Prologue

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The night was very calm. The afternoon wind had ceased, but not without clearing all the clouds, revealing now a dark blue sky covered with stars. In the field it was quite quiet, neither the crickets nor the owls felt like making noise tonight; and no carriage had been on the dirt road for several hours.

The only sound that could be heard at the time was coming from a canteen on the side of the road. It has a quite rustic appearance, reminiscent of a typical western town bar. It was more spacious than it appeared, because in addition to the kitchen and the bar, the place had several wooden tables, two PIU machines and a target to play darts.

That night the place was quite full. Several ponies, mostly earth ponies, were enjoying the party. However, it was not the only species that could be found. There were two griffins, a dragon, and three changelings having fun with the rest of the equines. A changeling and a pony were competing amicably in one of the PIUs. It really was a very warm environment.

At a table in the corner, a pony gazed out at the view while enjoying her drink. She wore a dark gray scarf around her neck and a black outfit that covered part of her body but revealed her muscular legs. She had a dark orchid coat, moderate pink mane and tail with light edges and moderate opal eyes, with a vertical scar on the right. At first, you would think it was an earth pony, but she was a unicorn, only her horn was broken, as if it had been almost completely ripped off.

One might feel sorry for her upon seeing her horn. She herself had felt sorry for it for most of her life. In fact, her broken horn had turned her into a bitter and cold unicorn that she thought she couldn't trust anyone, obsessing over restoring her horn regardless of the price to pay. With that thought, she had worked for anyone who would allow her to achieve her goal.

But one day, that way of think changed completely. Her former boss, a tyrant known as The Storm King, wanted her to capture the four alicorn princesses of Equestria so that he could absorb all the magic from them. Sadly, Tempest didn't see that her boss was only using her as a pawn, and he never intended to honor his treatment. She would have died if it wasn't because one of the princesses decided to save her. Despite everything she had done to her, she was able to show her that friendship was possible. Together (including a ragtag group of heroes) they defeated The Storm King and restored Equestria to peace. That alicorn is Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship.

Despite her invitation, the unicorn refused to accept help that she felt she didn’t deserve. She decided to travel the rest of Equestria and beyond, spreading the defeat of The Storm King and helping others for her past misdeeds. She also took the opportunity to make peace with her old childhood friends. She used to travel with a hedgehog-like creature named Grubber, a former subordinate of hers, but they had been separated for several weeks now. Not for something bad, but because they had passed through his old home, and Grubber wanted to stay with his family a little longer. She understood, and they said goodbye with hopes of meeting in the future.

A few months ago, she heard that Twilight had opened a friendship school, and that she had five students who weren't ponies. Although she believed that that idea would not work, Twilight surprised her again: Not only did she teach friendship to the different species, but those students (plus another pony), managed to save all the magic of Equestria. All this has made the relationship between species more positive than ever. The interior of the bar was proof of that.

She’s been thinking about Twilight a lot lately. Despite being younger, she had proven to be more mature than her and other adults that the former commander had met. Twilight had the ability to make everypony want to be a better pony (or creature). While her first interaction was lousy, she is glad to have met her.

"Twilight, you really are amazing." She said softly with a smile.

"Unlike you, Tempest Shadow"

Tempest was startled upon hearing those words. She took a quick look around her, but all the clients were quite far from her. What's more, she hadn't seen or heard anyone approach her. However, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Someone was in the table next to her and he was sitting with his back to her. The unicorn tried to get a better look at his face, but he noticed and responded quickly.

"If I wanted to talk to you face to face, I would have sat at your table, don't you think?"

Tempest looked at him annoyed, but she decided to return to her initial position. She wasn't one to freak out, but the fact that that creature had gotten so close without her noticing had her worried. Sure, she was relaxing and wasn’t on guard, but still, not having noticed someone sitting next to you, especially when you are someone trained as a soldier, isn’t normal. And it seems that this new one wasn’t just anyone.

From the little she had seen and heard of her "companion", Tempest knew (by his tone of voice) that he was a male, and his arm noticed a black sweater, covering an arm too long for a griffin, a pony or a changeling. But she couldn't know more, since that sweater had a hood, and he was wearing it, preventing her from seeing his head. If she wanted to know more about this creature, she would have to speak to him.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked seriously. It was something she hadn't lost even after she reformed.

“Maybe, but it's weird that you ask me. I thought, by recognizing me, you would know why I am here”. The individual's voice now sounded far more polite.

"If I could see your face, maybe I would remember you"

"Does seeing this make you remember me now?" He said as he raised his right hand.

Tempest looked at him and froze at the sight. His hand was a black paw that belongs to a feline, a specie native to the kingdom of Abyssinia, one of the kingdoms victims of The Storm King. But the worst thing is that, instead of his index finger, there was a prosthesis, a metal claw. In her entire life, Tempest knew only one with that prosthesis. And if she was right, this situation could get more dangerous and uncomfortable than she thought.

"Claw" she said as less scared as she could.

The feline lowered his hand from her and led her to the table, grabbing the glass of beer he had there and taking a short sip. Tempest guessed that he had ordered it at the bar and brought it with him, otherwise she would have seen the bartender approach (at least).

"Well, if you already know who I am, that makes the conversation easier."

"What do you want from me now?" Asked the unicorn

“We had a deal, Tempest. I did my part, and now it's your turn to do yours”.

"The deal was with The Storm King, not with me."

“The agreement included you too; And before you say it, even if you no longer work for him, it doesn't mean you've gotten rid of debt."

"The invasion failed" she replied as she took a big drink.

“But not because of me. My invention worked"

“Yes, too good. But The Storm King has gone, and I can't keep what I promised you "

"On the contrary, pretty girl. I heard that your new boss is the princess of friendship, and that makes things easier for me."

Tempest was stunned. What would this psychopath want with Twilight? For a second, he was startled, but she quickly regained her composure.

"I don’t understand you"

“You see, I have something in my power that will completely change the world we know now. After evaluating the four alicorns, since I'm not counting the baby of The Crystal Empire, I consider the Princess of Friendship to be the best fit to help me to achieve my goal. Since you know her, it would be all easier if you introduce us. I've heard that she loves discovering new things and making new friends, we'd sure get along."

Tempest frowned. She knew where this was going to end, and she isn’t willing to hear another word.

"No"

"What have you said?" The feline asked in surprise.

"No, Claw, I'm not going to get involved with you anymore, and I'm not getting my friend into whatever you're up to right now." She said she, already about to explode.

The former commander expected the cat to be angry when he heard her response. However, Claw didn't bother at all. He even cracked a smile, out of Tempest's sight.

“All right, then I'll go see her and introduce myself. You know me well enough to know that I can make her an offer that she cannot refuse."

Tempest couldn't go through with this anymore. She jumped out of her chair and grabbed the feline's arm, so that he couldn't use the hand with the metal claw.

"DON’T YOU DARE GO NEAR HER!" She screamed in fury, while sparks began to come out of her horn.

This action caught the attention of everyone in the canteen. Customers turned their gazes to the duo, and silence filled the bar. However, Tempest and Claw seemed to ignore that.

Although he hated being threatened, Claw wasn't about to let that crippled unicorn upset him, especially since he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention. He finished his beer, using his free hand, and spoke softly.

"Tempest, do you know what would happen if everyone found out who you are? Do you know how easy it would be for me to say that you attacked me and make everyone here stand on my side?"

“You are just as guilty as me. Also, do you think you will have time to scream? If I want, I can injure you enough to send you to the hospital. And trust me, we are a considerable distance from the city. It would take a while for the police and the ambulance to get here, a time that I could use to get out of here, and get to Princess Twilight before you.” She said just as softly, with the same smile she put on when she attacked Canterlot.

Claw looked at her, and for the first time, he became serious.

“Impressive that you care for someone else besides yourself. It's a shame that you don't even worry about knowing what you're drinking "

Tempest looked at him confused, but her expression turned to horror as she looked at the glass she had drunk just now and realized what he meant. She quickly released him and walked away to the other customers. But she had barely taken a couple of steps when she felt a sharp pain in her chest. It was so intense that he squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth. She pulled a helmet to his chest, in a vain attempt to ease the pain.

The image of the suffering unicorn began to worry the customers of the bar.

"Are you okay?" A pony asked her.

Tempest tried to speak, but she could only gasp. Later, she noticed her strength was failing and her vision was blurring. Unable to stay conscious, she collapsed to the ground. Clients quickly came to help her. One took her pulse and checked her breathing. When she did the latter, he became concerned, and asked his companions for help.

"She's barely breathing, we have to take her to the hospital!"

While all this was happening, the anthropomorphic cat went to one of the waiters and deposited some coins on the tray he was carrying. Then, he left the bar taking advantage of the confusion, went to the road and started to run.

When he saw that he was far enough away from the bar, and that no one was spying on him, she pulled out a notebook and a pen. Being a cat, he could see perfectly in the dark. His orange eyes twinkled as he opened the book to a page with a list written on it, and he crossed out one of the items.

"Well, the phase two of the plan has been a success" he exclaimed satisfied. He looked at the next item on the list. “And now, Twilight, it's your turn."

Future Plans

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One week before…

The sun was shining brightly. You could see the occasional clouds, but the blue color dominated high in the sky. On top of a mountain, there is Canterlot, the capital of Equestria. Not in vain was considered by many ponies as one of the most beautiful places to live, as the residents (mostly unicorns) had worked hard to turn the city into a place of culture.

Being the capital, many of the important ponies have their home in that city. Of all the inhabitants, there were two very special: Celestia and Luna, the royal sisters who ruled all Equestria. There were two things that made them so different from the rest: the first is that they were alicorns, so they had a horn and a pair of wings (hence why they were also called “winged unicorns”); and the second, were those who took care of the sun and the moon, something vital for life to prosper in this world (in this, and in any other).

Although they are the best known alicorns in Equestria, they weren't the only ones. There was My Amore Cade Cadence, princess of love, adoptive niece of Celestia and Luna, and ruler of the Crystal Empire, along with her husband, Shinning Armor. The two had a daughter, Flurry Heart, the first alicorn baby in the history of Equestria.

Finally (but not by far) it was Twilight Sparkle, also known as the princess of friendship. She was Cadence's sister-in-law and Celestia's star student (and close friend). She also had a very positive relationship with Princess Luna, who had come to see her as a little sister. She had saved Equestria numerous times. Of course, she had always acted alongside her friends, a group known as The Mane 6. Their names were Rarity (a unicorn), Pinkie Pie, Applejack (two earth ponies), Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy (two pegasus). There was also a baby dragon named Spike, although Twilight considered him more of a little brother than a friend.

She was, possibly, the most amazing alicorn that somepony could have meet; at least, this is what Celestia was thinking at that moment. Normally, at this time she would be in the throne room attending disputes or in a public appearance, but she had arranged everything so that no one would disturb her all day. What's more, for a whole week, she had been practically absent from all her duties, except moving the sun, which had begun to worry her sister and everyone in the castle.

Motives for her weren’t lacking, however. In her chambers, the majestic ruler was reviewing the letters that her student had written to him from her since she made her a princess. They weren't as frequent as the friendship reports, and the headmistress' job made it harder for the two of them to keep in touch. But Twilight had managed to write to her at least once a week to tell her about her adventures and experiences they, her friends, and her students had been through. In her last letter, Twilight told her that Pinkie had taken them and Spike to meet Aurora, Boli and Alice, three reindeer had helped her in the last Hearth's Warming Eve. It had been a very fun visit, especially when Alice beat Rainbow five times in a row in a card game, although that happened because the reindeer was able to see the future (Pinkie had hidden it to make a "play" on Dash).

Celestia was proud of what her student had become. Despite having started out as an asocial pony, and the challenges that nearly broke her friendship, she had stood her ground, becoming a princess; but not because of her evolution from unicorn to alicorn, but because of her personality evolution. He had exceeded his expectations of her on numerous occasions, and virtually all Equestria was enjoying a time of peace that pointed to a prosperous future.

For this reason, during these days, Celestia had been wondering if the time had come to take the big step. Finally, after a week evaluating the pros and cons, Celestia made the decision that she considered the most appropriate. Although it wasn't the first time that she decided something for Twilight, she hoped that this time she was doing the right thing.

That day, after the sun went down and waiting for the moon to rise, Celestia flew to her sister's quarters. Princess Luna was on the balcony of her room, and she was surprised when her older sister landed next to her.

“Celestia! I hadn't heard you coming.”

“Sorry. I'd like to talk to you, if it's not a bad time.”

“Not at all, sister. What's more, I'm glad you're here, this week you've been very absent, I haven't even seen you at breakfast, and I was beginning to worry about you.”

“I'm sorry to have alarmed you. Do not worry, I'm fine; although it is true that I have been isolated from others for a while, but it is because I have been dealing with a very important issue about the future of our reign in Equestria, and I would like to talk about it with you.”

As a princess of the night and of the dreams, Luna rarely dealt with political matters; so it wasn’t frequent that her sister asked his opinion... unless it was a threat to her land or something that also concerned her. However, she noticed an absence of fear or anguish on her sister's face, so the former was out of the question. This piqued her curiosity and relaxed her a bit.

"Sure sister, but we better go inside" she said while pointing to her room.

Celestia was glad Luna said that. She wasn't cold that night, but she didn't want somepony to overhear her conversation. The two alicorns entered the rooms of the princess of the night. She had walls in different shades of blue, lamps shaped like trees, a bedside table with several books and an awakened one, and a bed shaped like a crescent moon perched on clouds. Since there were no chairs, since Luna reads in bed, the two of them sat on a rug with a picture that reminded one of a waning moon.

"Well, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

"Before I begin, I should warn you that this might be a bit of a shock."

Luna arched her brow and smiled.

“Celestia, I may be younger than you; but I have lived for hundreds of years too, and I have seen everything. It’s rare that something surprises me."

The white alicorn laughed and told her sister about her idea. As the conversation progressed, Luna's smile gradually disappeared. In her place, her eyebrows and eyelids rose, her pupils became smaller, and her jaw dropped down. When Celestia finished speaking, Luna was just as shocked as she was when she got on the train for the first time.

"Well, what do you think?"

Hearing that, Luna snapped out of her trance state and responded.

"Let me see if I have got this right. You think that we should retire as rulers of Equestria, and pass that duty on to Twilight Sparkle?"

"And her friends" Celestia pointed out.

“Well, I agree with you that we've been on the throne for a long time, you longer than me; and Twilight Sparkle has proven to be a skilled leader with a great ability to solve problems, small and big, and she has learned from her mistakes. Also, thanks to her, ponies have a very positive relationship with other species, both inside and outside of Equestria. But she already has her own castle and a duty as the princess of friendship. Don't you think this can have negative consequences for her? "

“I know, but as you've said yourself, Twilight has demonstrated her ability to lead other ponies and solve difficulties on numerous occasions. In addition, she has accomplished many things that we have not been able to in hundreds of years, such as improving our relationship with griffons and dragons. She is made to do much more than just be a princess of friendship; and I know that she will be able to lead the rest of Equestria without losing sight of her ideals. "

“But taking our place is a very fat thing, and she is still very young. Cadence is older than her, and only rules in the Crystal Empire, which is technically a city and not an empire; and you want to give your student a much larger extension. "

“Luna, remember that she will not be alone. She will have her friends to help her, and she remembers that we do not rule alone as we did more than a thousand years ago; now we have several ponies helping us to make ruling Equestria easier. I trust her enough to know that she will know how to handle it. "

"But what about moving the sun and the moon?" Luna said, raising her voice volume a bit. “I don't mean to offend, but she doesn't have much experience with that spell; and I don't think her magic is on the same level as ours. "

"I'm not going to put her on the throne right away." Celestia spoke, trying to calm her down. “From the time we announced the news until the coronation, a few months will pass. During that time, we will train her so that she learns to bring day and night as we have done. "

"But what will happen to the world of dreams?" she said almost yelling, showing fear in her words, "If I don't help the ponies when they sleep, then who will?"

Celestia could not answer, as she saw how the tears began to flow from her sister's eyes.

"Luna," she said worried.

“Every princess has a mission. Starswirl say this when he turned us both into alicorns. If we are not the rulers of Equestria, then who are we? "

Celestia was heartbroken to see her sister like this. Having spent 1000 years on the moon, she had lost a lot of time as a princess, so for her it was a change that had come too soon. However, she understood her point of view. Luna had not taught Nopony the ability to enter dreams. Besides, Celestia and Luna's life had been linked to the throne, by renouncing it they would be leaving behind a vital part of her life.

Fortunately, the experience that the white alicorn had acquired during her long life had turned her into a mare that she knew what to say in (almost) all situations. After gently inhaling and exhaling, she moved a little closer to her sister, and looked at her with a smile.

“Sister, I know this is a very important change, but I have my reasons. When we became rulers of Equestria, it was because the leaders of the unicorn, pegasus and earth ponies tribes entrusted us with that position; and that happened because our world was changing. The leaders knew that Equestria needed different leaders than the ones it had had until now, and we proved to be ponies that adapted to those changes and that we would know how to direct our land to a better future.

But the thing about the world is that it always evolves. We have ruled well all these years, but this Equestria is different than the world when we became princesses; that is why it needs a new leader. It’s true that it wasn’t my initial intention to make Twilight my successor, but I wouldn’t do it if she did not know that she can rule the same way or better than us; and I am sure that she will do, at least, better than me."

Luna was taken by surprise at the depth of those words. Celestia had a good point, she had to admit that the world is constantly changing. She just had to remember how ponies ignored the beauty of the night in the past; and now the parties were as frequent at night as during the day. But there was still something her sister had to answer him.

"But doesn't leaving the throne scare you in the void in our lives?"

“Our life shouldn't be entirely tied to the crown or royal duties. Although we are different from the others, I have always seen myself as one more pony, with her job, her tastes and her friends. Like other ponies when they reach a certain age, it is about time that we retire and start doing new things in our lives. That does not mean that he won’t be available in case our world needs help, or to meet our friends to hang out, wouldn't you like that? "

Luna was thoughtful for a moment, but then she smiled just like when Twilight encouraged her to fight the Tantabus.

"Yes, I would love to".

Hearing this, Celestia was overjoyed and opened the helmets. The princess of the night understood the gesture and lunged towards her sister and the two gave each other a hug for several minutes.

"When will we break the news to Equestria?" Luna asked.

“During the next Summer Sun Celebration, so we can announce it to everypony at the same time”.

Luna nodded, it seemed like a good time to her too. At that moment, Celestia yawned.

“I think I'll go to bed. This whole thing has made me so nervous that lately I haven’t slept well "

"Do you want me to accompany you to your room?"

“Thanks, but I've already stolen too much time from you. Good night, sister."

"Good night, Tia."

Celestia glad that things were going so well. But when she was walking through the bedroom door, Luna surprised her with a question.

"Do you know what the best of all this is?"

"No, tell me"

"That the two of us can spend more time together"

Celestia froze upon hearing that. Her joy was replaced by anguish, her heart rate increased, and her breathing became heavy. Luna noticed the latter and walked over to her.

"Sister, are you okay?"

If she weren't for her white coat, Luna would have seen that her older sister had turned pale.

"Just a little tired, I'll be better tomorrow" said Celestia.

Although the answer did not completely convince her, Luna decided to let him be, and waited for her sister to come out before heading to the balcony to attend to the dreams of the ponies. On the side of her Celestia walked a long way before looking back, a tear falling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Luna."

The beautiful alicorn little know that, in the shadows of a corner of the corridor, a dark thing with the appearance of a bird was watching her with its white eyes, and she had heard everything she needed. Without being seen by any of her guards, she escaped through one of the windows and flew into the darkness. Even if somepony had seen her, they would have thought that she would have imagined it, for how is it possible that a peacock could fly so high in the sky?

It was almost dawn when the bird reached its destination. It was the attic of one of the most elegant buildings in the city. From the outside you could see the light purple walls and dark blue windows, one of them (although technically it was a skylight) was open, and the shadow came through. She came to a room that looked like the fusion of a company director's office with a living room. There was a black COLLEGE desk with silver edges, lined with neat papers, with a four-legged black padded chair. The part of the living room had three sofas, one double and two singles, in the middle there was a glass table with three bowls, the first with chocolates, the second with nuts and the third with cookies, sweet and savory. Except for the area of the windows and the door, the walls were occupied by shelves filled with books of all the sciences, history, architecture and art.

The peacock knew that she had arrived soon, but she did not like daylight, so she preferred to wait in the dark of the room. Picking up the bowl of crackers, she lay down on the couch.

“Ahhh, finally. It's normal for someone like me to be entrusted with the task of watch over the princesses, but now it's time to have a break” she said to himself as he ate a cookie.

"What have you found out?"

"And... the break is over" she sighed in annoyance as she sat up.

In front of the door, the figure of a feline with a stared at him as he walked to the desk in a blue jacket and orange shirt, as did her eyes.

“I'm amazed at how stealthy you are. Are all of your species like this or is it an ability exclusively yours? "

"It's called naturalness or knowing how to move without having to do unnecessary things like noise or a scene" he replied, sitting in the chair.

"And what makes you think I've discovered something?"

“If you are here, it can only be because of that, or because you have been discovered; and and judging by your attitude, it doesn’t seem to be the last thing. Or am I wrong? "

"My friend, you offend me; you know well that I could spy on Starswirl without him realizing it "replied the shadow as she put the cookies on the table.

“I remind you that I also have a job. I cannot and don’t like wasting my time, so get to the point” he said with a frown.

Although he valued her help, he found the arrogance and ego of his partner very irritating. The bird noticed this and smirked, amused to see her host upset. However, even though she wouldn't admit it, she knew the cat was right; so she flew to him, perched on the table, and whispered in his ear the information she brought for him. Shortly after starting, Claw's eyes widened, and he kept them that way even when the peacock finished. He was silent for a while, and then he looked at her in disbelief.

"Are you one hundred percent sure that's what Celestia said?"

"Word by word"

The cat got up from the table, went to the window and rested his right hand on the window, his metal prosthesis scratching the glass. He gave her such a fit of laughter that he rang across the room.

"I sense that this is good for us," said the shadow.

"It suits us perfectly" exclaimed Claw "This is the opportunity that we’re waiting to start with our plan"

"How is the search for Tempest Shadow going? That snake has been successful"

"Yes, she located her when she was leaving The Crystal Empire, and the others have been taking turns to watch over her since then."

"Great, so when do we start?"

The cat turned, and his eyes gleamed.

"We have already done it."

An unexpected visitor

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Ponyville. A small, quiet place, but full of life. Although at first it was a simple town like any other, today it is one of the most popular in all Equestria since the Mane 6, the six ponies who controlled the magic of friendship and who once carried the elements of harmony, lived in that town.

It was a very peculiar group, so different in personalities as in appearances, and yet they were a clear example of what a group of friends is. These ponies represented an element based on their way of being, and Twilight was not the only one that stood out: Pinkie Pie, the most partying and cheerful land pony in all of Equestria and the element of laughter; Rainbow Dash, a somewhat conceited, but faithful and collaborative pony, representer of loyalty; Rarity, a somewhat dramatic but polite and kind unicorn, symbolizes the generosity; Applejack, a very reliable and hardworking earth pony, is the element of honesty (something very appropriate, since she can't lie very well); and Fluttershy, a pegasus who, as her name suggests, is very shy, but someone who knows how to listen and who is loved by everyone, both ponies and other animals, and whose pure heart has made her worthy of the element of kindness.

The six friends had faced numerous challenges. One of them was an invasion by a warlord known as The Storm King, forcing them to leave Equestria to seek help. While things did not go as expected, they managed to free their land and end The Storm King's tyranny. After that, Twilight decided that the magic of friendship could not depend only on them, so she decided to build a School of Friendship to teach future generations the magic of friendship, with Twilight being the director and her friends the teachers.

Yep, it could be said that Twilght had the perfect life: a princess surrounded by friends who loved her, and she works on what she liked the most. What could go wrong?

That morning Twilight Sparkle was in her office, checking what new books she should get for the school bookstore, something that was very difficult for her, due to her “book-loving” personality, with her faithful friend and assistant Spike the dragon, taking note. Although the little dragon was used to work, that did not mean that he was boring on certain occasions, like now.

"We have to include The truth of the other species of Equestria, the book where Clover the Clever tells how it was her experience the first time she learned about the customs of the Pegasus; And let's not forget about the new Stygian story: The future is our present, where he tells the process of adaptation of each of the Pillars to our time. What do you think, Spike? "

"That we could order the new comic of Power Ponies".

"Spike! It's the school budget, we must use it for books that serve to teach, and not to read stories to spend in our free time!" Twilight scolded him

"That's why I say it", the dragon justified "Mina told me that, in this new arc, the ponies team up with a duo of changelings detective and an adventurous kirin to solve a mystery", the dragon was justified.

"Seriously? That sounds interesting. Still, I prefer to read it before deciding. I would not like to buy a book in which other species are ridiculed".

At that moment they heard someone knocking on the door.

"Come in", Twilight said.

The door opened and Starlight Glimmer, the former Twilight student turned guidance counselor for The School of Friendship, entered. While they did not know each other in the best of terms, she was now one of her closest friends, almost as much as the Mane 6.

"Twilight, Spike, sorry to interrupt, but someone requests to see you", she said pointing to her former teacher.

“Well, today I won't be able to, I have the whole day covered. Tell him to come tomorrow”.

"She told me that it would only be a moment, and that he was an acquaintance of yours from Canterlot".

This caught the attention of Twilight and Spike.

"Who is it?" Asked Spike

"Possibly one of our old classmates from Canterlot," Twilight said.

"I don't think so, he isn't a pony", Starlight explained.

That last one surprised Twilight. Although she knew she was busy, she was curious to see who this old friend no-pony was and what he wanted to talk to her about.

“I guess it will be okay to stop for a few minutes. Okay, let him in".

Starlight nodded and gestured for someone to come closer. The princess and the dragon widened their eyes when they saw their visitor: He was an anthropomorphic cat, like Capper. His fur was black, except for his neck, which was white, and his eyes were orange. He was slim, but strong. If she were to compare him to Capper, she would say that this cat was a bit taller. He wore a blue t-shirt and a silver ring with an amethyst on the ring finger of his left hand.

The feline approached Twilight's table and greeted her with his paw.

"Good morning, Twilight Sparkle, it’s been a long time". He turned to Spike. "You too, Spike."

The princess and the dragon kept looking at him in amazement.

"Good morning. Please have a seat”, Twilight said.

The cat sat on one of the stools. For a few seconds, there was only silence in the office. The alicorn was trying to find out who the visitor was, but she couldn't identify him, why had she introduced herself as a friend of hers? However, she didn't want to sound rude and tell him that she didn't know him.

"You don't remember me, do you?" said the cat, as if he were reading her mind. “I don't blame you; we haven't seen each other in years. I'm glad to see that you still have a passion for books. I still remember when I saw you almost every day in the library. You got so caught up in reading that sometimes you forgot to eat, and I had to bring you snacks so you wouldn't be hungry. Your favorite food was my sweet potato muffins".

The latter opened her eyes. Twilight knew who was this cat!

"Leo?"

Hearing this, Spike looked at Twilight in surprise.

"Wait, what?", he said turning his gaze to the cat. "Leo? Leo Cat Vinci!?"

"Yeah, that's me", he confirmed.

Spike smiled at his old friend and ran to hug him. Leo stroked his head lovingly in response.

Many of you are wondering this: Who is this feline? And how does he know Twilight and Spike? Well, in the past, Leo had worked in the Canterlot bookstore, where he met the princess and her little brother. Since Twilight spent a lot of time studying and reading at the bookstore, and since the two shared a passion for reading, they became friends very quickly. Although many of the ponies were wary of him, Twilight and Spike didn't care that he wasn't a pony (Spike was a dragon, so Twilight didn't have as much trouble getting close to an individual of another species).

Leo continued working at the library after Twilight and Spike moved to Ponyville. However, after the Mane 6's showdown against Discord, Leo left Canterlot, and they hadn't heard from him again until today.

"It’s glad to see you again," Spike said, breaking the embrace. "Where have you been all these years?"

“I came home and started my own business. It has not been easy, but things are going well now. Now I have some free time, so I wanted to take advantage of it to visit my old friends”, Leo noticed Spike's wings. "I see you've already been through the molt."

"Yes, it wasn't a pleasant experience, but these new wings are very useful", said the dragon, spreading its wings and smiling proudly.

"I imagine it. Now you and Twilight are sure to save a lot of bits in traveling. I’m right, Twilight?"

Leo looked at Twilight when he said that question, but he was surprised to see the alicorn looking at him with seriousness and some concern. Spike noticed that too.

"Twilight, is everything okay?" Spike asked.

"Yes, yes. It's just that I'm surprised to see you here suddenly and after such a long time” she replied.

“I know, and I have no excuse. At least I should have written you letters”, Leo replied, scratching the back of his neck. “I had to leave for personal reasons, and I was forced to take over the family business. When I can finally find some time, I found out that you are the new princess, and I don't know if you would be happy to see me again".

"Really? Did you think I was going to change who I am by becoming an alicorn?"

"No! Try to understand me, I left without warning and without giving explanations. We lost contact a long time ago; and now you have a group of friends who have been with you at all times-".

"Leo”, Twilight cut him off. “Maybe you didn't tell me why you left, but Celestia did".

When Leo heard this, he frowned. This made Spike broke away from the cat, nervous.

"And what exactly did she tell you?" Leo asked curiously. While he tried to sound calm, his tone of voice showed discomfort.

“She didn't tell me everything that happened, but she was quite sad about it; and all the Canterlot’s staff I asked told me the same thing: That they had never seen the Princess have such a heated and aggressive argument with anyone before, ever. You scared a lot of ponies that day”, Twilight said.

"Yes, I recognize that I was a very short-tempered young man," he said, softening his voice and his facial expression. "But if that is what worries you, I assure you that I have improved".

"What worries me is your indifference. Do you know that Celestia has tried to regain your friendship all these years?"

“I know, but it is not friendship that she wants. Celestia only does it for economic interest and to give a good image”.

This response surprised both Spike and Twilight. Now it was the princess's turn to get angry.

"Spike, would you mind going out for a moment and see if Starlight needs any help?"

They didn't have to tell the dragon twice. She said goodbye to both and left the office, closing the door behind him. Twilight refocused on the feline.

"Leo! How can you say something like that? After everything Celestia did for you". She reprimanded him.

“Precisely Twilight, what she did to me was something very hard to forgive. And not just the princess, those rich men from Canterlot treated me badly, and just because I'm not a pony. Much talk of tolerance, but all I received was contempt. You understand that I didn’t like living where I didn’t feel loved”.

Those words hit Twilight like a hammer blow to her head. Her face changed from angry to surprise, and then to sadness and empathy. Twilight began to figure out why Leo had left Canterlot and didn't want to return. She had already seen multiple situations of discrimination in the past: Discord, Thorax and The Young 6; and that problem was something that, sadly, was still present in Equestria.

Then, Twilight came up with something that she could say to Leo to smooth things over.

“You know, in the past I would have thought you were exaggerating, but now I am totally convinced that you are telling me the truth. Although I haven’t gone through the same thing as you, at least not directly, I know what it is to be rejected for who you are, or for what you stand for.Do you know that, when I opened this school, I invited young people of other species to will they study here?"

“Yes, I read it on the news. A dragon, a gryphon, a changeling, a hippogriff, and a yak".

"Well, as soon as I opened this school, The Equestria Education Association closed it to me, just because it had accepted those five students as my students."

"They closed it?!" the cat said in surprise. "How did you get them to open it again?"

“I turned it into an independent institution, outside the EEA’s purview. If I wanted to teach the importance of friendship, I could not submit to the rules of those who don’t respect even the opinion of their own species. And do you know who finances this school? The princess Celestia".

With that comment, Twilight tried to make Leo see one of the positive facts of Celestia. Unknown to her, her "old friend" had been waiting since he came into spite for right moment to bring up a topic of conversation; and Twilight had just offered him the opportunity for it.

"Wow, it's good to know that you have the support of the princess to fulfill the dream of your life", Leo said with a smile.

"The dream of my life?" Twilight asked confused.

“When you were studying at Canterlot, you always told me that when you grew up you wanted to be a teacher. Now you run a whole school”, Leo clarified. “I can tell that you are happy here".

"Ah. Yes, I remember”, Twilight said as she recalled her past. "And it is true that I have not felt so happy in my life, I wouldn't change my situation for anything."

"Unless Celestia asks it you to."

"Yeah... wait, what?" Twilight said. She wasn't expecting that comment.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she's going to do it!" Leo rushed to say. “But I remember that you came to Ponyville on the princess's orders. So, hypothetically speaking, if she asked you to leave your current life and go somewhere else, would you obey her?"

"Celestia would never do that to me! She is more than my teacher; she is my friend!"

“That is why I said hypothetically. If she asked you to move in again, would you do it? Even if you don't want to, would you just obey her? "

Twilight was silent, thinking carefully about the answer. Even being a hypothetical situation, it was very difficult for her to find the correct words. She had never disobeyed Celestia, not even after becoming a princess.

"I do not know. She is my teacher and the ruler of Equestria. If she asks me for something, she will have her motives”, Twilight managed to say, with evident insecurity.

"Come on Twilight," Leo replied. He had sensed the doubt in that answer. "Are you telling me that you would give up everything you have, everything you love, without even standing up for yourself?"

"But she is a princess-"

"Just like you", Leo cut her off. “Look, I can understand why staying in Ponyville was good for you: Even though Canterlot was your birth home, you had made new friends here, and over time you got a job that you like. This is your home now. So, what need do you have to leave, precisely now that everything is going well for you? Also, if Celestia really is your friend, she would listen to your opinion before deciding something that involves your future. By now, you will have a relationship strong enough to talk to each other with complete confidence and without provoking an argument. Or am I wrong? "

Hearing that, Twilight remembered when she offered Celestia to participate in a play, only to find that the princess wasn’t a good actress. Instead of telling her, she kept it from her until the last moment, when she revealed it to her indirectly in a fit of rage. This made Celestia angry with her, not because Twilight thought she had no talent, but because she had lied to her.

They later had a heart-to-heart conversation, in which Celestia told him that, in the future, she would not hesitate to tell him the truth instead of telling him a well-intentioned lie. But even though Celestia didn't mention it, Twilight knew that one of the things that really bothered her teacher the most was the lack of confidence she showed her. And Celestia had every right to be upset, as she has never hidden from Twilight that she sees her like her daughter.

"You know what? You're right. One of the things that I have learned is that it isn’t good not to tell the truth or what you feel to a friend, since that only lengthens the problem, it can even make it worse. Besides, Celestia is a reasonable pony, if the two of us don't agree on something, I can put my point of view to her without having to argue".

Leo stared into her eyes and smiled a smile bigger than before.

“Congratulations Twilight, that was what I wanted to hear. To be honest, I didn't just come to talk about the old days. I want to speak with you about one idea that I have to improving the relationships between ponies with other species, and that is why I need you. "

"Me? Why me?" He asked curiously.

"I told you before that Celestia contacted me out of interest. Do you know why?"

Twilight shook her head.

“I currently run several small businesses”, Leo explained. “And each one specializes in a different field of work: engineering, medicine, architecture, geology, paleontology, and botany. I even have a research laboratory "

"You own all of them!? Oh my gosh, now I understand why you've been so busy".

"Yes. For not being able to decide on just one job, now I do everything. Anyway, we are now in full swing, and I was weighing on expanding my business. Although any pony would think that Canterlot is a better place, I personally have a more positive opinion of Ponyville since the ponies of this town are friendlier with the other species than the rest of Equestria. What do you say? Can I count on your support? We could benefit both from this relationship".

Twilight didn't have to think long about what she was going to respond: A chance to improve the interspecies relationship, create more jobs in Ponyville and regain friendship with one of her childhood friends.

"I'd love to!” The princess said enthusiastically. “Today I have a lot of work, but tomorrow we can talk more about this. Oh, and I could introduce you to my friends!"

"It's a shame, I work tomorrow, so I have to catch the next train if I want to get home before night," the cat apologized. “I'll be busy until the next Summer Sun Celebration is over. But then I take a vacation, and then we can talk”.

"Oh" Twilight said sadly. "Although the Summer Sun Celebration won’t be long, it is a pity that you don’t stay a little longer. I’m sure that Celestia would be delighted to see you again."

"Well, it was nice to see you again Twilight", said Leo getting up. "But I should better go now".

Twilight got up too and walked him to the door.

"Do you want me to accompany you to the station?" she volunteered.

“I appreciate it, but if you are so busy today, I don't want to take up any more time. I'll go alone. Say goodbye to Spike for me.."

Twilight leaned into him and hugged him fondly. The feline looked at her in surprise, as it was something he didn’t expect.

"Seriously, it’s good to see you again", Twilight said.

Leo smiled and returned the hug.

"I feel the same, princess".

The two parted ways, and the feline turned to open the door; but when he had barely touched the doorknob, Twilight asked him a question.

"Oh, and Leo, just out of curiosity, why do you think Celestia would send me away from Ponyville? Does it have to do with the fight you had with her?"

If Leo wasn't turning his back on Twilight, the princess would have seen the cat smile; but unlike the previous one, this one had nothing of happiness, but a combination of anger and malice. The first for remembering one of the moments that she could not forget; and the second, because that question would allow him to add more fuel to the fire.

"A little, yes", he replied, keeping the calm in his voice. “Between you and me, Celestia always seemed a bit controlling and strict with you, as if she wanted you to be just like her. You will believe that I am exaggerating, but on more than one occasion I thought that she was training you to become a princess to succeed her on the throne".

Twilight froze upon hearing that, although in this case it was a surprise, not anger.

"But that's just my opinion. Enjoy the celebration, you will tell me how it was. See you soon”, the feline said before closing the door.

Twilight stared at the door, thinking about what Leo just had said to her. It is true that sometimes Celestia made decisions that involved her without asking her, but she did what she did to prepare her to become the princess of friendship.

But now that she thinks about it, Celestia didn't ask her permission before turning her into an alicorn and the princess of friendship. Sure, now she has adapted to her role, but it would have been nice if she had warned her before changing her.

At that moment, concern invaded Twilight's mind. What if, for some reason, Leo was right, and she was forced to leave Ponyville? What would happen to her castle? To her students?... To her friends?

Twilight really hoped that all the stress she was going through was due to her tendency to exaggerate things, and that her paranoia was playing tricks on her. Unfortunately, she would soon discover that this time she had reason to be worried about. Her situation was going to get much worse than she could ever have imagined.

The first thing that Tempest noticed when she opened her eyes was a blue background. Little by little, his sight cleared, and she noticed that she was on the bed in a hospital ward. She saw that there was a nurse, a purple unicorn with pink eyes, and her cutie mark was two heart-shaped cross capsules. She used her magic to levitate a folder

"Hey", said Tempest. She had tried to scream, but she could barely speak in a hoarse voice. However, it was enough for the nurse to hear her and head over to her.

"Good morning! Glad to see you’re awake”, she told him in a friendly voice. “I’m Healthy Heart. You are in the hospital; But don't worry, your life isn’t in danger".

"What happened to me?", asked Tempest.

“You took a very strong sedative. You have been sleeping for three days".

"Three days!?" Tempest said as loudly as she could, surprised.

"Yes, do you remember what happened to you before that?"

Tempest tried to remember, and the conversation she had had with Claw at the bar come to her mind. There were two things they remembered that she made her heart race with fear:

Princess of Friendship.

An offer that she cannot refuse.

"Hearth, I... go... prin..."

Tempest could no longer even pronounce anything correctly no matter how hard she tried. What's more, just trying to talk about, she felt a horrible pain in her throat. She tried to get up, but she didn’t get off the bed when Healthy Heart used her magic to, gently, lay her back on the bed.

"Hey, take it easy, you've just woken up. We believe that you have taken more than sedatives, so we are going to do some tests. Meanwhile, you should rest. I will go report that you have woken up”.

Despite Tempest's protests, Healthy Heart left the room. The unicorn stayed in bed, analyzing her situation, and thinking about her options. As she was, she couldn’t speak for long without her voice failing; so, she had to get out of the hospital. But how was she going to do that? Although she could move, she was not fully capable. She could tell that whatever was in her drink it still influenced her body.

Of course, if she had been in this situation before the invasion of Canterlot, she wouldn’t have minded using violence, her combat skills and her electrokinesis against the hospital staff to flee; but she was no longer like that, she was not willing to harm innocent ponies.

Worst of all, maybe she was too late. Who knows what Claw could have done when she had been unconscious.

“Damn cat”, Tempest thought to herself. "Surely you have taken advantage of these three days to start your plan without me bothering you, right? You think you are very smart, but you have committed a great stupidity: Now I know that you have a plan; and you will have started it, but I will be the one to finish it”.

The Princesses Announcement

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The Summer Sun Celebration had finally arrived. It was one of the most well-known holidays in Equestria. Curiously, it is the only one that has changed its reason for celebration. It initially started as a tribute to Princess Celestia for saving Equestria from Nightmare Moon; but a few years ago, this event represents the return of Princess Luna, something that was appreciated by the two sisters. In fact, The Mane 6 and Spike also preferred it that way, since it was more important for them to be seen as a group that saved a princess, and not as warriors who destroyed a monster.

Speaking of them, The Mane 6 and Spike were getting off the train at the Canterlot station. It was not something unusual, since that night was one of the few in which the train service was operational 24 hours; and because, since they met and found the elements of harmony, they always went to this festivity all together. That, and because it was one of the few days of the year that they could spend with Celestia and Luna without affecting their royal duties. However, this year there was something that worried everyone.

"I'm just saying it's so weird that the Princesses haven't asked for our help", Rainbow Dash said.

"I agree with you, Dashie. We always we always do something in this celebration, even if it was a little", said Pinkie.

“Oh my, I hope it's not because of something we did to them that upset them", Fluttershy said, worried.

“Now darling, if the princesses were upset with us, they wouldn't invite us. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna explained everything to us in her letter,” Rarity reassured her.

“It would have been nice if they had made that clear to Twilight at the beginning of the letter,” Rainbow said between giggles.

"Sorry, but the beginning of the letter was easy to misunderstand," Twilight justified.

“Relax Twilight, she didn't say it with that intention. I'm sure we were all confused by the princesses' message", said Rarity.

"Now that you mention it, Spike, do you still have her with you?" Applejack asked the dragon.

Spike pulled the letter out of his saddlebag.

"Here it is, I read it to you." He cleared his throat before continuing. “Twilight, I'm writing this to you on the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. I know that you and your friends usually help us with the preparations, but this year we ask that you stay out of it. In fact, I'd appreciate it if none of you came to Canterlot until the night of the celebration.

Before you start to freak out…”

"What I said, that had to be written at the beginning, and not in the middle." Interrupted Rainbow Dash

That earned her an annoyed look from Spike, Twilight, and Applejack.

"Oh, sorry".

As I was saying, “Before you start freaking out, don't worry, Twilight, I'm not mad at you. What's more, I've thought for a long time about how much you and your friends have done for me and for Equestria. Therefore, this year I have prepared a surprise for all of you, especially for you Twilight; With this I hope to show you how much you mean to me.

It's a very sensitive subject, and my sister and I want no one to know about it until the time comes, not even you. Therefore, we ask you to come on the 3:00 A.M. for the surprise to work.

Your faithful teacher and friend, Princess Celestia.”

"Uhh, the princess has a surprise for us. What do you think she will be? A new attraction inspired by us? Maybe a big cake!?” Pinkie yelled, but she quickly calmed down. “Wait, that would be something special for me. If you have been inspired by Twilight, surely the surprise will be related to the books."

"Maybe they'll do a book that chronicles our adventures," Rainbow said.

All the ponies looked at him with concern upon hearing that option. The cyan pegasus immediately realized what he had just said, and covered his mouth with his hooves.

“Honestly, Ah hope that's not the case. We already did that ourselves, and it didn't go as well as we hoped," Applejack confessed.

"Yes, it took me a while to get all my clients back, and my stress sewing didn't help the situation", said the unicorn fashionista, somewhat embarrassed.

“And I couldn't walk two steps without being tackled by somepony,” Fluterrshy said.

“Oh my Goddess, what if we don't like the surprise!?” Twilight started yelling. “Well, we can always pretend we do. But what if Celestia realizes that we are dissembling!? Then her self-confidence will surely crumble!

“Easy darling. There is no need to imagine everything bad that could happen before it starts. Even the letter tells you that everything is fine”, Rarity calmed her down.

"Classic twilighting," Pinkie said.

“Twilight! Have you made me a verb?” asked the princess in astonishment.

The party pony nodded with a smile.

"The point is, we're all nervous about what's going to happen, but there's no point in worrying ahead of time," Applejack explained.

“Yeah! This is a party, and parties are meant to be enjoyed,” Pinkie said.

Twilight looked at her friends, heaved a sigh and smiled before speak.

"I don't know why I keep worrying about these things, and also with all of you by my side"

"Don't worry, at this point we all know you very well," Spike said .

“So don't worry. If later on you think you will go Twilighting, just give us a sign and we will help you”, Fluttershy told her.

"We got your back Twilight, 100%," Dash told her as she placed a wing on her shoulder.

Although she didn't like having her name used in a word that meant stress or panic, Twilight was happy to have a group of ponies who understood her and helped her so much in these situations.

"Thanks. Let's go see the princesses."

Despite it being dark at night, the streets of Canterlot were full of vitality, and all the ponies were preparing for dawn. The earth ponies set up the food stalls and prepared the treats, the pegasi made sure the weather was perfect, and the unicorns used their magic to help with the decorations. There was a group of unicorns that were practicing for fireworks show.

However, even with all the illumination, the lights couldn't cover the entire city. In the dark alley closest to the castle, the peacock was on the prowl, waiting for its prey. In her hiding place she was safe from any onlookers, but from his position she had a full view of the entire main stage. But she was not alone, because five shadows were sitting near her: a toad, a bear, a snake, a lioness and a boar could be distinguished.

“I'm tired of waiting! How long until sunrise? We want action!” the lioness protested.

"Speak for yourself, I'm comfortable lying here," said the bear.

“Oh please, you would spend the day lying down if you could”, the snake mocked.

"I'm getting hungry from waiting so long," the boar complained.

The peacock, who was starting to loose patience due to the unprofessional attitude of her classmates and knowing that this discussion could go on for a long time, decided to intervene.

“Breaker, breaker, dear friends. I forgot to tell you that around here, you guys have to be QUIET!!” That shout caught everyone by surprise and made them fall backwards. "Or maybe the ponies will heard us."

The shadows rose but stopped speaking. They stayed like that for a few seconds until the toad approached its leader.

"Pride, can I ask you a question?" said the toad.

"You just did it. He he he, I love that one”, she laughed at her own joke. "Tell me".

"Why isn't Lust here?"

“She gets the icing on the cake, and that's not going to be here. But for her to be successful, we must do our part well”, she replied before returning to her lookout.

“That is if the princess of friendship sides with her. As far as we know, she has a good relationship with her teacher”, said the boar.

“Oh, that doesn't matter, even the strongest friendships can be broken. They just need a push in the right direction”, the lioness said.

“Also, your boyfriend has prepared the ground to make things easier for us”, added the snake.

The lioness scowled at her mate upon hearing that, but before she could respond, Pride called their attention with the words they expected to hear.

"They are already here".

The group stood next to the peacock and saw the Mane 6 and Spike entering the castle. They all smiled mischievously.

"Perfect," said the bird. “Now, let's relax and enjoy the show that the princesses offer us. Although if we think about it, we are going to do the show to her”.

They all laughed sinisterly. More than impatient, they were now looking forward to the sunrise. Then, the party would get dark. Veary dark.

Celestia and Luna were sitting on their respective thrones. To say they were nervous is an understatement, especially Celestia.

"It won't be long before Twilight and the others are here," Celestia said with concern in her voice.

"Sister, I assumed you were going to be nervous about this, but not to this point," Luna said. "If Twilight sees you like this, she's going to worry more than she needs to."

“Precisely Luna. Twilight may have an anxiety attack when we break the news to her. Our decision is because we…no, all of Equestria knows how smart, responsible, and trustworthy she is. I just want her to see it that way too."

A royal guard opened the door, entered, and bowed to them before speaking.

“Your Majesties hers. Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends have arrived,” he told them.

“Okay, let them in,” Celestia said.

The guard nodded and left the room. Moments later, the doors opened and Twilight and her friends (and Spike) entered the throne room. The two alicorns got up to greet their guests and friends. Twilight gave her teacher a quick hug.

“Welcome, my little ponies,” Celestia said as she broke the hug. "It's good to see you all here."

“So is it for us princesses,” Twilight spoke up.

"I hope the trip has been to your liking," Luna said.

"Of course, it's always nice to come to Canterlot," Rarity said.

“Especially when it's for a holiday!” Pinkie exclaimed.

But she barely said that, the ponies and the dragon made faces that mixed curiosity with some concern.

"Although it seems that this celebration is not going to be the same as the others," the party pony concluded.

“Yeah. Ah I think I speak for everyone when I say that the content of the letter was totally unexpected.”

“We are grateful to them for having prepared a surprise for us, don't think so; but…” Fluttershy tried to say, but she couldn't find the words. He looked to Twilight for help; something the princess understood.

“What we would like to know,” Twilight explained, “is what you have in store for us that is so important that, to keep it a secret, we had to be absent this year in preparation for The Summer Sun Celebration.”

Celestia and Luna looked at each other. The time had come.

“You see, Equestria is currently enjoying its longest period of harmony in recent years,” Luna explained.

"And it's all thanks to you six, of course," added Celestia.

"Who? Us?” Spike boasted.

"Oh pshaw," Rarity giggled.

“It's about time you noticed!” Rainbow said as she crossed her hooves proudly.

"Thank you!" Twilight said with a bow.

“Because of your efforts, we have less and less to do,” explained Luna.

“So, after much consideration, my sister and I have decided that it is time for us… to retire!” Celestia finally said.

Needless to say, everypony was stunned when they heard that news. Not that it was the last thing they expected to hear from Celestia and Luna; they hadn't even thought of that option. As you may have imagined, the most surprised of all was Twilight Sparkle.

"Are you retreating!?", she asked in a panic.

Wait, princess can retire?” Spike asked.

The two sisters nodded.

"With all due respect, majesties, but if you leave, who will rule Equestria?", asked Twilight

"Well, that's why we called you," Luna said.

Even though when she's stressed she doesn't usually think clearly, even Twilight was able to guess what her teacher meant by that, and she really hoped that she was wrong.

“Do you want our help choosing a successor?” she asked fearfully.

"Of course not, dummy," Pinkie said, suddenly appearing next to her. "It is clear that the princesses want you to take their place."

Spike and the rest of the ponies looked at Twilight. At first it was a look of surprise, but it quickly became one of concern when she saw that her friend's heart was about to explode.

“You said it Pinkie. This is the special surprise we were referring to in the letter: Twilight, we want you to take our place,” Celestia said as she lovingly rested her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "With the help of your friends, of course."

“We can think of no more worthy pony. Over the years, we have seen you grow and face numerous challenges, and you have always prevailed,” added Luna. "That's why I know that we are leaving Equestria in the best hooves."

“But princesses, that doesn't mean we can do what you do”, she tried to explain herself.

“Nope! Makes perfect sense. We're awesome!” Dash said.

“Well, if the princesses think it's time to retire, we're not a bad choice. We always have Equestria's best interests at heart,” said Applejack.

“Well, I'm in! Darlings, if we're going to run Equestria, we'll all need a complete wardrobe update!” Rarity said proudly.

“I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little scared; but as long as we all have each other, I'm sure we can do it!” Fluttershy said.

“Yay! Protectors of Equestria!” Pinkie yelled, holding out her helmet.

All the ponies and Spike put their hooves together (claws in Spike's case) with optimism and determination. Twilight was the only one who didn't, which made everyone else present. Seeing all of her friends accept the news with such joy, she thought that this change could not be as bad as she thought. She sighed and smiled at her friends.

“If you're all on board, I guess I am, too,” she said as she placed her helmet with the others.

"Protectors of Equestria…" Pinkie began.

"ALWAYS TOGETHER!" They all shouted as they raised their helmets. Celestia and Luna smiled at that scene.

“It'll be a bit of an adjustment,” Twilight said. “But I imagine the transfer of power will be a lengthy process, which will-”

“Oh no, we just need a few days to put together a little ceremony,” Celestia interrupted.

That hit Twilight like a bucket of cold water on her head.

“WHAT!?” she yelled as panic and stress flooded back into her mind.

"We planned to announce the news during the party," Luna said excitedly. "At dawn we will call you to stand by us and we will tell everypony."

“Cool! I can't wait to tell my parents!" Dash said. "Although I hope they don't get too excited, like when they found out I was a Wonderbolt."

"If we're going to rule Equestria, we'll have to add more seats to the throne room," Rarity said. “Oh, we could use that to give the room a little more color.”

"While we're here, I want my seat to be as big as yours," Spike requested.

“THIS IS GOING TO BE THE MOST EXCITING DAY OF OUR LIVES!!” Pinkie yelled, elated. "Well, so was the day we all met, or when Twilight became the Princess of Friendship, or the reopening of The School of Friendship, or Gummy's last birthday…"

Everypony rolled their eyes upon hearing that, although remembering all those good times made them smile.

"Well, my sister and I better get ready," Celestia said goodbye. "See you later".

The Mane 6 and Spike bowed and walked out of the room to the festival waiting outside. However, while most were overjoyed at the news, Twilight was very worried. This news was hard for her to process. On the one hand, she was, in a way, happy that her teacher and her sister trusted her so much to give them thrones; but on the other hand, this new responsibility had nothing to do with what she had experienced so far. Sure, she had some practice, since she helped Mayor Mare many times in Ponyville, but…

But when she thought this, she realized something that made her worry and stress increase even more: Her life in Ponyville. If she thought about it, if she was made the new ruler of Equestria, that would mean that she would have to move to Canterlot again, so she would have to leave behind her castle, the School of Friendship, her friends… Her friends! They had their life in Ponyville. If she gave the throne to them too, then they would have to move in with her? If so, what would she go through with her families? And not just Spike, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow and Fluttershy; Twilight had many friends in Ponyville whom she was leaving behind: Starlight, Zecora, the Cutie Mark Crussaders... Why was her teacher forcing her to leave all that behind?

That was when Twilight stopped. She had remembered a conversation she had recently with an old friend. The rest of her friends also stopped walking when they saw that she had fallen behind.

"Twilight, is everything okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, it's just that I forgot that there is something I have to talk about with Princess Celestia."

"And does that have anything to do with you being the new princess of Equestria?" Spike asked with a mischievous smile.

“No!... Well, a little, but it's also for something else. Go ahead, I'll catch up with you right away."

"If you say so," Applejack said. "We are waiting for you outside."

And so the girls and Spike left. Twilight wondered to herself if she was right not to tell her friends what she was planning to do, but she had a feeling this was an issue she needed to discuss with the royal sisters on her own.

Although Canterlot was full of light and joy, Ponyville was no slouch either. The townspeople were celebrating the occasion. Many had gathered at Twilight's castle, which was under the supervision of Starlight and Trixie (although the latter had set herself that task) because, although she had complete confidence that her neighbors would not mess up her castle, she was not as carefree as she was. to leave his house for a party without someone to watch that there was no lack of control.

The town also continued to receive visitors from the station. Some came to stay, and others just stopped before heading to the capital of Equestria, as in the case of a certain unicorn with a visor and a jacket. Not being fully recovered, the train trip was a very wise decision: The comfort of her seats helped her to rest; and her seatmate, who was also going to Canterlot, had promised to wake her when they arrived. She just hoped that the trip would at least go smoothly.

But that was not going to be possible tonight.

When the train arrived at the station, one of the employees entered the car and spoke as loudly as he could, but without shouting.

"Attention everpony, please pay attention."

Tempest opened her eyes and looked carefully at the pony.

"We have just been informed that the road to Canterlot is closed and I am afraid that they will not be able to fix the problem until tomorrow."

“But The Summer Sun Celebration is today!” a filly protested.

“We know, and we're sorry, but I'm afraid if you want to see the sunrise, you'll have to stay in Ponyville tonight. Please make sure you don't leave anything behind before going down."

Although upset, all the passengers collected their luggage. Tempest stopped close to the driver before asking him something that might confirm her suspicions.

“Excuse me, but why the tracks have been closed?”

"Because of a problem with the fuselage of some tracks at the entrance to the city."

Tempest nodded and waved goodbye before getting off the train. All this gave him a bad feeling. An airframe problem would not normally require an entire night to fix; but on the other hand, tonight was a holiday, so it stands to reason that there would be trouble finding some servicepony to fix it, especially with most of them focusing on the festival. But still, what if this was all Claw's strategy?

"No", she thought. “To do that, he would have to know that I am here; and I made sure no one was following me. Besides, even if she knew, why would she want to perform precisely that night? And Claw is more of a smuggler than a terrorist. His influence didn't extend to Equestria, and he didn't have an army to invade Canterlot"

At the end, she felt somewhat calmer, but her anxiety did not go away. From what she had heard on the train (yes, Tempest is able to sleep while she listens to what's going on around her thanks to her training), Twilight was with Princesses Celestia and Luna, so she sort of way she was protected. However, she was still worried about her. Twilight didn't know she was in danger, and Tempest couldn't warn her while she was in Ponyville.

Suddenly, reality hit her. Now she was in the town where Twilight lives. Rather than go looking for her, Tempest could wait for her to come back, so they could talk. Besides, she would surely find somepony who help her to get in touch with Twilight or give her her message in case something happened to her. With that in mind, the unicorn began to walk towards the castle of friendship.

However, Tempest hadn't noticed a brown unicorn with a violet scarf cutie mark and red eyes that had been staring at her ever since she got off the train. She had a golden watch tied around her neck, which she opened to check the time.

“She has arrived sooner than I expected”, she thought. "Well, there won't be a problem as long as the others do their part at the right time".

The unicorn began to follow Tempest, keeping an eye on her, but from a safe distance and walking alongside other ponies so as not to arouse suspicion. However, she already knew where they were headed. Everything was happening just as they had planned.

"Well, I think everything went very well, don't you, Tia?" Luna asked.

"Much better than I expected," Celestia replied. "I thought that Twilight would lose control or that she would ask us for more time to prepare, but she has impressed me with how well she has taken it."

“It's also good that Spike and the others took the news so well. I hope that the rest of Canterlot react the same way.”

“Just Canterlot? Everypony in Equestria will be delighted! They will even celebrate it even at Mount Aris.”

“Wow! This morning you were a bundle of nerves, and now you can't contain the emotion".

"Trust me Lulu," she said as the two were about to leave. "I'm sure everything will go just fine."

At that moment, she heard somepony knocking on the door of the throne room. The two sisters looked up in surprise before opening the door to see Twilight looking at them with a worried face.

"Perhaps I've spoken too soon", Celestia thought.

"Princesses, I know The Summer Summer Sun Celebration is about to start, but there is something urgent I need to discuss with you two, right now", Twilight said.

The two alicorns rolled their eyes. They expected something like this to happen, although they did not expect it so soon.

"Sure, Twilight, and what is it?" Celestia asked.

Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The princesses looked at her with a smile, thinking they knew what Twilight was going to tell them.

Boy, they couldn't be more wrong.

“Ok, I'll get straight to the point. Princesses, I can't and I won't take your place."

Broken

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The three mares still silent for several seconds, which seemed like hours. A needle could be heard falling from the other end of the castle. Twilight was beginning to freak out over her decision, especially since Celestia and Luna were looking at her with disbelief on her faces. It is true that she needed to say what she thought, but maybe she could have done it differently.

“Ehh, what did you say?”, Celestia managed to ask.

Twilight sighed, partly relieved that the awkward silence had been broken, but also worried that she had to repeat it. This time she was going to try to get it right.

“Princesses, I am grateful that you have thought of me to occupy the throne of Equestria, and I am flattered by that; but, with all due respect in the world, I must decline your request”.

“What?!” Celestia yelled. But she quickly realized that, so she took a deep breath and spoke in a much calmer tone. “Sorry, I mean, why Twilight? What's with this change in attitude?”

“Yeah, I don't get it either. A moment ago, you said that you thought it was fine”, Luna said.

“Technically I didn't say those words… Oh no, I'm already speaking like Mudbriar. Yes, I admit I said I supported your decision, but only because my friends thought it was okay. However, now I have realized that we do not think too much about the consequences”.

“Consequences?” asked the princess of the night, not understanding what she had just heard.

“Yes. What will happen to the School of Friendship? Our duty to teach other species the magic of friendship is something very important. Let's just remember that it wasn't me and my friends who stopped Cozy Glow from removing magic from Equestria, it was my students. In addition, we enjoy our work as director and teachers. Accepting the throne would imply having to give that up”.

“But the others were excited by the idea”, Celestia reminded her.

“Believe me, I know them very well. They have said that because they have been carried away by emotion, but they have not realized what it would mean to leave behind”.

“What do you mean?” asked the sun princess.

“We have our lives in Ponyville, so if we became the rulers of Equestria, we would have to move to Canterlot. Personally, I don't see Applejack or Fluttershy leaving behind their country life to live in the city. Perhaps the rest would do well at first, but I have no doubt that they would miss their life in Ponyville. And if we all felt awkward, we wouldn't be able to rule Equestria properly, so it wouldn't be a year before everypony would want you two back on the throne”.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other. While that theory seemed a bit far-fetched (like the ones Twilight had when she got carried away by her nerves), she also made sense in what she said.

“Also, not just because of the School of Friendship”, Twilight continued. “What would happen to the Castle of Friendship library, the Animal Sanctuary, Rarity's boutique, Mr. and Ms. Cake's bakery, or Applejack's apple farm? Don't you think they would be affected if are we all going? Sure, we could find substitutes to relieve us of their work duties, but what about their family and friends? Wouldn't it be cruel to separate a family?”

"If you're talking about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I don't see why they couldn't come and live in Canterlot," Celestia tried to explain.

“No offense, but I find it very selfish to make a whole family move to another city, especially when their business and life are going well where they are. Don't you think?” asked the young alicorn.

Now it was Celestia who was starting to get nervous. For many years, Twilight had always complied with everything she asked of her, even when her student didn't entirely agree with her. Therefore, she would normally be glad to see her student make her own decisions and defend her point of view to her.

The problem is that this was not a normal situation.

"Twilight, you couldn't have picked a worse time to be like this", Celestia thought.

“And for the last, Luna”, she said pointing to the princess of the night. “What do you think about this? I imagine you were thinking of training me to raise the sun and the moon, but who will take over the world of dreams? You are the only alicorn that has the power to enter the dreams of others, don't you think you should train me first before giving me that responsibility directly? Or maybe you should find a pony to teach control over the world of dreams”.

“I had planned to teach you that skill, but if you prefer to have another pony help you, we can find a candidate”, Luna said.

“But that whole process would take more than a few days. Perhaps you have already planned everything; but for me, and I think for my friends, it's very little time”, Twilight explained.

Luna was surprised to hear those words. Her doubts about her decision to withdraw from her were coming back to her mind.

“What I'm trying to say, princesses, is that me and my friends need more time to talk about her decision. I know they mean well, really; but this is going too fast, and it is not something to be decided lightly. What's more, I don't even know if we should accept your offer. It would change our lives, and not exactly for the better. We need to talk about it more carefully. That's why I ask you not to make any announcements during the festival”, Twilight finished.

The two princesses looked at each other again. Though she tried to hide it behind her serene face, Celestia's heart was in her throat as her plan fell apart. Normally, she would know what to say in any situation, but now she couldn't get the words out of her mouth. She hoped that Luna would say something that she could make her student change her mind.

However, when Luna turned to look at the princess of friendship, Celestia could see her sister smile at Twilight and nod before speaking.

“Twilight Sparkle, thank you for explaining your doubts to us. We understand your situation, and we promise to give you and your friends all the time you need to think about our proposal before making a unanimous and official decision”.

“Thank you very much. I deeply appreciate it. I'll let my friends know”, Twilight said as she turned to the exit. “Now I'm leaving, see you two in the festival”.

However, she didn't get very far before a real voice filled the room.

“TWILIGHT SPARKLE! STOP RIGHT THERE!!”

The princess froze at the sound of Celestia's voice calling out her full name. She knew her teacher very well; and if she did that, she was going to give him a good lecture.

“Tia, what's wrong?” Luna asked, just as surprised as Twilight.

“Luna, you and I have a pending talk. Now would you mind waiting outside? I must talk to Twilight”, Celestia said seriously.

Partly because of the fear that her sister was transmitting to her at that moment, and partly because she didn't want to provoke more tension than she was already breathing in the room, Luna headed for the door.

“Twilight, good luck; and I'm sorry”, she whispered to her as she walked past her.

Twilight watched as Luna left the room and gently closed the door. She turned to look at her teacher, who was staring at her seriously. The young alicorn was very scared to see Celestia like this.

"Had I said something wrong?", Twilight thought nervously. "I have only given my point of view, and I think I have done it politely and without disrespecting either of them; Besides, it's not like I'd totally denied her request, I just asked for a little more time. It had seemed good to Luna, why not to her?”

Teacher and student looked at each other in silence for a long time. Celestia finally sighed and her expression changed, looking at Twilight sadly before speaking.

“Twilight, I know you'll be scared, I was too at the time. But you can't back down from that”.

“But it's not because of fear… well, it is; but not for fear of inheriting your throne, but for what I lose by this change”.

“I remember you were too when I first sent you to Ponyville, having to separate you from your family”.

“But by then I was a student, I had days when I could come to Canterlot to see them. If I become a princess, then I'll be too busy to meet them. I don't want Flurry Heart to remember me as the absent aunt”.

“I'm a princess, and that didn't stop me from going to see you”.

“C'mon, we only see each other when you can, and that's once a month. I do not want that”.

At this point, Celestia turned serious again and frowned.

“Twilight, you don't understand. You cannot refuse what I am asking of you, not this time”.

The princess of friendship looked at the princess of the sun in her eyes. She could see her frustration in them. Normally that would be something that would make her freeze on the spot. However, the last thing Celestia had said to her made something inside her snap. Twilight had tried to be as reasonable as possible. Luna had listened to her and had agreed with her. But her teacher didn't seem to understand her point of view; what's worse, she just didn't even try.

Twilight did something she never imagined she would do: She spoke to Celestia with an angry expression and a voice that combined seriousness and anger.

“I just did it”.

"Still nothing?"

"Still nothing".

The shadows were still in their hiding place, worried by the apparent lack of progress in his plan. The lioness, Rage, had the ability to feel, and even see, the anger of those around her and in living beings. She was quite a useful power, as the range of this vision could pass through walls. Something very useful to spy on… whenever her target was angry; Otherwise, it's like trying to see with a black scarf over her eyes.

“Is your vision okay? Are you sure you don't need glasses?” asked the snake mockingly.

“I know someone who is going to need a cast if they don't shut up!” Rage replied.

The snake laughed. He loved to annoy others, and since the lioness was easily angered, he was her favorite victim. But the bad thing (for her), was that the others found that part of her very irritating, not just Rage.

“I hold her, and you give her”, said the boar.

“Hey!” protested the snake.

“Don't come with hey Envy. Who asks, receives”, said the toad.

“Do I have to repeat what I told you before, because I will”, Pride said. “Although I agree with you. Sometimes you don't know when to shut up Envy, can you say something that isn't to annoy another?”

“Come on Pride”, Envy replied in a softer tone, and somewhat offended. “I was just trying to make the wait more fun. This is taking too long, and we don't have music, or video, or anything”.

“That's what it means to be patient”, said the bear. “Until it is time to act, we have to wait, and wait, and wait…”

“Okay, okay, we've got it!” Envy interrupted. “But I get very bored”.

“Well, you put up with it, like all of us," said the boar. "Complaining won't move the plan forward”.

“Guys! I have something!” said the lioness.

“Or maybe it does”.

Sure enough, Rage was beginning to see a red figure inside the castle. It was a very light red color. The five of them quickly grouped themselves around the lioness.

“How many do you see?” Pride asked.

“At the moment one, but she belongs to a princess”, he replied. Seconds later, she started laughing. “Oh ho ho, how strong, it'ss from Princess Celestia”.

This began to excite the others. They looked like a group of college kids spying on their neighbors.

“How intense is it?” asked the toad.

“For now, very weak; but they are just starting”.

Pride was the only one who didn't seem happy with the news, and her question made it clear why.

"Don't you have anything from the princess of friendship?"

“Not yet” she replied. “Wait! I see another subject. That way… It's her!, It's Twilight Sparkle! And her anger is much more intense than Celestia's! Wow, I don't know what she said to her, but now the sun princess is just as angry as her”.

The peacock calmed down. Although it was still too early to confirm success, the fact that Twilight and Celestia were arguing was a notable advance. She didn't know what that cat had said to the princess of friendship, but it's clear that she chose her words well.

“My goodness, they are both red as fire!” She said to the point of euphoria. “This is like watching a reality show! What did I tell you? Even the strongest friendships can be broken with a little push. It won't be long now until…”

She didn't finish the sentence. Rage stopped smiling and turned serious; but she would not be angry, but rather intrigued.

“Rage, what happened?” asked the toad. “What have you seen? Oh no, don't tell me they've calmed down?”.

The group began to worry upon hearing that possibility.

“No, not exactly”, the lioness reassured them. “Celestia's anger has dropped steeply, but with Twilight it's something else. Her anger is still there, but it's mixed with other feelings. I see sadness, concentrated in her heart, a very strong one. It's like…”

“Like she felt betrayed?” Envy asked.

“Exactly”, Rage said.

The shadows looked at each other, and then they all looked at Pride, who gave a sinister, satisfied smile.

“So she is already her. Phase one of the plan has been a complete success”, said the peacock.

“Now what?” asked the boar.

“Phase Two”.

A few moments earlier.

Luna was walking in circles around the door. Although her sister had asked her out, she didn't say anything about waiting outside of her. Whether out of curiosity or out of concern for how she might end the conversation, the princess of the night wanted to be there.

She was very worried about Twilight, fearing that now she was in trouble because of her. Is it that Celestia was so upset that she took her side? Sure the two of them had come to an agreement, but Twilight had made a good point. Besides, she had only asked for more time; and truthfully, she couldn't blame her. Being the princess of all Equestria is not something easy. How was she going to be prepared in just a few days?

A noise coming from the throne room brought Luna out of her thoughts. The princess of the night approached the door and carefully put her ear to rest. What she heard made her eyes widen with fear and her heart pound a mile a minute. Her concern had come true, but it was far worse than she could have imagined.

Celestia's eyes widened, stunned by the words she had just heard.

"Twilight, how can you say that?"

“That's what I've been saying for a while now,” Twilight replied. "I've tried to do it as politely as possible, but it seems you didn't understand me”.

Celestia turned serious again.

“Oh, am I the one who doesn't get it? Because as I see it, no matter how much you try to hide it, you are dominated by nerves; And when that happens, Twilight, you don't think straight”.

Twilight gasped at that comment.

“What am I not thinking clearly? Let's see: I'm happy as I am now, fulfilling my tasks as princess of friendship and director, and I have a quiet time with my friends; but you want me to leave everything behind because you want to retire. Oh, and besides, you only give me a few days' notice. Did I forget something!?”

“Twilight! Even if you are angry, I won't tolerate you to disrespect me like that!”

“You aren't respecting me neither. Why don't you understand that I don't want to take your place!?”

“You haven't even tried! How do you know you won't do well!?”

“I just know! I can't choose my future for once!?”

Celestia paused for a moment, before continuing with an angry tone.

“For once, what did you mean by that!?”

“Please princess. Ever since we met, it has been you who has decided my life. Go to Ponyville, become an alicorn, name myself princess of friendship and the element of magic. I didn't ask for any of that!”

The tension increased as the two princesses veered from the main topic of the discussion. However, more than an argument, it was a fight as they were yelling at each other and not even trying to contain their tempers.”

“I did that for your own good!” Celestia defended herself.

“You did it without asking for my permission or my opinion! You made me immortal!” Twilight reproached him. “Do you know what that means?!”

“I know that better than anypony! And if I hadn't made that decision for you, you would have ended up alone and bitter. Did you forget that you met your friends because I sent you to Ponyville?!”

“That was not your intention. You only wanted me to find the new bearers of the elements of harmony!”

“I did it to save my sister! If I could control them, I would have gone instead of putting your life in danger; and I would never have given you a mission like that if I hadn't been one hundred percent sure that you were up for it!”

“But you did, and it wasn't the first time me and my friends had to save Equestria when you didn't want to! And don't tell me it was because you're no longer connected to the elements. There were problems where we could have used your help very well and you did nothing, like the case of the sleeping dragon!”

“All of those were tests to prepare you!”

“Prepare me for what?! To replace you!?”

“Of course! That's the only reason I took you in as my student!”

In that final statement, there was a deathly silence. Everything Twilight was going to say before her died in her throat due to the depth of the answer her teacher had just given her.

“What… what did you just say?”

Celestia brought the hoof to her mouth, realizing too late the pain of the words that had come out of her mouth.”

“Twilight”, she managed to utter. “I… I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that. I was angry…”

But the damage was done. Twilight's mouth was open, her lips were trembling and her tears began to fall from her eyes like a river running down a mountain. Her face was the same as Pinkie Pie's when she yelled at her on the shores of Mount Aris.

“So, our relationship, our friendship, was it all a lie?” The young alicorn managed to pronounce.

Celestia didn't say anything. Seeing her student looking at her with those eyes was like being stabbed in her chest.

“Is that all I am to you?", continued the princess of friendship. “Just somepony to take your place? Your replacement?”

That was enough for tears to start pouring out of the sun princess's magenta-grey eyes as well.

“Oh, Twilight…”

Celestia spread one of her wings, intending to give him a comforting hug. Try, because Twilight stepped back, putting herself out of range of the white wing. Seeing how her own student rejected her in that way was very painful. And what Twilight told her only added salt to her wound.

“That time, when I apologized for lying to you about your acting skills, I told you that you were the most important pony to me; and I was really sincere. All my life I have admired you. When you accepted me as your personal student, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. You were always there to support me and guide me, and that is why I have considered you my first true friend. I believed that, despite all my flaws, I meant something to you too”.

Twilight bowed her head, possibly due to exhaustion from crying so much.

“But it seems I was wrong about that too”.

“No! Twilight, I wasn't serious! You must believe me!” Celestia said, almost pleading.

Twilight looked up. Her iris and pupil filled the entire eye. The little sclera that remained was red.

“I don't know what to believe about you anymore”.

With that said, Twilight enveloped herself in a purple aura.

“Twilight, WAIT!!” Celestia yelled.

But the princess of friendship couldn't stay there any longer and she teleported out of the throne room. Celestia only could stare at the remains of the spell, as the guilt and the grief began to grow inside her.

The sound of the door opening made her glance toward the entrance. There was her sister, who flew up to her and looked at her with a look that combined disbelief, disappointment and anger.

“Tia, what in the world have you done?!” Luna asked, notably angry.

Celestia didn't say anything, just lowered her head in disgust and disgust at herself. She had made a terrible mistake. After this, it would be a miracle if Twilight ever spoke to her again.

Canterlot Gardens was one of the few areas of the castle, and the city in general, that was free of ponies and decorations. That was normal, since from there you couldn't see the sunrise. The only thing that could be heard was the flight of a bird or the scampering of a squirrel. Suddenly, a purple aura appeared in a clearing. When the light dispersed, a young alicorn could be seen, who fell to the ground and began to sob. Twilight had teleported on purpose so she wouldn't have to run into her friends and knowing that at this point in the night there wouldn't be any ponies around to hear her cry.

Although in her there were situations in which she would look for a friend or family member to vent her sorrows, this time she was too hurt, and she just wanted to get away from everything. She couldn't understand how the princess, a pony whom she considered her second mother, could be so callous and inconsiderate, having seen her all along as a pawn for her retirement and deciding her own future for her.

After several minutes, Twilight calmed down a bit, stood up and looked up at where the main square would be. This year was supposed to be another joyful sunrise spent with her friends and family, but she was wrong. She was also wrong in considering the first Great Galloping Galla she attended with her friends to be the worst night ever. This one surpassed her in all aspects.

Twilight sighed and walked further into the gardens, trying to get as far away from the party lights as possible. As she walked, she began to sing as she thought of all the memories of her past with Princess Celestia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znLmkH6H7Vs

By the time she finished, Twilight had reached the end of the garden, near the castle wall. She felt somewhat better, but very little.

“Now what?”, she told to herself. “How do I tell this to the others? I'm sure I'll ruin their night completely, and they don't deserve to have a hard time because of me. Maybe the best thing would be to tell them that I'm not feeling well… No, it wouldn't work. It will seem strange to them that I leave before the princesses' announce. Oh, but after what's happened, what are they going to say?”

She put her hoof to her forehead. Thinking about it gave him a headache. Suddenly, Twilight heard something move, but it didn't sound like an animal. It seemed like the wind, but that was impossible since she didn’t blow even the slightest breeze.

Maybe because it was night and because she was alone, but that sound made the young alicorn start to get scared. She used her magic to light up her horn.

“Hello?” She asked, moving her gaze from one swim to another. “Anypony there?”

It was then that she thought she saw something move and disappear behind a hedge. Though she couldn't quite see it, she had thought it was something black.

Despite the fear, her curiosity got the better of her and she moved closer, yet with caution. She peered through the hedge, but there was nothing on the other side. However, in the distance she saw a light, and some shadows that indicated that there was a pony or (someone) there.

Twilight went there, hoping she wouldn't have to regret her decision. Most likely, they were royal guards who were making a round. She would let them know that she was there to avoid a possible misunderstanding.

But when she found out who those shadows belonged to, she would realize that she couldn't be seen, or her life would be in danger.

Shadows Before Dawn

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Tempest couldn't be more confused. An earth pony and a pegasus had recognized her and, to her surprise, had invited her to sit with them for a meal and a drink. Although she was worried about Twilight, she knew that at the moment she couldn't do anything until she got back; and since she was going to wait for her, she better do it relaxed. Also, Shadow hadn't eaten anything since his escape from the hospital; and here the food was free (courtesy of the house), so she gladly accepted.

She knew the ponies weren't as spiteful as before, but she hadn't expected such a warm reception. Not only did they not blame him for his actions as a general of the stormtroopers, but some called him a heroine for being the one who destroyed the Storm King.

"I know that princesses are in favor of reforming or locking up bad guys, but there are beings that are too dangerous to be left alive," said the gray pony.

“Believe it or not, that was not my intention. I wanted to protect the princess and her friends from being turned to stone,” Tempest said.

“Well, irony. It was that faun who turned to stone and ended up in pieces”, said the pegasus.

Tempest laughed at that comment. "It is true. My old boss's obsession with getting new weapons made him use one that even he couldn't control.

“It's serious, who would think of inventing those things? To create something that can only be used to destroy, you would have to be a very twisted guy to create that” said the pony.

Tempest swallowed hard before answering.

"You have no idea," she drank a bit, "Guys, excuse me for changing the subject, but do you know if there's any way I can get a message to Canterlot tonight?"

"I'm sorry, but the post office is closed until tomorrow." The pegasus answered.

Although she Tempest expected that answer, she really wanted to hear something different. It was then that he noticed that the bottle of cider on her table was empty, so he offered to get another. When he reached the stall, he sighed as he saw that there was a line of ponies waiting for his turn.

However, he did not get to the end of the queue, as a dark blue unicorn with black mane, a golden watch tied around her neck and a rose as a cutie mark approached him and offered him the bottle of cider she had. .

"Take. My friends have had too much to drink, and waiting in line is boring,” she told him with a smile.

Tempest looked at her in surprise. Although it seemed strange to her, she took the bottle.

"Thank you".

"You're welcome," replied the pony as she held out the hoof. "I am Rose Petal."

"TempestShadow"

“I know, I recognized you when I saw you a while ago. Your broken horn and that scar are unmistakable.”

Tempest looked at her with annoyance and sadness. Those two things were memories of the worst day of her life and the bad decisions that followed. The earth pony must have realized that he had offended her, because she stopped smiling.

"Oh, sorry," Rose apologized.

“Don't worry, I'm used to it,” Tempest said.

“Even so, it's not right for me to say such things. Can I make it up to you?"

“You already have,” she said, shaking the bottle of cider.

"But that's for helping Princess Twilight," Rose clarified. “Wait, I know. Look, I don't want you to think I'm a gossip, but I've been watching you and I heard you say you need help with a message. I can help you with that."

Tempest jumped on alert at those words.

“Have you been spying on me?” she asked somewhat annoyed.

“I am a fan of yours. I know you had a big role in defeating the Storm King, and I've admired you ever since." Rose Petal confessed. “I recognized you when you entered the square, but I didn't know how to introduce myself, and I didn't want to disturb the ponies you were eating with. The bottle seemed like a good way to start a conversation.”

“And how can you help me?” asked the former commander.

“I came with a friend. He is a unicorn who works at the EEA, and he has a medallion with which he can open portals”, said Rose.

Tempest widened her eyes hopefully. She had heard about those medallions when she worked for the Storm King; and Twilight had told him about them in one of her letters. While she wouldn't trust somepony she had just met that much, the situation was urgent, and that pony didn't seem like she was lying to him.

“Can you take me to him?” Shadow asked.

"Of course. Follow me,” Petal instructed.

Twilight was making her way slowly and as quietly as possible to the edge of the hedge. As she got closer to the place where I saw, she began to hear murmurs. From what she heard, there were at least two ponies there. She really hoped it was some royal guards.

Suddenly one of them gave a cry; but it was the words, and not the tone, that caught Twilight's attention:

“What if the princess of friendship had seen you?!, The plan would have been discovered!”

Twilight froze. What plan were they talking about? And what does she have to do with it? Although she was somewhat scared, something in her mind told her that she had to find out more about it. She cautiously approached the edge of the hedge and peeked out. What she saw made her shudder.

In the clearing surrounded by the hedge, two figures were talking, but they weren't ponies. One was a toad, and the other was a lioness. But they were not normal animals: The lioness was very muscular, like a tiger. The toad, to her surprise, was huge, almost the same size as the lioness. What caught his attention the most was that they were both completely black, and their eyes were deep red.

“Don't worry, I was careful; and keep your voice down, we don't want it to be known that we're here”, said the toad

"Everyone's at the party, and the guards won't be here for half an hour. We have time and privacy”, replied the lioness. “Tell me what you found out”.

Twilight shrugged. Something told her that she wasn't going to like what she was going to hear, but it was something she had to hear.

“I have confirmed that Rarity's little sisters, Rainbow Dash and Applejack are in the same class; and Pinkie's sister Maud lives in a gem cave near Ponyville”, answered the toad.

“Great, she was the last one we needed to locate. We already have all the relatives of the 6 elements of harmony, and they are all easy targets”, said the lioness.

“Except for Shining Armor, Cadence and Flurry Heart, for The Crystal Heart. Night Light and Twilight Velvet have been going to the empire for a while, so we're also having a hard time getting close to them”, clarified the toad.

“Don't worry about it, we can always go after them when they come back. Besides, we still have that dragon”, said the lioness.

“Yes. The other day that jinx hit his head on the ceiling when she was bringing Twilight's snack”, laughed the toad.

If she was scared before, now Twilight had her heart in her throat. Who were those two? And how did they know that their parents had gone to the Crystal Empire? Worse, how did they know about the Spike incident? That was something she hadn't told anyone. How long had they been spying on her? If what they said is true, whoever those two were, had not only spied on her, but also on her friends. But why?

“So clumsy. Actually, all those ponies are clumsy. Are they really that dangerous?” asked the lioness.

“Only if they get involved in our affairs. We must not underestimate them”, explained the toad.

“That's why we're watching them. If they discover us and try to stop us, we can perfectly well take one of their relatives as hostage to ask them not to bother us”, said the lioness superiorly.

Twilight started to leave. She had heard enough…or so she thought. The next thing she heard makes her stop.

“About that, did you manage to convince that nobleman to talk?”, asked the toad

“She crowed like the rooster at dawn. He had one of the copies of Clover's book”, the lioness answered.

“One of them? Is there more than one copy of that book?” said the toad, surprised.

“There are two in total. She had both, but she sold one 6 months ago to the Crystal Empire library, so it's off limits to us”, explained the lioness

“Well, we already have one, so no need to worry”, said the toad

“The problem is that it is written in ancient language, so we must find a way to translate it. That Clover could have made our job easier”, complained the lioness.

“Don't worry, if we continue to act in the shadows and nobody discovers us, everything will be fine”, the toad reassured him.

“Then this interference will have to be corrected.”

Twilight froze. That last thing had not been said by the lioness or the toad. Worse, that voice came from behind her. Before she could react, she felt something hit her with remarkable force and launch her through the hedge, landing near the two dark animals, who looked at her in surprise.

“What the hell…!?”, cried the lioness

“Twilight Sparkle!?”, shouted the toad. “What is she doing here?!”

Twilight staggered to her feet, and she could see her attacker. It was a peacock, but it was very big and tall, much taller than her. Like the other two, it was completely black and with intense red eyes; but the look of this individual was particularly bloodthirsty and sinister; he had claws like a bird of prey, and his beak looked like a spearhead. All of this made him very intimidating…or her, because her voice was female. However, the appearance of him was that of a male peacock.

"The lady here was gossiping," the turkey said to the two animals before turning to Twilight. "I'm afraid that makes you a weed."

The toad and the lioness looked at each other, then at the alicorn. Their faces went from surprise to seriousness.

"Well, weeds must be eliminated before they grow," said the toad.

Hearing that, Twilight quickly turned on her horn to teleport, but as soon as it lit up a bit, the turkey spread its wings, and the horn went dark, much to her horror. Twilight tried again, but this time her horn didn't even glow.

"What's wrong, do you look weird?" Said the peacock in a mocking and sadistic tone, with a smile all over his beak. “Ah, yes, you can't use magic. How ironic coming from the element of magic. It's a very annoying skill of mine, right? Annoying to beings like you.”

Thinking quickly, Twilight unfurled her wings, but the toad realized what she was trying to do and shot a spit at her wings. The princess noticed that her wings were heavy. Her fear increased when she saw that they had turned to gold. She didn't hurt, but she couldn't feel or move them either.

But the toad didn't stop there, it ran its tongue over Twilight's paws, turning them gold, preventing her from moving. The young alicorn could only stare in horror at the three beings who were staring at her with blood-red eyes.

"It seems that I am the only one who has not shown her power. Would you like to know what it is?" The lioness asked with a sinister smile as she took out her claws and approached the princess like a predator to her prey.

All of the ponies of Canterlot were in front of the stage, excitedly awaiting the arrival of the princesses. In the crowd, three ponies stood near the stage; but unlike the others, they weren't enjoying themselves as much as the others. They were Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity. They hadn't seen Twilight since she came back to talk to the princesses, and they were beginning to feel uneasy.

Rainbow Dash and Spike flew in and sat down next to them. The expression on their faces, and the fact that they returned alone, gave an indication of how their search had gone.

"No luck?" Applejack asked anyway.

"No luck," Dash replied.

"I don't get it," Spike said, "It's not like Twilight to be late in these situations."

"Is it possible that she was confused and thought that we were going to see the sunrise from another part of the square?" Fluttershy asked.

"Impossible!" Pinkie exclaimed, appearing between Applejack and Fluttershy, to the surprise of everypony. "I've looked everywhere, and haven't seen her."

“Girls, Spike, calm down. By the time Twilight has returned to talk to the princesses, the three of them will probably have lost track of time. I'm sure Twilight will wait for the princesses to show up to meet us," Rarity spoke in a comforting tone.

"Oh oh. Maybe they've decided to have Twilight come onstage with them by the time they break the news,” Pinkie said.

"And we're not going with her?" Dash asked, a little jealous.

“Oh my. With everypony watching, I don't think she can take it,” Fluttershy said somewhat startled.

“Don't worry, sugar cube,” Applejack said as she gave him a comforting hug, “I've got you covered.

Trumpets were heard and the spotlights were turned on, capturing the attention of all those present. The two princesses flew in and landed on the stage. To the surprise and confusion of everypony, the two sisters did not have their characteristic smile, but they were very serious. That was rare, since this holiday was one of the favorites of the princesses. Spike and The Mane 5 worried, in addition to what was already mentioned, about not seeing Twilight with the real sisters.

"Girls?" She managed to say the dragon.

“Spike, I'm just as clueless as you are,” Dash explained.

“I have a bad feeling about all of this,” Fluttershy said.

“Me too,” Pinkie added. I know that this is not like me, since I am the element of laughter, and as such I must be positive, but I can not help but think that something is not right.

When Applejack looked closely, he thought he saw Celestia look at Luna with sadness and remorse; and the princess of the night looked back, only this one was angry. Farm Pony even thought she saw Luna make a disappointed face at her older sister.

"Applejack".

Applejack turned to Rarity.

"Darling, are you okay? Have you seen anything weird?" asked the fashionista.

"Hey? Oh well, I thought I saw something,” explained the farm pony. "But it sure is my imagination."

The summer solstice proceeded as usual. Luna lowered the moon and Celestia raised the sun. Everyone present cheered for the new dawn. The Mane 5 and Spike also applauded despite the bad feeling that was eating them up inside. Suddenly, Pinkie stopped clapping and clutched her leg, feeling a stabbing pain. Her expression changed to one of terror as she saw exactly where the pain was coming from.

“GUYS!” she yelled, catching the attention of her friends.

"What's wrong Pinkie?" Dash asked.

"My knee. It hurts!” Pinkie said.

Rainbow sighed in frustration. Fluttershy, on the other hand, showed concern for his friend.

“Oh, poor thing. Did you hit yourself?" asked the yellow pegasus.

“No, this is not normal pain. It's my sense Pinkie!” explained the pink pony.

That was reason for everyone to look at her curiously. Everyone in Ponyville knew Pinkie's sense. Although it was somewhat difficult to explain, she knew that she was never wrong, and that it was something to be reckoned with.

"And what does it mean when your knee hurts?" Spike asked.

Pinkie swallowed hard before answering.

"It means something scary is about to happen."

As if something had heard her, the ground began to shake and the wind began to blow strongly. Everypony, even the princesses, had to strain not to be dragged away. Suddenly, a roar of rage rang out throughout the place, and a violent explosion appeared near the castle. That formed a column of earth that rose several meters into the sky, far exceeding the height of the castle.

Many ponies panicked and began to run, backing the pillar of earth away from the source of the blast. Celestia and Luna looked at the explosion and couldn't help but flinch a little. They perceived a sinister aura in that explosion; although for Celestia it was more intense. Although she was weak, the sun princess had a feeling that she had felt that before.

"Again, what was your friend's name?" Tempest asked.

“Spell Crystal. You'll be fine. He's grateful to you for helping to free Canterlot," Rose replied.

"Wouldn't it be better to go find him?" Shadow suggested.

“Trust me, he replied” said Rose Petal as she looked at her watch. “We agreed to meet here after sunrise. It won't be long in coming."

Though she didn't want to seem rude, Tempest was beginning to suspect that there was something about her companion that was making her uneasy. If that pony was a friend of hers and they had come to the party together, why wasn't he with her at dawn, since that was the key moment of the festival?

Furthermore, they were now near the outskirts of the town. Although she could still see other ponies, the two of them were in a slightly hidden posture towards the rest of the others. All this smelled funny to her. Maybe it was due to the training she received, but her instinct told her to be vigilant, because something bad was going to happen.

So it was. A crash caught her attention. Everyone present turned their eyes towards Canterlot, and saw that something was happening in Canterlot; although at that distance, it was impossible to know what happened. However, it was enough for everyone to fear the worst, especially a certain dark orchid unicorn.

"Twilight", she thought.

“Tempest!” Rose Petal yelled.

Tempest looked at her companion, who pointed to some bushes whose leaves were stained with a red liquid. Tempest was horrified when she discovered from her scent what it was. pony blood The two ponies brushed aside the leaves and made out a path of red puddles leading into the Everfree Forest.

The unicorns looked at each other, and with that words were left over. Although they were scared, the thought of someone being injured and alone in the woods was enough for them to follow the trail of blood and head deeper into the woods. The two walked for a long time until they came across a terrifying scene:

The princess of friendship, on the ground, panting and gasping for air and claw wounds on her back.

Tempest Shadow had a face filled with fear and despair. She had been late.

Rose Petal's was expressionless, but if she were to look closely at her, she could make out a slight smile… and a flash is her deep red eyes.

The Spark Between the Tempest and the Sun

by AnimationLover36

Prologue

Future Plans

An unexpected visitor

The Princesses Announcement

Broken

Shadows Before Dawn