My Little Pony 1. Prologue: The Beginning of the End

Location: Canterlot  
Time: 3:00 am

It was a cold and quiet night in the city of Canterlot. The sky was mainly clear, save for a few clouds that happened to roll by. The full moon emulated the city of Canterlot with its magnificent glow while the stars twinkled along side of it, making the sky light up like it was Hearth's Warming Eve. High above the main city was Canterlot Castle, where the two sovereigns of the entire land of Equestria, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, resided. Outside of the castle, the guards where on their usual patrol, making sure there were no intruders or disruptions going about or around the castle

Two lone guards stood outside of the castle doors, both of them feeling a bit more than tired. They never really understood why they needed to guard the castle's main entrance in the middle of the night; even if there was an intruder, the last place they would enter was through the front door. However, neither of the two really complained, mainly because they were being paid to stand there. However, their thoughts of staying up all night were interrupted when they both heard the sounds of hoof-steps approaching them from the cobble walkway in front of the castle.

The moment they heard the noises, they were at full alert; any traces of exhaustion immediately left their bodies. By the sounds of the hoof-steps, there were two of them approaching, one of them seeming to be ahead of the other. As they approached the castle, the lights from the establishment behind them slowly made out who they were.

One of them was a blue pony with what appeared to be a white mane. The other was a gray pony with a blonde mane. The blue one was definitely a unicorn, as the horn on their forehead slowly came into view. The other appeared to be a Pegasus, but since it was night, they were still pretty exhausted, and the wings might have been resting on their sides, it was kind of hard to tell. Furthermore, the saddlebags that both ponies wore on their backs made it even harder to see any wings at all.

It wasn't long before the two ponies were in front of the guards, looking them dead in the eyes. However, before either of them could open their mouths to say anything, the blue pony spoke up first.

"We need to see the Princesses," said the pony, which turned out to be a mare. Immediately, both the guards exchanged looks of confusion and insecurity.

"Why?" the guard on the left asked, "It's very late, ma'am. I doubt the Princesses will want to be disturbed at such a late..."

"Please, sir," spoke the gray pony, which was also a mare, "It's really important that we speak with them. It's a matter of life and death!"

The concern in the gray pony's voice convinced the guards that, whatever it was that they needed to speak to both Princesses about, must have been really important. So, after giving each other a nod of approval, both guards opened the door to the castle and allowed the two ponies to walk in.

"They'd most likely be in their chambers," said the guard on the right, as the two of them began closing the door, "We'll escort the two of you to them so you can..."

"Thanks," the blue mare interrupted, "But that won't be necessary. Your services are no longer required."

Before the two guards could react, the blue unicorn nodded to her companion, who opened her saddlebag and pulled out a small crystal with her mouth. Then, the unicorn levitated the crystal in front of her face with her magic, allowing the guards to get a good look at it. It was small, about the size of a horseshoe, and it shone a vibrant shade of blue, almost the same color as the mare holding it. As realization hit, both guards stared at the crystal in mock horror.

"Is that...?" one guard managed to choke out.

"It can't be..." said the other, who was at a loss of words himself.

Before they could say or do anything else, the unicorn's horn shot out a small stream of light into the crystal, making it shine brighter than before. Then, two beams of light came straight at the guards, one for each of them, and hit them in the chest.

The last thing the two guards saw was nothing but black.

In the royal chambers of the castle, the princess of the sun, Celestia, was lying in front of her fireplace. She was reading a scroll that she had received earlier that day, a small smile strewn across her face as she did so.

It wasn't long before she heard the sound of somepony entering the bedroom from the balcony that was outside the main window of the room. The white alicorn turned her head from her piece of parchment to see her sister, a dark sapphire blue alicorn who was a little bit shorter than she was, enter the room. When she did, a smile came across their faces.

"Hello, sister," said Celestia, "Are you finished with your duties for the night?"

"Yes, dear sister" said Luna, offering a polite bow to her sister, "They have been fulfilled, as necessary."

Before the two regal sisters could say anything more to each other, there was a knocking on the door of the bedroom. Both alicorns looked at it with surprised looks on their faces. Who could be knocking on the door at such a late hour? Celestia looked at her sister and nodded with a concerned look on her face. Luna nodded in response and made her way to the door. When she got there, she cleared her throat and addressed the pony that was knocking.

"Who is it?" she asked, her eyebrows slightly furrowing.

"Forgive us for intruding, your majesties," said the pony on the other side of the door, "But we need to speak with the two of you. It's very urgent!"

Luna looked back at her sister, an unsure look on her face. Celestia stood up from her lying position and approached to door. Then, using her magic, she turned the doorknob and opened the door. When she did, she saw two small mares standing before her, both of which had worried expressions on their faces.

Celestia smiled at the two of them and opened the door widely, allowing the two of them to enter. When they did, Luna closed the door behind them, still feeling a little bit uneasy about letting them in at such a late hour.

"Okay, then," said Princess Celestia, "How may we be of assistance to the two of you?"

The blue unicorn cleared her throat and said, "I do apologize for disturbing you at such a late hour, Princess, but what we need to ask is very important and of high priority."

"I'm listening," said Celestia, the look on her face turning to one of concern.

"Well, allow me to put it bluntly," she continued, her eyes turning from concern to maliciousness, "I want you to hand over the entire land of Equestria over to me and my companion here."

Both Princess Celestia and Luna exchanged looks of pure confusion. They didn't know how two small mares would develop enough nerve to just waltz right into the castle and ask for property of the entire kingdom like that, with no hesitation.

"My little pony," said Celestia, a small flicker of a smile on her face, "Surely you must be joking. You know very well that I can't just give over Equestria just like that! First of all, you two are way too young to rule the kingdom. Secondly, there's no way I can comply with a request like that."

"Besides, what gives you two the right to just walk in here and request something as absurd as that?" asked Luna, her eyebrows beginning to furrow. She trotted over to the side of the two small ponies, making sure they saw the angered look on her face.

The blue mare sighed, "I am asking politely, your highness. Sign over the entire kingdom to us and I assure you that your loyal subjects, if that's what you wish to call them, won't be harmed in any way. You have my word."

Celestia furrowed her eyebrows. "Is that some kind of threat? How dare you try and threaten me into performing an impossible task and using my faithful subjects as leverage. Who do you think you are? Luna, please summon the guards and have these two mares removed at once."

"Don't bother," said the unicorn, "The royal guards have been taken care of already. Worry not, for they are not harmed, just placed somewhere so they don't disrupt our little talk."

"I hope you two realize that what you're asking is treason," warned Celestia, "You have no authority to come here and ask for..."

Before the Princess of the sun could continue her sentence, the blue pony nodded at her companion. Then, she watched as the gray mare pulled out another small blue crystal and tossed it to the unicorn with her mouth. The unicorn caught the gemstone with her magic and held it in front of the alicorn princess. The moment that she did, she stopped in midsentence, her eyes growing wide with fear and disbelief. Even Luna, who was standing on the side of the two mares couldn't believe what she was looking at.

"It can't be..." whispered Celestia, as she blinked in surprise at what hovered before her.

"Oh, it is, trust me," said the blue unicorn, "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I don't really like the idea of harming the two of you, but if you don't comply, we'll have no choice but to use this."

"But..." Luna began to protest. However, Celestia raised a hoof to her sister, ordering her to stand down.

"Alright," she said, as she slowly made her way to her study, "You win."

"I knew you'd see reason," said the unicorn, as she and the gray mare followed her.

Celestia gestured for Luna to attend her in the study, the two mares following closely behind them. In the study was a small desk and several bookshelves filled with a wide assortment of books. When the regal sisters got to the desk, Celestia pulled out a piece of parchment and a feather quill with her magic. Then, using the bottle of ink she had on her desk, she began to write on it. As she did, the unicorn and her companion walked up to the desk to watch what she was writing, making sure she wasn't pulling a fast one on them.

Celestia, her eyebrows still furrowed in anger, finished writing the letter and said, "All I need is your names so I can put it in this letter, clearly stating that Equestria is yours."

"You don't need to know that," said the blue unicorn, "We'll fill that in, if you don't mind."

Celestia sighed and said, even though she didn't want to, "The form will become null and void if you two write on it. I need to be the one who writes it."

"Very well, then," said the unicorn as she cleared her throat, "Trixie Lulamoon..."

Trixie watched as the princess of the sun wrote the name on the parchment. Then, when she saw she was finished, she said, "...and Derpy Hooves."

When the letter was finished and both names were put on the parchment, Celestia put her hoof print on it, an official seal of her approval. Then, she slid the letter to her sister, awaiting her seal of approval. However, Luna was more irate and arrogant than her sister.

"What are you doing?" asked Luna. Her voice was low, as if she was trying to whisper, but was loud enough for everypony in the room to hear them. "You're not going to allow this, are you? This is madness and I won't stand for it! I'm not approving of this treacherous act of treason and neither should..."

"We have no choice," said Celestia, her voice matching that of Luna's, "She has the upperhoof in this. Besides, I won't allow any of my loyal subjects to be harmed due to arrogance and defiance and neither should you. Just sign the agreement and let's be done with it."

Luna, shaking her head in disapproval and an angered look on her face, took the parchment and placed her mark, giving her seal of approval.

"Perfect," said Trixie, as she took the letter from the regal sisters using her magic. Then, she levitated the parchment over to her wall-eyed companion, who rolled it up and placed it in her saddlebag. When it was securely placed, Trixie focused her attention back to the Princesses.

"Now, Derpy, make sure that everything is in place for our operation. I need to speak to the princesses alone for a moment," said Trixie, not taking her eyes off of the alicorns in front of her.

Derpy nodded and trotted out of the study and out of the room, closing the door behind her. When she was certain that her assistant was out of earshot, she allowed her horn to glow which made the crystal glow at the same time. At the sight of this, the two sisters began backing away, their hearts racing.

"Now, for the next order of business," said Trixie, her eyes looking as sinister as her voice made her sound, "Tell me how I can get the Elements of Harmony."

At the very mention of the Elements, both sisters exchanged worried glances. Then, Celestia asked, "Why do you need the Elements?"

"Oh, let's just say for 'personal reasons'," said Trixie, a smile on her face, "Now, tell me how I can get them."

The two of them watched as the glow of the crystal began shining brighter. Luna could sense what was going to happen and said, "Don't tell her anything, Tia. Whether we tell her or not, we're done for."

Trixie scoffed at the statement. "Oh please. I'm not going to kill you or anything. I just need to know where they are and how to acquire them. You have my word that you will not be harmed in any way if you tell me."

Celestia could see her sister shaking her head slowly out of the corner of her eyes. She knew that Luna was right; whether she said anything or not, they were done for. However, the request that Trixie was asking for was a sure fire way of keeping them both alive or, at least, unharmed.

"They are protected by a spell that only I know," said Celestia, her voice calm and collect, "You couldn't get them without me with you."

"Is that so?" asked Trixie, "Well then, you will tell me how to use said spell to get them. That is, if you wish for you and your sister to be unharmed."

"Don't do it," Luna mouthed, as she shook her head slowly. However, Celestia knew she had no choice but to give the unicorn what she wanted. With the crystal that she possessed, she was calling all the shots and there was nothing she could do about it.

Slowly using her magic, Celestia opened a locked drawer in the desk. Then, she pulled out a small book and placed it on the desk. Finally, using her hoof, she slid the book over to Trixie.

"This book has everything hoof-written in it," she said, not taking her eyes off Trixie.

"Like what?" Trixie asked.

"It has all the spells that I have ever casted. I kept them written so they wouldn't fall into the wrong hooves. It tells everything about the Elements of Harmony, where they are and the spell that unlocks the door where they're kept."

In order to conserve her magic, Trixie opened the book with a hoof and flipped through the hoof-written pages. After several flips of the pages, she found what she was looking for, the spell that Celestia had made to lock away the Elements of Harmony. When she was content with her discovery, she closed the book and smiled at the two sisters.

"Thank you for you time and services," said Trixie, as she began backing away, "Now to return the favor."

Then, without warning, she shot a stream of light from her horn onto the crystal, causing it to glow even brighter than before. Then, a single stream of light was fired from the crystal and hit Luna dead on the chest. Luna watched in horror as her hooves began to solidify on stone. It wasn't long before her whole body was encased in stone, as if she was turning into one of the statues in Canterlot's gardens. Then, she froze stiff as the rest of her was solidified in stone.

Celestia turned to the mare and yelled, "You said that..."

"I said I wouldn't kill you," she interrupted, "Consider this your banishment from MY kingdom."

Then, she fired another shot of light into the crystal, causing another beam to hit Celestia. She tried to struggle, using her magic to try and reverse the process. However, the blue mare, although small and petite, was skilled in using the crystal than she was. Then, just like with her sister, she too was turned into stone, frozen where she stood.

Trixie smiled, as she released her magic, causing the stone to fall to the floor. Its bright blue color appeared to be drained out of the crystal, leaving it to look like a small, hollow piece of glass. Then, she opened the book and began reading through some of the other spells Celestia had written in it. After another few page flips, she found one in it that made her smile menacingly.

"Perfect," she said to herself, as she closed the book. "Let's see how you two enjoy your banishment...on the moon!"

Then, she used her magic to take out another crystal from her own saddlebag. Then, she focused her magic on it, shooting another beam of light into it. Then, two beams of light fired out of the crystal and hit the two statues dead on. Within seconds, both statues vanished into nothingness, sparkles of magic glistened on the floor and dissipated from sight. The spell had worked, thanks to the power of the crystal. Because it was such a simple spell for a complex gemstone, it still had some of its blue glow in it. So, deciding not to waste it, Trixie put the gem back into her saddlebag.

Then, she walked out of the study and into the bedroom. From there, she walked over to the window and opened it, stepping out onto the balcony. She felt a cool breeze blow past her mane, as she looked at the view of Canterlot. It wasn't long before Derpy flew next to her on the balcony, landing next to her.

"Everything is set, Trixie," said the Pegasus, smiling at her.

"Excellent," she said, as she patted her friend on the back, "Everything went better than I expected."

Derpy nodded, as she looked back into the room. Then, she asked, "Uh, Trixie, where are the Princesses?"

Trixie smiled, waving a hoof in dismissal, "They failed to cooperate, so I had to do away with them. They are now serving a stone imprisonment on the moon as we speak."

Derpy's wall-eyes went wide at the news. "What!? You sent away the Princesses of the Sun and Moon!? Trixie, you shouldn't have done that! Now who will raise the sun and moon everyday and night?"

Trixie laughed, as if she expected her to say something like that. "It's all part of the plan, dearest Derpy. You see, I wanted them gone so that when all of Equestria wakes up in the morning, they will see that there is no sun. Then, when they gather around Canterlot to find out why, that's when we tell them that WE are their new rulers and if they don't accept us as their new sovereigns, they will suffer the consequences."

A few moments of silence followed after that, as the two mares looked at the overview sight of Canterlot. After several moments had passed, Trixie spoke up first.

"So," she said, looking at the grey Pegasus, "How does it feel to be a princess?"

"I don't know," said Derpy, "It's all happening so fast right now. I'm still finding it hard to believe that we actually pulled this off."

"Didn't I say that we would? All those months of researching and planning has finally paid off. Now, all of Equestria is ours for the taking. We just have to let the other ponies of the land realize it, and I assure you, they will, soon enough."

"Well, when you're right, you're right..." said Derpy, offering a smile. Then, she addressed her by the name they agreed on, if their plan had worked, "…Lady Lulamoon."

Trixie smiled and said, "This marks the end of Celestia's reign on this land and the beginning of our new regime over Equestria."

Then, a thought came across Derpy's mind. "Um, milady, what are we going to do after the all the ponies of this land bow to us and accept us as their new rulers?"

"That's easy," said Trixie, "After all of Equestria bows to us, we are going to take over the rest of the pathetic homelands of this world: dragons, griffons, everything. All living beings will bow to us and become our servants."

Trixie let out a small sigh before continuing. "But, let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. We still need to commence the rest of our operation. Is the rest of the tanzanite in place?"

"Yes, milady," said Derpy, offering a slight bow at the new ruler of the land, "Everything is ready for the next phase."

"Excellent," said Trixie, as she patted her on the shoulder, "You have served me well."

"Then let us prepare for the rise of the new Equestrian era," said Derpy, as she began walking back into the room.

No sooner did the words leave her mouth that a spark ignited in Trixie's mind. "You know something, Derpy," she said, stopping the Pegasus, "I like the sound of that: The 'new Equestrian era.' I think I shall call our new kingdom...New Equestria!"

Then, the two mares entered the room together. They still had a few hours until morning came. When it did, they would begin their reign over their new land and begin taking over the rest of the world.

The rise of New Equestria had begun.


	2. Chapter 1: Ordinary Day

Location: Ponyville  
Time: 3:00 pm (12 hours earlier)

The bell rang loudly in Ponyville's school house. When it did, all the fillies and colts in the classroom began collecting their things.

"Have a great day students," said the teacher, Ms. Cheerilee, "I'll see you all tomorrow!"

The children smiled at the purple earth pony as they all left the school in a single file line. It was a bright and beautiful day in Ponyville. The skies were clear, the birds were chirping happily and weather was just perfect; not too hot or too cold. It truly was one of the most gorgeous days they've had all year.

All the foals began heading in separate directions, on their way to their homes. Three fillies in particular were huddled together, forming a small triangle as they left the school house. In the lead was an orange Pegasus with a purple mane named Scootaloo. To her left was a white unicorn filly named Sweetie Belle. The last of the three was a yellow earth pony named Apple Bloom. The three fillies made their way to the side of the schoolhouse, where Scootaloo had her scooter resting with her helmet on one of the handle bars.

"Man, I thought the day was never going to end," said Scootaloo, as she strapped on her helmet.

"Really, why is that?" asked Sweetie Belle, as she and Apple Bloom waited for her to get ready.

"To be honest," said the orange filly, "I couldn't really pay much attention in class because I was thinking of a new way for us to earn our Cutie Marks."

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both shot each other excited smiles. The three of them had been friends for the longest time now mainly because they had one thing in common: the three of them had yet to earn their Cutie Marks and discover what their special talents were. The three of them had joined together and christened themselves, "The Cutie Mark Crusaders", setting out on different adventures and trying out various things in an attempt to find their special talents.

"Really?" asked Apple Bloom in her southern accent, "What'd ya come up with?"

"I came up with the perfect way I can think of, but we're going to have to build a boat in order to do it," said Scootaloo, a sheepish grin on her face, "But once we get it done, I'm sure that we'll earn our Cutie Marks for sure!"

"Well, well, well," said a snooty voice from behind them, one that the Cutie Mark Crusaders knew all too well, "If it isn't the 'blank flanks'. Still trying to earn your Cutie Marks by doing the most ridiculous things?"

The three of them turned their heads to look at two earth ponies standing behind them, both of them with snuck up looks on their faces. One was pale magenta and other was cerulean-gray. The light pink pony had a tiara in her mane made of diamonds while the other, who wore white-framed glasses, had a beaded necklace going down her neck. The pink one was named Diamond Tiara and the gray one was named Silver Spoon and they loved to make fun of the Cutie Mark Crusaders every chance they got. They teased them to no end, all because they had earned their Cutie Marks first and they didn't.

"It's none of your business, Diamond Tiara," shot back Scootaloo.

"Why don't the two of you just give it up already?" asked Silver Spoon, a devious look on her face, "We all know that you're never going to get your Cutie Marks so just give up while you can."

One of the three Crusaders was about to say something to the two snooty ponies when a light cream-colored earth pony with a red mane and blue framed glasses called out to them.

"Hey, leave them alone," she said with an annoyed look on her face.

"Stay out of this, Twist," said Diamond Tiara, "This has nothing to do with you so buzz off."

The earth pony didn't leave; instead, she stood in between the two of them and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, ready to stick up for her friends. She had a slightly mad look on her face, mostly because they kept tormenting her friends.

Seeing that they were outnumbered 2 to 4, Diamond Tiara let out a scoff and said, "Whatever. I have better things to do anyway. Let's go, Silver Spoon."

Then, she and Silver Spoon trotted off, their snouts in the air as if to say "we're better than you." When they were out of earshot, Twist turned to look at the three fillies and smiled.

"Thanks, Twist," said Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah," agreed Scootaloo, "If I had to hear anymore insults from them, I don't know what I would have done."

"It's okay," said Twist, "I know how it feels to be picked on for not having my Cutie Mark."

"Ah know," said Apple Bloom, remembering when it was just the two of them who were the only "blank flanks" in their class.

That was before they met Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. However, as luck would have it, Twist had earned her Cutie Mark before them, two candy canes crossed over one another, signifying that her special talent was making candy canes. Even though she got hers before them, she still remained good friends with the three of them, sticking up for them against Diamond Tiara and any other pony that made fun of them because they were Cutie Mark-less. She would even help by giving them suggestions on how they could earn their Cutie Marks, but those were on rare occasions.

"So," said Twist, breaking the silence between them, "What are you guys doing this afternoon?"

"Well, we're going to try and get our Marks," said Scootaloo with a confident smile, "I know a sure fire way that will work!"

"Okay," said Twist, "I need to get going, so I'll see you guys later. Good luck with the Cutie Marks!"

With that, she trotted off, heading in the direction of her house. The three fillies smiled sheepishly as they watched her fade in the distance; Twist was a good friend, and yet they never really hung out with her as much as they did with each other. It was pretty clear that Twist didn't mind, but still, it would have been nice to invite her to one of their sleepovers every now and then.

It wasn't long before Scootaloo snapped them all out of their trances by saying, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going on making that boat!"

"Uh, Scoots, how in Equestria are we gonna make a boat?" asked Apple Bloom, looking at her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, for starters, we're going to need tools and wood," explained the orange Pegasus, "So, lets head over to Sweet Apple Acres and see if there's any tools and spare wood we can use!"

"Um, what exactly are we doing with the boat?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Come on," said Scootaloo as she got on her scooter, "I'll explain everything on the way."

About a half an hour later, fillies found themselves inside their clubhouse in a secluded section of Sweet Apple Acres, all of them with defeated looks on their faces. They were in the main room, all of them sitting on the floor around a drawing that Scootaloo had drawn while they were in school. It showed a simple design for a boat that they would have to build. However, they were facing a major problem, one that, unfortunately, aborted their plans for that afternoon.

"Ah can't believe Applejack wouldn't let us use the tools to build the boat," moaned Apple Bloom, "It's not like we haven't used them before."

"I guess it's because she thinks the idea won't work," said Sweetie Belle, "Besides, there wasn't enough spare wood to make the boat anyway. Even if your sister let us use the tools, we wouldn't have been able to do it!"

"Let's just face the music, girls," said Scootaloo, as she crumpled up the drawing she had made, "We're never going to get our Cutie Marks. We're going to be 'blank flanks' forever!"

"Now, that's just 'stinkin' thinkin'," said Apple Bloom, patting her Pegasus friend on the back, "We can't give up hope, yet! There are still a million things we haven't tried yet! One of them is bound to work!"

"Apple Bloom's right," said Sweetie Belle, "As long as we put forth our very best effort, I'm sure we'll find our special talents in no time."

Scootaloo let out a small sigh. She had thought about her idea the whole time they were in school. Now that they weren't able to go through with it, she didn't know what to do. However, she knew that what her fellow Crusaders were saying was true; they couldn't build her boat, but that didn't mean that they should give up hope. They needed to keep trying until they finally got what they wanted.

"You're right, girls," said Scootaloo as she stood up, her mood lifting from depressed to encouraging, "We need to get out there and find our special talents, no matter what!"

"That's the spirit," said Apple Bloom with a smile on her face, "So, any suggestions?"

Scootaloo's moment of hope was instantly shot down at the question. She immediately flopped on the floor again and said, "I've got nothing."

They all let out a small sigh. Yes, they were determined to earn their Cutie Marks, but they were running low on ideas. So, they lay across the floor of their clubhouse, searching their minds for a spark to ignite their ideas.

Some time had passed, about an hour or so, and they still hadn't come up with anything. Scootaloo was lying in the middle of the floor, lightly tapping her hoof against the floorboards. Apple Bloom was staring out the window at the sky, trying to get her thoughts together. All the while, Sweetie Belle paced back and forth, her hooves clopping against the floor echoing in the silence of the room.

"Come up with anything yet?" asked Scootaloo, catching Sweetie Belle by surprise; she hadn't expected her to say anything and the fact that she did without warning nearly knocked her off balance. Fortunately for her, she was able to compose herself before answering her.

Letting out a small sigh of defeat, she said, "No, not yet. How about you, Apple Bloom? Did you come up with anything yet?"

Apple Bloom looked at her friends and shook her head. "I've got nothin'!"

Scootaloo let out an annoyed groan and began stomping out of the clubhouse. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon now, maybe a little later, but that didn't matter to her. As she trotted down the ramp and onto the grass, she walked out into the small field in front of the clubhouse and sat down on her haunches. She looked up to the sky and sighed, feeling a small breeze blow past her. It caused her mane to sway to one side of her head a little bit. When it did, she couldn't help but close her eyes and smile; something about the fresh air blowing past her always made her feel better, especially when she found herself in life conundrums like this. She'd like to think it was a "Pegasus thing", the joy of feeling the cool breeze blowing past her, primarily because none of her other friends really understood the feeling she got from it. One thing was certain to her though: she would enjoy the breeze blowing past her much more when she was able to spread her wings and fly.

It wasn't long before she heard the sounds of her fellow Crusaders coming out of the clubhouse to accompany her. There was no doubt in her mind that they thought something was wrong, especially with the way she stormed out. However, now that she had calmed herself down, she was able to get a clear image in her head of some new things she and her friends could try.

"Are you alright?" asked Apple Bloom as she sat next to her Pegasus friend.

"I'm fine," said Scootaloo, contently, "I just needed to clear my head, that's all. Now that I have, I think I have an idea on how we can get our Cutie Marks!"

Just as Scootaloo was about to explain, the three of them heard a distant voice call out to them.

"Apple Bloom!" the southern voice called out. They instantly recognized it as Applejack, her older sister, "C'mon, Apple Bloom, it's time to come home!"

Apple Bloom sighed and said, "Well, looks like ah need to get goin'. I'll see you girls tomorrow!"

With that, the yellow earth pony began making her way from the clubhouse to where her sister was calling to her. When she was out of earshot and sight, Scootaloo let out another defeated sigh.

"Talk about 'perfect timing'" said Scootaloo with a sarcastic tone, "I finally get an idea and she has to go home. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to try."

"I'm sure you had a great idea," said Sweetie Belle with a smile, "I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"Yeah," said Scootaloo as she let out another sigh and began walking back to the main farmhouse, Sweetie Belle following closely behind.

"I guess it's just another ordinary 'day-in-the-life-of-the-Cutie-Mark-Crusaders'," said Scootaloo, shaking her head, "Coming up with nothing and getting nowhere."

"Don't give up hope," said the white filly, "All we have to do is believe. Who knows, maybe something exciting will happen tomorrow! Only time will tell."

"Here's hoping," said the orange filly as the two of them passed the main farmhouse and headed into town. When they got there, the two of them bid their goodbyes and went their separate ways, hoping that tomorrow would bring with it a new opportunity for them to earn their Cutie Marks.

* * *

Time: 11:00 pm

Several hours had passed now and darkness had overshadowed the town. Ponyville was all but dead now, with everypony in their beds sleeping the night away. However, there was one place that still was operational, even in the darkest of night and that was the train station.

It was only 11:00 at night now, and the last train was about to leave for Canterlot, its last stop for the night. As of now, it rested in the station, stallions beginning to load up the end cars with luggage while the rest of the cars were being filled up with the last few passengers. The stallions loading the luggage were finishing up their last few pieces of baggage and ready to call it for the night when they heard hoof-steps come up from behind them.

Instantly, the two stallions that were there turned around and saw two mares galloping towards the train. One of them was a blue unicorn and the other was a grey earth pony, or at least she looked like an earth pony; with the saddlebags on her back, it was kind of hard to tell. By the looks on their faces, one would think that they were being chased or trying to avoid somepony.

When the two mares arrived, the blue unicorn spoke up to them. "Is this the last train heading to Canterlot?" she asked, breathing heavily at them.

"Why, yes it is," said one of the stallions, "Are you two coming on board?"

"Yes, we are," she said, "We need to see the Princesses immediately."

"Very well," he said, "May I see your tickets, please?"

The unicorn nodded at her friend, who didn't hesitate to pull out two train tickets from her saddlebag and hand it to the station worker. He took the ticket from her and began to look it over.

"Do you two have any luggage that you'd like placed back here?" the other worker asked.

The blue unicorn sighed and said, "Would it be alright if we carried these with us? They contain valuable gemstones and I'd hate for them to break. You know how unsafe the luggage cars can be from time to time, right?"

The worker holding their tickets rolled his eyes, taking the statement she made personal. However, since it was late in the night, he decided not to argue with the mares and agreed to let them carry their luggage with them. Besides, it was one less thing for him to do for the night.

"Very well," he said, looking at the name on the ticket, "Trixie, is it?"

"It is," said Trixie, as she gave off a small smile at him. He then handed her the two tickets, as she said, "Thank you very much."

With nothing left to say, Trixie and her friend got on the train and sat down in one of the many vacant seats that were there. When they did, they both let out content sighs.

"Well, that went smoothly," said Trixie, "For a moment there, I thought they were going to insist on taking our luggage away from us."

"I don't think he liked what you said about the luggage cars," said the other mare, "He seemed a little annoyed when you said it."

Trixie let out a scoff, "Please, Derpy, he's a train worker. It makes little to no difference whether I insult him or not. Besides, it's not like I was lying to him or held him personally responsible for ruining pony's luggage."

Before they could say anything else, the train began to slowly move from the station, heading for Canterlot.

"I don't see why they couldn't take our luggage," said Derpy, "It's not like the tanzanite would break back there anyway. It's safe, whether it's with us or not."

"True," said Trixie, "But if they took our luggage, then we'd have to go into the Canterlot station and wait for our saddlebags, run them through security, answer unnecessary questions and risk being compromised. It's a lot safer and more secure when we have them."

Derpy looked out the window, watching the small view of Canterlot Castle in the distance. "How long until we get to Canterlot?" she asked.

"It'll be an hour, maybe two," said Trixie, "If you're going to get any sleep, now would be the time. We'll need all the energy we can get if we're going to pull this off."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep until this is done," said Derpy, "The anxiety of having to go through with it will prevent me from getting any sleep."

"I know," said Trixie, "I can feel the tingling in my hooves just thinking about it, but we still have to try and get some shut-eye. Besides, there's no turning back now. We're going to see this through till the end, right?"

"Of course," the wall-eyed Pegasus said as she let out a small yawn.

"Try and get some sleep," said Trixie, as she patted Derpy on the back, "Whether this goes south or not, we're going to need all the energy we can get."

Derpy rested her eyes closed and asked, "What happens if we can't do this? What happens if we fail?"

Trixie let out a small sigh. "I try not to think about things like that because thoughts like that can be very de-motivational," she said, "But if it all goes south, we'll have to get the hell out of dodge and run as far as we can."

It wasn't long before Trixie heard the small sounds of soft snoring; Derpy had fallen asleep next to her. Trixie couldn't help but smile at the sight of her companion. She looked out the window at the quiet cities that passed by them.

"I hope everypony had a good day today," she said to herself as she rested her eyes closed, "Because, if they don't accept us as their new rulers, it'll be the last 'day' they ever see."

With nothing left to say or do, she allowed herself to drift into a dreamless sleep as the train continued its steady journey to Canterlot.


	3. Chapter 2: The Next 'Day'

Location: Canterlot  
Time: 6:00 am

She slowly opened her eyes, letting out a stifled yawn as she did. She stretched out her limbs and rubbed her eyes with her hooves, a content smile on her face. When her motor control was fully functional, Trixie sat up and let out a content sigh. In all the months she had been preparing for this moment, never once had she slept in a bed as comfortable as the former Princess's. Now that she had banished them, she and her partner had spent the last few hours getting some well-deserved rest; a reward for their success, she told herself.

Although she wanted nothing more but to stay in bed for a few more hours, relaxing on the soft mattress in the Princess's chambers, she knew that there was still more work that needed to be done. So, against her own desires, she got out of bed and began making her way to the study. On her way, Trixie got one of her saddlebags from underneath the bed and brought it with her, the smile she wore still on her face.

As she made her way to the study, she heard the sound of hoofsteps coming from the study. When she opened the door, she saw that Derpy was already awake, pacing the floor back and forth, a slightly worried look on her face.

"Good morning, Derpy," Trixie said to her, "You're up bright and early. Is everything alright?"

"Good morning milady," said the grey Pegasus, offering a small bow to the new ruler of Equestria, "Sorry if I disturbed you."

"Not at all," she said as she approached the desk in the room, "We needed to get up early anyway. Now tell me, wasn't that the best night's sleep you've ever had?"

"I guess so," Derpy said with a small sigh, "To be honest, I didn't really get that much sleep last night. I've been too busy thinking about what we've done, what we are going to do next, to get any type of rest. I think I slept for an hour, but that's about it."

"Will you relax?" scolded Trixie, her eyebrows furrowing, "Are you _doubting_ the plan, the plan that you and I worked so hard over the past several months to perfect?"

"No, no, no, of course not," she quickly said, "I'm just a little shaken up by it, that's all. I didn't mean to offend you, milady."

Trixie relaxed her face and smiled. "I do suppose that all of this is still a lot to take in. Rest assured, my wall-eyed friend, once we complete the final stage of this operation, you will be able to rest easy, knowing that we've succeeded in doing the very thing that most ponies only _dream_ of doing! Now, let's review the game plan one more time, just so we are clear with what we have to do, shall we?"

Derpy smiled and nodded as she approached the desk where Trixie was sitting. When she did, Trixie used her magic to pull out a scroll from the bag, unraveling it on the desk. Then, from the bag, she pulled out four small pieces of the crystal that were in there and placed them on the corners of the parchment, keeping them in place. Derpy looked at the blank piece of parchment, her eyes panning from one side of the page to the other.

Trixie, seeing that Derpy was trying her best to decipher the parchment, only smiled at her. With a flick of her horn, a small beam of light shot out of the tip of her horn and into one of the small pieces of crystal, causing it to shine a faint hue of blue. When it did, another beam shot out of it and into the adjacent crystal. Beams of light shot from one to another until all four of them were lit up, their hue causing the parchment to radiate the same color.

When all four crystals were lit up, the parchment began to change, showing the image that was hidden within. Soon, the blank piece of parchment began to turn into a map of Equestria. On the map, four locations were circled in red, each on labeled with a letter. Three locations were on the far eastern side of the map and the last was on the far west. The three on the east had the letters "E", "P", and "U" written in read above them. The location on the west had the letter "C" written above it.

The various mountain ranges on the map were circled in blue. Blue lines from the circled mountains were all focused back at one mountain in particular, Canterlot Mountain. At the tip of the mountain where they were, a gold star was drawn, signaling that that was where it all was going to start.

Surprised, Derpy turned her attention to Trixie and asked, "How did you do that, hide the plans, that is?"

Trixie smiled at her and said, "The tanzanite works in mysterious ways, my friend. Only those who know how it works are able to unlock and utilize its full potential."

Derpy smiled what resembled a sinister smile. "And you're the _only_ one who knows how to utilize and unlock its full power, right?"

"Correct. Now, let's review what we have to do, shall we?"

Then, Trixie pointed her hoof at Canterlot Mountain. "Now, this plan has to go without a hitch and we only have one shot to pull this off. If this doesn't work, well, you and I have a serious problem. However, I am fully confident that this will work without any flaws. So, here's where we start 'Operation: Rise'. I will start the transformation from here to the various other mountain ranges across Equestria."

"That will cause the crystal to take over that given area in an instant, right?" asked Derpy, "Once the crystal hits the mountains, it will travel down and spread across everywhere in a 20 mile radius, maybe more if the amount of tanzanite we placed there is enough."

"Oh, it'll be enough," said Trixie, "I assure you of that. Now, when the takeover begins, I want you and the guards to begin taking those miserable subjects of ours to the holding cells that will be constructed at these locations. You know where they go, so see to it that they are brought there. Remember, leave NONE of those miserable ponies free; capture them all, especially the unicorns and pegasi! Also, it'll take exactly twenty to thirty minutes for the cells to be completed, so you will have until then to assemble the guards and get them ready. Do you have the devices ready?"

Without hesitation, Derpy pulled out three metallic collars and two vice-like braces from the saddlebag that was in the room. Then, she placed them on the desk with a smile.

"Excellent," said Trixie, "Now, we are going to need one of the unicorn guards to wear one of the collars. Once it is on, he will need to create replicas of the others."

"We have another hour before the spell you casted on the guards wears off," said Derpy, "How many of each do you think we'll need?"

"A LOT," said the unicorn, "Have them replicate them until we are up to our flanks with them. Have them fill up the dungeon with them for all I care. I don't want to run out of them so have them keep pumping them out."

Trixie then turned her attention back to the map and asked, "Who is the guard who is in charge?"

"His name is Shining Armor," said Derpy, "He's being held with the others."

"Great. Put the first collar on him now and have him replicate enough for the rest of the royal guards. When all of them have collars on, have them begin the replication of the other devices."

"Understood. Once they are all made, we bring them to the holding cells, right?"

"Yes, make sure that you bring enough with you. We've practiced enough times teleporting you via another unicorn, so you getting there and back should be a breeze."

Focusing on the map, she pointed her hoof at the location on the far west and tapped on it several times. "When the establishment here is complete, what do we do next?"

Derpy let out a small chuckle, "We destroy Canterlot Castle and relocate there. Once there, we can reign over 'New Equestria' with ease, right?"

"Correct. Now, we only have another hour or so until the citizens of Equestria begin to realize the sun isn't coming up and begin to converge here. Take the devices and begin the replication process. I need to make sure everything else is in order."

"Yes, milady," said Derpy, as she began putting the metallic devices into her saddlebag. As she did, a small feeling of anxiety began coursing through her body. She didn't know if she should really go along with the "operation". A part of her wanted to drop the saddlebag, turn tail and fly away, fly off into the horizon and never turn back.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Trixie place her hoof on top of hers. When she saw this, she looked up and saw that Trixie had a sympathetic look on her face, like she knew what she was thinking.

"Don't worry, Derpy," she said softly, "Everything will be alright. We've come too far and planned for too long for this to fail. Everything will go as planned without any disruptions or disturbances, you'll see."

"I hope you're right," said Derpy as she placed the saddlebag on her back.

"I don't need to hope," said the blue unicorn, "I know."

Then, Derpy began making her way to the door, opening and closing it as she made her way to the dungeon to begin the replication of the devices. When she was certain she was out of earshot, Trixie let out a small chuckle, an even more sinister look on her face.

With her magic, she pulled out one last piece of the crystal from her saddlebag and placed it on the top of the map, dead center in between the two that were holding the corners down. When she did, the focused her magic on the crystals again, making all five of the crystals glow.

When all five tanzanite pieces lit up, the map began radiating again. It still showed all of the locations they were looking at before, however, with the help of the fifth crystal, one last area on the map was circled in black. It was on the northern section of the map, near an area known as "The Frozen North". When she saw the location circled, she smiled and began letting out a small chuckle to herself.

"This is the perfect place to begin my _personal_ 'Operation'," she told herself, "Once I bring the bearers there, everything will come together nicely...or should I say, 'not-so-nicely'."

Then, Trixie let out a maniacal laugh, knowing that once she had everything she needed and all the preparations were set, the _real_ fun would begin.

* * *

Location: Ponyville  
Time: 9:00 am

"Twilight! Twilight, wake up!" a distant voice called out to her, "Wake up, Twilight! It's an emergency!"

Twilight Sparkle slowly opened her eyes to see a small purple and green figure standing above her, a slightly worried look on his face. However, her attention was shifted from the figure to the darkness coming from the window.

"Spike," moaned the lavender unicorn as she pulled her blanket over her head, "It's still night time! Can't it wait until the morning?"

"You don't understand," said the small dragon, worry in his voice as he spoke, "It _is_ morning! In fact, it's been morning for the past several hours!"

The moment the words left Spike's mouth, Twilight instantly sat up, knocking the baby dragon off the bed and onto the ground. Her eyes were widened with a mixture of shock and confusion. When she sat up, she looked out the window at the night sky, the stars still twinkling next to Luna's moon.

"What are you talking about, Spike?" she asked, as her number one assistant stood on his feet, "It's clearly night outside. How can it be morning when it's clearly still night time?"

Without answering her question, Spike walked over to the ledge of the second floor balcony where her room was located. There, he pointed to a large clock that on the wall. When Spike pointed at it, Twilight got out of bed and trotted over to the balcony alongside of him. As she looked at her clock, her eyes were widened again as she saw it read that it was 9 o'clock in the morning.

"How can that be?" she asked aloud, mainly to herself, "How can it be this late in the morning, but still be night outside."

She turned her attention back to Spike and said, "Come on, Spike. We'd better send a letter to the Princess about this. Something doesn't seem right about this."

"Maybe Princess Celestia forgot to raise the sun," said Spike as the two of them made their way down the stairs to the main part of the Library where they resided.

"I'd much rather doubt that, Spike," said Twilight, "Something is definitely wrong here and there's only one way to find out."

With that, the two of them made their way to the desk in the library. Once there, Twilight pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment. She began scribbling a note on the parchment with a stern look on her face; a letter to the Princess, Spike figured.

When she was finished, she rolled up the scroll and handed it to Spike. Then, Spike went over to the window, opened it and sent the letter on its way to the Princess in Canterlot.

"Now, all we have to do is wait for a response and then we'll get to the bottom of all this," said Twilight.

Unfortunately for them, a response never came. They sat in the library for over a half an hour, waiting to hear back from the Princess of the Sun. However, they didn't hear anything from her. When 45 minutes had passed, they began to worry about the Princess. Why wasn't she responding to her? She _always_ responded to her, no matter what time of day it was.

"Okay, something is definitely wrong," said Twilight, "It wouldn't take the Princess _this_ long to get back to us. We need to investigate before something bad happens."

With that, the two of them left the library and headed out to the streets of Ponyville. When they got there, the two of them were a little surprised to see that many ponies were already on the streets, their eyes fixated on the night sky above. Many of them were quietly chatting with each other, speculating on the strange phenomenon.

As the two of them walked about the crowded streets, they saw that their friends were already converging near the fountain, all of them with confused and worried looks on their faces. However, when they all saw Twilight and Spike approaching, they all began trotting over to them.

"Twilight, what's going on?" asked Rainbow Dash, "Why hasn't the Princess risen the sun yet?"

"Rainbow!" scolded Rarity, Sweetie Belle close beside her, "Don't talk like it is Twilight's fault for this predicament!"

"It's okay Rarity," said Twilight as the two of them stopped in front of the others, "I already sent a letter to the Princess to get an explanation to what's going on."

"Well, any word from her yet?" asked Applejack.

"I'm afraid she hasn't sent anything yet," said the lavender mare, "This is so strange. How could the Princess not raise the sun this morning? Something doesn't seem right about all this."

"What do you think happened?" asked Fluttershy, who was cowering behind all the others, "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Twilight let out a sigh. "I...I don't know what happened or what's happening. All I know is that something bad must have happened."

"There's only one way we're gonna find out, sugar cube," said Applejack, "We need to go to Canterlot and pay the Princess a visit."

"It seems that's the only way we're going to get any answers," said Twilight, "However, I think Spike and I should go. The rest of you should stay here and help the rest of Ponyville the best that you can."

She then turned to the white fashionista. "Rarity, do you think you could talk to Cheerilee and have her round up the fillies and colts and have them wait in the schoolhouse until this is settled? It'd be best if they were all out of harm's way, especially since we don't know what we're dealing with."

"Okay," agreed Rarity as she, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom began making their way through the darkened streets of Ponyville towards the schoolhouse.

"The rest of you should help out with anypony that needs help," instructed Twilight, "Spike and I shouldn't be gone for too long. We'll let you know what's happening the moment we know."

The others nodded their heads as Twilight and Spike began making their way to the train station. As they did, they only prayed that nothing was wrong and that all that was happening was just a big mistake on the Princess's part.


	4. Chapter 3: The New Rulers

Twilight and Spike made their way through the darkened streets of Ponyville, heading towards the train station. As they did, they saw that the streets were filled with ponies, all of which were staring at the skies and talking to themselves about what was going on. It wasn't like Princess Celestia to not raise the sun, so why did she not do so today?

It wasn't long before the two of them were at the train station, ready to head to Canterlot. However, when they got there, they saw that the line for the train was extremely long.

"What's going on here?" asked Spike, pointing a claw at the long line.

Hearing his question, a mint green unicorn mare that was standing in front of them turned to answer his question. "We're all heading to Canterlot to see why Princess Celestia didn't raise the sun this morning."

"All of you?" asked Twilight, her eyes focusing on the really long line in front of them.

"You bet," said the cream-colored mare that stood next to her, "We need to know what's going on."

Focusing back to Spike, Twilight said, "I sure hope there's a seat available for us. I'd hate to wait another whole hour for the next train."

"Me too," said the baby dragon.

Without another word, the two of them waited in the long line to board the train. They saw that the cars on the train were filling up to the brim with ponies, all of them heading to the Capitol City. As they waited, Twilight couldn't help but look at the starry night skies, hoping that nothing bad had happened to the Princesses. However, her attention was interrupted when she heard clamoring coming from behind her. When she turned around, she saw that the line behind them was getting longer and longer. Were all of these ponies heading to Canterlot, too?

After what felt like half an hour, Twilight and Spike finally boarded the train. The two of them made their way to the first empty seat they could find and sat down. When they looked at the door, they saw that only two or three more ponies had boarded when the conductor yelled out to the crowd that there was no more room on the train. A wave of disgruntled moans, groans, and complaints could be heard as he closed the door and began making his way to the front of the train.

"Good thing we got on as soon as we did, huh?" asked Spike, trying his best to cheer the lavender mare up. However, Twilight simply nodded and let out a worried sigh.

Another five or so minutes went by when the train started to move down the tracks, slowly chugging away from the station. When Twilight looked out the window, she could see that many of the ponies waiting there had annoyed looks on their faces. If it wasn't for the fact that there were more important matters at hoof, she would go so far as to say that she felt bad for them.

As the train made its way to Canterlot, Twilight and Spike looked out the window at the night skies. It was like they were expecting the sun to rise over the horizon and engulf the land with its glorious rays. However, as hopeful as they were, the sun didn't even peak over the mountain tops, let alone rise into the skies.

A whispered conversation caught both of their attention. As much as they tried not to, they couldn't help but listen in.

"What do you think is going on?" asked a mare's voice.

"I don't know," said a stallion's voice, "But whatever it is, it can't be a good thing."

"Maybe this is intentional," said another mare's voice, "Maybe the princess is doing all of this on purpose."

"Why would she do such a thing?" the stallion asked.

"Think about it. If she would be so cruel as to send her own sister to the moon for a thousand years, then refusing to raise the sun wouldn't be too far out of left field, now would it?"

"Yeah right," said the other mare with sarcasm in her voice.

"I'm telling you, all of this seems to be on purpose, if you ask me."

Their conversation ended with the first mare scoffing and the stallion face-hoofing himself.

When it did, Spike turned to the lavender unicorn and asked, "Do you think Princess Celestia is doing this on purpose?"

"Of course not," said Twilight.

Silence fell on the two as the train continued its journey to the city. Some time had passed when the train began to slow its momentum, coming into the main entrance of Canterlot. When it did, Twilight looked out the window to see that the streets were already beginning to fill with ponies, all of which appeared to be heading to the castle.

"Looks like all of Equestria came to see what's wrong," said Twilight, "We'd better hurry if we're going to get anywhere near the castle."

Spike nodded as the train came to a full stop in the Canterlot train station. When it did, Spike jumped onto Twilight's back. Then, she used her magic to teleport from the train to the platform outside. Once they were outside, they began making their way to the castle as fast as they could. As many of the ponies in the streets were trotting towards the castle, Twilight galloped as fast as she could, weaving in between ponies that were in her way.

It wasn't long before the two of them had reached the main castle. When they got there, they were surprised to see that the main draw bridge was raised and the gates surrounding it were closed and locked. In all the times Twilight and Spike had resided in Canterlot, they never remembered a time when the castle was closed up so tightly.

The thoughts of the castle being completely locked down were short lived when they saw that several of the royal guards were surrounding the castle, looking like they were keeping everypony that neared it at bay. Among the guards was one in particular that caught Twilight's eye: her brother, Shining Armor.

"Shining Armor!" she shouted. She trotted over to the edge of the moat that surrounded the castle, trying her best to catch the white stallion's attention. However, despite calling his name several times and as loud as she could muster, the stallion didn't acknowledge her; he didn't turn his head or even his eyes. In fact, it looked like he was barely even blinking.

"Why isn't he answering me?" Twilight asked aloud, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Maybe he can't hear you," suggested Spike, shrugging his shoulders and jumping off of her back.

Then, she lowered her head and began to focus her magic, her horn beginning to glow its usual maroon color. She was about to teleport to the castle when she was taken by surprise by a flash of white light that came from beside her. Taken aback from the sudden flash, Twilight stumbled on herself, accidently tripping over the baby dragon.

When the lavender mare came to, she saw that one of the guards, a unicorn with gold armor on, was standing over her, his horn glowing white and his eyebrows furrowed. Twilight was about to say something when she noticed something about the guard, something that stood out among his gold uniform. However, she didn't have time to think about it further, for the guard, using his magic, had summoned a long spear and pointed the end of it at Twilight, who looked at it with wide eyes.

"You are not allowed anywhere near the castle," he said with a firm voice, "Anyone who tried will be severely punished. Am I clear?"

Still shocked at the fact that she was being threatened, Twilight could only nod her head in response. When she did, the guard lowered his spear and teleported away, no doubt back to the castle. After he was gone, Twilight got up and brushed herself off before turning and helping spike to his feet.

"What was that about?" asked Spike, wiping his sides with his claws.

"I..." the unicorn began before looking back at the castle. She looked at Shining Armor, who still stood where he was, not moving an inch. "I don't know, but something is definitely wrong. Did you notice anything different about the guards?"

"Can't say that I did," said Spike, flatly. "I was too busy being crushed to notice."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Well, I did. There was something around the guard's neck, something that's not usually part of their uniforms. It almost looked like a collar of some kind. Also, his eyes seemed a little strange, almost as if they were glowing a different color."

She let a sigh escape her lips. "I can't help but think that something is happening, something really, really bad. It looks like we have no choice but to wait and see what happens."

Without another word, the two of them looked at the castle, giving on an eerie glow with the light of the moon. When they did, they couldn't help but exchange a worried glance at one another, hoping that, at least, the Princess was alright.

* * *

Derpy looked out at the ponies that were beginning to converge around the castle. As she watched, she saw that the numbers were growing larger and larger; all of them appeared to have angered or annoyed faces on. The grey Pegasus began to feel her heart speed up as she watched one of the unicorns try to teleport to the castle, only to be stopped by one of the guards.

Letting out a heavy sigh in a desperate attempt to ease her heart rate, Derpy trotted away from the window and headed towards the main chambers where Trixie was. When she opened the door, she saw that the blue unicorn was sitting in front of a large bird cage, staring at the fiery, winged creature within going frantic inside.

"Milady," she said, offering another polite bow to her, "Ponies have already begun to gather around the castle."

Trixie didn't answer; she continued to stare at the bird, as it flapped its wings and emitted a semi-loud bellow at the blue unicorn that sat before it.

After a few seconds of silence between them, Trixie said, "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Derpy directed her attention to the creature, a slightly confused look on her face.

"They say the phoenix is one of the most rarest creatures in all of Equestria," said Trixie, not looking at her wall-eyed cohort, "It's amazing how a creature is able to burst into flames at the end of its life, only to resurrect itself without so much as a scratch."

Derpy shifted her eyes from the bird to Trixie, the look still plastered on her face.

Trixie let out a content sigh. "It's the perfect metaphor for us, wouldn't you agree? Who would have thought that two ponies that came from nothing could come back and rise to the top?"

"Milady," Derpy said, her voice still a little shaky, "The ponies are here and surrounding the castle."

The blue unicorn stood up straight and let out a small chuckle before turning to the grey Pegasus. "Let's begin, then. Shall we?"

Without any hesitation, Trixie trotted over to the saddlebag that was near the desk in the study. Using her magic, she opened it up and pulled out what looked like a crown and placed it on her own head. It looked like the one that Princess Celestia wore, except it was silver, not gold, and it was smaller to fit on Trixie's head.

Then, she pulled out another one and, still using her magic, placed it on Derpy's head. As the crown was gently placed, Derpy could feel her heart beginning to race as the thoughts of what was about to happen began running through her mind. Like before, a part of her wanted to fly away and escape while she still had the chance. However, she couldn't find it in herself to abandon her friend, not after everything they'd been through.

After adjusting her crown to make it straight, Trixie turned to Derpy and said, "Come along, Derpy. The time has come."

The two of them had left the study and began trotting down the main halls of the castle. After heading down the stairs to the main doors, Trixie nodded to the two guards that stood there. When she did, they opened the doors to allow the two ponies to go through. Once they were outside, they could hear the sounds of all the ponies that surrounded the castle. As the two of them headed to the main draw bridge, Trixie had a stern face on while Derpy was trying her best not to have a panic attack.

"Breath, Derpy," whispered Trixie, "Everything will be alright. Just let me do all the talking, okay?"

"Okay," said the Pegasus, her voice really shaky and barely above a whisper.

Soon, the two of them were standing in front of the raised draw bridge, where four guards were awaiting Trixie's order. After nodding to them, two of the Pegasus guards flew over the walls to the other side, signaling to the other guards that it was time. When they did, the other guards that surrounded the castle flew over the wall to accompany them. Meanwhile, the other two began lowering the draw bridge. As the two of them saw the bridge being lowered, they could hear the sounds of the ponies on the other side silence themselves.

"The moment of truth," said Trixie, as the bridge lowered even more, "Let's make history."

* * *

After several long moments, the draw bridge was finally lowered and all the ponies that stood there backed away. Many of them that were very close, including Twilight and Spike, were ushered back by the guards that flew over the castle walls, all of them with spears in tow.

"It's about time," said Spike, "Now we can finally see...what's..."

The baby dragon trailed off when all of them saw the two ponies that stood there, both of which weren't the Princesses of the sun or moon. When they saw them, all the ponies began exchanging confused murmurs to each other.

_"Who is that?"_

_ "Isn't that the mail-pony that delivers the mail?"_

_ "Who's the other pony?"_

_ "What's going on?"_

Soon, the two ponies trotted onto the lowered bridge, silencing everypony's unheard conversations. When they were on the bridge, the glow of the unicorn's horn could be seen. Then, she cleared her throat and began to speak. When she did, it was pretty obvious that the unicorn was using a voice-amplifier spell to be heard, for any ordinary pony would be able to talk that loud.

"Equestria!" she said, "Hear me!"

Only by those two words was Twilight able to identify the speaker and could only gasp in horror when she did. "T-Trixie?" she said in a soft voice.

"Many of you may be wondering what's going on with the sun," she continued in her booming voice. "You see, doing so was the only way to get all of your attention and bring you to this Capitol City to address you all with a very important announcement."

Stopping to clear her throat, she continued. "My friend and I are now the new rulers of Equestria!"

Trixie watched as everypony began to exchange glances at one another. Some gave confused looks while others began to giggle to themselves. It was pretty clear that they didn't believe her, which was to be expected. Therefore, using her magic, she summoned the rolled up parchment from before, a smile on her face.

"I figured that many of you would not take me seriously," she said as she began unrolling the scroll, "That is why I have this parchment here to prove to you all that what I say is true."

She turned to the grey Pegasus and pointed at the first one she saw, nodding as she did so. Derpy trotted over the guard that was there and began whispering in his ear. She pointed to a pony that was there, a light rose pony with a golden mane, and nodded. Without warning, he pointed his spear at her and demanded that she accompany the two ponies on the bridge. Everypony fell silent as they watched her slowly make her way to the blue unicorn, a mix of fear and sadness written across her face.

"State your name for us, please," said Trixie, focusing her magic on the earth pony that trembled beside her.

With much fear in her voice, she managed to say, "C-Cherry B-B-Berry."

Refocusing her magic onto herself, Trixie said, "Ms. Berry, would you do me the honor of reading this parchment for all of Equestria to hear?"

Hooves trembling, the mare took the parchment and looked at it, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. When Trixie focused her magic on her again, she began to read the parchment to the other ponies.

"'I, P-Princess Celestia and Princess L-Luna, hereby step d-d-down as the rulers of E-Equestria. We give the t-t-two ponies, Trixie Lulamoon and Derpy Hooves, full control o-o-over all the land and all the ponies that inhabit them, and g-g-grant them full responsibility of t-t-the sun and m-m-moon,'" she read, her voice trembling.

"What else is on there?" asked Trixie.

Looking at the very bottom of the parchment, Cherry Berry said, "T-The official s-s-seals from both Princesses."

"And what does that mean?" she asked in a sinister tone.

"I-I-It means..." she said, trying her best not to break down in tears at the sight of the deranged pony that stood before her. Finally, she managed to choke out, "...it's legit."

Trixie smiled at the earth pony before turning to the guard and nodding. When she did, he pointed his spear at her and escorted her back with the others, tears freely streaming down her cheeks.

"You see, my little ponies," said Trixie, amplifying her voice and directing her attention back at the others, "Equestria is ours, legally given to us by the Princesses themselves. We kid you not when we say that we are your new rulers of Equestria. Therefore, you have no choice but to bow before us and accept us as your new Princesses!"

What was once confusion and doubt began to boil into anger as the ponies began to raise their voices at her. Seeing this, Trixie simply scoffed, again expecting this kind of reaction.

"I can see that you are openly refusing to bow down to us," she said, "I can't say that I didn't see this coming. Therefore, I am going to give you one last opportunity to reconsider: bow before us or suffer the consequences."

"We'll never bow before you!" one pony shouted.

"Where's Princess Celestia?" shouted another.

Trixie only stood there as she watched the ponies try and get at her, only to be shoved back by the guards that stood there. Like before, Trixie smiled and scoffed, knowing that it was going to have to come down to this.

"Very well, then," she said, "You have all left me no choice. Don't say that I didn't warn you."

And with that, Trixie and Derpy turned and began making their way back to the castle, the draw bridge closing as they did. The ponies were still shouting and trying to get in, even though the gates were closed and the guards were in their way.

"Trixie," said Twilight, as she stared at the castle in shock and horror, "What have you done?"

"What do you think she's going to do, Twi?" asked Spike, "You don't think she's going to do anything serious, do you?"

"I hope not, Spike" said Twilight, letting out a small sigh. "I hope not."

* * *

"I told you it wouldn't work," said Derpy, her voice in a defeated tone, "I told you they'd never bow to us."

"Silence!" shouted Trixie, causing her to cower down in fear, "We knew this would happen and we prepared for it. It's now time for them to suffer the consequences of their actions!"

"Must we?" she asked, standing up straight again, "Can't we just ask them again? Maybe they'll reconsider if we give them some time to..."

"No," said the blue unicorn, "I gave them their chance and they refused. It's time to teach them what happens when they refuse to bow before the ruler of 'New Equestria'. It's time to begin our operation."

With that, Trixie began heading towards the tallest tower of the castle, Derpy following close behind. Several moments later, the two of them were in the highest tower, overlooking all of Canterlot. They could see that the ponies were still rioting in the streets, still enraged at the two of them. However, they directed their attention at the most important thing in the room, an item that was placed there when they first took over the castle.

In the center of the room was a large piece of the tanzanite. It was hoof-carved into the shape of a large diamond. It was bigger than both Trixie and Derpy and took up most of the space in the room. It sparkled in the room, despite the fact that there was hardly any light in the room.

The two of them stood on one side of the large gem, positioning themselves so that they were opposite of the two windows that were in the room. One window pointed out to the far horizon while the other one pointed to the mountain that was behind the room.

Focusing her magic, Trixie's horn glowed for a split second before vanishing completely. "Okay, I just told the guards that we're about to begin. You remember what to do, right?"

"Of course," said Derpy, "I just wish it didn't have to come to this."

"They've only themselves to blame."

With that, Trixie focused her magic on the giant gemstone, engulfing the whole thing in her magical grip. Straining her magic, Trixie began to lift the gemstone from its perch, causing it to float in the air. As it levitated in the air, the stone began to glow, lighting up the room with its vibrant blue color. Sparks flew out of Trixie's horn as the tanzanite glowed brighter and brighter, almost turning from blue to a blinding white.

Trixie managed to open her eyes to look at the stone, an evil smile coming across her face and a laugh escaping her lips.

"It's time!" she shouted, "Get ready!"

As Derpy backed away she managed to say to Trixie "_Surgere_."

"_Surgere_..." Trixie said in response. She began breathing heavily, the maniacal smile never leaving her face. "...RISE!"

With that, she slammed the crystal down on its perch and watched, as everything the two of them had been so carefully planning for many months, finally came to light.


	5. apologies and updates

Hello, everyone. Goodness, it feels like a long time since I have updated on this site. I apologize to anyone who is reading this for the extremely long wait on chapter updates. Stuff happened and I needed to take a small break from writing. In all honesty, I feel that this site, among the various other sites I upload my writing on, gets the short end of the stick on many regards, primarily because I have no way of communicating with all of you. You see, other sites have journals or blogs that allow me to let my readers know what's happening and why updated are so slow; here, I can't talk to anyone without doing this [and, to be honest, I don't like doing this, but I need to let you all know how sorry I am for the long wait and when to expect more updates].

I went on hiatus for a while, but have recently decided to come back and try to write these stories that you are [hopefully] enjoying so much. However, I feel that letting you know this isn't enough to express how sorry I truly am. Therefore, I have come up with a way to make it all up to you all.

Unfortunately, I am not going to be updating any of the stories that are in progress [this story and others] because I am trying my best to make them as perfect as possible. However, I am working on several new stories that I think you will all enjoy, from one-shots to mini stories. To sweeten the deal for all of you, and to show you how much I am sorry for keeping you all in the dark for so long, I have decided that this site will be the first to get these new stories before any other site does. Furthermore, when the main stories are ready to be updated, you will get the chapters before the other sites as well. Just don't tell anyone on the other sites because they might get jealous and try to hunt me down like a dog.

Anywho, thank you all for your continued support and for sticking around for as long as you have. I hope to get these new stories uploaded before too long and I hope to update the main stories before too long. I greatly appreciate it and I hope to update very soon.

Thank you all,  
~(dark)shadow051, the one and only


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My Little Pony, Adventure, Crime