Twilight Sparkle settles into her new role as Leader of Equestria.
Twilight has recently been coronated as Princess of Equestria. Come join her as she learns what it truly takes to be a leader, and witness the wacky hi-jinks along the way!
I did not make this because of my opinions on the ending of the show; I simply want to expand upon the series and pick up where it left off.
I am not under the delusion that I can write as well as, if not better than, the original show; I am still a burgeoning writer, as opposed to the highly skilled team of writers, animators, etc. that worked on Friendship Is Magic. Thusly, I have dropped the 'Season 10' from the title, as this story would never be worthy of such a title.
Any and all constructive criticism is welcomed and encouraged. If you feel like leaving a dislike, then please tell me why so that I may have the opportunity to improve myself.
'Dark' or 'Light' mode are not recommended, as Rarity's text is near-white (my personal recommendation is 'Ultra Dark' mode). If you can see this, then you're good to go.
Starlight nervously paced back and forth, Trixie by her side, as she read and re-read the scroll Twilight had sent half an hour prior. Surely there must be some mistake!
But her thoughts were soon interrupted when the front doors of the Friendship Castle swung open, and the 5 resident Elements of Harmony ran inside.
"We came as soon as we heard!" Applejack was the first to speak, nearly out of breath.
"And not a moment to spare!" Starlight replied, holding up the parchment in her magic's grasp, "I've been trying to make sense of Twilight's scroll ever since it came!"
"What's there to make sense of?" Rainbow Dash rebutted, her voice lined with enthusiasm for getting back into the fray. "There's something threatening Mount Aris, and we've gotta help; simple as that!"
"Well, I get that much; I'm just trying to figure out why she's sending ALL of us — even Trixie!"
"That's highly unusual!" Trixie concurred.
Rarity offered, "Well, it must be a threat of that caliber!"
Starlight, in return, raised an eyebrow. "Then why not just send Discord?"
A cacophony of voices could be heard for the next few moments as the others discussed the question amongst themselves. Starlight couldn't make out all of their words, but she could hear points like "That would save a lot of effort", "He'd probably want us to do it ourselves", and "Ah don't really trust 'im after that whole Grogar incident". Eventually, the group's discussion died down without finding a clear consensus.
Fluttershy finally stepped forward. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm sure Twilight knows what she's doing."
Starlight took a deep breath to calm herself. "Y-yeah, I'm sure you're right, Flutters."
She then turned her attention back to the scroll. "Anyway, now that we're all here, we need to get to the train station; there's a special train waiting to escort us. Spike will be waiting for us on the train, and Twilight herself will be headed out as soon as she's done in a meeting."
Pinkie Pie was nearly bursting with excitement. "Oh boy, a private train!? I bet it'll be super-duper-uper-ific fun!"
Starlight, trying to be optimistic, agreed. "Yeah, Pinkie's got the right idea; let's just look on the bright side, and try to have some fun!"
About fifteen minutes later, Pinkie was asleep in her seat, and everypony else was also incredibly bored.
"Yes, what fun indeed," Rarity snarked dryly as she took out an issue of Glam-erlot Monthly and began to browse the articles.
Starlight could only chuckle nervously in response.
♪My Little Pony, My Little Pony This is non-canon!
(My Little Pony) Until you all shared its magic with me!
Friendship is my forté, I know just what to do Hard work and sacrifice, be honest through and through Have fun with all my friends, and laugh and dance and sing! I'll be kind to every creature, and just most anything Gotta go faster, faster, faster faster— Rainbow Dash! ...sorry Generosity's always in season, and I'm always the master Loyal to my family, I know she can't be beat I don't need a spell to guide the way, it's such an easy feat!
With us, the journey never ends You are my very best friends!♪
30 Minutes in...
The train car had become decidedly more lively than it had been before, but not by much. Applejack was returning from the dining car, carrying a bunch of snacks with her hat; Spike was reading a Manga; Rarity's attention had been pulled away from her magazine by Rainbow Dash's exercising, and she was now scribbling furiously in her sketchpad; Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were playing 'Train Car Scavenger Hunt'; Trixie was now asleep; and Starlight was going over a file that Spike had given her, detailing what exactly they'd be up against.
The file read as follows:
Name: Tidal Surge Age: 27 Birthday: September 7th Species: Unicorn Body Color: Seafoam Green Mane Color: Pale Indigo Eye Color: Coral Pink Birthplace: Riydeadh, Saddle Arabia Allegiances: Self Main Skill: Sorceress (Class B) Abilities: Rain Dance, Hypnotic Gaze Secondary Skills: Cooking, Stealth Allergies: Mayonnaise Likes: Culinary Arts, Meditation Dislikes: Singing What She's Doing: Flooding the Harmonizing Heights Motives: Unknown Recommended Course of Action: Slap some sense into her
Starlight blinked, frowning. What the heck was with this profile? She knew that Twilight had a habit of going overboard with details, but this was stretching it. And what was with the 'Slap some sense into her' part? That didn't sound like Twilight at all!
No matter how hard Starlight puzzled it, she couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation, so she decided to drop it for the time being. Placing the pages back into the folder they came in, she set them down on the seat beside her before getting up to stretch her legs.
As she stood up, she caught sight of Pinkie and Fluttershy roaming the cabin. Deciding to be social, she approached and asked, "Hey girls, whatcha doing?"
"We're playing 'Train Car Scavenger Hunt'!" Pinkie beamed. "It's a game I made up after that one time I solved a mystery on a train, except this is all pretend, and no desserts get mangled!"
Thankfully, Starlight had already been told about the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness Mishap, so she didn't need to ask. "Really? That sounds kinda fun."
Fluttershy nodded, "It is! Do you want to join us?"
"Sure. What're we finding?"
Pinkie produced a list from her mane and scanned it. "Alright, the next item on the list is... Baking sheets!"
Starlight nodded, then began her search.
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was busy with her reps. She pushed down with her wings planted firmly on the ground, hooves held behind her back. "...49...50...51..."
However, as she let her eyes wander, she noticed that Rarity was looking at her with a sketchpad in her magical aura. "Uh, Rarity?"
The white mare, realizing she'd been seen, blushed. "Oh! Sorry, Dashie; I was just making sure I got the muscular anatomy correct for this stylish-yet-flexible sport vest I'm working on. Wouldn't want it to hold back anypony who wore it, now would I?"
Rainbow paused her wing-ups. "Really? Mind if I take a look?"
The fashionista nodded, turning the notebook to face Rainbow Dash. The athlete scanned it for a moment before stating, "Oh, there's a muscle right there under the wing joint that'd get restricted."
Rarity looked back at the drawing, and smiled her thanks as she edited that part.
Starlight, meanwhile, was honing in on the location of the baking sheets. She'd already ruled out the undersides of the seats, as well as half of the over head luggage.
"Getting warmer..." Pinkie shook out of excitement as the wizard kept searching. "Warm... Cold... Warmer... Burning! Your cupcakes are burning!"
Starlight gave the mare a puzzled look, before continuing the search. Her magic aura grabbed the handle of a luggage compartment, and opened it.
The baking sheets fell out, getting caught by her magic. Pinkie exclaimed, "You got it!"
Fluttershy cheered in her normal voice, "Way to go, Starlight."
The wizard allowed herself a grin, but got caught off-guard by a sudden lurch of the train. The unexpected movement broke her concentration on her magic, and the baking sheets fell out of her grasp.
Unfortunately, Trixie just happened to be sleeping right in their trajectory. They hit her head with a painful thunk, snapping the mare awake with a startled "Ow! What the hay?!"
Starlight grimaced. "Sorry, Trix! Just lost my grip for a moment there."
The disgruntled illusionist rubbed the spot where the cooking instruments had struck, mumbling to herself, "That's gonna sting for a while..." She then turned to Applejack, who was eating some of her snacks, and asked, "You got any pretzels?"
The farm mare didn't say anything; instead, she silently lobbed a bag of the chosen snack into Trixie's lap.
She nodded, "Thanks."
Starlight, thoroughly embarrassed, turned back to Pinkie. "I think I've played enough for today," she excused herself, before heading back to her seat.
On the way there, however, she caught a glimpse at the comic book that Spike was reading. Its format was similar to the Power Ponies, except the text was in a different language. "Hey Spike, whatcha reading?"
The dragon in question looked up and smiled. "Oh hey, Starlight. I was just practicing my Neighponese by reading some 'manga'."
Starlight raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
He nodded. "Twilight's planning on re-establishing relations with them, and I wanna help however I can. Not only is this helping me practice the language, but I'm also learning about their culture at the same time!"
The unicorn smiled, "That's really considerate of you!"
Spike's cheeks turned red from the flattery. "Aw, shucks."
Starlight leaned in to get a better look at the illustrations. "What's it about?"
He sat up and grinned. "It's about this little griffon who wants to become leader of his village, so he trains in the ways of the ninja— it's really good!"
Starlight nodded, "I'll take your word for it; I was never really good at learning other languages, especially the ones with the complex symbols."
"You mean the kanji?" Spike corrected.
"Gesundheit."
"So," Trixie began between mouthfuls of pretzels, "what's Mount Aris like?"
AJ chuckled nervously, "Ah ain't actually been there since jus' after they started returnin'. But Ah hear they've really fixed up the place."
Trixie frowned. "Wait, we're going in blind?"
"Not all o' us," Applejack pointed towards Pinkie Pie, who was tallying Fluttershy's score. "Pinkie's been there a couple times fer their 'Proud ta be a Hippy-griff' festival."
That only got Trixie more worried. "So we're going by the word of Pinkie Pie?"
AJ donned a knowing smirk. "Don't sell 'er so short; she may be odd, but she's more oft'n than not right."
Trixie watched as Pinkie finished checking the list, then ate the pencil she'd used to write it. "If you say so..."
1 ½ Hours in...
"Alright, let's go over what we know."
Unable to occupy herself any longer, Starlight had called a meeting between all the passengers. Now, they were all sitting and facing each other.
Spike began, "We're headed to Mount Aris to face a unicorn named Tidal Surge. She's been flooding one of their landmarks, the Harmonizing Heights, for unknown reasons."
Starlight then brought the file back out. "According to Twilight's research, she's a Class B Sorceress who can perform Rain Dances, as well as hypnotize her victims with her gaze."
Pinkie gasped. "Just like in my song!"
Starlight blinked. "Which song?"
In response, the pink pony stood up on her seat and began to chant:
♪She's an evil enchan—♪
Thankfully, Rainbow Dash silenced her with a hoof before she could get properly started. "We get it, Pinkie."
Pinkie slumped down in her seat, her extra energy leaving just as quickly as it'd come.
Starlight blinked, before moving on entirely. "Anyway, any thoughts?"
Rainbow stole a peek at the file. A strange grin graced her face as she read, "Ooh, 'Slap some sense into her'?"
Starlight frowned. "Yeah, I still don't get that."
Spike helpfully explained, "Twilight's already tried sending letters to talk with her. Tidal made it perfectly clear that she was going through with this no matter what Twilight said, so we've been sent to help her 'see reason'."
"But physical aggression? That just doesn't feel like something Twilight would do."
The baby dragon pointed out, "It's not that different from what she did with Nightmare Moon. Besides, she fought you, too."
"Well, yeah," Starlight admitted, "but I just felt that she'd gotten past that, what with the whole Pony of Shadows incident."
Spike shrugged. "She's been running the whole country, raising the sun and moon, monitoring the dreamscape, and planning international relations; it's reasonable to think she'd want to take a shortcut somewhere."
Starlight pondered that one for a while, eventually nodding. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Stress does things to ponies."
"I can relate," Rarity piped up. "Every time I'm behind on an order, I have to make an effort to not rush."
Fluttershy added, "Even with Angel now helping, running Sweet Feathers Sanctuary and teaching at the School are still really stressful for me, too."
"Alright, I get it," Starlight held a hoof up. "So, do we have a plan, or are we just gonna waltz in and wing it?"
AJ put her hoof to her chin in thought. "Ah don't think we got enough info ta make any real plans yet, so our bes' bet is pro'lly ta get there, assess the sit'ation, and work from there."
"I agree," Rarity chimed in. "There are simply too many unknowns to make a proper call at this time."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "You're starting to sound like Twilight."
The fashionista blinked, then tittered lightly. "I suppose I am, with all this talk of variables, and plans, and such..."
"I guess somepony's gotta do it in her absence," Spike quipped.
Everypony shared a good-humored laugh at that.
Starlight was first to quell her amusement. "Okay, so our plan is to make a plan once we get there?"
Pinkie nodded, "Yepperoni!"
Spike shrugged. "It's better than running yourself ragged trying to plan for every possible scenario."
"Yeah, I guess..." Even though she nodded in agreement, Starlight still wore a frown on her face.
2 Hours in...
Now that their plan to improvise a plan was planned, they went back to passing the time. Pinkie now joined Trixie in conversation, Applejack was trying to get her hat back from Rarity, Spike continued to read his manga, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash got to chatting, and Starlight was once again left to choose who to join.
After some consideration, she turned her attention to the conversation Pinkie and Trixie were having.
"I'll admit," Trixie was saying, "it has been a while since Trixie was invited to a party."
Pinkie blinked. "But what about your recent '500th Performance Celebration'?"
The illusionist shook her head, "That was a party for me, not a party I was invited into."
"I see," Pinkie nodded in understanding.
Then it hit her, and she gasped. "You haven't been to another pony's party in a long time?!"
Trixie nodded sadly. "Even now that I'm trying to make amends, ponies still haven't warmed up enough yet."
Starlight piped in, "But you were there for my birthday party."
The blue unicorn blew a raspberry. "Well, that's different. You're the Great and Powerful Trixie's Super Amazing Assistant / Best Friend; I'm talking about other ponies, like Rarity or Applejack. I understand why Twilight has never invited me to a party, but why do the others feel the need to leave me out, too?"
Starlight grimaced as she carefully tried to word her next few sentences. "Well, like you said, you're still learning and making amends, but you... Well, other ponies, er... how do I say this? Uh..."
Spike butted in without even looking up, "It's because you'd try to make the parties about you."
That earned a face-hoof from Starlight.
Trixie, meanwhile, looked offended. "The Great and Powerful Trixie would never do such a thing!"
Pinkie then piped up, "Actually, you did that exact thing at my Summer Solstice Party..."
The Great and Slightly Tipsy Trixie stood on the table in the center of the room, addressing the gathered crowd. "...and for her next trick, Trixie shall make this glass of cider disappear!" She took up a cup in her magic, then downed the whole thing in one large swig. "Voila!"
The crowd rolled their eyes at the showmare's display (apart from Snips and Snails, who were enraptured by her antics as per usual).
Trixie hiccuped slightly, apparently not registering the crowd's disinterest. "Thank you, you're all too kind! Now, if I—"
Before she could embarrass herself any further, however, she was picked up in Starlight's light blue magic. "Alright, Trix," she stated through her forced smile, "show's over."
The drunken mare whined, "But Trixie hasn't even gotten to the flaming knives yet!"
"Sorry to disappoint, but you won't be getting to that any time soon," Starlight pressed, dragging the performer away from the crowd.
"...and then you were all, 'Trixie was looking forward to that part', and then Starlight was all, 'Well, I've got something you can look forward to', and then you—"
Pinkie's ramblings were cut off by Trixie's hoof getting forcefully stuffed in her mouth. "Alright, I get it," the stage mare groused.
Starlight sighed. "I understand where you're coming from, I really do, but I just don't want to see you embarrass yourself like that. You've already had enough of that from your days before you met me, and I don't want to see you slip back down to that level."
Trixie looked to her best friend, and gave a demure smile. "You really mean that?"
Starlight nodded, "Of course!"
The showmare smiled to her friend, then gave her a hug. "Thank you, Starlight; you don't know how much it means to me that somepony cares."
"I think I have a pretty good idea, though," Starlight chuckled awkwardly in response.
Meanwhile, Applejack was still trying to get her hat back from Rarity. "Ah told y'all, Ah don't wantcha gussyin' up mah hat!"
"At least let me clean it for you?" Rarity begged, levitating the dirty hat in her magic.
"No means no!"
"But why not?! I just want to help!"
AJ stopped struggling, then took a deep breath and stepped back. "Look, Rare, Ah dunno if ya know this, but Ah like the stains in mah hats."
The fashionista blinked. "Whatever do you mean?"
The farmhand beckoned for Rarity to float the hat closer, and she obliged cautiously. Instead of grabbing the hat back, AJ pointed to one of the stains on it. "This stain, right 'ere? This is from the first time Apple Bloom tried pressin' cider. She was so focused on the pressin' that she didn't realize she was gettin' the juice ev'rywhere.
"An' thiss'n," she moved her hoof to point at a dark spot that sat just under the brim of the hat, "was from when Ah dropped it in the coop the first time Ah gather'd eggs all by mahself."
Rarity looked over the hat again, now considering what Applejack had said. "Each one of them has a memory, doesn't it?"
AJ blushed, "Well, not all of 'em, but enough do that Ah don't want to risk removin' any of 'em. An' it's not jus' this hat; it's all mah hats. Even the one y'all gave me back in Manehattan."
Rarity smiled forlornly as she let go of the hat. "I think I understand now. I'm sorry; I meant no offense to any of your memories."
"That's okay," AJ replied as she donned her stetson once more. "Ya didn't know."
Then Rarity huffed. "Still, I'd like for you to have at least one clean hat."
AJ nodded, "Ah think Ah can do that. Ah'll consider it a reminder of this moment right 'ere."
Rarity gasped, then gave her friend a big smile. "Thank you, Applejack."
The farm mare simply tipped her hat in acknowledgement.
"So, how has Tank been doing?" Fluttershy asked her fillyhood friend. "I haven't seen him in a while."
"He's doing fine," Rainbow shrugged. "Since I've been so busy with the Wonderbolts lately, he's been staying with my parents a lot."
Fluttershy smiled at the mention. "Oh my, that takes me back. I haven't seen Bow or Windy in so long; how are they?"
"Still really enthusiastic, but they've been working on toning it back. Not that I really mind anymore; I've come to appreciate their praise."
Wanting to change the subject, Rainbow then sat up, an uncomfortably neutral face plastered on. "Oh, that doesn't really matter; how have things been with you, huh? Discord giving you any trouble?"
"Oh, not at all," she shook her head, her smile falling away. "In fact, it's quite the opposite; he's barely said a word since the Coronation."
The prismatic pegasus blinked. "Really? Not even a peep?"
"Not a peep." Fluttershy frowned. "I'm honestly worried about him; he seems to really regret what he did when he posed as Grogar."
"Woah," Rainbow took a moment to process. "I didn't realize he was regretting it this badly..."
"I just hope he's okay while we're gone..."
2 ½ Hours In...
Spike had just returned from the bathroom, when he suddenly felt a pressure build up in his windpipe. He let out a fiery burp, and a scroll formed.
Starlight approached him, noting the seal and asked, "A letter from Twilight? What's it say?"
The dragon picked it up, cracked open the seal, and unfurled it. "She just finished up her work, and is now en route to Mount Aris via chariot. Given the train line we're on, she should arrive at about the same time as us."
Starlight blinked. "Wait a second, why couldn't she have sent us by chariot as well?"
Spike went to answer, but came up blank. "I don't actually know..."
That pushed her over the edge. "Okay, seriously, what's going on with Twilight?"
Spike was now visibly sweating, but still played innocent. "What do you mean, Starlight?"
"First, there's the fact that she summoned all of us; then, her profile on Tidal Surge recommends physical violence as the solution; and now, I learn that she has a much more efficient means of travel that she didn't choose to use? What—!?"
Suddenly, Spike covered Starlight's mouth with a claw and addressed the rest of the group, "Would you please excuse us for a moment?"
Without even waiting for a response, he led Starlight into the next car forward. Finally broken, he whispered, "Can you keep a secret?"
Starlight blinked, then nodded after a moment. "I just want to know what's wrong."
Spike sighed. "She really isn't handling the pressure well. She doesn't want to make it seem that way, but she really isn't."
Starlight frowned in concern. "Why doesn't she just ask for help?"
"Because she doesn't want you guys getting in over your heads as well. She knows how unfair it's been, roping everypony into the School of Friendship in addition to their day jobs, and she feels like letting you in on her leadership stress would be too far."
"Okay, but that still doesn't explain the way she's handling this situation."
Spike placed his palm onto his forehead. "I was telling the truth earlier; she's really, really overwhelmed right now, and she just wants to get this over with as easily as possible."
Now Starlight's frown was one of disappointment. "She's so desperate for a quick solution that she's getting sloppy."
He nodded, and Starlight groaned. "Once all of this is over, we're going to have a talk with Twilight."
Spike's eyes widened, but he tentatively nodded. "Just don't tell her I was the one who told you, okay?"
Starlight nodded, winking. "Your secret's safe with me."
3 Hours In...
Mount Aris had finally come within proper viewing distance. From their vantage point on the train, the group could see that a large collection of dark storm clouds collected atop the mountain.
Rainbow Dash was the first to speak up. "Wow, that is one heck of a storm!"
"Ah got a bad feelin' 'bout this," AJ commented.
Fluttershy didn't say anything out loud; instead, she was internally worrying about all of the animals being affected by it.
As the train drew closer, Starlight began to feel the raw magical energy in the air. "Rarity, are you feeling this?!"
It took her a moment, but the fashionista also began to sense the fluctuations. "My word, that magic is almost as strong as Princess Cadance's!"
That put a worried look on Starlight's face. "Alicorn-level magic from a unicorn? It's like another me..."
Then Pinkie shuddered violently, drawing everypony's attention to her. "I'm sensing a doozy incoming!"
That nearly set everypony off. They all sat there, trying not to panic as they waited for the train to stop.
As they made their way up the mountain (it would be too risky to teleport into unknown territory, both because of the storm and because Starlight didn't know where a clear enough space would be), the sound of whinnying caught their attention. They turned, then cheered when they saw a golden chariot approaching for a landing.
The vehicle skidded to a stop on a relatively flat outcropping, and out stepped a very frazzled Twilight Sparkle. "I'm not too late, am I?"
Spike was the first one to reach her, grabbing her in a hug. "Twilight, you're here!"
The tired mare nodded, "I wouldn't leave my friends to face a villain by themselves."
The rest of the mares (minus Trixie) lunged forward to join the hug. Starlight couldn't help but notice just how disheveled Twilight looked; it seemed like she hadn't gotten a full night's sleep in months.
Eventually, Twilight broke the embrace. "Now come on; there's no time to waste."
With that, the group resumed their climb towards their newest threat.
"There's something threatening Mount Aris, and we've gotta help; simple as that!"
"I'm just trying to figure out why she's sending ALL of us..."
"According to Twilight's research, she's a Class B Sorceress who can perform Rain Dances, as well as hypnotize her victims with her gaze."
"Twilight's been running the whole country, raising the sun and moon, monitoring the dreamscape, and planning international relations; it's reasonable to think she'd want to take a shortcut somewhere."
"I'm worried about Discord; he seems to really regret what he did when he posed as Grogar."
"She knows how unfair it's been, roping everypony into the School of Friendship in addition to their day jobs, and she feels like letting you in on her leadership stress would be too far; she just wants to get this over with as easily as possible."
"Once all of this is over, we're going to have a talk with Twilight."
♪My Little Pony, My Little Pony This is non-canon!
(My Little Pony) Until you all shared its magic with me!
Friendship is my forté, I know just what to do Hard work and sacrifice, be honest through and through Have fun with all my friends, and laugh and dance and sing! I'll be kind to every creature, and just most anything Gotta go faster, faster, faster faster— Rainbow Dash! ...sorry Generosity's always in season, and I'm always the master Loyal to my family, I know she can't be beat I don't need a spell to guide the way, it's such an easy feat!
With us, the journey never ends You are my very best friends!♪
The group made their way up the cliff side, a tense silence hanging over everypony. Starlight and Spike were watching Twilight as she navigated the path, weariness subtly showing; the rest of them were eyeing the storm clouds that hung over the city at the peak.
As the wind picked up the closer they got to the peak, Rarity spoke out. "Does anypony have a mirror? I want to make sure my mane doesn't get messed up by this wind."
"Here you go!" Pinkie happily pulled out a hand-held mirror from her mane, giving it to Rarity.
Applejack groaned as the fashionista used her magic to adjust her mane. "Who cares about how yer mane is styled?! It's just gonna git messed up again while we're fighting!"
Rarity stared levelly at the Earth Pony, "We'll see who's laughing when your mane gets in your eyes due to all this wind."
Eventually, the stairs levelled out, and the gateway to the town came within view. Sheets of rain lashed at the city, the winds threatening to rip off loose bits of the houses. Thunder reverberated around the walls of the city, completing the sense of dread they all felt at the moment.
And standing under an awning, shielding her eyes from the biting wind, was Queen Novo in her hippogriff form. "There you are! I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't make it."
The group approached and bowed. "Greetings, Queen Novo," began Twilight. "I wish we could've met under better circumstances."
"It's not your fault," the Queen replied. "Tidal Surge has been casting for hours now. If we don't hurry, the Harmonizing Heights will be nothing more than unsalvageable rubble. Follow me!"
With that said, Novo began to lead them towards the landmark. As they approached, the storm seemed to grow more hectic and destructive.
"Have you figured anything out since we last wrote?" Twilight now had to shout to be heard over the gale.
"Only that she seems to be focusing solely on the Harmonizing Heights; any other damage appears to be collateral."
By the time they reached the entrance to the Heights, the wind was threatening to blow them off their hooves. Queen Novo stopped just outside the archway. "She's just beyond this arch. Be careful."
Twilight nodded, then led the rest of them into the natural monument.
It was a disaster. The wind was uprooting trees, the heavy rains were chipping away at the ground, and scattered lightning strikes singed the grass (the rain kept it from catching fire outright).
And there, standing on the other side of a raging river and facing away from them was a tall, seafoam green unicorn, her horn ablaze and forehooves moving to help direct her magic.
Twilight turned to the group and nodded. "Okay, girls, let's show her what we're made of!"
Grabbing each other's hooves, the Elements of Harmony began to channel their own magic. The ponies started to levitate off the ground as they prepared to blast the unicorn with their friendship. Starlight had a feeling they should've stayed hidden and thought of a plan, but she didn't move to stop them.
But before they could unleash their magic, an errant bolt of lightning struck the ground just in front of them, causing Trixie to yelp and inadvertently alert Tidal Surge. With the assistance of a wave of her hooves, her horn sent out a blast of lightning, knocking the six out of their magic-summoning state.
Twilight groaned as they got back up, all six of them lightly burnt by the strike. "Alright, I guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way!"
With that, eight of them charged straight for the Enchantress, while Fluttershy stayed at a distance to make sure any lingering animals were safe.
Rainbow Dash was the first to reach Tidal Surge, drawing the majority of her firepower. Pinkie also helped with her crazy reality-warping skills, along with Trixie and her smoke bombs, meaning that the enchantress had to put less focus into the storm and more into defense. The storm began to let up due to this, but it still remained a problem.
Applejack circled around Tidal Surge, looking for an opening. As soon as she saw one potentially open up, she charged, only for the Enchantress to blast her back with a gust of wind. Tidal then tried to shoot some lightning at her, but thankfully, Rarity was there to block it with a gem-shaped shield spell. Twilight and Starlight stood side-by side, shooting spell after spell at the mare, but somehow she managed to dodge each one. Spike also tried to help with his fire breath, but the rain was still heavy enough to reduce his range. It was looking to be a stalemate from the offset.
Then Rainbow Dash swooped in a bit too close, allowing Tidal Surge to hit her with a lightning spell. She tried to stay airborne, but the direct blast of electricity was too much to handle (even with her pegasus heritage), causing her to crash land.
"Dashie!" Pinkie shouted, before focusing her movements on getting to her fallen friend. But any time the mare attempted to get close, Tidal Surge sent out blasts that kept her at bay.
Rainbow Dash struggled to get up, chancing a glance at Tidal Surge.
That's when their eyes locked, and the enchantress began to use her hypnotic gaze.
"Don't look into her eyes!" Twilight warned, but it was too late; Rainbow Dash, in her weakened state, stood no chance of fighting the spell.
A hypnotized Rainbow Dash stood up, glaring at the group. With a silent command from Tidal Surge, she took off and began to harass the others like she had been doing to the Enchantress herself.
With an extra minion of her own relieving some of the work, Tidal was more able to focus her magic and attention on the remaining threats. With a wave of her hooves, the winds picked back up, throwing everyone off balance. Using this opening, she shot a bolt of lightning at Trixie, knocking her down.
"Trixie!" Starlight shouted. She quickly teleported over to protect her fallen friend, leaving Twilight on her own.
Tidal Surge smirked, before unleashing a wave of electricity towards Twilight. The alicorn barely managed to throw up a shield to block it, but it was enough of a distraction to work. Tidal Surge sent bolt after bolt towards the mare, cracking her shield further and further.
But just as she was about to send a final bolt, Applejack managed to approach, bucking the mare square in the side. She reeled before sending her hypnotic gaze towards the farm mare, but Applejack's positioning after the buck made it so they didn't make eye contact.
Rarity, however, wasn't so lucky; she was running towards the two when she was caught in the crossfire.
"Rarity!" Twilight shouted, before sending a blast of magic towards Tidal Surge; however, that blast was blocked by the still-hypnotized Rainbow Dash.
Rarity, now under the spell as well, began to send blasts towards Applejack. Spike saw this, and began to fly around Rarity in an attempt to distract her, but her entranced mind was not so easily fooled; she threw up a gem shield into Spike's path, causing him to slam into it. With a quick flick of the shield, the young dragon was sent tumbling away, before Rarity refocused her efforts onto Applejack.
"Spike!!" Twilight screamed at the sight of her adoptive brother hitting the ground. She teleported in front of him protectively, before beginning her assault on Tidal Surge anew.
Fluttershy, who had finally helped all the critters she could to escape, turned back to look at the fight, then froze when she saw what'd happened. Her friends were being beaten down, and two of them were hypnotized into fighting their own friends.
Seeing this, something snapped in her.
"Y-you... You BIG! DUMB!MEANIE!!!"
With speed she barely knew she was capable of, she flew straight towards Tidal Surge. The enchantress, seeing her advance, tried to shoot some spells her way. A few grazed her, but her pegasus heritage, combined with her anger, kept her going.
Then she stopped just close enough to begin using her Stare. "How DARE you hurt my friends like that! Have you no conscience?! I have half a mind to—"
Tidal Surge began to use her own gaze-based power, trying to counteract the Stare. The two battled it out with their visages for a moment, but it was clear that Tidal Surge was too tired to keep it up for much longer.
Then the entranced Rainbow Dash swooped in and tackled Fluttershy to the ground, knocking them both unconscious due to the sheer force of the blow. Tidal Surge used the opening to send a blast of wind at them, knocking both of them away.
Thankfully, Starlight managed to catch them in her magic. She set Fluttershy down next to Trixie, before dropping Rainbow Dash at her hooves. "Twilight, cover for me; I'm gonna try and break the spell on Rainbow!"
The alicorn managed to teleport both her and Spike to Starlight's side, before she brought up her shield. Starlight's horn lit up, and she began to use her experience with mind-control spells to work on breaking Rainbow Dash's trance.
Pinkie, who'd disappeared at some point in the battle, suddenly popped up right next to Tidal Surge, holding her hand-held mirror. "Hey, wanna see my mirror collection?"
Tidal Surge, who'd almost forgotten about the mare due to how long she'd been absent, was caught off guard by her sudden reappearance. She sent out a reflexive blast of magic, but Pinkie dodged it, appearing on the other side of the mare. "Yeesh, you coulda just said 'no'."
This time, when Tidal turned, she tried to hypnotize the mare with her gaze. However, Pinkie held up the mirror, causing the Enchantress's gaze to be reflected back at herself and stunning her for a moment.
That moment was all that Twilight needed. She sent out a blast of magic, scoring a direct hit on the mare's side. Tidal stumbled, but Twilight didn't let up; she sent blow after blow towards the mare, giving her no time to recover.
With a flash of light, Starlight finished breaking Rainbow's trance. The prismatic mare suddenly stood up, ignoring her own injuries in favor of getting straight back into the fray. With the two of them now adding to Twilight's assault, they beat Tidal Surge further and further back.
Finally, Tidal Surge had had enough; finding a single moment in between their attacks, she threw a bolt of lightning at the ground in front of them, causing them to back off momentarily. Using this opening, she began to run, casting a wind spell to help speed her up.
"She's getting away!" Twilight, Starlight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack began to pursue the Enchantress. However, the still-entranced Rarity threw up shield spell after shield spell, putting them in the way of the group. That, combined with some spells thrown back by Tidal herself, allowed her to reach the edge of the Harmonizing Heights. She quickly climbed the outer wall that separated the monument from the sheer cliff-face on the other side, then turned to face the approaching group.
With a smirk and a wave, she leapt off the edge. By the time the group reached the edge where she had stood, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Darn it, she got away!" Rainbow Dash wheezed, her injuries finally catching up to her.
Suddenly, Rarity twitched, before collapsing to the ground. Starlight took the opportunity to get to work breaking her trance as well, while the others went back to collect the downed ponies.
Some time later...
Starlight sat on a rock, staring out at the destruction that'd befallen the Harmonizing Heights. They'd just spent the last while making sure everypony was alright, and were now recovering from the whole ordeal. Fluttershy was hugging Rainbow and the recently freed Rarity, while everypony else was discussing what'd happened.
But not Starlight; she was thinking over how much of a disaster that battle was. They were too used to monologuing villains with too much confidence for their power to back up; Tidal Surge, on the other hoof, hadn't said a single word, and had been rather close to wiping out their whole team. Now, she had escaped, and was who knows where, likely plotting her revenge.
They really should've come up with a better plan.
Eventually, Twilight broke off from the group and approached Starlight. "Okay, it looks like everypony will be fine. Tidal Surge really did a number on—"
"Twilight, we need to talk."
The Princess flinched at Starlight's tone, then sighed. "Yeah, I suppose we do."
"What happened today was nearly a disaster," Starlight began. "We almost got our flanks handed to us because we weren't organized enough. If it weren't for Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, we probably would've lost."
Twilight nodded, downtrodden. "I really should've come up with a better plan instead of just rushing out there and hoping that our Friendship Power would work."
Starlight nodded. "But more than that; you should've been more open with us about how overworked you are. If you weren't so stressed out, you would've been thinking more clearly, and we could've come up with a better plan."
Twilight flinched. "Did Spike tell you I was overworked?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny it."
The Princess shook her head, "He's right, though. I was just worried about overworking you guys, too; you're all so busy with your jobs and the School, that I didn't want to pile on even more on top of that."
"We're your friends, Twilight," Starlight put her hoof on her former mentor's shoulder. "We're always willing to help you, especially when you're this stressed."
She smiled weakly. "Thanks, Starlight. I promise I won't let it get to this point ever again."
"I'll be holding you to that."
So Twilight told the others of her stress, and they all agreed that they'd be willing to help however hey could, while Twilight agreed to come to them when she needed it. After a big group hug, they all began to make their way out.
Queen Novo and the hippogriffs congratulated them, promising that they would return the favor however they could. With that said, they headed back to the train and began the ride home.
Somewhere else...
Tidal Surge sat in her hideout, stewing in her defeat. She was this close to destroying the Harmonizing Heights, but she was ultimately thwarted.
But she'd escaped regardless, and now she had a chance for revenge. Moving to her tome shelf, she searched each book as she built up a rune circle. Once she'd finished, she stood over it and began to chant.
"Hear me, Oracle, and listen well! Receive this power from my spell! Awaken from your slumber, rise! To bring about the Elements' demise!"
Slowly, the room filled with a red light as the rune circle began to activate. Tidal Surge smiled wickedly.
Soon enough, the Princess and her friends would pay.
Spike stared at the crate before him, filled to the brim with huge scrolls full of knowledge. He, on the other hoof, was full of dread.
Twilight, meanwhile, was gushing. "Can you believe it, Spike?! The Official 1006 ANM Edition of the Equestrian Genealogy Records, the last one compiled by Celestia herself! And she's just given it to us!"
Spike frowned. "What happened to 'not overworking yourself'?"
The Princess pshawed. "This isn't work, Spike; this is for fun! It just so happens that this fun will also get some of my future work done."
The little dragon rolled his eyes, but Twilight didn't notice. "Just think," she continued. "How many questions could we answer with these? Are Applejack and Pinkie really related? It's all in here!"
The alicorn used her magic to root through the scrolls until she found the one labelled 'Apple Family'. "Here we go! Now all I have to do is follow it back, and— WHAT!?"
Spike leapt at that. "What, what's wrong?!"
In response, Twilight shoved the scroll in front of him. In the spot where the answer was supposed to be held...
Somehow, someway, it was smeared in exactly the wrong place, obscuring the name.
Spike began to notice Twilight's eye twitch at this. He quickly rolled the scroll back up, placed it into the crate, and rummaged through until he found another. "Uhh... Hey, here's yours; you always love looking at your own genealogy!"
At this, she started calming down. She had to admit it, she did like reading her own lineage. It was just so comforting to see it written on paper that she was distantly related to Canternicus.
Her eyes drifted towards the bottom of the parchment, then she froze. Spike, seeing this, could only dread what she'd found that upset her this time. "What is it now?"
She simply pointed to the paper, too stunned to move any more. He chanced a peek, but what he saw floored him.
Spike was on the family tree, connected to Twilight as an adoptive sibling. That much wasn't new.
But just next to them, directly connected to him, were three siblings and a mother.
♪My Little Pony, My Little Pony This is non-canon!
(My Little Pony) Until you all shared its magic with me!
Friendship is my forté, I know just what to do Hard work and sacrifice, be honest through and through Have fun with all my friends, and laugh and dance and sing! I'll be kind to every creature, and just most anything Gotta go faster, faster, faster faster— Rainbow Dash! ...sorry Generosity's always in season, and I'm always the master Loyal to my family, I know she can't be beat I don't need a spell to guide the way, it's such an easy feat!
With us, the journey never ends You are my very best friends!♪
Spike simply couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked a couple of times, then slapped himself.
"I-I..." A mixture of several emotions were running through his little head. Shock, confusion, hope...
But there was anger, too. Celestia knew who his mother is! How long had she known? Had she been keeping this from them on purpose?? Why didn't she tell them his mother was still alive?!
Not only that, but he has 3 siblings as well!? As Spike read each of their entries, his emotions only grew less stable.
Eventually, Spike couldn't take it anymore. He dropped the scroll before he wrecked it in his tightening grip, and stormed off.
It was then that Twilight finally snapped out of her frozen state, exclaiming, "Spike's got family!?"
However, she noticed quickly that he was no longer there. "Spike? Where'd you go?"
She eventually found him on the balcony that she used when she raised the sun and moon. "Are you okay, Spike? You kinda stormed off before I could gather my thoughts."
He sighed in response, holding his head in the crook between his arms. "I'm confused, Twilight."
To this, Twilight decided to sit down next to him. "Of course you're confused, Spike; we just found out that you have living family out there, and—"
He shook his head, "It's not that. You said those scrolls were published last year?"
Twilight blinked, then nodded, "Yeah...?"
Little tears glistened in the corners of his eyes as he clenched his fists. "How long did Celestia know? Did she know about them the whole time, like how she knew about Nightmare Moon beforehand? Why didn't she tell us?
"I thought she trusted us with stuff like this by now...." he finished, his voice barely a whimper now.
Twilight blinked. He had a point, didn't he? There'd been some time between the publication of those records and now; surely, Celestia should've come to them at some point with the news?
Eventually, she shook her head. "I don't know why either, Spike. Maybe we could send her a letter—"
"No," he said with some conviction. "Not right now. I don't... I think I need some time to cool down before I can talk to her again."
She nodded, "I understand. In the meantime, what do you want to do with this information? You have a family out there, and I'll understand if—"
"Don't even say it, Twilight," he interrupted her with a hug. "You'll always be my family."
She sighed in relief. She knew this already, but it still didn't hurt for him to remind her.
Then Spike let go and twiddled his fingers. "But, if it's all the same, I'd still like to meet them. Y'know, to get some closure or something?"
Twilight nodded. "I'll find a way to contact them all."
Being the current reigning Princess of Equestria, the process was simple. All she needed to do was ask her secretary, and she was given access to the records. Once she found their addresses, she sent a letter to each of them requesting them to come to the Castle as soon as they could, and be ready for an extended stay. After some correspondence amongst them all, that Friday was chosen as the best time for all of them to come.
The one thing she left out of the letters was the exact reason for the visit; she'd rather break the news in person.
The two days until Friday passed by relatively quickly (considering that they were busy running the country and whatnot), and Spike found himself getting nervous. How would he go about introducing himself? Would his relatives like him? What if they wanted him to become a permanent part of their family?
Eventually, the day arrived, and Spike was quickly losing his nerve as he waited for them to arrive. It quickly became enough for Twilight to notice.
"Relax, Spike," she did her best to reassure him. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine."
The little dragon tugged at the collar of the suit he'd chosen to wear. "I know you're probably right, but there's always that possibility that it won't be okay."
Before Twilight could respond, however, horns sounded. "Announcing the arrival of Miss Scarlett Cutter and Miss Singed Marker," announced the Royal Herald as a pegasus-drawn carriage came in for a landing. As soon as it came to a stop, the door was opened by a servant, and two well-dressed dragons stepped out.
The first was a rather slender dragoness, about a foot taller than Spike. Her scales were a deep red in color (Spike assumed this was Scarlett), with lighter pink scales running down her stomach. Her magenta eyes were framed by short eyelashes, and her muzzle was slender compared to Spike's. Two large horns curved downwards from her ears, and a row of black, spiky, swept-back spines ran from her forehead down her back, all the way to the tip of her tail. On her back were two large wings, which were currently folded up. She was also clothed in a fancy-ish yellow dress that looked casual without becoming improper.
The second dragon was about Spike's height, even though the records said Scarlett and Singe were the same age as each other. Her pale mauve scales contrasted nicely with her peach-colored underbelly, and her teal eyes held a kind of fiery passion that Spike had only ever seen whenever his friends got invested in something they loved. Her ears were concealed by yellow fin-like protrusions, similar to Spike's ears, and she had smoother dark yellow spines and shorter wings than her sister. She was wearing a casual white dress with a dark red jacket over top.
The two spotted the Princess (Spike was currently hiding behind her legs), and they headed over. After setting down their bags, both of them bowed, to Twilight's eternal chagrin, before the tall one spoke. "Greetings, Princess. I am Scarlett, and this is my sister, Singe."
"Glad you could make it so soon," the Princess replied, taking note that they already knew they were sisters. After a moment, she turned to Spike and asked, "Well? Aren't you going to say hello?"
The little guy peeked around Twilight's legs, revealing himself to the two. Singe blinked, "Were we not the first ones to arrive...?"
"No, you were," Twilight corrected. "This is Spike, my Royal Advisor and adopted little brother."
The two looked at each other, before turning back to Spike. "Why hello, Spike," Scarlett began. When he didn't respond, she asked, "Feeling a little shy?"
The drake nodded.
Singe smiled. "If it helps, we were adopted, too; that's something we can relate to each other with, right?"
Spike managed to get a little chuckle out of that. "I suppose so..."
Scarlett knelt down, extending out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Spike inched out from behind Twilight, until he was able to shake her hand. "S-same here," he greeted nervously. Singe then stepped forward, and they also shook hands.
The sound of horns interrupts them, and they all turn to see another carriage landing. "Announcing the arrival of Mx. Slipknot," the Royal Herald announced.
Spike blinked. "Mx? What's that mean?"
Twilight helpfully supplied, "It means they don't identify as a boy or a girl."
Spike's mouth made an 'oh' shape, before he shut it again and waited for the carriage door to open. Some shuffling was heard from inside, and the door seemed to jiggle a bit, but didn't open.
"Um, a little help please?" called an embarrassed voice from inside.
Twilight quickly stepped forward and lit her horn. The door wobbled, before finally popping open.
Out stepped a young adult dragon that was just about as tall as Princess Cadance. Their scales were burnt orange, with a pale yellow underbelly and darker scales on their face (reminiscent of freckles). Their cool green eyes were rimmed with red horn glasses, and their ears were frills like Spike's and Singe's. Their spine scales, which were more bubbly than the others', led to a heart-shape on the tip of their tail, and their folded wings were nearly as tall as Spike. They were wearing a black dress shirt, with a striped red-and-white tie, and carrying a faded magenta canvas bag along with their luggage.
Slipknot approached the group, before bowing. "Sorry about that, Princess; the door got jammed."
Twilight shook her head, "It wasn't your fault. They're old carriages, so they tend to get stuck like that."
Spike, feeling a little braver after his interaction with Scarlett and Singe, stepped out a bit more. "H-hey there. I'm, uh, Spike."
Slipknot blinked, not having seen the little guy behind Twilight, before smiling. "Heya, little guy. I'm Slipknot."
This time, he was the first to extend his hand. However, the other dragon had different plans, and held out a fist. Spike, catching on instantly, eagerly clenched his own hand, and they fist-bumped.
As Slipknot stood up, they addressed the other dragons. "And you must be Scarlett and Singe, right?"
The two of them nodded. "It's nice to finally meet you," Singe smiled. "We've been eager ever since Princess Twilight mentioned you in her letters."
"Same here." Slipknot then looked over all three of the dragons, noticing their similarities to each other. "You three family?"
Spike and Twilight blinked, sweating at how perceptive Slipknot was. Scarlett and Singe were about to reply no, but Twilight spoke first: "It sure looks that way, doesn't it?"
The two sisters paused at that, then began to stare at Spike confusedly. He nervously waved back.
But before they could ask, the horns sounded one last time. "And finally," finished the Herald, "announcing the arrival of Mistress Scales Montegriffe!"
The five of them watched as the last carriage, which was somewhat larger than the first two, came in for a landing. Once it stopped, Spike held his breath in anticipation. The moment was finally here; he was about to meet his biological mother.
Nothing happened.
Twilight and Spike looked at each other. Another moment passed, and the whole group began to get antsy.
Finally, Twilight approached, leaving Spike to hide behind Slipknot. With a little magic, she opened the door, then gawked at what she was seeing.
The adult dragoness was pink, with a pale yellow underbelly. Her horns, which were yellow with yellow-orange stripes, were higher up on her head than most other dragons', which made room for the layers of pink spikes that covered the backside of her head. She only had scattered yellow spines on her back, with a yellow-orange triangle shape on the end of her tail. She was much larger than the others, — about as tall as Discord, roughly — and her wingspan was scaled to fit that. She wore a stained tee-shirt with the slogan 'Go Dodgers!' printed on it.
And she was curled up on the floor of the carriage, fast asleep.
Twilight sighed, using her magic to gently shake the dragoness. Scales shifted slightly, but only muttered "Wake me when we get there..." before continuing to doze.
Twilight managed a chuckle, being reminded of how Spike was also a heavy sleeper. And whenever she needed him to wake up quickly...
She leaned in and whispered, "There's a spider on you."
Instantly, the dragoness sat bolt upright, frantically searching herself. When she found no such arachnid, she turned to the voice, then paused at who it was.
"Nice of you to join us," Twilight held back a chuckle. "Both here in Canterlot, as well as the waking world."
Scales blushed. "Sorry. Long ride."
With a little assist from the Princess, Scales stepped out of the carriage with her bags. She stretched a little after her nap, then covered her mouth to hold back a burp.
Spike gawked. She was cooler than he could've even imagined.
Scales approached the group of dragons, slouched off to one side the whole way. "Hey, how's it going? I'm Scales."
The four introduced themselves in turn.
Twilight walked up to them. "Alright, everyone been introduced?" When they nodded, she gestured for them to follow her, and they all walked into the Castle.
As they walked down the hall, Spike looked up at Scales. "I, uh... I like your shirt."
She chuckled. "This old thing? I just sorta threw it on; didn't have anything fancy to wear."
"That's what I like about it; it says you've got confidence to be yourself. Reminds me of a friend I have in Ponyville."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow, "You're from Ponyville?"
"Not exactly," he admitted. "I lived here in Canterlot until I was ten, when Twilight and I moved to Ponyville. Eventually, we had to move back so Twilight could take the throne."
Singe asked, "Did you like it in Ponyville?"
Spike instantly answered, "Heck yeah! I met some of the best friends I've ever had there, and even fell in love for a while. Even with the occasional monster attacks and/or doomsday scenarios, it was actually a rather simple life, but I loved it regardless."
"Being forced to leave everything behind must've been tough..." Scales asked, a somewhat somber look on her face.
This didn't go unnoticed by Spike. "Well, yeah, it was... But even if I'm no longer there, I still have the memories of when I was, and I'll cherish them forever.
"Besides, Twilight needs me here." He added in a hushed tone, "Between you and me, she tends to stress over the littlest things."
Slipknot blinked. "Really?"
Spike nodded. "This one time, when she was planning out her month, she forgot to leave time to plan for the next month. She spent most of the night pacing around, and having a fit about how her whole year was going to be thrown off."
The five of them chuckled at that.
Eventually, they reached their destination: what used to be Celestia's Study, now converted into Twilight's Sitting Room. The bookshelves had been reorganized (that was a given with Twilight), a few couches had been brought in and placed facing the fire, and there was even a chest of drawers with a few board games in the corner next to the large casement window. The large crate containing the genealogical records sat next to one of the couches.
Twilight ushered them towards the seating, sitting in the one closest to the crate. Spike sat next to her, the three younger dragons sat on the opposite couch, and Scales was provided with some pillows so she could sit comfortably on the floor.
"Alright, is every creature comfortable?" They all nodded, so she continued. "Once again, I want to thank you all for coming."
Scarlett pshawed, "It was no problem at all, your majesty."
"When the Princess comes writing," Slipknot agreed, "you'd best answer."
Twilight let out a breath. "Please, just call me Twilight. Inside this room, we're all equals."
The four dragons looked at each other, before silently agreeing.
"Alright, now that that's out of the way, we'd like to discuss something with you all. Spike, if you'd like to begin?"
He gulped nervously, before nodding. "I've been at Twilight's side ever since she hatched my egg during her entrance exam, and we've been like family."
Scarlett and Singe both blinked. "Hey, we were hatched during an entrance exam, too!"
Spike balked, "Really??"
"So was I..." Slipknot added, pondering over something.
"So you three understand what it's like, right?" Spike asked hopefully. "Not knowing your place in life, and not knowing that much about what you are or where you came from?"
The three of them nodded somewhat. "I've always had my sister," Scarlett admitted, "and we both have our guardians, Carbon Cutter and Book Marker, so we weren't exactly wanting for reassurance."
"But still, that doesn't mean we haven't been curious at times..." Singe added.
Spike inwardly sighed in relief. It felt good to find someone else who felt how he did.
Twilight, however, was focused on something else. "Wait, you two live with Carbon Cutter and Book Marker?"
The two sisters blinked. "Yeah...?" they hesitantly answered.
The Princess barely held back a squeal of excitement. "Oh my gosh! I heard so much about them while I was in school, but I never got a chance to meet them! What're they like? Is it true that they were top of their classes in geology and —?"
Spike put a hand on Twilight's chest. "Focus, Twi."
The alicorn paused, before blushing sheepishly and clearing her throat. "Right, sorry." They all covered a laugh at her display.
Slipknot decided to speak up, "I need to ask: what brought about this topic? And why'd you call us all here in the first place?"
"I think I have an idea," Scales said somewhat nervously, "but I'll let Twilight speak."
"Thank you, Scales," the mare in question nodded. "So, as we were saying: Spike used to have all these doubts and questions in his mind, and I was never able to answer him, so we kind of pushed them off to the side. But recently, they were brought to the forefront again when Celestia gave us this."
Her horn lit up, and a scroll was brought out from the crate and levitated over to the four. They began to peruse it, but stopped cold when they found what Twilight wanted to show them.
Slowly, they turned back towards the Princess and her Royal Advisor. "W-what...?" Scarlett managed to squeak out.
"We're...?" Singe agreed with her sister, looking at Spike in a new light.
He nodded, his eyes a little watery.
Suddenly, Singe burst off the couch, tackling Spike in a hug. "We've got a brother, Scarlett!" she cheered, crying liquid happiness. "A real, actual brother!"
Scarlett smirked at her sister in amusement, but soon enough, she was off the couch and hugging him as well (thankfully, more gently).
Slipknot, who was already starting to piece some things together anyways, was a bit more mentally coherent. "I don't understand; how can this be?"
"That's what we were hoping Scales could explain," she turned to the pink dragoness, who had her eyes closed in thought.
Everyone turned to look at her as she seemed to calm herself with some kind of mental technique that she knew. Finally, she opened her eyes. "Yeah, I kinda figured this might be it. Well, buckle up, because this is a bit of a doozy."
So Scales told her story. How she was raised in squalor in the Dragon Lands, having to defend against the elements, hunger, and other dragons. She recounted how, in a fit of zealous ambition, she managed to steal the Bloodstone Scepter and become Dragon Lord.
She sighed when she recalled how she soon found herself in over her head, not at all ready for the challenge of ruling all of dragon-kind. In fact, she was so unhappy in that position that, when Torch eventually came to overthrow her, she'd simply sighed in relief, dropped the Scepter into his outstretched claw, and left the Dragon Lands for good.
Then she recounted her time in southeastern Equestria. At first, she was scorned for being a dragon, and was forced to live in the mountains. It wasn't the best, she admitted, but it was better than having to deal with other dragons. Over time, however, the ponies of the nearby town began to fear her less, due to the fact that she never once tried to attack anypony paired with the coming and going of new generations.
Then one day, she found herself laying four eggs. At first, she didn't know what to do; remembering her time as Dragon Lord made her adverse to taking up any form of responsibility again, including parenthood. But it was also more than that. With her still living in the mountains, any whelps that hatched (however unlikely that was, due to her not having access to the nesting grounds) would be subjected to the same difficult childhood she'd gone through, and she wouldn't wish that even upon her worst enemy.
Then she'd had an idea. One day, in the dead of night, she flew towards the capitol city and dropped the eggs off in a garden.
"...and from there, I think you can fill in the details," Scales began to wrap up. "Celestia must've found the eggs, taken them in, and used them for her entrance exams, hatching you four. I still wasn't particularly close to the ponies, so I hardly received any news of anything, let alone of you four. Eventually, when Twilight started the School of Friendship and international relations began to improve, I was able to move a bit more freely around Equestria. Any news I received of dragons in Equestria from then on, I assumed it was simply dragons that came in from the Dragon Lands."
The five others were enraptured, Twilight having produced a notepad and pencil with her magic.
As such, once the story ended, the four dragons started asking questions.
"Were you really the Dragon Lord?!"
"Why didn't you ever come looking for us?"
"Were you at the Gauntlet of Fire?"
"When did you move to Applewood?"
"Do we have a father?"
"How come you didn't lay any eggs besides us?"
"How'd you make it to Equestria on your lonesome?"
"Slow down!" Scales finally interrupted, almost completely overwhelmed by their questions. The whelps shut their mouths for a moment, allowing her to process what they'd all asked. "To answer your questions: yes, for about a year and a half; I didn't know you'd hatched until today, and I still don't want to take up responsibility like that; no, because I've already been the Dragon Lord; last year, once ponies were more willing to befriend a dragon; no, Dragon Lords fertilize their own eggs; because a Dragon Lord can only have one clutch of eggs in a generation; and I did it using the skills I'd acquired growing up the way I did."
With that, the room fell into silence. Since everything that needed saying had been said, they didn't know where to go from there.
Eventually, Spike decided to move forward and hug his mother. She almost protested it, but stopped herself; after all, he deserved to hug his own mother. After a moment, the other three dragons joined the hug, and they stayed like that for a while.
Unfortunately, the hug had to end at some point, and they all went back to staring at the document that'd revealed the truth to them.
That's when Slipknot noticed something about Spike's entry. "Wait, 'Kenbroth Heathspike Sparkle'?" they asked bemusedly.
Spike blushed, "I was named after a legendary dragon who aided a mare called Wysteria."
Twilight explained, "I was in a bit of a 'legends of old Equestria' phase at the time."
"Well, I like it," Singe piped up, before adding teasingly, "Ken."
Spike blushed even harder, and everyone giggled at the interaction.
So the six of them talked for a while, sharing their life stories, what they liked and disliked, and more. Singe and Scarlett were apparently hatched by brothers Carbon Cutter and Book Marker, who moved to Fillydelphia soon after graduation; Slipknot was hatched by another pony named Express (who was now deceased), and they now worked in the postal service in Detrot; all five of them had a sweet spot for Topaz; and Spike and Singe bonded over a common interest in comics and manga.
Eventually, the time arrived for Twilight to lower the sun, so she and Spike began to escort everyone to their guest rooms.
Then Spike suddenly stopped. "So, I was thinking... would you all like to go out tomorrow, to see the sights and whatnot?"
Both Scarlett and Singe turned and smirked at him. "Do you even need to ask, new bro?"
"We can't wait, Ken!" Singe sure was making the most out of that nickname, to Spike's moderate embarrassment. But he knew she was just teasing, and it reassured him that they were, in fact, bonding.
Scales knelt down to get closer to Spike's level. "Only if we can get donuts. I've been curious ever since I first saw a pony eating one."
Spike lit up. "Oh, that's perfect; I know just the place!"
Slipknot was seemingly the only one with any reservations: "Are you sure Canterlot can handle seeing five dragons walking the streets freely?"
Twilight put their fears to rest: "There were more dragons at my coronation, and Canterlot seemed to survive fine."
Slipknot thought about it, then they shrugged. "Well, alrighty then!"
With a cheer, the group wished each other goodnight, and split off to their rooms.
Spike was the last to go. "Good night, Twi. And thank you."
She chuckled, "Thank me for what, bringing them here?"
"Not just that. Thank you for everything you've done for me." He looked up, and Twilight saw he was crying a few tears of joy.
She hugged him closer. "Of course, Spike. No matter how much more family we let into our lives, you'll always be my little bro. And as your big sis, it's my job to make you happy."
Eventually, they parted, and headed for their own rooms.
That night, Spike decided to send a letter to Celestia, telling her about the meeting and asking her why she didn't tell him about his family earlier.
When morning came, just before Spike left for his family outing, he received her reply:
Dear Spike,
I'm glad to hear that the meeting went well. It's always hard to reconcile with a family who hasn't been there for most of your life, but given enough effort, almost anything can be overcome. As for your question, I did not know until Scales' medical records came in, which was after she moved to Applewood. I was already planning on giving Twilight the throne at that point, so I decided to hold off until you two had the proper resources to track them down. Think of it as a parting gift, from me to you.
Besides, would learning earlier have changed anything about the end result?
Twilight yawned, a long day of meetings finally over. "Well, only one thing left to do now," she muttered to herself.
Her hoofsteps echoed as she walked down the hallway to her Master Bedroom (formerly Luna's). Pushing open the tall double-doors, she entered the lavishly decorated room. As she walked across the room to the balcony doors, her magic reached into a drawer, pulling out the special device that allowed her to control the sun and moon. She stepped onto the balcony and turned the mechanism, and the sun set, the moon rising to take its place.
Yawning once more, Twilight turned back to the door, but stopped suddenly.
She could've sworn she saw movement inside her room.
"Hello? Is somepony, or some-creature, there?" she called out apprehensively, not really expecting an answer.
To her surprise, the top half of a head poked out from behind her bed. It was a young colt's head, basalt-grey fur complimenting a short silver mane. His two cherry-red eyes stared back at her with naïve curiosity, as well as the fear of having been discovered. In addition, Twilight couldn't help but note that his ears were extra fluffy, and his pupils were somewhat slit-shaped, but other than that, he was an ordinary colt.
Twilight internally breathed a sigh of relief, assured that she wasn't being snuck up on by a threat. She set the device down on the end table, then cooed in her most friendly voice, "Hello, little colt. What're you doing in my room?"
The colt stared at her for a moment before replying, with a voice that reminded her of Rumble, "Mother said I'm not really supposed to talk to strangers..."
"I'm not gonna hurt you, little guy," she reassured, stepping a little bit closer to the bed. "I just wanna know why you're in my room."
The colt closed his eyes and breathed, as though mustering up the courage to speak up, before finally saying, "I got curious, that's all."
"Oh?" Twilight stifled a chuckle. She knew how curious young ponies could be, remembering the CMC's and even herself as examples. "I can relate. What's your name?"
"C-Coleridge," he stuttered.
"What a lovely name, Coleridge. May I call you Cole?"
Cole nodded.
"Wonderful. I'm Twilight Sparkle, current reigning Princess of Equestria. Now that we're no longer strangers, could you please come out of your hiding place?"
The colt stared unmovingly at her for a moment, likely out of how intimidated he was.
"I promise you're not in trouble. I just wanna see you."
Another moment passed in silence, before Cole muttered "Okay," and obliged, stepping around the foot of the bed.
And what Twilight saw when he did surprised her immensely.
Cole was no ordinary pony. Where pegasus wings should've been, there were instead two leathery bat wings; his mouth held two small fangs; and his Cutie Mark was a crescent moon with a cat resting on the interior ridge.
Twilight had only ever seen ponies like this twice before: once, on the first Nightmare Night since Luna's return (they pulled her chariot); and another time, in the Nightmare Moon-centric alternate timeline she visited while fighting Starlight Glimmer (though that example was questionable, considering that Rainbow Dash was one of them in that instance).
"Wha..." Twilight managed to say, floored by the sight.
Cole embarrassedly stepped back, glancing at his wings with what seemed to be resentment. "I know, I know. That's why Mother didn't want me to–"
"You're a thestral!" Twilight cheered. "That's amazing; I've wanted to meet one for so long!"
The colt confusedly stood up straight. "Wait, you're not screaming in terror?"
"Of course not! Why would I be scared?"
"Mother said that we weren't supposed to reveal ourselves again, after what happened last time..."
Twilight winced. "You're talking about the first Nightmare Night after Luna came back, aren't you?"
Cole nodded, then further explained: "Ponies fled in terror at the sight of us and Mother. Mother said to hide ourselves until the time was right, but that time never came."
Sorrow stung at Twilight's heart. "That's awful...," she sympathized, reaching out to pick up the colt and hold him in a comforting hug.
Then Twilight's eyes widened. "Wait a second, who's your 'Mother'?"
Cole looked up at her, clearing his throat before reciting proudly, "She is the former Matriarch of the Night, the Starry-eyed Dreamwalker, She Who Was Banished For A Millennium, and Mother To The Thestrals. Though you may know her as Princess Luna Artemis."
♪My Little Pony, My Little Pony This is non-canon!
(My Little Pony) Until you all shared its magic with me!
Friendship is my forté, I know just what to do Hard work and sacrifice, be honest through and through Have fun with all my friends, and laugh and dance and sing! I'll be kind to every creature, and just most anything Gotta go faster, faster, faster faster— (Rainbow Dash!) (...sorry) Generosity's always in season, and I'm always the master Loyal to my family, I know she can't be beat I don't need a spell to guide the way, it's such an easy feat!
With us, the journey never ends You are my very best friends!♪
Twilight could barely believe what she was hearing. "Wait, back up a second. Are you saying that you're the son of Princess Luna??"
Cole shook his head and clarified, "Only in spirit. In a sense, all thestrals are children of Mother Luna. 'She created the first of our ancestors from the wayward souls of sinners, offering them a chance at redemption, and for that, we call her Mother'. At least, that's what we're taught in school."
Twilight could hardly breathe. "I can't believe it; I thought I knew everything about Luna, and yet, here you are! I have SO many questions!" She began prancing in place as she used her magic to grab a notebook and quill from her bedside drawer.
Cole apprehensively stepped back. "I'm not exactly the most suited pony for that..."
Twilight blinked. "Oh, right; you're just a colt, after all... So, are there more of you that I can interview?"
The colt nodded eagerly. "Y-yeah! Lemme show you to our realm!"
"Your... Okay?" Twilight wasn't sure if she'd heard that right, but she went along with it regardless.
She tried to approach the door, but Cole blocked her. "Where are ya going?"
"Well, we've gotta leave my room if we want to see your realm..."
Cole chuckled. "No we don't, silly! The path is right there!" He pointed off at an empty corner of the room. "Well, it's only one of them, but that's the closest one!"
Twilight looked at him, then the wall, then him again, and replied as intelligently as she could.
"Huh?"
Cole positioned himself so he was facing directly into the corner, and scooted Twilight to stand right next to him. "Now, we look into the corner of the room, and cross our eyes!"
Twilight looked at Cole as though he were insane. The little colt crossed his eyes, and began walking towards the corner.
But instead of hitting the wall, he rapidly seemed to go out of focus, disappearing entirely before he even reached it. Twilight blinked, barely able to comprehend what she'd just seen.
"Come on," Cole's voice came from the area he'd disappeared into, "just cross your eyes and walk forward!"
Twilight, seeing no other options, complied.
What happened next nearly blew her mind.
When she crossed her eyes, as the afterimages of the wall separated, a tunnel seemingly opened in between them, Cole waiting patiently on the other side. She gasped, only having read about this kind of magic in theory. Cole beckoned her forward, and she obliged almost automatically, stepping beyond the imaginary threshold.
Blinking, Twilight uncrossed her eyes and looked at her new surroundings.
She was in a dark blue tunnel, dark stone pillars bracing the walls every thirty or so feet. Wall sconces holding magical fires hung between each pillar, casting an eerie blue glow onto the room, and tapestries depicting night skies hung from the rafters high above them. A long, purple carpet hemmed with gold thread stretched down the hall, ending at a set of black double-doors with silver handles and hinges. Behind Twilight was an outcropping of two small walls, angled to resemble the corner she'd stepped through to get here, and no doubt serving as the exit — there was even a control panel next to it, so one could select a destination.
All in all, this place seemed to serve as a sort of entrance hall.
Twilight marvelled at the architecture for a moment before realizing that Cole was already heading down the corridor. She quickly galloped to catch up, then fell into a slow walk behind him, the carpet muffling their hoofsteps.
Cole reached the doors, peered through the crack between them, then gave Twilight a 'quiet' gesture. The door barely made a sound as he slowly opened it, and they tiptoed through.
Twilight could barely silence a gasp.
They were on the second floor of a much larger room. It largely followed the same architectural design, except Instead of rafters with tapestries, there was an immense silver dome with murals depicting Nightmare Moon and the bat-ponies. At the center of that dome hung a large crystalline chandelier adorned with luminescent crystals shaped like stars. All along the walls, there were several more doors just like the one they'd entered through, and the balcony they were on wrapped around the entire room.
But what REALLY caught Twilight's attention was the ground floor. Hundreds, if not thousands, of bat-ponies bustled around between market stalls that peppered the room. The sight reminded Twilight of the Ponyville Marketplace during Hearth's Warming Season, and she had to clasp her hoof over her mouth to stop from gawking at it.
"You... You live here?!" Twilight looked at Cole, flabbergasted.
"All of us do," he nodded in reply. "This place is called Sanctorum Tenebris, which means–"
" 'Dark Hallows' in Old Ponish, I know." Twilight stated numbly. "It's amazing..."
They sat there for a good while, Twilight marvelling at the sight, and Cole scanning the crowd for somebody.
"Coleridge the Curious, THERE YOU ARE!" A shrill voice suddenly shouted from behind them, making them both tense up (albeit for different reasons). They turned slowly, where they spotted a female thestral staring at them with both anger and disbelief. Her fur was a VERY pale mulberry color; her hair was slate grey, the mane tied up in a bun; her deep crimson eyes stared at them both judgingly; and she wore blue-and-silver armor that covered most of her body, including her Cutie Mark.
"Mom!" Cole winced, and Twilight silently gaped. "I was–"
"You snuck out without my permission, didn't you?" she interrupted disapprovingly, marching over to her son, "And after I expressly told you NOT to!"
"Mom, I–I–" Cole was starting to lock up in fear.
"I was worried sick for you! Do you have ANY idea what I would've done if I hadn't found you?! And who exactly is–"
The mare stopped dead in her tracks as she was now close enough to recognize the Princess of Friendship. She gaped for a moment, like a fish out of water, then stuttered, "Wh-wha – The P-Princess?"
Twilight nervously waved her hoof and greeted, "Hi."
The thestral turned back to her son. "Y-you... Wha...?"
Cole gave a guilty grimace. "I may have messed up a tiny bit..."
Then his mother fainted.
Twilight now sat just outside the double-doors to the thestrals' "City Hall" of sorts. Behind the large doors, she could faintly hear a dozen voices arguing, presumably over the predicament they now found themselves in.
After Cole's mother (who Twilight later learned was named Nightberry) recovered, she'd sent Cole home, and had Twilight follow her to where she was now. Along the way, Twilight had told Nightberry the events leading up to now, as well as everything she knew about thestrals. Then Nightberry disappeared into the room, telling Twilight to sit and wait.
So now, here she was, sitting in the hallway, jotting some notes into her notepad.
The voices from the room began to die down, and eventually, the door opened again, revealing another thestral. "You may come in," he said, stepping out of the way as Twilight stood up and entered.
The room looked almost exactly like the central rotunda, except it was smaller, and the contents of the room were closer to that of a courtroom. Several thestrals wearing suits sat in elevated seats, many more watching from a set area.
The thestral that allowed her in ushered her to the center of the room, where Twilight stood under the scrutiny of the congregation.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle," the thestral at the center of the elevated group began, "My name is Darkwing the Just. You have been summoned here today because you have discovered the existence of our realm. This court has spent the last half hour discussing what will be done about this, but there are still some questions that need answering before we can come to a decision. Do you understand?"
Twilight nodded. A thestral came up and had her swear the oath, then backed up again.
"The first question: what are your thoughts on our species and our home?"
Twilight held up her notes. "I find both quite fascinating, and my notes from the past half hour corroborate."
The other justices quietly discussed amongst themselves, but stopped when Darkwing held up a hoof. "The second question: Do you think the other citizens of Equestria would feel the same way, were they to learn about us?"
"Oh, most certainly!" Twilight nodded. "Equestria isn't like it used to be anymore; we've gained lots of allies in unusual places, like Dragons, Griffins, Kirin, Hippogriffs, and even the Changelings! The majority of ponies would certainly be willing to accept another group!"
The justices excitedly talked amongst themselves this time, and even Darkwing raised his eyebrows at the mention of the alliances. Then he held up his hoof again, and the commotion died down.
"And lastly," he began, eyeing the Princess, who shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze, "would we be able to thrive in modern society, were we to return?"
Twilight considered this for a moment, then smiled. "I know of an establishment that'd be eager to help."
Darkwing raised his eyebrow questioningly.
Starlight sighed as she sipped her coffee. "Mornings are always the same, Phyllis," she began to vent to her potted plant. "Wake up, make coffee, greet the teachers and the students, and wait for something else to happen."
The past few weeks of running the School of Friendship had fallen into a sort of routine. Sure, there was some amount of variety in what the students would talk to her about, but it was largely the same day-to-day.
But today, Starlight's musings were interrupted by an unexpected knock at the door. She groggily got up and opened the door, but stopped cold in her tracks when she saw who was on the other side:
Thestrals. About a dozen thestrals stood waiting on the other side, with Twilight leading the group.
