As dawn approached, though not a significantly large amount, Nightmare Moon felt her power decreasing. Since she drew power from the moon, it was at night where she was most powerful. She had to figure out a way to keep that power permanently. What she needed was some powerful magic, and the one place, or in this case, person, where she could find it was her old mentor, Starswirl the Bearded. And from that, her thoughts came to the scepter. Though she had managed to best it, the scepter could be useful for her own ends. The only problem was that it was currently in the possession of her sister and Starswirl. But that did not deter her. At her command, she sent out a number of her controlled soldiers to go out and find Starswirl and Celestia. One way or another, she would get that scepter and the ultimate power would be hers.
During lunch in the cafeteria, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were steadily arguing about their soccer game.
"I'm tellin' you, I won , fair and square!" said Applejack.
"Fair and square?! Ha! My...legs just fell asleep is all," said Rainbow Dash.
Meanwhile, Rarity was desperately looking for Fluttershy, eager to have her try model her newest outfit.
"Fluttershy! Darling, where are you?!" she shouted.
Unknown to her, Fluttershy was in fact hiding under a lunch table that she passed by. As soon as she left, Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief as she did not want to go through another painful modeling session. As she got up, she bumped into Applejack who came to sit at the table.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" Fluttershy asked.
"No, no, it's alright. I'm fine," said Applejack.
"Are you sure?! I'm so sorry! I'm such a clutz!" said Fluttershy
"Really, it's ok, partner," said Applejack. "Hey, wait a minute! Aren't you that girl who hangs out at the Animal Shelter?"
"Yes, did I do something wrong?" asked Fluttershy.
"Hehe, quite the contrary, you helped my dog, Winona that time she got the flu," said Applejack before she introduced herself.
Fluttershy was about to introduce herself as well, but Applejack automatically knew what it was as she had previously read it on her identification card. From there, the two had a little talk about animals as Applejack was known to interact with farm animals such as horses, pigs, and goats and such.
Meanwhile as usual, Twilight had her eyes deep within a book, only this time, she had a rather concerned look on her face. Usually, when she came in to class early, Starswirl was there, but on this day, he wasn't. Instead they had a substitute. The substitute said he called in sick, but Twilight was still suspicious since he had never called in sick before. A thousand and one assumptions crawled around in her head, but she ultimately decided that maybe she overreacting a bit and went back to her book. She had her eye on a particular page; one that showed a levitation spell. For this, Twilight had brought out her magic wand and pointed it to her lunch tray.
Taking a deep breath, she gathered her thoughts and focused all of her energy onto the lunch tray as Trixie looked on from another table, not impressed.
"Bah! Look at her. Doesn't she realize that no amount of magic she does will even compare to the MARVELOUS and EXQUISITE magic of the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie?!" she said.
As Trixie looked on, she snapped her fingers, calling forth Snips and Snails. Snips filed her nails while Snails brushed her hair.
"No one even comes close to you, oh great and powerful Trixie!" said Snips.
"Yeah, no one!" said Snails.
Trixie snickered as she watched Twilight attempt to master the spell.
At first, she was able to lift it a couple inches off the table, but she made sure to be careful and keep her concentration.
One who was impressed however was Flash Sentry who looked on from across the cafeteria while his two friends; a purple skinned guy with black and white hair named Ringo; and a tanned skinned guy with aqua hair named Brawly Beats; were talking about performing at the Chargers after party.
"I've been practicing for endless hours and I must say my riffs are quite riveting," said Ringo.
"And I can't wait to show my stuff with my mad drumstick skills!" said Brawly.
Ringo turned to ask Flash what he thought of his playing.
"Beautiful. Just beautiful," Flash responded.
Ringo was flattered by Flash's words, not knowing that he was actually talking about Twilight.
"So lovely," Flash continued.
"Oh, you are too kind," Ringo said.
"And such beautiful purple skin," Flash said.
"OK, now I'm just a little bit creeped out," Ringo said.
Brawly was more offended because Flash didn't compliment him on his skin.
The two friends turned to see Flash admiring Twilight from afar.
"Oh, I see..." Ringo said.
"I do not!" Flash responded.
"Do not what?" Ringo teasingly asked.
"I don't have a crush on that...beautiful girl sitting over there. With her pretty eyes and pretty hair and pretty shoes...*clears throat* like I said, I DO NOT have a crush on her," Flash said.
"Yeah, Ringo, he couldn't have made it any more obvious!" said Brawly.
Ringo facepalmed at Brawly before turning back to Flash. "Is she another one of your adoring fans?" he asked.
"No, she didn't even seemed to know who I was," said Flash.
Ringo suggested that Flash go over and talk to Twilight, but Flash quickly rejected that idea, bringing up the fact that he couldn't even get one word in when he first saw her. He didn't want to run the risk of making himself look like a fool in front of her again. Just then, he grabbed his guitar and turned to his two bandmates.
"Hey, guys, I just started writing lyrics to this new song! Tell me what you think," said Flash before he started playing. "Oh, purple girl! You make my heart twirl! Oh, purple girl! You're as pretty as cheese curls!"
Flash stopped playing as he saw Ringo and Brawly's faces frozen with shock.
"Oh...I see...they're really that good, huh?!" Flash exclaimed.
Ringo and Brawly didn't respond, they just fainted.
Twilight continued trying to master her spell. She lifted the tray higher until it was above her head, smiling at her accomplishment; though, Trixie was still not impressed."I got it! I got it!" Twilight exclaimed.
Twilight was so excited that she failed to noticed a white skinned girl with short hair in two shades of blue, wearing purple glasses and a pair of headphones until she bumped into her, breaking her concentration. This caused the lunch tray to fly out of control, much to Trixie's delight.
"You should really focus when using magic, Twilight! How embarrassing!" Trixie said with snarky sarcasm.
Snips and Snails nodded in agreement.
Hard as she tried, Twilight couldn't concentrate enough to regain control of the tray. Eventually, it went soaring across the cafeteria, nearly hitting a number of students until it eventually hit Trixie from behind on the head, covering her in lunch food.
The other students chuckled as Snips and Snails try to wipe the mess of off Trixie.
Embarrassed beyond all belief, Trixie turned to Twilight in anger, pushing aside Snips and Snails and stormed towards Twilight. "You did that on purpose!" she shouted.
"I did not! It was an accident!" Twilight said in retaliation.
Trixie pulled out her magic wand, pointed it at Twilight, and fired a beam of magic at her, turning her into a goat. Twilight turned herself back to normal and, wanting payback, took her wand and gave Trixie a mustache.
Snips and Snails snickered, but quickly stopped when Trixie turned to them.
After making a pair of scissors appear and cutting off her mustache, Trixie and Twilight stared each other down. The other students watched with uncertainty as to what would happen next while the grey skinned girl just looked, 'derpish.'
Not wanting to be outdone, Trixie took her wand and made a swarm of bees appear that surrounded Twilight's face and stung her multiple times.
But Twilight would not take that lying down as conquered up she gave Trixie a clown face.
Trixie retaliated by making Twilight's nose twice as long.
Then Twilight covered Trixie in yellow polka dots.
To which Trixie responded by making Twilight's tongue go to the floor.
Twilight responded back by making Trixie's butt gigantic.
Pinkie was just enjoying the show with a bag of popcorn.
However the 'show' was ended when Starswirl's substitute came in and stopped Twilight and Trixie dead in their tracks with a spell.
She was a grey skinned woman with short, white, wavy hair. She was known as Magic Twinkle.
"Girls! I'm surprised at you! No magic in the cafeteria! Do this again and both of you will be sent to the principle's office! Understand?!" she said.
"Yes, Magic Twinkle," Trixie and Twilight said.
Magic Twinkle released both of them from the spell and walked off.
Twilight and Trixie eyed each before going back to their tables where Twilight was soon approached by Rainbow Dash who gave her a hard pat on the back.
"Hey! Nice job showing up that stuck up braggard, Trixie," said Rainbow Dash.
"It wasn't really my intention to show up anyone," said Twilight.
"Eh, whatever, it was still awesome. Not as awesome as me, but still pretty awesome. Like 20% less awesome than me, I'd say," said Rainbow Dash.
"Well someone sure has a high opinion of herself," said Twilight.
The herbal remedies that Starswirl prepared did a good job of healing up Celestia, but not even the best medicine in the world could cure the queen of her shame and heartbreak.
The only thought that crept through her mind was that of her sister and her inability to help her. Even worse was that it was only a matter of time before she took over all of Equestria.
"What am I going to do, master?!" Celestia shouted in frustration.
"Don't trouble your mind about the affair, Celestia." said Starswirl.
"But why shouldn't I?! As we speak, Luna is most likely about to amass an army on Equestria and even with all my power, I was unable to stop her!" Celestia said.
"Nightmare Moon defeated you because she gained her power from the moon. Your power is based on the sun. If you can gain energy from there, you can use it to your advantage just as Nightmare Moon did with the moon," said Starswirl.
"Yes, you are right! But unfortunately, I haven't learned how to harness the power of the sun," said Celestia.
"WHAT?!" Starswirl shouted before he jumped onto Celestia's chest and grabbed her, utterly shocked.
"I'm sorry, master, but Equestria has just been so peaceful for so over a thousand years, I didn't feel the need to practice that many spells," said Celestia.
"Well then it looks like my teachings of you are not yet over," said Starswirl.
Time was of the essence. If Starswirl was to teach Celestia this new technique, he had to do it fast. It wouldn't be easy, but he knew it would probably be the only means of defeating Nightmare Moon.
Rarity was still in hot pursuit of Fluttershy with a wide assortment of new clothes for her to try, but could not find her anywhere. Suddenly, she bumped into Pinkie Pie.
"Oh! My apologies!" said Rarity.
"No problem. HEY! I love those outfits! They're quite...fashion-y!" said Pinkie.
"Oh, you tease me," said Rarity.
"No, if I were teasing you, I would say something like, those outfits are the ugliest things I've ever seen! I'd also say something like, where did you get the material to make those things? A garbage dump?! Or even something like, my grandmother wore something like those...back in 1834! That would be teasing," said Pinkie.
"Well, I never!" Rarity said, storming off in a huff.
"Was it something I said?" Pinkie said, scratching her head in confusion.
If Celestia was to learn how harness the power of the sun, she would first need to learn to be one with it; which is why Starswirl decided to have a picnic with his student.
"Um...master...shouldn't we be training?" Celestia asked.
"This IS training. You must learn to be one with the sun. Make it your friend, your companion, your ally, and don't be afraid of it," said Starswirl as he started making a sandwich.
"I'm not afraid of it," said Celestia.
"Good, then this will be much easier. Chicken?" Starswirl asked.
The queen kindly declined her master's offer. This was indeed a rather unorthodox method for which he was teaching her, but considering who he was and what he had done for her in the past, Celestia figured there must be a method to his madness. All the while slightly cringing as Starswirl got mustard on his face.
As the 'training' continued, Starswirl told Celestia to look up at the sun as he stuffed his face with potato salad. She covered her head due to the brightness but the heat never really bothered her, even on the hottest summer days. Starswirl asked her what she thought about when she saw the sun, but Celestia didn't really have an answer. It just seemed like a sun to her, nothing more, nothing less.
"I...I just don't know..." Celestia said growing frustrated.
"Maybe some rice pudding will help you think better?" asked Starswirl.
Celestia chuckled as she took a spoon and ate some of the rice pudding.
Starswirl then told her to look at her surroundings; specifically, the grass, the trees, and the plants; and asked her how they related to the sun. Celstia still didn't have an answer. Her mentor told her to look deep inside and she would know the answer. The queen looked at the sun and then everything else, trying to figure out what exactly one had to do with the other. Then, a thought came to her mind.
"Um...the sun helps the plants grow?" Celestia suggested.
"YES!" Starswirl said, accidentally getting apple in Celestia's face.
Indeed, the sun was responsible for bringing life to the planet. From the trees, to the plants, and everything else. The sun was basically the essence of life. In order for Celestia to become one with the sun, she would have to understand the value of life and nature. Only then would her true power be unleashed.
At the same time Starswirl was taking a bite out of his apple, Applebloom was about to take a first bite out of hers, only to be stopped by Applejack.
"Whoa whoa, hold it there, sugarplum! What have I told you about eating apples whole like that?! You could choke!" Applejack said, taking the apple out of Applebloom's hand.
"I won't choke!" said Applebloom.
But before she could say more, Applejack had already cut her apple into five tinier slices and then cut the five slices into even littler slices. Unaware of how much she had thoroughly embarrassed her little sister, Applejack gave her a kiss and a pat on the forehead and walked off.
Meanwhile, Rarity was still looking for Fluttershy, completely unaware a little girl waving at her.
The girl had white skin, and curly hair in two shades of purple. She called out to her, though Rarity failed to hear her, even passing right by her.
"Rarity! Rarity!" the girl called.
But still, Rarity didn't answer.
The girl's name was Sweetiebelle, Rarity's younger sister. She finally got her sister's attention after she tugged on her skirt.
"Oh, hello, Sweetiebelle. I uh...don't have time to talk right now," said Rarity.
"You never have time to talk!" Sweetiebelle said.
However, Rarity didn't pay her any attention and quickly rushed off to find Fluttershy, much to her sister's disappointment.
But Rarity wasn't the only one on the mind of a child. Another child just Sweetiebelle and Applebloom's age eyeballed Rainbow Dash who was balancing her soccer ball on her head.
She had orange skin and short, purple, spiky hair and she shivered with nervousness as she looked at Rainbow Dash. It felt like a giant frog was stuck in her throat.
Her name was Scootaloo and she had a great admiration for Rainbow Dash. She had been to virtually every one of her soccer games, basketball games, and football games. She had even once gotten in trouble for skipping class to see one of her games. However, she never actually got to talking to her. She had seen her many times in the cafeteria before, but she just couldn't muster up the courage to say anything to her.
But not today, today, Scootaloo would finally talk to her hero. She took a deep breath, walked over to the lunch table, took another deep breath, closed her eyes, and began talking.
"Hello, my name is Scootaloo. I just wanna say that I'm a big fan of yours and I've been one for a long time. I think you're really super cool and I would love the chance for us to hang out...if it's not to much trouble," Scootaloo said.
As she exhaled, she couldn't believe what she had just done. She had finally talked to her idol. Now all that was left was for het to wait for a response as she opened her eyes to see...the grey skinned, derpish girl.
"Muffin?" the girl said, offering Scootaloo a muffin.
The embarrassed Scootaloo just walked off, meeting Applebloom and Sweetiebelle at another table who were in equally not-so-good moods.
"Why do sisters gotta be so embarrassing? No matter how hard I try, Applejack still treats me like a baby," said Applebloom.
"At least your sister pays attention to you. When it comes to Rarity, it's like I'm not even there," said Sweetiebelle.
"At you two HAVE sisters. It would be so cool to have Rainbow Dash as a big sister," said Scootaloo.
Just then, the three looked across a table where two other kids were talking.
One was a grey skinned girl with grey hair with white stripe in the middle.
The other was a pink skinned girl with light purple hair with white in it and a small tiara.
The pink girl's name was Diamond Tiara and the grey girl next to her was Silver Spoon, her best friend.
Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetiebelle enviously looked on.
"Diamond Taira's so lucky. She doesn't have any annoying sisters like me. Must be nice livin' in that fancy man-si-yon of hers all be herself," said Applebloom.
"You mean 'mansion?'" asked Sweetiebelle.
"Yeah, one of those!" said Applebloom.
"She's just as cool and popular as Rainbow Dash. She wouldn't bother to give me the time of day," said Scootaloo.
"Or me, Rarity doesn't even notice me, so why would she?" said Sweetiebelle.
Being that Diamond Tiara was one of the most popular girls at Canterlot High, the three girls often wished what it would be like to be in her shoes.
It seemed as though Celestia had finally understood what her mentor was trying to show her and now she was ready to try her hand at mastering her powers. However, before she got started, Starswirl suggested she first try it with her boots off. He figured if she was to become one with nature, she would literally have to be 'one with nature.'
So following on his suggestion, Celestia took off her boots. The grass felt comfortable between her toes as she looked up to sky, breathing in the air as the wind gently blew on her face and the sun's light beamed on her face.
"Focus your energy. Be one with the sun. Hehe, that rhymed. Embrace the nature around you; the grass, the trees, the air, the wind. Let it all come to you," said Starswirl.
The queen closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and cleared her mind of all thoughts; all except what Starswirl had told her. She relaxed her body with her head to the sun.
"Nothing seems to be happening," said Celestia.
"Be patient and focus," said Starswirl.
Keeping her posture, Celestia kept her mind cleared and her body relaxed. Soon, she began to feel a warm energy coming into her body, making her stronger, much to Starswirl's delight. The energy was coming from the sun; she absorbed more and more into herself; she could feel the power radiating inside her. Suddenly, a flaming aura surrounded her. Starswirl could see that Celestia was tapping into her true potential.
However, as she absorbed more energy, she began to feel a strain on her body. It was as if gravity was pushing her down. Eventually, the energy was too much for her and she released it.
"That...nearly...exhausted...me..." Celestia said faintly.
"Yes, but you have shown that you have the ability to master this power. Keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it," said Starswirl.