Twilight was pacing back and forth as her mind went over the letter the princess sent earlier. Princess Celestia wanted to meet up with her and her friends after the Gala. That was okay she wanted to talk too her mentor to but it was just a few things that had sent her on this spiral of worry.

“You don’t get it Spike, the Princess sent me a letter asking for me to bring back the books I borrowed from the royal archive! What if she doesn’t think I’m ready for them yet!” Twilight yelled at her purple familiar who was watching her dig a hole into the floor with her pacing back and forth.

“I doubt she would have given them to you if she didn’t think you were ready.” Came the dragons reply as Twilight slowed for a second taking some of his logic to heart.

“Your right I told her about the necromancer we encountered in the forest so she knows why I wanted to learn about them.” It had come as a shock to them, and not Bishop Smith, when they learned that what they fought in the forest was not a True necromancer but a human who had taken the memories and name of the true Queen Chrysalis. Turns out that most of the practitioners were dark skinned long eared creatures known as elves. No one knows where they came from just that they appeared one day and started raising the dead and feeding off the warmth of mortals. Nobody knew for sure what they fed on just that the few bodies they found were cold to the touch and showed no emotions before dying. They had never been captured alive and any corpses they tried to study were quickly consumed by dark green fire magic destroying them completely.

When they had asked Granny Smith about them, she described how the battlefields were not covered in corpses but instead dust. The books Celestia had given her where backed full of information about everything they had ever known or learned about their dark race. She could go over from humanities first interaction with them to the war fifty years ago. Or how their artifacts could still bring, and did bring, the dead back to life. They even supposedly pulled corpses from other worlds to use! She had learned so much… Twilight’s eyes shot open as she can to a gut-wrenching conclusion that sent shivers down her spine.

“What if does think I’m ready and wants to test me on what I learned so far?” She was almost hyperventilating at this point. “Spike we need to grab all the books Celestia gave us now! I need to go over them again I need to be ready for any question she might ask. Wait what if she asks me about their artifacts and tomb locations? I need all books even related to the elves!” Twilight’s horn glowed along with her staff as books started being pulled off the shelves and hover around the room. “Oh, I knew I should have read Crypt Keeps book more thoroughly.”

“Now wha’ in tarnation is goin’ on here?” A drawl pulled her from her thoughts before a new one drew her in like a carrot to a bunny.

“Applejack perfect timing.” The paladin took a small step back at seeing her friends disheveled main and pinprick eyes focus on her with laser like intensity. “I need any and all scripts your family has on necromancers. Preferably all of them!” Twilight walked toward her friend before tossing her hands on her armored shoulders.

“Now what is this about?” She wasn’t about to stop her book friend but something seemed off.

“I. Cannot. Fail. This Test!” Twilight almost yelled at Applejack trying to shake her heavily armored friend. She didn’t succeed. “If I fail Princess Celestia might think I’m not taking my studies seriously and bring me back to Canterlot and if she did that then how could I study the magic of friendship with you girls because I wouldn’t….” Before Twilight could continue, she felt her mouth blocked by the element of Honesty.

“I came to get you so we could start getting ready for the Gala. But it seems we need to deal with this first so why don’t you inform me about what's goin on as we walk.” The apple placed a firm hand on the Arcane Mages shoulder and started guiding here out of the tree library.

The Mage offered some resistance even as her horn still glowed and books trailed behind them. “Well you see I got a letter from Princess Celestia today who said she wanted to see all of us after the Gala. She said she would have rooms prepared for us because we had to spend the night.” Twilight started trying to pull one of the books toward her.

“That's mighty kind of her. But I don’ see how that got your branches all twisted.” AJ dogged out of the way of one of Twi’s books that almost hit her in the back of the head.

“She asked me to bring back some of the books that I had borrowed from the royal archives. You know the book about Necromancers.” Having finally got her hands on a book she was quick to crack it open and flip through it. Not hearing her honest friend talk Twilight decided to inform her about why that was an issue. “The Princess has never asked me to return a book! Not that it was ever an issue seeing how I always return them.” Twilight was ashamed to admit that she did have a late return mark on her library card. It was back when she was six years old and caught the flu so she was stuck in bed and her family were busy and couldn’t drop it off. That and the book was so good she just had to read through it three or four times.

“Maybe the Princess needs to check on something in them books.” Rarity’s boutique was growing closer. “Beside you said that she wanted to see all us to. So, I doubt it’s for some silly test.”

“What test.” An invasion of pink popped up in front of them. “Is this about my dream last night where I was taking a test on the difference between types of parties. I mean it was a super easy test I mean who couldn’t tell the difference between welcome home parties and return parties. But then I realized that part of the test was in a different language so I had to get my- “

“Pinkie!” Applejack spited at the trickster.

“Yes AJ?” The megawatt smile she gave would have blinded most. The only response she got was the paladin indicating to their bookworm friend who was trying her best to escape her and Spike’s grip. “Oh.” Her hair seemed to lose some of its volume at seeing Twilights state.

“It must be a test! Pinkie’s Pinkie sense must of given her a clairvoyant dream!” Twilight reasoned as more books were brought closer. “I have to study!” She pleaded to her friends. Spike, who was using his mouth to hold onto her coat and claws to stay rooted into the ground, decide to use a dirty trick Night Light would occasionally use.

“Come on Twilight, you can study in while getting ready for the Gala. After all you wouldn’t want to arrive looking like a mess. Would you?” Spike felt a little dirty having to use this method but seeing his oldest friend slow down as his words started to reach her calmed him a bit.

Twilight tossed the thought around in her head as she laid limp in Applejack’s arms. It was true she had to look her best for the Gala. “For pete sake Twi if it’s really bothering you, I’ll quiz you.”

“Oh, can I join in to I love playing quiz games. I don’t mean to brag but you’re looking at the trivia night queen four years in the running.” Pinkies hair had regained its lost luster and now was back to its full glory.

“Yeah that would be helpful. Plus, we can inform the others while we’re doing it!” Twilight was really liking this more and more. “To the boutique!” She shouted like a captain ordering their army forward. Spike let out a sigh and jumped up to his favorite spot.

“See, even when things start looking bad, we can help you relax.” The calming voice of her friend stopped her from her march to think.

“Yeah I can’t tell you how many times AJ and Rare helped me with my parties when I was starting to get in over my head and looking worse than you.” Pinkie meandered past her.

“Your right.” Twilight let out a small chuckle as a few books feel into her hands as the others disappeared back to the library.

“Should I send a letter to the Princess about this lesson?” Spike asked holding a piece of paper and a quill.

“No need Spike I think I’ll deliver this one to her in person for now we need to get ready.” She lazily grabbed a book out of the air and passed it to AJ. “Thanks for helping me.” She said with a warm smile.

“No problem sugar cube. Now let’s get goin’ I don’t want to any thin’ but my best for our…” at this Pinkie jumped between them making herself seem as big as possible. “BEST NIGHT EVER!” They all said together before once again walking toward their fashionable friend’s business slash house. As she was around her friends, she felt some of her troubles leave, as long as she was with her them what could go wrong. After all they took down Nightmare Moon together what could possibly happen.

Author's Notes:

So I’ll be honest it’s taking a while for me to do the Gala so to somewhat keep to the schedule, that I still don’t have, take this interlude where Twilight double pings Milo Murphy. So it might take me a while longer and I was wondering what other interlude would you guys like: Celestia, Luna, or a very dramatic retelling of the poker game? I’m open to suggestions