> The Element of Magic
>  by PlutoMilo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Assignment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her son slammed the door open, making its top corner crack against the wall with a deafening sound. Twilight almost flinched, but her claws remained steady as she poured the single drop of concentrated cloud vapor into the beaker. Gently placing a stasis spell over her work, she craned her neck around to level a disapproving glare at Spike’s suddenly sheepish face.

His excited expression froze rather comically on his face when Twilight calmly asked, “What did I say about slamming doors in the house, Spike Sparkle?”

“Not to,” Spike trailed off sullenly, scuffing a hoof against the rug.

“And why did I tell you not to?”

“Because you might be doing something important.” He winced, seeing all her equipment spread out on the table and the soot from the previous experiment painting her white lab coat.

Twilight sighed. Spike was usually good about following rules. “So what has caused your excitable behavior? Something pressing?”

It was a constant wonder to Twilight that anyone could understand her spoken words. Not even her parents could understand her clearly, but somehow Spike managed to. A dragon’s mouth wasn’t meant to formulate the sounds ponies made. Twilight usually forwent speaking altogether in public to save herself the embarrassment.

She was working on a spell that could display words in the air like a chalkboard, but no such luck. Most beings weren't capable of reading at speaking speed and most spells of the kind she wanted needed verbal prompting. As such, Twilight wasn't able to do the verbal part with much success. It was one of her pet projects she was rather excited about. Speaking of excitement…

Spike regained his energy, beginning to bounce in place as words rushed out of his mouth in an incomprehensible jumble that no one but her would understand. The special pin on his brown vest marking him as an authorized pony to enter the guard’s quarters jangled as he continued his word vomit.

Twilight’s face became fond as she peeled off her goggles from her face, wincing as the pony-sized rubber squeezed her in a way that probably wasn’t safe. Her son wasn’t like her regarding books. She made sure his vocabulary was well above his age group and that he could keep up in a high society party without Twilight Velvet making a scathing comment and that was about it. He wasn’t like her where she could sit down with a book and promptly forget the world existed.

To hear Spike go off about a book he had read wasn’t new, but it was a rare enough occurrence that Twilight would look forward to such occasions. She nodded along as she cleaned up the table, vanishing volatile substances with but a thought and putting the more dangerous fluids in her subspace to deal with later. She almost broke her favorite beaker when Spike reached the end of his recount, his voice going shrill enough to hurt her ears.

Twilight frowned, setting the beaker on the table with her claws rather than risk her Magic reflect her emotions and shatter it. She wrestled her Magic back down, pushing and shoving it back into the recesses of her reserves so nothing broke or, the Stars forbid, hurt Spike. Not here, not now. Later. Deal with it later.

Sometimes being a Magical dragon was troublesome, but all the same, it was far more comfortable than being a wobbling unicorn with stick-thin legs that looked like a strong wind would blow them away and a superiority complex to match. And she got thumbs. She was thankful that Spike was an Earth Pony, stocky and built like a brick.

The Mare in the Moon didn’t sound like a school assignment, much less whatever the Elements of Harmony were. Spike didn’t recoil from her frown, only anxiously waiting for her reaction. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she cackled knowing she could send an entire street of Canterlot fleeing for their lives the moment she so much as snorted with a hint of flame, and here Spike was, staring down a frowning dragon.

“I don’t remember off the top of my head, but you can go through the library-” she couldn’t even finish that thought before Spike was again sprinting through the house like his life was on the line. “Spike!”

A tell-tale thump told her that her child had tripped on the top step and she withheld a good-natured sigh. She finished cleaning up before flying up to the second floor. Her landing had dust scattering from the tops of the bookshelves and she made a mental note to add dusting to the list of chores to do. Spike was hunched on the floor, a papercut on his nose from where he’d turned the pages too fast, reading intently.

“I knew it!” Spike's shout made her startle, wings flaring out in an instinctive urge to appear bigger. “The Summer Sun Celebration! Nightmare Moon is coming back! It’s going to be the thousandth year since she was sealed away. ‘The Stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about Nighttime Eternal!’”

“Spike, it’s a myth,” Twilight said gently, “Nightmare Moon isn’t real. Nobody is coming back during the Summer Sun Celebration.”

Spike whined, but Twilight was suddenly more focused on the catch behind her throat. She clamped her teeth down, not now! Not Spike! Not the books! Twilight dove over the second-story railing, landing with a ground-shaking thud into her lab area, green letter fire already licking at the edges of her mouth. The research paper she spent all morning working on went up in flames as the letter finally escaped the confines of her fire chamber.

She hissed in annoyance at the swirl of Alicorn Magic that permeated the room. As useful as the letter fire was, Twilight detested the scent of unfamiliar Magic in her living space. The rolled scroll landed innocently on her desk, sitting in the ashes of her research paper. 

Canterlot’s Leyline pulsed with her anger, rattling her measuring instruments in their places. Taking a deep breath to center herself, Twilight focused on the tangible things around her instead of the power deep below the bowels of Canterlot. 

She was tempted to set that damnable scroll on fire just for all the trouble she went through, but knowing her mentor, the repercussions would be far worse than the short-lived satisfaction of burning parchment.

“Mom? I think you broke the banister again.”

Twilight clamped down viciously on the impulse to burn the letter again. She took the scroll in her claws and made her way upstairs to survey the damage. There wasn’t anything on the outside of the letter that told Twilight it was an urgent message. In a split-second decision, Twilight shoved the scroll into her subspace. It wasn’t going to be her problem if she couldn’t find it again. (She would; she was too organized for her to lose something so simple.)

The top of the railing had been completely decimated. Twisted wood and splinters littered the floor and Twilight winced. Spike nudged one of the particularly sharp edges with his hoof, “Can that be fixed?”

“Maybe. I might need to bring more wood and transmute it to completely fix it.” She carefully lit her horns and reassembled the wood pieces into something that vaguely looked like how it was before. Her annoyance made it hard to keep her focus on limiting how much energy she outputted. A headache pounded to life behind her eyes as the wood slowly slotted together.

A simple spell to stick it all together finished the job and Twilight snorted in satisfaction, “That’ll do for now.”

The door to her tower opened again, far more gently than Spike's entrance. A tall pale unicorn haughtily lifted her head to look for Twilight. The dragon forced a smile to form stiffly on her angular face. A few stray sparks escaped her horns.

"Mother. What a surprise."

"It shouldn't be a surprise," Twilight Velvet said sharply, "Have you already forgotten the party I am to take Young Spike to? Miss Moondancer specifically invited House Sparkle to attend."

Her mother's voice could've speared a pony to a wall and left them there for hours. Good thing she wasn't a pony. Spike fidgeted under her, subtly seeking shelter under her massive form. Twilight Velvet was tall for a unicorn. Twilight Sparkle was tall for anything. It shouldn't have given the dragon such pleasure to peer down her nose at her own mother.

"Did you want to go, Spike?" Twilight asked, bending down to sniff gently at her son. Spike rumbled back, an imitation of the sound she made when she was particularly pleased.

"A little bit."

Twilight nodded, nudging him forward with her snout, "Go on. Get changed into something presentable. Grandmother will wait in the foyer, alright?"

Silence reigned in the room as Twilight descended the stairs. Both she and Velvet pretended she didn't almost miss the first step down. Privately, Twilight bet it wouldn't even take her to the count of twenty before her mother commented. Velvet hated silence with a passion that Twilight just didn't understand.

"Have you gone to the speech therapist I recommended? It doesn't sound like you've improved." And there it was, fifteen seconds wasn't half bad.

"Mother, going to a speech therapist won't change the fact that I don't have front lips," Twilight slurred in a fashion specifically designed to annoy her mother, “If I go slow enough I can speak fine.” She demonstrated by slowly enunciating her Ps and Ms, delighting in the somewhat awkward expression that appeared on her mother’s face.

Velvet sniffed, remaining prim and perfect in her pearl necklace and extravagant gown, "It wouldn't hurt to try, my dear. Why, even poor Young Spike has been struggling with some words. It isn't ideal, Twilight. I don't see why you won't let the poor dear stay in the Manor and learn to be proper."

Twilight shook her gigantic head, long since used to rehashing that argument, "He isn't in line to be Heir. Shining Armor's future child will be."

Her mother's stink eye was what Spike walked in on. Twilight automatically reached out to straighten the crooked tie and smooth out the slight rumples on his silk vest. The disapproving tut was ignored as Twilight continued to fuss over Spike's pin that just wouldn't lay straight. She smoothed out Spike's mane one last time before nudging him toward Velvet.

"You're a Daughter of Magic, Twilight Sparkle. You're not a common Earth Pony."

Twilight rolled her eyes as her headache grew. This time, it had nothing to do with her Magic, "Have fun, Spike."

Spike bounced on his hooves, excitement radiating from his eager face, "Thanks!"





Some half an hour later, Twilight was again looking morosely at what was once her almost completed paper. With a sigh, Twilight whisked away the ashes and finished disposing of the last of her equipment used. When that was all said and done with, she finally reached back into her subspace to get the scroll. Nearly brushing against the transmuted gunpowder while getting the scroll made Twilight more careful as she finally extracted it.

It was fairly plain, but that didn't mean much. Queen Celestia used plain parchment for tea invitations as well as urgent summons. She’d long since stopped caring if she were late or not, and in turn, the Queen didn’t scold her… much. Twilight gently broke the wax seal and unfurled the paper.

My most faithful and dearest student Twilight, the letter began. The dragon pulled away to snort a puff of smoke. The alicorn wrote as if she had more than one student. It is with great joy to announce this year's Summer Sun Celebration Location: Ponyville, a quaint village founded by a branch of the Apple Family on the fringes of the Everfree Forest.

Twilight frowned at that. Why would her mentor choose a small town like that for the Celebration? Judging from the sound of it, Ponyville would hardly be able to house the surely astounding number of ponies that would be traveling to see the Queen.

You, my student, will be in charge of the preparation. I have set aside the local library for your accommodations. It is ready to receive you whenever you choose to arrive. I have also arranged for a guide to take you around the village. You will find her in a cottage near the tamer parts of the Everfree.

She dearly hoped the library in question was out of the way in a quieter part of town. It would be easier to fly there without half the village fleeing for their lives and the other half taking up arms. With it being a village so near the dangerous forest, Twilight wouldn't be surprised in the least if ponies tried to storm the library to be rid of her. 

Her mentor oftentimes forgot many ponies weren’t ever prepared for a fully grown dragon taller than two Earth ponies combined to swoop down on them. Twilight could only guess Celestia had forgotten what fear felt like in her eons of existence.

Enclosed is a checklist of items that need to be completed. I know how you love your lists. I dearly hope this year's Summer Sun Celebration will be one to remember. Ponyville will recall it for years to come. Perhaps you will find friends there. Good luck, Twilight Sparkle.

Queen Celestia, Head of Day Court, Head of Night Court, Raiser of the Sun and Moon, Archmage of Canterlot, Headmaster of the School of Magic, Reigning Monarch of Equestria, Head of the Equestrian Negotiation Delegation, Commander of the Canterlot Royal Guards, Bearer of Magic, Bearer of Loyalty, Bearer of Generosity, Bearer of Kindness, Bearer of Laughter, Bearer of Honesty

Twilight had gotten very used to the impersonal touch at the end of her mentor's letters. In fact, the dragon suspected that Celestia used an automated spell of her own creation to sign all of her letters instead of writing them out every single time. Twilight wasn't sure since horn writing from one unicorn to another was completely indistinguishable. Everyone used the same spell after all. Meanwhile, she was in her tower writing notes and papers by hand simply because she wanted to. Her tutor called it chicken scratch but to each their own.

There were two weeks until the Summer Sun Celebration happened. That left her with about ten days to get to know everyone in the village and help set things up. A day for filling out the appropriate paperwork to have Spike take an extended Sun Vacation and pack, another day for travel and settling in, and a few days to get to know the ponies and the overall layout of the town. Verbally, it sounded doable. Twilight stretched, humming in satisfaction when her back popped. Time to get to work.





When Spike came back, his face was twisted in a snarl and the floor trembled in tune with his hoofbeats. Twilight raised her eye ridges in surprise. The last time Spike had been angry enough to invoke his Earth Magic was when someone spat at her on the street. He kicked the door closed so hard the tower shook and dust trickled from the ceiling.

He crumbled like a house of cards once he caught sight of her. His eyes went wide and tears spilled over his cheeks in rivers. Something hot ignited in Twilight’s chest. It made her want to roar with fury and tear a being apart for even daring to look at her child. Abandoning her packing for the time being, Twilight quietly walked over and folded Spike up into her arms like he was still a toddler. His sobs made his small frame shake and shudder against her chest plates.

It wasn’t difficult to rumble soothingly and run her claws through his mane. Her sharp ears heard movement by the front door and her eyes narrowed to slits as it cracked open. Twilight Velvet’s face was severe as she politely poked her head in, but even she quickly recoiled at the murderous look the dragon shot her. She wanted to snap and snip at her mother until the unicorn provided answers. As it was, Twilight only let her forked tongue make a snake-like appearance before her attention was back on Spike.

Eventually, his sobs evolved into hiccups and he finally got to speak haltingly, answering Twilight's unasked question, "There was a pony at the party that started to talk bad about you. Miss Moondancer told him to leave. Grandmother stopped me from saying anything. When he passed by he called me 'the monster's child'. I bowled him over and Grandmother yelled at me."

Twilight made another mental note to get something nice for Miss Moondancer. Most ponies wouldn’t be caught dead defending a dragon, Student of the Sun or not. Twilight swiveled her neck to glare angrily at her mother. To her credit, the mare didn't recoil like last time. Instead, she raised her chin higher and spoke.

"House Sparkle is refined. Revenge comes when they least suspect it-"

"It didn't look like he suspected it then!" Spike said shrilly, tears leaking from his eyes in his anger.

"A noble does not interrupt his betters!" Velvet snapped back, "Canterlot is a city of unicorns. Act like it Young Spike. You still have much to learn."

In return, Spike growled back, raising his lips in a snarl. Pride fluttered in Twilight's chest.

"I expect better from your son, Twilight. He is a pony, not a beast."

And wasn’t that just dandy? Twilight Sparkle, the former pride of and Magic Prodigy from one of the most brilliant Houses Canterlot had to offer: a dragon - or as her mother liked to say, a beast. For the longest time, the rest of her family couldn’t leave the house without getting food and verbal insults pelted at them from all directions. It was a wonder that Twilight Velvet and Night Light hadn’t been kicked off the Canterlot Council. Her brother took that time in his life personally, for some reason.

Shining Armor liked to pretend he rose through the Royal Guard ranks legitimately, but Twilight knew better. Twilight knew of the first few failed physical fitness tests in the beginning and the money paid to ensure Shining Armor got a second chance. Twilight wasn’t going to lie and say her brother didn’t deserve his rank of Captain; he did, in some capacity. 

Her brother specialized in shielding. He’d crafted his own shield spell at the age of twenty-two that could withstand the highest of pressures. That alone saw him promoted to lieutenant. Perhaps it would’ve been fairer if he were promoted in a few more years, not at such a young age. But things tended to happen to the ponies that come from the best Houses. His title of Captain of the Canterlot Guard said enough.

Her eyes hardened and her resulting growl made the floor vibrate. Velvet wisely took a step back before she remembered herself and raised her chin impossibly higher. Twilight couldn’t wait until she graduated from the Queen’s apprenticeship and she could finally move away from Canterlot. At least with this coming assignment, they would be away for a while.

"Get out." Twilight muttered, a hair's breadth away from roaring, "Now!"

"Ponies these days," Velvet huffed, but leaving all the same, "Manners are nonexistent."

That brought to mind her first few days as a dragon. A being already bigger than a grown unicorn, with wings to match, still shuffling along like they were still the size of a large dog. Scratched floorboards and destroyed doorways were a common sight inside the Manor. The maids couldn't clean away the debris before Twilight ended up in another accident.

If she thought about it hard enough, she could remember the sting of the metal rod used to correct her posture and the headaches that came with the punishments of fidgeting. She could almost hear her old tutor screaming in frustration as her overpowered magic crushed her twentieth quill into nothing but dust. Oh yes, Twilight did indeed have manners. When she used them, however, it was completely of her own volition.

"Not a pony," Twilight sighed bitterly, magicking the door Velvet left open, closed.

"Why do I keep thinking she'll get better?" Spike asked petulantly, eyes glued to the door, "She acts like it sometimes and I believe her."

Twilight sighed. Her only offer to that was, "Habits are hard to break for nobles." And despite it all, Twilight could tell her mother was trying. But as she said, old habits die hard.

Spike hummed, wiping away the last of his tears and shucking off his vest at a speed that left Twilight worried that she would need to pick Spike off of the floor. “When are we leaving? Where are we going?”

Twilight chuffed in amusement, patting his mane one last time before going back to the bag she’d discarded earlier. The subtle tremor that always came from the Leyline reacting to her emotions finally faded, to the relief of probably everyone in the city. “Tomorrow, hopefully. I’ll need to check in with your uncle first, and it really depends on his schedule. You’re too perceptive for your own good sometimes.”

Her child threw his vest down to the ground before shaking out his pressed fur. Deciding not to scold him and following his example of pretending his breakdown didn’t happen, Twilight picked it up in her claws to deposit in the hamper as she walked past the wardrobe to see what else needed to be packed.





"What do you mean you're leaving?" Shining Armor asked angrily, "You can't just leave Mum and Dad to get to that hovel themselves. I have work to do, I surely can't do it!"

Twilight shoved the Queen's instructions into her brother's face with a little more force than necessary. Satisfaction burned bright when Shining Armor stumbled back with a muffled sound of protest. It would be so easy to just push her older brother over. He was strongly built for a unicorn, thanks to his training in the Guard, but an average Earth pony could shoulder-check him and he would probably go flying.

"Her Majesty put you in charge of this?" Incredulity bled thick from Shining Armor's voice. Twilight heard the unspoken, "And not me?" loud and clear.

"Of course, my Lord," Twilight enunciated slowly and clearly (lest he ridicules her like the many times before), "I am her apprentice in all things Magic."

The scroll was tossed back by a careless twist of his magic, "Well, don't want to disappoint the Queen. As she wishes. Off you go, Scion of House Sparkle."

Oh, how his eyes burned. She couldn’t tell if it was from jealousy or something else. His smile was faker than his royal blue mane, which was honestly saying something. She could see his light blue roots starting to grow out and the tensing of his shoulders as he waited for her expected response.

Twilight should've thanked him politely, according to etiquette. She should've bowed her head and thanked the Lord of her House like a sensible pony. But Twilight was neither sensible nor a pony. She grabbed the scroll and turned on her heels, ignoring his shout of anger. 

With every interaction they had together, Twilight grew more and more convinced her childhood memories of a kind, protective older brother were nothing but wisps of smoke. These days he treated her cooly, like a stranger whom he had heard a disturbing rumor about but still had to be polite. It infuriated her as much as it hurt her.





Spike hummed under his breath as Twilight reread the letter of confirmation from the Ponyville mayor, Mayor Flitter Mare. As Twilight suspected, the Queen had neglected to mention that the taskmaster from Canterlot would be a dragon. Thankfully, Mayor Mare had assured Twilight in the letter that a general notice had already been put out and no being would be attempting to bludgeon her with torches and pitchforks. 

The use of the word "being" piqued Twilight's interest, but the letter did not elaborate on that matter. Apparently, the town square had been vacated as a landing pad for her and her belongings, as Twilight voiced she would be flying there. Speaking of flying, Twilight snapped her improvised transfigured flying harness on and attached their luggage to said harness with a stupidly strong sticking spell.

She stretched her wings as far as she could, feeling the joints crackle and pop. Spike jumped excitedly, nearly vibrating in place before he finally leaped up to the seat nestled between Twilight's wing deltoids. His goggles were already on and his winter jacket was making him sweat. Twilight huffed a small laugh, unable to speak through the enchanted bit that would clip onto the back of Spike's clothing. Twilight would be taking no chances for a flight this long.

The most inconvenient thing about being a Magical dragon was that she couldn't teleport. Her sensitivity to Leylines, and Magic in general, was so great that even a short-distance teleport would leave her in a state of disorientation for days on end. Most unicorns had a built-in limiter in the horn that prevented them from overloading their senses when casting spells. Unfortunately for her, Twilight was no unicorn - at least, not anymore. 

As brilliant as she was in logistics and theory, she actually wasn't able to cast anything more than the classic telekinesis spell without knocking herself out of commission. And even then, detailed and focused telekinesis oftentimes gave her a headache. She was still a little dizzy from the harness transmutation which had been done yesterday morning.

She double-checked all of the straps and buckles, making sure Spike couldn’t be knocked loose from his perch, “Are you ready?” she mumbled around the bit.

Spike was so excited he couldn’t even give a coherent answer. His answering squeal of joy made Twilight laugh, “Hold on tight!”

She threw open her wings, relishing the breeze that passed under them, before jumping clear of the balcony. Spike whooped as she finally achieved liftoff. She circled her tower once before flying down past the crowded streets of the city. Even from the great height she was at, she could hear the screams as her shadow fell over them, however brief it was. The temptation to exhale fire just for the heck of it was strong, but did she really want that letter from the Queen admonishing her for causing public terrorism?

With that in mind, Twilight banked toward the south, setting her sights on the distant Everfree Forest. Here’s to a new adventure, she thought as Spike ooh’ed and ahh’ed as she climbed higher into the clouds. Something told her that this assignment would be a lot more interesting than any other she’d ever done before.
> First Impressions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was ever so thankful for the thermals she managed to slip into as she flew. She wouldn’t have been able to reach Ponyville without them. The journey was longer than expected, and the muscles along her wings and back were burning from exertion.

She was so tired, in fact, that she nearly overshot the landing pad and crashed horns first into the quaint fountain in the town square. As she huffed and tried to get her bearings back, ponies crowded around to help relieve her of her luggage. 

Various straps and buckles were removed with deft talons and packs were lifted by powerful wooden claws. Twilight blinked, refocusing on her surroundings. Griffons were gazing at her with sympathy, their wings flexing as if they could feel her ache as their own. Timberwolves chuffed as they heaved away the luggage. Oh. So that’s what Mayor Mare meant about ‘beings’.

“Hey, you good?” A pale blue griffon with a shocking rainbow plume asked, “That landing looked nasty. Hurt anywhere?”

Twilight could only stare. How did the griffon speak without moving their mouth? Would she be able to do that? It would solve a lot of her problems.

“We might have a concussion case, guys.”

That snapped Twilight out of it, “No,” she slurred hurriedly, “No concussion. Thank you.”

The griffon looked doubtful, lifting several talons, “How many do I have up?”

“Three.”

The griffon snorted in satisfaction, “Alright. Welcome to Ponyville. I’m Rainbow Dash,” they motioned to the other griffons, “That’s Gilda, Prance, Feather Light, and Thunder Roar. We’re Aerie Pride One here in Ponyville. Our ground Pack has Reed, Leaf, Branch, and Tree.”

Those were some… creative names. Twilight thought as she eyed the shifting wood and the eerie Magic holding the wolves together. She’d read about the Timberwolves that lurked in the Everfree. They were described as savage beasts that tore apart anything that moved, and yet here they were, clearly sentient and part of a town.

“Nice to meet you!” Spike chirped from her back, making a valiant attempt to lean away from the Timberwolves without falling off, “My name is Spike Sparkle and this is my mom, Twilight Sparkle.”

Gilda flapped a brown wing toward the Timberwolves, “I think we got it now guys, thanks for the help.”

The biggest wolf barked, angling its ears and lolling a leafy tongue before the rest of the wolves retreated respectfully. Spike breathed a sigh of relief when the wolves left his immediate space.

“The library is over yonder,” Prance said, pointing to a massive tree, “Should be big nuff. Any special diet stuff we gotta know ‘bout?”

“Pardon?” Twilight croaked, completely overwhelmed.

Thankfully, Gilda stepped in again, “Come on Prance, the poor thing’s dead on their feet. Let em up before asking the questions, will you? Hey! Miss Bon Bon! Could you help the Taskmaster from Canterlot bring their stuff to the library? Their kid don’t really like the Timberwolves much.”

“Twilight’s fine,” she sputtered, the words so mangled that she doubted anyone could’ve understood, “Really, it’s fine. I can bring it myself.”

But it was a moot point by then since the earth pony Gilda called over, Bon Bon, had already lifted half of her stuff onto her back and was walking steadily toward the library. Twilight hefted the rest of the luggage with as much grace as she could and hurried to follow.

“One of us will come by later with the questions when you’re settled, ight?” Rainbow Dash shouted after them.

Twilight bobbed her head and Spike waved. Her legs wobbled as she stumbled like a newborn after the sturdy earth pony, who was walking like it was a normal stroll through the neighborhood.

“Welcome to Ponyville. My name is Sweetie Bon Bon Drops. But you can call me Bon Bon, everyone does. I don’t care, I mean mind. I don’t mind. Um, a pleasure to make your… sincerity?”

“I beg your pardon?” Twilight puffed out between breaths, prompting Spike to slide down from her shoulders.

“I- Um- You’re the Canterlot Taskmaster that the Queen sent right?” After Twilight’s nod, “Oh no! Did I say something wrong? That’s how Canterlot folks greet beings right? I didn’t study too much on it. Um, a thousand sorrys, um, Taskmaster.”

“Twilight,” the dragon enunciated slowly, “Call me Twilight. I don’t expect anyone here to adhere to Canterlot Society. I came to escape it. Thank you though. Your attempt was admirable.”

“Oh ponyfeathers, you use bigger words than Rarity! Anyway!” Bon Bon paused outside of the library, looking from the door, which would just barely be tall enough for a larger earth pony, to Twilight. “Well that there is goin’ to be a problem.”

Spike ran into the library, shaking the topmost leaves of the building as he charged through it. He exploded through the doors of the second floor that led to a balcony. “I think you can fit through these doors, Mom.”

“Wooden!” Bon Bon bellowed down the street, before glancing apologetically at Twilight’s half-flared wings, “Take a message please!”

A Timberwolf, smaller than Twilight had seen so far, appeared as if by Magic, shedding bits of grass along the path. Bon Bon laughed, petting the pony-sized wolf with a gentle hoof, “Alright, could you go fetch Fluttershy and Pinkie and bring them here, please? And Lady Rarity if she’s not busy. We need to fix this door for Taskmaster Twilight.”

Twilight sighed. This was going far better than she had thought it would go, but did everyone need to make such a fuss?

Bon Bon continued talking, Wooden the wolf was nowhere to be found, “Anywho, the Apple family has already started working on the temporary campsite, so don’t you worry none about it. Everyone’s so excited about the Celebration, even if most of us can’t watch it. We’re honored that the Queen chose Ponyville to host. We’ve been so busy!”

Twilight could already imagine the horrible cleanup when the Celebration ended. But she was far more alarmed at the casual mention about how most of the town couldn’t watch. She didn’t get the chance to ask since a unicorn teleported next to the library door. Twilight wrinkled her nose at the residual Magic that still poured off of the alabaster unicorn.

The said unicorn was frazzled. Their mane, which had probably once been immaculate purple curls, was limp and flat. Their coat was gray with how much dust was on them. They were surprisingly stocky for a unicorn and their horn was a far cry from the well-cared-for ones that most Canterlot citizens had.

“Oh my stars!” the unicorn exclaimed, “I just heard the news. My deepest apologies for the door, Taskmaster. I wasn’t sure how large to design it the first time around. Needless to say, when Fluttershy gets here, we will refit the door posthaste.”

“No rush…” Twilight trailed off, unsure how to address the pony.

“Rarity, Taskmaster,” the newly dubbed Rarity said with a small bow, “Rarity Belle, owner of the Carisole Mining Co and Boutique. My sister and I are one of the few ponies in town.”

“Where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique.” Twilight said with dawning wonder, “You’re the mysterious vendor my parents bought all those jewels from.”

A strained smile appeared on Rarity’s face. Even though Twilight was a reclusive hermit, she knew when someone didn’t want to continue a topic. She ended up mumbling as clearly as she could, “Pardon my rudeness, Lady Rarity. I got ahead of myself. I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh my,” a soft voice interrupted, “We really misjudged the door, didn’t we?”

Twilight first assumed, who she thought was Fluttershy, to be another albeit large griffon. Their massive pink feathery wings folded in with a grace Twilight envied. However, as they trotted closer, Twilight could see the yellow back half of the being. Hooves clopped on the road as the hippogryph approached the door, twisting their head at odd angles.

“Yep-a-doodles!” A small pink pegasus exploded out of the low-hanging branches of the library, scattering confetti everywhere.

Spike shrieked in surprise, toppling from the banister he’d climbed on. Twilight scrambled to catch him, but Fluttershy beat her to it. With a powerful beat of her wings, the hippogryph launched up like a feathery rocket and caught Spike without much issue.

“Pinkie Pie, please be more mindful of your surroundings.”

“Oopsies! Sorry there, little guy!”

Once Spike was safely sitting on her back again, she twisted around to nuzzle his mane, “You’re going to be the death of me,” she rumbled fondly.

Rarity struck a hoof against the ground, “We’re all here. Let’s fix this door, shall we?”

The unicorn lit her horn, bathing the door, the surrounding frame, and part of the tree itself, in her Magical signature. Fluttershy began to sing. It was a haunting birdsong melody that made Twilight swallow back tears for no reason. Pinkie Pie, the abnormally small pink pegasus stared fixedly at the swelling doorframe, wings half-open.

“Careful of the floor,” Pinkie Pie began to murmur, “It’s getting top heavy… The mailbox needs to be moved later so it’s not in the way. There’s a root there on the left, Rarity. Fluttershy the top needs more wood to keep it attached.”

Before Twilight’s eyes, the three beings grew the door, all without spending weeks drawing up the correct numbers or measuring the Magic output beforehand. It shouldn’t have been possible without catastrophic consequences; at least, that’s what she’d been told. The entire situation went against everything she’d been taught. If Twilight had been more lucid, she would’ve put up a protective shield in case something exploded, but she was too much in shock to do much more than stare with an open mouth.

Fluttershy’s song ended on a low trilling note just as Rarity’s Magic fell away and Pinkie Pie finished her death-stare trance. Bon Bon clopped her hooves on the ground in applause.

“Rarity, if I didn’t know, I’d say this was your cutie mark!” The earth pony exclaimed, “Amazing as always!”

Twilight’s mouth, numb from hanging open so long, moved faster than her brain and she was saying, “That was incredibly unsafe,” before she could stop herself. “That could’ve ended horribly! Wood transmutation is already hard. Transmuting wood that’s still alive? You’re lucky nothing exploded! What would’ve happened if the structural integrity of the tree failed?  It would’ve crushed us and the rest of the buildings around it!”

Rarity shrank back and it was then that Twilight realized she’d moved forward until she towered over the pony. Clearing her throat was a mistake since everyone flinched away from the apparent growl. Twilight stepped back when Rarity curled her lip and haughtily lifted her head.

“All of you Canterlot ponies are the same,” the unicorn declared scornfully, “We know what we’re doing down here in Ponyville. A blind being could see that. All you Canterlot folk do when y’all visit is tell us how we do our own things wrong. I’m tired of it. I don’t know why I thought otherwise when a dragon came. You’re another one of the Queen’s fancy bootlicking Academy fellows, aren’t you? Goodness knows how any of those unicorns accepted that monstrous temper of yours. I’d be surprised if any of them could understand you in the first place.”

Twilight’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as she struggled to comprehend the sheer audacity this unicorn had to give her, a student of the Queen who had more Magical education than this entire town put together, a dressing down. Her temper smothered like live coals when Rarity brought up her speech impediment. How dare she?

Rarity Belle turned and stalked away, throwing over her shoulder, “Good day, Taskmaster. You’re welcome for the door.”

Twilight hissed and a billow of smoke escaped her mouth. Bon Bon and Pinkie Pie were nowhere in sight, leaving just Fluttershy awkwardly hanging by the enlarged door. Spike silently slipped from her shoulders and began to drag their luggage in. Fluttershy said something so softly, even Twilight’s enhanced hearing couldn’t pick it up.

“Pardon?” She asked irritably.

“Oh! I said you’re lucky Lady Rarity was the one here instead of Lady Applejack. Lady Applejack would more likely kick down your door for the slight against the town.” The hippogryph laughed lightly, “Don’t worry, if you apologize, Rarity will forgive you.”

“Nothing I said was wrong,” Twilight growled, heaving up the rest of the packs to bring inside. Fluttershy seemed to take that as permission to enter and she closed the door behind her.

Fluttershy shrugged, “Maybe to you,” she half-agreed, “We’re all afraid of things we don’t understand.”

What did this hippogryph know about being afraid? Fear was falling into the Dark Arts in a hidden room in Canterlot Castle knowing no one was coming. Fear was holding the limp body of her child and wondering if they were dead or not. Fear was standing before her Queen, her mentor, and telling her she failed. Her first instinct was to fire back something along the lines of not being afraid. 

But how could she when the mere thought of trying to recreate what happened less than fifteen minutes ago sent bolts of terror down her spine? All the things that could go wrong were numbered in the hundreds. Shame curled in her gut, producing a sliming icky feeling. Fluttershy continued, either not noticing or uncaring of Twilight’s flattened ears and frills. Despite all that, Twilight had to admire the nerve.

“Apologizing to Pinkie Pie would be the fastest. She’s one of the younger ones here, sixteen summers, I think. Her imagination runs away on her sometimes.”

The shame burned its way up to the back of her throat, tainting her mouth sourly as she muttered, “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

The hippogryph bowed her head, excusing herself to fly out of the balcony windows. The moment the being was gone, Twilight slumped to the floor and groaned. Her boxy head found its way into her claws. She dragged them down her face with a clicking and grinding noise that made her ears shrink in on themselves. Well, that was one way to enter a town, insult one of the leaders to their face even if what they were doing was completely unsafe. 

For the Love of the Moon, Sun, and Stars, this was going to be a long week.





Twilight rose with the sun as was her habit. Even so far away, the dragon could feel the minute tingles of her mentor’s Alicorn Magic as she raised the sun and lowered the moon. It wasn’t strong enough to give her the usual headaches and she allowed herself a smile. She stretched, scrawled a note for Spike on top of the meager oatmeal she prepared for him, and exited the library to start on the checklist.

Almost immediately, she nearly crushed a Timberwolf underfoot. The wooden creature yelped and then yelped again upon catching sight of her. It fled with its bushy tail between mossy legs. Twilight sighed. Her wings shifted, sending a twinge of muscle pain down her back. More cautiously, Twilight picked her way toward Sweet Apple Acres to take a look at the accommodations Bon Bon mentioned.

When she emerged from the path, her breath was stolen away by the sheer size of the farm. The entire Canterlot Castle could probably sit within the borders and there would still be room to spare. She was so busy gaping she didn’t see the blur of enraged Timberwolf until too late.

It felt like a tree fell on her, which was an astute comparison. Her roar of terror became more of a wheeze as the wolf knocked the wind from her chest. Splinters broke off from the wolf’s teeth as it tried to bite anything and everything. It finally found its mark as wood sank into Twilight’s wing membrane. 

The dragon twisted on the ground, flailing wildly, trying to get the huge Timberwolf away. The wolf snarled and released ground-shaking barks as it tried to tear her to pieces. Twilight finally found her wits and at the first hint of flame, the wolf was squealing and bolting for the shouting earth pony.

“Winona! No! Bad dog!” the red earth pony boomed angrily, looking up at the huge Timberwolf, “Go home!”

The Timberwolf whined guiltily and did as told, slinking away with a lowered head.

“Ahm so sorry ‘bout that. Ah dunno what’s gotten inter her. She’s nice ter ever’one, swear it. We got firs’ aide ‘n the barn, take care that wing of yers. Need help ter stand?”

As the adrenaline wore off, her muscle soreness from yesterday became more known and she winced as she rolled back onto her feet. The bite on her wing wasn’t deep and nothing had torn. Her limbs were shaking from the experience, but overall, no harm done if she didn’t count her injured dignity. She was a dragon. A Timberwolf half her size could turn her into a shrieking mess? Shameful.

Twilight shook her head, dislodging stray branches, speaking as slowly as possible to be understood, “Oh, no. I’m fine. Thank you for the offer. I’m just here to check on the accommodations that are being built.”

The pleasant smile on the pony slowly became more wooden as Twilight spoke but he remained polite, “‘Course! Right over this way. Ahm Macintosh. These here tents are what we have so far. Ther Winged folk can sleep in the trees.”

Macintosh swept out a foreleg toward the makeshift tents that mostly leaned against the side of the main barn. They were fairly shabby and looked like a good rain would do them in. Twilight did her best not to cringe. This town could grow a door with no problem but had craftsmanship that looked like this?

“You’re having out-of-town guests sleep in the trees?” Twilight demanded, deciding to address the bigger issue.

She couldn’t imagine that going over well with anyone. Most of the ponies rich enough to make the journey for the Celebration would not be happy at all sleeping in a field of apple trees.

“Nah! ‘Course not!” Macintosh began in affronted tones, “What do ya take us fer? Tents ‘n trees fer us. Guests sleep in the homes once ever’one moves out. Them tents easy ter put up ‘n down.”

That sounded horribly inefficient, but Twilight remembered Lady Rarity’s words and wisely kept her mouth shut on what she thought.

“Sounds like you have it under control, Macintosh. Thank you. I’ll check in again later in the week if that’s alright.”

Twilight could’ve sworn the earth pony scowled at her before responding in a clipped tone. “‘Course.”

Macintosh escorted Twilight back to the edge of the property in uncomfortable silence. Twilight got the impression she committed another faux pax, but for the life of her, she didn’t know what it was. She thanked the large earth pony again and began to make her way back to town.

Halfway there, Twilight got the feeling of being followed. She stopped, growling lowly as her eyes darted every which way. Her wings unfurled and her tail twitched. She did not want a repeat of her Magic Kindergarten days.

“I know you’re there. Come out.”

Rainbow Dash emerged from behind a tree, “Not bad, Twilight Sparkle. Gotta be careful around here. I’ll walk with you. I have questions for you anyway.”

The dragon sighed, desperately wishing for the wonderful company of her research, “What questions do you have for me?”

“Well, the first thing isn’t a question for the papers. How are you settling in? Anybody give you any trouble?”

Briefly, Twilight thought about bringing up Rarity or Winona, “No. Nothing.”

“I hear an unspoken ‘yet’. Ya expect to be attacked here in Ponyville?”

“No. Just lingering anxiety from being a dragon in a city of unicorns.”

Rainbow Dash hummed in sympathy, “I hear ya. It was like that in Cloudsdale when I was a cub in Flight Camp. Me, Fluttershy, and Gilda stuck together.”

“Must be nice to have friends,” Twilight muttered.

“Alright, second question! Prance already asked this, but I don’t think you caught it last time. Do you have any special diet accommodations the town needs to know about? Meat? Fish?”

“Excuse me?” Twilight outright growled. Did this griffon just insinuate what she thought they did?

For Rainbow Dash’s part, they honestly looked surprised at Twilight’s reaction, “Um. I guess not then? Anyway, just let one of us know if that changes. Last question, is species classification. What are you?”

Twilight chuffed a laugh before realizing the question was serious. She frowned. “Dragon.”

Rainbow Dash still looked expectant and when Twilight didn’t answer again, she elaborated, “Yeah. What type?”

Twilight stopped walking, “Are you attempting to mock me?”

“What? No! I gotta put these down on paper. Dragon is too general.”

“And pray to tell who needs this paper?” Twilight snarled, completely fed up with the ridiculousness of the situation.

Rainbow Dash’s voice carried a bit of a growl behind it when she snapped back, “Why don’t you ask your little Queen then? Every year they have us deliver a stack of papers of all the beings that lived in town for more than a week. We’ve gotten fined on the smallest classifications. I know damn well we’ll get a fine for just writing ‘dragon’ on your little paper.”

Twilight snorted in surprise, “What does the Queen need with that?”

Rainbow Dash squinted at her, “I’ll come back later to ask the questions if you don’t want to answer now. See you around, Taskmaster.”

“Wonderful,” she spat at Rainbow Dash’s departure, their wings buffeting wind and dust into Twilight’s face.

What in the world was she doing wrong for everyone to be so upset? She snorted angrily, opening the door to the library. She had to relax her grip on the handle when the door banged into the mailbox like Pinkie Pie said it would, or else she risked the danger of breaking something in her frustration. Nine more days until the Celebration, she could do this. She could not fail another assignment.

She slumped onto the table when the clock read that it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.





A while later, Twilight picked up her pouch of bits to go shopping. There wasn’t much food in the building and she did not want to deal with a whining hungry child. Experience told her it wasn’t worth the trouble. In the town square, there were several stalls selling produce. Further along, near the town hall were a couple of general goods stores.

Goats, ponies, and griffons easily parted as she walked past. Most simply ducked their heads a murmured a greeting before going about their day. As she shopped, Twilight began to realize that most of Ponyville’s population weren’t ponies. There were mules, a few zebras, a shiny bug-like pony that she had no idea what species they were, donkeys, minotaurs, and if Twilight wasn’t mistaken, Gem Strays. The more Twilight looked, the more species she managed to spot.

“If we don’t have what you’re looking for, you can always try the Night Market,” the vendor in front of the dragon said kindly, “They offer more types of things than the normal fruits and oats.”

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Twilight smiled and nodded. She paid for the pears she was handling and continued on. As she was picking through some tomatoes, a being sidled up to them so silently, Twilight didn’t realize their presence until they spoke.

“You have a good eye for fruits.”

Twilight fumbled the tomato, trying not to crush it in her surprise. Setting it back down and feigning nonchalance, Twilight asked Fluttershy, “Isn’t a tomato a vegetable?”

The hippogryph giggled, putting a talon under her beak in thought, “I don’t know. Everyone calls them fruit down here. Makes sense I guess. It has seeds like an apple at least.”

“You’re going to give the Canterlot Scholars strokes with that type of reasoning,” Twilight snorted.

“Oh dear, I don’t think I’m strong enough to pick you up if you have a stroke right now.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

Another giggle, “I know, I was too.”

If Twilight were capable, she would’ve blushed until the tips of her strangely shaped ears.

“I wouldn’t mind if you talk a little faster sometimes. I have a good ear. Most beings in this town do. Some folk might get the wrong idea.” Fluttershy smiled as much as a hippogryph could, “Big Mac wasn’t happy this morning.”

Twilight grimaced, she’d apologize later, “Spike usually does the talking. I don't usually talk at all in public. I wish I could talk like you or Rainbow Dash. How do you talk perfectly without lips?”

She followed Fluttershy as the hippogryph guided her to another stall. “We’re part avian,” Fluttershy said as if that should answer all of Twilight’s questions.

The dragon hummed, buying a sack of oats, “What does being part bird have anything to do with talking?”

“How well do you know your anatomy?”

Twilight blinked, brought up short by the question, “I don’t. There’s not exactly a textbook on dragons laying around is there?”

“Oh, I thought Canterlot would’ve had something like that, no? Thought they knew everything up on that mountain of theirs. Well, avians have a different voice box. Most beings here talk up here,” Fluttershy motioned higher up on Twilight’s throat, “But avians talk down here,” her talon went to rest somewhere near Twilight’s chest, “So we don’t need lips to make the sounds. Our tongue handles the airflow for the more… intricate sounds.”

So much for trying to talk like a griffon, Twilight thought sullenly. Was she seriously doomed to talk like a drunkard deep in their bottles or a being talking to an incompetent child for her entire life?

“That makes sense,” Twilight ended up sighing, “I don’t think I can do that. I’ll try talking faster.”

Fluttershy patted Twilight’s shoulder with her wing, the highest part she could comfortably reach. “Don’t worry. We all have good ears here in Ponyville. Did you find everything you need? The Night Market opens when the sun goes down if you have more shopping.”

Twilight nodded, mind still far away.

“I’m glad. As your guide, if you ever need me, just find a Timberwolf and ask them for Angel. I’ll be there right away. Folks here like questions, don't be afraid to ask, alright?”

“I- yeah. Yeah, thank you, Miss Fluttershy.”

“No problem. Have a good lunch. I’ll take you to see the decoration process in the afternoon. If that’s alright, of course.”

Twilight nodded, “I’d like that very much. Thank you.”
> Cohesion and Conflict
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mom!"

Twilight woke with a snuffled snort, lifting her head sleepily. She jerked back, her spines carving grooves into the wood floor, startled at Spike's proximity. She twisted to glance at the clock. Her night vision allowed her to see it clearly. It read four in the morning.

The dragon wished to bury herself beneath her wings and continue her rest. But as all parents know, an awake child means sleep will not come anytime soon. So Twilight sighed, heaving herself to her feet and shaking out her pressed scales.

"Yes, Spike? It's rather early. Is everything alright?" She bent down to sniff. She could smell his anxiety and the lingering scent of old paper. Spike read recently then. "What book did you have?"

"I have evidence Nightmare Moon is coming back!" he announced in a tone more suited to declaring the gravest of news.

Damn it all to Tartarus, he was still concerned about that silly tale? Exhaustion weighed heavily on her back. "And what evidence is that?"

"It's said that ‘the Stars will aid in her escape.’" he ran to the window, pointing at the waning gibbous moon, "Look at the stars. Isn't that odd?"

“Spike,” Twilight said as firmly as she could, “It’s a fable. No one is coming back.”

“Just… Look at the stars? Please?”

“Come on Spike. Back to bed with you,” Twilight coaxed her child, “I’ll come tuck you in.”

“You don’t believe me?” Spike whined.

“Books don’t hold the answers to everything,” she reminded him, “I’ll believe you if it happens, okay?”

His ears folded back and there was a hint of a snarl on his face as he growled, “It’ll be too late by the time it happens.”

Twilight stood silently by the door, unmoving. After a beat, Spike deflated and headed to his room. As promised, Twilight tucked him in, brushing her snout over his forehead. He turned to bury his face angrily into his pillow.

She sighed as she made her way back to her room. The Celebration was only a few days away, and most preparations were nearing completion. She rubbed a tired claw across her face and tried not to cringe because she had yet to apologize to anyone for her actions. It was far too busy for her just to drop everything and seek out certain individuals to apologize, or at the very least, explain herself.

She wanted to. Dear Tartarus, she wanted to. But embarrassment flooded her at the thought of going up to a teenager, nearly a decade her junior, and apologizing. Shame would always follow. She shouldn’t have to apologize because she should never have caused the need to do so in the first place. What was she thinking? Going up to a pony and deliberately scaring them? She’d been raised better than that.

Fluttershy was so kind. She patiently explained things, brought her places, and was a solid presence that the other beings in Ponyville recognized. Being a hippogryph put her head and shoulders above most of the town occupants, yet no one seemed to care. Well, that wasn’t really the way to put it. Beings cared but didn’t seem bothered by it at all, like they were when Twilight appeared.

Fluttershy even guided her to the Night Market in the Everfree. There, Twilight saw even more species, most of which she’d only ever read about. Manicores, cockatrices, thestrals, and more. There’d been a heartstopping moment when she’d bumped into a chimera and prepared to be ripped to pieces, except the being had profusely apologized and then started an argument with themself on which head had the fault. In that instance, Fluttershy had been tactful enough to hold back her giggles.

It was there that Twilight realized what Rainbow Dash had been asking. The Night Market sold grilled meat that slowly cooked over fires, fried mushrooms that were a funny-looking color, raw fish that chilled over ice, and even skinned rabbits that Fluttershy wrinkled her beak at. In a nearby river, kelpies and beings that Fluttershy called Sea Ponies, lounged on purple rocks eating seagrass.

The purple rocks turned out to be the coils of a massive sea serpent named Steven who waved enthusiastically at Fluttershy. Once Steven caught sight of Twilight, he accidentally knocked several dozen kelpies loose as he surged across the river to take a closer look. Her legs seized in fear as the serpent’s head loomed over her. For the first time in over two decades, Twilight felt small.

“Oh. My. Gods. Did Donnie’s family come to visit? You’re so tiny! And cute! Stars Above. Fluttershy, my dear, why didn’t you tell me?!”

Fluttershy laughed, “Oh no, this is Twilight Sparkle, the Canterlot Taskmaster.”

“Oh, dearie me! Ever so sorry for the fright, Taskmaster. It’s good to finally meet you.” He lowered himself into the water again so he wasn’t hovering above her, “Liking Ponyville so far?”

“It’s good,” Twilight managed to stutter sloppily.

Twilight didn’t really remember the rest of the conversation. She was far too worried about her trembling back legs and the revelation of peaceful sea serpents than she was about being polite to said peaceful sea serpent.

She finally met Lady Applejack the day after that fiasco. ‘Met’ was an arbitrary word considering the entire interaction consisted of the earth pony glowering and pounding a hoof to the dirt in a not-so-subtle threat and Twilight pretending nothing of note was happening. 

That hadn’t been the smartest move since Lady Rarity made another snide comment about nobles not bothering to pay attention to peasants anyway as she showed Twilight around the decorated town hall. She’d almost lost her temper again. She wanted to growl and tell the angry unicorn that she wasn’t welcome in the noble circles of Canterlot, but the very idea of scaring another being made her dip her head in apology. For a shameful moment, the surprised look on Lady Rarity’s face amused her.

Spike was taking well to the town, already having found himself some friends. He’d dragged the bravest of his companions to meet her. Namely, a being named Thorax that reminded Twilight of a twisted dead branch found in the depths of a muddy bog. 

That wasn’t exactly the kindest description she could’ve come up with, but she was certain no one would be able to deny it was accurate. Later on, Thorax brought his guardian to meet Twilight to fulfill the requirement his caretaker had of knowing who he was staying with for sleepovers.

Twilight expected another demented-looking thing to make an appearance, but instead, a shining being that stole Twilight’s breath away knocked on her door. The being glittered iridescently in the sun, nearly blinding the dragon. It was the bug-pony she had seen days ago at the market. The being introduced themselves as Proboscis the changeling, almost sending Twilight into a fit when she realized what exactly Spike had made friends with.

She wasn’t sure how well she managed to mask her reaction, but the moment the changeling and its spawn were out of sight, Twilight banned Spike from bringing them back again. She hadn’t expected Spike to growl back, furious at her request. She barely managed to get a word in edge-wise before Spike was gone. He hadn’t come home that night.

It wasn’t the first time he had done such a thing, but it was the first time he had done it in an unfamiliar place. She sat in the middle of the library the entire night, waiting, praying to any and all Gods that would listen that her son was safe. She knew from experience that if Spike didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t. So she unlocked the door and waited.

When the sun finally rose, there was a knock at the door. Swallowing, Twilight went to open it. Proboscis stood on the doormat with a stern expression, Thorax cowering behind them. Spike sulked, pushing past Twilight and stomping up to his room.

“Your kid quite the spunky one for a seven-year-old,” the changeling began, “Didn’t know he ran away ‘til I heard the kids whispering about it this mornin’. I’m sorry. I would’ve returned him sooner if I’d known.”

“No,” Twilight sighed, “No, I raised him to think for himself. I upset him yesterday. Thank you.”

“No worries,” the changeling said easily, before side-eyeing their charge. Thorax had the grace to look embarrassed. “Kids are tough ‘lil things. Don’t worry too much ‘bout it. ‘Sides, nothing can hurt ‘em much here in Ponyville.”

There was a double meaning there and the ever-present shame bubbled up again. “Thank you. You and Thorax are welcome here anytime.”

As she closed the door, she heard Spike softly close his room door as well. He’d heard then. She silently went into the small kitchenette to make herself some tea. Her hips were stiff from sitting in the same position all night and they crackled slightly as she moved about. She slumped down with a relieved sigh at the table to nurse her freshly boiled tea.

Before long, Spike wandered into the kitchen, ears down and tail drooping. “I’m sorry for my actions, Spike. They were uncalled for and inappropriate.”

After a moment, Spike mumbled, “People are calling you xenophobic and racist. I didn’t believe it at first, not until…”

“Not until yesterday,” Twilight finished for him, “I will not patronize you and tell you you’re wrong. I’m trying. I am aware my knee-jerk reactions have consequences. Old habits die hard,” she added wryly. “I’m very glad you have made friends here. Continue to do so if you so wish it, alright?”

Spike scuffed his hoof on the ground before walking up to curl up against her side. She smiled, brushing her chin over his mane.

That’d been three days ago. Presently, she was standing in her room at four in the morning, exhausted. She stretched and lay back down on the floor, catching sight of the moon as she did so. There were four prominent stars near the huge orb. But Twilight was tired. It was probably her imagination, especially since the idea was already implanted in her mind. She curled up, intent on getting a few more hours of rest.





Twilight had a bad feeling about the day when she woke up. At first, she thought it was simple nerves from the Celebration happening in a scant two days, but nerves didn’t usually result in headaches. It wasn’t long until she was able to identify the familiar headache faintly pounding away behind her eyes. There was more Magic in the air than usual. 

Now, if Ponyville had a Leyline, Twilight wouldn’t have been concerned. Leylines often dumped excess Magic into the environment around them. This was not the case. The only Leyline that was nearby laid in the depths of the Everfree, long since dead and dull. The only other explanation was an uptick in the number of Magic Users in the town casting their spells.

After nearly a week without the regular headaches that resulted from living in Canterlot, it was hard to pretend everything was alright as Twilight went about her newly established daily routine. She winced when Spike put his water glass down too hard on the table and again, when in her split inattention, cracked her shoulder against the countertop.

“Ponies are beginning to enter the town. I want you to be especially careful with your friends from now on Spike.”

Her child nodded sagely, “Thorax and Bill already moved into the Everfree and I’m meeting them there later. We’ll stay out of trouble.”

Twilight arched her eye ridges playfully and Spike giggled before amending, “Mostly out of trouble.”

“Stay safe,” she urged Spike. After a moment’s hesitation, she added, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help from any adult in the town, alright?”

Spike nodded again, for once not cracking a joke or making light of the situation. After he left in search of his friends, Twilight gathered her bits to go shopping as usual. She made another weak attempt to convince herself to apologize to Pinkie Pie on the way, but she was too much of a coward. Guilt sat like a stone in her chest.

As she shopped for apples, there was a commotion further up the market stalls. There was a unicorn with a Canterlot accent yelling and a country Ponyville accent yelling back. Twilight raised her neck above the minotaur that had also stopped to stare. That blindingly white coat was recognizable anywhere. She withheld the urge to groan as she spotted Prince Blueblood making a fool of himself in front of the carrot stall.

Lady Applejack towered over the spoilt prince, hollering obscenities back into his face as he blustered and threatened. Twilight cringed when the Prince shouted that Ponyville was nothing more than a dirt hovel. The dragon made an aborted movement to step in and de-escalate the situation when the Prince leveled a front kick at Lady Applejack.

The kick bounced off of the earth pony’s well-muscled chest rather harmlessly. Blueblood only had time to blink in astonishment before Lady Applejack laid him out on the ground in a single devastating blow. The surrounding citizens laughed and jeered and Twilight couldn’t blame them, not when such a pathetic display happened in front of their faces.

Blueblood struggled to his hooves before fleeing, shouting something about lawsuits over his injured shoulder. No one paid him any mind. Lady Applejack’s eyes locked onto hers and Twilight automatically stiffened. The earth pony stalked right up to Twilight’s claws, craning her neck to keep eye contact. Beings parted before her as if she were royalty.

“That there is what happens to the folk that don’t treat my town nice, ya hear? Ah don’ care who you tell ‘bout what you see here in Ponyville.” Lady Applejack dared her to respond, so she did.

“And I’ve seen nothing of note, Lady Applejack. There’s nothing to tell when nothing has happened.” Twilight almost stuttered, choking slightly on nothing. She shifted uncomfortably as she continued, “Self-defence is common. Over a dozen witnesses would say so if asked.”

Lady Applejack squinted with suspicion at her, but nodded resolutely, “‘Course. Carry on ever’one. Nothin’ to see here.” She dispersed the crowd with practiced efficiency and was gone, disappearing through the bustling market like a wisp.

Twilight swallowed past her dry throat, noticing for the first time that day that most of the more obscure beings of the town were nowhere to be found. The marketplace, usually filled with Timberwolves underfoot and zebras selling their strange wares were not here. Prince Blueblood would only be the first of many. Phantom stones struck her scales and the cruel ghostly taunts of children long-grown-up rang in her ears as she finished shopping. 

Everyone in this town was like her. Different, unwanted in a world built for ponies, and seen as monsters. She thought about the majority of town occupants moving out of their homes and seeking shelter at Sweet Apple Acres, all for the comfort of visitors who would in all likelihood never visit again. That was a sobering thought.





The next day, all of the minotaurs, donkeys, and mules were gone. There wasn’t much of a crowd as Twilight finished up the last of the preparations. Only a few ponies and even fewer griffons went about their day in a subdued manner. Tourists stood out starkly in their elegant gowns and fancy hats. They gawked, much like Twilight when she’d first arrived.

She ended up startling more than a few ponies as she made her rounds. One pegasus screamed so loudly they attracted the attention of the patrolling Aerie Pride, who swooped down looking for danger. That unfortunately only worsened the situation, causing the pegasus to collapse in a faint. The griffons snickered amongst themselves before draping the unconscious pony over their backs and walking them back to town.

When she made her way back to the library, intent on calling it a productive day and going to bed, an unwelcome surprise beckoned her over. Shining Armor, clad in his official Canterlot Royal Guard uniform, stood stoically next to her parents in the shadow of the great trunk.

“Mother, Father, Brother.” Twilight Velvet’s eyes sharped dangerously at her pronounced slur, one that the dragon hastened to correct, “What can I assist you all with? Are you lost by chance?”

“Of course not dear!” Her father exclaimed jovially, “We were hoping to join you for a night’s rest. Perhaps you could give us a tour tomorrow before the Celebration?”

Her mood plunged as a smile faker than her father’s perfect blue wig emerged on her face, “Not a problem. Please come in. I’d be delighted to give you a tour.”

Twilight pushed the door open, only to freeze in horror. Spike waved from within the circle of beings that crowded together in the center of the library. She saw Thorax, a griffon cub, a mule foal, a Gem Stray pup, and a filly. Spike scowled at her horrified face, only for it to morph into a facsimile of hers when Twilight Velvet asked from outside, “Is there something wrong, darling?”

“N-Not at all, Mother. It- it’s just terribly messy,” the dragon said faintly, “I’ll be right back, excuse me.”

Twilight slipped inside the tree, slamming the door shut with her back foot, shaking the topmost leaves of the building. She kept her foot pressed against the door in case her parents decided to waltz in. (It wasn’t paranoia if it’d happened before.) Adrenaline made her head spin.

“Alright children,” Twilight hoarsely called out, “How about you all go into Spike’s room? Some Canterlot ponies are outside. The balcony doors should be unlocked.”

The kids sprang up as if Twilight threatened them with stale hay pancakes. They all fled on silent feet up the stairs. The moment Spike’s door latched softly, Twilight eased the pressure against the door. It burst open with a wave of Magic that made her dizziness multiply two-fold.

“Honestly! We’re your parents, Twilight. A messy room isn’t something we haven’t seen before.”

Her laugh hurt her ears, “Sorry Mother, Father. You taught me to be presentable. I want to live up to that expectation.”

Her mother’s eyebrows disappeared into her mane, “I’m glad our lessons finally have an impact,” she said slowly, eyes roving through the books for some hidden secret, “Where is Young Spike?”

Wildly, she almost blurted out he was staying with a friend, except there was a thump in his room that made Twilight frantically swallow back the words, nearly gagging in her haste. “He must be in his room! Spike! Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle are here. Come greet them please!”

“Mind your slur,” Shining Armor muttered beside her shoulder.

For a fantastical moment, she imagined telling her brother to stuff it and to get out of her house. She managed not to. Barely.

Spike stuck his head out from his room, his mane disheveled and sticking up in odd directions. His vest was missing. “Grandmother! Grandfather! Hi Uncle!”

In true Sparkle fashion, Spike missed the first step on the stairs. Twilight wanted to scream hysterically as she watched it happen in slow motion. She staved off the urge as she hurried forward to catch her frazzled child.

“Woah! Thanks, Mom! Oh boy, I’m so tired I missed the stairs. Can you believe that?” he giggled sharply, and then whispered frantically, “Why are they here?”

“How in Tartarus would I know?” Twilight hissed back, before loudly clearing her throat and setting Spike on his hooves, “Be more careful in the future, Spike. Say your hellos and then you can go to bed.”

Spike greeted her parents so stiffly, Twilight was surprised that he didn’t fall over like a wooden board when he shook Shining Armor’s hoof. Her child retreated as fast as possible without running, slipping into his room without a backward glance.

Twilight Velvet arched her sculpted eyebrows in Twilight’s direction. The dragon pretended to be too busy fussing with the kettle and the luggage to notice.

“Mother, Father. My room is open for your use, I can room with Spike for the night. Brother, you’re free to whatever room strikes your fancy. Hot water before bed?” she offered.

Despite her initial panic, it was still amusing to see the rest of her family wrinkle their noses at simple hot water. Her parents disappeared into her room, leaving only Shining Armor sitting at the table with her.

“You’re really selfish, I hope you know,” Shining Armor said mildly, “You’re lucky to have parents like Mum and Dad.”

“I have a child, Brother. I need to be selfish for his sake.” Twilight sighed, tired.

“Spike isn’t yours.”

It had been over a decade since Twilight had an emotion-induced Magic Surge. Her muscles twisted on themselves, burning and stripping as her claw darted across the table to grab Shining Armor by the horn. The lights dimmed when her wings unfurled slowly, moving like they were stuck in molasses. She was absolutely sure her eyes glowed magenta as her Magic fought to escape its suddenly too-small container.

“Say that again,” she whispered, yanking his face close to hers, “Say it again and I promise you’d beg me for mercy.”

She heard her brother swallow past the roaring of her ears. Little splinters of Magic broke away from her scales, sparking as they bled off their excess energy. Shining Armor wrenched his horn from her grip, leaving her arm awkwardly stuck in the air. She didn’t care. Her eyes followed him as he backed away.

“Duly noted, Scion Sparkle. Have a good evening.”

A smile filled with too many teeth was his answer. He backed up the stairs, keeping her in his line of sight until he joined their parents in her room. The door closed and the lock slid home with a click.

As quietly as possible, Twilight lay down in the middle of the kitchen and acknowledged the liquid fire in her veins. A long time ago, as a filly, Twilight burned her hoof on the Manor stove. As a dragon, the only time she felt that sensation was during a Surge. Her jaw slackened as she kept her cries of agony silent. Her legs and arms kicked out and contorted in strange positions. She would not be sleeping tonight.





Twilight winced at the residual soreness as she shifted anxiously behind the balcony curtain. The Queen was late. Normally, Twilight wouldn’t have cared. A queen wasn’t late, everyone else was simply early. A queen showed up and they would be on time because that’s when they wanted to appear. Queen Celestia had her own way of counting time so who was her lowly student to judge? But the Queen wasn’t here to show up. There was no hint nor hide of the alicorn even as dawn crept closer.

The crowd of ponies shuffled, whispering amongst themselves. Twilight fought the impulse to fidget. Her son’s words rang in her ears, “I have evidence Nightmare Moon is coming back! The Stars will aid in her escape!” It was just the nerves talking. That whole idea was impossible.

Spike was down there somewhere with her parents and Shining Armor. She wanted to poke her head out from behind the curtain and see him for herself, if only to reassure her. He was probably sulking since he couldn’t spend time with his new friends. Either that or he’d snuck away to the refreshments table. Five more minutes until dawn.

Above her, Twilight could hear the clink of armor. For once, the Canterlot Royal Guards were not under the command of her older brother. They were under the command of Buckler, Shining Armor’s Executive Officer and an older earth pony that treated her and Spike well. She wanted to go and greet him. Many months had gone without her seeing him. But there were only three more minutes until the Celebration was to be underway.

Her checklist crumpled a little in her grip as she shifted again. If the Queen was any later, she might have to accompany the alicorn onto the balcony to relay all of the proper information. She really hoped she didn’t have to. Crowds were not her thing. One more minute.

A swooping dread made her stomach fall from her body. What in Equestria would she even say to the crowd? “My deepest apologies, the Queen is indisposed. Please wait a moment”? She cringed just thinking about delivering that with her speech impediment.

Before she could enter full panic mode, hoofbeats sounded at the stairs and Twilight sighed in relief. She got to her feet just as the door swung open, a severe, “Where in all of Equestria have you been, my Queen?” on the tip of her tongue.

The dark alicorn standing in the doorway, blinking in shock, was definitely not Queen Celestia.
> Stolen Child, Alicorns, Near Deaths (not in that order)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Translations of the Shakespearean will be at the bottom of the chapter.





The alicorn was short - about the same as a large earth pony. They would barely reach the bottom of Twilight’s chin if they stood up straight. Their fur was dark blue and orange, like the cusp of a beautiful sunset. Their mane was the color of a sunrise, pink and orange, glittering with white specks like stars. Sky blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. Their armor was the same color as their coat.

A second pair of hoofbeats sounded on the stairs. They were two minutes late for the Celebration and Twilight could only futilely hope that was the Queen arriving. Perhaps she would be able to explain the sudden appearance of an alicorn previously unknown to Equestria. Her wishes were dashed like a candle being extinguished.

A pitch-dark horn appeared on the stairs, slowly giving way to another alicorn that wasn’t the Queen. This one was much taller, the same size as the Queen. The alicorn was midnight black and wearing the most ethereal blue armor Twilight had ever seen. If it could even be called such, the mane floated above their head like purple early morning fog. Bleached white fangs poked out from their mouth and deep purple reptilian eyes dilated dangerously at the sight of her.

The dragon shivered until the tips of her horn-crowned head. That was before unadulterated rage like she’d never known exploded out from the alicorn with the force of an earthquake, leaving Twilight gasping for air. Waves of anger wafted from Nightmare Moon -- because who else in Tartarus could that possibly be -- as she stalked forward, the metal of her armor clashing awfully with the tiled floor.

“Master, prithee halcyon down. We hasn’t yet to maketh our announcement,” the smaller alicorn said in Old Ponyish.

Twilight jumped to her feet, not knowing when she’d fallen, and made a break for the balcony. The guards need to be warned! They were all in danger! She was seized in the alicorn’s Magic. Muscles that weren’t fully recovered from the ordeal the night before cramped. She’d been set fire to, thrown into the flames of Tartarus to burn for eternity.

Her throat nearly tore as she screamed from the overexposure. Surely someone would hear her. Surely the crowd couldn’t be loud enough to cover her cries. Her sense of balance failed her when Nightmare Moon dropped her in surprise. She managed one stumbling step before she keeled over, cracking the tiles underneath from the sheer pressure her bulk exerted. She trembled and twitched uncontrollably, unable to speak and unwilling to move. No one heard her.

“Pathetic. This is what mine own sister sends to vanquish me? Mine sister uses beasts still? T’ seemeth the Queen hasn’t learned.” Nightmare Moon rumbled in displeasure, stepping over her prone body to emerge on the spotlit balcony. The curtains parted for the alicorn.

Screams split the air as Nightmare Moon appeared. Her foreboding chuckle silenced the voices of panic which seemed to amuse her further. “Nay queen. Nay traveling lamp. Thee poor poor things. What shalt thee doth without thy savior, hmm?” Silence. Not a single pony shifted. And then, “Well? Citizens of Ponyville?”

How ironic it was that no citizen of Ponyville was in attendance. All of the ponies below were the richest from cities and settlements far away.

“Nightmare Moon!” Twilight could hear the tremble in Spike’s voice and she cursed the Gods for her son’s foolish decision, “You’ll be lucky to be alive when my mom gets through with you!”

The alicorn howled with mirth, bending down to peer over the railing, “Such a brave brave knave. Bid us thy nameth, child.”

“My name is Spike Sparkle and my mom is a dragon! You can’t defeat her!”

The small alicorn standing sentry next to her spun around, a glowing spell on the tip of her horn. A headache ripped through her mind like lightning. She was dunked into Tartarus’ inferno once more as Nightmare Moon lifted her for the crowd to see.

“What? This blinking idiot?” Nightmare Moon cackled, “Such a thing cannot defeat the Eternal Night. Heareth us anon, citizens. From this moment forth, the night shalt lasteth forever. Mine own daughter Nova and we shall ruleth from our wonderous castle in the Everfree liketh fusty times. Cometh Nova! Showeth the world our power!”

With that, Twilight was effortlessly tossed into the beautifully decorated chandelier, bringing crystals, streamers, and silver chains down as her weight caused it to detach from the ceiling. Ponies screamed and scattered, crowding against the walls as Twilight crashed through the floor. Her horns protected her from the sharpest bits of the chandelier, having caught and tangled it above her head. She wheezed, fear rendering her claws clumsy.

Distantly, without the aid of a microphone, Twilight heard Mayor Mare order the guards, “Seize her!” even though she wasn’t supposed to be ordering anyone around. It was the half a second hesitation on the guards’ part that cost them everything. Pure Magic expanded above the room, knocking every unicorn, guard or not, to the ground. Twilight roared, unable to avoid the backlash.

“Mom!” Spike yelled frantically, digging through the shattered crystal, “Mom! Nononono!”

“Get away!” she wanted to tell him, “Save yourself! Run!” but all of the air was still knocked from her body and she could only muster a faint groan.

A shadow dropped down in front of the wreckage. Nightmare Moon’s voice was horrendously close but Spike continued his reckless dig into the crystal and chains.

“So thy mother very much is a dragon. How peculiar of thee, Spike Sparkle,” the alicorn said in smooth dark tones, “Such loyalty and bravery did display before us. Thee wonnetht run? Standing before us?”

And her child, Spike Sparkle, in his clipped Canterlot accent declared shakily, “I will run when Tartarus freezes over.”

“No!” Twilight wanted to shout, “No! You will run now!” But the stones pressing against her chest prevented her from drawing breath. Gray spots floated across her vision.

The alicorn hummed, and Twilight got the impression she was surveying the silent crowd, “Such bravery,” she repeated, “None of thee dareth to speaketh except this child. None of thee dareth to saveth this beast except this child. The Queen hast hath raised cowards!” The last word echoed as the alicorn boomed.

“Spike Sparkle shalt maketh a wondrous Captain of the Night Guard. How fusty art thee, Spike Sparkle?”

Twilight finally found the strength to begin shifting the crystal, heaving nigh fruitlessly against it. Her claws fumbled and slipped, fumbled and slipped again, and she was ready to cry from the injustice of it all. Above the crater she was in, Spike remained quiet. Nightmare Moon snorted approvingly once more.

“Thee holdeth up well ‘gainst intimidation-” the alicorn cut herself off as something exploded from the ground and hit her armor.

The wave of nausea that flowed over Twilight told her Spike likely tried to do something with his Earth Magic. Nightmare Moon cackled again, sounding extraordinarily pleased. The dragon gripped the heavy metal band that most of the crystals dangled off of and shoved. Her claws did not slip. She finally had enough room to woozily sit up.

“We hast chosen well. Cometh Princess Nova, hence with us.”

“Aye, mine own Master.”

Magic thickened in the air as Princess Nova charged her horn for teleportation. Twilight screeched and recoiled, reaching out to blindly grab onto Spike. Her claws swiped nothing but air. That enough had her cracking open her eyes past the shooting pain. Horror-struck, she watched Princess Nova, Nightmare Moon, and Spike vanish in a flash of starlight.

“Spike!”

She bellowed so loudly she tasted copper in the back of her throat. But the pain could not compare to the crushing feeling in her heart when she realized her son, her entire world, had been stolen from right in front of her. Her vision faded to gray as she hauled herself out of the broken crystal.

How dare she. How dare someone steal from a dragon. Her claws dug into the floorboards, causing them to splinter. Smoke poured from her mouth like water, billowing up to obscure her glowing eyes. The dragon roared again, shaking the roof. Ponies screamed, scattering like the flies they were.

She was weightless. Gravity was nonexistent as her eyes unseeingly wandered. She took a strange step forward like she was moving through water and not air. She howled her fury for all to hear, a stream of bubbles escaping her snout. She was going to drown, but she didn’t care. Her world was gone, stolen, so far away she might as well have been walking upside down because nothing made sense. Gravity slammed back down and air expanded her lungs.

Red crawled in from the corners of her vision. The dragon inhaled, tracing the Magic that wrenched her world away. The Everfree. The trail led there, to that old shriveled Leyline. The dragon ran at the wood separating her from the outside. Planks cracked and broke as she smashed straight through the door. For some reason, the image of a banister stood out starkly in her mind. 

Her claws dug furrows into the dirt as she hauled her body forward. She crashed nose-first into gold metal so shiny she could see her reflection. The dragon snarled, twisting to go around. Nothing would stand in her way. She wouldn’t allow it.

Celestia raised a hoof, trying to placate her student, only for the dragon to hiss and snap down with sharp teeth, ripping parts of her armor to pieces and denting it deeply. Gasps rose all around from all the ponies. The dragon did not care, spitting out the metal. Celestia put her hoof back down, flaring her wings in warning as her eyes narrowed.

Something in the dragon made it pause as it took in the only being that was the same height. That hesitation didn’t last very long and the alicorn’s eyes widened in shock as the dragon lunged. Instinctively a pearlescent wing moved to shield her face. Claws and fangs slid off of the reinforced feathers and the dragon growled.

It spun in place to begin its headlong charge into the Everfree, giving up on fighting the alicorn, eyes glowing like lamps. It probably would've reached the forest within minutes if Celestia hadn't captured the beast in her Magic. The dragon howled, enraged as pain assaulted it, preventing it from escaping. Purple flames hotter than anything known to pony-kind sped toward the alicorn's face and she didn't manage to shield herself in time, leaving her ethereal mane smoking.

The alicorn dropped the dragon to throw up a transparent half-sphere that the flames harmlessly rolled off of. The dragon threw open its wings, growling and snarling like something possessed. It roared before taking flight, throwing one last hateful glance at the being that dared to try and stop it. Soon it blended in with the night sky and was lost.





“Bloody fools!” Lieutenant Buckler roared, spittle flying from his mouth. Celestia hid a grimace with practiced ease. “There was an order! Why didn’t any of you follow it? I want answers, soldiers!” He howled again when no one responded. “I saw some of you move when she gave that order! Why didn’t you follow through?!”

The alicorn thought that quite hypocritical considering the earth pony hadn’t done anything either. Thinking about it, it wasn’t really like he could do anything, to begin with. Who thought it’d be a good idea to promote cannon fodder up the ranks when the pony couldn’t even cast spells?

“As you were, Lieutenant,” Captain Armor said sharply, “That pony was not qualified to be giving orders.”

As Queen, she was to remain impartial on matters such as this, but a small part of her couldn’t help but agree with her Captain. Good soldiers listen to orders, that was true; however, the orders needed to come from a reliable source. Equestria would’ve descended into chaos if all of her soldiers listened to anypony without a single thought for themselves.

“And she was the only one that did when we are all sitting on our arses!” The Canterlot-born earth pony cried, “Imagine that, Captain! A civilian! Giving orders! Because we're all too bloody useless!”

Now that comment was a bit of a stretch. As her Captain said during the debrief, he had tried to evacuate civilians but the dragon and the two unknown alicorns had gotten in the way. It wouldn’t be fair of her to judge a pony for things out of their control.

Her mood soured at the thought of her sister and her sister’s so-called adopted child. Celestia had thought a thousand years confined to the moon would’ve been enough for her sister to see the error of her ways. Clearly, her sister’s experiments with creating artificial alicorns had done something to her psyche. The earth pony, Nera or Nerva or something like that, had most definitely made Luna worse of a pony than before.

That brought her to her most glaring problem. The assignment Celestia gave her student seven years ago should’ve made her student hope, if not yearn to return to being a pony. And yet the only thing the assignment made the dragon do was drop every single little thing, even failing multiple tests to take care of what now Twilight Sparkle called her son. Her student had even named the pitiful thing and took it everywhere with her like a small filly would with a stuffed animal.

The alicorn broke numerous Magical laws to get what her student most desired and the beast that had taken over the brilliant-minded unicorn suddenly thought of the dragon-turned-pony as her own child. Her student had assured her many times she was fine being a dragon, but Celestia could see behind those unnaturally slit eyes to the pony ones crying out in helplessness.

What happened tonight only confirmed her initial suspicions. The Beast had quietly lain in wait until Celestia’s worst enemy returned. Either Twilight would beat it back, and then deal with her sister like she hoped she would, or her problem had multiplied twofold and not only had to deal with a senile alicorn bent on world destruction, but she also had to deal with a mindless rampaging dragon who desperately wanted to tear Celestia’s head from her shoulders. At least it wasn’t anything she hadn’t handled before.

She could only hope her student could resist her sister’s deceptions. She knew from experience her sister spoke lies as easily as a spider spinning a web. Magic had chosen her student so many moons ago. Hopefully, the Elements could tell her student was still a pony under all of those scales. Twilight Sparkle was one of the most brilliant minds Celestia ever had the pleasure of guiding. Dare she say, her current student would probably be better than Star Swirl the Bearded if she weren’t a dragon.

Her successor would usher Equestria into a new era and go down in legends as the second most powerful leader. A student could never surpass the teacher after all. It wasn’t like her student had an affinity for the sun, not like her predecessor. Sunset Shimmer showed so much promise at a young age. But Twilight had more, so much more.

She was momentarily brought out of her musings by her Captain.

“I said ‘As you were’ Lieutenant,” Captain Armor snarled, “Stand down before I have you court-martialed.”

“This is a gross breach of national security,” the earth pony huffed before settling back into formation. “Might I add that you’re not even on duty, Captain?”

Her Captain of the Guard shoved his sallow face into the earth pony’s, “Know. Your. Place. Soldier.”

“For the Love of the Moon, I’m your XO,” the earth pony muttered under his breath.

Shining Armor was one of the best Captains that ever served her. Meticulous in choosing recruits and notoriously known for not giving second chances, Captain Armor would make his predecessors proud indeed. Her troops were the best drilled they’ve been since the war with the Crystal Empire eons ago.

As married to his job as he was, she could tell the loss of his little sister hit him hard. He was more surly and angry than most of her little ponies, but there was a drive in him that made the alicorn respect his dedication. If Celestia ever found enough power to be able to change her student back, her Captain would be the first to know.

“Your Divine Majesty,” Captain Armor intoned, bowing low, “How would you like us to proceed, my Queen?”

“First thing shall to be secure the borders of Canterlot. We cannot allow the enemy to enter our Capital.” It couldn’t hurt to be cautious.

“It will be done, your Majesty.”

As the guards retreated, Celestia sighed. First things first. She would need to deal with her sister’s loose experiment. For all the good that her sister passed on the mantle of Stars onto the fake alicorn, that’s all that the experiment was: a fake alicorn. At least Cadence had ascended naturally and accepted Celestia’s mantle of Love with grace.

The old ruler inhaled deeply, charging her horn to scry. Slowly but surely an image of a dark blue coat dusted with the faintest of orange appeared in front of her. Good, the experiment was alone. Celestia took flight, tracing the Magic that tethered the subject of the scry to her horn.

The Magic of the Everfree, once welcoming and spoke of home, slithered over her like numerous cold snakes. She beheaded the tendrils and scorched the stumps with the power of the Sun like one would do to vanquish a hydra. The unnatural forest Magic recoiled as if it didn’t expect the alicorn to take such drastic measures. Celestia almost scoffed at the thought. Magic wasn’t alive.

She descended through the trees toward her target. The fake alicorn screeched, firing off a frankly pathetic beam of Magic that easily reflected off of Celestia’s armor. It was almost too easy to pin the smaller pony to the forest floor and put it to sleep. Even in slumber, the pony tried to fight, eyelids twitching and limbs jerking.

Celestia incased the experiment into a bubble and teleported back to the outskirts of Ponyville. If the old alicorn had been paying more attention, she would’ve felt the enraged fury of an alicorn deep in the Everfree Forest. But when had Queen Celestia ever paid attention to things beneath her notice?





She was vaguely aware of running. Her muscles burned and both of her shoulders smarted as she careened into trees. Her claws ached as they pounded into the ground and into tough roots. Why was she running? Was something chasing her? No. No, something had been taken and she was getting it back. What was she trying to get back?

Twilight came to just as she jumped clear across a small ravine that she never would’ve come close to, let alone try to jump. She shrieked in midair, groggy and panicked, her suddenly flailing wings and tail throwing her trajectory off and sending her into a boulder. Her horns glanced off painfully and she twisted to the side to avoid the rest of her body following the same fate.

Her shoulder met no resistance and with dawning horror, Twilight realized she’d just twisted straight toward the ravine. Her back claws skidded, carving into the dirt. She screamed again, her world freezing as she gracefully fell over the cliff. The wind whistled in her ears and every muscle in her body clenched. She couldn’t have opened her wings even if she tried.

There was a loud rumble and Twilight could only dreadfully think, “Avalanche!” before she smacked painfully onto a sideways spire of rock that definitely hadn’t been there before. The sound of her scales meeting the rock made some distant part of her mind cringe. Her vision flickered as she rebounded, tipped off, and continued her fall. Someone far far above swore, vehemently and loudly.

Her back smacked against another pillar of rock, breaking numerous spines and cracking scales. Somehow, by the gods’ design or some other blessed string of fate, she didn’t fall off. She gripped the rock so hard her claws carved white lines into it. Talons scraped against the stone as Rainbow Dash landed.

“Well, ain’t you all fricked up. What happened? You were doing fine until the jump.”

Twilight could only moan miserably in pain, shuffling gingerly until she could take the pressure off her back. Everything was jelly, it hurt to move. She should really exercise more. Being a hermit that lived in a tower had its downsides.

“What? I just woke up,” Twilight coughed, “Sleepwalking? Last thing I remember…” she trailed off, casting her mind back. Right, the Celebration. The Queen was late. Alicorns! Nightmare Moon! Spike! Twilight jumped to her feet, nearly pitching off again as her vision whited out at the action. Rainbow Dash steadied her with a worried look.

“Woah! Hey now, let’s get you back to camp first.”

“Spike! I need to find Spike!” She almost slipped again as she shouted. How could she forget something like that? Her son, taken by literally the worst nightmare anyone could think of. All alone in the Forest. The trail was growing faint and cold. If she didn’t follow it now it would be lost.

Immediately Rainbow Dash’s expression darkened, “Someone took him? Come on. You can explain when we get back to camp and then put together a search party.”

“You don’t understand,” Twilight babbled as she mindlessly followed Rainbow Dash. She needed to go. Right now. “He’s-”

“You’re right,” The griffon interrupted with a kind face, “I don’t understand. But I will, alright? Everyone at camp will listen. Let’s get you away from death first. Fluttershy! A little help here, Twilight might have a concussion, for real this time.”

The dragon wanted to snarl. She did not have a concussion! She didn’t want to go to camp. What she wanted was Spike safely in her arms and this whole thing to be a dream. Smoke issued from her nose, but she quailed under Fluttershy’s intense glare.

“You cannot find Spike if you’re dead,” Fluttershy said softly, taking the wind from Twilight’s sails, “Come.”

The larger hippogryph remained on the rock in case she had to catch Twilight while Rainbow Dash took the lead and guided Twilight up the cliff. At the top, Lady Applejack had paced a circle into the foliage, and the earth pony sighed in relief at their appearance.

“Gave us quite tha fright there, Taskmaster. You okay?”

The reaction was so at odds with how the earth pony had been treating the dragon it made her head spin more than it already was. She was certain Lady Applejack despised her guts, so why in Equestria was she sighing in relief at her wellbeing?

Rainbow Dash grunted, “Concussion probably. Broken scales along her back. Might be a good idea to check her wings. She has an announcement to make back at camp. Spike’s been taken.”

Lady Applejack nodded, completely unperturbed, “‘Ight then. Let’s go.”

Twilight raised her head, forcing the mush that was her brain to memorize where the trail ended. Spike. Mom is coming. 
> The Forest Team
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Translations of the Shakespearean will be at the bottom. Thank you for reading.





She should’ve known better than to let Nova out of her sight. Her sweet naive child was too eager to explore. Nightmare Moon understood. Of course, she did. Every time her horseshoe scuffed against the dirt or brushed past the grass it made her breath catch in her chest. All of it was so alien compared to the bone-chilling ache of being stuck in between death. Every breath was savored before being exhaled.

Over a thousand years ago, if someone told Princess Luna that she would find breathing to be taken for granted, she would’ve thrown her head back and howled with laughter. Nightmare Moon breathed in, letting the air swirl in her chest, fanning the flames of terror and anger. How dare her sist -- no, that heartless alicorn did not deserve to be called her sister. Not anymore. Not after what she has done and what she will continue to do. 

How dare the Queen steal her child away. Precious Nova, who did not know much of anything except the freezing cold and hard rock, starving and unable to breathe but not dying. Yes, Nightmare Moon was beyond anger. The alicorn breathed, letting her pacing settle. Her eyes landed on her newest companion.

Spike Sparkle was a small conundrum. He’d been so very brave at the Ceremony, defending a drakon from her her full wrath. But now he was listless, tear tracks dried on his muzzle, and staring off into nowhere. His little vest was filthy from the dust of the chandelier. The only good thing, she supposed, was that his eyes flickered when she entered his field of vision.

“Art thee good now? I can't has't mine own captain of the guardeth be-est weak.” She tried her hardest to restrain her voice to a manageable level after noticing he constantly flinched when she used the Royal Canterlot voice. “If it be true thee wanteth, I can showeth thee where thee can catch but a wink?”

Spike Sparkle whimpered but nodded, hiccuping slightly as he spoke for the first time since he’d stepped hoof in the old castle, “You talk like Shakespeare. You’re lucky Mom made me study him. I wouldn’t understand without that.”

“I knoweth not of this Shakespeare thee speaketh of,” the alicorn admitted as she led the colt through the broken halls, pleased he was showing signs of incredible intelligence.

She pushed open the door of what used to be the barracks and winced at the destruction. The roof was just flat out gone and vines crept in from the cracks in the walls. The beds, if they even deserved to be described as such anymore, were nothing more than rotted flaps of questionable material suspended by rusted iron framework.

It used to be grand. Home to a battalion of Thestrals and Ponies that loyally served. Back then they were simply called the Royal Guard. She could still name her closest officers. Shadow Prancer, Black Thorn, Night Flight, Silent Owl.

“I’m sleeping here?” the boy’s voice was soft as if she would explode and curse him for asking a simple question. He quickly added upon seeing her narrowed eyes, “I don’t mind of course. I’d be happy to sleep here.”

“Nay, of course not. I wast simply did strike by nostalgia.” She glanced down at him and snorted, “It isn't wise to forswear to thy Master. Doth not doth it again.”

Spike Sparkle flinched and the alicorn pushed away the flare of rage that accompanied the action. Whoever raised this child had not done so correctly. Who was she kidding? The entire society that surrounded this child was wholly wrong, to begin with. A simple sweep of the gathered ponies at the Celebration revealed mainly unicorns.

She would not stand for it when she took the throne proper. She would search the deepest ravines and the highest of clouds to find the remnants of her Thestral Guard. They had to exist somewhere. Unless the Queen had seen fit to eradica-- no she would not think like that. Her Night Children were alive. She did not raise cowards and weaklings. 

“Bid me,” the alicorn said, startling the colt in the quiet that fell as they walked, “What didst thee doth to earneth thy second nameth? Bid me thy knightly escapades.”

“It’s my mom’s.” Spike Sparkle said, carefully picking his words, “I was uhh, birthed…? Yeah, let’s go with that. I was birthed in a shower of sparkles.”

The child was lying to her again. But then again, it had been quite a personal question. She would not punish him for sparing her something embarrassing from his colt-hood. She hummed in response, finally cracking open a door that revealed a somewhat nice room. A quick spell fixed up the mattress and a second spell scrapped all the dust in the room into a small ball that she banished.

The child walked in and turned in a circle, looking curiously at the carved Runes and Sigils on the walls. Before the alicorn could open her mouth to tell him not to touch, lest he accidentally activates the thief alarm, he pressed his hoof into the stonework and pressed his Magic into it. Instantly, the room warmed and the colt sighed in relief.

“Ever not doth something liketh yond again. Thee couldst've been hath killed!” Her voice echoed in the small room.

Spike Sparkle jumped like he’d been struck by lightning, ears folding flat on his head. “I can read some of them. I knew what that one would do.”

“Yond is nay colours. Doth not, ever.” Nightmare Moon said coldly, heart beating wildly at ‘what if’s.

“Yes, Master.” And it was the way he said it, with that hopeless tone tinged with resignation. She swallowed the bile that threatened to escape the confines of her mouth and bade him a good rest. She closed the door and teleported back into the Throne Room, mane shimmering and fluttering like blue flames.

As upset as she was, she still had work to do. First thing first, she had to somehow fix a damnable Leyline. She pushed her frustration away. She was Nightmare Moon; if anyone could fix a Leyline, it would be her. For Nova. For Spike Sparkle. For her Night Children. Or she would die trying. The alicorn set to work.





The Magic of the Everfree hung like a haze over the trees. The Magic here was like Canterlot’s in the sense that it smothered all it encompassed. But mostly the Magic was different. Canterlot’s was bright, blinding, and almost completely overwhelming to the dragon. The Everfree’s was more natural and slightly easier on the senses. It didn’t chase away Twilight’s pounding headache though.

The dragon hissed through her teeth as Fluttershy poked and prodded at the broken scales along her back. A bitter-smelling salve already coated most of her back, leaving the slimy cooling sensation to cover the most damaged parts. It was itchy. Her limbs twitched as she fought her instincts to get up and start running again.

“Stop moving, child,” a voice boomed kindly, “Thank you, Fluttershy. I can take over from here.”

“Oh, Donnie. No problem. I already finished with the salves. You probably know more about this than I do.” Twilight twisted her head around, jaw dropping open in surprise at the much larger earthly-toned dragon that appeared. The dragon trailed chains and his scales were cracked and dull. One of his eyes was white and milky. He had no wings and a long serpentine body.

The dragon laughed without opening his mouth. In fact, his mouth was bolted by a band of Magic suppressing titanium strapping it mostly shut. The metal was a void, an abyss threatening to suck Twilight down. Everything had Magic to it, no matter how small there would be trace amounts. The metal was nothing, had nothing, and would continue to take and take. Twilight shuddered.

“You have done well, dear. Leave it to old Don. Go on, eat, rest. Bring me Lady Applejack after. After!” he chided again when Fluttershy opened her beak. The hippogryph smiled before leaving.

“What happened to you?” Twilight rasped to the older dragon before she could even think, “How come your…” she trailed off, embarrassment making her voice die.

Donnie’s eyes crinkled, “This, child, is what happens when our kind go out to see the world. Zero out of ten, I would not recommend. Now!” he clapped his hands, adopting a professional air, “I am your assigned Healer. I am De-lóng, in Ponyish. Don or Donnie is acceptable. No introduction is needed, Taskmaster Sparkle. Let’s see what can be done for you.” 

“...Did someone hurt you?”

The dragon shot her a rather flat look that made Twilight quail, but his voice was kind and patient when he spoke again, “You’re showing signs of hoard withdrawal so be sure to spend some time in your den when you’re done here.”

“What withdrawal?” Twilight croaked and the old dragon frowned. It was a frightening expression with his bushy eyebrows drawn low over his eyes and his mouth turning down at the corners.

“Oh, dear child. Where were you hatched? I might go to your Tribe and have words with them about educating their hatchlings properly.” he sighed, sitting next to her bed of leaves, “Hoard withdrawal happens when dragons like you -- by which I mean a more Western type like you -- don’t spend enough time with your hoard. See your limbs child? They have an energy to them, don’t they?” Twilight nodded, mind whirling faster than a tornado and clenching her claws to keep them still. “Your body is telling you to return to it.”

“I wasn’t hatched. I don’t have a hoard,” Twilight responded slowly. “I don’t have a Tribe. I don’t have any of those things, you see. My Mother and Father are-”

The dragon snarled and growled suddenly making Twilight snap her mouth shut. The rumbles in his chest and throat made the bed shake with minute tremors. His single eye looked at her expectantly. He chuffed and hissed and Twilight flinched. Then his expression became blank.

“You did not understand.” After hearing his growls Twilight finally realized he was Magically projecting what he wanted to say to the area around him. No wonder the words were so clear. She needed to learn how to do that. But his statement wasn’t a question.

Donnie looked over her again, “Child,” he said impossibly gently, “Do not fret. Tell me your story. There are not enough dragons left in this world, I will not harm younglings. I can see you will not be resting. Tell me your story so that I may understand.”

Twilight wanted to roar and rip at her bedding. She didn’t have time for this, but the old dragon’s expression brokered no argument. She wasn’t foolish enough to try and disobey him when he could very well wrap a single hand around her throat with ease. So, Twilight took a deep breath and began, “I was born to unicorns Twilight Velvet and Night Light in the Capital…”





Dear Queen Celestia,

To begin, I hope you are well. I don’t know if this letter will appear to the intended recipient, but I hope so. Honestly, I do not know where to begin with this. Many things have happened in a very short amount of time. I am currently resting before setting out to find Spike. As you know already, probably, the alicorn Nightmare Moon has made her return along with Princess Nova.

Truthfully, I am still slightly dubious about their claims. If they were alicorns, you would’ve mentioned them at some point. Is it true Nightmare Moon is your sister? The beings here in Ponyville have been so kind to me even though I’ve been ruder than I would’ve liked. The stress of the Celebration really got to me.

Many sources in this town say they must submit paperwork to Canterlot every year and that the fines are astronomical. Do you know anything about that? The town is still in debt from a mistake in the system, something about lost papers, from decades ago! It’s quieter here in Ponyville. There are not even enough unicorns to have a Leyline form. Imagine that, my Queen. It’s very different from the hustle and bustle of Canterlot.

My limbs are all restless from being away from Spike. I’m sorry if the legibility of this letter leaves much to be desired. A mentor of sorts has informed me that it’s called hoard withdrawal. I didn’t even know it was possible for someone like me to have a hoard! That makes it kind of dangerous since my hoard is a living breathing pony. My mentor promised to show me how to slowly detach from all that later on. It’ll be much safer for everyone involved. Books or scrolls would be cool hoarding materials I reckon.

Did you know that Dragons have their own Magic? I’m not sure if I can tap into it since I’m so attuned to Unicorn Magic. My mentor said it’s supposed to come naturally, so I’m not sure how that’s supposed to go. It sounds like a worthwhile project to start on when everything is all done and dusted.

I miss you and I hope you’re in hiding like a sensible pony. If you’re in a position to do so, would you be able to send someone to check on my parents and my brother? I may or may not have lost my mind a little after Spike was taken from me. I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up. Do you know what became of the rest of my family? I hope no one was hurt.

Don’t you worry, I’ll report back to Canterlot as soon as I have recovered and ensured Spike’s safety.

Your pupil,
Twilight Sparkle, Student of the Sun

<hr>

Don clucked in a disapproving manner upon finding her sitting upright. She handed over her letter and the charcoal she borrowed from him, “Do you think it’s too long?”

He skimmed her letter, “The Queen is not your master, child. The world hasn’t yet fallen apart has it? Trust in her that she knows what to do. Retrieve your young and then rest. It would not be wise to go about dragging your youngling around after being rescued, would it?” he sighed, “A child like you shouldn’t already have children at such an age.”

“I know, you said that when I first told you. And again, ponies are considered adults when they reach eighteen summers. In their eyes, I’ve been an adult for six summers already.”

“Bah!” Don waved her words away, watching her curiously as she set the parchment alight with Letter Fire, “What is a single summer to a creature like me, eh? I’ve seen at least two hundred of those and I have yet to be a sire to any younglings.”

Twilight watched the smoke spiral away into the canopy above. At least that meant it was going somewhere. The old dragon pushed a bowl of stew into her claws with a single stern reminder to eat all of it. He settled himself near the edge of her vision, closing his eyes to doze.

Her limbs were twitcher than ever, trembling, jerking, and occasionally causing her to splash stew into her face. Five hours since Spike was stolen. Three hours since she’d jumped that bloody ravine and nearly fallen to her death. And one hour since her conversation with Don. She was ready to vibrate out of her scales. Stew splashed over her snout and Twilight frowned.

Lady Applejack chose that moment to enter the calm clearing. Twilight immediately put her bowl down, earning the stink eye from Don.

“Tha Timberwolves came back from searchin’,” Lady Applejack said without prompting, carefully eyeing Twilight, “They didn’ find him, but the scent’s ‘round that old castle like ya said. There’s some old Magic ‘round that place, stops them wolves from goin’ in.”

“Thank you, Lady Applejack. I’ll head out right away-”

“What in tarnation-!”
“Child.”

Lady Applejack looked gobsmacked while Don simply sounded exasperated.

“Ya doggone nearly fell down that cliff! Ah can send out some Magic teams-”

“I specialize in Magic,” Twilight said angrily, “Any and all. That’s my cutie mark, Lady Applejack. Give me a type of Magic and I will find a way to master it given enough time. Don’t bloody test me! That’s my son.” She added with a hiss.

A chain smacked her shoulder and her teeth were clamping down on the metal faster than she could process the fact. Don’s eyes crinkled at the corners, kind, and patient. Sheepishly, Twilight let go, allowing Don to lean back, taking the dark pull of the Magic suppression with him.

“She is well enough to travel, Lady Applejack.” he glanced at her again, “Any more time away from her hoard is time lost.”

The earth pony looked skyward at the stars for a moment, visibly composing herself. “Alrigh’ then. Meet us in Camp. Twenty minutes. Let’s git yer kid back.”





The team Lady Applejack put together was large. At least to Twilight, it was. Including her, there would be six in the group, not counting the pack of wolves that would be shadowing them. Lady Rarity stood at the head of the group, nodding impassively at the dragon. Behind her stood Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and the small pegasus, Pinkie Pie.

“Impressive team, Lady Applejack.” 

“E’yup, this way no one is goin’ to be affected much by all that pesky Magic. ‘Less I bring you along, Sir Don, this’ll be the best we got.”

Don boomed a laugh, “The flattery will get you far in life, little pony. This dragon is far too old to be galavanting off through the forest.”

“Didn’t you say you weren’t old-”

“Our little secret, child. Go on. Come back and I’ll teach you some more. Gives these old bones something to do.” Don winked. It was only ruined by the fact that effectively with only one working eye and it turned into something more like a blink. Pinkie Pie giggled, ruffling her feathers. Don chuckled back and waved as they set out.

“‘I’m still young’ he says,” Twilight muttered under her breath as the group started walking, “‘Dragons live long’ he says. Then he goes about telling everyone he’s a decrepit old beast ready to wither away for his own amusement.”

“I think he does that to make Granny Smith feel young,” the pink pegasus stage whispered, “She brags about ‘running circles around that old coot’ sometimes.”

“Oh come on now,” Lady Applejack laughed, “Don’t be goin’ ‘round spoilin’ all her fun. Granny Smith knows. Them old dogs like to pretend no one else does.”

“Sir Donnie has been here for so long, no one’s kept track,” Fluttershy explained to Twilight as everyone chuckled.

The trip was relatively uneventful, guided by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash while everyone talked and laughed. As the group approached the heavily protected castle, Twilight could see what the wolves meant. Unlike everyone else, Twilight could actually see the Magic thrum in the air, winding around in the familiar pace of Alicorn Magic. The scouting wolves crowded around the edge of the glowing barrier.

“Why’re you guys stopped?” Rainbow Dash frowned.

“Wait!” Twilight cried.

Rainbow Dash’s talons stepped neatly into the glowing bubble that only she could see and a sound not unlike thunder roared through the trees. Sharp pain bloomed behind the dragon’s eyes as she threw up the strongest shield she could make without passing out. Lady Rarity was only a moment behind as a wall of what looked to be diamond exploded out from the ground to add to the protection.

Two wolves were left outside, clawing pathetically at the walls to be let in. A blinding flash of light crashed down upon Twilight’s shield and she grunted, screwing her eyes shut. The sound came a second later, ripping through the tranquil air of the forest.

When Twilight opened her eyes, the two Timberwolves were nothing more than flaming branches on the ground. The two wolves that had been spared whined pitifully at the sight. Twilight dispelled her shield with a sigh of relief, frowning at the Forest Magic that floated above the smothering branches. She lifted the blackened branches in place, substituting the missing wood with her own constructs.

The Magic of the wolves slipped back into their bodies and yipped happily, glowing green and purple. Everyone stared at her, open-mouthed. Her tail lashed awkwardly as she asked, “What?”

“Did you just give Leaf and Reed real paws and tails?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously, “How’s that even possible?”

Twilight looked back at the wolves. Her constructs had turned into transparent lavender tails and paws complete with fur. “I guess I did. I just gave them constructs. The wolves made that on their own.”

“You struggle to do simple spells but you can simply ‘make’ constructs?” Lady Rarity asked with an arched eyebrow, “I’m sorry darling, that is rather hard to believe.”

“I’ll explain how that works later,” Twilight said impatiently, “If we don’t move, more lightning will come down in the next few minutes.”

The group hurried on, Twilight taking point as she navigated them around Magical pitfalls and Dream Fog. “I don’t have a limiter in my horns,” the dragon said when she felt confident enough to talk and sense traps at the same time, “I keep making Magic until it spills over. I can sense and see Magic, always have. Making constructs is easy because it’s not a spell. It’s just like me ripping a scale off and giving it to one of you.”

“And you called us the mad ones,” Lady Rarity sighed, “You’re an enigma wrapped in a riddle, Taskmaster Twilight.”

She drew breath to reply, but a huge looming Magical signature appeared before them. Twilight stopped suddenly and Rainbow Dash crashed into her tail spikes, her armor taking the brunt of the damage.

“Hey, what gives-?”

“Well well well, behold what tis,” Nightmare Moon said silkily appearing through the fog, “The drakon arrives. Impressive navigation through mine own traps. Thee deserve applause.”

“Geter!” Rainbow Dash ordered the wolves.

The wolves charged, but a single spell from the alicorn immobilized the wolves. The alicorn snorted, “It seemeth I has't been mistaken. The Night Children liveth. Thee wilt knoweth where mine own thestral guardeth liveth.”

“Ah don’ know what fancy shmancy talk yer talkin’. Give us Spike an’ no one gits hurt.”

The alicorn hummed thoughtfully, making no move to attack, “A tradeth then. Who isn't shall thee giveth me in his lodging?”

“Me.” Twilight immediately said, speaking over the group’s collective disapproval, “A dragon is stronger than a pony. Is that a fair trade, Nightmare Moon?”

“Forsooth,” the alicorn agreed, “Didst thee heareth yond, Spike Sparkle? Thee servitude ends on this hour. Farewell. I shall misseth thy enlightening conversations.”

There was a clatter of hooves on the ground and then her world settled as Spike threw himself into her arms. She breathed in his scent. “Voluntarily leaving your hoard is a way to prevent the energy from gathering. Being taken from or having it getting taken from you is what causes this energy.”

“Let my friends pass through.” 

“'Twill be-est done,” the alicorn promised.

She squeezed Spike tightly, pretending she couldn’t hear his sobs as he tried his hardest to stay in her grasp. “I need you to be brave for me, Spike. You’ve been so brave, but you need to be brave for a little longer okay? I love you.”

Her son was crying too much to be able to get a word in. She passed him off to Fluttershy, claws burning where she last touched her child. She stepped into the fog, deliberately under the wing the alicorn extended. The shadows around them writhed, swirling around the alicorn like a hurricane. Very quickly, she lost sight of the group.

They reappeared in what looked to be a throne room. The alicorn huffed at Twilight’s wince. Up close, the alicorn's eyes were bloodshot, and a mirror of Twilight’s eyes if they were blue instead of magenta.

“Catch but a wink, drakon, until I knoweth what to doth with thee.” The alicorn shoved her horn into Twilight’s forehead and the dragon could only dread the Magic induced Dreams. The spell flashed and Twilight knew no more.
> Dreams of the Lost
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

TW: Intrusive thoughts that deal with harming children, mention of a parental figure leaving, slight body horror, mentions of previous physical abuse, ableism, objectification of a character. Skipping this chapter is totally okay, there will be notes at the bottom with a small summary of the chapter if you’d rather not read this one. Take care of yourselves.





When Twilight blinked, there was a jarring surge of unfamiliarity. The air in the Tower didn’t smell right. Magic did not swirl through her abode like usual. It was all sterile, lacking the sensation of home. But the sunlight falling through her window was absolutely divine. It was warm and Twilight had to fight the impulse to yawn and curl up further in her bed.

She didn’t particularly feel like herself. Some distant part of her flailed and screamed to be heard, but Twilight’s eyelids drooped and warmth suffused in her bones. A quick mental check confirmed she still had all of her horns, claws, and scales. She was worrying over nothing. Probably just the aftermath of the strange dream she had.

Kitchenware clattered somewhere downstairs and Twilight let out a comforted sigh. Spike was probably making breakfast himself because he was a “big dragon now”. She stretched, feeling the pleasant burn of her muscles up and down her back. The floor was abnormally cold and she shivered, feeling the tip of her tail go numb despite only being out of the covers for a short time.

She stretched again, digging her blunt claws into the tiles and cringing as they scraped noisily along. A new scent drifted under her nose, that of her son. She ambled down the stairs to find him. Just as she thought, he was trying to make pancakes and oats, squinting at the cookbook and then squinting at the ingredients he had in the bowl.

“And what is little Heir Sparkle doing up at this hour?” Twilight jested playfully after observing the proceedings for a while, “Surely not up for school already? I haven’t even had coffee yet!”

The cold had made its way up her claws and tail to settle somewhere in the middle of her limbs. The sun pouring in from the windows near the roof provided much-needed warmth. Almost as an afterthought, Twilight lit her horns to heat the oven, something Spike had forgotten to do. For a singular moment, Spike’s green slit eyes flashed with something like hatred and anger.

“Don’t need your help.”

Twilight chuckled, long since used to his unpredictable mood swings. The woes of raising a teenage dragon. Her tongue rested awkwardly in her mouth and she flicked it out several times to get to sit properly. The cold was beginning to crawl up her ears and neck.

“Alright, alright. Budge over, you great lump. I need my coffee.”

“Aren’t you hilarious,” Spike hissed, stabbing at the batter with a certain viciousness one would reserve for enemies and the like, “Don’t want me like Dad didn’t want us?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, fins prickling, “We don’t talk about Dad. What’s got you in such a mood?”

“Don’t care, don’t ask.”

There was a moment of silence that wasn’t really silent as Twilight looked at her son reproachfully. The oven hummed and the bowl of pancake batter clattered on the countertop. Her wings were growing numb from how cold it was and her breath was beginning to fog up when she breathed. Spike ignored her, going to look at the instructions again, claws scratching.

“Well-”

“For all that is Holy, shut up.”

A sharp intake of breath. In. Out. In. Out. Twilight resists the horrendously strong urge to put her claws around her son’s neck and squeeze. Her claws squealed something awful as she spins where she stands. Her tail smacks into the table and wood groans when it shifts in place. She grips the doorknob so hard it aches. It’s probably far too strong for such a simple motion, evident when she lets go of it and there’s an imprint of her claws left behind.

A growl rumbles in Spike’s throat as Twilight leaves. It festers and rots like a split watermelon left out in the summer. As his mother, she should’ve growled back. She should’ve stormed back into the house, showed him who paid the bills, and put food on the table. A voice in her mind told her she was being too kind, too generous. Expect Spike to kneel and bare his neck when she returned and thank her for such mercy, something told her. A jet of smoke escaped her nose at the thought.

So much for basking in the aftermath of her wonderful dream. She hadn’t had such a pleasant dream in Celestia knew how long. Life would’ve turned out much easier if Spike were a pony and his father decided to stay in the picture. Well, she wasn’t sure if she could say that. Even in her dream, Spike hadn’t had a father.

Maybe she should drop by the Manor and greet her parents before meeting with her brother to clear her head. Twilight nodded to herself and set course for her childhood home. As she flew, she couldn’t shake that odd feeling. There were hardly any ponies out on the streets, but that was normal for this hour of the day. Not every pony liked to wake up at the crack of dawn.

Twilight hummed as she landed, opening the doors to her old home. She brushed off the strange distaste that bubbled up. Why would the fine marble statues or the gleaming wallpaper invoke that feeling? Her parents had impeccable tastes as all noble families in Canterlot should. She Magicked the door shut, dusting off her claws as she did so. She was glad it wasn’t so cold anymore.

The foyer was still dark as was expected. She lit her horns so she could locate that switch that was at that awkward angle where she couldn’t quite reach for it comfortably. She flicked it on with a twist of Magic, bathing the entrance hall in candlelight. Her father was probably still in the gardens and hadn’t gotten around to making breakfast yet. Her mother would likely still be sleeping until noon like always.

She’d missed this, ever since living on her own. Her parents constantly assured her there was space in the Manor for all of their children and their children’s children, but Twilight, as kind as it was, felt it to be a little too stifling. Perhaps she should consider moving back in. It would provide more claws on deck for Spike’s attitude.

If she’d ever talked back to her parents like Spike did to her, oh she wouldn’t be sleeping for days after, every part of her body smarting and achy from the beatings. It might do Spike some good. Twilight stretched, admiring the skulls on the wall from her father’s successful hunts. The cold crept back in, icy veins of fear that had no business interrupting her visit to the Manor.

She wandered through the rooms, heading toward the backyard door. Various portraits hung on the walls. There she was, freshly hatched from her iridescent purple egg, surrounded by her parents and Shining Armor. Then Spike hatching, surrounded by his grandparents, Twilight, and Spike’s father. Her lip curled upon seeing his oh-so-forgettable eyes and bland smile.

Ice condensed onto her chest plates, chilling her. She slid open the sliding backyard door and poked her head out. She waved to her father, smiling when he waved back, horns wreathed in broken branches and scales stained with dirt. With that done, she nodded in satisfaction and charged her horns for a teleport to the Guards' Quarters. She warped to the Courtyard with her classic purple sparkles drifting away into the grass. 

Her brother yelped at her sudden appearance, missing his jump and tumbling until he crashed into Twilight. She laughed heartily as they rolled horns over tails to a stop. Rocks dug into her back and dust kicked into the air making her fight the urge to sneeze. She snapped her teeth near his ear playfully and dodged the retaliatory tail whip with practiced ease. Her brother growled, tackling her again and they rolled around the grass much like they had as hatchlings.

It ended up with her brother hunched over her. The grass tickled her scales. For a moment, her body froze in fear and unease. The breeze blew pleasantly. But her brother growled playfully again and the feeling dissipated like a wisp. She lurched up, heaving her body to unbalance him, and switched their positions. He laughed, dropping his head down to the dirt.

“I care about you, you know. I love you so much but I don’t know how to show it in a proper manner. I want you to know that. I’m your big brother. Remind me the next time you see me. I forget a lot.”

Where was this coming from? Of course her brother loved her! Why would he say something like that? Did they have a fight recently? She wracked her brains but came up blank. A chunk of ice grew in her heart, poking and prodding at places that shouldn’t ever feel those sensations. His eyes glinted in the dark and he had a sad smile.

“Remember that, my dear, dear sister. Please.” 

Twilight nodded, still unsure. Her chest ached. Something inside of her wavered. The feeling from this morning came back. Who was she? She was Twilight Sparkle. But she was not herself. Something was wrong. She flexed her claws, looking closely. Those were her claws, as was the rest of her body. How could she be Twilight Sparkle, but not be herself?

“Wake up, sister dear,” her brother murmured, hugging her close, “You know this place is not for you. Wake up dear. Please.”

Her scales split neatly along invisible seams, bloodless and painless. Crystals of ice grew out and gleamed in the sun. Why the sun? It was dark.

“I-I want to remember,” Twilight said, choking on the tears that came with a vengeance. Why was she crying?

“You will,” Her brother reassured, stroking the small line of fur that went from her head to her tail, “But you will need to wake up first, dearest.”

“I-”

Not-Shining Armor pressed his scaly forehead to hers, twining their spiraling horns together, “Wake up.”

Something slotted into her chest. She was Twilight Sparkle. Her son was Spike Sparkle and he was a pony. He had no father. Her brother, Shining Armor was Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard and a unicorn. Her parents were unicorns and Twilight hated how they decorated the Manor. She was Twilight Sparkle and she was made of fire.

Not-Shining Armor grinned, already fading away, “Remind me, sister, of what it means to be a big brother.”

“I will,” Twilight whispered, “How do I wake up?”

“Who is missing right now, sister?” Not-Shining Armor’s voice faintly asked, “Who did you trade for?”

That’s right, she was missing someone. They were important. She had to get them back. Her entire world didn’t make sense. Her world…

“Spike…”

And the fire roared, vaporizing the ice in an instant. The inferno sealed her wounds and she steamed as she bared her teeth. She howled along with the flames that licked hungrily at her scales. Fury raged fiercely. The world shook as her Magic reacted in kind, surging and ebbing with the energy of a pent-up volcano. And finally, the Dream Eater made itself known, emerging behind the shadow of Canterlot Castle like a chastised puppy.

“Release me.”

The Dream Eater ran. Not in the traditional sense, no, of course not, never were things simple when it came to Twilight Sparkle. But the dragon was already familiar with its tricks and a single spell had the foundations of the castle crumbling. She easily took flight and watched Canterlot City slide off the mountain. She watched it all burn.





“This wasn’t to plan,” Lady Rarity declared angrily, removing her scarf to drape it around Spike like a blanket, “That dragon is absolutely mad, I tell you. She has taken leave of her senses.”

“I heard Mom scream,” Spike whispered, burying his face into Miss Fluttershy’s chest, “No one believed me.”

That shut everyone up.

“Ah should’ve been there,” Lady Applejack huffed, after a moment, “Mayor Mare said it was a good idea, but Ah said no.”

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash poked the large earth pony in the chest, “‘Ight, let’s wrap up this pity party. Only Pinkie Pie can make parties and she definitely didn’t make this one. Look, we can go around for hours about this and that. I say stuff it, it already happened and it’s in the past. We need to focus on the here and now and right now Spike is in need of medical care. We know where the castle is and the traps around it. We’ll regroup and come back.”

“Ponyfeathers,” Pinkie Pie declared with a large smile, “I hate it when Rainbow Dash is right.”

“I’m always right!” the griffon protested amid the huffing laughs of everyone else.

Spike’s head buzzed and he was barely lucid, but he sensed the change in the air when they arrived back at camp. Someone, he thought it was Fluttershy, laid him down on a bed of leaves. It smelled like his mom. After a long moment, or in no time at all, there was movement near him.

He spun, nearly slipping as he bared his flat teeth and snarled, puffing his chest as big as he could get it. A dragon bigger than Twilight laughed at his display, “Peace, young dragon. I mean no harm.”

Spike openly gaped at the dragon’s white crisscrossing scars and blind eye. He reminded Spike of Canterlot Mountain, still standing strong despite all the wind, rain, and snow. For some reason, this dragon didn’t have wings. Morbidly, Spike wondered if someone had cut them off.

“‘Like mother like child,’ I believe the saying goes.” The dragon smiled kindly at him and Spike flushed at his own rudeness.

“I’m Spike Sparkle from House Sparkle, mighty dragon sir,” Spike squeaked.

The dragon chuckled, “My, my. What an impressive title for one so young. Call me Don or Donnie, my name doesn’t translate well into Ponyish. You and your mother are quite brave.”

“Everyone keeps saying that. And I’m not a dragon.”

“I am not one for spreading falsities to make a being feel better about themself, child.” Don settled himself next to the leaf bed, “A being raised by a dragon ends up more dragon than anything they were before. Would you deny that, child?”

Spike used to be a dragon. Somewhere, somehow, he had been changed. Could he still be a dragon? His mom sometimes stood up on two legs to walk around and she could fly. He tried to stand like that once in a while. He wasn’t very good at it and he always fell. Something about him not having a solid tail to act as a counterbalance, he wasn’t paying attention when his mom explained. He definitely couldn’t fly. He wished he could exhale fire. (“Breathing means inhaling, Spike. I don’t ‘breathe’ fire.”)

“Dragons can look like anything, child. That is why we are called dragons.”

Don blinked softly at him, his mouth stretching into a small smile despite the painful-looking band around his face.

“Teach me then!” Spike declared boldly, “Teach me to be a dragon so I can save my mom.”

“Foolish child,” Don cuffed him gently around his head, “You already know how to be a dragon. I am a dragon, and I have no wings. I am a dragon and I can’t breathe fire. I am a dragon and so much more. So are you, youngling. Young Twilight tells me you’re smart. You already know the answer.”

Spike thought of the paper-covered corkboard and all the books that littered his room in the Golden Oaks Library.

“Nightmare Moon isn’t real. Nobody is coming back during the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“...the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony…she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently…”

“...six Elements of Harmony…Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery…the last known location of the five elements was in…The Everfree Forest.”

“Spike, it’s a fable. No one is coming back.”

“...Queen Celestia, Head of Day Court, Head of Night Court…Bearer of Magic, Bearer of Loyalty, Bearer of Generosity, Bearer of Kindness, Bearer of Laughter, Bearer of Honesty.”

“You already know the answer.”

And Spike knew.





Celestia gently tapped her horseshoe against the flat of her desk. Her student’s letter lay unfurled in front of her. The letter itself was rather lengthy and didn’t contain any useful information. Her student had this thing where she was capable of talking and talking about nothing for a truly astonishing amount of time.

The most worrying tidbit of information to be gleaned was this so-called mentor her student had obtained. The Queen wasn’t truly concerned about it, as the dragon would always return to her rightful place at her hooves, but the simple fact she had gotten another mentor wasn’t the best thing. The last thing she needed was for her student’s attention to be diverted away from the primary goal.

The letter did at least confirm that the Beast did take over her student, however brief it was. Her annoyance spiked at the reminder that she was currently missing a shin guard. It was surprising how much raw power the Beast had even without using Magic. Her enchanted armor had crumpled like parchment, something the alicorn didn’t know was possible.

“Your Majesty,” Captain Armor said with a salute, “How may I be of service?”

The Queen beckoned her Captain inside from where he lingered in the doorway. “At ease, my Captain. I simply wished to inform you that your sister is safe and sound of mind once more. She worries for your safety as well as your parents. I grant you the privilege of reading the personal letter she sent.”

“Thank you, your Majesty.” And then under his breath, likely not meant for her ears, he muttered, “Of course, she’s worried about me. I don’t need the pity.”

The unicorn lifted the parchment and skimmed it with the practiced motion of a pony who had gone through too much paperwork. He frowned when he gave it back, “Is she always this casual in her letters, your Majesty? Seems a tad unprofessional.”

Celestia smiled wider, “Your sister has always been headstrong. She listens when it’s convenient. It drives me around the bend sometimes, but she’s a good student. If she weren’t a dragon, I’d say she would be brilliant enough to take my place as Canterlot Archmage. It does not bother me if she is professional or not.”

“As your Majesty wishes.”

“You are dismissed, Captain Armor. I trust you will be able to carry out your sister’s request.”

“Absolutely,” he confirmed, looking as if he’d bitten into a lemon.

When he left, the Queen settled back in her seat to think. “I’ll report to Canterlot as soon as Spike’s safety is assured.” Those words weren’t very worrying at the moment, but the alicorn knew if she let that connection grow and fester even further, it would be detrimental to her student’s destiny. The Element of Magic needed friends, not a damnable child.

For seven years, Celestia watched her student dote on and play with the little experiment she was given. The dragon named it, called it hers, and took care of it like a pet. The experiment was, at its very core, still a dragon, a beastly thing. She could see how it was rubbing off on her student. Both of them growled like wild dogs with a temper to match, and both showed no signs of obedience or tamability. 

She had thought when she presented the experiment to her student, her student would be excited and examine the thing. And she did, but instead of disposing of it like other materials, her student kept it. Just when she suspected her student would keep it until it died, her student failed not one, not two, but three tests in a row and her only excuse was that she was “taking care of Spike” - whatever that was supposed to mean.

Her student was seventeen summers at the time and to the Queen’s shock, the dragon quite literally cleaned out her experiment room and gave it to the thing. That continued until the thing was a little bit older before her student started doing small projects in her living area again. What had Celestia done wrong?

It was unheard of for any student studying any field to stop all research and fail to turn in big projects for over five years at a time. Sure, her student did send in research papers, completed by mostly going through books and the like, but never did her student continue with her physical research. And still, Twilight Sparkle held the best test scores in the history of Canterlot. She could be making history and becoming a living legend as a scholar, but the dragon absolutely refused to take on any major project.

She had tried to take the experiment away last summer but had come upon quite a large problem. The experiment was listed as Heir to the Sparkle House if Captain Armor failed to produce any offspring by the time he was forty summers. No pony, not even the Queen could justify removing a House’s Regent Heir for no reason.

Despite all of Celestia’s meticulous planning, she failed to actually lay a claim on the experiment before hoofing it over on a silver platter. But then again, what pony would think to claim an experiment that wasn’t a pony at all? Unfortunately for her, her student was not a true pony - not yet. She was sullied by the Beast and thus did not think clearly. It was but a simple setback.

Queen Celestia sighed, pulling a stack of papers closer to her. She had duties to fulfill and a prisoner to watch over. Being Queen didn’t spare her of the most dreaded thing known to ponykind: paperwork. She set to work.
> The Letter(s)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Spike?” Pinkie Pie asked nervously.

“No.” Thorax turned an alarming ashy-looking gray and Spike winced at his bluntness, “But it’s the only idea I got.”

“Well, better one idea than none,” Pinkie Pie replied. Her stiff feathers gave away her anxiety. Thorax whimpered, buzzing his wings. The changeling took a deep breath and concentrated. It took a moment, but his green fiery Magic enveloped him, turning into a young pony that, for all intents and purposes, could look like Pinkie Pie’s sibling.

“Poof the mane a little. Your tail is a different color,” Pinkie Pie kindly pointed out, “Or you can keep it like that, it looks funny. It fits.”

Thorax screwed up his face, making Pinkie Pie snort back her giggles again. The changeling smiled a bit too when his tail only turned a brighter pink than before.

Spike sighed nervously, repositioning his Guard’s pin on his vest for the hundredth time. The library door opened soundlessly and Spike marched in with his head held high. Almost immediately, his grandmother descended upon him like a vulture.

“Spike Sparkle! Where have you been? We have been worried sick! Running off like that! I cannot believe you! Young colt, you will be learning your manners and etiquette for as long as you live!”

Spike pushed himself away, lifting his chin even as everything in him wailed in horror. “I’m just here for a book, Grandmother. I’m staying with friends.”

He took a step back, walking into Pinkie Pie’s downy chest when his grandmother’s expression darkened. Spike could hear the forced smile on Pinkie Pie’s face when she spoke up, “Don’t worry Missus Sparkle, he’ll be safe.”

“The correct form of address would be Madam Sparkle,” his grandmother said with clear distaste, “Not that I expected much from common ponies like you lot.”

A wing fell upon him in comfort when he quaked where he stood. “Apologies, Madam Sparkle. Spike’s in good hand… hooves.”

“I refuse to have a mere filly tell me what’s good for my grandson.” His grandmother’s nose flared and her horn sparked. Spike shrank back further. It took a great deal for a pony as composed as Twilight Velvet to lose control of her Magic.

As if by a blessing from the Sun, Grandfather appeared, “Now, now, dear. Let us not be hasty. This pegasus brought him back to say hello, did she not? Are you well, Young Spike?”

“Of course, Grandfather! I like my new friends very much. They’re very nice. I want to take a book I left here. It- it has lovely pictures and I want to show everypony, like Thorax here.”

Thorax smiled with far too many teeth and scuffed his new hoof against the floor, “Suh-Spike’s real excited to show me, ma’am. If- if it won’t be any trouble…” His feathery wings still buzzed when he flicked them anxiously. It put Spike’s teeth on edge.

Spike’s grandmother’s expression eased somewhat, “I am glad you have friends, Young Spike. However, it would be best to stay with family, especially after such a fright.”

Spike barely managed to stop his mouth from dropping open. Grandmother was afraid. For him. Grandmother was never afraid. “Then, may my friends stay over for a little bit, so I can show them the book?”

“They may,” Grandmother said with a whip-like crack to her voice, “However, we would like a recount of your previous actions within the next two hours. Do I make myself clear?”

Spike nodded so quickly he accidentally hit the top of his head into Pinkie Pie’s shoulder, “Crystal, Grandmother.”

He led his friends up to his room, herding Thorax in when he tripped on the top step. The changeling shuddered and returned to his normal form, shaking himself. Pinkie Pie gaped at all of the papers and books. It looked like a hurricane had torn through his room, much like how he left it on the Eve of the Celebration. The clock on the wall read midday, but the stars still twinkled outside.

“Your granny is terrifying,” Thorax said, “Almost lost control when she looked at me.”

“She’s only like that when she’s mad,” Spike assured his friends.

“We don’t have much time,” Pinkie Pie reminded them.

Spike peeled the covers on his bed back, revealing the books he stashed there. He showed them the most important one first: The Elements of Harmony, A Reference Guide. Then, he pulled out the letter Queen Celestia sent Twilight two weeks ago.

“I think the Queen lost the Elements. Look here at the bottom. She is the Bearer or something. She had them up until two weeks ago, but now they’re gone. Nightmare Moon might’ve taken them into the Everfree Castle. But I think that’s unlikely. She was talking about ‘fixing the Leyline’ or something when I stayed with her. She wouldn’t need to if she had the Elements of Harmony.”

“A what now?”

“You know, Leyline, use Magic from it, grows under big cities?”

Pinkie Pie blinked and Spike could almost see the invisible question mark floating above the pegasus’ head. Thorax looked even more hopelessly confused than the older being.

“Never mind, it takes too bloody long to explain. Take the book-” he opened the book to a random page and stuffed the letter inside, “and bring it to Lady Applejack or something. I reckon she probably knows the Everfree better. Or Sir Don. He knows a lot too.”

Pinkie Pie tucked the book under her wing before nuzzling Spike, “You’re a smarty McSmarty Pants, Spike! I’ll go now. Do you want to stay or go, Thorax?”

“I-I’ll stay a little longer, just in case.”

“Okie Dokie!”

There was a sound like a crack of lightning and Pinkie Pie was gone. Only a few drifting pink feathers told the two young beings she’d been there at all. Spike exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Thorax, who simply shrugged, “It’s Pinkie Pie. Everyone knows not to ask.”

“But- What? How?” Spike waved a hoof around the space the pegasus used to occupy, “That’s not in any books I read!”

“Well, I don’t bloody know!” Thorax cried in a faux Canterlot accent, “You ought to know!”

“I do not talk like that!” Spike responded, trying to stifle his giggles, “You sound awful.”

“I’ll make you a proper Ponyvillian eventually!”





Twilight pinned the Dream Eater against the ground. Shackles of stone exploded from the rocks around them to keep it in place. Water dripped in a nearby cave, echoing throughout the numerous branching ravines in the Canterlot Crystal Caves. The Dream Eater struggled and flailed. Despite not having a visible mouth, it squealed like a captured rat. A striking comparison since that’s exactly what it was.

Twilight growled, low and threatening, buzzing in her throat and chest, a sound she wouldn’t have dared make while she was awake and lucid. But she was dreaming, and here, she was limitless. Magic did not hurt and she could cast as much as she wanted to. Some giddy part of her was still sighing in contentment at the complete ease she’d brought Canterlot City down. The Dream Eater stilled.

“Don’t you know what happens when you play with fire?” Twilight hissed, letting a hint of flame escape her jaws. “You get burnt.”

The Dream Eater shrieked like a dying cat when dragon fire engulfed it, burning it to cinders in a moment. At once, the heavy burden on her back lifted and Twilight could breathe easier. She scraped a hand through the ashes, grimacing when it stuck to her claws. The ashes blew around even though there wasn’t any wind. The dragon wasted no time incinerating the ash into nothing. She was not chancing some miracle resurrection.

She was nearing wakefulness. It stirred at the edges of her consciousness, scratching like an itch she couldn’t get to. She picked her way further down the Crystal Caves, approaching the dreamscape’s Leyline. The cave she walked into was pitch dark. She couldn’t have seen her own snout if she wanted to. Physically, Twilight knew it was dark. Magically, on the other hand…

If the dragon didn’t know she was dreaming, she would have thought the Leyline in front of her was the real deal. It made her squint against the dark. Electricity raced up her scales as she dared to lift a claw and gently place it on the rippling surface. She nearly stumbled forward when her claw passed through it.

So this was the thing that absorbed the excess Magic and made the foundations of Canterlot rattle when she was upset. It was such a large part of her daily life and lo and behold, it wasn’t actually tangible. Twilight didn’t know what she expected in the first place. It was beautiful like a distant mountain, wholly out of her reach, but here she was.

“Alright, old friend. I don’t want to hurt the real you, but I really wonder what would happen if something gave you more Magic than you could handle…” Yes, Twilight was definitely going mad if she was considering doing something like this. Who knew what would happen? No work had been published and no one dared to do such a risky experiment.

Her actions brought to mind a too-small door and the three beings that grew it larger. She really needed to apologize to Pinkie Pie. Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath and stepped into the Leyline, shivering as Magic caressed her gently. Well, only one way to find out.

It started slowly, only a few trickles escaping every now and again, her fine-tuned control warring with the instruction to let loose. She relaxed, breathing deeply, and soon the leak flowed steadily. It grew hot, hot enough for her scales to steam. Reaching into herself, she pulled forth more and more until she was panting with the effort. It wasn’t enough, not yet, even as the Caves trembled and shook along with her bones.

Let go. Let it all out. More. More! MORE!

And the Leyline exploded.

Twilight clawed her way out of the dream, blinking open her blurry eyes to see angled moonlight shining down into an elaborate but broken throne room. Her ears rang shrilly. Nightmare Moon looked at her, blinking in disorientation. The alicorn probably got caught in the dream-like backlash. Not enough to hurt but enough to shock the dream holder.

Twilight groaned. It was like a piano fell on her head and she’d been flattened by a passing carriage after the fact. It reminded her that she still wasn’t fully recovered from the Magic Surge. Sharp pain bloomed to life like a poisonous flower as her muscles cramped. She hissed through her teeth when she jostled her injuries from the ravine incident. Her head pounded like a second heartbeat. She had simultaneously lived for a thousand years and nothing but a second at the same time.

“Thee hast woken quicker than we bethought.”

“Being a Magic dragon has its downsides,” Twilight croaked, cringing at the way her tongue caught against the roof of her mouth and curled incorrectly to make the sounds she wanted.

After a moment of considering silence, the alicorn spoke once more, “Thou art nay fooleth, apologies for mine own earlier words. Cometh if 't be true thee shall not catch but a wink.”

Twilight let out a hoarse cry when the alicorn tried to steady her with a simple levitation spell. Immediately, the spell retreated. “No Magic, please. I can’t handle it.”

Nightmare Moon observed her, a mixture of bewilderment and awe sparkling in her eyes. Her mane wasn’t so ethereal anymore. It lay flat along the alicorn’s head in a frizzy tangle that feebly twitched every so often.

“We art a fair Queen. Tis counter-productive to injureth mine own servants. Doth not feareth. The Sun hast hath raised cowards and weaklings. The children of this world art broken and afraid. Thou art nay exception. A beast thou art, but thee can speaketh. Stout enow to killeth a dreameth, but weak to spells. How queer.”

Twilight had no response to that. Instead, she said, “...Thank you for not hurting Spike.”

Nightmare Moon drew back sharply, eyes dilating into slits, “Who ist wouldst dareth harmeth a knave?”

“Dunno, just a mother’s worry I guess.” Twilight lay her head back down onto the stones, too tired to keep it up and looking at the threat.

The metal on the alicorn’s horseshoes clashed awfully against the floor when she approached, “Thee hast very stout Magic. Where didst thee learneth?”

“I am Twilight Sparkle, Student of the Sun,” Twilight mumbled, “I can’t control it very well.”

“Stoutness and controleth art two different things. Wherefore hast the traveling lamp hath sent thee here?”

“Assignment. It was a simple one.” Her words blended together and she had to repeat herself to make herself understood.

Nightmare Moon settled herself nearby, much like Donnie had when he watched over her sickbed. In spite of her better judgment, Twilight let her eyes close fully.

“Mine own daughter hast been stolen from us. Doth not be-est so quick to trusteth thy traveling lamp. We art willing to alloweth day returneth if't be true Nova is released. The stars hast did dim.”

“Do you want to send a letter?” Twilight mumbled, peeling her eyes open again, “Write something and I can send it. Dragon Magic.”

Distantly, Twilight wondered what she would say to herself if she were to look upon the situation she was in two weeks ago. Laughed and called the entire thing a delusion of the mind, probably. Her eyes swam in and out of focus. She let her mind drift. She hoped Spike was okay. Nightmare Moon’s warning echoed in her brain.

Why would the Queen even want Spike? It wasn’t like her son was planning a coup or committing a similar crime. If the Queen took Spike, well, not even the law would protect the ruler of Equestria. If Twilight didn’t declare a House feud, Twilight Velvet definitely would. For all the faults her mother had, the unicorn valued family. A lesser mare would’ve thrown Twilight out onto the streets the moment the news spread that the Scion of any House turned into a dragon.

Twilight Velvet wasn’t the nicest pony to be around, and the dragon hated her lectures with a passion, but she cared where it mattered. If Twilight were to declare herself jobless and in a negative relationship with the Queen, House Sparkle would always welcome her back, no matter how begrudgingly.

A scroll rolled to a stop in front of Twilight’s snout, jerking her back to the painful present. Expectant sky-blue eyes waited patiently. Her back teeth clicked together to create a shower of sparks that ignited the rush of air she expelled from her fire chamber. Green flames bathed the scroll in a burst of light and the ash spiraled away toward the Queen.

“Catch but a wink, Drakon.”

“No more dreams,” Twilight half-joked.

“Nay,” the alicorn agreed quietly.





Pegasi could fly. They had wings and manipulated the weather across Equestria from Cloudsdale. Most pegasi, born in the clouds or not, ended up there. It made sense. There weren’t very many job opportunities on the ground for ponies like them. Manual labor was fulfilled by earth ponies, and everything else was done by Magic from the unicorns. And in a world that favored Magic over everything else, well, there was always a shortage of hooves in the other tribes.

Pinkie Pie was born on the ground, the youngest of four, the only pegasi for miles around, and a pink one at that. It baffled her family as much as it did her. Life on a rock farm did not do her any favors growing up. She broke her hooves more times than she could count. So, she grew stronger, she had to. Soon, she was able to break rocks open almost as easily as the rest of her siblings. She just needed to be a little more careful.

Maud, the oldest sibling, was kind to her, and the only one that argued back against their parents. Maud could do anything. Maud could break open all of her rocks before lunch and then go on to help everyone else. She hardly smiled, but if the siblings needed a shoulder to cry on, Maud would be there. She was angrier than even Pinkie Pie when her wings got clipped at the tender age of four summers.

Back then, Pinkie hadn’t known what wing clipping entailed. She never had to worry about using her wings in a family of earth ponies. But Maud understood, and now at sixteen summers, Pinkie Pie understood too. She would never be able to fly and her hooves would never touch a cloud with her own power. Pinkie might’ve folded like a house of cards in despair if it hadn’t been for the rest of her siblings. 

They kept her laughing and smiling as they bandaged her legs and came up with new ways to break open rocks that didn’t require so much force. Lime made snarky comments and Marble told stories. Maud watched over them all, breaking open rocks faster and mastering Earth Magic to help her siblings do the same. Pinkie Pie still remembers how the earth trembled with every step Maud took.

It was Marble who wondered aloud: if earth ponies could break bedrock and pegasi built the air, then what could a pony who was both do? And like all children, they thought about different ways to earn their cutie marks. So, Pinkie Pie learned to run, learned to trust her instincts, and learned to run on lightning.

That didn’t end up being her cutie mark, causing Lime to owe Marble several helpings of dessert when she lost the bet. Her cutie mark came later when she witnessed a ring of fire expand across the sky in a dazzling show. It reminded the pegasus of candles and fireworks. The irony wasn’t lost on her. She learned her talent was throwing parties in the middle of a rock farm.

Currently though, Pinkie Pie was zipping across the roads and paths into the forest, a book tightly held under her wing. The world blurred and warped, the light bending as Pinkie flashed passed without so much as a whisper. She may never fly, but this was just as good. The wind in her mane and the subtle burn in her legs. She popped to a stop next to Rainbow Dash. The griffon squawked in shock and dropped their sandwich.

“Hiya Dashie! Know where Applejack is?”

The griffon glared, dusting her sandwich off and gesturing irritably with it, “Over there somewhere. Scared the feathers off of me!”

“Okie dokie-lokie!”

“Stop doing that, kid!” the griffon’s fading voice snapped fondly when Pinkie Pie started her run again. She giggled, skidding to a halt at her destination.

Applejack jumped at her sudden appearance and Donnie’s eye glittered with amusement. Donnie was as scuffed as ever, scars stark white against his dirty brown scales and his missing clumps of white fur. The pegasus almost snapped a wing up in a mock salute, but she remembered at the last moment she was still holding the book. It resulted in her fumbling it and a sheepish giggle.

“Got the book! Now what?” she asked, hoofing the book over to the bigger earth pony. “Oh yeah, Spike also put a letter or something in the book. Said it was important.”

“Shucks, yer askin’ the wrong pony here Pinkie.”

“And that is why I’m here. Oh, dear. I miss the days when everyone used scrolls. So much more accessible. Let’s see this book then, child. Flip the pages for me, will you?” Donnie’s eyes crinkled when Pinkie Pie immediately flipped the pages precisely.





“Can Thorax stay?”

Grandmother looked over him, frowning just a little bit, “Are you implying you already know the answer, Young Spike?”

Spike gulped. Be brave. He could be brave. He was a dragon. “Y-yes, Grandmother. He makes me feel safe.”

“Very well, Young Thorax may stay.” She raised her voice, “Young Thorax, I will be in the sitting room having a small discussion with my grandson. Please do not hesitate to nourish yourself in the kitchen. Young Spike will be rejoining you in a moment.”

“Nuh-No problem Madam. I don’t mind!” Came Thorax’s voice from Spike’s room.

Spike seated himself gingerly on the wooden chair. He braced himself for the lecture of the century when Grandmother finally stopped fussing with her mane.

“To begin,” the mare said in a tired voice, “I am incredibly relieved you are home safe. Your disappearance caused some stress. Secondly, while I am most definitely not pleased with how you went about it, I am… proud of you for standing up for yourself. House Sparkle prides itself on showing bravery, dedication, and loyalty, all of which you displayed last night. In our future lessons, I will go over the art of subtly, as that is something you are sorely lacking. Your mother may think otherwise, but you are the future of House Sparkle.”

Spike could only gape in a rather unflattering manner. What in Celestia’s name? Grandmother proud of him? Grandmother wasn’t really ever proud of, well, anything really. Hearing her say that…

“Third of all,” his grandmother’s voice fell like a whip crack, causing him to abruptly snap his mouth shut, “For the Love of the Sun. What in Equestria were you thinking? I do not want excuses. There is a fault in your thinking process that must be corrected immediately. You must be aware of the future, Young Spike. There will be no future without you. Your actions have consequences.”

Suitably chastised, Spike shifted in his seat, ears pinned back. He almost mumbled before remembering himself and clearing his throat. “I don’t have Magic, Grandmother. What else can I do except face it all head-on?” Grandmother remained silent, prompting Spike to rush out, “And an earth pony can’t run a House anyway.”

“You are the future of House Sparkle,” Grandmother repeated steadily, “Shining Armor will not be in a position to sire children for House Sparkle. If Twilight were to obtain more children, the responsibility would still fall on you as her firstborn. My daughter can adopt all she wants with or without a stallion and they will be part of House Sparkle.”

Grandmother hesitated a little at his gobsmacked expression, “You are my Heir, Young Spike. You are my daughter’s son. I have given Twilight all I can. She is still Scion.”

“I- May- I would… like some time to think?” Spike sputtered.

Grandmother nodded, “Very well. I am aware of how much information this is. If you have further questions, your grandfather should be able to answer them adequately. Shining Armor will be dropping by at a later time to bring news. Any questions regarding your mother shall be directed toward him.”

Spike nodded vigorously, slipping ungracefully from his chair to wobble upstairs. His breath escaped him in a giant woosh when he finally latched his room door. He slid to the floor, trembling. Thorax hovered, dropping his shift to cast a small spell. Instantly, a cool breeze filtered into the room, making it less suffocating.

“You’re okay. You’re okay,” Thorax murmured quietly, “Do you want some water? A snack? I can-”

Spike whimpered and Thorax fell silent. After a few moments, Thorax moved again, but not in the direction Spike expected. With a grunt of effort, Thorax lifted Spike using a combination of his Magic and physical self. Little by little, the smaller changeling managed to heft Spike onto his bed.

“By the Pits of Tartarus,” Thorax gasped, completely winded, “I need to work on that.”

Spike let out a breathless kind of giggle, something that hovered between hysterical and genuine. Thorax curled up on top of the blankets with him, buzzing his wings in a nervous tick that somehow soothed him.

“It’ll be okay. Sir Don has the book and Lady Applejack can do the rest. Your mom is strong, right? She’ll be back before you know it.”

“...Thanks, Thorax.”

“Anytime.”
> Frozen Fire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

TW: unable to control one’s body through non-con means, talk about previous physical and emotional abuse. It starts after Twilight blacks out. It stops after the line break.





Celestia almost laughed out loud. Almost. She allowed herself a small impish smile before she set the parchment alight. The letter burned bright blue just like all those summers ago. She watched the paper curl and twist in its dying dance among the flames. It was peaceful. Her sister’s letter burned much like the feeling in her chest.

Somehow, her student had failed. The dragon was now nothing more than a messenger at this point, chained to Luna’s manic whims. Her eyes wandered over to the subject on the table. Its eyes were open now. No amount of sleep Magic would work on it anymore. That didn’t mean paralyzing it wasn’t an option, which is precisely what Celestia did.

A whole day had passed since the Celebration. A full day with no Sun in sight. She would give her sister one more day to cease her silly ministrations before taking matters into her own hooves. It was such a shame. She was so sure Magic had chosen Twilight Sparkle. She thought that, too, when she took that silly orange filly from the Canterlot Orphanage under her wing.

Her students could’ve done so much good for the world if they’d just listened to her words. Sunset Shimmer was just too curious for her own good, needing to know everything that didn’t need to be known. “Why is that section of the library restricted?” “Does this mirror show the future?” “How come I’m not allowed to accompany you during Court?” And it went on and on. The foolish girl didn’t even last a single decade under her tutelage. At thirteen summers, eight years after the first lesson, the young unicorn fled into Star Swirl’s forbidden mirror and never came back.

On the other hoof, Twilight Sparkle was simply too brilliant, easily completing any test or research presented to her without breaking a sweat. After some thought, Celestia concluded that the reason her student didn’t do any projects was because she was wholly bored of the topics that Celestia deemed okay to study. If the alicorn thought Sunset Shimmer didn’t listen, she didn’t even know what to classify Twilight as. Stubborn and immovable in her resolve, the dragon was just content to remain a dragon. 

An absurd thought to entertain.

Queen Celestia spread the subject’s feathers, marveling at how real they seemed. It truly was sad that her sister had chosen such a deranged path. She could be doing such amazing things with that mind of hers. Everything about the artificial alicorn looked to be genuine. But Celestia knew better. Wide blue eyes watched her warily.

She’d been a fool. Hindsight, the bane of her existence. Anypony could see that sending a beast to deal with another beast wouldn’t end well. But here she was, having done just that. Tomorrow, she would gather the Elements herself and deal with her sister and the feral thing that used to be her student. She could see the newspaper headlines now: Nightmare Moon Kidnaps Student of the Sun, Queen Celestia Reacts!





“We don’ have time ter go searchin’ through nothin’ for doggone rocks!” Applejack exclaimed, pounding a hoof into the ground, “Ah say storm the doggone thing! Another day with no Sun an’ the least of our worries will be apples an’ the like! The Zebras are gettin’ cold!”

“Darling, are you forgetting that even with a certain Taskmaster helping, we nearly got struck by lightning?” Rarity reminded them, looking just as unhappy as the rest. “We were allowed to leave. We must come up with a plan. Charging in blindly will not end well.”

“Yeah? Our plan right now is finding these ‘Lost Elements of Harmony’ whatever the hay that means. We don’t have time!” Rainbow Dash argued back, feathers puffing up in aggravation, “We might as well be sitting ducks! Who’s to say Nightmare Moon won’t come swooping down on us, huh?”

“But Spike said the Queen had the Elements! See? It’s in the letter she wrote the Taskmaster! Can’t we just ask her?” Pinkie Pie waved the letter around.

“An’ have the town leveled to the ground? Nah, not a chance in Tartarus! If the Queen had them Elements she wouldda done somethin’ already!” Applejack snarled. “We on our own fer this, Pinkie.”

“Don? Did you think of something?” Fluttershy’s soft voice silenced the voices in Camp as they all waited with bated breath for the old dragon’s answer.

“It seems the physical Elements do not need to be present for them to be evoked. In a chapter near the back, it says that as long as they are spiritually present at the threat, their power can be manifested. We know the Elements. Logically, we should find beings that represent them the most. Magic will initiate the spark and the threat will be neutralized.”

“Pardon me, but that sounds far too simple to be true, Sir Don.”

“One never knows until they try. Is that true, Lady Rarity?”

“Fine then,” Applejack declared gruffly, “Pinkie Pie, Laughter. Rainbow Dash, Honesty. Fluttershy, Kindness. Rarity, Magic. Me, Loyalty. An’ Sir Don can be Generosity. Any problems with that?”

“Wha- Hold on AJ! You can’t just decide that!” Rainbow Dash gawked, “This is like, a huge deal! Slow down!”

“Damn right this here’s a big deal! Listen here Rainbow, plants and the like are going to die soon. Y’all might not think that there’s a problem, but to us ponies? We’ll all starve.”

Everyone in the clearing, whether they were there to speak or not, stilled. No one moved while that declaration sunk in.

“Let us not be so hasty. There is still time yet until the food is not tasty,” a smooth voice interjected from the crowd. “The situation is dour. We shall not cower. The Zebras are not a delicate flower.”

“Mah apologies for implying so, Diviner Zecora,” Applejack responded humbly, “But this here’s still a problem if we don’t address it here an’ now.”

"If this old dragon may, Lady Applejack. Perhaps the best plan is a simple one. Your storming idea has merit. A plan, no matter how careful and meticulous, will fall through the moment something deviates."

Someone sighed, “‘Ight then. All in favor?”

Hooves, talons, and claws reached for the starlit tree tops.





Nightmare Moon was kind enough to bring her to Spike’s temporary room for a proper place to sleep. The alicorn ended up having to kneel down, heave Twilight over her flank and shoulders, and slowly walk to the room, all the while making sure the dragon didn’t end up on the floor or inadvertently gore her with a stray horn.

The room was nice enough for a crumbling castle. The bedding still smelled like Spike and Twilight curled around the blankets, drinking in the scent of her child’s shampoo. Her muscles were sore, her head ached, and all she really wanted to do was go home and read a good book next to a warm fire.

Just when she managed to doze off, her headache, which had faded into the background, came back to life like a fresh wound. It ripped through her mind like a hand through wet paper. She screeched, throwing her claws over her ears and horns as if that would ward off the pain. Alicorn Magic swept past her in a torrent of anguish and fury.

Distantly, stone smashed and the very foundations of the old castle shook. Twilight winced as aftershocks made more of the cracked walls falter and give way. A high-pitched ringing made itself known in her ears as Twilight slowly made her way toward the source. She cracked open the door that led to the Throne Room and was almost swept away by blisteringly cold Magic.

Frost coated the flagstones and many of the vines were now dead husks still clinging to the walls. Nightmare Moon stood in the middle of the room like a centerpiece, still as a statue. Blasts of ice arched away from the alicorn on the floor like some bizarre frozen flower. Twilight shivered at the sight. She didn’t know if it was from the haunting display or the temperature. It could’ve been both.

“The traveling lamp did burn it. The Sun burned it.” Nightmare Moon whispered so softly, Twilight almost thought it was the wind whistling through the castle.

Ice-blue pupils pinned the dragon where she stood. The whites of Nightmare Moon’s eyes were gone. The fur along her back prickled uncomfortably, almost distracting her from the second stab of pain from the headache.

“Did lie wasteth to the town. T nay longether serves us purpose. The traveling lamp wanteth war. Destroy the town. It doesn’t serve a purpose to me anymore. The Sun wants war.”

“What?” Twilight croaked, unwilling to believe her ears.

“Is thy headeth did fill with clouds? Doth as we sayeth. Are you stupid? Do as I say.”

“I’m not going to attack Ponyville! What did they do?” Her mouth was surely made of cotton from the way it sucked all the moisture from her as she tried to speak.

“Thee pledged thy loyalty to us. Thee shall. You swore your loyalty to me. You will [do it].”

The ice along the floor crawled along the stones, cracking and rumbling ominously. Twilight’s breath came quick and sharp, fogging the air in front of her snout. The cold slithered around her neck, gripping like a vice.

“Burneth it all, drakon, everything. Burn it all, dragon, everything.” The alicorn smiled. The fangs in her mouth looked incredibly wrong and briefly, Twilight wondered if that’s what other beings thought when she tried to smile.

The dragon took a step back and Nightmare Moon’s expression went flat. A thousand scenarios ran through her head in an incomprehensible tangle of thoughts that she didn’t have time to pick apart. Every action ended with her on the bad side of an alicorn that had nothing else to lose. Twilight’s hackle plates raised a second too late and a jet-black spell collided with her head.

Her vision blacked and when she blinked, she was still standing. She turned to leave the castle. Her legs trembled as she started to run, and she tried to flail wildly and stop. But Twilight couldn’t even force her mouth to close. Only her eyes could dart around. She was a passenger in her own body.

Her mind raced faster than her legs, going through her memory for black-colored spells. Nightmare Moon had done something. Dark Magic. Matters of the Mind. Or something, Twilight hadn’t read those books in over a decade. Frustration brimmed inside of her and her dragon body roared. Birds scattered into the sky, shrieking and calling in terror.

She needed to think. She needed help or to at least let someone know what was happening. It was hard to subdue a dragon, but it was possible. There were enough beings in Ponyville to accomplish that. Unbidden, something arose in her memory. “...if you ever need me, just find a Timberwolf and ask them for Angel. I’ll be there right away.”

Well, that was already a problem. How could she call for a Timberwolf when she couldn’t even control when she blinked or not? Annoyance made her want to hiss. Her dragon body roared again, more high-pitched and feral. That made her pause. Her body snorted. Twilight took a metaphorical deep breath. Time to do something utterly bonkers… again.

She concentrated every scrap of her brain on the time she was first punished for bad posture. All of the pain, embarrassment, and shame. Her body keened, which wasn’t exactly the sound she was trying for. She shifted to another memory, the first time she got to eat jewels. The crunch of the gems and the flavor bursting along her tongue. And finally, her body howled in deep joy.

The nearest trees manifested the wolves she was calling for. Twilight didn’t recognize any of them, but that wasn’t her biggest problem. Her most glaring issue now was trying to make enough sounds to have them warn someone before she got to Ponyville. She made her body keen again as the wolves yipped and barked in question.

Her body spewed flames when one of the wolves got too close. The wolves yelped and several of the wolves dropped away to deal with the flaming foliage. Twilight was ready to scream, but she ruthlessly cut that emotion out before her body could so much as growl. If there was one thing Twilight excelled at, it was forcing everything to the side to be dealt with later. Probably best not to brag about something like that.

It took far too long but finally one of the wolves vanished in a clatter of sticks and drifting leaves. She’d done it. The rest of the wolves gained a strange steely glint in their ethereal eyes. Soon, a whole pack of them was corralling her, nipping at her heels and dropping away when her body exhaled flames. If her body wasn’t trying to deal with the wolves, it was trying not to run into trees or stumble on roots.

Twilight wanted to flinch every time her shoulder clipped a tree or her body mowed over small rocks. Her body howled with joy again at Twilight's lifted mood. The wolves howled with her. It was a strangely regal sound that echoed from the cliffs to the trees.





An hour after Spike’s breakdown, his room door swung open. Thorax screamed, abandoning all attempts to remain inconspicuous, and throwing Spike’s blanket over his head. Spike jumped to his hooves, eyes darting from his Uncle’s face to the stairs behind him. Shining Armor swelled like a balloon in the doorway, eyes blazing.

“And what have we here?” the stallion rumbled.

“Get out!” Spike stuttered, “This is my room!”

“What is that thing?” Something hot sparked in his chest when Shining Armor referred to Thorax as a ‘thing’. It gave Spike the courage to raise his voice against the Canterlot Royal Guard Captain.

“My friend! Now get out!”

Shining Armor’s eyes hardened and he advanced, a glowing red spell on the tip of his horn. Red spells were never a good sign. Red spells were mostly blasting curses, but a select few were used to calm ponies down. He highly doubted his uncle wanted to calm Thorax down. All of this flew through his mind in a split second. Heart in his throat, Spike dove for the balcony doors, shoving them open with a loud bang.

“Thorax! Run!”

The changeling flew, looking and sounding much like an overgrown fly making a bid for freedom. Spike slammed the doors closed just in time for the spell to shatter the panes. Glass rained down on his head and Spike froze where he stood, not wanting to get hurt. Thorax fled, disappearing behind a nearby house and Spike could breathe again.

“Shining Armor of House Sparkle!” A deep voice boomed, “What in Celestia’s Sun do you think you’re doing?”

Grandfather stormed into the room, Grandmother just behind him. Night Light picked up all the glass in a swirling wind before neatly setting it back into the frame of the balcony doors. The shatter lines were still present, but it looked sturdy enough. He hurried to Spike, checking him over, turning his head to make sure the glass hadn’t cut him anywhere.

“‘What was I doing’?” Shining Armor parroted back, “I was getting rid of a threat!”

Twilight Velvet drew herself up, turning her nose up at Shining Armor, “That is quite enough, Lord Sparkle. I do not know where we went wrong with you, but attacking the Heir of your own House is unacceptable.”

Shining Armor laughed, which obviously didn’t help his case since the scowls deepened, “What? No no no, I was trying to get that thing that escaped. A black bug thing. Nasty business.”

“That spell would’ve brained Thorax if that hit him!” Spike cried. It would’ve done a lot more than brained him if it actually hit. He’d seen what happened to the door.

“Attacking a guest in our home!” Grandmother exclaimed angrily, “A young pegasus at that! That is not any better, Shining Armor. I do not want to hear your excuses. You may see yourself out and think about your actions. Come back when you have news about your sister.”

“Scion Sparkle can take care of herself,” Shining Armor said through gritted teeth, “You do not understand. There was a bug thing in Spike’s room and I was neutralizing the threat. I wouldn’t hurt Heir Sparkle, ever.”

“Thorax is not a thing!”

“I have heard enough,” Twilight Velvet declared angrily, “Go for a walk, Lord Sparkle and come back when you’ve thought long and hard about your actions. House Sparkle protects their own. Despite personal opinion,” the unicorn forcefully tacked on when Shining Armor drew breath to argue.

The Captain stomped outside, throwing over his shoulder, “Don’t come crying to me when monsters attack your residence then, Mum. This town is harboring more than the usual ponies, I can tell you that right now.”

“We will keep that in mind,” Grandmother responded curtly. “I expect a proper apology delivered to Young Spike as well as useful information on the whereabouts of Scion Sparkle.”

“Fine. I’ll see how you all act when Twilight finally turns up. Probably hiding like she normally does.”

“Enough with the lies and slander. You’re thirty-four summers, stop acting like a newborn colt. I believe your mother had the correct idea. Kindly, come back later.” Grandfather snorted.

Shining Armor slammed the door closed so hard a few leaves drifted loose from the ceiling.

“Utterly ridiculous,” Grandmother muttered under her breath, “He is behaving like a petulant child. Are you well, Young Spike? Glass is terribly dangerous. I do hope poor Young Thorax is alright and isn’t frightened off.”

Spike dusted his mane with his hoof, assuring his grandparents all the glass had been taken care of. “Thorax flew home. He got a little scared. He screamed.”

“What an abysmal first impression to make on such a young colt,” Twilight Velvet sighed, pressing a prim hoof to her forehead, “Nothing to be done about it now. Tea, anypony?”

“Splendid idea, dear. Clean up in here and then join us at the table, Young Spike.”

Spike nodded, scraping at some loose papers to get his grandparents up and moving out of the room. The moment the door shut, Spike sprinted over to the balcony doors and peered out, half hoping he would see Thorax. On the other hoof, he really hoped Thorax hadn’t stuck around and run the risk of becoming a changeling splatter.

He sighed when nothing of note caught his attention. Hopefully, Thorax was well on his way back to the forest and to safety. Turning back to his messy room, he ended up shoving many of the books and papers under the bed. Out of sight, out of mind. He looked out to the forest treeline. He missed his mom.

It wouldn’t be long, he reminded himself. Mom was strong and could do anything. She would come back home soon.





Angel burst through the bushes, squeaking and yowling, threatening to poke any being that came too close to him that wasn’t Fluttershy. The hippogryph hastily apologized to the manticore and chimera that Angel nearly injured.

“Angel, please be careful,” she reprimanded, “Did something happen?”

The jackalope squealed, chattering and signing so fast Fluttershy only caught snippets of what he was trying to impress onto her. Her friend barely even drew breath to breathe properly. She received wave after wave of panic, exhaustion, and urgency. It made her feathers prickle and itch. Something had happened, that much was clear.

“Angel, bunny. Please slow down. I can’t understand you. Breathe please.”

Angel breathed in and out in an exaggerated manner, finally slowing down his signing enough for Fluttershy to decipher, “I’m calm now, geez! Listen! Your big ol’ dragon friend, the purple one that’s all funny looking, that one. The big meanie did something and now she’s on a warpath! The Timberwolves said she’s just runnin’ and runnin’ to Ponyville. She’s setting things on fire, too!”

As Angel spoke, flashes of images went through Fluttershy’s mind. Timberwolves fleeing from purple flames. A snarling dragon that was Twilight with strangely empty eyes. Ponyville burning. Sweet Apple Acres burning.

“Are you even listening to me?” Angel demanded, stomping a furry white paw into the ground, “Serious business here! The Timberwolves don’t have enough power to keep her away for long. Are you going to do something or did I run all this way for nothing?!”

The jackalope looked ready to take a running charge into Fluttershy’s feet horns first.

“We’re going to do something. Don’t you worry, Angel. Thank you. I’ll make sure to get this news to the right beings. Go rest up and drink some water, alright?”

“I’m ready to sleep for a week! I’m tired!”

“Now a week is a bit much-”

“Are you just going to stand there, you bird?” he demanded, signing above his head with his back turned to her.

Fluttershy sighed, “I’m going now. Thank you, Angel.”

“Yeah, yeah. Shoo!”
> The Elements of Harmony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The spell tangling her Magical core was nothing like Twilight had ever seen. It was all dark cloth stuck in black brambles. She could hardly tell where it started and ended. It was embedded so deeply into her in such a short amount of time, the sheer feat of that alone was enough to impress the dragon. She was only distantly aware of the outside world as she set to work. Each tendril was barbed wire and smoke, nigh impossible to see, and removing it would need to be a meticulous process lest she inadvertently damages herself.

So far, she had nearly removed her ability to see, almost lost feeling in her wings, and taken apart one of the numerous arms of the Dark spell. Twilight metaphorically exhaled through her teeth as she poked and prodded the shining ball of light that was her Magical core. As she slowly extracted more of the foreign Magic, her concentration shattered when she finally managed to blink of her own volition in an hour. Elation made her blood rush in her ears. Then, many things happened at once.

Never before had Twilight been so glad to be tossed around like a ragdoll. One moment the wolves were snapping at her heels and crowding against her, and in the next, a massive shadow descended upon her and the wolves were nowhere to be found. Donnie landed in front of her and with a single swipe of his paw, Twilight went down like a sack of potatoes. She wanted to call it a fight, but that implied she put up some token of resistance before going down.

Even while her consciousness floated somewhere in between, Twilight could still feel the Magic Suppressing band clamped around Donnie’s snout. She wondered what could happen if the metal touched her while she was in this state.

The bigger dragon rumbled a laugh as Twilight's body thrashed and blasted flames. His talons fit around her neck with room to spare and his single eye danced with mirth. He held Twilight like a snake, keeping the most dangerous part of her away from his vulnerable areas. Despite thrashing and squirming like a fish out of water, Twilight's body let out hysterical laughter as her own amusement surfaced. She blinked gratefully and curved her eyes up in a smile, thrilled to be able to do so.

Donnie jumped skyward, shooting through the Everfree trees like nothing. Except he hadn't jumped. Donnie was swimming effortlessly through the night sky without any visible Magic, holding her as her wings spasmed and attempted to fly under her own power. It took her a moment to realize he was taking her back to the castle. Instantly her body contorted in a way that looked and felt impossible, throwing all of her weight in one direction to try and release herself. Her body could not resist the pull to destroy Ponyville.

Twilight let out a frighteningly high-pitched scream, worried she would somehow escape Donnie's iron grip on her. What ended up happening instead was her body wheezing and falling limp in submission when Donnie did nothing more than grumble and tighten his hold.

"Youngling, I am aware I stated that I am not particularly old. However, please refrain from knocking us out of the sky, yes? That would be a terrible greeting to the ground - almost offensive, one could say. We have a guest to welcome to Ponyville."

Twilight’s body screeched, pawing at Donnie’s impenetrable scales like a puppy throwing a tantrum.

“No,” Donnie said sternly, and his voice was immovable bedrock and the low rumble of tectonic plates, “I am unaware of what that alicorn has done to you, but you will behave until I find out.”

“I don’t even know what she did to me!” Twilight yelled in her head as Donnie banked and began the flight back to the castle.





Rainbow Dash cursed the Queen in as many languages as she knew. Which in all honesty, wasn’t that many even if she counted her shoddy Avianian. Briefly, they debated on whether or not to ask Fluttershy in the future how to swear in Avianian. The hippogryph would either be extremely amused, or Rainbow Dash would run the risk of getting chased through Ponyville by her best friend. Either way was a win in any case. It wasn’t often that Fluttershy got worked up enough to race them. 

She eyed her two companions. Leaf and Reed tilted their heads in question, their new floppy purple ears flicking up. Privately, the griffon wished they had more time to draw up a more substantial plan. But, plants were already wilting and more firewood had been used up in the past two days than the town would usually use in a month. It wasn’t sustainable.

Her part of the grand plan wasn’t very set in stone either. Their job was literally to create a safe path to the castle, which was incredibly hard to do when an entire swath of the forest had been booby-trapped by something they couldn’t even see.

“Alright, guys. Do you trust me? We’re going to do something stupid.”

“Of course we do!” “We love stupid!” The Timberwolves signed together with wildly wagging tails.

She didn’t deserve companions like her Pack. Rainbow Dash puffed their plume as high as it would go. This would either go really well or blow up spectacularly in their faces. At least Leaf and Reed would be able to be put back together. Her? Not so much. Rainbow Dash was all flesh and feathers, thank you very much.

“Alright, let’s go. When you guys start running, don’t stop and spread out to cover as much ground as possible. I don’t want any flaming fur, do you hear me?” Rainbow Dash said sharply.

“I don’t even think that’s possible anymore,” Reed signed thoughtfully, “We’re like, more Magic than sticks at this point, right?”

“Let’s not find out today,” the griffon snorted, “You guys ready? Go!”

As they ran, the griffon let out an earsplitting roar. She was no dragon, but it echoed from the nearby cliffs. The wolves howled along with them. Her feathers tingled as lightning manifested above her, but she hadn’t earned her name Rainbow Dash by being the slowest flier at Flight Camp.

Lightning singed her fur and made her eyes burn. Thunder echoed in her ears making the dirt under her talons shake. The sounds of hooves, feet, and other extremities echoed through the forest behind them. Nowhere else to go but forward.





“My family will not be leaving until I know my daughter is safe,” Grandmother snapped to the guard at the door.

“Madam Sparkle-”

Spike couldn’t see her face, but he could imagine the blazing look that overtook her face just from the way the guard cringed where he stood.

“That is Lord Sparkle to you, Guard.” Spike jumped at the sharpness hidden behind the words. His ears folded back. Was it his fault that his Uncle wasn’t Lord anymore? “Let me make one thing clear: House Sparkle is staying here in Ponyville until actual concrete crystal clear news is given. Nor do I give a single ponyfeather about Captain Armor’s orders. Please leave. Thank you, good day.”

Spike gulped when his grandmother shut the library door in the guardspony’s face.

“That son of mine has got clouds stuffed into his head. He renounced his title the moment he made it clear he was a threat to Young Spike,” she sniffed as she trotted back to the table.

Spike fidgeted in his seat for a moment before deciding to give voice to the tiny ningling thought in his mind.

“Grandmother, I have a hypothetical question.” He waited for her nod to continue, “If I asked and wanted to, could I… stay in Ponyville? I really like it here…”

Grandmother gave him a hard stare. He knew what he was asking for was very unconventional. Heirs typically didn’t live away from the House estate until they were of age. But as it was, everything about him was already unconventional; what was one more tally to add to the list?

“Do you wish to live among your peers to understand them better, or is this something else, Young Spike?” Grandfather asked, smiling gently.

“I have friends,” he ended up blurting out, “I don’t have friends in Canterlot.”

Grandmother leveled another long neutral look at him. He fought the impulse to shuffle and instead stuck his chin out, tilting his head in challenge. Unbeknownst to him, he was the exact mirror of Twilight when she brought up finding another place to live when she first adopted Spike. He had the same stubborn glint in his eyes, and if Twilight Velvet concentrated hard enough, she could almost see smoke issuing from his muzzle. Spike was his mother’s son, there was no doubt about that.

“This will be something discussed as a family, Young Spike. Your mother must agree and set her own terms as well as myself. You are intelligent enough to know what will happen if this is agreed upon. There will be much to work out. Do you understand?”

That… that wasn’t a no.

“Yes. Thank you, Grandmother, thank you.”





The ponies were coming to her castle. It would be nothing but a fool’s errand. Her drakon would take care of them. Admittedly, her drakon was fairly weak compared to the drakons of old, but the ponies were weaker still. The drakon could rally whatever beasts it thought could destroy her and it would never be enough. Nothing short of the Queen dropping dead or her daughter returning could soothe the prickling rage in her breast.

What she could only assume were pegasi landed on the innermost battlements of the castle. It was a small herd, only about three or four if her senses proved to be correct. She let them wander all the way to the Throne Room before she set aside her work with the Leyline. Her breath stuttered at the sight before her.

Threstrals, four of them, stood in front of her standing proud. Shadow Prancer, Black Thorn, Night Flight, Silent Owl. Nightmare Moon smiled, a quick flash of fangs as she stared each one down. None of them flinched and pride expanded in her chest like a warm embrace. She knew they would have waited for her. Her officers were a loyal, strong lot. The Night Children would live again.

“Welcometh home mine own children.”





By the time Donnie descended toward the castle, Twilight was more or less in control of her own actions. Her wings still spasmed, and occasionally she would need to bite back growls, but overall, it wasn’t awful. In the trees below, torches flickered, and the thud of hooves were audible. Lightning rained down around the perimeter of the castle, and Twilight let her breath hiss out between her teeth.

“Do not fret. The Aerie Prides and the Packs have developed a method of getting us across. We gather at the gates.” Donnie assured her.

He landed amongst several minotaurs who greeted him with cheers and laughter. Twilight twisted her head to smile, but made no move to stand under her own power. She wasn’t sure how much of her control was because of the nullifying metal or her hurried dismantling of the dark Magic.

“The youngin’ give ya a run fer yer bits, Don? Took you a while!”

“Don’t be daft,” Donnie retorted in his flat voice, “Capturing one runaway youngling is a nonissue.”

Another of the minotaurs snorted in amusement, “Yeah, yeah. Bluff all ya want, old geezer. See if ya keep talking when we beat you across.”

“You are challenging a creature of my standing to a race?” 

The minotaurs just laughed. Donnie’s mouth curved up in a smile. A timberwolf yipped at them before racing across the trapped landscape, barely dodging the lightning. As a group, the minotaurs and Donnie surged forward to take advantage of the time gap the spell needed to reactivate.

Twilight’s ears rang but she resolutely kept her eyes open. Donnie glided through the air at waist height like a fish through water, a full head in front of the good-natured cursing minotaurs. When the group reached the gates, and Donnie had gracefully descended, he turned with a tooth-filled grin to declare, “Would you look at that? Someone has won first place.”

“Cheater!” one of them gasped through their pants, “Yer supposed be runnin’! Not flyin’!”

“My apologies, that was not a rule I was aware of.”

“When this is all said n’ done with, I demand a rematch!”

Donnie grumbled a laugh in response before turning to face the old castle, “This is it. No room for error. Let’s go.”





Celestia returned to the artificial alicorn’s room. It was almost time to reapply the charm that immobilized it. The door swung inward and Celestia was presented… with an empty room. She blinked. Nothing in Equestria could escape from the enchantments she laid down. A bomb could’ve gone off and the room would’ve remained standing, she made sure of it.

The table the specimen had been on remained spotless. The room was just as immaculate. No signs of struggle or any indication of tampering. She lit her horn and entered, automatically checking the enchantment strings and the sigils. All looked to be well. So where was the damnable thing?

The instant she crossed the threshold, something akin to a boulder smashed into her lit horn. Pain drenched her head and trickled all the way down to her hooves. Her Magic imploded on impact, splashing back and making her vision flicker. A black shadow detached from the ceiling and zoomed over her head through the open door in the small window of opportunity created by her disorientation.

Celestia spun and had an instant to look at the wide-eyed alicorn before it vanished in a shower of starlight. The familiar vacuum of teleportation washed over Celestia a moment later. Silence fell as Celestia got her bearings back. Something ugly and unbefitting a Queen clawed to the surface as she staggered to her hooves. The alicorn allowed herself a faint snarl before wrapping it up neatly to be picked apart later (or not at all).

Why can’t ponies just do as they’re told? It would make life so much simpler.





The thestrals fanned out. The largest, Shadow Prancer bared her fangs, taking point at the head of the formation. Nightmare Moon let a chuckle escape. A thousand years later her hot-headed second in command was the same as ever.

“T wilt cometh as a relief to thee, for the traveling lamp to be-est hence. Our grand queendom shall never seeth the lighteth of day. Cometh, mine own children, and usher in the new age.” 

But instead of the excitement and eagerness she was expecting, her children hissed in displeasure. The smallest of the lot, Silent Owl spoke, anger coating his words so thickly they shook as they left his mouth. 

“You have damned our families, our home, the world. We starve and fight the cold. You disrupt the way of the wolves, attack our guests, and harm the beings that need the most help. Tell me, what is so grand about your kingdom? By the time you’re finished, you will have nothing but an empire of dust.”

“We expecteth not thee to understand,” she said back stiffly, her elation dashed, “Hast the Queen taken thee from us as well? Everything we doth is for the Night Children. And thee bid us thee don't wanteth?” 

Figures. Everything that was once hers is no more. Her daughter, her Guard, her kingdom. All of it was rightfully hers. Had the Night Children forgotten how to cultivate the Night Plants? No one should be starving. And everyone knew the timberwolves in the forest weren’t intelligent enough to communicate, there’s nothing to disrupt about them.

“Attack!”

The thestrals pounced, wings snapping open and fangs clicking together. The half-second beat of hesitation the alicorn made before trying to blast them cost her. Her helmet took the brunt of the first attack. The metal dented inward, sending gong-like vibrations into her skull as she reflexively moved to shove them all off of her.

Claws scored into the metal of her gauntlets, screeching something unholy as they caught and dragged. Fangs ripped out feathers and blunt force made her stagger.

“Mutiny! Treason! Betrayal!” Nightmare Moon howled, “Thy queen hests thee to cease!” 
Your Queen commands you to stop!

“You are no Queen of ours,” Black Thorn snarled, drawing a cloven hoof back, “We answer to no one but Lady Applejack. She has done more for us than any one of you feathered fools.”





“Starry Dancer, Shadowy Thorn, Whisper, and Night Owl have gone ahead inside, Applejack,” Rarity reported with a certain grimness.

The earth pony nodded, “Alrigh’ y’all! Let’s get a move on! Best not to leave our friends waitin’!”

The rusted gates of the castle drew long dark shadows as torchlight filtered over them. The old drawbridge creaked. Everyone remained silent as they crossed through the stone threshold. Sir Don arrived, silent as the wind, and deposited the smaller dragon onto the cobblestone. The quiet crowd parted to make room for them.

Applejack kept one eye on the reptiles when she noted the gentle guiding hand on the Taskmaster’s snout. The purple dragon looked… for lack of a better word, shitty. Wide dilated eyes had shrunk to pinpricks, leaving almost no iris. Dust clung thickly on her plated scales and mud coated all four claws. She moved almost jerkily, and her jaw worked for no discernible reason.

Sir Don rumbled comfortingly when Twilight scrabbled for his hold like a lost child, “We are almost there, friends. The thestrals have wrought a brilliant distraction. Let us take this opportunity to take the world’s freedom back.”

The procession made its way to the Throne Room doors. Next to her, Rarity drew a sharp breath, “The doors, they’re warded.”

In what looked like a trance-like state, Twilight Sparkle pressed her claws flat against the wood. The dragon flinched, snarling in pain, but she kept her claws steady. By some unspoken rule, a moment of stillness settled over everyone present. Then the doors blew in. Splinters, bits of jagged wood, and chunks of reinforcing iron shot into the Throne Room.

Nightmare Moon screeched, from rage or fear, Applejack didn’t know. The thestrals faded into nearby shadows, their jobs done. She couldn’t tell if they were injured or not. She hoped not. The alicorn was worse for wear. Her wings were flared and her snarl gave off the impression of a cornered animal.

Applejack reared up and slammed her forehooves into the stone. The tiles shattered on impact and a faultline zigzagged along the floor to the alicorn before spires of rock exploded out to pelt her armor with shrapnel. The minotaurs and timberwolves flooded into the room second. In a matter of moments, each physical exit of the room was blocked off by a heavy being with horns and a growling wolf.

Elsewhere, Applejack knew her Magic Teams were locking down the other parts of the castle and keeping an eye out for whatever the Elements of Harmony were. This was one mission no one could afford to fail. 

Several griffons from Aerie Pride Two went down as lightning flashed from the ceiling. In front of her, Nightmare Moon was firing off beams of… Applejack didn’t even know what it was, but all of it was absorbed or deflected by the Taskmaster and Sir Don. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were a strange whirl of blue and pink feathers and lots of confetti.

It all came to a standstill when a bright light appeared above the castle. For a single mad moment, Applejack thought the sun had risen. But the color was wrong, and the stars still twinkled outside when it faded. Another alicorn descended into the room. A swell of emotion rose in Applejack’s chest at the sight. Was she angry? Frustrated? Fearful? Wryly amused? It could’ve been all of those if she was being honest because there was another doggone alicorn to be dealt with.

“CEASE!” The alicorn thundered in a volume that came deceptively from her small frame, “CEASE AT ONCE!”





Nightmare Moon’s head whipped up at the voice. It couldn’t be. Her eyes landed on her precious daughter. Nova had come back to her. Released or otherwise, she didn’t care. Nova had returned to her side.

“Mother! Mine own Queen, alloweth's leaveth this kingdom, leaveth, and never cometh backeth. The Queen shall not be-est ceased. Alloweth's leaveth, Mother, prithee.” Nova pleaded, landing as gracefully as she could. 

But that was wrong, wasn’t it? Precious Nova wasn’t graceful. Her beautiful daughter was many things, but doing things with grace was beyond her. This was another trick from the Queen -- it had to be. Turning her own subjects against her was one thing, donning a puppet in the visage of her daughter was another.

“How dareth thee,” she rumbled and her not-daughter froze. “How dareth thee!”

This was not how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to gain freedom, enact her revenge, and take what was rightfully hers. By now, Celestia should’ve been cowering at her hooves, begging for mercy she would never give. By now, her power over Equestria should’ve been solidified, ushering in a new era of the queendom.

But the only thing she had to show for her grand plan was a crumbling castle, a beastly servant that had somehow removed its own collar, and her own subjects storming her home and succeeding. Her teeth gnashed together, grinding and popping to create a noise she was hard-pressed not to flinch away from.

“Mother-”

And, in some distant part of her mind, something quivered and shattered. “Thou. Art. Nay. Daughter. Of. Mine.”

A spell, hot and crackling, wreathed her horn. She flashed her fangs when it jetted toward Not-Nova. How curious it was that she felt almost gleeful watching that scarlet spell fly through the air. Now that was something that was graceful.

Rocks, dirt, and stone blasted her armor. The spell didn’t hit Not-Nova. It had hit a lowly shield of earth that her eyes traced back to the orange earth pony that led the charge into the castle. Not-Nova was nowhere to be found. Someone giggled.

“Someone missed~” a small pink pegasus sing-songed. Not-Nova was behind the much smaller pony.

Another spell, bright blue this time, sailed through the air, but there was a crack of thunder and the pegasus was in a completely different part of the room. They laughed again, “Oopsie! Try again!”

Nightmare Moon howled in rage. Was it not enough the Queen taunted her? The common folk had to mock her as well? Part of a nearby wall crumbled when she missed for the third time. So much of her mind was consumed by her fury that she nearly missed the screech of a griffon.

“Everyone, not needed, out! Secure the rest of this place, we got this! Pinkie needs space! Trust me!”

Not-Nova had vanished again, but she was far more infuriated with the pink ball of feathers, that, wouldn’t, sit, still! The pegasus had the gall to keep laughing and giggling with each miss. The complete lack of fear and utter lack of respect for her standing had her rearing up on her hind legs and crashing back down to encase the entire floor in ice.

“You think ice is going to slow Pinks down?” the griffon called mockingly, “That’ll just make her faster!”

And before her eyes, the pegasus went from a barely trackable blur, into one that materialized and vanished like she had mastered the art of powerless teleportation. She charged her horn to shockwave the entire room, her own disorientation be damned when a curious creature that looked like a pony crossed with a griffon settled their too-large talons on her head.

There was an almost indiscernible pulse of something before the creature spoke in a soft, kind voice, “You look a little tired. How about you sleep?”

Her eyelids drooped and she went boneless, crumpling to the ground with no fanfare. The creature even somewhat caught her so she didn’t end up teeth first onto the tiles. The creature ran their talons through her mane, keeping her limp and pliant. She wanted to screech, thrash, or even get up, but her body wasn’t listening to her maddened mind.

“Lady Rarity, Don,” she heard the drakon slur, “I ask for one more favor. There must be Magic, correct? Give it to me and I will channel it to the best of my ability.”

“There will be no favor to be repaid from this. I, Rarity Belle, freely give my Magic to Taskmaster Twilight Sparkle. Let the Moon, Sun, and Stars know, here stands Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, and lastly, Magic.”

“Pinkie Pie, Laughter, for staring in the face of danger and keeping her smile. Applejack, Loyalty, for protecting one that isn’t her own. Rainbow Dash, Honesty, for asking others to trust your judgment in keeping them out of harm's way. Rarity Belle, Generosity, for freely giving second chances. Fluttershy, Kindness, for going out of her way to welcome a stranger. Twilight Sparkle, Magic, for the one that has learned what all these values mean.”

The talons left her mane, but before she could even twitch, fire enveloped her. It did not hurt, and yet she screamed until her voice went hoarse. It did not hurt, and yet she could still feel endless tears slipping past her closed eyelids. It did not hurt, and yet her muscles spasmed, clenching and unclenching with no pattern.

She was Nightmare Moon.

She was a Queen.

She was the Moon.

She was a mother.

She was…

She was… a nobody.

The fire left her and she could breathe again. Her mind was clearer than ever before. A name floated across her thoughts. Luna. But she was not the Moon, not anymore. Her eyes cracked open in time to see the Sun rise.