> Twilight Sparkle the Dragon
>  by PlutoMilo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Signs - NMM Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight closed her book with a snap, deep in thought. The Elements of Harmony. She’s heard of them somewhere before. Twilight frowned as her memory failed her. She huffed in displeasure, sending a small puff of smoke out her nose. The spiny dragon stood up and shook herself, sending tiny bits of grass flying everywhere. Her scales gleamed a pleasant lavender and her dark purple twin spiraled horns sat atop her head like a crown. The smaller spikes around her forehead only furthered that image.
She grabbed the book in her claws, taking care to not grip too hard lest she ruin the cover, and launched herself into the air. Her leathery wings beat the air heavily as she flew like a large purple rocket to her tower. Her spade-like tail and the light purple fur on the back of her back legs streamed out behind her.
Twilight ended up bursting through the doors to her private quarters so hard that they rebounded on the wall and smacked poor Spike along with them. The poor pony in question held onto his sore nose and groaned in pain. That was one problem with her being so big and him being so small. She could too easily lift him up with one paw or trample him accidentally if she wasn’t careful. So far, her track record was rather good for her clumsy self.
“Oh, stars! Are you alright Spike? I’m so sorry for hitting you,” Twilight’s dash for her mini-library was halted as she made sure her son was ok.
“Aw pony-feathers,” Spike muttered under his breath as he got up off a crumpled-looking box, uncaring of his mussed-up green mane.
He carefully shook himself off, his green mane spiking up and his purple fur smoothing out from where it got scuffed from his tumble. The pin that marked him as an authorized pony to enter the guard’s quarters clinked slightly on his brown vest as he shook.
“What’s that for?” Twilight asked once she was sure he was ok. It wasn’t often that Spike made gifts.
Her attention was back on trying to find the reference manual for the Elements of Harmony. She expertly brushed past several bookshelves. Her enchantments and wards prevented the items in her room from scratching and most things were fireproof.
“Well, it was for Miss Moondancer’s party…” Spike explained as he watched his mother magick several dozen tomes around her head.
“You mean that pony that doesn’t ever do anything else but study? She’s hosting a party?” Twilight asked between mutters of ‘no’ ‘not this one’.
Spike snorted at the irony, “Yeah, I was invited,”
Twilight felt a small stab of envy. She hadn’t gotten an invite. Almost immediately after, she brushed that thought off to the side. Not every pony appreciated a dragon at a place filled with very edible ponies. She was all too aware of her appearance.
Sharp teeth, prickly scales, and a tendency to breathe fire on anyone who infuriated her. Not to mention that practically everyone in the city knew what family she was from and whose student she is. She knew people whispered about her behind her back or when they thought she was out of earshot. Spike knew it too, despite how much Twilight tried to shield him from it.
“Alright, be back before dinner and make sure you eat more than just punch and cupcakes,”
Spike gave her an innocent look, green eyes shining, “Who me? Never,”
Twilight rolled her eyes good-naturedly, “Have fun, Spike. Love you,”
“Love ya too,” Spike picked up the stuffed bear he salvaged from the ruined box and galloped outside.
She turned her attention back to the book, which she had managed to locate just as Spike’s short green tail disappeared from view. Her claws expertly flipped through the pages without causing damage.
She remembered a time when her clumsy claws destroyed any book she attempted to pick up and had to rely on magic. Now that she had hands and thumbs, she wondered how she managed to live for four summers of her life without them. Hands were much easier to use than hooves. She could pick things up, actually grasp small items, and do it all without interrupting her delicate spell casting during her projects.
“E, E, E, Aha!” She gripped the book to bring it up to her snout, “‘See Mare in the Moon’?”
That old pony’s tale? Twilight left that particular book on the book stand as she flew up a story to pull another reference book from her shelves. She landed on the second landing with a thump that had dust scattering before her. She quickly turned away to sneeze, a gout of bright orange flame lighting up the entire room. She really needed to do some spring cleaning soon.
Pulling the book from the shelf, she flipped to the correct page and read aloud, “‘Mare in the Moon, myth from olden pony times.’ No kidding. Must be a thousand years old at this point,” Twilight commented to herself wryly, “‘A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the Moon. Legend says on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about Nighttime eternal’!”
She scrambled to pull another book to check. She was right, this year would be the thousandth anniversary of the banishing of Nightmare Moon and the origin of the tale. It might’ve been called an old pony’s tale, but Twilight knew there was always some truth hidden in myths and legends. Sometimes it was a lesson or it was a dramatized version of history. The myth of Discord was an example of actual history.
Her claws itched to send a letter to the Princess, but common sense told her that her mentor was probably too busy with the Summer Sun Celebration preparations to be bothered by her student. And even if she responded, it would probably be cryptic and leave her with more questions than actual answers. Twilight decided to put that thought onto her checklist to come back to later.
She sighed despondently. Right as she did, the familiar catch behind her throat had her spitting a ball of green letter-fire out. The scroll dropped into Twilight’s waiting claw. She shelved the book and glided back down to the ground floor to read the letter.
“My Dearest Student Twilight. I am sending you to supervise the preparations of the Summer Sun Celebrations in this year’s location: Ponyville. And I have an even more important task for you to complete: make some friends! I have arranged for your accommodations to be in the local library. Your mentor, Princess Celestia. Head of Day Court,”
The other scroll that was wrapped in the letter was her supervision checklist. Twilight grimaced at the mention of friends. What ponies would want to associate with a dragon like her? She sighed once she realized she needed to pull Spike from the party sooner than anticipated. By now, she expected the impersonal touch of the closing. It would hurt when she was younger but not anymore. It was easier to expect nothing and get nothing than expect something and get nothing.
It was Twilight’s ‘break’ as Celestia put it, but here she was, giving her student an assignment that had to be done with no questions asked. Bitterness twisted her mouth into a frown. She walked over to her desk and dipped the waiting quill into ink.
“Dear Spike, I am sorry, but you need to come home. Celestia is sending me to Ponyville in an hour. We need to pack. See you soon, Mom.”
Carefully she blew air on the parchment to dry the ink faster and then rolled it up. It was left on the desk as Twilight quickly did a small clean-up. All the books were put back, the parchment was neatly stacked, and the quill cleaned and set back on the desk.
A few minutes later, she picked up the letter. She engulfed it in letter-fire with Spike in her mind as the destination. One too many times, she’s straight-up set fire to scrolls she intended to mail when she was distracted.
Knowing her son, he would’ve spent the last half-hour stuffing his purple muzzle with as many cupcakes as he could find. Absent-mindedly, she put ‘adding more hay and oats to Spike’s diet’ on her mental to-do list. As she waited for Spike to come home, she began to put together her pack. 
Her blankets and Spike’s favorite stuffed animal were some of the first things she packed. A little later, the door to the tower opened, showing Spike’s disgruntled face, rainbow sprinkles dusting his mouth.
“Aren’t you on break? How come the Princess is sending you to Ponyville?” he complained, trotting further into the room.
Twilight shrugged, “Maybe she’s overwhelmed and doesn’t trust anyone else?” Twilight knew better but Spike didn’t need to know that.
Spike hummed sadly. He shook his head rapidly to rid it of confetti and he tried to brush away the remaining scraps from his little brown vest.
“You got everything?” Twilight asked kindly, reaching out with her claws to gently brush away the crumbs on his face.
“Can I bring a few comic books?” Spike asked hopefully, pushing his face away as all children do.
Twilight smiled and grabbed a few of his comic books off the shelf to slip into the pack. Twilight bent down so Spike could clutch onto her shoulders like a backpack. Their belongings were tightly gripped in Twilight’s claws.
“Ready?”
“Yeah!” Spike was always happy to fly with her since they didn’t get to do it very often.
Twilight took a running leap to jump through their balcony windows. She knew the castle maids would shut the doors later tonight. Spike whooped as they glided over the city. Many ponies from the street below simply shook their heads. He laughed in delight but clutched tighter when Twilight banked sharply and slipped into an updraft.
Over the winds roaring into her ears, she heard Spike start to read the royal degree the Princess sent her. Pride flashed through her when she heard Spike sound out the words he didn’t know.
“The Princess wants you to make friends?” Spike shouted over the wind, “What for?”
“Beats me, Spike,” She sighed. Her mentor meddled too much for her own good.
“Woah, Canterlot looks so small,” 
Twilight smiled at Spike’s awestruck voice. It reminded her of the first time she flew too high and Canterlot ended up looking like she could’ve held it in her arms. It was the first time she realized how big the world was and how small her little bubble was. It’d been a dream of hers when she was small to travel Equestria, but her duties as Student of the Sun kept her too busy.
The updraft carried the two quite aways before Twilight had to start flying again. It was nice to feel the wind stretching her wing membranes and the breeze in her fur. The wind flattened her fur to her back and felt very freeing. The flight was peaceful and filled with a comfortable silence.
Ponyville came into view as they broke through the clouds. The Everfree loomed darkly nearby. It was a small down in regards to buildings, but it was large in terms of acres. Ponyville was a farming town on the very edge of the Everfree. Even from afar, Twilight could feel the wild untamed magic of it. It was confusing. Some parts were violently roiling like crashing waves, while other parts slowly drifted around like fog.
The other surprising factor was just how many leylines were scattered around the forest and the town itself. There wasn’t nearly enough unicorn activity in the past thousand years for even one leyline for form, let alone a dozen of them. She would need to study that later.
 A few moments later, the pair touched down in the stunned town square. Twilight nearly overshot and crashed into the fountain since she was so distracted, but she managed to slow and twist away from it at the last moment. As per usual, many ponies screamed and ran. With a small farming village like this, a dragon swooping out of the sky was probably grounds for panic. They did live next to the Everfree after all.
Twilight ignored it and scanned the ground for the nearest leyline. Just as she’d hoped, the library was situated very close to one. Now that Twilight wasn’t focused on flying, she could finally closely observe the leylines properly. The town nearly had more leylines than Canterlot which was rather shocking. However, the leylines nearer to the Everfree were dormant. That was odd. She was shaken out of her thoughts by Spike.
“And what are you staring at?” Spike snapped at the terrified ponies, his Canterlot accent coming out thicker than usual.
“Spike!” Twilight hissed between gritted teeth, “Don’t be rude,”
“But-” Twilight fixed him with a small glower and Spike’s indignation wilted.
“Hello everyone, I was sent by the Princess to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration preparations. Please carry on,” Twilight said in a professional voice.
Her accent was a far cry from the posh Canterlot one her son sported. Her vocal cords and mouth shape just couldn’t properly enunciate words and if she were being honest, she probably sounded like she was slurring her words half the time. It was hard when most words required lips to say properly when she, for lack of another term, didn’t have any. When she was younger, she figured out how to hum the ‘m’ sound in the back of her throat. It wasn’t perfect, but passable.
Despite all of that, her aura was only a little ruined by the fact that she’d nearly plowed into the fountain moments earlier, but she kept her head high and raised an expectant eye ridge. She honestly got a better reception than she expected. Well, it would only be a matter of time before everyone knew she wasn’t going to eat them.
The rest of the ponies that had held fast did as bade, quickly scurrying along. However, one pony, who was very pink and had an even poofier mane, let out a dramatic gasp that had them lifting off the ground despite being an earth pony. Twilight didn’t even know that was possible since most earth ponies had a deathly fear of heights. Even more vexing, the said pink earth pony sped away so fast, they turned into a pink blur. Twilight didn’t even get enough time to properly take in all their features.
Twilight attempted to rationalize what she had just witnessed and came up dry. That was a lot more dramatic than most. Sure, she expected screams, gasps, and fleeing ponies, but usually all of the above happened all at once. Not several minutes after her presence had been established. She looked at Spike who looked just as baffled.
“Well, that was… interesting,” Twilight said, eyes still trained on where the pink pony disappeared, “Where’s the first destination?” She asked to distract herself. She already committed the list to memory, but it helped to hear Spike’s voice sometimes.
“Banquet Preparations: Sweet Apple Acres,” Spike dutifully recited off the list.
> Preparations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the pair entered the farm area, an orange earth pony with a straw hat was bucking apples. Her build spoke of constant hard work. They were much bulkier than the other earth ponies in town, and with the way they moved fluidly through the trees, they definitely knew how to utilize their bulk. There were very few ponies who would be able to hold their own against her, physically speaking anyway, that Twilight could count them on one paw. Mentally, she added another.
They were quite tall and the fur around their hooves was caked with mud. Their cutie mark was three apples. Their blond mane was cropped close to keep out of the way. Bits of leaves and twigs stuck out haphazardly from their long tail, which was tied together with a red string, but the pony didn’t seem to mind. With each clop of their hooves, the ground trembled just the slightest amount. This was an earth pony that was very in tune with their earth magic.
Twilight cleared her throat, not wanting the pony to panic. The last thing Twilight needed was a frightened earth pony that could most definitely knock her out with a single blow. Or depending on how they reacted, she did not want a face full of rocks. Back in Canterlot, she heard stories of earth ponies who were strong enough to cause a mini earthquake or rupture the ground with enough effort.
“Hello?”
The pony looked over and their jaw dropped. Twilight grimaced slightly at the folded ears and the trembling back hooves but pushed forward anyway. She stayed far enough away to not crowd the pony, but close enough to talk without raising her voice an obscene amount. So far so good.
“Good Afternoon. My name is Twilight Sparkle and this is Spike. I was sent by Princess Celestia to supervise the preparations of the Summer Sun Celebrations. You are in charge of the food?”
For once, eyes were not widened, posture wasn’t corrected, and a chest didn’t puff out. There was no reaction to her family name and it put Twilight off-kilter. But she was also relieved. All her life she wanted to live without all of her titles attached to her and for once, she was.
“Er, Howdy Miss Sparkle. Woah nelly, you’re big. Uh, my name’s Applejack. Yes, we here at Sweet Apple Acres are in charge of the food. Would you care to sample some?”
The last part was delivered hesitantly and Twilight could tell Applejack was ready to bolt but held her ground anyway. She wanted to smile, but she knew her smile oftentimes made her look more terrifying than gentle-looking. Razor-sharp teeth weren’t exactly comforting.
Twilight could also tell that Applejack made a real effort to not let her country accent slip into her words. She wondered if the earth pony could just tell they were from Canterlot or if it was something else.
“I am fine thank you,” Twilight assured her and Applejack looked very relieved and a wobbly smile appeared on her face. Spike gently nudged at Twilight’s side, “But I think Spike would like to try something,”
Applejack’s smile faded into something more genuine looking, “Of course, Sugar Cube,”
She trotted over to a nearby table where all the treats were laid out and gave Spike an apple fritter on a plate. Applejack’s eyes remained trained on Twilight’s looming form. Spike’s eyes glittered and was about to take a large bite when he caught Twilight’s eye.
“Thank you, Miss Applejack” he said hurriedly.
“You’re mighty welcome, Spike. No need for all that ‘Miss’ nonsense here,” Applejack assured, looking significantly calmer than before.
“Everything looks taken care of, keep up the good work Applejack. Come on Spike,”
Spike cantered over with half the fritter still in his mouth. As they left, they heard Applejack let out a breath. Even if she heard that sound every day in her life, it still hurt, but it was better than she thought it’d be. Twilight busied herself by swiping the checklist from Spike’s saddlebags.
“Next is the weather,” Twilight paused to look up at the cloudy sky, “Someone named Rainbow Dash is supposed to be clearing it,”
“Doesn’t look like they’re doing a good job of it,” Spike muttered as he finished his fritter, “This is really, really good,”
Twilight chuckled. She would make sure to swipe a couple during the festival then.
Suddenly there was a long-drawn-out scream of, “Dragonnnnn!” and a blue blur crashed into Spike, sending him tumbling into a mud hole.
“Spike! Oh by the moon,” Twilight magicked him out of the mud and began to check him for injuries, “Are you ok? Where does it hurt?”
Spike groaned, fruitlessly trying to wipe the mud from his purple fur, “Mom, I’m fine. Just really muddy,”
Satisfied, Twilight turned her attention to the sky blue pegasus who was peeking over her cloud above the mud hole and staring at them, agog. Her multi-chromatic mane fluttered in the breeze. She bared her teeth at her for good measure.
Her body was smaller than the average pegasus, but her wingspan was much bigger. The thick fur that all pegasi have on their chests looked too big for the small pegasus and goggles hung around her neck. Her mane and tail were cropped close, Wonderbolt style.
“You! You need to be more careful! Someone could’ve gotten hurt!” Twilight glowered.
“The dragon talks!” the pegasus gasped dramatically, “Don’t worry little pony, I gotcha!”
Again, the blue pony attempted to dive for Spike, only to shriek and sharply turn away from the burst of purple fire Twilight blasted out. She made sure to send it far above the pegasus’ head as a warning. The last thing she wanted was a charbroiled pony in a town already lacking in pegasi and unicorns.
“Let me guess,” Twilight ground out sarcastically, snout still smoking ominously, “You’re Rainbow Dash,”
The fact that the pegasus wasn’t running, or flying in her case, for the hills confused the dragon. Either this was a very stupid pony, or her confidence spoke of something else. She did after all, nearly singe off the pony’s already short mane.
The mare’s eyes widened, “What? You’ve heard of me?”
“I heard you were supposed to be keeping the sky clear,” Twilight snarked. She made an effort to tamp down on her annoyance and said between gritted teeth, “I’m Twilight Sparkle and the Princess sent me to make sure the weather was good enough for the Celebration,”
“The Princess sent a dragon?” Rainbow Dash gaped again, sitting up attentively on her cloud, “She must be serious. Aye aye, Dragon. This sky will be clear in ten seconds flat!” She gave a mock salute and became a blue blur as the clouds slowly disappeared under her onslaught.
Confidence then, Twilight decided. Rainbow Dash knew how to do her job and was good at it. Her attitude was a whole other issue.
“Mom, do you have a cleaning spell?” Spike asked quietly as he smeared the mud more fully across his vest in an attempt to clean it. It took everything for Twilight not to cringe.
“Yes, hold on,” Bubbles engulfed Spike and when they all popped, he was clean. Spike smiled gratefully.
“Um, I guess I’ll see you around Dragon. Maybe we can hang out sometime later,” and then she was gone. A rainbow streak across the sky was the only indication she’d been there at all.
“Jerk,” Twilight muttered under her breath, still ticked off about Rainbow Dash’s uncaring attitude and treatment of Spike.
“Alright, decorations,” Twilight clapped her paws and headed toward the Townhall, Spike following close behind.
Twilight made sure to keep an eye on the sky for any more unsuspecting pegasi dive-bombs.



When they entered the Hall, Spike ran into Twilight, nearly impaling himself on one of her tail spines. Thankfully he bumped into the furred part of her tail. Twilight had stopped in amazement to gape at the sheer magnificence she found herself standing in.
“This is beautiful,” she exclaimed to the empty and half-decorated Hall.
Glittering ribbons hung from the ceiling and gave the illusion of hanging diamonds. Beaded suns that bore a striking resemblance to her mentor’s cutie mark decorated the pillars. Tables were already set and awaiting the goodies that would be placed on them later, and the red curtains that hung to cover the balcony looked like a whip made of yellow glitter had slashed across them.
“Woah,” Spike was quick to agree.
Even the half-decorated Hall was breath-taking and Twilight wondered how it would look once the entire thing was finished. This half-finished masterpiece put even the Grand Galloping Gala decorations to shame.
“Thank you, darling,” A posh voice came from the back, “I will be with you in a moment. I am in the zone!”
The Baltimarian accent threw Twilight for a loop since they were quite a ways from the city. A beat later, an alabaster unicorn with a perfectly curled purple mane stepped out from behind the curtains near the far wall. Considering Ponyville was a farming town, seeing a unicorn was a shock in itself. Seeing a unicorn that could most definitely have a future career in modeling was even more of a shock.
Twilight grew up around unicorns. Her immediate family was unicorns. By the moon, she used to be a unicorn. She was acutely aware of how gracefully unicorns moved. She’d spent almost two years feeling like a bumbling oaf since she couldn’t replicate the gracefulness of moving around like everyone else in the city. But nothing could’ve prepared her for the utter elegance this particular unicorn moved with. Despite being quite over her futile wishing of moving like so, Twilight suddenly felt like a bull in a china shop.
Her delicate legs stepped with perfect poise yet it didn’t convey any weakness whatsoever. Her whip-like tail held the longest, impeccably curled tail Twilight had ever seen. This unicorn radiated feminine charm yet Twilight also had the distinct feeling that the unicorn wouldn’t hesitate to get up in her face if the situation arose. Twilight was suddenly very aware of how much space she was taking up and how close she was to the nearby tables.
“Beautiful…” Spike murmured, though this time he wasn’t talking about the decorations.
“Oh, my stars! You’re a dragon!” the unicorn softly shrieked, her ears folded back in the familiar gesture of fear.
“Yes, thank you,” Twilight responded, her wonder suitably banished, “I’m Twilight Sparkle and here from Canterlot to oversee the Celebration preparations, which I must say look absolutely amazing,” For once, she did not need to lie about her compliment.
The pony gasped, completely forgetting about her fears, “Canterlot? Oh the glamor, the sophistication, the elegance. I’ve always dreamed of living there!” The pony had a far-off gleam in her eyes as she thought about it.
The abrupt change in topic nearly sent Twilight reeling, but she caught herself and responded only a beat or two too late.
“Are we talking about the same Canterlot?” Twilight wondered, privately thinking the unicorn would put nearly all of the residents there to shame just by walking around.
“Whatever do you mean darling?” the mare questioned.
“Well, Canterlot is more snobbish than elegant or sophisticated,” Twilight cautioned, feeling the familiar anxiety about whether or not she was reading the room correctly, “Not to mention the middle-class neighborhoods. Not everything is fancy all the time,”
“Oh,” the pony visibly deflated. Twilight internally winced, the wrong thing to say then. A few seconds later the unicorn straightened her posture and exclaimed, “Oh dear, where are my manners? I am Rarity and I am the owner of Carousel Boutique,”
Beside her, Spike let out a dreamy sigh. Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile, “I’m the town’s temporary Librarian until the Festival finishes. The decorations look amazing, keep it up,”
“Oh, but of course, darling. They will look nothing less than fabulous,” Rarity promised, seemingly completely over her initial fear of Twilight.
Twilight spared her with a grin and she herded Spike back outside. Twilight could almost see the stars shining in Spike’s eyes as they walked outside.
“Wasn’t she amazing?” Spike sighed as he stumbled after Twilight.
“She doesn’t seem to be the type to judge a creature by their appearance, that's for sure. But, focus Casanova,” Twilight said good-naturedly, “What’s next?”
Spike held up the list in his hoof, “Music, it’s the last thing on the list!”
Before Twilight could say anything, they were interrupted by bird song. Twilight bent down long enough for Spike to latch onto her back and then they were up in the air, following the music. A few minutes later, they caught sight of a tall yellow pegasus directing the birds responsible for the music.
Unfortunately, the moment Twilight’s shadow passed over the pegasus, the pony dove into the nearby bushes with a short scream. The scream scattered the birds and Twilight landed guiltily.
“Should’ve walked,” she sighed, “Spike? Why don’t you go talk to them? I’ll probably scare the poor thing even more,”
Spike slid off his mother and walked over to the trembling bushes. A few minutes later Spike walked back and declared they were all good to go.
“Fluttershy is just, well shy,” Spike explained, “But she has the music all covered. I’m not sure she believed me when I said you were harmless,”
Twilight grinned and started the long walk back to the library. Twilight Sparkle was the furthest thing from harmless considering her numerous horns and other spines were classified as dangerous weapons in certain rooms.
“Carry me please?” Spike asked hopefully.
Twilight huffed out a laugh, “I thought you were a growing colt and couldn’t handle being carried more than necessary,” She teased but leaned down all the same.
Eventually, the two opened the library doors. When Twilight turned around, she froze, her dragon eyesight easily allowing her to see in the dark.
“Where’s the light switch?” Spike questioned.
A moment later, light flooded the library and there was a collective scream of “Surprise!” Spike let out a yell and threw himself under Twilight. Twilight’s wings settled over her sides protectively as her child trembled beneath her.
There were gasps as several ponies caught sight of her. Several ponies even threw themselves out the windows in fear. Twilight lifted her upper jaw a little and flashed a fang before speaking.
“Libraries are supposed to be quiet,” Twilight rumbled in a deadpan. A collective shiver went down the necks of all the ponies.
The pink pony that Twilight saw earlier in the afternoon popped up, seemingly from the ground. If Twilight thought Applejack was in tune with her earth magic then this pony was an absolute master with their earth magic. Twilight felt as if an earthquake were happening when the pony began to bounce in place. Sometimes she cursed her ability to sense minute magic so easily.
Their build was slimmer than Applejack’s. They looked like they did a lot of running. Their mane looked like the pony decided to get too close to a lightning rod and then their mane and tail decided to stay all poofed up.
“Hi! I’m Pinky Pie! I threw this party just for you! I first saw you when you landed and almost hit the fountain and that’s when I gasped super loud remember? I gasped because I’d never seen you before and that means you’re new! Then I thought of how lonely you must be and then got super sad. Even if you’re a dragon, you deserve friends! Since you’re new and since I know every pony in town, I thought I’d help you make some friends! Were you surprised? Were you? Were you?”
The speed at which Pinky Pie spoke nearly gave Twilight a headache. Not to mention the number of run-on sentences that would give any being with a sensible brain a hard time.
Twilight let a puff of smoke escape her nose, “Yes, I was very surprised to see my library filled with ponies I don’t know,”
“Well, that’s how you make friends silly!” Pinky Pie exclaimed jovially. She then turned around to address the rest of the ponies who were staring rather rudely, “Let’s get this party started!”
The small crowd cheered but parted as if she were Celestia herself when Twilight passed them. Confetti rained down from the ceiling in some inexplicable manner and some caught in her horns and hair. Right when the music started blasting, Twilight closed her new room door and sighed.
“Ponies in this town are crazy,” Spike declared, shaking himself to rid the confetti that settled over his fur. 
Twilight laughed lightly and began to tuck Spike into the bed. “Try and get some sleep alright? We have a long day tomorrow.”
Twilight kissed him on the forehead before sliding down to the floor with the click of scales. Soon enough, Spike was snoring. Grinning slightly, Twilight reached into the pack to pull the book out.
Something about this was suspicious. There was no doubt about whether Celestia knew that the Mare in the Moon would be returning tonight. The alicorn was either hiding or using Twilight as a shield. She growled at the thought. She glanced at the pages that declared Nightmare Moon would escape and looked to the full moon.
“I really hope it’s an old mare’s tale,” she murmured over the muffled music, knowing it was a futile gesture.
> Nightmare Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stood with Spike off to the side, letting the shadow of the curtains hide her large form. The last thing she wanted was to distract the crowd from the Celebration. Now that Twilight could finally see the fully decorated Hall, she was not disappointed in the least.
The curtains lining the wall were a gradient of dark blue to a beautiful orange. Silver glitter dusted the dark blue part and the effect made it look like dawn was breaking over the cloth. Magical yellow lights flashed lazily along the ceiling almost like fireflies.
The previously empty tables were laden with sweets and pastries. Pies, cakes, cupcakes, everything was there. Spike was right about the fritters. They were fried to perfection and quite literally melted in her mouth.
By now, everyone in town had heard about the dragon from Canterlot. Ponies stared only a little at the beginning of the celebration. A few talked to her and Twilight found it a nice change from Canterlot where she constantly had to watch her words to make sure the pony in question wasn’t about to twist her words or double-cross her. Here it was all genuine, whether it be compliments, gratitude, or just plain small talk.
Trumpets blared suddenly, harmonizing beautifully with the songbirds. The spotlight angled downward, showing the mayor.
“Fillies and gentle-colts, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!”
All the ponies present cheered and stamped their hooves.
“In a few short moments, our town will witness the beautiful sunrise that will begin the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce the ruler of our land, Princess Celestia!”
Twilight glanced at the moon, hopefully in a subtle way, only to jolt in shock when the moon was bright, not a mare to be seen. Her spines bristled and her hackle plates raised when the spotlights dramatically swung to reveal an empty balcony. She should’ve known that Celestia would’ve left her to her devices.
Her brain flew through the most logical explanations she could think of, but the more she thought, the more and more ludicrous her ideas became. This couldn’t be happening, could it? Her tail fur tingled in anticipation.
The crowd gasped and Spike coward beneath Twilight’s forelegs. Then someone screamed and Twilight’s hair stood on end as her eyes snapped back to the balcony. There was a surge of magic so powerful that the nearest leyline winked out of existence for a moment. Twilight gulped nervously. 
Shadows pooled along the floor and slithered up the walls before condensing into a large specter on the balcony. Due to her temperature-sensitive blood, Twilight could tell how the air literally dropped a few degrees in the presence of the Mare.
Nightmare Moon flapped her pitch-black wings and blinked her strange blue reptilian eyes. She let out a shuddering breath that seemed to leech the color around her. Her mane and tail were pure shadows and her coat a starless night sky. Muscles rippled across the alicorn’s coat and her metal shoes scraped unpleasantly against the stone balcony. Even from the distance Twilight was at, she could see the unnaturally sharp teeth glinting in the alicorn’s mouth. Her tail fur prickled uncomfortably.
“Oh my beloved subjects,” she breathed eerily, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen your precious sun-loving faces.”
Twilight watched in horror as Rainbow Dash flew up above the rest of the crowd and demanded, “What did you do to our Princess?”
Applejack had to restrain the foolhardy pegasus from flying to her death. Twilight mentally amended her previous assessment. Rainbow Dash was plain stupid. Nightmare Moon let out a deep chilling laugh.
“What? Am I not royal enough for you? Don’t you know who I am?” she asked with a faux-sweet tone, “Does my crown no longer count since I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?” The menacing timbre sent chills down every pony’s spine and the birds scattered before her, “Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?”
“I did!” Twilight forced out, growling, “And I know who you are. You’re the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon!”
Immediately, Twilight regretted her outburst. She was in no way shape or form ready to take on a half-powered alicorn in a fair fight. Curse her morals for not wanting to have innocents as collateral damage.
“Well well well, some pony remembers me,” her eyes speared any of those who were foolish enough to meet hers, trying to find the pony that spoke, “Then you know why I am here?”
Maybe if Twilight was allowed to cut loose she could have a chance at beating Nightmare Moon. But cutting loose meant that there wasn’t an innocent soul in a mile radius and she could break whatever the heck she wanted.
“You’re here to… to bring eternal night,” Twilight answered, quickly cloaking herself with a transparency spell, not wanting to draw attention with a powerful invisibility spell.
Nightmare Moon let out another dark chuckle, “Remember this day little ponies. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!”
Evidently, she gave up attempting to find the one that spoke. Every shadow in the room elongated toward her as she maniacally laughed. The torches slowly sputtered out and lightning cracked across the clear skies. Only the lazy lights near the ceiling were unaffected. Twilight shuddered at the amount of magic swirling through the air.
“Seize her! Only she knows where the Princess is!” The mayor shrieked toward the royal guards.
Finally being given an order, the guards took flight and charged Nightmare Moon. Her eyes blazed with crazed power and she cackled harder. Twilight could tell it was all theatrics, but that small solstice flipped to icy terror when the alicorn latched onto the nearest leyline and slowly drew power from it.
Twilight uttered a small, “No!”
She could only watch as the guards charged.
“Stand back, you fools!” Nightmare Moon howled maniacally.
Lightning slashed across the ceiling and struck the guards, knocking them out of the air. Her mane expanded, shrouding Nightmare Moon into shadows. The doors magically burst open and the shadow escaped out into the rapidly darkening landscape. Twilight’s wings stiffened slightly when she realized the alicorn fled to gain more time. She knew the next time she laid eyes on Nightmare Moon, her power would be twofold greater.
Rainbow Dash finally broke free of Applejack and zipped after it with a distant shout of “Get back here!”
“Come on!” Twilight didn’t give Spike the time to clamber on.
Gently, she picked him up by the scruff of his vest and raced outside. Her wings were tucked close as she jumped up and flew as fast and low to the ground as her half-stiff wings could take her. She didn’t even care about the torn-up clots of grass she left behind or the way her tail kept hitting things as she blasted through the air. 
She would risk as little magic as possible. An alicorn’s sensitivity to magic rivaled hers so that meant no magic that had to draw upon the power of a leyline. Anytime some being drew power from a nearby leyline, Twilight would usually be able to pinpoint the approximate location of the being. The absolute last thing she wanted was Nightmare Moon teleporting into the library.
Twilight didn’t even bother to close the library doors after bursting through them. The already battered door loudly protested as it swung inward and gained several more scratches on the surface as Twilight brushed past it. At the rate she was going, she would need a new door soon. Enchanting everything could wait until the Mare in the Moon was dealt with.
As gently as her adrenaline-fueled body could, she put Spike on the ground and hurried over to the shelves. She unshelved several bookcases in her magic and started looking for the Elements of Harmony. Books would circulate near her snout only to be flung to the floor when it wasn’t the one she was looking for. Her paws would snatch haphazardly at the shelves to do the same as she multitasked.
“Elements, Elements. How can I defeat Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony!” Twilight hysterically shouted in panic, “What even is this organization!? Comic books next to reference books?! Really?!”
Spike began to throw books around, trying to help.
Just as Twilight unshelved another bookcase, Rainbow Dash headbutted her, having flown through the open door, “And just what are the Elements of Harmony?! And how did you know about Nightmare Moon huh?! Are you a spy?!”
The pegasus was yanked away by the tail by Applejack, “Simmer down Sally,” she admonished, “She ain’t no spy, but she sure knows what’s going on, don’t you Miss Twilight?”
It went completely unsaid that Twilight could easily hurt anyone foolish enough to challenge her, but everyone knew it. That didn’t stop the four ponies. Pinky Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash surrounded Twilight along with Applejack, backing her up against another bookcase. The tallest of the lot was Applejack and she only reached mid-chest. Slowly, all the books in the air lowered to the ground.
Fluttershy hung back, fear shining in her eyes, but just as determined as the rest of them. Now that Twilight saw her up close, she was surprised to note that Fluttershy was taller than the average pegasus. The tips of her ears were at the same height as Rarity’s. 
Her long pink mane nearly brushed the ground. Her tail was completely on the ground and looked a bit dusty. At the moment, all of her feathers were puffed out in fear and the thick fur that all pegasi had was even poofier than Pinkie’s mane.
“I read about the prediction of Nightmare Moon,” Twilight admitted quietly, coming out of her observations quickly, “Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her. But I don’t know what they do, where to find them, I don't even know what they are!”
“The Elements of Harmony: a Reference Guide,” Spike read aloud, “Found it!”
Her breath left her in a loud whoosh. Of course, Spike wouldn’t stop looking.
“Great job Spike!” Twilight expertly jumped over the ponies to land with a thump next to Spike. Fluttershy’s hooves clopped awkwardly against the wood in her haste to back away.
Rainbow Dash distinctly grumbled, “So much for surrounding her,” and Applejack thwacked the pegasus with her hat so hard, Rainbow Dash’s knees buckled slightly.
Spike opened the book, “There are six Elements of Harmony but only five are known. Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said the last known location of the elements was in the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. It is located in what is now called the Everfree Forest,”
A collective shudder went through the native Ponyville ponies. The grim mood was broken when Twilight grumbled, “Oh wonderful, let’s traipse through Celestia’s childhood home. Sounds like a brilliant idea,”
> To the Ruins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Let’s go, Spike!” Spike nodded determinedly.
When he was secure, Twilight ran out the doors and took a running leap to start flying. From the sound of it, the door just about had it and its hinges squealed unpleasantly. She could sense a large dormant leyline deep in the forest and knew that was where the old castle was.
The old leyline was massive. Something catastrophic must’ve happened there for a leyline that big to go dormant. What could it be other than the old castle ruins? She dearly hoped it wasn’t home to feral Diamond Dogs. Those beings had an unfortunate habit of burrowing into active leylines and draining the power.
“Hey! Hold your horses!” Rainbow Dash caught up to them, “We want to help,”
Rainbow Dash pointed at the four other ponies scrambling to catch up. An odd feeling rose in Twilight’s chest.
“Look, I appreciate the offer, but I’d really rather do this alone with Spike,” Twilight said just as the other ponies caught up, “I’m a dragon, and while I can protect Spike, I don’t think I can protect the rest of you that well,”
No one looked convinced at her argument.
“No can do Sugar Cube,” Applejack declared, “We ain’t letting any friend of ours get into that creepy place alone. We stickin’ to you like caramel on a candy apple,”
The other ponies agreed and started to trot into the dark trees. Even timid Fluttershy. Twilight made a face. Friends? No being ever wanted to be friends with her, and probably with good reason.
“No one is concerned about going into the Everfree with a dragon?” Twilight asked incredulously. No pony responded and they continued to walk into the trees. Twilight sighed, loudly.
Applejack hung back near Twilight and when the group was deeper in the trees, she spoke.
“Look Miss Twilight. I’m real sorry ‘bout my reaction to you when you first said hello. I just never seen a dragon before other than in books and the like,”
Twilight gave a strained smile, “It’s ok. I’m used to it,”
“That don’t excuse my reaction, and I’m still real sorry about it,” Applejack insisted.
The dragon started a little. Applejack was being genuine. Twilight grinned, flashing a fang, “Apology accepted,”
“Come on now, let’s catch up,”
As the group went even deeper, the ground under-hoof changed. What used to be a dirt road, slowly transformed into gravely paths and hanging vines. The bright moonlight cast many areas into deep shadow and illuminated the undergrowth.
Twilight broke the oppressive silence, “So none of you have been in here before?”
“I usually stick near the outer parts. I’ve never gone so far in,” Fluttershy whispered. The pegasus stuck so close to Twilight that the dragon had to forcibly flatten all of her spines just so Fluttershy wouldn’t hurt herself. The shy mare seemed to have decided whatever was in the forest was a lot scarier than the big dragon that she was taking shelter under.
Rarity answered, “Oh heavens no! Just look at it! It’s dreadful!”
“And it ain’t natural,” Applejack added, looking around warily, “Folks say it don’t work the same as Equestria,”
“What’s that supposed to mean,” Spike asked fearfully.
Fluttershy muttered, “Clouds move on their own, the animals fend for themselves, and weather happens whenever it wants. That’s what,”
Twilight made a face, “You mean like the Badlands and the North? That’s all-natural-”
Rainbow Dash made ghost noises and flew under a gap in the trees, throwing parts of her face into stark relief and leaving other parts deep in shadow, “No pony knows,”
The entire group stopped in fear. Rainbow continued, even stalking near the ground like an alligator, “You know why?”
Twilight scowled as Spike’s grip around her neck tightened. The pegasus completely missed it as she flew past.
Applejack interrupted, “Rainbow quit it!”
“Because every pony who’s ever come in… has never come out!” Rainbow stalked right up to the rest of the group, who cringed and began to check their blind spots and shuffle around. 
Twilight’s tail fur prickled suddenly. Just as she drew breath to scold the pegasus, the entire cliff face they were walking on top of, gave way with no warning. The entire group let out screams of fear. Spike’s hold around her neck tightened almost to the point of suffocation as he screamed from the sudden plummet. She choked on her own air as her claws scrabbled for something other than crumbling dirt. Then Twilight managed to snap open her wings and catch the breeze.
“You just had to jinx it didn’t you?” Twilight snarled at Rainbow, who had just managed to launch herself into the air.
“Heh heh, oops,” she had the grace to look sheepish, then her expression changed into one that was so serious, Twilight wondered if Rainbow was still the same pony, “Well don’t just fly there! We gotta catch the others!”
Then she was gone, rocketing toward the rest of their group, Twilight following close behind. As she dove for the others, she amended her assessment of Rainbow Dash again. She wasn’t completely stupid.
“Fluttershy! You have wings!” Rainbow Dash hollered.
A moment later, Fluttershy joined the three, racing desperately after the rest.
Rainbow caught Pinky and started the slow ascent back up. She was impressed. A pegasus flying that rapidly while holding an earth pony was worth bragging about. Rainbow Dash must be a pretty powerful flier. Twilight snagged Rarity’s tail and scooped her up in a bridal style.
“Don’t worry Rarity, we got you!” Spike assured her, acting as if he hadn’t screeched his lungs out moments before.
If Twilight didn’t have her claws full, she would’ve facepalmed. Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight watched Fluttershy attempt to fly up with Applejack. She only succeeded in slowing Applejack’s fall down and the earth pony had to grab onto a root to keep herself from sliding completely over. Clearly, the earth pony was too heavy and bulky for the smaller pegasus. Twilight cursed, loudly and colorfully, causing Rarity to gasp at the crude language.
“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted. Rainbow’s head peeked over the cliff, “Catch!”
“What are you- Aeiiii!!” Rarity shrieked shrilly as Twilight threw her like a large sack of flour.
“Hold on tight Spike!” was the only warning he got before Twilight let gravity take hold as she shot like a bullet back to Fluttershy and Applejack.
She could see that Fluttershy was crying, her grip slowly slipping as she tried to keep the earth pony from going over the edge. As she got closer, she could hear Applejack tell Fluttershy it would be alright. 
Twilight locked eyes with Applejack.
“Fluttershy,” Applejack’s eyes met with Fluttershy’s, “Let go,”
“No!”
“What I’m telling you right now is the honest truth. Let go and it’ll be ok. The two of us will go over otherwise,”
Fluttershy’s sobbing reached a fever pitch, “No!”
“Fluttershy. Do you trust me?” Twilight positioned herself right under Applejack, “If you do, you will let go,”
There was a sniffle and then Applejack fell into Twilight’s claws. Twilight grunted in surprise but flew up, beating her wings powerfully. Yes, Rainbow Dash was a very powerful flier. Even she was having a bit of trouble and her wingspan was twice the size of Rainbow’s. 
Fluttershy gasped in relief, tears still staining her face. A moment later, fresh tears spilled over her large doe-like eyes.
“I’m so sorry. I’m not used to holding more than a bunny or two,” Fluttershy managed to stutter out in between sobs.
“It’s alright now ain’t it?” Applejack asked, “Don’t you worry none about it,”
Fluttershy nodded, furiously wiping her tears.
When they rejoined the group, Pinky Pie joked, “Woo! Can we do that again?”
Five sets of unamused glares had Pinky laughing sheepishly, “Nevermind,”
Twilight rolled her eyes and checked if Spike was comfortable, “Yes Mom” was the annoyed reply.



As the group resumed their journey, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but reenact her catching Pinky Pie over and over again, each time telling the story even more exaggerated. Twilight’s patience finally wore thin when Rainbow Dash flipped above her head and kicked one of her horns by accident.
“Yes Rainbow, I was there. We all saw it and I’m sure Pinky’s grateful-” The rest of her reply was cut off by a loud roar.
A large shape that towered over Twilight jumped from the trees above, shaking the ground as it landed. The being growled in the back of its throat flashing fangs almost as large as Twilight’s paw.
“A Manticore!” Spike screamed, identifying the creature the fastest.
After Spike’s scream, the manticore’s mane fluffed up even more and its massive wings spread aggressively. Its poisonous tail danced above the manticore’s back, reminding everyone of the threat it posed. Its golden coat shone like a beacon and its beady red eyes narrowed as it scented the air.
In the back of her mind, Twilight knew Spike had some ammunition against her if she ever told him to read a ‘real book’ rather than the comic books he liked.
In the forefront of her mind, she immediately went through the ways of subduing a manticore. Unfortunately, most of the books she read recommended more than one large being to attempt to go after a manticore. She hardly counted as ‘more than one large being’. Plan B then.
“Scatter!” Twilight ordered every pony, whom of which obeyed as far as she could tell. She paused to make sure Spike was safely in the bushes before turning her attention back to the beast. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Twilight planted her paws firmly into the dirt.
The Manticore was about to go after Pinky Pie when Twilight blasted fire into its face. She gulped when she remembered that manticores naturally had magic-resistant fur. Its eyes snapped to hers and a shiver went down Twilight’s back. Well, too late to turn back now.
 It roared again in outrage and moved to take a swipe at her. Twilight couldn’t dodge in time and its claws raked down her shoulder. Her scales took the brunt of the attack but she still stumbled from the force. It felt like someone holding a giant hammer decided to her shoulder was a suitable target.
She roared back and her tail whipped around to smack the being across the face. Her roar sounded pathetic even to herself. She could tell this was a rather young Manticore. A full-grown one would’ve gotten her by now. Its movements were clumsy but powerful. And this particular Manticore hadn’t even attempted to use its tail against her yet.
Another fire blast from her regained the attention of it after it turned to sniff for the others. It turned so quickly, Twilight only had time to take one step back before a massive paw batted her away like a baseball. She gasped in pain as several scales were torn loose. She tumbled head over tail into the trees.
Her head rang when she collided with a tree. She struggled to stand back up and snarled when the manticore prowled closer. She could hear her friends cry out from their hiding places. Flames licked around her jaws as she prepared another fire blast. If she could get in range, she could bite it. Just as the manticore was about to pounce, something very random changed the equation.
“Wait!” Fluttershy intercepted the Manticore before it could bear down onto Twilight.
The Manticore growled and raised a paw to swipe at her, “Shh, it’s ok,” Fluttershy murmured, nuzzling the paw closest to her.
Twilight’s tail fur stood on end in fear for the smaller framed pegasus. With Fluttershy’s reaction to just her shadow, she could hardly believe that she was now standing in between a dragon and a Manticore without batting an eye. If anything happened now, Fluttershy would be caught in the middle.
The Manticore let out a pitiful whine and presented Fluttershy with its paw. Between the pads was a large thorn.
“Oh you poor little baby,” Fluttershy cooed, “Now this might hurt for just a second,”
Right when she plucked the thorn, the Manticore howled in pain and scooped up the pony. Twilight charged her horns, ready to fire off an overcharged blinding spell, but stopped when the Manticore started purring. She blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and slowly got to her feet. She would ache for days after this.
She limped after the rest of the group deeper into the trees to wait for Fluttershy. When Fluttershy caught up, her long hair was spiked up in a cowlick but she didn’t seem to mind.
“How did you know about the thorn?” Twilight asked in complete bemusement.
Fluttershy smiled serenely, “I didn’t. Sometimes we just need to be kinder. It was a baby after all,”
Twilight smiled at that. These ponies were really something.
“Are you alright, Twilight? I’m sorry I got there so late, I didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire,” Fluttershy poked and prodded at Twilight.
Twilight hissed when a tender spot was poked, “Nothing rest won’t fix. Thanks for jumping in at the end. I thought I’d have to start biting,”
Fluttershy smiled and smoothed Twilight’s fur where she’d messed it up.
“Thank you for protecting all of us. It was a very brave thing to do,” Fluttershy said softly.
“No problem,” Twilight said after shaking herself out, “It’s what friends do right?”
Her thoughts screeched to a halt then. Since when were these ponies friends? The thought should’ve terrified her, but in all honesty, she only felt fondness in place of fear.



As the group continued, Rarity shuddered, “Uhhgg, my eyes need a rest from all this icky muck,”
Just as she finished her statement, the group walked into a more shadowed area of the forest and Rarity shuddered again, “Well I didn’t mean that literally,” she said nervously.
“Those ancient ruins could be right in front of our faces and we wouldn’t even know it,” Spike said fearfully, clutching tighter to the warm scales underneath his hooves. 
Twilight chuckled, “I can still see Spike, don’t worry,”
As it grew darker, her friends started to complain.
“Ouch, Applejack stop stepping on me,”
“I ain’t stepping on no pony. Fluttershy your tail is in my face,”
“Stop bumping into me,”
“Ow!”
“Oh wait, I think I stepped in something,” Twilight turned to see mud dripping from Applejack’s hooves.
Rolling her eyes, Twilight lit both of her horns. A soft pink glow allowed everyone to see. Applejack lifted her hooves to inspect the mud. As she did, Fluttershy let out an ear-splitting scream and dove under Twilight’s underbelly. Twilight’s tail fur suddenly felt as if something stroked it, causing her to jump slightly.
“It’s just mud,” Applejack placated, only to turn and leap away from the tree she neared, “Gahh!”
All around her friends, the trees twisted and warped unnaturally. Each tree grew fangs and claws. If Twilight took her eyes off of one tree, it seemed to shift and move to another area. Her wings raised, ready to defend herself and her child. Smoke billowed from her mouth in preparation.
Once Rainbow Dash screamed, it turned into a screaming frenzy. Every pony backed into another, their rumps resting together as if that would protect them. Spike whimpered on her back, his forelegs tightening against her shoulders. Her ears rang and her eyes darted everywhere.
“Everyone shut up!” Twilight roared, successfully silencing the screams, “They’re just trees and if anything happens I can set them on fire! Stop screaming like loose fireworks!”
Pinky Pie popped up from who knew where and laughed, “Good one Twilight! Loose fireworks! Haha! Wait no, look at this tree, it looks like it’s constipated,”
Pinky started to giggle again and Spike stage whispered, “Is she sane?”
Feeling her annoyance vanish, Twilight snorted and didn’t dignify that with a response.
Pinky responded, “I’m as sane as you are Spike-y! Come on! Laugh. It’s better than screaming,”
She giggled and bounced away, the rest of her friends following at a more leisurely pace since they weren’t stricken by panic anymore. Pinky hummed a jaunty tune as she led her friends toward a river. Twilight took a moment to wonder what just happened.



“How are we going to get past this?”
The water raged up onto the banks and looked more like a beach during a storm rather than a river in the middle of the forest. Twilight shivered as spray splashed up near her claws.
A sob lanced through the still air followed by a tremendous splash of water.
“Guess we know why the river is like this,” Twilight said as a large water serpent came into view.
The said serpent had the brightest orange hair Twilight had ever seen and was sobbing his eyes out and punching the water as his purple scaled body writhed underneath. Twilight braced herself for either a violent or dramatic response.
“Excuse me, sir? Why are you crying?” Twilight bravely called out.
“Oh, I don’t know,” The serpent sarcastically cried, not even surprised at the appearance of ponies and the odd dragon, “It might be because I was sitting here minding my own business, when this large cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beautiful mustache, clean off! Now I look simply horrid!”
The dramatic response then. The serpent threw himself back into the water dramatically, dousing Twilight and her friends with a wave of water. Twilight shrieked in surprise as the water soaked her. She shuddered from the sudden chill and magically dried herself.
“Oh gimme a break,” Rainbow grumbled. Water dripped off her mane and her feathers clumped together.
“So that’s what all the fussing is about?” Applejack perplexedly asked, shaking like a dog to rid the excess water.
“Why of course it is! How could you all be so insensitive!” Rarity demanded heatedly with a flat mane, “Oh just look at his lovely luminescent scales! And his expertly quaffed mane! Your fabulous manicure! All ruined without your beautiful mustache,”
The serpent, who had so far agreed with Rarity’s assessment, threw his claws up and hugged his head in shame, “It’s true! I’m hideous!”
Twilight fought the urge to snicker at the reaction. She cleared her throat awkwardly when Rarity turned to glare at her.
“I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!” Rarity declared, magically drying her mane perfectly.
Darting forward, she grabbed onto one of the serpent’s scales and tore it off. Twilight winced in sympathy when the serpent cried out. Her own aching shoulder reminded her exactly how it felt.
“Rarity what are you-?” Spike began to ask, only to cut himself off in shock when Rarity brought the scale down onto her tail.
Rarity’s perfectly curled tail was lifted in the pony’s magic and it attached itself to the serpent’s mustache stump. Rarity was left with the whip-like end. She looked oddly naked without it. The serpent perked up happily.
“My mustache! It looks simply wonderful!”
“You look smashing,” Rarity nodded approvingly.
“Oh Rarity, your beautiful tail,” Spike said sadly, eyeing the whip-like stump.
“It’s fine, my dear,” Rarity grinned slightly, “Short tails are in this season. Besides, it’ll grow back,”
“So would the mustache,” Rainbow mumbled shrewdly.
“Hey look! We can cross now, let’s go!” Spike exclaimed.
Twilight jumped over the water rather than walk through it. She didn’t think the cold would affect her too much, but better safe than sorry. She and her friends bade farewell to the serpent and they continued on. The dormant leyline was close now.



“Hey look! There it is!” Spike shimmied off Twilight’s back and galloped on his own when he saw the ruins.
Twilight sighed good-naturedly at Spike’s impatient behavior.
“Spike! Wait for us!” Applejack called out joyfully just as Twilight spotted the detached hanging bridge.
Her breath caught in her throat. The cliff-face was sheer, not like the one the group slid down. This was a straight drop to the bottom. She didn’t even know how far it went down since the ravine was covered with fog.
Right as Spike reached the bridge, he looked back still galloping full tilt, “I know but-”
Twilight saw the moment Spike’s front hoof charged off the side into the open air. She saw Spike’s momentarily surprised expression. Then the rest of his body followed in slow-motion.
“Spike!” Twilight took off faster than the rest of the ponies, claws gouging deep rivets into the ground as they dug into the earth. She shoved someone over but she couldn’t care less. Spike went over the edge with a short yell of shock. Twilight’s heart lodged itself into her throat as she watched Spike’s green mane vanish. Ignoring the burning in her shoulder, Twilight picked up speed.
Without a second thought, Twilight dove into the deep fog, wings held close to her body in order to fall faster than gravity alone. The dense fog made it hard to see anything. She would need to rely on her ears and nose.
Each time her heartbeat, she imagined an outcome worse and worse. Spike laying in a crumpled heap at the bottom. Spike stuck on a rock spire. Spike slipping through her claws like water. She wouldn’t lose him. She couldn’t. There wasn’t a way she could live with herself if she lost Spike now.
She caught him by the edge of his little vest. The bottom of the ravine was mere feet from where Twilight arrested his momentum. Spike was frozen in terror and didn’t move as Twilight flew them back up. She deposited him on the ground and in front of all their friends, roared, “What were you thinking?!”
Twilight’s heart seized in her chest as she again thought of what might’ve been, “You could’ve died!”
She gathered him up in her claws and held him close, “Don’t ever scare me like that again,”
Spike didn’t verbally respond. But his body began to tremble as he started to sob.
“How are we going to get past this?” Pinky complained, breaking the awkward silence that befell her friends.
“Duh,” Rainbow responded, wiggling her wings.
“Oh yeah!” Pinky jumped excitedly.
Twilight didn’t let her grip on Spike wane as Rainbow dove down and brought the bridge back up. She disappeared into the fog, presumably to the other side to tie it up. Spike’s crying had stopped, but he still hid his face against Twilight’s chest.
“Are you alright, darling?” Rarity asked Spike.
Spike hummed a despondent affirmation. Twilight sighed, pulling Spike away to survey him herself. His eyes were cast down on the ground and didn’t move.
When Twilight turned her attention to the other side, seeing as the fog had thinned, she caught sight of Rainbow talking with three other ponies. The other ponies were some sort of magical construct as their forms wavered and blurred at times. 
Then it was as if a jolt of electricity zapped Twilight’s tail fur and everything clicked into place. The forest had its own magic, but it was more of a peaceful hum that faded into the background. Whenever something happened to the group, her sensitive tail fur picked up on it. The trials are no mere coincidence.
“Oh no,” Twilight muttered before shouting, “Rainbow! Don’t listen to them!”
Suddenly the fog muffled and obscured their vision, growing thicker by the moment. Her prickling tail fur stood on end.
“That don’t look good,” Applejack remarked as Twilight prepared to fly over.
However, Rainbow Dash flew back through the fog before Twilight could fly through, blowing most of it away and landing in front of them.
“See? I never leave my friends hanging,” she boasted as she and her friends made their way across the repaired bridge.
Twilight blew out a silent breath she had been holding. If she was going by the pattern, her trial would be next.
> Tornados & Rainbows? - End Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight picked Spike up by his scruff and deposited him back onto her shoulders. Rainbow Dash pried the rotting wooden doors open with a squeal of hinges. When Applejack entered she let out an awed ‘woah’.
“Come on Twilight! Isn’t this what you’re looking for?”
Twilight let her jaw hang open at the sight of the dilapidated stone structure. On each pedestal were the five elements. 
“We found them!” Twilight exclaimed gleefully, finally letting go of Spike.
Spike on the other hoof eyed the stones disbelievingly, “Are you sure? Then where’s the sixth?”
“We need to get them down here first. Rainbow, help me please?”
Twilight reared up as high as she could on two legs and carefully brought one of the stones down with her forelegs. Rainbow flew up and grabbed one as well. Twilight was vaguely worried that Rainbow would shatter or drop one, but she didn’t.
When all five elements were on the ground in a wobbly looking circle, Twilight spoke again, “The book said, when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth element to be revealed,”
She laid down in front of the elements as Applejack snorted in annoyance, “What in the hay is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m not sure,” Twilight admitted, “But I have an idea. Stand back. I don’t know what will happen,”
Carefully, Twilight ignited her horns, drawing magic around the elements. There was faint feedback from the ancient stones as she saturated each one in magic. Well, if the book said sparks, perhaps some electricity would help.
“Come on now y'all. She needs to concentrate,” Applejack led her friends outside while Spike stayed by her side.
Twilight closed her eyes to draw out even more magic, slightly worried something would spontaneously combust. She would need to be careful about the dormant leyline. Spike’s gasp broke her out of her concentration. Her magic flickered and died, but that was the last thing on her mind.
Shadows warped around the stones, pulling dust, Spike, and the elements up. There was absolutely no subtly this time. Her fur prickled continuously but she hardly paid it any mind. Spike barely dodged the flying elements and nearly became a grease stain on the ceiling.
“Mom!” Spike cried as the shadows became a tornado.
“Spike!” Twilight jumped into the shadows, reaching for Spike just as the whole thing flashed, and they were whisked away in the familiar sensation of teleportation. It wasn’t very refined and Twilight fought the urge to be violently sick.
They reappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Twilight flipped her second lids over her eyes and beat her wings to clear the smoke. When she could see again, she gasped and for the umpteenth time that night, her heart seized in her chest. Her nausea was long forgotten.
Nightmare Moon held the elements up but that wasn’t what Twilight was concerned with. Spike was held in front of the mare like a shield. She cackled deeply but stopped in shock when she finally saw Twilight.
“A Drakon. That is what my sister sends to defeat me? I am insulted,” she said scathingly.
Twilight huffed smoke out of her nose and pounded a claw to the ground, clearly about to charge the mare. Her jaw lifted in a menacing snarl.
“I have wings, thank you very much,” Twilight hissed.
Her earlier hypothesis was correct, if the Mare felt powerful back in the town hall, it was nothing compared to now. Twilight knew why Celestia was the one to banish Nightmare Moon, her power was vile, crackling at the edges and bleeding black. 
Her forked tongue flitted out threateningly as her eyes narrowed. The spines around her face flared and her hackle plates rose. No creature touches a dragon’s child without permission and gets away with it. Immortal alicorn or not. 
Nightmare Moon looked taken aback, “You’re kidding. You’re kidding right?”
Twilight could teleport once, she had to make it count. Smoke wreathed her head for a short moment before she charged as fast as she could. Being a dragon, that was pretty fast. Her claws sparked against the stone as she propelled her very aerodynamic body forward. 
Nightmare threw Spike behind her, who landed with a cry. That only served to fuel Twilight’s growing rage. Nightmare opened her wings and charged as well. 
Twilight’s anger powered her flames and she blasted out the hottest fire she could manage. From experience, she knew her hottest flames could reduce wood to ash in a second. Brilliant purple-colored flames engulfed Nightmare Moon’s head.
Right after her fire blast, she teleported to Spike. She stumbled for a brief moment since her teleportation wasn’t as smooth as she’d like. It would’ve been smoother if she had more time to charge the spell and not worry about the leyline beneath her. She picked Spike up and inspected him for damage. Seeing none, she let him shakily climb onto her shoulders. Her fury climbed to new heights as she felt him tremble.
Nightmare spun around disoriented with her shadow mane smothering and her helm slightly melted. The helm was still glowing with heat and Nightmare winced as she threw it off. With Spike secure, Twilight turned to the elements and pushed as much magic as she dared into them.
The stones began to emit sparks and electricity jumped between each one. Just as Twilight was about to add another surge, Nightmare crashed into her. All three tumbled away in a tangle of limbs, tails, and gnashing teeth. Twilight’s teeth caught some feathers and scraped against her underwings and Nightmare’s shoe kicked her on the side of her head.
As they skidded to a halt, Twilight spat out her mouthful of feathers and blasted Nightmare in the face with fire again as her powerful wings beat against the floor in an effort to right herself. Nightmare Moon shrieked since she didn’t have the helm to protect her this time and the fire scorched her muzzle. Twilight’s tail whipped around erratically, cracking the stone around her.
As they struggled, Spike jumped clear just as Twilight rammed her horned head into Nightmare’s chest plate. She saw double for a moment but it was worth it to hear the alicorn let out a wheezing cough. Her victory was short-lived when the alicorn stomped harshly into her weakly protected underbelly. It was her turn to heave and Nightmare chuckled.
The chuckle turned into a scream as Twilight set fire to her mane. For a moment, Twilight froze. She didn’t expect shadowy vapor to actually catch fire. Her momentary lapse in attention was her undoing as Nightmare slammed a hoof into her forehead.
“You miserable foal!” Nightmare growled out, coat smoking nicely.
Dazed, Twilight could do nothing as Nightmare extracted herself quickly and ran back to the sparking elements, which had begun to glow. In one fluid movement, she crushed them under hoof, to the horror of Twilight. That quickly sobered her back up and she dragged herself into a seated position near Spike.
“But, where’s the sixth element?!” she cried out desperately, holding onto Spike tightly. She knew there had been a spark. She watched it happen!
Nightmare Moon began to laugh anew, looking positively deranged with a burned muzzle, “A talking Drakon, thinking it could defeat me? Now you will never see your princess or your sun! The Night shall last forever!” Helm-less and wearing dented armor, the Mare in the Moon celebrated her victory. Her left-wing hung limply down, scarlet staining the upper part of it.
The shadows reached out like tendrils and almost seemed to reach for the moon through the crack in the roof. Spike whimpered as Nightmare cackled. Twilight spat again. Her saliva was pink with bits of black chewed-up feathers.
Twilight roared defiantly, shifting Spike to his normal place on her back. She could hear hoof steps on the stairs below and hope sparked through her. The spark! It all made sense now. She had to buy time. Forcing her aching muscles to stand, she blew fire again to gain her attention.
“You’re wrong! The elements can’t just be destroyed like that because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!” She roared confidently just as all her friends fanned out behind her.
She motioned to each pony as she talked, “Applejack, who reassured Fluttershy when she was in doubt represents, Honesty!” 
Remnants of the Elements floated up and flew to encircle Applejack. She could feel Magic begin to stir.
“Fluttershy, who tamed the Manticore with her compassion represents, Kindness! Pinky Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of doubt represents, Laughter! 
More shards levitated up. Magic was shifting and groaning.
“Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent and gave a meaningful gift represents, Generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who did not abandon her friends for her own heart’s desire, represents, Loyalty!”
Magic reared its head and howled. Magic was listening.
“The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!” Twilight confidently claimed.
“You still don’t have the sixth element! The spark didn’t work!” Nightmare Moon blustered, confirming she was the one that put them through the trials.
Twilight stood tall, “But it did. A different kind of spark. I felt it the moment I heard those hoof steps. When I realized that you all, are my friends!”
Light expanded above Twilight’s head, blinding the mare, “You see Nightmare Moon. When the elements are ignited by the spark, it creates the sixth element: Magic,”
Magic brushed against her consciousness, silently judging. A beat later, Magic seemed to approve and something warm and soft settled into Twilight’s chest, filling a void she didn’t even know was there.
The light reached a crescendo and every being closed their eyes. Twilight felt herself raise up off the ground as the Elements exploded with energy. Twilight only had the time to dread the waking of the leyline before there was the sensation of walking through a very windy tunnel and the light died.
When everyone opened their eyes again, they were sprawled on the ground, not knowing how they got there. Twilight groaned loudly and lifted her wing to check on Spike.
“Every pony ok?” Applejack asked as she got to her hooves.
Twilight only managed to nod through the massive headache that split her skull. The nearest leylines rumbled as they reconnected with the newly awakened one. The amount of magic in the air had her feeling lightheaded. The aching from the Manticore attack returned with a vengeance.
“Oh, these are lovely!” Rarity remarked, showing off her new necklace.
Fluttershy agreed, “They look just like our cutie marks,”
“Lookit mine! Lookit mine!” Pinky squealed as she bounced.
“I reckoned you were just saying a lot of hooey, but I really do think we represent the Elements,” Applejack admitted.
“Indeed you do,” a familiar voice concurred.
Outside, the sun slowly slid above the horizon, taking its rightful part in the sky. Twilight rolled her eyes as her mentor teleported in front of them with a slow burst of light. Her friends gaped before lowering themselves in a bow.
“Celestia,” Twilight acknowledged lightly with a tip of her head, pushing the pain away for the time being.
Her mentor gave her a small wink before saying in a mystical voice, “Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student. I knew you could do it,”
“I knew I should’ve written you that letter,” Twilight grumbled, fighting the urge to outright snarl about the fool’s errand the Princess sent them on.
Celestia gave a tinkling laugh, “So you did see the signs,”
“Of course I did, but I thought you would’ve had it taken care of,” her friends gasped at the accusational tone Twilight used to address their ruler.
“I knew you were the dragon to do it. But not until you let true friendship into your heart,”
“Nearly dying a couple of times along the way,” Twilight hissed, spines flaring in anger as she remembered Spike going over the edge.
“You wouldn’t have let that happen,” Celestia placated, “Now if there were only another will as well. Princess Luna,”
Only then did the rest of the ponies notice the small figure that lay where Nightmare Moon was. The small alicorn’s coat was a lighter black than the pitch it was before. Her shadowy mane was more mane-like and flowed around an invisible wind. She flinched away as Celestia approached.
“It’s been a thousand years since I’ve seen you like this. Time to put our differences aside. We were meant to rule together, Luna,”
“Luna?” Spike asked, getting a nudge from Twilight.
Tears welled up in Princess Luna’s eyes, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to lose control like that! I-I just got so upset and-”
“I’m sorry too,” Celestia interrupted, eyes misting over “I did not know what the Elements would do,”
Hesitantly, Princess Luna enveloped her older sister in a hug. When Celestia hugged back, it was as if a dam had broken and both sisters began to cry. Twilight wasn’t sure if she was the only one that noticed exactly how fearful Princess Luna was of her supposed older sister. She kept her mouth shut for once, too tired to deal with anything else.
Pinky Pie sobbed along with the reunited sisters before abruptly stopping, “Hey! Do you know what this calls for? A party!”



As the celebration came to an end, Twilight felt her smiles slowly become more plastic in nature and her reactions less genuine. Spike asked her what was wrong but Twilight shook her head and promised to tell him later.
Of course, this did not escape her esteemed mentor, “Why so glum my faithful student? Are you not happy that your mission is complete and you can return to Canterlot for your studies?”
Twilight’s eye twitched and she grimaced, “It’s just, the ponies here, my friends, are really the only ponies to ever really give me a chance at friendship. Now that I know what it feels like, I need to leave them so soon,”
Her friends gathered around as she spoke. The Princess puffed her chest and declared, “Spike, take a note please,”
Spike jumped, not expecting to be addressed, and fumbled for a quill and parchment. Twilight frowned at Celestia’s command. When he was ready, Princess Celestia began her new declaration.
“I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the dragon, Twilight Sparkle shall undertake a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the Magic of Friendship. She will report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville.”
Rainbow Dash perched on her head, Fluttershy leaned against her foreleg, Pinky Pie leaned back on her chest, Rarity leaned against her body, and Applejack lightly punched one of her shoulders.
Twilight hadn’t smiled this joyfully in a long time. For once Celestia did something right. She was sure her cheeks would be sore later. Her friends cheered as her fang-filled smile flashed in the sunlight.
“Thank you, Princess. I will study harder than ever before,” She promised her mentor.
The Princess nodded approvingly and turned to investigate the cake that lay on a nearby table. Spike vaulted into his place on her back and squeezed tightly. 
Some things never change. But as her friends clamored around her, she realized other things do. And a lot of the time, things change for the better.
> The Best Night Ever
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I can’t believe the Grand Galloping Gala is tonight!” Pinky Pie whooped while springing up and down on the trampoline she dragged along with her.
Twilight expertly tuned the bouncing mare out as she read. Her friends deserved to at least have some of the night be fun. She would perfect this spell by tonight. Nothing would stop her from doing so.
“Spike! Come bounce with me!”
Ok, maybe something would.
“Remember your helmet,” Spike frowned unhappily as Twilight magicked his helmet out from who knew where.
Right as Spike finished buckling it on, Rarity poked her head out of her boutique and gasped loudly.
“Pinky Pie! You stop that right now. I refuse to let you wear your dress if you are all sweaty,”
Twilight glanced up from her book just in time to see Pinky defy the laws of gravity by slowing down mid-air. She felt her eye twitch as per usual whenever Pinky did something so ‘Pinky’. 
Even after so many months, Twilight didn’t know how Pinky did it. After the whole situation with the hydra, Twilight wasn’t even sure if she wanted to know anymore.
Seeing as she wouldn’t get anymore studying done for the moment, Twilight’s claws slammed the book shut with enough force for Rarity to wince. Out of the corner of her eye, she carefully watched Spike as he bounced on the trampoline.
“Where is every pony? It’s getting late,” Rarity complained right as the rest of their friends came into view.
“Hold your horses, we’re here,” Applejack placated.
“Sorry girls, I lost track of time helping a bunny family,” Fluttershy said sheepishly.
“Quite alright dear,” Rarity soothed, “Now let’s get a move on!”
Rarity guided her friends into the lower levels of her boutique where she had set up a mini salon to help them get ready. 
As the others carefully began to groom their manes, Twilight settled on the floor near the open door, waiting for Spike to finish his fun.
“Twilight. Aren’t you going to wash your mane?” Rarity asked.
Twilight shrugged, opening her book, “It’ll look the same whether I wash it or not. My hair doesn’t like listening to reason,”
“Well you could at least style it darling,” Rarity implored, “First you didn’t let me make you a fabulous outfit, and now your hair?”
“I let you design the bow tie I’m wearing, and pick out the earring,” Twilight didn’t hear Rarity’s response since she was already immersed in her book once more.
She was dragged out of her thoughts by her son’s voice, “I can’t believe we’re going to be in Canterlot tonight. It’s our hometown!”
Twilight smiled and draped a wing over Spike’s excited form, “That it is, Spike,”
“And the best part is, we all get to hang out together all night long!” Spike was practically vibrating with joy by that point.
“Err, I dunno Spike,” Rainbow hedged, “We’ll see,”
“We’re going to be might busy,” Applejack agreed, spitting on Fluttershy’s hoof to ‘get a better shine’ as she put it.
Twilight grimaced at the action and sympathetically looked at Fluttershy who held her hoof out despondently.
“Busy having fun!” Pinky proclaimed as she pulled her head from the dryer.
Twilight silently counted down from ten in her head. Right when she reached zero, Pinky’s mane, which had been flat and freshly washed, popped back to its prior poofy-ness.
Spike visibly wilted and the wing around him tightened, “Don’t worry Spike. I’m sure we’ll all spend some time together,”
Spike brightened up considerably, “Great! I could give a tour around Canterlot! There’s Donut Joe’s, the-”
Twilight chuckled and nuzzled Spike’s head, “Why don’t you wait until we get there? Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise now would you?”
As the night drew closer and the rest of her friends began to don their dresses, Twilight stepped outside. She put one of Applejack’s prized apples on the ground and began her spell.
The apple twitched and began to expand, looking as if some creature were trying to break out from it. Her focus nearly wavered when her friends exclaimed loudly at her magic, having followed her out the door. The apple grew to the size of Twilight and then some.
Twilight shook her head when the spell finished and breathed a sigh of relief, “It worked!”
The new apple carriage glittered in the sunset and Rarity couldn’t help but squeal at the attention to detail. Spike happily jumped to the driver’s seat, his new top hat nearly flying off in his eagerness.
“Alright, everyone in. If we start now, we’ll get there half an hour early,” Twilight promised.
Pinky let out a tiny squee, “I can’t believe we’re actually going!”
Applejack went in first with her special briefcase. Rarity stayed behind to properly tie up Twilight’s bow tie, tisking as she did so. Twilight grinned and let Rarity’s magic run up along the tie, straightening it. She strapped herself to the carriage and took a step forward, testing the weight and straps.
Her wings were pinned uncomfortably around her body, but not overly so. Twilight shook her hair out a little and began to walk down the path. The journey there took a couple of hours, but from the lively chatter coming from inside the carriage, Twilight knew none of them were bored.
Spike constantly leaned through the window to answer a question and Twilight had to tell him multiple times to be careful. By the time they passed through the Canterlot city limits, Twilight had chastised him a grand total of nine times.
Twilight unharnessed herself when they neared the bridge and she reversed the spell once everyone had disembarked. She let her friends marvel at the castle before taking the lead across the bridge.
The guards at the entrance caught her eyes and discreetly winked. Twilight let out a long suffered but good-natured sigh. The bet pools were still going despite her not even being there anymore, wonderful. One of the guards let out a suspicious-sounding cough that sounded like a disguised guffaw.
“What ever is the matter darling?” Rarity inquired as they followed the red carpet leading to her mentor.
“Nothing nothing,” Twilight waved a wing dismissively.
Celestia’s eyes glittered mischievously when she spotted her student. Twilight felt slight dread pool in her stomach as Celestia opened her mouth.
“Welcome back to Canterlot and to the Grand Galloping Gala my faithful student,” Celestia declared it loud enough for the entire entrance hall to hear.
“Good to be back, Princess,” Twilight ground out between gritted teeth.
She could feel the stares boring into her scales. It made her hair stand on end and her hackle plates raise. She was sure that if she turned around, she would see Rarity horrifyingly transfixed at the state of her hair.
Celestia’s eyes danced with mirth and bent down to whisper, “Good luck, Twilight,”
“No thanks to you,” Twilight whispered back, “You know that’s cheating right?”
Celestia rose back up and haughtily proclaimed, “A princess doesn’t cheat,”
Twilight snorted so violently a smoke ring floated up toward the ceiling, “Have a great night, Princess,”
She made a point to turn away and walk into the ballroom, only stopping to wait for Spike. Twilight could tell Celestia rolled her regal eyes, and she could practically taste the envy rolling off the alicorn since she was stuck at greeting duty.
One by one, her friends broke off from the group, heading to their desired locations until it was just her and Spike. Twilight claimed a small table near the middle of the room knowing it was futile to hide in the corner.
Spike was oblivious, eagerly taking a drink from a passing waiter. He only noticed something was amiss when they were approached by a grizzled unicorn stallion that had a hard edge to his eyes.
“Oh no, is that-” Spike didn’t get to finish his question as the stallion in question invited himself to their table.
“Greetings Sparkle,” the stallion said pompously.
“Hello Copper,” Twilight answered dully, “How are you?”
“Superb, thank you for asking. And how are you little Spike? Potty trained yet?” Copper asked snidely.
“I- I’m going to get food,” Spike sputtered angrily before trotting as politely as he could to the table laden with food.
“It would do you well to remember your manners, Copper,” Twilight snarled.
The stallion lit his horn to take a small cucumber sandwich from a waiter. He took a bite before talking, completely ignoring Twilight’s threat, “How go your studies? I heard you no longer live in Canterlot,”
“Not bad. The rumors are true, I have taken up residence in Ponyville,” Twilight was hardpressed to not blast the stallion in the face with her flames, “Yours?”
“Absolutely delightful. Why I recently published an article describing the properties of sigils and how they-” Twilight tuned the old stallion out.
Clearly, Copper was still attempting to gain the Archmage title even after years of failing. So far, Twilight, despite only being a mere twenty-two summers old, was his only competition for the title. Obviously, Twilight had no interest in becoming the Archmage of Canterlot seeing as she was only a mediocre mage at best by her standards, not to mention the fact that she didn’t even live in Canterlot anymore.
“That’s great Copper,” Twilight interrupted, staving off the urge to yawn, “I’ve been studying about how emotional states can impact spell casting,”
In reality, Twilight really wasn’t. It was just something she was interested in and had put on her mental checklist.
Spike came back to the table, plate heaped high with pasta, salad, and hay fries. As Twilight took her cursory look over his plate, she absentmindedly noted to add some more vegetables to his diet when they got home.
Copper excused himself snootily and Twilight finally allowed herself to roll her eyes.
“Old coot,” She muttered as Spike giggled, “Sorry about him,”
Spike didn’t get the chance to respond since Pinky’s voice rang out through the ballroom.
“Come on every pony! I know what will make you shake those hoofed thangs!”
Twilight coughed into her fist, fighting the urge to laugh at the incredulous faces around the ballroom as Pinky started her own rendition to Pony Pokey. Spike snickered into his forehooves as Pinky bounced about.
No one moved as Pinky unabashedly got into the orchestra’s personal space. When the song finished, there were several beats of silence before one of Canterlot’s sector officials huffed.
“Young mare! This is not that kind of party!”
Spike laughed harder when Pinky completely misunderstood what was said. Twilight rolled her eyes once more before urging Spike to finish his meal.
“I’ll go get us some of Applejack’s fritters. How’s that sound?”
Spike nodded so quickly, Twilight worried for his neck. Twilight walked out to the castle gardens, spotting Rarity and Blueblood by Applejack’s cart.
Right as Twilight opened her snout to greet her friends, Blueblood spat out the bite of fritter he had eaten. Due to her usual amount of luck, most of the half-chewed fritter ended up in her hair. Blueblood was too busy ranting about the ‘common carnival fare’ to notice who he just essentially spat on.
She interrupted his spiel with the most sardonic tone she could muster, fritter still dripping off her scales, “Well this has got to be a new record Blue,”
Blueblood stuttered to a halt, face paling as his brain recognized the voice, “Mi-Miss Sparkle!”
Twilight’s snout had tendrils of smoke rising from it, “Well?”
As Blueblood sputtered out an excuse, Twilight pointedly rolled her eyes and sighed loudly.
“I am this close,” Twilight held up two talons, both touching each other, “To dragging you to Celestia,”
“No need Miss Sparkle, I assure you,” Blueblood said with false bravado, “I promise not to do that again,”
“It better be,” Twilight growled, flashing her teeth.
“Yes, Miss Sparkle! I will head over to the buffet for some hor’derves,” he quickly scampered away, Rarity following with an annoyed face.
“Well, no wonder no pony is buying! They’re filling up on all those fancy-schmancy meals.” Applejack grumbled unhappily.
Twilight smiled sympathetically, spelling herself clean, “Two fritters please,”
Applejack sullenly put two fritters on a plate and passed it over before saying in monotone, “No charge,”
“Thanks, Applejack,” Twilight turned away, the plate held in her magic. However, later on, Applejack would find four bits extra in her pouch.
“Good luck with the rest of your sales,”
As Twilight walked back to their table, Pinky Pie started up what sounded like club music. Again, Twilight had to fake a small coughing fit to hide her laughter.
“I think this might be the funnest Gala we’ve been to,” Spike proclaimed happily, snatching his fritter the moment the plate hit the table. He munched on it thoughtfully, “Well my first Gala was pretty fun. But I think this one is funner!”
“You only found the first one fun because you were the only one that didn’t get set on fire,” Twilight jested.
Spike grinned and said in a sing-song, “Maybe. It was still funny,”
Ponies began to fly up into the air as Pinky pushed and shoved her way through the crowd, trying to get them to dance. Twilight’s attention was stolen away when Applejack came through the main doors with a large cake on a cart.
Pinky, not seeing the cart, slammed into it, sending the cake soaring through the air. The cake reminded Twilight of a bomb and had to bite her tongue to stay quiet when the cake splattered all over an unsuspecting Blueblood, who’d been talking with Rarity.
The spoiled stallion screamed at his state of uncleanliness, backing away so quickly from the mess that he tripped and fell backward. Spike’s laughter dissolved into wheezing and Twilight patted his back to make sure he didn’t pass out.
Unfortunately, Blueblood chose the worst spot to trip, since he tripped and fell into the statue of Princess Luna. The entire statue listed to the side with a groan and Twilight watched in horror as it fell toward a part of the crowd.
Twilight was ready to shoot across the hall, but a rainbow blur beat her to it. Only Rainbow Dash caught the entire statue on her back, rather than shove everyone out of the way like Twilight was planning on.
For a second, it looked like Rainbow had it under control. However, that illusion shattered when the statue, clearly too heavy for the single pegasus to hold by herself, knocked into one of ornate the pillars that were around the room, knocking it clean over.
The falling pillar knocked another one down as it fell and started a domino effect, all the pillars falling and crumbling as they hit the floor. The piece de resistance was when the top-heavy statue rolled off Rainbow’s back and broke cleanly in two when it hit the floor.
Princess Celestia chose that moment to walk into the ballroom. Her eyes widened as she surveyed the damage, but Twilight saw the barely concealed grin on her quirky mentor’s face.
Twilight thought it was over when the dust settled, internally celebrating the fact that this year’s situation hadn’t been caused by her this time around. Then, the door to the gardens busted open and a flood of exotic animals overtook the guests.
Right behind the animals was Fluttershy looking uncharacteristically aggressive. Her dress was torn up and looked downright dirty. She was even missing one of her slippers.
“You are going to love me!” Fluttershy demanded of the animals in such a way, Twilight shuddered in place.
Her tone was reminiscent of the time the group confronted the sleeping dragon near Ponyville.
Spike barely managed to climb onto Twilight’s shoulders before the first of the animals swarmed under-hoof. Guests screamed and ran as birds and small animals slammed into them like a large furry wave.
Twilight made her way over to her mentor, trying to keep her face as neutral as possible.
“I do believe you and the rest of the guard owe me quite a bit of bits,” Twilight’s face broke out in a grin.
Celestia sniffed, “There’s always next year, dear student. Always next year,”
“So what now?”
“Run,” Celestia took off as royally as possible after the rest of the fleeing guests, leaving Twilight to gather her friends.
“Of course,” Twilight muttered. She rolled her eyes and whistled sharply between her teeth, motioning the girls to follow her.
She led her friends to Donut Joe’s. It was out the way but not but too covert.
“Twilight Sparkle! Long time no see,” Joe said gruffly, from behind the counter, “Who was the unlucky pony this time?”
“No one I’m afraid,” Twilight said back, “Ol’ Copper was close though,”
Joe laughed heartily, “That old geezer’ll never give up,”
Twilight made a face and Joe laughed harder.
When they finally got a booth, Twilight took in the shredded dresses they all wore. The only outfit that hadn’t suffered any damage was Spike’s. Rainbow and Applejack were the only two ponies to retain both of their shoes.
Twilight chuckled a little and asked her friends, “So how was your ‘best night ever’?”
Her friends stared at her in disbelief. Spike smothered his giggles in Twilight’s hair.
“Do you even need to ask that question?” Applejack wondered, “Horrible. It was horrible,”
Twilight laughed again, “Hope Celestia isn’t too upset with her ballroom though,”
Her mentor’s mystical voice floated over from the shop’s entrance, “That was the best Grand Galloping Gala I’ve had in years!”
Twilight grinned at her friends’ flummoxed expressions, “The Grand Galloping Gala is always awful. Usually, because I set someone on fire,” she shrugged, “What was this year’s bet, Princess?”
“How long you would last. You’re going to be a very rich dragon in the next few days,” Celestia stood next to her student, seeing as both of them couldn’t fit into the pony-sized booth.
“Not one pony bet that I wouldn’t set fire to anyone? I am insulted,” Twilight huffed, “Marshal has betrayed me,”
Joe passed by and put Twilight’s usual order of donuts on the table. Extra sprinkles as always. Spike slid off of Twilight’s shoulders and sat in her lap, pouncing on a donut at first chance.
“So this wasn’t the first time you went to the Gala?” Rarity asked, “How come you did not tell us, darling?”
“What’s the fun in that?” Twilight nearly snorted her donut as she scoffed, “It’s part of the experience,”
“I wanna hear about the first time Twi went to the Gala!” Rainbow exclaimed, “I bet it was awesome!”
Twilight rolled her eyes but recounted it for her friends as Celestia laughed lightly in the background. After that, each of her friends wanted to hear the next time and the next time. The rest of the night was filled with laughter, coffee, and donuts.
> Chocolate Rain - Discord Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight kept a careful eye on Spike as he happily jumped in and out of the corn stalks. She was helping Applejack with the corn harvest this year. Her large forelegs were capable of carrying nearly a cart’s worth as the two of them went back and forth from the storage barn.
“Good haul this year,” Applejack commented, “This’ll last Ponyville until late Fall I reckon,”
Before Twilight could answer, Rainbow Dash blasted past, bending the corn stalks with her tailwind, and chasing what looked to be a bright pink cloud that was raining brown liquid that smelled suspiciously like chocolate milk. Not long after that, the entire sky was filled with whizzing pink clouds, drenching Applejack’s harvest in chocolate milk.
“Rainbow! What in tarnation? What’s all this brown rain?” Applejack demanded in her naturally loud voice.
“There are crazy weather patterns all over Equestria,” Came Rainbow’s distant reply, “It’s raining over Cloudsdale for some odd reason! But don’t worry, I got this under control! Sorry about your apples!”
Since AJ was looking up at Rainbow Dash, she didn’t notice her corn turning into popcorn until one cob pelted her in the face with its exploding kernels. Not a moment later, the rest of the unpicked corn exploded into popcorn as well, leaving most of Twilight’s talons buried under a layer.
Twilight’s logical brain refused to acknowledge the fact that whatever was happening shouldn’t be possible and kept rubbing at her eyes, thinking it was a vision. The rising level of popcorn made that quite a hard feat indeed.
Pinky Pie burst from the nearest pile of popcorn, happily munching on whatever she could get her hooves on. Surprisingly, that is what snapped Twilight out of her denial. Despite Pinky being an anomaly in of herself, if she was reacting to something, that meant whatever it was, it was real.
She didn’t waste any of her thought processes to wonder where Pinky came from. It would only cause a headache and the logistics wouldn’t make a single drop of sense.
Twilight snapped her mouth shut and yanked Spike’s green tail out of another popcorn mound that had buried him earlier. He was following Pinky’s example and shoveling popcorn into his mouth as fast as possible.
Rainbow zoomed back toward them, however, this time she was the one being chased, “Stupid sticky clouds! I gotta put a stop to this,”
Upon closer inspection, Rainbow had clumps of cloud stuck to her wings and in her mane. Pinky chased Rainbow Dash gleefully from the ground, following the chocolate milk rain, drinking as she ran.
“Why would you want to stop this?” Pinky asked, “This is amazing!”
“Maybe for you darling,” Rarity appeared, dressed in a heavy-duty raincoat with an umbrella fixed upon her back.
Knowing Rarity, the unicorn had probably magicked on the beautiful raincoat before the first drop of chocolate milk rain ever hit her fur. Most unicorns utilized their small inter-dimensional storage with essentials. Rarity’s essentials consisted of fainting couches and random bits of clothing that somehow got used. Twilight stopped questioning when Rarity once pulled out an elegant feathered headdress.
She turned to address AJ, “Anything I can do to help dear? Without getting dirty that is. Or wet, or taking my raincoat off,”
“Err,” Applejack cast her eyes around, looking for something that fit Rarity’s requirements.
Twilight rolled her eyes and continued gathering up the popcorn with great sweeps from her tail. This would be a nasty cleanup process. Spike’s shriek of shock had Twilight twisting around so quickly, she nearly pulled something in her neck.
The tree Spike took shelter under had keeled over, the apples too large and heavy for the normal branches to hold them up. The roots stuck up as if reaching for the sky. Twilight started forward toward Spike, only for another tree to fall over right on top of her. Her grunt at being forced to the floor was muffled against the dirt.
“Mom!”
Above her flattened head, was the crunch of an apple. When Twilight managed to poke her head out, small critters were all around her, feasting on the overgrown apples. A stray branch covered her head like overgrown bangs.
Fluttershy descended upon them, pleading with the animals, “Please don’t eat Applejack’s apples. We can go back to the meadow and eat our salad. How’s that sound?”
Twilight snorted. Only Fluttershy could remain calm while cotton candy rained chocolate milk and apples grew to the size of tires. The pony who was sometimes startled by her own shadow almost always kept a cool head when faced with actual problems.
Right as the pegasus pulled a bunny from the apple, the bunny grew legs long enough to rival the Arabian horses from the continent over. Fluttershy dropped the now-hooved bunny in shock.
“No! This is not possible! I must be seeing things,” Fluttershy shook her head like a dog and her breathing came in short pants as she tried to get a hold of herself.
Twilight gave up on trying to make sense of the situation and gripped the ground to pull herself forward, her various spines and fins easily shredding the poor tree. She grimaced once she realized she would need a nice lava bath to rid all the plant matter that now clung onto her scales. She shook herself to remove the stray branches and leaves.
Once she was free of the offending tree, Spike jumped onto his place on her shoulders. He gently picked out a branch from her hair. Twilight lit her horns and concentrated on her failsafe spell. It should cleanse the surrounding area of any abnormal enchantments or spells.
She made sure to pull from the leyline that was under the farm. Whatever enchantment this was, it was a massive one to affect so many things at once. Once the spell was properly charged, she waited a moment to make sure all was well before releasing it.
Her magic washed over the surrounding landscape, expanding outward from her in a shockwave. Her friends stopped in amazement. When the light died, nothing changed much to her horror. To add insult to injury, another tree fell over right onto her tail and a hooved bunny trampled one of her talons.
Her eye twitched and smoke rose from her nose. Spike easily ducked underneath the spray of purple flames as Twilight twisted around and set fire to the tree. Instantly, the top half of the tree was reduced to ash and the trunk caught fire, blackening into charcoal a second later.
“Ok! New plan!” Twilight clapped her claws as if nothing happened, ignoring Applejack’s horrified look at what used to be one of her trees, “Rainbow, could you corral those clouds into one corner of the sky?”
Rainbow saluted and in a very nostalgic tone responded, “Aye aye Dragon!”
As Rainbow flew off, Twilight explained the rest of her impromptu plan, “AJ, once Rainbow gets them all together, I want you to lasso them and bring them to the ground. When that’s done, Fluttershy, somehow convince those weird abominations to eat it,” Twilight waved a wing vaguely at the hooved-bunnies.
Fluttershy looked aghast, “They aren’t abominations!”
Twilight raised a disbelieving eye ridge. The hooved bunnies were only a little bit shorter than Twilight, who was just as tall as Celestia, which meant that the creatures were much taller than the pegasus.
“Right…” she muttered under her breath.
Pinky bounced around underneath the huge cloud Rainbow was creating. Rarity shuddered at the mess that was Pinky’s mane and face. Spike stared on enviously as Pinky drank her fill.
Applejack readied her lasso as Rainbow zoomed around making the giant cloud as small as possible. Rainbow pulled away from the cloud just as Applejack released her lasso. Her aim was true and with her earth pony strength, Applejack hauled the cotton candy cloud down and successfully tied it to a nearby fence.
Immediately, Pinky zoomed with a speed that nearly belied a pegasus to the grounded cotton candy and buried her face in it.
Fluttershy exaggeratedly tapped a hoof to her chin as if thinking, “Oh dear, I hope none of the animals see this cotton candy. I’d hate to have to share it,”
“You and me both sister!” Pinky Pie agreed from inside the cloud, only to get shoved aside by the numerous squirrels and very tall bunnies.
Applejack chuckled, “And when y’all done, feel free to have some popcorn for dessert!”
“Great job everyone-” Whatever Twilight was going to say next was halted by the familiar catch behind her throat.
Spinning away quickly, lest she accidentally incinerate one of her friends, she blew her green letter fire out and an official scroll fell to the ground. Applejack whimpered as another one of her trees blew away in the wind, having been caught in the flames and subsequently turned into a standing ash facsimile.
Uttering a quick apology, she picked the scroll up from the ground and opened it. Immediately she knew something was amiss since it wasn’t her mentor’s usual graceful horn-writing. The letter was written in a hurry and was only a single line long. In fact, most of the letter was taken up by her mentor’s needless titles.
“The princess wants to see all the Element bearers in Canterlot immediately,” Twilight announced, quickly estimating what time it was from the sun’s position, “Come on! If we leave now, we can catch the one o’clock train!”
Rainbow Dash immediately took off, grabbing the official letter and racing to get the tickets before Twilight could even voice the idea. Fluttershy flew after the rapidly retreating form, albeit a bit slower.
Rarity shucked off her bulky raincoat and shook out her mane, “I suppose my new dress line must wait. What a pity,” 
Applejack stretched a few times before galloping after the two pegasi with a loud “Yeehaw!”. Pinky was nowhere to be found, though Twilight knew she was probably already waiting at the train station.
“Ready when you are darling,” Rarity proclaimed, knowing her delicate unicorn legs would only slow the entire group down.
Twilight scooped the unicorn up into her claws and threw open her wings with a large woosh. She jumped up the moment she felt a slight breeze hit her wings and they were off. Spike whooped as they climbed higher in the sky.
The trio overtook Applejack a mile from the train station. Twilight landed with a thump, scaring the ponies exiting the train. Predictably, there were screams and some poor pegasus fainted. Rarity was deposited to the floor just as Applejack skidded to a halt, breathing heavily.
Rainbow Dash waved the letter about as she called to her friends, “Over here guys!”
As per usual, everyone grimaced at the reaction to Twilight. Her friends quickly ran into the compartment while Twilight waited on the platform. A moment later, Spike slid off of her back and cantered into the compartment as well. He turned back at the door and waved.
“Mom said she’d meet us there. They don’t let her ride the train,” Spike explained as he made himself comfortable. The moment he sat down, the train began to move.
Rainbow and Applejack snorted in outrage as Fluttershy spoke, “You would really think the train depot would be accepting wouldn’t you?”
Spike opened his mouth to correct her but was spoken over by Rarity, “Honestly, those ruffians really ought to set a better example,”
“It’s just that-” Spike started to say.
“The owners are from Canterlot. What do you expect?” Applejack scoffed, once again interrupting him.
“She doesn’t fit!” Spike exclaimed loudly before someone else could interrupt, “She can’t even fit through the door,”
There was a chorus of sheepish “oh”s before normal conversation resumed.
> Talking Windows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight met up with them outside the city limits.
“Twilight! Darling, what ever happened to you?” Rarity gasped as soon as she caught sight of her dragon friend.
Twilight crinkled her snout, “Gee thanks. I got chased by more cotton candy,”
Clumps of the stuff were grafted to her scales, sticking to her horns, and stuck to parts of her hair. The tufts of fur near her tail were stiff with the stickiness from the chocolate milk. Combined with the dirt and bits of wood from earlier, Twilight looked as if she had flown straight into a rebel tornado.
Twilight scraped some cotton candy off of her horns before speaking, “Let’s get this over with, come on,”
She performed a quick cleaning spell on herself, knowing that would have to do for the time being. She led the way to the castle. The guards opened the doors as they approached. The fact that Marshal or Bulwark didn’t wink or acknowledge Twilight at all put her on edge. Whatever the Princess had summoned her and her friends for, it wasn’t a good thing.
Spike followed, hiding himself a bit between Twilight’s forelegs. The oppressive atmosphere set everyone on edge as they made their way to the Hall.
“Celestia, we came as fast as we could,” Twilight announced the moment she saw her mentor.
“Thank you all,” Celestia said in an uncharacteristically serious voice.
“Is this about the weather?” Rainbow asked.
“Or the crazy animals?” Applejack added.
“Corn is turning into popcorn,” Twilight said monotonously, halting her speech as her mentor held up a hoof.
With a jerk of her regal head, Celestia motioned for the group to follow her down the Hall of Heros. Spike clambered up onto Twilight’s shoulders as they walked.
“I’ve called you all out here for a matter of great importance,” Celestia began, “An old foe of mine, someone who I thought we’d defeated long ago, has returned. His name is Discord. Discord is the mischievous spirit of disharmony. Before my sister and I put him away, he ruled Equestria in a constant state of chaos. Seeing how no pony could live under his rule, we turned him to stone using the Elements of Harmony,”
“Discord is a draconequus right?” Twilight asked and then thoughtfully added, “I want to know how he channels his magic,”
“Don’t get all egg-heady on us now!” Rainbow protested, “We have a mission,”
Celestia smiled and continued her explanation, “I thought the enchantment Luna and I used would last forever. But since neither of us is connected to the Elements anymore, the enchantment has worn off,”
Twilight’s mouth hung open. She hadn’t really taken the time to ponder what it had meant when she and her friends used the Elements against Nightmare Moon. They were the absolute true bearers now. 
Neither of the two sisters could wield the most powerful weapon known to pony-kind. That responsibility was placed on her and her friends’ shoulders. They were the defense of Equestria now. Twilight shuddered at the revelation.
When Magic had judged her back in the old castle, Twilight never really took the time to realize what it meant when it settled into her so smoothly. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest as if reminding her what responsibilities she had.
She tuned back into the conversation in time to hear, “...must wield the Elements once again to stop Discord from throwing the land into eternal chaos,”
Silence reigned as Twilight gently met each of her friends’ eyes. If one of them wanted to back out, they wouldn’t do it, simple as that. No one here asked to be an Element Bearer, it was thrust on them with little to no thought. There was no obligation for any of them to do as Celestia bade. To her surprise, the only hesitant eyes she met were Pinky’s.
“Eternal chaos comes with chocolate rain. Chocolate rain!” Pinky exclaimed, somehow shoving her muzzle into Twilight’s face despite the drastic height difference.
Twilight shuffled back, attempting to regain her personal bubble back. Spike hummed with Pinky in agreement but stopped to wonder, “But won’t all the plants die without normal rain?”
Pinky ceased her gravity-defying, personal bubble popping antics to stomp gently on the carpet, “Aw pony-feathers! I hate it when common sense takes over!”
Twilight gently patted the pink mare on the shoulder before turning to her mentor and nodding. Celestia blew out a nearly inaudible breath as if she could read Twilight’s thoughts of abandoning the mission, and walked to the huge doors at the end of the Hall. Even from the distance Twilight was at, she could tell the doors were heavily enchanted.
Celestia gently inserted her horn into the keyhole and let a pulse of magic out. From the way her mentor’s magic reacted with the locking enchantment, Twilight knew if any other creature tried to do the same thing, they wouldn’t like the results.
Each magic circle of the locking enchantment performed a different task. If Twilight weren’t so well versed in the study of Magic, she would’ve been concerned about the multiple overlaying sigils and circles. Most of the time, overlaying magic circles would have disastrous results, however, this situation was different.
This array was probably cast by none other than her mentor. That was Celestia’s specialty, overlaying magic circles that interacted together like gears. Each one was part of a bigger whole and only one would need to be powered for the whole thing to activate.
With a rumble, the doors slowly slid open, revealing a jeweled chest. The chest was levitated up by Celestia and Twilight could hear Rarity mumble, “Oh that case is gorgeous,”
The chest opened with a creak. Spike’s grip tightened when the chest was empty. Thankfully, Twilight wasn’t the only one that let out a gasp. Her fear mounted when Celestia dropped the case in shock. It took a lot for an Alicorn’s focus to waver enough for a spell to fail.
There was a prickling near the base of her skull and she twisted around just in time to see the Discord depiction on the window panes vanish and move to another window.
“This doesn’t make any sense. That door is protected by a spell only I can break,” Celestia muttered as she paced around.
Twilight hissed a warning a moment before the window-Discord laughed.
“Make sense?” His voice asked from everywhere and nowhere at once in mock sympathy, “What fun is there in making sense?”
“Discord!” Celestia snapped, eyes darting everywhere, “Show yourself!”
“Did you miss me, Celestia? I missed you,” Discord crawled from one window to the next, “It was quite boring to be set in stone. But you wouldn’t know because I don’t turn ponies into stone!”
“What did you do with the Elements?” Rainbow Dash demanded aggressively.
“Oh, I just borrowed them for a little-” Discord sat up from where he’d slumped over against the depiction of Fluttershy, “A dragon? Do my eyes deceive me?”
He snapped his lone paw to vanish in a flash of light, only to reappear on a closer window. He leaned forward and eyed Twilight speculatively. Despite only being a window depiction, Twilight could almost see the interest in his eyes.
“Oh dear, I might need to change the rules of my little game. I love it!” he exalted, bouncing to another window.
“Return the Elements, Discord!” Celestia threatened.
Discord yawned, made a show of relaxing, and if Twilight wasn’t mistaken, he rolled his eyes, “Oh I had forgotten how boring you can be Celestia,”
Rainbow took to the air and charged the glass panes, “How dare you insult the Princess!”
Discord vanished just as Rainbow smashed headfirst into the window. He reappeared in time to see Rainbow slide off the pane, nursing a bruise on her head.
“You must be Rainbow Dash. The Element of Loyalty. Always loyal hmm? I doubt it,” he said sinisterly.
“I cannot believe we are wasting our time talking to a tacky window,” Rarity scoffed and Discord turned his attention to her.
“Ah, the beautiful Rarity, the spirit of Generosity,” his tone grew smug, “It’s a wonder how you haven’t given yourself dry my dear,”
“So you know who we are, big deal,” Applejack snapped, “And what’s with these comments?”
“Oh I know much more than who you are, Honest Applejack” Discord chuckled as he grew in size.
Twilight huffed, smoke issuing out her nose, and Discord’s smile stretched across his face.
“And you Twilight Sparkle, though your appearance does throw me off, you are the most powerful here. You wield Magic. A pony raised-dragon holding the Element of Magic! The chaos will be amazing! Fluttershy, Kindness. Pinky Pie, my personal favorite, Laughter.”
Pinky stifled her giggles as Discord began to dance atop Twilight’s window depiction.
“Enough stalling! Where are the Elements?” Rainbow growled.
“Oh, you ponies are so boring. Fine, I’ll tell you. But I’ll tell you my way,” Discord vanished and reappeared on the most central window. Twilight hoped she was wrong, but she was sure she saw the simmering rage in his eyes.
“Retrieving your missing Elements will just make sense with this change of events. Twists and turns are your Master’s plans, then find the Elements back where you began,” As he spoke, his serpentine-like body writhed around the windows, appearing and disappearing randomly.
Window-Discord settled back onto the appropriate pane and stilled. The tingling on the back of Twilight’s skull vanished, signaling his presence disappearing. The only sign he’d been there at all was the echoing laugh still reverberating through the Hall.
“What do you reckon he meant about ‘twists and turns’ and then ending up back where we started?” Applejack wondered aloud.
“‘Twists and turns’ like a maze?” Spike asked, tightening his grip when Twilight reared up onto her hind legs to peer out the window.
“A maze! That’s it! Discord probably hid the Elements in the Palace Labrinth! Good job Spike!” Spike smiled happily.
“Good luck my little ponies. The fate of Equestria lies in your hooves,” Celestia intoned, bowing to them.
Everyone gaped. In all her years as her pupil, Twilight hadn’t ever seen Celestia bow to anyone, much less six commoner ponies and her dragon student. To everyone else, it was a shock to see their ruler bow to common folk like them.
Twilight watched as each pony’s resolve hardened and they bowed back, “You can count on us Princess,” Rainbow Dash declared, “Come on! Faster we get down there the better,”
> Into the Maze
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As they neared the entrance of the maze, the hedges seemed to grow even taller to loom over even Twilight. Seeing that Twilight’s height rivaled Celestia’s that was saying something. Spike’s grip tightened as the group stopped to stand at the threshold. A cool breeze wafted from inside of the maze.
Fluttershy gulped and shakily asked, “Must we really go in there?”
“Flutters,” Rainbow Dash said with a straight face, “Three of us have wings,”
“Oh right,” Fluttershy flushed a little and took to the sky along with Rainbow Dash.
“We’ll search the perimeter first, then go inwards. Spike can be our second pair of eyes. Got it?” Rainbow explained.
Fluttershy and Twilight nodded. Rainbow wasn’t the captain of the weather team for nothing.
Right when Twilight jumped up, a flash of light blinded her. Her wings went from open to shielding. When she stopped seeing stars, screams pierced the air.
“My wings!” Twilight had to do a double-take.
Both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were wingless, their smaller, more delicate frames looking oddly naked without them. They hung in the air cartoonishly long before the both of them plummeted to the ground. Twilight barely managed to catch them, snapping out of her shock. 
She dove forward and Rainbow let out a hearty ‘oof’ when she landed on Twilight’s back. Fluttershy squeaked softly when she was snagged by her ridiculously long tail. Rarity shrieked in alarm when another flash zapped her horn away.
 The next moment, Pinky, Applejack, and Spike gasped. Pinky tried to jump how she normally did and only managed a mediocre bounce by her standards. Applejack reared up and slammed her forehooves to the ground and Twilight flinched, expecting the ground to crater. Only, nothing happened other than a bit of dust floating away. Spike wriggled around on her shoulders for a while and then stilled when Pinky spoke.
“O-Our magic,” Pinky whimpered, (for once the voice of reason), just loud enough for the rest to hear, “Our magic is gone!”
Just as Twilight set her two friends on the ground, there was the familiar thrum of teleportation and once again, everyone was blinded. Instinctively, Twilight flared her wings and her hackle scales raised. She stepped in front of her defenseless friends and roared a challenge before she could even see.
An evil laugh was cut off by the roar and Discord appeared. His disgruntled face spoke volumes as he peeled off a set of noise-canceling headphones. When the roar faded, Discord let a beat of silence pass before he spoke.
“You completely ruined my villainous entrance! Sacrilege I tell you!” Discord complained to the bemused ponies, “I had the lightning, dark backdrop, and everything ready!”
“Give my friends their magic back,” Twilight snarled, taking a threatening step forward, decidedly ignoring the nonsense.
The draconequus’ window pane didn’t do him justice. For one, one of his bulgy eyes was larger than the other. The solid red irises sent electrifying tingles down Twilight’s spine. His face was vaguely equine but looked more like a windigo than a pony. His face was furless and the furlessness continued mostly down his neck. Uncomfortably, it reminded Twilight of pudding.
 His close-cropped mane reminded Twilight of a Zebra’s mane. His horns made Twilight’s own feel itchy just by looking at them. One was an antler of a deer and the other looked like a goat’s horn. An odd tiger tooth poked out of his closed mouth, too large to fit comfortably inside. The only thing that really matched with each other on the creature was the fur that made up his eyebrows and beard.
His body was more interesting. His fur was coarse and thick, creeping partly up his neck. It abruptly stopped at the joints of each new limb. His feet clopped unevenly against the floor whenever he shifted.
The wings on his back physically couldn’t lift a creature of his size, but Twilight knew better than think he couldn’t fly by other means. The reddish scales along his tail were scuffed and dusty. 
The magic around the creature was so, for lack of another word, chaotic, that Twilight gave up trying to make sense of it after the first few moments. It was like the very air around him warped and twisted unnaturally from the amount of excess magic he exuded.
Discord magicked on a fencing outfit and backed up dramatically, waving the sword around, “They’ll get it back in due time. I just took them to make sure none of them cheated,”
He reappeared upside-down, back to normal, and stole Applejack’s hat, “That’s the first rule of the game: No flying, or magic. The second rule: Everyone has to play, or the game is over and I win,” He threw the hat like a frisbee and it landed perfectly on Applejack’s head.
Then, he did an evil little hand rub and his tongue flitted out much like Twilights. However, he shrieked very shrilly when Twilight spat her purple fire at him. He reequipped into a fire pony suit and scrambled away as fast as his mismatched legs could take him. 
He pulled a hose out of thin air and blasted Twilight in the face with it before speaking over her sputtering, “Temperamental I see. Very well,” 
A paw snap later, Twilight had a new iron band around her muzzle and another bigger one encircling her body, pinning her wings to her sides. Her eye twitched dangerously as water slowly dripped from her hair and horns.
Smoke puffed out of her nose in fury and she charged the draconequus. Discord vanished and reappeared a safe distance away as she slipped in the wet grass. She slipped further than physically possible since Discord added a layer of soap to the ground. She skidded all the way until she crashed into part of the hedges.
“Come now Twilight Sparkle, play the game, or else your friends lose their magic,” All the sudds were magically removed with another snap as Twilight hauled herself out of the plants.
More smoke blew out of Twilight’s nose before she indignantly sat down, eyes narrowed at him. Discord suddenly had sunglasses on his face as he dramatically cringed away from the glare. Then a moment later he was back to normal, standing in front of the group.
“Wonderful! Oh, and one more thing my dear,” he snapped his paw and chains encircled her horns, “Can’t have you cheating either, now can we?”
She could feel how much magic dampening titanium had been used to forge the chains. Dimly, she realized the chains alone could probably buy out half of the noble homes in Canterlot and still have some money left over. It was as if someone had suddenly pulled a blindfold over her eyes when she failed to sense the nearest leylines.
Smoke puffed out of Twilight’s ears and Discord laughed delightedly but grew somber when he spoke again, “Be warned Sparkle, if I do not like how you play, I will simply take you from the game myself and we can both watch as the rest of your friends play,”
Her eyes blazed with fury, growing slitted pupils, and glowing a little in the late afternoon sun. She started forward as if to charge him again but her paws remained rooted to the ground. Her growl went so deep, the other ponies only felt the vibrations of it from the earth below. Slowly, her claws tore up the grass in clumps as they clenched.
“Splendid,” Discord exclaimed in a sinister timbre, “Have fun!”
Then he vanished and the maze seemed to loom even higher around them. Spike gently touched his mother’s new muzzler, wondering if he could somehow take it off. Unfortunately, the moment his hoof made contact with the metal, electricity sparked and electrocuted the poor colt.
The next thing Spike knew, he was laying on his back in the grass and surrounded by his friends. When he sat up, he noticed his mother sitting far away from the rest of them, horror painting her face.
Spike quickly got up and trotted over to her, only for her to back up quickly, shaking her head fearfully.
“Mmf!” Twilight attempted to stop her son, but the muzzler was tight and her mouth wouldn’t open.
Internally, she steamed. Twilight Sparkle was a dragon, not an aggressive dog that required chains. Her pride screamed at her to take vengeance on the creature that dared to chain a dragon. But if the metal hurt the others, then she would gladly stay away from them until she figured out how to take it off.
“But-” Spike sadly pressed forward anyway but was restrained by Applejack.
“Uh uh!” Twilight forcefully grunted, “Mmf,”
Rainbow Dash sighed softly, “Guess we should start?”
Twilight nodded. The faster this was over with, the faster her friends could gain their magic back.
“Come on Spike, you can walk and protect me as we go,” Fluttershy said kindly, nuzzling the top of Spike’s head.
“Y-Yeah! I’ll protect you!” Spike quickly stood next to Fluttershy like a guard.
When Twilight met Fluttershy’s eyes, she was surprised to see the amount of steel in the normally passive pegasus’ eyes. Fluttershy gave her a reassuring nod and Twilight felt her heart settle back into her chest.
“Let’s go everyone,” Applejack led the way into the entrance.
The ponies fanned out and stood in a squad formation with Applejack as the leader and Twilight at the very end. Simultaneously, each being took a step forward. 
Even with the magic dampening chains, Twilight could feel the shimmering in the air as a spell activated. Her chains rattled and the iron band around her body creaked with strain as she attempted to throw her wings over her head.
Between each pony, hedges grew fast enough to blow dust away. Everyone screamed as their view from their friends was cut off. Right before the hedge next to her sprung to life, she saw Fluttershy shove Spike underneath her. In some distant part of her mind, she knew Fluttershy would lay her life down for her son, which put her slightly more at ease. Shadows seemed to try and reach for Twilight as the hedges grew to the height of a building.
The sound of Spike screaming sent Twilight into a frenzy. A red haze settled over her vision as she dove sideways into the hedge and used her claws to gouge and scrape away at the plant material. Right when she was about to break through, she was teleported away in a flash of light.
Discord tsked in her face, “My dear, Twilight! The game barely started! What a shame. Oh well, we will simply watch,”
A finger snap later, she and Discord were incorporeal blobs of mist, somehow watching and listening to all six of the ponies at once. It was a strange sensation, seeing and hearing without eyes or ears. The feeling snapped Twilight out of her rage for a split second before it came back with a vengeance.
“You try taking a child from their mother and expect no drastic actions?!” Twilight hissed, dismissing what was happening to address Discord.
She stopped talking in surprise. The concept of being able to talk without physical vocal cords or a mouth in the first place had her mind running away from her. Quickly she banished that thought, resolving to come back to it later.
She felt Discord look at her, “Oh dear, that was terribly cruel of me wasn’t it?” he said in a thoughtful tone, “That was information I wasn’t aware of. I deeply apologize,”
“I- what?” Once more, Twilight was shaken out of her rage to stare confounded at the draconequus.
“Come on everyone! We meet in the middle! Regroup! Move out!” Rainbow commanded, drawing Twilight’s attention.
“See y’all in the middle!” Applejack shot forward, galloping as fast as she could.
Discord spoke again, “I am the spirit of disharmony, Twilight Sparkle. Disharmony doesn’t simply mean evil. Chaos doesn’t mean evil. Evil is its own little thing that I don’t bother dealing with,”
Twilight was struck dumb. If she still had a mouth, it would’ve been opening and closing like a fish’s.
Then she asked, “If you’re not evil, then why do all this?”
“Being petrified in stone isn’t a good enough reason?” he sounded surprisingly sullen.
“So… you’re angry,” Twilight stated, casting her metaphorical eyes down on the maze, “But not as us specifically,”
“Oh good heavens no!” Discord pressed a paw to his chest, “I find you all very interesting, especially you. I mean a dragon that can still do pony magic? Wonderful! But you are Celestia’s foot soldiers, therefore, you are in the way,”
Twilight looked on, deep in thought as Applejack triggered a trap. The more analytical part of her mind slowly picked out and admired the mind manipulation. The more present part was helpless to do anything except watch as her friend chased after a trio of apples and fell into an illusion.
> Corruption of the Elements Pt. 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment her friend peered into the pool, Twilight glanced back at Discord.
“I don’t suppose I can convince you to stop this?” Twilight asked as Applejack recoiled as if burned and stumbled away from the water.
“I could ask the same thing,” Discord replied absentmindedly, focusing on the spell that ensnared Applejack.
“How do you mean?” 
Applejack cried out before going still. Twilight wasn’t sure if it was the sudden cloud cover but it was almost as if Applejack’s coat color dulled.
“I don’t suppose I can convince you to drop this mission?” Discord quoted part of Twilight’s question back to her.
“Fair point. I’d thought of it before, but no. We accepted the mission and will see it through,” Twilight conceded, inspecting Applejack’s still form, “Impasse it is, then.”
Discord turned his full attention back to her, “You are remarkably calm for a mother whose kid was taken away. I expected pleading and bargaining,”
“Spike is safe for now. For how long, that remains to be seen,” Twilight responded, balefully glaring at the mist next to her.
“I am not Celestia. There is no Greater Good. Your child will remain safe,” Discord promised, “As will the yellow pegasus. Chaos has some order after all,”
Twilight watched as Fluttershy and Spike met up with Applejack. She mulled over Discord’s promises. It had been a long time since a being confused her so much. Not to mention his complete disdain of Celestia and the hunting down of her friends, while at the same time promising not to hurt her child.
“Oh Applejack, thank goodness,” Fluttershy sighed thankfully.
“I heard voices. Were you talking to somebody?” Spike asked, still standing tall next to Fluttershy.
It seemed Spike was taking his guard duties seriously and Twilight’s currently non-existent heart warmed.
“Why yes! The hedges are absolutely wonderful conversation partners!” Applejack sarcastically responded in a voice bordering on hysterical, “Cmon! Best be going!”
Fluttershy balked, “Applejack?” one of her forehooves kept Spike from following the earth pony.
Twilight’s rage flared, losing her train of thought in the process, “What did you do to her?”
Somehow, she could tell Discord shrugged despite only being colorless mist, “I simply put her out of commission. No lasting damages done,”
“Applejack, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked in a rather timid manner.
“Everything! Life! Cmon now!” Applejack snapped, trotting off into the hedges.
Fluttershy and Spike scrambled after the brusque earth pony, not wanting to get left behind. The pair hung back slightly, enough to keep Applejack in their sights but not near enough to be at the receiving end of her tongue lashing.
Twilight’s agitation grew when her gaze switched to Pinky and watched her fall into an illusion as well.
“What did you do to get petrified?” Twilight asked, not liking the silence that befell them.
“Celestia and Luna hated my corner of Equestria and set out on a journey to vanquish me,” Discord explained bitterly, “Since they took my home, it is only fit I take theirs. The Chaos Realm doesn’t count,” he forestalled Twilight’s question, “I stayed well within my boundaries. I did not set out to conquer Equestria,”
“That doesn’t make any sense?” Twilight asked baffled, “The Princesses wouldn’t just go and attack another being without good cause,”
“Granted, this did happen over a thousand years ago, dear Twilight. Immortals evolve with time,” Discord reasoned.
Pinky collapsed to the ground, covering her eyes with her hooves.
“You kind of remind me of her you know,” Twilight absentmindedly said, carefully observing Pinky, “Did you tailor a spell specifically for each of us?”
Discord gasped so dramatically, Twilight somehow managed to flinch while incorporeal. A snap later, Twilight hung in the air, back into her own body. For a single moment, it felt as if she were suddenly bearing an entire boulder on her entire existence before her brain caught up to the sensation. The heavy muscles reconnected to her brain and the weight was suddenly no longer so uncomfortable. 
Reflexively, she attempted to flap her wings. Panic seized her as her wings strained against the restrictive iron bands on her back and her wings were rendered ineffective. She flailed like a fish out of the water before she realized she was being watched and she wasn’t obeying the laws of gravity.
Discord reclined back on a lawn chair that floated mid-air and eyed her strangely.
“Twilight Sparkle, do I look like a large pony princess to you?”
The air around them seemed to come alive in agitation. Twilight shook her head, her heart still beating wildly.
“So how in all of Equestria do I remind you of that egotistical Lucky Charm marshmallow?”
Twilight blinked, and slowly raised a claw to gesture at her muzzler. Her wing shoulders still reflexively spasmed every so often. 
A snap later, Twilight wondered, pushing her fear to the back of her mind, “A lucky charm?”
“A reference you wouldn’t understand,” Discord narrowed his different sized eyes at her, “Now tell me how Celestia and I are alike so I can immediately modify my behavior accordingly,”
A chill slowly crawled up Twilight’s spine the longer Discord glared at her. The prickling at the back of her head that she associated with the draconequus, grew sharper, more insistent. The scales there felt like they were going to peel themselves off and start her molt early.
Her mouth went dry the moment she opened it to speak, “Er- Well, you’re both immortal so you’re both the weirdest beings I’ve ever met,”
Discord’s glare morphed into one of boredom and disappointment, and the charged air slowly dissipated, “Is that all? I highly doubt that is all, Twilight Sparkle,”
Her hackle scales raised inadvertently as Discord leaned in closer. Until that moment, Twilight hadn’t known that Chaos had a scent. The smell clung to Discord like a large winter coat. It smelled spicy and overly sweet at the same time. It was subtle and overpowering but somehow made sense.
His red irises bored into hers as he waited for a satisfactory answer, “You both have these weird quirks about you and neither of you makes any logical sense. And you’re both so set in your ways. It gets really frustrating sometimes,”
“Really now? Has Celestia changed so much in the last thousand years?” Discord retreated, one talon on his chin as he thoughtfully reclined back on the chair, “She finally let loose and allowed herself to be a little more chaotic and not the stuck up noble she is?”
“I’d call her more eccentric than chaotic,” Twilight hedged, wings rustling with unease.
“Marvoulessly interesting,” Discord hummed thoughtfully as Twilight looked back down at Pinky.
Pinky wordlessly snarled at the hedges when the spell completed, right before Applejack and Fluttershy found her. Pinky’s normally poofy hair deflated and dulled in hue.
“Pinky! Are we glad to see you!” Spike exclaimed, hurrying over to the mare.
“Why? Need Pinky around to laugh at?” Pinky aggressively barked into Spike’s face, “Well guess what? No more laughs!”
Spike stumbled back in shock, gasping as Pinky raised a hoof as if she was going to strike him. Twilight instinctively twisted around, attempting to go after the creature that dared to raise a hoof against Spike. 
Fluttershy shoved Spike behind her and glared at the earth pony. Fluttershy stood so close to the taller earth pony that she had to crane her neck to meet her eyes. The pegasus’ eyes burned with indignation and caution.
“What is the matter with you?” Fluttershy demanded in a soft but firm voice.
Pinky just snorted and turned to follow Applejack, who’d already set out. Fluttershy exchanged a look with Spike when Pinky bypassed Applejack and tripped her.
Smoke poured out of Twilight’s snout at an alarming rate, prompting Discord to ask, “We don’t need the muzzle anymore do we?”
Twilight swung her head around. Her eyes were once again slitted and glowing. If looks could kill, Discord would’ve been six feet under. The smoke was so thick, Twilight could barely see the being next to her.
“I just watched a friend of mine threaten my son,” Twilight barely managed to enunciate her words through her growl, “And I could do nothing about it,”
Discord slapped his paw to his forehead causing his head to wobble like jelly, “Ooh, right. Hard to remember. I suppose I will overlook any threat you pose from now on,”
He magicked a notepad, wrote something down on it with a pencil larger than Twilight’s head, and then threw the notepad behind him, which exploded like a grenade, mid-air. The pencil was then tossed up and it turned into a dove, which flew away with a confused hoot.
Twilight could feel the headache coming on since Discord’s newest display of magic violated half of the set magical rules in existence. She shook herself, choosing instead to focus on watching her friends slowly convening into a group once more. She prayed that no one else would fall into another trap.
Her prayer was decidedly ignored by whatever higher deity since Rarity fell into one, moments after her hope.
> Corruption of the Elements Pt. 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You never answered my question. Did you tailor a spell specifically for each of us?” Twilight tore her eyes away from the alabaster unicorn.
“Perhaps I did,” Discord grinned maliciously, “A magician never gives away their secrets,”
It took a moment for his words to register, but when it did Twilight sputtered, “We are mages! Not magicians! Magicians are smoke and mirrors,”
Discord snapped his paw, conjuring a large blackthorn wood throne, while simultaneously vanishing his lawn chair, “As you’ve seen, Chaos magic doesn’t fall into the realm of normal mages,”
Twilight nodded dumbly, noting the amount of detail in the woodwork.
“I can transmute inanimate objects into animals larger than the mass I had originally,” he conjured a pin which morphed into a very confused cat before vanishing in a flash of light, “I can give iron the properties of steel without increasing the mass,” he gestured to the restrictive iron bands, “I can do many things Twilight Sparkle. I am not limited by the mere label ‘mage’.”
He laughed at the rather upset look Twilight shot him, “Did I shake your entire magical world? I do apologize,”
Rarity turned away from the illusion, showing an impressive amount of resistance to the mind magic. Internally, Twilight cheered for her friend and felt pride flash through her at how long Rarity was managing.
“Only certain spells of yours don’t obey the rules,” Twilight observed, angrily scrunching her brow at Rarity’s painful struggle.
Discord grinned ferally, not bothering to respond.
Twilight winced when Discord’s spell forced its way into Rarity’s mind, “No lasting damage done?” She asked incredulously, knowing what had just happened could’ve been catastrophic if Rarity were more well versed in resisting mind magic.
“No lasting damage done, dear Twilight,” Discord promised once more.
Rarity began to dig into the cliff next to her with a crazed expression. It totally derailed Twilight’s train of thought as the unicorn scraped away stone and rubble with her bare hooves. Her mouth fell further and further open as Rarity slowly dug out a huge boulder. She was very worried that one of Rarity’s legs would shatter on impact rather than the rock. Rarity let out a demented sounding shriek of desire as the cliff gave in on itself.
“She won’t hurt herself?” Twilight hesitantly asked.
Discord scrambled out of his throne and hastily snapped his talons. This time, Discord had the grace to look sheepish when Twilight leveled him with a glare. She even peeled her lips back to growl lowly at him.
“No lasting damage,” Twilight scoffed sarcastically, “A broken leg definitely isn’t lasting damage,”
“Well…” Discord began only to quell under Twilight’s severe look.
So much dust coated Rarity’s mane and coat, that her entire self appeared to be dulled in color. Twilight watched as the frail unicorn struggled to heft the rock up. Right as the unicorn hefted the boulder upon her back, the rest of her friends rounded the corner.
“Rarity! I-” Spike stumbled to a halt, “Why do you have a boulder?”
“Boulder?” Rarity began in affronted tones, “What do you mean boulder? This humongous diamond is all mine! Don’t you dare take it away like everything else you’ve taken!”
“If that’s a diamond, then real gems must have you turning inside out for ‘em don’t they?” Applejack snickered, “If that’s a diamond, Twilight better have a stomach for rocks!”
Spike huddled under Fluttershy as their friends started to argue.
“That diamond’s the ugliest one I’ve ever seen,” Pinky declared grumpily, “I used to work on a rock farm so I would know,”
“After all we’ve been through together, this is how you all treat me?” Rarity demanded, letting the boulder roll back onto the ground, “This is how you repay me after all you’ve stolen?!”
“Come on y’all. We still gotta find Rainbow Crash,” Applejack took the lead again, seemingly already knowing the path toward Rainbow, “Let’s leave the Drama Queen while we’re at it,”
“If I find this has traumatized Spike, I will hunt you down and the body won’t be found,” Twilight spoke monotonously without turning her head.
She could tell Discord backed away slightly from the way his voice carried, “I am an immortal Twilight Sparkle, though I applaud the dramatics,”
The glare Twilight had on her face was much more dangerous than any other glare she’d shot him so far. It was as if she were looking into his very soul, picking a section that was weaker, preparing to brutally rip it out, chew it up, and then spit it back into his face as a charred blackened mess. And she’d do it without breaking eye contact.
Discord gulped, his body contorting into an accordion shape. He shuddered so hard, he visibly shrunk in and out in the accordion shape.
Twilight sighed unhappily as she watched Rainbow Dash chase after a cloud, activating another illusion. The pegasus turned the corner and smashed through a cloud so hard, it left a pony-shaped hole.
Rainbow skidded to an unsteady halt.
Time. Twilight needed time. How to make more time?
Outloud, Twilight wondered, “What is chaos. What defines it?”
“My dear Twilight, I am offended,” Discord held his paw up to his chest as he answered, “Me, I define chaos,”
Rainbow reared up and began to punch the air wildly.
“So how do you define chaos?” Twilight probed once more, hoping to keep the draconequus talking.
“Chaos is anything outside the norm,” Discord proclaimed proudly, “If it doesn’t make sense, it’s chaos!”
Twilight made a face, but didn’t dignify his declaration with a response. Rainbow Dash froze in place, hooves still up. If the wind hadn’t blown through the pegasus’s mane, Twilight would’ve thought she’d been frozen through.
“But what is normal? Normality is just a concept isn’t it?” Twilight abruptly asked the draconequus, “‘A crowdsourced fantasy’?”
Discord opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it again. He raised a finger and then tried to answer again.
“I am a dragon raised by ponies who used to be one herself. By your definition, I am chaotic?”
Once more, Discord floundered for an answer.
“If everything is chaotic, wouldn’t that become the new normal and actually normal things become chaotic?” Twilight pressed her advantage, “Surely you’ve thought of this at least once since you’re an immortal?”
Rainbow let out an anguished cry and dove forward toward the blue gift box in front of her. She ripped into the box with a fervor Twilight had never seen.
“Is chaos even real?” Twilight questioned the catatonic being next to her with a growing grin, “Are you alright?”
Discord didn’t move, not even to blink. His eyes shrunk to pinpricks leaving it mostly yellow in color. Twilight managed to float herself closer and wave a claw in front of his face.
That snapped Discord out of it, “You have the nerve to ask if I’m alright after that?” he screeched, his neck elongating past natural means to shove his face into hers, “After my entire world has fallen out under me?!”
“Oh boy, that sounds chaotic,” Twilight smiled slightly, “Just returning the favor,”
Discord unhinged his jaw and let it fall to his knees. A second later, he picked it back up and shoved it back. Then, a finger snap, and the entire maze collapsed in on itself.
“Well played, Twilight Sparkle. Well played,” Discord said begrudgingly, “I have lost at my own game to a dragon that was taken out of the game. The first time in my long life. Very well played,”
The sun peeked out from behind the normal clouds and all her friends shook themselves before crying out. Discord gently lowered the two from the sky and removed the enchanted iron from Twilight’s body. To her, it was like a large breath of crisp clean air.
She took a deep breath in as the familiar leylines popped back into existence and her sense of magic rushed back. Never again would she take her magical sensitivity for granted.
“Bravo ponies, bravo!” Discord swept a top hat from his head and bowed, “Congratulations,”
He turned to shake Twilight’s claws, “I do keep my promises, my dear. Here are your Elements,”
The Elements popped into existence on the ground, safely back into the decorated box. Then he magicked a giant target onto himself.
“Fire when ready,”
Her friends wobbled around for a bit after Discord’s mind magic wore off. Pinky’s mane popped back to full poofyness and Rarity screamed softly at the state of her chipped hooves.
Spike jumped off of Fluttershy’s back and raced over to Twilight who caught him in her forelegs. Discord snapped again and their magic was restored.
Rainbow dashed over to the box and immediately donned her Element, Applejack followed suit.
“Now to put you back into the castle garden as you belong!” Rainbow shook a hoof at the draconequus.
The rest of Twilight’s friends put their Elements on, but Twilight didn’t move. She just plainly looked at the sad being.
“We are not turning Discord back into stone,” Twilight spontaneously decided, “He’s been in stone long enough,”
“What?!” Several voices screamed at once.
“Harmony needs to be balanced by Disharmony. Harmony has reigned for too long I think. Life is constant and changing. Society should be the same as well. After all, a little chaos never hurt anyone,”
Discord reeled backward as if something socked him in the face. Then, crocodile tears leaked out of his eyes and he dramatically sobbed into an oversized handkerchief.
“A dragon, beating me for the title Master of Chaos!” Discord blubbered, “How is this possible?”
Everyone stared as Discord slowly quieted. The handkerchief vanished and Discord gazed at Twilight with renewed interest.
“How would you feel about becoming my apprentice Twilight Sparkle? I would have much more to teach you than that overgrown marshmallow,”
> Return of Disharmony - End Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was Twilight’s turn for her jaw to drop. Discord’s smile stretched further at Twilight’s bemused expression.
“Is-Is there a catch?” Twilight stammered with wide eyes.
Discord shook his head, “None. Chaos magic is very hard to learn, let alone master. I’d be very surprised if you could end up conjuring things by the time I’m done with you. Though, your cutie mark seems to suggest Magic itself has given you a blessing. I’d look forward to our lessons together if you do accept.”
Twilight sprang up, nearly unseating Spike, and did a little happy dance, “Yes! I’d love to!”
Rainbow Dash angrily scrunched her eyebrows, “Woah, hold on Twi! You don’t even know if he’s telling the truth. Besides, the Princess said to use the Elements on him. He’s evil,”
“Magic is magic,” Twilight waved a wing dismissively, “It’s what the user decides what to do with it is the problem. Discord won’t mess with my brain,”
“Ugh, what a downer Celestia is,” Discord groaned, “What is she? A god?”
Five blank stares met his eyes before they all nodded. Twilight sighed. She knew she would be wasting her breath, but she said it again.
“Celestia isn’t a god,” Twilight grumbled, “She’s a pony like everyone else. Wait no scratch that. She isn’t like everyone else because she lives off of cakes,”
The rest of her friends sported scandalized looks as Twilight spoke. She suppressed the urge to sigh again. Again and again, her friends never believed her even when they witnessed Celestia’s mistakes first-hand.
“Darling, as her student you should speak of her with more respect!” Rarity said reproachfully.
“I do respect her, but she isn’t a god,” Twilight said firmly.
Discord giggled and did a flip, “I thought it would be harder, but you already see Celestia’s faults. Splendid!”
“Not really faults. More like weird quirks that tell me no being is perfect,” Twilight shrugged, “Like you. You aren’t perfect either,”
Spike chose that moment to say, “Once, Mom and I walked into the kitchen at night and Celestia was just in there eating cake!”
Twilight chuckled and shook her head, “Alright everyone, let’s go report back, that includes you Discord,”
Discord tisked and wagged a finger in her face, “As my apprentice, you address me as Master,”
Twilight arched a brow but didn’t comment, “This might feel weird for anyone who hasn’t teleported before. Don’t panic and it’ll be fine,”
Twilight charged her horns and met everyone’s eyes individually before letting the spell go. The entire group landed in Celestia’s throne room in a burst of purple sparks. Everyone other than Spike collapsed to the ground and voiced their discomfort. Twilight was the only being to see Celestia banish a plateful of cake before rising majestically.
Discord groaned and flopped onto the floor like a deflated balloon, “Ohh, I hate normal teleportation,” 
“How Chaotic,” Twilight quipped.
Then Discord reinflated himself and stood next to Twilight, “Your great Marshmellow-ness, I have decided to surrender. Your student has intrigued me and I’ve decided to take her under my wing,” he dropped a paw into Twilight’s head.
Twilight snarled and snapped at his paw and he quickly took his hand back.
Celestia blinked and then sighed wryly, “My student never took note of rules. I see you have returned the Elements, very well.”
“Oh, I take note of rules,” Twilight corrected her mentor, speaking over her cringing friends, “I just never listen to them if I don’t want to,”
“Perhaps in some far-off world, Twilight is still a pony and listens to rules obsessively,” Discord suggested.
Spike guffawed into Twilight’s hair, “Mom listening to rules?”
“I listen to some,” Twilight protested, rustling her wings indignantly,  “Just the ones that make sense to me,”
Discord wiped away a tear that formed in his eye, “You’ve been my apprentice for less than an hour and I am just so proud already!”
“You haven’t even taught me anything yet,” Twilight huffed.
“You’re making that job easier and easier, dear Twilight,”
“Because I’m just oh so chaotic, your great Chaotic-ness,” she said back sarcastically.
Celestia face-hooved and sighed very loudly, “You two can work out your situation later. I would say job well done, but you didn’t even finish the job,”
Twilight somehow made her eye roll more apparent than normal but nodded anyway.
Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she said, “Thank you, my esteemed mentor,”
Reverently, the rest of her friends bowed to the Princess and thanked her. Under Celestia’s direction, her friends returned the Elements of Harmony into the box.
As the alicorn lifted the box in her magic, she turned to Discord and sighed, “Do I want to know how you managed to get through my enchantments?”
Discord’s wicked grin was back as he boop-ed Celestia’s nose with a talon, “A barrier is useless if going around is an option,”
Twilight’s jaw hung open again as she incredulously asked her mentor, “You didn’t ward anything other than the door?!” she cast her gaze to the number of sigils and magic circles on the door, “That many circles in one place and you didn’t think to encircle the final creation?!”
Probably by sheer will, Celestia managed to stop from blushing and keep her neutral mask on, “Every pony makes mistakes,” she haughtily said as she resealed the Elements.
Twilight dragged her claws down her face, creating a nails-on-chalkboard sound as they scraped against her scales. Discord giggled as he hovered upside down.
“I declare your mission complete. Thank you for your service to Equestria,” Celestia declared in the royal voice, “Is there any insurance I get for leaving you free, Discord?”
Discord thought for a moment before snapping his talons with a large smile, “Nope!”
“If you all would excuse me, I need to inform my sister of this new development,” Celestia said stiffly and she didn’t even take the time to sigh properly as she turned away.
As Celestia exited the room, her friends bowed again. Twilight managed to stop from rolling her eyes this time. Applejack looked especially terrified after seeing Celestia upset.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this displeased since the first Gala I went to,” Twilight commented, then she shrugged, ignoring her friends’ horrified looks, “She’ll get over it and somehow manage to poke fun at me with this later,”
In the silent aftermath, Discord proclaimed, “Your first lesson will be teleportation. I’ll see you next week Twilight Sparkle. Expect the unexpected!”
He jumped up, did a pirouette, and vanished in a flash of light as he posed. Twilight chuckled and turned to her friends again.
“Shall we go home?”
> Discord's Lessons - Rules
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Discord said 'next week', Twilight expected seven days from that date. After all, wasn't that the definition of a week? So it was to Twilight's unfortunate surprise that Discord popped into the middle of the library on a Wednesday wearing pool floaties, flippers, and a snorkel.

Twilight froze with her quill suspended over her parchment for so long that the quill dripped.

"It's been a week?" Twilight asked stupidly, blinking rapidly and checking the clock.

"Expect the unexpected!" Discord sang, throwing pool noodles around, "Come, my apprentice, we shall learn the proper form of teleportation. Outside please!"

"But-" Twilight glanced back at her essay and watched it burn to a crisp courtesy of Discord, "Wha-?!"

She was left holding her quill over a scorch mark on the desk, "Discord!"

Discord wagged a finger, "I am addressed as Master, young apprentice,"

"My essay!" Twilight fumed.

"You'll get it back in due time Twilight. Now come! Outside we go!" Discord bopped her on the nose and suddenly they were standing in the middle of a grassy field near Ponyville, "When I am through with you, I should hope you can manage to teleport like so,"

Twilight placed a claw on her chin, deciding to throw off her annoyance for the time being, "The sensation of magic is still the same as unicorn magic, but the actual act of teleporting is a lot different. There's no surge of magic, it's almost like preparing the spell and casting it, is in the same action,"

Discord promptly took off his sleeping mask when Twilight finished talking, "Are you the teacher here?"

Twilight frowned but shut her mouth.

"Wonderful! Now," Discord flapped his mismatched wings, "Now to learn Chaos Magic, I want you to take all the rules you know about magic and forget about it,"

She blinked, stunned into continuing her silence.

"Then," Discord continued, flying upside-down, "I want you to make new rules. They absolutely cannot match the rules you already know. Once you've made them, they become rules you cannot ever break on pain of death,"

He looked at Twilight expectantly as if waiting for her to spout rules right then and there.

"How do I forget about rules?" Twilight demanded, finally speaking, "That's like asking me to forget how to write!"

Discord straightened and thought before saying, "We can start small then, just like forgetting how to spell something, if you want to use writing as an analogy, you can try and forget how a rule works. Teleportation isn't that difficult, unlike changing the properties of an object,"

"Well I need to think about this don't I?" Twilight huffed indignantly, "All this just to teleport?"

"But of course, my dear apprentice. Didn't you need to learn all the rules before learning to teleport with unicorn magic?" Discord made a point, "You needed to understand the rules, know what they did, and how they worked before you even attempted teleportation correct?"

Twilight nodded. She'd been a studious little filly and studied almost obsessively until she'd been turned into a dragon and adopted Spike (her priorities had shifted a bit once she realized she was the sole caretaker of a child). It'd taken years of reading and Celestia's guidance before she even attempted to teleport. She wondered if the dangers were the same.

Unicorn teleportation was dangerous if done without proper preparation and power. Most unicorns never even attempted teleportation simply because of the dangers.

Discord continued, "So what better way to learn than to make the rules yourself? You'll know exactly what they do, how they work, and the limitations of it. There are five rules you must create that encircle the five elements: fire, water, death, life, and magic,"

Since Twilight continued to look stunned, Discord settled himself back on his hooves and patted her head, "Come now Twilight Sparkle. Nothing is impossible," then he continued in a surprisingly more gentle manner, "This lesson can always wait, neither of us is going anywhere for a while. I can come back next week to hear your rules,"

"But don't I need to start forgetting rules before I make them?"

Twilight's head twisted up to look at Discord like a lost child's. Yet at the same time, Discord spied determination sparking under the surface. Something in the old draconequus' heart melted. A genuine smile stretched across his face.

"I knew I made the right decision when I made you my apprentice. Good luck with your rules. I will be back next week. Expect the unexpected," He patted her back and she reappeared back in the library, essay, and quill still in claw.

It nearly took Twilight a full minute to register she was back in the library and set her writing utensils down. Her essay lay forgotten as she flipped a random piece of parchment over to start her draft of her rules.





Four days later, the second floor of the library was covered in so many crumpled balls of paper that it looked like it'd rained down from the ceiling. Twilight slammed her quill down on the tabletop so hard that quill splintered in her grip and the entire table wobbled and collapsed under the force. A quick spell fixed it, but Twilight still glared down at the paper.

When Discord popped into existence, he narrowly dodged the blast of fire Twilight sent his way. He poked his head out from his improvised bomb shelter created from pillows.

"How go your rules, apprentice? The fire makes me think it's going well!"

"I don't even know how to start!" Twilight roared sadly, "The rules for the rules are too vague!"

Discord blinked, "But that is the point, my apprentice! It gives you room to interpret to your own wishes,"

"You can't give me examples, Chaos Master?" Twilight gritted out.

Discord mimed wiping away tears, "Oh my apprentice has finally called me Master! And no Twilight Sparkle. That takes away the fun. You need to be creating, making, and following the rules!"

Twilight glowered at her teacher and slumped over on her desk again, "It just isn't possible to forget the fundamental rules of magic,"

Discord simply sat upon nothing as he waited for his apprentice's lightbulb moment to go off. When it did, he conjured a lightbulb and lit it. He watched on in amusement as she swatted the bulb out of the air and then scrambled to pull sheets of blank parchment toward herself.

"I can't forget about them. Would it still work if I simply ignored them, Chaos Master?"

"I suppose," Discord agreed skeptically, "Though I do not know how you would manage to ignore rules without forgetting about them in the first place,"

"Well it's not like I'm going to give up unicorn magic completely," Twilight said, voice growing louder in excitement, "Yes! This could work. I'll create my rules Chaos Master, but I refuse to forget about the old ones,"

A grin slowly spread across the immortal's face as he watched Twilight's quill fly across the papers, "Next week then, apprentice?"

"Try two days, Chaos Master," Twilight nodded confidently, "I am an expert at ignoring rules,"

"Splendid,"





A few hours later, Twilight had finished drafting her first rule: fire. Her master had said it was up to interpretation. Her first rule was about her own fire.

Letter-fire wouldn't be able to transport objects bigger than her own mass, nor could it transport nonsentient life.

The last part had her doubting herself since most living things that housed a brain wouldn't dare stay still long enough to burn up completely into letter-ash. She was half a mind to call herself crazy, but knowing her master, these rules were supposed to be like that.

If she wanted to send a couple of hundred pounds of paper to Celestia in one go, who was to stop her? Heck, if need be she could totally transport Spike some-place else if he stayed still long enough and clearly gave consent.

But she could not and would not set animals on fire just for the sake of moving them. A bunny wouldn't know what was happening and more likely die of a heart attack from fear. Plants were more ambiguous but Twilight also refused to set them on fire unless they were dead already.

Twilight was unsure if this rule would apply when she blew out her letter-fire from her mouth, or when she invoked her Chaos Magic into it. For all she knew, she'd have to do a claw snap and whatever she wanted on fire would spontaneously catch fire.

She went to bed very satisfied that night. However, halfway through the night, she threw her covers from herself and hurried over to her desk once more. Spike groaned from the bed and turned away from the candles Twilight lit.

In the early hours of the morning, Twilight created her second rule: water. Once her quill was back in the inkpot, she readily called herself a crazy dragon as she looked over the rule.

In her presence, water would be sentient and would be able to take whatever form it wanted, so long there was enough water to create it.

She wanted to laugh. Drinking water in the future would be fun. She wasn't sure if this rule would end up being a blessing or a curse. Time would tell, she reasoned.

Seeing the sunlight filter through the leaves that made up her roof, Twilight saw no reason to go back to bed and hastened to make herself some tea before she keeled over on the spot.

Spike woke up a few hours later with a steaming breakfast waiting on the table for him and his mother nearly claw deep in parchment. Knowing better than asking why she was awake, he thanked her for the meal.

Twilight smiled at his eager expression as he devoured his pancakes before continuing to mutter to herself about the properties of her third rule.

Life and Death were the hardest ones so far. The two others had been easy. Just a simple crazy or imaginative idea and the rule was done (with a little minor tweaking). Life and Death were delicate matters.

Her first instinct was to veer off into necromancy territory but the more logical part of her mind stamped that thought out before it could get out of claw. The dead were supposed to stay dead, no matter how their manner of leaving the living plane was initiated.

Her third rule encompassed both Life and Death: Her Chaos Magic wouldn't be allowed to become the cause of a sentient being's death nor could it extend or save its life.

When she finished, she had a sinking feeling that this rule would come and bite back when she wasn't looking. But she refused to allow more leeway. Life and Death weren't things to tamper with.

The last rule regarding Magic had been easy. After all, she literally housed the Element of Magic within her. A few check-ins with the tiny subconscious inside and the rule was done and dusted.

Her Chaos Magic would only be limited by her imagination and the parameters of the other three rules.





It was with great excitement that Discord popped in exactly one and a half days later. Her master was decked out in an obscenely colored cape that changed hues at random intervals. The changing colors weren't ever easier on the eyes than the last. The goggles on his eyes made them bulge out in a bug-like fashion, but somehow, Discord pulled the look off well.

He took one look at his student and then a party horn went off. Confetti rained down from the ceiling and disappeared before ever touching the floor. The lights went off and a disco ball lowered from where the lights were. A second later, music began to play.

"This is a library," Twilight managed to say before getting swept up into a celebratory dance, courtesy of her mentor.

"Congratulations my apprentice!" Discord exalted as she squeaked incoherently from the speed he swung her around at, "Your rules have been set and they are quite good if I do say so myself!"

When Twilight was steady once more, the confetti, disco ball, and music vanished as fast as they sprang into existence. Despite the circumstances, a smile pulled at her mouth.

"Yes Chaos Master. Thank you for being so patient,"

"Now I can give the lecture about teleportation," Discord gleefully exclaimed, "No more rough and tumble, limb disembowelment here! No sir-ree!"

Twilight didn't even blink when Discord took the two back to the empty field. She laid down and made herself comfortable, ready to absorb the new information like the knowledge sponge she was.
> Royal Order - Canterlot Wedding Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinky Pie hummed a joyful tune as she sliced up the cake for everyone. Twilight and her friends were out on a picnic, enjoying the wonderful weather. Currently, she was tuning in and out of the conversation as she read a book while also keeping an eye on Spike as he chased butterflies in the bushes.
Just as Pinky lifted a cake slice toward Twilight’s muzzle, Twilight quickly slammed her book down into the picnic blanket and blasted out letter-fire. The cake and paper plate never stood a chance. Thankfully Pinky’s Pinky Sense warned her a split second before and she snatched her hooves back in the nick of time. There wasn’t even ash to blow away once the flames died down.
Twilight caught the scroll in her claws and sheepishly apologized to Pinky, “Celestia must’ve sent this one in a hurry. Usually, I have some warning before it happens,”
As usual, her friends cringed at Twilight’s lack of title when addressing her mentor.
“Alright, let’s see,” Twilight quickly sped-read the entire letter before outlining it in simpler terms, “We’re being invited to a wedding that’s next week and Celestia wants us to do the preparation work. Flutters, would you be able to teach your bird choir the wedding march?” the pegasus nodded.
“Oh, I can’t believe the Princess wants me to do the bird choir!” Fluttershy quietly cheered.
“She must’ve been super impressed at the Summer Sun Celebration,” Rainbow whispered to her. Fluttershy giggled proudly.
“Pinky, Celestia wants you to host the reception,” Pinky screamed excitedly and cartwheeled over all the foodstuffs on the blanket. Somehow she was able to avoid trampling anybody’s food or flipping any plates.
“AJ you’re in charge of the catering,” Applejack puffed her chest and nodded, looking smug and proud. No words needed to be spoken. Any creature in Ponyville knew that the Apples had amazing pastries.
“Rainbow, do you think you could perform a sonic rainboom after the bride and groom’s first kiss?”
Rainbow Dash gaped, choking on air since she’d been in the middle of a yawn when Twilight spoke. The dragon took that as an affirmative and continued. Applejack thumped the coughing pegasus on the back a couple of times.
“And Rarity, you think you could design the wedding dress as well as the bridesmaids’ dresses in such a short amount of time?”
The unicorn grew still before swaying alarmingly. She began to mutter to herself, her eyes dilating. Fluttershy hastened to catch the unicorn before she collapsed onto the ground.
Twilight rolled her eyes and flipped the parchment over, expecting the letter to go on longer and explain whose wedding it was. She furrowed her eye ridges when the letter didn’t go on except to list all of her mentor’s needless titles. The parchment was flipped back over and once more read.
“My esteemed mentor didn’t think to write down who this wedding is for?” Twilight rhetorically asked, snapping her claws so the parchment did a little dance upon the blanket.
Just as Twilight finished the sentence, another catch behind her throat had her spinning away to spit a second smaller letter out.
Quickly Twilight read the second letter only to freeze in place. The dancing parchment let out a shrill scream and proceeded to set itself on fire. Her friends stared as the screaming parchment continued to burn without any visible damage happening to it. The parchment danced frenziedly and screamed louder when the flames grew bigger.
Twilight crumpled up the second letter in her talons. She ripped it into pieces and then incinerated what was left of it. The parchment continued to scream until it actually caught fire and reduced itself to ash.
Fluttershy started forward and quietly asked, “Is everything ok?” as she draped a wing over Twilight’s scales.
“Why am I hearing about my brother’s wedding from a Royal Order Celestia sent and not from him?” Twilight asked quietly.
“Your brother?” her friends chorused in question.
Spike nestled himself against Twilight’s magenta underplates and she gently carded her claws through his mane. Twilight glared at the distant castle of Canterlot.
“Thanks a lot, Shining Armor!” Twilight spat bitterly, somehow making her brother’s name sound like a curse, “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza? Who in the hay is that?”
“Darling, how come we never hear about him if he’s your brother? You know all of our siblings,” Rarity asked, vaguely waving a hoof in the direction of Ponyville.
Twilight sighed and cuddled Spike closer, “He wasn’t ever really the same after Spike. He grew distant and frankly a little mean,”
Spike’s ears drooped sadly, “I mean I guess he’s busy as Captain of the Royal Guard. But he wasn’t ever the same as when I was a filly,”
Her friends listened closely, sitting beside her. She snapped her talons and animated some twigs and leaves into shapes and continued to talk as the twigs followed her narrative.
“Shining Armor was my only friend when I was little. Back then I was too focused on my studies to care for other fillies my age. He was so excited for me when I went to take the entrance exam at Celestia’s school,” Twilight sniffled, “But when I came back that same day, he was horrified. He nearly attacked me until my dad stopped him. He grew more distant when I had to take care of Spike,”
Spike grimaced but didn’t say anything. He knew not to. The two of them had sat down long ago when Spike was old enough to question why his mother was a dragon and he a pony. That’d been a day filled with run-away emotions and tears.
“Are we still doing the wedding, darling?” Rarity asked hesitantly, “If you don’t want to, none of us will, right girls?”
Everyone remarked positively and Twilight felt a smile stretch over her face despite her anger.
“Yes, we’re still doing it. It was a royal order from Celestia,” Twilight confirmed, “I’ll try not to have my feelings get the better of me. But I will, be talking with him,”
“I don’t think anypony would care if you set him on fire a little, Twi,” Rainbow Dash said in an effort to make her feel better.
Twilight snorted, “I think the bride might have some issues with that,”
She got to her paws and shook herself, “We leave for Canterlot tomorrow morning. I’d assume you all would like to prepare,”
Most of her friends nodded and Twilight smiled, “Don’t let me keep you then. Thank you for the wonderful picnic,”
> Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight saw her friends off at the train station. Each pony brought something different. 
In Rarity’s case, she had several carts worth of luggage that Twilight had to help the poor conductor heave onto the train. Rarity already had her inspiration glasses on and was drawing up sketches and making patterns.
Fluttershy had sent her bird friends ahead and only brought a book.  Likewise, since Rainbow didn’t have much to do, only a pair of goggles rested around her neck. She was off to the side stretching. Spike sat obediently next to the yellow pegasus and quietly observed the rest of the station.
Applejack and Pinky were comparing their pastry recipes. Pinky arrived at the train station with her baker's hat already donned, toting a huge party cannon. Knowing Pinky, the cannon alone would be enough for the earth pony. Meanwhile, Applejack had several baskets of the Apple family’s prized apples on her back.
“I don’t trust the quality of any ol’ apples. They need to be Apple family grade,” she had proclaimed when Twilight sent her a questioning glance.
Twilight stayed at the station long enough to wave back at Spike as the train pulled away. Sullenly, she walked back to the library since the flight there would be a lot faster than the train. She would’ve flown back, but she didn’t think she could deal with the gasps and pearl-clutching without snapping at somebody.



Half an hour later, her bag was packed and she threw herself up into the air from the library balcony. The air currents were in her favor and warm air gently lifted her higher and higher toward the towering parapets of Canterlot.
As she approached, her magic senses grew more and more confused. Canterlot was a city of unicorns. Of course, there would be a lot of magic saturating the air, but not this much. The leylines near and around the mountain were working overtime, sending more and more magic power into the city.
The very air was tingling with magic and Twilight frowned. Too much magic could start attracting undesirable creatures. Celestia should know that. So why was Canterlot like a shining magical beacon?
Twilight began her descent, spotting her friends milling around the train station. As she dove, her hair prickled uncomfortably. It finally registered when a pink sheen sprang into existence less than a meter from her nose.
In her panic, her only thought was to teleport. Hitting her nose on anything wasn’t worth the amount of pain. In the back of her mind, she went through all the stories of ponies who’d tried to teleport past an enchanted barrier. None of them ended nicely. But she was going too fast to stop, nor did she want to bash her nose into a barrier as strong as this one. If it’d been a weaker one, she wouldn’t have any qualms about smashing straight through it. The magic in the barrier called to her and she knew this was her brother’s magic.
Shining Armor specialized in shield magic. He was made Captain of the Guard because the strength of his conjured shields were unheard of. She wouldn’t be able to get past this barrier without draining a nearby leyline and blasting the barrier multiple times.
There wasn’t any time to charge her horns for a proper teleport. Her talons snapped and she disappeared soundlessly in a flash of light. Discord would’ve been proud if he’d seen. This was the second time she managed to teleport properly using his method. 
She reappeared a few feet off the floor, still pointed at the ground and her body going the same velocity as she was a moment ago. (Ok so maybe not completely perfect, but at least she hadn’t left her tail behind or cut off a wing in her haste). 
Twilight drew her wings close and tucked her legs as close to her body as she could, not wanting to break something as she landed. Unfortunately, this only served to make her fly through the air faster than she already was going.
She unceremoniously plowed horns-first into the train station floor, her scales tearing up the wood as if they were leaves. She groaned as she slid to a stop, splinters sticking out between her plates. As her friends gathered at the edge of the furrow, Twilight spat out a lone plank of wood.
“Sparkle!” A familiar guttural voice roared, “What in Celestia’s name are you doing?!”
Out of pure habit and instinct alone, Twilight sat up, stiff as the boards she just crashed through. Pieces of wood rained down the sides as Twilight jostled the broken planks.
“Nothing, Bulwark, sir!”
A grizzled pegasus guard landed on the undamaged part of the station, “This sure looks like a great deal of nothing, Sparkle!” he roared again sarcastically.
Twilight clambered out of the broken planks clumsily. Her horns ignited and easily repaired any damage there might’ve been. If anything the station floor looked freshly built rather than the worn look it had before.
Bulwark’s grey coat was lighter than the last time she’d seen him. His beard looked more like fresh snow and his scar over his eye had darkened some. He wasn’t any taller nor shorter, something she privately was amused about. Despite his shorter-than-average stature, he could be terrifying when he wanted to be.
“You know better than to teleport past enchanted walls, Sparkle,” Bulwark remarked gruffly. His armor clanked as his wings rustled uneasily.
“Aww, I didn’t know you cared sir,” Twilight jested, “I had a lot on my mind,”
Bulwark hummed noncommittally, “Glad to see you with some ponies your own age. How’ve you been, Tyke?”
“Good Uncle Bulwark, sir,” Spike responded shyly from under Fluttershy’s wing.
“You all go set up. I need to have a chat with Bulwark’s illustrious Captain,” Several of her friends shuddered from the dark expression on Twilight’s face.
Spike quickly took his spot on Twilight’s shoulders when Bulwark barked out a laugh, “I’ve heard of the Captain called many things, Sparkle. But you’ve managed to increase that list by one more,”
Twilight rolled her eyes, “Where is this Captain of yours?”
Her friends took that as their queue to leave and soon, it was just her, Spike, and Bulwark with the guards surrounding the station.
“I believe he is in the barracks,” When Twilight turned to leave, he rested a shoed hoof on her shoulder, “Don’t be too harsh on him, Sparkle. He’s trying his best,”
Twilight snorted so puffs of purple smoke rose out her nose, then she drawled, “Yes he's trying so hard,”
With that, Twilight launched herself into the air, flying directly to the barracks.
> Sibling Trouble
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

She spotted him very easily. His electrifying blue mane making him stand out from every other pony in the courtyard. Not to mention the absurd yellow and purple armor that marked him as Captain.
“Shining Armor!” Twilight roared loud enough to rattle the windows and shake the doorframes of the surrounding buildings, “How dare you let me find out your wedding from a Royal Order! No visit? Not even a letter?”
She landed in the center of the courtyard, wings flared aggressively and sent dust scattering away. She only stopped frowning to wave and smile back at a few of the guards that greeted her. No guard looked like they were ready to come to save their captain any time soon.
Her wonderful brother shrieked shrilly and scrambled back so fast, he tripped and fell backward.
Twilight decided to emulate Princess Luna and continue with the Royal Canterlot voice, “I’m your sister for Celestia’s sake!”
When the echo stopped, her brother quickly got back on his hooves and coughed awkwardly.
“It wasn’t my fault,” Shining Armor said firmly, suddenly a far cry from moments earlier, “A threat has been made against Canterlot,”
“A threat against Canterlot suddenly makes you unable to write a letter?” Twilight incredulously hissed, “And nobody thought to warn this dragon about the huge force field around the city either?”
Twilight spun away and put her face into her paws. Everyone in the area winced as Twilight dragged her claws down her face, creating a Celestia-awful noise.
“I don’t even know who your bride is!” Twilight suddenly spun back around, nearly dislodging Spike, “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?”
Without breaking eye contact, Twilight bent down so Spike could hop off. He’d been insistently tapping her to get down for some time now.
“Hi, Uncle Shiny. Bye, Uncle Shiny,” Spike sprinted over to Marshall, the first pony he knew, and caught his eye.
Shining Armor’s expression crumpled inwards, morphing into a frown of displeasure, “Why does he still call me that?”
Twilight performed several breathing exercises Discord taught her to not set her lovely brother’s entire face on fire. Smoke issued from her nose and she ended up sitting like a gargoyle. She hunched herself to bring her face closer to her brother’s, furthering the gargoyle look.
“We are not having this conversation again, dear brother. I will help with the wedding because Celestia ordered it. That is all,” she snarled lowly.
Shining Armor looked as if he bit into a lemon and then bombed Twilight with the most unexpected news she could think of, “My wife-to-be is Princess Cadence,”
“My foal sitter?” Twilight asked blankly, startled out of her anger, “That Cadence?”
Her question was answered when the alicorn in question haughtily walked into the courtyard. All the guards in view saluted with a thunderous clank of armor.
Her foal-sitter and the alicorn in front of her had some key differences, but overall, it looked to be the same pony. She was lankier than the last time Twilight saw her and her mane was no longer pulled into a messy bun. Now, it flowed down in gentle waves and was neatly brushed. Her golden shoes were new as were the neckband and shiny new crown. Her horn was longer, more refined, and her entire body had filled out from the awkward teenage body that most of her friends still had.
Cadence froze with wide eyes at the sight of Twilight. Caught by surprise, Twilight grinned as large as she could and waved a claw.
The last time she’d seen Cadence was before her transformation. Common sense caught up to the dragon and abruptly she ceased her grinning, remembering how Rarity quickly told her to just smile rather than grin when she’d been helping the unicorn model some experimental pieces.
“Hi, Cadence. Good to see you again,” Twilight winced at her voice crack and heat crept down her neck in embarrassment.
Cadence visibly gulped and turned to look at her fiance, “Honey you better start explaining,”
“This is my sister, Twilight,” Shining said in a resigned voice that had Twilight bristling with anger, “I told you about her,”
The alicorn’s eyes widened, “You have a dragon for a sister?”
 This Cadence and her former foal-sitter almost couldn’t even compare attitude-wise. Twilight exaggeratedly checked herself over, now very annoyed.
“I’m fairly certain I’m a dragon,”
There was a suspicious sounding cough from the cluster of guards and Shining Armor whipped his head around to glare. Twilight caught Marshall’s eye and he winked discreetly. She snorted in response.
“I guess ‘Sunshine Sunshine ladybugs awake’ don’t ring any bells?” Twilight asked.
Cadence made a face and Twilight rolled her eyes, “The studious purple unicorn filly? Twilight Sparkle? Shining Armor’s sister?”
“Ahh,” Cadence didn’t seem to care and turned to talk to her husband-to-be. Twilight could tell she was still on high alert though.
“Well! I'll go and start overseeing the preparations,” Twilight decided to push away the uneasy feeling that stirred in her belly when Cadence appeared. 
The Cadence in her mind would be a lot nicer in general. Her former foal sitter and the alicorn standing across from her brother didn’t seem to be the same pony. When she foal sat Twilight as a filly, she was far kinder and always held a special gleam in her eyes. From the few sentences Cadence had uttered, Twilight could tell by the tone alone that she held the entire courtyard in complete contempt.
Cadence was the Princess of Love. Vaguely she remembered, Cadence once demonstrating her power on a pair of ponies out on a date. The amiable conversation that was shared between the two ponies had immediately turned into gooey eyes and baby talk. Looking back on it now, Twilight grimaced, but she shook it off.
She turned to look at Spike, “Will you be ok with Uncle Marshall for the next few hours, Spike?”
Spike nodded frantically, “Uncle Marshall said he would show me the spears!”
Twilight shot Marshall the look and he nodded, puffing his chest in importance. Somehow, even his black mane seemed to perk up and his armor shine even brighter. His massive shape dwarfed Spike as he led the colt toward the armory.
 “Alright, have fun Spike,”
She sent one more annoyed look at her brother and snapped her claws. Twilight reappeared in the kitchen holding a notepad and pencil, only she was a foot in the air, still sitting.
Twilight didn’t notice anything until gravity took hold. She overcompensated and landed on the floor, wings and tail akimbo. Her notepad skidded across the floor and the pencil rolled in the opposite direction. Applejack burst into laughter, not the slightest bit surprised, still stirring whatever was in her bowl as the rest of the pastry chefs stared in disbelief.
“At least you didn’t land in the barn this time,” Applejack teased as Twilight sat back up.
Twilight shuddered at the recollection, “What’s finished so far?”
She nodded absentmindedly at the bowing chefs. That was the one annoying thing about being her mentor’s student. Everyone in Canterlot knew who she was and what she could do. It was a relief to move away to Ponyville where she could still scare some of its residents half to death if she wasn’t careful.
Applejack gestured to the huge cake Twilight managed to overlook. She was sure if she were to stand next to it, it would be just a little taller than her horns. There was a cake decorator piping icing onto the cake using a ladder.
“Just the icing left for that. Cupcakes are done,” a timer rang, “Annd the best apple tarts in all of Equestria are done,”
Twilight checked off each of the boxes as Applejack spoke and snatched the piping hot apple tart that was thrown at her, out of the air. She hummed in delight as a starburst of flavor exploded in her mouth.
“Just the fritters left, but-” Applejack was interrupted by the kitchen doors opening.
Twilight was thankful she finished her tart before Cadence walked into the kitchen. She was almost certain the sight of the pink monstrosity alone would turn the tart sour. The alicorn looked surprised to see Twilight there, but her only reaction was the widening of her eyes.
Her attention was stolen by Applejack who approached her as she was currently the Head Chef, “Howdy Princess!” she bowed as per custom.
“Please call me Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” the alicorn sniffed.
Her narrowed eyes and pinned back ear frills showed just how displeased Twilight was at the alicorn and Applejack side-eyed her.
“Err, of course Princess Mi Amor-a Cadenza. You come to see what’s on the menu on your big day?” Applejack asked, still keeping an eye on Twilight.
Twilight huffed and sat back down, rolling her eyes, and then childishly stuck her tongue out at her friend. However, her eyes narrowed again when she spied the curled lip on the Princess. Twilight wasn’t sure if it was because of Applejack’s country accent, the way Applejack unintentionally butchered her name, or the fact that she was being served by an earth pony.
“I have,”
Applejack bowed and presented her with an apple tart. She lit her horn to pick it up. 
The instant the magic saturated the air, Twilight had to fight the urge to dry heave. Through her watering eyes, she spotted the tell-tale green aura of corrupted magic. Without a second thought, she bowled the obviously fake alicorn over with enough force to send the both of them tumbling head over hooves. Everyone in the kitchen froze as Twilight pinned her on the ground.
“Where is the real Princess, imposter?” Twilight snarled into her face, “You better hope you have an answer,”
“I- What- How did you- How dare- Unhoof me this instant!” the alicorn struggled futilely.
Twilight let a hint of flame curl around her jaws, “Tell me why you’ve been using corrupted magic then, Princess,”
The doors to the kitchen slammed open but Twilight hardly gave any attention to it. Her primary focus was the struggling pony beneath her. The pony froze when Twilight bared her teeth at her.
A huge amount of magic power gathering near the kitchen doors had Twilight’s head whipping around. There stood her brother, a large spell swelling at his horn and the most horrible snarl directed at her on his face.
“Get off of her,” the amount of hatred in her brother’s as he looked at her had her throat closing up, “Now!”
Her mouth opened and closed uselessly, “But-”
“Now!” he roared, the spell flaring brighter.
“You’re hurting me!” the alicorn cried, when Twilight remained frozen, “Shining! Help!”
Twilight barely managed to conjure her own shield in time to absorb her brother’s overpowered banishing spell. Her mind flip-flopped from being incredibly furious with this imposter and attempting to keep from crying.
When the light died down, she spotted her brother’s shocked expression, but it was quickly dismissed and it turned back into a snarl of anger. He spoke when she dismissed her hastily constructed shield.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with you Twilight, but you better get off of her,”
With a surge of strength, the alicorn shifted just enough to scoot out beneath Twilight’s claws. She ran to Shining Armor, sobbing, and buried her face in his fur.
Twilight wasn’t sure if she was impressed by the alicorn’s acting skills, or completely horrified that everyone believed them. Probably both if she was being honest.
After her brain caught up to the situation, she got to her paws and took a step forward as if to tackle the alicorn once more. Her brother charged his horn again and pushed the pink pony behind him. If Twilight wasn’t mistaken, Cadence shot her a smirk before letting her crocodile tears fall.
A growl rumbled in her chest in fury. Her eyes went slited and her fangs glinted in the low light of the kitchen. A hoof on her foreleg had her on pause.
“Come on, Twi. Stop and think first, how bout that?” Applejack soothed her, eyeing Cadence strangely.
The guards behind Shining hesitantly raised their pikes when she took a deep breath. However, her eyes narrowed once again when Cadence whispered something into her brother’s ear.
“Head Chef, please step away from the dragon. We don’t want you getting hurt,”
That immediately took the wind from Twilight’s sails. She sagged on the floor and tried not to cry. After a moment’s hesitation, Applejack stepped away, and Shining directed the guards to shackle her wings, paws, and snout shut.
Many of the older guards shot her looks of pity and/or exasperation while the newer ones sneered and eyed her with contempt. Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she absolutely would not let them fall. If she wanted to cry, she could do it when all was said and done with.
“We are going directly to the Princess with this,” Shining declared solemnly, “She will pass judgment,”
> Found Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight held her head high as she was marched like livestock into the Hall. She caught the shocked look on her mentor’s face before it smoothed out. Her defiant look increased when Celestia raised an eyebrow.
“How may I help you, Captain?” Twilight resisted the urge to bash her face into the nearest window when her brother straightened and puffed his chest importantly.
“Twilight Sparkle was seen pinning down my fiance and growling in her face, in the kitchens, Your Highness,”
“I see. Your reason, my student?”
Shining Armor puffed up like an angry hydra, “With all due respect, Your Highness, there is no reason why she should be doing that in the first place,”
Applejack shuffled nervously near the back of the progression. Celestia lifted a shoe-clad hoof and Shining fell silent, obviously not happy that Twilight could plead her case.
Twilight sighed and yellow flames licked at her jaws. Celestia’s eyes widened slightly. Subtly, Twilight could see Celestia’s yellow aura silently close and lock the doors. A magic circle was raised around the entire Hall to prevent escapes. Breathing a silent puff of relief, Twilight finally began to speak.
“The moment the Princess used her magic, I sensed corruption, decay, sickness. The only being that could use unicorn magic in that kitchen was the Princess. Logically, I tackled her,”
Twilight could tell Celestia bit back a laugh after her last sentence.
“Niece?” Celestia turned her attention to Cadence.
Cadence sniffed angrily, “I don’t know what the dragon is talking about. All I did was accept a pastry from the Head Chef and the next thing I know, the dragon was on top of me. It nearly crushed me and my back is still sore,”
As Cadence talked, explaining in more detail after Celestia asked, Twilight slowly charmed her shackles softer and softer. She couldn’t risk teleporting since the amount of magic required would be so much, even a unicorn filly would be able to feel the tingle.
The last thing she wanted was to overload her own magic senses for a few minutes. It would reduce her magical sensitivity to that of a normal unicorn. That couldn’t do, not at all. Seeing magical auras was her thing and her thing alone.
She shuffled to the side, crowding against Buckler. To his credit, Buckler didn’t outwardly didn’t react, but slowly let the chain he was holding in his hooves slither out of his grip. If it weren’t for her enhanced hearing, she would’ve missed Buckler’s whisper of good luck.
By now, Celestia’s benevolent smile had turned flat. It was a rather frightening look on the alicorn, but Cadence didn’t seem to realize and kept rattling on.
“I believe I’ve heard enough. Thank you, Niece,” Celestia cut the smaller alicorn’s rant off with another raised hoof.
The imposter huffed but sat back down next to Shining. The moment everyone’s attention was back on Celestia, Twilight moved. All the old guards near Buckler had followed his lead and she was only restrained by frail shackles and three guards on one side. 
Two of the three guards hadn’t even known something was happening until they were yanked off their hooves. The lone guard that actually paid attention was dragged along the carpet for their efforts. Her flared wings broke the rest of the restraints and she tackled the imposter again.
“The real Cadence would never complain for that long!” Twilight declared to the silent Hall, holding the struggling pony.
“That is enough, my student,” Celestia said coolly, before addressing the pink alicorn, “You’ve been found out. Show yourself,”
The pony stilled and Twilight nearly recoiled from the amount of hatred that simmered in the pony’s eyes. They were so vengeful, they looked green. Bits of fur and skin began to flake off and crack. 
For months to come, Twilight would have nightmares. The pony’s jaw unhinged so unnaturally that the skin connecting the jaw to the face split and tore. It vaguely sounded like some being was stretching rubber bands until they snapped from the pressure. The flesh underneath turned black and hard, like taffy.
 A long black slimy tongue slithered from inside her mouth as she hissed. Green drool ran down her lips and dripped off her chin. Her flat teeth slowly sharpened and fangs elongated until they looked like a vampire’s.
Her feathers disintegrated as if they were made of sand and thin membrane-like wings shook the rest of the pink bits of feathers off. Then, with very little warning, there was a surge of corrupted magic, and the alicorn set herself on fire.
Twilight barely managed to slam her second lids shut before the heat seared her face. It was uncomfortable, not like normal fire that felt safe and warm when she was in it. This fire felt like she was dunking herself in a pool of oil. It clung and dragged at her scales. It was even the same color as the imposter’s eyes.
From inside the inferno, Twilight watched as fur and flesh burnt away or straight-up softened and oozed like melting ice cream, exposing black boney-looking limbs. Holes littered the hooves like unappealing cheese.
When the fire died, instead of an alicorn, she was now pinning down a bug-like pony that she immediately identified as a changeling. If her memory served her right, she was actually pinning down a changeling queen.
Her mind went blank for a minute, but the first thing out of her mouth was, “Oh, don’t tell me the rest of your hive is hiding around here somewhere. Clean up would be horrible,”
Twilight looked up and eyed all the ponies around the Hall as if they would suddenly reveal themselves.
This particular changeling queen looked quite a bit peakier than the textbooks Twilight studied. Her slitted pupils glowed a blue-green color. The utterly smooth, black texture of the changeling felt odd under claw. A horn that rivaled Celestia’s in length, appeared to look more like a gnarled old tree branch than an actual tool of magic.
Her mane, if it could be called a mane, hung like strands of kelp from her head and smelled somewhat like swamp water. A greenish membrane stretched from the back of the changeling’s neck, wrapped around her abdomen, and went all the way down to the beginnings of her tail.
The queen bared her fangs at Twilight, “You absolute wrench!”
Her voice buzzed and echoed as if more than one being were speaking at once. It made Twilight’s ears shudder and a chill crept up her spine.
“You and your meddling ruined everything!”
“I mean I try,” Twilight said dryly, and then fiercely demanded, “Release my brother. I knew there was something off about him. He’s not usually that mean,”
“Where is the real Princess Cadence?” Celestia boomed from the dais.
The changeling laughed hysterically, “In the crystal caves beneath Canterlot. It was so easy to trick my way into the city. The security is laughable. I will feed very well this fortnight!”
“Or I can crush you like the bug you are!” Twilight hissed into her face, applying more pressure into the squirming changeling, “You’re not in a position to make threats,”
The queen turned her head to gaze at Shining, “My dearest, save me!”
Shining, whose face had been blank, immediately twisted into a snarl and he charged like a bull. He crashed into Twilight’s side, horn first. Up close, Twilight could smell the corrupted mind magic that was affecting her brother. Thankfully her scales protected her and her brother’s horn only glanced off painfully.
Slowly and deliberately, Twilight reached up and grabbed the changeling’s gnarled horn, “Stop or I’ll tear this straight out of your head!”
Seconds later, Shining collapsed to the ground like a dropped sack of flour.
“Too afraid to deal with me yourself Celestia? You’re just going to let your attack dog handle it? Pathetic,” the changeling gloated, still helpless under Twilight.
Twilight raised her head back up to look at Buckler, “Congratulations, you’ve been promoted, Captain Buckler. Rally the guards and prepare for a changeling invasion,”
Buckler froze for a moment and his eyes roamed over to the Princess. When she made no move to order him, he spun on his hooves and barked to the other guards, “Move out!”
When Twilight’s attention was back on the bug-pony, she bared her pitiful fangs and hissed. Twilight considered baring her own fangs and hissing back, but she wasn’t that petty… yet.
"It's odd how a queen would lower herself to a drone's work," Twilight commented, "Do you even care for your hive?"
"They are a means to an end," the queen sneered, "Mindless things they are,"
Twilight chuckled darkly, “A mother who holds no love for their children. You are deplorable. I’m sure one of your drones will fill the role of queen without a fuss and do a much better job than you,”
The changeling’s face went slack with confusion, “What do you mean?”
A smirk was the changeling’s answer.
> Imprisonment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m sure one of your drones will fill the role of queen without a fuss and do a much better job than you,”
The changeling’s face went slack with confusion, “What do you mean?”
A smirk was the changeling’s answer.



“You said the Crystal Caves?”
The changeling slowly nodded, still not following Twilight’s line of logic.
“That seems to be a suitable new home for you doesn’t it?” Twilight’s grin was malicious, “All dark and cold. Plenty of edible rocks and uncontaminated water. Not a single soul down there other than you. Sounds lovely,”
The changeling began to thrash in earnest, “No! I am Queen Chrysalis! You cannot do such a thing!”
Twilight let Chrysalis thrash uselessly for a few seconds.
“You enslaved my brother, basically turning him into a puppet, and threatened Canterlot with every intention of going through with it. Of course, I can do ‘such a thing’,” Twilight recounted scathingly.
“No!” Chrysalis lost what dignity she had and began to plead, “Celestia! Celestia! I surrender! I will remove my hive and leave in peace!”
Celestia chuckled lightly as if there wasn’t a being pleading for their life in front of her, “Oh please. Do you think my student will listen to me? Of course not,”
Twilight brought her snout closer to the changeling and grinned as large as she could. This resulted in a fresh wave of hoarse cries and more futile struggling.
“However, I do believe you are open to my suggestion, my student?” Celestia asked Twilight with an arched eyebrow.
Twilight put a claw on her chin as if deep in thought, “Perhaps,”
“Let’s find your brother’s missing fiance before dealing with the other issue,”
Twilight looked back at her brother’s listless eyes and his prone body. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought he wasn’t alive anymore. Her throat closed up at the thought and it was as if her heart shriveled up.
She agreed. The real Princess Cadence had much more experience with mind magic than either herself or Celestia. The last thing Twilight wanted was to screw up the counterspell to her brother’s situation and end up with a vegetable for a relative. They would save Shining Armor. They had to.
She was shaken out of her melancholy by a pulse of corrupted magic. Shining’s body stirred weakly before Twilight grabbed Chrysalis’ horn again.
“Don’t you dare,” Twilight hissed loudly, “You’ve seen what a full-grown stallion that trains as Captain of the Guard can do to me. It’s not much, so stop that right now,”
Chrysalis wore a deer caught in headlights look as Twilight threatened her again. 
“How in Equestria do you know every time I cast magic? That isn’t possible!” Chrysalis sneered, “You and your magic tricks are no match for mine in a straight duel,”
“My sensitivity to magic power is several times higher than a normal unicorn’s. That’s how I found you in the kitchens. Not to mention your magic reeks,” Twilight made a face in disgust, releasing the changeling’s horn like it was something particularly disgusting she stepped on, “And I highly doubt that. Ever heard of Discord? I’m his student as much as Celestia’s. Good luck beating me in a straight duel,”
“Er, Twi?” Applejack’s hesitant voice reminded the dragon that her friend was there at all, “I think it’s best if I- er head back to the kitchens,”
“Oh! Yes, yes of course,” Twilight blushed until the tips of her spiraled horns, “Sorry AJ,”
“No pro-bleam-o,” Applejack assured, quickly trotting back down the halls, “See ya after… whatever this is,”
Twilight began to walk in the direction of the old mines, dragging the bug as she went along. She made sure to drag the bug along the actual floors, avoiding the rugs lining the halls.
“I take offense to that, Dragon. My magic doesn’t smell like anything,” The waver in Chrysalis’ voice gave away her fear despite the bluster.
Celestia’s magical aura surrounded the comatose Shining Armor and he raised off the ground to float silently after them.
Twilight hummed noncommittally as she shouldered open another door, “Almost to your new home,”
The bug queen began to whimper and plead again with the silent Celestia that escorted them from behind, “Celestia, anything! I promise anything if you release me! I swear it! Please,”
The moment the group entered the beginnings of the mine, Twilight flung the changeling to the ground and spat, “Welcome home, Your Majesty,”
The changeling deflated where she lay and didn’t attempt to stand back up. Twilight snorted at the cowardly display. The moment Twilight inhaled deeply, her mentor shrouded herself and Shining in a soundproof bubble.
“Princess Cadence! Where are you?” The roar echoed and reverberated throughout the mine.
The previously prone changeling sprang up and shrieked in surprise at the noise. Twilight just managed to step on her trailing tail to prevent her from fleeing the scene entirely.
“You imbecile! Release me this instant!” Chrysalis tugged ineffectively at her tail, shaking in her hole-littered hooves.
“At the bottom, I think.” The very distant voice of Cadence answered, “I’m too weak to fly,”
“Stay where you are. Some being will come to get you shortly,” Twilight shouted down the entrance again.
Picking up a boulder that probably weighed the same amount as her, she pushed her magic into it. Instantly the rock softened and began to stretch like taffy. Before Chrysalis knew what was happening, she was wrapped in a warm, uncomfortable, rope-like thing. Moments after, the rock re-solidified and she couldn’t do anything more than kick her exposed hooves around and crane her neck. It looked like a cheap knock-off rock costume that was designed by a blind pony.
Twilight laughed a little at her own handy-work, “It looks like a ball of rubber bands,”
“Even after all he’s said to you, you still want to save him?” Chrysalis demanded in what seemed to be her last-ditch effort. Her sneer and vile tone were wasted since her new prison faced the wall.
Twilight faced the changeling and simply said, “Yes, he’s my brother. Always has been, always will be, no matter how he hurts me. He probably has a reason and hasn’t told me about it yet. He’s still my brother,”
“A hive needs their queen!” she fumed inside the rock cage.
Twilight spun the cage like so in order for Chrysalis to see her face to face, “No, a queen needs their hive. A hive can function with one being missing. You, however, cannot,”
She picked up the makeshift cage and hung it from one of the stalactites growing from the ceiling, “Keep talking Chrysalis. We might find it suitable to extend your sentence since you seem to love this place so much,” 
The changeling’s mouth audibly clopped shut and Twilight smiled pleasantly. A paw snapped to her eye ridge in mock salute to her mentor, then she jumped off the ledge and into the dark, intent on finding her former foal sitter.
> Surrender
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the wind whistling in her ears, Twilight felt a sense of deja vu. The only thing missing was the fog and her screaming child. She dodged around stalactites and in some cases, smashed straight through smaller openings. Her current thought process was: if her head fit, so would the rest of her.
Despite the name, the Crystal Caves wasn’t so much of a network of caves. It was more like an underground ravine with a few caves branching off from the sides. Of course, it wasn’t a simple ravine. Over the years, the dripping water from the ceiling created monstrous stalactites and stalagmites.
Just when she spotted the pink alicorn, Twilight’s muzzle went through some invisible thing. Her wings flared to slow down, but that only caused whatever she went through to stick to them too. A moment later, it finally registered that she flew through a monstrous spider web the size of the Canterlot Hall Doors.
Logically, the next thing she did was shriek and attempt to paw off the cobwebs. Only this caused the dragon to spiral completely out of control and crashland next to the alicorn. Twilight flailed like an injured rabbit before jumping to her paws and fleeing into the nearest pool of water she found. The trailing cobwebs dragged along the floor like a horribly made cape, snagging on stalagmites and other rocks.
She shrieked again when the water rose up to meet her, taking the form of some huge mountain monkey. Somehow the huge water form managed to almost giggle before smothering her in a giant cold hug.
The temperature of the water had her gasping and sputtering, but she continued until all the cobwebs were washed off. After hauling herself out of the water, she shook like a dog to the utter bemusement of Princess Cadence. The mountain monkey retreated back into the pool, only the head peeking up like a snorkel.
Twilight hopped from paw to paw, trying to get warmth back into her body, “Cold, cold cold cold,”
The pool of water vibrated in amusement and she shot it a glare, “You’re not helping!”
Giving up on the attempt, she twisted her head around and blasted fire at herself until her joints ceased their creaking. The pool splashed playfully and Twilight sent it another mock glare.
 When she finally noticed the alicorn, she ceased her movement and cleared her throat, “Hi, Cadence,” she greeted sheepishly, lighting her horns.
To her credit, the Princess didn’t immediately run away screaming bloody murder, which Twilight counted as a win. Her face was a careful mask of absolute neutrality. Only her wide eyes and slightly trembling back legs gave her away. Truth be told, if Cadence’s shoes didn’t rattle ever so slightly against the rocks, she wouldn’t’ve even noticed.
The Princess looked worse for wear. Dust was thickly coated on all parts of the alicorn, making it hard to discern her coat color. Most of her feathers were out of alignment and were in desperate need of preening. In short, it looked like the Princess had fought like a caged rabbit and lost.
“Aunty sent a dragon down the Crystal Caves?” came the blank question, “What happened to Chrysalis?”
Twilight shrugged and managed to say in one breath, “I tied her up and Celestia’s watching her, they’re waiting for us at the entrance. Shining Armor is kind of a puppet right now and you need to save him,”
The alicorn’s metallic shoes clanked on the floor and her wings rustled as she rose to her hooves, “Alright. Questions later. Saving Shining Armor now,”
Twilight grinned, “Are you comfortable being carried, Princess? It would make this a lot easier,”
Despite Cadence’s declaration, there was still hesitance as she slowly nodded. Twilight waited patiently until Cadence’s face settled into determination before scooping her up and taking flight. She triple-checked that she wasn’t flying into more cobwebs and began the slow ascent back up.
There was a watery slap as the watery mountain monkey reverted back into normal water. Twilight thanked whatever higher deity out there that this water source had been feeling nice and not like the lake near Ponyville. She still shuddered at the thought.



“Twilight Sparkle,” Cadence’s voice nearly startled the dragon out of the air halfway back up, “You remind me of a filly I foal sat many moons ago. Her name was Twilight Sparkle. What is your name, Dragon?”
“Uh, well I’m glad I remind you of myself,” Twilight joked awkwardly, “I’m Twilight Sparkle, former pony, and sister to Shining Armor,”
Cadence grew silent again then she surprisingly giggled, “Well something big must’ve happened,”
Twilight chuckled and deposited the Princess at the entrance. Chrysalis hissed but quieted when Twilight checked her with a glare.
“Thanks for watching the bug,” Twilight told her mentor.
Immediately, Cadence stumbled forward on trembling legs and gently embraced her comatose fiance. Chrysalis cackled and Cadence flinched. Twilight casually spun the cage and pretended to drop the entire thing down the abyss. That very quickly stopped the cackling.
“Be careful. I might just get the fly swatter,” Twilight growled.
“Apologies,” Chrysalis said silkily, as if her entire existence wasn’t in jeopardy, “I was remembering how pathetically easy it was to capture our little bride here and send her all the way down. Her screams were delicious,”
Chrysalis finally realized something was wrong when Twilight’s eye twitched rather dangerously. Twilight turned gracefully and bowed low to the two Princesses in the vicinity.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty, Your Highness. I will be excusing myself to take out the trash,”
Celestia inclined her head, “No starting interspecies war, my student,”
Once the cage was firmly in her grasp, she walked it over to the doors. Chrysalis screamed and thrashed whatever body part she could move.
“Oh what a shame,” Twilight threw over her shoulder, “The one thing I was hoping to do,”
With absolutely no fanfare, she threw the entire cage against the doors.  Chrysalis’ scream was abruptly cut off as the cage cracked and broke apart. A sweep of her tail and all the stone fragments were swept off to the side and the stunned changeling was back in Twilight’s grasp.
“You know,” Twilight said conversationally as she spread her wings, “You’ve made this entire process a lot more fun than it should’ve,”
Twilight carried her all the way until the shield bubble. She found herself basically face to face with a drone. She raised an eye ridge and lifted Chrysalis by one of her hind legs and raised her voice to be heard through the bubble.
“You! Let me talk to the second in command!” 
The drone looked barely big enough to be out in the open. That thought was reinforced by the way the changeling sped away with a wordless chitter of fear. Chrysalis cursed her drone’s spinelessness and thrashed some more.
Some minutes later, a larger changeling fitted with a helmet and armor arrived. The changeling had no visible pupils, but the changeling visibly brightened.
“Oh good,” The changeling didn’t even let Twilight get a word in before they screeched, “Queen Chrysalis has been captured! Hail Queen Tarsus!”
Her utter confusion must’ve shown on her face since the helmeted changeling addressed her, “Thank you, Dragon. We’ve been living under Chrysalis’ tyranny for too long. Do what you wish with her and we will be retreating immediately. Good day!”
Beside Twilight, Chrysalis screamed threats and cursed. In response, the armored changeling stuck a forked tongue and hissed what sounded to be rude remarks. The changeling peeled away, the rest of the hive following like a cloud of... well... bugs.
“Uh...” Twilight was left in the air, holding a former changeling queen, and hadn’t even been able to say her threatening speech.
She was seriously contemplating whether or not to complain like her chaotic mentor, or just to go back like the outstanding student she was. Chrysalis wasn’t making that choice any simpler by continuing to screech threats at the stragglers.
Twilight settled on winging it back and complaining as she moved. She might need to explain to Celestia why she was only gone for fifteen minutes and still had Chrysalis though.
> Sibling Talk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’ll let Celestia pass judgment on you,” Twilight decided as she flew back toward the throne room, unintentionally parroting her brother as he shackled her.
Chrysalis hadn’t been very responsive ever since the last of her former hive had retreated. Not even the threat of banishment or the Crystal Caves garnered a reaction. For a split second, Twilight wondered if she broke the former changeling queen, but after some thought, she brushed that off to the side.
By the time Twilight arrived back in the Hall, Cadence, her brother, and Celestia were gathered there along with her friends. Chrysalis was left as a heap on the royal carpet when Twilight dropped her to hug Spike.
“The hive retreated and is under new leadership,” Twilight told Celestia, “They won’t be coming back any time soon. They didn’t want Chrysalis back either,”
“Very well, thank you, my student,” Celestia inclined her head and turned her attention back to Cadence, whose horn was pulsating with magic. By the alicorn’s expression, she’d been doing this for at least five minutes.
Her brother’s glazed eyes were slowly regaining life. Twilight made herself comfortable and clutched Spike closer to her as she sat. The entire entourage of ponies waited with bated breath when Shining Armor finally blinked and the last of the hazy look disappeared from his eyes.
It was like watching some being wake from a heavy sleep. At first, Shining shifted his limbs and groaned. Then slowly, he raised his head to take note of his surroundings. When he jumped to his hooves, he swayed where he stood until Cadence gently stabilized him.
“I- is the wedding over?” Was his mumbled question.
Twilight had to bite her tongue to prevent her laughter from bursting out of her.
Celestia took the time to explain to her former Captain of the Guard what exactly transpired in the last few hours.
“Welcome back, Shiny,” Twilight said softly when there was a lull in the conversation.
“Twilight, I- Uh-” Shining floundered for something to say, bringing a smile to Twilight’s face.
“Sibling Talk? I think it’s high time we had one, don’t you think?” Shining’s breathing hitched at that.
That simple two-word question brought many memories from her filly hood to the forefront of her mind. Any time they had fought, they’d always ask for a Sibling Talk. It was like waving a surrender flag and then meeting on neutral ground. Sibling Talks stopped when Twilight came home and was subsequently nearly attacked by Shining.
Wordlessly, Shining Armor nodded and the two gently excused themselves and went into an antechamber off to the side that was further down the hallway. The moment the door shut, Twilight raised a silencing ward. Shining twitched a little at the pulse of magic.
“I’m not really mad at you,” Twilight began, startling her brother, “I’m more disappointed and sad than mad. I know you were under Chrysalis’ magic, but it still hurt. I wonder if you already had those thoughts in your head and her magic just voiced them. You’re my big brother, Shining Armor. When will you finally act like you are?”
Shining’s mouth opened and closed, then his ears folded back in distress. His slightly frail unicorn build seemed to shrink in on itself and he appeared much smaller than usual. Shining was strong and bulky for a unicorn, but the way he looked right now made him look like a newborn colt.
“I- What’s the point?’ Shining finally mumbled to the floor, “I failed already,”
Twilight tilted her head carefully at her brother, “How?”
“I just did,” he snapped back, turning away and sitting.
Sighing, Twilight whacked her brother over his head with a wing, “Sibling Talk means we actually talk. So get started, I already said my bit,”
“There’s no point,” Shining repeated himself, “I can’t ever make up to you what happened. I already failed,”
“Failed what?” Twilight sneered, “Can you stop being so melodramatic?”
“I failed you, ok?!” Shining roared into her face, “I failed to protect you! I can’t even protect you from myself! What is the point if I can’t protect you?!”
“‘What is the point if you can’t protect me’?” Twilight parroted back incredulously, “I’m a dragon, Shining Armor, there isn’t a point to protect me. Honestly, it should be the way around anyhow. And you’re going to let an incident from years ago prevent you from being a big brother? That’s the most pathetic reason I’ve ever heard! I’ve forgiven you for that a long time ago,”
Years of hurt and bitterness resurfaced as Twilight stared at her brother. Years of wondering why being a dragon made her brother hate her. Years of disappointment and confusion, wondering what she did wrong. Years of bitterness from how he treated Spike. It was enough to make smoke puff out of her ears, literally.
“Being a big brother doesn’t just mean protection! It means unconditional love and support. It means being there when no other being is! It means so many other things than just protection! You’re nearly thirty summers old, start acting like it!” Twilight snarled the last part so lowly, more smoke issued from her nose.
“I don’t know how! There’s no point!” Shining screamed shrilly back at her.
“You were an amazing big brother before the incident! Yes, you do!” Twilight roared back loudly, uncaring of how it shook the room.
Shining’s hooves gave out and he collapsed into a heap on the rug. His voice was quiet and wavering when he spoke again, “You grew up too fast for me to continue doing that. One day you were bigger than me, stronger than me, better than me. You went from my little sister into a full-time student and mother. What was there left for me to do?”
“So you were jealous,” Twilight sat back down, “And then decided to take your anger out on the only innocent one, which was Spike,”
Shining huffed out a sarcastic laugh, “Sure, make me sound worse than I am,”
“This isn’t funny!” Twilight’s anger exploded once more, “Do you know how it felt to explain to a little colt of six summers why his Uncle didn’t like him? Do you know how it felt when I had to tell him exactly what happened when he was born? Do you?!”
Shining’s own lips peeled back into his own snarl, “See? This is why there’s no point. You’ve grown too much for me to be a big brother to you at all,”
“This isn’t about you!” Twilight jumped to her paws and her wings flared aggressively, “Can you stop being so narcissistic for once in your life and just say, ‘Oh Twilight, I’m sorry, I’ll do better’? And then actually follow through with it? That’s all I want to hear,”
Shining Armor, former Captain of the Royal Guard and fiance to Princess Cadence, deflated on the rug as his tears began to flow. Twilight sighed and once again sat down. She let her brother cry for a while and when his sobs developed into gasps for air and sniffling, she spoke again.
“You’re such a dirtbag, yaknow?” but the bite wasn’t there and elicited a watery wheeze from him, “One Sibling Talk and you end up a blubbering mess,”
“I’m sorry Twily,” Shining whispered, “I’ll work on it,”
“Thanks. But I forgave you a long time ago. Someone else needs the apology,” Twilight smiled lopsidedly, “Come on, I think you have a wedding to plan and attend. I’ll hold you to that promise. Do better.”
Shining dried the last of his tears and bounced to the door. The silence ward was dismissed and he bowed low while opening the door. His voice was gravelly and dry-sounding from his crying, and completely ruined the effect, but he croaked, “Ladies first,”
Twilight whacked him lightly with her tail as she passed him in an overly haughty manner, mimicking the higher class nobles, “Oh shut up,”
> The Wedding - End Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The wedding was beautiful. It was perfect in every way possible. The wedding was put together in only a few days. They did lose some ponies since they could only get away from their own lives for so long, but most made it.
Twilight managed to keep Spike from the cake long enough to pile his plate with hay and veggies. When his mother wasn’t looking, Spike dumped his vegetables in a nearby planter. Subtly, Twilight sighed and pretended not to notice. She tried.
Fluttershy kept her cool with the animals in the gardens and even convinced a few of the exotic birds in there to join her choir. The added symphony made the wedding march that much more enchanting.
Applejack finally wowed the royals of Canterlot with her heavenly desserts. Only Blueblood retracted his statement and complained once more about ‘common carnival fare’. The other nobles ignored his complaints and continued to heap praise on the farmer.
Her brother nearly passed out at the altar when Cadence appeared at the doors. Twilight had to gently hold her brother up by the collar of his royal guard uniform when he very nearly pitched forward and off the dais. She had to remind him to breathe when Cadence started walking down the aisle.
Rarity worked her magic and whipped up a stunning wedding dress in a matter of two days. The reception went off without a hitch and the bride took a party cannon to her face. There’d been a moment where everything froze, only for the spell to be broken by the bride’s laughter.
When it came time for the vows, Twilight was concerned that her brother would burst into nervous tears without saying the ‘I Do’s. Right before the kiss, his hyperventilation had been so bad Twilight felt compelled to put a slight calming spell on him before, so the kiss could actually happen. Cadence laughed lightly at the tingle of magic.
When evening fell, the party migrated outdoors. The cake Applejack and the other bakers made was cut neatly by the couple before the top layer of the cake was lobbed into the unsuspecting groom’s face by the bride.
Rainbow Dash performed a sonic rainboom directly above the courtyard just as the bride and groom had their first kiss as an official bonded pair. The rainbow explosion was beautiful against the star-lit sky, but everyone only had a few seconds to admire the glorious colors.
A few seconds after the colorful rainboom, the tailwind caught up and blasted the entire courtyard. Half of the tables were blown away and one poor colt tripped over the planter as he was blown sideways. Spike had been lucky and simply ducked under his mother for protection from the fierce rainboom gale.
The new Prince’s immaculate mane gained a permanent cowlick that refused to lie flat. Even Twilight’s attempt at magic failed when the hair sprang back up. Twilight witnessed the bride cackle so hard, she had to duck into the hallway to calm down.
Twilight didn’t even get to witness Rarity’s meltdown about her hair, which she thought a crying shame. She heard it, very loudly and clearly, but by the time she’d turned her head after checking on Spike, the only evidence Rarity had been in the courtyard at all was a very bemused Applejack holding a plate full of foodstuffs that she’d never touch on her own. (Rarity came back half an hour later in a completely new dress and hairdo).
 When the music started, Princess Luna landed near her sister, “Hello every pony. Did I miss anything?”
The delicate teacup that Twilight held in her claws snapped off at the handle and her eye twitched. When questioned, Twilight shrugged it off and fixed the cup with a simple spell. The cup was quickly set aside shortly after. The glower Twilight sent her mentor had the alicorn in question regally scurrying away so she could, “look for more cake. Any pony want some?”
Later in the night when most of the guests had retired, there was a thunderous bellow in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “Celestia! I cannot believe thou has-”
The rest of Luna’s tirade was cut off, but Twilight still smiled into her second plate of hay. Spike had no such inhibitions and giggled into his cake. Trust Princess Luna to be the one that actually takes national security seriously.
“Someone’s in trouble,” Spike sang softly.
Princess Cadence declared her wedding day perfect and Twilight couldn’t help but agree. When it came time to throw the bouquet, Rarity, despite her frail unicorn build, managed to shove her way into the middle and catch the flowers with a demented scream of “It’s mine!”
Twilight wasn’t sure if she should pretend she didn’t know the unicorn or whisk her out of the party entirely. The worst part of it was that Rarity wasn’t the least bit embarrassed about it. 
Spike looked like he was either going to spontaneously propose to the unicorn or wilt and keel over in disappointment. Twilight patted him on the back in sympathy. 
One day she would need to address this fixation Spike had with Rarity, but today was not that day. She would need time to figure out how to tell her son that any type of romantic relationship with Rarity anytime in the near future was illegal. Rarity was nearing twenty summers, nine summers older than Spike.
Twilight’s mortification was thrown out the window in lieu of her brother trotting over. His smile faltered slightly when Twilight shifted every so slightly so that Spike was positioned in between her forelegs, shielded from him, but he continued trotting over. Old habits die hard after all.
“Thank you for making this day so special Twily,” he said sincerely, if not a bit awkwardly.
“You’re welcome,” Twilight said simply, “It was really fun. But now I gotta make sure this rascal gets some more veggies,”
Her claws ruffled Spike’s mane as he whined and stuck his tongue out, “The day I voluntarily eat a vegetable is the day I’ve been replaced with an imposter,” Spike promised his mother.
“Sure, buddy,” Twilight chuckled while eyeing her brother.
His face had contorted, but not in a nasty way. Twilight couldn’t place it but Shining Armor looked lost. He blinked and studied Spike as if it was his first time seeing the colt.
“How old is Spike now?” Shining abruptly asked.
Twilight smiled at his effort, but moved aside and nudged Spike forward, “He can talk you know,”
His face gained the lost look again but he visibly steeled his nerves and hesitantly asked, “How old are you now, Spike?”
“I’m ten summers!” Spike said proudly, “Uncle Bulwark said when I’m twelve summers, he’ll teach me how to use a pike!”
“That’s pretty cool, Spike,” Shining smiled stiffly at him, “Thank you for being the ring bearer today,”
Spike grinned and bounced a little, “It was a little boring in the beginning, but fun at the end,”
Shining Armor huffed a laugh and eyed his sister again, “Keep in touch. I’ll keep working on it,”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Twilight said, receiving his hug, “Don’t be a stranger,”
“Never,” Shining said as he pulled away, “See you Twily. Bye, Spike. Thanks again,”
Twilight waved as he trotted back to his wife. The newlyweds climbed into the waiting coach and then they were gone.
“Uncle Shiny was really nice this time,” Spike said thoughtfully, breaking Twilight out of her thoughts, “Did he get smote- smited? No, it’s smote, on the head?”
Twilight threw her head back and laughed, “Perhaps, Spike. Perhaps,”



Later, Spike asked his mother a question that had her spit taking her tea across the tabletop.
“What happened to Chrysalis?”
“Oh, fu-”
> The Test - Crystal Empire Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Of all the things, why a test now?” Twilight demanded irritably to an empty room.
If it weren’t for her protection wards in and around her home, the floor would’ve been littered with grooves, the walls would’ve been scraped away at, and all the books would’ve been charcoal. But alas, her wards held true as she paced, and nothing was damaged other than the crumpled-up letter that sat oh so innocently on the ground.
Her desk was a little ruined, dripping with ink and glass shards littering the tabletop. The water timer, which was usually fairly amicable when in Twilight’s presence, completely exploded when Twilight read the letter, reacting to her annoyance in the most dramatic fashion Twilight had ever seen. The water gave itself a voice as it shrieked bloody murder and dove into the inkwell. The next thing Twilight knew, inky water was dripping off her horns and face as the water sobbed incoherently.
So here she was, snarling to an empty room as water pathetically crooned in the background. She sent a dirty look at the water, which immediately consolidated into a single black blob and scurried back into the water clock. Twilight grabbed at her ears and pulled. She sighed when she didn’t magically wake up and went about collecting the necessary items to bring to Canterlot. She would leave tomorrow.



“Good morning,” Twilight declared her presence as she entered the Hall.
Both of the Royal Sisters nodded back. Luna excused herself and as she passed the dragon, Twilight ducked her head in respect. If Twilight wasn’t mistaken, Luna looked quite smug as she left. Twilight looked back up at her mentor in time to see her sigh and roll her eyes good-naturedly.
“Good morning to you as well, my student. Are you ready for your test?”
Twilight nodded and unslung her pack from her shoulders, “I brought my own quills and ink,”
Celestia smiled, “Prepared as always, my student. But this is not that kind of test,”
Twilight sighed and repacked her bag, “Of course it isn’t. What catastrophe has happened now?”
“The Crystal Empire has returned,” Celestia stated gravely, acting as if Twilight’s reaction was going to be pearl-clutching and fainting.
“I suppose that’s bad news considering I know nothing about this ‘Crystal Empire’,”
In response to that, Celestia magically uncovered one of the class casings in the room and brought out a beautifully cut crystal. Wordlessly, Celestia set it on the ground and cast a projection spell upon it.
“The Empire contains powerful magic. One thousand years ago, King Sombra, a unicorn with a heart as black as night took over the Empire. He enslaved the citizens but was ultimately overthrown. Unfortunately, he was able to cast a final curse before he was banished as a shadow to the frozen north. As he vanished, so did the Empire.” 
The projection followed Celestia’s narrative. When the projection collapsed Celestia smiled radiantly and shot another spell at it. Its purpose escaped Twilight, never having seen that bright of a yellow in any spell. The light warmed Twilight’s heart and her lips pulled into a smile without her realizing it. When it hit the crystal, the light bounced within like a kaleidoscope before escaping as a large shining rainbow.
“When the Empire is filled with happiness and joy, hope and love, it is reflected across all of Equestria,”
Twilight recoiled as Celestia charged her horn again. Her regal face twisted into an ugly snarl and her wings spread out as if to attack. Celestia hadn’t even released the spell yet and Twilight feared for her life. Her various spines and frills along with her hackle plates rose so much they nearly detached themselves from her body entirely. Her wings opened and were raised threateningly, making her larger. 
When Celestia released the spell, inky darkness shaded the entire crystal and then spread along the floor under it. Along the stream of black, jagged rock formations burst forth out of the pristine rugs, surrounding Twilight faster than she thought possible. The air around the crystals, and subsequently Twilight, suddenly charged with fear so potent, Twilight could swear blind that it manifested itself as little wisps of black lightning.
“But when fear and hatred take hold-”
Twilight swallowed harshly, mouth suddenly dry at the way her mentor’s voice rumbled and how her eyes glowed with anger. The rocks around her gleamed with malice. It was almost like they were about to come alive and crush her. Celestia allowed another moment for her student to fearfully study the corrupted crystals before banishing the mess.
Twilight blew out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding and let her shaky legs give out. Her scales were still up and her wings refused to fold back down properly, still stiff with fear.
“At least warn a being before you go around casting emotional magic like that,” Twilight hoarsely cried, still on the ground.
“My apologies, my student. Your test is to help protect the Empire.”
“You want me to help protect an entire Empire?” Twilight’s voice cracked in disbelief, getting to her paws again.
Celestia smiled serenely, putting the crystal back onto the pedestal where it sat innocently under the glass case, “As I said, it’s a different kind of test. But one I’m certain you will pass,”
Twilight shook herself, finally flattening her spines. Her wings were still slightly stiff and they dragged painfully along the floor.
“Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are already there. The Element Bearers will get their notice soon. I have every confidence you will succeed, my student. Then, I will know for sure you are ready for your next level of studies.”
Shakily, Twilight followed her mentor down the Hall to the exit. There, Luna shot a disapproving look to her sister, noticing Twilight’s state. Twilight looked at her mentor, taking note of the tired look in her eyes and how her wings drooped slightly. 
She nodded, “I’ll do my best,”
Just as she turned away, Celestia called her back, “Twilight. Just know, when the time comes, it will be you and you alone to assist Princess Cadence and Shining Armor as they do what needs to be done to protect the Empire. Do you understand?”
Twilight nodded resolutely, “I do.”
“Then go. There is no time to lose,” Celestia said with such finality that Twilight almost flinched.
The way Celestia spoke about her brother made her wonder if some being was going to die. She hoped not, but she also knew an entire Empire was at stake. She wouldn’t fail, she couldn’t.
> Entering the Empire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight watched silently as Spike swung his hooves about, reading his comic books. The closer they got to the Empire, Twilight noticed the temperature dropping. So far, the train ride there had been the longest Twilight had ever experienced. Since this was her first time being on a train, that she could remember, she didn’t know what to make of it. It was excruciating to stay still for so long, how did ponies manage it? Flying was much more fun.
Twilight couldn’t believe that her mentor specially commissioned a train car to accommodate her. The cart was reminiscent of the one the bakers used while delivering the MMMM. While it wasn’t a bad thing, she could see how many of the other passengers turned their noses up at her or flat out refused to get on the same train as a dragon. Her friends were wonderful buffers but five ponies could only do so much to distract her.
An hour ago, Rarity noticed her shivering ever so slightly on the ground and magicked a wool scarf around her neck. Twilight didn’t have the heart to tell the unicorn that it barely helped and with the sheer force of will, stopped her shivers to only occasional spasms.
Another hour later, Spike climbed onto her shoulders, spreading his body heat across her wing joints and shoulders. She opened her mouth to tell him it wasn’t necessary but she closed it again when she spotted the determined look he sported. She could tell he was worried by the look that crossed his face when he came into contact with her scales. Usually they were warm since her resting temperature was warmer than a pony’s.
When Twilight opened the door, the chill that swept through the car was so bad that Twilight’s arm was left hovering in the air where she let go of the handle. The joints popped painfully when she forcibly planted it back on the ground and she winced. 
Absolutely wonderful, her mentor hadn’t told her about a potential blizzard and now she was caught wanting. Send a temperature-sensitive dragon into the depths of a blizzard. How intelligent.
Carefully, she shifted around until she could magic her thick sleeping blanket to wrap around the rest of her body. Surprisingly, her friends stayed tactfully silent, though there were a few pitying glances. She envied the way Rainbow and Fluttershy were simply just standing there, not shivering at all, their thick coats used to the chill of Cloudsdale.
The blizzard around them made it difficult to see anything and each breath was stolen away in the wind. After a moment, the wind howled even more as if sensing their presence and was determined to deter them from going further. Despite only being in the wind for a few minutes, her scales were already cold to the touch.
Before she could run back into the meager warmth of the train car, the doors closed and the train pulled away from the station, rapidly disappearing into the wild snow. She was shivering in earnest now and her friends silently crowded around her to try and shield her from the cold.
As a strange cluster, she and her friends stepped off into the snow. Twilight gasped when her claws sank into the powder with a crunch. The shivering grew more intense with every step. They didn’t get very far before a voice stopped them.
“Twily?” Caution layered his voice as if Twilight were going to attack him and hurt flashed through her.
“Shinin’ Armor?” Applejack hollered back to be heard over the wind, “Twilight’s right here, but she’s a lil’ out of sorts,”
Shining Armor appeared out of the blizzard and breathed a sigh of relief, “Good, you made it. We should get going. There are things out here we don’t want to meet after dark. Do you need help?”
She barely forced out a nod, growing colder and colder as the seconds ticked by. Shining urged Spike to jump off which he did very reluctantly. Shining took one side and Applejack took the other. They began to walk and Twilight feebly attempted to help by scraping at the snow to try and take some of her own weight. She could tell if she wasn’t out of the cold soon, she would pass out and she did not want that to happen.
“Something’s been trying to get in. We’ve repelled it so far but who knows when it’ll get the next lucky shot?” Shining explained as they walked.
Spike, who was walking with one of Fluttershy’s wings draped over him, looked around nervously. Up ahead, something bright blue shined like another sun. The wind howled melodically, blowing flurries through the air.
Despite only walking what seemed to be a few paces, the train station soon disappeared and only Twilight’s vague acknowledgment of the strange leyline ahead of them kept her sense of direction. She wanted to take a closer look at the leyline since it wasn’t shaped as most ley lines were, but she was too tired to do so.
Just as Twilight’s eyes slipped closed, a long-drawn-out screech forced them open again. Something dark flickered in the corner of her eyes and Twilight wondered if she was going to pass out right then and there.
“Run!”
No creature needed further command and everyone sprinted for the force field. Frost caked Twilight’s scales and snowflakes dusted her hair. Shining lit his horn and took more weight by lifting parts of her with his magic. In spite of all that, she raised her head to make sure everyone was following. Her eyes threatened to close again but she noticed Fluttershy and Spike were behind. 
Spike’s shorter legs didn’t allow him to be as fast as everyone else. Fluttershy was behind him, crowding against him so he kept up his speed. Even from a distance, Twilight could hear him gasp for breath.
Another screech urged the ponies faster. Dimly, Twilight heard Fluttershy command Spike to run faster. An inky black blob chased after them like a large wave. Fear screamed loudly in her mind the longer she looked at it. Twilight couldn’t tell but it looked to have green eyes. In another few seconds, the entity would catch Fluttershy and then shortly after, catch Spike.
Twilight hadn't ever been so cold in her entire life. Her head spun and her numb claws dragged uselessly along the snow. Her unfeeling tail snagged on stray dead bushes and left a groove in the snow like a snake. Every breath stung the back of her throat and clumps of ice had grafted to her tail fur. She was sure her very bones shivered. Just before she lost consciousness, she whispered over her chattering teeth, hoping either Applejack or Shining would hear her plea.
“Spike...”
From the way Shining broke free and more cold blasted her left side, she knew her plea had been answered. She passed out with a small delirious smile on her face, heedless to Applejack’s cursing. The last thing she felt was the feeling of falling and then nothing.



As Shining Armor ran, he powered his horn and blasted the darkness back. Spike chose that moment to trip and tumble. The yellow pegasus behind him didn’t bat an eye and as she ran past, snagged him by his scarf, dragging him along. Sombra’s spirit growled threateningly and washed over the three ponies. Spike’s high-pitched scream was cut off as the spirit snatched him up.
He saw the pegasus clutch Spike closer to her before the inky mess was on him as well. Another blast from his horn had the mist retreating. Sombra howled and Shining Armor got his first real glimpse of the old King. 
He knew for a fact that his face was forever burned into his memory. He was well-muscled for a unicorn. The lower half of his body blended into the darkness. His eyes bled purple manic power and his mouth was filled with pointy teeth. His mane wasn’t very substantial, fading and blurring together in the inky mist, but it reminded Shining of a lion’s mane. In fact, his face looked vaguely feline as it snarled at him.
His red pupils pulsated green as he eyed Shining with hatred. To Shining’s shock, a forked tongue flitted between the shade’s lips. The spirit chuckled darkly and charged its horn. With a start, Shining realized it was blood red. It looked like a ruby injected with ink. Fear trickled through Shining like his first cup of coffee in the morning but held none of the relieving caffeine.
Distantly, Shining heard Spike screaming. His nephew’s scream snapped him out of it and he released another blast, right into Sombra’s open maw. The old King screamed and fled back into the darkness. The snow was nearly blinding now.
When Shining Armor could see again, Spike and the yellow pegasus weren't near him. He gazed fiercely into the swirling mist around him. In a gap in the darkness, Spike’s scream escaped once more but was quickly cut off.
Shining’s eyes darted around rapidly, his horn ready to fire, but he didn’t want to blast Spike or the pegasus.
“Uncle!” Shining spun around, trying to pinpoint where Spike’s voice was coming from. The mist made it echo and bounce, making it nearly impossible.
“Mom!” This was Spike’s loudest scream. Shining’s heart thudded painfully in his chest as Spike’s voice dissolved into sobs. He would protect Spike this time. He was Shining Armor. He would be the shield his family needed.
“I’m coming, Spike!” he shouted desperately, only for the wind to snatch his voice away.
A dark chuckle echoed around him, “There is no escape, Prince. The King will be back. This child will be a wonderful little slave,”
“You give him back!” Shining roared.
The wind howled harder as Sombra laughed, “I’d like to see a Prince try to overcome a King,”



Spike’s scream cut through Twilight’s ears like a hot knife through butter. Before she was even aware of her surroundings, she was on her paws. As her eyes cleared, she became aware of the ice she was dislodging from her body, the bone-deep chill, and the numbness of her claws and wings. 
Each movement was painful and each breath was like inhaling knives. Twilight roared in pain as she took a step forward. Fire warmed her belly before flames spilled from her mouth, blasting the air around her as she screamed in distress. Snow hissed and steamed, boiling away from the heat.
A faint cry from her son galvanized her into action, propelling herself into the mist, uncaring how pain lanced through her body with each step. Twilight didn’t even hear Applejack’s yell of shock or calls to come back. Her nose sought out Spike like a homing beacon.
The mist was filled with emotion magic, primarily hatred. It made Twilight’s horns tingle and her breath come in shorts pants. The anxiety was automatic and suffocating fear began to descend on her.
When she came upon her son, her heart nearly stopped, the fear in the air coinciding with a mother’s fear. Spike lay on the cold ground, unmoving, tears frozen to his muzzle. She scooped him up, finding Fluttershy a stone throw away, also prone but looked to be frozen in the act of crawling toward Spike. Her wings were stiff and her eyes were so dilated, Twilight worried if she was also nothing more than a husk.
Then she heard his voice and his laugh. Sombra chuckled, addressing Shining Armor.
“I’d like to see a Prince try to overcome a King,”
Flames cleared the way to Shining and Twilight stepped out, carrying the two ponies, “Well there’s a reason why the King sends a knight to defeat the dragon,”
Twilight’s voice wavered but she stood as tall as she could. In the back of her throat, she tasted copper. The cold was beginning to set in again.
Her glare had Sombra’s lip curling. He opened his mouth to retort but got a face full of purple flames. He shrieked and retreated. The darkness disappeared as quickly as it came and they were alone in the blizzard again.
The moment Sombra escaped, Spike and Fluttershy twitched. Shining Armor breathed a sigh of relief but that escaped out of him as he gasped.
“Oh good, they’re alive,” Twilight mumbled before keeling over in the snow, dropping both Spike and Fluttershy.
Shining attempted to catch his sister. Attempt being an arbitrary statement. To the unicorn, it was as if catching a falling boulder. He settled for getting out of the way as Twilight fell limp. As he stared at the three creatures, two of which were twitching and groaning weakly, Shining felt the familiar inadequacy at having been protected by his younger sister once more.
> Shields
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight came to, slowly. As her brain awoke, she noted that her body was very sore. She heard flames crackle and someone shifted nearby. No, two someones, another set of hooves clopped around, pacing from the sound of it. She was submerged in something very warm and the tub she was in was a bit too small for her since her legs were bent uncomfortably within it.
Finally, she forced her eyelids open and almost immediately slammed them back down with a groan as blinding light assaulted them. The pacing stopped and someone hurried over. Twilight moved her head a little to squint in the direction of the hoof steps. Shining Armor’s electric-blue mane swam into view as did Spike’s anxious face.
Torches flickered merrily along the walls which in Twilight’s opinion, was completely unnecessary since magical crystals jutted from the ceiling, glowing bright blue. The lava she was submerged in had cooled slightly and formed a stiff top layer.
Both Spike and her brother were sweating from the heat emanating from the tub but they peered anxiously down at her. She blinked slowly, wondering why. Tears filled Spike’s eyes and Twilight tensed as he nearly jumped into the lava to hug her. Spike was caught by her brother’s magic and lowered back down.
“Remember it’s hot, Spike,” Shining sounded as if he hadn’t drunk water for days and then gargled sand for this morning’s breakfast.
It was clear that the stallion hadn’t shaved for several days. The bags under his eyes indicated he hadn’t slept very much either. Her observations were interrupted by a flash of memories.
Cold. Sombra. Spike not moving. Fire. Sleep. Shadows. Snow.
Her head pounded as she attempted to make sense of the flashing images. She groaned again, but asked, “Did we all make it?”
Shining relaxed and huffing a self-deprecating laugh, he said “Yeah, thanks to you. I guess King Sombra doesn’t like fire,”
Twilight nodded wearily, “Could you both stand back? I’m going to get out,”
She slipped from the tub, immediately missing the warmth it provided. She stretched and accepted the hug Spike gave her.
“How long have I been out?” Twilight questioned upon seeing the sun high in the sky.
“About two days. You scared the sh- err, you scared the daylights out of us,” Shining hastily amended his statement, glancing at Spike, “Cadence watched over you for the first day or so while I reinforced the shield. Today it’s her turn, again,”
Something in her brother’s voice piqued her interest, “Should she not take her turn?”
He grimaced, “No, that’s not it. It’s just that she’s been doing it for too long. I don’t even know when her last night of uninterrupted sleep was. She’s hardly eating, she’s killing herself over this,”
Twilight frowned, “Well she’s not going to be much help if she perishes from magic power drainage,”
“That’s what I’m saying!” Shining complained, leading the way to Cadence, “But she won’t listen!”
“Aren’t shields your specialty, Uncle Shiny?”
“Yes!” the amount of exasperation in her brother’s voice had Twilight laughing.
Shining Armor opened an ornate door, presenting Princess Cadence. If Twilight thought her brother looked bad, then her sister-in-law looked even worse. Her usually shining mane and tail were dull and unwashed. Her wings were in desperate need of preening. Her thick and long coat was tangled. The magic in the air around her was weak and flickering, barely managing enough power to weave the spell.
Twilight studied the spell and easily replicated it. Her horns lit and repowered the protective enchantment that lay around the entire empire.
“Alright, enough of that,” Twilight reached up and snuffed out Cadence’s magic with her hand, “You’re nearing magical exhaustion,”
The smaller alicorn attempted to sit up straighter and glare. However, it was ruined by the fact that she swayed where she sat and nearly ate the crystal flooring if it weren’t for her husband catching her.
Twilight leveled a stern gaze at her former foal sitter, “You’re of no help to any creature by being a magic-less Princess that can’t even stand on her own hooves. Go rest and then come back, Shining and I have a handle on the shield for now,”
Shining didn’t even wait for his wife to agree and just walked back the way they came. The tired Princess’ eyes closed before they even left the room. Twilight sighed and settled herself on the floor near a window, watching the sun shine brightly over the city.
After a moment Spike grew bored and announced, “I’m going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?”
Twilight smiled at his thoughtfulness and requested some gems if he could find any. As she gazed out over the buildings, she couldn’t help but feel like something was terribly wrong. After a moment, she realized that there wasn’t any being outside. If Shining told her that the city was empty, Twilight would’ve believed him. The unsettling silence of the Empire hung over the atmosphere, putting Twilight on edge.
Resolutely, Twilight turned her attention elsewhere. Under the large castle she was in, was the leyline she noticed back at the train station. Most leylines were round in design with little tendrils branching off of it to connect to other nearby leylines. Usually, they glowed a soft color depending on what used its power the most. The ones under and around Canterlot were pastel yellow and light blue. 
The leyline under the castle was almost square-like in nature and had no tendrils around it at all. It was also gray. Either this one was on the brink of dormancy, or it was continuously used for evil rituals. A cursory look around confirmed that this was the only leyline within miles.
Even if a leyline was all alone, which was strange in of itself, there were usually tendrils that abruptly stopped, usually from severed connections to leylines that were long gone. The cube-like leyline simply spun in place on its corner.
Gently, Twilight brushed her consciousness against it, giving it a feel. Immediately, the idle spinning of it stopped. Twilight retreated hastily, anything that reacted like that was a candidate for spontaneous combustion. She did not know what an exploding leyline would entail and she wasn’t eager to find out any time in the near future. The moment Twilight retreated, the cube leyline began its idle rotations once more.
Mystified, but cautious, Twilight let it be. She wouldn’t be drawing power from that thing any time soon. She was thankful that Shining Armor and Cadence weren’t such proficient magic users. She was thankful that most beings weren’t able to draw on the power of a leyline at all. The last thing any creature wanted was an imploding leyline.
Unbeknownst to the dragon, King Sombra’s interest was garnered. So, somepony had touched his leyline, how interesting. He might’ve just found his apprentice.
> A Library
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Darling, you should really go rest,” Rarity implored later that afternoon, “Surely your brother could do something?”
Twilight sighed, “Neither of them has slept properly for who knows how long. The least I can do is sit here for a while longer. I’m not tired, I promise,”
Rarity bit her lip and bowed her head, “You know, sometimes I wish I had not brushed off magic training as a filly. Then perhaps I could help you at times,”
“Rarity,” Twilight waited until Rarity raised her head, “A unicorn’s worth is not determined by their magical prowess,”
“I- well, of course, darling,” Rarity trailed off and Twilight waited patiently until she spoke again, “It is just that many of the adventures we go on tend to lean more toward…I despise feeling so- so useless! I am a unicorn am I not? I should be helping!”
And there it was.
“Rarity, what does your cutie mark mean? How did you get it?” Rarity looked thrown off by the radical change in the subject but answered immediately.
“My horn took me to the gems. Darling, I told you this story already,” Rarity frowned, “Please do not change the subject to spare my feelings Twilight,”
“Humor me. What did your horn do?”
“It was as if an invisible force dragged me a few miles outside of Ponyville. It stopped at the rock spire and Rainbow Dash’s rainboom opened the rock,”
Twilight smiled, “So your horn turned into a gem radar?”
Rarity nodded and Twilight sensed the beginnings of annoyance within the pony.
“And you think just any ol’ unicorn can do that?”
Twilight cracked up at Rarity’s gasp of outrage, “Well of course not!”
“Where ever are you going with this Twilight?” Rarity huffed.
“My point is, there’s only one you. Only you would have the knack for finding gems and find a way to mesh it with your passion for sewing. You don’t need to be a magical prodigy to be an Element Bearer, Rarity. It chose you for a reason,”
A soft smile lit up the unicorn’s face, “While that may be true. It is still a bit much to always see just how good you are at magic,”
“Rarity, I’ve been training under Celestia for over nineteen summers now. I started when I was a little over four summers old,” Twilight reminded gently, “That’s what my cutie mark means. My talent is Magic,”
“Well when you put it like that, my worries do seem a bit silly,” Rarity said ruefully.
Twilight held up a claw, “It wasn’t silly. It was something that’s been eating away at you for a while. It’s alright to feel like that,”
“Thank you, Twilight,”
Twilight nodded, “Do you mind telling everyone to meet down here when my brother wakes up so we can get briefed?”
“Consider it done, darling,”



Six hours later, Shining and Cadence woke up. Both looked slightly better, but exhaustion was still the primary expression on their faces. At least Cadence’s wings were preened and her coat wasn’t as dirty.
“Thanks for coming everypony,” Shining began tiredly, “As you know, our job is to defend the Empire from King Sombra. He’s out there somewhere and his only known weaknesses are bombardment rays and dragon fire. No pony leaves the shield without one other pony,”
“He feeds on hatred and fear,” Cadence continued on, “Since my husband and I have been so busy with the shield, we haven’t had time to gather knowledge from the crystal ponies,”
Rarity gasped in delight, “Crystal ponies? Do they look like the Castle?”
“We haven’t seen too many of them, but from what we’ve seen, yes,”
“I can handle the shield for now,” Twilight offered, “It’s not that hard for me and I’ve been doing this for the whole day and it’s not bad,”
Shining snorted, “Anyways, do you think you all could start some reconnaissance? Gather information and see how the residents are doing. Err, Twily, I think it might be better if no one saw you… yet…”
Twilight shrugged and smiled ruefully, “I suppose someone needs to be the magical expert to prevent things from going boom, huh? Besides, you two still need to recover, no magic for at least a full solar cycle. I don’t want magic-less vegetables for relatives,”
Immediately, Shining Armor and Cadence burst into a cacophony of protests. Twilight simply sighed and waited for them to fall silent again. When they did, Twilight raised an eye ridge. Shining’s eye twitched rather dangerously and Twilight knew she won this silent argument.
“Alright then,” Shining said grudgingly, “Regroup at the castle doors in two hours. Cadence and I should probably eat something and then rest again,”



The first to be back was Fluttershy and Spike. Fluttershy’s wings rustled uneasily as she sported a troubled look.
“No one remembers anything. They think King Sombra disappeared yesterday,” Fluttershy said softly upon seeing Twilight’s inquiring look.
Twilight closed her eyes to compose herself and Fluttershy continued hesitantly, “They might still be under a spell or something, but I don’t know magic all that well. Sorry, Twilight,”
“Well, that’s rather disappointing. Their memories, not your magic sensing abilities,” Twilight hastily added seeing Fluttershy’s crestfallen look, “I wanted to know if anyone could tell us how life was like before Sombra,”
Applejack joined them, shaking her head, “I heard y’all. No pony remembers nothin’. It’s a might annoying. Everypony all depressed lookin’, almost like Pinky when she gets sad.”
Twilight became faintly amused at Applejack’s comparison, “No luck for you either Pinky?”
“Wha-?” Applejack didn’t get to finish her question before Pinky landed on the farmer’s back, buckling her knees from the unexpected weight.
“Nope-aronie! But I heard there’s a library in town!”
Twilight’s eyes blew wide and her legs tensed as if she was going to make a break for the building in the next second. The shield around the city faltered slightly in Twilight’s excitement.
“Only books would make Twilight get so excited. What happened?” Rainbow touched down, “Everyone’s so skittish here. It’s weird,”
“There’s a library in the city,” Twilight managed to say evenly as her tail lashed side to side impatiently, “We need to go, like, right now,”
“Hold it, Egghead! We need to wait for Rarity, then we can go find your precious books,”
Just as Rainbow said that, Rarity trotted up shaking her head silently. Twilight did a quick mental headcount and without a word, darted off into the city.
“And there she goes,” Rainbow sighed, “Alright, I’ll follow her by air. Meet you guys there,”
When the group finally caught up to their dragon friend, she was already several shelves deep into the library. Books lay in mountains nearby and more were flung to the ground when it wasn’t the one she was looking for. The books that were still up for inspection moved in a conveyor belt-like fashion in front of Twilight’s snout.
“Oh great, now Twilight can literally eat books,” Rainbow deadpanned upon seeing the crystal covers of the books, “Hey Egghead, make sure not to eat any encyclopedias, we might not survive,”
“Oh, I didn’t even know you knew what an encyclopedia was. Are congratulations in order?” Twilight quipped back without missing a beat, not even looking up from her floating books. 
Fluttershy snickered at Rainbow’s insulted expression. It evolved into a peal of full-blown laughter when Rainbow whipped her head around to glare. (“Flutters, you’re supposed to be on my side!”)
“What are ya lookin’ for Sugar Cube? Maybe we can help,” Applejack offered despite Rainbow Dash dramatically gesturing not to.
“A history book,” Twilight snapped before angrily slamming all the books to the ground, “Honestly! Who organizes books like this?! Myths and legends next to architecture? Really?! Am I the only competent librarian in Equestria?! Tell me!” she hysterically threw up her claws, “First it was Celestia’s personal Tartarous ridden mess of a mini-library. Second, it was the Royal Archives! Then it was the Golden Oaks Library! Now, this?! Ugh!”
A beat of silence passed before anyone made a move.
“There, there. I’m sure you’re not the only crazy Egghead in Equestria,” Rainbow patted Twilight’s shoulder with her wing, trying desperately not to laugh.
Twilight exhaled loudly and dragged her claws down her face. Everyone cringed away from the noise.
“‘The History of the Crystal Empire: The Complete Edition,’” Spike read aloud from a few shelves over, “Found it, Mom!”
“Thank the Moon!” Twilight exclaimed, jumping over her friends to land next to Spike, “How do you always do that?”
Spike shrugged happily.



Sombra pondered in the darkness. What unicorn prodigy would his little spy find? That little foal was simply too easy to bend to his will. A few choice words and she agreed. What a weak-minded cretin. His future apprentice better not fall prey to such simplicity. But in the end, his spy would bring them to him. After all, his orders were clear, “Bring me the unicorn prodigy,”
So far, his little spy had only found the five outsiders. She hadn’t made any contact with the ones that reside in his castle. Her emotions regarding the five were rather pleasant, but there was one where bitterness and jealousy festered under the friendship. When he found her, that bitterness was dying down but it only took a little nudging in the right direction for it to return full force. He would work with that, just fan that jealousy even more and it would be the end of it.
The one his spy was jealous of was probably his potential apprentice, after all, if such a beautiful unicorn was jealous of another, the only plausible conclusion to draw from that was expansive magic power.
It’d taken every ounce of his willpower to not blast his spy when he first came across her. Once her job was fulfilled, he would take her husk to be his own, no more of his unnatural bulkiness from his earth pony days. 
He was King Sombra, the self-made unicorn king of the Crystal Empire. He alone had uncovered more magic than Princess Celestia. It was he who fashioned himself his horn and built his own leyline. It was he, a small earth pony foal with no parents that figured out what leylines were. He was King Sombra, and the Empire would be his.
> Her Greatest Fear
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight felt like screaming when Rainbow Dash announced they might have a problem. Didn’t they have enough problems already?! She even threw her book down in a fit of rage when it occurred to the dragon that the Crystal Heart was a lost relic. No wonder the book capitalized ‘Crystal Heart’ and spoke about powering it up. Speaking of which, putting Applejack on guard duty for the fake heart probably wasn’t the best idea seeing that the farmer couldn’t lie to save her life.
The fair was going well, at least they did that correctly. Putting a full functioning fair together in one full solar cycle was impressive and Twilight was proud of her friends since they were the only ones running the booths.
Rarity was strangely silent when Twilight suggested she work the basket weaving booth. She suspected the poor unicorn was tired, after all, she’d been taxing her own magic to put up the booths and then to top it off, feverishly learn the basket patterns in time.
Now, Twilight was turning every little thing over within the castle trying to find the relic, knowing it was a lost cause. She was so distressed, she had to turn the shield over to Shining and Cadence since she was too frazzled to concentrate. Spike joined her after an hour of searching.
Frustration and distress clouded her head after the third hour and she threw a crystal bust against the floor. It exploded in a shower of pebbles before getting seamlessly repaired and set back in its place.
She fled back into the throne room so she wouldn’t break anything else. Spike opened the doors a few minutes later, staring at his mother’s hunched back. Twilight stared morosely out the paneless windows, resting her chin on the sill. Only her flicking tail gave away her anger and disappointment.
Spike didn’t say anything and sat down nearby. Twilight began to snarl her grievances.
“Celestia thought it was a wonderful idea to send a dragon into a blizzard. Celestia thought it was a wonderful idea for the Element Bearers to face down Sombra without the Elements, thinking he wouldn’t dare show his face. Celestia thought it was a wonderful idea to send nine beings into the frozen north with basically no information and only three of them can actually cast defensive spells properly.” Twilight’s voice rose to a roar that shook the castle down to its very foundations, causing the ponies below to look up nervously, “MY ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL MENTOR, THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO PIN THE RESPONSIBILITY OF AN ENTIRE EMPIRE ONTO MY SHOULDERS!”
Electricity danced between Twilight’s spiraled horns in her anger. Her rage, which was already simmering beneath the surface, exploded at the minor inconvenience of magical electricity. 
All of Twilight’s anguish, disappointment, and fear of failure, rushed to her horns as she spun around with an unadulterated howl of fury. Spike gasped and backpedaled, for once seeing Twilight how strangers see her, a bloodthirsty dragon. 
Twilight’s frills expanded along with her wings, casting the entire room into shadow as she blocked out the window. Her snout was twisted into an ugly snarl and her teeth were bared. Spike could see a hint of flame curl between her clenched teeth. Her eyes bled hatred and her claws pierced the crystal flooring. Her eyes flicked to him and he scrambled back even faster. Tears threatened to spill over his eyes as Twilight’s look of outrage drained away, seeing his terrified face.
Her face crumpled inward, immediately regretting her outburst. She took a step forward to comfort Spike but recoiled when Spike scooted away with a small bray of fear. It felt like something punched her square between the eyes when she noticed the small tears leaking from Spike’s eyes.
“Spike… I-” Her voice cracked when Spike backpedaled more at the sound of her voice, “I didn’t mean to, Spike. I’m sorry,” Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears.
She flattened her spines and tucked her wings in. Her ears folded back as she backed away from the trembling pony.
“I’m sorry,” Twilight whispered again, averting her eyes as she slumped on the floor.
After a moment, something small and shivering nestled itself against Twilight’s chest. Opening her eyes and moving very carefully, Twilight folded her arms and wings around Spike.
“I’m sorry,” she said, nuzzling through Spike’s mane carefully.
Her own tears pricked at her eyes when she felt Spike nod against her chest plates. Gently, she shifted until Spike was in her lap. She only let go when Spike pulled his head away.
“I’m happy you aren’t like that all the time. I’m sorry Celestia put so much on you,” Spike said bravely, “You’re scary sometimes but I know you won’t ever hurt me. Even if you give me time out or make me eat my vegetables,”
That elicited a wet chuckle from Twilight and she squeezed him a little tighter. Her attention was stolen when the backrest of the throne gave an odd little wiggle. Even Spike turned to look since it scraped unpleasantly against the surrounding crystals.
“I think we just found the hiding place,” Twilight said hoarsely.
Spike detached himself and shook away any lingering fear he had. Twilight warned him before charging her horns again. Spike shuddered but planted his hooves courageously, watching nervously as more and more anger and frustration filled the air. When the beam of negative emotions hit the crystal, the area in front of the throne burned away, exposing a deep spiraling staircase that led to darkness.
Seeing that the staircase was too frail to hold her weight, Twilight used them like a ladder. The further she went down, the more claustrophobic she felt and the only thing that prevented her from completely panicking was the fact that Spike was situated on her shoulders and she didn’t want to inadvertently crush him.
They arrived at the bottom on Twilight’s shaky arms and legs. She was tempted to pull a Discord and temporarily give her arms the property of jelly when she reached for the singular door. However, that thought was completely forgotten when the door slid along the wall, away from her claws.
Twilight took a fortifying breath and spoke through her teeth, warning Spike once more. She reached for the rage that boiled whenever she knew Spike was in danger, coupling it with the self-loathing that stemmed from the incident that happened above. Her horns tingled when she released the bout of emotion and the door opened silently.



Something was wrong, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. The words on the book in front of her blurred and floated off the page. Without a thought, the book was incinerated and the ashes were swept off the desk. She reached for a nearby quill that snapped neatly in half when she grasped it. She paid it no mind and dipped it into the inkpot. She must’ve pressed harder than she realized since the nib dug into the paper, leaving a groove before snapping off entirely.
Her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and her tail twitched, sending a stool neatly piled with books, crashing down behind her. She spun around, prepared to glare angrily at the pile, but as she did so, her wing clipped the lone shelf near her desk that held all of the pictures of her and… some pony. There was the oddest feeling that she knew that pony, but she didn’t care to remember. Picture frames crashed down in a symphony as glass shattered.
The mess was swept aside under the desk by her back foot and the previously tipped-over books were set to burn. She turned to pluck another book off another shelf, spilling her inkwell all over her desk. The book she gripped was shredded by the force in which she held it. The mangled book was thrown on top of the spilled ink and opened so harshly, the cover tore off.
Why did everything in her life go wrong? First, it was turning into a dragon, and now the curse of being perpetually too strong. Her claws curled into fists. She took a deep breath, intending to calm down when she choked, sending her into a coughing fit. Seconds later, her desk flew across the library, having been flipped.
Papers fluttered through the air as she breathed heavily. The books continued to burn and now her walls had ink splatters from the flipped desk. What was left of the desk was also set on fire. Something deep and primal in her chest urged her to rip, destroy, maim. Her roar sent leaves fluttering down and Owlicious fleeing out the nearest window. His tail feathers were smoking by the time he managed to squeeze himself out, narrowly escaping her flames.
The door that separated the kitchen area from the rest of the library opened. A small colt with an acid green mane peered through it. Something about his little brown vest infuriated her. The way his lavender coat shined made her want to toss him into the dirt to get rid of it.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was when the colt stepped into one of the ink puddles on the ground and tracked it across the library floor as he approached. A hand shot out to grip the pony by the throat. It pathetically squealed and thrashed in her grip. Something about it was familiar but she didn’t have the time to figure it out. Her fist tightened and it began to choke.
She leered at it with a large fang-filled smile as its purple face slowly turned maroon. Such deplorable race ponies were. Her grin grew when it finally fell limp. She let it fall to the ground with a sickening thud.
Something slammed painfully into her shoulder. Her head whipped around to find her new adversary, but she was alone in the room. Again it hit her, but on the opposite shoulder. She snarled, spinning in place. The shelves rippled like mirages and disappeared, leaving her in a completely white room. She heard something far off as her shoulder was punched again. The pain made it hard to think.
Then abruptly, something slammed into the back of her head. She saw stars and when her vision cleared, she was back in front of the open door.
> The Crystal Heart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For a moment, it was as if she were being pulled from the brink of drowning. Twilight gasped and sputtered on nothing as she reeled back from the sensation. She began to choke on her tears as it finally registered to her what happened. 
She just- She did not- She called Spike an ‘it’! She grabbed him by the throat. She hurt him.
“Mama?” Spike’s quiet voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
He hadn’t called her Mama in a long long time. She swallowed and cursed her voice for wavering.
“Yes?” She felt Spike sag in relief.
“You were staring at the door for a long time. Sorry, I punched you,”
Now that Spike said that, Twilight became aware of the throbbing in her shoulders and the bruise forming on the back of her head. Gently, Twilight plucked Spike off her shoulders and set him on the ground, envisioning how easy it could be to simply crush him in her claws.
“I just- Give me a moment,” Twilight announced shakily.
Spike’s ears folded back as Twilight took deep breaths in and out. Bile crawled up her throat as her claws felt the phantom fur between them. When she finally turned back to Spike, he was staring, entrapped by the doorway.
Spike stared unblinkingly, tears slowly dripping down his face and splashing down onto the floor. There was a barely noticeable tremor to him when Twilight gently scooped him up. She blocked the doorway with her body and he gasped much like she had when the spell was interrupted.
Her back foot clawed for the door and successfully slammed it shut. It closed with an echoing boom of finality as if its job was complete. In a way, Twilight supposed it was.
“A doorway that leads to your own worst fear. Sombra is creative, I give him that,” Twilight snarled angrily, yet with grudging respect, “Whatever you saw, it won’t happen, alright? It can’t and never will,”
Spike nodded soundlessly, tears slowing. Her heart warmed when Spike attempted a small smile. Without conscious thought, her magic reacted and with no warning, charged the crystal above the doorway with her love for Spike.



His spy hadn’t come back with the prodigy yet. He howled his rage for all to hear, which at the moment was simply the cowering form of his unicorn spy.
“I ask for one simple thing, slave, and you deny me?” he rumbled in barely suppressed fury.
“There is no unicorn prodigy in the Empire, Master,” his slave murmured reverently to the ground, “But there is another who has limitless magic at her disposal,”
Sombra sat back thoughtfully. Then perhaps there was another like him. Perhaps it was an earth pony or a pegasus, after all both did possess innate magic. Well, the first order of business would be to fashion his new apprentice a horn. A tool of magic more powerful than a unicorn horn. His thoughts soured, how irresponsible of him to presume it was a unicorn and waste his spy’s time. The spy already knew who it was but couldn’t go against the order to bring him a unicorn.
“Very well, bring me the one. You will not disappoint me this time,”
“Of course not, Master,” The groveling form soon retreated and Sombra was left alone to his thoughts once more.
His thoughts brought him back to the dragon. The fact that it spoke was a shock in itself. Dragons weren’t known to possess the intelligence of speech. All they did was hoard their glittering trinkets and set fire to villages.
He frowned in displeasure, when he came to power, he would need to act and remove that dragon from his lands as soon as possible. The last thing he wanted was a dragon swooping down from who knew where and snatching up his slaves for its breakfast. What a troublesome animal, if it hadn’t attacked him before, he would’ve been tempted to tame it and have it guard the castle or keep his slaves in line. Actually, he still was tempted and began pondering.
How would one go about taming a dragon? Spells came to mind, but all of them were temporary, if he was away for long enough, they would wear off. Food perhaps? Or a promise of untold riches that he never had any intention of delivering? Oh, who was he kidding? It was an animal, food would do just fine.



Twilight tensed when the door swung open once more. Blinding light shone through the opening, flooding the previously pitch dark room. A wing came up to shield herself as she hesitantly stepped through. 
The land stretched further than the eye could see in every direction. It was completely featureless and was just as bright as everything else around them. The only distinguishing feature around them was the tower that they just stepped out of. Vexed, Twilight peered back into the dark hole and looked up, yep the throne room ceiling was right there.
Looking up the tower gave her vertigo. She could barely see the top. Spike’s sharp intake of breath had her glancing back.
“That’s a lot of stairs,” he breathed, “Do you think the Heart is at the top?”
“Only one way to find out,” Twilight sighed, spreading her wings.
By the time they were halfway up, Twilight’s wings began to ache. How Rainbow Dash simply hovered in place sometimes eluded Twilight. Flying straight up was hard! Not only would her arms and legs hurt from the journey down, now her wings would ache from flying up. 
When Twilight was just about to reach the top, her wing cramped and they tilted dangerously in the air. With her only good wing, Twilight beat it as hard as she could while lunging for the stairs. She would be damned if she had to fly up again or manually climb the stairs.
Spike yelled in shock when they began to fall. His yell turned into a shriek when they were abruptly stopped by Twilight’s grip on the stairs. Her arms shook with the strain, but she managed to haul both of them onto the stairs. Both her hind legs and tail drooped over the side but she could care less.
Twilight raised her head, cursed at the sight of several more flights, and dropped her head back down. Only the magic shimmering in the air prevented her from laying there longer. She groaned as she clambered awkwardly to her paws in the small space. Spike raced ahead but kept within sight. He’d learned from the last time he sprinted ahead.
“I’m getting too old for this,” Twilight sighed to herself when the stairs ended.
Cold air blasted the tower they found themselves in and Twilight shivered. The windows revealed the shield outside the city to flicker and dim. Twilight furrowed her eye ridges, Cadence and Shining shouldn’t be so exhausted that the shield was failing, should they?
Twilight cast the spell to help, only to falter when she realized Sombra was actively attempting to bring it down. Well, no wonder. Twilight leaned out the window and hissed as she forcibly powered the shield. For a moment, it stabilized. Then with a resounding boom, something crashed into the magical force field so suddenly, Twilight was physically blown back. The shield fell with no fanfare and the cold blew in.
She landed in a sprawl next to the magic circle that protected the Heart. The wind began to howl as Sombra marched in. The mist in which he dwelled, crept in turning any crystal he came across into the black shining rocks. 
“My Crystal Slaves,” Sombra’s voice echoed and reverberated sinisterly.
The sky became awash in red and the crystal ponies began to scream and run. The Heart. Twilight turned quickly to study the circle. The script was messy and unrefined, almost like the creature that wrote it didn’t know what they were doing. She brought her snout closer and ran a claw tip over a part of it.
Instantly, magic blasted her position. With her senses overloaded, Twilight’s only thought was to get the Heart before Him. She reared up, blind, and grabbed for it. The unnaturally smooth crystal slithered out of her claws and she slammed snout first into a barrier. Tears sprang up, unbidden, blinding her further.
Sombra cackled madly. His trap caught some prey. Could it be his apprentice? After all, not every pony could best his trials and reach the top.
Twilight’s eyes cleared. She was in a stone cage. Barbed spikes angled downward from the top to discourage her from climbing out and the space was too small to properly spread her wings. She could hear Spike outside, frantically running back and forth.
“Spike?” the hoofbeats stopped, “Spike, can you see the Crystal?”
“Y-yeah,” his shaky voice responded, “It looks fine,”
Twilight sighed in relief, “Could you bring it around here so I can see?”
Spike nudged it around the side and Twilight could see that there wasn’t a scratch on there. Sombra laughed again. Quickly, she fused the crystal to the back of Spike’s vest.
“Bring it to Cadence,” she urged, but Spike hesitated.
“But what about your test,” Twilight paused.
Truthfully all thoughts about her test had fled her mind the moment she found the entrance to find the Heart in the first place.
“Screw the test,” Twilight snapped harshly, “These are ponies’ lives. Go to Cadence, I’ll try and find a way out. No time to lose,”
She heard Spike gulp loudly and slowly make his way to the window. The crystal building around them began to warp. The stone cage around her seemed to bleed and stain the room around her, turning more and more of it into black stone. She almost missed the fact that rock spires began to burst out of the window sill, nearly impaling Spike.
Her heart lodged in her throat as Spike lept from the window, landing on the growing rocks. Far below, Applejack and Rarity huddled near Shining Armor and Cadence. Gingerly, Spike picked his way down the mangled pillar of stone, nearly slipping a couple of times. Spike tried his hardest to stay quiet, knowing Sombra could snatch him up any second.
Twilight craned her neck as far as it would go. The stone pressed uncomfortably against her collarbones but she didn’t move from her position, watching Spike make his way down. Then, Spike skidded down the pillar, screaming. Twilight rammed herself against the rock, scrabbling uselessly against it.
Spike managed to hook a hoof around a crack and halt his momentum. But attention had been garnered. He saw Sombra’s shade. Their eyes connected and Spike began to climb down in earnest, knowing the jig was up.
“No!” Sombra roared, “Slave! Bring me that colt!”
> Who Angered the Dragon?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity broke away, jumping clean over the balcony railing with no fear. Her eyes were curiously blank. She landed on a rock spire that manifested itself under her. A blast of pure magic fired from her horn. Her magic clipped Spike, sending him sliding down the side from his position on the mangled pillar.
Spike jumped to another spire to avoid the second shot. He didn’t waste his breath by asking what was wrong with Rarity. His mother gave him a job and he would finish it. He did a controlled slide down, changing pillars when Rarity came too close.
Finally, the enslaved unicorn got a lucky shot and Spike lost his grip. Spike twisted in the air, managing to avoid the lunge Rarity made. Unfortunately, he bounced off of another growing obelisk, dazing him.
He was captured in her telekinesis and swept away. Rarity again jumped with abnormal strength and landed on the platform Sombra stood on. She bowed, presenting Spike. As the platform grew taller and taller, Sombra’s shade slowly burned away, revealing his ash-gray coat and bulky legs. His mane wasn’t very substantial, fading in and out of existence at the edges. Metal grieves decorated his shins. He grinned with too sharp teeth and approached the bowing unicorn.
“Well well well, finally. You have done well, my slave. You have brought me my apprentice,” Sombra chuckled lightly at Spike’s terrified expression, “No need to be so afraid. I have no intention of harming my future apprentice. Why, I wager we will be close enough to be considered Father and Son,”
Spike shucked off his vest, tightly wrapped what he could over the Heart, and clutched it fearfully against his chest. The Crystal was warm, reminding him of his mother. She was always warm.
“Such power,” Sombra mused, “You were even able to escape my trap up there. But of course, I should’ve expected that from the pony that found my leyline. Very impressive, young colt. Tell me, what is your name?”
Spike felt as if his tongue were cotton but he managed to spit out, “Spike,”
“Ah, a worthy name. Now, give me the Crystal Heart,” Sombra spoke gently, but expectantly.
“Wh- What did you do to Rarity?” Spike stuttered, hugging the Heart closer.
Sombra leered, “Do you appreciate it, my son? It was a simple spell and a few choice words. Making slaves is so easy it’s laughable. Come, my son, we have an Empire to conquer. The Heart if you will,”
“N-No,” Spike clutched it so hard it hurt, “Never,”
Something flashed in the old king’s eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came, “Come now. We have no time for games,”
Spike scooted away. Rapidly shaking his head.
Sombra scowled, “I am offering you the chance to be stronger than a unicorn, my son. Think carefully. It has been eons since I’ve chosen an apprentice,”
“I’m not your son!” Spike cried, “I don’t want to be stronger. I’m plenty strong already!”
Sombra sighed, lowering his eyebrows and acting as if Spike were a toddler with no world experience, “And thus is your first lesson, son. Nopony can have enough power,”
With that, Sombra wrenched the Heart away from Spike. The Heart floated in front of him as he eyed it with distaste. He opened his mouth. There was only one way to know he’d gotten rid of it for sure, plus, it was literally charged with all of his slaves’ happiness. What better way could there be?
Just as he lowered the Crystal to his maw, something kicked him in the jaw with bruising force. His concentration wavered, letting the Crystal fall with a dull clunk. Sombra’s head snapped back from the force and he stumbled away, spitting a fang out. The tangy taste of blood filled his mouth. 
Howling in fury, Sombra lashed out at the surprised-looking colt, who was still in his kicking position. His powerful hooves crashed into the colt’s shoulder. Something snapped and the colt lay still on the ground for a moment before screaming in abject terror and pain.
Blood dribbled down his chin, rolling down his neck to stain his royal coat. He spat again, another fang following the blood. He stared murderously down at the colt. Damn the idea of an apprentice to Tartarus.



Twilight strained harder and harder against the stone to keep Spike in her view. She watched, thrashing harder when Spike slipped. After a moment of fruitless struggling, Twilight gave up and pulled her neck back in. 
She attempted to teleport, vanishing and reappearing outside the cage in a burst of her signature sparkles. Her head spun from the amount of magic that temporarily assaulted her senses. Just as she was about to celebrate her victory, something magically black, slimy, and utterly deplorable reached for her. She spun in place, wings flared and horn charged, only for nothing to manifest itself. The world around her suddenly rippled and she was back in the cage, fighting down the urge to be sick.
Another idea popped into her head and she grasped the sides of the stone cage with each paw. She started pushing them away from each other. Her already tired arms shook with the effort. Then Spike screamed. 
Twilight’s heard Spike scream with different degrees of fear. This one placed it at the very top. It felt like ice slid down Twilight’s neck. Her child was screaming for his life. Something was going to kill her child.
Sombra roared something unintelligible. Him. It was Sombra and he was about to kill Spike. Twilight clenched her teeth so hard, something ugly popped within the confines of her skull. She strained her tired muscles as hard as she could, past the point of pain. Her needs weren’t negotiable right now. Her child was in grave danger and absolutely nothing would prevent her from getting to him.
Twilight Sparkle wasn’t about to have a little bit of rock get in the way of protecting Spike. Audibly, the rock began to crack, crumbling where her paws were. Growling lowly, she pushed harder. The stone gave way, shattering from the force Twilight exerted onto it. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she busted through the rock as if it were paper. 
She didn’t care that shrapnel shredded through some of her wing membranes. She didn’t care that she’d lost a claw. She didn’t care about the numerous cuts littering her palms. She didn’t care that she probably cracked her teeth. She didn’t care that her arms and legs burned in a way that suggested something other than tired muscles. She didn’t care about the icy wind that whistled through her hair.
With a roar of a mother’s fury, Twilight jumped from the window. She spotted Spike, he was on his hooves, but standing in a way that suggested an injured leg. That primal urge of rip, tear, maim, welled up. Instead of fearing it, she relished in the feeling. All she saw was red and Sombra’s shocked face.



Spike’s shoulder felt like a manticore was gnawing on it, but he grabbed the Crystal when Sombra’s focus shifted, and on three legs, lept for the balcony far below. Just as he did, his mother smashed into the stone platform so hard, it broke apart. Spike fought the hysterical urge to laugh at Sombra’s surprised expression. Somehow, he could take the time to count how many pieces of flying rock there were. He could see how his mane waved around in the wind. He would probably die on impact when he reached the balcony, but hopefully, his body would protect the Heart. Grimly, he tightened his hold on it.
His eyes connected with his mom’s and in the next second, green fire raced toward him. He only had time to widen his eyes before the fire engulfed him. ‘She said she’d never hurt me-’
There was the sensation of spiraling out of control and getting stretched like taffy before he resolidified onto the balcony, standing next to the exhausted form of Uncle Shiny. ‘Oh, it must’ve been a new spell… or something.’
The adrenaline jump and pain caught up with him and he just managed to control his fall so he didn’t fall on his shattered shoulder. Rarity appeared nearby, in the same manner, he appeared, looking disoriented and her perfect mane smothering. The Heart rolled out of his nerveless hooves. The fire had burned his vest up, but he found that he no longer cared.
“I found it,” He said breathlessly before the darkness claimed him.



Shining only had time to grumble, “Just like your mother,” before forcing his magic to entrap Rarity in a bubble. He took the Heart from Spike’s prone form and pressed it to his wife’s hooves.
“Go save the world,” he mumbled as he pressed a kiss to her mane.
His wife couldn’t look more beautiful, the messy unwashed mane and the scuffed and sticky fur made her look even more radiant. She shook herself and took the Heart in her magic, gliding down from the balcony with the grace of a unicorn.
Shining looked back up in time to see his sister throw Sombra at the castle so hard, he broke a small chunk of the crystal away with him. There was a muffled boom and pebbles rained down. Shining sighed at the thought of damage control. Why did it always cost so much?
> Sombra go Bye-Bye - End Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sombra screamed when his brain finally registered that he was in the clutches of a dragon. An angry dragon. Its eyes glittered strangely when it saw the blood on his coat. He screamed louder when it occurred to him that the blood could induce a feeding frenzy like sharks.
Slaver dripped and flew away from the dragon’s bared teeth and its eyes were pinpricks, focused only on him. He barely had enough presence of mind to form a shield around his back before they crash-landed into the crystal buildings. He hoarsely cried out when his head banged into something. Something sticky and warm ran down the back of his neck and he feared what he would see if he turned his head to check.
“Mercy! Mercy!” he screamed, knowing the animal couldn’t understand him.
His hooves flailed erratically and any spell he had ready fled his mind in terror. The dragon again took to the air with him in its claws. It clutched him so tightly he could feel the bruises forming. They flew high, higher than his platform had been. 
Sombra’s stomach was left up near the clouds when the dragon plummeted back down to the ground. His shield barely managed to hold when the dragon let go of him and he crashed into another crystal dwelling. It was back on him before he could recover, incisors on full display. One of the dragon’s claws migrated to his forehead.
“You have no concept of mercy,” the dragon spat, “Why should any be given to you?”
The shock of it speaking was pushed aside for a more pressing problem. Sombra understood what the dragon was about to do milliseconds before it actually followed through with it. His jaw hung open in horror when the dragon yanked at his horn so hard, his neck cracked. He cried out, whether in shock or pain he didn’t know. It wrenched at it again in the opposite direction and the ache around his forehead grew. One more pull later and his horn broke off at the base.
Sombra screamed again as his pride and joy was thrown into the dragon’s mouth and chewed up as if it was nothing more than a snack. The dragon swallowed and grinned with too many teeth to be natural. Its teeth were stained red from his horn and Sombra shuddered at the mental image of his blood in the dragon’s mouth rather than his horn. The crystal stump on his forehead crackled pathetically, unable to power a true spell.
“You wouldn’t know mercy if it kicked you in the face,” its eyes sparkled with cruel amusement, eyeing his fractured teeth.
Sombra snarled back, holding back a wince as his teeth ground together, “You know nothing of intelligence, animal,”
The amusement painting its face faded, morphing into an expressionless mask so quickly, Sombra gulped. The spoken intelligence the dragon portrayed made him forget that the creature holding him was… well a dragon. He cursed himself for angering it further.
“You want an animal?” it hissed so quietly that he barely heard it over the wind, “I can give you an animal,”
Sombra did not have time to regret his words. He was grabbed by his barrel and flipped as the dragon took off once more. The dragon held him by his mane as it flew faster and higher than before.
His next scream was so loud he tasted copper and his vocal cords ceased working. The dragon swung him by his front hoof and then propelled him with an earth-shattering force into his former castle. There was a thunderous boom that sounded and he knew it was him that caused it. Everything from his neck down went numb upon impact and he closed his eyes, prepared for the end.
The wind whistled through his fur as he fell. His eyes remained closed. What a pathetic end, perishing from getting thrown into a building. He’d always thought he’d get a noble end, like dying in battle or from a magic duel. Getting snatched out of the air was enough for his eyes to snap open in shock. He was alive!
But one look at the dragon and he regretted not hitting the ground beforehand. The look on the dragon’s face promised that getting thrown into the castle was the least of his worries. Oh how he wished for his horn, then he might’ve been able to do something. The dragon held him by the tail, dangling him upside down. He couldn’t muster enough energy to be any more terrified than he already was.
Something flickered in his vision and he deliriously wondered if the tales of the Grim Reaper were true. He looked down to the ground, fully expecting to see a black-cloaked figure in the crowd with its scythe ready to take him to Purgatory. However, instead, he bore witness to the Crystal Heart exploding in a beam of colors.
The shockwave blasted all of his hard work away and as it reached him, he knew it was the end for him. Was it all for nothing? His conquest for power? Was he really going to be defeated by something as simple as positive emotions? It looked like it. As the power washed over him, he felt a sense of peace descend upon him. When was the last time he felt so… warm? Protected? Happy?
It took him a second longer to realize he was still in the grip of the dragon. He laughed weakly at the thought. Him, King Sombra, in the clutches of a dragon! Maybe later, he could ask it for a ride. He laughed again at the image. King Sombra rides off into the sunset on the back of his pet dragon, never to be seen again. Yes, that sounded like a very good plan.
Sombra never felt Twilight toss him directly into the beam the Heart produced. He never felt his body begin to crack and disintegrate. He never figured out who the real being that touched his leyline was. But he never felt more at peace than he had at that moment. And that was enough for the old beaten king.
Sombra died with a brilliant smile on his face, imagining his ride into the sunset on his dragon.



If Twilight thought the worst feeling in the world was nearly turning into a dragon popsicle in a northern blizzard, she was sorely mistaken.
The moment the adrenaline faded after she got rid of Sombra, she fell out of the air, her body unable to continue. As she fell, she became aware of the aches, scrapes, bruises, and lacerations upon her. The wind cut through her injuries like a knife. Her eyes fluttered closed as she fell, too exhausted to even think about opening them anytime in the near future.
Behind her closed eyelids, she felt the Heart send out a second shockwave. It washed over her like a lava bath and she found the strength to open her eyes again. What she saw took her breath away. Everything, from the ponies to the blades of grass and even to her, shone like diamonds.
Her breath hitched as the castle glittered, almost like it was winking in thanks at her, or that could be her concussion, she wasn’t sure. Almost absentmindedly, she snapped her claws and reappeared on the balcony. She may or may not have misjudged the landing as she skidded ungracefully against the crystal before laying in a tangled heap.
She prematurely winced, expecting her injuries to worsen, but no pain came. She sat up and nothing hurt. Spike jumped up and ran into her stunned claws. Did the Heart fix any injury she had? Carefully, she ran her paws over Spike, feeling for any discrepancies, but it looked like he was healed too.
“Are you going to make it a habit to routinely give me heart attacks?” Shining sniffed, his fur fluffed up around his neck like an ugly scarf.
Twilight chuckled and didn’t answer.
Spike’s bright smile had her own heart settling and she sat silently with him as Cadence and Shining Armor addressed the citizens. She felt the magic of the Crystal settle into the background ambiance of Equestria. Mission accomplished. 
Well, not quite. Celestia might find all her teabags replaced with dehydrated broccoli for the next month or so.



“I can’t believe you kicked an evil supervillain in the face,”
“I can’t believe he actually bled,”
“I can’t believe you jumped like that,”
“I can’t believe you crushed all that rock like nothing,”
“You know what? Me either,”
> An Explosive(?) Notebook - MMC Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ah, Miss Sparkle, just the pon- ah, dragon I was looking for,” Steelwing exclaimed, fixing the glasses hanging on her face, “My, have you grown taller? Or have these old bones shrunken already?”
Even after fifteen years of knowing Steelwing, Twilight had no idea why Steelwing’s parents decided to name a unicorn ‘Steelwing’. Her gray coat looked lighter than she last remembered and her salt and pepper mane had lightened somewhat.
“Just a little taller,” Twilight smiled, aware that if she were to flare her wings out completely, she would knock over countless shelves. She remembered when she could run around under hoof and then get yelled at for scratching the shelves. She spied the scraped-away paint that was a little higher than her shoulder. Oh boy, she used to be so small.
“So what’s Celestia got us caught up in this time?” Twilight inquired, refocusing her thoughts on the present.
Steelwing snorted, “The Princess wants our team to complete one of Starswirl The Bearded’s unfinished spells. The only problem is that we don’t exactly know what the original intent of the spell was. None of us dared to cast it without knowing what it did, and since there’s no known counterspell, it could prove disastrous,”
Twilight blinked, waited for Steelwing to declare it a joke, and when it didn’t come, sighed, smoke billowing out in clouds. Of course, Celestia would ask something like that. Half the time the ageless alicorn thought centuries ago history happened yesterday. It was an absolute wonder how she managed to keep Equestria up and running so smoothly.
Steelwing wrinkled her nose and magicked away the smoke before admitting, “We really have nothing to work with other than the original work. Which I might add that she hoofed to me without a single protection spell,”
Twilight barked out a laugh, envisioning the near heart-attack Steelwing went through, “So we have a freshly protected original work, half of a spell, and our brains,” Twilight concluded.
“As much as it pains me to admit, yes. That’s exactly what we have,” Steelwing sighed.
Without a word, Twilight went to pick up the notebook that was placed carefully on the stand. Her claws were swatted away by an irate Steelwing and sheepishly, Twilight lit her horns and brought it over.
A second later, Twilight delicately put the notebook back on the stand before whirling around incredulously, “By half a spell, you mean one sentence!?”
“No need to shout, young Twilight. I may be old, but I’m not that old,” Steelwing said belligerently.
Twilight groaned in response, “This sounds more like a cryptic prophecy than a spell. We have no idea what it does?”
Steelwing’s eyes speared her where she stood, “Do you want to cast it, Miss Sparkle?”
Twilight buried her head into her paws, “This is bullsh- Yow!”
“I will not have such crude language in my library,” Steelwing snapped, her posh Canterlot accent growing more pronounced in her annoyance and lifted her hoof from Twilight’s previously stomped-on tail, “Honestly, have you forgotten all your etiquette lessons in the few short years you’ve been down there? You don’t even say your ‘t’s correctly anymore,”
“Kinda hard with my voice. I don’t give a… I don’t care how I sound and nor do my friends,” Discreetly, Twilight tucked her tail in closer, “Sorry. Where do we start?”
Steelwing sniffed but spoke anyway, “I already have Quicksand and Copper combing the Archives. I’ve started translating the spell into different dialects of old Ponish and translating it back. You on the other hoof are just the dragon to guard this as well as thoroughly comb through the entire notebook for clues. Most of our old eyes can’t read the fine print,”
Twilight eyed the bulging notebook that could barely turn a page without ripping, “Yes, I’m certain my home is perfect for this priceless artifact,”
Steelwing’s stink eye urged her to shut up, so she nodded demurely.
“Good. Mail me the moment you find anything and don’t you dare get that notebook dirty,” Twilight gulped when Steelwing clipped the ‘t’ and nodded frantically.
“I’ll mail the whole notebook if need be,”
“By the moon, Miss Sparkle, if you burn even a single page, I will have your hide,”
The old unicorn’s eyes flashed behind her glasses when Twilight made to pick up the notebook with her claws again.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s a habit. Thumbs, ya know?” Twilight chuckled awkwardly at Steelwing’s unimpressed look.
“Celestia help me, for your student prodigy forgets she has magic,” Steelwing sighed, “Two years down with the commoners and your student forgets she comes from noble stock,”
In a very mature act, Twilight stuck her tongue out, swiped the notebook (with magic), and fled out the doors.
She made sure to yell over her shoulder, “Don’t forget about my princely brother and actual Princess sister-in-law!”



While on the flight back to Ponyville, Twilight layered so many protection wards on the book, she half expected the small thing to implode with the amount of magic saturating the papyrus. Well, at least now she could grasp it in her claws without damaging it.
When she landed on the balcony and stepped into her room, Spike’s voice issued from the main floor.
“Mom? Did you bring a bomb home? What is that?”
“It’s just a book, don’t worry. It’s really old so it needs to be protected,”
“It makes me feel like I'm standing at the top of a mountain and I’m about to fall off,” Spike’s green mane appeared at the top of the stairs, “Is that going to stay long? I don’t know how I’ll sleep with that in the house,”
Twilight frowned, well that would be an issue. If Spike felt like that, any unicorn visitor would go absolutely bonkers.
“I’ll put it in the basement, how’s that?”
“If it won’t explode,” Spike shrugged, “You’re lucky that you’re the one that put the enchantments on there. I’m about to molt,” Spike shuddered exaggeratedly.
Twilight laughed, starting to make her way down the stairs with the notebook, “You only get to joke about molting because you’ve never had one. What do you feel like for dinner?”
“Hay burgers!”
“We had them two days ago, Spike,”
“Aw, c’mon!”
> Copper is Unhinged
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the days passed Twilight poured over every page within the notebook, whether it be attached to the spine or not. The spell Celestia wanted them to complete wasn’t part of any other notes. The incantation was scrawled on a page all by itself like it was a special afterthought that Starswirl resolved to come back to but never got the chance.
From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled. When Twilight picked apart the spell itself, the resulting simulation that floated in the air above her head made even less sense than it had in the beginning. It looked vaguely familiar like she’d seen it before, but she was unsure where.
She did a quick sketch of the simulation and mailed it to Steelwing, getting an irate letter back, scolding her for not sending it at a more convenient time. 
It was in the middle of the night when it occurred to Twilight where she’d seen a pattern that looked the same as the simulation. Her blankets fluttered through the air from how forceful she got up. Carefully warding Spike’s door to form a sound barrier, Twilight did a mad dash for her reference books, easily pulling the correct one.
It was a book that Celestia probably wouldn’t want her reading, but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. Half an hour later, two simulations floated above Twilight’s head. The magenta glow bathed the basement floor like a nightlight.
Twilight triple-checked her work and sat down numbly. When the idea first popped into her head during the day, she’d brushed it off. But this, this proved it. Starswirl the Bearded, Equestria’s most renowned mage, known for pushing the boundaries of magic itself, wrote a ritual spell to make the caster immortal.
The book Twilight held in her unfeeling claws was one of Sacrificial Rituals. The simulations winked lazily at her, Starswirl’s following the same paths as the Life for Energy ritual. There were, of course, minor deviations, but the base spell was the Life for Energy ritual.
Looking closer, it looked like the lives that would be given would be the Element Bearers. They would give their lives, willingly or unwillingly to raise Magic to untold power. If she were to cast this, five ponies, her friends, would- No she wouldn’t go there. She needed a second opinion.



The moment the sun peeked over the horizon, Twilight was off, winging it as fast as she dared to Canterlot. She’d left a note for Spike, but hopefully, she wouldn’t be gone that long.
She burst through the library doors so hard, they rebounded and sent dust trickling down from the ceiling. Steelwing squawked in surprise and slipped from her dozing position on a desk. Twilight could see the beginnings of a lecture, but to her surprise, Steelwing remained silent.
She wasted no time and immediately conjured the simulations, disregarding the way her chest heaved with exertion, “This spell could probably destroy the world. Either Starswirl didn’t know what he was doing, or we’re better off with him buried from history,”
Steelwing’s eyes blew wide and she stumbled a little before roving over the simulations with an expert eye.
“Oh Celestia,” Steelwing breathed after a moment, “We must inform the Princess right away. This research cannot continue without dire consequences,”
Right as they turned to leave, Copper burst through looking positively elated, “This spell could save the world! We must cast it immediately! Starswirl the Bearded was a genius!”
In her surprise, Twilight’s simulations winked out of existence.
“Copper, no. This spell will not end well,” Twilight cautioned, knowing her words were falling on deaf ears.
Every muscle in her body tensed when Copper, in the middle of the library no less, began gathering energy to cast the spell. She lost feeling in her paws as all her blood rushed to her muscles.
“Professor Copper!” Steelwing shrieked.
Twilight bowled the frail unicorn over, but it was too late, the energy snapped and the spell finished. Either Copper already knew how to cast the Life for Energy ritual and already set up the proper energy reserves, or it was sheer dumb luck.
There was a moment of silence as everyone took stock of the situation. To Twilight, it felt like she’d just crashed through one of Pinky Pie’s experimental ‘cake-bricks’.
“So you have any idea what you’ve just done?!” Twilight roared, shaking more dust from the ceiling, “You’ve damned five ponies to Purgatory! My friends! Gone! The Element Bearers, GONE!” her voice cracked and hitched into a partial sob on the last word.
Twilight’s head spun. Nausea bubbled in her stomach and bile crept up her throat. Her breathing grew ragged and tears began to blur her vision. She was aware of someone crying, but the feeling of someone excavating her chest cavity prevented her from knowing just who. Her limbs shook and the back of her head tingled unpleasantly. A scream built up in the back of her throat. This wasn’t happening. It was impossible.
“I’ve done it! I will be the next alicorn ruler of Equestria!” Copper screamed so joyfully it was nearly hysterical, uncaring of the comatose dragon hovering above him, “By the moon, I’ve done it!”
Twilight stumbled back and mumbled, “Gotta check. Gotta check,”
Steelwing didn’t even have a chance to put a comforting hoof on the dragon’s leg before she dove out the nearest window, showering the hallway with broken glass.



If someone asked Twilight how she managed to get back to Ponyville, she wouldn’t have been able to tell. Her next memory was seeing Rarity standing all by herself on a bridge. Twilight just about crash-landed to hug her. She was alive, the spell didn’t work. She was alive!
“Oh goodness, darling! Is everything alright?” Rarity’s muffled voice asked.
The utter confusion in Rarity’s voice was so profound that fresh tears leaked out of her already bloodshot eyes.
“Yea-huh,” Twilight could barely form a coherent response in her relief, “Ev’thin fine,”
Gently, Twilight set Rarity back on the ground and the unicorn flashed her a bemused smile, “Not that I’m not happy to see you too, Twilight, but are you sure you’re alright?”
“Fine, better than fine actually. It’s a long story,” Twilight sighed, wiping away the last of her tears.
“I’m sure we can discuss this during tea?” Twilight chuckled at the subtle dismissal.
“‘Course, sorry about that,”
“None of that darling. Never apologize if it was something so small as this,” Rarity smiled gently, “I really must get back to work now. I look forward to your tale, Twilight,”
When the unicorn turned, Twilight blew out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding and she began to walk back to the library. She was getting too old to deal with this amount of stress. Anger flashed through her as she took off back to Canterlot. Copper had a lot of explaining to do. Savagely, Twilight hoped he would be jailed for his stunt.
> Oh No
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time Twilight landed in the castle courtyard, her wings ached and she was in desperate need of some water. Though privately, she knew it was better to hold off on the water for a time when she wasn’t about to pass out. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to reason with the water without getting blasted in the face in her state.
Her exhaustion was forgotten in lieu of Copper’s face. He and Steelwing were exiting the castle. 
“You!” Twilight howled.
Copper only had time to shriek before Twilight knocked him clean off his hooves and his back was pressed firmly into the dusty ground. Twilight proceeded to unleash her entire library of swear words on the old unicorn. As they became harsher and harsher, Copper slowly shrank back as much as he could. Steelwing sniffed and resolutely turned her back on the spectacle, looking as if she were about to head back to her library.
“The Princess already has had firm words with Professor Copper,” Steelwing’s voice floated through the air.
“‘Firm words’?!” Twilight’s voice became shrill, “He put five lives on the line and he got ‘firm words’?!”
Steelwing sighed and turned back around, “It was an incomplete spell. It was missing something and the Princess refuses to tell me what. Nothing truly wrong has been done.”
Twilight reluctantly got off of Copper and hissed, “You’re lucky first-degree murder is illegal. Get out of my sight,”
Copper had the gall to laugh nervously before shuffling away. Smoke issued from Twilight’s nose. She wondered what her punishment would be if she torched his behind.
Steelwing gazed after Copper’s retreating form, “Believe me, Miss Sparkle. You’re not the only one questioning our Princess right now,”
“Oh I’m questioning alright,” Twilight growled, “I’m questioning why Celestia insists on angering a dragon. It doesn’t usually end too well for anyone,”
Steelwing cracked a smile, “The rumors of your infamous temper don’t do you justice, Miss Sparkle. Princess Luna wouldn’t tell anyone about the burn scar on her muzzle,”
“Not my fault she decided to use Spike as a living shield,” Twilight muttered, eyes still trained on where Copper disappeared.
Steelwing stamped a delicate hoof into the ground as she cackled. After a few moments, Steelwing collected herself and invited her back into the library with the excuse of wanting someone interesting to talk to before Twilight inevitably left to go back to the commoners.
Just as Twilight got settled on the rug in front of the fire, she sprang back onto her paws and blew letter fire out. Steelwing sighed as ash settled on a nearby desk. Strangely, there wasn’t a seal on the scroll, nor was there her name on it. Unease prickled her tail fur and she took a fortifying breath before unfurling the scroll and reading it.
Steelwing peered over her shoulder and only got to read the first few lines before Twilight sprang up again and made her way to the doors. The crazed, frantic look was back on the dragon’s face and Steelwing only felt a little bad for the pony that decided to send that letter. Twilight left without a goodbye and Steelwing sighed to herself.
Oddly, the letter that was left behind began a slow snake charmer dance. Fire slowly spread across the parchment like wayward hair. The flames that licked the paper did nothing to damage it and Steelwing didn’t know what to make of it.
It was simply too much to ask for something interesting to happen in Canterlot. All of the excitement always happened whenever the dragon visited and those were becoming sparser and sparser. Case in point was when the letter screamed, startling the unicorn. The parchment disintegrated into ash and silence settled in the library. Steelwing sighed again.



Twilight was sure her wings would fall off but she was too frantic to care. Spike broke open the contained letter fire vial she saved him for emergencies.
“Dear Mom, your friends are being weird. Rainbow Dash came to watch over me instead of Fluttershy and she wasn’t acting normal. Rainbow Dash kept looking for books on how to care for animals and didn’t even ruffle my mane once. Mom, Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark is different. It looks like Fluttershy’s and I’m scared. Rainbow Dash was acting really weird and didn’t tell me why she came instead of Fluttershy. She only said Fluttershy was busy. Your son, Spike.”
Steelwing’s words echoed in the dragon’s ears, “Incomplete spell,”
Twilight wheezed for breath and she almost missed the landing balcony entirely. Thankfully, the tips of her claws managed to grip onto the ledge. She clawed her way back onto it and opened the doors. Spike was waiting and he immediately bounded forward. The corner of her mouth quirked up in a wane smile when Spike attempted to help her down the stairs and into the kitchen.
Twilight huffed a laugh as Spike talked down the water and she gulped it down gratefully. She was still panting slightly and waited for her son to speak. There was an odd look on his face and he fidgeted a little. Immediately, Twilight knew Spike did something she wouldn’t have approved of. She internally groaned.
“Alright, what did you do after sending the letter?”
Spike started guiltily but answered, “I went around town and checked on everyone else. Rarity has Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark and was trying to do some weather spells. I think she zapped one of Applejack’s trees with lightning,” Twilight winced at that, “Applejack has Rarity’s cutie mark and I think she’s running the Carousel Boutique. Pinky Pie was doing Applejack’s chores and Big Mac looked really confused,” Spike stopped here to shudder a little, “Fluttershy is at Sugar Cube Corner trying to make party favors,”
Twilight furrowed her eye ridges, “Did she hurt you?”
“Not on purpose!” Spike immediately defended Fluttershy, “She just let go of a balloon when she saw me and it knocked a bunch of stuff over,”
Twilight sucked in a sharp breath and Spike flinched. Instantly, Twilight tamped down on her growing rage for Copper. Later, she would deal with the old coot later.
“Ok. I’m going to tell you this, Spike. One of my co-workers did something very very stupid and that’s why this is happening. Don’t go spreading that around but do you think you can do damage control for a couple of days? I’ll be flying from here and Canterlot a lot in the next few weeks if we are to fix this,”
Spike nodded eagerly but deflated a little at Twilight’s sharp look.
“If it gets too much for you, you will tell me. I’m going to make more vials of dragon fire for you. I don’t care if I’m busy and about to have a major breakthrough, you will send a letter the moment you feel overwhelmed, you hear me?”
Spike gulped but nodded again. Determination burned in his eyes and Twilight knew she had nothing much to worry about.
“You know where our bits are. Don’t skip meals, get adequate rest, and don’t do anything that involves you leaping from high places,”
Spike sighed and rolled his eyes loudly, “That was once,”
Twilight hummed and smiled, “If I’m not here by nightfall, please send a status report. That goes for any day that I’m not spending the night here,”
“Got it,” Spike stood as tall as he could and leveled a salute at her. Some of Twilight’s stress was wiped away as she laughed.
“Alright, soldier, you have your orders. I’ll be in the basement making more vials shout if you need me,”
Spike let his mane get ruffled before he sprinted out the library doors to begin his mission. When he disappeared from sight, Twilight finally allowed her ire to emerge. Her wings rustled and her claws involuntarily clenched. Damn Copper and his ugly little behind to the depths of Tartarus.
> Son of a Pawn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight spent the next few days flying back and forth from Ponyville to Canterlot in order to compare notes and come up with more ideas with Steelwing and Quicksand. Copper was unofficially kicked out of the group and even Quicksand, Copper’s pupil, gave him the cold shoulder.
Spike made it his new habit to go around town and check-in with the five. If Twilight were home, he would update her on any changes. Then he would eat his lunch, read a little, and then make another round.
So far, Twilight always managed to get back to Ponyville in time to avoid getting Spike’s letters. Though she didn’t really sleep much during the nights. It wasn’t looking too good. Twilight even accompanied Spike during one of his regular visits and the reality was so much worse than it was on the surface. 
First of all, Twilight had to make an official public announcement as the pupil of Celestia. Thank the moon that most of the townspeople accepted the fake explanation and didn’t question it. Most were even amicable to help and Twilight’s heart warmed a tad. She’d come a long way from the dragon that nearly plowed over the fountain in the Square.
Several farming ponies agreed to step up and help Pinky Pie with Sweet Apple Acres and Twilight nearly passed out in relief. Poor Apple Bloom and Big Mac were working themselves to the bone in order to pick up the slack that Applejack usually shouldered. 
Some unicorns agreed to help teach Applejack how to actually sew and discreetly help the big contractors that reached out to Carousel Boutique. Why Rarity didn’t have any employees vexed the dragon since it was the first she heard about contractors. The whole town worked together to stay high in spirits and for that, Twilight was forever thankful.
Rarity was the big issue. With Rainbow Dash out of commission, the word couldn’t be sent to Cloudsdale to help remove the dangerous clouds that Rarity somehow conjured. Bulk Biceps offered to fly to Cloudsdale, but Twilight took one look at his undergrown wings and she gently assured him that his strength would be better used for help at Sweet Apple Acers. 
So then, it was up to Twilight to beat away any stray clouds that threatened the citizens. At first, she thought it would be simple. Rainbow Dash made it look simple. But being a dragon named Twilight Sparkle, things weren’t ever truly simple. Clouds were made of water. Her chaos magic gave it sentience. Living things don’t take kindly to something attempting to stamp it out of existence.
When Rarity zapped some poor filly with an errant cloud, Twilight finally had to address the problem. She hated herself for what her solution was but she couldn’t stand idly by and watch another pony get sent to the hospital because they got electrocuted.



“Chaos Master, I am in need of magically constraining titanium. I don’t know where to get it other than from you,” Twilight eyed the draconequus as he thoughtfully stroked his beard, “Please, I don’t want to see anyone else get sent to the hospital,”
Discord hummed, “When will I get it back, my dear Twilight? Leaving something like that out and about really isn’t a good idea. I only used it for you since you were such a large danger,”
Twilight’s eyes flashed and her lip curled, “I am not in the mood for games, Chaos Master,”
Discord chuckled and stood, “I suppose not, my apprentice. Go home. Your titanium will be delivered within the hour. In return, your next lesson won’t be until the next moon. Does that sound fair?”
“Yes, Chaos Master. Thank you,” Twilight blew out a silent breath.
If delaying her lessons meant that lives were saved, she would gladly give that up. She teleported back home only in the way she and Discord could and sagged in relief. Rarity would probably hate her after this but it was a risk she was willing to take.



The next time Twilight ventured outside, she was virtually blind and fighting off vertigo as she carried the magically dampening titanium. She had to ask a random unicorn where Rarity was and offered an apologetic smile as the unicorn in question recoiled away from her. Lyra brightened when Twilight explained why she had the metal in the first place and pointed her to Rarity in relief.
“Oh thank Celestia, the snow yesterday nearly killed off my tulips!”
Rarity shrieked when Twilight divebombed her. Repulsed with herself, Twilight forced the metal over Rarity’s horn and leaped clear. Twilight shivered when her magic senses came back and watched sadly as Rarity turned in circles, trying to orient herself.
Twilight winced at Rarity’s cry, “Twilight! How dare you!” she hoofed at the metal uselessly and tears gathered in her eyes, “After being in these yourself, I would have thought you would have more sympathy,”
The dragon looked away and quietly said, “It’s worse for me, you’ll live,”
Without looking back, Twilight fled back to the library and made it to the restroom just in time to be sick. Someone pounded on the library doors just as she exited the restroom. She opened the door with haunted eyes and the small colt shrank back.
Forcefully, Twilight smoothed her face into a more lighthearted one and kindly asked what was wrong.
“My Da said to tell you that there’s more lightnin’ clouds over by the farm. He wonderin’ if you could get rid of ‘em so they can work again,”
Twilight promised to do her best and sent him away with stern words to stay safe. When the door closed, she let herself slide down the floor in a boneless heap. This was going poorly and she hadn’t even been able to go to Canterlot today.
When she moped enough, she got up to go and tackle those clouds. As she did, the door in front of her was flung open so fast it smacked her snout. There was a thud as a small body collided with the door that they expected to open all the way.
Twilight opened the door with watering eyes and saw Spike’s blurry form standing on the doormat. She supposed that it was only fair that he got to accidentally hit her with the door every so often as she did him.
“Oh! Sorry. Um, is now a bad time?” Spike asked, kicking the mat, “I think this can wait,”
“What happened now?” Twilight sighed.
“Rainbow Dash’s animals have committed mutiny and they put her in a pot,” Spike said so quickly that if Twilight didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought him lying.
“How do you even know that word?” Twilight mumbled as she pressed her claws along the bridge of her snout to ward off the growing headache, “Ok whatever, is she in any immediate danger? I need to save some farmers from lightning. I’m sorry. I’m really tired right now,”
Spike hesitated, “Maybe?” he hedged, “I mean I don’t know how rabbits and squirrels can eat a pony,”
“Do whatever you can then,” Twilight dismissed, pressing her paws into her eyes, “Fried ponies are a bigger issue right now,”
Spike nodded, “Ok. When I come back, I’ll set up the iron rods in the back,”
Twilight huffed a laugh, “And when did you get all grown up? Thank you, Spike,”
When Twilight went on her way, she mourned the way Spike was growing up too fast. She’d done all she could to prevent Spike from turning out like her. But she had no proper role models for good parents. Her own sent her off to the Princess at such a young age she never really knew what a good parent was.
She became a dragon at age four. An age too young to get discriminated against. An age too young to understand why her parents didn’t take her places anymore. An age too young to feel such confusion about who she really was. An age too young to question ‘why me?’.
She became Celestia’s student at age six. Too young to be away from her parents. Too young to start absorbing books like air. Too young to know why there were more whispers than ever before. Too young to understand the magic she was learning. Too young to become a pawn on the chessboard. Too young to throw her life away for studies.
She was a mother at age fourteen. Not old enough to know the world. Not old enough to be a responsible adult figure for the infant placed in her arms. Not old enough to properly balance school life and parenthood. Not old enough to be an adult and not young enough to be a child. Not old enough to prevent her own child from growing up like her.
In each situation, she had to grow up and learn. In each situation, she had to learn on her own how to grow a tough mental mindset. She had to learn how to be independent. She had to learn that Celestia wouldn’t show affection like a parent. She had to learn that a life was more precious than failing a test. She had to learn that being a pawn meant very little was in her control.
Her claws clenched and tears burned her eyes as she battled the ornery storm clouds, knowing that Spike was learning how to put less stress on her. He was learning how to take care of problems himself. He was learning that the world had to come before him in his mother’s eyes. He was learning that being the child of a pawn meant that things were out of his control.
She was proud of him. So very proud of the way he was taking it. But she wished, in another life, that he got a full childhood as he deserved. She wished she could be allowed to put him before everything. She wished that Spike wasn’t the son of a pawn, commanded by Celestia. 
Spike was twelve and too young to be so old. Twilight was twenty-six and too young to carry so much.
> Step One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A week passed in the blink of an eye and almost no progress had been made to reverse the effects of the botched ritual Copper did. Twilight was on the verge of another breakdown and the only thing keeping her up and on her paws was the fact that Spike was still dutifully doing his rounds without complaint.
Now, she was sprawled in front of the open fire oven in Sugar Cube Corner, watching Fluttershy attempt to blow up a balloon and tie it without all the air escaping it. The dragon watched the pegasus attempt to tie it multiple times before growing exasperated and using her magic to knot the balloon.
Fluttershy flashed her a small embarrassed smile and set the inflated balloon on the table. Twilight watched her in a daze, warm from the fire at her back.
“Is everything fine with you, Twilight? You’ve been so stressed these past few weeks. You really should take a break, you know,” She added reproachfully.
Her words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing her languid mood with the very thing she was attempting to forget about for the time being.
Twilight attempted a smile, “It’s ok, really. Rainbow Dash is just really struggling with her animals and I’m really worried about Spike,” 
While that wasn’t a complete lie, Twilight still felt guilt flash through her.
Fluttershy sighed and a small smile ghosted over her lips, “Dashie always bites off more than she can chew. Maybe I can help? Celestia knows I’m not doing much good in here,”
Seeing that Twilight had nothing to lose she sighed and got up, “Alright, Operation save Rainbow Dash is commencing,”
Fluttershy giggled and followed Twilight as she made for the cottage. As they flew, Twilight took a moment to ruminate over her current situation. Based on Spike’s observations, all of her friends’ memories were intact. But they also didn’t find it strange that they were suddenly doing each other’s jobs. Which made absolutely no sense to the dragon whatsoever.
She gave up trying to make it make sense. Tentatively, Twilight reached out a claw and opened the cottage door silently. She learned from the last time she opened it too fast and had to deal with a small stampede of ferrets.
Fluttershy gasped at the state of the cottage and Twilight grimaced. All of the floorboards were scratched up, something blue and shredded lay in the corner, and Spike was in the middle of the room refilling the indoor birdfeeders. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found.
Spike finished up, wiping sweat from his brow, “Hi Mom, Fluttershy. Rainbow just went to bed. She was up all night because she couldn’t get the rooster to be quiet,”
“Oh, just tell Dashie to drape a cloth over the hen house or to put up a shade,” Fluttershy suggested, glancing every which way, “And you filled up the birdfeeders a little too much. The birds need room to stand somewhere and no animal wants to stand in their food,”
Spike exchanged a glance with Twilight, “Ok, thanks. I’m playing this by ear,”
A couple of rabbits hopped over, overjoyed to see Fluttershy again. Fluttershy smiled and stroked their heads and looked around for some lettuce. When her eyes landed on the food bowls, her already large eyes rounded further.
“Um, Spike? Where are the nuts and berries for the squirrels? Or the fruit for the ferrets?”
Spike grew sheepish, “I thought they ate the same things as rabbits,”
Fluttershy fled into the kitchen, “Oh you poor dears!”
Spike dusted off his hooves and stood next to his mother, “Is it me or is she acting almost normal?”
Twilight tore her eyes away from the kitchen doorway, her mouth still agape and blankly asked, “What if that’s how we fix it? Just shove them back into their old job and see how it works?”
Spike made a face that was an exact reflection of her logical brain, “Can’t be that easy can it?”
His question was answered when Fluttershy burst back through the door with the correct food and all the animals swarmed her. Fluttershy’s radiant expression was a little alarming, especially when she began to blabber excitedly.
“Oh, I feel so strange! I feel like I understand them,” She turned to Twilight with an imploring expression, “Goodness, I’m being silly aren’t I?”
Twilight shook her head so roughly she got a little dizzy, “‘Course not Flutters. You do you, alright?”
Fluttershy smiled brightly again and bounced in place, flapping her wings in excitement, “I feel like this is what I’m meant to do! Like it’s my destiny!” Twilight nodded encouragingly and Fluttershy shouted (or what passed for shouting for Fluttershy), “This is who I am!”
Nothing could’ve prepared Twilight for the huge beam of magic that blasted the entire cottage. There was no fanfare, no nothing. Just normalcy one moment, and absolute anarchy the next. She might as well have gone blind from the overexposure. Her claws tingled and she tasted cupcake frosting.
After two weeks of nonstop stress and anxiety, that was it for the dragon. Twilight let her body crumple to the ground and moaned in pain, not that she could hear herself. Static crackled in her ears and she wasn’t sure if she was up or down. Time was meaningless and gravity didn’t exist.



Twilight was… somewhere. She looked down at her claws and clenched them to make sure she was real. She felt them move, good. She looked back up to the large expanse of sheer nothingness. There was no clear floor, even though she felt some kind of surface underfoot. It wasn’t bright or dark. She could see very far off into the distance.
The longer she looked, the more white spots floated into her vision. The more she tried to blink them away, the more of them appeared. After a few moments of rapid blinking, Twilight decided they were part of the scenery and promptly ignored them.
Turning in a circle, Twilight concluded that the entire space looked the same. She was strangely at ease as she sat and waited. Waiting for what, she had no idea, but she waited nonetheless. It could’ve been hours or seconds later, but Twilight distinctly heard someone hum in disapproval. There was no time to ponder or look for who did since something very heavy crashed into her head and Twilight keeled over like a sack of dropped rocks.



An undetermined amount of time later, Twilight cracked her eyes open to see Fluttershy and Spike peering worriedly down at her. Twilight immediately sat up, ill at ease whenever someone had to look down to see her. The entire room tilted on an axis and Twilight groaned, throwing out her wings to stabilize herself. Predictably, that only made the situation worse and she ended up on the floor again.
“How long was I out?” Twilight asked with part of her snout pressed against the floorboards, “Can’t have been too long could it?”
“Not even a minute. What happened?” Twilight saw Spike tilt his head out of the corner of her eyes.
“Are you ok?” Fluttershy the ever carer.
“I don’t know, and I don’t know,” Twilight rattled off, sitting back up, “Oh! It worked! Your cutie mark. I don’t even know what we did, but it worked!”
Spike adopted a perturbed look, “Did you sleep at all last night?”
A simple look answered his question and Spike pursed his lips, decidedly staying silent. The tension was broken when Rainbow Dash poked her head out of the bedroom.
“Guys? Everypony ok? Yeesh, can’t a pony take a nap around here?” Rainbow Dash yawned and step-sided the still-eating critters.
Everyone waited for the ball to drop but it didn’t happen until Rainbow Dash came back out of the kitchen.
“Wait. Huh?” Rainbow’s sleep-blurry eyes stared at Fluttershy and then back at her own flank, “Why do you have my cutie mark?” then the pegasus frowned and she turned to look at the content creatures, “Why are they so relaxed? I haven’t gotten attacked yet. Nope, I’m dreaming,”
Everyone winced when Rainbow Dash took it upon herself to punch her own face, “Ow, ok. Not dreaming. Good to know…” Rainbow trailed off, eyes darting from one being to another, “Is this some kind of massive prank?”
Fluttershy smiled serenely, “No Dashie, we were just planning on helping Rarity get rid of those clouds. They’re awfully dangerous, right Twilight?” As Fluttershy bluffed her way into helping Rainbow Dash get her cutie mark back, Twilight’s mouth had fallen open at the ease in which Fluttershy fabricated the entire thing.
It took embarrassingly long for Twilight to react. And when she did, it was with such awkwardness that even Fluttershy’s expression faltered briefly to wince.
“YES! Help Rarity with the clouds! I mean, yes. Would you like to help us Rainbow? There aren’t enough able-bodied pegasi to help me clear the clouds and Fluttershy agreed to help,”
“But what about my cutie-” Rainbow Dash began to protest, but Fluttershy cut her off so smoothly, Twilight had to do another double-take
“Aw, come on Dashie. Don’t tell me a little thunder and lightning has you hiding under the bed,”
As Rainbow Dash sputtered indignantly, Twilight marveled at the way Fluttershy knew exactly what buttons to push to get Rainbow fired up. Spike snickered into Twilight’s shoulder as Rainbow Dash hotly proclaimed that she wasn’t scared of lightning.
“Fine! I’ll help with the stupid clouds, happy?” Rainbow huffed, “I mean, somepony needs to make sure you don’t fall out of the sky,”
Fluttershy laughed and beckoned Rainbow. Twilight followed in a daze, letting Spike climb onto her shoulders. It was only when they were halfway to town that Twilight’s gut twisted as she remembered Rarity’s predicament.
“Uh, when we find Rarity, she may or not be super upset,” Fluttershy’s eyebrows rose up to her hairline, prompting Twilight to continue as they flew, “I- I removed Rarity’s ability to do magic. So she wouldn’t hurt anyone else,”
Fluttershy nearly fell out of the air in shock and only Rainbow’s quick reflexes managed to get the weaker flier back in the air. The yellow pegasus didn’t need to say anything for Twilight to know how horror-stricken she was. There was a beat of uncomfortable silence before Fluttershy softly said, “It must’ve been very extreme for you to do that,”
“She zapped someone with lightning,” Twilight forced past her closing throat, “She could’ve killed them,”
Nothing was said until they landed in the town square, “All the more reason to help her, right? I don’t agree with what you did, but I’m glad no one else is hurt,”
Twilight nodded and swallowed thickly. They found Rarity sitting forlornly on a bridge, the metal still grafted to her horn. She heard their hoofbeats and looked up.
Anguish flashed across her face as she snarled, “Come to gloat, Twilight? I could not possibly believe you would be so uncouth. And yet, here we are,”
“Shy and I are going to look for the clouds, cya!” Rainbow Dash escaped the conversation with all the subtly of a boulder.
Fluttershy threw Twilight a reproachful look and followed Rainbow. Spike slid off her shoulders and stood next to her.
“Oh Spikey, look at what Twilight has done to me,” Spike averted his eyes and scuffed the ground.
Clearing her throat, Twilight reached up and gripped the metal. The moment her claws hovered over the metal, it was as if all the color in the world disappeared. When her claws actually made contact, she felt blind and lost. But she soldiered through it and pried off of Rarity’s horn. A snap later and the titanium was returned to Discord.
Unfortunately, the moment the metal disappeared from her claws, luck decided to have some fun, and again, Twilight was blind. This time from overexposure. Magic saturated her senses. She breathed Magic. Her blood was Magic. Her bones were Magic.
This time, her ears rang from the intensity, and dimly, she felt her body hit the ground. If this is what it would feel like every time one of her friends got their cutie mark back, she was going to end up with dead magical nerves. Twilight groaned and let herself slip into blissful darkness as the pain increased.
> The Shaman
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

//self-destructive coping mechanisms and a small amount of self-harm
Don’t be like Twilight folks. If you’re struggling, go ask for help. Asking for help is always the hardest part, after that is when everything gets better.



Twilight found herself back in Someplace. It wasn’t any different than when she’d left. The feeling of complete neutrality was offputting. Twilight wasn’t sure if it was cold or warm. The place simply just… was.
“Hello?” Twilight called out uncertainty, “Anyone there?”
Her voice echoed and bounced around like she was in a cave. Silence answered her question. She wasn’t sure, but the glowing lights seemed to flash brighter. Stars. Twilight decided. The lights were stars. They were stars, yet they didn’t trace any familiar constellations.
A shiver wracked her body, though, from what, Twilight had no clue. Her wings came around her body to preserve what heat she had left. So, she sat and waited. There was an expectancy this time. It felt like hours passed as she sat under those strange stars. They winked lazily, flaring with no strict pattern. 
Then, there was a frustrated huff.
The dragon only had time to spin around before she was knocked out. Irritation bubbled within her as her consciousness faded. Was there any better way to get and remove her from here without getting bonked over the head?



Twilight blinked away vertigo and since she knew what to expect now, she stayed on the ground despite her crawling scales as Rarity bent down to inspect her.
“Could you… not look down at me like that?” Twilight mumbled, dragging a paw over her face, “It’s uncomfortable for me to get looked down on,”
“Oh- I- Of course, darling,” Rarity backed up uncertainly, “Is everything… alright, Twilight?”
“Fine, fine,” Twilight waved her off, heaving her tired body to her feet, “It just means it worked,”
A long-drawn-out whoop interrupted Rarity’s follow-up question. Rainbow Dash landed and did a few stretches before doing a small dance. Twilight wasn’t sure if the hysteria was catching up to her or not but she had to choke down a laugh when Fluttershy landed next to her friend with decidedly less enthusiasm.
Fluttershy’s long mane was floofed up and crackling with electricity. Her wings hung limply at her sides, trailing in the dirt and a small exasperated frown was plastered to her face. Her longer tail was drenched and leaving a wet trail behind the pegasus like a snail as she trotted over. She caught Twilight’s eyes, which were dancing with mirth and she sighed, answering Twilight’s question.
“She wouldn’t do anything until I took the first cloud,”
Twilight tried to tamp down her laughter. She really did. But it escaped through her nose and once it was out, she couldn’t force it back down. In response, Fluttershy zapped the dragon with the residual sparks from her mane, successfully shutting her up.
“Would somepony please tell me what is happening?” Rarity demanded, “Have you all gone mad?”
Twilight was still wheezing for air so it was once again up to Fluttershy to soothe the irate unicorn. As the pegasus spoke, she expertly smoothed down her electrified mane and preened her feathers.
“Twilight hasn’t been sleeping well so we’re trying to tire her out. We’re going around to see if everyone wants to join in,” Despite the soft delivery, the pegasus’ eyes almost bored through her scales.
The protest Twilight’d been ready to deliver died unsaid in her throat. She meekly nodded in agreement and Fluttershy’s expression shifted into something like smugness. She continued to preen herself all the while.
Rarity’s expression shuttered close, “And she is not going to slap more metal on unsuspecting ponies?”
Quickly sobering, Twilight floundered for something to say. The emotional whiplash stole all the air from her lungs. A pathetic choked noise issued from her throat before she finally found the words she was looking for.
“You were hurting ponies, Rarity!” Twilight snapped as her guilt flashed through her, “What did you want me to do?”
“You took my magic away, Twilight!” Rarity sniped right back, “I did not think you were capable of such cruelty,”
Her frustration exploded with the force of a volcano as she all but shoved her face into Rarity’s space, “You sent a child to the hospital,” she growled, “One of your clouds zapped them within an inch of their life and you wanted me to do nothing about it? I didn’t know you were capable of such stupidity,” it was a wonder that the venom in her voice didn’t corrode everything around her.
Twilight backed up before her anger simmered further. She could tell from the way her friends shrunk back that her eyes had gone slit. Forcibly, she flattened her spines and plates. She didn’t want to turn around and see the fear lurking in Spike’s eyes.
“Excuse me. I need to go cool off before I do something I regret,” Twilight fled.
She didn’t bother flying. She wanted, no she needed to feel her muscles burn. As she ran, her weight shattered the cobblestone underfoot. She’d repair all the broken roadwork later. If she didn’t run, she would stay in one place and vent her anger in another way.
Shredded books, broken quills, and a flipped desk taunted her. Fire burned bright around her as bone and muscle gave way under her claws. Owlicious hooted fearfully as broken glass rained down. No, she would not go there. Not this time. Faster. She needed to run faster. Why couldn’t she feel anything?
Twilight was tired. She didn’t want to do this anymore. Her roar shook the treetops and sent birds scattering through the air. She continued to run, her scales taking the brunt of her headlong charge into the Everfree. Nothing stopped the dragon, not brambles, not small trees, not even small boulders. Twilight smashed straight through everything in her path, willing herself to feel something other than frustration.
She bounced off a tree, skidding slightly as her momentum was thrown off, but she shook her head and kept running aimlessly. She wanted to be done. She wanted nothing more than to sleep and wake up to everything back to normal.
At some point, tears began to drip down the dragon’s snout as she ran. Twilight ran until her paws gave out and she slipped down a small hill. She tripped and rolled until the bottom. Her only movement was the great shuddering gasps she took after each sob.
Rocks were pressed uncomfortably into her back and branches jabbed into her shoulders. The silence became deafening as Twilight lay in the bushes. Everything in her body burned. So, she sat up. Something to the side of her wiggled unnaturally and a hooded figure stepped out of the trees. Twilight could hardly find the need to care.
“Oh my. I have found something, haven’t I?” Zecora lifted her hood away and studied the dragon, “What seems to be the trouble, Twilight Sparkle? Such a large debacle,” The zebra’s voice sounded vaguely impressed by the path of destruction Twilight left behind.
“Nothing, Shaman. Just a bout of disassociation,” Twilight muttered after a beat.
Zecora chuckled, “How admirable to continue to speak in terrible rhyme. Even after all this time?”
“Just to you since it’s respectful, Shaman. After all, it’s your way of communication,”
Zecora chuckled again, “Come and walk. As we do, we can talk,”
Somehow, Twilight managed to limp along with the zebra all the way until they reached her little treehouse. Somehow the zebra coaxed the entire story out of Twilight in the time it took to get to her dwelling.
“Some tea I shall make. You rest for your sake,”
Twilight said nothing, her throat still hoarse from their conversation before. Her claws clicked together as she let herself collapse onto the dirt floor of the house. As the tea seeped, Twilight spoke, voice wavering and scratchy.
“I tire of being a pawn. It’s looking like there’s not going to be dawn,”
“Your destiny is your own, Dragon. You need not follow a bandwagon,” Zecora intoned as she poured the tea, “The Princess is old. She expects all to do as they are told,”
“She acts like life is a game. I want a simple life, isn’t that plain?” Twilight asked imploringly, stuttering only a little to find words that rhymed in time.
“Ponies see what they wish to. Even if it’s not the way the wind blew,” the zebra settled next to Twilight with none of the hesitance that even her friends had, “So, what will you do? Continue on, or put your claw down as you wish to?”
“I don’t know, for I have a son. Every choice I make needs to be with him in mind or else the consequences won’t be fun,”
“What will be the choice that lets him thrive? Perhaps your friends you should ask as there are five,” Zecora pointed out.
“Thank you. I know what I need to do,” Twilight smiled for the first time in the last few hours, “I bid you farewell, until next time. Perhaps I’ll do better with my rhyme,”
Twilight heaved her exhausted body up and staggered to the door. As she was about to leave, Zecora spoke one last time.
“Do not worry so. Life does not follow the status quo. Your rhyme is not bad. I should hope it is not a fad,”
Twilight smiled and shook her head. As she threw open her wings to fly home, all of the bruises, aches and pains from her mad dash through the forest reminded her of the job she still needed to complete.
> Step Two (and the Everfree)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight grimaced as she flew back. The wind stung all the places where scales had been torn off and her muscles ached. The pain grounded her somewhat, preventing her from spiraling into her guilt. She knew the moment she took a moment to rest, it would all come back, but that was the future Twilight’s problem.
Around halfway back Twilight probably ended up careening into a nearby tree, but she couldn’t be sure since she was half-blind, in pain, and somehow unfeeling all at once. There wasn’t any sensation that indicated she appeared in Someplace and yet when she opened her eyes, she was gliding aimlessly in the starry abyss.
She didn’t need any wind or exert any energy to stay aloft. Again, she simply just existed at that moment in time. For all she knew, she could be plummeting into sheer nothingness. It felt like she was in Someplace for much longer than the last few times. She just kept gliding in what she presumed to be a straight line, (which made no physical sense), since there was no reliable way to orient herself in space.
“Sometimes, I wonder if you see me as a real being. Or any of your subjects really. Even the oldest pony must seem like a child to you. Are we all specks of dust that float on by and maybe it’ll catch your attention? I really wonder sometimes,” Twilight whispered into the dark.
Then, with no further warning, a great presence grasped Twilight’s tail and yanked, hard. After being in the gliding position for so long, her equilibrium simply wasn’t prepared to suddenly go backward. So with all the gratefulness of a newborn foal, Twilight flailed.
The world bled back into view like dripping paint and light assaulted her sensitive eyes. Then she crashed into a tree. She only managed to curse before her momentum carried her through the topmost branches and she careened into another tree.
Leaves fluttered down and branches snapped loudly as the second tree finally managed to stop Twilight. All of the broken branches held her in a wrapped embrace, poking and prodding every part of her body that didn’t want to be poked or prodded.
She blinked and exhaled loudly in relief. Craning her neck, she saw she was held upsidedown and part of her back spines were impaled into the trunk. Prying herself loose, she clambered higher until the branches refused to hold her weight. The ones that barely did were straining and buckling with effort.
Her heart still beat erratically and she had to squint to properly see anything, but physically she was fine. Thanking whatever higher deity that was listening, Twilight threw her wings open and took off again. At least her friends were still helping her.
Another grimace twisted her face when she realized that her wonderful friends that she didn’t deserve, were still helping her even though she stormed off like an unruly child. The Magic of the Everfree roiled languidly in response, nearly shocking Twilight out of the air, again.
The Everfree writhed again in… amusement? For her own safety, Twilight dipped beneath the trees to walk. If the dragon didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought the forest to be giggling. A few nearby leylines pulsated, but not in an alarming way. Something warm wrapped itself around Twilight and honest to goodness, cooed.
It wasn’t tangible, but it was there. Logically, this would be the part where Twilight tears off back home screaming bloody murder about wayward wraiths. But Twilight wasn’t exactly thinking logically and therefore did none of the above and simply slowed her trot into a walk.
The Everfree draped itself more fully across Twilight, almost like a needy cat. The dragon snorted. She’d just compared the ancient Everfree forest, home to numerous dangers, to a lazy cat. 
Despite not having vocal cords, the Everfree hummed. The melody was haunting yet strangely beautiful and Twilight found herself enjoying it as she strolled through the trees. They walked for some time before the Everfree’s presence suddenly became ice-cold. No scratch that, it was colder than ice. It was so cold it burned.
But whatever the Everfree did, it prevented her from getting transported to Someplace. The presence moaned and suddenly consolidated into something that had weight and was most definitely real. Since Twilight stopped moving when she felt Magic attempt to take her back, the weight wasn’t immediately apparent to her.
Taking a deep breath and wondering how much more weirdness she could put up with today, Twilight glanced down where most of the weight had settled. She blinked, looked away, and looked back. There was a snake twined around her neck, shoulders, chest, back, and halfway down her forelegs.
An incredulous laugh spilled out of her before she realized. The snake’s iridescent scales were such a dark green, they appeared black if direct sunlight didn’t hit the scales. Its head hovered around her own, leaning from her own neck. It was thicker than her fist and its eyes shined turquoise. It peered curiously at her before adjusting its grip on her.
“Worry not, Child. Your journey through the trees will be peaceful,” The snake didn’t open its mouth to talk, but it looked at her expectantly.
The only response Twilight could blurt out was, “Oh ponyfeathers, a snake is talking to me,”
While the snake didn’t have eyebrows, it gave the impression of lifting one in amusement. It clutched Twilight closer.
“Continue on, Child. Best not wait until dark to go back,” 
When Twilight started to walk again, the snake spoke again, “The Sun has her reasons. I am sorry I cannot save you completely. Once you are outside of my domain, I will not be able to shield you like before. Magic is quite upset about being used as a transportation source,”
The dragon didn’t know what to make of that and didn’t respond other than a noncommital hum. The snake was strangely warm, warmer than even Twilight. As they walked, the snake continued the song it started before it gained a physical form.
By the time they reached the treeline, the sun signaled it was almost late afternoon and another pang of guilt flashed through her. She’d been gone for more than a couple of hours by then. The Everfree tightened its coils around her in a hug before detangling itself from her and dropping to the forest floor.
“I leave you here, Child. There haven’t been many where I gain enough energy to form a conscience. Perhaps when this is all over, you could come to visit. There hasn’t been a Child for millennia,”
Twilight smiled awkwardly at the snake, “Thank you for the safe journey. Um, I’ll try and visit,”
“Do be wary of the Puppet Master, young Child,” the snake inclined its head and slowly dissolved into shadows.
Shaking off her growing unease, Twilight decided to fly back to Ponyville. She hadn’t realized it at the time, but with the Everfree literally hanging off of her neck, her aches and pains had just vanished. But now, with it gone… No, she had a job to finish.



Twilight landed in front of Carousel Boutique just in time for her friends to usher Applejack out of the doors. An awkward silence descended on the group and Spike scuffed the ground with his hoof. It was loud in the dead silence.
“Hi, sorry for running off like that. I lost track of time,” Twilight internally winced at how emotionless she sounded.
Fluttershy’s smile was strained as she reassured her. Her fins pinned themselves back involuntarily when Rarity pointedly avoided her gaze. Wordlessly, Spike clambered onto her shoulders and hugged tightly.
“So, er, we goin’ to help Pinky?” Applejack questioned.
“Of course we are, darling,” Rarity scoffed, “It’s just that somepony was rather upset earlier,”
“How about,” Fluttershy forcefully interjected, “-we deal with all of our problems after, hmm?”
“Splendid idea, Fluttershy,” With that, Rarity led the way to the farm.
Almost numbly, Twilight followed. The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was stiff and awkward. It was enough for Applejack to look around nervously. When they came upon the farm, Big Mac welcomed them back with a wide smile.
It was a testimony to how stressed Big Mac was since at the sight of Applejack, began to ramble, “Fluttershy might be best to be workin’ in the apple fields. They keep droppin’ them apples and bruisin’ ‘em. Twilight’d be best goin’ to the hay fields, they havin’ trouble brin’in’ them bales in. Applejack, would you mind helpin’ Pinky Pie with her buckin’ form? It don’t matter what everyone else be doin’ so long y’all helpin’,”
A teen galloped up to Big Mac and whispered something and abruptly, Big Mac was trotting away and saying over his shoulder, “‘Scuse me,”
Eager to escape the stifling awkwardness, Twilight made for the fields, Spike in tow. Later, when she’s lugging a bale to the barn, Spike asks from behind, “Do you think she’ll forgive you?”
Twilight stopped to sigh, “I think so. She’s angry and rightfully so, but I also kinda don’t regret it. Once this is all over, I’ll properly apologize but it’s up to her if she wants to forgive me or not,”
Before the conversation could continue, there was a whisper of a warning and Twilight detangled herself from the makeshift rope harness. Just as the last bit of rope fell away, the dragon keeled over without a sound.
When her eyes cracked open again she stumbled back in shock. Someplace was turbulent. The previously lazily flashing stars were swirling in eddies and an invisible wind blew through the space. She was only there for a split second since the moment she appeared, she physically felt something drawback.
Twilight ducked and threw her wings over her head in time for what felt like a boulder to crash into her. She half expected to be a grease stain or something when she opened her eyes again. Instead, she met the eyes of Spike, who was sitting a respectful distance away and waiting.
She groaned and let her head drop back down into the dirt, “One more to go,” she said hoarsely.
Somehow, Twilight dredged up enough energy to finish hauling the bale into the barn. After closing the doors, Twilight made her way back to her friends. She smiled tiredly at Applejack, who was grinning and hollering her joy.
“I’m going to Canterlot tomorrow,” Twilight declared when she rejoined everyone, “Do you think you can help Pinky by then?”
Rarity sniffed but it was almost unheard over Rainbow and Applejack’s loud affirmations. Fluttershy glanced at her curiously, and Twilight shook her head. She meant what she said, the apology would come later.
> Step Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Instead of taking the time to fly to Canterlot, Twilight decided to do long-distance teleportation. She did not want to fall out of the air halfway up to Canterlot. A letter was sent to Steelwing, who assured her a section of the library would be cleared and ready to receive her.
“You ready, Spike?” Twilight called from the basement steps.
“Coming!” Spike would’ve pitched headfirst down the stairs if he didn’t crash into his mother.
Both of his forelegs were trapped in his vest and he’d been wobbling on his hind legs until he finally freed himself. He giggled sheepishly when Twilight caught him and set about righting his vest.
“How does one even get stuck in a vest of all things?” Twilight teased affectionately.
“Not all of us have thumbs, Mom,” Spike stuck his tongue out and climbed onto her shoulders, “Ready whenever you are,”
Twilight walked into her small energy array and braced herself. Tentatively, she reached out for the leyline that was under the library and gently tugged. She sighed in relief when it readily gave the energy needed to power her spell.
Spike shuddered a little and flattened himself further on her shoulders when her scales began to glow magenta from the amount of power in her body. There was a moment of sheer weightlessness before the both of them appeared in the Canterlot Library in a burst of sparkles.
Twilight shook herself the moment Spike leaped clear and flexed her wings. Likewise, Spike shook himself and then fixed his special guard’s pin.
“Good morning, Miss Sparkle, Young Spike. I believe the Princess wishes to see you at your soonest convenience,”
“Oh joy,” Twilight muttered under her breath, face twisting into a bitter frown, “Thanks for letting us use the library, Steelwing,”
The old unicorn waved the thanks away, “It is of no concern, go on. Don’t be late,”
Lifting a wing in farewell, Twilight and Spike hurried over to the Hall. Upon reaching the doors, Twilight rested a claw on the handle but made no move to open it. Something in her gut was telling her this meeting wouldn’t end well. She turned to look at Spike’s inquisitive eyes.
“If anything goes wrong and I can’t get to you for whatever reason, I want you to use it. Understand? Do it just like how we practiced,”
Spike’s ears pinned back but he nodded, “I promise,” The corner of his mouth quirked up in a valiant attempt at a smile, “I’ll try not to jump out of the balcony,”
Twilight snorted and opened the doors, going first, but making sure to hold the door open for Spike. She kept him close, a wing draped over his entire body and flattening his mane. Surprisingly, Spike had no complaint and they walked in companionable silence.
The guards at the Hall entrance opened the doors and the two walked down the lavish red carpet that led up to the throne. Twilight held eye contact with Celestia up until the moment they stopped at the bottom of the dais. The only reason Twilight had to look up to catch the alicorn’s eyes was that the dais and throne were purposely put higher than normal. Her suspicion grew.
No one spoke until Twilight broke the uneasy silence, “It wasn’t an unfinished spell,”
Celestia smiled gently, “As expected you never cease to amaze me, my student,”
There was a very faint warning and Twilight smiled. Even so far away, the Everfree was still attempting to make it easier for her, “I stand before you now as the ritual completes,”
Magic flooded the room in a kaleidoscope of colors. Ignoring the pain, Twilight smiled ferally at Celestia through the light. Her body slumped forward, but she wasn’t exactly in her body anymore. She blinked in confusion and it was Celestia’s time to smile triumphantly. Her horn was lit.



Spike watched helplessly as Twilight’s body dropped to the floor. He sat next to it, stunned. Celestia rose majestically and trotted down the dais. The last thing Spike wanted was to leave his mother but unfortunately, said mother gave him a very healthy sense of self-preservation after the Crystal Empire debacle.
Spike scrambled away and put as much distance between him and the alicorn as possible. He eyed her distrustfully and fought the urge to smirk at Celestia’s dumbfounded expression. A shoed hoof kicked the prone body of Twilight and she snorted in satisfaction.
Spike’s hoof went to the satchel on his back. Should he wait? Celestia looked directly at him and smiled.
“Don’t worry. She’s just asleep,” He called bullshit in a heartbeat and he narrowed his eyes further.
He’s seen his mother asleep many times: At her desk, next to his bed on the floor, and whenever she happened to pass out (which was rather often if he must say). Never in all of his life did he see his mother’s scales dull as she slept. As the body lay there, it grayed further and further.
Something in him cracked and shattered forever, but he snarled wordlessly and backed up even more. Then his butt hit an invisible wall and his eyes snapped to the alicorn’s horn. If he concentrated hard enough he could see it shimmering.
“L-let me go,” Spike was not proud of the way he sputtered out the words but he puffed his chest and stood tall. Where were the guards?
His mother was dead but he wasn’t. Not yet. He had the means to escape, but he stayed. Logically he knew he was being stupid since there wasn’t any way that Twilight could rise from the dead, but a feeling kept him there, waiting for her.
Celestia chuckled and sat down next to the body, “Do you want to hear a story, Young Spike?” Not giving him any time to respond, she continued, “It starts when I find an abandoned dragon egg at the edge of the Everfree many many years ago. Whatever left it there clearly didn’t want it anymore so I took it back to Canterlot to study.”
Carefully without drawing attention, Spike pulled the satchel off of the glass container on his back. The guards wouldn’t be coming then. Celestia kept talking and unbidden, Spike listened.
“Such a long time passed and nothing happened with the egg. Test after test revealed nothing, so I put it into storage. Then, some years later, a unicorn filly came into my school. She was exactly what I was looking for in a protege. Clearly, she was a magical prodigy that Equestria hadn’t seen for eons. She took the test designed to show that no matter how powerful somepony is, she can still fail. But she did the impossible. So desperate to pass the test, she cracked open the fake enchanted egg and since there was no life to be birthed, all of that magic turned on its creator,”
This part, Spike knew. He worried about what Celestia would say next. In a horrific fashion, Celestia began to stroke at the dulling scales. She petted the limp hair and ran her hoof along the body’s horns. Spike staved off the urge to puke.
“My perfect student transformed into a beast. One that had Magic, wings, claws, and sharp teeth. It was no longer a pony, yet it still acted like one. I thought to myself, surely there was a way to reverse the effects. I did more tests. I remembered the dragon egg. I hatched it,”
Spike felt the bottom of his stomach drop off a ledge. He’d been a dragon. Spike wanted to scream. He’d been an experiment. He choked on his unshed tears as Celestia kept droning on.
“So I did more tests and it was successful. The dragon-child became an infant. It would be possible to reverse the effects of my student. I gave the infant to her to remind her that it was possible to change her back.” Here, Celestia’s voice took on a disturbing tone, “But my student refused. The Beast was consuming her. There was still some pony left in her, I was sure of that, but the Beast began to influence her decisions. After I gave her the infant, she became less focused on her studies,”
Celestia’s eyes bled disappointment and yet they were so far away. Spike shifted uncomfortably and his eyes flicked back to the body. By now the body was such a dark gray it was almost black. He tore his eyes away before the tears could come.
The way Celestia spoke about him as a child, like he was a thing and not completely a creature had Spike reeling in revulsion. Spike remembered when his mother first told him exactly how he came to be her son. She spat it out with so much venom that Spike had to refrain from running to his room.
Spike was given to Twilight as an assignment and a reminder from Celestia. After she said that, Twilight assured him that she never thought of him as an assignment. He was her son, screw anyone that thought otherwise. Though at the time Twilight neglected to tell him what he was a reminder of. Celestia kept talking as if she were commenting about the weather.
“But I remembered Star Swirl’s ritual. The moment my student stood in my presence, I knew she would become the Element of Magic. I was quite surprised when Magic decided to accept a Beast for a Bearer, but no matter. It was quite difficult to find a time to nudge my student in the right direction. But now,” Celestia was back and she was practically shining in excitement, “Now, the spell has been completed. Twilight Sparkle has been cured of her ailment.”
Light flashed in the middle of the room and a small lavender alicorn settled unsteadily onto the carpet. Spike gaped and clutched the container even closer. The new alicorn’s wings unfurled and spread. She was short, about the same height as an average unicorn. Her mane and tail were twilight and stripes of pink broke it up.
All in all, she wasn’t very remarkable. But there was one thing… It was her cutie mark that caught Spike’s attention. It was his mother’s. He looked back up in time to see the alicorn open her eyes.



Twilight felt strange. It felt like she fell asleep with her fists clenched unbearably tight and leaned against a wall at the wrong angle. Her tail was numb and her wings ached. She groaned and cracked open her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Spike’s guarded and shocked face. The second thing she saw was Celestia’s absolutely jubilant expression. Then, she noticed how tall things were. Her scales crawled with revulsion when Celestia bent down to examine her.
She stumbled back but her tail wasn’t working properly so she ended up on the floor. She cried out and then promptly froze. That… That wasn’t her voice. She brought a paw up to wipe tiredly across her face but yelped when something akin to a rock smacked her in the forehead.
No- This wasn’t happening. Twilight’s eyes blew wide when she finally laid eyes on her hoof. It was her fur that prickled. That wasn’t her forehead she smacked, it was her horn. Her teeth were flat. Her wings were so small. Her mane was far too long.
“What- what did you do?!” Twilight screamed out in her abnormally shrill voice.
Even if she was a pony now, her words were still laced by growls. It rumbled in her chest before being projected outward, but it was still too high sounding to be normal.
“I cured you,” Celestia declared triumphantly, “You won’t ever have to worry about the Beast poisoning your thoughts anymore my dear student. You are free to focus on your studies as you please,”
Then, Twilight’s eyes landed on the black body on the ground. Her body.
“You-” Twilight winced when she gnashed her new flat teeth together, “You-”
Twilight couldn’t even speak. The last thing she remembered before ‘waking up’ was standing right where that body was. Spike had been right next to her. By the moon, sun, and stars. Spike watched.
Rage, as she’d never known, surfaced and she spun on the spot, growling pathetically at Celestia. Every time Twilight thought she found the cap to her rage, another thing would come along and prove her wrong. The funny thing was, the rage wasn’t even for her sake.
 Red clouded her vision as she screamed, (it was the closest thing she could do that sounded vaguely like a roar). Unbalanced, angry beyond belief, and in her new body, Twilight charged the much larger alicorn on wobbly hooves.
At once, Twilight knew it was a futile gesture, but seeing the shock and surprise on the alicorn’s face was almost worth it. She was caught in the alicorn’s magic and she thrashed fruitlessly. Tears blurred her vision. She winced again when she clacked her teeth together in an instinctive urge to ignite and extinguish fire for smoke.
Her hooves pawed at the air uselessly and her wings kept flapping open to appear bigger. Celestia gazed worriedly at her. She bared her teeth as she was surveyed.
“Has it maybe, even once, occurred to you that I didn’t want you to change me back?” Twilight snarled, “I even told you,”
“But that was the Beast talking,” Celestia said blankly.
“There was no Beast!” Twilight screamed in frustration, “I’ve always been me! You killed me in front of Spike! Have you lost your bloody mind?!”
Celestia faltered, “But you used to be so studious. I give you a magically changed infant to remind you that it’s possible and suddenly you abandon almost all of your projects?”
Twilight’s jaw hung open unattractively, and then she said in the most sarcastic tone she could muster in her anger, “Yes, I’m so sure you wanted Spike to die from neglect,”
Twilight’s throat was growing irritated from how much she growled and snarled her words.
“Let. Me. Go,” she said firmly, “You miss the one point I made. You just killed a parent in front of their kid. You’re lucky it wasn’t the other way around,” She added darkly.
Celestia frowned and kept her aloft. She looked at her like an interesting specimen on a petri dish. That was it for the former dragon. Enough was enough. If Celestia kept insisting on traumatizing her child in some way, then she would put her claw down. She’d cut all of her puppet strings if she had to.
Twilight lashed out with any and all Magic she could get her paws on. The Hall became a maelstrom of violent magic and power surges. Celestia had to drop her to shield herself. Though interestingly enough, none of the magic in the air dared to go near Spike.
Twilight did not mean to latch onto all the leylines nearby. But once she did, Magic gleefully charged her almost until she exploded. She screamed again, just to let the energy out. Magic howled in joy and wrapped her in a tight embrace.
What do you want? One wish…
Magic was eager to do something. It was quiet in her little sphere of energy. Theoretically, her little sanctuary should’ve been crackling and breaking apart at the seams. Twilight took a few deep breaths to recenter herself. Now was not the time to let her inner nerd out to play.
“I want to be me again. I may have been a pony once, but it was too long ago for me to remember,”
Magic chirped affirmatively and then the cage collapsed inward, taking her body with it. Everything went dark.
> Lunar Intervention - End Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike watched in amazement as Magic became visible to him for the first time. The condensed glowing sphere in the middle of the Hall pulsated with energy. Parts of it splintered off and dissolved, but it held together. Even if his knowledge of Magic was limited, he knew what something unstable looked like.
There wasn’t any more time to admire the scene around him since the Hall doors burst open, rebounding off the wall. Princess Luna skidded on the rug, her powered horn dying down. Her black coat was ruffled and several feathers were threatening to fall out. Her shimmering mane floated around her erratically.
“Sister! Are thou-”
Her wide eyes met Spike’s and she hurried over. Her wings opened to shield her eyes.
“What has my sister done this time, young one?” the Princess harshly whispered, “Thou are in danger here,”
“She-” Spike’s voice caught, he didn't want to say it, “She hurt Mom, made her into an alicorn. Mom got really mad,”
Luna flinched as another surge swept through the Hall. She constructed a shield and made sure it covered Spike.
“My sister has gone mad,” Luna hissed as a barrage struck the shield, “What are thou holding?”
Spike’s attention was back on the glowing sphere in the middle of the room and he absentmindedly answered her question, “Dragon fire,”
Luna froze so swiftly, Spike looked at her again, “Do thee knowest how dangerous dragon fire is? Tis one of the hottest substances in Equestria, young one,”
Spike shrugged, “I know. It’s my last resort,”
He knew if he kept his answers short, the tears wouldn’t have a chance to escape. The lump in his throat burned with the effort.
Luna looked skeptical but didn’t voice such. Meanwhile, Celestia had formed some type of heat shield around her and was battling through the Magic like it was a harsh wind to reach Twilight.
“Sister!” Luna tried to get Celestia’s attention once more, this time using the Royal Canterlot Voice, “Thee has gone too far. Leave it be,”
Either Celestia ignored it, or was too focused to hear anything. Luna grumbled in annoyance and rose to her hooves, intent on dragging her sister back by the tail. The scion of the night didn’t get the chance to take more than one step forward before the condensed ball of Magic in the center of the Hall exploded.
“Thou have gone mad!” Luna shrieked from beside Spike when Celestia dove forward as if to prevent the explosion.
Spike let his hooves grow slack around the container of dragon fire. His mouth hung open and tears finally spilled over his eyes. His crumbling world slowly reassembled itself. Twilight hovered around the ceiling of the Hall, calmly surveying the damage.
His mother was large, even from his vantage point on the ground. She was much larger than before. Her scales gleamed in the sun and her features were more angular and boxy. Feathers dusted the top-most part of her wings before transitioning into her normal leathery wings. Twin lines of light pink hair traveled from her head to the tip of her tail.
Twilight descended onto the carpet and eyed Celestia speculatively. Spike nearly threw the dragon fire away from him in order to run over to her. He flung himself into his mother’s waiting claws and sobbed unashamedly into her chest plates. Dimly, he could feel how she curled around him, shielding him from any onlookers.



“I am done with you,” Twilight said suddenly, “I wash my hands of you. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to talk to you. I declare myself graduated and I free myself from your tutelage. You will not talk with Spike. You will not interact with either of us in any shape or form,”
The glare she leveled at Celestia was powerful enough to melt steel. Sitting down, she was now the same height as Celestia. She knew when she stood, she would be a head taller than the alicorn. Celestia started forward, but before Twilight could so much as lift a lip to growl, a shimmering blue forcefield stopped the alicorn in her tracks.
“I cannot believe thou,” Luna hissed, “I am sick when I do look on thee. Are thou even fit to rule in this state? What has happened in these last millennia? Thou have gone mad!”
“But the Beast-” Celestia began to protest but Luna interrupted her.
“More of your conversation would infect my brain!” she cried, successfully silencing her sister, “Thou are not fit to rule alone. I will convene my council and discuss what to do with thee,”
The fearsome and glare that was aimed at Celestia brokered no argument and Celestia hung her head. Luna snorted in disdain and turned back to Twilight who was running her paws gently through Spike’s mane.
Picking her words with great care and focusing on using more of the new modern language she recently learned, Princess Luna stood tall and spoke, “Drakon Twilight Sparkle of House Sparkle, on behalf of the Day and Night Court of Canterlot, Princess Luna of the Moon extends our greatest and deepest apologies for the travesty that has occurred here today. Princess Celestia of the Sun has proven that a monarchy is not the best of ideas and we shall seek to ratify this problem immediately,”
Twilight hummed, still stroking Spike’s trembling form. Gently, she picked him up like he was still a baby, with her new size, proportionally he was small enough.
“Frankly, I don’t care as long as I or Spike never have to see her again. I am done,”
Princess Luna bowed her head in acquiescence, “Thou have the attention of most of Canterlot at the moment. Thee’s magical signature is very recognizable,”
“Ah,” Twilight grimaced.
That last power surge must’ve been powerful enough for even unicorn foals to feel. That was one of the drawbacks of being the personal student of Princess Celestia; most of the city citizens were familiar with the thunderous surges, so much in fact that the friendlier neighbors would jokingly ask when the next one would be.
Just then, the door banged open again and Steelwing, Quicksand, and even Copper filed in. Steelwing was more irate than usual, “Miss Sparkle! A warning would’ve been wonderful! What in Equestria happened here?”
“Uh, I may or may not have done some advanced transmutation and reversed my ‘ponification’?”
Steelwing clearly wasn’t expecting such an answer and she mouthed words soundlessly. Meanwhile, Copper immediately blustered, “Transmutation is impossible on such a large scale!”
Quicksand just blinked and then asked in a wondering tone, “Where did you get the energy for that?”
“Err…” Either Twilight would spill the beans now, or deal with every single unicorn scholar later on. She sighed, well either way she would be answering questions for years to come, “I accidentally drained all of the nearby leylines,”
Predictably there was a cacophony of voices, demanding to further explain what she meant. Even Luna and Celestia were watching in interest.
“Can we not do this now?” Twilight asked almost desperately.
Only then did everyone remember Spike was there and there were no protests. Within the hour, Twilight found herself standing on the front step of her childhood home holding Spike in one claw and her dragon fire in another. The ornate doors were still large enough for her to walk in and out without ducking. Her face twisted at how posh and impersonal it all was. She really didn’t want to but she didn’t have enough energy to fly or teleport home.
By now, Spike had calmed down, but he refused to walk by himself, preferring to be carried, like he was afraid she would vanish if he wasn’t touching her. Anger flashed through her every time Spike ran a hoof over her scales like she was a figment of his imagination, or hugged tighter when she shifted because he was afraid she would ask him to get down.
She took a deep breath, and foregoing decorum simply knocked harshly on the door instead of politely using the knocker. The butler that opened the door shrieked in surprise but Twilight paid them no mind. She brushed forward and stepped into the foyer without invitation and stared at the unicorn seated further in the living area by the fire.
“Hello, Mother,”
> Aftermath Pt 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight waved away the hovering butler. A smile flitted across her mouth at Twilight Velvet’s deer-caught-in-headlights-look. She was probably quite the sight. Her legs were shaking, she didn’t even know from what, her smile was faker than the mounted antlers on the wall, and looking far too large in the foyer.
“Ah, Twilight. What a pleasant surprise,”
The dragon knew that meant: You will be getting a lecture later on manners, are you alright, and what in Equestria happened to you, all rolled into one seemingly bland statement. By the moon, Canterlot politics were exhausting.
Twilight shrugged carelessly, watching carefully in amusement as the action further aggravated her mother, “Just need a place to crash for the afternoon and night,”
Velvet cleared her throat and set the teacup down, “Of course, dear. I’ll go alert one of the maids. Have you eaten yet?”
“Some eggs would be nice,” Twilight said absentmindedly.
Absolutely nothing had changed since the last time she visited. Twenty years ago there weren’t as many paintings. Ten years ago all evidence of a dragon for a child disappeared completely from within these walls. The entire house was a mask worn to show off wealth and status. Twilight still wasn’t exactly sure what her mother and father did as jobs.
“Oh, great Celestia!” Night Light staggered on the stairs, clutching at his chest, “Oh dear, oh my. You gave me quite a fright,”
Twilight snorted, puffing smoke. She felt great satisfaction that she could do something as small as exhale smoke.
“What’s up?” Twilight had to choke back the delirious giggles as her father blanched at the overly casual greeting.
A maid timidly trotted up and directed her to a guest room. (Hers had been renovated into an office space two years after she was sent to Celestia. “It’s practical” was what the letter said.). Carefully setting the dragon fire vial on the ground, Twilight tiredly clawed one-handedly at the sheets and blankets until they were in a pile on the floor. She collapsed onto the pillows with a groan.
As Spike readjusted himself into a more comfortable position, he eyed her with some hesitance, “Are you real?” he whispered, “It feels like I’m dreaming,”
Something must’ve burrowed through her scales to pulverize her heart into tiny pieces.
Twilight draped her new feathery wing across him and nuzzled his mane, “Yes Spike. I’m real and I won’t leave you again,”
“Do you promise?” he asked in a small voice.
That was one thing Twilight taught him, never promise something unless you know one hundred percent that you are capable of fulfilling it. But there was no hesitation when Twilight responded.
“I do. No more saving the world, hopefully. Someone else can do that shit, again hopefully. Tomorrow, we’re going home. I’ll apologize to Rarity and life will go on,”
Another butler knocked on the door to announce their food was ready in the dining hall. 
A wide smile stretched itself over Twilight’s face, “I’m proud of you Spike. I’m so sorry,”
If the dragon continued to talk, she knew she would cry, but Spike seemed to understand. His strong facade quivered and broke. A strangled sounding sob escaped his throat and Twilight sat back down to pull him into her lap.
Twilight hummed something nonsensical and rubbed circles along Spike’s back, “It’s alright, let it out,”
“I thought you were gone and then you came back but then you disappeared again but came back but wrong and it feels like you’re going to disappear again,” Spike sputtered out in one long-drawn-out, sobbing mess.
“I know,” Twilight breathed, dropping a kiss to the top of his head, “I know and I’m so sorry,”
Without a thought, Twilight warded the door against further intrusion and settled back down. Two hours later, Twilight woke him back up from the nap he cried himself into. She poked her head into the hallway first before the rest of her body slunk after, Spike situated on her shoulders.
She startled a maid and nearly knocked over a vase before she found herself in the dining room. Spike slid off and took a seat next to her. Seeing that there was no point in ruining a perfectly fine chair, Twilight elicited to sit on the floor. 
Twilight practically inhaled the half dozen eggs that were prepared for her. Spike poked uncertainty at the small portion of stir-fried hay. When they were finished, a maid popped in to tell them that Velvet and Night Light were waiting in the Lounge Room for them.
The first thing Twilight said when they stepped into the room was, “Thanks for the food,”
“Of course dear. How about you send Spike out to play?”
Twilight barely refrained from rolling her eyes, “Whatever you say to me, Spike can listen,” She lifted a paw, cutting off her mother’s response, “I don’t care if you think it’s ‘inappropriate’. Spike stays,”
Velvet cleared her throat irritably, and with a bit more snap than usual questioned, “What has happened dear?”
Immediately, Twilight bristled at the subtle barb, “Many things, Mother. For one, we grew up. Second, I’m tired of beating around the bush. What are you really asking?”
“You look different,” Night Light said rather delicately, “Did something happen with the Princess?”
A vein pulsed to life on Twilight’s jaw at the mention of Celestia. She answered with gritted teeth, “Yes, I graduated,”
“Manners, Twilight,” Velvet snapped, “If this is how you act while outside of this House, I am ashamed,”
Spike glanced worriedly back and forth between Twilight and Velvet while Twilight adopted a bored look.
“Mother, I haven’t cared about how ashamed you were since I was fifteen. What makes you think I’ll start now?” Velvet looked visibly taken aback, which was an impressive achievement if Twilight said so herself. Velvet was a mare that prided herself on keeping calm and wearing as many masks as possible while talking with others.
Finally, Velvet snorted and relaxed back on the couch next to her husband, “Good to know you haven’t changed dear,”
“Yeah, just like this house,” Twilight muttered under her breath and was promptly ignored by everyone, “Like I said, we’re just here to spend the night and then I’ll be out of your hair. Wouldn’t be the best of ideas to see the Student of the Sun sleeping on the streets, would it?” Twilight added lightly, eyeing her parents' reactions.
“You’re always welcome here,” Night Light insisted, “Word sent ahead of time would be more polite, however,”
This time, Twilight rolled her eyes, “Father, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me out,”
Immediately he protested, “We don’t want you out, dear,”



“Bloody politics,” Twilight hissed she and Spike finally managed to turn in for the night, “They’re exhausting. Learn anything new?”
“Yep!” Spike affirmed, popping the ‘p’, “Learned that politics are bloody tiring. I could barely keep up,”
Twilight barked out a laugh that startled the maid stationed outside of her door. She shook her head at the thump and Spike giggled.
“Do you want to fly or teleport tomorrow?”
Spike thought for a moment, “Fly,”
Twilight nodded, “Alright, go brush your teeth, door’s three down,”



The morning after was just as awkward since the poor maid that attempted to wake them up was reduced to tears when Twilight nearly blasted them with fire in her half-asleep protective state. Twilight turned down food and chose just to fly back to Ponyville as fast as possible. Spike had no complaints and they left the premises with a hasty goodbye over their shoulders.
“I feel like a kid again,” Spike commented as they soared through the clouds, “You’re so big now, what the heck,”
“Wonderful, I get to hit my head on more things,” Twilight sighed jokingly, “Though I might need to raise the height of my desk. It was already too short, to begin with,”
“Yay, more basement testing,” Twilight felt Spike shift around in a small dance. She laughed.
“Definitely more basement testing,”



Ponies waved at them as they flew above the town. Nothing in town looked damaged and everything looked well. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief when she landed on her balcony. She’d check in with her friends after a good lava bath and some fried mushrooms. By then, Spike was already running to the bathroom and slamming the door shut.
“Please don’t slam doors!” Twilight called down as she went into her bedroom.
A letter lay on the window sill, probably courtesy of Ditzy. Carefully, Twilight picked it up and unfolded the paper inside. As she skimmed the contents, her face fell. It hadn’t been a full sun cycle since her little information bomb and they already wanted answers?
Unceremoniously, Twilight tossed the letter and envelope onto her desk. She’d deal with it later after several meals and a full night’s sleep. If she wrote back now, her already tattered reputation would take another hit and she wasn’t sure how many more faux pas she could make before something terrible happened.



“I’m sorry for what I did, Rarity,” Twilight met her eyes evenly, “But I don’t regret what I did,”
Rarity recoiled as if Twilight took a swipe at her. Her mouth opened and closed incredulously and her eyes flashed with some unnamed emotion. Twilight could picture smoke pouring out of her friend’s ears.
“Why?” Rarity ended up spitting out angrily, “How could you not regret such a horrid thing?”
Twilight rubbed at her face tiredly with a paw, “It was either that or have you become a murderer. You sent Button Mash to the hospital. He couldn’t move for two days and the electricity in his body could’ve stopped his heart any time twenty-four hours after he was struck. Five nurses were on standby, waiting to see if they needed the defibrillator pads,” Rarity had stilled and her eyes went wide but Twilight barrelled on, “I didn’t want another being to be sent to the hospital just because you couldn’t help but ‘spruce up the sky’,”
Rarity was silent for a moment before annoyance twisted her face, “And why could not you have told me this before, darling? It would have saved a lot of stress and anger,”
“We were a bit wrapped up in a magical catastrophe if you didn’t notice, Rarity,”
Rarity winced and sighed into her teacup. Twilight regarded her with an impassive face while her heart jackhammered within her chest.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just wanted to clear the air,” Twilight focused hard on her next words to make sure her voice didn’t crack from anxiety, “I’ll see you around, alright?”
A voice interrupted her walk to the door, “Twilight? Thank you. Forgiveness is not as unrealistic as you think it might be, however, it is not right now,”
A relieved smile split the dragon’s face. The next time she and her friends had their picnic, the frosty silence between her and the unicorn melted away, and both stifled looks of amusement as their friends continued to tiptoe around the subject.



When Twilight finally got around to answering the letter, she did not expect an entire full-length scroll to be mailed back. Thinking it was some old reference material, she opened it and to her horror, it was the response to her short-hand explanation.
She resisted the temptation to groan, set the scroll on fire, and promptly forget the correspondence that happened at all. But being the good sport she was, she gritted her teeth and wrote an exceedingly polite response back indicating it would be several days before she could come back to Canterlot to properly explain what happened. It was so polite, in fact, that her mother probably would’ve cried tears of joy and told her she actually wasn’t a lost cause like she originally thought.
> Aftermath Pt 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning after, when Twilight finally felt some semblance of normalcy, she went down into the basement to finish off her latest project. She picked her notes up from her side table and walked to the basement door. As per usual, she lit her horns to open the door. Unfortunately, that was when ‘normal’ decided to throw itself out of the window and ‘panic’ took its place.
Normally, she would open the door with a wrench and then catch it before it hit the wall and overextended its hinges. Normally, that would’ve been second nature to her. But this time, the door was literally ripped off of its hinges and only her reflexive urge to catch the door prevented it from sailing down into the basement and breaking countless vials and equipment.
So, Twilight was one paw on the basement steps, clutching her notes in her paws, and holding a broken door in her magic. Twilight blinked and when her brain finally caught up to the situation, nearly dropped the door in question. At the last possible second, Twilight managed to catch the door a second time.
Twilight dropped her notes in order to properly concentrate. She had to, or else the door would’ve hit the ceiling. With as much care as possible, the dragon slowly levitated the battered door to her and caught it with a grunt. She bemoaned the dirtying of her notes as she stepped all over them to maneuver the door back into the living area.
She successfully heaved the door out of the basement and set it on the ground. Hesitating, she lit her horns again to test her theory, calling for her scattered notes. The dragon let out a high-pitched shriek when her stack of dropped papers sped through the air fast enough to whistle. Immediately, she dropped her magic.
Her breath came in sharp panicked pants as papers fluttered through the air. Her ‘ponification’ did do something. Her fine-tuned control, which she worked many years for, was absolutely obliterated in the face of the increase of raw power that flowed through her body. 
Twilight wanted to scream and/or groan in exasperation. She deflated at the thought of sitting in an enchanted room and slowly tying knots on a rope for hours. Or even worse, slowly folding pieces of paper into cranes. Her record was two thousand and some change. It was like turning into a dragon all over again. She paused. No this was exactly what it was like. Twilight literally did turn back into a dragon. 
Methodically, she gathered her notes without magic and plopped them onto the table in the middle of the room. She would deal with them later. See, the first time she changed, her body suddenly became capable of channeling power at the rate of an alicorn. For a toddler, that was not the most ideal situation since any strong emotion resulted in an explosion.
Twilight shuddered to think about how much power she could channel now. She didn’t want to tempt fate by actually measuring it, but at the same time, she was just so curious. Twilight sighed, time to talk with Zecora again. The shaman might have something that could help. Just when she thought she’d get a break too…



Later that afternoon, Spike slammed open the front door so hard, a few leaves fluttered down from the ceiling and Twilight scowled. Her book snapped shut ominously and the rapid hoofbeats on the stairs stalled.
“What did I say about slamming doors?” Twilight raised her voice to be heard, “Why are you running in the house?”
Spike seemed to suddenly remember something and he sprinted up the last steps, completely disregarding Twilight’s last comment. Gasping for breath, he leaned against the stair rail and nearly screamed, “I got my cutie mark!”
Her irritation melted away to be replaced with fondness, “What is it?”
On Spike’s flank was a glittering sword. No glittering was the wrong word. The sword Sparkled. Spike looked at her in disbelief and Twilight rose an eye ridge in confusion. Spike swallowed and said rather blankly, “I don’t know when I got it,”
Twilight snorted in amusement, but instantly, she knew that was the wrong thing to do since Spike’s lower lip trembled. Rising from her position on the floor, Twilight sat in front of him and rested a paw on his shaking shoulder, book forgotten.
“Hey, hey,” she soothed, “What’s wrong?”
“Shouldn’t I know when I got my cutie mark though? It’s my cutie mark,”
Twilight stilled. So that’s what the problem was. Slowly, she returned to her previous position on the floor and motioned for Spike to sit.
“Do you remember how I became who I was when I was little?” Twilight asked gently, continuing on when Spike nodded hesitantly, “Well that day, I think I also got my cutie mark,”
Predictably, Spike incredulously parroted back, “You ‘think’?”
Twilight awkwardly shrugged with one shoulder, “There was a lot going on,” she said honestly, “For one, I was a completely different creature. Then I had to deal with my magic going crazy. It took days for me to finally take a good look at myself. No being around me pointed it out to me either. I found it all on my own and then got sprayed with glass since I got so excited the mirror broke,” Spike laughed a little, “I think you got it yesterday. It doesn’t matter how or when you got it. It only matters that you finally did get it,”
Spike hummed, “I dunno. I guess I thought it’d be a special occasion or something,”
“Did you want it to be?” Twilight asked, “We could get hay burgers and fries, maybe even throw in an ice cream…” Twilight deliberately trailed off as Spike visibly grew more and more excited at the prospect.
Twilight chuckled when Spike nodded rapidly, “Maybe I could parade around Ponyville screaming that my son got his cutie mark,”
The dragon cackled at the sudden horror that painted Spike’s face. Things would be alright, Twilight was sure of it.



Twilight took a deep breath and sighed. She was doing that a lot lately. The conference table in front of her was simply too small for a creature her size. Scholars across Canterlot were gathered all around and arguing over the logistics of her leyline draining. Her heavy tail twitched in annoyance and a nearby chair nearly upturned. That quickly stopped the chatter and Twilight reiterated what she said before.
“I already explained exactly how,” She interrupted several murmurs, “No, I don’t know how my pony body prevented the expected explosion. Yes, Magic can talk to me sometimes because I’m the Element Bearer. And no, I’m not secretly a sorcerer that wants to take over Equestria,”
Suitably chastised, the four-hour-long meeting finally ended. Twilight was the last out of the room and Steelwing was waiting for her.
“The Night Court is talking about promoting you,” she commented as they walked to the library.
Twilight snorted, “Promote me from what? I don’t even have a proper title now,”
Steelwing chuckled and didn’t answer, prompting Twilight to roll her eyes and huff, “Fine, keep your secrets, O’ Great Librarian,”



“What?!” her shocked roar shook the great domed ceiling of the Hall, “You want me to be what?!”
Princess Luna and her hooded Counsel stood stolidly on the dais, “Thou have gone above and beyond anything our greatest wizards have in the last millennium. Thou is qualified to fill the Archmage position,” the Princess repeated patiently.
Twilight’s mouth flapped around uselessly as she attempted to answer. Finally, she sputtered, “I am not moving back to Canterlot. Thank you, but I’m not moving from Ponyville,”
Advisor Five stepped forward, fixing their glasses beneath their hood and their toneless voice suggested, “Princess, there is another position like the Canterlot Archmage position. It doesn’t require the mage to live within the capital of their choosing,”
“Be as it may, tis far more responsibility than just simply being an Archmage, Advisor,” Princess Luna responded evenly.
“Dragon Twilight Sparkle of House Sparkle has demonstrated such prowess in the past. Would her position really change?” Advisor Two spoke up.
Princess Luna straightened and addressed Twilight once more, “Drakon Twilight, we shall rescind our original offer and put forth another. We are now offering the Head Archmage position. Such an appointment will not require thou moving. Thou will simply go to the yearly Archmage meetings and hold Court as the Head,”
Twilight gaped soundlessly. One of the Advisors stifled a chuckle as a cough. Princess Luna’s expression became amused the longer Twilight took for her brain to reboot.
“I supposeth that was quite a ‘far out’ proposition, as the young put it,” Twilight’s frantic brain didn’t register the smile or the fake sigh before she was blurting out.
“Yes! I mean, I’d be honored. Uh, thank you. Oh gosh, will I need a speech? I didn’t prepare one,” More than one Advisor chuckled that time.
Her mind snapped back to the present and heat spread along the back of her neck to the tips of her ears. Thankfully she was incapable of blushing, it spared her more mortification. Due to her embarrassment, she missed the first part of Princess Luna’s sentence and her mind frantically attempted to piece together what she did catch.
“-so it will be another fortnight before it arrives with the proper title,” she looked expectantly at the dragon, who nodded somewhat professionally.
“That’s fine,” Twilight choked out, wondering what in the name of the moon she just agreed to.
“EXCELLENT!” the Princess thundered, “DISMISSED!”
Her ears rang as she flinched hard enough to scratch the marble flooring. The dragon sheepishly lowered her frightened wings and was glad to see she wasn’t the only one that flinched violently. Several of the Advisors were getting to their hooves from where they tumbled off the dais completely and another was visibly shaking in their cloaked hooves. The Princess cleared her throat.
“Apologies. Old habits die hard,”
> Aftermath Pt 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The announcement that Celestia was ‘taking a break’ from the throne stirred up every single gossip column in every newspaper in Equestria. Everyone speculated and the rumors became more and more ludicrous. Not everyone would be happy about the announcement since Twilight knew there were Celestia fanatics that literally worshiped her instead of the sun and moon. The fact that Celestia did nothing to prevent the worshiping made it worse.
Ponyville was subjected to another small public service announcement by Twilight. She read from the scroll for exactly one paragraph before setting it on fire and doing it herself. The crowd chuckled when Twilight deviated from the script. When she was done, she asked if anyone had questions and a small filly rose their hoof.
“Miss Twilight? Are ya still goin’ to come ‘round to play every week like before?”
Twilight gently assured that she would always make time to come and play before answering another question about the farming taxes. After the magical catastrophe, Twilight made a point to come around the town and play with the children every weekend. Many of them loved to ‘vanquish the evil dragon’.
The more concerned citizens asked about taxes and all of the other specific things Twilight couldn’t answer. They were disappointed but didn’t blame her. Only Ponyville heard about their ruler attempting to kill off her student. Needless to say, not many within Ponyville addressed her as ‘Princess’ anymore.



When Discord appeared for their monthly lessons, the moment he popped into existence, he froze. Sheepishly, Twilight smiled and greeted him. Then, Discord was howling with laughter hard enough for the grass around him to lean away. Maple syrup dripped from his eyes as he wheezed and settled on his back on the ground.
“My dear dear apprentice,” Discord chortled as he wiped at his eyes, “Have you any idea the power you have now?”
Twilight sighed, “It’s useless to me until I can control it, Chaos Master. That could take years,”
“True enough,” Discord agreed but he still adopted a sly look, “Unless…”
“No thank you,” Twilight immediately shut his thought process down, “I rather rely on myself than whatever thing you have,”
Discord jumped up in a spring shape with an audible boink sound, “Excellent! You once again pass with flying colors, my apprentice,”
Twilight rolled her eyes, which Discord completely disregarded. He started the lesson in earnest and it was all Twilight could do to keep up with the utter nonsense that sometimes made sense. He ran her through some seemingly pointless exercises and then had her demonstrate her animation skills again. She was getting better at it. Most of her creations only set themselves on fire after a minute or two now instead of half a minute.
Because of her rapid progress in animation, Discord promised to show her low-level conjuring next time but warned her not to get her hopes up since conjuring was much harder than animation. Since it was the other way around in her studies, her intrigue only grew. Twilight asked why conjuring was harder and for once, Discord answered with something that made sense.
“My dear, creating something out of nothing is much harder than making something already there move,” he snickered at the dumbfounded look on the dragon’s face, “We are not going to be doing advanced air transfiguration, apprentice. This is true conjuring,”
He demonstrated by reclining back on a marble throne that appeared out of nowhere. Meanwhile, Twilight’s brain was going a million miles an hour attempting to rationalize pulling something out of nothing. It strictly wasn’t possible. But yet again, this was Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, hellooo…
It took her months to learn how to solidify air and years to actually make something with the solidified air in the traditional unicorn way. Well, if Discord thought her capable of learning how to make something from nothing, she was willing to give it a shot. After all, she was literally the one that gave liquid a personality. 
The more she practiced chaos magic, the more complex her water personalities became. She never knew water could be stubborn. The very idea seemed ludicrous since water literally went with the flow and took the shape of anything it was in. But nope, a pond monkey in the Everfree slapped her in the face and literally swung away in the trees until it was no longer in her presence and flooded a small clearing.



The first monthly Archmage meeting that Twilight attended was awkward, to say the least. Of course, Princess Luna already sent word that the Head Archmage position was finally filled and got the approval of the Archmage guild. After all, the guild hadn’t had a Head for the last hundred years give or take. But everyone who knew her always seemed to forget that not everyone was ok with her being a dragon…
The Princess mailed her the coordinates of the meeting. She was assured that there were teleport pads there ready to receive them and that every Mage was given slightly altered coordinates for each pad available.
When Twilight finally arrived, minus the too-small cloak clenched in her paw, she was subjected to several mages preparing spells to fire. Instinctively, a Shining-Armor-grade shield slammed into place around her.
“Woah, Woah, Woah,” Twilight exclaimed loudly, “I’m a representative,”
“Then where is your cloak? We were not notified that a dragon became an Archmage,” A genderless voice snapped, muffled and distorted by the magic of the hood.
Each cloak was charmed to effectively hide the identity of the wearer. The hood magically shadowed and distorted the user’s voice, much like the Princess’ Council. These were powerful beings, the last thing anyone wanted was their safety compromised. The cloak provided complete anonymity, even if the wearer were to extend a hoof, the magic around the cloak would prevent anyone from remembering what it looked like.
Twilight waved the said cloak above her head like a surrender flag, “It’s too small. And there’s no point in trying to blend in with everyone else. That’s clearly a lost cause,”
She garnered a few chuckles so she counted that as a win. Spells slowly died down but she could tell she was still under intense scrutiny. One wrong move and- Actually she wasn’t sure what would happen if spells were fired at her. Her scales were harder than rock now. She didn’t want to take that chance though. She blew out a breath and slowly lowered her bubble.
“Good afternoon, Mages. I am Head Archmage Twilight Sparkle from Ponyville. The meeting will start shortly, yes?” It was risky to declare her name and town, but Archmages weren’t chosen based on their stupidity. Unless you were an evil villain, hardly anyone would go around to provoke a dragon, at least, that was the hope.
The meeting finally started after about an hour of waiting for stragglers. Mage Fillydelphia started first, “When the Princess declared that a Head had been appointed, I could hardly believe it myself. And even now, I find it hard to believe that a dragon now holds roost to our mighty guild,”
Murmurs of agreement swept through the chamber and Twilight fidgeted nervously. Since she forwent a chair entirely, those closest to her could hear her spines click against the stone floors. The silence stretched on until Twilight realized with a start they expected an answer from her. She cleared her throat awkwardly.
“I mean no disrespect with my presence, Mages. I would gladly fill the Mage Canterlot position if I still lived there. I still don’t know the full responsibilities of my post other than coming for these meetings,”
Mage Las Pegasus sniffed and despite the magic of the cloak, Twilight could tell their voice was laced with complete contempt, “Where even is this ‘Ponyville’ that you hail from, Headmage?”
Her knowledge of Canterlot politics kicked in and red flags began to wave in her mind’s eye. She would either need to tread very carefully or be as blunt as a brick to gain the respect of the guild. Considering subtlety wasn’t her strongest suit, she went with the latter.
“It’s a small farming town on the outskirts of the Everfree. Hardly any unicorns live there, so it’d be pointless to appoint an Archmage there. Celestia sent me there during the Summer Sun Celebration to defeat Nightmare Moon a few years ago,”
Even if she couldn’t see anyone’s face, she could tell that her statement caused some eyebrows to rise. Mage Crystal coughed and said rather reproachfully, “I send my sincere apologies if this body has offended you, Headmage,”
A small smile graced her face, “No apologies needed. This is an issue that I’m familiar with,”
Mage Manehattan sighed before saying steadily, “Forgive us, Headmage. There hasn’t been a leader for this body in a very long time. If that is all, Mage Las Pegasus, I would like to get started on debriefing us all on our newest project,”
By the meeting’s end, most of the mages were suitably relaxed in her presence. Her sarcasm and unexpected jokes seemed to help. Twilight had been appalled when Mage Baltimare explained what the Head was supposed to do. Apparently, she was to rule the guild with an iron fist, setting forth new projects, usually to aid the city she was born in, as well as dismiss and promote those who performed the worst and best. In ancient times, the Headmage could also use the guild as their own personal military, which was a small horrifying thought.
As Twilight teleported back home, she resolved to not dismiss anyone from their post unless they actually proved they were incompetent. She knew that becoming Archmage to whatever city was impressive enough on its own. She was determined to become friends with everyone in the guild, or at least be on cordial terms with them. After all, an amicable guild was a productive guild.
> Royal Summons - EQG Arc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stared at the scroll that lay innocently on the table. The seal marked it as an official summon by the Princess. It’d been months since her official Canterlot summon. Her last summon was by Celestia and while she wasn’t the ruler anymore, that seal still brought up bad memories. She took a deep fortifying breath and slowly broke the seal to unfurl the parchment.
“Good Morrow Archmage Sparkle,” The letter began, “As thou know, the Canterlot Castle staff have been clearing out the numerous storage rooms that have been laying around. We have come across an enchanted mirror. I believe it tis a portal that connects our realm to another. Would thee please come and take a look? My sister remains tight-lipped about it. Regards, Princess Luna of the Moon,”
Twilight let her huge head collapse onto the table with a thunk. Predictably, the pony-made table cracked and cratered a bit. Spike glanced up from the library floor where he’d been shelving some of the leftover books.
“Are we going to Canterlot again?” he asked, putting another book away.
Twilight was a little surprised to hear him so matter-of-fact. Her face twisted into a grimace at the thought.
“Unfortunately,” came the dry, muffled reply, “The Princess found a portal,”
“Celestia the Wise and Overlord-y can’t solve it?” Spike sounded genuinely interested in the answer and Twilight snorted, singeing the table.
“Apparently she won’t even go near it,” Twilight could hear Spike’s eye-roll from a floor up.
“Maybe this time you’ll let me bring home a pike,”
Twilight rose to her paws and repaired the table with a thought, “Fat chance, bud. The day I let you bring home a weapon like that is the day Celestia declares war over pony-kind,”
Spike continued to shelve books as he clicked his tongue and said, “Ah, so in the next year or so. Good to know I have something to look forward to,”
Twilight nearly tripped into the kitchen, (not that Spike could see), as she roared with laughter.



Fire hissed and roiled in her mouth as she rounded the corner and came upon her former mentor. Celestia looked rather odd without her ceremonial bands and crown. Savagely, Twilight hoped they were melted down for guard armor, but in the back of her mind she knew better. Twilight harshly padded past, sparing the old alicorn no more of her immediate attention.
The Hall doors were opened with a slight rumble and Twilight proceeded down the carpet. The muffled hoof steps behind her told her that Celestia followed. Twilight resisted the urge to growl. Princess Luna looked haughtily down her nose at them as they approached.
“Greetings, Head Archmage, Sister,” she boomed, thankfully quieter than the Royal Voice, “We have a matter of greatest importance. Would thee like to explain now? I have done as thou requested,”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed and she glared at the tricolored mane that seemed determined to wave and flutter in her face. Whatever Celestia did to her mane to make it constantly look like it was in a light breeze was annoying. Twilight much preferred Princess Luna’s mane style. Her navy blue mane acted like flickering flames. It was enough to intimidate, but not look cheap and tacky.
“The portal cannot be closed under any circumstance. My student is in the other world,”
Twilight was wholly prepared for the eruption of Mt. Luna this time. Interestingly enough, her mane flared with her wings and Twilight had to bite back inappropriate laughter.
“SISTER! WHEN I THINK THEE CANNOT BE MORE OF A FLEA-BITTEN MONGREL-!” She cut herself off to breathe deeply through her nose.
“And pray tell, what did your student do to end up in another world?” Twilight sneered sarcastically, refocusing on the situation at hand, and deciding to use one of Rarity’s sayings since it was very appropriate for the occasion.
“Sunset Shimmer was a magical prodigy,”  Celestia began proudly, “She was magnificent in all areas of magic but she delved too far into the Dark,” she finished gravely as if she were reporting a death.
The dragon’s heard Celestia talk about death. She talked about it airily like an Elite talking about starvation. It existed, but it wasn’t their concern. But it was the way Celestia said that name that made Twilight’s head spin. Pride colored her tone but it was also pitched in disappointment like Sunset Shimmer was a failed experiment of hers.
It took all of Twilight’s considerable willpower and control to prevent her fist from flying across the room and decking the old alicorn across the face. Princess Luna had no such qualms and shrieked something unintelligible in Old Ponyish. In her fury, she reared up and stomped her hooves to smash all of the tiles on the dais as she came down. Silently and unmoving, Princess Luna’s council worked quickly to repair the shattered marble. The tiles knitted together seamlessly and settled back into their original form. Princess Luna thanked them curtly.
“Knowing darker magicks was grounds to banish her to another realm?” Twilight asked when her claws stopped itching to hit something, “That’s all?”
Celestia blinked, bemused, “Well, yes,”
“Oh for the moon, sun, and stars,” Twilight swore, only to get interrupted.
“Sunset knows she’s free to come back whenever the portal opens,” Celestia pointed out, “It opens once every thirty-six moons. She’s not banished,”
“Are you sure she knows?” Twilight hissed, indignation for Shimmer rose through her, “You’re notoriously known for not giving clear information. What of her parents? Do they know where she went?”
For once, Celestia looked unsure, “I believe she was an orphan. She was left on the castle steps,”
Twilight dug her fists painfully into her eyes as she spoke, “So you banished your own kid. Great Equestria, you’re a horrible parent. So let’s get this straight. You sent Sunset Shimmer, your own kid, through a magical portal because they decided to learn a few dark spells, and they’ve been in that world for how long now?”
Disdain flooded the dragon when Celestia had to pause and think. What parent had to think about how long their child went missing? 
“Thirty years, give or take? She left when she was fifteen summers,”
Stunned silence filled the Hall. There was a gasp and slight sob from one of the Advisors and Twilight didn’t blame them. Her claws rattled on the marble floor as anger and disgust flashed through her.
“Fine! The portal stays open. Put it in a safe room and have a guard rotation for it. Nothing goes in and out of it without the Princess knowing. Is that ok?” Twilight growled.
Princess Luna nodded, sparing a glance behind her to see if any of the Council objected. None did and she immediately began to draft the new Royal Order. 
“DISMISSED!” the Princess roared absentmindedly, prompting one of the Advisors to spring up as if electrocuted. Twilight’s horns sparked from her surprise and she quickly waved it away before it could catch anything on fire. Celestia was the only one that didn’t flinch.
Celestia rose to her hooves, sniffed, and then wandered to the doors and disappeared. Seeing they were dismissed, Twilight stomped back down the Hall. As she stalked past the alicorn, she snarled, “One day, all of your crimes will catch up to you. One day, you will pay for all you’ve done. I will make sure of it,”
She didn’t hear Celestia’s response. She was too busy finding the fastest way to the guard’s barracks to fetch Spike. She would not let him bring home a dagger, like last time. (She only realized he had one when he came to dinner with a bandage wrapped haphazardly around his hoof and waited silently in disapproval until he cracked and admitted he had a dagger in his room.)



A week after that debacle, Princess Luna sent another official letter that said she would be sending every spare book that Celestia collected over the years, to her. Apparently, they stumbled upon some in another storage room. Upon seeing such a notice, Twilight recruited Spike and her friends to help make space. By the day’s end, an entire wall had been cleared out in preparation and Twilight thanked everyone profusely.
But when seven wagon loads arrived via the Canterlot Pegasus Delivery Service, Twilight knew she severely underestimated how many books she was getting. Townsfolk gawked at the delivery pegasi and Twilight wanted to sink into the floor. Why did they need to land in the town square? They couldn’t have just dropped them off in front of the library?
After unloading and spending several days sorting through them, Twilight happened upon some journals. Looks like Princess Luna didn’t bother having her staff actually check over what they were sending her. Shoving the journals into her room to deal with later, Twilight continued to look through all of the old texts. Half of them were in Old Ponyish and a quarter of those were in an early dialect that Twilight had no dictionary for.
Twilight had no regrets when she set Celestia’s Manual of Hair Care on fire. Somehow, the alicorn owned twelve volumes of it. It looked like she updated it every ten years and then gave up after a while. Each volume was as thick as a brick and Twilight wondered how anyone could write that much about mane care. As the books burned in the backyard, Twilight sighed.
Even after declaring that Twilight wouldn’t speak to the senile alicorn anymore, she still had to interact with her because of how many hoof-holds she had in all parts of Equestria. She was such a control freak that even now Princess Luna was figuring out exactly what Celestia had to personally see to and do it herself.
Her eyes turned to the blue sky as she wondered if she would ever be truly free from Celestia. Her paws went cold when she wondered if Spike would ever be completely free from Celestia’s influence. Ash floated away in the breeze as the books smothered at her feet. Twilight set her jaw and curled her talons. She promised that she would assure that Spike would be left alone if it would be the last thing she did.
> The Notebook (Does not Explode)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was one in the morning and the moon was high in the sky, bathing Twilight’s room with its rays. The only sound that could be heard was the rustling of the leafy ceiling. The dragon snored softly on the floor, smoke puffing out every so often out of her nose, and an open fire flickered on the floor next to her, contained within wards.
The tranquility was abruptly shattered when one of the books on the shelves above her head started to buzz. Immediately, purple-slitted eyes blinked into existence and stared rather blankly at the buzzing and glowing book. The frayed gold edges pulsated with the tell-tail glow of Magic. After the book buzzed three more times, each time with more insistency, Twilight sprang up in a panic.
Her vision went white and her paws nearly gave out from how quickly she tried to run to the book. Blankets flew into the air and Twilight sat back down heavily, shaking her head in an attempt to make the dizziness go away. Staggering to her paws again, Twilight dove forward in time to catch the book as it trembled and fell from the shelf. She landed with a thud.
As she held the glowing book in her claws, splayed out on the floor, she blinked again as her brain worked a mile a minute. She cracked her head on her side-table as she got up and she let out a muffled curse as her spines grafted themselves to several of her blankets. She stumbled blurry-eyed down the stairs, trailing blankets, and finally, she managed to get herself into the basement and slam the door closed.
Tiredly shoving on her safety glasses, Twilight peeled back the first page of the book, wholly expecting something to happen. Twilight prematurely flinched back. The book stopped vibrating, but a page nearer to the middle of the journal still rhythmically glowed. She sighed and almost lit her horns to turn the lights on. She stopped short just in time. She did not want to be cleaning up shattered lightbulbs on top of everything. She was simply too tired to concentrate properly.
After successfully turning on the lights, Twilight carefully observed each of the entries. They dated back almost forty years. They told of a young unicorn filly writing to their mother in the beginning. But as the time between each entry grew longer, the warmth and expected tone of the writing turned more professional. ‘Mom’ transformed into ‘Princess’. ‘Your Daughter’ turned into ‘Your Student’.
Twilight knew what this book was. The number of wards and runes weaved into it should’ve been clue enough. Breathing deeply through her nose, Twilight shook off the last dredges of sleep and finally flipped to the glowing page.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I know it has been years since I wrote you, but I need your help. I’ve made a home here and it’s really nice. I have friends, can you imagine? I have an apartment that I pay for all by myself. I have a job and interesting coworkers. They’re the friends I was talking about. My job is a school counselor. I talk with all the kids that need help. Sometimes I’ll even fill in for teachers that can’t find a substitute in time. Is this why you decided to take students, Princess? To see how their eyes light up when they finally understand something? To be proud of them when their hard work pays off? I’m rambling, sorry. It’s really early and I haven’t had my coffee yet. 
Back to the point. There are three new students in the school and they remind me of the Sirens. It’s been too many years since I’ve read about them and this world is hopeless with things like this. These three students have wonderful voices, but anytime they sing, everyone around them starts to fight. I’m sorry to bother you, but there’s no other way for me to find out if my hunch is right. I’ve come to care for this world and I don’t want any Equestrian Magic to come and muck this all up.
Your former student, Sunset Shimmer
Former Student of the Sun
Twilight dragged a paw down her face and sighed unhappily. Guilt stirred when she realized that these words weren’t for her and grimaced when she picked up a quill and slid her inkwell closer.
Hello Miss Shimmer. Unfortunately, Celestia is no longer ‘Princess’ and very recently Princess Luna cleared out all of Celestia’s old things. This journal is in my possession now. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Head Archmage Twilight Sparkle of House Sparkle and a former Student of the Sun.
Twilight didn’t get to write anything else since more writing appeared beneath. The words were decidedly more scrawled and they appeared at an alarming speed.
Oh, thank God. Ok, I can just treat this like a texting thing now. Hi Archmage Sparkle, as you’ve seen I have a little predicament and need a little help.
Twilight released a breath and thanked the stars that Shimmer didn’t become angry. In fact, Shimmer actually seemed relieved if anything.
Certainly, Miss Shimmer.
Ok, so these kids are a little freaky. I talked to one of them but she was very closed off. I’m not sure if they’re actually achieving anything with their singing. My magic was stripped from me when I went through the portal.
Twilight redipped her quill.
I can pull some reference books, but it is around two in the morning here. Can this wait until the morning?
Twilight chuckled at the reply.
Oh shit, sorry. This can wait, thanks for helping me so far. Us Students of the Sun gotta stick together am I right?
Technically former Students. I graduated a year ago. I’m sorry I can’t stay and chat for longer, my eyes are about to close and I have work tomorrow as well. I’ll pull the books for you as quickly as I can in the morning.
All Twilight got back was a hand (without claws for some reason), drawn in an ‘ok’ symbol. She didn’t think anything of it. Leaving the book open for the ink to dry, Twilight tottered back into her room and was asleep before her head was fully tucked into her wings.



In the morning, as Twilight was pouring her tea and plating the pancakes, she realized that Sunset Shimmer didn’t exactly sound upset or torn up about the fact that Celestia wasn’t the one that answered her message. After Spike left for school and Twilight finished washing the dishes, she pulled the reference book as requested.
Walking back down into the basement, she became aware of the fact that the journal was once again glowing. Flipping to the correct page, she came across several scrawled messages.
Hey, it’s been 12 hours already. You there?
Day 2 of waiting here. Did you forget?
I’m honestly about to give up here. Please, please see this.
Fascinated, Twilight wrote back.
Hello Miss Shimmer. I assure you that I just finished breakfast. The sun has just been risen.
Within a few seconds, a new reply was scrawled onto the paper.
Oh God, don’t tell me we have to deal with a time difference too!
Unfortunately, it does look like that, Miss Shimmer. I have the reference book ready for any questions you might have.
Twilight almost heard the sigh Sunset must’ve let out.
Just anything important about the Sirens, please. I want to know what I’m working against.
Certainly, one moment.
Twilight flipped through the pages and began to take notes, putting it in bullets to make it easier. Twilight finished about an hour later.
So Star Swirl the Bearded banished them here of all places? Sunset complained.
Amused, Twilight wrote back. Well it’s not like he had the Elements of Harmony to turn them to stone. Perhaps those three were drawn to the school by the portal. That’s Equestrian Magic is it not?
Sunset’s next message appeared so quickly, Twilight wondered if her quill had a special refill feature.
Holy crap, what if they’re trying to come back? We need to stop them right?
Frowning, Twilight thought about it. There’s a guard schedule around the mirror. Nothing goes in or out.
What good will that do if they sing their way out of the situation???
Twilight sighed when the familiar urge to save and protect welled up beneath her scales.
Logically thinking, if they showed up yesterday on my end, then the portal should be open for two more days here. So a week or so for you. Twilight wrote. I suppose I can come through to see what I can do.
For a full minute, Sunset didn’t write back. You’re asking a lot for a school counselor to hang out by the school statue for God knows how long.
Twilight hummed, tapping the end of her quill against her chin. We wait until night? That will give me a few hours to come up with something.
Alright. I’ll text when I’m ready. Leave the book in Equestria, don’t know what will happen if both come over. Don’t want the magic dying.
Twilight agreed and threw her quill down. She dragged another sheet of paper near her and scrawled a note to Spike. As much as he wanted to leave school for two days, Twilight wouldn’t allow it. She sent another letter to Fluttershy, asking for her to pop in once a day to check on Spike. With all that taken care of. Twilight sighed and prepared to teleport to Canterlot.
As she packed her bags, she face-palmed. She forgot to ask why Sunset Shimmer knew what a hand was.
> Through the Mirror
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Getting into the portal room was so laughably easy, Twilight was determined to have a talk with Buckler when she came back. All she had to do was stroll up to the guards and whisper conspiratorially about some new experiment she was going to do and wished not to be disturbed and the guards let her in with a grin.
Twilight rolled her eyes and charmed the door to be unopenable, taking extra care to make sure she would be able to un-charm it at a later date. (She really didn’t want to bust through the wall to get out). Placing the journal on the floor, Twilight sat and waited for it to ring. As she waited, she ate the fried mushroom sandwich she made for herself before leaving the house.
Twenty minutes later, the book buzzed and Twilight took a deep breath. She opened the book to make sure and saw the scrawled Ready from Sunset, she shut the book. Patting herself down, she folded her wings and pressed a claw into the mirror. Her claws sank into the mirror like it was molasses. While not unpleasant, it was cool and rippled like a pool. She steeled her nerves and pressed forward. Something powerful latched onto the hand in the mirror, causing her to freeze in alarm, and yanked her forward so suddenly, her entire body lurched and fell into the portal.
Twilight let out a muffled shriek as her head went into the mirror and then gravity lost meaning. She fell down the portal despite very clearly entering it sideways. Her wings scraped against something invisible since they flared open in shock. Then she was falling up, or was that now down? No, sideways was going down.
As her eyes banged around inside her skull, she wondered if this was what it was like to get blasted by the Elements of Harmony. Her body felt like it was getting stretched like taffy as a kaleidoscope of colors flashed past. Twilight was sure she was screaming but there was no sound as she was pulled further forward. Wind buffered her face and the light shone even brighter before she was abruptly thrown to the ground. 
A small scream had her jumping to her paws as she blinked the stars out of her eyes. Only when she did, she noticed something was very very wrong. She was a lot closer to the ground than she remembered and the fur on her back prickled uncomfortably. Twilight groaned when the world tilted on its axis. Sharp panicked breaths near her made her look up. A tall ape-like creature with long red and blond hair clutched at their chest with a hand and gazed with large eyes at her. Well, at least she knew why Sunset knew what a hand was now.
“Miss Shimmer?” Twilight probed cautiously. She sounded the same as usual, good.
They stumbled back and leaned against the side of the statue to stay upright as their legs seemingly lost their strength. The thing let out a tiny whimper and their grip on their pack strap tightened until their knuckles turned white. Looking down, Twilight stared at herself in shock as her claws were much hairier than she last remembered. Lifting it gently verified that the paw was hers.
It had purple fur and the digits were shorter, less flexible. The claws were nothing new so she dismissed them easily. Her thumb was placed weirdly since it was higher on the arm than before and didn’t touch the ground. The paw was hefty and the pads were thicker, more calloused. Twilight assumed that the rest of her new body was the same. She certainly felt heavier at least.
Another thing that Twilight immediately felt was the complete absence of Magic. If there was any trace of it at all, it was near the base of the portal and nowhere else. This entire world was built out of Void Titanium. Everywhere she looked, she couldn’t peer through the ground to find the leylines or pick out where Magic was the strongest. Everywhere she sniffed, there wasn’t the comforting scent of Magic. Everywhere was absolutely silent, no rumbles of old leylines, there was just nothing.



Meanwhile, Sunset tried to get a hold of herself as a small purple bear flew through the portal to land at her feet and then proceed to talk. Sunset clutched onto the alabaster like a lifeline. She was surely dreaming. Of all the things she expected tonight, a talking purple bear wasn’t one that made the list.
Her shuddering lessened as she gulped for air and looked at the bear again. It was observing itself with far more intelligence than a normal bear and it looked positively fascinated by its own paws. Its eyes were too calculating and Sunset could almost see the burning questions it might have. Taking a closer look revealed that what she thought was a bear wasn’t exactly a bear.
At first glance, it looked bear-like, but the longer she took in the features, she became more and more unsure of what exactly the creature in front of her was. It was missing the distinct shoulder bumps and its neck was a little too long. The fur was too short and the face too narrow. It was too small to be a real bear. The shaking of her legs came back when her brain helpfully supplied that the creature looked to be a cross between a dire wolf and a grizzly bear.
“What in Tartarus,” The bear-thing growled, “What happened to me?”
It took Sunset far too long to process what was said and then even longer to formulate a proper reply. The bear hummed the ‘M’ sounds in the back of her throat and her ‘B’s sounded more like ‘G’s. ‘P’s were hissed and her ‘S’s were too sharp. Logically, the only thing coming through the portal should be Headmage Sparkle.
“I- You’re not a pony on the other side are you?” Sunset weakly asked, grip tightening on the statue.
“Ah,” The bear huffed, “That explains it. No, I’m not. Good to see you in the flesh, Miss Shimmer,”
Sunset slowly let out a breath, “Of all the things-” she muttered to herself before announcing, “Ok, this just got a lot harder. I was going to bring you to my apartment, but I’m not sure how I’ll manage to get you there now,”
There was a beat of silence and then the bear-thing asked tentatively, “Are dogs acceptable in this world?”
Sunset barked out an incredulously high-pitched, bordering on a hysterical laugh, “Buddy, if anyone believes for a second that you’re a dog, I’m going to eat my shirt,”
Just as Sunset pushed herself off of the statue and stood on her own two feet, a familiar voice shouted across the street, “Holy Hell! Miss Sunset, what is that?!”
Sunset spun on the spot so fast that she lost her balance and had to flail her arms to stay upright. Her boots loudly thumped against the concrete as she attempted to reorient herself. She ended up leaning rather lamely against the statue base with her arms crossed defensively across her chest and blurted out, “My dog!”
She unattractively spat her hair out of her mouth as she readjusted herself. Her face was probably red at that point, but she had bigger things to worry about. She flailed again in alarm when Headmage Sparkle let out a thunderous bark that shook the pavement. Headmage was having too much fun with this. Sunset’s grin was too wide to be natural as she fixed her hair obsessively and fought the urge to giggle nervously.
“Woah, what’s his name?” Scootaloo crossed the street without looking both ways and walked fearlessly up to the ‘dog’ that was only a little shorter than eye level with her.
“Er, Sparkles! Yep, that’s her name, haha,” The unimpressed look that Headmage gave her didn’t make her feel any better about the situation. How was this nearly four-foot… thing… passing for a dog?!
Scootaloo reached up and began to pet the Head Archmage of Equestria and Sunset was sure she just lost her marbles. A short tail began to beat against the sidewalk. “OK! Me and Sparkles really gotta get to the vet now. Get home safe!”
The newly dubbed Sparkles let herself get herded away down the street. When Scootaloo was finally out of sight, Sunset let herself have a mini breakdown.
“Oh my God. That was close,” She pulled at her hair, fixed it, and then pulled at it again.
“Perhaps now would be a good time to ‘eat your shirt’,” Sparkles hummed humorously, “Being a dog is weird, but not too different,”
Sparkles spoke strangely.  Half of her words were slurred and Sunset had to use her brilliant deduction skills to guess what Sparkles meant.
“Shut it Sparkles. That was really too close,” Sunset groaned. She wished it was still last week when she didn’t have to deal with talking bear-dogs, portals, and students that could be the Sirens. She needed a coffee. One that was as dark as her soul. (Her students would probably argue that she couldn’t just drink straight cream, but she disagrees).
“Really now. What kind of name is Sparkles?” Sunset could tell Sparkles rolled her eyes.
“The name of my new service dog. Now shut up before someone hears you,” Sunset hissed as another stranger across the street eyed her oddly. Roaming around at sundown with a huge animal that barely passed as a dog and was purple would probably get a few looks.
Sparkles snickered and let out another booming bark.
“This is fun,” she whispered.
Yep, Sunset had definitely lost her marbles.
> Don't Stay Up Late
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“She what?!” Sunset threw her hands into the air in anger, “What the Hell?”
The pair were in her apartment and it was around midnight. Sparkles had spent the last four hours recounting to Sunset what happened in Equestria after she was banished. The dragon was surprised to note that Sunset wasn’t bitter or angry and when she commented on it, Sunset just scoffed and rolled her eyes.
“There’s something in this world called therapy. It works wonders,” She said drily.
When Sparkles finally finished, it was Sunset’s turn. She talked about how when she came through, she was physically age four or five. By pure luck, Sunset chose a new name for herself when they had to write up new documents for her. In her bitterness, Sunset threw away the most painful part of herself, the part that Celestia gave her. 
“My shimmering Sunset,” she used to say, “Sunset follows the sunrise. One day, you will be the one to lower the moon and raise the sun.”
On paper, Red Sunset was a school counselor and alumni of Canterlot High School and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. She was twenty-four years old and an orphan, never knowing who her birth parents were. She was found wandering the streets of Canterlot City at age four with nothing other than the clothes on her back. It was quite the story if Sunset could say for herself.
She was very lucky to have been given to a very nice couple who treated her as their own. Her little, though he wasn’t so little anymore, brother Sunburst was a student at the local community college and both of her parents worked. Sunset told Sparkles how shocking it was to finally go to high school and meet the principal. Sparkles’ nose flared and her hackles raised threateningly until Sunset assured her that Principal Celestia, her boss, was not the same as the Celestia that had gone loopy and cast her own daughter through a magical portal.
Half the time Sparkles wasn’t even sure what Sunset was talking about. ‘What in Equestria was a social security number? Insurance? For what? A cell phone? Social media? Computers?’ Sunset made Sparkles gape like a fish out of water when she admitted that Principal Celestia had a daughter. A daughter named Sunset Shimmer. And Sunset Shimmer currently went to Canterlot High.
Sparkles choked on the remnants of the coffee Sunset poured in a bowl for her when Sunset said in an amused tone that she was also talking with a young student named Twilight Sparkle. (It was very startling for Sunset when the coffee took the shape of a fish and swam around Sparkles in an over-friendly manner. Only the fact that Sparkles didn’t look surprised prevented her from another nervous breakdown.)
Twilight Sparkle was so ahead of the rest of her peers that she was already on the cusp of graduating at age fourteen. Despite being so far out of her age group, she was good friends with Sunset Shimmer and her band of friends who called themselves the Rainbooms.
By the time they finished talking, it was three in the morning and Sunset sighed. Tomorrow morning would suck. Scratch that. In a few hours, Sunset would be regretting staying up so dang late. They were quiet for a bit before Sparkles asked, “Old memories are hard, aren’t they?”
“You’re telling me,” Sunset muttered under her breath, “But it’s also good. I have no attachments in Equestria, but I don’t want to forget where I came from.” She looked at Sparkles and said in a deadpan, “I’m not going to share the bed with you.”
Unfortunately, Sunset was then subjected to Sparkles’ puppy eyes. She could tell her resolve was weakening with every passing second. Sparkles looked so pathetic, hunched over and cowering on the floor. It finally cracked a moment later when Sparkles whined, “I always sleep on the floor at home.”
So, that’s how Sunset Shimmer found herself sharing a bed with a purple bear-dog at three-thirty in the morning. Her small twin bed protested and creaked rather alarmingly when Sparkles jumped onto it. If Sunset hadn’t kept her bed in the corner of her room, she was certain that either she or Sparkles would’ve ended up on the floor sometime during the night.



A few hours later, Sunset startled awake to her alarm. Sitting up to turn it off proved problematic since Sparkles, who was definitely over a hundred-twenty pounds, was basically crushing her as she snored away, uncaring about the anxiety-inducing beeping. After wiggling for a few moments, Sunset finally managed to twist her arm and shut the infernal beeping off. 
She groaned as she felt the headache that always came with too little sleep set in. Then, she noticed the heat that radiated off of Sparkles compounded with the heavy blanket and the sweat making her sleep shirt stick to her skin. Sunset considered herself a strong woman, but deadlifting a hundred-twenty pound animal right after she woke up wasn’t something she could be capable of.
“Sparkles,” Sunset murmured sleepily, “Up. Time to get up.”
If anything, Sparkles snored louder. That is, until Sunset thumped her meaty shoulder and repeated her previous statement. She woke up with a snuffled snort. As she stretched, her bear-like claws flexed scarily close to Sunset’s face. When Sparkles was done, she simply lay face-down on the blanket, making no effort to move off of Sunset.
“C’mon,” Sunset prompted again, “Up. Don’t want to be late.”
As her body began to wake up, Sunset found the energy to wiggle about before finally surging up, throwing the blanket, pillows, and more importantly, Sparkles off the bed. Sparkles slid off of the bed with a yelp, taking the blanket down with her.
“Alright! Time to start the day!” Sunset jumped out of bed and beelined for the bathroom.
Sparkles stuck her head from under the blanket pile she was in and grumbled, “How are you this chipper without coffee?”
Sunset smirked through a mouthful of toothpaste and said, “Practice. I work with kids.”
Sliding fully out from the fading warmth of the blankets, Sparkles shook herself with practiced ease. After she yawned, she complained, “I have a kid and I’m not this perky in the mornings.”
The woman laughed, walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge, “Well that’s the point. They’re not my kids. They’re someone else’s problem after they leave.”
Sunset pulled a pack of bacon out along with some eggs, “Seeing as you drank coffee perfectly fine, I think you’re ok with human food too.”
Sparkles settled herself under the counter as she watched Sunset work. The frying bacon had her mouth watering in anticipation.
“What is that? That smells divine,” Sparkles mumbled.
Her answer was a piece of it getting thrown at her. Without thinking, Sparkles snapped it out of the air. Sunset looked impressed, but Sparkles completely disregarded it. Whatever this was, it completely ruined fried mushrooms for her. She would never go back if it was the last thing she did. Did they have this in Equestria? She chewed enthusiastically.
“Bacon,” Sunset finally said, going back to the pan, “It comes from pigs,” she added like it was an afterthought.
Instantly, Sparkles dry heaved and looked up wide-eyed.
“Oh crap. Uh, sorry. I forgot. Don’t worry, the animals here don’t have a consciousness.” That statement did nothing to alleviate Sparkles’ sudden nausea.
The next thing Sunset knew, a purple streak of fur was running for her bathroom. The door slammed shut and Sunset sighed. Well, her morning wasn’t exactly peaceful when it began so why start now? After plating the food, (She made sure to eat all the bacon before Sparkles came back out), she went to her little storage closet and rummaged around for the old service dog costume her brother made one year.
Sunset felt her soul leave her body when a wet nose touched the side of her knee. As she attempted to jerk upright, she banged the back of her head on one of the shelves and reemerged swearing. Involuntary tears pricked at her eyes and she could already feel the lump growing as she furiously rubbed a hand over the sore spot.
“Ah, sorry. I just wanted to let you know that you should probably wash my mess away,” Sparkles said sheepishly, “Water doesn’t like it when I try to use them to wash things.”
“Your food’s on the table,” Sunset replied, already dreading the cleanup, “There’s no bacon.”
Sparkles nodded and left for the kitchen as Sunset gingerly peered inside her still-lit bathroom. Her eyebrows furrowed when she didn’t spot any apparent mess. Shrugging, she turned the light off and meandered back to the table, and picked up her own fork. Sparkles was already licking the plate clean, having zero issues reaching the tabletop due to her size.
After finishing, Sunset put their plates in the sink to wash later and went into her room to gather her clothes for a shower. Robotically, she swept the closed shower curtains to the side and then promptly screeched, “You puked in my bathtub?!”
Today would be a long day…
> Not really a chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I am not wearing that,” Sparkles protested, eyeing the too-small red vest dubiously, “It can’t even fit on me.”
A tick developed over Sunset’s right eye, “Does it look like I care? Put it on.”
After her harrowing experience in the shower, Sunset wasn’t in the mood to humor the bear-dog, especially since she had to get to work within twenty minutes. She left Sparkles to her own devices and went to her room, opening the wardrobe door with far too much force to be necessary. Jeans, appropriate t-shirt, leather jacket, boots were by the doors. Sunset sighed in relief.
A quick glance at the clock showed her that she had ten minutes to be in the office. She bolted. Sparkles followed, squeezed tightly into the fake service dog uniform. Her entire car rocked on its wheels when Sparkles jumped into the back and her heart may or may not have seized in terror, wondering if that was going to be the end for her second-hand car. Thankfully, the car stabilized and Sunset went just a little bit above the speed limit.
Halfway there, Sunset noticed that Sparkles was a bit quieter than usual and when she looked back, she choked back laughter. The bear-dog appeared queasy, slumped over on the back seat, glassy-eyed. Sunset supposed that taking Sparkles out on a motorcycle ride was out of the question if a car could do her in.
Her amusement abruptly died when she realized she could possibly be cleaning her car seats of more mess, “Don’t you dare puke again,” Sunset warned, torn between finding Sparkles’ expression hilarious and the terror of cleaning up dog vomit twice in one day. This is why she didn’t get any pets, they were too high maintenance. And this one wasn’t even a true animal.