Myths and Consequences

"Hmm, to garish, to red, to blue, too many bells." Clothing flew left and right at the mere flick of Alicorn horns as the two conversed, going through both Twilight's and Star Swirl's clothing. "Tiny, still tiny, way too tiny...are those silk socks and swim wear?"

Twilight with a sudden burst of magic watched as said articles of clothing vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Oh dear, I thought you could only vaguely summon fire." Celestia held in a giggle at the reddening unicorn, turning her attention back to the wardrobe.

"If only one could remove the image from the mind." Said Luna with a smirk, looking over Twilight. "Thou sure that thy nature was student and not mere scandalous glamor?"

"Of course!" Twilight shouted louder than she wanted too.

"Tis a joke, do learn the difference." Luna scolded, or teased it was hard to tell.

Twilight wondered at their intentions, as though the two expected others of her realm to not find their presence alarming. Two Alicorns, ponies of nearly three times the size of Twilight, adorned with both wings and unicorn horn. It was not something the locals would miss, they weren't that stupid. Of course Twilight felt it best not to voice her opinions.

Luna of course took his dark blue cloak, having removed the bells. Of course Twilight protested against this, but Luna argued that as he was dead, he had no more use for it. Pragmatism, as she called it. Situational ethics. She said that it was another lesson that would come in play as a magician.

"Twilight." Celestia called out. She now seemed preoccupied with a chest, Luna across the room was now digging through shelves and cupboards. "Is there not anything for you to be armed with, swords, bow and arrows?"

"Weapons?"

"Of course, like those used to bereft your former master the chance of life."

"I know what you mean, I just didn't expect you to take interest in them."

"Why not?"

"Well...I thought you said you were well versed in magic."

"Tell us Twilight, does your non horned populace have need of magic to butter bread?"

"Er no?"

"Do you?"

"Not really."

"Then what is the problem?"

"I've never known any magicians or practitioners of the arts to use weapons."

"Well then, do tell us, how many other magicians have you known?" Celestia gestured to Star Swirl.

"Er...just the one."

"Most excellent, let not that keen observation fail us!" chimed in Luna from across the room.

"Indeed, tell us, what is the difference between us and old Star Swirl?"

"He's dead?"

"So?"

"I'll help." Twilight began throwing open dresser drawers and flipping over the mattress.

"Good girl." Celestia offered a proud smile.

Twilight certainly hard to argue with the logic. How she could have missed such obvious conclusion, she blamed the stress.

It wasn't long before they finished rummaging through the hut, it wasn't that large. Aside from the assassins choice of weapon, they didn't find much else. A chest yielded Star Swirls jewel encrusted sword, something he forbade Twilight from ever touching. A set of knives, two work, the rest kitchen utensils. Aside from those meager findings, the rest of the house proved to lack anything useful in a combative situation. The two alicorns were not overjoyed.

"A sword encrusted with plastic jewels, so blunt you'd have to bludgeon another to death with it over anything else. Very few knives, not even worthy of the name. Anybody who keeps weapons like these should be skewered!"

"He was."

"True enough. It that is all we have found, than we shall make the most of it." Luna finished, setting the knives upon a table. The sword joined with a clatter.

Each princess took hold of the sparse collection of armaments and began to equip them, behind regalia or beneath wings. Twilight seemed to take offense to this.

"Don't I get a weapon?"

"Do you know how to use one?"

"Well..."

They resumed their task, ignoring her glares.

"Right then, without the aid of our own worlds, we are going to be in dire straights without some form of monetary value. Twilight, do you know where Star Swirl would have secreted his savings. Possibly closest to his stash of dirty magazines."

Twilight reddened again, but motioned towards a set of stones near the fireplace. Easily removing theses, she presented the sisters with a few pouches of mixed copper and silver coins.

"We assume copper and silver to be of low value?" inquired Luna.

"Silver is good, not as good as gold, and a hundred copper to a silver."

"Tis chicken feed here, a mere few coins? Tell us that this is but a jest!" Luna fumed, "Do tell us, have their been any items that he warned you of? Items not to touch?"

"Well of course, all the cursed gold and things!"

"Luna, if you may allow me." Celestia cleared her throat, taking Twilight's attention. "Now, if you were unable to fend for yourself, yet had a wealth of material goods, how would you protect them?"

"I...don't know?"

"Ahh, lesson time again!" she clapped her hooves smiling. "Allow us to explain while we gather up these cursed items."

In no time, the three had collected a modest heap of items which Twilight had held in awe for the longest time. A rather lewd stature of a golden mare, pearls of the deep ones, a gold pendant shaped like a sun with a few missing rays, and a ring with a large jewel encrusted upon it, happily removed from Star Swirls hoof.

"Now then, I take it there is a story behind the sun and its three missing rays?" Celestia offered an appraising look as she waited for an answer.

"Well there was this tale of a Zebrican tribe," she began, "There was a worship of a massive parasprite that..."

"Skip it! It is nothing more than a sham, to make those who hear the tale fear its true source!" turning, Celestia taking a deep breath, her chest thrusting out, the golden regalia upon it shining. A sun a very familiar sun shined upon it. "What one does, if they are smart, is have a craftsman take any gold, and form it into something like so, of course with a set value in mind. Do you understand where I'm going with this?"

A slight nod from the unicorn was the answer.

"Now then, taking such a design, you add a shroud of mysticism upon it, magic here, a curse there, ancient blood rights and evil. The more others believe it, the move valuable such an item becomes, and thus the more that is torn away from it, the more its value continues to grow. The circumstance under which the limb or ray was torn away is purely fictitious."

Twilight felt no surprise at this, strangely enough. She began doubting much of what the old wizard had shared with her, in fact much of what anyone shared with her now.

"So, there really are no such things as curses!"

"Oh don't be so quick to judge my dear student!" Celestia tutted. "I didn't say their weren't. I merely said that it makes for a grand cover story when needed. Now once in a while, you will come across an item of power, but they are usually few and far between."

"But how does one tell?"

A glint shined in Celestia's eye, and she gestured to her sister.

"Well, when it comes to detection spells, there is none better than my sister. Though again we may not have the benefit of your realms magical knowledge, it doesn't stop the basics from being true."

"Tis true! It is time to impart to you your first true magical lesson. I believe that Star Swirl felt it unnecessary to teach you aura detection. Figures, the old bag would probably think you a thief ready to plunder his goods if he did." Standing beside Twilight, she placed a hoof upon the unicorns head and forced her down till she was eye level with the table. "Now then, you've day dreamed have you not?"

Amidst the protest of such abuse, Twilight gave an affirmative.

"Good, then do so, let thy mind wander, focus upon the white coat of my sister, but keep the valuables in sight."

Twilight began taking breaths, each slower than the last as her mind began to drift. It was hard though, for one staring at Celestia's slowly inhaling and exhaling chest was quite a distraction in itself, leading to thoughts Twilight would find rather rude, on another her mind was awash with too many questions, yearning to be answered, oh how she wish she had access to a library, perhaps there was a realm of books? Yes a realm of books would be most.

Wait.

She hopped up shouting. "What was that?"

"Oh, what did you see?"

"I...well nothing...I didn't see anything."

"Do not tease, what did your eyes tell you?"

"Well, for a moment, just a moment I swear the ring glowed read, but it just...vanished the moment I focused."

"Ahh, good enough. Know that when you focus upon an object, untrained as you are, you will easily loose it, no matter. Tia!"

"On it Lulu," Celestia dragged a hoof across the table, sweeping all but the ring into a convenient bag. Luna scowled at the nickname.

"We shall leave the ring, it is probably what was used to pacify the unfortunate changeling."

"But why not take it with us?"

"Do you know how to control it?"

"Well...no."

"Well then, as powerful as we both maybe, exploding into flames is certainly a very painful experience. The last thing we need is a ring that focuses such heat, especially one that can't be aimed unless one has the knowledge for it. If we are fortunate, any whom try to follow us will come across it and turn it upon themselves."

"But...your the princess of the sun."

"And that does not mean I go about setting myself ablaze on a whim, it takes energy to hold such an aura, mostly keeping it in check so as not to incinerate those around us, or the planet itself. Believe me when I say, that having a lot of power can be just as troublesome as no power at all. Most especially to those who wish to hold onto such gifts with responsibility."

"Is this a, with great power comes great responsibility lesson?"

"Hardly, its the nagging one gets from every other dimension when power fluxes in and out of their own ley lines, something we both hardly feel is worth wasting our time with in magical court."

"Magic court... wait more?"

"Well we did say that others would probably come, and professionals do work in multiple teams!"

"Don't lose thy wits young Twilight."

"Easier to say then do." Came Twilight's thoughts. She voiced her other thoughts. "You mean we've been waiting this entire time while they get a chance to surprise us?"

"Oh hardly, professional courtesy dictates they wait a few days, tomorrow at the earliest!" Luna gave a calm smile that spoke of experience. Experience Twilight wished to not learn first hoof. "They do it so that the others if their are more, will have plenty of space to maneuver about, employing whatever tricks of the trade or traps necessary to capture or kill their quarry."

"Princess Luna, how is it you know so much about assassins?"

Luna smiled as she reminisced. "Tis a lovely lass we knew, knew her art very well, found it hard to keep her mouth shut though. Amazing what one shares in bed, poor habit for such a position."

"What happened?"

"With?"

"The assassin?"

"None of your business." Luna's answer was suddenly very brusque. "We've much to do and little time to do it."

"So what do we do now?"

"Bury the bodies, make it seem as though the assassin ditched after the job with all the valuables."

"I figured that, I meant where do we go from here?"

"You worry me child. First step in military matters is to take account. Find Discord, appraise his strengths, divulge his weakness. Form a heavily armed party. Make a plan, and then execute it, and him if we have fortunes favor."

"Um...could you please back up just a little princess...how do we find him?"

"Don't you know where he is?"

"I haven't even heard of him till today."

A long silence past between pupil and Teachers as they stared at each other.