> unicorn destiny: equestria is magical. > by Shinka24 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Good morning/afternoon/evening, today I bring you a new saga for the My Little Pony fandom. This story is strongly inspired by the fic: "A Journey Beyond Sanity," which is one of my favorites. I don't know what happened to the author of that story; I hope he's okay. But his story inspired me to create this one. Enjoy! Warning: This fanfiction was created by a fan for fans with the purpose of improving in the art of writing. This story can and most likely will have spelling errors. Any criticism (constructive or not) will be read and appreciated. This story is not going to be a HIE or G5; it will be tinged with the G4 story, MLP: FIM. Disclaimer: I don’t own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (I wish), all the rights go to her creator, Lauren Faust, I only own the oc’s. New diary, day XX/XX/XXXX. Hi there, writing this new diary because I lost all my other ones in that last attack. I want to keep track of what's happening, just in case someone finds this after I'm gone. My name? Well, it's not really important anymore. I hardly use it, so I can't even remember what it was. You might be wondering why I'm jotting all this down. Well, let me take you back a bit. Back then, I was just your average Teenager—going to college, hanging out with friends, watching internet videos, you know, the usual stuff. The news was buzzing about potential wars between countries, but nobody really took it seriously. That all changed when they dropped the first nuke right in downtown Manhattan. After that, chaos erupted big time. Powerful folks started launching nukes left and right, turning major cities into ghost towns. And just like that, chaos took over. Devastation spread like wildfire, wiping out everything in its path. Bustling cities turned into rubble, with only the wind and the cries of survivors left behind. But the war didn't last long. People realized there wasn't much left to fight for once the dust settled. Communities sprang up to shelter the few still standing. But the fights didn't stop there. People got greedy, wanting more, though nobody really knew what "more" even meant. Communities boomed and busted, torn apart by fights from within and without. I bounced around from one community to another, searching for some kind of home, trying not to feel so alone. Till I couldn't take it anymore. Seeing communities fall apart from human greed got to me. The world seemed messed up to its core. So, I decided to step back, find some solitude. Found refuge in one of the cities fried by radiation. At that point, I didn't care if it got me too. This world was in a sorry state anyway. Survival became my main gig, relying on what I learned from those communities—growing crops, rationing out what little water and food I had. Kept myself busy, you know? Things were okay for a bit. Till those bandits came along, wrecked my place, and sent me running with just the shirt on my back. Lost everything again. But the memories of my loved ones? That's what keeps me going. I have to honor them, no matter what. Recently, I managed to find my old house, and now I'm trying to rebuild my life here, even if it's just for the nostalgia that remains. It's a daunting task, but I know I must carry on. Not just for myself, but because I promised my mother before she passed away. Her memory and her wish to see me move forward drive me to fight every day, even when everything seems to be against me. End of the new diary. The book being written was closed and placed gently on the desk. The person, an adult in his thirties, got up from the desk in his room to prepare for a new day. He was a tall, slim man, standing at about 1.72 meters, with long hair and a scruffy beard. He wore worn-out clothes as he headed to the bathroom to freshen up. After taking the best shower he could manage, he looked at himself in the broken bathroom mirror, studying his reflection as if he hadn't seen one in a long time. After pondering for a while, he shrugged and told himself, "I'll have to figure out how to cut my hair." But then, an intrusive thought crept into his mind: Is it really worth it? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he gave himself a few pats on the face and affirmed, looking at his reflection in the mirror, "Yes, it's worth it." He left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen, where he found an apple, the only food he had at that moment. He quickly devoured it before going outside to check on his crops. Since the war ended, communities had started raising animals to try to lead a more normal life. However, having spent a lot of time alone, he hadn't been able to find any animals. That's why he had survived on a diet of vegetables and fruits. The lack of proper nutrition had weakened his body more than usual, making his bones more fragile. He inspected his crops, making sure they didn't have sick roots or were infested with pests. His routine continued until his sharp ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. Turning around, he saw some men coming towards him, armed with firearms. "Assault rifles," he immediately noticed, as in his old community, the citadel, the scouts used assault rifles to protect themselves from any bandits they might encounter. "Looks like they're from a community," thought the man as he raised his hands in surrender. He had no means of defending himself; he had always been more of a cultivator than a warrior, and he had never participated in the war that had destroyed the world. Anxious, the man watched them as they continued to approach with their weapons raised. "Gentlemen, is there anything I can help you with?" he began, but his sentence was abruptly cut short as he was immediately shot by the armed men. As he fell to the ground, he could hear the men speaking: "Quick, search the house for any valuables," one scout said to another, before footsteps faded into the distance. "How rude," was the man's last coherent thought before darkness consumed him. Speculation about what comes after death has always been a hot topic. Some envision heavenly bliss, others dread eternal suffering, and then there are those who think there's some sort of continuation beyond the grave. But for me, it's a bit different. Instead of the expected heaven or hell scenario, I'm stuck in this weird void. It's like floating in a bottomless pit of darkness, with nothing but my own thoughts to keep me company. Seriously, is this it? Afterlife just turns out to be a bleak, empty void? It's almost laughable... Even in death, I can't catch a break and be with my loved ones. Talk about irony. So, what's the deal now? Am I doomed to float around in this void for all eternity? As I reflect upon myself, a luminous white light in the background catches my attention, drawing nearer with each passing moment. What could this radiant glow signify? Push harder! As I observe its approach, faint echoes of voices reach my ears. Your foal is almost here, just a little more effort! The closer I draw to the light, the clearer the voices become. Indeed, I could swear I heard them speak of a foal, a curious yet perplexing notion. Feel the magic within you and channel it toward your foal. Magic? Wait... am I undergoing reincarnation or something akin to an isekai concept in a world of enchantment? ...Nice. Though I remain puzzled by the persistent mention of the term "foal." While typically associated with young horses, I'm quite certain it doesn't apply to me, a human, does it? ...does it? Suddenly, the luminosity envelops me, and a kaleidoscope of colors fills my vision. "Congratulations, it's a male foal!" booms a voice, jolting my sensitive ears and coaxing me to open my eyes. Only to be met by the sight of a pristine white ceiling. So, I find myself in a hospital room. ...wait, foal again... Oh no. Without warning, the doctor repositions me into the "arms" of my new mother, which is a Unicorn with crystalline white fur, like freshly fallen snow with a white mane and tail with blue highlights and light blue eyes. Oh... Perhaps this isn't so dreadful after all. At least they're not anthropomorphic ponies, and thankfully, I've avoided the EQG realm, which is already a relief. Then, to my surprise, my newfound mother casts an anxious gaze upon me. What now? "Doctor is it typical for my foal not to cry after birth?" inquires my new mother, her eyes fixed upon the doctor, a stoic orange earth pony with a fiery red mane and tail, clad in medical attire, who now directs his attention toward me. Uh oh. The doctor, meeting my gaze, offers my new mother a reassuring response, "Do not fret, Miss Crystal Frost, it's not uncommon for a foal to delay its first cry at birth, but if you wish, we can conduct a swift examination to ensure his well-being." Wait, my new mother's name is Crystal Frost? No, wait, more importantly, that wasn't the most tactful response, doc, judging by the concern evident in her azure gaze. "Please proceed as you deem necessary, doctor," my new mother replies, her palpable concern evident, prompting a nod of affirmation from the doctor. Oh no, what is the doctor planning to do to me? Ah, why can't I simply cry to expedite this ordeal! Come on, focus, focus, focus, focus! Why am I suddenly feeling so overwhelmed? I distinctly recall feeling rather detached emotionally a moment ago. This is perplexing. Ah! Cease with the blinding light, you [Beep] doctor! Wait, what? [Beep] Huh? [Beep] No... [Beep], [Beep], [Beep], [Beep]! No! I'm unable to curse now. "Waaaaah!" "There you go!" "You did it, doctor!" Ah, [Beep] my life. After that... incident at the hospital, my new mother rested in bed while the doctor took me to another room for medical check-ups. Should I feel embarrassed by this new experience? Honestly, no. Now, I'm just a baby—or a foal, if you prefer that term. Besides, I know it's a standard procedure for newborns, something I learned from one of the few doctors I encountered in the communities. And strangely enough, it brought me a sense of comfort and solace. It's been so long since I've been in a hospital or around doctors, even if they aren't human. It made me cry again. Goodness, why am I so sensitive? Hormones, perhaps? Eventually, I was taken to a quiet room with other newborn foals and settled into a crib. Finally, some time to myself. A chance to reflect on my new situation. And honestly, I didn't know how to feel. On one hand, I couldn't be with my loved ones after I passed away. On the other hand, I've been given a second chance at life, in a happier world than the one I left behind. It's all a bit overwhelming, and my tear ducts seem to agree. Seriously, why the [Beep] am I so sensitive? It's been years since my feelings had been numb. It feels weird to feel again and as strongly as I do now. And why do my curses sound... different? Is it Equestrian magic? Cartoon logic? Discord's influence? I honestly have no clue. And I don't like it. Either way, I have to decide what to do. If I judge the fact that I was reincarnated into a possible isekai trope in MLP that, thank goodness, they're not anthropomorphic nor are they EQG's so I'm fine with this. Now, if I follow the isekai trope that is usually done in this type of situation, I will most likely get involved with the main characters of this series by being a seventh element of harmony pulled out of my ass or because I want to go home. But I don't want to go back to my world in devastation, I have nothing left there, and god forbid If I become the [Beep]Ing seventh element of harmony. So, to make sure I'm not, I have to stay away from the main characters. Shouldn't be that hard right? "Sweetheart, we're back!" "Welcome home!" I remained silent as my parents exchanged affectionate gestures; my gaze fixed on my father. Specifically, on the gleaming golden armor adorning him. ...well, [Beep]. That would be it for the first chapter. Goodbye. > Chapter 1: Thing happened, a lot. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi, I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter. This new story just got into my brain and doesn't want to come out. I don't know if I'm going to do it right but here it is. Enjoy. This fanfiction was created by a fan for fans for the purpose of improving in the art of writing. This story may and most likely will have spelling mistakes. Any criticism (constructive or not) will be read and appreciated. This story is not going to be a HIE or G5, it will be tinged to the G4 story, MLP: FIM. Disclaimer: I don’t own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (I wish), all the rights go to her creator, Lauren Faust, I only own the oc’s. It's a beautiful day outside, the birds are singing and the ponies are spending their time outside. And I'm cooped up in my little room while I'm reading a book. It's been quite some time, a few years in fact, since I came to the realization that my mission to avoid the plot to avoid become into a [Beep] harmony element was going to be more difficult than I originally imagined. Some of you may already know why but let me just state the obvious as to why it will be more difficult. My father is a royal guard. What does that have to do with anything, you may ask? Well, it's simple. It means I'm in Canterlot, or Cancelot, or whatever how does it his name, which puts me close to one of my favorite characters, Twilight Sparkle. And the fact that my father is a member of the guard will mean that he will eventually meet Shining Armor when he joins the army and/or get intimate with Princess Celestia. Now, that doesn't mean that my father is close to the Princess by any stretch of the imagination, but considering how isekai tropes work, he might as well be. That could mean that I might have to get to know Twilight Sparkle because of the connections my family has. While that should make me happy, as I'll get to meet one of my favorite characters in the franchise, it also ends with the fact that I have to stay away from the holders of the elements of harmony. So, to that end, I have a mission to accomplish. Main mission: Avoid Twilight Sparkle at any cost possible. Why Twilight? Because it is impossible for me to avoid Princess Celestia, considering that my father is a [Beep]Ing royal guard and she is the ruler of Equestria, it will be impossible for me to avoid her, so I must only avoid her student to avoid the plot and not be a holder of a non-existent element of harmony. Platinum Breeze, your wit is truly remarkable. ...Hmm, oh yeah, that's right, there are things that happened during these time that I haven't counted, so let me give a quick recount. After my parents stopped giving each other cuddles, my mom introduced me to my dad with this name, Platinum Breeze, so that must be my new name. My father is a unicorn named Bright Shield, he is a tall and pretty strong unicorn if his arms, I mean his paws, his skin or whatever is silver with blue sparkles, he has a crimson red mane with silver highlights. Oh, and he has a cutie mark of a bright blue shield with some sparkles, my mother is from a plate of food that looked like spaghetti. He also has something that surprised me a bit, he has a large scar on her side, it doesn't look deep according to my little medical knowledge but it did surprise me. Isn't My Little Pony a children's show? I thought no one here could be seriously injured, at least not enough to have a scar as big as that. The truth is, it shocked me so much that, for some reason, I started crying. Seriously, these emotions of mine are a mess. Is it because of my new body or what the [Beep]? I don't even know anymore. Anyway, the days went by fast with only a few incidents. The first incident, seemingly insignificant at first glance, was the moment I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I know, shocking, right? Incredible that I had not even asked myself how I looked until I saw myself in a mirror. Although it is also true that I, in the start, spent most of my time sleeping that I forgot to ask myself what I looked like. My new form is a small silver-white unicorn, my mane and tail are violet and my eyes are turquoise. I was fascinated with my new appearance and couldn't thank god or whoever that I wasn't in an anthropomorphic world. Some people will be annoyed that I keep emphasizing that, along with the fact that I'm thankful I'm not in EQG, but I have my reasons. Well, moving on to the second incident, is that I was able to use magic. Or something like that. You see, it was an ordinary day and my parents had woken me up for lunch, or well rather it was the babysitter they hired since my parents went to work, my father to his shift as a guard and my mother downstairs. You see, the house we live in is a 2-story house, where downstairs was my mother's business. Or at least I think so, because always before I go to sleep, I see my mother go downstairs and I always hear voices of other ponies downstairs. Anyway, because my parents couldn't take care of me 24 hours a day, they hired a nanny to take care of me, which annoyed me a little but I was understanding considering I was a baby or a foal or whatever. My nanny was a lime green earth pony, with a light pink mane and a cutie mark that I don't remember because I didn't pay much attention to it. So, there I was, reluctantly awake for my new nanny to feed me, only for her to decide to play some game with me by refusing to give me my food. It seems she decided to have a bit of fun by pretending my food was an airplane, but it took longer than expected to serve it to me, leaving me quite upset. So, you must imagine my annoyance at the whole situation and with my emotions out of control as they were, I tried to take it from him by force but obviously I couldn't, I was or rather am a colt I couldn't even reach him, so I could only give him a look or a pout as I imagined taking the spoon from him. So, imagine my surprise when the spoon flew from her paw to my mouth in an instant, I looked at her annoyed only to realize that it wasn't her who did it, if we rely on her surprised Pikachu's face to give us an idea. After that she went back to feeding me and put me to bed in my crib and then ran to my excited mother for some reason. I mean, I'm a unicorn, me using magic shouldn't be surprising, even if I'm only a few days old, or will it be a month, month and a half? I really have no idea because my sense of time is atrophied but it must not have been long even though I already have my teeth, baby teeth but teeth, nonetheless. And then, time passed again, a few days later the second incident, my parents happily for some reason decided to stay and play with me all day, apparently, they had both decided to take the day off to spend time with me. Which was nice of them but unnecessary, considering I could already walk and talk. Oh, I didn't mention that did I? Well yeah, it looks like the ponies can learn to talk and walk after a short period of time Do you know how hard it was for me to get used to walking like a quadruped? Because it was hard the first few days. So, it seems like ponies develop pretty fast, or maybe my sense of time is just all mixed up. It didn't take me more than a few days to learn how to walk and talk, thankfully since the language of this world is still English. Let's not talk about writing though, that took me much longer than I would like. And even if I left to use diapers, it shouldn't be so much time after I was reborn in this world, so I must not be too old, right? At first, I thought that. Then, we played for a while or something, if you can call throwing balls at each other a game but it was quite entertaining. What wasn't any fun was feeling like I was being put through a test. They kept tossing the ball just out of my reach, knowing I couldn't reach it because of my size. Then, when it got stuck in a tree at Canterlot Park—finally found out the name of the city—they looked at me like they were waiting for me to do something before using their magic to get it down. Their expressions seemed kind of disappointed. Did they expect me to use magic? I had tried, after the second incident, but so far, I couldn't replicate what I did that day with the babysitter. Like, something were missing. Then, in a moment the ball was trapped in the tree again, and I was overcome with a strong sense of anger. In my fury, I managed to summon a flash of my magic to push the ball, enough for it to come out of the tree and hit me in the head. My folks were totally surprised but also super excited. They hugged me tight and said things like, 'Wow, at just 1.5 years old and already doing magic! How awesome!' 'That's our little champ!' and stuff like that. Which made me realize that my sense of time was really out of whack. I spent a year and a half living in this world, and I didn't realize until they told it. It's not like they forgot about my birthday, cause we've celebrated it before. But lately, we've been having so many parties for various reasons. Out of all those parties, only three were just for me, and I didn't even know which one was my actual birthday. So, I suppose my sense of time was a bit... off, if you catch my drift. Ever since then, they've been teaching me all sorts of stuff, and I've been soaking up all the magic knowledge like a sponge. I founded the magic really fascinating and more so how they used it in this world. In a nutshell, every critter in this realm can use magic, or so Starswirl the Bearded says in his book, Magic 101. And yup, I also read his books, his knowledge is fascinating. Anyway, as I was saying, all the critter of this realm can use magic but in different ways and different uses. But ponies are the creatures that have the deepest connection to magic. Or so say the book. Earth ponies have magic circulating through their bodies all the time, making their bodies stronger and more resilient than other ponies. Pegasus ponies have their magic concentrated in their wings, making it possible for them to fly and being able to interact with the weather. And last but not least, unicorn ponies are one of the ponies with the strongest magical connection of the 3 groups, being able to channel it through their horn, being this the main channeler of unicorn magic. Unicorns use magic as if it were their own life support, making them able to improve themselves with magic but also wearing out their body if they use too much magic. There are records of unicorns who became unable to use magic by exceeding their set limit to magic use, losing their horn in the process. As I mentioned earlier, I've been totally enchanted by magic ever since, and I've been practicing it non-stop. They even sent me to a sort of magic elementary school here in Canterlot. But now, I'm almost done with school, and my folks are thinking about sending me to a different school, one that's more suited to my magical talents. I'm not bothered by it, though, cause like I said, I'm completely fascinated by magic. In fact, my cutie mark is all about it! It's an open book with sparkles bursting out, symbolizing my passion for learning magic. But you know, I've never quite understood why cutie marks even exist. Sure, it's kinda cute how they reflect a pony's aspirations on their flank, but what bugs me is how it seems to dictate a pony's destiny. Why does everyone make such a big deal about a little mark on their flank? Does that mark really have the power to shape our destiny? Personally, I think we shouldn't let a symbol define who we are or what we'll become. Instead, it should be more like a compass, guiding us toward what we're passionate about and what brings us joy. I remember spending countless hours immersed in My Little Pony, captivated by its world. But I could never quite grasp why some ponies were so fixated on finding their 'cutie mark.' Was it really that crucial? Could a simple picture on their flank really chart the course of their lives? To me, the true beauty of life lies in discovering what you love and what you want to pursue, not letting a mark on your flank dictate your path. Anyway, right now, I am currently 5 years old, and I would like to say that I now have stable control over myself. Immersing myself in the study of magic became much more than just an exploration of skills. I discovered a calmness in that path that surpassed any expectations I might have had. Not only did it offer me structure and stability in my day-to-day life, but it also became a way to take control over the life I had lost in my old world, what I lost I graciously regained through study. The unconditional support of my new parents, combined with the deep sense of purpose I found in magic, gave me an emotional stability that had previously eluded me. It seemed that the trauma that my old life had generated was slowly fading away, it was not only the hormones of being a newborn baby in this world but also because inside me I felt lost in this new world. And yes, I also discovered a personal "sleep" ritual, although I prefer to call it a vague attempt at meditation. In those moments, I would let my mind wander and clear, immersing myself in a state of serenity that allowed me to recharge my batteries and return to face the challenges of everyday life with renewed vigor. I also managed to reestablish my concept of time, it only took me another year and a half to establish a normality in the passage of time around me. And most of all, I haven't had any contact with Twilight Sparkle in all my time here, even when I had my brief moment of panic when we went to see Princess Celestia's sunrise day, which was amazing, I can see why these ponies like the show. Anyway, if I continue like this, I can keep the isekai trope from kicking in and manage to get on with my life as a would-be scholar of magic. Nothing can go wrong now! Everything can go wrong now! Panicking! Asdfooqoeqbvoqnqcasda Whew, sorry, I just had a bit of a meltdown recently. You see, shortly after I ended up invoking karma, my parents showed up telling me that they enrolled me in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, which didn't bother me at all, as the school is a prestigious school that any unicorn would be honored to get into and I'd be a fool to avoid getting into. Turns out, Twilight and I both ended up enrolling in the same school on the very same day. Talk about coincidence, huh? On the bright side, I got here first. But on the downside, my parents are all buddy-buddy with Twilight's folks. Then again, Twilight seems pretty jittery, so we haven't exchanged a single word. Good news for me, at least—I haven't failed my mission yet, I can still be not part of the plot. If all goes well, then I'll just have to go in, pass the test and go home to celebrate. Piece of cake right. Haha... nope. "Participant number 25, Platinum Breeze, please come to the room." My ears perked up at the sound of my name and I eagerly rose from my seat, heading straight to the room for my practical test. You see, to get into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns you have to pass two tests, one theoretical and one practical, which test your skill and knowledge in magic. The theory test wasn't too tough, especially since I've been studying magic for more than half of my life in this realm. So, acing it was a piece of cake. The practical exam is a completely different experience. It can cover a wide range of challenges, from levitating heavy objects to hatching an egg to demonstrating elemental skills. In short, it could be any test that demonstrates your magical ability. Once inside the room and in front of the jury, I gave them my best smile. Suddenly, several ponies entered carrying various objects, each with the same sign in front of them. Apparently, the test involved performing magic elements in sequence; they wanted the objects to feel the different elemental magic one after the other: fire, wind, water, and earth. "Alright, Mr. Breeze, you may begin!" announced one of the mare judges. With a determined gaze, I focused on the four objects surrounding me. Elemental magic is somewhat unique and the best way to describe it is that it depends on several factors. First, concentrate on the target. Second, mentally visualize the target. Third, mentally repeat some incantation of the spell you are going to use, because spells have incantations so they can be used correctly. Not all spells have them, like levitation and other magics just require having in your mind the image of what do you want it to do, but elemental magic and other magics like this required a incantation to be able to use it. Four, you have to really be concentrated, get all the juice you have inside you to make the magic work and do what you want it to do, one wrong step and the spell will go out of control. Once I performed the first 3 factors, I concentrated hard on the four objects around me, I could feel my horn glowing brightly, a sign that I was using my magic. In a moment, the 4 objects ignited into controlled wood fire, only to be extinguished by the water summoned below, shaken by the wind and finally collapsed by the earth energy I imbued upon them. As the spell concluded, I eased off my concentration, letting my magic settle. Glancing at the judges, I noticed them jotting down notes. They exchanged nods before one of the esteemed judges addressed me. "Considering the magical prowess, you've showcased today, along with your performance in the theory test, we're delighted to extend an invitation to join our esteemed school. Congratulations, young talent!" he beamed warmly. Hooray! I couldn't contain my excitement, so I started bouncing up and down with joy. I caught sight of my adoptive parents, who were beaming proudly, and rushed over to give them a big hug. Though they may not be my first biological parents, I've grown quite attached to them, thanks to a bit of Stockholm syndrome. Plus, they've been incredibly supportive of my magic studies, even getting me loads of books to help me learn. As we were getting ready to leave, my dad asked the judges something. They just shrugged and let him do whatever he pleased. Turns out, he wanted to stick around to watch young Twilight's test. Once again, it seemed my parents had formed a fast friendship with Twilight's folks in the brief time they'd chatted. Maybe they knew each other from before, since they just called them "dad's friends," and that was enough for them to want to support their friend's daughter, for whatever reason. I didn't quite get why the judges let them stay, but my protests went unheard. Before long, the Sparkle family arrived, and the nervous Twilight began her test—hatching a baby dragon egg. How they managed to get one, is beyond my knowledge. The test itself is super tough, not impossible, but definitely challenging, especially for a young filly like Twilight. You see, hatching a dragon egg is kind of like using a time machine. You have to speed up the egg's time until it's ready to hatch. Well, it is the same thing to hatch eggs in general but one doesn't know how much time an egg has left to hatch and if you past that time the spell don't work. And dragon eggs take quite a while to hatch. Now let's see how it solves it the young Twilight. …okay, no offense to Twilight, but what followed was a sad demonstration of magic as she couldn't even summon her magic to attempt the spell, which was surprising. Wasn't she the element of magic? How on earth did she move on to that if she currently couldn't even summon her magic. I mean, it was pretty sad to see, but it left me perplexed. Maybe she's just too jittery to harness her magic? Emotions do play a crucial part in spellcasting, after all. After numerous tries, the young filly slumped in defeat, wearing a crestfallen expression as she murmured, "I'm sorry for wasting your time." It tugged at my heartstrings, and I almost went over to comfort her when suddenly... BOOM! There was a resounding boom, and it seemed to trigger something in Twilight. Suddenly, her horn lit up brightly, and the spell she'd been struggling with shot out towards the egg, causing it to hatch right before our eyes. But it also made her magic go out of control, as with a small scream, she began to levitate and cast spells everywhere. From one moment to the next, the judges were levitating above the air, her parents were turned into plants and the young newborn dragon had a growth spurt. The only grace that saved us from suffering from one of Twilight's spells was my father's quick thinking, which protected us with a shield that made us unable to be hit by her magic. But now, that led to a conundrum, how do we stop the out-of-control filly? I couldn't do anything, obviously and neither could my parents, my mother is not an expert in magic and my father is holding the shield. So how do we...? Ah, that's how. The solution was that a wild Celestia suddenly appeared and somehow managed to calm Twilight down. Seriously, all it took was for her to put her paw on her, give her a look, and wham, Twilight calmed down. Princess Celestia, please teach me your tricks. Afterward, everypony who had been affected by the spells returned to their usual selves, suggesting that the spells' effects were only temporary. And then they started talking. Turns out, the Princess recognized Twilight's extraordinary magical potential and raw talent, something you wouldn't typically expect from a young filly. This led the Princess to take Twilight under her wing as her ward. Which made her obviously accept, be overjoyed and get her cutie mark in the process. Which made her jump for joy again, this time in circles around the princess. After a while, she settled down, and Princess Celestia took her leave. My folks then went over to hers, inviting them to join us for a celebration at my mom's restaurant, right downstairs in our house, which she runs. They gladly agreed to join. So, we went to celebrate. After a while, the celebration was over, Twilight's family left while I became friends with Twilight. Currently, I was in my room banging my head against my desk. Main mission: Avoid Twilight Sparkle at all costs: Failed. How did I just fail my main mission in the second chapter? How?! Seriously, it feels like the universe is against me. As if I just want to prove that I can't avoid my fate. Well, [Beep] you! If I can't avoid becoming your friend, then I'll just go on with my life, I won't [Beep] care what happens from now on. From now on my main mission will be: Main mission: Live your life. I will not let you gain destiny; I will live my life no matter what you put in my way, I will not become a [Beep]Ing Element of Harmony. That at least I can hope to achieve. Hi, I hope you liked the second chapter. See you. > Chapter 2: Schooldays > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi, I hope you enjoyed the previous chapters. Any mistake or doubt you may have, don't hesitate to comment, after all I'm still a novice writer. Without further ado, let's get to the next chapter. This fanfiction was created by a fan for fans with the purpose of improving in the art of writing. This story may and most likely will have spelling mistakes. Any criticism (constructive or not) will be read and appreciated. This story is not going to be a HIE or G5, it will be tinged to the G4 story, MLP: FIM. Disclaimer: I don't own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (I wish), all the rights go to her creator, Lauren Faust, I only own the oc's. Today was a new day. The sun was up and the ponies were out doing their business. As I trotted towards my first day of school, I reflected on the events of the past few days. It had only been about three days since the Celestia School entrance exam, which was held on a Friday, and now it was time for me to go to the school. Some might argue that three days is not enough time for a student to prepare for school entrance, and in a normal scenario, they would be correct. However, I must remind you that we are not in the Earth anymore; things here are a bit different. First and foremost, in Equestria, the age of graduation and transition to adulthood for a foal is 16 years old. After reaching this milestone, a pony is considered independent and free to carve out their own path in life. Secondly, the government provides school supplies for those students whose parents are unable to obtain them, or if Princess Celestia so chooses. Since it is her school, Celestia is in charge of providing the necessary resources for the students. Books, backpacks and everything necessary for the pony to comfortably attend school are included. However, in this world, clothing is not necessary for ponies, unless it is for special occasions or simply for personal taste. Although it may seem curious, there is a logic to it. Unlike humans, ponies have fur that keeps them warm on normal days. Only on cold winter days do they resort to certain garments or magic to keep warm. At the beginning, it felt a bit strange for me, but I soon got used to it. Since it was a daily occurrence, I learned to embrace my lack of clothing. Although, sometimes, I would wear a garment just for old times' sake. Today, I decided to dress a bit fancier for school. My "uniform" is a stylish cape that drapes over my shoulders and down to my stomach, complete with handy pockets for storing bits and school supplies. I also brought along my backpack, though it's more like a shoulder bag that hangs comfortably at my side. It's spacious enough to hold all my school essentials without being too bulky. Sometimes, I find myself wishing for a magical bag with infinite storage. Unfortunately, in Equestria, that's not possible. Or if it is, those artifacts are probably locked away. There isn't much information about them, though. Space magic is a rarity in Equestria. While there are various types of magic, such as musical, elemental, compact, and even time magic, space magic is practically non-existent, or perhaps considered forbidden magic. Despite my best efforts to search spell books, I have not found any information about space magic. It's likely an incredibly difficult magic to perform, as only high-level unicorn ponies can perform time, cloning, or physical alteration spells. Anyway, I was currently trotting to school, which wasn't too far away. The school itself was located in the center of town, with accessible routes so you could take shortcuts if you were running late or just wanted to arrive early. For the first time, I was thrilled to trot off to school! Well, it wasn't my very first-time attending school since I arrived here in Equestria, but it was the first time I was heading to a school I truly wanted to attend. In my previous life, I started studying engineering in auto mechanics, but I lost interest due to a pandemic and dropped out. Later, when face-to-face classes resumed, I switched to accounting. It wasn't a bad career, but it wasn't my true passion. Upon beginning my schooling in Equestria, I discovered that the classes were somewhat dull. As a human reincarnated into a pony with knowledge beyond my years, the lessons designed for foals failed to engage me. What truly sparked my interest was the opportunity to practice magic, yet such occasions were rare, particularly since not all of my classmates were unicorns like myself. Now, I have a deep interest in the main subject of this school: magic! And with some prior knowledge about the subject, I feel at least somewhat prepared for what lies ahead. Actually, although some might assume that with 5 years of experience in this place and about to turn 6, I should be a master of magic, that's not so simple. Why, may you ask? The answer is quite simple, the books I have access to. It should be pretty obvious, but I'll still say it: no one would think to expect a foal to read those super difficult books on magic and understand them. Most of the books I was given were for foals, full of pictures or very basic information, and sometimes they even contradicted each other. I would often tag along with my father, seeking his help to decipher the mysterious language of the books. Even he was taken aback by how some seemed to underestimate the intelligence of foals. It's as if the authors believed little ones couldn't grasp complex concepts. Certainly, it bothered me. Sometimes, I'd even toss the book I was reading against the wall out of pure frustration. But usually, I found solace in a soothing cup of tea to calm my nerves. I discovered a certain tranquility in sipping tea when I'm feeling upset. There's something about the warmth and comforting aroma that helps soothe my troubled mind. It's like a gentle hug in a cup, wrapping me in a sense of peace and serenity. Is kinda weird but so are the things now. So yeah, I'm really glad I came to this school. And having finished my internal monologue, I have already arrived at the school. To my surprise, though somehow not so surprising, I see Princess Celestia standing at the door, greeting all the students who are arriving at the school. She certainly has a lot of time on her hooves, that mare. As I approach the door, Princess Celestia greets me with a gentle smile. "Welcome to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, young Platinum Breeze! We are delighted to have you join us." I must have had a rather puzzled look on my face because she chuckled softly before continuing, "Yes, I remember you, little one. You were present during my new protégé's tryout, and you're also the son of one of my unicorn guards." Ah, it all makes sense now. Not really but I will go out with that. Nodding to myself, I return the princess's salute and wander into the classrooms. She's probably waiting for Twilight to arrive, although knowing how enthusiastic the little filly is, one would imagine she'd be the first one here. Where is she? Meh, she's probably not too far from here anyway. Anyway, I just got to class and settled into my seat. Let's see what the 1st day at this prestigious school is like. ...honestly, I know I shouldn't be surprised. I understand that we're just foals and it's just the 1st day and all, but I thought, considering this is such a prestigious school, things would be more like college than a foal school. All we did during all the classes was introduce ourselves to each other. Nothing more than that. The only notable thing was that I was in the same class as Twilight and she looked a little disappointed too. Of course, I didn't talk to her other than a few cordial greetings, not only by choice but she was also keeping to herself. I don't remember her being like that, honestly, but considering I don't have many memories of this show, it's not very surprising. It's been almost 6 years, so it's obvious I'd forget things. Anyway, since I have a little bit of free time before going home, since we leave pretty early, I decided to go to the school library. Because yes, this school has one and all students can go into it. Actually, it was one of the few things that caught my interest about this school. You see, the school is open to the public, but you need a pass to get in. Luckily, they gave us one before classes began. Actually, it was one of the few things that really caught my interest about this school, since the school is open for everyone to access, provided you have a pass, which fortunately we were given before classes started. It seems wrong to me that there should be something like that in the school, as someone could take advantage of it to learn things they shouldn't know. However, it is possible that the most important knowledge, such as tomes of advanced magic, is kept in Princess Celestia's library. In the end, the books that the school has might not be the most advanced that exist in the world. Although I don't know that I haven't been to the library yet, but that can be easily solved. With a determined look on my face, I headed to the library with only one purpose in mind: to study for my free time. I never thought I would do this. Once I entered the library, I was greeted by the librarian who gave me a look, to which I just proceeded to show her my pass, she examined it and gave me the okay to access the library. The library is huge, easily the biggest library I've ever been to, (not that I've been to many libraries to begin with), this place has at least 3 to 4 floors and a lot of shelves, I can even see several carts to grab several books at a time around the library. Is all of this handled by one pony? If so, my respect. I quickly moved to the magic section, which is the only section that interests me in this place for now and checked out the books. It wasn't hard for me to find a book to read: the secrets of magic by Starswirl the bearded, a book that obviously talks about magic. Now let's see if I understand it. Hmm, nope, too advanced for me. Let's see... this one? Nope, still pretty advanced. Hmm, this one I understand, "magic theory" by Moonstone Mask. This book basically talks about the theory behind magic and how to summon it more effectively so you can use it without getting tired of it. Perfect. Quickly, I made my way to a table to sit down and study it when I heard a voice. "Um, excuse me, do you happen to have any books on raising dragons?" "Sorry! Nopony's ever written one!" I looked up from my reading to see little Twilight Sparkle using a cart to carry a stack of books. Wait, did she just say, "rising dragons"? Did the princess really make her take responsibility for Spike? At such a young age? Seriously? No wonder the current Twilight is so different from the future Twilight, raising a baby, especially a baby dragon, must have been super hard. Why the [Beep] did Celestia make she do that? ...Should I help her? Seeing as she's currently leaving the library with the stack of books heading home, she must have rented the books, so any option of helping her has been off the table. ...meh, she will be fine If Spike turned out to be well behaved during the series and an excellent kid, then Twilight did well. And she has the help of her parents anyway, so she shouldn't have any problems. Yeah, it's none of my business, so I'll ignore it and get on with my good book. I regret ignoring that problem. A lot. Today was my second day of school, and I found myself in my very first class, which, oddly enough, was a lesson on magic. Suddenly, I spotted Twilight peeking out the door, as if she were searching for someone. Professor Inkwell, silly name if I'm honest, scolded her for coming in late on the second day of class and let her take her seat. But she had baby Spike with her and the baby dragon decided, at the very moment Twilight took her seat, to start crying. I ignored it as best I could, as I had already decided not to interfere with Twilight's upbringing with Spike but that was not the end of it. A few days later, I was in the library studying, just like I did on the 1st, only this time a different book, when suddenly I see Twilight walk in with a stroller that had a sleeping baby Spike in it. She grabbed a stack of books and sat down at a table to study. Everything was normal until Spike conveniently decided to start crying. That made me irritated again, and I wasn't the only one, as the librarian and other students who were around at the time were also annoyed by the sudden noise and asked her to be quiet. Twilight tried her best to try to calm the crying baby but obviously she couldn't, she had no experience. Seeing her desperate to calm the baby dragon it made me regret my decision not to help her sooner, so I decided to help her right then and there. Bounding to my hooves, I hurried over to her table. I noticed the librarian about to speak, but she paused upon spotting me, as if pondering my intentions. Truth be told, I found myself asking that very same question every day as well. Once in front of her desk, Twilight turned to me with a look of recognition. "You are..." But I interrupted her with an urgent question, "Did you feed him before you came here?" Twilight nodded quickly. Harnessing my magic, I lifted Spike up—boy, was he heavy, and still crying! I drew him near and cradled him with my hooves. Phew, that scent...no wonder this little guy was in tears. I gazed at Twilight, my expression questioning. "Do you have any diapers and wipes?" She nodded, a spark of recognition in her eyes, and passed them to me using her magic. With practiced finesse, I rearranged Twilight's books to create space for little Spike. Swiftly, I changed his soiled diaper, ensuring thorough cleaning and drying. Afterward, I carefully carried the used diaper towards Twilight, who had a bag ready to contain it, neutralizing any unpleasant odors. Glancing back at little Spike, I began to hum a sweet lullaby, taught to me by my parents. It worked like magic, lulling Spike back to peaceful slumber. I turned to my incredulous audience, where Twilight stood. "How-?" she started to say before being interrupted, this time by the librarian. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave the library, both of you." She said, to which we both turned to look at her. "What? But why?" I exclaimed, feeling irked because I still wanted to study my book. This one was all about how elemental magic works. With a stern glance, she directed her attention towards young Spike, which irked me, again. After all, he was just a baby. I was just about to let my voice to go out with all my frustration, but before I could protest any further, Twilight's hoof halted me. I met her gaze and noticed her shaking her head. Then, with a resigned expression, she headed towards the exit, taking Spike's stroller along with her. I gave the librarian mare an annoyed look, but she only gave me a blank stare as she pointed to the exit, to which I proceeded to retreat, but not before levitating my backpack off the table where I had left it. I could have made more fuss, but in the end, it was no use. Once outside, the little filly turned to look at me, with clear question marks on her face. With a gentle smile, I spoke up, "I believe you already know who I am, but allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Platinum Breeze." Rather than reintroducing herself, Twilight went straight to her question, "How did you manage to calm Spike down like that?" "Well..." I hesitated, trying to come up with a suitable answer, I couldn't just tell her that I learned how to take care of babies in my previous life, when I lived in the communities, nor that I learned the tune my parents played me with their horns when I was a foal and learned how to whistle it. "I read it from a book." I said with a nervous smile, hoping she would believe me. Which luckily, she did, as she turned her gaze to Spike, who was still sleeping and looked up at me to see. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to get home before Spike wakes up." She said then started to leave. But I stopped her, putting a hoof on her shoulder, causing her to turn to me and say, "Wait, let me help you take care of the baby." "What?" looking at me puzzled, she replied, "no, you can't." To which I gave her an annoyed look, "Why not?" "Because it's a task given to me by Princess Celestia" proudly proclaimed young Twilight. I gave her an incredulous look. "Twilight, you can't take care of the baby by yourself. It's too much work for a little filly like you," I began to say, before quickly adding, 'or for me, but the two of us together can do it.' She gave me an annoyed look, or rather a pout, and firmly said, "The Princess gave this task to me and me alone because she trusts me. I will not allow anyone to make me let that trust down. I know I can do it and I don't need help." She finished, then turned and stormed off in the direction of her house. I looked at her with a blank look of annoyance, and then a smile grew on my face, "well, that's not for you to decide, princess" I said and then walked away towards my house. The next day, considering that we had the same classes, during class time, I decided to talk to a classmate who sat next to her and the classmate decided to switch seats with me, more than happy to get away from the girl and the crying baby. She looked at me with surprise to which I gave her a little smirk, to which she gave a snort and then turned her attention back to the class, or at least tried to if we consider the crying baby, which I quickly soothed with the same melody I used to put her to sleep the 1st time. Since then, directly or indirectly, I was helping Twilight with the care of her dragon child, although I could only do it during class hours or in the library. But apparently, I was very helpful to her, as she was able to keep up with her studies and although she always looked very tired, I always did my part to at least get her some sleep during classes, making notes for both her and me. Was it laborious? Yes, it was. Do I regret it? Maybe a tad, but I couldn't let a young filly handle a baby all by herself. And so, it went on for half a semester, even with my help Twilight still looked pretty stressed and had a hard time using magic. One day, after a test that she failed, Professor Inkwell asked her to stay to talk about something, which I didn't stay to hear because I had other things to do at the time. All that went on until a very special day came, the annual royal tea party, where all the teachers, students and parents gathered for some reason. Did I care about the celebration? No Did I still go? Of course, I like tea and wanted to keep an eye on Twilight and Spike. Which in the end turned out to be fruitless because the princess decided to take Twilight and Spike to the room where all the parents were. I don't know what happened in there but it must have been quite a mess, as Twilight ran out of the room, taking with her a rather dirty Spike with her magic. Which gave me an idea of what happened in there but I decided to ask my parents, who obviously decided to sit with Twilight's parents. Apparently, Spike escaped from Twilight's backpack and made a mess by spilling food on him and Twilight said she was basically feeling pretty stressed about taking care of Spike almost all by herself, and a bunch of other stuff, although she admitted that I helped her quite a bit, to which my parents told me they were proud of me for helping someone else when they needed it. To which I dismissed it, because I did it with pleasure. Taking care of baby Spike was like taking care of any other child, only that this one spit fire, and I love taking care of children. The next day, during classes, surprisingly Twilight arrived early, with Spike still by her side. She looked less tired and happier. She thanked me for all the help I provided by taking care of Spike during classes when she couldn't, and apparently it turns out that the princess didn't expect me to take care of the baby alone and thought she would ask her parents or her brother for help. Then Twilight finally decided to accept help from her parents to take care of Spike while they were at home so that she could study and sleep in peace and she asked me to help her continue to take care of Spike during school, which I gladly accepted. I was going to keep helping her anyway, even if she didn't ask me to, so I didn't mind continuing to help her. And so, the time flew by. And before you knew it, 10 years had already passed. Yes, I know, time goes very fast. Since that day, I became sort of friends with Twilight, even when it was no longer necessary for me to take care of Spike, we became friends or at least study buddies, since apart from birthday parties or tea parties, we only saw each other during classes or in the library from time to time, and only to study. We recently turned 18 and we both graduated from school but we still were in the school. You see, while we have long since finished our formative schooling, we are still in school learning, Twilight as Celestia's apprentice and protégé and me as a future scholar of magic. Apparently, I have some talent in magic, not as good as Twilight's but quite the same, for while she has more magic than I do, I have more knowledge of magic than she does. I'm even in the process of discovering a new form of magic. Or so I hope. What kind of magic? Glyphs! Some will say, "What, Glyphs? We're not in the owl house, go to your fandom." And hahaha, not that kind of Glyphs my friends but similar. You see, even with all our knowledge, Nopony can harness the magic that is circulating around us, as the magic that is in the air is too dense to be handled by any pony, which is why we unicorns can only use our inner magic when casting spells. So, I have tried to create "Glyphs" which are basically written words that draw magic from around us to activate spells. They are not like the ones they used in the owl house and I have no idea how I still remember that show, but thanks to that I was inspired to create the Glyphs. You see, I'm currently in my workshop and I'm in front of a circle that has a coded language that is basically the basic fire incantation, what it should do is go up in flames and hold up like a campfire. Simple, right. I wish it were. It has taken me 5 years of constant study to be able to create a coded language that contains the incantation to perform the spell and so far, I have made no progress. Nothing, literally nothing. Honestly, I'm starting to think it's impossible and I'm reconsidering taking up another branch of magic to devote myself to instead of my current one, which is simply magical research. Well, anyway, here's attempt number... I can't even remember which one. Touching the circle with my helmet, I wait to see if anything happens. And I wait. And I wait. And... nothing. Sigh, I should have guessed. Well, time to go back to the workbench. Oh wait, that's... Yes, there's a small flame in the center of the circle. It's barely holding on but it's there. It worked... It worked! Aha, [Beep] yes! I have created a possible new branch of magic. Oh well, more like I'm closer to creating it now that I have my 1st semi-successful attempt, but it's a step closer than I've been in 5 years. Now, to jot down my current discovery. *sound of door slamming*. Oh... I could attend to my guests. But considering I only know one person who walks into my workshop like this, then I already know how I should greet them. I turn to see Twilight, who looked rather rushed for some reason. "Hello princess is there anything I can offer you in my humble-" I was about to continue but a hoof in my mouth interrupted my rambling. Rude. "Save your musings for later, Platinum. I need you to come to Ponyville with me to stop the reappearance of Nightmare Moon," said Twilight with seriousness. …say what now? Hi, I hope you liked the new chapter. I know things went by pretty fast as far as time is concerned but honestly I didn't want to dwell too much on her childhood and I also didn't want to focus or make a whole arc centered around school or her childhood days. See you in the next chapter. > Chapter 3: Ponyville > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi, I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter. I know I did rush quite a bit when it comes to the childhood era, but if I'm honest, I just didn't want to focus on it. Well, that's it, enjoy today's chapter. This fanfiction was created by a fan for fans for the purpose of improving in the art of writing. This story can and most likely will have spelling errors. Any criticism (constructive or not) will be read and appreciated. This story is not going to be a HIE or G5, it will be tinged to the G4 story, MLP: FIM. "So, let me get this straight, you were reading one of the stories published on behalf of Princess Celestia, again, and because of that you learned of the possible return of the mare on the moon, the one referred to as Nightmare Moon" "She is going to return; the prophecy says so." "Aha, whatever you say princess-" "Stop calling me that." "Anyway, after you found out about something that apparently only you noticed, you rushed to text the Princess about it and her response was... Spike." "Ah yes, here's the letter," Spike said as he pulled the letter out of who knows where, "ahem, 'My dearest, most faithful student Twilight, you know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely but you must stop reading those dusty old books.'" "Pff." I couldn't help but snort at the contents of the princess's letter. However, at the annoyed look Twilight shot my way, I burst into laughter, doubling over and leaning against the carriage for support. Spike joined in shortly after, his laughter echoing mine. We were currently on route to Ponyville in a carriage pulled by two Pegasus guards. Normally, we would have taken the train from Canterlot to Ponyville. However, due to the official nature of our business, we were given special transportation. It has been two days since Twilight walked, rudely if I may say, into my workshop and asked for my help in stopping the return of the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon. Naturally, my initial reaction was to tease her for her cryptic inquiry without providing any context. Her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment as she proceeded to fill me in on the details, though I remained skeptical initially. And that brings us to the present moment. After indulging in laughter for a good minute, I straightened up, only to be met with the mare's unamused expression. "Finished?" she quipped dryly. Controlling my breath, I nodded and motioned to Spike, that he had stopped laughing before I did because of the look Twilight was giving him. "Oh yes, ahem, 'My dear Twilight. There is more to a young pony's life than studying, so I'm sending you and the young Platinum Breeze to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location, Ponyville. And I have a more essential task for you to complete, make some friends!'" At the soft whimper that escaped Celestia's protégée, I couldn't help but stifle a snicker. "Come on, it's not as bad as you're making it sound," I said as I looked at the whining mare leaning against the carriage, who was looking at me with her annoyed look she was getting all the way here, a little because of me another little because of the situation we found ourselves in. "Look on the bright side, Twilight! Princess Celestia arranged for you two to stay in a library, doesn't that make you happy?" said Spike cheerfully, trying to cheer up the annoyed mare. I was amused and stroked Spike's head, which he accepted by looking at me with annoyance. He doesn't like it when I do that; something about being too big to be patted on the head. Kids, right? At Spike's words, Twilight couldn't help but perk up suddenly. "Yes, yes it does make me happy! And you know why? Because I know I'm right. We'll go through the preparations as fast as we can and then we'll go to the library to find proof of Nightmare Moon's return," Twilight said earnestly, looking around Ponyville as she said it. Hearing what she said, I couldn't help but smirk and say, "Oh, what am I hearing, the princess is only planning to fulfill part of the tasks her mentor asked of her? Oh, what would Princess Celestia say if she saw you being so rebellious, my dear Twilight?" I said this in a teasing tone, as I loved to tease her when she was so focused on something like this. At that, Twilight gave me an annoyed look and said, "First of all, stop calling me that. Secondly, don't call me that either. And thirdly, she said to go over the preparations, both of us, not just me. That also means she wants you to make friends too. Do you want to make friends, Platinum?" asked Twilight with a mocking tone. I raised my paw to answer her, but stopped myself as I reflected on what she said. The truth is, I don't have many friends besides Twilight and Spike either. One thing I kept from my previous life is that I didn't like being in crowds and was pretty antisocial. "Touché," I said with a smile. She smiled back, satisfied, and continued, "Besides, I'm her student and I'll do my royal duty, but the fate of Equestria won't depend on me making any more friends. I have enough with the Mr. Wizard here." Twilight said as she pointed at me. Oddly enough, since the beginning of school, I haven't stopped wearing my cloak, and now I also wear a wizard hat, simply to complement it. Hearing her response, I couldn't help but let out an exaggerated groan and hug my hat to my chest. "It's called following a role, my dear Twilight. I'm an adver-" I began to say with conviction before she interrupted me, putting her helmet over my mouth. "Don't say it. I'm tired of hearing you say that" Twilight said, visibly annoyed, as she quickly removed her paw from my now slightly drooling mouth. "Did you just lick me?" she asked incredulously. I replied with a smirk as I stuck out my tongue, enjoying the little prank. Before things could escalate any further, we arrived at our destination and the Pegasus guards made a sound indicating that we had arrived, we calmly got out of the carriage and Twilight approached the guards, "Thank you, Sirs" she said with a smile, which left the gentlemen satisfied. Before we could continue our little debacle, Spike hurried up to speak, "Maybe the ponies in Ponyville have more interesting things to talk about," he said as a pink mare with a fluffy mane approached. Huh, that mare looks familiar... if I remember correctly, she's one of the most commonly featured ponies in the series. If I'm not mistaken her name was... Ponka, Ponka Peach. Wait... she wasn't one of the main characters. But that means... uh oh. I think I'm on the first episode of the series. Now I need to read the book of the elements of harmony, there I should say that there are only six elements of harmony, no more, no less. I really hope that being born here didn't foolishly and forcibly make me an element of harmony, because that would ruin my life. And this story too. Before I knew it, Ponka was already in front of us and Spike said, "Come on, Twilight, just try," he said as he pointed at Ponka. Twilight had a look of uncertainty on her face as she looked between Spike and Ponka, before giving an awkward smile and saying, "am, hello?" I couldn't find the way she said hello funny, only to be surprised when suddenly Ponka leapt into the air letting out a muffled scream, only to run off, or fly off, to who knows where. No, wait, she's running. Huh, what a strange pony this Ponka is. "Well, that was interesting, alright." He said with a complicated look on his face before he started walking, to which Spike sighed. I walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, to which he looked at me, "hey cheer up Spike, I can tell things won't be boring around here," I said with a smile, to which he smiled back, then I bent down to get him to climb on top of me, which he did and I proceeded to follow Twilight. "Summer Sun Celebration: Official Overseer's Checklist, number 1: Banquet Preparations, Sweet Apple Acres." Spike said as we approached a farm, the farm had at the entrance a sign with an apple on it, the farm was quite large, with lots of crop land and some animal houses. What you would expect from a farm. "YEEHAW!" we heard a scream that alerted us, causing us to look to where the scream was coming from, and we saw an orange mare with a yellow mane and a cowboy hat was running towards a tree, when it looked like she was about to hit said tree, she suddenly stopped and spun on her legs to proceed to kick the tree, which caused the apples to plummet towards the barrels that were on the ground, to which she proceeded to strike a pose, which I thought was rather strange. Was she expecting an audience? Or did she see us coming and decide to put on a little show? Before I could process it, Twilight let out a reluctant sigh and with her head down, proceeded to walk towards the cowgirl mare, "well, let's get this over with" she said as she raised her head again and we followed her. This mare looks familiar too. Could she be one of the main characters? Man, I should have written down my memories of the show, then maybe I wouldn't have trouble remembering what happened at the show. ...yeah, better not, there was too much risk of someone discovering that role and then it would be a complete pain in the ass to explain it. I'd rather forget things that are yet to come than have it discovered that I had a past life. Once we approached the cowgirl, this time I decided to do the introduction myself, "good afternoon miss, my name is Platinum Breeze and my partners are Twilight Sparkle and-" I started saying but before I could finish, the mare interrupted me furiously shaking my paw with her two paws. "Well, howdy-do, Mr. Breeze? And hiya, Miss Sparkle! A pleasure making your acquaintance, I'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like making new friends," she said and then proceeded to do the same to Twilight, to which I could only look at her in bewilderment as Applejack was furiously shaking the paw of Twilight now. "Friends, actually... I... we..." Twilight tried to say, but she couldn't finish because of how intensely Applejack was shaking her hoof. Then, Applejack stopped and looked at us with a warm smile. "So, what can I do for you folks?" she said, giving us a friendly wink. I glanced at Twilight, who was still shaking her hoof furiously, to the point that Spike had to hop off my back to stop her, not before chuckling at the sight. Deciding to get on with it, I cleared my throat and said, "Well, actually, we're here to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, and as far as we know, you're in charge of the food, right?" I pointed at the cowgirl mare, trying to sound calm despite my fear of another vigorous hoofshake. "Sure are, sugar! Would you like some samples to try?" Applejack said with a wink, bowing to us. I was about to decline, but Twilight seemed to have another thought. "Well, as long as it doesn't take too long—" she began, but suddenly, Applejack vanished and a bell started ringing. I put a hoof to my face as I heard the cowgirl yell, "Soup's on, everypony!" A stampede of ponies appeared from who knows where, dragging us along with them, and before I knew it, we were seated at a large table. I looked around, bewildered by all this... energy these earth ponies had, before Applejack popped up out of nowhere again. "Now, why don't I introduce y'all to the Apple family?" she said, gesturing to the crowd of ponies grinning at us. This place sure is lively, though it's not that bad. Although it's starting to get to me all this chaotic energy they have and now I just want to go home, "I'm sorry, but we're actually in a bit of a hurry here," I said trying to be as polite as possible, as I didn't want to antagonize a family this big just for the sake of it. But before I could retreat, a mare arrived offering food, and my treacherous tummy decided to rumble in protest, reminding me that I still hadn't had breakfast. "Darn it," I thought as I looked at the food. "This right here is Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apple..." Applejack began listing, but I tuned her out as I stared at all the food brought by each Apple family member, drool forming at the corners of my mouth. Damn, my weakness for food. As the food piled up, I started munching on one of the apple pies they brought, while Twilight and Spike stared in disbelief at the amount of food being served to us. Between bites, I saw Applejack officially welcome Twilight as part of the family, even pointing at me and Spike when she said it. Suddenly, Twilight spit out the apple she was eating, which was gross, and said, "Okay, I can see you have the food situation under control, so we'll be on our way." But before she could make a tactical retreat, a cute voice stopped her. A little filly, whose name I didn't catch, looked at Twilight with sad eyes and said, "Aren't you guys staying for lunch?" She then gave her the most adorable puppy dog eyes. Twilight, with a shaky voice, replied, "I'm sorry, but we have a lot of things to do." At her words, the entire Apple family let out a collective sigh of disappointment. Jeez, talk about social pressure. I continued to eat my apple pie, knowing Twilight would cave in soon enough. And I was right. A few seconds later, she said, "Okay," with a resigned look on her face, to which all the ponies in the surrounding area cheered. After enjoying a hearty meal, we were back on our way to do the prep checks. This time, Spike was walking on his own paws, and I strolled beside Twilight, amused by the sight of her clearly stuffed. "Food is checked. Time to look at the weather situation," Spike said as he jotted something down on his report sheet, then looked at Twilight. "Ugh... I ate too much food," Twilight groaned, waddling along, which amused me to no end. "No one told you to eat everything that was offered to you, dear," I teased, earning a less-than-amused look from her. Before we could start bickering again, Spike interjected, "Um, supposedly there's a Pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash who's supposed to clear the sky." Looking up at the still-cloudy sky, I remarked sarcastically, "Well, this sky certainly looks cloud-free," pointing to the many clouds still overhead. At that precise moment, zas! A blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane crashed directly into me, throwing us both into a mud puddle. I couldn't help but let out a groan, a mixture of pain and annoyance. Once the mare got up off me, I stood and gave her a less-than-amused look. Despite her looking oddly familiar, I couldn't help but be annoyed. She just laughed a little and said, "Sorry?" Seeing my unfriendly expression, she took flight and added, "Wait, let me help you." She then headed towards one of the clouds. Twilight and Spike approached me, with amused looks and I could see Twilight chuckle a little, to which I smiled and shook myself fiercely, dog-like, causing mud to fly out of me and crash into Twilight, causing her to look at me with a less than amused look now. To which I laughed a little, only to have the Pegasus approach again, with a gray cloud with her, look at us in confusion only to shrug her shoulders and proceed to make it rain on both of us. Drenched, I looked at the Pegasus mare, who I believe to be Rainbow Dash by the color of her mane, laughing clearly amused with our situation to then say, "Oops, I guess I overdid it a little, Um... uh, how about this?" she said to then fly over the two of us at a high speed, causing a rainbow tornado to form above us, and once it was over I could hear the mare say. "My very own Rain-Blow Dry patent," she said proudly to then lower herself to the ground as she continued, "No, no, don't thank me, it's been a pleasure," to then look at us, both of us with matching fluffy manes and annoyed looks, to which she proceeded to laugh loudly, to which Spike followed her after seeing us. I shook myself hard, which thankfully made my mane go back to normal, Twilight mimicked me but it didn't work for her, I guess because of how different our manes were and now I gave her a look but of pity, as it wasn't fun to have a mane like that. Looking with annoyance at the two who were laughing, Twilight said, "let me guess, Rainbow Dash?" after hearing her name, the Pegasus stopped laughing and stood up proudly. "The one and only" she said then took flight, this time approaching Twilight with an excited smile, "Why, did you hear about me?" Twilight replied, "I heard you were in charge of keeping the skies clear." She sighed as the Pegasus turned away, then looked up with a calm smile. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Platinum Breeze," she said, to which I gave a small bow. "Princess Celestia sent us to check on the weather." But the mare seemed to lose interest, as she laid back on a cloud as she said, "Yeah, yeah, that's easy, I'll do that in a jiffy after I finish practicing," said the lazy mare. Before the conversation continued, I walked away, and sat down next to Spike as I let Twilight take care of everything, since knowing how Twilight was, and seeing how Rainbow was, this would be resolved quickly. And so, it did, after Rainbow proudly proclaimed that she was practicing to become a Wonderbolt, Twilight teased her that she wasn't talented enough to join them because she couldn't keep the sky clear. In the blink of an eye, the sky cleared completely, leaving Twilight and Spike staring at the sky in disbelief. Rainbow said goodbye, saying she couldn't wait to get to know us better, then gave me a quick wave and left. To be honest, I stopped paying attention to her before she left. We then proceeded to head to our next location, which was the place where the celebration was supposed to be held to see the decorations, once we got there all that would be missing was the music. Or at least I hoped so, if there were no more mishaps. "How beautiful," I couldn't help but notice as I looked around, the place looked pretty well decorated and honestly it looked quite beautiful. "Yeah, the decorating is going pretty well, this is going to be quick and we'll be in the bookstore in no time," Twilight said as we walked into the shop, then looked at the decorations and said, "beautiful no doubt." "No..." said Spike suddenly and we looked at him, to see that he had his gaze fixed on something, or rather, someone, "Not the decor, her!" he said as he pointed ahead, where a white mare with a dark purple mane stood. She looked like she was eyeing some kind of fabric suitable for decoration, I guess, though I didn't pay much attention to her as I was watching the amused reaction to Spike's first crush. "How are my spines, do they look good?" said Spike to then stare at the mare again, which caused me to snort in amusement and Twilight to roll her eyes in amusement as I proceeded to move my paw quickly in front of him to see if I could get him to react, but no, he was mesmerized by the mare. Ah~, first love, it's always the one that hits the hardest. For now, I decided to sit next to him and watch, I'll let Twilight handle this one, it should be fun. And it was, the mare, who introduced herself by saying her name was Rarity, went berserk after seeing what happened to Twilight's mane and took her to another establishment, which was apparently her clothing store to give her a makeover, even giving her dresses to match. It was funny until he tried to do the same with me, something about my cloak and hat being out of style or something, and only stopped after hearing we were from Canterlot. I can't remember the last time I ran away from someone like that, I'm not proud of myself but no one will change my style. Maybe I'll get rid of the hat though, honestly, I've been thinking about it too but it just goes with the theme I had, a young apprentice of magic discovering a new magic. ...eh, when I think about it now, it sounds stupid. Anyway, once we distanced ourselves from the place and Spike stopped being so enraptured with her, we headed to the next destination when suddenly we started to hear the sound of birds chirping. Which made us head in the direction the sound was coming from, which was a yellow Pegasus standing in front of a crowd of singing birds. Huh, it's funny, neither her nor Rarity bring back memories or look familiar, were they secondary characters or I just don't remember them? Meh, who cares, honestly, I don't. Having an identity crisis over memories from over a decade ago won't help me and will most likely just make me overthink things. The past is the past, let's just focus on the present. Sure, that knowledge would surely help me in what's to come but what's the fun in knowing what's going to happen? Where's the point in enjoying your life knowing what's coming and what's not? My life goal is simple, to live my life, later I may write down what I remember from the program but it's not my priority, it's just living my life. "Hello!" suddenly said Twilight who, during my internal monologue had approached the yellow Pegasus with pink mane, the birds that were singing before had scattered and the poor Pegasus looked scared. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare your birds, we're just here to check the music and it's sounding beautiful," Twilight said with a smile. After the Pegasus landed in front of Twilight, I approached and suddenly there was a sort of awkward silence, at which Twilight looked at me for help, which I proceeded with introducing myself, "I'm Platinum Breeze, and this is Twilight Sparkle, what's your name?" I said looking at her with an encouraging look. "Um, I'm Fluttershy..." said the pony in a very low tone and barely looking at us. We shared a look before Twilight tried this time, "Sorry, what was that?" she said with a smile. "Um, my name is..." she said, this time backing up a bit. "I didn't understand what you said," Twilight said, trying again. But instead of answering, all she got out of the Pegasus' voice was some strange squeaks and a sidelong glance at us. And the silence returned. How uncomfortable. Oh, the birds are back. Seeing that the birds came back, I said: "Well, seeing that the music sounds pretty good and that your bird friends have returned, that means that everything is in order, so we proceed to retire," at that, the Pegasus just let out a little whine, to which we proceed to retire slowly. Once we get close to the bush where Spike was, Spike comes out of it and Twilight says, "Well, that was easy." ...honey, you summoned Murphy. Suddenly, I found myself lifted off the ground as I heard the Pegasus exclaim, "A baby dragon! I've never seen one before, it's so adorable!" Spike seemed to puff up with pride at the praise. The Pegasus continued to enthuse about Spike, to which Twilight decided to pick him up with her magic to retreat, but the Pegasus kept wanting to know information about Spike, so she followed. Seeing that they were walking away, I hurried to keep up with them and from there until we reached the library where we would be staying, I could only hear the exchange of words going on between Spike and the Pegasus, who I now know is called Fluttershy. It was the longest and strangest walk I've had all day, and that's saying a lot, since a lot of things happened today. By the time we got to the library, it was getting dark. As Spike was about to tell her about the day we had today, Twilight stepped forward and said, "I'm so sorry! How did we get here so fast? This is where we're staying while we're in Ponyville, and my poor baby dragon needs sleep" at that, Spike whined saying he didn't need it but just shut him up by putting his hoof in his mouth. And no Spike, I'm not taking my hoof off just because you lick it. Ouch, let alone because you bite it. Before I knew it, Fluttershy grabbed Spike off Twilight's back and pulled him inside, intending to put him on his bed. But Twilight quickly intervened, pulling Fluttershy out before she could act. Fluttershy muttered a few more things before Twilight slammed the door shut in her face. At that, she looked at me to see, to which I just shrugged and proceeded to go inside as well, stopping Fluttershy who tried to come in behind me and also slamming the door in her face. "Huh, what manners." Spike said annoyed. "Sorry Spike, but I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is on her way and we're running out of time!" said Twilight looking at Spike who was looking around. Huh, actually, it was pretty dark. Where's the switch? "I just need time alone, so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time." Said Twilight looking around too, "now, where's the light?" Ah, here's the switch. "Surprise!" Jesus Christ! Suddenly, as soon as I turned on the light, a bunch of ponies greeted us with streamers, balloons and other party stuff. At Twilight's sigh of annoyance, I couldn't help but laugh. "Surprise!" Hey, it's Ponka, "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie..." oh, I guess her name wasn't Ponka but Pinkie, oops, "...and I made this party just for you guys!" said Pinkie cheerfully, "were you surprised, were you, were you? Huh, huh, huh?" she said as she hopped around. "Very surprised, bookstores are supposed to be quiet," said Twilight with an annoyed look on her face. Me? I trotted over to the punch room to pour myself a drink because I was really thirsty. The whole day of today left me thirsty. Oh, and now they're getting closer. Apparently, Pinkie kept saying a bunch of words that I decided to ignore while she was "talking" to Twilight, and while Twilight poured herself a drink the pony kept saying a bunch of words a minute. And all of a sudden Twilight ran off in a rage straight to who knows where. "Aw, she was so happy she was crying tears of joy!" said Pinkie, misunderstanding Twilight's tears of frustration for tears of joy. "Hmm, hot sauce" ah no, looks like Twilight took hot sauce by mistake. Ew, hot sauce doesn't go with sweets. I proceeded to pour another drink and grabbed them with my magic to head in the direction where Twilight went. "Hey there, Sugarcube, where ya headed?" Applejack called out, but I was too preoccupied sipping on the juice they served to respond. Instead, I just waved a hoof in farewell and trotted over to Twilight. Navigating through the three floors took some time, but eventually, I found the room Twilight was hiding in. As I entered, I spotted her attempting to muffle the music with a pillow over her head, though it wasn't particularly loud in the room to begin with. Closing the door behind me and setting aside my hat, I trotted over to her bed and settled down beside her. Bringing with me a cup of punch from downstairs, I offered it to Twilight, but she swatted it away. Luckily, my magic caught it before it could spill. Observing her distress, I decided to create a small anti-sound bubble around us. This bubble shielded us from the external noise, leaving only the quiet inside. Twilight peeked out from under her pillow, astonished by the bubble. She then glanced at me, surprised to see my horn glowing with magic. "Well, did you expect me to spill all the secrets of my spells?" I teased, flashing her a smile. You see, although I am some sort of a scholar of magic, I should really only consider myself a scholar who continually researches the use of magic, but while researching some way to create the Glyphs, I have created a few spells to my name, some public and some not. And this was one of the newer ones that was still in the process of creation before today, considering that it can be considered a successful attempt considering how well it works. You see, even though this world is magical, spells still have to follow some real-world logic. For example, elemental spells can only be made small with an enchantment, like making a fire or lighting a candle, if you want it to be stronger there must be something to fuel it, which can be your own magic (not recommended) or something else external to you. Until now, according to my research, no one had created a silence spell, or well, rather, one that left an area where sound could not enter, because it also ends up blocking the air we need to breathe. It took me a lot of work and months of research, but I was finally able to create this spell, which allows objects to go in and out, like air, but keeping the sound out unless it is one generated inside. But the sound that is inside cannot be heard outside and vice versa. The perfect spell for when one wants privacy. Once Twilight stood up, she pointed her helmet at me and with an intense look said, "You'll have to teach me that spell," to which I just laughed and instead of responding, I offered her again the drink I brought her, which this time she did take. "Do you want to talk about it, Twilight?" I asked softly, glancing towards the books surrounding her room. After taking a sip of the drink I brought her, she looked at me in frustration and said, "I should be studying, looking for some proof of Nightmare Moon's possible return. But instead, there's a party here, in the place that was supposed to be a sanctuary for studying. Now I can't concentrate on anything." Looking at her, I gave her a sympathetic smile and said, "I know things didn't go as planned, but you must also understand that not everything goes as one plans." I used my magic to draw some books that were scattered around. "I know these books probably don't contain the information you're looking for, but killing your head over this problem won't solve anything. Relax a bit and enjoy yourself before it's time for the celebration. Who knows, maybe Princess Celestia is right," I said as I watched Twilight pick up one of the books. Then, she looked outside, where the night had already risen and the moon was at its peak. I looked at the moon as well and frowned when I saw it, the figure of the unicorn pony posed on it has always puzzled me and I remember it was one of my concerns several years ago, though right now I can't remember why. "According to legend..." I snapped back to reality at the sound of Twilight's voice, I looked at her to see that she was reading a brown colored book with a cover of a golden unicorn with diamonds around it, "...on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid her in her escape and she will bring the eternal night," Twilight said then showed me the page she was reading and I opened my eyes at the image that was in the book, it looked very much like the image that was on the moon. "I want to believe it's all an old fairy tale, like Princess Celestia and the others say, but things seem too much of a coincidence that fills me with uncertainty" she said to then look at me with some fear in her eyes, "what should I do?" I gave her a little hug, and after we separated, I said, "you are not going to accomplish anything by feeling upset with the whole situation and considering that the book you are looking for is most likely downstairs, the best we can do is wait and pray that things are not that bad" with a smile, I offered her a science book that I saw was in the pile of books I attracted. With a small smile, she said "You'll still have to teach me this spell, you know?" to which I just snorted, then grabbed a science fiction book that was here, and opened it to read. Twilight proceeded to do the same, and we continued reading for a few hours, until suddenly the door opens, Spike says something but because of my spell we don't today but before I can undo the spell, he sees us and then backs away, saying something again. We look at each other but then shrug to go back to reading. A few minutes later, Spike opens the door again, only this time I undo the spell before he speaks and they say, "Come on guys, it's time to watch the sunrise!" After dropping the books on the floor, we headed to the place where the ceremony was to be held. As we entered, there were already several citizens inside but luckily, the place was big enough to fit all the ponies. As we entered, Spike was perched on Twilight's back, and I trotted beside them, realizing I'd left my hat behind again. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie popped up out of nowhere, chattering away at lightning speed. I couldn't keep up with her rapid-fire words, so I just tuned her out and focused on the task at hoof. Only to stop just in time for the show to start, with Fluttershy's little birds singing, the ceremony began. "Fillies and Gentlecolts, as the Mayor of Ponyville, it is my greatest pleasure to announce the start of the Summer Sun Celebration!" at her words, all the ponies began to celebrate. "In just a few moments, our city will witness the magic of the sun and celebrate this day, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the pony who gives us the sun and the moon every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony in all of Equestria, Princess Celestia!" she said to then step aside for the curtains to open, but when they opened them all they found was... Nothing. "This can't be good," I heard Twilight say and could only nod as I braced myself. "Stay calm, everypony, there must be a rationalizable explanation," the mayoress said trying to calm the nervous crowd. "Uh, uh! I love guessing games! Is he hiding?" said Pinkie Pie as she looked around. "She's gone!" said Rarity after returning from looking for the Princess. At that news, all the ponies exclaimed in surprise. "Uh, she's good!" said Pinkie Pie, before screaming as she saw a blue mist appear from the place where the Princess should be. And out of that mist formed a pony, with a mane made of the same mist, black in color, with wings and horn, a suit of armor and a Cutie Mark that looked like the moon, she was... "Oh no, Nightmare Moon!" said Twilight, looking fearfully at the pony. I just kept getting ready, ignoring Spike's overreaction of fainting. "Oh, my dear subjects! It's been so long since I've seen your precious sun-worshipping faces!" said the moon mare looking around at everyone. "What did you do with our Princess!" said Rainbow who looked ready to fight the alicorn, only prevented by Applejack. At that, Nightmare Moon let out a cruel laugh to say, "Why, I'm not enough royalty for you, don't you know who I am?" "Uh, uh, more guessing games. Um... Pokey Smokes, or how about Queen Meanie? No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty...!" said Pinkie only to be silenced by Applejack. "Doesn't my crown count now that I was imprisoned for thousands of years? Don't you remember the legend? Didn't you see the signs?" she said moving closer to the ponies standing near her, which oddly enough were Rarity and Fluttershy. "I did" oh, why you had to talk Twilight, now her attention is on you. Hopefully, she hasn't noticed me. "And I know who you are, you're the mare in the moon, Nightmare Moon" Twilight finished saying. "Well, well, well, a pony remembers me, then you know why I'm here too," said the evil Princess. "You're here to... to..." started to say Twilight but couldn't finish. At Twilight's fearful look, the mare just laughed evilly and said, "remember this day, little ponies, because this will be the last time, from this moment on, night will reign forever!" she said before laughing villainously as her fur went crazy. And out came thunder as well. Huh, what a crazy thing to do. The mayor, showing courage, declared, "Seize her! She's the only one who knows where the Princess is!" Hearing this, the Pegasus guards, tasked with escorting the Princess, swiftly moved toward her. To which, the evil Princess replied, "Stay back, you foals!" she said to then use her magic to control the lightning bolts she was generating to strike the guards. And the guards were down. Seeing my chance, I fired a huge laser at her that generated a force field around her, aiming to keep her in prey. But it seems I overestimated my capabilities, as she broke it with her horn, before turning into mist and lunging towards me. Luckily, I moved quickly and now the Princess takes the place where I was. Come on, the battle lessons I had with my father can't be in vain. Generating fireballs in a ring around me, I threw them at her, but she generated a shield around her, causing the spell to hit the shield and do nothing. I started firing powerful lightning bolts at her that usually go through normal shields, but the Princess's shield stiffened. Such is the difference between our power? The difference between a unicorn and an alicorn? Well, I'm [Beep]. The mare let out an evil laugh and turned misty and lunged at me again, only this time she did manage to catch me in it and take me with her into the dark sky. I swear I could hear someone screaming my name before we were in the dark sky. ...now what? I can't move and I have no idea where we're going. Well, it can't be very far. Eventually, we come to some sort of dark castle and as soon as we get there, he throws me to the ground only to leave again. Oi, where do you think you're going? Ugh, it's not worth it. She's gone. Looks like I'm in her throne room, considering the shape of this place. I don't think she'll be long in coming back considering I'm here, so I must prepare a spell to attack her this time, not imprison her. I should at least be able to inflict some damage on her, right? When she reappeared, she appeared on her throne laughing evilly but I was prepared and cast my spell on her, which was basically a giant lightning bolt. But she dodges it by turning to mist, and again my spell was ineffective. Before I could do anything else, she exclaimed, "Get down, you silly pony!" With a swift and powerful spell, she tossed me, pinning me to the ground "You're quite brave to challenge me like that, little pony, and you're not doing too bad for an untrained soldier," she said, circling around me like a predator eyeing its captured prey. "But alas, your efforts were in vain, and now you are at my mercy." "In your dreams, Nightmare Moon," I declared, my eyes blazing with determination. She responded with nothing more than a cold, calculating smile. Then, as the mist began to swirl around me, I felt an overwhelming drowsiness creeping in. "Now, sleep, little pony," she mocked, her voice dripping with derision. "I'll deal with the fools who dare to approach." "You'll... you'll... fall..." I managed to murmur, my voice trailing off as sleep overtook me. I started to wake up, feeling quite cramped around me. Ugh, why can't I get up. ...ah yeah, I'm trapped by the spell that Nightmare Moon put on me, and I can't even move, only my head and is just a little, I can't even feel my magic. What kind of spell is this? "Ah, I see you're awake" said my captor, who was walking towards me from her blue haze. "Good morning, Moonie. Could you untie me, please?" I asked, looking up at the mare before me. "Amazing. Even when you're helpless before me, you show no fear," the villainess remarked, her eyes narrowing as she studied me. "The only one I'm afraid of is my mother when she's angry, and you're definitely not her," I replied, glancing at her from the corner of my eye. She narrowed her eyes further, her gaze sharp and intense. "You will learn to fear me, my stubborn pony. Very soon," she said, her voice even but carrying a hint of menace. Her threat didn't faze me. After all, I'd been through worse situations than this—twice. Both times were in my old world, and both times I had narrowly escaped with my life. But the point is, her threat doesn't scare me in the slightest. "I thought it would be rude not to inform you: the girl who knew about me and her allies—your friends, I suppose—have arrived in the Everfree Forest. They're desperately searching for some pathetic, useless stones," she said, pointing a hoof towards her throne, which was shaped like a sphere. Huh, what a strange throne. With her mist, she formed an image showing what Twilight and the others were doing. It looked like Rarity and Fluttershy were the main characters in this scene. Who knew? "Why doesn't it have sound?" I wondered aloud. "Is that the extent of your spell? It shows what a person is doing but not what they are saying?" "Your questions won't save you or these fillies," she retorted. Aw, but I was curious. "Unless, of course, you listen to my proposal." "...And what might that be?" I had a suspicion, but I wanted to hear it from this evil dictator herself. "If you value the lives of these ponies and all the other silly ponies in Equestria, you need to do one simple thing." "...I'm listening, for now." With a cocky grin, she said, "You're a pretty brave pony and have a strong grasp on magic, little stallion. Join my side, Platinum Breeze. Be the captain of my royal guards, and no one in Equestria will be able to stop us!" she exclaimed dramatically, thunder rumbling out of nowhere, again. "...How do you know my name? I never told you," I said uncertainly. "One of the mares in that group said your name, mentioning that you were due for rescue. You're the only pony I kidnapped," she replied. Aw, I knew Twilight cared about me. "Anyway," I said, "I appreciate your... lovely offer, but I need time to think about it." Or rather, time to think of a way to escape, because I had no intention of betraying my friends. Besides, being a villain is no fun. She looked at me, then turned away and walked towards her strange, spherical throne. "Then by all means, consider it. But I warn you, if you refuse, it will be the last time you act charitably. I sincerely hope you make the right decision. In the meantime, watch as I deal with these pests." With a wicked grin, the mare transformed into mist and vanished, off to confront the ponies. Now, with no distractions, I needed to concentrate on a plan. I hoped Twilight and the others weren't in too much danger from whatever Nightmare Moon had in store for them. Uh, they've done well so far. They each have a talent for something, a unique talent no doubt, and each used it to stay ahead of the situation they were in was pretty unique. Like when they faced that scorpion lion with wings, I've never seen anything like that in my life. Well, face to face, but if I had read about them, a manticore, it was a pretty dangerous creature. Although it was reduced to a small puppy by the animal tamer, Fluttershy. Then they had to solve some silly problems, at least from my point of view. First, there was that "scary" forest, which, honestly, the only frightening thing about it is how ugly it looks. Then, they encountered a sea serpent with a seriously messy mane. All the problems seemed to be easily solved for them, while I struggled to find a way out of this spell, let alone a plan to escape my predicament. And wouldn't you know it, right on cue, Nightmare Moon returned. "So, you've made your decision, my little friend," the moon monarch declared dramatically upon her return. Without a plan in sight, I decided to mentally shrug and improvise. "If I may say so, you look pretty frustrated. Those 'pests' managed to foil your plans without fail." Upon hearing my words, she gave me an unimpressed look and approached me with a threatening tone. "Judging by your tone, I gather you've decided to reject my offer." I met her gaze with a look of apology and defiance. "I'm sorry, but not sorry enough to betray everyone I know for a dictator." "Mmm, too bad," he said as he glared at me, though his tone didn't say as much, "Then, you're useless to me. As soon as your friends arrive, they will witness your swift demise. "Hmm, whatever you say, crazy dictator," I retorted, trying to sound unthreatened even though I was somewhat afraid for my life. "Crazy? Is that what you think, Platinum Breeze?" Nightmare Moon responded, her voice dripping with disdain. "Let me make it clear that I am not crazy. I am simply the perfect monarch this land needs..." "No," I interrupted firmly. "Excuse me...?" she replied, clearly taken aback. "I said no," I repeated, ignoring the death stare she was giving me. "Do you know what you are, Nightmare Moon? A fool who doesn't understand how things really work. If you think ruling the night entirely will do any good, you're mistaken." "That's what you think, Platinum Breeze, but the ponies will learn to live and respect the eternal night or suffer its wrath," she countered. "That's exactly what will happen in the end, until there's nothing left," I asserted, my tone unwavering. "I don't know if being trapped in the moon has affected your knowledge or if you're just ignorant of this fact, but without the sun, without the light of day, all life in Equestria will perish. Without sunlight, all plants will die, and without plants, there will be no food for the sentient creatures of this world. All will die, leaving only a desolate, lifeless wasteland." And I don't want that to happen, I already lived in a world like that and it was horrible, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let that happen to this magical world. "Then so be it," say what now? "if they can't appreciate and adapt to the beautiful darkness, then let it be their doom." "Don't you see?" I exclaimed, disbelief coloring my words. "It will be just like on the moon! With nothing living, with no one around, everything will become a desolate wasteland, just as it was on the moon! Eternal darkness brings nothing but desolation and sadness. We need the light and warmth of the sun for Equestria to thrive, for all creatures to live and be happy. Do you honestly wish to be left alone, for all eternity, with no way to fix it? Again?" "...It's not about me being alone," Nightmare Moon responded, her tone defensive. "I don't need anyone to pity me or anything else useless." Despite her words, I could sense a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. It seemed that what I was saying was having an effect on her. "If in the end I'm the only one who respects the night, so be it." "That's not true, Luna, and you know why?" I said in a determined voice. "Hmm, indulge me." "Because I respect the dark too," I said at her surprised look. "Both light and darkness play a crucial role in the fabric of our world. Light brings us hope and joy, but darkness teaches us patience and allows us to reflect. Without both, the balance would vanish, leaving a void in our hearts and in our beloved land, I understand that your sister understands that...and you can understand that too." "...What are you suggesting?" I can't believe I am really getting through to her, I really didn't expect her to listen to me, but if I can get through to her, I will be able to solve this matter without the need for violence. "Go back to being the mare you once were, Princess Luna. The respected and loved mare you have always been. Let go of the pain and anger you carry in your heart. You are and will be forgiven, drive away the eternal night, let go of the past and return to who you were." I said hoping to reach her. I was being as sentimental and inspirational as I could be, pulling out the words that came to mind in hopes of reaching this mare, but if I succeeded, there would be no need for the elements of harmony and then I can be completely free of any isekai cliché I can get myself into. I still don't know if it's going to happen, but better safe than sorry. After what seemed like an eternity with the two of us staring at each other, the reluctant mare was the first to look away, turning away from me, "It's too late for that..." was her calm response, with a hint of finality. But I wasn't about to give up, being so close. "It's never too late for redemption," I said with a soft tone in my voice, "Come back to us, Princess Luna, your sister needs you." "She never needed me." "I don't think so." "Then you are a fool to believe otherwise," was his short and blunt reply. At that, I just smiled, "I know." Just as he was about to open his mouth to continue this endless argument, he suddenly stopped and raised his head, squinting from what I could see, and before I could say anything, he disappeared. Most likely to the direction where Twilight and the others were. I sighed in disappointment, in the end, I couldn't reach her. I guess I'll leave the rest to you, Twilight. I couldn't help but smile when I saw that Twilight and the others had found the stones, which as far as I could see were only 5. So far, so good. Then, because Twilight was too focused on the stones, she couldn't react in time to the violet tornado that took the stones, not being able to prevent the stones from now being in the power of the moon monarch. But that also didn't stop Twilight from jumping at the last minute into the tornado, disappearing as well. That was the last thing I saw before the spell showing me what was going on disappeared, replaced by evil laughter as Nightmare Moon reappeared before me, the stones floating around her in her grasp. And there, in front of her, stood Twilight, looking utterly shocked at the Princess of the Night. It's kind of difficult to make out what's happening, considering I'm behind Nightmare Moon, her body blocking my vision. But I can catch glimpses of the scene unfolding before me. Twilight, with a look of determination, assumed a stance to attack. I suppose she hasn't noticed me yet, though given my position, it's not too surprising. "You're kidding," I don't think Moonie is, considering how determined Twilight is, "You're kidding, right?" In response, I could see her horn light up with magic ready to be cast, and Twilight charged, I could see in response the alicorn preparing to defend herself, then launching into the attack as well. I'm not worried though, because while Twilight can be quite reckless at times, she's also very smart. And I knew it, as soon as Nightmare Moon got close enough to her, Twilight teleported in front of me, or rather in front of the stones. Though that didn't stop her from gasping when she saw me in my predicament. "Hello, Twilight," I greeted casually, trusting her to understand. "Are you okay, Platinum?" she asked with concern. At my nod, she sighed in relief before redirecting her attention to the stones. "Just a spark..." she muttered, focusing on the scattered stones on the ground. I didn't quite grasp what she was trying to accomplish, but I had faith in Twilight's abilities. "Come on, come on!" she urged, her magic beginning to influence the stones. But before she could complete whatever she was attempting, Nightmare Moon appeared before her, sending her flying. Despite the interruption, it seemed Twilight's efforts had some effect, as the elements briefly flickered with energy before shutting down. "But... where's the sixth element?" Twilight exclaimed in disbelief, her hopes dashed as Nightmare Moon laughed cruelly, destroying the stones with a forceful stomp. "You little foal! You thought you could defeat me? Now, you'll never see your Princess or the sun again! The night will be eternal!" Nightmare Moon declared triumphantly, her mane crackling with dark energy once more. No, this couldn't be the end. "Twilight, don't give up!" I urged her, my voice filled with determination. "Believe in yourself and the others. Together, you can overcome anything!" My words seemed to resonate with her, reflected in the determination shining in her eyes. "What a nice little speech, you defiant pony," Nightmare Moon mocked, her laughter echoing around us. "But you're wrong. Without the Elements of Harmony, there's nothing that can stop me!" "You think you can destroy the elements of harmony, just like that?" at that, the villain stopped his laughter and looked at the mare who was speaking, "Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of the elements of harmony are right here!" At that, the crystals reacted to his words and rose up, much to the moon mare's disbelief. "What?" "Applejack, who reassured me when I had doubts: he represents the spirit of honesty!" said Twilight confidently, to which one of the broken crystals surrounded her. "Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion-" which was epic, "-represents the spirit of kindness!" "Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by laughing in the face of danger, represents the spirit of laughter! "Rarity, who calmed a distressed snake with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of generosity!" "And Rainbow Dash, who couldn't abandon her friends despite her heart's desire, represents the spirit of loyalty!" And there's only one element missing, right? Please, please, please let it be so. Don't pull a seventh element out of nowhere please. "The spirits of these five ponies helped us overcome every challenge you threw!" and several of those challenges were more dangerous than others, like the one with the manticore. "You still don't have the sixth element, the spark didn't work!" said the nervous monarch of the night, to which I couldn't help but laugh, knowing she was [Beep]ed up, though it annoyed her, "What are you laughing at, you silly stallion?" "But it did, a different kind of spark," Twilight said as she turned to look at her friends, "I found it at the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you, the spark ignited inside me, when I realized you are my friends!" yuck, that sounded corny enough but I still couldn't help but smile. Now a bright light appeared above us, the sixth element, which descended upon Twilight who looked at the element in amazement. "You see, Nightmare Moon, when these elements are ignited by the spark that resides within our hearts, it creates the sixth element, the element of magic!" said Twilight and suddenly a bright light blinded me... Ouch! Why is the light so strong? That hurts. I closed my eyes since I couldn't cover them a When the light finally dimmed, I cautiously opened my eyes. I witnessed the elements merging with their bearers, creating necklaces for them and a crown for Twilight, for some reason, and then the rainbow emerged from them to descend in the direction of Nightmare Moon, who panicked and could only scream. "Noooooooo!" screamed Nightmare Moon when suddenly the rainbow... enveloped her in a kind of tornado... that was weird. Now to get my eyes closed again for the suddenly bright light. Hmm, wait, I can move again. Ugh, it feels good to stretch after being stuck in the same restrictive pose for so long was awful. Oh, and I got my magic back, sweet! Moving my body, I quickly verified that everything was working in order and once I saw that it was, I smiled and walked over to the group of mares who were lying down after their first use of the elements. Haha, good thing I didn't become a stupid seventh element of harmony, now I can be at peace. "Oooh! My head!" groaned a certain blue Pegasus in pain. "Everypony okay?" Applejack inquired, scanning the group. "All good on my end," I confirmed as I approached the group. "PLATINUM!" a voice exclaimed, and suddenly I found myself enveloped in a hug that nearly took my breath away. When I looked to my side, I saw it was Twilight, squeezing me tightly. "Hey, Twilight, let me breathe, please," I said awkwardly, not accustomed to such affectionate gestures. Fortunately, she released me soon after, and I glanced up at her, noticing the crown atop her head. "Hey, now it looks like you're a real princess, Twilight," I remarked with a touch of humor. Though she initially gave me a dry look, she soon smiled. "I'm glad to see you're okay. I was worried when I saw Nightmare Moon kidnap you," she said calmly, her gaze fixed on me. I shrugged, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the attention. "Eh, I'm fine. That's what matters. And would you look at that? You guys turned out to be the representatives of the spirits of harmony," I remarked, glancing at them with a small smile. They seemed excited about their new trinkets. "Wow Twilight, at first I thought you were just talking a lot of nonsense, but I guess I really think we represent the elements of friendship," I said, "Indeed, you do," uh, where did that come from? Oh, from there. Suddenly, a glowing orb came through the window, before disappearing and revealing the ruler of our land, Princess Celestia. At that, the ponies, including myself but excepting Twilight, bowed to her while Twilight was happy to see her. As they began chatting amongst themselves, I found myself unable to tear my gaze away from the mare who had taken Nightmare Moon's place: Princess Luna. She's... smaller than I thought, compared to how she was before and compared to her sister. "Now alone with another will," uh, ah I distanced myself from the world a moment ago, I looked over to see Princess Celestia, who looked at her sister, "Princess Luna" who woke up at the sound of her sister's voice. "It's been a thousand years since I've seen you like this," she said as she approached her sister, "it's time to put our differences behind us, we are destined to rule together, little sister." "Sister?!" the mares said in surprise, only to look up at me seeing that I was not surprised. As they gazed at me, I couldn't help but feel puzzled. "I already knew," I stated, which elicited looks of disbelief from them. This, in turn, only deepened my confusion. "Wait, you didn't know?" I asked incredulously. They denied it, which I found rather amusing, especially considering Twilight's denial. "Twilight, it literally says so in the story you read," I pointed out. Twilight slipped into a pensive state before realization struck her, prompting her to slap her forehead in embarrassment. Turning back to the scene, I witnessed the heartwarming embrace between the two princesses. Pinkie Pie, moved by the touching moment, began to shed tears, only to abruptly stop and exclaim, "Hey, do you know what this calls for? Now what. A party. Of course it had to be a party. Look, I have nothing against parties, normally, but right now I'm really tired and sore. I just want to go to bed and sleep. Although I couldn't help but feel happy when Spike hugged me as soon as he saw me. "I thought you'd be celebrating, Platinum," a voice said coming closer. I turned to see Twilight approaching me. "Right now, I'm feeling pretty tired and sore from the whole thing. I just want to go to sleep," I said, and then I took a good look at her and noticed that she was slumped over. "Everything all right, Twilight? You look a little down." "Indeed, why so sad, my faithful student?" Ah! I couldn't help but jump in surprise because I didn't notice the huge alicorn approaching out of nowhere. "Aren't you glad your quest is over and you can return to your studies in Canterlot?" "That's just it," Twilight confessed, looking down at the ground. "Just when I learned how wonderful it is to have several friends... I have to leave them..." Ouch, your words hurt me, Twilight, but I also understand your feeling. It's not easy to have to leave those you've grown attached to. In my case, I can't help wanting to go home and sleep in my comfy bed, then go back to my studies. "Spike! Make a note!" Said the princess, to which he pulled out some paper and a pen from who knows where. "I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria: she is to continue studying the magic of friendship. She is to report her findings to me, from her new home... Ponyville." I couldn't help but be a little surprised for that but then I smiled as Twilight's new friends came over to celebrate the news with her. "Oh, thank you, Princess Celestia, I'll study harder than ever!" oh please, like you don't study a lot anyway. But regardless, I found myself smiling, happy for Twilight. Now I just had to go to bed. "And what will you do, young Platinum, now that the mission I gave you two is over?" said Princess Celestia, and now everyone was staring at me. Ah, it would be wrong of me to say that I just wanted to go home to sleep. Considering the pleading look Twilight was giving me, I guess so. Ah, [Beep] the social pressure. I took a deep breath and smiled, "Well, I guess I'll be able to stay a little longer in Ponyville, because of Twilight and I can always continue my research here, so it's not that much of a problem," Twilight's smile brightened even more, and the other ponies cheered. Ugh, what did I get myself into. Being hugged by Twilight and the other girls, I could only sigh as I accepted it. Can I go to sleep now? And that's it. Long chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. > chapter 4: the ticket master > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Good morning, afternoon or evening. Today I bring you a new chapter. If you have any criticism about the story or any suggestions, I'll be happy to hear them. I hope you enjoy it. This fanfiction was created by a fan for fans for the purpose of improving in the art of writing. This story can and most likely will have spelling errors. Any criticism (constructive or not) will be read and appreciated. This story is not going to be a HIE or G5, it will be tinged to the G4 story, MLP: FIM. It's been a few days since the Nightmare Moon incident and the eternal night thing. The party didn't last long, at most an hour and that was because all the ponies were incredibly tired, most of them had stayed awake unable to sleep because they were worried about the whole "eternal night" thing that the mare in the moon was going to bring. So, it was no surprise that as soon as they had a chance, they went home to rest. That was especially for me and the bearers of the elements of harmony, or mane six in short, that we were incredibly tired, they from the adventure they had, me from being kidnapped and held prisoner in an extremely painful and uncomfortable position. After the princesses left, the girls came over to say goodbye. Pinkie immediately came over to me to give me a crushing hug, saying a bunch of words per second, although I understood the substance, which was that she was glad I was okay and then we were going to have a party for that fact, to which I tried to dissuade her but couldn't, I only got her to promise to make it a small party between the 8 of us. Applejack slapped me hard on the back, saying I was pretty brave for standing up to Nightmare Moon like I did, but at the same time scolding me, saying what I did was pretty dumb, I just smiled at her and nodded, too tired to do anything else. Rarity and Fluttershy both said they were glad I was okay. However, it was a little hard for me to hear it from Fluttershy considering how softly she spoke, but at least not so low as it was when we meet, and Rarity congratulated me for getting rid of my hat but insisting I stop by her boutique to give me something better. Rainbow congratulated me for giving Nightmare Moon a certain fight but also said, rather arrogantly if I do say so myself, that if she could have fought, she would have given the evil alicorn a good fight, which I thought was rather ridiculous but said nothing. After that, everyone went to their respective homes and that's where the day ended, so to speak. It was still weird that I was sharing a house with Twilight, since in all the years I've known her, I've only been to her house a few times and the same on her behalf, but never for a long period of time nor were they repeated times and all those times were for studies or to take care of Spike, or to teach him. After that, came the biggest problem of my new stay in this town, moving. While moving is usually not a big problem for most ponies, since with magic you can easily transport all the things needed for a new home. And more so in our case, since our new "home" was already set up with all the necessary accessories to be habitable, such as a living room, bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, etc. But the real problem was that I was leaving behind my workshop, along with all the magical tools necessary to safely create new spells. Everything I needed, including all my notes, was there. While they could bring them to the tree house safely, another problem surged and it was that there was no place to put them or so I thought. Until we discovered that in this library there is a basement. And in that basement, I had the perfect space for all my magic tools, plus some stuff Twilight brought back too from canterlot. But also, given the layout of my new house, developing my elemental Glyphs has been out of the question. Unless I want to risk setting my new home on fire, which brings us to today. I was currently working on the coded language to try to create something like runes, which I got the idea for recently as a way to have a backup plan in case my Glyphs didn't work. I'm also taking care of the library along with Spike, since Twilight went off to help Applejack with apple picking since Applejack asked her to, I stayed because I have my own work to do and Spike stayed because he wanted to. No, I honestly have no idea why Spike stayed with me, usually Spike goes with Twilight because the two of them are very close, but Spike has never stayed with me. Well, except that one time, when he decided to sleep over with me one day, when he was still kind of young. ...Yeah, I don't want to talk about that, let's just say Twilight can be a very paranoid mother when she wants to be. Spike is cleaning up the library a bit, as it was getting a bit dusty but it didn't take him long to finish it and now, he is sitting near me to see if he could help me. "So... why are you doing that again?" asked Spike for the millionth time as I was writing in my notebook trying to create the correct language for the rune. "I've told you before Spike, it's for the creation of a new form of magic" I said without taking my eyes off my notebook as with my magic I held an open book with a spell I was trying to pierce, or rather adapt. Or whatever, I don't even know the correct term. "So, why can't I help you?" asked Spike, looking at the books and notes scattered around me. "You've already helped me, Spike. You brought me these books and made breakfast," I said, glancing up from my book to smile softly at him. Spike has always been a wonderful assistant who loves to help. I'm pretty sure part of that is due to the upbringing Twilight gave him, though maybe I had a bit of an influence too. We'll never know. Anyway, I'm very grateful to Spike, as he's the one in this house who cook for both me and Twilight almost every day. It's not that Twilight and I can't cook; we certainly can if we put our minds to it. It's just that we usually have our noses buried in books or busy with our own tasks. I'm always wrapped up in my research, and Twilight is deeply engrossed in her studies. It's amusing to reminisce about the times our parents had to practically drag us away from our studies just so we'd remember to take care of ourselves. Well, it was not an easy task and definitely wasn't funny, for them at least. Anyway, Spike smiled back at me with a proud expression and said, closing his eyes, "Well, glad to be of service! After all, I am your #1 assistant!" At that, I just smiled and shook my head in mock exasperation. That's right, Spike is my number 1 assistant, or rather, mine and Twilight's. I'm not sure where it came from or why he came up with the idea, but one day, out of nowhere, during one of my study afternoons at Twilight's house, Spike declared himself our number one assistant and started trying to do everything for us. At first it was cute, but then it was infuriating because Spike wanted to do everything for us, although after talking to him, making him understand that he doesn't have to do everything for us, he stopped. Though that didn't stop him from still being our number one assistant, more of Twilight's than mine, since he was still living with Twilight after all, but you get the idea. Anyway, it's time to get on with my work. What I'm trying to do, as I had said before, is to move this spell into coded language so that it can be used on the surface without resorting to using our magic. It is quite similar to the Glyphs I was trying to do but, unlike the Glyphs, the runes are quite limited in what they can do in comparison. For example, Glyphs, in theory, can cast any spell with in correct coded language so that it can work, using the magic that is around us so that it can work. But runes are more limited in some respects. First, they can't be used for just any spell, only very specific ones like the levitation spell I'm using now. Second, the coded language for runes is different from the one I use for Glyphs, making it harder and more time-consuming for me to create them. Third, runes can't absorb magic from the environment as easily; I've already checked. Instead, they need an internal source of magic to work properly. Why did I make it so different from using Glyphs? Because, oddly enough, it can't work any other way. Runes and Glyphs are very closely related, which is why I can work on both without problems, but they are not the same. This is because- "Hey, Platinum," Spike suddenly said as he brought a book with him, "can't this book do you any good?" asked Spike showing me a book. Hmm, magic lines? Isn't that the book that talked about the root of the spells we unicorns use nowadays? Wait... that might actually work for me, I've already read that book and if I remember correctly, there are certain parts that detail the difference the way we use it today to how they used it in the past and before ponies used magic with the environment they lived in. Smiling cheerfully, I turn to Spike putting aside my notes and the book, "that's a great idea Spike, give me the book please," I said as I held out my helmet. He happily was about to give it to me, until he suddenly dropped the book as he covered his mouth with his hand and the other went to his stomach, as if he was going to throw up. Wait, that's it- "Spike, you have to let it out, don't fight it" I tried to advise the dragon, who listened to me or at least I think so, since he couldn't keep up the fight and let out a burp, taking out his blue flame that soon turned into a letter. Yes, Spike has been able to send and receive letters from Princess Celestia for a long time now. We found out by accident, one day Spike accidentally burned Twilight's homework, which made Twilight angry, but the homework suddenly appeared in my room while I was resting after a long day, leaving me very confused. Since then, Princess Celestia charmed Spike's fire so that he could send letters to any pony as long as Spike has a clear idea of who he wants to send them to and have a connection with them. Luckily, it's not the first time it's happened and I was prepared, moving away from the fire before it hit me, I didn't want to repeat what happened the first time it did it in front of me. Ugh, my fur still itches resentfully from that incident. Shaking my head, I watched Spike pick up the letter and open it without a second thought. Before he could read it, I put the paper down and said, "Spike, what have I told you about reading the Princess' letters when Twilight isn't present?" "Um... that I shouldn't?" said Spike, smiling sheepishly. Then, hastily, at my scolding look, he added, "But, this might be something important." "Spike, it's from Princess Celestia. All her messages are important," I said, rolling my eyes and feeling annoyed with myself for saying it. I have nothing against the Princess; in fact, I respect her a lot, as I've said before. The concept of a monarchy feels antiquated and somewhat flawed to me. Governance shouldn't be solely in the hooves of a single pony, but rather shared among two or more, with input from the people. This form of government persists mainly because of the trust every pony place in Princess Celestia. However, this reliance on one pony has left others feeling helpless in various situations, disinclined to take initiative knowing that Princess Celestia will handle everything for them. You see this a lot in the nobility, like that nephew of hers... Ugh, I don't even want to think about him. Anyway, turning my attention back to Spike, who was watching me as I was having my little internal monologue. Sighing, I removed my helmet from the letter and said, "Okay, Spike, you can read it, but make it the last time you read the letter without Twilight being here." At that, Spike smiled, cleared his throat and said: "Hear ye, hear ye," oh, old English, must be something very important, "Her grand royal highness Princess Celestia of Equestria is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent city on Canterlot on the 21st day of um… yadda, yadda, yadda… cordially expends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest!" "Eh, a second letter? That's new," I said as Spike grabbed the letter, a confused look on his face as he glanced at me for answers. Normally, when Princess Celestia sent a letter, it was always just one. It's rare for her to send a second letter. Nodding to him, Spike opens the second letter and says, "hear ye, hear ye, Her grand royal highness Princess Celestia of Equestria is pleased to- wait, I just read this," oh, wait, don't tell me what it is- "give me a second, city of Canterlot, 21st day of... yadda, yadda, yadda... extend an invitation to Platinum Breeze, plus one guest." As he looked at the letter in surprise, I had a look of annoyance, as I didn't like the "Grand Galloping Gala" like other ponies, this was mainly due to some bad memories I had about the gala. Before I could continue with my line of thought, the dragon burped again, this time bringing four special golden invitations, "Look! Tickets!" exclaimed Spike excitedly, obviously more excited than I was from all the anticipation. "Yes, they are," I said, rolling my eyes with some annoyance as I grabbed my tickets offered by Spike with my hoof and tucked them inside my cloak, waiting to be forgotten. "Isn't that great, we should go find Twilight, she'll be so thrilled to see these tickets-" "Then by all means," I interrupted the dragon before he could finish speaking, "Go and show Twilight those things. I still have work to do," I said as I sat down and grabbed my notes, feeling the nonexistent weight of my own tickets on my back. "Oh...you're not coming?" said Spike looking at me confused, which is reasonable. Normally I wouldn't pass up a chance to see Twilight, whether it was to tease her or just to hang out, either studying or... well, studying, it really was rare that we did anything else. But I really felt like continuing my study and besides, I needed to think and decide if it was worth going to the Grand Galloping Gala. "Sorry Spike, but I really need to focus on this right now," I replied looking up from my notes to look at the young dragon. He looked at me, confused and hesitant about what to do, until he finally shrugged. "Alright then. See you later!" I waved with my hoof as he hurried towards the door and left the building, undoubtedly eager to show the tickets to Twilight and hoping to be chosen to go with her. Because that's how it always is, the ponies go crazy trying to get a ticket, but the gala always ends up being a disappointment. How do I know that? It's really simple, several years ago I went to one. As you may know, my father is the captain of the unicorn royal guard, or was, until he retired to make room for the new sensation, Shining Armor, Twilight's brother, to take his place. Anyway, as I was saying, considering how important the gala is for all the ponies, the guards keep an eye on the place, making sure that civil order is maintained and that no mishaps occur. My father, being in the old days the captain of the unicorn royal guard, always had to be present at the gala, to write rotation schedules for the guards and make sure everything goes as it should. One day, Princess Celestia allowed my father to bring me along, the reason? I don't know if I'm honest, maybe my father asked or the Princess suggested it to him. Well, in that time since I was a kid, I always knew that the gala wasn't the big deal that everyone made it out to be, I don't remember exactly why but I definitely wasn't very excited about the idea of going to the gala when I was a kid. That was re confirmed during the gala, since I was just a foal at a fancy party that is usually roomed with high class nobles, I ended up getting bored quickly and decided to go find my father so we could leave or something, I don't remember well. After circling around the entire building about three times looking for my father, I had the unfortunate luck to run into Princess Celestia's nephew, Prince Blueblood. Apparently, they brought him along so he could see what the festivities were like and get some connections. When I saw him, I wasn't happy to see him, I don't exactly remember the reason why either but I knew it was because of something from my past life but I ignored it, thinking to give him a chance considering he was also a foal and might not be as bad as I remembered him. I was wrong, big time, whatever education his parents gave him make him to be a [Beep] as he was as I remember, so it started from when he was a foal, as he was behaving like he was underneath it, just because he was a Prince. He literally expected me to carry his stuff for him, or bring him his food, or be his [Beep]ing seat! I ended up getting so fed up that I ended up throwing him into the fountain in the garden party. Of course, I was scolded for the way I treated Celestia's nephew, although she didn't mind, as she knew her nephew could be very exasperating. In the end I had to apologize, reluctantly, to the "poor prince." It was super annoying. And now I was officially being invited to the "party" I hated so much...and I'm really considering it. While I really don't want to go, I'm pretty sure Twilight will force me to go one way or another, she has her means to do it. I shake my head, now is not the time to think about it, I must concentrate on my research. Then I can decide whether or not to go to that [Beep] party. I put my hoofs on my head while massaging my head I'm not making any progress at all. This should be easy, I managed to generate a small fire with the Glyphs! Why can't I get this book to float in front of me with a rune? I've managed to set up the encoded text, I've managed to get it to absorb the magic of our environment so that it can work on its own and sustain itself. So why isn't it working? As I was killing my head thinking, I could hear the door opening. Maybe Twilight can help me with my little problem, she's smarter than me after all. Uh... "Oh. Um... excuse me Platinum, I hope you don't mind if I come in..." I blinked, not waiting at all for the little Pegasus in front of me to come through the door, before giving her a soft smile, "Good afternoon, Fluttershy, it's no problem for me, after all the library is open to all the public." I said, despite being quite curious as to why she came despite Twilight not being around and definitely not coming for me, but I kept it to myself. "Thanks, I hope I'm not interrupting anything" Fluttershy says as she gives me a shy smile looking at all the books lying around along with several of my notes and some objects. "Not at all, in fact, I was just about to take a break." I said as I closed the book that was floating with magic and my notes and stood up to stretch. Phew, I feel more battered than I thought, I must have been in that position for longer than I thought. Looking at the Pegasus pony in front of me, I couldn't help but have to sate my curiosity and asked, "If you don't mind telling me, what brings you here Fluttershy? Neither Twilight nor Spike are around at the moment," it was then that an idea popped into my mind, remembering Spike leaving to tell Twilight about the tickets, who at the moment was with Applejack. Don't tell me that by a quirk of fate, or rather for the sake of plot, all the mane six girls found out about the tickets. That means. Instead of answering my question, the yellow pony turned and said to someone outside, "You can come in now," and then, to my surprise, multiple creatures from the forest suddenly entered the building. Looking around, I could see a rabbit, a squirrel and three birds. Fluttershy must have noticed my puzzled look, "I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to clean up the library a bit for Twilight. I thought it would be nice of me to be a good friend to her. Oh, and for you too!" she said adding that last part nervously. I couldn't help but smile and chuckle a little, "Hoping to win her sympathy so she can take you to the gala?" I said as I looked at the animals doing some unnecessary cleaning as Spike cleaned the library before he left. He stopped midway through giving his bunny, who I have no idea what his name is, a brush, "What, oh no, I never-!" "It's okay Fluttershy, feel free to dust the library all you want, I'm sure Twilight will appreciate it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to do." I said as I ignored her thanks, using my magic I returned the books I used to their respective shelves and picked up the rest to take to the basement. Before leaving, I made sure my tickets were securely fastened and hidden inside my cloak, I didn't want to be in Twilight's position. But first, "Will there be something to eat in the kitchen?" I couldn't help but wonder, as all my time in my studies made me hungry. I was sitting at one of the tables that wasn't being cleaned by Fluttershy's little animals while reading my book and finishing the sandwich I had made myself, when I heard a muffled cry, "Fluttershy, not you too!" "Honestly, I don't know why you're surprised Twilight," I said as I read my book, though honestly, I wasn't really concentrating on it, the soft melody Fluttershy was singing was quite distracting, considering it was a nice tune and made me quite sleepy. Not that I was going to admit it, it's kind of embarrassing. "Oh! Well, hello Twilight," I couldn't help but chuckle under my breath at her innocent tone of voice, "I hope you don't mind, but we're all doing a little spring cleaning for you two." I laughed again at the poor lie Fluttershy just told. You're a sweetheart Fluttershy, but you need to get better at your lies. "It's summer." It is indeed. But that reminded me of a song lyric. Well, more like just its melody but now it's stuck in my mind. "Oh-" why does she keep saying oh at the beginning of each of his sentences? "-well, better late than never, right?" ...that's not how it works, Fluttershy, Besides, I'm certain this place had a thorough spring cleaning not long ago. "It was Angel's idea" eh, so the bunny is named Angel, good to know. Seriously though, blame the bunny Fluttershy? I thought better of you. Angel doesn't seem to mind though and it seem happy about it, maybe it was really his idea? "You're not doing this for the ticket, are you?" of course not Twilight, she's doing this out of the goodness of her heart. ...Wait, she might very well get to do this out of the goodness of her heart, even if that's not the case this time. Uh, I hadn't thought of that. I should improve my sarcasm "Oh, no! I'm doing this for you and Platinum are my best friends, right Angel?" At that, I just blinks in bewilderment at her, "do you know that level of friendship can only be achieved over time, right?" the Pegasus just shrugged innocently, causing him to facehoof at the silliness and putting my eye roll. 'Angel' seemed to agree with me. "Oh, yeah, we're just doing this for the ticket," at that, both Twilight and I blinked, neither expecting the blunt one. Then I hear the loudest growl I've ever heard from a stomach...other than my own but luckily, I've already eaten. Uh... that food was made by the rabbit? I wouldn't eat it if I were you, Twilight. "No, no, no!" it's okay, Twilight, there's no need to get so frantic about refusing a meal, there are better ways, though I understand your irritation. "Well, this is all very kind of you and Angel, but I won't accept any additional favors until I've made my final decision," at that, I nodded approvingly, as sometimes you need to be firm to be listened to, "So I'm going to ask you to leave-!" "Surprise!" at the sudden super loud sound, I drop the book I was reading to see Twilight being kidnapped by pink hooves. Stepping out to see what's going on, I see something quite surreal. "Twilight is my bestest friend, Whoopee! Whoopee!" "Pinkie…" What… "She's the cutest, smartest, all-around best pony! Pony!" "Pinkie…!" …am just witnessing. "I bet if I throw a super-duper fun party! Party!" "Pinkie!" "She'll give her extra ticket to the gala to meee!" "PINKIE!" "Yes, Twilight?" after throwing her some sort of party or something, Pinkie approached Twilight happily hoping she had won the ticket. That... was really weird, but honestly, with only knowing Pinkie for a short time and a little bit of my memories, it's something she would do just to try to win Twilight over. But it was still very chaotic and annoying. "At least the other ponies are trying to be subtle about the ticket!" said Twilight annoyed getting up from the ground. "Wait... what ticket? What gala?" uh oh. "Oh, you didn't know?" wait, no Pinkie- "Twilight has an extra ticket for the Grand Galloping-!" before she could finish her sentence, I rushed to her side to cover her snout but the damage was already done. "The Grand Galloping gala?!" exclaimed all the ponies around us in unison. After that, everything went into chaos, with all the ponies talking, flattering Twilight to curry favor with her to get them to take them to the gala. Twilight and Spike tried to escape but the ponies surrounded them offering favors among other things. Seeing that they were in trouble, I tried to rush to help them but I couldn't get close and before I knew it, Twilight and Spike were running away and the army of interested ponies followed them. Uh, that just happened. I feel kinda worried for Twilight and Spike but I can't help them now. Entering the house and closing at the door, I see Fluttershy standing there while together with her animals. "Um... I don't mean to be impolite, but you all need to leave, at least your animals, Fluttershy," I said as I opened the door. The animals seemed a bit offended, but after some kind words from Fluttershy, they left, except for the rabbit, who decided to stay close to its owner. "Oh, Platinum, you dropped these," said Fluttershy as she grabbed some tickets, my tickets, oh [Beep] me, "oh, you got your own tickets to the gala too?" "No, Fluttershy, they are tickets to the great beyond" I said resignedly but also expressionlessly. "Oh... why?" at her response, I couldn't help but give myself another facehoof at the fact that she didn't detect my sarcasm. I seriously need to improve my sarcasm. "Yes, Fluttershy, these are my tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala" I said as the Pegasus gave a silent squeal of excitement, then an idea occurred to me "uh... you can take them if you want" I offered, extending my tickets towards her. The pony's eyes widened in shock as she approached me, "Both? But one is for you, and the other is for whoever you want to take with you, right?" I shrugged, knowing this gave me an excuse not to go. "I'm not the biggest fan of big social events, and honestly, it's no big deal. Take them, you can bring along the bunny or any of your other animals," I said, ignoring the rabbit's protest squeals. Clearly, he didn't want to go to a boring event either. We're on the same page, little buddy. "But...it's the Grand Galloping Gala! How could you possibly not want to go?" he said as he looked at me, not taking the tickets from my hoofs. "Simple, like this," I said as I dropped the tickets on the ground, showing how much, I cared about the event, much to the dismay of the Pegasus in front of me. "But... it would be impolite to refuse such an invitation from Princess Celestia!" "Yeah, well... it sucks to be her, doesn't it?" I said as the pony gasped again in shock, this time accompanied by her rabbit in shock, an amused smile crossed my face, amused by the whole situation, "I can't just be forced to go to an event I don't want to go to, no matter how much I respected the Princess," I said as I looked at the tickets to then look at the pony in front of me. "Take them, I don't need them, besides I don't want to go through the situation Twilight is going through right now," I said as I went to sit at the table where I was reading my book, to go back. Well, time to continue relaxing- oh, my thoughts are interrupted midway when the yellow Pegasus came to my side and left the two fallen tickets next to my book, "I'm sorry," she started sincerely, "but I can't accept these tickets; they are for you and whoever you decide to bring, it wouldn't be fair of me to take them away from you, it's not right," "Sometimes life isn't fair Fluttershy," I said closing my book and looking at her, "besides, you'd be wasting the tickets, I don't need them, I don't feel like going to a high-class party full of snobby nobles and arrogant studs," "It can't be as bad as you say, Platinum," said a voice turning me to see the blue Pegasus, Rainbow Dash with a smile, along with the other girls who at one point entered the house. Seriously, how did all five of them get in without me noticing? Looking at her, I said, "Have you ever been in the gala, Rainbow Dash?" At that, her look turned shy, "Well...no, but I've always wanted to-!" "Exactly, now do me a favor and please shut up," I said as I stood up from the table, ignoring her jaw dropping at the sudden command, or favor. Looking at each of the assembled mares, I looked at them with a hard stare, "look at you, all of you; trying to win Twilight's favor so she could take you to the gala, but instead, you just ended up annoying her. Do you honestly think she would just share her ticket with any of you?" "Of course she would," Rarity said in protest, not liking my annoyed tone, "We're her best friends-!" "Exactly, ALL of you are her best friends! Although, saying you're her best friends despite the short time you've known her seems a bit absurd to me," and no, I'm not saying this out of jealousy or anything. "Do you really think she would take just one of you to the gala if she can't take all of you? No, the most likely thing that would happen is that Twilight would return the tickets to Princess Celestia-" I said, ignoring their gasps at the thought "-because she can't decide who to take. You might not know this, or maybe you haven't noticed, but Twilight values all of you equally. There's a reason she decided to stay here in Ponyville instead of going back to Canterlot. And if you keep pushing her for the tickets, you'll only make things worse." After I finished speaking, I let my words sink into their skulls as I drank some water, not bothering to hide my smile as I watched the ponies look away in embarrassment. It felt good to make them reflect on their behavior today. Seriously, they call each other their best friends despite only knowing each other for a short time, they didn't know Twilight like I did, and no, I'm not saying that out of jealousy. "Well, gee, I hadn't thought of it that way..." Applejack was the first to respond, as she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, "I guess we've all been pretty selfish with poor Twilight." "Indeed, Applejack," Rarity said as she nodded her head, her tone suggesting she was embarrassed, "I feel ashamed for picking on dear Twilight like that!" "Oh! Oh! I know!" I couldn't help but chuckle a little at the enthusiasm the pink pony had, even in a tense moment like this, it really represented laughter, "As soon as I get Twilight, we'll apologize to her!" "Great idea, Pinkie!" said the blue Pegasus as she nodded her head then looked at me, or more specifically at the tickets resting on the table next to me. Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like what she's about to say? "So, Platinum... you sharing that ticket or what?" Yeah, I didn't like it at all. The sound of my hoof slapping my face was heard throughout the library. After a long time, after dark, Twilight and Spike finally return home. The indescribable sound of the transportation spell, which can only be described as a "POOF!" was suddenly heard and I lifted my head from my book, which is a science fiction book if you were wondering, to see the appearance of Twilight and Spike. "Uhh... phew, looks like Twilight's magic wasn't controlled, considering Spike's appearance. One negative effect of teleporting is that if you don't do it correctly you can hurt yourself, though not the user. The spell is meant to keep the user safe regardless of the user's mastery of the spell, the same cannot be said if I teleport someone with it. "Let me know the next time you're going to do that..." "I didn't even know it was going to happen!" "Hi Twilight, hi Spike," I greeted as I casually approached them, wondering how long it would take for them to notice the other ponies in the room. After the discussion, they decided to wait quietly for Twilight to return, thankfully leaving me to enjoy my reading in peace. "You guys look terrible." "Now is not the time, Platinum, now quick Spike, lock everything up!" I couldn't help but blink with a mixture of bemusement and amusement as they closed all the doors and windows and turned off the lights. Looks like they had a good time, at least now I don't have to worry about their well-being. After they finished, they sighed in relief and leaned back against each other. Then the main light came back on. Uh, it seems that in the midst of all the chaos, she didn't realize the other girls were here. And I unconsciously brought my hoofs to my ears as I watched Twilight scream in frustration, my goodness, she must have reached her peak of how much she can take today. "I can't decide!" the unicorn said as she started to panic and I unconsciously moved to her side, "I just can't decide! It's important to all of you and I can't bear to let you all down and giving me gifts and doing me favors won't make any difference! Because you're all my friends! And I want to make you all happy! But I can't, I just can't!" She ended with an exhausted collapse, putting her hooves on her head and sounding deeply ashamed to admit the truth, I put my hoof on her back and started stroking it in an effort to soothe her, comforting other ponies at times like this has never been my forte. It seems Applejack had the same idea, because she reached over and put her hoof on her. "Twilight, sugar..." why does she call us all "sugar"? "We didn't mean to push you so hard; you see, we didn't really come here for the tickets." And you can believe those words, since they come from the bearer of the element of honesty. Twilight looked up in surprise, "You're not? But-!" "We've all thought about it and realized how selfish we were, it's your choice, not ours, who you decide to take with you. We won't hold it against you." "That's right," added Fluttershy as she flew over to us, offering her support. "It's terrible how I, how all of us—" hey, don't include me in that group, "—made you feel bad." "And so did I! It's no fun picking on a friend!" "Twilight, it was unfair of me to force myself on you like I did." At their words, I nodded in approval, at how well behaved they were and the fact that they were learning their lesson. "Yes! That means the ticket is mine!" ...well, not all of them. "I got the ticket~! I got the ticket~!" before she could continue her dance, a lightning bolt rang out and struck her flank, causing her to jump in surprise and look at us in bewilderment, seeing that they were all looking at my flaming horn. I just gave her an annoyed look, which got the message across, I also ignored the disapproving looks Applejack gave me. "Uh, on second thought, anyway, I haven't perfected my signature move for the Wonderbolts anyway, I don't need the ticket either." I smiled, happy to see that now I was really thinking things through. "We were all so excited about going about going to the gala, but Platinum-" my ears perked up at the sound of my name and I looked at them, seeing that they were still talking, "made us realize how obnoxious we were being, told us how much pressure we were putting on you." Spike looked at me in surprise and I just smiled back, though I felt a little embarrassed to be called that. "Sorry Twilight!" I smiled reassuringly as I watched Twilight smile at the chorus of apologies from her "best" friends, as she stopped stroking Twilight's back. "Spike, take a note," I stepped aside to let Twilight stand up as Spike magically produced a scroll and quill from nowhere. "Ahem, 'Dear Princess Celestia'—" as Twilight began to dictate her letter and Spike wrote it down, an idea suddenly occurred to me. Grabbing my tickets from the table, which surprisingly weren't taken by any of the ponies while I was distracted, I used my magic to slip them into the message Spike was writing, ignoring the curious looks from the other ponies. "-'returning both tickets for the grand galloping gala'" "What!" I grimaced a little at her shouts. "'If all my friends can't go, then I don't want to go either!" finished Twilight proudly, smiling confidently at her own words. I just let out a huff as I nodded, "I told you she was going to do that..." "Well, yes, But-! Twilight, you don't have to do that!" said Applejack in shock. "No, I've already made my decision." "So have I," I said as everyone turned to look at me while Spike prepared the letter, "I've also made up my mind and I'm staying." "Oh yeah," Twilight said as if remembering something, "Spike mentioned that you have your own tickets. Speaking of which, Spike, you can send the letter now. Wait, Platinum, you're not going either?" "Nah, I'll send them back the same way you did," I said as I watched Spike send the letter with his green fire, "I was considering going, but if you're not going, I'm not going either." "Huh?" why do you look so surprised, Twilight? "Why?" "I have no reason to go, and even more so considering I hate that party," now everyone was looking at me surprised, considering they had never heard of a pony saying they hated the gala, "besides, I still have my research to do, so I'll be busy too." "Well... okay," said Fluttershy to look at Twilight, who was looking at me to then turn to look at her friends, "But Twilight, you're not going to the gala either..." "It's okay girls, I couldn't have fun without my best friends with me," she said sincerely, ignoring the twitch in my eye, as the rest of the group hugged the unicorn, I tried to pull away, but they grabbed me and forced me to join the group hug, Ugh. "So, I'd rather not go." Eh, same thing, better to go with good company than to be left alone at a party full of noble snobs. And Spike suddenly makes noises like he's resisting throwing up, making me slap myself in the face if I wasn't trapped in this hug, how many facehoofs have I given myself today? "Well, wallop my withers, Spike," Applejack said, which made me blink in surprise, as I'd never heard of that term, "Isn't that just like a kid? Can't take a little feeling- hey!" started Applejack only for me to pull her away by yanking her tail with me magic, out of the way of the green fire, 'Wow nelly!' now a term I understood. "You're welcome," I said after managing to escape the hug, stretching as I saw the letter, that was quick. "A letter from the Princess? That was fast!" my exact thoughts, Twilight. "My faithful student, Twilight, why didn't you just say that in the first place?" I couldn't help but let out a snort after hearing what Celestia wrote, as I watched Spike pull several tickets out of the letter, "Seven tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala!" exclaimed Spike as he held up the tickets. The mares around me let out a collective gasp, "Now we can all go!" at that, my smile evaporated. "Well, have fun everyone," after all, there were only seven tickets, for the girls and the dragon, looks like the Princess forgot about me, which is weird but there's always a first time, though now at least I have a reason not to go. Ignoring the look Twilight was giving me, I turned around heading for the stairs, only to turn around by a green glower, which was another letter from the Princess, "This one's for you, Spike." Spike read as he grabbed the ticket that came with the letter. That means... oh no, ignoring Twilight's smile, Spike says, "Hey Platinum, you can keep this ticket!" "I don't want it Spike, thanks," I said turning to go up the stairs, only to stop at the sight of the ticket rubbing in front of me, "Twilight," I said looking at my smiling friend. "I remember you said you wouldn't go if I didn't go, neither would you," Twilight started saying as she walked up to me, ignoring the roar of her gut, "now that if I'm going, you have to go too Platinum" Twilight finished, standing practically in front of me. I just gave her a annoyed look as I turned to her, refusing to take the ticket offered. "Yes, but that was before I decided not to go. Now you can use the ticket to invite someone else to go." "Then I invite you." "I decline." "Then I decline your decline." "You can't force me to go, Twilight. I've made up my mind." "Well, I'm not leaving my best friend here alone." "Why not? You have other best friends," I said, then covered my mouth with my hoof, but the damage was done. Upon hearing what I said, Twilight blinked in surprise before giving me a mischievous grin. "Wow, I didn't know you were jealous, Platinum." I could feel my cheeks burning as the mares around us chorused with "awws." "I'm not jealous." "You don't have to be jealous; you'll always be my first best friend." "I'm not jealous." "It doesn't matter if—" I placed my hoof over the unicorn's mouth, who kept blabbering nonsense in front of me. "If I say I'm going, you'll drop this matter," she simply nodded with a playful look in her eyes, to which I sighed and grabbed the ticket. "Fine, if I go." I ignored the laughter that erupted all around, only to be interrupted by the rumble of Twilight's stomach, to which she let out a shy giggle. Before I could tease her, Rarity said, "Allow us to treat you to dinner." The ponies began to leave, and the tickets went with them, charmed to follow their respective guests. When Spike left, the ticket he was holding flew towards him, and the one he had flew towards me. As I turned off the lights and closed the library door, I glanced at the ticket and said, "Twilight won't let me forget this, will she?" Silence was my answer, but I already knew the response. "I hate you," I said, looking at the ticket as if it were somehow responsible. In the end, I simply sighed as I went to eat a few cupcakes. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Until next time.