Prologue ( Final Version )

Prologue (Final Version)

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Twilight stood nervously before the four ponies judging her. She had studied and reviewed and practiced for months, all leading up to this moment. This was the final test needed to secure her a place in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.

"Well, Miss Sparkle?" a stern looking mare asked impatiently, her grey hair shifting only slightly as she made notes on the purple filly’s progress, or rather, the lack of thereof. The passive expression on her face was mirrored by those of the other teachers, who were all waiting for her to hatch the mottled dragon egg that had just been wheeled into the testing room.

Twilight hesitated. Failing this test would mean she wouldn’t be accepted into the school, and she had no idea how to proceed. Despite her ever-present fear of failure, she began frantically to try to hatch the egg and after several fruitless attempts, she gave up, exhausted and certain that she had failed her exam. With her head hung low, she apologized to the stern instructors, her voice quiet and almost heartbroken.

Watching the young filly try and fail to produce even the tiniest spark of magic, the instructors once again raised their notepads to take their final thoughts on the filly’s test, denouncing her poor performance under pressure yet praising her humble nature. They agreed that while Twilight severely needed help on building her confidence, she’d be an easy one to mold.

“This applicant completely loses her focus while under pressure and notably lacks confidence in her magical abilities. It took her a long time before she even made an attempt to hatch the egg. We will need to focus on building her confidence in the future. She has shown great potential in all her previous evaluations. And will prove to be a great asset to the school.”

Another teacher, a yellow unicorn mare made her own observations.

“She obviously knows this is beyond her abilities, but despite the lack of confidence tried anyway.”

Her stoic expression masking her satisfaction she finalised her notes preparing to comfort the increasingly downtrodden filly and discuss her conclusions with her fellow judges.

“All in all this has been a good trial. Hopefully in time Miss Sparkle will come to learn that we gain experience not only from our successes, but also from our failures.”

Another of the evaluators also wrote his conclusions on the filly’s performance, levitating his clipboard and pencil with a minty green aura.

“She apologized to us despite the fact that we gave her a near impossible task. In addition I didn't hear her complain even once during the test.”

The applicant is respectful towards authority and shown no anger or outwardly-directed frustration towards herself or others. She seems to be a student who can trust her teacher, but, she seems far too willing to accept blame even when she is not at fault. Indeed, she seems to be quite a humble one, and humble students are easy to teach..

Despite the bored or disappointed expressions on their faces, all four evaluators were impressed by the purple filly's behaviour. No pony would ever realistically expect a filly to hatch the egg, no matter how talented. The true entrance exam had been over before this final test, as the intelligence of the applicant was analyzed with paper exams, magic potential was measured using an apparatus attached to their horn, and there were a few other practical tests too, and the filly in question, Twilight Sparkle had passed them all with flying colors. The only reason this impossible task was included in the entrance exam was by direct order of none other than princess Celestia herself to test the applicant’s character, and while she was far from perfect, she had most certainly passed.

Suddenly, a great wave of multichromatic light surged across the city of Canterlot, a deep thunderous rumble following in its wake. Before anypony could comment or even ponder the amazing phenomenon, something else captured the adults attention.

The evaluators and Twilight’s parents watched in awe as the purple filly before them rose off the ground, emanating a pure white light before letting loose a terrific surge of raw power. Being far greater than any magic surge they had ever witnessed before, the surge froze them in disbelief at the immense amount of magic suddenly cascading from such a young student.

Before anypony could even consider escaping the surging filly, all four evaluators were captured within a bubble of purple force, suspending them helplessly in mid-air. Bolts of pure magical power flew in all directions from the ball of incandescent energy surrounding the young filly. One single bolt struck the dragon’s egg, reducing the wagon to flaming debris, while the mottled dragon egg began to hatch, as pieces of the steel hard shell began to snap and break off from the top of the egg the form of a small filly sized dragon baby appeared out of the debris, the ball of purple then started to chew on it’s tail. Even more bolts of power cascaded throughout the room as her surge grew in power. Even her own parents were not spared from the barrage, one bolt striking the both of them and, when the glare of magic had vanished, only a cacti and ficus remained. Another powerful bolt struck the newly hatched drake causing him to grow to gigantic proportions, bursting through the roof of the exam room with a crash.

Twilight Sparkle had never been more terrified in her entire life.

The helpless instructors gasped as the young filly cast spells far beyond anything they could imagine as  filly had lost control and the power had begun to consume her.

A wave of relief cut through the panic that had taken hold of the assessors as Princess Celestia swept into the room. Rubble fell everywhere, due to the prematurely aged dragon having burst right through the ceiling, but Celestia ignored that and went straight for the terrified filly, resting a hoof on her shoulder.

Twilight Sparkle turned around, only to see the pony she idolized standing in front of her, seemingly unconcerned at the devastation around the testing room, but looking straight into her eyes with a compassionate smile.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh... I need to stop! I can’t be destroying the princess’ schools! What if she locks me in the dungeon, or banishes me, or keeps me in magic kindergarten for the rest of my life! Twilight desperately tried to stop her magic from streaming out of her body, but it was a fruitless effort; every time she tried to stop it, she felt pain like a strong wave of water hitting her with full force until she got out of the way. The more she tried to stop it, the harder it hit.

Seeing there was no time to waste, Princess Celestia spread her wings and wrapped the panicked student in her golden magic, absorbing the destructive bolts while she searched for a long-term solution.

I cannot simply put a shield around her to stop her from destroying this school, as the magic pressure under the shield would crush her, Celestia thought as she was pushed back by several magic bolts. However as an alicorn, not only did she have the strength and stamina of earth ponies, but also enough endurance necessary to handle her own magic, so the filly's magic surge was no threat to her.

I could teleport everyone out of this room, or even from school, and wait until the magic surge ends naturally, but that would leave school half-destroyed. There must be some way to reduce the damage to both her and the school... That’s it!

I can use the filly's magic surge as fuel for a shrinking spell. With her size reduced and magic drained she would calm down much faster, and the damage caused by her would be minimal, Celestia thought as she lit her horn with magic. The spell she was about to cast required a great deal of magic and concentration, but despite being constantly struck by magic bolts, Celestia didn’t lose her focus. After a moment she cast her spell on the purple filly.

The fear in the young unicorn’s terrified eyes turned into confusion as the room and Princess Celestia began to swell upwards. Did I make them grow just like that dragon? Oh no, what have I done?! the filly thought. I'll be lucky if I just end up in dungeon for this! She began to realize her magic was becoming weaker and weaker. Something was draining her, but she was too afraid about what the princess would do with her to care.

Celestia gazed upon the results of her work, seeing the small purple filly shrinking more and more as her own magical surge fueled the spell. The shrinking spell was not an easy spell; only Celestia and one or two others had both the power and skill to cast it. In addition, there was barely any practical purpose to the spell, since it used the target’s own power as fuel. Without the target’s cooperation or an uncontrolled magic surge, the spell would do absolutely nothing.

After Celestia noticed that the filly had stopped shrinking and her magic surge was almost over, she cast another spell to reverse the effects of the burst, returning the dragon to his original size, and transforming the two plants next to her back into ponies. Age spell, transformation spell, enough magic to hatch a dragon egg... magic surge or not, this filly has incredible potential. Maybe even too much for her own good, Celestia thought, seeing that the tiny filly was now lying unconscious on the floor.

So small and fragile, yet so powerful, she lay down in front of the small filly. It will be best if I take her under my wing and help her learn how to control her power. She brought her face to ground level to take a better look as she cast a scanning spell. Her magical reserves are very low, but thankfully her body was barely injured. Celestia cast a quick healing spell on the filly.

The exhausted Twilight began to stir, feeling a comfortably warm wave of magic pass through her body. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the giant face of her princess looming over her. Screaming, she jumped back, panic and fear overwhelming her. Did I made her so big? Is she going to punish me?

She even considered escaping for a moment, but she was paralyzed by fear. Unable to move, Twilight shut her eyes and cowered, trembling helplessly. Please let it be the dungeon! I don’t want to be flattened, she thought, expecting the giant princess to stomp on her at any moment.

Celestia was deep in her own thoughts. That magic surge was far more powerful than I initially thought it would be. The shrinking spell managed to reduce her mass a hundredfold, making her just barely larger than a fat mouse. She noticed the filly was trembling, and obviously almost terrified to death.

The filly’s parents were watching in awe, still trying to comprehend what had just happened, and wondering why the princess was talking to some purple bug.

"Hello, my little pony. Please don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you," said Celestia in a calm, motherly voice. Celestia thought about the irony of the situation. She often called her subjects her ‘little ponies’, but this was the first time saying it to a filly smaller than her own snout

The purple filly slowly opened her eyes and watched her princess with a fearful expression. "Y-you won't?" she squeaked, as the words got stuck in her throat.

"Of course not. Why would you ever think I would hurt you in the first place?" Celestia said, confusion staining the warmth of her voice. The very idea of hurting any pony, let alone this tiny helpless filly, was impossible to imagine.

"B-because I d-didn't stop... I made you b-big... P-p-please don't be mad..."

"Oh no, my little pony, you are quite mistaken. You did not increase my size," Celestia said calmly, "It was I who shrunk you." Even though she didn't let it show, the very idea made her laugh on the inside.

"You... s-shrunk me?" the filly said hesitantly, slowly analyzing the situation. "I... understand. This is my punishment for being a bad filly." She dropped her head in shame, looking at the ground. "Will you lock me into the dungeon as well?" she asked despairingly.

Celestia felt sadness well up inside her chest. The poor filly had not only experienced such a terrifying magical surge at such a young age, but was expecting to be punished for it. "Oh, no my dear," she said, "I am not going to punish you. It was not your fault for losing control over your powers. That could have happened to anypony. You are a very special unicorn with power far greater than others of your age. I just shrunk you to help you deal with the magic surge and to ensure the safety of you and all the ponies around you. It was not a punishment," she stressed her last sentence, sounding almost apologetic.

As realization struck the filly's parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, they also knelt down in front of their daughter, lowering their heads to the ground. "T-Twilight, is that you?" asked Night Light hesitantly.

Twilight turned around to face her humongous parents, but she resisted jumping back in fear—she would never be afraid her parents, no matter how big they were. "Y-yes" she answered slowly with a nod of her head.

"Oh, my little filly. Whatever happened to you?" asked Twilight Velvet, her voice uneasy; she was still unable to comprehend the situation.

"I... I was a bad filly. I could have hurt other p-ponies, so the princess made me t-tiny," Twilight answered with her cute, squeaky voice, as she was still trembling from the fear.

"Oh no, it wasn’t your fault. Please don’t blame yourself," said Twilight Velvet quickly as she turned her head towards the princess. "Could you... please turn her back to normal... Your Highness?" she asked respectfully. She tried to bow, but found it impossible as her head was already on ground level.

Celestia thought for a moment before answering. "I would like to return her to her normal size, but I’m not sure that would be wise. Your daughter has an immense amount magic inside her, far more than she can control at this point in her life," she explained, saddened at what lay in the filly’s future.

"If I change her back, she would have more magic surges like this one, and you’ve seen the amount of damage her they can do. As much as I wish your daughter could have a normal life, I cannot put her and those around her at risk," Celestia lectured calmly, sincerely apologetic towards the filly’s mother.

"But, Your Highness!" Night Light replied desperately, turning to face the princess. "Our daughter cannot stay the size of a bug. What if somepony accidentally steps on her? What if she has an accident? Just look how small and fragile she is now." He pointed out his hoof at his daughter, who was silently watching the princess and her parents talking, now trembling more from exhaustion rather than fear.

"Couldn’t you just make her a little bit bigger? At least big enough so that nopony would step on her by mistake?" pleaded Twilight Velvet, her pained expression mirroring her internal turmoil.

Celestia gave a short pause before shaking her head sadly. "I am afraid that is not how the shrinking spell works. Whenever I cast the spell on your daughter, her size will be determined by the strength of her last magical surge," she said, sitting in a regal position yet again. “I’m afraid that until she learns how to control her power, she must stay that way."

But before she could let Twilight's parents say anything more, Celestia spoke again, "Please don’t worry. I will ensure your daughter's safety, and I will teach her how to control her power. With your permission of course, if you will grant it.” Rising her hooves with regal grace, she awaited Night Light and Twilight Velvet’s answer.

Twilight parents were lost in thought until Night Light broke the silence. "B-but we can’t let you take our daughter when she needs us the most. W-will... you be able to ensure our daughter's safety? Will you be able to take care of her better than we can?" asked Night Light hesitantly.

"Yes I will. I have the resources and knowledge to train, house and protect your daughter. I’ll be very careful with my new student. You have my word," spoke Celestia in her regal voice.

Before Twilight Velvet could speak, they heard a quiet, raspy, and yet excited voice yelling at their hooves. "YE-eS Y-yEs YES Yes Y-yes..." yelled Twilight, stammering slightly as her excitement fought against her exhausted body.

Celestia and Twilight's parents looked down to the floor, and saw the tiny purple filly bouncing vigorously in a small circle at their hooves, still repeating her mantra of success. All three could barely stop themselves from embarrassing the filly with a simultaneous “awww.”

"Yes, you may take care of our daughter and teach her how to control her magic. It would be an honor to have our daughter as your student. My husband and I will visit as often as we can," Twilight Velvet replied, a warm smile across her face.

The smile quickly disappeared, replaced by a stern and threatening expression. "But I swear as her mother, even if you are the Princess of Equestria, if you hurt our daughter or let anypony hurt her, I will hold you responsible," Twilight Velvet stated, her voice low, yet determined. She finished with a small cough and made a quick bow toward the princess. With an innocent smile, she finally turned to her husband, who was staring at her, his mouth wide open.

Unoffended by the threat, Celestia lowered herself to the excited little filly. Celestia slowly levitated Twilight to her nose, surprised that the little thing still had so much energy after her dangerously powerful magic surge.

Twilight looked into her future mentor’s giant eyes, trembling and slightly unstable on her hooves, but barely able to contain her excitement. "I c-cannot b-believe you’re going to t-teach m-me! I’m so h-happy, I’m s-so h-happy!" the filly yelled excitedly before landing unceremoniously on her face.

"Please calm down, my little pony. You’ve had a very rough day, and you deserve a rest," Celestia spoke calmly. Twilight gave an adorable little pout, but it took only a moment until she yawned and fell asleep on her mentor's nose. Celestia grinned in response as she looked at her future little student, who was now curled up like a tiny purple ball, right on her nose.

Slowly, Celestia levitated her new student onto her soft back, careful not to wake her up, and cast small, magical ropes no larger than threads to immobilize the sleeping filly so she wouldn't accidentally fall off.

“Did you notice?” Celestia whispered to Twilight parents, who now looked back with confused expressions. “Your daughter got her cutie mark. It’s very small and I didn’t notice it until she fell asleep,” Celestia whispered, careful not to disturb the sleeping filly as Twilight’s parents came closer for a better look, just now noticing the tiny magenta star surrounded by five little white flecks no larger than specks of paint on their daughter’s flank.

“That’s wonderful, Princess,” Twilight Velvet exclaimed excitedly before quickly covering her mouth with her hooves. When she spoke again, her voice was much quieter, “My apologies... would you tell this to our daughter when she wakes up?”

“I will, once she recovers. As for now, I will need to put her to bed and take care of the mess in here, but I will ensure her safety. You have my promise. Goodbye Twilight Velvet, Night Light, it was a pleasure to meet you,” she said her goodbyes and took her leave from the classroom, walking slowly back to her bed chamber.

Celestia considered the day’s events. That rainbow-colored wave and the powerful magic surge couldn't have been a coincidence; there are strong resemblances here to the Elements of Harmony. Perhaps they’ve finally found their new bearers. If my theory is correct, I will have the next thirteen years to train this filly to become one of the new bearers. With that display of magical prowess, I would not be surprised if the Element of Magic chooses her when the time is right.

As for the other bearers, that rainbow wave will touch the lives of a great number of potential candidates for the Elements. I will have to track down whoever made it, as well as any other potential bearers linked to it. When the time comes, they’ll need to be close to the elements, perhaps in Ponyville. After creating her plan of action, she took a look in the sky. Though her sun stood high today, it would soon give way to her sister’s moon, and Nightmare Moon would be back.

I have a chance to save you from your corruption, my sister, and I am going to take it.