked open. Then a great force drew her magic in, almost like a maelstrom in the ocean. She could feel a primal sense of fear, which made her heart pain even more.

The ritual-like trance went on for a while, until the white tendrils gradually dissipated. 

Twilight lowered her head, and at the same time negated all remaining magic surrounding them. She called to the cyan mare’s ear with trepidation, “How goes the-” 

“-trespassing?” Twilight was interrupted by a surprisingly awake Rainbow Dash. 

“I would use another word, but I don’t feel like swearing to you.” Rainbow opened her tired eye and weakly replied, her cheek still wet with all the tears.

“I didn’t expect you to recover so soon.” Twilight murmured. 

“You also didn’t expect how utterly scary and excruciating that was to undergo somepony’s worst fears. I’m quite mad with you right now, Twilight. How can you do that to me?” Rainbow huffed with a hurtful look.

“I—I am sorry Rainbow…” Twilight stuttered, and she hurriedly casted a calming spell at Rainbow Dash, a purple flash that engulfed Rainbow Dash for a moment.

“Much better. I guess I might forgive what you’ve just done, based on my new understanding.” Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrows, “But I honestly have no clue if the me of old would have forgiven somepony, if they ever dare to do something like that.” 

Twilight went silent and she looked to her hooves, her eyes watering up. 

“Wow, Twi. I mean you use this trick a lot don’t ya. First AJ and now me. You know well that none of us can stand your tears.”

“I’m not tricking you! Uh… I…”

“See, you aren’t even sure yourself.”

“I just meant I’m not crying to gain pity!”

Twilight bit her lips and looked at the ground with a dejected face. “… But yes, my recklessness only added to my sin.”

However, the cyan mare merely shook her head and simply grinned mischievously.

“Why so glum, Twi? Sin is too strong a word. Alright, I guess I can just treat the whole ordeal as a nightmare and be done with it. AJ’s right, it’s not like I can stay mad at you, eh egghead?” 

“R- Really?”

“You’re cute when you acts like an expectant puppy.”

“H- Hey!”

Rainbow Dash put a hoof to the purple mare’s mouth. 

“Just… please consider a gentler approach for Rarity and Fluttershy, okay? I don’t want to see them undergo that like I do.”

Twilight merely nodded as she gently embraced Rainbow Dash.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Applejack, are we really gonna just sit here and wait till they come back? It could be hours before they’re done!” Spike grumbled. 

“Trust me Spike, Ah told you they’ll come back in a couple of minutes or so.” Applejack calmly replied.

“How can you be so sure, AJ? For all I know they might still be looking over dusty old papers now!” Spike lightly snapped.

“Hey look, here they come!” Applejack didn’t take note of Spike’s mumblings and pointed up. Against the afternoon sun, a purple mare was seen following a cyan mare, both of whom then landed next to Applejack and Spike.

“Is everything okay? You two took a while up there.” Spike asked. 

Rainbow Dash smiled brightly and put her hoof around the neck of Twilight, who looked a bit upset, “Nah, everything’s fine. Twi here just helped me fix something on my cloud home.” 

“… Don’t mention it, Rainbow.” Twilight tried her best to put up her usual smile. 

“Er, okay then...” Spike muttered, and then asked. “Wait, aren’t you going somewhere else originally, Rainbow?” 

“Nope, Twi invited me to join her, and I think, why not? You guys are cool.” Rainbow Dash replied. “But first, watch how I clear the sky!”

Before Spike could even react, Rainbow Dash shot up in the air in an incredible speed, her motion reduced to a blur. “Rainbow KICK!” She called, as she cleared all the clouds in quick succession. She then enter a loop-de-loop just on top of the trio and landed nimbly with a flourish. 

“How was that? Ten seconds flat!”

“Wow, that’s very impressive, Rainbow!” Spike exclaimed, “You are definitely Wonderbolts material!” 

Twilight reacted to the innocuous remark with an uncomfortable expression, while Rainbow Dash laughed, “Of course, Spike! To enter the Wonderbolts is my dream all along!”

Applejack trotted forth. “That’s pretty neat, but where are we going to next?” 

“To the Town Hall of course, gotta look over the decorations.” Twilight glanced at Spike with a meaningful look, and murmured. “This oughta be interesting…”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upon arriving at the town hall, Twilight lowered herself to let Spike on the floor. Rainbow and Applejack followed closely after. As Spike wandered forth admiring the beautiful decoration, some studded with precious gems, Twilight waved at her two new friends. The trio then walked behind a column, to a corner of the vast hall.

“Hey Applejack, finally we can talk alone for a bit.” Twilight said to the orange pony with a complicated look.

“What’s up sugarcube? Somethin’ bad happened on the clouds?” Applejack quipped.

“Yeah, Applejack. Scaring ponies is effective. Mind-scarringly effective even.” Rainbow frowned. “I still shuddered a bit when I recall that little experience.”

“That might not be the best idea to conserve my stamina in retrospect.” Twilight added with shame on her face.

“Actually, I still think some sort of mind trick is our right bet.” 

Rainbow Dash suggested, to the surprise of Twilight. “… Just not the kind that will mentally scar ponies of course.” 

“You mean like showing ‘em their greatest love?” Applejack asked.

“Close, I mean the greatest obsession, or desire.”

“I guess somethin’ like that does distract ponies long enough for Twi’s spell to work.”

“I do know what would likely be this Rarity’s most desired.” Twilight nodded thoughtfully. She looked to the center of the town hall, and called to the other mares. “Oh look, Spike sees her now.”

Spike suddenly froze in the middle of his walk, and stared at the white mare at the far side with great longing. His eyes were completely fixated on her beautifully coiffed mane and delicate features. 

The three mares trotted up to him slowly and looked on with interest. 

“Well, I’d be really worried if that doesn’t happen.” Twilight observed with a small sense of relief on her face. 

“I never understand how this kind of love-craze works. I mean, three pretty mares surrounded him and your dearie Spike never bat an eye at us.” 

Rainbow Dash teased, which caused Twilight to do a spit-take. 

“R- R- R- Rainbow, Spike is my family! I could never think of us in t-that kind of relationship!” Twilight spluttered. 

Rainbow merely laughed aloud.

“Isn’t it time to check up on our lover-boy, eh?” Applejack interrupted their chit-chat, pushing both Twilight and Rainbow forward.

The three caught up to Spike, who was mesmerized by the mere visage of the white mare. 

“Hot mare, eh?” Rainbow jokingly whispered to Spike’s ear. 

“Yeah she’s lovely...” Spike didn’t even realize who’s talking to him, simply fixing his gaze towards the white mare.

“That would be Rarity, our resident fashion designer. She owned a boutique at the side of the town.” Twilight explained. 

“Wasn't she wonderful?” Spike dreamily droned on. 

He hurriedly turned to Twilight and asked. “How're my spines? Are they straight?” 

“Why yes, you’re a veritably charming young drake.” Twilight smiled. 

“Yer love at first sight is showing, Spike.” Applejack grinned. 

“You’re into Rarity, eh Spike?” Rainbow Dash gently poked Spike, and simpered like a cat who had found her new toy. 

Spike finally realized the trio are all gazing at him mischievously, and his face flared up like a bright red apple. “Am I really… that obvious?” Spike asked embarrassed.

“Infatuation is just pony nature… or dragon nature. But Spike, healthy love should be mutual.” 

Twilight sweetly smiled, preempting Spike’s frowny face.  “If you want to have a chance to, let’s say, explore with Rarity, I suppose we could facilitate the process after we wrapped up the Celebration and you know...”

Spike’s eye lit up immediately, “You mean, you would hook me up with her—I mean, Rarity?” 

“That’s a slightly crass way to put it, but that’s the idea.” Twilight nodded. “But Spike, please stay put for now as I discuss the matters of the Celebration with Rarity.”

“In the meantime Spike, Applejack and me can tell you what we knew about Rarity so you get a head start.” Rainbow smirked, and pulled aside Spike, who wanted to give Rarity one last glance.

“… Thank goodness that’s dealt with, let’s do this.” Twilight saw Spike being escorted out of the door of the town hall, silently sighed and approached Rarity. 

The white mare was busy deciding on which ribbon to use on the columns. “No, no, no, oh! Goodness no.” 

She shuffled the ribbons and groaned. “Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not? Why, Rarity, you are a talent. Now, um, how can I help you?” 

Rarity turned to Twilight, who has patiently waited till the designer finished her exercise of creative decoration.

“Oh my, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, I never quite expect you two to be here. And who might this missus be?”

“Good day, miss Rarity, my name is Twilight Sparkle, royal overseer of the Celebration. I’m here to see to the proper installation of all decorations. We’re freshly out from Canterlot, by the way.” Twilight deliberately stressed.

“Canterlot?! Oh, I am so envious! The glamor, the sophistication! I have always dreamed of living there! I can't wait to hear all about it! We are gonna be the best of friends, you and I... Oh darling, you absolutely need some gems on your coiffure! Emeralds?! What was I thinking? Let me get …” 

Twilight gulped as Rarity gushed like a string of fireworks. After a barrage of fashion advice, Twilight finally couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted her. 

“Hold on Rarity, I am very glad to see you too, but I’m also here for another purpose.” 

Twilight paused to get Rarity’s attention. Her guilty conscience again flared, but she still suppressed it and said. 

“… Some ruffian has planned to disrupt the Summer Sun Celebration, and I’m here to discuss security matters with you.”

Rarity gasped. “Scandalous, this is scandalous! Some uncouth ruffians is planning to ruin the celebration to our beloved sun princess? This must be stopped at once!” 

Twilight nodded. “Fortunately, I have caught wind of the planned disruption, and will implement some very effective counter-measures to ensure everything goes without a hitch.”

“This is brilliant, so what do you need me for?” Rarity asked. 

“Follow me to this location.” Twilight lit her horn, and projected a map showing an alley several blocks away. “I will place a powerful magic seal at where the perpetrators plan to sneak into the town. They will be trapped and I will alert the authority to arrest them.” 

Twilight’s horn dimmed and the projection disappeared, and she continued. “Well, I have enough magic potential to finish the seal alone, but I require the precision and the local knowledge of yours to help me visually determine the dimensions of the seal, so that I don’t cause any accidental damage.” 

Twilight gulped, hoping again that Rarity would buy into her story. It was all just a ruse to deceive her friend into following her away to a less scrutinized venue.

Fortunately for Twilight, Rarity beamed. “Sure thing, darling! I’m just glad that my seamstress skills will be of use in other situations as well. Oh dear, I just wished that I could beat those terrible villains into a pulp for their vile deeds!” She gritted her teeth. 

Twilight silently exhaled and told Rarity. “Let’s go and finish the work then, we can have time afterwards for, um, Canterlot high life and such.” 

Rarity squealed with excitement, as she jubilantly trotted out of the town hall and followed Twilight towards the marked spot.

However, as she followed the silent purple mare and went deeper into the alley, she couldn’t help but begin to frown.

“Ew, this place is distinctively un-fabulous.” Rarity groaned as she stepped into the back alley, carefully navigating away from the occasional trash heaps. “I am so going to tell Mayor Mare about the abominable state of hygiene here after the Celebration is over. Twilight, are you sure we’re even at the right place?”

“Oh we are Rarity, it is right here.” Twilight stopped and turned around in the middle of the alley. 

“Come closer Rarity.” As Rarity trotted slowly towards Twilight, Twilight lit up her horn and a bright white flash engulfed the entire alley.

“What in Celestia’s name are you doing, Twilight?!” Rarity half-shouted and half-protested. Twilight appeared to have move her mouth and said something, but Rarity could barely hear it. She felt as if she has felt into a swirling waterspout and lost all her bearings, and soon fell into darkness.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rarity was jolted aware by slight squeezing of her hooves from her dancing partner. She looked around, and found herself in a vast dance hall with gorgeous architecture and lavish decoration. She was wearing a dazzlingly designed violet dress studded with well-cut diamonds and rubies. Upper-class ponies danced all around them, but she and her partner seemed to be the center piece of this grand ball.

Rarity blinked and turned her eyes back to her dancing partner. She gasped, it was Prince Blueblood! The white stallion was wearing a strikingly black and white tail coat, which was adorned with a number of ribbons and a smartly-looking Equestrian emblem. He was tall, muscular and broad, yet his facial features have a subtle hint of delicateness and almost-unponylike beauty, as if it was sculpted by the greatest of Equestrian masons. What’s more, the prince of her dream was smiling at her gently, causing her to almost immediately swoon.

“My lady, is there something wrong?” Prince Blueblood asked with concern in his voice, his yellow mane billowing slightly.

“Uh, nothing, my dear prince, I’m positively beaming with delight,” Rarity hurriedly replied, her thrilled mind in slight confusion.

“What a relief, my charming Rarity,” The white stallion smiled, “I’m glad my little gift pleased you. I was slightly worried that my acquisition of La Haute Mode for my wedding gift would be presumptuous in the eyes of my lovely fiancée.”

“Wha…? I, my prince?” Rarity was struck almost senseless with the news, it’d seemed like that her dreams of elevating on to the top of the Equestrian high culture and marrying her dream stallion have both come true at same time.

“Please lady Rarity, call me Blueblood,” Prince Blueblood whispered in Rarity’s ear, his lip gently brushed across her hot cheek.

Rarity moaned and fell into the tight and firm embrace of her dream stallion, as time and space seemed to melt away around her in her euphoric bliss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Yeah, if only Blueblood’s half as courteous…” Twilight shook her head, as she started to activate her mind-melding magic. As with before, white light shone out of her horns, but this time instead of looking into Rarity’s eyes, Twilight lean in onto the half-conscious form of Rarity.

Twilight touched her horn to that of Rarity’s, a process which inexplicably caused Twilight to blush. 

Twilight shook her head. “Focus, Twilight!” 

She then casted the magic that established the telepathic link. The fact that Rarity is also a unicorn evidently facilitated the process.

As the vague feeling of mental probing intensified into a piercing sensation, Twilight felt as if she was slicing through layers of hot butter towards the core of mental essence. She could view Rarity’s memories, right up until Rarity’s last conscious moment. Twilight could also feel an overshadowing sense of elation and joy.

Twilight pressed on, and felt like she’s finally reached something resembling the core center. A twinge of resistance flared up as Rarity’s mind instinctively reacted to the foreign incursions to her deepest, innermost self, but those died down swiftly as Twilight strengthened her magic further. Then, like the light of dying fireflies, the white light of Twilight’s magic also dimmed gradually to nothingness. 

Twilight raised her head up high, and saw the purple sky with the descending sun. “Oh dear, we’re getting late. The conjuration took up a lot of time.”

She gently poked at Rarity’s unconscious face, who moaned and groaned. 

“Rarity?”

Rarity rose from the ground, her face wore an expression of joyous satisfaction. Then she yawned and stretched her legs, clearly enjoying the afterglow of her sweet little dream. 

Twilight experimentally asked. “Are you alright?”

She blinked her twinkling blue eyes, and said, “That was just a sweet filly’s dream, but by Celestia it’s such a great feeling to have your dreams come true!” 

“So you’re not mad or anything?”

“Twilight… Don’t you trust Applejack’s assessment?”

“Eh?”

“To us, the influx of feelings, knowledge and information is large and overwhelming. 
There were a lot of things to absorb, indeed. But if the others can do it, why can’t I? Moreover, I’m let off the hook easily compared to poor Rainbow.”

Twilight winced and sulked upon hearing Rarity’s comment.

“Oh please my dear, Rainbow’s supposed to be the Element-bearer of Loyalty. Surely she’d be a dear and not hold a trivial grudge against us … despite her experiences? Be a dear and stop being all mopey, I know that you’ve been apologizing all day and I’m slightly bored.”

“But…”

“I know, of course, you’ve broken Celestia knows how many etiquettes by breaking into somepony else’s mind, but I… really can’t bring myself to dislike you, since your motive is largely selfless. We shall go, I still have a love-struck young drake to be introduced to.” Rarity chuckled.

“… Indeed we should hurry, they’re waiting for us in the town hall.” Twilight quickly turned her head away and produced a handkerchief. “Dust yourself off first, the ground here isn’t exactly pristine.”

Rarity paused, then looked at her slightly muddied coat. “Good heavens!” She dramatically hollered, “There is… gasp … dirt on my coat! This is the Worst. Possible. Thing!”

Twilight ignored the dramatic exclamation and casted a quick spell, which helped clean some of the debris off Rarity’s mane.

“Fluttershy… what do you plan to do with her?” Rarity nodded and asked Twilight softly.

“I thought about that a bit. For her, I don’t think conjurations would be reliable or safe. She was an extremely shy and sensitive mare for one, and I feared that she won’t be easily influenced by any temptation I showed her.” 

“Back to forcing in again, are we?” Rarity pouted.

“It’d seem I had no choice.” Twilight gritted her teeth. “But I suppose we just have to be careful and do not alert her animals. This goes double for her little bunny.” Twilight gulped. “Besides, you’re a unicorn, you can help me out if all go to south.”

Rarity struck a theatrical pose and grimaced. “Not that I wouldn’t help, but my magic is much weaker than yours, darling!” 

She jocularly sent out a tiny shower of blue spark using her horn, which swept over Twilight’s face. “Anyway, we’re not going to her cottage, just her bird-choir, so it should all be fine.”

Twilight sighed. “Every bit helps, as my magic potential is at its tail end. I hope that the element of surprise would work; hopefully not too traumatic like my unfortunate rendezvous with Rainbow, but just enough for my magic to slip through.” 

“Let’s hope you’re right, Twilight.” 

Rarity finished cleaning herself off, and trotted out of the alley with Twilight. “We may have to send Spike off somewhere else, though.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Where’d you girls been? I almost have to move on to things I don’t think are even appropriate for the baby dragon’s ears!” Rainbow Dash protested loudly.

“A lady is never too late or too early, she arrives when she is supposed to be.” Rarity calmly replied, then feinted. “What were you girls talking to Spike about anyway?”

“Telling him about mares of course, you know, he-” Applejack answered, and then suddenly hushed in the mouth by Spike’s tiny claws.

“Shhh!” Spike hastily shushed Applejack.

“Oh, you must the dragon Spike Twilight’s kept telling me about. You’re one handsome young dragon, aren’t you?” 

Rarity smiled and batted her eyes. “I’m Rarity, please to make your acquaintance.” 

Spike was positively charmed. ‘Did Rarity just wink at me and call me handsome?’ Spike dreamily thought, and his mind already wandered off to far-off places. 

What the other mares could only see though, was that Spike hanged his mouth open, saliva almost spilling at the corner of his mouth, and how unnerving his love-struck stare was.

“Okay girls, Spike, we really need to go. We don’t want to bother ponies who’re about to go to bed, do we?” Twilight advised.

Rainbow shook Spike a little to bring him back to reality, and replied. “Uh, everypony has to stay up to see the Princess raise the sun anyway.” 

“You girls know each other well?” Spike rubbed his eyes, and asked the group of mares.

“You can say that. We all live in this charmin’ Ponyville together after all.” Applejack said with a whistle. 

Rarity nodded and exclaimed flamboyantly. “Sure thing darling, we’re absolutely beaming in our camaraderie!” 

Twilight looked at Rarity and tucked slightly at her coat. 

Rarity went wide-eyed and cooed to Spike gently. “Oh right, my Spikey-wikey. I would be very grateful if you can go to this shop on the other side of the town.” 

Rarity elevated a piece of annotated map with her magic. “… And bring me a set of tools and velvets I’ve ordered from them. Don’t worry dear, just tell them tabs on Rarity and it’ll be fine.”

Spike watched Rarity’s face lovingly, then saluted with his little claw. “My deepest pleasure to serve, lady Rarity.” He grabbed the paper and rushed to the exit of the town hall.

“Wait Spike!” Twilight yelled. “We’ll be off to our next destination, you can just bring the things back to the town hall and wait here!” 

Spike nodded and in the next moment, he was already out of the door.

Twilight shook her head and let out a defeated breath. “I’ve never seen him working so enthusiastically for me before.”

“Love’s a powerful thing, sugarcube.” Applejack japed.

“Let’s get going, we have to do this quickly and flawlessly.” Twilight said with determination in her voice.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun was hanging just right above the horizons when the four mares arrived at a clearing just outside of Ponyville. They hid behind the bush and observed. A mare with light yellow coat was leading a chorus of birds on a tree. 

Gentle murmurs and chirps reverberated in the woods. The mares were delighted to hear the beautiful tune of nature, and quietly acknowledged the superb musical talent of the pink-maned pony.

Twilight looked to Rarity, who nodded and walked out of the bush towards the gentle mare. The other three followed her at a distance.

“Oh my. Um, stop please, everyone, umm. Excuse me, sir? I mean… EEP!” Fluttershy squeaked when she noticed a pony was behind her.

“Hello there Fluttershy, busy rehearsing with the little animal helpers I see?” Rarity asked gently.

Fluttershy was relieved to see it was just Rarity, she waded through her face-covering mane with her hoof, and gasped to see three more mares behind. One of them are her old friend Rainbow Dash, and another was the apple farmer, named Applejack as she recalled. But the third one with the purple coat was a strange new face to her. She quickly hid her face in her mane again.

“Oh my, we didn’t meant to disrupt your rehearsal. I’m Twilight Sparkle, overseer of the Celebration. I just came to check up on the music. Needless to say, I’m more than satisfied.” Twilight put up her most gentle smile possible.

“Um… Thank you.” Fluttershy said very quietly. “Umm, I’m Fluttershy.”

“You’re welcome. Nice to meet you, Fluttershy.” Twilight nodded.

Fluttershy was a bit surprised that Twilight could hear her soft murmuring. She peeked at the purple mare from between her mane, and saw Twilight’s thin smile. Twilight seemed kind and courteous enough, but Fluttershy felt like there was something else to this new mare, but she was not sure that was real, or it was just her fear of strangers.

“We will just, uh, wait at the far side till you’ve finished the rehearsal.” Twilight looked at Fluttershy, who nodded almost imperceptibly. 

“We just want to invite you to a get-together before the Celebration tomorrow.” Rainbow added.

Fluttershy looked at the unusually genial Rainbow Dash. At the end, she couldn’t bring herself to reject her friends, so she bit her lip and uttered in a tiny voice. “I’m, um, almost done. Se-see you later.” She then flapped her wing and elevated herself to her song-birds.

Twilight and the other mares looked at one another, and gave out a thin, almost imperceptible, nod.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The birds had flown back to their nests for today, and Fluttershy treaded on the dirt path illuminated by the orange sunset. At a sign post not far away, she saw the four mares who were patiently waiting for her.

Fluttershy trotted up to them with some trepidation, “Sorry to um, keep all of you waiting.” She lowered her head and apologized, her mane almost touching the ground.

“Not at all, Fluttershy, we’re… delighted to have you with us.” Twilight said quietly. She trotted forth and extended her hoof, which brushed with Fluttershy’s neck.

Fluttershy gasped at the sudden contact, but what happened next shocked her much more.

Suddenly, without any warning sign, Twilight pushed her to the ground and pinned her down. 

Fluttershy’s pupils shrank to a pin, she could not process why this newcomer had suddenly attacked her or what was happening at all. Terror gripped her entire body, and she could barely move in her panic.

Twilight winced at the sight of the panicked Fluttershy, but she did not waste any time. She held Fluttershy’s head firmly with her hooves and casted her magic. The white rays again emanated from her violet eyes, and connected with Fluttershy’s round blue eyes. 

Fluttershy gasped and wheezed. She felt as if her very self was being tucked at. There was no pain, but the situation was no less grim. Her mane frazzled and she felt dazed and wobbly. She called out for help, but all she saw were her friends who wore slightly pained expressions, and turned their heads away upon meeting her gaze.

Fluttershy could not understand why anypony would do something like this. She could barely pull together her mind and think. But the culprit was clearly this new purple mare, and it was she who made her friends… heartless and bad.

Fluttershy suddenly let out a loud yell, which surprised Twilight. She then summoned all her remaining strength, narrowed her eyes and glared forcefully at Twilight.

“Holy, it’s the Stare! How can I even forget about that?”

Twilight suddenly felt her resolve being shaken loose with the strangely powerful gaze of the yellow mare. She could not turn away from Fluttershy’s gaze, as she had to keep eye contact to complete the spell.

Thoughts of giving up and submitting appeared in the mind of the incredulous Twilight. She yelled to the other mares. “Help me now! Please!”

The three other mares widened their eyes at the sudden development. They hesitated briefly, but they all gritted their teeth and leapt to Twilight’s help. Applejack lassoed Fluttershy’s back legs, while Rarity flared her horn and restrained Fluttershy’s front limbs. Last, Rainbow Dash pinned Fluttershy down and leaned on her back.

While the yellow pegasus was still frightened, she resisted the restraint and shouted at the purple mare. “Return my friends to normal, y- you evil witch!”

“Twi, be quick! We can’t prolong this anymore!” Rainbow Dash snapped, and then turned to Fluttershy with a wistful look. “I’m sorry we had to do this…”

“Rarity!” Twilight shouted through gritted teeth.

Rarity immediately casted a magic boosting spell. The white light that emitted from Twilight’s eyes became even brighter, but that seems not to be enough to counter the Stare. Twilight panted, momentarily thought about the consequences of being stopped, feeling of bitterness and regret swelled at her heart.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked on anxiously. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash seemed to have thought of something. She shifted her pose and put her hooves to the base of Fluttershy’s wings, and pinched. 

Fluttershy yelped and her eyes rolled up. Twilight was released from the influence of the Stare. Twilight immediately amped up her magical output, and Fluttershy immediately felt an overwhelming deluge of force. She shrieked as she saw a flux of strange visions that seemed to involve Twilight … and some ancient tome. Then, a giant blinding flash of purple-white light emanated from both mares, causing everypony’s vision to go black for a while.

When all the fuss died down, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood up, only to see two unconscious mares lying on the ground.

Fluttershy’s form shifted, as she seemed to be waking up. She straightened her limbs with some difficulty, and separated herself from Twilight. The three looked on with bated breath, and gulped as they watched Fluttershy stood up.

Fluttershy’s eyes fluttered open, and she blinked her exhausted blue eyes at the weary mares. 

“There is no need for, um, hostilities. I saw it now.” Fluttershy explained quietly.

Applejack exhaled loudly and sat on the ground unmannerly. “Ah didn’t expect it had to go physical. Yer a tough nut to crack, ain’t ya.” Rarity also nodded and sighed.

“Um…” Fluttershy was still slightly dazed from the duel of the minds, she couldn’t find an appropriate response at all, so she simply bit her lip and looked down.

“Fluttershy, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry-” 

Twilight had also recovered, and she said with a pained smile. “You’re right, what I’ve done today is wrong on many levels. I might as well be an evil witch.”

Fluttershy blinked but did not speak.

After a particularly long and painful silence, Twilight’s strained smile faded into a fearful glint. Rainbow Dash shook her head and said. “We’re sorry too, Flutters. Please don’t just give us the silent treatment.”

The yellow pegasus sighed and murmured. “Twilight, why do you have to deceive me? Have you ever considered telling me the truth at the very beginning?”

“I never thought that that I would hear that not from AJ but from Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but quip, causing the orange farm mare to blush lightly.

Rarity frowned. “Darling, why would you ask? Like us, you know pretty well that-”

Fluttershy knitted her brow. “I do know! But I… I want to hear what Twilight said. By mouth.”

Twilight stared at the ground, occasionally gave the yellow pegasus a peek or two.

With a voice even smaller than Fluttershy, she said. “… I’m not sure how to put it into words and explain to any of you. All of these are too outlandish for a laypony to believe.”

With a strained voice, she continued. “I’m afraid that you would reject me… If any one of you do that, I would be too devastated to move on.”

Fluttershy walked close to the purple mare, and suddenly smiled. “Okay.”

Twilight blinked with disbelief at Fluttershy’s ready acceptance.

“I… am indeed not the to-be bearer of Honesty, but here, using such a way to deceive your friends is not just wrong, but unkind. I’m not mad at you for attacking me, Twilight. I’m just worried that you’ll lose yourself in the future if you fall prey to the desire to achieve your goals no matter what, and I want you to remember that.”

Twilight looked at Fluttershy with stunned silence.

Rainbow Dash also said with a mix of amazement and shock. “Whoa, Flutters, that was… brilliant.”

Fluttershy thinly smiled. “I’m the second oldest of the group, after all.”

Twilight nodded resolutely. “Fluttershy, I swear I will remember that for the rest of my life.”

“That’s good enough for me.” Fluttershy smiled.

After a pause, Rarity chimed in. “Fluttershy, dear, this should be the first time you use your Stare on your fellow pony. You almost subdued the most magical unicorn in the realm!”

Fluttershy blushed and flustered.

Twilight looked at Fluttershy directly in the eye. “Your Stare is indeed a fearsome skill, Fluttershy. I almost lost myself there, I’ll never take myself for granted again!”

The mares, even the timid pegasus, laughed together at Twilight’s joke.

“Girls, Spike’s probably waiting anxiously for the love of his dream to return.” Rainbow Dash jokingly reminded. 

Fluttershy beamed at the thought of Spike. She suppressed her motherly urge to rush to and lovingly pet the baby dragon.

Applejack looked around, raised a hoof and asked, “So what are we goin’ to do wit Pinkie?”

Twilight pondered for a while. “After listening to what Fluttershy said, I have an interesting way to go about this. That, hopefully, would not be upsetting for her in the slightest.”



“I’ll take your word for it, Twilight. Don’t go back on your promise, I beg of you.” Fluttershy quietly said, to which Twilight nodded.

The group trotted back to the town hall to collect Spike, who were waiting longingly for the return of Rarity. Fluttershy’s eyes lit up when she saw Spike, she almost had to step on her own hooves to stop herself from tackling him, instead she huffed, put up her most confident smile and introduced herself. “He-Hello, I’m Fluttershy, I care for the animals in Ponyville. Nice to meet you.”

Spike replied, “Nice to meet you too, Fluttershy. I’m Spike, Twi’s personal assiss-” Twilight poked Spike’s back. “… Uh, dragon?”

Rarity stepped forward from the group. “Thank you for your lovely work, Spikey-wikey.” 

She gently embraced Spike, which caused the latter to flush a luminescent red. He babbled. “Uh, y-you’re welcome, lady Rarity.”

“You’ve had your fill, Casanova, let’s head back to the library for today.” 

Twilight shook her head, as she watched Rarity swiftly sliced the piece of velvet into several stripes and pinned them to the railing of the balcony.

They swiftly left the town hall together and trotted back to the Golden Oak Library. The last vestige of the sun peaked through between the hills of Canterlot, casting a purplish-red on the majestic tree library. The lights were out, but the group knew what to expect. Twilight took a long breath when she pushed the door open.

The lights of the library suddenly flicked on. 

“Surprise!” 

Pinkie Pie hooted, and all other ponies in the library joined in in a chorus of laughter and cheers. The booming kazoo, party whistles and streamers filled the normally quiet book repository with joyous sounds and atmosphere.

“Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh huh huh?” Pinkie Pie leapt into the air and asked enthusiastically.

“Sure sweet Pinkie, I’m very glad to have such a rapturous welcome on my very first day in Ponyville.” 

Twilight tried to beam as hard as Pinkie, but it was obviously a futile affair, so she settled for a polite smile. “I’ve also got you some surprises.” She gestured to the four mares who were following her into the library.

“Oh, oh oh! Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy! I was looking for all of you all day to tell you about the surprise party! I was worried sick that I couldn’t gather everypony in Ponyville before Twilight came back, and gasp, you are all here with Twilight all along!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Twilight merely smiled. “I’m not just here to work. I’m also here to make friends after all.” 

“Wow, Twilight, you’ve made so many friends already in just one day! I’m sure you’ll quickly make a lot of friends here in Ponyville!” 

Pinkie Pie giggled. “I invite everyone in Ponyville to this a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and! See? And now you’re friends with the entire town!”

“I certainly hope so.” 

Twilight smiled, and stepped onto a small stool. 

“Greetings everypony. I’m very grateful for this incredible welcome Party, I give my sincerest thank to Pinkie Pie who organized this amazing gathering…” 

Pinkie Pie positively beamed hearing Twilight’s gratitude. “… but I’m also immensely thankful to all of you who took time out of your schedule to come. Now everyone, let the lively night begin!” 

Twilight proclaimed, and the ponies responded with a thunderous, almost deafening sound of cheers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight looked on as Spike was playing "pin the tail on the pony" with some colts, joyous chatters and the noises of raucous feasting permeated the tree library. She looked to her fellow mares, who were sipping fruit punch quietly at the side just like her. She nodded at them and walked to the party mare, “Hey Pinkie, got time to chat?”

“Sure thing, Twi! What do you want to chat? The games? The food? The celebration tomorrow? Oh oh, I haven’t told you about the new cupcakes I just baked yet, have I? I--” 

Pinkie Pie was interrupted by Twilight, who said, “We need to talk about it alone. This is something rather… personal. Let’s go upstairs for a short chat.”

Pinkie Pie’s brilliant smile faded, and her expression turned serious. She nodded and followed Twilight to the upper floor.

Pinkie Pie and Twilight walked in the noticeably quieter upper bedroom of the library. Pinkie Pie immediately spoke up. “What’s wrong Twilight? Is there something wrong with the party? Did I do something wrong? The cakes? The decoration? Gasp! I didn’t forget to invite somepony, did I?!”

“No, no Pinkie, the party’s wonderful, it’s as perfect as it can be.” Twilight reassured Pinkie. “There is just … something … uh, regarding our friendship.”

Pinkie Pie raised her eyebrows, then put up a puzzled face. She then gasped. “Twi, are you saying that we’re not friends yet?!” She frowned and made a sad pout.

Twilight stopped Pinkie before she could go on further, by sweeping Pinkie into her embrace. “Silly Pinkie, how would we not be friends? There is just something I figured I must tell you.”

Pinkie Pie looked at Twilight solemnly, “Sure Twilight, tell me right away!”

“I have a secret, Pinkie, a big secret, and I think you are a trustworthy friend for me to confide in.”

“You’ve found the right mare, Twilight! I Pinkie Promise that I won’t tell anyone! Cross My Heart, Hope to Fly, Stick a Cupcake in my Eye!” Pinkie Pie waved her signature gesture, and pointed her hoof to her eye.

“Good, now, this is hard to put in words. Instead, I want to cast a spell to let you peak into my head, so to speak.” Twilight offered.

Pinkie Pie thought for a moment, and then firmly nodded.

“If there’s no problem, here I come!” Twilight casted the mind magic, white beam shone from her eyes and connected with Pinkie’s blue ones. Pinkie Pie felt surprised as she felt a sprawling essence in her mind, old memories that were long unperturbed suddenly resurfaced. Her family, how she got her cutie mark, and her old, dull life at the rock farm. She gulped, and focused a bit. Then as Twilight said, she could also begin to view Twilight’s surface memory, her life at Canterlot, her daily interaction with Spike, and her tutelage under Princess Celestia. 

There’re two problems though. Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but found these imagery … incomplete, as if somepony has cut and put together an edited biography of Twilight. More importantly, she could not find the secret Twilight had mentioned earlier, just an inundation of scenes and information, with a nagging sense of continuous probing.

Pinkie Pie ignored the mounting unease, and redoubled her search. To her delight she finally sensed something. Among the vast expanse of the mental space, a strange cluster of substance hovered and contrasted starkly with all pieces of memories nearby. She focused and reached towards the formless orb, and when she was finally in contact with it, she heard Twilight uttered. “Bingo.”

Pinkie Pie suddenly felt herself forcefully pulled in the strange blob in the mental realm. An avalanche of new, foreign, memories came rushing in, and unlike viewing Twilight’s memories just a moment ago, it’s becoming harder and harder delineating which memories are whose, as the dyke that separated oneself from another was breached. Then, all of a sudden, she realized what Twilight’s secret was. 

Pinkie Pie’s eyes went round, as she gasped for air and her muscle tensed. She strangely found herself not so reluctant to the continual melding of the minds. She has always wanted to be with other ponies and cheer up ponies when they’re sad. 

And here in front of her stood the saddest pony she’s ever met. She could feel deep shame and regret emanating from the purple pony, but she could also feel the delight in her eyes as their minds intertwined. As Pinkie slowly drifted into unconsciousness, her last thought was, if she could cheer up Twilight by doing … this, why not?

“It’s time to wake up, Pinkie.” Twilight poked Pinkie Pie jokingly, who groggily stood up and looked at the purple pony. 

Pinkie was silent at first, then she asked with a serious face. “… Are you glad that I’m now here with you, Twilight?” 

“Of course, Pinkie, you’re all that I could’ve asked for. I’d always longed for the day that we finally meet. Pinkie, I’m sorr—” Pinkie Pie put a hoof to Twilight’s mouth and stopped her.

“Say no more, I forgive you.” Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and said, “Among all of us, I know the best about how loneliness tears away at somepony’s heart. I know what drove you to do this, and you meant us no harm. So please don’t be sad anymore, and smile!” Pinkie Pie struck a wide grin.

“… Thank you, Pinkie.” Twilight smiled. “Now let us get back down, before they notice the lack of bouncing pink pony in their midst.”

They trotted back to the partying guests. Most of them has already settled down for less exertive activities, sitting down at tables and chatting with each other. They gestured to the waiting mares, who acknowledged their return and went forth. They then spread out and tend to the party guests one by one, and joined in their casual chatters. Twilight was lead around by Pinkie, who introduced all the other ponies that attended the party to Twilight, or rather, introduced Twilight to all of them in actuality.

The night went on, and party guests started to bid their farewells and the crowd thinned down. Although ponies tended to stay up at the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration, most of them still had to wash and brush up before the big event. Therefore one by one they left, until only the Mane Six and Spike was left in the empty library.

Fluttershy swiftly flew to the side of Spike. She tucked and cooed him to his tiny bed, her face filled with satisfaction.

Twilight lit her horn, a dazzling flash of purple magic engulfed the library. All the remaining food, drinks, streamers, and associated debris from the party immediately disappeared into nothingness. 

“Hey!” Pinkie Pie yelled.

“Whoops, sorry Pinkie.” Twilight grimaced and lit her horn again, returning the party cannon that was mistakenly teleported away from the pink mare.

The group moved quietly to the basement. 

“So the cabal is formed, it seems.” Rarity commented.

Twilight let out a relaxed sigh. “I’ve waited for this day for so, so long… I’m so-”

“One more word of apology, I’m out.” Rainbow Dash interrupted.

“S- I mean, okay…” Twilight sheepishly nodded.

“Please girls, can we stop moping around and actually plan something?” Rarity pleaded. “Nightmare Moon will be coming on soon.”

Applejack nodded. “Yer right. It’s jus’ a few hours till she arrives.”

“Not that we can do anything without the Elements.” Twilight bit her lips.

“Speaking of which, will we really … succeed? Can we really bond with the Elements, now that we’re like … this?” Pinkie Pie quipped.

“I don’t know for sure, but I fervently hope that my calculation is right and our faith in the Elements proves true.” Twilight shook her head and looked out of the window. The grey shadow of the Mare in the Moon seemed to have flickered a bit.

Twilight sighed to the quiet group. “Let’s wait here and let Spike have his nap. Then we all go to the town hall and wait for the entrance of ye olde-fashioned princess.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ponies of Ponyville gathered at the town hall at the twilight hours. Everypony was eager to witness their beloved sun princess raising the sun above the horizons. The Mane Six, on the contrary, simply watched on with sour faces. Spike, who were sitting at the back of Twilight, looked at the empty balcony anxiously.

The curtains to the stage opened up, and the Mayor Mare proudly announced the beginning of the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration. Ponies around the town hall cheered in excitement. Rarity bit her lip and grimaced, she walked onto the balcony and had to announce the inevitable, “The Princess … is gone!” She yelled.

Ponies all around the hall gasped and looked at one another. Knowing who’s coming on, Rarity rushed down to join her friends downstairs.

Soon afterwards, a dark Alicorn materialized in a bout of magic and dark winds on the balcony. “Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little sun-loving faces.” She cackled loudly.

The ponies were shocked, but the Mane Six looked on unfazed. Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight, and jokingly whispered. “See, your evil witch magic looks far less awesome to her evil witch magic.”

Twilight chuckled, and then huffed in a faux-indignant tone. “I’m also far less stereotypical, thank you very much.” 

She turned to the dark Alicorn. “… You’re not Princess Celestia.”

“Of course I’m not!” The dark Alicorn gritted her teeth, she then chuckled. “Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?”

Facing with a complete silence, she continued, “Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not--”

“Crown no longer counted for much shorter time in history, Nightmare Moon.” Twilight interrupted.

The crowd gasped and cowered upon hearing the name of the dark Alicorn, but Nightmare Moon paid them no heed and continued, “So somepony did remember, even though it’s just an insolent whelp. Surely you also know why I’m here.”

“To… bring about eternal night!” Twilight gritted her teeth and yelled, causing more ponies to gasp in horror.

“Ha ha ha, this is correct, little ponies. Remember this day, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!” Nightmare Moon laughed and cackled, thunders cracking across the air.

“Did she just cast lightning spells just for dramatic effects?” Twilight muttered, as a few Royal Guards swooped in to tackle the dark Alicorn. Nightmare Moon, however, repelled their attack with ease. “Fools, did you think you can simply subdue me?” She wrapped herself with her dark Alicorn magic and flew out of the door of the town hall. Everypony simply watched with mouths agape.

“Wait, where’s Spike?” Twilight asked, finding out that the little dragon was not sitting on her back.

“Uh, he fell over unconscious when Nightmare Moon showed up.” Rarity replied, pointing at the baby dragon passed out in Fluttershy’s lap.
> Chapter 3 – The Dark Side of the Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Mayor Mare had persuaded the assembled ponies to go back home for the moment, although most of them were still in shock or deep worry. The Mane Six then carried the unconscious form of Spike back to the Golden Oak Library.


“Should we bring Spike along?” Pinkie asked, looking at the baby dragon.


“The Everfree is way too dangerous for Spike! Besides, he’s not supposed to be there.” Fluttershy protested.


Rarity countered. “But it’s also wrong to just leave Spike alone. We need to monitor him closely since we don’t know if his fainting’s just it or something more.”


Fluttershy widened her eyes and said quietly. “Y- You’re right.”


“Also, what if he waked up just to find no one’s around?” Rainbow Dash quipped.


“That’s right, sugarcube, he’d think that Nightmare Moon’s kidnapped all o’ us!” Applejack added.


“With six mares to protect him, hardly a hair of his would be harmed.” The cyan mare smirked.


“Rainbow, Spike is a dragon, he doesn’t have hairs.” Twilight said blankly.


“You know what, facts are for wimps.”


“An-y-way.” Twilight said, “I agree that we should keep an eye on him by bringing him with us. Besides, I don’t want him to always be the tag-along little dragon. He needs to see some actions… if he wakes up that is.”


The mares nodded, Twilight then elevated Spike onto her back and fastened him to her with a belt.


“Let’s move girls. Some naughty pony is listening in.”


The group promptly left the Library and went towards the edge of Ponyville. They passed the bridge to Fluttershy’s cottage, and soon the towering trees of the Everfree forest was in sight. 


“Lovely place, isn’t it.” Rarity grimaced, as she looked at the spooky-looking woods.


“It’s seen better times.” Twilight muttered meaningfully.




“Hey now,” Pinkie pointed to the woods. “Let’s focus at the present, shall we?”


Twilight nodded. “Indeed. I’m going to deal with those ancient issues after we finished up with Nightmare Moon.”


The purple mare suddenly felt some rumbling on her back. “W-Where are we?” Spike groggily said. It appeared that the baby dragon has been awaken by the noise of their chatter.


“We’re in the Everfree forest, sugarcube.” Applejack stated in a mock-scary tone. Spike’s eye shot open, and he fell straight back into unconsciousness.


“Applejack! Scares aren’t healthy for Spike!” Twilight chided.


“What? I wasn’t lying ‘bout that.” Applejack retorted.


“You can be more tactful with your phrasing though, Applejack.” Fluttershy also added.


“Tell him he’s in Royal Canterlot Garden? Pfeh, it’s easier anyway if the little whel—Spike’s knocked out.” Rainbow Dash wagged her tongue.


“Let me check him up first.” Twilight reached for the unconscious form of Spike and inspected. “… It’d seem it’s nothing to worry.” 


The group walked across the woods and found themselves at the top of a cliff. “We’re supposed to go down from here, right?” Rarity asked.


“Uh, we have to do something first, I think.” Rainbow Dash glanced to the shadow lurking in the woods. “It doesn’t make sense as we already know, but I guess we still have to prove to the Elements or the Spirit of Harmony that we are true to our Virtues.”


After an awkward silence, Applejack suddenly yelled at an over-the-top manner.
“Tha’s plum touched! How on earth d’ya think we can think up something from the ground up?” 


“What’re you on about? I can’t even understand you with the giant apple stuffed in your mouth!” Rarity immediately caught Applejack’s intention and dramatically mocked.


“What? Ah’m gunna whip yer plot so hard yer ain’t gunna recognize yer famblies!” Applejack growled angrily.


Fluttershy opened her mouth, but absolutely nothing came out at all. Pinkie Pie just grinned awkwardly and watched. 


Suddenly, a glistening smoke momentarily flashed, and the earth began to violently shake. The protruding piece of cliff broke off from the mountain. The ground the mares stood on gave way, and all ponies except Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fell off the steep cliff.


Pinkie Pie somehow whipped out a skateboard from her puffy mane, and stepped on it with a “thud”. 


She skillfully kicked, which landed herself on the almost vertical surface of the cliff. She then slid downwards with incredible speed, and reached the valley floor at the blink of the eye. She flipped the skateboard up with a flourish, and grinned towards the two pegasi, who watched with awe.


Rarity swiftly flared her horn, and a giant crystalline rod popped out from the mountain body, neatly catching the falling unicorn. She however looked quite unhappy at the turn of event. 


“Do we absolutely have to do this? My coiffure’s ruined.” She groaned.


Applejack grabbed at a protruding branch mid-fall, and landed herself on a small platform. 


Twilight immediately teleported Spike for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to grab at, but she was not quick enough to teleport herself. She too barely managed to hold onto a tree branch at a much higher place, and looked down at the orange mare. 


Twilight blinked at Applejack, then Applejack nodded and yelled. “Jump down Twi, Ah’ll catch you.”


Twilight let go of the branch, and she immediately fell like a lead weight. Applejack gripped at the ground and lowered her body in preparation, then leapt at the precise moment and caught the purple mare at the exact right time.


“So, does this count as a case of honesty and trusting in your friend?” Twilight asked in the hooves of Applejack with a hopeful smile.


“It’s not like you couldn’t hold on anymore. You had plenty o’ time t’ yerself away.” Applejack stated matter-of-factly. “Besides, you should eat less sundae, Twi, yer too heavy.” 


Twilight wiggled herself out of Applejack’s hooves, and grumbled. “Yeah, you’re very honest, alright.”


Applejack simple burst out in mirthful laughter.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mares gathered up at the base of the cliff, and walked further into the forest. Calls from various exotic dwellers of the forest echoed across the forest. It was a strange and terrifying environment for most ponies, especially those from Ponyville, who heard countless terrible tales about the place since foalhood. But the Mane Six treaded forth with barely any fear. To them, the forest was hardly strange and new.  Pinkie even whistled a cheerful tune as she trotted on.


Suddenly, a giant menacing figure was seen stomping the ground and running towards them. “It’s time,” Twilight observed. “Go Fluttershy, it’s your show-time.”


Fluttershy gulped and flew forward, and what entered her view had shocked her. Something even taller than the tallest of the tree was approaching her. 


Instead of a smaller creature as expected, it was a raging and fully-grown Ursa Major. The Ursa, who was towering above the ponies, roared thunderously, which caused even the mares far away to wince and cover their ears.


“What the hay? A bucking Ursa?!” Rainbow Dash gasped. “Twi, this is way off!”


“I- I don’t know either!”


Fluttershy’s teeth clattered, as she thought about the Ursa’s powerful paws which could smash her into a pulp in one fell-swoop. She doubted that the Ursa could even see her since she was positively minuscule compared to the gargantuan creature. 


But her animal-loving instinct won over, as she stopped in front of the Ursa and called out with her loudest voice, “Please stop, um, Mr. Ursa!” She glimpsed at the Ursa’s more angular features, and deduced that it was a he.


The Ursa Major glared at the puny yellow mare, and let out another loud roar. Fluttershy was undaunted however, and pleaded with steady eye. The Ursa winced and saw her eyes. He calmed down slightly, but still visibly agitated.


“Good, now let me check your paws.” Fluttershy flew towards the giant Ursa’s belly. The Ursa was alarmed, but Fluttershy stared firmly at him again, and it reluctantly let her examine his front paws.


Fluttershy held up the left front paw of the Ursa, and easily located a dead branch, almost as big as her, stuck in the paw. Fluttershy was relieved, and told the Ursa, “Now steady mister, it might hurt for a bit.”


She hugged at the dead tree branch, gritted her teeth and pulled it out with some difficulty. The Ursa initially let out a painful roar, but then felt no pain in his paw anymore. He narrowed his eyes and glared at the yellow mare, who simply smiled gently. Then he huffed, turned around and simply walked into woods, seemingly unthankful. His stomps reverberated in the forest as he stood tall, head almost emerging from the tall tree crowns themselves.


The other mares trotted up to Fluttershy. Twilight lit her horn and shot a blast towards the offending log, which disintegrated completely.


“Did she want to kill us?” Rainbow groaned aloud.


“It’d seem that treating an Ursa Major was just the same as you’d treat a smaller creature though.” Rarity commented. “It’s just the old thorn-in-paw trick, just upgraded to extra-large.”


“He’s hotter than blue blazes cos there’s a darn thorn in his paw, crazy thing. Don’t seem thankful or anything even.” Applejack said.


“Kindness is not something that’s given because we expect thanks or rewards,” Fluttershy quietly explained, as she looked at the retreating figure of the Ursa Major.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mares again began trotting deeper into the Everfree. The surrounding became darker and more sinister-looking as they proceeded forward. Trees that had merely seemed crooked and ancient suddenly appeared to grow grotesque faces as well. Hollering winds and shaking leaves emitted a strange mix of gasps and wailing.


“I think she’s tryin’ to scare us.” Applejack blinked.


“Yeah, surely nailed the atmosphere.” Twilight said, and turned to the party mare. “Uh Pinkie, about singing in here...”


Pinkie Pie huffed. “Silly Twilight, are you questioning my ability to make ponies laugh without a song? My stand-up routine can also make you all crack up like a bunch of mad hyenas!”


“That’s specie-ist, darling.” Rarity pointed out.


“Hey, doing punchlines are my job!” Pinkie jokingly protested, and then giggled.


“Alright girls,” Pinkie cleared her throat and put on a poker face. “Y’know, I get anxious sometimes. Other ponies always told me that, ‘It’s all in your head!’ I have to deal with my head all the time. That’s like saying, ‘Don’t worry about the parasprites, it’s just in your house!’”


The mares heartily chuckled, and Pinkie continued, “… I’ve been single since I moved to Ponyville. I found out that because of this, Mrs. Cake recently asked one of my friends if I’m into mares instead of colts.” Rainbow Dash let out an inadvertent snicker. “… I’m not, though I think that just shows the supportive attitude she had towards my life. ‘Well, she’s not winning, so she must be playing another game!’”


The group burst into a rapturous laughter. Pinkie Pie grinned widely, as the magically-twisted scenery returned to normal in a puff of dark smoke.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group arrived at a raging river in the middle of the forest. They stood at the bank of the river for a long while, waiting for something to happen. As Twilight pondered whether to just teleport the entire group across the water at the risk of overexertion, a wistful sea serpent arose from the water.


“What a world, what a world.” The sea serpent wailed and sobbed.


“Oh my, what happened to your beautiful mane and moustache?” Rarity queried, slightly surprised. She’d expected just a shoddy cut-job of his moustache, but what she instead witnessed was not just a travesty of fashion, it’s a violation of common decency. 


Part of the sea serpent’s head was almost shaved clean, leaving a mane-cut which could only be best described as a drunken barber’s reverse Mohawk. His moustache was also cut into the shape of a lopsided toothbrush. It was a complete mess.


“Well, I don't know. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just popped into my face and messed with my well-coiffed mane and moustache. When it went away, I looked at myself in the water and found them completely, irrevocably ruined!” The sea serpent burst into tears again.


Even Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but felt for the sea serpent, “Wow, that’s so totally uncool.”


Rarity gawked at the straight-up genocide of good sense, and said, “Such lovely luminescent scales and fabulous manicure, all ruined because of that horrible cut-job!” 


“It's true, I'm hideous!” The sea serpent wailed.


Rarity observed, she was going to cut off a portion of her tail to fix his manestyle, but the damage was too extensive. She couldn’t fix half of it even if she shaved herself bald. As she pondered for a way to fix his mane and moustache, Twilight leaned in and said. “Do it, I’ll help.”


Rarity looked back at Twilight and nodded. She quickly chopped her tail short with her magic. “What did you do that for?” The sea serpent yelped.


“I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected.” Rarity smiled. Twilight stepped forth and casted a spell on Rarity’s cut purple tail, and it promptly grew several times longer. 


Rarity grinned, now the tail’s long enough for a proper clip-in operation. She raised the purple tail with her magic, and intermixed it with the sea serpent’s own mane. A blue glow surrounded the sea serpent’s mane, as Rarity’s magic nimbly combed and coiled around the orange and purple hairs. After the glow dimmed, the sea serpent’s mane returned to a flowing and proper style, with a single purple stripe curiously resembling Twilight’s mane color. Rarity then took the last strands of hair and tied them to the remaining moustache, and bent them upwards to form a gentlemanly handlebar. It was a job well-done.


“Oh-hohohoho! My moustache, my mane! How can I ever thank you … little ponies?” The sea serpent moaned in delight.


“I’m Rarity, and this is my friends Twilight,” Rarity then introduced her friends one by one. “You look smashing now! May I have to pleasure to learn of your name too?”


“My name’s Steven Magnet, my lady. Oh! You’re my savior, my heroine, my guardian angel! You want to cross the river, right? Please, allow me.” Steven Magnet lowered his back, and gestured the ponies to board.


After crossing the river without incident, Rarity turned around and thanked Steven Magnet. “No need for thanks, Rarity. Your expert and timely mane-job was simply stuff of my dream. Please, let me know if I can help out next time you enter the Everfree, my home is just nearby.” Rarity graciously curtsied and bid the grateful sea serpent farewell. 


“Hang on Twilight,” Rarity suddenly realized. “You could have just used his remaining mane to do your little hair-extension magic, couldn’t you?” 


Twilight opened her mouth, but she then merely nodded. Rarity couldn’t help but slap her own forehead with her hoof.


“Short tails are in chic, remember?” Rainbow Dash teased.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mares then trotted into a dilapidated clearing in the middle of the forest. A ruined castle entered their sight, but they were separated from the castle by a deep chasm. No crossing was in sight to allow easy access, to the ponies’ surprise.


“Paging Doctor Rainbow Dash, broken bridge.” Twilight japed. Rainbow Dash smirked and looked around. After some searching, she noticed a long, thick bundle of vine hanging from an oak across the rift. She immediately flew to the other side and grabbed at the vine.


Just when she tucked at the trailing plant to make sure it was good for a pony’s weight, a dark smoke suddenly enveloped her and a trio of Wonderbolts-like figures appeared, the only difference being that they were wearing pitch-black uniforms instead of the iconic blue tight-suits of the Wonderbolts.


“We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria,” One of the shadowy figures proclaimed. “We want you to join us, the Shabowbolts!” 


Rainbow glared but didn’t speak up, so the shadow pony continued. “We're the greatest aerial team in the Everfree Forest, and soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria.” 


The pony whispered in Rainbow Dash’s ears. “But first we need … a captain! The most magnificent... the swiftest … bravest flyer in all the land!” She leaned in even closer, “We need... you.”


Rainbow remained expressionless for a long while, her stare inscrutable. The level of awkwardness started to build up. Eventually, the leader of the Shabowbolts spoke up. “Well?”


Rainbow suddenly smirked. “I’m very glad that somepony recognized my awesomeness on sight and immediately pledged their allegiance to me. Very well, as the new captain of the Shadowbolts, I give you your first mission: Join me and help pick up my friends at the other side of the chasm.”


The leader of the Shadowbolts took a while to process what she’d just heard, then said with a slightly flabbergasted tone. “Huh? No! It's, uh, them or us!”


“Pfft, then bugger off you stooges. I don’t need anypony who couldn’t even follow a simple command from their captain.”


Rainbow then ignored the shadow ponies, and proceeded to grab the end of the vine and brought it across the chasm to her friends.


The Shadowbolts watched Rainbow fly back to her friends and gritted their teeth. They weren’t letting this go that easily.


Rainbow Dash emerged from the thick smoke and greeted her friends with the new mean to cross the chasm. Then three figures appeared behind Rainbow all of a suddenly and tackled the group.


“Wow, are you ponies aerial acrobats or hired thugs?” Rainbow exclaimed, as she barely maneuvered away from one desperate tackle of the shadow pony.


“Hey, pirated version of the Wonderbolts, that’s cute.” Rarity grinned, shooting a bolt of magic against her assailant and sending her across the chasm, “Ha! Have at it, villain!”


Applejack dispatched another shadow pony using a powerful back-kick with her legs. The remaining leader of the shadow ponies glowered, and tackled Fluttershy, the seemingly weakest of the group.


Fluttershy was carefully trotting away from the commotion. When she saw the Shadowbolts leader coming at great speed, she simply sighed and used the Stare on her.


The Shadowbolts leader gasped and stopped in her track immediately. She babbled and grasped her neck, then with some tremble, she clumsily flew away in the opposite direction at an ever higher speed.


“Dang, that Stare’s not somethin’ of this earth.” Applejack commented.


“Now that’s taken care of, we should get going immediately.” Twilight said.


“Tarzan Swing! I love it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mares landed on the opposite side one by one, and hurriedly galloped towards the ruined castle. 


“Huh, do you think that the forest’s been more … vicious?” Pinkie asked in between breaths.


“Well, an Ursa Major showed up, what can I say?” Twilight said.


“I don’t suppose it’s due to… our new knowledge.” Rarity commented.


“Let’s hope the final encounter wouldn’t turn out ridiculously hard.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.


They entered the main gate to the castle and reached a chamber. Twilight immediately trotted up to the elaborate arrangement of stands that held five delicately-crafted orbs.


“She wasn’t here yet. Let me try firing this thing up.” Twilight licked her lip. But before she could even fire up a single spell, the dark smoke that has been following them around suddenly appeared and engulfed her and the orbs once more. Then in a bright flash they simply disappeared altogether.


The mares looked at one another and immediately reached for the throne room, which emitted a visible white glow even viewing from the outside.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You impudent foal!” 


Nightmare Moon said contemptuously towards Twilight, who found herself in an ancient throne room. 


“Your brazen words in front of your royal highness have not been forgotten. You will be duly punished.” 


Nightmare Moon paused for attention. “After I brought eternal night to all of Equestria! Mwahahaha!”


Twilight looked at Nightmare Moon and mentally snorted. Her inherited experiences went back to a much more ancient time than the dark Alicorn, but she was just called a ‘foal’.


Twilight steadied herself and said. “Nightmare Moon, I have no wish to lay harm on you. I’m merely going to use the Elements to cleanse you of any dark influence and return you to your sister.” 


Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth and angrily scowled. “I have no sister! You ponies will never see your beloved princess, or your sun ever again! The night will last forever!” She then forcefully stomped on each of the five stone orbs, shattering them into little pieces.


“Ha, ha, Mwahahaha! I’m victorious at last, nopony can stop me now!” Nightmare Moon laughed in a high pitch.


“Do you even realize that’s the last words of countless fallen villains?” Rainbow Dash, who galloped into the throne room with her friends, mocked.


“Fools, without the Elements of Harmony, none of you are even close to powerful enough to stop me!” 


Nightmare Moon haughtily bellowed. “Now, bow before me, and I might consider spare your lives after my glorious ascension.”


Twilight sighed. “No wonder you were defeated. You don’t even know how the Elements work!” 


She said with some impatience. “The orbs are the form of the Elements, but the essence of the Elements is wielded by and projected through the Element-bearers, who personify the virtues of the Elements. How can you not know, being a former bearer yourself? The sixth element, the Magic of Harmony will manifest itself as long as the Element-bearers will it.”


“In other words, you can’t destroy the Elements simply by physical forces.” Rarity helpfully supplied.


“Well in that case, I will simply subdue all of you forcefully so you’ll not have a chance to use it.” Nightmare Moon growled, as she leapt forth and casted a giant bolt of lightning at the Mane Six.


Twilight immediately casted a powerful shielding spell, and an invisible wall have dissipated the incoming attack.


Applejack and Rainbow Dash then sprang forth, intending to hold down the dark Alicorn and let Twilight blast her with her Harmony Magic. 


“Pull back! It’s too risky to go into close combat!” Twilight yelled, as she saw Nightmare Moon’s eye lit a vivid white. A malicious force then swatted both Applejack and Rainbow Dash to the back of the throne room, and they landed on the crumbling stone wall. Rainbow Dash let out a painful yelp.


“Hahaha! Do you now see the futility of your resistance?” Nightmare Moon cackled.


Twilight merely glared. “Your antics at the woods simply gave us the chances to demonstrate the connections between the Elements and our qualities.” 


She bobbed her head slightly. “Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity and Loyalty. They together form an impenetrable fortress in our hearts, which I will now show you – the Magic of Harmony!”


Twilight howled, and she casted a spell that emitted countless purple magical tendrils. They leapt forth like a snake’s tongue and restrained Nightmare Moon’s legs. 


“Now who’s playing laughable antics?” Nightmare Moon scoffed, as she prepared to casually disperse the restrictive magic.


This was when Twilight’s eyes began to glow a clear white. She and her friends elevated to the air in a gush of colorful magic. The powdered dust of the orbs rose and reconstituted into each of the jewelries representing each Elements. The Elements then snapped onto the necks of the Mane Six, as a brilliant band of rainbow wrapped around them and grew in size. 


‘It worked!’ Twilight squealed in her mind.


Then, the magical rainbow consisting of pure Harmony Magic struck the dark Alicorn, who looked on with great alarm. She was squarely hit and let out of painful yell, then knocked back onto the old derelict throne gracelessly with great force. The old stone chair shattered in a thousand pieces. 


“Whoops, forgot to tell her to brace.” Twilight stuck her tongue out. She turned to her friends, and said. “I don’t know how we did it, but well done girls, the Elements seemed to recognize our rather … unusual friendship.”


“The Elements do possess hair regeneration power!” Rarity looked at her tail which had grown back. “Surely we can harness that amazing power to help countless ponies who suffer from mane loss?”


The group cheerfully laughed. However, Twilight turned to Spike and muttered worriedly. 


“He shouldn’t have any external or inner injuries… Why isn’t he-”


“Uhm… what’s happening here again?” Spike rubbed his eyes and asked, interrupting Twilight’s murmuring. 


Applejack again wanted to speak up, but she was quickly stopped by Twilight, who instead said. “Don’t worry Spike, we found the Elements of Harmony, defeated Nightmare Moon and fixed everything.”


“Yeah, hunky-dory and everything.” Rainbow Dash looked at a flabbergasted Spike and rolled her eyes.


“Seems like our work here’s done.” Applejack nodded with relief. 


“Indeed, my little ponies.” A bright light shone through from the balcony, and the Mane Six turned around to see the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia, stood regally and smiled at them. The sun has risen above the horizons, it had seemed that Nightmare Moon was truly defeated and the power of darkness was casted off, for now.


“Your Highness.” The mares bowed at the royal presence. 


“We’re immensely thankful that you’re safe and unharmed.” Twilight duly replied.


“There’s no need to be so formal, dear Twilight. You and your friends have rendered a great service to Equestria.” Celestia smiled. “I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart.”


“Thank you for your kind words Princess,” Twilight curtsied. “We simply saw to that you and your sister are finally united.”


“Oh? So you did know, Twilight. You’re ever so faithful, humble and yet surprising.” Celestia said with a raised eyebrow. She then turned to the former Nightmare Moon, and solemnly declared, “Luna, it has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this.”


Princess Luna gasped and looked up fearfully from the wrecked throne. She gulped and opened her mouth, but not one word came out.


“Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister.” Celestia warmly offered. “Will you accept my friendship?”


Princess Luna burst into tears, and threw herself into the gentle embrace of her big sister. “I'm so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister!”


“I've missed you, too.” Celestia said quietly.


Twilight looked on with a relieved look. At least everything turned out fine.


Suddenly, she remembered something else, and jabbed Pinkie with her back leg. 


Pinkie’s eyes shot wide, and realized it as well. “Oh oh! Do you know what this calls for?” 


She jumped cheerfully. “A party!”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike has fully recovered, and was exceedingly wakeful as if he had taken a lengthy rest. He was now feasting on cakes and gems from thankful ponies who hailed the Mane Six and Spike as heroes, even when all he did was laying on Fluttershy’s back snoring like an old bear. 
 
“I’m still a bit miffed that she left all the work to us, hid in who knows where and acting all sagely afterwards.” Rainbow Dash smirked and said, watching the numerous ponies streaming towards the impromptu celebration of the return of Princess Celestia and the reunion of the Sisters.


“Celestia’s just doing what she thought it was best for me, Rainbow. She is far from infallible. But she is very capable, or else Equestria wouldn’t have stood tall while other nations fell into oblivion and obscurity.”


“Now that we got the Elements, what should we do?” Rarity queried.


“I’m not going to let my newfound knowledge go to waste. On the short-to-middle term, we must preempt the future sources of threat by dealing with them before they became threats.”


“Twi, you know disaster-proofin’ Equestria tends to have a bad result.” Applejack reminded.


“This is different than paranoia, though. We know about Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, just like we know about Nightmare Moon. And of course… there are reformable ones like Discord, and Starlight Glimmer… maybe? I would give it my all to befriend or at least neutralize their threats as peacefully as possible. We should fully exploit our foreknowledge in order to go one step beyond passive defense.”


“This is in principle not a bad idea, dear, but I’m afraid it would cause unpredictable changes the farther we go.” Rarity sighed.


“Not that Nightmare Moon exactly used any other tricks, even though Twi met the tome moons ago and did so many things differently. Butterfly effect might be overrated.” Rainbow Dash shrugged.


“Still won’t hurt to be careful. We can’t flaunt our knowledge too blatantly, or ponies would get suspicious or weirded out.” Rarity cautioned.


Twilight closed her eyes and exhaled. “I agree with Rarity. For now, I prefer to lay low and follow our routines as closely as possible, so that we don’t rouse suspicion. However, I also want to change things slowly… Something big in the long-term.”


“Twilight.” Fluttershy said in a rare asserted tone. “What you are planning can affect hundreds of thousands of lives, and the entire fate of Equestria as a nation. You must be thoughtful and careful.”


“This is for certain. Regarding political matters, I will only act with caution and act only after everything else is settled. We are still small potatoes and need to accumulate some sort of meaningful influence anyway, even though we did defeat Nightmare Moon. Even if someday I become a princess, my stature would still likely be miniscule compared to the other three princesses.”


Twilight wryly chuckled. “But it’s ironic, isn’t it? To render the crown ceremonial, I must strive to have one that is not. But if it does lead to a more peaceful and irenic world, then I don’t mind being somewhat hypocritical.”


“Hey, stop talking about boring stuffs! Get into the party mood, girls!” Pinkie Pie leapt in between the talking mares. 


“Hear me play the trombone!” She blew into the instrument in an over-the-top manner, and a loud off-key note went out.


The mares erupted into loud laughter. That’s when the golden chariot that carried Princess Celestia and Princess Luna landed in the middle of the crowd. Loud cheers reverberated throughout the town square in which the celebration took place.


Twilight and her friends trotted near the royal entourage, and she was surprised to find that it was Fast Winds and Sky Stream again who pulled the Princesses’ chariot. She smilingly nodded at the Royal Guards, who in turn nodded at her, but just barely perceptible. 


Fluttershy gently placed her hooves on the shoulder of Spike, reminding him to join them as they approached the Princesses. The litter Royal Sister looked uncomfortable, as she was clearly still apprehensive about what she had done as Nightmare Moon, and on the other hoof, getting so much attention all of a sudden.


“Good day, Your Highnesses,” Twilight lowered her head. “It’s great to see you again.”


“Good to see you too, my faithful student,” Celestia gently smiled, but then frowned, “Twilight, you sound a little bit … reserved, is anything wrong?”


“Oh, not at all, y-Princess Celestia,” Twilight was still a bit rigid after the little talk on dismantling the current political system. “I simply think it more appropriate to use a more formal way of address you and Princess Luna in the public, as it is not well-known that I’m your student.”


Celestia nodded. It seemed that her student had grown much more mature and level-headed in recent days. She had always thought that Twilight was a rational mare, although prone to occasional anxiety attack. She was also worried that the secluded life of magical learning in Canterlot had made Twilight Sparkle into a hermit and a social recluse. 


But recently, as Celestia observed and heard from ponies around Twilight Sparkle, Twilight seemed to have become much more skillful, expertly even, in social situations and making herself likeable in general. Twilight began to greet and socialize with other ponies and royal guests in the castle. 


She even seemed to have memorized the names and faces of the Royal Guards and other palace employees, as Celestia once saw Twilight casually greeting the bed-maids of her royal chamber. Celestia also remembered how shocked she was, when she was told that Twilight had forgone one of her obligatory study binge before a royal examination, in order to attend the birthday party of Lemon Hearts, something the Twilight of old would have never done.


Celestia closed her eyes and sighed under her breath. Has Twilight changed into another pony? Had some evil creature taken her form and impersonated her most faithful student? Or did Twilight simply grow up? Celestia regarded her suspicion preposterous, as Twilight otherwise behaved like the old Twilight, but in her deepest heart she was uncertain. Twilight was now a highly able and mature pony, if just somewhat inexperienced, and she could obviously finish her assigned tasks with flying colors. She wouldn’t admit it outright, but she somewhat missed the innocent and sometimes overly dependent filly, who would write her letters reporting every minute details of her daily life.


“Princess, is there any problem?” Twilight asked with concern, as she noticed that the Princess had simply stood and looked at her in silence.


“… No, not at all Twilight. You’ve done a great job and rescued my beloved sister from the evil clutch of darkness. I thank you with all my heart.” Celestia leaned forward and bowed at Twilight. 


“I’m truly overwhelmed, Princess Celestia. I dare not accept the honor and rather defer it to my friends.” Twilight stood back and joined her companions, “For without their faith and support, I could never experience true friendship and ignite the bright flame that is the Magic of Harmony inside my heart.” 


“Excellent. Twilight, you’ve displayed much maturity and responsibility in the handling of matters. I’m sure you’re now more than ready to continue your studies back in Canterlot.”


“I beg for your understanding, Princess Celestia, but I must stay. I’ve always wanted to study the most arcane of magic. But to me, the magic of friendship is the most complicated and least understood one for me yet. My experiences with my new friends at Ponyville taught me much that I had missed in my solitary pursuit of knowledge.”

Celestia raised her eyebrow. If the Twilight of old had said that, she would have readily believed her and granted her leave. Not that the magic of friendship wasn’t a very worthy subject to study, nor was there little to learn; But the Twilight of now seemed to be a much more adjusted mare and good at socializing, she’s grown somewhat doubtful towards Twilight’s assertion that she needed to stay and learn about friendship anew. At the end, the recent change in Twilight’s personality had made her hesitant to grant Twilight’s request right away.

Twilight observed her teacher’s expression, and grasped that she’s somewhat unsure and doubtful. ‘…Is she thinking that I don’t need to learn about it? Is it because I’ve started to smooth-talk too much back in Canterlot? Darn it, I hadn’t thought that’d come back and bite me in the plot!’ Twilight mentally groaned.

Sensing Twilight’s desperation, her friends strode forward and joined her plea. “Princess Celestia.” Rarity said. “Twilight had proved herself to be a stalwart and faithful friend during our adventure. We’d be deeply saddened to be separated with her so swiftly afterwards.”


“Rarity’s right. We’ve built a plum sweet friendship when we’re a-chasin’ the Nightmare Moon. Please let her stay if that’s what she want, ah beg of you, Princess Celestia.” Applejack also pled.


“Pluh—ease?” Pinkie said with her best big puppy watery eyes.


“I—I will also miss my friends, please, Princess Celestia.” Twilight implored again, this time much more earnestly and with raw emotion.


Celestia deliberated for a while. She mulled over Twilight in the recent months. Twilight was certainly reaching out to other ponies instead of burying her head in the tomes, which seemed to be a good sign. She’s become even more gregarious and approachable than most ponies in the castle. 


Too gregarious, however. Sometimes Celestia couldn’t help but think that her smiles were a bit unctuous, as if it was only an affable façade hiding something. She’d liked to think that Twilight’s grown mature, but she now increasingly feared that Twilight would go astray and become overly calculating. She despaired if Twilight, her beloved student, simply saw other ponies as simply means to her ends. She had seen it before.


That’s one of the reasons why she sent Twilight out on this mission that hinged on forging true friendship. She not only wanted Twilight to get to know more ponies, but also to have a taste of sincere camaraderie from the little adventure of hers. She was unsure whether Twilight was cajoling at other ponies to some purposes of her own, or she just looked unnatural because she was inexperienced in social situations. Either way, she considered that the mission would be helpful. 


She revolted at the unpleasant thought of an evil manipulative Twilight. Fortunately, Twilight seemed to have now made good friends that were ready to defend her when she was in distress. It would be inappropriate to separate her from her newly-forged friends against her wishes. Besides, perhaps her friends could guide Twilight onto the right path.


Celestia eventually nodded. “Very well, Twilight, I’ll grant your request.” She smiled and gestured to Spike, who was looking on with concern. “Spike, take a note, please. I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville.”


Twilight positively beamed. “Oh thank you, Princess Celestia! I'll study harder than ever before!” The surrounding ponies loudly cheered, and Twilight was suddenly pulled into a group hug by her joyous friends, which made her yelp in surprise.


Their impromptu group hug was interrupted, however, by Princess Luna. “Twilight Sparkle,” She exclaimed. “I must thank you with all my heart as well. I’m more than ashamed of myself for falling foul to jealousy and committed so many heinous acts.”


Princess Luna paused as she appeared to have thought of some painful memories, but she then made a slightly bashful smile. “As my sister has veritably spake, I will have to let true friendship into my hearts to redeem myself as well. May your … our common endeavors be ever fruitful.” 


“Certainly, Your Hi—I mean, Princess Luna,” Twilight said. “I’m ever your faithful listener and friend. And uh,” Twilight sputtered for a bit, “Regarding my remarks in the town hall, I was … merely taunting and I humbly apologized for any transgression I’ve made.”


“No offense taken, Twilight Sparkle.” Princess Luna graciously replied. Princess Celestia looked at them in surprise, wondering what had happened. She opened her mouth to ask, but eventually decided against it.


Pinkie Pie let out a gleeful squeal and said. “Less talking, more partying! We still have tons of fun games to play!” The ponies laughed and proceeded to immerse themselves in the fun and excitement of the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration.


Before Twilight joined the playing ponies, Spike stopped her and asked. “So that’s the reason you said we might have to stay here for a long time ... But why do you have to insist on staying, Twilight? Not that I don’t like at the prospects of seeing lady Rarity every day … But uh, why? Yeah.”


“Spike, that’s complicated … I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you all about this before departure, but I plan to do bigger things … something that can’t be done by simply staying in Canterlot as the Princess’s protégé. Now I can act more independently in Ponyville while keeping contact with the Princess via letters.” 


Twilight then continued with a lower voice. “Plus, my friends here are really important to me, they are literally part of my life. I can’t just leave them here and go back to Canterlot myself.”


Spike stared at Twilight, and eventually nodded in understanding. He had felt that Twilight had grown somewhat weird in the recent months, but he also understood that friendship was something that was extremely precious to a mare like Twilight, so he had wisely chosen to not ask further.


> Chapter 4 – The Gutter of Glamour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Golden Oak Library was empty today. Its new custodian, Twilight Sparkle, stuck an apologetic note on the door to explain that she’s away on a task. 

Instead, the purple pony and her dragon was walking around on the sprawling apple plantation that was Sweet Apple Acres. If any other ponies saw Twilight now, they might think that the student of the Princess had gone a bit of nuts. That’s because she’s walking all over the orchard and casting random bouts of magic. She even occasionally leaned in to smell the soil, grinning and grimacing alternatively 

Twilight stood up and sighed, “So much to do and so little time. I might hire a substitute librarian if I haven’t have to worry that my book organization will be messed up.”

“Why do we need to do this anyway?” Spike groaned, “Harvesting apples I can understand, but mucking around the dirt? There aren’t even gems buried under all this gunk.”

Before Twilight could again explain to Spike about soil quality and agriculture and bore the dragon out of his head, Applejack trotted towards them from across the orchard.

“Heya sugarcube, how’s things out here?” Applejack asked with interest.

“The soil is really good, it drains well and it’s good for a wide range of plant varieties.” 

Twilight glanced at Applejack, “Not that you’d follow my suggestion if I tell you to just plant some roses instead or something.”

“Heck naw, I ain’t called Applejack for nothin’. Mah granny knew a good land for apples when she saw it.” Applejack said proudly. “So what’s the problem?”

“The apple orchard is basically a monoculture. Soil exhaustion is an inevitable occur--” Twilight’s lecture was interrupted by a loud burp of Spike, who produced a letter in the midst of his green flame.

Spike grabbed the letter and looked at the mares. When he saw their nods of approval, he cleared his throat and read its content, “Hear ye, hear ye. Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce The Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the 21st day of, eh, yadda yadda yadda, cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest.”

Applejack smirked, “Still usin’ that title and style in a letter to her student, eh?”

But Twilight merely smiled, “Well, it’s a cookie-cutter invitation. She can’t help it.”

Spike asked, “So there are two places. Who’s gonna attend it besides Twilight?”

“What ‘bout you yourself, Spike? You’re Twilight’s dearest dragon after all.” Applejack grinned.

Just as Spike was going to respond, he suddenly burped out something more from his mouth. They were the two golden tickets mentioned in the letter. 

“Couldn’t she just send them in one go?” Twilight scoffed, and then said to Spike, “So, does it please the gentledrake to attend the Grand Gala?”

“No, not even a teeny weensy bit. I don't want any of that girly frilly frou-frou nonsense.” Spike said with a long face.

“Not even with Rarity?” Applejack teased.

Spike’s eyes went wide, as he considered the distinct possibility to dance with the love of his dream in the grandest gala of the realm. But then he realized something and glumly said. “That’s not possible! We only have two tickets and Twilight’s got the other one.”

“Well, we can always ask for more.” Twilight plainly stated, “It’s not like we haven’t just saved Equestria from one of her worst villains.”

“Darn right you’re.” Applejack laughed heartily, and Spike’s hope to dance with Rarity re-ignited in his heart.

“So what’re you planning to do at the Gala, Applejack?” Twilight asked, “… Uh, if we got the extra tickets of course.”

“I’ve been fixin’ to renovate the farm, it’s long overdue.” Applejack said, “We can even expand it further. I fancied that parcel of bald across the river for a long time, but we haven’t got nearly enough bits to buy it.” 

“That piece of land, isn’t it owned by the new Duke of Lower Canterlot?” Twilight said.

“An’ do ya know who that was? It’s Prince Blueblood!” Applejack laughed.

“Yikes, no wonder it’s so exorbitantly expensive then.” Twilight shook her head.

“Right. So I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout marketin’ our apples in the capital and earnin’ some big bits. The Gala might be a good place to meet rich and influential ponies. That’s also why I’ve asked you to sample our fields and give us some advice on how to modernize the Acres.”

“I see, I’ll try my best to help then.” Twilight said.

“Mind ya, Big Mac’s not too happy wit this. He still thinks that pulling plough is the way to go, and my suggestions are way too expensive and fanciful. Like my ideas of trademarkin’ and nice packagin’. Well, I never!” Applejack rolled her eyes and mocked in an upper-class accent, “Wait till he hear about the tractors!”

“Well, you have to introduce things to him s—” Twilight said.

Suddenly, a cyan pony appeared from the gaps of the clouds and crash-landed in the middle of the talking mares, causing mud to splatter everywhere. 

Rainbow Dash moaned, “I thought I could control this.” She looked to Spike and the other mares, “Talking about anything exciting?”

“Yes, the Princess has sent us invitations to the Grand Galloping Gala.” Twilight replied.

“Um…” Rainbow hesitated for a moment, but then she glanced at the purple dragon and immediately said, “… Oh yeah! This will be a great chance to meet the Wonderbolts! Perhaps they would recognize my talents!” She recited, but couldn’t quite convince even herself as she knew what the Gala was actually like.

“That’d be great, Rainbow,” Twilight smiled, “But we only have one more ticket.”

“Pfft, just go to the Princess and ask for more. How hard’s that?” Rainbow said, “It’s not like we need to fight for that sorry piece of paper in order to go to Gala.”

“Why’s everypony so sure about getting the extra tickets?” Spike wondered aloud.

“We’re heroes of Equestria now, why wouldn’t the Princess want to show us some hospitality?” Applejack smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group trotted towards the town to gather their friends and tell them the news. They eventually arrived at the bakery Pinkie Pie worked at, the Sugarcube Corner.

They walked through the front door, and were greeted by a cerulean mare. “Dearie me, welcome to the Sugarcube Corner! What can I do you for?”

“Good day, Mrs. Cake. We’re looking for Pinkie Pie, we have some good news to tell her.” Twilight smiled politely.

“That’s great! You must be the new friend Pinkie Pie’s kept bringing up. She’s just upstairs in her room, you may go right in.” Mrs. Cake warmly replied.

They trotted up to Pinkie’s room and found the party pony wearing a goggle and tinkering with some sort of scrap parts on her workbench. “Oh hi everypony! What’s up? Oh! Is there a party that I didn’t know of yet?” Pinkie turned and asked excitedly.

“Not really, but hey inventor, what’s you messing with on your desk?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

“Oh it’s just a part of my party cannon. I’m adding some parts to it for extra storage and to let it shoot streamers and balloons with different colors at different times of the day! And oh, I’m still figuring out how to, but I want to add a remote control antenna, and also a punch fountain, and–” 

Pinkie Pie continued on, when Applejack interrupted her, “That’s great and all, but hey sugarcube, you wanna go to the Grand Galloping Gala?”

“Oh oh! I had always wanted to do a party gig in the big cities again for a long time!” Pinkie grinned, “I hope that I can lighten up those gloomy glumsy formal noble ponies with some appropriate performance.”

“It’s all good, Pinkie, but we have to get enough tickets for the Gala first, as we only have two. Only then we can see if the Princesses let us decide on the particulars of the Gala.” 

“No problemo! So what are we waiting for, let’s go find Rarity and Fluttershy and tell them the, um, good news!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group again moved, this time to Rarity’s boutique across the town. When they finally arrived at the Carousel Boutique, they noticed a distinct lack of sounds from the weaving machines that were commonplace in the home of the fashion designer.

Then all of a sudden, something seemed to have exploded inside. Smoke billowed from the edge of the window. Spike and the mares looked at each other in alarm. Applejack bucked open the door and the group ran into the boutique. Among the dark smoke, they saw a mare and a filly, their white coats darkened by the soot. They trotted nearer, and found Rarity and her little sister, Sweetie Belle, standing and coughing at the oven in their small kitchen.

The mares sighed, it was just a failed kitchen operation. 

Rarity noticed her friends who have just entered, and greeted, “Um, hello girls, hello Spike,” She nodded at her friend and the little dragon, “I was just teaching Sweetie Belle to cook, when there was suddenly a … slight kitchen malfunction, please kindly don’t mind us.” She smiled awkwardly.

Sweetie Belle looked at her sister nervously. Rarity turned to the apprehensive filly and cooed gently, “Oh, my dear Sweetie Belle, don’t worry, I’m not going to punish you. Accidents happen and we just have to deal with them.”

Sweetie Belle was surprised at her sister’s gentleness, and hugged her sister in a loving embrace, which earned an ‘aww’ from the on-looking Pinkie.

Rarity turned to the group, and asked, “So, what’s that brought all of you to my fabulous residence?”

Twilight leaned in and whispered, “… The Gala.”

Rarity’s face turned a strange shade of red and green, as she was reminded of what her charming stallion prince would turn out to be. She was rather hesitant and fearful of being humiliated, so she spluttered and said, “Um, I’d be glad to go, but, uh, I don’t have a dancing partner yet.”

Spike’s eyes lit up, her goddess was not taken yet. “In this case, Rarity… Uh, would you, uh…” Spike stuttered.

Twilight poked the back of the dragon and whispered to Spike, “Go ahead and tell her, I promise you she’d say yes!”

“… dance with me in the Gala!” Spike yelled, which surprised both Rarity and Sweetie Belle, who wasn’t aware of the content of their conversation yet.

“What Ga—” Sweetie Belle chirped but was interrupted by Rarity, “Why, I’ll be most glad to dance with you, Spike. We’ll just have to rehearse and go through the etiquette of dancing in the balls.” Rarity chuckled, “Hope this wouldn’t bore you too much.”

“Not at all, Rarity. With you… my life is at its fullest every second.” Spike smiled.

“Hey lover-boy, your one-liner has improved.” Rainbow Dash teased.

“We still need to tell Fluttershy and then write the letter for extra tickets, so let’s go shall we?” Twilight implored.

Rarity looked to the devastated kitchen, and shook her head, “I’ll pass this time. I still have an un-fabulous situation to tackle.” She turned to Sweetie Belle, “Be a dear Sweetie, go grab me the cleaning cloth from the closet, please? And girls, Spike, see you when you’re done!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group promptly galloped towards the small cottage where Fluttershy lived. However, on the road to her house, they’ve spotted the yellow mare in the middle of the Ponyville market, buying some pellets for her animals.

“Here’s eight bits, thank you… Eep!” Fluttershy yelped, “Oh, hi girls, is there anything I can help you?”

“Oh, we just want to tell you that the Gala’s coming and invite you to go.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Oh my, that would be … most kind of the Princess to send us the invitation.” Fluttershy said, then winced at the prospects of meeting so many ponies and not having a great time with the animals in the Royal Garden. She didn’t really have a particular strong reason to go, as she was not interested at the glamor or becoming a model for the viewing pleasure of Canterlot high society. 

But since her friends would certainly go, she would have to go as well, and with their foresight she hoped that the Gala would not be as disastrous as in their visions. Also, even though she was far from comfortable with the idea, but making friends with upper-class ponies will certainly further their cause in eventually shaping Equestria according to Twilight… the ancient tome’s ambitions. “Um, I will go with you girls, I think.” She said quietly.

“Done! Five more tickets confirmed.” Twilight said, as she took out a paper and a quill from her saddlebag and tell Spike, “Please dear Spike, help me write a, uh, friendship report to the Princess.”

Twilight scratched her head and thought about a way to frame this relatively peaceful day into some sort of lesson, “Um…

Dear Princess Celestia,

 I've learned that one of the joys of friendship is sharing your blessings, but when there's not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can be a sad state of affairs. So, though I appreciate the invitation, I will be returning both tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

Spike’s eyes bulged when he heard Twilight’s words, “What? You’re returning the tickets? I thought you were going to ask for more!”

“Don’t worry Spike, this might’ve been some sort of test of friendship as Princess Celestia want to see me how I deal with six friends plus you with only two golden tickets. Now, although my friends are all dears and not lusting after the tickets like some crazy hyenas, I still need find some way to urge the Princess indirectly in order to show that I handled the situation well and get the seven tickets.” Twilight explained, “Or the whole thing is just a clerical error. Either way, we’ll be getting our tickets regardless.”

“…Twilight, you’re one weird mare I tell you.” Spike sighed and sent the letter through his magic fire. Then, just as Twilight predicted, five more tickets and a short explanatory note appeared in his next bout of green fire.

“See? Now we’re on our way to the Gala,” Twilight grinned, “Go tell the mare of your dream that you two will be dancing in Canterlot soon.”

> Chapter 5 – And There's a Barrel that I Didn't Fill
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweet Apple Acres were much more hectic than usual. The Applebucking Season was coming on, but only two ponies, Big McIntosh and Applejack worked on the farm. Their grandmother, Granny Smith, was suffering from a weak hip and way too old to help with the farm work. The youngest, Apple Bloom, was just a young filly.

Applejack looked on this year’s harvest with a big grin, “Boy howdy! That there is the biggest bumper crop o' apples I ever laid eyes on.”

Big McIntosh looked at his sister, whose front legs were wrapped in bandage, “We can’t possibly harvest all the apples. There’s just one pony now but hundreds o’ apple trees. Now, Ah ain’t a pony that’d bite off more than Ah can chew.”

“Fret not, big brother,” Applejack reassured, “Though Ah fell off the dang gully and broke my legs, I found some help from my friends, and they’re helpin’ us to make thangs easier on the farm.”

“You on about the pressin’ machines an’ the tractors again?” Big McIntosh frowned.

“Big Mac, we have to get on wit the time, y’see? Now Ah’m friend with Twilight, who’s the Princess’s pupil and had plenty of say an’ resources ‘round, and Pinkie, who turned out to be a master tink’rer. What’s the best time to stir things up a little bit?”

“Ah don’t trust any contraption over mah good ol’ hooves and ploughs.” Big Mac huffed.

Applejack frowned at her big brother, “Yer too stubborn sometimes, Big Mac.”

“Says the dogged pony who insisted on surveyin’ the hills in the rain.” Big Mac quipped.

“Arguin’ wit ya made mah head spin,” Applejack held her head with her hooves, “I still think that usin’ jus’ pony power is not the way to go. So, if the dang tractor shall beat ye down, ye’ll slam it with the plough in yer mouth?” Applejack retorted.

“Eenope,” Big Mac stonewalled. Applejack looked at him, then her broken legs, and she sighed again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Applejack trotted back to the farmhouse in the walker she borrowed from her old granny. She was embarrassed and cursed herself again at being careless and somewhat reckless. She had been talking with the estate reeve of Lower Canterlot, and she was allowed to survey the hills nearby the Sweet Apple Acres in person. She was confident that, with Twilight’s help and bits to be earned in Canterlot, she could soon get the royal permit to expand the farms all the way towards the shore of the Saddle Lake. Then she will be able to not only improve the life of her family, but also provide extra funds for the common endeavors with her friends. 

After the initial frenzy from fighting Nightmare Moon, the six of them had largely settled back to their daily routines. Despite Twilight’s expressed wishes of early thwarting of villains, they were heavily constrained by their lack of resources. 

Efforts to locate the changeling hive or Starlight Glimmer through consulting secondary sources proved fruitless, and Twilight’s brief but dedicated outing to the Northeast to locate the future Equalist leader bore no results as well. She was mystified that how could she not find somepony, knowing for certain that she lived in Trottingham. Friendless like Twilight herself had been in the past, at least her neighbors would at least have heard of her. 

Since King Sombra was probably wandering in the frozen expanse in the north and almost impossible to locate safely, and Tirek was still locked away in Tartarus, this left Queen Chrysalis and Starlight Glimmer as their primary targets to track down. However, they didn’t have the time to personally comb Equestria to look for them. At this point Twilight wasn’t even sure if they were inside Equestria. 

They also didn’t have the bits to hire third-party searchers, not to mention they were reluctant to expose others to such danger. Therefore, with reluctance, Twilight settled down on her usual magic studies, while fervently finding ways to earn some bits and gather social influences in Ponyville. Applejack’s farm renovations therefore were a common interest for both.

But now, the apple farmer was stumbled by the very first task she’d set out to do. Although her friends had comforted her and told her that it couldn’t be helped, but she couldn’t help but feel incredibly annoyed at her incompetence and inability to help out. 

One thing she gained from sharing Twilight’s experiences was the possibilities that her farm could have tapped into. Now, a war with a yet-to-appear northern neighbor that led to the disbanding of Ponyville was the last thing she wanted to see, but she did become partial to the idea of a degree of automatization in her farm. It tied into her idea of expanding the orchard. She even had some rough ideas to ensnare two certain fraudsters into her service using their own foul tricks.

However, her family didn’t seem to be supportive of her radical ideas to improve the farms. Of course, the nature-loving Ponyvillians would be averse to industrialization and large-scale farming that might pollute the lands and cut off the personal bonds between the residents, but she’s confident that she would have the moderation required to keep things under control, especially with the distant visions of something highly similar on the other world.

However, the biggest opposition came from someone she didn’t expect. Her brother. He had been stonewalling Applejack’s proposal since the beginning, and he refused to divulge even the smallest bit of the reason why. Their relationship had been strained since she first proposed to bring in machines to help.

“Buckin’ Luddite.” Applejack glumly said.

Suddenly, she heard a rumble from out of the town. ‘A stampede, now?!’ Applejack thought. A herd of cows dashed madly towards the town of Ponyville, seemingly running away from something. The stampede rumbled the earth and its booming sounds were heard throughout the valley.

Applejack gritted her teeth. She should have prepared for this. She couldn’t do anything in her state, much less trying to divert the cow away from the town. Just as she was floundering in her self-pity, she suddenly realized she was right on the path of the stampeding cows. She went wide-eyed with shock, that’s when she was suddenly tackled by something to the side.

Applejack thought she was hit by a stampeding cow and about to be stomped on, then she opened her eyes and saw a wagging tail in her face. It was Winona, her family dog, who saved her from grave danger.

“O Winona, thank you so much, you’ve saved mah plot out there.” Applejack gratefully petted the loyal Winona, and signaled her to go back to the farmstead for now. She sat on the ground looking at the cow herd, who was about to rush into the town through the bridge. She watched helplessly as her walker was stomped on and broken into little pieces. 

“Great.” Applejack deadpanned.

Just when she prepared to witness the inevitable destruction of properties, now that she wasn’t available to divert the cows herself, something miraculous happened: A pink pony with puffy mane dashed forward and pulled a mechanism never seen before, and the pink town bridge creaked and moved. With impressive speed, the bridge folded itself up into an ‘N’ shape. Applejack was surprised that somepony, probably Pinkie herself, had converted the old bridge into a movable bridge. 

The front-running cows saw that their route has been removed all of a sudden. They decelerated before running into the river, but that unfortunately did not stop a few cows from crashing into them from behind. A loud moo was heard, and the panicking cow slowly began to calm themselves. Fortunately, no cows were knocked into the river on that day.

The crowd cheered and even the Mayor Mare stepped forth to congratulate the pink pony, who simply beamed in her brightest smile. Applejack was glad for her friend who saved the day. However, she suddenly heard a bashful moo nearby and turned.

“Moo—” The cow called, then quickly changed into the pony tongue, “Oh my! We’re so sorry, Applejack, but...”

Applejack looked at the cow. She was Daisy Do, part of the roaming cow herd near Ponyville and around Lower Canterlot in general. They were basically the standard milk supplier for Sweet Apple Acres, as they often need a copious amount of milk for catering services. Usually, Big Mac handled the transactions, and they only talked very occasionally before the arrival of Twilight. Daisy Jo was sort of a matriarch figure, but cows did not really have a rigid vertical hierarchy.

Applejack thought quickly, it would be advantageous if she could befriend the cows, and possibly … include them into their community in the future. She decided to impress Daisy Jo for a bit, so she interrupted the cow’s apology in Cowhili. "You don't need to apologize, Daisy Jo."

Daisy Jo’s eyes went wide, “Ee, Applejack, who taught you our tongue?”

Applejack smiled and pointed to Twilight on the other side of the river bank, “That purple mare , Twilight Sparkle, is a great... teacher.”

“She's a clever mare isn't it, that Twilight,” Daisy Jo grinned, glad that some ponies were interested in their culture. But she then remembered something and made an apologetic face at Applejack, “But… uh… that walker...”

“Hmm?” Applejack merely smiled and shook her head, “It's all in the past, don't worry about a mere stick.”

Daisy Jo was thankful that Applejack was so forgiving of their fault, “You're so forgiving, Applejack. Care for some free milk then as my gratitude?”

“Well, your kind gesture is very welcomed.”
Applejack was at first hesitant, but as Daisy Jo insisted, she nodded. She thanked Daisy Jo and bid her bovine friend farewell.

As Daisy Jo rejoined her herd and excitedly told other cows about the pony who spoke Cowhili, Applejack nodded with satisfaction. She then wincingly climbed towards a broken piece of her walker, and used one of the rods as a makeshift crutch. 

Suddenly, Applejack saw Rainbow Dash flew at a high speed towards her, with a deeply concerned expression.

“What on earth are you doing out here, Applejack? You’re injured and should be resting at home!” Rainbow Dash scoffed.

“A—Ah…” Applejack struggled to reply, when Rainbow Dash cried out, “Oh dear, where’s your walker? Hang on there, I will get you your crutch!” Rainbow Dash flew away in a blink of eye, leaving a stunned Applejack on the ground.

With Rainbow Dash’s help, the two eventually made it back to the farmstead. Applejack thanked her friend, who simply beseeched her not to work again before recovery. With great reluctance, she nodded and went to rest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Applejack looked to the ceiling, then to the crate of milk sent by Daisy Jo, and to the ceiling again. It has been three days since her injury, her legs have been healing, but she’s far from strong enough from helping with the harvest. She was barely able to walk without the crutches, but she swore that she’d become stir-crazy if she stayed in her bed longer. So she acted against the advice of her visiting friends and family, and walked out of the farm with some difficulties.

Applejack always saw herself as sort of a dependent big sister, more so now with five more litter ‘sisters’ and Spike to watch over. She wanted to feel less useless and helpless. Big Mac was still strongly against her idea of introducing farming machinery, despite tiring himself out completely with the harvest, so she figured she would look for her friends and see if they have any good idea so she could try talk him into it again. Besides, Twilight and Pinkie told her they were trying to build a state-of-the-art apple harvester, so she wanted to check up on their progresses too.

When Applejack trotted slowly into the town, she noticed that a celebration was taking place. It had seemed that Mayor Mare was holding a ceremony in honor of Pinkie Pie, who had averted a disaster for Ponyville a few days ago by her suggestion of reconfiguring the old bridge, a suggestion which had seemed bizarre at first, but turned out very well for the town at the end.

Applejack brushed by a number of cheery ponies, and reached her friends in the central plaza. Pinkie stood on stage, and talked about how thankful as well as awesome that Mayor Mare adopted her suggestion, and other assorted outlandish suggestions, mostly for easy party access.

Her friends noticed the orange pony, and Twilight yelped in surprise, “Applejack, your legs aren’t fully healed yet!”

“But su—garcube, I will be bored to Tartarus if I stay in the bed for a minute longer.” Applejack pled in a rare childish tone. She then asked, “How’d Pinkie persuaded Mayor Mare into adoptin’ her crazy idea anyway?”

“I vouched for her idea as the Princess’s student. Plus we together saved Equestria once, surely this gives some weight to her talk... even if it’s just Pinkie.” Twilight chuckled.

“Don’t just casually wear our fame around like it’s somethin’ expendable, Twi. Ponies might one day begrudge us for appealin’ to that agin’ an’ agin’.” Applejack warned.

“Applejack, we know there’s going to be a stampede ‘round this time and you’re injured, so we have to have some backup plan.” Applejack winced. “Besides, it’s about building trust … and influence. If we didn’t start with something, we could never take off. Of course, I’m not going to wear the ‘we-beat-Nightmare-Moon’ badge all the time for favors.” Twilight reassured Applejack. “By the way, what brings you into town?”

“Big Mac’s still against mah ideas to bring in the machines.” 

Applejack frowned, “Ah wondered that you girls might-could have some idea to help me talk ‘im into it.”

“What, are you talking about seducing him?” Rainbow Dash jokingly interjected.

“Are you volunteering?” Rarity rolled her eyes and asked back.

Rainbow Dash blushed a bit, and said, “Pfft, you’re doing something like that all the time to your Spikey-wikey anyway.”

“Well I never! I know Spike likes me a lot, but I also… uh, I’m not just toying with him!” Rarity glowered at Rainbow.

Twilight blushed. “Okay girls, calm down. These things should be natural. I don’t think anyone of us here is comfortable with the idea of exchanging our uh, marish wiles… for favors anyway.”

“Big Mac huh? He shouldn’t be too much of a difficult pony as I recall.” Rainbow Dash pondered.

“He’s a bit stubborn, yes, but he is a practical pony, and wiser than other ponies think he is. He also loved his family. There must be some deep-seated reason that he refuse to take heed of your suggestions.” Twilight said to Applejack.

Applejack shook her head, “Naw, no idea whatsoe’er. I’ve known Big Mac for all mah life. Can’t think o’ a reason he hated machineries.”

“… Have you tried asking Granny Smith?” Fluttershy, who was keeping silent up until then, suddenly asked.

“… Huh?” Applejack said.

“Well… You’re quite a few years younger than him, right? So there might be something you don’t know… because you were too young.” Fluttershy suggested.

“… You might be onto somethin’, Fluttershy.” Applejack nodded, “By the way Twi, how about the machine you an’ Pinkie’s been tink’rin’ wit?”

“Oh, Pinkie just finished the prototype,” Twilight glanced the cheery party pony on the stage, who was turning the solemn ceremony into a stand-up routine, “She’s just gave me the machine and I’ve been fine-tuning it in a small shed I built by the river… Can’t do it in the apple orchard, y’know? ... But it seemed to be working well so far.”

“Very well Twi, bring me to it after Pinkie’s little gig’s done.” Applejack smiled, it’d seemed that something good was finally happening for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ta-da! Unveiling, the ultimate harvest-assisting machine, the Handy Apple Harvest Accumulator, HAHA for short!” Pinkie grinned widely, as she pointed towards the strange-looking machine. It was like an oversized red street car, with metal boxes stacked in layers, and its body wrapped in thick, black tubes, which were in turn connected to a metal hood overhead.

“This design was the final version after we modified the draft blueprint based on field results,” Twilight reported, “Basically, it sucks apple in through the vacuum tubes and pack them neatly in those rectangular bins.”

“Vacuum-tube, huh? Won’t that bruise mah apples when they bump into each other?” Applejack asked, “We had to empty ‘em into bins carefully after we buck ‘em into the buckets to prevent that.” 

“Don’t worry, AJ! The vacuum system was designed so that there’s no apple-to-apple contact from the inlet all the way to the bins!” Pinkie smiled.

“Wow, this machine sounds great y’all. But how does it suck apples in from the trees exactly? Won’t it suck in the branches and the leaves as well?”

“Well, that was Pinkie’s crazy brilliant idea. I originally thought that you’ve got to have somepony to pick the apples after all, and the machine only help you transport and pack the apples,” Twilight said. 

“… But I said ‘screw that’ because I want to make a fully automatic harvester!” Pinkie exclaimed, “So I think and think and think… Until I get the idea from my party cannon! If the party cannon can shoot things out in perfect order, why can’t it suck things in perfect order as well? I just need to tinker this and install that, so that the HAHA would only begin sucking when something round and bulky is at its mouth. And you can just cover the tree crown with this whippy hood, and watch it do magic!” Pinkie jumped up in excitement.

“Mind you, just don’t stick your head under that hood. It would not pluck all your manes off… But you would probably have to wear that hood as your new hat for quite some time.” Twilight cautioned.

“Whoa, that’s plum great. What does it run on, by the way?” Applejack asked curiously.

“We made it run on oil that come from fermenting plant materials. Leaves, decaying branches, apple cores, something like that. We might make a prototype that runs on electricity later, but the power grid in Equestria is anything but reliable.” 

Twilight sighed wryly. “We will bring you a feeder later. You just need to throw in some plant materials into it now and then, clear out the residues and it would produce fuel oil, but of course fleshy bits works better than dry branches.”

“Alright, last question, how many apple trees can it handle and how fast can it harvest ‘em?” Applejack asked.

“It shouldn’t break if you give it normal maintenance. Grease the gears and such. As for speed, I think it should be able to cover 200 acres per season.”

“200 acres?! We only have a few hundred apple trees in our orchard! We barely scratch two acres!” Applejack gasped, “Whoa nelly, thank you so much for this Twi, Pinkie.”

“No problem at all. We’re just glad that it might be helpful to you and your family,” Twilight said, “Just don’t turn us away when bits start rolling in.” She jokingly added.

“You know that wouldn’t happen, Twi.” Applejack rolled her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Applejack gulped when she entered the farmhouse at the Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight and Pinkie had not followed, because this was something that has to be done by herself alone, as an Apple and as Big Mac’s sister.

She trotted into the quiet living room, and she saw her Granny Smith dozing off on a rocking chair. She reached before the sleeping form of her grandma in hesitation. She stood there, but couldn’t find the heart to ask about the painful subject matter.

“… What’s troublin’ ya, young filly?” Applejack was surprised by Granny Smith’s sudden voice, as it seemed that her granny was not dozing off after all.

Applejack sighed and brought herself to finally ask, “Granny, Ah wanna know that why Big Mac hated heavy machineries so much,” Applejack closed her eyes and continued, “Did it have somethin’ to do wit…”

“… Yes, Applejack, it has ev’rythin’ to do wit your parents,” Granny Smith said with a sad voice.

Applejack gasped, “How so, granny?”

“Yer a grown mare now, Ah didn’t want to upset you when yer younger, but Ah figure it’s time,” Granny Smith said, “… When Big Mac’s jus’ a young’un, and before yer even born, a relative of us in Baltimare invited yer pa to work in his fruit canning factory. Although he wasn’t too glad to have to work so far away from us, he’s promised a handsome pay, and it’d have helped a lot because our farms were strugglin’ back then.”

“So there he went, away for half a year without any message or contact. Yer ma then discovered that she’s pregnant with you months after he went away. Then not long after, a relative had brought us the bad news from Baltimare…” Granny Smith sighed, “Yer pa was caught in some malfunctionin’ machinery. He was wheeled back here only missin' some limbs, but he was a changed stallion since then. Yer ma couldn’t quite accept the terrible news, and she grew all glum and like.” 

"No wonder it was you who took care of me..." Applejack frowned sadly.

Granny Smith sighed. "At first, things were not too bad actually. Even though we're all sad, your ma still took upon herself to look after your da. But he was always frustrated about not bein' able to work, and grew very depressed. The only happy thing back then was the birth of yer little sister. However, he left a message to us one night, saying that he didn't want to be a burden anymore... He's never seen again."

Applejack gasped, and Granny Smith gruffly said. "Yer ma couldn't handle this second shock, and she fell really sick. She was too weak to hang on after giving birth to Apple Bloom." Granny Smith shook her head, “So now, you see why Big Mac hated the machines.”

Applejack was speechless. The reactions from her big brother suddenly all made sense to her, and she hated herself for being so insensitive by so tactlessly bringing up the hated topic. She also cursed herself for not thinking of that by herself before, even with her new found knowledge and experiences from the mind magic… She gritted her teeth, what use was living so long if she… it couldn’t even tell the nuance in the most important pony interactions for her. The instinctive insecurity was creeping up in her mind again like a veil of kudzu vines.

But Applejack’s resolve and determination eventually won over. There was no use tottering in sadness and regret, she still had a farm to run and bring to success, she still had a family to love and feed, and moreover, she… and her friends … still had a vision of future almost unimaginable for any living creature in the whole world, and they were going to bring about that no matter the time and cost it would need. They were not only going to change pony society, they were also going to fulfill that … selfish little wish of the ancient tome, now living on in her and her friends.

Applejack gulped and said, “… Ah appreciate it, granny, for tellin’ it like what it is to me,” But she hardened her gaze, “… Ah’ve always tried to stay strong despite mah … lack of parents. Ah loved y’all and Ah always tried to do what Ah think it’s best for the family.”

Applejack trotted slowly to the window, and looked at the orchard. She saw her strong big brother’s tired form dragging across the orchard. “Ah’ll admit, it might be a difficult sight for mah big brother. But what Ah’m doin’ right now is not jus’ a silly impulse or jus’ for this one harvest.” 

Applejack’s eyes glimmered, “… Ah have a dream, of makin’ our farm into the greatest farm of Equestria, so that Ah could easily provide for mah family, even mah friends and make the land into a better place. Ah’ll never stop until that dream o’ mine is attained,” She looked back to her granny, who was staring at her directly, “So I’m goin’ to keep on convincin’ Big Mac an’ all of you. Please granny, Ah…”

Applejack kneeled to the ground and almost kowtowed, to Granny Smith’s surprise. Granny Smith interrupted Applejack, “… Stand up, young’un, Ah hear ya,” Granny Smith shifted herself in her rocking chair, “Ah don’t actually blame ‘em machines for claimin’ yer pa, Ah’m jus’ afeared that it’d upset yer big brother. But Ah see you’ve thought about this and you’re very determined. That kind o’ determination was what drove me to come here an’ build the Acres in the first place… Ah’ll support you, Applejack. Try talk to yer brother agin’ ‘bout this.”

“Thank you, granny, Ah thank you wit all mah hearts.” Applejack gently embraced the old pony, who simply smiled and nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Big Mac was completely exhausted when he came back from his work. Although he was certain that he couldn’t harvest all the apples by himself, his sister clearly wanted to bring in all the apples, and he loved his sister with all his heart, so he tried to please her by working all day long to harvest as many as possible.

Illuminated only by the dim starlight, Big Mac entered the farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres. There in the living room, he saw his sister Applejack waiting, with a deeply concerned and worried expression.

She leapt forth and almost tackled him to the ground, “Big brother! You shouldn’t be workin’ yerself this late, ye’ll hurt or tire yerself and even keel over! Didn’t you say that you weren’t goin’ to chew off more than what you can bite?”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac said, but despite his response, he showed little sign of wanting to follow her plea.

Applejack gritted her teeth, and said, “Ah asked Granny Smith about our pa an’ ma today.”

Big Mac’s eyes shot wide, but he said nothing.

“… Ah now know why you hated ‘em machines. Ah’m sorry that ah kept mentionin’ ‘em to you, I should be more sensitive ‘bout this.” Applejack said in a low voice.

“… It’s fine, ya didn’t know.” Big Mac quietly said, with a complicated expression.

“Y’know why Ah’m so pigheaded about this?” Applejack suddenly asked.

“Eenope.” Big Mac said.

“Ah love mah family as much as mah own life. Ah’m always afeared that somethin’ might happen and that the farm can’t be maintained. That’d be disastrous for our family.”

Applejack sighed and continued, “It’s not until I fell and broke mah legs, that I realized in mah own heart that how close we’re wit unexpected happenins. Granny’s already very old and Apple Bloom’s too young, there’s only two o’ us on the farm. If somethin’ bad happens to both o’ us, then Celestia knows what we do to earn our livin’.”

Big Mac wanted to speak up, but he’s interrupted by Applejack.

“… Hearin’ ‘bout pa an’ ma only hardened my resolve.” Big Mac raised his eyebrow at the mention of their parents. “The failin’ farm was what drove pa to the cities in the first place. And Ah would never allow somethin’ like that to happen ever again, so Ah still want to bring in the machines to help.”

“Ah don’t want the machines to claim ya too, Applejack!” Big Mac almost yelled out in a rare outburst of emotion.

“Not all machines harm ponies, Big Mac. The one Twi and Pinkie made wouldn’t even hurt a bunny.” 

She bit her lip and said, “… We should always remember the past, for that’s where we came from and where our roots were. But we also have to look at the future, for that’s where we’ll become and where our dreams lie.”

Applejack paused and stared directly at Big Mac’s eyes, “There are times in our lives when we have to realize our past is precisely what it is, and we can’t change it. But we can change the story we tell ourselves about it, and by doin’ that, we can change the future. Please big brother, we have to move on, an’ give ourselves a chance, that’s what pa an’ ma would’ve wanted too, right?”

Big Mac went silent, and he looked at Applejack’s determined face for a very long time. Eventually he said, “… Ah’ll have to think ‘bout it.”

“Give it time, brother. Ah can wait.” Applejack said with a loving smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“… And that’s how Ah managed to talk Big Mac into adoptin’ the machines.” Applejack grinned.

“That’s great, Applejack!” Twilight looked at Big Mac, who was riding on the apple harvester. The air was filled with the sweet scent of freshly picked apples, as the trees were covered by the suctioning hood of the harvester and picked clean one by one. “But why’s he carrying a lasso and a hammer with him?”

Applejack chuckled, “He said he’ll personally lasso and pick apart the dang machine if it dares to harm ponies nearby,” She shook her head. “That’s not how machines work!”

“…Well, he’ll need time to get used to it.” Fluttershy said.

“True, true.” Applejack nodded.

“By the way, Applejack, are you sure your legs are totally fine now? Don’t force yourself if you haven’t completely recovered!” Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack worriedly.

“I told ya, I’m perfectly fine now!” Applejack kicked a small rock with her front leg, sending it far away. “See?”

“Ouch!” The mares were startled by the sudden yelp of pain. It turned out that the pebble had landed squarely on Spike’s head, who was chewing on some apple pie.

“Oh dear, Ah’m so, so sorry Spike!” Applejack looked at Spike with a troubled face, “Are you alright?”

“Uh, Applejack, you should be more careful next time.” Spike touched his head and groaned.

“Spike, I’m sure Applejack didn’t mean it,” Twilight looked to the fretful orange pony, “I’ll give you a ruby to make up for it when we’re home. In the meantime, would you help me for a bit and write a friendship report to the Princess?”

“Sure thing, Twi.” Spike beamed at the prospects of tasty gems, as he pulled out a quill and a paper from her saddlebag.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

My dear friend, Applejack, has helped his brother to cross a hurdle of their family’s sad past. While life can only be understood backwards, it must also be lived forwards. Therefore, we must treasure the present and our loved ones, in order to open up a future of possibilities and hope.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

“Whoa…” Spike couldn’t help but gaped at the words he just wrote.

“You’ve really waxed poetic on this one, Twi.” Rainbow Dash chuckled.

“Well, that was written as much for us … as for the Princesses,” Twilight said, “I really hope they would understand.”
> Chapter 6 – A Refuge for Audacity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash was lying in on a cloud floating above Ponyville, but she couldn’t fall into a nap. She thought of a lot of things. Ever since she met Twilight, she couldn’t stop thinking about her life.

Up until then, she was completely preoccupied with her dream of entering the Wonderbolts and becoming the best, awesomest flyer in all of Equestria. That’s what had been driving her forward in her entire life.

But now, she’s been blessed and cursed with the burden of foreknowledge and the distant past. 

She did not choose this, and sometimes in brief flashes of moment she begrudged the purple pony for inflicting this on her and other mares. She cared for her friend regardless, and she did that in order to ensure the activation of the Elements. However, it was also plain as day that Twilight did that to make herself feel less alone. Is this ultimately wrong, though?

Rainbow again thought of the little dream illusion that Twilight made her watch before the mind meld. She’s feeling much less fretful regarding the whole nightmarish affair. Was it because joining Wonderbolts was not so important to her anymore? 

‘Never!’ She thought, as she was not a mare that just gave up on her lifetime wish.

But she had also known much and seen much during these days. She now knew of the lives of countless ponies before her time, and the possibilities and potential a pony possess. But the knowledge of having much more choices does not diminish her own aspirations and dreams, does it?

She also saw Applejack, the most tradition-bound of her friends, who turned out to be the one who made the first step in changing her current life. Rainbow Dash had no idea what Applejack’s thinking. But Rainbow Dash was contemplating whether, and how, could she do something similar with her life. Should she continue on her dream of becoming one of the Wonderbolts? How did that fit with Twilight’s big plan?

Rainbow gritted her teeth in deep thought, when she was interrupted by a loud and slightly shrill voice.

“Hey. What's up with the sour face, Dash?”

Rainbow Dash turned around, and see a female griffon looking at her a wry grin on a cloud nearby.

“Oh hey! Gilda, my old friend!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, as she smiled at her old Griffon friend. It’s about time, she thought.

Still, she said. “What wind blows you over to Ponyville?”

“Nah, just want to see an old pal.” Gilda laughed. “Not nearly as enough cool dudes ‘round here. All dweebs, blergh.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. This one was going to need a while to persuade in order not to make a mess. She instead asked. “You went all over from Griffonstone to here? Must be a long way from home!”

“Well, I was using my old savings to travel around the world. I also freelance here and there to earn some of the expenses.”

“Good ol’ wanderlust, aren’t we?” Rainbow Dash chuckled.

“Meh, it was so boring and uncool back home, every griffon was like a mindless blabbering fool, on and on about bits and coins and whatnot.” Gilda scoffed.

Rainbow Dash remained quiet, as she thought about the curse of Griffonstone. An extremely powerful mind spell must be involved and sealed in the ancient artefact in order to mentally influence an entire griffon nation. Gilda must also be one special griffon to resist its effect.

However, that’s not something that can be solved by her and her friends with their current status, so she said. “It is so good to see one of my best friends back then in the flight camp. I’ve missed you greatly, Gilda.”

“What’s up with the sentimental bollocks, Dash? This is so unlike you!” Gilda shook her head and laughed. Rainbow Dash joined her and they both loudly laughed, their cheerfulness filled the azure sky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Wow, you’re not half-bad, Dash,” Gilda admitted. “Your new moves are really impressive. I’ve no idea why the dang Wonderbolts haven’t got you yet.”

Raindow Dash chuckled. “You’re quite good yourself, Gilda!” 

Her expression then turned serious. “… Where are you going to afterwards?”

“Uh, I guess I would go south to Appleloosa and Dodge City, after that I would fly to Baltimare and took a ship back to Griffonland. Ugh.” Gilda grimaced at the thought of going back to Griffonstone and returning to her boring old life.

“Hey, why don’t you stay at Ponyville for a while? We have very interesting ponies living here! One of them even baked a good hoof of scones, you should check it out!” Rainbow Dash offered.

“What? I’m not going around these ground-dwelling dweebs! They are just a bunch of boring ho-hums!” Gilda replied, somewhat annoyed.

“Please Gilda, listen to me this once. They are my friends and my friends can’t be too bad, right?” Rainbow Dash pled.

“Hmm, alright. I’ll hear to it.” Gilda huffed. “But mind you, if I got annoyed by one of your friends, that would be it and I’ll be going, at once!”

They flew towards the bustling town center of Ponyville. Griffons were a common sight in Equestria, as many of them travelled eastwards to Equestria to work and sight-see. It was not too common seeing one in the somewhat rural town of Ponyville though, hence it earned a few glares from passing ponies.

“Uh, don’t mind them Gilda. You’re just a bit too cool for them.” Rainbow Dash told Gilda.

Gilda harrumphed. “Don’t be such a chicken, Dash. I’m not a landmine that explode whenever someone else touched my feather ever so slightly.” 

Rainbow Dash shook her head with a knowing grin. “Hah. Alright then, we’re arriving at our destination.”

A pink house shaped into a multilayered cake entered the view of Gilda’s eyes. She frowned, but followed Rainbow Dash into the strange house. 

Almost immediately upon entering, a fluffy pink pony was seen arranging some cakes behind the counter. The pink pony turned and saw Rainbow Dash and Gilda, and her eyes shot wide. She immediately dropped the ingredients onto the table and rushed upstairs, then she rushed downstairs again and straight out of the door.

“What was that all about?” Gilda asked quizzically.

“Well, Pinkie Pie is one of my friends. She’s our resident party pony and master prankster… Well, not as good as me, but passable. She’d probably run off to arrange a welcome party for you.” Rainbow Dash said.

“What a strange pony. She’d better not try to prank me,” Gilda said with annoyed face, “If she dare target me with any annoying horseplays...” She looked to Rainbow Dash. “… No offense meant.”

“None taken, Gilda. Pinkie knows it when ponies… or griffons don’t like to be pranked. She would definitely arrange a party that makes you satisfied.” Rainbow Dash grinned.

“Huh? How would she know what would make me satisfied if she don’t even know me?” Gilda asked suspiciously.

“Now, that’s Pinkie’s magic.” Rainbow Dash said. “Why don’t we take a stroll around Ponyville and maybe have some tea, before we come back and go to the party?”

“Yeah alright, Dash.” Gilda nodded. She was a bit annoyed at Rainbow Dash who had forced her to consort with those ‘lame’ ponies, but she’s planning to play along for the moment, if only for the sake of their friendship.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They slowly strolled through the town of Ponyville. They passed by Granny Smith, who was busy selling off one of the richest harvest of apples ever for Sweet Apple Acres. Besides, Applejack was also nearby, squeezing fresh apple juices for thirsty ponies using a squeeze machine.

“Hey Applejack, using that squeezy thingy eh?” Rainbow Dash trotted up to the orange pony and leaned in. “By the way, two cup of juices for me and my friend.”

“Nice t’ meet you, friend. Name’s Applejack.” Applejack grinned. “Hey Rainbow, your friend looks quite smashin’.” 

Gilda mentally harrumphed at the act of apple-polishing, but also a little bit glad that some pony recognize her coolness at first sight. She put up a gracious expression, and replied. “Thank you Applejack. I’m Gilda, Rainbow Dash’s awesome old friend.”

As they were chit-chatting, Fluttershy appeared from the street corner with a herd of bunnies and trotted across the marketplace. She gently cooed and made sure that the bunnies did not wander into other ponies’ gardens and stalls and chew on their properties.

Gilda looked on the bizarre scene of bunny-herding, her eyes twitching slightly. ‘Who’s that pathetic that they herd… bunnies? Pfeh, ponies are a weird and lame bunch after all.’ She thought.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack observed Gilda’s expression, and looked at one another. Rainbow Dash eventually spoke up. “Uh, that was Fluttershy, our friend and resident animal caretaker. It was her job to take care of critters, just don’t mind her.”

Gilda nodded, but secretly started to think that this stroll to ‘get to know Ponyville’ might be a waste of time after all.

They eventually trotted back to the Sugarcube Corner. For some reason, a giant metal tube had appeared in front of the cake shop. Rainbow and Gilda paid it no heed and walked into the sugarcube corner.

The inside of the shop was pitch-dark. Then suddenly, strong and forceful orchestral music reverberated the whole place, and the light came up, revealing a completely revamped interior. In addition to standard party set-ups, the place was filled with flight-themed decoration, flight-suits and memorabilia.

“Wow, was that the flag and emblem of the Junior Speedsters flight camp… of our year? Where in Equestria do you get your hoof on that, uh, Pinkie… Pie?” Gilda struggled with the pink pony’s name for a bit.

“Just call me Pinkie, Gilda!” The pink pony beamed, and then put a hoof to her mouth, “And heheh, that’s my super duper trade-secret as a master party planner!”

Gilda looked at Pinkie Pie, feeling a slight sense of amazement on this detour for the first time. Maybe she did somewhat underestimate the resourcefulness of the ponies.

She grinned, finally with some genuineness. “Well, thank you Pinkie Pie for this party you threw me. This is cool.”

Pinkie Pie smiled and said, “Not so fast, Gilda. Wait till the end of the cake session and see for yourself.”

Gilda raised an eyebrow, but she spoke no more and subsequently joined the partying ponies for cakes, food and drinks. She wondered what that surprise Pinkie was referring to was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash has introduced Gilda to each of her best friends including Spike. Gilda politely nodded at each of them, but in actuality didn’t think much about the ragtag bunch of mares and dragon.

As Gilda and the ponies ate their fill and the cake session drew to a close, Pinkie stepped towards the door and gather the partying ponies on the street outside the shop.

“As always everyone, thank you for taking time and coming to this impromptu welcome party! This time, I have also planned for a special event, which I now decided to hold in honor of our griffon friend and visitor, Gilda! Some of you already know what that is, but for others, ta-da!”

Pinkie yanked away the white cloth covering the front of the shop, and revealed a sign saying “The First Golden Ponyville Flying Race”.

“Listen up everypony! Any pony that can somehow make themselves fly in the air is eligible for the race! This includes using natural wings, self-made wings and propellers, unicorn magic and even flying machines!” 

Pinkie grinned, “… But participants must first prove themselves to the air-worthy but staying in air for 5 minutes! Anyway, the route is from here, the Sugarcube Corner, towards the Town Hall, then to the edge of Ponyville and back to here!”

Pinkie then raised her voice further. “… And since this is the first ever Ponyville Flying Race, the winner will not only be treated to a trophy, a moderate sum of bits and free treats in the Sugarcube Corner… They also get to have their name honored in the name of the race, for all the races afterwards!”

The assembled ponies loudly cheered. Pinkie noticed that some non-flying ponies seem to be a bit disappointed at not being able to participate, so she added, “And if you’re not participating, don’t worry, we’re still providing seats and catering here in the Sugarcube Corner throughout the race, you can even participate in our lucky draw! The winner gets to eat at the Sugarcube Corner free for a week!”

Looking at the rapturous responses of the ponies, Rainbow Dash dragged Pinkie to the side and asked, “…Um, did you ask Mayor Mare about this?”

“Pfft, of course Dashie. I’m not some reckless party pony anymore, I’m a super-duper party pony, now armed with thousands of years of experience!” Pinkie smirked, “Actually, I have also discussed this with all other mares, and they all agree that holding a race in honor of the speed-loving Gilda will definitely impress her and melt her icy interior.”

“That sounds great and all, but where did you get the bits for this? We aren’t exactly Filthy Rich, not now anyway.”

“Silly Dashie, AJ just harvested the apples, remember? We made her the harvester and the mechanical plough, and Granny Smith gave us a share of bits from the Apple Family fund.”

As Rainbow Dash talked with Pinkie, Gilda looked on the unfolding event with complicated feelings. For one, she had been strongly convinced that the ground-dwelling ponies were not worth her time. But then, it was very hard to reject hospitality pushed right in her face, especially since she had not really done anything, other than showing up as Rainbow Dash’s friend, to warrant the incredible reception. She’s too stubborn to admit it, but she began to tolerate the ponies’ presence, even grow to somewhat like the strangely prescient and industrious party pony.

“Gilda, don’t think too much about this. Just go out and have fun!” Rainbow Dash had come back to Gilda’s side at some point, and patted her friend’s back smilingly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The assembled participants have waited at the starting lines. The vast majority of ponies that participated in the race were pegasi, the only exceptions being Twilight Sparkle, who casted a magic to give herself butterfly wings. The other one, to the ponies’ surprise, was Pinkie Pie herself. It seemed that the mysterious metal tube in front of Sugarcube Corner was Pinkie’s flying machine.

Pinkie turned to the ponies, and offered a slight awkward grin, “Well don’t worry everyone, I’m not officially participating in the race. I’ll just follow the participants around and test out my new flying machine!”

Pinkie Pie transferred the task of refereeing to Rarity in the audience, who graciously accepted. Then she laid the metal tube very carefully to the ground. There she added some liquid into the trough on the tube, and unfolded a few planks from the tail. When she was finished with her tinkering, a giant rocket appeared in front of a crowd of gawking ponies.

After Pinkie wore her goggles and stepped into her speed rocket, Rarity called out to the participants, “Are everyone ready?” She glanced to Gilda, who was by the side of Rainbow Dash, both confident that they would win. Gilda looked to her other side, and was surprised that the timid yellow pegasus she met in the market, called Fluttershy she thought, was also in the race. She glanced at her in disdain, then immediately turned to the front as the race soon began.

“… Well? If yes then, I Rarity, as the official adjudicator of the race, hereby declare that the First Golden Ponyville Flying Race will begin in 3…2…1…” Rarity fired off a loud blast with her horn, “Go!”

The assembled participants flapped their wings and dashed forward. But the sounds of flapping wings were completely drowned out by a deafening sound of boom. 

The ponies in the audience turned, and saw the pink pony’s speed rocket emitting bright flame and light from its tail. In a blink of eyes, it shot forth like a fire-breathing arrow, overtaking the majority of the flyers.

In the air, Gilda looked to Rainbow Dash, who was flying in parallel to her, “Hey, wanna play ‘catch the pink pony’?”

Rainbow turned to Gilda and smiled, “Ha, why not? Just watch out and don’t fall behind me too much!”

They both grinned and dashed forward, eventually getting behind the flying metallic tube. By then, most of the participants were trailing far behind the three. 

They rapidly approached the edge of Ponyville, and below them began the vast expanse of old-growth forest that was the Everfree. Gilda forcefully flapped her wings, and she managed to temporarily get in front of both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. She gave one strong flap of her wings, and rose high in the air. Once she spotted an opening, she retracted her wings and folded back her legs to reduce her drag. Her altitude dropped but she dashed forth and downwards in great speed, and soon she seemed to have outstripped both ponies.

Gilda grinned, it seemed that she’s going to win this race held in honor of her, which was doubly satisfying. However, she suddenly realized that she had flown a little bit too deep inside the Everfree forest, and her sense of direction was disrupted by some mysterious forces.

Gilda clenched her beak and looked around her. It seemed that, as little as she wanted to admit, she seemed to have lost her bearing in this accursed forest. She wanted to fly further up to see which direction lead back to Ponyville, but she encountered a strong downward gust. ‘Dang, it’s a microburst!’ Gilda mentally cursed. She was forced down by the forceful wind.

Gilda avoided some of twisted plant growth with some difficulty, and landed on the forest floor with some stumble. The forest had long not seen civilization for many years, and the ground was barely trodden except by the animal inhabitants of the forest.

Gilda again cursed her carelessness and bad luck. Using the rough position of the sun, and her knowledge of the time and the season, she walked towards the approximate direction of northwest, hoping to reach Ponyville, or at least get out of the area of strong gust and take off.

Gilda walked for some time, the wind was still blowing strong and the forest scene have barely changed. 

As Gilda groaned at her situation and began to suspect that her entire stay in Ponyville was a mistake, she suddenly heard a loud cuck from behind the thick bushes. A creature Gilda had never seen ran out of the woods and into the front of the alarmed griffon. It has a head of a chicken and a body of a snake. Besides, it possessed a pair of bat-like wings, as it flew up in air in a threatening stance.

Gilda clenched her beak again and clawed tightly at the ground, bracing for an attack from the strange creature. But the creature had taken no action other than staring right at her eyes.

As Gilda planned to simply slowly step out of harm’s way, she felt something’s wrong with her feet. Somehow, she could not move her talon at all. She looked down, and to her horror, she was being petrified, as a layer of stone began to creep up on her feet.

She looked to the chicken-snake creature in utter terror, as its red angry eyes seemed to stare right at her soul. Gilda struggled, as she began to be unable to feel her lower torso. In a clumsy swerve, she fell to the ground side-way in a ‘thud’.

As Gilda bemoaned herself and her misfortune for one last time, she began to think about her life, her home and her estranged family. Regret swelled up in her heart, as she thought about the bad decisions she made in her life… but flying into this strange forest was perhaps her worst one. Still, she would not be so easily defeated, and she resisted the creature’s glare with one of her own. This seemed to have slowed down the progress of petrification, but not much.

As Gilda sighed and prepared to resign to her fate, a loud yell suddenly boomed from her behind. She couldn’t turn to look who that was, but it sounded familiar.

“YOU! Just who do you think you are, going around turning others into stone?” The soft but somehow determined voice yelled, “You should be ashamed of yourself. I have a mind to find your mother and tell her what you've been up to, young man.”

The creature let out a dismayed squawk, as the source of the voice finally walked up into the view of Gilda. To the shock of Gilda, it was the mare that she deemed to be weakest and lamest, the ground-dwelling yellow pegasus Fluttershy.

Fluttershy hissed and stared into the creature with a fierceness never seen by Gilda. Even that she was just looking from the side, Gilda could feel an overwhelming presence emanating from the yellow mare’s eyes, which made her rethink her attitude towards the pegasus for a bit.

“Now you go over there, and turn my friend Gilda back to normal, and don't ever let me catch you doing this again,” Fluttershy commanded with a determined voice, even as she was slowly turning into stone like Gilda, “Do you understand me?”

The creature initially resisted for a while, but eventually it seemed to have no choice but to submit to the strong will of the yellow mare. It squawked with a rattled tone. Gilda wasn’t sure what thing that strange creature subsequently did, but her petrification receded quickly, and soon after she was completely free, so was Fluttershy.

The snake-chicken creature fled into the thick dark growth. Fluttershy trotted up to the still somewhat stunned griffon and said, “Gilda! I’m so glad to finally find you here… Are you alright?”

Gilda struggled to find words, as she found herself nearly turned to stone and practically saved by a pony she a while ago despised most. She shook her head and simply asked in an aghast tone. “What in the heavens was that monster?”

“Uh, it was a cockatrice. A young and very naughty cockatrice. Cockatrices were creatures that resemble half-chicken and half-snake, and they were only found in the Everfree as far as I know. Their stares can turn ponies, griffons and other animals alike into stone.” 

Fluttershy explained. “Well uh, they’re not monsters, most of them are reasonable if you talked to them.”

“Certainly not that little bastard.” Gilda scoffed, to which Fluttershy flinched and made a ‘Shh’ gesture.

“… Anyway, I’m just glad you are safe and sound. Rainbow, Pinkie and other ponies are all worried about you.” Fluttershy said.

“What’d happened to them?” Gilda asked.

“Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie have flew back to the Sugarcube Corner thinking that you have overtaken them, but afterwards they couldn’t find you there, so they knew something was wrong. I was in the slowest flock of pegasi that was closing in to the edge of Everfree, and Rainbow has flew to us and told us the news.” 

Fluttershy breathed and continued, “… Since I live closest to the Everfree forest and knew around the place, I was selected to scout the area to look for you, as you’ve probably not too deep inside the forest. Twilight also tried to track you using her magic, but it took a little time to fire up. Anyway, I entered the forest and tracked you using your claw prints and asking the animals around.”

“You can talk to the animals and critters?” Gilda asked with mild surprise.

“To a certain extent, yes. This is what my cutie mark means.” Fluttershy replied with a smile.

An awkward silence then persisted between the mare and the griffon, until Fluttershy spoke up. “Um, I won’t go around and tell this to other ponies, I promise.”

Gilda looked up and turned to Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus was looking a bit nervous awaiting for her response. “Even Rainbow Dash?” Gilda asked.

Fluttershy gulped, and she seemed to deliberate for a while. But eventually, she nodded.

All of a sudden, Gilda heartily chuckled. “No need for that, pony... Fluttershy, I think?” 

Fluttershy nodded. 

“It’s my dang fault that I landed in this forest, got lost and nearly got turn into stone by that accursed cockatrice. If anyone want to think I’m some stupid bonehead, let them. I don’t care a bit.”

She continued. “Fluttershy, I thought you were… lame at first, herding bunnies like some sort of weirdo. But you are actually a kind and strong-willed mare. I apologize for looking down on you, and I thank you very much for rescuing my sorry butt.”

Fluttershy simply smiled, “You’re welcome, I don’t mind at all. I’m used to ponies giving me weird stares and looking down on me for my, um, shyness.” 

She gulped. “… So, are we… friends?”

“… You betcha!” Gilda grinned genuinely at the pony for the first time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash basically tackled Gilda into the ground, as she and Fluttershy walked into the Sugarcube Corner. “Where have you been, Gilda? I’m worried sick!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Get off me first, Dash.” Gilda struggled out of the cyan pony’s embrace, and said. “I got lost a bit in the Everfree, Fluttershy here found me and pointed me the way out. I’m sorry for letting the rush get to my head, everyone.”

“We’re glad as long as you are safe, Gilda.” Twilight walked up to them and smiled.

“So Dash, I heard you won the race, did you?” Gilda grinned and asked.

“Uh, technically yes, but it doesn’t count since you were…” Rainbow Dash awkwardly replied.

“What ‘doesn’t count’? Of course you won it fair and square! You are the first one reaching the goal, aren’t you?” Gilda said.

“Gilda’s right y’know, Rainbow,” Pinkie grinned widely. “So, how do you like the name ‘The Rainbow Dash Memorial Golden Ponyville Flying Race’?” 

“Meh, it’s too long and clunky. And I don’t need the bits that much anyway. The free treats in the Sugarcube Corner are more than enough,” Rainbow Dash shrugged, then smiled at her griffon friend, “More importantly, I really want to name the race in honor of my best friend, Gilda, for it was she who gave me support and company when we were young, and it is she who went from half an Equestria away just to visit an old friend.”

Gilda let out a surprise yelp, when Rainbow Dash shove the bag of bits into her claw. “You’ll need that on your way, Gilda.” Rainbow Dash smiled.

“I can’t accept that, I—” Gilda was stopped not only by Rainbow Dash, but also her pony friends.

“Gilda, you’ve been a dear during your time here. This is just a small sign of our gratitude.” Rarity said.

“Yes! Just accept it Gilda! Don’t be shy!” Pinkie chirped, to which Spike yelled, “Yeah!”

Gilda went silent, then she said to the assembled ponies in a low voice, “… To tell you the truth, I’d thought you ponies were a bunch of lame-o and dweebs... I was wrong, totally wrong. You all were kind and accommodating, looking out for me even if I was just an outsider. You girls threw cool party and awesome race in the name of me. I—I am ashamed to have thought of you all like some sort of unworthy fools. Please, forgive me for my terrible conceit.” Gilda lowered her head almost to the ground.

“… We don’t mind at all, Gilda. We’re just glad that you’re finally able to speak your mind and grow to like us.” Fluttershy said.

“Fluttershy’s right, Gilda. I’m just happy that my pony friends are all good in your eyes.” Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement.

“Hey Gilda, don’t be all mopey dopey and sad! I heard from Rainbow that you baked scones back home. I’ve baked some for you! I hope that they are nearly as good as yours!” Pinkie beamed as she took out a tray of freshly baked scones.

“Om, om, om… That’s actually pretty good, Pinkie. Much better than mine, in fact. Would you mind if I ask you how you’ve done it?” Gilda asked.

“Sure thing, Gilda!” Pinkie brightly smiled.

Twilight looked on from the side, and beamed a satisfied smile. Rainbow Dash walked away from the baker duo to the purple pony, and said, “Whoa, you girls surely planned this thing up to eleven. How did you make sure that Gilda got lost in the Everfree and Fluttershy rescued her?”

“Uh Rainbow, we didn’t plan this. I would never approve of placing Gilda in danger just to make her like us. We really thought that the party and the race would be enough to soften your prideful griffon friend up.” 

Twilight shook her head. “But anyhow, it turns out well after all. Sometimes you have to just raise your hooves and put your faith in destiny, you know?”

“Huh? You didn’t plan this? Wow then, it was very fortunate that it went smoothly and no one’s hurt.” Rainbow Dash exhaled.

Suddenly, Gilda walked up to the cyan pony in a somewhat sad expression. “Dash, I think I have to go.”

Pinkie heard Gilda’s words and gasped. “Gilda, you are going so early?! Oh! By Celestia, that calls for… an emergency farewell party!” She shot upstairs in a blink of the eyes.

“What? But you’ve just come here!” Rainbow Dash added loudly.

“No need to be loud, Dash.” Gilda covered her ears with her talons. “But yes, I must go. The experiences here really opened up my eyes and changed my perception towards ponies. I must’ve been overlooking a lot in my travel. Therefore, I want to go to meet more new ponies as soon as possible and see what I can learn from them.”

“… Well, if that’s what you want, all power to you, Gilda.” Rainbow Dash nodded with a longing look.

“Thank you Dash, for everything. And thank you everypony. I was a narrow-minded griffon, but you’ve taught me that friendship and kindness exist everywhere from earth to sky. I’d never forget about you all and your hospitality.” Gilda deeply bowed, “If you ever come to Griffonstone… I can show you around, although I’m just a common griffon who isn’t worth two bits.” She chuckled.

“Leb wohl, mein lieber Freund.”

Gilda’s eyes went wide, but she then nodded with a grin. The mares and the griffon embraced each other, as they prepared for the farewell party for Gilda and the departure of their new griffon friend.

As the griffon began to turn, Twilight thought of something and called to her. “Gilda, I have a small request…”

Gilda raised her brow. “Shoot. If it’s within my abilities, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Since you’re going to travel around Equestria further, I wonder if you can keep an eye and an ear out for someone.”

“Huh, who would be it?”

“We are looking for news of a pony named Starlight Glimmer. She was a very magical unicorn who lived in Trottingham.”

Twilight took out a rough sketch of the pony and gave it to Gilda.

“She had a pale purple coat, and a deep purple mane with light blue streak. She is… let’s say an important acquaintance, but we couldn’t contact her. You don’t have to specifically look for her, but if you see somepony like that on the road and give me a note, I’d be very, very glad. I will give you a small recomp-”

“Don’t be stupid, if I’m to do this, I don’t do it for bits.” Gilda huffed. 

The griffon’s frown turned into a smirk. “I’ll definitely keep an eye out for someone like that, because you all are such good hosts.”

“And friends?” Pinkie Pie asked with a hopeful eyes.

“Yeah, yeah…” Gilda rolled her eyes reluctantly.

“Well, Gilda, since you agree to that, why not also hear me out?” Rainbow Dash grinned.

“Don’t push it, kid.” Gilda snapped, but her grin said otherwise.

“Heh, just want to see if you would also catch some sighting of creatures we’re hunting down.”

“Hunting? You ponies? I never thought I would hear that words from you guys’s mouth. Do they taste good?”

The mares widened their eyes, and Rainbow Dash did a spit-take.

“Not literally, Gilda! We’re looking for changelings. Ever heard of them?”

“No, never heard of ‘em.”

“Well, they’re insectoid equines with black shell and blue-green eyes. They are led by a queen named Chrysalis. We caught wind of some of their nefarious plan, so as the Element-bearers, we want to keep the peace of the land and confront them before it got out of hooves. But trouble is, they are an elusive bunch with a scary skill – they can freely change into the appearance of other creatures as long as they are well fed with the emotion of love.”

“Some black horsebugs that feed on love and transform at will? Are you making this up to prank me, Dash?” Gilda unamusedly huffed.

Fluttershy came forth and said. “Rainbow meant it, Gilda.”

Gilda blinked and nodded. “Well, if it’s Fluttershy, she ain’t gonna prank me.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to joke about something this big. We want to contain this, but we are tied to Ponyville for one reason and another. Plus we can’t tell other ponies to look for them, because you know, ponies are a panicky bunch, and the point of early containment is not to disturb the population.”

“True, true. So you want me to keep an eye for them also? I’m fine with it, though if they just change into the looks of others, how can I look for them?”

Rainbow Dash scratched her cheek. “Well yeah. They aren’t gonna change back until someone hit them hard.”

“Are you telling me to punch everyone on sight?” Gilda snorted.

Fluttershy gasped with a horrified expression. “No! Um, I think Rainbow Dash meant just to keep an eye out for news of unusual change in behaviors in ponies.”

Gilda grimaced. “It’d be a bit hard as I’m going to travel from place to place in quick succession. But I guess I’ll try.”

The mares beamed. “Thank you, Gilda! We’ll repay you someday for all your troubles.” Twilight exclaimed

The griffon rolled her eyes. “What did I say about that? If you really want to do me a favor, then don’t keep me here any longer.”

“O- Okay.”

“Goodbye for real this time, everyone.” Gilda shook her feather and took flight swiftly, disappearing in the indigo sky soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“That went very different than what we’ve expected, didn’t it?” Twilight said.

“Well, I didn’t prank her at all this time, although I really really really want to! She was clearly a very good prankster herself!” Pinkie said with a sad smile.

“Yeah, we’ve basically handling her with a kiddie glove. But it’s Gilda, she’s a bit short-tampered and prideful, we really needed the extra caution.” Rainbow Dash quipped. “Thank you girls anyway, for not rejecting her even knowing what she’s like from the very beginning.”

“… It’s exactly because we knew what she’s like, Rainbow. We knew Gilda is at heart a good griffon.” Fluttershy said. 

“… We just need to carefully remove some preconceptions, with some of our well-timed actions, in order to befriend her.” Twilight continued.

“Even including the accidental cockatrice?” Applejack joked.

“That rogue cockatrice’s going to petrify somepony sooner or later, so why shouldn’t we set it straight now? I would rather not be turned into stone myself, thank you very much.” Twilight mockingly scoffed.

“It’s great that we’ve now made a friend out of Gilda instead of antagonizing her. It would be greatly useful when we finally have to engage the griffons.” Rarity commented.

“Indeed, but allow me to do something first…” Twilight said.

She reached back into Sugarcube Corner, and found Spike, who was struggling to deal with the Fluttershy’s headstrong bunny, Angel.

“Um, Spike, a moment if you please?” Twilight said, “I need your help sending a friendship letter to the Princess.”

“Oh Twilight, hang on a sec.” Spike wriggled himself out of the pile of cake the bunny threw at him and grabbed the quill.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned that it's a noble endeavor to reach out to someone who had a preconceived bias against you. Though it's impossible to simply remove the prejudice of someone you’ve met, it is possible to control your own behavior. Just be considerate and accommodating. In the end, the difference between stereotype and reality will surely come to light.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

“That sounds vaguely familiar…” Applejack quipped, which earned a glare from Twilight.

“A bit too optimistic, even.” Rarity quipped.

“Thank you very much, Spike.” Twilight sort of ignored her friends as she watched Spike engulfed the letter in his green flame. “An-y-way, that’s one tough job done. Should we wrap this up with a spa trip?”

The mares cheered, but the purple dragon merely groaned, “What’s up with the frou-frou nonsense?”

“… Why am I allowing them to listen in when I draft the friendship report anyway?” Twilight muttered to herself.

> Chapter 7 – Tricks of the Trade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Twilight, do you think that I’d look better with a moustache?” Spike asked, as Twilight was busy writing letters to ponies in Canterlot. She had been maintaining contact with her Canterlot acquaintances, as well as asking for news about Sunburst, the estranged friend of Starlight Glimmer. 

But for now, she was specifically writing to her own brother Shining Armor. It’s been some time since they met, and she longed to reconnect with her big brother.

Twilight turned left and right briefly to track down the source of his voice. Eventually, she turned to Spike and said. “Um, you will look positively enticing with a gentleman’s bar I’m sure. But I’m afraid Rarity isn’t into the mustachioed Romeo look.”

Spike sighed. “Screw that, then.”

Twilight put down her quill and slowly trotted to the side of Spike. “What’s wrong, Spike? I thought Rarity is not against the idea of spending more time with you?”

“But… the thing is… it is too slow!” Spike frowned. “Ever since Rarity agreed to go to the Gala with me, we haven’t talked very often. Even when we do, things just turn awkward quickly, you know?”

“Spike, Rarity will need time. She has works to do and duties to tend to. She also has a little sister to take care of. Besides, she has to get used to the idea of going out with you.” Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. “After all, she’s a mare and you’re a dragon.”

Spike looked hurt with Twilight’s comments, he looked down to the floor and went silent.

Twilight realized that her words have upset the purple dragon, and hurriedly added, “I’m sorry, Spike. I didn’t mean that your being a dragon is a problem, or that you and Rarity don’t match… It’s just that ponies around Rarity will have to accept this with a bit of time, since some of them may not be as open-minded as us.”

Twilight looked at Spike in the eyes and assured, “I tell you what Spike. I knew Rarity harbored some feelings for you too, she just, uh, won’t quite admit it.”

Spike’s jaw dropped hearing Twilight’s proclamation. “What?! Is that true? Why did I never notice?”

Twilight knew that in actuality, Rarity’s not really into the purple dragon. She probably loved Spike simply because some of Twilight’s motherly love for the young drake was transferred during their mind meld. That applied for everyone indeed, but some of them were able to translate it into something platonic, but others, like Rarity, was clearly in a mental quagmire. It must be a bit awkward for Rarity to face a love-struck dragon that she probably cared for in another way. 

Heck, if Spike someday suddenly said he loved her as a mare and wanted to be with her…

Twilight pushed away the unsettling thought like she would do to a quesadilla. She then said. “Rarity’s a lady, Spike. She is not going to just openly show her affection. Especially not to someone she’s met just a few weeks ago. You need to slowly build up your relationship and show Rarity that you’re more than a small dragon, but a reliable coltfriend that she would feel safe and proud to go out with.”

Spike nodded, as he slowly processed Twilight’s words.

“Anyway, have you seen any new pony come into town?” Twilight asked in expectation.

“Oh yes, finally there’s one,” Spike replied quickly, as he was asked this question every day in the past week. “I saw somepony in a cape, a unicorn I think, camped at the edge of the town this morning. She seemed to be packing up and preparing to move into town.”

Suddenly, loud knocks was heard in the treehouse library. “I’ll get it,” Twilight said, but Spike followed her to the door anyway.

At the door were two young colts. “Spike, Missus Twilight, there’s something you must see!”

Twilight knew what was coming as she mentally prepared herself. Spike asked, “Snips, Snails! What's goin' on?”

Snails said with a surprised voice, “Wha, haven't you heard? There's a new unicorn in town!”

“Why yes, my good colts, Spike was just talking about this with me.” Twilight smilingly nodded.

“See, they say that she's got more magical powers than any other unicorn ever!” Snips replied with a hurried tone.

“Aw, no way, tha—” Spike was interrupted by a gentle poke from Twilight, who instead politely said. “Oh my, that’s definitely a must-seen, then!”

“Ho, she's in the town square. Come on!” Snails grinned widely, as he and Snips scampered out of the front of the tree library and went to another door to tell other ponies the news.

Spike watched the two young colts who were running around town. “Twilight, why don’t you let me correct them on who’s the most powerful unicorn?”

For Twilight, she was far from powerful enough for her to feel good with herself. She never felt easy with her level of control on her mind magic, seeing that she once nearly submitted to Fluttershy’s Stare, and might have to engage numerous opponents that bend minds in the future. Even in terms of raw magic, Starlight Glimmer could have matched her in certain situations had she not possessed the magical know-how inherited from the ancient tome. 

Besides, she had some ideas for that new unicorn. “Spike, it’s true that because my talent is magic, I’m naturally disposed towards having more magic than most other unicorns. But that doesn’t mean there are absolutely no other unicorns in Equestria that are more talented than me. While for most unicorns, their magic was adapted fully to their specific trade or interest, it doesn’t mean that you can’t teach an old pony new tricks… so to speak. Just like how I tutored Rarity on different magic other than her original repertoire.”

Twilight took a long breath and continued. “In any case, I dislike ostentatious display of abilities. When you always show off all the tricks in your saddlebag, you would then never be able to surprise or impress other ponies. Also, being humble about yourself made ponies that already know you’re good like you more. So Spike, I ask of you, no matter what happens when we meet the new unicorn, do not boast about my abilities in front of all ponies. If she was a fraud, I’ll have my ways to deal with her.”

Spike gulped and nodded, it’s as if Twilight could see what he was thinking in his mind. Or could she? Spike sometimes wondered about Twilight, who had grown to be incredibly prescient and sometimes enigmatic even.

They walked out of the library together and towards the town center, where a big crowd of ponies were already gathered to witness the new unicorn who purportedly wield the greatest amount of magic in Equestria.

Twilight and Spike trotted to the front row, where they saw their friends already waiting in the audience. 

“Oh hi Twilight!” Pinkie cheerfully greeted.

“Finally arrivin’, eh?” Applejack smirked.

“It’s your time to shine, y’know.” Rainbow Dash added with a grin.

“Uh, to be honest, I haven’t thought of a foolproof way to deal with that pony, if she’s just boastful. I’m really interested in her though, I want to talk to her… without that many ponies surrounding us of course.”

The plaza boomed with a high-pitched voice all of a sudden. “Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” The blue unicorn named Trixie said with a grin.

“Ooh.” The Mane Six joined in the crowd, in a barely lukewarm manner.

“Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” Trixie proclaimed, as fireworks and fanfare flared up on the stage, earning calls and awes from the audience.

“That’s actually quite competent stage management, I say.” Rarity commented.

“The fireworks went off in perfect tandem with her magic. While this is just sleight of the hooves, I’m quite impressed with her show abilities.” Twilight agreed. “Her actual maneuver with various objects and tools was not half bad, either.”

“Yeah girls! The fireworks were super-duper awesome! I have to ask her about how she managed to make them pop even without moving or pressing buttons!” Pinkie beamed.

“If only she was not claiming to be actually using powerful magic.” Spike groaned.

“Spike, we should just sit back and enjoy the show for now. As I said, I’ll find a way to make Trixie… honest.” Twilight grinned with a hint of wryness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ha! Once again, the Great and Powerful Trixie has proven herself to be the most amazing unicorn in all of Equestria. Huh, was there ever any doubt?”

Without the intervention from the Mane Six, Trixie successfully dispatched the few challengers to her magical abilities with a combination of tricks and actual magic. She boastfully proclaimed herself the most powerful unicorn of all Ponyville. Although many ponies were uncomfortable with her pretentious attitude, the town residents had to grudgingly admit Trixie’s magical talent, if simply for the fact that no one could beat her.

After the show, Trixie took a rest next to her wagon and combed her mane. Suddenly, Snails and Snips sneaked up to the blue unicorn and gave her a cup, briefly giving Trixie a scare.

“Oh! It’s just you two.” Trixie said with a somewhat annoyed tone.

“Here's your smoothie you asked for, with extra hay, just how you like it.” Snips reverently gave the cup to Trixie while Snails looked on.

Trixie noticed that the two hadn’t gone away, and said, “Well?”

“Ooo, tell us another story, Great and Powerful Trixie.” Snips beseeched.

“Yeah, tell us about how you vanquished the Ursa Major.” Snails also begged.

Trixie glared at the two, and dismissively shook her hoof, “Guh! Trixie is far too exhausted from performing feats beyond imagination. Be gone with you until morning.”

“Oh, of course, the Great and Powerful Trixie.” The two bowed and left.

The mares and Spike looked on from across the street. Spike were stunned at how his two young friends groveled at the fraud and how vainglorious the blue unicorn Trixie was.

“Umm… She would make for a good student material.” Twilight nodded at the scene, which made Spike did a double-take.

“What?! Twilight, you’re planning to take… Trixie as your student?! But, but it’s Trixie! And you’re still, uh, the Princess’s student! How can a student have a student of her own?” Spike asked in shock.

“That doesn’t stop me from teaching you and Rarity, hmm? The student has to become the teacher someday, may as well starts from now.” 

Twilight grinned. “Besides, it upsets me to see a unicorn with potential like Trixie, who could improve her magic by proper training, fell to the sideways and used tricks to cover up her inadequacies. She obviously had a talent for show, organization and magical fine-tuning. Even though she might not reach my level of raw magical output, she might be able to grow into an expert creator for magic artefacts.”

“But if you want to do that, we need to find some way let her confront her weakness in magic.” Rarity said to Twilight.

“Well, she did say something about an Ursa Major just now…” Rainbow Dash suggested.

“… Hm, that might be a bit drastic, but it might be warranted because it’s Trixie.” Twilight said. “Um, Spike, I think we’re going to look for an Ursa Major for Trixie’s dueling pleasure.”

Spike’s eyes shot wide, as Twilight continued, “… If you’re weak of heart, Spike, you should go back to the li—” Spike was gone before Twilight even finished her sentence.

“… Uh, you know, we aren’t going to just find any Ursa. But oh well, now we can act.” Twilight looked at the madly dashing Spike and smilingly shook her head.

They walked towards the show-mare, who had finished combing her hair and leaning on her wagon for rest.

“Good day, you must be Trixie. My name is Twilight Sparkle, I’m a student currently under royal tutelage in Canterlot. I come here for your magical talents.” Twilight politely greeted.

“Twilight Sparkle…?” Trixie narrowed her eyes briefly, but she soon smirked at the mention of her talent. “Indeed, the Great and Powerful Trixie greeted the less powerful unicorn Twilight Sparkle. What do you want?”

“We’ve heard of your exploits, and we’re greatly impressed.” Twilight said, trying her best to suppress any hint of insincerity.

“Twilight knew someone from the Canterlot court.” 

Rarity shot a side glance at Twilight. “She might be able to introduce you to someone up high, even the princess. Then you might be able to obtain a sinecure with good pay as a recognition of your superb magical talent.”

Trixie couldn’t help but beam at the prospects of receiving not only bits, but royal recognition for her magical power. 

“But—” Twilight immediately added, “It’s just a formal procedure, still I’ll have to witness your magical prowess before granting you the honor.”

“Twilight will temporarily serve as your magic examiner. Cheers!” Pinkie winked at the blue unicorn with a smile.

Although Trixie was pleased with the possible reward, she was a bit distrustful of these ponies who suddenly trotted up on her and offered her such goodies. She scowled at the mares. “What, are you ponies trying to trick Trixie or make Trixie show her magic for free?”

“… Not at all, um, here is something to cover your expense and time.” Fluttershy replied, as she flew to Trixie with a small bag of bits.

“Huh, very well then. That’s easy,” Trixie grinned at the bits and huffed triumphantly. “Let Trixie just make some preparations here and show you why Trixie’s the greatest equine who has ever lived!”

“That’s the spirit.” Twilight said. “But sorry Trixie, there are usually set procedures and venues for something like this. Since we’re not at Canterlot, we’ll have to make do. I’ve set up something at the edge of the town. You just have to pass several challenges and the honor is yours.”

“Don’t worry, Trixie.” Rainbow Dash said, barely able to suppress her mocking tone despite her best efforts. “If you are anywhere as powerful as you’ve claimed, you should be able to breeze through all of them!”

Trixie glared at the impudent cyan pegasus, and huffed. “Of course Trixie is going to excel at every magic test you throw towards Trixie. Show Trixie the way!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mares walked towards Fluttershy’s cottage. After passing the bridge, they made a detour and arrived at a small woodland clearing. Trixie pulled her wagon to the side.

“Trixie, you may go and prepare yourself. We as examiner and witnesses will need to take some time to set things up,” Twilight said to the blue unicorn, “Just tell us so when you’re ready.” 

“Very well, Trixie will announce to you when Trixie’s ready to prove why Trixie’s the most powerful unicorn in Equestria!” She looked up and haughtily laughed.

Twilight then trotted aside and waved at Fluttershy. Twilight leaned in and whispered into the yellow mare’s ears. “Be careful, even though we did get in touch with the Ursa for this, he’s still much larger than us.”

“Don’t worry, Twilight. Mr. Ursa might look gruff and aggressive outside, but he’s actual very peaceful and kind once you know him.”

Twilight suppressed an urge to roll her eyes. “Good luck, I have already got the materials ready.”

Fluttershy nodded and quietly flew into the thick bushes and entered the Everfree Forest.

The mares patiently waited for Trixie to don the proper attire and set up the ground for her purposes. Afterwards, the blue show-mare stepped up with a confident smile. “Show Trixie what you’ve got, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight nodded, and began her prepared list of challenges. She lifted a few vines from the nearby trees and bent them into circles. Then she kept the rings of vine in the air with her magic. Applejack grabbed the remaining vine with her mouth and put it down next to Trixie.

“Use your magic to grab hold of this vine, and guide it through the middle of all the floating rings within ten seconds, without touching the ring of course. Sounds simple enough?” 

Twilight said with a thin smile. “The catch is, I will move the rings around during the exam. Not too quickly of course. But it should spice things up a little bit.”

Trixie stared at Twilight, then at the rings. The exam was indeed simple and somewhat easy for her. It played rightly into her strength of magical manipulation. 

Trixie was also a bit surprised at Twilight, who talked without a hint of exertion as she floated multiple rings in the air at the same time. It seemed to Trixie that this royal student did have considerable magic potential herself, not that she would openly admit it.

“Very well, Trixie will show you how expert use magic.” 

She casted her magic, and a blue glow engulfed the fallen vine. It promptly moved as if it had come to life, and shot into the air. Trixie effortlessly guided the short vine through the moving rings. Even as Twilight sometimes moved the ring abruptly out of the way, Trixie still managed to direct the vine into the dead centers of the rings like an arrow. She flawlessly completed the task and laid the vine back onto the ground.

“That’s very impressive, Trixie, you’re quite talented.” Twilight praised, knowing well that this was just a scenario set up to suit Trixie’s strengths, but she indeed sensed an experienced manipulation of objects in Trixie. The blue show-mare harrumphed but grinned.

Then, Twilight presented Trixie with a few more magic trials, including turning a rock into different specific shades of color, creating a mix of flashes and smokes to stun ponies, and some basic illusion magic. Trixie excelled at each one of the challenges, and her heart swelled as high as her pride.

Twilight nodded at the show mare, and said. “You’re good, Trixie, very good indeed. We now approach at the second last challenge… me.”

Twilight stepped forth from the stump that she was using as a makeshift chair. “I will cast a magical shield in front of me for five minutes. Try your best to attack the shield. Don’t worry about me, I have ways to protect myself even if the shield is broken.”

Trixie’s eyes bulged a bit, it’s as if somepony has poured a bucket of ice water on her head. Raw power was her worst weakness, and she at heart doubted her chance of dissipating, or even just weakening, Twilight’s defense shield.

But Trixie was a professional magician, she would never show her weakness on her face. Also, she thought she couldn’t possibly give up, not after all those troubles. She gritted her teeth and said, “Alright, Trixie will blast open your shield in no time!”

Twilight grinned, and casted the magical shield. True to Trixie’s appraisal of Twilight’s magic potential, the sprawling magic shield was, unlike those casted by other unicorns, felt almost solid and tangible. An elastic hood of purple magic materialized around Twilight. 

“Hit my with your best, Trixie.” Twilight smiled.

Trixie gulped slightly, then casted her strongest magic at Twilight’s shield. The arrow-like glow struck the shield, but was deflected away like small pebble on a giant balloon. Trixie tried again, this time tucked at the seemingly weakest point of the shield. Even as she was focusing at maintaining the thick shield, Twilight nodded slightly at Trixie’s correct identification of an area of uneven magic distribution on her shield. Nonetheless, Trixie’s magic simply plucked at the surface of the shield like a lute, then dissipating, simply leaving a shallow ripple.

Trixie then tried to distract Twilight’s magic casting with some bright flashes and illusion, then splitting her magic into multiple strands to attack her at multiple angles, some even towards her back where she could not see. 

Twilight muttered in satisfaction. The show-mare’s attacking strategy almost resembled professional unicorn attack mages of old. However, the strategy of diversion was not really effective to a veteran like Twilight, and the strength of split magic was even weaker than Trixie’s initial attack, so the attack was easily dissipated again without much trouble. 

Trixie continued to use various ways, even some of her most secret conjuration tricks in hope of stunning Twilight. But the purple pony endured, unmoving like a rock mountain. Finally, just as Trixie was close to giving up and sitting down in exhaustion, Twilight suddenly negated her spell and dissipated the shield.

“That’s it, Trixie. You’ve passed the test.” Twilight said.

“What?” Trixie asked in astonishment.

“The test was about magic versatility. I simply want to see how quick your immediate responses to situations are and how resourceful you are with difficult obstacle.” 

Twilight explained. “It was never about breaking the shield to begin with, and it matters not if the magic attacks themselves did not possess enough power to tear the shield open, as I will simply repair it with my own magic. You’ve done well, in my opinion.”

Trixie was speechless at first, as she slowly understood she had passed the difficult challenge with some luck, but also her own ability, which pleased her greatly. But Trixie then realized that Twilight was implying something with her statement.

“Wait, what do you mean that Trixie’s magic attacks are not po—” Trixie was stopped by a smiling Twilight.

“Fret not Trixie, we have plenty of time for that after this exam. Now, we have to move onto the last challenge, which are tailored towards the stories of your epic exploits.”

Twilight lit her horn, and a bolt of magic shot up to the sky like a signal flare. After a while, the mares could hear loud stomps and angry huffs booming from afar. Then it became clear to Trixie—an absolutely gigantic bear-like creature has emerged from the tall trees of the dark Everfree. The fearsome bear was at least as tall as forty ponies standing back to back, and its coat was the color of night sky, even adorned with star-like glimmers. It’s also somewhat translucent, which was a sign of the strange ambient magic that surrounded the ancient forest.

Trixie blanched and her teeth clattered, as she called out to Twilight. “W—What is that?!”

Twilight, to the utter stupefaction of Trixie, do not seem concerned at all. “Oh shouldn’t you recognize? It’s an Ursa Major, the one you vanquished in Hoofington? I think he knows you did something to one of his kind. He seemed upset. Anyway, we lured him out of his cave with great difficulty, and it is your task to, uh, convince him back into the forest.”

Trixie’s eyes stared at the unbelievable events occurring in front of her. Were these mares nuts? Luring out a bucking Ursa Major just for a dang magic test? This creature could level a small hill and stomp a pony into flattened paste without even noticing! Not to mention, her story about defeating an Ursa Major was all but weak lies, especially because Ursa Majors usually didn’t leave the cave that they have claimed as homes, except only very occasionally for food or emergency. Trixie still could not believe that they somehow brought over the creature here in the first place. How in Equestria did they do that?

Trixie’s mind was filled with so much fear and so many questions, that she barely noticed the timid yellow pegasus that followed behind the giant bear and rejoined the group.

“… Um, Trixie, what are you waiting for?” Twilight asked quizzically. “Go banish the Ursa Major back into the forest like you’ve once done, and this test will be concluded.”

Trixie looked at the towering bear, who looked at her angrily and let out the occasional ground-shaking roar. She closed her eyes and knew this was mad-mare’s talk. She turned to Twilight and said. “Trixie can’t do this, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Why?” Twilight simply asked.

“Uh… Because Trixie doesn’t want to harm innocent creatures?” Trixie offered weakly.

“Don’t worry for a bit. The Ursa’s hide is as thick as a city wall. And even if something does happen, Fluttershy and I will offer immediate medical help. Now go!” Twilight urged Trixie.

Trixie struggled greatly. She gritted her teeth again and clawed at the dirt on the ground with her hooves. The Ursa Major let out a well-timed roar, lowering his head towards the show-mare, which scared her so much that it almost caused her to buckle and fall. Eventually, she looked up to the mares with a defeated sigh.

“.. Trixie can’t defeat it. Tri—I can't, I never have. No one can vanquish an Ursa Major. I just made the whole story up to make me look better.” She sighed, shedding her boastful show persona.

Twilight Sparkle looked at the show-mare rightly at the eyes, and slowly said. “We know from the very beginning.”

Trixie’s head shot up in shock, as she wondered if the whole demonstration was just a silly farce designed to humiliate her.

Twilight simply walked towards Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus nodded at Twilight, and then flew up and said something into the fearsome Ursa’s ear. The Ursa Major huffed and nodded, as he sat down on the ground, causing another round of tremble.

Twilight then gestured to Rarity, who then trotted together with Twilight into a bush. There they lit their horn together, several giant cylinders and rolls of cloth rose up in the air in purple and blue glow, and flew towards the arms of the Ursa Major. Trixie looked on with wide eyes, as the two unicorns seemed to have lifted several tons of materials into mid-air. The Ursa Major pawed the incoming gifts, and gruffly nodded. He then glanced at the gentle yellow mare one last time, stood up and walked back into the tall, dark woods with loud thumps.

“We are acquaintance with that Ursa Major, by the way. We helped him out in the forest once, and he agreed to help us if we hand him… some baby food and cloths.” Twilight said, barely able to hide her amused tone.

“Heard his gruff tone? Clearly someone’s been bossed ‘round by his lovin’ pardner.” Applejack chuckled heartily.

“… What is the meaning of this, Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked, almost with a low hiss.

Twilight’s expression turned serious. “Trixie, I meant you no malice. I simply witnessed your magic and wanted to offer help.”

“What help, Twilight Sparkle? The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t need any help from other ponies.”

“As I said, I study magic. Heck, even my talent itself is magic. I knew a magically-talented and versatile pony when I saw one.” 

Twilight calmly said. “But I simply cannot allow it, when I saw a unicorn sundering her gifts by relying on mere tricks.”

“What mere tricks?!” Trixie angrily asked, and then continued with great suspicion, “And what are the gifts you’re talking about?”

Twilight groaned at her careless choice of words, but continued. “Let’s be frank, Trixie, your raw magical potential… fell short compared to your other magical talents. So you made up for it by spreading wild claims and making use of theatrics. Having a bombastic show-mare persona is completely fine in my eyes, veritable even, as it brings awe to ponies’ heart and brings bits through actual work.”

She then sighed and added, “But when you began to convince others, or even yourself, that those acts of yours are part of your true ability, you’re simply tying up your own hooves and hindering possible improvements.”

Trixie glared at the purple pony, and huffed, “I don’t need a dull holier-than-thou pony preaching to me about what I should do.”

Twilight grimaced at her ineffectiveness at getting her message to Trixie, so she changed tactics. “… You came to Ponyville, not just because it is the closest town near the capital, isn’t it?”

“... I’m tired of your vague insinuations, Twilight Sparkle, spit out whatever that is you wanted to say.” Trixie snapped disdainfully.

Twilight gritted her teeth. “I am part of the reason, ain’t I?”

“Huh? What no! I—”

Trixie was interrupted by Twilight, who said. “I remember you from the School for Gifted Unicorns, Trixie. I figured that you might have heard of my exploits here and in the Everfree, and wanted to see what the fuss is about this so-called powerful unicorn, who studied under the Princess and somehow defeated Nightmare Moon.”

Twilight mentally sighed. That was but a half-truth. Her memory of Trixie being in the same school as her was at best fleeting. It was not until she gained the experiences from the ancient tome that she was sure of it and knew of her less-than-ideal treatment in the school. Trixie gazed at the purple pony with a resentful look, but said nothing.

Twilight drew in a breath and said. “… I was also looking for you, Trixie.” 

Twilight words shocked the blue show-mare. “As I said, we both studied in Canterlot. I had known you since then, although you might not be aware of it. I’ve seen ponies giving you dirty looks when you can’t perform some of the more demanding magic spells. I’m truly sorry for not lending you a helping hoof at the time.”

Twilight placed a hoof on the shoulder of the show-mare, who was too stunned and emotional to even swat her off. “Ever since I’ve heard that you’ve been moving towards Ponyville, I’ve been watching the gate to the town every day for your arrival. I want to do something to make up for my terrible mistake, now that I, may I shameless say, possess better magical knowledge that can be used to help out other ponies.”

Twilight looked at the show-pony, who was shaking under her hoof. She leaned in further and said. “Trixie, I care for you as an old classmate and friend, so please do not close your hearts to me, and let me help you bring out your true potential. The little arrangements here were as much as for me to examine your abilities, as for you to actually experience what you are good at and what you need to improve.” 

Twilight turned and pointed to Rarity. “Before my arrival, Rarity was only adept at common telekinesis and gem finding, her specific talent. After we practiced and learnt, she’s now much more acutely aware of her magical potential, as you just witness her moving huge objects around.” 

Twilight then turned back to Trixie and gently embraced the show-mare, who was startled by the sudden expression of intimacy, but did not resist. “Trixie, you don’t need to wear that façade anymore, come and learn with me in Ponyville. We can be friends.”

“… Tri—Trixie is confused by your long-winded speech.” Trixie said with tears in her eyes, “She… I need time to think about this.”

“Well, you’ll need it. Just remember, the door of the Golden Oak Library is always open for you.” Twilight smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Dear Princess Celestia,

I have learned a very valuable lesson about friendship: Sometimes, ponies hid their fear and weakness behind a high and mighty mask. It takes an open mind to make these ponies see there is no harm to occasionally admit to their shortcoming, and accept help into their own hearts. Only then, their lives can move forward and become the ponies they actually are.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

“So um, Twilight, did you manage to make Trixie into your friend or student yet?” Spike asked.

“Not now, Spike. But I’m confident that she’d eventually knock on the door of this Library. That would be the day her life can finally move forward.” Twilight said to the purple dragon, who despite his nagging doubt of Twilight’s plan, eventually nodded.

Twilight then let out a sigh of relief. Thanks to the combination of her knowledge from the future and the past, not only there was little chance than Trixie would become resentful and fell foul to the influence of the Alicorn Amulet, but she might become their ally one day. This first small victory warmed her heart.

> Chapter 8 – A Dance with Dragons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight has called for and assembled her friends in the Golden Oak Library. Something has registered on her strange-looking meter she hanged on the top of her tree library.

For some reason, Spike was placed in the middle of the circle of mares. He was unused to the unusual amount of attention from the mares, who was staring at him with thoughtful looks. Eventually, he could take it no more, and exclaimed. “What? Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“The atmospheric particulate detector has sensed a large fluctuation of vital incendiary residue.” Twilight stated.

“… Can you put it in Equestrian, please?” Spike paused for a long time and eventually asked.

Fluttershy made a face to the deliberately difficult purple pony, and explained. “What Twilight meant is that she found some ashes in the air, and those ashes are likely from some creature that breathes fire.”

“What kind of fire-breathing creature is it?” Spike asked.

“Could have been a phoenix, but those are very rare in this area. The most likely candidate is a dragon like you, Spike.” 

Twilight said. “We have to find this dragon. Not that we’re concerned that the forest will catch fire or something, since dragons can usually control their breath. It’s because if he or she is left alone, the smoke might eventually build up and cause breathing problems in ponies, blotting out the sun and thus affecting the local plant lives.” 

The last statement earned a severe nod from Applejack.

“Yeah! The ashes will also mix with the morning fog and cause a blanket of smog to cover the whole Ponyville. That would take us ages to clean off!” Rainbow added. “And since dragons could sleep for years and even decades, the smoke might build up into a smoke film covering a large part of Equestria, eventually.”

“Oh dear, dragons do that? Am I going to…” Spike asked.

“You don’t have to worry for now, Spike. Only some dragons breathe smoke out involuntarily when they sleep, and only when they reached a certain size. Also, it is not too big a problem if we can just talk with the dragon in question. Ponyville’s location in a bowled-shaped valley bottom caused the smoke to accumulate much quickly than other places. We just have to persuade the dragon to move to a better spot.”

“B—but what if the dragon is mean?” Spike asked uncertainly. While the young drake was looking forward to connect with his brethren of the same species, they were also a complete unknown to him, so he felt somewhat uneasy towards the trip. 

“Haha, Spike, don’t be a chicken!” Rainbow Dash teased Spike, “Aren’t you supposed to be a masculine dragon and lovable scamp?”

Twilight shot a glare at the cyan mare, and sighed, “Your worry is not unfounded, Spike. Dragons were naturally more aggressive and territorial than ponies, they were also much more protective of their possession. In other words, um… “

“Dragons are usually a greedy bunch, Spike. That’s why they horde stuffs.” Applejack added for the hesitant purple pony, “They are prone to become greedy. When they become greedy, they grow bigger, which makes them desire even more, until they reach a gigantic size and become pure greed themselves.” 

Spike’s face turned a strange shade of red, then green, and then red again. So many thoughts went through his head at once. Was he going to become a greedy dragon? Would he then be hated by Twilight and her friends? He dreaded that his greed would be a deal-breaker for the famously generous Rarity. 

Also, they mentioned that greed would make him grow bigger. While this was not necessarily a bad thing, as he always want to be a bigger, stronger dragon to impress others, his becoming a towering high dragon would change his life drastically. For one, he would not be able to live in and learn with Twilight. He would knock down houses, so he would have to move out of Ponyville as well. He…

Twilight looked at the confused and fearful purple dragon, then the somewhat tactless Applejack. She figured that it might after all be better to simply tell it like what it was, and tell it early to Spike. Still, she saw the troubled dragon and decided to do something to comfort him. She poked Rarity, who in turn nodded at the purple pony.

“… Spike.” Rarity looked at the young dragon straight in the eyes “I don’t think that dragon out there is afflicted with greed-induced growth. Probably just a snoring problem. Besides, greed-induced growth is different to normal dragon growth, and is perfectly reversible shall the dragon control themselves and remain temperate. Bottom-line, Spike, we will all still love you no matter what you become.”

“So don’t be a silly mopey dragon and cheer up!” Pinkie Pie added with a grin.

“Spike, you now know why I insist on teaching you about magic and control.” Twilight told the purple dragon, who was now simply staring at the mares with wide eyes. “You must learn to control yourself as a dragon. It is like walking on a thin line. Although if you couldn’t control your greed, bad things would happen, but a moderate amount of desire and want drives self-improvement and made ourselves into better ponies, and dragons. Just don’t let it get to your head.”

“We will watch over you, Spike.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Um… So what do you want me to do with… that dragon?” Spike asked, bringing the topic back to the smoke-breathing dragon.

“We aren’t sure if that’s really a dragon, or even if it’s a dragon, he or she is amenable to a chat. We will send out our best animal handler, Fluttershy.” 

Twilight pointed to the yellow pegasus, who gulped and nodded. “… to act as our emissary. If the dragon is friendly enough, then besides fixing the smoke problem, we intend to also invite him or her to give a short lesson to you to what it meant to be a dragon and share the experiences in the wild.”

Spike looked at Twilight wide-eyed, “I—I…”

“Spike, don’t you remember what I’d said in Canterlot before we departed?”

“… You shall one day become a strong and wise dragon of your own.”

“This is but the first step of becoming a grown-up dragon, Spike. You must go out and see for yourself, for you have only lived amongst ponies but not your kind. Your life should not be chosen by your circumstances, but by your own hands.” Twilight gently said to Spike.

Spike went silent for a moment, but then he quietly muttered. 

“T—Thank you, everypony…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group swiftly moved out of Ponyville and onto the meandering paths that lead up to a small mountain. The sky was slowly getting darker, and the plants nearby started to be covered with some sooty substances.

“Twilight, your smoke meter was rea—” Spike’s words were cut short by a burp, and a letter from Celestia materialized in the green flame.

Spike quickly grabbed and unfolded the letter, when Twilight said with a triumphant smirk. “See, my equipment is even faster than those in the Royal Observatory.”

“Yadda yadda, unknown smoke, investigate the source. Sighed Princess Celestia. Hey, you’re right!” 

Spike exclaimed in amazement. “The Princess even told all of you to go, which you… uh, kinda already did.”

The group trotted and walked, until they have reached a steep slope. Applejack took out a long and thick rope from her saddlebag. She tied the head of the rope into a lasso, then threw it with all her might onto the top of the slope. After a few tries, the rope was successfully hooped onto a protruding rock. Applejack bit and pulled to ensure the rope was secure, and gestured the others to climb up.

“Um, why don’t you just let Rainbow Dash take the rope to the top?” Spike asked Applejack.

“Nothing, I jus’ wanted to lasso somethin’. Been a long time since I last did it.” Applejack smirked.

The group reached the top, as Twilight took out a nail and fastened the rope to the rock with her magic. They then approached a narrow chasm. This time, Twilight just groaned and fired up her magic. A small plank made out of purple light appeared between the gap. The earth ponies and unicorns then walked over the bridge, plus Spike, who had to suppress the urge to look down to the abyss.

Eventually, the low but loud snore of a dragon could be heard booming from afar. They looked at one another and kept their mouth closed, until they arrived at the entrance of a cave.

“That’s where the dragon lives, it seems.” Twilight commented. “Fluttershy, I will go with you inside. We shouldn’t be entering all at once, or the dragon might think that we’re going to rob his treasure horde… Sounds like a he anyway. Spike, you should especially wait outside with the other girls until we called for you. We don’t want to anger the dragon by bringing in another dragon unprovoked.”

Twilight and Fluttershy then trotted together into the dark cave. Thin but grey smoke was billowing from inside the caverns. After walking for a short distance, the duo reached the sleeping form of the red male dragon, who was snoring loudly on the giant pile of gold and jewelries.

“By Celestia! If we got that many bits on our hooves, we could have just saved all the troubles. We can hire an army with this!” Twilight was stunned by the sheer amount of wealth in front of her eyes.

Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth and shushed Twilight. “Shh! You’re going to make him mad!”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy, he’s sleeping like a swine… pardon my words. Besides, this one is not a particularly careful dragon. His lair is barely protected from intruding ponies and the elements.” 

Twilight smirked. “I’m going to wake him up now, prepare yourself as well.”

Twilight then trotted back a few step, and lit her horn. Her horn shot out an orb of incredibly bright white light, which rose to the top of the cave. All of a sudden, the cave was as bright as the midday sun, which caused Fluttershy and even Twilight herself to shield their eyes with their hooves.

“… Who dare interrupt my slumber?!” The dragon was woken by the light and lowly roared, not too pleased to be awaken from his deep sleep.

“Your turn, Fluttershy.” Twilight poked Fluttershy’s side.

The yellow pegasus flew forth towards the red dragon, and hoovered just above his nose. She gulped and spoke with her most determined tone. “May I know your name, Mister dragon? We came for an urgent matter.”

The dragon gruffly huffed. He wanted to just ignore this tiny, soft-spoken pony and go straight back to sleep. But he didn’t want to be woken again by that bizarre bright flash of light, and this yellow mare… he could not put his paw on it, but she seemed to have a strangely persuading gaze. 

Thus he nodded and replied, “You ponies might not know the glorious dragon tongue, or even how to pronounce it, but it is Rauðheift, Red Fury. Now, speak your case, and I will consider throwing you ponies out of my lair later, rather than now.”

“Greetings, Rauðheift (Red Fury).”

Twilight bowed to the red dragon in a polite curtsy. She giggled to herself in her mind. The most precious gift from the ancient tome’s experiences was the myriad languages that it had recorded and learnt over the years. Since Canterlot was a prestigious world capital, countless speakers of different languages belonging to different races and nations had lived or stayed in the city. 

The ancient tome had always fantasized about coming to the surface to speak to the inhabitants. So it made an effort to learn the language of every passer-by. Although after gaining a consciousness, its attention had also been limited like a living being, but it had more than enough time to go from one speaker to another. 

As a result, they were now adept at not only various pony dialects, but also tongues of the dragons, griffons, cows, zebras, and a smattering of races that had long disappeared from the Equestrian scene. Even though what they knew might be antiquated, they were still incredibly useful. Like trying to impress the dragon in front of them.

“We come in peace, Red Fury.” 

Fluttershy also spoke to the surprised dragon, who was more than slightly unused to hearing the ancient and sacred dragon tongue from the two young ponies in front of him. 

“We ask you to move, because in your sleep, your smoke has choked our city.”

Fluttershy pled with steady eyes.

The dragon raised his eyebrow. 

“… Is that true?”

Fluttershy and Twilight nodded vigorously. 

“Indeed, great dragon.” 

Fluttershy hurriedly added.

The dragon pondered for a while. These two ponies simply asked him to move, out of desperation. He was not too concerned with just two small ponies, but he was a dragon with honor and pride, and he would be troubled by his conscience if he harmed so many creatures with an unintended action that he could easily avoid. Plus, he literally just settled in, he could simply decamp and move with little lost. 

Finally, the ponies offered their respect by speaking in their noble tongue, however disfluent. This was rarely seen in other ponies in Equestria, even from the rulers of this land, who thought the whole land was theirs and everyone on it should speak their… effeminate language. 

So he nodded. 

“Alright, little ponies. I shall move out the next morning.”

Fluttershy slightly chuckled at the dragon word that literally means ‘little small horses’, and said to the dragon. 

“Thank you, good Red Fury.”

The red dragon waited, and then saw that the two ponies had not left yet. He raised his voice and asked. 

“Anything else?”

This time, Twilight trotted forth. 

“Yes, forgive my impudence, I have a request.” 

“…There is a dragon, Spike… Gaddur in your tongue, who lives with us since his birth, wants to learn the way of the dragons from you.”

The dragon asked with some suspicion.

“… And what will I gain?” 

“In return, we will help you decorate your new home.” 

Twilight smiled. She went out of the cave to bring in Rarity, who explained her plan to make the dragon’s new home as beautiful and comfy as a royal palace.

“Hm, not bad. The little one is outside, isn’t he?” 

The mares exhaled in relief, and Twilight once again brought in Spike and other waiting mares from the outside. Spike trembled a bit, as he was somewhat fretful at the prospect of meeting an adult dragon.

“So, what do you want… Spike?” 

The red dragon spoke to Spike with a booming voice.

“Oh bulls.” Twilight muttered, then turned to the red dragon. 

“I’m sorry, great dragon, he’s still not fluent in the dragon tongue.”

The red dragon frowned, then changed into common Equestrian. “So you’re Spike, I presume? I am Red Fury, scion of Crimson Thunder.”

“Y—yes, I’m Spike… uh, nice to meet you?” Spike meekly replied.

The red dragon let out a roaring laugh, which stunned Spike and caused the other mares to wince. 

“You still have much to learn, young drake. You should never, ever, make yourself look weak in front of another dragon. It is a drake-eat-drake world out here. You will get badly hurt by other dragons if you do that.”

The mares looked to one another, and Twilight told the two dragons. “We will excuse ourselves for now.”

She then turned to the baby dragon. “Spike, please just ask away, anything. Red Fury would answer your questions to the best of his ability.”

The mares retreated out of the cave, leaving the two dragons, one small and one big, in the vast cavern chamber alone.

“Young drake, before you asked me any questions, I would like to ask you a few myself first.” 

The red dragon looked at Spike curiously. “How did the ponies get their hooves on you, and how do they treat you?”

“… I was born in Canterlot, from an old dragon egg that Princess Celestia kept… I did not know who my biological father or mother is, but ever since Twilight, the purple pony, hatched me with her magic, I’ve treated her… almost as my mother.”

Spike continued. “Twilight, and other ponies including the Princess, has given me a place to live, gems to eat, and companionship. Since I was little, I have followed Twilight around as her assistant.”

The red dragon hollered with an angry expression. “She kept you as her slave?”

Spike’s eyes shot wide, and quickly corrected. “No! I’m her assistant, I helped her around her library. She, and other ponies, had treated me with kindness and respect. And recently, Twilight even almost stopped giving me errands to do, just focusing on teaching me about everything, including dragons and dragon magic. That’s why she brought me to you as well.”

“Uh-huh.” The red dragon’s face was somewhat doubtful. “So what do you think of the ponies yourself?”

“They are in general a peaceful bunch. Kind and friendly, although prone to irrational scares and the occasional mass hysteria. I am happy to be friends with them.” Spike replied. What Spike didn’t mention though, was his crush on one particular white mare.

“They sound too weak and soft to me. Dragons have their own ways, Spike, and despite the limited time, and the sad fact that you know not your native tongue, I shall tell you what I know about our noble and glorious race.” The red dragon proclaimed.

“… First question, what do you think of… dragon greed?” Spike asked.

“Greed? Hahaha! You sounded like you think it is, by nature, something to avoid. Let me tell you little Spike. Greed is not bad. Greed is good. It drives every being in this world to reach for higher, better and more. Ponies say dragon greed’s bad, simply because they are an ambitionless bunch. Without greed, there is no improvement. The world will be a dull place and you will be a weak dragon.”

Spike was stunned by the dragon’s words, as he prepared to ask him more. The red dragon looked at the little dragon with amusement, and answered his questions one by one with patience.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mares waited and waited, and witnessed the sun slowly going down towards the horizons. They had sat on a giant sheet of thick velvet that Rarity had brought, and playing a complex-looking board game with each other.

“… Oh my Rainbow, what are you doing? This is scandalous! She is your sister for Celestia’s sake!” Rarity yelped.

“Pfft, Rarity, love conquers all and stuff, surely you’d understand that? Besides, this would unite the two crowns together, and we will soon become the strongest nation on the continent!” Rainbow triumphantly proclaimed.

“B—But.” The white mare weakly countered, when she noticed the darkening sky. “Oh dear, I hope Spike-wikey is alright.”

“It’s gettin’ late too. The roads downhill would be dangerous in the dark, plus our families and friends would worry.” Applejack said.

Just when the mares were discussing the situation, a small figure was seen walking out of the cave towards the waiting mares.

“Spike! How goes the meeting?” Twilight put down her playing cards and galloped towards the purple drake, as the other mares followed.

“It’s alright, I guess. I’ve learnt a lot today. Something that I never thought of, and something that I doubt I would ever read from the books.” Spike replied.

“So… Spike, whaddya think?” Pinkie Pie asked with interest.

“What? I’m of course going to stay!” Spike reassured the mares. “For one, I’m just a super light-weight in terms of dragon size, I will have to wait until I grew bigger before even getting close to the teenage dragons. Besides, I’ve lived with you all… the ponies since my birth, you’re my friends. How can I just leave my friends behind?”

Applejack gazed at the purple dragon. “… If so, why are you still looking so unsure?”

Spike gulped and looked up. “… I’m still not sure about which way is better. The pony way, or the dragon way.”

“Must there be a distinction, Spike?” Fluttershy asked rhetorically.

“As I’ve said, the dragon race was by nature aggressive and territorial.” 

Twilight said. “… Perhaps it was a poor choice of word. Not all dragons, or beings, are completely bound by nature. Of course we are somewhat constrained by what we’re given, but we’re also shaped by our environment, others, and more importantly, ourselves. We are the statues, and also the sculptor. You are what you are, Spike, and the choice is in your hands.”

Spike looked at the purple mare, and quietly said. “So… uh, is greed good, or not?”

“Ha! The dragon preached to you about the goodness of greed, did he not? Oh boy, that’s rich!” Rainbow Dash chortled.

“Spike, as I told you, you should make your own judgment on how to approach greed. It’s a delicate matter. But if you ask me about what I think…”

Twilight sighed and said. “Yes, it is good to be successful. But greed has little to do with success. Greed might be mentally rewarding, but it is also an unnecessary ego trip that makes you desire more and more and when enough is never enough. Unrestrained greed blinds truth, Spike. You must be careful.”

“Um, Spike, you don’t have to make a decision right now.” Fluttershy gently cooed. “We still have plenty of time, just as Twilight has in Ponyville.”

Spike nodded, but spoke nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight and Spike had returned to the Library, as Rarity had departed on the hot air balloon Twilight lent her in order to follow the red dragon to his new lair, and offer a complete renovation for his new home.

“This time, Spike, it is you who should write a friendship report.” Twilight turned to the purple dragon and said plainly.

“What? Me? But… the Princess sent you on a mission to learn friendship, not me!” Spike protested.

“Well, we sent you on a mission to learn about yourself and your own kind, so treat this as a report to me as well.” 

Twilight said. “Besides, writing down things helps you organize things in your head better, so try it out. I will write the letter for you this time.”

“Alright, Twi.” Spike sat on the little stool and nodded.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned a great deal about my heritage as a dragon. Ever since you let Twilight hatch me from the egg you gave her, I have been wondering about my kind, and how different I am to them since I am raised amongst ponies. This self-doubt had persisted and continued to trouble me. This is until today, when Twilight and her friends spent a great deal of efforts and found me one of my kind to tell me about dragons from a dragon’s view. I am now much more at ease with myself, as I realized I am a dragon of my own. I can decide my own actions, and I am not bounded to dragon nature shall I choose not to.
 
Your humble dragon,
Spike.

P.S.: I’ve learned that my name in the dragon tongue is Gaddur! How cool is that?”

Twilight’s eyes glimmered, as she praised the young drake. “This is a superb letter, Spike! All the big words are used correctly, and it surely moved and warmed my heart. I’m sure the Princess would be pleasantly surprised as well. Though, um, the last line might be omitted.”

Spike pulled a face at Twilight, which earned a smile from the defeated mare, who then looked to the night sky with a relieved sigh.

> Chapter 9 – A Dream If Ever There Was One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Mane Six and Spike was walking on the streets of Ponyville. Ponies gasped wherever they walked to, and hid behind stalls, bushes, or the doors of their homes. Parents frantically hid their foals. It’s as if the terrors from Tartarus were trotting up on them.

“I sometimes disliked rural backwoods, ponies here are so—” Twilight bit her tongue before she uttered words unsuitable for Spike’s ears. The other mares glared at Twilight, but they then too simply shook their heads.

A hooded figure trotted in front of the group at some distance. The figure had not noticed the mares and dragon behind them, nor did that figure seemed to care about the reactions from the ponies in Ponyville

“What’s with the fear and panic anyway? The town ponies did not even hide themselves up like that when they had heard Nightmare Moon returned!” Spike asked.

“… That’s quite an unseemly aspect in pony society, Spike.” Twilight said with some pain in her voice.

Spike was shocked at Twilight’s words. “What do you mean? Who’s that hooded pony anyway?”

Applejack said with some shame in her tone. “Uh, that’s Zecora.”

“She’s a zebra from faraway lands.” Fluttershy added.

“East Zebrica, if you could recall from the geography book I gave you a week ago.” Twilight said.

Spike scratched his head and made a clueless expression. Twilight saw his face and added, “… The one across the South Luna Ocean, remember?”

“Oh! Now I remember. Whoa, that’s quite some way from Equestria!” Spike exclaimed, “What’s she doing here?”

“We don’t know. Probably something to do with the rich and strange wildlife and magic in the Everfree. After all, it is a place containing materials worth studying for decades and more.” 

Twilight explained. “In any case, it is her personal freedom to do whatever she wants. Equestria, as far as I know, do not directly administer lands within the Everfree. And she probably have cleared customs to enter the Kingdom anyway, I suppose.”

“So why are the town ponies so scared?” Spike asked with a quizzical look.

“Well, we Ponyvillians are afraid of Zecora. Most of us are not used to seeing creatures other than ponies here. Even Gilda earned more than a few glares when she was here. You Spike are an exception because you usually followed us around, so you might not have noticed it.” Applejack explained. “But Zecora… She was equine and somewhat like us, but yet completely strange.”

“She’s also a super secretive zebra, living in the Everfree and walking into Ponyville with a hood then promptly leave, once every month! Like a very punctual ghost!” Pinkie then howled and made scary ghost noises.

“Yeah, but not knowin’ about others is not an excuse to be insensitive. Even we haven’t realized until Twilight’s arrival.” Applejack said.

Twilight shook her head. “Well, you can say ponies are sometimes an easily scared and provincial bunch, who are quick to reject unfamiliar things out of hooves, without knowing that it might hurt someone. Some of them even harbored some vile discrimination against non-ponies. As far as I know, Zecora’s just digging for herbs and buying materials for her brews, nothing harmful.”

“If you all know this, what are you waiting for? Go talk to her and explain to the town ponies then!” Spike said.

“We can’t yet. Ponies here are also quite superstitious. They think that Zecora is a witch zebra and… uh, an evil enchantress, who curses ponies that cross her path.” Twilight replied. “We might be seen as… cursed if we just talked to her publicly as well. We need to find a quieter place first.”

Spike nodded, as they continued to follow the hooded Zecora around. The zebra eventually finished her works in Ponyville, and began to leave for Everfree again.

The group followed the zebra closely and trotted into the thick forest. That’s when Applejack saw her little sister Apple Bloom, also following the zebra from another side, hiding herself somewhat clumsily behind a tree.

She shook her head and smiled. She quietly moved towards the young filly, and sneakily touched the filly’s back with a hoof. “Boo!”

Apple Bloom let out a frightful yelp, but was quickly silenced by a hoof in the mouth. She turned around and saw it was just her big sister.

“Whew, don’t scare me like that, big sis!” Apple Bloom groaned.

“An’ what’s ya little rascal doin’ in here? Everfree ain’t no place for a little filly y’know?” Applejack smiled despite the disapproving words.

Apple Bloom was relieved that her big sister was not going to punish her. “Ah’m followin’ Zecora an’ see if I can dig up somethin’, since all other ponies said she’s evil. You said so yerself a few months ago, dontcha?”

Applejack slapped her own forehead with her hoof, and awkwardly offered, “Well, uh yeah, Ah guess Ah did say that. But Ah was wrong, that’s why Ah and my friends are goin’ to talk to her and try to make things right.” 

The other mares have joined Applejack from behind. Twilight said to the young filly, “Now that you’re here, Apple Bloom, you should join and follow us closely. Applejack would hate us forever if we lost you in the Everfree, won’t ya AJ?”

“Huh, that would never happen on mah watch. Now let’s go and watch yer steps, young’un.” Applejack said.

As the group again started to trail the mysterious zebra, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but ask. “Why are y’all so sure that Zecora’s not evil? Ah mean, isn’t that what all the ponies in Ponyville say?”

Twilight gulped, obviously she couldn’t say it was because of some weird ancient magic and foreknowledge, so she just said. “Uh, we did some investigative work ourselves by following her around and closely observing her. It turned out that she’s just shopping and digging around for her brews.”

“Brews? Is that made with… Gasp…” Apple Bloom’s eyes went wide.

“No, lil’ sis, that’s incredibly silly an’ insultin’ to Zecora to even suggest that.” Applejack cut her sister off. “Those brews are just natural remedies for different ailments.” 

“Natural remedies, mm, that are good for herbal spas,” Rarity smiled.

Twilight was thinking direly for a bit-making scheme that did not look out of place for somepony like her, and she finally set her eyes on Zecora. She rubbed her hooves together and said with a big grin.

“And wonderful, shiny bits, if we can market it.”

“Hey Twi, I wonder who’s that righteous pony who told me that you have to rein in your greed?” Spike mocked the purple pony.

Twilight’s face turned a bright red, as the other mares laughed at her hypocrisy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group has patiently followed behind the hooded zebra, and walked for quite a while in the Everfree Forest.

“Everyone look! A field of beautiful blue flowers!” Apple Bloom suddenly leapt forth and beamed.

Apple Bloom’s joyous cheer seemed to have reached the zebra’s ears. She turned her head back and warned. “Beware! Beware, you pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke!” 

But the ponies did not even wait for Zecora to finish her sentence to take action. Twilight grinded her teeth and casted a swift spell. The little sister of Applejack was tucked back by the purple glow so quickly, that Applejack was knocked back a few steps when she caught Apple Bloom.

“What were you doing, Apple Bloom? Those Poison Jokes are dange… well, not exactly dangerous, but it plays really mean jokes on you! Worse than those mean ponies that called you ‘blank flank’!” Twilight snapped.

“A—Ah’m sorry, missus Twilight… Is it really that bad?” Apple Bloom slightly flinched at the thought of being called that mean title.

“I’m sorry for bringing up the mean ponies, but yes! If you touch those accursed Poison Joke, it might, um, turn your every uttered word into ‘apple’!” Twilight said.

Apple Bloom imagined the situation. It would indeed be incredibly annoying if she could say nothing but ‘apple’, but she also couldn’t help but snicker at the sentence ‘apple apple apple apple apple’.

Twilight ignored the snickering young filly who obviously didn’t quite catch her seriousness, and turned to the hooded zebra. “Thank you, Zecora, for your kind advice.”

“You are very welcome, o Purple one! Poison Joke are hard to cure, once the deed’s done!” Zecora said.

“My name’s Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia. We would like to talk to you about many things. We’re very sorry that the ponies treated you like you were some sort of evil presence. We apologize for those prejudice and ignorance.” Twilight apologized for the group.

“Twilight Sparkle, your kindness is like the sun after a rain shower. Are there anything you need from dear ol’ Zecora?”

“Ah, I would like to know whether you speak Zezulu or Cowhili as your first language?”

Zecora was surprised at Twilight’s query, “Why would it matter to the purple pony, if Zecora speaks either Zezulu or Cowhili?”

Twilight smiled and simply said in Zezulu. 

“Because this.”

Zecora gazed at Twilight for a while, then said bashfully. 

“In fact, I can only speak Cowhili. I was born in South Zebrica, but I grew up with the cows near the sea.” 

She then smiled at the purple pony. 

“Twilight Sparkle, you’re no ordinary pony.”

Twilight simply smiled. 

“I just want…” 

Twilight suddenly felt something pulled at her side. She turned to find a curious-looking Apple Bloom, and a confused Spike.

“Oh dear, I forgot that some of us here do not know your tongue, Zecora. Maybe we shall revert to Equestrian for the time being, if you don’t mind?” Twilight said.

“I’m not at all troubled. In fact my knowledge of the old tongue is all muddled.” Zecora chuckled. “Why don’t you all come to my humble cottage, to share what we have in our knowledge?”

The group then followed Zecora to her hut inside the Everfree forest. Apple Bloom was amazed at Twilight’s linguistic knowledge, “Wow, missus Twilight, you are like a living multi-language dictionary!”

“Well, Apple Bloom, actually my friends also know a lot of languages, including your big sister.” 

Apple Bloom’s mouth opened at the surprising information. 

“I also taught Spike some. If you are interested at learning more, you’re always welcome to borrow some books at the library. I can also offer you lessons in my free time.”

Apple Bloom balked a bit at the idea of having to read some boring books, so she just offered an awkward smile to Twilight. That’s when the group finally arrived at the hut.

“Enter my humble abode, where the scent of my brews flowed!” Zecora invited the group inside her hut.

The hut was basically a hollowed out tree house, similar to Twilight’s tree library. Vials and bottles of potions hanged from the branches, and tribal decoration like large masks adorned the side and the front of the tree.

The group went inside to find a room filled with yet more flasks and masks. “So what is that the ponies want to discuss, in this room where there are nine of us?”

“Wise Zecora, we simply want to introduce you properly to the town folks. I believe that most ponies in Ponyville are not prejudiced by natural inclination, and you are just poorly understood. We are out to make friends, and if you would be so gracious to forgive the ponies’ past mistakes, we would be most grateful.” Twilight said.

“You have extended a hoof of peace, I agree that the misconception shall cease.”

“Thank you Zecora, for yer forgiveness.” Applejack said for the native Ponyvillians.

“Indeed, thank you. There are two more things that we want to ask of you, Zecora.” Twilight added.

“Speak forth my friend, this zebra shall patiently attend.”

“First, I want to ask if you still have any connection to your native lands. I come from the royal capital of Equestria, and I would be pleased if we can establish some sort of correspondence with Zebrica.” Twilight asked, in hope that Zecora could provide some useful connections.

Unfortunately for Twilight, Zecora merely shook her head and said. “From the lands of sunrise I’ve long gone, any connection I’d built I’ve long withdrawn.”

The mares were slightly disappointed, as they had hoped that Zecora might have some foreign background that might aid in their quest in Equestria, without upsetting the local hierarchy.

“No problem, Zecora. Then I have a proposal that might be… mutually beneficial.” Twilight smiled as she unthinkingly clasped her hooves like a stereotypical merchant, earning a roll-eye from Spike.

Zecora was slightly surprised by Twilight’s sudden proposal, but she nevertheless asked, “What does Twilight want to trade, from what Zecora has made?”

“I am very interested in the herbal mixes you’re producing in your hut. I myself also study the making of potions and brews, but obviously lacking in comparison to a master brewer like you.” 

Twilight flattered the zebra, who smiled at her praise. “So I would like to, let’s say, make a contract with you, to regularly produce ready-to-use potions for ailments and herbal remedies. Besides, bath mix is in chic in bigger cities, so we would like to have some of that as well.”

“Forgive this zebra for being calculating and practical, but what would you offer for my service in capital?” Zecora was glad that she might have a steady stream of income, which would allow her to interact with the ponies in more convenient ways. But she had to know what price Twilight offered first.

Twilight deliberated for a while, and said, “Around 15 golden bits for each bottle of potion depending on its strength, use, and raw materials. Herbal remedies, 5 golden bits per dram, again subject to the particulars. All flexible of course.”

Zecora’s eyes widened slightly. This was a fair enough offer, a bit generous even, consider that Twilight had also given her almost free rein to tack on extra cost depending on the difficulty of the brew. But still, she wanted to try if she could get more out of it.

“Zecora’s amenable to your offer, but certainly you’ve got a bigger coffer?”

“You’re a tenacious negotiator, Zecora,” Twilight grinned, “Very well. For the sake of our new friendship, I will raise the base offer for each items by 2 bits.”

“Your deals are fair, Twilight. I’m pleased that you’ve seen the light.” Zecora smiled, “Now what about the bath mix, which you asked the zebra to fix?”

“Ah, bath mixes… you wouldn’t believe it, Zecora, but some rich ponies would pay up to 100 bits for a hoof-ful of high-quality mixes.” 

The number caused Zecora’s eyes to go wide again. 

“In any case, we should aim for a wider market and sell the mixes to different tiers of customers, so perhaps if there are three levels of quality, let’s say common, high, and exquisite, I could offer 10, 30, and 50 bits per dram respectively.”

“… Hmm… Twilight, you are a pony with extraordinary bit-making acumen, I wonder what you’re doing as a mere student?” Zecora couldn’t help but make a joke at the purple pony’s expense.

Twilight blushed again. ‘Why does everyone seem to hint that I’m some greedy small mind today?’

She coughed, “… Thank you for your praise, Zecora. So what say you on my offer?”

“For this zebra the sorting will be trivial. I’d be glad to make this deal official.” Zecora nodded.

“Uh, Zecora,” Applejack interjected. “Our farm produces a lot of apples and apple-related products. Ah wonder if any o’ those would be useful in your brews and remedies? If so, we can cooperate. Ah can even offer equipment, space and mah hooves if ya need them.”

Zecora thought for a moment. “I might indeed add to my brews some apples. Let me check my stock and ask you for some barrels.”

Pinkie also beamed. “Oh oh, Zecora! I have something as well! I bake all kinds of sweets and cakes in Ponyville, cupcakes, scones, cheesecakes, you name it! It makes my heart leap with pure joy to see ponies enjoying my baked goods! I wonder if you have some formula that will, say, make food taste better… and stronger? Like, make sweet food really sweet and sour food really sour?”

“To the cheery pink pony I say, the answer to this question is ‘yea’.” Zecora smiled, “Fermenting cassava roots with the distills of night soil, and gently in the brew we broth and boil; yields a white powder as shiny as crystal white, which makes your tongue filled with taste every bite!”

Apple Bloom was a bit disgusted. “Eww, gross! Zecora, do you really mean it when you want to add, uh, meadow muffins into foods?”

Before Zecora even answered, Applejack turned to her sister and said. “Silly Apple Bloom, Zecora don’t mean just addin’ dungs into our food, she’d extract some of the useful stuffs from it first. If there’s no useful stuffs in manure, why do we add them to our fields, hmm?”

Apple Bloom’s jaw hanged slightly open, that’s when Rarity chimed in as well. “Zecora, dear, Fluttershy and I would also like to buy some bath mixes, not for resale, but for our own use. There’s a spa and bathhouse in town, we might be able to use them not only in our homes but also there.”

Zecora nodded and trotted to gather a few bags of bath mixes for Rarity. Twilight gestured to the rest of the group. “Well, it’s time everyone, we should go back and introduce Zecora properly this time, with our total support and my blessing as the Princess’s student.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group eventually made it back to the town late in the afternoon. At the group’s behest, Zecora had removed her hood this time. Ponies still fled or hid in their steps, some even fearful that the heroes of the Summer Sun Celebration had been enchanted by the evil zebra.

Twilight sighed and tried her best to maintain a smile. They then visited the shops originally closed to Zecora, and tried to buy the brewing materials. They arrived at the flower shop, where they found the frightened Rose, Daisy and Lily Valley, hiding and clattering their teeth behind closed door.

Twilight forcefully knocked on the door, “Ponies, we need to talk.”

The other two mares still won’t come out and see Twilight, but Daisy stuck her head out in an unsure expression, “… Yes?”

Twilight gave a relieved sigh, and said. “Well…”

The ponies, Zecora and Spike trotted all around town and tried to explain to as many ponies as possible that Zecora was not someone to be feared or hated. Many ponies, although visibly uncertain, were willing to reach out to her after some effortful explanations. 

For some ponies, Twilight had to slip in a few deal sweeteners or even bits outright in order to persuade them to try to accept Zecora, an act that made herself a bit uncomfortable and Zecora somewhat awkward. But fortunately, there were also some ponies, especially the young ones, that were more than ready to just accept Zecora as she was. Snails and Snips were delighted and wanted to see the ‘extreme’ brewing in action, causing the mares and dragon to laugh out loud.

Still, to the dismay of Twilight and other mares, there were some unreasonable ponies, some vicious even, who were eager to curse and call names upon seeing the face of the zebra, and refused to listen whatsoever. Twilight passionately argued for Zecora and then apologized to the zebra, who reassured the group that she was used to that and she didn’t mind. 

A somewhat bizarre experience was had in the residence of Filthy Rich. Although his daughter, Diamond Tiara, all but scoffed at the ‘weird stripe pony’, he himself was greatly impressed by Zecora’s products. Upon hearing that Twilight already drafted up a comprehensive production and marketing plan and made a deal with Zecora, he immediately offered to chip in. Twilight instead offered to cut him a portion of the profit if he provided his resale network, which he gladly accepted. 

Filthy Rich even praised the Princess’s student as one of the youngest and brightest entrepreneur in Equestria. She gulped in embarrassment, although she also wondered if he’s just buttering her up for a better deal or wanting to get close to her since she’s close to the Princess.

As the day drew to a close, Zecora bid the mares and dragon farewell. “Thank you for today o kind mares and dragon, you teach me that luck and kindness might simply happen.”

“You’re welcome, Zecora. We still have a long time in the future where we can meet and chat.” Twilight smiled.

“And earn bits?” Spike helpfully added.

“Spike! I—I’m done with all your mocking!” Twilight galloped after the gleefully fleeing baby dragon. The group watched in slight shock, but then burst into a cheerful laughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Alright Twi, I promise I won’t say you’d become, uh, bigger because you’re so greedy again. Now don’t be all frowny.” Spike grinned as he scratched his head.

Twilight said. “You said it yourself, Spike!”

Spike then cleared his throat and asked, “Um, this time it’s serious, Twilight, but what do need all the bits for? Isn’t the stipend from Canterlot and the wage you received as town librarian more than enough for our daily lives?”

Twilight turned and watched out of the windows. 

“Spike, I…” 

Twilight had always deeply worried about having to tell Spike about her encounter in the Ivory Tower. She figured that she couldn’t tell Spike that they needed bits because they were out hunting for future villains, because it would raise the question of how the knowledge came from. But she could at least imply that the bits could be used for bigger, more long-term changes. 

She sighed. “… You remember that I once said I moved away from Canterlot, because I want to do things on my own, right?”

Spike nodded. Twilight then continued, “No matter what we’re going to do, bits are going to be useful. Now Spike, this is different with merely lusting for more wealth, because we do have plans to do bigger things in future, in and out of Ponyville and Equestria.”

Spike raised an eyebrow and asked suspiciously. “And those plans of yours might be…?”

Twilight gritted her teeth and said, “… We want to build a better world, Spike. I’ll not be shy and I will admit that I possess good magical talent, and so do my friends with their various abilities. Eventually, we want to rise above the citizenry and change things… from a higher place.”

Spike’s eyes slightly widened as he thought about what Twilight’s just said.

“Obviously, Spike, there is a long, long way to go. Don’t think much about it for the moment, and don’t think anything silly. Think of this just as storing hay for the winter, hmm?” Twilight tried to reassure Spike.

Spike gulped and said. “Okay, Twi… By the way, do you need to write a friendship report?”

“Oh right,” Twilight said, “Thank you Spike, for your always timely reminder.”

“So what are you going to write, the joy of making bits?” Spike jested.

“What have you just said, Spike?” Twilight glared at the dragon, who raised his arms in capitulation. “We, of course, are going to write about Zecora… although…”

“Although what?” Spike asked.

Twilight sighed. “Um, the Princess and I might disagree on some specifics regarding the treatment of non-ponies in the Kingdom. So we better be careful in our wordings.”

Spike could not believe what he’d just heard. “You disagree with the Princess?”

“Yes, Spike, I do. Perhaps it’s time that I tell you that Princess Celestia, however kind, wise and powerful, is not infallible. She is but a pony herself, and she could make mistakes, just like how her negligence back then caused Luna to corrupt and rebel.”

Spike gasped, but Twilight continued. “I have a moral duty to uphold my beliefs about what’s right or wrong. But Celestia… She could be very stubborn. After all, her way has worked, in her eyes, for a thousand years and more. That had made her reluctant to change the way she ruled her kingdom. Not that Equestria is a bad place to live, but it could have been better, much better, and not just for ponies, but griffons, dragons, zebras, and all other living creatures.” 

Twilight thought of something when she uttered the word ‘creature’ as she winced slightly. “… And I, and my friends, intend to make it so.”

Spike stared at Twilight and went speechless for a long while. He eventually said, “I see, Twilight.”

“Please Spike, I… this wish of mine is one of my biggest secrets, and I haven’t told anyone not involved other than you. Princess Celestia would not like it if she knows. So please, under no circumstance, tell the Princess or others about this, I beg of you.” Twilight kneeled on the ground and leaned in on Spike.

The dragon gulped, and slowly nodded. “I will never betray your secret to others, Twilight.”

“Thank you Spike, now let’s write that letter to Princess as my homework this week. I will phrase it so that it is not directly related to pony prejudice.”

“Dear Princess Celestia,

My friends and I all learned an important lesson this week: Never judge a book by its cover. Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary. But you have to look past that and learn who they are inside. Real friends don't care what your cover is; it's the contents of a pony that count. And a good friend, like a good book, is something that will last forever.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

Spike wrote the letter with the quill quickly as Twilight dictated, but his mind was filled with a hundred thoughts. He automatically sent in the letter via his magic breath with a largely unfocused mind.

Twilight looked at her dragon, and sighed. She hoped that it would come a day that she could tell the dragon the truth of her experiences. 

> Chapter 10 – Bottling the Common Sense
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Golden Oak Library looked peaceful in the gentle glow of the autumn sun, but inside it was at its one of the most hectic days since Twilight moved in.

Spike was staring at the Cowhili exam Twilight just gave him and was quickly approaching a mix of dire dread and utter hopelessness, since he had sneaked away to read the newest Daring Do yesterday instead of studying. Twilight was not exactly disapproving with his new-founded interest in the adventure novel, but she also said something about ‘not following proper archeological conducts’ or some such, words which were almost immediately forgotten by the purple dragon.

Spike groaned and looked towards the stairwell to the basement. Twilight had, since day one, continued to redesign the basement which had originally been used for storing cleaning tools. She now regularly conducted experiments, and did other sciencey and magicky things inside the largely modified and expanded basement.

Twilight had walked with Pinkie Pie into the laboratory just a moment ago. Spike watched them turn the dials and enter some passwords on a panel, then Twilight stuck her face onto a platform and lit her horn. The two ponies together grabbed at the giant wheel in front of the thick vault-like door and turned, revealing yet another similarly locked door. Not that Spike hadn’t entered the place once, it’s just filled with strange water tanks and equipment, but Spike couldn’t for the life of him think of a reason why the place warranted such an over-the-top level of protection.

But Twilight and Pinkie knew perfectly well that it was not for protection, but for quarantine. Twilight entered the inner sanctum of the basement vault, and with some trepidation took out a magically-reinforced cage carrying a furball-like creature. Pinkie observed nearby like a hawk, a trombone ready on her hoof.

As Twilight deactivated the magical protection, the winged furball swiftly devoured the whole cage. Pinkie then immediately blew the trombone with a particular beat, which caused the tiny creature to vibrate accordingly and moved into one of the liquid tank in an almost perfect parabola. Twilight then flared her magic again and engulfed the whole tank with a purple glow. The creature then floated inside the tank without any more abrupt motion.

Both mares sighed in relief. “Twilight, are you sure this will be safe or useful? Not that I’m a silly worry wart, but we both know that parasprites aren’t something to be trifle with!” Pinkie asked, somewhat unsure.

“I’m not so sure myself, Pinkie. But with parasprites, their reproductive abilities are simply a thing to behold. Even with my knowledge of the bestiary in the world, I still have no clue that how a creature can reproduce asexually in such an exponential manner, using both inorganic and organic materials, while completely avoiding harm to living beings.”

Twilight turned to watch the parasprite, seemingly so vulnerable in its deceptive cuddliness. “There must be an unknown mechanism in which they transform an amount of matter directly and quickly into energy, almost like…” 

Twilight gulped while Pinkie widened her eyes. “Anyway, fortunately, no historical outbreak of parasprites ever lead to the destruction of the whole world either by explosion or complete devouring, otherwise we would not be here. I just want to see if we can discover how they reproduce so quickly. Maybe it would be hugely useful for ecology and agriculture, like quickly expanding the scale of apple plantation for Applejack.” 

Twilight’s voice turned low. “And if it unfortunately comes to a time that we must repel really severe threats, then its voracious appetite might be utilized to destroy the enemy’s weapons and equipment.”

Pinkie Pie quietly gasped, but then turned thoughtful. “… I don’t think it would work on changelings, Twi. Their armor is part of their body. And I would hope that Equestria would never descend into war under our watch.”

“I hope so, but when the world gives us such an amount of out-of-bound knowledge, I can’t help but think that there must be some reason. Something might be out there that could not be dealt with unless with our arsenal of skills and understanding. Our foreknowledge only extends to when Starlight Glimmer seemed to have relented from messing with the time stream. Her meddling must have destabilize it so much that the further future was denied to us. I’m afraid the unknown threats that lie ahead will be more difficult to deal with than ever. It can’t hurt to be extra prepared.”

“… Okay then Twi! It seemed that you’ve thought this through.”

“I certainly hope that I didn’t miss something.”

“Well, good luck and remember to tell us if you’ve got something!” Pinkie smiled as she prepared to leave.

“Pinkie, remember to close the inner door before opening the outer one! Also help me check up on Spike!” Twilight yelled to the pink pony, who cheerfully nodded.

Pinkie Pie trotted out of the basement in light steps. Spike saw the bouncing pony coming toward him and asked. “Hey Pinkie, how was Twi and her little experiment?”

Pinkie nodded. “Oh Spike, it’s going well! Twi and I just brought a strange creature back to her lab and studied it and she said she might be able to use her finding to help Equestria, even making Applejack’s orchard rain apples!” She happily chirped.

“Well, good for her then. What do you need me for, Pinkie?” Spike asked.

“It’s nothing, Twi just wanted me to check on your exam. How does it goes…?” 

Pinkie glanced at the almost blank paper, except for the occasional Daring Do doodles. “Oh ho ho ho! Young drake, you’re in trouble, hehe!”

“Oh dear, please Pinkie, do not tell Twilight on me!” Spike gasped. “And uh, though this is Cowhili, c—can you…”

Pinkie Pie looked at Spike with a smiling gaze. Pinkie Pie had grown fond of the clumsily brave baby dragon, as they often played and chatted in his spare time. 

She took the dragon’s answer sheet up and said. “Uh-huh, what’s the words for ‘ocean’ in Cowhili, that’s easy, silly! It’s ‘bahari’, Spike!”

“You’re not joking, right?” Spike asked in a slightly doubtful tone.

“Well I never joke when my friend’s life’s on the line!” Pinkie huffed in a faux-indignant tone.

“Wow, Pinkie, thank you so much! How’d you know anyway?” Spike asked in amazement.

“Well, uh, because I talk with cows a lot, silly Spike!”

“Whoa, Pinkie, then what about ‘sky’?” Spike asked.

Pinkie patiently told Spike all the answers to all the questions, while occasionally looking to the basement to ensure the purple pony’s not coming out yet.

“Phew, I thought I was doomed. Pinkie, you’re my savior! How can I ever thank you?” Spike exhaled in utter relief.

Pinkie thought for a moment, she kind of wanted to have Spike for herself just for a day. “Well Spike, you can just sit here and chat with me, just like we always do. We originally had to bake a giant cake to prepare for Princess Celestia’s arrival, but Twilight told me that she heard from the royal capital this morning, that she just cancelled her trip to Ponyville because of an infestation in Baltimare.”

“Hey chatting, that sounds good! You always got funny stories to tell. What have you got this time?” Spike said.

“Well before anything, I have to ask you to later revise the Cowhili words you haven’t studied because you went slacking off,” Pinkie giggled at the purple dragon, “Couldn’t have Twilight find out that you kinda cheated by asking me, could ya?” 

Spike groaned and said. “Are you really Pinkie or are you just Twilight in disguise? I swear you just grumble at me almost exactly like her.”

Pinkie grinned, and then pulled a small purple party cone from her mane and put it on her head. 

“Um, umm—Spike, you know, you must learn about everything in order to become a wise dragon. Everything I’ve done is for the good of you, do you realize, Spike?” 

Pinkie mocked Twilight’s serious tone, which caused Spike to have a belly laugh.

“Wow, you sure nailed it, Pinkie,” Spike wiped his eyes, and poked at the pink pony’s cutie mark. “Are those just paint or not?”

Pinkie gasped at the touch of the dragon’s claw on her back side and jumped slightly. She then furiously blushed. “S—Spike, you can’t just p—poke at a mare’s… plot, you know!”

“Wow Pinkie, I’m sorry, um…” Spike said awkwardly, then the two entered an embarrassing silence.

Pinkie eventually turned to Spike and spoke up. “Hey Spike, what do you think about Rarity?”

This time Spike’s face turned red, “Um, uh, she’s a pretty mare, I guess?”

“I agree that she’s a very fabulous pony, yes, but what else do you see in her?” Pinkie asked.

“Um… She’s very kind and generous. She does not hesitate to help other ponies. She’s good at sewing pretty clothes. Also, she’s good at finding gems, tasty tasty gems, yum.” Spike licked his lips.

Pinkie smiled. “That’s all good. But that just makes her a good friend. Twilight’s also very kind to you, why won’t you crush on her then?”

“What? Huh? I—Twi—No! She’s my family, I almost see her as my mother!” Spike’s eyes widened and his face turned a funny shade of red and blue.

“Hahaha! I got you, Spike!” Pinkie loudly laughed.

“Hmph! What’s with the sudden questions about my love life anyway? Oh… I see now, Pinkie, you’re swooned by my handsome look and masculinity, aren’t you?” Spike smirked.

“Wha—?” Pinkie’s face reddened again. She unwittingly leaned onto a book shelf nearby. A thick tome from the top of the shelf shook loose and fell towards Spike’s head. Pinkie immediately tackled the purple dragon out of the way, and they both lied in a heap in the middle of the library.

“Um… Is Twilight here? I come for… Oh my.” 

A surprised Fluttershy entered the library to see a red-faced Pinkie and Spike cuddled together on the floor.

Spike immediately said. “Fluttershy, it’s not like—”

“… what I think? Don’t worry Spike, I saw nothing.” Fluttershy smiled with a rare mischievous tone.

“What’s going on here?” Twilight also came out at some point, looking at the small mess the pink pony and the dragon made. Twilight’s jaw hanged open for a while, and then seemed to nod in some sort of understanding. “Oh you two...”

“Say something Pinkie! Tell them what happened!” Spike pulled at the embarrassed pink pony, but she seemed to be too uncharacteristically shy to say anything.

“Oh by Celestia, get up you two!” Twilight snapped, “Pinkie, I never knew…”

“Shh!” Pinkie Pie shushed the purple mare, “It—It’s just a joke with Spike, nothing more!”

Twilight and Fluttershy looked at the flustered pink pony, then Spike, and then Pinkie again. 

“Very well then.” Twilight said. “Are you ready for the twitch tests… or do you need some rests?”

“No, I can do it now!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Alright. Fluttershy.” Twilight turned to the yellow pegasus. “Wait here for a bit while I run some test on Pinkie. I’ll bring you inside to look at the parasprite later.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Wow, your heart beats like drums, you sure you’re alright?” Twilight asked Pinkie Pie.

“Of course I’m alright, Twi. Why won’t I be?”

“Oooh, a grumpy Pinkie. Something must have happened outside?” Twilight smiled knowingly. “I should have noticed with you sticking with Spike all the time. That’s one critical divergence.”

“What divergence?” Pinkie Pie knew very well what Twilight meant, but still asked.

“You falling for Spike of course.” Twilight said. “When did it start?”

“No I didn’t! It was just a prank went wrong!” Pinkie Pie protested with a blush.

“Okay, let’s say it was a prank went wrong,” Twilight nodded. “What’s up with the constant red faces and banter that comes straight out of an old romantic novel?”

“You heard that?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I install some monitoring system in the library when I locked myself in the basement? By the way, I saw you help Spike out and make fun of me as well, you naughty Pinkie.”

“Oh dear! Please don’t punish Spike!” Pinkie Pie pled.

“You know very well that I’m not some grumpy no-fun. I had to admit, you did a pretty good impression of me, though that’s to be expected. As for the exam, you did tell Spike to go study for real later, just like what I’d have said, so I’m not planning to do anything for now.” 

Twilight then asked. “What’s with you defending him so vigorously anyway? I don’t recall any particular special reason for you to, um…”

“I don’t know either, it’s all just so confusing!” Pinkie’s mane slightly deflated. “I blame you, Twilight! If not for you who casted your weird mind magic on me, I would never think of Spike as anyone other than a cute little dragon friend!”

“Well, I’m sorry Pinkie.” Twilight grimaced. “But what’s done was done. If it was about my unintentional influence, shouldn’t you be thinking of Spike just like a dear foal anyway, you know, like all of us do?”

“Well, why don’t you ask Rarity as well? Surely she’s even more conflicted on this matter than me.” 

Pinkie Pie sighed. “But yeah, I know I should have just see Spike as some dragon to be cooed and loved, just as a friend of course. Besides, his heart is very obviously Rarity’s. But… I don’t know, Twi, Spike’s funny and mischievous side kinda matches with me, so I guess I like him more because of that. But then, we didn’t really have a lot unique experiences together... Ugh, I don’t know what comes over me!”

“… I see, Pinkie.” Twilight said. “It’s clichéd, but you need some time to clear up your mind. You like Spike, I understand. Love needs no reason, and love can be irrational. But one shouldn’t confuse loyalty, friendship, platonic love and consummate relationship. Whatever you choose, it is your personal choice. I have no right to question it merely because we were once linked.”

“Thank you, Twi… You’re the best!” Pinkie slowly began to grin, as her mane puffed up again. “You say you want to test on my twitches?”

“Actually, that’s just a ruse to bring you in for this talk. We know very well that testing the twitches is not going to yield anything conclusive, with our current technology anyway. I think we’ll need equipment that are able to observe sub-particle level activities in order to do that.”

“You think that?” Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened.

“Yes. What we can do now is to match and catalog the twitches to what you think they mean, as comprehensively as possible. This would help us supplement our knowledge that might become obsolete because of the changes we made.”

Twilight handed the pink pony a notebook. 

“Alright Twi, I’ll try my best.”

“… Pinkie, surely you’ve realized, love’s complicated. The ancient tome has not fully understood it even with its thousands of years of experience. But we will support you no matter what.”

“But what about… Rarity?” Pinkie asked uncertainly.

“Don’t worry too much, Pinkie. Focus on organizing your thoughts first. Maybe Spike is who you really love, or you’ll find that he’s just your best bud in your eyes.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight had just escorted Fluttershy to the door. The yellow pegasus had helped her with animal physiology and provided some observation on the status of the parasprite, now two parasprites, as Twilight had given a small piece of wood and cloth to the small creature, which had made it squealed in delight and coughed up another parasprite soon afterwards.

“Whew…” Twilight sighed and leaned on the closed door. “What’s with Pinkie today? And what’s with…” Despite her wise advice towards the pink mare, her own mind have been disquieted by Pinkie’s words.

Spike was his son, his baby dragon. She loved him, as she admitted quietly in her mind, more than her mentor Celestia, her foal-sitter Cadance, her parents, and even her own dear brother. 

Spike was like a precious gift in her lone magic study. It’s into him that she put her first wholehearted dose of love and nurture, other than towards something inanimate like a doll. Spike was cheeky and sometimes stubborn, but he never really swayed away from the side of Twilight, who always watched over him like a dragon towards her horde.

She paused and slowly breathed. She really shouldn’t think about this too much. Besides, Pinkie was right, she hadn’t really asked Rarity about her feelings for Spike. 

Due to the mind meld, Rarity intimately knew the strong feeling of the dragon for her. Among the quiet acknowledgement of the mares, she sort of became the designated love interest of the small dragon. A fact that Twilight from time and time thought it’s unfair to both Rarity and other mares. 

So what if Spike loved Rarity? Was Rarity then obligated to return the love, even though she only knew his feeling via some strange magical ritual? It was clearly a bizarre and awkward situation for her.

It might be for the greater good, though, to bind Spike towards them six by just arrange Rarity with Spike… Twilight gritted her teeth, she hated it when her thoughts turned to those places, in which she saw her friends and Spike just as something to help achieve her goals. 

Twilight’s deep thought was disrupted by a voice. “Hey Twi, I’ve finished my exam, see?” Spike’s head suddenly popped in front of the purple mare.

“Gah!” Twilight was shocked, jumping up high and almost accidentally discharging a magic blast.

“Whoa, Twi. It’s just me, what’s up with the scares?” Spike asked in surprise.

‘It’s exactly because it’s you, Spike.’ Twilight thought. “Well, sorry Spike, I was just deep in my thoughts. What did you say?”

“I say, I’m handing in my exam.” Spike smirked.

“Um, um. Huh, all correct!” Twilight said as she checked the answers. Although she knew those were actually Pinkie’s answers, she simply shook her head with a defeated smile and said, “Very well then, I will give you a ruby as reward and also buy you the newest Daring Do when it comes out.”

“Oh thank you, Twi!” Spike embraced Twilight, and planted a speck on her face.

Twilight turned to Spike and grinned, “Don’t be too happy with yourself yet, Spike. The next exam will be soon and it will be.” 

Twilight mocked a dramatic sound, “dun—dun—dun, accumulative!”

“Spare me! Oh great purple one!” Spike moaned in pain, towards which Twilight simply laughed.

She then sighed to herself quietly, ‘Maybe I should go ask Rarity herself, when the time is right.’ 

She poked Spike and said. “Spike, you need not worry if you get full mark this time, right?” She smirked at the fretful dragon, “I have some business to tend to outside, I’ll be right back. Tell any visitor to wait here for a moment.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Celestia trotted on the outskirts of Ponyville towards the town center, curiously without any accompaniment, nor riding on her golden chariot. 

Suddenly a voice was heard from her back. “Princess Celestia! What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

Celestia turned back, and saw it was just her student, Twilight Sparkle. “Twilight Sparkle, my prized pupil.”

Twilight smiled thinly, “Greetings, princess. I come to see if I can meet with you on the road.”

“Oh? Twilight, is there anything you would want to talk to me?” Celestia asked.

“Well yes, princess. I’m afraid that it might not be completely appropriate for Ponyville to accommodate a royal visit for the moment.” Twilight said.

“Ah, what a coincidence. I was just coming to tell you that I must attend to an emergency most dire, and I must cancel the visit to Ponyville this time,” Celestia said in some surprise. “What is wrong with Ponyville, Twilight?”

“Actually, they are all just precautionary measures. A specimen of a curious creature, called parasprite, was captured in the parameters of Ponyville.” 

Twilight explained. “We have secured and contained the parasprite, because according to our observation, it devours matters and quickly multiplies, and it might cause an infestation if it is not properly controlled.”

“Oh dear. Twilight, you and your friends have done a great job protecting the properties and livelihood of Ponyvillians. You have my most gracious thanks.”

Twilight gulped, she wondered if that’s time to ask for some boons. She eventually decided against it and simply said. “That’s but my humble duty as a royal subject, princess. Shall the emergency elsewhere be connected to this parasprite outbreak, I recommend using aerophones, like trombone, to direct their movement to safe storage.”

Celestia nodded. Twilight looked at the princess, and eventually asked. “Princess, you could’ve just sent me a letter through Spike, or sent an urgent mail by the Royal Guards. I dread to disturb your royal personage to inform me in person.”

Celestia raised her eyebrows and frowned. Twilight was being the overly formal and distant self again, so she gently cooed. “Twilight, can’t a mentor and princess just come to check up on her most faithful student once in a while, hmm?”

Despite Twilight’s grand plan to change Equestria, Twilight still loved her Princess Celestia, despite her fear that she might have to clash with her one day. It pained her every time to think about opposing the kind and loving princess, but for now, her hearts were simply warmed by the mentor’s gentle words. 

Twilight spluttered, “P—Princess Celestia, I… “ She gulped, “I want to see you too, princess. I’d missed you.”

The princess gently hugged the purple mare, who grew tense upon the initial touch, but she softened up soon and too embraced her mentor. The mentor and the student was, at least for today, embracing each other with little reservation under the orange sky.

> Chapter 11 – Love Calls the Dance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Winter Wrap-up had been concluded without any major hiccup. As the town of Ponyville returned to the gentle breeze and flowery scent of spring, Rarity looked out of the window in her boutique home and pondered on the lives of her and her friends.

So much had changed, and yet so little. They were still living in Ponyville, living their old lives for now. Rarity’s parents were still rarely at home, and she and her sister maintained the household, mostly just she. She was much less dismissive of her sister’s clumsy approach and antics, now knowing that she’s a lonely filly that got bullied at school. 

She was also strangely glad that the Cutie Mark Crusaders have formed as expected, even knowing that they would cause untold destruction of properties for years to come. Something felt just wrong without the three little rascals muddling things up.

Rarity herself was still designing and making clothes for a passable living, though she had benefited from her friends’ increasing fortune. Twilight’s budding enterprise, although so far unnamed and managed by Twilight alone, was co-owned in name by all six mares. 

The initial profit from selling equipment to the Sweet Apple Acres, plus the trickling income from reselling Zecora’s brewing products, was half distributed towards a fund covering the running costs and future use, and half distributed to each of the mares equally as dividends. Twilight told them that she already used some of the bits in the fund to hire some hooves to look for news of the various villains and troublemakers she wanted to track down, now that she herself was ironically tied down with the bit-making business.

At least this was what Twilight told them, the so-called shareholders. It was just a moderate sum of bits, since Twilight herself did not want to expand her business too much, for fear that it would cause concern from Princess Celestia. She clearly did not want too much attention, and was somewhat fearful that the Princess would scold, or even in the worst case scenario, recall her to Canterlot, for focusing on bit-making instead of friendship study. That would be undesirable for all of them really.

The extra income should be a comforting matter for Rarity, but it was troubling at heart for her, since she did not think that she did anything substantial to warrant it. Rarity was an industrious mare, and she wanted to earn bits that she thought she deserved. On the other hand, she found it a bit awkwardly… not enough. She was trying her best to be generous and responsive to requests, and it was somewhat embarrassing not to be in a position to share when she was not exactly the most resourceful pony around.

It was not just about bits and wealth, which clearly Twilight and Applejack were in a better shape than her. It was also about time and attention. She had devoted a lot of time to Sweetie Belle, and reinforcing the sisterly love, which made her very happy. And in the remaining time she designed clothes and other accessories. These together ate up almost all her time, and she found it incredibly difficult to attend to any other things, even her friends, much less about the grandiose plan that Twilight was slowly pushing through.

This also brought her to the issue of Spike. She noticed that Twilight, the one mare who, frankly, created the issue in the first place, wanted to speak up to her, but failed to find suitable words every time. 

Not that she had no idea what Twilight wanted to talk to her about. The brief mind meld had probably infused some of Twilight in her as well. She felt an inexplicable urge to care for the young dragon ever since. Her rational mind attempted with futility to separate Rarity’s feelings with Twilight’s, as now it was all just hers. 

What made the current situation much more awkward to her specifically, was that Spike was infatuated with her as a mare. Spike obviously had no idea that all five mares other than Twilight also had a bit of Twilight in themselves. 

She felt as she had two left hooves every time she thought of Spike’s affection for her. The tugging maternal urge aside, she knew very well what the alternate Rarity had been doing – deliberately keeping a distance in order to have someone fawn over her, as a mean to feel good. It would be impossible to do it to this Spike, because Twilight would probably become mama bear over it.

Most importantly, she was unsure about her own feeling. So far, she dutifully played the part of a lovely mare to Spike, who seemed more than glad that the mare of her dream was so responsive to his advances. Of course, she could not be too responsive as it would damage her reputation as a lady. 

Rarity sighed. Spike was ever so courteous and chivalrous in front of her, which did make her heart tingle. But he and she were, in principle, akin to be held together in an arranged relationship. She did think that she and Spike might be possible, but now didn’t seem to be the time yet.

She had not seen Spike for a while as she had avoided him with or without intention. She could not help but think of all these troublesome questions whenever she saw Spike’s adorable lovey-dovey face, which made her lose almost all mental capacity for inspiration and creativity in her design. 

Other mares told her that Spike was lacking in spirit recently, probably something that had to do with her hiding from him. Rarity bit her lip, regardless of her own mental struggle, she could not let this happen to Spike. No matter what he was, Spike was still very important to her.

She had a plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rarity took a deep breath and entered the Golden Oak Library. There she saw Twilight frantically flipping over something that looked like an account book. Spike was nearby napping on his basket. She looked to the other side of the library, and to her surprise, found all her other friends sitting around a table.

“Whoa girls, what have I missed in here? Is there a meeting that I somehow forgot?” Rarity asked quizzically.

“Oh Rarity, you coming today too?” Twilight put down her book and slipped a bookmark into it. “What are the odds that we’re all gathered here, each for different purposes?”

Rarity gazed at Twilight’s toothy grin, and asked. “What purposes, exactly?”

“Ah just come to see if Twi can possibly use magic or magic crystals in the machines, since our farm is full of hay and woods, storing fuel around is just askin’ for trouble.” Applejack said.

“Unfortunately though, magically-driven machines are much more finicky and unreliable in general.” Twilight walked towards the group and said with a sad smile.

“I just come here to chat with Spike and borrow some new cake recipe from Canterlot!” Pinkie Pie smiled at Rarity, but Rarity sensed that it was somewhat forced. “But Spikey was asleep so I just settle for the books! And some board games!”

“Yeah Rarity, our last game on the mountain wasn’t really finished, was it?” Rainbow Dash grinned. “By the way, I was shocked that Spike was into Daring Do as well.” The cyan mare seemed a bit bashful at admitting she also liked the popular adventure novel.

“Um, I am here just because Twilight told me to check on the parasprites again. Also, I do want to borrow a carrot cookbook so Angel would eat it more willingly.”

“Uh, that bunny,” Twilight cringed slightly at the thought of the tempered rabbit. “But anyway, Clever Carrot Cooking should be on the top shelf of the second row.”

“Thank you, Twilight.” Fluttershy smiled.

Twilight then asked Rarity, “So what do you come for, Rarity?”

“Well Twilight, I would like to borrow Spike for some time… I’ll need to go on a trip to Canterlot for a fashion show and then inspect a gem mine that I might buy. Spike would be most helpful if he can accompany me.” Rarity slowly explained.

Twilight froze in the middle of sitting back down at her desk. She slowly stood back up and trotted towards Rarity quietly. “Have you made up your mind?” Twilight leaned in and whispered.

“No, but I hope through this trip I will,” Rarity replied. “By the way, do you know what’s wrong with Pinkie? I swear, her smile towards me just now was a bit... I don’t know, did I just do something that offended her?”

Twilight’s face turned a bit green, as she gulped and said with uncertainty, “Um, you better talk to her yourself. Don’t worry, she’s not mad at you or anything. You two can use my room upstairs.”

Twilight then trotted towards the pink mare and whispered something into her ears as well. Pinkie Pie’s eyes shot wide, as she frantically said something back to Twilight, but the purple pony would not have it and forcefully pushed Pinkie Pie upstairs. Twilight winked to the white unicorn, and Rarity followed Pinkie Pie upstairs as well.

“… Huh, what was that about?” Rainbow observed with incredulity.

“Ah have no clue. Do you know what’s up wit ‘em, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked.

Fluttershy gulped and thought for a while, then she shook her head, “Um, no. They probably need some private time to talk. We shouldn’t disturb them.” The other two mares frowned slightly, but nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So Pinkie, why are you acting strange in front of me just now?” Rarity asked.

“W—What do you mean, Rarity?” Pinkie Pie offered her best innocent smile.

Rarity sighed, “I’m your friend, Pinkie, you don’t need to hide it from me. I just saw your smile, it just looked forced to me. Is there anything that is bothering you?”

Pinkie Pie stared at Rarity, and said. “… Do you love Spike?”

Rarity was stunned by Pinkie Pie’s straightforwardness. She inhaled deeply and tried to calm herself, then she looked at the pink pony straight in the eyes. “I love him. But I don’t know what I saw him as. As friend, as adopted son, as designated partner, or as lover.”

Pinkie Pie smiled sadly, “I see. You are just like me then.”

“What do you mean… Oh dear, Pinkie, do you also…?” Rarity was again stunned by Pinkie Pie’s statement.

“Just like you, I don’t know. But unlike you, I don’t even know why I have to love Spike. It’s not like that he’s infatuated with me like he does with you. We’ve simply been sharing some joyful time together in the library, sometimes chatting when he’s doing Twi’s study, sometimes playing games that I brought over. Otherwise, we haven’t gone on any big adventures, or had any unforgettable moments, just some normal happy time.”

Rarity took some time to process Pinkie Pie’s words, and slowly nodded, “I see. You couldn’t make up your mind about Spike as well.”

“… Please forgive me, Rarity, I should know…”

Rarity put a hoof to Pinkie Pie’s mouth, “There’s no need to apologize, Pinkie. I have no monopoly on Spike. We are both victims to our feelings. Some of those feelings are so foreign and yet ours. We should just blame Twilight, let’s make her pay next time when we dine out.”

Pinkie Pie chuckled. “So, if I really am into Spike somehow…”

“We’ll see. If it was just some other colt, I would gladly say that we should have a fair duel and let the best mare win, but it’s Spike. Well, what can I say, it’s simply confusing.”

“… Can we share?” Pinkie Pie suddenly asked.

Rarity did a double-take at Pinkie Pie’s suggestion, “Pinkie, you… I haven’t even thought about those yet. A—and even if we do, would Spike himself agree?”

“Sorry Rarity.” Pinkie Pie smiled bashfully, “I was, uh… just joking. I’m just glad that you’re not mad at me for my irrational feelings. Anyway, are you going on a trip with Spike to make up your mind?”

“Yes, Pinkie. Hopefully by the end of the trip, I will know more about what I think about Spike myself. It’s just excruciating to let that uncertainty fester in my heart,” 

Rarity said, then reassured Pinkie with a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t steal your dragon away from you. Spike’s not just mine, or even yours. He’s everyone’s dear dragon.”

Pinkie Pie smilingly nodded. “Silly Rarity, you would never do something like that. I wish you… and Spike… all the best on your journey.”

Rarity embraced the pink pony, and said. “Thank you Pinkie, you’ve been most kind.”

“And uh.” Pinkie Pie sheepishly added, “Since you’re going to Canterlot, can you help me buy the newest issue of the Scone Magazine?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike was floored when he heard that Rarity wanted to bring him along on a trip. He had been unhappy that he and Rarity seemed to be unable to see each other or progress beyond the status of good friends. 

He agreed after some deliberation. He would have agreed much more quickly, but in truth, he would also missed his other friends, like the bubbly cheerful Pinkie, and his tough but loving mentor Twilight.

Especially Pinkie, she was seemingly much more reluctant to see Spike go. She cried a river of tears upon his and Rarity’s departure. She hugged the dragon so tightly he couldn’t breathe. Some nagging feeling in Spike’s heart told him that, Pinkie’s affections with him were not quite simple, but he couldn’t help but choose to steer his mind away, as he feared that it would ruin the happy friendship he had with the pink pony.

Twilight, on the other hand, was somewhat more at ease with letting Spike go. Her expression was inscrutable, but she bid the white mare and the dragon farewell with a thin smile, not before warning them for possible dangers that they might encounter for the twentieth time. Twilight seriously considered casting a massive protection spell that would take her a few days to prepare, but Rarity talked her out of it and insisted that she and Spike was not going to Tartarus, and they could perfectly defend themselves.

At last, the other mares escorted the two to the Ponyville train station. Twilight originally wanted to arrange for a Royal Chariot for them, but Rarity thought that it would be way too blatant for just a casual, private trip into Canterlot, and Twilight herself should not make use of her dispensed favors in the capital so recklessly and quickly.

Rarity and Spike boarded the first train to Canterlot in the morning. The train was much slower than the Royal Chariot, and it would take a greater half of a day for them to reach their destination. But Rarity didn’t mind at all, it would just mean more time to chat with Spike, something that she hadn’t done for quite some time.

As the train dashed forth in the rolling greens near Ponyville, Rarity turned to Spike.

“Spikey-wikey, thank you again for agreeing to come with me on this trip, you will be immensely helpful in my fashion dealings in Canterlot and gem businesses.”

“You’re welcome, Rarity,” Spike said. “But I’ve been thinking, what do you want me to help with, exactly?”

Rarity thought for a bit, seeking help from Spike was not the main reason of bringing the dragon along, but she guessed it would help in any case. “Um, well. You can act as a critic and commentator for my designs. Besides, there will be a specialty fashion walk coming on, and I want you to be my model, Spike.”

“What? Me? Model?” Spike was astounded at Rarity’s last sentence.

“Yes, a dragon model. Ever since griffons came in from the east, and with now the trickling zebra and camel visitors, the ponies in the capital have been enamored with non-ponies cultures for a while. They saw these new visitors as something exotic and refreshing. Their admiration was a bit faddish, but was seen as high-minded as well.”

“I see. So, uh, are you going to…?”

“Why yes, Spikey-wikey, I am going to make a suit for you. It would definitely make you much more handsome-looking and accentuate your special features, like your spines.”

Spike beamed, and already dreamed of his charming good look in a suit hoof-designed by his love. He’s going to cherish that suit of his for a long, long time. 

“Whoa thank you, Rarity, I’ll, um, do my best in the show!” Spike exclaimed. “By the way, I think you also need me for finding gem?”

“True, Spikey-wikey. Gems have been an integral part of my design process, and I need a lot of them sometimes just for one dress. But recently, gems have become more expensive, and increasingly hard to buy around Ponyville. Surely you’ve noticed that too, Spike?”

Spike nodded with a concerned look. Rarity continued, “If I can just buy and own a gem mine, it would solve a lot of problems. Besides, it’s time that I exercise some of my business skills, seeing that how Twilight and Applejack both become quite successful in this regard. I might consider going into the textile industry later as well.”

“Glad to be of help, Rarity. So am I to help you find gems in the mine?”

“Partly. As you know, I can find gem with my spells, but your senses for gems would help us determine the quality of the gem lodes quickly. Besides…” 

Rarity’s words trailed off.

“What’s wrong, Rarity?” Spike asked with a bit of worry.

“… There might indeed be need to defend ourselves,” Rarity said to the shock of Spike. “The gem mine was originally owned by an earth pony called Shiny Bounty, but it was recently invaded by a ground-dwelling canine race called the diamond dogs. Shiny Bounty cannot dispersed the diamond dogs by himself, so he sold the mine to me at a, hmm, reasonable price.”

Rarity grinned, but then immediately frowned. “The diamond dogs are not violent or evil. But they love their gems dearly, and can be slightly bullish regarding gem despite their otherwise expansive nature. Perhaps this is also why they haven’t established relations with ponies yet despite living within our borders.”

“Although they might not be very friendly creatures, I fully see how someone really hungry for gems can act.” Spike nodded.

Rarity chuckled, “I admire your empathy, Spikey-wikey. That would get you far in life.”

Spike sheepishly smiled. “Thanks, Rarity. So what are you going to do with the diamond dogs? Are you going to chase them out of the mines?”

“Oh, Spikey-wikey, we won’t do that. If the mine was still owned by Shiny Bounty, we might have no choice but to do so. But since I now own the mine, I don’t want to harm or even upset the diamond dogs.”

“Why, Rarity? They forcefully occupied somepony’s mine and ruined his livelihood! Surely that they were in the wrong, huh?”

“Yes, they were definitely wrong, and they must be duly… persuaded if need be. Hence why I said we might need to defend ourselves.” 

Rarity tilted her head to one side, “But diamond dogs were an unfortunate thrall to their own impulsive desire, if we chase them out, they would just go and terrorize another mine, so we must deal with them right there. Hopefully we can reach some sort of understanding, especially…”

“Hmm?”

“Diamond dogs were master gem miners. If we can persuade them to help us mine gems, we can not only save bits for hiring ponies, the mine can also be much more productive.” 

Rarity said doubtfully. “But that would not be easy, since we’re basically asking them to give us gems in exchange of bits.”

“I’ll try my best to help, Rarity. Don’t worry for now and take a nap, before the train arrives at Canterlot.” Spike nodded.

“Thank you. Indeed, a beauty sleep is a lifeline for a lady.” Rarity smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The train crossed the bridge on the Upper Saddle River and slowly climbed on the meandering tracks uphill. It eventually pulled itself into the train station of Canterlot. Despite being the central train hub of Equestria, the station was only somewhat bigger than the one in Ponyville, and didn’t compare to the ones in the cities on the East Coast. Rarity smirked, then immediately gestured Spike to come with her.

“Well Spikey-wikey, since this is my first time in Canterlot, would you be a dear and guide me around, before we settle down at the hotel?” 

Although Rarity knew Canterlot’s streets from Twilight’s inherited experiences, she still decided to let Spike be her little champion for today. 

Spike brightly grinned. “My pleasure, Rarity! Let’s first go to the Prancing Pony Café, it’s got the best brewed Foal Mountain coffee in the whole Canterlot!”

The mare and the dragon set out for their first day of visit in Canterlot. They visited cafés, saloons, boutiques, monuments, and took a stroll in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden. When she passed the statue of Discord, she gave it a cheeky wink. They even sneaked into Twilight’s old quarter in the Ivory Tower, which made Rarity somewhat nostalgic, despite never having been there before.

Spike was giving his all in explaining the culture and history of the capital to Rarity, and Rarity was appreciative. Still, she was somewhat unsure whether she saw Spike just as a little dragon, or more than that. Still, she was very thankful for the dragon’s efforts, so at the end of the day, she hugged Spike dearly, and gave him a red ruby as a token of her appreciation.

The next day, Spike was awaken by some noises in his room. He rubbed his eyes, and saw Rarity using her sewing machine and magic to sew some black materials together.

“Good morning, Spikey-wikey. Sorry for the noises. It’s still a bit early in the morning, you may go back to sleep.” 

Rarity looked at the still dark sky out of the window, and said somewhat apologetically. “I’ll just go somewhere else to continue my work.”

Spike was very tempted to just fall back onto his bed, but he couldn’t possibly do that to Rarity, so he said. “Good morning Rarity. There is no need to move out, where else can you go to work in private anyway?” 

He let out a yawn. “My sleep can wait.”

“Thank you, Spikey-wikey.” 

Rarity smiled. “The show will be on tomorrow evening, and since I went around Canterlot yesterday and saw a lot of city ponies, I’ve come up with a new design that you might like. So I just tried to wake up early in the morning and finish it up.”

Rarity put a hoof on Spike’s little shoulder, “As I only need a few materials to make a suit the size of yours, it should be done relatively quickly. Spikey-wikey, if you can wait just for a while, I can let you try it on and see what you think.”

“Gladly!” Spike cheerfully replied. 

Soon, just as Rarity said, a well-tailored suit the size of Spike was done. It was a primarily black three-piece suit, evocative of a quiet but respect-commanding leader. 

The vest hit the belt buckle, the fit was perfect, and the single-breasted black jacket and the black tie was subdued, allowing for balance. Some space was left for Spike’s protruding spines, the shapes for which the tight cut emphasized greatly. The centerpiece of the suit was a single red ruby pinned at the top of the left pocket. It was not a suit that stood out by its bright color, but naturally possessed a strong and powerful presence.

Spike gulped and his eyes widened. He never saw something like that before. The past designs from Rarity that he had seen were all frilly and vivid. But this suit of his was not at all avant-garde, but solid and sturdy. It made him think that he would look strong by simply wearing it.

“How’s the suit? Do you like it, Spikey-wikey?” Rarity asked eagerly.

Spike rigorously nodded. “Yes! I like it very much!”

“I’m glad you like it, Spikey-wikey. It made all my works worth it.” Rarity smiled. “Now I must take a slight rest. After that, we’ll have a little rehearsal for tomorrow’s walk.”

Rarity observed Spike, who was more than a little uneasy. “Don’t worry at all. A day is long enough for us. You’ll get the hang of it very soon.”

After Rarity’s small power nap, she and Spike practiced for the fashion walk the next day. Spike’s initial steps were a bit clumsy. He fell over a few times and even almost torn up the jacket by accident, but he eventually became used to walk in the three-piece suit with confidence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The light again dimmed on the catwalking platform, as the last model walked back into the backstage. Today’s fashion show had been a moderate success. Even the notoriously finicky and demanding judge, Hoity Toity, praised some of the previous designs worn by griffon and camel models, and gave lukewarm responses to the others. Still, there were the occasional unfortunate designs, which were very promptly torn to pieces by the harsh fashion critic.

Rarity gently place her hooves on Spike’s shoulder, “It’s your turn, Spike. Go out and just be yourself.” She smiled.

Spike swallowed for a bit, then walked out in wide gait with light musical accompaniment. The persistent chatter in the audience suddenly died down, as they watched a small suit-wearing dragon walked on the stage with comfortable wide gaits. Spike purposefully shook the brim of his jacket, causing a brisk wave of ‘whoa’ from the gazing crowd.

Hoity Toity removed his glasses and carefully looked at the sharply-dressed dragon. His face remained enigmatic for a moment, until he began to clasp slowly and loudly with his hooves. Then the audience began clapping as well in a wave of applause.

As the cheers died down, Hoity Toity said to Rarity, who had trotted to the side of the stage next to the fashion critic, “Very courageous choice of both fabrics and model, um…”

“Rarity, from Ponyville.” Rarity replied curtly.

“Ah yes, Rarity. This must be the first time I ever see a dragon on a catwalk in my whole life as a professional fashion critic. ‘Tis truly the most exotic of them all. A dragon’s body shape, color and scales made designing clothes for them much more challenging. Fortunately, your simple design has masterfully highlighted the shiny scales and underline the body shape of your model. The red ruby was a brilliant touch, magnifique. It is a very refreshing visual treat.”

Rarity sensed that there was more to Hoity Toity’s words. “Yes, Madame Toity?”

“… However, your design was a bit lacking in variety and color. It is way too plain, and jarring with the exoticness that drips from some of the previous designs, which fit well with the foreign models so much.”

Hoity Toity raised his voice to the audience. “I hereby announce, that today’s winner in the fashion show belongs to Silky Soft’s design, Rising Phoenix! Your winning design will be presented in my boutiques for all the month!”

The audience cheered for the winner, who graciously came up and accepted the accolade.

Spike walked up towards the white unicorn with some trepidation. “Um… Rarity, I’m…”

“Shh, Spike, if there is anypony in the fault, it’s me and me alone.” Rarity interrupted Spike’s apology. It’s a strange feeling for Rarity. She had always wanted to win over the fashion critics in Canterlot with her brilliant designs, so that she would rise above the fray and become one of the best fashion designers in Equestria.

But at this very moment, she did not mind for a bit that her design was not favored by Hoity Toity. All she could think of was how Spike said he liked her design, and the handsome and confident look on his face when he walked out onto the stage.

Spike was still fretful, and said, “But Rarity, I know that you want the critics to acknowledge you very much.”

Rarity’s mind suddenly became clearer. “… Spikey-wikey, do you know why I chose this design for you, but not some more colorful and exotic designs like the others did with their model?”

Spike shook his head. “No, I don’t know.”

“You know how the ponies here think of the foreign models?” 

Rarity said wistfully. “They just think of them as some exotic creatures to gawk at. Exotic creatures obviously need to wear over-the-top costumes, in order to satiate the ponies’ need for the new and the strange.”

Rarity turned to the purple dragon and smiled. “But you, you are not just some strange dragon. You are my dearest Spikey-wikey. And I didn’t want to make you into one of those caricatures.”

Spike simply looked at the white mare with wide-open eyes. Then suddenly, he felt two forceful white hooves surrounding his shoulder, and a low gentle murmur in his ears. Today, even though they didn’t really win anything in the fashion show, Spike still thought that he’s a winner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Rarity and Spike left Canterlot and departed for the gem mine, which was located at the vicinity of the Saddle Plains, mid-way from Canterlot to Ponyville. After exchanging paperwork with Shiny Bounty, who was simply thankful for not having to deal with the diamond dogs ever again, they went straight for the mine.

They arrived at an entrance of the vertical mine shaft. A rusted ladder led downwards into the mine. Rarity, however, elected to simply elevate she and Spike with her telekinesis, and lower themselves into the mine, for fear that the old ladder might just break in the middle of descent.

They landed at a very large cavern with passages towards seemingly numerous places. It seemed that the cave system of this mine was very extensive. A large amount of passages were obviously recently dug with crude tools, showing that the diamond dogs had expanded the mine greatly since seizing it.

Rarity and Spike looked at one another, and she promptly casted her gem finding magic. She followed the guidance of her gentle blue magic glow, and soon arrived at a protruding lode of sapphire. Spike’s eyes shone, as he hammered the lode and took a bite on the raw gemstone. “Mm, mm. This one’s good. Not excellent, but acceptable.”

“Very well, S—” Rarity’s words were interrupted by a loud howl and a few barks.

“Haw haw, look at what we’ve got here. A teeny dragon with another pony.” The imposing grey canine cackled. He was walking on two feet, wearing a gem-studded collar and a grey jacket.

Rarity’s eyebrow rose as she heard the word ‘another’, but she decided to remain silent and observe for now.

“Hey, I see this pony just using her magic to find gems, Fido!” Another diamond dog hollered. This one was somewhat shorter than the one he called Fido, and his coat was less bluish.

“Let’s grab this one as well! We can find even more gems with her!” The third Diamond dog was lankier and taller than the other two, and wearing a red jacket instead.

Spike looked at Rarity worriedly, but she smiled at him and trotted forth. “I’m the new official owner of this gem mine, Rarity. May I have the pleasure of knowing your names?”

“Blah, we don’t recognize your useless piece of paper, the mine is ours, ours I tell you!” The taller Diamond dog scoffed. “But since you’re polite enough, I will tell you our names. I’m Rover. They’re Fido and Spot. You’ll need to know us anyway, hehe.” 

“Nice to meet you all.” Rarity greeted despite their transparent intentions. “I know that gems are very important to you. But can we just talk?”

“No, you silly pony! You will stay here to help us dig gems as well!” Fido snapped.

“Guard, catch her! And her little dragon too!” Rover ordered.

Rarity, for some reason, simply stood there and offered no resistance. The guard Diamond dog snatched her up like some sort of trinkets and placed her next to the three smirking diamond dogs.

Spike looked on with horror, but also immense anger. The diamond dogs were much bigger than him, and he could not take on them in a fight. He felt so helpless. This made him incredibly angry at himself for not being able to rescue Rarity from them.

“Ha! You're our precious little pony now, forever!” Spot chortled.

“Now dig! Dig all the gemsss in the mine for us!” Rover said to Rarity, who reluctantly began to dig the ground with her hooves.

Spike couldn’t take it anymore. First they stole the entire mine of gems for themselves, then they stole Rarity, now they wanted to keep Rarity for themselves and made her their slave forever? Who did these diamond dogs think they were, just robbing his rightful gems and dear lover away from his paws?

The guard went forth and wanted to grab Spike as well, when he noticed something strange was happening to the small dragon. Spike let out a furious roar, totally unlike what a dragon of his size should have produced. His body then emitted a strange purple glow, and became larger and larger. 

The diamond dogs looked on with shock. And Rarity was even more stunned than they were. 

“It can’t be… No wait, Spike, don’t!” She yelled.

But the dragon seemed not to listen. He roared again and breathed out a trail of green fire, causing the rocks on the cave wall to glow red hot. He continued to grow bigger, and it looked to Rarity that he might eventually cause a cave collapse with his increasing size.

She decided it was not time to wait idly anymore. She gritted her teeth and tried to teleport herself next to Spike, but her spell fizzled. 

Rarity grumbled with an exasperated look. She then flared her horn and launched herself towards Spike instead.

She landed on the tip of the nose of the angry Spike. “Spike, calm down now, please. You’ve done well enough.” 

She gently cooed, and slightly kissed the dragon’s forehead. Spike was suddenly pulled back into reality, and he stopped rampaging through the caves.

He then lowered his head to let the mare on the ground. Rarity smiled, and then casted another spell, this time engulfing the whole dragon. Spike’s body responded to the unicorn’s magic as it gradually shrank, but before it could return to the original size, Rarity’s magic abruptly ceased and she collapsed on the ground.

“Rarity!” Spike cried out.

“It’s… It’s alright, Spikey-wikey, just a little bit magical exhaustion. I can take it with some rest.” 

Rarity looked at Spike, who was now slightly larger than Rover in size. “We need to fix you up before going back to Ponyville though, or Twilight would be mad at us.”

Spike nodded, then asked. “Why did you just let them capture you, Rarity? I was very worried! You could cast magic to defend yourself, right?”

“Spikey-wikey, I just don’t want to create meaningless confrontations when mere words can solve the problem. Diamond dogs get a soft ears for words, so if I pester them enough, I figure that they would perhaps listen. I’m sorry for not telling you before, Spike.”

Rarity then stood up with struggle and trotted towards the diamond dogs, who were cuddling together in fear.

“D—Don’t harm me, I—I will let you go, just go!” Rover said with a trembling voice.

Rarity sighed, it would be very difficult to establish mutual relationship when one side was so utterly frightened. But perhaps she could also make use of the current situation. 

“Don’t worry, Rover. It was but a little accident. Now, I still want to discuss with you regarding matters of this mine, but before that, I must ask you one thing.” 

Rarity’s gaze turned extremely serious. “Are you keeping another pony here to dig gems for you?”

Rover gulped and exhaled profusely at the pressure from the white mare’s threatening expression. “Ju—just one, and just for a few days, I swear!”

“Bring us to the pony, at once!” Rarity snapped, to which the diamond dogs nodded vigorously.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Distant echoes of hammering came from the far side of the caves, and it grew louder and louder. In the dark and poorly-lit caverns, Rarity suddenly saw a blue glow.

She and Spike immediately dashed forth to locate the source of the glow. What they saw had shocked them to the bone. The blue show-mare, Trixie, whom they met a few months ago, was toiling away in the dark tunnels and digging for gems for the diamond dogs.

“Oh my stars!” Rarity froze at the sight and said.

“What in Equestria are you doing here, Trixie?!” Spike added.

“… Huh?” Trixie turned and said. “Oh dear, it’s you! Twilight’s friend... Rarity's your name, right?”

“Y- Yes. But are you alright, Trixie, and did they hurt you?” Rarity asked worriedly, then gritted her teeth. “I originally wanted to go soft on them, but if they dare to…”

“Trixie is alright, and no, the diamond dogs did not hurt me,” Trixie sighed weakly. “I got meals and water, and the occasional rests too. It’s just a bit cramped and depressing to work in such a dark place all day.”

“How’d they got their paws on you, Trixie? My name’s Spike, by the way, I’m a dragon living in with Twilight.” Spike glared at the diamond dogs behind them and then looked back to Trixie. Although he disliked the pompous and haughty way the show-mare treated others back in Ponyville, she did not deserve to be locked up in dark caves mining for gems.

“Well… Trixie went back to Canterlot after leaving Ponyville, where I wanted to make a living in the streets without the acts of claiming to be the most powerful unicorn. But sadly, my new acts did not earn me enough bits to make ends meet.” 

Trixie’s voice went low. “… So Trixie went hunting for other works. I saw an ad for a job on the rock farm, but um… I, uh, got lost on my way, and the diamond dogs captured me when I fell into one of the mine shafts.”

“You’re free now, Trixie.” Rarity smiled.

“Trixie thank you, Rarity, Spike. I was afraid that I’d have to spend the rest of my life down here.” Trixie lowered her head.

“Now… um, do you want a job in my boutique?” Rarity asked.

Trixie’s head shot up. Rarity continued. “I’m having a lot of commitments recently, and I really can use the help of a unicorn that is adept with fine magic control. Besides, if you stay in Ponyville, you can learn magic with Twilight, just as she offered you back then, right? I’ll offer you twenty percent higher than the market pay, plus free meals and recompense for local accommodation.”

Trixie thought for a short while and immediately bobbed her head. “Trixie will work hard, Rarity. Thank you very much for offering me this opportunity.”

Spike looked on with happiness but also surprise. He almost could not believe that the blue mare in front of him was the same pretentious show-pony he met a few months ago. It seemed that Twilight’s words had a really great impact on Trixie.

“Now onto business,” Rarity turned to the diamond dogs, “As I said, I’m the new owner of this gem mine. Although you have intruded upon my property, but I do not intend to expel you yet.”

The diamond dog’s eyes lit up. “Is this true, po—um, Rarity?” Rover asked.

“Only if you agree to my conditions.” Rarity said. “First, absolutely no abducting of ponies into the mines to help you hunt gems. It is very illegal to kidnap ponies and keep them for menial work in Equestria. And I cannot offer protection to you against law enforcement even if I want to.”

The diamond dogs nodded. Rarity then continued. “Second, should you agree to stay in my mine, you must also sign a contract to become my workers. That means, you work for me to mine gems, and in return, you get wages in form of gems and bits.”

“What are bits good for? We are diamond dogs, we only want gems.” Spot frowned, “Besides, we can’t use bits anyway, we can only stay underground.” 

“That brings me to the third point. If you agree to become my workers, I will petition to the Mayor Mare to make you naturalized citizens of Ponyville. This means you can then go into the town and spend your bits. You can buy a lot of things with bits. Gems aside, you can buy yourself comfy clothes, bedding and other amenities that make your life more comfortable. You can make your caves like a royal palace if you have bits, but you can’t do that with just gems.”

Fido noticed a finer distinction in Rarity’s words. “You said we can be citizens of Ponyville, why not the whole Equestria then? We want to meet our faraway cousins without getting bothered by you ponies.”

Rarity sighed. “I’m sorry, Fido. There’s some ponies, including in the royal court, that are averse to the idea that non-ponies walking among ponies. And these acts of aggression.” 

Rarity pointed at Trixie. “… certainly don’t help. I fear that any royal petition will be shot down rather quickly, but I’m confident that I can make your lives easier in Ponyville, my hometown.”

“Very well. Is there anything else?” Rover asked.

“I might hire more ponies to help you out in the future. They will only be paid in bits, so they won’t thin out your share of gems. But if you guys do find any diamond dog brethren who would like to join this operation, they are more than welcome.” 

Rarity explained. “Also, I will try to arrange for better tools and gears to help you dig more gems out. Since you’ll be paid a portion of the gems you hunt for, the more you mine, the more you get. With the improved equipment, you will definitely get more gems even after you give a portion out.”

“This sounds fair enough.” Rover nodded. “What say you, brothers?”

The other diamond dogs also affirmed. 

“Very good. I will visit this mine again after I draft the contracts. Be well in the meantime.” Rarity said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rarity, Trixie and Spike decided to simply trek back to Ponyville, since the distance from the mine to the town was actually just a few hours’ walk. 

Rarity thought back to the mines. Perhaps the accident with Spike was not too bad a thing after all. After some observation and confirmation, she found out that diamond dogs recognized leadership by displays of power, and since she ‘subdued’ Spike in front of their eyes, she probably became the alpha mare of their group. This would make future dealings much smoother.

Rarity looked to the small dragon, who have been shrunk to his original size by Rarity after some more rest. She thinly smiled when she thought of this trip out with Spike. Now she was much more certain in her mind. Spike and she was possible after all. 

She had been obsessed with the romantic spark in her relationship, and she had been very nervous at not finding that passion in her relationship with Spike. But she found that she cared deeply for Spike as a dragon on a level she never did with any of her family and friends. She was not sure if that was love, but it was definitely not just friendship. And she was now more than willing to try it out with her Spikey-wikey.

There’s a slight problem, though. From the little incident in the gem mine, Rarity also noticed that Spike was seeing her as his. The dragon greed, as Twilight said, made Spike into a dragon with dominating desire for possession. Although Spike was calmed by her words and magic, the root of his greed was still deep in his heart. She wondered if Spike could grow to see her less as an object of his desire, but a mare of her own. She trusted that, for now, Spike can learn to control his greed and learn to be a good lover. But only time would tell.

Rarity then turned to Trixie, who was timidly walking beside her. She never would have guessed she would meet Trixie in the mine. Something must have happened in those few months between their meetings as well, as the formerly proud and egotistic show-mare was visibly much more subdued. Her gaze was sometimes fearful even, which made Rarity’s heart ached. She feared that it was poor treatment or humiliation that made Trixie into a depressed mare, although it could also just be Twilight’s words eating at her. She and Trixie hadn’t really talked much back then, so it would be slightly awkward to ask her these questions. 

Therefore, the trio walked in silence under the setting sun, and they reached Ponyville when the last glimmer of twilight was seen.

As they slowly walked towards the Golden Oak Library, Spike suddenly turned to Trixie. “Um, Trixie, where’s your wagon? The one that I saw you pull around last time?”

Trixie grimaced. “Trixie took the trinkets out and sold the wagon. I was a bit desperate.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…” Spike said.

Trixie smiled sadly. “Don’t be, Spike. Perhaps it’s a sign that I should begin anew. Tri—I am even trying not to refer to myself as Trixie all the time.”

“You don’t have to do that, Trixie. Just do whatever that makes you comfortable.” Rarity said, to which Spike added his assent.

Trixie pondered for a while and replied, “I—eh? We’ve reached the library already?” The tall oak that was illuminated by the orange lights from its windows was already in front of the trio.

Spike rushed forth and knocked, “Twilight, we’re back!”

Soon enough, Twilight galloped to the door. “Welcome back! Spike, Rarity… Trixie?!” Her eyes bulged in shock.

The blue mare sheepishly blushed. “Um, hi?”

“Oh my, come in everyone!” Twilight realized that Trixie finally came back for her, and smiled brightly. “You must all be tired. I’ll go brew some tea.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rarity had bid her farewell to Twilight, and Spike went straight to sleep after such a long and tiring journey. The only two ponies remaining in the library were just Twilight and Trixie. The two was sitting on the porch of the upper balcony, gazing at the night sky in the cool night breeze.

“… and so I ended up coming back with Rarity and Spike.” Trixie explained.

“What a tale.” Twilight said with a sigh. “I’m very sorry for the treatment you endured in the capital. Ponies can be cold sometimes.”

“You don’t have to, Twilight. It’s, as you say, a laughable façade anyway.” 

Trixie chuckled in defeat. “Even though I succeeded at swooning ponies with my tall tales, they are still tall tales. Trixie’s just a failed magician without her blatant lies. Even now, I can’t even shed my silly way of calling myself without fumbling my words.”

Twilight was deeply saddened by the self-defeatist attitude of the former show-mare, as she wondered if her words back then were in any way overboard. 

“Don’t say that! It’s true that bragging is bad. But sometimes, we are forced by circumstances to act like somepony that we aren’t, and that is completely fine. Recognizing that doesn’t mean you should go to another extreme and denounce everything that you were!”

“But Trixie…”

“No but, Trixie. You are talented in fine magic control, just as Rarity told you. You knew it deep in your heart, didn’t you? How else could you manipulate the magical tools and props so easily back then?” 

Twilight firmly said, “And while I’m more than glad that you finally come to me, that doesn’t mean you need to abandon your old self completely. You don’t pour the foal out of the tub along with the bath water. For one, it’s fine to refer yourself as Trixie or I. It matters not a bit. What matters is your determination to face your true self. I, Rarity, and all my friends are ready to help you.”

Trixie went silent, and then she started to tear up. “Thank you, Twilight…”

“Now, before you find a place to live in Ponyville, you can live in with us in the spare bedroom.” Twilight suddenly grinned. “Are you ready to learn, Trixie?”

Trixie looked up, wiped her tears and firmly nodded, “Yes! Trixie thank you!”

“Good, the first task for you… is to smile.” Twilight embraced the blue mare. Unlike the last time, Trixie broke into a bright smile and returned her hug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“It’s been some time I’ve written a friendship letter.” Twilight said.

“What? The last one was just sent before we left, wasn’t it?” Spike was confused.

“Correction. A friendship letter that involves something bigger than fixing somepony’s broken pipe,” Twilight shook her head. “Now, what should I write?”

“You’re not going to write about Trixie? She seems so happy and comfortable with herself now.” Spike asked.

“Well, I can also write about you and Rarity’s little love trip. Celestia sure would love a juicy gossip about an Element-bearer and her little dragon.”

“What?!” Spike exclaimed. “No! I’m not writing that letter for you! If you do that, Twi, I—I will go away and never come back!”

Spike expected Twilight to hit him back with a cheeky remark, but he was shocked to see Twilight with a horrified expression. He immediately walked up to the purple mare and reassured, “Um, Twi, I was just joking. I would never just leave like that.”

Twilight was calmed a bit by the dragon’s words. 

“You better not!” She huffed.

“So seriously, are you going to write about Trixie?” Spike asked again.

“Well, let’s do it.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I’m pleased to see one of my long-gone friends come back from her trip to discover herself. I’ve learnt that even though we sometimes want to begin anew, we are still bound to our past. Our past, even if we look upon it fondly or not, is part of what makes our current self. It would just make us hollow and without aim to attempt to wipe it off completely. At the end, to accept our past is also critical for us to turn a new page in our lives.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

“Sounds like something about yourself on the surface, but actually for Princess Luna again.” Spike commented.

“Hey, clever Spike!” Twilight praised. “Speaking of which, I’ve seldom seen Princess Luna since her return. I should take some time to meet her in person to check up on her… reintegration.”

> Chapter 12 – When in Doubt, Write it out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight sighed. Although she and her friends were becoming influential members of the Ponyville citizenry, instead of just some mares who happened to defeat Nightmare Moon, her other plans weren’t going as smoothly as she wanted.

She had planned to use the time after the Gala as an opportunity to preemptively restore Discord before he could wreck reality with his chaos magic. The Gala was a rare moment on which the six could be reasonably excused to go to Canterlot together and meet with the princesses. 

To Twilight, Discord was someone quite special, because he was someone who shared a similar fate with the ancient tome, who was also silently embedded in stone. 

In a sense, they were ‘fellow’ solitary prisoners. Whenever she thought of him, a welling of sympathy appeared in her heart. She was savvy to its irony, and she often wryly compared her own visceral reaction, to the other visceral but negative reaction the ‘alternate’ Twilight gave to the ‘alternate’ Discord. 

Despite so, she couldn’t wait until the day came. But before that, she could only wistfully gaze at the calendar.

The changelings were still elusive. Whatever little news she gathered were vague at best and contradictory at worst. Some said there was suspected sighting in the Badlands, others said they were in Zebrica. Still there was even a report that claimed there were black bug swarms in the Frozen North. However, all of them were so unreliable and circumspect that it was impossible to individually verify.

She did, however, find Starlight Glimmer’s old friend Sunburst in Canterlot through several layers of contact. But as expected, he had no idea where Starlight Glimmer was.

She turned to the logbook she kept about the businesses she was involved in. Although the plans to expand Sweet Apple Acres were put on hold after some legal and monetary wrangling with the Blueblood estate and the subsequent need to find another piece of land to buy, the Apples did plant much more apples this season with the help of bits and new equipment.

She herself was having a lot more bits to spend after her burgeoning enterprise started to take shape, and even though the size of her own operation was largely restricted to Ponyville and Canterlot proper, some of the resale organized by Filthy Rich reached as far as Manehattan. 

Now Zecora had a small residence in the town which also served as her second brewing manufactory, and she hired an earth mare called Junebug to help her out. 

Rarity also got in on the entrepreneurial spirit and started her gem mining operation. Technically, she was just renting the lands around the gem mine from the crown. That might prove to be troublesome if she wanted to build facilities around it and expand the operation. 

In reality, Celestia did not concern herself too much with production activities on crown lands, given that the tenants paid the crown the associated rents and taxes, but it would certainly raise her eyebrows if ponies, and even diamond dogs, suddenly gathered and formed a small town right next to Canterlot without royal charter. 

In fact, there were already several huts and cottages on site, built for and by the hired pony workers. The few workers there somehow came up with the name ‘Raritan’, which was cheerfully accepted by Rarity and now used in internal documents.

Twilight and Rarity had discussed previously, and Twilight decided that the next time they have defeated another Kingdom-threatening villain, the granting of land near the mines and a provisional town charter was going to be one of the first boons they would ask for. 

Basically, they together held influences in agriculture, commerce, and production, therefore had a lot of say regarding matters of local economy. 

Still, there was one thing amiss, that is, social and political influence. 

Almost all town matters have to go through the hooves of the mayor. The mayoral position of Ponyville was, however, a royal appointment. Mayor Mare herself was born in Ponyville, but she was grown and pampered in the royal capital to become the appointed mayor. This was not to say she was not a diligent and duty-bound mayor, but she was unwilling to implement anything too radical in her eyes, the only exception being that time Pinkie Pie turned the bridge movable.

To the concern of the purple mare, there were a glaring lack of political representation not only in Ponyville, but in the whole of Equestria. But for now, the feudal monarchical system meant, even as she and her friends grew in wealth and other sort of influences, much of the local matters were still out of her hooves. This not only caused troubles for her business operations, but also went against her long-term goal for equality and representation in Equestria.

To deal with this, Twilight planned to establish a way to broadcast and promote her ideas. 

Twilight scratched her head. Freedom of press was inconsistent in Equestria as it was not codified in law. Princess Celestia, bless her, was in general tolerant and laid-back towards personal satire. But she was less tolerant of ponies arguing back and forth regarding her tens of hundreds of edicts and laws, which she saw as a breach of communal harmony. 

With the return of her little royal sister and the associated gossips, she would likely not be too pleased with a too free press. And of course, nobles and other influential ponies have reasons of their own to either promote or suppress certain types of news. 

The only national newspaper in Equestria is the Canterlot Times, though some regional newspapers and specialist magazines existed in bigger cities like Manehattan. Canterlot Times had strong royal ties, had myriads of below-desk relations, and restricted its sources of information heavily, so she couldn’t hope to rely on it to advertise her ideas. 

Ponyville had only one local newspaper of its own, the Ponyville Express. It was less of a newspaper and more of an official gazette for events held by the town council and weather schedules. The mares all agreed that it was extremely boring and uninformative. School newspaper also existed, but it was just for banal news and gossips. 

Twilight planned to establish a newspaper herself, both to shape local opinions and as a stepping stone for a larger media enterprise. However, besides having to tread carefully on editorial balance, Twilight was way overstretched with her maintaining the library, teaching Spike and running the brewing business at the same time. She had to find some helpers in order to start her plan, but who could she rely on?

Applejack, with her firm sense for honesty, was the prime candidate. Unfortunately, she had dedicated her entire attention towards her farm. Pinkie Pie ran the bakery. Rarity had designing work and her gem mind to tend to. Trixie helped Rarity with her work. This left her with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. 

Rainbow Dash had been dreaming about joining the Wonderbolts ever since she was a little filly. But Twilight seldom heard her talk about it in recent days. She still cleared clouds for the town, and occasionally came into the library to read Daring Do. Twilight had heard from her friends that Rainbow Dash practiced her flying less and less, and only performed tricks when Scootaloo asked her to. Was it because she’s already confident enough? Twilight had no idea.

In any case… Newspaper and Rainbow Dash? Twilight was having a difficult time picturing the impulsive and action-loving cyan mare as some gruff editor-in-chief sitting behind a desk and handling delicate matters of what to publish and what not to.

Fluttershy continued as the town’s animal caretaker. She sometimes modelled for Rarity and went on short trips to Canterlot as freelance fashion model. There she met Photo Finish as well, who had always wanted to net Fluttershy into some long-term contract, but the yellow mare always firmly refused. Could Fluttershy, a kind and soft-spoken mare, be somepony who was willing to stand her ground and report what needed to report though?

“Aaaaorgh!” Twilight let out a desperate growl, which startled the purple dragon reading nearby.

“Wow!” Spike exclaimed. “What’s up, Twilight?”

“Um, sorry Spike.” Twilight sheepishly said. “I’m just toiling over a really difficult decision.”

“Can I know? Maybe I can help you out a bit.” Spike offered.

Twilight looked at Spike for a bit, then nodded in defeat. “Thanks Spike. Well you see, I’d always wanted to establish a local newspaper, but I can’t tend to it with me also running the brewing merchandise. I’m thinking about finding my friends to help. They knew about my plan and they would probably help if I ask, but I don’t know who to ask! As far as I know though, probably only Rainbow and Fluttershy had enough time for this.”

“Hmm.” Spike thoughtfully said. “Why don’t you ask themselves then? What they themselves think might not be the same as what you think about them.”

Spike’s words were like a mire-splitting thunder in Twilight’s head. “You got a point in there, Spike. Let me gather both of them right now!”

Twilight bolted out of the door before Spike could even respond. “Wow, Twi surely is anxious about this newspaper thingy. I wonder why?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After some moment, Twilight brought both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash into the tree library. Spike watched them trotting upwards with uncertain looks, but decided to simply concentrate on his current assignment, the fancy but troublesome tongue of Prance. 

Twilight lightly closed the door to her room, and turned to the two pegasi, “Rainbow, Fluttershy, sorry to gather you girls in such a hurry, but this thing is eating at my mind for too long.”

“Shoot away, Twi, I’ve got time. It’s not like I’ve got anything meaningful to do.” Rainbow shrugged.

“Twilight, you say you have, um, something troubling you? I’d try my best to help within my ability.” Fluttershy lightly nodded.

“Thanks girls. Let’s cut to the chase then. I want to hire an editor-in-chief for my new newspaper. Which one of you can help?”

Fluttershy covered her mouth and slightly gasped, while Rainbow just stared at Twilight with an inscrutable look. They both seemed to deliberate for a while as a nervous Twilight looked on, then they both said. 

“I can... Eh?” “I can... Eh?” 

They immediately looked at each other in surprise.

Twilight had not expected that not only they would both agree, they would also agree so quickly. 

“Whoa, I mean, thanks. But um, you both think it through, right?”

“I guess. I mean it’s not like I’ve got tons of things to do. I kick clouds, yeah, occasionally. Hanging out with Scoots also isn’t a super time killer. And practicing…” 

She trailed off. “Anyway! I can do this for you, I’m the Element of Loyalty after all, ha! Just, uh, you have to give me some pointers, I’m not exactly the most eloquent pony around here.” Rainbow lightly chuckled.

“And um, I just want to help you and some other ponies out,” Fluttershy said, “I met some former staff members of the Canterlot Times when I was working with Photo Finish. Some of them… got fired for views that are not in line with the main editor. I might be able to bring them over if you want. Besides, writing might be a good way for me to express myself.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up, “That’s excellent!”

Rainbow Dash wryly grinned. “Yeah great. How about we both join in on Twi’s little project then, Fluttershy?”

“I have no objection.” Fluttershy smiled.

Twilight felt as if a dark cloud had been lifted from her mind. She excitedly said, “Behold, the birth of… Wait a moment, I haven’t even thought of a name yet!”

Fluttershy pondered for a while. “… Um, Twilight’s Ponyville Gazette?”

“Uh, sounds too much like Twi’s personal journal. I mean, Twi sure won’t object to it,” Rainbow grinned at the gulping purple mare. “But we should be more discreet. What about the Daily Ponyville?”

“Sounds fine. But we aren’t making it a daily publication yet, at least in the beginning.” Twilight said. “Just not enough news and market in this rural town.”

“Well.” Fluttershy smiled. “How about the Ponyville Mirror? Mirror, as in a way for ponies to reflect upon their lives and themselves.” 

“Excellent!” Twilight exclaimed. She chuckled and added. “Such a meaningful name. I almost thought we should just give up and call the paper the Ponyville Times.” 

“To be fair, it isn’t a bad name. But ponies would probably just think that it’s a Canterlot Times knock-off.” Rainbow commented.

“And that’s not what I wanted to see,” Twilight shook her head. “Anyway, I’d better go to finish up my work here. Fluttershy, I’ll accompany you to talk with those ex-Canterlot Times staff in person. Rainbow, do you want to stay or come with us?”

“I don’t mind coming… but I gotta apply for leave with the weather team first.” Rainbow Dash said.

“And I guess Angel’s now a good enough bunny to look after the other animals.” Fluttershy muttered.

Twilight’s eyebrows knitted, “Angel Bunny? Uhh…”

Fluttershy frowned at the purple mare and said firmly, “I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, Twilight. Angel is not a bad bunny, he is just assertive and very protective of me. And I have been firmly teaching him not to be overbearing in his assertiveness. Now he’s perfectly able to help me take care of the animals. You see, that’s also why I haven’t asked Spike to help looking after them.”

“I see, I apologize for my unfounded preconception, Fluttershy.” Twilight sheepishly said.

“No need to apologize, Twilight. I know you’re just concerned with Spike.” Fluttershy smiled.

“Okay, that’s enough tangent to go off in a day.” Rainbow huffed. 

“Oh my, I just realize something. We haven’t decided on who’s going to be in which position in this new newspaper yet.” Fluttershy said.

“Oh, right.” Rainbow Dash said, a bit absent-mindedly.

“Do you want to be the editor-in-chief, Rainbow?” Twilight asked.

“Nah, not if Fluttershy also want to.” Rainbow shook her head.

“Oh, Rainbow. I’m content just to be a writer.” Fluttershy sheepishly said.

“How about this.” Twilight suggested. “I would be the chair of the Ponyville Mirror Trust, who oversee the bit flow and general operation. Rainbow, you can be the editor-in-chief. Your job is to delegate tasks to staff members and manage them.”

Rainbow nodded, but she then slightly frowned, “But Twilight, I’m not as good at organizing stuffs as you.”

“Don’t underestimate your own ability, Rainbow! That’s unlike you.” Twilight chuckled. “Don’t worry in any case, I’ll help you out in the beginning. Remember, a good editor-in-chief must also be independent-minded. That’s why I think you’re more than suitable.”

Rainbow slowly smiled. “Well then, Twilight. I’ll do my best.”

Twilight shot a smile at the cyan mare, then turned to Fluttershy. “Well Fluttershy, you can be the executive editor. You report to Rainbow, ensure the team complete their work and report any problem that you find.”

“I see.” Fluttershy said.

“Three mares are far from enough to run a good newspaper. We need to go on a pony-hunt.” Twilight said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two days later, the three mares finally finished up the work on their hooves, and departed Ponyville for the royal capital. After Twilight gave Spike his new share of Français assignments, they left in the early morning on the Royal Chariot.

They soared through the cool morning air, and briskly arrived before the main gate to the hill capital. Twilight insisted that they should not just enter Canterlot in a chariot, to avoid disturbing the peace of the city.

“Sky Stream.” Twilight asked as she gave the Royal Guards her customary gift. “I heard that you and your wife had a foal! Congratulations! I’ve also included some baby goods vouchers this time.” She winked.

“You’re always so understanding, Missus Twilight. I thank you for your kind giving.” Sky Stream lightly smiled. He and Fast Winds then departed for the chariot depot near the royal castle.

“Twi, you always shower gifts and goodies at these ponies,” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Are you sure you haven’t become the Element of Generosity somehow?”

Fluttershy merely frowned. “Twilight, are you sure you’ve got enough bit to spread around?”

Twilight offered an awkward smile, “Well, for now yes. But when we get the newspaper running, I might need to find some extra sources of income. The newspaper business isn’t going to earn us bits. In fact, it’d likely be a bit-devourer.”

The mares continued to talk about additional sources of income, but the discussion was largely fruitless. Fluttershy noticed that Rainbow seemed to be preoccupied with something all day, but she didn’t have the heart to ask.

They eventually arrived at the studio of Photo Finish. It was a glossy, modern building with large transparent windows. The building blocks were grey, but its outline was adorned with blue and yellow beams. It contrasted strongly with the white, gold and purple spires nearby.

Fluttershy gestured the other two mares, and they trotted into the building. It was a busy scene, models and photographers streamed from room to room. They could see flashing lights from studios, inside which ponies with drastically different styles eagerly posed.

They walked straight along the brightly-lit and well decorated corridor, and arrived at an office. Fluttershy did not hesitate this time, and promptly raised her voice, “Um, Madame Finish, I’m Fluttershy, I came for an important business.”

Some rumbling was heard from the room. Then Photo Finish was heard through the door. “Come in, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy lead Twilight and Rainbow Dash into the office. There they saw the aloof fashion photographer sitting behind her desk, shuffling several photos. “Ah Fluttershy. You come at a good time. I, Photo Finish, am in a conundrum. See these photos?”

Fluttershy took the photos from Photo Finish’s hoof. They were three photos of Sapphire Shores, the famous pop star, striking slightly different poses. 

“Normally, I, Photo Finish, am quick to spot the best of the best shots. But all those angles seemed to capture different aspects of the gorgeous Sapphire Shores. So I, Photo Finish, ask of you, which one do you think is the best to put on her record cover?”

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes, these shots were similar in composition. The first one showed Sapphire with a cavalier gaze, the second one with an enticing expression, and the last one with a warm smile.

Twilight and Rainbow leaned in to see the photos. They looked at one another, and then whispered something into the yellow mare’s ears. Fluttershy then nodded and said. “Madame Finish, the first one is the best.”

Photo Finish raised her eyebrow. “Oh? Why, pray tell?”

“This photo.” Fluttershy held up the photo. “showed Sapphire Shores in a way that her fans most adore her for, a mare that independent, skilled and beautiful at the same time.”

“Also as I recall.” Twilight interjected. “There’re few photos that show her with such a detached and yet beguiling look. This one would surely go down well with her younger fans.”

“Perfect! That’s what I, Photo Finish, thought as well.” Photo Finish nodded in affirmation, “Thank you Fluttershy. And your equally eagle-eyed friends too.”

“Greetings, Madame Finish, I’m Twilight Sparkle. She’s Rainbow Dash. We’re Fluttershy’s friends.”

“Ah ha. I hear your accent, Twilight Sparkle. You sound like you come from Canterlot, yes?” Photo Finish asked.

“You have an owl’s hearing as well, Madame Finish.” Twilight sheepishly grinned.

“So, what matter brings you to my office?” Photo Finish asked.

“Madame Finish, I’d like to look for the former Canterlot Times ponies that were with us the last time.” Fluttershy said.

“Indeed. We may be able to arrange it, so that they’d be able to get back to their old profession.” Twilight added.

Photo Finish lightly huffed, and leaned back in her seat. “You know why we turned them away, do you Fluttershy?”

“Um, because you have no need for so many writing staffs?” Fluttershy suggested.

“No, no, Fluttershy. We have much need for writing talents for our press pieces,” Photo Finish shook her head. “Let me tell you. They wanted to report on the deals between the magistrates and rich magnates. These ponies are our patrons. We could not afford to lose them.”

Twilight’s face turned a bit sour. Photo Finish continued. “If you decide to take them on, you take the risk of offending these important Canterlot ponies.”

Rainbow Dash said plainly. “We will operate out of Ponyville. They should be out of the eye of the storm.”

“Indeed. We also have some… background of our own.” Twilight added.

“Very well. You mares seem to know what you’re doing. But don’t say, I, Photo Finish, haven’t warned you.” 

Photo Finish sighed. “Those ponies have formed a literary club at the east side of the city. They seemed to want to publish something else but don’t have to bits or permit to do so. They would probably appreciate your help.”

“Thank you, Madame Finish!” Twilight smiled as the mares curtsied. 

“By the way, Fluttershy, since you’re here, I, Photo Finish, want you to join me in an outdoor photo-shoot,” Photo Finish said. “It’s for a new company selling bath mixes, called L'Aurore.”

The mares tried to conceal their snickers, as they stumbled upon the photo-shoot for their own company. 

“Hey, Fluttershy, go ahead and do your best! We can deal with the newspaper stuffs on our own.” Rainbow Dash laughed.

Fluttershy sheepishly smiled. “If you say so.”

Photo Finish waited and then raised her eyebrow. “What are you all still waiting for? Is there something else?”

“Actually, we still want to ask you a few questions.” Twilight said. “We greatly admire your photography skills, Madame Finish, would you happen to know anypony who would be able to join us as our press photographer?”

Photo Finish gazed at the purple mare, then made a rare smile. “Why, yes. My cousin, Photo Instant, wanted to join my work for a long time. But I, Photo Finish, always think his photos were bereft of imagination. He might be useful for you though.” She then gave a card with his information on it to Twilight.

Twilight took the card, “Thanks. One last question, Madame Finish. Would you be open to the idea of supplying content to our newspaper? Ponyville, in our opinion, will soon experience a boom and develop into a pulsing city. We desperately need your valuable artistic input to enrich the cultural scene of Ponyville.”

Photo Finish slightly scowled. “While I, Photo Finish, am not averse to help you in my private capacity, a formal deal might still be...”

“Please?” Fluttershy pled with watery eyes.

Photo Finish looked at the yellow pegasus, and sighed. “Your innocent gaze is simply too much. Very well, I can provide content for your newspaper, but only on a deal-to-deal basis.”

“Yay.” Fluttershy quietly cheered. “Madame Finish, I’m ready for your photo-shoot of today.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight and Rainbow Dash gradually trotted from the west side of Canterlot, where rich and influential ponies reside, to the east side, where less affluent ponies make a living in the narrow streets and alleys. The sky had darkened by rain clouds, as the scheduled rain came on. Eventually, they arrived at a slightly dilapidated warehouse at the very periphery of the city. 

“Should be here, Rainbow.” Twilight said.

“Huh? Oh, right.” Rainbow Dash nodded. 

Twilight trotted forth and banged on the iron rolling door with her hooves. They waited for quite a while, but nopony responded. Just as they wanted to leave and checked whether they had come to the wrong place, the voice of a young stallion boomed through the door. 

“Who’s there?”

Twilight Sparkle looked at the cyan mare, who nodded at her. This was a time to be honest and frank. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, from the town of Ponyville. I have a proposal… regarding your work.”

Sounds of some rushed steps were heard, then the closed door rolled up. A grey stallion with roughly cut blue mane was seen with a suspecting look. “Come with me, Twilight Sparkle. Fair Balance wants to see you.”

The duo walked through piles of paper and some machine parts, then saw two ponies in the distance. One of them was a mare with milky white coat and reddish brown mane. The others one was a green stallion with very light yellow mane. They sat around a make-shift table made of wooden planks.

“Well met, Twilight Sparkle.” The green stallion said. He was visibly older than all others, and had both a gruff look and gruff voice.

“Fair Balance, I’d assume?” 

Twilight asked. “Also, you know me?” 

“Of course. Who in journalism don’t know the royal student who defeated Nightmare Moon?” The white mare commented.

Rainbow Dash impatiently huffed. 

“And Rainbow Dash as well. She and my other friends together defeated Nightmare Moon,” Twilight added. “May we have the pleasure of knowing all of you?”

“Of course, I’m indeed Fair Balance, former news editor of Canterlot Times.” He pointed to the white mare and the grey stallion. “She’s Honest Heart, and he’s Steady Creed. They were both associate editors in my team. So, what does the Princess’s student want from three luckless ponies?”

“Are you trying to starting your own paper from this warehouse?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“What are you asking this for?” Steady Creed lowly growled, “Are you two sent by them?”

“Quiet, Steady Creed. If they’re sent by our enemies, they would have wrecked the place long ago.” 

Honest Heart snapped at the impulsive stallion. “We’re sorry. We’re just a bit frustrated and paranoid.”

“Okay, I will just state our purpose plainly.” Twilight said. “We want to start a paper in Ponyville, and we were looking for journalistic talent. You all seem to be the best candidates out there. You are veteran journalists, but also not afraid to speak out against the status quo.”

The three ponies was at different levels of surprise. “Are you sure about this?” Fair Balance asked suspiciously. “We aren’t exactly without ponies who want to shut us up with one mean or another.”

“And what about our plan to start our own paper?” Steady Creed asked his two companions.

Honest Heart rolled her eyes. “Does it look like to you that we have anywhere close to enough bits? Why did we need to go around and beg for jobs if so? Besides, we still couldn’t get a license from the ministry.”

Twilight waited until the discussion had ceased. “Yes, I mean it. I will use all my connections and resources to my best extent to ensure that you can speak your mind without the threat of unlawful persecution.”

“And we are based in Ponyville.” Rainbow Dash added. “Although this means we will focus on local matters rather than Canterlot, this also means you will be farther from ponies who don’t like the sight of you.”

Steady Creed was not convinced. “Why would you, two young mares strongly connected to the royal crown, want to help us out? I thought the crown frown on voices of contention?”

Fair Balance added. “Also, I heard that you have business ties to rich ponies in Ponyville and other cities. We reported on nobles that colluded with rich ponies and got kicked out. There is no reason for you to support ponies like us.” 

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Well yeah, we are in some way connected to royals and rich ponies. I don’t know about them, but we ourselves try our best to run decent businesses, and we also want Equestria to become more true and open.” 

“Indeed. To tell you the truth, I disagree with the princess on how she handle the press.” Twilight said, to the surprise of the three ponies. “I aim to find ways to change it. One way to do so is through patronage of free minds like you. We eventually want to see an Equestria with an open and free press.”

“I appreciate your honesty, Twilight Sparkle. You must trust us a great deal to express your discontent at the princess’s policy.” Fair Balance grinned. “Aren’t you worried that we would take that to the press?”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “Well, go ahead if you want. I might as well lose the favor from the princess. But remember, nary a pony with influence in Equestria think so peculiarly like me.”

“You’re be shooting your own hooves there, buddy.” Rainbow Dash reminded.

“Hahaha! But of course, I’m not stupid.” Fair Balance laughed. “I’m going to throw in my lot with you, Twilight Sparkle, I have nothing to lose now. What about you two?” 

The two ponies looked at Fair Balance, eventually hardened their resolve and slowly nodded.

“I’m grateful for the trust from all of you.” Twilight said. “Mind you, I’m still a small potato in terms of influence, so we can’t do relatively controversial pieces of investigative journalism at first.”

Steady Creed frowned while Fair Balance raised an eyebrow. Twilight then immediately added. “As I said, we are a local paper anyway, and we should rightly focus on local matters. I also regret deeply at any implied self-censorship. But I promise you, within a year or two, I will be able to grant you much more freedom.”

“If Twi can’t deliver her promise, you’ll be free to leave. By then you’ve enjoyed two years of protection and wages, so what can you lose?” Rainbow Dash said.

Fair Balance sighed. “I suppose. So what are we going to do?”

“You could just start from your old positions. Rainbow is to be the editor-in-chief for the moment, and the executive editor is another mare called Fluttershy. I will not directly involve myself in the running of the paper.”

The three ponies seemed quite unsure about working under ponies that was clearly much less experienced than them. “Don’t worry, that’s just a temporary arrangement. We would review the editorial structure when the paper’s up and running.” Twilight said. “If you three made your preparations, go meet me in the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the two came out of the warehouse, the rain was at its heaviest. The few ponies wandering near this relatively desolate part of the capital have scampered towards where they could avoid the pouring rain. 

Twilight used a magic that shielded both mares from the elements, as they trotted slowly back to the city center.

“What’s wrong? Rainbow, you seem unhappy since we came out of the warehouse,” Twilight asked with deep concern. “Are you upset with their lack of confidence in you? That’s nothing to worry about, because I have confidence in you.”

Rainbow was silent for a long time. Then she turned to Twilight. “I’m not sure what I’m doing, Twilight.”

Twilight was shocked by the cyan mare’s words. “What makes you say that, Rainbow?”

“I’m happy that my work here helps you out. Since to an extent, it’s our shared dream.” Rainbow Dash lowered her head. “It’s been sometimes since my last Sonic Rainboom, isn’t it?”

Twilight offered a sad smile, “Yes, Rainbow, we’re all indebted to you.”

“… Ever since we met, I couldn’t help but keep thinking about the little vision you showed me, the one I completely fumbled up in the Wonderbolts shows.” Rainbow said.

Rainbow’s revelations were like a forceful punch to Twilight’s face. She was dizzy and for once, she completely knew not what to do. 

She didn’t seriously considered the possibility that Rainbow was still plagued by those horrible imageries about her crushing humiliation at the job of her dream, but she always felt very guilty. Her magic fizzled, tears started to form at the corner of her eyes, mixed with drops of rain. “It—I…”

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight. She seemed not to notice the falling rain on her own face and smiled weakly. 

“Don’t be, Twi,” She leaned in on Twilight’s shoulder and muttered. “I’m simply an over-confident pegasus who don’t know when to stop. It’s not your fault.”

“Ra—Rainbow, it’s j—just an illusion, something I made up!” Twilight cried.

“Is it? I don’t even know anymore,” Rainbow laughed wryly. “Somehow, seeing how things could have been, both in your little illusion and your vision of the once-future, seemed to have made my resolve to pursue my dream… How should I put it, futile.”

Twilight opened her mouth but no words came out. It seemed that her selfishness had hurt her friend more than she had ever thought.

“It seemed, though, I can still vicariously live through you and your new dreams. I’m Loyalty, after all.” Rainbow Dash said. “That thought at least warms my heart.”

Twilight hated herself immensely, she seemed to have unknowingly forced Rainbow Dash into this position with their camaraderie, and failed to notice signs of Rainbow’s emptiness and sadness. She opened her mouth again, but Rainbow Dash stopped her.

“I’m sorry for my useless blabbering, Twi. I should just be preparing for my editorship. But I guess I did momentarily doubt how I can use my talent for this job, so I’ve prattled these nonsenses. Just leave me be and I’ll be fine, Twi.”

“How can I possibly leave you be?!” Twilight yelled. “I’ve failed you as someone who is your friend, as someone who forced you into this, and as someone who shares a common fate with you!”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Twilight…”

Twilight wanted to continue on, but she just found it to be too much for her emotionally. She dropped onto the ground, cried and thought about how she detested her cowardice. 

“Stop, Rainbow Dash.” A familiar and determined voice was heard from behind the mares. “Perhaps, you haven’t thought it through after all?”

Rainbow and a teary Twilight turned. A severe-looking Fluttershy was glaring at them.

“Don’t worry, Twilight. Unlike Rainbow, I want to be part of your media operation,” Fluttershy said firmly. “I may be soft-speaking, but I can’t stand the culture of smear and slander, and the disregard for hapless ponies here in Canterlot. I simply witnessed too much of those when I was working with Photo Finish. What’s more suitable for a mare like me to rely on writing, in order to champion for ponies in need?”

“What do you mean, are you saying that I don’t want to help Twilight out?” Rainbow Dash protested.

“No.” Fluttershy was not at all deterred. “The problem is, it’s the only reason you came into this.”

“W—What?” Rainbow Dash was stunned.

“You’ve lost yourself in your self-doubt, masked by a quest to unendingly please your friends, Rainbow. Of course, Twilight’s partly responsible,” Fluttershy said, which caused the purple mare to lower her head in shame.

“Twilight’s encounter with the ancient tome… was a very special case. We five were also once connected with Twilight, and in a certain sense, we still are.” 

Fluttershy looked at the speechless mares, and slowly continued. “But you’re your own mare, just like all of us. We all love our friends, but we can’t live their lives for them.”

She trotted up to the shaking cyan mare, and held Rainbow’s head in her hooves. “And you, Rainbow, if you continued to disregard your own feelings, you will just end up as an empty presence that only adhered on others. I would not allow that to happen.”

Fluttershy took out a small poster from her saddlebag. It was yellow and wet, and some of the ink had already been rendered unclear. “I’ve kept this since a few months ago. I didn’t know whether it’s right to show you it, I was afraid that I might be too pushy. But I now know you have to see.”

Rainbow took the poster from Fluttershy’s hoof. It was a cheerfully drawn poster for the upcoming Best Flyer Competition. “Do you remember why you took flight?” Fluttershy gently asked.

Rainbow looked up to the yellow mare. She had loved… no, still loved the rush of adrenaline as she soared under the indigo sky. Speed excited her, so did the thought of racing against the fastest in Equestria. She, though, had gradually lost touch with her dream in a downward spiral of self-deceit, and in an ill-fated attempt to be a devoted and dutiful friend.

“Remember, Rainbow. There’re ponies out there that looked up to you for your talent. We five, the ponies in Ponyville, and what’s more, your Scoots.”

Rainbow Dash’s heart both warmed and ached at the thought of Scootaloo. The little pegasus always seemed to look up to her as some sort of idol. But she seemed to have also caught on with her gradual decline of motivation, and tried to cheer her up to no avail. Her disappointed and utterly sad face was still clear in her mind.

“So, are you going to give your dream a chance?” Fluttershy embraced the cyan mare and asked.

Rainbow Dash suddenly stood up. “Twilight, I… I have decided. I must at least try before I give up. I can’t help you with running the newspaper for now, I—”

“Please Rainbow, don’t apologize.” Twilight quickly hugged Rainbow Dash. “We– I owe you too much.”

“Rainbow, perhaps you should be quick. The registration for the competition is going to close shortly.” 

Fluttershy smiled. “See you in Ponyville then. I hope by then you’ll meet us with your brightest, most confident grin.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash had immediately acted upon her words, and flew towards Cloudsdale on her own. Twilight, with Fluttershy’s help, tidied her frazzled mane up. They trotted back to the ponies at the warehouse and explained that Rainbow had an urgent and private matter to deal with, hence could not assume the position of editor-in-chief. Fluttershy and Fair Balance would co-chair the editorial team until a better solution was found.

As they walked back out, the rain had not ceased, but it had become much lighter.

“I could not offer you enough thanks, Fluttershy.” Twilight said. “I am not afraid of world-threatening evils, but I am too cowardly to acknowledge my own mistakes and to blind to see the bad fruits that I’ve sowed.”

“You were cowardly and blind.” Fluttershy said. “But not now you’re not.”

“Why? I’m still the same disgraceful mare that I was.” Twilight lowered her head.

“Twilight.” Fluttershy shook her head disapprovingly. “You yourself taught Spike that admitting your mistake is the first step forward.”

“Fluttershy.” Twilight suddenly smiled. “I really think that you’re the strongest-willed pony out of six of us. You’re so determined when you’re serious. Why’d they call you Fluttershy anyway?”

Fluttershy blushed lightly, then chuckled. “I notice that you can now joke. So be a dear and be well, hmm?”

“Alright, Fluttershy.” Twilight sheepishly nodded. “By the way, how did you arrive at such a right time? Wasn’t you modelling for Photo Finish anyway?”

“When you two left, we immediately departed for the location. But Photo Finish seemed to have misremembered the weather schedule, or the weather ponies made some mistakes. Either way, it started raining and the photo-shoot had to be postponed.” Fluttershy said.

“That’s some coincidence right there.” Twilight said. “Though, does it mean we can only get our Fluttershy endorsement later?”

“Please don’t laugh at me, Twilight.” Fluttershy’s face reddened. “Anyway, I just went to the house of Photo Instant. The young stallion was quick to agree to help out. Then I went to see if I could catch you two, but then I saw you two arguing on the streets. So I hid behind the corner and eavesdropped.”

“Fluttershy, whatever can we do without you?” Twilight smiled and shook her head, “You’re a year older than us, right? That makes you our reliable big sis.”

Fluttershy awkwardly coughed, which caused Twilight to grin. Perhaps this was not all bad, as it helped Rainbow to take back her dream, and also helped her to face her cavalier mistake squarely.

“Hey look!” Twilight pointed upwards.

The sun had finally appeared behind the thick cloud. Its white rays drew a colorful rainbow above the golden city of Equestria. The mares smiled, as they hoped that Rainbow would soon be able to make a rainbow in her life as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I’ve learnt that being a loyal friend is not the same as being someone that simply bent her own wills towards her friends. She must stand up for herself, her morals and her own dreams as well. And when her friend makes mistakes, being loyal is to point it out and makes her correct it, not appeasing her by joining in her wayward schemes. Only that way, we can grow in our character and become better ponies.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

“So Rainbow has registered in time for the Best Young Flyer Competition, right?” Spike asked.

“Yes, she just dropped by briefly to tell her that. I was a bad friend for not realizing me and my demands are limiting her potential. But fortunately, Fluttershy made me see the light.”

Twilight turned to the dragon. “If there’s anything I do that you think may be a terrible mistake, promise me you will tell me so, Spike.”

“Dontcha worry, Twi. I’ll pester you like no end if I see anything like that!” Spike heartily chuckled.

> Chapter 13 – Apple Falls Near the Tree
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘To rise, you must first fall.’

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes. Her mind went blank. The natural instinct of a being maximally tuned for speed took over. She retracted her wings and extended her hooves forward, forming a cone-like shape to reduce her resistance to an absolute minimum. The wind against her face seemed to violently rub at her face and every part of her bodies, but she simply clenched her teeth and pressed on. Suddenly, a barrier was transcended and broken, sending out a horizontal shockwave.

Now diving vertically, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings with great force. The searing wind tear at her extended wings, causing some pain, but she stooped her body and flapped her wings again. She curved upwards and banked, eventually forming a circular trail of rainbow around the Cloudeseum stadium. 

Ponies gasped and cheered, but she didn’t stop there. She again pitched down, and banked sharply to the right. This time, she flapped her wings with all her might, and to the amazement of the ponies in the audience, she broke the sound barrier again without relying on the help of the dive. A twirling ribbon of rainbow sphere formed like a crystal ball from dreamscape.

‘To answer, you must first hear the call.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Nice crown, Rainbow.” Applejack grinned and leaned over. “Just checkin’ if the princess had bitten a dent innit.”

Rainbow Dash loudly laughed, then covered her mouth hurriedly. “Don’t make me laugh like crazy in front of the princess and the Wonderbolts, okay?”

“Congratulations!” Fluttershy said. “Is everything well?”

“Fluttershy… Your words sent me back onto the right track. Thank you.” Rainbow Dash said.

“I’m just glad to see you succeed, Rainbow.” Fluttershy smiled.

Twilight hid behind all her friends. Her joy was obvious, as she witnessed Rainbow Dash succeeding not only at pulling off the Sonic Rainboom, but pulling it off so flawlessly and with style. However, she was also visibly apprehensive with her role in causing Rainbow to lose her impetus in the first place.

“Hey Twi.” Rainbow flew forward and held Twilight with her hooves, causing the purple mare to freeze. “I don’t blame you the slightest.”

Twilight gulped and looked at the cyan mare. Rainbow Dash continued. “Yes, our little encounter did make me temporarily doubt my dreams. But perhaps sometimes, a pony must move her focus away from her single-minded pursuit, in order to truly appreciate her original aspirations.”

“Rainbow, are you saying that just to comfort me?” Twilight said with a sad frown.

“No, Twi. I don’t kid with things like this. I really think what you did, even though was not a pleasant experience at the time, had helped me grow.” Rainbow Dash smiled.

“Cheer up everypony! We still have a super fun celebration party for Rainbow Dash! We’re going to invite all the pegasus ponies in Cloudsdale who can come! This is going to be the most super sky-splitting fun party I’ve even held!” Pinkie squealed, as she continued to count off the ways she could make use of the vast three-dimensional space in the sky city.

“So Rainbow.” Rarity ignored Pinkie Pie’s rambling and asked, “Have you met with the Wonderbolts?”

Rainbow scratched her head with an embarrassed smile, “Well yeah. They praised my performance and all. But they said I’m a bit too green to join.”

“Too green?!” Pinkie Pie stopped mid-speech. “But you’re cyan!”

“Ha ha,” Rainbow Dash drily laughed, “Green as in ‘inexperienced’, Pinkie.”

“Don’t be disappointed, Rainbow. They’re simply missing out!” Twilight smiled.

“Don’t worry Twi, I’ll just keep work harder until I’m skillful enough in their eyes to join.” Rainbow Dash smiled. “Joining the Wonderbolts will be a dream come true and an ultimate vindication of my talents. But even if I do join, that doesn’t mean I will just stop there. There’re a lot more in the world that demand my talents and challenge myself.”

“I’m just glad you rediscovered your passion.” Twilight said.

“Oh right, Twi.” Rainbow Dash was suddenly reminded of something, “Regarding the newspaper business...” 

Twilight frowned, “Rainbow, you don—” 

Rainbow Dash interrupted the purple mare. “No, no. I’m over it. Desk job’s not for me after all. But I think I can still be a correspondent for exciting occurrences and emergencies around the world. Perhaps this is more suitable for me, and it also provides opportunities for me to use my talents to my fullest while helping my friends.”

“If you say so…” Twilight said bashfully.

“Uh girls.” Applejack said. “Sorry to put my snout betwixt y’all, but Ah think we still have somethin’ to talk wit the princess.”

“Oh yeah… Appleloosa isn’t it.” Twilight felt as if another weight landed on her back just when one had been lifted.

Appleloosa was a settler town founded by a branch of the Apple family headed by Applejack’s second cousin Braeburn. It was a much newer town compared to Ponyville, and Celestia only granted the land to them last year. 

‘Granted’ was a relative term, as the lands were long settled by the buffalos for hundreds of years. Twilight didn’t know what was her mentor thinking, or not thinking, as this obviously trampled on the buffalo’s sovereignty and would cause troubles later on.

She considered the possibility of spreading bits to solve the conflict, just like how she did with a number of previous disputes. The ponies might accept, but while they could then use the bits to buy food from the outside, it would not be for long. Also, the buffalos were unlikely to be impressed. In any case, bits were only going to quell the dispute for a short time. 

Moreover, her coffer was bleeding dry with the publication of Ponyville Mirror. A lot of bits were spent on start-up cost, wages and formal application to the town office. She also had to promise the Mayor Mare to fund some of her other town projects to exchange for her assent. 

Therefore, she and Applejack wanted to directly appeal to the princess to see if any royal arbitration can be arranged. Preferably some sort of formal recognition of sovereignty, border and rights for the buffalos. Applejack and Twilight would also see if there was anything they can do to prevent the settlers and the buffalos from bumping heads. She was reluctant to simply resort to hooking the buffalos up with some addictive substances to deal with it.

Celestia was being escorted to the backstage of the Cloudeseum stadium by the Royal Guards, when the Mane Six caught up on her.

“Why hello, my little ponies, is there anything you wish to see me for?” Celestia asked.

“Yes, princess.” Twilight said. “I wish to bring up an issue most needing of your attention.”

“It’s ‘bout Appleloosa, where mah cousins live.” Applejack said.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, her face unreadable. “Oh? What is the issue with Appleloosa?”

“Accordin’ to mah cousin Braeburn, the settlers an’ the native buffalos had a dispute wit land use. The new orchard was planted where the buffalos use as stampedin’ ground for a long time. So the buffalos want all ‘em trees gone.”

Twilight tried her best to ask with tact. “I beg your pardon for my ignorance, Princess Celestia, but I would like to know if there’s a special reason for you to grant a new town charter for a settlement in buffalo territories?”

Celestia frowned slightly, then smiled to her student, “Why, my most faithful student, I’m glad you asked.”

Celestia dismissed the Royal Guard nearby, and trotted a few steps forward. “Equestria is in a state of great prosperity. With the return of Luna, Equestria is indeed a joyous nation to born and live in. However, prosperity is not something that last without our careful hooves. Ponies were most numerous since I ascended to the throne, and the health of our nation required an independent, virtuous citizenry of industrious ponies. But lands that are suitable for pony settlement were scarce, so I must allow my little ponies to expand towards new lands. I regret any possible conflicts that might ensue, but it must be done.”

At heart, Twilight was somewhat at doubt. While prime lands in Equestria were indeed becoming scarce, this was no excuse to just infringe on the rights of other species in the land. The lands to the south of Ponyville, for example, were perfectly arable and yet almost empty. 

Equestria was founded by the merger of three pony nations, but there was also the undeniable fact that its founding had seen declining fortune of other native inhabitants as they were taken off their lands either by persuasion or by more unfortunate circumstances. Some of the conflicts, as Twilight remembered with pain, were not pretty at all. But those troubled histories had been buried by the time, and Celestia was regretful of her actions, right?

Twilight, in any case, hid her thoughts behind a smile. “I see your wise reasoning, princess. Still, we’ll have to find ways to deal with the possible conflict, or else the settlement might not prosper without making friends with the locals.”

Celestia nodded. “Indeed, Twilight. Your knowledge of friendship will surely bring a satisfactory solution to this issue. Tell me, what is it that you have in mind?”

“I propose that we must offer clarity to the buffalos in terms of our intention. We should offer the buffalo tribe official recognition from Equestria.”

Celestia deliberated for a while. “Hmm, this could be arranged.”

Twilight continued. “… and their rights to self-determination, defined border between pony and buffalo lands, and compensation for lands currently used by the settler ponies, as a form of formalized transaction pursuant to both parties’ agreement.”

At heart, Twilight would want to just pay off the settlers and move the town to somewhere north of the traditional border, as this modified proposal was still a treaty not fully restrictive of the possibilities of future abuse. However, not only she had barely enough bits, the settler ponies and the princess would likely oppose strongly to this idea.

Celestia frowned. “This might be too much concession towards the buffalos. Our ponies also have a right to work and feed off the land. How would the town expand in the future if the border is set in stone?” 

“Princess, they could strike a further agreement with the buffalos by then. Perhaps, the friendship and generosity we show the buffalos this time.” Twilight suppressed an urge to roll her eyes. “... will allow them to reach an agreement in a more amicable way.”

“But what would you use as compensation towards the buffalos?” Celestia asked.

Twilight knew that her mentor implied there would likely be no compensation out of the royal coffer. She had expected this from the princess, but this still cause her to mentally sigh. 

Applejack glanced at Twilight and replied. “Princess, Ah’ll arrange with mah cousins to see if we can share some o’ our crops and apple products wit the buffalos. Hope that along wit other offers, the buffalos will see that we’re bein’ earnest.” 

“Very well, my little ponies. You seem to be confident that you can solve this dispute.” Celestia said. “And I trust your judgment. I will draft a royal decree regarding the royal recognition of the buffalo tribe and their right to govern themselves, soon after I return to Canterlot. I will send it in the letter when it’s done.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight was packing up for her coming trip to Appleloosa, when Pinkie Pie dropped by and looked for Spike to play.

Spike was reading the newest issue of the Ponyville Mirror, where the front page showed a cheerful Rainbow Dash holding a golden crown up in triumph. The headline read, ‘Ponyville Resident Wins Best Young Flyer’.

“Spike, Pinkie’s here. But is your belly ache better now?” Twilight asked with concern.

“Well yeah, I’m much better now.” Spike replied, but then sulked. “I really wanted to watch Rainbow Dash pull off the Sonic Rainbom in the stadium.”

Twilight huffed. “Who told you to just eat all the gems Rarity gave you at once? What have I taught you about the virtue of temperance?”

“Alright, alright.” Spike held up his arms. “Please Twilight, not another session of lecture, I beg you.”

Pinkie Pie eavesdropped on the purple mare and dragon’s conversation, and added, “Yes Twilight, Spike knows he made a mistake, he just couldn’t help it when he sees those tasty, tasty gems! Please forgive him!”

Twilight smilingly shook her head at the obvious cover job from the pink pony. 
But then she immediately thought of the brewing love triangle that gave her a giant headache. 

‘Gah!’ Twilight terminated her troubling thought and said, “Pinkie, you aren’t exactly in position to speak in support of Spike you know. Last week I walked in on you eating a whole tray of cupcakes in your room!”

Pinkie Pie’s expression turned into a strange mix of emotions, but the most prominent one was embarrassment, as shown by the bright red hue. 

“B—But, Twi—light! Those were really tasty cupcakes!”

“I’d never understand how your digestive system works. It’s apparently more enduring than that of a dragon.” 

Twilight shook her head. “Anyway, we need to pack up for Appleloosa soon. Are you done with your own preparation, Pinkie?”

“Yes Twi! I’ve brought tons of my gadgets and parts! I also helped Applejack load some farming machineries and her tree onto the train cart.” 

Pinkie Pie grinned, “She said that was one of the most prolific apple trees in her apple orchard! She called it Bloomberg I think. She even sang to it and asked me to play banjo nearby sometimes, saying that music will help it grow faster!”

“Is this true, Twilight?” Spike asked suspiciously. “I don’t know trees have an ear for music.”

“Some kinds of vibration in the air do facilitate the growth of plants.” Twilight said. “Though I’m pretty sure that it is not just music or song, but a wide range of different sounds. As for Applejack, it’s perhaps just her love for apples acting up.” 

The dragon and the pink mare laughed together. Twilight gazed at them and silently sighed. “The tree and the whole plantation business is going to be very controversial with the buffalos, we need to be very tactful and stick to diplomacy… always.” Twilight stressed the last word.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rail towards the Southern Frontiers was just recently laid. Before that, pony incursions to the south were largely hindered by the unique geography of the region. To the north lied the Everfree Forest and the Rambling Rock Ridges, to the east was the vast Haysead Swamps, and to the west were the almost impassable Ghastly Gorge.

The largest pony settlement down south was Dodge City, established just slightly before Appleloosa by pilgrims trekking south across the Rambling Rock Ridges. Before the ponies, wild bands of buffalos had roamed the vast grassy plains of what’s now called Southern Equestria, and they still did. 

Buffalos were ambivalent to the arrival of ponies. They welcomed the opportunities to trade, and tolerated limited pony settlement, but most were averse to the idea of further encroachment of their lands. The lack of consistent policies and diplomatic channels only worsened the shaky relationship between the two species.

Twilight hoped her mentor wasn’t planning on expelling the buffalos from their homelands in order to ensure safe pony settlement, this would have been the most tragic outcome. She was determined to ameliorate the tension as well as possible, and offered the buffalos options that they would deem to be fair… she could only hope.

The trains to the south were much scarcer than those to other developed regions of Equestria. It was even powered by pony power alone, something that made Twilight quite uneasy. For the purpose of this trip, she commissioned a steam-powered locomotive, which was to be piloted by the mares in turn instead of train operators, especially considering their special need to conduct diplomacy.

The mares and Spike gathered next day at the train depot. Applejack, with the help of Rarity, filled the cart carrying the apple tree with soft pieces of fabric and tied Bloomberg firmly to the four corners in expectation of any impending attack. They then set out in the afternoon and drove the train south in their first distant expedition.

The first part of the journey was occasionally bumpy, but otherwise peaceful. Twilight drove on the first leg of the trip, as the others chat and laugh at recent happenings. They took out the board game that they had once played on the mountain, and ran a rematch. Spike, just like Rarity, was similarly intrigued as well as appalled by Rainbow Dash’s debauch turns of actions, which were seemingly simply done more to shock than to win.

Things occasionally turned uncomfortable for the on-looking friends though, as Pinkie Pie and Rarity unintentionally competed for Spike’s attention. It only went less awkward when Twilight told Rarity to take over for her after they passed the Lower Saddle River.

The train turned south-east at the river bridge and soon crossed the majestic Ghastly Gorge. By then, it was close to midnight, and the group lamented that they couldn’t view the famously gorgeous gorge in all its glory. The mares then took short turns to operate the train to let all of them have some sleep, while Spike snored loudly after being pushed around by the two mares all day.

Then dawn slowly came. The mares looked at the yellow morning sky with thoughtful looks. Shortly after they passed the triangular junction that diverted the train into Appleloosa, Twilight, now operating the train again, gradually slowed the train to a halt.

Spike was half-awaken by the commotion, when he saw the mares had exited the train car and spread out around. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were flying in the sky and scouting for the surrounding, Applejack and Pinkie Pie was observing the horizons and occasionally leaned on the ground to listen for any tremor, while Twilight and Rarity were cooperating to cast a locating spell. The Mane Six were in such a full state of battle readiness that it astonished Spike.

He walked out of the train car as well and walked on the dry, sandy gravel towards Twilight. He waited until she had finished the spell to ask. “Woah, Twi. I know that the settler ponies are in dispute with the buffalos, but what’s with you all acting like a scouting party for an army?”

Twilight gazed at Spike. “That’s no joke, Spike. The buffalos were really unhappy with how ponies interfered with their way of life. We must, and I stress, must not make any mistake with our first meeting with the buffalos. Besides, it is highly likely that they would have heard of our expected arrival and do something with the incoming tree, which would be a glaring symbol of pony transgression.”

Twilight then sighed, “I’d wanted to persuade Applejack not to bring Bloomberg, but we later found that the introduction of good cultivar will be critical for the apple plantation and the settler’s survival. So we’ve probably made the unfortunate first step of offending the buffalos. We certainly wouldn’t want to make the second step as well.”

Rarity trotted up to them as well, and added. “Spikey-wikey, as opposed to ponies, buffalos are much more open to dragons, because dragons are featured in ancient buffalo tales as the defeater of evils. So perhaps you’ll be our most trustworthy emissary!”

Twilight smiled, “Rarity’s right. Better straighten your spines, you’ll be our official diplomat, Spike!” She chuckled.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie let out a yelp. Her tail and mane twitched. She leaned in onto the ground and then jumped up high. She then yelled at the top of her lungs, “Attention all ponies and dragon! Incoming buffalo herd at five o’clock direction! I repeat, five o’clock direction! ETA three minutes!”

Twilight shouted. “Everyone, circle the train cars!”

Soon enough, they heard a wave of ground-shaking sounds, like the galloping of a thousand buffalos. They then saw a herd of buffalos, visibly displeased even at a distance, running towards them. They were led by an especially large buffalo with dark grey coat, with traditional feather headwear.

As they closed in the ponies, Twilight gestured to Rarity and Pinkie. Rarity flared her horn and Pinkie Pie gave Twilight a large yellow megaphone. Twilight herself casted a spell as well, which surrounded the megaphone. “Cover your ears, everyone.” Twilight warned.

She then yelled loudly into the megaphone. 

“PE!”
“Stop!”

The buffalos were shocked by the sudden voice that boomed like the loudest thunder. They were also surprised to hear a pony speaking their tongue. The chief decided to halt the galloping herd, just dozens of meters away from the train.

The mares and dragon kept wincing even after they covered their ears. As for Twilight, since she had to hold the megaphone, she couldn’t cover her right ear, and she was seriously suspecting her ear might have gone deaf by the blast of sound. Still, she waited for the buffalo herd to quiet down, and said again through the megaphone. 

“Twilight Sparkle emáčiyapi.”
“My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Ho, I did not expect a pony who speak Buffalo.” 

The leading buffalo trotted forth. “Despite so, we don’t usually talk to outsider in our ancient tongue. Your gesture is acknowledged, but we still doubt your intention, as you are clearly bringing in a new tree in violation of our wish.”

Twilight silently cursed herself for being overconfident in her knowledge and not knowing about the buffalos’ cultural idiosyncrasies. She regardless bowed and said. “We offer our sincerest apologies, Chief Thunderhooves. We come in peace, and with offers that might sate your demands.”

A tangerine female buffalo behind the chief was visibly delighted by the ponies’ gesture of peace. Chief Thunderhooves asked. “You know my name, Twilight Sparkle. Then you must also know why we resort to such actions to defend our homeland. Say, what do you offer? Are you going to order the settlers to disband in peace? If so, why did you bring that tree?”

“I have no authority to do so, Chief Thunderhooves.” 

Twilight said. “Although, I will try my best to arrange for a mutually satisfactory agreement, in my official position as royal emissary and my private position as a pony who want to see ponies and buffalos live in peace.”

Twilight elevated two pieces of paper from her saddlebag. It was the royal edict from Celestia and Twilight’s own translation into the Buffalo tongue. The content was laconic, as it confirmed the recognition of the buffalo band led by Chief Thunderhooves and their right to self-govern without interference from the Kingdom of Equestria.

Chief Thunderhooves glanced at the edict elevated to him to Twilight’s magic, and huffed. “This is a welcoming gesture, but it far from solves our disagreement with the Appleloosans.”

Rarity chipped in. “But of course, wise chief. We’ll also mediate your dispute with the settlers in a fair and balanced way.”

Applejack also added with a slightly sly smile. “You can perhaps hear from mah acksent, Ah’m related to the settlers. Ah’ll help to persuade ‘em to possibly move the orchard to somewhere suitable so that it wouldn’t block yer way.”

Pinkie Pie wanted to bring up the possibility of compensation in form of apples and apple products, but Twilight stopped her. This was not the time to bring up the offending fruit in front of the buffalos.

Chief Thunderhooves turned to his herd. The tangerine buffalo was pointing at the ponies and vigorously nodding, seemingly arguing for the case of cooperating with the ponies. Eventually, he turned to the ponies, and said loudly. “Very well, we will place our trust on you for the moment, and halt our planned assault on the town. But if this is just a ruse to delay our action, the entire Appleloosa will be flattened with our hooves!”

Twilight turned to Spike and whispered. “Hey Spike, it’s your time to shine. You should go with the buffalos and try to impress them with your wit and humor… In fact, you don’t even have to do that, just sit there and they’ll be impressed.”

Spike frowned. “Won’t I then become some sort of hostage?”

Twilight grimaced. “You’re an emissary, Spike. I really hope that we can make the buffalos more amenable to an agreement.” Twilight then offered an enticing smile, “Buffalos were expert turquoise miners, you can enjoy a buffet if you go with the buffalos."

Spike licked his lip and said, “Whoa yeah… Wait Twilight, you aren’t going to stop me from eating lots of gems this time?”

“I have trust in your ability to determine how much is enough, Spike.” Twilight said. “Now go.”

Twilight then turned to the buffalo chief, who was preparing to leave. “Wait, Chief Thunderhooves. Our friend, Spike the dragon, would like to be our emissary to your herd. Would he be welcomed among your kind?”

“Ho ho, dragons are always welcome amongst us.” Chief Thunderhooves laughed gruffly. “Spike, isn’t it? Come with us and witness the beauty of the Wild South.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mares re-boarded the train and rode to the town of Appleloosa. Pinkie Pie was fretful about the departure of Spike, but she tried her best to hide her worry with a smile and cheery attitude.

After a short ride, they finally arrived at the small depot in Appleloosa at noon. As they got off the train, a light gold colt with amber mane enthusiastically greeted the mares, “Hey there! Welcome ta A-a-pplelooosa!”

Applejack raised a hoof to signal that it was her turn to talk. “Greetings Braeburn. These are my friends in Ponyville.” She then introduced her friends one by one.

Braeburn grinned widely, “Welcome! Let us delight in the pleasures and wonders of... A-a-a-pplelooosa! Boggles the mind, we settler ponies built all this in just the past year, don't it?”

Twilight said. “Good to see you, Braeburn. Sorry, but we must go sightsee in this wonderful town later.”

“Indeed, we have encountered the buffalos on the way we came.” Rarity said.

“And with a royal edict and our silver tongues, we convince them to at least try to talk with you guys before barging in and knock down the trees.” Rainbow added.

“So you know.” Braeburn’s enthusiasm seemed to have been extinguished by the troubling matter, as he said worriedly. “Them buffalo, they want us settler ponies to take every single tree you see here off this land. They sure as hay don't want any new ones added in.”

“Yes.” Twilight leaned forward. “And that’s why we want to speak with you and the sheriff to see if we can do anything.”

Braeburn solemnly nodded. “Sheriff Silverstar is that way.” 

He led the mares to the main street of the town. There next to an office building, a light brown stallion wearing a Stetson and moustache sat casually on the doorstep.

The mares trotted up to the sheriff with Braeburn. “Salutations, Sheriff Silverstar,” Twilight greeted. “We come with Applejack from Ponyville. We also come with a new apple tree, news from the capital, and also some suggestions that might solve your dispute with the buffalos.”

“I see.” Sheriff Silverstar raised an eyebrow. “Tell me what you can do ‘bout ‘em buffalos.”

“We have sought permission from Princess Celestia to grant recognition of the buffalos as a self-governing tribe. This would not affect the livelihood of settler ponies in Appleloosa, but it would at least serve as a guarantee of the restraints in our intention.” Twilight calmly replied.

“That’s all an’ well. But how does this solve the land dispute?” Braeburn’s eyebrows knitted together.

“Fret not, cousin,” Applejack said. “Here comes the juicy bits. Ah wanna ask, is the stampedin’ ground the only place suitable for plantin’ apples?”

“Yes.” Sheriff Silverstar said. “Them buffalo’s stempedin’ ground occupies the nearest plains, and a small stream from the mountain runs through the whole place. Other lands here are all inhospitable semi-desert an’ mesas.”

“Mesas.” Pinkie Pie grinned. “you say?”

“They’re bunch of flat-top highlands all round town. They shield some o’ the hot winds from the south.” Braeburn explained. “Not terrible for farmin’ since the sun’s shinin’ bright, but the soil’s poorer an’ it’s way too dry.”

“Um mister, buffalos don’t run up the mesas, do they?” Fluttershy asked.

“No, they stick close to the flats an’ the river for drinkin’ water.” Sheriff Silverstar said. “Wait, are you suggestin’ we move the orchard up onto the mesas? That’s impossible! There ain’t no water on the high mountains!”

“Yeah! We ain’t pegasi like the two missus there. How can we, bunch of earth ponies, go up the mesas anyway?” Braeburn added.

“Don’t worry,” Applejack said, “We bring a train load of gadgets that are goin’ ta solve exactly this kind of problems.”

Pinkie Pie fumbled her way in her mane, and took out a few pieces of paper.

Twilight elevated the papers and explained, “This first diagram shows an aquifer pump, it can draw waters from the river or from underground. It runs on steam and can continuously draw water from up to two hundred meter deep, enough for you to draw water onto the hills.”

Twilight then pointed to the second diagram. “The another one is a cable car design that can hold both ponies and crops.” She then smiled. “Of course, in addition to these novel inventions to solve our specific problem, we also have farming machineries and fertilizers on our hooves.”

“Ah’ll also throw in some bits t’ invest in the new farms, since I‘d wanted t’ expand Sweet Apple Acres but couldn’t quite find suitable lands.” Applejack said.

“Plus, we will guarantee to buy a certain amount of apples you produce in three years, if you all agree to move the orchard uphill.” Twilight finally added.

Braeburn frowned while Sheriff Silverstar stroked his moustache. “Yeah, that’s a very enticin’ offer. But it’s such an enormous undertakin’ to uproot all the apples an’ plant ‘em elsewhere.”

Applejack sighed, “Yes cousin, but we’ll help you out. Plus, Twilight’s magic’s quite powerful. Her spell’s goin’ to save us lotsa work.”

Twilight smiled bashfully. “Just tell me how deep the tree roots are, I will try to fine-tune my magic and not to harm the trees while I move them.”

Sheriff Silverstar stood up and said. “Those are very intriguin’ suggestions. But movin’ our only livelihood in here is no small matter. Ah have to gather the town ponies to see what all o’ them think.”

“Very well, Sheriff.” Twilight said. “We await your good news.”

“Ah, Sheriff!” Pinkie Pie cheerfully asked, but also with a deliberately subdued voice. “I would like to play a song from my home for the town ponies as a thanks to all your hospitality, may I use the stage over there later?” She pointed to the wooden stage at the side of the town.

“But of course.” Sheriff Silver nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Are you sure this is going to be a good idea, Pinkie?” Twilight frowned. “We know songs probably aren’t going to be effective.”

“Silly Twilight.” Pinkie said with unusual calm and grace. “It’s not the idea of having a song that’s the issue, but which song to sing. The heart of a pony is like a lock, you need to find the right key in order to open it.”

“Pinkie…” Twilight was astonished. “You sound so wise and perceptive, it’s almost unlike you.”

“Hey! I take offense at your remark!” Pinkie Pie huffed, but couldn’t completely hide her grin. “You know, we all got that bit of ancient knowledge in us. That makes us more or less equally smart!”

Twilight smirked. “Can’t argue with you, o wise Pinkie.”

The sheriff had gone around town to gather the settlers to have an informal vote of sorts. Twilight and her friends went to unload the equipment and Bloomberg off from the train, while Pinkie went on the stage alone for preparation.

Then came sunset, after heated discussion, arguments for and against the relocation, and even some insinuation that the royal crown somehow conspire with the buffalos to chase them out, the settler ponies were ready to vote. They gathered in front of the stage as an impromptu voting spot.

Pinkie went off-stage to whisper something into the sheriff’s ear, and when she got an approval from him, she went back on stage, this time with a fiddle.

She took to the microphone. “Hello ponies, I’m Pinkie Pie. I know you’re all thinking about the upcoming vote. But I just want to sing a soothing song to all of you, as a token of thanks for your warm reception.”

She then sat on a box crate on the stage. “I originally came from down South too. My family had a rock farm west of the McIntosh Hills. Coming here reminds me of home a lot, so I’ll play you a song that I love.”

Pinkie smiled and her hoof skillfully pulled at the fiddle, as she slowly sang the nostalgic and curiously wistful song.

“There's something strange in the old corral  
There's a breeze, though the wind has subsided 
Though I'm alone in the old corral  
Seems there is someone by my side  

Empty saddles in the old corral
Where do you ride tonight?  
Are ya roundin' up the dogies
The strays of long ago
Are you on the trail of buffalo?”

A town pony grinned as he plucked at a banjo, neatly complimenting the pink pony.

“Empty saddles in the old corral
Where do you ride tonight?  
Are there rustlers on the border
Or a band of buffalos  
Are ya longin' for the red apples?  

Empty barr’l covered with rust  
Where do you talk tonight?  
Empty boots covered with dust  
Where do you walk tonight?  

Empty saddles in the old corral,  
My tears would be dry tonight  
If you'll only say I'm lonely,  
As you carry my old pal
Empty saddles in the old corral”

The mares were both mesmerized and surprised that Pinkie played such a melancholic tune. But soon as she finished, the settler ponies erupted with cheers and praises, some of them even shouted ‘encore’ to the pink ponies.

Pinkie merely smiled and said. “Time’s getting late, friends. But before you vote, I want to say, whatever you vote, think of why you have forgone your old lives and struck out on your own here on the frontiers. Life left many of us with no choice but to leave our homes and go for new homes. Now is the time to turn a new leaf. Out in this wild, wild south, we finally have an option to live and let live, why don’t we just give it a chance?”

The settler ponies were silent. Many of them have thoughtful expressions on their faces. Pinkie exited the stage and walked towards the other mares. “My work here is done.” She smiled, to her amazed friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The settler ponies voted shortly after sundown, but the counting would only be revealed the next morning pending checks and recount. The mares then settled in for the night.

A lone pink pony, though, was restless. She had been thinking a lot since she started this trip. Rarity and Spike was sort of mutually attracted, but she also loved the purple drake. Though she kept a smiling face and played with him like usual, but she never had the courage to say it out loud to his face.

However, the blue tune she sang that evening had somehow hardened her resolve to speak her feelings to Spike. Under the cover of the darkness, she sneaked out of the town and trailed the rail in order to locate the camp of the buffalos. 

Luckily for Pinkie Pie, the buffalos were camping very close to the pony settlement. She immediately located the burning campfire after she galloped around a mesa. Presumably this was to keep an eye on the action of the ponies as well. Pinkie Pie then simply approached and hailed one of the buffalos on guard.

After stating her purpose which was to check up on Spike, the buffalo pointed the pink pony towards a small hill. There, the tangerine buffalo Pinkie saw back in the aborted heist was talking to Spike, and telling him something that made the purple dragon hold his belly and laugh.

Pinkie felt an irrational enmity towards the female buffalo. She didn’t know why, and she was a little bit appalled at herself that she took a dislike towards someone she hadn’t even properly met. She shook her head and approached the two.

Spike was grabbing another piece of turquoise from a bowl, when he noticed the incoming Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie?! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in town with Twilight and other girls?” Spike asked in surprise.

“Oh, um.” Pinkie looked at the tangerine buffalo, “I just want to check up on you, is all, ha ha!” She awkwardly laughed.

“Oh don’t worry, Pinkie. I’ve been treated like royalty here!” Spike grinned. “The buffalos are very friendly. They gave me a big bowl of turquoise and told us a lot of their interesting stories!”

Pinkie Pie nodded, then turned to the tangerine mare with an exaggerated and forced smile. “Oh hi! My name is Pinkie Pie, and I’m Spike’s dear-est-est friend! What’s your name?”

The tangerine buffalo unintentionally back trotted in face of Pinkie Pie’s over-enthusiasm, but she then also put up a smile and said. “I welcome you to the buffalo tribe, Miss Pinkie Pie. My name is Little Strongheart. I assure you Mr. Spike was treated well to the best of our ability.”

Pinkie suddenly leaned in very close to Little Strongheart’s face, and startled the tangerine buffalo quite a bit. Pinkie then pulled back and huffed. “You better be.”

Little Strongheart thought Pinkie Pie was still unhappy about the initial aggression they had shown. “Please accept my apologies for what happened at your train. We didn't mean for anyone to be hurt.”

“Of course.” Pinkie Pie tried her best to pull together an awkward smile, largely because she saw that Spike was gazing at her.

Little Strongheart gulped. “Uh, I’m glad that you forgive our actions. We just want to run the stampeding path as per our sacred tradition. Chief Thunderhooves was really angry that the Appleloosans planted apple trees all over it without asking our permission!”

Pinkie Pie smiled. “This is why we’re arranging for the settlers to move the apple trees uphill onto the table tops. That way your stampeding ground will be completely free for your use.”

Little Strongheart said with excitement. “Oh, is this true?!” She grinned widely. “I knew you are good news when I saw you coming.”

Then, an awkward silence befell the three. Eventually, Little Strongheart coughed and said. “Um, yeah, I’m off to get another bowl of gems for Spike. See ya later!”

The tangerine buffalo scrambled away in a hurry, leaving the pink pony and the purple dragon around the campfire.

“Pinkie, why do you come alone? Where are the other girls?” Spike asked.

“Um.” Pinkie Pie sheepishly said, “I kinda sneaked out after they went to rest.”

“Why? Twi said that I would be safe in here and she was right.” Spike said.

“But Spike, I’m still worried about you.” Pinkie Pie lowered her head.

Spike looked at the pink pony, who pointed towards the night sky and slowly smiled. 

“When I was just a little filly, I lived at a rock farm with my family. They were…”

Pinkie briefly paused and chuckled. “… plain folks, some would even say they’re dull. I then saw Rainbow’s Sonic Rainboom, and came up with the idea of throwing parties to cheer them up.”

She lightly smiled, but also sighed. “I love to see the happy faces and hear the cheerful laughs when I throw awesome parties. Every one of them is a very rewarding experience. But recently, I find that making a particular someone happy is uniquely rewarding. It’s so uniquely rewarding that I couldn’t help but coming back and again to make him happy.”

Pinkie then took a small banjo from her saddlebag. Against the crystal white moonlight and the yellow campfire, she plucked the banjo and lowly hummed,

“See them tumbling down
Pledging their love to the ground
Woebegone I'll be found
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds

Troubles of the past are behind
Nowhere to go but I'll find
Just where the trail will wind
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds

I know when night has gone
That a new world's born at dawn
I'll keep rolling along
Deep in my heart is a song
Here on the range I belong
Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds”

Spike listened to the old tune, an odd mix of hope and forlorn. He put down his almost empty bowl of gems and closed his eyes, as he immersed himself in the soft melody. 

After Pinkie Pie finished, she laid her banjo to her ground and turned to Spike. Her face was red, as if something was almost about to burst from within. “S—Spike, I—” She stuttered.

“I’ve come with a new bowl of turquoise, Spike!” A cheery voice was heard from their behind. Pinkie immediately slinked away from Spike, and looked behind. Little Strongheart appeared behind a small boulder and carried a new bowl of gems.

Pinkie Pie gazed at the ground embarrassed. She said nothing, as she was much angrier at herself for her lack of determination than Little Strongheart for her intrusion. The tangerine buffalo looked at her with a curious gaze, but then immediately turned away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pinkie Pie was fast asleep in a blanket given by Little Strongheart. She was already very exhausted from taking the trek to the buffalo camp from Appleloosa.

“Thank you Little Strongheart. I never knew buffalos have such a rich and colorful history! You have made my night very fun and interesting!” Spike said, then let out a loud yawn, “But um, I’m a bit tired right now. I guess I should go sleep so that I can go back to Appleloosa in the morning.”

“Before you go to sleep, I must tell you one thing, Mr. Spike.” Little Strongheart suddenly said.

“Hmm? What’s it?” Spike asked as he grabbed his last late night snack..

“That pink mare, Pinkie.” Little Strongheart pointed to the sleeping form of the pink mare. “She’s hopelessly in love with you.”

Spike spit out the gem in his mouth so fast, it inserted itself onto the solid ground like a flying spear.

“How—Wh—How do you know?” Spike coughed and asked.

“I would joke and say it’s the unique sense common to all females.” Little Strongheart chuckled. “But in truth, it’s as obvious as the midday sun.”

Spike just dropped his jaw in shock.

Little Strongheart sighed. “You see the way she cooed over you. It’s like a mother hawk watching over her one and only young. She was protective of you, so much so that she went out alone in the cold night to look for you, completely ignoring the danger of the plains at night.”

She then heartily smiled and shook her head. “And look at her when she saw we were talking beside the campfire. She probably thought I was going to steal you. Her angry gaze could choke me from a mile away!” 

She turned to the purple dragon. “You like her too, do you?”

Spike lowered his head, thought for a really long while, and then quietly said, “Umm… maybe a bit?”

Little Strongheart paused and looked at the purple dragon. Instead of the playful but tired look just now, his face was a solid green hue. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Spike closely. “What’s with your face, you look like an old pickled cactus… Oh my ancestors, don’t tell me that you have another lover already.”

Spike gulped hard and nodded. Little Strongheart put a hoof to her forehead and said. “Now, I’m just a young buffalo girl and I can’t offer you any solid advice. Among our tribe, if two buffalos fight for one mate, the elders will just order them to have a friendly duel to see who gets it. I don’t think this applies to you ponies.”

“Then… what can I do?” Spike asked.

Little Strongheart scratched her head and said, “Well Mr. Spike, I really don’t know. I suppose, in any case, you should follow your heart. But you also shouldn’t wantonly go around and devastate youthful marish hearts. You should think long and clear before you make any decision.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pinkie Pie awoke to the light of the just rising sun. Her sleep was so-so, because she kept thinking about her missed opportunity to confess her feelings to Spike. But she was very surprised to see the usually sleep-loving Spike already up.

The young dragon was sitting on a short ledge and pondering about something. Pinkie went over and gently said. “Good morning, Spike.”

Spike jumped up in exaggerated motion, almost as if he was shot out from a cannon. When he finally calmed down, he sheepishly turned towards the pink pony and said. “Um, good morning Pinkie, I guess?”

Pinkie Pie narrowed her eyes at the purple dragon. He was acting strange. Did something happen last night? It couldn’t be her because Spike was clearly still his clueless self after her heartfelt song.

Her thought was interrupted by the energetic call from Little Strongheart, “Pinkie, Spike, it’s daybreak! Come and have a traditional buffalo breakfast!”

The tangerine buffalo then trotted near the duo and brushed by the pink mare. Little Strongheart quickly whispered into Pinkie Pie’s ear. “I’m not into Spike, don’t worry!”

Pinkie blushed immediately. Apparently she was as plain as a sheet of white silk to the buffalo girl’s eyes. Did that mean Spike also knew about her feelings somehow? That can’t be, Spike’s usually as thick as a wedding cake.

The trio then went to the main camp site, where the buffalos prepared a stew made of cut grasses, berries and young twigs. They ate their fill, then Pinkie and Spike saw somepony coming in from the horizons.

“Pinkie! Spike! Are you there?”

The two extended their neck and looked. It was Rainbow Dash, flying in from the south with high speed. She flew straight into the buffalos’ camp, momentarily alerting the buffalos on guard, until Little Strongheart called them off.

“Uh, sorry for the commotion, but,” Rainbow Dash quickly approached and then said worriedly. “Pinkie, are you alright? You disappeared without a word, we’re very worried!”

“I, um, just want to check up on Spike.” Pinkie Pie sheepishly lowered her head.

Rainbow looked at the pink mare, then glanced at Spike. She slapped her head in frustration. “I tell you what, Pinkie, you’re way too willful. You know you gave us all a big scare, hmm?”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow.” Pinkie Pie said with puppy eyes.

“Yeah, Pinkie’s just worried about me, please don’t go too harsh on her.” Spike also defended Pinkie, to the delight of the pink mare.

“So this is another friend of yours?” Little Strongheart asked, “I’m Little Strongheart, pleased to be your acquaintance.”

“Rainbow Dash’s the name. Nice to meet you too,” Rainbow Dash grinned, “Anyway, before I left Appleloosa this morning, the settler ponies have finished counting the vote. They overwhelmingly agreed to our plan to relocate the apple orchard. No small thanks to our proposed help and subsidies, plus Pinkie’s brilliant and emotional musical accompaniment of course.”

“Pinkie’s music is always great.” Spike smiled, causing Pinkie Pie to turn rosy-cheeked again.

“Oh, this is brilliant news! Let me tell Chief Thunderhooves at once!” Little Strongheart grinned and prepared to trotted away.

“Hang on, Little Strongheart,” Rainbow Dash said, “Twilight also invite you guys to attend to a meeting in the town to discuss the details of the arrangements between Appleloosans and buffalos. Something about ensuring the everlasting peace between two species, she said.”

Little Strongheart nodded with vigor and dashed away to tell the good news to the chief. Not long after, the large and weathered-looking chief walked towards the ponies and the dragon.

“Ho ho, seems that hardheaded sheriff and those stiff-necked settlers were convinced by your silver tongues. That’s a job well done.” Chief Thunderhooves said with a crusty laugh. “What did you do to get them move away those dang trees?”

“We offered to move the trees uphill on the mesas, with the help of our tools and labor.” Pinkie said.

“And bits out of our own pockets.” Rainbow Dash added with a roll of her eyes.

“Oh?” Chief Thunderhooves raised an eyebrow and said. “Then we must thank you for your generosity that averts a possible conflict between us and them settlers. As much as I want to follow my ancestor’s ways, their sacred spirits still frowned on unnecessary aggression.”

“Not at all, we just do what we can do.” Spike grinned.

“And I’m grateful for your stay as well, Spike the dragon. We the buffalos are fond of your kind, and your sight was welcoming to our eyes.” Chief Thunderhooves said.

“True, but we shan’t talk here for long,” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and reminded, “We still have a deal to close.”

“And if the deal is successful, I promise you all that there will be a super duper Wild South theme party that follows!” Pinkie Pie cheerfully jumped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The buffalos swiftly decamped for Appleloosa, and they arrived at the town before noon. The sight of a large herd of incoming buffalos initially caused alarm among the settler ponies, but Rainbow Dash quickly flew in to explain away any undue tension.

The buffalos then trotted into the town in roughly ordered formation. Despite the guarantee from Twilight and her friends, some settler ponies, despite agreeing to move the orchard, were still dissatisfied at the concession they have to make for peace with the buffalos, and gave the incoming buffalos not so friendly looks. Twilight looked on with unease.

As the trio came into the town, Twilight and other mares trotted towards Pinkie. “Where have you been, Pinkie?” Twilight asked, half-worried and half-frustrated.

“We’re all worried sick.” Fluttershy said with a sad frown.

“I’m sorry everypony, I just went to check up on Spike to see if he’s fine.” Pinkie Pie lowered her head and apologized.

“We know you care about Spike,” Rarity said with some deeper implication, “But you should have leave us a message or the like next time.”

Pinkie Pie nodded and looked at Rarity with a meaningful gaze. Applejack then spoke up. “Let’s lead the chief to the sheriff, we should git this done as quick as possible.”

The subsequent meeting in the sheriff’s office was surprisingly brief, perhaps because all the preparation groundworks that Twilight and her friends had laid beforehand. Twilight offered some input in the drawing of borders, as she had prepared some accurate maps of the area. In under half an hour, the former adversaries came out of the office with smiles and a signed agreement.

“Congratulations on the historic agreement! Now ponies and buffalo, let party time commence!” Pinkie Pie happily yelled as she pulled out her modified party cannon. With a series of loud bangs, the cannon shot forth desks and chairs in perfect arrangement in rapid succession. In a blink of an eye, the main street in front of the sheriff’s office become a veritable party hall enough to hold both all the Appleloosans and the buffalos.

Pinkie then stood her cannon up from the mouth. With some manipulation, it was turned into a make-shift drinking fountain. The ponies and buffalos watched in amazement.

Twilight lowered her head and whispered something to Spike. Spike nodded and followed Pinkie Pie, who went into the town bakery with her other friends and the local baker. 

A while later, a stream of dishes mainly made of apple came out and were placed on the tables of the hungry ponies and buffalos. Spike stood firm and delivered the dishes to the main table, where both Chief Thunderhooves and Sheriff Silverstar sat.

“If it’s not Spike, our dragon ambassador. What do you have today?” Chief Thunderhooves smirked.

“We have a number of dishes made of the local specialty crop, apples. Now, just try it.” Spike grinned, “I’m sure you’d like it!”

Spike pointed towards the dishes he just laid down. “These are some apple fritters, our appetizer. We also have apple-cheddar fondue, apple stack cakes, Waldorf salad, and some good ol’ apple pie. Oh, and don’t forget this.”

He took out a bottle. “This bottle of brandy was made with the best batch of apples in the new state-of-the-art distillery of Applejack! It’s quite strong, mind you.”

Chief Thunderhooves raised an eyebrow at the whole table full of dishes made of apples. Were these ponies trying to force apples on him? He wasn’t really fond of the red fruit given all the troubles it gave their tribe. But out of respect for the purple dragon’s enthusiastic recommendation, he gave the apple pie a small nibble.

Chief Thunderhooves’ eyes grew wide, as he hurriedly have a spoonful of the fondue, then the salad. He ate so quickly that he had to wash down the food with the brandy.

He couldn’t help but let out a barely contained yell. “My ancestors! These apple dishes are the best tasting thing I had in my entire life!” His words were not exaggerating, as the tough chief was almost melt into tears by the sheer apple goodness in front of him, earning some good-natured chuckles from the proud sheriff.

Chief Thunderhooves looked at his tribe, who was also gobbling at the dishes vociferously. “I… now know that why apples are so dear to the Apploloosans, Sheriff Silverstar. You ponies have proven themselves to our eyes that they are an honorable, considerate and generous bunch.”

Chief Thunderhooves scratched his cheek. “We are overwhelmed by your hospitality, Sheriff Silverstar, despite our past threat to… um?”

Spike quickly sneaked up on Chief Thunderhooves. He jumped up on a stool and whispered something more into the chief’s ears. “Hmm, hmm. Aye, it’s a good idea.” Chief Thunderhooves muttered.

The chief then turned to the sheriff again and grinned, “To celebrate our newfound friendship, we the buffalos shall help the ponies to flatten a mountain trail onto the mesa and transport the apple trees uphill…” He then added with a smaller voice, “So that we can continue to have this simply delightful apple goodness.”

The ponies gawked at the blatant declaration of affection towards the fruit that the chief formerly hated so much. Then they cheerfully laughed together. With the buffalos’ pledge to help, it seemed that the last remaining sliver of animosity among the settler ponies had disappeared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So we are getting the buffalos addicted to apples to solve the problem after all?” Rainbow Dash said while she gazed out of the train window. “That seemed pretty, I don’t know, unethical?”

Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash and sighed with frustration, “For the seventy-eight time, that’s exactly why we arranged the agreement between the settlers and the buffalos with concessions, instead of just shoving an apple pie down the chief’s mouth at the first sight.”

“Aha, some mare is feisty.” Rainbow Dash smirked sardonically, “What’s wrong?”

Twilight shot a furtive glance at Pinkie Pie and Rarity, then rolled her eyes up at Rainbow Dash.

“Oh.” Rainbow Dash went silent as well.

“How are we going to face off the world if we couldn’t even handle ourselves?” Twilight jokingly deadpanned. “Screw it, I’m taking Spike away from them.”

Twilight then walked towards the two mares, who were playing a card game together with the dragon. It was like a race to give the most advantageous deck to Spike, and the discomfort on Spike’s face was palpable.

Twilight trotted towards the three. “Um, girls, I need Spike for now. I have not sent a friendship letter in for quite a while and the princess might get um… impatient. Plus, she would want to know about whether our trip to Appleloosa is fruitful as well.” 

She then winked at the purple dragon and quickly snatched him up with her magic. The baleful glares from the two mares were plain to Twilight’s eyes, but she ignored them and took Spike to the train car at the behind.

“Wow, Twi, thank heavens!” Spike let out a big sigh. “I thought I was going to choke from all the awkwardness.”

“Let’s do the official business first, then we’ll talk.” Twilight said.

“Alright.” Spike said as he prepared the quill and paper.

Twilight cleared her throat, and dictated,

“Dear Princess Celestia,

We have successfully solved the dispute between the settlers in Appleloosa and the buffalo band led by Chief Thunderhooves. It’s a great to be able to turn a possible case of disaster and destruction into a win-win scenario. Both ponies and buffalos have their reasons and motivation to protect their communities. Sometimes, we just have to go a little further to find a solution that let everyone live side by side peacefully.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

“… Sparkle, done!” Spike wrote the last word and engulfed the letter in a bout of magical fire.

“… I never knew you’re such a ladies’ dragon, Spike.” Twilight said.

“You have no idea, Twilight.” Spike held his head with his little arms.

“You seem to have realized that Pinkie is also in the game.” 

She teased. “Smart boy. How does being the chased instead of the chaser feel?” 

“This is no joking matter!” Spike protested.

“I know, mister. To tell you the truth, I’ve too lost several nights of sleep over it. There could not be a wedge between two Element Bearers due to some romantic misadventure. This would be disastrous when time comes for us to fight another villain.” Twilight said while thoughtfully gazed north.

“So what am I going to do?” Spike asked.

“Which one of them do you like more?” Twilight asked back.

“I—uh…” Spike stuttered. “I mean, the sight of Rarity makes my heart swoon, but spending time with Pinkie also makes me very happy. I don’t want to lose either of them.”

“Whoa, Spike, do you want to be a two-timer?”

“What? No! I—” Spike immediately retorted.

“What you do with your romantic life is up to you and them. Lots of species do not adhere to strict monogamy, including dragons.” Twilight said. “But I warn you, some of the older, more conservative ponies are not going to like it. Besides, we don’t know if Rarity or Pinkie themselves would be fine with the idea of an open relationship.”

Twilight stepped on and leaned back on her bunker bed, “You must sort this one out when we go back to Ponyville. I’m sensing the coming of another disrupting presence.”

Spike gulped and nodded, then he finished processing Twilight’s last sentence. “What?! Another villain?”

Twilight grimaced. “With the Elements transferred and bound to the six of us, the princesses’ own hold on the Elements was diminishing fast. It would be only a matter of time when some of the harmony-disrupting creatures of the past escape from their confinement and make a comeback. We must have the Elements ready by then, or else we’re all toast.”

> Chapter 14 – Love Will Find a Way
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Princess Celestia, Philomena seems odd. Can I take her outside to have a look?” Fluttershy said.

“How astute, Fluttershy. You might take her out for a while.” Celestia sipped her tea, and nodded.

Fluttershy then took the cage with the sickly-looking bird outside. Soon afterwards, she came back with a cage and a pile of ashes. Mrs. Cake was just coming out of the kitchen and loudly gasped at the scene. “Wh—What have you done with the Princess’s pet bird?”

“There’s no need for alarm, Mrs. Cake. Philomena is a phoenix.” Twilight said.

“Phoenixes don’t truly perish, they simply reborn in fire after shedding their feathers.” Fluttershy quietly replied. “I was simply fearful that her flame might cause damage indoors, so I take her outside.”

“Look at that cheeky bird,” Rainbow Dash teased. “She want to scare ponies, but we aren’t falling for it.”

Celestia smiled. “Indeed, stop fooling around, Philomena.”

Immediately afterwards, a magnificent red and orange phoenix emerged from the pile of ashes, and gently perched herself on the table in front of the princess. Mr. and Mrs. Cake looked on with surprise and amazement.

“I must say I’m very impressed with you and your friends’ knowledge of the bestiary, Twilight. Normally, ponies panicked at the sight of a molting Philomena. She had scared countless poor royal maids over the years.” Celestia lightly chuckled.

“As the bearers of the Elements, it is our job to protect and maintain the harmony of the land. If we just panic out of ignorance, it would not do. Therefore we must learn and keep learning.” Twilight solemnly said.

“My faithful Twilight, you’ve grown very wise and mature. I almost couldn’t believe you’re still such a young mare.” Celestia said.

“You’re flattering me, princess. We merely do our best job for the safety and prosperity of Equestria.” 

“But of course.” Celestia gazed at Twilight, but she immediately replaced the pensive look with a gentle smile. “I hadn’t foreseen before I sent you on this friendship mission, but in addition to your growth of character, you and your friends have been a very positive force to the community. The Mayor Mare told me that you and your friends funded a lot of town improvements with your own bits. At the risk of sounding… philistine, where do you get those bits from?”

“Princess, part o’ the bits were from the good apple harvest last year.” Applejack said.

“And the other parts came from a social enterprise I’ve set up.” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “It resells some of the locally made products to bigger cities, just like Mr. Rich’s father did. In fact, we also cooperate with Mr. Rich this time. The profits go into the continual running of the company and local welfare.”

“Um, princess, please don’t be unhappy with Twilight’s little side project, she just wanted to do good for the local community.” Fluttershy pled.

Celestia smilingly shook her head. “Why would I be unhappy, Fluttershy? I’m more than pleased that my student is a beneficial influence in Ponyville in addition to exceling her friendship mission.”

“Thank you very much, princess. I’m humbled by your praise.”

“And the Ponyville Mirror.” Celestia calmly elevated her cup of tea.

“Yes?” Twilight asked apprehensively.

“I’m rather surprised by your decision to venture into the press, Twilight. A newspaper, like other forms of media, involves much complicated relations, and it was an arduous task to both keep a distance and a close eye on the fine balances.”

Twilight remained expressionless. “Pardon my brazenness, princess. This is but the complication of rulership. We, as mere ponies, can only guide ourselves by what’s right and what’s just, then I believe rightness and justice shall come.”

Celestia momentarily narrowed her eyes, and then heartily chuckled. “You spoke too formally, much like my dear Luna. You should lighten up sometimes.”

“As your wish, your Highness.” Twilight wryly curtsied, earning a small laugh from the surrounding ponies.

“In any case, I do appreciate the commitment to truth you’ve shown. I shall grant you permission to run your little media enterprise outside of Ponyville.” Celestia smiled.

Twilight was somewhat shocked by the unexpected announcement and how forthwith her mentor was, but she immediately said. “Oh thank you, princess!”

“But.” Celestia immediately added. “I hope you understand that words are powerful. They can hurt as well as they can heal. Do not be reckless, my prized pupil, that’s the only thing I ask you for.”

“I shall remember this by heart.” Twilight again nodded and bowed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Celestia had bid her farewell to the ponies, as she was scheduled to hold a royal meeting with the ministers. She was truly sad to part with her dear student, and they exchanged a long glance just before Celestia stepped into the Royal Chariot. The mares then remained at the Sugarcube Corner for an afternoon gathering.

“See? This is why we can’t underestimate the Princess.” Rainbow Dash said. “She got an eye out of our every move!”

“The Princess is not our adversary, Rainbow.” Rarity said. “She’s still Twilight’s caring mentor. She also loved Twilight a lot, she even gave her blessing towards Twilight’s little projects despite her reservations.”

“What more could ya ask for?” Applejack smiled.

“By the way, where’s Spike and Pinkie?” Rarity asked with concern.

“Haven’t seen ‘em since we came back from Appleloosa.” Applejack shrugged.

Twilight sighed and sulked. “Spike’s mad at me since I’ve brought back Owlowicious. He’s probably anywhere but the library, because he couldn’t stand the sight of Owlowicious. ”

“Ah, sibling rivalry.” Rainbow Dash said. “Why do you go over the troubles of taking in the owl anyway?”

“Owlowicious is an intelligent and wise owl, I don’t have the heart not to take him in if it’s his wish to come to me.” Twilight then lowered her head. “But I do not foresee that, even with all my love and care for Spike, he’d still be unhappy with my decision.”

“Exactly because you have been spoilin’ him with yer attention, Twilight. He’s just a kiddo who thinks that your love will be thinned out by the newcomer.”

Twilight groaned. “This is not how it works at all. Silly, silly Spike.”

After a moment of silence, Rarity spoke up. “What about Pinkie then? Shouldn’t she be helping out the Cakes with their reception of the Princess?”

“Uh… She’s been actin’ strange after we came back I reckon.” Applejack said.

“Yeah, she ran out just a while after the Princess’s arrival. Who knows where she’s heading to.” Rainbow said.

Twilight knew the answer to that question, but she elected to just roll her eyes up at yet another incoming headache.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pinkie Pie looked at the ground in front of the Golden Oak Library, visibly disappointed. Just after they got off the train from Appleloosa, Pinkie Pie gathered up her courage to ask Spike if he could go to a private party in the upper floor of the Sugarcube Corner, and he agreed at the time. In truth, it was going to be just a party of two, with only Pinkie and Spike. She didn’t know if Rarity had taken actions yet, but if she hadn’t, she’s going to preempt her.

She had come to remind Spike that he had to go the next day. But for some reason, he’s not at the library. The lone occupant of the library was Twilight’s owl Owlowicious, who had looked at the pink pony curiously.

Was Spike trying to avoid her? 

‘Ha ha, don’t be silly. Spike has no reason to avoid me at all!’ 

Pinkie reassured herself as she trotted back to the Sugarcube Corner, but without her usual bouncy gait.

When she was back to Sugarcube Corner, she found that all her friends and Princess Celestia had already gone. She sighed sadly and trotted upstairs towards her room.

That night, she sat on her bed and could not sleep at all. She was very excited but also a little bit scared. She was quite confident that Spike would remember his promise to come, and that he was probably just away on some businesses Twilight sent him to do. 

Pinkie was quietly fearful that this was not the case, but she decided to bury her fear beneath her work and preparation. She examined her room, which had been configured into a quirky but romantic setting for a candlelight dinner. 

She went over the list of food and gems meticulously and made sure that they were in the correct order. Then she climbed up and down the room to see if the dark wallpaper and the shiny gems stayed at their places. She inspected her specially made dinner table again, and checked if the mechanisms that sent up dishes of food work perfectly. She tested the nozzle of the novelty drinking fountain, shaped like a fire-breathing dragon. After all that, she went through all the items three more times to be sure.

When she was done, it was already morning. But she did not feel tired at all, as she was bursting with glee that she was going to spend quality time with Spike that evening. She gladly helped the Cakes to bake batches of cupcakes and other assorted desserts, while anxiously watching the time ticking by on the clock.

As the evening came, she awaited with joy at the shop front. Then she waited and waited, and her heart began to drop like a stone. She retreated into Sugarcube Corner and sat at one of the tables, in hope that her Spike was just late. 

The moon rose high, and most of the ponies already went to sleep. Yet sat the hopeful pink pony, still grasping at the slim chance that the purple dragon would hurriedly show up. That’s until Mr. Cake came down to the ground floor rubbing his eyes, pleading Pinkie to go to sleep instead of sitting alone in the dark dessert place. Pinkie eventually accepted that Spike wasn’t going to come. She tried her best to not show her tears, and slowly trotted back to her room with shaky steps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was night already. Twilight knew something was wrong. Spike’s outing could not be this long. She knew that Spike would likely try to run away from his home, but she had made Spike swear on it, and thus she was falsely reassured by Spike’s promise. 

Rather than blaming the purple dragon’s naiveté, she cursed at her own misjudgment and insensitivity. How could she allow this to happen even with her knowledge and foresight? She’s obviously not going to leave Owlowicious out of the picture, but she thought she had done enough to make the dragon think he’s not replaceable. 

After consulting with the calm owl, Twilight concluded that Spike probably wandered towards the edge of the town. Twilight immediately set out to find Spike despite the darkness of the night. She half galloped and half teleported, until she reached a giant cave to the north of the town. She reached into the cave, and was shocked to find that the cave was delicately decorated with drapes of colorful cloths and studded gems, completely unlike a cave of a wild dragon.

Twilight trotted lightly, and what she saw surprised her even more. Instead of some other dragons, it was Red Fury, standing on piles of gems and rearranging the decoration of his cave home.

The red dragon noticed something moving in his periphery and turned, and found Twilight Sparkle staring at him in seeming disbelief.

“Oh…? What brings you to my new home, little pony?”

Twilight shook her head.

“Nothing, Red Fury, I just didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Haven’t your friend told you? I eventually decide to pick a place near Ponyville so that your friend can help me decorate my cave home easier.” 

Red Fury laughed. Twilight also lightly chuckled. It seemed that Rarity’s penchant for glamorous decoration have latched onto the red dragon. But she was not here for meeting old friend, so she immediately asked. 

“Red Fury, I must ask of you, have you ever seen Spike?”

The red dragon shook his head. 

“No, I haven’t seen the little one. Is he missing?”

Twilight lowered her head, and slowly nodded.

Red Fury looked at her thoughtfully, then said. 

“If the little one is not with us, then he’s with you ponies. He’s not going to wander this far off.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. She realized that she was so engrossed with the convenience of her foreknowledge, she had forgotten that it was ultimately her perceptiveness of other’s feelings that matters. She should have known that Spike would also miss her and probably stayed around Ponyville.

She began to regret her rashness. She should know that Spike was already troubled by his messy relationships, that a potential competitor at home would not help calm him down.

“… Thank you, Red Fury, you have made me realize something.” 

Red Fury gazed at Twilight and harrumphed with a smirk.

Twilight then galloped out of the cave at full speed. She was already panting and sweating when she came back into the town. Raindrops started falling from the night sky, wetting her coat and mane. It was cold and windy, and she couldn’t help but start trembling a bit. 

However, she was not going to be troubled by mere weather, and she immediately flared up her locating spell. It was much more difficult than finding a big herd of stampeding buffalos in a semi-desert, but perhaps due to their strong bond or Twilight’s own proficiency in magic, she still managed to sense something vague in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

‘Was he hiding in the barn?’ Twilight thought as she galloped in the rain. She didn’t even bother using a rain-blocking spell as she was too desperate to think of herself.

She was tousled when she arrived at the barn on Sweet Apple Acres. The Apples were already asleep, and Winona slept at the entrance to the barn. The dog was initially woken up by the appearance of a disheveled pony and growled, but she calmed down after she saw it was Applejack’s purple pony friend. However, as Twilight searched, Spike was nowhere to be found in the barn.

Twilight’s locating spell gave off a much stronger presence as she closed in on the source, however. It now pointed the mare towards the outskirt of the farm. Twilight bit her lips and rushed across the rain-soaked soil on the orchard, causing mud to splatter all over herself. At last, she arrived at a giant apple tree, on which a tree house perched.

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders’ Clubhouse…” Twilight muttered. “A good place to hide, I suppose.”

The clubhouse had been repaired by Applejack, and further refurbished by the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ efforts. It was a reasonable hiding place, with four walls and a roof, just lacking in comfortable bedding. But it’s much better than wandering outside considering the poor weather. 

She trotted up the wooden planks used as stairs to the tree house, and push open the door. Then as she expected, the sleeping form of Spike was seen cuddling at a corner.

“S—Spike!” Twilight yelled, and then dashed forward towards the purple dragon.

Spike felt something wet and cold poking at his face, and groggily woke up. He couldn’t sleep well anyway, with only hardwood floor as his bed. He opened his eyes and loudly gasped, a completely bedraggled pony dripping with some liquid was looking wistfully at him, almost like a ghost.

He rubbed his eyes hard, and he realized it was just Twilight. A devastated Twilight, to be exact. Her coat was dirty with mud, her eyes was red and baggy from exertion, and she almost could not speak as she was panting so hard. Spike’s heart ached at the sight of the uncombed pony, but he soon remembered the reason he’s running away from the library and silently huffed.

Twilight opened her mouth. “I—”

“Clean off yourself first, I just borrowed this place from the Cutie Mark Crusaders for a night of sleep.” Spike said, trying his best to be expressionless.

“Sorry.” Twilight hurriedly casted a spell to clean off the trailing mud on her and the floor, and casted another to dry herself. “I’m so sorry, Spike.”

Spike looked at Twilight and remained silent.

Twilight gulped and said. “I was insensitive for introducing Owlowicious into the library when you have other troubles on your claws. I really apologize.”

“Then why exactly do you want that owl in our library?” Spike asked with a hurt voice.

Twilight’s expression was pained. “I… the meeting of Owlowicious and I was not a chance matter. I’m just trying to make it… so that things become what it should be.”

“Are you telling me that you meeting with Owlowicious is prophesized in some old book?” Spike asked with great suspicion.

Twilight was silent for a long time, then she muttered. “… Yes.”

“What?” Spike was shocked. Twilight was not the type of mare who would lie about things like that to him.

Twilight gritted her teeth. She could not tell the whole truth to the purple dragon. She could never do that. She could only gave him a heavily-veiled version of it. She slowly squeezed out her words with much difficulty, “Spike… Sometimes I do feel strongly about having to connect with someone in my life. Perhaps it has to do with magic of divination. In any case, this was also why I pinned down on Nightmare Moon’s return so quickly when I read about her in the books.”

Spike narrowed his eyes momentarily. The he looked to the ground and looked at the purple mare again. His angry façade seemed to have melted into one of sadness and dejection, and he simply said. “Twilight, do you not love me anymore?”

Twilight’s eyes shot wide. “No!” 

She almost yelled, “Never! I said I would never abandon you from my own volition, remember? You’re always my one and only Spike. You’re irreplaceable, you know that?”

Twilight spoke so rapidly, she had to catch a breath before continuing. “Owlowicious would only add to our life, he would not take away my love for you. Love is not something that can be divided like a cake. There’s always plenty of love to give to each of my family and friends. Especially for you Spike.” She tried her best to squeeze out a smile.

Spike gulped. “Is it true, Twilight? Will you love me just as you did before?”

Twilight leapt forth and brought the purple dragon into her embrace. “Of course!”

However, she then awkwardly put down Spike and asked. “So… Um… About…”

“Owlowicious? I tell you what, Twi, I was never mad at him. Rivalry aside, he seems like a cool owl. I was actually just mad at you.” Spike said.

“Yay, hoora—Wait what?” Twilight was stunned.

“Ha ha ha! I got you, Twilight!” Spike laughed.

“Spike, you!” Twilight blushed and huffed. Spike was such a capricious dragon, angry at her at one time, then he could just turn and just tease her at another time.

“Twilight, I now realize that… I could never bring myself to leave you.” Spike lowered his head and said. “I feel so much joy looking at your happy face, and I feel so much sadness when I saw you so desperate. I’m sorry as well, as I let my jealousy get to my head. I’ll apologize to Owlowicious when we get home.”

“Yes, Spike.” Twilight smiled. “Let’s go home, shall we?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight slept soundly at her tree library, finally getting one heavy weight off her chest.

Suddenly, a loud and high-pitched screech reverberated across the entire library, sending the purple mare frantically out of her bed. She rushed down the stairs in darkness, almost tripping herself. She arrived at the almost pitch-dark ground floor. The dark night sky outside the windows was only slightly brightened up by the first glimmer of the rising sun.

She lit the lights up with her horn, then she saw Owlowicious, calmly perching on his small branch, and Spike, who was reeling on the floor and holding his head in his arms.

“What happened, Spike?” Twilight asked with concern.

“I—I, oh dear, Pinkie!” Spike half-shrieked.

“Pinkie what? Spike, calm down first, we can handle this.” Twilight said.

Spike inhaled deeply then exhaled. He then tried to organize his thoughts and said, “Twi, I promised Pinkie to go on a ‘private party’ when we came back from Appleloosa. I knew that it was actually a dinner date, and I agreed anyway. But I was too occupied with Owlowicious’s arrival. It… It was supposed to be yesterday evening.” His shoulders slid and he sighed.

“Oh dear, that’s bad.” Twilight knew that the pink mare did not take rejection well, like really not well. 

“Spike, you have to go to Pinkie’s immediately once the sun’s up. It must be done by you and you alone.”

Spike gulped and nodded slowly. He had never felt so heavy and guilty, as he realized that he had hurt another pony deeply with his action.

“It’s time we bring these to a close, Spike. We soon have to go to the Grand Galloping Gala. We couldn’t have your troubled relationship unresolved even by then.” Twilight said with a deep sigh, “Remember, we need the Elements united as one to defeat evil, I also do not wish to see you and my dearest friends continue to be bothered deeply by indecision.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With great anxiety and uneasiness, Spike walked towards Pinkie’s home and workplace, the Sugarcube Corner. The various shops in Ponyville began to open up in early morning, the marketplace gradually came alive. Ponies trotting by greeted the purple dragon, but Spike could only offer a placid smile and a nod at best.

He soon arrived at the curiously cake-shaped bakery. Upon pushing open the door, he was immediately greeted by a worried-looking Mrs. Cake.

“Oh Spike, thank goodness, I’m glad that you finally come. Pinkie had been locking herself in since this morning. We tried to talk to her but she just wouldn’t answer.” Mrs. Cake said.

“I… I’ll try to talk to her.” Spike said.

“Pinkie… She had been waiting for you the whole night. Poor girl was devastated when she realized you wouldn’t come.” Mrs. Cake looked to the side and shook her head. “Please, Spike, I beg of you. We see Pinkie almost as one of our own. Please don’t hurt her, she’s a very sensitive mare despite her appearance.”

“I will never hurt Pinkie even if my life is on stake.” Spike said.

“… Very well.” Mrs. Cake offered a sad smile.

Spike walked up the stairs slowly with dreadful steps, and found Pinkie sitting in a corner at a table and facing against a wall. The normally pink walls, balloons and streamers were replaced by a starry sky and studded gems, although some of the new wallpaper had detached, revealing the pink color beneath. Dishes of food and bowls of gems were just carelessly strewn across on the tables and on the floor.

‘Pinkie really put a lot of heart into this…” Spike thought, as he slowly walked towards the pink pony. Her puffed and bubbly mane was straightened like a deflated balloon, and she was lowly humming a wistful tune to a photo of himself.

I will always love you
I will always l—”

Pinkie couldn’t continue her song, as she broke down into tears again. Spike could not take it anymore, and he walked forward and said, “Pinkie, I’ve come.”

The pink pony stood up with shock, and turned her head towards Spike. Her eyes were red from crying, and she was completely disheveled. It, for some reason, reminded him of Twilight when she found him last night. A strong pang of guilt swelled in his heart.

“I… I’m sorry, Pinkie. I should have kept my promise.” Spike lowered his head.

Pinkie Pie rubbed her eyes and slowly said, “Spike, is this really you?”

Spike closed his eyes and said between his teeth. “Yes, I’m really Spike.”

“That’s great.” Pinkie Pie smiled thinly, “You don’t have be sorry. I didn’t make you Pinkie Promise me. And we’re just friends anyway, there is no reason for you to ignore all other things and go to my party.”

“No, Pinkie! I—I just for… I’m just too distracted by the introduction of the new owl in our home.” Spike hurriedly explained. “I was foolishly jealous and ran away from home, but when I noticed that I have missed your party, it was already too late.”

“Really, Spike, there’s no need to…” Pinkie Pie simply maintained her tenuous smile.

“I love you too, Pinkie!” Spike shouted.

“Huh?” Pinkie Pie froze mid-sentence.

“I knew your feelings for me already back when we spent the night in the buffalo camp. I actually enjoyed your company very much, and I slowly found out that I cared for you more than as a friend.”

Spike bit his lip and pressed on. “But I don’t have the courage to tell you because I’m also attracted to Rarity. Now, I must tell you, please Pinkie, don’t close your heart to me.”

Pinkie Pie just gazed at Spike with wide eyes. She began to cackle, and then burst into a full laugh.

Spike frowned. “Pinkie…”

“Oh don’t worry Spike.” Pinkie said mid-laugh. “I haven’t gone loco in the coco. I’m just laughing at how blind I was myself. I had prepared all these and planned to confess to you, but at the end it was you who say what I’ve meant to say all the time. Thank you, Spike, I… I feel much better now.”

“That’s good.” Spike said.

“But…” Pinkie Pie lowered her head, “What about you and Rarity?”

“Umm…” Spike couldn’t think of a response.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to make a deeper commitment just yet. I’m just glad that you didn’t miss our appointment because you don’t like me.” Pinkie Pie smiled. “Even if we have to share.”

“I see… Wait what?” Spike did a spit-take.

Pinkie Pie grinned, instead of replying, she sang,

“You gotta share
You gotta care
And there'll always be a way through!”

“That doesn’t seem to be completely applicable to our love lives.” Spike awkwardly replied. “What would other ponies say about us?”

“Who cares about other ponies?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, “What we want to do is our own business!”

“But, um, Rarity?” Spike weakly offered.

“Do you mind?” Pinkie Pie asked back.

“Uh, well not exact—” Spike said.

“Then we’ll just go ask her, right now.” Pinkie Pie said, now with a puffed-up mane again. “Let’s go!”

“Hey wait, Pinkie!” Spike yelled to the galloping pink pony while trying to catch up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two swiftly arrived at the Carousel Boutique. Pinkie Pie leapt and almost crashed into the door, but she managed to brake in time and merely knocked.

A mare came to answer the door. But instead of the white mare they had been expecting, it was Trixie. She seemed to be helping out with Rarity’s sewing work while she was out.

“How may Trixie help you, Pinkie, Spike?” Trixie grinned gently.

‘Whoa, Twilight sure can change a pony.’ Spike thought.

“Oh hi Trixie! We just come to look for Rarity, do you have any idea where she might be?” Pinkie asked.

“Aha, you’ve come at a wrong time. Rarity went off to send Sweetie Belle to school this morning. She should have been back by now, but she isn’t. Perhaps she decided to take a detour somewhere?” Trixie tapped her chin and pondered.

“Okay then. Thank you for your help, Trixie!” Pinkie grinned.

“You’re welcome, Pinkie. Be sure to tell me when you are holding a big party.” Trixie smirked. “I’d love to perform some magic tricks again.”

“Sure do!” Pinkie Pie hollered from afar.

The duo then took to the road and went back to the town center. Spike looked up and asked Pinkie Pie. “So where’re we going? Would it be better if we just wait at her boutique?”

“Maybe you’re right.” Pinkie Pie said. “But I want to check out the library first, since Rarity might drop by... I don’t know, just call it a hunch of mine.” She grinned.

They trotted up to the tree library and simply walked in. Just as Pinkie expected, Rarity was chatting with Twilight at a table.

“Oh.” Twilight looked at the duo and observed the expression on the pink pony, then looked at Rarity. She then stood up and said, “I think I have to, um, check up on the Parasprites. Got to go!”

The three looked at the purple pony who dashed down to the basement, and looked at each other.

Pinkie Pie then didn’t waste any time, she trotted towards the white mare, who was looking at them curiously. 

Despite the nervousness of Spike, Pinkie Pie said. “Rarity, perhaps it’s time that we lay things out and talk.”

“Very well, Pinkie, what is it that you want to say?” Rarity asked.

“We now know each other’s feelings. I’m here to ask you, can we both have Spike?” Pinkie said.

Spike was both embarrassed to the core and terrified of Rarity’s possible response to Pinkie Pie’s straight ball.

“… I don’t see why not.” Rarity shrugged and nodded.

“Huh?” Pinkie Pie and Spike said at the same time.

“Why does everypony assume that I’m some kind of prude?” 

Rarity chuckled. “You did once joke about this possibility, Pinkie, didn’t you? I gave it some thought afterwards. Yes, I considered myself to be a lady, but I’m also pretty progressive in thinking. If you, Pinkie, and I both choose this, what’s the problem? It’s not like Spike forced us into this.”

“Um, but…” Spike said.

“I know what you’re worrying about. And to be honest, this is my only reservation as well.” Rarity sighed, “Twilight and I were actually discussing about this.”

“You did?” Pinkie asked amazedly.

“Yes. Why do you think I was so unfazed when you bring this up all of a sudden?” Rarity smiled mischievously. “There’re going to be a number of ponies who have second thoughts about this kind of romantic arrangement. So it’s probably better if we don’t show off our affection in the public overly, except in front of our friends.”

Pinkie Pie was disappointed, as she lowered her head and sighed.

“Don’t be defeated yet, Pinkie.” Rarity said. “Opinions can be shaped and changed. That’s what Fluttershy was doing with her newspaper, and that’s also what Twilight was eventually aiming for.”

“Are you saying that, we should give us our all to help Twilight out with her project, so that we can eventually go out in public without anyone give us evil eyes?”

“That’s the idea.” Rarity nodded.

“You mares, you’re all a bit crazy, you know that?” Spike’s eyes widened as he shook his head.

“Way too late to notice, Spike.” Rarity and Pinkie Pie both grinned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Thank goodness.” Twilight closed her eyes and sighed in relief. At least the immediate danger of two Element-bearers falling out with each other was defused.

“Eh? What did you say, Twi?” Spike asked.

“Nothing. By the way, Spike,” Twilight said. “We need to send in our last friendship letter before we go to the Gala.”

“Oh right,” Spike scratched his head and prepared himself, “I’m ready.”

“This time, what about signing it with both our names? We both learnt a lot this time.” Twilight suggested. “I’ll write the draft and see if you have anything to add.”

Spike nodded, and Twilight promptly began,

“Dear Princess Celestia,

We have both learnt a valuable lesson about sharing love and sensitivity. Love is something that multiplies instead of thins out when shared. Love unshared can scarcely be called love; it has no taste. If we don’t share our love, it risks degenerating into obsession. We also learnt that we should not be preoccupied with our preconceptions, and learn to be perceptive to other’s feelings. The power of empathy is much more important than wit, bits or intellect in friendship.

Your faithful student and dragon,
Twilight Sparkle and Spike”

“As always, Twi. I couldn’t add to it at all, it’s perfect.” Spike grinned.

“Oh you, Spike!” Twilight flushed red. “Just go, you need your dance lessons now with the addition of the pink one.”

Spike awkwardly chuckled, to which Twilight merely laughed.

> Chapter 15 – The Galaval
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Mane Six gathered at the edge of Ponyville, across the bridge towards Sweet Apple Acres. They were looking at each other with somewhat awkward expressions. The Grand Galloping Gala was a quintessential upper-class event, not really fitting for the bunch of nouvelle-riche and pastoral ponies that they were. But now armed with a realistic expectation, they hoped that at least they could salvage something from the Gala.

Besides, they were also worried about something much more threatening, an ancient being of chaos that was about to be released. Twilight was especially insistent that they have to give it their all to rehabilitate the chaos spirit and turn him into an ally.

Of course, these considerations were all but unknown to the cheerful Spike, who was simply expecting to dance with the two mares in the Gala. Since the Royal Guards were especially busy with a major function taking place in the palace, Twilight elected to simply order a spacious and decent-looking chariot from makers in Canterlot to carry them and their product samples. 

Twilight originally just wanted to hire some pegasi to pull their chariot, but at Pinkie’s insistence, the chariot was retrofitted with rotors, pedals and landing skids. This made the chariot into a strange-looking box-shaped helicopter. With the curious gazes of the Ponyville residents, the ‘chariot’ took off and soared rapidly towards Canterlot.

“Wow, Pinkie! Can you slow down this thang a bit?” Applejack yelled, as she was pinned to her seat by the sheer force of acceleration.

“Roger!” Pinkie Pie pulled a handle, and the chariot rapidly decelerated. All ponies and dragon on board were suddenly thrown forward, but most of them managed to keep at their seats by holding tight at something nearby.

“Watch out!” Fluttershy yelped, as a bottle of brandy got loose and shot forward from the back of the chariot. Just when it was about to land on the windscreen and shatter into pieces, Rainbow Dash flew forward and grabbed the bottle, averting a disaster.

“Pinkie, why’s there no safety belt on this chariot?” Twilight asked with a frown.

“Sorry! I forgot to put them in amidst all the excitement!” Pinkie Pie put her tongue out a bit. “Oh, everyone, we’re landing!”

The chariot swept across the night air and landed at a parking space just outside the gate to the venue of the Gala. The other ponies were at first a bit stunned by the sudden appearance of a strange flying chariot, but they simply ignored it and proceeded to the Gala.

The mares and dragon got out of the chariot one by one. 

“Now, everyone, we’ll first stick together for the moment and greet Princess Celestia, then we can split up and do whatever we want.” Twilight said. “But if you want to see me, you can check if I’m in the main ball room with Celestia, or at Luna’s room. We’ll then gather at the Gala hall during the banquet for Pinkie’s performance.”

“Princess Luna?” Spike asked. “What are you looking her for?”

“I just want to check up on her. She’s still getting used to the fact that a millennia had passed, and she could use our help.” Twilight explained. “I know she’s not attending the Gala, so I figure that I should make an effort to connect with her.”

The group walked through the elaborately decorated gates and arches, and felt the softness of the red carpet. They eventually entered the castle where the ball took place. Princess Celestia stood regally on the podium and graciously greeted every incoming guest.

“Good evening, Princess Celestia!” Twilight said.

“Twilight! It is so lovely to see my star student, and her lovely group of friends.” Celestia smiled.

“Thank you, Princess, for giving us the opportunity to attend the Gala.” Rainbow Dash said. “Uh…”

Pinkie Pie helped Rainbow to continue her words. “Rainbow Dash and I have planned a little extra performance to… liven up the Gala, so to speak. It’s nothing too outrageous, but it might satisfy even the most etiquette-abiding and formal ponies around here.” She grinned.

“That sounds good. You have my blessings to proceed, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie.” Celestia nodded.

The mares and Spike each greeted the sun princess, and left one by one, until only Twilight and Celestia remained.

“We have a lot to catch up on, princess.” Twilight looked at the receding forms of her friends and smiled. “But forgive my bluntness, is the Gala always so awfully dull that you require our assistance to put some zip into it?”

Celestia’s eyes widened at the brazen remarks of her student, then she chuckled. “Oh my, oh my. My dear student have seen through my intention.”

“After all, you have agreed to Pinkie and Rainbow’s request to ‘liven things up’.” Twilight grinned. “Any savvy pony in Equestria should know that the prankster duo are totally able to cause untold carnage.”

“Ha ha ha, Twilight, you’re such a delight to chat to.” Celestia laughed. “I want you right by my side the entire evening, so we'll have plenty of time together.”
 
“That’s great.” Twilight said. “But I’m afraid it’s quite difficult with the streams of guests that will soon come in.”

Celestia quietly sighed. “You speak the truth, Twilight.”

“But we can still talk until they started rolling in.” Twilight said, “Besides…”

“Hmm?” Celestia said.

“I would like to see Princess Luna as well.”

“Why would you want to see my little sister, Twilight?” Celestia asked with some surprise in her voice.

“I promised her to be her friend and faithful listener, and I really want to fulfill my responsibility by checking up on her.” Twilight replied.

“Very well, Twilight.” Celestia smiled. “I must admit, you… sometimes give off an aura quite similar to Luna, I think you might be able to help her integrate and adapt to our time.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Rarity, thank ya for agreein’ t’ help me out with those fancy ponies.” Applejack said.

“No problem, Applejack, the Gala hasn’t started yet and there’s plenty of time.” Rarity said. “But we better first put up a Canterlot accent… or in your case, a Manehattan accent. It makes things smoother, you know?”

“Oh, of course.” Applejack grimaced a bit, but she shrugged. “Why, let’s get onto the stoop and grab us some egg cream sandwich.” She made a face at the white mare.

Rarity chuckled and asked. “So what are we going to do?”

“Well, we first try to crack the most difficult nut in the Gala.” Applejack said.

“Y—You don’t mean…?” Rarity asked with slight dread.

“Yes, Prince Blueblood.” Applejack said. “His lands surrounded the Sweet Apple Acres, and we want to expand for a long time. However, that brat has given us cold shoulder even though his estate reeve thought our offer was more than generous. I had even flaunted royal connections through Twilight to no avail. He probably thought it was a waste of time to consort with lower-class ponies.” She let out an angry huff.

“So what are you going to do when you meet him?” Rarity asked.

“No idea. I look for your help because I think you might have a better understanding of him.” Applejack said.

“What? No!” Rarity immediately said. “You and I know very well that we both know equally as much about him. That he is a spoiled royal cousin who has no sense of chivalry whatsoever and do whatever he wants.”

“Eh, in that case we’ll just try talking nicely. If it doesn’t work, we’re going to set him up for something and drag him in front of Princess Celestia to force him to cough up the lands.” Applejack shrugged.

“Prince Blueblood may be an awful pony, but…” Rarity hesitated for a bit. “You know what, there’s no ‘but’. He’s awful, period. Let’s do this.”

“Remember, we’re going to try tact first.”

They trotted up to Prince Blueblood, who was walking casually in the small garden next to the castle. Applejack conveniently picked a rose with her mouth, and took out a bottle of pommeau – a mix of unfermented apple juice and apple brandy that was popular among Canterlot ponies.

Applejack and Rarity walked slowly and reached the white stallion. If he did not open his mouth, he indeed looked reasonably regal and handsome. 

“Um, h—” Rarity said.

Prince Blueblood turned, but his gaze was not on Rarity. Instead, it was fixated on Applejack, who was looking at Prince Blueblood with a smile.

He narrowed his eyes and observed the orange mare. She was completely unlike the gaudy noble mares he was so used to meet in Canterlot. She was wearing an apple-themed dress. It was mainly green, evoking the feeling of pastoral life, but it was also adorned with red apples and smart red frills. The mare was wearing a brown cowboy hat. Yet, even with such a rustic look, Blueblood somehow didn’t feel his usual disdain towards the provincials. Instead, he saw the fiery and mischievous look in her eyes and was sort of interested. 

He said. “Well, hello. I am Prince Blueblood. May I know your name?”

Applejack ignored the awkwardness caused by Blueblood completely ignoring Rarity. She took the rose out of her mouth and put it in the pocket of the white stallion. “It suits your eyes, handsome.” She chuckled. “I’m Applejack.”

Blueblood listened to her impeccable Manehattan accent, and felt even more intrigued by Applejack. ‘What a curious specimen of mare!’ Blueblood mentally exclaimed. She was like an eclectic mix of sylvan charm and sophistication. He felt an urge to know more about this spirited mare in front of him.

But wait, Applejack? Blueblood seemed to remember this name from somewhere.

Applejack observed the white stallion’s expression and smiled. “Why, Your Highness, we did have a correspondence through letters concerning your Lower Canterlot Estates. But unfortunately, it seemed to have gotten lost in transmission.”

“Oh, it’s you!” Blueblood exclaimed. “I have no idea that crummy backwoods hides such a fine gem!”

Applejack tried her best not to show her indignation at her hometown being called a nowhere backcountry, and simply said, “Well, we finally meet in person, my prince.”

“Haw haw, if I saw your cute face before, I would not throw away the letters so casually.” Blueblood unabashedly admitted. “Oh well, for the pleasure of my pretty lady, I shall instruct my royal servants to reopen your application.”

“Oh, that would be most gracious of you, my prince.” Applejack smiled, but couldn’t help and gritted her teeth slightly. “Now, would you be so kind to join me for a drink under the moonlight? I have prepared a bottle of highest-quality pommeau.”

“Oh, how quaint. I love it when mares know their place and placate their better appropriately. Very well, I shall entertain you.” Blueblood guffawed.

Rarity couldn’t stand the sight of the utterly shallow prince anymore, and decided to just sit at a table nearby and wait, silently pondering how on Earth was Applejack able to tolerate the prince’s behaviors without blowing her lid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rarity quietly sipped a champagne at the table, when she saw Applejack walking towards her. Her face was an epitome of exasperation. Her expression was clouded with such darkness that it was enough to shroud the entire Canterlot.

“How does it go? Did anything go wrong?” Rarity asked.

“Nope, everythin’ was right. Horribly right.” Applejack gritted her teeth.

“I knew it was a pain in the plot to deal with the horrible stallion. You also have to act against your honest disposition. I feel for you.” Rarity said.

“Ah technically told no lies during our conversations, but Ah’m really, really economical with the truth.” Applejack sighed heavily. “For instance, he is handsome. But he’s also an unmitigated piece of dreck as a pony. He is gracious, but it’s simply compared to his usual stuck-up self, and because he saw a mare he had his eyes on.”

“So what goes horribly right on your mission of charm?” Rarity smirked lightly.

“He, fer some Celestia-forsaken reason, seemed to be really interested in me.” Applejack shook her head. “Ah just don’t know why. He was such a spoiled brat that he won’t touch cake, why would he be attracted to somepony who has to regularly deal with dirt?”

“I don’t know, you sort of have a wild charm, maybe you remind him of something he never saw in me or other Canterlot mares?” Rarity chuckled. “Plus, you speak in the metropolitan Manehattan accent, which just seemed so… strange and curious compared to your rustic look. He probably thinks you’re some kind of mysterious mare.”

“Thanks fer yer in-depth analysis,” Applejack deadpanned, “But no thanks. Ah want to deal with him as little as possible.”

“So do I.” Rarity laughed. “Now, with the hardest nut cracked, do you need me to deal with other upper-class ponies?”

“Come to think of it, no.” Applejack said. “Mah next opportunity will be during the banquet, when Ah can try to introduce the apple wines Ah’ve brought. Ah can handle this on my own. You need to dance with Spike anyway.” She grinned at the white mare.

Rarity smiled. “Well indeed, I should probably go to look for Spike now. Can’t have him disappointed, can we?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fluttershy wandered into the Royal Garden. She treaded lightly and exhaled quietly. There was a strange silence among the thick foliage. The animals seemed to hide from her sight for the moment, probably due to her new scent and shiny outfit.

A sound of trickling water and familiar whistle was heard. Fluttershy knew it was Mr. Greenhooves, an itinerant gardener who she also met in Ponyville. She decided to just chat with the old pony for the moment to wait for the animals to get used to her and come out, and possibly ask if he had any insights about the royal animals.

The yellow pegasus walked around the bend, and as she expected, she saw the brown pony tending to the hedges. “Hello there, Mr. Greenhooves.”

“Oh? Ah, it’s you, Fluttershy. You joining the Gala this evening too?” Mr. Greenhooves said.

“Yes, but I prefer a quieter place, and I also want to have a look of the rare animals kept at the Royal Gardens,” Fluttershy said, “I heard your gentle whistling, and I figure I should come and greet you.”

“Heh, I just love whistlin' while I work.” Mr. Greenhooves said, “Can’t teach an old pony new tricks, ho ho.”

“Don’t say that. I always like your whistling at work, it’s so soothing and natured, like the chirping of canaries.” Fluttershy said.

“You’re overpraisin’ me, kind Fluttershy. I’m just an old pony who enjoys tending to the greens.” Mr. Greenhooves shook his head and smiled.

“And I’m just a young mare who enjoys the company of animals… and ponies who like the nature like you.” Fluttershy smiled.

“Ha ha, pardon my words, but you’re one curious mare, aren’t ya? Most ponies won’t give a side glance to a wheat-hauling old ponies like me.” Mr. Greenhooves chuckled.

“No offense taken, I guess I’m indeed strange in some sense.” Fluttershy smiled.

“And you’ve changed, Fluttershy.” Mr. Greenhooves said.

“Eh?” Fluttershy was surprised at the gardener pony’s words.

“When we first met in Ponyville, you’re easily one of the shyest and unassertive ponies I’ve ever met.” Mr. Greenhooves said. “You won’t even look me in the eyes when I come to water your flowers. But now, you can casually greet ponies and hold a conversation with them with no trouble.”

“Well, I met Twilight.” Fluttershy said. “She… might have been forceful, but she taught me that it’s not enough to have good will in your heart, you have to reach out to spread it.”

Mr. Greenhooves laughed. “I see, you have some very good friends then.”

“So Mr. Greenhooves, what brings you to Canterlot?”

“Oh, I was just movin’ around to work gardenin’ jobs.” Mr. Greenhooves casually shrugged. “A friend of mine recommended me to the royal steward, so I got to work here for a while. It’s a good stint with good pay, and the environs are nice.”

“So, um, are you familiar with the animal inhabitants in the Garden?”

“Heh, of course!” Mr. Greenhooves grinned. “I’ve spent quite a while with the animals here, they know me and I know them, even by name!”

Fluttershy’s eyes glimmered. “Is this true?”

“Yes! They all hid from me on my first day here. But once you know the ways to approach them without disturbing them, they would become a welcoming bunch.” 

Mr. Greenhooves then quietly hushed and took a pallet from his saddlebag. He then gestured the yellow mare to follow him a few steps ahead in a darker corner. Suddenly, a small mouse-like creature ran onto his extended hoof and ate the food.

“Oh! Is that a sugar glider?” Fluttershy asked excitedly.

Mr. Greenhooves let out a quite ‘shh’, but then smilingly said. “Yes, they’re pretty rare in Equestria, since they’re introduced and only kept in Canterlot.”

Suddenly, some rustling was heard in the hedge, then a scaled animal resembling an anteater quickly ascended to a tree.

“That’s a pangolin, or a scaly anteater. They usually live in hollowed out trees.” Mr. Greenhooves explained.

“Whoa, they’re extremely rare, aren’t they?” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“Yes, Fluttershy. Pony expansion have caused their habitats to shrink, unfortunately.” Mr. Greenhooves said. “Anyway, since it is night, most animals we’ll see are going to be nocturnal.” 

Fluttershy nodded, then smiled. “Mr. Greenhooves, you’re quite familiar with animals too, aren’t you?”

“You gotta know your way ‘round the bush to tend to it, you know?” Mr. Greenhooves chuckled. “The night’s young, I suppose we can take a stroll to see some more animal residents before I get back to work.”

“That would be most kind of you, Mr. Greenhooves!” Fluttershy beamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie walked around the ball room. The dance hadn’t started yet, and various guests were chatting inside.

“Pinkie, a minute, I have to say a ‘hi’ to the Wonderbolts and tell them our plan of the evening.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Go ahead, Dashie! I’ll wait here for you!” Pinkie grinned.

Rainbow Dash then cantered towards the VIP area, where the two most senior Wonderbolts were about to enter. 

“Good evening, Soarin’, Spitfire.” Rainbow Dash greeted.

“Oh, hello there, our illustrious Best Young Flyer.” Spitfire said.

“Indeed, Rainbow Dash, I still remember your amazing stunt in the Cloudeseum. What’s it called again?” Soarin’ said.

“The Rainbow Coriolis.” Rainbow Dash smiled.

Spitfire grinned. “Rainbow Dash, you show great promise as a flyer. Have you ever considered joining the Wonderbolts Academy to test out your true flying skills?”

Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t expected she would receive an invitation from Spitfire herself. That’s good news, she did not expect to be directly admitted as a member anyway however talented she was. 

In any case, she decided to play it cool. “Of course, that would be my pleasure. I’ll submit an application soon.” 

She said. “Anyway, a friend and I have obtained the royal permission to hold a performance as part of an impromptu promenade to pep up the Gala. I humbly invite you to view it after the main ball.”.

“Of course, we’ll look forward to it.” Spitfire nodded with a smile.

Rainbow Dash then excused herself from the Wonderbolts, and rejoined Pinkie.

“So Pinkie, have you got all the equipment ready?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yes! Spotlights, check! Loudspeakers, check! Musical instruments, check! Oh, and the lights and banner for your flight too!” Pinkie winked.

“What about the ponies that would help you out?” Rainbow again asked.

“I’ve gathered somepony that will help us out with the lights in the show. But I haven’t talked with the orchestra yet.” Pinkie said.

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s go get ‘em!” Rainbow said.

The duo trotted up to the orchestra, who was playing some romantic classical music. They patiently waited for the musicians to finish the piece, then they walked onto the stage.

“Sorry for our intrusion.” Rainbow Dash said with a smile.

“You must be Miss Melody.” Pinkie Pie grinned. “I’m Pinkie Pie, and she’s Rainbow Dash.”

“What can we help?” Octavia slightly frowned at the interruption.

“We’ve got the permission from Princess Celestia herself to hold an impromptu prom at the end of the ball. With your expertise, we hope to seek your help in playing some pieces of music.” Rainbow Dash said, and Pinkie Pie took out a few pieces of sheet music.

Octavia and her orchestra players looked at the sheets. “They’re… very curious pieces of music. Did you write them yourselves?” Octavia asked.

“Oh yes!” Pinkie Pie grinned. “And I’m sure that while they’re a bit novel, it definitely still has the gravitas appropriate for this Gala.”

“Well, since it has the princess’s seal of approval, it can’t be that bad.” Octavia shrugged.

“So… You can play all of these?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Of course!” Octavia scoffed. “We’re professionals!”

“I have complete trust in your ability, Octavia.” Pinkie Pie called the mare by her first name, which made her eyes widened in surprise.

“We look forward to your excellent performance.” Rainbow Dash nodded, and rapidly exited the stage together with Pinkie.

“… Hey Pinkie, was it really good to go first-name-basis on somepony you just met?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Silly Dashie.” Pinkie Pie smiled. “Octavia may look serious, but she isn’t the kind of pony who would mind!”

“I guess you know it better than me.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I’m going to hang at the Donut Joe’s for now, gotta fill myself up before flying. What about you?”

“I’m going to check if everything’s in place, of course! I still have to move the equipment in from our chariot.” Pinkie Pie said.

“See you after the ball, then.” Rainbow Dash grinned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash walked towards Donut Joe’s shop with light steps. It’s the one only place that she could feel relaxed in this gaudy event. She entered the shop and immediately felt an attack of sweet scent at her nose.

She looked at the table and saw not only Spike, but Rarity sitting next to him. Rainbow Dash then slowly trotted up to the purple dragon and white mare.

Rainbow could hear them talking about some recent happenings. She greeted. “Hello there, dearie lovers.” 

Spike was startled by Rainbow’s sudden voice, but Rarity merely turned and smiled, “Why hello there, Rainbow, fancy yourself a partner too?”

Rainbow Dash momentarily blushed, but then grinned. “Maybe. Anyone but Blueblood though.”

Rarity snorted. “If you want to get a rise out of me, that didn’t work. Among the six of us, perhaps Applejack was now the one who would react most strongly to the word ‘Blueblood’.”

“Why?” Spike asked.

“Did he go ‘unchivalrous’ on our poor Applejack?” Rainbow Dash smirked.

“Oh no.” Rarity said. “I assure you, Rainbow, if he dared to be rude to her like he was to me, his pretty little face would be promptly bucked in before he could utter another odious statement.”

“Yikes.” Spike put his tongue out. “Wait, Prince Blueblood was rude to you?”

“Uh.” Rarity stuttered for a bit. “He was rude to everypony, alright.”

“So what did he do to Applejack?” Rainbow asked.

“This is perhaps worse for Applejack…” Rarity said. “But I think Blueblood fell for her.”

“What?! Applejack and Prince Blueblood?” Rainbow Dash burst into a belly laugh, and she almost rolled on the floor. “They… they are, like, the most unlikely couple ever!”

“Don’t let her hear that, she might choke you for saying that they’re like a ‘couple’.” Rarity tried but failed to suppress her snickering, “Part of it is my fault for designing such an eye-catching and fabulous outfit, but the other part is her own fault for saying things in that sensual Manehattan accent, and putting up with the prince’s antics with a smile.”

“I never thought Applejack has such, um…” Spike said.

“Marish charm?” Rainbow Dash added mischievously. “Of course she has some, she is an Apple. How else do you think the Apples can breed and spread across Equestria if their mares don’t have some hot in their sleeves… or apple baskets, whatever.”

“Words, Rainbow!” Rarity said, gesturing to the blushing Spike.

“Alright, alright, Mrs. Grundy.” Rainbow Dash smiled coyly. “You guys should go anyway. The dance is already on. Pinkie’s also out there waiting.”

“What about you, Rainbow?” Rarity asked.

“Nah, I’ll pass.” Rainbow Dash shook her head and chuckled, “I just want to rest up before my performance. Besides, you don’t really need an additional leg in your midst.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Are you ready, Spikey-wikey?” Rarity asked, as they slowly walked into the main ball room in the Gala. Octavia and her orchestra was playing a slightly wistful Romantic Sonata. Ponies swirled and danced in pairs.

“Um… I guess yes?” Spike fretted for a bit.

“Oh Spikey-wikey,” Rarity reassured the purple dragon, “We have practiced for so long, you don’t have to worry at all. Just be yourself, like that time you went out and modelled for me. We should simply enjoy ourselves, shouldn’t we?” She smiled.

Spike was calmed by Rarity’s words, and nodded.

“We will dance for a while, then I’ll take a rest and Pinkie will take over.” Rarity then smirked, “Then perhaps we three will dance together.”

Spike froze and asked, “Eh? Won’t that be a bit too… blatant?”

“Now,” Rarity chuckled, “Not all dances are romantic dance. Just think of it as an opportunity to dazzle these Canterlot ponies and let yourself go!”

The orchestra shifted their tone, and the music in the hall become gentle and smooth. “Now go!” Rarity said, and gently led the purple dragon onto the dance floor.

Some ponies raised their eyebrows at the strange pairing of a pony and a dragon, but they soon focused not on the dancers themselves, but how the dance was in perfect tandem despite their difference in body shape and size.

Rarity and Spike gently swirled and twirled to the music. The purple dragon looked up to the white mare. She was, as always, so charming and elegant, an ever genteel mare. The purple curls of her mane lightly swept across his face. He could smell her perfume, and he felt a bit hot on his cheek. He felt as if his mind slowly melt into the blue eyes of his dance partner. Her smile was velvety, but Spike knew her, he knew that under that soft smile hid an unyielding mare. With each of their steps, Spike slowly realized, that he had long learnt not to see Rarity as an object of obsession, but somepony to love, protect and respect.

Rarity also gazed into the eyes of the purple dragon. She originally saw the dragon as a mere dragon infant, some drake to coo and protect. Strange circumstances had drawn them together, and she had since seen Spike in a new light. Spike always strived to serve and act out his code of chivalry, no matter how stumblingly. But despite his clumsiness and other flaws, he was ever so persevering and unrelenting when it came to helping his friends and impress his love, which made him so dearly cute.

Time flew by as the two danced in harmony, as if to a tune that only the two of them can hear. Then the soothing music gradually ceased, and their dancing was brought to a slow halt.

“You did great, Spikey-wikey.” Rarity smiled.

“So did you, Rarity. You’re a perfect dance partner.” Spike grinned.

“Not so fast. You still have another partner tonight.” Rarity said, as she pointed towards the far side, and a pink mare cheerfully waved at them.

“I must take a short rest for now, go enjoy yourself with Pinkie. Beware though, she might tire you out quickly.” She gave Spike a cheeky wink, which caused the purple dragon to blush for some reason. She then left the dance floor with a swift trot, and in came the cheery pink pony.

“Hi Spike! How’s the dance with Rarity?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“It went well, I suppose.” Spike said.

“Then you must get your arms and legs ready, Spike.” Pinkie Pie brightly grinned, “Because we’re soon having another round, this time fast and furious!”

Pinkie went up in front of the stage, and gave a wink to Octavia and her orchestra members. They nodded, and suddenly, the dance floor was infused with a burst of passion by a stimulating Furioso.

The ponies struggled a bit to catch up on the rapid beats, but persisted out of a desire to not look bad. Eventually, most ponies began to get used to the accelerated rhythm of the music.

“Shall we?” Pinkie Pie asked, to which Spike gave an emphatic nod.

Pinkie Pie then stomped on the ground with a forceful trot, and swept the purple dragon into her embrace with each ring of the bells. The sound of whip echoed across the ball room, adding much excitement to the normally prosy dance routine. Spike initially found it a bit difficult to follow Pinkie Pie’s steps, but he gradually caught her rhythm and soon began to become bolder. He occasionally extended his arms and let the pink pony out on a wide half-circle, and then swiftly brought her close in his arms again, causing Pinkie to beam merrily.

The duo careened with speed and tempo, as they kept looking at each other in the eyes. For Spike, that was a completely different experience compared to dancing with Rarity. Being with Pinkie Pie was a passion-filled ride, full of keenness and strong emotion. They had bonded out of joyful camaraderie, and grew into something higher and much more inseparable. With each bob of their heads and shake of their bodies, they could feel a zeal emanating from their dancing partners.

Suddenly, the melody shifted and became less swaggering, but more exuberant and bright. That’s when Rarity swirled into the dance floor again, and made eye contact with Pinkie Pie and Spike. The white mare swiftly joined the duo in a double partner dance, causing some on-looking ponies to rubberneck with interest. 

The three moved in sync on the same direction. Spike first danced with Pinkie Pie, and rolled on and off her hooves. They then formed a circle, Spike turned and began to dance with Rarity. After another round, the trio formed another circle, but instead of separating into two again, the mares lifted the purple dragon high in the air, which perfectly coincided with the end note of the energetic piece.

The champagne-sipping audience looked on with wonder, as they have rarely seen such well-choreographed social dance with three dancers. Soon, slow and polite claps were heard in the ball room, and the three bowed and expressed their appreciation for the responses.

“See, Spikey-wikey?” Rarity smiled.

“It’s not difficult!” Pinkie beamed.

Spike looked at the cheering upper-class ponies, and felt a sense of pride and satisfaction swelling up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Celestia laughed at another cheeky remark Twilight told her, but then remembered that a lot of guests were in presence. She hurriedly coughed and smiled. “Twilight, I never knew that you have a penchant for humor.”

“Do I?” Twilight smirked.

Celestia suddenly looked at Twilight with a more sober expression, which made Twilight stood up straight as well. “To tell you the truth, Twilight, I once feared that we were moving apart, since you have seemingly become more… distant. I have hence hesitated to let you leave Canterlot and stay in Ponyville.”

Twilight widened her eyes, and she found it difficult to find words. Was she too distant towards Celestia? Perhaps she did when she just departed Canterlot. She had been under the impression that being more professional and mature might impress her mentor. Plus, she had been unsure about how to face the princess after the events with the tome, which juxtaposed the impressions of the sun sovereign from an enthusiastic young mare with that from a jaded ancient tome. But those had long passed, and now she felt that she could talk with her mentor naturally again without feeling awkward.

Regardless, Celestia continued. “Fortunately, from both your heart-felt friendship letters, and our exchange just now, I realize that my fears were completely unfounded. And you’ve perhaps simply grown up.” She gently smiled

Twilight looked up to Celestia and smiled as well, but it soon turned into a slightly worried expression.

“What’s wrong, Twilight? Did I say anything inappropriate?” Celestia asked.

“Not at all, princess. I just want to tell you something after the Gala. It’s not something we can’t handle, but we want to inform you and seek your approval first.” Twilight said.

“Very well.” Celestia said. She figured that pressing Twilight to tell her now would be impolite and unproductive, so she decided to follow her wish and wait until the closing of the Gala.

“Then I must beg my leave, princess.” Twilight said, gesturing to the waiting guests from the steps below. 

“Thank you for your company tonight, it has been most pleasant.” She gently bowed.

Celestia watched the leaving figure of her faithful student, her thoughts went afar. But she had little time to carefully ponder, before the first guests started arriving in front of her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight galloped across the wide and decorated corridors of the Canterlot palace, forgoing any sense of decorum. Ponies gave strange gaze to the purple mare, but she simply evaded them and arrived at a large dark-blue door with two Lunar Guards. 

These bat-winged grey pegasi were a sub-group of the common pegasi. They originally lived in the caves of the Galloping Gorge next to Cloudsdale, but had long since integrated into the mainstream Equestrian society, primarily as security and soldiers for their fearsome look. They were once strongly associated with Princess Luna due to their preference for the dark caverns and the night. With the return of Luna, these ponies were again drafted into the newly-formed Lunar Guards.

“Halt!” The Lunar Guard on the left exclaimed, “This is Princess Luna’s inner sanctum, no pony was to enter without permission.”

“Greetings. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I have Princess Celestia’s approval to visit Princess Luna. I’d be grateful if you can tell the princess of my arrival.” Twilight said.

The guards looked at each other, and the other Lunar Guard nodded, “You’re Princess Celestia’s student, right? I’ve heard of you. I’ll go and inform Princess Luna.”

The guard went in, and shortly, a loud booming voice passed through even the thick door and walls. “Let our exalted guest come in!”

Twilight looked at the royal guards, gulped and then simply walked in. She arrived at a room dominated by dark blue and black, much like Luna’s coat. The moon princess was sitting at a pair of sash-laced chairs besides the window, looking out at the fireworks and the ponies attending the Gala.

“Salutations, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna loudly proclaimed. “Thou art a most welcoming sight, for it was thou who unleashed the powers of harmony upon us and took away our dark powers!”

“Salutations to you as well, Princess Luna.” Twilight ignored the ringing in her ears and put up her best smile. “Anyway, there is no need to address me, or any other ponies, in the Royal Canterlot Voice.”

“Is that so?!” Princess Luna boomed, then quickly said again with her normal voice. “Is that so?”

“Indeed, Princess. In fact, using the Royal Canterlot Voice or the royal ‘we’ is no longer a prerequisite for rulers to address their subjects.” Twilight explained. “And ponies nowadays might think their royal princess was outraged when they hear your raised voice.”

“We see!” Luna said, but then tutted her tongue for not being able to adjust.

“Just give it time.” Twilight smiled. “Old habits die hard.”

The purple mare walked towards an ancient painting of a stallion in the room. She closed her eyes and began to recite,

“Ye knowe ek that in forme of speeche is chaunge
Withinne a thousand yeer, and wordes tho
That hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straunge
Us thinketh hem, and yet thei spake hem so.”

“You know also that in the form of speech there is change
Within a thousand years, and words then
That had value, now wonderfully curious and strange
To us they seem, and yet they spoke them so.”

Luna widened her eyes, and slowly nodded. “Indede.” Luna said. “T’was a beautiful quote from The Canterlot Tales by Chancery Seal. Thou art truly a mare of immense learning. No wonder my sister spake so highly of thee.”

“I’m truly flattered.” Twilight said. “I’m very glad to see you, Princess Luna. But my main purpose here is not reminiscing.”

“Then pray tell, Twilight Sparkle, what hath brought you to my sanctum?”

“I’m here to help you adapt to the world after a thousand years.” Twilight said with forthrightness. “And you have already taken your first step.”

Luna raised her eyebrows. After a moment of silence, she asked with interest, “… Thou dost not fear me, why is that so?”

“I fear no evil.” Twilight said plainly. Before Luna objected, she immediately added, “Also, just because someone is ostensibly dark and intimidating, it does not mean she’s evil. My friends and I have reached out to many more who at first seemed difficult, but merely needed the fire of friendship to reach into their hearts.”

Twilight then smirked. “Besides, I have once knocked you on the throne of the Old Castle so hard, it cracked and broke into pieces. Knowing that it might have broken a bone or two, I must have the gall of a dragon to come back and find you.”

“’Tis but fool’s words!” Luna protested. “That had happened back when we… I was still under the dark thrall of the Nightmare. I am far from being so small-minded to pursue such a petty vendetta.”

The moon princess then grinned. “Thou art one audacious and brazen mare, art thou not?”

“Much obliged.” Twilight smiled. “You have showed the first joyful expression even since we met, isn’t it good to have some fun?”

“Fun?” Luna asked. “What is this ‘fun’ thou speakest of?”

“To make friends or to build love, we must make it so that others feel comfortable to be beside us.” Twilight slowly said. “And by making them feel amusement and joy from your company, it is the quickest way.”

Twilight then took out a wooden board and a bag from her saddlebag. She put the board on a desk and carefully unloaded the bag, revealing a pile of colored stones and two dices.

“Oh dear.” Luna exclaimed, “Was that the Game of Tables? How nostalgic! Celestia and I hadst played it frequently before our ascension.”

“Indeed, other things might change, like that the name of the game, but something never changes, like the fun of playing it.” Twilight grinned.

Twilight carefully set up the board and the stones, and extended her hoof towards Luna. “Shall we?”

Luna looked at the purple mare, and a smile slowly crept on her face. She sat down at the desk and started playing with Twilight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Twilight Sparkle, thou art a skillful player in the Game of Tables.” Luna said. “Thou hast triumphed over me almost as much as my beloved sister.”

“Nay, it was just luck. We can plan as much as we want, but once the die is cast, all plans go out of the window.” Twilight said. “Destiny likes to play tricks on ponies.”

Luna looked at Twilight amusedly. “Thou art a curious mare, dost thou know?”

Twilight thought of something momentarily and hesitated, but she quickly hid it with a grin. “That I am… Luna.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, and then chuckled. “Very well, Twilight.”

Twilight again casted her die. “Oh, I think destiny does not favor me this time.”

“Ha ha! Victory is mine!” Luna exclaimed, as she moved her last pieces into the pile.

“Well played, Luna.” Twilight smiled. 

“So, what is the meaning of our game?” Luna asked with a smirk, “I am sure thou hast some wisdom to impart with thy action.”

“I dare not call it wisdom.” Twilight shook her head. “But ponies nowadays are much more receptive to a sovereign who looks personable and affectionate. Sometimes a princess just have to lay down her decorum and throw herself to the masses to win hearts.”

Twilight then smiled. “You might have heard of the festivities that ponies now call Nightmare Night.”

“I do. T’was but a dreadful reminder of my past wrongdoings.” Luna said with frustration and sadness. “Ponies hid from each other and the Nightmare in fear and terror.”

“Not at all.” Twilight said. “Ponies do not relive their horror on the Nightmare Night. It is now simply a day for ponies to dress up in costumes and playfully play tricks on each other.”

“Is that true?” Luna asked suspiciously.

“Definitely.” Twilight said, “And ponies would love you much if you indulge them on their little play. When you arrive at Ponyville, I’d accompany you and try my best to help smooth everything out.”

Luna gazed at the purple mare, and eventually said. “I express my deepest appreciation, Twilight.”

“Am I not your friend, Luna?” Twilight suddenly asked.

“What? Of course thou art my much appreciated companion.” Luna said.

“Then there is no need for such ceremonious gratitude.” Twilight smiled. Her smile soon turned into a thoughtful gaze however, and she turned quiet.

Luna noticed the sudden silence between them, and asked, “What’s the matter, Twilight?”

Twilight continued to look Luna straight in the eyes. “There is much guilt in your eyes.”

“Of course...!” Luna gritted her teeth and lowered her head. “I had caused much untold suffering in Equestria by my sheer selfishness and jealousy.”

“Guilt is an indication of an active and healthy moral.” Twilight said. “But mortifying your mind with horrors will not help ponies in the past who suffered, nor will it help you bring joy and peace to ponies of now.”

“W—What dost thou mean?” Luna asked with surprise.

“You have been flagellating yourself with nightmares every night, have you not?” Twilight asked concernedly.

“How dost thou know?!” Luna raised her voice. “Could thou walk dreams of others like I do?”

“I have yet to master the intricacies of dream walking. I merely know that a dark presence was nearby in your mind, but it isn’t you.” Twilight said. “Your guilt balloon as your past actions chafe at your conscience. The creature of your nightmare might one day grow strong enough by feeding off your guilt and escape from your dreamscape into Equestria.”

Luna grimaced and again gritted her teeth. “The Tantabus… I created it to give myself the same nightmare every night... to punish myself for the evil I caused as Nightmare Moon!”

Twilight suddenly smiled, to the surprise of Luna, “If you just want somepony to regularly grumble at you, I volunteer to occupy that position if Celestia hasn’t already taken it.”

Luna again widened her eyes, and said with a defeated smile. “Twilight, thou keepest surprising me. Sometimes I just cannot help but think I was talking to my beloved sister, or at least someone as old and wise.”

Twilight couldn’t help but involuntarily gulped. She instead quickly said. “Can you simply disperse it? Penance should be done towards others, not the self.”

Luna looked at Twilight’s determined expression. She sighed, closed her eyes and lit her horn. Blue magic sparks spluttered and spread from her horn, and a light blue glow surrounded the moon princess.

However, she soon showed signs of strain. She inhaled deeply while gnashing her teeth, and panted heavily. After a while, her body jerked, and the magic glow suddenly ceased. Luna then simply collapsed on the floor.

“Luna!” Twilight exclaimed. “Are you alright?”

“I’m sorry, Twilight. It seemed that I have created a monster and I have no way to suppress it myself.” Luna knitted her brows heavily together and sighed, “I am no better now than I was then. My creation will turn the world into a living nightmare.”

“… How about I join you in a shared dream?” Twilight offered.

“What?” Luna asked.

“You’re not alone, Luna. Let me help you help yourself. You want to stop Tantabus, right?” Twilight said.

Luna went silent for a while, then slowly nodded. With some hesitation, she climbed onto her bed, shaped as a white crescent moon. She saw that Twilight walked towards a reclining couch in her room, and said. “What art thou doing, Twilight?”

Twilight turned with a bemused expression. “Um, sleep?”

“How can I let you sleep on the uncomfortable chair while I enjoy the silky softness of my mattress? Come forth.” Luna said.

Twilight’s face turned red. “P—Princess Luna, you don’t mean…?”

“Of course I mean laying with me.” Luna said, “What else would I refer to?”

Luna observed the skittish purple mare, and chuckled. “It seemed that our sagacious mare is embarrassed with this degree of intimacy. Very well, I—”

“No, I’m fine!” Twilight immediately said. “Just let me remove the cumbersome dress first.”

Twilight put the designer dress Rarity made for her on the couch, and then trotted to Luna’s bedside. With a hop and Luna’s help, she jumped into Luna’s own bed. It was indeed very snug and cozy. It was also filled with Luna’s scent, and she could feel the moon princess’s body pressing against her own.

Twilight swallowed her errant thoughts, and tried to concentrate on sleeping. Fortunately, she had just about enough mental discipline to ignore the physical distractions. And soon, she descended into a gentle sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The duo opened their eyes. They were in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Luna stood atop the elevated podium, while Twilight stood at the entrance to the throne room.

“Greetings, Tantabus. I am ready. Do your worst.” Luna grunted, as a bolt of dark energy materialized and blotted out the sun. The sky turned dark and a cloud of corruptive influence engulfed the moon princess, transforming her into the dreaded Nightmare Moon.

“Darn,” Twilight said. “Jumping right in aren’t we?”

“You foal!” Nightmare Moon growled. “I will destroy you for your disrespect and presumptuous arrogance!”

“Somepony just said she didn’t mind. All lies, it seems.” Twilight smirked.

“Silence!” Nightmare Moon howled, as she shot forth a bolt of dark magic blast. Twilight was caught off-guard with the immediate attack, and she was directly hit. She was blasted back and collide with the door. The door broke down and she proceeded to hit the wall of the corridor behind.

“Argh!” Twilight yelled. Something seemed to have broken in her left back leg, and a sharp pang of pain shot up like lightning. She cursed her foolishness for underestimating the difficulty of relieving Luna’s guilt.

“Now let me end you right here and now, so your defiant mouth couldn’t utter another contemptuous remark.” Nightmare Moon cruelly grinned, as she trotted close to the injured Twilight.

“Not so fast!” Twilight lit her horn, and a golden scepter materialized in her hoof. It was adorned with a red ruby at one end, and a ludicrous-looking miniature of Twilight’s head at the another end. It seemed too comical to be used as a realistic weapon.

Nightmare Moon laughed out loud. “Ha ha ha ha! Are you serious? This is the weapon of your choice? How farcical, much suiting to your own demise.”

“Hey! This was a replica of a gift from a friend. And yes, it might look a bit over-the-top, but wait till you try it before making a comment.” Twilight tried her best to grin despite the pulsing pain.

She struggled to stand up with her remaining good legs, and raised the head of the scepter towards Nightmare Moon. From the tiny horn on the scepter, a yellow light began to glow.

Twilight waved the scepter slightly, which caused the scepter to lengthen. The eyes on the grinning Twilight head of the scepter closed. 

Twilight then yelled at the top of her lungs. “Eat my blast, you knave!”

A glorious yellow and white beam, almost half as wide as the throne room, shot through from the head of the scepter and towards the stunned Nightmare Moon. Twilight herself was thrown back by the enormous recoil, and made an inadvertent back-flip before falling into a pile under the wall.

Nightmare Moon, however, was not spared the full power of the attack. She was entirely covered by the radiance of the magic blast, and was knocked straight back towards the podium and the two thrones. Then the beam reached her and the wall, obliterating half of the remaining structures of the old castle. The beam continued to fly forward, drawing an impressive up-curve into the sky, and directly towards the dark essence in front of the sun. It couldn’t even disperse before being straightly hit, and evaporated into nothingness.

The darkness that surrounded Luna disappeared immediately, and she fell from the middle of the sky like a rag-doll. Twilight bit her lip and teleported directly under Luna, preparing to make a damper for her fall using magic. However, she miscalculated the speed of fall, and the moon princess landed right on her back.

“Aorghgh—!” Twilight let out another incomprehensible sound, as her eyes rolled up from the shock of impact.

Luna groggily climbed up, feeling strangely well despite falling from so high. Then she looked down and saw the prostrate purple mare. “Oh my goodness! Are you alright, Twilight?!”

“H—” Twilight coughed and struggled to support herself. “… Halfway towards my maker, but otherwise fine.”

“Your leg!” Luna exclaimed, pointing at the purple mare’s leg, which was bent towards a strange angle.

Twilight grimaced. “Yeah, I know that this means I might walk funny for a while in real life too. No big deal.”

“Twilight…” Luna sadly frowned.

“Please, for the love of everypony, don’t feel bad about this. It’s my own choice to help you, and my own fault for underestimating it.” Twilight pled. “A second round with Tantabus isn’t too high on my wish list.”

Despite her better judgment, Luna couldn’t help but chuckle at Twilight’s cheekiness. She shook her head. “Twilight, I couldn’t understand you. How on Earth did you deal with Tantabus with brute force alone?”

“That was not brute force, Luna.” Twilight smiled, “Remember? I said the scepter was from a friend…” She trailed off for a while, “It simply contained my resolve for helping and protecting my loved ones.”

“But you must still be very adept at mind magic to concentrate such amount of raw power in the dream realm.” Luna said with a raised eyebrow.

‘… Couldn’t really hide from her, could I.’ Twilight thought, and said. “True, I have put a lot of efforts into studying mind magic and how pony mind works, in order to understand other ponies better and make more friends.”

“I see, no wonder you’re such a silver-tongued devil.” Luna grinned, seeming to buy into Twilight’s explanation.

Twilight silently sighed at relief, and said. “In any case, Tantabus was probably already much more weakened.”

“Hmm?” Luna was surprised.

“That means you’ve begun to trust me to believe I’m right, that Nightmare Moon is in the past and you are not the same pony that you were.” Twilight said. “Or I might have been much worse from the initial blast.”

Luna looked at the purple mare pensively but said nothing. 

“Luna, I have something else to ask of you. But we must first leave our dreams first, or we might run late.” Twilight said.

“Alright.” Luna casted another magic, and with a blink, they were back to the physical realm, cuddling on the bed together.

Twilight slinked away from the hug with embarrassment, then she left Luna’s bed and stood up. A phantom pain was still felt on her back and her leg, causing her to stumble slightly at first.

“Luna, I want you to come with me and go to the Gala.” Twilight said, and gestured to the festivities below. The ponies responsible for the upcoming banquet was on stand-by next to the main castle, awaiting the immediate closing of the ball dance.

“What? I… The ponies wouldn’t be…” Luna hesitated.

“Don’t worry, you don’t need to force yourself to mingle just yet if you’re not comfortable with it.” Twilight said. “My friends and I have arranged something and we simply want to invite you to come and see.”

Luna gulped, but she eventually smiled and nodded. “Very well, I’ll go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight and Luna exited the room and walked towards the main castle where the Gala was being held. Ponies gawked at Twilight, who was walking with a strange limp, and the reclusive Princess Luna, who had previously declined her sister’s invitation to attend the Gala.

They ignored the gazes from the passers-by, but Luna was visibly uncomfortable with the probing eyes from the ponies. They arrived at the main castle, where Celestia was still greeting the guests that was streaming into the feasting halls.

Celestia saw Twilight and Luna, and her eyes widened in surprise. When the two trotted up the stairs and finally reached her, Celestia asked. 

“Luna! My little sister, what have brought you to the Gala? I thought you said you don’t want to attend?”

Twilight walked forward, but she accidentally pressed her back leg too hard, and stumbled forward. She was spared the ignominy of planting her face into the floor in public only by Luna’s helping hooves.

“Twilight! What happened to your leg?” Celestia exclaimed.

Twilight said awkwardly. “Wall accident.” 

Luna looked at Twilight with a raised eyebrow, but she eventually also nodded, “Twilight Sparkle and her friends have graciously invited me to witness a performance at the Gala, and I accepted their invitation. So here I am.”

Celestia looked at Luna, and then Twilight. She seemed to have sensed some changes in Luna’s demeanor, and brightly smiled. “Very well then, I’m more than glad to have my beloved sister beside me tonight.”

The servant ponies in the castle were busy setting up the tables below for the banquet, and many of the guests had already sat down in the decorated hall. The three of them talked for a short while, then the princesses had to be seated at one of the table with the most distinguished dignitaries from Equestria and beyond. Twilight excused herself just when the master griffon chef Gustave le Grand introduced his newest cake to the princesses.

She went to look for Pinkie and Rainbow to see how their preparation for the promenade performance went. But she spotted Rarity and Fluttershy sitting at one of the tables below.

“Oh hello Twilight,” Fluttershy said, “We’ve been wondering if you have to stay with the princesses above.”

“Don’t worry, my task there is done.” Twilight said. “I’ve just want to check with Pinkie to see if the performance goes well.”

“Pinkie and Rainbow are already in positions, see?” Rarity pointed towards the orchestra, where Pinkie was busy setting up the sound systems nearby. “We will only need to come out when the banquet is over.”

“Twilight,” Fluttershy asked with concern in her eyes, “Are you okay? I saw you limp a bit when you walked.”

“Just a minor altercation with Luna’s nightmare.” Twilight shrugged.

“Twilight?!” Fluttershy gasped, “You went to fight with Tantabus by yourself?”

“And Luna agreed?” Rarity was bemused. “A blind pony could see that you have a death wish.”

“You underestimated my tact, Rarity. I’m disappointed.” Twilight smirked. “Tantabus is much weaker compared to what it could become later. And I of course told her to try to deal with it herself. Only when it failed, I dived in. I also tried my best to soothe her guilt before I tried my hoof.”

Twilight then sat at an empty seat next to the two mares. “What about you two?”

“Mr. Greenhooves took me around the Royal Garden, and he helped me spot a lot of rare species today.” Fluttershy said with a satisfied smile.

“Pinkie and I danced with Spike, and everything went quite well.”

“I guess this is an acceptable night?” Twilight grinned, to which the two mares smilingly nodded.

Suddenly, a familiar voice with a metropolitan accent was heard from behind, “Would the esteemed ladies be interested in some of our high-quality pommeau, or Calvados?”

The mares turned, and saw a grinning Applejack holding several bottles of wine.

“Applejack! How goes your night?” Twilight asked.

“Not bad, I got to know some fancy ponies who are interested in buying our wine and cider by bulk,” Applejack said, “And I’ve dealt with Prince Blueblood, hopefully once and for all.”

“What, you bucked him into a gutter?” Twilight asked.

Rarity snickered again, while Applejack simply rolled her eyes up. 

Suddenly, a growling sound was heard from Twilight’s stomach. She blushed and looked around. Fortunately no pony had noticed, except the three mares in front of her, who were snickering.

“Twilight.” Rarity said in between giggles. “You will need some food in your belly, we have to join Pinkie later.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The banquet was drawing to a close, as many ponies have left their tables and casually chatting with other guests. Servants swiftly cleared the tables.

Suddenly, a voice reverberated through the entire Gala venue. “Greetings, ladies and gentlecolts. I’m your mistress of extra ceremonies today, Pinkamena Diane Pie. To expedite the enjoyment of our honored guests, we have arranged some after-meal performance. Please pay attention towards the sky outside the French windows.”

The attending ponies watched out of the giant window panes that surrounded them. Suddenly, booming music echoed across the entire feasting hall, and a tuneful and strong rhythm emanated from the speakers that were placed at the corners. With each forceful leap in melody, the resonant tune made the listeners in the hall feel a swell of emotion in their breasts.

Twilight and her friends joined Pinkie in the front of the orchestra. With the introduction gradually coming to an end, the chorus burst forth, and the mares sang aloud.

“Land of hope and good will,
bounded by our love,
Harmony be thy key,
to the stars above.
Unity and magic,
duo of holy gems,
Stars of solemn brightness,
weave thy diadems!”

The crowds were amazed at the poetic and arousing song, as they couldn’t help but join in and hum the tunes. Then the lights in the feasting hall dimmed, and a number of spotlights outside the windows focused on one cyan mare.

The mare then took flight from the garden, and to the guests’ surprise, she was carrying two giant banners, one of Princess Celestia’s, and another of Princess Luna’s. She flew rapidly around the castle, forming a twin trail of light yellow and blue. Then she swiftly hang the banners in front of the castle, and did something with her wings.

Glimmering lights flickered on the cyan mare, and with her again taking flight, it was as if a thick white trail of shooting stars was adorning the night sky.

“Though thy way be darkened,
still in splendour drest,
As the star that trembles
o'er the seas abreast.
Throned amid the billows,
throned inviolate,
Thou hast reigned victorious,
thou hast smiled at fate!”

As the last beat of the drum fell, the mares finished their stirring anthem. Rainbow Dash flew in and landed beside the singers. The entire hall erupted with thunderous applause and cheers for their beloved and celebrated nation.

“Thank you ladies and gentlecolts. To welcome the return of Princess Luna, we have prepared another solemn hymn. Now please.”

The mares again stepped forward, and a grand and dignified music began to play.

“Long live our land, Equestria, 
and preserve our sovereigns! 
In the faith that is their support,
may they govern with acclaim. 
Let us defend their great garlands 
that adorn their royal manes. 
May the dual thrones of our homeland,
always be twined with their names.”

This time, the listening ponies stood up in ovation, and the mares bowed to return their thanks. The Great Galloping Gala this year has drawn to a close, but this year it ended in a rare high, as even the most etiquette-abiding of ponies cheered for the expression of love towards their homeland.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The princesses, Mane Six and Spike had withdrawn to the Donut Joe’s, as the servants were busy cleaning up the venue and returning it to its previous pristine state. Most other upper-class ponies went home directly after the Gala, and they all sat at a giant round table in the largely empty canteen.

“Where do you learn to speak that way, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash asked, “You sounded like a real trained emcee!”

“Don’t misunderestimate me, Dashie, I’m a properly educated mare!” Pinkie Pie huffed.

“Um,” Fluttershy quietly reminded, “It should be ‘underestimate’, not ‘misunderestimate’.”

The group giggled. Twilight spoke up after the laughter died down, “Princess Celestia, we unfortunately failed to sabotage the Gala as per your royal wish. Would we be punished for not ‘livening up’ the event?” She smirked lightly.

“Sabotage?” Luna asked. “Why would you or my sister want to ruin the Gala?”

Celestia blushed a bit sheepishly, and said. “Luna, I’ve always thought that the Grand Galloping Gala was horribly dull. So I invited Twilight and her friends in the hope that they might be able to, um…”

“Ruin the whole thing altogether for a laugh?” Rainbow Dash grinned, “I might be on board if it is specifically requested.”

“Oh me too me too!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Spike sat there with round eyes, he couldn’t believe that his respected sun princess was such a playful and mischievous pony.

“Regardless, I am over-thrilled by your heart-tugging performances at the end of the Gala.” Celestia smiled. “That makes all the boring reception worth it.”

“Indeed.” Luna added. “I am deeply honored and thankful for the adoration, dignity and respect conveyed by your songs.”

“We’re truly glad that you like it, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna.” Twilight smiled. “We’re even more delighted that the ponies seemed to receive the mention of Princess Luna’s return in our verses very well.”

Princess Luna blushed, and she lowered her head for a bit. Celestia turned to her little sister and smiled, “Very true, I’m also very thankful that Twilight and her friends have the heart to ease Luna’s re-entry into Equestrian society, and pleased that it went well.”

“That is truly a joyous occasion.” Twilight then sighed. “I hate to be a wet blanket, but I must now tell all of you one of my biggest worries.”

“Is this the one thing you mentioned at the beginning of the Gala?” Celestia asked.

“Yes.” Twilight paused for a breath, and then said, “Discord may soon return.”

The princess widened their eyes in surprise, and Luna let out a small gasp. The mares already knew, but feigned some surprise as well. 

Only Spike was clueless about who Discord was. “Um, who’s this Discord fella?”

Twilight frowned. “Spike, have you been skipping on revision again? I clearly told you who he was when you were reading the Ancient History.”

“Spike was already working very hard. Spare him this time, please?” Pinkie Pie pled with watery eyes, giving a sense of déjà vu to Twilight.

“Indeed.” Celestia lightly chuckled, but she then immediately frowned. “Discord is the mischievous spirit of disharmony. Before my sister and I stood up to him, he ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest and unhappiness. Luna and I saw how miserable life was for Earth ponies, Pegasi, and unicorns alike, so after discovering the Elements of Harmony, we combined our powers and rose up against him, turning him to stone.”

“Why are you worried about Discord’s return, Twilight?” Luna asked. “The spell my sister and I casted should be able to keep him contained forever.”

Twilight momentarily sighed at the implication of the word ‘forever’, but she then said. “Unfortunately, according to my research into the Elements. There is a very real possibility that he will soon break free. As Princess Celestia and you are no longer connected to the Elements, the spell will quickly weaken and soon be broken.”

“So what are we waiting for?” Spike said, “Let’s grab the Elements and reapply the spell!”

Twilight scratched her face. “Well, here’s my plan though...” She paused for a long time. “I want to reform Discord.”

“What?!” Luna shouted, inadvertently using the Royal Canterlot Voice again. Celestia was also stunned by Twilight’s suggestion, as she raised her eyebrows and looked at Twilight squarely in her eyes.

“Please don’t be alarmed, I’m sure that the magic of friendship will prevail.” Twilight defended, but came up a little bit weak.

“This is folly, Twilight Sparkle!” Luna said. “He created serious havoc upon the ponies until we subdued him with the Elements!”

“Yes, Twilight!” Spike also said. “How will we ever control him?! He is a spirit of chaos!”

“… Have anyone here ever consider the possibility that he just need a friend?” Fluttershy suggested.

Celestia looked at the yellow mare with surprise, as she tapped her chin and pondered. Luna’s objection was also stopped by the suggestion that Discord was simply lonely, since it was something that never really crossed her mind, and also something that was close to home.

“Remember.” Twilight said. “We have the Elements of Harmony that can be used when things get out of control.”

“… True, if Discord can be reformed to serve good instead of evil, his magic will be of great use.” Celestia eventually said.

“Sister!” Luna exclaimed, “You can’t be serious, he—”

“Luna.” Twilight said plainly. “Do you not trust me?”

Celestia raised a brow at the intimate form of address, and Luna turned and looked at Twilight with wide eyes. She knitted her brows tight and gritted her teeth, but she eventually sighed and said. “I trust you, Twilight, but this will be a dangerous task.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I have my trusty bunch of friends to help me, remember?” Twilight smiled, to which her friends cheered together. “Reforming Discord might not be easy, but it would be worth it.”

“Very well.” Luna was defeated by the confidence exulting from the purple mare’s words.

“I grant you permission to obtain the Elements from the Canterlot Tower.” Celestia said. “But be careful, for Discord was a slippery and unpredictable foe, and his chaos magic is truly potent.”

“We will, princess.” Twilight said. “Hopefully, by the next time we met, we shall be seeing you with a new friend.”

> Chapter 16 – In Discord We Trust
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was midnight, the moon stood tall at the zenith of the sky. The Mane Six stood at the Canterlot Sculpture Garden with serious expressions. Although it was late at night, they were barely sleepy from their excitement. Spike, though, was too afraid to face the ancient chaos spirit, so Celestia took him in for the night. 

The mares wore their respective Element of Magic. The magical glow from each of the jewelries converged on Twilight, and combined into a giant rainbow. The multi-colored light struck the statue of Discord, briefly illuminating the whole garden.

“Oh! Ooh! Ooooh!” Discord yelled and yawned, “Well, it's about time somepony got me out of that prison block. What a relief!”

Twilight trotted up towards the spirit of chaos, “Greetings, Discord, I’m Twilight Sparkle. We have the princesses’ permission to free you, if you can become our friend and consider using your chaos magic to assist us for the good of the realm.”

“Ho ho ho! You know what else is adorable? You ponies truly believe that you can reform me, and that you're putting so much faith into it. Makes me wanna pinch your little horsey cheeks...” Discord blew a raspberry towards the mares. He casually snapped a finger, and a snake in the bush nearby ballooned up and floated in the air.

“Well, pinch away. True friend doesn’t mind a small pinch.” Twilight smiled. “We’re serious. We want to be your friends, I want to be your friend, Discord.”

Discord then actually went over to Twilight and pinched her cheek. He pinched it so hard that it made Twilight wince and her cheek reddened. But then the spirit of chaos slinked away and floated in mid-air afar.

“Friends? Friends? You ponies say you want to make friends with me?” Discord held his belly and laughed. “You know what friends also do? They turn their friend into stone and encase him for a thousand years! Oh wait, only Celestia and Luna do that.”

“It was wrong for the princesses to simply turn you into stone and not thinking of a more benevolent way.” Fluttershy said, causing the chaos spirit to raise an eyebrow.

“Indeed, as the first sign of friendship and trust, we vow to never use the Elements on you.” Twilight said, as all the mares took down and lay the Elements on the ground, “Friends do not hurt friends.”

Discord looked at the submissive mares, he silently pondered. Was this a mere trick to earn his trust? It surely was, he didn’t trust these shifty ponies a bit.

“Pfft, what a lame and boring display. Your tricks are all but transparent in front of me, the master of tricks himself.” 

“There’s no trick!” Twilight stressed. “I- I promise to hide away the Elements at a place of your choosing so that they could not be used against you.”

The other mares gasped at Twilight’s promise. Rainbow Dash said in a hush. “Twi! The Elements are our lifeline!”

“Yeah! Think of all the hurt and trouble we’ve gone through just t’ activate them!” Applejack added in worry.

Twilight winced at the implied harm towards her friends, but she said resolutely. “I insist. This is the only way he can feel safe around us.”

Twilight then turned towards the chaos spirit. “I cannot stand using the Elements to encase someone, anyone in stone. Not now, not ever.”

Discord looked at the purple mare for a long time, then he suddenly cackled. “Nice acting. Don’t pretend you didn’t add some charms onto the Elements.”

“There’s actually no charm, despite what I said to the princesses.” 

Twilight briefly wondered how the chaos spirit knew or guessed what she told Celestia, but she figured that honesty was the best policy. “You can try it out yourself to see if you can cast a spell on them and hide them away.”

Discord slowly extended his arms and snapped his fingers. To his utter surprise, his spell successfully magicked the Elements away.

“Ha… Ha ha ha!” Discord guffawed. “You naïve mares, you gave up on your only way to suppress me. Now chaos shall reign supreme again! Hah, let me think where do I build the new Chaos capital?”

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as she began to fear the purple mare was not thinking rationally and overly relied on the chaos spirit’s probably non-existent good will. Still, she said with a serious voice. “… Discord, we still want to be your friend.” 

“Rainbow’s right, we only want to be yer buddies.” Applejack said with a slightly nervous chuckle.

“Please spare some thoughts for your friends and don’t turn the world upside down for now.” Rarity pled.

“Pluh-lease?” Pinkie Pie added.

“Who cares? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.” Discord shrugged. “I'm Discord, the master of chaos! You think you can boss Discord around?”

Discord then grinned, “I will first deal with the most naïve of you all.” He closed in on Twilight Sparkle. She at first widened her eyes slightly at the sudden approach, but then simply smiled.

“Do it if that’s what you want, Discord.” Twilight gently said. “I shall always have an extended hoof for you, so do my friends.”

Discord gulped, he never had anyone talked to him with such affection and respect. But he shook away the confusing thoughts, and grinned widely. “Let’s see what your adorable face would say after my little dose of chaos magic.”

Discord gritted his teeth and leaned in close to Twilight’s eyes. Her friends looked on worriedly but did not come forth and stop him. Discord was slightly taken aback that he felt a strong resistance during his invasion of the purple mare’s mind, but what’s even more surprising to him, was that the resistance suddenly disappeared, as if Twilight opened the door for him herself. 

In any case, Twilight stood in front of Discord, her mouth slightly agape. Her eyes was turned into concentric circles of colors, as she went disoriented. The color of her coat gradually turned gray, and her head lowered.

“Rise and shine, our new Twilight Sparkle.” Discord grinned. “Tell me, how do you feel? Oh, this is going to be so much fun.”

Twilight opened her eyes and looked at the chaos spirit in front of her. Her pupil shrank to a pin, as she took a step back. “Who are you?!”

She looked to her worried friends, and gasped even louder. “Who are any of you?! What’s this place?!”

Discord was truly shocked for a moment. His magic should have turned Twilight into the opposite of her true self. He kind of expected a Twilight with some sort of vicious streak, but definitely not a fearful pony who couldn’t recognize him or any of her friends.

“Twilight…!” Rainbow Dash wanted to fly forth, but she was stopped by Applejack biting her tail. 

Applejack let go of the cyan mare’s tail, and said with a sigh. “Let Twilight handle this, I’m… I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.”

“Twilight, the fun hasn—” Discord said. “Wait, where are you going?”

The utterly terrified purple mare tried to run away from the horrifying chimera of a creature. Her mind was completely confused. One moment ago she was still sulking for her last failed examination under the gentle sunlight, and now she was suddenly in the dark, faced with a monster and surrounded by mares that she was never seen before. She was never good at being around other ponies, and being thrusted into this spine-chilling confrontation did her no help.

She ignored the call from the strange creature, and simply wanted to escape from this situation and the eerie creature with the head of a pony but an eclectic mix of all other animals on his body. She raised her head and saw the Ivory Tower in a distance, she decided to gallop at full speed. But after the initial rush of adrenaline, she suddenly felt a strong twang of pain on her back and her back leg, causing her to stumble and fall, hitting her head on a protruding stone on the pavement.

Twilight was dazed from the impact. Confusion and fear reigned in her mind. She laid on the ground and could barely move. She thought of her beloved mentor, her parents, her dear big brother and even her baby dragon, and hoped that one of them would miraculously appear and rescue her out of this nightmare. She was so distressed that she didn’t even notice that blood was streaming down her face from a gnash on her forehead, as she struggled to stand up and gasped for air like a drowning pony.

Discord merely observed, and he teleported in front of the purple mare to take a closer look. Seeing that the strange creature had the power of instant teleportation, she was almost pushed beyond her limit of fright. She wheezed and coughed, tears went all over her face, as she tried all her might to back up from him to no avail.

He looked down on Twilight. Was this his idea of fun? That didn’t seem so. He was just pointlessly torturing a mare who a few minutes ago cheerfully proclaimed that she wanted to be his friend. And why was that she acted like this after he flipped her nature anyway? He couldn’t ask because the mare in front of him clearly couldn’t answer. Frustration, and strangely, a sliver of sadness, began to take root in the draconequus’s mind, as he struggled to comprehend what was happening to him and the purple pony.

The mares, even the initially reluctant Applejack, finally could not bear it. They trotted together towards Discord and Twilight.

Discord turned and narrowed his eyes. “What? Do you ponies want to scold me for hurting your dear little-widdle Twilight? Watch out, I might make you all downside-up like she did!”

“No, Discord.” Fluttershy tried hard to suppress her tears. She sniffled and said, “Twilight wanted to be your friend, just as we do, and she chose to be subjected to your chaos magic by her own volition. We’re not going to ask you to reverse your magic, or spare Twilight, we simply hope that you can remember what Twilight said to you before this.”

‘I want to be your friend, Discord.’

‘Friends do not hurt friends.’

‘I shall always have an extended hoof for you.’

‘What is it?’ Discord deeply frowned, as he felt a strange pang of remorse for the hurt he had caused to Twilight. Why? Playing with ponies should be all fun and no guilt. Discord looked at Twilight, who had simply whimpered and wailed in front of him, and he suddenly found it hard to keep looking. 

He could not quite understand what’s going on, or what had taken over him, but he could not take it anymore. He hastily snapped his finger, and the circles of color again appeared in the purple mare’s eyes. A drop of tears fell from the corner of her eye, and the purple mare simply collapsed on the ground like a marionette with lines cut. However, her coat started to return to the original color.

“… Thank you.” Fluttershy lowered her head and quietly said to the chaos spirit, as the other mares dashed forward and surrounded Twilight.

“Twilight! Are you alright?!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

“What happened to ya?” Applejack asked.

“Can you recognize us?” Pinkie asked worriedly.

“… I—Argh!” Twilight groggily woke up and yelped in pain. “Dang, silly panicking me.”

She casted a spell and temporarily stopped her forehead wound from bleeding. Then she stood up shakily with the help of her friends. 

“N—” Twilight coughed, and wiped away the tear trails on her cheek. “… Now, do you trust me that I’m earnest and sincere enough to make friend with?”

Twilight limped towards Discord, who for some reason backed off for a bit. 

“Or do you want to do it again?” Twilight smirked, but then winced at her wound, “Some ordeal that was, but I’m willing to undergo it again if it means making friend with you.”

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and suddenly stepped forward. “It should be my turn. I’m not afraid of it as well, if I’m to become a true friend, I can take whatever it takes.” 

“So am I.” Applejack stepped up as well.

“So are we.” The other mares said together.

Discord was stupefied at the bullheaded insistence from Twilight and her friends, 

“Why do you all so want to make me your friend? I’m Discord, the master of chaos! I had ruled the entire Equestria with ultimate disharmony before your silly little princesses did!” Discord almost yelled, then turned to Twilight. “And what’s up with you acting like you forgot everyone anyway!”

Twilight winced and looked to the side. “It was not an act! You merely reverted me back to…” Twilight hesitated for a bit, then said. “… when I still had no idea what the magic of friendship is.”

Twilight knew that at the bottom of his heart, Discord was just as lonely as the ancient tome. She could never be so heartless not to extend a hoof of friendship to someone who had endured a millennium of solitude, not the ancient tome, not Luna, and not Discord. 

She elevated her hoof towards the spirit of chaos, and said. “But now, I know what friendship means to me, and I just want to give the flame of friendship to you, just as my friends have ignited in my heart.” 

Twilight then brightly grinned. “Besides, you have pinched my cheek. That already made you into my friend!”

Discord widened his eyes and protested. “Hey! You said it makes us friends, not me! Please, do you think that I have such bad memories?” 

He crossed his arms and huffed. He then rode on the giant balloon snake. “You mares are crazy… You know what? I’m going to leave and build my own empire of Chaos somewhere else. Toodles!”

Twilight immediately grabbed the arm of Discord. The chaos spirit slightly flinched, as he was unused to touch from someone else. 

“Ha ha! The spirit of chaos calling us ‘crazy’?” Rainbow Dash laughed. “Isn’t that like Pinkie telling off somepony for eating too much sweets?”

“Hey!” Pinkie protested, but couldn’t quite think of a way to defend herself.

“Please don’t go.” Fluttershy pled with a soft gaze. “You’re needed among us.”

“You aren’t going anywhere without me.” Twilight smiled wryly. “You still owe me a pinch on the face.”

Discord unconsciously touched his face with his claws, then shook his head vigorously. Just when he was about to offer up another protest, he was interrupted by Applejack.

“Discord.” Applejack looked at the chaos spirit directly in the eyes. “Ah know that yer probably not used to the whole idea of ‘bein’ reformed’, with its restrictions and havin’ t’ do good and whatnot. But we will stand by you so long as you stand by us.”

“Will you give us a chance?” Rarity asked.

Discord narrowed his eyes and looked at the bunch of mares, who were all looking at him expectantly. 

“Are you serious about hiding away the Elements after this?” Discord asked. “I cannot feel safe with the petrifier always sitting nearby, you know.”

She said. “Yes, I promise. Pinkie, I Pinkie Promise I’ll hide the Elements and never use them against you.”

He finally threw up his arms in defeat and said, “Fine, fine, whatever. I’ll be your frie—”

Discord hadn’t even finished his sentence, and he was suddenly attacked from all sides with hugs from the mares. He momentarily felt a warmth in his heart he never experienced before, but then he immediately protested. “Yuck, yuck! Get off me you sappy little ponies!”

“Sorry.” Twilight sheepishly smiled, as the mares slinked away skittishly.

Discord huffed, “I must clarify, while I, the high overlord of chaos, am partial to the idea of associating with you ponies, I am not entirely okay with the idea of ‘reforming’.”

“Too boring?” Twilight suggested. “We have loads of games in the library. You’re always welcome to join our sessions.”

“Besides, you don’t have to force yourself to become all good all of a sudden.” Fluttershy said. “Just, um, do good most of the time and spare a few thoughts for others.”

Discord frowned, and then he shrugged in defeat. “I guess when you have friends, you can't always have things exactly your way all the time, eh?”

“Excellent!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “You know what this calls for, a par—”

Pinkie’s grand announcement was interrupted by a giant yawn, which had infected all other mares as well. Even the spirit of chaos himself couldn’t help but cover his mouth and stretch his arms a bit.

“I ask you mares.” Discord grimaced. “Why must you choose this unholy hour to do your dirty work?”

“Eh, Luna will not like this little remark.” Twilight smiled awkwardly.

“Pfft, who cares about that stuck-up no-fun and her highfaluting sister.” Discord blew another raspberry. “They caused the whole ‘encased-in-stone-for-a-thousand-years’ scenario to begin with, you know.”

“Well, to be frank.” Rainbow Dash said. “Luna kind of accompanied you shortly thereafter, just on the moon thousands of miles away.”

“Bwahaha!” Discord laughed. “Your humor is dark, rainbow mane, I like it.”

“We’re really sad that you have to endure being trapped in stone.” Rarity said.

“But think of it the other way!” Pinkie Pie grinned. “We wouldn’t have met like this if things were different!”

“Indeed, I’m simply glad that you agreed to be our friend. And you wanna know why we casted the spell now?” Twilight smiled. “Because we simply can’t wait after we got the princesses’ approval. An hour earlier is an hour longer with our new friend.”

“Um, sorry to be the mood-killer.” Applejack looked around and said. “But Discord, can you give us the Elements back now? We don’t want the princesses to get suspicious y’know.”

Discord groaned, but he obliged and snapped his fingers. After a flash, the Elements appeared in a pile before Twilight. She picked them up and tucked them snugly in her saddlebag.

“As I said, we will return the Elements to the Tree of Harmony. This is as one more proof for the commitment to our vow, and also to stabilize its power of sustenance.” Twilight said. “But the princesses would not like it, because it means one less powerful weapon in our arsenal. Therefore, besides having to do it in secret, I must ask you to help us out in any future major altercations, so that the need to use the Elements will not arise and the Princesses will not suspect us.”

Discord narrowed one of his eyes, and then smirked. “You’re one naughty mare, aren’t you?”

Twilight blushed for a second, and then smiled. “If telling a harmless lie means one more friend, then so be it.”

“You have a funny definition of ‘harmless’.” Discord said slyly. “We’ll see.”

“Anyway.” Rarity raised her voice. “It is getting really late. We should go back to the castle now and go tell the princesses tomorrow morning about our… diplomatic overture.”

“And the upcoming welcoming party for our newest friend, Discord!” Pinkie Pie said. “I’ll prepare lots and lots of cotton candy and chocolate!”

“Twilight.” Rainbow Dash said. “You should also quickly get your wound cleaned. Probably wash your face as well, your look can now rival some of the best Nightmare Night costumes.”

“Fine, gee, Rainbow.” Twilight said. “And uh, Discord.”

“Mm?” Discord raised an eyebrow.

“I think it might cause some undue alarm if you suddenly appear inside the main castle.” Twilight said. “So how about you stay with me tonight in my old residence in the Ivory Tower?” 

“Meh, whatever.” Discord casually shrugged.

“By the way.” Twilight whistled and pointed towards the balloon snake.

Discord rolled his eyes at her, and snapped his fingers. The snake deflated, fell into the bushes and scampered away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The night was deep, and only a sliver of moonlight shone through to the top floor of the Ivory Tower from the balcony. 

Despite Twilight’s leave to Ponyville, Celestia still ordered the maids and servants to maintain the place and kept it pristine, initially to prepare for her imminent return, but nowadays just as a gesture of love towards her student.

Twilight already slept on a fainting couch. She insisted to let Discord have her bigger and more comfy bed, despite the lack of need for the draconequus to sleep. The white light of the stars and the moon illuminated Discord’s face, as he quietly observed the sleeping mare. She was so peaceful and content, her lips curling up from the satisfaction of making a new friend. He could even hear her sometimes murmur some proclamations of affection in her sleep, causing him to slightly gulp.

This was a far cry from what Twilight was like under his spell. Of course there had to be a big difference, or it wouldn’t be a spell of nature reversal. But why on Earth did the spell cause amnesia instead of personality flip? 

He still didn’t know. Twilight of the past seemed to be so fearful and meek, but she now was such a self-assured and dauntless mare. That kind of matched the spell’s effects, but it still left a lot to be answered.

What had happened in between? Was it just because she made some friends? That alone shouldn’t have interacted with his chaos magic. There must be some deeper, more nefarious force in action.

Discord widened his eyes. Was Twilight Sparkle deceiving him after all? Was she hiding something from him? Was she not the mare she claimed to be? 

Come to think of it, Discord did sense an unnaturally large concentration of mind magic when he decided to cast his hypnotic spell on Twilight, but it was tugged away so quickly that he could not determine its nature. But in any case, even if Twilight was a really talented unicorn, such a strong and yet controlled mental barrier wasn’t quite possible for someone so young and inexperienced to cast forth. Maybe the Royal Sisters, or some selected residents in Tartarus, but not such a young mare.

He was conflicted right now. Having new friends have made him much relieved, and even feel a flicker of joy, although he would hardly admit it. But still, the doubts in his heart ate away at him.

He decided to look for the answer himself. He slowly walked towards the sleeping mare, and leaned in close to Twilight’s face. He glanced at her calm expression, and carefully lowered his head. Just when his deer horn was going to come in touch with Twilight’s, Twilight’s eyes suddenly went open, shocking the chaos spirit onto a few steps backwards.

The purple mare let out of yawn. “… Did someone want in on some intimate actions?” 

Twilight rubbed her eyes and slowly realized the entendre herself, which caused her face to redden a bit. 

As for Discord, his eyes were wide open, and he couldn’t help but pant slightly. He then grinned. “I don’t know how you did it, but you tricked me. Well played, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh, I didn’t trick you.” Twilight let out another yawn and stretched her legs. “I just know it when a friend close in on me.”

“Oh please, do you actually believe that I would buy into that?” Discord scoffed. “What do you think I am, a gullible foal?”

“Fine. The truth was, I was not in a deep sleep anyway, as I’m just too happy and excited that we’re now friends.” Twilight smiled. “You’re special to me, so are my other friends.”

“Why am I so special to you? We literally just met!” Discord asked in suspicion.

Twilight bit her lips and looked aside. She thought of her almost obsessive pursuit for those she longed to befriend. The golden scepter that had once seemed so ridiculous and demeaning, now simply made her heart tender. But she could never reveal the true reason of her obsession, so she just hid her hesitation behind a grin and said. “I don’t know, I just feel that we are connected somehow.”

Discord narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, evidently not convinced.

“I promise you.” Twilight lowered her head and said. “What I said about wanting to be your friend is true and sincere, no matter the reason.”

She stood up from the couch, and extended her hooves. “I like you. Even if you did touch my horn, cast your spells, and reach to the deepest of my mind, you would still only find that I’m truthful, when I said I care for you and want to make you my friend.”

Twilight then embraced the draconequus. Discord froze for a moment, then gradually softened up. He unconsciously put his claws on the purple mare’s back, as he tried to savor the little moment of intimacy without misgivings for once.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The reception hall of the Canterlot Main Castle was converted into a mini party venue, as Pinkie Pie busily set up the place with high chocolate fountains and hanging cotton candies, calling it a Discordian-themed party.

The Mane Six were in various levels of sleep deprivation, but Twilight was the worst. She could barely see what was in front of her clearly sometimes, and she accidentally bumped into Pinkie Pie’s puffy mane when she was holding a tray of cotton candies. Twilight was jolted awake by the attack of strong sweet scent, but Pinkie Pie lost her balance. Fortunately, Spike was there to rescue, and successfully caught the tray mid-air with an impressive acrobatic jump.

“Oh dear.” Twilight said. “I’m so sorry, Pinkie.”

“No worries, Twilight.” Pinkie Pie smiled. “Our dearie Spike saved the day!”

Spike put down the tray, scratched his head and grinned. But then he raised an eyebrow and asked. “Why did you release Discord in midnight? Couldn’t you just wait for the morning?”

“Hehe.” Twilight chuckled. “We couldn’t wait. Besides, if we do it in the day, there might be visitors that come by, it would be at best awkward, and at worst dangerous.”

Spike shrugged. That was when the spirit of chaos himself came by. “Dangerous? Oh, how hurtful! I merely want to bring the world some zing with my delightful chaos.”

Spike widened his eyes and gasped, he quickly hid behind the purple mare. Twilight looked at Spike and smilingly shook her head. “Spike, you don’t have to fear Discord, he’s our friend now.”

She then turned to the huffing chaos spirit. “Now, not all ponies are completely at ease with the idea of being messed in the head.” Twilight said with a grin, and touched the bandage on her head unconsciously.

Spike exclaimed. “What?! He messed with your head? Did you forget anything? Did he make you his thrall? Oh dear, I must tell—”

Twilight rolled her eyes up. She interrupted Spike. “I’m fine. I just tripped on the road and hit my head slightly, don’t worry. Now, be a brave dragon and stop panicking.”

Just then, the two royal sisters strolled in the room. Celestia observed the draconequus for a long time and nodded in satisfaction. Luna simply glared at Discord like she met a devil in broad day light.

“My most faithful student, I must congratulate you and your friends on your good work.” Celestia smiled. “I definitely sense a big change in Discord. I'll leave the Elements of Harmony with you, Twilight. Just in case.”

Twilight smiled, but secretly exhaled in relief. “Thank you for your trust in our abilities.”

“Are you alright, Twilight?” Luna asked worriedly. “You are hurt on the head! Did he dare to hurt you?!” She hissed and glared at Discord.

“No, no! It’s just another accident on the road!” Twilight hurriedly said. She looked at the draconequus, who was clearly still sore about his imprisonment at the hooves of the princesses in front of him. 

Twilight covertly pulled at the draconequus’ tail, and looked at him with pleading eyes. Discord turned to look at the purple mare, and he sighed in defeat. “Alright...”

He then stepped forward and bowed in an exaggerated manner. “Yes, Princesses, I'm ready to use my magic for good instead of evil.” Discord said, then muttered something under his breath.

Celestia grinned, but Luna was still far from convinced. The moon princess leaned in and gritted her teeth. “I’m watching your every move, Discord!”

“Don’t worry, Luna.” Twilight said. “Discord is now our friend and definitely reformed.”

“Yes, we just have to treat him with trust and respect.” Fluttershy said.

Luna narrowed her eyes and huffed lightly. “You’ll need a long time before I start trusting you.”

“Oh my Luna,” Discord smirked. “We got plenty of time. It’d also help if you’re less grim.”

He extended a claw forward. Celestia trotted forth and shook her hoof with him. But Luna was still looking aside with a distrustful expression.

“Luna.” Twilight walked in front of Luna and whispered. “Remember what I said about making friends?”

Luna raised an eyebrow, and sighed. “I guess I will put my trust in your judgment again, Twilight.” 

She then caught the claw of the draconequus and shook deliberately with great force, but Discord didn’t seem to mind and grinned brightly.

“So Discord.” Twilight said. “Would you be so kind and follow us back to Ponyville? We will arrange some accommodation for you there.”

“Nah, I have my old home in my pocket dimension ready. I feel more at home at good ol’ Chaosville anyway.”

Twilight frowned. “But if you hide into your pocket dimension, how can those of us who can’t open portals find you? The townsponies also need to get used to your sight. Now, don’t be shy, we have plenty of spaces in our houses.”

“Eh?” Discord said with surprise. “You want me to live in with you all?”

He immediately turned suspicious. “You aren’t doing this to keep a tab on me, are you?”

“Stop being so suspicious, Discord.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Twilight just want to see you around.”

Discord widened his eyes and grinned. “Uh-huh, alright then.”

“Great. Now, I have a spare room in the library, since Trixie has gone to the northeast for an assignment. And when she’s back, her new home will be ready. What about you girls?” Twilight asked.

“I have a room in my cottage, it only needs some minor changes to make it livable.” Fluttershy said.

“I’m sorry.” Pinkie Pie said sadly. “I only rent my place from Mr. and Mrs. Cake. So it would be hard for you to also live in with me. But we can still study how to make desserts explode with chocolate together!”

“The spare beds in my boutique are for my parents who may or may not suddenly turn up.” Rarity sighed. “So I can’t do it as well.”

“And um, our bedrooms are now almost always occupied by guests and relatives from around Equestria who want to check out the new equipment on our farm, so sorry ‘bout that too.” Applejack said.

“My cloud home is a bit too small.” Rainbow Dash scratched her cheek. “Unless we sleep, um, in the same bed, there is not going to be enough space.”

“So, Fluttershy and I have rooms to spare. Whose house do you want to crash when you’re being ‘reformed’?” Twilight asked.

Discord looked at Twilight’s grin, and Fluttershy’s gentle smile. He pondered for a while and said. “I think I’m going to choose both.”

“Huh?” Twilight said.

“I said.” Discord produced a megaphone and blared. “I will live in both of your houses as I please. I’m the spirit of chaos, why should I be forced to choose to live at one place?”

Twilight winced at the loud voice, and then looked at the yellow mare. They both shook their heads in defeat. 

“Okay then, if that’s what you wish.” Twilight said. “Just a minor request, please try not to mess up the organization of books in the library. If you’re bored, we can play games, chat, or even have a magic duel, just please spare the books, they took ages to organize.” 

“And if you’re living in with me, please don’t turn the animals, um, strange-looking, please?” Fluttershy pled.

“I make no cut and fast promise.” Discord said, but then he saw the look of disapproval of Twilight’s face and sadness on Fluttershy’s face. “… But I guess I’ll try.”

“Thank you!” Fluttershy and Twilight both said with a smile.

“Heya, Discord!” Pinkie Pie cheerfully exclaimed, as she walked from the side of the princesses towards the draconequus. “I just asked the princesses, they said they can let us play with chocolate rain for a bit here in the room! What are we waiting for? Let’s par-tay!”

> Chapter 17 – A Dissonance in Heart Strings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soft snow descended on the capital of Equestria, blanketing the golden and purple spires with fluffy whiteness. Ribbons and decorated pine trees adorned the entire Canterlot, and ponies around cheerfully celebrated one of the most joyful days on the Equestrian Calendar, the Hearth’s Warming Eve.

In a medium-sized building at the outskirts of the capital, a thunderous cheer erupted from the ponies congregated in front of a stage. The actors and actresses bowed as the curtain drew together, signaling the end of a traditional play. The audiences then exited the theatre in good order.

Unlike most who acted in the play, Twilight simply took a small detour via the backstage.

She was in a very good mood. The efforts to bring Discord to her side seemed to pay off pretty well. There was little tension between the chaos spirit and them, and they often socialize together. Even some of townsfolk began to reach out to him in curiosity.

Eventually, she reached a secluded area on the theatre balcony. There she found a draconequus sitting lazily on the seats and, to the shock of the purple mare, chomping on a cheese quesadilla.

Twilight looked at the offending flat bread and gulped.

“Oh ho ho.” Discord smirked playfully. “I hear somepony fears… quesadilla?” 

Discord could not hold it anymore, as he erupted into a roaring laughter. “How come? You are a mare who stood up to Nightmare Moon and yours truly, and you tell me you are afraid of this cheese-filled goodness?”

“Yum!” Discord let out, and then shoved the yellow tortilla in front of Twilight’s face. 

The purple mare flinched, but said defiantly. “N—No, I’m not!” 

Her teeth clattered, “I, uh, love cheese!”

“Then eat it.” Discord grinned savagely.

Twilight widened her eyes at the half-eaten piece of quesadilla. It was not the fact that Discord had eaten it that troubled her, but that it had such a… creamy and cheesy texture, it made her feel incredibly queasy. She cursed in her mind about her irrational phobia of the quesadilla, as she perfectly knew that there was no reason to be fearful of a food item. But her body just wouldn’t listen, and her heart raced like she was chased by a hungry cragadile.

Under the intense gaze from the draconequus, Twilight took the quesadilla with trembling hooves. She grimaced deeply, and it was as if she was at the verge of breaking down, but by sheer willpower she did it. Her mouth touched the quesadilla, and she took a bite out of it.

Discord looked with keen eyes, his neck literally extended like a rubber band to make them close to the front of Twilight’s face. He looked as the purple mare chewed the bread and swallowed the cheese, with a despondent face on par with what he had seen in the Sculpture Garden.

Then, to the astonishment of the draconequus, Twilight fell straight forward towards him, as her heart seemed to have given out on her. Discord had half a heart to just let Twilight fall onto the floor face first and laugh at her predicament, but for some reason, he just couldn’t help but leap forward and catch the purple mare in his arms.

“Hey you sparkly horsey, you alright?” Discord asked.

“… I—I am fine, thank you.” Twilight panted. “I need to face my fear eventually, anyway.”

Discord shook his head. “How come you’re more of a pushover than that Shutterfly? You could’ve just said ‘no’.”

“It’s Fluttershy. And I… I don’t want to make you unhappy.”

Discord raised a brow, and then just frowned. He put the purple mare on the seat next to him and snapped his finger. The half-eaten piece of quesadilla on the floor disappeared, and was replaced by a new box of popcorn in his claws. 

“… So why did you come to find me straight after the play? Shouldn’t you be mingling with someone else?”

“I just want to see you.” Twilight smiled.

Discord momentarily widened his eyes, but then he immediately said, “Ha ha. As if. Tell me what you really want to say.”

“No, I really just want to see you and hear what you think.” Twilight said. “And, uh…”

“And what?” Discord asked.

“I want to say sorry about having to arrange you to sit in this corner in order to watch our play.” Twilight lowered her head and said. “We’re sorry.”

“Pfft, as if I cared about what those pitiful ponies think.” Discord scoffed. “They are fickle and inflexible. Can’t stand the sight of even a fellow pony if he has a slightly longer snout.”

“You’re absolutely right.” Twilight said.

“Huh?” Discord was surprised at the purple pony’s agreement.

“Foreigners say that ponies are kind, peaceful and docile.” Twilight held her chin in her hoof. “But they also neglect that ponies can be vicious sometimes. We’re quick to follow, no matter if it’s right or not. We’re easily irritable, often to the point of mass hysteria. We have an issue with herd mentality, not as pronounced as the cows and the like, but still.”

“Mhmm.” Discord tapped his chin.

Twilight thought of a certain somepony, and then slowly continued. 

“Ponies also have cutie marks, as a symbol of coming of age and finding real talent. But when you come to think of it, are cutie marks something that are an absolute good? They’re marks that are tied to our destinies. Surely a chaos spirit like you would understand what issues it would entail? For instance, is progress meaningful when there is actually only one way forward? Are we just some sort of one-dimensional beings that only had one trait that set us all apart? Are we still the masters of our fates if we aren’t actually allowed to embrace the changes and randomness, which could only be brought by some degree of disorder? How limiting and boring is that if it is true!”

“Bwahaha!” Discord laughed. “How outrageous it is for that speech to come out of the mouth of Celestia’s student! How blasphemous!”

Discord wiped his eyes, damp from his wild laughter. “You know what, you sometimes don’t seem like a pony to me. I’ve yet to meet any pony that was so on point with why Celestia’s little obedient ponies are a boring bunch. Are you sure that you don’t want to just embrace chaos together with me?”

“Thanks for your offer, I appreciate it.” Twilight smiled. “But to me, complete disorder is boring as Tartarus as well.”

Discord frowned deeply, “Hey! Don’t you dare say that! Chaos is the most fun thing ever!”

“Certainly, if I open a book and can immediately predict what will happen from just the first sentence, I will not read it. But if I turn the page, and find that the plot does not follow logical progression at all like a string of non-sequiturs, it might get a chuckle from me the first time, but it just won’t be funny anymore if it goes on and on for five hundred pages. What’s worse, if I can only find a bunch of random sequences of alphabets and numbers in the book, and they’re not some sort of encrypted messages, it’s going straight to the bin.”

Twilight then turned to the draconequus and laid a hoof on his shoulder, causing him to raise an eyebrow. 

“That’s why I’m not looking to ‘reform’ you, I just hope that you can adjust the degree of chaos you bring to the world. Chaos is not inherently bad. They’re like salt. Adding some of it makes our food taste good and makes us healthy, but adding tons of it makes our food inedible. I do believe that our life needs that bit of zip brought by unpredictability, and this is why I appreciate you very much.”

“… You’re a strange pony, you know that?” Discord said.

“Much obliged.” Twilight grinned. “If it makes you feel better, Luna also said I’m a strange pony, almost word for word.”

“What?” Discord exclaimed. “Who wants to be compared to that blue funk?”

“Trust me.” Twilight said. “Luna has a playful side once you know her. Speaking of which, Celestia is also pretty laid-back when it comes to things not related to national affairs.”

Discord narrowed his eyes and huffed.

Twilight looked at him sadly. “It’s hard for you to completely forgive them, isn’t it? I know what it feels to be left in abandon for a long time.”

“How would you know?” Discord said sardonically. “I don’t see you being a decoration in the garden next to me.”

Twilight widened her eyes and bit her tongue, then she looked aside and said. “… Sorry, I misspoke.”

They spent a long time in awkward silence. Then Twilight turned and asked. “So, how’s the play?”

“Boring.” Discord curtly commented.

“Ouch, I’m hurt.” Twilight mockingly grinned. “Is it because it did not mention your glorious reign?”

“Of course! How dare they left out the most interesting era in Equestrian history, brought to you by yours truly!” Discord huffed. 

“To be fair, it was a much watered-down and foal-friendly version of what actually happened. I don’t think the princesses would want ponies nowadays to know, for example, that young Celestia was once so vain that she called herself the Unconquered Sun and demanded ponies to kiss her hooves on the Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

Discord heartily chuckled. Twilight then added. “Besides, it was not aimed to be a complete history anyway.”

“Pfft, I’ve done so many important and delightfully chaotic things that a hundred history books would not be able to contain.”

“Like the time when you’re battling for Canterlot, you stole Celestia’s tail, made it into a cotton candy and turned Luna’s mane into an Afro?”

“Haha!” Discord laughed as he slammed the seat nearby with his claw. “How’d you know? It’s nigh impossible that they’d tell other ponies about that!”

Twilight covered her mouth and she realized she had again spoken about something that she shouldn’t know. “Um, I, uh, just think that you’re the kind of draconequus who would do something like that.”

“Then by Chaos you’re right.” Discord said.

Just as Twilight sighed out of relief, Discord suddenly leaned in on Twilight. “You’re not telling it all, right?”

Twilight gulped and backed off a bit. “W—Wh—What telling it all?”

“I don’t know, you just seem to be way too smart and magically adept for a mare your age. And you also know things that you shouldn’t know. I’m beginning to suspect that what I’m seeing is not all of you.” 

Discord closed in on Twilight, until he was almost nose to nose with her.

“I—I,” Twilight stuttered. “I’m a studious mare, you know.”

“Pray tell, what book had recorded the memorable scene of an enraged Luna with an Afro mane?” Discord asked. “As much as I hope it really existed and meticulously choreographed the whole thing, I strongly doubt that Luna herself would not burn the book, and possibly any witness along with it.”

Twilight winced. “We don’t burn ponies. It’s too barbaric.”

“Words.” Discord crossed his arms. “You are not answering my question.”

Twilight bit her lips. She had hoped she could avoid this kind of confrontation with him. But Twilight thought it was way too risky to tell the whole truth to Discord, at least for now. She didn’t even tell it to Spike, one of her closest confidante, for fear that it would ruin their relationship. She decided to stall this for as long as possible.

But just as she was brainstorming for another excuse, loud steps and a cheery voice was heard from the stairwell nearby.

“Hey, Twilight, Discord! You’re up here?” Pinkie Pie asked, “What are you doing here, snout-touching and all… I seem to have answered my own question.”

“Wait, what?!” Twilight widened her eyes at the implications, as she scrambled back from the grinning chaos spirit.

“Sweet!” Rarity smirked. “That’s many moons of conversation materials right there.”

“Twi—Twilight.” Spike gasped. “You’re into the spirit of chaos himself?!” He panted as he took in the information. Then he seemed to have calmed down a bit and shook his head. “No wonder you want him reformed and in our library so badly.”

“… What the hay?” Rainbow Dash was close to speechless.

“Just be good to Twi, okay?” Applejack sighed. “She’s a glass cannon. She looks strong, but is also quite brittle, as you may have noticed already.”

“H—Hang on a second!” Twilight yelped. “Discord! Tell them that’s not what happened!” Her face was bright red with embarrassment.

But Discord was simply smirking as he whistled lightly. He clearly enjoyed seeing Twilight being completely flustered. 

“Twilight my dear, what’s wrong?” Discord cooed. “Don’t you love me enough to tell it to your friends?”

Twilight bit hard on her lips, as she peeked at Spike’s dumbfounded look. But suddenly, Twilight realized that she might be able to utilize this situation and direct Discord’s attention away from those hard questions. 

‘You wanna play, eh?’ Twilight thought. ‘Then I'll play with you!’

Twilight abruptly looked up to Discord, and then swiftly brought him into am extremely tight embrace with her hooves. Discord’s eyes turned wide, as he felt the breath of the purple mare on his neck. Each heaving of her warm chest was felt by the chaos spirit. He looked down into Twilight, who was looking at him with a smirk, albeit mixed with some nervousness. Her gaze was soft and melting, which caused Discord to gulp a bit.

“But of course.” Twilight managed to squeeze out. “Discord darling.”

“Wow.” “Whoa…” Twilight’s friends looked on with shock and amazement. They were originally just teasing the purple mare. They didn’t expect that she would be audacious enough to go through with it.

But this time, it was Discord who couldn’t bear it anymore. The bodily touch and the loving gaze from the purple mare was just too much of a sensory overload for him. He hastily snapped his finger and teleported himself to a far corner of the balcony. There he hollered. “Okay, cut, good take!”

Discord snapped again and promptly teleported himself, this time away from the theatre entirely. The mares and Spike simply looked on with mouths agape.

“… What happened?” Applejack asked.

“He wants to play.” Twilight smiled. “So I play with him.”

“You mean, you and Discord are not, um, ‘real’?” Spike asked.

“No! Of course not!” Twilight blushed. She momentarily wondered where the draconequus escaped to, and lightly chuckled at his discomfort when she turned his own game back onto him. At least she evaded the difficult questions for today, she thought, but she’s still afraid of the day she had to spill it all out with no choice.
> Chapter 18 – Vision of Utopia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ponyville was at night and quiet, except for the occasional chirping of crickets and howling of owls. A mare and a dragon was hurrying towards the outskirts of the town. 

Twilight’s brows were tightly knitted together, her expression one of burning worry. 

After releasing and making peace with Discord, she began to visit the Tree of Harmony in the Everfree Forest to study the nature of the Harmony Magic, and whether there was a way to manually evoke the power of the Elements even if she returned them, in a way akin to using Rainbow Power and consulting the Cutie Map.

However, in her investigation, she uncovered something rather unnerving about the forest. Or rather, certain inhabitants of the forest.

Before the ancient tome gained its consciousness, before even the arrival of the first ponies in Equestria, the land adjacent to the Canterlot Hill had been home to a wide range of animals. There was no settlement or civilization, save for the wolves.

The only lupine creatures ever existed on the modern Equestrian continent had been the coyotes in the extreme south along the Skull Coast, but they weren’t seen or heard from even before the founding of Equestria. There were also tales about the nation of Arctosia up north beyond Yakyakistan, where a tribe of pure-white snow wolves resided. Both seemed to have some form of organization, but none of those had much contact with the ponies.

However, there were no wolves made of flesh and blood living within the borders of Equestria. The only ‘wolves’ that she knew of were the timberwolves inside Everfree.

It had always struck her, or rather, the ancient tome, as something quite strange. It clearly recorded the first flicker of civilization near where it was buried. It had been by a pack of grey-coated wolves, who established a small rural settlement in the vale of Canterlot hills. 

Those grey wolves were very likely part of a larger entity, as they came as a band of pioneers and moved onto the hill packed with tools, food and equipment. They spoke a language, Farcas, which Twilight failed to find any modern-day relatives among the languages she knew of. The village of Szürkehegyi, or Grey Hill in Equestrian, was a fishing and farming community of only several families. 

However, shortly before the arrival of the three tribes, the lupine residents of the village departed and never came back. Several outsiders, apparently envoys of the wolves’ great leader, summoned all the residents towards the capital to the south without giving a clear reason.

And then grey wolves as a species was never seen by ponies ever since. When ponies began to settle the Canterlot hills centuries later, the knowledge about grey wolves was all but completely forgotten.

All these were originally not on the forefront of Twilight’s mind, given her mission to preempt the troublemakers and better Equestria. However, while she was sampling the magic inside the cave where the Tree of Harmony resided, a chance encounter with the timberwolves led her to a chilling discovery.

The timberwolves, instead of being magical automatons animated by the forest’s latent magic as all of they assumed, clearly had a strong level of vital impetuses inside them that only sentient beings would have.

The logical conclusion was that something catastrophic happened, which turned all the grey wolves within Equestrian territory into the wooden timberwolves. The grey wolves, while chiefly carnivorous, seemed to have been generally a peaceful and civilized bunch, not unlike the griffons. The thought of them being turned into some mindless machines was so unsettling that Twilight dearly wanted to return to investigate them, after lab results raised her suspicion further.

“Twilight!” Spike exclaimed. 

“W- What?” Twilight’s thoughts were pulled back to reality.

“When we’re hurrying out, I got a new letter from Princess Luna. You were in a deep thought so I didn’t disturb you at first. But it might be something urgent, so I think it might be better to call out to you after all.”

“I see, thanks.” Twilight said, as she took the letter from Spike. “Let me have a look… Wait, this is the same letter that Luna sent me after Nightmare Night!”

“Oops.” Spike said bashfully. “Seems that I might have grabbed the wrong letter on my way out.”

“It’s fine.” Twilight sighed. “I’m really sorry for the hurry. I forget about the flow of time when I’m doing research.”

Spike looked up to the high-hanging moon, and the mud road in front of them. He let out a big yawn. 

“I told you about this, Spike.” Twilight frowned. “You should have rested before we come out tonight.”

“But the new Daring Do’s so fun to read!” Spike said.

“Ha, now who’s the bookworm?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “If you like Daring Do so much, we should probably go visit A.K. Yearling someday.”

“What?!” Spike exclaimed. “She was like the most elusive pony ever! No one has seen her except in a few book fairs!”

“Yeah, trust me on this one.” Twilight thinly chuckled, but her expression turned severe quickly. Spike looked at her with a puzzled expression, but he followed her regardless.

They walked towards the Sweet Apple Acres, now much larger and more sprawling than before. Rows of apple trees lined their view, all the way up to the horizons. Ever since they introduced farming machineries and struck a deal with the Blueblood estate, the Sweet Apple Acres have greatly expanded, roughly three-fold in size and four-fold in trees planted. The Apples even had to employ some temporary workers from bigger cities in busier seasons, which added to Ponyville’s rising population.

Suddenly, strings of shrill-sounding howling were heard from the woods, causing Spike to gasp and latch onto the leg of the purple mare.

“What was that?!” Spike yelped.

Twilight sighed in relief. She then looked to the ground and said quietly. “… Timberwolves. Their howling signals the beginning of the zap apple harvest.” 

She had planned to look for timberwolves specimen again immediately after the initial discovery, but to her bemusement, sightings had become so incredibly rare that she could not find any despite long searches. While this was welcomed by Ponyville residents, this presented a severe problem for her continual research. 

She decided to wait till the zap apple harvest, which seemed to signal the highest activity of the timberwolves, and would be the best opportunity for her to see one. Fortunately, the pack of timberwolves seemed to be still existing

Just after the initial howling, there were a few clangs of bowl. The howling immediately receded, but for some reason, the banging of pots and pans had then stopped, which caused the timberwolves to start howling again.

“Quick, Spike!” Twilight said. “We’re running late!”

Twilight and Spike rushed into the apple farm, and dashed across lines of apple trees to reach an area with only barren trunks and branches. Applejack and Granny Smith was standing there, with Applejack trying desperately to tell her grandma something, but the latter seemed not to comprehend, causing the orange mare to groan loudly.

“Applejack! Granny Smith!” Twilight shouted.

Applejack turned and saw the purple mare and dragon. She immediately said, “Thank goodness! Ah’m havin’ a hard time here talkin’ mah granny into not scarin’ the wolves away. Please be quick, Twi.”

“Eh?” Spike asked. “Didn’t you say you come here to study the magic of zap apples, Twi? What’s up with the timberwolves?”

“Um, Spike…” Twilight hesitated for a bit and said. “From what we know, timberwolves are very receptive to the magic related to the maturation of zap apples. Their behaviors closely reflect the magic concentration in Everfree. Hence it is very useful for us to study them.”

“But they’re wolves! They’re going to eat us whole!” Spike said with clattering teeth.

“Spike, you’re a fire-breathing dragon.” Twilight said. “They’re made of wood. If things go to south, you can just roast them into charcoal.”

But she then grimaced. “But I hope it would not come to that. I’ll tell you more on the way.” She glanced at Granny Smith and pulled at Spike.

Twilight quickly waved her hooves at the Apples, then galloped into the woods where the timberwolves were heard.

Immediately, a pack of timberwolves were seen surrounding them. The timberwolves were made of clusters of leafy branches, and they howled menacingly at the two.

Twilight lightly gasped, and quickly casted a protective spell. 

However, to her and Spike’s surprise, the timberwolves immediately stopped howling, and laid on the ground in seemingly submissive gesture.

“What did you do, Twi?” Spike asked.

“I didn’t do anything special, I just casted a protective shield around us.”

“Then why are they crouching on the ground like Winona?”

“I… don’t know.”

Twilight felt incredibly puzzled. What she just casted was an incredibly simple spell. If the timberwolves were merely reacting to her magic, then the Twilight in her vision should not have been attacked by timberwolves on multiple occasions. 

Unless they were reacting to something else…

Twilight walked near the timberwolves, who stayed immobile to the approaching pony.

“Watch out, Twi! They might attack any moment!”

“I’m using my full caution, don’t worry. They don’t seem to be aggressive in this state.” Twilight sighed. “I do not wish to harm them. You shouldn’t as well.”

“Why? They’re just vicious animated wooden branches!” Spike said.

“I must verify this myself before I tell you more, please give me a moment.”

Spike was still a bit shocked, but he eventually agreed. Twilight then looked around, and located one of the larger timberwolves. She kneeled down and gently held its head, then touched her horn with one of its protruding wooden ears. A muted but serene white glow began to surround the timberwolf’s head.

Spike widened his eyes at the unfolding scene, as the white glow began to spread out, forming a web of white floating lights. The beams of light connected each of the timberwolves, and also flown up towards other places in the forest. Spike almost gasped aloud in amazement as he witnessed this dancing symphony of brilliance before him.

However, the white glow suddenly ceased. The timberwolves paused for a short while, and then slowly dispersed into the woods. Twilight herself let out a frightful yelp, and stumbled backwards. Spike barely managed to soften her fall on the ground.

“What happened?” Spike asked worriedly.

“Th- This…” Twilight barely squeezed out in short breaths.

“Relax, deep breath!”

“… Phew.”

“I haven’t seen you panic like this for a while, so what was that?”

“I can’t believe it’s actually true.” Twilight for a brief moment looked weathered, then she lowly said. “… Spike, what I’m about to tell you, it is of grave national importance. Do not tell anyone under any circumstances, unless you have my word.”

Spike widened his eyes and gingerly nodded.

Twilight looked to the horizons. “Timberwolves are commonly believed to be only tree branches animated by Everfree’s ambient magic. Less ponies know that Everfree’s ambient magic comes from the Tree of Harmony. But nopony knows that timberwolves are not created from Everfree’s magic, but merely sustained by it.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked in confusion.

“Timberwolves were originally a sentient, civilized species with bodies of blood and flesh called the grey wolves.” Twilight bit her lips. “And I just discovered that they were turned into timberwolves you see now by… a certain unicorn in the past.”

“What?!” Spike exclaimed, “How…? Why would anypony do that?” Spike was horrified by the implications that an entire species was turned into mindless mauling machines.

Twilight again sighed and turned her head away. “I wish I know who did it. According to my research and understanding, it must be one of the very first ponies who arrive on this landmass since the time coincided. However, the history at that point of time was not very well documented, and subjected to a lot of distortion and fanciful interpretation.”

“… I finally get why you said the play wasn’t the complete picture of Equestria’s founding.” Spike said gravely. “Somepony probably… wipe them out to make this land suitable for settlement.”

Twilight’s face turned white, but she said quietly. “I… I don’t know. I really hope that it wasn’t a case of malice, but it seems increasingly unlikely.”

“So what did you do to the timberwolves?”

“I tried to tap into their vital essences to determine their true identity. However, I was immediately struck with a large dose of dark unicorn magic. It was a surefire sign of an actively-casted, mass-scale curse by a unicorn in the past. This unicorn probably has a raw magical potential equal or even higher than that of mine.”

“… So who were that era’s powerful unicorns? Maybe we can get some insight from them.”

“… I’ve heard of one, but I hope it wasn’t him, because I have somewhat revered him for being the land’s first top magic user.”

“Who was he?”

“His name was Trefoil. He was the chief court mage of the unicorn tribe. When he was young, he was part of the combined pony expedition to Equestria. As the tribes discovered Equestria to be suitable for living, he followed the unicorn court and settled down here, establishing the first magic school in Equestria. This is the textbook version.”

“… Sounds plausible, but it might or might not be him.”

“True.” Twilight sighed. “I also discovered another thing.”

“What was it?”

“The timberwolves’ magic is weakening along with the general magic of Harmony in the Everfree. I am worried that if it continues, they might not survive for long, so to speak.”

“I thought you said they were living beings on their own? How would they be affected so deeply by the magic of Harmony alone?”

“I don’t have a clear hypothesis on that. I can only surmise that their integrity was kept by the rich ambient magic of the Everfree. As we have activated the Elements, the magic began to drain like a bath with its plug out. From what I observe from our first engagement to the encounter just now, the dwindling level of ambient magic correlates with their activity level.”

Twilight drew in a sharp breath. “Even though they would not all die out, as long as Everfree still has a sliver of magic within, but they will dwindle to such an unsustainable level that it would become impossible to bring them back to normal.”

Spike made an uneasy smile. “B- But correlation doesn’t equal causation, you taught me?”

“Very good. But you also have to remember that the magic in Everfree and timberwolves activity had remained largely stable for a long time, and changed together shortly after we took the Elements out. There is likely few alternative explanation for both.”

“What you gonna do, Twilight? Are you going to lift the curse for them?”

“Just now I found that I could connect to their essences relatively effortlessly, which should in normal cases the biggest hurdle. Since that was done, lifting the curse from then on would be a relative trivial…”

“Really? Then let’s do it!”

“… project requiring two weeks of preparation and thousands of bits of materials.”

“What the hay?! How is that trivial?!”

“It’s trivial because once I bypass the intricate magical artifice by directly hooking onto their essences, reversing such a mass transfiguration curse would be an elementary task. It is similar to reverse an individual transfiguration, but only much larger in scale. I’d only need to align the physical attributes of the timberwolves back according to their true internal essence. All it took was continual inpouring of magic and a large amount of magical artefacts to stabilize the magic flow. We have the bits if we six squeeze left and right and all pitch in.”

Twilight sighed. “But the true problem will be what to do when we revive them.”

“… They would hate the ponies really badly, wouldn’t they?”

Twilight winced. “That’s exactly my fear. If what we deduced was true, then in their eyes, ponies are definitely a bunch of land-stealing villains who cursed them to millennia of unlife.”

“But you’d be the one who rescued them out of this state…”

Twilight sighed. “If, say, somebody punch you in the face, and then give you a candy, will you then be happy and act like nothing has happened?”

“… Right.”

“While I feel like I must hurry to undo this injustice, we simply don’t have the recourse or influence to contain their possible anger at us and also to assuage the fear of the pony residents nearby. We’re too insignificant and powerless.”

The two both sighed. 

“… Why don’t we just tell the princesses, Twilight?” Spike asked.

Twilight frowned. “We can’t do that yet. The princesses have the well-being of ponies as their first priority in mind. They will strongly object to my idea of holding justice above harmony... Don’t wake a sleeping dog, so to speak. But I do want to discuss this among our friends to see what they think about this.”

Twilight then looked to Spike with a pleading look. “Spike, I again ask you not to tell this to anyone other than us six. Can you promise me?”

Spike was uncomfortable to hide so much from his respected princesses, but he decided to obey Twilight at this moment.

He gulped and nodded. Then, he looked up to the purple pony, his mind for some reason drifted back to the time when Twilight was just an egghead and often buried her head in books in the Ivory Tower. Life was boring, but also simpler back then.

He suddenly thought of something. “Hang on a sec, Twilight. So what do zap apple have to do with all these?”

“Oh.” Twilight realized that she had delved too deep into her another purpose there, she forgot to take care of the matters of zap apples. “Zap apples are hotspots of Everfree’s natural magic, I suppose this is why timberwolves are drawn to it. Although I won’t exclude any other reasons… there is simply too many unknowns regarding the particulars of the tim- the grey wolves.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two were very exhausted when they came out of the Everfree, so they crashed on the couch of the Apple farmhouse for the night. When the sun came up, they were awaken by some ruckus outside the house. They hastily groomed themselves, and went out to see what happened.

When they got out of the door, Spike’s jaw fell as he muttered. “What… the hay…?”

The Apples seemed to be wearing bunny suits and jumping over full watering cans, all while singing the alphabet.

Twilight coughed as she tried not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the scene. “Um, hmm. Don’t be alarmed. They’re kind of doing a, um, ritual to ensure the zap apples bloom. Although…”

“Although?” Spike said. “That has to be the most ridiculous looking ritual I’ve ever seen!”

Twilight shrugged. “Heh, if it is effective, then it is not stupid or ridiculous. Although it does make me think…”

Just as they discussed the Apples’ harvesting ritual, two ponies, a stallion and a filly, were seen entering the Sweet Apple Acres.

“Well, howdy-doo there, Filthy Rich!” Granny Smith called.

“Hello, Mrs. Smith. Did I hear right that there's a zap apple harvest coming in a few days?” The stallion, Filthy Rich, asked in a hopeful voice.

“Four days, to be exact.” Granny Smith replied calmly.

“Excellent news, and as usual, I get your first hundred jars?” Filthy Rich said.

“'Course, Filthy.” Granny Smith smiled.

“Uh, I prefer Rich.” Filthy Rich clarified, as he and Granny Smith began to walk inside the house.

“Eh, Spike.” Twilight said, “We should get going.”

But before Spike could respond, they heard an angry voice at a distance. Applejack was in front of her little sister, glaring at Filthy Rich’s daughter, Diamond Tiara.

“How rude! How dare you speak ill of mah family within mah earshot?” Applejack huffed.

Twilight and Spike looked at each other with concern, and then rushed to the orange pony’s side.

Diamond Tiara widened her eyes, but immediately smirked, “Hmm, am I wrong now? You’re all just a bunch of grungy mud ponies who work in the field all day, while my father and I come from the illustrious upper crust of the Equestrian society.”

Applejack was close to boiling over, but Twilight immediately pulled her over and whispered something in her ear, which caused her to calm down a bit.

“Diamond Tiara, you already have your cute-ceañera.” Twilight said. “So I’ll try to talk to you in grown pony terms. You know your father and I are business partners, right?”

“So?”

“So that means I would be quite concerned if you continue to show a negative attitude towards my friend and her family. I dislike being a snitch, but this will be a case I couldn’t help but to make clear to your parents.”

“Hmph!” Diamond Tiara briefly glared. “My mother will only approve me acting like a pony of my status should be!”

Twilight resisted her urge to heavily sigh. It’s not really her place to intervene in somepony else’s family life, but her mother was, frankly, a horrible influence. Still, she said. “Okay, then what about your father right there?”

She hissed, but deflated quickly, “Fine! Have it your way, Miss Sparkle.”

“Count yerself lucky, kid.” Applejack grumpily said, “Ah’ll let it slide because of Twilight. Now Ah’ve got things to do with her. Don’t ever let me hear or see you do that again.”

Diamond Tiara turned aside in defiance, but Twilight quickly led Applejack away before another possible outburst.

“Why didn’t you let me discipline that little brat?” Applejack said exasperatedly as they left the Sweet Apple Acres and walked to the town center. “She’s grown bolder and bolder each day!”

“She’ll grow out of it eventually, you know.”

“But she and her no-good chum are pushin’ mah sis and her friends around every day. Ah’ve been fixin’ to chew them out for a long time!”

“It’s that bad?” Spike asked.

“They keep callin’ the Crusaders names and even ‘blank flanks’, and drag them into unsavory businesses to leave mess after mess for them to clean up.” 

Applejack irritably said. “But she put up a face of docile little foal in front of Cherilee and other grown-ups usually. Don’t know why she got so bold this time, but by Harmony I was going to use that as a chance to knock some sense into her little head.”

“AJ, I’m not trying to downplay and call it harmless banter.” Twilight said with a sigh, “But it’s foal matters, we grown-ups can only do so much without acting wholly inappropriate. Besides, it takes a set of special circumstances for her to finally confront the negative influences from her family.”

“So are you suggestin’ me to do nothin’?”

“No, I only ask you to wait. She won’t listen to us now.” Twilight said.

“Hm.” Applejack frowned but caught Twilight’s implication. “Fine… So you wanna talk about the timberwolves.”

Applejack looked to Spike hesitantly. 

“It’s okay.” Twilight said, “I told him.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah… scary stuffs.” Spike made a sour face.

“This is not the place to talk.” Twilight bit her lips. “Spike, please go get Rarity and Pinkie. We’ll find Rainbow and Fluttershy. We’re going to have a meeting on this.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight and Applejack gathered the two mares and entered the library. To their slight surprise, Trixie was also there. Pinkie went out of the kitchen with a fresh tray of tea.

“Eh? Trixie?” Applejack said, as she took a cup from Pinkie Pie to drink.

“Oh, Trixie just finished her works in the boutique and she wants to look for you to arrange for another magic lesson.” Rarity explained for the slightly bashful-looking Trixie.

“Oh, of course.” Twilight nodded. “Trixie, is everything okay with your outing to Trottingham and Manehattan?”

Rarity smiled. “She had done a good job pitching my design to the clients.”

Twilight grinned, and then whispered into Trixie’s ear. “Any news on the pony I’m looking for?”

Trixie lowered her head and sheepishly muttered. “Trixie spent weeks in the northeast, but even though there is a town record with the name on it, I can see no pony that matches your description of a unicorn with purple mane with a light blue stripe. You told me not to get into any settlement that, uh, consists of cutie-mark-less ponies…”

Twilight raised her brows. “I trust that you didn’t. It’s very dangerous to do so.”

Trixie gulped. “But the truth is, I combed the whole northeast but find no settlement like that. I tried to pull some strings and spread bits around to gather as much news as possible. The only useful information is that Starlight Glimmer’s old relatives said she might have gone into the mountains or crossed the sea to Griffonstone.”

Twilight frowned, and sighed with a resigned smile. “That’s strange… But thank you, Trixie. Your help is immeasurable. I will compensate any expense incurred in your trip as well as some more as my token of thanks.”

“You’re too welcome, Twilight. But may Trixie ask again why it is so important to find this Starlight Glimmer? You only said she was magically competent.”

“She has strong magic, yes. But there is also something I have to, um, settle with her. If I can bring her to my side, then it would be even more splendid.”

“I see…” Trixie looked at Twilight with an uncertain gaze.

“I am not going to be vague with you, Trixie. I just really want her as my student as well.”

Trixie went wide-eyed for a moment, and then frowned sadly. “I- Is it bec-”

“No no!” Twilight hurriedly added. “It has nothing to do with you being my student. Your progress has been excellent, in any case.”

“Really?” Trixie said hopefully.

“That’s true!” Twilight smiled. “If it were the current you when we first met, you could have preyed on my carelessness and easily disintegrate my defense field in under a minute.”

Trixie gulped, and again grinned sheepishly.

Twilight then looked to the window. “Starlight Glimmer is… well, let’s just say, she had some troubles with her childhood. She’s not a bad unicorn by any stretch of the word, but if left unattended, she would go astray with her negative thoughts. I just want to make sure Equestria would not be plunged into chao- I mean, calamity by some powerful magic user.”

“Discord’s not here, hun.” Rarity chuckled.

Trixie, however, again asked doubtfully. “Twilight, how do you know about this unicorn in the first place?”

“Ah…” Twilight anticipated this question, but it’s still hard for her to lie to her friend and student. “I had investigated extensively on current magical prodigies from around Equestria. Why would you think that I know about your abilities so well?”

Trixie’s face burnt bright red at being called a ‘magical prodigy’, and she became silent with embarrassment.

After waiting for the blue unicorn to calm down slightly, Twilight smiled warmly. “Trixie, you can come back two hours later. We have some business matters to talk about. You know, boring stuffs.”

“Ah, are we going to practice magic control again, or can we move onto artefact crafting?” Trixie asked eagerly.

“Sorry Trixie, magical control is very, very important. If we don’t make sure that you’re a hundred percent ready, making something that stores static magic is going to blow up the library nine times out of ten.”

Trixie deflated. “Trixie understands… but I really want to progress beyond the basics for once.”

“Basics are make-or-break. Even I am still working on it.” Twilight cooed. “How about this? If you can knock the bell with the bit this time, I’ll let you make the first amulet.”

“What? Knock the bell?” Spike couldn’t help but ask.

“Twilight told me to use my magic to hurl a silver bit from the town hall to the Ponyville clock tower before sundown. If my bit hit the bell at the exact moment the bell rings, it counts as success. But so far I don’t have too much luck at it… I always hit the bell a few seconds early or late.”

“Wait, so you actually hit the bell?!” Spike gasped.

“I told you, Spike, Trixie’s a prodigy at magical control of her own.” Twilight said as Trixie blushed. “It’s just that the teachers in the school were sadly unable to figure out her true talent.”

“Trixie will hit the bell at the right moment this time!” Trixie confidently proclaimed. “Um, I guess I should not bother you anymore, see you!”

The mares and dragon looked at Trixie as she left and closed the door to the library. 

“What’s the deal about that Starlight Glimmer anyway?” Spike casually asked.

The mares looked at one another uncomfortably, and Twilight said cautiously with a sigh. “As I told Trixie, it’s a measure of prevention. I’m interested in taking her under my wings, if she’s willing of course. She’s a highly talented magic user, but as far as I know, she also harbored a deep resentment towards cutie marks because her best friend, that Sunburst colt, left her when he gained his cutie mark earlier than her. Since then, she’s been finding a way to make everypony’s cutie mark go away.”

Spike first looked shocked, but perhaps due to hearing one shocking thing that day already, he simply calmly crossed his arms and joked. “This is a rather petty reason to hate the whole thing. It’s like someone swearing vendetta on tacos because his parents divorced over bad-tasting tacos.”

Pinkie Pie did a spit-take at the analogy and burst into a belly laugh, while Fluttershy frowned and lightly admonished. “Spike, you shouldn’t say that. The pain of being friendless is very real.”

Twilight also nodded with a grim look. “It’s a shame that we cannot locate her at the moment. From what I know, she might or might not be researching a way using Star Swirl’s findings to change the past, in order to prevent ponies from getting their cutie marks. Like knocking out Rainbow Dash when she’s doing the Rainboom so-”

Rainbow Dash impatiently interrupted. “No matter what, if she succeeded, we’ll all get the short end of the stick. We can never allow that to happen.”

Spike was stunned silent. Twilight then continued. “Rainbow’s right. Messing with the past is a proven recipe for disaster. The temporal integrity of our world hangs in the balance. Fortunately, she is currently not magically advanced or resentful enough to do something so drastic, and we’ll have ample opportunities to intervene. For now, we have a hoofful of other problems.”

Rarity said as she threw a careless glance at Spike. “There’s another problem?”

“Timberwolves. I want your opinions on how we deal with them.”

“Hang on, Twi. So it’s true?” Applejack said.

“Yes. The magical signature won’t lie. There were clearly signs of strong vital impetuses in the timberwolves. Had they been… mindless automatons, that kind of energy would not be detected.”

Twilight then looked incredibly sad. “Besides, a unicorn did it.”

“What?!” The five all gasped aloud.

“… So what are we gonna do?” Pinkie Pie gingerly asked after a protracted silence. 

“I doubt that the princesses would be okay with you releasing an ancient pack of wolves that are probably holding a deep grudge at ponies.” Rainbow Dash frowned.

“But this is most unkind and cruel!” Fluttershy insisted. “How can we go around and claim that we’re fostering goodness and harmony, when an injustice of this magnitude is festering right under our noses?”

Spike looked on and felt a bit bumped, as he discovered that he was the last one among Twilight’s friends to know this. He wondered what else Twilight hid from him for reasons unknown.

“Twilight, how many timberwolves do you think there are in the Everfree?” Applejack asked.

Twilight sighed. “The number of active timberwolves waxes and wanes depending on the residue magic of the Everfree. And with us taking away the Elements from the Tree of Harmony and unleashing its power on Nightmare Moon, their numbers have dwindled to a dangerous level.”

“But they won’t truly die out, will they?” Rarity said.

“I doubt it.” Twilight said, “But allowing them to shrink to a number too low, and it would severely hamper the viability of timberwolves once the curse is broken.”

“How exactly? You haven’t explained very clearly back then.” Spike asked.

“Um, how should I put this…” Twilight hesitated, then she widened her eyes in realization, “Ah, here’s an analogy that perhaps Fluttershy would be very familiar with.”

“Eh?” The yellow mare yelped in surprise.

“According to my most substantiated hypothesis, magically-sustained creatures are much like others, in that a large population is conducive to their well-being. Small population size in naturally-occurring creatures would inevitably lead to reduced fitness and the accumulation of deleterious traits, due to a lack of reproductive alternatives. Similarly, magical creatures also requires a diverse mixture of vital impetuses in order for their population to maintain a complete visage of their ancient recollection.”

“P—Pardon?” Spike said in confusion. “Fluttershy, Twi said you’d understand her.”

The yellow mare blushed lightly. “Um… well, sometimes, when two bunnies love each other ve—”

“Hey, Ah’m with farm animals all the time too!” Applejack interrupted with a smug huff as she lifted up a tea cup to drink. “See, if two animals are kin to each other, and there are no others of the same kind around, they kinda have to get with’ each other to produce foals of their own even though they’re related. Just no choice ya know?”

“Huh,” Spike said. “So you’re saying that it’s like if something happens, and there are only you and Big Mac a—”

Applejack immediately spat all the tea on Spike’s face, while Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie erupted into a laughter.

Twilight put up an unimpressed expression, as she magically lifted a cloth to clean Spike’s wet face. “We’re talking about something very serious, girls.”

Fluttershy also coughed, “Y—yes, indeed. If animals inbreed too often, the newborn would usually be weak and unhealthy. If they cannot find anyone but close family, it would eventually make the species very sick and even drive them to extinction. I think Twilight meant to say that something similar could happen to the timberwolves even though they’re not flesh and blood.”

“Correct.” Twilight said. “If we allow this to continue, even if we manage to break the spell someday, the timberwolves would very soon lose their memories and knowledge of the olden days, in addition to suffering from other unknown harmful effects. To some ponies, it might not be a bad thing, but in the name of goodness and decency, I believe that all of us here do not want to see that, right?”

Fluttershy and Pinkie vigorously agreed, while Rarity and Spike nodded somewhat neutrally. Rainbow Dash and Applejack, though, were clearly in some sort of reservation.

The cyan mare returned a doubtful frown. “So what are you going to do about it? Immediately setting the timberwolves free before they become too few?”

“This is possibly one solution.” Twilight said cautiously. “The curse was surprisingly simple to reverse, but it would just take us several weeks in preparation and a moderate sum of bits to buy materials.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I know it’s a just thing to do, but I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do. They’re very much likely our sworn enemies given how horribly our forbearer treated them. So yeah, there will not be rainbows, sunshine and happy faces after they regain their forms.”

Applejack added. “Rainbow’s right y’all. They’ll also likely strike out to retake the lands that they think we ponies have stolen from them. Conflicts and even wars might break out. It’s no jokin’ matter.”

Fluttershy winced, however she insisted firmly. “… But now that we know, we cannot let the timberwolves stay like this! We must free them from the chains of ancient magic before there can be any talk of reconciliation and betterment!”

Pinkie Pie also added. “Fluttershy’s right! How can you make friends when your friends are cursed to be walking wood sticks and branches?”

Applejack stonewalled. “No way. The risk is way too big. You know that they could have been overlooked and nothing bad would have happened.”

The girls knew that Applejack was referring to the tidbits of future-past that had been guiding their actions so far. However, timberwolves were basically treated as mere nuisance by their alternate selves, and they couldn’t now in good faith do that.

“How can you be so mean, Applejack?” Pinkie Pie said with a mix of sadness and disappointment.

“Applejack.” Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. “Are you blocking this proposal… because it might also affect your family’s zap apple harvest?” 

The other mares were completely stunned by the bombshell accusation by the usually reserved Fluttershy. Even the accused Applejack widened her eyes in a moment of hurt and shock. 

The orange mare gritted her teeth and tried her best to swallow back her tears. “… S—so what?! So what if Ah care about mah family? Zap apples were what kept mah family alive back in the days. Without zap apples there would not be a Ponyville, or Apples, or me! Is it wrong to be a bit selfish about the one thing that mah family and Ah treasure most?!”

Twilight grimaced at the degenerating atmosphere of the meeting. However, it was Rarity who stood up to mediate the situation.

“Now, now, we don’t even know for sure if breaking the spell will break the cycle of zap apple harvest. Twilight and all of us will definitely research a way to ensure the zap apple magic goes uninterrupted by the transition should it happen.” 

Rarity then turned to the apprehensive purple mare. “Twilight, is there really no delaying for the ritual? Although I’m in favor of breaking the spell as early as possible, Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s concerns are not without merits. We now have too little influence and power to keep any eruption of conflicts at bay. Causing undue alarm to the princesses will certainly be bad for all of us.”

“If we’re to ensure no lasting harm, we pretty much have to start it within these few days. The ambient magic is dangerously low.” Twilight bit her lips. “Though I’ve been considering an alternative for quite some time…”

Spike leaned in and whispered. “Speak up Twi, you can’t let friends be bitterly torn like this!”

Twilight looked at Spike and eventually nodded with determination. “Girls, I propose we should return the Elements to the Tree of Harmony as a mean to restore strength to the magic in Everfree.”

The mares and Spike looked at Twilight and gasped in shock.

“Twilight! We need the Elements! They’re our number one weapon!” Rainbow Dash immediately said.

“Twi, there are still a lot of evil villains in the world. Without the Elements, we’re largely a powerless bunch.” Applejack cautioned.

“There are other ways that we can handle those with our resourcefulness, I’m sure.” Twilight said reservedly. “In any case, we have a moral responsibility because we introduced this problem with our use of the Elements. If we let the timberwolves descend into a ghostly semi-existence, it’ll not be reversible. Our opportunity to rectify our errors only comes once and it’s now. Besides…”

“Hmm?” The mares looked at Twilight intently.

The purple mare smiled. “We haven’t really followed through with our promise to Discord that we’ll hide away the Elements, have we? What shows more commitment on our side by returning the Elements to the Tree of Harmony, where he can be a hundred percent sure of his safety?”

“Isn’t that a little over-the-top?” Rarity said doubtfully. “After all, we simply promised him to store the Elements at a place of his choosing. We retain some discretion as to whether and when we retrieve the Elements even if he managed to hide them at the top of the Crystal Mountains. But we’ll not be able to use the Elements for quite some time, if ever, if we send them back to the Tree.”

“Yeah! Discord is a tricky one. He might looks reformed, but he’s not that reformed.” Spike added. “We need something to keep him from being naughty.”

“Especially because he’s not that reformed, we need to crank up the dial of our sincerity, to show that we mean business. If you don’t think that immediate liberation is an option, that’s one more reason for us to do this. This is my word.” Twilight said adamantly.

“Whoa…” Rainbow Dash was stunned at Twilight’s dogged determination.

“I’m on with you, Twilight, let’s do this!” Pinkie Pie spoke up, “We should do everything we can to make Discord our true friend!”

“Sorry but Ah can’t share yer enthusiasm, Pinkie.” Applejack said. “Ah hate to be a wet blanket, but there is a very real chance that he’d suddenly stab us in the back for whatever reason. The Elements can protect us from that and other sticky situations.”

“… Well, I guess you have to take the risk sometimes.” Rainbow Dash let out a resigned breath.

“Rainbow?!” Applejack turned to the cyan mare in shock.

“Eh, what else could I say?” Rainbow Dash smiled wryly. “One thing I like about Twilight is the length she would go to just to make friends and make them happy. As the Element-bearer of Loyalty, I think I’m contractually obligated to applaud that.”

Twilight chuckled at the sardonic remark of Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy then added. “I too believe in the inherent goodness in Discord’s heart.”

“Sure you would.” Applejack said with some hidden thorn.

Fluttershy winced but continued. “He may be somewhat rebellious, but Twilight’s probably right, if we’re kinder to him and more willing to listen, perhaps he will not turn on us, and even become our stalwart ally. With him on our side, we’ll be able to weather the storm despite the lack of the actual Elements.”

Applejack gazed at each of her friends. She eventually raised her hooves in the air and sighed. “… I hope you’re right. Maybe Discord just needs that little nudge to become tame.”

“Thank you for your understanding, AJ.” Twilight smiled.

Spike suddenly spoke up. “Hang on a second, weren’t we just talking about the timberwolves a moment ago?”

“Ah yes.” Twilight said sheepishly, “Sorry for the detour. If we put back the Elements, the ambient magic in the Everfree will restore to a safe level, allowing us to deal with the matter at a later but more suitable time.”

Fluttershy looked to the ground in sadness. Twilight laid a hoof on the yellow mare’s shoulder and said, “I know it’s hard to turn a blind eye at their blight. But if we rashly break the curse, more harm will come to both us and them.”

“… I understand.” Fluttershy said in slight defeat.

“So.” Twilight perked up her tone a little. “Let’s snuck them into the tree before Discord wades back from Celestia-knows-where. We can frame this as a gift and give him a surprise! And we should be quick too, I have to come back to meet Trixie later.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mares trotted on the newly flattened pathway in the Everfree forest. It was originally an old overgrown path traversing the Everfree, a relic from the time when the royal capital was still at the old castle. It had remained one of the relatively walkable path in the Everfree. 

However, with the increasing need for Zecora and her helpers to transport a large amount of herbs and other raw materials out of the forest, Twilight had spent some time to devise a long-lasting spell to suppress vegetation growth, and she also hired some builder ponies to make it friendlier to pony-drawn carts as well as trotting ponies.

After walking for a while, the mares took a detour into the bushes, and soon reached a cave where a giant, crystalline tree resided.

The white tree was ever resplendent in its glimmering glory. It branched into multiple crystal shoots, among which five of them were the most prominent. Each of them bore at the end the symbols of their respective Elements, connecting to the heart of the tree, where there was a giant six-pointed star similar to Twilight’s cutie mark.

“Speaking of it, we haven’t really come here before.” Twilight said while admiring the serene beauty of the Tree of Harmony.

“Strange innit?” Rainbow Dash grinned.

“So this is the Tree of Harmony…” Spike gazed in wonder.

“If there is something that can be rightly called a deity on this very land of Equestria, this is it.” Rarity said.

“It literally gave life to mah kinfolks.” Applejack said.

“And to countless creatures, animals and plants in the Everfree.” Fluttershy added with a smile.

“So, uh.” Spike asked, “How do you ‘return’ the Elements to it?”

“Silly Spike, you just hang them on like you hang ornaments on Hearth's Warming Eve trees!” Pinkie Pie smiled.

“Yup. Twi, do it!” Rainbow Dash gushed.

“You’re strangely more in a hurry than me.” Twilight shook her head with a smile, and then snapped the Elements out from her saddlebag. With a flourish, the Elements drew six perfect parabola and landed on the trunk and branches of the Tree of Harmony.

Immediately, the Tree absorbed the Elements and glowed in a pure, bright white. After the glow died down, the mares looked at the base of the tree trunk in expectation, but they let out a collective yelp at what they saw.

“Wh—what? Did something go wrong?” Spike asked worriedly.

“N—nothing, haha!” Twilight squeezed out a smile. 

Instead of a treasure chest of any kind, six inscriptionless slab of white crystal had emerged from the ground around the tree.

“That’s one more mystery to be solved.” Twilight muttered under her breath.

Rainbow Dash leaned forward to Twilight’s ears with a grin. “Don’t you hate it when you actually have to solve a puzzle?”

Twilight shot Rainbow Dash a glare, and then shook her head with smile. “Only time will tell if we can solve this one then.”

The group then left just as quickly as they came, but before they could exit the Everfree, they were greeted with the sight of Discord standing in the middle of the road. His expression is inscrutable, but strangely without much of his usual mirth.

“… Why did you do this?” The chaos spirit asked in rare candor.

“A promise is a promise. And a promise to a friend should always be upheld.” Twilight said plainly, and then smiled. “Pinkie knows the importance of promises best.”

“Yes! We promised you that we’ll put the Elements where they can’t harm you. You trust us. And losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend forever!”

“I remember you just said I could store the Elements somewhere of my choosing, you don’t have to put them back to the Tree.” Discord said.

“We want you to feel safe.” Fluttershy said.

Discord deeply inhaled, and then widely grinned. “And I do! Ha ha! It’s like lifting a chocolate cloud from my eyes!”

“Chocolate cloud? Where?” Pinkie Pie was momentarily distracted.

“So are we friend-friend now?” Twilight asked expectantly.

“… Sure, why not?” Discord chuckled.

> Chapter 19 – Fruit of Industry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stood on the train platform with her friends, she couldn’t help but sighed as she thought about the recent events. Although she’s very glad to secure Discord’s trust as a friend, their giving up of the Elements had given rise to a list of pending problems.

She originally planned to use them to test out Star Swirl’s spell of Alicornification, and return them only after she became an Alicorn and beat off another villain, although she had realized early on that it was a tall order to both keep her promise and achieve all of those. 

Moreover in her previous tries, she couldn’t cast the spell without being nearly fried by the magical outburst from the Elements. She was bumped out by her constant failure, which she hadn’t figured out why and how. 

But now all was moot, perhaps for the better. She surmised that she could probably defend the Kingdom even without the Elements in her saddlebag, but was that actually true?

Her troubling thoughts were interrupted by a loud train horn, as the train from Dodge Junction slowly came in on the other side. The Apples had bought the land next to the train station and built a large depot with rails in parallel to the original station for their goods transportation needs, now that Appleloosa required machine parts and regularly sent in trainloads of apples and gems. 

Applejack herself went to Dodge Junction to negotiate a deal with Cherry Jubilee, the owner of the Cherry Hill Ranch. Applejack wanted to import some amount of cherries as well as other types of fruits to supplement the repertoire in her fruit winery. It would also be helpful as she, Pinkie and the Cakes were discussing a possible co-ownership of a new beverage manufactory in Ponyville.

The mares scrambled towards the correct platform and greeted Applejack, who just stepped off the newly commissioned train.

“Welcome back, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie grinned.

“How’s the trip? Did everything go well?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, did your compulsive honesty mess with your dealings?” Rainbow Dash teased.

“Please, Rainbow.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Bein’ honest is not the same as havin’ no tact.”

“And you’re back in time for the cider season.” Twilight smiled lightly.

“Oh yea.” Applejack said. Her family was no longer heavily dependent on seasonal cider sales, now that the farms were larger and their businesses were much more diversified. But the cider sales remained an important event for her family and a good opportunity for her farm to connect with the town ponies. 

Pinkie Pie and Twilight had made them a prototypical cider pressing machine, which was based on the traditional mechanical press of the Apple household and the sorting mechanisms used in the apple harvester. It sort of worked, just not too reliable with the pressure control sometimes, which caused some undesirable deviation from their family recipe. 

But besides the reservations from her family members about switching to machines, Twilight and Pinkie Pie were also becoming much busier with time, with Twilight having to attend to her trading company and newspaper, while taking occasional long trips away from Ponyville, and Pinkie Pie having to set up the new manufactory while carrying out her obligations at the Sugarcube Corner. 

Applejack was finding somepony who can help her design, maintain and even make new machineries and machine parts, both for herself and the farms down south, and since a while ago she already had some good candidates in mind. But they might need a little bit persuasion, so to speak.

“By the way girls, do any of ya catch wind about the Flim Flam Brothers?” Applejack asked.

“Are you really… counting on them?” Fluttershy asked in hesitation.

“Yeah, they might be able to make cider pressing machines, but they’re veritable swindlers… They’re walking, breathing snake-oil salesponies.” Rarity frowned. “You get near them, and the next second they’re selling off your farm for some shiny bits and you don’t even have any idea how they’ve done it.”

“Ah won’t say Ah count on them.” Applejack put out her tongue. “But given our current technical difficulties, Ah’ll be interested in what they have to offer. Ah’ll keep a close eye on them in any case.”

“Are you sure they will be coming this year?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I mean, so much have changed, and they might be scared of the sheer size of the Apple farms to come challenge you.”

“Cider season is a fixture in a large part of Equestria, that’s not going to change.” Rarity said.

“The helpers I sent out did catch sight of them near Las Pegasus.” Twilight said. “They were hauling their cider machine out of the city to the East. And given how Ponyville had grown, they will not give up such a chance to make big profit.”

“Oh good!” Applejack grinned. “Ah was thinkin’ Ah’d need t’ entice them to come mahself.”

The other mares gulped. The operation to entrap the Flim Flam brothers seemed to begin in earnest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What are we doin’, big sis?” Apple Bloom frowned.

“Makin’ our customers happy, as always.” Applejack smiled, and then returned to direct the helpers around the farm.

“We always do this by ourselves, why do we need so many ponies to help this year?” Apple Bloom again asked.

Applejack plopped down a sign near a fence saying ‘Wait time: 10 minutes’, and then turned to her little sister. “Every year we face a deluge of sad and angry faces because we made the ponies wait so long, and still some of them did not get their mug of cider. This is really bad for our name.”

“Look at those over there?” Applejack pointed to the stalls at the far side. “We have added a lot more service points this year. We won’t be seein’ those terribly long queues ever again.”

“What about these, um, music ponies? What do they have to do with our cider sales?” Apple Bloom asked, pointing to Pinkie Pie and a band of musicians.

“Well, ponies do nothin’ when they wait. And they sometimes get annoyed or even hysterical. We just hire them so that our customers have somethin’ to watch and listen to while they wait, it can seem like time goes by faster.” 

Applejack explained. “And with our new cider pressin’ machine, even if the demand outstrip our hoof-made supply, we can still make a lot more in a short time.”

Apple Bloom still frowned. “But Ah heard granny and big brother say the machine-made cider taste a bit dull and sometimes sandy.”

Applejack sighed. “… Twilight and Pinkie had not had the time to extra fine-tune the machine, so sometimes it does not churn enough for the cider to breathe well and release their smell, and sometimes there is too much pressure which breaks the filter inside and cause the pulp to go into the cider.”

But then she smiled, albeit a bit forced. “Twilight have agreed to manually adjust the cider pressing machine when we have to use it, so don’t worry for n—”

Suddenly, there’s a tap on Applejack’s shoulder, which caused the orange mare to jump. She turned back with wide eyes, and was relieved to see it was just Twilight.

“Speakin’ o’ the purple devil…” Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Yeah?” Twilight said. “And she unleash disasters on the world?”

“Who knows, you’re always hatchin’ wicked schemes.” Applejack smirked.

“Well, it’s not like it’s my idea to entrap the Flim Flams into working for you.” Twilight lowered her voice. “They were after all honorable inductees as creators of one of the horrible futures.”

Applejack huffed. “It’s not like Ah will let stupidity prevail this time.”

“Calling your alternate self and family stupid is a bit mean, no?” Twilight chuckled. “Oh and by the way, they’re here. Hiding behind the bushes and waiting to come out once you run out of cider.”

“Alright, let’s go greet our new friends.” Applejack said with a predatory grin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Brother, are you sure we’ve come to the right place?” Flim asked. “The notes of mine said the Sweet Apple Acres only produce artisanal hoof-made cider, but look at this grand setting!”

“No worries, brother of mine. It was probably just sh—”

“Howdy there, friends! Fancy a mug of cider too?” A loud mare voice was heard from behind the trees they’re leaning on, causing the brothers to almost leap onto their cider machine face-first.

“Wh—who are you?” Flam asked in shock.

“Name’s Applejack.” Applejack smiled and extended a hoof. “Our family owns the cider business here.”

Flim elbowed his brother, and tightened their suits. “I’m Flim, he's Flam, we're the world famous Flim Flam Brothers, traveling salesponies nonpareil!”

“Nice machine you’ve got there. What’s it?” Applejack asked.

Flim grinned. “I’m glad you asked.”

Flam continued. “Ma’am, it's the one and only, the biggest and the best,”

“The unbelievable,”

“Unimpeachable,”

“Indi—”

“It’s a cider pressing machine, isn’t it?” Applejack said.

“—spen… What?”

“Um, yeah.” Flim said. “Our Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 is the most unique and superb cider maker in the whole of Equestria!”

“Indeed brother, our cider squeezer is made with the most exquisite and state-of-the-art technology that picks only the best bits of the apples to make grade-A cider!” Flam added.

“Well, I don’t mind an extra helping hoof.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. 
“… or machine on our farm. But I want to see your ‘superb’ cider press in action first.” 

“Gladly ma’am.” Flim grinned. “Now, may my brother and I borrow some of your delicious, and might I add spellbindingly fragrant apples for our little demonstration here?”

“Of course.” A purple mare emerged from the bushes, and carried a sack of apples on her back. “Here are the best apples we’ve picked.”

Flim grinned, as he unloaded the apples into the machine. “Watch closely, my friends!”

“The fun begins!” Flam said.

“Now, here's where the magic happens.” Flim smirked, as he and his brother shot their magic into their cider press, causing the machine to erupt in thunderous noises. What they hadn’t noticed, was that Twilight immediately pulled out a notebook and wrote surreptitiously, as she closely observed the mechanisms of the cider press and how the brothers manipulated the speed and pressure of the machine.

“Right here in this heaving, roiling, cider-press-boiling guts of the very machine, those apples plucked fresh are right now as we speak being turned into top-notch, five-star, blow-your-horseshoes-off, one-of-a-kind cider!” Flim proudly finished his proclamation, which was also when Twilight hurriedly slipped her notes back into her saddlebag.

“A mug, please?” Applejack asked, as the brothers gave her a mug of freshly squeezed cider. “Mm, Mmm. Not bad. The texture is acceptable, and the aroma is passable. Ah think we might-could have a deal here.” Applejack said while tutting her tongue.

“Aha.” Flim grinned. “So what say you supply the apples…”

“...We supply the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000.” Flam added.

“Then we split those sweet, sweet profits...” Flim and Flam said together.

“...Seventy-five...”

“...Twenty-five.”

“In whose favor?” Applejack asked.

“Why, us, naturally.” Flim said.

“And, we'll throw in the magic to power the machine for free.” Flam smiled.

“Isn’t that a little bit steep?” Twilight stepped forward and asked. “We basically supplied the raw materials, the venue, all other hired hooves, and even musicians to keep the ponies entertained. And magic, yeah, keeping a cider press running isn’t exactly like rolling a boulder uphill, coming from a fellow unicorn.”

“Something like fifty-fifty or sixty-forty in our favor is much more reasonable.” Applejack said.

“Oh no.” Flim said. “That cannot do. Our Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 is the gem of our many moons of perfection!”

“Yes, anything less than seventy-five to twenty-five is unacceptable.” Flam added.

Applejack let out a sad sigh, “Well, is there really no room for improvement in the offer?”

“Absolutely not. Our offer is the most generous!” Flim said. 

“We at the Apple farms have a standard to uphold.” Applejack steadied her hat and said, “Ah don’t think such a deal would set a good example for any of our future endeavors.”

“That’s a ‘no’ then?” Flam asked.

“Eeyup.” Applejack said.

“Hmph. Very well. If you refuse our generous offer to be partners, then we'll just have to be competitors.” Flim said.

“Oh well.” Applejack said. “It’s a shame that we can’t reach a deal. See you on the level field of the free market then.”

Applejack and Twilight then turned and left, leaving the two brothers to stare at the receding figures of the mares.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, brother?” Flam said. “They don’t seem to be too daunted by our challenge.”

“Bah, that’s but a brave face they put on in order to scare us off.” Flim scoffed. “We should go charging right in and take over their entire cider business!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, the Apples again set up stall near their farm for their cider sale.

“They’re not coming,” Twilight frowned. “Were they scared off by us?”

“We’re selling only hoof-made cider, which is limited so far.” Applejack smirked. “Wait till some of the ponies who didn’t get cider yesterday to get disgruntled, and then they’d—.”

“We’re sorry, everypony!” Apple Bloom loudly announced to the remaining ponies. “That’s all of our hoof-made cider of today. But those of you who don’t get any cider today can still have a coupon fo—”

“But I don’t want coupons, I want cider!” Lyra Heartstrings, a peppermint green unicorn groaned. It seemed that although giving out goodies to disappointed ponies ease some of the letdown, a lot of the ponies were still complaining.

Rainbow Dash flew in and delivered her observation. “Here they come!”

As expected, the Flim Flam Brothers swooped in with their shiny-looking cider machine, and started their incredibly long and excited pitch towards the town ponies. Applejack and her friends simply watched, and she stopped her family from interfering as the brothers convinced the town ponies to give them a try.

“Well met, Flim Flam Brothers.” Applejack said. “I see that you two want a stake in the cider business also.”

“Not just a stake.” Flim said, “But the entire cake!”

“So you want the exclusive right to sell cider here.” Applejack said, “What do you propose?”

“With our machine, we can make enough cider in one hour to satisfy this entire town.” Flam said. “We can just out-supply you and be done with it!”

“Forty-five minutes tops for us.” Applejack said with a poker face. “How about a competition tomorrow mornin’?”

“But I'm afraid we haven't any...apples.” Flam said after the exclamations of wonder died down.

“We can supply the apples at one tenth of the price of the day.” Applejack plainly offered. “Fresh from the south field of our farm.”

Flim stroked his chin and nodded. “Uh huh. We have a bet. Whoever produces the most barrels in one hour wins the exclusive right to sell cider in Ponyville.”

Twilight sharply inhaled. She immediately scribbled the exact words of Applejack and Flim on a piece of paper and gave it to the Mayor Mare who stood next to her.

“Until tomorrow.” Flam said, as he and his brother drove their cider machine off amidst the chattering crowd. Applejack finally could not hold off her predatory grin, while her friends looked at her and gulped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Attention, everypony!” Mayor Mare announced through her megaphone. “The teams have one hour to produce as much cider as they can, after which the barrels will be counted and the winner will be named the sole cider provider for all of Ponyville!”

“Hey Flim, Flam,” Applejack asked, “Do you mind if Twilight there help us out?” She pointed at the purple mare.

Flim observed the bookish-looking mare and shrugged. “We’re going to win anyway. We don’t care if one twiggy little filly join your fray.”

Twilight raised a brow in amusement, but she remained largely expressionless.

“Yeah, yours is a lost cause.” Flam added.

“Excellent.” Applejack said, and informed the Mayor Mare of their intention.

Soon the competition began in earnest. The Apples started pedaling their mechanical cider press, but it was overshadowed by the roaring noises of the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000. Even as the Apples gave it their all, there was a limit how fast hoof production could achieve. The Flim Flam Brothers’ cider squeezer was outpacing the Apples by a healthy margin.

Twilight herself went to the far-side of the field, yanked off a giant canvass covering a machine, and flipped on the switch. The machine started to roar and emit white smoke as it burned the fuel inside. Twilight immediately casted a spell to stabilize the cycling mechanisms and kept it running smoothly.

The ponies looked with apprehension and expectation as they saw the barrels on the side of the Flim Flam Brothers rapidly piled up. Then with the ding of an alarm, the Mayor Mare announced. “Time's up!”

Mayor Mare began to count the barrels, and then she sighed. She opened her mouth and announced. “The result is in, Flim and Fl—”

“Wait!”

The crowd looked to their right, and were completely shocked as they witnessed Twilight hauling an indubitable pyramid of cider barrels forward with her magic. “You did agree that I can help, right?”

Mayor Mare widened her eyes. “Well, if the Apples have that many barrels added in, then they would clearly—”

“Hang on!” Flim interrupted, “How a fragile unicorn like her can made so many barrels of cider on her own? She must have cheated!”

“First, it is Twilight Sparkle, royal student of magic and defeater of Nightmare Moon, thank you very much.” Twilight huffed. “Second, I made these barrels of cider fair and square.”

She yanked forth a wheeled machine of her own, which caused the brothers to gasp aloud. “Just like you!”

“Im—Impossible!” Flam yelled. “How come you also have a cider machine?!”

“Um, I never said we don’t also have a cider pressing machine on stand-by.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “We just haven’t perfected the machine yet, and hoof-made cider is truer to our family recipe. But Twilight offered to manually fine-tune the machine, and extraordinary time calls for extraordinary measure.”

Mayor Mare looked to the flabbergasted brothers, and then turned to the crowd. “Very well. I, the Mayor Mare, hereby announced that the Apples have won this contest!”

The crowd erupted into a boisterous and emphatic cheer, and the crowd swarmed forward and tried to have a taste of the new cider.

“Oh and by the way.” Applejack turned and smirked to the dejected brothers. “I would have to charge you for the apples you used.”

“What?!” Flim exclaimed.

“Pfft, we have more than enough bits to buy all the apples of your farm at one-tenth the rate.” Flam said defiantly.

“Oh really?” Twilight said, “Here is today’s list of standard prices.”

“What?!” Flim and Flam took the paper and exclaimed at the same time.

“Five hundred golden bits an apple, are you bucking kidding me?” Flim yelled.

“Oh, it’s just fifty bits now.” Twilight said, brandishing another piece of paper with signature and a seal of it. “See, your verbal agreement with Applejack was notarized by me and the Mayor Mare.”

“Fifty bits are still extortionate for just a darn apple!” Flam cried.

“As if you two are not familiar with the idea of price gouging.” An angry-looking yellow pegasus walked near the brothers. Her fierce stare caused them to gulp and went one step back.

“I’m Fluttershy from the Ponyville Mirror. Fair Balance and I have been following your… exploits around Equestria.” Fluttershy frowned. “Prior to this, you’ve been selling fake elixir that purportedly cure all known and unknown diseases in Appleloosa and Dodge Junction for over sixty bits a bottle, even though they are just mineral oil with a little bit of peppermint in it. Sheriff Silverstar has been wanting to talk to you two for a long time.”

Flim and Flam gulped and tutted their tongues. They realized they had fallen into a sweet apple-scented trap. They began to think about a way to swiftly pack up and escape.

“Well, good news is.” Applejack said. “Ah never really want to charge you the bits anyway, because that would be… dishonest. I just want you to feel what it’s like to be gouged by your own unethical practice, so my friends and I arranged this charade for you to step in.”

The twins exhaled, but Applejack immediately added. “But it’s unlikely for you to simply walk away without consequences, as you declare yourselves to be the competitors to the Apple-Smith Farms.”

“T—The Apple-Smith Farms?” Flim clattered his teeth.

“Yes, my friend Rarity, chairmare of Raritan Mining,” Applejack patted the smiling white unicorn. “Just helped us consolidate our diverse farming businesses. What, do you that we’re just a small farm that can be run out with just a cider contest?”

Applejack began to lean in menacingly towards the brothers. “You two have been very, very naughty. Try go to the next city, town, or village and repeat this, I dare ya. My friends and I are goin’ to flood and dump the market. Try sellin’ cider when we’re givin’ them out free!”

“You’ll run out of bits yourself!” Flim yelped.

“Trust me, we have bits to burn.” Applejack narrowed her eyes.

“And we’re not shy about reporting you two to the authorities either.” Fluttershy crossed her hooves and said.

“Why do you have to do this to us? What have we done to wrong you?” Flam asked with a shaky voice.

“Not personally. Of course we’re dismayed by your less-than-honest dealing in the past.” Applejack suddenly grinned. “But you have a great use to us... If you agree to our conditions."

“What conditions?” Flam asked.

“Well, you have a way with tinkerin’ and operatin’ machineries...” Applejack said.

“And from my observations,” Twilight said, as she read the notes she have jotted. “We can definitely use your talent with regards to your fine magic control and machine making. With your help, we can surely make a cider machine that is perfectly loyal to the Apple recipe.”

“Why should we help you?” Flim asked with a frown.

“You’ll be safe with us.” Applejack said. “Ah’ll personally pay any fine and reimburse any of your previous victims, so that yer plates are wiped clean.”

“Mhmm.” Flim and Flam nodded slowly. 

“We’ll also give you a truly generous offer.” Applejack said. “First, you’ll be given a base salary of eight hundred bits per moon, plus benefits, bonuses, accommodation and free catering. You’ll be in charge of manufacturing machine parts and new farming machineries on our farm, and you’ll be rewarded if we use any new business ideas you supply. What’s more, we plan to spin out our machinery business eventually, and you two will be in charge of the new company.”

“A company of our own?” Flim gasped aloud. “Brother, isn’t that our dream all along?”

“Now wait a moment.” Flam narrowed his eyes. “Why would you be so kind and generous to us after you set us up with this? There must be some trickeries involved.”

“There’s no trick.” Applejack said firmly. “We just want to show you that there’s a way to do businesses without swindling your partners and customers, and ruining other’s livelihoods.”

“If you fear there might be any tricks.” Twilight offered. “We can make a paper-and-quill contract, notarized by all the important ponies in town. This way, there will not be any hidden clause that you might find unpalatable afterwards.”

The brothers looked to each other for a long time. Flim sharply inhaled, and Flam sat on the ground with a tired sigh.

“That’s it.” Flim said, “I guess we have little choice.”

“And to be honest, brother of mine.” Flam said. “I’m a bit tired of being chased around and having to run just to make a few bits.”

“Brother?” Flim gasped.

“Why.” Flam grimaced. “Don’t you remember how we were driven away by the angry Appleloosans and buffalos together? We can’t be doing this forever.”

Flim looked at the ground in silence.

“Now we’re offered a golden opportunity, brother.” Flam said, “We must grab and make the best out of it, or it’d not happen ever again.”

The brothers slowly nodded at each other, and then turned to Applejack. “We accept your gracious offer.”

“Very good! Welcome aboard!” Applejack brightly smiled and gave the brothers two big sacks of bits, to which the brothers gasped aloud. “Here’s some bits as mah appreciation and for buyin’ up all the cider you just made. They should be more than enough.”

She then asked the Mayor Mare to borrow her megaphone. “Attention everypony! The Flim Flam Brothers have agreed to join our farms as our resident machine specialists. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, Ah announce a free cider day for today!”

The crowd again erupted into a thunderous cheer, as Pinkie Pie and her band cheerfully played a wild carnival music. Granny Smith knitted her brows. She walked near and asked Applejack, “Young’un, are you sure we’ve got enough bits for this? Cider sale’s always been our lifeline in the winter.”

“Let me tell you how many bits we now have in cash.” Applejack grinned, and she whispered a number into Granny Smith’s ears, which caused the old pony to yelp in surprise.

“What?!” Granny Smith uttered loudly, “When did we start makin’ so many bits?”

“I don’t know.” Applejack smiled at her chuckling friends, “Maybe it’s magic?”

> Chapter 20 – The Duplicity of Devotion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was lying on her desk face first, her hooves holding a new letter from Canterlot. The wooden surface muffled her groans, but if there was anyone who walked in on her, they would plainly see that she was despondent.

She just received an invitation to her brother Shining Armor and Princess Cadance’s wedding. Now that she was left without the Elements, it meant she had to speed up on her way to devise a foolproof plan and a sufficiently powerful offensive spell to thwart the invasion by the changelings. However, it would push her way above her current magical limit. 

At the very least, she had to find a way to triumph over their leader in a one-on-one fight, which would be an incredibly difficult task, as not even Celestia would be able to beat their ringleader in a magic duel. She hoped that her mind magic would be sufficient with her intensive practices, but she was not entirely sure and she wouldn’t bet on it.

While it was a tall order to track down a race of shapeshifting insectoids, Twilight couldn’t help but feel incredibly useless not being able to find them even right before the moment the wedding take place.

Twilight had considered tracking down Cadance and offered her full-time protection, but she could not do it without guarding her around-the-clock, which was impossible given her duties in Ponyville. 

It would also be very suspiciously-looking. Twilight was hesitant to let herself fall into a situation where she had to explain where her knowledge came from.

At least she could take relief in the idea that Cadance and her brother still got together. She was afraid that any overt interference would separate Cadance and her brother in the way that they would fail to meet and fall in love with each other. 

While she was uncomfortable with the deterministic overtone, she was even more uncomfortable and ill-at-ease if it did not happen, which would invalidate a whole lot of her foreknowledge and cause a lot of regret in her heart.

In any case, Cadance herself was very elusive, and she was scheduled to only come back right before the wedding after a long diplomatic mission to Griffonstone and its myriad tiny duchies and counties. Twilight could not just monitor every pony in Canterlot with her revealing spell, which would be logistically impossible and not to mention extremely exhausting for her.

So now, however reluctant, she was forced to contain any invasion in Canterlot around the wedding day, even though she felt bad about having to subject Cadance and her brother with any possible hurt. If she acted rashly or revealed the plot early, it would alert her enemies. The changeling queen would then likely change their invasion plan, and not only her advantage of having foreknowledge would be negated, it would also open a can of worms if they scatter to somewhere else.

Suddenly, the door to her library bolted open. Twilight gasped and turned, and she saw Discord showing up at the door with a giant bouquet of flowers that almost buried his entire self, while sporting his usual cavalier grin on his protruding head.

Twilight gulped. Discord was strangely out of her sight for pretty much of the last moon, not even during the cider sale. Whenever he visited her library, he simply went straight into his room without speaking much. 

‘But what’s up with… Oh! No wonder Spike, Rarity and Pinkie disappear to who knows where. It’s that day!’

“So my dearie Twilight,” Discord grinned. “Today’s you ponies’ Hearts and Hooves Day, isn’t it? Care to join my wild ride of love?”

“Um, uhh…” Twilight spluttered.

“Hmm?” Discord pressed on. He laid down the flowers and leaned forward towards the purple mare, who was sweating beads.

“Um, the thing about that is…” Twilight was 	completely thrown off by the draconequus’ sudden advance.

“Is that a yes or a no?” Discord got closer and closer, until Twilight could feel his chocolaty breath on her face.

“O—okay!” Twilight eventually could not bear it anymore and yelped. “Geez!” 

“Good!” Discord smiled as he slinked back. “So let’s go and have a wonderful and unforgettable date out!”

“Um…” Twilight still didn’t know why exactly she agreed to this. ‘Maybe I don’t want to disappoint him? What the hay was I thinking?’

After a moment of silence, Twilight spoke up as they prepared to leave the library. “So, uh, why would you want to go out with me?”

“Because you’re a cute and lovely little pony?” Discord said.

Twilight blushed, “Um, uh… W- Where’re we going today?”

“Shh…” Discord whispered. “Let me plan this out.”

“Alright…?” Twilight nodded hesitantly.

The draconequus snapped his claws, and suddenly he was in a complete gentlemanly tuxedo. He tipped his black top hat and bowed. “Shall we?”

“B—But.” Twilight’s eyes widened and looked at herself, who was only carrying her saddlebag. “I’m terribly underdressed!”

“You’re always dressed just right in my eyes.” Discord cooed.

Discord clapped his claws together, and suddenly an exquisitely-decorated chariot, adorned with a huge representation of her six-pointed star cutie mark, appeared in front of the library.

Twilight again gulped at the blatant display. She looked left and right, and noticed a lot of gasping passers-by. But her own errant thoughts were interrupted by the gentle call from the draconequus.

“My dear Twilight, we shan’t waste any time. Let’s come on, shall we?”

Twilight rigidly walked towards the chariot, and Discord graciously extended a claw to help her up. Twilight hesitated, but then took his strong claw with her hoof, and then entered the chariot.

The chariot was strangely spacious compared to the look outside. Twilight surmised that some magic must be involved. It was like a miniature clubhouse, with violet and red finishing, shelves filled with her favorite story books, a long, red, silky soft lover’s couch, and a cupboard filled with expensive wines. The blinds were lowered, and the only source of light inside was a few white candles, which seemed to be emitting some sort of luring fragrance as well. With a snap of finger, the chariot started moving by itself.

Twilight looked at this prototypical romantic setting, and she simply felt a bit mushy and uneasy inside. Romance was just something that she read about and saw all the time, but never really pictured herself to be in one. Even the relationships that her Spike involved himself with were not exactly a model for her to emulate. After all, it was a strange love triangle. Not that Twilight minded, but it’s not something she would dare to try.

But she did not have time to worry about the love issues of others. She herself was utterly bemused by the sudden interest from the spirit of chaos. She did not recall him showing any of that kind of affection towards her. Discord often teased her about her severe face, which she happened to sport a lot more as she had tons of things on her minds recently. But other than that, her mind turned up a complete blank with regards to Discord’s possible motivation. 

“Why, Twilight.” Discord lightly chuckled. “You speak so little and think too much. Why not just enjoy this moment?”

Twilight simply felt strange seeing the spirit of chaos acting so gentle and considerate, considering his usual playful and teasing attitude. She nonetheless nodded quietly.

Discord took out a bottle of wine and poured Twilight a glass. “Ponies say drinking a bit of red wine can ease your mind. Have some, Twilight.”

Twilight could not bring herself to refuse the rare kindness from the draconequus. She took the glass and began to sip. She winced at the strong bitterness on her tongue, as she was not used to drinking wine. But miraculously, she really began to mellow out, and even started to become more comfortable with the idea of going out with Discord.

Discord observed the changing expression of the purple mare, he grinned. “Great, you seem calmer now. So, what about watching a movie with me?”

“Mm.” Twilight merely nodded. The wine seemed to be quite potent, as her cheeks already grew a bit red and hot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The chariot stopped in front of the Ponyville Theater. Discord, who was holding the hoof of an embarrassed Twilight, entered the building. It was strangely empty for the hour. The spirit of chaos snapped and winked at the theater staff, who simply smilingly nodded. They then got in the main theater, where the red seats were all empty.

Discord suddenly lifted Twilight up with his claw. “Wait wha—?” Twilight yelped, “Gah!”

The draconequus flew Twilight into the middle of the theater, where she was then seated snugly next to the chaos spirit.

“Best view in the theater, you know?” Discord grinned.

Twilight said nothing, as her heart was still racing from being suddenly taken up into the air by Discord. She blushed furiously but she was strangely… not against it. 

‘Discord is just my friend! Is he crazy? Am I going mad?!’

Then, bright light began to be shone on the big white screen in front of the stage. Twilight expected some sort of romantic movie, but to her surprise, it was the first movie adaptation of the first Daring Do book, Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone, which was always her guilty pleasure.

Twilight laughed out loud as she watched the wooden dialogues by actors and actresses that barely had any training. Scripts were read off cue cards, and consisted purely of cheesy one-liners and poorly thrown together expositions. The actress who played Daring Do wasn’t even a pegasus, but a white earth pony with tacked-on wings. Twilight was laughing tears when she saw clearly fake boulders rolling off a hill, which bounced up into mid-air after reaching a small kink.

As the movie drew to a close, Discord turned to the purple mare, who was still whizzing from the incessant laughter. “Enjoyed the show?”

“Yes! It was great… fun?” Twilight squeaked and looked at the spirit of chaos. For some reason, his mishmash of features suddenly look… cute and alluring. Each blink of his eyes and each quirk of his mouth all seemed delightfully pleasant.

‘Wait, wait, wait!’ Twilight stopped her thoughts and averted her gaze from the smiling draconequus. ‘What am I thinking? I befriend him just because I think he’s lonely!’

Twilight peeked at Discord. He simply smiled and nodded. His expression remained inscrutable as to whether he was aware of her bashfulness.

“I’m glad you enjoyed the movie.” Discord said. “Dinner, shall we?”

Twilight was surprised at the strangely regular date plan so far, considering her partner was Discord, the lord of chaos. But she’s so far having a good time, so she’s not complaining.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight and Discord was once again riding inside the chariot, and they were sipping some more wine as they chatted.

“So, um, where did you go in the past moon?” Twilight asked with interest. “I didn’t see you often in the library.”

“Oh, how perceptive.” Discord chuckled. “I merely went out and visited other parts of Equestria as a tourist.”

“A tourist?” Twilight asked in surprise.

“Yes!” Discord grinned. “Do you want to hear my exploits?”

“Sure!” Twilight cheerfully said. Her head was a bit light, but she felt a swelling of joy and affection as she heard the draconequus’s voice. She wanted to hear more of him and see more of him. She wanted him to be with her, as his very presence made her heart tingle.

‘… Am I in love with him?’

Discord grinned and began to talk about his adventures across the entire Equestria from coast to coast. He talked of how he was mistaken as a monster in Las Pegasus, but then somehow landed himself a job as an actor in Applewood through luck and trickery. He talked about how he travelled to Rainbow Falls and trading a box of chocolate shaped as Celestia’s tail for some figurines of himself from an astonished seller. 

Twilight listened, bobbed her head and smiled, occasionally chuckled heartily. Discord seemed to have an endless well of funny and interesting encounters to tell. 

“Oh, here we are.” Discord pointed towards an upscale diner outside the window.

“… Oh, really?” Twilight rubbed her eyes.

Twilight’s vision quivered. Her steps were already a bit unsteady, as she was never a mare that drunk much. Discord helped her to get off the chariot carefully, and grabbed the mare tightly by the shoulder as they entered the Prench restaurant.

The greeter seemed to have been expecting them, as he swiftly directed them to a table at the most secluded corner. They sat down, and Twilight could only see candlelight shone upon the weathered grey face and yellow eyes of the draconequus.

“Commander?” 
“To order?” 

Discord called forth the waiter.

“Si?” 
“Yes?” 

The waiter pony asked, somewhat surprised that someone in rural Ponyville did speak to them in Prench.

“Je serais ravie d'avoir l'apéritif d'aujourd'hui. Pour le plat principal, nous aimerions fumé salade de cresson dans une infusion laiteux.” 
“I would love to have the appetizer of today. For the main course, we would like smoked watercress salad in a milky brew.” 

Twilight watched Discord as he graciously spoke in the velvety tongue of Prench. 

Prench was the language of the unicorns, aristocrats and any aspiring upper-class in general. However nowadays, only ponies in the small enclave of Ville de Platine in the Northeast spoke Prench as their daily tongue. 

While Celestia had long ago started to promote ‘speaking plain’, which meant Common Equestrian that was understood by most members of the three races, knowing Prench was still a badge of status and culture. 

Hearing Discord so effortlessly rolled the words off his tongue made Twilight feel as if someone was massaging her ears.

Discord had brought in some more bottles of wine, and the waiter graciously helped open it and pour it in the glasses in front of them.

Time passed as the dishes came and they ate. The food was a delight to taste, but Twilight was feeling dizzier and dizzier as she drank more and more, and Discord simply kept refilling her glass. Still, she was for some reason feeling quite partial to her date partner, and simply nodded with a wide grin at whatever topic Discord happened to bring up. Her mind was a cloud of mist and her heart was simply all fuzzy and warm.

“And by the way, my dearie Twilight.” Discord casually said.

“Mhmm?” Twilight said.

“I’ve been always wondering…”

“Yes?”

“That what else can I know about you.”

Twilight giggled as she stroked her red face. “Oh Discord, I’m what you see, just a purple mare who loves her friends and books.”

She covered her mouth before a hic came up. “… and you.”

Discord gently cooed. “Really? Well, if you love me so, can you tell me what you’ve not been telling me?”

“Eh…?”

“The one little thing that Applejack asked you but then stopped you from answering…?”

“Um… uh, oh! You mean that, hehehe!” Twilight again giggled, her usual restraints and guard were completely off as her rational mind had shut down long ago.

“Yes, my dear.” Discord whispered. “Can you tell me that?”

The spirit of chaos leaned forward slightly, and stared right in the half-open eyes of Twilight. Some faint white light, almost imperceptible, floated across the table like dimming fireflies and into Twilight’s eyes. Twilight could feel some gentle probing in her head, but she was too engrossed with the sight of her lovely date partner and the influence of wine to pay attention.

“Speak up, Twilight.” Discord again cooed, but this time more forcefully.

“… Yes, my dear Discord.” Twilight smiled blissfully. “I’m ac—”

“Wait! No, Fluttershy!” A suspiciously familiar voice suddenly boomed from the metal door next to their table.

“Um? I just remember that I have to collect some watercress from the kitchen for my animals.” The voice of a mare, presumably Fluttershy, said. “The chef agreed to give me his leftovers, how kind of him!”

“No, it’s not like that… Where’re you going?”

“The chef is not here… I wonder if he’s behind this door?”

“Wait!”

The door creaked open, and in came a surprised yellow pegasus, and another somewhat panicky Discord at her behind, trying desperately to get her away.

“Um…” Twilight again rubbed her eyes. “Is it the wine, or are there two Discords in front of me?”

Fluttershy’s eyes grew as wide as a pan, and then immediately glared angrily at the two Discords. “What’s the meaning of this? Didn’t you tell us we’re on a date?”

“Um…” “Uh…”

“Oh dear!” Fluttershy gasped, as she approached the purple mare. “What happened to you? Look at how red your face is! Discord! How can you give so much wine to Twilight?”

Twilight was jolted awake to the voice of the yellow mare, as she began to realize what happened. She silently gulped, as she struggled to cast a detecting spell, which confirmed her nagging suspicion. Her horn then shone as brightly as the sun for a very brief moment, momentarily causing the others to shield their eyes.

When the light died down, Twilight was already standing in the corridor. However, the purple mare was biting her lips, as her entire body shook with sadness and anger. Each of her breath was labored and painful.

“Twilight…” Fluttershy frowned.

“Discord.” Twilight said with gritted teeth. “How can you do this?”

The Discords snapped their finger, and they again merged as one. “Twilight, I…”

“All these… simply a trick to make me spill some words?” Twilight sighed. “Even resorting to love potion, plying me with wine, and even interfering with my mind?”

“Love potion?!” Fluttershy yelped, and then glared at the chaos spirit again. “Discord, you!”

“I, um, think we’re friends, but I really want to kn…” Discord stuttered, “I hope we’re still…”

Twilight sharply inhaled and looked up. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you that one day, and we’re still friends.” 

She put up a sad smile. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m deeply hurt by you trying to use my feelings, true or concocted.”

“Twilight, I just…”

“Please, speak no more.” Twilight waved her hoof. “I need time to think. We need time to think. Let’s go, Fluttershy.”

Discord looked at the leaving mares, his mouth agape. He was so close to pull off his plan, but he ended up alienating two of his friends. Also for some reason, his heart pained seeing the hurtful face of the purple mare, as if he had done something very wrong, and irrevocably so. 

He, though, also felt a strange sense of betrayal as he wondered what kind of secret the purple mare guarded so dearly and why he was not worthy of knowing it, even though he was a friend to Twilight just like her mare friends. He angrily slammed the wall nearby with his fist, and simply watched as the mares left the restaurant altogether.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fluttershy was comforting Twilight in the library, who was sulking sadly about her eventful outing with Discord. The purple mare was bestowed with millennia’s worth of knowledge and experiences, she saw countless real and fictional stories that involved even more hurtful betrayals. She always thought she could shrug them off if those happened on herself, but when it really did, she was reduced to a shivering wreck.

Fluttershy sensed quite early that there was something not exactly forthright with Discord’s sudden invitation, but she too had been floored by the kindness and earnestness the draconequus had shown, and agreed to the date. Plus, Discord seemed to genuinely want to spend time with her, unlike his manipulation of Twilight with an ulterior motive. Therefore, she was not as hurt as Twilight, but she still felt incredibly sad and aching at the heart for the purple mare.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud on the door. The mares gulped, fearing it to be Discord. Fluttershy tentatively walked near the door and said. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Pinkie! I just finished my special shift in the Sugarcube Corner, so I figure I will drop by the library and see if any of you are here!”

‘Shift?’ Twilight wondered. Wasn’t Pinkie spending time with Spike along with Rarity?

The door opened, and a cheery pink pony bounced towards Twilight. But once she saw the purple mare’s face, her eyes immediately narrowed.

“What’s wrong, Twi? You’ve cried!” Pinkie Pie gasped.

“N—Nothing!” Twilight immediately wiped her face with a towel and squeezed out an uneasy grin.

“If you don’t want to tell me yet, it’s okay.” Pinkie Pie lowered her head and said.

“… Can’t hide it from any of you, can I.” Twilight sadly smiled, as she recounted the day’s events to the pink mare.

Pinkie Pie went silent, and then she began to cry a river of tears in typical over-the-top Pinkie fashion. Twilight simply watched with her mouth opened. She was hurt, yes, but it seemed that the saddest pony in the room was Pinkie.

“Um… Are you okay?” Twilight felt strange to be the one asking this question.

Pinkie Pie sniffled. “Discord was going too far! How could he play with the feelings of an innocent mare?”

The two looked at the pink mare silently. After she quieted down, Fluttershy asked. “So um, Pinkie, why are you working on the Hearts and Hooves Day? Should you be, um…”

“With Spike?” Pinkie Pie grinned. “Nah, today he’s with Rarity.”

“That’s it? You don’t mind at all?” Twilight couldn’t help but ask.

“I’ll be lying if I say I don’t mind at all.” Pinkie Pie said. “But I expected something like this from the beginning.”

Pinkie Pie looked out of the window. She opened her mouth, but she suppressed her incoming sigh.

Fluttershy and Twilight looked to the pink mare. There’s probably something wrong with her and Spike’s relationship. But it might also be nothing. Twilight massaged her temples. If this morning she started out with n problems, then now she’s got n+2. 

> Chapter 21 – Bittersweet Beverage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A lone figure was walking into the town of Ponyville. He was hauling a giant cart of assorted items and mementos. Each step of his was tired and labored, as if it carried every weight of his trotting across Equestria.

“Welcome to Ponyville, my friend!”

The gamboge-colored donkey slowly raised his head up. He saw a smiling pink pony right in front of him, directly in his path.

“I know why you’re here.” Pinkie Pie grinned mysteriously.

The donkey momentarily widened his eyes, but then huffed. “Take a hike, pink pony. You’re in my way.”

The pink pony sighed. “I see you don’t believe me. Matilda!”

A female dark amber donkey with a beautifully coiffed mane walked out from the alley. The donkeys both gasped at the sight of their long lost love.

“It’s really him! Thank you Pinkie!” Matilda said.

“You’re welcome. A friend in need is a friend indeed!” Pinkie Pie smiled, watching the donkeys embracing each other lovingly. 

“Well, my job’s done. There’s no use with ol’ Pinkie being a fifth leg between our lovey-dovey donkeys.”

The pink mare turned, but she was stopped by a call from the male donkey.

“Wait… how do you know? And what’s your name?”

“I know everyone in the Ponyville, plus I’m smart and quick!” Pinkie Pie grinned. “I’m Pinkie Pie. If you and Matilda decided to tie the knot, remember to find me at the Sugarcube Corner. I’m the resident party specialist!”

The donkey blushed at the idea of marrying his love, and he quietly said. “I’m Cranky Doodle Donkey… Thank you.” 

“Nito.”
“Welcome.”

Pinkie smilingly nodded, and then went on her way again.

“… What a strange pony.” Cranky Doodle Donkey muttered. “Did she know the Donkey tongue too?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised, Doodle.” Matilda smiled. “Pinkie does what Pinkie does.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pinkie Pie cantered across the flourishing town of Ponyville. The bright sun shone upon the new road paved with flat quarried sett stone, which replaced the previous mix of mud and cobblestone. The new express road now directly connected the south-east, where the fields of the Sweet Apple Acres sprawled at the other side of the Lower Saddle River, to the north-west, where the roads and rails to Canterlot were situated.

Ponyville was gradually transforming into a respectable mid-sized town, instead of the rural settlement that the lofty Canterlot ponies remembered from some years ago. 

While the creeping mechanization brought discontent among the largely artisanal and nature-loving population, the Apples tried to mitigate it to the best they could by making a large part of their fund available for public projects and retraining. The city had also used the increased tax revenue generated by the influx of ponies to enact more public works.

All open sewers within city limits were covered, and more street lightings were added. The Mayor Mare even floated the idea of a street car system, but there was no taker so far. Twilight and her friends were simply way too busy with the projects on their hooves.

Pinkie Pie arrived at the bridge across the river, but it was folded up. A fleet of ships were sailing downstream, and all of them bore the distinctive logo of three azure diamonds arranged as a hexagon. However, they did not carry gems from the Raritan mine, but assorted metal ores, quarried stones and coals from other mines along the river. 

The Apples had at least some initial assets, but Rarity started from much less. However, the white unicorn seemed to be the quintessential self-made mare, as she rapidly turned the initial capital from Twilight’s dividends into a variety of growing mining businesses, surpassing even the Apples in scale. 

Gems were mainly transported towards the big cities, while metals were brought downstream to the metal foundry and steel mill at the outskirts of the town. All these fueled the heart of the expanding industry in Ponyville.

Strangely enough, fashion design seemed to have become Rarity’s side job, in between visits to factories and mines. She more than once stated her displeasure at losing time for designing clothes, but she also showed no sign of abandoning her new found sense of industry. She did try to foray into textile business, which was more aligned with her clothes-making passion. However, due to a lack of raw resources, she was forced to focus on gems and ores, which were readily available on the Saddle plains.

Pinkie Pie could still remember the time Rarity eagerly brought all of them to visit Raritan, which ballooned into existence that it had at least a fifth of Ponyville’s population. The settlement, however, remained unincorporated so far. This was probably because of some noble pony’s resistance regarding giving a charter to a township where a plurality of the population was non-ponies—the diamond dogs who were working in the mines.

Pinkie Pie lowered the bridge after the fleet had passed, then she crossed the bridge and passed through the house and workshop of the Flim Flam Brothers, where she and Twilight used to store and tinker with the larger machineries. Finally, she reached a newly built and smartly painted wooden building, where a number of ponies were already gathering.

“Pinkie, you finally come.” Fluttershy smiled.

“I—” 

Photo Instant immediately snapped a shot of Pinkie, momentarily caused the pink pony to freeze.

Pinkie Pie broke into a hearty chuckle. “Heheh! I’m still not quite used to the concept of media attention! Fluttershy, I’m going to go inside and check it out first, and then we can do the press stuff?”

“Oh no.” Fluttershy said. “Honest Heart will be the one asking questions, if any. Since we know each other too well, it will be more neutral if she does it.”

“Okay!” Pinkie Pie nodded. She walked into the manufactory. At the entrance, she took and wore a white jacket and a pair of goggles, the she stepped inside the moderately-sized room, where there were a few big metal cylinders of churning liquids.

“Hey Pinkie, what take you so long?”

“Just went to reunite someone in love, Applejack.” Pinkie Pie grinned.

“Oho. So, how’s it goin’ in the new factory?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah,” Mr. Cake walked out from behind one of the giant metal cylinders. “How do all these giant metal tubes work? You’re the one setting them up.”

Pinkie Pie inhaled and then explained. “You see, the first tank stores the filtered water from the river nearby. The second tank stores apple juice from the Sweet Apple Acres. The third tank stores sugar syrup from Sugarcube Corner. The fourth tank stores the acid gas from Applejack’s wineries. And then they all mix together in the fifth tank!” 

“Isn’t it great, Pinkie?” Mr. Cake smiled. “You finally have a business of your own.”

“Hey, you and Applejack own this factory too! I just run the place.” Pinkie Pie smiled. “Besides, I’d still help out in the Sugarcube Corner to earn my keep. Besides, I love all the sweets that I can eat!”

Mr. Cake laughed. But then, Fluttershy entered the manufactory and called to Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, your spokes…minotaur has arrived.”

“Oh!” Pinkie Pie shot up. “We must go immediately then! He isn’t the type of minotaur who has a lot of patience. Kind of like me, hehe! Except I’m not a minotaur of course!”

They both walked to the entrance of the manufactory, and somepony had already put up a giant piece of ribbon across the front. With the raising of camera, Pinkie Pie took out a comically large scissor from somewhere and cut it with all her might, earning a round of applause.

Pinkie then walked to the arm-crossing minotaur at the side. “Hi, Mr. Iron Will! Thank you again for agreeing to represent our newest super-duper energy drink!”

“Iron Will salutes his puffy pink pony pal!” Iron Will boomed. “The name of Iron Will alone is going to electrify anyone who drinks your… uh.”

“Apple Nova.” Pinkie grinned.

“Yes! Apple Nova put zip into your head like Iron Will put backbone into your back!”

“Wow, do you think that up by yourself? It’s brilliant!” Pinkie Pie gasped aloud and praised.

“Of course! Iron Will is a professional speaker!” Iron Will proudly huffed.

“Oopsie!” Pinkie Pie looked at the waiting crowd. “It’s time for the press conference. Come!”

The duo moved onto the raised platform, where Applejack and Mr. Cake were already standing and waiting. After another round of photo taking, Iron Will stepped forth and began his usual forceful and powerful pitch for the new energy soft drink. Pinkie then continued with some congratulatory words of her own. 

Just when Pinkie Pie thought the event was about to conclude, Honest Heart from the audience suddenly raised her hoof to indicate that she had questions.

“Yes? The lady with white coat.” Pinkie Pie smiled.

“I’m Honest Heart from the Ponyville Mirror. First, there has been accusations that the rapid industrial expansion led by you and your friends had disturbed the peace of Ponyville and polluted the environment. How do you respond to these accusations?”

Pinkie Pie widened her eyes and silently gasped, as the audience began to chatter. Wasn’t Ponyville Mirror sort of ‘on their side’? She knew that the staff had almost free rein in terms of journalistic freedom, but that kind of questioning was like biting the hooves that were feeding them.

Sensing Pinkie Pie’s astonishment and hesitation, Applejack walked forth to the podium. “Thank you for your question, Miss Honest Hearts. Ah like honest questions and honest ponies, so Ah’ll also be honest here. Ah don’t think we’re disturbin’ the peace in Ponyville. Rather, we’re bringin’ much needed progress to a town so close to the capital and yet remain sorely underdeveloped. I know somepony dislike the fracas caused by ponies comin’ and settlin’ here, but ain’t we all immigrants? They have a shot at a good life as much as we do.”

“More ponies mean more fun!” Pinkie Pie smilingly added.

“Right.” Applejack said. “As for impact on the environment, there ain’t no ponies more concerned with that than me. Our farms surround the town, and good delicious apples depend on good clean water. Now, what Ah said doesn’t represent Rarity or her company, and Ah’m not pointin’ hooves either. Mining does produce a lot of foul water, but as far as Ah know, Rarity had been puttin’ a great lot o’ what she earned into treatin’ them, an’ at least we at the downstream haven’t noticed anything wrong with the water yet. If you want to know more, you should ask Rarity herself.”

“Another question. Some other business owners in town have accused you and your friends of collusion and stifling competition. Do you think this is unfair and if so, why?”

This caused even more uproar in the audience. Applejack, however, remained composed. “This is a very serious accusation, but it’s completely false. It’s true that Ah and mah friends often have stakes in each other’s businesses, but we’ve never directly competed against any existin’ business in town. Also, we run businesses fair and square, and we never try to exploit ponies for benefits.”

“But according to record, apple price was once raised to five hundred bits during cider sales. And some witnesses claimed that you have used unfair supra-competitive price to force out the Flim Flam Brothers and coerce them into working for you. Is any of these true?”

“No, definitely not.” Applejack said. “Flim Flam Brothers once engaged in various unethical business practices, and had then been wanted by the sheriff in Appleloosa. We were intent on stoppin’ and rehabilitatin’ them. The price matter was just a way we showed ‘em the harm they caused to their victims by payin’ them back with their own coins. We’ve since then reached an agreement with the authorities and the brothers themselves to resolve the matters and pay back all the victims. Ah’m proud to say that Flim Flam Brothers are now two of the upright members of the Ponyville society.”

Applejack then deeply inhaled. “Ah think this might not be an appropriate place to keep discussin’ these, since this is after all the openin’ of Pinkie’s soft drink factory. We should continue the interview in an alternate venue if you wish.”

Pinkie Pie was simply amazed by the careful and meticulous answering that seemed to diffuse all the hard questions thrown forth by Honest Heart. The crowd seemed to be largely satisfied as well.

As the promotions continued on stage, Pinkie Pie stepped down and looked for Fluttershy, who was simply standing aside and observing.

Seeing Pinkie Pie’s questioning gaze, Fluttershy spoke up. “… I know what you want to ask.”

Pinkie Pie nodded. Fluttershy then said, “When I took up the job from Twilight, I want to be somepony who speak up for the weak, the needy and those who are without voice in this society. But I discovered that in order to do so, you need to stand strong and be not afraid. Now that you girls have become the town’s magnates, there’s more reason for us to challenge your conscience and help other ponies speak up if they find something disagreeable with you.”

“Even if those accusations are flimsy at best?” Pinkie Pie asked with doubt.

“We give the voiceless a platform, it’s just that.” Fluttershy said. “It’s very difficult, because all of you are such dear good friends. But especially because you’re my friends, I have more reason to hold firm when it comes to making a stand against you.”

Pinkie Pie remained silent for a while, and then lightly smiled. “… I see. Keep up the good work then.”

Fluttershy gasped and covered her mouth. She didn’t expect Pinkie Pie to accept her somewhat confrontational editorial approach that easily.

“Don’t be too surprised, Fluttershy.” Pinkie Pie chuckled. “We know we need that guiding light in our lives. Twilight needs that guiding light in her life. Or else we might get lost in our thoughts and ambition.”

> Chapter 22 – Operation Oversoon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A train passed through the hills and ravines of Upper Canterlot, and rapidly approached the hillside capital of Equestria.

Twilight again took out the formal invitation letter to the wedding from Princess Celestia with her magic from her saddlebag. She read it once, then twice, then thrice, then more. 

Cadance had come back to the capital, she immediately sent letters to contact her and her brother, but none of them gave any reply. This made her think that something bad might have already happened.

She was more than sure that Cadance and Shining Armor’s magic could defeat the changelings with ease. If Cadance got thrown into the caves just as before, she had a way to immediately rescue her and immediately launch a counter-attack. Even if Chrysalis hid away Cadance in some other places, she and her friends had enough time to do a combat sweep. They were prepared to their teeth.

But she couldn’t believe that they could not spot one single changeling in the two weeks before the wedding, despite ramping up her search efforts by strolling around the city each every other day, plus spying over the city in the Twinkling Balloon. She had to give it to Queen Chrysalis who hid her hive like a magician hid her rabbit.

While Twilight insisted they didn’t necessarily need the Elements to defeat the changelings, the fact that she didn’t have a surefire weapon had haunted her.

She hated this lack of assurance, and unlike the time she defeated Nightmare Moon, there was no magical theory to bank on. She grinded her teeth and knitted her brows together so hard, she accidentally over-exerted and incinerated the letter in a bright flash.

“Twilight?! What are you doing?” Spike gasped. “Why did you burn the invitation letter from the Princess?”

“Oops.” Twilight squeezed out a smile. “Just an accident. I’ve read it anyway.”

“Okay…” Spike doubtfully peeked at the purple mare, who was anxiously anticipating something, presumably the wedding.

Twilight looked to all of her friends, who were even though not as grim as her, but still visibly worried. The train ride was bumpier than usual due to high winds, but the mares could not be bothered to pay attention to their own comfort right now.

Spike awkwardly gazed at the obviously troubled mares, and he finally gathered up enough courage to ask, “What’s up with the frowny faces? We’re going to a wedding, not a fune—”

“Spike!” 

“Twilight, please don’t yell.” Pinkie Pie frowned.

“I—I’m sorry, Spike.” Twilight gulped and lowered her head. “I don’t mean to yell at you. I was just a bit agitated.”

“Talk about understatement…” Spike muttered quietly.

Pinkie Pie put up a forceful smile. “Yeah, we’re sorry too. We’re all just too, uh, nervous about our wedding duties. Ha ha.”

“Pinkie, your laughter sounds phony.” Spike said.

“Hey! As somepony connected to the Element of Laughter, I take great offense at that!” Pinkie Pie huffed.

“Now, now.” Rarity said. “Each one of us has valid reasons to be concerned.”

“I know you girls have things to do in the wedding, but why on Earth do we have to arrive two whole days before the wedding?” Spike asked. “Don’t you mares have things to do back in Ponyville?”

Twilight winced. “There will be indeed a lot of follow-ups to be done by leaving our duties behind, but we’ve been aware of some security… irregularities in the capital.”

“Come again?” Spike said.

“What Twi wants t’ say is, the Princess seems to be raisin’ the security in the capital by a whole lot.” 

Applejack said. “A lot more Royal Guards were seen patrollin’ the streets, and the captain of the Royal Guard, that is, Twilight’s brother and the groom, will soon have to cast a protective barrier around the whole city.”

“What for?” Spike gasped.

“The princesses don’t know for sure, but they had received a report of threat towards the capital.” Fluttershy said reservedly.

“Good to be careful, but you all don’t have to be this alarmed…” Spike said in hesitation. “By the way, is Discord going to come?”

“He didn’t say.” Twilight lowered her head again and sighed. She originally hoped that the draconequus could join and help them, thereby greatly reducing the risk and also redeeming himself in the eyes of the princesses and other ponies.

However, ever since the incident in the Prench restaurant, their relationship was extremely strained. Twilight tried very hard but still couldn’t let go of the fact that she was duped and hurt, while Discord seemed to be annoyed at the fact that Twilight still refused to divulge her secret. 

The only one time they met before her trip to Canterlot, Twilight tried to invite the draconequus to go to the wedding with them, but he merely acknowledged her without saying whether or not he would go.

After the moment of silence, the train pulled in the heavily guarded train station in Canterlot. Although the protective barrier had yet to be set up, the city was already full of guards and soldiers, as if it was under some sort of curfew.

The mares then quietly trotted to a small inn far from the main castle, and checked themselves in.

“Twilight.” Spike asked. “Aren’t we going to live in the castle for the time before wedding?”

“Um.” Twilight hesitated. “We will move in eventually, but if there’re any commotion before the Royal Wedding, it would be easier for us if we operate among the crowd instead of among the royal guests.”

“I still think that you’re over-worrying.” Spike grumbled.

“I hope so.” Twilight sighed and elevated a bag out of her luggage. “Spike. Please wait here and be a good dragon, okay? I left the Daring Do books and gems in this bag.”

Spike grinned brightly at the two favorite things of his, and vigorously nodded. The mares then left the room and gathered at the lobby.

Twilight lowered her voice and said. “I must go. Let’s hope everything is over soon.”

The mares looked at Twilight with worried gazes, but they eventually nodded. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight trotted down the deep caverns under the Canterlot Castle. The mandala-shaped mine railroad led deep into the darkest pit in Equestria, somewhere so deep that not even the diamond dogs had ever reached.

Twilight walked among the giant crystals, which reacted to every bit of fluctuating magic. The cave was otherwise composed of featureless grey boulders and wall. She winced as she felt an irrational sense of fear and emptiness.

“I… We’re back, aren’t we?” Twilight panted.

This was where she first touched the Ancient Tome with her very own hooves. 

This was where the ancient tome came into the life of the purple pony. 

This was the place it spent thousands of years staring at just an endless canvass of grey.

The ancient tome bathed in the malevolent but immense magical energy from its countless evil unicorn residents. It’s where it gathered enough power and sentience to eventually talk to the purple mare in the first place.

It was when the life of Twilight Sparkle, royal student of magic, began to diverge. She was given almost a second lease in life, but in the same time, at the cost of becoming someone else. She dragged her friends into it in a bid to secure Nightmare Moon’s fall and obtain companionship, even though she thought it feels almost criminal to impose that on her friends.

Twilight violently shook her head, spraining her own neck somewhat. “I… am not here for any of this nonsense.”

She then stood firm on the ground, and casted her spell. A long-ranged latent teleportation spell was still out of her league at her current level, but she could freely draw upon the ambient magic in the caverns. 

All the giant reflective crystals began to illuminate in purple as they reacted to the purple mare’s magic. A mixture of white and violet expanded from her forehead as a sphere, and then dissipated in a big flash. The particles of light shot forth in all directions and embedded themselves into every walls and corners of the cave.

Twilight again panted heavily. She was pushed towards her limit. Not a magical one, but an emotional one. She could feel her heart best like a thousand stampeding buffalos, as she was being plunged into an existential crisis by the scene of her surroundings. She drew in another breath and immediately casted a series of teleportation spells, mixed with frenzied galloping, and she was out of the cave in mere minutes.

The purple mare collapsed onto the grass as she looked up to the setting sun. 

“I did it…?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Gah!” Cadance yelled, as she was bucked into a circle of green fire by a black, cackling equine creature.

Cadance was completely disoriented. She was originally very excited to finally marry her stallion of love, as she had hurriedly finished her diplomatic duties and returned just in time for her own wedding. But immediately after she came back to Canterlot, her captain of guards suddenly turned into this horrifying insect pony, which seemed to know how to impersonate somepony by taking after their likeness. The insect creature then knocked down the pink Alicorn princess with a bout of green magic and kidnapped her away.

Cadance had then been interrogated in a secluded house by this changeling queen Chrysalis, as she called herself. After a few more visits by the disguised Chrysalis, she seemed to think she got enough information. The pink princess was then simply discarded like a dirty cloth and bucked into the caves under Canterlot by the queen’s vile magic.

Cadance quickly fell through the dark caverns. She frantically flapped her wings, but it barely slowed down her fall. Just when Cadance closed her eyes and prepared to brace for impact, the dark cave walls surrounding her suddenly glowed in a shower of warm purple light.

Then instead of the expected impact, she landed in something really soft and fluffy. She looked down, and discovered that she was on a white bed in a foreign room, where some of the residue purple aura still persisted. 

A purple pony had been dozing off next to the bed. She was jolted awake by the sudden appearance of the pink princess.

“Cadance!” Twilight yelped.

“Tw—Twilight?!” Cadance gasped loudly. “Wha—Why—Huh?”

The pink princess’s eyes then widened, and she backed away from Twilight in fear. “A—Are you in cahoots with her?!”

Twilight’s mouth went agape, then she sadly smiled as she realized it was she that had to convince Cadance that she’s not out to harm her. “No, I’m not in cahoots with Chrysalis, my friends and I are here to stop her.”

“But how do you know about her?” Cadance asked with narrowed eyes. “Are you really Twilight?”

Twilight then closed her eyes and said. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake…”

“… Clap your hooves and do a little shake… It’s you, Twilight! But h—”

“… I’m so sorry, Cadance, to have you endure such horrible treatment…” Twilight touched the disheveled princess’s mane and said sadly. “The changeling queen has been concocting a nefarious plan to impersonate you, soak up the love from my brother and conquer the entire Equestria.”

“What?!” Cadance gasped.

“Yes… Her minions have blended in our midst long before the wedding, and they converged in on the capital just to launch a full-scale invasion to subjugate ponykind.” 

Twilight said grimly. “The changelings were numerous, and the changeling queen’s magic is so overwhelming that I fear not even Princess Celestia can win against her. Fortunately, I’ve come to learn about their plan through… coincidence, and you’re the only hope that we might defeat them once and for all.”

“How can I do that?” Cadance muttered. “I can barely take on Chrysalis in a fight.”

“The magic of your love together with Shining Armor, of course!” Twilight smiled.

“I see…” Cadance widened her eyes, but she then asked, “Twilight, does anyone other than me, you and your friends know about this?”

“No, our first priority was to rescue you from the clutches of Chrysalis.” Twilight said.

“I must thank you for that.” Cadance said, “But how did you know Chrysalis was going to imprison me in the caves and prepared this …”

“Long-ranged teleportation spell?” Twilight said. “Well, the caverns are the best place in Canterlot to dump unwanted ponies, I reckon. We had no idea where Chrysalis kept you before this, so we can’t rescue you sooner. I’m so, so sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter Twilight, your incredible foresight have led us to the first step forward towards thwarting the evil plan of the changeling queen.” Cadance smiled.

Twilight was too troubled to smile back. Instead she said. “Princess Cadance…”

“Just Cadance, Twilight.”

Twilight squeezed out a smile, but it immediately turned into a frown. “… Cadance, you look… unwell. The fight can still—”

“No!” Cadance yelled. “At this very moment, my fiancé and your brother is accompanying an imposter who is feeding off his love towards me, and doing Celestia-know-what to him. We have to stop her at once!”

“But we can perhaps pretend and let the queen think her plan’s coming through, and then we knock her and her minions out from Canterlot with a surprise attack during the wedding?”

“I think we should be proactive, Twilight.” Cadance said. “Besides, I can’t bear it if Shining Armor’s love for me causes anymore anguish and pain on his part.”

“… I see.” Twilight sighed as she felt that she could not convince Cadance to wait. She might have to abandon her plan to follow the script. “But will you at least let me comb your mane?” Twilight said. “I—I’m simply glad to see you again.”

Cadance lightly gasped, and then gently embraced the purple pony. Twilight froze at the touch of her foalsitter, but returned her embrace gradually with warmth and joy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“There is an imposter Princess Cadance running around in the castle?” Spike shouted. 

“Yes, Spike,” Twilight said and pointed towards the demure but resolute pink Alicorn. “This is the real Cadance. The imposter is some shapeshifting bug creature that is intent on conquering Equestria and turning the whole place into her breeding ground!”

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s go get them before it’s too late!”

“Well, our best shot is to reunite Cadance and my brother Shining Armor, so that they ca—”

A loud scream interrupted the discussion of the mares and dragon. The mares gasped and looked out of the window, and they saw a horrifying sight. A swarm of changeling descended upon the unprotected capital, terrorizing all of its residents. 

They could see that the patrolling Royal Guards had all been glued to the ground and immobilized by some sort of green substances. The buzzing of wings were so loud, it was almost deafening.

“Shouldn’t your brother have erected the protective barrier by now?” Rainbow Dash asked in shock.

“How come?! That shouldn’t happen until the wedding!” Rarity gasped.

Twilight angrily pounded on the wall. “Darn Chrysalis! She must have noticed Cadance’s disappearance from the caves and decided to act early.”

Fluttershy gritted her teeth. “And if the changeling swarm roams the streets, it’s very likely that the castle had already fallen and the princesses were already subdued!”

“So what do we do?” Spike asked in fear.

“We go retake the castle.” Twilight spat out the words one by one.

“Are you crazy?” Spike yelped. “Look at the number of bugs out there! They will devour us whole!”

Twilight inhaled deeply and said. “Now, I have a way to go about it…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Um, Twilight,” Spike said, “What’s with the goofy set-up? You girls look like you’re about to parade rather than fight the ch—cha—”

“Changelings.” Twilight supplied. “And it’s not goofy. Changelings feed on emotions, and so we counter them with emotion-based magic. Besides Cadance’s love magic, we’re going to draw upon the residents’ rousing emotion as we march through, in order to clear us a way to the castle.”

“Let’s hope it works.” Cadance said.

“… Let’s hope it works.” Spike said, albeit unsurely.

“Spike, you must remain here for your safety.” Twilight frowned.

“But Twi!”

“It’s too dangerous,” Rarity added. “Chrysalis’s magic isn’t foal’s play. She could have incinerated you in one hit at full strength.”

Spike inhaled sharply, and slowly nodded.

The mares then held their breath and quietly trotted to the main lobby of the inn. The receptionist and other hotel staffs had long fled. Twilight lit her horn and yanked the door open with great force.

Immediately, the sky-blocking changeling swarm entered their view. They could only hear a constant droning of buzzes and maddening hisses.

Pinkie breathed in deeply, then began the piece with a forceful clasping of her cymbal. Then Fluttershy began to sing aloud.

“Equestria, thy hope is crowned,
Unity preserve thee yet!
On rolling greens, beloved, renowned,
With thee may naught beset!”

The fearful fleeing ponies on the street heard something distinctive from the ceaseless droning, and they slowed down to listen despite being chased around by the changelings.

“Three equal tribes, by friendship tied,
Have lived here well and long;
By friendship tied, by struggle tried,
Thine kingdom shall be strong.”

Even the swarming changelings seemed to be momentarily stunned by the stirring solo, as the residents seemed to be mesmerized by the rousing song rendered in the beautiful voice of Fluttershy.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash then sharply inhaled and joined Fluttershy in the chorus,

“Land of hope and good will,
bounded by our love,
Harmony be thy key,
to the stars above.”

By now, the city ponies had recognized the tune as the celebrated patriotic piece once played in the Grand Galloping Gala. A lot of them joined and sang partly out of its heart-stirring effect, partly to embolden themselves against the black menace.

“Unity and magic,
duo of holy gems,
Stars of solemn brightness,
weave thy diadems!”

“Rarity, it’s time!” Twilight shouted, and the white mare nodded. They both casted a spell which sent forth a colorful spiral of blue and purple magic. The sparks of their magical energy leapt up and down to each high and low in the melody. And they also glowed brighter and brighter with each of the sung words by every pony.

Cadance watched the brilliant light show in front of her, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of amazement. But what she then witnessed was even more stunning.

The duo of unicorns charged their magic forward, and the sparks began to shower upon the army of changelings. As the sparks made contact with their heads, it exploded into bright blasts of vivid colors, knocking the changelings back like bowling pins meeting a bowling ball. All of a sudden, the advancing swarm was beaten back by the chain-reacting magic, like a dazzling and colorful display of exploding crackers.

Except for Twilight and Rarity, all ponies simply watched with utterly amazed expressions and wide eyes as the literally mind-blowing scene unfolded. The chain of exploding changeling heads seemed like a brilliant choreographed firework show, and the backward-flying contingent of changelings was knocked out of the city altogether. 

Pinkie Pie nearly missed a beat as she tried her best to focus and not burst into frenzied clapping at the awe-inspiring scene. 

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath in between stanzas, as she witnesses the most awesome scene she had ever seen in her life. Not even something from movies or Daring Do could compare.

Some of the changelings managed to temporarily morph themselves into the likeness of the Mane Six, but they were immediately greeted and beaten back with the tiny but potent magical explosives.

The group gradually proceeded towards the Canterlot castle, with more and more city ponies joining in. When they reached the castle gate, there were already so many ponies singing together that it almost drowned out the sounds from the instruments.

Pinkie Pie again clasped the cymbal with great force, signaling the end of the electrifying piece. All the ponies cheered loudly at their victory parade, creating a wave of sounds that was almost deafening.

Twilight magically boosted her volume and turned to the crowd. “Thank you! Without your help, we could never safely arrive at the castle and deal with the invaders that took our princesses hostage.”

The crowd gasped at the news that their princesses were in peril. Twilight then continued. “My friends and I must now go in and face the queen of these changelings. Please do not stay and retreat to safer places, but do wish us luck, and wish for our triumph!”

The mares solemnly trotted inside the castle with the blessings and cheers of the city ponies. They rushed towards the throne room, where a bright green glow emanated, visible even from outside the castle. As they entered and had a clear glimpse of what were in the room, they gasped.

Celestia and Luna had been imprisoned in lime green cocoons filled with some sort of green goo. The queen of changelings herself was sitting on Celestia’s throne, lightly straddling the leaning form of Shining Armor.

“Well, well, well.” Chrysalis smirked, “What have we got here? A bunch of ragtag misfits interrupting my glorious conquest?”

“Chrysalis!” Cadance hissed. “Your game is over! Release the princesses and my fiancé at once!”

“Oh you slippery Cadance, how do you escape from the caves?” Chrysalis asked. “If not for your mischievous horseplay, I will not need to change my plan so abruptly and take over the city by force prematurely.”

The changeling queen then cackled. “Fortunately, your dear fiancé’s love is just so delicious and strong! I can take two Celestia down on my own with his powerful love!”

Twilight then whispered to Cadance. “We will distract Chrysalis, you go get Shining Armor, restore him to normal and cast the protective spell with him together.”

Cadance nodded. “… Take care, Twilight.”

Twilight then turned towards the laughing changeling queen. “Well, your time is numbered, Chrysalis. We have taken care of your minions on our way here.”

“Please, you naïve foal.” Chrysalis said. “With my current level of power, I could have taken over the entire Equestria myself. But for your impudent attack, you must pay a price!”

The changeling queen leapt forward, and shot a giant pulse of green magic towards the Mane Six. The mares immediately dodged, but the pulse hit the ground and caused a gigantic explosion, sending rubbles everywhere. The shockwave of the explosion alone knocked some of the mares onto the wall.

“Hahaha! See? Your resistance is futile! Why don’t you all just be good ponies and climb into the cocoons yourselves?” 

“Never!” Rainbow Dash flew to Chrysalis at full speed and tackled her, while the others zigzagged forward and dodged Chrysalis’s attacks. Twilight then casted a bout of restraining magic on the legs of the changeling queen.

But Chrysalis simply groaned, and her entire body glowed in phosphorescence. Her black carapace then radiated in brilliant green, and exploded in an extremely powerful shockwave of energy, knocking the mares backwards with great force.

The mares yelped in pain, but Twilight used a cushioning spell to reduce their impact. She barely steadied herself and immediately casted a cluster of magic missiles surrounding Chrysalis in all direction. Rarity also fired her offensive magic and Pinkie Pie shot some projectiles out of her modified party cannon. However, the changeling queen didn’t even bother to dodge this time, and the attacks fell on her exoskeleton like dust on a glass pane.

‘Darn! Why is she so strong?’ Twilight gritted her teeth. ‘When will Cadance be re—?!’

Suddenly, a bright yellow sphere of magic flashed inside the room, momentarily attracting the attention of all combatants. Then Twilight saw Discord himself appearing in between them and the changeling queen, his arms crossed.

“Discord!” Rarity gasped. “Thank goodness!”

“Are you here to help us?” Applejack asked.

“I know you’d come at the end, you’re our bestest friend!” Pinkie Pie grinned.

“Come on!” Rainbow yelled. “We’re getting our plots kicked!”

The changeling queen glared at Discord. “Who are you?”

Discord bowed with a flourish. “The king of chaos, mischief paramount and one-time ruler of Equestria, Discord, at your service.”

“You are Discord?!” The changeling queen hissed. “Aren’t you encased in stone by the accursed Celestia and Luna?”

Discord ignored her, and simply walked in front of the panting Twilight and grinned. “I’ve been watching nearby the whole time… I only ask you.”

Twilight widened her eyes and gasped, as she unconsciously took a step back.

“Tell me what you hadn’t told me.” Discord plainly said. His doubt had been festering in his heart for the past moon, and he even began to seriously doubt the veracity of the so-called friendship he had with Twilight and her friends.

Twilight grinded her teeth. She looked to the princesses and the changeling queen. She then looked to the ground, but she remained silent throughout.

“Very well.” Discord frowned, as he began to walk towards the changeling queen.

Chrysalis observed the draconequus, and she began to smirk. “You’ve made a wise choice, lord of chaos. Join me and you shall be rewarded with a slice of Equestria to do as you wish.” 

“No, you can’t be serious…” Rainbow Dash said.

“Serious?” Discord turned and pointed at the purple mare, “It’s Twilight who’re not serious about our friendship! If we’re such true compadre, then why would she not tell despite all that I did?”

The mares winced, and Twilight tried to plead. “Discord, I…”

“I’m starting to think that this is just a show to keep me off from being what I am and doing what I want.” Discord said. “An imprisonment in another name.”

“No, Discord, I’m—”

“Despite our trust issues, you mares did do me a favor by releasing me from the stone and going far to prove that you would never use the Elements against me. For this, I’m not going to harm any of you.” Discord crossed his arms.

“Discord…?” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes.

“Do you want my help or not?” Discord whistled. “I only ask you not to hurt them too badly and give the control over these mares to me afterwards, you can do as you wish with everything else.”

“… Fine.” Chrysalis huffed.

“Discord!” Fluttershy pled. “Please don’t! We’re your friends!”

“My words are final.” Discord then chortled. “You all are going to be my special little horsey playthings when I finally take back my rightful throne of chaos!”

Discord then snapped his fingers.

“Gah! Let go of me!”

The mares turned to look at the source of the voice, and color began to drain from their faces. The chaos spirit had captured the pink Alicorn princess with his claws, and snatched her away from the half-conscious Shining Armor.

“Now, I’ve done my part and neutralized their threat.” Discord said.

“What threat?” Chrysalis asked.

“Seriously?” Discord said, “You can be so thick sometimes. No wonder you got beaten from your homeland.”

The chaos spirit then preempted the seething changeling queen. “They’re planning to distract you long enough to steal Shining Armor away and blast you and all your changelings away with a love spell.”

“You traitor!” Cadance angrily shouted.

“Oh, I’m so hurt, what’s-her-face.” Discord mocked.

“… I see, you cunning ponies.” Chrysalis grinned. “But now your foolish plan is foiled.” 

The changeling queen began to fire off another volley of attack. The mares were too surprised at the turn of events, and dodged too slowly. They were summarily hit and knocked down to the ground in a pile of debris.

“Watch out!” Discord scoffed. “You’ll break my toys!”

Twilight struggled to rise above the rubbles, blood again streamed from her head and her body. She cursed her misjudgment about Discord’s thoughts and feelings. 

Was he wrong though to suspect her and her friends? She did come off as extremely reticent and shady with regards to her big secret. Discord was a spirit of a monotonic concept, chaos. He was practically forgoing his freedom and true nature in exchange of their good graces. And if she wasn’t true and good to him, what point there was for him to keep up with the veneer of uprightness?

Twilight closed her eyes and smiled. “I—see, Discord.” She coughed, “… I don’t begrudge you for this.”

Discord raised his eyebrows. Twilight then said, “But I must stop Chrysalis at all costs. Things turned to Tartarus because I’m too clever to be wise.”

Twilight then lit up her horn. She teleported in front of the changeling queen.

“Foolish fo—” Chrysalis sneered, as she prepared to fire another spell to deal with Twilight.

But this time, Twilight was not using a physical attack. She stared right into the changeling queen’s eyes, and casted her mind magic. Chrysalis was stunned to see the purple mare try to engage her in a battle of minds.

‘You’re brave, little one.’ Chrysalis cackled in the mental space, ‘But stupid as well. I have the power of the whole hivemind, while you’re just a lone mare!’

‘Well, you don’t know if you don’t try.’ Twilight grinded her teeth at the enormous mental pressure the changeling queen exerted.

‘Grr, you’re very tough yourself…’ Chrysalis was taken aback by the ramming assault at her own mind from Twilight. ‘A lone young mare like you shouldn’t have such strong mind magic!’

Twilight merely harrumphed and did not respond. Others in the room merely witnessed them locking heads in bright surging lights of white, purple and green.

‘Mha, mwahahaha!’ Chrysalis began to cackle as she started getting the better of Twilight, ‘You’re no match with me either in flesh or in mind!’

Twilight panted heavily as she felt the parameters of her mind were being knocked down. Sweats dripped from her forehead, as she realized that if she was really defeated by the changeling queen, Chrysalis might be able to extract things that she knew from her head. Terrible things would then befall Equestria.

Twilight decided to stop this at all cost. She frantically searched her mind for a way to defeat Chrysalis whatever it took. 

Then suddenly, her attention turned to the vast caverns below her and the castle. Thousand years’ worth of raw magical energy was stored inside the caves. The ancient tome had been immersed in the enormous amount of magic in its eternal solitude. Twilight herself also made use of it to help build the long-range portal towards the inn to save Cadance. 

But if she concentrated her magic and casted a self-propagating spell, she might be able to detonate all the quiescent magical reserves among the cracks and rocks. Then the overpressure would trigger an enormous blast of magical explosion. Not even Chrysalis could withstand such a blast at close-range, Twilight thought.

She ferociously grinned, and she forcefully clamped onto the much bigger figure of Chrysalis. Chrysalis struggled to shake off the purple pony, but Twilight immediately casted a spell and opened a magical circle beneath them. They then together plunged into the abyssal depths.

“Twilight!” The mares yelled in shock. 

Chrysalis gritted her teeth, as she doubled her efforts to ram open Twilight’s mental defense. Twilight felt as if her mind was torn violently apart piece by piece, and her very self was being eaten away. However, she held the changeling queen with all her might, until they struck the bottom of the cave like two roaring meteorites.

Twilight whizzed and reeled from the impact. She could not hold on much longer. She focused and tracked the natural magical flow within the cave, and she quickly located a spot suitable for her spell.

She rolled and struggled with the changeling queen on the ground, but she managed to get close enough to squeeze out her last bit of magical energy and trigger the reaction.

Suddenly the cave glowed in brilliant purple. Every crack and crevice lit up with lustrous white.

“What was that?!” Chrysalis gasped, as she felt a colossal magic surge around her. 

“Oh, just a little fun I had with the latent magical reserve here.” Twilight grinned maniacally. “If I can’t win in a one-on-one fight, I’m taking you with me!”

“Stop, you crazy—!” Chrysalis shouted, but it was cut short by a huge explosion.

A sphere of pure whiteness engulfed both of them. The ground violently trembled, and rocks began to fall from the ceiling, but they were immediately blasted up again by the rapidly expanding ball of destructive magic.

The mares on the ground could only hear booming noises, and a very powerful quake almost knocked the mares onto the floor. Then all of them witnessed the unbelievable scene as the Royal Garden in front of the main castle simply exploded into a giant fireball of magic. The changelings nearby were blasted away upwards, as the white and purple energy surged all the way to the top of the sky. The entire Canterlot shook as it was briefly engulfed by a blinding whiteness. 

The windows of the throne rooms were all broken by the violent shockwave. Even at a distance, the mares were still knocked back and fell ungraciously on the floor. Discord merely watched with a shocked expression and mouth agape, as he unconsciously dropped Cadance on the ground. The pink princess was too stunned either to react to her new-found freedom.

When the explosion died down, nothing but a giant crater remained where a lush green garden had used to be.

“That was Twilight’s magical signature!” Rarity gasped in horror.

“What?!” Rainbow Dash said, “You don’t mean?!”

The cyan mare immediately flew through the broken window and towards the destroyed Royal Garden. Tongues of flame licked her face, and the hotness was unbearable, but Rainbow Dash ignored her own discomfort and frantically searched for the sign of Twilight. But she could see nothing but smoke, rocks and debris.

Cadance was the next to recover from the shock. She had a thousand curses to say to the draconequus whose action caused this terrible outcome, but she had to tend to those in need of help first. She stroked the face of her fiancé worriedly with her hooves, who was released from the thrall of the changeling queen and recovering.

“Shining Armor!” Cadance yelled. “Are you alright?”

“Wha—where... huh?” Shining Armor was disoriented. “What’s happening?”

Cadance sniffled. “… An evil changeling queen called Chrysalis impersonated me and planned to take over the capital by feeding on your love. Your sister Twilight, though, saw through her plan. Chrysalis was defeated, but…”

“But what?” Shining Armor asked. “Where’s Twily?”

Cadance broke down in tears, and simply pointed towards the crater that was once the Royal Garden.

Shining Armor opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He stepped back but stumbled, causing him to fall on a pile of rubbles. He pressed his eyes with his hooves so hard until he saw nothing but stars, then he opened his eyes, but the carnage in front of him remained.

“Tell me it isn’t real…” Shining Armor muttered. “We… we haven’t even met or talked yet...”

Cadance then turned to the frozen Discord. “You!” She angrily hissed, “I know I probably can’t match you in a fight, but by Celestia I will maim you for this!”

Discord said nothing as he seemed to still be in deep shock. He simply wanted his freedom, and to turn his little ponies into his own playthings, and perhaps then make Twilight tell him her secret at last. He never wanted Twilight… like this.

“What?” Shining Armor gasped. “What did he do?”

“He held me up so that I couldn’t wake you and cast the protective spell with you together.” Cadance gritted her teeth. “So Twilight just attacked Chrysalis head-on and …”

“You vile turncoat!” Shining Armor yelled at Discord in fury. “I’m going to rip you apart for this!”

Shining Armor charged madly towards the chaos spirit, but suddenly, a yellow figure appeared in front of him.

He barely braked and glared at the yellow pegasus. “What the hay are you doing? Get out of the way! I’ll avenge Twilight and rip this foul beast into pieces!”

“Get a hold of yourself!” Fluttershy loudly yelled, which stunned the white stallion into some sort of clarity. “This is no time to play revenge! We should go and search for Twilight!”

She turned and looked at Discord. “Discord. I… I don’t want to play the blame game now. If there’s a bit of affection left in your heart for her and us, then please join our search for Twilight.”

Discord was silent for a long time as he processed Fluttershy’s words, but he eventually nodded, almost imperceptibly.

The group then rescued the princesses from the cocoons and laid them to the floor, but they seemed to be unconscious. Not wanting to waste time waiting for the princesses to recover, the mares, Shining Armor and Discord rushed to the epicenter of the blast.

Rainbow Dash was seen desperately crawling at the rocks and rubbles. “Twilight! Twilight!” She shouted repeatedly, so much so that her voice had become raspy.

Rarity and Cadance both immediately lit their horns and casted the searching spell. Cadance even flew in circle above the site of explosion. But eventually, they shook their heads in defeat and dejection.

Discord clasped his claws together, and a bright yellow glow emanated from them. The ground momentarily trembled, as the debris were lifted up from the ground with his magic. However, they promptly dropped back down as Discord sighed heavily.

“… No. I can’t sense any of them.” Discord said quietly. “They’re not here… With the severity of the blast, they’re likely—”

“No!!” Rainbow Dash stopped her hoof-digging, and tackled the spirit of chaos, “That’s not true!”

Discord merely winced and turned his head aside.

“Twilight… that’s one cruel joke yer makin’…” Applejack muttered. “Ah thought we’re supposed to do great things together...”

“We have so much to do. You have so much to do.” Rarity bit her lips and sobbed, “How could you do this to us?”

Pinkie Pie was simply crying so much that she couldn’t speak nor think clearly.

Shining Armor knelt on the ground, as he sobbed. “Twily, why? Why?!”

Suddenly, the princesses approached them in shaky gait. They were visibly shocked, sad and angry.

“We heard everything…” Luna lowly hissed.

“Twilight put all her faith on you.” Celestia gritted her teeth. “And this is how you pay her back?”

“I knew you can’t be trusted!” Luna yelled, as she fired a bolt of magic towards Discord.

Discord didn’t flinch, but he was stunned to see someone leap in front of him.

“Argh!” Fluttershy reeled from the attack, as she was knocked into the arms of the chaos spirit.

The princesses widened her eyes and gasped. “What are you doing, Fluttershy?” Luna yelped.

Even Discord gazed at the pony in his arms with an aghast expression. “Why, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy simply wheezed in pain.

“Enough with this already! Haven’t we seen enough senseless carnage today?!” Rarity said in between gritted teeth.

“But he killed Twi—”

“No!” Rainbow angrily shouted. “I’ll never believe Twilight’s dead until I see her with my own eyes!”

“Rainbow Dash…” The princesses frowned at the cyan mare’s words.

“… He will have to live with it for the rest of his life.” Applejack grimly said. “Besides, there’re nothing we can do to stop him anyway if he wants, now that Twilight’s… gone.”

Discord looked to the orange mare, it was as if his heart was being torn to pieces by his crushing conscience. Wasn’t that the moment of freedom that he longed for? The Elements were now incomplete, with its centerpiece missing. 

Even if Twilight’s friends somehow managed to retrieve the Elements back from the Tree of Harmony, they would be useless. He could immediately go on a rampage and turn Canterlot into the chaos capital of the world right there and now, and no force in Equestria could have stopped him.

But he never thought that his action would indirectly cause Twilight’s demise. At the very moment, Discord could only think about his time with the purple mare. Her happy face when they met, her fearful face when she was under his spell, her blushing face when he teased her, and her teary face at the Prench restaurant. Life with Twilight and her friends was not exactly exciting, but it had been blissful and fun. 

But now, he had ruined everything. Just because he’s mired in a bout of doubt and resentment about Twilight’s secret. It’s all moot now, since the mare had died with her own secret.

“What have I done?” Discord muttered. “She was the first pony ever to show me kindness and respect… I never meant to… I…”

The spirit of chaos sank to his feet. The surrounding ponies looked at him in sadness or glared at him with resentment. But none of them spoke a word as the draconequus finally collapsed in tears.

> Chapter 23 – Settling Dusts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You haven’t even brought me to Daring Do yet!” Spike cried out in desperation. “You lying mare, you horrible lying mare!”

Spike furiously clawed at the pillow. The feathers inside leaked out and spread all over the room. Then he buried his head in the remaining feathers and sobbed.

“Spike…” Rarity frowned as she tried her best to comfort the dragon, who had been crying constantly ever since he heard about the terrible news.

The white mare herself deeply sighed. She again wondered if this was all just a horrible nightmare. But the gross laceration of the land in front of the main castle served as a chilling reminder that it had happened just a few days ago.

The changeling invasion had been thwarted. But at what price? This shouldn’t have happened. This didn’t need to happen. How could they, somepony that were gifted with foreknowledge, somehow make the matter infinitely worse than what could have been? Was interfering with fate a mistake after all?

Everything should have gone according to the plan. They should have acted their parts, and Chrysalis should have been expelled along with her minions with a simple blast from the loving couple’s love spell. Shining Armor and Cadance should have been happily married. 

No pony should have died.

But now, Twilight perished with the changeling queen in a gigantic magical blast that destroyed half of the Castle Courtyard. Discord’s betrayal was largely responsible for Twilight’s desperate decision to take Chrysalis out along with herself, but Rarity was in no mood to accuse. 

While the chaos spirit might be finicky and overly suspicious, it was true that they had refused to tell Discord about the tome. It was a grave and sensitive matter for Twilight and all of them. 

With a creaking sound, the door to the room opened. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy came in.

Fluttershy gulped, and whispered to Rarity. “… How’s Spike?”

Rarity looked to the emotional dragon, and shook her head. It would be hard for the dragon to adapt to, or even recognize the fact that his beloved mother and mentor was no more.

Rarity glanced out of the window. The sky was overcast, as ordered by the princesses to the weather team to mourn the tragedy. Because there was not a trace of both Twilight and Chrysalis among the smoking wreckage, there might be a chance that they have escaped, however slim. 

The princesses themselves were doubtful, but also hopeful, so they had mobilized a search on a scale never seen in Equestrian history. Signal fires were lit on all Equestrian borders, and the princesses sent out three platoons of royal guards, plus city and town patrols to look for them.

Rarity gritted her teeth. “How’s the search then?”

“Nothin’.” Applejack shook her head. “They’ve turned Equestria upside down. But best they could find were some stray changelings. They must o’ fled quickly when they sensed the defeat of their queen.”

Rarity frowned. “But perhaps they can trace the movement of the escaping changelings and see if they’re going to their queen, and thereby maybe Twilight?”

“The royal guards said they’ve ‘tried’.” Rainbow Dash said in frustration. “But those incompetent fools couldn’t even find where those changelings we’ve kicked out of the city went. The few they found in the woods were like headless flies lost in a maze. I mean, how the buck do you miss several thousand flying locusts?!”

The cyan mare struck the wall in anger, but only managed to hurt her hoof. “Grrgh!”

The mares looked to one another. They still couldn’t quite believe Twilight had truly perished. It was just like the minute before when they last saw the face of the purple mare and heard her speak. They had faith in Twilight, they had to. But the reality had been increasingly stacking against their hope.

Rarity bit her lips. For them, the initial moment of shock and tears had passed, but they’re still in deep sadness. Twilight should have a bright long life ahead of her, and they knew it because they saw it. Armed with new knowledge and old memories, they should be able to just stroll through their lives and paint the world as they please. 

“… Let’s leave Spike alone for the moment.” Fluttershy sighed. “He needs time, and so do we. Besides…” She spluttered.

Regardless, the mares quietly nodded, and together they went to another room nearby.

Pinkie Pie was sitting on the bed alone. Her tears were long dry, but her mane was still deflated. Her face was expressionless and empty, as she stared out of the wreckage in the garden.

“Pinkie.” Rarity called to the pink pony.

Pinkie slowly turned, and put up an uneasy smile for her friends. “Um, hi girls.”

“No news so far, if that’s what you want to ask.” Rainbow Dash sighed.

Pinkie Pie lowered her head and sighed.

She was too tired to yell, shout or loudly cry. She and her friends had their angry moments in the days before. They still couldn’t accept that the mare who burned a lasting mark on their hearts, minds and lives have suddenly left. They would have resented Twilight for this irresponsible action, if it had been a choice rather than a desperate last resort. 

If they had become a stitched-up Frankenstein monster because of Twilight’s magic, then now they’re a headless Frankenstein monster, lying on the floor half-dead and half-alive.

‘If you left a piece of you inside of each of us, then why did you leave us so abruptly?’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Your Highness.” The mares greeted the princesses stiffly. The throne room was too badly damaged. Most of the rubbles were cleared off, but the windows and stain glasses were still broken. Some walls and columns had even collapsed, rendering the room unsafe, so they had to meet at the private chamber of Celestia instead.

Celestia exhaled slowly. “My little ponies, the past few days have been grueling for all of us involved.”

Luna sighed, “Indeed. Celestia lost her beloved pupil. I lost my redeemer. You lost your dear friends. Spike lost his adoptive mother. Not to mention Shining Armor and her family…”

The mares winced. It was a horrid ordeal to inform Twilight’s parents of Twilight’s… disappearance. Her mother, Twilight Velvet, fainted immediately. Her father Night Light was first shocked into a catatonic state, and after he recovered a bit, he angrily demanded to see the princesses for an explanation. It was not a pretty sight, and he had to be forcibly subdued by Royal Guards lest he did something rash.

Rarity bit her lips. “What about… Shining Armor and Cadance?”

Luna looked aside in dejection. 

“They still need time.” Celestia said. “Shining Armor had applied for an indefinite leave for his position as the captain of the Royal Guard and I’ve approved.”

“He… is still feelin’ bad ‘bout…” Applejack trailed off.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Celestia sighed. “It was not his fault at all. We as the royal protectors of Equestria had utterly failed in our duties and got captured, and there was nothing that he could do. If not for…” 

Celestia inhaled sharply and continued. “… my beloved student and all of you, Equestria would have already fallen to Chrysalis’s evil clutch.”

“Sadly.” Luna added. “Despite our constant reassurance and pleading, he’s still convinced that he’s responsible for this tragedy by empowering the changeling queen’s evil magic. We must give him time to clear his mind.”

“As for Cadance.” Celestia hesitated. “I fear that she’s also blaming herself for the losses. We have relieved her of any official duties, and hopefully time would dilute her pain.”

“… And ours.” Luna slowly added.

The mares went quiet. After a moment of mournful silence, Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Any news regarding the search mission?”

Celestia looked grim, but she dutifully reported. “We’ve received a constant stream of reports from all over Equestria, but none of them are particularly illuminating. Individual changelings were spotted flying away from Canterlot in all directions as a result of the battle, but they quickly disappeared from sight, presumably hiding or disguising as ponies again. Regardless, they should not pose any major threat without their leader.”

Luna added. “Numerous pegasus weather teams, even those in secluded Hollow Shades, reported a pillar of light reaching high in the sky, carrying matter high onto the stratosphere. We receive several reports that some changelings fell from the high sky and plunged into several cloud homes in Cloudsdale with only minor injuries.”

Rainbow’s eyes lit up, “What? Doesn’t that mean Twilight might be alive?!”

“The news did have our hope up.” Celestia said. “So we have instructed the weather teams everywhere to pay attention to any unusual occurrence in the sky, but ever since the initial few cases, no further reports had come in for at least two days.”

The mares sighed in disappointment. Rarity then said with a barely hidden frown. “Your Highness, if there’s no new development so far, we must retire to our chambers and prepare for our return to Ponyville.”

“Right.” Applejack sighed. “Our personal matters aside, we must tend to Twilight’s matters, duties and… belongin’ back in Ponyville.”

“Twilight isn’t dead, she’s just missing!” Rainbow Dash bitterly insisted.

The mares looked to Rainbow in an awkward, uncomfortable silence. They had hoped that she was right, but the sheer destruction of the blast and the subsequent lack of any positive signs were heavily discouraging.

“Actually, my little ponies.” Celestia interjected. “There is a reason why we summon you to my chamber.”

Luna gritted her teeth. “It’s Discord.”

“Discord…” Fluttershy muttered.

“His wanton disregard and involvement had caused this tragedy, however indirectly.” Celestia said with a hint of soreness and anger. “We’re aware of his subsequent guilt, but he had shown himself to be… untrustworthy.”

“Princess, Discord could have started running amok in Equestria, but he chose to simply go back to Ponyville and mourn.” Rarity said. “He’ll be troubled by his conscience for a long time to come.”

“It would be pointless for us to try to seek his punishment,” Fluttershy said. “Besides, even if we want to, we cannot activate the Elements with only five of us.”

“I know it might be difficult for you…” Celestia hesitated a bit. “But we want to ask you to give us back the Elements, so that Luna and I might try to reconnect with them.”

“And will you then use it on Discord?” Pinkie Pie asked with a frown. “We promised him to never do that. Even…”

“He betrayed all of you, he’s why we have to go through all this!” Luna angrily said.

“We’re not going to answer betrayal with another betrayal.” Fluttershy closed her eyes and replied.

“Stop being so foolish, you lot!” Luna snapped.

“We’re literally unable to return the Elements!” Rainbow Dash retorted.

“Why?” Celestia gasped in shock, “Did you lose them?”

“No.” Rarity said, “Twilight had promised Discord as a proof of her dedication towards their friendship, that she would not only refrain from using the Elements, she would even give up the Elements to the Tree of Harmony. And she did.”

The princesses were stunned by the many implications of the news. So Twilight knew that the Elements were originally part of the Tree of Harmony. But why didn’t she tell them about her decision? Was it because she feared about their disapproval?

The princesses sighed. No wonder Twilight and her friends did not use the Elements on Chrysalis and her changeling swarms. They felt even more pained by Discord’s brutal treachery against Twilight’s naïve but wholehearted trust. Discord’s betrayal looked more abhorrent in light of the new information.

“Fine!” Luna snapped, “We will subdue him by force without the Elements. He will need to answer to his crime. His own guilt was not adequate nor relevant.”

“Princess Luna!” Rarity exclaimed, “Discord is no easy opponent! The nation is already wounded by the loss of one of its finest, we don’t need to add to its woes by inciting another potentially disastrous conflict!”

Fluttershy immediately added. “Let us talk to him first, please?”

“Talk?” Luna snapped, “If mere talk can work, we would have done it a thousand years ago and you all could have done it during the confrontation!”

The mares gasped in shock. Some of them lowered their heads and began to sniffle.

Celestia frowned deeply. “Luna… We’re all deeply hurt by the loss of Twilight. It’s not the time to point blame at one another.”

Luna also realized the severity of her hurtful outburst. “… I—I am sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Pinkie smiled sadly. “We’re all going through Tartarus now.”

“Please, princesses.” Fluttershy once again pled. “Let us talk to Discord. He clearly remembered our time together, or else I couldn’t have persuaded him to join the search. We’ll try our best to make sure that he would remain… subdued.”

Celestia and Luna looked to each other. “Very well. But I expect you to report to us at once if Discord goes anywhere out of line again.” Celestia said.

“If so, I will personally tear him a new one. And don’t any of you dare to stop me.” Luna hissed.

The mares gulped, and slowly nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After one more day of stay, the mares finally packed up and left Canterlot. Celestia offered to take Spike in as his custodian, but Spike made it clear that he didn’t want to leave the library to somepony other than Twilight, as well as separate from his friends. And somepony that were more than friends, but he didn’t say that out loud.

The trip back to Ponyville was the most taxing train ride the mares and dragon had ever been on. The one empty seat in their train car was a brutal reminder of the one they lost. Spike watched the empty seat, and broke down into tears again.

After a sleepless night for all of them, the train stopped at the Ponyville station. To the surprise of the mares and Spike, the platform was full of ponies dressed in plain colors.

Mayor Mare was standing in front of the crowd. As they stepped off the train, she came up to them and said, “We’re sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you, Mayor Mare, everypony.” Applejack said.

“Twilight’s not just our loss, it’s everyone’s.” Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash sharply inhaled and slowly said, “I understand and appreciate everypony’s sentiments, but why’re we acting like Twilight is a goner? The official search mission is still going on, and they might be able to find her eventually.”

“Rainbow Dash.” Mayor Mare said. “We’ve seen the news on the Mirror. We could even see it here in Ponyville. It was a really big explosion…”

“So what?!” Rainbow Dash scoffed, “Twilight isn’t just some unicorn. She’s the most powerful unicorn in Equestria! She must have escaped!”

The cyan mare gritted her teeth. “I ain’t gonna accept it. The princesses haven’t even called off the search yet!”

The other ponies looked at Rainbow with sadness. They weren’t willing to argue with a mare so desperately hopeful for her dear friend’s survival, however slim the chance was.

“No matter Twilight’s status.” Fluttershy said. “We need to sort out things of our own, and also to manage Twilight’s matters in her absence.”

“Thank you everypony for your kindness and support.” Pinkie Pie said and took a slight bow. “But as Fluttershy said, we do need some time of our own.”

Rarity looked to the cyan mare, and sighed. “Plus Rainbow is right, we should wait for further news from the capital before… deciding on our next course of action.”

The ponies in the crowd looked to one another. 

Mayor Mare nodded. “If any of you need assistance, please just ask away. I, as well as the town ponies, will give it our all to help.”

“… Thank you.” The mares acknowledged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The main street of Ponyville was eerily quiet at an hour usually bustling with activities. Many ponies were still in a glum mood over the loss of one of the town’s most prominent resident.

“… What else did Discord say to you before he left, Fluttershy?” Rarity asked.

“He wasn’t all that coherent, to be honest.” Fluttershy grimaced. “Sometimes, he was like a big foal at heart. And he only began to comprehend his mistakes after he saw the terrible consequences.”

“But where do we find him?” Rainbow Dash asked. “We didn’t see him when we dropped Spike off in the library, and he’s not in your cottage either.”

“Ponyville isn’t too big a town even with the recent expansion.” Rarity frowned, “There’s no reason we still can’t find him by now.”

“Maybe he’s in his pocket dimension?” Rainbow Dash supplied.

“Well-”

The mares suddenly heard some hurried steps closing in and turned.

“Hello girls.” Pinkie Pie galloped near and greeted her friends.

“How’s it goin’, Pinkie?” Applejack asked.

“I’ve asked all the ponies in town that I could find.” Pinkie Pie shook her head. “But none of them saw Discord.”

“It’s not like if he did appear, others wouldn’t immediately notice.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “He’s a frickin’ draconequus.”

“I don’t think he’s now in the mood of being with other ponies, so Rainbow might be right.” Rarity sighed. “Although it hadn’t been reported on the papers, there were already rumors about his involvement in the incident. I noticed that some ponies already began to talk foul of him.”

“Oh for goodness’ sake.” Applejack massaged her temple. “Don’t tell me he’s on the loose.”

Fluttershy suddenly remembered something. “Wait, I seemed to have recalled some clues as to his whereabouts.”

“Hmm?” The mares all looked to the yellow pegasus.

“I think I heard him saying that he would ‘stoop so low as to beg from the spirits of harmony’...”

“Huh.” Rarity said. “Could this mean…”

“No harm checkin’ it out.” Applejack said. “Better than waitin’ here for him to show up.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mares again trotted on the path to the Tree of Harmony. The road was just as before as the last time, with perhaps a few more cart trails on the ground. However, their legs felt much, much heavier. They couldn’t help but think that the whole thing could have been easily prevented.

Applejack in particular was silently cursing herself for not standing ground when she objected to the proposal to return the Elements. But self-blame was moot, she thought. With a few more swift kicks, they again entered the crystalline cave.

The white tree was still glimmering like before. But to their sorrow, the emblem of the Element of Magic in the middle of the tree was dim and lackluster.

The mares walked near and glanced at the root of the tree. The slabs of crystals were still there, and they still didn’t know what they mean. Perhaps they held the keys to their redemption, but they were too sad and unsure to ponder the possibilities.

“… Who’s there?”

The mares widened their eyes in shock. They walked to the other side of the tree, and saw a kneeling figure on one of the slabs.

“Discord, we’re lookin—.” Rarity gasped as she got a clearer sight of the draconequus. “What the hay are you doing?!”

The draconequus was whimpering in front of the tree of harmony. The mares weren’t sure what Discord did to himself, but he was clearly in great discomfort. His usually grey coat seemed to be more lifeless and dull.

Discord mumbled gruffly. He moved his body and turned, but he was stumbled. He reflexively reached out an arm and used the trump of the tree as support, but to the shock of the mares, his claw sizzled upon touch, and he recoiled in pain. 

The mares looked to each other. The Tree of Harmony seemed to be reacting to Discord’s guilt, what’s more, Discord was willingly taking it as his self-punishment.

“We know you feel guilty, and rightfully so.” Applejack frowned. “But why would you inflict yourself with… these?”

“I’ve made a mistake. I just want to sit here and think.”

‘Or you’re secretly masochistic.’ Rainbow Dash thought uncharitably.

“How long have you been here?” Fluttershy stepped forward and asked.

“Ever since I left Canterlot.”

“Have you got any closer to come to terms with your action and your guilt?”

Discord kept silent.

“… Then what use is there for you to do this?” Fluttershy asked forcefully.

“I…”

“Does punishing your body help you find the peace of mind?” Fluttershy pressed on. 

The yellow mare then laid her hooves on the draconequus, who recoiled slightly. “We’re all confined by our own nature and limit. I’m physically weaker than most pegasus. You’re tied to the very concept of flux and chaos. All of us sometimes want to break through the confines of the self. But suppression and denial would simply lead to failure, because it distorts our true selves.”

Fluttershy whispered to the draconequus. “Twilight told you about how she viewed the matter of your nature, didn’t she?”

Discord closed his eyes and slowly recalled.

“… I just hope that you can adjust the degree of chaos you bring to the world.”

“Chaos is not inherently bad. They’re like salt. Adding some of it makes our food taste good and makes us healthy, but adding tons of it makes our food inedible.”

“The road to your release lies in knowing how to work with your own nature.” Fluttershy said. “Like me, I want to help other ponies, but I’m physically weak. So I chose a desk job rather than a menial job.”

Fluttershy then stared right into the eyes of the chaos spirit. “As for you, there is a middling path between complete self-denial and complete self-indulgence. Going to extremes will always cause our ruins. If you still respect Twilight’s legacy, then you should better yourself by trying to find a balance.”

Discord looked up to the resolute face of Fluttershy. He and the yellow mare looked at each other for a long time. Eventually, the shoulders of the chaos spirit slinked.

“You’re right, I… should try.”

Discord gazed at the shining tree in front of him. “… If only for Twilight.”

The mares helped Discord up and escorted him out of the cave. Unbeknownst to them, the emblem of magic on the tree briefly flashed brightly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the talk, the mares had retired to their own homes for the moment. Fluttershy took Discord back to her cottage and saw to the rest of the chaos spirit in his room.

Fluttershy spent some time to consult Angel regarding the animals’ behaviors in the past few days, and he proudly reported that he managed his herd well. He even built a new shelter for his fellow bunnies next to the woods when there was a torrential rain a few days ago. Fluttershy was so glad and thankful, she went to cook and bake a sprinkled carrot cake for the white bunny.

After doing some more belated housework, Fluttershy took leave of her cottage and entered a two-story building right next to the Ponyville Clock Tower.

She passed through giant rolls of paper and a few printing machines on the first floor and went upstairs. The second floor was a large but crowded room stuffed with desks, papers and photographs.

“Good afternoon, everypony.” Fluttershy greeted. “Everything running fine?”

Fair Balance was busily typing up an article from his desk, but he heard Fluttershy’s voice and turned. “Oh hello Fluttershy. Well, the past days were hellishly busy, but we managed to catch up on the, um…”

“It’s fine.” Fluttershy sighed.

“Yea.” Steady Creed added. “We were originally waiting for you to come back and give us some first-hoof accounts of the wedding. But we all saw the explosion in Canterlot, and Honest Heart immediately set out with Photo Instant to check what’s up. They’re still in the capital, I think.”

“Did you meet them in Canterlot?” Fair Balance asked.

“No.” Fluttershy said. “We mostly stayed in the part of castle undamaged by the blast during the few days. I think the princesses forbade the press to come into the castle and do any interviews, except for the short press releases.”

“No wonder not even the Canterlot Times seemed to know what’s up.” Steady Creed said. “Rumors were already flying everywhere!”

“But did they also ban us from asking any of you who was involved?” Fair Balance asked.

“… Technically no.” Fluttershy quietly replied.

“Then…”

“Ask away.” Fluttershy sighed. “I’ll try to answer to the best of my abilities.”

“First question, who are the changelings and where do they come from?”

“Um, they are a race of insectoid equines. Their homeland was not in Equestria, but to our west, where the zebras and lions live. They’re capable of turning the emotion of love into magical power for their sustenance. They’re led by a queen called Chrysalis, who wanted to exploit the love of the bridegroom Shining Armor towards his bride Princess Cadance and use it to conquer Equestria for her own brood.”

“So… are they defeated?”

“I suppose so. Their queen was consumed by the blast, and her changeling underlings were either beaten off by us in street fights, or fled once the queen was no more. A few of them got blasted by the giant explosion way up into the sky.”

“Hmm, so far these match with what we currently know.” Fair Balance stroked his chin. “Um, what happened to… Twilight Sparkle?”

Fluttershy winced, but she slowly said. “We… don’t know. We were on the brink of defeat against Chrysalis. She then elected to duel with Chrysalis alone, but was nearly overwhelmed as well. She then plunged herself along with Chrysalis into the caves below Canterlot, and, well… We think she somehow detonated the magical reserve below the castle in order to take down Chrysalis.”

The reporter ponies inhaled sharply. 

“So… that’s how the explosion came about…” Fair Balance muttered.

“How goes the search?” Steady Creed asked.

“Nothing so far.” Fluttershy shook her head. “The weather teams across Equestria had not noticed anything unusual for more than three days.”

“… One last question.” Fair Balance gazed at Fluttershy, who was visibly uncomfortable with having to recall painful memories. “Street rumors have the newly liberated Discord named as one of the culprits. Is it true?”

Fluttershy widened her eyes. She had been expecting this question. She knew that she was trying to act as the moral compass of her friends, and she was supposed to promote transparency. But at this stage, she was really reluctant to subject Discord to public denunciation.

She lowered her head and quietly replied. “I’d rather have him answer this on his own.”

“But Fluttershy, if you know anything, you should speak up! This is our job as journalists!”

“I know!” Fluttershy said. “But please, neither he nor I am ready for this. The only thing that I can tell you, is that he was as sad as any of us about what happened to Twilight.”

Fair Balance and Steady Creed looked at the hurt face of Fluttershy. They gazed at her with a long and thoughtful look, but they did not press on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hello Trixie, Sweetie Belle.” Rarity greeted the blue mare in her boutique.

Trixie looked at the white mare who just entered, and said with a soft voice. “Trixie has maintained the boutique and looked after Sweetie Belle in your absence.”

“Yes!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “Miss Trixie’s magic tricks are amazing!”

Rarity smiled, “Thank you Trixie.”

“Rarity, I…” Trixie looked to Sweetie Belle.

Rarity nodded. She turned to Sweetie Belle and cooed. “Have you done the homework today, Sweetie?”

“I did!” Sweetie Belle nodded.

“Oh…” Rarity said while massaging her head. “If so, be a dear and go play in your bedroom or with the other Crusaders, I’ve got something to discuss with Trixie.”

Sweetie Belle looked up and said, “Okay, sis.”

After Sweetie Belle exited the house, Trixie immediately turned to Rarity. “I want to resign.”

Rarity gasped. “Why?”

Trixie sighed. “I loved to work here. You helped me out when I was downtrodden, and I’ll never forget. But, I think I should help Twilight maintain the library now that...”

Rarity gazed at Trixie long and hard. The white mare eventually let out a heavy breath. “I see. Your heart’s in the right place.”

Rarity extended a hoof and brushed through the fabric in her boutique. “I trust you, so do my friends. Twilight always spoke highly of you. We’ve been also thinking who’s going to manage Twilight’s things, now that she’s gone.”

“But how do you…”

“I… will find a way to slow things down a bit.”

Rarity turned, and was stunned to see the blue mare sobbing sadly.

“Rarity… How could she do this?” Trixie sniffled. “She showed me that there’s a way to happiness other than putting up an untenable disguise.”

Trixie sat on a stool next to the sewing machine. “She not only taught me magic that I never thought I could wield, but also gave me hope that I could one day be great as my illustrious ancestors. But now, she’s simply gone, no more. My newfound hope was cruelly crushed.”

“Trixie…” Rarity quietly muttered. She had spent so much time in the past days comforting Spike, her friends and herself. She felt that both her mouth and her mind was drying up. Somehow, she couldn’t think of any way to soothe the whimpering mare in front of her.

To each of everypony who knew Twilight, this was a uniquely arduous experience.

The two mares simply sat together in the boutique, and waited in silence as time passed by.

> Chapter 24 – Trail of Rainbow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


6-day National Mourning declared 
Royal student presumed dead after search halted


CANTERLOT – Equestria (Ponyville Mirror) – The Royal Equestrian Government has declared six days of state mourning starting from tomorrow, in honor of the royal student Twilight Sparkle, who was hailed as a national hero after she stopped Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings from taking over the capital and was presumably killed in a giant blast along with the changeling leader. 

The announcement came shortly after the Royal Equestrian Guards have called off their country-wide search for the missing student. Early reports had indicated falling debris included live changelings, fueling hope that the student might be found in similar manner. A moon of searching involving three royal platoons, border guards, weather teams and volunteers have not found any sign of the student. 

The Royal Judicial Committee has subsequently issued a plea of no challenge towards the declaration of the student’s death in absentia.

“As a mark of our highest respect to Twilight Sparkle, six days of state mourning will be observed throughout Equestria.” An official statement said.

During the period of state mourning, the national flag, as well as flags in Canterlot and Ponyville, will fly at half-mast on all buildings, and there will be no official entertainment. The first three days will be government holidays.

The date, time and venue of the state funeral will be determined later, it said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The mares and Spike sat at the table in the Golden Oaks library. They grimaced as they looked at Rainbow Dash’s face, which turned from normal to seething rage. 

Rainbow Dash tossed the paper on her hooves onto the ground and said. “They called off the search? How dare they?!”

Spike winced. “I don’t like it either, but the princesses have given their orders.”

Rarity sighed. “She also sent us a letter through Spike a few moments ago.”

“She apologized a lot.” Applejack said. “But the gist’s that the royal coffer’s bleedin’ red both to rebuild the castle and to organize such a large search mission.”

“Can’t they just lay off sleeping on comfy beds for a moment?” Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. “Twilight’s life’s on the line here!”

“Rainbow…” Pinkie Pie frowned. The cyan mare remained adamant that Twilight was still alive. However, by now her demise was accepted by most ponies, including the four of them except Rainbow. It felt weird to see somepony who’s like part of themselves perished, but they gradually got used to it, however unwillingly.

“Part of the bits went to building monuments in memorial of Twilight in both Ponyville and Canterlot.” Fluttershy quietly added.

“Yeah, a darn stone statue of Twilight means buck all.” Rainbow Dash huffed.

“Don’t be like that, Rainbow.” Rarity said, “This is not helping any of us cope.”

“… I guess the princesses just want to grant us and themselves some closure to all of these.” Fluttershy said.

Rainbow Dash bared her teeth, but managed to swallow her outburst.

Some steps were heard from below, and a blue mare emerged from the stairwell.

“Sorry to interrupt.” Trixie said. “But I want to tell you that when you’re all out, Shining Armor came by.”

“Huh?” Spike said. “What did he do?”

“He just wanted to take some mementos back to Canterlot.” Trixie said. “He took away a photo of him with Twilight, and an old doll he calls Smarty Pants. He said he made it for Twilight when she’s small.”

The mares let out a sad breath. “So… what about he and Cadance?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I don’t think they’re over it yet.” Trixie shook her head. “They just don’t want to be reminded of the entire affair.”

Suddenly, Spike burped out a green magic flame, and a letter scroll materialized in front of him. He skillfully grabbed and opened the letter. However, his face turned into a sad and awkward grimace as he read it.

“Is there any news from Canterlot?” Rainbow asked eagerly.

Spike glanced at Rainbow Dash nervously.

“What? Spit it out already!” The cyan mare impatiently huffed.

“The princesses invited us to attend the, um, uh…” Spike gulped. “… funeral…”

“Funeral?!” Rainbow Dash pounded on the table, startling her friends a little bit. “Buck this, I’ve had enough.”

“Wait! Rainbow, where’re you going?” Fluttershy asked.

“I need some time to think on my own.” Rainbow Dash turned and said.

The cyan mare then stormed out of the library, leaving other ponies simply glaring at the door with stunned expressions.

“… We should check up on Rainbow later.” Fluttershy sighed. “We couldn’t afford to lose another friend.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ponies have gathered in the largest hall in the Canterlot Castle. Thousands of ponies gathered in the hall to remember the life of the purple mare who sacrificed herself to save Canterlot and Equestria from the changeling invasion. The hall was decorated in white and purple, and all the ponies was wearing purple memorial ribbons. A giant photo hanged in the middle of the hall.

“Would Dashie make it here in time?” Pinkie Pie frowned. “I wonder if she came here on a later train.”

“You did told Rainbow Dash the details, right Fluttershy?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy quietly nodded.

“Let her make up her mind herself.” Applejack closed her eyes.

Suddenly, the moving crowd of ponies in the memorial hall went still. Celestia and Luna walked out on the podium. However, Cadance simply sat among the audience with Shining Armor. They were too sad and emotional to face the crowd.

Celestia took the stage. Her face was serene and sorrowful.

“Friends, Family and Fellow Equestrians,

This has been a dark moon for Equestria.

A light that bridged us to the shining ideal of harmony has tragically been extinguished.

We have lost our beloved Twilight Sparkle. She was young, but she was a paragon of all qualities we treasured as a nation, namely her fervent love and desire for friendship with everyone, as well as her dedication towards Equestria and her citizens.

Twilight was an outstanding student of magic. I recall the day I personally selected her from the School for Gifted Unicorns for her incredible magically ability. In fact, she was one of the most talented unicorns I’ve ever seen. Given my rather advanced age, that’s saying a lot.”

Some ponies could not help but quietly smile at the joke Celestia made at her own expense.

“Twilight did not only metaphorically represent the ideals of harmony. She personally embodied them, as she and her dearest friends succeeded Luna and I, and wielded the Elements of Harmony along with her dear friends. Using the Elements as well as her wit and skills, she helped the nation of Equestria through hurdles upon hurdles. She defeated the evil besetting my sister and returned her to us anew. She ushered in an environment of neighborly love and prosperity in Ponyville where she had resided. And of course, she saved us all from the brutal subjugation by the changelings through her selfless sacrifice. For this, we can never thank her enough.”

Celestia continued her officiating speech, as she showered her former student with all her praises. And then as her speech drew to a close, the four mares inhaled sharply as they realized it was their turn to speak.

As Celestia retreated to the side, Rarity walked onto the stage and began.

“Twilight Sparkle is a name that inspires adoration and respect, but to us, she was a simple mare and dear friend.

She was the quintessential mare from worked herself from an upstart to greatness. Through her selfless sacrifice, she became a symbol of hope and steadfast devotion.

Yet that was not the Twilight we know most dearly. The Twilight we knew was brave against danger, yet soft and sensitive with her friends. She feared for rejection, and always clamors for warmth and companionship. She tried her best to better herself and the lives of everypony around her. Instead of 'goodbye', let's say 'till we meet again'. For the place she went to visit, we must visit some day ourselves.”

The crowd inhaled at the speech. The princesses raised their eyebrows and slowly tasted the implications of Rarity’s last sentence.

Applejack then followed Rarity’s hoof steps. She carefully adjusted and practiced in her mind, and began to speak with a plain accent accessible to most guests.

“Together we're all here, paying tribute to a purple mare many of you only know through news or friends. And yet, we mourn with the same intensity as if we too lose a loved one. Such was the shining goodness of her deeds, that it exceeds the boundary of relations and sends our beloved Twilight onto the pedestal of adoration.”

Applejack turned and looked to the portrait of Twilight.

“Yet as Rarity said, Twilight was a... unique and noble specimen of a mare by herself, without all that myth and legends about her sacrifice. We risk turning her into a hoofnote in history if we reduce her to a symbol of cheer, while forgetting about her humor, her laughter and her friendliness.”

Applejack then turned her gaze back at the mesmerized audience.

“Twilight was a clever mare and a very magical unicorn. But aside of that, she was like a simple foal at heart. She was very insecure, desperately wanting to do good and be loved. And so she threw herself at problems without regards of her own safety. Such was her willingness to please, such was her willingness to serve.”

There were gasps in the crowd. The princesses especially were slightly stunned at the revelations of something they never sensed in the seemingly confident mare.

“… With that in mind, we're thankful for Twilight. She... let us into her life, and her journey has now been tragically cut short. But this is not the end of the journey. We shall carry her memory in our own minds, and walk with her image in our hearts, towards the future she longed for.”

After Applejack, Fluttershy trotted up slowly and bowed.

“I’m not as good a public speaker as my friends. So I would simply dedicate our feelings and thoughts for Twilight in a song. Hopefully, my sentiments will be adequately captured by this song, which both Twilight and I loved.”

She closed her eyes and slowly sang to the keys of the pipe organ,

“O Twily dear, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.

But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
O Twily dear, O Twily dear, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.”

The crowd was moved by the heartrending melody evoking a sense of longing and memories. It was a different experience altogether compared to listening to a stirring speech.

After the ponies calmed down, Pinkie rose to the stage in a smile colored by sadness, succeeding Fluttershy.

“So um… my friends were either really eloquent, or has really good singing voice. I’m merely a baker who happens to also plan parties. Well, Twilight was also a mare who loved to make friends and a good laugh. But she once told me that her big fear when she dies, they’ll have her picture in the news, and they always have underneath it, in quotes, ‘She loved to laugh.’ Oh, she loved to laugh. Well, that doesn't tell you anything. Everypony loves to laugh! That's like saying, ‘She hungered for food!’”

Pinkie smiled as she looked at some of the snickering guests, “Twilight would want ponies not to be sad, but be happy and cheerful because of her work. That’s what drove her to help other ponies and achieve so many great things. In times of troubles, difficulties and struggles, humor is often a good way to channel our remembrance into a positive motivation to build a better future. That’s also what one of the driving forces for Twilight’s unyielding desire to make progress and change the world for the better. She wanted to see smiles blossom on our faces, as well as our children’s, and what’s a better tribute for us than to discard our frowns and think fondly of Twilight’s everlasting goodwill?”

Celestia and Luna nodded at the outstanding speeches by Twilight’s friends. The moon princess stepped forward and took the stage after Pinkie finished hers. Shining Armor sat straight seeing Luna coming out, and he inhaled sharply.

“Ladies and Gentlecolts, it is my sad privilege today to be authorized to make a special induction and award. For Twilight Sparkle’s exemplary service to the realm, the Royal Crown had decided to posthumously award her the titular duchy of Ponyville, which entitled her to the address ‘Her Grace’. We have also officially inducted her as a Dame Grand Collar of the Most Ancient Order of Star Swirl.

I would now ask Shining Armor, who has so kindly agreed to be with us today, to accept this special Medal as a tribute to the memory of his late sister, in whose loss we sympathize so deeply with him and his family.”

Shining Armor stepped onto the stage with unsteady gait. He tried his best to suppress his tears, but a few drops still managed to overflow from the corner of his eyes, as he sadly but proudly took the medal into his hooves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The memorial service extended well into the night, as streams of well-wishers came and went. The princesses, the mares stood tall as they oversaw the entire procedures. They were tired, but also spirited to see so many ponies came to give their appreciation to a mare that saved them from the ignominy of thralldom.

As the last guests departed, only a small group of close friends remained.

Pinkie Pie looked to the ground and quietly muttered. “Dashie didn’t come after all.”

“If she chose to remember Twilight in her own way, we should let her.” Fluttershy shook her head.

“Indeed.” Rarity said. “This is just a form… a ritual if you will.”

Suddenly, a shuffling figure emerged from the back door of the hall. The mares turned and expected to see Rainbow finally arrive. But to their shock, it was someone else.

“I come here to—”

“To do what?” Shining Armor leapt forward and said angrily. “To sully my sister’s memory?!”

‘Not again…’ Spike sighed.

Fluttershy grimaced and said to Shining Armor. “Shining Armor, we had a deal with the princesses to oversee Discord’s reformation. Please listen to what he has to say first, I beg you.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy.” Discord said.

The draconequus walked forth and said the princesses, who looked at him with suspicious looks. “I originally wanted to come here and tell everyone that my action did cause Twilight’s demise and ruin everything good up and including sliced bread. But Shining Armor’s right, I would hate to besmirch the ceremony by my presence.”

The draconequus tidied his suit. “To be perfectly honest, I felt no obligation towards the nation of Equestria, or indeed any of you pony princesses. Twilight was the only one pony that I… cared for, and I still do. But Twilight did wish strongly for me to attune my desire for chaos, as well as doing some good for this land.”

“I just wish to do something that would have brought a smile to Twilight. So I want to pledge myself to do good for the realm, until a day Twilight comes to me and releases me from the duty.”

The mares gasped. Discord’s words implied that he’s going to sign off on an indefinite pledge, simply in memory of the purple mare he had been with for several moons.

Fluttershy observed the draconequus. He’s much subdued since the tragedy, almost unlike himself. The spirit of chaos had been a mischievous, carefree trickster, who thought he could play around with ponies like toys on his palms. Twilight’s death must have weighed heavily on him, for she had not heard him speak in jest for quite a long time, and even when he did, it was half-hearted and tame.

“Who on Earth wo—”

“Are you sure about that, Discord?” Celestia stopped Luna’s outburst and asked calmly.

“Oh yes, I’m serious.”

Celestia closed her eyes and exhaled, “None of your actions, however more you atone, can bring back my beloved student.”

Discord simply gazed directly at Celestia’s eyes.

Celestia narrowed her eyes. “But if you so wish, I will not object. However, your disloyalty and flippancy compel me to do something before I can accept your proposal… Now, just wait here.”

The others waited expectantly as Celestia left seemingly to fetch something. When she came back, a large crystalline neck ring was also suspended in air nearby by her magic. 

“You know Tirek, Discord.”

Discord nodded.

“This is a power-limiting torque we put on him before we could send him to Tartarus for imprisonment. It is made from crystals from the Tree of Harmony. That means only the magic from the Elements can open it once it locked onto someone.”

Celestia then floated the neck ring in front of the chaos spirit, “Now if you—”

Discord snapped his fingers, put the power limiter onto his neck and buckled the lock. 

“Hey, it matches my color.”

“… Just like that?” Celestia asked, a bit stunned.

Discord ignored the princess, and he snapped his fingers again. Instead of the expected yellow flash, only a few tiny sparks came out.

“Whoa, this thing’s a real deal.” Discord grimaced. “I can barely use my magic better than when I was in the stone.”

“Serves you right.” Luna huffed.

“This power limiter shall restrict your power to that comparable to a somewhat powerful unicorn.” Celestia explained. “Since you’re willing to accept this self-imposition, we will believe your sincerity, for now.”

“But uh,” Rarity asked. “How can Discord use his power to help now that he’s… powerless?”

“Powerless?” Discord huffed. “I can still win against you even with this thing on me.”

Rarity rolled her eyes and grinned. “Yeah, winning against a helpless mare, heroic.”

For some reason, the sardonic face Rarity made somehow reminded him of Twilight being teased. 

‘I’ve been thinking too much.’ He lightly shook his head.

“You don’t have to wield world-shaking power to make a positive change to the world.” Celestia merely said. “I believe when you’re needed, what was lost in raw power, you can make up with your versatility.”

“Maybe.” Discord shrugged.

“Discord.” Celestia said. “I’m still willing to put trust in you, because Twilight did so, and her friends continue to do so. I don’t ask you not to disappoint me, but not to disappoint her. I shall call upon you and other former Element-bearers shall the realm needs you. But now, you’re permitted to stay in Ponyville with your… friends.”

Discord said nothing, but the mares and Spike looked at him with thoughtful gazes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the service, the mares stayed at Canterlot took the morning train back to Ponyville. They were exhausted by the time they were back, so it was not until another day that they noticed something was wrong with the absence of Rainbow Dash.

The mares and Spike was waiting anxiously in the library. Trixie brewed a tray of tea to give everyone something to drink and calm themselves with. That’s when Fluttershy came through the wooden door of the library.

“Did you find Rainbow?” Rarity asked.

“No, it took me some time to locate her house because it has floated off quite a distance.” Fluttershy sighed. “But she’s not at her cloud home either.”

Pinkie Pie yelped. “Oh, oh dear! Dashie’s missing?!”

Fluttershy grimaced, “The door was open and the house was almost empty, I was afraid that someone might have burglarized her home.”

The mares and Spike gasped. Fluttershy then held up a piece of note, “But then I find this…”

Fluttershy put down the paper on the table. They then all crowded next to it and read.

“To my friends,

By the time you’re reading this, I have already gone south. I’ve heard that quite a lot of the changelings were blasted towards the Badlands, so I wanted to have a go to see if I can find Twilight there as well.

Do not, I repeat, do NOT under any circumstances try to look for me. I’m a grown mare, I can protect myself and I have made my own decision. And that decision is to confront my nagging doubt and look for Twilight myself. I know many of you might think this is foolish and futile, but I’m foolhardy enough. Plus, I’ll never be at peace with myself if I never try. Believe me, if I scour the place and find nothing, I’ll be back.

Unlike most of you, I don’t really have a lot of things that tie me down in Ponyville. The weather team can find another substitution, and Wonderbolts can wait. However, my biggest concern is Scootaloo. The little scamp sees me as her only family, since she doesn’t really have any around here. I’m pained to leave her alone, but I have to. I hope that you girls can look after her from time to time. Tell her I’m just on a long trip and I’d definitely be back. Not exactly a lie, isn’t it?

Anyway, wish me luck! Don’t miss me, I’ll be fine.

Best,
Rainbow Dash

P.S. Tank won’t leave me alone, so I took him with me. Don’t worry, I will take good care of him on my journey.”

“That is indeed her hoof-writing.” Rarity said.

“Ah thought Ah’m the stubborn one.” Applejack shook her head. “But Rainbow really takes the cake.”

Pinkie Pie muttered. “Rainbow’s gone too…”

The pink mare gazed at the ground and went silent.

“Now, now Pinkie.” Fluttershy cooed. “We’re still here with you, aren’t we? Plus, Rainbow will definitely come back.”

“She knows you’re way too clingy to just leave behind.” Applejack added.

“Yeah.” Rarity chuckled. “Even if she’s moved to the other side of the world, she would still fear that you might suddenly pop out of a potted plant to tackle her.” 

“Hey, I’m not that clingy!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a blushed face.

“Really?” Rarity and Spike looked to one another, and then gave the pink mare a meaningful gaze.

Pinkie Pie shushed them, and then smiled. “You’re right, Fluttershy, I should put trust on Rainbow.”

“Um…” Trixie said hesitantly, “You all seem quite accepting of her just leaving all of a sudden, going to Badlands not least! It isn’t a place to be trifled with. I’ve been there once, and there’re strange ponies and dangerous creatures beyond the southern border!”

The smiling faces on the mares turned disheartened and they sighed. 

“We’d be lying if we say we don’t want to go out and find Rainbow.” Applejack said.

“But Rainbow is very determined, or I should say… hardheaded.” Fluttershy said, “She definitely knew that we’d want to look for her, so she must have flown away at full speed and arranged it so that we can’t find her easily.”

“Don’t look at Dashie and think she’s book-dumb and unthinking.” Pinkie Pie smiled sadly. “She’s actually very clever, and she can be as slippery as a skating rink!”

“Well.” Fluttershy quietly said. “It’s not that we’re afraid of how daunting that would be, but given that Rainbow has expressly told us not to pursue her, to do so regardless will be hugely disrespectful of her will.”

“Moreover Rainbow’s right, we have way too many things that bounded us to Ponyville.” Rarity sighed. “I don’t care about my personal fortune as long as it’s enough for me to eat and live, but now we four each have businesses of our own and therefore a lot of ponies who looked upon us.”

Applejack nodded. “It’s one thing to slow things down or take them down a notch because of what happened last moon, but to leave things hangin’ in the air while we’re gone will definitely cause disasters. Mah employees are like mah family, some of them are literally mah cousins. If somethin’ happens when we’re not here, we’d be facin’ a lot of unhappy and hungry ponies.”

“Actually.” Rarity said. “That’s also why we declined when Rainbow wanted us to join the search in the early days. We couldn’t afford to leave Ponyville for more than a few days. These ponies came from all over Equestria just to find a place to live and a job to sustain, we can’t disappoint them by shirking our duties and just making this all about ourselves.”

Trixie slowly took in the explanations. Although she’s not entirely comfortable with the idea of just letting Rainbow Dash go, she eventually nodded. “… I see.”

The blue mare sighed and stroked her chin. “Let’s hope that she would succeed then, Trixie really hope so.”

Applejack looked at Trixie curiously. The blue mare at first felt a bit awkward by the sudden gaze, and then grew increasingly uncomfortable.

Trixie finally couldn’t bear it and asked aloud. “Wh—what are you looking at?”

“As we’ve just talkin’ ‘bout Rainbow, Ah’m suddenly reminded of her remarks about you.” Applejack smirked.

“Eh?” Trixie was surprised and piqued. “What remarks?”

“She was one day wonderin’ aloud that how could a pony change so much in such a short time.” Applejack smiled. “She said you turned from a, quote, ‘insufferable blowhard’, to a demure but hardworking student just a few moons with Twilight.”

Trixie’s face was red from embarrassment but also irritation at being called name, “Tri—Trixie was not an insufferable blowhard! It was just an act! A show persona!”

“A very convincing act, if I may say so.” Rarity chuckled. “As those stage play critics would say, it blurred the line between acting and real life.”

“There’s some of it in you, isn’t there?” Pinkie Pie giggled.

Trixie was initially flustered, but she slowly collected her calm and explained. “Well, Trixie had to, didn’t I. Trixie was a professional showmare, and I still love to play tricks to impress ponies. Just ask Pinkie."

Pinkie Pie nodded and smiled. “Trixie is the best pony around to kick parties up a few notches!”

Trixie grinned. “Trixie had been motivated by a strong desire to impress, and so I had created a persona that was bombastic, powerful and larger than life. It represented what I wished I actually was and what I hoped I would become, not to mention it drew ponies into my show. I guess as time went on, I did get carried away, and my act started to get mixed up with my real feelings. Too into it, you might say.”

Trixie then smiled bashfully. “Trixie was not always like that. When I was young, I was always the quietest mare in my family, and I often just played by myself as other unicorn foals think I’m too, uh, lame to hang out with.”

“I’m sorry about that…” Fluttershy said.

Trixie chuckled. “Trixie is over it long ago. You’re over yours as well, aren’t you?”

Fluttershy widened her eyes. “How’d you know…?”

“Oops.” Trixie covered her mouth. “Trixie, uh, just heard about it from Rainbow.”

Fluttershy shook her head and chuckled, “Oh, don’t worry. As you said, I’m over it too.”

“… Well, Trixie learnt a lot from Twilight.” Trixie said. “She not only taught me magic in a way that no teachers of mine had tried before, but also allowed me to clarify my thoughts and my aspirations. I now know that I do have useful talents, but I shouldn’t be too consumed and blow it up to unmanageable proportions. It just blinds us to possible improvements. Besides, what if I’m needed to save the day, but I don’t actually come through because other ponies overestimate my ability? I dread about disappointing others like this.”

“You’ve indeed learnt a lot from her.” Rarity smiled, “Just like us.”

“Trixie do sometimes wonder though.” Trixie said. “How did she know so much?”

The mares raised their eyebrows at Trixie’s remark.

“I don’t mean in terms of magic, since I always know she’s very good at it.” Trixie said, “I mean… all other things. When we were still in the School for Gifted Unicorns, the Twilight I knew back then was brilliant, but neurotic and to be honest, she had the social skills of a blunted buck saw.” 

The mares and Spike snickered. 

“I totally agree.” Spike said.

“But the Twilight I learnt from as a student was, well, in some parts the same as the Twilight of old, but in other parts like a wise old mentor. I wonder what happened in between?”

The mares smiled awkwardly and remained silent, as they knew the truth to that question. Spike, though, was again reminded of something he had not thought about for a while; what happened to Twilight in the few moons before they came to Ponyville?

Spike sighed deeply. Although it piqued his curiosity, but it was ultimately a moot point now that Twilight’s… no more. He did hope though that Rainbow Dash could find something, anything about Twilight in her journey. Even a small memento would be nice.