Tiffany "Twilight" Sparkle always thought of friends as a waste of time, at least until she was forced to team up with five strangers in order to stop Nightmare Moon.
Tiffany "Twilight" Sparkle always thought of friends as a waste of time and energy, at least that was until she was forced to team up with five strangers in order to stop Nightmare Moon and save her teacher.
Little does Twilight know, but this is only the beginning. What adventures await?
“What are the ten Elementa Veneficia?” quizzed the Seraph to her apprentice.
“Water, Fire, Earth, Air, Light, Darkness, Life, Storm, Ice, and Time,” answered the young Deqling Tiffany Isabella Sparkle.
The Sohrian Queen, Celestia Finsternis, and Tiffany were in Celestia’s personal study. The walls were made of marble, and the desk was made of oak and carved with glyphs from the ancient Deqlan language. The room was illuminated by a wall of stained-glass windows depicting moments from the kingdom’s history, colorfully tinting the light coming through them.
“Correct. What are the Four Essentials and what roles do they play in Gaians?
“The Four Essentials are Body, Mind, Heart, and Soul. Body is anything that makes up a physical form, whether it be flesh, scales, or even stone. Mind is one’s intelligence. It’s what separates thinking Gaians from instinctual Gaians. Heart is one’s Emotions; Joy, Anger, Fear Sorrow, Disgust, etc. Finally, Soul is one’s spiritual form. It collects deq from the surrounding Spirit Force, creating an Aura and replenishing one’s magic reserve.”
“Correct. Last question: What are the three most common species of Sohrians and how do they channel magic?”
“First are Deqlings. They are one of the few species of Gaians with the ability to directly channel deq and they do so by using the markings that cover their bodies from head to toe like blood vessels. Second is Angels. Angels are one of the few species of Apex Gaians with the ability to fly. They also possess the ability to walk on clouds. And finally are Humans. The average Human is about 1.5 times as strong as the average Angel or Deqling. They also have a natural talent in agriculture.”
“Correct. Well done,” said Queen Celestia Finsternis to her star student.
“Thank you, your majesty,” replied Tiffany. Tiffany, or Twilight, as her very few friends called her, was around 22 years old. She had dark brown skin covered in ivy-like purple markings, which signified that she was a Deqling. Her hair was black and dyed with streaks of pink and purple, and her eyes were purple as well. She was wearing a black jacket over a lavender collared shirt, a lilac tie with an image of a six-pointed magenta star surrounded by five smaller, white six-pointed stars on it, a violet skirt that reached down to just above her knees, black leggings, and polished black Mary Jane shoes.
Queen Celestia had ivory skin with yellow Deqling markings, four pearly white Angel wings, magenta eyes, and flowing pink, blue, and green hair that covered her left eye and went down to her waist. On her right upper arm was a tattoo of a golden sun. She wore a simple white silk dress and elegantly designed leather sandals. Around her neck was a golden necklace encrusted with an amethyst, gold bracelets were on her wrists, and a tiara with a sun-shaped yellow topaz sat atop her head.
“You’re welcome. Now, Tiffany, I have a question for you. It’s not pertaining to your studies, at least not as of now,” said the Queen.
“What is it?”
“What are your views on friendship?”
“Why do you ask?” Tiffany asked, puzzled.
“I’m just curious.”
“Well, in my honest opinion, I don’t see friendship as something that’s all that necessary. I actually see it as more of a hindrance towards my studies; a distraction.”
“I cannot fault you for thinking that way. But, I wish to show you that there is more to life than just studying.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Tiffany, I would like you to oversee preparations for this year’s Summer Solstice Festival. The Festival this year is being held in a small town named Avalon. Perhaps you can even make some friends while you’re there.”
“But, your majesty, what about my studies?”
“We’ll continue them after the Festival. There’s no need to worry about them now. I suggest you get ready.”
“Yes, your majesty,” said Tiffany, slightly disappointedly. She started to get up to leave.
But just as Tiffany was about to exit the room, Celestia added, “Oh, and one more thing before you go.”
“Yes?”
“Are you familiar with ‘The Legend of the Mage in the Moon’?”
“I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”
The queen shrugged. “I just thought it’d be topical for this time of year. I suggest you give it a read.” She gave Tiffany a brown book that had been lying on her desk.
“Thank you, your majesty,” said Tiffany, before leaving the room.
“You’re welcome, Twilight.”
The train chugged along the steel rail, on its way from Monoceros Grand Terminal to Avalon Station. In one car sat Tiffany and her little brother, Spike.
Tiffany was staring out the window, watching the the train’s current surroundings fly by. A duffel bag filled with clothes, about fifty Merlins to pay for food and other necessities, and a few books to read for fun beside her. The book that Queen Celestia had given Tiffany was in her lap, still yet to be read.
“What’s that, Tiff?” asked Spike, pointing to the latter book.
Spike was around 12 years old and was about a foot shorter than Tiffany. Being a Dragon Beastling, also known as a Dregon, he had purple and green scales, green eyes with slits for pupils, green hair (unsurprising since he’s only half human), a tail ending in a spade, and small, early-pubescent purple wings poking out from holes in his clothing. He was wearing a purple zip-hoodie over a green t-shirt that bore the logo for his favorite video game, “Protocol”, and blue jeans. His clawed feet were bare, which wasn’t unusual for him, being half Dragon. Resting on the seat beside him was a backpack containing extra clothes, a couple issues of the “Protocol: Sigma” comic book, and a few electronic devices, including the tablet he used to send emails to Queen Celestia.
“It’s nothing, Spike. Just a book the queen gave me. She told me I should read it.”
“Well, why aren’t you reading it?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure. I just have this… feeling. It’s as if my aura is warning me of something in that book.”
“Well, the only way to know what it’s trying to warn you about is to read it and find out.”
“Good point,” Tiffany said, picking up the book and opening it to the right page.
“Alright. The Mage in the Moon,” she began, “Long ago, in the land of Sohre, there lived two sisters who ruled over the land. The elder sister used her Seraph powers to raise the sun at dawn, while the younger sister raised the moon at dusk. Thus, they created peace and harmony throughout their kingdom.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad,” commented Spike.
“But as time went on,” Tiffany continued, “the younger sister started to feel unappreciated for her work. The Sohrians relished and played in her elder sister’s days, but shunned and slept through her nights.”
“I take that back,” Spike commented again, flinching a bit.
“Then one fateful day, the younger sister refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but in vain. The bitterness in the younger sister’s heart had corrupted her, turning her in a wicked mage of darkness, Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” said Spike.
“Please stop interrupting me, Spike.”
“Right, sorry.”
“Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the powerful magic known to Sohredom, the Elements of Harmony. Using the Elements of Harmony, the elder sister defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister then took on responsibility for both the sun and the moon, and harmony has been maintained in Sohre ever since. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year of Nightmare Moon’s banishment, the Stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about nighttime eternal.”
“That definitely doesn’t sound good. Good thing it’s just a fairytale, huh?”
“Except it isn’t. This must be what my aura was warning me about. Tomorrow is the longest day of the thousandth years of Nightmare Moon’s banishment!”
“Relax, Twilight. I’m sure the the queen has everything under control.”
“I hope you’re right, Spike,” said Tiffany, sullenly.
“Hey, look on the bright side, the queen arranged for you to stay in a library while we’re in Avalon. Doesn’t that make you happy?”
“Yes. Yes it does. You know why? Because I can figure out how to stop her. I’ll go through the preparation as fast as possible and then get back to the library to do some research.”
“But when will you find time to make friends like the queen suggested?”
“Oh please, Spike, the fate of Sohre does not rest on me making friends.”
By this time, the train was starting to slow as it approached Avalon Station.
“Now approaching: Avalon,” said a conductor over the overhead speakers.
Tiffany and Spike got up from their seats and made their way towards the doors. Once the train stopped and the doors slid open, they dismounted and stepped onto the platform of Avalon Station.
The station was small, only able to accommodate one train at a time. The platform was made of wood, while the station’s waiting room was brick. Other than a clock tower on the roof, nothing else was really notable about it.
Tiffany and Spike looked around the at town. Like the station, there wasn’t much to it. The tudor-style houses and other buildings were made of wood and brick (as opposed to the marble of Monoceros), and the roads were cobblestone (not unlike Monoceros).
“Well, this place certainly has charm,” said Tiffany. “Let’s get going then. There’s a lot to check up on, and I have a feeling this’ll take us all over town.”
The two newcomers descended from the station platform and made their way down the road.
“Couldn’t you at least try to make friends, Twilight?”
“Seriously, Spike? Can’t we just drop it?”
“Just give it a try. Who knows, maybe the people here in Avalon have interesting things to talk about.”
“Alright, fine,” Tiffany said, giving in.
She walked up to the nearest person around, which just happened to be a slightly chubby Human girl around her age. The girl had curly, pink hair, blue eyes, and Caucasian skin. She wore a pink t-shirt depicting three balloons, one yellow and two blue, blue capris, a pink tutu, mismatched red and yellow socks, and pink crocs.
“Uh, hello,” said Tiffany.
The redhead gasped and darted off, faster than literally anything Tiffany had ever seen.
“Well, that was weird.”
“You can say that again,” said Spike, “But at least you tried talking to her.”
“Yeah, whatever. So, where does the Festival preparations checklist say to go first?”
“Uh, let’s see.” Spike pulled a piece of folded up paper out his pocket. After unfolding it, he read, “Baquet Preparations: Smith Apple Orchards.”
Tiffany and Spike approached a gate with a sign over it that read, “Smith Apple Orchards.” Behind the gate was a large barn and an enormous apple orchard. The trees were full of the the biggest, reddest apples either of them had ever seen.
“Yeehaw!” they heard a feminine voice yell.
They turned their heads just in time to see a giant of a woman around Tiffany’s age run towards a tree, jump, and land both feet of the trunk at the same time, causing a shockwave through the tree and making the apples in it fall into buckets below.
The Human giant was 6’ 4” tall and had a muscular build. She had blonde hair that was tied back in a ponytail by a red ribbon, tanned Caucasian skin, green eyes, and freckles dotted all over her face. She wore a red-plaid, long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the bottom tied, exposing part of her midriff, a pair of denim daisy dukes, a leather belt that had three apples engraved on the buckle, leather boots with spurs attached, a brown Stetson hat, and mysteriously, a necklace made out of a strand of leather and inlaid with a gray stone the size of a golf ball carved with the ancient Deqlan symbol for the moon.
Tiffany sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”
She approached the cowgirl. “Good afternoon. My name is Tiffany Sparkle.”
The cowgirl took Tiffany’s hand and shook it like crazy. “Well, howdy do, Miss Sparkle. A pleasure makin’ yer acquaintance. I’m Abigail Smith, though y’all can jest call me Applejack. We here at Smith Apple Orchards sure do love making new friends.”
“Friends? Actually, I-”
“So, what can I do ya for?”
“Well, I’m here to oversee preparations for the Summer Solstice Festival. According to this, you are in charge of the food?”
“We sure are! Care to sample some?”
“I guess we could, but only as long as it doesn’t take too long.”
Applejack rushed off to ring a triangle. “Soup’s on!” she shouted.
Out of nowhere, a horde of Humans came stampeding towards Tiffany and Spike. After getting caught up in the running of the apples, they found themselves at a gazebo surrounded by Humans of all ages, each one holding a different apple-themed treat, and many of them wore necklaces, bracelets, or rings with similar stones to Abigail’s necklace.
Abigail started naming off her different relatives.
“...Big Macintosh,” she said, gesturing towards a blonde man about four inches taller than her with green eyes. He wore denim jeans, cowboy boots, and a plain white t-shirt under a red-plaid long-sleeve shirt similar to Applejack’s. He also had a stone necklace.
“...Bailey,” she said, gesturing towards a little redhead girl Spike’s age with amber eyes. She wore a yellow t-shirt under denim overalls, red sneakers, and a big pink bow in her hair.
“...and Granny Smith,” she finished, gesturing to a old lady with grayed hair and orange eyes. She wore a green cotton dress and an orange bandana around her neck.
“Okay, well, it seems the food is handled, so we’ll be going,” said Tiffany.
“Aren’t you gonna stay fer brunch?” asked little Bailey, her eyes giant and adorable.
“You’re trying to guilt me, aren’t you?” Tiffany asked the young redhead.
Bailey shrugged.
“It’s working,” the bookworm said happily.
“Really?!” Bailey asked.
“Yep. Get me an apple pie!”
All of Abigail’s relatives cheered.
Later…
“Food’s all taken care of,” said Spike, “Next up is weather.”
“Ugh, I regret saying yes to the little redhead. I ate too much pie,” said Tiffany. Her stomach was bulging like she was five months pregnant.
Spike shook his head. “Anyway, there’s supposed to be an Angel named Rachel Dash clearing the sky.”
Tiffany looked up to see a sky full of clouds. “Well, she’s not doing a very good job.”
Then there came a distant yell, “Look out!” Not even a second later, Tiff was knocked over from someone crashing into her. Needless to say, she didn’t have to worry about an upset stomach anymore.
“Uh, sorry,” said the person that landed of Tiffany. This person was a surprisingly short Angel girl, standing at just above 5 feet tall. She was a brunette and had rainbow hilights, magenta eyes, cyan wing feathers, a lean, athletic build, and light brown skin. She wore a blue sweatshirt over a black tank-top emblazoned with a picture of a rainbow-colored lightning bolt arcing from a white cloud, blue shorts, white running shoes with rainbow accents, dark blue fingerless gloves, and flight goggles hanging around her neck.
“Here, let me help you up,” said the Angel, pulling Tiffany to her feet.
Evidently, Tiff’s hair had become a wild mess from the crash, which made the rainbow Angel and Spike laugh.
“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” Tiffany said sarcastically in annoyance, “So, I’m guessing you’re Rachel Dash?”
“Gee, I knew Deqlings could use magic, but I never knew they could read minds! Yes, I’m Rachel Dash, though you can call me Rainbow!”
“Nice to meet you. Anyway, aren't you supposed to be clearing the sky?” Tiff sighed, “I’m Tiffany Sparkle, and Queen Celestia sent me to check on the weather.”
“Yeah, yeah. That’ll be a piece of cake. I’ll get to it as soon as I’m done practicing.”
“Practicing? For what?”
“The Wonderbolts!” Rachel shouted, pointing at a poster on a nearby wall, “They’re performing at the Festival tomorrow, and I’m gonna show ‘em what I’ve got.”
“The Wonderbolts? The most talented flyers in all of Sohre?”
“Yep, that’s them.”
“What makes you think you have what it takes to become a Wonderbolt?”
“Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I am one of, if not the, fastest flyer in all of Gaia.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah! And you know what, I can clear this sky in ten seconds flat.”
“Prove it.”
Rachel spread her wings and launched off. After three seconds, she had cleared at least ten clouds with a single corkscrew. After three more, she had cleared three fourths of the clouds. After another three seconds, she’d cleared the last cloud.
“Make that nine seconds,” she said, landing.
Tiffany’s jaw was on the ground.
“You should see the look on your face, Tiff. You’re a laugh. I can’t wait to hang out some more,” Rachel said before flying away.
“Wow, she’s amazing!” said Spike, before starting to laugh at Tiffany’s messed up hair again.
“What’s next, Spike?” Tiffany asked, irritated.
“Uh that would be... decorations at Town Hall.”
Spike and Tiffany entered the circular main room of the Town Hall. All around there were bouquets of flowers, ribbons, and banners.
“Beautiful,” said Spike.
“Indeed. The decor is coming along nicely,” said Tiffany.
“Not the decor. Her.” Spike was pointing at a Deqling girl his age.
The Deqling girl had pale skin with light green Deqling markings, green eyes, and curled hair dyed to be very pale shades of pink and purple. She wore a pink dress with a ruffled skirt, pink strap boots, and a yellow headband.
The Deqling girl was holding a box and handing ribbons to an older Deqling. The older Deqling had similar pale skin with blue Deqling markings, blue eyes, and black hair partially dyed purple. She wore a white, mid-thigh-length dress with purple accents, black leggings, white high-heels, and earrings with diamond-shaped sapphires.
“Good afternoon,” said Tiffany.
“Just a moment please, I’m in the zone, as it were,” said the Deqling lady. “Ah yes, sparkles always do the trick, do they not? Why, Rochelle, you are a talent. Thanks for the help, Sadie.”
“Your welcome, sis,” said the younger Deqling.
Rochelle turned to face Tiffany and Spike. “Now, how can I- ahhh!” she screamed when she saw Tiffany’s still messed up hair, “Gaia oh doux! (Oh sweet Gaia!) What happened to your cheveux?”
“My hair? Well, it’s kind of a long story. I’m just here to check on the decorations and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Sur mes cheveux? (Out of my hair?) What about your hair? Come on, we must do something about it,” Rochelle said, grabbing Tiff’s hand and dragging her out of the Town Hall.
Sadie and Spike followed their older sisters across town to a circular building with a sign reading, “Carrousel Boutique”.
Inside, Rochelle fixed Tiffany hair, then proceeded to practically shove the bookworm into dress after dress, always finding some reason to have her try on another dress. It finally ended when Tiffany was in a bedazzled white dress.
“Magnifique! You look great!” said Rochelle, marvelling at her handywork, “Now go on, my dear. You were telling me where you’re from?”
“Well, Spike and I have been sent from Monoceros to-”
“Monoceros?!” interrupted Rochelle.
“Oh no, here we go again,” said Sadie, who sat next to Spike on a couch nearby.
“What do you mean?” asked Spike, who hadn’t taken his eyes off of Sadie, his pupils somehow shaped like little hearts.
“Rocky has this insane obsession with Monoceros culture,” Sadie explained.
“Uh, excusez-moi, but I don’t have an obsession with Monoceros! I’m just a Moncerite enthusiast. And don’t call me Rocky!”
“Pas de promesses!” shouted Sadie. (No promises!)
“You two from Gallia?” asked Spike, inferring from the Gallian (French) words that they were using.
“Oui, actually. We moved here a few years ago from Lumina.”
“So, uh, are we done here?” Tiffany asked, wanting to get this over with. “There’s still plenty more Spike and I need to check up on for the Festival.”
“Oh, right. Please, keep the dress, on the house,” said Rochelle.
“Thanks. Well, come on, Spike.”
“À plus tard, Spike!” said Sadie. (See you later, Spike!)
After Tiffany and Spike left, Sadie had a light smile on her face.
“Quelqu'un est frappé,” commented Rochelle, seeing the expression on her sister’s face. (Someone’s smitten.)
“Quelle? Que voulez-vous dire?” (What? What do you mean?)
“Je peux vous dire que ce garçon.” (I can tell you like that boy.)
Sadie blushed. “Quelle? Non, je ne le fais pas.” (What? No I don’t.)
“Oh s'il vous plaît, Sadie. Je te connais mieux que vous vous connaissez.” (Oh please, Sadie. I know you better than you know you.)
“D'accord, peut-être que je ne l'aime un peu,” Sadie admitted. (Alright, maybe I do like him a little.)
“Wasn’t she wonderful?” Spike said.
“You really hit it off with her.”
“You think?” Spike blushed a bit.
“Yeah. Now focus, Casanova. What’s next on the list?”
Spike checked the list. “Music. It’s the last one.”
All of a sudden, both of them heard the sound of birds singing to a tune. Following the sound, they found a tree full of many different types of birds and an Angel girl orchestrating them.
The Angel girl was Tiffany’s age (no surprise by this point), had red hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, tanned Caucasian skin, lean muscles, yellow feathered wings, and turquoise eyes. She wore a brown vest over a yellow t-shirt that had a picture of three butterflies, brown khakis, a few plasters on her arms and legs, and muddy rubber boots.
“Oh my. Um, stop please, everyone,” she said in a soft, quiet voice to the birds. They all stopped as if they understood her.
“Excuse me, sir,” she said to a Blue Jay, “No offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny-tiny bit off.”
The Blue Jay nodded.
“Now, let’s try this again. A one. A two. A one two three-”
“Hello!” yelled Tiffany, startling both the birds and the girl. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare your birds. I’m just here to check up on the music for the Summer Solstice Festival, and it sounded lovely.”
The Angel girl descended from the tree to meet Tiffany, though she didn’t say anything to the bookworm. Instead she tried to hide her face behind her hair, even flipping her ponytail over her head so that it covered her face.
Tiffany started to feel awkward. “I’m Tiffany Sparkle. What’s your name?”
“I’m… I’m Fiona Shy,” the girl whispered shyly.
“I’m sorry. What was that?”
“My name is Fiona Shy,” she whispered again.
“Didn’t quite catch that.”
“Fiona Shy,” she squeaked.
By now, the birds had returned to the tree.
“Well, um, it looks like your birds are back, so I guess everything's in order. Keep up the good work.” Tiffany backed up.
Spike stepped out from behind a bush to talk to Tiffany. The moment the Angel girl saw Spike, she perked up and rushed towards him.
“A Dragon Beastling!” she said, “I’ve never seen a Dregon before! He’s so cute!”
“Well, well, well,” Spike said, glancing at Tiffany smugly.
“Is it true that Dregons can breathe fire like pure-bred Dragons? Uh, no offense.”
“None taken,” said Spike, “And yes, I can breathe fire.” He demonstrated by exhaling a small puff of smoke.
“That’s so fantastically amazing! I just don’t know what to say!”
“It’s not all that amazing. What would be amazing is if these tiny wings of mine could sustain flight for more than three seconds.”
“I still think it’s amazing.”
“Well, I guess we’d better get going,” Tiffany said, levitating Spike over to her side and walking away.
“Wait! Wait! What’s your name?” asked the Angel girl, following them.
“I’m Spike.”
“Hi, Spike. I’m Fiona Shy, but you can call me Fluttershy. Wow, a Dregon. What do Dregons talk about?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Absolutely everything!” Fiona said, earning an exasperated groan from Tiffany.
After a lot of walking and talking…
“...and that’s the story of my whole entire life,” said Spike, “Well, up until today. You want hear about today?”
“Yes please!” answered Fiona.
The three acquaintances walked up to a building built into a large tree. There was a sign above the door that read, “Silver Oak Library”.
“I’m so sorry,” Tiffany butted in, “How did we get here so fast? This is where I’m staying while I’m in Avalon, and my little brother needs his sleep.”
“No I don-” Spike wasn’t able to finish because Tiffany pushed him over.
“Ahh, look at that. He’s so sleepy he can’t even keep his wittle bawance.”
“Tiff, I’m twelve, not two,” protested Spike. Unfortunately his complaints fell on deaf ears.
“Poor little thing. We must get him to bed,” said Fiona, picking Spike up and carrying him inside.
Tiffany rushed in after the Angel and pushed her out. “Yes. Yes. Right on that. Goodbye.” She shut the door in Fiona’s face.
Inside, the lights were off, making the room very dark.
“Rude much?” said Spike.
“Sorry, Spike. But I have to find out how to defeat Nightmare Moon, and I can’t do that with a bunch of crazy people trying to make friends with me. Now, let’s get some light in here.”
Tiffany channeled deq through her markings to one of her fingertips, creating a ball of light. The room was then filled by light, revealing Humans, Angels, and Deqlings surrounding them on all sides.
“Surprise!” they all shouted.
Spike spotted Sadie over on a couch and went to talk to her, just as the curly redheaded girl they had met when they first entered Avalon approached Tiffany.
“Surprise! Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were you? Were you? Were you? Huh? Huh? Huh?”
“Very surprised. I thought libraries were supposed to be quiet.”
“Well that’s silly! What kind of party would it be if it were quiet? I mean, duh, boring!”
Tiffany started to make her way to the computer tables on the other side of the library, which were currently being used for refreshments.
“You see I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all like “Hello”, and I was all like ‘*gasp*’, remember? You see, I never saw you before, and if I never saw you before that means you’re new. Because I know everyone, and I mean everyone in Avalon!”
Tiffany started pouring herself a drink.
“And if you’re new that means you haven’t met anyone yet, and if you haven’t met anyone yet then you must not have any friends, and if you don’t have any friends then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, and I had an idea!”
Tiff took her drink and...well, drank it down.
“And that’s why I went like ‘*gasp*’! So, I decided to throw a great-big-enormous party and invite everyone in Avalon!”
Abigail, Rachel, Rochelle, and Fiona suddenly all appeared beside Pinkie.
“And now you have lots and lots of new friends!”
Tiffany felt a burning sensation in her throat, and it was getting hotter by the second.
“You alright, Sugarcube?” asked Abigail.
Suddenly, Tiffany’s hair burst into flames and smoke escaped her ears, causing her to run upstairs to find water.
“Ahh, she’s so happy she’s crying!” said Pinkie.
Spike inspected the bottle Tiffany poured into her cup. “This is hot sauce. Why is there hot sauce at a party?”
“Because the show had it. It’s also great on cupcakes!” Pinkie poured hot sauce on a cupcake and swallowed it, wrapper and all.
“What show?”
“It's best you don’t question Pinkie Pie,” advised Rachel. “For the sake of your sanity.”
“I’ll say,” agreed Rochelle.
Hours later…
The party was still going hot. Luckily, Tiffany’s throat had cooled down by the end of the first hour. Tiffany herself was in her room, trying to read a book. Unfortunately for her, the party was too loud for her to focus.
She checked a clock on the wall. 5:00 AM.
Spike came into the room, with a lampshade on his head for some unknown reason. “Hey, Tiff! Pinkie Pie’s starting a game of pin the tail on the pony! Wanna play?”
“No! Everybody in this town is crazy! Do you know what time it is?”
“Today’s the Summer Solstice Festival. Everyone needs to stay up or they’ll miss Queen Celestia raise the sun.”
“And what’s with the lampshade on your head?”
“Oh, uh, funny story. You see, a couple of hours ago we played a game of Limbo. Things were fine at first, but then Fiona invited a Bear inside and it got a little out of hand. There was something about a wheel of cheese and a piano (don’t ask). I honestly don’t remember much, everything happened really fast. You really should join us, Tiff. It’s a party, enjoy yourself.”
Spike left the room, making sure to close the door behind him.
“Ugh, I’m supposed to be figuring out some way to stop Nightmare Moon, but all this ridiculous friend making has kept me from it.” Tiffany set her book down and looked out the window to see the moon, still high in the sky.
Even though the moon itself was nothing she hadn’t seen a thousand times before, she noticed something new about it. She could see that many of the craters were in the shape of a face.
A feeling of fear and dread was building up inside Tiffany. She pulled out The Legend of the Mage in the Moon and read the last sentence again, “Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year of Nightmare Moon’s banishment, the Stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about nighttime eternal.”
She looked up at the moon again. This time she spotted four stars slowly making their way towards the moon.
“I really hope my aura was wrong.”
The citizens of Avalon all gathered in the town hall, awaiting the start of the Summer Solstice Festival’s opening ceremony. Tiffany was among the eager crowd, but was less than eager at the moment because of Pinkie’s non-stop jabbering.
“And then I said, ‘Oatmeal? Are you Crazy?’,” said the hyperactive redhead.
“Pinkie, shut up! Shut up, please!” Tiffany couldn’t help thinking.
“Anyway, that’s how I found out my sister’s pet snail was actually a rock. So, how about you? Are you excited? I’m excited. I’ve never been so excited. Well, except for that time I saw you walking into town and I went *gasp*. But I mean really, what could beat that?”
“Hey, Tiffany,” said Spike, walking over to her, a fledgeling Angel girl following close behind.
“What?” Tiffany asked irritably.
“I want to meet my new friend.” Spike gestured to the girl following him. “This is Lucy Scots.”
Lucy had light brown skin, like Rachel, but was a shade or two darker. She also had purple eyes, small orange wings, short brown hair that stuck out under a magenta helmet, and a prosthetic leg attached to a stump just below her left knee. She wore an orange hoodie, black cargo-shorts, a brown backpack packed with a skateboard, a band-aid covering a small cut on one cheek, elbow and knee pads, and blue tennis shoes with Hermes-like wings on the heels.
“Uh, hi,” said Tiffany.
All Lucy did in response was a slightly shy wave.
“Yeah...Sadie said she doesn’t talk much around people she doesn’t know,” Spike explained.
“That’s pretty smart.”
Tiffany then heard the sound of Fiona’s birds singing. A spotlight shone onto a small stage where a Human woman was standing.
“Hey, the festival’s starting,” said Spike.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” deadpanned Tiffany.
The woman on the stage began, “Ladies and gentleman, as mayor of Avalon, it is my great honor to announce the beginning the this year’s Summer Solstice Festival!”
The crowd cheered.
“In just a few moments, our modest little town will witness the magic of the sunrise and celebrate this, the longest day of the year.”
With a worried expression, Tiffany looked towards the moon to see the four stars move behind it and the figure in the moon’s face disappear.
The Mayor continued, “And now it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very person who brings us the sun and the moon each and every day and night: Queen Celestia Finsternis!”
The birds sang as the curtain was pulled back on the balcony above to reveal… nothing. The queen was nowhere to be seen.
“Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no, no! This can’t be good!” said Tiffany.
“Uh, stay calm, everyone. There must be a reasonable explanation,” reassured the Mayor.
“Ooh, I love guessing games,” said Pinkie, “Is she hiding?”
Up above, Rochelle shouted, “Elle est partie!”
Sadie was the only person to react to that (understandably, as she was the only person that could understand Gallian). Everyone else just gave Rochelle a confused look.
“Oh, excuse me. Was I speaking in Gallian? Sorry. I meant, ‘She’s gone!’”
This time the crowd reacted. The reactions varied from fear to even more confusion to even Pinkie saying, “Oh, she’s good.”
Then Pinkie let out a scream as she saw something dark and ominous: a big cloud of blue smoke appearing on the balcony.
“Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” said Tiffany.
The cloud of smoke cleared away to reveal a tall Seraph woman with pitch black skin, purple markings, four wings just as dark as her skin, black hair with some sort of glitter in it to make it look like a night sky, and cruel, emerald eyes. She wore a knee-length purple satin dress, and had armor made of black metal on her chest, lower arms, lower legs, and head. Attached to a black leather belt around her waist was a rapier with an intricate silver hilt and an obsidian blade. On her upper left arm there was a tattoo of a crescent moon over a dark blue ink splotch.
“My, my, my. How good is it to see my subjects once again. It’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious little sun-loving faces,” Nightmare said.
“Okay, who invited the clown and what did you do with our queen?” asked Rachel.
“Is that how you address royalty? I am your queen! Am I not royal enough for you? Do you not know who I am? Does my crown no longer matter now that I have been wrongfully imprisoned for over a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?” asked Nightmare.
“I did!” shouted Tiffany, “And I know who you are! You’re the Mage in the Moon, Nightmare Moon!”
“So you do remember! Then you also know why I’m here.”
“You’re here to… to…”
Nightmare Moon laughed. “Remember this day, little mortals, for it was your last! From now on, the night shall last forever!”
The Mage in the Moon, Part 2: The Elements of Harmony
Nightmare Moon let loose a maniacal cackle. Lightning flashed out of thin air, making the cackle seem even more evil and dramatic.
Doing something besides stare in fear, Rachel attempted to tackle the night witch. Fortunately, Abigail was there to stop her by grabbing her leg.
“Seize her!” shouted the mayor. “She must know where the queen is!”
Several Royal Guards, mostly Angels, rushed towards Nightmare. This, however, proved to be a mistake as Nightmare simply withdrew her sword and swiped it in their direction, causing a gust of wind powerful enough to knock them back into the walls.
Nightmare laughed. “Pathetic fools! No wonder it was so easy to send my sister to the sun!” The dark Seraph enveloped her body in a veil of purple smoke, spread her wings, and took off out the door.
Rachel finally escaped Abigail’s grasp and chased after Nightmare. Nightmare, however, was too fast for even the young speed demon.
Nightmare’s words echoed in Tiffany’s head. “No wonder it was so easy to send my sister to the sun!”
“Spike, we need to get back to the library. Now,” she said urgently before running out of town hall with the Beastling in tow.
Little did they know that Rachel had seen them run off.
“Elements, Elements, Elements!” said Tiffany, throwing around book after book with her magic, not finding anything about what she was looking for. Spike, unused to staying up late, was tucked into bed upstairs (he was only twelve).
“How can I stop Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony?”
“And what exactly are the ‘Elements of Harmony’?” asked Rachel aggressively, surprising Tiffany, “And how did you know about Nightmare Moon? Are you a spy?”
“Calm down, sugarcube,” said Abigail. “She ain’t no spy. But she sure knows what’s goin’ on. Dontcha, Tiffany?”
Tiffany hesitated for a moment, but decided that, considering the circumstances, she could trust these girls. “I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon’s return. According to the legend, the only things with the capability to defeat her are the Elements of Harmony. But since I’m unable to find anything about the Elements, I have nowhere to start looking.”
“Why not just look it up online?” asked Pinkie.
“Pinkie please, we don’t have time for nonsense,” said Tiffany, resuming her search, not really hearing what the redhead said.
Pinkie shook her head and pulled out her phone. Opening the internet browser, she typed in “Elements of Harmony” and tapped the first link that came up. “Found it!”
“What? Seriously?”
“Yeah, it’s not that hard to find. The Elements of Harmony are a relatively common myth. Here.” Pinkie handed Tiffany her phone.
Tiffany read the article aloud, “The Elements of Harmony are, according to most depictions of their appearance, six gemstones, all of different species and color, that when combined possess the ability to restore Harmony. Some versions of the myth also note other abilities the Elements may have, such as granting their wielder immunity to fire or poisoning, or even allowing their wielder to achieve magical feats that would be almost impossible otherwise.”
“Okay yeah, that’s great and all, but we’re on a bit of a time constraint. Mind skipping ahead a bit?” urged Rachel.
“Alright, fine. Just trying to get as much information out of it as possible.” Turning to the next page, Tiffany continued, “The last known location of the Elements is also the last known place they were used: the Ruins of Castle Serafa.”
“The Ruins of Castle Serafa?” asked Rochelle. “But that’s in the Everfree Forest.”
All the girls reacted in fear, with the exception of Tiffany and Rachel; the latter rolled her eyes while the former was just confused.
“What’s so scary about some forest?” Tiffany asked. “I mean yeah, I’ve read about it, but it can’t be that bad.”
“It’s better you see it for yourself,” said Fiona.
“Well, I guess I will. Now let’s see, I need a map of the forest.”
“Good luck findin’ somethin’ like that online. That forest seems ta constantly be changin’,” said Abigail.
“I don’t have to. I know a spell that is perfect for this situation. All I need is a sheet of paper.”
“Here you go,” said Pinkie, handing Tiffany a sheet of printer paper.
“Okay, here goes nothing.” Tiffany placed her hand on the paper and channeled deq into it, the markings on her arm and hand glowing faintly.
Before long, ink started to appear on the paper, without there being ink anywhere on the table. Tiffany was making the paper into a map through simple will of deq.
“And there we go. One map of the Everfree Forest.”
“Um, Tiff. It’s just a big blot of ink,” said Rachel.
“Actually, it’s a ducit map,” corrected Rochelle. “It’s specially enchanted to shift to reflect one’s current surroundings once activated.”
“That’s correct. Unfortunately, this one has a rather weak enchantment on it, so it won’t last long before wearing off. We should hurry,” said Tiffany.
Ten minutes later, the six girls were standing outside the entrance to the dark Everfree Forest.
Tiffany placed a hand on her forehead and cringed.
“You okay there, Sugarcube?” Abigail asked.
“I’m fine, just a headache. I’m very sensitive to large amounts of deq and I can feel that this forest is teeming with it.”
“Perhap you should say here, darling,” said Rochelle. “Believe me, you certainly do not want to find out what happens when a Deqling is exposed to too much deq.”
“Absolutely not. Queen Celestia is depending on us to find the Elements, defeat Nightmare Moon, and somehow rescue her from the sun. I’m going in there, no matter how much it hurts,” protested Tiffany.
“Alright people, let’s not delay the plot any further and get in there,” said Pinkie impatiently, before bouncing into the forest. The others followed suit (except they just walked, or in Rachel’s case, flew slowly along side).
Tiffany pulled out the map. It was going to be a long walk.
The girls had been trudging through the forest for about about an hour in fearful silence. All around them, they heard the cries of numerous monsters, but luckily all of the monsters that they did come across so far either ran away, or could be defeated by a simple punch from Abigail. Rather wimpy in my opinion.
All the while, Tiffany’s headache gradually got worse. By now it was getting hard for her to sense incoming monsters. And that ability would be particularly useful, especially as they were currently walking across the top of a steep cliff.
“My feet are starting to hurt, are we there yet?” whined Pinkie Pie.
“Seriously, Pinkie?” asked Rachel.
“I’m going to have to side with Ms. Pie, actually,” said Rochelle. “We’ve been walking through this dreadful forest for an hour without break. And it’s not like it’s been a walk in the park either.”
“Oh, will y’all quit yer bellyachin’!” said Abigail. “It ain’t gettin’ us any closer ta stoppin’ Nightmare.”
“Abigail’s right. If we are to stop Nightmare and save Celestia we need to-” Tiffany stopped speaking when she felt something beneath her feet shake. “Did anyone else feel that?”
Just then the cliff gave out and everyone (with the exception of Rachel and Fiona) started sliding down it uncontrollably.
“Fiona, hurry!” said Rachel.
The two Angels flew down the cliffside-turned-slope as fast as they could. Rachel caught Pinkie easily, as did Fiona with Rochelle, but Abigail and Tiffany kept sliding.
Abigail dug her fingers into the slope. Surprisingly, this did prove effective in slowing her down. However, Tiffany only slowed down after she was hanging half way over a cliff at the end of the slope.
“Hold on, Tiff!” Abigail shouted.
“Like I have a choice?” retorted Tiffany.
Abigail slid down the slope some more. When she got to the edge, she dug her clawlike fingers into the slope and grabbed Tiffany with her other hand.
“Ah gotcha, Tiffany!”
“You’ve got me? Who's got you?”
The part of the slope Abigail was clinging to collapsed, making them both slide over the edge.
At the last second, Abigail was able to grab the cliff again. She was having trouble holding both herself and Tiffany. Too bad Humans don’t have control of how deq flows through them, it would be very convenient right about now.
“Abigail, what do I do?” Tiffany asked in panic.
“Let go.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“No ah ain’t. Just trust me. Let go, an’ ya’ll be safe. Do you trust me?”
“Well it’s not like I have any other choice. Alright, I trust you.” Tiffany closed her eyes and let go of Abigail's hand and fell only for a second before her fall slowed and she opened her eyes to see Rachel and Fiona had caught her.
They flew her down to the safety of the ground. Abigail found her own way down by climbing.
Once they were all reunited on the ground, they continued walking.
“Okay, well that cliff pushed us off course a bit, but I think we can still find our way,” said Tiffany, looking at the map.
“Great, because I just want to get to Nightmare Moon before we get in any more danger,” said Rachel.
“Rachel, why did you say that aloud?” asked Pinkie in fear. “You’re tempting Murphy’s Law!”
“You seriously believe in Murphy’s Law, Pinkie?” asked Tiffany.
“Yes! I’m honestly surprised you aren’t, being Missy Magic.”
“Pinkie, there’s a difference between magic and superstition. That’s just superstition.”
“You know what else is superstition? Nightmare Moon,” said Pinkie. “Oh, wait.”
“Okay, I get your point. But trust me, nothing is going to happen.”
Tiffany would regret saying that as just as she said it, the group heard the sound of a Lion roaring. They turned in the direction of the sound and saw, not a Lion, but a Manticore.
“I told you so.”
“Priorities, Pinkie!” shouted Abigail.
The Manticore charged at them.
Rochelle tried to disorient the monster by using her deq to conjure light, but it just roared in annoyance.
“Mes cheveux!” shouted Rochelle (My hair!), for the Manticore’s roar had turned it into a mess. Rochelle then realized the Manticore was right next to her and she bolted.
Next Abigail jumped onto the monster’s back and started riding it like a rodeo Bull.
“Yeehaw! Get along little doggie!” she shouted.
The Manticore started thrashing about, trying to get the cowgirl off its back. (Hey, I’d be ticked off too if someone tried to ride on my back without my permission.) Eventually, it managed to get Abigail off its back, making her go flying off.
She landed safely and signalled off to Rachel, who then flew at the beast. She flew around it at high speeds, intent on confusing it and landing punches when a weakness showed. But despite her best efforts, the Manticore wouldn’t be that easy to defeat. It raised its Scorpion-tail and slashed downwards, hitting Rachel and throwing her off her flight pattern.
Tiffany had finally had enough. She built up deq in her fists, charging up a strong combat spell, and was about release it when she saw Fiona jump between her and the Manticore and yell, “Stop!”
“Fiona? What are you doing?”
“I’m an animal expert. Trust me.” Fiona approached the Manticore slowly. When she was close enough she went into a submissive position, her body language telling the large beast that he was in charge.
The Manticore calmed down, and Fiona got back onto her feet. She started petting the beast, comforting it. The beast moved its paw over to her, showing her a large purple thorn stuck in it.
“Oh, you poor little baby.” She pulled a bottle full of red transparent liquid out of one of the deep pockets in her khakis. “This might sting a bit, but that’s how you know it’s working.”
Fiona gently removed the thorn and poured a little of the liquid on the wound. The Manticore whimpered a bit as the liquid stung its paw, but within about thirty seconds the wound had stopped stinging and the paw was as good as new.
“There you go. Now run along. But be careful not to go near Black Briar vines again.”
The Manticore gave Fiona a big lick and flew off on its giant bat-wings.
“How did you know the thorn was in its paw?” asked Tiffany.
“Animal expert. I know all about all kinds of Beast, even those of the Arcane variety. Plus, Manticores never attack unless provoked, so I knew something was up.”
“And what was that medicine you used on the wound?”
“Oh, that was just my personal cure-all potion. You just mix water, grape juice, and a special secret ingredient, and there you go.”
“What the secret ingredient?” Abigail asked.
“It’s a secret, I can’t tell you,” Fiona answered, before asking Tiffany, “So, um, how much longer until we reach the Ruins of Castle Serafa?”
Tiffany unfolded the map. “Shouldn’t be too much longer. According to the map we’re getting close. We just need to cut straight through a swamp section just ahead and we’ll be there in no time.”
The girl trudged through the swamp. It was getting darker and darker as the trees blocked out the moonlight above. Eventually, it got so dark that none of them could see an inch in front of their noses.
“I can’t see a thing,” said Rachel.
“I can help with that.,” Tiffany said, summoning her deq in a ball of bright light. But she would come to regret it when she saw what was around them.
Surrounding them on all sides were peculiar looking trees. A few moments after the light began to shine, something inside the trees began to stir. And one by one, humanoid figures melted (for lack of a better term) out of the trees.
These figures were obviously female; each had varying heights, had wood for skin and leaves for hair. The closest thing they had to clothing was moss that covered their breasts and pubic areas.
“Tree Nymphs. Dryads,” Tiffany said, recognizing the creatures from one of her books.
The Nymphs opened their eyes. Their eyes were like amber jewels, sparkling orange.
One of the Nymphs, presumably the leader, took a few steps forward.
“Why have you disturbed our slumber?” she asked with a powerful, yet elegant voice.
“Oh, um, we’re really sorry about that,” apologized Tiffany. “We didn’t expect their to be anyone living this far into the forest. We were just passing through.”
The leader Nymphs looked intensely into Tiff’s eyes, which was kind of creeping her out.
“You seem genuine, but I’m afraid we can not allow you to leave without tribute.”
“Tribute? What kind of tribute?”
“One of you maidens must stay behind and join us as a Nymph.”
“You don’t seriously expect us to do that, do you darling?” protested Rochelle. “After what we’ve already been through.”
“We can, and we do.”
“Sorry, sugarcube, but that ain’t gonna happen,” said Abigail.
“Yeah, you’re not splitting us up without a fight!” agreed Rachel.
“Very well. Since you six choose not to be reasonable, I suppose we have no choice.”
All the other Dryads started approaching the six girls. Their amber eyes had turned red with anger and sharp thorns started sprouting from all over their bodies.
“Geez. I heard you could have a thorn in your side, but this is ridiculous,” said Pinkie.
Surprisingly, Pinkie’s sudden joke caused one of the Nymphs to giggle.
“Pinkie, what are you doing?” asked Tiffany.
“Just trust me. I’ve got this,” Pinkie replied.
“Um, when Pinkie says she’s got this, should we be relieved, or worried?” Tiffany asked Rachel.
Rachel simply answered with, “Yes.”
“That’s not very reassuring.”
“Yeah, well that’s Pinkie Pie for you. Unpredictable.”
“A snare drum and a crash symbol fell out of a tree,” asked Pinkie. “*BA-DUM TSSSHHH*”
The Dryad that had giggled before started to outright laugh, along with a couple other of the Nymphs.
“What did the rock say when it rolled into the tree? Nothing, rocks don’t talk.”
All of the Nymphs but the leader were now laughing uncontrollably, and even the leader Dryad was starting to crack up.
Apparently, Dryads have a simple sense of humor when it comes to nature jokes.
“Hey, did you hear the one about the oak tree? It’s a corn-y one.”
“You are quite amusing, maiden,” said the leader Nymph between laughs. “Perhaps we were acting a little too harshly before.”
“A little?” asked Rachel.
“In our defense, it’s considered rude to wake up a Nymph before sunrise.”
“Oh don’t worry too much about it,” said Pinkie. “It was our mistake for not creating a faint light.”
“You may go along your way, maidens. Feel free to visit any time, as long as it’s during the day.”
“Thank you. We’ll be going now.”
“We wish you a farewell, maidens. May Mother Everfree be kind to you.”
With that, the Dryads walked back to their trees and melted back into them.
The girls then continued on their way.
Not long after they have exited the swamp area, the trees became less thick and the girls spotted what remained of the highest towers of the ruins of Castle Serafa.
“I can see the ruins!” shouted Pinkie excitedly. “We’re almost there!”
“Which means this dreadful night is almost over,” said Rochelle. “Merci Gaia.” (Thank Gaia.)
“Don’t rejoice yet, girls,” said Tiffany. “We still need to defeat Nightmare Moon.”
“Tiffany’s right,” agreed Abigail. “This night ain’t over yet.”
Suddenly, a sound met the girls’ ears.
“Does anybody else hear that?” asked Fiona.
“Yeah,” said Rachel. “It sounds like… crying?”
“Where’s it coming from?” asked Rochelle.
Almost immediately, Abigail answered, “This way,” and then started going in the direction of the sound.
The others followed the cowgirl until they came to a wide clearing. Lying on a large rock in the center was a creature with a man’s torso and head (not to mention fabulous blonde hair) from the waist up and a purple Rattlesnake’s tail from the waist down. In other words, this creature was a Lamia.
“Oh what a world! What a world!” the Lamia cried out, tears flowing down his face.
“Excuse me, Mr. Lamia,” said Tiffany, slowly approaching the creature. “Is something wrong?”
The Lamia looked up at Tiffany, sniffed, and wiped a few of his tears. “Yes actually. You see, I was just strolling through the forest when I was chased by a monster. I managed to get away, but now I’m lost.”
“Oh, poor dear,” said Fiona.
“Could you point me the way to town?”
“We can do one better,” said Rochelle before taking the map from Tiffany.
“Hey, what are you doing, Rochelle? We need that,” protested Tiffany.
“Yes, we do. But he needs this map more.”
Rochelle walked up the Lamia and offered him the map. “Here. Take this.”
“Thank you, fair lady. You are generous,” he said, taking the map.
“Don’t mention it, darling. It’s the least I can do.”
“The name’s Steven, by the way. Steven Magnet.”
“Rochelle Belle. Charmed.”
“Well, farewell. I hope to meet you all again someday.”
Steven slithered away into the forest.
“He was surprisingly charming, especially for a Lamia,” said Tiffany.
“Well, no use just standing around here,” said Rachel. “Come on, let’s get to the castle.”
The girls returned on their path to the castle. With the castle’s towers in sight, the fact that Rochelle just gave up their only map didn’t seem to bother any of them.
They exited the trees and right in front of them stood the ruins of what once had obviously been a magnificent castle. You could almost see what it had been in it’s heyday just by looking at it from a distance.
All that lay between the girls and the ruins, and by extension Nightmare Moon, was a rope bridge only just barely hanging onto its foundations over a chasm.
“Great, bridge is out,” said Tiffany. “How are we supposed to get to the other side?”
“Don’t worry,” said Rachel. “I’ll just do a quick fly over, secure the bridge on the other side, and we’ll be clear to cross.”
Rachel jumped into the air and flew to the other side.
Upon landing, she reached for the rope, but stopped moments before touching it because she heard a voice say, “Rachel.”
“Who’s there?” she shouted, getting into a fighting stance, in case she had to face a hostile force.
A heavy fog suddenly rolled in. From this fog emerged a tall humanoid figure, but Rachel couldn’t see their face since they were still masked by the heavy fog. In a deep, masculine voice, the figure said again, “Rachel.”
“Who are you? Show yourself!” sane demanded.
The figure stepped out of the fog.
“There’s no need ta fear, Rachel,” said the figure, revealing himself to be a tall, blonde, green-eyed, Caucasian Human man wearing a red, plaid, long-sleeve shirt, worn-out blue jeans, and cowboy boots.
“Big Mac? What are you doing here?”
“Ah’m ‘ere for you, Rachel.”
“Me? I-I don’t understand.”
“Rachel, don’t listen ta him! That’s not the real Big Mac!” shouted Abigail, which Rachel could somehow not hear. Plot convenience, maybe?
“Rachel, ah didn’t have the courage ta say this ‘till now, but ever since ah first met ya ah’ve had a crush on ya.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. Ah’m in love with you.”
“Rachel, it’s just an illusion! Don’t trust him!” shouted Tiffany, which again Rachel couldn’t hear. Again, I blame plot convenience.
“I-I-I don’t what to say. This is so sudden.”
“Y’all ain’t need to say anything. Just come with me. We can go somewhere far from here, where we can be alone and in love.”
“What about my friends?” Rachel gestured to the others.
“You can forget about them. Ah’m sure they can handle Nightmare Moon without you.”
Rachel hesitated, considering her options.
“Come on, Rachel. Is it me, or them?”
Rachel made up her mind. “Thank you, Mac, but I’m going to have to decline.” She then proceeded to grab the fallen rope off the ground and secured the bridge. When she looked back at Big Mac, he was gone and the heavy fog was dissipating.
The other girls crossed the bridge.
“Rachel, I’m so glad you didn’t fall for it,” said Tiffany.
“What do you mean?”
“That was Phantom Fog. It lures its victims to their deaths by creating illusions of people the victims love. It’s like a Siren made of cloud.”
“Hold the phone!” yelled Pinkie. “Does this mean what I think it means?”
“What do you- ohh,” Tiffany started, before realizing what she meant.
Applejack did a double take. “Rachel, are ya meanin’ ta tell us that y’all have a crush on mah brother?” she asked.
Rachel didn’t answer. Instead, she just blushed.
“Well, the important thing is that we made it,” said Rochelle.
Now before them stood the ruins they set out for. Nothing stood between them and Nightmare Moon, whether that was good or bad is a matter of opinion.
The girls approached the castle quickly, but also not without caution. Through the wide open front gate, they found a large courtyard.
A chill ran down each of their spines, the eerie atmosphere of the ruined castle keeping them on high alert.
Through the rotted wood doors at the other end of the courtyard from which they entered, they found stairs leading into a great main hall. Unlit torches and moth-eaten tapestries lined the walls between open doorways. High above, horse-shaped stone Gargoyles sat on ledges overlooking the hall. At the other end of the hall was another door, no doubt leading into the throne room.
Suddenly, Tiffany put her hand to her head and winced.
“You okay, darling?” asked Rochelle.
“I’m fine. The Elements of Harmony are in there,” answered Tiffany, pointing towards the throne room door. “I can sense them.”
The girls approached the door. It opened without much difficulty, despite how old it was.
The throne room was almost completely empty, with the exception of two thrones on a dais at the back of the room and a pedestal holding six crystals.
Surprisingly, Nightmare Moon was nowhere to be seen.
“The Elements. We’ve found them,” said Rachel.
“And it looks like we got here before Nightmare Moon,” said Abigail.
“Oh great, you jinxed it,” said Pinkie.
“Pinkie, we’ve been over this,” said Tiffany.
“Actually, she’s not wrong,” said a new voice.
The girls’ attention was drawn to a window above them. “Nightmare Moon!” they all screamed.
“Well, I hate to say, ‘I told you so,’ but...” said Pinkie, “I told you so. Actually, that was kind of fun to say.”
“Pinkie, now’s not the time,” said Tiffany.
Nightmare flew down to the dais, standing between the girls and the Elements.
“At long last the Elements of Harmony are within my grasp. I really should thank you girls for leading me right to them. Now all of Sohre shall bow to me and finally they will learn to respect the night.”
“That’s yer plan?” asked Abigail. “Seriously? Gain their respect by makin’ ‘em fear ya more? Yeah, great plan.”
“Mock me now, but soon you will be groveling at my feet.”
“In your dreams, Nightmare!” said Rachel.
Nightmare smirked. “You have spunk to say that, Angel girl, but you will learn to obey your queen.”
“You aren’t our queen! Celestia is!” said Rochelle.
“You dare mention that foolish wretch again and you will regret it, Deqling. My sister will not be acknowledged as long I reign.”
“Then we should make sure that reign is short,” said Rachel. She flew towards Nightmare, attempting to tackle her.
Nightmare simply dodged out of the way, making Rachel crash into the pedestal which held the Elements, knocking them down and shattering them.
“The Elements!” the girls screamed in shock.
“Huh, I thought the Elements would be made of crystal, not glass,” said Pinkie.
“Hahahahaha! Well, isn’t this an interesting turn of events. I had no idea the Elements were so fragile. Now that the Elements are useless, nothing can stop me!” said Nightmare triumphantly.
Suddenly, Tiffany felt something in her Aura. It was like something was calling to her. Channeling deq into her eyes, her vision turned black before six humanoid shaped Auras appeared, each a different color. But what even more surprising is that the shards of the Elements were also giving off an Aura, which could only mean one thing.
“Your wrong, Nightmare,” said Tiffany.
“Oh, and how would that be? The Elements are shattered. You are hopeless,” said Nightmare.
“Not true. The Elements can’t be destroyed, for the spirits of the Elements of Harmony lay within us!” proclaimed Tiffany. “Abigail Smith, who reassured my when I was in doubt, represents to spirit of Honesty! Fiona Shy, who tamed the mighty Manticore with gentleness, represents the spirit of Kindness! Pinkie Pie, who gave the Dryads a tribute of jokes, represents the spirit of Laughter! Rochelle Belle, who calmed a sorrowful Lamia by sacrificing our most useful tool, represents the spirit of Generosity! And Rachel Dash, who couldn’t abandon her friends for her own heart's desires, represents the spirit of Loyalty!”
The shards of the Elements began to glow and flew towards their respective bearers.
“But what of the sixth Element?” asked Nightmare.
“Glad you asked. The sixth Element can only truly be harnessed when its bearer’s Heart unites with those of the other Element bearers. And I realize now that the friends are not a hinderance. Friendship is not unnecessary. I am the Element of Magic!”
The remaining Element shards flew to Tiffany and glowed a brilliant violet purple. Then all of the Element shards reshaped themselves into necklaces, with the exception of Tiffany’s Element, which reshaped itself into a crown.
“This can’t happening! Not again!” shouted Nightmare Moon. “No! No!”
The Elements glowed brightly, lifting their bearers into the air and firing a giant rainbow-colored beam of light at Nightmare.
“Nnnnnoooooo!” Nightmare screamed as the rainbow beam hit her.
There was a blinding white light, and then everything was silent.
When Tiffany regained consciousness, the sunlight was streaming through the open windows of the castle, and Queen Celestia knelt beside her, smiling warmly.
“Good morning, Twilight,” said the queen.
“Queen Celestia, we did it. We recovered the Elements of Harmony and we beat Nightmare Moon,” said Tiffany.
“I can see that. I am proud of you, my student.”
Tiffany heard her friends stirring from their slumbers.
“Ugh, I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus,” said Rachel.
“Does anyone else have a strange craving for hay?” asked Pinkie.
“Ah don’t know about y’all, but ah never want ta do that again,” said Abigail.
“I think I’ve gone temporarily deaf!” shouted Fluttershy. “Should I be worried?”
“Wait? What happened to Nightmare?” asked Rochelle.
“She's not Nightmare Moon anymore,” said Celestia, looking at the last remaining person in the room.
Lying unconscious on the dais was a girl looking to be in about her mid to late teens. She had short, jet black hair, brown skin covered in light blue Deqling markings, and four dark blue Angel wings. All she wore was a simple blue dress.
Celestia approached her younger sister. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Celestia lightly shook her in attempt to wake her up. After a few seconds, the sleeping princess awoke.
“Five more minutes, Tia,” she groaned.
Celestia chuckled. “I missed you, Selene.”
“Luna,” the younger sister corrected.
“Right, I forgot you prefer Luna. To be fair, it has been a thousand years.”
“One thousand years? So that wasn’t just a dream?”
“Unfortunately. The important thing is that you’re back.” Celestia embraced her sister in a hug.
“It’s so beautiful!” said Pinkie. “Hey, you know what this calls for?”
“What?” asked Tiffany.
“A party!”
Avalon rejoiced. Many of the town’s residents were basking in their queen’s sunlight.
The others were in the town hall, where a ceremony was being held, but not for the rising of the sun.
“I would like to thank the six brave heroines who came to not only my rescue, but my sister’s as well, when we were in need,” said Celestia.
She and Selene stood upon the stage, the girls off to one side.
“And to commemorate their achievements, I’d like to award them all with the Honor of Sohre!”
The mayor gave Celestia six gold medals.
“Abigail Smith, the Element of Honesty.”
Abigail approached Celestia. Celestia placed the medal around her neck.
“Thank you for your candor, Applejack.”
Applejack bowed to the queen and stood proudly to one side.
In the crowd, a young voice could be heard saying, “That’s my sister!”
“Rachel Dash, the Element of Loyalty.”
Rachel approached the queen.
“Thank you for staying by Tiffany’s side, Rainbow. And remember, don’t get cocky.”
“No need to worry, your majesty,” Rainbow said as the medal was placed around her neck. She went to stand beside Applejack.
“Rochelle Belle, the Element of Generosity.”
Rochelle approached the queen.
“Thank you, you are a true rarity.”
“Ooh, I like that. Rarity, has a nice ring to it,” she said as her medal was placed around her neck and she went to stand beside Rainbow and Applejack.
“Fiona Shy, the Element of Kindness.”
Fiona shyly approached the queen.
“Thank you. You were extraordinarily brave, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy didn’t say a word as she accepted the medal and went to stand beside Rarity.
“Pinkamena Diane Pie, the Element of Laughter.”
Pinkie was in the center of the stage before Celestia could finish saying the word ‘laughter’.
“Thank you, Pinkie. Never change.”
When the medal was placed around her neck she bounced off to stand beside Fluttershy.
“And last but never least, Tiffany Sparkle, the Element of Magic.”
Tiffany approached her teacher.
“Congratulations, Twilight. I always knew you would do great things one day. You have made me proud.”
The medal was placed around Twilight’s head. “Thank you for teaching me all that I know, your majesty.”
“You’re welcome.”
Twilight went to stand beside her friends.
“Let’s hear it for the Elements of Harmony!”
The entire room was filled with applause.
Twilight and Spike were packing up their things, preparing to leave back to Monoceros. All the while, Twilight was feeling a bit sad.
“Why the long face, Twilight?” asked Celestia, entering the room.
“Well, it’s just that now that I know what it’s like to have friends…” Twilight trailed off.
“You don’t want to leave, do you?”
“No.”
“Very well, if your wish is to stay in Avalon and study friendship, then your wish is my command.”
“Thank you, your majesty. Spike!”
“Yeah?” he called from downstairs.
“You can unpack. We’re staying in Avalon!”
“Yes!”
“Anything for you, Twilight,” Celestia said, smiling.
“So ‘ere’s a question, is it true that Monoceros nobility are often inbred?” asked Applejack.
“Well, speaking as Monoceros nobility myself, not usually,” answered Twilight. “I mean, it’s certainly not unheard of, Monoceros nobles can be elitist and they often want to keep their bloodline ‘pure’, but usually they just marry into other noble families. Why do you ask?”
“Ah heard that from Rarity. The girl cannot shut up ‘bout that city.”
The two were currently picking Red Delicious apples in one of Applejack’s family’s orchards. It had been a few days since the whole Nightmare Moon incident, and Twilight was glad to be able to get to know her new friends better without the fate of the entire kingdom of Sohre, and perhaps even the entire planet of Gaia, hanging in the balance.
Twilight’s wardrobe choices seemed to reflect this. She was dressed slightly more casually than she had a few days ago, with a pale purple collared shirt and a plaid purple skirt. Instead of her Mary Janes, she had on a pair of purple Converse shoes. Around her neck was the same tie as before.
“That doesn’t surprise me, given what her little sister already told Spike and I,” said Twilight, levitating an apple into a basket at her feet.
“That reminds me, ah’ve been tryin’ ta ask you somethin’ ‘bout Spike. How are ya two related? Are ya’ll half-siblings or is he adopted?”
“Spike is adopted. Monoceros nobles have a little thing against Humanoid/Beast relationships. A Dregon is just a tamer version of a pure-blood Dragon to them. They’d likely completely shun my family if Spike was related by blood.”
“Good thing Avalon doesn’t have the same bias. It would be a might hypocritical.”
“Why is that?”
“‘Cause half o’ my family have Canis blood runnin’ through our veins. And we founded this town.”
“Really? But you all looked completely Human when I met your family a few days ago. I didn’t notice a Dog Beastling among you.”
“Ya’ll may not have noticed them, but they were there.”
The girls picked up the baskets filled with apples, carried them over to a wagon and dumped the apples into it.
Spike, who was sitting beside the wagon reading an issue of “Protocol: Sigma”, said, “Are you girls done yet? I’m getting bored.”
“You know, you could be helping, instead of just sitting around, reading those comic books,” said Twilight.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Spike said.
A buzzing sound was suddenly heard as Spike reached into his pocket to pull out his phone.
“It’s from the queen, Twi,” he said.
“Really? What’s it say?” Twilight asked.
“Dear Twilight,” Spike began reading, “As you already know, I am proud of your achievements so far and am ever so thankful for you and your friends reuniting me with my sister. As a reward, I am sending you two V.I.P. tickets to this year’s Grand Autumn Gala. You are free to choose whomever you’d like to accompany you to the Gala. Best wishes, Celestia.”
“The Grand Autumn Gala!” both Twilight and Applejack screamed with excitement.
“This is great! The queen has never invited me to the Gala before,” said Twilight.
“So, who are ya gonna pick?” asked Applejack.
“I don’t know. Would you like to go, Spike?”
“Mm, no thanks. Doesn’t seem like my kind of thing,” Spike said.
“Yer kiddin’ me right, Spike?” asked Applejack. “How can ya’ll turn down a ticket to the Grand Autumn Gala?”
“Are you saying that you’re interested, Applejack?” asked Twilight.
“Of course ah am. Have ya’ll any idea how rich those nobles that attend the Gala are? If ah were to go, ah could sell a lot of apple-themed treats and raise a whole buncha Merlins fer my family’s farm.”
“Isn’t the Smith family Sohre’s fourth richest family?” asked Spike.
“Yes, but that’s only when ya’ll account fer the whole family. Remember, we stretch all over Sohre and have plenty o’ other farms elsewhere. Lately, my family’s farm has been experiencin’ a bit of a depression.”
“Well that’s as good a reason as any to invite you to the Gala. The ticket’s your-” Twilight was cut off by Rainbow Dash falling out of a tree, right on top of her.
“I heard someone say ‘gala’. You wouldn’t happened to have been talking about the Grand Autumn Gala, would you?”
“Rainbow Dash, what in tarnation were ya doin’ up there? Spying on us?”
“Nope, I was napping. What? You don’t expect me to have enough energy to race around all day if I don’t get my nap in, do you?” she asked them. “Anyway, You were talking about the Grand Autumn Gala, weren’t you?”
“Actually, yes. Twi ‘ere has an extra ticket and is givin’ it to me,” Applejack said smugly to Rainbow.
“What? Seriously, Twi? You’re giving her the ticket?”
“I didn’t know you were into girly stuff like the Gala,” said Spike.
“Oh, I’m not. I want to go to the Gala because the Wonderbolts will be performing there. During the performance, I’ll fly out there and do some tricks that I’ve created, like my Buccaneer Blaze (patent pending). They’ll be so impressed, they’ll insist that security doesn’t take me away for disrupting the show. And then I’ll finally be able to become a Wonderbolt myself!”
“Or you could, oh, I don’t know, apply at a recruitment center and go through the actual training that it takes to become a Wonderbolt,” said Twilight.
“Sounds like a lot of work. I’ll stick to taking my chances with the Gala security.”
“Ya know, Rainbow,” said Applejack, “if ya let me have the ticket, ah could set up a date with you and Big Mac.”
“You’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?”
“Enope.”
“You know, Spike, I think I should our other friends about the ticket. Hopefully they won’t make such a big fuss about it,” said Twilight.
“Agreed.”
“Hey, where are you going?” asked Rainbow as Twilight and Spike walked off.
Twilight and Spike were walking through Avalon, near Cupcake Corner, the local bakery, when suddenly Pinkie Pie came flying through the doorway, crashing into Twilight in the process, and somehow making the sound of bowling pin being knocked down as she did.
“Pinkie Pie, what in Tartarus are you doing?” asked Twilight.
“Sorry, Twilight. I was just making a batch of cookies and things kind of got out of hand,” she said, helping Twilight back up.
“What kind of cookies make you come flying out a door?”
“Sugar cookies. I think I ate too many.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” said Spike.
“Anyway, what’s up, Twilight?” Pinkie asked.
“Well, it just so happens that I was looking for you. You see, I have an extra ticket to the Grand Autumn Gala and I was wondering-”
“The Grand Autumn Gala!” Pinkie screamed with excitement.
“So you want to go too?” Twilight asked for confirmation.
“Uh, duh! The Grand Autumn Gala is only the greatest party ever! I mean, I’ve never actually gone, but I’ve heard nothing but great things about!”
“Um, Pinkie, I’m not sure you realize what kind of party this is,” said Spike.
“What do you mean? A party is a party, isn’t it?”
“Well, actually-” Spike was about to explain when Pinkie cut him off.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”
Enter Rarity…
“Pinkie Pie, darling, what’s all this racket about? I could hear you from my boutique, and that’s halfway across town.”
“How did you get halfway across town so quickly?” asked Twilight.
“Well, Avalon isn’t really all that big.”
“Guess what, Rarity, Twilight is giving her extra ticket to the Grand Autumn Gala!”
“Actually, I was only asking to see if Pinkie would like it,” Twilight explained.
“The Grand Autumn Gala!” shouted Rarity. “Why would you give a ticket to the most glorious party of the year to someone who thinks cotton is used in making cotton candy?”
“Hey, I proved it could be done, didn’t I?”
“Oh, right. Sorry, darling.”
“Wait, you created cotton candy out of cotton?” asked Spike.
“You bet! It didn’t taste very good, but I did it!”
“Anyways, back on track,” said Twilight, shifting the subject back, “We’ve got four friends fighting over one ticket. What a mess.”
“It is a problem,” said Fluttershy, approaching her friends.
“Oh, hey Fluttershy. I have an extra ticket to the Grand Autumn Gala. You wouldn’t happen to want to go, do you?” Twilight asked, hoping the shy girl would say no.
“Actually, I’d love to.”
“Really, but you hate social event,” said Rainbow, who had just arrived overhead.
“True, but I wouldn’t be going for the party. I’m going to see the royal gardens. For that night only do all the flowers bloom at once. It’s be so beautiful! And that’s just the flora, don’t get me started on the fauna.”
“You realise if you want to see the gardens you can just ask Twilight if she can arrange a tour for you,” Rainbow suggests.
“I know, but it wouldn’t be the same.”
“So, Twi, have ya decided to let me be yer plus one?” asked Applejack, walking up to the group.
“Oh boy, Twilight’s gotten herself in quite a pickle,” said Spike, pretending to narrate the the current events (even though that’s my job). “All five of her friends want Twilight’s one extra ticket. What will she do? What will she do?”
“Not helping, Spike,” said Twilight.
“Sorry, Twi, but someone’s got to provide the humor around here since Pinkie is occupied. Since I don’t care who gets the ticket, I might as well take over for her.”
“Thanks, Spike!”
“No problem, Pinkie!”
“Guy, guys,” said Rainbow, “I think there’s an easy way for this to work out for all of us.”
“And that is?” asked Twilight.
“Give me the ticket.”
“Hold yer horses, sugarcube,” interjected Applejack. “Two things. First, how exactly is that working out for all of us? And second, you just want Twilight to give you the ticket so you can go on a date with her.”
“When I said ‘work out for all of us’ I was only referring to me and Twilight. Also, you know I don’t swing that way!”
“Well yer hair says otherwise,” said Applejack, referring to the rainbow highlights.
“Seriously? Can’t a girl like rainbows anymore with being labeled gay? And besides, you’re one to talk, considering your past dating life.”
“Hey! The reason it didn’t work out between me an’ Rarity was because we’re too different! It was a mutual break up! That’s all!”
The two tomboys’ bickering was beginning to attract a crowd of passersby, however Applejack and Rainbow were to busy insulting each other’s love-lifes (or, as it soon became, sex-lifes) to notice.
After a minute or so of continuous arguing, Twilight said to Spike, “Come on, let’s get out of here. I have a feeling this could be going on for a while.” And so, Twilight and Spike snuck out of the crowd unnoticed.
About an hour later, the two were at a local cafe, Dot’s Place, awaiting their orders.
“Medium Dragonfire Chili Pepper Latte,” said one of the baristas.
“That’s mine,” said Spike.
“Here you go, sir. I’d warn you to let it cool a bit, but I think you can take the heat.”
“Thank you... Gale,” he replied, reading the barista’s name tag.
“Don’t mention it, kid.”
Spike took his drink outdoors to the table where Twilight sat. Twilight was so frustrated with who should get the extra ticket that she had barely even touched her drink, which was just a cup of plain old black coffee.
“I don’t know what to do, Spike. If I choose any of my friends, the others will undoubtedly be upset. You saw how Rainbow and Applejack got.”
“I don’t think that was so much upset as much their competitive natures getting the better of themselves,” Spike pointed out.
“And even if I were to give one of them my ticket and another the extra, there’s still three more that will be upset.”
“Why not just ask Queen Celestia to send you more?”
“Please, Spike, do you think that Celestia would spare me more tickets?”
“Well, why wouldn’t she? She’s your teacher, and I know that she would do anything for you.”
“Okay, I see your point. How about this; if I haven’t decided who gets the ticket by the end of the day, you send her majesty an email asking for- Why is it overcast all of a sudden?”
Indeed, what had been a near cloudless sky just moments ago was now gray with storm clouds.
“Where the heck did this storm come from?” asked Spike.
“Oh hey, Twilight! Hey, Spike!” a familiar voice called down to them.
“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing up there?” Twilight asked.
“Oh nothing, just providing Avalon with a little needed rain.”
“I didn’t know you knew how to speak Deqlan.”
“I don’t.”
“Then how are you doing that?”
“You know, for a know-it-all, you don’t know a lot of things. You only need to speak Deqlan in order to cast spells. Manipulating nature to your will is way different. Plus, I’m a weather Angel, it’s kind of my job to manipulate Storm, Ice, and Air deq. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Rainbow made a hand gesture like she was dropping something that was in her hand and the rain began to trickle down, and quickly increased pace. Before long, the rain became a steady downpour, though curiously, none of the rain landed on either her or Spike.
“Rainbow, you wouldn’t happen to be keeping us dry so I would give you the extra ticket, would you?”
“What? No. I’d do this for anyone.”
Twilight looked around to see that there were a few other people around, each of them drenched.
“Uh-huh, sure,” Twilight said sarcastically.
“Well, would you rather be sopping wet too?” Rainbow asked.
“I’d rather not have trying to influence my decision.”
“Alright, fine, I’ll leave you alone. But you asked for it!” she said, before flying above the cloud line.
“Thank you.” That’s when she realized her mistake, as the rain almost instantly soaked her clothes.
“Twilight, darling, it’s raining,” said Rarity, walking up to the bookworm in a raincoat, an umbrella in her hands.
“No, really?” Twilight asked sarcastic.
“Come on, darling, let’s get you inside before you catch a cold.
A few minutes later, inside Carrousel Boutique…
“Oh mon, you’re clothes are completely soaked through. Let me take care of those. I have some robes you could use while your clothes dry.”
“Thank you, Rarity. We appreciate it,” said Twilight. “Um, where’s the bathroom?”
“Right upstairs, first door on the left.”
“Thanks again.” Twilight dashed up the stairs, leaving Spike and Rarity alone.
“Just so you know, Spike, Sweetie and her friend Scootaloo are upstairs right now, doing Gaia knows what in Sweetie’s room. After you’ve changed, why don’t you go on up and say hi. I know she would be happy to see you,” Rarity suggested, a knowing expression on her face.
“Alright!” Spike said excitedly, before darting upstairs, just as Twilight was descending in a pink robe.
“Ah, jeune amour. Young love. So cute.”
“I know, right,” replied Twilight. “Which reminds me, you and Applejack were a couple once?”
“Oui, we were once. But it didn’t last long, only about a month or two,” Rarity said, sitting down on the couch.
“What happened between you two?” Twilight asked, joining Rarity on the couch.
“Well, at first everything was great. You know how it is, you’re in love and every day feels like a dream. Then we started to really realize how incompatible we were. It became hard to plan dates, not to mention how awkward things got on said dates, and, well… we eventually decided we were too different and broke up.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, darling. We both agreed that it was for the best. We are much better best friends than girlfriends, after all. And besides, there are plenty more fish in the sea,” Rarity said, that last sentence in a more flirtatious tone.
“Rochelle Dominique Belle, are you hitting on me?”
“I might be. Wait, how did you know my middle name?”
“I took a wild guess. And please tell me you aren’t just hitting on me to get the extra ticket.”
“I’m sorry, Twilight, I just really want to go to the Gala!”
Twilight shook her head. “Some Element of Generosity you are.”
Meanwhile, upstairs, Spike and Sweetie sat in her room playing Protocol, and despite Spike’s skills, Sweetie was winning.
“I can’t believe you beat me again! And with Sanzin, no less!” said Spike.
“Hey, he’s a lot more useful than people give him credit for, even if he is literally the weakest character in the game,” explained Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo, who was sitting right next to Sweetie, silently cheering her on, whispered something in Sweetie’s ear, to which Sweetie laughed.
“What did she say?”
“Just how it must be embarrassing to be playing as Agent 0, one of the most overpowered characters in the game, and still be losing.”
“Not really. I’m actually more embarrassed about being beaten by someone who doesn’t appear to be the type that would enjoy video games.”
“Well, there’s a lot of things you don’t know about me. I mean, we just met a few days ago. I’m just surprised you want to hang out with me in the first place.”
“Why wouldn’t I? You are one of the only people around my age that I’ve met in this town. Not to mention that you’re pretty cool.”
“Thanks, Spike,” Sweetie said, blushing.
Scootaloo nudged her.
“What is it, Scoots?” Sweetie asked.
Scootaloo gave her a look that simply screamed, “Just tell him you like him already! Now’s your chance!”
Sweetie shot back a look that said, “Not yet.”
Scootaloo, understanding the look her best friend gave her, shook her head over Sweetie’s resistance to make the first move.
Spike and Sweetie started up a new round in Protocol, this time playing as Blastr and Wraith respectively.
Two hours later…
After Rarity had tried hitting on Twilight to get the ticket, Twilight decided to avoid talking as much as possible and Rarity put in a movie. They were both currently covered in tissue paper, crying their eyes out over the movie they were watching.
“I can’t believe Sabrina decided to go with Eduardo, even after he lied to her about Jessica,” said Rarity between blowing her nose.
“At least Eduardo had the decency to show up to Layla’s funeral. Victor was such a jerk for abandoning her for Dmitria. She died from sadness, Faust d*mnit!” said Twilight.
When the movie ended, Rarity wiped her tears, then got up and levitated all of the balled up tissues into a nearby trash can. Sniffling, she said, “We should do this again sometime, Twilight.”
“Yeah, that was fun, you know, for a sad movie.”
“Well, it appears the rain has stopped, and your clothes should be dry by now.”
“Thanks again, Rarity.”
“Oh, no problem at all, darling. I enjoy a little company once in awhile.”
“Woah, Rares, don’t try hitting on me again.”
“Oh, Twi, even though you are beautiful, it wouldn’t work out between us, with us being friends first, and all. I learned that when Applejack and I broke up.”
“Right. So, anyway, what do you think Spike and Sweetie are up to?” asked Twilight, starting towards the stairs.
“I would assume they’re still playing that game. You know, they would make such a cute couple.”
“Actually, just between you and me, Spike seems to have a crush on Sweetie.”
“You don’t say? Sweetie has a crush on Spike. What are the odds?”
“You know what this means, right?”
“Yes! It means if they get married, we’re going to be sister-in-laws.”
“Actually, I was thinking it means we have to somehow get them together.”
“Oh, Twilight, I had no idea you even thought of meddling with someone’s love life.”
“What can I say? I like romance novels, and books in general.”
When the two older Deqling reached Sweetie’s room, the door to which was slightly opened, they could hear the sounds of their siblings’ voices.
“I can’t believe you keep beating! How are you so much better at this game than I am?” asked Spike.
“I’m not sure, but I believe the score is now 24 to 3,” replied Sweetie.
“You have to be using hacks.”
“Oh please, you think I know how to hack a video game?”
“Well I’m not sure, you’re full of surprises.”
“Aw, thank you.”
Twilight pushed the door open, giving off a small creek that alerting two gamer, and Scootaloo, of her and Rarity’s presents.
“Spike, we’re leaving soon,” said Twilight.
“Alright, I’ll go get changed.”
Twilight and Spike exited Carrousel Boutique. Their clothes were completely dry and the rain had stopped.
“You know, Spike, Rarity and I were talking and we both think you and Sweetie would make a great couple,” said Twilight.
“You think so?” Spike asked, blushing.
“Yeah. In fact, Sweetie-” Twilight started, but was cut off by the sudden appearance of Applejack.
“Afternoon, Twi,” Applejack said. Behind Applejack was a wagon full of apple themed treats pulled by a caramel coated Cheval (a Horse Beastling).
“Good afternoon, Applejack. Uh, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, nothin’. Ah was jest goin’ ‘round town, sellin’ some appley treats. Would ya like some?”
“I don’t see why not. How much are they?”
“Shoot, ya’ll don’t ta pay. We’re friends, it’s on the house.”
“What? But you make me pay, even though we’re friends,” said the Cheval.
“Okay, so Ah’m makin’ a special exception fer my best friend, so what?”
“Applejack, this wouldn’t happen to be so you can get the extra ticket, is it?”
“What? No! Of course not!” Applejack said, trying and failing to lie.
“I knew it! Listen, Applejack, trying to bribe me isn’t going to make the decision any easier. Got it?”
“Alright, fine.”
“Good. Now come on, Spike, I think it’s time we got back to the library. I need someplace quiet to think.”
Twilight opened the door to the library, and as soon as she did she heard a familiar voice.
Inside the library, Fluttershy and her animal friends were hard at work cleaning up the place. Fluttershy herself was singing a familiar tune while dusting off the bookshelves.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” said Twilight. “Fluttershy, what exactly are you doing?”
“Oh, well hello, Twilight. We were just doing a little Spring cleaning for you,” Fluttershy explained.
“The Summer Solstice was literally three days ago,” Twilight deadpanned.
“Oh, um, better late than never, right? It was Angel Bunny’s idea.” Fluttershy pointed to a white Rabbit tossing a salad.
Ignoring the unusual sight of a Beast with Humanoid intelligence (for now), Twilight asked, “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the ticket, would it?”
“Why, no. Not at all. Right, Angel?”
The bunny gave Fluttershy a deadpan look.
“Alright, yes. This is just for the ticket,” Fluttershy admitted. “Salad?”
Angel hopped over to Twilight and offered her the salad he had made.
“No thank you. Fluttershy, I appreciate you and your animal friends cleaning up the library, but I’m not accepting any bribes for the ticket. Now, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Suddenly from behind Twilight, Pinkie shouted, “Surprise!”
Twilight turned just in time for Pinkie to almost give her Whiplash by pulling her into a crowd of people who started throwing her in the ai while Pinkie sang a quite annoying song.
“Twilight is my bestest friend! Woopie! Woopie!”
“Pinkie,” Twilight said, trying to get Pinkie’s attention.
“She’s the cutest, smartest, all around best Deqling! Deqling!”
“Pinkie,” Twilight said again.
“I’ll bet if I throw a super party! Party!”
“Pinkie.”
“She’ll give her extra ticket to the gala to me!”
“Pinkie!”
The crowd backed away upon Twilight’s shouting, causing her to almost land on her head, back luckily she caught herself with a levitation spell.
“Yes, Twilight?”
“I understand that you would do anything to get that ticket, but couldn’t you have been at least a tiny bit subtler?”
“Um, are you new here? I’m Pinkie Pie. Subtlety is not something I do.”
Twilight rubbed her forehead. Today’s events had given her a headache. “Come on, Spike, let’s go get something to eat. I need something to help me decide. You want burgers?”
Once Twilight and Spike left, Fluttershy and Pinkie met up with the others.
“I feel really sorry for trying to get that ticket,” said Fluttershy.
“Yeah, Twilight had it hard enough trying to decide which one of us to take in the first place,” said Rarity. “All we did was make it harder.”
“Ah say we make it up ta Twilight,” said Applejack.
“Are you girls thinking what I’m thinking?!” shouted Pinkie Pie.
“Let me guess, we’re going to throw Twilight a party,” said Rainbow.
“Actually, I was thinking we all just give up the ticket. But you’re idea is better, so let’s do that.”
Twilight and Spike entered the library to find party decorations everywhere, including a big banner that read, “We’re sorry Twilight!”
“Whoa! Girls, um, what’s all this?” asked Twilight.
“We wanted to apologize for trying to influence your decision, darling,” said Rarity.
“So we had Pinkie Pie organize this here party,” added Applejack.
“And we promise not to pressure you too much any more,” added Fluttershy.
Twilight looked around at the party and her friends, and she made her decision. “Spike, take a letter.”
“Alright.” Spike ran upstairs and came right back down with his tablet.
“Dear Queen Celestia, I want to thank you for the tickets to the Gala, but I’m going to have to decline them. If all of my friends can’t go the the Gala with me, then I won’t be going either. Your student, Tiffany Sparkle. Got all that, Spike?”
“Yep!”
“Good send it.”
Spike pressed the ‘Send’ icon, and the e-mail was on its way.
“Twilight, are you sure you want to miss out on the Gala just for us?” asked Rainbow.
“Yes, I’m sure. If you all can’t go, neither will I.”
The girls embraced Twilight in a big group hug.
Suddenly, Spike’s tablet made a little alert sound. Celestia had already replied.
“Dear Twilight,” Spike read, “I am proud that you declined the tickets. You see, I was testing you. I simply told you you’d be getting two ticket, when in reality you were getting seven, one for you, Spike, and each of your friends. Seriously, why would I give you only two tickets? I know I’m a prankster, but I’m not a total troll. I needed to see if you were truly a faithful friend. And by declining the tickets, you have truly proved yourself worthy of your Element, which means you may be able to achieve even greater feats. Best wishes, Celestia.”
“So that was all just a test?!” asked Twilight, angrily. “I wasted an entire day, worrying about a problem that didn’t even exist! Just because Celestia wanted to test me! Are you kidding me?”
“I wonder what she meant by ‘achieve even greater feats’,” said Spike.
There was suddenly a violet glowing coming from upstairs.
“What’s that?” asked Rarity.
“I don’t know. Let’s go see,” Twilight said.
She lead the girls upstairs, into her bedroom, to find that the glowing was coming from the Element of Magic itself, spinning around in mid air like a flying top.
Twilight approached the Element with caution. It didn’t seem dangerous, but then again it could shoot a giant, rainbow-colored laser, so she’d rather not take too many chances. Just as she was about to touch it though, it glowed even brighter for a second and then dimmed entirely.
Where the Element had been now floated a magnificent sword. Its hilt looked just like the Element, with four points making up the crossguard and a fifth making up the grip. The sixth point extended into the blade, which was carved with characters from the ancient Deqlan language and was made out of a silvery metal.
“Whoa,” Twilight said, grabbing the sword. Its was perfectly balanced in her hands.
“Well, seems our adventures are only just beginning,” said Pinkie.