To be granted such a gift, only to squander it by fumbling in the darkness known as ignorance. Though the world had changed for the better, the worst can often shine brighter through the cracks of greatness. As the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle had thought it best to keep Ponyville safe and secure—yet the change had gone beyond the little town. It had spread throughout all of Equestria, beyond its borders, like the unease spreading throughout her friends.

A letter, not a reply from Princess Celestia, but the Crystal Empire. A plea for help in this time of ignorance. "The Crystal Empire humbly requests the presence of the Princess of Friendship and the Hero of the Crystal Empire. Fear has run through the minds of the crystal ponies. Please assist in this trying time," Twilight had read to the group when the letter first arrived. But now she could see that it did not include her friends—and they did not want to be included. They didn't say it outright, not yet, but their faces told of inner turmoil.

“Does it say anything else about what happened?” Moondancer asked. It had detailed a bit of anarchy, right before Cadance's signature, but no reason given for the cause.

Of course, the what happened referenced the fact that everypony in Equestria now had their own set of wings and horn. Twilight had no doubts that the Crystal Empire dealt with an uproar caused by the event. She knew other cities would soon become similar. She knew it would've happened to Ponyville had she not addressed the town soon after their arrival from the Everfree Forest. Yet the Crystal Empire had dealt with so much adversity, now should be no different. For Ponyville, though, it helped to have Starlight Glimmer out in the town dealing with any panicking ponies. Which is why Twilight knew what she had to do.

"The letter asks for me and Spike, but we're all needed. I can't deal with two problems in two places at once—and I think there might be more than just two with all that's happened," Twilight stated to the group. The other bearers did pay attention, though some were more enthused by their new horn or wings. It felt odd to call them the bearers now—the Elements of Harmony were gone. "And your families might need you too, so you should go to them," she said, mostly for Applejack's benefit. The orange mare breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go with you, Twi. It’s just—Big Mac’s run off, and Sugar Belle showed up teary-eyed, and Apple Bloom is going crazy.” Applejack looked exhausted, they all did. “I've got a big family and I should check in on them, maybe they can help get other towns under control.”

“My family must be going nuts! Maud’ll be bouncing off the walls!” Pinkie exclaimed. When she spoke, her wings expanded to full breadth, to which she noticed and gave an embarrassed smile.

“I'll check in with the Wonderbolts, they can help secure Cloudsdale if ponies start going nuts. Though I suppose I should see how my parents are doing too,” Rainbow Dash said, groaning over the last sentence.

“I am not unreasonable here, I get it!" Twilight said over the group, throwing her hooves up to stop the next pony. "I get that you all must focus on your homes. But I still need someone to deal with those three.” To emphasis the who, she pointed at the trio of culprits whose wings were tied down, each slumped in their seats at the round table.

The trio were the cause of so much destruction over the past weeks—along with a forth, now gone—and needed to be punished. Lightning Dust, Svengallop, and Suri Polomare. Each had wings and horns, their wish granted at the cost of so much. “If I’m going to the Crystal Empire,” Twilight said, “I need someone to take them to Tartarus once Spike returns with—”

As if on time, the little dragon came bursting through the doorway into the meeting room, Zecora hot on his tracks. “Tada! One set of potions and the zebra who brews them!” Spike greeted in exaggerated movements. He held up the six packed bottles, a glowing blue liquid contained in the glass.

“You are in luck that I have what you need, and that I could make them with such great speed,” Zecora added, her face filled with worry.

Twilight rushed to hug Zecora. “Thank goodness. I was so worried you might be off trying out your new wings or horn! You’re a life safer Zecora—” When Twilight broke the embrace, she stopped and stared. “You’re not—you don’t have—”

“Ponies fly and test their magic, but for me it is nothing tragic. Our shape and size is similar to be sure, but our species are as different as skin and fur,” Zecora replied, and Twilight thought her smile looked disheartened.

“Just different enough, I guess,” Twilight said with an understanding nod. “I find it odd. I hadn’t considered such a thing, and that I didn’t, it’s now got me wondering.” She then glanced around the room, scanning over the trio of culprits, the bearers, and the two friends who had helped them deal with the Society of Secret Sorcery. Sunset Shimmer had infiltrated the society at its core, though she had later described it to be a trap. It had been hard for Sunset to admit it, especially at the amusement of Moondancer, a turncoat of the society.

Twilight had already sent home all the members of the society—the organization that had ‘practiced’ their magical feats under the authority of the Grandmaster. Twilight saw no need to keep them as they had been fooled into believing what they were doing was right. Punishing those who fell for the beguiles of the righteous mighty would be against everything Twilight believed in. But the three Masters, Suri, Svengallop, and Lightning Dust, needed to be dealt with.

Twilight kept her eyes on Moondancer and Sunset Shimmer. “Alright. I’ve decided then. Moondancer and Sunset, I ask that you go with Zecora to study her and discover the differences between ponies and zebras.” She then stopped and turned to Zecora. “So long as you are alright with that, Zecora,” she added quickly, giving an embarrassed smile, but Zecora gave an approving nod nonetheless. “But I still need one of you five to take these three to Tartarus. With Zecora’s potions, you’ll have no trouble from them." Twilight turned her attention back to the bearers.

“Twilight.” It was Sunset Shimmer who interjected. “As much as I’d love to hang out with Moondancer.” Her words dripped with sarcasm, and Moondancer rolled her eyes. “I’ve got to get back home. I told the gang I’d only be gone for a week or two. I know dropping in to help and then leaving others with the mess is more your thing,” she said, and a slight grin cupped her cheeks. "But I really can't stay."

“Oh—I thought you’d be interested in trying out your wings.”

Sunset shrugged, and her wings flapped. “I was interested, a long time ago. But it’s kind of pointless when I go back to walking on two legs.” She then rose and walked to the door. “I’ll see myself out now, if you don’t mind. It’s been fun! Don’t hesitate to call if you need my help.” As she started closing the door, she added, “And if you find Faith, let me know. I owe her something.”

Faith, the unicorn who had been known as the Grandmaster, was the mastermind behind the creation of a seventh Element of Harmony. Though now only it remained. Those six were gone now, and so was Sunset. Twilight wanted to spend more time with all her friends now that the mystery of the society had ended, but it was a whole new world for some ponies. And more problems with it.

“Alright. Moondancer, if you would still be willing to help, I’d like you to go with Zecora,” Twilight said.

“Don’t worry, Twilight. Unlike some ponies, I’m more than willing to help!” Moondancer replied, which garnered glares from the bearers. When she noticed, she stammered to make an addendum to her statement. “I-I mean, more than those who just straight up leave—not those who are worried about—I’ll just, I’ll shut up now.”

Cutting into the silence brought on by Moondancer, Rarity stepped forward. “I am quite certain AJ, Pinkie, Dash, and Fluttershy all would like to return home and guarantee their families aren’t partaking in something similar to what’s going on in the Crystal Empire. Which means I will volunteer to take the three to Tartarus.” She gave a nod and a smile to the four. “My parents probably couldn’t care one way or the other if they’re alicorns. They’re more laid back than Sweetie Belle or I, and Sweetie is taking this—well, Sweetie is Sweetie. Nothing I can do about her."

Each of the other bearers thanked Rarity, sometimes rougher than she appeared to like. And each one left right after, their own problems to face, their own disasters to subvert. Twilight didn't envy them—all she had to do was disrupt the anarchy of an entire city.

“Oh, thank you Rarity, this is a huge burden off my hooves,” Twilight replied, embracing Rarity in a hug.

“Darling, it's what I do. Plus, I’ve given the girls at my stores days off to examine their newfound powers, and so my shops are closed. Though it might sound smug to say, I'm not in fear of any competition either. Other designers might be used to horns or wings, but I've been friends with a real princess for a while now. They'll be stumped trying to match something that fits both.” With a shrug, Rarity trotted across the room to Spike, levitating the potion package from his claws. She tousled his scales, and then her eyes fell on the set of six glass vials. “Six?” Rarity asked, both Twilight and Zecora.

Twilight answered for Zecora, however, knowing what the extra three were for. “Remedies once you get to Tartarus. We wouldn’t want them to be stuck down there while also under the effects.” Zecora nodded and then gestured for Rarity as to which was which. The labeling marked them as before and after.

“Excuse me,” one of the culprits called. Suri Polomare, specifically. “Princess Twilight—I do understand that we must be punished, but Tartarus? How long will we be down there? Perhaps house arrest or—”

“You three maliciously constructed plans to defile Equestria’s cities and plotted to get revenge on me and my friends,” Twilight interrupted, with a sternness in her voice. This had been coming. “Tartarus is a blessing for you three, and you should hope that you stay there long enough for me to feel guilty over keeping you there. Should I not, you three will be dealt a severe punishment for your transgressions. Since your Grandmaster is not here to shoulder a majority of the blame, you three will take her place. Instead of wallowing on your imprisonment in Tartarus, maybe you should come up with a good enough plea for mercy when I and the other princesses come for you.”

Suri Polomare slumped back further against her seat, taking on the appearance of a puddle of fur. Neither of the other culprits wanted any part of the conversation. As lustful for revenge as they were, they had not been unicorns prior to the great change. Their horns were practically useless without the knowledge to cast anything. At best, they may hurt themselves more than help. Tartarus suited them till she could figure out what to do.

“Now.” Twilight turned back to the four who remained. “Spike, come close. I wish you good luck Moondancer, Zecora. Rarity, if anything goes wrong, don't hesitate to find me in the Crystal Empire. I'd like to think these three are bigger problems that whatever is going on there." Rarity approved of the statement, and the three waved their goodbyes to Twilight and Spike.

In an instant, she put herself square in the middle of the Crystal Castle. Or she thought she had—yet the sun beat down on her, and rows of homes ran the stretch in both directions. "Twilight? You mean to put us here?" Spike asked. She had not, and so she tried again, but only got a few blocks closer.

That's when she saw the reason she could not teleport directly to the castle. A magical pink bubble surrounded it; protected it from the ponies outside. "Now I get why the letter was a bit more formal," Twilight said. "That's a lot of ponies."

Spike nodded. “Well, they weren’t kidding when they said they needed help. Doesn’t even look they could go for groceries." He then flexed his arms and gave a big grin. "Nothing a little visit from Spike the Brave and Glorious can't fix, though."

After he hopped onto her back, Twilight took off, galloping head first to the crowd. “Maybe everyone's gone crazy as a side effect to becoming alicorns? I mean, I didn't, but Celestia made me one. There might be a difference,” she thought aloud, more to herself than Spike.

But he answered with his own thought. “Celestia was there when you became one, but half these ponies must’ve been asleep. I’d wager they’re all thinking this is just a dream. I know I've done some crazy things in my dreams.”

Twilight did her best to acknowledge that idea, though as they came closer to the crowd, she found it harder to do. The crystal statue of Spike sat not too far off, vandalized with a fence post for a horn and cardboard wings. It remained in one piece thankfully—she did not believe Spike could take seeing it broken. Chants and singing bellowed around the ponies outside the shield. Twilight found it difficult to make out as there were so many different words stringing through the crowd.

"Fear not! ‘Tis I, Spike, your dragon hero!" Spike yelled at the crowd, standing proud on Twilight’s back. But nopony responded, not even a head turn.

"Spike, maybe we should try to get inside before garnering their attention—" Twilight had started to say, but one of the ponies did happen to look back.

A pink mare with grey hair, her wings and horn were still an unusual sight for Twilight. "There’s one!" the mare yelled at them.

Slowly, the crowd turned, growing at an alarming rate the more ponies who took note. All at once the dam broke, an onslaught of hollers and angry cries. This time, Twilight could make out some of the words. Things like: "You’re not better than us!" and "Down with the oligarchy!" and also "If you think I’ll still pay taxes!” There were also several ponies claiming to be princesses of various things—even the stallions were calling themselves princesses.

With no hesitation, Twilight took to the sky, trying her best to keep Spike on her back. “It doesn’t look like they’re going to have much interest in you, Spike!” But before he could try to call out and settle them, they were already up following Twilight. Now that all of Equestria could fly, it should have been no surprise, yet most of these ponies took better to it than she had her first week. Round and round she went, eventually running into the backs of some of the ponies she chased.

Then a voice called out through the angry mob, amplified by magic. "Down here, Twilight!" Cutting into a dash, Twilight led the chase up, around, and then returned to where she'd been called. The shield surrounding the castle gave a small opening just for her and Spike, to which she took without delay. It closed behind her—the new alicorns on the outside trying to beat their way in. Twilight landed with a sigh of relief, and Spike jumped from her back. He took a look at the chaos generating around the bubble, but Twilight pulled him away from it. "I'm so glad you came," Princess Cadance said in a rush. She hugged tight around Twilight's neck before parting and hugging Spike too. "I know my letter sounded desperate but I think you've got an idea of what's going on. Unfortunately, you don't know the half of it."

"What's there to get?" Spike asked, sounding annoyed. "Ponies upgraded to alicorns now thinking they're royalty when they only got it by mistake. Talk about letting it go to your horn."

Princess Cadance shook her head, and Twilight got a good look at the pink alicorn. She didn't have a haggard appearance, though her eyes were considerably dull from a lack of sleep. It almost mimicked the tiredness she had after giving birth to Flurry Heart. "It's not just us they're upset with," Cadance argued, and motioned to the steps into the castle. She continued as they trotted up the flights of stairs. "If you'll notice, most—if not all—of the crystal ponies are out there at our shielding. This isn't by mistake, Shining Armor drew them here. When we learned what had happened to you from Celestia, a war had already begun. They were fighting each other—not us. They didn't even seem to care about me being an original princess."

"Fighting each other? What sense does that make?" Twilight asked.

"Stallions, mares, fillies, and colts all hold something special to them. And it's not rare for that special thing to be shared," Cadance described. "When everyone began assuming they were a princess, they also chose what they were a princess of—which led to someponies being the same over one thing. That's when the fighting began, and Shining Armor and I had to stop them from destroying each other. It was better for them to focus on us, but I knew we couldn't end their unreasonable attacks." She threw a look over her shoulder, staring at Spike. "I hoped just seeing you, Spike, would stop their assault. But now it looks like it's back to the drawing board."

"We'll figure something out," he replied, a gentle claw resting on her side.

"Spike's right. All we have to do is put our heads together with a full proof approach. They have to remember Flurry Heart was born an alicorn. Nopony began losing their mind when that happened,” Twilight recounted. “Except Shining Armor.”

Cadance laughed at that just as they came to the closed doors of the castle throne. “Actually, Twilight, when he found wings on his back, he was more crazed than any of those ponies out there. You would've been crying your eyes out laughing at him. Flurry and I enjoyed the show—well, up until, you know.”

That's when it hit Twilight. It was easy to understand that everyone in Equestria was now an alicorn. That didn’t mean seeing Shining Armor with wings wasn't shocking. It must’ve been the same shock he had back when she became an alicorn. Yet there was a difference between her achievement and his accident—he loved it.

Upon entering the throne room, Twilight saw how thrilled her brother was. He flew lightly, chasing after his daughter, bounding with fits of giggles. Twilight would've thought he'd been flying his whole life had he not stumbled on his landing in front of her. "Twilight!" he bellowed, enveloping her in a hug of both forelegs and wings. It practically crushed her spine. "It's so wonderful to see you!" Flurry Heart fell into the hug too, gurgling a laugh before Cadance took her. "Though I kind of hoped this would've been under more cheery circumstances. Not to say this isn't a wonderful gift—regardless of where it came from."

She found it odd to hear what had happened be called a gift, yet to the normal pony it must be just that. It wasn't a gift to Twilight—she earned it. She didn't expect it, she hadn't even known it was on the table, but she had earned it. Others hadn't, they received it by mistake, but she would not take it away. That thought crossed her mind and she threw it out immediately. The world would be this way, regardless of her feelings. But the cost—the loss of the Elements of Harmony—had been too great of a trade. Especially now, with outright turmoil. She wanted to curse the Grandmaster, but that was impossible. Gone with the Elements.

"I know you're happy, Shining, but don't you think it's time we focus on the city? Ponies might start reigniting their passion against each other if we don't," Twilight commented, and then noted something off. The entire trek through the castle had been barren. Only here in the throne room had the addition been noticeable. "Where are your guards?" she asked, motioning to the three soldiers in crystal armor. The first three she'd seen since arriving.

Shining Armor shared a look with Cadance before the two answered. "Down with the rest of the city," Cadance said, pausing for a sigh.

"Everyone thinks they've become royalty, and that it breaks ties and oaths," Shining Armor added, with a twinge of distress in his voice. "Whether it does or doesn't, these three are loyal to us. They know what we've done for the Crystal Empire. I'm sure there are those down there that still remember the reason we're even ruling the city—not that they'd say they couldn't do better."

Twilight bit her lip looking at the three guards, then down at Spike. She remembered the reason. King Sombra—the stallion who made the empire vanish for a thousand years with a terrible power. Twilight had failed in defeating him, yet helped in his ultimate defeat at the claws and hooves of Spike and Cadance. The memory of that day sparked a sudden idea. "A reason to remember," she murmured, garnering a look from the others. "I may just have an idea on how to teach the crystal ponies a lesson they won't ever forget."

Next Chapter: Problem 2: Applejack's Affection Agony Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 38 Minutes