Valkyrie

Twilight Sparkle lay there, staring up at the ceiling above her. The bed was softer and more comfortable than anything she had ever slept on. Her personal quarters were far bigger than she was used to, and yet none of that mattered at the moment. All that mattered were her slow breaths and her own thoughts. In just a few short hours, she will have been Princess Luna’s personal student for a full day. The full implications daunted her as much as they thrilled her. Nopony else in years has ever been in the position she found herself in. She had asked, curious as to why she was different from the other apprentices Luna had. Luna had told her, quite simply, that Twilight was in an entirely different league just because of her drive for knowledge and her own formidable power. Most apprentices, like Rarity, were content with choosing one branch of magic and studying every bit of magic that branch held. Twilight had become different just because she wanted to know more.

It was almost too much to take in. This time yesterday, she had been a young unicorn, an orphan, who had no idea exactly what was going to happen with her future. In hindsight, narrowing it down to finding a Master or a Mate was a bit foolish of her. Foolish or not, however, Twilight knew that if she had decided to do anything but become an apprentice, the Nobles of Canterlot would not have rested until they had added her to one of their own families. Twilight had spent enough time in Canterlot to know that was just how the nobles worked. They only looked out for themselves, first and foremost, and nothing else mattered. With the near decimation of the Twinkle House, there was now only one, maybe two Houses still completely dedicated solely to the Crown. The rest of them were utterly worthless for anything.

The thought of House Twinkle’s plight brought a slight frown to Twilight’s lips as she thought. Now that she was out of the shadow of other greedy nobles, perhaps she could begin to rebuild House Twinkle? She wouldn’t have to marry if she did not want to; it would be easy enough to find deserving ponies and turn them into lesser nobles. Twilight even doubted that Princess Luna would have a problem with this idea. Other nobles would be incensed; bringing in outside blood to dilute the pure blood of nobility was an unthinkable crime. But Twilight had never really cared for their self-imposed ideals. It was a pony’s actions and contributions to society that made a pony worthy of being a noble, not the blood that ran through their veins. Or, maybe she could go one better: She could see what would be needed to turn House Twinkle into a clan.

A clan was a massive group of several nobles united under a single banner, or even the same set of ideals. The last clan recorded in the Equestrian Annals was way back in ancient times, when Princess Platinum led the unicorn faction with an iron fist. The only problem was, the Twinkle House didn’t have much in the way to offer other nobles as an incentive to form a clan. Twilight was not about to offer herself or her brother. Maybe she could ask Princess Luna for aid. She was sure her new mentor could come up with something; Twilight very much doubted Luna would want to lose the most loyal Equestrian House to the Crown. Resolving to broach the subject sometime later, Twilight Sparkle finally rolled out of her too soft bed and onto her hooves. Judging by the lightening of the sky outside her windows, she had perhaps an hour and a half before Princess Luna would raise the sun completely.

Twilight then began a routine she has partaken in for as long as she remembered. Every year, the day after her birthday, Twilight and Shining Armor would meet in Twilight’s favorite garden, and then proceed to the site of their parent’s grave. Twilight knew that the graves were empty; the bodies of her mother and father had never been recovered from their last Equestrian Intelligence field mission. But this fact never deterred the Sparkle siblings. The memory and spirit of their parents were enough. Truth be told, it was all they had, aside from each other. This ritual was what helped both of the young ponies cope with the fact that their parents were long since gone. Unlike Shining Armor, Twilight’s recollection of both Twilight Vevlet and Nightlight were vague at best. She had been barely more than a year and a half old at their passing, and the most she could recall were their voices. She couldn’t explain why, but she knew their voices as well as she knew her own.

Shining had it a bit more roughly than his baby sister. He had been four when the unexpected news was brought to them. Undoubtedly he could remember every detail of that fateful day, although he never talked about it. Twilight wasn’t even sure he could talk about it. He never once recounted that day to his sister, as if he wanted to spare her those terrifying memories. Twilight really couldn’t fault his logic, either: he was doing his best to protect his little Twilight. And that was extended to ensuring a particular memory was left unspoken of. Twilight sighed to herself softly before gently easing out of her quarters, gently treading past Rarity’s door.

Like usual, she found Shining Armor already waiting for her at the entrance to the gardens. Also like usual, he was in full guard uniform.

“Twiley!” Shining Armor exclaimed upon sighting the young unicorn. He pulled her into a firm hug. “It’s so good to see you again, little sis. I’d heard about your Career Day, but the Commander refused to let me take leave.”

“Shiny!” Twilight nuzzled her brother affectionately, as soon as she had a moment to speak. “It’s good to see you too, big brother.”

Shining laughed and roughed his sibling’s mane. “Come on, then. Let’s go visit mom and dad. We can catch up later.”

Twilight led the way from the gardens to the palace cemetery, picking a few flowers on her way. It was a short walk, and Twilight enjoyed the peaceful silence with her brother. Shining was one of the only ponies she ever felt at ease with. She didn’t have to worry about unwanted advances, or anything. It was just her and Shining, like it always has been. She really wouldn’t have it any other way, either. He brother knew her, the real her, the unicorn who preferred books over real friends (the other Orphans didn’t really count). She could even feel the extra spring in her step, one that Shining noticed and chuckled over. Twilight kept up her carefree manner until, threading their way through many tombstones, the two siblings stood before the two graves that meant more to them than anything at that moment.

As always, Shining went first. He knelt down upon his forehooves and gently brushed away a stray vine from the first tombstone. It read:

Nightlight Sparkle

Husband and father, may he never be forgotten

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

“Well, pops,” Shining began. “I’ve done it. I’m Captain of the Canterlot Guard. I’m even poised to become the next Commander, as soon as Shattered Wing retires. Against the odds, I’ve done it. I hope that wherever you are now, you can look down on me and be proud to call me your son.”

Twilight knelt at the face of the tombstone next to her father’s, arranging her flowers as she did so. This one read:

Twilight Velvet

Wife and mother, may she never be forgotten.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

“Guess what mother? I’m the personal protégée to Princess Luna now. Can you believe it? She saw my eagerness to learn, not just a single branch of magic, but all magic. She promised to start teaching me, and guiding me. I think I’ve done you proud, mother. I’m living a dream I never thought would come true.”

Silence then reigned over the cemetery. Twilight and Shining sat there next to each other, sharing warmth. Neither spoke a word, but they didn’t need to. Both knew that they had more than lived up to the expectations of their parents. The last of the Twinkle line they may be, but that did not mean they were unworthy to carry on their House name. If anything, they were more determined than ever to become exceptional ponies in their respective fields. It wasn’t just about their parent’s memory. It was about showing the rest of Equestria that they were worthy of being a part of the Twinkle heritage. The first step was to prove they had what it takes. Then, as the sun began to peek over the horizon, Shining finally spoke.

“Are you angry with me, Twiley?” Shining’s voice was soft, laced with hidden grief.

Twilight turned to her brother in surprise. “Angry? Why would I be angry at you, big brother? You’re the only family I have.”

“That’s why you should hate me, Twilight. I abandoned you, left to fend for yourself while I followed my dream of becoming a Canterlot Guard.”

Twilight nearly groaned aloud. Her brother was still beating this around the bush? “I’m not mad at you, Shining, nor do I hate you. I know you wanted to follow your dream, and that’s okay. I wouldn’t have wanted you to do otherwise.”

“But—”

“No buts, big brother. Okay? What’s it going to take for you to understand you’re being silly? I didn’t mind being accepted as an Orphan. You were still there for me through the thick and the thin. You were still my rock, my pillar of support when I needed it. Hay, I was the one who told you to follow your dream. So why do you still beat yourself up over this?”

“I just… feel like a horrible brother. I should have found a job with easily accessible pay. I should have bought us a house to live in. I shouldn’t have let me sister live on her own.”

Twilight sighed. “Shining, you’re being retarded. Forgive me my language, but you are. There was no reason for you to give up your dreams to ‘take care’ of a sister who’s perfectly capable of living on her own. Or have you forgotten the fact that my foster families learned the hard way not to mess with me? And besides, you’re still missing one detail: Seeing as you are off in the Guard, I’m next in line to inherit the Twinkle assets. And I just turned of age yesterday.”

Shining Armor stared at his sister for a full thirty seconds before a grin stretched across his muzzle. “I had forgotten the inheritance.”

“Precisely,” Twilight answered a trifle smugly. “Now, not only am I still receiving a stipend from the Crown (which has probably doubled now that I am Princess Luna’s personal student), I’m inheriting everything our parents left us. And in case you have forgotten this too, our parents left a lot—As soon as I talk to Princess Luna and get it cleared with the realtors and lawyers, I’m probably going to be the second richest pony in Equestria, after Princess Luna. And if I honestly wanted to, I could start living in the Twinkle mansion. Now, will you please stop beating yourself up over this nonsense?”

Shining grinned ruefully. “Okay, okay, you win!”

Twilight laughed at that, then began to lead the way out of the cemetery. “Come on, big brother!  We’ve got our own duties to return to!"

* * *

Rainbow Dash shrugged off her bulging saddlebags and sprawled across her cloud bed, whimpering with relief. Every muscle in her body felt like it was on fire; she had no idea that she could feel this sore, this exhausted. She was already starting to wonder if she’d even make it through her four years of the Wonderbolt Academy. She had been a cadet for barely a day and she was already feeling like she had been a cadet for a year. When Rainbow had applied for the Wonderbolts, Rainbow had an interesting notion of sleek pegasi screaming through the sky, while lesser ponies stared on with awed admiration. To her, the Wonderbolts had been the epitome of adventure and carefree flying, and Wonderbolt Cadets were pegasi to be envied.

It seemed that reality had a harsh wake up call. So far, Wonderbolt Cadets were pegasi who rose before the light of dawn and spent the hour before breakfast partaking in a rigorous course of physical training: galloping, using their wings to lift weights, and balancing upon their hind hooves and walking that way. Already tired from all of this, they had a chance to take a minute, then return to their dormitories, shower with cold water, and then make sure their dormitories were completely spotless. If there was so much as a misplaced speck of dust upon the floor, Soarin’, Wonderbolt second-in-command, would dump the contents of their kits onto the floor, upend their beds, and force them to do it all over again—during the time they should be having breakfast.

Breakfast, naturally, was nothing special—completely basic and barely filling. But Rainbow Dash was used too little breakfast during her personal training days, and so never complained even if she missed breakfast. The other new cadets weren’t so lucky, and if they missed breakfast, it as a long hard morning until lunch at mid afternoon. And even lunch was only about half an hour long. After breakfast there came three hours of classes for military history, tactical advantages, and so on; these classes were certainly not Rainbow’s strong suit. She hated anything to do with sitting still for an extended period of time or reading. But she soldiered through them, knowing that she would never become a Wonderbolt if she didn’t learn all of this important stuff.

Then after these classes, the cadets were required to run an obstacle course before they were allowed to head to lunch. The course was littered with rogue thunderclouds, shifting winds, and freezing patches of water. It also had to be completed in three minutes, and if somepony failed to complete it within that time, they were sent back to the start to try again—often resulting in lost time for lunch. While Rainbow as familiar with sometimes skipping breakfast, or having a sparse one, going without lunch was torture for the mare; as a result, she quickly learned to not make mistakes during the obstacle course.

Then after lunch came even more classes that bored the chromatic pegasus to tears, then a series of areal challenges designed to put your wings to the test—and even though Rainbow knew she exceeded well here, the challenges were still grueling and always varying. After those exercises, the cadets would form ranks and perform combat drills until the end of the school day, where they had two hours to themselves to unwind a tiny bit, repair gear and prepare for classes the next day—unless somepony earned a demerit during the day. If somepony earned a demerit, all of the cadets were punished. They were ordered to load their saddlebags full of rocks, and then had to complete the obstacle course five times in a row without stopping.

Rainbow had just finished one such run. Earlier in the day, one of Rainbow’s classmates was caught passing a note in Aerodynamics 1, and the instructor, Fleetfoot, confiscated it and read it out to the class: Apparently the pegasus stallion in question was attempting to set up a place for a little… tryst… with his marefriend after lights out and everypony else was supposed to be asleep. After assuring that there will never be any such activates allowed at the Academy, Fleetfoot had shredded the note and invited the entire class to fill their saddlebags and get to flying. After several snubs directed at the pegasus, the class did as they had been bid.

Rainbow Dash had eventually felt herself pulling away from the rest of them as she rounded the first bend of the course. Even after a single day the strict regime to the Academy was doing wonders for her. Not only was she feeling fitter than she ever had before, but her natural ability as an athlete also came into play. While others had issues with the hairpin turns, dodging rouge clouds and avoiding the water, Rainbow flitted by them with apparent ease, muscles burning for a respite. And in all honesty, she didn’t mind being in front of the proverbial pack. So far, she’s never really gotten a chance to know her classmates really well. She shared classes with them and sweat with them, but still had never really interacted with them. But still, she had shown them. None of the others were even back yet.

No sooner had she completed this thought that the door at the end of the dormitory crashed open. She propped herself on her elbow and inwardly groaned. Dumbbell, Fast Hoop, and Calamity strode up the rows between the perfectly made beds. They were second year cadets and had decided it was their calling in life to make Rainbow’s life as miserable as possible. The rainbow flier scrambled quickly to their hooves, but nowhere near fast enough.

“What are you doing in bed, Rainbow Crash? Dumbbell sneered. “You should be on the course with the rest of your loser classmates. Who do you think you are, that you can just skip instructor’s orders?” Fast Hoop and Calamity laughed. They weren’t overly bright, but certainly made up for it with brawn.

“I’ve already finished,” Rainbow replied tonelessly. “My time is my own before dinner.”

“Oh yea?” Dumbbell got a wicked glint in his eyes. “Well, I call you a liar! Get up from there and give me fifty wing-ups to make me forget about this and not report you to an instructor!”

Rainbow hesitated for a moment. Technically, she was bigger than these three goons. And she knew she was faster, without a doubt. If there was ever a confrontation, she knew she could beat them. But, there was also three of them and one of her. She was not about to take on all three of them at once. Nor was she about to report them to an instructor. If this was how first year cadets were supposed to be treated by higher cadets, then so be it. She’d just have to deal with whatever they threw at her and move on. However, Dumbbell must have seen the light of rebellion in Rainbow’s eyes for a moment.

“One hundred wing-ups! He ordered. “Now!”

With a grunt of aching muscles, Rainbow dropped to the floor and began doing push-ups with just her wings. As she began to rise up, she felt a hoof in the small of her back: Calamity had stepped forward, and was exerting just the right amount of pressure to ensure that Rainbow fount if hard to complete her assigned task. She grunted again, and Dumbbell yelled at her.

“Stop your whimpering, Crash! Move faster!”

Rainbow gritted her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to knock Calamity back and jump in with hooves swinging. But the last thing she needed was to be kicked from the Academy. So she soldiered on, determined to do what she was ordered. But it was on her sixth exercise that her wings spasmed, causing her to crash to the floor, stunned. Calamity raised his hoof as though to strike her unprotected back, but was interrupted by a new voice.

“Leave her be!” The voice was every bit as tomboyish has Rainbow’s, but still definitely feminine. Rainbow and her three tormenters whirled around at the newcomer: a sea green pegasus mare with a two-toned mustard yellow mane. Her topaz eyes surveyed the scene before her disgustedly.

“You’d better get out of here if you know what’s good for you,” Dumbbell swaggered. “This is between me and Crash here.”

“Well, I’m now making it about me. And if you think you can take on a third year cadet who’s been doing this longer than you, be my guest. Don’t go crying to your mommies when I put you in the hospital.”

Rainbow could see the three bullies hesitating. Then, with one last contemptuous look at Rainbow Dash, they stomped out, making sure to give the third year cadet a wide birth. The cadet then approached Dash, who still had not risen. She held out a hoof, with the chromatic flier accepted.

“I’m Lightning Dust,” the newcomer said. “Top of my class. You’re the one they call Rainbow Dash, aren’t you?”

Dash stretched her aching wings. “Yea, that’s me. Thanks for that, by the way.”

“Not a problem. I’ve been looking to have those three expelled for a while now, but they’ve never done anything serious enough to warrant it. Come on. Let’s go get dinner and see what happens from there.”