Lesson 1: Be Polite

Lesson 1: Be Polite.

“What’re you reading there Spike?”

Spike sat at a dining table across to Twilight Sparkle. He looked up from the story book he was reading to look back at her.

“It’s the ‘Life of Old Equestria’! I saw this on the book shelf the other day, I thought it’s gonna be a great adventure book, y’know with action, fights and all that cool stuff!” making a finger gun motion in the air with his claws.

“Turns out it’s just a book that’s so bland, that it would rival you, I can’t even use my imagination to think of it, and I have a great imagination!”

Twilight looked at her assistant with a look of slight annoyance before chuckling a bit at his insulting but quite funny joke.

“That’s because it’s a non-fiction children’s book, not an action-adventure comic type. Parents use this to help just to help their foals to sleep faster.”

Spike stretched his back and his claws, yawning at Twilight’s response.

“But it had potential! They could’ve detailed the battle, the kingdoms that the elder sister laid ashed to and-”

“Parents will sue the author for traumatising their foals with graphic descriptions of a story that has been marketed towards children.” retorted Twilight.

“Believe me Spike, you would be better off reading this instead of reading the actual descriptive ones. You’re not ready for the real ones.”

Making a raspberry noise, he looked over the table to the empty plate he finished not too long ago.

In contrast, Twilight’s plate hasn’t even been touched.

“You didn’t even eat any of the lunch I made!” said Spike in his irritated voice whilst pointing at her untouched meal.

“I’m not hungry,” she simply responded.

“YOU CAN’T JUST DO THIS TO ME SPIKE, I’M PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF TAKING CARE OF MYSELF AND MY OWN WELLBEING!” as she’s being dragged across the busy streets of Canterlot by her assistant.

Ignoring her shouts and pleas, he looked backed at her with a frown.

“You left me no choice, if you aren’t gonna eat lunch I made, then you’ll be eating the ones we paid.”

Twilight, embarrassingly lowered her head to cover her face as curious onlookers looked incredulously at the situation. Some of them were even taking photos of her!

Finally, after a few minutes of a baby dragon dragging and one mare sulking, they reached their destination.

“Donut Joe’s Cafe?”

Releasing his claw from her hoof, he looked at her with a grin on his face. “Of course, the best place to have lunch with, donuts, coffee and tea’s galore!”

Twilight looked back at her assistant, “Oh Spike, you worry too much. Still, I appreciate you ‘trying’ to take care of me.” she thought to herself.

They walked in the cafe to find the cafe was very packed with customers:
Changelings in suits, tapping away at their typewriters.

Construction ponies having brunch with their buddies.

And even various students and teenagers leisurely sitting around or doing their schoolwork.

The store had a sort of rustic and traditional look, illuminated by various incandescent light bulbs. Decorated on the walls are various photographs of capital itself: Landmarks, parks, and even the royal palace.

On the store counter, a radio was tuned to Channel 4: The Canterlot News Broadcast station. From the counter itself, an amber unicorn stallion with an orange mane was occupying the register, sporting white apron.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike sat down a vacant table near the window, overlooking the busy Canterlot Market Square.

As they sat, a blue pegasus mare with a yellow mane walks over to the table. She wore a simple a black bowtie and gave a look of hospitality to her new customers.

“Welcome to Donut Joe’s Cafe! What would you and your fine pet would like to have? I recommend our glazed butter donuts and our renowned cappuccino with-” the waitress started.

“First! I’m not a pet, I’m her valuable assistant! And second! I want pretzels!”

The waitress gave a look of sheepishness to Spike before replying, “Oh I am incredibly sorry sir! It was very inappropriate for me to refer to you as a pet!”

Now turning her attention to Twilight, who conveniently brought a book to read. “Uh, what about you miss what would you like to have?”

“Just give me a chocolate donut with sprinkles and tea.” said Twilight as she continues reading the book.

With a smile of hospitality, the waitress nodded and quickly made herself to the counter so she could process the order.

Finally, some peace and quiet. Twilight thought.

“Uh.. Twilight?”

‘Or not.’

Sighing and looking towards Spike across the table. “What do you want, Spike?”

“Not to sound rude or anything, but couldn’t you at least look her when you’re ordering?”

“You mean the server?” she replied.

“Yeah honestly, it’s kinda rude?”

“Well, I don’t think so. Besides, you said it yourself we’re here to eat our lunch. Not to make friends or any of those useless things.”

Spike looked at the busy cafe before replying. “I don’t think it would be useless, in fact it’s about time you made some more friends!”

Looking at him with a face of irritation. As she was about to reply, a plateful of chocolate donuts and tea and a plate of pretzels was placed between them.

“Here you go! Enjoy your meal you two!” the waitress said before scurrying off to service more customers.

“Well, just in time.”

Before she even touched her plate Spike had already taken 2 pretzels in his hand, busily eating them with an audible crunch.

Giving a slight chuckle to herself as she bit into a chocolate donut, “Donut Joe’s Donuts never disappoints!” she said in silence.

……

“Wait a minute, isn’t that the ‘Life of Old Equestria’ book you’re reading?” as Spike points at the book while his mouth is still full of pretzels.

“Indeed! And before you ask why, Princess Luna gave me this task to prepare a report on Old Equestria.” With a look of pride, as she continues.

Raising her hoof above her head, “The Princess would be proud of my work!”

Spike, who finished his pretzels already, just gave a look of surprise. Suddenly, he started to cough and choke.
Twilight watched as Spike barfed out a scroll rolled in blue velvet fabric.

“This must be from Princess Luna! Spike, can you read it out for me real quick, I need to finish my tea.” Twilight said to Spike as she started sipping.

Grabbing the scroll and unrolled it, he read out:

My Dear Twilight Sparkle,

The initial draft of the report was quite outstanding, containing over 10 thousand words, not only you detailed the list of past events so vividly but also the environment explicitly stated in such a beautiful fashion.

“See? I told you she is proud of my work!” Twilight exclaimed jubilantly.

I do have some concerns of your wellbeing, however; you spent much of your time reading dusty old books, plain manuscripts, I’m shocked you are still reluctant to amuse your time with friends.

Twilight almost chocked on her tea, but not as much as she was shocked to hear of the princess’s words.

I have no doubt that right now you are reading another book, which brings me to a much more, urgent task for you to accomplish.

“What task?” she asked while continuing to sip.

As of now, your initial task of writing the history of Old Equestria is to be postponed. For this new task: you are to supervise the 999th Lunar Moon Celebration which is being held in the town of Ponyville, south of Canterlot.

“PFUUUHHH!!” as Twilight spat the remaining tea she was sipping right at Spike’s face.

Interlude 1: A Cafe, A Broadcast and a Special Guest.

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Interlude 1: Cafe, A Broadcast and A Special Guest.

3 months before Twilight’s departure.

As the sun sets and illuminates its yellow radiance over Canterlot, a small corner cafe is closing its doors.

“Thank you for enjoying yourself at my cafe! Hope all of you will have a good night!”

The last customer exited the cafe with a satiated stomach, leaving the owner tired from his work.

Finally! He thought to himself, he could rest for the day.

Donut Joe was tired, after a whole day of serving customers, preparing food and drinks and managing the counter. He sat at a nearby table and placed his head on it.

He slowly closed his eyes and as he slowly began to nod off, he was suddenly awoken by the sound of his daughter, “Heya dad! Whatcha doing slouching over the table like that?”

With a grunting sound, he lifted his head from the table and looked at his -still- energetic 18-year-old daughter. He yawned, “I’m tired honey-kin, today was a very busy rush hour, and I just want a rest after this.”

“Ah, alrighty! Say how about I get both of us some hot chocolate from the kitchen?” offered his daughter.

“That sounds great, honey-kin.”

As his daughter went straight to the kitchen to prepare 2 cups of warm chocolate, Donut Joe levitated his apron and hat off and placed them on another table.

As he observed his surroundings, he saw the wall clock on the cafe’s wall. 7.30 pm . It’s gonna get dark soon, he thought.

As he looked outside the cafe window, many convenience stores were still open, probably for night time inhabitants. Across from his shop, the night bars were opening and a line of customers, already queuing up outside; with their friends, readying to get drunk and wasted.

On the street, the hourly tram arrives again at its station, Frotherhoof. While most of its passengers left the tram to head back to their homes, the ones on the station entered, to make their journey further down the capital.

Easing himself to his chair, his daughter came back from the kitchen with a tray of hot cocoa. Using her wings, she placed the tray on the table and gave one of them to her father.

“Here ya go! 2 cups of hot cocoa for the evening!” joyfully said his daughter.

Taking a sip of the cocoa his daughter gave, “Thank you honey-kin.” It tasted divine, like an Olenian sauna settling into his mouth! He sighed with a feeling of relief and warmth.

Donut Joe looked back at his daughter, who’d sat down across the table and took the other cup. Taking it into her hooves, she drank the hot cocoa rather quickly as opposed to her father’s slow sipping.

Placing the cup back on the table, she (accidentally) and rather embarrassingly let out an audible burp from her mouth.

“Pfft hahaha! You made a cup of cocoa so good yourself couldn’t contain its pleasure!” he chuckled.

“Hmph!” she crossed her forelegs. “So…..”

“So what?”

“Soo how was business!” She looked at her father.

“Ain’t done the accounts yet, but with the amount of customers we had today we managed a good chunk of profits on the sales.” He took another sip of the cocoa, as his daughter did too, though it's more of a chug than a sip.

The cafe was quiet, too quiet. He looked to his left, on the counter there sat his Zenix branded radio.

“I got an idea, while we sit here, sippin cocoa, how bout we tune in to the radio for a while. NNN Evening’s gonna start-.”

As he turned to his daughter in front of him, she was already at the counter, picking up the radio with her wings and quickly sat back at the table with her father.

“- soon…”

His daughter grinned cheerfully as she placed the radio and turned it on. Tuning the tuner to the Channel 4 frequency, sound slowly comes out of the speakers.

“Today on January 21st, we are bringing you the evening news on Channel 4 from the National Nightly News headquarters in Manehatten, with your host: Colter Hoofkite, in 2 minutes, will bring you the reports in the kingdoms currently.” a mare's voice came out from the speaker.

3 minutes before live.

NNN headquarters Broadcasting Room

“Alright everyone! Sponsors are gonna go off in 2 point 5 minutes. Prepare cameras, audio, and lights!”

“What about our ground team, are they ready yet?”

“Got in touch with them, all are ready for broadcast.”

“Everything’s set up for broadcast. Cameras check! Audio check! Lighting check!”

“Have you connected the radio channel to the audio? Make sure the waves are correct this time around because we are NOT getting fired for another frequency mistake!!”

As the noise in the room becomes louder and the various crew members become more anxious, a grey unicorn wearing a suit with a clip-on tie finishes lining up the report notes on his desk for the broadcast.

As he looks around, he sees a bunch of his co-workers busily handling the equipment for the upcoming broadcast. A studio camera is in front of him, and three tape recorders the size of a bookshelf are behind him.

He looked at his papers, all looked well and complete, he thought to himself.

“Hey Colter!” a voice called out.

Looking to his side, he sees his fellow co-worker and camera operator, Volume Control, placing a glass of water on the desk. He gives Colter a smile.

“Thanks for the glass,” said Colter.

“No problem. We ain’t going to let you die of dehydration before ya retire soon in a couple of months, heh! But seriously, ever since you came here, you've looked like you haven't drunk anything since this morning. ”

Colter mumbles a thanks before taking the glass in his magic and immediately drinking half the water.

“WE’RE LIVE IN 30 SECONDS.”

“Well, I gotta go back to my station. Make us proud!” said Volume, walking back to his post.

He placed the cup back on the desk, he straightened his tie, he placed himself in ease and looked straight at the cameras.

“5!”

“4!”

“3!”

“2!”

Every crew member in the studio silenced themselves, looking at the news anchor. Cameras rolled as the anchor began to speak.

“Good evening changelings, thestrals, and ponies alike, my name is Colter Hoofkite.

“Earlier this morning, Parliament erupted as Governor Hoovestrong of New Mexicolt issued a request to Princess Luna for the authorization of the state's armed forces against the Buffalo Chiefdom for alleged reasons of:

Alleged sabotage of the Southern Railway Company's railroads.
Alleged harassment of New Mexicolt settlers.
Alleged destruction of crops around the newly settled Appleloosa.
And alleged train robberies."

“However, Governor Hoovestrong’s request, was firmly refused as Princess Luna stated to him in Parliament:

Your unfounded concerns about the Buffalo Chiefdom have no merit. There is no strong evidence of ill will from the Buffaloes. As of now, the relationship between the Buffalo Tribes and the Kingdoms is repairing at a fruitful rate, and negotiations for the chiefdom's subjects to be recognized as citizens of the Kingdoms are improving. I hope, for your sake, that you would not make this kind of request again."

"In Governor Hoovestrong's words as he and the other MPs and governors were leaving the building:

The Princess's decision to deny our request to enforce our state's right to defend ourselves against the uncivilized beings of the south is extremely disappointing. However, as the governor of this beautiful state, I will never forsake my duty to protect the safety of my citizens, in the name of harmony and Faust herself!"

“However, various figures such as Minister of Internal Affairs Fancy Pants and Gladmane, the mayor of Las Pegasus, has criticised Governor Hoovestrong’s request, while others such as MP Jet Set of Canterlot and Minister of Defense, Static Fort supported the governor, stating:

"For his strong sense of liberty and caring demeanour of his state, and his loving duty to his subjects, Governor Hoovestrong showed prowess against the Buffalo for his bravery of speaking out against their crimes."

“Chief Thunderhooves, leader of the Buffalo Chiefdom, had less flattering words for the governor as the chief denounced him as a ‘warmonger, land-grubbing swine, and the bastard foal of Day Breaker.’”

"In another news, the governor of the Misaki has denounced any rumors of Solarian activity in the state itself. In his own words:

All in good order, everybeing! We haven't had a single terrorist activity since the dawn of 60s and 70s so we're all safe here. I assure you that the celebrations will go smoothly and without mishaps, under my word.

"This, conflicted with the generals of the Queen's Army as they have encouraged the governor to permit the garrison of the 5th division to be stationed in the outposts, between the capital and southern towns of the state. The report, stated that there were an usual amount of migrants travelling between towns and most notably, a few campsites located near the Everfree forest."

“IAnd in our last panel ,the Crown has been pleased to announce the location of the upcoming Lunar Moon Celebration to be arranged in the town of Ponyville, in the coming months.”

“Thus, arrangements and the budget of this year’s celebration is estimated to be around 50 thousand Tacks; accounting for the decorations, food, security and festivities. ”

“AS of now, our reporter Flavia Sorentus is now in Ponyville, bringing us a report on the preparations.”

Camera’s Perspective

As the camera's red light comes on, Flavia takes a deep breath and begins speaking into the microphone. Her suit was almost pristine, with the exception of her tie.

Well it’s too late for that now.

“Thank you, Colter for your briefing! Today, Ponyville residents are jubilant hearing about the crown’s decision, considering this year itself will be the 1000th Lunar Moon Celebrations.”

“Standing with me right now, is the Mayor of Ponyville, Mayor Mare. Mayor Mare, how do you feel the Crown has chosen this town for the Lunar Moon celebrations?”

Standing next to Flavia was Mayor Mare, the mayor of Ponyville. Wearing gold encrusted glasses, greyed mane and tail, and sporting a white collar. She smiled at the camera and spoke in a calm, professional tone.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been chosen by the Crown to host the 1000th Lunar Moon Celebration. This is a huge honour for our town and we are working hard to ensure that everything is perfect for the event!”

Flavia nodded, a smile on her face. “And, pray tell us, what about the preparations? How are things coming along?”

“In fact, we are considering using our own residents instead of the Crown's caterers, security enforcement, decorators, and musicians to prepare the celebrations.”

“In that case, who are they?” asked the reporter.

“I’ve already had a few ponies in mind, in fact there she is! Oh! RARITY, RARITY BELLE OVER HERE DEAR!” Mayor Mare said as she looked to her left.

The camera pans to the right to show a white coated unicorn approaching the camera crew and the reporter with a quick but sophisticated pace in her step. a mane and tail of long and flowing purple, curled elegantly beside her head, and deep blue eyes.

“Mayor Mare? What do you need me for?” Rarity asked, looking curiously at the mayor and the reporter.

“I have a proposition for you Rarity, how would you like to be the new and renowned decorator of this year's Lunar Moon Celebration?”

Rarity’s eyes went wide, the camera zoomed ever so closer at her face. ‘This is a once in a lifetime opportunity I have!’ she thought to herself.

Rarity couldn't contain her excitement as she exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, Mayor Mare! I would be fantastically honoured to be THE PRIME decorator for the Lunar Moon Celebration. Thank you so much for considering me for this incredible opportunity. I promise to do my very best and make sure everything is absolutely perfect, down to every detail.”

Mayor Mare smiled and patted Rarity on the shoulder. "I knew I could count-”

“ Not only that, I will use a variety of flowers and plants to create the most beautiful, natural-looking decorations throughout the town, at every corner, room and grass across the town! . And of course, I'll be sure to add my signature touch of elegance and sophistication to everything I design.” said Rarity, with an added sound of determination in her voice.

Rarity flicked her mane with her magic, closing her eyes and striking a dramatic pose with her hoof held high.

Mayor Mare looked back at the reporter, her eyes showed off an excited glint. She spoke excitedly to Flavia. “Oh, I have no doubt that Rarity will do an absolutely amazing job with the decorations. First and foremost, she’s our town’s one and only fashionista. And secondly, she has a real talent for creating the finest beauty and elegance in her fashion, and I dare to say, nopony in this town, no changelinging, no thestral, in this state could ever match up to her!”

“That’s great, and-” Flavia began but was quickly distracted by a pink earth pony who immediately stood between them and looked at Mayor Mare.

“OOH OOH OOH! WHAT ABOUT ME! WHAT ABOUT ME! WHAT CAN I HELP? CAN I HELP?”

“PINKIE PIE! If you’d like to calm yourself down, this reporter from Canterlot is interviewing me for the Lunar Moon Celebration.”

“I CAN MAKE A TONS OF CAKES! I CAN ORGANISE AMAZING PARTIES, FIESTAS, CELEBRATIONS, SOIREES, FESTIVAL, CARNIVALS AND -”

The camera focuses on Flavia as she looked awkwardly at Pinkie Pie, who was bouncing up and down sporadically as if she were a pogo stick, giggling with glee.

“Uh, thank you, Pinkie Pie, for your enthusiasm. It’s very clear that you have a lot of ideas for how you can contribute to the Lunar Moon Celebration. Can you tell us a little bit more about what you have in mind?”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes went wide as an equine can inflate their eyeballs and she gasped excitedly."Oh my gosh, I have so many ideas! I could make tons of delicious cakes and treats for everypony to enjoy.

“And I could help plan and organise all sorts of amazing parties and events, like fiestas and soirees and carnivals. I’m a pro at making any celebration super fun and memorable. And I’ll do it all with a big smile and lots of energy, because that's just how Pinkie Pie makes great parties!”

“Well, we are very–” but was interrupted as another pony suddenly dropped in front of her, literally falling from the sky.

A rainbow-maned pegasus crashed to the ground, creating a small crater on the street as she landed. The pony had a bright blue coat and a cutie mark shaped like a rainbow-coloured lightning bolt.

The pegasus let out a whimper of pain as she clutched the side of her head. When she looked up, she saw that everyone was staring at her with a mix of concern and curiosity.

She turned to look behind her and saw Mayor Mare wearing a perplexed expression, Pinkie Pie with a mix of joy and worry on her face, still bouncing up and down, and Rarity with a shocked expression, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide.

Flavia, quickly recomposed herself. She turned to the camera operator to signal him to approach the pegasus.

Holding out her microphone to the fallen pegasus, "Are you okay? Can you tell us what happened?"

The pegasus, still a bit dizzy from her fall, groaned and stood up, holding her head with one of her wings, “Ughh, sorry bout that. I was just practising one of my tricks near the clouds there and hehe, may have stumbled on your conversation about the festivals?”

“And your name?” the reporter asked.

“The name is Rainbow Dash, with an R!” Rainbow pointed to herself, “ I'm one of the weather ponies on duty here in Ponyville. Bit of a bruise from my fall, but nothing to worry about!”
“I’m one of the fastest, coolest and daringest flyer in Ponyville!” the brash pegasus said.

She flew up from the reporter and started performing a few tricks in the air. She looped and spun through the air, leaving a trail of rainbow-coloured sparks behind her. A crowd formed, marvelling at the display, and the camera zoomed in, panned, and tracked each part of the stunt in the air.

Flavia looked in astonishment at the tricks performed by Rainbow Dash. “Holy mother of Faust, she is astonishing.”

“She is, according to HERself ,the greatest flyer in the Kingdom.”

The camera operator quickly panned to the left to show a grey-coated quite young stallion looking up at Rainbow Dash, still performing her stunts. His eyes were bright blue and his mane was short, with dark blue hair and white stripes.

“Oh uh..” Flavia began but was quickly interrupted by a-

“WINTIEEEEES!” said an overly - enthusiastic and highly jovial Pinkie, immediately sprinting and tackling the stallion to ground in a bearhug.

“OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH, LOOK AT RAINBOW DASH SHE’S FLYING , SHE’S DOING GREAT STUNTS, SHE’S GATHERED A LOT OF EVERYONE TO LOOK OVER HERE AND A REPORTER IS HERE TO INTERVIEW PONYVILLE AND RARITY’S IS ON DECORATIONS, I’M ON CAKE AND PARTY DUTY AND-”

“Pinkie..” a small groan slowly let out from the stallion. “Could you stop crushing my spine?”

Flavia chuckled at the sight of Pinkie’s enthusiasm and the stallion’s misfortune. She turned to the camera and said, “Well everyone, it appears this town as we all are, extremely excited for the celebrations and oh, shhhhiit.” she looked down, realising that she forgot a few more questions.

She covered her mouth with her holed hoof and quickly looked at her notes, “Let's see, you've got decorations covered from that fashionista and Pinkie Pie’s on party duty. What about catering? And security enforcement?”

The mayor nodded. “We've got everything covered, Ms. Sorentus. The catering will be taken care of by the Farmer’s Association of Ponyville, headed by Sweet Apple Acres, Berry Punch's Distillery, Carrot's Orchard and other smaller farms, and we've enlisted the help of the local town watch to make sure everything runs smoothly."

“Wait, why the town watch, why not the local police force?”

The mayor paused a moment before answering, “Well, you see. The town watch is made up of volunteers from the town's community. They’re eager, very familiar with the everypony and the resources to be provided to them are inexpensive, to manage I mean.”

Looking at the camera, Flavia Sorentus gave a warm smile and said, "Well, that's all for today, folks. We've had a great time covering the initial preparations for the Lunar Moon Celebration here in Ponyville, and we can't wait to see how it all turns out. Back to you Colter.”

NNN headquarters Broadcasting Room

As the reporter signed off and Colter began to speak towards the camera. A panicked cyan changeling comes into the room, panting and out of breath.

Some of the technical crew looked over at the tired changeling, who’s panting profusely.

Standby Checkings, the news director came over to him and put a hoof over the changeling’s back chitin, “Hey Halyx, you’re good buddy?”

Still panting, “Just received word.. huff .. huff.. that Princess Luna has agreed.. huff…. to a surprise interview with us in 30 minutes.”

Everyone in the room froze in shock at the news. The princess, here? For a surprise interview?

Colter too froze in shock, hearing the news. Realising that cameras were still rolling at him, he quickly spoke to the camera Uh, sorry about that folks. It looks like we've just received some exciting news - Princess Luna has agreed to a surprise interview with us in just a few minutes.”

He continued, “In the meantime, in Marechester, it’s the third day of strikes at the factories in the city. Poor working conditions, coupled with unfair wages and the recent managerial shuffle, according to strikers, mob bosses lookalikes. Our ground team is on the scene, bringing you live updates as the situation develops. We'll bring you more information as soon as we have it.”

The camera’s red light went off and Colter let out a sigh of relief. He stood up from the news desk and turned to the rest of the crew and said, “Alright everyone, we only have a few minutes until the princess gets here, so we better prepare fast, all hooves in the interview room!”

The interview room was tense, Colter sat in an interview chair, waiting for the princess waiting for the princess to arrive. The technicians were checking the cameras, lighting and sound equipment, to ensure everything was in working order.

“Our ground team’s about to sign off in 3 minutes and they’ll pass on to us.” said Checkings, looking at his watch.

Everyone collectively nodded, including Colter, who looked at his notes for the final time. It was a big moment for him, as the Crown rarely makes public appearances, let alone grants interviews with the princess.

Just as he was to finish reading his notes, the interview door opened. Princess Luna entered, radiating majesty and royal elegance. She wore small oval glasses and was adorned in a beautifully modest light blue dress that draped over her figure.

The technicians, director, camera operator and Colter, bowed as she approached, feeling of awe and respect for their princess.

Princess Luna nodded, acknowledging them of their respect for her. She took a seat at one of the interview chairs, as did Colter.

“I hope I‘m not too late for the interview.” the princess said with a note of worry in her voice.

Colter looked at Princess Luna with a shake of his head and a smile, “Nothing of sorts your, Majesty! In fact, our ground team has already finished their report and will sign off to us in the studio.”

The princess, relieved, smiled warmly at Colter. Colter smiled, nodded back at the princess, turned to the camera which shone a red light, signalling they were live.

“Good evening, changelings, ponies, and thestrals alike. My name is Colter Hoofkite and welcome back. Earlier, we promised you that a surprise interview with the princess will be available to you all tonight, and we're happy to say here she is with us.”

He continued, “Her Royal Majesty of the Crown, and princess of The United Queendoms, Princess Luna Faustus.”

“Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be in the studio with you, Sir Colter.”

“Likewise, Your Majesty. Now, for your appearance in this broadcast, I want to ask you a few questions.”

"Very well."

“The first question is about your recent refusal of Governor Hoovestrong's request for military force against the Buffalo Chiefdom. What are the ramifications that may erupt from this incident?”

“For now, I ensure that this incident will only be a minor setback in the negotiations for the Buffalo's citizenship into our Kingdoms.” replied Princess Luna.

She continued, “When the Buffalo Crisis started, our New Mexicolt settlers, fearing that their land, purchased from the Buffaloes, could be threatened, began to arm themselves against the Buffaloes and most decided to ban the buffaloes from trading in or even entering the towns. In turn, the Buffaloes began harassing settlers, stealing crops, causing property damage, and even resorting to physically attacking them. This led to a cycle of resentment and hate between both sides, becoming increasingly hostile and violent.”

“What about Governor Hoovestrong?” asked the interviewer.

“While I understand Governor Hoovestrong, and I wholeheartedly respect his ultimate patriotism to his citizens and their safety, I have made it clear to Governor Hoovestrong that I will not allow the use of armed force against the Buffalo Chiefdom.”

“In what step would you and the Crown take to resolve this crisis?” asked Colter.

“A peaceful resolution, one that would not only ensure the protections of our settlers but also respect the rights of the Buffalo Chiefdom.” she replied, a sincere smile on her face stretched sweetly.

“Very well, Your Majesty.” Colter looked over his notes, the 2nd question in mind.

"2nd question, your highness. We received conflicting reports about the presence of Solarian activities in the state with the governor so do you have any comments on that.-"

The princess bit the edge of her lip, before quickly responding. "I fully trust the governor to do his duty. And I assure everybeing, that nothing will disturb our celebrations. We shouldn't be worried about Solarian activities as most of them have been quelled or have been peacefully subdued.

"But in the matter of national security and your authority, many of the generals have been urging the governor to garrison the troops in-"

"What matters that? Solarians have been slowing the activity for the past few years now, to the point that their descriptions as terrorists are painfully overvalued. Merest, they've been organising minimal rallies, a few hoofful propaganda posters and meetings of their group are at their lowest membership."

Colter nodded but was a bit unsatisfied, however didn't show it to the camera; instead he looked at his notes again, with his final question : the Lunar Moon Celebration.

“My final question is about the next Lunar Moon Celebration. Why did you choose the small town of Ponyville as its venue?”

“Simple, I have fond memories of that town. Before it became a town, it was a sort of playground for my sister and me.”

“I’m very sorry to interrupt your story, Your Highness, but... is your sister by any chance Celestia?"

“Indeed she is, but she's referred to as Daybreaker these days by everyone . It's a bit of history, but not many refer to her by her old name now, only scholars and historians.” she replied solemnly. Realising that the pace is going to get more sombre, Colter decided to change the subject slightly.

“Well uh, seems quite a story Your Majesty! How do you hope the Lunar Moon Celebration in Ponyville will be received by the public?” asked Colter quickly.

Her eyes and tone shone a hopeful note, “Solidarity, peace and most importantly, friendship. Sir Colter.”

Colter nodded, smiling at the princess. “I think that's a message that everypony could use right now, Your Majesty. Thank you again for joining us and sharing your thoughts with us.”

“It’s a pleasure, Sir Colter. Have a good night to the National Nightly News crew.”

"Well that's all folks, this is the National Nightly News, and have a good night."

As the red light on the camera went off, signaling the end of the interview, everyone bowed to the princess, thanking her for the interview.

Princess Luna too, in her royal regality, bowed slightly to the crew before leaving the interview room.

“Dad?”

“Huh, what wrong honey-kin?” asked Donut Joe, he looked at his daughter, pulling back from the radio.

His daughter looked thoughtful, “Can we get a television?”

‘What! There’s no way he could afford a television! Maybe he can-

“What about a black and white one?” she remarked. “ They're cheaper than a coloured ones and besides, they have a bigger and better quality!”

Well that's a bit cheaper. Still..

“Well, we ain’t got much honey-kin.” Joe started, but was quickly cut off by a whimper.

“ But Daaad, most of everyone has a black and white now. I know the coloured ones are expensive but can we?”

Donut Joe looked at his daughter, looking at him with a mix of hope.

Sighing to himself, he ruffled his daughter’s mane. He knew how much his daughter wanted a television, and he wanted to make her happy. ‘ Faust bless her heart.’ he thought to himself.

“Alright honey-kin, I’ll try to get a loan from the bank, and try to get one.” he said with a smile.

Her eyes brightened up, as if they were spotlights shining in a theatre. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Thank you DADDY!”

She hugged her father tightly, squeezing him close. He hugged her back and placed his hoof behind her head, pulling her in for a warm embrace.

“But I want you to promise me,” said Donut Joe suddenly and sternly.

He pulled back from his daughter, who looked at him nervously.

“There ain’t gonna be television without business, ain’t there gonna be business without sales and there ain’t gonna be no sales without your help.” he said to his daughter.

Her eyes temporarily went wide, but then quickly nodded.

“I promise!” she spoke determinedly and excitedly.

He sighed happily at his daughter, who was willing to help him in the cafe.

He pointed his hoof at the tables around him, “You’ll help serve food and drinks to the guests. Keep a smile, be nice and don’t ever lose your cool.”

She snorted, “When have I ever gotten angry dad?”

“Not yet, but any guests who come here can sometimes be a bit rude. So remember, smile, be friendly, and stay calm.” he repeated.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Smile, be friendly, stay calm. Point taken.” she said confidently.

He briefly smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm before glancing at the wall clock. It was almost 9 at night.

"Dad! Do you think we'll have time to go to the celebration there?" His daughter quickly asked another question.

"Ah, heck why not? I'll get the train tickets before you know it. Just hoping that they won't run out to Ponyville, or the train lines are blocked or something." Donut Joe nodded, waving a hoof in a mix of dismissiveness and submission as he agreed to his daughter's proposal. They haven't gone out for a while as a family, so they could use their free time to see the celebrations.

She grinned, "Yeah! Can't wait to see the moon appear!" she cheered, quickly running up the stairs in excitement. "Good night daddy!"

He smiled at her as the sounds of her hoofsteps disappeared upstairs. What's the worst that can happen to him?

Lesson 2: First Impressions are Important!

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Lesson 2: First Impressions are Important!

My Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I’m sorry for the sudden letter yesterday. In this case, the royal supervisor who was originally supposed to supervise the celebration, announced her sudden retirement early a few days ago.

We didn’t have enough time to quickly hire another to supervise on her behalf. I briefly considered postponing the celebration.

“WHICH SHOULD’VE HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE!” shouted an angry voice.

Spike looked at Twilight Sparkle, apparently still fuming about her being an (involuntary) replacement.

He read back the scroll.

I understand that you are feeling frustrated and upset about this, Twilight Sparkle, but I hope you understand that this isn’t a decision that I made lightly. Your exceptional organisational skills make me confident that you are more than capable of supervising the celebration.

I know that this is not the news you were hoping for, but I hope that you can accomplish this task well. I promise, I will repay you handsomely for your efforts.

Your loving mentor,
Princess Luna.

After Spike finished reading the scroll, he looked back up at his caretaker. She wasn't even looking at him anymore; instead, she was staring off into the moon.

He looked behind him and saw that both thestral drivers were carrying the chariot he and Twilight were still on towards Ponyville.

Looking back at Twilight sighing profusely, he walked over to the other side of the chariot and placed her claw on her shoulder.

“Twilight?” he asked with a tone of worry, “Are you alright?”

After a moment, Twilight sighed again, this time much softer.

“I .. guess I’m fine, despite literally everything that happened. This is only my first year as her protege, and now not only do I have to supervise the most important event in the Kingdom, but I have to do it in some backwater town that I don't even know how to start in” she said, her tone getting more upset.

Spike looked worrily at his caretaker, “"Come on, Twilight. You’re superb at organisation. In fact, didn’t you remember that you were the one who literally listed every single book in the Royal Library in each genre, they were all in alphabetically ordered for goodness sake!” Spike said reassuringly, excited to her.

“And what about the time at Moondancer’s birthday party where you listed out every present she’ll get from her friends and parents?”

Twilight turned to Spike, “It was a surprise party.” she said blankly.

Her assistant took a step back, grinned weakly before settling his claw on her shoulder again, looking out of the chariot.

“Okay, bad example. BUT you are always able to come up with a plan and make things work out in the end, Twilight. No doubt, you’re going to do the same, and even better, for the Lunar Moon Celebration!”

Twilight sighed and then looked at Spike, giving him a weak but otherwise warm smile.

Oh Spike, what would I do without an assistant like you? she thought. Spike was giving a smile to her, still awaiting for an answer.

She turned towards Spike and quickly in her magic, pulled Spike’s body towards her. She wrapped her hooves around him, while at first put a look of surprise on his face before chuckling and hugging her back.

After a brief moment, Twilight pulled away and looked at Spike, still sporting a soft smile. “Thanks, Spike. I guess I needed that after-”

“Getting extremely stressed and panicky?” Spike said with a grin.

Chuckling lightly, “Yeah that.” she rolled her eyes. “I guess I could use a bit of relaxation after the celebration.” She looked in front of the chariot, Ponyville was in sight but still a bit further.

“That’s the spirit, Twilight! We can go to the stalls, they might sell some gems or comics there! And what if I say that they have a specific book there, like say Star Swirl’s Unabridged Magical Theorem of Space and Field Volume I?”

Twilight’s ears perked up and her eyes went wide as if they were about to pop. She quickly turned her head towards Spike pointing her hoof at him, “De…de...de..don’t lie to me Spike! That book has been sold out almost everywhere! Even the Royal Library doesn’t have it!” she nervously said.

“Well, I have heard from Lyra that she saw a copy of the book in the local library, apparently a griffon donated one of the copies there.”

Sounding confused, “Who’s Lyra?”

Now it’s Spike’s turn to be confused, “Uh Lyra? Lyra Heartstrings?”

A head shake.

“Your old friend who moved away to Ponyville 2 years ago?”

Another head shake.

“You two used to study together at Winter’s when you were fillies?”

Twilight rubbed the back of her head, “Wait, who’s Winters?”

Spike looked flabbergasted at Twilight's forgetfulness, “You’re his oldest friend? You're both best buddies of sorts. You went to his house just to see his family’s library almost every day? He even let you borrow his!”

Twilight shook her head rather indifferently.

“Come on Twilight, don’t you remember every friend you’ve had?”

“I’m sorry Spike, but I don’t think managing an old friendship is more important when I’m being the princess’s protege. I have not only to live up to the princess, but ensure that she sees the best in me!” Twilight said confidently without a care in the world.

“Anyways, let’s get back to something more important than silly friendship. Is Star Swirl’s Unabridged Magical Theorem of Space and Field Volume 1 still available?”

Spike pondered a moment whilst walking round the minimal room chariot had, “I think so, I mean not a lot of ponies borrow a heavy book that details magical theory, except maybe if they're doing homework or something. So yeah, I think they still have it.”

“Great!” Twilight said excitedly, she’ll get that book whether anyone likes it or not. Star Swirl’s Unabridged Magical Theorem of Space and Field Volume shall be hers!

“Oh and, Twilight. Don’t forget that you still have to supervise the Lunar Moon Celebration.”

After the celebration is over.

As the chariot descended onto the dirt path, Twilight stepped off into the ground with Spike sitting on her back. As Spike jumped off from her, she looked around her surroundings. On her right were the various stalls and vendors that had set up shop for the Lunar Moon celebrations. Food stalls, toys, merchandise, literature, ornaments, and even furniture. On her left was the town hall. Ponies were leaving in and out of the town hall, whether with paperwork, decorations, or food. Behind was the Ponyville Train Station, there were more arriving beings than leaving for the celebrations while in front of her was the Old Ponyville Bridge, sturdily made from brick and stone.

“Khhek.. Kheeek.. BLLUERK, cough cough.” she looked behind her to see Spike throwing up a scroll. As Spike was on all fours panting, using her magic, Twilight took the scroll on the ground and read it.

My Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Apologies for the sudden letter, and my apologies to Spike as well.

I’ve forgotten to give you the list of preparations you’ll need to check for and make sure everything’s settled. Inscribed below will be the checklist of the preparations.

You’ll also have to report to Mayor Mare to inquire about each of the organisers duties and location.

Your loving mentor,
Princess Luna

“What kind of name is Mayor Mare anyways?” Spike said curiously.

Looking at Spike, “Probably just a title name the residents here call her, creative.”she rolled her eyes.

As she was about to read the other half of the scroll, a pink earth pony suddenly appeared between her and the scroll, almost face to face. While Twilight was processing her mind of what was going on, the pink pony leaned forwards causing Twilight to lean her head back.

“YOU’RE A NEW PONY! OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH,” she said excitedly and jovially at her. ‘ Something’s wrong with this mare,’ Twilight thought.

“Hey uh, Twilight what’s wrong with this pony?” Spike asked, walking over to Twilight at her side. He then looked questioningly at the pink mare, still leaning forward at Twilight. “Hey, miss. Can you uh, step back a little? You’re kind of creeping out Twilight.”

The pink mare stepped back, allowing Twilight to roll up the scroll and also to look at her a bit more definitively ,her hair’s all puffed up in a cotton candy sort of way, all curled up.

Giggling to herself, she started to bounce up and down erratically, much to the confusion of the 2 newly arrived. “You’re two new ponies, I mean one new pony and one dragon! I can’t wait to- GASP!” she gasped.

Twilight looked even more perplexed, “Uh.. okay? I guess we should be on our way.” She tried to walk around her on the right, but the pink pony moved to the right, still smiling. She tried moving to the left, the pink earth pony moved to the left.

“Okay, that’s ENOUGH!” Twilight’s wasn’t having any of this, is this mare intentionally delaying her from getting that book?

Okay, this mare is definitely crazy. She angrily pushed the bubbly mare away using her hoof while picking up Spike in her magic and putting him on her back.

“Come on Spike, I don’t have time for a laugh, a joke, a prank or ANYTHING to have my time wasted!” said Twilight, frustration evident in her voice as she walked away quickly, still looking behind at the pink mare, who was still bouncing. Those near them were looking at them both.

“Twilight watch out!” Spike suddenly shouted out.

The unicorn didn’t get a second to register those words before slamming into something that felt like a concrete wall. Spike fell off from Twilight’s back while Twilight herself dropped onto her haunches, rubbing her head on the sore spot. Thankfully, her horn wasn’t damaged at least.

A grunt escaped from somewhere, at first she thought it was from Spike but Spike was already on his feet brushing himself off from the dirt and gunk on him. Realising that the princess’s scroll wasn’t with her anymore, she looked around her on the ground. However, there were too many of them and they were nearly identical to the princess’s.

What the, where did these other scrolls come from?

Unrolling the scroll, inside wasn’t the words Princess Luna had written, instead it was a bunch of technical gobbledygook and doohickey drawn crudely on a sheet of long paper.

Twilight tosses the paper away, picking up another scroll and unrolling it. But this one was just the same as the first, filled with technical drawings and nonsensical jargon. Though Twilight couldn’t help but those two looked familiar, somehow.

“Owww, that hurts..” a voice yelped out.

Turning towards the source of the voice, she didn’t hit a concrete wall but apparently a grey-coated stallion, now laying on the ground rubbing his head. Wearing a white canvas vest on his body and a dark brown beret on his head, his mane was a dark turquoise-colored tint and thin stripes of white flowing through at mid-length, just enough to part over his eye.

The stallion was slowly standing back up, but still looking dazed. “Oww..” he rubbed his head. He looked at the Twilight and then back down at the mess.

“Great, now all of my prints are on the ground, some of them even got unrolled.” he said to himself.

As he started to pick up the rolls of paper scattered on the ground,“Hey, uh sorry for my impatient caretaker’s clumsiness, she wanted to be in a hurry and didn’t look where she was going.” Spike looked briefly at the stallion, before looking back at Twilight, who glared at him. Looking back at the stallion, Twilight sighed to herself and started to pick the remaining rolls to help him.

The least I could do, better get this done quick so I could hurry up.

Looking up while picking the rolls of paper, “I guess it’s my fault as well, too busy trying to read the schematics of my… my.. wait.. wait a minute..” He pulled his head closer to Twilight to get a better look at her, narrowing his slit eyes at her Twilight looked confused.

“Uh, you’re alright?” she asked.

The stallion’s eyes widened at first in surprise, then excitement.“Twilight Sparkle? Is that you?” he asked. Twilight was unsure.

“I.. uh I don’t know you?” she said nervously to the stallion.

This town is getting crazier, who is he?

The grey-coated stallion grinned for a moment before wrapping his forehooves around Twilight, much to her shock. “It’s me Winters! Your old friend!”

…….
…….
…….

Twilight’s mind felt heavy, like a steam train making its way through a train track or a mountainous number of books were laid on her shoulders. Her body dropped to the ground, her eyes rolling in the back of her head. Both Spike and Winters gaped in shock as Twilight slowly closed her eyes.

"Did I kill her?"

"Not yet, I think?"

6 years ago

Steel Family Manor

A 12-year-old Twilight Sparkle was sitting at a table, leisurely reading her favourite book of the day, The Advanced Comprehensive Guide on Magical Properties in Living Beings.

“Magical essence requires that every living being has magic deep within their body, some might have more magical potential than others, some magic might be different for other living beings. For example; Changelings have the ability to shapeshift, thestrals have the ability to see in the dark, in particular-”

A drawing of what looks like technical gobbledygook and doohickeys was placed on the pages, fully covering what Twilight was trying to read.

“Look at this! I’ve drawn one that has an automatic loading mechanism, and I’m gonna make it super light that anybeing can carry it! I’m also gonna put a grip so they won’t get pushed by the re-” an excited voice called out to her.

Twilight looked in front of her, a colt, 2 years younger than her, was looking at her, grinning. Twilight put out a frustrated sigh, pushing the schematic away from her.

“Winters, can’t you see I’m studying for the end year exam in a few months?” said Twilight looking annoyed at him.

“But this is gonna be the next greatest innovation my family has ever done, they’ve already made great things so it’s my turn! They’re gonna be proud of me, mom, grandpa, and most importantly dad! He’ll look at this and he’s gonna be proud of me!” Winters said with a hopeful smile in the air. He took the schematic in his hooves, taking a pencil from his canvas vest and started to draw on it.

Twilight rolled her eyes at her friend, always trying to make something but never actually coming through fruition. Her eyes went back reading the book on her table, hopefully he wouldn’t ask something as dumb as-

“Hey Twilight, should I make it cheaper?”

Never mind.

Successfully holding herself from being frustrated again, she looked at Winters again, this time revising the schematic with extreme focus. As she watched him, his eyes inches away from the paper.

Noticing that he was holding the schematic too close to his eyes, practically blind to everything else around him, “Winters, you’re gonna kill your eyes if you keep them close to the paper like that.” she warned.

“I will if you stop studying like a maniac. You’re studying a few months too early!” he replied curtly while grinning at her with his teeth showing a bit.

Despite wanting to continue her studies and roll her eyes, she closed her book despite however much it pains her to do so. “ There, no studying.” narrowing her eyes, gritting her teeth so close that it might break, but still smiling at him.

Winters, not noticing her frustrated demeanour, smiled at her while putting his pencil down, “Great! Because I wanna show you something amazing, come on!” Putting the schematic in his vest pocket, grabbing Twilight’s right forehoof tightly and dragging her with him, much to her reluctance.

Off they went, walking briskly through the manor’s main hallway,the sound of their hooves echoing off the walls. In front of the hallway itself was a massive family portrait, showcasing the entirety of the Steel Family in all their splendour and glory, including young Winters, smiling widely as he sat behind his father, True Steel on the left, and his grandfather, Iron Heart Steel on the right.

In front of the painting was the stairwell, split into two sides and covered by a silver acrylic carpet flowing from top to bottom, as if it were a river shone by silver moonlight flowing gracefully after midnight. They went up the stairs and turned right, revealing a smaller hall with multiple doors on the left and metal railings on the right.

Arriving on the second floor, Twilight asked him, “Winters, could you at least tell me what we're doing?”

“Just watch!” he told her quickly.

Maybe he’s trying to make a surprise or something? she thought to herself. Usually Twilight wasn't able to control herself nor be patient with anyone really, but with him she can't help but feel a bit uneasy at his vagueness.

Soon, they stopped their track as they reached a large wooden double door or at least large enough according to their foal-like minds. Winters pulled out a key from his left pocket in his vest.

“Where did you-”

“I took this from my dad’s drawer, he doesn’t know.” he said quickly as he put the key in the keyhole and turned it, making the clicking sounds of gears. Twilight’s eyes widened at hearing this, “Wait, Winters I don’t think we should mess with-” But it was too late. The door was already open, revealing a completely dark room.

Neither of them said anything as they stood outside the room, looking straight into the pitch black room. Winters in particular took a step back, with a scared look on his face.

“Uh, Twilight? Can you turn on the lights please? Hehe?” he nervously laughed.

Twilight rolled her eyes in mild annoyance, before using her horn to illuminate a sparkle of light, not enough to light the whole room but just enough to see.

“This better be worth it.” she said.

Feeling her magic on the nearby walls, she felt a switch tugging at her magic and pulled down on it. The fluorescent lights illuminated the room brightly, flickering continuously in white light. As the room slowly illuminated itself, Twilight gaped in awe while Winters simply looked excited at it.

The room revealed to still be under construction, with various tools, bricks, metal parts , and other construction materials scattered around the room. The walls were in poor condition, covered in layers of dust while the floors were various shavings of wood. But the elephant in the room wasn’t the construction, it was the giant sheet hung in front of her, covering what appears to be a giant window.

Twilight and Winters walked to the big sheet, rustling towards them, signifying a breeze. Winters went to the other end of the sheet.

“Come on Twilight, you should see this!” he said, before disappearing in the sheet. Taking a deep breath, she took the other end of the sheet and nervously stepped through.

She emerged from the other side, her lavender eyes widened at the view.

The night sky, in all its beauty and splendour, and the stars twinkling brightly in contrast to the sky’s dark canvas. The moon just over the horizon line, casting a soft light over them. In front of her, the Misaki Forest drew long around the Canterhorn mountains and the capital, Canterlot, so calledThe Platinum City lay before them, its buildings and streets illuminated by the soft glow of streetlights and its grand buildings.

The ambience was peaceful and serene, the wind breezing gently against their manes. Twilight stood in awe, while Winters settled his body onto the steel railing, placing his head on his hooves.

“It’s.. it’s beautiful.” Twilight said in a whisper, taking in the breathtakingly beautiful scene before her. Winters only nodded in silence, also taking in the serenity of scenery. Twilight walked over to stand next to Winters and smiled.

“They built this balcony first, you know? Fully sturdy supports, smooth stone floors, and steel railings. So this place is quite safe to play around in.” he calmly said, forgetting the excitement he had shown earlier.

Twilight placed her forehooves on the railing, settling her head on it.

After a few moments of silence, Twilight turned to look at Winters. “So, is this what you wanted to show me?” she asked softly. Winters turned to her then smiled.

“Do you like it?”

Twilight nodded.

“Then, I like it!” he said, smiling at her.

Twilight’s face felt wet and cold, too cold. Her head shot up, and her eyes slowly opened. Her mane was wet, her fur was drenched in ice cold water and there were even some ice cubes stuck in her hair. She looked in front of her, a baby dragon holding a bucket in his claws, with ice and drops of cold water dripping from the tip.

“Woooooh! Finally, you’re actually alive!” Spike cheered, raising his claws above his heads in a fisting motion, and tossing the bucket in the process.

Instead of the Thanks Spike! You’re truly the best dragon assistant I’ve ever had! I’ll make sure to bring you some gems for you! Oh and you don’t have to do chores for the rest of the month. as he expected, it was more of a-

“SPIKE, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK TO DROWN ME IN A BUCKET OF ICE COLD WATER!” Twilight shouted, getting up to her hooves, her ears perking up, and her eyes furiously glaring at her assistant. Everybeing in their vicinity looked at the two, unbeknownst to them.

Spike stepped back in a bit of fear before looking back at Twilight. “Uh.. you were unconscious for a few minutes soooo I might’ve taken the liberty to uh… wake you up? Hehe?” Spike explained, nervously chuckling to himself.

“So let me get this straight,” Twilight said calmly, her mane and fur still dripping wet. “Instead of calmly, shaking me, dragging me, or even slapping me hard, you decided to wake me up... using ice cold water?” she told him, narrowing her eyes while emphasising the ice cold part, heavily.

“At least you’re awake now right? Well uh.. Winters tried to help you but he had to leave after I told him I’ll wake you up, so… yeah.” he added quickly, trying to change the subject. Twilight’s ears perked up at hearing Winters’s name.

“Wait, Winters?” Spike gave her a confused stare, “You know, Winters? Your old fri- you know what, never mind. I think it's better if you both talk directly than having you just being forgetful and spaced out, besides, it’s about time you have some actual friends.” Spike smiled at her, grinning.

“Well smart alec, do you even know where he went?” she asked, calming down a bit, knowing him that he almost never asks for details. Spike had a look of ashamedness and uneasy smile on his face, “Well uh…-”

“You must be Twilight Sparkle.”

Both Spike and Twilight turned to the sound of the voice. It was a white coloured changeling somewhere in his mid 40s, his mane was transparent blonde yellow, most of it was parted to his left. He wore smartly in a button-up suit, sporting a red tie in contrast to his white chitin. In his upper pocket was a long gold chain, clearly chained with something inside. But the most odd part about the changeling was that on his face was a long scar, stretched near his eye across his cheek. Despite that, he held an aura of sophistication and his tone spoke of confidence and no nonsense demeanour.

“Uh.. can I help you?” Twilight asked warily, after an encounter of a crazy mare, and an old and frankly forgotten friend. She’s definitely suspicious of this one.

Spike meanwhile stood still, and immediately ran towards the changeling, “Hey buster, who are you supposed to be?” pointing his claw at the changeling.

“Nero Severus, secretary of Mayor Mare.” he bowed. “She was expecting you to meet her in the Town Hall, 30 minutes ago, right now it is 0337.” he said respectfully but sternly.

Twilight widened her eyes, in shock realising that she forgot about reporting herself first to Mayor Mare! She quickly took on her hooves towards the large bright-lit building that surely is the town hall.

“Wait, Twilight wait! Wait for meeeeee!” Spike’s voice called out for her, but Twilight was already far away from earshot to be heard by Spike.

....
....

As she ran, she couldn't help but feel a mix of panic and anxiety. Twilight Sparkle was never late for anything, but now she was going to be tardy for the most important assignment of her life!

She reached the door of the town hall but before she could push it open, she was immediately pushed back by the door itself with a bunch of suited journalists with notepads in their pockets, decorators, hard hats and a couple of unaccounted randoms. Luckily managing to avoid being trampled, she entered the main hall.

Half- finished decorations, unhung curtains, coupled with a few builders finishing the groundwork for the stage. Ignoring everything else, she rushed up the stairs on the right, almost causing one of the decorators to drop a box of ribbons on the way. Finally stood before Twilight was the double door, leading into the mayor’s office.

Mayor Mare sat at her desk, frowning as she read a notice from the Ponyville Business Council. “I can’t believe they wanted to decrease the marketplace’s budget.” she muttered to herself. “It is a great source of income not only for them, but for Ponyville as well. The crown is even paying for everything!” she crumpled up the notice and threw it in an impressive lob towards the trash bin across the room.

“First those nosy wanna-be journalists, and now this!” she said to herself in frustration.

Just as Mayor Mare was about to pick up another piece of paperwork from the piles of paperworks, there was a knock on the door. Mayor Mare turned towards the door. “Who is it?” she called out, hoping that it wasn’t another pesky journalist.

“It’s me, Twilight Sparkle. May I come in?” a voice said from the door. Mayor Mare brightened at the prospect of some worthwhile and better company.

“Yes you may, miss Sparkle!” she said excitedly. The double door opened, revealing a panting Twilight Sparkle with a dishevelled mane. Mayor Mare quickly left her chair and walked over towards the protege, and in a rather excited enthusiasm, shook Twilight’s hoof fast, much to Twilight’s confusion.

Taken aback by the mayor's excited greeting, she figured it was better to apologise for being late than not at all. Twilight returned the gesture, but her motion was slow and ashamed.

“I’m extremely sorry for my tardiness and uh, I understand that if you feel like I’m-” she began but Mayor Mare quickly put a hoof on Twilight’s mouth.

“Now, now, don’t worry about being late!” she said, waving her hoof dismissively. “ Just take a seat at my desk and I’ll have Tadwell make some tea for both of us.” she pointed to her desk.

Twilight hesitated for a moment before taking a seat at Mayor Mare’s desk. She couldn’t help but feel guilty for being late, especially since this was such an important meeting. Mayor Mare must have noticed her discomfort, because she gave her a reassuring smile before turning to call out for-.

“TAAADWELL!” Mayor Mare yelled suddenly, causing Twilight to close her ears as the sound waves vibrated her eardrums. The loud hoofsteps of someone approaching grew louder and louder until they reached the door.

The door opened to reveal a young, lanky stallion carrying a stack of papers on his head. Somehow, he managed to keep them from falling off whilst also wearing a pair of rounded glasses on his face. He was panting a bit, as if he had rushed to get to the office.

“You called miss Mare?” he asked, a hint of exhaustion in his voice as he placed the piles of paper on the desk.

“Well.. Thank you Tadwell.” Mayor Mare sighed, looking at the even more piles of paperwork she needed to do. “ Tadwell, make some tea for both of us here, would you?” she said. “ Would you like sugar in your tea, miss Sparkle?” Mayor Mare asked, looking at Twilight seated at her desk.

“Uh.. no thank you. I should be fine with plain tea.”she replied, trying to be polite as she looked at Mayor Mare and then Tadwell.

Tadwell nodded, bowing slightly before turning to leave the room. Mayor Mare waited until he was out of earshot before letting out an exasperated sigh. “Great, more paperwork to do more reading and checking.” she frowned, resting her head on the desk.

Mayor Mare then raised her head, looking up at Twilight, her frown disappearing quickly. “Well, anyways I hope the town’s been welcoming enough for you since you arrived! Some of them can be quite overly enthusiastic at times. You’ve certainly made an impression on some of them!” she quickly smiled at Twilight.

“Yeah.. overly enthusiastic. Like just earlier, I was sidestepped by some random mare who was trying to stop me from going to the-” Twilight’s eyes widened as she realised that she had forgotten all about the book she had been so desperate to get.

“LIBRARY!”

………………….
………………….

Mayor Mare looked at Twilight Sparkle, who had now placed both her hooves on the desk, her chair pushed back and looking off into the distance above the mayor’s head. Twilight then looked down, and immediately sat back down ashamed at the little scene she just made.

What definitely didn’t help was that was the exact moment Tadwell came back holding a tray, with 2 cups of tea and a sugar packet on it. Mayor Mare turned to look at Tadwell before signalling him to come near the table, placing the tray.

“Thank you, Tadwell. You may leave.” she nodded at him.

As Tadwell left the room, Mayor Mare turned back to Twilight, picking up the tea cup in her right hoof and giving her a curious but slightly concerned look.

“Uh.. should I be concerned about this? More specifically, anything that happened between this mare and you?” she asked, taking a sip of the tea, its aromatic blend satisfying her taste buds.

Twilight looked at Mayor Mare, and then shook her head. “No, no need for anything, Mayor Mare. It’s just a minor inconvenience. Nothing at all.” she said, forcing a smile that showed a bit too much of her teeth.

“Uh.. right.” the mayor nervously said, before quickly pulling the drawer handle and taking out a rolled up paper with a dark blue velvet ribbon tied around it. She quickly unrolled it to reveal a telegraph message, which she gave to Twilight. The unicorn quickly encased it in her magic and levitated it up to her face.

The Crown’s Postage Office

21 JUNE 999

IVORY SCROLLS,
PONYVILLE MAYOR,
PONYVILLE TOWN HALL,
PONYVILLE, MISAKI.

PROTEGE TWILIGHT SPARKLE WILL ARRIVE IN PONYVILLE. WILL MEET WITH YOU FOR ORGANISERS DETAILS. CHECKLIST WITH PROTEGE. SIGN CHECKLIST AND APPROVE. BEWARE OF SOLARIANS.

HER ROYAL MAJESTY.

PRINCESS LUNA FAUSTRIANIS

TC6703

“I received a telegram earlier from The Crown’s postal office informing me that Princess Luna gave you an assignment to check in with the organisers’ duties and locations. Is that correct?” she asked, taking another sip.

Twilight looked up from the telegram message and placed it on the desk. “ Aah, it is. I’m just hoping things will go smoothly for the rest of my supervision here. And not some more crazies around here, pestering me wherever I go.”

Mayor Mare nodded in understanding, “Yeah... Well, don’t worry about that miss Sparkle. Ponyville may have its fair share of very eccentric ponies, but I can assure you that most of them are good-hearted and mean no harm. You’re still new here after all Hahahaa!” she grinned.

“Actually, Mayor Mare, I need to ask a quick question.” she said.

Mayor Mare nodded as she took a longer sip of tea, sighing in pleasure at its exquisite taste.

“Is the library by any chance open for today?” Twilight asked, hoping that she could finally get the book she want-

“Nope, it's closed indefinitely.” the mayor casually interrupted her thoughts, taking another sip.

Twilight couldn’t fathom and dropped her mouth, she thought to herself. How can anybeing just close the library! It’s absu-

Mayor Mare snorted in annoyance.“The last librarian we had last month apparently was performing coitus acts with her stallionfriend. We ended up having to fire her because a group of school foals walked in right at the moment, unlocked at the front door.”

.….
…..
…..

Silence dominated the office, as Twilight took a moment to process the mayor’s words. “Wwwwhat?” she stuttered in a mixture of shock and embarrassment, blush appearing in her cheeks.

Mayor Mare placed the cup of tea on the desk, “And now, we don’t have anybeing to take care of the library.We’ve been trying to find a new librarian, but it’s not easy. We’re a small town, and the rate of new applicants here has been.. less than stellar lately.”

Twilight pondered her for a moment, her mouth slowly formed a smile as she had an idea, a very good idea. “What if I were to be your temporary librarian until the end of the celebrations?”

Mayor Mare stared at her in disbelief. Twilight Sparkle, the Twilight Sparkle! The protege of Princess Luna, essentially the second highest power in the kingdom, is asking to be a librarian here!

“Are you sure, miss Sparkle? I mean, we are only a small town community.” she tried to explain.

Twilight shrugged the mayor’s explanation right off. “I mean it, Mayor Mare. I’m extremely good at books,I can organise them all alphabetically, by genre, author’s names, and publication date!” she said proudly, her snout raising up in the air.

Mayor Mare looked at Twilight, considering her offer. It was certainly tempting, having someone as accomplished as Twilight Sparkle as the temporary librarian of Ponyville.

She grinned at her, “Well, if you’re sure you want to do it, then I don’t see why not! It would be a great help to have someone like you in charge of the library. And who knows, maybe you’ll even find yourself as a permanent librarian among the applicants during your time here.”

Twilight nodded.

Yeah, as if.

She then picked up the other tea cup in her magic and a sugar packet. She ripped the end of the packet and tipped the sugar into the cup, watching as its contents slowly dissolved in the now warm tea. She stirred the tea with the spoon provided and soon took a sip, enjoying the aromatic tea.

“Oh and by the way, I need the checklist you have for me to sign on and approve.”

GULP

Twilight’s eyes widened as she slowly lowered the tea cup in her magic and placed it on the desk. Sweat started dripping from her body, struggling to pick words.

Crap, crap, crap where did I leave it! Did Winters took it from the ground? Oh.. crap.

“Wwwell… I.. I uuuh.. mmay have .. uuh lost it?” she said nervously.

“What?”

Lesson 3: For Old Time's Sake!

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Lesson 3: For Old Time's Sake!

“Thanks for leaving me behind by the way, Twilight.” said a sarcastic voice, accompanied by the crush of small stones beneath Spike's feet claws as he walked alongside her.

Twilight Sparkle turned to him, his claws crossed in front of him. She then looked ahead as they approached one of the bridges of the tow., stretching across the smoothly flowing river below. The night was still, the only sounds being the gentle flow of the river and the crunch of their hooves on the dirt path.

They stopped on the bridge and she sighed, “Sorry, Spike. I was just afraid Mayor Mare was gonna scold or scream or berate me for being late.” she explained as she placed her hoof on Spike’s shoulder.

“Of course you are.” Spike rolled his eyes, scoffing in frustration.

“Spike…” Twilight said worriedly at him.

Spike turned to Twilight as he firmly gripped the sides of the stone bridge. “Besides, what did she want to talk to you about anyways?”

Twilight hesitated for a moment as she rested her hooves on the side of the bridge. “Well, a telegram from Princess Luna told her to approve the checklist of the organisers the princess gave me.” she bit her lip, before continuing. “ But since I lost it, Mayor Mare won’t let me access the library until I have that checklist approved.”

“Ouch.. that’s kinda harsh.” Spike said sympathetically.

Twilight’s frustration grew, “And the worst part is, Mayor Mare is going to be busy for almost the entirety of the celebrations! So, even if I DO finish checking everything, I'll still have to wait for hours before I can even get her to sign a single piece of paper,” she exclaimed, her voice tinged with disappointment.

“UGGGH, this is so frustrating!” she groaned, running a hoof through her mane in frustration.

“So why not we get it back, it can’t be that hard right?”

“That’s we’re going to do Spike. Mayor Mare told me that Winter’s workshop is somewhere near the river bed. He has my checklist and I’m getting it back!” Twilight said, her expression showing a look of determination. “Or so help me, Faust..”

“What was that?” Spike turned to the sudden mumbling.

“Nothing!” said Twilight.

Nero Severus stood stoically beside his boss, Mayor Mare, as she meticulously worked her way through the papers on her desk. The documents were messily scattered all over the desk, with only a small pile neatly stacked in the corner. The mayor’s frown of concentration deepened as her pen moved swiftly across the pages ,struggling to keep up with the never-ending stream of documents.

The room was silent except for the sound of the pen scratching against the paper and the occasional sigh from the mayor as she tackled another difficult task. Mayor Mare looked up from her paperwork, her eyes tired and her throat dry. She cleared her throat, drawing Nero's attention to her.

“Well, Severus,” she said, her voice strained from the hours and hours of concentrated work. “Do you have anything interesting to talk about while I finish up all of this work?”

Severus thought for a moment before he quickly responded, “Well earlier, when I went to inform Miss Twilight Sparkle about her schedule with you, she panicked and ran off towards the Town Hall.” he said, his tone measured.

Mayor Mare’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “ Okay… and?”

Severus continued, “Apparently, she was accompanied by a baby drake, very much young. She left him with me, sprinting straight towards the Town Hall for you.”

Mayor Mare's expression softened as she imagined the young dragon being left behind and feeling panicked.

“He seemed rather annoyed really, he turned and spoke to me, ‘Can you carry me to the Town Hall? I can’t really trust Twilight on her overreaction like this every single day.’He said it in a very matter-of-fact way, as if it were a common occurrence for them.”

The mayor’s eyes widened, then lightly chuckled. Turning to the changeling, “And I’m assured that he got here safely?”

Severus nodded. “The young drake did ask a lot of questions, most notably my scar.” he said frankly whilst looking at the mayor, “I made sure he got to the Town Hall safely and that he was comfortable while waiting for Twilight. We stayed in the hall to not disturb your meeting but also to distract him a bit.”

Mayor Mare chuckled a bit louder, “Well that certainly made this night a lot brighter than usual. Thank you for handling that well, Severus.”

“Thank you, Miss Scrolls.” he said, his mouth showing a small but otherwise dutiful smile.

Mayor Mare looked at her desk, with loads of paperwork messily laid about, still needing to be done. Then, she stood up and started to clean up almost all of them, sorting them into different piles neatly.

“I think it’s about time we take a little break tonight,” said the mayor. “Let’s get to the kitchen hall and-”

Knock Knock Knock

Mayor Mare and Nero Severus turned their towards the source of the sound. A dark shadow from the outside window, which appeared to be floating above from the balcony. She looked at her secretary and nodded, and Severus nodded back in understanding.

They approached the window cautiously, with Severus firmly gripping his magic on the window handle. As he opened the window, a gust of wind blew into the room causing the curtains to flutter, and the office light began to illuminate the shadow, slowly revealing its pink coat.

“PINKIE PIE?” they jointly yelled in surprise.

Pinkie Pie, who’s now clearly visible, was hanging from the balcony by a bunch of balloons tied around her chest. She was grinning from ear to ear and had a small notebook on her left forehoof.

“Hi Mayor! There’s a new pony that came to town today, she looked kinda grumpy and meanie but she didn’t mean anything by it!” said Pinkie Pie as she started popping off the balloons one by one.

“And now because she’s here, I want to know where she’ll be staying! Detective Pinkie needs a location to prepare her surprise party!” Pinkie grinned bouncing up and down on the balcony, her cotton candy mane bounces.

Mayor Mare gasped in surprise while Severus merely let out a hmmph under his breath.

The mayor then closed her mouth as she looked at Pinkie with widened eyes. “Pinkie, who in Faust’s name are you talking about?”

Pinkie looked at the mayor, still grinning. “The purple unicorn who came to town, she had a baby dragon with him and OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH HE’S SO CUTE AND CUDDLY AND SMALL AND CUUUTE!”

Mayor Mare realised that she was talking about Twilight Sparkle, the new pony in town. She let out a chuckle, “Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle is our new temp librarian here. Unfortunately due to-” she began to say but then was interrupted by a loud boom that sounded like a cannon.

“Alrightieseeyalaterbyeeeeeeeeeee!” called put Pinkie’s voice getting farther away.

Mayor Mare and Nero Severus rushed out the balcony just in time to see Pinkie Pie somehow flying across town as if she was just out of cannon.

“She shot herself into the air using her cannon.” said Severus nonchalantly as he turned to his left. Mayor Mare turned to see where Severus was looking, seeing a large pink cannon perched conveniently behind the balcony railing.

“Oh Pinkie…”

They walked along the river bed on the outskirts of Ponyville, the trees rustling softly through the breeze of the wind and night getting colder every second. At least, for Spike.

“Achooo! Achooo! Ahh.. AHHH.. AACHOOO!” he sneezed, with fire coming out of his mouth every time it opened and his nose.

Twilight could only watch her assistant sneezing incessantly. She didn’t bring a tissue nor a coat for him. The last time they had a coat was last week, where it got immediately burned, no thanks to Spike.

“Spike,” she said. “Why don’t you place yourself on top of me, and wrap your claws around. Body temperature of dragons can be easily regulated if an external heat source transfers its heat to a baby dragon’s body so thermal equilibrium can be achie-” she started mouthing off before she felt a familiar claw wrapped around her neck and her mouth.

“Ppplease ssstop talk ke..ke.. king aa.. Aand let us find that wwuh wuh.. worksshhop please?”

Twilight quickly nodded, walked a bit faster past the array of houses. As she walked, Twilight’s eyes scanned the area, looking for any signs of Winter’s workshop. Mayor Mare told her to look for the only one that has a water wheel in the river.

Finally after what it felt like forever walking, she found a building with a water wheel next to it and quickly sprinted towards the front door.

As she approached the door, she took a moment to take in the look of the workshop. The workshop was a 2 floor house, fashioned in a somewhat rustic design. Metal bars covered the ground floor windows while the 2nd storey had no bars on it, just simple curtains. Above the front door medium sized sign:

Steel’s Ponyville Hardware and Workshop

Twilight stopped in front of the door as Spike held on to her neck, this time his sneezes are a bit softer as his temperature is getting a bit warmer, not a lot but still better. Twilight used her magic to ring the doorbell, at least, she thought that was a buzzer. It was actually a buzzer, letting out a loud and staticy bzzzzzzzzzzzt at the door.

A few seconds of waiting, a window opened on the 2nd floor and a head popped out. Twilight to get a good look at the figure, “We’re closed!” the figure said out loud in a young and feminine voice before quickly closing the window.

“Great, achoo! What do we do now?” Spike asked.

I’m not having anymore of this crap, Spike’s cold and I need that checklist, Twilight thought for a moment before a lightbulb turned on inside her mind. She had an idea, an annoying and probably risky idea but the only one that might work. She turned back to the door and rang the buzzer again, this time holding it down. She could hear the staticy bzzzzzzzzzzzt from the buzzer echoing through the shop.

The window opened and the figure reappeared, poking her head out the window as she sounded even more irritated, “What in the fucking Faust’s flanks are you doing! Don’t y'all realise that this is 4 PAST 30 NOW!” she shouted at the unicorn below, unaware that she was carrying Spike.

Twilight stopped ringing the doorbell and looked up at the figure in the window. The figure is a grey young thestral, somewhere in her early teens. Her mane was a dark navy blue with light white strips along. She spoke with a extremely heavy Phyrish accent, and she could almost see the anger and irritation in her red eyes.

She took a deep breath and spoke with a confident tone, “I need to see Winters urgently! My name is Twilight Sparkle, and he’s expecting me.”

“Wait I didn’t know he was-” Spike started but was promptly cut off by a shush from Twilight.

The figure paused for a moment. “Him? Hold on!” she said, before closing the window again. Spike and Twilight stood outside the front door, waiting for either the thestral or Winters to open the door.

A couple of seconds later, there was some noise behind the front door. Spike held onto Twilight even stronger as his body felt like it reached its temperature in the negative. Twilight waited, soon enough metal sounds came from the door.

Door locks, typical of a Steel.

The door opened, the bright lights from the inside almost blinding her. A young thestral mare stood in the doorway, the shop’s illuminating behind her, casting a soft shadow over her body.

The thestral mare had a distinct accent, the words coming out with a sort of roughness. She looked at Twilight with a wary expression.

“He’s downstairs,”the thestral said, “Just don’t cause any trouble ‘round here.” She motioned to her to enter, before disappearing into the shop.

Entering the shop, Twilight was greeted with the sight of rows upon rows of hardware and tools. The walls were adorned with hammers,saws and screwdrivers, and various other items were scattered about on the shelves. Although the shop was brightly lit, it had a rusty, industrial feeling to it.

It smells both clean and nauseating! she thought to herself as the smell of metal and wood invaded her nostrils. Twilight took in the room around her while the thestral stood in front of the counter where all the purchases were made.

“Welcome to the Steel Ponyville Hardware and Workshop. Here you can commission Steel Winters to either repair your wares here, from simple clocks to the complex of radios. You can also browse ‘round the shop and purchase various tools for yourself, with compliance of course!” the thestral suddenly said proudly, her snout pointing upward and her pose in a self-pride moment.

Twilight simply stood there oddly, unsure how to respond.

“Tis some marketing I’m doin,” the thestral said, dropping her earlier proud gesture. “My name’s-”

“Apprentice!” A voice called out from the curtain behind the counter. The curtains moved forward as someone walked into view behind the counter. A familiar grey stallion, wearing a white canvas vest though his beret was nowhere on him. Winters immediately stopped after seeing Twilight in front of his counter.

He took a moment to recollect himself, “Te te… Twilight uh.. What’re you doing at my shop?” he asked her.

Twilight used her magic to lift up Spike from her body onto the warm wooden floor. She then turned to Winters who’s standing next to the younger thestral. They all looked awkwardly at each other, waiting for somebeing to break the silence.

Great Faust's Flanks, FLAME BREATHER!” the young thestral shouted, pointing at Spike with one hoof while the other hoof reached under the counter and pulled out a Steel and Whistler Model 86 revolver. She quickly pointed it at Spike with her wings.

Twilight’s heart raced quickly as she quickly stepped between Spike and the young thestral, shielding him from the gun.

“APPRENTICE, WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING!” Winters widened his eyes and yelled at her as he quickly took the gun away.

“Sir! THA- THAT'S A DRAGON IN THE STORE! YOU SAW HOW THEY BURN EVERYTHING, THE-THEY-THEY'RE MONSTERS-” she tried to explain, but her words fell on deaf ears as Winters closed the distance between them.

“That's enough!” he shouted, his tone growing angrier by the second. “Now I want you to apologise to two of my friends right this now!”

She slowly backed away from her employer, “Oh fine!” she said angrily. She turned to both of them and bowed, her face expressing a snarky tone. "I'm sorry, you two." she apologised semi-sarcastically, but Winters didn't seemed to notice.

Instead he turned to look at Twilight and Spike, the former frozen in place while the latter just looked at him in confusion without saying anything. He turned back to his apprentice.

“Up.” Winters pointed his hoof towards the floor above him.

The thestral took another look at the two in front of the counter, before moving past Winters and disappearing into the curtains, her hoofsteps slowly getting fainter.

Winters sighed before slumping himself on the counter.

…
…
…

That.. was... too… close.

“Are you okay Spike!” she asked him, worriedly and a bit relieved looking at him.

Spike turned to look at Twilight, with a calm but confused look on his face.

“THAT.. WAS AWESOME!” he shouted excitedly.

“IT’S JUST LIKE POWER PONIES SEASON 3 CHAPTER 4, WHEN THE HEROES SHIELDED A YOUNG FOAL FROM GETTING SHOT BY-”

“Spike, I don’t think it’s like in the comics you’ve been reading,” Twilight interrupted, her tone eerily calm for some reason. “Because SOMEONE’S APPRENTICE DECIDED TO PULL UP A GUN ON ME AND SPIKE!” she turned quickly to Winters as she changed her voice to anger.

Winters, who was examining the gun in his hooves, accidentally dropped it as he shrivelled up in fear seeing his old friend, now seething in anger directly at him. “Twilight! I uh.. I’m sorry?” he said nervously. Twilight marched closer to him and pulled Winters close to her face over the counter.

“You better be.” she said in a low voice. Seeing the fear in his face, Twilight calmed down her tone a bit though it didn't make her any less pissed about this. She let go of Winters much to his relief and walked back to Spike behind her. She picked him up with her magic and then placed her on her back.

Turning to Winters, “When I came here, originally I wanted to get my checklist and have Spike warmed up, at least until the sun comes up.” she said. “ As soon as I take a few steps inside, immediately I get held up!” her tone hinting much of frustration.

Winters held up his hooves in conciliation, “I’m sorry okay, I’m sorry! Apprentice usually doesn’t get along well with dragons!” he said in regret. “BUT, I promise you that she won’t ever do that again.”

Twilight took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She decided it's better to just momentarily forget about that incident. Besides she wasn’t here to make friends or whatnot, she has work to do.

“You know what, let's just forget about that.” she said, shaking her head dismissively.

Winters, who picked up the gun, nodded his head slowly. “Uh, yeah. Sorry, Twi..” he said, still ashamed at what happened. He placed the gun on the counter, seemingly not knowing what to do with it.

“Well.. anyways, the reason I'm here is to get my checklist that YOU took.” she emphasised.

Winters looked at him in curiousity, then widened his eyes, “ Oh, OH! I think I did take an odd paper.” Winters told her as he looked back and quickly disappeared into the curtains. Twilight stood there wide eyed, before quickly picking up Spike, jumping over the counter and chasing after him.

“Woah! Twiiiilight!”

Emerging from the curtains, Spike saw a stairwell leading downstairs, which looks like it leads to a deep abyss of darkness and despair and there’s absolutely no way he’s going down there just for the sake of a -

“Let’s get that checklist!” Twilight said, stepping down the stairs.

Twilight rushed into the abyss below, plainfully unaware of Spike’s fear of the dark as they descended below, “Twiiiilight!” Spike shouted to his dismay.

Reaching the end of the stairwell was complete darkness. Twilight nor Spike couldn’t see anything, stopping just at the ground.

“Uh.. Twilight I can’t see anything…” Spike whined, already fear creeping into his voice.

“It’s fine Spike. Let me just find a light switch.” Twilight assured her assistant gently, it’s not like she hasn’t been in the dark for a few times, most of them were in the Royal Canterlot Library after hours.

FTANG
“Did you hear that!” Spike said quickly, hugging Twilighttighter on her back. Twilight took a step back before-

FTANG

“That, THAT!” Spike shouted, his fear quickly taken hold of him.

But it quickly evaporated as the lights came on suddenly, illuminating their surroundings. Twilight closed her eyes from the sudden brightness, “What in the world..” Twilight said to herself before a loud voice shouted “Hahahaha, you ain’t gonna best me unreliable light!”

Twilight opened her eyes and saw Winter holding a broomstick under the light bulb. “Winters!” Twilight shouted at him.

Winters turned to her, “Oh uh.. Twilight, I thought you would be waiting upstairs?” he said nervously.

Twilight let out a groan before putting down Spike, now realising that the darkness will not be smothering him to death. Spike looked around in astonishment, basking in the environment of the room.

On the sides of the walls were various shelves, drawers full of diagrams, and blueprints. There were metal sheets and pieces of wood everywhere on the floor, and in the middle of the room was a large workbench, something that looks almost like a unfinished machinery under the table bieng covered by a large white cloth.

“Welcome to my humble workshop, this store doubles as a commercial service and repair centre for all of the residents of Ponyville!” Winters said, smiling proudly. "And of course, it triples as my gun smithing room!" he continued, unravelling the cloth to reveal an unfinished thingamajigs or prototype or something. She hasn't got a clue what it is supposed to be.

She turned to him, unamused. "Winters, are you going to get my check list or waste my time hearing about your shop?” she said with a snark and a frown.

"Right-right, hahaha! Almost forgot about that. Come here!" he said with a nervous chuckle, gesturing for them to follow him. They walked for a moment before arriving at a study desk with a couple of drawers, on the right side of the desk were a couple of baskets filled with rolled up blueprints and diagrams.

There’s so many of them… and so disorganised.

“What were you doing carrying so much?” Twilight asked incredulously as she pulled out a smaller diagram paper and a large blueprint.

He didn’t even label these, like he just tossed them in like a laundry basket.

“Because I make stuff for a living, and repair them?” he replied, turning to look at Twilight with a blank look. “Anyways your checklist should nea-”

“Oh cool!” Spike shouted excitedly, holding something in his claws.

“OH NO!” said a familiar voice.

Twilight and Winters turned towards the sound of the voices, and saw Spike and the thestral from earlier engaged in a tug of war over an unfinished project of Winters. It looked like a metal pipe of some sort, according to Twilight's best guess.

"Don't ever touch one of me sir's projects, ya darn flame breather!" the thestral apprentice spat out, trying to pull the metal pipe towards herself. "Get your filthy fire breathing paws of off it!"

Winters quickly stepped between them, taking the pipe from them both with a panicked expression. “What are you both doing to my grip handle!” he shouted, his voice filled with alarm.

I was just-" they both said together in unison, before glaring at each other, their eyes locked in a tense stare down.

“Alright both of you, especially you Spike. Don’t touch any of these projects lying around, they're all unfinished and potentially dangerous.” Winters explained with a worried look on his face.

The young thestral, who had been standing beside Winters, rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah," she said, sneering at Spike. "I'll make sure to keep a close eye on him, especially."

Spike, however, didn't seem fazed by her attitude. He met her gaze with a hint of sarcasm in his own voice. "Oh please, like your slit eyes could ever keep an eye on me."

Wide-eyed and clearly not pleased with Spike's sarcasm, the apprentice shot back, "Oh, you slimy little lizard!"

“THAT'S ENOUGH!” Winters suddenly shouted.

Both Spike and Winters’ apprentice recoiled at the sudden outburst, shock and surprise on both of their expressions. Even Twilight herself yelped while still sorting through the dozens of diagrams of paper, most of them on the floor.

"Apprentice, up." Winters said, his tone and expression serious. The apprentice looked at Spike and then at Winters, shame written on her face, before disappearing into a different room, curtains covering the entrance.

"Phew, what a relief," Spike said, looking at the now-absent thestral. But he soon realised that he may have said it a bit too loudly, as he not only had one pair of eyes but two glaring right at him. Turning to his right, he saw Twilight and Winters glaring at him. "Uh...I'm innocent?" he stammered.

“Spike… Couldn't you control your tongue for a while?” Twilight said in a disappointed tone.

“But she started it first!” Spike said, trying to defend himself.“I was just trying to have a look at it because it looked cool!.”

Winters looked at him, his eyebrows raised in disapproval. “Without touching my grip handle?” he asked, his tone making it clear that he was not pleased.

Spike laughed nervously, realising the gravity of his mistake. “Well, hahahah uh.... good point,” he stammered, looking at them both.

The workshop was silent for a moment as the tension lingered in the air. Finally, Twilight broke the silence with an annoyed tone, “You know Spike, I don’t really have time to mess around here.” she said.

“Not only do I have to first find the checklist and supervise the celebrations, but I still need time to find Star Swirl’s Unabridged Magical Theorem of Space and Field Volume I!” she exclaimed in frustration, before a cough escaped from Winters.

She looked at Winters on her left as he turned to look at her, “Your checklist? I think I kept it in my drawer.” he said excitedly.

Twilight’s eye twitched, “Oh.” she said calmly, trying to hide her annoyance at having wasted time searching for the checklist at the clearly cluttered and disorganised bundle of mess.

Winters quickly motioned to Twilight and reached out his hoof towards the top drawer of his desk. He pulled out a rolled up scroll, tied with a dark blue velvet ribbon.

“I’m guessing this is the one you-”

“FINALLY!” Twilight shouted out as she quickly took the scroll from hooves and quickly unrolled it.

Spike walked over to the duo, “How do you know if it's the princess’ scroll?” he asked. Twilight ignored Spike, and instead used her magic to pick him up again and placed him on her back. “Woah, Twilight seriously?” he asked, semi-sarcastically and incredulously.

“No time for answers, Spike. We have a celebration to supervise,” Twilight said determinedly as she began walking towards the workshop exit.

Winters turned to look at Twilight, who now is walking towards the stairs, “Wait Twilight!” with a nervous look on his face.

Twilight stopped in her tracks and turned to Winters with a mix of frustration and exhaustion , “Ugh.. what is it, Winters? I have an assignment to do!” she exclaimed, her voice laced with annoyance.

“Uh.. do you want to hang out for a while in Ponyville after the celebrations? There’s a lot of interesting stuff to check out here, especially the library.” he asked with a nervous tone in his voice. “You know, for old time’s sake!” he said, trying to inject some excitement into his voice.

Twilight rolled her eyes, “I’m already gonna go to the library anyways, besides I’m not planning to spend the entire day there... maybe, just for one book.” she said. “But I don’t think there’s enough time for us to waste together, it’s best if I do it alone with just Spike.” she said.

“Oh uh.. no worries! Have a good morning today!” he said, still trying to keep a cheerful outlook. “And you’re welcome!” Winters shouted out as Twilight and Spike left his shop, with Twilight too happy to finally leave.

Lesson 4: Caught in a Lie

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Lesson 4: Caught in a Lie.

As the first light of dawn tinged the sky with a warm orange hue, Ponyville residents stirred to life in anticipation of the Lunar Moon Celebrations. Everybeing from across the kingdom, news reporters, photographers and locals alike flooded the streets, eager to capture every moment of the festivities.

The marketplace district was a hive of activity, with stalls selling all sorts of items vying for attention. However, not everyone was happy with the influx of vendors.

“Gosh darnit, more and more ponies keep moving in with their fancy stalls and we can’t even get a good spot to set up on eh, Big Mac?” Applejack said to her brother as they began to set up their stall in the marketplace. “Even those fancy Cantelottian paparazzi's are scaring our other customers away.”

“Eyup.” Big Mac said quietly as he began to unload the cart full of apples onto the stall table, to be purchased by potential customers.

Applejack brought out a large sign that had a wording in big red captions.

SWEET APPLE ACRE APPLES!
NOW 3 APPLES FOR 1 TACK AND 50 BITS!

She then turned to her brother, “I'm headed back to the farm to take care of the feast catering. Try to talk up a little more, would ya? Sometimes you can be too quiet for your own good Mac.” she said as she began to attach the cart handle to herself.

As Big Mac watched Applejack trot away towards Sweet Apple Acres, a sense of solitude descended upon him. He was used to working the apple stall on his own. He looked out at the bustling market, with vendors shouting out their wares and the sounds of laughter and chatter filling the air.

And soon after immediately a white unicorn mare, with a purple mane approached the stall and wore a playful smile.

“Why good morning Mr Macintosh, how are you doing in this lovely morning?” she greeted him warmly, batting her eyelashes at him.

“Morning, Miss Belle.” Big Macintosh greeted back, nodding his head politely towards Rarity as she approached the stall. “I’m doing just fine, tending the stall for the celebration.”

“My, my!” Rarity letting out an exaggerated sigh and placing a hoof dramatically to her chest. She looked at Big Macintosh with a look of worriedness, “Then today must’ve been extremely busy, with all the customers coming for the celebration!”

…
…
…

“Uh Rarity? I’ve just setted up.” he said, sounding a little confused.

“Oh.. Er..” Rarity stammered, caught off guard by his statement. She quickly composed herself, her eyes shining with excitement. “Well then, I’ll be the first customer then! How much for these apples this morning?” she asked, pointing towards the red luscious apples on sale.

Big Mac explained, “”We have a special promotion goin' on, Miss Belle. Usually, we sell an apple for a Tack and half, but now they’re 3 for that price, a surplus we got this month! All thanks to-”

Rarity quickly cut him off, an alluring smile on her face as she leaned forward. “To your amazing academic qualifications ever since getting your graduation for your major in Business, Finance and Accounting at Manehatten University?”

Big Macintosh chuckled softly, “Naw, Miss Belle. Ain’t got nothing to do with me. This here’s all thanks to Applejack and Applebloom. They’ve been working day and night to bring in loads of apples, especially with the celebration coming up.”

Rarity’s smile faltered, “Oh..” she said, whilst biting her lip.

“Eyup, and thanks to them we got ourselves a large surplus this month since we’re also in charge of the catering for the celebrations.” he said happily.

Rarity turned to Big Mac with a soft smile, “Well, it’s good to hear that Mr Macintosh, I sincerely hope your family will enjoy your fruits of labour.” she chuckled.

Big Mac replied with a chuckle. Rarity then picked up 2 apples with her magic and placed them into a paper bag at the stall. She handed over the amount towards Big Mac before scurrying off towards the town hall. “Have a good day, Miss Belle!”

“You too, darling! I hope your business goes well!”

An hour passed by as Big Mac stood at the stall, his calm demeanour a stark contrast to the bustling marketplace around him. There were plenty of customers to buy apples, some were a family or in a group, others were in either a duo of reporters or as lone journalists.

As he finished placing the Tacks in the register, a lavender unicorn mare approached the stall, with a small drake in tow.

Sure is a good day today.

Echoing through a room at the Ponyville Inn was a piercing ringing of an alarm clock jolting Twilight Sparkle from her slumber, causing her to sit upright in bed with a start. She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the grogginess that clung to her like a heavy shroud.

She turned to the alarm clock, still ringing loudly and turned the alarm off. She looked at the time displayed on the lock.

It’s 8.30 in the morning.

With a deep breath, Twilight climbed out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom, still feeling the grogginess of sleep clinging to her. Opening the door she stopped towards the sink and turned the sink handle, splashing herself with water. She looked at herself in the mirror. “Well Twilight, you’ll either end this day on a high note, or in an asylum.”

“Twi, are you speaking to yourself again?” Spike said, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he emerged from the shower curtain. “I thought we cured you of that?”

“Spike… how long were you in the shower for?” she asked whilst rolling her eyes. Spike only gave a shrug before hopping out of the shower and into the bedroom.

Twilight let out a loud sigh, it’s gonna be a long day ahead of her. She walked out of the bedroom and saw Spike on the bed, sitting down with the checklist on his claws. “Let’s get out of here Spike.” Twilight said to him.

Spike replied with a nod before hopping off the bed. Together, they left the room and stepped out into the street and went to the receptionist to check out.

“So, are we going to follow the checklist in order or pick whatever is closest?” Spike asked as they reached the reception desk in the lobby.

Twilight was taken aback by the question. “Of course we’re following it in order! Imagine if I just woke up and left without eating breakfast,” she replied, her voice filled with surprise and disbelief.

Spike let out a sigh, rolling his eyes at Twilight’s response. “C’mon, Twilight. You said it yourself, it’s about efficiency!” he argued, trying to convince her to take a shortcut.

But Twilight was strict in her approach, countering with a huff, “Spike, taking a shortcut is not efficiency, it’s absolute laziness.” “No shortcuts, no exceptions!” she said with a final determination.

Spike sighed in defeat, he knew she wasn’t gonna budge anytime soon. “Alright, alright. Let’s stick to the plan and get this done so we can have some fun at the celebration later,”

As they walked down the busy street, Twilight turned to Spike, her steps determined as she asked, “So what’s first on the list, Spike?”

Spike unrolled the checklist, scanning the first name before speaking, “Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres, she’s in charge of most of the catering for the celebration feast.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up with excitement, “So all we need to do is find her,” she said, determination clear in her voice. Spike couldn’t help but roll his eyes before continuing to read the checklist out loud.

“The producers for each food are gathering at Sweet Apple Acres for the rendezvous.” Spike continued before rolling it back. He turned to Twilight, “So everybeing involved with the catering is gonna be there. But do we know where it is?”

Twilight stopped in her tracks and turned to Spike, “What do you mean?”

Spike let out a sigh, “I mean, how are we supposed to find it? It’s not like there’s a big sign pointing us in the right direction.” He pointed his claw to the street devoid of any signs.

Twilight facehoofed in frustration, realizing she didn’t know where to find Sweet Apple Acres. But then her expression brightened.

“I have an idea! What if we ask the stall merchants in the market district if they know where Sweet Apple Acres is?” she suggested to Spike, a grin spreading across her face.

Spike considered the suggestion for a moment before nodding in agreement. “You know what, that’s actually not a bad idea! I’m sure someone there knows where Sweet Apple Acres is.”

Almost an hour later

They had asked almost everyone they came across in the marketplace, but to no avail. Twilight was becoming increasingly frustrated and Spike was starting to feel hungry.

“Ugh.. Isn’t there anyone who can tell us where Sweet Apple Acre is!” Twilight exclaimed in frustration as they wandered around the marketplace.

Spike turned to Twilight with a nod and a sympathetic look on his face, “ Yeah, it’s kinda surprising that not a single one knows where Sweet Apple Acre is!” He clutched his stomach with his claws. “Not only that, I haven’t eaten anything since I woke up.”

“Well, you can eat after we find Sweet Apple Acres but now, there’s not even a short of a hint here.” Twilight responded.

Spike let out a sigh, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Let’s keep searching.” He patted his growling stomach, trying to ignore his hunger. “ Can we at least get something to bite on?”

Twilight cast a tired glance at Spike as he whined. She sighed and gave in, “Alright, Spike. I suppose we can grab something to eat from the stalls. I just hope we don’t go over.”

Spike’s eyes lit up with excitement, eager to sample some of the delicious treats the marketplace had to offer. “Awesome!” he exclaimed, jumping up and down.

“Just remember, I didn’t bring many Tacks with us, so we’ll have to be careful about what we buy,” Twilight reminded Spike, trying to keep her expenses and him in check.

Spike exclaimed, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard you, Twi.” He paused for a moment before continuing,” Anyways, I saw a stall earlier with some apples, and I bet they’re cheap! I mean, what could go wrong with a classic like apples, right?” he said excitedly, before immediately putting a claw in his mouth.

Twilight stopped walking and turned to Spike with a mixed expression, her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Spike,” she began in a calm tone, “you saw an apple stall earlier when we were trying to find Sweet Apple Acres?” she asked, her tone slowly becoming from calm to annoyance.

Spike grinned nervously at her, “Well uh, kinda forgot to tell you about that?” he admitted, a sheepish grin on his face.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, her expression showing disapproval., “Spike…”she said, her tone of voice making it clear that she wasn’t happy with his omission of the very clear and important details.

“Hey don’t blame me, Twilight! You’re the one who insisted to talk to everybeing in the marketplace.” Spike protested, trying to defend himself.

Twilight sighed, her annoyance and frustration evident in her voice. “You could have at least said something, Spike. Instead of keeping quiet the whole time. We’ve been walking around for almost an hour and we haven’t made any progress finding Sweet Apple Acres,” she said, frustration clear in her voice.

“Alright, alright I’m sorry okay? Can we just go to the stall now to eat?” Spike said, clutching his stomach again.

Spike, sometimes you get on my nerves, you really do. But it’s a good thing you’re my companion and friend. Or else I might-

Twilight quickly shook her head, “Forget about it Spike. Anyways, where’s the stall that you mentioned?”

Spike looked at Twilight with a sparkle in his eyes, “Awesome! The apple stand is right over there, come on Twi!” The otherwise famished dragon eagerly pulled her along by her hoof as they made their way through the crowded marketplace.

The stalls of the marketplace were lined up along the Ponyville River, each with its own unique colour and pattern. Some even proudly displayed the national flag near their stands, hoisted up proudly near the poles.

Twilight scanned the area, searching for the apple stand that Spike had mentioned. Finally Spike stopped, letting go of Twilight’s hoof.

“See! I told you this is the stall we’re looking for.” Spike pointed to a small wooden stand, with bright red apples neatly arranged on top. A large red earth pony stallion stood behind the stand, a friendly smile on his face as he finished serving the other customer at the stall.

As Big Mac finished placing the Tacks in the register, Twilight approached the stall, with Spike right behind her, “Pardon me, I need to ask?”

Big Mac turned to Twilight and gave her a soft smile, “Eyup.”

“Do you know the location of Sweet Apple Acres, sir?” asked Twilight, hoping that this stallion might be the answer after an hour of walking and searching.

“Eyup!” replied Big Mac, with a calm but otherwise friendly tone.

Finally, task number 1 will be accomplished!

Twilight turned to Spike with a thankful grin on her face before quickly recomposing herself and turning to Big Mac “Could you tell us where it is?” she asked with a neutral tone, hoping that a professional tone will give her a clearer and concise answer.

Big Mac gave a friendly nod to her, “Eyup.” said Big Mac, whilst he reached down with his hooves and picked up a folded paper. He unfolded it and laid it down flat towards the Twilight and Spike.

“First y’all take the westernmost bridge near Quills and Sofas. If you see Ponyville Elementary, then just head straight down the road until you see the sign and entrance to the farm,” Big Mac explained as he pointed to the western bridge on the map..

Twilight’s eyes widened with excitement, “This is great! Do you mind if I borrow this for a while?” she said while taking the map from the table.

Big Mac nodded approvingly, a friendly smile on his face. “It’s fine y’all can take it. I’m local round’ here anyways, so it ain’t too hard for me to find my way.”

“That’s great, thank-” before Twilight could finish her sentence, Big Mac stopped her with a quick sentence of his own.

“However, I’ll need to ask, why are y’all asking for my family’s farm? Are y’all some sort of investors or something?” he asked, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he looked at Twilight with interest.

Twilight shook her head, “Oh no, I’m the royal supervisor for the Lunar Moon Celebrations. The Princess sent me here to check on the celebrations. You know, catering, security, weather and such.” Twilight explained to him. “ But anyways-”

“Ah, I see. Well my name is Macintosh Apple, but folks call me Big Mac in these parts, pleasure to meet ya miss..?”

Twilight shook her head, “No need for name exchanges, Mr Macintosh. I’m on a bit of a tight schedule right now, but I guess thank you for your help.” she said quickly, eager to quickly finish this conversation and to go to Sweet Apple Acres.

Big Mac nodded his head, “I understand miss, in the meantime y’all would like to purchase one of our apples on the way. We’re having a promotion and I suggest y'all take 3 for the road ahead.” Big Mac offered kindly.

Spike, overhearing the offer, perked up with excitement, “Awesome! Come on Twilight, I’m starving!” he exclaimed, his belly rumbling with hunger.

Twilight rolled her eyes while Big Mac chuckled at Spike’s over voraciousness and insatiable hunger. Twilight looked around the apple stand, taking in the dozens of shiny,and succulent red apples that were lined up in a slightly messy but still orderly fashion. Behind Big Mac stood a large wooden crate overflowing with apples.

Twilight felt a slight rumble in her stomach,“Well I’ll guess take three, I mean we ARE pretty hungry.” she said while looking at the delicious apples on display. Spike, hearing Twilight’s agreement, let out a cheer. “Awesome!”

Big Mac reached for three of the juiciest apples from the stand and placed them in a brown paper bag. He handed the bag over to Twilight with a smile, “Enjoy the taste of the freshest apples from Sweet Apple Acres, Miss Twilight. And be sure to say hello to my sister, Applejack, for me!”

Twilight nodded in appreciation before taking out a 5 Tack banknote and handing them to Big Mac. However, he quickly tried to protest, “Uh, Miss Twilight, it’s only-”

But Twilight cut him off with a wave of her hoof. “Keep the change, Mr. Macintosh. We’re not going to be here for long,” she explained to him as she and Spike began to walk away from the stall towards the road.

“Ah, well have a good day Miss Twilight!” Big Mac said to them as they walked away from his stall.

Weird mare..

Twilight and Spike made their way down the dirt road, surrounded by towering trees that lined the sides. The sound of their footsteps echoed as the dirt and pebbles under their hooves were compressed with each step. The rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds could be heard in the distance, giving the area an otherwise peaceful and serene atmosphere.

Twilight carefully scrutinised the map in her magic, while also looking up occasionally too if they reached the farm. Meanwhile, Spike walked happily beside her, savouring the juicy sweetness of one of the apples they had picked up from Big Mac’s stand.

“You haven’t touched your *crunch* mmmh... Your apple yet.” Spike said as he continued munching on the apple to Twilight as he offered the remaining one to her.

“You can take it Spike, I’m not hungry.” Twilight replied dismissively, keeping her eyes focused on the map. Spike’s face lit up with delight as he happily took another bite from his apple, “Awesome! More for me then!”

The two of them continued walking down the dirt road surrounded by tall trees on either side. The sound of their hooves crunching against the dirt and small stones echoed through the quiet forest.

Twilight and Spike stopped in their tracks as Twilight’s eyes were drawn to a large wooden sign with bold, red letters that was positioned at the entrance of a wide, white fenced-in area on the right side of the road. The sign was well-crafted, with the letters seeming to jump out from the wooden boards and the green background of the surrounding trees.

Sweet Apple Acres

Twilight’s mouth slowly spreaded into a smile as she quickly folded the map back. “Spike, we’re finally here!” she said in excitement. “After an hour and a half of searching, task one is already finished!”

“Overambitious much? It’s not like we’re having a national emergency or something.” Spike said in a mild tone of sarcasm, chuckling as he finished off the last bite of his apple.

Twilight, however, didn’t seem to be in a laughing mood. She picked up Spike in her magic and placed him on her back, eager to get to their destination as quickly as possible. With determination in her step, she hastened her pace and made her way towards the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres.

As Twilight and Spike approached the farm, they were greeted by a sprawling landscape dotted with trees and a few buildings. In the centre of it all stood a large farmhouse, surrounded by a white picket fence. From the east to the south of the farmhouse was a vast orchard, filled with rows upon rows of lush apple trees, while to the west was a modest chicken coop, enclosed. But before she could enter the land, she stumbled upon a roadblock.

A roadblock that is a young red maned filly with a yellow coat, who was squinting at them with suspicion. The filly had a neat pink ribbon tied in her mane, adding a pop of colour to her already striking appearance. She stood firmly in front of the farm entrance, blocking their path.

“What are y’all doing here at my family’s farm?” she asked Twilight in a curious but cautious tone. Her eyes flitted from Twilight to Spike, taking in their appearance as Spike jumped down from Twilight’s back.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel a mixture of amusement and frustration as she looked at the young filly standing before her.

I wonder if this filly is related to the Macintosh stallion earlier, Applejack I think? Wait no Applejack is organising the catering, could be another sibling?

Twilight cleared her throat as she spoke to the filly, “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m the royal supervisor sent by Princess Luna to check in with catering, so uh… I need to speak with Applejack.” she said to the young filly.

The filly’s eyes then lit up with jubilancy when she realised who the mare was, “Woooo-weeee! Ah heard about ya Miss Twilight, you must be so gosh darn lucky to be the princess’ protege and now you’re here to see our family!” she said, jumping up and down.

Before Twilight could say another word, the filly quickly trotted away towards the farmhouse. “Applejack, Applejack!” she yelled out at the top of her lungs. Twilight thought this could maybe turn out for the worst so she quickly chased after the filly, “Wait, filly!” She shouted out as she chased after her, while Spike was left behind again at the farm entrance.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head as he watched Twilight dash away. “Really, Twi?” he said, feeling a bit left out as he always did when Twilight was in a hurry. “I’m seriously getting tired of this.” he muttered to himself, as he made his way to catch up with Twilight and the filly.

Applejack stood at the head of the table, surveying the group of farmer representatives gathered behind the farmhouse. “Alright, everypony,” she said, “And bug,” glancing briefly at a bug pony who was in attendance. “Ah gonna assume that each of y’all have finished with your catering business.”

Golden Harvest, placed a steaming dish of aromatic stew in front of the gathered farmer representatives. The dish was overflowing with chunks of tender carrots and a medley of spices, giving off a warm and inviting aroma.

Golden Harvest beamed with pride as she spoke. “This here’s my special carrot stew, made with spices to bring back memories of the first Lunar Moon Celebration!”

However, Berry Punch was quick to quash her excitement. The mare leaned back in her seat with a smirk on her face, taking a swig from the bottle of cider. “It ain’t nostalgic that's for sure, considering that the ones alive back then aren’t alive now,” she teased, much to the amusement of those around her. “Except for Princess Luna, hahaha!”

Golden Harvest sighed and rolled her eyes as she turned towards Berry Punch, “Anyways, how is NARA doing to that off-licence of yours anyways?” she asked towards Berry Punch. Berry Punch smiled slightly before taking in another chug of cider.

“Not as lucky as the Apple’s cider, but it is moving along. Should expect it till next month.” she replied. “In the meantime, my pub’s open for business for everyone to enjoy!” she said in mock celebratoryness as she took a smaller sip.

Applejack nodded a bit sympathetically at Berry Punch, “Well I’m sure those Canterlottians will approve it as soon as they-” Applejack was cut off by a loud snore from behind her, she turned towards the source only to find her grandmother Granny Smith sleeping on the rocking chair.

Golden Harvest laid her face on her hoof and chuckled.“Your grandmother is still rocking after all these years huh?” she said. Berry Punch simply nodded, while the other representative Charleston Cabbage simply looked at the old mare.

“Long live Berry Punch’s uh… non-alcoholic punch!” said a drunk Berry Punch suddenly as she began popping off a cork and drank more of the Apple family’s cider. Before quickly dropping her head on the table as she slept off her insobriety.

Applejack chuckled a bit before turning to Charleston with already a clear answer in her mind, “And before ya say anything Charlie, your family’s Caesar Salad is good enough alright?” Applejack assured him.

He nodded but just as he opened his mouth as if he was about to ask her something, he was suddenly cut short by a loud shout from the other side of the farmhouse.

“Applejack! Applejack!” came a familiar voice, belonging to a filly. Applejack turned around to see her young sister, Applebloom from her eyes, being chased by a lavender unicorn mare.

Without wasting a moment of time, Applejack took the rope near the table and swiftly spun it into lasso, biting the end of it with her mouth as she threw it over the unicorn in fast and expert fashion.

Twilight saw the loop of rope heading towards her quickly, and before she could react, she found herself tied up tightly like a pinata hanging from a tree branch. “Wait! Let me go!” Twilight cried out as she struggled to untie herself, but to no avail.

Applebloom continued to look on in shock as Applejack tightened the rope around Twilight. “Applejack, what in tarnation are you doing to her?” she asked her older sister. Applejack finally turned to face her sister, still holding the rope in her mouth. “She’s that Twilight Sparkle pony we were waiting for, she was gonna to observe the food we’re making for the princess!” Applebloom explained further.

Applejack’s eyes widened as she processed the information her sister was telling her.

Faust darnit, Applebloom. You had to tell me after I’ve already tied her up?

Applejack quickly let go of the rope, which quickly resulted in Twilight face planting on the ground, much to the chagrin of Spike, who had just arrived, and couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the sight,“Bwahahaahah! That’s just.. Ahhaha!” he laughed out loud, while clutching his stomach and rolling on the ground.

Twilight rubbed the side of her head as she slowly stood up, while Applejack quickly helped her to her hooves. “I'm so-so sorry that I did that to you Miss Sparkle.” Applejack said in regret. “Ah thought y’all was some no good varmint trying to take my little sister.

Twilight turned to the mare with a clear expression of annoyance and irritation on her face, “I was hoping that we could talk more like civilised beings here..” she said to Applejack.

Applejack face winced at that supposed insult, “Look I'm sorry about that Miss Sparkle, Ah really do. Ah just hope we don’t mean any kind of uh… distrust between us, pardner?” she said with a nervous smile.

Twilight rolled her eyes, “You know what it’s fine, I’ve had a rough morning, so let’s just get this over with as quickly as possible.” Twilight said in a matter-of-fact tone. Twilight looked behind Applejack and saw Applebloom behind her, probably feeling like she caused this.

Applejack nodded in agreement, grateful that the incident wouldn’t impact Twilight’s opinion of their family. Meanwhile, Spike finally stopped laughing and stood up, but was met with an annoyed look from Twilight. “Did you have a good time laughing at my expense?” she asked Spike.

Spike smirked a bit as he looked over Twilight, who’s mane a bit dishevelled. “Well I actually did, thanks for asking Twi!” he said, chuckling a bit.

Twilight rolled her eyes and gave out a sigh before turning back to Applejack, “Anyways, I’m supposed to be checking things out here for the food preparations and catering.” she said, rubbing herself from the dirt and grime for her coat with her magic.

Applejack’s face lit up, “Yeeeehaw!” she said, “I'm mighty thankful you accept my apology, Miss Sparkle!” she continued, taking Twilight’s hoof and giving it a firm shake. Twilight couldn’t pull out her hoof because the earthpony’s grip on her hoof is not only strong but also release-resistant too.

Applejack released her iron grip hoof from Twilight before motioning Twilight and Spike towards the picnic table. Twilight and Spike looked at each other for a moment, the former had a somewhat of a nervous look on her face while the latter was otherwise excited.

“The name’s Applejack here and this young-un’s name is sweet little Applebloom,” Applejack proudly introduced and ruffled Applebloom’s mane, causing the filly to bashfully look away from the two visitors.

Applejack then motioned for Twilight and Spike to take a seat at the table with the other representatives while she and Applebloom quickly ran into the farmhouse to attend to some important task.

As a mild silence overtook the table guests, Golden Harvest thought this would be the perfect time to advertise her business towards the Canterlottian guests, but drunk Berry Punch beat her to the punch.

“Heyya, fellas?” she said, her words slurred and her breath reeks of apple cider as she leans forward to them both. “I owns a pub and disssstillery thing up north, ssso swanna take a look at them laterrr…?”

Twilight quickly pulled Spike away from Berry and shot her a stern look. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, miss...?” she said, pausing as she waited for the inebriated Berry Punch to introduce herself.

Berry Punch gave a loud hiccup and swayed on her seat before introducing herself, “Berry Punch, Ponyville’s second greatest alcoholic!” she said, giving out a crooked grin as she leaned back on her chair. “The first is Applejack of course!”

“And I’m guessing that you meant your distillery right?” Twilight said with a raised eyebrow, trying to steer the conversation back to a more professional level. Berry Punch only nodded before slumping back onto the table, into drunken sleep.

Golden Harvest seeking to salvage the situation quickly chimed in, “OF COURSE SHE IS!” she exclaimed, her words a bit too loud before quickly clearing her throat and recomposing herself.

“I mean, of course! She’s just in her mojo right now, in the meantime my name is Carrot Top, but everyone around here calls me Golden Harvest, or call me Goldie for short.”

Twilight smiled briefly while Spike simply chuckled a bit at the slumped Berry Punch, “Geez, and I thought you were a heavy snorer Twi-” as he turned to see Twilight with a quite creepy smile staring back at him. Spike closed his mouth as he felt the tension and nerves built up, “Right shutting up for now.”

Twilight turned back to the representatives and quickly set her eyes upon a changeling sitting on her right, “What about you Mr…?”

Before the changeling could answer his own name, Golden Harvest quickly cut him off. “His name is Charlyx Cabbage, we call him Charlie though because he is a cute lil- changeling bug from the lands of the east right?” she said as she ruffled his mane, much to his displeasure.

Vietlingese words escaped from his from his mouth as Charlie closed his eyes in embarrassment. Golden Harvest then turned to Twilight with a grin on her face, “I own a carrot farm on the east of Ponyville, somewhere near Fluttershy’s house you know? It-s like a big-”

A voice suddenly bellowed from behind them, ”BRUNCH IS OPEN FOR EVERYPONY, AND BUG!” The ground shook as if a giant stampede was taking place.

As Twilight and Spike turned around, they were greeted by the sight of an entire family leaving the farmhouse. The ground shook beneath them as the family members, each carrying plates of food, bowls, and a pot of apple stew, made their way towards the picnic table.

Applejack quickly set down the food on the table and turned to Twilight with a friendly smile, “This here’s Apple Cinnamon, Dutch Apple, Apple Pie, Apple Fritters, Apple Crisp, Baked Apples, Apple Chip. Caramel Apple, and Apple Tart!” she said with a hint of pride.

Twilight looked over the dishes with a mild interest before resting her eyes on the family members, “Well they all look alright I guess, I’m guessing these are for the catering?” she asked Applejack.

“Eyup!” Applejack said excitedly, pointing towards the dishes, “We’ve got a pot of Apple Stew, a plateful of Apple Fritters, and-”

Twilight quickly cut her off before she could finish her full list of dishes. “Oh, I don’t think I need to know every dish, I just want to make sure the food’s ready.” she said with a nervous chuckle.

Applejack’s family, who were all gathered around the table, cheered and agreed with her statement. Golden Harvest, who was sitting nearby with her face resting on her hoof, simply nodded before looking back at the dozens of dishes laid out before her.

“Show off,” she murmured under her breath, but her words were lost in the chatter of the Apple family as they bustled around, making final preparations for the meal.

Spike’s mouth watered at the sight of the delicious and aromantic dishes, its scent already tantalising his taste buds at its max. “Well I guess we should be heading off for now, we have other work to check up on.” Twilight said suddenly as she stood up from the table, much to the shock of Spike and some of the Apple members.

“But...but why? They’ve got loads of delicious food here, Twilight!” Spike said frantically, his eyes fixated on the spread of food before him. Applebloom who was near looked at her with puppy dog eyes, as she began to understand that Twilight was leaving without having a single bite. “Aren’t ya gonna stay for brunch?”

“We don’t have time for this! Besides Spike, you already had a couple of apples before.” Twilight replied nonchalantly.

Applejack approached Twilight, her expression now visibly irritated, “But it’s tradition, to sit down and share a meal with those ya visit, especially the royal supervisor! And from the looks of it, Miss Sparkle, you haven’t had a bite yet? Your stomach’s all rumbling since you came in, your teeth ain’t look like they touched anything for a while and you smells as clean as a fresh mint!”

Are you kidding me? Is this country mare some of detective or something?

“I.. already ate a big breakfast, plus... I'm a Fauterian” she lied, her voice becoming louder to hide her jitters. She couldn’t help but feel like Applejack was getting on her nerves. But Spike wasn’t about to let it go.

“Since when? I ate everything on the way, and plus you're not even the slightest religious!” Applejack’s suspicion was now fully piqued, and Twilight could feel herself becoming more and more flustered.

Why do you have to say that Spike, not only this red neck family would insist even more on eating but they’ll make sure that I finish it all..

“Miss Sparkle,” Applejack started, her tone soft but stern, “We here at Sweet Apple Acres are all about hospitality, care and honesty. But Ah just don’t understand why ya would have to lie about something as simple as having a meal with all of us.”

Twilight was reaching her breaking point, her frustration and anger evident in her eyes as she locked gazes with Applejack. The country mare took a step back, taken aback by the intensity of Twilight’s glare.

“I don’t have time for this, miss.” Twilight spoke firmly, her voice growing louder with each word. “I have five more places to check and the main celebration starts in just seven hours. I can’t waste time here, no matter WHAT!” she said, her voice growing as almost as a shout.

“What’s growing all this racket ruckus!” a voice shouted out.

Everyone turned to old mare on her rocking chair, slowly waking up. She looked straight at Twilight and Applejack, fixing a stern gaze upon the two as she had one question in mind, “Why are y’all shouting in my home?”

Applejack stammered in her words before quickly coming up with an answer, “Thi- this mare over here is royal supervisor from the Canterlot, Granny Smith! We was just uh.. -” she began before being cut off abruptly by Twilight.

“Mrs. Smith, we were just discussing how Applejack is gonna let me go from this farm so I can work on some duties, am I right?” she said, smiling slightly towards Applejack who now realised that she is trying to take advantage of this situation.

Granny Smith’s eyes, lit up hearing Twilight’s position gave a large smile an old mare can give, “Well yee haw, I’d say that you gotta enjoy our delicious apples here!” she said with excitement.

Applejack shifted her weight and looked at Twilight with a knowing look. before turning her eyes Granny Smith’s. “Uh, yes ma’am! I'd say Miss Sparkle is mighty hungry after walking from Ponyville without eating one of our finest apples!” she said, turning to Twilight with a sneering smile.

Granny Smith slowly rose from her rocking chair, making her way towards the table full of food. “Well, ain’t no way a royal supervisor is gonna leave without tasting a bite of our Apple family’s finest food!” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Twilight widened her eyes and quickly made an excuse, “Oh I can’t do that Mrs. Smith, we don’t have a lot of time.”

Granny Smith stopped in her tracks and turned to face Twilight, a stern look on her face. “Nonsense, yer here on official business, it’s only right that you enjoy a proper meal before ya leave. And besides, you look like you could use a good meal,” she said with a hint of warmth in her voice.

Twilight pondered hard then glancing towards Spike, who made his best attempt at mimicking a pitiful expression. Twilight sighed heavily, seeing that the best way to finish this fast and end her misery is to just go with the offer, “Fine..”

Applejack gave a light chuckle before being silenced by Twilight’s glare, “Remember Miss Sparkle, the Apple family always keep their guests full!” Applejack said with a bit of pride though a bit nervous at the glare, much to Twilight’s dismay and Spike’s cheer.

Kill me..

Lesson 5: The One and Only!

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Lesson 5: The One and Only!

Twilight and Spike reached the west bridge of Ponyville, but she felt full, extremely full. “I shouldn’t have agreed,”Twilight muttered to herself, feeling the weight of the entire plate of food she had just consumed. “And now I feel too damn full to take another step.” she grumbled under her breath.

Spike meanwhile felt satisfied, “Only Twilight Sparkle will complain of filling her stomach with delicious food.” he grinned as he looked at Twilight, who is now leaning against the railing of the bridge.

Twilight started heaving and she took a couple of deep breaths, Spike walked next to her and placed a claw on her back and patted her comfortably. “Hey, you’re feeling good Twi?” he began, hoping his caretaker wasn’t sick or anything.

“I’m fine Spike,” Twilight said, as she took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. “I just need a moment to myself.”

She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Spike stood next to her, silent and concerned, but not wanting to interrupt her moment of peace.

After a few minutes, Twilight opened her eyes and looked at Spike with a small smile. “Thanks Spike, I feel a little better now.” she said, patting his head. “Let’s go and check up on the next one on the list.” she said her mouth slowly opened up into a soft smile as she began to walk away from the bridge.

Spike nodded as he unrolled the scroll in his left claw. “This one’s Rainbow Dash, supposed to be one of the weather crew captains to make sure the moon isn’t covered by the clouds above.”

Twilight gazed up at the sky, her eyes scanning the expanse of blue and white. The clouds, however, were not as she had expected. They were clumped together in untidy masses, some of them shaped like absurd animals or enormous cotton balls. Her frustration began to boil inside of her.

“I’m starting to think that this Rainbow Dash isn’t taking her job seriously,” she muttered, her anger quietly risening.

Spike noticed Twilight’s growing frustration and quickly took action, placing a comforting claw on her back, “Hey Twi, calm down,” he soothed. “Maybe she’s just had a lot on her plate today?””

As soon as he said that, a loud snore erupted above them. Twilight and Spike looked up to see a rainbow-maned pegasus, fast asleep on a cloud, snoring loudly. Twilight’s eyes twitched.

“You!” she shouted towards the sleeping pegasus. Her voice echoed throughout the sky, waking up the mare. The pegasus rubbed her eyes and looked down to see Twilight and Spike, glaring up at her.

“Hey! What’s the big idea!” she shouted out towards the unicorn, who seemed angry for some reason at her.

Rainbow Dash’s defiance only added fuel to Twilight’s anger. She marched towards the cloud where Rainbow Dash was, with Spike following close behind.

“You are supposed to be clearing the skies and making sure the weather is perfect for the festivities tonight,” Twilight scolded, her voice filled with frustration and disbelief. “But instead, you’re napping on the job!”

“So you think it’s my job?”

“Of course!” Twilight barked out, her frustration reaching a boiling point. “Your name is Rainbow Dash, right?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled wholeheartedly, “The one and only! Fastest pegasi in the state and soon-to-be Wonderbolt!” she said with a cocky smirk as she puffed her chest out.

“So what’s your excuse for not doing your job?”

Rainbow Dash glared at Twilight, “What’s that supposed to mean?” she said, her raspy voice filled with annoyance.

Twilight pointed towards the pegasus mare with a scowl, “It means it requires a team to perform, which means WHERE IS YOUR TEAM!” she shouted, her voice echoing throughout the sky.

Spike, who had been watching the exchange with growing alarm, realised that he needed to step in and calm Twilight down before things escalated any further. He patted his claw on her back and spoke in a soothing tone. “Hey Twi, calm down. Maybe she has a perfectly reasonable explanation for it?”

“Yeah, I gave them a week off!” Rainbow Dash suddenly said, overhearing Spike’s reassurances.

Twilight’s anger reached its peak as she heard Rainbow Dash’s explanation. “A FUCKING week off?!” she shouted. “Don’t you FUCKING realise that there is a big celebration tonight and the sky needs to be crystal clear?”

A nearby crowd formed and some began whispering as they recognised her from the morning earlier, now yelling at a different mare.

Spike winced at Twilight’s sudden outburst, while Rainbow Dash looked taken aback at the unicorn’s use of language. The normally calm and collected Twilight was completely lashing out, her anger boiling over.

“Twi, I think that’s enough,” Spike warned, trying to get Twilight to calm down. "Everyone's noticing.."

“Pffft, I can clear the skies in 10 seconds flat, just you see!” she said, her ego unchanged as she looked down at Twilight with a confident smirk.

Does she honestly think that she can clear all of this in 10 seconds? What an egotistical braggart.

“Fine.” she said in a calm tone suddenly despite the anger still simmering just beneath the surface. “Prove it.”

Rainbow Dash’s smirk only grew wider at the challenge, and without a moment wasted she took to the air with a burst of speed. With each buck, she cleared the clumps of clouds, the makeshift animals, and the weird cloud shapes.

Within seconds, the Ponyville sky was cleared of any clouds. The sun clearly illuminated a bright yellow light on the town, much to the cheer and excitement of the crowd as they clapped their hooves and praised Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash landed gracefully back on the ground, her chest puffed out with pride. “See? Told you I could do it,” she said with a smirk, looking back at Twilight.”What do you think of that?” she asked, relishing in Twilight’s stunned expression.

“Wha.. What,” Twilight stuttered, still in disbelief at what she had just seen. Her eyes darted around, and her mind raced, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

“So, how was it?” Rainbow Dash asked, her cocky demeanour still present as she hovered in front of Twilight with a self-assured grin. Her wings flapped steadily, creating a soft rustling sound as she gently touched the ground.

Twilight nodded, still feeling a mix of emotions as she bit her lip. “I have to admit, it was impressive,” she finally said, reluctantly. “But that still doesn’t excuse the fact that you were napping on the job, and that your team was on a week off on the most important day of the month!”

Rainbow Dash frowned as she heard Twilight’s words, her ego slightly deflating but she’s not gonna let this fly by. She’s Rainbow Dash after all!

“Hey, at least the skies cleared right? Nothing wrong with that!” she said with a shrug, trying to downplay the situation.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, her anger slowly starting to boil over again. “You, this is not just about the skies being cleared. It’s about being responsible and taking your job seriously! You can’t just take a week off whenever you please.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, her temper rising as well. “Whatever, at least the skies are cleared , that’s all that matters.”

Twilight’s anger reached its peak, “ARE YOU SERIOUS!” she shouted. The crowd was starting to crowd around them again as they watched in amazement at them both.

Is this mare the most incompetent pegasus entirety of the kingdom! She is REALLY testing my nerves now!

Rainbow Dash stood her ground, a stubborn look on her face. “Yes, I’m serious. What’s the big deal? The skies are cleared, aren’t they?” she said, trying to defend herself. “I swear you’re just acting like a little school filly who lost her pursie bag of froo froo.” she teased at Twilight.

Oh you son of a-

Twilight finally reached her furious peak but before she could argue further, Rainbow Dash suddenly took flight and flew off towards the marketplace, leaving Twilight and Spike, along with the small crowd, watching in surprise. She watched as Rainbow Dash went towards a nearby stall and bought something, her mind racing with what it could be.

When she returned, Rainbow Dash carried two steaming cups of coffee in her hooves, and approached Twilight with a smirk.

“Here, my treat,” Rainbow Dash said, offering one of the cups to Twilight. Twilight could only accept, staring at Rainbow in confusion as the pegasus drank the aromantic coffee in loud slurps.

“Ahh, now that’s good coffee.” she said in satisfaction.

Twilight held the coffee in her magic, her confused stare unwavering towards Rainbow Dash unsettled the rainbow maned pegasus. “Wha.. Why did you,” she began but Rainbow Dash quickly cut her off with a flick of her wing.

“You look like you could use something to calm yourself down, so why not a coffee.” Rainbow Dash replied, trying to lighten the mood by taking another sip.

Twilight reluctantly took a sip of the coffee, it smelled of robusta coffee beans and extremely delicious both in taste and in caffeine.

As the coffee hit her taste buds, Twilight couldn’t help but close her eyes and savour the moment. The rich and robust flavour was like a soothing balm to her frazzled nerves. She took another sip and let out a contented sigh.

Rainbow Dash laughed with a genuine smile spreading across her face. “I told you it would calm you down,” she said with a hint of smugness, taking another sip of her coffee.

Twilight turned towards Rainbow Dash with an angry and stern expression, “But this coffee doesn’t excuse your irresponsible and neglectful behaviour! You need to take your duties seriously.” she said with a firm and extremely harsh tone.

Twilight quickly drank the rest of the cup in a few gulps as she savoured the last of its rich flavour.

The crowd of ponies surrounding them shifted nervously, waiting for the next exchange. “So there’s no fight today?” one of them asked, trying to break the tension.

Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight replied in unison, “NO!” their voices resounding through the marketplace, quickly putting an end to the rumours of a fight. The crowd let out a collective sigh of disappointment and they dispersed quietly.

Twilight then looked at her now empty cup before turning towards Rainbow Dash, “So-” she began with an annoyed tone.

But before she could finish her sentence, Rainbow Dash quickly cut her off, “So we’re cool?” she asked, a hint of a smile on her face as she sipped her coffee.

The least you could do is not cut me off…

Twilight rolled her eyes and replied, “Yeah, whatever,” before dropping her cup on the ground. “At least the sky is cleared,” she said to herself.

Rainbow Dash was finishing her coffee, a contented smile spreading across her face. “That’s some good coffee,” she said, savouring the last sip. “When the Wonderbolts see me doing my tricks, they’ll have to get me in!”

With a determined gleam in her eye, Rainbow Dash flew up into the air, her rainbow mane streaming behind her. She began racing and started doing loops overhead. Twilight decided this will be the time to leave.

But before she could take another step, Rainbow Dash swooped down beside and started to fly around Twilight extremely quickly , causing the unicorn to spin around like a ballerina on a musical box.

“He- hey!” Twilight tried to stop herself from spinning but she couldn’t. She tried to catch her balance but it was impossible, she was too dizzy. Rainbow Dash just laughed and continued to fly around her, she was having too much fun.

Finally, Rainbow Dash stopped and hovered in front of Twilight. As Twilight stopped spinning, she shook her head to get rid of the dizziness and looked at Rainbow Dash, who had a weird expression on her face, as if she almost wanted to-

“Bwahahahahaha!” Rainbow Dash erupted into laughter, the sound ringing through the air. Twilight’s mane was a mess, wild strands sticking out in every direction. Even Spike joined in too with laughing.

Screw this.. This mare is worse than that hick family.

Twilight however was in no laughing mood, silently she took the laughing Spike in her magic and placed him on her back and started to walk away. “Let’s just get out of here,” she said to Spike, who was still laughing his heart out.

But just as she was about to walk away, a stern voice called out. “Hey you three, stop right where you are!”

Twilight, including Rainbow and Spike who stopped laughing turned to the source of the voice. A policemare was approaching them, a stern look on her face. Her badge had the name Copper Top on it.

“I just got a report of a crowd gathering for a fight down here, and I’m not surprised to see you here Rainbow Dash,” Copper Top said, her eyes narrowing at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash nervously shrinked back.

Twilight took the opportunity to make her case, speaking in a calm but otherwise irritated tone.“We were just having an argument and it ended with my mane jumbled mess due to that pegasus.” she said, directing her gaze towards Rainbow Dash.

Spike who saw this quickly spoke up in support of Twilight, “Yeah, it was hilarious! Twilight was spinning around like a windmill and mane and- Bwaahahhaah!” he laughed seeing Twilight’s mane in a frizz.

Copper Top was not amused. She looked on the ground and saw the coffee cups on the ground. “And what about these?” she questioned, gesturing towards the cups.

Twilight wasted no time pointing the blame towards Rainbow Dash. “Oh, she did it,” she said matter-of-factly.

Copper Top turned her gaze towards Rainbow Dash and seemed unsurprised. “I ain’t surprised, considering.” she trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

“Wha- wha, WHAT!” Rainbow Dash stuttered, taken aback by Twilight’s sudden accusation. “Bu.. But I-” she tried to protest but Twilight was quicker to add another accusation.

“I’m supposed to be the royal supervisor for the celebrations but she has been neglecting her duties, littering and above all she made my mane like, Like THIS!” she pointed to her mane.

Rainbow Dash was quick to defend herself, “Hold on, that’s technically true. But I didn’t mean to make your mane like that. It was just for fun!” she said, trying to explain herself. However, as soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately wished she could take them back.

“Crown's Flight Regulation Section 5.” Copper Top said to Rainbow Dash, her glare became increasingly focused.

Rainbow Dash sighed, knowing what was coming next, “No pegasi shall engage in any aerial activity that may cause harm to any being or disrupt the peace, anywhere near the safety radius of an individual by approximately 2 metres.” she recited.

“And does anywhere on that, say fun and furiously spinning someone out?” Copper Top asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No,” Rainbow Dash admitted sheepishly, her earlier confidence now replaced by embarrassment.

Copper Top’s glare now softened but her tone remained stern, “I ain’t surprised with what your kind is capable of Rainbow, but I’m still shocked that you can’t learn anything! ”

“Now, Rainbow Dash, follow me to the station. We can discuss this further there,” Copper Top continued.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened in fear, and she immediately pointed at Twilight. “What about her? She littered too!” she protested, trying to deflect the blame.

Copper Top raised an eyebrow, a look of disappointment on her face. “Rainbow Dash, are you really trying to deflect the issue here?” she asked, her tone stern. “The issue is that over the past three years since you’ve moved here, you have received 60 warnings, 5 citations, and 20 fines for various infractions!”

Spike, during the later part of the commotion managed to get himself an ice cream from the nearby stall and saw all of this, “Whoa, that’s a lot of numbers.” he remarked, licking his ice cream.

Copper Top then turned to Twilight and immediately brought out her citation book and gave Twilight a fine, “20 Tacks, considering this is your first time in this fine town.” she said politely to Twilight.

“And as for you Rainbow Dash, you’re coming with me!” Copper Top declared, as she firmly grabbed the pegasus’ wings and began dragging her away. Rainbow Dash shot a look of disdain towards Twilight before reluctantly following the police mare.

“Sooo, what did I miss?” Spike said, continuing to lick his ice cream.

Twilight let out a contented sigh and finally smiled for the first time in hours. “My first victory,” she said, with a sense of satisfaction.

“Wow, seems like that Rainbow Dash mare didn’t like you after this?” Spike commented, noticing the look Rainbow Dash had given Twilight.

“I don’t care,” Twilight replied, her smile growing wider. “That mare got what she deserves, and even though I have a fine I can just wire some money to the station.” she said, although she can’t help but feel a bit nervous.

Maybe it’s just my adrenaline kicking in,maybe…

“You know, Twilight? You’ve been making a lot of ponies unhappy here lately. First off is Winters, your old friend which is bad enough, then that farm mare and now this pegasus who’s prolly gonna get herself arrested.” he said worryingly.

Twilight simply shrugged off Spike’s worries. “It’s fine Spike, I’m not gonna be for too long, after this celebration we’ll get that book and head back to Canterlot.” she replied.

“All I’m saying is that you’re definitely not making any friends here anymore.” Spike added, his concern still evident in his voice.

“Who needs friends when you have a good book and a nice library to go back to?” Twilight retorted.

Oh Spike, friendship is not in it for me right now. You’ll know what I mean later when you’re old as me. Wait.

Spike sighed, he knew that Twilight wasn’t one to change her mind easily. “Well, whatever makes you happy, I guess.” he said, giving up on trying to change her mind.

“But I’m not completely convinced by your answer. However, I am completely convinced by this ice cream!” he added, holding up his treat and giving a big smile.

Spike took a big lick of his ice cream and let out a satisfied sigh. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at her dragon friend’s innocence. Despite her recent actions, she couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for making so many ponies unhappy.

But on the profitable and easier side, that book that could help her so much, the knowledge she will have will be extensive and the princess will be so proud of her! She would do anything to get her hooves on that book, even if it meant making a few well, unhappy along the way.

She looked at Spike and put on a smile, “Come on Spike, let’s go finish this, we still have a few more to check on our list.” she said, with determination.

Lesson 6: Keep Calm and Carry On!

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Lesson 6: Keep Calm and Carry On!

“I’m gonna carry Berry back to her home, come on Charlie.” Golden Harvest said to Applejack as she carried the inebriated Berry Punch, with Charleston Cabbage following close behind them.

“See y’all,” Applejack waved to them as they made their way out of the Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack sat on the picnic table as she pondered the earlier brunch meeting.

“That Canterlottian mare sure is a nice one isn’t she, Jackie?” said a voice beside her.

Applejack turned to find Granny Smith in her wheelchair, smiling warmly at her. Applejack only returned her a weak smile and nodded before settling back into her thoughtful look.

“And how’s yer brother of yours doing back in town? Have ya checked on him yet?” Granny Smith asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Applejack let out a deep sigh and rubbed her temples, feeling the headache that she couldn’t seem to shake. “Nope, still haven’t had the time,” she replied, her voice laced with frustration. "Ah wonder what's taking him so darn long."

“Well, he better start bringing in some Tacks back. Ah ain’t gettin any younger or older that’s fer darn sure!” Granny Smith said with a cackle as she wheeled away from the table and into the house with the rest of the Apple Family. Applejack merely rolled her eyes at her granny’s weird humour.

As Applejack was about to go back inside, she heard something breaking. Before she could do anything, something fell onto the picnic table, a bright yellow filly. “Applebloom! What in Faust’s name are you doing up there?” Applejack’s tone was a mixture of surprise and concern as she looked down at her little sister.

Applebloom rubbed her head sheepishly, “Heya sis, I was just trying to uh make a kite?” she replied, with a nervous laugh creeping in her voice.

“And what involves you climbing a tree in the middle of 3.00 o’clock?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at her younger sister.

“Sticks!” she said excitedly,“I needed the perfect sticks for the kite, and the ones on the ground just aren’t good enough.” Applebloom gave a grin as she stood up and let herself drop from the table, landing gracefully on her hooves.

Applejack gave her sister a gentle head shake, “Applebloom, can you try not climb trees next time? Ah’ll get some sticks for you later,” Applejack said as she reached down to give her sister a comforting hug.

“Yeah yeah yeah, I hear ya sis. l'll go back inside fer now, I'm really tired right now.” Applebloom said as she returned the hug to her older sister, feeling a mix of exhaustion and embarrassment. As they pulled away from each other, she looked at Applejack with unease in her eyes.

“That Canterlot mare is kinda mean, sis.” Applebloom said softly. "She looks like she hates you."

Applejack looked at her sister with a comforting smile before placing a gentle hoof on her mane. “Her name’s Twilight Sparkle, Bloom. And yeah, she ain’t the friendliest too, but-”

Applebloom interrupted with a loud exclamation, “And she also lied to ya!”

Applejack’s expression momentarily fell, before returning to a neutral look. “Yeah..” she sighed heavily. “She ain’t honest too, guessing she was in a hurry?”

Applebloom gave her sister a worried look, “But why would she had to lie? It doesn’t make a lick of sense.”

Applejack gave a shrug, “Don’t worry about it, Bloom. She’s from Canterlot after all, probably had a reason like all the other fancy Canterlottians, a bit prissy?”

Applebloom frowned, “But that doesn’t make it right.” she said. “Your Honest Applejack fer Luna’s sake! She doesn’t deserve to lie to you sis!”

Applejack put a comforting hoof around her sister’s shoulder. “Ah know what ya mean, Bloom. Truth is, Ah've been pondering over it for a while now. Maybe she had her reasons, maybe not. Who knows?”

Applebloom nodded, still isn’t convinced. Applejack noticed the apprehension on her sister’s face and gave her a reassuring smile. “What about this? I'm headin’ to Ponyville to check on your brother, maybe if Ah see her in town Ah’ll ask her?”

Applebloom brightened up but before she could express her thanks, Applejack gave her the easiest task of all, “One promise, do your homework tonight.”

Applebloom let out a loud whine before reluctantly nodding, “Fine, Ah’ll do it.”

Applejack chuckled, “Good filly, Applebloom.”

Applebloom rolled her eyes before nodding her head. As she started to walk away from Applejack and into the house, she turned to Applejack with an expectant look on her face. “Set her straight, sis!” Applebloom said before disappearing into the farmhouse.

Applejack gave herself a short chuckle, “Oh, Applebloom. Well, guess Ah should get moving.”

“Awww, so early? But I have some questions to ask you, Applejackie!” a voice called out from behind her.

The farm mare’s ear went up and she immediately turned herself behind but nobody was there.

“I’m up here silly!”

Applejack looked up to see a pink earth pony mare hanging from a tree by her tail. The mare had a bright pink coat and a tuft of pink mane. Applejack knew exactly who it was.

“Pinkie Pie! What’re y’all doing up on my tree?” Applejack remarked in surprise. Pinkie Pie only gave a short laugh before dropping onto the ground, “To see you silly filly!” Pinkie Pie said as she bounced over to Applejack.

Applejack only gave a short wistful chuckle, “Well I was kinda heading out to town to find Big Mac, granny’s been nagging for him to bring home some Tacks notes he got from the stall.”

“Sounds like a pickle!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily.

Applejack smiled, “But it’s nothing Ah can’t handle. What about you, Pinkie Pie? What brings you to this part of the orchard?” she asked.

Pinkie Pie’s eyes lit up in jocund excitement, “I have a question, no several questions!”

Applejack chuckled, “Well, what kind of questions ya got there, Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie Pie’s face beamed with excitement, “Oh, just some silly things I’ve been wondering about. Like if I were a purple unicorn mare from Canterlot, who loves reading and works in a library and has a baby dragon, what would I eat usually?”

Applejack’s face slowly turned into a face of minor annoyance, “Are you talking about that Twilight Sparkle mare earlier?”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes grew wide and she nodded vigorously, “Yeppers! She’s a very new pony! And her baby dragon is a new uh, BABY DRAGON!”

Applejack bit her lips a bit, “Well Pinkie Pie, she ain’t exactly the nicest one around.” Applejack’s face gradually shifted to a more serious expression as she continued, “Ah’ve met her before, and she doesn’t seem to be a very friendly or sociable one.”

Pinkie Pie, however, simply chuckled and her eyes lit up with a hint of mischievousness, “Oh Applejack, I already knew that!” she said, her voice suddenly changing to a softer and calmer tone. “I’m just asking what food she and the baby dragon like, since she came here earlier,” she explained, her voice filled with excitement and a curious glint in her eye.

Pinkie Pie closed the distance between them as she stared at the farm mare right in the eyes, her voice lowering to a quiet and hushed tone. “It’s a surprise party, Applejack!” she whispered excitedly.

Applejack’s eyes widened in surprise as she took a step back, “A surprise party? For Twilight Sparkle?” she asked incredulously.

Pinkie nodded vigorously, her head almost seemingly on a spring.

Applejack took another step back as she processed Pinkie Pie’s words, “But she’s not exactly the friendliest pony around, heck Ah've met a lot of pegasi who's hogwashing all words that comes out from their mouth.” she said with a tone of disbelief. "And the only one that Ah actually like is that Fluttershy mare near the Everfree."

Pinkie Pie’s face lit up with excitement as she bounced towards Applejack, “Oh, I know she’s not the friendliest one around, but that’s why we’re throwing her a surprise party! To show her that she’s welcome here in Ponyville and that we’re all friends!”

“Alright, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said with a hint of reluctance. She couldn’t help but worry about how the new pony would react to a surprise party, especially given her reserved and unfriendly demeanour.

Undeterred, Pinkie Pie leaned in, her eyes shining with anticipation. “So what do they like?” she asked eagerly as she pulled out a notebook from Faust knows where.

Taking a deep breath, “Well, Twilight ain’t a fritter enjoyer that’s for darn sure,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “But Ah do remember seeing her polish off a whole pie that Granny Smith made. And she seemed to enjoy the apple stew Ah've made for breakfast the other day.”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened with interest, her pencil poised over her notebook. “Ooh, that’s a good one! Bright and clean flavours, delicious and warming. What about spice?”

Applejack furrowed her brow as she thought for a moment. “Ah don’t recall her mentioning anything about spice, but she did seem to enjoy the cinnamon in the pie. Maybe she has a sweet tooth? And Ah’ve seen her drinking a bit of my peppermint tea? "

Pinkie Pie scribbled down some notes in her notebook, “Peppermint tea, got it! What about the baby dragon? Any idea what he likes? Maybe since he’s a dragon, extremely spicy food just like in the dragon lands! Or if he doesn’t like that I’ll give him lots of cookies since he’s a baby dragon!”

“Well, Ah did see him eat the spiced apple Caramel made and-”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes lit up with excitement at the mention of the spiced apple, “Ooh, spiced apple! That sounds perfect for the party. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure to have some cookies for the baby dragon too,” she said with a grin.

Applejack looked over to Pinkie Pie with a slight smile, happy to see her friend’s enthusiasm for the party. “Well, alright then. Just make sure to not go overboard with the spicy stuff for the little one.”

Pinkie Pie laughed and she simply gave a wave of a hoof, “Oh you silly Applejack, I’m just bringing a chilli sauce over. I’m also gonna bring a plate of chocolate muffins, peppermint tea, a fruit punch for the others and delicious cookies! Oh and also hayfries too!”

Applejack chuckled a bit, “Well, sounds like ya’ve got everything covered then, Pinkie.”

“Yepperies!” Pinkie Pie said as she quickly jotted down the last of the words. She closed the notebook and hid it in her mane. “I’m gonna head towards the bakery and quickly set up!” she said.

“Well Ah’m glad to help,” she started to say, but before she could finish, Pinkie Pie suddenly enveloped her in a crushing hug.

“Thanks Applejackie! I promise to invite you to the party!” she said excitedly before beginning to trot off. As Applejack began to follow Pinkie to Ponyville, she heard her friend call out, “Oh, and before I forget, Rainbow Dash got arrested by Copper Top today!”

…

“Wait WHAT!”

----

“I can tell you’re holding back your laughter, Spike.” Twilight Sparkle said as they arrived back at the Ponyville Town Hall.

“No I’m not pfft, haha!”

As they entered the building, Twilight noticed Spike trying to stifle a giggle. She furrowed her brow in confusion, “What’s so funny, Spike?”

Spike looked at her his claws closing his mouth tight, “Nope nothing, absolutely nothing at all.” he said as he looked at Twilight’s incredibly messy and poofed up mane.

Twilight rolled her eyes, “Come on Spike, Mayor Mare’s in here. We can get some more information from her about the next one, uh what’s their name again?” she asked. “Supposed to be a decorator or something.”

Spike unrolled the checklist and he looked at the next name, “Rarity Belle, decorator for the celebrations. And that’s all it says here.”

“Well it’s better than no name, come on Spike. The mayor knows more in her office.”

They passed the various decorations in the hall, already set up the day before, banners of every colour hung from the ceiling and beautiful assortments of flowers adorned every corner. As they climbed the stairs, they could see national flags lining the hallway, proudly waving in the breeze that came through the windows.

Spike couldn’t help but admire the decorations. “They really did a great job with the decorations, didn’t they?” he said, looking at Twilight. Twilight only gave a half-hearted nod.

As they made their way up the stairs, Twilight couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety in her stomach. “Spike, I’m just hoping that this next one actually cares about her job and is more reasonable than the last two.” she said with a sigh.

Spike looked at her anxiously as he took another step, “I hear ya, Twi. But can I ask you to be a bit nicer to this next one?”

Twilight paused for a moment, before sighing with her head down. “I guess I’ll try my best, Spike. As long as she’s better than the other two,” she said, turning to him with a small smile.

As they reached the door to Mayor Mare’s office, Twilight took a deep breath and knocked. There was some rustling behind the door, and before long the door opened. Nero Severus held the door handle and gestured for them to enter the office.

Twilight and Spike entered the office, and Mayor Mare greeted them with a warm smile. “Oh, Miss Sparkle and uh Spike! What brings you here this afternoon?” she asked.

“Nice to meet you Mayor Mare, I’ve found the checklist again and I’ve already met with the other 2 planners. And well we were hoping to get some more information on the next one, Rarity Belle?” Twilight explained, handing over the checklist to the mayor.

Mayor Mare looked over the checklist, and she took a pen on the table and quickly signed it on the bottom of the checklist.

“Well, Rarity Belle is quite the talented decorator, and I’m sure she’ll do a fantastic job for the upcoming celebration,” Mayor Mare said as she hoofed back the checklist to Twilight much to her bewilderment.

“Uh Mayor? I thought you’d sign it after the celebrations?”

Mayor Mare chuckled, “Oh, don’t worry, Miss Sparkle. It’s just a formality. Besides I’m sure you are doing the job fantastically, you are Princess Luna’s protege after all!”

Twilight had a look of relief on her face, but there was still a lingering sense of uneasiness in the back of her mind. She still has a question for Mayor Mare.

“Excuse me, Mayor Mare,” Twilight said, “I was just wondering if there’s anything else we should know about Rarity Belle, any quirks or particularities that we should be aware of?”

Mayor Mare put her hoof under her chin as she carefully thought for a moment, “Hmm, Rarity Belle is a bit of a perfectionist at times, and she has a keen eye for detail and.. What else am I forgetting?”

“Mayor Mare?” Nero spoke up, looking outside the office window. “Rarity Belle’s outside the town hall.” Twilight and Spike turned to look at Nero, surprised at his sudden interjection.

“Really? That was fast,” Twilight said as she walked over to the window and peered outside and sure enough, Rarity was making her way towards the front entrance.

“Well, that saves us a trip to find her,” Twilight said, grateful for the timing. She turned back to the mayor, “Thank you for your time, Mayor Mare. We’ll head downstairs and meet with Miss Belle for now.”

As Twilight and Spike hurried out of the mayor’s office, they couldn’t help but notice the elaborate flags that hung proudly from the walls of the town hall. The banners were a beautiful sight, with an assortment of colours and designs that represented the different regions of the kingdom.

Twilight and Spike walked through the main hall, stopping to admire the stunning decorations that adorned every inch of the space.

The walls were covered in beautiful linen coverings, embroidered with intricate designs, while the floor was adorned with a grand navy blue carpet, embellished with golden patterns and the emblems of different regions of the kingdom. The windows were framed with flowers, shaped in a variety of colours and sizes, giving the room a charming and welcoming ambiance.

Twilight and Spike stopped in their tracks to admire everything around them, “Woah, I thought the stairs were great, this is just so.. So,” Twilight exclaimed.

“So beautiful!” Spike remarked. Twilight nodded, “Yeah, the decor looks amazing. The decorations team has done a fantastic job,” she said, taking in the sight.

Spike shook his head as he was admiring something or rather someone else in particular, “Not the decor! Her!” Spike drew Twilight’s attention to the unicorn. The unicorn had a long, wavy purple mane and tail with lovely blue eyes that gave an air of elegance and sophistication. She had a white coat and cutie mark that was adorned with three diamonds.

Twilight immediately took the checklist from the awestruck Spike and quickly looked at the name, “Well, let’s introduce ourselves and hope that this one is better.” Twilight said.

They approached Rarity Belle, who was in the midst of directing a duo of pegasi hanging an engraved banner on the interior balcony. Rarity had a nervous look as she pointed her hoof towards the end of the balcony.

“Darlings, you must align it with the centre of the stage, otherwise it will look unbalanced. And for the love of Faust, please be careful with the banner, it’s very delicate,” Rarity said with a worried tone.

Twilight approached Rarity, and spoke up. “Uh, nice to meet you Miss-” she began but Rarity quickly shushed her.

“I’m sorry darling, but I’m not in the mood for silly banter, right now these banners are of the utmost importance for the celebration,” Rarity said, her eyes flickering back and forth between the banner and the pegasi handling it.

Twilight looked at Spike hoping that he could help, but he seemed to be infatuated with Rarity to even care with Twilight. Twilight tried again, “Uh Miss Belle, I’m the royal supervisor for the celebrations and-”

Rarity quickly turned around with surprise, “Oh, I’m sorry for that. My name is Rarity Belle, the official decorator for the celebrations!” she said with a nervous smile, bowing her head.

“Now you don’t have to me, I’m not exactly royal material.” Twilight said, looking at the unicorns bowing pose.

Rarity lifted her head, a hint of relief in her expression. “Oh, thank goodness. I was worried I might have offended a princess or something.” She let out a small chuckle before composing herself. “So, what can I do for youaaaagh!” she yelped in surprise taking a step back.

Twilight only looked at her confusion, “What’s wrong?” she asked the scared mare.

“Oh my goodness, darling! Whatever happened to your coiffure?!” she yelled in shock.

Twilight lifted a hoof to her head. “My what?” she asked.

Is she from Prance or something?

“Your hair, darling! It’s all askew and out of place,” Rarity exclaimed, trotting closer to Twilight and desperately trying to fix her mane.

“Oh, you mean my mane? Well, it’s a long story. I’m just here to check on the decorations, and then I’ll be out of your tail!” she said with a bit of nonchalance.

“MY TAIL!” she gasped out, and she quickly looked behind her. Her tail was clean and pristine as it should be. Rarity let out a sigh of relief.

“What no I mean-” Twilight tried to explain but Rarity quickly set her sights on Twilight, grabbing her by the neck and dragging her out of the town hall. “Wait! Where are we going?! Help me Spike! Spike? SPIKE!” she shouted out to him, but he was too focused on following Rarity.

“Darlings, do your work properly thank you!” she shouted to the pegasi duo, much to their confusion.

“So how long are we gonna hold this thing?” one of them asked.

“Beats me.”

Rarity dragged Twilight out of the town hall and down the cobblestone streets of Ponyville. Twilight struggled to keep up with the fast-moving unicorn, her hooves scrambling to keep pace with Rarity’s long strides.

She was about to protest when Rarity suddenly stopped in front of a small boutique. It had a small sign on the front door.

CAROUSEL BOUTIQUE

Where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique!

“This is my shop, darling. We simply must get you fixed up!” Rarity exclaimed, pushing Twilight inside the boutique with Spike following.

The inside of the boutique was just as beautiful as the town hall. The walls were covered with tapestries and paintings, while the floors were lined with plush red carpets. There were mannequins in elegant dresses placed all around the room, and a large vanity mirror sat in the centre of the room.

“Now, take a seat and let’s get to work,” Rarity said, pointing to a stool in front of the vanity. She grabbed a brush and began working on Twilight’s dishevelled mane.

Twilight sat in silence, feeling the awkwardness of the situation as Rarity worked on her hair. She watched as Rarity’s skilled hooves brushed and styled her mane with precision, feeling a tiny sense of gratitude and a major discomfort at the same time.

This is weird, this mare just dragged me and started to do my mane for no reason… wait. Mayor Mare did say she’s a perfectionist.

Finally, Rarity finished and stepped back to admire her work. “There, that’s much better, don’t you think?” she said with a smile.

Twilight looked at the mirror, her mane was now sleek and stylish, with each strand perfectly in place. Rarity looked at her expectantly for praise. Finally a praise did come about, from someone else.

“Wow! That was amazing, you’re so beautifu- I mean amazing at your job!” Spike interjected, looking at Rarity with admiration and with a heart piece in his eyes.

Rarity simply smiled at Spike’s compliment, seemingly pleased with his words. “Thank you. It’s always nice for a uh, gentle drake to give compliments for the mare’s work,” she said, before turning back to Twilight.

“Well uh.. I guess thanks?” Twilight said, still feeling a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

Rarity chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, darling,” she said before turning back to Twilight. “Now, what were you saying earlier about checking on the decorations?”

Twilight cleared her throat and composed herself before speaking. “Yes, as the royal supervisor for the celebrations, I need to ensure that everything is running smoothly and that the decorations meet the standards for the event.”

Rarity let out a slight chuckle, “Well you don’t have to worry about that! We were just finishing up on the final touches, to make it magnifique and fantastique !” she said with a big smile, and raising her hoof in the air.

“Well if that’s the case-”

“May I ask, where are you from?” Rarity suddenly asked, quickly cutting off Twilight.

Twilight paused for a moment, “Uh.. I’m from Canterlot?”

Rarity’s eyes gleamed as she yelped in joviality, “Oh my stars, Canterlot! The most glamorous and splendidly beautiful city in all of the world!” she said, putting her hoof on her head in a sort of mock faintness.

Twilight smiled, her nerves slowly disappearing.

I guess she isn’t so bad after all!

“Well, I guess you could say that. I mean I do live there after all.” Twilight said to Rarity much to the other unicorn’s enjoyment. Rarity turned to Twilight with a weird glint.

“You must tell me, do you know Prince Blueblood by any chance?” she said with a slight twinkle in her eye.

Twilight shook her head as quickly as she could, “What, of course not! I’m not even allowed to go anywhere near the other members of the royal family except-” she said before Rarity quickly interrupted her.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry. You’re the royal supervisor after all, and you must’ve met many important ponies in your line of work. I’m sure you must have your reasons for not being able to meet with Prince Blueblood,” Rarity said, her tone apologetic.

“But I-” Twilight began but Rarity cut her off again.

“Now now, since you’re extremely busy,”

“OF COURSE I AM!” Twilight shouted out, before quickly closing her mouth in embarrassment. Even Spike, who spent the last minutes ogling at Rarity, looked at Twilight in surprise.

Rarity looked at her in a shocked and otherwise strained expression, “Oh uh, have I been pushing you too much, darling?”

Twilight took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “No, it’s not you, Miss Belle. Well partly, but it’s just that... I’ve been working so hard trying to make sure everything's in order.” she said.

“First was the checklist being missing, the catering, and the weather. Now, I’m just wishing for this to be over and done with.” Twilight sighed, with Spike patting Twilight on the back. “So yeah, I’m a bit stressed out.”

Rarity’s expression softened as she listened to Twilight. “Oh my dear, I understand completely. Event planning can be so stressful, especially when you want everything to be perfect.” she placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Rest assured darling, I’ll do my best to make the decorations spectacular!”

Twilight smiled as she looked at Rarity, “Thanks, you know? Out of all the organisers I’ve had to deal with so far, you’re the most reasonable.”

Rarity beamed at Twilight’s words. “Why, thank you, darling!” she said with a grin. “I’ll make sure to keep up the good work and make this event a success for you.”

Spike grinned while still looking at Rarity, “Yeah, and uh Twilight’s cool and all. And uh, I’m sure you’re gonna be the most beautiful- I mean MAKE the most beautiful decorations!” he said.

Rarity chuckled at Spike’s compliment, “Why thank you, uh drake. I’ll make sure the decorations are nothing short of fabulous!” she said with a subtle wink, much to Spike’s heart.

Twilight meanwhile stood up from the stool, “Well, I guess we better get going. We still have a few more to check on. Spike, who’s next on our list?”

Spike, snapping out of his phase, unrolled the checklist at the next name. He let out a troubled look before looking back at Twilight, “Uh, you might remember him?”

Twilight looked at him curiously, “What do you mean?”

Spike looked back and forth between the checklist and Twilight before handing it over to her. Twilight looked at the next name of the checklist.

Applejack : Caterer leader, and a proprietor of Sweet Apple Acres.

Rainbow Dash : Leader of the weather crew. Must have sunny skies.

Rarity Belle : Decorator planner. Ensure the national flags are in place.

Leslie Winters : Head of the Town Watch. Ensure every member has a firearm.

Flutter von Shy : Head of the musical choir. DO NOT frighten the planner.

Pinkie Pie : Party planner. Make sure the she’s kept in check, specifically her.

Oh great, him again.

“So.. What’re we gonna do next?” Spike asked.

Rarity looked at the checklist full of names and information, but she stopped short when she saw Winters’ name. “Pfthahahaha! That’s his full name, Leslie?” Rarity tried to stifle her laughter, but couldn’t help giggling at the name.

Twilight rolled her eyes, “You know him?” she asked, as Rarity bit her lip to stifle her chuckle.

“Of course! He’s my friend after all, good friend! Why I remember when he first came here, I-” she began before Twilight quickly shushed her off.

“Nope, we don’t have time for that right now.” she said. Picking up Spike in her magic and placing him on her back, “Come on Spike.” she said as she walked out of the store.

But Rarity quickly followed them out, “Wait darlings! You forgot something!” she shouted out.

Twilight stopped in her tracks, turning to Rarity with a curious expression. “What do you want, Miss Belle?” she asked, a hint of impatience in her voice.

Rarity waved off the notion, “Don’t call me that dear, Rarity should be good enough. And before you go, I believe you might need a bit of information,” she said with a small smile, pulling out a piece of paper from her purse.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, taking the paper from Rarity’s magic. “What’s this?” she asked, examining the paper carefully.

“Why, the stallion hall of course! The Town Watch gathers there every week,” Rarity replied with a hint of casualness, twirling a strand of her mane around her hoof.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she realised the significance of the information. “That’s incredibly helpful, Rarity! Thank you so much,” she said with a grateful smile. “How much should I pay you for-”

“Why a hint of generosity is nothing compared to the joy of helping a friend in need,” Rarity interrupted, flashing a warm smile. Rarity waved a hoof at them, going back to the Town Hall. “Now I have urgent celebrations to handle! Keep calm and carry on, dearies!”

Twilight and Spike watched as Rarity disappeared back into the Town Hall, and then turned to Spike, “Looks like we have a new destination,” she said, holding up the piece of paper with the location of the stallion hall.

“Though I’m kinda worried what she meant by a friend. Hopefully she meant him.”

“She’s beautiful, Twi.”

“Oh shut up Casanova.”

Lesson 7: Proper Gun Safety Procedure

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Lesson 7: Proper Gun Safety Procedure.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike stood in front of the stallion hall, a medium-sized building that towered over them at two stories tall. The building was surrounded by a small garden with a few flowers surrounding it, but most of the grass was yellow. The hall looked quite modest from the outside, with an ugly and faded coat of paint and a sign that was peeling off.

Twilight couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment.

This was the place where the town watch gathered every week? It looked more like a rundown warehouse than a meeting place for the town watch.

Twilight wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight.“Seriously, it looks like someone just threw up a bunch of paint all over the walls.”

“Cheer up Twi, never judge a book by its cover!” Spike said as he hopped onto her back, trying to lighten the mood.

Twilight thought for a moment, “Well, alright. Let’s see what they’re doing inside.”

They approached the doors and pushed them open, making a creaking sound. Immediatelyafter opening,there was a surge of laughter and chatter that hit their ears, making them feel a bit uneasy. Twilight took a deep breath to calm her nerves and stepped inside.

The inside of the hall was a stark contrast to the outside. It was clean and well-maintained. A large circular table was in the middle of the roomand a large group of stallions was gathered around it, discussing and laughing heartily. A couple of them were in their 40s while some were around their mid 20s. They each had a set of playing cards on their hooves and some had their cards on the table, facedown.

Seriously? Are they playing cards instead of preparing?

However as soon as they walked in, the entire room went silent. All eyes were on the two visitors who just walked in on their turf.

“Holy molytails! We got a young lassie joining us today!” one of the stallions said out loud, with the rest of the cheering.

Twilight felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as all the stallions’ eyes turned towards her. She quickly scanned the room, taking in the surprised expressions and curious looks of the stallions.

Well, be professional, Twilight Sparkle.

She stood up straight and tried to be as confident as she could,”Good evening, gentlestallions. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m here to discuss an important matter with the Town Watch.” she said in a calm voice.

The stallions looked at each other in a moment of confusion, before looking back at Twilight. One of them, a burly earth pony with a thick southern drawl, spoke up. “Now here, little missy. What’re you asking about?”

“Winters, I need to speak to him for a while,” she said to the group. The stallions looked at each other again, before letting out a laugh in unison.

Twilight and Spike shared confused looks towards each other, “Uh, why is everyone laughing?” Twilight asked, chuckling nervously.

The stallions calmed themselves down after a while and one of them turned to her.“Well little missy, Winters is juuuust in that room over there,” he pointed towards a door at the other end of the room. “But be careful, he ain’t the best at trigger discipline.” He said as he turned back to his comrades, laughing while doing so.

Trigger discipline? I don’t know what that means?

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the stallion’s warning. Nevertheless, she pushed aside her unease and made her way towards the door that the stallion had pointed to with Spike following closely behind her.

Twilight took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she entered the room, and the first thing she sees is her old friend behind a booth, trying to aim a Manelicher Model 985 rifle at a large block of cheese. His furrowed brow and intense concentration were enough to tell her that he was completely absorbed in the task at hoof.

She watched as he tried to aim the rifle at the cheese, adjusting his grip and squinting down the sight.

BANG

Twilight instinctively flinched. But as she looked back at the board, there was no sound nor visual impact of the bullet.

Winters let out a sigh of frustration, muttering to himself in disappointment. “Aww crud. I didn't the hear the impact.”

Twilight scoffed as she rolled her eyes before turning to Spike, signalling him to stay put. Approaching Winters, Twilight cleared her throat to get his attention.

Winters turned around, his face lighting up with recognition as he saw who it was. “Twilight! It’s good to see you again, kinda hoping you didn’t see my bad shooting skills considering I’m a- wait,” he paused, leaning onto the frame of the rifle. “What’re you doing here?”

Twilight let out a silent grumble, “Ugh Winters, your name is on this checklist,” she raised the checklist in her magic. “Meaning I’m here to check on the town watch.”

Winters looked at the rifle before at Twilight with a soft smile, “Well, if you say so. I’ll get the guys to come here and show off their skills a bit.” he said as she placed the bolt action rifle on a nearby table.

He quickly walked past Spike and Twilight and peered his head outside the room, “GUYS, I NEED ALL OF YOU TO COME HERE RIGHT NOW!”

Spike winced at the sudden loudness of Winters’ voice, rubbing his ears in discomfort while Twilight just gave a look of annoyance at Winters, with him replying with a sheepish grin.

“5 MINUTES WE’RE FINISHING UP ON OUR GAME!” One of the stallions shouted out from the table.

“But guys-”

“SHUT UP!”

Winters flinched for a moment before taking his head back inside and turning to them both, “Well, I’m pretty sure they’ll be here in a while.” he said as he looked at Twilight and Spike. “Anyways, how was the rest of the day working out for you two?”

Twilight sighed as she looked at him with a tired look, “I’m tired already, the first organiser was a country mess, the second was an irresponsible braggart and third, well she was at least decent.” she said.

Winters gave a raised eyebrow, “Really, who were they?”

“Not important, Winters.”

Winters looked at her in mock surprise, “Let me guess, Rainbow Dash is one of them?”

Twilight turned to him with actual surprise, “What, how did you know about that?” she asked him with an intrepid curiosity. WInters merely shrugged and explained, “Small town, word gets ‘round here fast. And I kinda heard she was arrested because of you?”

“I thought she was just gonna get a fine?” Spike said in a mix of surprise.

Winters’ eyes widened at the sentence, “Wait so is true! You guys did cause her to get arrested.” Twilight quickly put her hooves in defence whilst shaking her head.

“No no no no, it was just a small argument, and a bit of littering but nothing more,” she tried to defend herself. “In fact, I only got a small fine, so- you know what, never mind. Let’s forget about Rainbow for a second.” Twilight quickly changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the incident any longer.

Winters gave her a knowing look, but sighed, deciding to let it go for now. “Alright, fair enough. So what brings you here, Twi? Just checking up on the town watch?”

Twilight nodded, “We’re just making sure that all of them are adequately prepared, you know.”

“I hear ya Twi, these guys however can be a bit uh...” Winters trailed off, searching for the right word.

“Unpredictable?” Twilight suggested, finishing Winters’ sentence.

“Yeah, that’s the word I was looking for.” Winters said with a nod. “But they aren’t bad, they listen well, have good aim and all and all, actually seem to respect me well a bit. And you know me heh, I am not cut out for security. Oddly enough, Mayor Mare still hired me though.”

Spike chimed in, “Name recognition?”

Winters looked back at him, nodding. “Name recognition.”

Twilight looked at Winters as she rolled her eyes, “Well if everything is going well, I guess we should-” Twilight’s words were cut off as a loud door being bucked open, stopping her words short.

Winters and Twilight turned towards the door as it was kicked open, causing them both to flinch at the sudden noise. The group of stallions from earlier barged into the room, their laughter and boisterous jokes filling the air. Each of them had a Manelicher slung around their necks by the strap.

“Took ya guys long enough.” Winters said with a slight smirk.

Twilight, however, was not amused. She had been caught off guard by their sudden entrance, and the noise was making her head throb. She rubbed her temples, trying to ease the pounding pain. The stallions barely acknowledged Winters’ comment as they continued to chat and laugh amongst themselves.

Twilight looked annoyed at Winters, “I thought you said they had discipline?”

Winters let out a sigh, “They do, but they can be a bit rowdy when they’re off-duty.” He turned to the group of stallions, “Hey guys, cut it out okay? We have guests.”

“So what’re we doing here?”

Twilight stepped up and held up a hoof to get their attention. “We’re just here to make sure that everyone is adequately prepared for any potential threats to the town.”

One of them scoffed, “Potential threats on my flank,” he said, with others in agreement.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, “Well, it’s better to be prepared and not need it, than to need it and not be prepared.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me? Are you saying that you don’t take the safety of the town seriously?”

The stallion shrugged, “I’m just saying, Ponyville is darn peaceful, and besides, we can handle ourselves just fine. And you little miss, high off from noble land should calm down a bit.”

Winters spoke up, “Hey now, Twilight’s just doing her job. We’ve got a good thing going here, and we want to keep it that way.” he laughed nervously, glancing at Twilight for a moment. “And also, don’t we have something for her?”

The stallions looked at each other for a moment, nodded and jumped over the firing counter, they walked into the firing range and one of them turned to Twilight. “You’re ‘bout to see the shooters in all of the kingdom, miss!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at this, “But I’m not here to see a-”

Winters, however, also jumped over the counter with a rifle slung on his neck, “Trust me Twi, I’ve drilled on them for a good while."

"5 DAYS OF SHOOTING AIN'T A DRILL, STEEL!" one of them shouted from behind him.

Winters ignored it and continued to speak enthusiastically at her. "They’re almost professionals, except they’re well… inexperienced!”

Are you kidding me?

“No I’m not kidding, Twi.” Winters added, seemingly reading her mind as he looked at Twilight, who had scepticism written all over her face. Twilight raised her eyebrow, before letting out a small sigh, defeated.

“Fine,” she said, reluctantly. “Where do I sit?” she asked, trying to suppress her irritation.

Winters pointed to a platform near the range. “There, just sit up there so you can see everything we do!” he said, while also giving her two pairs of ear protectors to wear.

Twilight nodded, grabbing Spike with her magic much to his displeasure and walked up the platform. She took a seat and placed Spike on a nearby chair. They wore their ear protectors and watched as Winters' crew reloaded their rifles and proceeded to the booths.

They stood behind the gun barrier and aimed their rifles at the cheese, taking a deep breathe before proceeding fire round after round at the block of cheese. The sound was deafening and she almost was tempted to close her ears, while Spike was mesmerised in awe at the sight of guns firing.

“Alright guys, that’s enough.” Winters said as he removed himself from the booth placing the rifle on a nearby table. The others followed suit, placing the rifles on the table, the muzzles still smoking from the gunfire. The cheese block itself was almost destroyed, leaving only holes and crumbs in it.

“Holy crap, that block of cheese is turned to debrie!” Spike shouted, taking off the ear protectors.

Twilight meanwhile, simply shook her head. “At least you guys know you guys can shoot something,” she said. “Well now that’s settled. I guess we should head off.”

Winters looked at her with a minor disappointment but quickly changed it into a face of understanding, “Yeah, of course!” He said as he turned to the others, “Hey guys, do you mind if you guys clean outside for a while?”

With the stallions nodding and leaving the room, Winters turned to Twilight with a weird look, “Hey, Twi. If you don’t mind, maybe we can hang out for a-”

Twilight turned away from Spike and looked at Winters with an annoyed look, “Winters I told you earlier then, I have no time for hanging out.”

Winters recoiled slightly, taking a step back from Twilight’s sharp tone. “Hey Twi, I’m not asking for the entire day, I’m asking for a few minutes.” Winters looked at her with a minor but otherwise firm plea from his eyes. “Besides, I can help with finding one of the next organisers.”

Twilight looked at him with a bit of scepticism, “Really?” she said to him. “Because the last time I trusted you to help me with something, I ended up getting banned from the royal library.”

Winters rolled his eyes, “Jeez Twi, that was years ago! And besides, you weren’t even banned, the librarian just accompanied you out.”

Twilight looked at Winters with a bit of irritation in her voice, “Meaning for the duration until I was 13, I wasn’t even allowed to read the advanced section of the magical theory!”

Winters snorted and then smirked at her, “Pfttt, Twi you are literally Princess Luna’s esteemed protege. What do you still need to complain about?”

Twilight remained unconvinced, crossing her forelegs in front of her chest. “That’s beside the point, Winters. And also, I need to be prepared for everything.”

“Which is why I can help you, with the celebrations for a moment okay?”

Twilight looked at him in consideration, tapping her chin with her hoof.

He’s gullible, that’s for sure. But he’s at least smart, and a bit reliable? Well it couldn’t hurt to use him a bit.

Twilight sighed as she nodded her head, agreeing at Winters’ offer, “Okay fine..” she said to him. “But just for a few minutes okay? And this is not a friendly hangout, this is purely a professional meetup, alright?”

Winters dismissively nodded and waved his hoof. “Yeah yeah yeah. Whatever, come on! Time’s a wastin!” he said, hurryingly leaving the room and hall altogether outside.

Spike watched the banter between the two. As Winters left the room, Spike turned to Twilight with a smirk, “You know, I always thought you two argued like an old married couple.”

“Do you know that dragons are coldblooded, Spike?”

“Yep, shutting up.”

“So…” Winters began, breaking the silence as they walked through the streets. “What exactly do you need help with?”

Twilight turned to Spike and motioned him to give her the checklist, “Two names that I don’t know who,” she said, passing the checklist to Winters.

Winters scanned the list quickly and furrowed his brow, “Hmm, let’s see…” he muttered as he read through the names. He widened his eyes and with a grin, he turned back to Twilight. “I know these two! Pinkie’s a baker at Sugarcube Corner while Fluttershy lives over on the outskirts of the town.”

“Huh. That’s good to know.”

“Yeah.”

…
…
…

The two of them looked at each other awkwardly, realising that they had run out of things to say. Winters shuffled his hooves, looking around at their surroundings while Twilight fidgeted with her checklist. Spike, from behind, just watched the exchange with amusement as they both stood there in silence.

After a moment, Winters cleared his throat. “So, uh, how have you been?” he asked, with a strained smile.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the sudden question, unsure of how to respond. “I’ve been...fine,” she said, “Just busy with my duties as the princess’ protege, you know how it is.”

“Right, right. Uh may I ask?”Winters paused, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “Why haven’t you uh… sent me some letters, been a few-”

Twilight let out an annoyed sigh, “Winters, I’ve been busy.” she said curtly, cutting him off. “I’ve been studying for Princess Luna for 5 years straight, not only do I have certain obligations to meet, but I absolutely have no time to even care about sending a couple of insignificant letters.”

“Oh,” he replied simply, the earlier nervousness returning to his tone as he looked down on the ground. “I see.”

Spike suddenly climbed and sat on Twilight’s back, waving the checklist in front of her. “Come on Twilight, let’s go! You said it yourself, time is not for wasting.”

Twilight turned her attention to Spike, grateful for the interruption. “Right, sorry Winters, me and Spike really should get back to the preparations,” she said as she began to walk away. “Thanks for the help though.” she said, turning back at Winters.

Winters nodded awkwardly, sporting another nervous smile at her, “Yeah, no problem. Take good care of yourself, Twi.” he said as he turned and walked away, leaving Twilight and Spike to continue on with their preparations.

After Winters had left, Twilight blew out a sign of relief. “Thanks for speeding things up Spike, things were gonna be too awkward there.”

Spike gave a chuckle at her, “Happy to help Twi!” he said as he climbed off of the unicorn’s back. He looked back and forth between Twilight and behind her, “So do you think he’s gonna be okay?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, “Who?”

Rolling his eyes, Spike looked at her with an amused expression, “Winters, of course. He seemed a bit nervous and off.”

“We haven’t really talked that much in the past few years,” Twilight said with a shrug. “But from what I saw today, I’m sure he’s fine. Gullible but fine.”

Spike nodded, “Sounds like him, just wished that you could’ve been a tad bit nicer though.”

Twilight waved it off with her hoof as they continued walking, “Spike, it’s not like I was being mean on purpose. I was explaining the reality, something that he doesn’t seem to get. I swear, he's a bit too hopeful!”

“Right, anyways where are we going next?” Spike asked as he unrolled the checklist.

Twilight took one look at the checklist for the next name. “Looks like we’re heading into the outskirts again.”

Interlude 2: Before the Storm, Weather the Tide

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Interlude 2: Before the Storm, Weather the Tide.

Princess Luna laid in a warm bath of peached oaks and fragrant lavender oils enveloping her senses as she closed her eyes. The bath itself rose high above the clouds, with the light of the moon shining on her. She opened her eyes and looked around, the dreamscape was her haven, away from the political conundrum, away from the societal masses, away from the incessant responsibilities. She let out a long contented sigh, relaxing and fully absorbing herself in the serenity of the dream.

“Now this is perfect.”

For a moment, all was still, and the princess reveled in the peacefulness of the dreamscape. The tension in her body was slowly ebbing away as the soothing scent of lavender worked its magic.

She heard hoofsteps and looked to her right. A young thestral stallion, with a coating of grey covering him and a whitish mane, walked forward towards her, carrying a tray with a bottle of wine and a wine glass on it. He slowly lowered the bottle and poured the wine into the glass. Luna took a short glance at the bottle before settling on the glass itself.

Le Soleil se Lève

Luna furrowed her eyebrows at the name. “Strange..”

But she dismissed those silly worries as of right now, it’s her relaxation. She quickly picked up the wine glass with her magic and took a sip, savouring the rich and fruity flavour that exploded on her tongue. The notes of black currant and red berries danced on her tongue, and for a while, it felt elysian.

As she turned to Fairswith, she could see the anxiety etched on his face and a light blush on slowly forming, “Thank you for being with me, my Fairswith.” she said softly, breaking the silence. Fairswith nodded quickly, a nervous grin playing on his lips. Luna chuckled to herself, recognizing his discomfort. “And of course, you’re not just here to serve me wine, are you?” she asked with a teasing glint in her eyes.

Fairswith looked taken aback for a moment before nodding slowly, “I am simply nervous the Faust out of my mind.”

Luna’s smile softened as she looked at him. “Oh Fairswith,” she said, leaning forward until their muzzles were almost touching. “When I lay here in this dreamscape, and I look at you. You know what I see?”

The thestral looked at her expectantly, “What is it?”

Luna held his gaze for a moment before replying,, “I see an inconvenient nuisance of the princess’ consort.”

His face fell into an annoyed look, scrunching up his mouth. Luna bursted into another round of laughter, “Hahaha! Oh Fairswith, it was merely a joke.” she said, grinning at the thestral.

Sighing at first, Fairswith smiled and grinned as he shook his head. “Luna, why do you have to tease me like that?”

The alicorn chuckled softly, her eyes still sparkling with amusement. “Because I’m the princess, I have the absolute right to tease my consort however much I wanted.”

He smiled at her, before laying down in the water bath next to her. His body stiffened at the temperature of the water, “Holy crap! Luna, this bath is extremely hot.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, “Is it really? I personally find it quite comfortable.”

Fairswith let out a low groan, “Well, I’m not an alicorn with a thick coat of fur like you.”

Luna rolled her eyes, before turning the temperature done with her magic. The steam from the bath slowly dissipated as the water cooled down to a more comfortable temperature. Fairswith let out a contented sigh as he relaxed into the water.

“Much better,” he said with a smile.

Luna returned a quiet nod to him, as she slowly settled in beside him. The silence between them was peaceful, the only sounds were the soft rippling of the water. The two of them sat in comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying the warmth of the water and each other’s company.

As minutes passed, Luna turned to Fairswith with a calm look on her face. “So Fairswith, how long have you been my consort fairly speaking?” she asked.

Fairswith furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment before answering. “If we’re talking about the official title, it’s been about three years. But if we’re talking about how long I’ve been serving the crown, it’s been almost six years, I think.”

Luna nodded at his answer, “Back then you were one of the highest ranked officers of the Night Guard, but as soon as I asked you to be my consort, you folded up.”

Fairswith chuckled softly, “Well, when the Princess Luna asks you to be her consort, you don’t say no.”

She rolled her eyes, stretching her wings as settled further into the water. “Well, anyways how has your night been?” she asked with a curious tone.

Fairswith let out a heavy sigh, his eyes closing momentarily as he leaned back against the edge of the bath. “It’s been relatively quiet lately, so nothing much to go on,” he replied,“But two of my soldiers did arrest a couple of Solarian agents, near the town of Ponyville.”

Luna’s ears flared in alarm, “Casualties?” she asked, her eyes narrowing in concern.

Fairswith shook his head. “No, they didn’t resist. They were just loitering around near the Everfree Forest,” he explained, pausing for a moment before continuing. “They had no weapons, and all they had on them were some propaganda leaflets and their banner.”

“Propaganda leaflets?” Luna’s eyes perked in confusion.

Fairswith let out a laugh. “Their beloved RECLAMATION DAY, as always.” he said, a tinge of mockery evident in his tone. “Thinking that their goddess Daybreaker is gonna come back from the dead.”

Luna’s mouth turned down in a pout of ambivalence as she listened. Some memories came flooding back. “Oh.”

Fairswith noticed this and turned to her, confused. “What’s wrong with you, Lulu?”

Luna’s eyes met his and shook her head before responding, “Nothing, just a faint memory from the past. Nothing much to worry about and- wait, what did you call me?”

Fairswith furrowed his brows, trying to recall his words. “I called you Luna? Why?”

Luna placed her hoof on her neck as she felt a lump on her throat. “Nothing! Nothing, just uh… memories from the Olden Era.” she said, hoping that her response sounded convincing.

Fairswhith nodded, “Oh right, that makes sense I guess.”

Luna let out a small sigh of relief, grateful that her consort didn’t press the matter any further. She knew that Fairswith was a trusted friend and ally, but there were some things she couldn’t share with anyone, not even him.

“So where are they now?” she asked him.

Fairswith started to groom his wings, caressing it ever slowly. “We kept them in an outpost near the forest, to be safe from the public.”

She leaned back into the water, feeling the warmth and comfort of the bath soothe her nerves. She took the bottle of wine that she left floating in the dreamscape and poured her another glass.

After drinking another glass of wine, she threw the wine glass out of the bath and into the abyss below. But just as she was about to take another relaxing bath rest, she remembered something.

“Uh, Fairswith? What time is it now?” Luna asked as she turned to Fairswith who was leaning back against the wooden edge of the bath.

Fairwith thought for a moment, “I think three and a quarter in the afternoon?”

Luna’s eyes widened in shock, “Goodness Faust, I need to go for the parliament session! It starts at three thirty!” she said as she quickly enveloped herself in magic. “I’ll see you in the night after the celebrations!”

Fairswith nodded but with a hint of concern in his expression. “Alright, uh have a good-”

Luna had already disappeared in a flash of magic before he could finish his sentence. He shook in slight dismay but also understanding.

“Evening.” Fairswith muttered to himself as he was left alone in the bath. He took a deep breath and sank deeper into the water, relaxing his mind and body. “Ahhhh, dreambath….”

Luna slowly opened her eyes, feeling the warmth of her royal bedroom seeping into her bones. She got up from the bed and stretched her wings, feeling the familiar sensation of magic flowing through her veins. As she stood up, she glanced over at the mechanical alarm clock on her nightstand, noting the time.

1500

Well he was half right. So I have some time to eat lunch and wear my attire.

Just as she was about to head into her dressing room, the door to the palace hallways suddenly swung open. A food trolley was pushed into view, and a servant was frantically pushing the handle of it while muttering to himself.

Luna paused, curious about the servant’s behaviour. As she watched him, she overheard him murmuring,

“Way to go idiot. You forgot to wake up the princess, you’re gonna get chewed out by the floor manager and-”

Luna’s eyes widened in surprise. Had the servant forgotten to wake her up? She felt a twinge of annoyance, but quickly pushed it aside. Taking a deep breath, Luna walked over to the servant with a calm expression on her face.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted him, she smiled warmly. “I’m assured you brought out lunch for me?”

The servant looked up at Luna in surprise, his eyes widening as he realised who he had been speaking to. “Your highness!” he stammered, bowing his head in respect. “I’m so sorry for forgetting to wake you up. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

But Luna shook her head in dismissal, “It’s alright, just don’t forget your responsibilities next time,” she said as she waved off his concerns. “In anycase, what has the chef conjured up for my meal?”

“W-w-well, there’s a variety of dishes, your highness,” the servant replied nervously, gesturing towards the trolley. “We have your favourite roasted lemon oiled chicken, some steamed vegetables, and a freshly baked apple pie for dessert.”

Luna nodded, though her mouth was already frothing at the descriptions of the delicious meals on the trolley. The servant pulled the bedside table near Luna and placed the tray of dishes on the table.

Lifting up the platter cover, Luna’s eyes widened at the sight of the perfectly cooked chicken, the vibrancy of the steamed vegetables, and the golden brown crust of the apple pie. Her mouth watered in anticipation.

She wasted no time, picking up the fork and knife and started to tear open the chicken inside out. As she ate rapidly as if she were a wild animal in the middle of spring, she realised something: the servant was still there in the room with her, waiting for Luna to say something to him.

She cleared her throat and turned to him, “You may leave, give my thanks to the chef please.”

The servant bowed his head respectfully and quickly left the room, leaving Luna alone to finish her meal. Then Luna turned to the meal in front of her, and started to devour each and every bit of it. The hearty chicken, giving a nice lemony flavour, the steamed vegetables provided a refreshing contrast to the chicken and the apple pie, perfect for a sweet finish.

After a mere few minutes of devouring her meal, Luna wiped the remnants of the food with a linen handkerchief she kept in a nearby drawer.

Rising from her seat, she made her way towards the dressing room to change into her royal attire. A light blue long-sleeved dress adorned with silver stars on its bottom half, and a necklace studded with the crescent of the moon.

“Perfect.” she said to herself, as she raised her wings to admire them. But as her gaze shifted from her wings to her eyes, her face fell, remembering why she was up so early. Realising why she’s up this early. “Parliament,” she sighed.

She turned to the wall on her right to look at the wall clock.

1520

Well Luna, time to head to the common hall. Where the worst comes to shove itself into our face.

She exited the dressing room and returned to the bedroom, heading for the vanity mirror near the balcony. She pulled the drawer door and took out a small rectangular box.

“There it is.” the alicorn said to herself, as she pulled out a pair horn-rimmed round spectacles.

Luna placed the spectacles on her snout in front of her eyes, feeling the weight on her nose. She looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting the frames to fit better.

“Better,” she told herself as she forced a grin. “You look more like a princess now, even if time is not on your side Luna.”

Letting out a wistful laugh, she approached the bedroom door and pulled it open. As Luna walked out of the chamber, her hooves clopped softly against the polished marble floors of the hallway.

The bright light of the afternoon crept through the windows, casting long shadows along the walls. She passed another servant who instantly bowed as she made her way down the stairs, but Luna barely acknowledged them, too preoccupied with thoughts of the upcoming parliamentary meeting.

As she reached the bottom, Luna paused to take in her surroundings. The grand hallway was a masterpiece of architectural design, lined with various paintings that depicted the remaining histories of the kingdom. The warm glow of the glass chandeliers illuminated the space, casting intricate shadows on the walls. Luna stopped in front of an emblem sewn onto a tapestry, woven onto a golden fabric using dark green thread.

Luna stopped in front of a particular emblem, the emblem featured changeling holed-wings on both sides, the Changeling Queen’s horn in the middle with the crescent moon behind it and with five of the night stars circling around it. The words emblazoned under it caught her attention.

PRO NOSTRIS ALVEARI, SUBDITIS NOSTRIS ET FAUST

- Queen Magnolia (1 NE - 54 NE)

As she walked down the hallway, servants who saw her gave a respectful bow. Luna acknowledged them with a nod, but didn’t stop to exchange pleasantries. She had important matters to attend to, and didn’t want to waste any time.

She reached the front door of the palace, where a group of thestral guards were waiting for her. They saluted as she approached, and she returned the gesture.

“Your royal highness,” one of the guards said. “Carriages are ready, on your orders.”

“Thank you,” Luna replied curtly, her tone reflecting her sense of urgency.

As the carriage took off above the skies, Luna sat back, staring out the window at the passing scenery. The streets of Canterlot were bustling with activity, trams were rumbling along the tracks, and everybeing on the ground were either hurriedly making their way to wherever they were going or enjoying the beautiful day.

Finally, the carriage touched down onto the pavement in front of the Parliamentary Building. Luna stepped out of the carriage, her eyes scanning the surroundings. Some changelings and ponies were entering and exiting the building, some were carrying cameras in while others were setting up sound equipment.

Entering the hallway, the inside was grand and imposing, with a high ceiling and a wide staircase leading up to the second level. The walls were a light peach colour and despite not having any sort of engravings, the minimalist aesthetic gave it an aura of sophistication.

In front of her were the Members of Parliament, sitting in benches in a row of threes. As soon as they saw her enter, they all stood up and started to bow. Luna nodded at the gesture before waving for them to sit down.

As she walked up the wide staircase, she was greeted by Prime Minister Shoals, who was waiting for her beside a door to the Speaker’s seat, the position where Luna had to manage.

“Your royal highness, the other MP’s are already waiting in the Common Hall for you,” he said to her. “Cameras and audio have been set up at the balconies and below to capture, and we want to start as soon as possible.”

Luna nodded, “I’m sorry for my slight delay, Prime Minister. I’m just hoping that this session will be better than the last bouts.”

Prime Minister Shoals shook his head as quickly as he could, “Nonsense, your majesty! I’m absolutely sure that this session is going to be tremendously better.” he exclaimed, though a slight nervous laugh escaped from his mouth.

Luna gave him a reassuring smile before entering the Common Hall. Luna walked to the front of the room and sat on the large throne-like chair that was reserved for her.

As she took her seat, she glanced around the Common Hall, taking in the rows of benches that were filled with Members of Parliament. The room was filled with the hum of whispers and the sound of shuffling papers as the MPs settled in.

The cameras flashed red, and audio recorders were up. The Prime Minister sat beside her, waiting for her cue.

Luna cleared her throat, the sound echoing throughout the hall. “Good afternoon esteemed Members of Parliament.” she spoke with a regaltone.

The whispers and shuffling of papers slowly came to a halt, as all eyes turned to her. Luna surveyed the room, taking note of the MPs who looked eager and those who seemed disinterested.

“Today is the 22nd of March of this year’s parliamentary questions.” she said, as she looked around the hall. She turned to the prime minister, who sat beside her, and added, “Prime Minister Salted Shoals, prepare your answers for the MPs and remember everybeing, be cordial and respectful of the instituted rules established during this session.”

An hour and a half of boring punditry later

Luna woke up, as she heard something being placed in front of her. The servants are serving up tea and biscuits. Luna blinked away the drowsiness that had overtaken her, her mind struggling to keep up with the mundane discussion that had filled the hall for the past hour and a half.

She rubbed her eyes and took a sip of the hot tea that had just been placed in front of her by a servant. The sweet aroma of the biscuits and tea did little to lift her spirits, but Luna forced a smile and thanked the servant nonetheless.

“AND THAT’S HOW WE SHOULD OWN THE RAILS!”

Luna was startled back to attention by the sudden outburst. She looked down to see Realis Bulionis, a Labour MPs from the constituency of Haylem, standing up and gesturing wildly to Prime Minister Shoals as she spoke. Friend of workers and farmers, she's mostly remembered as the one of the few changelings politicians who made a grand speech against golden tender, at the ire of many business owners.

“HERE, HERE!” Some of the MP’s beside her chanted, supporting what she argued earlier. There hears, a mixed cacophony of excitement and anticipation as the opposition parties.

As more MPs turned their attention to Realis, Luna took the opportunity to assess her. A tall and lanky changeling with a bright orange carapace and large, bulbous eyes that seemed to be constantly shifting in colour. Luna had always found her to be a bit eccentric, but her passionate speeches did garnered her a loyal following among her constituents.

Luna turned to Shoals, permitting him to speak. “Which in my opinion, is not a good idea.” Shoals responded calmly, as he stood up. “We can’t squander funds from our other enterprises, especially with our economical state. While I do understand my honourable councillor's worry about her fellow beings safety and livelihood, but I-”

Interrupting Shoals, Cash Course, one of the other MPs, suddenly spoke up. “ My Honourable Councillor, having the government own the Transnational Railway will not only destroy the competition that we worked steadily hard for over the years but would destroy our innovativeness!”

Bulionis turned to her, a slight rabid look on her eye. “Of course it will!” she barked out. “I’d rather something that we can guarantee than to let some corporate moguls usurp out pockets. And not only that, haven’t we learned our lesson from the many strikes of yesteryear?”

Shoals tried to speak up but Cash Course quickly spoke again for him, “Which is why by refusing to give in, we have ensured that we won't be easily destroyed our economy that we tried to recover for so long. Ever since the riots of the 60s!” she said defiantly, turning to the prime minister.

“Even though the queen hasn't yet approved the plans for the national but with the princess' backing on her behalf, surely-"

“I AM NOT FINISHED, THAT IS MERELY A BAND-AID! YOU AND YOUR PANTY-WAIST CRONIES ARE DESTROYING EVERY WAGE KNOWN TO JOBS! ” Bulionis shouted out, her eyes raging over to the other MP.

“How dare you! You have no authority to-”

“HEEEEEEERE!” The rest of the parliament shouted out, as sides were quickly being taken. Cash Course and her constituents on one, Bulionis and her constituents on the other.

“Everybeing please stop..” the prime minister tried to calm them down.

Luna sighed adamantly, politically skewed debates and questions always drew her out. Luna felt a sense of frustration wash over her as the discussion continued to spiral into arguments, counter-arguments and the counter to counter arguments.

I much prefer military campaigns than political ones, seems more dignified somewhat.

She took a sip of her tea and nibbled on a biscuit, trying to tune out the noise and focus on something more calming. But the argument continued to rage on, each side becoming more and more entrenched in their positions. She felt her patience wearing thin as the sound in the hall became much louder and more chaotic, as more and more MP’s joined the fray.

At least the cameras are enjoying this.

Luna took another sip of her tea, closing her eyes briefly as she savoured the warmth and comfort it brought. She just wished that if another question comes up, she'll close her eyes.

But as she opened her eyes again, a glass of tea was launched, hitting her squarely in the muzzle. Tea and glass shattered all over her, and Luna winced as a sharp piece of glass cut her lip.

The entire room went silent, Prime Minister Shoals’ mouth agape, the MP’s frozen in shock while the cameras zoomed in ever closer on the princess. Every being stood in shock, unsure of what to do next.

Luna stood up slowly, wiping the tea and blood off her muzzle with a handkerchief. She took a deep breath, and started to leave the hall, ignoring the gasps and whispers that followed her, ignoring the cameras and audio that was recording her. As she walked out of the door, she heard the commotion in the hall erupting once more.

“Mares and gentle stallions, I think the parliament’s adjourned.” she heard the prime minister say aloud to the rest of the MP’s in the hall. “And hopefully the viewers and listeners at home will find this week’s parliamentary session fruitful.” he said, a nervous tone escaping from his smile.

But as soon as the cameras stopped rolling, one of the MP’s shouted out.“Did that just happen? Who- who attacked the princess?”

As Parliament started to become louder again, Luna felt a bit of frustration. Not too much to the point of outright calling for execution of whoever just threw a cup at her, Faust no! But more so she just wanted to stay out of politics for the time being. And probably skewer the hitter’s coattails.

Just one day, I wanted a peaceful session not a damn bar fight. If I find that bastard I’ll..

Luna reached outside to where the carriage was waiting. The thestral guard were lounging near the parliament gates, much to her annoyance. One of the thestrals pointed his comrades to the princess, and they quickly gathered near the carriage.

Entering the carriage and sitting on its albeit less comfier seat, she turned to one of the surprised thestral guards who was supposed to be leading the carriage. “Take me to Ponyville, this instant. I don’t hear your other words, the celebrations will start in a few minutes.” she said firmly.

The guard hesitated for a moment, unsure and a bit scared at the princess’s sudden request. He knew that something must have happened in the Parliament that had upset her, but he didn’t want to risk her wrath.

“Y-yes your royal highness.” he stammered before quickly turning to the others and started preparing to take off. A few seconds later, the carriage took off from the tarmac and into the evening clouds.

Luna relaxed in the carriage seat, albeit the seat itself much less comfier than the one in parliament.

I wonder if Twilight Sparkle is having a much better day than me.

Luna pondered for a moment before settling on a single, and finally positive thought she needed for a long time.

Well, it’ll be a good opportunity for her to make some new friends.

Lesson 8: A Rabbit, Some Birds and a Tree

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Lesson 8: A Rabbit, some Birds and a Tree.

“How much longer do we have to walk to get to this Flutter von Shy, Twilight?” Spike whined, his short legs dragging along the dirt road. Twilight sighed, looking down at her companion with a mixture of impatience and concern as he struggled to keep up with her brisk pace.

“We’ll get there when we get there Spike. Just a few more metres to go.” Twilight responded quickly, much to his ongoing displeasure.

As they walked along the road, they passed the Everfree Restricted Checkpoint,with two guards covering the gated entrance toward the forest. A long line of chain fences stretched along the perimeter of the forest, making sure no unwanted visitors attempted to enter the forest. The two guards had their rifles at the ready, eyeing Spike and Twilight as they passed.

Spike took a quick glance at the checkpoint before turning to Twilight, “Twilight, important question.” he said nervously.

Twilight’s eyes flickered towards Spike, “What’s on your mind, Spike?” she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

“I’m kinda hungry.”

Twilight’s face fell into a look of annoyance before she facehoofed herself in frustration, “Okay Spike,” she said, turning to face him with an annoyed expression. “There are three things wrong with that statement.”

Before Spike could get another word in, Twilight continued. “A, we’re almost reaching our destination and we have no time to turn back. B, we didn’t bring any food with us so your question doesn’t make any sense. And C, you wasted all of my money on snacks you bought at the market after we left the Stallion Hall. And you quickly finished them all before we even set a hoof on the outskirts.”

Spike rolled his eyes and huffed before walking away from her quickly, “Jeez if you wanna be that naggy, maybe I’ll head back into town without you.” he said in a bit of defiance, hoping that-

“Big mistake, you’re staying with me mister.” Twilight said firmly, encapsulating Spike in magical glow and lifting him off the ground.

Spike let out a yelp of surprise as he was lifted off the ground by Twilight’s magic. He wriggled around, trying to break free, but it was no use. Twilight’s grip was too strong.

“Twilight, let me go!” Spike shouted in protest and in embarrassment.

Twilight ignored him and continued walking, with Spike being carried in her magical glow. Spike sighed in defeat as he realised there was no way he could escape her magic.

He placed his claws behind his head as she laid in the glow of Twilight’s magic.

At least I’m not walking anymore.

Ten minutes later

Twilight stood in front of a small cottage. Its roof was covered in grass and multiple burrows and birdhouses surrounded its front porch. There was even a tiny burrow under the dirt bridge. Twilight looked at the house in intrepid curiosity, everywhere she looked there seemed to be even more birdhouses and burrows.

“Wow, I’m guessing that this von Shy really likes birds and rabbits.” Spike said, still encapsulated in the magical glow.

Twilight nodded, “It seems so,” she said, letting go of Spike from her snare. Spike fell onto the ground with a thud and rubbed his sore arms, grumbling under his breath.

“The least you could do is to put me down gently,”

“What was that?” Twilight said as she turned around.

“Nothing!” Spike shook his head awkwardly, “Uh, in the meantime let’s go meet this Fluttershy I mean Flutter von Shy.”

Twilight only gave Spike a suspicious glance before turning back to the cottage. She took a deep breath before walking towards the door, with Spike following closely behind her.

Twilight knocked on the door and waited for a response. Silence gave in for a few seconds, nothing. Twilight knocked again on the door, still nothing.

Where is this Flutter von Shy? I thought she would be a bit more proactive during her job.

“Hey Twilight, did you hear that?” Spike said.

Twilight turned to Spike, “Hear what?” she asked, confused.

“Listen!” he said, perking up his ear and leaning to the right of the house, as if he was hearing something. Twilight was about to ask what he was hearing when she heard it - a soft harmonic melody on the right, beyond the hedge of bushes.

Spike and Twilight looked at each other for a moment, before making their way towards the source of the music. As they got closer, the melody became clearer and more beautiful, as if they were in an opera house on a Saturday night.

Finally as they emerged from the hedge, they saw a yellow pegasus with a long pink mane parted on her right. She had three butterflies on her flank as her cutie mark. The pegasus looked like she was conducting a pair of birds on a tree to sing while a tiny rabbit was sitting on a rock beside her.

“Am I seeing what I’m seeing, or am I blind?” Spike said in awe.

“Well, you were blind in love earlier so-”

“Shut up Twilight.” Spike replied bluntly, turning back to the scene in front of him. “She’s kinda talented don’t you think?”

Twilight nodded in agreement, “I guess she is. Why don’t we approach her?” she said as she started to walk towards the pegasus leaving Spike at the bushes. But just as she was about to approach and ask her, the pegasus rose and flew next to a blue jay, whispering something to it.

Twilight stood back behind her in even more confusion.

Wait, is she talking to a bird? This town is getting even weirder now. I can’t waste more time on this.

Twilight, deciding to quickly introduce herself and get to the point, cleared her throat and spoke up. “Excuse me, miss?”

The pegasus yelped before falling flat down onto the grass. Twilight looked at the downed pegasus as she quickly got up, shyly hiding her face behind her wings. She turned to her right and saw the rabbit looking suspiciously at her, much to her uneasiness and fear, taking a few steps away whilst still on topic.

She turned to look at the pegasus with a simple question, “Uh hey, is your name Flutter von Shy?” she asked with an uneasy smile.

Twilight watched as the pegasus nodded shyly, and couldn’t help but notice how she seemed to retreat even further behind her wings. It was as if she was afraid to make eye contact.

“That’s uh great,” Twilight continued, trying to break the awkward silence. “And that was a very good performance you made with birds. I never knew you could train them to sing like that.”

Again, she didn’t respond. Twilight was starting to feel frustrated.

Feeling a bit awkward, Twilight cleared her throat and tried to break the silence. “Uh.. Right I guess everything’s settled here?” she asked for the final time, but there was still no response from Fluttershy.

Twilight sighed and turned her back towards the hedge, and rolled her eyes as she felt a bit annoyed but also quite relieved that this particular one is even faster to deal with.

Well that was easier than I thought.

“So that’s it then?” Spike said as he walked towards Twilight, smiling as he did.

“Yeah I guess that’s- aagh!” Twilight exclaimed before getting pushed away by the pegasus.

Fluttershy was staring at Spike with wide eyes, completely ignoring Twilight. “Oh my goodness, it’s a baby dragon!” she shouted out, “You’re so cute and cuddly, and it talks too!”

Spike smirked at the bombardment of compliments, clearly enjoying the attention. “Well well well, looks like someone is more appreciative of my looks than my own caretaker.”

Twilight groaned before picking herself up from the ground, “Which you lack,” she muttered under her breath, before turning back to Fluttershy. “In any case Ms Von Shy, I-”

But before they could make a move, Fluttershy interrupted them once again, turning her attention back to Spike. “My name is Fluttershy. What’s your name?” she said to the baby dragon, completely ignoring Twilight. Spike smiled, “Name’s Spike, amazing assistant and handsome scales to boot.”

“One of those is a lie.” Twilight said blankly. Fluttershy turned to the unicorn with a bit of apologetic face, “I’m sorry, most of everyone here just calls me Fluttershy, not uh… my full name.” she said softly, her voice almost whispering.

“Uh right,” Twilight said before turning to Spike, “Come on Spike. We need to find the last one.” However Fluttershy interrupted her as she looked at Spike, “And what do you do little dragon,what do you usually talk about?” she asked him.

Spike grinned widely, “Well, sort of everything usually! I do a bit of writing for Twilight, a bit of fetching, a bit of organising, a bit of cooking..” he trailed off as he continued to list the various things he could do, at the expense of Twilight’s patience.

Twilight groaned in silent frustration, “Spike, can we please get on with our duties?” she said in an increasingly rising and desperate tone.

Spike nodded quickly, sensing the urgency in Twilight’s voice. “Right, right. Sorry about that Miss Fluttershy,” he said apologetically. Fluttershy nodded slowly, nervous at Twilight’s tone. “N-no problem,” Fluttershy stuttered, looking down at her hooves.

Twilight sighed before turning back towards the place they came from, “Come on Spike.” she said, gesturing to him to hop on her back. Spike nodded, climbing on as they set off for their final task.

Fluttershy watched them as they left, leaving a trail of leaves in their steps. She turned back to her birds with a soft but otherwise calming smile, “Well, I hope she didn’t scare you all too much.”

“And what about you, Ange-” she turned to her right to the rock where her bunny rabbit was sitting but he wasn’t there. Fluttershy’s eyes went wide and she flew above her house and looked left and right around her.

“A-a-Angel?”

“So we can scratch Von Shy off our checklist,” Twilight said as she looked at the last name of the list. “The next one is Pinkie Pie, one problem. I do not know where she is.”

They walked from Fluttershy’s house until reaching the centre of Ponyville. Spike looked at his caretaker in a thoughtful expression, “Maybe if we ask somebeing about her?” he suggested to her.

Twilight quickly waved off Spike’s suggestion, “I’d rather take my chances with finding her on my own, besides I can’t rely on this town to provide every little information it has.” she said.

Spike looked at Twilight with a quizzical expression, “What about Winters? He’s been here for some time and he probably knows her.”

Twilight gave a short and haughty laugh, “Hahaha! Are you kidding me, Spike? I highly doubt he could figure out his own schematics, let alone being useful!” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“Just a suggestion.” Spike replied as he rolled his eyes. He looked in front as they reached the library after a few minutes of walking. “Wait, why are we at the library?” he asked, dropping himself down from Twilight’s back.

Twilight smiled slightly as she stood outside the door, “Well I’m gonna find that Star Swirl’s Unabridged Magical Theorem of Space and Field Volume I book right in this library, while at it, probably find a Green Pages copy here too.”

“Are you serious?” Spike said in disbelief. “And I thought I was delusional.”

“You still are Spike, anyhow lets-”

“WAIT!” a shout called out behind them. Twilight and Spike turned around to see Fluttershy flying towards them in a panicked expression. Her wings flapped frantically as she came to a stop, her chest heaving with deep breaths. Her eyes were wide with fear, but as she caught her breath, her expression slowly shifted to one of embarrassment and timidity.

“I mean uh, wait.” she said in a soft voice, her wings covering her face as she blushed.

“Right,” Twilight said cautiously, her brows rising. “So, what do you want?” she asked.

“I-I-I want muh- my bunny back.”Fluttershy tried to answer but her voice was too soft for anyone to even hear.

Is this mare serious, or just wasting my time?

Twilight groaned loudly, “Look Miss Von Shy, I don’t have time for your worries right now. I got a lot of on my plate and I-”

“TWILIGHT, LOOK! ON YOUR HEAD!” Spike shouted out, pointing his claw towards Twilight’s mane. Twilight turned to look at the window of the library where she can see her reflection since the room is dark enough.

It was a rabbit, on her mane. Where its tiny little feet could’ve trample her if it were to bring its millions of friends. Where its tiny but sharp teeth could easily bite her wherever it wants. Where it’s dangerous and uncontrollable instincts could easily overwhelm her, causing her to lose control and lose her mind and-

“GET IT AWAY FROM ME!” Twilight shouted out in fear, picking the rabbit up with her magic and chucking it from her head. The rabbit flew through the air and landed on the ground with a soft thud, rubbing its rear side with its tiny paws.

Fluttershy gasped and her eyes widened as she quickly flew over to Angel and picked him up with her hooves. “Oh my goodness, Angel. Are you okay? Let me take a look at you,” she cooed, examining him closely for any signs of injury.

“What is your damn problem!?” Twilight shouted towards the pegasus, her tone mixed with fear and anger. “Don’t you realise that rabbits are one of the most rabid and disgusting animals?!”

Fluttershy recoiled at Twilight’s harsh words, her ears drooping in sadness. “I-I-I-I.” she stuttered, trying to conjure a word but Twilight’s angering presence is making it extremely difficult. “I-I’m so-so-sorry.” she finished, tears almost appearing in her eyes.

But Twilight wasn’t finished with her outburst, “You! Get you and your rabbit out of my face!” she yelled, her voice succumbing into anger. Fluttershy finally cried, her tears dripped with sadness as she flew and carried Angel away from them both.

Spike, who saw the whole situation unfold, sighed and walked over to Twilight and placed his claw on her back. “Hey, are you alright Twi?” he asked in a concerned tone.

Twilight took a deep breath, her lungs almost giving out as if she smoked a pack of cigarettes. “No, I’m not alright.” she said in a bit of fear but also relieved. “I.. Really hate rabbits.”

“Touche,” he said in agreement. He glanced at the spot where the pegasus was, before turning back to Twilight. “You know, you should maybe not yell at her? I think I saw her cry.” Spike said in a soft tone.

Twilight shook her head and turned back towards the library door. “Whatever, let’s just get inside of this library and quickly finish this.” she said in dismissal. Spike nodded, though he didn’t say anything as he looked at her in concern.

Twilight pulled out a key and placed it in the keyhole, turning it as it made clicking noises. She pushed the door open, revealing an extremely dark room.

“Great, now I have to find the lights.” she said as she entered the library with Spike at her side. “Spike help me find the light swi-”

But before she could finish her sentence, the lights suddenly opened. Streamers and confetti fell from the ceiling, and a large crowd of beings were in the library, almost circling them, as they wore a large smile.

“SURPRISE!” they shouted in unison, with a familiar pink mare in front as she led the charge.

Twilight and Spike stood in silence at the scene before them for a few seconds before Twilight finally spoke. “Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“Call the carriage company after this, I’ll be leaving first thing in the morning.”

Lesson 9: Surprise Party

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Lesson 9: Surprise Party!

Twilight Sparkle stood in silent shock as the scene unravelled before her. The lights flicked on, revealing the entire library decorated with balloons, streamers, a large banner read out the news to her in large pink letters:

Welcome New Pony/Being!

The unicorn’s mind raced through her thoughts and her eyes looked left and right around her surroundings. There were all kinds of beings surrounding her with smiles on their faces, from unicorns, earth ponies, a couple of changelings and even a thestral!

“Wha-” she tried to say a but a familiar pink mare with frizzy mane hopped towards her and leaned her head towards Twilight.

“Hi! Welcome to your surprise party!” she exclaimed with excitement, raising her hooves in a cheering motion. “You are gonna have a fantastic time here, you and your little buddy.”

The pink mare looked at the still fazed Twilight with a large smile.“Wha- how, th- the front door was locked!” she said in shock, “How did all of you get in?” she asked, looking between the attendees and the mare.

“Oh silly filly, the front door was locked tight but luckily we came in through the back door, and soon you’re gonna have the greatest new pony slash being party in Ponyville!” she cheered.

Twilight looked around the room again, trying to process the situation. She recognized a few of the attendees as residents of Ponyville, but there were also some unfamiliar faces. She then turned to look at the mare for a moment, at her coat, at her mane, before falling face into a deadpan expression as she realised who she was.

“Your name is Pinkie Pie, right?” she asked in a blank voice. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle.”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened as she looked at Twilight, “OOOH! Are you a mind reader? Or a psychic? Or a time traveller? OOH OOH OOH WAIT, YOU MUST BE AUTHOR OF THIS STORY!” she said in pointing towards Twilight.

“What! Of course I’m not!” Twilight shook her head in frustration. “What’re you talking about?”

Pinkie grinned loudly at Twilight’s probably funny frustration. “Okey dokey smokey!” she said, hopping cheerily in front of Twilight. “I have an alligator for a pet, I make amazing parties, fiestas, carnivals, festival, soirees and-”

Twilight placed her magic to stop the pink earthpony’s mouth from moving any further. She took a deep breath, reminding that at least she could try to deal with this.

“Look, I’m the royal supervisor of the celebrations today and I-”

Pinkie pulled out an extremely long checklist from her frizzy mane and gave it to Twilight. Twilight widened her eyes, astonished at the list of arrangements that the party pony already accomplished.

“Wha…”

“Finished, finished, finished, finishie, finishie, and finishola!” Pinkie exclaimed, her hooves raising up for a cheer, much to Twilight’s shock.

The mood in the party was lively as it started, someone brought out the library radio and turned the knob on the music station. Twilight gave the checklist back to Pinkie Pie, who quickly rolled it back and kept it back in her mane.

Twilight thought over her options for a moment, and looked around the library-turned-party house. The shelves were completely covered by long streams of banners, confetti was spilt all over the floor and some of the books she could see were completely rearranged in their category! Twilight thought of what she could do, and there was an idea, but she didn’t like it.

She turned to Pinkie Pie as she cleared her throat. “Well, I kinda need this library to uh, research, for a moment?” she said, hoping that Pinkie wouldn’t care.

“Oooh okey dokey!” Pinkie grinned. She turned to the rest of the party goers and took a deep breath. “EVERYBEING! TWILIGHT SPARKLE’S ABOUT TO DO SOME RESEARCH! SO BE A BIT QUIET!” Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs.

Twilight blushed in embarrassment as she covered her face with her hooves.

This is one crazy mare.

Pinkie Pie turned to Twilight with a giggling smile, “There, helped you out! Now enjoy reading and researching!” she said cheerily as she hopped on away from Twilight towards some party games.

She turned to Spike looking for some form of help and assistance, instead he was at the dining table with a large basket of chocolate chip cookies.

“Ooh, little guy, you must really like the cookies. Freshly baked by me! And you’re gonna looooove it!” Pinkie Pie said to Spike as he gobbled a hoofful of chocolate chip cookies and stuffing it into his mouth.

Twilight sighed,turning to Spike as he chowed down on some cookies. “Enjoying yourself?”

Spike meekly returned a nod, his mouth still full of cookies. Twilight sighed again as she made her way towards the bookshelves. As Twilight walked towards the shelves, she noticed that they were completely disorganised. The books were arranged in no particular order, and some of them were even upside down.

This is gonna take time.

She took a look at her surroundings, some of the partygoers were dancing to a radio on the table, some were simply chatting with their paper cups of punch while a few were playing the party games. Spike decided to enjoy himself with some delicacies in the middle of the room.

Twilight let out a frustrated sigh, “You’re almost there Twilight Sparkle,” she muttered to herself.

“Hey Twi.” a voice called out behind her. Twilight turned around from the disorganised catastrophe towards the source of the voice. It was Winters, again. He had a paper cup of fruit punch in his left hoof.

“What do you want Winters?” she asked him in an annoyed tone.

Winters raised his hooves in a placating gesture. “Just wanted to check in on you, see how you’re dealing with all of uh.. this,” he said, gesturing around at the chaos of the party. “I’m guessing, not well?”

“No.”

“Oh..”

A moment of awkward silence as Twilight gazed her eyes at him for a few seconds. Sighing, she turned back to the disorganised book shelves to start organising them.

“You need help?” Winters asked as he walked over to her side, placing his cup on a nearby table.

Twilight thought for a moment before turning to him with a nod, “Actually sure.” She stepped aside, allowing for Winters to stand next to her in front of the bookshelves. “I need to organise them all by genre and also to find a book I need,” she explained to him.

Winters laughed for a moment and Twilight noticed this, “Why’re you laughing?” He stopped laughing and turned to her with a curt smile, “Of course the Twilight Sparkle will become a librarian just so she can find a book she wants.”

Twilight scoffed at this notion, “It’s a need, Winters. And besides, it’s only temporary for a day.” she said.

Winters looked at her in confusion as if he couldn’t believe what he’s hearing, “How’re you gonna be a temp librarian?” he asked incredulously. “The law doesn’t really allow for a resignation from a job for at least a month.”

Twilight lit her horn to pick up a couple of books and glanced at the title of the books, before placing them in order. “I can just ask the princess to negotiate on my behalf.”

“So you’re gonna abuse your position as a protege to get out of a temp job?” he said in a blank voice.

“Well if you say as if it’s illegal, of course. But it isn’t.” she said as she turned to him smirking, as she held another book in her magic. “If those politicians can ask for an early resignation from working for the government, why can’t I, as the protege of Princess Luna, ask for an early resignation from working in a library?”

Winters looked at her for a moment before smiling, “Touche.” he said, picking up another pile of books in his hooves to sort. “Just don’t get hit with scandal or something, we had enough of those in the last years.”

“Never planned, never will.”

They continued stacking the books for a few minutes. The atmosphere in the party slowly drowns out into a mild disturbance in Twilight’s mind. She turned to the wall clock as it ticked each passing second, reaching the final hours of the evening:

8:30

“Hey Twi, is this it?”

Twilight turned to Winters from the wall clock, he held a thick brown book in his right hoof as he showed it to her. She had a good look at the title.

Star Swirl’s Unabridged Magical Theorem of Space and Field Volume I

Twilight gasped in surprise, quickly lighting her horn and taking it from his hoof. “Finally! After so long in the streets trying to find the organisers, I finally have this in my hooves!” she exclaimed excitedly.

Winters laughed at her jovial state. “Well glad to be of your assistance!”

Twilight quickly flipped through the pages, detailing all of the information she ever wanted for the rest of her days.

This is great! Now- Wait a minute.

Twilight stopped flipping the pages and turned to Winters with an appreciative but quite confused smile, “Winters, how did you know what to find? I didn’t tell you anything.” she asked.

Winters bashfully looked down at his hooves, grinding them against the wooden floor. “Well, I may have asked Spike. He was a bit drunk when I asked him, but he did tell me what you were really here for so…” he trailed off.

Twilight smiled appreciatively, “Well thanks anyways Winters, now if you excuse me I’m gonna- wait, did you say Spike was drunk?”

Winters’ ears raised in alarm what she meant and his eyes widened in surprise, “Oh crud.”

Twilight glared at him before running off towards the dining table, with the book in her magic only to find a drunk Spike hiccuping as he sat at the table, surrounded by a bunch of half eaten cookies and a half empty paper cup, filled with fruit punch. There were two bottles on the table with one of them half opened.

Spike glanced at Twilight, his glossy eyes and his alcohol filled breath was almost intoxicating in her senses. “Hey -hic- Twi!~” he said, smiling at her.

Twilight let out an exasperated sigh, glaring at her assistant. “Spike! You know you’re too young to even drink this kind of stuff, what’re you thinking!” she exclaimed in anger.

Spike didn’t respond, instead he slumped over the table falling into a drunken sleep. Twilight bit her lips in silent anger, as there’s only one mare who could answer for this. She stomped off, passing an afraid Winters holding a paper cup.

As Twilight walked through the party guests, her eyes scanned the room until they landed on the one mare she was looking for: Pinkie Pie. The party mare was playing a game of Pin the Feather on the Griffon with the other partygoers.

“MISS PIE!” Twilight shouted to her. Pinkie turned and hopped over to Twilight, a smile as she did.

“Oooh, Twilight Twilight! Can I call you Twilight, I know I said that earlier but I really LIKE calling you Twilight because it sounds you’re my friend and EVERYBEING IS MY FRIEND!”

Twilight wasn’t in the mood for the pink earthpony’s antics as she glared at her. “Miss Pie, do you realise that my assistant is now drunk on that fruit punch?” Twilight said through gritted teeth.

Pinkie Pie looked at her in curiosity but still kept her smile. “What, I didn’t realise baby dragons could get drunk that easily? It was below level!”

Twilight was beyond frustrated with Pinkie’s nonchalant attitude towards Spike’s drunken state. She took hold of her tail, dragging her across the floor towards the dining table where Spike was passed out.

“Look!” Twilight pointed her hoof towards Spike, himself slumped on the table, sleeping away. “He’s dead drunk and asleep!” she said. Pinkie took a good look at Spike, snoring away at the table in a content state.

“Hmmm,” Pinkie placed a hoof on her chin, leaning closer to Spike. She took her nose and sniffed at Spike’s breath. Twilight looked at this in disgust.

“What are you doing, Miss Pie?” Twilight asked, her voice barely contained. “Can’t you see how serious I am here!” she shouted but Pinkie quickly raised her head up with a large smile and turned to Twilight, grinning evermore.

“Ah HAH! Detective Pinkie Pie realised that she forgot that baby dragon’s can sometimes have a different alcohol level than their adult counterparts, meaning that the only to get him back up is to drown him in-”

“STOP!” Twilight shouted over her lungs. The radio stopped playing and every partygoer and Winters turned to them both in surprise, seeing Twilight fuming and seething in anger.

This mare is off the rails INSANE. Drowning Spike is one thing, but being this troublesome to me? Screw that!

“Get out.”

Pinkie’s smile faltered a bit, “Uh, what?”

“I said. GET. OUT.” Twilight’s eyes glared into Pinkie’s eyes deeply.

Pinkie dropped a bit but she kept her smile and picked up a plateful of cookies from somewhere. “I’m super duper sorry, Twilight. I have cookies to help to cheer you up, and I can give some delicious cupcakes to your little assistant there.”

Twilight shook her head aggressively, “No!” she said. She pushed Pinkie behind her across the library floor, past the other partygoers in their shocked expression and out of the door. Pinkie felt the natural ground of the outside as Twilight stopped pushing her and glared at her, one hoof with a plate of cookies, the other on the stone ground.

Twilight turned her back from Pinkie and went back inside, “Uh, can we still be friends?”

“Never was, never will.”

The door closed quickly with a loud bang, leaving Pinkie Pie outside with a plate of cookies.

“On the bright side, I have cookies with me!” she exclaimed jubilantly, “On the bad side, I lost a friend.” her ears drooped, but it quickly sprang up as she giggled.

“I have an idea! I can get my other friends to get her to be my friend! She’s gonna like them so much that we’ll be the bestest friends forever and ever and ever!” she said to herself in excitement, hoping on the ground leaving tiny pebbles to be upturned on the road as she made herself towards the town hall.

Finally I don’t have to deal with a crazy ass- wait why is everyone looking at me?

The entire room was silent as Twilight closed the door and turned to them. Almost all of them looked at her in disdain, some of them whispered in each other’s ears while others simply stopped whatever they’re doing and started to walk towards the front door.

Twilight watched in silence as more and more party goers started to leave, she didn’t mind this however.

“What a party, when the host herself kicks the planner out.” one of them muttered on as he passed them.

Twilight turned to him quickly with an annoyed tone, “Hey! This is a public library, not a fun house!”

The stallion simply scoffed and walked out of the library. Soon almost every partygoers have exited, leaving the library in total mess. “Great,” Twilight grumbled to herself. Almost everyone left, leaving Twilight, Spike and-

“So uh, should I help you clean up. Or uh, should I just leave?” Winters said nervously as he looked around at the mess. Twilight looked around, party banners everywhere, paper cups on the floor, half eaten food on the table, and remnants of the party games scattered about.

She sighed deeply and walked over to the dining table full of unfinished foods. She picked up two cookies in her magic and poured them in a batch of chocolate sauce.

She turned to Winters with a tired look on her face, “I’m just tired of this place,” she said. “I had to meet a bunch of annoying ponies here today, and this?”

She waved her hoof, bringing Winters’ eyes towards the mess of the library. She looked at him in the eyes, an exhausted expression on her face. “This? Is the last straw I’m willing to take. Because the first thing tomorrow morning, I’ll be leaving.” she said, taking one of the chocolate chip cookies and eating it.

Winters looked at her with mild sympathy before taking a closer look at the bottle of chocolate sauce. “Uh Twilight?”

“What?” she asked, taking the other chocolate chip cookie covered in sauce and eating it.

“I don’t think that’s chocolate sauce.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in shock as she felt a hot sensation in her mouth. Her mouth burned with an extreme fiery heat and her ears began to water. She quickly ran into the kitchen and brought her head over to the sink to start dousing her mouth in cold water.

Winters watched this with amusement before quickly covering it as Twilight came back from her unfortunate mishap.

“Are you alright?” he asked her.

Twilight took a paper cup from the table and poured herself some fruit punch, along with some ice cubes. She drank the entirety of the punch in a few gulps, before setting it down the nearby table. She turned to him with an otherwise confident but tired look.

“I’m fine, let’s get outta here.”

Lesson 10: Tastes like Chocolate.

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Lesson 10: Tastes like Chocolate.

The night was extremely dark, except for the flickering lights of Ponyville illuminating the streets. Most of the stalls were still open, their merchandise glistening in the lights. Some beings were on the main road, walking on the stone surface as most of them made their way towards the Town Hall for the Lunar Moon Celebrations, and Princess Luna’s arrival.

Twilight and Winters walked towards the direction of the Town Hall as they left the library, their hooves clicking against the stone path. Winters glanced at Twilight, her face contorted with a mix of calm and frustration.

“So, how’s the rest of the day for you?” he asked her, raising his brows.

“Stressful,” she replied, sighing as she did. “A nuisance on one hoof, a catastrophe on the other.”

She glanced at him with an annoyed look, “I expected at least some professionalism from the organisers and guess what, I only met one.” she emphasised.

“Ouch.”

“How about yours, you got your guys all set up?” she asked him back with an exhausted sigh as they continued walking.

Winter tensed up while looking at her, “Yeah, about that haha.” he replied as he laughed nervously. “Most of them may have decided to uh, quit a few hours after you left?”

“Winters…” Twilight gritted her teeth. She really didn’t want to hear another mishap just after finishing the last one on the list.

“Hey. I was as pissed as you were and besides, a couple of them decided to stay for the event at least.” he assured her. “Meanwhile, the guys who did quit said they were too underpaid. I gave them 100 Tacks for tonight, goodness sakes!”

“Can’t you just give them more, aren’t you rich enough?”

“And ask from my dad for another loan, not a chance.” he said defiantly.

“Of course, you couldn’t.” Twilight grumbled under her breath. Winters noticed this but didn’t say anything, instead he sighed and looked at her apologetically.

“Sorry, Twilight. But the guys who stayed, I think they can handle themselves better!” Winters reassured her, despite her worries.

Twilight rolled her eyes, “How many?” she asked him as she turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, three guys?”

Twilight’s face turned from a mildly annoyed expression to a deadpanned one. She facehoofed herself in disbelief and stopped in her tracks as well as Winters. She grumbled to herself in silence.

Winters… you’re an old friend, and you’re still an idiot in all capacities of the stratosphere.

She shook her thoughts off from her mind, she only needed to meet with Mayor Mare, announce her completion of her work and leave. “You know what, let’s just keep going to the Town Hall.” Twilight said as she walked past Winters

Winters nodded, sensing that it was better to drop the topic. The two continued walking in silence, the only sounds were the clicking of their hooves against the pavement and the distant sounds of the Lunar Moon Celebrations.

As they walked, they were joined by a bunch of other residents of Ponyville, mares and stallions of varying races and classes. The sky was exempt from the clouds that used to cover the sunny skies of Ponyville and the streets glittered with dozens of night lights and Lunar Moon decorations as they paved the path to the Town Hall.

As they approached the Town Hall, Twilight and Winters gaped in surprise at decorations covering the building.

The Rank of Unity flags are hoisted up high in front of the Town Hall and dozens of colourful dark blue banners were hung on the windowsills of the structure, adorned with silver crescent moons and stars. Some of the observers around the building looked in awe at the beautiful decorations, seamlessly placed in beautiful stature.

“Holy crap! Di- did Rarity Belle do this?” Twilight said in utter shock and amazement. Winters simply gaped in silence at the Town Hall’s decorations.

After a few moments, he turned to Twilight with an excited tone. “I think she did, she called me earlier that evening saying that she has finished her best work.”

He looked at Twilight with a grin. “Looks like she wasn’t kidding!”

Twilight nodded before walking in front of the Town Hall and started to look around, much to his confusion. “What’re you doing?”

Twilight glanced at him for a moment, “Looking for Rarity of course, gotta thank her for doing her job.” she said as she went back to looking around the crowds of beings around the Town Hall. She watched as more and more wandered into and inside the Town Hall.

Maybe she’s inside?

“Hey I think I see her!” Winters shouted out to her. Twilight turned to where Winters’ was pointing his hoof and saw Rarity near the nearby window as she tied another banner up on the window. Twilight smiled as she walked towards the fashionista, with Winters following right behind her.

As they approached the unicorn, Rarity Belle tied a knot tightly on the window sill, gleaming at her work. “Now this is my Chef-d’œuvre! The most magnifique, outstanding decorations the world has ever seen and the princess will be so mesmerised at my work until she faints from the sheer beauty of the-”

“I highly doubt that Miss Belle.” Twilight said from behind.

Rarity turned around as Twilight and WInters stopped in their tracks in front of her. She smiled and gave a wave towards them, “Darlings! Miss Sparkle and Winters, how are you all doing on this auspicious night?”

“Hey Rares, I’m doing good.” Winters replied back as he waved his hoof, “This looks absolutely amazing!” he commented on the Town Hall decorations.

Rarity blushed and giggled at Winters’ comments, “Well darling, I AM a fashion designer! One of the finest at that, and now the princess will see this and will gawk and awe at this marvelousness!” Rarity said with a touch of self-bravado.

“Well uh, that’s all well and good Miss Belle!” Twilight said to Rarity. She pointed towards the balcony where the mayor’s office was situated. “But we actually came to inform Mayor Mare that I’ve checked with every organiser and will head off back to Canterlot later.”

Rarity nodded and pulled her mouth into a smile, “Well, you don’t need to worry about going in. Mayor Mare is right there!” Rarity pointed her hoof towards her right towards a mare wearing glasses as she was talking to an on field reporter in front of the town hall.

“And with this year’s celebration, I predict that when the princess arrives, the atmosphere will be nothing short of magical for this affair!” Mayor Mare said to Flavia Sorentus happily , who held a microphone while the camera operator focused the video camera on the mayor.

Flavia smiled and nodded, glancing at the camera. “And I presume that every part of the celebration, catering, music, and weather has already been done and prepared for?” she said, before returning to the mayor as she held the microphone towards her.

“Well of course! But the pleasure should go to-” Mayor Mare began but as she glanced at to her side, she saw Twilight walking towards her. Her smile gleamed under the street lights and quickly, she waved towards the unicorn. “Miss Sparkle!” she gasped in surprise.

Twilight initially waved at them before being unceremoniously dragged by the mayor into the camera view. “Now this mare, from her native Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle!” Mayor Mare said in proud jubilance. “Being the esteemed protege of our eternal Princess Luna, she has not only completed her already extra duty as the royal supervisor with great fervour but she has also courteously decided to become our town librarian! And such, we owe her our thanks to the great town of Ponyville!”

Twilight widened her eyes at hearing this sudden and quite frankly untrue statement. “Mayor Mare, I think there’s been uh-” she tried to explain but Flavia quickly turned to her with an expectant look. The camera slowly panned towards Twilight’s confused and anxious face.

Oh crap, it’s one of those thirty minute interviews where the interviewers are gonna blast me with questions. It’s better if just… end this as fast as possible.

Twilight took a deep breath burning to the mayor with a strained smile, “I’m sorry Mayor Mare, but I really don’t think I have the time for this.”

Flavia raised an eyebrow, “I understand you’re a very busy mare, and I say we must congratulate you for fulfilling your part of your duty for these outstanding celebrations!” she praised her, much to Twilight’s embarrassment.

“Oh uh, it’s fine I mean-”

Flavia interrupted her quickly, changing the subject. “In the meantime, being the protege of Princess Luna must be greatly challenging for you. In regards to that, how do you plan to use knowledge you gained, plans for having a seat in parliament perhaps?

Twilight’s eyes widened and she shifted uncomfortably and in frustration, feeling put on the spot. “Well, I don’t really care much for politics necessarily, and I don’t see any reason why you want to ask me this-”

“And what about your feelings career-wise? Are you planning to continue your work as the town librarian, or do you have aspirations for something else?” the live reporter asked again, this time shoving the microphone so close to Twilight’s mouth as if it were a popsicle.

Twilight’s eyes slowly turned into a glaring look, her patience wearing thin. “Hey look! I don’t want to answer any of your questions, I’ll be taking my leave.” she said haughtily as she grabbed the microphone and threw it on to the ground.

Mayor Mare’s eyes widened in surprise, “Wait, wha- what do you mean?” she asked Twilight, grinned nervously as she looked at her. “Because we had an agreement that you’ll work here for a few days and-”

Twilight sighed in annoyance and turned to the mayor with an frustrated look, “Look mayor, the princess will work on my resignation after celebrations okay? I’m sure you’ll be fairly compensated by the crown, but my patience has FULLY run out in this town.” she said with an angry finality in her voice, walking away from the three with a huff.

Flavia glanced at the mayor and at her partner before reaching down to pick up her microphone. She turned to the camera with a smiling and professional tone, “Well, what an energetic reaction from Miss Sparkle. As you can see, emotions are running high in preparation for this year’s celebrations.”

“We’ve seen an enormous turnout from regions all over the kingdom from upper northern industrial areas to the agricultural townships of the south.”

The camera zoomed in on Flavia Sorentus’ face, “And that’s all we have, in thirty minutes or so Princess Luna will arrive to give a speech and join the festivities.”

“May Faust watch you all and have a good night. Back to you Colter.” Flavia nodded in soft farewell before the red light on the camera slowly faded into a pale grey.

A few minutes later

As both Winters and Rarity Belle watched Twilight Sparkle leave them both to themselves, the unicorn turned to Winters with a smirk on her face.

“Leslie Winters?”

Winters left out a groan, “For goodness sakes Rarity,” he said in an exasperated tone, “How did you even know about that?”

Rarity rolled her eyes and let out a giggle, “Well darling, let’s say a certain lavender unicorn may have spoiled it.” she replied, earning an annoyed sigh from him. She giggled again before looking around the environment around her, Twilight was still talking to the reporter somewhat while most beings outside have settled to enter the town hall.

She turned back to Winters, “So how’s your day, Winters?” she asked him.

Winters shrugged in nonchalance, “A bit of stuff and a bit of that, Apprentice had her blunders and most of my guys quit after earlier.” he replied. “Just hoping that with just three guys; Time Keeper, Caramel and Lucky Clover, we can still pull off the job.”

Rarity placed a hoof to her mouth with slight concern, “Oh dear, that sounds troubling..”

Winters simply shaked his head while looking at her, “It’s fine though, but what about you?”

Rarity threw her mane in the air in mock splendour, “Why I feel fantastic! Do you ever feel the honour of actually, actually getting endorsed by the princess herself to become the sole décorateur of the celebrations!” she said in excitement while Winters rolled his eyes at her.

“Yo, you two!” a voice called out to them in the midst of the surrounding festival sounds.

Both Winters and Rarity turned their heads towards the source. Among the crowd of beings a group of three stood out to them; two pegasi and an earth pony. Rarity’s eyes wavered for a moment as she saw who was leading the group, a familiar rainbow maned pegasus mare.

“O-o-oh! Rainbow Dash, well I didn’t expect you here, as well as Fluttershy and Applejack.” she said to them. “Anyways, how are you?”

Rainbow Dash scoffed, waving her hoof in mock disdain at the unicorn. “Pfft whatever,” Rainbow looked around her surroundings, her wings flaring slightly as she did. “So where’s Lavender Stick-Head?” she asked, her voice suddenly.

Winters and Rarity looked at each other in confusion.

Fluttershy quickly went to her friend’s left wing, trying to lower the wing to its resting state. “Dash please…” she said worriedly, trying to calm her down, “You don’t need to this, besides I-”

The brash pegasus turned her head towards Fluttershy, her face quickly contorting to one of anger. “Don’t need?! Flutters, that egghead screamed at you like you’re some sort of trash!” she said, still looking around.

Applejack snorted in frustration, “Gosh darnit, Rainbow. If Flutters says she ain’t doing it, then she ain’t doing it ya idiot,” she said to her. Rainbow shook her head in defiance, now floating herself just above head level to get a better view.

Applejack looked up at the pegasus and shook her head, “Rainbow, just let it go for now.” Applejack said as she sighed in frustration.

Winters tilted his head in confusion and turned to Rarity, raising his shoulders. Rarity simply shook her head in confusion as well, both of them don’t know what they’re talking about.

“I have no idea what you girls are talking about,” he said to them in a tone of confusion.

“OOH OOH OOH, maybe it was that cranky Twilight I threw a party for earlier and got thrown out because of it!” a voice said cheerily to his left ear.

“Oh, Twilight well uh I guess wait what-” he turned quickly to see Pinkie Pie floating on a balloon by the tail next to him, grinning gleefully. “Pinkie?”

Pinkie raised her hooves in celebratory cheer, “Happy Lunar Moon day! Not as catchy as the happy birthdays or the surprise parties or the cutie-mark quinceañera, BUT.” she pointed to the dark night sky. “It’s gonna be one of the greatest nights of THE YEAR!”

“Uh.. Right.” Winters managed to say before being pushed away by the two toughest mares he met in his life.

“YEEE HAW! PINKIE PIE I’VE SHOULDA KNOWN YOUR GONNA BE ALL PRANCING AND HOOVERING THIS!” Applejack said in excitement, sprinting and hugging both sides of Pinkie Pie in a massive bear hug.

“MY PINKSTER, HOW ARE YA DOIN’ GIRL?” Rainbow Dash quickly flew down and landed on Pinkie’s back, rufflin her mane as she did.

Pinkie Pie grinned even louder, her smile widening as she hugged both her friends back. Both her hooves hug Applejack while her frizzy mane ties itself around Rainbow Dash’s body. She took a deep breath and let out the most joyous shout she could ever make.

“GROUP HUG!”

Rarity grinned lightly and hurriedly coupled her hooves around Pinkie’s body while Fluttershy meekly followed suit, her wings slowly enveloping between Rainbow’s wings and Rarity’s coat

Pinkie turned to Winters, who was veering off to the side in embarrassment.
She grinned and motioned with her hoof to come over, “Come on Winties, everybeing loves a group hug!”

Winters looked nervous as he shuffled his hooves. “I… don’t know Pinkie. Uh,”

But everyone in the hug, excluding Rainbow Dash, motioned Winters to come over. All with their respective pleadings and most noticeably, Pinkie Pie, who was trying her best puppy dog eyes. Winters looked at them nervously before shrugging and smiling, “Oh fuck it.” he mumbled to himself before hugging the group.

“See, group hugs always help to stop arguing and fighting!” Pinkie Pie said in a laugh.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah. I’ll stop arguing, still gonna punch the ever shit outta of that bit-”

“What was that?” Pinkie asked, turning her head to look at Rainbow more clearly.

“Nothing!”

As they hugged each other in a large all-rounded group hug, some of the other beings in the street snickered while others simply looked in mild amazement. “Girls, I think I’m starting to suffocate from this really really strong hug!” Pinkie managed to croak up from the centre of the hug.

The others quickly broke the hug and stepped back, all laughing at Pinkie’s remark.

“Hey, what’s with all the laughter here?”

Everyone turned to the sound of the voice, a lavender unicorn staring at them with a confused look on her face before the face itself quickly was socked by an furious Rainbow Dash, much to the shock of the others.

Twilight fell to the ground while Rainbow stood on her chest, delivering one punch after another to her face, while Twilight conjured a shield spell to block the punches.

“BITCH, YOU FUCKING BITCH! IF YOU THINK YOU’RE CAN HURT MY BEST FRIEND JUST LIKE THAT YOU ARE SORELY 20 PERCENT FUCKED!” Rainbow shouted in between her punches.

The other quickly ran over to them with Fluttershy and Applejack pulling away the punching pegasus by the wings while Rarity and Winters brought Twilight to her legs as she stood up.

“What the tartarus is wrong with you Rainbow!” Winters yelled at her,“Her nose is bleeding for goodness sakes!” he continued as Twilight started to wipe her bleeding nose.

Rainbow glared at Winters, “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me!?!” she said as she pulled it away from Fluttershy and Applejack’s hooves. “I’ll tell ya what’s wrong with me, SHE yelled at Fluttershy!”

Winters and Rarity recoiled at Rainbow’s outburst while Twilight merely tried to wipe off the blood with her magic. She glared at Rainbow and spoke firmly to her, “Look miss, I have no idea what’s gotten into you but-”

Rainbow managed to break free from their grips before charging at Twilight with her wings. The unicorn managed to conjure up a larger shield spell, causing the pegasus to bounce off it and crash onto the ground.

“Gosh darnit’ Rainbow, your gonna give yourself a concussion.” Applejack scolded her. “And you know what, let me speak to her for now.” she said as she walked towards Twilight with a hurtful look.

“Now listen here, Miss Sparkle. Y’all hurt Fluttershy’s feelings back at the library,”

“What! I-” Twilight began, before Applejack’s hoof closed her mouth shut. Twilight shutted up, letting out a grunt.

Applejack frowned, “Now look here, I ain’t finished now Miss Sparkle. You, yelled at Fluttershy back at the library, ya hear? And now she’s crying-”

Fluttershy shyly raised her hoof up in embarrassment whilst her cheeks let out redness, “Uh… cried? Past tense?”

Applejack rolled her eyes before turning back to Twilight, “Right, cried..” she said. “Now I ain’t forcing you to apologise, but at least do the right thing~?” Applejack stressed the last part out loud, much to Twilight’s annoyance.

Twilight was still wiping her nose, as some blood dripped from it as if it were a leaking faucet. A lace white beautifully embroidered handkerchief slowly emerged in Rarity’s magic and gave it to the unicorn. Twilight turned and nodded, muttering a small thanks to her.

As she finished wiping the last of the blood, Winters came over and looked closely at his old friend’s face. His brows furrowed in nervousness as he noticed a large black outline around Twilight’s left eye.

“Uh, Twi? Black eye?” Winters motioned around his right eye as he looked at her.

Twilight let out a small groan as she felt the throbbing pain around her eye. She winced as she touched the area gently with her hoof, confirming Winters’ observation.

“Great,” she muttered, “just what I needed.”

Pinkie looked at the commotion between her friends with an idea, she’ll be right back! Rarity looked at Pinkie who scurried off quickly, then to Rainbow Dash and Twilight with an idea of her own.

“Darlings!” Rarity said to the group, “How about if Miss Sparkle apologises then have Rainbow Dash apologise to her?”

The two looked at each other for a moment, before Rainbow Dash sighed and nodded her head in agreement. “Fine, I guess I’m sorry for punching the ever loving crap out of ya.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, well her right eye at least. “I guess I’ll apologise as well,” she said in a slightly sarcastic tone. She turned to look at Fluttershy with a question in mind, “What about her?”

Rainbow turned to Fluttershy, confused before turning back to Twilight. “What do you mean?” she said, her eyes flashing with a mix of anger and confusion.

“Well, I had that rabbit jumping around on my mane like it was a trampoline and I would rather not have a creature like that on my head again.”

Twilight’s stinging comment made Fluttershy flinch in nervousness, “S-s-sorry, I already took care of Angel’s uh... Delinquency when I got home?” the timid pegasus said in a soft voice. “He’s uh, in a time out for the time being.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, “Yeah whatever,” she said dismissively, before continuing again. “As long as that disgusting rabbit doesn’t come anywhere near me, then I’ll be-”

“WHAT THE FUCK’S YOUR PROBLEM!” Rainbow shouted out to Twilight in a pure unbridled rage, quickly flying and tackling Twilight to the ground.

But before she had a chance to conjure up another shield spell nor Rainbow could land a punch, Mayor Mare pulled away the pegasus by the wings, with such force causing her to land on her back.Rainbow raised her head, her cloudy vision slowly coming face to face with an angry mayor.

“Uhhhhh, hey Mayor Mare?” Rainbow Dash said, trying to sound innocent as she rubbed the back of her head.

Mayor Mare gave Rainbow Dash a stern look before turning her attention to Twilight, who was struggling to get back on her hooves.

“Miss Sparkle, I think it would be best if you left the scene for the time being,” Mayor Mare said firmly. “I don’t think I can have this kind of behaviour in my town anymore.”

Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash as she got back up, her black eye already beginning to swell. “Fine,” she spat out, “It’s a good thing I’m leaving.” she said, walking away from the group.

Everyone looked at each other in shock. Winters, without thinking, quickly walked over to Twilight with a concerned look. “Hey, Twi! Calm down a bit, sure we can talk this out?”

Twilight turned to him with a mix of anger and hurt in her eyes. “Talk it out? You saw what she did to me! And you’re defending her?” she said, her voice raising in volume.

“Hey, I’m not defending her okay? I would’ve gladly settled her issue with you but-” Winters tried to explain but Twilight quickly shushed him off.

She let out an annoyed and frustrated grunt, “But you didn’t do damn anything about it didn’t you? Such a good you were!” she spat out.

“But I-”

“Can it! I’m sick and tired of this crazy town, the incompetent brash ones on the left, and the manic and idiotics on the right!” she yelled out loud, causing the nearby residents of Ponyville to cuss her in disgust though Twilight seemed to pay no mind to them.

I’M. ABSOLUTELY. FUCKING. TIRED. OF. THIS.

But before Twilight could walk back to the library and get Spike, somebeing cried out. “Look! It’s the princess’ carriage!”

Almost everybeing quieted down, including Rainbow Dash and Mayor Mare who were arguing with each other. The streets were silenced as the royal carriage slowly dropped down onto the stone street, rocks and pebbles scattering beneath its weight.

The crowd grew more silent as the thestral drivers in front quickly decoupled themselves and walked over the carriage door, opening the door. Princess Luna stepped out of the carriage with a regal presence, her dark blue mane flowing in the gentle breeze and her royal attire sparkling under the street lights.

“Good evening my fellow subjects,” she spoke, her voice carrying a soothing tone that seemed to calm the previously tense atmosphere. “I trust that all is well in Ponyville, Mayor Mare?” she turned to the mayor.

Mayor Mare grinned nervously and bowed her head, “Oh, oh! Definitely your highness, all’s well here in this town.”

Luna looked over to Rainbow Dash on the ground, “And you young pegasus, how are you?” she asked.

Rainbow got up, cleaning herself from the dirt and dust from the ground. “Your majesty,” she said. She took a look at the mayor’s panicked face before taking a deep breath,“I guess everything’s alright here.”

“Excellent!” she said with a slight indication of joy in her tone. “And of course, how could I forget my dear stu…” she trailed off as she looked at Twilight’s face.

“I’m fine, can we talk about this later Princess Luna?” Twilight replied quickly wanting to get out of the very public streets and into the building. “It’s a matter of importance for me, and I would not prefer to be anywhere near here right now.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, sensing the tension in the air. “Of course, Twilight Sparkle,” she said with a hint of concern in her voice. “We can discuss any issues you may have at a later time, follow me.”

“In the meantime, the official ceremony will begin in 30 minutes everybeing! For now, enjoy the various festivities prepared!” the princess said, before walking over to the town hall doors with Twilight following her.

“Aaaand I brought Making-Up Cupcakes! Colourful sprinkles, vanilla and strawberry cream and- wait why is everyone looking at the town hall door? OOOOH OOOH OOH, is it somebeing important?”

“Pinkie… can we just- screw it, give me a cupcake.” Winters said as he took one from the tray Pinkie brought and started munching on it. “Huh, it tastes like chocolate.”

The Old Sisterhood

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The Old Sisterhood

Most of the Ponyville residents crowded the Town Hall, the walls decorated with various assortments of banners, the most prominent was the banners showcasing all twenty three regions of the kingdom. The lights glowed with a bright yellow dim, casting a warm and welcoming ambience throughout the hall.

The balcony podium was decorated with flowers and ribbons in hues of blue and purple, the colours of the Princess’s mane. In the middle of the hall was a long and extravagant blue carpet ,running itself from the main door of the building across the crowded hallways towards the main stairwell towards the balcony.

“And this carpet, I made myself! It took me weeks to get silk imported here, but oh great Faust was it perfect for this once in a lifetime event.” Rarity Belle exclaimed happily, her eyes gleaming with pride as she gently caressed the soft silky texture of the carpet.

Pinkie Pie hopped on the silk carpet,“This is so so so so SO cool, Rares! This carpet is so soft, slightly springy and very very good feely touching!” she said as she jumped up and down on the carpet, much to Rarity’s horror.

She tried to use her magic to drag Pinkie away, but Pinkie Pie quickly used her tail as a propeller to pull herself away from Rarity.

As Pinkie Pie and Rarity tried playing a tug of war of magic and reality-breaking against each other, Applejack observed the various food and drinks her family made on he long

“Fritters, stew, pies, cookies, darn near everything from Sweet Apple Acres is here! And let me tell y’all, this apple cider here is the finest we have!” she boasted as she held up a jug of the cider in the air.

One of the many in the crowd recognised as her cousin Caramel, approached the table with a bolt rifle in his hooves. “Wow cousin, I know I made a couple of the dishes but darn.” he said taking a bite one of the fritters.

“Mmmm! Tastes like how my mom makes back in Coltchester,” he said, chewing on the delicious apple fritter.

“Thank you kindly Cousin Caramel! Now if only ya didn’t join Winters’ town watch army, we could have got ourselves even more of a selection going on.”

Caramel shook his head in slight laughter, “No can do cousin, I actually need some Tacks for rent this week so who knows? Plus, I get to hold a rifle and shoot something with it!” he replied excitedly as Applejack rolled her eyes at her cousin’s banter.

Meanwhile near one of the Town Hall’s windows, Fluttershy turns to her song birds, each with their own beautifully varied colours as they prepare to make their final rehearsal for the opening ceremony.

“Now come on my little friends, when Princess Luna emerges from the curtains you give her the best musical notes you can ever muster! Just like we rehearsed!” Fluttershy said to her critters. The birds looked at each other as they began to sing.

Fluttershy hummed along, the notes hitting a musical high, before realising that this particular note was… off. Before she knew it the notes playing weren’t the Night’s Home of Clarity, but instead was the Severnayan national anthem.

“Nononono! That’s the wrong anthem!” she said out loud before quickly covering her mouth in embarrassment, looking around to see if anyone else heard her.

Putting out a sigh of relief, she turned back at her birds. “All of you, that’s the wrong tone. The other one, where we practised earlier back home?” she said in a slightly lighter and whispering voice. “Please?”

Oh, this is so embarrassing!

As Fluttershy tried to attempt another rehearsal, Winters and Rainbow Dash leaned against next to the stairwell that connects to the offices of the Town Hall both wearing ambivalent expressions.

Winters turned to Rainbow Dash with an uneasy look, “Soo uh,” he began but Rainbow Dash quickly cut him off.

“Got another 5 hours added to my community service, great.” she said as matter of factly as she could, but her voice had a tinge of frustration. “No thanks to Lavender Egghead and Mayor Mare, she gave me a heavy stressing down and got the coppers to add a few more next to my already existing one earlier.”

Winters winced at hearing his friend’s insult to Twilight, but he quickly shrugged it off. “Soo uh, can I know why you’re standing here?” he asked.

She turned to Winters with a smirk, “Waiting for her to come out,” she replied.

“Twilight?”

“Yep! This time, I have a plan. I’ll-” Rainbow said with a mischievous and slightly evil glint in her eyes, Winters didn’t exactly share the same look of enthusiasm as her, cutting her off with an annoyed tone.

“Rainbow..” he sighed. “She’s my friend, a good friend for goodness sakes! And you’re thinking of punching the everloving the crud out of her just because she accidentally yelled at Fluttershy and ruined your pride.”

Rainbow groaned in frustration, “ Oh come on! She’s a bitch and you know it, just let me give her a lesson on reality for now okay?”

Winters tilted his head slightly and furrowed his brows, “Except there’s one problem, what exactly makes you think she won’t try to tell on you with the Princess, who may I remind you Twilight Sparkle is literally the protege of her and basically has her eyes and ears conjoined with the princess?”

Rainbow laughed, though a tiny bit of nervousness crept into her fur. “Hahaha… look uh, I’ll cross that bridge when I find it.”

“And if that bridge you crossed and collapsed, what would you do?” he asked incredulously.

“Dude!” Rainbow Dash said, flapping her wings as she stood still on the ground. “I have wings?”

“You know what I mean,” Winters replied, with a slight tinge of worry for her but mostly for Twilight. “The last thing we need is the princess breathing down on both of your necks.”

“Pffft, as if. Just watch, I’m sure she’s not gonna tell her that I-”

“And she kept punching me repeatedly in the face as if I was a bloody body bag, and now my nose is bleeding and my eye looks like a black hole,” Twilight recounted to Princess Luna.

Luna nodded along to her student’s words as she cleaned off the last of the blood with a damp warm towel. As much as she cared for Twilight Sparkle’s wellbeing, sometimes she doesn’t tend to do very well in front of others.

“What a loudhouse egoist!” she remarked, pulling away at the towel. “I swear if the next time I go into some backwater town I need a guard or something just so I don’t get clotheslined by some mare who, I recall, tries to assault me.”

Luna turned to her student with a calm expression, placing a comforting hoof on her shoulders. “Now my dear student,”

Twilight continued, her hooves waving manically in the air. “This mare named Pinkie Pie had thrown me a birthday party, or something. She somehow managed to ruin the library

“And when I came back from that Flutter Von, uh Shield or something. You know what happened?” she turned to Luna with a tense look, her eyes twitched and her mane started standing on ends. Luna merely gave a silent shake of a head.

“A RABBIT!” she wailed out loud, collapsing on the princess’ chest. “It was on my mane, its tiny little feet jumping as if it were a trophy, its teeth threatening to gnaw at my face at every second and its eyes, RED EYES!”

Luna listened patiently, rubbing her student’s back gently as she could. “It’s alright, Twilight. It was just a rabbit,” she tried to console her but Twilight gave her a dirty look.

“Just a rabbit? IT could have had rabies in its blood!” she barked out, much to the princess’ surprise. Twilight’s breathing became more tense and she started to dart her eyes around the room.

The room itself was an old unused office, but Mayor Mare quickly turned it into a makeshift break room for the princess.

Luna released her student from her magical grip, and walked over to the vanity. She took off her round spectacles and brought out a silk handkerchief, wiping them on the lenses free from dust.

Twilight looked at her mentor in a sense of confusion and mild anxiety, her ears perking up as she watched her mentor cleaned her spectacles .

Wha- what is she doing?

“Now Twilight, if I were to say that a puppy were to walk up to you, its tail wagging left and right hitherto, what would you do?”

“What!” Twilight’s eyes widened at the princess’ silly change of topic. “What does that have to do with-”

“Answer the question Twilight Sparkle,” Princess Luna said softly.

Twilight rested her hoof on the coffee table, tapping it apprehensively. “Well uh, I guess do nothing and keep on walking wherever I go?”

Luna nodded at her student’s words, but as she was about to give her another question the door knocked and slowly opened with a click, a lanky and quite anxious stallion appeared behind it. “Your majesty, I brought you the tea you requested, and also a telegram message and a case is waiting for you.”

Strange… I didn’t ask for a case. And what’s this telegram about, never mind I’ll worry about it later.

“Thank you, Mr Tadwell isn’t it? Thank you for your service.” she said to him as she placed the case in the corner while the telegram and the tea kettle of two cups were placed on the table.

Tadwell left the room with a loud thud and the princess poured each cup some milk tea. She raised her cup with her magic while Twilight looked at her in bewilderment. Luna nodded gently and took a sip of the cream tea.

As delicious as always…

Putting the glass cup down, she turned to Twilight with a sigh. “Well my student, what do you think of this town?”

“A backwater, some of the residents are alright, some are insane.” she replied with a huff and crossed her hooves in disgust and disdain.

“And what of the ones you met? Some new friends perhaps?”

The room went silent as Twilight took in the question in a moment of calmness, before bursting a bellow of laughs. The unicorn couldn’t help but shake her head in disbelief. “Pffft, princess-hahaha! Friends? I don’t think there’s even a slight chance of me being friends with any of them here.”

The princess looked down on her cup solemnly, “Well…” she trailed, circling the rim of the cup with left hoof. “What about just acquaintances, like-”

“Acquaintances?” Twilight repeated in a sceptical tone. “Princess, no offence but I don’t think even that works out. Though, Rarity is a bit better than the others.”

She paused for a moment before continuing with a shrug, with a tone of finality. “But I doubt we’ll ever become more than just acquaintances. Besides, I’ll be resigning anyway.”

Luna looked at her student, feeling a bit disappointed but determined not to show it on her face. “Well, whatever you want, my good student.”

The room was silent again as both sipped their teas, its aromantic smell tantalising their senses to the peak. Twilight wandered her eyes around the room, first at the princess, at the door then finally the telegram message on the table. Luna noticed her gaze and quickly took the message.

Therridaelis Telegraph Company

22 JUNE 999

MS D2 PV 07.

PRINCESS LUNA FAUSTRIANIS
F̸̡̦̘͎͙̯̙̪̖̗̱̞̑͊̀̈͌́̾̂͘̚͝A̴̡̛̪̤̺̱͈̜̰̫̬̒̈́̇͒̅̈́͂͌̚͝L̵̦͖̱̀̋̇̇͋̋͠͝ͅṠ̷̖͇͊̂E̶̡̧͎͕̭͇͍̜̞͌ͅ PRINCESS,
PONYVILLE TOWN HALL,
PONYVILLE, MISAKI.

WHEN THE WORLD CASTED THE SUN AWAY. THE MOON THREW GLOOM AND DIRE. NOW THE SUN RISES. MAY IT NEVER SETS UPON THE WORLD.

SISCEL

Princess Luna’s eyes widened in shock as she read the message, her heart racing with fear and apprehension. With trembling hooves, she reread it over and over again, her growing uneasiness and unsettling distress mounting with each passing word.

The message had no sender names, nor a sending address. She had an idea who might’ve sent this, but the thought itself was just ludicrous and extremely unlikely! Yet-

“Princess? What’s in that telegraph?” Twilight asked suddenly after observing the array of Luna’s expressions. Luna turned to her student in a surprised alarm, forgetting that she was right there..

No… I can’t tell her, it could be just a false alarm. It could be! No need for that, definitely no need for her to know, nor to cause a fuss! I’ll just… remove this message and check on that case earlier.

She knew she had to maintain her composure, though, for the sake of her duties as a princess and mentor. With a deep breath, she forced a calm smile and turned to Twilight.

“It’s just a message from the palace, nothing to worry about.” she said, carefully avoiding Twilight’s gaze as she burned the message to ashes using fire magic

Twilight can only nod sceptically at her mentor’s response, sensing that something was off, but decided not to push the issue any further for now.” Alright, if you say so,” she replied with a smidge of doubt.

Luna nodded, relieved that Twilight didn’t suspect anything. Just then, the door opened slightly, and the mayor’s head poked out.

“Your majesty! I want to let you know the ceremonial address will start in about 10 minutes. Sorry if I seem intruding, your highness.” the mayor said with a bit of nervousness.

Luna waved it off calmly and with dismissal, “No need, I’ll be there. In the meantime, can you escort my student and have her fully enjoy the festivities below?” she replied with light firmness.

Mayor Mare nodded with a smile, “Of course, Your Highness. I’d be happy to show Miss Sparkle around.” she said as she walked over to her. “Now let’s head down Miss Sparkle.”

“Princess?” Twilight said in surprise as she looked at her mentor.

Princess Luna took a step forward towards her student and leaned forward, “I want you to enjoy this for one time without any books, nor fuss. It is of course my duty as your mentor to ensure my student gets to experience her life to the fullest, and not just academic pursuits.”

Twilight looked down in ambivalence and bit her lip, “But-”

“That’s a royal order Twilight, have good fun down there. You can ride in my carriage after the festivity and I’ll handle your quick resignation to the mayor.”

Twilight looked at her mentor in mild shock, she knew there was no arguing with a royal order, so she simply nodded in compliance. “Yes, Your Highness,” she said in hidden frustration.

Luna smiled sadly at her student’s response as she watched her leave the room with the mayor. She glanced at the clock on the wall, its hour hand now resting close to midnight. She got up with a sigh and walked up to the vanity mirror.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and let out a deep breath. The events of the night were starting to take a toll on her, and the message she had received earlier was still weighing heavily on her mind. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

Luna lit her horn and brought the tea kettle over, pouring herself another milk tea. Milk tea always seemed to calm her down. As she sipped on her tea, she noticed the large case in the corner. “Huh, I forgot that existed.” she said to herself in thought. She walked over to the case in the corner, taking it and placing it on the table.

As she slowly opened the case, a familiar and sharp longsword revealed itself. The steel blade glimmered in the light of the room, and the intricate designs of the crescent moon etched on the hilt caught Luna’s eye and her thoughts. It was her old longsword, from the Olden Era, where she-

She shook her head, “Why is it here? Who… who sent it to me?” she whispered to herself in fear and uneasiness, as she dropped the sword to the ground and took a few steps back until she backed up to a wall behind her. The room suddenly felt warmer than it was before, and the air of anxiety from before came back.

This isn’t supposed to be here, how… I kept it buried in our castle… our… castle…

Her eyes darted back to the casing, a message burnt on the wooden frame of the case:

THY LOOK FORWARD TO OUR REUNION, DEAR SISTER.

Twilight walked down the stairwell with Mayor Mare, mildly sulking her thoughts out. Mayor Mare turned to Twilight with a sad expression on her face as they walked down the stairwell, “So Miss Sparkle, I’ll take that you’ll be leaving after this?” she asked.

The unicorn rolled her eyes in annoyance and turned to the mayor, “Look mayor, I already burnt out most of my energy dealing with constant idiots left and right no offence.” she answered back.

Mayor Mare nodded back sadly, “Well, I guess I can respect that. Still, I wish you would’ve upheld your side of the agreement.”

Twilight ignored her, instead she stepped down even faster down the stairs, each step making a soft thudding sound. The lights of the hall from below slowly become brighter and brighter, casting a soft glow on her hooves.

Reaching the ground floor, she saw green curtains covering the entrance into the main hallway, where the main celebration starts. On the left is a suspicious closet door, the door slightly ajar.

“Well, I’ll be heading off Mayor Mare.” Twilight said as she looked out of the curtains

Mayor Mare turned to Twilight with a small smile, “Take care of yourself, Miss Sparkle.” she said to her, still upset but polite. “I’ll be in the hall watching over the crowd in case of anything.” she said, looking thoughtful away from Twilight. “Actually, if it doesn’t trouble you…”

“Yeah right, don’t expect me to- MMMPH!”

Mayor Mare narrowed in curiosity, still looking from in front of her. “Well not mmmph, I was more so in asking if you can help me with crowd morale tonight?” she asked.

…..

“Miss Twilight?” she asked, finally turning her head in front. Twilight wasn’t there, and the green curtains blew softly from the cheers of the crowd. “Huh, she left already. Might as well enjoy the celebration myself,” Mayor Mare thought to herself, before heading towards the hall.

Meanwhile, Twilight found herself in a dark room, her mouth covered by a hoof. She struggled to break free, but her captor was too strong. Judging from the strength of they’re hooves and their grunted breaths, she quickly deduced what gender her captor is. There’s only one spot where her captor will fall on their hooves, guaranteed for all stallions.

“AAAAAGH!” he shouted out falling on his back against the closet wall, where the items on the shelves above him fell down on his head. Twilight recognised that shout and quickly turned on the lights, turning around it was Winters.

Winters? You’re a grown grade A idiot.

“Owwwwwwww….” he cried softly as he clutched his lower body region with his hooves in a very specific spot where he was kicked, whinnying and grunting in pain.

“Winters! What on Luna’s flank are you doing?” she said to him, clearly not amused to being suddenly grabbed with her mouth shut tight.

Winters opened his eyes and slowly got up with shaky legs, “Owwwww, it hurts. Do you have to kick me that hard?” he said but as he looked up to meet her eyes he quickly closed his mouth shut, realising that he may have stirred a hornet’s nest.

“Winters,” Twilight said in stern fierceness. “You dragged me into a dark closet, shutting my mouth and acting as if you were a deranged kidnapper. Like there aren’t already enough weirdos here!”

Winters winced at words, but bit his tongue against the pain. “Look Twi, uh I was here because Rainbow Dash is juuust standing outside the curtains waiting for you?” he told her nervously.

Twilight’s expression changed from mild anger to an eerie calmness, “So that rainbow mare’s outside in the hallway waiting for me, and instead of convincing her to you know? Not beat me up, you decided to grab me?” she said, unsettlingly calm and void of emotion.

Winters shifted uncomfortably on his hooves, “Well, I was going to but then I saw you walking by and thought it’d be funny to scare you a bit…” he trailed off, his voice slowly becoming softer and softer. His ears pinned back in embarrassment and shame as he contemplated his available options.

As he did that, the door quickly opened and Twilight walked out of the closet. Winters followed closely in a panic, trying to explain himself further. “Come on Twi, I didn’t mean to scare you! I was just trying to warn you about-”

But Twilight already threw open the curtains, revealing a smug and Rainbow Dash beyond it. “Finally took ya long enough, egghead.” she said as she cracked her hooves. “Ready to settle this once for all?”

Twilight sighed in exhaustion, realising she’s never gonna get away from her without another confrontation. “For Faust’s sake, can you just leave me alone for the time being!” she shouted, frustration seeping through her words. Rainbow scoffed at her words before flaring her wings up in anticipation.

Some members of the crowd watched them, recognising them from earlier.

“Holy crap, they’re gonna have another fight?”

“I’m betting 5 Tacks on that feathered over there!”

“I think that particularly a unicorn mare has the prowess and capability to defeat anybeing, especially a pegasus in combat.”

But before anything could get out of control, the lights suddenly were dimmed to almost a complete black out. Everyone, including Twilight, Rainbow and Winters, looked around in surprise.

“Holy molotov cocktails! Who shot the sun out of existence?” Pinkie Pie’s voice exclaimed in the darkness.

“Goodness, the lights have gone out!” Another voice called out in the darkness, among the others to which Twilight recognised. “Fluttershy darling, can you please stop holding my neck as if it were a tree?”

“Heck, how am I supposed to get others to enjoy my family’s food?” Another voice called out over the others among the crowd. Twilight recognised it as Applejack from her farm.

Suddenly two spotlights shone themselves towards the podium and everybeing’s attention turned to it. The television and radio crew who were there aimed their equipment towards the podium, the red lights of the cameras shining in the darkness.

Mayor Mare walked out of the curtains, raising her hooves in the air towards the curtains. “Gentlestallions and mares, it’s been a great pleasure to have you all for this night. But now, the great town of Ponyville will love to welcome our very own princess, Princess Luna Faustrianis!” she announced, eliciting a round of cheers and applause from the crowd.

A large figure walked out beyond the curtains, “Good evening, my young subjects of Ponyvillians and such!” Princess Luna said to the crowd below, eliciting another round of applause.

The cameras zoomed in closer to the princess, focusing the vision onto her.

She adjusted for a split second, “ I hope that the celebrations today have been well-prepared and acquainted with the upcoming night. I, as your humble guardian and princess, hope to secure this night, as a blessing for your enjoyment and your continued loyalty to the crown.”

Huh, strange. Princess Luna usually doesn’t sound this nervous.

“Wait!” Pinkie Pie called out from the crowd, turning her attention towards her as Pinkie raised her hooves and jumped up and down sporadically. “Ihaveaquestion, Ihaveaquestion,Ihaveaquestion!”

Luna looked down and nodded softly, a bit intrigued by this sudden interference but otherwise welcomed it from the usual celebration monotony. “And what’s your question, young excitable mare?”

“Why do we celebrate the Lunar Moon Celebration?”

Luna’s breath caught itself for a moment, and she quickly coughed a few times. Her eyes darted left and right in quiet nervousness before settling back onto the party pony. Luckily nobeing noticed except for Twilight, who was watching closely. “We- well, when I first defeated my sister or better known to the masses as Daybreaker, I made this celebration in order to commemorate my memory with her.” she said solemnly, slowly lowering her head in a symbol of sadness.

“But it’s not just that isn’t it? False princess...~”

The voice was a sinister one, echoing against the walls of the town hall. It was the voice of a mare who’s devilish tone was enough to send shivers down Twilight’s spine. The crowd began to murmur and whisper among themselves, some even beginning to back away in fear.

“Who- who’s there! Sho- show yourself, villain!” Princess Luna demanded nervously, clutching the sword in its scabbard with her wings while the goosebumps in her fur increasingly became stronger and her tone became more fearful.

Cameras and reporters looked left and right to search for it and the spotlights swung wildly across the room, trying to find the source of the voice. Suddenly, the entire town power went haywire, causing the camera’s and audio equipment to stop working temporarily while the lights flickered and off randomly. Now the crowd’s becoming increasingly frightened and some started to leave the town hall in fear. Meanwhile Twilight made her way towards her mentor, hoping to get to her before whoever’s voice does.

However, the flickerings stopped and the hall’s lights turned intensely bright until the lights themselves blew out until a few remained, causing the crowd to scream and to run out of the building. Some however stayed behind, mostly the reporters, Winters and his watch members, and the others of the group. Princess Luna flew above the crowd in the hall, trying to get a better vision of this would-be attacker and some answers for their intrusion and their borderline disruption.

Something in her feelings though, says that this particular isn’t like the ordinary ones.

Finally a bright light materialised in front of her, forming a large figure slightly larger of her size. They were an alicorn of white coatings and wore armour, which had a symbol of the sun affixed on the chest. They had a crown on their head, and their flanks sprouted a cutie mark of the bright sun of the day.

Princess Luna stopped flapping her wings and simply floated in shock, “No…. It can’t be.” she said to herself in silence, gazing in shock at her sight.

The intruder wore a devilish sort of smile on their face.

“Hello, sister ~”

A Stunted Past

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A Stunted Past

The crowd grew in silence as Daybreaker emerged from the light, her eyes blazing with a fiery intensity. She stood tall and imposing, her mane and coat blazing with the same fire that seemed to emanate from within her. She wore an intimidating grin on her lips, and her wings were spread wide, casting a shadow over the trembling audience.

Twilight’s eyes went wide as did everybody else, as they gazed upon the powerful being that had just appeared before them.

How… This is impossible. This is mathematically, logically, and scientifically impossible! But… Daybreaker’s here. She came back.

Suddenly screams erupted in the hall and beings ran out of the Town Hall in fear. Some flew out using the various open windows, while others like the earth ponies and unicorns ran out using the main hall doors, causing a few to get trampled in the ensuing stampede of panicked voices.

All except a select few who stood back. Most notably an on-live journalist who still-so happened to be covering this live.

“Stratis!” Flavia Sorentus called excitedly out to her changeling camera operator, “I want you to get as much footage as possible of Daybreaker. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to capture this on camera and report it to the entire world!”

Stratis nodded vigorously, and steadied his camera, its red light continuing to record the chaos around them while Flavia walked into view. She looked at the camera and started to wave her hoof frantically.

“We are now coming back from Ponyville, Colter! By Faust’s mane, we are receiving the most outrageous coverage here! The notorious Sun-Demon has been revived from the dead and the citizens of Ponyville are fleeing in terror, and we are getting it all on camera! I repeat this is not a joke nor a ruse, everybeing! These are real life events happening, RIGHT NOW!”

The other live journalists, camera and radio operators beside them quickly followed suit though with much apprehension; steadying their own equipment, starting up their broadcasts and reporting to their networks.

In the meantime, Princess Luna looked at Daybreaker with a mix of fear and sadness in her eyes. She landed on the ground, her wings outstretched behind Twilight Sparkle. Daybreaker landed on the ground, burning the silk carpet much to the cry of the fashionista behind the upturned table.

“How…” she said out loud, earning an evil cackle from the Sun-Demon.

“Hahahaha! Oh, Lulu. Don’t you know what day it is?” the white alicorn said in a taunting tone, “It’s the anniversary of the day you banished me to the sun!” she said, her voice turning deeper and into a sort of unbelievable madness, sending echoes throughout the almost-empty town hall.

Daybreaker now started to walk towards Princess Luna, her eyes locked on her with an intense stare. Luna stood her ground, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and determination. “Reclamation day..” she said to herself “Why are you here… after all this time?”

Daybreaker’s eyes glew into an intense flame as she stepped closer to Princess Luna. “I am here to reclaim my rightful place as ruler of Solaria, where you have stolen my crown!” she yelled, her mane growing into a smouldering fire. “And I won’t take no for an ans-''

Before she could finish her words, Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared in front of her, smiling broadly. “Hi there Miss Fierypants!” she said cheerfully, seemingly unfazed by Daybreaker’s presence nor her intimidation.

“What.”

Pinkie Pie laughed jubilantly, much to Twilight’s shock and Luna’s bewildered confusion. “I don’t think Solaria exists anymore, silly! “ She giggled at her.

Daybreaker glared down at Pinkie Pie, her expression growing even more furious. “You dare to mock me, little earth dweller?” she growled, taking a menacing step forward.

However, Pinkie shrugged and grinned, tilting her head to the side. “Nopie dopey! Things have changed a lot since you were last around, which I think was over a thousand years ago-hmmphm!” Applejack quickly threw lasso over Pinkie’s body, pulling her away from Daybreaker before she could finish her sentence.

“Insolent commoner..” she said to herself before turning to Luna again, who now drew the sword she had kept in the scabbard. She held it up in front of her, the blade glowing with a soft blue magical field. The alicorn merely laughed, approaching slowly towards the millennial princess. “I see that you received your gift back, sister.” she said with a sneer. “And to think, your mighty Alisdair was sitting there, rusting away from the years and years that you have left it.”

Luna turned to Twilight quickly, “Twilight Sparkle, I need you to stand back.” she said to her.

Twilight’s eyes raised itself, and her heart raced. “Princess! What are you going to do?” she asked worriedly, but Luna ignored her. Instead she quickly pushed her to the group of friends behind the table sheltering each other. Twilight peered over the table with the rest to take a closer look.

“I’m bettin’ that the Princess is gonna beat her ass.”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure about that Rainbow.”

“Pffft, the Princess has been leading armies and fighting for a millennia now, of course she’s gonna win!”

“But you also have to know that our princess has also been kinda tardy recently. Especially since she’s becoming a bit physically old.”

Twilight turned to her right, just in time to see Rarity and Rainbow Dash holding a few Tacks in their hooves and placing it in the middle between them, as if they were betting at a cart racing circuit. Winters was there as well, holding up a couple of Tacks in his hooves and placing them in the middle while Fluttershy stood back behind Rainbow Dash in fear.

“What in Tartarus are you three doing?” she said to them, her eyes narrowing in anger.

Rarity and Rainbow Dash looked at each other, then back at Twilight. “Just a friendly little bet,” Rarity said with a shrug, “We have faith in Princess Luna, of course.”

Twilight turned to Winters in a furious expression, “And you’re not only gonna stop them, but join them? Are you that much of an idiot?” she said to him.

Winters held his hooves up in a complying motion, “Look Twi, Princess Luna’s gonna win anyways! Good prevails over evil and all that right? Have a little hope!” he replied, trying to calm her down.

“Are you for real!” Twilight exclaimed, her anger not subsiding. “This isn’t some silly little game! We’re talking about a battle between two powerful alicorns! We don’t know what’s going to happen but instead of doing, y'know getting yourselves out of here, instead all of you are betting on her victory!”

“Uh, I wasn’t joining them?” Fluttershy tried to tell her but Twilight quickly cut her off with her magic closing down on her mouth.

“Now all of you shouldn't even be betting at this time, this close to the-” Twilight tried to say but Rainbow cut her off quickly with a slap of the wing, much to her surprise and shock.

“What in the tartarus’ you're a problem bitch!” Rainbow shouted to her, her wings flared in anger. “I told ya earlier, ya touch Fluttershy, you’re FUCKED!”

Twilight shook her head of the few feathers that got caught in her mane, her brows furrowing and her eyes narrowing in disgust. “Oh suck a brain feathered squab!” she insulted back.

Winters and Rarity looked at each other as Twilight and Rainbow Dash are each other’s throats, again.

“Winters, dear?” she asked him, with a question in mind.

“Yeah, Rarity?”

“How about we call this bet off for now?” she suggested.

“Yeah… probably for the best.”

As the camera’s zoomed in ever closer on alicorns circling each other and the reporters becoming ever more frantic in their commentary, Daybreaker sneered at her younger sister. “You know sister, I never took you for being this weak already.” she said to her, with a dark tone in her voice.

“I’m never weak,” Luna remarked to her sister. “Physically perhaps, but never my spirit. Rest assured Faust will always have my back, to balance harmony, to protect the world from your tyrannical reign!” she said, quickly charging towards Daybreaker with the tip of her sword.

But she missed completely and Daybreaker effortlessly dodged the attack by sidestepping, causing Luna to fall on her hooves.

“Ah!” Luna groaned as she fell with the sword, but quickly got back up on her hooves and turned to meet her sister, who quickly flew up in the air with an evil laugh. The curtains started to flutter as a strong wind blew through the room, caused by the alicorns' powerful magic.

“Now isn’t this unfair? I don’t have a sword but you do, so let’s make this even.” she said to her, using her horn to create a long metal sword from the air. The sword itself was a bright creation, its blade was covered by an intense flame and enchanted with a bright aura of dark magic.

Luna readied her sword, this time Daybreaker launched a series of fast attacks, forcing Luna to parry each one quickly. Each time she parries one, a dozen more will soon follow, causing her more than often to receive a cut or a burn from the slashings.

Suddenly, Daybreaker lit her horn and slashed one of the hall’s chandelier chains on Luna. Luna avoided it on the spot, but in that event she saw Flavia and Stratis in the chandelier’s direction.

Flavia raised her head and saw the chandelier swinging fast against them. “HOLY CRAP, STRATIS GET DO-WOAAA!” the journalist shouted out in fear before being suddenly carried by Luna along with her camera operator. The camera, however, wasn’t so lucky.

The group ducked behind the table, avoiding the glass shards that shattered from the chandelier as it crashed to the ground.

Rarity held her hoof over her head, trying to shield herself from the debris while Twilight and Winters kept each other down from the shards. Both the pegasi and the farmpony ducked behind the table while Pinkie Pie simply pulled out an umbrella from her mane and used it to shield herself from the shards.

Rarity looked over to Pinkie, who gave a smile back to her. “Umbrellas are the safety equipment in any occasion!”

As the chaos of a battle continued, Daybreaker launched a heavy swing against Luna’s parrying, causing the sword to fly into the wall and drop beside her.

Luna’s eyes widened and quickly used her horn to summon a shield to protect herself. The impact of the flaming sword against the shield sent sparks flying in all directions, illuminating the room with their bright light. She quickly used her remaining magic capacity to retrieve her sword from the ground.

“Hah! A shield! I expected no less of you to use this sister!” she said deviously, delivering powerful blows after blows to the shield. Each blow withered the shield’s magical power, and she needed to figure out a plan, and quickly.

If I were to disable this shield, I think I can parry her sword quickly and lure her away from this town. All the way to the old castle to get the elements!

She threw caution to the wind, and right before Daybreaker delivered another magical blow, Luna disabled the shield and raised her sword to block the impact. But the impact never came, instead she felt something in her chest. Something painful.

She looked down and saw another sword, a shorter but identical of the long one, piercing right through her chest. She felt the blood in her mouth starting to rise a bit, spitting a couple as it on the ground. The sword drew back, leaving blood splattering on the ground.

“PRINCESSSSS!”

Luna fell to the ground, clutching her chest as groaned in pain. Blood trickled down her mouth and onto the ground. Twilight ran towards her mentor in a fearing haste, and fear. She placed her hooves and quickly tried to put her hooves on the wound.

Daybreaker grinned evilly as she watched Luna's agony. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” she taunted. “Your precious Faust won't be able to save you now. You're all alone.”

Luna groaned, and tried to raise up but failed, earning another cackle from her sister. Twilight started to sob, still trying to cover the bleeding, this time using her magic to find a quick healing enchantment but it wasn’t working.

“Oh dear sweet Lulu, your attempts to defeat me were never going to be real. Face it, you were destined to be the second batch!”

“Don’t. You. DARE. CALL. ME. THAT!” Luna struggled to speak through her pain, her voice weak and strained. “Only my… sister calls me….. Lulu.”

Daybreaker cackled, this time even more nefariously, causing even the most unaffected veteran to shiver in fear. She cackled even louder to the almost point of insanity, before stopping and looking straight mad into Luna’s eyes.

“SHE’S DEAD! DEAD! CELESTIA WON’T COME BACK! THAT WEAKLING IS GONE FOREVER, YOU HEAR ME!” she shouted in rage. “AND TO THINK JUST BECAUSE THAT YOU, A WEAK SISTER WHO GROVELS AT OTHERS, WHO SACRIFICES HER OWN KINGDOM TO OTHERS, THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE HER PLACE?”

Silence reigned in the hall as Daybreaker stopped yelling. Her expression slowly became from fury to an uneasy calmness and she lowered her swords, looking down at Luna with a mix of disdain and contemplation.

“Then you are right.” she said with a finality, flapping her wings in the air and began to ascend. Everybeing looked at Daybreaker as the swords she held disintegrated in her magic, creating a magical portal in the air surface.

“I was always weak~.” Daybreaker finally said before disappearing into the portal.

Going Solo, With Added Baggage

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Going Solo, With Added Baggage

Ponyville was in a state of hysterical panic, everybeing running to and fro in confusion and fear. The news of the attack spread like wildfire in the otherwise peaceful town. The roads were filled with beings running around in panic. The train station was filled with reporters, off-town merchants and some residential families trying to leave the town in a hurry, causing an overwhelming amount of chaos.

A group of Night Guard soldiers, all of them thestrals, arrived at the town hall with hurried flights. They had bolt action rifles hung on their shoulders and wore a helmet with the Night Guard insignia on it. They quickly landed outside the town hall, and the leader, Fairswith took off his helmet, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He flagged down a running citizen, a young unicorn mare, and asked her, “What happened here, citizen? Where is Princess Luna?”

“I-I-I don’t know!” she said, her body shaking in fear. “We all ran as soon as D-d-Daybreaker showed up! I think she’s been hurt, but I-I DON’T KNOW!” she said panicking before scampering off to another direction.

He turned to his comrades with a stern look, “I need most of you to restore order to this town. Felt Star and Cosmos, with me!” he said, all three of them hurrying off to the Town Hall.

As they reached the building, they noticed the doors were wide open. Fairswith signalled his team to be on high alert as they entered the ravaged building. The inside itself was almost laced with destruction everywhere, furniture broken, windos shattered but the most shocking of all, in the centre of the room lay his consort, Princess Luna, barely conscious and bleeding profusely, with Twilight beside her trying to close the wound.

His eyes went wide as he rushed towards Luna, pushing Twilight away and checking for her pulse and breathing. She was alive, but just barely.

“Luna, Luna dear! Oh Faust, are you alright?” he asked her in a concerned tone.

Everyone in the room gathered around her as she groaned again in pain, he turned to the others with a desperate tone. “CALL A DOCTOR, NOW! WE HAVE TO GET HER TO A HOSPITAL, GET A STRETCHER OR SOMETHING!” he said to them.

“I’m a doctor!” a voice called out. An unicorn stallion walked towards the princess and quickly began examining her. Twilight sat down beside the doctor, her tears gone by now but still her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

“A deep wound in the torso, she’s lost a lot of blood, and there’s been an internal bleeding to the lungs.” the doctor said as he continued his examination. “We need to get her to a hospital immediately.”

“Then I’ll wire for a quick carriage to the capital.” he said but the doctor quickly shut him down with a hoof wave.

“Too late for that! We need to take her to the nearest one, there’s the Ponyville General Hospital near the marketplace. Right now, we need a stretcher!” he said to Fairswith, who immediately ordered his team to bring a stretcher from their equipment.

The doctor, with the help of Twilight and the Night Guard soldiers, carefully lifted Princess Luna onto the stretcher, making sure to stabilise her injured body. Twilight walked beside her mentor, upset at the events that happened.

“Oh Princess… I should have helped you instead of just running off and hiding. I could’ve-” she said but a groan from Luna stopped her self-condemnation.

“Da…. Da… stop her….” she weakly mumbled in pain, much to her surprise before falling into unconsciousness. The others carried the stretcher even faster while Fairswith turned to Twilight with a look of strictness.

“Miss Sparkle, I think it would be in both our best interests if you stay here for the time being. As of now, I’ll wire more reinforcements from the surrounding area near Ponyville to ensure the stability here. In the meantime, you’ll be safe.” he said to her.

Why are they treating me like I’m sort of a helpless foal?

“What do you mean you three are quitting!”

Twilight turned her attention towards Winters who was angrily talking to three of his members, as they tossed their rifles on the ground. The others beside him watched as three of his members unstrapped themselves from their equipment.

One of the members, Lucky Clover turned to him with a sympathetic look. “Sorry dude, but holy crap did you see that! We can take care of a couple of pesters and Solarians, BUT HOLY DAMN FAUST. We are not going anywhere near her!” he said, before walking away quickly without a second thought.

“Yeah, bud sorry. I’m desperate for money, but not this desperate.” Caramel said, regretfully to him, walking away as well. “Well, I'm going back to my family. Sorry bud.” he said before turning around and walking away at a brisk speed. Time Keeper looked at him sadly before leaving him in the street without saying anything.

Winters kicked the ground in frustration, “Goddamnit!” he said to himself, with Rarity patting on his back in pity.

This has gone all bad to worse… I need… I need to figure something out, maybe I can stop Dayvbreaker, somehow. But how?

Twilight walked around in circles, her mind racing with questions and worry. Her eyes looked left and right in panic as she thought of a plan. Her eyes lit up in eagerness as she realised what she could do first.

THE LIBRARY!

Twilight took running across the stone streets of Ponyville, avoiding the various panicked residents of Ponyville until she reached the library. Panting heavily, she bursted into the library and looked around the library, extremely messy of the party decorations earlier and books scattered all over the place after turning the lights on. She let out a sigh as she walked beside the still-sleeping Spike, before rummaging through the shelves. Some of the shelves were still unfinished from being organised, making it harder for her to search for the book she needed.

“Twilight?”

She turned her head behind her to see Winters looking at her perplexedly, “Winters, what?” she asked him as she turned back to the shelves, still rummaging through it.

Winters scratched the side of his head, “Uh, what’re you doing?” he said, taking off his vest and placing it on the sofa.

“Stopping Daybreaker in the name of national security!” she replied, still focused on her search.

He looked at her in confusion, “By searching dusty books?”

“Not just dusty books, Winters. I need to find a way to stop Daybreaker from conquering the kingdom, and I know no military can stop her even in this day and age, you saw how she almost killed the Princess!” she replied again, this time even more frantically and frustrated. “UUGH, WHERE’S THIS BOOK!”

“Let me help you out, what book do you need?” he offered, walking over to her and scanning the shelves.

“A book that can ensure Daybreaker’s defeat!”

…..

“That doesn’t help.” Winters said as he turned to her with a blank look on his face.

Twilight continued pulling books off the shelves, “Anything that used to say about defeating Daybreaker!”

“What?” he asked, tilting his head as he did.

Twilight groaned in frustration and turned to him with a look of exasperation. “For Luna’s sake Winters, history! Search history!” she said in an increasingly irritated tone.

“Okay okay!” Winters said nervously as he turned his attention towards the shelves, avoiding a glare from Twilight. They pulled out book after book, from encyclopaedias, novellas, comics to biographies. But nothing seemed to be helpful in their search.

A few minutes later..

“UGGGH! Where is it!” Twilight said, frantically searching through the shelves.

Winters looked over at her, “Twilight, maybe we should take a break? It’s not like the book is going to disappear.” he tried to lighten the mood, but Twilight wasn’t listening; she was surrounded by a castle of various books around her. Some of the books stacked like a tower tipped, causing it to be scattered everywhere on the ground.

Winters could only watch in silent concern as Twilight continued her search, becoming more and more agitated by the minute.

CRASH

Twilight and Winters quickly turned their heads behind them, just to see a certain rainbow-maned pegasus on the ground. Pieces of glass from the window littered the library floor as the pegasus got up, shaking her wings from the impact.

“YOU AGAIN?” Twilight shouted out in exasperation.

I’m getting tired of seeing this damn pegasus in my life.

Rainbow Dash stood up, brushing the glass off her coat. “Yeah it’s me. Now-” she tried to say but before she could finish her sentence, Twilight enveloped her in magical energy, lifting her off the ground and pinning her to the nearest wall.

“Hey! What gives!”

Twilight gave Rainbow a dirty look, “I’m tired of YOU stalking me around town, whether you want to beat me up, berate me about some past incident that doesn’t even need to be rectified anymore, and or whatever else it is you want. I have had enough!"

She glared at her. "So, unless you have a very good reason for being here, I suggest you get out of my sight.” she remarked with a cold and stern tone as she glared at her.

Rainbow looked at her with a smug look, “Pffft, as if. Look here Miss Upper Ants-see of Canterlot. I don’t care, and you can’t make me.” she said with a snark. “And besides, I literally just saw the princess get shanked by some sun devil or somethin. So I’m not here to fight you or anything.”

She literally has no shame of all of this! Not even feel bad about the princess!

Before Twilight could question her further, the front door of the library opened and another group walked in. Winters’ eyes lit up in excitement while Twilight’s eyes and ears wavered in confusion and annoyance.

“Girls!” Winters said as he walked over to them and gave each of them a quick hug. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy returned the embrace with smiles on their faces.

“What’s going on here, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, looking at Twilight and Rainbow Dash, who were still locked in a standoff. “And why’s Rainbow here pinned to the wall like a bounty poster?”

Twilight rolled her eyes in frustration before releasing her magic from the pegasus, causing her to drop to the ground unceremoniously face first.

Rainbow groaned as she stood back up, rubbing her head from the impact. “Thanks for the gentle landing, Spark Plug,” she muttered sarcastically.

Twilight ignored her and turned back to the rows of shelves, and similarly ignored the others who had just arrived. The others looked at each other in confusion, before Rarity walked over to her and gave her a gentle nudge. “Uh, Miss Sparkle? Is everything alright?”

Twilight let out an irritated sigh and turned to Rarity with a tired look, “I’ve been looking everywhere for a book-”

“Hey, I helped as well!”

“BUT, I haven’t seen anything that can tell me to defeat Daybreaker! And now the kingdom’s in trouble, the princess’ in near death and the Daybreaker could be everywhere leading an army!” Twilight exclaimed in a fidgety and nervous state, her hooves tapping anxiously on the ground.

Rarity placed a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, “Look darling, maybe we can help-” but Twilight quickly pulled her shoulder away from Rarity and took a few steps back.

“I appreciate the offer, but I can figure this out on my own. Maybe I can get to Canterlot quickly and search through the archives. Wait, but will they let me in? The princess made it clear to me that none can access the archives without her approval and she’s in the hospital facing a grave injury and-” Twilight’s eyes began darting left and right again as she nervously ran a hoof through her mane.

Rainbow Dash turned to Applejack with a smirk, “Spark Plug is high off her head isn’t she?”

The farm mare turned back to her friend with a disapproving head shake, “Rainbow, you literally smashed right into this library. I’d say your high off the county bull, Rains.”

Rainbow flattered her wings in annoyance, “Hey, it was an accident!”

“Like all your smashing into other ponies windows is an accident?” Applejack challenged her, leaning her head against her friend’s head. Rainbow scoffed and pushed her head as well, simulating a standoff from each other.

Meanwhile Fluttershy quietly looked around the library, taking in the surroundings. As she did, her attention turned to a picture book on the floor. She picked it up and examined it for a while.

As Twilight continued to mumble possible consequences and scavenged the shelves, Fluttershy walked over to her with the book under her wing.

“Uh.. Miss Sparkle?”

Twilight continued to search the shelves absentmindedly, not paying attention to Fluttershy’s approach. Fluttershy then placed a wing on her shoulder, causing Twilight to quickly turn around with a frustrated look.

“For Faust’s sake what is it!” she exclaimed, not noticing the book. Fluttershy recoiled in fear, shakily giving the book before hiding behind Rainbow Dash. Twilight looked at the title of the book in surprise.

“Life Of Old Equestria?” she said to herself. “Why did you give me this book, Miss Shy?” Twilight asked, turning to the timid pegasus.

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment before speaking in a soft voice, “I.. I read this before and-and I thought this could be useful for you?”

Twilight thought for a moment, before her eyes widening in realisation. “Wait a minute, I remember this book. Spike read it back at Canterlot before we left for the preparations,” Twilight said in excitement,flipping through the pages of the book.

“Now where is it? It should be… here!” Twilight exclaimed pointing towards a passage on a page.

The others crowded around her as she quickly scanned the page, muttering to herself. “Daybreaker’s arrogance showed no bounds as she faced Princess Luna in the ruins of Sisterswith. The arrogance fueled the princess’ resolve to defeat her, using the Elements of Harmony to banish Daybreaker for a millennia.”

“THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY!” the others shouted in accidental unison.

Oh great..

Twilight closed the book with an expression of mild determination, “Well, Sisterswith then. If I know my ancient city studies correctly, Sisterswith’s a couple of kilometres here!” Looking at her left, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings in excitement.

“Ah yeah! All we need to do is get those Elements of uh whatever and blast that Daybreakerin cunt all the way back to where she came from!” she said, fisting a hoof in the air.

“Oh oh oh, this is gonna be super duper funtastic! I really wanna see if I can throw a surprise party before she goes poof!” Pinkie Pie jumped around in excitement.

Rarity winced at Rainbow Dash’s language before settling her eyes on Twilight’s face, a look of frustration was etched on her face. “Uh, Twilight dear? Are you alright?” she said with a hint of worriedness in her tone.

Twilight let out a small groan, before turning to Rarity. “I much prefer, if I do this alone.” she said with such sharpness that it even rivals a bureauling .

Winters’ eyes widened in shock, Rarity’s expression turned to one of hurt, Rainbow Dash’s face turned to look of anger, Applejack shook her head in disappointment, Fluttershy bit her lips while Pinkie Pie’s mouth hung open in surprise. The atmosphere in the room turned tense and uncomfortable.

“Excuse me, Twi!” Winters said, grabbing her shoulders and turning her head to face his. “Are you just insane? Daybreaker could kill you in a mere second you know?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and let out a sigh, pushing his hooves away with a field of her magic. “Winter, look I-”

“Now look here darling, I’m not really sure I follow on you’re refusal but-”

“Aren’t you just gonna get yourself killed-”

“Buh-by a really sca-scary demon alicorn and-”

“DIE ALL ALONE AND SCARED, AND POSSIBLY YOUR BODY TURNED TO ASHES!”

Everyone turned to Pinkie in shock, who had a wide-eyed expression and had just shouted the last part with an almost excited but dramatic flourish.

Pinkie Pie grinned cheerily and said, “But don’t worry, I’ll throw a big farewell party for you if you do go out in a blaze of glory!”

Twilight looked at her with a mix of disbelief and annoyance. “Miss Pie, I’m not planning on dying,” she said, trying to maintain her composure. “And besides, I don’t need a couple of civilians interrupting me every step of the way.” she continued with a grit of her teeth.

The room went silent as Twilight’s words hung in the air. Winters looked at her with a mix of concern and disappointment, while the other ponies exchanged glances, unsure of what to say next.

“Twilight, you can’t be serious!” Winters said to her in shock.

For goodness sakes Winters, can’t you just let me handle this?

“I am!” Twilight shouted at him, pushing away his hooves, causing him to fall on his flank. “I don’t need your help, okay? I can handle this perfectly on my own!” she spouted out the words with such finality that even the air seemed to tense up.

Winters looked up to her, tears forming in his eyes before getting and quickly running out of the library. Rarity glanced between the library door and Twilight, giving her a glare before running out after him, along with Applejack and Fluttershy.

Pinkie looked at Twilight with a sad expression before following the others out of the library, leaving only Rainbow Dash and Twilight alone in the room.

Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight, her face unreadable as she flew slowly towards her. Her wings gave a soft fluttering noise before landing on the wooden floor. She looked at Twilight, her nose scrunching up in a disgusted motion.

“I can definitely see the Canterlot in ya, Sparkplug.” she said sarcastically.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed at Rainbow Dash’s comment. “Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?” she said, her tone icy.

Rainbow raised her hooves in mock compliance, “Nothing, nothing. Just sayin’ whatever’s on my mind, ya know? Letting the air out of my mind.”

I’m surprised you even got one.

“Look, I’m on this on my own and-”

“Yeah, yeah, we get it,” Rainbow Dash interrupted, rolling her eyes. “You’re on your own, and you don’t need anybody’s help. In fact, I’ll be going off and doing some uh, damage control.” she said to her, opening the window and flying off.

Twilight watched as Rainbow Dash flew away before letting out a sigh. She turned back towards the shelves, her eyes scanning the covers.

“Now where’s the topography section?”

Winters and Rarity sat on the park bench next to each other as Winters wiped away tears from his eyes. He sniffled and took a deep breath, trying to compose himself.

Rarity patted a hoof on his back while Winters looked solemnly on the ground. The others excluding Pinkie and Rainbow Dash looked at him in sadness and concern.

“Now look, Winters. I’m sure she didn’t mean any of those words,” Rarity comforted him. “Most likely, she’s uh… stressed?”

Winters turned to Rarity with a bitter laugh, “Stress, more like herself again. I guess I shouldn’t expect any more from her.”

Applejack let out a guffaw before placing a hoof around Winters’ neck, “Now look here, Wins. I ain’t the one to give out much advice, that’s Rarity’s line of work,” she said with a smirk, causing Rarity to give her a disapproving look. “But I know you ain’t the kind to give up easily. Maybe you can get her to convince you again?”

“Like how?” Winters asked back at her.

“Maybe we can just go along with her without her noticing us?” a soft voice said behind the bench.

Everyone turned around to see Fluttershy standing there, her head tilted to the side whilst her wings folded back in a nervous gesture.

Winters’ eyes lit up in hope, his tears quickly disappearing into the stone ground below as he stood up. “You’re- you’re right! Twilight usually likes to work on her own, but if we follow her I can try to be there for her without being an idiot to her.”

“Wa-wa-wa-wait, your just gonna stalk her around town until something happens?” Applejack asked, her eyebrows raised, not quite believing his idea.

Winter shrugged his shoulders, “Better than nothing right? And besides, it ain’t stalking persay. Moreso into the continuous observation field?”

The others looked at one another; Fluttershy seemed to be regretting what she suggested as her hooves shuffled on the ground nervously, Rarity thought for a moment but her lips slowly curled into a smile while Applejack raised an eyebrow sceptically. Applejack sighed in defeat and nodded towards him.

“Well if you gonna follow her, then we might as well come with you too.” Applejack said, earning an excited and hopeful nod from him.

“Come on girls!” he said excitedly, quickly running off back to the library. The others followed him in pursuit but leaving the park, and running back to the library.

As they arrived back at the library however, the front door was already open and inside, Twilight was nowhere to be seen.

“Wait, where is she?” Winters said, looking around the mess of a library. He glanced his eyes towards the sofa where a still sleeping Spike was curled up in a ball but otherwise the sofa was clean of anything else.

Something doesn’t feel right…

“Gosh darn, she must have found whatever she was looking for here.” Applejack said with a huff.

Rarity looked on the ground, her eyes firmly resting on one book. “The Complete Geographical Atlas, Nature and Olden History of the Kingdom.” she said out loud. “Huh, I’m guessing this is the one she was- goodness diamond dogs what in the world!”

The lights in the library turned off suddenly, but it wasn’t just the library. The whole town went dark, plunging the friends into complete darkness.

“What in tarnation is going on now?” Applejack muttered, trying to adjust her eyes to the dark while Fluttershy’s wings trembled as she tried to hold onto her wings for comfort.

“I got a flashlight in my vest! Hold on girls.” Winters said to them as he got up and walked to the sofa. He glanced his eyes, scrounging up and down the sofa but the vest wasn’t on it. He even gently lifted Spike from the sofa cushions but it wasn’t even under him.

Winters looked around on the floor, trying to find the vest with the flashlight. After a few moments of searching, he gave up and walked back to the others. “Well crud, I thought I put it there. Had my multitool, revolver and flashlight in there. Maybe you girls can help me find it ?”

“Darling, we can’t exactly see right?” Rarity’s voice echoed in the darkness, causing Winters to stop in his tracks. “Besides, I know a light spell.”

Her horn lit up, casting a warm glow across the room. The light illuminated the room, revealing the mess that Twilight had left behind. Papers and books were scattered all over the place, the furniture was overturned, and some of the shelves had even been knocked down.

“I’ve seen better. Anyways, anything about the book?” Winter said, eagerly leaning his head to take a peak, along with Applejack on Rarity’s left and Fluttershy who shyly raised her head behind them.

Rarity rolled her eyes before flipping through the pages quickly, scanning her eyes across the various maps shown in the book.

“Wait, what’re you doing? Aren’t we supposed to-”

Rarity quickly shushed him off as she flipped more and more pages, earning a disgruntled grunt from Winters. Rarity kept flipping until she reached a section of the book where a visible tear of a ripped page. The others squinted their eyes, mostly in confusion.

“Uh Rarity? What are we looking at?” Fluttershy asked, earning a grin from Rarity.

“Well my dear Fluttershy, this page just so happens to contain the map that leads to the Everfree Forest and its ancient roads. I’ve checked the index.”

Winter’s eyes widened in realisation, “So that means,” he paused, thinking over his words for a moment, “But why would she go there?”

Rarity placed a hoof under her head in a thoughtful gesture, “She mentioned Sisterswith, and if memories serves me correctly Sisterswith’s is an old castle during the Olden Era that’s rumoured to be deep in the forest. But nobeing has made any incursions in there since the Willyas administration!”

“But the Everfree forest? She’s gonna get herself killed!” Winters said, quickly getting up and already heading for the door.

The others quickly followed Winters, rushing out of the library and into the dark and chaotic streets. The town was still in chaos, with buildings on fire and ponies running in all directions. They made their way towards the edge of town, where the gated fences of the Everfree Forest loomed ahead of them.

As they walk on the stone road, with Rarity’s light illuminating the way and the cold atmosphere of the night covering their senses, they see two figures walking across the road in front of them. They stopped in their tracks, as the figures heard them and turned around. To their surprise, it was Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, the latter had a lantern tied on the back of her tail.

“Yoo! You guys, what’re you all doing walking in the night here?” Rainbow Dash asked, flying towards them in quick pace with Pinkie pie galloping behind her in excitement.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I can’t believe we ran into you guys here! This is so funtastic sporadic!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and down in glee.

“We’re looking for Twilight, have you seen her?” Winters asked, getting straight to the point.

Rainbow scratched the side of her head in nervousness, “Well we kinda did buuut…” she trailed off. “Kinda ignored her ya know? Don’t know where she’s going in a hurry but that’s not my problem.” she continued spitefully.

Winters’ eyes widened, “Are you kidding me, Rainbow? She’s heading off to the Everfree Forest alone and you’re here saying that it’s not your problem.” he emphasised the last part in clear vehemency.

“Hey look, I’m just saying that she can take care of herself. She said so herself!” Rainbow tried to defend herself.

Winters shook his head in disbelief, “Rainbow, I’m not gonna stand here and do nothing. I’m her best friend and I’m supposed to be looking out for her!” he said angrily at her.

“Hey, I’m just stating what she wants okay?”

“As if!”

Fluttershy timidly stepped in between the two, “Um, Rainbow?” she asked her friend, much to Rainbow’s surprise.

“Fluttershy? Wha- what’re you doing here?” she asked her, earning a gulp from her. Fluttershy stroked the ground with her hooves in nervousness, biting her lips as she did.

“I… want to help them.” she responded, albeit in a shy tone.

Twilight Sparkle finally finished cutting the last of the steel wires holding together the fence, creating a small hole between the security of the stone streets and the Everfree Forests. She nodded approvingly to herself, placing the multitool back in Winters’ vest she took earlier.

As she stepped through the hole in the fence, she shivered, feeling the cold and eerie atmosphere of the forest. But as she stepped forward, the vest got snagged on a stray wire, causing it to create a tiny rip on the collar. Forcefully pulling it out, she caused a larger rip than it was before.

Oh screw it, I’ll pay him back. Besides, he won’t mind. It’s not like he’s gonna miss it or something.

Twilight rolled her eyes before placing the vest near the open hole in the fence.

I can’t believe it, those guards completely closed off the main gate, and not only that but I’m gonna lose time on this!

She felt a nervous sensation in her heart, before quickly shrugging it off. This was no time for doubts or hesitation, she needed to press on. Twilight took a deep breath and walked forward into the forest, her hooves crunching on the dead leaves on the forest floor.

As she walked deeper into the forest, the trees grew thicker and the darkness deeper. She checked the map again, trying to make sure she was heading in the right direction.

Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound behind her, causing her to freeze in her tracks. She slowly turned around, her horn glowing with magical energy. A group was heading towards her. Without thinking, she quickly shot a magical bolt towards the direction of the sound, illuminating the surrounding area with a bright light.

The bolt narrowly missed the one leading the way, who ducked away just in time for getting hit. Twilight could now see that the group wasn’t Solarians.

“What in the world are you all following me here for!” she angrily said, placing a hoof in front of them.

Winters, along with the others who almost got shot as well, walked up to her in a look of annoyance. “Watching you of course! If you’re gonna get killed out there, you might as well bring your own coffin with you. But with us, you’re not!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, still not fully convinced. “And why would you want to come with me?” she asked this time quieter, eyeing them suspiciously. “This is a death sentence, for all of you! There could be a Solarian patrolling here, two of them just took over the main gate, didn’t you see?”

“I saw, while they're not exactly the most dangerous bunch, I still wouldn't go anywhere near them.” Rarity added. “But darling, don’t you realise that your self-imposed mission to defeat Daybreaker is going to be easy you know? You need help.”

Twilight scoffed at the notion of the word help.

“And don’t even think of sending us away, Sugarcube. Nobeing ever done anything by themselves.” Applejack chimed in. “We’re gonna follow you, whether you want it or not.”

Twilight looked at them incredulously, her eyes looking at each member of the group from the frightened face of Fluttershy before settling her eyes on Rainbow Dash.

“Are you seriously gonna let them follow me? Think about your friend Fluttershy, she’s gonna get herself killed because of me!” Twilight remarked, hoping that Rainbow could convince the others to back off.

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight with an odd expression, which slowly turned to a confident one. “It’s her choice, and I respect it. Besides, I’m here for her, not for you Spark Plug.”

Twilight looked at them desperately, hoping that there’s a smidge of a chance that they will leave but to no avail. Finally she groaned in defeat, turning her head towards the other in a pained look.

“Fine, but if anything happens to any of you, it’s not my fault. And don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Twilight grumbled, her tone filled with frustration.

The group let out a collective cheer, all patting each other’s backs in excitement. Twilight rolled her eyes before leading the group towards deeper in the Everfree Forest, the darkness surrounding them like a thick blanket.

Oh Luna’s grace, what did I do to deserve this.

As the group walked deeper in the forest, a small flash of a camera bulb in a rose bush hidden from view ignited behind them, without their knowledge.

Trust

View Online

Trust.

“Are we there yet?”

“NO, we are not.” Twilight let out a frustrated sigh at Pinkie’s incessant questioning, even though they have only walked a short distance from the fencing. The crows were calling out loud, and the broken twigs that were being stepped on only added to her annoyance.

Fluttershy let out a small whimper, her wings flapping nervously as she tried to keep up with the group’s pace. “Do you think we’re going to be okay, Twilight?” she asked in a soft voice.

Twilight shrugged, her shoulders raised a bit higher. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe we could meet Daybreaker and invite us for a lovely tea and biscuits with her,” Twilight said snarkily.

“Oh that does sound lovely, don’t you think Rari-” Fluttershy began, smiling as she turned to-

“Or maybe we could get killed by your incessant questions when we have hardly started walking from our starting point. Or maybe even better, I’ll die of boredom before we even get close to Daybreaker,” Twilight continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The pegasus quickly lowered her head, her ears dropping down in a bit of shame and fear, “Sorry..” Fluttershy whispered, her voice barely audible.

Twilight groaned again. Rainbow Dash tried to fly up to Twilight but Rarity pulled her back by the tail with her magic while Winters by his hoof, shaking their heads in silence while Applejack mouthing to her to let it go for now. She sighed before falling behind in the back of the group. Twilight didn’t notice this, she was too focused on looking at the map.

“Right, if I were to read this map, Sisterswith is about… uh, 5 kms away from Ponyville and the closest landmark would be Von Shy’s house.” she said in close observation of the map. “We would need to walk south for 4.82 kms more until we reached our destination!”

“Are you kidding me, I can’t walk that long!” Rainbow Dash barked out

Oh great.

“But you’re flying, Dashie. You’re a pegasus pony after all!” Pinkie Pie pointed out as she giggled.

The rainbow mare groaned, “Besides the point, Pinkster. We’re gonna take maybe hours to even get there.”

She’s already complaining after a few minutes.

“Not gonna lie Twilight, maybe she’s got a point?” Winters added, “We could maybe try to find something that can take us there faster?”

I swear… if I hear one more-

She took a deep breath before responding to Winters, “Maybe, we’ll see.”

Winters nodded in understanding and fell silent. The group continued their trek through the dense forest, their footsteps crunching on the dry leaves scattered on the ground.

They walked for another few minutes, passing by some strange looking trees and bushes until the path they were walking ran out with a sign on the side of it. A bright warning sign displayed itself in bold letters. Everybeing stopped as Twilight walked up to the sign and read the words etched on it out loud.

“Warning, end of the safety trail parameters. Beyond this point, the forest is unpredictable and dangerous. Enter at your own risk. Huh.”

Twilight felt a knot of apprehension twist in her stomach as she stared at the dense forest ahead. The group had left the safety of the trail and now stood at the edge of the unknown. Her eyes swept over the towering trees, their branches tangled with thick vines and leaves that obscured the dark sky. The only light visible was the one from Pinkie Pie’s tail lantern and Twilight’s magical illumination.

Calm down Twilight Sparkle, you can do this. You’re doing this for the kingdom, for the queen, for the Princess. You’ll be fine, you’ll get rewarded, the Princess will be grateful to you and she’ll do anything. Think about the Royal Archives you’ll get, mom’s face, Shining Armor and the Princess’ appro-

“Hey uh Twi? You okay?” Winters asked as he watched Twilight took several deep breaths. Twilight shook her head quickly, turning to him with the most fakest confident smile she can muster.

“I’m fine Winters, really.” she responded, her eyes averting his.

Winters nodded slowly at this. He looked around the forest in mild discomfort, his eyes darting nervously from one shadowy corner to the next. Twilight could tell that he was just as uneasy as she was, but he was trying his best to hide it.

“Well, looks like we’re actually doing it huh?” he said, a hint of nervousness escaped his mouth as he looked around towards the others.

Twilight turned around and faced them all with an uncertain look, “Are you sure you want to follow me?” she asked, still sceptical of their decision to join her on a dangerous and quite frankly foolhardy mission.

“YEAH!” Winters, Pinkie Pie and Rarity shouted out in unison, while the others merely nodded in apprehension. The crows nearby flew away in a flurry of wings, disturbed by the sudden noise.

Twilight sighed. This isn’t gonna be easy for her.

15 minutes after Daybreaker’s appearance.

Ponyville General Hospital

This wasn’t his usual day of checking up on his patients. There wasn’t any checking for their daily flus, diseases, STD’s, nor any injuries from accidents or mishaps. No, this was something different. Dr. Greymane was used to seeing all kinds of patients in the hospital, but today was different. As a high ranking physician from the upper corners of Manehatten, the hustle bustle of its streets and its daily accidents and repertoires. He thought it would be more peaceful here and he could maybe finally have a rest here.

“FOR FAUST’S SAKE I NEED MORE HOOVES HERE, REDHEART COME OVER HERE!” he shouted, trying his best to apply pressure onto Princess Luna’s chest with the other doctors. The bleeding was getting worse every second.

Nurse Redheart stopped moving the stretchers she was transporting the other patient, signalling to the other nurse to take the one away. She ran over to Dr. Greymane’s side, her hooves slipping slightly on the blood-slicked floor. “What do you-”

“Gauze, hypochlorite, suture and morphine, NOW!” he shouted to her, not taking his eyes off his patient. Nurse Redheart nodded, and quickly ran to the cupboards and started gathering the supplies.

The hospital alarm has been blaring for minutes now, though it felt like hours. Doctors and nurses were running back and forth, frantically trying to attend to the influx of patients pouring into the hospital. Some were brought in by the militia which arrived in town earlier while the others brought themselves in, however much their injuries allowed them to. The situation was chaotic, and the hospital staff was stretched thin.

Dr Greymane and the other doctors kept the pressure on Princess Luna’s chest, trying their best to stem the flow of blood as best they could. Nurse Redheart returned with the supplies on a rolling cart, her hooves shaking slightly as she hoofed them over to the doctors.

“Right, I need another hoof to replace mine!” Dr. Greymane barked, his voice strained with urgency as he struggled to maintain pressure on the wound. One of the other doctors quickly took his place, and Dr. Greymane quickly moved to start injecting her with the syringe full of morphine to ease her pain and make her sedated.

Princess Luna’s breathing started to slow down as the effects of the morphine began to take hold. Her eyes closed and as she fell under consciousness, her bleeding seemingly stabilised under pressure. The doctors quickly moved the operating table over to the bed and locked it in place. They placed the princess on the table, removing her dress and accessories to access the damage.

It wasn’t good. Suddenly the lights in the operating room went out. More screams outside followed, as the entire town went out of power and was covered in a shroud of darkness.

“My goodness, do we have to climb up this cliff?” Rarity asked, panting heavily. “My hooves aren’t really suited for rock hiking or cliff diving if you know?” she continued, looking down at her dirty hooves and wincing as a sharp rock poked her hoof.

Twilight groaned inwardly at the complaints, feeling her patience wearing thin. She was determined to reach their destination as quickly as possible, and the others’ complaints were only slowing them down.“Can we just keep walking?” she said, straining to hide her irritance.

Fluttershy trailed behind Rarity, her wings flapping softly to keep her balance on the rough terrain. “I-I don’t mind,” she offered timidly, “I think it’s alright for us to take a break and rest if we need it, and my wings could use a bit of-”

“No resting, you said all of you want to follow me? Then you follow my orders, not hers.” Twilight said sharply, making it clear that she was in charge of this expedition. She continued climbing farther up the cliff , causing the others to catch up to her.

Why can’t they just listen to and shut up for Faust’s sake. I don’t need this. I need to ignore them, I have to…

Rainbow Dash has been in the back of the group ever since they hiked up on the mountainside, keeping tabs behind them. But she couldn’t help but see Twilight Sparkle, that self-egotistical braggart from the upper-echelons of Canterlot being herself, even though they were supposed to be at least working together, was still herself.

Figures..

Rainbow shook that thought of her head. She bit her lips as Twilight kept walking faster and faster, seemingly ignoring the others for the sake of getting to their destination as quickly as possible.

“HEY, Sparkplug! Can ya slow down for a minute?” Rainbow shouted, but the instant she did, it was an instant change of pace she caused.

The unicorn halted her steps and turned around, her face contorted in anger. “It’s Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash! How many times do you have to call me that, like you have some sort of vendetta against this mission, or me!” Twilight snapped back, her eyes glinting with more than just annoyance.

“Hey, you’re the one who looks like she’s high off her rockers right now. Besides, you’re just being a-” Rainbow said, only to have Applejack intervene quickly on her behalf.

“Look uh, Miss Sparkle. She ain’t mean no insults to ya anymore, right?” she emphasised, looking at Rainbow Dash with a raised eye. “Right now, all we need’s a little break so we can rest and get our bearings together.”

Twilight huffed in frustration, “No, I want to hear what she said.”

Applejack stepped forward, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Ah, I think we all know what she meant, Twilight. We’re all tired and could use a break. No need to get darn defensive about it.”

“I said no, I want to hear from her own cursed laced mouth what she’s going to say,” she continued, this time using her magic to pull away Applejack from Rainbow Dash back to Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie and Winters. Winters and Rarity grabbed Applejack onto her hooves while Pinkie and Fluttershy watched as Twilight walked closer to Rainbow Dash.

“Now tell me, Miss Rainbow Dash. What were you going to say?”

Rainbow Dash could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Despite the intense gaze of her friends and Twilight’s imposing figure, she refused to back down. With a sly grin, she leaned in close, her head nearly touching Twilight’s horn.

The other ponies gasped in shock at Rainbow Dash’s boldness. Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hooves, Applejack and Winters had their mouths agape while Rarity put a hoof to her chest in disbelief. Even Pinkie, who was usually the most cheerful and carefree of the group, looked concerned.

“Well, little Miss Sparkplug,” she said, her voice dripping with defiance. “I think you’re an arrogant, uptight bitch. And I don’t think I need to say that enough.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in shock at Rainbow Dash’s words. For a moment, she was speechless. The other ponies held their breath, waiting for her response. Then, Twilight’s horn lit up with a bright purple glow, and as she lifted Rainbow Dash off the ground with her magic, she threw her into the nearby cliff wall.

The cliff wall let out a loud crackle on its surface as Rainbow Dash collided with it, and she fell to the ground, groaning in pain. The sounds echoed throughout the forest and the cliff wall itself had a deep crack that grew larger with each passing second.

Rainbow shook the daze out of her head and stood up, her eyes glaring at Twilight.

“Oh uh, that’s not good.” Pinkie Pie said.

The pegasus quickly charged towards Twilight Sparkle, and tackled her to the ground, delivering a flurry of swift punches to her jaw. Twilight grunted in pain and pushed Rainbow off of her, getting up quickly and preparing to retaliate with a blast of magic. But before she could, she felt another pair of hooves tackling her to the ground. This time, she turned to face Applejack, who had a fierce look in her eyes.

“NOW THAT’S ENOUGH, YA GODDARN IDIOT!” she yelled at her.

Twilight struggled against her hooves, trying to push her off and arguing her defence. “SHE STARTED IT, EVER SINCE I CAME HERE SHE’S BEEN NOTHING BUT-”

“NUH-UH! EVER SINCE I GOT ARRESTED YOU CAME AND BROUGHT A WHOLE LOT OF TROUBLE. FIRST APPLEJACK, PINKIE PIE, WINTERS, AND THEN MAKING FLUTTERSHY CRY!” Rainbow angrily pointed her hoof towards Twilight, whilst being held by Winters and Rarity by the wings. “AND NOT ONLY THAT, EVER SINCE YOU APPEARED DAYBREAKER GOT LOOSE AND I’M SURE YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS!”

Twilight’s eyes got even angrier, “How dare you, I’ve been the princess’ most loyal student ever since I was a filly. Not like YOU know anything about loyalty.” she angrily remarked with such vindication.

Rainbow’s wings tried to flare up but Winters and Rarity held her back, knowing that the situation was already heated enough. Applejack continued to hold onto Twilight, trying to calm her down.

Rainbow leaned forward furiously, “When I get my hooves on you, I’m gonna beat you so hard the princess will think twice when she-”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

The others looked towards Fluttershy, who had been quiet for the most part, but now stood between the two arguing ponies, her eyes stern and unwavering. Her eyes looked like it had been dry crying for a while. “I’m tired of-of this..” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off, and she took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts before continuing. “I just don’t want any more fa-fighting!” she said in a weak voice, her wings sullen and her ears drooping.

Pinkie Pie walked over to her and gave her a big hug, “There, there Flutters. Don’t be miserable anymore!” Pinkie cheerily said. “I Promise that I’ll bring you a big cake, make sure these two wackos make up and stop fighting, and we’ll all have a big party together at the bakery!”

Winters nodded in agreement, smiling at Twilight nervously as he did. “Yeah. Let’s uh, calm down for a moment and get our bearings together. Besides, don’t we have an alicorn to defeat?”

Fluttershy sniffled, her eyes glistening with tears, but she managed a small smile. She returned the hug, with a gentle squeeze. “Thanks, Pinkie.”

Rainbow looked at this display and with a sigh, slowly flew over to Fluttershy, and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Ya good Shy?” she asked her, her wings slowly unfurling as her anger subsided.

Fluttershy nodded, wiping away her tears. “I-I’m okay now, Rainbow. Thank you for asking,” she replied softly, giving Rainbow Dash a weak smile. Rainbow gave a smile, her eyes momentarily glancing at Twilight before returning to her friend.

Twilight scoffed, “Fine..” she said as she cleaned off the dirt from her coat, her eyes still glaring at Rainbow. Applejack held onto her for a moment longer before letting go, giving her a stern look. “But this doesn’t make us even, for now all I need to do is to find that Elements of Harmony thing and get this sorted out as fast as possible.”

“Hey girls, did you hear that noise?” Winter called out to them, as a faint rumbling began shaking the cliff.

The ground began shaking and cracks from the cliff wall began to form and widen. The ponies exchanged alarmed glances as the trembling intensified. Dust and small rocks started to fall from above while the ground started to crack due to Twilight’s earlier magical blast. Large amount of rocks fell behind them, sealing off the way they came.

Twilight’s eyes widened in fear as she held the ground tightly, trying to stabilise herself. “Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! This...this wasn’t supposed to happen,” she muttered, her voice filled with panic. “We gotta-”

The ground under Rarity and Winters gave way, causing both of them to the depths below as they screamed in sheer terror. Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she quickly flew down to rescue them, her wings flapping with urgency. Rainbow Dash, still feeling the effects of the earlier confrontation, quickly followed suit, diving down to assist Fluttershy.

The ground under Pinkie gave way as well, but not before Pinkie Pie blew several balloons in a few short seconds and tied it tightly around her tail. Using the balloons as makeshift parachutes, Pinkie floated gently down to safety, her face plastered with a wide grin despite the danger. The remaining ponies, Twilight and Applejack, watched in awe as Pinkie descended safely to the ground.

“This is bad, bad, bad!” Twilight panicked, her hooves nervously moving around as she tried to find a way back down, but the cracks in the ground made it clear that going back was no longer an option. She glanced at Applejack, desperation evident in her eyes.

“Twilight! Ya gotta stop movin’! The ground ain’t gonna be-”

But before Applejack could finish her sentence, the ground beneath Twilight quickly gave way, and Twilight could feel herself falling to her death… for a few microseconds before Applejack grabbed her by the hooves.

“Ah got ya! Ah got ya!” Applejack’s strong grip held onto Twilight, preventing her from plummeting into the dark forest abyss below. Twilight’s heart pounded in her chest as she dangled in the air, her eyes wide with shock and fear.

“Applejack, don’t let go! Oh please for the love of Faust DO NOT LET ME GO! ” Twilight cried out, her voice trembling as her hind hooves desperately tried finding a ledge, any ledge to hoist herself back up.

“Ain’t plannin’ on it!” Applejack responded, trying hard to pull Twilight back up. But the ground continued to crumble around them, making it increasingly difficult to maintain a stable grip. The weight of Twilight’s panic-stricken body strained Applejack’s strength. Even worse, each time Twilight tried hoisting herself back up, she made even more cracks in the ground.

Applejack’s eyes noticed this and as she looked down, there’s only one ground to make sure if both of them could survive.

“Twi, I gotta let you go!”

Twilight’s eyes widened in terror at Applejack’s words. “What?! Are you crazy!” her hooves clung to Applejack even tighter, refusing to let go while her hind hooves even desperately trying to hoist back up.

“Trust me, Twi! If Ah hold on to ya, this ground goes and we both die! Please, trust me!” Applejack pleaded, her eyes filled with a mix of calm determination and sadness as her hooves began to loosen their grip.

Twilight hesitantly met the mare’s eyes, closed her eyes and with deep shuddering breaths, let go.

I’m gonna die.. Oh Faust, I’m sorry.

She felt herself freefalling through the air, the wind rushing past her ear while her eyes remained tearfully closed.. For a while, fear passed through her. Here was the star student of Princess Luna, dedicated to her studies, the echelons of the universe and the knowledge that could have bowed before her, and yet, it seemed she was going to meet her end in a dark forest, far from home. Who would’ve thought this would be her end? Certainly not her.

She felt a tight force beneath her.

I’m dead.. I’m really dead.

Oh Faust.. This is-

“Sparkplug ya good?”

Twilight’s eyes snapped open, and she found herself securely held in Rainbow Dash’s hooves, her wings spread wide to slow their descent. They were hovering just above the ground, safe from the treacherous fall.

Twilight’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide with shock and relief. “Rainbow... Yo-you saved me?” she whispered, her voice filled with disbelief.

Rainbow Dash grinned slightly cockily, “Hey, if ya wanna die ya could have just asked me. But hey, you’re alive now, so you owe me one, huh?”

Twilight let out a shaky laugh, her hooves still trembling from the adrenaline rush. Her laughter slowly turned into sobs, and she turned to embrace the pegasus tightly.

Rainbow’s eyes widened in sudden nervousness and surprise; she wasn’t expecting this since she half expected for her to say something harsh again, maybe even blast her in the face or something. She hesitated for a moment, her hooves awkwardly hovering in the air, before deciding to return the hug, albeit tentatively.

After a brief pause, Rainbow quickly pulled away from the hug, a faint blush colouring her cheeks. She cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. “Right, uh, Sparkplug. I’m not really the touchy-feely type, so let’s uh just keep this between us, kay? No need to go sharin’ it with anyone, especially Applejack.”

Twilight grinned skittishly, her eyes darting everywhere of the dark forest but Rainbow’s gaze.“Right, uh. You’re right! We should probably um… find the others?”

“Awesome!” Rainbow replied, her signature confident grin returning to her face. She gave Twilight a mild shove of a hoof, while she flew up in the air. “Let’s go, Sparkplug. We gotta go and get-”

“HEY, Y’ALL! AH APPRECIATE BOTH OF YA MAKIN’ UP DOWN THERE, BUT I'm ON TOP OF A CLIFF RIGHT NOW AND I COULD REALLY USE SOME SORT OF A PEGASUS TO BRING ME DOWN HERE! ESPECIALLY YOU RAINBOW!” Applejack’s voice echoed loudly from above, interrupting Rainbow’s sentence.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight looked up to see Applejack with a combined look of annoyance and fear as she stood on the cliffside alone, with rocks and cracks still threatening to plunge her into the depths below.

Rainbow groaned, rolling her eyes. “Alright, alright I’m coming! Don’t get your mane’s all up in a twist, damn.” she muttered under her breath. She turned to Twilight with a cocky smile, “Be right back. Sit tight, Sparkplug. And if you see the others, especially Fluttershy, holler out!” she said before shooting up into the sky, her wings propelling her towards Applejack’s location.

Twilight stood up from the ground and watched as Rainbow Dash soared towards Applejack’s position. As she waited for their return, Twilight took a moment to survey their surroundings. The dark forest loomed around her, the tall trees casting eerie shadows that danced in the dim light.

Well Twilight Sparkle, you caused a cliff slide and likely killed your old friend and some locals. I’m just hoping that they actually do survive, Faust knows that I’m probably going to Tartarus because of this.

She looked around again, this time her eyes seeing her crumpled map as it. She picked it up and unfolded it, trying to make sense of their current location. The map was tattered and torn, making it difficult to decipher even the most obvious details. She lowered the map from her face and dropped it, letting out a sigh.

Scratch that, I am going to Tartarus.

…..

Fuck.

As the group prepared to leave the area, somewhere in the midst of the bushes far from them, another flash ignited. A changeling and her companion slowly emerged from it, the former holding a notepad while the latter held a camera. She turned towards her partner and grinned, “This, is gonna be greatest story we’ll get. Bigger than any of us had imagined before!”

Her partner nodded, and took another picture at the group in front of them, unsuspecting of the duo. Flavia turned towards her Stratis and held him tight, “We’re making history here. And we’re in the thick of it. Come on! We need to follow them!” she said, quietly galloping after the three with her camera operator right behind her.

Kindness

View Online

Kindness.

Okay, map’s busted and we’re stranded in the woods of the Everfree Forest. And not only that, we lost approximately… approximately? Damn it, Sparkle.

Twilight rubbed her head in frustration, the weight of their predicament settling heavily upon her and the torn map in her magical field making it almost useless for navigation. She looked up and around the forest, the trees’ dark leaves blowing in the winds as the night slowly darkened the Everfree Forest. Sighing in disheartenment, she turned to look at her other two companions, who were busy arguing with each other.

“I hate to break it to you Dash, but in case ya haven’ noticed we are in the GOSH DARN Everfree Forest!” Applejack said angrily, stomping her hoof on the cold ground.

Rainbow Dash was undeterred however, glaring at her friend. “AJ, Flutters is out there! If we’re just gonna sit here and do nothing-” she said before Applejack interrupted her.

“We ain’t doing nothing Dash. We’ve been walking and looking for ‘em right now! But here you are, trying be the hero again.” she said semi-angrily.

Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration and turned away, crossing her hooves over her chest. Twilight could only look in a bit of a worried expression, and so awkwardly turned away from their argument. How can she help them? They know more about each other than she does and besides, it’s not her place to stick a big lavender wedge in the middle of it.

The princess is counting on me, the entire kingdom is, and I can fix it. I know I can. Just hope that Daybreaker, or something in this forest won’t kill me first.

The sky showed no mercy upon them, no lights illuminated the forest with the exception of Twilight’s light spell. They reached a sort of a fork in the forest with two openings, despite having no visible stone pathways to traverse anymore. Twilight paused and glanced back at them. Apparently the argument subsided but now both of them were looking away from each other.

Huh, guess that was easier than I thought. Now we can actually get back to work.

“So, uh… left or right?” Twilight asked them both, a bit too eager to break the silence between them.

Applejack raised an eyebrow, taking a short glance at the fork. Her eyes slowly glanced to the right of the opening. “Huh,” Applejack muttered to herself. She walked towards the right opening and started to grind the ground with her right hoof, caressing it slowly as if it were a carpet in a hotel room.

The Tartarus she’s doing?

“She’s channelling her inner earth pony skills, y’know. Grinding the ground and stuff, she can’t resist it!” Rainbow suddenly whispered into her ear, seemingly reading her thoughts and grinning at her own joke. Twilight could only chuckle nervously, but Applejack turned to Rainbow with a dirty look.

“Oh shut up, ya feather brain. I'm just seein’ if anyone passed through here, tracks or something.” Applejack said with a frustrated tone, “I'm testingif there’s anybeing walked through here before.”

“So?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“So,” Applejack sighed, her continuing frustration still evident in her voice, “If the others or even Fluttershy could have walked through here, I'd feel the ground tilting a bit. But… Ah don’t think they went here though, its just as flat as an apple pancake.”

Rainbow stopped flapping her wings and dropped to the ground with a scowl, “Dammit!” She glanced at the two openings, her eyes narrowing as she began to think. Applejack watched her friend with great perturbed ness and shook her head, which Twilight noticed.

“Why are you shaking your head?” she asked in a confused tone.

“Anytime I see Rainbow think of a plan, I can tell already it ain’t gonna be a good one.” Applejack explained to her as her voice trails off. Twilight raised an eyebrow, slightly concerned about what Rainbow Dash might come up with-

“I got an idea! We flip a coin for it!”

Twilight’s eyes blinked for a moment, before falling into a deadpan expression while the other facehoofed herself. “Are ya serious?” Applejack said to the pegasus.

“What? Not like you have any better ideas, ya know. Besides, mine’s faster and it gets things done, unlike your ground feeling… uh shtick?”

Applejack angrily stomped the ground, her eyes glaring at the pegasus. “It ain’t feelin’ Dash, it’s caressing the soil! And what happens if we go the wrong way?”

“Oh please, we just run back and go the other direction. It’s not that hard. Unless, you’re a CHICKEN and admit that earth ponies can’t run faster than a pegasus.” Rainbow Dash snarkily said to Applejack.

Applejack snorted in defiance, “Ya wish! I bet in ya feathered brain that you can’t run faster without your wings helping ya! In fact, I bet I can even beat you in a hoof wrestle!” she challenged the brash pegasus.

Rainbow Dash pushed her forehead towards Applejack’s with a cocky smile, eager to prove her wrong.“OH YOU’RE SO ON! Twilight can ya referee for us a bit and-”

But before Rainbow Dash could finish her sentence, a blinding flash of magic erupted in front of them, causing both ponies to shield their eyes and turn away.

Confused and disoriented, they cautiously opened their eyes, only to find Twilight was gone, and the half burnt map on the ground she was standing on.

“GET THOSE BACKUP GENERATORS WORKING AGAIN!” Dr Greymane shouted to a male earth pony nurse, quavering his hooves under the intense pressure and fear he’s in.

He released his hooves from the medical cart he was pushing and with a nod, he quickly sprinted away from the operating room and on the way managed to grab a lightweight flashlight to shine his way through the dark corridors. He could only shine it forward, as patients and doctors passed through him in a panicked fervour. Screams echoed throughout the hallways as he continued to sprint quickly and carefully.

He reached the eastern wing of the hospital and as he looked out a nearby window, the entire town shrouded in darkness from the power outage. But as he reached the electrical room, he saw a pair of soldiers from the state militia stationed near each side of the doors. Each of them held a bolt action rifle in their hooves as he approached them both with a nervous look.

“Excuse me, I need to start the backup generators! I’m a medical staff sent by the-”

The guards exchanged a quick worried glance at each other before one of them spoke up, his voice filled with tension and a bit of sympathy. “I’m sorry, but we are given strict orders to not allow anyone to enter the electrical room.”

The nurse’s eyes widened in shock. Why are they not letting him enter?

“Look! Let me in okay, we have a lot of patients and not enough doctors running around in a dark hallway here and everybeing is afraid. Please let us-”

“You have a flashlight there, it’s more than enough to let you see.” One of the other guards spoke up with a blunt tone, clearly uncaring of the nurse’s plea. “Besides, strict orders from command.”

The nurse was getting frustrated. These soldiers, why are they doing this? He couldn’t understand why, and he couldn’t go back without a working light source. The screams from the hallway and the panicked stomping of hooves echoed throughout and in his mind, there’s only one option.

With a determined look, he charged towards the double door and passed the militia soldiers who quickly tried to grab hold of him. Ignoring their attempts, he sprinted towards the hallway of the room.

But as he turned the corner, he stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened in horror and shock at the scene that unfolded before him. The backup generators were destroyed. And the crystals that were supposed to power them were missing from the shelves.

He heard the pair of hooves from behind him and turned around to meet the worried and nervous faces of the militia soldiers.

“I’m sorry, but we didn’t want you to see this.” one of them said regretfully, his rifle aiming at the nurse.

What was happening? Why were they aiming their weapons at him? He thought to himself, in fear and trepidation.

The nurse’s voice trembled as he cautiously raised his hooves in compliance, his heart pounding in his chest. Fear and confusion swirled within him as he looked into the soldiers’ eyes, searching for an answer.

“Did... Did you do this?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes filling with tears.

Both of them didn’t answer, their eyes locking with each other in a shared understanding. A profound sadness filled the air, mingling with the tense atmosphere of the darkened hospital.

One of the soldiers who spoke bluntly to him earlier, raised his rifle with a stern look. “Put your hooves on the ground and lay your body still.” he ordered.

Stupid idiots, if they just think that by literally challenging each other to a hoof wrestle in the middle of a national crisis is gonna help. They’re sorely fucking mistaken!

Twilight’s eyes were a mix of frustration and increased annoyance as she continued to walk through the dense foliage of the Everfree Forest. The twisted branches and entangled undergrowth seemed determined to impede her progress, closing off any possible visibility and adding to her growing sense of frustration.

Her shoulders sagged under the weight of exhaustion, both physical and magical. The teleportation she did coupled with her lack of teleportation skills had drained her magical reserves, causing her to feel a bit light headed and tired. She paused for a moment, and sat against an old tree to catch her breath and recharge her magical reserves a bit. Her eyes blinked softly in the cold wind, in a bitter chill.

Slowly blinking, she let out a weak chuckle.

“Hahaha, oh wonderful job.” she muttered to herself with a hint of sarcasm colouring her words. “I wonder if I should go back or-”

A loud scream pierced through the air, cutting off her thoughts and her heart raced as adrenaline surged through her veins, momentarily erasing her exhaustion. She instinctively and fearfully looked around the forest, her eyes scanning where the shriek came from.

Another scream, this time she can recognise it as a mare. She turned to the clearing behind her as her eyes widened in realisation as she figured out who it was.

Fluttershy..

She rushed into the clearing as quickly as her hooves could take her, wincing as she felt the stinging sensation of branches and twigs scratching against her coat and the sharp grass and stone grinding under her hooves.

Bursting out of the bushes, her eyes widened in horror at the sight in front of her. Fluttershy was under a giant manticore’s paw, about to be crushed under the sheer force of it. She was facing away from Twilight and towards the monster, but she could only imagine the horrified look from the pegasus and the sheer frozen terror she’s having now.

For the first time in her life without thinking, she sprinted forward and tackled her to the ground, causing both of them to land flat on their bodies. Fluttershy let out a gasp as Twilight quickly casted a magical shield around them both, as the manticore started to roar with fury due to Twilight’s intervention.

Twilight’s heart beated faster as the manticore and started hammering its paws against the magical barrier. Panicking and feeling the same impending death from before, she looked behind her away from the monster as she prepared to run away with Fluttershy.

“Wait.”

Fluttershy’s word went unanswered as Twilight scrambled in her thoughts with the poundings of the paws against the barrier continually interrupting her plans to escape and only to cement her fears again and again. She needs to focus on running away from that thing.

“RAINBOW DASH TO THE RESCUE!!!”

Before Twilight could process what’s going on, the manticore was sharply kicked off to the side by a rainbow maned pegasus. The manticore fell on its back as Rainbow her back to it and to them both with a smirk, “Ya both alright?” she said with a smirking smile.

Twilight slowly nodded as she disabled her magical barrier and walked towards her with a grateful smile. “You… you saved us. And me again!”

“Pfft, no worries! Besides, Applejack is just catchin’ right behind you both, which means I WIN- Gaaah!” she let out a yelp of surprise as the manticore’s tail swung around and struck her, sending her tumbling through the air.

“RAINBOW!” Fluttershy and Twilight cried out in shock.

She collided with a nearby tree and fell to the ground in a daze, stars swirling in her head. “Thhiss raceee….” she managed to say before going into knocked out state. The two then turned their heads to the manticore as it stood up, this time more furious than ever at the ponies who invaded its home space.

Twilight didn’t waste any time as she took Fluttershy’s hoof and quickly raced to the bushes.

“Wait, please.” Fluttershy said a bit louder from her usual shy whispering, but Twilight couldn’t afford to wait. She knew they had to get away from the manticore before it could strike again and kill them both. Ignoring her plea, she raced towards the small opening in the bushes in front of her.

But before they could reach there, the manticore managed to fly above them and landed right in front of their exit.

Twilight skidded to a halt, her eyes widening in alarm as the manticore landed in front of their only escape route.

Oh crap. We’re dead.

The manticore threateningly stalked in front of them, its paws digging painfully into the ground leaving a tiny skid mark of a stick in its other paw. With each step backward, they could feel the manticore closing in, its eyes fixed on them, its tail swaying menacingly.

As the manticore raised one of its paws to strike, a makeshift rope suddenly lassoed itself around the creature’s neck, yanking it back with great force. Startled, the manticore roared in fury and thrashed against its restraints.

Both of them could only watch in shock as Applejack appeared behind the manticore and tied it around the nearby tree as fast as she could. She turned to them both with a mixed look of determination and fear, “RUN YA FAUSTDARN IDIOTS, RUN!” she shouted.

But their relief was short-lived as the manticore, fueled by its rage, exerted its immense strength. The creature pulled with such force that the tree it was tied to was uprooted, soaring into the sky, and the rope snapped from its neck. Fluttershy stood frozenly as the manticore roared loudly at Applejack and Twilight could only imagine she could only be in fear, and a frozen in terror acquaintance is the worst possible thing she can have right now.

Watching Applejack, her eyes widened in surprise as the apple farmer reared her hind hooves as if she were to jump. “Applejack, what’re you doing you gotta-” before she knew it, Applejack was on the manticore’s neck. She gasped in surprise.

“YEEEEEEHAW!” Applejack cheered loudly as the manticore struggled to get Applejack from its neck, jumping around sporadically, its tail chopping down trees left and right. From the corner of her eye, she saw Fluttershy quickly pulling Rainbow Dash away and placing her against a large rock, still with a dazed and unconscious smile on her face.

Applejack, pulled on its hair with a tight grin. “UP UP UP, You THINK THAT YA CAN BE A BASTARD TO My FRIENDS LIKE THAT, THINK AGAIN!”

But as if it were on cue, the manticore soars high up in the sky taking Applejack with her. Twilight watched in horror as it turned upside down on itself. Applejack’s expression turned from a determined exhilaration to perilous fear as she clung desperately onto its neck.

“OH CRAB APPLES, THIS AIN’T GOOD!” Applejack’s voice echoed through the air, filled with genuine fear.

The manticore spiralled through the sky with dizzying speed, its wild movements causing Applejack to lose her grip on its neck and fly off into the forest with loud thud. Twilight couldn’t see her but she was more worried about the manticore now focusing its attention on her.

As it landed on the ground and stalked towards her menacingly, Twilight could feel her heart beating faster. In a panicked and quite frankly her only option, she casted a large attack magic and blasted it towards the manticore, only for it to miss completely and destroy a large tree behind it, leaving behind only a few burnt pieces of wood.

“Cra-crap,” Twilight caught her breath as she said to herself. “I’m gonna die.”

The manticore charged towards and raised its paw and Twilight could only close her eyes tightly as she braced her upcoming death.

But a few seconds later, the strike didn’t come. Not yet at least. She opened her eyes, only to see Fluttershy standing between her and the manticore.

Her eyes widened at Fluttershy’s foolish bravery. Of all the times she could’ve run away, intervening is the worst possible thing she could, even by her already obvious nature.

“Fluttershy! ARE YOU INSANE!” Twilight shouted in fear. “Get away from it!”

But the normally shy pegasus ignored her, instead she stared agonisingly hard at it, her eyes filled with a determination that Twilight had rarely seen before. Her trembling lips formed words, barely audible amidst the chaos.

“WAIT.”

Her voice said loudly and clearly. The manticore watched her confusedly as the pegasus approached her calmly, her stare never seeming to be leaving away its eyes. Fluttershy stopped in front of the manticore, its paw still raised above her head. She glanced at the raising paw.

And smiled.

Quickly, she took the paw and quickly pulled out a large thorn embedded deeply in its paw. The manticore winced in pain and grabbed Fluttershy, roaring as loudly as it could towards her. Twilight turned and quickly closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight of a gruesome death and her screams of agony.

But instead, she heard something completely unexpected.

Laughter.

Opening her eyes in confusion, she saw the most utterly ridiculous thing she ever saw. The manticore was no longer showing aggression but was instead licking Fluttershy affectionately and nuzzling its head against her.

What. The. Heck.

Twilight’s jaw dropped in astonishment, and against her own heart and with her wildly curious mind, she approached them both. She overheard as Fluttershy comforted the manticore and gently patted its head. Fluttershy heard the cautiously approaching hooves behind her and turned around with a soft smile.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked her.

Flabbergasted, she shook her head in disbelief. “Okay? Okay!? I was just attacked by this monster and-”

“Manny, it’s name is Manny.” Fluttershy said sheepishly.

Twilight blinked and stepped back a bit, processing this sudden turn of events and information as much as she could. “What? I- What?” she said, extremely confused. “It has a name?”

Fluttershy nodded, before raising its now thornless paw. “It was hurting when I found him earlier so I let him raise its paw to check it. And then three of you found me.” Fluttershy rubber her side of her head, embarrassed of her timidity.

Twilight looked at the manticore again, it’s extremely docile, seemingly forgetting that it barreled Rainbow Dash into a tree and launched Applejack into the air. She shook her head, she doesn’t even know she can understand this anymore.

She turned to Fluttershy with one question, “How?”

Fluttershy turned to her with a soft smile that radiated a bit of sincerity.

“Kindness, everybeing deserves a bit of kindness. Even if they seem like a monster on the outside.”

“You got that? Please tell me you got that.”

“I did, it’s in the film here.”

Flavia Sorentus breathed a sigh of relief as they hid behind the large rock. Flavia leaned her head from the rock to see the group leaving a fully docile manticore sitting on the ground. She turned to Stratis again, who was fin-nicking around with his camera. “How about this headline? Heroes of the Changelings and Lunaria! Or, Saviors against Ancient Evil! Or even better, we give them a name like-like uh... I don’t know. Help me out here, Stratis! A good group of heroes needs a good name for themselves alright?” she urged.

Stratis stopped and thought for a moment, before replying. “Mane 7.”

“Mane 7.. that’s a perfect name! Simple, concise and iconic! Hah!” she fluttered her wings excitedly. She turned back to the group who had already gone far in their path. “Come on, Stratis. We’re not finished yet.” she said to her companion.

Laughter

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Laughter.

“Alright, AJ! Lemme just… there!”

Rainbow Dash untied the vine that was looped around one of Applejack’s hind hooves as she dangled from a tree upside down. Applejack had an irritated look etched on her face, her fore hooves crossing over each other.

“This ain’t my finest time, ya know?” she said blankly to the others, with Fluttershy and Twilight watching her being untied from the ground.

Rainbow took the liberty of using a sharp rock to cut the vine, swiping it to the right as if it were a machete cutting rice plants. Unfortunately, as she cut the vine strand, Applejack fell to the ground head first before falling on her back.

Rainbow chuckled loudly at her while Fluttershy tried to stifle her laughter by biting her lip. Twilight, however, couldn’t help but roll her eyes in exasperation.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Y’all chuckle as much as ya want. At least Ah lasted much more than Rainbow here.” she retorted as she laid flat on her back. She stood up and dusted herself off from the dirt from her coat, but as she looked up her fur stood on end. Her eyes widened in fear and her hooves shakily pointed behind Fluttershy.

Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion, “What’s wrong Applejack?”

“Wha-wha, why’s the same manticore from earlier behind ya?” she stammered with a nervous smile of fear.

Her ears raised in realisation and turned around to see the manticore licking its paw casually, “Oh, that’s Manny, he didn’t mean to hurt all of us. He got his paw stuck with a thorn. And was very frustrated.” she explained nonchalantly as she turned back to the farm mare.

Applejack looked at Manny again, before going back to Fluttershy, and then Manny, before her eyes rolled behind her head and fell down semi-conscious from the lunacy of the situation.

The others quickly gathered around her as Applejack voiced her thoughts,“So yer tellin’ me that Ah got flown up in the air and swung like a crane before landing a tree upside down by my hooves, only for that Manny… is just hurt from a darn’ thorn stuck in its paw .”

Fluttershy gave an awkward smile, “Uh, yes?”

Applejack slowly turned her head with tired eyes, “Twi, Ah think I get why ya get this done quickly. Cuz Ah feel like losin’ mah head here.” she said weakly, placing a hoof on her forehead.

Well, I guess so much for enthusiasm.

Twilight had a look at her current location and despite her reservations, she pulled up the map of the forest in hopes of seeing her current location. However each time she did, it seemed to get worse as the map itself never intended to go offcourse from its original mountain pathway, which they did, making it useless for her.

And that’s just great. Now we’re absolutely lost, at a loss and with a loss of three…

Twilight sighed, feeling the weight of the moment took over again. She tried to shake the worry out of her head, there’s more pressing matters for her to take. Like for starters, what in Tartarus she’s going to-

BANG!

Twilight’s heart raced as the sound of gunshots pierced through the air. Instinctively, she dove to the ground, while Fluttershy and Rainbow similarly ducked down together. Applejack hugged her hat tightly on her head, fear surging through her head. Manny meanwhile, ran into the other direction without a second thought, unbeknownst to them.

After a few seconds, the gunshots stopped, and Twilight cautiously raised her head, her heart pounding in her chest.

“What was that?” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her senses were heightened, and every rustle of leaves made her flinch. The forest remained eerily silent, with no immediate sign of danger.

Rainbow Dash stood up, her wings flared, ready to take flight at a moment’s notice. Her eyes darted around, searching for any signs of movement, but there was nothing.

“Ah-ah think we should go,” Applejack said, rising from her position on the ground. Her voice was filled with concern as she looked at Twilight. “Ain’t worth sticking around here, and Ah ain’t gettin shot in the middle of the Everfree.”

Twilight forced a weak smile, her nervousness palpable. “I guess so, we should probably continue on.” she said, her voice tingling with uncertainty.

Turning around to face the forest, Twilight felt the weight of the dark trees looming over her. Their branches resembled gnarled claws, adding to the eerie atmosphere. The air was chilled, and the rustling of leaves created a haunting soundtrack. With her mind racing, she took a deep breath and led the way forward, the others following closely behind.

“Darn Sparkster, can ya turn up that horn of yers a bit brighter?” Rainbow Dash asked her, her voice said unnervingly. “Cuz each step we’re taking, that magic light of yours is getting dimmer and dimmer. And I can’t see jack!”

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m trying. It’s not like I’m a generator or something,”she retorted, feeling frustrated. “And besides, the magical resistance in the Everfree will only get stronger and stronger the deeper we go in so you need to expect this.”

Rainbow flew slightly above the two with Fluttershy behind her, scanning the area. “Ya know? Ever since we landed here, I haven’t heard nor even seen Winters, Rarity and Pinkie Pie anywhere.”

Twilight gazed at her view across the dark forest, her worry intensifying.

How well am I gonna sleep after this if they’re…

I don’t know anymore… What am I doing wrong here? I mean we’re moving but, it just seems off? Why am I even hearing myself now, this is just… stupid.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she heard a sound, a rustling noise that didn’t sit well with her. As her eyes widened, she quickly turned around. Applejack was nowhere near a bush, and the two pegasi were nowhere near a branch. However, looking from the corner of her eye, she can see a raven flying from a nearby bush.

Instinctively, she crouched down to a nearby tree, making a shushing motion with her hoof and signalling everyone to follow her. They followed her lead, lowering themselves to the ground, their bodies tense with anticipation.

Fluttershy shivered in fear, and Rainbow covered her friend with her wing while Applejack gripped the ground tightly with her hooves. Twilight herself dimmed her horn ever enough so whoever was behind that bush wouldn’t hopefully see them.

“What’d ya see, Sparkster?”

“I don’t know, Rainbow Dash.”

“Ya don’t know?”

“I saw something, it could be something that can kill us or something torture and then kill us.”

“Ooooooh Fauuuust….”

“Whoopee doo, thanks for the common enthusiasm Sparksyan.”

“Oh shut, yer trap Rainbow.”

“Wait, what’s that?”

The tension became increasingly higher as the rustling grew louder and a faint light emerged from the bush, a lantern light tied around a pink tail. A couple of voices accompanied the light, and Twilight couldn’t help but recognise those voices somewhere.

“Pinkie darling, I don’t think this is the right way?” an elegant voice said worryingly.

“Oh Rarries!” the first figure replied, her pink tail rising high with the lantern illuminating the path. “We’re definitely going the right way! My Pinkie Senses are tingling and jumping and-”

“Seriously? Cause it looks like more of another dead end here.” another voice chimed in, this time a stallion with a north-eastern accent.

Twilight’s eyes widened in realisation of who they were. Quietly laughing to herself, she decided to reveal herself from away from the tree, much to Rainbow’s attempt to pull her back. Her horn still dimmed, she approached the trio with a smile.

“Hey, you three! I’ve been-”

Twilight’s smile faded instantly as the lantern struck her head, sending her staggering backward. Pain radiated through her skull, and her vision swam with disorientation. She reached a hoof to her forehead, feeling the dull ache that was quickly turning into a throbbing pain.

“Uh… whoopsie?” Pinkie said, a smile leaking onto her face.

Twilight’s consciousness slipped away as her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward on the soft ground of the forest.

Dr. Greymane’s horn slowly turned into a dimmer, as his fellow doctors and nurses finally finished stitching up Princess Luna’s wound. He stepped back, his hooves now bloodied and all of them weary from the stitches they did. The room was filled with a mixture of relief and exhaustion as the medical team took a moment to catch their breath.

The princess laid restfully on the operating table, her breathing calm but heavy. The room was quiet, the electricity still hasn’t turned on since the other nurse has left for the backup generators. The absence of electricity left the room dim, save for the soft glow of his horn.

He turned to Dr. Care, one of the junior physicians on the team. “Dr. Care, have you heard any news from Nurse Snowglobe? Electricity’s still not on.”

The physician shook his head, and spoke with a solemn tone. “No, I had one of the other nurses check on him but the doors on the eastern wing are blocked off.” he pointed to a female nurseling.

Raising one of his eyebrows, Greymane’s concern turned to confusion. “What do you mean by that?” he asked the nurse.

“Local militia told us not to, said there was an accident in the electrical room and it has a chance for a fire hazard.” she responded, averting the gaze of the doctor’s eyes.

Nurse Redheart’s eyes widened in disbelief, “Fire hazard? We have fire extinguishers in there, every electrical room has one!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with urgency.

Care looked at him with a worried tone. “That’s what Nurse Rollers told them, but they’re keeping the area off limits to anyone. Regardless!”

Dr. Greymane felt a slight pain in his head, a sign of growing frustration and concern. The situation was becoming more challenging with each passing moment. The lack of electricity was hindering their ability to provide proper care to their patients. Not only that, but the potential panic and hurried movements of staff members and patients in the darkened hospital could lead to further injuries.

Then he had an idea.

Quickly turning to his staff of nurses and doctors, Greymane addressed them with a sense of urgency. “Unicorns and lings, use your horns to create a source of light in the hallway due to the limited flashlights. Help the ones in the hallway if you can!” he said, his eyes focusing on the races he mentioned, who nodded back at him.

As they left the room, their horns shining brightly in the dark, he turned to the other non-magic users. “The rest of you, use the remaining flashlights conservatively. We need them for more crucial operations. Make every beam of light count!”

The others nodded somewhat enthusiastically, quickly taking the remaining flashlights and distributing them to themselves.

Dr. Greymane smiled slightly, something’s working out after all. He walked over to the window and looked out to town. The absence of electricity had plunged the entire area into darkness and chaos.

Everybeing was still panicking, in their rush trying to leave the town but still somehow in a standstill, even though the chaos had started 20 minutes ago. There were even a few of those trying to loot and break into a local repair/hardware store, but were swiftly driven off by a young mad thestral with a revolver who was taking potshots at them.

He remembered as he and his staff were in the hospital staff room, watching on the hospital’s only television set half an hour ago. A nervous Princess Luna speaking to the crowd during the celebration speech, and the arrival of Daybreaker, which caused the entire town to suffer an unexpected power outage. The chaos and panic had ensued ever since, and the situation seemed to be worsening with each passing minute.

And now, the hospital is having an influx of injured patients seeking medical attention. To the point where they had to start turning the lobby into a makeshift triage station to handle the growing number of injuries. He sighed.

How worse could it get?

“Twilight!”

“Twilight!”

“TWILIGHT!”

Twilight’s eyes went up, her head still throbbing from the impact of the lantern. The voices calling her name seemed distant and muffled, as if they were coming from underwater. She blinked a few times, trying to steady her head with a hoof.

“Ow… where am I?” she asked in a groggy tone.

Winters smiled but a tad bit nervous, his vest covered in dirt and leaves. “Still in the Everfree, unfortunately.” he answered. “You feel good, Twi?”

Twilight shook her head, her eyes slowly blinking. She turned to the others who were standing beside her. Her eyes scanned from Winters all the way to -

“Pinkie Pie….” she said, her eyes glaring venomously as the pink earth pony grinned at her.

Pinkie quickly rushed past the others, gave Twilight a tight hug and spoke enthusiastically. “Ohmygosh Ohmygosh Ohmygosh! I thought you were dead! Or unconscious. Or worse! Or-”

Twilight pushed Pinkie off her forcefully from the hug and glared at her, “What in Faust’s name would you throw a DAMN lantern at me!”

Pinkie’s grin remained plastered on her face, seemingly unfazed by Twilight’s anger. She tilted her head slightly,“Awww, that? Sorrie!” she said as she poked a tongue out of her mouth. “I didn’t mean to, thought you were a scary monster like a Timberwolf, or a Manticore, or a ghost!”

Twilight struggled to immediately facehoof herself, but she restrained her impulse to do so.

“Pinkie Pie… I almost caused a cliff side collapse and I thought I killed all three of you, I dangled myself off the ledge fearing for my life, and then I had to outrun in a circle against a GIANT-ASS MANTICORE!”

Her voice echoed throughout the Everfree after her yell, the intensity of her emotions reverberating in the air. The others looked at her with a mix of surprise and concern as Twilight stepped closer to Pinkie Pie with a scalding look.

“And let me tell you, Miss Pie,” she said, poking a hoof onto the pink chest. “We are in a national crisis that no one, I repeat, NO ONE. Has ever seen before. But here you are, I am trying to solve this problem and you just threw a lantern at my head!”

Pinkie tilted her head in confusion and placed a hoof on Twilight’s head. “Oh, did it hurt ya that bad?”

Twilight was in disbelief. This mare doesn’t even care about the situation! She considered at least a firm slap of a hoof or a bolt of magic just so she can bring this mare back to her senses, but she doubted even if that works against the eccentricity.

“Oh wait, oh wait, oh wait! I have something!” Pinkie Pie suddenly exclaimed. She reached and grabbed her poofy mane and quickly pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Before Twilight had a chance to ask her, Pinkie quickly and expertly folded a paper a dozen times. And before she knew it, Twilight had a paper boat in her head.

Twilight’s face fell into a deadpan as Pinkie let out a cheerful laugh. Rarity sensed that Twilight’s gonna yell at her again so she decided it would be a good time to talk between them.

“Well darlings, I think we should move on from this part of the forest. It is getting dreadfully dark and I don’t think the lantern will have enough time to sustain its light so can we please continue on our way?” she asked.

Pinkie grinned and bounced to her, “Oh c’mon Raries, Twilight has to laugh a bit! And as the party pony of Ponyville, she has to laugh!”

“Laugh?”

Both of them turned to Twilight, her face slowly shaped into an ungrateful expression. “Laugh? LAUGH? Miss Pie, I used to think that you were somewhat innocent and a bit more gullible than Winters here-”

“Hey…” Winters slowly croaked out.

“BUT, after this. I think I know what you are really doing.” She continued sharply as she walked over to Pinkie with a glare, the former still smiling and grinning. “I think you’re a liability.” she said to her in a low tone.

The others kept silent as the unicorn spat out those words, so personally, despite that they have only met on a few occasions. But Pinkie, instead of feeling frightened nor an ounce of sadness on her face, simply looked confused. She looked in the air and thoughtfully put a hoof under her chin.

After a few seconds, Pinkie turned to her with a grin. “What’s a liability? Is that like a nickname for a friend or something? Like how the griffons call each other by curses, like ‘fucker’ or ‘cockhead’ instead of the traditional friend nicknames?”

The response caught Twilight off guard, and again, she’s at a loss for words and groaned in finality.

Im-fucking-possible. She’s ACTUALLY more gullible than Winters, and even more annoying at that.

Twilight looked up from her self-stupor and looked at the others, most of them apparently just so managed to stifle their giggles, hoping that Twilight wouldn’t get more offended than she needed to.

With a sigh, she walked past Pinkie and the others. “We should keep going, might as well find the castle and do something before we all inevitably die.”

The others looked at each other and nodded after the earlier situation and walked behind her. Pinkie, however, cheered loudly and pulled out a party horn.

Ugh.. The least you could do is keep quiet.

10 minutes later

“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we-”

I’m really gonna blast this mare in the face if she keeps that up with me.

Pinkie Pie has been asking the same question every few seconds. For the first few times, she just responded sharply, hoping that she’d get the hint. But for some reason and somehow, she managed to continue her questioning for minutes on end. Her next step was to ignore her completely, which is currently doing now but it only seemed to energise Pinkie further into more questions.

Twilight sighed in her mind, she could feel her mental state being pushed to the peak. She felt her head getting heavier and her eyes getting more tired, and the absence of the moon light is definitely not helping her mind right now.

Opening her eyes, the trees in front of her seemed to be getting bigger and their branches became more elongated and pointy, as if they were sinister claws trying to snatch her from her life, while the view itself became darker and darker, making it harder for her to see what’s ahead.

Damn.. Must be my eyes playing tricks on me. I should’ve taken a nap before all of this. Great… Now you’re not only gonna be tired once you reach Sisterswith, you’re also gonna be way too tired to even-

“Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! Tw-” Pinkie Pie enthusiastically called out as she suddenly bounced right up in front of her.

“WHAT!” Twilight furiously shouted to her. The others stopped in their tracks as Twilight glared at the grinning party pony.

“Wanna hear a knock-knock joke?”

Twilight sighed and face hoofed herself in the face again. It’s becoming a regular occurrence now whenever Pinkie’s around. She irritatedly looked up at Pinkie Pie. “Are you serious?”

“Knock-knock!”

“For Faust’s sake…”

“Branch!”

“Oh, just-”

“Branch out! Or you’re gonna stuck in a-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP WOULD YOU!”

Pinkie recoiled a bit at Twilight’s extremely angry yell, her body instantly freezing in place. The joyous expression was still there, but a slight drop on a curve in her mouth startled Pinkie.

“Uh.. Why? You should have a little laugh when-” Pinkie tried to explain, but Twilight wasn’t hearing any of it.

She stomped right up to her face with a mean glare and pulled her close until their noses were touching each other. “Listen to me, Miss Pie. I’m not here for a laugh, nor a giggle, nor a chuckle, nor snort nor a snarkle! And I don’t wanna hear another joke outta your mouth, you hear?”

“Yepperoni?” Pinkie giggled nervously, her laughter tinged with unease as she found herself being held by the neck. With a sudden release, she dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

Applejack rushed over to Pinkie Pie and helped her up while Twilight walked past her, continuing to walk forward with a frown on her face. Rainbow was almost straining herself not to punch the unicorn, but with Winters and Fluttershy watching her move it seemed fruitless.

As the group followed silently, Winters ran up to Twilight, concern etched on his face. He reached out a hoof to touch her shoulder gently. “Twi, are you okay?” he asked, his voice filled with worry.

Twilight’s horn slowly flickered into a dimmer as she turned to him, a tired look on her face. “I’m tired, but I have a duty as well. I don’t want to laugh, I don’t want to even think about anything else other than stopping Daybreaker, so maybe… I’m not okay.”

His eyes looked at her with uneasiness, “Sorry, didn’t mean to pry…”

“Whatever, Winters. For now, I just hope that the rest of this journey is gonna be less of a hassle from now on.” she replied back, continuing to walk forward. Winters looked back at Pinkie, a look of conflict on her face different from her continuous smiling persona earlier.

“Twilight Sparkle, darling? Is it just me or are the clouds getting darker up here?” Rarity suddenly asked her as her eyes fixed upon the dark night sky. Twilight looked at her curiously, before stopping in her tracks and looking up, as did the others.

Indeed, the clouds were growing darker, swirling ominously in the night sky. The once faint glimmers of stars were now obscured, and an eerie feeling settled over the group.

“It’s it gonna storm RD?” Applejack asked Rainbow, her voice tinged with concern. Fluttershy shivered in fear at the fear of a possible thunderstorm.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes narrowed as she looked up at the clouds, her experience in the weather team kicking in. She turned to Applejack and the others with a smirk, “Pffft, I think it’s just a minor one you guys. Light glaze and-”

CRACK

Before the pegasus could finish her words, a large lightning strike in the air illuminated the area they traversed for a brief moment in an extremely bright light. In that moment, their eyes settled in front of them, revealing a horrifying sight.

They stood frozen in fear as a twisted, terrifying face on a large tree in front of them. Standing tall and imposing was a gnarled, twisted tree, its branches contorted into grotesque shapes. The lightning’s glow emphasised the malevolent face etched onto the tree’s bark; with hollow glaring eyes that seemed to penetrate the darkness itself.

As the lightning slowly faded, the darkness closed in once again, with only Twilight’s dim horn as the only source of light.

“What in the world was that?” he said to himself nervously, as he quickly tugged his revolver in his vest pocket.

Twilight glanced at the others, Rarity quavering in her hooves, Rainbow and Applejack hugging each other in fear, Fluttershy hiding under her wings and closing her eyes. But peculiarly Pinkie Pie didn’t seem to be fazed but instead smiling.

She shook her head, the others were frightened but not her. She walked forward, her hooves shaking slightly on the ground as she approached the tree.

“Twi, what’re you doing?” Winters asked her, now shakily pulling out his revolver and aiming it at the tree.

Twilight ignored his question and turned to them, “Lo-look everybeing, it’s just a tree. Nothing to be-”

CRACK-ROAAAAAAAR

Another lightning strike, this time accompanied by a monstrous roar shook everyone’s senses. Twilight turned around and screamed in terror, falling to the ground and backing up to Winters. The area was bathed in an eerie light, revealing the presence of more monstrous trees that seemed to materialise out of thin air, surrounding them on all sides.

CRACK-ROOOAAARRR-CRACK-ROAAAAAAAR

The others most notably Rarity shrieked in horror and fainted, while Fluttershy lay under her wings. “It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream, it’s just a dream…” she told herself as more lightning strikes and roars occurred continuously with each other.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash found themselves back-to-back, their bodies tensed as they surveyed the eerie forest surrounding them with their eyes darting frantically. Twilight turned to Winters.

“Winters! You-”

He dropped his revolver, his eyes widening in disbelief and fear. His hooves shook and cold sweat formed on his brow as he struggled to comprehend the nightmare he’s seeing.

“This ain’t real, mate..” he said to himself, frozen in fear and indecisiveness.

CRACK-ROAAAAAAAR

Twilight herself couldn’t believe it, the situation was turning into a nightmare. She could feel her nerves getting hold of her, and for a moment, her mind told her to run away and seek safety.

But in all of that panicked and fearful chaos, she looked behind her to see Pinkie Pie smiling widely and grinning.

Is that mare crazy? These tree-monsters are nightmare fuel!

“Miss Pie!” Twilight shouted at her, her eyes in nervous fear. “We gotta get out of here!”

But Pinkie didn’t share the same sense of urgency. Instead, she continued to wear her unsettling grin, seemingly unfazed by the surrounding horrors. She bounced in place, her giggling being cheerful amidst the chaos.

Twilight’s eyes widened at Pinkie’s laughter, her confusion growing. “Wha-”

“Silly! It’s just a bunch of mean trees trying to be scary, you know? But it’s not that scary, I think it’s funny and superduper funtastic!”

Twilight’s eyes widened in disbelief and confusion. “Pinkie, are you out of your mind? These trees are not just trying to be scary, they’re-”

Pinkie interrupted her with another round of laughter. “Oh silly Twilight, you worry too much that you’re almost gonna get grey in your mane. Let me show you!” Pinkie said as she hopped towards the nearest and scariest tree. Twilight and the others (with the exception of Fluttershy) could only watch in shock as Pinkie faced the tree with no sign of fear at all.

As she looked at the tree, its branches as it were preparing to strike her, Pinkie bursted into a giggle fit and poked the tree with her hoof. Much to everybeings’ shock, the tree’s branches retraced and its wooden claws started to break. And to even a bigger shock, the face started to smile, SMILE!

That’s-that’s impossible.

“Oh, it’s very possible Twilight! Here, lemme poke another one and give it a tickle!” Pinkie said as if she read her mind again.

Twilight’s jaw dropped as Pinkie skipped over to another tree and ticked one of its branches with her tail; the moment she did the branches started to shake and its face transformed itself into a silent albeit merry laughter.

“What in tarnation..” Applejack said while exchanging incredulous looks with Rainbow Dash, who looked back at the scene in front of her. After a few seconds, she began to laugh along as well.

Rainbow Dash’s laughter joined Pinkie’s, the sound echoing through the once eerie forest. Rarity, awakening from her momentary faint, began to laugh as well. Even Fluttershy, as she unfurled herself from her wings and smiled and giggled amongst the group.

Winters smiled and started to chuckle at Pinkie who was busy poking and tickling every tree she touched, earning an enormous silent laughter from each of them. Twilight could only stand there, awestruck by the scene before her.

Pinkie continued farther and farther to poke and tickle every tree in front of her, and the others followed her along in the dark forest. On every side, almost each tree has their own unique laughs, ones with smaller silent chuckles while others with boisterous and equally silent guffaws.

And as they finally exited the forest of laughter, almost all of the group was laughing in pleasure. Except Twilight, she’s only shocked in wonder.

How did that work?

She turned to Pinkie Pie with a speechless expression, and Pinkie Pie gave her the biggest smile she ever gave to Twilight.

“I hope that you’re laughing in your mind! Because I can’t see it, hihihihi!”

Meanwhile, in another part of the Everfree.

Manny the Manticore winced in pain as its paw has another thorn lodged in from the tree branch he tried to perch on but snapped quickly off as he sat on it.

He tried pulling it out but the pain in his paw was irritatingly painful, causing him to roar loudly in pain.

If only that kind yellow pegasus would still be here...

Hope

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Hope.

Twilight Sparkle was at a loss for words.

How did she- But I-I-I don’t know anymore.

She turned to Pinkie Pie, who was laughing joyfully with the others in the group. Her wide grin was stretched across her face while she jumped up and down excitedly on her hooves. Rainbow Dash repeatedly flew circles around Pinkie, their laughter intertwining in the air.

“Holy crap, Pinkerton! I never took ya for a tree whisperer, a better one than Fluttershy as well!” she complimented Pinkie, followed by Applejack patting her back in a display of proudness.

“Indeed darling, I’ve never seen such a display of JOVIALITY!” Rarity said unexpectedly, earning a hug from Pinkie immediately after.

Winters chuckled lightly, a genuine smile gracing his face. He turned to see Twilight facing away from the others. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts, her eyes focused on something in the distance.

He approached her and placed a hoof on her shoulder, “Twi, you’re spacing out again.”

Her eyes and ears went up in surprise, “Oh! Didn’t notice that.” she said awkwardly, before turning to him. “Winters, I don’t know what I just saw. And I probably don’t want to know how.”

Winters gave her a sympathetic smile, “Hey, I’ve seen weirder things before so I think we’ll be fine after this. You should watch me, I’m a half thestral-earth pony in a gun manufacturing family! ”

Twilight unconsciously gave a sincere smile, the first time she ever did since she arrived here. “Thanks Winters, I guess uh, we should probably keep going. Day to save and Elements of Harmony to find you know?” she said, rubbing her head with a hoof awkwardly.

Winters nodded eagerly but before he could reply back, Rainbow pushed him out of nowhere with a determined expression. “Sweet Luna’s flank yeah! We’re gonna beat Daybreaker and she’ll stay there for eternity!”

Twilight rolled her eyes, before settling on Winters’ laid down form and unamused appearance, “I hate you sometimes Rainbow.” he replied blankly.

Rainbow let out raspberry before turning to Twilight, “So when we headin’ out Sparkling?” she enthusiastically asked Twilight, grinning mischievously.

Realising that any sort of nickname change is fruitless, it’s best if she just ignored whatever she called her. “Fine, we’ll head out for now.” she replied with a groan.

“Heck yeah! Can’t wait to beat her flank!”

Augh… This is gonna be a long while.

A few minutes later

“Does this forest get any darker? I’m walkin’ like a bat pony in the sunlight.”

Winters shot her a mildly offended look, but it quickly transformed into an amused smirk. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s not like I’m completely blind anyways~” he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Applejack’s retort was swift.“Oh crabapples, don’t take it that hard. I’m just saying it as it is.”

Twilight, caught between their banter, couldn’t help but let out a tired sigh. The darkness was becoming overwhelming, and their progress felt slow and uncertain. At least the forest seemed to become less thick as they walked, but still, the oppressive atmosphere lingered. Twilight’s hooves dragged along the forest floor, her fatigue beginning to weigh heavily upon her.

Her mind was tired, with all of the challenges and dangers they had faced so far. The weight of her mission, the looming threat of Daybreaker, and the earlier fears that captured her heart resurfaced again.

How am I gonna do this.. My head’s gonna explode anytime soon, augh.

“Miss Sparkle?” a faint voice called out behind her. Turning around, Twilight saw Fluttershy, her soft voice barely audible amidst the sombre ambiance of the forest.

Twilight’s weariness wore down as she looked at the pegasus, “Yes, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy looked at her with a soft smile, her eyes glittering with worries and kindness. “I’m just uh, hoping that you’re feeling alright?” she asked her, as she caught up with the unicorn beside her.

For once, she didn’t give a snarky nor sarcastic or a half-hearted answer but instead, a simple but grateful nod. “I guess, I’m really tired, you know?” she replied, tiredly.

“Well, I have a question?” she hesitated, her voice hesitant. “Why were you mad at Pinkie Pie earlier?”

Well, I half-expected this question to come about.

With a deep breath, Twilight looked into her eyes, appreciating her gesture but not quite ready to open up fully. “I… wasn’t angry.” she paused, quietly thinking over her words. “I was just frustrated with the forest.”

Fluttershy merely responded with a slow nod, her eyes glancing at somewhere in the forest. Twilight sighed. It’s not like she can apologise now. She started to walk faster than Fluttershy, partly to get away from the conversation but mostly to get rid of her tiredness.

As they walked, the forest gradually began to thin out and as she looked up, she could see the glows of the stars slowly twinkling through the branches. The forest seemed to be coming to an end, at least what she’s seeing. There was even a small hill in front of them.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash raced ahead in front of them, much to the other’s surprise. And as she reached the top, her voice rang out with vibrancy. “Everyone! I think I see something!” she shouted over the hill.

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat, her tiredness momentarily forgotten. “What do you see?” she called back, her voice filled with eagerness.

“Calm down, Sparking! I think I see a castle up here, but you should come up and see for yourselves. It’s massive!!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Twilight’s hooves propelled her forward, her companions swiftly following suit. The weariness that had weighed them down seemed to dissipate as their anticipation grew.

Reaching the crest of the hill, Twilight’s breath caught in her throat. At first, it was hard to make out what was there in the distance but as she focused her gaze, her eyes widened in astonishment. Off in the distance, a castle stood in the centre of the forest, surrounded by a deep ravine with only one draw bridge connecting the two sides. Near them was the Misaki River flowing, seemingly flowing straight towards the castle. Though she couldn’t tell with all of the dense trees in the way, no that she cares about some river. She found the castle!

Sisterswith Castle... I can’t believe we actually made it. There’s a chance, a chance.

The others looked in amazement at the castle, most especially Rarity who looked at it in great admiration.“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life.”

Applejack turned to her, smirking. “We ain’t even reach the same level as that castle, and yer already fallin’ in love with it?” she said, which earned a laugh from Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

“Well, I’m sure that if we come near it the architecture would look sublime and the interior, oh goodness the interior!” she said with a dreamy expression, her hooves clasped together. “I can only imagine the exquisite tapestries, the dazzling chandeliers, and the lavish furniture fit for royalty. And I’m gonna get my hooves on them!”

“You’re gonna steal from an ancient castle?” Winters interrupted, raising an eyebrow at Rarity’s enthusiasm.

Rarity snorted, dismissing Winter’s concern. “A : I’m not stealing them, merely observing and collecting them. And B: It may be ancient but it’s also abandoned! And C : Who would even miss them? They’re practically begging to be appreciated by someone with exquisite taste like myself,” she retorted as if she felt seemingly insulted.

“Damn, and I took myself as juvenile.” Rainbow suddenly quipped, “That must be where you get your gems for your clothes?” she added, her tone dripping with playful sarcasm.

“How dare you! Those gems were mined by my suppliers, not stolen!” Rarity huffed as she felt actually insulted. “And besides, merely taking abandoned things doesn’t make me a petty thief. Unlike a certain pegasus, who has a record of breaking and entering.”

“Woah-woah-woah-woah, B&E is completely accidental okay? It’s not like I have control over my wings all the time.” Rainbow Dash defended herself, her tone slightly defensive.

But Rarity wasn’t finished with her tirade. She put on an air of mockery, “Oh dear, such a travesty that a pegasus can’t control her wings! How ever could she join the Wonderbolts now?”

Rainbow’s face turned into a irritated expression, “Oh you-”

The others laughed at the back and forth argument, with Pinkie Pie pulling out a cup of popcorn from her mane and starting to eat it.

“Ugh, Pinkie Pie. Ah ain’t meant to be a sour sort, but ain’t yer popcorn was in yer mane earlier?” Applejack remarked, wrinkling her nose in mild disgust.

Pinkie shrugged nonchalantly, bits of popcorn falling from her mane. “Better to be prepared when you least expect it! Besides, I was just waiting for this moment!” she exclaimed, popping another kernel in her mouth. She pulled out another cup and extended it to Winters, who accepted it with a grin and joined in on the snacking.

“Girls..”

“Oh come on, Rainbow darling. It’s not like-” Rarity began to retort, but Rainbow Dash cut her off swiftly.

“Oh yeah, Little Miss prissy shop. I’m sure the CRS would love to hear about your collected items.” Rainbow grinned slightly menacingly .

“Well I- uh, well I’m pretty sure I-” Rarity’s eyes narrowed, her brows furrowing and her mouth sutterting as she searched for a suitable comeback.

“Um girls..”

“Now Pinkie, Ah’ve been workin’ at mah farm for the some time now, and even Ah know what hygiene’s supposed to be like.” Applejack chimed in, pointing at the bits of popcorn hanging from her mane.

“And you said you’re not a sour sort.” Winters remarked at her with a chuckle, stuffing another kernel in his mouth with a strand of pink hair sticking out of his mouth..

“Ah, ain’t!” Applejack retorted. She glared at Winters before turning back to Pinkie, still stuffing more popcorn. “Look, Pinkie. Ya bake for a living, and ya just stuffed a bunch a’ popcorn in yer mane.”

“Oh it’s fine Applejackie! It’s not like-”

“GIRLS!”

In surprise, the others turned to Fluttershy who had a look of fear on her face. She’s pointing her hooves downward and her eyes are fixated on a figure going downhill. They followed her gaze, their curiosity piqued. However, Winters, with a sense of alarm, quickly scanned the hilltop and realised that someone was missing.

“Twilight!”

Twilight kept running through the forest, her heart pounding in her chest.

It’s there, just a few more more runs in this forest and I’ll be able to reach the castle in no time!

Twilight could feel the fatigue setting in, her legs growing heavy with each step. But she’s almost there. All she has to do is take another step on the ground and she’ll be-

Crack

Something snapped under her step. Twilight stopped running and looked down at the ground she had just stepped on. It felt soft, too soft for a forest floor. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she knelt down to get a closer look. Then, her eyes widened in realisation. A pitfall trap.

Oh shit.

Suddenly the ground beneath her gave way, and she tumbled into the trap.

Twilight landed with a thud at the bottom of the pit. Dazed and disoriented, she groaned and slowly stood up, shaking off the impact of the fall. She looked around her, the walls of the pit were covered in thick layers of grass and dirt. Apparently the trap had been set up for a long time but no one has actually triggered it yet. Well, except for her.

Sighing in frustration, Twilight brushed the dirt off her coat and mane. “Of course, as soon as I found the castle, Faust flips her flank on my head. Great.” she muttered to herself, deprecatingly.

She looked up at the narrow opening of the pit and realised she needed to get out of here. The walls were too steep and slippery to climb, and the opening was just high enough to not to be out of reach.

At first, she tried using her magic to shine her surroundings a bit to get a better look. Maybe there was a small ledge she could climb up on. However, as soon as she attempted to channel her magic through her horn, nothing came out and immediately she felt a surge of pain from her horn towards every nerve ending in her system.

She gasped and fell on her flank, clutching her throbbing horn. Something was wrong, very wrong. Her magic’s not working.

What’s going on? Goddamnit Twilight why did you have to-

She also noticed something else. As her flank laid on the ground of the pit, the texture felt weird. In her curiousity, she turned to the ground and stroked it. It felt hollow, as if it were another-

“Twilight!” a voice called out from above. “Are you down there?”

She turned around to see Winters looking over her, his slit eyes casting a worried expression. “Alright, let me get you down there! Just stand back, okay!” She looked at him with a half relieved expression, but then saw him taking a few steps back and digging his hooves to the ground.

He was going to jump into the pit.

“Wait! Winters don’t-!” Twilight tried to stop but Winters immediately jumped off the safety from above into the pit below.

No sooner as he landed right beside her, the ground beneath gave way again, this time plunging both of them into darkness. As Winters and Twilight plunged below, the others of the group just arrived outside of the pit. Rarity looked down below the pit with an alarmed look, “Uh darlings, you know how Winters said he found Twilight in a pit just earlier?”

Applejack looked over the pit, “Ah don’t think there’s anymore pit, Rarity.” she said with a tremor in her voice.

All of them turned their gaze towards the dark abyss below, with only the echoing screams of the old friends slowly getting fainter and fainter.

Colonel Fairswith Tardlestorm has a problem on his hooves. The town is still in chaos, and the darkness is not helping. The state militia were doing their best to quell the various looters and calm the panicked populace down, but it seemed to be getting harder and harder as more broken glass and stores were ransacked from every corner.

He walked away from the hospital, and stood outside. He reached his hoof into a pocket and raised his pocket watch, its steel fixture and the emblazoned symbol of the Crown to his eyes.

2245

He sighed, putting the pocket watch back into his pocket. “Where in the world is that junior officer? He should be arriving here any minute now.”

“Sir-sir!”

A young militia soldier went up to him with an exhausted look on his face, holding a megaphone on his thestral wing. Unfurling his wings, he handed the megaphone to Fairswith.

“Thank you, Private.” Fairswith said with a nod. The soldier nodded back, acknowledging the gratitude, before quickly running back to his post near the trainyard. The colonel then quickened his steps towards the podium placed in the centre of the town square.

“Time to speak to the masses, and probably get my head chopped off.”

As he walked in the streets along with a few of his Night Guard troops, he could see the damage caused by the chaos Daybreaker had unleashed. Storefronts and stalls were shattered as looters ran in and out with various goods. Smoke rose from the remnants of fires that had been hastily extinguished. Celebration decorations were strewn everywhere, trampled under the frantic hoofsteps of the panicked crowd.

Reaching the centre of town, he could see a small crowd of hopefuls gathering around the small wooden podium. He could see a husband and wife couple together, a couple of farmers from the outskirts and some foals in the crowd. There were even a few reporters who decided to take pictures and notes of the whole thing.

“Most of them must be the residents here, since they don’t look as panicked as the others.” he said to himself.

The crowd watched as Fairswith walked onto the podium with a megaphone carried on his wing. He took off his military cap and sighed to himself, before placing the megaphone to his mouth.

“Citizens!” he shouted to the crowd. The megaphone let out an ear-piercing screech before emitting a distorted voice that was barely audible. Fairswith winced and quickly adjusted the settings, apologising to the crowd for the sudden noise. It did however capture the attention of some of the other panicked to listen to him, possibly for assurance.

Fairswith took another deep breath, “Citizens, my name is Colonel Tardlestorm of the 7th Night Guard Divisions.” he spoke loudly into the megaphone. “Almost an hour ago, your town was attacked by unknown forces and the guard is here to-”

Suddenly a tomato was hurled from the crowd, narrowly missing Fairswith’s head and splattering against the podium. Fairswith was surprised and turned his attention to a couple of ponies in the middle of the crowd.

“UNKNOWN FORCES!” one of them, a mare by the name of Octavia Melody angrily said. Standing beside her were several other residents, their expressions mirroring her frustration and anger. Behind her was a worried unicorn, tugging her shoulder to calm down but was being ignored.

She threw an accusing hoof at him, “We all know who has been causing this! Daybreaker!” she shouted, her voice carrying a mixture of fear and defiance. The crowd murmured in agreement, their voices filled with uncertainty and concern.

The white unicorn, Vinyl Scratch, tugged harder at her friend’s shoulder. “Octy, this is a bad idea. I’m telling you!”

Fairswith took a step forward, trying to maintain his composure amidst the rising tension. “Listen, it’s no secret that Daybreaker is the main threat but-”

“If she’s the main threat, then why are you all blocking the main roads and trains from leaving the town!” she continued angrily. “You are supposed to be Night Guards! Protecting us, not trapping us!”

“Octy! Please, we gotta get outta here now.” Vinyl tried even harder to tug but Octavia swept the hoof off and turned to her in an annoyed look.

“Vinyl, I’m trying to get answers here! And these government soldiers here are definitely not helping us.” she said accusingly, shooting another glare at the colonel.

Fairswith looked at them, hesitating to say what exactly was going on. He lifted the megaphone and spoke again. “Nobeing, pony, thestral nor changeling is allowed to leave. Under protocol, we are authorised to quarantine this town to prevent any unwanted threats in the town from spreading outside.”

But Octavia wasn’t satisfied, she pressed forward as her snout scrunched up. “From what? Daybreaker is out there, and will probably try to kill if she can!”

“Octy, please!”

“Vinyl, shut up. Goodness, you’re making me lose momentum here!” she turned to Vinyl in a whispered tone.

“I have a friend waiting outside in a good place. Come on, Octy!” Vinyl replied, desperately tugging at her friend’s coat.

“Vinyl, please. Let me-”

Fairswith took another deep breath, he wasn’t prepared nor trained enough for this. But he had to do something to calm them down, maybe a bit of fear could help? The strikes his peers quelled seemed to work that time.

“Look, the town is merely being blocked due to the presence of not only Daybreaker but also Solarians. We’ve received reports of Solarians activity in the area so we advise every resident and outsider to take shelter in-” before he could finish, the crowds who used to have mostly hopeful expressions turned into outright terror.

“SOLARIANS!” they all shrieked in fear. Even Octavia and Vinyl stopped their argument, frozen in fear at the mention of Solarians.

Fairswith gulped. This was definitely the wrong fear to hit on. The crowd started to grow fearful and more restless with his words, and he knew that he needed something to calm them down or somebody else to handle it for him. But as he lowered his megaphone to think for a moment, a Night Guard soldier ran up to him, panting and clearly excited.

“Colonel Tardlestorm!” the soldier shouted, trying to catch his breath. He looked up to Fairswith with a mix of urgency and anticipation, eager to deliver his message.

“What is it, soldier?” Fairswith turned to his junior for something positive, or possibly a message from his superiors about-

Looking at his commander excitedly and saluted, his voice filled with anticipation. “Lieutenant Seegal and his team found a Solarian cell near the eastern bridge of the town! Holed up in an old warehouse or something, and they’ve already engaged them!”

Fairswith’s heart turned to shock and quickly, he turned to face the crowd but it was too late.

Crap.

“THE TERRORISTS ARE OUTSIDE OF OUR TOWN!”

“OH FAUST, IT’S LIKE THE 60s ALL OVER AGAIN.”

“AWW CRAP, I HATE THE 60s! AND EVEN MORE THE 70s!”

“CARROT DEAR, WE NEED STAY SAFE IN THE BAKERY! LET’S GO!”

“ALRIGHT, WE’RE OUTTA HERE OCTAVIA!”

“HEY! GET YOUR MAGIC OFF MY TAIL, VINYL!”

Maybe he should’ve stayed back at the hospital.

Ugh.. Am I dead?

Twilight’s eyes blinked open, her head feeling the impact of the ground. However, as soon as she opened her eyes, it was complete darkness. She couldn’t see anything, not even her hoof as she tried to bring it close to her face. She started hyperventilating, and her heart raced.

Wait, what am I doing? I have a horn for night’s sake!

Twilight immediately tried to conjure up a light spell, but again, didn’t work and instead it fizzled out.

Fzzzzt!

She tried it again. And again- and again-and again.

But each time, her horn merely fizzled in the dark, teasing her of the light. Her heart raced even faster, something was wrong. Very wrong. Her magic’s her only source of her own self, without it she can’t do anything, not even a simple light spell.

Alright, Twilight try to remember. Winters jumped down trying to get you, for the love of Luna why did he think that was a good idea. And then both of us fell, and then the tunnel verged into two, causing both of us to be separated. Oh Faust, this is bad-bad. This is-

Starting to panic, Twilight stood up and reached out, trying to find something to lean on for support. Her hooves fumbled in the darkness, searching desperately until they finally made contact with a solid but otherwise mossy wall. With a mixture of relief and trepidation, she leaned against it, using it as a guide to steady herself.

Twilight took breath after breath, her thoughts racing against her head. Her magic not working, the darkness of the cavern, Winters’ stupid decision to jump into the pit after her – it all felt like a nightmare closing in around her. But it all comes down to her one and only solution:

I need to get out of here.

Twilight stood up and started to walk.

The ground beneath her hooves felt damp and mossy, causing her to occasionally slip or stumble over pebbles and uneven terrain. The cold air made her shiver and sometimes, she could feel her hooves splashed into the unexpected puddles, soaking them and adding another layer of discomfort to her situation.

Each step she took was lumbering, tiring, exhausting and mentally fatiguing her senses. And the darkness certainly didn’t help her seeing what’s ahead and around her. She had to rely on her instincts, feeling her way through the darkness, but even then, she occasionally collided with the rough walls of the cavern, eliciting a wince of pain.

There were times she felt that she was turning a corner, other times she ran smack into a dead-end, or probably another wall she just hit.

“Ugh! This is hopeless!” she said to herself, slumping down beside a wall in frustrated dread. Disheartened and exhausted, Twilight let out a heavy sigh, her breath echoing in the darkness.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to stir them awake again. But as she did, with the blurriness slowly fading away, she noticed a faint glimmer of light in the distance. It was a small speck, barely visible amidst the suffocating darkness of the cavern.

Oh Faust, there’s a light. It’s probably Winters, or the others! Either way, light!

In eagerness, she pushed herself from the ground and ran excitedly towards the flickering light in the distance. Her hooves stumbled over the uneven ground, causing her to almost lose her balance multiple times.

And as she got closer, she could see a couple of figures there and one of them’s holding a torch. Sure, the darkness in her part of the cavern made it hard for her to see who exactly was holding the torch; she didn’t care as long as there was light. There was a chance she could get out of here.

But as she got even closer and looked at the light, she stopped for a moment.

In front of her, the figures turned to her and started to approach. But their movements were different, from a regular-being walk. It looked janky, janky and erratic, as if their limbs were disconnected from their bodies. They were equine, but the hoofsteps sounded as if two coconuts were banging each other.

Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack

Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click

Click-Clack-Click-Clack

She couldn’t help but feel curious, her mind convincing her to investigate these figures but somewhere in her heart is telling her to walk back, turn around and run. And for once, she wished she would stop listening to her mind.

Click-Clack-Click

Click-Clack

As her vision steadied against the emerging light in front of her, her heart froze.

Click

“Skeletons…” she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible amidst the rising fear.

Two skeletons, clad in ancient armour, stood before her. One of them had a bow and arrow while the other had a rusty sword swung on its… bones. Their empty eye sockets seemed to bore into her very being. Their empty eye sockets seemed to stare directly into her soul. She felt like she was in a horror film, except, now that she’s one of the victims ready for death.

She didn’t waste any time as she quickly took off on her hooves, her heart pounding in her chest as the relentless click-clacking of the skeletons pursued her. The complete darkness certainly didn’t help with her situation as she kept almost running into cavern walls. The small torch from the skeletons should’ve helped her with running away from them; except that her pursuers are using it.

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past her, nearly missing her by the ear. She panicked and quickly ducked to the ground in fear, momentarily forgetting that she was being chased. But as soon as she tried to stand up, one of the skeletons quickly swung rightwards, its sword onto her head. And as quick as she anticipated a strike luckily, she ducked in the nick of them. The sword collided with the wall of the cavern, causing it to send sparks in the darkness and the sword to get stuck between a crevice in the wall. The torch fell to the ground, casting the light around them in a flickering glow.

While the sword skeleton tried to remove its sword, the other readied its bow and arrow for another shot. Twilight, laying down on the ground for a second, saw a rock beside her; an idea came to her mind. Without the ability to use her magic, she took her right hoof to grab the rock and quickly chucked it towards the skeleton. At first, she expected the skeleton to just stagger back, what she didn’t expect is for it to completely fall apart; its bones falling to the ground as rock meets bone. She turned to the carcass of bones, to the rock and back to the sword skeleton, its soulless eyes staring back.

Twilight quickly ran over to the spot where the rock had landed, her eyes darting between the fallen bones and the sword-wielding skeleton. Time seemed to slow as she reached the rock and grasped it in her hoof while the sword skeleton managed to release the sword.

Before the skeleton managed to swing, Twilight hurled the rock with all of her panicked might, hitting the skeleton in the skull. Its skull, almost comically as it is terrifying, rolled onto the ground with its other bones collapsing down. Twilight stood there for a moment, catching her breath.

I just.. Hah.. Killed two skeletons with a… rock. Without magic. Oh Faust, what am I doing?

Twilight slumped to the ground, her body trembling with a mixture of exhaustion and adrenaline. She felt like crying, her eyes almost welling up with tears. She won but, how is she gonna-

Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack

Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click

Her eyes swelled up in horror, quickly turning in front of her, in time to see a group of skeletons emerging from the high corner.

She took to her hooves.

After a couple of minutes running.

She ran as much as she could, her fatigue coming back fast. She was getting tired. She knew that if she stopped, she’d be dead.

But as soon as she ran near a small gap, a hoof reached out and quickly pulled her into it. They quickly covered her mouth with one hoof and firmly held her by the shoulders with the other, preventing her from making any noise. Startled and instinctively defensive, she tried to kick, shout, and punch her captor.

“Sh-shut up Twi, it’s me!” they whispered as Twilight landed another punch on his face. “Stop punching me, please.”

WINTERS!?

Twilight widened her eyes but before she could say anything, the group of skeletons came to a halt just in front of their hiding spot. Both of them held their breaths, their bodies pressed against the cold walls of the cavern. They could only hope that the skeletons wouldn’t see them. One of the skeletons, a particularly decrepit and hollow one, approached the gap slowly as it held an old spear in its bony hooves. It extended the spear, poking it into the gap where Twilight and Winters were hiding. Her heart raced as she could feel the cold touch of the spear brushed against her coat while Winters still held Twilight firmly behind her.

After what felt like an eternity, the skeleton finally retracted its spear and turned away, returning back to its comrades. They still held their nervousness to themselves as they watched the group slowly and surely march away, the dwindling light of the torches fade into the distance. Twilight’s heart continued to race, her body trembling with the residual fear of the close encounter as Winters slowly released his hooves from her shoulders and uncovered her mouth, allowing her to take in deep breaths to steady herself.

As she started to breathe a bit more steadily, she could hear her old friend leaning against the wall and opening his revolver chamber despite her vision still being black. She strained her ears, trying to make sense of the sounds in the darkness.

Click-Click-Click-Click

Her ears picked up a sigh and she naturally turned her head to where he should be. She couldn’t see him a whole lot, but at least she’s not alone now.

“Well uh, this sucks. At least we’re together aren’t we?”

A scowl escaped from her face, her lips slowly biting into each other in anger. She approached him and lifted her hooves towards him, patting his body all the way to his face.

“Uh, Twi? What’re you doi- UGH!” Winters exclaimed, his sentence cut off by a sudden and swift punch to the face. He fell to the ground and looked at her in shock, caressing his face as Twilight’s face of anger to him. “Wha- why did you?”

“It’s your fault we got into this mess!” she said furiously, her eyes narrowing with anger and frustration. “I told you to not jump in! Guess what, you jumped in! And I can’t use my magic, I can’t even see anything, I don’t know where the others went and we’re going to die here, either from hunger or by those monster skeletons!” Her voice trembled with a mix of anger and sorrow.

“I-I-I’m so-” Winters tried to say with remorse but Twilight quickly glared at him, even though it was in darkness; he could still sense her intense gaze.

“You-you’ve done enough, Winters. We’re gonna die here, it’s hopeless.” she said to him, slumping to the wall beside her. He watched as she struggled to hold back tears, her frustration and fear becoming overwhelming.

Both of them leaned against the wall opposite from each other, the droplets of ground water from the cavern echoing. Twilight looked up, her heart feeling empty and her voice barely a whisper.

“Winters?” she asked him, bitterly.

He looked up to her, afraid of what she might say next. He watched as she let out a sigh and held her hoof out.

“Do you still have that revolver of yours?” she asked as a bare whisper leaked from her mouth.

Raising his eyes in confusion, he brought out his revolver and held it in his hooves. “What good does it do? I tried shooting them earlier, but all the bullets just seemed invisible to them. They didn’t even flinch!”

“No I mean, like ugh. How many bullets do you have?” Twilight asked, frustration evident in her voice.

Winters opened the chamber to see two bullets in its compartment, “Two. Wait are you telling you wanna-” he asked, his eyes widening in realisation.

Twilight nodded, “Might as well right?” she said, a bitter laugh escaped from herself.

“That’s a great idea!”

Twilight sat there for a moment, processing his words in her mind. She tried to look up to him but as soon as she did, she could hear the distinctive click of the revolver.

Click

“Alright, close your ears Twi! This gonna get loud!” he said to her, unsettlingly, she could hear his excitement in his voice. She quickly covered her ears with her hooves, bracing herself.

BANG

Twilight’s eyes opened in shock, as not even a single bullet hit her. Then her eyes went wide. It wasn’t a bullet that was going to end her. It was Winters.

“WINTERS!” Twilight angrily shouted at him, but she could feel that he wasn’t in the hole anymore but instead heard him replying back outside.

“What? What’s wrong Twi?” he said to her, oblivious to her anger.

Twilight quickly removed her hooves from her ears and approached him in disbelief. “You.. Are one of the most ignorant stallions I’ve ever known of.” she said, her voice filled with frustration and anger. “Those bullets were meant for US!”

Winters furrowed his brows in response, “Of course it was! That’s why I shot them in the air, to lure the skeletons away.”

Twilight’s face turned into even a bigger shock before facehoofing herself in regret, “Winters, do you know where you just shot?” he explained.

“Uh, here?” Winters said, before his eyes widened in realisation of what he did. “Oh crap.”

Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack -

Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click

Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-

Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click-Clack-Click

They turned to the sound of approaching skeletal hoofsteps, in time to see the skeletons return in the far distance. He turned to her with a knowing look, “Looks like they’re coming. We gotta go!” he said, a sudden excitement exited from his tone.

“Bu-but I can’t see!” she protested. “I can’t even use my magic!”

“It’s fine, maybe there’s a way out of here.” he said, trying to reassure her as his slit eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for a way out. “We just can’t give up.”

“Winters! It’s complete darkness here, and-” an arrow whizzed past them; the skeletons were within a few metres away from them, readying for their mark.

Winters didn’t waste any time as he grabbed Twilight’s hoof and started running onto the uneven ground, with the click-clacking of the skeletons chasing them. Her thoughts went into panic mode as her mind struggled to keep up with his steps and one thought raced in her mind amidst the darkness.

“You can see in the dark!” Twilight suddenly blurted out, her voice filled with a surprise and disbelief.

She could feel him glancing at her, and she could see his slit eye emitting a faint glow. “A bit, I haven’t reached my maturity level yet, it’s better than nothing!”

She could feel another arrow whizzed past her but ignored it, her natural curiousity showing no bounds even in danger. “I thought you were just reassuring me when you said you’re a half thestral-earth pony!”

“Maybe, ask questions later and run now!” he said, as three more arrows narrowly missed him by his mane.

Twilight’s face turned into annoyance, “But-”

“Alright, you’re riding me!” Winters declared, his tone leaving no room for argument. He quickly grabbed Twilight by the scruff of her neck and lifted her onto his back. Momentarily shocked, she immediately held onto his neck as Winters ran even faster.

“Just don’t let go okay? As long as you hold me, we’ll be fine!”

Twilight nodded, gripping him tightly as Winters galloped across the uneven ground.The skeletons continued their pursuit, their relentless clicking growing fainter as Winters and Twilight put more distance between them. That until Winters suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Twilight’s eyes widened in alarm, “Are you INSANE? Why did you stop, they’re catching-”

“Shhhh! Let me hear this.” Winters hushed her down as his ears perked up. Twilight glanced back behind her, seeing the torches of the skeletons growing ever closer.

I’m starting to really hate this stallion. It’s not like there’s anything other than bones and rocks in here!

Other than the increasingly loud click-clacks of the skeletons, it seemed to her that he’s going crazy. Suddenly, Winters smiled and cheered in excitement.

“Hahaha! We’re saved!”

Twilight raised a feared brow of confusion, “Wha-what’re you talking about?” she asked, her voice in intrepid scepticism.

“It’s the others! They’re calling out for us, I can hear them!” he said, turning to her with an excited glint in his eyes. “Just don’t lose hope Twi. We’re almost there!” he continued, his determination evident as he started running again.

Of Faust, he is insane. I don’t even hear anything.

Twilight hesitated, before holding on to him again, praying to Faust that Winters was right and they were indeed nearing the others and maybe out of the cave. She could hear the sharp whizzing sound of arrows flying past them, narrowly missing their marks.

Winters jumped and galloped over small and sometimes sharp rocks, almost tripping at one time. Twilight clenched her teeth, holding on tightly as they continued their desperate escape. The arrows whizzed by, their proximity making her heart race with fear.

“I can hear them, they’re above us!” he shouted out as his ears twitched and wiggled in the darkness, as if they were radio towers picking up a frequency; except his ears were picking up their voices, to which Twilight couldn’t hear.

Winters kept running with his old friend on his back until he stopped again, this time pointing something in the distance. “Look, Twi!” he said to her, even more excited.

She looked up from her position, still holding onto him as her eyes strained to see what Winters was pointing at. And then, she saw it—a faint glow of light, it wasn’t a torch but it seemed like it was --

“Starlights!” both of them exclaimed in awe. Winters didn’t hesitate for a moment, his heart pounding with urgency and eagerness. He turned to her, and what she could best assume was a smile on his face.

“Twi! We’re gonna make it, just hold on tight and we’ll get away from those guys in- AGH!”

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat as Winters stumbled and fell, causing her to be thrown off his back and landing on the ground with an undignified thud. Panic surged through her veins as she scrambled to her hooves, her eyes frantically searching for Winters.

“GET OFF ME!” Winters suddenly shouted, she couldn’t hear him, but from the sounds of it, he was being pinned by another skeleton who managed to hide itself behind a hidden gap.

And then, she sees them—a struggle between Winters and a hidden skeleton, their silhouettes struggling against the backdrop of faint starlight. She could see Winters desperately trying to ward off the skeleton’s sword from piercing himself.

Twilight’s breath quickened and felt the ground around her in panic, trying to find something, ANYTHING, to get that skeleton off of him. Until, she found Winters’ revolver and held it in her hooves.. But she didn’t know how to use it and wasn’t sure if there’s anymore bullets left. In her trembling hooves, glancing back and forth between her old friend’s struggle for life and the approaching horde of skeletons, for the first time she had to act without thinking.

She threw the revolver at the skeleton, hitting its head dead centre, causing the skull to detach from its bony body, rolling off and leaving the skeletal frame to collapse into a pile of bones. Winters quickly scrambled to his hooves and looked back at her, in relief and gratitude.

“You saved me..” he said, but Twilight quickly climbed on his back again, tightening her hooves on his neck..

“Come on! We gotta get out of here!” she said urgently, as the bony steps of the other group came in quick. Winters nodded and immediately took off, just in time to avoid another volley of arrows from hitting their target.

Winters glanced back at them, “Don’t they ever get tired of chasing us?” he questioned out loud.

Twilight looked back at him, “Do you wanna stop and ask them, or do you wanna keep running?” she retorted, a mix of anger and fear in her voice.

He let out a nervous chuckle, “Latter, I guess. ” he responded, and almost immediately, another arrow whizzed past him, narrowly missing its mark. “DEFINITELY LATTER, DEFINITELY LATTER!”

Winters continued to run with all his might and to the limits as Twilight held on to him for dear life, dodging large rocks, narrowly missing arrows and galloping over small craters; just to reach the starlight that marked the outside world and escape the cavern.

As they drew ever nearer, both of them could hear a new sound- the sound of water flowing loudly. It grew stronger and stronger for every step Winters took, echoing through the cavern and reverberating in their ears.

Until finally, they reached the outside, only to be greeted by a torrential downpour of water. They found themselves behind a waterfall, its water falling, its water falling in chaotic cascades all around them.

“Is this-?” Twilight tried to say, but Winters immediately ran to the side of the waterfall, a small ledge barely visible amidst the rushing water. He placed her down onto the ledge and held her mouth shut with his left hoof as the skeletons quickly emerged behind the waterfall just moments after they hid.

They watched in tense anticipation as the skeletons looked around, their empty eye sockets scanning the area for a couple of seconds, before going back inside the cavern. Winters released his hoof from her mouth and sighed.

“Oh sweet queen’s cucumber, that was… was- intense. Hahaha!” Winters chuckled nervously, his voice laced with both relief and lingering adrenaline.

Twilight, still catching her breath, turned to him with an expression of disbelief and awe. “Ho-how did we survive that?”

He grinned, leaning against the wet dirt wall and dangled his hind hooves over the rushing river below, sitting down on the ledge as he did. He turned to her with a soft smile as he leaned forward next to her, his coat muddied from the wet dirt.

“I guess, a bit of hope never hurts anybeing. ”

Shining

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Shining

Aughh, I can't believe those guys. I thought they were joking when they said that my platoon is the worst bunch of recruits. Faust, it was a nightmare!

With exhaustion weighing him down, Shining Armor stumbled into his office. Ever since he graduated from his service academy a couple of weeks ago, this wasn't quite what he had in mind, or more or less, expected.

The door closed behind him as he let out a sigh, holding the reports of his platoon. He set them down on the table and walked behind his desk, pulling out his office chair and sinking into it with a mix of weary and comfortableness.

The day had been long and demanding, leaving him sweaty and overheated in his service uniform. Without thinking, he unbuttoned it and threw it off, enjoying the relief of the cool air on his exposed coat.

Well, I wonder if I should take my time for a nap first…. ugh, unless she comes in.

Another yawn escaped from him, and he stretched his hooves in an attempt to wake himself up. He rubbed his eyes with his hoof and took a swig of cold coffee from his table flask before setting it down, its condensation slowly dripping onto the table.

He opened the table drawer to find his pen to sign the reports and write the accompanying notes. However, as he rummaged through the drawer, it wasn’t there. Instead, there were only crumpled old notes he had written for command earlier that day, but no pen in sight.

“Goddamnit, where in Tartarus did I put that pen? I could’ve sworn that I left it in there.” he grumbled, growing increasingly agitated as he continued to search, pulling out each drawer of the table and leaving it open.

He took a look around his office, it was a mess both - figuratively and literally. The trash bin was full of discarded paper balls, clusters of scattered paperwork on his desk, and even his uniform wasn’t properly hung; Shining had absent-mindedly thrown it next to the empty coat stand earlier.

I hate this place.

Feeling frustrated and defeated, he slumped back into his chair, rubbing his temples with his hooves. He massaged his head for a moment before taking his flask again to drink his coffee, only to find that he’d just drunk the last drop.

“Seriously?” he grumbled angrily to himself, throwing the flask to the wall in front of him in frustration, leaving a small indentation on it.

“I swear, someone’s out to get me. Can’t even enjoy a nice drink.”

With a sigh, he slumped to his office table and rested his head on it. With another yawn escaping his mouth and his eyes becoming more tired than ever, he felt utterly drained of his energy. For a moment, he closed his eyes and waited for something happen or anything really. Maybe he can get Cadance to help him again, it's not like it's the first time he asked something from her.

Knock-knock-knock-knock!

Shining woke up with a jump from the knocking of the door. Startled, he found a report stuck to his face, its pages slightly damp from his own saliva causing it to stick. Quickly pulling it off, he took a glance at his watch.

2250

Before he could however, someone bursted through the door causing him to stumble backwards with a yelp. In front of him stood a female changeling wearing navy blue military apparel, her badge gleaming with three stars.

“General Vladya! I-I didn’t expect you to-to come back from the palace this early!” Shining’s stammers were cut off as she quickly closed the door and locked it before turning to him with unhidden anger.

Her eyes narrowed venomously at him, “Officer Armor, why am I not surprised?” she said venomously at him.

Shining’s heart pounded in his chest as he tried to gather his thoughts. He straightened up, trying to maintain some composure despite his dishevelled appearance and the presence of an obviously angry general, a female changeling general at that.

“Maam, I-” he tried to speak, but the general cut him off sharply.

“Shut it, Armor!” she lambasted him angrily. “Let me tell you a little secret that everybeing knows, except for the likes of you: I don’t accept YOUR idiocy and incompetency.” She walked around him, surveying his exposed coat and eyes, much to his confusion and nervousness. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses and approached his form until both of their faces were inches from each other.

“Where is your uniform?” she said, poking a holed hoof to his chest and her tone was a sudden and uneasy growl.

Shining’s fur went on end as he stuttered over his words, “Uh… I-I’ve put it at the corner?” he responded nervously, his eyes glancing at the discarded uniform at the corner, the attire itself is a crumpled mess.

Vladya’s eyes narrowed even further as her attention went towards a dented indentation at a wall and a half open flask below it. Her gaze returned to Shining Armor, and he could feel the weight of her scrutiny.

He knew he was screwed and closed his ears, preparing and expecting to get shouted at at any moment.

Her gaze was unyielding as she seemed to bore into his soul, before letting out a sigh. “I can’t believe you actually got here, as a lieutenant in the Queen’s Armed Forces… ugh. For all the times I’ve been training you, you’re still a sorry excuse. ”

She took off her glasses and wiped it off, her look changing to annoyance after her spouts of anger. “Remember Shining Armor, you may think that your beloved princess may keep you in here despite your LACK of qualifications, doesn’t mean that you-”

“I wasn’t slacking off, ma'am! I was-” Shining interrupted only to be silenced by Vladya placing her forehead to Shining’s, her horn merely centimetres away from touching each other.

“DOESN’T mean that you won’t get away with your mistakes, remember. One day, when you’ll lose your pretty princess protection, I’ll be more than happy to remove you.” she threatened, her gossamer wings flaring up, adding an extra air of intimidation.

Shining could only gulp in fear.

Before either of them could say anything else, the sounds of what seemed like a stampede and shouts echoed outside the office's door. Both of them exchanged a puzzled look before General Vladya opened the door, revealing a chaotic scene. Many staff and soldiers, some still in their military attire were running to the right in the wide hallways of The Hexagon.

“WHAT IN THE WORLD’S GOING ON?” Vladya shouted out. They watched as the soldiers and staff darted hurriedly in one general direction—the cafeteria.

They didn’t waste any time, following them until they reached the cafeteria. Most of the soldiers in the building were there, watching the cafeteria’s coloured television hoisted up in front of all of the soldiers and staff. The screen showed the NNN broadcast live, and Colter Hoofkite holding various lengths of telegraph messages and reports.

“We’ve received reports that Princess Luna has been attacked by.. uh many of our reporters earlier at the town saying its Daybreaker, the long banished sister of Princess Luna to be behind this. We are-are not sure but the recent live broadcast has showed to you all that-”

“We got another one, sir! Miss Written just wired this to us earlier!”

“We-we received another one, the Queen’s Armed Forces I mean- the state militia has contained the entire town of Ponyville, barring anyone from leaving or entering the town, citing Solarian aggression and attacks, contradicting our live broadcast by our reporter...”

Wait, did I hear that correctly. Daybreaker? Contained? Wait, Twilight’s there! Oh shit.

Before he could fully process the situation, he was pushed aside, and General Vladya took charge, making her way towards the front of the television and unplugging it. The sudden silence in the room amplified the tension, and all eyes were on her.

“WHAT’RE YOU ALL STILL DOING HERE! GET BACK TO YOUR POSTS NOW! AND DON’T ANY SINGLE ONE OF YOU JACKASSES GO TO PONYVILLE, THE MILITIA HAS GOT IT COVERED, DO YOU HEAR ME!”

Shining Armor watched as the everybeing quickly dispersed out of the room and went back to their respective duties while the kitchen staff went back to the kitchens, albeit in nervousness. A few of them stayed in the cafeteria to monitor it, their faces wearing a wary expression.

He turned to the general and went up to her with a concerned look, “General, what should I-” he tried to say before Vladyia turned around and glared at him with ferocity.

“And YOU, don’t ever think of leaving this building. I don’t want to see you end up somewhere where you don’t belong.” she pointed a hoof to him with the veiled threat. She walked towards the door and opened it, turning to him again. “I’m keeping a close eye on you Armor. One wrong move, and you’re toast.” she said, before leaving, the door leaving a loud sound as it closed.

Shining sighed in disappointment, feeling the weight of the situation settling on his shoulders. He sat down on a canteen bench, trying to collect his thoughts.

What can I do? My sister’s there, and Faust knows what’s gonna happen to her. She can’t handle those kinds of stuff, let alone an ancient alicorn back from the dead or Sun or something. I need- I need.. A PLAN!

His eyes lit up in realisation, an idea shining in his head. He smiled to himself and walked towards the cafeteria doors. He has a phone call to make, a favour to ask that might just help him. Of course, that favour had to be a bit, well. On the other side of his line of work.

Shining fidgeted around in the cramped space of his current predicament with a frown and letting out consistent sighs. Cursing to himself, he tried to make himself comfortable amidst the ride and favour he took.

Ugh, I should have just gotten permission. Might actually be more simple and comfortable than being stuck in here. Maybe the other genera;s could give a slip or something, instead my mind thinks of-of this! Ugh, what do I even think about sometimes.

The carriage jolted to a stop, and Shining could feel himself being moved around as the barrel he was hidden in was placed on the ground. The cover opened, revealing an earth pony looking straight at him.

“Buddy-buddy Shining! How’s my favourite lil-colleague from The Hexagon feeling?” the earth pony said with a grin.

Shining managed a weak smile, despite the discomfort and the situation he was in. “Hey Cliff. We’re here right, in Ponyville? You wanna get me out?” he asked, his hooves already starting to ache in confinement.

“Oh suuuuuure. I’ll get ya out. Watch your head!”

Shining suddenly dropped out of the barrel unceremoniously as Cliff tipped the barrel from the cart. He rubbed the side of his head from the impact and as he looked up, the first thing he sees is that he’s behind a large alleyway of shops. There were trash cans and a few light apertures hung on the walls of the shops., shining dimly against the New Moon night.

Shining quickly got up from the ground, stretching his legs and shaking off the discomfort from being confined in the barrel. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings as Cliff cackled in amusement. Behind him, the cart was filled with crates of fruits and foods, and a hideaway under the crates apparition.

“Thanks Cliff, I guess.” he said, dusting himself off and trying to ignore the lingering discomfort from the barrel. “Maybe, a simple rug thing would do the work better, I smell like a moonshine at 30% here.”

Cliff grinned and slapped Shining on the back. “Pfft, no worries. It’s just a little bit of insobriety!” he waved a hoof dismissively at the officer. “Plus, I made a sale today after giving those moonshine to the soldiers. Who knew they make enough money to last them years?”

“After the National Wage Act?” the junior officer responded, raising an eyebrow. “It’s been like, a decade after it passed?”

Cliff rolled his eyes, “Eh, whatever. Just remember that you owe me one, cause next time you call I’m getting ya on this moonshining business!”

Yeah, no. Cadence will kill me before Vladya does.

“I guess?” he responded with a nervous smile. “Maybe If I do, uh… I think I’ll call ya? When there’s no work left or, I have nothing to do? Just, maybe?”

The moonshiner immediately gave him a quick hug before starting to place the barrel back in the cart. He opened a crate and pulled out a bottle of moonshine before starting to fasten the cart to himself.

Before he took a swig, Cliff turned to Shining Armor with a grin, “Want one?” he asked, smiling drunkenly at his friend.

“Thanks heh, but I’ll pass. I’ve got some important things to take care of.”

Cliff shrugged and took a hearty swig. “Your loss. See ya mate! Don’t get’cha self killed, I get a few left in my storage to sell off to more of your guys!” his friend said cheerily, as he left the alleyway and headed towards the streets, seamlessly blending in as any legal supplier to the state militia.

Cliff Side was a very good friend he hung out with ever since high school, and Shining appreciated his help. However, the last thing he needed was to get drunk while trying to find his sister. Even if it meant turning a blind eye to his fellow soldiers getting drunk on the job, especially during a time like this . That was liable to get him fired and probably court martialled.

He rubbed his eyes, he lost track of his time when he was in the barrel. He saw a cloak on a trash can near him and took it. He decided to wear it around himself to conceal what he looked like, the last thing he needed is for another officer or soldier to recognise who he is.

He looked around, deciding to raise his hoof to look at his watch:

2315

Almost midnight. Great. And I don’t even know where to go or who to go to. Crap, I still need to go out there, and I’m afraid someone from my academy might actually recognise me. Wait, maybe I can find the mayor. She knows everything!

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. With an attempted self-confidence that he wasn't entirely feeling, he stepped out of the alleyway and into the dimly lit streets of Ponyville. There weren’t many walking around, only the few who ventured outside, the state militia patrolling by and the food suppliers for the containment.

As he walked, his thoughts shifted to Twilight. The last he'd seen of her was when she hastily said goodbye to him before leaving. She seemed almost unemotional, and apathetic as she said it, and Shining tried to recall if he’d actually said anything to her.

“So, you’re gonna be alright there, Twi?” Shining had asked her, concern etched on his face as they stood outside her tower. It was night, and she was preparing to leave for Ponyville for the celebrations. Twilight furrowed her eyebrows before stepping onto the carriage, looking annoyed at him. Spike was at the seat, waiting for her to join him.

“Ughh, Shining. I’m perfectly capable of doing things on my own. I’m not a filly anymore.” she groaned. “I swear, everyday you’re trying to protect me from some sort of danger. But guess what, I’m heading towards some town in the south, so probably nothing’s gonna happen unless some inescapable demon somehow arrives.”

Shining shook his head in adamn“I’m just saying that it could still be dange-”

Twilight groaned in displeasure at the massive mouthful her brother is giving her, and quickly cut him off. “Shining, it’s a few days and that’s it.”

“But Twi, what about the insane rabbits when you were a filly, that mugger that tried to rob you a month ago, or what about that-” he tried to reply, but his sister turned around and sat on the carriage seat, looking away at him. “You know what? Fine, still, you want me to at least send your goodbyes to mom ? You still haven’t told her anything yet.”

“Seriously? You’re still on about that? ZFine, just tell her I’ll be at the town’s library, waiting, until after the celebrations are over. Okay? I’m not even going anywhere after that. Not like I’m getting lost in the Everfree or something.”

“Okay, if anything happens. Call me, I’ll be at the office doing something I guess.”

Shining’s gaze lifted, the cogs of his mind turning slowly, each thought sparking like a mechanical motor. He bit his lips in mild uneasiness.

Wait, she’s at the library. But-but, where’s the library? This town’s small, but I doubt there's a lot of signs here.

Shining looked up from his thoughts, noticing guards patrolling the town hall. Most of the beings entering were changelings and ponies seeking safety and refuge. He could even see a few groups of townsbeings entering the town.

A spark of an idea struck him, and he immediately delved back into his thoughts.

I got it! If I can get the mayor to give me a map of the town, I’ll be able to find the library. And then I- wait, she’ll need to ask who I am if I want anything. I can’t lie about that! She’s way too important here, even if I lie she’ll remember me and might report me off!

As his thoughts jumbled in his brain, there’s only one solution he could do. And he didn’t like it.

Entering the hall almost relatively unrecognised, he was shocked from what he could see that almost everybeing was here. From the hooffull of reporters from news stations to the families huddled together, and even some outside merchants from the celebrations’ stalls had sought shelter here.

As he watched the controlled chaos around him. he turned to a passing soldier carrying a rifle in hopes of finding the office.

“Hey, uh where’s the mayor’s office?” he asked, fidgeting with the cloak around his body and making sure his identity remained concealed. “I- uh, have a couple of questions for her.”

The soldier looked at him warily, and Shining figured that the soldier wasn’t fully trusting hi-

“Stairs, at the end of the building next to the red carpet, right down the hall.” he replied, pointing towards the stairway.

Well that was easy.

“I gotta warn you though the mayor’s-” the soldier tried to warn him but Shining immediately muttered a thanks and speed walked towards the stairs, leaving only a confused soldier.

As he reached the floor however, he could hear screams coming from the office itself. There were no other beings nor staff members in the hallways itself and from the looks of it, it has been recently vacated, with papers on the floor and doors opened ajar with tables and chairs strewn about. He could see the mayor’s door and went towards it. But as he did, he could hear screams, and loud sounds from the inside.

“Colonel Tardlestorm! This is a national emergency! Why aren’t you calling the army to shoot her? To-to get rid of her, Daybreaker has just-

“Mayor Mare, we are doing everything we can, but the direct orders from the princess tells that I’m not allowed to have anything upon her sister.

“What, Don’t you think that's a bit too late? She was almost murdered in my town, by the Daybreaker freak? The entire world was watching those broadcasts! And I have the entire town under lockdown by your-your military!”

“We have been containing the town under her orders, we-we also have located a couple of Solarian cells around the town in the past and the commanders already have started to begin their operations against-”

“Does the queen know?”

“We-we haven’t notified her..”

“WHAT! ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT THE ARMY IS KEEPING SECRETS FROM THE QUEEN? FROM THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY? FROM THE GENERATIONS OF CHANGELINGS QUEENS WHO HAD RULED WITH THE PRINCESS SINCE MILLENIA?”

“The princess’ orders. Explicit and direct. I’m sorry but we can’t do anything about it and- wait MAYOR MARE!”

Shining could hear sobs approaching the door, and he was suddenly thrown back as the doors swung open, hitting him square in the face and pushing him against the wall. Mayor Mare burst out of the office, her eyes red and puffy as she sobbed, followed by Colonel Tardlestorm and her secretaries. The colonel was comforting her back with a wing while her secretaries were giving her a pat and some cold drinks of lemon tea to soothe herself, amidst the sobbing mess.

Shining stood back up and rubbed his head, he quietly watched the supposed mayor of the town sit herself on the floor near the other rooms and cry herself into a quivering mess. Them all being unaware of his presence, he saw an opportunity.

Now’s my time.

He silently entered the mayor’s office and slowly closed the door behind him. Inside the cluttered space, he immediately went to work, searching for a map of the town. His gaze landed on the desk drawers; surely that's where the town maps would be kept. Why wouldn’t it be kept close? He looked around the mayor’s office, and grinned to himself.

At least this office is worse than mine, can’t imagine what it means to manage a town.

He quickly rummaged through the contents of the drawer, folders and papers sliding under his hooves as he searched for the map.

Until he reached a familiar documentation that looked like a map, his eyes lit up. He quickly pulled it out and spread it open on the cluttered desk to take a closer look:

Map of Ponyville.

“Bingo!” he exclaimed under his breath, unable to contain his excitement. He rolled the map and tied it with a ribbon that he took from the desk. However, his excitement led to the door opening abruptly as Colonel Tardlestorm entered the room, before stopping in shock at the stallion rummaging through the mayor’s desk.

Both of them looked at each other in awkward silence, with mostly Shining looking shocked and with goosebumps while the colonel himself just looked surprised at the familiar lieutenant in front of him. Shining held his breath, and with the ensuing silence he could almost count the amount of heartbeats he could almost hear; it’s definitely way above the average.

“Wait a minute, I know you.. Second Lieutenant Armor? From Canterlot?” Fairswith asked, observing the nervous officer in front of him. He walked forward, his eyes glaring at the young officer. “What’re you doing here, more importantly with my map and in this town? You’re supposed to be serving your duties in The Hexagon.”

“I-I–I-I-”

“You know full well that the crown has ordered this town under quarantine, yet here you are! What are you doing here? Intelligence gathering for the Solarians? Or from the griffons themselves?” he continued, closing in on him as the young officer leaned against the office’s window.

I’M DEAD.

“I was-was, I wanna find my sister!” he quickly blurted out, before immediately silencing his mouth afterward, as if trying to physically prevent any more words from escaping. Shining nervously watched as the colonel looked at him in silence, an unbearable silence stood between them.

“Oh.”

I’M DEAD

The colonel continued to glare at him, his brows narrowed to the thinnest it can be. Shining gulped in fear, and could feel goosebumps in his coat.

I’M DEAD.

“I could have you court martialled, you know? For taking my map and entering without permission,.” he said, the expression showing no change and his voice, turning to an unsettling cold tone.

I’M FUCKING DEAD!

“But I’m not gonna do that, cause you know why?”

Wha-Wait, what?

His face lit up in confusion; he certainly didn’t expect that response. From the colonel of all things, and the princess’ consort. “Wha-why?” he asked him, still nervous about Fairswith’s intention.

“Because I need you," Fairswith sighed, “And I can’t trust any of my own soldiers around me, who were supposed to be guarding the northern entrance to the town, were drunk as a factory feathered from Cloudsdale! And the ones from the outposts near here aren’t much better, faust damned those state training centres!” he delivered a hard smack on the table with his hooves.

BANG

Shining stood back and his face lit up in nervous confusion; he certainly didn’t expect that response. Cliff must’ve been working overtime here, with the amount of alcohol somehow getting through to the soldiers. Shining looked at him again, the colonel was fuming mad.

“But-.”

“If I get my hooves on whosoever is selling these moonshines to my soldiers, the first of my orders is beat that bastard to a pulp!” Fairswith yelled angrily. Fairswith took a deep breath and calmed down, looking back at the officer. “Look. I need help, I'm short of capable officers here. If you accept, your superiors at Canterlot won’t know of… well, your minor insubordination here. I’ll even deliver a wording of praise to the princess about your service here!”

Shining’s eyes lit up, and a siege of relief ignited inside his body. “Sure! I mean, I'll be glad to help, sir!” he nodded, a little too eager at the colonel’s request. “Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it!”

“Good,” Fairswith said, pulling out a thick file from his apparel and giving it to him. “Take this file, and give it to Lieutenant Colonel Straticus. He should be near the east bridge of the town with his troops. If you see the warehouse you’re on the right track.”

Shining took a closer look at the file. Thick, heavy and above all obvious that this is an extremely confidential file. The file had a large red wording written on it:

CONFIDENTIAL ORDERS FOR L.C STRATICUS.

“Uh, what does it-”

Fairswith gave him a glare, “I said, TAKE THIS FILE!” he yelled at the junior, causing Shining to recoil hard against the window, leaving a large crack on the glass itself. Shining quickly took the file with his magic before smiling in a stuttering mess at the colonel.

"Ye-yes sir!" Shining stuttered, quickly leaving the room in nervous fear, with the doors closing and finding himself quickly running past the crying Mayor Mare, and down the stairs. With a thick file in his magic, he hurried his hooves and ran out of the town hall. He cursed himself, as he continued running along the Ponyville road.

Oh by the princess and queens, what did I got myself into.. I’m just trying to look for my sister for Faust’s sa-

He stopped himself in the middle of the street, and gasped to himself. He quickly pulled out the map and scanned through it, until he found what he was looking for before folding the map back. He took a deep breath, and started running the opposite direction.

Hold on Twi.. I’m coming for you.

The New Moon Rises

by Kit Wolfkat

Prologue

Lesson 1: Be Polite

Interlude 1: A Cafe, A Broadcast and a Special Guest.

Lesson 2: First Impressions are Important!

Lesson 3: For Old Time's Sake!

Lesson 4: Caught in a Lie

Lesson 5: The One and Only!

Lesson 6: Keep Calm and Carry On!

Lesson 7: Proper Gun Safety Procedure

Interlude 2: Before the Storm, Weather the Tide

Lesson 8: A Rabbit, Some Birds and a Tree

Lesson 9: Surprise Party

Lesson 10: Tastes like Chocolate.

The Old Sisterhood

A Stunted Past

Going Solo, With Added Baggage

Trust

Kindness

Laughter

Hope

Shining