by G. M. Berrow
“I want to go to the library! The Crystal Empire Library!” she says.
Gilda nods slowly. “The library thing is a little weird. But the Crystal Empire sounds awesome! Right on, Princess Twilight!”
Twilight’s necklace begins to darken even more. But she doesn’t notice.
Chapter 10
All Twilight can think about is the huge library in the Crystal Empire. It holds hundreds of old books—the spell must be in one of them! She can’t wait to get started.
“Thanks for your help, guys,” Twilight tells Gilda and Trixie. “I’m going right now!”
Twilight spreads her wings and takes off.
“I’m coming, too,” Gilda says, flying alongside her. “What are the ponies like in the Crystal Empire?” Gilda imagines all the ponies she can play pranks on. She thinks it will be so funny!
“Trixie will come, too!” Trixie exclaims, trotting beneath them. She pictures a whole city of ponies who haven’t seen her magic act yet!
On the ground below, Fluttershy is leading a line of baby ducklings back to their mother. Suddenly she notices Twilight in the sky. “Oh, hi, Twilight!” she says. “I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve come up with some new ideas—”
But Twilight swooshes past. She doesn’t even see Fluttershy.
Rarity is nearby and watches in pure shock. The Twilight who Rarity knows would always stop to talk with her friends.
As Twilight passes, Rarity notices that the magical gem on her necklace has lost some of its shine. This is a bad sign.
“Oh, Fluttershy!” Rarity says, trotting up to her friend.
“She must not have heard me,” Fluttershy says quietly. “Twilight would never ignore me on purpose, right?”
Before Rarity can mention the necklace, Gilda lets Twilight fly out of earshot and then calls down to them. “Twilight is a princess now! She doesn’t need silly friends like you holding her back.”
Rarity and Fluttershy exchange a worried look. “We’d better go find Spike,” says Rarity. “He’ll know what to do.”
Chapter 11
Rarity and Fluttershy knock on the door of the Golden Oak Library.
The door flings open. Spike is upset.
“Are you okay, Spike?” Fluttershy asks softly.
“Twilight left me behind again!” Spike wails.
“Hmm… Twilight is not acting like herself today,” Rarity says. “I think her necklace is to blame!”
“Huh?” Spike and Fluttershy say.
“That necklace can be dangerous. If the wearer has bad or sad feelings, the gem makes them feel worse! I tried to warn Twilight the other night, but she just wouldn’t listen.”
“Oh no!” says Fluttershy.
“Poor Twilight.” Spike jumps up. “We have to go save her. Together?”
“Together!” shout Fluttershy and Rarity. The friends find Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, and they all go to find Twilight.
As Twilight Sparkle reaches the Crystal Empire, she turns to Gilda and Trixie. “Go and do what you want,” she snaps. “Just stay out of my way!”
Twilight gallops to the library, and she runs into Shining Armor.
“Twily!” Shining Armor says. “I thought you went back to Ponyville.”
“I did, but I’m back again,” Twilight says, itching to get to the library.
“Great!” Shining Armor says. “Come and have lunch at the castle.”
“Er, maybe tomorrow,” Twilight says, and then she canters off.
Shining Armor watches her go. There is something wrong with Twilight, he thinks. He rushes off to find Princess Cadance to help.
In the library, Twilight Sparkle flips the pages of Ancient Spells of the Crystal Empire: Volume Four. She has already checked the first three volumes. The Crystal Heart Spell must be in here somewhere!
“Twilight! Are you in here?” Princess Cadance’s voice echoes through the library.
“I’m here.” Twilight sighs. She doesn’t want to tell Cadance she hasn’t found the spell yet.
“Oh dear,” Cadance says, seeing Twilight. “It’s just as I feared.”
“What?” Twilight whines. “Me being a big failure? A pony with no leadership skills? I should give back my crown.”
“You’re not a failure,” Cadance says. She points at Twilight’s necklace. The gem isn’t shining at all now. “Look! You’re so down on yourself, the necklace is making you feel worse!”
Twilight looks at the gem. “I didn’t even notice it had changed.”
Twilight suddenly thinks of her friends. Rarity tried to warn her about the gemstone, but Twilight didn’t listen.
Actually, Twilight had dismissed all their ideas. They had only been trying to help her, just as she’d asked them to.
And how had she thanked them? By ignoring them.
“Oh, Cadance, I’ve been so mean to my friends!” Twilight says. “I’ve been thinking only about what I want, and not listening to other ponies!” The gem around her neck begins to glow dimly. “I must find my friends and apologize—right now!”
Chapter 12
“I wonder where Twilight is,” says Applejack as she and her friends enter the Crystal Empire.
“What’s that?!” says Pinkie Pie, pointing to a large crowd.
“Let’s find out!” says Applejack.
They see a big striped tent. Posters hang on the sides, advertising THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE.
Gilda the Griffon is standing on an old apple crate.
“Step right up, Crystal ponies!” she shouts. “See Equestria’s most talented Unicorn, the Great and Powerful Trixie! Only three bits each!”
A yellow pony pays Gilda and enters the tent.
“Don’t they know it’s a scam?” asks Rainbow Dash.
Gilda, unaware of the Ponyville crew, continues, “Trixie is so powerful, she once defeated an ursa major!”
“Hey, it was Twilight who did that!” says Fluttershy. “Except it was an ursa minor.”
“I can’t watch this,” Applejack says, hopping onto another crate. “Crystal ponies! Do not pay to see this show! This Griffon and Unicorn are trying to steal your bits!” A low murmur buzzes through the crowd.
“What are you doing here?!” Gilda screeches.
The Crystal ponies look on in alarm. This argument is more of a show than they’d expected!
“Nopony wants you here!” Gilda yells. But she couldn’t have been more wrong.
“That’s not true!” A clear, strong voice pierces through the crowd.
It’s Twilight Sparkle!
“These are my best friends, and I want them here!” She trots over. “What are you guys doing here?”
“We came to rescue you, silly!” says Pinkie Pie.
“I told them about the necklace,” Rarity explains. “We knew you weren’t yourself.”
“The Twilight we know would never be mean to her friends!” Fluttershy adds.
“Or ditch us for those two!” Rainbow Dash finishes, motioning to Gilda and Trixie.
“I’m so sorry, you guys!” Twilight says. “I thought listening to my heart meant choosing what I wanted for the kingdom. But what matters is how a princess treats others, especially her friends.” She pulls them all into a group hug. “Princess or not—we are all equal ponies!”
Rarity squeals. “Twilight, look at your necklace!”
The gem glows brighter than ever before. The light pulsates, like a true beating heart.
Nearby, the Crystal Heart grows brighter, too. It’s almost as if the two jewels are linked somehow. Suddenly a gigantic rainbow bursts from the Crystal Heart and arches into Twilight’s necklace!
“Ooooooh!” coos the crowd.
“Hey, look!” Rainbow Dash shouts.
“There are words on the Crystal Heart!” Twilight gasps. It must be the Crystal Heart Spell! She takes a deep breath and reads the words aloud:
“Friendship is the creed.
It has been from the start.
It’s the only way to lead
with your Crystal Heart!”
Of course! Friendship has always been the answer to her problems. Why should it be any different now that she’s a princess?
Twilight glances at her best friends, her brother, and Cadance, looking proud. She hears the crowd of Crystal ponies cheering her on.
At last, Twilight feels like a real princess.
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